policy director Tip of the Mitt
Watershed Council 2018 concluded with a legislative lame duck session for the books. In total, 408 bills were sent to former Gov. Snyders desk, many of which were highly controversial. While some negative legislation passed, the Watershed Council, our partners, and Michigans citizens were able to defeat or amend many other anti-environmental bills. Here is a recap of a few of the bills that became law in former Gov. Snyders final days in office. Senate Bill 1197 (Public Act 359) Authorizing a Utility Tunnel in the Straits of Mackinac Public Act 359 creates a new Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority. The Authority will oversee construction and operation of a tunnel proposed to go under the Straits of Mackinac to house Enbridge Energys Line 5. Just one week after being signed into law, at the inaugural meeting of the Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority, the Authority approved agreements that will allow Enbridge Energy to pursue construction of the utility tunnel. Senate Bill 1211 (Public Act 631) Changes to Michigans Wetlands, Inland Lakes, and Streams Programs Public Act (PA) 631 ended up being a significantly scaled-back version of the original bill. Under the original proposal, more than 550,000 acres of wetlands and 4,200 lakes would have lost protections. In the end, PA 631 adds the federal definition of Waters of the United States (WOTUS) to the current definition of lakes and streams and wetlands. The federal definition is unclear and has been in legal flux since 2001. By including WOTUS in the definitions, it is tying Michigans program to a non-stable and complicated federal standard that could lead to time delays, lack of clarity, and lack of predictability. In addition, PA 631 awards expert witness fees for violations and contested cases. Because the program has no funding source for this and there is no limit or criteria for amounts, it is likely that our state programs will suffer financially as a result. House Bill 4205 (Public Act 602) No Stricter than Federal Public Act 602 prevents the State of Michigan from adopting environmental rules more stringent than federal standards, thereby, handcuffing the state in its effort to protect public health and the environment. The legislation is overly broad and would impede necessary regulatory flexibility that is vital for many programs including protection of the Great Lakes. Federal regulations are only intended to be the lowest standard that states must meet. Tying regulations to federal standards would prevent the state from meeting the specific needs of Michigan citizens and businesses. In order to protect Michigan residents from PFAS and other toxins, our environmental regulations should be shaped by state decision-makers, based on the best science available, and reflect the values of Michigan residents. Senate Bill 1244 (Public Act 581) Part 201 Cleanup Standards for Contaminated Sites Public Act 581 prevents the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality from using the best science to develop cleanup standards for contaminated sites, including for chemicals like PFAS. Instead, the MDEQ is required to use federal toxicity values when setting cleanup criteria for hazardous substances. If the chemical is not in the federal database, the DEQ will be required to undergo an enhanced review process, essentially jumping through additional hoops to verify other scientific data. This is why 80 MDEQ employees with extensive knowledge of the states cleanup program and development of cleanup criteria sent a letter to the governor requesting a veto, stating the legislation will threaten health and safety of the people of Michigan. In 2019, Michigan transitioned to the new administration of Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel. The incoming administration has a tremendous opportunity to reset course in Lansing and restore Michigans legacy as a national leader in public health and environmental protection. Under the new regime, a number of the bills mentioned above have been called into question. On her first full day in office, Governor Whitmer requested an opinion from Attorney General Nessel regarding the constitutionality of PA 359 forming the new Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority, as well as if the actions taken by the new board are legal. In addition, Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council joined forces with Michigan Environmental Council, Michigan League of Conservation Voters, and more than 20 organizations across the state to develop an Environmental Roadmap. This roadmap provides a comprehensive policy agenda for the first 100 days and first term of the Whitmer administration. Here are four of our top policy priorities: Establish an enforceable PFAS drinking water standard so we can protect communities and ensure clean drinking water. Identify and secure new funding to replace all lead service lines and upgrade our states crumbling water infrastructure. Replace the Clean Michigan Initiative, a critical funding source responsible for the cleanup of hundreds of polluted waterways and brownfields. Support funding and construction projects like the Brandon Lock and Dam and working with other Great Lakes states to protect our states greatest natural resource our water. With a presidential administration set on weakening environmental protections designed to safeguard our families and our public health, its time to put Michigan in the drivers seat and ensure our elected leaders push forward comprehensive solutions that will address our States drinking water crises, protect our Great Lakes, and combat climate change. We look forward to working with the new administration and state legislature to advance the policy recommendations outlined in the Environmental Roadmap. Together, with our partners and Watershed Council members, we will ensure that Michigan makes up the ground lost in recent years. The Environmental Roadmap can be accessed at https://michiganlcv.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Cascade/index.html?appid=547b6c211c91436c9453db35bd78bcfb Staff reports The Petoskey News-Review GAYLORD Two Michigan State Police Troopers from the Gaylord post received the Cpl. Samuel A. Mapes Criminal Patrol and Investigation award. Troopers Brock Artfitch and Jeremiah Roberts were honored alongside other Michigan troopers at a ceremony Wednesday, Feb. 6, in Lansing. Mapes, an early pioneer in criminal patrol and investigation, was killed in the line of duty during the prohibition era. The annual award honors the top five percent of troopers in each district for looking past the traffic stop to excel in proactive criminal patrol and criminal investigations closed by felony arrests. DARLENE SUPERVILLE < p>
and JOSH BOAK < WASHINGTON A man with ties to a well-known Northern Michigan family-owned manufacturing company is President Donald Trumps nominee to be the next head of the World Bank. On Tuesday, the Associated Press and numerous other media outlets reported that David Malpass will be the presidents nomination to lead the institution focused on global poverty. Trump confirmed that on Wednesday afternoon. Malpass, who the AP reported has been a critic of the bank, is a member of the Malpass family that has owned and operated EJ (formerly known as the East Jordan Iron Works) for five generations. The AP reported that Malpass selection was confirmed by a senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official wasnt authorized to comment publicly on personnel decisions. Now the undersecretary for international affairs at the Treasury Department, Malpass, 62, has straddled the top echelons of government and Wall Street, having worked in the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations and as the chief economist for the defunct bank Bear Stearns. He also unsuccessfully sought the 2010 Republican nomination for a Senate seat from New York. According to a transcript of a 2017 Senate hearing on his appointment to his current post, Malpass told the committee, I was raised in East Jordan, a small town in Northern Michigan. My great grandfather started an iron foundry there in 1883 that was expanded by my grandfather, father, and the cousins I grew up with. The East Jordan Iron Works (now EJ Co.) is a fifth-generation global business, which still prides itself on productivity, hard work, good-paying jobs, and strong communities. Malpass told the committee, After earning a degree in physics, I worked as a contract administrator at Esco, a foundry in Portland, Oregon. We made high-alloy steel used in digging equipment, nuclear castings, and pulp mills. Both companies are emblematic of the challenges and opportunities that will continue to face our economy in the coming decades they battle foreign competition yet have prospered through innovation, flexibility, talented leadership, and strong, skilled workers. He also told the committee, The theme of my upbringing, career, and publications is that policies have a big impact on growth, jobs, and wages, and that a key goal of fiscal and monetary policy development is to create higher living standards for working- and middle-income citizens in the United States and around the world. The Associated Press reported that Malpass has been an outspoken skeptic of the 189-nation World Bank, a leading source of funding for economic development. The World Bank provides low-cost loans for projects around the world. Among its key missions is helping combat poverty in developing countries. Malpass has called for curbing the World Banks financial reach and has criticized its lending to China, one of the banks leading recipients of aid. If the World Banks directors approve his nomination, Malpass would be positioned to overhaul an institution that, he has argued, has become too focused on its own expansion and prestige rather than on the interests of poor countries. A host of organizations are creating mountains of debt without solving problems, Malpass said in a speech last year. Huge organizations like the World Bank and the many multi-lateral development banks have created an environment where their own growth ends up being as important as their clients growth. Stewart Patrick, a senior fellow in global governance at the Council on Foreign Relations, said that Malpass appears intent on weakening a World Bank that is already rethinking its role in a world with broader access to capital markets but also chronic humanitarian crises. It certainly seems like hes the wrong guy if you wanted to strengthen the World Bank, Patrick said. He has such a record of criticism of the World Bank. And he seems to have bought into the sovereignty mindset of the administration that global institutions are a threat. Having Malpass at the helm of the World Bank would fit a pattern inside the Trump administration of tapping officials to lead institutions whose core missions they have publicly questioned or opposed. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Interior Department and the Environmental Protection Agency, among others, have under Trump been led by some of their sharpest former critics. More broadly, the Trump presidency has defined much of its mission by challenging the global institutions that emerged out of World War II such as NATO and what eventually became the World Trade Organization. The president sees the rules set by these organizations as putting the United States at an economic disadvantage. Malpass would succeed Jim Yong Kim, who announced in January that he was stepping down three years before his term was to expire. The final decision on a successor to Kim will be up to the banks board. The World Bank was founded in 1944 with the task of shoring up the economies of nations devastated by World War II. The first recipient of a World Bank loan was France. The bank, whose leader is nominated by the United States and has always been a U.S. citizen, has since shifted its focus from reconstruction to development, extensively in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Kims unexpected departure could set up a contentious fight between the Trump administration and other countries who argue that the United States exerts too much influence over the bank, which is based in Washington. Staff reports The Petoskey News-Review PETOSKEY Alexi Broman of Petoskey is just a step away from hopefully collecting her golden ticket. Broman, the daughter of Julie Broman and Tom Butcher and granddaughter to Darlene (Broman) and Howard Herriman, the late Cecil G. Broman and adoptive grandmother Maxine Butcher has been invited to audition for the FOX television show So You Think You Can Dance. Broman, who is currently in her second year as a dance major at the University of North Carolina School for the Arts in Winston-Salem, made it through the preliminary round for So You Think You Can Dance and will travel to New York on Saturday, Feb. 9, to audition in the production round. Should she advance past the production round, she would then travel to Los Angeles for the judges round. Broman began dancing locally in Wilmington, North Carolina, and when she decided she wanted to make a career out of dance she moved to Virginia Beach to train at the Denise Wall Dance Energy. It was there where she trained with top professionals in the dance industry including Travis Wall, Anthony Morigerato, Will Loftis and Randi and Heffa. Broman has already been in several locally based television commmericals and two movies including I Dream of Dance and Words on Bathroom Walls. She also trained in Las Vegas with Tara Foy, the ballet mistress for Cirque de Soleil. At age 13, Broman had the opportunity to dance with the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall. She was home-schooled and did competition dance where she earned numerous scholarships and earned several top awards. The first oath we take as members of Congress is for the safety and security of the American people, Representative Matt Cartwright said during a Fox News segment on border security just last month. During that same interview, he acknowledged that walls do indeed work, a position that puts him squarely in line with his constituents in Pennsylvanias 8th District. According to a recent poll, a significant majority of voters in 10 swing districts that voted for President Trump in 2016 but sent a Democrat to the House of Representatives two years later including PA-8 agree with the President on the need for a border wall to address the humanitarian and national security crisis on our southern border. In fact, a stunning 61 percent of respondents say they support President Trumps position on border security while giving their own Democrat representatives dismal approval ratings of between 20 percent and 35 percent. As Pennsylvanias economy continues to thrive thanks to President Trumps pro-growth policies, the benefits of comprehensive border security are clearer than ever. Philadelphia is leading the country in wage growth, and Pennsylvania as a whole has seen an economic turnaround of remarkable proportions, finishing 2018 with an unemployment rate of just 4.2 percent. Reforming Americas outdated and ineffective immigration system would create even more job opportunities for people throughout the state legal immigrants and citizens alike. Law enforcement agents who patrol the border every single day are adamant that a wall will improve national security, reduce crime, and cut the influx of drugs pouring in. A recent study conducted by the National Border Patrol Council, for instance, shows that 89 percent of Border Patrol agents believe a wall is necessary to secure the border. Before President Trump made the border wall a central element of his contract with the American people, most Democrats supported the same solutions, voting in favor of border barriers without hesitation. Rep. Cartwright has thus far shown himself to be one of the few Democrats still willing to consider the border security issue on its merits, rather than through the partisan prism of anti-Trump resistance. He should stay true to his own stated principles rather than buckling to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on building the wall. -- Charles Brewer is a retired from Lockheed Martin as an operations manager and vice chair of the 114th district. It was with great sadness that I recently learned the unfortunate fate of unborn New York babies, due to the states progressive abortion law. Rhode Island and Virginia appeared to be poised to allow the same fate. What type of lawmaker allows this barbaric practice to be approved? I watched the media closely for their reaction; they covered the story routinely but didnt appear to be too alarmed. No politicians so far have condemned the evil law, that I am aware of. (Gov. Cuomo did tout it in his state address as a reason that makes New York a great state.) Doesnt life, liberty and pursuit of happiness extend to unborn (and now, almost born) children? What if that little person grew up to be another Einstein or Henry Ford or discovered a cure for cancer? In New York, we are now even less likely to ever know. MARK STEVENS, Washington Township, Dauphin County Harrisburg police recorded 14 homicides last year, the same number as 2017. But one of those killings was never publicly revealed. It wasnt on purpose, said Police Commissioner Thomas Carter. Instead, he attributed the oversight to the delayed demise of the victim. Juan Montanez was assaulted and robbed June 28, but died nearly a month later from his injuries. PennLive found out about the homicide while researching end-of-the-year homicides in Central Pa. through coroner reports from each county. In all, 52 people died from homicides in 2018 in the six-county area including Dauphin, Cumberland, York, Lancaster, Lebanon and Perry. Fifteen victims were killed in Dauphin County, including Montanez, 56, who was attacked between midnight and 2 a.m. at the intersection of 14th and Swatara streets in Harrisburg, police said. He sought treatment at Harrisburg Hospital and talked to police officers while there about what happened to him. Montanez had surgery, then was sent home, but he soon returned to the hospital complaining of pain, police said. He was readmitted and transferred to Hershey Medical Center, where he died weeks later on July 23. A doctor at the Dauphin County Coroners office ruled the death a homicide, because he died from injuries related to the assault. Carter said his department was notified of the death by the coroners office. Montanez family did not publish an obituary so not much was known about the victim. His family could not be immediately reached. He has a sister and mother who live in the city, Carter said, and a son who lives in Florida. Montanez performed construction work and had no criminal history, police said. The case was originally classified as a robbery and assault, but no details were revealed by police as far as what was stolen. The case remains unsolved. It is one of four unsolved homicides from 2018. The other cases are the shooting of innocent bystander Donna Warren, 52, on May 25; the shooting of Jeremanuel Negron-Quiles, 22, on July 5; and the shooting of Donnell Williams, 15, on Dec. 5. The bulk of the killings in Harrisburg last year (12) were due to gunfire. One victim was stabbed to death and Montanez died from a beating. Anyone with information about the robbery and assault of Montanez should call Det. Jason Brinker at (717) 255-7298 or submit a tip through the Dauphin County Crimewatch website. Two storms are expected to impact Pennsylvania this week, but their effects will primarily be rain thanks to the milder temperatures. The first of the two storms, AccuWeather reports, is expected to move through the Northeast during Wednesday and into Wednesday night. This first storm will be the weaker of the two and is forecast to bring generally light rain that should not trigger flooding, according to the report. However, there will be some wintry precipitation as well. The first of two storms will primarily bring rain to Pennsylvania on Wednesday and into Wednesday night, but some areas to the northeast could see an icy mix. A second, stronger storm is expected to follow directly behind the first storm later in the day Thursday and into Thursday night. A second, strong storm will bring more rain and possibly some thunderstorms from Thursday through Friday night. Along the leading edge of colder air, thunderstorms can occur over the central Appalachians to the eastern Great Lakes during late Thursday night to southern New England and the mid-Atlantic coast on Friday, AccuWeather reports. That second storm will also cause temperatures to drop into the weekend, but it wont be nearly as cold as last week. Heres a look at the forecast for Harrisburg: Wednesday - Cloudy skies, occasional afternoon rain. High: 43 Wednesday night - Cloudy skies, periods of rain. Low: 39 Thursday - Spotty drizzly in the morning; otherwise, cloudy skies. High: 52 Thursday night - Considerable cloudiness, a shower in the evening followed by rain overnight. Low: 47 Friday - Occasional morning rain. High: 51 Friday night - Mainly clear skies. Low: 22 Saturday - Sunshine. High: 34 Saturday night - Clear skies. Low: 17 Sunday - Partly sunny skies. Low: 38 Sunday night - Cloudy skies. Low: 29 Proponents of a proposed STEAM Academy that could open in Midtown next school year have seven calendar days to submit additional documentation to support their application, an attorney representing Harrisburg School District said. District administrators aired their concerns with the charter schools application Tuesday at Harrisburgs second public hearing. No one from the public spoke and there was no vote taken. The additional documentation allows for the charter schools board members to refute any concerns about the application that were addressed at the public hearing, attorney Allison Petersen said. Administrators dug deep into the application. They said it lacked written policy and procedures, namely in communication, and enrollment. Questions were posed to the charters board members about their designed curriculum and whether the charters board considered the districts demographics when selecting its academic choices aimed at teaching students science, technology, engineering, mathematics and arts. Budgeting and staffing adequately also were broached as concerns. A discrepancy was found with the STEAM Academys budget during the meeting, and it was noted that the STEAM Academys budget was incorrect. Representatives of the charter school agreed their numbers were off. The additional documentation doesnt allow for the charters budget to be revised, Petersen explained. The charters board President Carolyn Dumaresq thanked the district for their questions, adding she thinks the charter schools team can make adjustments accordingly based upon the dialogue. Proponents of STEAM Academy Charter School's application caucused during Harrisburg School District's second public hearing. The public hearing lasted for over two hours. Among the other questions directed to the representatives were how the school would communicate with parents and how it plans to handle disciplinary actions for both students and teachers. The states charter school law requires the districts school board of directors to approve or deny the application, Petersen said. She said she wasnt sure when the window for the board to vote on the application ends. Id like to get all the information in front of us we had a stenographer here and the response before saying how I feel about the charter schools application, board president Danielle Robinson said. Robinson said she didnt know when board directors were going to vote. If approved by the district, the inaugural classes would consist of students in kindergarten, first and second grades with 20 students in each classroom, Dumaresq has said. There would be one teacher and one teachers aide for every 10 students. Department of Corrections Secretary John Wetzel on Monday signed a notice of execution for Timothy M. Jacoby, setting the execution for next month. Jacoby was sentenced to death on Oct. 9, 2014, by a York County jury for the 2010 killing of Monica Schmeyer. In 2017, Jacobys death sentence was upheld by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which automatically reviews all death penalty cases. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf issued a moratorium on executions back in 2015, but that hasnt stopped death penalty prosecutions from moving forward. However, the last execution in Pennsylvania was Gary Heidnick in 1999. Heidnick was convicted of murdering two women he imprisoned and sexually assaulted in his home in 1988. The Department of Corrections states in its release: The law provides that when the governor does not sign a warrant of execution within the specified time period, the secretary of Corrections has 30 days to issue a notice of execution. Jacobys execution is scheduled for March 8. Jacoby was charged after police determined he killed Schmeyer while burglarizing her home. Jacoby was friends with Schmeyers ex-husband, who was in a group that called themselves the Orange Shorts Society because they met at Hooters restaurants. During those meetings, Schmeyers ex-husband discussed the $1,700 in alimony he paid her each month and that she had a habit of keeping her cash in white envelopes around the house. Police determined it was during an effort to steal those envelopes that Jacoby struggled with Schmeyer before shooting her in the head. Jacoby is being housed at the State Correctional Institution-Greene in Waynesburg. A mother whose 10-month-old daughter drowned in a bathtub while unattended was sentenced to state prison by a Dauphin County judge Wednesday morning. Deputy District Attorney Katie Adam said Judge Deborah E. Curcillo imposed a 1- to 2-year prison term on Andrea Dale, 20, of Holmes, Delaware, on Dales guilty plea to a charge of involuntary manslaughter. Dale received a consecutive 5-year probation term on her plea to a child endangerment charge, Adam said. She said Dale had no sentencing agreement when she pleaded guilty to the counts last month. Lower Paxton township police said Dale left her 10-month old and 2-year-old child alone in the tub at a Queen Avenue home in March. The Milton Hershey School has filed legal action against the family of a former student, contending family members are liable in the girls 2013 suicide. The school last week filed a motion in the Middle District of the U.S. District Court for Pennsylvania seeking permission to file third-party complaints against the family of Abbie Bartels, who hanged herself after she was told she could no longer attend the school. The school said it didnt have the ability to provide the appropriate level of care for Bartels due to her mental and emotional problems. The motion is the latest development in the ongoing lawsuit filed by the students family in 2016 against Milton Hershey School, the nations wealthiest charitable school. The school adamantly denies any liability in Bartels death. In its motion, the school argues that Abbies parents, her fathers ex-girlfriend and the girlfriends father failed to properly care for Bartels after she was discharged from a mental health facility for suicidal thoughts 10 days before she took her own life. The school claims the family should contribute to any potential judgment against the school, which boasts a $14-billion endowment. John W. Schmehl, the attorney for Abbies family, described the girls parents as destitute. Its a new low to sue these people, said Schmehl. Milton Hershey is saying that if we are liable, you are liable too and you have to contribute. You have to be poor to get into the school.... so they know these parents are poor. Named in the complaint are: Julie Ellen Wartluft (Abbies mother); Frederick L. Bartels (her father); Karen Fitzpatrick (her fathers girlfriend and legal guardian); and Thomas Fitzpatrick (the elderly father of Karen Fitzpatrick). At the time of her death, Abbie Bartels was at Karen Fitzpatricks residence. Wartluft, her mother, was sharing physical custody of the child with Karen Fitzpatrick. The 14-year-old hanged herself in her bedroom closet just days after the school told her mother that security would bar her daughter from entering the schools graduation and an after-graduation party if she tried to attend the events. In its response, Milton Hershey is claiming that the family members were negligent in her care by failing to follow the mental health institutions discharge instructions for her aftercare and for leaving her alone in her room and for failing to give her prescribed medications. Schmehl said Thomas Fitzpatrick was making lunch for Abbie when she hanged herself inside the closet of her room. Karen Fitzpatrick was running an errand. These are people who cared about her, Schmehl said. They didnt do anything negligently. In a statement to PennLive sent via email, Milton Hershey School spokeswoman Lisa Scullin described the legal move as strictly a vehicle to preserve all legal defenses while the school seeks dismissal of the lawsuit. While we continue to be saddened by the death of Abbie Bartels, we also have an obligation to ensure the facts are clear surrounding her death, Scullin wrote. The reality is that Abbie was in the care and custody of her family when she took her life. Milton Hershey School filed this Third-Party Complaint solely to preserve all of its legal defenses in this lawsuit. The Third-Party Complaint is a mechanism to ensure that MHS does not waive its right to raise any potential legal defense in this ongoing litigation. Scullin noted that Milton Hershey School has for more than 110 years dedicated its mission to the health and well-being of students. We remain confident that we will prevail in this lawsuit, she said. Schmehl excoriated the school for its action. Under the circumstances its pretty preposterous, he said. Defend yourself but to go after the parents of a girl you kicked out? The lawsuit filed by Abbie Bartels family is one of two federal lawsuits pending against the school. The second federal lawsuit was filed by Adam Dobson, a former MHS student, who is gay and claims the school forced him to watch a gay conversion video. In addition, the Milton Hershey School has recently come under scrutiny after the law firm representing the school in court hired the son of the chief judge overseeing the two federal cases. The Philadelphia suburb-based firm Elliot Greenleaf in September hired Gregory Conner, a 2016 law school graduate, and son of Chief U.S. District Judge Christopher Conner, Philly.com this week reported. Judge Conner recused himself on Jan. 23, but not before presiding over the schools lawsuits in Harrisburg during the intervening four months since his sons hiring, according to the Philly.com report. Conners disqualification stands to further delay the ongoing lawsuits, which have been tied up in court amid motions and discoveries in the past two years. The parents of Abbie Bartels in 2016 filed a lawsuit against the school claiming it failed in its duty to handle the girls depression and mental health. Adam Dobson was expelled in 2013 after he announced he was depressed and considering suicide, according to the lawsuit. Dobsons lawsuit charges that Milton Hershey discriminated against him because of his depression and suicidal thoughts. He contends his mental condition was aggravated when he was publicly humiliated by houseparents attempting to change his sexual orientation and pray away the gay. Dobson said he was made to watch an anti-gay video after he was caught downloading gay pornography. Two former Milton Hershey houseparents have filed another lawsuit in Dauphin County Court. The former houseparents, Bradley and Val Darrington, claim the nonsectarian school is sponsoring proselytization and pushing an evangelical Christian agenda on students. The Darringtons claim the school required them to attend and participate in evangelical religious programming, which they found discriminatory and offensive to their personal religious beliefs and that of other employees and students. The Darringtons claim they were fired as retaliation for complaining about the schools religious programs. PennLive/The Patriot-News published a report last year that looked at how the school had breached the guidelines set by its founders Milton and Catherine Hershey. Milton Hershey is a boarding school for disadvantaged children, serving an especially vulnerable population of students, as well as their parents and guardians. The school falls under the governance of the state attorney generals office, which oversees its endowment. The endowment, funded in part by The Hershey Co., dwarfs that of many elite universities. In 2017, Connor dismissed negligence claims in the two lawsuits, ruling that the school had no broad social responsibilities for the welfare of its students beyond a four-page contract. The school, founded in 1909, was established as a nonsectarian institution, though grounded on a Judeo-Christian heritage. School guidelines, however, prohibit staff from pressuring students to convert from their own faiths. PennLive/The Patriot-News last year found that evangelicalism had permeated the Home Life program run by houseparents, fostering a culture of intolerance against LGBT students. Graduates, alumni and former houseparents told PennLive/The Patriot-News that they had been subjected to a fervent brand of socially conservative evangelicalism. The Darringtons have also filed two charges alleging the school violated Title VII, via religious discrimination, and the Pennsylvania Human Rights Act. Editors note: This story has been updated from an earlier version to include more information from legal documents. 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. Municipalities that currently rely on state police for full-time coverage would need to pay the state a per-resident fee for those services as much as $166 for the largest communities under Gov. Tom Wolfs 2019 budget proposal. The idea of charging towns for state police protection has been kicking around the statehouse for years. In 2017, the Wolf administration put forward a one-size-fits-all fee that drew the ire of many small, cash-strapped communities. This time out, the governor replaced that idea with a sliding scale in which municipalities with fewer than 2,000 residents pay $8 per person and those with more than 20,000 must pay $166. For an idea of what municipalities without a local police force would pay under Wolfs proposal, use the database below. More than half of Pennsylvanias 2,500 municipalities would be subject to the fee, according to the state police, and that list continues to grow. Nine joined the roster in the last two years as local officials, like everyone else, search for ways to cut costs. A PennLive analysis of police and U.S. Census data shows that if Wolfs proposal were to be enacted, the state would collect $109.1 million from 1,297 municipalities. The 2019-20 proposed budget calls for the measure to bring in $103.9 million. That would help fund three cadet classes for the state police, which is facing down a glut of retirements and increasing demand for troopers. David Kennedy, president of the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association, said in a written statement that the group supports any effort to fund cadet classes in order to avert a staffing crisis. Impacted municipalities would face some tough decisions, however, because the proposed state police fee represents a significant portion of their annual budgets. The Pittsburgh suburb of Hempfield Township would pay the most, $6.9 million, for troopers to respond to calls from its nearly 42,000 residents. The privilege comes at $166 per person. Township Manager Jason Winters said that represents more than half of the communitys $13.6 million budget. Recently, the township took steps to organize a public safety commission to study its options in anticipation of just such a measure from Harrisburg. Weve been very lucky here not to raise taxes for a period of time, said Township Manager Jason Winters. Thats what itd have to be. The latest proposal is more forgiving of communities like Pillow, a tiny borough of 300 in northern Dauphin County, but Mayor Todd Laudenslager said it would still be difficult to raise the necessary $2,400 to cover an $8 per-person fee. The boroughs annual budget is about $45,000. Laudenslagers concerned about passing along a tax increase to working families and retirees. After the 2017 proposal, borough officials reached out to a neighboring town to see if it could enter into a shared services agreement. The price seemed fair, he said, but far too onerous. Im wondering how much police protection were really going to have for the money wed be spending for the town, he said. Are they going to come once a week to the town to justify the cost you pay them or are you paying for the good of the whole? Policing, of course, isnt cheap. Towns with dedicated police departments pay far more than $8 or even $166 per capita for the privilege, according to 2014 data PennLive compiled and analyzed in 2017. On average, those municipalities paid $155 per person with the Montgomery County borough of West Conshohocken reporting to the state Department of Community and Economic Development that it spent the equivalent of $1,357 per resident on policing. You can search the database of those expenses below by county or municipality. In the past, supporters of a state police fee argued that municipalities who rely solely on the agency are benefitting from the largesse of other taxpayers who subsidize services they dont use. Dean Pepicello, a township supervisor from the suburban Erie community of Harborcreek Township, said hes sympathetic toward that argument although he points out that its ultimately a local decision. Not every community needs its own police force, he said, and the state police also lends a hand in the form of lab services and part-time response to municipalities that wouldnt be subject to Wolfs proposed fee in its current form. If a state legislator approves something like this," he said, we as locals have to double peoples taxes and not get an increase in services. I dont see how we sell that to our residents. Harborcreek would pay nearly $2.5 million, or $141 per resident, under Wolfs proposal. That accounts for about half of the townships annual budget. Pepicello said the township has already looked into a few alternatives based on past attempts to pass a state police fee. Setting up a regional police force, he said, would cost the community about $1 million per year. That isnt an ideal solution, either, but its one the township would consider if Wolfs proposal is enacted. Is there retail theft? Yes, in our commercial district, he said. But half of our land is open space. Theres very little need [for policing] out there. The governors proposed budget, of course, is a starting point for negotiations, not an end goal in itself. Top GOP lawmakers from both chambers indicated Monday they were open to at least considering the state police proposal. House Speaker Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny County, said the state police fee isnt a Democratic or Republican issue. Finding consensus on that has always been difficult, in large part because many rural communities utilize the state police and its what they prefer, he said. We have to see what specifics are put on the table . . . and whether the governor can built consensus." Staff writer Charles Thompson contributed to this report. Wallace McKelvey may be reached at wmckelvey@pennlive.com. Follow him on Twitter @wjmckelvey. Find PennLive on Facebook. Read the TAPPED OUT special investigation of drinking water. The capital murder case Carlisle police built against Robert Rocky Anderson can be described in three letters, defense attorney Heidi Eakin told a Cumberland County jury Wednesday morning. I call it the IRS methodInnuendo, Rumor and Suspicion, Eakin said. You cannot convict someone based on speculation. And that is all the prosecutors, who are seeking a first-degree murder conviction and a death sentence for Anderson, really have, she insisted as the trial began in President Judge Edward E. Guidos courtroom. Not so, Senior Assistant District Attorney Kimberly Metzger argued. Metzger conceded the police investigation of the June 2016 execution style murder of Daniel DJ Harris was difficult in the extreme. She even described the case as being akin to a 1,000-piece zig-saw puzzle. Yet those carefully amassed pieces, when considered as a whole, will show it was Anderson, 41, who walked into the Haines-Stackfield American Legion post early on June 11, 2016 and shot Harris in front of at least 20 witnesses, Metzger said. 1234567 shots, she told the jurors. Five of those shots landed center mass to DJ Harris. Moments later, she said, a video surveillance camera filmed Anderson running from the execution he just committed in alley not far from the legion post on West Penn Street. The hit on Harris stemmed from a long-running and violent Hatfield & McCoy kind of feud between the families of Anderson and Harris, Metzger said. And in (Andersons) mind hes a duty-bound protector of his family, she said. daniel Daniel "DJ" Harris Metzger said the murder investigation, which resulted in a grand jury indictment, was strewn with roadblocks. Witnesses were uncooperative, she said. People didnt want to talk, wouldnt talk. So, she urged the jury to consider not only what those witnesses say when called to testify but listen to what they dont say. The same goes for conversations recorded via wiretaps on Andersons phone that will be played during the trial, she said. Eakin wasted no time attacking the quality of the prosecutions evidence. The surveillance footage captured by street cameras right after the slaying is grainy, enhanced, colorized, blown up and pixelated, she said. Witnesses to the shooting gave multiple descriptions of the height and build of the gunman and of what he was wearing, she added. Several witnesses who were in the legion when the killing occurred told police Anderson wasnt the killer, Eakin said. As for those wiretaps, Youre not going to hear anything like, I did it. Youre going to hear, Please tell the truth, Eakin said. She said police were in such a rush to judgment to pin the killing on Anderson that they werent swayed even after the murder weapon was found in September 2016 in the hands of a Philadelphia man known as Little Bill. Little Bill made frequent trips to Carlisle to sell drugs, Eakin said. Yet, she said, police told him repeatedly that he wasnt a suspect in Harris murder. She also criticized police for not testing DNA or fingerprint evidence in the case. Nor, she said, did investigators check Andersons phone to try to determine his location at the time of the slaying. But we did, Eakin said, promising the phone location evidence will be presented by a defense expert as the trial progresses. There is not a single person at this pointwho has Rocky with a gun that night, Eakin said. There is not a single person who puts him in that bar firing a gun. An earlier road-rage incident did not play a role in the fatal shooting of a New Jersey man, who was found dead late Monday on the shoulder of I-81 in Dauphin County. In a news release, state police said a road-rage incident took place near the shooting scene, but Tyrone M. Shaw and his GMC Yukon were not involved. The investigation is an isolated incident directly related to the victim, police said. The public is not in any danger. Live from PSP Harrisburg, for an update on a homicide that left a man dead along Interstate 81 Monday evening: Posted by PennLive.com on Tuesday, February 5, 2019 Shaw, 46, of Roselle Park, N.J. was found bleeding from the head, where he suffered an apparent gunshot wound, Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers said in a news release. Police said Shaw suffered only the single gunshot wound. After 11 p.m. Monday, police saw a black 2004 GMC Yukon sitting along the shoulder of I-81 northbound near mile marker 75.4 in West Hanover Township, Dauphin County, according to a release. Police said their investigation revealed that Shaw and his vehicle were seen on the shoulder form 6:30 to 11:15 p.m. The vehicle had its hazard lights activated, and its rear driver-side tire was flat, authorities earlier said. When a state police trooper stopped to assist, he found Shaw lying on the ground between the passenger-side of the vehicle and a guardrail. He was dead, police said. Dauphin County Coroner Graham Hetrick confirmed that Shaws death was a homicide. Police said the investigation remains ongoing, and investigators have asked for the publics assistance. Specifically, they are requesting video of the shooting scene that could have been recorded by commercial vehicles' dashboard cameras. The GPS coordinates for the shooting scene are 40.343439 latitude and -76.7438832 longitude. And state police said commercial vehicle companies should be able to use the GPS information to locate tractor-trailers that were in the area at the time of the shooting. Anyone with information about the shooting has been asked to call investigators at 1-800-4PA-TIPS. Callers can remain anonymous, and a cash reward is available, police said. After the fatal shooting of deputy U.S. Marshal Christopher Hill last year, city officials realized they needed to modernize their safety equipment to better protect the citys police officers. Emergency department nurses at UPMC Pinnacle also saw that need, and took a project of service over the summer, raising $20,000 to make that happen. The Pinnacle HealthFoundation contributed more money. Wednesday, more than 120 pieces of protective equipment -- vests, steel plates and helmets -- were presented to Harrisburg police by UPMC Pinnacle officials. As UPMC Pinnacle ED nurses, we are as invested in preventing illness and injury as we are in helping to heal, said Kathy Flinn, nursing director of emergency services for UPMC Pinnacle. When our nurses realized that the Harrisburg Police Department did not have enough life-saving ballistic vests for all police officers, they quickly sprang into action. More than 530 people participated in the 3.2 to Protect the Blue event organized by the nurses. The event had a slight moderation - a 5k race is typically 3.1 miles, but runners in the event ran an additional tenth of a mile in honor of current officers and those who have fallen in the line of duty. UPMC Pinnacle purchased the safety equipment from Body Armor Megastore in Pennsylvania, which donated 10 additional body armor vest sets. In total, the equipment cost about $40,000. LIVE: UPMC Pinnacle presents ballistics equipment to Harrisburg Police Department. Posted by PennLive.com on Wednesday, February 6, 2019 The vests differ from what officers ordinarily wear during their shifts, as they provide protection against most high-caliber weapons. In total, 40 Body Armor Level III Ballistic Vests (with steel plates, liners, and pads), 20 additional steel plates, and 60 helmets were given to city police. The equipment would not be used by officers on a daily basis. Rather, they will sign out the equipment when and if the need arises, said Sgt. Tom McGarrity. He declined to go into specifics as to what sort of assault the new equipment can withstand. Its definitely more capable than the standard body armor, the soft body armor, worn by our officers in the street, McGarrity said, adding the new equipment "keeps us safer longer, and lets us do our job more effectively. Deputy Chief Deric Moody explained that for a normal shift, officers use soft armor that is pliable - if officers needed to use the heavier equipment, they would put it on over whatever armor they were already wearing. Previous to now, there was no ballistic armor that we had, Moody said. We now have enough to field our officers that are working. Moody added that while the department is better equipped, the goal moving forward is to ensure it stays that way. Both Hill and Chief Tom Carter said the equipment was purchased with the idea of equipping officers for the threats they face daily. Carter recalled his own tenure as an officer working in the streets. When we had a homicide back then, over 30 years ago, we thought that we had the proper vests on that would stop bullets and would save our lives, Carter said, stressing that officers today often go into scenes without knowing what dangers they may face. Through time, things change. Deputy U.S. Marshal Hill was killed by friendly fire Jan. 18, 2018, while serving an arrest warrant with a task force of law enforcement officers. Police say Kevin Sturgis opened fire on police as they were arresting his girlfriend inside the Harrisburg home but he did not fire the fatal shot that killed Hill. Harrisburg police Officer Jeff Cook was also shot during the raid, but was wearing a bullet-resistant vest with a steel plate, and was unharmed. After the raid, it became clear that there were things we needed to do in terms of modernizing our safety equipment, protecting our officers," said Mayor Eric Papenfuse. Following the shooting, city officials announced plans to purchase more body armor using a Dauphin County gaming grant. Womens clothing retailer, Charlotte Russe has filed for bankruptcy and will close 94 stores. Charlotte Russe Holdings Corporation and its subsidiaries voluntarily filed for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware this week. The company says it intends to use the proceedings to wind-down the closing of 94 of its locations, while it pursues selling its business. In Pennsylvania, the retailer will close four stores including a store at the York Galleria Mall in Springettsbury Township. It will also close stores in the Altoona, Pittsburgh and Willow Grove areas. The stores are located at: Altoona: Route 220 & Goods Lane Pittsburgh: 100 Robinson Centre Drive Willow Grove: 2500 Moreland Road York: 2899 Whiteford Road A store at the Capital City Mall in Lower Allen Township was not included among the 94 closings. Charlotte Russe operates more than 500 stores, and the company has 10 Peek Kids stores from its childrens division that it launched in 2016. Charlotte Russe is a fashion brand for young women, and sells apparel, shoes and accessories. The Northampton County District Attorney is irate over what he called woefully inadequate sentence handed down to a 35-year-old mother of four who repeatedly had sex with a 15-year-old boy. As a result, DA John Morganelli told the Morning Call of Allentown that his office will ask a judge to reconsider a sentence that spared the Hellertown, N.J., woman from going to Pa. state prison. If that doesnt work, he indicated his office would appeal the sentence in Pennsylvania Superior Court. Under the current sentence by County Judge Anthony Beltrami handed down last week, the woman who pleaded guilty in the case, Bonnie M. Rohn, 35, would serve one to two years in county jail for statutory sexual assault, Call reports. This, as Pa. prosecutors asked for state prison, arguing that only a state correctional facility could provide the treatment she requires, the Call reports. Background from the Morning Call: State sentencing guidelines recommended as much as two years in prison. But Morganelli said Beltrami imposed a mitigated sentence for Rohn, of which she is likely to serve only a few months behind bars before she becomes eligible for work release. In her guilty plea to statutory sexual assault in October, Rohn, 35, effectively admitted to prosecution claims that she had sex with the boy several times from January to September 2017, when he was 15 and 16 years old. Rohn, a mother of four, did so even as her own children were at the home at the time, prosecutors said. Still, Rohn will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of her life. I vividly remember the moment I realized how woefully insecure credit and debit cards are. I watched as someone took an off-the-shelf USB magnetic strip reader and plugged it into a computer, which recognized it as a keyboard. They opened a word processor and swiped the card. A series of numbers dutifully appeared in the text file. That was it: The card's information had been pilfered. That same technology has matured and miniaturized. Tiny "skimmers" can be attached to ATMs and payment terminals to skim your data off the card's magnetic strip (called a "magstripe"). Even smaller "shimmers" are shimmed into card readers to attack the chips on newer cards. Now there's also a digital version called e-skimming pilfering data from payment websites. Fortunately, there are many ways to protect yourself from these attacks. What Are Skimmers? Skimmers are tiny, malicious card readers hidden within legitimate card readers that harvest data from every person that swipes their cards. After letting the hardware sip data for some time, a thief will stop by the compromised machine to pick up the file containing all the stolen data. With that information, he can create cloned cards or just commit fraud. Perhaps the scariest part is that skimmers often don't prevent the ATM or credit card reader from functioning properly, making them harder to detect. Getting inside ATMs is difficult, so ATM skimmers sometimes fit over existing card readers. Most of the time, the attackers also place a hidden camera somewhere in the vicinity in order to record personal identification numbers, or PINs, used to access accounts. The camera may be in the card reader, mounted at the top of the ATM, or even in the ceiling. Some criminals go so far as installing fake PIN pads over the actual keyboards to capture the PIN directly, bypassing the need for a camera. This picture is a real-life skimmer in use on an ATM. You see that weird, bulky yellow bit? That's the skimmer. This one is easy to spot because it has a different color and material than the rest of the machine, but there are other tell-tale signs. Below the slot where you insert your card are raised arrows on the machine's plastic housing. You can see how the grey arrows are very close to the yellow reader housing, almost overlapping. That is a sign a skimmer was installed over the existing reader, since the real card reader would have some space between the card slot and the arrows. ATM manufacturers haven't taken this kind of fraud lying down. Newer ATMs boast robust defenses against tampering, sometimes including radar systems intended to detect objects inserted or attached to the ATM. However, one researcher at the Black Hat security conference was able to use an ATM's onboard radar device to capture PINs as part of an elaborate scam. Are Skimmers Still a Threat? While researching an update to this article, we reached out to Kaspersky Labs, and company representatives told us something surprising: skimming attacks were on the decline. "Skimming was and still is a rare thing," said the Kaspersky spokesperson. The Kaspersky representative cited EU statistics from the European Association for Secure Transactions (EAST) as indicative of a larger trend. The EAST reported a record low in skimmer attacks, dropping from 1,496 incidents in April 2020 to 321 incidents in October of the same year. The effects of COVID-19 might have something to do with that drop, but it's nonetheless dramatic. That doesn't mean skimming has gone away, of course. As recently as January, 2021, a major skimming scam was unearthed in New Jersey. It involved attacks on over 1,000 bank customers, with criminals attempting to make off with over $1.5 million. From Skimmers to Shimmers When the US banks finally caught up with the rest of the world and started issuing chip cards, it was a major security boon for consumers. These chip cards, or EMV cards, offer more robust security than the painfully simple magstripes of older payment cards. But thieves learn fast, and they've had years to perfect attacks in Europe and Canada that target chip cards. Instead of skimmers, which sit on top of the magstripe readers, shimmers are inside the card readers. These are very, very thin devices and cannot be seen from the outside. When you slide your card in, the shimmer reads the data from the chip on your card, much the same way a skimmer reads the data on your card's magstripe. There are a few key differences, however. For one, the integrated security that comes with EMV means that attackers can only get the same information they would from a skimmer. On his blog, security researcher Brian Krebs explains that "Although the data that is typically stored on a card's magnetic stripe is replicated inside the chip on chip-enabled cards, the chip contains additional security components not found on a magnetic stripe." This means that thieves couldn't duplicate the EMV chip, but they could use data from the chip to clone the magstripe or use its information for some other fraud. The Kaspersky representative we spoke to was unequivocal in their confidence for chip cards. "EMV is still not broken," Kaspersky told PCMag. "The only successful EMV hacks are in lab conditions." The real problem is that shimmers are hidden inside victim machines. The shimmer pictured below was found in Canada and reported to the RCMP (Internet Archive link). It's little more than an integrated circuit printed on a thin plastic sheet. Image credit: Coquitlam RCMP Check for Tampering Checking for tampering on a point-of-sale device can be difficult. Most of us aren't in line at the grocery store long enough to give the reader a good going over. It's also harder for thieves to attack these machines, since they aren't left unattended. ATMs, on the other hand, are often left unwatched in vestibules or even outdoors, making them easier targets. While most of this article discusses ATMs, keep in mind that gas stations, payment stations for public transit, and other unattended machines are also ripe for attack. Our advice applies in these circumstances, too. When you approach an ATM, check for some obvious signs of tampering at the top of the ATM, near the speakers, the side of the screen, the card reader itself, and the keyboard. If something looks different, such as a different color or material, graphics that aren't aligned correctly, or anything else that doesn't look right, don't use that ATM. If you're at the bank, it's a good idea to quickly take a look at the ATM next to yours and compare them. If there are any obvious differences, don't use either oneinstead, report the suspicious tampering to your bank. For example, if one ATM has a flashing card entry to show where you should insert the ATM card and the other ATM has a plain slot, you know something is wrong. Most skimmers are glued on top of the existing reader and will obscure the flashing indicator. If the keyboard doesn't feel righttoo thick or off-center, perhapsthen there may be a PIN-snatching overlay. Don't use it. Look for other signs of tampering like holes that might hide a camera, or bubbles of glue from a hasty machine surgery. Even if you can't see any visual differences, push at everything. ATMs are solidly constructed and generally don't have any loose parts. Credit card readers have more variation, but still: Pull at protruding parts like the card reader. See if the keyboard is securely attached and just one piece. If anything moves when you push at it, be concerned. Think Through Your Transaction Whenever you enter a debit card PIN, assume there is someone looking. Maybe it's over your shoulder or through a hidden camera. Even if the ATM or payment machine seems otherwise fine, cover your hand as you enter your PIN. Obtaining the PIN is essential. Without it, criminals are limited in what they can do with stolen data. Criminals frequently install skimmers on ATMs that aren't located in overly busy locations since they don't want to be observed installing malicious hardware or collecting the harvested data (although there are always exceptions). Indoor ATMs are generally safer to use than outdoor ones, since attackers can access outdoor machines unseen. Stop and consider the safety of the ATM before you use it. Whenever possible, don't use your card's magstripe to perform the transaction. Most payment terminals now use magstripe as a fallback and will prompt you to insert your chip instead of swiping your card. If the credit card terminal accepts NFC transactions, consider using Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, or Android Pay. These contactless payment services tokenize your credit card information, so your real data is never exposed. If a criminal somehow intercepts the transaction, he'll only get a useless virtual credit card number. Some Samsung devices could emulate a magstripe transaction through the phone. This technology is called MST, but it has now been discontinued. One scenario that often requires using your magstripe is paying for fuel at a gas pump. These are rife for attacks, because many don't yet support EMV or NFC transactions, and because attackers can gain access to the pumps without being noticed. It's much safer to go inside and pay the cashier. If there isn't a cashier on duty, use the same tips for using ATMs and investigate the card reader before you use it. From Skimmers to Shimmers to E-Skimmers Not surprisingly, there's a digital equivalent called e-skimming. The 2018 British Airways hack apparently relied heavily on such tactics. As Bogdan Botezatu, Director of Threat Research and Reporting at Bitdefender, explained, e-skimming is when an attacker inserts malicious code into a payment website that snatches away your card information. "These e-skimmers are added either by compromising the online stores administrator account credentials, the stores web hosting server, or by directly compromising the [payment platform vendor] so they will distribute tainted copies of their software," explained Botezatu. This is similar to a phishing page, except that the page is authenticthe code on the page has just been tampered with. "e-skimming attacks are increasingly becoming adept at evading detection," said Botezatu. "The more time an attacker maintains this foothold, the more credit cards they are able to collect." Combating this type of attack is ultimately up to the companies who run these stores. There are a few things consumers can do to protect themselves, though. Botezatu suggested that consumers use security suite software on their computers, which he said can detect malicious code and prevent you from entering your information. Alternatively, you can avoid entering your credit card information all together with virtual credit cards. These are dummy credit card numbers that are linked to your real credit card account. If one is compromised, you won't have to get a new credit card, just generate a new virtual number. Some banks, like Citi, offer this as a feature so ask yours if it's available. If you can't get a virtual card from a bank, Abine Blur offers masked credit cards to subscribers, which work in a similar way. Apple Pay and Google Pay are also accepted on some websites, too. Another option is to enroll in card alerts. Some banks will send a push alert to your phone each time your debit card is used. This is handy, since you can immediately identify bogus purchases. If your bank supplies a similar option, try turning it on. Personal finance apps like Mint.com can help ease the task of sorting through all your transactions. Stay Aware Even if you do everything right and go over every inch of every payment machine you encounter (much to the chagrin of the people behind you in line) you can be the target of fraud. But take heart: As long as you report the theft to your card issuer (for credit cards) or bank (where you have your account) as soon as possible, you will not be held liable. Your money will be returned. Business customers, on the other hand, don't have the same legal protection and may have a harder time getting their money back. Also, try to use a credit card if it makes sense for you. A debit transaction is an immediate cash transfer and can sometimes be more time consuming to correct. Credit card transactions can be halted and reversed at any time. Doing so puts pressure on merchants to better secure their ATMs and point-of-sale terminals. Overuse of credit has its own pitfalls, though, so be careful. Lastly, pay attention to your phone. Banks and credit card companies generally have very active fraud detection policies and will immediately reach out to you, usually over phone or SMS, if they notice something suspicious. Responding quickly can mean stopping attacks before they can affect you, so keep your phone handy. Just remember: If something doesn't feel right about an ATM or a credit card reader, don't use it. Whenever you can, use the chip instead of the strip on your card. Your bank account will thank you. Fahmida Y. Rashid contributed to this story Patna: Chhagan Bhujbal, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader from Maharashtra, met with Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) chief Upendra Kushwaha at his residence in Patna on Tuesday and expressed his sympathy for his injuries that he received during a police lathi-charge on his rally in the state capital last Saturday. In Patna, the All India Phule Samata Parishad chief, a former Shiv Sena leader who later joined Sharad Pawars NCP, lashed out at the Nitish government in Bihar saying Bihar under Nitish had turned into a dictatorship where voice of the opposition was being crushed by use of force or by issuing threats of arrest in made-up cases. Opposition is being brutalized by the use of force and anyone who does not agree with the government, they face the task of being raided and sent to jail in fake CBI probes. The All India Phule Samata Parishad will launch a nationwide stir to oppose these tactics by the NDA, he said. Bhujbal, who spent two years in jail in connection with money-laundering, embezzlement, and corruption cases only to be released on bail last year, said that there was no need to resort to lathi charge in Patna last Saturday when the RLSP rally was entirely peaceful. It seems like the government was trying to murder Kushwaha because of his popularity in Bihar, he said. Kushwaha, whose right arm was in a sling due to injuries received during the police lathi charge last Saturday, thanked the Maharashtra leader for his support and pledged to continue to fight against the NDA government to which he was a part of until just a few weeks ago. Patna: Pappu Yadav, the leader of the Jan Adhikar Party (JAP), on Monday opened his roadside food stall called 'Pappu-Ranjit Jan Ahaar Canteen' just outside Patna College where students could buy a 'thali' of complete meal for a nominal price of Rs. 20. Speaking on the occasion, Yadav, an MP from Madhepura, said that under the current administration, students were not able to get the required nutrition that all young boys and girls need and that is why he took this initiative jointly with the Jan Adhikar Chhatra Parishad, the student wing of his party. The former Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader who broke away from Lalu Prasad Yadav a few years ago after he felt slighted by Lalu's two sons, said that education in Bihar was in a pathetic condition but no one appeared to be concerned about it. "Some people are too busy trying to save their own chair while others are only concerned with the well-being of their own families. No one has time for poor people and students except when its election time in Bihar. We believe in serving the mankind over cheap politics. By starting up 'Pappu-Ranjit Ahaar Canteen', I want to make sure students did not have to worry about food every day and instead, they spend more time in studying their books," Yadav said adding the menu at the canteen would be different each day so students don't get bored eating the same food over and over again. Earlier, Yadav held his 'Janata Durbar' outside Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) where he listened to complaints against the doctors' and hospitals' in Patna and their predatorial policies against poor patients. Following the toppling of a 75-foot-tall tree in Point Loma that killed two people last month, Del Mar residents are urging the city council to revisit its tree ordinance to help prevent such a tragedy in the north coastal city and maintain views. The citys current ordinance protects Torrey pines and Monterey cypresses unless they are found by a city arborist to be unhealthy or dying. Additionally, if a tree is within 12 feet of another unhealthy or dying tree, the city can provide a permit to remove them. However, some residents fear unhealthy trees may not be the only risks. Jayne Haines, a 25-year Del Mar resident, said years ago, a huge, healthy eucalyptus tree fell across her property. It didnt look dead, she said. It just fell. ... What if a healthy tree has shallow roots and falls? If an arborist plays God and says it isnt in danger of falling, and it does, are they liable for the damage and possible death of someone caught in its path? More recently, Haines said she has battled with a neighbor over a loss of views due to the neighbors overgrown pepper trees. Del Mar does not require prior authorization to plant trees on private property unless development is proposed, said City Planner Matt Bator. Haines believes that rule should be changed, and neighbors of a proposed tree over a certain height should have a say on the matter. These plants are just as intrusive as walls, she said. I see story poles for those who want to raise roof lines, and the community has a chance to refute the potential loss of a view. Why arent the same rules enforced on someone who wants to plant a green wall? In the citys ordinance, residents can apply for tree removal requests, with permits costing $250 and a notice of intent costing $50. Additionally, a Trees, Scenic Views and Sunlight (TSVS) application which provides a process by which residents may seek city action to facilitate the restoration of scenic views of sunlight access as a result of vegetation growth from another property costs $3,790. Council member Terry Gaasterland, an environmental scientist who was elected in November, said she hopes the city reviews its tree ordinance in the next year. She said the city needs to find a balance between the good that trees do including cleansing impurities from the air, providing privacy, sequestering carbon and providing a healthier environment and the problems they can introduce, such as safety concerns and view obstructions. Further, she said the city council should review the ordinances implementation, its enforcement and the fee structures residents must pay to challenge trees that have created safety or view loss issues. Perhaps in Del Mar we can find a way to balance tree trimming for safety and view maintenance with the planting of new trees and greenery in other places, she said. In further consideration, incentives for trees and greenery must be balanced in turn with incentives to re-use irrigation water and minimize run-off. Frank Stonebanks, a San Diego resident who lives near the border of Del Mar, shared concerns about a nearby private property with seven Torrey Pines trees, each between 50 and 70 feet tall. He claims the trees have never been maintained and could pose a variety of risks, including pine cones falling and injuring people or damaging cars. He added that the branches of some of the trees grow over the top of the road and onto the other side, impeding street access. The citys answer has been to trim them so cars can fit by, he said. But Stonebanks, who has been fighting the issue for more than two years with a coalition of residents, said his options are limited since he does not live in Del Mar. He said hed like to see the tree law amended so people within a 500-foot boundary line of the city have the same rights as Del Mar residents. Right now, I and hundreds of people behind this curtain of trees -- have no legal standing, he said. Mayor Dave Druker said the city has very little degrees of freedom to enforce tree maintenance on private property. We hope that neighbors can work with each other, and if there are any problem trees that they can work together to get those matters solved, he said. Its a very difficult balance between maintaining an environment that has lots of vegetation and wanting it safe. Del Mar resident Bob Fried said he has tried to reach an understanding with a neighbor whose trees have blocked a significant portion of his ocean view. However, he said attempts to work out the issue with the neighbor have, so far, been unsuccessful and he is now considering proposing professional mediation. If that fails, he said he would have to submit a TSVS application. Such a process would probably not be affordable for all residents, Fried noted. The mayor said trees have been a long-standing issue in the city, adding the citys prior ordinance which was updated nearly two decades ago limited the protections of trees from six feet, rather than the current 12 feet. Further, city policy is that trees above 12 feet should be maintained once every three years by an arborist certified by the International Society of Arboriculture. However, some residents have argued that rule is not properly enforced and believe violators should face consequences. Druker said the council must find a balance for people wanting to have trees and people fearing trees for potential dangers or blocking views. He added the city has aggressively tried to trim as many trees as possible in the public right-of-way. Obviously, the city is the biggest owner of trees, he said. The city takes very seriously maintaining the health of the trees and removing trees that are unhealthy. But Haines said the city needs to work better to remove dead or dangerous trees. She pointed to one above Camino Del Mar, just north of the Del Mar Plaza, that she believes is a hazard. Druker noted trees can fall regardless of their health status, such as if they are not maintained. He added that it has not yet been confirmed why the tree in Point Loma fell. We do know it fell, and we do know it killed two people, and thats terrible, he said. We dont know all the other circumstances that are around that. The 20th century gave rise to one of the greatest and most distressing paradoxes of human history: that the greatest intolerance and violence of that century were practiced by those who believed that religion caused intolerance and violence. (Alister McGrath) *** A provocative essay. I expect that the title alone has already upset some of my secular-minded readers: *** For several reasons, I think that I need to share this column again, which Bill Hamblin and I originally published in the Deseret News back 6 September 2014: Critics of religion commonly point to the violence done in its name and, accordingly, pronounce it toxic. And, for obvious reasons, the parade example of its dangers has been Islam. However, in his 2010 book A World Without Islam, Graham Fuller argues brilliantly, via sweeping analyses of world history, that religion is the vehicle of political confrontation and turmoil, not the cause. Fuller, a political analyst specializing in Islamic extremism who formerly served as CIA station chief in Kabul, Afghanistan, and as vice chairman of the National Intelligence Council, isnt particularly interested in defending theism against its critics. His own religious beliefs, if he has any, are invisible. He simply wants to accurately understand the causes of the tension between the West and the Islamic world so that appropriate steps can be taken to reduce it. If there had never been an Islam, he writes, if a Prophet Muhammad had never emerged from the deserts of Arabia, if there had been no saga of the spread of Islam across vast parts of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, wouldnt the relationship between the West and the Middle East today be entirely different? No, I argue, it might actually be quite similar to what we see today. Most of the history of the Wests relations with the Middle East is really about the geopolitics of empires and states and not much about religion itself regardless of the slogans, banners and ideological fervor invoked at the popular level to support the state. Take Islam out of the equation, and theres a very good chance youd still find the Middle East at loggerheads with the West. Fuller compares the situation to a furious argument between spouses over whether the pasta is overcooked: Their anger may be entirely real, but, plainly, theres much more going on than mere disagreement over rigatoni. So, too, in the Middle East: Communities, states, politics, power and regional nationalisms are at issue. Religion serves as a handy tag, constitutes an important element of identity in which the specific theology is really only incidental, he writes. As in Africa, Asia and Latin America, so in the Islamic world: The problems stemming from colonialism and imperialism would exist in equal measure without Islam. Islam, Fuller admits, seems to offer an instant and uncomplicated analytical touchstone for most affairs in the Middle East, by which to make sense of todays convulsive world. By referring to Islam, we can reduce things to a polarized struggle between Western values and the Muslim world. But that oversimplification what the Swiss Muslim intellectual Tariq Ramadan has described as Islamizing the problem is false and misleading. Fuller is acutely aware of the prominent place that Islam occupies in current disputes worldwide, but he contends that the faith has primarily served as flag or banner for other, deeper kinds of rivalries and confrontations taking place. The factor of Islam provides focus, color and vigor but is not especially central. Tracing rivalries between East and West back to the conquests of Alexander the Great in the fourth century B.C., he maintains that Islam is merely the most recent vehicle for expressing resistance to the West, the latest banner under which the old but ongoing geopolitical struggles of the Middle East are perpetuated. Surveying ostensibly religious disputes going back centuries before the rise of Islam such historical depth is extraordinarily rare in political analysis, but remarkably enlightening (especially with regard to the deep-rooted ancient cultures of the Middle East) Fuller argues that religious doctrine is almost never the issue at stake. We shouldnt be surprised, of course, to see the powerful symbols and inducements offered by religion used to mark ethnic fault lines and to sanctify conflicts. But we shouldnt be misled by superficial appearances. If Islam hadnt come along, Fuller plausibly argues, Eastern Orthodox Christianity would have played much the same role. The Middle East was quite capable, without Islam, of developing aversion to the West. In the end, I hope to persuade the reader that the present crisis of East-West relations, or between the West and Islam, has really very little to do with religion and everything to do with political and cultural frictions, interests, rivalries and clashes. Readers of A World without Islam may reject some or many of Fullers specific recommendations for American foreign policy. But theyll see the Middle East and China, India, Europe and Vladimir Putins Russia in fresh and instructive ways. In Kurt Alands Synopsis of the Four Gospels, which Im using as the structural basis (and the Greek text) for my ongoing commentary, Section 19 (Matthew and Lukes genealogies of Jesus) is equivalent to Section 6, so, for discussion of those name-lists, I simply call your attention to my previous entry: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/danpeterson/2019/01/new-testament-note-6.html *** Lets move on now to a couple of comments many, many more could be offered! on the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. Matthew 4:1-11 Mark 1:12-13 Luke 4:1-13 The number forty often seems to be connected with a period of testing in the Bible, a time of trial or probation. Moses, for example, lived for forty years in Egypt and then for forty years in the Sinai desert before he was called to lead the Hebrews out of bondage. Then, he went up on Mount Sinai for forty days and nights on two separate occasions (Exodus 24:18, 34:1-28), receiving Gods laws. He also sent spies to investigate the land of Canaan for forty days (Numbers 13:25, 14:34). The prophet Jonah warned Nineveh for forty days that the city would be destroyed if it didnt repent. The prophet Ezekiel laid on his right side for forty days in order to symbolically represent Judahs sins (Ezekiel 4:6). Elijah went without food or water for forty days at Mount Horeb. And, of course, in todays readings Jesus was tempted by the devil during forty days and nights of fasting immediately before the commencement of his ministry. And, later, hell appear to his disciples and others for forty days after his resurrection from the dead. The children of Israel wandered in the wilderness for forty years before a new generation was allowed to possess the promised land. According to Genesis 7:12, the rain of Noahs flood continued for forty days and forty nights. Is forty an accurate or precise number? Maybe. Maybe not. Forty days would be an awfully long time for anybody, even the mortal Jesus, to go without food. It may (think of Ali Baba and his forty thieves) simply be a Middle Eastern colloquialism for many. But who knows? Theres disagreement about what the expression the pinnacle of the temple ( ) might mean. ( is simply the Greek equivalent of highest point.) It could, for example, refer to the very highest point of Herods now-long-vanished temple proper, as shown in the first image above. Or, alternatively, it could refer to the southeastern corner of Herods great temple platform, still essentially standing today, which, as the Kidron Valley drops off toward the east, looms above the road that skirts it and high above the valley below. (See it in the lower right corner of the second photograph above.) Spotify Technology, the worlds most popular music streaming service, today announced that it has entered into definitive agreements to acquire both Gimlet Media Inc. the renowned independent producer of podcast content along with Anchor, the company leading the market for podcast creation, publishing, and monetization services. With these acquisitions, Spotify is positioned to become both the premier producer of podcasts and the leading platform for podcast creators. Gimlet will bring to Spotify its best-in-class podcast studio with dedicated IP development, production and advertising capabilities. Anchor will bring its platform of tools for podcast creators and its established and rapidly growing creator base. Daniel Ek, Spotify co-founder and CEO: "These acquisitions will meaningfully accelerate our path to becoming the worlds leading audio platform, give users around the world access to the best podcast content, and improve the quality of our listening experience as well as enhance the Spotify brand. We are proud to welcome Gimlet and Anchor to the Spotify team, and we look forward to what we will accomplish together." In Ek's blog today he stated that "This opportunity starts with the next phase of growth in audio podcasting. There are endless ways to tell stories that serve to entertain, to educate, to challenge, to inspire, or to bring us together and break down cultural barriers. The format is really evolving and while podcasting is still a relatively small business today, I see incredible growth potential for the space and for Spotify in particular. We are building a platform that provides a meaningful opportunity for creators, excites and engages our users, and builds an even more robust business model for Spotify in an industry we believe will become significantly larger when you add Internet-level monetization to it. Just as weve done with music, our work in podcasting will focus intensively on the curation and customization that users have come to expect from Spotify. We will offer better discovery, data, and monetization to creators. These acquisitions will meaningfully accelerate our path to becoming the worlds leading audio platform, give users around the world access to the best podcast content, and improve the quality of our listening experience while enhancing the Spotify brand." Alex Blumberg and Matt Lieber, co-founders of Gimlet Media: "Spotify is poised to become the largest audio platform in the world and we are excited for Gimlets award-winning podcasts to connect with new audiences around the world, said The medium of audio is uniquely great at creating human connection and understanding. We are thrilled that Gimlet is joining Spotify to do that at a global scale, on the platform and beyond." Michael Mignano, CEO of Anchor: "We are incredibly excited to introduce Anchor's industry-best podcasting tools to Spotify's massive user base as we continue our journey, now with even greater resources. We look forward to continuing to empower creators all over the world to build an audience, generate revenue, and most importantly, have their voices heard. You could review the list of Gimlet Media's podcast shows here to give you a feel for what Spotify will be inheriting and promoting along with Anchor here. At the current time iTunes Podcasts are dominant in the market and later this year Apple will be upping their content game with a new streaming video service that over time is to challenge Netflix. About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Those using abusive language or negative behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus. 100 years ago Feb. 6, 1919: Juniors and seniors at Lincoln High School voted to cancel their annual party this morning. The reason: the school board wont allow dancing in the gym. Its a longstanding rule, but the students hoped the board would change its stance. It didnt, so the party is off. 75 years ago Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. Feb. 6, 1944: Some manufacturers are sensing the end of the war is in sight. Portable Elevator Co. announced postwar expansion plans for its plant at 920 E. Grove St. The plans call for expanding the building and adding products outside its line of farm machinery. 50 years ago Feb. 6, 1969: Bloomington police officer Steve Brienen, 23, was knocked down by a hit-and-run driver who ran a stop sign near the Brienen home. The officer was off duty and didnt know the driver was wanted for another hit-and-run. Brienen identified the driver and now cops are looking for him. 25 years ago Feb. 6, 1994: Police in Chicago arrested two cousins wanted in connection with an ISU shooting. The two came to Normal to attend a bowling party at the student center but got into an argument over a $3 cover charge. When the shooting broke out, three people were wounded. Compiled by Jack Keefe; jkeefe@coldwellhomes.com. Kudos to Kelsey Watznauer and to The Pantagraph for the great front-page article: "Calvary students fund playground in Uganda." Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. What a tremendous article! It's a reminder that there's good stuff happening, and it's so encouraging for us read about it. Thank you, Pantagraph, and please keep looking for it! Here's to more good news on the front page in the days ahead! Marilyn Irmeger, Normal Love 1 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Dorie Snyder didn't seem 110 years old. To me, the East Peoria woman seemed decades younger. In August, at her 110th birthday party -- at First United Methodist Church, 116 NE Perry Ave. in Peoria, where she has been a member for almost 80 years -- she was as chatty and charming as always. "I couldn't have dreamed I'd reach today," she gushed to me before the big bash, the third she'd shared with Journal Star readers. "It's the best day of my life." Her family will recall her infectious bubbliness this coming weekend, as loved ones gather for a memorial service. She died Saturday morning. I got the news Tuesday from a granddaughter, Kathy Snyder, who (just as with the August gathering) was preparing to leave her home in Georgia for Peoria. "So again," Snyder says, "we travel to celebrate her -- not just another candle on her cake, but instead the incredible 110 years she lived." Indeed, reaching 110 years is a rare threshold. Census experts say that at any one time, there are 70 or fewer supercentenarians -- folks aged 110 or more -- in America. According to Wikipedia, at the time of her death, Snyder was the 46th-oldest U.S. resident. As of Tuesday morning, that list was headed by Maggie Kidd of Georgia, at 114 years and 59 days. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. There's no official list of the Peoria area's oldest residents. Just a few weeks ago, this space marked the 106th birthday of Bernice Houk of Central Peoria, who has a three-part secret to living a long life: Stay active, eat healthy and drink coffee. Yet the oldest local resident might be Mary Mack, whose 110th birthday is April 2. Mack, who lives with kin on the East Bluff, is the mother of 12 children -- "They're cheaper by the dozen," she has been known to say with a smile -- and helped raise countless kids at her in-home day care. Her family, which calls her Mama Mack, credits her long life to all that child-rearing activity, along with an aversion to bad habits. She learned as a kid to stay away from smoking and drinking. "I came up in the church," she told me a few years ago. "I knew right from wrong." The Mississippi native has had some health woes of late, says daughter Geneva Mack. "She has her good days and bad days," her daughter says. They're planning for a really good day in April, to celebrate the 110th birthday. "I'm working on that right now," her daughter says. Love 1 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 2 Angry 0 SPRINGFIELD The minimum wage for Illinois teachers has been stagnant for nearly 40 years, but a bill which passed the state Senates education committee Tuesday would give it a big bump. The bill would raise the minimum wage to $40,000 annually by the 2023-2024 school year, with a phase-in period of four years beginning with a $32,076 minimum in the 2020-2021 school year, $34,576 the year after that, and $37,076 in 2022-2023 before it hits the $40,000 mark. The current minimum has not been updated since 1980, when the minimum wage for teachers ranged from $9,000 to $11,000 depending on education level and semester hours worked. The language of the bill is nearly identical to a measure vetoed by Gov. Bruce Rauner last year after receiving 37 votes in the Senate and 65 in the House. State Sen. Andy Manar, the bills sponsor, said it was necessary to address the states teacher shortage. The premise of this bill is to get at what I think is a core issue as to why we have large pockets of the state that are facing a critical shortage, almost a crisis, of having teachers available to fill vacant classrooms, said Manar, D-Bunker Hill. But state Sen. Jason Barickman, who along with Manar was a lead negotiator of last sessions school funding overhaul, said the new formula is written to drive more money to needier districts, at which point school boards can decide if increased funding is best used for teacher salaries or elsewhere. No one has suggested that districts have this money but are unwilling to give it to teachers, Barickman, R-Bloomington, said. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. He suggested the state incorporate wage increases into the evidence-based funding model rather than setting arbitrary standalone minimums. Manar said the formula does not specifically address teacher wages, and he would have introduced the bill whether the evidence-based model passed last session or not. We are simply updating what is current law to meet what would be a reasonable base wage for teachers, Manar said. Barickman was one of three Republican Senators to vote against the bill as it passed 14-3. He was joined by Don DeWitte of St. Charles and Chuck Weaver of Peoria. Weaver said his objections were about local control as well, noting that he was told it would cost one district from his area $750,000 to implement the wage increase, although he declined to name the district after the hearing. JaNeane Minor, director of government relations for Advance Illinois, an education advocacy organization, said she agreed that good teachers are worth their weight in gold, but said the state needs to provide more cushion to the needier districts for them to be able to handle the rate increases. Minor said Tier 1 and Tier 2 districts the states neediest should have longer periods to meet the minimums. She also said while the new formula requires an increase of $350 million in added funding to education each year, the districts need contingencies if that number is not met. The new funding formula regionalized what constitutes adequacy based on local cost factors, she said. We would like to suggest that any salary minimum reflect the difference in cost in different regions. Zach Messersmith of the Illinois Statewide School Management Alliance, also opposed the bill, noting teacher pay is an issue for local school boards as well. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 CHICAGO A combination of $8 billion in budget cuts and revenue increases over the next five years would turn around state finances, a group of top Chicago business executives said Tuesday. However, the proposal by the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago includes some controversial recommendations that have been rejected by lawmakers in the past, such as taxing retirement income. The Civic Committee, which released its plan to state lawmakers and others Tuesday, said the changes will eliminate the budget deficit and bill backlog, stabilize pension payments at an affordable level and even establish a reserve fund of up to $5 billion. "One of the key points we want to emphasize about our plan is that action is required now," said Jay Henderson, retired vice-chairman of Price, Waterhouse Coopers, LLP and chairman of the committee's Tax Policy Task Force. "Eliminating the uncertainty of fiscal issues (facing the state) will change the narrative about the future of the state of Illinois." That means, he said, Illinois' competitiveness will improve if it gets its finances in order. The organization determined that for Illinois to accomplish that goal, it needs a combination of $8 billion in spending cuts and revenue enhancements over five years. The recommendations include raising both the personal income and corporate income tax rates by 1 percentage point. That would put the personal income tax rate at 5.95 percent. The report also recommends applying the sales tax to some services and beginning to tax retirement income. The plan would exempt the first $15,000 of retirement income. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. At the same time, the plan calls for elimination of the estate tax and the franchise tax at a cost of about $500 million. The organization said it would make Illinois more competitive and combat its "outlier status." The organization believes the state can find significant savings by combing through not only general funds expenses, but also those of the hundreds of special state funds that aren't part of the general fund. The plan assumes $500 million in savings by making changes in state employee health insurance, something the committee acknowledges will have to be negotiated with employee unions. Former Gov. Bruce Rauner wanted to make changes to worker health insurance because he thought the benefits were too generous for the amount paid by workers. Unions resisted those changes. The plan also calls for a new retiree health insurance plan for future state hires. It would change the current system that enables retirees with enough time on the job to have premium-free health insurance after leaving their jobs. The report also recommends putting more money into the state's pension plans early than currently called for under the long-range payment plan. This would save money in the long run, the authors said, and also stop the increase in the state's pension debt. Gov. J.B. Pritzker has also recommended putting more money into pensions earlier to save money in the future. However, he appears to have endorsed a proposal to borrow money to increase those payments. The Civic Committee plan doesn't borrow money, but relies on the savings found elsewhere in the budget. The Civic Committee does not weigh in on Pritzker's goal of enacting a graduated state income tax, which will take several years to achieve. "The report is very focused on doing things that can be done immediately because waiting makes the problem bigger and will cost the state more money," said Kelly Welsh. "Waiting causes the state's bad reputation and negative fiscal situation to continue longer so that we don't have the turnaround in terms of the state's growth trajectory." The report isn't limited just to state finances. It says the state should continuing monitoring the new school funding formula to ensure that it receives the ongoing increases needed to make it work correctly, that efforts should continue to consolidate Illinois' glut of local governments and that workers' compensation laws should be changed to align them "with the best practices from other states." Organized labor has often complained that means lower benefits for injured workers. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 WASHINGTON, D.C. Response to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address Tuesday fell along party lines for Central Illinois legislators. Republican U.S. Reps. Rodney Davis of Taylorville, Adam Kinzinger of Channahon and Darin LaHood of Dunlap praised the Republican president's message, and Democratic U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin of Springfield and Tammy Duckworth of Hoffman Estates criticized it. In statements sent immediately following the speech, they said: Rodney Davis As we heard tonight, the state of our union is strong and both sides can work together to get things done in Washington. Pro-growth policies, like tax reform, have allowed for better job opportunities, provided the highest wage growth in more than a decade, and let Americans keep more of what they earn. We can build on this successful economy, but not by constant gridlock. President Trump listed a number of issues tonight that Republicans and Democrats can and should work together on. ... I want to continue to grow job opportunities for my constituents, lower the cost of health care, invest in infrastructure, and focus on a strong national security, but we cant do that if the House is only focused on obstruction." Dick Durbin "What is the state of the union under President Trump? Affordable health insurance including for people with pre-existing conditions is at risk because of a lawsuit filed by Republican attorneys general and supported by this President and his Administration. "The basic services of our government are at risk because of President Trumps 35-day shutdown and threat to do it again next week. "Our national security is at risk because of threats to NATO, a return to an arms race, and a phony caravan crisis at our southern border all brought on by this president. "Our planet is at risk because this president and his party have broken with every nation on Earth in their opposition to responsibly address climate change. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. "Our economy is at risk because President Trumps tax scam left the middle class behind. "And Americas confidence in our government is at risk because weve been shaken by this president and his Cabinet riddled with corruption and conflicts of interest. "When this president says his Administration is unlike anything in the history of this country, there is no argument that hes right." Tammy Duckworth Tonight, we saw the same reckless rhetoric that has been a signature of Donald Trumps presidency. Instead of attempting to unite the country and bring people together after the ridiculous and unnecessary government shutdown, the president played on Americas internal divisions and employed his usual xenophobic attacks on immigrants. Instead of proposing ethics reforms to clean up Washington, he asked Congress and law enforcement to stop investigating misconduct in his administration and he missed a critical opportunity to present credible, thoughtful solutions to some of the serious challenges facing our country like our crumbling infrastructure and rising health care costs. The American people are counting on their elected leaders to come together on these difficult issues and pass common-sense solutions. Its unfortunate that the commander-in-chief did not use tonight as an opportunity to change course or deliver a positive and inclusive message that moves us forward as a nation. Adam Kinzinger The American economy is booming, and its encouraging to see the real-life benefits of our pro-growth policies help hard-working families in IL-16 and across the country. The surge in manufacturing and other fields has created thousands of jobs and boosted confidence in our markets. The unemployment rate fell to the lowest its been in nearly 50 years, while wage growth is on the rise. Im glad the president used his opportunity tonight to share this good news with the American people, and remind us that despite our many challenges, the State of our Union is strong. Bipartisanship is critical, and I applaud the presidents message tonight urging us all to work across the aisle and find ways to get things done to best serve the American people. Its truly on each of us to keep the American Dream alive through hard work, civility towards one another, and united in our love of freedom, we can leave our country stronger and safer for the next generation. Darin LaHood "President Trump laid out a bold, unifying message tonight focused on advancing priorities that constituents of the 18th District care deeply about. Whether it's promoting a pro-growth agenda that has spurred record economic growth, repairing our nation's infrastructure system, passing the (United StatesMexicoCanada Agreement trade deal) through Congress, protecting the lives of the unborn, or rebuilding our military, I applaud the president for putting forth a message of a stronger America. Furthermore, he made it clear, we must secure our border. Border security is critical to the well-being of our nation and has been widely supported by both parties but has become highly politicized of late. As the president highlighted in his address, there are plenty of areas where Congress can work across the aisle to provide for a more prosperous union. Now more than ever, I hope my colleagues on both sides heed this call to action, so we can continue to forge ahead towards a better America today and for future generations." Contact Derek Beigh at (309) 820-3234. Follow him on Twitter: @pg_beigh Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 NORMAL Normal will proceed with a plan to tear down three buildings and erect a new structure on the east side of Uptown Circle despite objections from the town's Historic Preservation Commission and others. The Normal City Council did not act on the commission's Jan. 8 recommendation to preserve 104, 106 and 108 E. Beaufort St., the proposed site of its five-story Trail East building, on Monday. It was the last regular meeting before a 30-day window to pursue historic landmark status expires Friday. "We're sticking to the plan that we initiated," said Mayor Chris Koos after the meeting. The council signed off on plans for the development Jan. 7. Koos said the buildings will stay for a while anyway because Windy City Wieners is expected to stay open at 106 E. Beaufort until the end of the Illinois State University school year in May. The town owns the buildings at 104 and 108 and will give them to the developer of the $30 million project along with $8.65 million in potential future property and sales taxes from the project. "(The building at 104) is in very bad shape and is not savable. ... 106 was sold by the owners to (developer) Bush Construction. 108 we have, but just because it's old doesn't make it historic," said Koos. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Council candidate Karyn Smith attended the meeting and asked to speak about the issue but was blocked because, Koos said, the town doesn't allow public comment about topics not on the council's agenda. Koos noted the Illinois Attorney General's Office has stood by the town's right to do so. Officials made other concessions following an unfavorable ruling from the same office on the town's public comment policy in 2017. "Public comment is for the public to talk about items of business that were conducted," said Koos. "That's why I turned it down. It wasn't an agenda item." Smith said in prepared comments provided to The Pantagraph that she'd like "the council (to) take action to modify the Trail East plans to save the facades if the council is unwilling to preserve the entire structures in its gesture of good faith to the citizens of Normal who signed (opposing) petitions." "I believe it is not unreasonable to ask the developer to bear the expense for this modification as a good faith gesture to the Normal townspeople," said Smith, referring to Bush, the Iowa company working to open the mixed-use building in summer 2020. Officials have noted the community mural on the side of 104 E. Beaufort St., which will be destroyed for the project, would be wiped away with regular maintenance of the building regardless. Contact Derek Beigh at (309) 820-3234. Follow him on Twitter: @pg_beigh Love 3 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 17 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. DWIGHT The Dwight Planning Commission will consider an annexation agreement later this month that could be the first step in bringing a federal detention center for illegal immigrants to the Livingston County village. The commission will consider the matter on Feb. 19 and forward a recommendation to the Village Board, Village President Jared Anderson said Wednesday. This is a piece of property that is currently not in the village of Dwight, and its just one of the things that has to occur in a long process for something like this to happen, said Anderson. Immigration Centers of America, headquartered in Richmond, Va., has contacted village officials about an 88-acre parcel of land near Interstate 55 and Illinois 17 for a federal center to house 1,200 men awaiting immigration hearings. The facility would be managed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The proposal does not include the vacant Dwight Correctional Center, a state women's prison that was closed in 2013 by the Illinois Department of Corrections in a cost-cutting move. Calls to the Immigration Centers of America were not immediately returned on Wednesday. If the detention center is built, Anderson said, the estimated $20 million facility would employ about 280 people. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The deal, though, is far from final, he added. They (the company) are scouting several locations around the country, he said. They have certain requirements that they are looking for, such as they want it near railroads and a hospital nearby. It should be near a major city like Chicago and so we have a lot of the things they are looking for. Amtrak has a depot in Dwight and OSF HealthCare Saint James-John W. Albrecht Medical Center is in nearby Pontiac. Dwight, with a population of about 4,200, is about 80 miles southwest of Chicago. The facility would be located on Dwight's western edge. Adam Dontz, the CEO for the Greater Livingston County Economic Development Council, said the additional jobs would be great news for the area. We recognize the potential of a significant economic impact which may result if Immigration Centers of America develops a facility in Dwight, he said. It is anticipated that approximately 280 jobs and approximately $14 million of payroll would be associated with the project. That said, several rounds of review by local and federal officials remain prior to project approval. Anderson said that he has talked with local residents about the proposed project. I know there are some things on social media that havent been all that positive, but really, everyone I have talked with has been very positive. We lost the prison several years ago and that really hurt us as far as jobs and something like this, could be a real benefit for that. Immigration Centers of America was founded in 2008 and operates a detention center in Farmville, Va. The company has several pending contracts to build other facilities and would have to be the recipient of a formal bid from the government in order to move forward. Detainees who are facing criminal charges would be housed in county jails and not in the detention center. The rooms at the detention center would be unlocked, and the detainees would have access to exercise facilities, if the facility is managed similar to the Farmville complex. The Dwight Village Board could consider the annexation agreement on Feb. 25. Contact Kevin Barlow at (309) 820-3238. Follow him on Twitter: @pg_barlow Love 5 Funny 1 Wow 2 Sad 2 Angry 10 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. Most people have never cut into a coconut, but have still eaten coconut in at least one of its many forms. The most profitable product of the coconut is coconut oil, which is used in many beauty care products and, recently, has gained momentum as a popular oil to use in cooking. But its the actual meat of the coconut that many people still gravitate toward to get the most coconut flavor. The meat of the coconut is a white fleshy layer about one inch thick with watery liquid surrounding it, known as raw coconut water. The flesh is boiled, grated and dried and either immediately packaged as unsweetened coconut or soaked in a sugar solution, dried again and sold as sweetened coconut. Unsweetened coconut tends to be a bit drier and chewier, and may work well in savory dishes where sweet is not the goal. Sweetened coconut works well in baked goods, but the sugar in the recipe may need adjusted to avoid too much sweetness. Two tablespoons of sweetened coconut has 6 grams of sugars versus zero in unsweetened. Saturated fats make up approximately 90 percent of the fat in coconut. Saturated fats have been found to increase LDL (unhealthy) cholesterol in the blood, increasing the risk for heart disease. Saturated fats can be made of different fatty acids. Coconut oil is made of primarily lauric acid, which in some studies has shown to increase HDL (healthy) cholesterol in the blood. However, further studies are needed to warrant any type of heart healthy effects, and the American Heart Association still recommends against its use. Enjoy the taste of coconut, but consume in moderation! Coconut Cream Pie Dip cup shredded sweetened coconut, divided Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. 8 ounces Greek cream cheese or Neufchatel cream cheese 1 tablespoon sugar 1 cup canned light coconut milk Assorted fruit for dipping Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Measure cup coconut and spread flakes in a thin layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes or until slightly browned. In a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and coconut milk; mix until smooth. Stir in remaining cup coconut. Spread into a serving dish and top with toasted coconut. Serve with assorted fruit. Yield: 1 cup, or 8 (2 tablespoon) servings Nutrition facts (per serving): 140 calories, 11 grams fat, 150 milligrams sodium, 7 grams carbohydrate, 0 grams fiber, 3 grams protein Smith is nutrition and wellness educator for the University of Illinois Extension, McLean County. Contact her at 309-663-8306. SPRINGFIELD A Democratic-controlled Senate committee on Wednesday approved an increase in the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour, but the sponsor hedged on calling for an immediate floor vote despite pressure from the new Democratic governor to send him legislation within two weeks. The Executive Committee approved the six-year plan 13-6, setting it up for a vote on a Senate floor which Democrats control 40-19. But Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford said she recognized concerns of Republicans about the costs not only to the private sector but to state government, which must cover wages for public workers at such places as universities and private facilities funded with Medicaid dollars. Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who campaigned on the $15 minimum wage, has said he wants to sign a bill into law before he lays out his budget plan Feb. 20. Staff members attended the hearing to reassure lawmakers the administration understands the costs involved and the governor's willingness to cover them. "The questions and concerns that some members may have is how the revenue will be generated and what are those sources and how soon will we realize those gains," Lightford, a Maywood Democrat, said after the hearing. "The goal is to send a bill that has been completely negotiated and compromised across both chambers." That means the door is still open for a compromise proposed by the Illinois Retail Merchants Association in which a tiered scale would include different wages for varying costs of living across the state. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. The legislation passed Wednesday would increase Illinois' minimum wage from the current $8.25 per hour, where it has sat since 2010, to $9.25 on Jan. 1, 2020. After a bump to $10 on July 1, 2020, the wage would increase $1 each Jan. 1 until 2025. Citing a study by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute, a La Grange-based nonprofit, Michael Carringan, president of the Illinois AFL-CIO, said an increased minimum wage would benefit 1.4 million workers, or nearly one-quarter of the state's workforce. It would benefit Illinois' economy to the tune of $19 billion a year and produce $380 million in new state tax revenue, the study contends. But small businesses with thin margins remain the major concern for Republicans. Lightford's plan includes a withholding-tax credit for business of 50 or fewer employees starting at 25 percent and decreasing until it ends in 2026, at which point only employers with five or fewer workers would keep a 5 percent credit, the 2025 level. Sen. Sue Rezin, a Morris Republican, said GOP lawmakers are looking for input from small business owners. "When they're at the table and are very concerned about this, I ask that we come to some kind of agreement that will allow them to grow," Rezin said. "You start as a small business before you become a large business." ___ The bill is SB1 . Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriff's Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Mitchell Kukulka. Sunday, Jan. 3 8:01 p.m. -- A 49-year-old Ingersoll Township man found a wallet in the driveway of his girlfriend's house in Mount Haley Township. A deputy retrieved the wallet and turned it back over to its owner, a 35-year-old Ingersoll Township man. Nothing was missing from the wallet and the owner said he lost it while doing deliveries recently. 4:25 p.m. -- Deputies responded to an injured deer in Ingersoll Township. 4:06 p.m. -- Officers responded to a traffic hazard near the intersection of Cambridge Street and East Ashman Street. 3:04 p.m. -- Officers responded to a traffic hazard near the intersection of Isabella Street and Jerome Street. 2:36 p.m. -- Officers responded to a domestic violence incident in the 3800 Block of East Patrick Road 1:42 p.m. -- A 43-year-old Breckenridge woman requested a civil standby by deputies while she removed property from her marital house. 12:30 p.m. -- Deputies responded to a delayed report of a car-deer crash in Porter Township. 11:16 a.m. -- Officers responded to a report of fraud in the 400 Block of Sandow Road. 9:49 a.m. -- Deputies responded to a single-vehicle crash in Porter Township. 9:32 a.m. -- Deputies responded to a single-vehicle crash in Larkin Township. 9:01 a.m. -- Deputes were dispatched to a Mount Haley Township residence in reference to two vehicles being struck by an unknown vehicle. 2:53 a.m. -- Deputies were dispatched to a Lee Township residence in reference to a 911 hangup. Upon investigation, it was discovered that the 43-year-old man at the residence had gotten into a verbal argument with his 47-year-old live-in girlfriend. The man had two arrest warrants for him out of Montcalm County, and was transported to the Midland County Jail. 1:24 a.m. -- A 28-year-old Lee Township woman was assaulted by her 33-year-old husband at their residence. The husband was arrested and transported to the Midland County Jail. Saturday, Jan. 2 10:04 p.m. -- Officers responded to an open intoxicant in a vehicle on eastbound US-10 near West Wackerly Street. 9:23 p.m. -- Officers responded to a domestic verbal situation in the 1300 Block of Mill Street. 9:03 p.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to Mills Township in reference to a 67-year-old woman reporting a larceny. She believes her 41-year-old son stole about $300 in tools from her residence. She did not want her son interviewed or prosecuted, but wanted the incident recorded. 8:24 p.m. -- Deputies were dispatched to a Mount Haley Township residence for a verbal argument between a 44-year-old woman and her 44-year-old husband. The couple are going through a divorce and she had just gotten home from a trip to Florida. The husband had been drinking and they were arguing about their poor relationship. There was no assault, though neither party agreed to leave for the night. The woman said she would sleep downstairs and stay away from her husband. He said he would quit talking to her for the night. 8:15 p.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to Greendale Township in reference to a 37-year-old man finding shoe impressions in the snow near his house. He was worried someone might have been preparing to break into his house. 6:57 p.m. -- A 45-year-old Ingersoll Township woman reported her 79-year-old father missing from his Larkin Township home. While deputies were checking the area, the man returned to the residence. 6:38 p.m. -- Officers responded to a vehicle crash that resulted in injuries in the 1500 Block of of Joe Mann Boulevard. The driver was arrested on a warrant for driving while license suspended. 6:12 p.m. -- Officers responded to a property damage accident in which an intoxicated driver hit a mailbox near the intersection of Isabella Street and Albee Lane. 5:19 p.m. -- Deputies were dispatched to a Lincoln Township location for a traffic crash. The driver and passenger sustained minor injuries and were treated at the MidMichigan Medical Center emergency room. The at-fault driver was issued a citation for careless driving. 4:50 p.m. -- Officers responded to a property damage accident near the intersection of Maryland Street and Kentucky Street. 2:20 p.m. -- Officers responded to a vehicle crash resulting in property damage near the intersection of Buttles Street and McDonald Street. 11:31 a.m. -- Officers responded to a personal protection order violation in the 100 Block of Fast Ice Drive. 10:11 a.m. -- Officers responded to an animal bite in the 4100 Block of Robinhood Terrace. 8:21 a.m. -- A 29-year-old Sanford woman called 911 to report that her 31-year-old brother had possibly overdosed on heroin. The woman temporarily lives with her brother and returned home to find him laying on the kitchen floor unresponsive. When deputies arrived, the man was conscious and alert. Additional family members arrived on the scene and the man was transported to the emergency room for a medical and mental health evaluation. He denied using drugs and there was no evidence of drug use or drug paraphernalia on his person. However, based on the paramedic's and deputies' observations of the man's behaviors, it was evident that he was not capable of taking care of his own basic needs. 12:54 a.m. -- A 51-year-old Lee Township woman was arrested by deputies for driving on a suspended license following a traffic stop for a license plate violation in the City of Midland. The woman was also cited for driving without insurance and having an unregistered vehicle. She was transported to the Midland Count Jail. 12:36 a.m. -- A deputy responded to a car-deer crash in Larkin Township in the area of North Sturgeon Road near East Blackhurst Road. Saginaw Valley State University will host its Summer Job and Internship Fair from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday on the second floor of SVSU's Curtiss Hall in the banquet and seminar rooms. More than 100 employers will be looking to interview and potentially hire prospective workers. The event is free and open to the public. The employment fair will offer opportunities to visit with representatives from companies and agencies based locally and across the nation. Dow Bay Area Family YMCA, Detroit Police Department, Auto-Owners Insurance, Bavarian Inn Lodge & Restaurant, Chippewa Nature Center, and Apple Mountain are among the employers expected to attend. Bill Stec, interim director of Career Services, advises that all who are seeking valuable work experience to attend. Stec also offered his best tips for those who want to make a good impression at the fair. Attendees should consider preparing for the event by doing the following: Researching the list of companies who will be in attendance by going to svsu.edu/careers and clicking on the events tab. Highlighting the top 15 companies you would like to network with at the fair Printing 15-20 copies of your resume Preparing questions to ask employers to show interest in their specific organization. The Summer Job and Internship Fair was originally scheduled for Jan. 29, but was postponed due to inclement weather. For more information about the Summer Job and Internship Fair, visit www.svsu.edu/careerservices. Aeronautics May Now Sell UAVs to Azerbaijan (Source: Forecast International; issued Feb 05, 2019) YEREVAN -- The Israeli government will allow Aeronautics Ltd to again export unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) to Azerbaijan. Aeronautics Ltd had been accused of using its Orbiter 1K attack drone in August 2017 to attack Armenian forces in Nagorno Karabakh. Aeronautics Ltd was reportedly demonstrating this system for Azerbaijani officials. Subsequently, the Israeli Ministry of Defense launched an investigation. Aeronautics denied these allegations. Now, the Israeli government is lifting its ban on Aeronautics exporting attack drones to Azerbaijan. -ends- The Midland City Council approved, by a 3-2 vote, a first reading Monday night of an ordinance that would allow the city to ban or limit commercial marijuana establishments. Council members Maureen Donker, Diane Brown Wilhelm and Marty Wazbinski voted in favor of moving the ordinance to a second reading. Steve Arnosky and Pam Hall voted against it. The Marihuana Establishment Ordinance is in response to the Marijuana Legalization Initiative, which was adopted last November. City Attorney James Branson III presented information stating there is currently no state regulations for commercial marijuana; the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs is in the process of founding, but it could take up to a year to finalize them. "Without having the regulatory framework, we have no idea what we would be opting in for," Branson stated. He went on to say that as of Jan. 17, 169 municipalities in the state have chosen to opt out of allowing commercial marijuana operations in their communities. However, he stated his commitment to revisit the issue in the future and hearing various sides of the debate. "We want to bring this back and update you as things go or things change." During the public comment section of the meeting, Midland County Prosecuting Attorney J. Dee Brooks gave a presentation, urging the City Council to adopt the resolution. "Commercial operations, I believe - based on what I've seen, what I've heard and what I've been told - will attract more crime within the city, if allowed. It also will create an environment that will not be what I think will be a family-friendly environment that I think we like to promote and what we have here," Brooks said. Councilman Steve Arnosky of Ward 3 made a motion to sunset the proposed ordinance for 18 months from its passing. The sunset resolution would not only allow time for LARA to implement regulations and a waiting period to see results but would also establish a firm date for the ordinance to expire. "I think we owe it to the community to actually deal with this issue at some point in time when we have better information. By having the ordinance sunset, it forces the issue upon us," Arnosky said. The sunset amendment was declined, 3-2, with Arnosky and Hall casting the two supporting votes. A second reading of the marijuana ordinance is scheduled for the next city council meeting on Feb. 18. In addition to hearing the Marihuana Establishment Ordinance, the council held a second hearing of the General Recreation Fee Ordinance, presented by Karen Murphy, director of Parks and Recreation. The ordinance was approved, 5-0. The council also reviewed its 2019-2025 capital improvement plan, presented by Grant Murschel, director of Planning and Community Development, City Engineer Josh Fredrickson and Utility Director Joseph Sova. The CIP resolution was passed 5-0. SAGINAW, Mich. (AP) A 29-year-old man has been arraigned in the shooting of a mid-Michigan police officer. Joshua Rosebush appeared via video Tuesday in Saginaw County District Court on assault with intent to murder, receiving and concealing a stolen firearm, vehicle theft, using a firearm during a felony and other charges. Saginaw Township officer Jeff Koenig was shot in the face and shoulder on Jan. 22 as he approached a stolen pickup he stopped in Saginaw County's Kochville Township. Rosebush later was arrested after being wounded in a shootout with other officers. None of those officers were wounded. Rosebush's next court date is Feb. 14. Freudenberg Sealing Technologies has become majority stakeholder of XALT Energy, a Midland-based global developer and manufacturer of lithium-ion technology solutions targeted for heavy-duty mobility applications. In March 2018, Freudenberg announced it had acquired a 31 percent ownership stake in XALT Energy through a multi-million dollar investment in its operations. Now, increasing demands for lithium-ion battery technology that specifically targets commercial vehicles as well as marine and rail applications has prompted Freudenberg to acquire a more than 50 percent share of the battery manufacturer. With this additional multi-million dollar investment, XALT Energy is able to revitalize production capabilities at the company's Midland production plant and to intensify its research and development efforts into new mobility technologies. Additionally, Freudenberg has a standing agreement to acquire all remaining shares of XALT Energy over the next few years. "We are pleased that this investment provides a much needed capital boost to XALT Energy and also puts Freudenberg in the driver's seat. This acquisition is a crucial part of our future business strategy to transform as a supplier into a market leader of new mobility technologies and services," said Claus Moehlenkamp, CEO of Freudenberg Sealing Technologies, in a prepared statement. "As our customers transition to lithium-ion battery and fuel cell powertrain options, our investment in XALT Energy will enhance our ability to supply them with materials, products and systems solutions that meet new, complex technical challenges. We are delighted with this strategic venture." XALT Energy specializes in applying lithium-ion technology to large-scale, high-energy, high-power storage solutions for industries including commercial transportation, rail, marine, industrial operations and automotive. The company's 460,000-square-foot automated assembly facility in Midland includes advanced clean rooms and produces cells, packs, modules and management controls and software for lithium-ion power systems. The company also operates a research and development laboratory in Pontiac. Under Freudenberg's oversight, the XALT Energy name will remain and become an affiliated brand of the global group headquartered in Germany. Freudenberg has also appointed Jeff Michalski to take over leadership of XALT Energy from retiring CEO Richard Cundiff III. Michalski, a long-standing Freudenberg executive, has extensive experience handling global acquisitions and market expansion for the company. Freudenberg and XALT Energy have already entered into strategic partnership agreements to provide advanced lithium-ion battery systems to heavy-duty segment leaders such as New Flyer of America for transit buses. In 2018, Freudenberg agreed to work with a leading provider of electrical power distribution and automation for the marine industry to explore battery solutions for its applications. XALT Energy is also working with automotive OEMs, including Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. (GM), through the U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium LLC. In September 2018, the Consortium announced it would partner with XALT to develop a 12-volt, Lithium Manganese Oxide-Lithium Titanate Stop-Start battery system. Recently, GM also announced it was using XALT battery systems in an experimental electric drag racer, the eCOPO Chevrolet Camaro concept vehicle. Moehlenkamp outlined Freudenberg Sealing Technologies plans to pursue parallel business strategies during the Center for Automotive Research Management Briefing Seminars (CAR MBS) conference in 2018. The company will continue to invest in technologies and materials that help industries achieve lower friction, lighter weight, fewer emissions, longer service life and safer operating conditions for internal combustion powertrain systems. At the same time, it has launched a Battery and Fuel Cell Division tasked with developing advanced technology solutions for new mobility scenarios. The investment in XALT Energy will help anchor these new activities, he said. "We continue to see evidence that the entire global mobility landscape - from passenger vehicles, heavy-duty trucks and buses to railroad transportation and marine shipping operations - is shifting to incorporate new powertrain technologies including lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells," Moehlenkamp said. Versiti Blood of Michigan, formerly Michigan Blood, is issuing an emergency appeal for blood donations today. Heavy snowstorms and sub-zero temperatures have kept loyal and new blood donors at home, causing a sharp decline in Michigan's blood supply, now at a critically low level. More than 80 community blood drives across the state in January were canceled, resulting in the loss of more than 3,000 blood donations. Versiti Blood Center of Michigan is the exclusive blood and blood products supplier to nearly 70 Michigan hospitals and must see 560 blood donors statewide every day to meet hospitals' daily needs. "The need for life-saving blood for our hospital partners across Michigan is severe and relentless. For every donation, up to three lives can be saved," said Dr. LeeAnn Weitekamp, senior medical director at Versiti Blood Center of Michigan. "Less than 3 percent of Americans able to donate blood actually do. We're asking those who can to give blood and encourage their family members, friends, neighbors and co-workers to donate at this extremely critical time." All blood types are needed, especially O-negative blood. O-negative donors are universal blood donors, meaning their red blood cells can be transfused to patients with any blood type. The blood type is found in hospital emergency rooms for situations when there is no time to determine a patient's blood type. Versiti Blood Center of Michigan operates eight donor centers throughout the state, including: Saginaw: 1771 Tittabawassee Road Bay City: 1017 N. Johnson St. Midland: 825 E. Main St. Appointments are encouraged but walk-ins are welcome. To schedule an appointment to donate blood, call 1-866-642-5663 or visit versiti.org/Michigan. Donating blood takes about an hour. Anyone age 17 or older in good health who meets eligibility requirements is encouraged to give. Parental consent is required for donors age 16 to donate blood. Donors should bring a photo ID that includes their birth date. Yars ICBM Test Launched from Plesetsk Space Centre - Russian Defence Ministry (Source: Sputnik News; posted Feb 06, 2019) Russias RS-24 Yars is a strategic missile system comprising a mobile or silo-based solid-propellant intercontinental ballistic missile with MIRVed (multiple independently targetable vehicle) warheads. It is a variant of the Topol-M missile. (TASS photo) MOSCOW --- Russia has test-launched an RS-24 Yars intercontinental ballistic missile from the Plesetsk space centre, the set tasks have been implemented in full, the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement Wednesday. "On February 6, at 11:31 Moscow time, the Plesetsk state test space centre conducted a test launch of a Yars solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) equipped with multiple warheads", the statement said. It said the test warheads arrived at a given area at the Kura range on the Kamchatka Peninsula. "The tasks have been implemented in full. The purpose of the launch was to confirm the tactical, technical and flight characteristics of the advanced missile system", the ministry said. The RS-24 Yars (NATO reporting name SS-27 Mod 2) was introduced into service in July 2010. It is an upgraded version of the Topol-M ballistic missile that can be fired both from a mobile launcher and silo. It carries ICBMs with multiple independently targetable nuclear warheads and has a range of 6,800 miles. -ends- Ottumwa, IA (52501) Today Partial cloudiness early, with scattered showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High near 80F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy after midnight. Low 64F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Oskaloosa, IA (52577) Today Partial cloudiness early, with scattered showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 81F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 64F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Privacy breaches that expose social media profiles, bank accounts, online photos and personal internet activity have become endemic. Incensed, Oregons senior U.S. senator is pitching jail time and billions in fines for companies or executives who enable such breaches. To Sen. Ron Wyden, the privacy failures are analogous to the corporate fraud and accounting scandals behind the collapse of Enron and WorldCom. So Wyden wants new federal privacy protections analogous to the rules that govern corporate executives conduct. The Democratic lawmaker recently introduced a bill that would give the Federal Trade Commission the authority to establish privacy and cybersecurity standards. The bill would impose levy steep fines even jail time for companies and executives who misrepresent their compliance. The point is the Federal Trade Commission on privacy issues thus far has basically been toothless, Wyden said in an interview with The Oregonian/OregonLive. I am trying to recreate this agency for the digital era. The 38-page bills provisions would: Establish a do not track option for people using online services. In lieu of allowing their search history, social media favorites and online activity to be sold to advertisers, people could opt to pay an unspecified fee to preserve their privacy. Authorize the FTC to establish privacy and cybersecurity standards and require big companies to report annually on their privacy practices. Penalize large companies that submit false information in their annual privacy report. Penalties could amount to 4 percent of annual revenue a number that could run in the billions of dollars for the biggest social media companies. Executives could face jail time up to 20 years. Require companies to assess their algorithms for accuracy, fairness, bias and discrimination. What we are essentially advocating is what the big financial services firms have to do under Sarbanes-Oxley, Wyden said. Thats a controversial 2002 law designed to prevent corporate fraud by requiring publicly traded companies to take steps to ensure the accuracy of their financial reports and mandating that top executives take personal responsibility for their veracity. As a member of the Senates minority party during a hyper-partisan era, Wyden faces long odds in getting his bill passed. He introduced the bill last fall and it has made little headway in the intervening months. But hes hoping persistent consumer outrage about privacy violations could give it additional traction, coupled with support from within the tech industry itself. Facebook, Google and other companies that rely on online advertising have resisted limits on how they can use personal data. Neither of those big companies responded to requests for comment on the bill. But others less reliant on internet advertising, notably Apple, have called for comprehensive digital privacy laws. And in a statement provided by Wydens office, chipmaker Intel endorsed his work on privacy. The bill is a tremendous step towards effective comprehensive U.S. privacy legislation, said David Hoffman, Intels associate general counsel and global privacy officer. Providing more authority and resources to the US Federal Trade Commission is a critical foundation for robust privacy protection. The bills eye-popping penalties are reserved for large companies and wouldnt apply to privacy violations themselves. Rather, companies would face the penalties when they submit false statements about their privacy practices. Still, Technology Association of Oregon chief executive Skip Newberry said some of his members have expressed concerns about the very significant penalties. He and other members met with representatives from Wydens office in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday and discussed the bill. My impression from today's meeting is his office is interested in connecting with small and medium-sized tech companies on the Do-Not-Track privacy bill in addition to their on-going conversations with larger tech companies, Newberry wrote in an email. We will be working with their Oregon field office to solicit input from our members. -- Mike Rogoway | twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699 Police are investigating the death of a man discovered near the Morrison Bridge on Tuesday. Officers responded to the bridge around 3:10 p.m. and found the man on the concrete landing near one of the structures east pillars. An autopsy is planned for Wednesday to determine how he died. Police suspect the man may have died under suspicious circumstances. Portland police ask anyone with more information to contact Detective Anthony Merrill at 503-823-4033. -- Everton Bailey Jr. ebailey@oregonian.com | 503-221-8343 |@EvertonBailey Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. Updated at 11 p.m. A shootout erupted on Interstate 205 southbound and I-84 westbound as Vancouver police chased a homicide suspect from Washington into Oregon on Tuesday night, according to officers at the scene. By the time it was over, two men were in custody, one of them linked to the Jan. 22 homicide of Kelso convenience store clerk Kayla Chapman, 30, Kelso police said. Vancouver police had notified Portland officers around 7:30 p.m. as they chased two men in a dark pickup truck from Vancouvers Mill Plain exit southbound on I-205 into Oregon on Tuesday night. As the chase headed westbound onto I-84, someone in the truck fired gunshots at Vancouver police. At least one returned fire. The gunshots struck the windshield of a pursuing Vancouver police vehicle, injuring one officer. The officer may have suffered glass to the eye and was taken to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center Tuesday night for treatment, police said. The officer is expected to survive. One of the men in the truck suffered life-threatening injuries that werent gunshots, said Lt. Kristina Jones, a Portland police spokeswoman. She said no Portland officers were involved in the chase or the shooting. The police bureau is investigating the officer-involved shooting, and Jones referred all questions related to the Washington homicide investigation to Vancouver police. Vancouver police didnt immediately response to a request for comment Tuesday. Police described what ensued as a "mobile gun battle'' on the freeway that left shell casings scattered on the highways. Portland police responded with Vancouver police, and they cornered the suspect truck on I-84 westbound. The suspect in the homicide -- the Jan. 22 killing of Kelso convenience store clerk, Kayla Chapman, 30 -- and one other person were taken into custody, police said. The dark pickup truck pursued by Vancouver police contained the driver of the vehicle involved in the Kelso homicide and convenience store robbery, Kelso police said. Erkinson K. Bossy, 23, was taken into custody once the truck was cornered and stopped on I-84 westbound. Kelso police said theyll seek to extradite him from Oregon to charge him in connection with Chapmans homicide. Its not immediately clear if he was the man seriously injured in the truck. Another suspect in the Chapman homicide was arrested earlier Tuesday. About 3 p.m., Vancouver police located Nenemeny W. Ekiek, 21, and booked him into the Cowlitz County jail on a murder allegation, Kelso police said. Nemeny was a passenger in the vehicle at the time of the convenience store robbery and fatal shooting of Chapman, Kelso police said. Portland police were sending two mobile police command centers to two crime scenes - one at the I-205 southbound interchange to I-84 westbound, and another on I-84 westbound where the suspects truck was stopped to help investigate, as the Vancouver Major Crimes Unit also responded. By the time the chase was over, shell casings littered the highways and police were calling for more officers to help search for them. The chase and shooting led to Portland police closing a portion of the highway to investigate what occurred. As of 11 p.m., I-84 west was still closed from I-205 to I-5 and expected to remain blocked for several hours. Everton Bailey Jr., Mark Graves and Beth Nakamura of The Oregonian/OregonLive staff contributed to this report. 3 ambulances just drove away. pic.twitter.com/H7YGaKTdRB Everton Bailey Jr. (@EvertonBailey) February 6, 2019 Heres the scene toward the 33rd Ave. exit. Theres a minivan and white sedan parked between where emergency vehicles have stopped traffic. At least a dozen police cars on this end. A car alarm keeps blaring. pic.twitter.com/QAE5s4OwTW Everton Bailey Jr. (@EvertonBailey) February 6, 2019 UPDATE: MAX Blue, Green and Red line service experiencing up to 40 minute delays thru 9:30 p.m. from earlier blocking police activity near Hollywood Transit Center. TriMet Service Alerts (@trimetalerts) February 6, 2019 MAX Blue, Green and Red lines eastbound experiencing up to 15 minute delays due to blocking police activity near Hollywood Transit Center. TriMet Service Alerts (@trimetalerts) February 6, 2019 This is a breaking news story and will be updated as we learn more. By KATHLEEN PARKER Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam arrives for a news conference in the Governor's Mansion in Richmond, Va., on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019. Northam is under fire for a racial photo that appeared in his college yearbook.AP WASHINGTON -- In 1983, just before winning a third term as Louisianas governor, Edwin Edwards famously said the only way he could lose the race was if Im caught in bed with either a dead girl or a live boy. Presumably, no one checked his yearbook. Given today's mounting pressure on Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam to resign due to a photo in his 1984 medical school yearbook -- and last year's inquisition of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, which included Senate questioning about his high school yearbook -- we clearly have a new exception to certain electability (or, as the case may be, confirmation): "if a yearbook reveals that I was once young and foolish." Implicit in this new category is that personal evolution isn't possible and redemption is dead. Which raises several questions we must ask ourselves: What is the statute of limitations for being an inconsiderate, thoughtless, jerk-goofball-hellraiser? Can a person who misbehaved or acted offensively in high school, college or graduate school ever change? Does having lived an exemplary life as an adult mean anything? The verdicts in both of these cases were swift and unyielding in the public square, where all accusations seem to be adjudicated these days. Kavanaugh, based largely on a single person's uncorroborated recollection, was virtually condemned as a would-be rapist. Although, ultimately confirmed, he is forevermore besmirched in certain quarters. Much of what was treated by some members of the Senate Judiciary Committee as the closest thing to evidence against Kavanaugh came from his high school yearbook page. Did he or didnt he drink a lot of beer? became an essential question of his character among Democrats on the committee. And, in some twist of logic, his answer some 40 years later was supposed to be correlative to his guilt or innocence of sexual assault. Obviously sexual assault is a horrific crime, but without evidence or corroborating testimony, theres no basis for a prosecution. In Northam's case, a photo on his personal page in his yearbook featured two individuals -- one wearing blackface and the other dressed as a member of the Ku Klux Klan. The image isn't just offensive; it's appalling. Even way back in 1984, most would have found it so. Did the young individuals think they were just goofing around? Most likely, but again, the image is too hurtful in the glare of history. Klansmen were and are terrorists who murdered, raped and lynched African-Americans and burned communities during a reign of terror that lasted for more than 100 years. Horror, not humor, is the only appropriate response both to this history and to those who would mock it. Northam apologized when the photo first surfaced, which, in light of his life since medical school would suffice in a normal world. But, not in today's arena. Yes, it was horrible and stupid, but might nearly 35 years of healing children and public and military service since then make up for a 25-year-old's poor choice? Does this isolated photo capture the essence and spirit of the now-59-year-old Northam? The governor surely has made things worse for himself by changing his tune, now saying he doesn't think he's in the picture, combined with confessing to another experiment in blackface, also in 1984, when he performed Michael Jackson's moonwalk in a dance contest. It's nearly always true that it's best to apologize, full stop. Interestingly, both Northam and Kavanaugh were faced with similar decisions -- whether to drop out and put an end to the public torture and protect their families -- or stay the course because surrender would seem an admission of guilt. We know by Northam's own words that he once played around with blackface, which, again, is disappointing, but does it rise to the level of a firing offense these many years later? For Kavanaugh, dropping out most likely would have meant an end to his judicial career, even at the lower court level. And then where would he go? What would he do with a ruined reputation and the forever suspicion that he was guilty? Kavanaugh's story ended as it should have. By any measure of fairness, Northam deserves a chance to further redeem himself as governor. Kathleen Parker's email address is kathleenparker@washpost.com. (c) 2019, Washington Post Writers Group The organizer and sponsor of Portlands Sand in the City sculpture contest is drawing his own line in the sand, accusing a former volunteer of infringing on the events trademark name and falsely purporting to be its creator. Yoshida Group LLC started and promoted the popular gathering from 1995 through 2015, dumping loads of sand in Pioneer Courthouse Square to allow teams to compete in building sandcastles of all shapes and sizes, an annual fundraising event for childrens charities, hospitals and other nonprofits. Yoshida Group, a group of companies privately owned by Junki Yoshida of of Mr. Yoshidas Marinade & Cooking Sauce fame , filed a lawsuit Monday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Portland, saying Bert Adams of Vancouver has tried to steal the events name on a website called www.sandinthecity.com. Adams has falsely claimed to be the events originator and has applied to the U.S Patent and Trademark Office for a trademark of his own, the suit says. The legal action comes as Yoshida, along with the Al-Kader Shriners Center, hope to bring Sand in the City back to the downtown square this summer. But the Shriners Center has told Yoshida that various professional sand sculptors and carvers already have refused to participate unless Adams receives a portion of the proceeds as a result of his false and misleading representations, according to the suit. Adams website says he moved to Portland in 1995, was contacted by a nonprofit organization about helping with a sculpture contest and gave birth to Sand in the City using his knowledge of sand sculpture techniques. The lawsuit takes exception to that portrayal, saying: Defendants deceit, improper conduct and misappropriation of Yoshidas Sand in the City trademark is, without question, causing confusion in the marketplace and is blurring, tarnishing and diluting the well-known Sand in the City mark, as well as its associated goodwill, and which Yoshida devoted in excess of 20 years to develop, promote/market, and preserve, at considerable time, effort, expense and resources. In 1995, Yoshida agreed to donate seed money to support a Sand in the City event for the purpose of assisting the Kids on the Block Awareness Program, according to one of his lawyers, Phil Nelson. Over many years, Kids on the Block Awareness Program, Impact NW, and Yoshidas Sand in the City all non-profit groups benefitting children organized and ran the event, estimated to have raised more than a million dollars to benefit childrens programs in the metropolitan Portland area. Yoshida Foods was a primary sponsor, donating approximately $500,000 since 1995, according to Nelson. It halted after 20 years, largely because of the expense of renting out the square, Yoshida said at the time. Yoshida wants a judge to order Adams to stop infringing on the Yoshida Sand in the City trademark and to award Yoshida at least $100,000 in damages. Adams and his lawyer did not return messages for comment. The Shriners organization is the fourth non-profit that Yoshida has agreed to work with for the Sand in the City event, but Adams actions may put the event in jeopardy this summer, according to Yoshida and his lawyer. Mr. Yoshida intends to diligently continue working to revive this event for the purpose of benefitting Shriners non-profit activities, Nelson said in a statement. -- Maxine Bernstein Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian Nora, the polar bear who captured the hearts of Portlanders while she lived at the Oregon Zoo, was resting and recuperating Tuesday after a successful surgery the day before to repair a broken leg bone she sustained at Utahs Hogle Zoo. It is a big, hard, aggressive surgery, said senior veterinarian Nancy Carpenter in a Facebook post from the zoo. Shes doing great though. In January, keepers found 3-year-old Nora in her enclosure but unwilling to move. They kept an eye on her for two days, but she wouldnt get up, even to interact with her keepers, the zoo said. Last weekend, an examination revealed that she had broken her humerus bone, leaving her unable to walk. Vets at Hogle consulted with experts from other zoos as well as veterinary surgeons, radiologists and human orthopedic specialists. They determined that Nora needed surgery to repair the fracture. A team of specialists from as far away as Texas flew to Salt Lake City to perform the surgery. It was unclear exactly how the 500-pound bear injured herself, officials from Utahs Hogle Zoo said, but it likely happened when Nora was engaged in rough play. "She's a very rambunctious bear," said zookeeper Kaleigh Jablonski. "It's not unusual to watch her head-dive into the snow without any hesitation. She just plays rough." Nora has faced a number of troubles in her three years, including a bone disease as a cub and anxiety as a toddler, all of which were detailed in The Oregonian/OregonLives five-part series, The Loneliest Polar Bear. Nora spent about a year at the Oregon Zoo in Portlands west hills before she moved to Utah in 2017 to be with another bear her age, a female named Hope. On Tuesday, vets from the zoo posted a Facebook live broadcast Tuesday showing some of the specials tools they used during surgery. After surgery, Nora is likely to face a long recovery as she has to keep weight off her injured limb until its fully healed. She will be away from her exhibit and out of public view for at least a few months, zoo officials said. -- Kale Williams kwilliams@oregonian.com 503-294-4048 @sfkale Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. A Bend man is accused of sending threatening emails to two Pennsylvania police chiefs that claimed it was "my job to kill you and any/all of your subordinates. Gregory Truchanowicz, 43, made his first appearance Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Eugene, after FBI agents arrested him at his home the day before. A magistrate judge ordered him to remain in custody on an allegation of sending a threatening communication, citing concerns that hes a danger to the community and a risk that hell attempt to intimidate or threaten a witness in the case, according to court records. It was Truchanowicz himself who tipped off the FBI to his threatening emails in October through an online message, FBI Agent William M. Soule wrote in a federal affidavit. Truchanowicz told the FBI that he had written to the chiefs of the Millcreek and Erie, Pa. police departments, claiming that it was his duty to kill them, the affidavit says. He claimed that authorities in Pennsylvania had arranged for skinhead gang members to assault him, causing him to flee that state. I wrote the chiefs of Millcreek and Erie police informing them it is my duty as a professional soldier to kill them as leaders of terrorist organizations and banned them and their subordinates from Oregon with intent to kill them on sight, the message read in part, according to the affidavit. Truchanowicz provided his name and address to the FBI. Federal agents found that Truchanowiczs sister-in-law, a Pennsylvania resident and a law enforcement officer, had obtained a protective order against him, which required that he not possess any firearms. On Oct. 25 seven days after receiving his online tip, FBI agents visited Truchanowicz at his home. There, he told he was undergoing mental health treatment at a veterans hospital in Bend. On Nov. 17, Truchanowicz attempted to buy a 9 mm pistol from Sportsmans Warehouse in Bend, but his purchase was denied due to the active protective order from Pennsylvania, according to court records. When questioned by a state police trooper about his attempted gun purchase, Truchanowicz told the officer he wanted to shoot raccoons on his property, had a right to protect himself and had moved to Oregon to get away from oppressive law enforcement in Pennsylvania, the federal affidavit says. In a separate instance, he informed Oregon State Police that a biker friend with a devil tattoo offered him a police issue .38 special with the serial number ground off and a box of ammunition. On Nov. 30, Truchanowicz submitted another online tip to the FBI, in which he declared civil war against police. On Jan. 14, according to a federal complaint, Truchanowicz emailed the chief of the police department in Erie, Pa. , saying It IS my job to kill you and any/all of your subordinates as I swore an oath to defend America from you domestic enemies of the constitution (sic). Four days later, FBI agents Benjamin A. Jones and Chad Lapp interviewed Truchanowicz. At first, he said he didnt remember sending the email, but then later admitted he did, an affidavit says. -- Maxine Bernstein Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian Measures Taken After the Frigate Accident (Source: Norwegian Ministry of Defence; issued Feb 05, 2019) (Unofficial translation by Defense-Aerospace.com) After colliding with a tanker in unexplained circumstances on Nov. 8, the Norwegian frigate Helge Ingstad foundered and later sank, wiping out one-fifth of Norways frigate force. The defense ministry is taking steps to remediate this loss. (RNN photo) The operational consequences of KNM Helge Ingstad's accident on November 8, 2018 are substantial. The Government has decided on temporary measures. The material damage that the frigate suffered is considerable, and so far the work on securing and raising her has cost just under NOK 500 million. The accident has significant operational consequences. With one of five frigates out of service, the Armed Forces' operational capability has been reduced, and the ability to maintain a presence in priority areas is weakening over time. The Government is concerned that the operational ability should be re-established. The Armed Forces have already implemented measures to reduce the operational consequences. Among other things, one of the remaining frigates will sail with a double crew; This means that planned sailing days for the frigate flotilla are maintained in a short-term perspective of one to two years. Acquire lost equipment The Government has identified further measures that can be implemented in the short term. This includes reproducing lost spare parts and doubling the number of crews on the KNM Maud logistics vessel from one to two. The latter will increase the ability to support the frigates, which in turn extends the vessels' operational availability. Maud, who is scheduled to arrive in Norway in the middle of the year, will also increase the capacity to contribute to international operations. The weapon holdings on board were part of Norway's emergency stock, and the government is considering whether they will also be replaced. Such a replacement will be considered in the budgets for the coming years. However, these measures will not restore the operational ability at the level it was before the loss of Ingstad. If it should not prove possible or economically appropriate to repair the ship, alternative permanent measures will therefore have to be implemented. These assessments have already been undertaken. Raising depends on weather conditions The costs associated with the work on raising and transporting the frigate are characterized by many uncertainties. The weather is the biggest challenge, and bad weather has been the main cause of the delays. In order to carry out the raising as planned, sufficiently stable, good weather is needed over a period of one week. The timing for the actual raising, and thus also for the entire salvage operation, is therefore uncertain. After raising, security measures for equipment and materials that can be reused will be immediately implemented. When this work is completed and the vessel is secured, it will be transported to the Navy's main base at Haakonsvern, where further inspections and assessments of the extent of the damage will be carried out. In consultation with the classification company Det Norske Veritas, temporary measures have been implemented on the other frigates in order to safeguard the vessels 'waterproof integrity and ensure their seaworthiness. These measures prevent the transfer of water between the relevant watertight sections, and thus correct the safety-critical conditions. Work has also been initiated which will provide a permanent remedy for the deficiencies. A permanent solution is planned to be installed on all frigates by March this year. -ends- A Northwest Portland location of Ristretto Roasters closed this week while the wife of the coffee shops owner continues to publish episodes of her controversial YouTube show and podcast called #MeNeither, The Portland Mercury reports. The Mercury reports that the location on Northwest Nicolai Street inside Schoolhouse Electric officially closed Tuesday. Last week, two Oregon-based grocery chains, News Seasons and Market of Choice, announced that they were no longer buying or carrying Ristretto Roasters coffee in the wake of the controversy. Nancy Rommelmann, a writer and the wife of Ristretto owner Din Johnson, started the #MeNeither show with columnist Leah McSweeney. In it, the two offer rebuttals to the #MeToo movement and discuss hot-button topics like toxic femininity. It has been an abrupt and unfortunate ending to a long relationship, the president of Schoolhouse, Sara Fritsch, said in a statement Wednesday. We are now focused on establishing a fresh coffee partnership with a company that shares our values and complements our brand. In an email sent to employees and shared with The Oregonian/OregonLive by Ristretto, Johnson and Josh Gibby, a Ristretto employee, said they were taking the opportunity to concentrate on our higher volume cafes in a manner thats most effective for our business and our staff. The lease is up at our Nicolai cafe and we are choosing not to renew, the letter went on. Its a tough space to walk away from, as the cafe is beautiful and the building magnificent. We have loved being here and this was a difficult decision to make." While Rommelmann and Johnson have said that Rommelmann is not professionally affiliated with the business, former employees disagree, and say she is heavily involved. Rommelmann was listed on state records for the business as recently as last month, has been referred to as a co-owner in previous, positive, press coverage, and last week was behind a string of now-deleted tweets from the companys official handle attacking a former employee and other critics. Rommelmann previously reviewed books and wrote feature stories as a freelance writer for The Oregonian/OregonLive, ending in 2014. The latest episode of the show published on Feb. 3, which is not currently on YouTube but is available as a podcast, features guest Cathy Young and discusses an article Young wrote for Reason.com that asks, among other things: But is rage feminism (to coin a phrase) the way forward, or is it a dangerous detour? Thirty employees and former employees of Ristretto signed a letter sent to Portland media outlets in January. We believe it is a business owners responsibility to create a safe and supportive working environment for their employees, the letter said. Invalidating assault survivors throws into question the safety of Ristretto Roasters as a workplace and has the potential to create a demoralizing and hostile environment for employees and customers alike. This cannot be tolerated. Ristretto now has three locations in Portland. According to staff, wrote The Mercurys Alex Zielinski, Rommelmann worked the final shift at the Northwest location before it officially closed its doors. By CAROLYN HAX (Adapted from a recent online discussion.) Dear Carolyn: My husband is broken -- there is no other way to put it. Years of chronic pain led to multiple surgeries with extended hospitals stays. Physically and mentally he is worn out. He hasnt worked in two years, so he relies on me for everything. By some miracle, he is getting better. He is determined to return to his prior job, which he loved but is most likely unrealistic. Our bank account -- and my emotional bank account -- needs his contribution. I want to be encouraging, despite being very, very tired of being his cheerleader. There is a chance he could get his job and life back, but it will be a long, difficult road. I feel like putting all the cards on the table. I think we have to admit -- out loud -- that he is broken, weak, traumatized, and far away from where he wants to be. Any suggestions on how to broach this without being mean? How to tell him he needs to take a menial job to help out, instead of trying to achieve everything at once? Again, I want to be supportive, but I feel we need to be honest, realistic. And I feel he owes me a basic contribution instead of reaching for the stars. -- Tired Hax: How would that help him get stronger, or at least strong enough to contribute again? Id say the truth that most needs airing is that you are broken, weak(ened), traumatized, and far away from where you want to be. At least in your own way, emotionally and even financially. No? It's not your fault. You've been under enormous pressure to carry the household and his care. Obviously he's had it worse, but his mandate all along has been to get well. That's big, draining, painful, but also very streamlined and clearly defined, with no pulls in other directions. Now that he's healing, he can widen his scope. This is an amazing development, and his assuming more of a role can be healing for you both. That's what I hope you admit out loud: that you are so happy he's looking to get back to his old job, and will support that as you can, but hope it's also the right time for you to ask him to help you. Is he open to discussing ways to work at a less demanding job while he regains his strength? People want to hear how they can help, not how useless they are. For broken wife: Caregiving in general is hard, but the involuntary type is often soul-breaking, with epidemic levels (95-percent-plus) of depression. It's worth a visit to your doctor for screening. -- Anonymous 1 To: Tired: Please seek out a caregiver support group. You've earned some time with people who understand. There is no need to ever go through this alone. -- Anon 2 Re: Tired: The writer can contact her local government vocational-rehabilitation people. There are services available to help him find interim employment suitable to his current physical abilities. -- Anon 3 To: Tired: I've been in chronic pain since I was 13 and I assure you your husband already believes all those things about himself. It will do no good to confirm his deepest, most painful thoughts. -- Anon 4 Email Carolyn at tellme@washpost.com, follow her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/carolyn.hax or chat with her online at 9 a.m. Pacific time each Friday at www.washingtonpost.com. (c) 2019, Washington Post Writers Group The Oregon Ducks wont have to wait long on signing day to learn their fate with 247Sports four-star defensive tackle Kristian Williams. The 6-foot-3, 297-pound defensive anchor, out of Southwind High School (Memphis, Tennessee), announced on Twitter that he would be making his decision at 9 a.m. CT/7 a.m. PT: Tomorrow, Ill be signing at Southwind High School at 9am. Kristian Williams (@Kr75tian) February 5, 2019 Oregon already has commitments from Rivals four-star defensive tackles Keyon Ware-Hudson and Suaava Poti, but made adding another defensive tackle and wide receiver its top priority after the early signing period in mid-December. Williams, a Minnesota pledge, quickly emerged as a prime candidate when he set an official visit to Eugene and re-opened his recruitment soon after. The Tennessee product is rated the nations No. 20 defensive tackle and he holds offers from Kansas, Kentucky, Indiana, Memphis, Minnesota, Missouri, Ole Miss, Oregon, Tennessee, UCF and others. Oregon is considered the heavy favorite to add him into the fold. Few additional details emerged Wednesday about a two-state police chase and ensuing shootout that left an officer and a suspect injured and two men in custody. The chase began Tuesday in Vancouver and culminated in an exchange of gunfire on Portland highways, first on Interstate 205, then on Interstate 84. Neither the Vancouver officer nor the suspect who suffered life-threatening injuries in the ordeal were shot, police said. The officer is expected to survive. Police have publicly identified only one of the two men who were taken into custody. They have also yet to say which of the two men fired shots at Vancouver police or detailed which of the men was hurt. Erkinson K. Bossy is allegedly linked to the killing of a Kelso convenience store clerk last month. Police in the small southwest Washington city said he drove a vehicle connected to the shooting death of convenience store clerk Kayla Chapman, 30. Two other men, including Chapmans alleged shooter, have been arrested in the Kelso case. Kim Kapp, a Vancouver police spokeswoman, said an officer spotted Bossy in a pickup truck Tuesday and tried to stop the truck near the Vancouver Mall. She said a pursuit ensued and police opted to continue chasing the truck into Oregon because of Bossys alleged connection to the Kelso killing and because he was thought to be armed. Vancouver police notified Portland officers around 7:30 p.m. as they chased the truck, which had two men inside, from Vancouvers Mill Plain Boulevard exit southbound on Interstate 205 into Oregon. Officials say the shooting scene, which spanned over 6 miles, started on I-205 and continued onto I-84 as someone in the truck fired gunshots at Vancouver police. The officer who was later hospitalized returned fire. The gunshots struck the windshield of a police vehicle, injuring the officer. He may have suffered glass to the eye and was taken to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center for treatment and later released, police said. One of the men in the truck suffered a minor injury, police said, and was treated at a local hospital. The other man remains at an area hospital in stable but critical condition, officials said. Police on Tuesday night referred to the shootout as a "mobile gun battle'' that left shell casings scattered on the highways. A spokesman for the Portland Police Bureau, which is investigating the police shooting, said his agency couldnt release any new information Wednesday morning. Kapp declined to divulge how Bossy and another man, arrested earlier Tuesday, were identified as suspects in the Kelso case. She said police plan to publicly identify the injured officer within the next day or so. He is on critical incident leave, which is standard protocol after police shootings. -- Jim Ryan; jryan@oregonian.com; 503-221-8005; @Jimryan015 Maxine Bernstein of The Oregonian/OregonLive staff contributed to this report Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. MCMINNVILLE -- A 52-year-old photographer faces 57 sex crime allegations in two states, accused of assaulting at least eight models, many of them teenagers, at his rural farm in Yamhill County and in California. Authorities described Robert Arnold Koester, known as Bert Kay, as a suspected serial sexual predator. Koester admitted he photographed models in the nude, saying he was preparing them for a future modeling career with Playboy, according to a federal indictment in California. Detectives are still going through many terabytes of digital evidence, including photographs and videos to try to identify other alleged victims in multiple cities across the United States, investigators said Wednesday. Koester primarily worked on the West Coast at the time of his arrest. We believe there are women who dont know they were victims, said Yamhill County District Attorney Bradley Berry, based on the evidence seized from Koesters properties. In some cases, Koester is accused of drugging, sexually assaulting and photographing his alleged victims. Among evidence seized from Koesters laptop were at least two digital videos that showed a man sexually assaulting nude models who were unconscious and non-responsive and video of a nude woman sitting on Koesters lap as he kisses her neck and puts his fingers in her mouth, the federal indictment says. The investigation into Koester began last November in California when a girl under age 18 and her parents reported to the Carlsbad Police Department that Koester had taken hundreds of nude photos of the teenager during a modeling session as his Carlsbad condominium. Koester, who also went by Rhake Winter and Qitooly, took photos of her in various stages of undress and touched her neck, breasts and genitals during the photo shoot, according to the federal indictment. Her account led to a federal and multi-state investigation. In San Diego County, Koester is charged with 23 sex-related crimes involving four teenage models. The allegations include child pornography. He also faces two federal charges in California, accused of enticing girls to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing photos and videos that had been shipped across states. He was arrested Nov. 13 in Carlsbad and remains in custody in San Diego. California investigators reached out to the FBI in Oregon and the Yamhill County Sheriffs Office about two-and-a-half months ago, when they learned Koester owned property in Oregon, a 28-acre farm he acquired in 2012. Koester told authorities he regularly traveled to California to photograph adult and juvenile models, the federal indictment said. He had referrals from professional modeling agencies and has been a photographer since the 1990s, authorities said. Koester argued that he took nude photographs of underage models to get them comfortable with taking pornographic photographs for their adult modeling careers, according to the federal indictment. Federal and local investigators searched Koesters farm at 16470 N.W. Meadowlake Road in late November and again within the past 10 days. He brought models from out of state there for photo shoots in multiple buildings, Berry said. On a website for Westoak Studio, hes described as one of the two principal owners who works out of a hilltop farm with a 2,900-square-foot studio surrounded by a lush Douglas fir forest that "inspires his personal work.'' The website describes the photography work as "Fun Fancy Frisky.'' On his Instagram profile, he describes himself as a "wandering eye.'' A Bert Kay website describes his work as Chasing Light' in Oregons wine country and his perfect photography day as "one spent exploring new light and new lights with a great subject.'' Robert Koester accused in Yamhill County of 32 counts of sex-related charges involving 4 victims, including one minor - Yamhill County DA speaking , looking to identify other potential victims pic.twitter.com/gMb6dgnngl Maxine Bernstein (@maxoregonian) February 6, 2019 Koester faces 32 sex-related counts in Yamhill County. A sealed indictment charges him with first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy, unlawful sexual penetration, causing another to ingest a controlled substance and sexual abuse involving three adult women and one minor girl, Berry said. Three of the four were from out of state, Berry said. He and Oregon FBIs Assistant Special Agent in Charge Steve Goldman urged anyone who may have modeled for Koester to contact authorities. People can submit information confidentially via email to ModelCase@fbi.gov. Authorities are asking them to fill out a confidential, short questionnaire that asks if Koester ever photographed them, and if so, when and where. Koesters prior criminal conduct is limited to theft allegations in Suffolk County, New York, Berry said. McMinnville resident Mary Weinreb came to the news conference at the Yamhill County Courthouse where the investigation was announced. She said she has children and was concerned for the community with a case like this in their midst. Im glad hes in custody, she said. -- Maxine Bernstein Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian Update: A vaccination clinic scheduled for Saturday has been canceled due to bad weather. Multnomah County has started to notify parents and guardians that school-age children must be vaccinated by Feb. 20 or be barred from school. The county offers several free or cheap options for families who need it. Oregon requires every child who attends a public or private school, preschool or childcare center be vaccinated. Parents and guardians must submit paperwork by Feb. 20 that shows proof the child had those shots. Parents and guardians can obtain exemptions for medical reasons as well as religious or philosophical reasons. To do so, they must meet with a health care provider to learn of the risks of being unvaccinated or watch a video on the state health departments website. A large measles outbreak in the Portland-Vancouver area that has currently affected 51 people -- including one person in Multnomah County and one in King County in Washington -- is the salient example of why vaccinations are required. Unfortunately this is a reminder of how quickly infections can spread when people are not vaccinated, and thats especially true in places like classrooms where kids spend a lot of time together, said Multnomah County Deputy Health Officer Dr. Jennifer Vines. Nearly all of the people who have contracted measles in the current outbreak are children and teenagers. The measles vaccine is 97 percent effective. However, measles has spread through churches, schools, hospitals and other public places because Clark County has vaccination rates well below the 93 percent threshold required to stop the disease from spreading. Oregon also has some of the lowest vaccination rates in the country. Multnomah Countys health department sent out 5,000 letters to families to notify them that their children needs to be immunized or risk exclusion from school. Families who cant afford to visit a doctor can get free or low-cost vaccinations at these events: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Feb. 16 in the South Boardroom at David Douglas High School, 1500 S.E. 130th Ave. in Portland 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Feb. 20 at East County Health Center, 600 N.E. 8th St. in Gresham Families should budget three hours if they attend one of these events because they can be busy. Families can also visit: Any one of 10 Multnomah County student health centers that are based inside schools. There is no out-of-pocket cost to receive care there. The downtown Community Immunization Clinic, 426 S.W. Harvey Milk St. in Portland. The clinic offers many low-cost vaccinations. One of seven primary care clinics run by the county that will serve any Multnomah County residents who are uninsured and low-income. Updated at 6:34 p.m. A Clackamas County grand jury declined to bring charges against sheriffs deputies who fatally shot a man after he used an ax, knives and other objects to kill four of his relatives last month. The countys district attorneys office announced Tuesday that the four deputies were legally justified in shooting Mark Gago, 42, after the Jan. 19 killings in the 32000 block of South Barlow Road near Woodburn. Authorities havent yet identified the deputies. Gago killed his mother, Pamela Bremer, 64; his stepfather, Jerry Bremer, 66; his girlfriend, Shaina Sweitzer, 31; and his daughter, Olivia Gago, 9 months, according to the county sheriffs office. He attacked two other victims who survived: his roommate Tracy Burbank, 40, and Sweitzers older daughter, Hailey Grimm, 8. All seven people lived in the home. Its still not clear why Gago attacked his family, said Chris Owen, Clackamas County chief deputy district attorney. The attack on these victims was completely unprovoked, Owen said. Based on evidence that included grand jury testimony, Owen said Gago was likely high on methamphetamine and believed to be suicidal before the killings occurred. He admitted to people in the home when he arrived that night that he used meth and had been drinking alcohol. Toxicology results are still pending, Owen said. Gago began yelling at and threatening his mother and girlfriend soon after returning home, Owen said. His behavior led to Pamela Bremer calling other family members and later 911. Evidence including 911 calls showed Gago used several knives to kill his girlfriend first, then used an ax to kill his mom and baby daughter, Owen said. Its not clear exactly when Gago killed his stepfather, who was also attacked with an ax. Gagos phone accidentally called someone during the killings, and some of the attack was recorded on a voicemail message, Owen said. Burbank was awoken by Gago attacking her. She sustained significant injuries that included cuts, bruises and bite marks, Owen said. She told a neighbor that she was able to escape, then ran to that neighbors farmhouse and yelled to call 911. Hailey had marks on her neck from where Gago grabbed her but wasnt otherwise physically injured, Owen said. The Clackamas County Sheriffs Office said deputies shot Gago before he could kill Hailey. Her relatives told The Oregonian/OregonLive that she said Gago was holding an ax when he grabbed her hair, spoke in riddles, threw her against a wall and put his hands around her throat. The Oregon State Medical Examiners Office determined that Jerry Bremer died from a combination of blunt-force and sharp-force trauma. The other three relatives died from sharp-force trauma. Read more: -4 dead, including infant, in horrific attack near Woodburn; suspect fatally shot by deputies -We just feel numb, says family of couple killed in Woodburn ax attack -8-year-old believes cops, guardian angel saved her from ax-wielding man -She was traumatized and stunned: Surviving victim in family killing awoke to ax attack -- Everton Bailey Jr. ebailey@oregonian.com | 503-221-8343 |@EvertonBailey Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. Clackamas County authorities on Wednesday publicly identified the deputies who fatally shot a man last month after he used an ax, knives and other objects to kill four of his relatives. The county district attorneys office announced the day before that the four deputies were legally justified in shooting Mark Gago, 42, after the Jan. 19 killings in the 32000 block of South Barlow Road near Woodburn. The deputies who fired their guns are Hayden Sanders, Tanner Davis, Ryan Castro and Nate Ariel. Each of them has worked for the county sheriffs office for five years, the agency said. The sheriffs office said the deputies have been on administrative leave during an investigation and will eventually return to duty. Gago killed his mother, Pamela Bremer, 64; his stepfather, Jerry Bremer, 66; his girlfriend, Shaina Sweitzer, 31; and his daughter, Olivia Gago, 9 months, according to the sheriffs office. He attacked two other victims who survived: his roommate Tracy Burbank, 40, and Sweitzers older daughter, Hailey Grimm, 8. All seven people lived in the home. Its still not clear why Gago attacked his family, said Chris Owen, Clackamas County chief deputy district attorney. The attack on these victims was completely unprovoked, Owen said. -- Jim Ryan and Everton Bailey Jr. jryan@oregonian.com; ebailey@oregonian.com Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. Read more: - No charges for deputies who shot man in Oregon family ax killings -4 dead, including infant, in horrific attack near Woodburn; suspect fatally shot by deputies -We just feel numb, says family of couple killed in Woodburn ax attack -8-year-old believes cops, guardian angel saved her from ax-wielding man -She was traumatized and stunned: Surviving victim in family killing awoke to ax attack Dr. Richard Leman of the Oregon Health Authority discusses vaccinations and the Vancouver-area measles outbreak. Posted by The Oregonian on Tuesday, January 22, 2019 Three Multnomah County youths have measles, bringing Oregons total of measles cases to four. Clark County also announced that it added another case, bringing the Vancouver-area measles count up to 50. These new Multnomah County cases are linked to the Clark County outbreak. The Multnomah County health department said Wednesday that the three new cases were in close contact with a person who tested positive for measles a week and a half ago. A person can carry measles for up to two weeks before symptoms show. All four people are under 18 years old and never received the measles vaccine. Clark County also listed 11 suspected cases of measles. Three of those suspected cases were unvaccinated and received the vaccine after 72 hours after exposure. If someone is immunized within 72 hours, they can often fight off illness. But since these three didnt make that window and were in public, Clark County officials have listed three locations where they might have passed on measles: The Vancouver Clinic Salmon Creek, 2525 NE 139th St. Suite 110, Vancouver from 8 to 11:45 am Wednesday, Jan. 30 Sea Mar Medical Clinic Salmon Creek, 14508 NE 20th Ave., Vancouver 8:45 am to 1:15 pm Friday, Feb. 1 11:30 am to 2:15 pm Monday, Feb. 4 Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center Emergency Department, 2211 NE 139th St., Vancouver from 11 am to 5 pm Saturday, Feb. 2 Multnomah Countys communicable disease team checks in daily with people suspected of being exposed to measles to make sure they can work and do other normal life responsibilities without infecting other people. That includes attending church by video feed and working with employers. Officials said the recently diagnosed residents stayed home and limited contact with other people. However, measles is highly contagious. The virus spreads through the air and can linger for up to two hours in an isolated space. People who have never received a measles vaccine are susceptible to the disease, which can be deadly. The vast majority of Vancouver-area cases were not vaccinated against the virus. One person had one dose of the vaccine, which is 93 percent effective. Two doses are 97 percent effective, and public health officials in Washington recommend that everyone who is unvaccinated or only received one get both shots to avoid contracting measles. The vaccine can reduce the risk of infection if gotten within 72 hours after exposure to the virus. Multnomah County officials have reported a steep uptick in vaccinations over this time last year. Three times as many people have gotten vaccinated in January -- from 200 per day in 2018 to 600 per day in 2019. "This outbreak has put people at real risk," said Ann Thomas, public health physician at the Oregon Health Authority. "It has also raised an awareness that measles could easily make a comeback, and the only way to prevent that is to get as many people vaccinated as possible." To further limit the spread of the virus, health officials ask that people who think they might have measles call their doctor or health care provider before visiting a hospital or doctors office. The Fiscal Court Hamburg is of the opinion that 8c Corporate Tax Act is unconstitutional By an order dated 4 April 2011 (file number: 2 K 33/10), the Fiscal Court Hamburg submitted 8c Corporate Tax Act for assessment of compatibility with the German Constitution to the Federal Constitutional Court. The second senate of the Fiscal Court is of the opinion that the denial of loss offsetting in case of a change of a shareholder, which is provided for by 8c Corporate Tax Act, infringes the rule of equality, which is anchored in the constitution as well as the principle of taxation according to economic capacity. 8c Corporate Tax Act regulates the aftermath of a sale of a company or companys shares, in which fiscal losses occurred, that from a tax point of view would be carried on to the following fiscal years. For the purchaser it could be interesting to assume those accumulated deficits, in order to be able to set them off against his new own profits. However, the statutory provisions presume an abusive act behind the sales of shares of such corporate enterprises (so called purchase of a shell company). In accordance with 8c Corporate Tax Act the provision determines that in case of a corporation, i.e. a limited liability company, more than 50 % of its shares are sold within a five years period (directly or indirectly), the remaining accumulated losses at the end of the last fiscal year prior to the acquisition of the shares, are irrevocably lost. If the change of shares lies between 25 and 50 %, the accumulated fiscal losses are lost in proportion, i.e. 40 % in the change in shareholding. This regulation applies with regard to Corporate Tax as well as Municipal Trade Tax.In the present case, the plaintiff gained profit only in the third year of its activities. This profit would be tax-free, if the losses of the first two fiscal years could be set off. Since one of the shareholders left the company, the fiscal authority curtailed the set off of the losses in accordance with 8c Corporate Tax Act, proportional to the leaving shareholders interest in the company of 48 %. The Federal Constitutional Court has to decide whether the Fiscal Courts opinion is correct and 8c Corporate Tax Act is indeed unconstitutional Diese Pressemeldung wurde auf openPR veroffentlicht. Goethestr.15, 67547 Worms Tel: 06241972490 Fax: 062419724911 Email: Web: www.bunk-alliance.com bunk-alliance RechtsanwalteGoethestr.15, 67547 WormsTel: 06241972490Fax: 062419724911Email:Web: The law firm was established in 2003 by Dr. Artur Bunk, an Attorney-at-Law. Qualified in 1995, he was admitted to the Frankfurt Bar in 1997 after obtaining an LL.D. in European Law at the University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder). During his career he has worked with the German law firm Punder, Volhard, Weber & Axster (now Clifford Chance), was Head of Office at Rodl & Partner in Poland, and Senior Legal Counsel at the Legal and Restructuring Department of KfW. In addition to German, he also speaks fluent English and Polish. 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Our comparatively low overheads and flexibility enable us to provide our services on a competitive basis. bunk-alliance has established a close cooperation with law offices in Italy, India, Poland, Slovakia, with auditors and tax advisory offices in Germany and Poland and various governmental agencies. FUR ALLE Jetzt Ihre Pressemitteilung mit einem Klick auf openPR veroffentlichen 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 Surgical Microscopes Market Outlook to 2025 - Olympus, Novartis, Topcon, Leica Microsystems, Haag Streit Holding, Alltian (Wuzhou) Surgical Microscopes Market http://bit.ly/2DXTu8m http://bit.ly/2BoR80k The global surgical microscopes market is expected to reach US$ 1,452.4 Mn in 2025 from US$ 578.5 Mn in 2017. The surgical microscopes market is estimated to grow with a CAGR of 12.4% from 2018-2025.Surgical microscopes market is segmented by type, application and end user. Global surgical microscopes market, based on the type was segmented into wall mounted, table top, ceiling mounted, and on casters. The surgical microscopes market, based on application was segmented into oncology, urology, ophthalmology, gynecology, plastic & reconstructive surgeries, dentistry, ENT surgeries, neurosurgery & spine surgery. Based on end user, the global surgical microscopes market was segmented into hospitals and outpatient facilities.Get Sample Copy of this Report atSurgical microscopes also referred to as operating microscopes are optical microscopes that are specifically designed for their use in surgical setting. These microscopes are typically designed to perform microsurgical techniques. The use of these microscopes are found in various medical verticals that includes dentistry, ophthalmic surgery, plastic and reconstructive surgeries, cancer surgeries, ENT surgery, urology and others.The List of Companies1. Olympus Corporation2. Novartis AG3. Topcon Corporation4. Leica Microsystems5. Haag Streit Holding AG6. Alltian (Wuzhou) Co. Ltd.7. Keyence Corporation8. ARI Medical Technology Co. Ltd.9. Carl Zeiss Meditec AG10. Takagi Seiko Co. Ltd.The bright field and fluorescence microscope used in microsurgeries and other minimally invasive surgical procedures offers a clear view of the inaccessible and small parts of the human body to the surgeons that are otherwise not visible through a naked eye. The report would be of an interest to various stakeholders operating in the surgical microscopes market. These stakeholders include hospitals, research institutes and clinical research organizations, consulting firms, authorities framing reimbursement policies, manufacturers of medical devices and others.The objective of the study is to describe, define, and forecast the surgical microscopes market by type, application, end user and region. The report also provide detailed information regarding the major factors influencing growth of the market (drivers, restraints, opportunities, and trends). The report helps to analyze market with respect to individual growth trends, prospects, and contributions to the overall market.The report analyzes factors affecting surgical microscopes market from both demand and supply side and further evaluates market dynamics effecting the market during the forecast period i.e., drivers, restraints, opportunities, and future trend.The report also provides exhaustive PEST analysis for all five regions namely; North America, Europe, APAC, MEA and South & Central America after evaluating political, economic, social and technological factors effecting the market in these regions. The report also includes the profiles of key surgical microscopes manufacturing companies along with their SWOT analysis and market strategies.Buy this Report at @Reason to Buy- Save and reduce time carrying out entry-level research by identifying the growth, size, leading players and segments in the global Surgical Microscopes Market- 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 Surgical Microscopes 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.About Us:The Insight Partners is a one stop industry research provider of actionable intelligence. We help our clients in getting solutions to their research requirements through our syndicated and consulting research services. We are a specialist in Technology, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Automotive and Defense.Contact info:Contact Us: Call: +1-646-491-9876Email:sales@theinsightpartners.com Explosive Growth of Acne Treatment Market 2019-2026: Top Key Players- ALLERGAN (Republic of Ireland), Galderma S.A. (Switzerland), Stiefel Laboratories, Inc. (U.S.) https://www.theresearchinsights.com/request_sample.php?id=7026 https://www.theresearchinsights.com/ask_for_discount.php?id=7026 www.theresearchinsights.com The Research Insights added another test for an extensive research portfolio entitled "Acne Treatment Market Research Report - 2026 " to review market size and development in full swing. Demand for cosmetic treatment procedures is increasing, and many dermatologists prefer to use tropical medicine applications to treat skin-related diseases or less aggressive surgery than surgery. Common perceptions and understandings about various therapies improve the patient-doctor relationship and transparency of the procedure is an element that affects the acne treatment industry. Laser treatments provide a permanent solution to skin problems and reduce the likelihood of recurrence of the same problem. Laser therapy is also painless and everyone chooses.The global acne treatment market is categorized by treatment form, type, treatment and end user. Treatment-based segmentation is done with treatment devices, drugs and others. The drug field is subdivided into antibiotics and retinoids. The retinoid sector is further divided into tretinoin, adapalene, and others. The antibiotic sector is also involved in a number of areas, including erythromycin and clindamycin. The therapeutic device sector is subdivided into microscopes, dermabradors, lasers and others. Treatment methods are subdivided into oral, topical, and main use. End-user segmentation is performed at pharmacies and pharmacies, hospitals and clinics, and outpatient surgery centers.Get sample copy of this report @Top key players included in this report: ALLERGAN (Republic of Ireland), Galderma S.A. (Switzerland), Stiefel Laboratories, Inc. (U.S.), Valeant (Canada), Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc. (U.S.), GlaxoSmithKline Plc. (U.K), Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Israel), Bayer AG (Germany), Roche Holding AG (Switzerland) etc.The United States is dominating the global acne treatment market due to its well-developed medical sector and its huge patient population in the region. Moreover, lifestyle changes and rising cosmetics spur growth in the Americas market. Europe is the second largest market in the global acne treatment market with the availability of funding for research, huge patient populations and the ten largest population growth in the region. The Asia Pacific region is expected to be the fastest growing region in the acne treatment market. This can be due to the increase in the epidemic of acne and the economic development of India and China in this region. In addition, the developing healthcare sector in the region promotes market growth.Get discount copy of this report @The Middle East and Africa, on the other hand, account for the smallest portion of the global acne treatment market. The existence of poor countries, strict government policies, and a lack of health care are the factors that inhibit the growth of markets in the region. It is estimated that the majority of the acne treatment markets in the Middle East and Africa are occupied by the Middle East region due to the healthcare sector and huge medical expenditures in developed countries such as Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Kuwait.Major Factors: Global Acne Treatment Market Overview Economic Impact on Market Market Competition Global Acne Treatment Market Analysis by Application Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders Global Acne Treatment Market Effect, Factors, Analysis Global Acne Treatment Market ForecastAbout us:The Research Insights A global leader in analytics, research and advisory that can assist you to renovate your business and modify your approach. With us, you will learn to take decisions intrepidly. We make sense of drawbacks, opportunities, circumstances, estimations and information using our experienced skills and verified methodologies. Our research reports will give you an exceptional experience of innovative solutions and outcomes. We have effectively steered businesses all over the world with our market research reports and are outstandingly positioned to lead digital transformations. Thus, we craft greater value for clients by presenting advanced opportunities in the global market.Contact us:The Research InsightsRobin(Sales Manager)+91-996-067-0000sales@theresearchinsights.com Comprehensive Analysis on Powertrain Testing Market Size with Key Players: AKKA Technologies, Ricardo, FEV, ThyssenKrupp, Horiba, Atesteo, Applus+ IDIADA, Intertek, IAV, MAE, A&D, IBAG, IFP, FAKT, CSA Group, KST, CRITT M2A https://www.marketstudyreport.com/request-a-sample/1567307/?utm_source=openpr.com&utm_medium=Razz https://www.marketstudyreport.com/check-for-discount/1567307/?utm_source=openpr.com&utm_medium=Razz https://www.marketstudyreport.com/reports/global-powertrain-testing-market-growth-2019-2024/?utm_source=openpr.com&utm_medium=Razz www.marketstudyreport.com www.marketstudyreport.com/blog The latest report pertaining to Powertrain Testing Market collated by Market Study Report, LLC, provides a detailed analysis regarding market size, revenue estimations and growth rate of the industry. In addition, the report illustrates the major obstacles and newest growth strategies adopted by leading manufacturers who are a part of the competitive landscape of this market.Powertrain Testing is undergoing radical change, driven by the challenges that global society faces today. The need for reduced dependence on fossil fuels and improved carbon footprints is driving advances in the technologies used in all vehicles. This in turn has a direct impact on approaches to testing of powertrain components and systems.Request a sample of this premium report at:The report also presents the market competition landscape and a corresponding detailed analysis of the major vendor/manufacturers in the market. The key manufacturers covered in this report: Breakdown data in in Chapter 3.AKKA Technologies, Ricardo, FEV, ThyssenKrupp, Horiba, Atesteo, Applus+ IDIADA, Intertek, IAV, MAE, A&D, IBAG, IFP, FAKT, CSA Group, KST, CRITT M2AThere are three major areas of powertrain test: Hardware-in-the-loop and Component cells test sub-systems of the Powertrain and normally include simulation of other components that are absent from the test. These are generally focused on the development of hardware systems such as engine/prime-mover/transmission control systems.Full-Powertrain cells provide a test of the full Powertrain solution, often in combination with a Robot Driver and real-world simulation tools.In-Vehicle tests allow the full powertrain to be tested in the vehicle, normally with a Robot Driver and again will often use real-world simulation technologies.Due to the policy promotion and fast developing automotive market, Powertrain testing became much more famous for the automotive and components manufacturers. Demand from the downstream brings a power to the development of Powertrain Testing industry.Powertrain testing can be divided into four types, Engine Test, Gearbox Test, Turbocharger Test and Powertrain final test. And there are generally two mainly applications of the Powertrain Testing, automotive powertrain components manufactures and Automotive Manufacturers.There are many companies in the powertrain testing industry to offer testing service. And because of these giant multinational players in the market, the concentration of global Powertrain Testing market is relative high. The leading five companies occupy about 26% market share. They are AKKA Technologies, Ricardo, FEV, ThyssenKrupp and Horiba.According to this study, over the next five years the Powertrain Testing market will register a 4.8% CAGR in terms of revenue, the global market size will reach US$ 3820 million by 2024, from US$ 2880 million in 2019. In particular, this report presents the global market share (sales and revenue) of key companies in Powertrain Testing business, shared in Chapter 3.This report presents a comprehensive overview, market shares, and growth opportunities of Powertrain Testing market by product type, application, key manufacturers and key regions and countries.This study considers the Powertrain Testing value and volume generated from the sales of the following segments:Segmentation by product type: breakdown data from 2014 to 2019, in Section 2.3; and forecast to 2024 in section 11.7.Engine TestGearbox TestTurbocharger TestPowertrain Final TestSegmentation by application: breakdown data from 2014 to 2019, in Section 2.4; and forecast to 2024 in section 11.8.Components ManufacturersAutomotive ManufacturersOthersThis report also splits the market by region: Breakdown data in Chapter 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8.AmericasUnited StatesCanadaMexicoBrazilAPACChinaJapanKoreaSoutheast AsiaIndiaAustraliaEuropeGermanyFranceUKItalyRussiaSpainMiddle East & AfricaEgyptSouth AfricaIsraelTurkeyGCC CountriesRequest a discount on standard prices of this premium report at:In addition, this report discusses the key drivers influencing market growth, opportunities, the challenges and the risks faced by key manufacturers and the market as a whole. It also analyzes key emerging trends and their impact on present and future development.Research objectivesTo study and analyze the global Powertrain Testing consumption (value & volume) by key regions/countries, product type and application, history data from 2014 to 2018, and forecast to 2024.To understand the structure of Powertrain Testing market by identifying its various subsegments.Focuses on the key global Powertrain Testing manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the sales volume, value, market share, market competition landscape, SWOT analysis and development plans in next few years.To analyze the Powertrain Testing with respect to individual growth trends, future prospects, and their contribution to the total market.To share detailed information about the key factors influencing the growth of the market (growth potential, opportunities, drivers, industry-specific challenges and risks).To project the consumption of Powertrain Testing submarkets, with respect to key regions (along with their respective key countries).To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market.To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.Table of Contents2019-2024 Global Powertrain Testing Consumption Market Report1 Scope of the Report1.1 Market Introduction1.2 Research Objectives1.3 Years Considered1.4 Market Research Methodology1.5 Economic Indicators1.6 Currency Considered2 Executive Summary2.1 World Market Overview2.1.1 Global Powertrain Testing Consumption 2014-20242.1.2 Powertrain Testing Consumption CAGR by Region2.2 Powertrain Testing Segment by Type2.2.1 Engine Test2.2.2 Gearbox Test2.2.3 Turbocharger Test2.2.4 Powertrain Final Test2.3 Powertrain Testing Consumption by Type2.3.1 Global Powertrain Testing Consumption Market Share by Type (2014-2019)2.3.2 Global Powertrain Testing Revenue and Market Share by Type (2014-2019)2.3.3 Global Powertrain Testing Sale Price by Type (2014-2019)2.4 Powertrain Testing Segment by Application2.4.1 Components Manufacturers2.4.2 Automotive Manufacturers2.4.3 Others2.5 Powertrain Testing Consumption by Application2.5.1 Global Powertrain Testing Consumption Market Share by Application (2014-2019)2.5.2 Global Powertrain Testing Value and Market Share by Application (2014-2019)2.5.3 Global Powertrain Testing Sale Price by Application (2014-2019)3 Global Powertrain Testing by Players3.1 Global Powertrain Testing Sales Market Share by Players3.1.1 Global Powertrain Testing Sales by Players (2017-2019)3.1.2 Global Powertrain Testing Sales Market Share by Players (2017-2019)3.2 Global Powertrain Testing Revenue Market Share by Players3.2.1 Global Powertrain Testing Revenue by Players (2017-2019)3.2.2 Global Powertrain Testing Revenue Market Share by Players (2017-2019)3.3 Global Powertrain Testing Sale Price by Players3.4 Global Powertrain Testing Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area, Product Types by Players3.4.1 Global Powertrain Testing Manufacturing Base Distribution and Sales Area by PlayersMore Details on this Report: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: Medical Hematology Analyzer Market 2019: Industry Growth Analysis and Forecast to 2024 | Leading Players: Beckman Coulter, Bayer, A.S.L, MINDRAY and Hui Zhikang Medical Hematology Analyzer Market https://www.businessindustryreports.com/sample-request/128459 https://www.businessindustryreports.com/buy-now/128459/single https://www.businessindustryreports.com/check-discount/128459 Global Medical Hematology Analyzer Market Outlook 2019-2024, the report has been readied dependent on the blend, examination, and translation of data about the global Medical Hematology Analyzer market gathered from particular sources. The aggressive scene area of the report gives an unmistakable knowledge into the market share investigation of key industry players.Global Medical Hematology Analyzer Market Overview:The Global Medical Hematology Analyzer Market is projected to grow at a healthy growth rate from 2019 to 2024 according to new research. The study focuses on market trends, leading players, supply chain trends, technological innovations, key developments, and future strategies.Accessible Exclusive Sample Copy of this Report @The major Factors of Global Medical Hematology Analyzer market, such as the growth in blood donations, increasing incidence of blood disorder, and technological advancements in hematology analyzers and reagents are driving the growth of the market.. Other one is the rise in public awareness and the consolidations of diagnostic laboratory chains have been driving the growth of the global Medical Hematology Analyzer market, and the trend is expected to continue over the forecast period.The report also covers segment data: Product, services, Type, Application and Region.Based on Products, Medical Hematology Analyzer is divided into consumables and instruments. The Medical Hematology Analyzer market is further bifurcated into slide strainers and analyzers, while, the hematology consumables market has been segmented into three major sections namely; controls & calibrators, stains, and regents. Among all, a stain is most attractive compared to the other hematology consumables segments, owing to their extensive use by lab technicians or doctors to separate white blood cells from the blood.Based on End User, the hematology products and services market is segmented into hospital laboratories, commercial service providers, government reference laboratories, and research & academic institutes. The commercial service providers segment accounted for the largest share of the market owing to the increasing incidence of leukemia and anaemia, shift from manual testing to automated testing, and competitive benefits offered by these providers as compared to hospitals.Based on regions, North America dominated the market on revenue share in the recent past owing to the high disposable income and implementation of automated hematology instruments by diagnostic laboratories. Asia Pacific is anticipated to witness maximum growth over the forecast period due to the presence of untapped opportunity mainly in the developing economies of China and India.Purchase this report online with 106 pages list of tables and figures and all around table of contents on @Significant key players:1 Beckman Coulter2 Bayer3 A.S.L4 MINDRAY5 Hui ZhikangMedical Hematology Analyzer market, by region:1 North America2 Europe3 Middle East & Africa4 South America5 OthersGlobal Medical Hematology Analyzer market 2019-2024: 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 Medical Hematology Analyzer market.Snatch your report @This investigation answers to the underneath key inquiries:1 Who are the top 10 players operating in the Medical Hematology Analyzer market?2 What are the driving factors, restraints, opportunities, and challenges in the Medical Hematology Analyzer market?3 What are the industry trends and current scenario of the Medical Hematology Analyzer market?4 What are the growth trends in the Medical Hematology Analyzer market at segmental and overall market levels?In the end this report covers information and information on limit and generation outline creation piece of the pie investigation deals review supply deals and lack import fare and utilization and additionally cost value income and gross margin of Medical Hematology Analyzer.Significant points in table of contents:1 Medical Hematology Analyzer Introduction and Market Overview2 Industry Chain Analysis3 Global Medical Hematology Analyzer Market, by Type4 Medical Hematology Analyzer Market, by Application5 Global Medical Hematology Analyzer Production, Value ($) by Region (2014-2019)6 Global Medical Hematology Analyzer Production, Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2014-2019)7 Global Medical Hematology Analyzer Market Status and SWOT Analysis by Regions8 Competitive Landscape9 Global Medical Hematology Analyzer Market Analysis and Forecast by Type and Application10 Medical Hematology Analyzer Market Analysis and Forecast by Region11 New Project Feasibility Analysis12 Research Finding and Conclusion13 AppendixAbout usBusinessindustryReports.com is digital database of comprehensive market reports for global industries. As a market research company, we take pride in equipping our clients with insights and data that holds the power to truly make a difference to their business. Our mission is singular and well-defined we want to help our clients envisage their business environment so that they are able to make informed, strategic and therefore successful decisions for themselves.Media ContactBusiness Industry ReportsPune Indiasales@businessindustryreports.com+19376349940 Fluoride Varnish Market Size, Status and Forecast 2023 by Types, Applications & Key Players https://www.inforgrowth.com/samplerequest/r/940947/global-fluoride-varnish-market-status-and-futu https://www.inforgrowth.com/r/940947/global-fluoride-varnish-market-status-and-futu The report on Fluoride Varnish market describes the development of the industry by upstream & downstream, industry overall and development, key companies, as well as type segment & market application and more.It also makes a scientific prediction for the development industry prospects on the basis of analysis, finally, analyses opportunities for investment in the industry at the end of the report.It also studies critical parameters of Fluoride Varnish market like Industry Chain, Raw Materials, Cost, Technology, Consumer Preference, Industry Overall (including but not limited to History, Development & Trend, Market Competition, Trade Overview, Policy, Region, Regional Market, Production Development, Sales, and moreAsk for Sample copy of Fluoride Varnish Market Research report atThe Report profiles company information like Company Profile, Product & Service, Business Operation Data, Market Share, Investment Analysis for players including Colgate, 3M, Dentsply Sirona, Philips, DuRRDENTAL, Young Dental, VOCO, Ultradent Products, DMG Dental, Ivoclar Vivadent, Medicom, GC Corporation, Water Pik, MPL, Centrix, Preventech, Premier Dental, Pulpdent Corporation, Elevate Oral Care. Market by Type Unit Dose 0.40 ml, Unit Dose 0.40 ml, Others, Market by Application, General Hospitals, Dental Hospitals, Dental Clinics.The Contents include Industry Overview, Industry Overall, Fluoride Varnish Market by Product, Key Companies List, Demand Situation, Region Operation, Market Investment all explained in detailFind more information on this report atSome of the list of tables in the report include:Global Fluoride Varnish Market 2012-2017, by Type, in USD MillionGlobal Fluoride Varnish Market Forecast 2018-2023, by Type, in USD MillionGlobal Fluoride Varnish Sales Revenue 2012-2017, by Companies, in USD MillionGlobal Fluoride Varnish Sales Revenue Share, by Companies, in USD MillionFluoride Varnish Demand 2012-2017, by Application, in USD MillionFluoride Varnish Demand Forecast 2018-2023, by Application, in USD MillionGlobal Fluoride Varnish Market 2012-2017, by Region, in USD MillionFluoride Varnish Market Forecast 2018-2023, by Region, in USD MillionAbout InForGrowth:We are a market-intelligence company formed with the objective of providing clients access to the most relevant and accurate research content for their growth needs. At InForGrowth, we understand Research requirements and help a client in taking informed business critical decisions. Given the complexities and interdependencies of market-intelligence, there is always more than one source to explore and arrive at the right answer. Through our smart search feature and our reliable & trusted publishing partners, we are paving way for a more simplified and relevant research.For all your Research needs, reach out to us at:Address: 6400 Village Pkwy suite # 104, Dublin, CA 94568, USAEmail: info@inforgrowth.comPhone: +1-909-329-2808UK: +44 (203) 743 1890 2019-2026 Know about Heart Disease Insurance market With Focusing on Top Key Players like China Life Insurance, Ping An Insurance, China Pacific Insurance, Aviva, Allianz, AIG. Heart Disease Insurance Market https://www.qyreports.com/request-sample?report-id=105966 https://www.qyreports.com/ask-for-discount?report-id=105966 http://qyreports.com/enquiry-before-buying?report-id=105966 www.qyreports.com The report titled, Heart Disease Insurance Market presents a comprehensive synopsis of the competitive scenario of the market globally, thus helping establishments understand the major threats and forecasts that the vendors in the market are dealing with. It also encompasses through business profiles of some of the prime vendors in the market. The report comprises of a massive database concerning to the recent discovery and technological expansions witnessed in the market, complete with an examination of the impact of these interferences on the markets future development.Request Sample Copy of this Report@:Business profiles of top level companies have been profiled to get better insights into the businesses. In terms of revenue, the top companies include Heart Disease Insurance. The business synopsis and financial synopsis of the global Heart Disease Insurance sector have been included in the research report.Top key players includes:China Life Insurance, Ping An Insurance, China Pacific Insurance, Aviva, Legal & General, New China Life Insurance, AXA, Prudential plc, Aegon, Allianz, AIG, UnitedHealthcare, Zurich, MetLife, Dai-ichi Life Group, Sun Life Financial, Huaxia life Insurance, Aflac, Liberty Mutual, HCF.Major Elements: Global Heart Disease Insurance Market Overview Economic Impact on Market Market Competition Global Heart Disease Insurance Market Analysis by Application Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders Global Market Effect, Factors, Analysis Global Market ForecastGet Reasonable Discount on this Premium Report @:With all the information congregated and examined using SWOT analysis, there is a vivacious picture of the competitive landscape of the Global Heart Disease Insurance Market. Openings for the future market development were revealed and preoccupied competitive dangers likewise textured. The drifts and inclinations of this market were considered and it demonstrates that there was an illustrious strategic direction observed. By the grasping market foundation and using the determined standards, methodologies, and inclinations of other driving markets for references, market data was understood.Regional analysis:Across the globe, several regions such as North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Europe have been analyzed on the basis of business verticals like drivers, restraints and futuristic opportunities. It is anticipated that Heart Disease Insurance region has an increasing growth rate in the near future. The rising demand for Heart Disease Insurance will increase the scope of Heart Disease Insurance businesses.Market segment by Type, the product can be split intoHeart BypassHeart AttackMarket segment by Application, the market can be split intoChildrenAdultThis Heart Disease Insurance Market report incorporates a business diagram, income, points of interest, recent events, item offering, and system of those players. The improvement of the crucial organizations alongside their assets, for example, enhancements, cost, and customer satisfaction are canvassed in the research report about the overall market.For More Enquiry @:Key questions answered in the report include: What will the market size and the growth rate be in 2026? What are the key factors driving the global Heart Disease Insurance market? What are the key market trends impacting the growth of the global Heart Disease Insurance market? What are the challenges to market growth? Who are the key vendors in the global Heart Disease Insurance market? What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in the global Heart Disease Insurance market? Trending factors influencing the market shares of the Americas, APAC, Europe, and MEA. What are the key outcomes of the five forces analysis of the global Heart Disease Insurance market?Finally, researchers throw light on manufacturers responsible for increasing the sales in the global Heart Disease Insurance market. These manufacturers have been inspected in terms of the manufacturing base, contact details, and competitors. The report describes the definitions, specification, and classification of the global Heart Disease Insurance market.About QYReports:We at, QYReports , a leading market research report publisher accommodate more than 4,000 celebrated clients worldwide putting them at advantage in todays competitive world with our understanding of research. Our list of customers include prestigious Chinese companies, multinational companies, SME's and private equity firms whom we have helped grow and sustain with our fact-based research. Our business study covers a market size of over 30 industries offering unfailing insights into analysis to reimagine your business. We specialize in forecasts needed for investing in a new project, to revolutionize your business, to become more customer centric and improve the quality of output.Contact:QYReportsJones John(Sales Manager)+91-9764607607sales@qyreports.com Brain Computer Interface Market Growth & Key Business Strategies by Leading Industry Players Emotiv, Inc., Advanced Brain Monitoring Inc. and Nihon Kohden Corporation https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/505?utm_source=as_opr https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/505?utm_source=as_opr https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com Brain Computer Interface Market Report, published by Allied Market Research, forecasts that the global market is expected to garner $1.46 billion by 2020, registering a CAGR of 11.5% during the period 2014-2020. A global rise in the count of brain disorders along with the increasing government funding to improve healthcare systems, would supplement the growth of this market. The non-invasive BCI technology accounted for about 85% of the total BCI market revenue in 2013, and demonstrate a steady growth in future, thus, eliminating the need to perform surgeries and implant BCI devices.Geo graphically, North America holds a major share in the BCI technology market due to high penetration of such technologies in this region. APAC is also a major contributor primarily to the vast computer gaming industry. The European region constitutes the third largest market and is expected to grow at a relatively higher CAGR during the forecast period. The European Commission is taking active measures for the population with motor disabilities. In 2012, the EC commissionedEUR 2.3 million in support of a three year project for the well-being of population suffering from motor disabilities. The technology enjoys highest adoption in the healthcare sector followed by the gaming industry. An increase in the number of game developing companies, implementing BCI technologies to improve the overall gaming experience, would further enhance the adoption of BCI technologies. The application of BCI technology is also underway in the smart homes control industry and would witness incremental growth during the forecast period of 2014-2020.Download report sample at:The growth is also attributed to the stiff competition amongst the prominent market players leading to swift technological advances in the BCI systems. Players such as Emotiv, Inc., Advanced Brain Monitoring Inc. and Nihon Kohden Corporation are adopting a consistent development process of innovative products to penetrate the market and further enhance the overall revenues.Rising Incidences of Brain DisordersAs the global economy is slowly improving, the lifestyles of population across the globe is also improving. Such modern lifestyles have given rise to several health issues, neurophysiological disorders being a prominent one of them. These brain disorders are further expected to increase during the forecast period 20142020, hence creating demand opportunities to support the growth of the brain computer interface technology market in future.Government FundingGovernments in various nations across the globe are taking necessary steps by implementing measures to improve the basic infrastructure of the nation. In the due course of implementing these action plans, healthcare has emerged as a primary concern. In regions across U.S. and Europe, regular funds are being allotted for conducting research studies. Brain computer interface technology research studies are encouraged as they majorly benefit the population of the nation in improving the health of individuals. Such funding sources from the government, especially in developing economies, such as India and China, are further expected to positively impact the brain computer interface systems market, thereby driving the growth of brain computer interface market.For purchase enquiry at:Key findings of Brain Computer Interface Market:The Global market for BCI would exhibit a steady growth owing to its increased adoption across key sectors such as healthcare and the gaming industry, during the forecast period (2014 - 2020)The Invasive BCI technology market would grow at the fastest CAGR of 15.3% during 2014-2020Swift growth is expected in the smart home control applications segment due to high living standards in the North American region, especially across U.S. and CanadaThe Asia-Pacific market would foresee tremendous growth for BCI technology systemsAbout Us:Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions. AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.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.Contact:David Correa5933 NE Win Sivers Drive#205, Portland, OR 97220United StatesToll Free: +1-800-792-5285UK: +44-845-528-1300Hong Kong: +852-301-84916India (Pune): +91-20-66346060Fax: +1?855?550-5975help@alliedmarketresearch.comWeb: Employee Scheduling Market 2024 Top Key Players: Humanity, Homebase, Deputy, Ximble, TrackSmart, TimeForge Scheduling, WhenToWork and More... Employee Scheduling Market https://www.inforgrowth.com/samplerequest/r/939943/global-employee-scheduling-market-status-and-f https://www.inforgrowth.com/samplerequest/r/939943/global-employee-scheduling-market-status-and-f https://www.inforgrowth.com/r/939943/global-employee-scheduling-market-status-and-f Global Employee Scheduling Market report provide in-depth overview of global industry with Major application, types and business players like Humanity, Homebase, Deputy, Ximble, TrackSmart, TimeForge Scheduling, WhenToWork and more. The Employee Scheduling Market report provides detailed profile assessments and current scenario revenue projections for the most promising industry participants. The Global Employee Scheduling Industry report focuses on the latest trends in the Global and regional spaces on all the significant components with forecast 2025, including the capacity, cost, price, technology, supplies, production, profit, and competition.Get Exclusive Sample of Report on Employee Scheduling market having 216 pages, profiling more than TOP 10 Market Players and supported with tables and figures is available atFollowing Top Companies are mentioned in this Employee Scheduling Market Report:Humanity, Homebase, Deputy, Ximble, TrackSmart, TimeForge Scheduling, WhenToWork, TimeCurve, Workforce, Planday, Zip Schedules, Ultimate Software, Workplace Mobile, Acuity Scheduling, Kickserv, Resource Guru and more...Global Employee Scheduling Market Research Report 2019 include all basic information related to the global Industry and forecast till 2025. The Employee Scheduling Market research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every aspect of the market, including regional markets, technology, types, and applications. The objectives of this study are to define, segment, and project the size of the market based on company, product type, end user and key regions.Market Segmentation:This report also studies critical parameters of Point of Employee Scheduling market like Industry Chain, Raw Materials, Cost, Technology, Consumer Preference, Industry Overall (including but not limited to History, Development & Trend, Market Competition, Trade Overview, Policy, Region, Regional Market, Production Development, Sales, and moreOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoWeb-based, On-premise, Cloud-basedOn the basis of the end users/applications, this Employee Scheduling Market report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users,Small and Medium Enterprise, Large EnterpriseThe Employee Scheduling Market Report Covers Following Regions: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East & AfricaRequest For Special Discount:Research methodology of Employee Scheduling Market:Research study on the Employee Scheduling Market was performed in five phases which include Secondary research, Primary research, subject matter expert advice, quality check and final review. This report focuses on the global Employee Scheduling status, future forecast, growth opportunity, key market and key players. The study objectives are to present the Employee Scheduling development in United States, Europe and China.Table of Content1 Industry Overview1.1 Employee Scheduling Industry1.1.1 Overview2 Employee Scheduling Market by Type2.1 By Type2.1.1 ELISA Sets3 Global Employee Scheduling Market Demand3.1 Segment Overview3.1.1 Immunology3.1.2 Inflammation5 Major Companies ListAnd moreView Complete Report with Table of Content:About InForGrowth:We are a market-intelligence company formed with the objective of providing clients access to the most relevant and accurate research content for their growth needs. At InForGrowth, we understand Research requirements and help a client in taking informed business critical decisions. Given the complexities and interdependencies of market-intelligence, there is always more than one source to explore and arrive at the right answer. Through our smart search feature and our reliable & trusted publishing partners, we are paving way for a more simplified and relevant research.Contact Person: RohanEmail: sales@inforgrowth.comUS: +1-909-329-2808UK: +44 (203) 743 1890Address: 6400 Village Pkwy suite # 104, Dublin, CA 94568, USA Windows and Doors Market in Japan Business Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2017-2023 https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/4531?utm_source=OP&utm_medium=Pra https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/4531?utm_source=OP&utm_medium=Pra https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com The Japan Windows and doors market was valued at $9,756 million in 2016, and is projected to reach at $14267, million by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 5.6% from 2017 to 2023. Doors market is expected to be the leading contributor to the Japans windows and doors market.Advancements by market players, rise in residential & nonresidential construction activities, and surge in home remodeling expenditure foster the market growth. However, high cost of eco-friendly products is projected to hinder the market growth. Rapid urbanization and industrialization in Japan, rise in consumer spending on home improvement, and growth in new construction activities are expected to provide opportunities for market development.Get Sample Report@The Japan windows market is segmented based on material type into wood, metal, and plastic. In 2016, the wood segment accounted for around 43% of the total windows market revenue, owing to the high dimensional stability and durability & resistance to fire and chemicals, often preferred in the commercial sector. The plastic segment is expected to witness increased usage in light commercial and institutional applications, registering the highest growth rate during the forecast period.The Japan doors market is segmented based on material type into wood, metal, glass, fiberboard, fiberglass, and vinyl. In 2016, the wood segment accounted for around 25% of the total doors market revenue, owing to high dimensional stability and durability & resistance to fire and chemicals offered by wood, often preferred in the commercial sector. The fiberboard segment is anticipated to witness increased usage in residential applications, growing at the highest CAGR of 6.1%.Japan Windows and Doors Market Key Segments:By Type Panel Doors Bypass Doors Bifold Doors Pocket OthersBy Material Type Wood Metal Glass Fiberglass Fiberboard Vinyl OthersBy Mechanism Swinging Sliding Bypass Folding Revolving & OthersBy End User Residential Non-residentialKey Findings of the Japan Windows and Doors Market: In 2016, the wood segment accounted for around 43% of the total windows market revenue, In 2016, the wood segment accounted for around 25% of the total doors market revenue, owing to high dimensional stability and durability & resistance to fire and chemicals offered by wood, often preferred in the commercial sector. The fiberboard segment is anticipated to witness increased usage in residential applications, growing at the highest CAGR of 6.1%.Make Purchase Enquiry@Leading players profiled in the report include Atrium Corporation, Arbo Windows, LIXIL Group Corporation, M SORA, Nabtesco Corporation, NENDO, Open Door Inc., Sankyo Tateyama Inc., WUXI FEILONG DOOR INDUSTRY CO. LTD., and YKK AP 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: Global Self-checkout Machines Market 2023 - Fujitsu, IBM, NCR, Wincor Nixdorf, Toshiba, Protacon Group, ECRS Self-checkout Machines https://www.researchreportsinc.com/sample-request?id=193851 https://researchreportsinc.com/enquiry?id=193851 https://www.researchreportsinc.com/check-discount?id=193851 https://researchreportsinc.com/checkout/?add-to-cart=193851&&attribute_pa_choose-license=single-user&&quantity=1 A fresh report titled Self-checkout Machines Market By Component, By Type, By Enterprise, By End-users and Global Region Market Size, Share, Trends & Forecast 2018-2023 has been presented by Research Reports Inc.The global market size of Self-checkout Machines is $$$ Million in 2017 with $$$ CAGR from 2013 to 2017, and it is expected to reach $$$ million by the end of 2023 with a CAGR of $$$% from 2018 to 2023.Download Sample Report For Self-checkout Machines :The Compnaies Include :Fujitsu, IBM, NCR, Wincor Nixdorf, Toshiba, Protacon Group, ECRS et al.There are 3 key segments covered in this report: geography segments, end use/application segments and competitor segment.For geography segment, regional supply, application-wise and type-wise demand, major players, price is presented from 2013 to 2023.Make An Enquiry For Self-checkout Machines :This report covers following regions :North AmericaSouth AmericaAsia & PacificMEA (Middle East and Africa)EuropeThe 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.Grab Discount For Self-checkout Machines :For competitor segment, the report includes global key players of Self-checkout Machines as well as some small players.The information for each competitor includes:Company ProfileMain Business InformationSWOT AnalysisSales, Revenue, Price and Gross MarginMarket SharePurchase Now :We also can offer customized report to fulfill special requirements of our clients.TABLE OF CONTENTSChapter 1 Executive SummaryChapter 2 Abbreviation and AcronymsChapter 3 PrefaceChapter 4 Market LandscapeChapter 5 Market Trend AnalysisChapter 6 Industry Chain AnalysisChapter 7 Latest Market DynamicsChapter 8 Trading AnalysisChapter 9 Historical and Current Self-checkout Machines Market inChapter 10 Historical and Current Self-checkout Machines Market in South America (2013-2018)Chapter 11 Historical and Current Self-checkout Machines Market in Asia & Pacific (2013-2018)Chapter 12 Historical and Current Self-checkout Machines Market in Europe (2013-2018)Chapter 13 Historical and Current Self-checkout Machines Market in MEA (2013-2018)Chapter 14 Summary for Global Self-checkout Machines Market (2013-2018)Chapter 15 Global Market Forecast (2019-2023)Chapter 16 Company ProfileResearch 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. We take pride in curating a database covering virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories. We are one of the premier sources for such reports & report customization services.Research Reports Inc.#766, 99 Wall Street, New YorkNY 10005, United StatesUS / Canada Toll Free: +18554192424,UK :+4403308087757Email: info@researchreportsinc.com Other than helping with homework, the Learning Center in Holden Hall, as well as online, offers a variety of beneficial student services. Peer academic coaching, drop-in peer tutoring and professional academic coaching are the different services provided to teach students time management, study skills, test-taking and note-taking tips. Propylene Tetramer Market Latest Trends, Demand and Analysis 2027 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2772 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2772 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com Propylene Tetramer with CAS 6842-15-5 is an oligomer with a quaternary structure of four propylene units. Formed synthetically by the polymerization of propylene with phosphoric acidcatalyst, propylene tetramer is a colourless clear liquid with mild pleasant odour. Propylene tetramer is an important chemical critical for the production of various downstream chemicals. Propylene tetramer is employed as an intermediate for synthesis of a wide range of chemicals such as lube oil additives, polymerization agents, surfactants, agricultural chemicals, coatings as corrosion inhibitors due to its unsaturated double bond and high branching.Due to its versatile polymeric functionality, propylene tetramer is soluble in most organic diluters and solvents such as acetone, ethanol and ethyl ether. One of the important applications of propylene tetramers is for the manufacture of dodecyl phenol or dodecene, by the alkylation of phenol using propylene tetramer, which is primarily used as used in the production of additives for engine fuels and lubricant oils. Propylene tetramer is used for alkylation of benzene to make branched chain dodecylbenzene that is subsequently sulfonated to provide a non-biodegradable surfactant.Global Propylene Tetramer Market: Drivers & RestraintsThe consumption and demand of propylene tetramer market is expected to grow with the increase in demand from end use industries. The recuperating oil and gas industry and thriving automobile production are expected to create significant demand for propylene tetramer owing to its extensive application in the manufacturing of lubricant additives. Likewise, increasing urbanization has led to an escalation in the demand for surfactants, which are a critical part of household chemicals such as detergents, this demand is expected to create significant opportunities for the global propylene market during the forecast period. The increasing production and consumption of fertilizers and other agricultural chemicals also contribute to the sustainable demand for propylene tetramer market. However, stringent environmental regulations regarding the utilization of non- biodegradable substances and presence of alternate chemical substitutes are expected to restrain the revenue sales of the market.Request Sample Report@Global Propylene Tetramer Market: SegmentationGlobal Propylene Tetramer Market can be segmented on the basis of application as:Oil and Fuel additivesFertilizer and herbicideSurfactants and detergentsPaint and CoatingsWater Treatment chemicalsOthersGlobal Propylene Tetramer Market: Regional OutlookIn the global propylene tetramer market, North America is a prominent consumer of propylene tetramer, which is due to the increased sales of tetramer due to its application in the lubrication and chemical surfactants and to large industrial sector. Followed by North America, Europe is also one of the major markets attributed to the high use of propylene tetramer in the lubricant industry. The demand of propylene tetramer market in North America and Europe is expected to be moderate for the forecast period owing to increasing significance of bio friendly chemicals and presence of stringent regulations restraining the production and consumption of non-bio degradable products and chemicals. However, the market dynamics is projected to shift towards Asia Pacific owing to relatively higher consumption and modest presence of environmental regulations. Consumption growth is forecasted to be most significant in Asia, followed by Middle East & Africa and South America. In Asia Pacific region, major industrial economies such as India, China and South Korea are expected to project higher growth in terms of both consumer and producer end. Middle East & Africa and Eastern Europe are estimated to participate significantly in the market dynamics of propylene tetramer owing to the escalating consumption in oil and gas sector.Request to View TOC @Global Propylene Tetramer Market: Market ParticipantsExamples of some of the market participants in the global propylene tetramer market, Bayer AG E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, Exxon Mobil Chemical, Shanghai Petrochemical, Dow Chemical Company, TPC Group,Chevron Oronite Company LLC, PJSC Nizhnekamskneftekhim and Qilu Petrochemical among others. The propylene tetramer market is highly fragmented and participants are focussing on both organic and inorganic expansions.About UsFuture Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.FMIs research and consulting services help businesses around the globe navigate the challenges in a rapidly evolving marketplace with confidence and clarity. Our customized and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. We continuously track emerging trends and events in a broad range of end industries to ensure our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.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: Sexy Costumes Market Status & Forecast 20190-2025 by Key Manufacturers Rubies, Lucky Toys Factory, California Costumes, Roma Costume, Spirit Halloween, Jinhua Heyli Costume, Costumes N Parties Pte Ltd Sexy Costumes Market https://decisionmarketreports.com/request-sample?productID=1006602 https://decisionmarketreports.com/market-reports/1006602/global-sexy-costumes-market-2 Global Sexy Costumes Market Research Report 2019 presents the worldwide Sexy Costumes Market analysis with in depth study of manufacturers, region, type and application and its future scope in the industry till 2025.The global Sexy Costumes market is valued at million US$ in 2018 is expected to reach million US$ by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of during 2019-2025.Get Sample PDF of this report at:This report focuses on Sexy Costumes volume and value at global level, regional level and company level. From a global perspective, this report represents overall Sexy Costumes market size by analysing historical data and future prospect. Regionally, this report focuses on several key regions: North America, Europe, China and Japan.At company level, this report focuses on the production capacity, ex-factory price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer covered in this report.The following manufacturers are covered in this report, with sales, revenue, and market share for each company: Rubies, Lucky Toys Factory, California Costumes, Roma Costume, Spirit Halloween, Jinhua Heyli Costume, Costumes N Parties Pte Ltd and Others.o Market size by Product - Plush Costumes Inflatables Costumes Costume Shoes Masks & Accessorieso Market size by End User/Applications - Mens Costumes Womens Costumeso Market size by Region North America Europe China Japano The study objectives of this report are: To analyze and research the global Sexy Costumes capacity, production, value, consumption, status and forecast; To focus on the key Sexy Costumes manufacturers and study the capacity, production, value, market share and development plans in next few years. To focuses on the global key manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the market competition landscape, SWOT analysis. To define, describe and forecast the market by type, application and region. To analyze the global and key regions market potential and advantage, opportunity and challenge, restraints and risks. To identify significant trends and factors driving or inhibiting the market growth. To analyze the opportunities in the market for stakeholders by identifying the high growth segments. To strategically analyze each submarket with respect to individual growth trend and their contribution to the market. To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market. To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.Continue Reading the Full Report at:Table of Contents:1 Sexy Costumes Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Sexy Costumes1.2 Sexy Costumes Segment by Type1.2.1 Global Sexy Costumes Production Growth Rate Comparison by Type (2014-2025)1.3 Sexy Costumes Segment by Application1.3.1 Sexy Costumes Consumption Comparison by Application (2014-2025)1.3 Global Sexy Costumes Market by Region1.4 Global Sexy Costumes Market Size1.4.1 Global Sexy Costumes Revenue (2014-2025)1.4.2 Global Sexy Costumes Production (2014-2025)2 Global Sexy Costumes Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Sexy Costumes Production Market Share by Manufacturers (2014-2019)2.2 Global Sexy Costumes Revenue Share by Manufacturers (2014-2019)2.3 Global Sexy Costumes Average Price by Manufacturers (2014-2019)2.4 Manufacturers Sexy Costumes Production Sites, Area Served, Product Types2.5 Sexy Costumes Market Competitive Situation and Trends3 Global Sexy Costumes Production Market Share by Regions3.1 Global Sexy Costumes Production Market Share by Regions3.4 North America Sexy Costumes Production3.5 Europe Sexy Costumes Production3.6 China Sexy Costumes Production (2014-2019)3.7 Japan Sexy Costumes Production (2014-2019)4 Global Sexy Costumes Consumption by Regions4.1 Global Sexy Costumes Consumption by Regions4.2 North America Sexy Costumes Consumption (2014-2019)4.3 Europe Sexy Costumes Consumption (2014-2019)5 Global Sexy Costumes Production, Revenue, Price Trend by Type5.1 Global Sexy Costumes Production Market Share by Type (2014-2019)5.2 Global Sexy Costumes Revenue Market Share by Type (2014-2019)5.3 Global Sexy Costumes Price by Type (2014-2019)5.4 Global Sexy Costumes Production Growth by Type (2014-2019)6 Global Sexy Costumes Market Analysis by Applications6.1 Global Sexy Costumes Consumption Market Share by Application (2014-2019)6.2 Global Sexy Costumes Consumption Growth Rate by Application (2014-2019)7 Company Profiles and Key Figures in Sexy Costumes Business7.1 Rubies7.1.1 Rubies Sexy Costumes Production Sites and Area Served7.1.2 Sexy Costumes Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.1.3 Rubies Sexy Costumes Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2019)7.1.4 Main Business and Markets Served7.2 Lucky Toys Factory7.3 California Costumes7.4 Roma Costume7.5 Spirit Halloween8 Sexy Costumes Manufacturing Cost Analysis8.1 Sexy Costumes Key Raw Materials Analysis8.2 Proportion of Manufacturing Cost Structure8.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Sexy Costumes8.4 Sexy Costumes Industrial Chain Analysis9 Marketing Channel, Distributors and Customers9.1 Marketing Channel9.1.1 Direct Marketing9.1.2 Indirect Marketing9.2 Sexy Costumes Distributors List9.3 Sexy Costumes Customers10 Market Dynamics10.1 Market Trends10.2 Opportunities10.3 Market Drivers10.4 Challenges10.5 Influence Factors11 Global Sexy Costumes Market Forecast11.1 Global Sexy Costumes Production, Revenue Forecast11.2 Global Sexy Costumes Production Forecast by Regions (2019-2025)11.3 Global Sexy Costumes Consumption Forecast by Regions (2019-2025)11.4 Global Sexy Costumes Production, Revenue and Price Forecast by Type (2019-2025)11.5 Global Sexy Costumes Consumption Forecast by Application (2019-2025)12 Research Findings and Conclusion13 Methodology and Data Source13.1 Methodology/Research Approach13.2 Data Source13.3 Author List13.4 DisclaimerIn this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Sexy Costumes are as follows:History Year: 2013-2017Base Year: 2017Estimated Year: 2018Forecast Year 2018 to 2025For the data information by region, company, type and application, 2017 is considered as the base year. Whenever data information was unavailable for the base year, the prior year has been considered.About Us:Decision Market Reports is a one-stop solution, covers market research studies of all the industries, companies and regions. DMR aims at providing quality research, and insights about every market to help our clients in taking right decisions. Our repository consists of most trending industry reports, niche areas, and leading company profiles. A comprehensive collection of reports is updated daily to offer hassle-free access to our latest updated report databases.Contact Information:Gasper James,Decision Market Reports,304 S Jones Blvd,Las Vegas,NV 89107, USACall: 1-800-526-8630 (Toll Free)Email: sales@decisionmarketreports.com Cold Insulation Market Share, Size, Industry Growth, Future Trends Plans, Business Opportunities, Top Companies Players, Application, Global Analysis by Region Forecast to 2027 Cold Insulation Market Size, Cold Insulation Market Share, Cold Insulation Industry, Cold Insulation Business https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/958 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/cold-insulation-market-958 Cold Insulation MarketIndustry Overview:The Market for Global Cold Insulation is projected to grow at a CAGR of about 8% during the forecast period.This Cold Insulation Market research is an intelligence report with meticulous efforts undertaken to study the right and valuable information. The data which has been looked upon is done considering both, the existing top players and the upcoming competitors. Business strategies of the key players and the new entering market industries are studied in detail. Well explained SWOT analysis, revenue share and contact information are shared in this report analysis.Data integration and capabilities are analyzed to support the findings and study the predicted geographical segmentations. Various key variables and regression models were considered to calculate the trajectory of cold insulation market. Detailed analysis is explained and given importance to with best working models.To Get Sample Report Click Here@Industry Key Players:BASF SE,Bayer Material Science,The Dow Chemical Company,Evonik Industries,Dongsung Finetec Corporation,Fletcher Insulation Group,Huntsman Corporation.Industry Study Objectives: To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 5 years of the various segments and sub-segments of the Global Cold Insulation Market To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth To Analyze the Global Cold Insulation 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-Pacific, and Rest of the World 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 segments by type, and by application 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 Cold Insulation MarketIndustry Key Findings: Rising energy prices, strict government laws for energy efficiency, rising environmental concerns about carbon dioxide emissions are the chief growing drivers for the insulation market A major restraint for this market is the health hazards caused due to improper material handling Asia-Pacific market is expected to experience the fast growth as compared to other regions within the cold insulation market.Complete Summary of this Report @About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Report Explores the Ureteral Stents Market Likely to Emerge Over a Period of 2017 - 2023 | Boston Scientific, Coloplast, Medline, Olympus https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/4414?utm_source=openpr_ss https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/4414?utm_source=openpr_ss https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/ureteral-stents-market?utm_source=openpr_ss https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com Ureteral stents are used to enable the drainage of urine from blocked ureters in the case of various urological disorders such as kidney stones, tumors, urinary incontinence, and kidney transplantation.Constant technological developments, the rise in the incidence of urological diseases, and an increase in medical tourism in the developing countries drive the growth of the market. However, lack of skilled urologists and complications related to ureteral stents are expected to limit the market growth.Get Access to TOC / Sample Report @The global ureteral stents market was valued at $304 million in 2016 and is estimated to reach $449 million by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 5.7% from 2017 to 2023. The double pigtail stents segment held the highest market share in 2016.The global ureteral stents market is segmented based on product, material, application, end user, and geography. On the basis of product, the double pigtail stents segment held the highest market share in 2016, owing to increased use of these instruments in surgical procedures.By material, Metallic Stents segment held the highest market share in 2016, and Polymer Stents segment is expected to grow at the highest rate, registering the CAGR of 8.2% by 2023.Based on application, metallic stents segment held the largest market share in 2016, due to the increase in geriatric population and sedentary lifestyle.Based on the end user, hospitals have witnessed the highest number of urological surgeries, thus accounting for the highest market share in 2016.Make an Enquiry on this Report @Market Players: Boston Scientific Corporation B. Braun Holding GmbH & Co. KG Cook Group Incorporated C. R. Bard Inc. Coloplast Ltd.Key Findings of Ureteral Stents Market: Double pigtail stents segment dominated the market in 2016, and multiloop stents segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The metallic stents segment accounted for the highest share in 2016. U.S. was the major shareholder in the North American ureteral stentsmarket in 2016. Asia-Pacific is expected to register the highest growth rate in future. India is expected to grow at the highest CAGR in the Asia-Pacific ureteral stents market.Browse More Details of Report @About Us:Allied 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: +1855550-5975help@alliedmarketresearch.comWeb: Condoms Market Size, Status and Forecast 2025: Durex, Trojan Condoms, Life Styles Condoms Market https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/1471614-global-condoms-market-10 https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/1471614-global-condoms-market-10 https://www.htfmarketreport.com/enquiry-before-buy/1471614-global-condoms-market-10 https://www.htfmarketreport.com/buy-now?format=1&report=1471614 https://www.linkedin.com/company/13388569/ https://www.facebook.com/htfmarketintelligence/ https://twitter.com/htfmarketreport https://plus.google.com/u/0/+NidhiBhawsar-SEO_Expert?rel=author HTF MI broadcasted a new title Global Condoms Market Insights by Application, Product Type, Competitive Landscape & Regional Forecast 2025 with 101 pages and in-depth assessment including Market key Players, trends, upcoming technologies, industry drivers, challenges, regulatory policies, with key company profiles and strategies of players such as The competition is expected to become even more intense in the coming years with the entry of several new players in the market. To help clients improve their revenue shares in the market, this research study provides an in-depth analysis of the markets competitive landscape and offers information on the products offered by various leading companies. Additionally, this Condoms market analysis report suggests strategies Vendors can follow and recommends key areas they should focus on, in order to take maximum benefits of growth opportunities., The report offers several leading Vendors, including:, Durex (United Kingdom), Wuhan Jissbon Sanitary Products Company Ltd. (China), British Condom (United Kingdom), Trojan Condoms (United States), Life Styles (Australia), Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (United States), Guangzhou Double One Latex Products Co., Ltd. (China), Guilin Latex Factory (China) & HLL Lifecare Limited (India). The research study provides forecasts for Condoms investments till 2022.Get Access to sample pages @SummaryThe Condoms market will register a CAGR of above 8.0% by 2023. The study covers a detailed analysis segmented by key business segments i.e. by type (Male and Female) and major geographies. Research Analyst at AMA predicts that United States, United Kingdom, Chinese Vendors will contribute to the maximum growth of Global Condoms market throughout the predicted period.The competition is expected to become even more intense in the coming years with the entry of several new players in the market. To help clients improve their revenue shares in the market, this research study provides an in-depth analysis of the markets competitive landscape and offers information on the products offered by various leading companies. Additionally, this Condoms market analysis report suggests strategies Vendors can follow and recommends key areas they should focus on, in order to take maximum benefits of growth opportunities.Product Analysis:This Report provides a detailed study of given products. The report also provides comprehensive analysis of Key Trends & advance technologies. The Global Condoms (Thousands Units) and Revenue (Million USD) Market Split by Product Type such, Insights on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behaviour, Uncovering markets competitive landscape and in-depth information on various Vendors & ? Comprehensive information about factors that will challenge the growth of Condoms VendorsApplication Analysis:This report provides an advance approach to the market growth with a detailed analysis of the overall competitive scenario of the Global Condoms market. The market is segmented by Application, with historical and projected market share and compounded annual growth rate.Industry Growth:An in-depth study about key trends and emerging drivers with market characteristics, size and growth, segmentation, regional breakdowns, competitive landscape, shares, trend and strategies for Condoms market. The market is expected to estimate at XX million by 2023 growing at a CAGR of XX%.Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at @Key Highlights of the Global Condoms Market: Market Share of players that includes The competition is expected to become even more intense in the coming years with the entry of several new players in the market. To help clients improve their revenue shares in the market, this research study provides an in-depth analysis of the market?s competitive landscape and offers information on the products offered by various leading companies. Additionally, this Condoms market analysis report suggests strategies Vendors can follow and recommends key areas they should focus on, in order to take maximum benefits of growth opportunities., The report offers several leading Vendors, including:, Durex (United Kingdom), Wuhan Jissbon Sanitary Products Company Ltd. (China), British Condom (United Kingdom), Trojan Condoms (United States), Life Styles (Australia), Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (United States), Guangzhou Double One Latex Products Co., Ltd. (China), Guilin Latex Factory (China) & HLL Lifecare Limited (India) to better understand how deeply they have penetrated the market. Conceptual analysis of the Condoms Market products, application wise segmented study. Clear study and pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamics Analysis of major regional segmentation on the basis of how the market is predicted to growKey questions answered in this comprehensive study Global Condoms Market Insights by Application, Product Type, Competitive Landscape & Regional Forecast 2025What will the market size be in 2023 and what will the growth rate be?What are the key market trends?What is driving Global Condoms Market?What are the challenges to market growth?Who are the key vendors in Global Condoms Market space?What are the key market trends impacting the growth of the Global Condoms Market?What are the key outcomes of the five forces analysis of the Global Condoms Market?What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in the Global Condoms market? Get in-depth details about factors influencing the market shares of the North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific etc?Enquire for customization in Report @There are 15 Chapters to display the Global Condoms market.Chapter 1, to describe Definition, Specifications and Classification of Global Condoms, Applications of , Market Segment by Regions;Chapter 2, to analyze the Manufacturing Cost Structure, Raw Material and Suppliers, Manufacturing Process, Industry Chain Structure;Chapter 3, to display the Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of , Capacity and Commercial Production Date, Manufacturing Plants Distribution, Export & Import, R&D Status and Technology Source, Raw Materials Sources Analysis;Chapter 4, to show the Overall Market Analysis, Capacity Analysis (Company Segment), Sales Analysis (Company Segment), Sales Price Analysis (Company Segment);Chapter 5 and 6, to show the Regional Market Analysis that includes North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific etc, Segment Market Analysis (by Type) [, Insights on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behaviour, Uncovering market?s competitive landscape and in-depth information on various Vendors & ? Comprehensive information about factors that will challenge the growth of Condoms Vendors];Chapter 7 and 8, to analyze the Change Management Software Segment Market Analysis (by Application ) Major Manufacturers Analysis;Chapter 9, Market Trend Analysis, Regional Market Trend, Market Trend by Product Type [, Insights on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behaviour, Uncovering market?s competitive landscape and in-depth information on various Vendors & ? Comprehensive information about factors that will challenge the growth of Condoms Vendors], Market Trend by Application ;Chapter 10, Regional Marketing Type Analysis, International Trade Type Analysis, Supply Chain Analysis;Chapter 11, to analyze the Consumers Analysis of Global Condoms by region, type and application;Chapter 12, to describe Condoms Research Findings and Conclusion, Appendix, methodology and data source;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Condoms sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.Buy this research report @Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.About Author: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.Contact US :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 Vodka Market Analysis and Sales Revenue by Top Players: Popov, SKYY, Tito s Handmade, New Amsterdam, Grand Teton, UV Blue, Deep Eddy, Taaka, Platinum 7X https://www.statsandreports.com/request-sample/60151-global-vodka-market-professional-survey-report-2018 https://www.statsandreports.com/report/60151-global-vodka-market-professional-survey-report-2018 https://www.statsandreports.com/check-discount/60151-global-vodka-market-professional-survey-report-2018 https://www.statsandreports.com/placeorder?report=60151-global-vodka-market-professional-survey-report-2018 https://www.statsandreports.com The recent published research report sheds light on critical aspects of the global Vodka market such as vendor landscape, competitive strategies, market drivers and challenges along with the regional analysis. The report helps the readers to draw a suitable conclusion and clearly understand the current and future scenario and trends of global Vodka market. The research study comes out as a compilation of useful guidelines for players to understand and define their strategies more efficiently in order to keep themselves ahead of their competitors. The report profiles leading companies of the global Vodka market along with the emerging new ventures who are creating an impact on the global market with their latest innovations and technologies.The report provides both quantitative and qualitative information of global Vodka market for period of 2018 to 2025. As per the analysis provided in the report, the global market of Vodka is estimated to growth at a CAGR of _% during the forecast period 2018 to 2025 and is expected to rise to USD _ million/billion by the end of year 2025. In the year 2016, the global Vodka market was valued at USD _ million/billion.The recent published study includes information on key segmentation of the global Vodka market on the basis of type/product, application and geography (country/region). Each of the segments included in the report is studies in relations to different factors such as market size, market share, value, growth rate and other quantitate information.Ask for sample:The competitive analysis included in the global Vodka market study allows their readers to understand the difference between players and how they are operating amounts themselves on global scale. The research study gives a deep insight on the current and future trends of the market along with the opportunities for the new players who are in process of entering global Vodka market. Market dynamic analysis such as market drivers, market restraints are explained thoroughly in the most detailed and easiest possible manner. The companies can also find several recommendations improve their business on the global scale.The readers of the report can also extract several key insights such as market size of varies products and application along with their market share and growth rate. The report also includes information for next five years as forested data and past five years as historical data and the market share of the several key information.Read detail report:The major manufacturers covered in this report1. Popov2. SKYY3. Titos Handmade4. New Amsterdam5. Grand Teton6. UV Blue7. Deep Eddy8. Taaka9. Platinum 7X10. Burnetts11. UV12. Nikolai13. Western Son Texas14. Smirnoff Raspberry15. Hangar One16. Karkov17. Rain OrganicsMarket Size Split by Type Poland Vodka Russia Vodka Sweden VodkaMarket Size Split by Application Direct Selling Distribution SellingGlobal Vodka Market by Geography: Asia-Pacific (Vietnam, China, Malaysia, Japan, Philippines, Korea, Thailand, India, Indonesia, and Australia) Europe (Turkey, Germany, Russia UK, Italy, France, etc.) North America (the United States, Mexico, and Canada.) South America (Brazil etc.) The Middle East and Africa (GCC Countries and Egypt.)Research MethodologyThe research report has been prepared by conducting various rounds of primary interviews with key management of several Tier-I and II companies. The primary research percentage of all of reports are above ~80% whereas ~20% of secondary research includes data from hoovers, factiva, one source avention and other government published records. Both top-down approach has been applied for the calculation of market size, volume, import and export and has been validated thoroughly.Ask for the discount:The report on the global Vodka market covers 12 sections as given below:1. Industry Overview of Vodka: This section covers market definition, classifications, specifications, applications, and market segmentation by region.2. Vodka Cost Structure Analysis: Here, raw materials and suppliers, industry chain structure, process analysis, and manufacturing cost structure analysis are covered.3. Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis: In this section, the report provides capacity and commercial production date of Vodka, manufacturing plants distribution, major manufacturers in 2018, raw material sources and technology sources analysis, and R&D status.4. Overall Overview of Global Vodka Market: It covers 2013-2018 overall market analysis, sales price analysis, capacity analysis, and sales analysis.5. Vodka Regional Market Analysis: The report includes a study on North America, China, Europe, Japan, Southeast Asia, and India Vodka market analysis.6. 2013-2018 Global Vodka Market Segmentation Analysis by Type: This section covers Vodka sales by type, interview price analysis of different types of Vodka products and driving factors analysis of different types of Vodka products.7. 2013-2018 Global Vodka Market Segmentation Analysis by Application: It includes Vodka consumption by application, different applications of Vodka products, and other studies.8. Major Manufacturers Analysis of Global Vodka Market: It provides analysis on each company profile with product pictures and specifications, sales, ex-factory price, revenue, gross margin analysis, and business distribution by region analysis.9. Development Trend of Vodka Market Analysis: Here, the report covers Vodka market trend analysis, market size (volume and value) forecast, regional market trends, and market trends by product type and application.10. Vodka Marketing Type Analysis: It includes marketing type analysis, Vodka market supply chain analysis, Vodka international trade type analysis, and Vodka traders or distributors by region with their contact information.11. Consumers Analysis of Global Vodka Market: This section explains consumer behavior and provides deep insights into various types of consumers in the global Vodka market.12. The conclusion of Global Vodka Market Research Report 2018: It includes information on methodology, analyst introduction, and data sources.Buy this Report:About UsStats and Reports is a global market research and consulting service provider specialized in offering wide range of business solutions to their clients including market research reports, primary and secondary research, demand forecasting services, focus group analysis and other services. We understand that how data is important in today's competitive environment and thus, we have collaborated with industry's leading research providers who works continuously to meet the ever-growing demand for market research reports throughout the year.Contact:Stats and ReportsSatish K. (Global Sales Manager)Mangalam Chamber, Office No - 16, Paud RoadSankalp Society, Kothrud, Pune, Maharashtra 411038Phone: +1 650-646-3808Email: sales@statsandreports.comWeb: Hand Sanitizer Market 2019 Global Analysis By Key Players Reckitt Benckiser / Dettol / Lysol, Ecolab, 3M, Unilever Lifebouy, Vi-Jon, Certus Medical / Clarus Hand Sanitizer Market https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/3206821-hand-sanitizer-market-shares-strategies-and-forecasts-worldwide-2018-to-2024 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/enquiry/3206821-hand-sanitizer-market-shares-strategies-and-forecasts-worldwide-2018-to-2024 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=3206821 WiseGuyReports.Com Publish a New Market Research Report On Hand Sanitizer Market 2019 Global Analysis By Key Players Reckitt Benckiser / Dettol / Lysol, Ecolab, 3M, Unilever Lifebouy, Vi-Jon, Certus Medical / Clarus.Hand Sanitizer Industry 2019Description:-The 2018 study has 135 pages, 58 tables and figures. Worldwide markets are poised to achieve continuing growth as Hand Sanitizers proves its value by lowering the risk of infection. Increasing ease of use and a choice of delivery modes are key benefits.Hand sanitizer is an antiseptic liquid, foam, or gel used to inhibit the spread of infectious microorganisms and other harmful bacteria on the hands. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are generally more effective in eliminating microorganisms. The hand sanitizer is used to address microorganisms immune to soap and water. Alcohol-free hand sanitizers constitute another type of sanitizer. These do not strip away oils from the skin and retain moisture.The use of hand sanitizers has gained popularity. Washing hands repeatedly, especially when on the move, is tedious and time consuming. Soap and water are not available everywhere, they dry the hands. Hand sanitizers play a vital role in facilitating hand hygiene.Get a Sample Report @For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comSome firms having greater market power in specific markets, such as in hospitals and healthcare facilities. 3M has seen a significant increase in demand helping in the sale of 3M's Avagard hand sanitizers.The global market for Hand Sanitizer at $2.4 billion in 2017 is anticipated to reach $5.5 billion in 2024. The markets for hand sanitizers are expected to have strong growth going forward. The market is nowhere near saturation.Companies ProfiledMarket Leaders Reckitt Benckiser / Dettol / Lysol Ecolab 3M Unilever Lifebouy Vi-Jon Certus Medical / Clarus GOJO SC Johnson / Babyganics Clorox ITC / Savlon BloomsBerry Innovations WinovaKey Topics Hand Sanitizer Antiseptic Hand Sanitizer Liquid Hand Sanitizer Foam Hand Sanitizer Gel Lowering the risk of infectionEnquiry About Report @Table Of Contents Major Key Points1. Hand Sanitizer: Market Description and Market Dynamics 51.1 Hand Sanitizer Antiseptic Liquid, Gel, or Foam 51.1.1 Triclocarban Or Triclosan And Alcoholic Based Hand Sanitizers 51.2 Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) 62. Hand Sanitizer Market Shares and Forecasts 92.1 Hand Sanitizer Market Driving Forces 92.2 Hand Sanitizer Market Shares 122.3 Hand Sanitizer Market Forecasts 152.4 Hand Sanitizer Market Segments 172.4.1 Hand Sanitizer Market Technologies, Foam, Gel, Wipes, Spray 172.4.2 Hand Sanitizer Target Markets 202.4.3 Hand Sanitizer Target Markets, Hospital, Home, Work, Health, Food, Hotels, Education 212.4.4 Hand Sanitizer Distribution: Online, Pharmacies, Grocery Stores, Cleaning Service Supplier, Hospital Supply Company 252.5 Hand Sanitizer Pricing 282.5.1 Purell Hand Sanitizer 282.5.2 3M Hand Sanitize 292.6 Hand Sanitizer Regional Market Segments 352.6.1 Unilever Brazil and Indonesia 363. Hand Sanitizer Product Description 374. Hand Sanitizer Research and Technology 384.1 Major Active Ingredients Used In Hand Sanitizers 384.2 Management of MRSA Infections 385. Hand Sanitizer Company Profiles 415.1 3M 415.1.1 3M Avagard D Instant Hand Antiseptic 415.2 ABC Compounding / Certus Medical / Clarus 445.2.1 ABC Compounding / Certus Medical / Clarus 455.3 BloomsBerry 465.4 Ecolab 475.4.1 Ecolab Revenue 505.4.2 Ecolab Target Markets 525.5 Godrej Protekt 535.5.1 Godrej Launches Protekt Range of Personal Care Products 555.5.2 Godrej Protekt Revenue 555.6 Labon 565.7 Gojo Purell Bath and Body Works 565.7.1 GOJO Industries Purell Instant Hand Sanitizer 575.7.2 GOJO Target Markets 585.7.3 GOJO Revenue 605.8 ITC / Savlon 605.8.1 ITC 605.8.2 ITC Acquires Savlon from Johnson & Johnson 615.9 Rayron 625.10 Reckitt Benckiser / Dettol 655.10.1 Reckitt Benckiser Revenue 685.10.2 Dettol Hand Sanitizer 735.10.3 Dettol Hand Sanitizer 755.10.4 Reckitt Benckiser Group Lysol 765.10.5 Lysol Healthy Habits Week 805.10.6 Reckitt Benckiser Group / Lysol MRSA 825.11 SC Johnson / BabyGanics 845.11.1 Babyganics Revenue 865.11.2 SC Johnson Acquires Babyganics 865.12 Unilever Lifebuoy 875.13 Vi-Jon 905.14 Winova 925.15 Zep / AFCO 945.16 Zuci 955.17 Hand Sanitizer Companies 98ContinuedBuy 1-user PDF @ABOUT US:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.Office No.528,Amanora Chambers,Magarpatta Road,Hadapsar,Pune-411028. Comprehensive study report of Digital Business Support System Market 2019 expanding future scope by major companies Huawei, Amdocs, ZTE Corporation, IBM, and Capgemini. Digital Business Support System https://www.researchnreports.com/request_sample.php?id=227506 https://www.researchnreports.com/ask_for_discount.php?id=227506 https://www.researchnreports.com/enquiry_before_buying.php?id=227506 www.researchnreports.com Digital Business Support System Market is expected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of +15%. The base year considered for the study is 2018 and the forecast period considered is 2019 To 2025.Digital BSS services provide full support to carriers in building and operating digital BSS solutions. As the adoption of cloud-based BSS solutions grows, demand for related services is increasing. The service-specific digital BSS market is divided into consulting, implementation, licensing and support, education and training, and management services. The entire service sector has a significant impact on the size of the digital BSS market. These services also help lower costs, increase total revenue, and improve business performance.For Sample Copy of this report:Global Digital Business Support System market, a new report announced by Research N Reports is an effort taken by the specialists for the growth of the market in the near future. This widespread report remits about the major challenges, regions that contribute maximum towards the market and present size of the regional markets along with the predicted size by the end of the estimated tenure.Major vendors in the Digital Business Support System Market are Amdocs (US), Huawei (China), Ericsson (Sweden), Net Cracker (UD), CSG International (US), Nokia (Finland), IBM (US), Capgemini (France), ZTE Corporation (China), Optiva (Canada), Openet (UK), Sigma Systems (Canada), Cerillion (UK), Sterlite Tech (India), Accenture (Ireland), Comarch (Poland), Infosys (India), Oracle (US), Mahindra Comviva (India), Qvantel (Finland), BearingPoint (Finland), FTS (Israel), MATRIXX Software (US), MIND CTI (Israel), and TCS (India).Avail discount on this report:As data center managers are often at a loss of maintaining efficiency and utilization in the face of high demand and increasing cost, implementation of the new technologies is proving to be very beneficial to manage and monitor physical assets.By Component:Revenue and billing managementCustomer managementOrder managementProduct managementFor more enquiry:Geographically, North America, South East Asia, Europe, Japan, China, and India have been identified as the main regional markets for cloud-based contact centers. North America has acquired the leading position in this market as is anticipated to remain so over the next few years. South East Asia, Japan, China, and India are also projected to witness healthy growth in their respective markets for Digital Business Support System in the near future, states the research report.By Deployment Model:Public cloudHybrid cloudPrivate cloudBy End-user Type:SMEsLarge enterprisesTable of Contents:Global Digital Business Support System Market Research Report 2019-2025Chapter 1 Global Digital Business Support System Market OverviewChapter 2 Global Economic Impact on IndustryChapter 3 Global 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 Global Digital Business Support System Market Analysis by ApplicationChapter 8 Manufacturing Cost AnalysisChapter 9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream BuyersChapter 10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/TradersChapter 11 Market Effect Factors AnalysisChapter 12 Global Digital Business Support System Market ForecastAbout Research N ReportResearch 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.Sunny Denis(Sales Manager),(Research N Reports)10916, Gold Point Dr,Houston, TX, Pin 77064,+1-8886316977,sales@researchnreports.com Well Testing Services Market 2019-2025 Analysis By Top Players- Schlumberger, Weatherford International, Halliburton, Rockwater Energy Solutions, Tetra Technologies, FMC Technologies, Helix Energy Solutions Group..... Well Testing Services https://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/2340985 https://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/enquiry-before-buying/2340985 The report provides a comprehensive analysis of the Well Testing Services industry market by types, applications, players and regions. This report also displays the 2013-2025 production, Consumption, revenue, Gross margin, Cost, Gross, market share, CAGR, and Market influencing factors of the Well Testing Services industry in USA, EU, China, India, Japan and other regions.Request a sample @Market Analysis by Players: This report includes following top vendors in terms of company basic information, product category, sales (volume), revenue (Million USD), price and gross margin (%).SchlumbergerWeatherford InternationalHalliburtonRockwater Energy SolutionsTetra TechnologiesFMC TechnologiesHelix Energy Solutions GroupGreene's Energy GroupMineral TechnologiesAGR GroupExpro GroupMB Petroleum ServicesAll-State Well Testing ServiceJaguar EnergyStriclanPTS TechnologiesSGSOil StatesMarket Analysis by Regions: Each geographical region is analyzed as Sales, Market Share (%) by Types & Applications, Production, Consumption, Imports & Exports Analysis, and Consumption Forecast.USAEuropeJapanChinaIndiaSoutheast AsiaSouth AmericaSouth AfricaOthersMarket Analysis by Types: Each type is studied as Sales, Market Share (%), Revenue (Million USD), Price, Gross Margin and more similar information.Down-Hole TestingReal Time Well TestingReservoir Sampling & AnalysisSurface Well TestingOthersMarket Analysis by Applications: Each application is studied as Sales and Market Share (%), Revenue (Million USD), Price, Gross Margin and more similar information.OnshoreOffshoreEnquiry @About Us:Orbis Research (orbisresearch.com) is a single point aid for all your market research requirements. We have vast database of reports from the leading publishers and authors across the globe. We specialize in delivering customized reports as per the requirements of our clients. We have complete information about our publishers and hence are sure about the accuracy of the industries and verticals of their specialization. This helps our clients to map their needs and we produce the perfect required market research study for our clients.Contact Us:Hector CostelloSenior Manager Client Engagements4144N Central Expressway,Suite 600, Dallas,Texas - 75204, U.S.A.Phone No.: +1 (214) 884-6817; +912064101019 Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Market: Competitive Insight and Key Drivers Analysis by 2023 | Global Key Players - Saudi Aramco, ADNOC, BP, KNPC, Gazprom, Shell Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Market https://www.businessindustryreports.com/sample-request/133634 https://www.businessindustryreports.com/buy-now/133634/single https://www.businessindustryreports.com/check-discount/133634 A fresh report has been added to the wide database of Business Industry Reports. The research study is titled Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2023 which provides important data about the production, consumption, revenue and company profiles for key industry participants.Global Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Market Synopsis:This report studies the Global Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Market over the forecast period of 2019 to 2023. The Global Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Market is expected to grow at an impressive Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) from 2019 to 2023.Get Exclusive Sample Study Papers of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Market @Global Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) market is expected to experience significant growth. According to Market Research, The growing demand for LPG in residential and commercial sectors in developing nations has increased the demand for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) market. The increasing use of LPG as a transportation fuel, predominantly in Europe and the increasing use of LPG as a feedstock in petrochemical refineries is also having a positive bearing on this market. Key players in the market are focusing hard on branding and market positioning to stay ahead in the competition.Global Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Market has been segmented on the Basis of source, end-use industry and Region. Based on source, the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) market is segmented into refineries, non-associated gas, and associated gas. Amongst all, the segment of non-associated gas is expected to hold the leading share of the market over the forecast period.Based on End user industry, Market can be sub segmented into petrochemical and refinery, transportation, residential and commercial, industrial, and others. Of them, the segment of residential and commercial led in 2018. LPG is majorly used as a cooking fuel and also for lighting and eating in the residential and commercial segment.Regionally, North America is expected to emerge as a significant region for LPG production over the forecast period. The shale gas boom in the U.S. has led the country to account for significant export of LPG. On other hand, Asia Pacific region held significant revenue share of the global liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) market in 2017 and the region is expected to continue with its regional superiority over the forecast timeframe.Complete report on Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Market spread across 125 Pages and No. of Table of contents. Buy Research @The Market is segmented and projected on the basis of major key players:1 Saudi Aramco(SA)2 ADNOC(AE)3 BP(UK)4 KNPC(KW)5 Gazprom(RU)6 Shell(NL)7 Exxon Mobil(US)8 Phillips66(US)Market segment by Regions/Countries, this report covers:1 North America Country (United States, Canada)2 South America3 Asia Country (China, Japan, India, Korea)4 Europe Country (Germany, UK, France, Italy)5 Other Country (Middle East, Africa, GCC)Request a Discount on standard prices of this premium report @The prime objective of this report is to help the user understand the market in terms of its definition, segmentation, market potential, influential trends, and the challenges that the market is facing. Deep researches and analysis were done during the preparation of the report. The readers will find this report very helpful in understanding the market in depth. The facts and data are represented in the report using diagrams, graphs, pie charts, and other pictorial representations. This enhances the visual representation and also helps in understanding the facts much better.Key Questions Answered in this Report:1 What are the major market drivers, challenges, and opportunities in the Global Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) market?2 What was the market value of the leading segments and sub-segments of the Global Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) market in 2018?3 What are the influencing factors that may affect the market share of the key players?4 Who are the key players in Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Market?5 How will the industry evolve during the forecast period 2019-2023?TABLE OF CONTENTS1 Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Product Definition2 Global Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Market Manufacturer Share and Market Overview3 Manufacturer Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Business Introduction4 Global Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Market Segmentation (Region Level)5 Global Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Market Segmentation (Product Type Level)6 Global Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Market Segmentation (Industry Level)7 Global Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Market Segmentation (Channel Level)8 Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Market Forecast 2018-20239 Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Segmentation Product Type10 Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Segmentation Industry11 Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Cost of Production Analysis12 ConclusionAbout usBusinessindustryReports.com is digital database of comprehensive market reports for global industries. As a market research company, we take pride in equipping our clients with insights and data that holds the power to truly make a difference to their business. Our mission is singular and well-defined we want to help our clients envisage their business environment so that they are able to make informed, strategic and therefore successful decisions for themselves.Media ContactBusiness Industry ReportsPune Indiasales@businessindustryreports.com+19376349940 Lubbock, TX (79409) Today Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. High 91F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. Low 73F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Wool Fabric for Apparel Market Sales Volume and Growth Rate Forecast 2018-2025 https://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=2082928&type=S https://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/global-wool-fabric-for-apparel-market-insights-forecast-to-2025.htm www.qyresearchreports.com Apparel Fabrics are various fabrics materials used in apparel industries. This report studies on the Wool Fabric for Apparel.Global Wool Fabric for Apparel market size will increase to xx Million US$ by 2025, from xx Million US$ in 2018, at a CAGR of xx% during the forecast period. In this study, 2018 has been considered as the base year and 2019 to 2025 as the forecast period to estimate the market size for Wool Fabric for Apparel.This report researches the worldwide Wool Fabric for Apparel market size (value, capacity, production and consumption) in key regions like United States, Europe, Asia Pacific (China, Japan) and other regions.This study categorizes the global Wool Fabric for Apparel breakdown data by manufacturers, region, type and application, also analyzes the market status, market share, growth rate, future trends, market drivers, opportunities and challenges, risks and entry barriers, sales channels, distributors and Porters Five Forces Analysis.Get Free sample of Wool Fabric for Apparel Market research report at:The following manufacturers are covered in this report:ALBINIALUMOMONTITESTAS.I.CAcorn FabricsVeratex LiningSarvoday TextilesRughani BrothersBombay RayonTuni TextilesGinitexGhatte BrothersLutaiYoungorLianfaXinleDingshunSunshineWeiQiaoDormeuilScabalHolland & SherryZegnaRUYIHengliRead more Professional & Technical industry insights at:Wool Fabric for Apparel Breakdown Data by TypeMountain woolSheep hairAlpacaOthersWool Fabric for Apparel Breakdown Data by ApplicationMens ClothingWomens ClothingKids ClothingWool Fabric for Apparel Production Breakdown Data by RegionUnited StatesEuropeChinaJapanOther RegionsWool Fabric for Apparel Consumption Breakdown Data by RegionNorth AmericaUnited StatesCanadaMexicoAsia-PacificChinaIndiaJapanSouth KoreaAustraliaIndonesiaMalaysiaPhilippinesThailandVietnamEuropeGermanyFranceUKItalyRussiaRest of EuropeCentral & South AmericaBrazilRest of South AmericaMiddle East & AfricaGCC CountriesTurkeyEgyptSouth AfricaRest of Middle East & AfricaThe study objectives are:To analyze and research the global Wool Fabric for Apparel capacity, production, value, consumption, status and forecast;To focus on the key Wool Fabric for Apparel manufacturers and study the capacity, production, value, market share and development plans in next few years.To focuses on the global key manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the market competition landscape, SWOT analysis.To define, describe and forecast the market by type, application and region.To analyze the global and key regions market potential and advantage, opportunity and challenge, restraints and risks.To identify significant trends and factors driving or inhibiting the market growth.To analyze the opportunities in the market for stakeholders by identifying the high growth segments.To strategically analyze each submarket with respect to individual growth trend and their contribution to the market.To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market.To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Wool Fabric for Apparel :History Year: 2014-2018Base Year: 2018Estimated Year: 2019Forecast Year 2019 to 2025For the data information by region, company, type and application, 2018 is considered as the base year. Whenever data information was unavailable for the base year, the prior year has been considered.QYResearchReports delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYResearchReports feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-618-1030Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com Nominations flooding in for African Power, Energy & Water Industry Awards in Cape Town in May Mother City to welcome back 10 000+ energy and water professionals http://www.african-utility-week.com The power and water industries on the continent have responded with enthusiasm to the latest call for nominations for the sixth edition of the annual African Power, Energy & Water Industry Awards that returns to Cape Town on 15 May 2019. During the gala evening pioneering utilities, projects and people in the energy and water industries on the continent will once again be celebrated for their achievements during 2018/2019. Previously known as the African Utility Week Industry Awards, the new branding reflects the recent co-location of the POWERGEN Africa exhibition with African Utility Week.Our awards have been extremely popular and prestigious right from the start says African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africas event director Evan Schiff, adding: we love how competitive the power and water industries are as this stimulates innovation, entrepreneurship and progress, all needed to improve power and water services for all Africans. We look forward to honouring the continents leading people and projects, from the Lifetime Achievement Award and Young Leader Award, to the Power Service Provider of the Year and the top Renewable Energy Projects in small and larger scales.Power and water professionals can nominate themselves or a colleague, project or organisation by completing the nomination form on the African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa website.The categories for the African Power, Energy & Water Industry Awards 2019 are as follows:INDIVIDUAL AWARDS: Lifetime Achievement AwardSponsored by: SiemensThe Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to an individual for prolonged and consistent achievements who has made a significant contribution to the development and future of the energy or water industries during his or her entire career rather than or in addition to a single contribution.The nominee can be from a utility, public or private company and should be someone who has helped to achieve strategic advancement of the sectors by proactively sharing knowledge, encouraging the adoption of new technologies or establishing exemplary financial governance practices. This individual is well recognised across the globe for their influence and insight into the energy or water sectors in Africa. Outstanding Contribution Award: PowerThis award celebrates the accomplishments of an individual in a senior position from a utility, public or private company who has displayed passion and commitment to the power industry, while also demonstrating leadership, vision and success. Outstanding Contribution Award: WaterThis award celebrates the accomplishments of an individual in a senior position from a utility, public or private company who has displayed passion and commitment to the water industry while also demonstrating leadership, vision and success. Outstanding Contribution Award: Young LeaderThis award recognises a person under the age of 35 from a public or private company who has made an outstanding contribution to the energy or water sectors. This young professional has had commendable career achievements to date and is already playing a leading role in their sector.ORGANISATIONAL AWARDS: Power Service Provider of the YearThis award recognises a power service provider (such as a utility) in Africa that has excelled in any one or more of the following fields: Service delivery, project roll-out, technology roll-out, revenue protection measures, loss reduction, grid integration and new energy sources, including company contribution to sector growth, demonstrated expenditure reduction, increased capacity to deliver services and revenue collection, completion of infrastructure development or sustainable maintenance projects. Water Service Provider of the YearSponsored by: SBS TanksThis award recognises a water service provider (such as a utility or municipality) in Africa that excels in any one or more of the following: Service delivery, project roll-out, technology roll-out, revenue protection measures, loss reduction, water quality and sanitation solutions, including company contribution to sector growth, demonstrated expenditure reduction, increased capacity to deliver services and revenue collection, completion of infrastructure development or sustainable maintenance projects. Grid-Tied Renewable Energy Project (10MW +)Sponsored by: Aberdare CablesThis award is for a project completed by an African utility, off-grid producer, IPP, government or investor between March 2018 and February 2019. Small-Scale Sustainable Energy Project (under 5MW)This award is for a sustainable energy project providing electricity for either a commercial or rural electrification setting that was connected between March 2018 and February 2019.Conference and expoThe new co-location of POWERGEN Africa in 2019 will add an expanded focus on generation, including renewables, off grid, fossil fuels and nuclear, while still concentrating on transmission, distribution, metering, new technologies including storage, mini grids, micro grids, IOT and ICT systems, as well as water.Along with multiple side events and numerous networking functions African Utility Week boasts a five track strategic conference with over 300 expert speakers. An extensive Knowledge Hub programme that is CPD accredited and free to attend, offers hands-on presentations taking place in defined spaces on the exhibition floor. These discuss practical, day-to-day technical topics, best practices and product solutions that businesses, large power users and utilities can implement in their daily operations.International pavilionsApart from the official U.S. country pavilion at African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa showcasing specialised technology and services for the utility, metering, renewable and water industries, country pavilions from Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, India and Poland have also already confirmed their presence at the 3-day event in May.Dates for African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa:Conference and expo: 14-16 May 2019Awards: 15 May 2019, 19:00 23:00Site visits: 17 May 2019Location: CTICC, Cape Town, South AfricaAfrican Utility Week and the co-located POWERGEN Africa is the flagship energy event organised by Spintelligent, a multi-award-winning Cape Town-based exhibition and conference producer across the continent in the energy, infrastructure, mining, real estate and agriculture sectors. Other well-known events by Spintelligent include Future Energy East Africa, Future Energy Nigeria, the Utility CEO Forums, Agritech Expo Zambia, Nigeria Mining Week and DRC Mining Week. Spintelligent is part of the UK-based Clarion Events Group and African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa form part of Clarion Energy, which runs over 40 events that cover the oil, gas, power and energy sectors, making it one of Clarion Events largest portfolios.Senior communications manager: Annemarie RoodbolTelephone: +27 21 700 3558Mobile: +27 82 562 7844Email: annemarie.roodbol@spintelligent.comWebsite:Postal address: PO Box 321, Steenberg, 7947, South Africa Dental Hygiene Devices Market Size by 2028 | Ultradent Products Inc., Johnson & Johnson, 3M Company, Dabur India Ltd., and Dentsply Sirona https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-8177 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/customization-available/rep-gb-8177 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/press-release/dental-hygiene-devices-market http://www.marketresearchblog.org/ https://www.fmiblog.com/ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ According to a latest research by Future Market Insights (FMI), the global dental hygiene devices market is projected to account for over US$ 5,875.0 Mn in terms of value, by 2028 end. The report further projects significant growth potential of the dental hygiene devices market with a CAGR of 4.9% through 2028.The growth of the global dental hygiene devices market is primarily driven by increasing prevalence of dental diseases and growing number of geriatric population suffering from dental problems. According to the World Health Organization, dental caries affect 60-80% of the children and adults. Severe periodontitis is found in around 5-10% of the populations. Juvenile periodontitis affects about 2% of the youths.The development of healthcare infrastructure across the globe coupled with growing awareness regarding dental hygiene practices are expected to drive the growth of the dental hygiene devices market. The companies operating in the dental hygiene devices market are focusing on developing novel product line to increase their penetration in the market. Dental diseases can vary depending upon social conditions such as poverty, race and social groups. Thus, social inequalities coupled with growing share of population under poverty are also expected to contribute to the growth of the market.Request to View Sample of Research Report @Striking examples of inequalities include the prevalence of tooth decay, which affect 16% of population aged 6-19 years in Japan, but 97% of population aged 12 years in Filipinos. Edentulousness also affects the below poverty much more than the higher income group as the number of missed productivity due to poor oral health is significantly higher for children from lower-income families, ethnic minorities and immigrants. The incidence of dental diseases increases with age as most of the patients suffering from dental diseases are of age 50 and above.The report assesses the trends driving the growth of each segment of the dental hygiene devices market on the global as well as regional level, and offers potential takeaways that could prove substantially useful for the manufacturers planning to enter the dental hygiene devices market.Asia Pacific dental hygiene device market accounted for a significant revenue share in 2017, and is expected to be the dominant region in overall dental hygiene devices over the forecast period. China and India dental hygiene devices markets are expected to hold significant shares and to grow at an impressive CAGR owing to the growing population, and growing economic clout. The U.S. market is also projected to expand at a significant rate owing to prosperity of baby boomers and the recovery of the economy. Almost 25% of the U.S. population will be over 60 years of age, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. These baby boomers account for a whopping $7.5 trillion in economic activity per year.According to the CDC data, periodontitis affects 47.2% of adults aged 30 years and older in the U.S. and increases with age, with 70.0% of people aged 65 years and above suffer from periodontal disease. This prosperous population represents the largest market opportunity for the dental hygiene devices market. The report tracks some of the leading companies operating in the dental hygiene devices market, such as Colgate-Palmolive Company, The Procter & Gamble Company, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Unilever plc., Glaxosmithkline plc, Ultradent Products Inc., Johnson & Johnson, 3M Company, Dabur India Ltd., and Dentsply Sirona, among others.Request Customized Copy of Report @Vendors are targeting mergers, acquisitions and partnerships strategies to leverage economies of scale and scope to compete in the price sensitive environment and overcome the impulse buying behaviour of the customers in the dental hygiene devices market. For example, in 2017, global manufacturer and distributor of dental equipment Young Innovations, acquired American Eagle Instruments, IncBrowse More Information about this Report @About UsFuture Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.FMIs research and consulting services help businesses around the globe navigate the challenges in a rapidly evolving marketplace with confidence and clarity. Our customized and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. We continuously track emerging trends and events in a broad range of end industries to ensure our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.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.comBlog:FMI Blog:Web: Riding Boots Market Size, Sales, Revenue, Market Share and Forecast to 2025 | Dan Post, Dingo, Durango, Frye, Irish Setter, Justin Boots, Lucchese, Old Gringo, Rocky, Roper, Stetson, Tony Lama. Riding Boots Market https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/requested_sample/53765 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/enquiry_before_buying/53765 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/enquiry_before_buying/53765 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/request_for_discount/53765 www.upmarketresearch.com Riding Boots Industry 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.Get Free Exclusive PDF Sample Copy of This Report:Riding Boots 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 Riding Boots 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 Riding Boots Market analysis & forecast 2018-2025 is segmented into Product Segment, Application Segment & Major players.Geographically, this report studies the top producers growth opportunity in these key regions, covering North America Europe China Japan India Southeast Asia Other regions (Central & South America, Middle East & Africa)For Detail Information Please Visit:The major manufacturers covered in this report Dan Post Dingo Durango Frye Irish Setter Justin Boots Lucchese Old Gringo Rocky Roper Stetson Tony LamaOn the basis of product primarily split into Leather Boots Cloth Boots Felt BootsOn the basis of the end users/applications Men Women Boys Girls Kids & BabyFor Any Query Please Visit:The Report covers in-depth analysis as follows: Chapter 1 Riding Boots Market Overview Chapter 2 Global Riding Boots Competition by Manufacturers Chapter 3 Global Riding Boots Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2013-2019) Chapter 4 Global Riding Boots Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2013-2019) Chapter 5 Global Riding Boots Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type Chapter 6 Global Riding Boots Market Analysis by Application Chapter 7 Global Riding Boots Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis Chapter 8 Riding Boots Manufacturing Cost Analysis Chapter 9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers Chapter 10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders Chapter 11 Market Effect Factors Analysis Chapter 12 Global Riding Boots Market Forecast (2019-2025) Chapter 13 Research Findings and Conclusion Chapter 14 AppendixRiding Boots Market Analysis and Forecast 2019-2023 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 Riding Boots Market: Key Stakeholders: Riding Boots Manufacturers Riding Boots Distributors/Traders/Wholesalers Riding Boots Subcomponent Manufacturers Industry Association Downstream VendorsIn this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Riding Boots are as follows: History Year: 2013-2017 Base Year: 2017 Estimated Year: 2019 Forecast Year 2019 to 2025Key Reasons to Purchase: To gain insightful analyses of the market and have a comprehensive understanding of the Global Riding Boots Industry Analysis and Forecast 2019-2023 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 Riding Boots market analysis and forecast 2019-2023.Grab Special Discount: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: Riding Boots-Global Market Status & Trend Report 2013-2023 Top 20 Countries Data Riding Boots-North America Market Status and Trend Report 2013-2023 Riding Boots-South America Market Status and Trend Report 2013-2023 Riding Boots-Europe Market Status and Trend Report 2013-2023 Riding Boots-EMEA Market Status and Trend Report 2013-2023 Riding Boots-Asia Pacific Market Status and Trend Report 2013-2023 Riding Boots-China Market Status and Trend Report 2013-2023 Riding Boots-India Market Status and Trend Report 2013-2023 Riding Boots-United States Market Status and Trend Report 2013-2023About 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. Outdoor Entrance Matting Market Prospects, Outlook and Growth Analysis for the Period 2019-2025 | 3M (U.S.), Cintas Corporation (U.S.), Forbo Holdings AG (Switzerland), Unifirst Corporation (U.S.). Outdoor Entrance Matting Market https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/requested_sample/53666 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/enquiry_before_buying/53666 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/enquiry_before_buying/53666 https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/request_for_discount/53666 www.upmarketresearch.com Outdoor Entrance Matting Industry 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.Get Free Exclusive PDF Sample Copy of This Report:Outdoor Entrance Matting 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 Outdoor Entrance Matting 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 Outdoor Entrance Matting Market analysis & forecast 2018-2025 is segmented into Product Segment, Application Segment & Major players.Geographically, this report studies the top producers growth opportunity in these key regions, covering North America Europe China Japan India Southeast Asia Other regions (Central & South America, Middle East & Africa)For Detail Information Please Visit:The major manufacturers covered in this report 3M (U.S.) Cintas Corporation (U.S.) Forbo Holdings AG (Switzerland) Unifirst Corporation (U.S.) Bergo Flooring AB (Sweden) Eagle Mat & Floor Products (U.S.) Birrus Matting Systems (Australia) Superior Manufacturing Group (U.S.)On the basis of product primarily split into Nylon Coir Rubber Vinyl Others Jute Cotton VelvetOn the basis of the end users/applications Residentail Building Commercial Building Hospitality Building Industrial Building OthersFor Any Query Please Visit:The Report covers in-depth analysis as follows: Chapter 1 Outdoor Entrance Matting Market Overview Chapter 2 Global Outdoor Entrance Matting Competition by Manufacturers Chapter 3 Global Outdoor Entrance Matting Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2013-2019) Chapter 4 Global Outdoor Entrance Matting Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2013-2019) Chapter 5 Global Outdoor Entrance Matting Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type Chapter 6 Global Outdoor Entrance Matting Market Analysis by Application Chapter 7 Global Outdoor Entrance Matting Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis Chapter 8 Outdoor Entrance Matting Manufacturing Cost Analysis Chapter 9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers Chapter 10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders Chapter 11 Market Effect Factors Analysis Chapter 12 Global Outdoor Entrance Matting Market Forecast (2019-2025) Chapter 13 Research Findings and Conclusion Chapter 14 AppendixOutdoor Entrance Matting Market Analysis and Forecast 2019-2023 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 Outdoor Entrance Matting Market: Key Stakeholders: Outdoor Entrance Matting Manufacturers Outdoor Entrance Matting Distributors/Traders/Wholesalers Outdoor Entrance Matting Subcomponent Manufacturers Industry Association Downstream VendorsIn this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Outdoor Entrance Matting are as follows: History Year: 2013-2017 Base Year: 2017 Estimated Year: 2019 Forecast Year 2019 to 2025Key Reasons to Purchase: To gain insightful analyses of the market and have a comprehensive understanding of the Global Outdoor Entrance Matting Industry Analysis and Forecast 2019-2023 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 Outdoor Entrance Matting market analysis and forecast 2019-2023.Grab Special Discount: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: Outdoor Entrance Matting-Global Market Status & Trend Report 2013-2023 Top 20 Countries Data Outdoor Entrance Matting-North America Market Status and Trend Report 2013-2023 Outdoor Entrance Matting-South America Market Status and Trend Report 2013-2023 Outdoor Entrance Matting-Europe Market Status and Trend Report 2013-2023 Outdoor Entrance Matting-EMEA Market Status and Trend Report 2013-2023 Outdoor Entrance Matting-Asia Pacific Market Status and Trend Report 2013-2023 Outdoor Entrance Matting-China Market Status and Trend Report 2013-2023 Outdoor Entrance Matting-India Market Status and Trend Report 2013-2023 Outdoor Entrance Matting-United States Market Status and Trend Report 2013-2023About 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 Wind Turbine Casting Industry Market Analysis & Forecast 2018-2023 https://www.marketdensity.com/contact?ref=Sample&reportid=4654 https://www.marketdensity.com/global-wind-turbine-casting-industry-market-analysis-forecast-2018-2023 https://www.marketdensity.com Global Wind Turbine Casting Industry Market 2018-2023 research report, has been readied dependent on an inside and out market investigation with contributions from industry specialists. The report covers the market scene and its development prospects over the coming years. The report additionally incorporates a talk of the key sellers working in this market pursued by territorial division.Get sample copy of report:Table of ContentsChapter 1 Wind Turbine Casting Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Wind Turbine Casting1.2 Wind Turbine Casting Market Segmentation by Type1.2.1 Global Production Market Share of Wind Turbine Casting by Type1.2.1 Titanium Steel1.2.2 Carbon Steel1.2.3 Others1.3 Wind Turbine Casting Market Segmentation by Application1.3.1 Wind Turbine Casting Consumption Market Share by Application1.3.2 Family1.3.3 Business1.3.4 Others1.4 Wind Turbine Casting Market Segmentation by Regions1.4.1 North America1.4.2 China1.4.3 Europe1.4.4 Southeast Asia1.4.5 Japan1.4.6 India1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Wind Turbine Casting1.5.1 Global Product Sales and Growth Rate1.5.2 Global Product Revenue and Growth RateChapter 2 Global Economic Impact on Wind Turbine Casting Industry2.1 Global Macroeconomic Environment Analysis2.1.1 Global Macroeconomic Analysis2.1.2 Global Macroeconomic Environment Development Trend2.2 Global Macroeconomic Environment Analysis by RegionsChapter 3 Global Wind Turbine Casting Market Competition by Manufacturers3.1 Global Wind Turbine Casting Production and Share by Manufacturers3.2 Global Wind Turbine Casting Revenue and Share by Manufacturers3.3 Global Wind Turbine Casting Average Price by Manufacturers3.4 Manufacturers Wind Turbine Casting Manufacturing Base Distribution, Production Area and Product Type3.5 Wind Turbine Casting Market Competitive Situation and Trends3.5.1 Wind Turbine Casting Market Concentration Rate3.5.2 Wind Turbine Casting Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers3.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, ExpansionChapter 4 Global Wind Turbine Casting Production, Revenue (Value) by Region4.1 Global Wind Turbine Casting Production by Region4.2 Global Wind Turbine Casting Production Market Share by Region4.3 Global Wind Turbine Casting Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region4.4 Global Wind Turbine Casting Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin4.5 North America Wind Turbine Casting Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin4.5.1 North America Wind Turbine Casting Production and Market Share by Manufacturers4.5.2 North America Wind Turbine Casting Production and Market Share by Type4.5.3 North America Wind Turbine Casting Production and Market Share by Application4.6 Europe Wind Turbine Casting Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin4.6.1 Europe Wind Turbine Casting Production and Market Share by Manufacturers4.6.2 Europe Wind Turbine Casting Production and Market Share by Type4.6.3 Europe Wind Turbine Casting Production and Market Share by Application4.7 China Wind Turbine Casting Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin4.7.1 China Wind Turbine Casting Production and Market Share by Manufacturers4.7.2 China Wind Turbine Casting Production and Market Share by Type4.7.3 China Wind Turbine Casting Production and Market Share by Application4.8 Japan Wind Turbine Casting Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin4.8.1 Japan Wind Turbine Casting Production and Market Share by Manufacturers4.8.2 Japan Wind Turbine Casting Production and Market Share by Type4.8.3 Japan Wind Turbine Casting Production and Market Share by Application4.9 Southeast Asia Wind Turbine Casting Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin4.9.1 Southeast Asia Wind Turbine Casting Production and Market Share by Manufacturers4.9.2 Southeast Asia Wind Turbine Casting Production and Market Share by Type4.9.3 Southeast Asia Wind Turbine Casting Production and Market Share by Application4.10 India Wind Turbine Casting Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin4.10.1 India Wind Turbine Casting Production and Market Share by Manufacturers4.10.2 India Wind Turbine Casting Production and Market Share by Type4.10.3 India Wind Turbine Casting Production and Market Share by ApplicationChapter 5 Global Wind Turbine Casting Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions5.1 Global Wind Turbine Casting Consumption by Regions5.2 North America Wind Turbine Casting Production, Consumption, Export, Import by Regions5.3 Europe Wind Turbine Casting Production, Consumption, Export, Import by Regions5.4 China Wind Turbine Casting Production, Consumption, Export, Import by Regions5.5 Japan Wind Turbine Casting Production, Consumption, Export, Import by Regions5.6 Southeast Asia Wind Turbine Casting Production, Consumption, Export, Import by Regions5.7 India Wind Turbine Casting Production, Consumption, Export, Import by RegionsChapter 6 Global Wind Turbine Casting Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type6.1 Global Wind Turbine Casting Production and Market Share by Type6.2 Global Wind Turbine Casting Revenue and Market Share by Type6.3 Global Wind Turbine Casting Price by Type6.4 Global Wind Turbine Casting Production Growth by TypeChapter 7 Global Wind Turbine Casting Market Analysis by Application7.1 Global Wind Turbine Casting Consumption and Market Share by Application7.2 Global Wind Turbine Casting Revenue and Market Share by Type7.3 Global Wind Turbine Casting Consumption Growth Rate by Application7.4 Market Drivers and Opportunities7.4.1 Potential Applications7.4.2 Emerging Markets/CountriesChapter 8 Global Wind Turbine Casting Manufacturers Analysis8.1 Goldwind Science & Technology8.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors8.1.2 Product Type, Application and Specification8.1.3 Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin8.1.4 Business Overview8.2 Premier8.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors8.2.2 Product Type, Application and Specification8.2.3 Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin8.2.4 Business Overview8.3 SAKANA Group8.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors8.3.2 Product Type, Application and Specification8.3.3 Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin8.3.4 Business Overview8.4 Suzlon Energy8.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors8.4.2 Product Type, Application and Specification8.4.3 Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin8.4.4 Business Overview8.5 Elyria Foundry Company8.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors8.5.2 Product Type, Application and Specification8.5.3 Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin8.5.4 Business Overview8.6 ENERCON8.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors8.6.2 Product Type, Application and Specification8.6.3 Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin8.6.4 Business Overview8.7 Riyue Heavy Industry8.7.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors8.7.2 Product Type, Application and Specification8.7.3 Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin8.7.4 Business Overview8.8 Shandong longma Heavy Industry8.8.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors8.8.2 Product Type, Application and Specification8.8.3 Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin8.8.4 Business Overview8.9 Simplex Castings8.9.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors8.9.2 Product Type, Application and Specification8.9.3 Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin8.9.4 Business OverviewChapter 9 Wind Turbine Casting Manufacturing Cost Analysis9.1 Wind Turbine Casting Key Raw Materials Analysis9.1.1 Key Raw Materials9.1.2 Price Trend of Key Raw Materials9.1.3 Key Suppliers of Raw Materials9.1.4 Market Concentration Rate of Raw Materials9.2 Proportion of Manufacturing Cost Structure9.2.1 Raw Materials9.2.2 Labor Cost9.2.3 Manufacturing Expenses9.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Wind Turbine CastingChapter 10 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers10.1 Wind Turbine Casting Industrial Chain Analysis10.2 Upstream Raw Materials Sourcing10.3 Raw Materials Sources of Wind Turbine Casting Major Manufacturers10.4 Downstream BuyersChapter 11 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders11.1 Marketing Channel11.1.1 Direct Marketing11.1.2 Indirect Marketing11.1.3 Marketing Channel Development Trend11.2 Market Positioning11.2.1 Pricing Strategy11.2.2 Brand Strategy11.2.3 Target Client11.3 Distributors/Traders ListChapter 12 Market Effect Factors Analysis12.1 Technology Progress/Risk12.1.1 Substitutes Threat12.1.2 Technology Progress in Related Industry12.2 Consumer Needs/Customer Preference Change12.3 Economic/Political Environmental ChangeChapter 13 Global Wind Turbine Casting Market Forecast13.1 Global Wind Turbine Casting Production, Revenue Forecast13.2 Global Wind Turbine Casting Production, Consumption Forecast by Regions13.3 Global Wind Turbine Casting Production Forecast by Type13.4 Global Wind Turbine Casting Consumption Forecast by Application13.5 Wind Turbine Casting Price ForecastChapter 14 AppendixBy this report online:About Market Density:Market Density is your one stop market research and industry analysis reports' library providing business data and intelligence information on thousands of micro markets with global as well as regional coverage.Market Density offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe.Market Density understands how essential statistical surveying information is for your organization or association. Therefore, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available.Contact Us:Email: Support@marketdensity.comWebsite:Phone: +1 669 264 16564340 Stevens Creek Blvd,Suite # 172,San Jose, CA 95129 Worldwide Sleep Apnea Devices Market Size Key Players ResMed, Koninklijke Philips, Fisher & Paykel Health, SomnoMed, Compumedics, Itamar Medical Ltd., Whole You, Novasom, Lowenstein Medical, Braebon Medical https://www.marketstudyreport.com/request-a-sample/1228222/?utm_source=open&utm_medium=Deepak https://www.marketstudyreport.com/check-for-discount/1228222/?utm_source=open&utm_medium=Deepak https://www.marketstudyreport.com/reports/global-sleep-apnea-devices-market-by-diagnostic-devices-by-therapeutic-devices-by-end-user-by-region-by-country-2018-edition-forecast-to-2023-by-diagnostic-devices-polysomnography-respiratory-polygraphs-pulse-oximeter-actigraphy-by-therapeutic-devices-cpap-apap-bi-pap-asv-facial-interfaces-oral-appliances-by-region-n-america-europe-apac-row-by-country-u-s-canada-germany-mexico-germany-france-u-k-japan-china-india-australia-brazil/?utm_source=open&utm_medium=Deepak www.marketstudyreport.com www.marketstudyreport.com/blog The Sleep Apnea Devices market research report compiled by Market Study Report, LLC, offers a comprehensive study on the current industry trends. The report also offers a detailed abstract of the statistics, market valuation, and revenue forecast, which in addition underlines the status of the competitive spectrum and expansion strategies adopted by major industry players.The report titled, Global Sleep Apnea Devices Market - Analysis By Diagnostic Devices (Polysomnography, Respiratory Polygraphs, Pulse Oximeter, Actigraphy Devices), By Therapeutic Devices ( CPAP, APAP, Bi-PAP, ASV, Facial Interfaces, Oral Appliances), By End User, By Region, By Country (2018 Edition): Forecast to 2023 - By Region (N. America, Europe, APAC, ROW), By Country (U.S, Canada, Germany, Mexico, Germany, France, U.K, Japan, China, India, Australia, Brazil) has covered and analysed the potential of Sleep Apnea Devices 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, and challenges in the global sleep apnea devices market. Additionally, the report also highlights the company profiles of various leading companies across the globe along with product benchmarking. Moreover, this report has also covered global and regional market size and share by end user.Request a sample of this premium report at:Company Analysis ResMed, Koninklijke Philips, Fisher & Paykel Health, SomnoMed, Compumedics, Itamar Medical Ltd., Whole You, Novasom, Lowenstein Medical, Braebon Medical.A 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 Sleep Apnea Devices Market. The report analyzes the sleep apnea devices market by Diagnostic Devices (Polysomnography, Respiratory Polygraphs, Pulse Oximeter and Actigraphy Devices), Therapeutic Devices ( CPAP, APAP, Bi-PAP, ASV, Facial Interfaces and Oral Appliances) and By End User (Hospitals/ Sleep Laboratories and Homecare/ Individual Use). The report assesses the sleep apnea diagnostics devices and therapeutic devices By Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Rest of the world) and By Country (U.S, Canada, Germany, Mexico, Germany, France, U.K, Japan, China, India, Australia and Brazil). The market has been assessed for the historical period of 2013-2017 and for the forecast period of 2018-2023.According to research report Global Sleep Apnea Devices Market - Analysis By Diagnostic Devices (Polysomnography, Respiratory Polygraphs, Pulse Oximeter, Actigraphy Devices), By Therapeutic Devices ( CPAP, APAP, Bi-PAP, ASV, Facial Interfaces, Oral Appliances), By End User, By Region, By Country (2018 Edition): Forecast to 2023 - By Region (N. America, Europe, APAC, ROW), By Country (U.S, Canada, Germany, Mexico, Germany, France, U.K, Japan, China, India, Australia, Brazil) , global market is projected to display a robust growth represented by a CAGR of 10.6% during 2018 2023.Over the recent years, global sleep apnea devices market has been witnessing growth, on account of several driving factors including rapidly increasing prevalence of sleep related breathing disorders, rising geriatric population, increase in obese population, increasing lifestyle diseases, increasing demand for non-invasive treatment methods and new device approvals along with increasing health expenditure in developing countries. Moreover, upcoming innovations in medical technology coupled with rapidly increasing demand for home healthcare, is expected to propel the market growth of sleep apnea devices. In this research report, the market is segmented on the basis of product type as well as end user. By product type, the segment of diagnostic devices is predicted to hold its dominant position in the market. Amongst the regions, North America accounts for the largest regional share in the global sleep apnea devices market in 2018.However, Asia Pacific is predicted to advance at the highest rate. Presence of vast consumer base, particularly in emerging nations such as China and India, in addition to growing per capita expenditure on healthcare is likely to drive the regional market.Scope of the ReportGlobal Sleep Apnea Devices Market (Actual Period: 2013-2017, Forecast Period: 2018-2023)Sleep Apnea Devices Market Sizing, Growth, ForecastAnalysis By Type Diagnostic Devices and Therapeutic Devices.Analysis By Diagnostic Devices (Polysomnography, Respiratory Polygraphs, Pulse Oximeter and Actigraphy Devices)Analysis By Therapeutic Devices (CPAP, APAP, Bi-PAP, ASV, Facial Interfaces, Oral Appliances)Analysis By End User Hospital/ Sleep Laboratories, Homecare/ Individual UseRegional Markets North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World (Actual Period: 2013-2017, Forecast Period: 2018-2023)Sleep Apnea Devices Market Sizing, Growth, ForecastAnalysis By Type Diagnostic Devices and Therapeutic Devices.Analysis By Diagnostic Devices (Polysomnography, Respiratory Polygraphs, Pulse Oximeter and Actigraphy Devices)Analysis By Therapeutic Devices (CPAP, APAP, Bi-PAP, ASV, Facial Interfaces, Oral Appliances)Analysis By End User Hospital/ Sleep Laboratories, Homecare/ Individual UseRequest a discount on standard prices of this premium report at:Country Analysis U.S, Canada, Mexico, Germany, France, U.K, Japan, China, Japan, India, Australia and Brazil (Actual Period: 2013-2017, Forecast Period: 2018-2023)Sleep Apnea Devices Market Sizing, Growth, ForecastAnalysis By Type Diagnostic Devices and Therapeutic Devices.Analysis By Diagnostic Devices (Polysomnography, Respiratory Polygraphs, Pulse Oximeter and Actigraphy Devices)Analysis By Therapeutic Devices (CPAP, APAP, Bi-PAP, ASV, Facial Interfaces, Oral Appliances)Analysis By End User Hospital/ Sleep Laboratories, Homecare/ Individual UseOther Report HighlightsMarket Dynamics Drivers and RestraintsCompetitive LandscapeCustomization 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. Sleep Apnea Devices Outlook5. Global Sleep Apnea Devices Market: Growth and Forecast5.1 By Value (2013-2017)5.2 By Value (2018-2023)6. Global Sleep Apnea Devices Market: Segmental Analysis6.1 Global Sleep Apnea Devices Market Size, By Type: Breakdown (%)6.2 Global Sleep Apnea Diagnostic Devices Market, By Value (2013-2023)6.2.1 Global Sleep Apnea Diagnostic Devices Market, By Type: Breakdown (%)6.2.2 Global Polysomnography Devices Market, By Value (2013-2023)6.2.3 Global Respiratory Polygraph Devices Market, By Value (2013-2023)6.2.4 Global Pulse Oximetry Devices Market, By Value (2013-2023)6.2.5 Global Actigraphy Devices Market, By Value (2013-2023)6.3 Global Sleep Apnea Therapeutic Devices Market, By Value (2013-2023)6.3.1 Global Sleep Apnea Therapeutic Devices Market, By Type: Breakdown (%)6.3.2 Global CPAP Devices Market, By Value (2013-2023)6.3.3 Global APAP Devices Market, By Value (2013-2023)6.3.4 Global Bi-PAP Devices Market, By Value (2013-2023)6.3.5 Global ASV Devices Market, By Value (2013-2023)6.3.6 Global Facial Interfaces Market, By Value (2013-2023)6.3.7 Global Oral Appliances Market, By Value (2013-2023)6.4 Global Sleep Apnea Devices Market, By End User: Growth and Forecast6.4.1 Global Sleep Apnea Devices Market, By End User, By Type: Breakdown (%)6.4.2 Global Sleep Apnea Devices Market, By End User, By Value (2013-2023)6.4.3 Global Sleep Apnea Diagnostic Devices Market, By End User, By Type: Breakdown (%)6.4.4 Global Sleep Apnea Diagnostic Devices Market, By End User, By Value (2013-2023)6.4.5 Global Sleep Apnea Therapeutic Devices Market, By End User, By Type: Breakdown (%)6.4.6 Global Sleep Apnea Therapeutic Devices Market, By End User, 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. 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: Winter Tire Market || Key Player - Bridgestone Corporation, Nokian Tyres plc, Continental AG, Nexen Tire Corporation, Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. mrrse https://www.mrrse.com/sample/17167 https://www.mrrse.com/winter-tire-market https://www.mrrse.com/enquiry/17167 https://www.mrrse.com/ The expanding database of Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) has been recently updated by the addition of a new study which is titled as Winter Tire Market Key Development Factors and Upcoming Trends During forecast till 2026. The fact based research report on global Winter Tire Market covers various aspects such as trends, drivers, challenges and opportunities that have an influence on the growth and expansion of the global market. All these factors are analysed across key regions of Latin America, North America, Europe, Middle and Africa (MEA) and Asia Pacific. In order to provide an accurate forecast, analysts have presented the current market, which forms the basis on how the metal caps and closures market is expected to develop in the future.To Get Sample Copy of Report Click here @The winter tire market has been forecasted for the period from 2018 to 2026 based on revenue (US$ Mn) and volume (million units). This report provides forecast and analysis of the winter tire market at regional and global levels. The study highlights the drivers and restraints influencing the market. The report also highlights the opportunities in the winter tire market and underlines the technological roadmap for understanding the market.The report contains value chain analysis, which provides a comprehensive view of the global Winter Tire market. The Porters Five Forces analysis of the winter tire market has also been included that helps understand the competitive scenario of the market. The study encompasses market attractiveness analysis, wherein end-users are benchmarked based on their market size, growth rate, and attractiveness.The study provides a decisive view of the global winter tire market by segmenting it in terms of tire type, rim size, vehicle type, and region. These segments have been analyzed based on present and future trends. Regional segmentation comprises current scenario along with forecast of the winter tire market. The forecast provided is based on the compilation of current trends as well as the expected scenario in future due to change in technological, geographical, political, regulatory, and economic factors such as the rapid expansion of the electric vehicles market. Demand for fuel-efficient vehicles among consumers and government emission regulations have been considered while sizing the market.The study includes profiles of major companies operating in the global winter tire market. The major share of the market is held by a few key players and the rest is fragmented among medium scale manufacturers. Major players operating in the winter tire market include Bridgestone Corporation, Nokian Tyres plc, Continental AG, Nexen Tire Corporation, Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd., The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Pirelli & C.S.p.A., Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Co., Ltd., The Yokohoma Rubber Co., Ltd., MICHELIN, Hankook Tire, Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd., Kumho Tire Co., Inc., Cheng Shin Rubber Ind. Ltd., Giti Tire, and Cooper Tire & Rubber Company. Market players have been profiled in terms of attributes such as company overview, financial overview, business strategies, and recent developments. The winter tire market is primarily driven by stringent regulations for safety in cold regions, as winter tires possess better grip as compared to conventional tires in cold climates and prevent the vehicle from skidding.The report provides the estimated market size of the winter Tire market for 2017 and forecast for the next nine years. The global market size has been provided in terms of revenue (US$ Mn) and volume (million units). Market figures have been estimated based on rim size, tire type, sales channel, vehicle type, and regions. Size and forecast for each major segment have been provided in terms of global and regional/country markets.In-depth interviews and discussions were conducted with a number of key industry participants and opinion from leaders to compile the research report. Primary research represents the bulk of research efforts, supplemented by extensive secondary research. Key players product literature, annual reports, press releases, and relevant documents were reviewed for competitive analysis and market understanding. Secondary research also includes a search of recent trade, technical writing, Internet sources, and statistical data from government websites, trade associations, and agencies. This has proven to be highly reliable, effective, and successful approach for obtaining precise market data, capturing industry participants insights, and recognizing business opportunities.Browse Complete Report with TOC @Secondary research sources that are typically referred to include, but are not limited to company websites, annual reports, financial reports, broker reports, investor presentations, and SEC filings, internal and external proprietary databases, and relevant patent and regulatory databases, national government documents, statistical databases, market reports, news articles, press releases, and webcasts specific to companies operating in the market, American Automobile Association, European Automobile Manufacturers Association, Automotive Research Association of India, Factiva, etc.Primary research involves e-mail interactions and telephonic interviews for each market, category, segment, and sub-segment across regions. Primary interviews are conducted on an ongoing basis with industry participants and commentators in order to validate the data and analysis. Primary interviews provide firsthand information on market size, market trends, growth trends, competitive landscape, and outlook, etc. These help validate and strengthen secondary research findings. These also help develop the analysis teams expertise and market understanding.The global winter tire market has been segmented as follows:Global Winter Tire Market, by Tire TypeStuddedNon-studdedGlobal Winter Tire Market, by Rim Size12-1718-21>22Global Winter Tire Market, by Vehicle TypePassenger VehicleLight Commercial VehicleHeavy Commercial VehicleGlobal Winter Tire Market, by Region/Country/Sub-regionNorth AmericaU.S.CanadaEuropeNordicCentral EuropeRest of EuropeRussiaAsia PacificChinaJapanSouth KoreaRead Comprehensive Overview of Report @About Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE)Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of Market Research Reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.Contact UsState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite: Bacteria Sourced Microbial Lipase Market www.qandqmarketresearch.com/reports/7482906/bacteria-sourced-microbial-lipase-market-55 www.qandqmarketresearch.com/reports/7482906/bacteria-sourced-microbial-lipase-market-55 www.qandqmarketresearch.com/reports/7482906/bacteria-sourced-microbial-lipase-market-55 https://The global Bacteria Sourced Microbial Lipase market is valued at million US$ in 2018 and will reach million US$ by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of during 20192025. The objectives of this study are to define, segment, and project the size of the Bacteria Sourced Microbial Lipase market based on company, product type, end user and key regions.This report studies the global market size of Bacteria Sourced Microbial Lipase in key regions like North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Central & South America and Middle East & Africa, focuses on the consumption of Bacteria Sourced Microbial Lipase in these regions.This research report categorizes the global Bacteria Sourced Microbial Lipase market by top players/brands, region, type and end user. This report also studies the global Bacteria Sourced Microbial Lipase market status, competition landscape, market share, growth rate, future trends, market drivers, opportunities and challenges, sales channels and distributors.The following manufacturers are covered in this report, with sales, revenue, market share for each company:Novozymes DenmarkDSM NetherlandsChr. Hansen DenmarkAmano Enzymes JapanAssociated British Foods UKDowDuPont USAdvanced Enzymes IndiaEnzyme Development Corporation USAumgene Biosciences IndiaBiocatalysts UKMeito Sangyo Co., Ltd JapanCreative Enzymes USMarket size by ProductPowderLiquidMarket size by End UserCleaning agentsAnimal feedDairy productsBakery productsConfectionery productsOthersMarket size by RegionNorth AmericaUnited StatesCanadaMexicoAsiaPacificChinaIndiaJapanSouth KoreaAustraliaIndonesiaSingaporeMalaysiaPhilippinesThailandVietnamEuropeGermanyFranceUKItalySpainRussiaCentral & South AmericaBrazilRest of Central & South AmericaMiddle East & AfricaGCC CountriesTurkeyEgyptSouth Africahttps://The study objectives of this report are:To study and analyze the global Bacteria Sourced Microbial Lipase market size value & volume by company, key regions, products and end user, breakdown data from 2014 to 2018, and forecast to 2025.To understand the structure of Bacteria Sourced Microbial Lipase market by identifying its various subsegments.To share detailed information about the key factors influencing the growth of the market growth potential, opportunities, drivers, industryspecific challenges and risks.Focuses on the key global Bacteria Sourced Microbial Lipase companies, to define, describe and analyze the sales volume, value, market share, market competition landscape and recent development.To project the value and sales volume of Bacteria Sourced Microbial Lipase submarkets, with respect to key regions.To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market.In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Bacteria Sourced Microbial Lipase are as follows:History Year: 20142018Base Year: 2018Estimated Year: 2019Forecast Year 2019 to 2025This report includes the estimation of market size for value million US$ and volume K MT. Both topdown and bottomup approaches have been used to estimate and validate the market size of Bacteria Sourced Microbial Lipase 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.https://For the data information by region, company, type and application, 2018 is considered as the base year. Whenever data information was unavailable for the base year, the prior year has been considered.QandQ Market Research is a Market aggregator brand owned solely by Megamind Research Pvt Ltd., an India based company. QandQ Market Research is an online marketplace of research report published by leading market research agencies by collecting their global and regional market reports on 100+ industry verticals.Our database includes 1,000,000+ market research reports from over 75 leading global publishers & in-depth market research studies of over 5000 micro markets. With vast years of experience in the research field and comprehensive information about the publishers and their respective industrial expertise, we have gained grass root knowledge about the gaps prevailing within the research industry. Using this, we enable our clients to compare comprehensive research studies of various publishers so that they can procure best researching solutions for their organization. With this, we wish to collaborate with top companies across globe in being a trusted name for their researching requirements.QandQ Market Research constantly strives to expand its existing market report collection to give broader choices to its esteemed clients.Be it first time or every time, with our expertise in research offerings and wide range of publications, we ensure we deliver all your research needs.We are available 24/7 to offer support to our customers. So contact us anytime for your specific research needs and we will get in touch immediately to help you find a market research report you need.QandQ Market ResearchVia dell'Archeologia 29,Roma 00133,Italy.Call us : +1 833 267 4156Email : lokesh@qandqmarketresearch.com Insights-as-a-Service Market Competitive Analysis to 2025: IBM, Capgemini, Accenture, Oracle, Deloitte, Dell EMC, NTT DATA, NTT DATA Services, GoodData and SmartFocus Insights-as-a-Service Market https://www.researchformarkets.com/sample/global-insights-as-a-service-market-132306 https://www.researchformarkets.com/reports/global-insights-as-a-service-market-132306 https://www.researchformarkets.com/inquiry/global-insights-as-a-service-market-132306 For the success of business at local, regional and international level, this high quality global market research is an ultimate solution. This Insights-As-A-Service Market report puts a light on various factors that have direct or indirect effect on the growth of business which includes historic data, present market trends, environment, technological innovation, upcoming technologies and the technical progress in the ICT industry.Insights as a service is a type of cloud service that involves providing specific data results. It essentially combines the idea of business intelligence with the concept of vendor-delivered cloud services and analytics.The retail and consumer goods vertical has the highest growing CAGR during the forecast period. This vertical is expected to grow rapidly in the insights services adoption as this industry focus on customer experience.Some Of The Key Players In The Insights-as-a-Service Market Include: IBM Capgemini Accenture Oracle Deloitte Dell EMC NTT DATA NTT DATA Services GoodData SmartFocus Zephyr HealthRequest Sample Copy of the Report @The retail and consumer goods vertical has the highest growing CAGR during the forecast period. This vertical is expected to grow rapidly in the insights services adoption as this industry focus on customer experience. Enhancement in customer experience is an important factor to maintain competitiveness, which will provide emerging players in this sector an opportunity to grow faster.North America is expected to have the largest market share in 2018, whereas the APAC region is expected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2018 to 2023 in the Insights-as-a-Service market. High penetration rate into various industry verticals, increasing demand for business flexibility and agility, and a large number of data science companies located in the U.S are some of the major driving factors contributing to the growth of cloud computing in North America. This has led the software organizations to opt for cloud-based solutions.Market Segment by Type : Insights-as-a-Service Predictive Insights Descriptive Insights Prescriptive InsightsMarket segment by Application: Insights-as-a-Service BFSI Healthcare and Life Sciences Retail and Consumer Goods Energy and Utilities Manufacturing Telecommunication and IT Government and Public Sector OthersBrowse Full Report with TOC @Table of Content: Insights-as-a-Service Market1 Industry Overview of Insights-as-a-Service2 Global Insights-as-a-Service Competition Analysis by Players3 Company (Top Players) Profiles4 Global Insights-as-a-Service Market Size by Type and Application (2013-2018)5 United States Insights-as-a-Service Development Status and Outlook6 Europe Insights-as-a-Service Development Status and Outlook7 China Insights-as-a-Service Development Status and Outlook8 Japan Insights-as-a-Service Development Status and Outlook9 Southeast Asia Insights-as-a-Service Development Status and Outlook10 India Insights-as-a-Service Development Status and Outlook11 Market Forecast by Regions, Type and Application (2018-2025)12 Insights-as-a-Service Market Dynamics13 Market Effect Factors Analysis14 Research Finding/Conclusion15 AppendixMake an Inquiry for Buying This Report @Report Insights: Insights-as-a-Service MarketStrategic recommendations in key business sections in light of the market estimations.Market share and size of all the foremost industry playersStrategic proposals for the new participantsMarket estimates of all the key segments, sub-segments, and the regional markets throughout the forecast periodThe report offers market share appraisals for regional and global levelsNote: Any special requirements about this report, please let us know and we can provide custom report.About Research for Markets:Research for Markets indulges in detailed and diligent research on different markets, trends and emerging opportunities in the successive direction to cater to your business needs. We have established the pillars of our flourishing institute on the grounds of Credibility and Reliability. RFM delve into the markets across Asia Pacific, North America, South America, Europe, Middle East and Africa.Contact:Mr. A NaiduResearch for MarketsTel: +44 8000-4182-37 (UKEmail: alan.naidu@researchformarkets.com Oral Solid Dosage Contract Manufacturing Market || Key Player - Recipharm AB, AbbVie Contract Manufacturing, Pantheon N.V., CA talent Inc., Next Pharma. mrrse https://www.mrrse.com/sample/18222 https://www.mrrse.com/oral-solid-dosage-contract-manufacturing-market https://www.mrrse.com/enquiry/18222 https://www.mrrse.com/ A new report titled Oral Solid Dosage Contract Manufacturing Market Industry Outlook and Growth Forecast for the Period 2028 has been included in the enormous research repository of Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) that compiles various facets of the Oral Solid Dosage Contract Manufacturing Market at a global level portraying a holistic analysis of the marketplace along with intelligence on key participants. The report covers an unbiased analysis on various market aspects, emphasizing major trends giving direction to the market, key opportunities paving new growth avenues, key drivers pushing the markets growth and challenges and restraints hindering the market for Oral Solid Dosage Contract Manufacturing Market across the globe.To Get Sample Copy of Report Click here @The report features unique and salient factors that may have a huge impact on the development of the oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market during the forecast period. It can help market players to modify their manufacturing and marketing strategies to envisage maximum growth in the oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market in the coming years. The report provides detailed information about the current and future growth prospects of the oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market in the most comprehensive way for the better understanding of readers.Chapter 01 Executive SummaryThe report commences with the executive summary of the oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market, which includes the summary of key findings and key statistics of the market. It also includes the market value (US$ million) estimates of the leading segments of the oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market, key players and market dynamic snapshot.Chapter 02 Market IntroductionReaders can find detailed taxonomy and the definition of the oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market in this chapter, which will help readers to understand the basic information about the segments of oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market and list of key market participants included in the report.Chapter 03 Market Opportunity AnalysisThis chapter provides readers with information about the most important macroeconomic and microeconomic factors that are instrumental in shaping the oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market. It helps readers to understand the critical market opportunities for at all nodes of value chain in global market.Chapter 04 Global Economic OutlookThis chapter includes snapshot on gross domestic products of prominent countries across seven regions in the scope of the report.Chapter 05: Market BackgroundThis section includes the evolution of market in past few years and current industry trends. Readers can find detailed market dynamics of the oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market in this chapter, It helps readers to understand the critical market dynamics such as drivers, challenges, market trends, and opportunities for market players in the oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market.Chapter 06 North America Oral Solid Dosage Contract Manufacturing Market Analysis 20132017 and Forecast 20182028This chapter includes detailed analysis of the growth of the North America oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market along with historical market analysis and forecast. Readers can also find regional market dynamics and trends. This section also includes the growth prospects of the oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market in countries such as the U.S., and Canada.Chapter 07 Latin America Oral Solid Dosage Contract Manufacturing Market Analysis 20132017 and Forecast 20182028The market performance of oral solid dosage contract manufacturing in North America is discussed on a country level (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina & rest of Latin America) in this section. The section also provides insights on regional market drivers, challenges and trends in Latin America oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market.Chapter 08 Western Europe Oral Solid Dosage Contract Manufacturing Market Analysis 20132017 and Forecast 20182028This section provides country wise analysis of oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market in Western Europe. Countries covered in this section are Germany, Italy, France, U.K., Spain, and rest of Western Europe. Market attractiveness analysis by country is provided to identify potential of growth for key players in the market. The section highlights regional market drivers, restraints and trends for oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market.Browse Complete Report with TOC @Chapter 09 Eastern Europe Oral Solid Dosage Contract Manufacturing Market Analysis 20132017 and Forecast 20182028This chapter of the report introduces oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market in Russia, Poland and rest of Eastern Europe by providing detailed information about the growth avenues for market players in the region and growth prospects of the market based on its leading segments.Chapter 10 APEJ Oral Solid Dosage Contract Manufacturing Market Analysis 20132017 and Forecast 20182028China, India, ASEAN, and Australia & New Zealand are the leading countries in the APEJ region that are the prime subject of assessment to obtain growth prospects of the APEJ oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market in this chapter. Readers can find thorough information about the growth parameters of the APEJ oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market during the period 2018-2028.Chapter 11 Japan Oral Solid Dosage Contract Manufacturing Market Analysis 20132017 and Forecast 20182028Readers can find important factors that can make a huge impact on the growth of the oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market in Japan This chapter provides the overview of drivers, restraints, and trends in the Japan oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market.Chapter 12 MEA Oral Solid Dosage Contract Manufacturing Market Analysis 20132017 and Forecast 20182028This chapter provides information on how oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market will grow in the major countries in MEA region, such as GCC Countries, South Africa, and rest of MEA during the period 20182028.Chapter 13 Competition Landscape and Company ProfilesThis section provides a dashboard review of competition in global oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market. It details the comparative assessment of key service offerings to market segments and competitive position of key players in the global market.Readers can find a comprehensive profiles of key players in oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market, including company overview, revenue shares, strategic overview, and recent company developments, production capacity and production base etc. Market structure analysis is provided to understand degree of competition in global oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market. Market players featured in the report include Recipharm AB, AbbVie Contract Manufacturing, Patheon N.V., Catalent Inc., NextPharma, Capsugel (Lonza Group AG), Aurobindo Pharma Limited (AuroSource), Siegfried AG, Piramal Pharma Solutions, and CordenPharma, among others.Chapter 14 Global Oral Solid Dosage Contract Manufacturing Market Analysis 20132017 and Forecast 20182028, By RegionWith the geographical perspective, global oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market is analysed on a total of seven regions viz. North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan, Japan and the Middle East and Africa (MEA). Historical trends in the oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market and their effects on global market performance is discussed in this chapter.Chapter 15 Global Oral Solid Dosage Contract Manufacturing Market Analysis 20132017 and Forecast 20182028, By DosageBased on dosage form, the oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market is segmented into tablets (further sub-segmented in to immediate release, modified release, chewable tablets, effervescent tablets etc.), capsules (further sub-segmented in to hard gelatin capsules and softgels), powders & granules, lozenges & pastilles, gummies, etc. In this chapter, readers can find information about key trends and developments in oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market and market attractive analysis based on dosage form.Chapter 16 Global Oral Solid Dosage Contract Manufacturing Market Analysis 20132017 and Forecast 20182028, By End UserBased on the end user, the oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market is segmented into big pharma or Biotech companies, small & medium-size pharma or biotech companies, emerging or virtual pharma companies and nutraceutical Companies. In this chapter, readers can find information on how demand from each of these end users is shaped.Chapter 17 Assumptions and AcronymsThis chapter includes a list of acronyms and assumptions that provide a base to the information and statistics included in the report.Chapter 18 Research MethodologyThis chapter helps readers to understand the research methodology followed to obtain various conclusions, important qualitative information, and quantitative information about the oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @About Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE)Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of Market Research Reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.Contact UsState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite: Global Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery Devices market for 2018-2023 Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery Devices https://www.planetmarketreports.com/reports/global-minimally-invasive-neurosurgery-devices-market-10195 https://www.planetmarketreports.com/category/pharmaceutical-and-healthcare In this report, Planet Market Reports covers the present scenario with the base year being 2017 and the growth prospects of global Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery Devices market for 2018-2023.Minimally invasive neurosurgery utilizes small, flexible, lighted tubes called endoscopes to visualize various parts of the brain, skull base, or spinal cord through small openings. Endoscopes serve as small microscopes, magnifying critical anatomical structures so the surgeon can easily see the various diseased areas requiring repair, removal, or replacement. Because the use of endoscopes is much less intrusive into these anatomical structures than is conventional surgery, endoscopic neurosurgery is referred to as minimally invasive neurosurgery. For example, endoscopic neurosurgery in general does not require large incisions on the scalp or skull, or extensive dissection through brain tissue. The result is a faster and simpler procedure with greatly reduced post-operative complications, faster recovery, and less pain and scarring. The actual removal or repair of the problem is done as effectively, safely, and completely as with conventional open surgery.Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery is performed to treat disease occurring in various parts of brain, spinal cord or skull base through a small opening. Diseased area may require repair, removal and in the worst cases replacement which is being done through neurosurgery. Neurosurgical device used for the visualization purpose inside the human brain or spinal cord is known as Endoscope which is kind of a small microscope inserted through minimal invasion.Get More Information about this Report @Over the next five years, Planet Market Reports projects that Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery Devices will register a xx% CAGR in terms of revenue, reach US$ xx million by 2023, from US$ xx million in 2017.This report presents a comprehensive overview, market shares, and growth opportunities of Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery Devices market by product type, application, key manufacturers and key regions.To calculate the market size, Planet Market Reports considers value and volume generated from the sales of the following segments:Segmentation by product type:Intracranial SurgeryEndonasal NeurosurgerySpinal SurgerySegmentation by application:HospitalsClinicsOthersThis report also splits the market by region:AmericasUnited StatesCanadaMexicoBrazilAPACChinaJapanKoreaSoutheast AsiaIndiaAustraliaEuropeGermanyFranceUKItalyRussiaSpainMiddle East & AfricaEgyptSouth AfricaIsraelTurkeyGCC CountriesThe report also presents the market competition landscape and a corresponding detailed analysis of the major vendor/manufacturers in the market. The key manufacturers covered in this report:Karl StorzOlympusConmedRichard WolfBoston ScientificIntegra LifeSciencesAesculapSmith & NephewMedtronicNICO CorpIn addition, this report discusses the key drivers influencing market growth, opportunities, the challenges and the risks faced by key manufacturers and the market as a whole. It also analyzes key emerging trends and their impact on present and future development.Research objectivesTo study and analyze the global Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery Devices consumption value & volume by key regions/countries, product type and application, history data from 2013 to 2017, and forecast to 2023.To understand the structure of Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery Devices market by identifying its various subsegments.Focuses on the key global Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery Devices manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the sales volume, value, market share, market competition landscape, SWOT analysis and development plans in next few years.To analyze the Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery Devices with respect to individual growth trends, future prospects, and their contribution to the total market.To share detailed information about the key factors influencing the growth of the market growth potential, opportunities, drivers, industry-specific challenges and risks .To project the consumption of Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery Devices submarkets, with respect to key regions along with their respective key countries .To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market.To Browse category Reports @About Us:Planet Market Reports gives statistical surveying reports to businesses, people and associations with a goal of helping them in their decision making process. We have huge database of market research reports & company profiles across globe. We associated with global market research a publisher who has a wide range of research specialists & industry experts which provides you deeper penetration of market research industry.We have statistical surveying reports from number of top publishers and update our reports collections on daily basis with most recent research data to furnish our customers with the moment online access to our database. With access to this database, our customers will be able to benefit from expert insights on worldwide businesses, items, and market patterns. We help you in your buy choice by mapping your data needs with our immense accumulation of reports.Contact US:-Email-Id: sales@planetmarketreports.comUS : +1-716-2260907Organization: Planet Market Reports U.S. Medical Marijuana Market Size to exceed $8 bn by 2024; Eminent Players Canopy Growth, Aurora Cannabis, Inc., Medical Marijuana, Inc., GW Pharmaceuticals, Aphria, Inc., Tilray, Emerald Health Therapeutics, and United Cannabis U.S. Medical Marijuana Market Research 2018-2024 Forecast Report https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/2890 https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/2890 http://news-researchers.com/ Medical marijuana programs in the U.S. have continued to develop, and most of the states have started to approach medical marijuana from the perspective of public health rather than from a recreational use prospective. Various states in the U.S. have demonstrated positive public health outcomes through the application of medical marijuana, hence boosting the marker size.Growing prevalence of chronic pain associated with neurological disorders, cancer, HIV/AIDS, and arthritis will drive the U.S. medical marijuana market. The preference of marijuana over opioid medication is also boosting market revenue in the U.S. as opioids are associated with various side lethal side effects. Therefore, the demand for medical marijuana is continuously on an upsurge in various U.S. states, thereby accelerating market sales.U.S. Medical Marijuana Market size is set to exceed USD 8.0 billion by 2024; according to a new research study published by Global Market Insights, Inc.Request sample copy of this report @The U.S. medical marijuana pain management market segment is forecasted to grow rapidly at 13.3% CAGR during the forecast period. Growing cases of chronic pain which is the most common cause of long-term disability in the United States will drive the segment growth. In addition, the U.S. population has been using marijuana for pain management as compared to other traditional opioids which have lethal side-effects.The U.S. topical medical marijuana market segment valued USD 179.3 million in 2017. Increased number of companies are manufacturing lotions and creams that are absorbed through the skin for localized relief of pain and inflammation. Furthermore, topical route of administration is preferred by most of the patients as it results in maximum therapeutic benefits without the cerebral euphoria associated with other delivery methods.The U.S. medical marijuana dispensaries market segment will expand at a robust 13.3% CAGR over the forecast period owing to presence of number of legal dispensaries operating in a most of the states. With each state legalizing marijuana for medical purposes, more and more dispensaries are being set up in the country, hence propelling the market growth of the segment.California medical marijuana market is estimated to grow at 13.7% from 2018-2024. Medical marijuana is legalized in California since 1996. The manufacturing, distribution, transportation, and sales of medical marijuana is completely legal in California, thereby boosting the market growth in the coming years.New Hampshire medical marijuana market is forecasted to expand at 24.1% CAGR during the forecast period. New Hampshire ranked second in the country for the highest opioid overdose rate. With the legalization of medical marijuana, it will result in improvement of health outcomes for individuals suffering from pain, thereby driving the segment growth in the long run.Make Inquiry about this report @Prominent industry players in U.S. medical marijuana market include Canopy Growth, Aurora Cannabis, Inc., Medical Marijuana, Inc., GW Pharmaceuticals, Aphria, Inc., CanniMed Ltd., Tilray, Emerald Health Therapeutics, and United Cannabis. These companies are opting for strategic mergers, acquisitions, and partnerships to expand their geographic reach, and product portfolio, hence resulting in improved position in the overall market.U.S. medical marijuana market research report includes in-depth coverage of the industry with estimates & forecast in terms of revenue in USD million from 2013 to 2024, for the following segments:U.S. Medical Marijuana Market by Application Pain Managemento Neuropathic Paino Cancer Paino Others Muscle Spasms Nausea Anorexia Seizures OthersU.S. Medical Marijuana Market by Route of Administration Inhalation Oral TopicalU.S. Medical Marijuana Market by Distribution Channel Dispensaries OnlineThe above information is provided for the following U.S. regions and states: North Easto Connecticuto Maineo Massachusettso New Hampshireo Rhode Islando Vermonto New Jerseyo New Yorko Pennsylvania East North Centralo Illinoiso Michigan South Atlantico Delawareo Floridao Marylando Washington DC West North Centralo Minnesota Pacific Centralo Alaskao Californiao Hawaiio Oregono Washington Mountain Stateso Arizonao Coloradoo Nevadao New Mexicoo MontanaGlobal 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.Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comBlog : Fibromyalgia Treatments Market 2019 - Major Participants: GlaxoSmithKline, Astellas Pharma, Johnson & Johnson, ALLERGAN, Sunovion Pharms, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, ABBOTT Etc Fibromyalgia Treatments Market https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1879 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/fibromyalgia-treatments-market-1879 Fibromyalgia Treatment Market Is Expected to Grow at a CAGR of 17.5% During the Forecast Period of 2017 To 2023 Asserts Market Research Future (MRFR) in a Detailed Research Report.Fibromyalgia Treatments Market - Key PlayersSome of the key players in the fibromyalgia treatment market are Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Astellas Pharma, Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc., SANOFI, Eli Lilly and Company, Bayer AG, ALLERGAN, Boehringer Ingelheim, AbbVie, Cephalon, Inc., Sunovion Pharms Inc, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Vertical Pharmaceuticals, ABBOTT, NOVARTIS, and others.Get Sample Report atFibromyalgia Treatments Market - SegmentationThe worldwide fibromyalgia treatments market is split on account of treatments, end-users, and geographies. Treatments consist of anti-depressants, pain-relievers, therapies, anti-seizure drugs, and others. Research centers, clinics, hospitals, laboratories, etc. form the end-users. Geographically, the industry is classified on the basis of Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, and the Middle East & Africa. North America is the biggest market and followed by Europe.Asia Pacific is projected to grow rapidly in the near future. There are lesser companies with authorized drugs, introducing prospects for several new participants. United States is the largest market, boosting North American and global sales. With North America investing in research & developments and having robust global traction, it occupies the largest shares. Regional medical expenses also contribute to its growth.Escalating approval of novel drugs will help the fibromyalgia market grow faster across emerging & developed nations during 2016 to 2022. Few of the many eminent players in the worldwide fibromyalgia treatments market comprise Innovative Med Concepts, Eli Lilly, Forest Pharmaceuticals, Tonix Pharmaceuticals, and Theravance Biopharma. The market is hugely competitive, with multiple drugs doing the rounds on the counter. Leading firms emphasize regional expansion & drug developments to gain enhanced foothold.Fibromyalgia Treatments Market - Global InsightsThe fibromyalgia treatments market is set to expand in view of increasing fibromyalgia incidences. The launch of innovative & better drugs also propels the industry. Awareness regarding fibromyalgia and reduction in misdiagnosis are likely to bode well for the market during 2016 to 2022 (forecast period). Additionally, better diagnostic criteria, resulting from constant research & developments; and high-quality & stronger treatments should boost market revenues.Fibromyalgia symptoms include musculoskeletal pain alongside memory & sleep disorders, depression, and headaches. These may be accompanied by anxiety and irritable bowel syndrome. This disease is said to tamper with the brains pain sensations. A fibromyalgia patient normally experiences migraine, headaches, and TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorders.Fibromyalgia can increase with time. Infections, physical trauma, surgery, and psychological issues can also lead to this illness. On the other hand, the main reason behind fibromyalgia is still a mystery. The disease is found more in women than men. With no cure for fibromyalgia, some drugs; such as antidepressants, anticonvulsants, muscle-relaxants, and narcotic analgesics are used to treat it. Also, the burgeoning aged population, being more prone to fibromyalgia, raises industry sales.Fibromyalgia is tough to detect, as many other diseases have similar indications. That is why; patients are recommended to consult their doctors, undergo the required tests, & reach a proper diagnosis. Low detection of fibromyalgia prevents the market from expanding further. Combination treatments can be harmful to patients. Thus, patients are recommended to take advice from their doctors on whether the treatments should be followed.New Trends/AdvancementsAvacen Medical, of late, was rewarded for developing a dry heating instrument for a kind of pain that is widely found in fibromyalgia. The global consulting firm, Frost and Sullivan felicitated Avacen with an innovation award for making Avacen 100. The consultant, based in Mountain View at California, designed the award post the thorough analysis of European fibromyalgia devices.Frost and Sullivan presented the annual award to a firm that adopts high-tech products for developing key products. Apart from consultation, it offers business strategies. According to one of the Frost and Sullivan analysts, this disease still remains a hindrance and the key pathology quite misunderstood.There is a demand for substitute non-invasive therapies to reduce pain. Device-based treatments are essential, as a placebo-regulated clinical examination reported that patients recorded more sleep and moderately less pain & fatigue post electro-stimulation. Avacen indulges in the sales of Avacen 100 in the U.S. for muscle-relaxation and joint-pain removal.Browse Complete 85 Pages Premium Research Report Enabled With 66 Respective Tables And Figures atFibromyalgia Treatments Market - Regional AnalysisThe Americas dominates the fibromyalgia treatment market owing to the rising awareness among people, rising cases of chronic rheumatic diseases, and increasing healthcare expenditure. As per the 2017 statistics suggested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 54.4 million adults in the United States have arthritis, which is about 25% of the population. It is also reported that by 2040, nearly 78 million adults, aged 18 years or older, are projected to have arthritis in the United States.Europe holds the second position in the fibromyalgia treatment market. It is expected that the financial support provided by governments and private bodies for research and development and amendments in reimbursement policies in healthcare will drive the fibromyalgia treatment market in Europe.Asia Pacific is the fastest growing market for fibromyalgia treatments, owing to a huge patient pool and rising healthcare expenditure in some countries within this region. In 2014, the total expenditure on healthcare per capita was USD 731 in China, suggested by the World Health Organization (WHO). According to the BMC Health Services Research Journal, Chinas healthcare expenditure grew at a rate of 11.6% per year. The rate is much faster than the growth of the countrys economy, i.e., 9.9% per year.The Middle East and Africa has the lowest market for fibromyalgia treatments due to lack of technical knowledge and poor medical facilities.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact Us:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone: +1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Corrugated Boxes Market 2019 SWOT Analysis by Players: International Paper, WestRock (RockTenn), Smurfit Kappa Group, Rengo, SCA Corrugated Boxes Market https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/request-sample/1027979 https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/check-discount/1027979 https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/send-an-enquiry/1027979 QY Research Groups has announced the addition of the Global Corrugated Boxes Market 2019-2025 The report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification.The global Corrugated Boxes market is valued at 145500 million US$ in 2017 and will reach 146900 million US$ by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of 0.1% during 2018-2025.This report studies the Corrugated Boxes market, Corrugated box is the use of hollow structure of the corrugated cardboard, through the molding process made of packaging containers.Corrugated Boxes are mainly classified into the following types: Single Corrugated, Double Corrugated, Triple Corrugated. Single Corrugated is the most widely used type which takes up about 87 % of the total in 2016 in Global.The corrugated boxes average price in global is in the decline trend, from 7.7 $/Sq.m in 2012 to 6.4 $/Sq.m in 2016. The price will be in decline trend if more capacity goes into operation and price of the raw material get reduction in the future. The Corrugated Boxes sales will reach about 236.4 Billion Sq.m in 2016 from 189.5 Billion Sq.m in 2012 in global, with the CAGR of 2.93%.The major manufacturers covered in this report International Paper WestRock (RockTenn) Smurfit Kappa Group Rengo SCA Georgia-Pacific Mondi Group Inland Paper Oji Cascades Alliabox International (Alliance) DS Smith Packaging Corporation of America Bingxin Paper SAICA Shanying Paper Rossmann BBP (Alliance) YFY Cheng Loong Corp Stora Enso THIMM Hexing Packing Europac Group Long Chen Paper KapStone Salfo Group Come Sure Group Jingxing Paper PMPGC Jingxing Paper Shengda Group Nine Dragons Paper Jinlong PaperWorldwide Corrugated Boxes Market 2019 research report conveys industry business patterns and the undertaking information, tolerating one to grasp clients and the stock driving gainfulness and yield development. The report highlights information on improvements and Global Corrugated Boxes market trends, drivers, revenue and furthermore available. The market report pulls in the most peculiar bits of knowledge of this business additionally makes Corrugated Boxes forecast that is important out there. It accompanies estimations concerning the Corrugated Boxes advancement, subordinate and draws in the distinguishing proof of their industry status.Get Sample Copy of This Report @This report provides in depth study of Corrugated Boxes market using SWOT analysis i.e. Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threat to the organization. The Corrugated Boxes Market report also provides an in-depth survey of key players in the market which is based on the various objectives of an organization such as profiling, the product outline, the quantity of production, required raw material, and the financial health of the organization.On the basis of product, primarily split into Single Corrugated Double Corrugated Triple CorrugatedBy Application, the market can be split into Food & Beverage Electronics & Home Appliance Consumer Good Pharmaceutical Industry OtherChina is one of the largest consumption countries of Corrugated Boxes in the world in the past few years and it will keep the same position in the next few years. The following is Europe (24.6) and North America (18.5).The potential of this industry segment has been rigorously investigated in conjunction with primary market challenges. The present market condition and future prospects of the segment has also been examined. Moreover, key strategies in the market that includes product developments, partnerships, mergers and acquisitions, etc., are discussed. Besides, upstream raw materials and equipment and downstream demand analysis is also conducted.Get The Best Discounts Offer of This Report @Report Includes:-The report cloaks the market analysis and projection of Corrugated Boxes Market on a regional as well as global level. The report constitutes qualitative and quantitative valuation by industry analysts, first-hand data, assistance from industry experts along with their most recent verbatim and each industry manufacturers via the market value chain.The research experts have additionally assessed the in general sales and revenue generation of this particular market. In addition, this report also delivers widespread analysis of root market trends, several governing elements and macro-economic indicators, coupled with market improvements as per every segment.The study objectives of this report are:To analyze and study the global Corrugated Boxes capacity, production, value, consumption, status (2013-2017) and forecast (2018-2025);Focuses on the key Corrugated Boxes manufacturers, to study the capacity, production, value, market share and development plans in future.Focuses on the global key manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the market competition landscape, SWOT analysis.To define, describe and forecast the market by type, application and region.To analyze the global and key regions market potential and advantage, opportunity and challenge, restraints and risks.To identify significant trends and factors driving or inhibiting the market growth.To analyze the opportunities in the market for stakeholders by identifying the high growth segments.To strategically analyze each submarket with respect to individual growth trend and their contribution to the market.To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market.To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.FEATURES OF THE REPORT:1. The analysis of Corrugated Boxes market, their Growth, Demand, position, size and share from different regions are mentioned in detailed.2. The key players in the market and their share in the global market are discussed.3. The new strategic plan and suggestions that will help old as well as new market players to maintain the competitiveness are also discussed.4. The Corrugated Boxes market report provides some important points related to growth factors, challenges, opportunities, end-user analysis and achievement and so on.ContinuedTo Get info on this Report, Do Enquiry Here @About QY Research Groups:-QY Research Groups is a company that simplifies how analysts and decision makers get industry data for their business. Our unique colossal technology has been developed to offer refined search capabilities designed to exploit the long tail of free market research whilst eliminating irrelevant results. QY Research Groups is the collection of market intelligence products and services on the Web. We offer reports and update our collection daily to provide you with instant online access to the world's most complete and current database of expert insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends.Contact Us:Call: +1-888-236-2744Email: sales@qyresearchgroups.comRoom B1510, Shiji Kemao Building,No.66 Zhongguancun East Road,Haidian District, Beijing,100190, China. 2019-2025 Research report covers The Business Aircraft Services Market Top Key Vendors like VistaJet, Bombardier, Cessna, Dassault, Gulfstream, Embraer Business Aircraft Services market https://www.theresearchinsights.com/request_sample.php?id=6959 https://www.theresearchinsights.com/enquiry_before_buying.php?id=6959 https://www.theresearchinsights.com/ask_for_discount.php?id=6959 www.theresearchinsights.com Business Aircraft Services Market report provides in-depth statistics and analysis available on the market status of the Business Aircraft Services Manufacturers and is a valuable method of obtaining guidance and direction for companies and business enterprise insider considering the Business Aircraft Services market. It contains the analysis of drivers, challenges, and restraints impacting the industry.According to new informative report by The Research Insights an analytical data of Business Aircraft Services market has recently added to its massive database. The research report is encapsulate different verticals of the businesses. It has been aggregated on the basis of different dynamic aspects of the businesses. This statistical report has been compiled by using primary and secondary research methodologies. Well explained Porters five analysis and SWOT analysis have been used to examine the strength, weaknesses, threats and opportunities.Business aviation is defined as the use of a general aviation airplane for a business purpose. It is essential to tens of thousands of companies of all types and sizes in the U.S. that are trying to compete in a marketplace that demands speed, flexibility, efficiency and productivity.Request for Sample Copy Of this Report @This report focuses on the global top players, covered VistaJet, Bombardier, Cessna, Dassault, Gulfstream, and Embraer.The study further presents the details on financial attributes such as pricing structures, shares and profit margins. The competitive landscape of the Business Aircraft Services market has been provided by analyzing different successful and startups industries. The economic aspects of the businesses have been presented by using facts and figures.This research report covers North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Europe and Africa on the basis of productivity. It focuses on the leading countries from the global regions. This report highlights the cost structure including cost of raw material and cost of manpower. It offers a clear picture of the various factors that will fueling the growth of Business Aircraft Services market.For more Information and Enquiry Click Here:This research report analyzes and presents more accurate data which helps to understand the framework of the businesses. Technological advancements in global Business Aircraft Services market sector have been studied by experts. Macro and micro factors of the Business Aircraft Services market have been explained in detail. To discover the global opportunities several methodologies have been listed in the report.The main points which are answered and covered in this Report are-What will be the total market size in the coming years till 2025?What will be the key factors which will be overall affecting the market?What are the various challenges addressed?Which are the major companies included?Buyers will get up to 30% discount on this report Click Here:If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.About us:The Research Insights is a global leader in data analytics and a fundamental tool to answer questions and acquire knowledge regarding complexity of interactions between the internal and external factors affecting the dynamics of a marketplace. We exemplify innovative, descriptive, and comprehensive revelations through market research to satisfy your individual and organizational objectives. We assist you to make well-informed, profound and favorable decisions to encompass the advantages of upcoming trends, progressions, estimations, and opportunities through our precise understanding of the market.Our reports will provide the stepping stones for consistent growth of businesses by presenting novel outcomes and solutions to efficiently manage various circumstances and drawbacks of the industry. The accuracy of our statistics is determined by relevant supporting data to enable a step by step approach and reliable verification through experienced skills and verified methodologies. We enable our clients to analyze and anticipate their business requirements to make perceptive decisions, which ensures a substantial impact for our clients. Thus, we deliver value to our clients by assisting the process of their customer management in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders.Contact DetailsThe Research InsightsRobin(Sales manager)Contact number: +91-996-067-0000sales@theresearchinsights.com Vascular Stents Market 2023 Top Key Players are Abbott Laboratories, Medtronic, Plc, Cook Medical, Biotronik se & co. kg, B. Braun Melsungen AG, Cordis Vascular Stents Market https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1408 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/vascular-stents-market-1408 Market Research Future published a Half-Cooked Research Report on Global Vascular Stents Market Research Report - Forecast to 2023 Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2023.Global Vascular Stents Market - OverviewVascular stents are tiny tube like medical devices which are places into blood vessels or arteries to open the blockage in the vessels. Vascular stent is the valuable tool for the treatment of the different coronary diseases. Vascular stents are used to widen the narrow vessels so as to minimize the chances of heart attack and chest pain. This stents are prepared from variety of material. According to the WHO, approximately 18 million people died from cardiovascular diseases in 2014. Increasing number of people suffering from cardiovascular diseases is responsible for the driving the market. Additionally, globally 39% of adults aged 18 years and over were overweight whereas 13% were obese. Technological advances and increasing obese population is also contributed in the growth of the market. Other advantages like low risk of infection and short recovery time will also drive the market. However availability of alternative therapy and high cost of ventricular stents may restrain the growth of the market.Get Premium Sample Copy @Global Vascular Stents Market - Competitive AnalysisBoston Scientific Corporation (US), Abbott Laboratories (US), Medtronic, Plc (UK), Cook Medical (US), Biotronik se & co. kg (Germany), B. Braun Melsungen AG (Germany), Cordis (US), Lombard Medical Technologies (UK), Translumina GmbH (Germany), MicroPort Scientific Corporation (China), Terumo Corporation (Japan), Vascular Concepts (India), W.L. Gore & Associates (US), Meril Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd. (India) are some of the prominent players at the forefront of competition in the Global Vascular Stents Market and are profiled in MRFR Analysis.Many companies are focusing on research and development activity to improve the vascular stent products. Major companies are focusing on the development of biodegradable stents to overcome the disadvantages of other available stents. Some major has adopted strategies of acquisitions and strategic alliances for the growth of the market.Abbott Laboratories is one of the leading healthcare company headquartered in US. In June 2016, FDA has approved the Absorb bioresorbable Stent for heart. This stents is completely dissolve in the body and used in the treatment of heart complications. Companys Esprit bioresorbable vascular scaffold is under clinical trials.December, 2016 - Lombard Medical and MicroPort Scientific Corporation announced strategic partnership and investment agreement. This partnership allowed Lombard Medical to accelerate commercialization in global market with its two key products i.e Aorfix and Altura AAA. Aorfix, the only stent graft to hold global approvals to treat abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) with aortic neck angles up to 900, and Altura, a highly innovative stent graft that offers a simple and predictable treatment option for standard abdominal aortic aneurysms anatomy.Boston Scientific Corporation is a global manufacturer and developer of medical devices headquartered in US. PROMUS Element Plus Stent, REBEL Stent System, SYNERGY Stent are some of the major products of the company. In 2014, company has launched Promus PREMIER Everolimus-eluting Platinum Chromium Coronary Stent System in Asia Pacific region. In 2015, worldwide sales of the companys drug-eluting coronary stents were $1.074 billion as compared to $1.151 billion during 2014.Medtronic is a medical device manufacturer headquartered in UK. It is the world's largest standalone medical technology development company. In 2015 company has develop Stent Graft System System for Endovascular Repair of Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysms. Earlier companys Resolute Drug-Eluting Stent has shown a very good performance in Diabetic Patients with Heart Disease. Medtronic market was increased by 7% in 2016 compared to 2015.Cook Medical is an US headquartered company involved in the manufacturing of the medical devices. Approach, Bird's Nest, Advance are some of the major product of the company.Global Vascular Stents Market - Regional AnalysisGeographically, the global vascular stents market is segmented into four regions. Of which North America commands market for vascular stents due to increasing obese population in North America is the major factor for the growth of the market. Beside this increasing people suffering from various cardiovascular diseases and lack of exercise also contributed in the growth of the market. Europe accounts second largest vascular stents market. While Asia Pacific is the fastest growing market due to rapid development in technology and a huge patient suffering from different vascular diseases. However, The Middle East and Africa has the lowest market for medical robotics because of limited development in medical field.Browse Full Report @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 Strategic Focus Report On IT And Business Services Market 2019-2025: IBM, Accenture, DXC, NTT Data, TCS, AWS, Cognizant, Capgemini, Atos, Infosys, CGI, T-Systems, Wipro, HCL IT And Business Services Market https://www.theresearchinsights.com/request_sample.php?id=7846 https://www.theresearchinsights.com/ask_for_discount.php?id=7846 https://www.theresearchinsights.com/enquiry_before_buying.php?id=7846 https://www.theresearchinsights.com/ The global analysis of IT And Business Services Market and its upcoming prospects have recently added by The Research Insights to its extensive repository. It has been employed through the primary and secondary research methodologies. This market is expected to become competitive in the upcoming years due to the new entry of a number of startups in the market. Additionally, it offers effective approaches for building business plans strategically which helps to promote control over the businesses.The Global IT And Business Services Market to expand at an impressive CAGR of +22% during the forecast period of 2019 to 2025.The role of IT services that accelerate the adoption of the third platform technology is central. Demand for services around new technologies like cloud, AI, machine learning (ML), automation and Internet of things (IoT) will increase within the next three to five years. The business services market refers to providing businesses with business-related solutions. The industry offers a variety of services such as human resources, consulting, security, marketing, logistics, facility management, wholesale, outsourcing and leasing.Request Sample Copy of this Report@:This market research report on analyzes the growth prospects for the key vendors operating in this market space including IBM, Accenture, DXC, NTT Data, TCS, AWS, Cognizant, Capgemini, Atos, Infosys, CGI, T-Systems, Wipro, HCL, SAP, CACI, SAIC, Tech Mahindra, Samsung SDS, Microsoft, Cisco Systems Inc., Comcast, Cox Communications Inc., Digicable, EXFO Inc., Fujitsu Ltd., GCI Communications Corp., Google Fiber, Nokia Corporation, Telenet, TPG Internet Pty Ltd ABN, Zayo Group LLCThe report systematically analyzes the most essential details of the Global IT And Business Services Market with the help of an in-depth and specialized analysis. Defined in a ground-up manner, the report presents a comprehensive synopsis of the market based on the factors that are predictable to have a considerable and determinate impact on the markets developmental prospects over the prognosis period.New vendors entering the marketplace are hard to compete with international vendors based on technology quality, reliability and innovation. The main areas covered by the report are the United States, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India and Central and South America.Get Upto 60% Discount on this Premium Report @:Key questions answered in the report include:-What will the market size and the growth rate be in 2026?-What are the key factors driving the global IT And Business Services market?-What are the key market trends impacting the growth of the global IT And Business Services market?-What are the challenges to market growth?-Who are the key vendors in the global IT And Business Services market?-What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in the global IT And Business Services market?-Trending factors influencing the market shares of the Americas, APAC, Europe, and MEA.-What are the key outcomes of the five forces analysis of the global IT And Business Services market?This report provides an effective business outlook, different case studies from various top-level industry experts, business owners, and policymakers have been included to get a clear vision about business methodologies to the readers. SWOT and Porters Five model have been used for analyzing the IT And Business Services market on the basis of strengths, challenges and global opportunities in front of the businesses.For More Information:About us:The Research Insights is a global leader in data analytics and a fundamental tool to answer questions and acquire knowledge regarding complexity of interactions between the internal and external factors affecting the dynamics of a marketplace. We exemplify innovative, descriptive, and comprehensive revelations through market research to satisfy your individual and organizational objectives. We assist you to make well-informed, profound and favorable decisions to encompass the advantages of upcoming trends, progressions, estimations, and opportunities through our precise understanding of the market.Our reports will provide the stepping stones for consistent growth of businesses by presenting novel outcomes and solutions to efficiently manage various circumstances and drawbacks of the industry. The accuracy of our statistics is determined by relevant supporting data to enable a step by step approach and reliable verification through experienced skills and verified methodologies. We enable our clients to analyze and anticipate their business requirements to make perceptive decisions, which ensures a substantial impact for our clients. Thus, we deliver value to our clients by assisting the process of their customer management in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders.Contact us:The Research InsightsRobin(Sales manager)Contact number: +91-996-067-0000sales@theresearchinsights.com Organic Chicken Market Inclined to Deliver Positive Growth Results through 2028 | Key Players - Tyson foods Inc., Pilgrims Pride, Perdue Farms Inc., Sanderson Farms Inc., Fosters Farms, etc. https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=1554 https://www.factmr.com/report/1554/organic-chicken-market https://www.factmr.com/checkout/1554/S https://www.factmr.com/ https://factmrblog.com/ This research report titled Organic Chicken Market Inclined to Deliver Positive Growth Results through 2028 focuses on the organic chicken market insights, published to the vast repository managed by FactMR. The analysis focuses on the prime geographical regions based on their market size, revenue and attractiveness factors. Furthermore, the research discusses various segments from the Organic Chicken Market to examine future lucrativeness and spot growth prospects during 2018-2028. Readers can even access information such as key developments, technologies, innovations, etc., concerned to the Organic Chicken Market.To Get Sample Copy of Current Report, Visit Here -Increasing international trade is likely to support the adoption of organic chicken, in turn pushing the growth of its market worldwide. For instance, according to USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), chicken trade is anticipated to rise by 3 percent in 2018 to touch 11.4 million tons. Trading activities are expected to give a boost to the import and export of chicken products and organic chicken is no exception. Furthermore, the concept of going organic has prevailed since the past few years on the back of rising awareness consumers for chemical free food products. The combination of these industry specific and macroeconomic factors are likely to auger well for the growth of the organic chicken market.Apart from rising households and GDP per capita quotients, prevalence of adulterated food products by retailers has raised the need for pure food products, which is expected to influence the demand for organic chicken. Moreover, sustainable packaging, being a pivotal aspect of any industry, has not left the organic chicken market untouched. Demand for vacuum skin packaging, a modern packaging technique, delivers a high customer satisfaction quotient on the back of its main benefit transparent view of the products within the packaging creating a fresh appeal to the consumer eye. These aspects are expected to support the growth of the organic chicken market in the years to follow.FactMR has presented a global outlook highlighting the demand for organic chicken in different countries and regions. The consumption quotient of organic chicken has also been portrayed in the comprehensive research report on organic chicken market. FactMR foresees that the demand for organic chicken is projected to expand at a CAGR of 6.1% in terms of value during the period of forecast, 2018-2028. Additionally, the report foretells that the consumption of organic chicken is likely to surpass 800,000 tones by end of 2028 owing to rising inclination toward consumption of organic chicken coupled with rising consumption of meat products to ensure vitamin B12 intake and essential fatty acids.Read Complete Factors about Global Market Report from Here -Against the backdrop of a steadily increasing consumption of organic chicken, participants and key stakeholders in the market are focused on enhancing their product portfolios by increasing their product lines. For instance, Tyson Foods Inc., is focusing on increasing its organic chicken product line by acquiring Tecumseh Poultry LLC an organic chicken producer. With this acquisition, Tysons product line would extend by including organic chicken sausages and organic fresh chicken, which is expected to favor sales and growth prospects for Tyson in the burgeoning chicken market. Likewise, new players are entering the organic chicken market, given the rising demand for organic poultry. Players such as Pilgrims Inc., is in the process of tapping organic chicken space. Tepid growth of conventional chicken products since the past few years has provoked this move by the company as Pilgrims has witnessed a mushrooming demand for antibiotic free organic chicken.Against the backdrop of growing organic chicken demand, Bell & Evans, pioneer of organic chicken, is focusing on tripling its production. The company has invested on innovative equipment, facilities and capacity to humanely product organic chicken providing flavorful and healthier organic chicken to health conscious consumers. Increasing demand has pushed grocers worldwide to cater to the consumption, which has directly served as a motivating factor for the company to expand its production facilities. In addition, organic chicken accounting for around 30 percent of the overall output of Bell & Evans, the company intends to source organic feed domestically. This commitment has embossed a higher significance in light of issues related to fraudulent import of organic grains.Albeit a steady demand for vacuum skin packaging method, food and beverage manufacturers have come up with a novel packaging technique for their vacuum variants the vacuum thermoformed packaging for the food and beverage sector. Demand for vacuum thermoformed variants for organic chicken packaging is likely to reign in sales and are expected to witness resurgence throughout the period of assessment, says the report. Initially, organic chicken packaging was carried out using vacuum skin packaging, however, the packaging technique faced limitation apropos of size of the product. Vacuum thermoformed packaging offers more packaging space, with high durability, transparency and strength, preventing from contamination which resulted in high adoption of vacuum thermoformed packaging for organic chicken.Buy online this Report from Here -About FactMRFactMR 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 UsFactMR11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400, Rockville, MD 20852United StatesEmail: sales@factmr.comWeb:Blog: Coin Sorter Market by Type (Small Size Coin Sorter, Medium Size, Large Size) Growing with Top Companies Coin Sorter Market https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/4532?utm_source=openpr&utm_medium=vinit https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/4532?utm_source=openpr&utm_medium=vinit https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com The report provides extensive analyses of the top investment pockets, drivers & opportunities, competitive landscape, and key strategic moves by key players. According to the report, the global coin sorter market generated $3.6 billion in 2017 and is projected to reach $5.4 billion by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 6.8% from 2017 to 2023.Coin sorter is used as a sorting unit to facilitate the management of cons for cash intensive businesses. Implementation of coin sorting machines reduces the human efforts wasted during the processes of counting and sorting. These products establish automated cash-handling process for coins and enable time & cost saving for the organization by delivering error free results.Growth of the commercial banks & retail sector, increase in demand for automated cash-handling products, and increased application areas would drive the growth of the global coin sorter market.Growth of the commercial banks & retail sector, increase in demand for automated cash-handling products, and increase in application areas drive the growth of the market. However, advent of digital transactions restrains the market growth. On the other hand, increase in demand for technologically advanced self-service machines and untapped potential in emerging economies would provide new opportunities to the market.Download free Sample copy of Report:Small size coin sorter segment remain dominant by 2023Small size type accounted for nearly half of the total market share in 2017, owing to the rapid emergence of infrastructural money handling requirements, increased application areas, and surge in the number of cash-intensive environment facilities. This segment is expected to maintain its lead through 2023. However, large size coin sorter segment would register the highest CAGR of 7.6% from 2017 to 2023 due to their increased utilization in large cash-sensitive businesses and technological advancements. The medium size coin sorter segment would witness moderate growth during the forecast period.Asia-Pacific to grow the fastest through 2023The trend of using automation for handling cash and increase in presence of highly cash-intensive businesses have enabled the Asia-Pacific region to grow at the fastest CAGR of 8.7% from 2017 to 2023. However, North America contributed more than one-third share of the total revenue in 2017, owing to heavy inflow of investments in the R&D sector and advancements in sorting technologies. This segment is expected to dominate throughout the forecast period.Get More Enquiry for Purchase Report:Leading market playersThe leading players analyzed in the report include Giesecke & Devrient, Laurel, Glory Global Solutions Limited, Baija Baiter, Delarue, Cummins Allison, Royal Sovereign, Suzhou Ribao Technology Co., ltd., BCash, and CT Coin. These players have adopted various strategies including collaborations, joint ventures, partnerships, expansions, and others to gain a strong foothold in the industry.Allied 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: Members of the Black Student Association hosted an event on the importance of black history at 7 p.m. on Feb. 5, 2019 in the Escondido Theatre. Students discussed why Black history is important in society and how it began. Cyber Security in BFSI Market Research Reports 2018-2023 Cyber Security in BFSI Market https://www.planetmarketreports.com/report-sample/global-cyber-security-in-bfsi-market-5346 https://www.planetmarketreports.com/reports/global-cyber-security-in-bfsi-market-5346 Cyber Security in BFSI is series security software and services used to protect cyber security in BFSI industry.The scope of the Report:Increase in risk of data loss as the customer preferences shifted toward digital platforms drive the market. In addition, the rise in adoption of cloud-based security solutions, stringent government regulations, and increased use of mobile devices propel the growth of the market.The global Cyber Security in BFSI market is valued at xx million in 2017 and is expected to reach xx million by the end of 2023, growing at a CAGR of xx% between 2017 and 2023.The Asia-Pacific will occupy for more market share in the following years, especially in China, also fast-growing India and Southeast Asia regions.Request for a sample copy of this report @North America, especially The United States, will still play an important role which cannot be ignored. Any changes from United States might affect the development trend of Cyber Security in BFSI.Europe also plays important roles in the global market, with a market size of xx million in 2017 and will be xx million in 2023, with a CAGR of xx%.This report studies the Cyber Security in BFSI market status and outlook of Global and major regions, from angles of players, countries, product types and end industries; this report analyzes the top players in the global market and splits the Cyber Security in BFSI market by product type and applications/end industries.Market Segment by Companies, this report coversTrend Micro Inc.Symantec CorporationCSC Computer Sciences LimitedBAE Systems.Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.IBM CorporationThe 41st Parameter, Inc.FireEye, Inc.Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.Skybox Security, Inc.Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America United States, Canada and MexicoEurope Germany, France, UK, Russia and ItalyAsia-Pacific China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast AsiaSouth America Brazil, Argentina, ColombiaMiddle East and Africa Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South AfricaGet More Info Market Segment by Type, coversOn-PremisesCloud-BasedHybrid ModelsMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoBankingInsurance CompaniesOther Financial InstitutionsPlanet Market Reports gives statistical surveying reports to businesses, people and associations with a goal of helping them in their decision making process. We have huge database of market research reports & company profiles across globe. We offer premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe.Planet Market Reports understand how essential statistical surveying information is for your organization or association. Therefore, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, & industry experts which provides you deeper penetration of market research industry ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available.Our team is a group of highly motivated people who want to support you 24/7 with the latest accurate research data available. We continuously develop our website to make sure you are able to access the information available in the easiest and safest way. We hope you appreciate our websites and services, if you have suggestions or feedback please let us know through our Contact Us form.Contact US:-Name: Jennifer DanielEmail-Id: sales@planetmarketreports.comUS : +1-716-2260907UK : +447441952057Organization: Planet Market Reports Gastric Electric Stimulators Market || Key Player - Medtronic Plc, Re Shape Lifesciences Inc., Intra Pace Inc., Changzhou Ruishen Medical Equipment Co. Ltd. mrrse https://www.mrrse.com/sample/18318 https://www.mrrse.com/gastric-electric-stimulators-market https://www.mrrse.com/enquiry/18318 https://www.mrrse.com/ The expanding database of Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) has been recently updated by the addition of a new study which is titled as Gastric Electric Stimulators Market Product Type, End-use and Regional Demand Till 2026. The fact based research report on global Gastric Electric Stimulators Market covers various aspects such as trends, drivers, challenges and opportunities that have an influence on the growth and expansion of the global market. All these factors are analysed across key regions of Latin America, North America, Europe, Middle and Africa (MEA) and Asia Pacific. In order to provide an accurate forecast, analysts have presented the current market, which forms the basis on how the metal caps and closures market is expected to develop in the future.To Get Sample Copy of Report Click here @On conducting a thorough research on the historic as well as current growth parameters of the gastric electric stimulators market, growth prospects of the market are obtained with maximum precision. The report features unique and salient factors that may make a huge impact on the development of the gastric electric stimulators market during the forecast period. It can help market players to modify their manufacturing and marketing strategies to envisage maximum growth in the gastric electric stimulators market in the upcoming years. The report provides detailed information about the current and future growth prospects of the gastric electric stimulators market in the most comprehensive way for the better understanding of readers.Chapter 01 Executive SummaryThe report commences with the executive summary of the gastric electric stimulators market, which includes the summary of key findings and key statistics of the market. It also includes the market value (US$ million) estimates of the leading segments of the gastric electric stimulators market.Chapter 02 Market OverviewReaders can find detailed taxonomy and the definition of the gastric electric stimulators market in this chapter, which will help readers to understand the basic information about the gastric electric stimulators market dynamics, reimbursement scenario, and key regulation included in the report.Chapter 03 Global Gastric Electric Stimulators Market Analysis 2013-2018 & Forecast 2019-2026, By Product TypeBased on the product type, the gastric electric stimulators market is segmented into low frequency GES devices and high frequency GES devices. In this chapter, readers can find information about key trends and developments in the gastric electric stimulators market and market attractive analysis based on the product type for each region.Chapter 04 Global Gastric Electric Stimulators Market Analysis 2013-2018 & Forecast 2019-2026, By End UserBased on the End User, the gastric electric stimulators market is segmented into hospitals and outpatients centers. In this chapter, readers can find information about key trends and developments in the gastric electric stimulators market and market attractive analysis based on end user for each region.Chapter 05 Global Gastric Electric Stimulators Market Analysis 2013-2018 & Forecast 2019-2026, By IndicationBased on the indication type, the gastric electric stimulators market is segmented into gastroparesis, obesity, refractory nausea and others.In this chapter, readers can find information about key trends and developments in the gastric electric stimulators market and market attractive analysis based on indication in each region.Chapter 06 Global Gastric Electric Stimulators Market Analysis 2013-2018 & Forecast 2019-2026, By RegionThis chapter explains how the gastric electric stimulators market will grow across various geographic regions, such as North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Middle East & Africa (MEA).Browse Complete Report with TOC @Chapter 07 North America Gastric Electric Stimulators Market Analysis 2013-2018 & Forecast 2019-2026This chapter includes detailed analysis of the growth of the North America gastric electric stimulators market along with the country-wise assessment including the U.S. and Canada. Readers can also find regional trends, regulations, and market growth based on product type, indication, end user and countries in the gastric electric stimulators market of North America.Chapter 08 Latin America Gastric Electric Stimulators Market Analysis 2013-2018 & Forecast 2019-2026Readers can find detailed information about factors such as, regional trends that are impacting the growth of the Latin America gastric electric stimulators market. This chapter also includes the growth prospects of the gastric electric stimulators market in leading LATAM countries such as Mexico, Argentina and rest of the Latin America region.Chapter 09 Europe Gastric Electric Stimulators Market Analysis 2013-2018 & Forecast 2019-2026Important growth prospects of the gastric electric stimulators market based on its product type, application, technique, age group, end user in several countries, such as UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, France, Russia, and Rest of Europe are included in this chapter.Chapter 10 APAC Gastric Electric Stimulators Market Analysis 2013-2018 & Forecast 2019-2026Japan, India, ASEAN and Australia are the leading countries in the APAC region that are the prime subject of assessment to obtain growth prospects of the APEC gastric electric stimulators market in this chapter. Readers can find thorough information about the growth parameters of the APAC gastric electric stimulators market during the period 2019-2026.Chapter 11 MEA Gastric Electric Stimulators Market Analysis 2013-2018 & Forecast 2019-2026This chapter provides information on how the gastric electric stimulators market will grow in the major countries in MEA region, such as GCC Countries, South Africa and rest of MEA during the period 2019-2026.Chapter 12 Competition Landscape, Company Share and Company ProfilesIn this chapter, readers can find a comprehensive list of all the leading stakeholders in the gastric electric stimulators market along with detailed information about each company, including company overview, revenue shares, strategic overview, and recent company developments. Market players featured in the report include Medtronic Plc., ReShape Lifesciences, Inc., IntraPace Inc., and Changzhou Ruishen Medical Equipment Co., Ltd, among others.Chapter 13 Assumptions and AcronymsThis chapter includes a list of acronyms and assumptions that provide a base to the information and statistics included in the report.Chapter 14 Research MethodologyThis chapter helps readers to understand the research methodology followed to obtain various conclusions, important qualitative information, and quantitative information about the gastric electric stimulators market.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @About Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE)Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of Market Research Reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.Contact UsState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite: Companion Diagnostic Technologies Market Focusing On the Trends in Technology and Diagnosis of Various Indications Which Are Driving the Growth Companion Diagnostic Technologies Market https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/135 https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/135 https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/companion-diagnostic-technologies-market The World Companion Diagnostic Market is expected to reach $ 3.5 billion by 2020 and is expected to grow at an annual CAGR of 20% from 2014 to 2020.Companion diagnostic (CD) is an in vitro diagnostic technique that provides information about the patient's response to a specific treatment. Companion diagnosis helps identify patients who can benefit from a particular treatment, resulting in better treatment outcomes and lower health care spending. CD can also help identify patient pools that are most responsive to treatment. Therefore, we exclude therapies that are not effective. It also reduces costs by protecting patients from side effects caused by ineffective therapy.As the incidence of cancer increases and the side effects of drugs and personalized therapies increase, research and development efforts are under way to focus on the development of targeted therapies. The technological advances and discoveries of new biomarkers are also driving the growth of this market. However, coordinating co-diagnosis and therapeutic development is a challenge for this market. Nonetheless, significant investments have been made in the research and development of targeted therapies that require companion diagnostics due to increased cancer, cardiovascular disease, and central nervous system and which may be opportunities for growth in this market.Download PDF Report Sample @Ten leading companies dealing in companion diagnostics have been profiled and are Qiagen Dako (Agilent Technologies) Roche Abbott Laboratories Inc. bioMerieux Ventana Medical Systems Myriad Genetics Inc. Leica Microsystems Resonance Health Ltd and Life Technologies.The key strategy followed by majority of the companies is collaborations with pharmaceutical companies for developing companion diagnostics for their pipeline drugs.The accompanying diagnostic diagnostics market is divided into oncology, cardiovascular, CNS, autoimmune & inflammation, virology and others. Currently, the vast majority of companion diagnostics are developed for cancer, so it is a major revenue generating segment in the entire CD display market. Companion diagnosis has been developed for breast cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, stomach cancer and melanoma.Companion diagnosis for breast cancer is the most common breast cancer incidence because of the increased incidence of breast cancer and the development of many companion diagnoses to detect HER / neu biomarkers for breast cancer. Currently, there is little or no accompanying diagnosis for cardiovascular disease, central nervous system conditions, inflammation and autoimmune diseases and viral diseases, and most of them are in the development stage. However, as more and more biomarkers are discovered, the development of new companion diagnostics will increase.Make an Enquiry before Buy @The technology-specific companion diagnostic market is divided into immunohistochemistry and molecular diagnostics. Molecular diagnostics is the most preferred technology, and next-generation sequencing and real-time PCR are expected to drive growth in this market due to advances in these technologies. The market is followed by North America and Europe due to significant improvements in medical awareness, significant investment in research and development, and an increase in cancer and other disease incidence in the region. However, LAMEA is expected to increase at a significant rate due to the increased incidence of cancer in this region. There is also a growing awareness of medical care in the region. The use of companion diagnostics will therefore continue to increase.Access Full Summery @About Us:Allied 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.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: +1855550-5975help@alliedmarketresearch.com Electronic Cigarette Market expected to garner $26, 839 million registering a CAGR of 17.4% by 2023 Analysis & Trends By Top Key Players Altria Group, British American Tobacco, Imperial Brands Electronic Cigarette https://www.bigmarketresearch.com/request-sample/2413288?utm_source=op&utm_medium=Srbh https://www.bigmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/2413288?utm_source=op&utm_medium=Srbh https://www.bigmarketresearch.com/request-for-discount/2413288?utm_source=op&utm_medium=Srbh The global electronic cigarette market is expected to garner $26, 839 million by 2023, from $8, 610 million in 2016, registering a CAGR of 17.4% from 2017 to 2023. An electronic cigarette is a battery-operated device that emanates dosages of vaporized nicotine or non-nicotine solutions for the user. It aims to provide a similar sensation to inhaling tobacco smoke, without the smoke. Electronic cigarettes are marketed as e-cigarettes, e-cigs, electronic nicotine delivery systems, vaporizer cigarettes, and vape pens. Various smokers opt to electronic cigarette as a way to stop or cut down on smoking.Get Sample Copy Of This Report @Electronic cigarette provides consumers with smoke and ash less vaping, thereby making it socially acceptable. Electronic cigarette is less harmful than regular cigarette, which causes reduced health issues as compared to tobacco smoking thereby driving the market growth.Change in lifestyle and preferences, and increased affluence of people in emerging economies is further anticipated to driving the growth of market. Moreover, tobacco manufacturers are focusing on new technology development, which has created significant importance for electronic cigarette. Electronic cigarette manufacturers invest more in technology to sustain in the competitive space to make their products stand ahead of their competitors. Rise in development and innovations of e-cigarette and vapor technology is expected to propel the market growth during the forecast period. However, stringent government rules & regulations on manufacturing of e-cigarette and rise in the number of reported adverse events restrain the market growth.Prominent Market Players: Altria Group, British American Tobacco, Imperial Brands, International Vapor Group, Japan Tobacco, Nicotek Llc, Njoy Inc., Philip Morris International Inc., Reynolds American Inc., Vmr Flavours LlcReport Segments Based On : Product type, flavor, distribution channel, and region. Based on product type, the market is divided into disposable, rechargeable, and modular.Flavor In Electronic Cigarette: Tobacco, botanical, fruit, sweet, beverage, and othersDistribution Channel & Region Categorized As : Specialist e-cig shops, online, supermarkets, tobacconist, and others. The market is analyzed based on region into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA.Key Benefits : The report provides an in-depth analysis of the current trends, drivers, and dynamics of the global electronic cigarette market to elucidate the prevailing opportunities and potential investment pockets. It offers qualitative trends as well as quantitative analysis for the period of 20162023 to assist stakeholders to understand the market scenario. In-depth analysis of the key segments demonstrates the product types of electronic cigarette. Competitive intelligence of the industry highlights the business practices followed by key players across geographies as well as the prevailing market opportunities. The key players in the market are profiled along with their strategies and developments to understand the competitive outlook of the industry.Get Purchase Inquiry @BY GEOGRAPHY7.1. INTRODUCTION7.1.1. Market Size and Forecast7.2. NORTH AMERICA7.2.3. U.S.7.2.4. Canada7.3. EUROPE7.3.3. UK7.3.4. Germany7.3.5. France7.3.6. Italy7.3.7. Spain7.3.8. Rest of Europe7.4. ASIA-PACIFIC7.4.3. China7.4.4. Malaysia7.4.5. South Korea7.4.6. India7.4.7. Australia7.4.8. Rest of Asia-Pacific7.5.4. Paraguay7.5.5. Israel7.5.6. South Africa7.5.7. Rest of LAMEAOther Prominent Market Players :Electronic Cigarettes International Group, Ltd., Dongguan Wismec Electronics Co., Ltd., iPV Vaping Technology, Logic Technology Development LLC., White Cloud Electronic Cigarettes, VOLCANO, Shenzhen Fest Technology Co., Ltd., LifestylE Cig., Innokin, AVAIL Vapor(The aforementioned companies have not been profiled in the report, but can be include on request.)Get Purchase Discount @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.Contact Us:5933 NE Win Sivers Drive, #205, Portland,OR 97220 United StatesDirect: +1-971-202-1575Toll Free: +1-800-910-6452E-mail help@bigmarketresearch.com Global Smart Factory Market By Technology Service , Geography High Level Industry Dynamics To 2020 | Analysis By Prominent Market Players Microsoft , CMC Associates , Ubisense Group PLC , Operator System Smart Factory https://www.bigmarketresearch.com/request-toc-and-sample/22917?utm_source=op&utm_medium=Srbh https://www.bigmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/22917?utm_source=op&utm_medium=Srbh https://www.bigmarketresearch.com/request-for-discount/22917?utm_source=op&utm_medium=Srbh Smart Factory is the advanced factory that has cyber-physical systems where materials can be moved efficiently across the factory floor. This advanced system has integrated computing codes that provides automation solution. This automation can be deployed within 60 days in order to streamline and track the materials flow through the facility of manufacturing. Smart Factory provides data models and factory- specific & MES templates for rapid use. The use of smart factory boosts the quality & productivity and cuts down the operational cost as compared to traditional production systems.Get Sample Copy Of This Report @The factors that are driving the growth of the Smart Factory market are the rising practice for advanced base for manufacturing, increased focus on energy consumption and improved efficiency of manufacturing. However, the factors that are hampering the growth of the market are lack of interoperability & standardization and the shortage of trained workers.Rising industry of refurbished robots and untapped field such as industrial robots and RFID are expected to create lot of opportunities for the growth of the market. The key strategies adopted by the companies to expand in the Smart Factory market are product launches, mergers & acquisitions and agreements & collaborations. These strategies would provide efficient products and yield strongly performing products that support the market regulations and finally, exhibit better customer satisfaction .Prominent Market Players: Ubisense Group PLC., System Insights, Inc., Operator System, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Microsoft, Johnson Controls, Inc., Invensys PLC., General Electric Co., CMC Associates, and Apriso Corporation.Market By Technology Analysis: Segmented into information technology system, enterprise resource planning (ERP), manufacturing execution system and industrial control system. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is the largest revenue generating segment due to the usage of software applications to embody the processes and products, relationships between activities & functions, procedures and information flow.Market By Field Devices Analysis:Smart Factory field devices market is segmented into industrial robotics, articulated robot, control devices and industrial network. Industrial Robotics is further segmented into articulated robot, cylindrical robot, scara robot and cartesian robot. Control Devices is further segmented into sensors, relays & switches and motors & drive. Industrial Network is also sub-segmented into RFID System (Chipless RFID and Chip-Based RFID), Wireless Network (Chipsets, Microprocessor System and Sensors) and Wired Network. Industrial Network is the largest revenue generating segment due to differentiated products for various purposes.By Geography Analysis:Market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and RoW. Asia Pacific followed by North America is the largest revenue-generating segment due to its increasing adoption of Smart Factory in the automotive industry.By High Level Analysis :The report analyzes various macro environments of the Smart Factory market using porters analysis. According to porters analysis, the bargaining power of the supplier is high due to high cost of switching. The bargaining power of buyer is low due to the specialized products Smart Factory market and threat of substitute is low due to unavailability of alternate products.Key Benefits : Analysis of the Smart Factory market on the basis of various segments is expounded in the report, and segmental analysis is done to identify the largest revenue generating segment To study the various factors that are enhancing and restraining the growth of the market that would help the market players in deeply understanding the market Study of SWOT and analysis of the captivating strategies adopted by the players in the market is conducted, which would help in assisting the stakeholders to take actionable decisions Analysis of the current market scenario, forecasts of the future transition trends and projected revenue of the market through 2013-2020 are expounded in the report; thus, help stakeholders analyze the market To find out the recent trends of the Smart Factory market and opportunities that would open doors for the investors to participate in the market, which in turn would help in the enlargement and expansion of marketGet Purchase Inquiry @KEY DELIVERABLES :Smart Factory Market Analysis is segmented on the basis of technology, field devices, application and geographies.MARKET BY TECHNOLOGY Information Technology System Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Manufacturing Execution System Industrial Control SystemMARKET BY FIELD DEVICES Industrial Roboticso Articulated Roboto Cylindrical Roboto Scara Roboto Cartesian Robot Control Deviceso Sensorso Relays & Switcheso Motors & Drive Industrial Networko RFID System Chipless RFID Chip-Based RFIDo Wireless Network Chipsets Microprocessor System Sensorso Wired Network Ethernet Media Converters Unmanaged Switches Managed SwitchesMARKET BY APPLICATION Process Industryo Pharmaceuticalso Food & Beverageso Chemicalo Oil & Gas Discrete Industryo Automotive & Transportationo Packagingo Mining, Minerals & MetalsMARKET BY GEOGRAPHY North America Europe Asia Pacific RoWGet Purchase Discount @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.Contact Us:5933 NE Win Sivers Drive, #205, Portland,OR 97220 United StatesDirect: +1-971-202-1575Toll Free: +1-800-910-6452E-mail help@bigmarketresearch.com Ceramic Matrix Composites Market 2023 | 3M, applied thin films inc., CeramTec, COI Ceramics, Inc., CoorsTek Inc., GENERAL ELECTRIC, KYOCERA Corporation, Lancer Systems, SGL Carbon India Pvt Ltd, and Rolls-Royce plc. https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/6045 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/ceramic-matrix-composites-market-6045 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/6045 Market Segmentation;The global ceramic matrix composites market is segmented by type, category, process, application, and region. On the basis of the type, the market is segregated into oxide/oxide, carbon/silicon carbide, silicon carbide, carbon/carbon, silicon carbide/silicon carbide, and others. The carbon/silicon carbide is the most preferred type of ceramic matrix composites owing to high oxidation resistance and stiffness. Carbon/carbon composites are increasingly used in the racing cars and aircraft due to lightweight.Based on the category, the global market is segmented into short fibers, long (continuous) fibers, whiskers, and others. Long fibers are used widely by the major end-use industries owing to less brittleness and durability.Based on the process, the market is segmented into power dispersion, liquid precursors, and gaseous infiltration. Liquid precursors is the preferred method for processing ceramic matrix composites due to reliability and suitability to form complex shapes based on the reinforcement preform shape.On the basis of the application, the market is segregated into aerospace, automotive, electronics, energy & power, industrial, and others. Aerospace accounted for the largest market share as a result of increasing use in aircraft components such as gas turbine engines, brake disks, and turning blades. These composites are used as protection cover for furnaces and steel production.Get Sample Copy@SegmentationThe global ceramic matrix composites market is segmented by type, category, process, application, and region.On the basis of the type, the market is segregated into oxide/oxide, carbon/silicon carbide, silicon carbide, carbon/carbon, silicon carbide/silicon carbide, and others.Based on the category, the global market is segmented into short fibers, long (continuous) fibers, whiskers, and others.Based on the process, the market is segmented into power dispersion, liquid precursors, and gaseous infiltration.On the basis of the application, the market is segregated into aerospace, automotive, electronics, energy & power, industrial, and others.Based on the region, the market is segregated into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa.Key Players 3M Applied Thin Films Inc. CeramTec (COI Ceramics, Inc. CoorsTek Inc. GENERAL ELECTRIC KYOCERA Corporation Lancer Systems SGL Carbon India Pvt Ltd Rolls-Royce plc (U.K).Browse Full Report@Intended Audience Ceramic matrix composites manufacturers Traders and distributors of ceramic matrix composites Research and development institutes Potential investors Raw material suppliers Nationalized laboratoryRegional AnalysisNorth America was leading the global market for ceramic matrix composites owing to the expanding aerospace industry in this region. The product consumption is increasing in the U.S. as a result of rising production of aircraft in this region.According to the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) in 2017, the U.S. Aerospace & Defense industrys exports had been grown by 26% over the last five years to USD 143 billion.Europe is likely to witness a significant growth during the review period with reviving automotive industry in this region. Increasing production of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles is expected to reduce the environmental issues and positively influence the regional market development over the forecast period.Asia Pacific was the fastest growing region in the global ceramics matrix composites market with growing aerospace & defense industry in the developing economies of India and China. Additionally, rising demand for the electronic devices in wearable, appliances, and automobiles is likely to augment the market growth.Latin American region is expected to exhibit a considerable growth with respect to growing aerospace and defense industry, especially in Brazil and Mexico. Increasing production of commercial aircraft in Brazil is fuelling the demand in this region.The Middle East and Africa market is likely to witness a moderate growth during the review period due to the growing automotive and aerospace industries. Increasing production of passenger vehicles, especially, by the PSA Groupe is estimated to propel the market growth.Key Points from Table of Content:7. Global Ceramic Matrix Composites Market By Type7.1 Introduction7.2 Oxide/Oxide7.2.1 Market Estimates & Forecast, 2017-20237.2.2 Market Estimates & Forecast By Region, 2017-20237.3 Carbon/Silicon Carbide7.3.1 Market Estimates & Forecast, 2017-20237.3.2 Market Estimates & Forecast By Region, 2017-20237.4 Silicon Carbide7.4.1 Market Estimates & Forecast, 2017-20237.4.2 Market Estimates & Forecast By Region, 2017-20237.5 Carbon/Carbon7.5.1 Market Estimates & Forecast, 2017-20237.5.2 Market Estimates & Forecast By Region, 2017-20237.6 Silicon Carbide/ Silicon Carbide7.6.1 Market Estimates & Forecast, 2017-20237.6.2 Market Estimates & Forecast By Region, 2017-20237.7 Others7.7.1 Market Estimates & Forecast, 2017-20237.7.2 Market Estimates & Forecast By Region, 2017-2023Ask Query@About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 524/528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Bioactive Fillings Market Research and Development Strategy 2019 by Leading Industry Players - Septodont, Inc., DePuy Synthes, Medtronic, Stryker, Zimmer Biomet, SCHOTT AG https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/937 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/bioactive-fillings-market-937 A Broad Analysis of the "Worldwide Bioactive Fillings market methodology of the leading organizations in the exactness of import/export utilization, market activity figures, cost, value, revenue and gross edges.Global Bioactive fillings Market HighlightsBioactive fillings as the name suggests are bioactive materials and react with tissue surroundings as opposed to bio inert fillings resulting in biocompatibility. These are also called bio glasses and have a glass-ceramic composition.Bioactive fillings are used as implant material in the human body to repair and replace diseased tissue.GET PREMIUM SAMPLE REPORT @Leading Industry PlayersSeptodont, Inc.DePuy SynthesMedtronic, StrykerZimmer BiometSCHOTT AGAap Implantate AGGNI GROUP LTD.Arthrex, Inc.BaxterGlobal Bioactive fillings Market SegmentationThe global bioactive fillings market has been segmented on the basis of material, applications and end user.Based on the material, the market has been segmented as silicon dioxide based, calcium oxide based, phosphorus pentoxide based, and sodium oxide based.Based on the applications, the market has been segmented as orthopedic, dental, tissue engineering and others.Based on the end user, the market has been segmented as orthopedic hospitals, dental hospitals, research and academics and others.Global Bioactive fillings Market Growth and AnalysisThe market drivers for global bioactive fillings market are rise in demand due to growing population and per capita income, technological advancements such as development of bio active fillings with market antibacterial activity, greater emphasis on restorative procedures, rising safety and success of bioactive fillings treatment, and others.The market restraints are poor mechanical weakness, low fracture resistance, poor load-bearing capacity and mechanical strength, possible toxicity, high cost of bioactive fillings treatment, rejection of the bioactive fillings and others.Product development represents the best strategy for the market growth. The market is expected to witness exponential growth over the review period owing to technological advancement in bio fillings and procedures.The development of antibacterial bioactive fillings with excellent efficacy and superior protection is also expected to drive the market. The growing application of bioactive fillings in the dentistry segment is expected to raise the market for bioactive materials.Market development is another strategy as there are a number of unmet needs in the developing regions such as India and China. Cost of the product will be a decisive factor in the developing regions such as Asia Pacific and especially Africa.Global Bioactive fillings Market -Regional AnalysisThe Americas account for a significant market share owing to high expenditure on the health care especially of the U.S. and Canada. Additionally, the greater number of restorative procedures in the U.S. and Canada drives the bioactive fillings market.Europe is the second largest market in the world due to growing medical devices industry and healthcare penetration. The European market growth is led by countries such as Germany and France. Germany is expected to be the fastest growing market over the assessment period due to its large medical devices industry and its large research base.Asia Pacific region is expected to grow rapidly; China and India are likely to lead this market due to fast growing healthcare sector and large unmet needs over the forecast period. The South East Asian countries such as China, India, and Malaysia are projected to contribute highly to the market growth.OBTAIN PREMIUM RESEARCH REPORT DETAILS @The growing penetration of healthcare industry in the Asia Pacific region is expected to drive the future bioactive fillings market in the region.The African region is expected to witness a poor growth owing to poor economic and political conditions, and poor healthcare development. Other regions are expected to be laggards due to poor social development and tribal identities such as sub Saharan Africa.Major Points form TOC for Bioactive Fillings Market Research Report Forecast to 2023Chapter 1. Report PrologueChapter 2. Market IntroductionChapter 3. Research MethodologyChapter 4. Market DynamicsChapter 5. Market Factor AnalysisChapter 6. Global Bioactive Fillings Market, By TypeChapter 7. Global Bioactive Fillings Market, By TreatmentChapter 8 Global Bioactive Fillings Market, By End UserChapter 9. Global Bioactive Fillings Market, By RegionChapter 10. Company LandscapeChapter 11. Company ProfilesChapter 12. MRFR ConclusionChapter 13. AppendixAbout 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.Office No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India Global Thin Film Solar Cells Market 2019 | Major Key Players First Solar, Solar Frontier, Sharp Thin Film, MiaSole, NexPower, Stion, Calyxo, Kaneka Solartech, Bangkok Solar Analysis & Forecast Global Thin Film Solar Cells Market 2019 http://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/2747257-thin-film-solar-cells-global-market-status-and-trend-report-2013-2023 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/2747257-thin-film-solar-cells-global-market-status-and-trend-report-2013-2023 http://www.wiseguyreports.com Description :Thin Film Solar Cells-Global Market Status and Trend Report 2013-2023 offers a comprehensive analysis on Thin Film Solar Cells industry, standing on the readers perspective, delivering detailed market data and penetrating insights. No matter the client is industry insider, potential entrant or investor, the report will provides useful data and information. Key questions answered by this report include:Worldwide and Regional Market Size of Thin Film Solar Cells 2013-2017, and development forecast 2013-2023Main manufacturers/suppliers of Thin Film Solar Cells worldwide, with company and product introduction, position in the Thin Film Solar Cells marketMarket status and development trend of Thin Film Solar Cells by types and applicationsCost and profit status of Thin Film Solar Cells, and marketing statusMarket growth drivers and challengesRequest For sample Report @The report segments the global Thin Film Solar Cells market as:Global Thin Film Solar Cells Market: Regional Segment Analysis (Regional Production Volume, Consumption Volume, Revenue and Growth Rate 2013-2023):North AmericaEuropeChinaJapanRest APACLatin AmericaGlobal Thin Film Solar Cells Market: Type Segment Analysis (Consumption Volume, Average Price, Revenue, Market Share and Trend 2013-2023):GaAs Thin Film CellsCdTe Thin Film CellsCIGS Thin Film CellsGlobal Thin Film Solar Cells Market: Application Segment Analysis (Consumption Volume and Market Share 2013-2023; Downstream Customers and Market Analysis)Residential ApplicationCommercial ApplicationUtility ApplicationGlobal Thin Film Solar Cells Market: Manufacturers Segment Analysis (Company and Product introduction, Thin Film Solar Cells Sales Volume, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin):First SolarSolar FrontierSharp Thin FilmMiaSoleNexPowerStionCalyxoKaneka SolartechBangkok SolarWurth SolarGlobal Solar EnergyHanergyENN Energy HoldingsTopray SolarComplete Report Details @Table Of ContentChapter 1 Overview of Thin Film Solar Cells1.1 Definition of Thin Film Solar Cells in This Report1.2 Commercial Types of Thin Film Solar Cells1.2.1 GaAs Thin Film Cells1.2.2 CdTe Thin Film Cells1.2.3 CIGS Thin Film Cells1.3 Downstream Application of Thin Film Solar Cells1.3.1 Residential Application1.3.2 Commercial Application1.3.3 Utility Application1.4 Development History of Thin Film Solar Cells1.5 Market Status and Trend of Thin Film Solar Cells 2013-20231.5.1 Global Thin Film Solar Cells Market Status and Trend 2013-20231.5.2 Regional Thin Film Solar Cells Market Status and Trend 2013-2023Chapter 2 Global Market Status and Forecast by Regions2.1 Market Development of Thin Film Solar Cells 2013-20172.2 Production Market of Thin Film Solar Cells by Regions2.2.1 Production Volume of Thin Film Solar Cells by Regions2.2.2 Production Value of Thin Film Solar Cells by Regions2.3 Demand Market of Thin Film Solar Cells by Regions2.4 Production and Demand Status of Thin Film Solar Cells by Regions2.4.1 Production and Demand Status of Thin Film Solar Cells by Regions 2013-20172.4.2 Import and Export Status of Thin Film Solar Cells by Regions 2013-2017Chapter 3 Global Market Status and Forecast by Types3.1 Production Volume of Thin Film Solar Cells by Types3.2 Production Value of Thin Film Solar Cells by Types3.3 Market Forecast of Thin Film Solar Cells by TypesChapter 4 Global Market Status and Forecast by Downstream Industry4.1 Demand Volume of Thin Film Solar Cells by Downstream Industry4.2 Market Forecast of Thin Film Solar Cells by Downstream IndustryChapter 5 Market Driving Factor Analysis of Thin Film Solar Cells5.1 Global Economy Situation and Trend Overview5.2 Thin Film Solar Cells Downstream Industry Situation and Trend OverviewChapter 6 Thin Film Solar Cells Market Competition Status by Major Manufacturers6.1 Production Volume of Thin Film Solar Cells by Major Manufacturers6.2 Production Value of Thin Film Solar Cells by Major Manufacturers6.3 Basic Information of Thin Film Solar Cells by Major Manufacturers6.3.1 Headquarters Location and Established Time of Thin Film Solar Cells Major Manufacturer6.3.2 Employees and Revenue Level of Thin Film Solar Cells Major Manufacturer6.4 Market Competition News and Trend6.4.1 Merger, Consolidation or Acquisition News6.4.2 Investment or Disinvestment News6.4.3 New Product Development and LaunchChapter 7 Thin Film Solar Cells Major Manufacturers Introduction and Market Data7.1 First Solar7.1.1 Company profile7.1.2 Representative Thin Film Solar Cells Product7.1.3 Thin Film Solar Cells Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin of First Solar7.2 Solar Frontier7.2.1 Company profile7.2.2 Representative Thin Film Solar Cells Product7.2.3 Thin Film Solar Cells Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin of Solar Frontier7.3 Sharp Thin Film7.3.1 Company profile7.3.2 Representative Thin Film Solar Cells Product7.3.3 Thin Film Solar Cells Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin of Sharp Thin Film7.4 MiaSole7.4.1 Company profile7.4.2 Representative Thin Film Solar Cells Product7.4.3 Thin Film Solar Cells Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin of MiaSole7.5 NexPower7.5.1 Company profile7.5.2 Representative Thin Film Solar Cells Product7.5.3 Thin Film Solar Cells Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin of NexPowerContinued.CONTACT US:NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe.Office No.528,Amanora Chambers,Magarpatta Road,Hadapsar,Pune-411028. Asset Integrity Management Systems (AIMS) Market 2019 | Major Key Players: Penspen, Fluor, ABB, Bureau Veritas, Intertek, General Electric, Aker Solutions, Factory IQ, SGS - Analysis & Forecast 2025 Asset Integrity Management Systems (AIMS) Market - 2019 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/3715106-global-asset-integrity-management-systems-aims-market-size https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/3715106-global-asset-integrity-management-systems-aims-market-size http://www.wiseguyreports.com WiseGuyReports.Com adds Asset Integrity Management Systems (AIMS) Market - 2019 research report to its databaseDescription :In 2018, the global Asset Integrity Management Systems (AIMS) market size was million US$ and it is expected to reach million US$ by the end of 2025, with a CAGR of during 2019-2025.This report focuses on the global Asset Integrity Management Systems (AIMS) status, future forecast, growth opportunity, key market and key players. The study objectives are to present the Asset Integrity Management Systems (AIMS) development in United States, Europe and China.Request For sample Report The key players covered in this studyPenspenFluorABBBureau VeritasIntertekGeneral ElectricAker SolutionsFactory IQSGSElement Materials TechnologyEM&ISTAT MarineAsset Integrity EngineeringOceaneering InternationalGeanti Marine LimitedViper InnovationsMarket segment by Type, the product can be split intoAuditingConsultingTesting & AnalysisQuality Assurance & Quality ControlOtherMarket segment by Application, split intoOffshore StructuresOil and Gas IndustryPower IndustryMining IndustryPipelines and Process SystemsMarket segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversUnited StatesEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaCentral & South AmericaClick Here For Complete Report Table Of Content1 Report Overview1.1 Study Scope1.2 Key Market Segments1.3 Players Covered1.4 Market Analysis by Type1.4.1 Global Asset Integrity Management Systems (AIMS) Market Size Growth Rate by Type (2014-2025)1.4.2 Auditing1.4.3 Consulting1.4.4 Testing & Analysis1.4.5 Quality Assurance & Quality Control1.4.6 Other1.5 Market by Application1.5.1 Global Asset Integrity Management Systems (AIMS) Market Share by Application (2014-2025)1.5.2 Offshore Structures1.5.3 Oil and Gas Industry1.5.4 Power Industry1.5.5 Mining Industry1.5.6 Pipelines and Process Systems1.6 Study Objectives1.7 Years Considered2 Global Growth Trends2.1 Asset Integrity Management Systems (AIMS) Market Size2.2 Asset Integrity Management Systems (AIMS) Growth Trends by Regions2.2.1 Asset Integrity Management Systems (AIMS) Market Size by Regions (2014-2025)2.2.2 Asset Integrity Management Systems (AIMS) Market Share by Regions (2014-2019)2.3 Industry Trends2.3.1 Market Top Trends2.3.2 Market Drivers2.3.3 Market Opportunities3 Market Share by Key Players3.1 Asset Integrity Management Systems (AIMS) Market Size by Manufacturers3.1.1 Global Asset Integrity Management Systems (AIMS) Revenue by Manufacturers (2014-2019)3.1.2 Global Asset Integrity Management Systems (AIMS) Revenue Market Share by Manufacturers (2014-2019)3.1.3 Global Asset Integrity Management Systems (AIMS) Market Concentration Ratio (CR5 and HHI)3.2 Asset Integrity Management Systems (AIMS) Key Players Head office and Area Served3.3 Key Players Asset Integrity Management Systems (AIMS) Product/Solution/Service3.4 Date of Enter into Asset Integrity Management Systems (AIMS) Market3.5 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion Plans12 International Players Profiles12.1 Penspen12.1.1 Penspen Company Details12.1.2 Company Description and Business Overview12.1.3 Asset Integrity Management Systems (AIMS) Introduction12.1.4 Penspen Revenue in Asset Integrity Management Systems (AIMS) Business (2014-2019)12.1.5 Penspen Recent Development12.2 Fluor12.2.1 Fluor Company Details12.2.2 Company Description and Business Overview12.2.3 Asset Integrity Management Systems (AIMS) Introduction12.2.4 Fluor Revenue in Asset Integrity Management Systems (AIMS) Business (2014-2019)12.2.5 Fluor Recent Development12.3 ABB12.3.1 ABB Company Details12.3.2 Company Description and Business Overview12.3.3 Asset Integrity Management Systems (AIMS) Introduction12.3.4 ABB Revenue in Asset Integrity Management Systems (AIMS) Business (2014-2019)12.3.5 ABB Recent Development12.4 Bureau Veritas12.4.1 Bureau Veritas Company Details12.4.2 Company Description and Business Overview12.4.3 Asset Integrity Management Systems (AIMS) Introduction12.4.4 Bureau Veritas Revenue in Asset Integrity Management Systems (AIMS) Business (2014-2019)12.4.5 Bureau Veritas Recent Development12.5 Intertek12.5.1 Intertek Company Details12.5.2 Company Description and Business Overview12.5.3 Asset Integrity Management Systems (AIMS) Introduction12.5.4 Intertek Revenue in Asset Integrity Management Systems (AIMS) Business (2014-2019)12.5.5 Intertek Recent DevelopmentContinued About Us:Wise Guy Reports Is Part Of The Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. And Offers Premium Progressive Statistical Surveying, Market Research Reports, Analysis & Forecast Data For Industries And Governments Around The Globe. Wise Guy Reports Features An Exhaustive List Of Market Research Reports From Hundreds Of Publishers Worldwide. We Boast A Database Spanning Virtually Every Market Category And An Even More Comprehensive Collection Of Market Research Reports Under These Categories And Sub-Categories.CONTACT US:NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe.Office No.528,Amanora Chambers,Magarpatta Road,Hadapsar,Pune-411028. Semiconductor Glass Wafer 2019 Global Industry Key Players Asahi Glass , Corning , Plan Optik, SCHOTT Market Analysis And Forecast To 2025 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/3723862-global-semiconductor-glass-wafer-market-research-report-2019 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/enquiry/3723862-global-semiconductor-glass-wafer-market-research-report-2019 Global Semiconductor Glass Wafer MarketA glass wafer is usually a very thin disc used as a base for manufacturing integrated circuits. It is a thin piece of semiconductor material, usually made of borosilicate glass, quartz, or fused silica.In terms of geographic regions, APAC will contribute to major semiconductor glass wafer market growth. This is due to the strong presence of electronics manufacturers. Moreover, the presence of several foundries in countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan will also significantly contribute to the growth of the market in APAC.Request a Sample Report @The global Semiconductor Glass Wafer market is valued at xx million US$ in 2018 is expected to reach xx million US$ by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of xx% during 2019-2025.This report focuses on Semiconductor Glass Wafer volume and value at global level, regional level and company level. From a global perspective, this report represents overall Semiconductor Glass Wafer market size by analyzing historical data and future prospect. Regionally, this report focuses on several key regions: North America, Europe, China and Japan.At company level, this report focuses on the production capacity, ex-factory price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer covered in this report.The following manufacturers are covered:Asahi GlassCorningPlan OptikSCHOTTShin EtsuSumcoMEMCLG SiltronSASOkmeticShenhe FTSSSTJRHSiltronicSegment by RegionsNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSegment by TypeBorosilicate GlassQuartzFused SilicaSegment by ApplicationConsumer electronicsAutomotiveIndustrialAerospace and defenseTable of Contents-Key Points CoveredExecutive Summary1 Semiconductor Glass Wafer Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Semiconductor Glass Wafer1.2 Semiconductor Glass Wafer Segment by Type1.2.1 Global Semiconductor Glass Wafer Production Growth Rate Comparison by Type (2014-2025)1.2.2 Borosilicate Glass1.2.3 Quartz1.2.4 Fused Silica1.3 Semiconductor Glass Wafer Segment by Application1.3.1 Semiconductor Glass Wafer Consumption Comparison by Application (2014-2025)1.3.2 Consumer electronics1.3.3 Automotive1.3.4 Industrial1.3.5 Aerospace and defense1.3 Global Semiconductor Glass Wafer Market by Region1.3.1 Global Semiconductor Glass Wafer Market Size Region1.3.2 North America Status and Prospect (2014-2025)1.3.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2014-2025)1.3.4 China Status and Prospect (2014-2025)1.3.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2014-2025)1.3.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2014-2025)1.3.7 India Status and Prospect (2014-2025)1.4 Global Semiconductor Glass Wafer Market Size1.4.1 Global Semiconductor Glass Wafer Revenue (2014-2025)1.4.2 Global Semiconductor Glass Wafer Production (2014-2025).7 Company Profiles and Key Figures in Semiconductor Glass Wafer Business7.1 Asahi Glass7.1.1 Asahi Glass Semiconductor Glass Wafer Production Sites and Area Served7.1.2 Semiconductor Glass Wafer Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.1.3 Asahi Glass Semiconductor Glass Wafer Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2019)7.1.4 Main Business and Markets Served7.2 Corning7.2.1 Corning Semiconductor Glass Wafer Production Sites and Area Served7.2.2 Semiconductor Glass Wafer Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.2.3 Corning Semiconductor Glass Wafer Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2019)7.2.4 Main Business and Markets Served7.3 Plan Optik7.3.1 Plan Optik Semiconductor Glass Wafer Production Sites and Area Served7.3.2 Semiconductor Glass Wafer Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.3.3 Plan Optik Semiconductor Glass Wafer Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2019)7.3.4 Main Business and Markets Served7.4 SCHOTT7.4.1 SCHOTT Semiconductor Glass Wafer Production Sites and Area Served7.4.2 Semiconductor Glass Wafer Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.4.3 SCHOTT Semiconductor Glass Wafer Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2019)7.4.4 Main Business and Markets Served7.5 Shin Etsu7.5.1 Shin Etsu Semiconductor Glass Wafer Production Sites and Area Served7.5.2 Semiconductor Glass Wafer Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.5.3 Shin Etsu Semiconductor Glass Wafer Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2019)7.5.4 Main Business and Markets Served7.6 Sumco7.6.1 Sumco Semiconductor Glass Wafer Production Sites and Area Served7.6.2 Semiconductor Glass Wafer Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.6.3 Sumco Semiconductor Glass Wafer Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2019)7.6.4 Main Business and Markets Served7.7 MEMC7.7.1 MEMC Semiconductor Glass Wafer Production Sites and Area Served7.7.2 Semiconductor Glass Wafer Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.7.3 MEMC Semiconductor Glass Wafer Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2019)7.7.4 Main Business and Markets Served7.8 LG Siltron7.8.1 LG Siltron Semiconductor Glass Wafer Production Sites and Area Served7.8.2 Semiconductor Glass Wafer Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.8.3 LG Siltron Semiconductor Glass Wafer Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2019)7.8.4 Main Business and Markets Served7.9 SAS7.9.1 SAS Semiconductor Glass Wafer Production Sites and Area Served7.9.2 Semiconductor Glass Wafer Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.9.3 SAS Semiconductor Glass Wafer Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2019)7.9.4 Main Business and Markets Served7.10 Okmetic7.10.1 Okmetic Semiconductor Glass Wafer Production Sites and Area Served7.10.2 Semiconductor Glass Wafer Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.10.3 Okmetic Semiconductor Glass Wafer Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2019)7.10.4 Main Business and Markets Served7.11 Shenhe FTS7.12 SST7.13 JRH7.14 SiltronicContinued.Enquiry For Buying Report@Wise Guy Reports Is Part Of The Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. And Offers Premium Progressive Statistical Surveying, Market Research Reports, Analysis & Forecast Data For Industries And Governments Around The Globe. Wise Guy Reports Features An Exhaustive List Of Market Research Reports From Hundreds Of Publishers Worldwide. We Boast A Database Spanning Virtually Every Market Category And An Even More Comprehensive Collection Of Market Research Reports Under These Categories And Sub-Categories.Office No. 528/524, Amanora Chambers, Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar Pune, Maharashtra 411028 NAND Flash Memory Market 2019: Key Companies Analysis (Samsung, Toshiba(& SanDisk), Micron, SKhynix, Sandisk etc.) NAND Flash Memory Market https://www.orianresearch.com/request-sample/784859 https://www.orianresearch.com/enquiry-before-buying/784859 https://www.orianresearch.com/checkout/784859 NAND Flash Memory Market 2019 Global Industry research report offers you market size, industry growth, share, development trends, product demand, investment plans, business idea and forecasts to 2025. This report highlights exhaustive study of major market along with present and forecast market scenario with useful business decisions.Get Sample Copy of This Report atDevelopment policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures. This report also states import/export, supply and consumption figures as well as cost, price, revenue and gross margin by regions North America, Europe, Japan, China, and other regions (India, Southeast Asia, Central & South America, Middle East & Africa etc.)Inquire more or share questions if any before the purchase on this report @Key Companies Analyzed in this Report are: Samsung Toshiba(& SanDisk) Micron SKhynix Sandisk Global NAND Flash Memory Market report has been compiled through extensive primary research (through analytical research, market survey and observations) and secondary research. The report also features a complete focused on qualitative and quantitative assessment by analyzing data gathered from industry analysts and market participants across key points in the industrys value chain, growth aspects, utilization ratio and manufacturing capacity.Place a Direct Order Of this Report @Major Points Covered in Table of Contents:1 NAND Flash Memory Market Overview2 Global NAND Flash Memory Market Competition by Manufacturers3 Global NAND Flash Memory Production Market Share by Regions4 Global NAND Flash Memory Consumption by Regions5 Global NAND Flash Memory Production, Revenue, Price Trend by Type6 Global NAND Flash Memory Market Analysis by Applications7 Company Profiles and Key Figures in NAND Flash Memory Business8 NAND Flash Memory Manufacturing Cost Analysis9 Marketing Channel, Distributors and Customers10 Market Dynamics11 Global NAND Flash Memory Market Forecast12 Research Findings and Conclusion13 Methodology and Data SourceAbout UsOrian Research is one of the most comprehensive collections of market intelligence reports on The World Wide Web. Our reports repository boasts of over 500000+ industry and country research reports from over 100 top publishers. We continuously update our repository so as to provide our clients easy access to the world's most complete and current database of expert insights on global industries, companies, and products. We also specialize in custom research in situations where our syndicate research offerings do not meet the specific requirements of our esteemed clients.Contact UsRuwin MendezVice President Global Sales & Partner RelationsOrian Research ConsultantsUS: +1 (415) 830-3727 | UK: +44 020 8144-71-27Email: info@orianresearch.com Ugly Fashion Market 2019 2026 Brief Analysis by Top Key Players like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Versace, Vetements, Chanel, Off-White, Burberry, Ross Stores, Richemont, Nordstorm, Kering, Hugo Boss Ugly Fashion Market https://www.theresearchinsights.com/request_sample.php?id=7787 https://www.theresearchinsights.com/ask_for_discount.php?id=7787 https://www.theresearchinsights.com/enquiry_before_buying.php?id=7787 https://www.theresearchinsights.com/ Fashion is a popular style, especially in clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle and body. Fashion is a distinctive and often constant trend in the style in which people present themselves. A fashion can become the prevailing style in behavior or manifest the newest creations of designers, technologists, engineers, and design managers.Request Sample Copy of this Report@:The Top Key Players included in this Market:Kering, Adidas, Ross Stores, Richemont, H&M Group, Hermes, TJX Companies, LVMH, Nike, Inditex, LVMH, Prada, Nordstorm, Burberry, Capri Holdingd, Kering, Ralph Lauren Corporation, Hugo Boss, Luxottica Group SpA, Ted Baker, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Versace, Vetements, Chanel, Off-WhiteIn 2018, however, there's a new type of trend emerging. For the last year, there's been a widespread and willing adoption of fashion that's already considered ugly. This report studies the industry for Ugly Fashion Market around the world, taking into account existing industry chains, the market import and export statistics, and demand and supply dynamics. The fashion Market research study covers all aspects of the market.Ugly Fashion Market industry and developing into the segmentation worldwide. In addition, all segments of the market are categorized and analyzed by product type, application, and end-use industry in the fashion market. The geographical division of the industry has also been included in the length of this report. The report provides an in-depth study of Ugly Fashion Market using Porter's Five Forces Analysis I.e. Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threat to the organization.Geographically, this report split global into several key Regions, with sales (K Units), revenue (Million USD), market share and growth rate of Ugly Fashion for these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringUnited States-China-Europe-Japan-Southeast Asia-IndiaGet Reasonable Discount on this Premium Report @:Major Factors about the Report:Global Ugly Fashion Market OverviewEconomic Impact on MarketMarket CompetitionGlobal Ugly Fashion Market Analysis by ApplicationIndustrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream BuyersMarketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/TradersGlobal Market Effect, Factors, AnalysisGlobal Market ForecastReport Highlights:- The report provides a detailed analysis on current and future market trends to identify the investment opportunities- Market forecasts till 2025, using estimated market values as the base numbers- Key market trends across the business segments, Regions and Countries- Key developments and strategies observed in the market- Market Dynamics such as Drivers, Restraints, Opportunities and other trends- In-depth company profiles of key players and upcoming prominent players- Growth prospects among the emerging nations through 2025- Market opportunities and recommendations for new investmentsFor More information:About us:The Research Insights is a global leader in data analytics and a fundamental tool to answer questions and acquire knowledge regarding complexity of interactions between the internal and external factors affecting the dynamics of a marketplace. We exemplify innovative, descriptive, and comprehensive revelations through market research to satisfy your individual and organizational objectives. We assist you to make well-informed, profound and favorable decisions to encompass the advantages of upcoming trends, progressions, estimations, and opportunities through our precise understanding of the market.Our reports will provide the stepping stones for consistent growth of businesses by presenting novel outcomes and solutions to efficiently manage various circumstances and drawbacks of the industry. The accuracy of our statistics is determined by relevant supporting data to enable a step by step approach and reliable verification through experienced skills and verified methodologies. We enable our clients to analyze and anticipate their business requirements to make perceptive decisions, which ensures a substantial impact for our clients. Thus, we deliver value to our clients by assisting the process of their customer management in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders.Contact Details:The Research InsightsRobin(Sales manager)Contact number: +91-996-067-0000sales@theresearchinsights.com Wireless Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (WIPDS) Market 2019: Top Key Players are Cisco, IBM, Check Point, HP, Netscout, AirWave (Aruba), Extreme Networks, Extreme Networks etc. Wireless Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (WIPDS) Market https://www.researchreportsworld.com/enquiry/request-sample/13799677 https://www.researchreportsworld.com/enquiry/pre-order-enquiry/13799677 https://www.researchreportsworld.com/purchase/13799677 Wireless Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (WIPDS) Market 2019 Report analyses the industry status, size, share, trends, growth opportunity, competition landscape and forecast to 2025. This report also provides data on patterns, improvements, target business sectors, limits and advancements. Furthermore, this research report categorizes the market by companies, region, type and end-use industry.Get Sample Copy of this Report@ -Global Wireless Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (WIPDS) market 2019 research provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The Global Wireless Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (WIPDS) market analysis is provided for the international markets including development trends, competitive landscape analysis, and key regions development status. Development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures are also analysed. This report also states import/export consumption, supply and demand Figures, cost, price, revenue and gross margins.Wireless Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (WIPDS) Market research report spread across 94 pages with top key manufacturers and list of tables and figures.Inquire more or share questions if any before the purchase on this report @ -Global Wireless Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (WIPDS) market competition by TOP MANUFACTURERS, with production, price, revenue (value) and each manufacturer including Cisco IBM Check Point HP Netscout AirWave (Aruba) Extreme Networks Fortinet ForeScout WatchGuard .This report studies the top producers and consumers, focuses on product capacity, production, value, consumption, market share and growth opportunity in these key regions, covering North America Europe China Japan Southeast Asia IndiaGlobal Wireless Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (WIPDS) Market providing information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials and equipment and downstream demand analysis is also carried out. The Global Wireless Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (WIPDS) market development trends and marketing channels are analysed. Finally, the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed and overall research conclusions offered.With tables and figures helping analyse worldwide Global Wireless Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (WIPDS) market, this research provides key statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.Order a copy of Global Wireless Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (WIPDS) Market Report 2019 @ -Market segment by Type, the product can be split into Wireless Intrusion Detection Systems (WIDS) Wireless Intrusion Prevention Systems (WIPS)Market segment by Application, split into Finance Government IT and Telecom Health Utilities OtherThe study objectives of this report are: To analyse global Wireless Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (WIPDS) status, future forecast, growth opportunity, key market and key players. To present the Wireless Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (WIPDS) development in United States, Europe and China. To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyse their development plan and strategies. To define, describe and forecast the market by product type, market and key regions.There are 14 Chapters to deeply display the global Wireless Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (WIPDS) marketChapter 1: To describe Wireless Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (WIPDS) Market Overview, Introduction, product scope, market opportunities, Application.Chapter 2: To analyse the Top Manufacturers of Wireless Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (WIPDS), with sales, capacity, production, revenue, and price of Wireless Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (WIPDS), in 2014 and 2019.Chapter 3: Wireless Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (WIPDS), to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers with capacity, production, share by region, sales, revenue, gross margin and market share in 2014 and 2019.Chapter 4: To show the global market by regions, supply, consumption, with sales, export-import, revenue and market share of Wireless Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (WIPDS), for each region, from 2014 Wireless Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (WIPDS) to 2019.Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 To analyse the market by countries, by type, by application and by manufacturers, with sales, analysis by application, 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, strategy analysis and factor analysis from 2014 Wireless Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (WIPDS) to 2019.Chapter 12 Wireless Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (WIPDS) market forecast, by regions, type, with sales and revenue, growth rate, price Forecast from 2019 to 2025 Wireless Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (WIPDS).Chapter 13: Connected Wireless Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (WIPDS).Chapter 14: To describe Wireless Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (WIPDS) sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.About Us:Research Reports World is the credible source for gaining the market reports that will provide you with the lead your business needs. At Research Reports World, our objective is providing a platform for many top-notch market research firms worldwide to publish their research reports, as well as helping the decision makers in finding most suitable market research solutions under one roof. Our aim is to provide the best solution that matches the exact customer requirements. This drives us to provide you with custom or syndicated research reports.Contact Us:Name: Mr. Ajay MoreEmail: sales@researchreportsworld.comOrganization: Research Reports WorldPhone: +1 408 520 9750/+44 203 239 8187 Global Mobile Phone Charger Market Research Insights 2019-2024- Samsung, Rayovac, PNY, etc. Mobile Phone Charger Market https://www.reportsmonitor.com/request_sample/324992 https://www.reportsmonitor.com/check_discount/324992 https://www.reportsmonitor.com/report/324992/Mobile-Phone-Charger-Market Mobile Phone Charger MarketMobile Phone Charger is powered by a stable power supply (mainly power supply, enough to provide a stable operating voltage and current) with the necessary constant current control circuit pressure limit, limit, etc., is to provide equipment for the energy storage device . In the areas of life are widely used in mobile phones, cameras, digital, and so common appliances. Charger power electronic semiconductor device using the constant voltage and frequency of the alternating current is converted to a static DC converter means.More Insightful Information | Request a Sample Copy @Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversSamsung, Rayovac, PNY, Mipow, OthersMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America , Europe, Asia-Pacific , South America , Middle East and AfricaMarket Segment by Type, coversWired Charger, Wireless ChargerMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoPower Bank, General ChargerEnquire Here to Get customization & check discount for report @Manufacturing cost structure:The Mobile Phone Charger Market report also studies the manufacturing cost structure and presents the various details such as raw material, overall production process, and the industry chain structure. Every region key factors are provided which is attracting this market towards growth. The report also elaborates on the opportunities the emerging markets of Asia Pacific and Latin America offer and Globally.Important Facts About Mobile Phone Charger Market Report:-This research report reveals Mobile Phone Charger business overview, product overview, market share, supply chain analysis, demand and supply ratio and import/export details.-The Industry report features different approaches and procedures endorsed by the Mobile Phone Charger market key players to make vital business decisions.-Mobile Phone Charger market depicts some parameters such as production value, Mobile Phone Charger marketing strategy analysis, Distributors/Traders and effect factors is also mentioned in this Mobile Phone Charger research report.Key questions answered in the report include:What will the market growth rate of Mobile Phone Charger market in 2024?What are the key factors driving the global Mobile Phone Charger market?Who are the key manufacturers in this market space?What are the market opportunities, market risk and market overview of the Mobile Phone Charger market?What are sales, revenue, and price analysis of top manufacturers of this market?Who are the distributors, traders and dealers of this market?What are the this market opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in the global Mobile Phone Charger market?Access Complete Report with TOC, Tables and Figures and Major Companies Profile:Reasons for Buying this Report:1.To gain insightful analyses of the Mobile Phone Charger Industry and have comprehensive understanding of the global market and its commercial landscape2.Assess the production processes, major issues, and solutions.3.Market strategies that are being adopted by leading respective organizations4.The report gives specific analysis for rapidly changing dynamics of this Industry.5.To understand the future outlook and prospects for the this market with Marketing & Price (Price and Margin, Factors of Price Change, Manufacturers Gross Margin Analysis)About Us:Reports Monitor is a market research and consulting company that provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. To help clients make informed business decisions, we offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a range of industries including Healthcare, Technology, Chemicals, Materials, and Energy. With an intrinsic understanding of many business environments, Reports Monitor provides strategic objective insights.Contact UsJay MatthewsDirect: +1 513 549-591481 (U.S.)+44 203 318 2850 (U.K.)Email: sales@reportsmonitor.com Wireless Ambulatory Telemetry Monitors Global Industry Report - History, Present and Future 2025 Wireless Ambulatory Telemetry 2025 https://www.research2reports.com/report-medical-devices/wireless-ambulatory-telemetry-monitors-market/71984 https://www.research2reports.com/sample-report-medical-devices/wireless-ambulatory-telemetry-monitors-market/71984 https://www.research2reports.com/enquiry-before-buy-medical-devices/wireless-ambulatory-telemetry-monitors-market/71984 The global market size of Wireless Ambulatory Telemetry Monitors 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.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)Access more details about this report at: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 Wireless Ambulatory Telemetry Monitors as well as some small players. The compnaies include:Philips Healthcare, Fukuda Denshi, Omron Healthcare, Masimo, GE Healthcare, Boston Scientific, St. Jude Medical, A&D Medical, Natus Medical, Welch Allyn, Nonin, Mindray et al.Purchase a copy of this premium research report at: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.Inquire further details about this report at:Research 2 Reports offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe.Office No. 212/213, B Block 2nd Floor,Parmar Chambers,Sadhu Vaswani Road, Pune 411001 Global Household Water Purifier Market Research Report 2019 | Industry Size, Trend, Growth and Top Key Players Whirlpool, LG Electronics, Panasonic, Unilever Pure it, Haier Forecast to 2025 Household Water Purifier , Household Water Purifier Market, Household Water Purifier Market Trends https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/3723837-global-household-water-purifier-market-research-report-2019 https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/3723837-global-household-water-purifier-market-research-report-2019 Global Household Water Purifier Market Research Report 2019Wiseguyreports.Com Adds Household Water Purifier - Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities, Manufacturers and Analysis of Top Key Players to 2025 To Its Research DatabaseGlobal Household Water Purifier Market Forecast to 2025A household water purifier is an appliance that eliminates undesirable chemicals, suspended solids, and biological contaminants from contaminated water. It aims to remove possible harmful impurities from untreated water and produce clean drinking water.Asia-Pacific occupied 55.27% of the sales market in 2017. It is followed by Europe and North America, which respectively account for around 20.44% and 17.89% of the global total industry. Other countries have a smaller amount of sales.The global Household Water Purifier market is valued at xx million US$ in 2018 is expected to reach xx million US$ by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of xx% during 2019-2025.This report focuses on Household Water Purifier volume and value at global level, regional level and company level. From a global perspective, this report represents overall Household Water Purifier market size by analyzing historical data and future prospect. Regionally, this report focuses on several key regions: North America, Europe, China and Japan.At company level, this report focuses on the production capacity, ex-factory price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer covered in this report.The following manufacturers are covered:PentairMideaQinyuan Group3M PurificationHanstonHoneywellHaierCulligan InternationalRoyalstarBest Water TechnologyPanasonicWhirlpoolGREELG ElectronicsA. O. SmithTorayWattsUnilever Pure itCowayKent RO SystemsAngelGet Sample Report of Household Water Purifier Market@Segment by RegionsNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSegment by TypeRO Water PurifierUV Water PurifierOthersSegment by ApplicationApartmentHouseOthersComplete report with Comprehensive table of contents@Major Key Points in Table of ContentExecutive Summary1 Household Water Purifier Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Household Water Purifier1.2 Household Water Purifier Segment by Type1.2.1 Global Household Water Purifier Production Growth Rate Comparison by Type (2014-2025)1.2.2 RO Water Purifier1.2.3 UV Water Purifier1.2.4 Others1.3 Household Water Purifier Segment by Application1.3.1 Household Water Purifier Consumption Comparison by Application (2014-2025)1.3.2 Apartment1.3.3 House1.3.4 Others1.3 Global Household Water Purifier Market by Region1.3.1 Global Household Water Purifier Market Size Region1.3.2 North America Status and Prospect (2014-2025)1.3.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2014-2025)1.3.4 China Status and Prospect (2014-2025)1.3.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2014-2025)1.3.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2014-2025)1.3.7 India Status and Prospect (2014-2025)1.4 Global Household Water Purifier Market Size1.4.1 Global Household Water Purifier Revenue (2014-2025)1.4.2 Global Household Water Purifier Production (2014-2025)7 Company Profiles and Key Figures in Household Water Purifier Business7.1 Pentair7.1.1 Pentair Household Water Purifier Production Sites and Area Served7.1.2 Household Water Purifier Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.1.3 Pentair Household Water Purifier Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2019)7.1.4 Main Business and Markets Served7.2 Midea7.2.1 Midea Household Water Purifier Production Sites and Area Served7.2.2 Household Water Purifier Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.2.3 Midea Household Water Purifier Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2019)7.2.4 Main Business and Markets Served7.3 Qinyuan Group7.3.1 Qinyuan Group Household Water Purifier Production Sites and Area Served7.3.2 Household Water Purifier Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.3.3 Qinyuan Group Household Water Purifier Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2019)7.3.4 Main Business and Markets Served7.4 3M Purification7.4.1 3M Purification Household Water Purifier Production Sites and Area Served7.4.2 Household Water Purifier Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.4.3 3M Purification Household Water Purifier Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2019)7.4.4 Main Business and Markets Served7.5 Hanston7.5.1 Hanston Household Water Purifier Production Sites and Area Served7.5.2 Household Water Purifier Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.5.3 Hanston Household Water Purifier Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2019)7.5.4 Main Business and Markets Served7.6 Honeywell7.6.1 Honeywell Household Water Purifier Production Sites and Area Served7.6.2 Household Water Purifier Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.6.3 Honeywell Household Water Purifier Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2019)7.6.4 Main Business and Markets Served7.7 Haier7.7.1 Haier Household Water Purifier Production Sites and Area Served7.7.2 Household Water Purifier Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.7.3 Haier Household Water Purifier Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2019)7.7.4 Main Business and Markets Served7.8 Culligan International7.8.1 Culligan International Household Water Purifier Production Sites and Area Served7.8.2 Household Water Purifier Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.8.3 Culligan International Household Water Purifier Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2019)7.8.4 Main Business and Markets Served7.9 Royalstar7.9.1 Royalstar Household Water Purifier Production Sites and Area Served7.9.2 Household Water Purifier Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.9.3 Royalstar Household Water Purifier Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2019)7.9.4 Main Business and Markets Served7.10 Best Water Technology7.10.1 Best Water Technology Household Water Purifier Production Sites and Area Served7.10.2 Household Water Purifier Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.10.3 Best Water Technology Household Water Purifier Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2014-2019)7.10.4 Main Business and Markets Served7.11 Panasonic7.12 Whirlpool7.13 GREE7.14 LG Electronics7.15 A. O. Smith7.16 Toray7.17 Watts7.18 Unilever Pure it7.19 Coway7.20 Kent RO Systems7.21 Angel11 Global Household Water Purifier Market Forecast11.1 Global Household Water Purifier Production, Revenue Forecast11.1.1 Global Household Water Purifier Production Growth Rate Forecast (2019-2025)11.1.2 Global Household Water Purifier Revenue and Growth Rate Forecast (2019-2025)11.1.3 Global Household Water Purifier Price and Trend Forecast (2019-2025)11.2 Global Household Water Purifier Production Forecast by Regions (2019-2025)11.2.1 North America Household Water Purifier Production, Revenue Forecast (2019-2025)11.2.2 Europe Household Water Purifier Production, Revenue Forecast (2019-2025)11.2.3 China Household Water Purifier Production, Revenue Forecast (2019-2025)11.2.4 Japan Household Water Purifier Production, Revenue Forecast (2019-2025)11.3 Global Household Water Purifier Consumption Forecast by Regions (2019-2025)11.3.1 North America Household Water Purifier Consumption Forecast (2019-2025)11.3.2 Europe Household Water Purifier Consumption Forecast (2019-2025)11.3.3 China Household Water Purifier Consumption Forecast (2019-2025)11.3.4 Japan Household Water Purifier Consumption Forecast (2019-2025)11.4 Global Household Water Purifier Production, Revenue and Price Forecast by Type (2019-2025)11.5 Global Household Water Purifier Consumption Forecast by Application (2019-2025)Continued................Contact US:NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)About Us:Wise Guy Reports Is Part Of The Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. And Offers Premium Progressive Statistical Surveying, Market Research Reports, Analysis & Forecast Data For Industries And Governments Around The Globe. Wise Guy Reports Features An Exhaustive List Of Market Research Reports From Hundreds Of Publishers Worldwide. We Boast A Database Spanning Virtually Every Market Category And An Even More Comprehensive Collection Of Market Research Reports Under These Categories And Sub-Categories.Addres:: Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt Ltd: Pune 411028: Maharashtra,: Ph: +91 841 198 5042 Global Smart Wrist Watches Industry Market Analysis & Forecast 2018-2023 https://www.marketdensity.com/contact?ref=Sample&reportid=5310 https://www.marketdensity.com/global-smart-wrist-watches-industry-market-analysis-forecast-2018-2023 https://www.marketdensity.com The Global Smart Wrist Watches Industry Market for wearable is one of the central points which adds to the development of the worldwide smartwatch advertise amid the conjecture time frame.Global Smart Wrist Watches Industry Market Rising interest for remote patient observing and remote wellbeing checking gadgets and innovative progressions in smartwatches advances showcase development amid the conjecture time frame. In any case, concerns identified with wellbeing, security, and protection of information is one of the main consideration controlling the development of the Global Smart Wrist Watches Industry Market amid the estimated time frame.Get sample copy of report:Table of ContentsChapter 1 Smart Wrist Watches Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Smart Wrist Watches1.2 Smart Wrist Watches Market Segmentation by Type1.2.1 Global Production Market Share of Smart Wrist Watches by Type1.2.1 Type 11.2.2 Type 21.2.3 Type 31.3 Smart Wrist Watches Market Segmentation by Application1.3.1 Smart Wrist Watches Consumption Market Share by Application1.3.2 Application 11.3.3 Application 21.3.4 Application 31.4 Smart Wrist Watches Market Segmentation by Regions1.4.1 North America1.4.2 China1.4.3 Europe1.4.4 Southeast Asia1.4.5 Japan1.4.6 India1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Smart Wrist Watches1.5.1 Global Product Sales and Growth Rate1.5.2 Global Product Revenue and Growth RateChapter 2 Global Economic Impact on Smart Wrist Watches Industry2.1 Global Macroeconomic Environment Analysis2.1.1 Global Macroeconomic Analysis2.1.2 Global Macroeconomic Environment Development Trend2.2 Global Macroeconomic Environment Analysis by RegionsChapter 3 Global Smart Wrist Watches Market Competition by Manufacturers3.1 Global Smart Wrist Watches Production and Share by Manufacturers3.2 Global Smart Wrist Watches Revenue and Share by Manufacturers3.3 Global Smart Wrist Watches Average Price by Manufacturers3.4 Manufacturers Smart Wrist Watches Manufacturing Base Distribution, Production Area and Product Type3.5 Smart Wrist Watches Market Competitive Situation and Trends3.5.1 Smart Wrist Watches Market Concentration Rate3.5.2 Smart Wrist Watches Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers3.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, ExpansionChapter 4 Global Smart Wrist Watches Production, Revenue (Value) by Region4.1 Global Smart Wrist Watches Production by Region4.2 Global Smart Wrist Watches Production Market Share by Region4.3 Global Smart Wrist Watches Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region4.4 Global Smart Wrist Watches Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin4.5 North America Smart Wrist Watches Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin4.5.1 North America Smart Wrist Watches Production and Market Share by Manufacturers4.5.2 North America Smart Wrist Watches Production and Market Share by Type4.5.3 North America Smart Wrist Watches Production and Market Share by Application4.6 Europe Smart Wrist Watches Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin4.6.1 Europe Smart Wrist Watches Production and Market Share by Manufacturers4.6.2 Europe Smart Wrist Watches Production and Market Share by Type4.6.3 Europe Smart Wrist Watches Production and Market Share by Application4.7 China Smart Wrist Watches Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin4.7.1 China Smart Wrist Watches Production and Market Share by Manufacturers4.7.2 China Smart Wrist Watches Production and Market Share by Type4.7.3 China Smart Wrist Watches Production and Market Share by Application4.8 Japan Smart Wrist Watches Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin4.8.1 Japan Smart Wrist Watches Production and Market Share by Manufacturers4.8.2 Japan Smart Wrist Watches Production and Market Share by Type4.8.3 Japan Smart Wrist Watches Production and Market Share by Application4.9 Southeast Asia Smart Wrist Watches Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin4.9.1 Southeast Asia Smart Wrist Watches Production and Market Share by Manufacturers4.9.2 Southeast Asia Smart Wrist Watches Production and Market Share by Type4.9.3 Southeast Asia Smart Wrist Watches Production and Market Share by Application4.10 India Smart Wrist Watches Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin4.10.1 India Smart Wrist Watches Production and Market Share by Manufacturers4.10.2 India Smart Wrist Watches Production and Market Share by Type4.10.3 India Smart Wrist Watches Production and Market Share by ApplicationChapter 5 Global Smart Wrist Watches Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions5.1 Global Smart Wrist Watches Consumption by Regions5.2 North America Smart Wrist Watches Production, Consumption, Export, Import by Regions5.3 Europe Smart Wrist Watches Production, Consumption, Export, Import by Regions5.4 China Smart Wrist Watches Production, Consumption, Export, Import by Regions5.5 Japan Smart Wrist Watches Production, Consumption, Export, Import by Regions5.6 Southeast Asia Smart Wrist Watches Production, Consumption, Export, Import by Regions5.7 India Smart Wrist Watches Production, Consumption, Export, Import by RegionsChapter 6 Global Smart Wrist Watches Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type6.1 Global Smart Wrist Watches Production and Market Share by Type6.2 Global Smart Wrist Watches Revenue and Market Share by Type6.3 Global Smart Wrist Watches Price by Type6.4 Global Smart Wrist Watches Production Growth by TypeChapter 7 Global Smart Wrist Watches Market Analysis by Application7.1 Global Smart Wrist Watches Consumption and Market Share by Application7.2 Global Smart Wrist Watches Revenue and Market Share by Type7.3 Global Smart Wrist Watches Consumption Growth Rate by Application7.4 Market Drivers and Opportunities7.4.1 Potential Applications7.4.2 Emerging Markets/CountriesChapter 8 Global Smart Wrist Watches Manufacturers Analysis8.1 company 18.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors8.1.2 Product Type, Application and Specification8.1.3 Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin8.1.4 Business Overview8.2 company 28.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors8.2.2 Product Type, Application and Specification8.2.3 Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin8.2.4 Business Overview8.3 company 38.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors8.3.2 Product Type, Application and Specification8.3.3 Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin8.3.4 Business Overview8.4 company 48.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors8.4.2 Product Type, Application and Specification8.4.3 Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin8.4.4 Business Overview8.5 company 58.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors8.5.2 Product Type, Application and Specification8.5.3 Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin8.5.4 Business Overview8.6 company 68.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors8.6.2 Product Type, Application and Specification8.6.3 Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin8.6.4 Business Overview8.7 company 78.7.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors8.7.2 Product Type, Application and Specification8.7.3 Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin8.7.4 Business Overview8.8 company 88.8.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors8.8.2 Product Type, Application and Specification8.8.3 Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin8.8.4 Business Overview8.9 company 98.9.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors8.9.2 Product Type, Application and Specification8.9.3 Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin8.9.4 Business OverviewChapter 9 Smart Wrist Watches Manufacturing Cost Analysis9.1 Smart Wrist Watches Key Raw Materials Analysis9.1.1 Key Raw Materials9.1.2 Price Trend of Key Raw Materials9.1.3 Key Suppliers of Raw Materials9.1.4 Market Concentration Rate of Raw Materials9.2 Proportion of Manufacturing Cost Structure9.2.1 Raw Materials9.2.2 Labor Cost9.2.3 Manufacturing Expenses9.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Smart Wrist WatchesChapter 10 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers10.1 Smart Wrist Watches Industrial Chain Analysis10.2 Upstream Raw Materials Sourcing10.3 Raw Materials Sources of Smart Wrist Watches Major Manufacturers10.4 Downstream BuyersChapter 11 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders11.1 Marketing Channel11.1.1 Direct Marketing11.1.2 Indirect Marketing11.1.3 Marketing Channel Development Trend11.2 Market Positioning11.2.1 Pricing Strategy11.2.2 Brand Strategy11.2.3 Target Client11.3 Distributors/Traders ListChapter 12 Market Effect Factors Analysis12.1 Technology Progress/Risk12.1.1 Substitutes Threat12.1.2 Technology Progress in Related Industry12.2 Consumer Needs/Customer Preference Change12.3 Economic/Political Environmental ChangeChapter 13 Global Smart Wrist Watches Market Forecast13.1 Global Smart Wrist Watches Production, Revenue Forecast13.2 Global Smart Wrist Watches Production, Consumption Forecast by Regions13.3 Global Smart Wrist Watches Production Forecast by Type13.4 Global Smart Wrist Watches Consumption Forecast by Application13.5 Smart Wrist Watches Price ForecastChapter 14 AppendixBy this report online:About Market Density:Market Density is your one stop market research and industry analysis reports' library providing business data and intelligence information on thousands of micro markets with global as well as regional coverage.Market Density offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe.Market Density understands how essential statistical surveying information is for your organization or association. Therefore, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available.Contact Us:Email: Support@marketdensity.comWebsite:Phone: +1 669 264 16564340 Stevens Creek Blvd,Suite # 172,San Jose, CA 95129 Global Digital Media Adaptor Industry Market Analysis & Forecast 2018-2023 https://www.marketdensity.com/contact?ref=Sample&reportid=5320 https://www.marketdensity.com/global-digital-media-adaptor-industry-market-analysis-forecast-2018-2023 https://www.marketdensity.com Global Digital Media Adaptor Industry Market by Manufacturers, Regions, Type, and Application, Forecast to 2023 by Fiord Markets outlines examination, specialized developments, real makers, applications, organization profile, and item qualification, interests in highlights rich administrations and items, and costs. The logical information of driving variables of the market alongside present market patterns, fragments, district insightful investigation, and opportunity are ingrained in the Global Digital Media Adaptor Industry Market.Get sample copy of report:Table of ContentsChapter 1 Digital Media Adaptor Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Digital Media Adaptor1.2 Digital Media Adaptor Market Segmentation by Type1.2.1 Global Production Market Share of Digital Media Adaptor by Type1.2.1 Type 11.2.2 Type 21.2.3 Type 31.3 Digital Media Adaptor Market Segmentation by Application1.3.1 Digital Media Adaptor Consumption Market Share by Application1.3.2 Application 11.3.3 Application 21.3.4 Application 31.4 Digital Media Adaptor Market Segmentation by Regions1.4.1 North America1.4.2 China1.4.3 Europe1.4.4 Southeast Asia1.4.5 Japan1.4.6 India1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Digital Media Adaptor1.5.1 Global Product Sales and Growth Rate1.5.2 Global Product Revenue and Growth RateChapter 2 Global Economic Impact on Digital Media Adaptor Industry2.1 Global Macroeconomic Environment Analysis2.1.1 Global Macroeconomic Analysis2.1.2 Global Macroeconomic Environment Development Trend2.2 Global Macroeconomic Environment Analysis by RegionsChapter 3 Global Digital Media Adaptor Market Competition by Manufacturers3.1 Global Digital Media Adaptor Production and Share by Manufacturers3.2 Global Digital Media Adaptor Revenue and Share by Manufacturers3.3 Global Digital Media Adaptor Average Price by Manufacturers3.4 Manufacturers Digital Media Adaptor Manufacturing Base Distribution, Production Area and Product Type3.5 Digital Media Adaptor Market Competitive Situation and Trends3.5.1 Digital Media Adaptor Market Concentration Rate3.5.2 Digital Media Adaptor Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers3.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, ExpansionChapter 4 Global Digital Media Adaptor Production, Revenue (Value) by Region4.1 Global Digital Media Adaptor Production by Region4.2 Global Digital Media Adaptor Production Market Share by Region4.3 Global Digital Media Adaptor Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region4.4 Global Digital Media Adaptor Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin4.5 North America Digital Media Adaptor Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin4.5.1 North America Digital Media Adaptor Production and Market Share by Manufacturers4.5.2 North America Digital Media Adaptor Production and Market Share by Type4.5.3 North America Digital Media Adaptor Production and Market Share by Application4.6 Europe Digital Media Adaptor Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin4.6.1 Europe Digital Media Adaptor Production and Market Share by Manufacturers4.6.2 Europe Digital Media Adaptor Production and Market Share by Type4.6.3 Europe Digital Media Adaptor Production and Market Share by Application4.7 China Digital Media Adaptor Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin4.7.1 China Digital Media Adaptor Production and Market Share by Manufacturers4.7.2 China Digital Media Adaptor Production and Market Share by Type4.7.3 China Digital Media Adaptor Production and Market Share by Application4.8 Japan Digital Media Adaptor Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin4.8.1 Japan Digital Media Adaptor Production and Market Share by Manufacturers4.8.2 Japan Digital Media Adaptor Production and Market Share by Type4.8.3 Japan Digital Media Adaptor Production and Market Share by Application4.9 Southeast Asia Digital Media Adaptor Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin4.9.1 Southeast Asia Digital Media Adaptor Production and Market Share by Manufacturers4.9.2 Southeast Asia Digital Media Adaptor Production and Market Share by Type4.9.3 Southeast Asia Digital Media Adaptor Production and Market Share by Application4.10 India Digital Media Adaptor Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin4.10.1 India Digital Media Adaptor Production and Market Share by Manufacturers4.10.2 India Digital Media Adaptor Production and Market Share by Type4.10.3 India Digital Media Adaptor Production and Market Share by ApplicationChapter 5 Global Digital Media Adaptor Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions5.1 Global Digital Media Adaptor Consumption by Regions5.2 North America Digital Media Adaptor Production, Consumption, Export, Import by Regions5.3 Europe Digital Media Adaptor Production, Consumption, Export, Import by Regions5.4 China Digital Media Adaptor Production, Consumption, Export, Import by Regions5.5 Japan Digital Media Adaptor Production, Consumption, Export, Import by Regions5.6 Southeast Asia Digital Media Adaptor Production, Consumption, Export, Import by Regions5.7 India Digital Media Adaptor Production, Consumption, Export, Import by RegionsChapter 6 Global Digital Media Adaptor Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type6.1 Global Digital Media Adaptor Production and Market Share by Type6.2 Global Digital Media Adaptor Revenue and Market Share by Type6.3 Global Digital Media Adaptor Price by Type6.4 Global Digital Media Adaptor Production Growth by TypeChapter 7 Global Digital Media Adaptor Market Analysis by Application7.1 Global Digital Media Adaptor Consumption and Market Share by Application7.2 Global Digital Media Adaptor Revenue and Market Share by Type7.3 Global Digital Media Adaptor Consumption Growth Rate by Application7.4 Market Drivers and Opportunities7.4.1 Potential Applications7.4.2 Emerging Markets/CountriesChapter 8 Global Digital Media Adaptor Manufacturers Analysis8.1 company 18.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors8.1.2 Product Type, Application and Specification8.1.3 Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin8.1.4 Business Overview8.2 company 28.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors8.2.2 Product Type, Application and Specification8.2.3 Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin8.2.4 Business Overview8.3 company 38.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors8.3.2 Product Type, Application and Specification8.3.3 Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin8.3.4 Business Overview8.4 company 48.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors8.4.2 Product Type, Application and Specification8.4.3 Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin8.4.4 Business Overview8.5 company 58.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors8.5.2 Product Type, Application and Specification8.5.3 Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin8.5.4 Business Overview8.6 company 68.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors8.6.2 Product Type, Application and Specification8.6.3 Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin8.6.4 Business Overview8.7 company 78.7.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors8.7.2 Product Type, Application and Specification8.7.3 Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin8.7.4 Business Overview8.8 company 88.8.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors8.8.2 Product Type, Application and Specification8.8.3 Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin8.8.4 Business Overview8.9 company 98.9.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors8.9.2 Product Type, Application and Specification8.9.3 Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin8.9.4 Business OverviewChapter 9 Digital Media Adaptor Manufacturing Cost Analysis9.1 Digital Media Adaptor Key Raw Materials Analysis9.1.1 Key Raw Materials9.1.2 Price Trend of Key Raw Materials9.1.3 Key Suppliers of Raw Materials9.1.4 Market Concentration Rate of Raw Materials9.2 Proportion of Manufacturing Cost Structure9.2.1 Raw Materials9.2.2 Labor Cost9.2.3 Manufacturing Expenses9.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Digital Media AdaptorChapter 10 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers10.1 Digital Media Adaptor Industrial Chain Analysis10.2 Upstream Raw Materials Sourcing10.3 Raw Materials Sources of Digital Media Adaptor Major Manufacturers10.4 Downstream BuyersChapter 11 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders11.1 Marketing Channel11.1.1 Direct Marketing11.1.2 Indirect Marketing11.1.3 Marketing Channel Development Trend11.2 Market Positioning11.2.1 Pricing Strategy11.2.2 Brand Strategy11.2.3 Target Client11.3 Distributors/Traders ListChapter 12 Market Effect Factors Analysis12.1 Technology Progress/Risk12.1.1 Substitutes Threat12.1.2 Technology Progress in Related Industry12.2 Consumer Needs/Customer Preference Change12.3 Economic/Political Environmental ChangeChapter 13 Global Digital Media Adaptor Market Forecast13.1 Global Digital Media Adaptor Production, Revenue Forecast13.2 Global Digital Media Adaptor Production, Consumption Forecast by Regions13.3 Global Digital Media Adaptor Production Forecast by Type13.4 Global Digital Media Adaptor Consumption Forecast by Application13.5 Digital Media Adaptor Price ForecastChapter 14 AppendixBy this report online:About Market Density:Market Density is your one stop market research and industry analysis reports' library providing business data and intelligence information on thousands of micro markets with global as well as regional coverage.Market Density offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe.Market Density understands how essential statistical surveying information is for your organization or association. Therefore, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available.Contact Us:Email: Support@marketdensity.comWebsite:Phone: +1 669 264 16564340 Stevens Creek Blvd,Suite # 172,San Jose, CA 95129 Ambassador Schwass (far right) with Prime Minister Salwai (centre) and Speaker Saimon at the Waitangi Day celebration. Combination treatment, diabetes drug and immunotherapy, may help to fight breast cancer MYC, a gene with high cancer-initiating potential, is overexpressed in over 40% of breast cancers. While MYC programs breast cancer cells to build more macromolecules (anabolic metabolism) it also creates a metabolic vulnerability by making them more sensitive to a type of cell death known as apoptosis. Research Director Juha Klefstrom, PhD, University of Helsinki, Finland, has worked for a long time to exploit this apoptosis-sensitizing effect of MYC in the battle against the cancer. Klefstrom and his research group found that, because of this vulnerability, cancer cells can be attacked with a "drug cocktail" that includes the diabetes drug metformin and venetoclax, a BCL-2 protein inhibitor that can induce apoptosis in cancer cells. The group identified metformin in a search for drugs that could boost the apoptosis-inducing action of venetoclax. Venetoclax has been approved to treat certain leukemias but not yet for the treatment of breast cancer. "This drug combo exploits specific metabolic vulnerabilities that high levels of MYC creates in tumor cells. Metformin and venetoclax, when given together, killed breast tumor cells in culture and blocked tumor growth in breast cancer animal models. Furthermore, the drugs efficiently killed authentic breast cancer tissue donated by breast cancer patients. The breast cancer samples were obtained fresh from surgeries performed in Helsinki University Hospital", Dr. Klefstrom says. However, the researchers soon discovered that the metformin plus venetoclax treatment only held tumors in check as long as the mice with implanted breast tumors were actively being treated with the drugs; once the treatment was stopped, the tumors grew back. The study shows that tumors were initially filled with tumor-killing lymphocytes; however, after the treatment they largely vanished and the remaining killer cells expressed PD-1, a marker of immune cell exhaustion. To help the immune cells better fight the tumor, the researchers developed a new treatment strategy. First, they hit breast tumors with apoptosis-inducing drugs metformin and venetoclax to reduce the tumor size and to wake up killer lymphocytes. After the primary tumors were surgically removed, the mice were then treated with a triple combination: metformin, venetoclax and a PD-1-targeted antibody, which is used in immunotherapies to keep killer cells active long-term. "With this combination the survival of mice carrying implanted tumors was extended dramatically in comparison to mice that were treated with only single or double combinations", Klefstrom states. Klefstrom highlights that this is a wonderful example of a translational study fundamentally aimed at taking research from bench to bedside. The key people from the University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital (HUS) - basic researchers, pathologists, surgeons and oncologists - were all involved at the earliest stages of the study. The first author of the study Dr Heidi Haikala notes: "It's quite amazing how we've been able to bring a discovery from the lab bench all the way to the doors of the cancer clinics within the time frame of one PhD project. We are very excited about our findings and hope that they will translate to benefit breast cancer patients." "This is a great example of how scientists in academia, leveraging highly specialized tumor models and applying their unique insights, can contribute to the discovery of potential new treatments for people with cancer. It is also a testament to the great research being done in smaller countries like Finland," states Joel Leverson, Ph.D., a Senior Scientific Director at AbbVie and one of the senior authors in the study. "We finally have a drug combination that efficiently exploits MYC's apoptotic function and most importantly, these drugs can be tested in the clinic in real patients. We are currently working hard towards this next step.", Klefstrom concludes. ### The collaborative study involved Juha Klefstrom, Satu Mustjoki and Timo Otonkoski groups at the University of Helsinki, FIMM, HUSLAB pathology, Helsinki University Hospital/HUS breast cancer surgery unit and HUS Comprehensive Cancer Center. Other key collaborators included University of Wurzburg, Germany, Oncotest GmbH (now part of Charles River Laboratories Inc.) and AbbVie, North Chicago. This story has been published on: 2019-02-06. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Wars are fought by governments; in Ukraine, it is crowd-funded International oi-Shubham Ghosh Kiev, Feb 6: Wars are fought by national governments as they are skills that the State possesses. But in Ukraine, one of the republics that broke out of the former Soviet Union in 1991 with the end of the Cold War, one has found the idea of crowd-funding war gaining momentum. And it is indeed a fascinating story. After remaining caught in a tension between Russia and the rest of Europe, Ukraine saw the worst in 2013 when its pro-Russia president Viktor Yanukovych abandoned a trade deal with the European Union. 'War will continue' as long as Ukraine government in power, says Vladimir Putin It was followed by massive protests and in February next year, Yanukovych fled in a Russian helicopter. The Kremlin took advantage of the unrest in Ukraine and seized Crimea which it still continues to occupy despite the West's warnings. Russia also allegedly started aiding separatist forces in the eastern Donbas region by sending military forces and mercenaries. It was a tough challenge for Ukraine as the country's military power was weak. Even by the government's estimates, only 6,000 of 41,000 land troop personnel were ready for war and it was because of decades of corruption and neglect. "As separatists won a series of victories, armored cars requisitioned from a local bank ferried Ukrainian troops to the front. Soldiers were issued medical kits whose only useful item was a condom. Some arrived in sandals or were forced to scavenge weapons from dead separatists. Many wounded troops returned to Kiev and died in military-hospital hallways for lack of beds and surgical instruments," a report by Washington-based Pulitzer Center said, explaining the pathetic state of affairs in the Ukrainian military that was supposed to protect the country at those hours of danger. War volunteers chipped in to save Ukraine This called for volunteers and over a thousand participants of Ukraine's famous Euromaidan protests - both men and women - stepped in to knit together some form of military front for the battered country. They brought together battalions that even had links with ultranationalist groups at times; those that were united by a common hatred for Russia and passionate about Ukraine's own identity. A supply chain was formed to keep the war efforts running. Ukraine-Russia crisis: Trump refuses to hold Moscow responsible A former manager of food and beverage company Danone SA did the job of delivering basic provisions worth $2 million to the east. A manufacturing company owner even rehabbed old Soviet-era tanks for the war purpose. Even volunteer ambulance corps were readied, the Pulitzer report said. Besides, private donors came up who paid for sniper rifles and medical and even mental health services, the report added. "Within a year the Volunteer Council, a civil group within the Ministry of Defense, had cataloged donations totaling about $12 million to $14 million, an accounting that didn't cover all volunteer groups, nor donations from corporations, in-kind support, or manpower. Diaspora groups in the U.S., Canada, and Europe gave millions of dollars more," the report said. There were also a bad side to this entire episode. While the parallel system did not do any good to Ukraine's broken mainstream system, there was also the danger of weapons reaching the hands of right-wing extremists and criminals, the report said. This 11-year-old who was bullied in school for his last name Trump invited to President's speech International oi-Madhuri Adnal Washington, Feb 06: Joshua Trump, an 11-year-old who was bullied because of his surname, was among the guests at the annual State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday night. The schoolboy, a student from Wilmington, Delaware, had to drop out of school because of the abuse and told his mother he had lost the will to live, was invited to the speech by First Lady Melania Trump. First lady Melania Trump has been vocal about the dangers of online bullying. She has even chosen to highlight the issue at the State of the Union address by inviting Joshua Trump, an 11-year-old from Wilmington, Del., as her guest. Presidential guests at the State of the Union are a decades-long tradition, and they usually serve a symbolic - even political - purpose, either attending to receive thanks for their patriotic contributions or to underscore a policy position or argument of the president. Lawmakers in the audience, in turn, bring guests of their own. Children are occasional invitees. In addition to Joshua and others, the president will be joined by 9-year-old Grace Eline who was successfully treated for a brain tumor and who made a mark in her hospital community with her optimism and strength of spirit. For his first State of the Union, in 2009, President Barack Obama invited eighth-grader Ty'Sheoma Bethe after she asked Congress for funding for her school. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, February 6, 2019, 8:36 [IST] About 200 US companies to move manufacturing from China to India Talks with China will not help says USA NSA on situation on Ladakh 20 members of a family removed from US flight after mask of 1 slipped under nose Indian American arrested on charges of H-1B, naturalisation fraud International oi-PTI Washington, Feb 6: An Indian-American was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly submitting 11 fake H-1B visa applications and fraudulently procuring his own citizenship, US Attorney Craig Carpenito said. Neeraj Sharma, 43, living in the Piscataway township of New Jersey, is charged by complaint with one count of visa fraud and one count of naturalization fraud, the attorney said. He will be produced before US Magistrate Judge Michael Hammer in Newark federal court. The visa and naturalisation fraud charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of USD 250,000. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, Sharma recruited foreign workers with purported IT expertise who sought work in the US. He is the owner and chief executive officer of Magnavision LLC, an information technology staffing and consulting company based in Somerset, New Jersey. State of the Union Address: Trump praises legal immigrants, says no to illegal immigration When submitting the potential staffers' H-1B visa paperwork to US Citizenship and Immigrations Services, Sharma falsely represented that the foreign workers had full-time positions awaiting them at a national bank, a pre-requisite to securing their visas, federal prosecutors alleged. The H-1B program applies to employers seeking to hire non-immigrant aliens as workers in specialty occupations or as fashion models of distinguished merit and ability. In fact, Sharma had never secured work for the applicants and submitted phony letters to the USCIS on the bank's letterhead with forged signatures of bank executives, the complaint said, adding that he committed these crimes as an Indian citizen and as legal permanent resident. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, February 6, 2019, 15:31 [IST] Sabarimala issue pending in Supreme Court, nothing to be debated now: CM Pinarayi Vijayan Woman who was thrown out of home for entering Sabarimala returns after Court order India oi-Madhuri Adnal Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 06: Kanaka Durga, one of the two women who entered Sabarimala on 2 Jan, was allowed to enter her in-law's house on Tuesday in Malappuram district after court allowed her to stay at her in-law's house. She was earlier allegedly assaulted by her mother-in-law for entering. Kanaka Durga said, "I got the court order and I could enter my house. I'm happy. I could not see my children today, but I hope I can see them next time. I don't have any difficulty to stay with them, they are not ready to stay with me. Everything will be solved." Durga, one of the two women who made history by entering the Sabarimala temple, has been homeless after her family disowned her. She had decided to take legal action against her family for domestic violence, and said that she won't enter her home before she gets the court order. Kanaka Durga and 40-year-old Bindu Ammini, were the first ones of menstrual age to enter the famous hilltop shrine in decades. The Supreme Court had in a historic verdict last year lifted the centuries-old ban and allowed women of all age groups to offer prayers at the temple. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, February 6, 2019, 11:17 [IST] J&K: All party meet with Centre to focus on seat de-limitation say sources At all party meet with PM, J&K parties to demand for restoration of statehood Gupkar Alliance will meet with PM Modi, to demand statehood, restoration of Article 370 What has happened in Jammu and Kashmir during Modi rule? India oi-Hardeep Singh Bedi New Delhi, Feb 6: The Ministry of Home Affairs data shows that terrorism as well as elimination of terrorists have increased in Jammu and Kashmir after Narendra Modi government assumed power at Centre in 2014. Jammu and Kashmir witnessed highest number of terror attacks in 2018 since 2014. The terrorists carried out 614 attacks in the state in 2018 in which 38 civilians lost their lives and 91 security personnel were also killed. J&K: 191 local joined terror groups in 2018 However, year 2018 was also deadliest for the terrorists as security forces gunned down 257 militants, which is highest than the number of 2010 when 232 terrorists were killed. In 2017, the terrorist carried out 342 attacks in which 40 civilians and 80 security personnel were killed. On the other hand, the security forces gunned down 213 terrorists. One of the major terror incidents of 2017 was attack on annual Amarnath Yatra. On July 10, 2017, eight Hindu civilian pilgrims on the way from Amarnath Temple in Kashmir Valley were killed in a terror attack. This was the fourth ever terror attack on Amarnath Yatra. In 2016, fifteen civilians and 82 security personnel lost their lives in 322 terror incidents. In the reply, the security forces killed 150 terrorists. In 2015, the number of killed terrorists stood at 108 during 208 terror attacks. The terror attacks also claimed lives of 17 civilians and 39 security jawans. In 2014, the security forces eliminated 110 terrorists during 222 terror attacks. The civilian and security personnel causality was 28 and 47 respectively. However, the detailed analysis of 2018, 2016, and current situation is very important to evaluate what has happened in Jammu and Kashmir during Narendra Modi rule. 2018 The Sunjuwan terror attack was the major success for the terrorists in 2018. On February 10, 2018, Jaish-e-Mohammed fidayeen attacked an Indian Army camp in Sunjuwan, Jammu, in which 11 soldiers, four attackers and one civilian were killed. The attack coincided with the death anniversary of Afzal Guru, a convict in the 2001 Indian parliament attack. CRPF camp attack: NIA arrests key conspirator However, year 2018 was also deadliest for the terrorists. Due to the better coordination between Indian Army, Central Armed Police Forces and Jammu & Kashmir Police; 257 terrorists were neutralised in 2018. These include top Lashkar commander Naveed Jatt, who was involved in the murder of journalist Sujaat Bukhari; Jaish sniper Usman Haider, nephew of Jaish Chief Maluana Masood Azhar; Hizbul Mujahideen commander Altaf Ahmad Dar, and mastermind of Sunjuwan attack Jaish commander Mufti Waqas. Most Disruptive 2016 2016 was the most disruptive year in Jammu and Kashmir during last five years. While the terrorists managed to carry out major attacks during this year, India, in a first, not only carried out surgical strike across the border but also owned it. In a major success, the security forces gunned down Hizbul Mujahideen's 21-year-old poster boy Burhan Muzzafar Wani in an encounter in the Kokernag area of south Kashmir's Anantnag district on July 8, 2016. Widespread protests erupted in the Kashmir valley after Wani's death, causing 2016 unrest in the valley for nearly half a year, in which more than 96 people died. The violence which erupted after his death was described as the worst unrest in the region since the 2010 Kashmir unrest. The second significant incident of 2016 was deadliest Uri terror attack. Kashmir's Islands of Peace: How the Valley is gradually becoming terror free In a pre-dawn ambush on September 18, 2016; four militants attacked an Indian Army brigade headquarters in Uri, near the Line of Control, and killed 17 army personnel were killed. Four militants were also gunned down during six-hour long encounter. On 29 September, eleven days after the Uri attack; India responded with the surgical strike against militant launch pads across the Line of Control in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and reportedly killed many terrorists who were waiting to infiltrate into India. Nagrota terror attack was also a major terror incident of 2016. On the morning of 29 November at around 5:30 IST, three militants dressed in Indian police uniforms attacked the Indian Army's 166 Field Regiment unit in the town of Nagrota, near the Jammu city. Four Indian Army soldiers, including an officer were killed in the initial gun battle. Later, six more army personnel, including an officer, were killed in the encounter. The three militants were also gunned down. The terrorists also carried out Pampore and Baramulla attacks in 2016. A Central Reserve Police Force convoy, consisting of six vehicles, was ambushed by three or four militants on June 25, 2016. The ambush left eight CRPF personnel dead and over 20 injured. The two militants were killed and one or two managed to escape. On the midnight of the second and third of October 2016, militants attacked a camp of the Indian Army's 46 Rashtriya Rifles in the Baramulla district and killed an officer. Current Situation In July 1988, a series of demonstrations, strikes and attacks on the Indian government began the Kashmir Insurgency, which during the 1990s escalated into the most important internal security issue in India. Thousands of people have died during fighting between terrorists and the government as well as thousands of civilians have died as a result of being targeted by the various armed groups. The Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence has encouraged and aided the Kashmir independence movement through aiding and abetting terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. But, tables have now turned in Kashmir Valley during Narendra Modi rule. According to defence sources, the influence of terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir has now been confined to 100-kilometer area. The terrorists have been losing the local support because of their attack on the civilians, Jammu and Kashmir police and defence personnel. Killing of local Kashmiris like Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz Parray has alienated the terrorists. This is a major success for the security forces and intelligence agencies as well as for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The current situation in the state has become possible because of the political will and various strategies of Narendra Modi government. Under the watch of National Security advisor Ajit Doval, the security forces slowly upped the ante against terrorists and bridged their gap with the local population. The security forces strategically started targeting top terrorists in the Valley. This generally didn't happen during previous regimes that feared unrest and disturbance, like it happened in the Kashmir Valley after the killing of Burhan Wani. The killing of top terrorists has broken the morale of terrorists and like-minded youth. Now, the message in the Kashmir Valley is loud and clear: pickup gun and you will get bullet. It is a fact that the without political patronage, militancy in Kashmir could not have survived for so long. Previous state governments that comprised of state level parties like Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the National Conference, and national level party like Congress, never mustered courage to take on militancy and preferred to maintain a status quo. The another big reason why militancy flourished in Kashmir is because the common man in far flung areas has always been deprived of good and effective governance. To address this issue, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) first formed a coalition government with the PDP, and later pulled its support as a strategy, leaving PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti bewildered. The strategy was to conduct local body and panchayat elections in the state by imposing Governor rule, which previous state governments always avoided for many reasons. One of the main reasons is that once local bodies and panchayats will start functioning in the state then they will have original powers and not the ones who sit in Assembly. The masterminds sitting in Pakistan also know this fact that once local body and three-tier panchayats are in place in Jammu and Kashmir then there will be no place for their foot soldiers, a.k.a terrorists. This is the reason terrorist often used to kill panches and sarpanches in Jammu and Kashmir who were elected for the first time in 2011 after three decades. These killings also showed that the robust security environment was missing in the state at that time. But, 2018 local body and panchayat elections in Jammu and Kashmir have been conducted in a more secure environment as compared to 2011. The PDP, the NC and separatist leadership had boycotted the local body and panchayat elections as they knew what Narendra Modi government want to achieve out of it. The other important development that has happened for the first time in Jammu and Kashmir is that the separatist leadership has realised that Delhi is no more friendly. Unlike previous Delhi regimes, Narendra Modi government gave a free hand to the investigating agencies like National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) to probe the link between separatist leaders and terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. As a result, the Kashmiri separatists are facing several court cases. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, February 6, 2019, 18:26 [IST] SSC GD Constable Admit card, when to download India oi-Oneindia Staff By Anuj Cariappa New Delhi, Feb 06: The SSC GD Constable Admit card has been released. The same is available on the official website. The commission has noted that the admit cards of some candidates are not available on the websites. The commission mentioned that the admission certificates of such candidates will be available on the websites by February 8, 2019. "However, it has come to the notice of the Commission that Admission Certificates of a few candidates, whose applications are complete in all respects, have not been generated," the official notification said. "Such candidate may please note that status of their city-wise allocation will be uploaded on the websites of concerned Regional Offices of the Commission by 08-02-2019," the notification also read. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, February 6, 2019, 7:00 [IST] Sabarimala: Devaswom board does U-turn, SC reserves verdict India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Feb 06: The Supreme Court Tuesday has reserved orders on a batch of pleas seeking review of its verdict which allowed entry of women of all age groups into Kerala's Sabarimala temple. At the start of the hearing the Bench headed by Chief Justice of India, Ranjan Gogoi said that there are 54 review petitions in all in addition to 3 to 5 writs. The central issue is reconsideration of the judgment. Also Only 2 women entered Sabarimala temple, says Kerala govt in assembly During the course of the hearing the Travancore Devaswon Board said that it supported the entry of women of all age into the temple. Text and scriptures do not speak of exclusion of women or the practise, senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi representing the board said. When the court reminded him that the board had earlier argued against the entry of women, Dwivedi said that they had decided to respect the verdict. Equality is a dominant theme under the constitution and the practise violates equality, he also said. Spirit of the judgment is equal treatment to a man and women, he further added. Opening arguments, senior counsel, K Parasaran said that there is an error on the face of record of the Sabarimala verdict. Article 15 (2) prohibits discrimination in access to public institutions of secular category and not of religious category. There were 3 failed attempts to amend Article 15 to include places of worship, he further said. Appearing for the Sabarimala thanthri, senior advocate V Girl said that the thanthri is the father of the deity. Every deity has a character. The Sabarimala deity, unlike in another Ayyappa temples has a peculiar character of a Naishtika Brahmin. Every devotee has a fundamental right to worship in a temple in a manner which is in sync with the character of the deity, Giri further added. Constitutional morality does not flow from a text. It was evolved in recent times. Exclusion of women of menstrual age is not based on immorality, but on the essential religious practice that the Sabarimala deity is a permanent celibate, he further added. SC hurt Hindu sentiments by allowing women to enter Sabarimala: Mohan Bhagwat He further said that he agreed with the argument advanced by Parasaran that exclusion in Sabarimala is not based on untouchability. It is an essential religious practice that the deity is a celibate, which even women in the age group of 10 and 50 believe. The essential religious nature of the Sabarimala deity is affirmed, perpetuated everyday by the offerings, pujas conducted in the temple. All this rests on this unique character of the deity. Exclusion of women of a certain age is nothing on moral or immoral, he also contended. Senior advocate, Shekhar Naphade asked, " what is the effect of your judgment. It is a mandamus given to a particular religious community that you shall not hold this belief. Some believe in God, others like Stephen Hawkins did not. You cannot tell people not to believe in a particular deity. The community alone will decide if centuries' old belief need to be followed or not. Few activists do not get to decide that, he also said. Senior advocate R Venkatramani said that Sampradhaya should not be decided by the Supreme Court. Senior Advocate A M Singhvi said that Hinduism is the most diverse religion on this planet. And here you want to allow only essential religious practices which are universally ethical to all Hindus. Is it possible. Surely that is not the right approach in a diverse religion, he also said. The Kerala government however objected and said that the review petitions are not maintainable in law. The judgments have reached a conclusion that the Ayyappas are not a denomination. Nothing has been made out so far to deserve a review. Non consideration of an argument is not a ground for review. It is left to the court whether an argument is essential or not, senior advocate, Jaideep Gupta, appearing for the state said. On September 28, a five-judge Constitution bench, headed by the then Chief Justice Dipak Misra, in 4:1 verdict had paved the way for entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala temple saying the ban amounted to gender discrimination. There are around 54 petitions seeking review of the judgement and they were filed following the recent violent protests in favour and against the verdict. We are anguished how things transpired during second wave: Delhi HC Remove bunds blocking clean water flow into Yamuna says Delhi HC India oi-Oneindia Staff By Anuj Cariappa New Delhi, Feb 06: The Delhi High Court has asked Haryana to remove the bunds that, according to the Delhi government, were blocking flow of clean water into the Yamuna and was leading to an increase in pollution levels in the national capital's water supply. The direction by a bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao came after the Haryana government stated in an affidavit that it will remove the bunds. In its affidavit, the Manohar Lal Khattar government has said the bunds were put up in DD-8 canal to ensure that pollution from it does not flow into the Yamuna. It also denied the Delhi government's allegations in its recent application, that due to the bunds the water supply of the national capital was getting more polluted. Delhi HC issues notice, seeks ED response on Deepak Talwar's plea challenging deportation Haryana in its reply to the application has said that of the 1,000 million gallons per day (MGD) water requirement of the national capital, 500 MGD good quality raw water is supplied by it through canals and 440 MGD is sourced from the Ganga and tubewells. Only the remaining 60 MGD water which is sourced directly from the Yamuna would contain high levels of ammonia, it has said and added that Delhi was the largest contributor to pollution in the Yamuna. The Delhi Jal Board (DJB), represented by senior advocate Dayan Krishnan and advocate Sumeet Pushkarna, told the bench that they need to go through the affidavit and sought time to respond to it. The court, thereafter, gave the DJB time till March 13 to respond to the claims made by Haryana in its affidavit. Haryana, in its affidavit filed by the principal secretary of its water department, has claimed that the raw water supply from it to Delhi never gets affected or reduced even in the lean season. It has also said that Delhi should take urgent steps to reduce its losses which are alleged to be 10 per cent during treatment and 30 per cent after that, as residents of Haryana suffer from dearth of water to ensure the national capital does not. Haryana has contended that some losses during treatment are inevitable, "but losses to the extent as projected by DJB are unpardonable and can even be termed as criminal wastage of precious raw water." It has further said that "any deficiency in water supply to the citizens of Delhi is because of mismanagment and inaction on the part of the DJB". It has also said that at Agra in Uttar Pradesh, which is downstream of Delhi, the Yamuna water received is of much worse quality and therefore, that state has installed a water treatment plant (WTP) of much higher capacity. Haryana has stated that the DJB should also consider setting up a WTP of higher capacity. It has contended that the application filed by the DJB was not maintainable and was liable to be dismissed as Delhi was receiving more than its requirement of water from Haryana and the surplus can be used to dilute the ammonia levels in the Wazirabad reservoir. The DJB, in its plea, had claimed that if urgent steps are not taken to remove the bunds it would adversely affect the water supply to central Delhi, including the Lutyens zone. It had claimed that the DD-8 channel which supplies additional water to Yamuna to dilute its pollution levels has been blocked by Haryana and therefore, the water being received at Wazirabad was unusable for treatment as it had high levels of ammonia. The application had said that water treated at Wazirabad is supplied to Central Delhi where all the major government offices, bungalows and the Supreme Court and the High Court are located. It also sought directions to Haryana to control the pollutants that it was discharging into the Yamuna. The DD-8 channel carries clean water from the Delhi Sub Branch Canal (DSBC) and the Munak canal into the Yamuna to ensure the reservoir at Wazirabad is always kept full, the application had said. The application was moved by the DJB in a PIL by a lawyer, S B Tripathi, seeking sufficient water supply for the national capital. The high court had earlier asked the Haryana government to ensure that it releases the entire quantity of water required as per the undertaking given by it to the court. Haryana has to release 719 cusecs of water per day into Munak canal and 330 cusecs per day in DSBC, according to the undertaking and earlier court orders. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, February 6, 2019, 6:01 [IST] Summer Solstice 2021: All you need to know about the first day of summer PM Modi to dedicate National War Memorial on Feb 25 India oi-Chennabasaveshwar P New Delhi, Feb 6: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate the National War Memorial to the country on February 25. Prior to the ceremony, the Prime Minister would be addressing a meeting of Ex-Serviceman at the National Stadium. Promised in the National Democratic Alliance's 2014 election manifesto, the country's first war memorial near the India Gate complex will pay homage to over 26,000 soldiers who have sacrificed their lives since 1947. The National War Memorial will be inaugurated by PM Modi on 25th Feb. It's the much awaited project. Most of the major developed/ developing countries have a National War Memorial. Finally will also get one on 25th Feb 2019. @TheSatishDua @NewsX @Inkhabar @Leopard212 pic.twitter.com/ViVnDfTeku Ashish Singh (@AshishSinghNews) February 5, 2019 In 2015, the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi had approved the construction of a National War Memorial and a National War Museum at Princess Park, near India Gate. The cost of the project was estimated be around Rs. 500 crore and the total time for completion of the entire project was estimated to be five years. ISRO's communication satellite GSAT-31 launched from French Guiana However, on 15 August 2018, the first deadline for inauguration of the memorial was missed. The construction was completed on 1 January 2019. Post-Independence, more than 22,500 soldiers have made the supreme sacrifice in national interests and in defence of the sovereignty and integrity of the country. However, even after 69 years of Independence, no memorial to commemorate the martyrs has been constructed till date. With this memorial a long pending demand of the Armed Forces has been redressed. Ready to quit cinema if it becomes hurdle to political career: Kamal Haasan No alliance, will contest Lok Sabha polls independently, says Kamal Haasan India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Feb 06: Actor turned politician Kamal Haasan on Wednesday ruled out any alliance with Congress and announced that his party Makkal Needhi Miam (MNM) will be contesting for upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2019 independently. In December 2018, while announcing that MNM will contest the Lok Sabha polls, Haasan had said that his party will forge an alliance with like-minded parties. However, according to reports, he said on Wednesday that he does not want to carry the "burden of an alliance". This announcement comes only a day after he met the MNM office-bearers at the party office in the Coimbatore district. The meeting saw the participation of 11 district in-charges, including Coimbatore, Tiruppur and Erode, reported PTI. His latest statement came nearly a week after he stated that his party has started preparing for the general election. Kamal Haasan had launched his political party - Makkal Needhi Miam - which translates to "People's Justice Centre" - at a public meeting in Madurai earlier in February this year. He had also unveiled the party flag. The actor-politician has been sharply critical of the AIADMK government for some time. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, February 6, 2019, 13:44 [IST] Kolkata top cop to appear before CBI at Shillong on Friday India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Feb 06: The Kolkata police commissioner, Rajeev Kumar will join the CBi probe into the chit fund scams on Friday. Kumar wrote to the CBI, stating that he would join the probe on February 8. The decision comes following a Supreme Court directive which asked Kumar to make himself available for questioning before the CBI. Saradha Scam: The SFIO probe that fell short due to Mamata govt's non-cooperation While directing the commissioner, Rajeev Kumar to cooperate, the SC said that he will meet the CBI at Shillong, a neutral place. The court ordered that there would be no coercive steps including an arrest of Kumar. The CBI told the Supreme Court that the Kolkata Police protected chit fund firms which donated to the TMC. The court also issued contempt notices to the West Bengal Chief Secretary, DGP and Kolkata Police Commissioner. They have been asked to reply by February 18. Based on their replies the Secretary General of the SC will intimate them whether they would have to personally appear before the court. The next date of hearing has been fixed for February 20. Earlier the CBI filed additional documents to support its claim that Kolkata Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar is under investigation. The CBI also told the court that the the SIT, which was headed by Kumar failed to act against Saradha and Rose Valley as these companies made huge contributions to the TMC. The Attorney General of India, K K Venugopal told the court that the Kolkata Police Commissioner was the functional head of the West Bengal formed SIT. When the SC transferred the probe to the CBI, we found that Kumar had not given al the documents. Some of them were even doctored. We called him to explain this, but he never came, the AG also said. The AG further said that Kumar had handed over doctored call records. He erased information on who was called and who had called, the AG further said. There should be no difficulty for him to cooperate, the CJI also said. The CJI orally observed that the court would direct Kumar to make himself available. On the contempt plea, the court said that it would issue notice. CBI vs Bengal: Did Rajeev Kumar, withhold or destroy evidence? The AG went on to add that the contempt is far more serious. CBI officers were pushed into buses, detained in police station for hours. The joint director's house was laid siege. Who was behind these actions and who had issued orders, the AG also asked. Abhishek Manu Singhvi appearing for the West Bengal government said that Rajeev Kumar has been vilified. He had written to the CBI several times to meet at a neutral place where the entire SIT team would be questioned. The CJI however shot back and said, ' the problem is you assume too many things. What is your problem? You can cooperate. On Monday, the Central Bureau of Investigation sought for an urgent hearing after its officers were detained by the West Bengal police, while attempting to probe into chit fund scams. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, February 6, 2019, 5:52 [IST] Suresh Kumar as BJPs candidate for Speaker just spruced things up Karnataka: Will Congress not allow Kumaraswamy to be CM for full 5-year term? Is it chief minister Kumaraswamy or chief manager of Congress Ktaka ATM? BJP has an answer All is well between Congress, JD(S)? Kumaraswamy meets Rahul as Karnataka waits for full cabinet Karnataka elections: Parties spent a whopping Rs 129.72 crore on publicity India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Bengaluru, Feb 06: In the Karnataka assembly elections, the political parties spent a whopping Rs 129.72 crore on publicity. The highest was spent on publicity, followed by travel says a report prepared by the Association for Democratic Reforms. Political parties are required to submit a statement of election expenditure to the Election Commission within 75 days of completion of Assembly Elections. The expenditure statement contains details of the total amount received as funds in the form of cash, cheques and demand drafts and the total amount spent under various heads. ADR said that the election expenditure statements of JD(S), SHS, and JD(U) for Karnataka Assembly Election are unavailable on the website of the ECI. Funds Collected and Expenditure incurred by political parties: Total funds collected by 8 political parties during Karnataka Assembly Election held in 2018 was Rs 356.04 cr and total expenditure incurred was Rs 170.16 cr. BSP and AIFB had not declared any funds collected at the Central Headquarters and State Units during Karnataka Assembly Election, 2018. Funds collected by the parties at the Central Headquarters was Rs 269.94 cr and expenditure was Rs 112.144 cr. Karnataka State Units spent Rs 58.014 cr. Expenditure incurred by political parties under various heads: Political parties declare their expenditure under the heads of Publicity, Travel Expenses, Other/ Miscellaneous expenses and Lumpsum amount paid to their contesting candidates. Political Parties that contested in Karnataka Assembly Election, 2018, spent the highest, Rs 129.72 cr on Publicity, followed by Rs 30.06 cr on travel expenses, Rs 17.84 cr on Lumpsum amount paid to candidates and Rs 9.63 cr on Other/Miscellaneous expenses. Expenditure on publicity is 69.28% of the overall expenditure declared under various heads. Expenditure on travel expenses is 16.05% of the overall expenditure declared under various heads. Expenditure on Travel by political parties: The 'Travel' head is segregated into travel expenses incurred specifically on star campaigners and that of the party leaders. Political parties spent 92.68% of their total travel expenses or Rs 27.86 cr on their star campaigners and the remaining 7.32% or Rs 2.20 cr on travel of their party leaders. Travel expenses from Central Headquarters by itself was Rs 17.52 cr or 58.28%, which was higher than Rs 12.54 cr or 41.72% spent from Karnataka State Units. JD(S) statement not available: The election expenditure statement of JDS is not yet available in the public domain despite contesting in Karnataka Assembly Election 2018 and emerging as the ruling party in the state. AIFB has not mentioned any funds collected and expenditure incurred from it Central Headquarter and State Unit in spite of contesting elections. NCP and AIADMK collected funds from the Central Headquarters and State Units respectively but have not shown any expenditure incurred in their statements. The expenditure statement of CPI does not provide any information about the breakup of general party propaganda expenses incurred by party headquarter. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, February 6, 2019, 15:57 [IST] Karnataka Budget Session: Governor cuts short his speech amidst protest by BJP MLAs India oi-Chennabasaveshwar P Bengaluru, Feb 6: Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala cut short his address to joint session of the Assembly amidst protest by BJP MLAs in the well of the house on Wednesday. The Governor ended his speech in 10 minutes, reading only two-page instead of 22-page speech prepared by the government. The BJP members stated that the coalition government has no right to continue as it has lost the majority and raised slogans against the government. Bengaluru: Protest in Karnataka Assembly by opposition parties during Governor Vajubhai Vala's address. BJP alleged that the present government doesn't have the numbers & is a minority government. pic.twitter.com/lqbxyvsSav ANI (@ANI) February 6, 2019 As planned a day before, BJP successfully stalled the Governor's speech today. BS Yeddyurappa categorically said his party does not intend to bring a no-confidence motion against the coalition government, it is said the saffron party debated scuttling the session at a legislature party meeting and an earlier meeting on Tuesday of senior party leaders. Karnataka Budget Session: Embarrassment for Congress as Kampli MLA JN Ganesh still absconding? Yeddyurappa, after a two-hour legislature party meeting said: "The BJP does not have any intent at the moment to move a no-confidence motion." He, however, kept up party hopes of toppling the government by stating the senior leadership will hold another meeting on Wednesday afternoon after the governor's address. Former council chairman JDS leader Basavaraj Horatti condemned BJP's protest, saying the incident is a black mark in the history of the state. Security: Security has been heightened at Vidhana Soudha ahead of the budget session. One DCP, 4 ACPs, 6 KSRP platoons, 200 police personnel have been deployed. Karnataka Budget Session: Embarrassment for Congress as Kampli MLA JN Ganesh still absconding? India oi-Chennabasaveshwar P Bengaluru, Feb 6: Karnataka Budget Session which is to begin on Wednesday, likely to be embarrsment for the Congress as Special teams have failed to track Congress MLA JN Ganesh absconding in an assault case. Congress MLA JN Ganesh, booked under IPC Section 307, is absconding since January after he assaulted Vijayanagar MLA Anand Singh at Eagleton Resort near Bidadi. A day before, Ramanagara police has sought permission from Karnataka Assembly Speaker Ramesh Kumar to arrest MLA JN Ganesh in case he attends the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meet on Wednesday. Another notice issued by Congress Legislative Party leader Siddaramaiah to the four dissenting party MLAs to give their explanation to him before or after the assembly session. Yesterday Siddaramaiah held meeting over dinner ahead of the Budget Session. Four MLAs have skipped the meeting, but have explained their absence to Siddaramaiah. Karnataka Congress MLA denies assaulting fellow MLA at resort, says will apologise if hurt Also, the Congress party issued a whip to all its MLAs from Karnataka and have asked them to participate in the Legislature Party Meet on February 6 and the assembly session till 15. Home Minister M B Patil has assured that MLA J N Ganesh will be arrested soon. Patil told reporters that the police are doing their best to nab Ganesh and added that nobody should doubt the capability of the state police. Since the MLA has been frequently changing locations and is not keeping in has not been in touch with anybody, tracing him has become difficult, he told reporters in Hubballi. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, February 6, 2019, 11:36 [IST] Karnataka Budget Session: "I am feeling better"," says Congress Anand Singh India oi-Chennabasaveshwar P Bengaluru, Feb 6: Vijayanagar MLA Anand Singh, who was assaulted by fellow Congress MLA JN Ganesh, attended the Budget Session of the Assembly on Wednesday. The legislator has donned cooling glass to hide the injury mark on his right eye. Anand Singh was discharged from Appollo Hospital on Monday. He was admitted to the hospital on January 20 with an eye and head injury. According to reports, Minister Zameer Ahmed was seen escorting Anand Singh in the corridors of Vidhan Soudha. Karnataka Budget Session: Embarrassment for Congress as Kampli MLA JN Ganesh still absconding? During the fight which took place on Jan 20th night at the Eagleton Resort, where 76 Karnataka Congress legislators were put up, Congress MLA JN Ganesh allegedly beat up Anand Singh with flower pots and sticks. A first information report was lodged against MLA JN Ganesh based on the statement of the victim Anand Singh, another MLA. Subsequently, Ganesh was suspended from the party. The police are still searching for him. A committee headed by Dr Parameshwar was formed to inquire into the matter and furnish a report to the party high command. At no time did she express to me any discomfort or concern about our interactions, neither during that encounter, nor during the months following it, when she stayed in touch with me, nor the past fifteen years, Fairfax wrote. The first indication I had that she felt anything that had happened between us fifteen years ago made her uncomfortable was when I was contacted by a national media organization shortly before my inauguration in 2018. J&K: All party meet with Centre to focus on seat de-limitation say sources At all party meet with PM, J&K parties to demand for restoration of statehood Gupkar Alliance will meet with PM Modi, to demand statehood, restoration of Article 370 J&K: Gunbattle breaks out between security forces, terrorists in Pulwama India oi-Vikas SV Srinagar, Feb 6: A gunbattle reportedly broke out between the security forces and the terrorists at Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama on Wednesday. The exchange of fire is underway and the area has reportedly been cordoned off. J&K: 191 local joined terror groups in 2018 On February 2, the Jammu and Kashmir Police busted a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror module and arrested three persons. Police claimed to have solved a grenade throwing module of Jaish-e-Muhammad. This module was responsible for the grenade attack at SBI camp of 179 BN CRPF in Sopore on January 25 evening, said reports. The terrorists on Friday hurled a grenade at a CRPF battalion in Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam. One CRPF constable was reportedly injured. Terrorists hurled a grenade at the D/43 battalion CRPF at Namtihal in Budgam. CRPF camp attack: NIA arrests key conspirator On Jan 31, terrorists hurled a grenade on security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district, injuring seven people, including three women and two CRPF jawans. On January 30, at least three persons were injured in a grenade attack by terrorists on a police station in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, February 6, 2019, 17:44 [IST] How the Indian Army is helping in the fight against COVID-19 Insider job? 3 RR men detained over killing of soldier Aurangazeb India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Feb 06: Was the abduction and killing of soldier, Aurangazeb in Jammu and Kashmir an insider job? Three personnel of the 44 Rashtriya Rifles have been detained by the Army and are being questioned for alleged involvement. They are being questioned on the suspicion that they shared information about rifleman Aurangazeb, who was abducted while he was returning home in Poonch from the army camp. Sources tell OneIndia that Abid Wani, Tajamul Ahmad and Adil Wani are facing an inquiry for allegedly sharing information regarding Aurangazeb. Their names cropped up during the investigation. J&K: 191 local joined terror groups in 2018 Aurangzeb was part of the team that undertook the Sameer Tiger encounter. The dreaded Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist was taken down in an encounter April 2018. The abducted soldier along with a Major and his team were on the radar of the Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist. The threat perception to this team of the Rashtriya Rifles was high. The jawan was a PSO to Major Rohit Shukla who it may be recalled was challenged by Sameer Tiger ahead of the encounter. Son of a Hindu Mahasabha leader to become CPM MP; faces defeat from Mamata Hindu Mahasabha leader Pooja Pandey, husband arrested for recreating Mahatma Gandhi's assassination India oi-Madhuri Adnal Aligarh, Feb 06: The Aligarh police on Friday has arrested Hindu Mahasabha's Pooja Pandey and her husband Ashok Pandey from Tappal, for recreating Mahatma Gandhi's assassination. Pooja Pandey is the national secretary of the Hindu Mahasabha. Speaking to ANI, Pandey who was later produced in court said,"No regrets. We have not committed any crime. We have used our Constitutional right." Pandey landed herself in trouble after she shot at Gandhi's effigy using an artificial gun, after which 'blood' started flowing out of the effigy. The incident happened in Aligarh on January 30, a day which is observed as 'Martyr's Day' to commemorate Gandhi's death anniversary. The Hindu Mahasabha leader also garlanded the statue of Nathuram Godse, a Hindu nationalist who had shot dead Gandhi in 1948. The Mahasabha had announced that it would observe Gandhi's death anniversary as 'Shaurya Diwas'. Earlier, five people were arrested for allegedly burning an effigy of the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi on his death anniversary. As per the police reports, the suspects allegedly belonged to the right-wing All India Hindu Mahasabha. Minister of State in PMO Jitendra Singh "Selective condemnation of human rights...these leaders are quick to express their sympathies if a terrorist gets killed in an encounter. But a security personnel performing call of duty doesn't receive a single word of sympathy," news agency ANI quoted Singh as saying today. But the people of Kashmir now have begun to see through this duplicity. Since election is here they are trying to appease a certain constituency but this isn't going to work because the tricks of last election are notgoing to work in this election," he added. Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti After paying a visit to the man, Tauseef Wani, at the SMHS hospital in Srinagar, Mufti had requested the Governor and the Army chief to look into the matter. "I would request the governor and the Army chief to look into the matter as to why has the Army officer so brutally tortured this youth that he has been hospitalised," the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and the PDP chief told reporters after hospital visit. Mufti had alleged an Army officer of torturing a youth Wani has alleged that he was called to the Shadimarg camp of the Army by one Major Shukla, where he was tortured. According to him, he was also threatened that if he did not pose with a gun, he would be eliminated in an encounter. "Tauseef's father was killed by militants 23 years ago and his younger brother is serving in the Army. If this is what is done to our own people, those who have relatives in the Army, what will be the fate of others," Mehbooba said. The People's Democratic Party (PDP) chief said Major Shukla was spoken about highly for being a brave soldier, adding, "What kind of bravado is this to call a person to the camp and torture him?" All the more better if Imran Khan is proxy of Pakistan Army: Mehbooba Mufti Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik Reacting to this, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik said that Mufti need not be taken seriously. "Chunaav ka waqt hai, unki party toot rahi hai, kharab haal mein hai. Wo isi kism ke support se taakat mein aayi thi, unko seriously lene ki zarurat nahi. Humare suraksha balon ka kisi Mehbooba Mufti ji ke bayan se manobal nahi girne diya jayega (Elections are near, her party is breaking and in bad shape. She came to power by garnering this kind of support, no need to take her seriously. Will allow the morale of the armed forces to drop becasue of statements made by Mehbooba Mufti)," Malik told media today (Feb 6). Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks about breaking the backbone of terror, Mehbooba had earlier said the Kashmir issue was a political one which could not be resolved militarily. OneIndia News with PTI inputs Do not come back: TMC slams West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar who is visiting Delhi Explained: Can Mukul Roy be disqualified as MLA for jumping from BJP to TMC From the rebellious bride to Mamata Banerjee, Bongs show they are non-conformists! India oi-Shubham Ghosh Kolkata, Feb 6: A few days ago, a bride was seen refusing to say she was paying off her parents' debt and asserted that it was never possible to pay it off. The young woman's rebellion against a centuries-old tradition of 'Kanakanjali' made the headlines instantly. Now, another similar story has gone viral and it also involves a girl's marriage. Here the father of the bride has donned the role of the protagonist as he refused to carrying out the ritual of 'kanyadaan' (give away the bride) saying his daughter is not a property that could be given away. Mamata vs CBI tussle might have just settled Mahagathbandhan's prime ministerial face The marriage, which also saw female priests, was also a hit instantly after one Asmita Ghosh who was present on the occasion shared it on Twitter. I'm at a wedding with female pandits. They introduce the bride as the daughter of and (mom first!!!). The bride's dad gave a speech saying he wasn't doing kanyadaan because his daughter wasn't property to give away. I'm so impressed. pic.twitter.com/JXqHdbap9D Asmita (@asmitaghosh18) February 4, 2019 The post received several likes and the social media users praised the Bengali family calling it "progressive" and "impressive". Great. Very comon in maharashtra. Even i have seen non brahamins conducting marriages/poojas in maharshtra. Even in marriage card , almost in all marriage cards mothers name come first. Also i guess, MH is 1st state to add mothers name on school certificate/documents.. BHAVESH AMBEKAR (@bhavesh_ambekar) February 5, 2019 Who are these woke people?! Would love more context, like a general how did they pull it off thing :-) Vaishali (@vaishalisvp) February 4, 2019 That's incredible and what a brilliant thing to read first thing! Also it looks like a Bengali wedding? The headgear is so familiar! Megha Ghosh (@MeghaGhosh) February 5, 2019 Mamata Banerjee's taking on CBI is another example of Bongs' non-surrendering attitude In between these instances of social revolt, the chief minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, was also seen in a rebellious mood. Though her field was entirely political when she took on the Central Bureau of Investigation for approaching Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar in connection to a chit-fund scam, her way reiterated what Bengalis are known to be: non-conformists. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was also a rebel. Mamata vs CBI: Congress's contradictory takes not helping it ahead of LS polls This is not something new in Bengali culture. It was because of this trait in their character that the Bengalis had played a leading role during the independence movement against the British. We all know how Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose had refused to buy the line of Mahatma Gandhi during the freedom struggle and tried his own way to achieve freedom from the British. He did not succeed but remains a hero in India's psyche even today because of his rebellious ways. Banerjee herself has been another example of the non-conformist Bengali. She had taken on a regimented Left in Bengal during her political career and toppled it; turned the Congress to an insignificant position in the state and now is daring to derail PM Narendra Modi in the next Lok Sabha election. Ex-Haryana CM Hooda, others in CBI court for hearing in Manesar land scam, AJL plot cases India oi-Vikas SV Chandigarh, Feb 6: Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, senior Congress leader Motilal Vora and others appeared before the CBI Special Court, Panchkula, in connection with two ongoing cases - Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) plot allotment case and Manesar land scam case. While the next date of hearing in Manesar land scam case has been fixed for February 20, the hearing for Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) plot allotment case would be held on March 5. Bhupinder Hooda, Motilal Vora granted bail in AJL case The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on January 25 raided over 30 places in the Delhi-NCR in connections land scam case involving Hooda. The CBI had also registered a fresh case against former Bhupinder Singh Hooda over alleged irregularities in land allotment. Hooda and Vora were on Jan 3 granted bail by a CBI court in a case pertaining to alleged illegal re-allotment of land to Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) in Panchkula in 2005. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had last year (2018) filed charge-sheet against former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda and 33 others in Panchkula court in connection to a land acquisition scam causing loss of around Rs 1500 crore to farmers of Gurugram. The chargesheet, along with annexures, ran into more than 80,000 pages. The agency had registered the case in September 2015 on allegations that private builders in conspiracy with unknown public servants of the Haryana government had purchased around 400 acres of land from farmers and land owners of village Manesar, Naurangpur and Gurgaon at throwaway prices. The CBI on December 1, 2018, filed a chargesheet against Bhupinder Singh Hooda, senior Congress leader Motilal Vohra and Associated Journals Limited (AJL) in connection with the alleged re-allotment of institution plot in Panchkula in Haryana. The central agency has alleged that the reallotment of land had caused a loss of Rs 67 lakh to the exchequer. AJL land case: Bhupinder Singh Hooda to be prosecuted In the FIR, the CBI claimed a 3,360 square metre plot in Sector 6, Panchkula, was allotted to AJL in 1982 and no construction was done till 1992. The plot was later repossessed by the Haryana Urban Development Authority. However, in 2005 it was re-alloted to AJL at the original rate, allegedly violating the norms laid down by the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA). Hooda was also chairman of the body at the time. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, February 6, 2019, 11:49 [IST] Kumbh Mela 2019: A sea of devotees Aerial view of Sangam at early hours on the auspicious 'Mauni Amavasya' during the Kumbh Mela 2019, in Allahabad (Prayagraj) 5 crore take Mauni Amavasya shahi snan at Kumbh Thousands of devotees thronged at Kumbh Mela on second Shahi Snan on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya on February 04. A sea of devotees emerged on the banks of Sangam resplendent with divine silence much in league with the occasion on the new moon day. Kumbh Mela: World's largest single gathering of humanity. Back in 2013, during Kumbh Mela, over 120 million Hindu people travelled to Allahabad for the two-month long holy festival. According to Ctrip estimates, only about 54 million people have traveled for Thanksgiving in 2018. About Kumbh Mela: Kumbh Mela occurs in 12-year cycles, there are three additional festivals held in between. This year's Kumbh Mela is projected to be even bigger than the last full one in 2013, which drew an estimated 100 million people. Summer Solstice 2021: All you need to know about the first day of summer Delhi University hosts Dalit Literature Festival India oi-Shubham Ghosh New Delhi, Feb 6: There is not much trend of cultivating sub-altern culture in our daily lives. However, Delhi University (DU) recently took an initiative on those lines by hosting 'Dalit Literature festival' - probably for the first time in the country. The two-day fest was organised by Kirorimal College's Hindi department in collaboration with various Dalit groups like Ambedkarvadi Lekhak Sangh, Ridam Patrika, Rashmi Prakashan, National Alliance of People's Movements, Delhi Solidarity Group and others, InUth reported. The literature carnival was held to unite the voices of the marginalised sections. Sanjeev Danda, one of the organisers of the festival, was quoted as saying: "It is the country's first literature festival for Dalits. It has never happened before." He also said Dalits do not only mean Scheduled Castes but also farmers, tribals, working classes and "everyone". Over a hundred writers, artists, social activists and academics participated in the event and addressed several issues pertaining to the Dalits, be it marginalisation or caste discrimination. "There are so many issues but no one is addressing them. They say Dalits are taking up all the jobs. But where? Just have a look at the Indian govt's survey and you'll see that the upper castes dominate every ministry. Where are the Scheduled Castes? Not more than 2 percent," Balbir Madhopuri, a renowned Dalit Punjabi writer was quoted as saying by InUth on the occasion. It was also stressed at the event that not only Ambedkar but many other writers have thrown light on caste issues. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, February 6, 2019, 17:22 [IST] Motivated by hate says Trust on allegations of purchasing land for Ram Temple at inflated price It is matter of faith for everyone: Sanjay Raut demands clarification on alleged Ram temple land scam 'Clarify stand on Ram Temple': Amit Shah dares Congress, SP, BSP India oi-Deepika S Aligarh, Feb 06: BJP president Amit Shah on Wednesday sounded the poll bugle in Uttar Pradesh and dared the opposition parties over contentious Ayodhya dispute at a rally of party's booth-level workers in Aligarh. "BJP's stand is clear that Ram Temple will be built in that very place in Ayodhya. The SP, BSP and, Congress should clear their stand, whether they want the construction of Ram Mandir or not," he said. "We want that a grand Ram temple is constructed at the same spot (where there was Mughal era Babri Mosque). The Congress, the SP and the BSP, if they have guts, should clarify their stand on Ram temple," said Amit Shah. Naidu keeps switching loyalties, Doors of NDA permanently closed for TDP: Amit Shah The Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute has been pending before the apex court for the last eight years. For a long time, parties in the case and various right-wing organisations have been asking for an early or day-to-day hearing in the matter. Shah reiterated that Modi led-government wants to implement NRC properly, however, the party is facing obstruction due to Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and other key leaders' intrusion. "After winning 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Modi government will drive out every single infiltrator from the country...Infiltrators can be vote bank for the SP and BSP. It is a question of national security for the BJP," Shah said. Shah said that the upcoming Lok Sabha elections will be Prime Minister Narendra Modi versus the rest. "Upar Modi, neechey Yogi (Modi as prime minister and Adityanath as chief minister). This general election will be Modi versus the rest," he said, adding that this would be the poll scenario in Uttar Pradesh. "The BJP has rid Uttar Pradesh of goons, of parivaarvad. Yogi has tackled land mafia in Uttar Pradesh. Goons are now scared of cops," the BJP chief said. Slamming the alliance between the SP and the BSP for the parliamentary polls, he said, "We will put Aligarh locks on their shop. BJP workers will put Aligarh locks on the shop of Buaa-Bhatija (Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav)."Aligarh is known for locks, now a dying industry. Shah said, "Reporters often ask me that when buaa and bhatija have come together, then how 74 seats will be won in UP? I say that if you see the sea of party workers, you will come to know that from where 74 seats will come." The BJP is different from other parties, as victory is guaranteed by the booth level workers and not by any one leader, he said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, February 6, 2019, 19:02 [IST] BPSC Prelims Result 2018 to be out soon: Details here India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Feb 06: Bihar Public Service Commission, BPSC is expected to release 64th Civil Service Prelims result soon. The result will also be available on its official website, bpsc.bih.nic. BPSC had already released the Bihar Civil PCS Prelims Answer Key on 27 December 2018 on the official website. So, 64th bpsc prelims result expected date is tentatively between 04 February and 9 February 2019. [BPSC Assistant Engineer 2018 results declared , check cut-off and other details here] How to check BPSC 64th Civil Services Prelims 2018: Visit the official website of BPSC - www.bpsc.bih.nic . . On Home Page you will get the 64th BPSC Prelims Result in latest updates date wise. A new page will open showing list of events. Enter the credentials and click on submit. Candidates can download and take a printout of the result for future reference. [BPSC Assistant Preliminary Competitive Exam Date: Check here] BPSC Civil Service 2018 examination will fill up the 1465 posts in Bihar Administrative Service and Bihar Police Service as well. The official notification for the examination was released on August 03, 2018. Candidates can check the official site of BPSC for more details. I don't think I would have made it public because of the political nature of that photograph, and we are a public institution receiving public funds, Dr. Richard V. Homan said. My sense is that we need to focus on that which we need to do to create an environment of inclusion and diversity and have the opportunity to be able to make sure that next generation of physicians and health professionals have those values. Assam couple asks for old clothes, books as marriage gifts & hands out saplings India oi-Shubham Ghosh Guwahati, Feb 6: We saw in the recent times some big fat weddings in India featuring celebrities. The grandeur at those occasions was blinding. However, there are also instances where people go for unique marriages in terms of environmental friendliness and social awareness. Touching: Wheelchair-bound groom stands up to dance on marriage day; see how he does it A couple from Assam decided to do something on those lines in its marriage recently. According to a report in News18, Bhupen Rabha and Babita Boro held their wedding reception in Kataligaon in Baksa district of the state on February 1. At the event, the guests were seen arriving with old clothes and books. Why? Rabha, an assistant professor of English at a government college, explained why it was so. "When we talk about marriage, it is usually about people, gifts and food. I thought of using this moment as an opportunity. Presuming that around 3,000 people from far and near would be attending my wedding, I put out a message in the invitation card. People can take back an example from our village, an awareness message I intended to spread," Rabha was quoted as saying by News18. The message on the couple's invitation card read 'Service to Mankind' where it requested the guests to bring things that could later be distributed among the needy. It appealed well to the guests and they obliged. The couple's plan didn't stop here either. It handed out saplings of various species in return to the guests and was helped by the Baksa Forest Division which took the opportunity to spread the message of greener earth. West Bengal bridegroom arrives at his wedding on road roller "This was sponsored by the Assam's forest department in order to spread the message of greener earth and the need for planting more trees. The local ranger of Batabari helped us immensely. Those who brought clothes and books got a sapling each," said Rabha. Sachin Das, the Batabari Range Officer of Baksa Forest Division, found the couple's idea unique and a way to take the department's social forestry campaign to the villagers, the Hindu reported. "I gave them 350 saplings of local species of trees, such as nageshwar (Indian rose chestnut), krishnachura (flame tree), and bokul (Spanish cherry)," he was quoted as saying by the Hindu report. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, February 6, 2019, 10:24 [IST] Explained: Can Mukul Roy be disqualified as MLA for jumping from BJP to TMC After Rahul Gandhi supports Mamata against Modi, Bengal Congress rallies against chit fund scam India oi-Shubham Ghosh Kolkata, Feb 6: The Congress on Wednesday, February 6, took out a huge rally in Kolkata demanding the arrest of those accused in the Saradha chit fund scam. The rally, which was attended by West Bengal state Congress chief Somen Mitra, took place a day after the state's chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, called off her two-day dharna staged against alleged over-activism of the Centre led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mamata vs CBI: Congress's contradictory takes not helping it ahead of LS polls Banerjee started the dharna after a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team reached Kolkata to question its police commissioner Rajeev Kumar in connection with the chit fund scam. The local police detained the CBI officers in turn, sparking off a major tussle between the Centre and state. While Banerjee called it a "super emergency" imposed by the Modi government, the BJP countered saying she was busy hiding something or somebody by backing the police commissioner. The matter went to the Supreme Court which asked Rajeev Kumar to cooperate with the CBI but said the latter can't arrest him. Both the Trinamool Congress and the BJP termed it as their respective "moral victory". While Banerjee's dharna was on, she was extended support by major anti-Modi leaders of the country who came together with her at the massive brigade rally organised in Kolkata on January 19. Congress president Rahul Gandhi tweeted extending solidarity to Banerjee against the Centre saying PM Modi was destroying India's institutions. Mamata vs CBI tussle might have just settled Mahagathbandhan's prime ministerial face However, the state chapter of the Grand Old Party begged to differ and said Banerjee was trying to safeguard the criminals. Wednesday's rally also reiterated the same - the contradiction between the stances of the top leadership of the Congress with that of the state leadership. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Wednesday, February 6, 2019, 18:11 [IST] The following editorial appeared in the Washington Post. Democratic copycats of Russian disinformation techniques, it seems, did not restrict themselves to one state this past election cycle: Late last year, the Washington Post reported on a project backed by billionaire Reid Hoffman to interfere in Alabamas 2017 special election for Senate. Now, more information has surfaced on a secret experiment targeting conservative voters in races across the country. We would hope political committees and campaigns on both sides of the aisle would swear off destructive tactics such as paying for professional trolls or creating inauthentic webpages. But the breadth of meddling discovered so far is one more argument for companies and Congress to put controls in place to prevent bad behavior. Those measures should start with advertising. As the crisis in Venezuela enters its third week, many well-intentioned observers are seeking a middle way. To prevent civil war, they say, the opposition and the dictator should compromise. Mexico and Uruguay have offered to mediate the conflict between strongman Nicolas Maduro and Juan Guaido, whom most of the Western Hemisphere regards as Venezuela's president. Greece has also said it supports negotiations. Two well-respected economists identified as "experts in Latin America" are recommending an interim government that includes the loyalists and the opposition. Even Maduro himself has said he would sit down with Guaido and accept new elections for the National Assembly. A good example of this be-willing-to-compromise argument can be found in a recent op-ed from Sen. Chris Murphy and Ben Rhodes, who was deputy national security adviser under President Barack Obama. They worry that President Donald Trump's "chest thumping" declaration that recognized Guaido as interim president will erode U.S. credibility if Maduro does not soon leave power. A better approach, they say, would be to continue to sanction Maduro and his inner circle, while "working with international partners" to support negotiations for an interim government and new elections. Included in these negotiations, Murphy and Rhodes write, should be Cuba and China, which can influence Maduro. Some have racist content, including an April 2011 email in which Ricketts responded great laugh regarding a forwarded joke with a punchline that includes the word n-----. He responded I like this to another forwarded message that complains about special days for certain groups, including Yom Hashoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, and Martin Luther King Day. The email exchanges were from 2009 through 2013. The Splinter News story did not say how the emails were obtained. Gov. Ricketts issued a statement Tuesday that echoed his fathers: My father said he deeply regrets and apologizes for some of the exchanges in his emails. He admitted that he has said things that dont reflect his value system and that he strongly believes that bigoted ideas are wrong. I also believe bigoted ideas are wrong, the governor added. The language and views expressed in those emails do not in any way reflect my views and are not appropriate. Gov. Ricketts was not a party to most of the emails. But in a 2010 exchange, he questioned the reliability of the emails being sent by his father. Joe Ricketts had sent son Pete an email chain titled Americans believe in religious freedom Muslims dont. Regardless, existing state law does not put an absolute time limit on abortions, although Del. Kathy Trans bill would reduce the number of doctors who would have to certify late-term abortions are needed from three to one as well as alter the requirement that doctors determine that continuing a pregnancy would "substantially and irremediably" impair a woman's health. Instead, doctors would only have to certify that the woman's health was impaired. WASHINGTON - Rep. Jeff Fortenberry approached President Donald Trump following Tuesday nights State of the Union address and personally told him what a beautiful speech hed delivered, one the Nebraska Republican said fit into a tradition of appealing to Americans higher angels. I thought it was a conciliatory speech, Fortenberry told The World-Herald as he walked out of the House chamber. It was an attempt to find consensus. In fact, Midlands lawmakers across the board found little to complain about in Trumps address. They applauded often during its delivery, including when Trump hammered on his message of border security and the need to build a wall. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., said afterward thats because the country does need targeted sections of wall along certain portions of the border, combined with other security measures. The comprehensive approach, I think, is the right thing to do, Bacon said. Rep. Adrian Smith joined his Nebraska colleagues in Congress, all Republicans, in praising what they described as a unifying appeal to tackle the nations problems. LINCOLN The state liquor board, citing opposition by neighbors and members of nearby churches, voted Tuesday to reject a liquor license for a Tobacco Hut convenience store at 62nd Street and Ames Avenue. The vote came a month after the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission was told that the north-central Omaha neighborhood already had a glut of alcohol outlets. Members of New Rising Star Baptist Church also complained that traffic from the Tobacco Hut cuts through the church parking lot, presenting a hazard. Liquor sales would increase the traffic, they said. Tobacco Hut representatives a month ago said they had taken several steps to keep customers from detouring through church property and that alcohol is sold at other Tobacco Huts without major problems. 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. But most of the license plate bills this year are looking to expand Nebraskas lineup of specialty plates: Sandhill cranes, bighorn sheep and cutthroat trout For wildlife conservation, up to three license plates would feature cranes, sheep and trout, under LB 128, introduced by Sen. Dan Hughes of Venango. Three-quarters of the $40 fee would go to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commissions Educational Fund. Some proponents said the money would be better put to its Wildlife Conservation Fund. There was debate from proponents on the best animals to be featured the plates. Testifiers from the Nebraska Wildlife Federation and the Sierra Club said the cutthroat trout is not native to Nebraska, but the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission disagreed. Spay and neuter your pets Presumably, this one would have extremely cute dogs and cats on it. LB 546 is for all of our four-legged constituents, said Lincoln Sen. Anna Wishart, who introduced the bill. Funds raised would go toward a new low-income spay and neuter program. Ornate box turtle Farmers and ranchers would continue to pay property taxes on their homes and buildings under the plan, which assumes that they would increase spending and investment, boosting sales and income taxes by almost $43 million. It would cause nearly a $1 billion tax shift by 2023, the organization estimated, with higher taxes being paid in the states largest counties. Nienhueser disputed that the plan benefited only farmers and said that even though no senator would introduce their plan, it was important to educate state senators about the big increase in property tax bills. The groups luncheon on Tuesday was attended by about a dozen state senators. It also served to unveil a study, commissioned by Fair Nebraska, about the states property tax problems that was done by Creighton University economist Ernie Goss. Creighton University wont require most freshman applicants to submit results from the ACT or SAT tests beginning in 2020, the universitys president said Tuesday. The Rev. Daniel Hendrickson announced the development during his 44-minute Founders Day Convocation speech at Creightons Harper Center. About 450 faculty members, staffers and others attended. Creighton will join some other colleges and universities across the country that have decided the standardized testing fails to promote diversity, has built-in biases and discourages access for students who dont have resources and support. Colleges that have gone away from relying on the tests say they dont necessarily predict who will do well in higher education. I want us to provide greater access for less advantaged candidates, Hendrickson said. Those who want to submit standardized test scores in the application process will continue to do so. In fact, in written material about the policy, Creighton states that students, once enrolled, will still have to submit their ACT or SAT results so the university can examine how well the policy is working and so the policy doesnt discourage high school students from taking the standardized tests. UPDATE: Police identified the homicide victim as 18-year-old Elijah Foster. The injured victim is 20-year-old Erica Robinson. The investigation is ongoing. --- A man was killed and a woman was wounded Tuesday evening in shootings that police suspect are related. Additionally, authorities are investigating whether there was a connection between those shootings and one earlier in the afternoon in which another woman was wounded. Omaha Police Lt. Chuck Casey said police were investigating a large crime scene several blocks along Ellison Avenue in their effort to ascertain what happened Tuesday evening. Officers were called to 44th Street and Ellison Avenue about 5:30 p.m. and found a woman lying in a yard, wounded, he said. She had been shot while standing outside a corner house. Three blocks to the west, near 47th Street and Ellison Avenue, police found a man dead next to a vehicle. It appeared that the vehicle had spun out and ejected him, Casey said. He, too, had a gunshot wound. The assumption would be that they are related ... seconds apart, within blocks apart, Casey said. Yang, who had no record, acknowledged that he should not have driven the car. The now-38-year-old who had been out of work because of a bad back told investigators that he had been drinking since that Memorial Day morning. And his attorney, Assistant Public Defender Leslie Cavanaugh, said Yang has a genetic condition that makes it more difficult for his body to process alcohol. Dovel and Yangs family who are Hmong refugees from Laos had assembled for what was supposed to be a happy time: a gender reveal party for Todd Dovels fourth grandchild and a Memorial Day celebration for the rest of the family. Todd Dovel was the father-in-law of Yangs sister. Yang said he and Dovel talked about cars that day and stood outside, admiring Dovels prized possession. The day I saw that Corvette, I couldnt take my eyes off of it, Yang said. I had to go for a ride. Dovel obliged and the two took off, with Dovel driving first. As they drove down Blondo Street in western Douglas County, Dovel pulled over and asked Yang if he wanted to drive. He was happy, he was smiling, Yang said. I should not have taken the keys, but the temptation was too great. I went too fast, went off the road into the ditch and ... that was it. Spry said that in talking to med school classes or young doctors, he makes the point that a doctor can lose his license if he doesnt report bad behavior. We dont tell medical students enough about jurisprudence, he said. Nevertheless, Spry said, doctors with busy practices dont want to spend a lot of time reporting and testifying about another doctors incompetency, drinking problem or mental illness. Doctors wonder, he said: How much do I have to get involved? How much of a pain is this going to be? A doctor might also report an impaired or bad physician to a hospital chief of staff, division chief or chairman of credentialing, Spry said, but an investigation by the hospital could be done only if the doctor in question has hospital privileges. Dr. Susan Goold, a University of Michigan professor of internal medicine, said its unusual to sue a hospital to get them to fire a doctor. The Omaha surgeons lawsuit doesnt cite reasons for the alleged incompetence. I dont think the profession has been nearly good enough at self-policing, said Goold, who was on the American Medical Association Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs from 2007 to 2014. The emphasis should be on trying to improve and correct a doctors performance, she said. This years Bicycle Ride Across Nebraska will give cyclists options as they ride across the state. Participants have the option to ride on the Cowboy Trail or on paved highway shoulders through the Sand Hills for a portion of the route. The route starts in Chadron on June 2 and ends in Fremont on June 8. Cyclists will make overnight stops in Gordon, Cody, Ainsworth, Atkinson, Neligh and Clarkson. The route is 404 miles, but it may vary if participants choose to ride on the trail. Its up to each participant to decide what kind of ride they want, although organizers are encouraging them to decide in advance, said Doug Scherlie, president and director of BRAN. That will let them bring the proper bike with proper tires. They hope to draw 400 to 500 participants; the event is capped at 600. Its a good group of people who look out for each other. Theres a lot of camaraderie, Scherlie said. ... We get people of all ages. You go out there and ride your ride and enjoy yourself. Investigators from the Drug Enforcement Administration were collecting evidence Wednesday at an Omaha pain management clinic, a DEA spokeswoman said. Spokeswoman Emily Murray confirmed that investigators were at the Medical Pain Relief Clinic, 13911 Gold Circle Drive. Murray said she could not comment on an active investigation. According to the clinics website, the business is owned by Dr. Jeffrey L. Edwards. No one answered the clinics phone Wednesday afternoon, and a message seeking comment was not immediately returned. The clinic was established in 1993, according to the website, and specializes in treating patients who have not had success with conventional treatments. Chronic pain can be lessened through an organized approach addressing the physical and psychological components of the experience, according to information posted about clinic services. A second clinic location in Fremont has closed, according to the website. 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. Spencer Long was released Tuesday by the New York Jets. The former Husker lineman spent one season in New York, starting 13 games at both center and guard. He signed a four-year deal with the Jets last offseason after spending four years with the Washington Redskins. Long was on a four-year contract with the Jets. He was set to make a base salary of $3 million in 2019 and would have received a bonus of nearly $3.5 million had he remained on the Jets' roster. Long was a fourth-round draft pick of the Redskins in 2014. He played in 40 games with 31 starts for Washington before going to New York in 2018. A graduate of Elkhorn High School, Long was a three-year starter for the Huskers at right guard, though his senior season in 2013 was cut short due to a knee injury. Creighton University announced Wednesday that it will no longer include Joe Ricketts in a university event honoring accomplished alumni, citing personal emails by Ricketts that became public earlier this week. The university uninvited the 77-year-old TD Ameritrade founder and billionaire a 1968 Creighton graduate from its first-ever Evening of Honors event, scheduled for Friday. In an email to Creighton alumni, the Rev. Daniel Hendrickson, the school president, said that he spoke with Ricketts Tuesday and that he wont receive the award. Mr. Ricketts comments in personal emails do not reflect the values of our Jesuit, Catholic mission, including our focus on inclusiveness and diversity, Hendrickson wrote. Ricketts has apologized for the emails, sent between 2009 and 2013. They include racist jokes, conspiracy theories about former President Barack Obamas faith and life, and references to Islam as a cult and not a religion. Ricketts said he has deep regret and that the emails dont reflect his values. Damian Jr. Gong Marley Speaks About His Fathers Legacy, Future Projects & Buju Bantons Release Samantha Hunter Damian Jr. Gong Marley spoke about Bob Marleys legacy, his Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise, and why he doesnt care about R. Kelly. Damian Jr. Gong Marley was only two years old when his father passed away. And yet, Damian alongside his siblings is doing his part in making sure Bob Marleys legacy still lives on. Damian made his musical debut in 1996 (with the release of Mr. Marley). But it wasnt until Halfway Tree released, five years later, that the artist got serious recognition. On that album, which earned Damian his first Grammy award, for Best Reggae Album, the youngest Marley son showcased a seemingly natural talent for moving the masses through music and a strong inclination for expressing himself through song. READ: How Stop The Violence Movement Self Destruction Became One of the Most Important Rap Releases Damian Marley would get sent to another stratosphere in 2005, with the release of one of the defining songs of the last 20 years: Welcome to Jamrock, a track that detailed the crime and poverty of one of the most harrowing parts of Jamaica. Although the song is dark, it transcended: Marley took home the Grammy award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance. He made history in the process: becoming the first reggae artist to win a Grammy outside of reggae category. (Which is kind of sad.) Over the years Damian has continued to make sure the Marley matters: hes released solo projects, collaborated with legends like Nas and Jay-Z (who featured Marley on his single Bam from the 2017 4:44 album). And hes successfully launched the Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise, which is going on its sixth year and has already sold out for its December 2019 send-off. For what would have been Bob Marleys 74th birthday, we decided to sit down with Damian; he spoke to us about the legacy of great men like his father and Martin Luther King Jr., Buju Bantons release from prison, and his next musical endeavors. Check out the interview below. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Damian Jr. Gong Marley (@damianmarley) on Dec 11, 2018 at 10:40am PST What would you say is your musical mission or your purpose for making music at this point in your life? At the root of it, the mission has always been to spread upliftment, to spread love, and to spread the message of Rastafari, the message of God. Thats always the core of the mission. But, of course, we love making music and not every song that we sing is necessarily such a heavy topic, per se. Some songs that we do are for fun, and its good that you help people enjoy themselves. I really love what I do, so sometimes its not really about having a mission more than this really doing what I love. What would you say the Welcome to Jamrock cruise does for the genre of reggae music? I think it creates a new platform for reggae music, helping to be an example that we are a good investment so that we can have events that are profitable. When we were trying to put together the cruise, initially, a lot of people that we were approaching to partner with didnt think that reggae fans had that kind of income to go and enjoy a cruise. So we went through quite a few people before we were able to find someone who would take the chance with us. So, now that weve done the cruise, and we have proven ourselves not just as individuals but as a genre, we can do that kind of business. Were proud to be a part of setting that example. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bob Marley (@bobmarley) on Jan 16, 2019 at 10:16am PST February 6th is your fathers birthday. What memories, thoughts or lessons come to your mind when you think of him? Theres nothing really on the forefront of my mind. Our father is really a part of our everyday life, to tell you the truth, with the lessons and the morals and the example that he set carries us through everything that we do. So it is great to see, on his birthday, so many other people celebrate him. But we celebrate him every day. Some people put Bob Marley, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and Mahatma Gandhi in the same realm in terms of being humanitarians. I think anyone who really fights for the liberation of people and equality of people is someone to be revered, you know what I mean? And there are thousands upon thousands that we dont know who have played a part also. People like my father and Martin Luther are figureheads that we can look to as an example and someone who really made a change in a lot of peoples lives, made a change in our society and the quality of life that we now live today and enjoy. So respect is due to those people, like I said, and the thousands of people that are not named also. A whole heap of respect is due to all who contribute to those kinds of causes. Buju Banton has been released from prison and is preparing to go on tour. Do you have any relationship with him? What are your thoughts on his recent release? I personally havent spoken to him. Hes very close to my brother Steve, so they speak all the while. So we have in some way communicated through Steve if that makes sense, but I havent spoken to him directly. But yes, it is somebody that I know and somebody that is friend a friend of my family and someone from my country, that side, and so in that kind of case you know, set aside from the music industry and his career and the fact that we have somebody that were a fan of his music who has come home, I would say that Im just glad that hes home and that he has his freedom, just as any person, you know. Just as a friend, Im glad to know that hes not confined to a prison anymore and he can be with family. So on that personal level, thats what Im most happy for. What new projects or music do you have in the works right now? Well, as a producer, Im finishing an album with Third World. We just released a single for the first single, which is called, Loving You Is Easy, and we just did a video for that. Were looking to release the album hopefully by April. So, thats the nearest thing in the future, and aside from that now Im definitely starting to do some recording this month for what will be my next project. Whats the vibe that youre going for on this next album? I cant really say what the vibe is going to be yet. Were going to try and start discovering that now. Do you consider yourself a private person? I mean, a lot of what is on my mind, my thoughts and stuff, really come out in my music, you know what I mean? So, perhaps if you were to ask me really about a specific lyric in a song or something like that, youd maybe get more of an answer thats not like a typical answer. So I guess thats kind of how I do it, because usually in my music, I express a lot of my personal opinion and personal thoughts, and my life is a big inspiration for my music, you know what I mean? Its very personal in that kind of case. So yeah, I think if you really want to get to know me as an artist, its really a conversation based on the music itself. In your career, youve collaborated with some hip-hop and R&B artists. What are your thoughts about the whole R. Kelly situation? Do you think people should separate the man from his music? I never really [paid] it too much attention from the get-go, because his music doesnt really resonate with me in the first place, you know what I mean? [I]I dont really like his music to me his music is not really important. Just like I said to you earlier, not every song that I do I consider important either. But I think, overall, as an artist I like to view myself as important in some kind of way, you know what I mean? Youre trying to contribute to something thats a bit bigger than just you, and a bigger picture of humanity. Literally, I dont see R. Kelly as that kind of artist, so he didnt really exist that much to me from the get-go. Been waiting to drop this: summer playlist, the encore. Whats everybody listening to? pic.twitter.com/mqh1YVrycj President Obama (@POTUS44) August 11, 2016 Speaking of people of importance, did you ever have a chance to meet Barack or Michelle Obama? No, I didnt have the opportunity, yet. I know somebody who knows him, so he did sign a copy of his book for me, which was kind of cool. And I know that he mentioned, at one point, a song that Nas and I did together [Edit note: As We Enter] on his playlist so I guess in some kind of way hes aware of who I am. I think one of the biggest things that Im most proud about when it came to him winning the presidency is that the people of America would actually make that kind of choice. It says a lot about what people are ready to accept and what people are ready to try. So, [there is] an awakening going on right now. We as Rastaman [are] definitely working toward a world where, as his Majesty says, until the color of a mans skin is no more significant and the color of his eye, theres gonna be strife. Theres gonna be war, theres gonna be conflict its really more about a mans deed than his skin color. But from my experience Im not deep in American politics because Im not from American he seemed like a good man. He meant good, so thats positive. __ Samantha Hunter resides in Westchester, New York and has written entertainment and lifestyle features for BET.com, Essence, SoulBounce, Inspirer, Haute d Vie, Black Westchester, DELUX, and VH1.com. Her family and friends say shes always going somewhere, but you can find her on Instagram at @Sapodillic. The Justice Dept has ordered China Global TV Network America, which is wholly-owned by the Government of the Peoples Republic of China, to register as a foreign agent. Though CGTV America disputes the Justice Dept.s position that it engages in political activities as defined by the Foreign Agents Registration Act, it has registered out of an abundance of caution and in the spirit of cooperation with US authorities, according to its FARA filing. Parent company CGTV, which has bureaus in Beijing and Nairobi, broadcasts news and other programming 24-hours a day. Its content goes to more than 100 English-speaking countries. Its US unit claims it adheres to the same standards of professional journalism as other Washington news bureaus, including foreign media companies that broadcast or publish in the US. CGTN America enjoys editorial independence from state direction or control, the company says in its FARA filing. It employs a large team of highly qualified professional journalists and editors and CGTV has won numerous awards from some of the best journalism competitions in the US, including an Emmy. The Justice Dept. last year required Russian media company RTTV America to register as a foreign agent. My fellow Americans, here we are again: a State of the Union address from United States President Donald Trump. We have passed through another year in time 365 more days of artful deals, shutting down the federal government, Executive Time, and so on and so forth. Steve Coll The impact of the digital revolution on democracy and freedom of the press will be the subject of Press Freedom in a Post-Truth Era, a discussion to be held at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 12 at Albertine, the bookstore and reading room at the French Embassy in New York City. Steve Coll, dean of journalism at Columbia University, and Bruno Patino, dean of sciences at the Po School of Journalism in Paris, will address such topics as the new pathways that social media and the Internet have opened for journalism, the difficulty of promoting increased freedoms for journalists and readers, and the risk of conflict and violence that are putting many journalists at risk. The event will be conducted in English, and is free and open to the public. For more information, click here. Applications are being accepted through March 8 for this years Don Bartholomew Award, which provides a public relations/communications or business school graduate student the opportunity to gain practical experience in public relations research. Sponsored by Ketchum Global Research & Analytics in cooperation with the Institute for Public Relations, the award is named for Don Bartholomew, SVP, digital & social media research, in Ketchums office, who died of cancer in 2015. The award consists of a $7,500 stipend and a 10-week public relations research internship at the Ketchum offices in New York during the summer of 2019. At the end of this experience, the Intern will produce a research paper intended for PR practitioners. The winner will receive a $2,500 grant for the research paper, after it has been accepted for publication by IPR. The winner will be recognized at the 2019 IPR Distinguished Lecture and Awards Dinner in NYC. To find out more about the award, or to apply, click here. Germinder + Associates, which provides communications services for the pet/vet sector, has named Dr. C. Thomas Nelson as the last of its Germinder20 Power of Pink Honorees. Power of Pink is a storytelling initiative that is part of the agencys 20th anniversary. It highlights agency founder Lea-Ann Germinders story of breast cancer survivorship as well as recognizing leaders who stories have inspired her. Each Power of Pink designation included a donation to a charity selected by the honoree. Nelson, a community activist as well as veterinarian, selected the North Alabama Bicycle Association Building Fund as the group to benefit from his award. Other charities to have received donation through the program include the Winn Feline Foundation, Missouri Humane Society and Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine Scholarship Fund. A newlywed couple in Kuwait recently made history for having the shortest marriage in the countrys existence. They decided to go their separate ways just three minutes after getting married. Last month, Kuwaiti media reported the bizarre case of a couple who ended their marriage before even leaving the courthouse they got married in. The two had just signed their marriage contract in front of a judge and were walking out of the courthouse when the bride accidentally tripped. Instead of helping her up, the groom reportedly insulted his wife by calling her stupid for slipping. That was apparently too much for the woman to bear, so she turned around and asked the judge to dissolve their marriage on the spot. They had been married for only three minutes. Photo: stevepb/Pixabay According to Q8 News, this was the fastest divorce in the history of Kuwait, and probably of the whole world. Weve seen similar cases before, like this Dubai couple who got divorced 15 minutes after getting married, but three minutes? Thats going to be hard to beat. The news of this record-breaking divorce went viral on Twitter last week, with most commenters joking and ridiculing the couple for wasting the judges time. Some, however, took the brides side, saying that she made the right call. If the groom insulted her so early into their marriage, who knows what he would have done later on, one person wrote. If this is how he acts right at the beginning, its better to leave him, one Twitter user commented. 2019 .. . pic.twitter.com/8I0m9ZGLCA (@Almajlliss) January 27, 2019 A marriage with no respect, is a failed one right from the beginning, another one added. Some suspected that the bride was simply looking for an excuse for the quick divorce, which isnt that far fetched considering Kuwaits problem with interest-driven marriages. According to this article in the Arab Times, the loans and financial assistance provided by the state to newly-married couples has caused the divorce rate in the Middle-Eastern country to skyrocket in recent years. Many young people tie the knot only to benefit from the states incentives, and then quickly file for divorce. Its obviously not the only reported cause for divorce in Kuwait, but its definitely one of the most worrying ones. A North Carolina university student who thought her apartment was haunted after things started disappearing was shocked to find a creepy man hiding in her closet and wearing her clothes. The female student, who only wanted to be identified as Maddie, had grown to think that the off-campus apartment she shared with a roommate was haunted after her clothes started disappearing and strange handprints started appearing on mirrors and walls. However, on Saturday, she found that she wasnt dealing with a ghost, but something equally as terrifying a strange man hiding in her closet and wearing her clothes. Photo: Guilford County Sheriff I just hear rattling in my closet. It sounded like a raccoon in my closet, Maddie told Fox8. Im like, Whos there? And somebody answers me. Hes like, Oh, my name is Drew. I open the door and hes in there, wearing all of my clothes. My socks. My shoes. And he has a book bag full of my clothes. The shocked student, who goes to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, managed to keep her composure and quickly called her boyfriend. At the same time, she started talking to the creepy guy in her closet to distract him and stall for time. Interestingly, he seemed more than happy to hang out. He tries on my hat. He goes in the bathroom and looks in the mirror and then is like youre really pretty, can I give you a hug?' Maddie recalled. But he never touched me. A North Carolina college student found a man living inside her closet and wearing her clothes, reports @myfox8. Andrew Swofford, 30, is charged with breaking and entering, and faces 14 other felonies. pic.twitter.com/ytfygHcbJS AJ+ (@ajplus) February 5, 2019 When Maddies boyfriend arrived at her apartment he made the uninvited guest leave and called the police. The closet ghost was later arrested near the apartment building and identified as 30-year-old Andrew Swofford. On Monday, he was jailed in Guilford County under a $26,000 bond on 14 felony charges including larceny and identity theft. Maddie says she was lucky to discover Drew in her closet because she came by around lunchtime to pick up some things, which he probably wasnt expecting. However, neither the student nor the police can explain how he managed to get inside the apartment, as the door is always locked and there are no signs of forced entry. The property management company in charge of the apartment building is also trying to figure out how something like this happened. Stranger still is the fact that this was the second time Maddie found strangers in her apartment in just over a month. Back in December she came home to find two strange men in her living room. She alerted the leasing office about it and they changed the locks on the front door, but didnt notify the police about the incident. Despite having finally solved the mystery of the closet ghost, Maddie says she doesnt feel safe living in the apartment anymore. Last night I did not feel safe. I slept with my roommate in her bed, the young student said. I cant stay here. My closet, it stinks. Every time I go in (my room) theres a bad vibe. Im just ready to leave. None of us want to see Virginia on CNN like this, she said. Do we want to be the state thats doing awesome things, or do we want to be the state thats known for more racism because we just had Charlottesville not that long ago? Detectives have asked to speak with anyone who might have had contact with Emmett on Feb. 1 or Feb. 2. They are also looking to hear from anyone who knows where he was on those days. Machen Elementary Schools dismissal was delayed Tuesday afternoon after Hampton police called a lockdown because of an armed individual near the school, according to a spokeswoman for the Hampton City Schools. Children trying to find a path around the pool after the heavy rainfall last week. Photo: File I'm not in any way saying that Young Dolph had anything to do with the marijuana or had anything to do with the firearms, Drew said. But I am being very clear that that tour bus had marijuana on it over an ounce, two and a half ounces of marijuana, and two firearms. In the last two weeks, thousands of people have been streaming out of the village of Baghuz, the last speck of land under Islamic State control in Iraq and Syria, an area where the group once ruled a dominion the size of Britain. That state is all but gone. In the last month, the group went from holding three villages to two to just one. The militants are now trapped in an area about the size of Central Park. To the west, they are hemmed in by Syrian government forces. To the south is the Iraqi border, where Iraqi troops are holding the line. From the north and east, they are being fought by an American-backed Kurdish and Arab militia known as the Syrian Democratic Forces. As the noose has tightened, even those who joined the caliphate in its earliest days are trying to save themselves. Most of those who have made it to this spot in the desert in recent days are the families of the militants their multiple wives and numerous children with only a small number of locals originally from the area mixed in, Kurdish officials said. My father had been doing this since, you know, for 50 years, says Speake, who now runs the family business with his brother Mark. Thats all weve ever done. CAIRO In a fiery speech at the American University in Cairo last month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sided with the autocrats who dominate the Middle East and played down the Arab Spring protests that upended the region in 2011. This week that speech became the trigger for a revolt against the man who hosted it: Francis J. Ricciardone, the universitys president and a former American diplomat. Mr. Ricciardone faces an open challenge from academics at the university, one of the most prestigious in the Middle East, who are angered in part by his decision to give Mr. Pompeo an unchallenged platform. On Tuesday, the university Senate voted overwhelmingly to declare no confidence in Mr. Ricciardone, a former United States ambassador to Egypt, Turkey and the Philippines and Palau. In a resolution, the academics said that they had lost faith in Mr. Ricciardones stewardship of the university and urged its New York-based board of trustees to immediately begin the search for a successor. The academics said their grievances against Mr. Ricciardone, who has been the universitys leader since 2016, long predated Mr. Pompeos speech on Jan. 10. In a letter to Mr. Ricciardone, faculty members cited low morale, complaints about his management style, grievances over contracts and accusations of illegal discrimination. The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges and are appealing their convictions. Melanie Evans, a charity worker, was one of the six people who cut the fence and helped carry blockade materials to the side of the parked Boeing 767 jet. She said that the groups view was that Britain was compromising the safety of the migrants who were to board the flight. At the time of our action, it seemed that there was no just way to protect these people because they were so quickly and secretly snatched away, Ms. Evans said in a phone interview on Wednesday. Ms. Evans said she knew what she was doing was against the law, but she said she had expected a charge of aggravated trespassing, which has been used in previous cases. Raj Chada, who represented the defendants in court, said in a statement that the charges amounted to using counterterrorism legislation. While we are relieved that none of our clients face a custodial sentence, today is still a sad day for justice, he said, adding that the group will continue to fight in the appeal courts to get these wrongful convictions overturned. Protesters in Britain and other countries have staged similar protests to try to halt deportation flights. In July, a woman in Sweden refused to sit down in a Turkish Airlines flight, trying to block the removal of an Afghan man from the country. The woman, Elin Ersson, live-streamed the video, drawing praise from around the world, but she faces a fine or a prison sentence of up to six months if convicted of violating a Swedish aviation law. Last year, Prime Minister Theresa May apologized after some members of the Windrush generation, who came to Britain legally from colonies or former colonies from 1948 to 1973, were threatened with deportation because they could not prove they were residing in the country legally. LONDON After two apparently unproductive days in Northern Ireland, Prime Minister Theresa May was headed to Brussels for further talks on Thursday, hoping to put her Brexit plans back on course. Any hopes that she would receive a warm welcome, however, were dashed before she could board the plane. On Wednesday, in a breach of diplomatic protocol, the president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, vented his frustrations with the endless political machinations in London with a stinging indictment of the most fervent proponents of Britains withdrawal from the European Union, or Brexit. Ive been wondering what that special place in hell looks like, for those who promoted Brexit, without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely, Mr. Tusk said at a joint news conference in Brussels with the Irish prime minister, Leo Varadkar. He looked like a handsome doctor straight out of a TV series. On his Facebook page, Dr. Matthew Mode promoted cosmetic procedures, including surgery, performed at a clinic in a wealthy part of the Romanian capital, Bucharest. He posed in blue scrubs with a broad smile and a syringe of Botox. But the authorities in Romania said this week that he was not authorized to practice medicine there, and questions have been raised about whether he is really a doctor. Oh, and his name isnt Matthew Mode. Romanian health authorities began looking into Matteo Politi the name he used before calling himself Matthew Mode after news reports that he had operated on at least one woman without proper credentials. Almost a year after he began practicing medicine in Bucharest, prosecutors there have opened a criminal investigation into his actions. On Wednesday morning, Romanian border guards found him trying to leave the country on a train bound for Budapest, removed him and handed him over to the police. Experts say there is no shortage of factors contributing to the abuse, its cover up and the lack of action inside the Vatican. Karlijn Demasure, the former executive director of the churchs Center for Child Protection at the Pontifical Gregorian University, where she is a professor and expert in the sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults, said there is no data on how widespread the problem is. But, she added, anecdotal evidence suggests its not exceptional. Many members of the church, experts said, suffer from a medieval mind-set and consider the priests who commit abuse against nuns to be the victims of seductive temptresses. Since the victims in these cases are adults, the experts say, there is also a reflexive tendency to blame them. The reductive public image of the nun as existing to serve the priest and to pray quietly also undercuts those who speak up. Often, the abuse occurs in a relationship of spiritual guidance, Professor Demasure said, with the priest grooming the victim over time, as is often the case in cases of child sexual abuse. The apparent preponderance of such abuse in Africa and India has led some in the church to chalk the abuse up to cultural differences. In many cases, sexual favors have been required of nuns who are financially dependent on priests, and traditions of subservience by women make them vulnerable to abuse. Ms. Scaraffia said she subscribed to the popes critique of abuse, that it is rooted in a rot in clerical culture that leads priests to believe they are a higher authority, and thus entitled to do what they want with their parishioners. In developing countries, where the abuse of nuns seems more prevalent, priests tend to be put on even higher pedestals. BRUSSELS The small European country now known as the Republic of North Macedonia may not seem like a significant addition to NATO. But it plugs another gap in what was once the former Soviet Unions backyard, and comes at a time when East-West tensions are rising. North Macedonias inclusion also means NATO will soon have 30 members, all committed to their collective defense. That is double what NATOs membership was in 1991, when many experts thought the alliance would disband with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact. On Wednesday, in a ceremony at NATOs Brussels headquarters, member countries formally signed a letter of accession for North Macedonia, which should become a full member by years end. Political analysts said the addition was a setback for President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, who sees NATO as an expansionist military force on his countrys doorstep. Mr. Putin has for many years argued that NATO is no longer needed because, he says, Russia poses no threat. Nikola Dimitrov, Macedonias foreign minister, said NATO membership would place the country in a zone of stability in a region that still has pockets of uncertainty. Macedonia can be the precedent for how issues should be resolved in the rest of the Balkans, Mr. Dimitrov said. Russia continues to be wary of NATO expansion in Eastern Europe because of the alliances historical role as an opponent of the Soviet Union. Western officials had accused Russia of interference in the name-change process, with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, during a visit to the Macedonian capital, Skopje, voicing concerns that groups financed by Russia were trying to undermine the deal. How did this all start? The name hasnt always been a major point of contention with Greece. While the dispute dates back at least to the first Balkan wars of the 1910s, it receded for most of the 20th century, when Macedonia was part of the socialist federation of Yugoslavia. Since it was an entity of another country, Greece made few objections to its use of the name at the time. The difficulties flared when Yugoslavia disintegrated and Macedonia declared its independence in 1991, as well as its intention to join international organizations that included Greece. Macedonia entered the United Nations in 1993 under a provisional name, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, or Fyrom. While the name made the countrys provenance clear, it did not entirely resolve the issue, since Macedonia did not refer to itself internally as Fyrom. Greece accused it of appropriating Greek symbols and cultural identifiers, such as the Vergina Star a similar image appears on the current Macedonian flag. NEW DELHI An Indian government board that had opposed allowing women to enter a Hindu temple changed its position on Wednesday, saying that women had the right to pray in the shrine. For months, the centuries-old Sabarimala Temple, which sits on a hill in the southern state of Kerala, has been the site of violent protests and riots over whether women of childbearing age could set foot inside. The drama has captivated India, encapsulating bigger issues of religious extremism, womens rights and the rule of law. Even with the religious boards reversal, the controversy is far from over. The Supreme Court on Wednesday was hearing arguments once again about the status of the temple. Last year, the court ruled that women ages 10 to 50 had the right to visit the shrine, but religious groups had pleaded with judges to reconsider their decision. SEOUL, South Korea A senior American negotiator arrived in North Korea on Wednesday to sort out crucial details for a nuclear summit meeting in Vietnam between President Trump and the Norths leader, Kim Jong-un, with only three weeks to go before the talks take place. Stephen Biegun, the Trump administrations special representative for North Korea, arrived in Pyongyang, the Norths capital, around the time that Mr. Trump announced in his State of the Union address that he and Mr. Kim would meet for a second time on Feb. 27-28 in Vietnam. Mr. Beiguns trip had been announced in advance. When Mr. Kim and Mr. Trump first met in Singapore in June, they agreed to work toward the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and to build new relations between their countries. But since then, talks have stalled over how to carry out that vaguely worded agreement. Mr. Trump now wants significant and verifiable progress on denuclearization, actions that are bold and real, Mr. Biegun said last week in a speech at Stanford University. But American intelligence agencies recently cautioned that the North was unlikely to completely give up its nuclear weapons and production capability. MOSCOW After two days of talks in Moscow, the Taliban and prominent Afghan politicians, many of them former enemies, said on Wednesday that they had charted a broad road map for ending the war in Afghanistan, which is in its 18th year. It is structured around the withdrawal of American forces from the country and the Talibans commitment to citizens fundamental rights. Hamid Karzai, the former president of Afghanistan and the leader of the politicians delegation, declared the talks a big achievement that would help push toward peace, stability and an Afghanistan free of foreign forces. The meeting, at the Kremlin-owned President Hotel, was the first significant public contact between the Taliban and prominent Afghans in years, with the Islamist insurgents presenting more detail on some of their positions, including on womens rights. At best, however, the event was a brainstorming session because of a conspicuous absence at the table: The government of President Ashraf Ghani was not represented, meaning none of the agreements would carry any weight of implementation. Officials close to Mr. Ghanis administration have said such meetings undermine the fragile Afghan state. Trump paid homage to the record wave of newly elected female lawmakers, which prompted one of the biggest bipartisan applause lines of the evening. "All Americans can be proud that exactly one century after the Congress passed the constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote, we also have more women serving in the Congress than ever before," he said. Mr. Xi, who rose to power in 2012, faces a variety of headwinds that are complicating his efforts to manage a smooth transition to a high-tech economy. Consumer and business confidence is falling, the housing market is sputtering and a trade dispute with the United States is dragging on. The government says the economy grew by 6.6 percent last year, the weakest pace of growth since 1990. Many experts, noting problems like declining property sales and sluggish factory activity, say the actual rate may be even lower. As economic forecasts have turned more sober, Mr. Xi has sought to defuse tensions by urging companies to pay salaries for low-income workers on time. The State Council, Chinas cabinet, says it wants to eliminate wage arrears by next year. Labor protests in China are common, and to avoid protracted conflicts, local officials often put pressure on businesses to settle disputes. But companies may be more unwilling or unable to do so now as they struggle to find money. Mr. Xi has expanded the partys oversight of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, the party-controlled organ that is supposed to mediate disputes for its more than 300 million members but often sides with management. He has also dismantled nonprofit labor advocacy groups, which in the past provided advice to workers and helped with collective bargaining. In a crackdown in Shenzhen in late January, the authorities detained five veteran labor rights advocates and accused them of disturbing public order, a vague charge the party often uses against its critics. Now, with no independent unions, courts or news outlets to turn to, some workers are resorting to extreme measures to settle disputes. BEIJING Officials in Shanghai are investigating reports that a Chinese pharmaceutical company may have sold more than 12,000 units of a blood plasma product contaminated with H.I.V., potentially the latest in a series of scandals that have threatened to undermine public trust in Chinas medical institutions and health care system. In a statement on its website, the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday night that authorities had ordered the company, Shanghai Xinxing Medicine Company, to begin an emergency recall of the potentially tainted batch of intravenous immunoglobulin, a treatment made from pooled blood plasma that is often used to treat immune disorders, and halt its production. Chinas National Health Commission and the State Drug Administration have asked all medical institutions across the country to stop using the units in question and monitor patients who have already been administered the treatment, according to state news media. Officials did not say how many patients had been treated with the blood product. In the spirit of being highly responsible to the people, the local authorities are responsible for conducting follow-up observations of relevant patients and cooperating with the State Drug Administration, said a report published Wednesday by Xinhua, Chinas official news agency. MEXICO CITY President Trumps State of the Union speech hit hard on a topic that has dominated his term in office: defending the border with Mexico against what he described as migrants in large organized caravans. He also suggested that the Mexican authorities were encouraging the migrants to cross the border illegally. We have just heard that Mexican cities, in order to remove the illegal immigrants from their communities, are getting trucks and buses to bring them up to our country in areas where there is little border protection, Mr. Trump said in his speech Tuesday night. Some aspects of Mr. Trumps assertions are true but others are unsubstantiated or distorted. There is no evidence, for example, that the Mexican authorities are sending migrants to weak points along the border. WASHINGTON The woman who has accused Lt. Gov. Justin E. Fairfax of Virginia of sexual assault came forward on Wednesday, issuing a statement through a law firm that described a 2004 encounter at the Democratic National Convention in Boston that, she said, began with kissing but quickly turned into an episode of forced oral sex. Mr. Fairfax, who has retained lawyers to assist him, has emphatically denied the allegation and argued that there is no corroborating evidence to support it. Late Wednesday night, aides to a prominent Democratic Virginia congressman, Bobby Scott, said that the woman told him a year ago that she had made an allegation of sexual assault against Mr. Fairfax. The woman identified herself on Wednesday as Dr. Vanessa C. Tyson, an associate professor of politics and expert in black history at Scripps College in California. She has also spent years advocating for victims of sexual assault and has spoken openly about being molested by her father when she was a child. For independents, Mr. Trump offered some universally popular ideas, like fighting childhood cancer and rebuilding crumbling infrastructure. He singled out two key 2020 battleground states, Michigan and Pennsylvania, as hurt by foreign trade. And he took digs at the ascendant left wing of the Democratic Party, including mounting a strong defense of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an agency that some Democrats have said should be abolished. The president also urged lawmakers to reject the politics of resistance and said he was alarmed by calls to adopt socialism. He also attacked the multiple investigations into his administration and his campaigns possible ties to Russia, seeming to argue that Democrats congressional oversight threatened national security and economic growth. An economic miracle is taking place in the United States and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations, he said, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi quietly scoffed behind him. But perhaps as telling as any of the topics he addressed was the one he did not: the government shutdown. During his nearly 90-minute speech, Mr. Trump didnt even mention the shutdown, which dominated national news, dragged down his approval ratings and delayed this very event. Less than two years away from facing voters for a second time, Mr. Trump finds himself in a moment of political peril. He has not been able to get funding for his border wall and is flirting with declaring a national emergency to fulfill that major campaign promise. The special counsel investigation has ensnared some of his key allies. Aides are preparing for a blizzard of subpoenas from the Democratic-controlled House. And hes still reeling from his political defeat over the longest government shutdown in history. Hes just a political hack. Hes trying to build a name for himself, Mr. Trump said, adding, Its called presidential harassment. And its unfortunate. And it really does hurt our country. Mr. Schiff shot back, I can understand why the idea of meaningful oversight terrifies the president. Look, several associates of his have gone to jail. Others are awaiting trial. He said the expanded Russia investigation would be done in coordination with other committees, including the Financial Services Committee, which wants to determine whether Russia or other foreign actors laundered money through the Trump Organization. Our job involves making sure the policy of the United States is being driven by the national interest, Mr. Schiff said, not by any financial entanglement, financial leverage or other form of compromise. Intelligence Committee Republicans, who have already begun to accuse the Democrats of politically motivated overreach, did not endorse the inquirys parameters. In a separate statement, they called on Democrats to subpoena unnamed witnesses they recommended, and privately, they accused Democrats of being more interested in keeping a politically damaging issue alive for the 2020 elections than finding new facts. In its meeting, the committee also voted to share transcripts of witness interviews that it conducted related to Russian election interference with the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III. Mr. Mueller has already used two such transcripts to charge associates of the presidents with lying to Congress, and Democrats believe others could have intentionally misled the committee. Other committees were making moves, too. The Judiciary Committee had called a meeting for Thursday to vote on a subpoena to compel testimony from Mr. Whitaker, if needed. Mr. Whitaker, a loyalist of the presidents who is currently overseeing Mr. Muellers work, is scheduled to testify voluntarily on Friday, but Democrats have concerns that he might try to back out or dodge questions about the firing of his predecessor, about the presidents attacks on the Justice Department and about other matters related to the Mueller inquiry. WASHINGTON The State of the Union address is usually the presidents moment to make his case with soaring words. But newly empowered Democrats on Tuesday delivered their own pointed message to President Trump and the nation: Were back and we wont be pushed around. From the partys restored Madam Speaker presiding over the proceedings to the sea of white worn by the scores of Democratic women crowding the partys side of the chamber, the resurrection of the Democrats as a force in Congress was on full display. At his first speech before a divided Congress, Mr. Trump himself recognized their ascension with his plea for Democrats not to pursue investigations of his administration. There was zero chance of them complying with that request. We are not here to play, Representative Mary Gay Scanlon, a freshman Democrat from Pennsylvania, said as she joined other Democratic women earlier Tuesday to celebrate their growing clout. We are here to be serious. Their invited guests undocumented immigrants, sexual assault and gun violence victims, transgender Americans, federal employees who suffered in the shutdown served as the personification of rebukes to the president and his policies. Also scattered through Mr. Trumps audience on the House floor were multiple eager Democratic presidential aspirants whose goal is to take Mr. Trumps job away from him in two years. The cascade of events seemed almost surreal to many here. And with Virginias top three statewide officials facing mortal political threats in the midst of the legislative session and an election year, some senior legislators suggested it was time to stop demanding resignations. I feel like Im living in an episode of a Nathaniel Hawthorne novel where people are rushing to judgment, and it feels like if I dont proclaim judgment right away, it somehow reflects on me, said State Senator J. Chapman Petersen, a Northern Virginia Democrat. I think we need to slow down. Referring to the three officials, Mr. Petersen added, I want them all to stay put until we learn more. Asked who was in charge of the state, State Senator Adam P. Ebbin, a Democrat, replied, The governor of Virginia for now. [Make sense of the people, issues and ideas shaping American politics with our newsletter.] Although speculation about Mr. Herrings history with blackface had coursed through the Capitol this week, it was not until Wednesday morning that he met with the Legislative Black Caucus to inform them. He then issued a statement that described how, as an undergraduate at the University of Virginia in 1980, he had dressed as the rapper Kurtis Blow. By Mr. Herrings account, he and friends dressed up and put on wigs and brown makeup for a party, and that it was a one-time occurrence. The attorney general, who was elected in 2013 after serving in the General Assembly and in local government in Northern Virginia, said that the shame of that moment has haunted me for decades. Black legislators in the Capitol generally saw Mr. Herring as an ally on crucial issues. Their Wednesday morning meeting with black lawmakers was emotional for everyone present, including the attorney general, said State Senator Louise Lucas, a Democrat who attended the gathering. She said that the attorney general wiped tears from his cheek and that legislators also cried. All at once, New York City seemed to be conspiring against Beto ORourke. His girlfriend was moving to France. His punk bandmates had scattered. Twenty-three and searching with an Ivy League degree that could not pay rent Mr. ORourke subsisted as a live-in nanny on the Upper West Side, with a futon in the maids quarters, watching over a wealthy familys two preschoolers. [Update: Beto ORourke drops out of 2020 race.] I just remember his dad coming, said the former girlfriend, Sasha Watson, recalling a pep talk from Pat ORourke, a prominent Texas county commissioner and judge, who insisted his son was destined for bigger things. He really saw great things for Beto. Great things were not happening. By late 1995, Mr. ORourke had fallen into the deepest depression he can remember. He worked for an uncles tech business because it was a job. He spent nights alone listening to his cassettes because it passed the time. Little bit of a sad case, Mr. ORourke said. More than two decades later, long after what friends describe as a quarter-life crisis, Mr. ORourke has arrived at a midlife crossroads of enormous consequence, with revealing parallels to his time in New York. Forty-six and searching after a narrow Senate loss in Texas last year that propelled the former El Paso congressman to Democratic stardom he has been driving around the country, alone, introducing himself to strangers, deciding if he wants to run for president. Between the oyster and the layer of sauce, Juans adds coleslaw, diced tomatoes and fresh cilantro. There is plenty of beef, steak and chicken on the menu, but Carrillo takes pride in the integration of seafood as well; he says many of his flavor profiles trace back to the ceviche and other seafood dishes he grew up eating on his familys frequent vacations to the Pacific coast of Mexico. A former nurse accused of raping and impregnating an incapacitated woman under his care last year at a Phoenix nursing home pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to charges of sexual assault and child abuse. In a brief arraignment hearing, the former nurse, Nathan D. Sutherland, who appeared in an orange jumpsuit, spoke only to provide his name and date of birth. The judge announced that a not guilty plea had been entered by Mr. Sutherland, 36, who was swiftly taken back to the Maricopa County Jail, where he has been held since his arrest on Jan. 23. The roughly minute-long proceeding was the latest development in a sexual assault case that has shocked the authorities in Arizona, raised questions about the treatment of patients in long-term disability care there and brought intense scrutiny to the nursing homes operator, Hacienda HealthCare. The criminal case started to unfold in late December, when a woman at Hacienda who cannot talk or walk unexpectedly gave birth to a boy. Over the following weeks, the investigation became the main focus of the Phoenix Police Department, its chief said, and led to questions about the companys operations and conduct. SEATTLE Measles, declared eliminated as a major public health threat in the United States almost 20 years ago, has re-emerged this winter in the Pacific Northwest and other states where parents have relatively broad leeway over whether to vaccinate their children. Seventy-nine cases of measles have been reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since the start of this year. Fifty cases of the highly contagious disease were in Washington State. An outbreak of measles has also occurred in the Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn, where 64 confirmed cases of measles were reported, mostly late last year. That outbreak began, the C.D.C. said, when a child who had not had a measles vaccination caught the virus on a visit to Israel, where a large outbreak of the disease was occurring. But no place has been hit harder since January than Clark County, Wash., a fast-growing corner of the metropolitan area near Portland, Ore. Clark County health officials declared a medical emergency last month, and say they have seen 49 cases most of them in children under the age of 10. In the past week, California has been pummeled by fierce winter storms wreaking havoc from Sacramento to San Diego. Flash floods have damaged an already fragile landscape, as near hurricane-force winds downed power lines along the coast. On Tuesday, mountain highways were closed because of blizzard conditions and the National Weather Service warned about avalanches in the eastern Sierra Nevada range. But for the states ski resorts, its looking a lot like a boom time. At the Squaw Valley resort near Lake Tahoe, attendance is up 25 percent compared with last year, according to executives there. In Central California, Mammoth Mountain Ski Area said it had record guest attendance at its lodges in December and January, and was on pace to outperform again this month. To be fair, last year wasnt the best for California skiers. But after a long period of drought that has often left ski slopes bare, with occasional years of heavy snow, the waves of storms that have swept across the state in recent weeks are a welcome respite. Some resorts have reported more than seven feet of new snow over the past several days, with more winter storms forecast for the weekend. Located on El Centros Main Street, DPoly and its clientele embody the biculturalism of border towns across the Southwest. Farm workers, white-collar professionals, big families and off-duty Border Patrol agents congregate here for tacos, sopes and flavored juices. Modern and minimalist, the restaurants gray walls and dark wood floors could be the backdrop of an elegant Crate and Barrel photo shoot save for an arresting pink mural of Frida Kahlo that instantly sets the room apart. Flashes of pastel pop from behind a tiled bar, which includes a display of Dia de los Muertos statuettes. [Read: State of the Union Fact Check: What Trump Got Right and Wrong] English and Spanish are heard virtually interchangeably at table after table. Latin pop plays in the background, songs like Donde Estaras by the Mexican electrocumbia musician Raymix. Mr. Galeana, who owns the restaurant along with his wife, Teresa, said he and his family decorated with the idea of showcasing Mexican culture in a modern setting, a concept that so often is lost in Mexican restaurants in favor of stereotypical decor like sombreros. Our idea was to show that Mexico is not just what the stereotypes say: Its so much more, he said. We are proud of our culture, and we want to show that. That is what many of those here say they wish the president understood: Immigration and cross-national exchanges are celebrated in these towns along the border. Hildy Carrillo, the executive director of the Calexico Chamber of Commerce, has been sharply critical of President Trumps immigration policies. She watched with exasperation last year when Mr. Trump called the replacement of the towns border barrier the start of our Southern Border WALL! She said she feared the presidents remark would turn Calexico into an anti-immigration symbol and make it seem unsafe. The Height of the Storm, by the French playwright Florian Zeller, is headed for Broadway, the Manhattan Theater Club announced Wednesday. The play, which ended a successful run in London last month, is moving to the Samuel J. Friedman Theater in September. It centers on a couple who, after 50 years of marriage, struggle to cope with change and uncertainty. The actors Jonathan Pryce and Eileen Atkins, who starred in the London production, will reprise their roles as husband and wife. Jonathan Kent (Long Days Journey Into Night) will direct. Mr. Zeller made his Broadway debut in 2016 with The Father, for which Frank Langella won a Tony Award for best actor. Another work of his, The Mother, starring Isabelle Huppert, is to begin performances Off Broadway at the Atlantic Theater Company on Feb. 20. The world premiere of The New Englanders by Jeff Augustin (Little Children Dream of God), about a mixed-race family searching for happiness in a quiet New England town, will follow, in an Off Broadway run at City Center Stage II, also as part of Manhattan Theater Clubs new season. It has changed our lives Their involvement with Everything Is Wonderful has also spurred the Lakens who have met with and counseled many other grieving parents in the decades since Shawns death to take on another project. In response to the plays message of forgiveness and reconciliation, Sandy and Mark are searching for the man who they feel is responsible. The details as to who this man might be are murky. The police record for that September night is gone, and more than three decades have blunted the memories of many involved. Everyone agrees that Shawn was driving a friend home that night on River Road. Everyone agrees that he swerved, crashed into a tree and died instantly. The Lakens telling of that night includes two other cars. One was right behind Shawn, and its driver saw the accident. The other was coming the opposite way on the two-lane road, driving in a way that forced Shawn off the road. Two Bard officials who were working there at the time Leon Botstein, the schools president, and Mark Primoff, its associate vice president of communications remember this purely as a one-car accident. As it happens, Mr. Botstein had lost his own young daughter in a hit-and-run incident several years earlier, and both he and the Lakens recall this tragic coincidence as being helpful in the aftermath of Shawns death. As the Lakens recall it, though, the driver of this other car who was not a Bard student surfaced a few days later. And they say Mr. Botstein offered them the opportunity to meet with him. We were so grief-struck and shocked that we chose not to, Sandy said. Had we had more wisdom at the time, we would have. How do New York Times journalists use technology in their jobs and in their personal lives? Daisuke Wakabayashi, a technology reporter in San Francisco, discussed the tech hes using. What are your most important tech tools? Im most particular about the tech products I use as basic tools of my job. Im a maniac about keyboards and mice; I generally hate most of them. While I use Macs at home and at work, I dislike every Apple keyboard and dont care for the companys mice, either. The keys are too flat, I never know if Ive pressed hard enough, and it hurts my hands after a while. As my colleagues will tell you, I use a very loud mechanical keyboard made by Das Keyboards. These mechanical keyboards are similar to the ones that came with my familys first IBM computer from the 1980s. Ive also used the same mouse for the last five years. Aside from that, I use an app called Voice Record Pro on my iPhone for recording interviews. If Im recording a phone call with permission, of course Ill use an app from Rev, which is also the service I use to have my interviews transcribed. Its a little steep at $1 per minute, but the accuracy is so much better than the A.I.-only alternatives that cost like 10 cents a minute. Interracial couples. A guide dog for blind people. A person using a wheelchair. These were among the new emojis announced this week by the Unicode Consortium, the nonprofit that provides standards for text on the internet and oversees emojis. The list which includes 59 new emojis, as well as variants for a total of 230 options emphasizes inclusivity. People will soon be able to create a holding hands emoji to reflect their own relationship, selecting for the skin color and gender identity of each individual. Other options include emojis showing a hearing aid, prosthetic limbs, sign language, a cane or a wheelchair. A host of other new symbols include an otter, a sloth, a waffle, falafel, a yawning face, a white heart, a sari and a contentious one-piece bathing suit. In a world where people use emojis to represent everything from weddings to poop, the announcement naturally led to much discussion, with an image of a drop of blood becoming a new way to talk about menstruation and a pinching symbol leading to jokes about a certain male body part being very, very small. Back on is Rachel Comey, who showed on Wednesday, and Elie Tahari, who will return to the official week to celebrate his 45th anniversary. And back, too, is Erin Beatty, formerly of Suno, which shuttered in 2016. After Suno closed, Ms. Beatty said she felt depressed and was losing confidence in what she was making and how she was making it. Now, after a couple of years working behind the scenes, she is returning with Rentrayage, a collection of pieces remade from vintage clothes, a stab at sustainable fashion and thinking through the implications of her production in a new way. Ms. Beatty had a KonMari-esque test for the vintage she sourced to use as raw materials. If I put it on and I loved it, I refused to cut into it, she said. Its pieces that I felt needed to change in order to survive. Like herself, she admitted. And like New York Fashion Week. Im super-excited to be back, she said. I want it to survive so badly, to be honest. I want these other designers to come back to New York. I think with everything thats happening in the country, its a really good time for us to be proud of the fact that were Americans and were thinking about things differently. I want there to be a reawakening of American fashion. In London and Milan, A Mix of Men and Women After New York, things pick up in London, where more than 100 catwalk shows, presentations and events are scheduled over six days. Riccardo Tisci, who showed his first collection for Burberry in September, will present his follow-up show . Several young labels who have shown as part of group shows, like Symonds Pearmain, or in presentation format, like the faux-fur label Shrimps, are jumping to full shows. Expect particular excitement around Wales Bonner, which has, since its inception, shown during Londons mens wear week. Grace Wales Bonners historically inflected collections, with their sumptuous materials and polyglot references, have been eagerly taken up by men and women both, and she won the LVMH Prize for young designers in 2016. Hugh Lessig writes about Newport News Shipbuilding and other defense contractors in Hampton Roads. He occasionally writes about workforce training issues and military history. He previously covered the military and state politics for the Daily Press, where he began work in 1997. Earths auroras, popularly known as the Northern and Southern Lights, are indisputably beautiful. They are also, perhaps surprisingly, not mirror images . You can imagine the two like mismatched dancers: Viewed from space, the Northern Lights may contort and groove in one direction, while the Southern Lights could perform a routine that doesnt quite sync up with its partners. Research published in December in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, reveals that the cause of this north-south auroral asymmetry is the angle at which the suns solar wind and magnetic field approaches Earth. [Sign up to get reminders for space and astronomy events on your calendar.] Earth has two magnetic poles, a north and a south, much in the same way a bar magnet does. From these two poles, bunched up magnetic field lines invisible tendrils that represent the direction and strength of this planetary bar magnet reach out into space as the planet travels on its orbit. Like fishing lines, they catch energetically excitable particles heading our way in the solar wind. These particles slam into our atmosphere, and energy is released in the form of the colorful auroras. MEXICO CITY As the Venezuelan crisis worsens, nearly every country that backs Juan Guaido as the interim president has come to agree that Nicol a s Maduros resignation is the first step toward any type of negotiation. This is a departure from previous diplomatic attempts to establish a dialogue between the Maduro government and the opposition. The effort in Uruguay this week at the behest of the European Union opens up a new window for a peaceful resolution. This means that Mr. Guaido and the National Assembly would call for presidential elections as quickly as possible, under international supervision, with new electoral authorities, and overseen by a neutral government. There is a consensus among European and Latin American nations that the Trump administration should play as understated a role as possible, even if Washington has helped orchestrate much of what has occurred in recent weeks. Still, many in Latin America and Europe believe that no matter how low-key Washington keeps its presence, its motives are questionable. If Mr. Trump is in, everyone else should be out, they say . The skepticism is understandable considering the United States track record in Latin America from Guatemala in the 1950s to Honduras in the 2000s. If Mr. Maduro leaves office, it will be thanks to the hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who took to the streets risking their lives, to the military officers who refused to fire on them, the Latin American governments who for the past year and a half have been pushing for this, and to the countries in the European Union that also want Mr. Maduro gone. The United States is one factor, but not a decisive one. In his book, Cass writes: The United States should limit increases in its supply of unskilled immigrant labor. This new approach would require first and foremost that criteria for allowing entrance into the country emphasize education level attainment of a college degree, in particular. In the case of undocumented immigrants, Casss policy would be to require unskilled illegal immigrants to leave. Carlson is more extreme. On Dec. 4, Carlson told viewers that a new analysis of census data shows that sixty-three percent of noncitizens in the U.S. receive some kind of welfare benefits, before adding: Every night, hundreds of thousands of our citizens, Americans, sleep outdoors on the street, theyre homeless. The countrys middle class is shrinking and dying younger. The third year in a row. Again, these are American citizens. Some of them probably think they should have first dibs on help from the government, but theyre not getting it. Later that month, Carlson escalated his claim that immigration was too costly for Americans: Its indefensible, so nobody even tries to defend it. Instead, our leaders demand that you shut up and accept this. We have a moral obligation to admit the worlds poor, they tell us, even if it makes our own country poor and dirtier and more divided. These comments proved highly controversial, to say the least. According to Business Insider, 16 companies stopped advertising on The Tucker Carlson Show. Michael Massing, a New York-based writer who often reports on the intersection of media and politics, watched Carlson for several nights after the January monologue in an attempt to assess where Carlson really stood. In a Feb. 2 article in the Guardian, Massing wrote: Overall, his show continues to transmit Foxs toxic blend of race-baiting and reality distortion, through which it has done so much to poison the American mind. What, then, to make of Carlson? Is he a cynic? A hypocrite? A headlong pursuer of ratings? Perhaps hes best described as a charter member of the same ruling class that in his monologue he indicted for working so intently to divide and confuse the American people. In addition to the discrete conservative factions Cass and Carlson represent, there is another dissident wing of conservatism, represented by the Niskanen Center, which attempts to appeal to moderates and centrists of both parties. Working within the broad and diverse intellectual tradition of liberalism, we are fashioning a new synthesis that closes the rift within that tradition that emerged over the question of socialism, Brink Lindsey, the centers vice president for policy, wrote in an essay seeking to explain the broad goals of the organization. Lindsey, in contrast to Cass, is far more critical of the contemporary right than of the left. Over the course of the 21st century, the conservative movement, and with it the Republican Party, has fallen ever more deeply under the sway of an illiberal and nihilistic populism illiberal in its crude exploitation of religious, racial, and cultural divisions; nihilistic in its blithe indifference to governance and the established norms and institutions of representative self-government. This malignant development made possible the nomination and election of Donald Trump, whose two years in power have only accelerated conservatisms and the GOPs descent into the intellectual and moral gutter. Despite his severe view of the Republican Party, Lindsey contends that the goal of the Niskanen think tank is the reimagining of the center-right: It is our goal to make the case for a principled center-right in American politics today that is distinctly different from either movement conservatism or its degenerate, populist offshoot. One question, of course is, what kind of policy options a center-right think tank can offer to disaffected voters on matters involving race and immigration, subjects that help drive the very polarization they regret. One of Tucker Carlsons own primary concerns is immigration and, as a likely subtext, race. Carlson argues that capitalism is not a religion but a tool like a toaster or staple gun. He is focusing attention, in fact, on the godless capitalism that Will Wilkinson of the Niskanen Center, described in How Godless Capitalism Made America Multicultural a problem that Wilkinson correctly points out affects all wealthy, liberal-democratic countries. Wilkinson explains: The project of fashioning an ethnoreligious American identity has always been in conflict with a dominant and defining American impulse: to get rich. The United States has always been a distinctly commercial republic with expansionary, imperial impulses. High demand for workers and settlers led early on to a variegated population that encouraged the idea, largely traceable to Tom Paine, that American national identity is civic and ideological rather than racial and ethnic. Contemporary political polarization reflects the intensification of the endless struggle to integrate America and, more recently, to assimilate millions of newcomers, some legal, some not. Wilkinson addresses this conundrum: Assimilation is an issue not because it isnt happening, but because it is. The issue is that the post-1968 immigrants and their progeny are here at all. And their successful assimilation means that American culture, and American national identity, has already been updated and transformed. This process can be very hard for some people, especially white voters over 50 (a strong Trump constituency) to accept: Swift and dramatic cultural changes can leave us with the baffled feeling that the soil in which we laid down roots has somehow become foreign. Older people who have largely lost the capacity to easily assimilate to a new culture can feel that the rug has been pulled out from under them. The result, according to Wilkinson, to whom I will give the last word, is that What most people heard in Mr. Mulvaneys comment was that Mr. Trump would negotiate with Congress for funding but that if talks reached an impasse, he would sign the spending bill and then use his executive authority to order construction of a wall. He should use that authority if Congress fails. As John Eastman, a constitutional law professor at Chapman University, has explained, the law gives the president the authority he needs to direct existing appropriations toward construction of a border security wall, once he has declared a national emergency. The question is why Mr. Trump has not already done so. He made his case in a televised speech from the Oval Office a month ago and then virtually dropped the issue, except for a few tweets chiding Democrats for partying with lobbyists in Puerto Rico during the shutdown. Mr. Trump reiterated some of the jarring statistics in the State of the Union address: In the last two years, our brave ICE officers made 266,000 arrests of criminal aliens, including those charged or convicted of 100,000 assaults, 30,000 sex crimes and 4,000 killings and that one in three women is sexually assaulted on the long journey north. Our governments failure to secure the border has precipitated a political, economic and moral crisis. The fact that we not only permit, but by our dereliction, actively encourage gangsters to traffic in human beings across our border is a disgrace. It must end. If Mr. Trump is planning to use executive authority to build the wall, he must continue to make the case the way he did in the State of the Union address. He must educate and persuade the American people, and that means he must continue to talk about it. If he does so, he will find that supporters of what the mathematician Eric Weinstein might call xenophilic border security which is to say, well-disposed toward foreigners and foreign cultures, but wanting immigration laws enforced will help him broaden and deepen the argument, but he must take the lead. The president would do well if he emphasized the degradation of human trafficking and the vast quantities of heroin, fentanyl and other drugs coming across the border that contribute to the more than 60,000 American deaths per year from opioid overdose. The State of the Union speech was a good start, but he needs to continue the drumbeat. He should also explain that border security is tied to the economic security of the middle and working class whose prosperity is inextricably linked to their asymmetric access to the labor market in the United States. Part of our social compact is that American citizens benefit first and most from our economy. Mass immigration, especially of the illegal variety, breaks that compact and should be understood as one of the most effective means by which big business interests maintain power over the middle and working class. Identity politics, while a particularly virulent ideology and one that motivates many liberal activists, is in fact a cover for class warfare in which incumbent economic and political winners use the poor to maintain control over the broad, dynamic middle class. I liked parts of Trumps State of the Union, Voxs Ezra Klein writes, then I remembered his presidency. President Trump delivered the best, most Reaganesque speech of his tenure Tuesday night, Henry Olsen, a Trump admirer, writes in The Washington Post. From start to finish, Trump did something he rarely does: extol the virtue of the everyday American and give credit to the freedom that is our birthright. Yes, there were a couple of moments of typical Trumpian braggadocio, but in the main this was an exercise in unusual humility. You cant compose an image like that if you dont have the numbers for it, Alexandra Schwartz writes in The New Yorker, referring to the female members of Congress wearing white last night. A hundred and three women are serving in the House of Representatives, which makes the 116th Congress the most female in history, as well as the most diverse. Seated in front of the President, they looked like a battalion: purposeful, united, prepared to fight together against their adversary in the skewed red tie. The Corbyn debate, continued I heard from several readers yesterday who took issue with my description of Jeremy Corbyn, the British Labour Party leader, as being comfortable with anti-Semitism. Yes, he has harshly criticized Israel and stood up for Palestinian rights, the readers said, but thats not anti-Semitism. I agree that criticism of Israel is not inherently anti-Semitic. I also agree that Israel commits human-rights violations. To the Editor: Vanessa Friedman (Here to Help, Jan. 14 ) advises readers to re-tailor or divest no longer wanted clothing to resale sites. I have a better suggestion: Give it all away. When my mother died in 2017, I found hundreds of dresses, jewelry, unworn shoes and more, in her closets. I set out on a mission to give everything away. Friends received necklaces that matched their styles; nine boxes of clothing were sent to a village in Ghana; dresses, sweaters and books were donated to a prison in upstate New York, for women who will soon be released. Antique candlesticks found their way to the New York Tenement Museum; paintings, plants, furniture and knickknacks were given to Moms caregivers and neighbors. Dishes, couches and silverware went to young friends moving into their first apartments. Coats and blankets were distributed to those with neither. It felt great to know that Moms possessions were being used by people who need them or who love them. It keeps her legacy alive, and brings me so much satisfaction. Just give! Roe has been repeatedly reaffirmed by the Supreme Court, in multiple decisions, as recently as 2016, and has been supported by justices selected by both Democratic and Republican presidents. In fact, Roe was decided at a time of Republican control of the White House, under a chief justice, Warren Burger, who was nominated by Richard Nixon. The decisions author was another Nixon justice, Harry Blackmun. As Justice Sandra Day OConnor, a Republican appointed by Ronald Reagan, stated in 1992 in the Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision, the court recognizes the right of the woman to choose to have an abortion before viability and to obtain it without undue interference from the state. She also confirmed the states power to restrict abortions after fetal viability, if the law contains exceptions for pregnancies which endanger the womans life or health. As part of their attack on womens rights, Mr. Trump and his allies are intentionally spreading lies about New Yorks Reproductive Health Act. Their goal is to end all legal abortion in our nation. The Reproductive Health Act guarantees a woman's right to abortion in the first 24 weeks of a pregnancy or when the fetus is not viable, and permits it afterward only when a woman's life or health is threatened or at risk. Contrary to what its detractors claim, the Reproductive Health Act does not allow abortions minutes before birth, nor does it allow third-trimester abortions for any reason. Third-trimester procedures are extremely rare, making up only about 1 percent of all abortions. The option is available for exactly the reason stated in Roe and successor cases: to protect the life or health of the woman. Although New York was a trailblazer in protecting a womans right to choose, we did not update our laws after Roe to conform with the right established by the Supreme Court, particularly regarding a womans right to make decisions to protect her health. And in an increasingly fractious political environment, there has been continual anxiety that the court will overrule the Roe precedent. Since 1851, many remarkable black men and women did not receive obituaries in The New York Times. This month, with Overlooked, were adding their stories to our archives. They were called brown babies, or mischlingskinder, a derogatory German term for mixed-race children. And sometimes they were just referred to as mutts. They were born during the occupation years in Germany after World War II, the offspring of German women and African-American soldiers. Their fathers were usually transferred elsewhere and their mothers risked social repercussions by keeping them, so the babies were placed in orphanages. But when Mabel Grammer, an African-American journalist, became aware of the orphaned children, she stepped in. She and her husband, an army chief warrant officer stationed in Mannheim, and later Karlsruhe, adopted 12 of them, and Grammer found homes for 500 others. [What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.] As she announced that she was running for public advocate in November, Melissa Mark-Viverito, the first Latino speaker of the City Council, seized on an undeniable racial truth: The core group of people leading New York City was all white. And Ms. Mark-Viverito, 49, is far from the only one to have noticed. In the Feb. 26 special election for public advocate, roughly two-thirds of the 17 candidates are minorities and four are women, and many have made the need for more diverse representation a prominent part of their campaigns. Whoever wins would have an instant platform to run as mayor in 2021, when Mayor Bill de Blasio leaves office because of term limits, especially in a city where 65 percent of the population is black, Latino or Asian. People of color are not being represented as we should, said Michael A. Blake, 36, a black assemblyman from the Bronx who is running for the position. In a city as diverse as we are, its essential that the next public advocate is a person of color. Ms. Rahman grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, and graduated from Binghamton University. She thinks the mayors plan is a first but limited step toward integration. We used to joke that whoever had the most money to spend on test prep would probably go to Stuyvesant. That was how Ms. Rahman was introduced to the specialized school debate as a young Bangladeshi immigrant living in Brooklyn. In high school, she came to believe that the admissions process was about money, not merit. Now, she said, I feel like that system shouldnt really exist. That was partially because of how the high-stakes culture affected students. Ms. Rahman, who graduated high school in 2010, remembered that a boy in her year almost drowned in the schools swimming pool after staying up all night to study. Ms. Rahman said she was sympathetic to the Asian-American families who want to keep the test to a point. I understand for them they feel they have little social capital in this country, one of the few things they have is being taken away, she said. But one thing I cant accept is when they say things like, Our kids have worked hard. We deserve this. The unspoken thing is that other kids in other families dont deserve this. What happened: Last Friday, my colleague Annie Correal reported that inmates at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn were being held in freezing cells, in darkness, unable to contact their families or meet with their lawyers. The story got national attention, as demonstrators massed, inmates pounded at the windows and lawmakers demanded action. Mayor Bill de Blasio sent blankets. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo called for a Department of Justice investigation. Protesters tried to enter the jail and were driven back with pepper spray. On Sunday night, electricity and some heat were restored. By then, federal judges were seeking answers. In a hearing Tuesday, held by Judge Analisa Torres, inmates described the freezing conditions and said problems predated the Jan. 27 electrical fire that jail officials initially said was the source of the problems. Why it matters: The problems at the M.D.C. come amid a rethinking of criminal justice nationwide, against the backdrop of the Black Lives Matter movement and a groundswell of political activism among Democrats. When we speak of shooting with a camera, we are acknowledging the kinship of photography and violence. The anthropological photographs made in the 19th century under the aegis of colonial powers are related to the images created by contemporary photojournalists, including those who embed with military forces. Embedding is sometimes the only way to get a direct record, no matter how limited, of what is happening in an armed conflict. On occasion such an arrangement leads to images whose directness displeases the authorities, but a more common outcome has been that proximity to an army helps bolster the narrative preferred by the army. Still, photographic reportage has the power to quicken the conscience and motivate political commitments. Examples abound of photographs acting as catalysts in the publics understanding of vital issues, from the images of Bergen-Belsen in 1945 to the photograph of the Syrian toddler Alan Kurdi in 2015. And yet, perhaps even more insistently, on a day-by-day, week-by-week basis, photography implicitly serves the powers that be. To insist that contemporary photographic practice and I mean to include a majority of the international news coverage in newspapers like this one is generally made (and published) for the greater good is to misconstrue history, because it leaves out the question of Good for whom? Such pictures arent for their subjects any more than the photograph in Stones book was for the Ijebus and their king. Certain images underscore an unbridgeable gap and a never-to-be-toppled hierarchy. When a group of people is judged to be foreign, it becomes far more likely that news organizations will run, for the consumption of their audiences, explicit, disturbing photographs of members of that group: starving children or bullet-riddled bodies. Meanwhile, the injury and degradation of those with whom readers perceive a kinship a judgment often based on racial sympathy and class loyalties is routinely treated in more circumspect fashion. This has hardly changed since Susan Sontag made the same observation in Regarding the Pain of Others (2003), and it has hardly changed because the underlying political relationships between dominant and subject societies have hardly changed. Without confronting this inequality, this misconstrual of history, photography will continue to describe itself as one thing (a force for liberation) while obdurately remaining another (an obedient appendage of state power). It will continue to be like the organs of the state that spread democracy and change regimes. Even when it appears to go against the state, it will only do so selectively, quaintly, beautifully, piteously, in terms that do not question the right of the state to assert power. For how long will these radically unequal societal realities endure? Many affecting photographs have been made during the huge waves of international migration of the past few years. These pictures issue, as usual, from the presumed rights of photographers to depict the suffering of people out there for the viewing of those back home. But in looking at these images images of war, of starvation, of capsized boats and exhausted caravans we must go beyond the usual frames of pity and abjection. Every picture of suffering should elicit a question stronger than Why is this happening? The question should be Why have I allowed this to happen? So I tried again, this time increasing the gelatin and adding a squeeze of lime, because I feel that nearly anything can be improved with some acid. This time, the salty, crumbly crust was the perfect foundation for the golden cloud of mango custard. I finally understood what Hirway was talking about. I called him excitedly to ask if hed describe the dessert as a mango lassi in pie form. Sure, he said. I could tell he was trying to be nice. But a mango lassi has lime in it, and this pie does not. I bashfully admitted that I had added lime juice, trying to make an argument for the balance the acid offered to the sweetness of the mango puree. Then its not mango pie, he answered simply. I replied that hed probably find my addition of ground cardamom to the crust to be distasteful too. If Im already over the fact that youre making a crust instead of using a Keebler one, then Im not mad about the cardamom, he said. Why, I asked Hirway, was he so opposed to my scratch version? There are some things that have already been perfected, he answered, and I think a Keebler graham-cracker crust and Cool Whip are two miracles of food science. But Hirway allowed that even following his mothers directions closely, he didnt feel as if he could do her recipe justice, either. My mom has a severe form of Parkinsons, and she cant cook anymore. So the pie torch has been passed to me, my sister and my dad. But whenever I make it, it still falls short of the memory of my moms perfect version. Not surprisingly, she said, making it through this experience required family in the outside to bring food and other necessities and allies on the inside. Some police officers charge people money when they come to bring food twice a day, she said. Those visits also allow relatives to bring an inmates infant. At the same time, the mixing of people awaiting trial with convicted criminals worries local advocates, Ms. Arevalo Gosen said. These people will come out worse, not better, she said. They are not going to feel reformed or forgiven by society. Local and international human rights groups have decried the conditions these women have been subjected to, noting that the countrys prisons have a long history of deplorable conditions. But Ms. Arevalo Gosen said there was often little popular sympathy in a society where crime and violence have spun out of control. Who cares about people in jail? she said. People say they are the worst of society, the ones who stain our society, who want to kill and rob us. But if this situation does not improve and judicial system isnt fixed, these people will all come out worse. Good afternoon. On my orders, the United States military has begun strikes against Al Qaeda terrorist training camps and military installations of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. That was the start of the U.S. war in Afghanistan. We need the freedom to operate on the ground and in the air. Its now Americas longest war. About 18 years. Yet few battles or notable events from Afghanistan have taken root in Americas collective memory. And that means fewer signposts to mark the long passage of time. But if we look at how long it took to reach seminal moments in other wars, it might bring Americas 17-year presence in Afghanistan into clear view. Well start with the Battle of Gettysburg. This bar represents the number of days the U.S. has been fighting in Afghanistan. The fighting at Gettysburg began 811 days into the Civil War. Many consider this the most important battle of the conflict. And it took place after half the war was fought. Now apply it to Afghanistan time. It would bring us to just Dec. 27, 2003. There were about 13,000 American troops in Afghanistan back then. That number would eventually peak at 100,000. In England, General Dwight D. Eisenhower and his deputy commanders chart the liberation of a lost continent. Then theres the Allied D-Day invasion at Normandy. One of the most iconic moments of World War II. The culmination of extensive planning in years of fighting in Northern Africa, Italy and elsewhere. That invasion began 913 days after America entered the war. In Afghanistan time, that brings us to just April 4, 2004. Hamid Karzai hadnt even been elected as president of Afghanistan yet. And when World War II neared its end with the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, that came after 1,339 days of battle. In Afghanistan time, that would reach to June 2005. Not even a quarter of the way through. Vietnam was Americas second-longest war. And the final pivotal moment was the fall of Saigon in April 1975. That occurred 3,706 days after U.S. Marines landed in Da Nang in 1965. And in a final comparison to Afghanistan time, that would bring us to Nov. 30, 2011. Osama bin Laden was killed about six months earlier. And President Obama had already announced plans to completely withdraw U.S. troops. He would later reverse that decision. The Obama and Trump administrations would unveil new strategies continuing the fight, which goes on to this day. Late-term abortion is a phrase used by abortion opponents to refer to abortions performed after about 21 weeks of pregnancy. It is not the same as the medical definition obstetricians use for late-term, which refers to pregnancies that extend past a womans due date, meaning about 41 or 42 weeks. Contrary to Mr. Trumps claim, late-term abortions do not allow a baby to be ripped from the mothers womb moments before birth. How common is it? Very rare. The most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that about 1.3 percent of abortions performed in the United States in 2015 occurred in or after the 21st week of pregnancy. Abortions after 24 weeks comprise less than one percent of all abortions. When they occur, it is usually because the fetus has been found to have a fatal condition that could not be detected earlier, such as a severe malformation of the brain, or because the mothers life or health is at serious risk. Can fetuses feel pain? This is a complex issue. Most scientists who have examined the question say fetuses do not develop the neurological wiring that would give them the ability to feel pain until at least 24 weeks in other words after nearly all abortions occur. An analysis of research in this area published in JAMA in 2005 found that pain sensation requires neural connections into the cortex, and the cortex is not functionally developed until the 26th week or later. In 2010, a panel appointed by Britains Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists published another large review of the research concluding that most neuroscientists believe that the cortex is necessary for pain perception so the fetus cannot experience pain in any sense prior to 24 weeks. MOSCOW Russia has become a world-class saver. So much gold has piled up in its central bank that Russia surpassed China last year to become the worlds fifth-largest holder of gold. The International Monetary Fund often has to badger developing nations to bulk up foreign currency reserves. Russia has $472 billion in reserves, more than the countrys combined public and foreign debt of $453 billion and nearly three times what the I.M.F. recommends. Economists dont consider either of these eye-popping sums of savings a good thing. They reflect, in part, how investment has lagged in Russia and how Western sanctions have dulled its economy. But the lode is also making for an odd back-to-the-future moment of state-directed economic activity as Russia shifts policy and aims to spend about $100 billion on big infrastructure projects. The new drive, promoted last month at an economic forum paradoxically named for Yegor T. Gaidar, a former prime minister who championed privatization, is a full-throttle build-and-spend effort to rev Russias way to stable growth. Oligarchs are among the businessmen who have been publicly ordered to rally, with moneyed enthusiasm, behind the plan. Payday lenders won a major victory on Wednesday after the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau moved to gut tougher restrictions that were to take effect later this year. The industry has spent years trying to fend off the new rules, which were conceived during the Obama administration. The regulations were intended to prevent spiraling debt obligations by limiting the number of consecutive loans that could be made and requiring lenders to verify that borrowers could pay back their loans on time while still covering basic living expenses. In her first major policy move, the bureaus new director, Kathleen Kraninger, proposed eliminating nearly all of the regulations substantive requirements, including the ability to repay mandate. There was insufficient evidence and legal support for the provision, the bureau said. It also sought to drop a limit that would have prevented lenders from making more than three short-term loans without a 30-day cooling off period. A payday loan customer who borrows $500 would typically owe about $575 two weeks later an annual percentage rate of nearly 400 percent. If borrowers cannot repay their loans on time, they often borrow more and deepen their debt. It is a hard cycle to break: Half of all payday loans are part of a sequence that stretches at least 10 consecutive loans, according to the consumer bureaus data. And many Republicans, including Mr. Toomey and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, say they want the White House to remove steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada and Mexico because Mr. Trump had reached a deal with the two countries. Mr. Trump has so far refused to budge on the metal tariffs and has instead threatened to withdraw from Nafta to try to force Congress to vote on the new trade deal. A formal notice of withdrawal would give Congress six months to pass the pact or potentially return to a pre-Nafta trading system with higher tariffs and more restrictive trade barriers. Republicans are warning that such a move most likely falls outside Mr. Trumps authority and would only reduce the chances of Congress passing the U.S.M.C.A. I imagine youd have a huge sell-off in equities and have very, very disrupted financial markets, Mr. Toomey said. I sure hope the president does not go down that road. Republican strategists say that unless Mr. Trump agrees to compromise, he will most likely face defeat. The president has two options on this trade deal: the honey or the hammer, said Antonia Ferrier, a Republican strategist with Definers Public Affairs and a former aide to the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Mr. Trump, she said, could bargain with Ms. Pelosi or withdraw from Nafta. Neither are great options, she said, which is why theres so much skepticism that U.S.M.C.A. will even happen. Democrats including populists who tend to side more with Mr. Trump than Mr. Toomey on trade issues say they are open to working with the administration to improve and pass the agreement. Party leaders have had productive discussions with Robert Lighthizer, the United States trade representative, to reinforce the need for negotiators to secure additional labor and environmental protections before any floor vote. The networks hustled to gin up suspense before the speech, which Lester Holt of NBC described as under the shadow of another possible shutdown. Margaret Brennan of CBS declared that the state of our union is in limbo. Jonathan Karl on ABC noted that the majority of Democrats would not applaud as the president came in the chamber. That is just something you do not see in a State of the Union address. [Here are four takeaways from President Trumps State of the Union address.] The postgame analysis fell along the usual lines. On Fox News, the pundit Brit Hume declared that people may remember this one, and the host Laura Ingraham called the speech pretty pragmatic a lot for people on both sides of the aisle to really love. Simultaneously, Van Jones of CNN called the speech psychotically incoherent, with cookies and dog poop, and on MSNBC, Rachel Maddow expressed horror that Mr. Trump had suggested that the investigations into his administration were hurting efforts at peace. Deeply uncomfortable, Ms. Maddow said. One ideological outlier was Rick Santorum, the former Republican senator, who on CNN called it probably the worst-delivered speech Ive seen Donald Trump give. Chris Wallace, the Fox News Sunday host, said that Mr. Trumps address was quite effective as the opening speech for the 2020 campaign; I dont believe its an especially effective speech in terms of trying to make legislative progress in 2019. Megyn Kelly, the former Fox News anchor who parted ways with NBC last month after a rocky tenure as a Today host, commented on the proceedings on Twitter, weighing in on Senator Ted Cruzs facial hair (he looks good w/it) and whether the president had snubbed Kim Kardashian when he introduced a woman whose commutation she had encouraged. (She deserved a shout-out, Ms. Kelly wrote.) The gig economys work force is fighting back, and in some cases, its winning. On Wednesday, Instacart, the Silicon Valley upstart that delivers groceries and other household items to customers through an app, reversed a tipping policy that had outraged workers, who accused the $7 billion company of cheating them out of rightfully earned wages. We heard loud and clear the frustration when your compensation didnt match the effort you put forth, Apoorva Mehta, Instacarts chief executive, wrote in an open letter to Instacarts contract workers, known as shoppers. Instacarts workers had taken to Reddit forums and private Facebook groups to express their anger with the policy, which counted tips toward the guaranteed minimum payments the company offered to shoppers. In some cases, the more customers tipped, the less Instacart paid them. Its offensive, its unethical, and in this climate its a very dumb thing to do, Matthew Telles, an Instacart courier in Chicago, said this week before the reversal. Details: The talks offer a window into any future peace deal. The Taliban, who barred women from public life during their time in power, said they now respected womens rights to education and work a claim met with skepticism in Afghanistan. One former lawmaker urged a gradual withdrawal of foreign troops. In Afghanistan: None of the talks have included representatives of the U.S.-backed government in Kabul. President Ashraf Ghani criticized the Moscow meeting as an attempt to undermine the authority of the Afghan state, though Afghanistans political elite is beginning to rally around the peace effort. Heres what else is happening Venezuela: Opposition leaders said they planned to deliver food and medicine donations to ease the countrys shortages, a move likely to weaken the authority of President Nicolas Maduro. Some relief organizations fear that the plan could turn aid into a political weapon. Paris: At least 10 people were killed and 37 injured when a fire tore through an eight-story building the deadliest blaze in the French capital in over a decade. The fire appeared to be tied to a neighborhood dispute, and the authorities are treating it as possible arson. #MeToo: An antinuclear activist has accused Oscar Arias Sanchez, the former president of Costa Rica and one of Latin Americas most revered statesmen, of sexually assaulting her four years ago. He denies the allegation. Mr. Trump also celebrated Americas economic miracle, which he warned could be threatened by foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations. Here are four takeaways from the speech. The details: Mr. Trump did not outline a traditional laundry list of initiatives, but he did discuss a plan to end transmission of the virus that causes AIDS in the U.S. by 2030. He also announced that he would be meeting North Koreas leader, Kim Jong-un, in Vietnam at the end of the month. Fact check: We assessed some of the claims the president made. Closer look: Watch highlights of the address and read an annotated transcript. Our correspondents also provided real-time commentary during the speech. India: A government religious board that initially opposed allowing women into the centuries-old Sabarimala Temple reversed course, saying women have the right to worship there. Fast fashion: A new report has found that much of Indias garment manufacturing industry is made up of girls and women from oppressed ethnic communities who work in informal, unregulated settings, earning as little as 15 cents per hour. China: At least eight people were killed and seven wounded in a knife attack in the northwest Gansu Province as the country was celebrating the Lunar New Year. The local police said the attacker, who had been drinking, confessed and said he was seeking revenge for his wifes affair. Brexit: Prime Minister Theresa May heads to Brussels today to try to salvage her plan to leave the E.U. On Wednesday, the president of the European Council said there was a special place in hell for those who promoted the British withdrawal without offering a credible plan. Siemens: E.U. antitrust authorities blocked the German companys plans to merge its train unit with Alstom of France, killing a deal that was pitched as a counterbalance to competition from Chinas entry into the European market. Russia: Alarmed that the Trump administration scrapped a Cold War-era arms control treaty, President Vladimir Putin warned that his country was working on developing new hypersonic missiles that could travel more than five times the speed of sound. But some experts see a bluff, noting that Russia cant afford an arms race. Did a seal eat your thumb drive? A biologist in New Zealand discovered a USB drive in the feces of a leopard seal and is trying to find the owner of the vacation photos and videos on the memory stick. Yip-Williams toggles between optimism and despair, between believing shell defy the statistics as she had so many times in her life odds are not prophecy and trying to persuade her husband to confront their harrowing reality. She makes bargains with God, just as she did as a young girl when, in exchange for her poor vision, she asked for a soul mate one day. (God accepted my deal!) She posts pictures of contented normalcy on Facebook of meals cooked, a car purchased but rages at her husband, healthy people, the universe and, silently, at the moms at a birthday party who ask how shes doing. Oh, fine. Just hanging in there, she replies, while wanting to scream: I didnt deserve this! My children didnt deserve this! She frets about the Slutty Second Wife her husband will one day marry and the pain her daughters will experience in her absence. And, near the end, she oscillates between being game to try every possible treatment and accepting that nothing will keep her alive. Paradoxes abound in life, Yip-Williams writes in a heart-rending letter to her daughters; she asks us to confront these paradoxes with her head-on. One of the paradoxes of this book is that Yip-Williams writes with such vibrancy and electricity even as she is dying. She moves seamlessly from an incisive description of her mother as the type of woman who sucks blame and guilt into herself through a giant straw, to the gallows humor of Nothing says commitment to living quite like taking out a mortgage, to the keen observation Health is wasted on the healthy, and life is wasted on the living. Unlike the woman in her support group who, after being given a terminal prognosis, defiantly declares, Dying is not an option, Yip-Williams prepares meticulously for her death while paying close attention to the life she will one day miss: the simple ritual of loading and unloading the dishwasher. making Costco runs. watching TV with Josh. taking my kids to school. This memoir is so many things a triumphant tale of a blind immigrant, a remarkable philosophical treatise and a call to arms to pay attention to the limited time we have on this earth. But at its core, its an exquisitely moving portrait of the daily stuff of life: family secrets and family ties, marriage and its limitlessness and limitations, wild and unbounded parental love and, ultimately, the graceful recognition of what we cant and can control. We control the effort we have put into living, Yip-Williams writes, and the effort she has put into it is palpable. Of all the reasons were drawn to these memoirs, perhaps we read them most for this: They remind us to put in our own effort. It would be nearly impossible to read this book and not take her exhortation seriously. Even more egregious than some personnel decisions were the structural problems built into the plant itself. Most fateful for Chernobyl was the baffling design of a crucial safety feature: control rods that could be lowered into the reactor core to slow down the process of nuclear fission. The rods contained boron carbide, which hampered reactivity, but the Soviets decided to tip them in graphite, which facilitated reactivity; it was a bid to save energy, and therefore money, by lessening the rods moderating effect. Higginbotham calls it an absurd and chilling inversion in the role of a safety device, likening it to wiring a car so that slamming the brakes would make it accelerate. When the book arrives at the early hours of April 26, 1986, the accident unfurls with a horrible inevitability. Weaving together the experiences of those who were there that night, Higginbotham marshals the details so meticulously that every step feels spring-loaded with tension. What started as a long overdue safety test of Chernobyls Reactor No. 4 slipped quickly into a full-scale meltdown. An attempted shutdown using the graphite-tipped control rods of course had the opposite effect; the core grew hotter and hotter, and the reactor started to destroy itself. Higginbotham describes an excruciating aftermath, as Pripyats residents were coaxed into a temporary evacuation and middle-aged reservists were drafted into a haphazard cleanup process though cleanup doesnt convey the perilous, Sisyphean ordeal they faced. Soviet officials referred to the process as liquidation, which sounded more effective and definitive than it was. Image Adam Higginbotham Credit... Peter Eavis Radionuclides, Higginbotham writes, could be neither broken down nor destroyed only relocated, entombed or interred. The protective gloves given to the reservists turned out to be so cumbersome that some of the men cleared radioactive debris with their bare hands. Robots, deployed in an attempt to protect vulnerable humans with supposedly hardy machines, were rendered useless, as radiation scrambled their circuitry. The Soviet strategy of secrecy compounded with denial only made rumor-mongering worse, as some Western newspapers resorted to unconfirmed reports of 15,000 dead a week after the accident. Five months later, the official death toll of those directly killed by the event stood at 31, a figure that doesnt include those who died from the effects of radiation exposure in the years that followed. Amid so much rich reporting and scrupulous analysis, some major themes emerge. One has to do with how Chernobyl exposed the untenable fissures in the Soviet system and hastened its collapse; the accident also encouraged Mikhail Gorbachev to pursue drastic reforms with even more zeal. Motorists who live in New Jersey and have a major problem with a new vehicle have a handy tool: the best lemon law in the land. But about a third of the states have such weak lemon laws that consumers will have a tough time getting a fair deal, according to a study released this month by the Center for Auto Safety. All 50 states and the District of Columbia have something that is arguably a lemon law, but too many fail consumers, said Jason Levine, the executive director of the center, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization founded by Ralph Nader. In the worst states, Mr. Levine said, there might as well be no lemon law on the books. The states differ on what constitutes a lemon. But in general, a lemon car or truck has a single, serious defect impairing its safety, use or value. A vehicle could also be a lemon if it had a series of problems and could not be used for a long period often set at 30 days because it was at the dealership. Given the cost of new vehicles, consumers should be angry that too many states have decided they are not going to give anything but mediocre rights to consumers, said Ronald Burdge, a lawyer from Dayton, Ohio, whose firm has specialized in lemon laws for decades. As he adjusted to incarceration, Bill Cosby spent his first four months in prison in a special unit, isolated from other inmates, out of concern for his safety at SCI Phoenix, a maximum-security facility outside Philadelphia. But last week authorities moved him from so-called administrative segregation to join the general population at a wing that houses other inmates, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. Amy Worden, a spokeswoman for the corrections department, said Mr. Cosby made the move on Jan. 28, though she would not specify the wing to which he was sent. Mr. Cosbys spokesman, Andrew Wyatt, said the entertainers new single-person cell is in an area that only houses older inmates and that he did not view it as a general population unit. But Ms. Worden said that was not the case and that the prison does not have a special area reserved for older inmates. Mr. Cosby now inmate NN7687 is among the most famous prisoners in America and his movements have been closely watched since he was sentenced last year in the assault of Andrea Constand at his home in 2004. This 30-minute fantasy in three movements is one of Schumanns most ingeniously structured scores, yet Mr. Denk kept you engrossed every moment by fantastical, dreamy, and, in the rousing march movement, giddily energetic flights. This was one of the finest performances Ive heard of an elusive and challenging piece. As an encore, Mr. Denk, who revels in mood-shifting pairings, played Donald Lamberts 1941 take on the Pilgrims Chorus from Wagners Tannhauser, which turns this solemn anthem into something close to boogie-woogie. Schumann dedicated the Fantasy in C to Liszt. Years later, Liszt returned the favor by dedicating his daunting Sonata in B minor to Schumann. On Saturday, the 28-year-old Uzbek pianist Behzod Abduraimov gave a stunning performance of the sonata at the 92nd Street Y. With prodigious technique and rhapsodic flair, Mr. Abduraimov dispatched the works challenges, including burst upon burst of arm-blurring octaves, with eerie command. I was even more impressed by how he conveyed the structure of this single-movement yet boldly episodic piece. He began with an elegant account of Liszts remarkable piano transcription of the Liebestod from Wagners Tristan und Isolde. There were danger signs from Mr. Abduraimov, however, in his account of Prokofievs 10 Pieces from Romeo and Juliet. Though Mr. Abduraimov sometimes played with captivating delicacy and milky colorings, he could not resist going for broke during the percussive, heaving episodes of these pieces. His sound was too often steely and harsh. Is 21 Savage American? By any measurement other than citizenship, yes. He was born Sheyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph in England in 1992. According to Charles Kuck, one of his immigration attorneys, he came to the United States at age 7 and has been here continuously ever since, apart from a one-month period in 2005. He then re-entered the country on an H-4 visa, which expired in 2006, leaving him without legal status. But the events of the last few days underscore the ways in which the hard power of government authority and soft power of online conversation can align in peculiar and insidious ways. As news began to spread on social media of 21 Savages arrest on Sunday, the meme and joke ecosystem that uses trauma as oxygen went into overdrive, reacting with special intensity to the revelation that 21 Savage one of the titans of Atlantas rap scene was in fact British. As the government put his relationship with this country in peril, thousands of people chirped in online to poke at the unlikeliness, and precariousness, of his situation. That 21 Savage is in fact a British national is, ultimately, not particularly revelatory, or even meaningful. Foreign-born residents made up 13.7 percent of the United States population in 2017, according to the Census Bureaus American Community Survey, published last year (which includes those in the country legally and illegally). Most of the humor turned on a high-society caricature understanding of England, and the dissonance of locating someone like 21 Savage a seen-it-all stoicist with a dagger tattooed on his forehead inside it. By and large, those people overlooked, or didnt think as far as, the more odious association: that of empire and colonization. (His mothers family hails from Dominica, a former British colony in the West Indies.) His success, however, is especially American. Growing up in some of Atlantas poorest communities, 21 Savage had a troubled childhood. Hes said that he dropped out of school to sell drugs, and has spoken in interviews of a youth marked by violence and crime. But after losing a close friend and a brother to gun violence, he turned to rapping. And within a year, he was one of Atlantas most promising prospects. Hes since worked with Drake, Cardi B and Post Malone. His 2017 debut album, Issa Album, went gold, and his second studio album, I Am > I Was, released in December, debuted at the top of the Billboard album chart. At this Sundays Grammy Awards, 21 Savage is nominated in two categories. SYDNEY, Australia Australia has canceled the residency of a wealthy political donor tied to the Chinese government, officials confirmed Wednesday, denying his citizenship application and stranding him overseas in a widening conflict with Beijing over its efforts to influence Australian politics. The donor, Huang Xiangmo, is a successful developer who has lived in Sydney since 2011 and who has donated millions of dollars across the Australian political spectrum in recent years. He has done so while leading organizations tied to the United Front Work Department, an arm of the Chinese Communist Party that promotes Chinese foreign policy abroad and works with various groups inside China. Mr. Huangs office did not respond to requests for comment, and his whereabouts were unknown. He has previously rejected claims that his political donations were linked to Beijing. But experts said that keeping him out of Australia reflected deepening global skepticism about China and a tougher stance toward its alleged proxies. Its a very punitive measure, said Euan Graham, executive director of La Trobe Asia, a regional research and engagement arm of La Trobe University in Melbourne. Its a signal of the pushback against foreign interference the government remains committed to that despite whatever softer line there may have been in the official diplomatic relationship. WASHINGTON There was a striking island of white in the audience for President Trumps State of the Union address, with House Democratic women many of them dressed in the color in a nod to the American suffragist movement sitting together in the packed chamber, in a celebration of their historic numbers in Congress and also as a protest to Mr. Trumps policies. Midway through the presidents speech, they did something completely unexpected: They stood up and cheered for something Mr. Trump had said. No one has benefited more from our thriving economy than women, who have filled 58 percent of the newly created jobs last year, Mr. Trump told the nation, prompting the women to rise from their seats, pointing at themselves and nearly dancing. The president was taken aback. You werent supposed to do that, he said, pleased. All Americans can be proud that we have more women in the work force than ever before, Mr. Trump went on. He paused for a moment and added, Dont sit yet, youre going to like this. WASHINGTON The Government Accountability Office set out in 2017 to calculate the total cost to taxpayers of President Trumps trips to Mar-a-Lago, his resort in Palm Beach, Fla., but said in a report issued on Tuesday that it could come up with only a snapshot of the expenses because the Trump administration did not respond to requests for more information. The agency ended up studying only four trips the president took over a one-month period in 2017 and found that government agencies, including the Defense Department and the Secret Service, spent some $13.6 million an average of over $3 million for each trip to transport and protect the president, with the bulk of the expenses going to cover the cost of military aircraft and boats during that time. The tab, officials say, is most likely higher since the total expenses that administration members racked up traveling, dining and staying at the resort are not known for the four trips, much less for the 218 days of his presidency that Mr. Trump has spent at one of his properties. Of that total, 78 of the days were spent at Mar-a-Lago. The G.A.O. officials who compiled the report said the White House did not respond to three separate requests for information that might help them flesh out travel costs, while the Secret Service and the Defense Department had not submitted regular accounting of expenses to Congress, as is required by the Presidential Protection Assistance Act of 1976. [How Vietnam offers a model for North Koreas relations with the United States.] Mr. Trump visited Danang, Vietnam, for the first time in 2017 when he attended an annual summit meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. As the site for his upcoming meeting with Mr. Kim, Vietnam offers a couple of possible allegorical lessons: On the one hand, it was the setting of the United States last major war in the region, a reminder of the devastating costs of conflict. On the other, it represents how a Communist regime can emerge from international isolation and build a thriving economy. The forthcoming meeting is fraught for Mr. Trump, who has made a possible agreement with North Korea one of the signature goals of his foreign policy. After Singapore, he claimed prematurely that the North Korean nuclear dispute was largely solved. He regularly boasts of his close relationship with Mr. Kim we fell in love, he once said and regales visitors about the friendly letters he has received from the North Korean dictator. As evidence of their rapprochement, Mr. Trump regularly notes that North Korea released three American prisoners and sent back what were believed to be the remains of 55 American soldiers who died in the Korean War. But many experts have said North Korea is simply stringing Mr. Trump along, taking advantage of his inexperience and his desire for a breakthrough. His own intelligence chiefs told Congress last week that North Korea is unlikely to completely give up its nuclear weapons and production capability, as Mr. Trump has been seeking. Thats what the intelligence chief thinks, and I think theres a good possibility of that, too, Mr. Trump said in an interview broadcast over the weekend on Face the Nation on CBS. But theres also a very good chance that we will make a deal. I think hes also tired of going through what hes going through. He has a chance to have North Korea be a tremendous economic behemoth. It has a chance to be one of the great economic countries in the world. WASHINGTON President Trumps plan to stop the transmission of H.I.V. in the United States will focus on 48 counties where about half of new infections occur, administration officials said on Tuesday. The goal is to reduce new infections by 75 percent over five years and to end the H.I.V. epidemic in America by 2030, said Alex M. Azar II, the secretary of health and human services, who coordinated development of the ambitious plan, outlined by Mr. Trump in his State of the Union address. New infections in recent years have remained at roughly the same level, around 40,000 a year. We are committed to ensuring that the next generation does not face an H.I.V. epidemic, Mr. Azar said. Officials have been planning an offensive against H.I.V. with the precision of a military campaign. They intend to deploy platoons of community health workers to step up the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of infections. Good evening, my fellow Americans, and happy Lunar New Year. Im Stacey Abrams, and Im honored to join the conversation about the state of our union. Growing up, my family went back and forth between lower middle class and working class. Yet even when they came home weary and bone-tired, my parents found a way to show us all who we could be. My librarian mother taught us to love learning. My father, a shipyard worker, put in overtime and extra shifts. And they made sure we volunteered to help others. Later, they both became United Methodist ministers, an expression of the faith that guides us. These were our family values faith, service, education and responsibility. Now, we only had one car, so sometimes my dad had to hitchhike and walk long stretches during the 30-mile trip home from the shipyards. One rainy night, my mom got worried. We piled in the car and went out looking for him. And we eventually found my dad making his way along the road, soaked and shivering in his shirtsleeves. When he got in the car, my mom asked if hed left his coat at work. He explained that hed given it to a homeless man hed met on the highway. When we asked why hed given away his only jacket, my dad turned to us and said, I knew when I left that man, hed still be alone. But I could give him my coat, because I knew you were coming for me. Our power and strength as Americans lives in our hard work and our belief in more. My family understood firsthand that while success is not guaranteed, we live in a nation where opportunity is possible. But we do not succeed alone. In these United States, when times are tough, we can persevere because our friends and neighbors will come for us. Our first responders will come for us. It is this mantra this uncommon grace of community that has driven me to become an attorney, a small-business owner, a writer, and most recently, the Democratic nominee for governor of Georgia. My reason for running was simple. I love our country and its promise of opportunity for all. And I stand here tonight, because I hold fast to my fathers credo. Together, we are coming for America. For a better America. Just a few weeks ago, I joined volunteers to distribute meals to furloughed federal workers. They waited in line for a box of food and a sliver of hope, since they hadnt received paychecks in weeks. Making livelihoods of our federal workers a pawn for political games is a disgrace. The shutdown was a stunt, engineered by the president of the United States, one that defied every tenet of fairness and abandoned not just our people, but our values. For seven years, I led the Democratic Party in the Georgia House of Representatives. I didnt always agree with the Republican speaker or governor, but I understood that our constituents didnt care about our political parties. They cared about their lives. So when we had to negotiate criminal justice reform, or transportation or foster care improvements, the leaders of our state didnt shut down. We came together. And we kept our word. It should be no different in our nations capital. We may come from different sides of the political aisle, but our joint commitment to the ideals of this nation cannot be negotiable. Our most urgent work is to realize Americans dreams of today and tomorrow, to carve a path to independence and prosperity that can last a lifetime. Children deserve an excellent education, from cradle to career. We owe them safe schools and the highest standards, regardless of zip code. Yet this White House responds timidly, while first graders practice active shooter drills and the price of higher education grows ever steeper. From now on, our leaders must be willing to tackle gun safety measures and face the crippling effect of educational loans. To support educators and invest what is necessary to unleash the power of Americas greatest minds. In Georgia and around the country, people are striving for a middle class, where a salary truly equals economic security. But instead, families hopes are being crushed by Republican leadership that ignores real life, or just doesnt understand it. Under the current administration, far too many hard-working Americans are falling behind, living paycheck to paycheck, most without labor unions to protect them from even worse harm. The Republican tax bill rigged the system against working people. Rather than bringing back jobs, plants are closing, layoffs are looming and wages struggle to keep pace with the actual cost of living. We owe more to the millions of everyday folks who keep our economy running, like truck drivers forced to buy their own rigs, farmers caught in a trade war, small-business owners in search of capital and domestic workers serving without labor protections. Women and men who could thrive, if only they had the support and freedom to do so. We know bipartisanship could craft a 21st-century immigration plan. But this administration chooses to cage children and tear families apart. Compassionate treatment at the border is not the same as open borders. President Reagan understood this. President Obama understood this. Americans understand this. And Democrats stand ready to effectively secure our ports and borders. But we must all embrace that from agriculture to health care to entrepreneurship, America is made stronger by the presence of immigrants, not walls. And rather than suing to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, as Republican attorneys general have, our leaders must protect the progress weve made and commit to expanding health care and lowering costs for everyone. My father has battled prostate cancer for years. To help cover the cost, I found myself sinking deeper into debt. Because while you can defer some payments, you cant defer cancer treatment. In this great nation, Americans are skipping blood pressure pills, forced to choose between buying medicine or paying rent. Maternal mortality rates show that mothers, especially black mothers, risk death to give birth. And in 14 states, including my home state, where a majority want it, our leaders refuse to expand Medicaid, which could save rural hospitals, save economies and save lives. We can do so much more. Take action on climate change. Defend individual liberties with fair-minded judges. But none of these ambitions are possible without the bedrock guarantee of our right to vote. Lets be clear: Voter suppression is real. From making it harder to register and stay on the rolls, to moving and closing polling places to rejecting lawful ballots, we can no longer ignore these threats to democracy. While I acknowledge the results of the 2018 election here in Georgia, I did not, and we cannot, accept efforts to undermine our right to vote. Thats why I started a nonpartisan organization called Fair Fight to advocate for voting rights. This is the next battle for our democracy, one where all eligible citizens can have their say about the vision we want for our country. We must reject the cynicism that says allowing every eligible vote to be cast and counted is a power grab. Americans understand that these are the values our brave men and women in uniform and our veterans risked their lives to defend. The foundation of our moral leadership around the globe is free and fair elections, where voters pick their leaders, not where politicians pick their voters. In this time of division and crisis, we must come together and stand for and with one another. America has stumbled time and again on its quest towards justice and equality. But with each generation, we have revisited our fundamental truths. And where we falter, we make amends. We fought Jim Crow with the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. Yet, we continue to confront racism from our past and in our present, which is why we must hold everyone from the highest offices to our own families accountable for racist words and deeds, and call racism what it is: wrong. America achieved a measure of reproductive justice in Roe v. Wade. But we must never forget, it is immoral to allow politicians to harm women and families to advance a political agenda. We affirmed marriage equality. And yet, the LGBTQ community remains under attack. So, even as I am very disappointed by the presidents approach to our problems, I still dont want him to fail. But we need him to tell the truth and to respect his duties and respect the extraordinary diversity that defines America. Our progress has always been found in the refuge, in the basic instinct of the American experiment: to do right by our people. And with a renewed commitment to social and economic justice, we will create a stronger America together. Because America wins by fighting for our shared values against all enemies, foreign and domestic. That is who we are, and when we do so, never wavering, the state of our union will always be strong. Thank you, and may God bless the United States of America. [applause] WASHINGTON Standing before a diverse new class of House Democrats, in the shadow of their new female speaker, President Trump showed on Tuesday how he planned to govern in a divided Washington. The answer, judging by his words, is no differently than he did before. Mr. Trump briefly acknowledged Nancy Pelosi as Madam Speaker, but dispensed with even perfunctory congratulations. He all but ignored the midterm elections that swept the Republican Party out of power in the House. And he vowed that the United States will never be a socialist country, likening the progressive Democrats in the chamber to the discredited leader of Venezuela. The president did issue a call for bipartisan cooperation, and he invoked the heroism of World War II to celebrate a shared history. But on the issues that have rived Washington during Mr. Trumps turbulent presidency, he did not give an inch. Whether it was the border wall, which he insisted would be built; abortion, where he tried to fan conservative anger over comments made by Virginias governor; or the investigations of his presidential campaigns ties to Russia, which he dismissed as ridiculous and partisan, Mr. Trump chose to appeal to his political base rather than trying to build bridges to Democrats. RICHMOND, Va. The besieged Democratic governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam, began to emerge from his defensive crouch on Tuesday, and signaled through his diminished corps of allies that he believed he could remain in office and, perhaps, prove that he did not appear in a racist photograph more than 30 years ago. The governor, whose power has been on the verge of collapse since the photograph surfaced on Friday, intends to hire a private investigator to examine the circumstances of the picture, according to a Democrat familiar with his plans. The image appeared on Mr. Northams medical school yearbook page and showed a person dressed in blackface and another in a Ku Klux Klan robe. [Read about the controversial history of the Northam yearbook.] And Mr. Northams supporters have begun to express increased confidence that he will hold on to his job, despite a national onslaught of condemnation, in part because the Republicans who control the General Assembly have demonstrated little urgency toward seeking his ouster. No matter the veracity of the photo in question, a man who has devoted his entire life to the service of others should have the opportunity to clear his name, State Senator Richard H. Stuart, a Republican who is close to Mr. Northam, said in a statement of support. People who have been elected to represent Virginians should have the courage to say what is self-evident to so many people that poor judgment 34 years ago should not outweigh a selfless service to people from every walk of life. WASHINGTON In the world of big-dollar political donors, Imaad Zuberi is notable less for the scale of his giving than for its baldly transactional nature. A supporter of President Barack Obama and then Hillary Clintons 2016 campaign who frequently posted pictures of himself alongside high-profile politicians, Mr. Zuberi, a California venture capitalist, abruptly pivoted after Donald J. Trumps victory. Telling friends he needed to act quickly to balance out his political connections if he hoped to maintain access, he donated more than $1.1 million to committees associated with Mr. Trump and the Republican Party in the three months after the 2016 election. It seemed to work. Mr. Zuberi scored coveted invitations to a pair of black-tie dinners celebrating Mr. Trumps inauguration. In the process, he posted photos of himself with the president, as well as Mr. Trumps first chief of staff, Reince Priebus, and Mr. Trumps picks for Treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin; housing and urban development secretary, Ben Carson; and defense secretary, Jim Mattis. But the biggest donation of his postelection flurry $900,000 paid by Mr. Zuberis California firm, Avenue Ventures, to Mr. Trumps inaugural committee is now being scrutinized by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York as part of what appears to be an escalating investigation into the inauguration and its financing. The measure passed the Senate, 77 to 23, and now goes to the House. The bill has several parts, some controversial and some not, and the senators voting no were not necessarily doing so solely because of troop withdrawals. Mr. Brown, for instance, said he was concerned about the constitutionality of the bills other contentious provision, which would let state and local governments punish companies that boycott Israeli products. Why it matters For almost 15 years, since the Iraq war became an unpopular drag on President George W. Bush, Democrats have generally opposed extended military interventions in other nations. So its not surprising that most of the 2020 candidates would want to bring troops home from Afghanistan and Syria sooner rather than later. The twist is that this is a rare issue on which, ideologically, Mr. Trump is more aligned with Democrats than Republicans which creates an awkward political situation for the Democrats, who would not normally decline an opportunity to rebuke Mr. Trump. But even under previous presidents, foreign policy has split Democrats, often painfully. John Kerry famously had to walk that tightrope as the partys presidential nominee in 2004, when an increasingly antiwar electorate denounced his previous support for the Iraq war. At one point, he said of a supplemental appropriation for the war, I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it, a line that allowed opponents to brand him as a flip-flopper and haunted him for the rest of the campaign. Tuesdays vote underscored how politically fraught issues of military force and funding still are, especially as the liberal wing of the Democratic Party gains strength. Black students from Mr. Northams era recalled a divided campus in which they and their white classmates sat in class together but largely socialized apart. The problem is that people who put offensive things on their yearbook page, they werent cognizant of the people they were offending, said Dr. David Randolph Sr., 59, an oncologist in Richmond, Va., who is black and who graduated from the medical school in 1983. They had no concern for the people whose feelings that they were hurting. Some white students said that nothing seemed out of the ordinary when their white classmates wore blackface. It was typical at costume parties or at talent shows, said Dr. William Elwood, a retired family physician who is white and who graduated in 1984, the same year as Mr. Northam. Dr. Elwood worked on the yearbook that year, laying out pages, he said. For their personal pages, students would submit their own photos to the staff, he said. The designers would lay them out on the page, he said, and mark where each photo was to be placed. The photos were then put into an envelope, which was attached to the page where they belonged and sent to the press to be printed. Mr. Northam, after initially saying that he was in the offensive photograph on his page, has since said he was not and that he had not seen the photo before. Mr. Elwood said he did not recall laying out Mr. Northams page. But he did recall the yearbook including a picture of three men dressed in wigs, dresses and blackface, pretending to be The Supremes, he said. It did not offend him and he did not think twice about whether the photo should have been in the yearbook, he said. Angela Ahrendts, the former Burberry chief hired by Apple five years ago to oversee its stores, said Tuesday that she would leave the company in April. The departure is an unusual move for a top executive at Apple, which is facing retail challenges as sales in China have dropped and iPhone sales have turned sluggish. Ms. Ahrendts, 58, was one of Apples most prominent hires when the Silicon Valley company lured her from Burberry with an initial $73 million pay package in 2014. She had spent eight years as Burberrys chief executive and was credited with expanding it into an international fashion brand. Over five years, Ms. Ahrendts was among Apples highest-paid executives, earning more than $170 million, according to securities filings. The tense standoff in Venezuela between Nicolas Maduro and Juan Guaido has morphed into something far larger than a contest for power between a failed leader still supported by parts of the army and die-hard leftists, and a young legislator propelled to the front by popular demonstrations. In part because of the Trump administrations all-in support for regime change, the crisis has become a dangerous global power struggle . Thats the last thing Venezuelans need. There is no question that President Maduro must go, the sooner the better. Heir to the socialist rule of Hugo Chavez, he has led his oil-rich country into utter ruin. Its currency is useless, basic foods and medicines have disappeared and more than three million people have fled, fomenting refugee crises in Colombia, Brazil and Ecuador. The only solution is an interim government under Mr. Guaido, who as the head of the National Assembly has a legitimate claim to the presidency under the Venezuelan Constitution. It would lead to new presidential elections and a flood of emergency aid. Pope Francis said Tuesday that he was willing to help mediate an end to the conflict if both sides agreed. He said he had received a plea from Mr. Maduro to help start a new dialogue. There needs to be the will of both parts, Francis said. He suggested beginning with small concessions from both sides, working toward a more formal negotiation. This is creating wide zones of disorder and the biggest geopolitical trend in the world is all the people trying to get out of zones of disorder into the world of order. And that is whats creating all the populist, nationalist, anti-immigrant backlashes in the world of order particularly in America and Europe. That is the real context for this immigration crisis. Whats the answer? Well, if you look at what slowed the flood of single Mexican men illegally and legally coming to America in the last decade, it was the combination of greater economic opportunity in Mexico, thanks in part to Nafta, plus slower population growth in Mexico, plus improved governance in Mexico, plus better border security along the Mexico-U.S. border. That same formula has to be applied now to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. They have become the primary source of all those migrants and caravans coming to America today, including 187,000 minors without adult guardians, who were picked up by the U.S. Border Patrol between 2014 and 2018. Their parents sent them our way to connect with relatives already here or to be shielded from forced gang recruitment and violence. A report last June by the Council on Foreign Relations noted, In 2015, the latest year for which data is available, as many as 3.4 million people born in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras were living in the United States, more than double the estimated 1.5 million people in 2000. Because of rampant corruption and gang warfare, Salvadorans, Hondurans and Guatemalans each year pay an estimated total of $651 million in extortion to organized crime groups. These gangs, like MS-13, exploded in Central America in the mid-1990s following large-scale deportations from the United States of undocumented immigrants with criminal records. Thats why, among other things, a smart U.S. immigration policy would promote family planning in rural areas in Central America. Letting Americas religious right limit U.S. family planning assistance abroad is stupid. The only thing more stupid is not working to mitigate climate change, which Trump refuses to do. Extreme weather has been disrupting small-scale farming in Central America. And when small-scale farming weakens or collapses, people leave the countryside and flock to the city. And if they find high unemployment and high crime rates there, they head to America. At the same time, we need an investment shock by local and foreign companies and governments to build infrastructure, tourism and trade in Central America so more people can thrive there, especially when 61 percent of the population is under 29 years of age. In response to calls that Facebook be forced to divest itself of WhatsApp and Instagram, Mark Zuckerberg has instead made a strategic power grab: He intends to put Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger onto a unified technical infrastructure. The integrated apps are to be encrypted to protect users from hackers. But whos going to protect users from Facebook? Ideally, that would be the Federal Trade Commission, the agency charged with enforcing the antitrust laws and protecting consumers from unfair business practices. But the F.T.C. has looked the other way for far too long, failing to enforce its own 2011 consent decree under which Facebook was ordered to stop deceiving users about its privacy claims. The F.T.C. has also allowed Facebook to gobble up any company that could possibly compete against it, including Instagram and WhatsApp. Not that blocking these acquisitions would have been easy for the agency under the current state of antitrust law. Courts require antitrust enforcers to prove that a merger will raise prices or reduce production of a particular product or service. But proving that prices will increase is nearly impossible in a digital world where consumers pay not with money but with their personal data and by viewing ads. The integration Mr. Zuckerberg plans would immunize Facebooks monopoly power from attack. It would make breaking Instagram and WhatsApp off as independent and viable competitors much harder, and thus demands speedy action by the government before its too late to take the pieces apart. Mr. Zuckerberg might be betting that he can integrate these three applications faster than any antitrust case could proceed and he would be right, because antitrust cases take years. [What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.] Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed the citys sanitation commissioner on Tuesday to temporarily run the embattled New York City Housing Authority, which is under fire for years of mismanagement and dilapidated and dangerous living conditions in its apartments. Kathryn Garcia, the citys sanitation chief since 2014, will replace Stanley Brezenoff, who last year was appointed interim chairman of the nations largest public housing system after a lead-paint scandal led to the resignation of its chairwoman. Mr. Brezenoffs departure comes less than a week after the city struck a landmark deal with the federal government to appoint a monitor to oversee an overhaul of the agency, which houses more than 400,000 poor and working-class New Yorkers. By reaching an agreement, the city narrowly avoided a potential federal takeover of the agency and committed to invest at least $2.2 billion in the citys 325 housing projects, which are riddled with mold, leaks and heating failures. The agreement also paved the way to replace Mr. Brezenoff within 90 days with a permanent leader jointly chosen by the city, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the United States attorneys office in Manhattan. [What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.] The heat at a troubled Brooklyn jail started to fail as early as mid-January, weeks before the problem erupted into a public crisis, staff members and current and former inmates testified on Tuesday at a hearing on the deteriorating conditions. The hearing, before Judge Analisa Torres of Federal District Court in Manhattan, followed complaints that inmates at the jail, the Metropolitan Detention Center, were being housed in intolerable conditions. They were forced to huddle under blankets in frigid cells, lawyers said, after an electrical fire on Jan. 27 plunged much of the building into darkness. It led the jail to cancel lawyer and family visits for a week. The heating problems were unrelated to the electrical issues but worsened just as the city experienced temperatures that were among the coldest of the winter. After that there were some nights when I went out deliberately into black areas in the city looking to be set upon so that I could unleash physical violence, Mr. Neeson said. And I did it for, Id say, maybe four or five times. The interviewer, Robin Roberts, who is African-American, gestured to herself and told Mr. Neeson, You have to understand the pain of a black person hearing what you said. Mr. Neeson replied: Youre absolutely right, and at the time, even though it was 40 years ago, I didnt think about that. All those things surprised me, but it was this primal hatred, I guess, that really, really shocked me when I eventually came down to earth and saw what I was doing going out and looking for a fight. The red carpet events on Tuesday, which would have exposed Mr. Neeson and his co-stars to reporters, cameras and more questions, were canceled hours before they were scheduled to begin, according to a spokesman for Lionsgate, which is distributing the film. Those felony charges followed an alleged 16-hour period in which Washington is accused of beating Sparks-Wade and holding her captive. The recent allegations came just weeks after Washington was convicted of misdemeanor battery in his second case of domestic violence in as many years. In 2016, Washington pleaded guilty to battering his wife. Late last year, he was convicted of battering his cousin in a separate domestic case. He served no real jail time in either conviction, and he was free to become embroiled in allegations of beating another woman, Sparks-Wade, last week. In an unrelated case last month, we learned Elias Costello, 19, of East Chicago, was allowed to post bond and was released from jail pending trial in connection with an alleged July 18 home invasion and gang rape in Hammond. Costello is accused of conspiring with his girlfriend, Alexis M. Lietz, 20, and two of his friends to break into Lietz's family's home in Hammond. According to court records, Nathaniel J. Asbury, 21, and Isiah Barboza, 16, raped Lietz's 19-year-old relative at gunpoint during the burglary. Costello is accused of holding the victim down and groping her during the assault. But how could Trump and Moon not make a huge issue of these secret undeclared bases whenever they meet Kim again? Well, maybe they should, but theres a deeper issue. Talks, negotiations, take on a life of their own. Theres something to be said for momentum. Its not that North Korea will ever give up the distinction of being the worlds ninth honest-to-goodness nuclear power. Its obvious they wont. Its just as obvious Kim isnt going to fire or explode anything for real. He knows perfectly well all hell would descend on him if he did. Less obvious, more difficult to explain, is that these summits add to the dynamism of incipient change. Beneath the seeming non-concern lingers a sense that South Korea is too enormous, too huge an industrial powerhouse, and North Korea is really too needy. Somethings got to give. The dam on inter-Korean relations has to burst. Millions are looking to the North, waiting for the opening to get in there. Some are eagerly eyeing real estate north of Seoul, up to the DMZ, as a base for future operations. In the meantime, as long as the Americans and South Koreans dont make stupid concessions, fall for showy appearances such as an end-of-war declaration or, God forbid, a peace treaty, summitry is needed to keep up the momentum. Thats reason enough for these leaders to talk to each other even if one of them insists on draining his economy and resources with useless nukes and missiles while begging for all the help he can get. Donald Kirk has been a columnist for Korea Times, South China Morning Post many other newspaper and magazines. He wrote this for InsideSources.com. The opinions are the writer's. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 BURNS HARBOR A firefighter for the town of Porter was taken to a local hospital after assisting ArcelorMittal with controlling towering flames late Tuesday in a coke oven battery, an official said. The firefighter became ill while responding to the first-alarm fire at the plant, the Porter Volunteer Fire Department said. An ArcelorMittal representative said the mill had to burn off excess coke oven gas as a result of a power outage. The gas is normally burned in the mill's two blast furnaces to make iron, as part of the steelmaking process. The firefighter was treated on scene and taken to a hospital as a precaution, the Porter Fire Department said. He was released from the hospital a short time later. The Burns Harbor Fire Department was dispatched about 10:30 p.m. to assist with an industrial fire at the company's plant in Burns Harbor, Fire Chief William Arney said. The Porter firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion, he said. The Burns Harbor Fire Department left the plant about 2:45 a.m. Wednesday. WINFIELD A male German shepherd mix named Zinc was reunited with his owner Wednesday after the dog was injured in an apparent hit-and-run crash on 109th Avenue, police said. The owner learned through social media that he had been found and met him at Coyne Veterinary Center in Crown Point, where the pet was taken for treatment, Winfield Town Marshal Daniel Ball said. An Indiana State Police trooper was on his way home early Wednesday when he noticed a car blocking 109th Avenue just west of Miami Street, police said. A good Samaritan, Brianna Boyer, of Hebron, told the trooper she found the dog lying in the westbound lane of 109th and believed the pet had been hit by a car that didn't stop. Boyer and another person had covered the dog with blankets. The dog suffered injuries to his back legs but was expected to recover, police said. Staff from the Lake County Animal Shelter arrived about 6:55 a.m. and took the dog to Coyne Veterinary Center. I thought that was a terrible venue to bring that up, Hamm said. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, Brown agreed there was something off about Trump's mention. When he said there cannot be legislation as long as there's an investigation, I don't know if it was a hidden threat or a way of intimidating congress in some way, Brown said. Brown said he felt the president did better in his speech delivery than he has done previously, however felt that Trump was exaggerating employment statistics when speaking on the workforce. Brown also said he felt Trump spent too much time talking about the southern border wall and making examples out of audience guests, rather than discussing how to move the nation forward. Ted Bilski, D-Hobart, was glad to hear bi-partisan issues calling for both sides of the table to work together. The main thing I'm glad to hear is the will to work together, Bilski said. It sounds like the president is not going to take a hard line with the wall. ...Also when it comes to healthcare, the issues of pre-existing conditions and the cost of prescription drugs is something we can work together on both sides. Activities include networking, a performance and dinner. A selection of Chinese food will be served, along with pizza and beverages. This family-friendly event is open to the public. Chinese New Year is a Chinese festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional Chinese calendar. Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance during the week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the first floor in the Student Union & Library Building or the Classroom Office Building concourse on the Hammond Campus. Admission is $5 for PNW students, $10 for adults and free for children ages 6 and under. For more information, contact CIVS@pnw.edu or 219-989-2765. GARY Two students in the accelerated program at Ivy Tech Community Colleges Lake County campus are among a select group of students around the world chosen to participate in the International Laureate Scholar Program. Abigail Rodriguez, of Hammond, and Tara Shorter, of Gary, attend Ivy Tech classes at the Arts & Sciences Building in Gary as part of the colleges Associate Accelerated Program, in which students earn an associate degree in 11 months. The A & S Building is a space shared by Ivy Tech and Indiana University Northwest. Both women are majoring in Business Administration and will receive their degrees from Ivy Tech in May. The International Scholar Laureate Program offers high-achieving students an opportunity to travel to foreign countries to enhance their education in business and entrepreneurship, medicine and science, nursing and health care and engineering and technology. Scholars are chosen from among members of Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society of two-year colleges. GRIFFITH As Griffith seeks to form its own township or join a new one the Town Council has partnered with the Lake Area United Way to help needy residents get help that was missing with Calumet Township. "This is essentially the first wave of contact someone should have when going into a township for assistance," Council President Rick Ryfa, R-3rd, said Tuesday. "We will manage the program at zero additional cost to our taxpayers." The council voted unanimously to approve a resolution to create the partnership. Ryfa said Calumet Township has failed Griffith residents for the past 20 to 30 years and that the LAUW partnership will connect residents to services that can help them. With our township status in question, we absolutely owe it to our citizens who may be in need of help to find assistance," Ryfa said. He added that this will not take the form of monetary handouts, but will be provided by "a network of over 100 organizations that United Way will refer (them) to." Lisa Daugherty, LAUW president and CEO, was on hand to introduce three main programs that can help needy residents and others who do not require assistance. CROWN POINT Just a few short weeks after announcing plans for re-election, Crown Point Clerk-treasurer Kristie Dressel has withdrawn from the race. Dressel would not give details to The Times Tuesday morning as to what led to her decision, but she did announce plans to endorse Crown Point Police Sgt. Dave Benson, a Republican, for clerk-treasurer. This came as a surprise to Benson, who has served with the Crown Point Police Department since 1988. He is also unaware of Dressels reasoning for dropping and endorsing his campaign. I have not personally heard it from her, but was told by fellow workers that she plans to support me. Its really quite a surprise and Im appreciative, Benson said. I will accept her support. Adding her supporters onto our team helps. Benson said he had plans to go against Dressel in the primary elections, adding that her decision to withdraw is better for the citizens and office in Crown Point. Dressel was elected as city clerk-treasurer in 2016. Rochelle Shelli VanDenburgh and Donna Catalano are seeking the Democratic nomination for clerk-treasurer. CROWN POINT Lake County attorneys ranked Hammond's city attorney, a Crown Point attorney currently serving as a stand-in judge, and a past president of their bar association as their top choices for a Lake Superior Court judge position. The Lake County Bar Association last week released results from its survey of judicial candidates for Lake Superior Court Civil Division Room 4. Ten attorneys applied for the vacancy, which was caused by the retirement of Judge Diane Kavadias Schneider. The applicants include Hammond City Attorney Kristina Kantar, Superior Court Judge Pro Tempore Stephen A. Tyler, past bar association President Adam J. Sedia, Kristen D. Hill, James L. Clement Jr., Andrews Kraemer, Deborah A. Kapitan, Alice Ann Kuzemka, Stacy J. Vasilak and Anthony J. Pampalone. The judicial applicants were ranked based on legal ability, demeanor, court administration and impartiality. The bar association gave its highest job recommendation to Kantar, who received an overall rating of 8 on a scale of 1 to 10. Other applicants were rated as follows: Tyler with 7.7, Sedia with 7.6, Hill with 7.5, Clement with 7.3, Kraemer with 7, Kapitan with 6.5, Kuzemka with 6.5, Vasilak with 6.2 and Pampalone with 4.4. Northwest Indiana is expected to escape the brunt of an ice storm that will hit much of the Chicago area. However, prepare for possible slick roads Tuesday night. Illinois was expected to take the hardest hit this round because of the storm's orientation, said Charles Mott, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's Romeoville office. "It's going to be taking more of a north-northeast track, so Indiana is not going to see much," Mott said. Precipitation was expected to move into Northwest Indiana by about 8 p.m. with a chance of thunderstorms. Tuesday night temps are expected to stay in the low to mid-30s throughout Northwest Indiana, which could cause a period of slick travel as precipitation collects on roads in freezing temps. "There is still some potential for light freezing rains in Northwest Indiana," said Stephen Rodriguez, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's Romeoville office. Lake and Porter counties were under a winter weather advisory from 6 p.m. to midnight. Up to one-tenth of an inch of ice could accumulate in Northwest Indiana, the weather service said. The proposal as currently written eliminates the sales tax exemption after seven years, which would make it impossible to grow beyond the initial facility, said the developers of the Hammond data center, Tom Dakich and Peter Feldman. "Pete and I are committed to building the first 100,000 square feet, the first $50 million," Dakich said. "We're not going to get very much bigger, unless you guys help us. "But if we can get this done the way we think we can get it done, we're going spend $800,000 a week (for five years) on just this simple project in Lake County, Indiana, in order to build this data center." Feldman, who has developed data centers in New York City and elsewhere, encouraged lawmakers to consider at least a 20-year sales tax exemption to persuade major tech companies to put a piece of their data operations in Northwest Indiana. "It's the incentives that make it," Feldman said. "It's the incentives that bring large multinationals and publicly traded companies to the state." The nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency estimates that the proposed incentives could reduce state sales tax revenue by $3.5 million to $7 million a year. From what I now understand, they will bring that matter back up at the next meeting and clarify the intent, that hes not being barred because the council members dont like what he did, but that they were simply voting to recognize the order, Williams said. For years, Sparks-Wade has been unwavering in her support for Washington through his domestic violence convictions, going so far as to favorably testify on his behalf late last year when he faced a jury trial for battering a 24-year-old female cousin. She described Washington as her live-in boyfriend when police responded to her home to check on her welfare. On Tuesday night, however, she received applause from many in the audience Tuesday night as she spoke about her experience as a domestic abuse survivor and asked people to refrain from victim blaming. My batterer is in jail with five felony counts and a misdemeanor, and he wont be getting out if it's left up to me, Sparks-Wade said. African-American women are more likely to be victims of domestic violence, and most instances of abuse are never reported, she said. Government prosecutors, during testimony by retired FBI agent Donald Cooley, introduced the tapes and evidence they believe indicate the payment from Cortina to Snyder was a bribe to get on the city's tow list. Cortina and Jurgensen were put on the city's tow list about six months after Cortina gave Snyder the $12,000 in January 2016. Among audiotapes introduced Tuesday were ones secretly recorded by Snyder's brother, Jon Snyder, who worked with the FBI during the investigation. The conversation Jon Snyder recorded took place in James Snyder's home and included the brothers and the Cortinas. It took place Nov. 10, 2016, after FBI agents executed search warrants throughout the Region, including Cortina's business, Kustom Auto Body, the Lake County Sheriff's Department and the home of former Lake County Sheriff John Buncich, who was later convicted on separate bribery charges. At the time, they were concerned Cortina had been caught up in the Buncich investigation. "But they don't see here, here they know that when you work for the city, most of the time you gotta give favors to get the job from the city. They know that," Cortina is heard saying in the recording. "You just can't say that," James Snyder replied. MERRILLVILLE A burglar broke into a Vietnamese noodle house, sending police on a search for the suspect who targeted the cultural cuisine destination. Now Merrillville police are asking for help identifying the suspect from surveillance footage photos. The Saigon Noodle House, at 1515 W. 81st Ave., was burglarized recently, and the suspect is at large, police said. The alleged burglar's vehicle was caught on camera. It is described as a light-colored Chevrolet four-door vehicle with a sunroof, Merrillville Detective Sean Buck said. Anyone with information is asked to contact Buck at 219-648-2255. Check back at nwi.com for updates. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Love's big holiday is only a week away. Many people will want to plan a special meal for their loved ones but may not want to create recipes from scratch in their home kitchens. Restaurants around the Region will cater to Valentine's Day fans by providing special holiday meals for sweethearts. Whether you'd like to indulge in a rustic Italian dinner, opt for a seafood meal, enjoy Asian cuisine, visit a buffet-style eatery or plan a visit to various other restaurants, there's a great deal to choose from on the local scene. Take a look at the following list and get ready to make a reservation. This list is just a sample of what's available. Asparagus, 7876 Broadway, Merrillville. Asparagus' menu, under the direction of chef/owner Tammy Pham, features a variety of Thai and Vietnamese food with French touches. Call for Valentine's Day specials. Call 219-794-0000 or visit asparagusrestaurant.com. Ciao Bella, 1514 U.S. 41, Schererville. The Italian trattoria will serve various specials and its regular menu for Valentine's Day. Among specials will be Grilled Octopus Calamari; Beet and Arugula Salad; Tagliatelle Pasta; Risotto; Pork Chops; Bacon-Wrapped Chilean Sea Bass and Raspberry Panna Cotta. Call 219-322-6800 or visit ciaobellaonline.com. Nordic nations have swept the top four prizes at the world's most prestigious culinary competition in France, beating Gallic gourmet chefs at their own game with Northern European simplicity and local ingredients. Team Denmark took the gold medal at the biennial Bocuse d'Or competition in the French city of Lyon last week ahead of Sweden, Norway and Finland. Danish chef Kenneth Toft-Hansen told Danish broadcaster TV2 that he had chosen theme "Flora Danica" for his dishes in the competition, in reference to their local ingredients, including juniper and wild thyme, which are found along the country's coasts. Toft-Hansen has run a highly praised restaurant at Svinkloev Badehotel, a seaside hotel in Denmark's Jutland region that is being renovated following a fire in 2016. "Nordic style is plain and simple. I think that has something to do with it," Team Finland chef Ismo Sipelainen told The Associated Press when asked about the Nordic success in Lyon. "Local ingredients are also very different." Sipelainen's and Johan Kurkela's Team Finland won the competition's coveted best platter prize, featuring ember-roasted veal with sweetbread, bacon and mushrooms. CHICAGO The patriarch of the family behind the Cubs has apologized after an online media outlet published emails in which he took part in racist comments and conspiracy theories. Some of the emails Splinter News published Monday featured Joe Ricketts making Islamophobic comments, such as "Islam is a cult and not a religion." Others included conspiracies about former President Barack Obama's birthplace and education. Ricketts, who founded TD Ameritrade, apologized for the emails. "Sometimes I received emails that I should have condemned. Other times I've said things that don't reflect my value system," the 77-year-old Ricketts said. "I strongly believe that bigoted ideas are wrong." Joe Ricketts and two of his sons, Pete Ricketts and Todd Ricketts, have long been influential figures in conservative politics. Pete Ricketts, who is the Republican governor of Nebraska, can be seen cautioning his father in some of the emails. "My father said he deeply regrets and apologizes for some of the exchanges in his emails," Gov. Pete Ricketts said in an email to The Associated Press. Cubs' Chairman Tom Ricketts issued a separate statement saying his father's emails don't reflect the values of the Cubs. Journalist Paul Street, the author of the book "They Rule: The 1 Percent vs. Democracy," will discuss current affairs in Michigan City. Street, a regular contributor to CounterPunch and TruthDig, will give a talk titled "Trump, Neoliberalism & The 2020 Elections: The Future of American Politics" at Politics Arts Roots Culture, 1713 Franklin St., Michigan City. The award-winning journalist, historian and author will discuss the rise of authoritarian governments around the world and the "relentless political war against immigrants, refugees, the poor and the natural environment" in the United States at 4 p.m. Saturday at P.A.R.C. The Iraq War veterans Vincent Emanuele and Sergio Kochergin founded the P.A.R.C. community/cultural center, which has hosted a range of programs like concerts, plays and lectures. The Marines describe it as "a space for poor and working-class people to develop political campaigns, art projects and community programming for disadvantaged youth." Street will discuss the upcoming 2020 presidential election and the state of politics today. The South Shore Line is offering 10 percent discounts on monthly passes for March after the commuter railroad had to suspend service for four days last week as a result of cold weather and a freight train derailment on the Metra system in Illinois. South Shore President Michael Noland said the offer is a way to thank loyal riders. Our monthly passengers responded to our suspension with such patience and understanding, we wanted to do something to let them know how much we appreciate them during this difficult time, and every day, Noland said. Record low temperatures Wednesday and Thursday caused problems ranging from downed electrical lines on the South Shores tracks to damage on the Metra Electric District tracks on which the South Shore runs in Illinois. The derailment of a CN freight train Wednesday night helped extend the service suspensions into the weekend. The South Shore's March discount will automatically be applied at the time South Shore commuters purchase their March passes. The South Shore is working with WageWorks, WiredCommute and RTA to apply the discount for passengers who buy passes through those agencies. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 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. BP more than doubled its annual underlying replacement cost profit, an industry gauge of net profit, to $12.7 billion last year, up from $6.2 billion in 2017. The London-based energy company, which operates the BP Whiting Refinery on the Lake Michigan shoreline, roped in $26.1 billion in operating cash flow last year, up from $24.1 billion in 2017. BP's fourth-quarter profit surged more than 65 percent to $3.5 billion, which the company chalks up to "strong operating performance across all business segments." "Our strategy is clearly working and will serve the company and our shareholders well through the energy transition," BP Group CEO Bob Dudley said. BP delivered an 11.2 percent return on average investment last year, up from 5.8 percent in 2017. "We now have a powerful track record of safe and reliable performance, efficient execution and capital discipline," Dudley said. "And were doing this while growing the business bringing more high-quality projects online, expanding marketing in the Downstream and doing transformative deals such as BHP." BP paid $3.2 billion last year to help clean up after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. For as far back as he can remember, Pavel Polanco-Safadit has possessed a passion for piano. When I was 12, I didnt have a piano at home, so I used to practice on my moms table, he says. I only touched a piano once a week for one hour. The Dominican Republic native was determined, however, and eventually found a solution. I would bug the pastor of this little tiny church, which was busy from 7:30 in the morning until 10 oclock at night, Polanco-Safadit says. Finally, two months later, he said, Okay. Im going to give you a key, but you gotta be out by 7 a.m. With this time restraint, the 12-year-old Polanco-Safadit was forced to wake up extra early in order to get quality piano time in. My grandfather would get me up at 2:30 a.m., and Id get ready, he says. Polanco-Safadit would then get dropped off at the church, where hed practice diligently in the wee hours of the morning before then heading to school. From 3 to 7 a.m., I was a kid in a candy store, he says. I think thats really when I knew what I wanted to do. By the age of 14, Polanco-Safadit was teaching others in his community how to play piano. Not surprisingly, hes still a teacher to this day, working as the director of jazz at Earlham College in Richmond, Ind. While hes not in the classroom, however, Polanco-Safadit also fronts an electrifying Latin jazz group of his own known as Pavel & Direct Contact. Originally started as a trio, the group has now grown into a local jazz juggernaut, as notable guests players like David Allee, Rob Dixon, and more regularly perform alongside Pavel and company. Having recently released an album titled Dla Calle, Pavel & Direct Contact will perform two shows at the Jazz Kitchen on Friday, Feb. 8. According to Polanco-Safadit, the first set of the night (starting at 7:30 p.m.) will consist mostly of originals, including selections from Dla Calle. It will be full of energy from the beginning to the end, says the pianist. With their second set (starting at 9:30 p.m.), the band encourages showgoers to bring a pair of dancing shoes. The second set will feature salsa and merengue, and it will be danceable, Polanco-Safadit says. It will be a big band with 11 people on the stage. Those who cant make it out to the shows this weekend can also get a taste of Pavel & Direct Contacts exuberant sound on Spotify, where 2018s Dla Calle and 2017s Rush Hour are both available to stream. Our current president insists that we should be afraid of much. Trumps favorite scare-tactic targets are immigrants, foreign trade competitors and terrorists. His solutions are border walls, tariffs and isolating us from pretty much any them that can be superficially distinguished based on skin color, religious belief or national origin. This at a time when our countrys unemployment rates are at all-time lows, the stock market enjoys near historic highs, illegal immigration numbers are 25 percent of what they were at the turn of the century, and ISIS and other terrorist groups are primarily occupied with trying to hide from and survive the unrelenting power of U.S. and allied military forces in the Middle East. To paraphrase Simon and Garfunkels lament, Where have you gone, Greatest Generation? In the 1930s, under the strain of the same enormous economic and security challenges as the rest of the country, Nebraska was engaged in transforming our Legislature, eliminating the House of Representatives, in a courageous and creative effort to minimize the negative influence political partisanship was imposing on pragmatic problem-solving that our citizenry decided was the proper mission of state government. Now, Gov. Pete Ricketts begins his second term in that same mode as his first four years subordinating practical public policy solutions to ideological demagoguery and unrealistic tax-cut sloganeering in the quest of his yet-to-be-disclosed ultimate personal political ambitions. Rather than bending to the difficult, often-unpopular work of governance, Ricketts insists on circumventing that necessary fray by simplistically insisting he will not countenance any tax increase which he disingenuously interprets to include any shift away from our disproportionately heavy reliance on property taxes to fund education and other local governmental functions. There will be no governmental heavy lifting for billionaire Joe Ricketts son, the governor with eyes on higher elective office. George Norris would have difficulty recognizing governance in his home state. The application process is thorough. Students must complete applications for nominations, which includes an interview process with my military academy advisory board. Over four days, members of my staff conducted over 50 interviews in multiple locations throughout Nebraska. Once students receive their nomination, the application process begins with their respective academy. Cadets at service academies are the best of the best, and it would be an honor to challenge myself and other students, one applicant wrote. She continued, I believe that the military bonds people together in a way that is unmatched by any university or camp. When I saw all the platoons marching together between the stone buildings of West Point, the synced footsteps created an incredible echo against the buildings. It was in those moments I knew that I wanted to spend my college years at a military academy. Years of hard work has paid off for these nominees. They have shown leadership in their communities and readiness to serve our country. I am confident that if they are selected, the nominees will represent our state and the United States of America with distinction. I am grateful to these individuals for stepping forward to take part in Nebraskas long-standing tradition of service to our country. For future applicants, my office will host an annual Military Academy Day this spring. The event is a great opportunity for students and their families to learn more about the nomination process. Representatives from the U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy will be available to provide information and answer questions or speak to concerns that any prospective applicants may have. Please stay tuned for an announcement regarding the time and location of the upcoming Military Academy Day. For more information about the application process, visit the constituent services section of my website at fischer.senate.gov. Theres a new sushi bar in town, with a Chinese restaurant to boot Szechuan Famous Food and Sushi Bar opened at 520 East Philip Ave. on Friday. Yan Wu, who grew up near Beijing, China, and her husband, Diego Xiquin, had wanted to open a restaurant for a long time. Its my dream, Wu said. Xiquin and Wu met in North Platte working for another Asian restaurant in town. Xiquin came to Nebraska eight years ago, and Wu came here five years ago. We were thinking about it a long time, Xiquin said. As the couple spoke to Wus mother, who lives in China, she pointed out that no restaurant in North Platte sells Szechuan Chinese food, Xiquin said. Szechuan Chinese food originates from Sichuan, a southwestern province of China, according to thedailymeal.com. Xiquin said the food tends to be spicy, and the website says the food tends to be very flavorful. For Xiquin and Wu, the cuisine is more authentic than what theyve found in other local Chinese restaurants. At other eateries, its good food, Xiquin said. Its just not the same. Here, its special. Listen HARRISBURG The state Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee on Monday approved a measure to give property owners more options for managing their preserved farmland, according to the bills sponsor Sen. Gene Yaw (R-23). Senate Bill 145 will provide necessary updates to the states Agricultural Area Security Law to clarify how landowners may want to handle the need for additional farm residences when preserving their farm. Currently, state law allows for the creation of one additional farmstead residence on preserved farms. However, some farmers may not want to exercise this option, and would instead wish to waive that right to reduce the value of their land. Additionally, SB 145 will clarify that preserved farm owners can subdivide their land for a second residence, whether it is standing or needs to be constructed. State law currently allows for subdivision only when another farmhouse is going to be constructed, not for one that is standing. Adjustments to our Agricultural Area Security Law are needed to reflect the current and future needs of preserved farm owners, Sen. Yaw said. I believe that the owners of preserved farmland should be allowed to exercise their own judgment, based on individual circumstances.The Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, Pennsylvania Farmland Preservation Association and the Lancaster County Agricultural Preserve Board all voiced support for the measure prior to Mondays committee meeting. Senate Bill 145 now moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee for consideration. For more state-related news and information, visit Senator Yaws website at www.SenatorGeneYaw.com or on Facebook and Twitter @SenatorGeneYaw. CONTACT: Nick Troutman (717) 787-3280 The post Yaw Bill Enhances Farmland Preservation Law appeared first on Senator Gene Yaw. WILLIAMSPORT Staff from UPMC Susquehanna recently celebrated UPMC Susquehannas Cancer Centers becoming part of the world-renowned UPMC Hillman Cancer Center network. UPMC Susquehannas cancer centers at UPMC Williamsport Regional Medical Center, Divine Providence Campus and UPMC Susquehanna Soldiers + Sailors join more than 60 others that are part of the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center network, one of the largest integrated cancer networks in the United States and one of only 49 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers. The centers will now be known as UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in Williamsport and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in Wellsboro. UPMC Hillman Cancer Center stands for unsurpassed excellence in cancer care and were proud to now be UPMC Hillman Cancer Centers, said Michelle Gaida, executive director, Cancer Care Services, UPMC Susquehanna. Were taking the battle against cancer to the next level, building on our mission of providing world-class care for patients close to home. As UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, were giving patients increased access to renowned cancer specialists, cutting-edge research in immunotherapy, more than 300 leading-edge clinical trials, and the most advanced technology for cancer detection and treatment. We believe that cancer patients should receive their treatment as close to home as possible, said Stephanie Dutton, chief operating officer at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. Thats why for many years, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center has focused establishing quality cancer centers in many locations, including Susquehanna, so that patients can receive the highest quality of cancer care no matter where they live. The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute was founded in 1985, primarily as a research institution. In 2002, UPMC opened the first Hillman Cancer Center adjacent to UPMC Shadyside, to bring cancer specialists from 12 UPMC hospitals together to provide services in one convenient location. From those humble beginnings, Hillman Cancer Center has expanded to include 33 medical oncology centers, 21 radiation oncology centers, six dual medical and radiation oncology centers, and four international centers and partnerships. In the U.S., UPMC Hillman Cancer Center treats over 110,000 patients (20,000 on treatment at any given time) and sees over 37,000 new patients annually. Our cancer centers in Williamsport and Wellsboro are known for the quality services we provide in our region. As UPMC Hillman Cancer Centers, were bringing life-changing cancer treatment and care to northcentral Pennsylvania, said Steven P. Johnson, president, UPMC Susquehanna. UPMC Hillman Cancer Center is internationally recognized for its leadership in the prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. As the preeminent institution in Pennsylvania for the delivery of cancer care, the performance of basic, translational, and clinical research, and the education of the next generation of cancer researchers and physicians, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center is exceptionally well positioned to contribute to the local, national, and global effort to reduce the burden of cancer. This announcement comes just six months after UPMC and UPMC Susquehanna announced the planned expansion project at UPMC Williamsport Regional Medical Center, Divine Providence Campus. The project will transform and expand the current center into an all-new facility. The expansion, comprised of a complete remodel with added space and a completely new patient-centric footprint, will include physician exam rooms, open chemotherapy bays, private chemotherapy rooms, and additional office and support space designed to help improve the patient experience. To learn more about UPMC Hillman Cancer Centers, visit UPMCHillman.com. 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 The email exchanges were from 2009 through 2013. The Splinter News story does not say how the emails were obtained. Some have racist content, including one from April 2011 in which Ricketts responded great laugh regarding a forwarded joke whose punchline includes the word n-----. He responded "I like this" to another forwarded message that complains about special days for certain groups, including Yom Hashoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day. In a 2010 exchange, Gov. Ricketts questions the reliability of the emails being sent by his father. Joe Ricketts had sent son Pete an email chain titled Americans believe in religious freedom Muslims dont. Gov. Ricketts responded to his father: Dad, I recommend you go to www.snopes.com and search on these stories before you pass them on. In this case, there is a dispute over what exactly happened." Joe Ricketts responded, in an email, calling Islam "a cult and not a religion." Son Pete again urged his father to look at the fact-checking website. I am not sure that your statement is accurate with regards to Islam but I recommend reading the piece on snopes, Gov. Ricketts wrote in an email. President Donald Trump spent a good portion of his State of the Union address discussing illegal immigration, a border wall and border security on Tuesday evening. During a roughly 80-minute speech, Trump hit other topics, including criminal justice reform, low unemployment, the economy, taxes, prescription drug costs and Chinese tariffs. He discussed eradicating the AIDS virus as well. The speech was Trumps second State of the Union address, and third speech before a joint session of Congress since his election in November 2016 (the first speech to Congress for a newly elected president isnt called a State of the Union). Locally, leaders with each of the three most prominent political parties in Iowa weighed in on what they thought of the presidents words. The president was talking unity, compromise, working together for the good of our country. One thing I think really stood out is what Americans really want is to see our elected officials work together and accomplish things for our country, said Charlie Johnson, chairman of the Pottawattamie County Republican Party. Its time to set aside partisan politics. I think he did do a good job. Our attorneys and investigators work with contractors and homeowners to resolve disputes that involve a misunderstanding between the parties. In cases in which a contractor has committed a deceptive act or unfair practice, the Attorney Generals Office may sue under the Consumer Fraud Act seeking consumer reimbursement, an injunction against future bad conduct, and up to $40,000 in civil penalties for each violation. In the last few years, the Attorney Generals Office has sued many contractors who have cheated dozens of customers. The office has won judgments of $100,000 or more and gotten contractors banned from doing business in Iowa. Unfortunately, many of the defendants in these lawsuits are unwilling or unable to pay and have no assets that can be seized to pay a judgment. Why cant those contractors be charged with a crime? They can, but proving theft is difficult under existing law. Court rulings have held that down payments for construction projects are not held in trust and therefore do not necessarily qualify as taking of property. In addition, a prosecutor must prove that the contractor intended to commit fraud when signing the contract. A series of emails obtained and published online Monday appears to show Joe Ricketts, founder of TD Ameritrade, sharing and endorsing racist jokes and conspiracy theories. Ricketts, 77, issued a statement apologizing for the emails after they were posted. Joe Ricketts, who has long been active in state and national politics, is the father of Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts. I deeply regret and apologize for some of the exchanges I had in my emails, Joe Ricketts said in a statement on his website. Sometimes I received emails that I should have condemned. Other times Ive said things that dont reflect my value system. I strongly believe that bigoted ideas are wrong. Spokesman Taylor Gage said Gov. Ricketts was tied up until early afternoon and could not immediately respond to a request for comment. TD Ameritrade officials similarly did not respond immediately to a media inquiry. The emails, which were posted by news outlet Splinter, include anti-Muslim sentiments. In one, Joe Ricketts said, Muslims are naturally my (our) enemy. Others claim former President Barack Obama is a Muslim. The email exchanges were from 2009 through 2013. The Splinter News story does not say how the emails were obtained. A total 160,376 signed up to participate Monday to win prizes up $1 million as part of the Shot At A Million campaign that the state launched to reward residents who have been or soon will be vaccinated against COVID-19. The LSU School of Veterinary Medicine is the target of a complaint filed by a national animal rights group claiming the school may have violated the federal Animal Welfare Act by purchasing dogs from an unlicensed Baton Rouge shelter for use in lethal anatomy courses and possibly other experimental purposes. The complaint, filed Wednesday (Feb. 6) by People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), claims the veterinary school acquired animals from the Companion Animal Alliance. The complaint said the shelter does not possess the required federal license needed to provide animals for research. The school, in a statement, rejected the groups allegations and said it follows the federal regulations. The shelter declined to comment on the complaint. PETAs complaint, filed with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, also claims LSU did not properly maintain records on some animals used for research. The school may also have violated a clause of the animal welfare act that requires research facilities that obtain animals for research to hold them for at least five days before being used for experiments, PETA says in its complaint. A companion complaint was filed with the East Baton Rouge District Attorneys Office, alleging that the veterinary school may have violated Louisianas open records law by not releasing all public information sought by PETA during the groups two-month examination of the animal procurement process. In a statement, the LSU veterinary school said it had not been formally notified of any investigations by either the USDA or the District Attorneys Office. The statement acknowledged the veterinary medicine school obtains euthanized animals from animal shelters but said it does not violate federal law in doing so. The cadavers are used to train veterinary students, whose life work is dedicated to serving and saving animals, the statement said. In some cases, live animals are brought to the veterinary school for euthanasia. In all of these cases, the animals were already scheduled for euthanasia. The LSU statement, issued by the veterinary schools Communications Manager Ginger Guttner, said obtaining animals from shelters for use in teaching does not violate the Federal Animal Welfare Act, and the process used by the veterinary school to obtain animals is reviewed annually by the universitys Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, as required by the act. A spokesperson for Companion Animal Alliance said the shelter has not received any correspondence from PETA and had no comments about the complaint at this time. PETAs complaint alleges at least 70 dogs were unlawfully acquired from the shelter by LSU in 2018, claiming the school purchases cadavers from the shelter for $20 each, and live dogs for $40. Those acquisitions would give rise to at least 140 separate violations of the federal animal act, the complaint said. Because of the egregious nature of these noncompliances and the flagrant violation of the publics trust, PETAs complaint says if the allegations are founded the USDA should assess the maximum allowable penalty against LSU - which the group estimated at roughly $1.6 million. Jeremy Beckham, an associate in PETAs Laboratory Investigations Department, said the animal rights group began a probe of the LSU animal acquisition methods last fall after a whistleblower filed a complaint. To independently corroborate the complaints of the whistleblower, later identified as former shelter Executive Director Desiree Bender, PETA sought public records. On Oct. 31, the animals rights group submitted a records request to LSU seeking acquisition records for animals obtained from shelters along with correspondence between LSU and the Companion Animal Alliance shelter, according to the complaint and records PETA provided. LSU provided the group 226 pages of responsive material, including email exchanges between the school and CAA shelter staffers, PETA said. These emails appear to confirm that LSU routinely procured both live and dead animals from CAA for use in training and/or research in 2018, PETA said in its complaint filed with the USDA. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up PETA said the procurement is a violation of the Animal Welfare Act, which was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson in August of 1966 and stands as the only federal law that regulates the treatment of animals in research and exhibition. The act was spurred by a 1966 Life Magazine article documenting the housing conditions at animal dealer facilities. The article provided increasing evidence that companion pets were being stolen by dealers, taken across states lines and resold to research institutions for scientific experimentation. To address the issue, the federal government created the act that says it shall be unlawful for any research facility to purchase any dog or cat from any person except an operator of an auction sale. or a person holding a valid license as a dealer or exhibitor... As a community animal shelter, CAA does not possess a valid USDA license as a dealer or exhibitor, PETA contends in its complaint. Even if the shelter were a lawful source of animals for the school, PETA says in its complaint that the act requires LSU to make, keep, and maintain records or forms which fully and correctly disclose...information concerning each live dog or cat purchased or acquired, transported, euthanized, sold or disposed of by the school. In two separate records requests, PETA asked LSU for these records, and in both cases, LSU represented that it had no responsive records, according to the complaint submitted to the USDA. Correspondence obtained by PETA strongly suggests that LSU personnel often intended to use and kill dogs obtained from the shelter almost immediately after they arrived at the school, which would be a violation of the act, the complaint states. However, the group said it has no direct proof of the timing of the research animals' use by the school. The federal act allows the USDAs Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to assess a penalty of up to $11,390 per violation. PETA maintains in its complaint that LSU may have committed two separate violations for each of the 70 dogs one for acquiring them from an unlicensed facility and a second for improper record keeping. If that is the case, PETA says the USDA should fine the school $1,594,600. Bender, the whistleblower, told NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune in an interview Tuesday (Feb. 5) that said she became executive director of the animal shelter in May of 2018. Bender said she was shocked shortly after her arrival when she was asked to sign an invoice to send live dogs to LSU for an anatomy class. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine what was going on there before taking the job, she said. No one at the shelter had gone over this with me. Bender said she refused to sign the invoice, which she said led to a dispute with LSU veterinary school professors. She said the shelter had a partnership with the school to provide animals for research that were purportedly going to be euthanized by the shelter. Bender admitted that the shelter, which can hold 400-500 animals, at times had to euthanize animals that were sickly, overly aggressive or had other issues. On average, about 20 percent were euthanized, she said. However, she said at times the need for research animals would come when there were no shelter animals due for euthanasia, forcing workers to pick animals that should have remained at the shelter in hopes of finding homes. She left the shelter in October, she said, and now works as an animal consultant in Arkansas. She said she worked for the Humane Society of the United States for 14 years before taking the job in Baton Rouge. I didnt agree with any of this, Bender said of the practices she said she witnessed at the shelter. My goal was to reduce the number of animals being euthanized. I did not want to run a shelter for the LSU Veterinary School. It was a case of conflicting missions. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Alexandria on Wednesday (Feb. 6) released a list of 27 clergy members who were credibly accused of sexual abuse dating back to the 1940s, the Alexandria Town Talk reported. The names of the priests were released in a letter from Bishop David P. Talley, who called the accusations an evil chapter in the life of our diocese, the newspaper reported. The Alexandria diocese is the fourth in Louisiana to release names of priests accused of abuse. The Diocese of Baton Rouge on Jan. 31 named 37 Catholic clergymen accused of abuse. The New Orleans archdiocese was the first to name credibly accused priests on Nov. 2 and the Houma-Thibodaux archdiocese followed suit Jan. 11. In the Alexandria diocese, most of the clergy abuse cases listed happened between 1950 and 1989, the Town Talk reported. By far the most 13 happened between 1960 and 1969. Only two cases were found since 1990, and only one since 2002, according to diocese information. The Alexandria diocese encompasses the civil parishes of Avoyelles, Rapides, Vernon, Natchitoches, Winn, Caldwell, Madison, Franklin, Tensas, Concordia, Catahoula, Lasalle and Grant. Click here to read the entire Alexandria Town Talk story, including the list of priests. Wendy Vitters nomination to become a judge for the U.S. District Court in New Orleans is set for a vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday (Feb. 7), a year after President Donald Trump picked her for the post. Shes among 46 Trump nominees up for a committee recommendation, along with William Barr as attorney general, Lafayette lawyer Donald Washington as director of the Marshals Service and James David Cain Jr. for a judges seat with the federal district court in Lake Charles. Vitter, general counsel to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans and wife of former Sen. David Vitter, R-Metairie, has already endured a fractious Judiciary Committee hearing. While few question her experience in the law, she raised eyebrows among Democrats when she refused to say whether the Supreme Court was right to outlaw racial segregation in public schools. Wendy Vitter won't say if Supreme Court was right to outlaw segregated schools The Republican president chose Vitter for the bench Jan. 23, 2018, but her nomination lapsed when the 115th Congress adjourned. The president renominated her two weeks ago. If history is a guide, committee Democrats will seek a roll call vote on Vitter, as well as other controversial nominees, in order to highlight her answers to the segregation question and her personal objection to legalized abortion. But with Republicans still holding a 12-10 majority on the committee, she seems likely to win the panels endorsement. Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., a member of the committee, said Jan. 24 he still supports her nomination. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up The committee meeting begins at 9 a.m. central time. You can watch it live at this link. If confirmed by the full Senate, Vitter would be Trumps second judge on the 13-parish district court in New Orleans, along with Barry Ashe. Trump also has put five judges on the New Orleans-based 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, which handles cases from Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Wendy Vitter, with one exception, might have what it takes to be federal judge . . . . . . . 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. LSU made a push for Mississippi defensive lineman Byron Young in recent months, but the 4-star defensive lineman held true to his commitment to Alabama and signed with the Crimson Tide on Wednesday (Feb. 6). Young is ranked as the No. 77 player and No. 8 defensive tackle in the country by 247Sports Composite. Young has been committed to Alabama since July 4, but he still went on official visits to Florida, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and LSU in recent months. Young said he grew up as an LSU fan and told NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune that his childhood love for the Tigers gave them a chance. I ended up committing to Alabama because I feel like that was the best decision for me, he said in January. But I think just that fact that thats where Ive always wanted to go, since I was little, keeps them (LSU) in it. See all the live updates from National Signing Day as they happened Young is one of three key defensive linemen LSU hoped to land Wednesday. Next, Louisville, Miss. defensive end Charles Moore announces his decision 9:30 a.m. Hell choose between LSU, Auburn, Florida and Florida State. The biggest announcement on the defensive line, though, is priority target Ishmael Sopsher from Amite. Sopsher is the No. 47 prospect in the country, according to 247Sports Composite, and is expected to choose between LSU and Alabama. Ed Orgeron has repeatedly made clear defensive line is one of his top priorities on National Signing Day. LSU currently has Utah 4-star Siaki Apu Ika and Haynesville 3-star Joseph Evans signed, and Utah junior college edge rusher Soni Fonua committed Sunday. LSU hopes to land Moore, Sopsher or both to add to that group. Soni Fonua was on the LSU campus for an official visit just this past weekend, and he committed to LSU by Sunday (Feb. 3). Now, the Utah junior college edge rusher is officially a Tiger, as Fonua signed with LSU on National Signing Day Wednesday. Fonua is a 6-foot-4, 264-pound edge rusher from Salt Lake City who played at Mesa Community College in Arizona. The victory with Fonua gives LSU a second win in Utah this recruiting season, joining 4-star defensive tackle signee Apu Ika. Fonua is a 3-star prospect, according to 247Sports Composite rankings, who is ranked the No. 63 junior college prospect in this class. He said on ESPN Radio he can play defensive end or outside linebacker. He had offers from Nebraska and Oklahoma State, among others. See all the live updates from National Signing Day as they happened Fonua, Ika and Haynesville 3-star Joseph Evans give LSU three signings on the defensive front. Ed Orgeron has made clear he wants more, and LSU now awaits the decisions of two more defensive line targets. Mississippi defensive end Charles Moore decides 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, and top-50 Amite defensive tackle Ishmael Sopsher decides at 12:45 p.m.. Sopsher is LSUs top priority, and hes expected to choose between LSU and Alabama. Ed Orgeron was proud of a certain fact after the early signing period. He was proud to say LSU landed every single committed player it offered in the state of Louisiana in the 2019 class as of December. On that day, he signed three 5-star talents from the state in Derek Stingley Jr., Kardell Thomas and John Emery, among several other top-250 players. That fact changed Wednesday (Feb. 6), as top-50 Amite defensive tackle Ishmael Sopsher chose Alabama over LSU on National Signing Day. LSU loses battle with Alabama for Amite DT Ishmael Sopsher But LSU did win another battle just minutes earlier, as Amite 4-star athlete Devonta Lee chose LSU over Kentucky. Orgeron no longer can say it signed every in-state target it offered, but it can say it had its best in-state turnout in the Ed Orgeron era. LSU landed eight of the top 10 players in Louisiana, according to 247Sports Composite rankings. Compare this to LSU landing just five of the top 10 in 2018, and in 2017 LSU landed just three. Its the best since LSU locked down nine of the top 10 -- and 11 of the top 12 -- in 2016. How Ed Orgeron and LSU united the Louisiana schools to keep kids in-state Orgerons constantly preached the need to lock down the borders of Louisiana. This 2019 class was one he often said would be crucial for the program. Sopsher and University Lab linebacker Christian Harris -- who Orgeron didnt pursue -- both signed with Alabama. Otherwise, LSU took the top talent. Here are the top 10 players in Louisiana (according to 247Sports Composite, which combines all the different rankings) with LSU signees in bold: 1. CB Derek Stingley Jr. (No. 3 overall, No. 1 cornerback) 2. RB John Emery (No. 13 overall, No. 2 running back) 3. DT Ishmael Sopsher (No. 47 overall, No. 5 defensive tackle) 4. OG Kardell Thomas (No. 97 overall, No. 4 offensive guard) 5. ILB Christian Harris (No. 110 overall, No. 6 inside linebacker) 6. WR Trey Palmer (No. 112 overall, No. 18 wide receiver) 7. RB Tyrion Davis-Price (No. 139 overall, No. 8 running back) 8. TE/OT Ray Parker (No. 154 overall, No. 14 offensive tackle) 9. ILB Donte Starks (No. 159 overall, No. 10 inside linebacker) 10. ATH Devonta Lee (No. 166 overall, No. 8 athlete) National Signing Day 2019: Live updates from local area, LSU, Tulane, others New Orleans isn't short of famous chefs, from Paul Prudhomme to Emeril Lagasse to Susan Spicer. But there's one whose name many locals know well, even without ever tasting his or her food. That would be Chef Menteur, the namesake for the stretch of U.S. 90 that takes motorists through New Orleans East, into the sleepy, mosquitoey Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge and over Chef Menteur Pass, the waterway connecting Lake Pontchartrain to Lake Borgne (which is now technically a lagoon, thanks to coastal erosion) and thus to the Gulf of Mexico. As it turns out, though, the real Chef Menteur wasnt a chef at all, any more than Doctor John is a real doctor, King Oliver was a member of the royal family or Bum Phillips was well, you get the idea. If you remember your high school French, you might have had an inkling. That's because "Chef Menteur" in French translates to "Big Liar" or "Chief Liar" in English. So the question isn't which chef was so good at his or her job as to receive the honor of having a highway and waterway named as a monument to their skills. Rather, it's: Who was so scurrilous as to suffer the indignity of having a highway and waterway named as a monument to their untrustworthiness? The answer, as so often is the case, depends on whom you ask. New Orleans 101: Why do we call it a neutral ground? According to the eminent Pie DuFour, who for three decades penned the perfectly titled history column A La Mode for The States-Item and, later, The Times-Picayune, it is believed that the name Chef Menteur appeared in the historical record for the first time around 1763. In that case, it labeled the land alongside Chef Menteur Pass, commonly known today as simply Chef Pass. One of the first explanations for that name and, again, there is more than one came from a French writer and historian remembered only as Bossu, his first name being lost to history. A captain in the French Marines, Bossu made two trips to early Louisiana, in 1751 aboard a 400-ton vessel named Pontchartrain, incidentally and again a decade later. Bossu wrote extensively of those travels, as well as of his encounters with the natives of the Louisiana territory, in a tome titled Travels Through That Part of North America Formerly Known as Louisiana. Like most Europeans of the day, he was something less than enlightened where the regions indigenous people were concerned to him, they were savages and the mixed-race offspring of natives and Europeans he encountered in New Orleans were mongrels but what he lacked in open-mindedness he made up for in detail. Among other things, he wrote of the value placed on honesty by the Choctaw people of the region. "The Indians abhor lying and say that a liar is not a true man," Bossu wrote. He also described, not inconsequentially, of their resulting disdain for Louisiana's governor at the time, Louis Billouart de Kerlerec. As the story goes, they so distrusted Kerlerec that they dubbed him "The Lying Chief" in their language, which in due time was supplanted by the French translation, Chef Menteur. Based on what we know of Louisiana politicians, its an entirely plausible account. Interestingly, if it is to be believed, then New Orleans boasts two streets named after the same governor: Kerlerec Street, which runs through the Faubourg Marigny and the 7th Ward, as well as Chef Menteur Highway. But if it's true, a question remains: Why would anyone name that plot of land, and the nearby waterway, after a lying governor? That touches on another explanation, one rooted in the fact that the nearby waterway has a habit of reversing its flow depending on the tides or lying, as it were. That second explanation has a certain measure of practicality to it, particularly considering how important waterways were for transportation in the area's early history. Not only did "Chef Menteur" provide a name for this seemingly duplicitous waterway but it also described its chief characteristic. Theres always the possibility that both are true, that the lying water body as well as the land alongside it and, later, the highway running through it was named after the lying governor. If it was, we can safely assume this to be one of the regions first cartographically codified examples of political satire, and arguably the start of what has become a beloved local tradition. To complicate matters, however, another version of the origin of the name was published nearly a century after Bossu's, by the New Orleans-born historian Charles Gayerre, in volume one of his 1851 book "Louisiana: Its Colonial History and Romance." Gayerre's account also mentions the Choctaw's appreciation for honesty. He doesn't mention Kerlerec, though. Rather, he says Chef Menteur was a name bestowed upon a Choctaw chief who "became so addicted to the vice of lying that, in disgust, (the tribe) drove him away from their territory." You can probably guess where this lying chief set up camp: in the far eastern part of the present-day city, near the Rigolets. "It is there that the exiled Choctaw chief retired with his family and a few adherents, near a bayou which discharges itself into the lake," Gayerre wrote. "From that circumstance, that space of land received, and still retains the appellation of 'Chef Menteur,' or 'Lying Chief.'" The land, as the thinking goes, eventually lent its name to the water body, which then lent its name to the highway. So, which is the true story? Well, Bossus account is helped by the fact that it occurs much earlier in the record. After all, he was in Louisiana at the time of Kerlerecs brief, rocky time as governor. If Chef Menteur was a reference to him, it would have been fresh in peoples minds. It's also enormously fun to think the local natives would honor him by naming their "lying" waterway after him. But anybody who tells you they know for sure is an outright liar. Got a question about New Orleans history or a fantastic memory to share? I want to hear about it. Reach out to me, Mike Scott, via email at mscott@nola.com, and also through Facebook and Twitter (@MoviegoerMike). Snail mail will find me at The Times-Picayune, 201 St. Joseph St., New Orleans, LA 70130. Ive also been known to appear magically upon hearing the clink of Crazy Cubes as they drop into a soon-to-be-filled highball glass, so you might want to try that, too. New Orleans photo shoots tend to attract unexpected guests curious people, drunk people so when a fun-spirited woman rushed over to photographer Jen Menard and politely asked to photobomb an engagement picture, Menard gave her the nod. I was like, Yeah, girl! Menard said, being a good sport. I thought she looked so familiar, she added. The woman, seen striking an arms-flung-wide, mouth-open pose between the smiling couple and a backdrop of romantic oaks, was comedian Amy Schumer. Schumer popped up in Audubon Park on Sunday afternoon (Feb. 3) and decided to leave a lasting impression on Menard and her clients, James Matthews and Katherine Salisbury. The couple lives in Washington, D.C., but Matthews is from New Orleans, said Menard, a Baton Rouge resident who is also a native New Orleanian. There were a lot of people strolling by, Menard said, and she didnt really notice Schumer and her husband, Chris Fischer, walk by with their dog until Schumer ran back over and asked, Can I photobomb? Given the go-ahead, Schumer struck a pose behind the happy couple and then rejoined her husband to continue their stroll. Her husband was laughing and shaking his head, Menard said. Their dog, Tati, also managed to bomb the photo, slipping into the corner of the frame. Reached by phone Tuesday night, Menard said she did not recognize Schumer until after the moment had passed. I was so bummed, she said. Though Schumer looked familiar, so do lots of wedding guests whose faces appear repeatedly in the photos Menard shoots and edits. Because of this, Menard said, she initially thought she recognized Schumer from a previous wedding or other special event. Instead, Schumer likely looked familiar because Menard had recently watched the actress in the 2018 comedy I Feel Pretty, which played on a flight. It was really good, Menard said. You should watch it. As Schumer and her husband walked away that afternoon, Salisbury asked Menard, Do you know who that was? When Menard looked over, the famed couple was watching the group, apparently waiting for the moment when Menard and her clients would lose their composureand they did. We were freaking out, Menard said. But in keeping with the New Orleans tradition of letting celebrities be, the trio left Schumer and Fischer to their Sunday walk in the park. We wanted to be respectful, Menard said. Four New Orleans public schools are closing at the end of this school year, news thats hard on students" and hard on families, the superintendent of the citys public schools said at a forum Tuesday (Feb. 5). However, he and the former superintendent of Louisianas Recovery School District, Patrick Dobard, agreed that closures are necessary when schools arent performing. I dont want to have to be in that situation every single year when a school is failing and now I have to disperse children across the city of New Orleans. Many times well go ahead and find a higher-performing operator to come in, but also I have to be real, Orleans Parish School Board Superintendent Henderson Lewis, Jr. said. Lewis was speaking on a panel alongside Dobard, now New Schools for New Orleans CEO, and Crescent City Schools Co-Founder and CEO Kate Mehok. The event at the Greater New Orleans Foundations Center for Philanthropy was held by Education Reform Now, in partnership with the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools, Greater New Orleans Foundation and New Schools. The panel, attended by nearly 100 people, was moderated by Tim Morris, a columnist on the Latitude team at NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. The OPSB currently oversees 78 public schools, including 75 charter schools, two direct-operated schools and the Travis Hill School, which serves high school-age students in the juvenile justice system. Nearly all of the 48,000 students in the citys 80-plus public school system today attend schools managed by nonprofit organizations on charter contracts. The OPSB has the power to renew or revoke charters based on the charter groups academic and financial performance. Lewis last year decided to close Edgar P. Harney Elementary in Central City, McDonogh No. 32 Literacy Charter School and William J. Fischer Accelerated Academy in Algiers, and Medard H. Nelson Elementary School in Gentilly at the end of the 2018-2019 school year. Lewis, who began his tenure as OPSBs schools chief in March 2015, said the district has a limited number of operators who can take over struggling schools. Dobard lauded the New Orleans school systems progress and stressed school closures never happen without a review of the schools data. New Orleans public schools roll out program to cut student absences Probably one of the single, hardest decisions that a district leader or administrator has to make is school closure, Dobard said. When it happens, its never invalid. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Morris also pointed out Lewis last year renewed the charter contracts for nine low-performing schools, including two D-rated schools and one F school. Lewis said the F school is an alternative school for students who have fallen behind, so its in a totally different set of circumstances because the school is at a disadvantage from the start. Additionally, Louisianas new accountability system evaluates schools on how much progress their students have made over the course of a school year. That growth or Progress Index accounts for 25 percent of an schools letter grade for grades 1st through 8th, and 12.5 percent for high schools. Lewis said a school can have an overall D-letter grade but have a B or an A growth score. What that says is that particular teacher in a short period of time is closing the achievement gap, so thats something we should applaud, Lewis said. School board needs money to run Harney, but cant access federal funds: report The three schools in Mehoks network, for instance, are each C-rated schools, but received A-rated growth scores last year. Mehok pointed out the school system has made the tests harder in the last 15 years. Her 3rd and 4th graders are also doing work today that was being given to 7th and 8th graders when she was teaching two decades ago, she added. Mehok urged the community to look at a schools growth score to determine if the students there are actually progressing year after year. If my students were taking the same tests that we were taking 15 years ago, a lot of our open-enrollment schools [would have B grades], Mehok said. New Orleans expected to pass regulations for school bus operators 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. Love, learn and lead undergird Jefferson Parish schools new strategic plan, a comprehensive blueprint designed to propel Louisianas largest public school system to excellence in the next five years. Superintendent Cade Brumley proffered the strategy Wednesday (Feb. 6) to an audience of stakeholders at Grace King High School in Metairie, and for the School Board to consider in the coming weeks. The plan, titled 2024: The Future Our Kids Deserve, makes for the broadest and boldest public commitment from Jefferson schools in decades. It defines success as, among other targets: Lifting Jeffersons overall performance score from 70.6 now, which is a C grade on Louisianas 150-point scale, to 100, an A. Were not going to take on the elephant one bite a time. Were going to eat it all at once, Brumley said. See ACT test scores from Jefferson Parish public schools Thats a big lift for a superintendent on the job just 10 months and a School Board that took office in January with new members in four of its nine seats. No cost estimates are included in the strategic plan, although the School Board has put a $27 million-a-year property tax for employee pay on the May 4 ballot and is considering a $75 million property tax for construction later. Instead, the strategic plan seeks to define the school systems values and mission, and to chart a path for living into them. It says, too, that public education benefits the entire community, a point of emphasis for proponents in a parish where the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that 31 percent of K-12 students, the eighth highest rate of 3,142 U.S. counties, attend private schools. Two taxes too much, Jefferson Parish School Board decides To that end, Brumley is trying to change the culture of the community and, directly, a 47,000-student, 7,000-employee, $601 million school system where eight of 10 students come from low-income families. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Why do we exist? the plan asks. We provide the education our students deserve to succeed in life and make our world a better place, it answers. How do we behave? The plan responds in three parts: We love our students our colleagues our work our opportunity. For Wednesdays reveal, Brumley turned over the job of presenting an overview of the plan to multilingual students from Grace King High. They began their segments of the presentation in their native languages: Arabic, Nde (Nigeria), French, Korean, Chinese and Spanish. The superintendent routinely touts the diversity of Jeffersons public school system, where 49 languages are represented among its students. Read the entire plan: . . . . . . . Greg LaRose contributed to this report. 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. Lincoln, NE (68508) Today A mix of clouds and sun. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 92F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. More students than ever are participating and excelling in Advanced Placement exams in Louisiana and nationwide, according to results the College Board released Wednesday (Feb. 6). However, the state continues to lag behind its peers across the nation. The state still ranks 50th in its percentage of public high school graduates who scored a 3 or higher on AP exams, according to the report. The College Board, which oversees the AP exam, found 9.1 percent of the high school graduates taking the exam in Louisiana in 2018 earned a high enough score to acquire college credit in high school. Massachusetts held onto its No. 1 spot since 2016 at 32.9 percent. Mississippi remained last among the 50 states and Washington, D.C, at 6.7 percent. Even so, Louisianas performance trend on the AP exam is rising, the report stated. Louisianas 9.1 percent in 2018 is up from the 3.2 percent of graduating AP test takers with passing scores in 2008, College Board found. The organization also found year over year progress in the number of Louisiana graduates earning a 3 or higher on an AP exam. The state had a 5.9-point increase over a decade in the percentage of public high school graduates earning 3 or higher on an AP exam. Louisiana has also experienced a 4-point increase over five years, a 1.8-point increase over three years, and a 0.8-point increase over a year in the percentage of graduates earning college credit in high school through the AP. AP testing is on the rise in Louisiana, though pass rate still lags nation AP offers college-level courses in 38 subject areas in high schools nationwide, and College Board stated AP students are consistently better prepared for college. David Coleman, the College Boards CEO, acknowledged the remarkable growth among AP test takers in the U.S. in a released statement Wednesday. Even so, he stressed how the organization is alert to the inequities that can undermine student success. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up We see thousands of students who count themselves out when its time to take the exam. Thats why we are making the largest investment in Advanced Placement to date by creating new, free resources that will reach students and teachers wherever they are, Coleman stated. College Boards AP Program will provide AP teachers and coordinators with free, flexible tools to plan classes, create assignments, and provide personalized feedback to students over the course of the 2019-2020 school year, according to a College Board news release. The organization will also provide online exam ordering and fall registration to save time for AP coordinators and to encourage more students to pursue AP credit, according to the release. College Board found more than 1.24 million students in the class of 2018 took 4.22 million AP exams in public high schools nationwide. Among those students, 63 percent of them have scored a 3 or higher on at least one AP exam. Data from the Louisiana Department of Education shows the number of Louisiana public school students taking AP tests has increased by 198 percent from 2012 to 2018. The state Education Department last August reported 7,330 of the 19,793 students tested during the 2017-18 school year passed an AP exam, or 37 percent. When 19,193 students took the exam in 2017, 6,519, or 34 percent, of students made passing scores. Louisiana still lags in results of national education quality report card 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. Smoke BBQ, the Covington restaurant that annually made top barbecue restaurant lists across the region, will close in March. Owners Jeffrey and Amy Hansell, who also own and operate Oxlot 9 at the Southern Hotel in Covington, announced the closure in a news release Tuesday (Feb. 5). They attributed the closure at least partly on a planned highway-widening project that will directly impact their U.S. 190 location. The last day for the restaurant, at U.S. 190 and Lee Road, will be March 9. Jeffrey Hansell, who is also the chef at Oxlot 9, said the couple has plans to open another location within a year or so. Its been an amazing four years and we are so grateful for all the support weve received along the way, Jeffrey Hansell said. It was a great place for us to hone our BBQ skills and were excited for the future. He said Smoke will now focus on catering and local pop-ups," in which they would open temporarily in an existing business. Hansell also said the couple might expand the hours of Oxlot 9, currently open for dinner only Tuesday through Saturday and Sunday for brunch. Amy Hansell said Wednesday that catering business has taken off and had high hopes that the couple would soon be able to announce a new location for Smoke. Food and restaurant news in your inbox Every Thursday we give you the scoop on NOLA dining. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up "Its sad,'' she said of the closing. "But not forever.'' Smoke BBQ opened in 2015 and has drawn stellar reviews. Top 10 BBQ in N.O. area Jeffrey Hansell approaches barbecue much like he does Southern cooking at his sophisticated bistro Oxlot 9: as a regional culinary expression ripe for retooling, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune food critic Brett Anderson wrote in a 2017 Top-10 barbecue restaurants story. State and parish officials have talked for years about widening the 2.2-mile stretch U.S. 190, from the Bogue Falaya River to Louisiana 25. The plan would replace the old, two-lane bridge over the Bogue Falaya River, add lanes and also create roundabouts at numerous intersections, including one at Lee Road. No firm start date has been set. Covington Mayor Mike Cooper said plans are moving along for the highway work. The first phase, he said, would be the bridge. But, he added, thats still several years down the road. Covington brewery closes Two Slidell men were arrested Monday (Feb. 4) on allegations that they sex trafficked and drugged a 16-year-old girl, according to Louisiana State Police. Troopers discovered the teen while responding to a call at the Sheraton Hotel on Canal Street in downtown New Orleans. The girl was listed as a runaway in the computer system and told police that different men had beaten, drugged, raped and pimped her out in the past several days. The girl was treated at a hospital and reunited with her family, police said. Human trafficking reports are on the rise: Here's what you need to know Investigators in St. Tammany Parish arrested 39-year-old Jayson Figueroa and 23-year-old Cordarrel Roudolph for allegedly drugging the girl with Xanax and opioids before raping and beating her. A 17-year-old girl, also listed as missing, was also booked in the investigation on accusations that she recruited the 16-year-old into prostitution. Figueroa and Roudolph were booked into the St. Tammany Parish jail on charges of trafficking of a child for sexual purposes, second-degree rape and felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile. Additional arrests may be forthcoming as officials continue the investigation. How human trafficking victims can get help in New Orleans The National Human Trafficking Hotline can be accessed at all hours in more than 200 languages by emailing help@humantraffickinghotline.org, submitting a tip through the online tip reporting form, and visiting the web portal at www.humantraffickinghotline.org. You can also call the hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text at 233733. Resources for sexual assault survivors in the New Orleans area Pascal Calogero III, son of former Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Pascal Calogero Jr., revoked his original not guilty plea and pleaded guilty Wednesday (Feb. 6) to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor, court records show. Calogero, 59, is accused of paying for sex with a 14-year-old girl and trafficking her to other men. Prosecutors said he paid $120 each time he had sex with the girl in May 2017, and advertised her by sending explicit photos and arranged prostitution dates with other men, including one encounter at his Metairie home. Calogero remains free on a bond of $50,000. His sentencing is scheduled for June 5. His charge carries a maximum term of life imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, between 5 years and a lifetime of supervised release after imprisonment, and a mandatory $100 special assessment. His father, the former state supreme court chief justice, died in December. Son of retired Louisiana chief justice charged with sex trafficking minor Covington police are investigating a shooting that left one person injured Tuesday afternoon (Feb. 5) in the 200 block of West 29th Avenue, authorities said. The victim received non-life-threatening injuries in the shooting, which took place around 1:30 p.m., the police department said in a news release. The incident remains under investigation, and investigators are still identifying witnesses, police said. The release did not include details about the shooting. Authorities ask that anyone with information contact the Covington Police Department. Tipsters can also contact Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111, where they can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward. A Lacombe man was arrested Tuesday (Feb. 5) after he used a handgunand then a shotgunto fire on another motorist shortly after exiting Interstate 12 onto Louisiana 434, according to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriffs Office. No one was injured in the shooting, during which the other motorist used his vehicle as a shield to avoid the gunfire, authorities said. Capt. Scott Lee, spokesman for the St. Tammany Parish Sheriffs Office, said the shooting does not appear to be road-rage-related, but instead a very peculiar set of circumstances." Ronald Bonnaffons Jr., 53, was booked into the St. Tammany Parish jail with aggravated assault with a firearm and aggravated criminal damage to property. According to the Sheriffs Office, investigators were alerted to Bonnaffons just before 11 a.m. Tuesday, when a motorist heading eastbound on Interstate 12 reported seeing a driver with at least two guns on or near his person. The caller said he had seen the driver waving a handgun around. The armed driver, identified as Bonnaffons, exited I-12 onto southbound Highway 434 (map), followed by the callers vehicle. Bonnaffons drove a short distance and slammed on his brakes in the middle of the highway, Lee said. Bonnaffons thought he was being followed--which he was, but not in an aggressive way, Lee added. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Bonnaffons then took out a handgun and immediately began firing on the callers vehicle, which had stopped behind him on the highway. The other motorist was able to escape his vehicleand use the vehicle to take cover as Bonnaffons continued to fire using a second weapon, a shotgun, authorities said. Bonnaffons fled the scene following the shooting, according to the Sheriffs Office. Investigators found Bonnaffons a short time later at his home. During a subsequent search of his home, deputies found an arsenal of weapons, including various firearms, ammunition and knives. The investigation is ongoing. A booking photo of Bonnaffons was not immediately available Tuesday afternoon. Laura McKnight covers crime and breaking news for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed at the start of Johnny Jeffersons second-degree murder trial Tuesday (Feb. 5) that the video jurors will see of the 2016 shooting that killed 17-year-old Sam Carter is disturbing. Carter was shot four times on Aug. 11 twice in the chest, once in the back and once in the buttocks, Assistant District Attorney Michael Trummel said. Police found his body in the 2200 block of Peniston Street in the Milan neighborhood around 5:20 p.m. Trummel said Carter was executed in cold blood. Anonymous tips led police to Jefferson, and Trummel said a witnesses physical and clothing description of the gunman in surveillance video of the shooting fits him almost to a T. But that gunmans identity is not discernable at all from the video, defense attorney Michael Kennedy said, arguing police arrested the wrong man in connection with the crime. You cannot identify anyone, least of all my client, he said. Trummel said a woman who witnessed the shooting told police Jefferson, 41, sometimes lived with her. Two days before Carter was killed, on Aug. 9, 2016, two people broke into her house and stole marijuana, she said. Jefferson knew Carter from the neighborhood, Trummel said, and blamed him for the burglary. On Aug. 11, the day Carter was shot, Trummel said the woman spotted Carter as she was driving on Foucher Street. She pulled over, got out of the car and told him she didnt care about the weed, that he and Jefferson should quash whatever fight they were having over the incident, Trummel said. Then Jefferson showed up with his girlfriend, he said. The woman told police she was standing between the men and facing Carter when she heard three shots. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up She told police she saw Carter run around the corner and Jefferson chased him with a gun. Then she heard one more shot, Trummel said. Trummel said Carter was shot three times at the scene near Foucher Street, then ran and collapsed on Peniston. Jefferson shot him in the back after he collapsed, Trummel said. Fatal shooting on Peniston Street: NOPD Months after police issued a warrant for Jeffersons arrest, Trummel said DNA test results came back on a black shirt investigators found near the Foucher Street scene. Jeffersons DNA was on the shirt. Kennedy said that doesnt prove Jefferson shot Carter, and asked jurors to consider how many times theyve spotted random articles of clothing strewn on streets across the city. The shirt wasnt found at the spot where Carter died, and it wasnt covered in gunshot residue or blood spatter, Kennedy said. A discarded piece of clothing on the ground does not mean murder, he said. There is no connection between those two. Trummel also noted Jefferson went to Texas days after the shooting. Kennedy again said that doesnt point to guilt. Jefferson moved to Texas to get a job, Kennedy said, and said Trummel failed to tell the jury Jefferson turned himself in to authorities there when he learned he had a warrant out for his arrest. Jeffersons trial is expected to resume Wednesday. The New Orleans Police Department doesnt have a crystal ball to peer into to catch every crime that transpires on the streets of the Crescent City. But Deputy Superintendent Paul Noel said the department has seen positive results from a different strategy one that focuses on using data and building trust with the citys residents. Following the citys lowest murder rate in 47 years comes an invitation for Noel to speak at Los Angeles' Police Department to talk about what techniques are working to help solve crime in New Orleans. The third-largest police department in the country invited Noel to share NOPDs practices with its officers at its annual crime fighters conference in Los Angeles on Thursday (Feb. 7). Noel will join former New York Police Department Commissioner Bill Bratton as the two guest speakers for the conference. We have been able to drastically reduce crime here in New Orleans, and it is by design. Its not by accident, said Noel, the deputy of the departments Field Operations Bureau. Heres what Noel said he plans to talk about to the Los Angeles officers: Data Back in 2016, Noel attended the conference as a participant to learn about data-driven management tools. Shortly after, NOPD unveiled a new website, that is available to the public and used internally, to collect data on clearance rates, calls for service and use of force. The department also adapted a data-focused approach to solving crimes, Noel said. Incorporating more analytics helps officers prioritize suspects involved in the most violent crimes and remove them from the street before they commit their next crime, Noel said. We are getting in front of those cases quicker, Noel said. Thats not using the old way with the detective walking around with a magnifying glass trying to follow the evidence. Noel said using technology and data contributed to the reduction of New Orleans murder count in 2018, with the lowest number of murders in the city in nearly half a century at 146, in addition to a reported 11 percent decrease in armed robberies. While touting the progress, Noel acknowledged theres still a long way to go. The drop in murders still doesnt pull the city from its perennial spot on a short list of mid-size and large cities with the highest murder rates. To do so, New Orleans would need to see fewer than 120 murders, based on national murder rate statistics from 2018. According to Jeff Asher, a consultant and analyst who worked as a crime analyst for NOPD from 2013 to 2015, an estimate of 2018 murder rates puts New Orleans in fourth for the highest murder rate in the United States among cities with a population of 250,000 and larger. Asher cited a murder total for New Orleans of 145, as the police department did not publicly confirm the last murder of 2018 until Jan. 2. New Orleans ends 2018 with 146 murders, fewest in nearly half a century Trust Building trust with the community goes hand in hand with reducing crime, Noel said. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up A survey from September 2018 showed more than half -- 55 percent -- of New Orleanians are satisfied with the NOPDs performance. In 2017, 51 percent expressed overall satisfaction with the department. The annual surveys all-time high came the year prior -- as federal authorities noted the NOPDs progress with a federal consent decree -- when 64 percent of surveyed residents reported feeling satisfied with the department. Noel said NOPD officers are working to interact more with the community outside of a normal call for service or traffic stop, by attending community meetings and visiting residents' businesses and homes. Increases in public trust mean more residents will bring more information to the police, including footage from their own surveillance cameras, to help solve crimes. We need the community on our side," Noel said. Survey shows slight uptick in citizen satisfaction with NOPD Seeking a balance Departments should seek a balance between a proactive and reactive response from officers, Noel said, working not to alienate police from the community while at the same time, prioritizing arresting the person accused of the crime. When officers are too proactive in their policing efforts, they begin to sweep up people that are not involved in crime," Noel said. Officers cant simply rely on reacting to calls either, he said. Noel said that seeking that balance has led to a reduction in the jail population in New Orleans. There were 1,205 people in custody of the Orleans Parish Sheriffs Office as of Wednesday (Feb. 6), according to data from the New Orleans City Councils website. Despite the decrease, the current jail population is still about 1.3 times larger than the national average, said William Snowden, the director of Vert Institutes New Orleans office, citing data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Mayor LaToya Cantrell said the citys goal is to reduce the jail population by another 20 percent by 2020, which would bring it just below 1,000. To do so, New Orleans will use a $2 million grant awarded to the city aimed to continue reforming parts of the local justice system. Lowering N.O. jail population goal of $2M grant to city Looking forward, Noel said the departments goal is to cut murders down by 10 percent in 2019, and keep up momentum on other crime-fighting priorities. Even if they dont reach the 10 percent goal, but get close, Noel said he will still see it as a success. We are not just keeping our fingers crossed, hoping that it happens. We are doing specific things that we know are going to be successful, Noel said. We only prove this works, if we can sustain it. Former New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Michael Harrison has been awarded a generous contract in his new role at Baltimores police commissioner, according a report by the Baltimore Sun, which details the specifics of new contract. Baltimores spending board approved a 5-year contract for Harrison that offers him a $275,000 starting salary with guaranteed 3 percent raises each year. He would also receive a one-time payment of $275,000 if not confirmed by the Baltimore City Council. The final council vote is expected March 11. As of June 2018, Harrisons salary with NOPD was $179,348.36. Harrison will also draw a nearly $160,000 pension annually under Louisianas police retirement plan. If Harrison succeeds in driving down crime in historically troubled Baltimore, his could see higher raises. The multi-year commitment might be necessary to reform the citys flailing department, which has been embroiled in scandal for much of the past five years. This is going to take a long time, said Katie Zafft, a criminologist at University of Maryland, told NOLA.com | Times-Picayune when Harrison first announced his decision. Longer than people would like, but he has to set the foundation for relationships and understand where the rot is and how far it goes. The contract also allows Harrison to hire a chief of staff and up to eight senior commanders. The clause could signal a possible shakeup for NOPD, which is now headed by Shaun Ferguson, if Harrison opts to bring any of his former colleagues onto his new executive team. Read the full report at the Baltimore Sun. This isnt a job for the faint of heart: NOPD chiefs experience could uniquely suit new role Investigators are searching for two men accused of robbing an Algiers bank at gunpoint Tuesday afternoon (Feb. 5), according to the FBI New Orleans Field Office. The men approached the teller counter at the First Bank and Trust, 4550 General De Gaulle Drive, about 2:11 p.m. and took out a gun, demanding money. After obtaining an undisclosed amount of cash, the robbers ran from the bank, Craig Betbeze, spokesman for the FBI New Orleans Field Office, said in a news release. Bank robbed Tuesday in Algiers, New Orleans police say The FBI and the New Orleans Police Department are working to identify the two robbers, he said. The Metropolitan Orleans Bank Security Association is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the bank robbers. Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for the same. Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI New Orleans Field Office at 504-816-3000 or Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111. Laura McKnight covers crime and breaking news for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. The Presidential Election has to be declared only in October, this year, but the main parties have already swung into action to prepare for it. Interestingly, President Maithripala Sirisena enhanced his efforts to secure the consent of the SLPP/UPFA alliance to be its presidential candidate. UPFA MP Duminda Dissanayake, who is also the national organizer of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), moved a resolution on February 1 at the Anuradhapura district electoral organizations meeting calling for the nomination of President Sirisena as the candidate. The resolution was adopted. That sole intention of the UPFA which is virtually the SLFP-led political front prefers the President to be the candidate is now obvious. But, the move did not appear to be rosy. The Presidents increased lobbying for candidature evoked a political uproar within the SLPP which operates under the de facto leadership of Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa. After Mr. Dissanayakes resolution was adopted in Anuradhapura, the SLPP MPs bombarded former Minister Basil Rajapaksa who formed their party with a torrent of telephone calls, and said they were not ready at all to work for President Sirisena as the presidential candidate. All in all, confusion and contradiction lie within the SLPP/UPFA political combine at the moment since President Sirisena is exerting himself in full measure seeking nomination for the next time. Come what may, it is highly unlikely that the President will secure nomination because the SLPP, as the more decisive political force of this combine, is averse to it. The Presidents increased lobbying for candidature evoked a political uproar within the SLPP which operates under the de facto leadership of Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa President Sirisenas political party was relegated to a distant third position at the local authorities election that was conducted on February 10, last year. But, the SLPP won that election. Therefore, according to political sources, its members are not ready at all to compromise its lotus symbol and political interests to accommodate the SLFP on board in a broad electoral alliance. As long as the SLPP does not cooperate, it is hardly possible for the President to become the candidate. By last week, the President had not relented in his pursuit of candidature. He was trying various measures that would build pressure on the SLPP/UPFA combine to handpick him. Many wondered why he showered praise on Housing, Construction and Cultural Affairs Minister Sajith Premadasa. On several occasions in the recent past, he hailed Mr. Premadasa as a genuine character committed to work for the people day and night. Mr. Premadasa is one among those seen as possible candidates for the next election representing the political force led by the United National Party (UNP). Acrimony between the President and the UNP is growing by the day. As such, the Presidents open glorification of Mr. Premadasa surprised many in political circles. The plausible conclusion was that President Sirisena, by doing so, intended to send a warning signal to the SLPP. He tried to imply that he would tie up with Mr. Premadasa if the SLPP did not agree to nominate him as the presidential candidate. Then, it appeared to be a strategic move by the President to bring pressure for the SLPP to consider him for the presidential election. On this issue, the President will be left with no option other than to accede to what the SLPP wants finally. It is impossible for him to support Mr. Premadasa as the UNP candidate. Alongside, it is not yet certain whether Mr. Premadasa will be the chosen candidate of the UNP. Also, it is unrealistic to expect Mr. Premadasa to support President Sirisena to become the candidate. It will spell political doom for Mr. Premadasa to support President Sirisena as the latter is unpopular among the rank and file of the UNP after he brought about a regime change on October 26, 2018. Eventually, the President will be forced to fall in line with the SLPP which is now working on the nomination of its own candidate for the presidential elections. UNP hell-bent on forming national government The UNP has also initiated preparatory work in view of the presidential elections. Primarily, there are three figures- Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Mr. Premadasa and Speaker Karu Jayasuriya- being floated as the prospective candidates. Mr. Jayasuriya is the latest addition to the list of possible candidates. Before the presidential elections, the UNP is keener to ensure the governments stability other than anything else. Currently, the UNP is leading a minority government. It runs short of even a simple majority in the House, and therefore the enactment of legislations depends on how much cooperation it commands from the parties in the opposition as and when it requires. Besides, the party finds it difficult to keep its fold together because some MPs relentlessly ask for Cabinet ministerial posts. The formation of a national government is the only option available for the UNP to strengthen the government while pacifying the MPs with unrest. In the event of a national government, the Cabinet size can be increased to 48, and the number of deputy, state and non-Cabinet ministers to 45. Around ten MPs of the UPFA including the likes of Duminda Dissanayake are ready to take up posts in the government lest the President permits them to do so. The UNP can muster the simple majority for stable governance by accommodating them with ministerial posts in the increased Cabinet of the national government. Also, the UNP can offer such posts to its disillusioned members. President Sirisenas political party was relegated to a distant third position at the local authorities election that was conducted on February 10, last year The formation of a national government is not a popular move at this hour. However, the UNP is left with no choice but to work for a national government to ensure stable governance. To make matters worse for the UNP, the President, as spelled out in his National Independence Day speech, was not in favour of a national government this hour. The President also has his own reasons to oppose the national government. In the event of such a government, some of his MPs will defy him and throw their support behind the UNP. Then, it will weaken the position of President Sirisena. It is politically disadvantageous for the President to allow for a national government to be formed. If the UNP is unable to form a national government, it will have a hard time in Parliament. The President does not like the UNP having a clear-cut majority in Parliament. If the UNP has a majority, it can always initiate action, even for the impeachment of the President. Soon after President Sirisena made his speech on the Independence Day criticizing the move to constitute the national government, Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa rushed to him and remarked, Today, you slandered everyone in all directions. The President responded with a laugh. MR, CBK have a few wordsafter years For the first time after so many years, Mr. Rajapaksa happened to talk to former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. Both fell out with each other in 2005. They have been arch rivals since then. Ms. Kumaratunga even played a pivotal role in unseating Mr. Rajapaksa from presidency at the 2015 elections. The two were invited to light the coconut oil lamp at the cultural event featuring legendary Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan along with sons Aman Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash at the BMICH on January 25 to mark the 70th Independence Day of India. After lighting the lamp, Mr. Rajapaksa asked, How are you madam? As long as the SLPP does not cooperate, it is hardly possible for the President to become the candidate Ms. Kumaratunga responded to him accordingly and congratulated him. Then again, she remarked, Actually, I should have congratulated your son who got married. It is not you who got married. Nearly 1.2 million passengers boarded cruises in New Orleans in 2018, a new high for the city. Total traffic was up 2.3 percent compared with a year ago, boosted by a surge in interest in Mississippi River cruises, according to a Port NOLA news release. Port officials noted the citys cruise traffic is poised for continued growth in 2019 and 2020 as the city welcomes several new ships, including Norwegian Breakaway, the citys largest to date. The port tracked 235 calls to New Orleans in 2018, up from 229 in 2017, the release said. New Orleans remains the 6th busiest cruise port in the country, behind the Port of New York and New Jersey, and the Port of Galveston in Texas. Miami holds the title for busiest cruise port in the world. The 2018 passenger count included nearly 30,300 riverboat cruisers, up 23 percent from 2017, the release said. New Orleans is home port to five riverboats, including two operated by American Queen Steamboat Co. and American Cruise Lines. The citys cruise business will see a number of changes over the next two years that are expected to boost overall traffic. Those include: Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Norwegian Breakaway moves in. Breakaway, the largest cruise ship to home port in New Orleans, arrived in November, will sail five, seven, 10 and 11-day cruises from New Orleans to the western Caribbean. Take a look inside the 3,963-passenger ship. Roughly 90 percent of New Orleans cruise passengers travel from out of state, according to the ports news release. Of those, more than two-thirds stay in New Orleans and spend money here on and around their cruise dates. A study completed for Port NOLA by LSUs E.J. Ourso College of Business estimates cruise passengers and crews spend about $129 million each year in New Orleans. An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported the name of American Songs operator. American Cruise Line operates American Song. Womens and teen clothing retailer Charlotte Russe has filed for bankruptcy and will close roughly 100 stores. The closures include two Louisiana stores. Charlotte Russe and its daughter brand Peek Kids Clothing filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Sunday (Feb. 4), according to a news release. The filing included 94 planned store closures in cities across the nation. Charlotte Russe has six stores total in Louisiana. Two of those are slated to close. They include the Charlotte Russe store at The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk in New Orleans and the location at Fremaux Town Center in Slidell. Charlotte Russe is the latest in a growing list of brick-and-mortar retailers to file for bankruptcy amid flagging sales. Sears and Kmart, owned by the same parent company, have been battling to stay afloat for years, leaving a trail of store closures in their wake. Other brands with recent closures in the New Orleans area include Stage Clothing, Payless Shoe Source and even higher-end retailers like Michael Kors. Clothing retailer Stage Stores closing its Harvey location in January USA Today reports Charlotte Russe was purchased by a private equity firm in 2009. The company was set to go public, but plummeting sales derailed those plans, the report says. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up In its news release, the retailer said it will continue to serve customers as it works through its bankruptcy. Details on the timeline for projected store closures will be released in coming weeks. Meanwhile, the retailer is in the process of pursuing a buyer that can help shore up its finances. The company intends to pursue liquidation if it cant find a buyer by Feb. 17, according to court filings. USA Today reports 17 prospective buyers have expressed interest in the retailer, though none has made an offer. Charlotte Russe was founded in 1975. It has 512 stores nationwide. 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. A report commissioned by Gov. Phil Murphy that largely cleared his aides of wrongdoing in their handling of a rape allegation against an ex-state official says Katie Brennans claims slipped through the cracks of a chaotic and poorly regulated transition period. The taxpayer-funded report by former state Supreme Court Justice Peter Verniero says members of Murphys inner circle acted in good faith. Ultimately, it says, the system failed Brennan. Whether the decision not to conduct an investigation was made during the transition period, or after the start of the administration, decision-makers appear to have been acting, with the advice of counsel, under their best judgment and understanding of existing law," the report says. "Nonetheless, to the extent that transition or governmental officials felt unable to act either because the identity of the alleged victim was unknown or the alleged conduct predated state service, the system failed and is in need of reform. Brennan, chief of staff to the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, has accused Albert J. Alvarez of raping her after a campaign gathering in 2017. She has testified before a special legislative committee investigating Alvarezs employment that she alerted state officials close to Murphy during the transition and administration but that Alvarez was hired as chief of staff to the New Jersey Schools Development Authority and continued in that employ until he was contacted by the Wall Street Journal in October 2018. Alvarez has denied the allegations and prosecutors in two counties declined to press charges against him. The 75-page report says Murphy himself did not know about the allegation until October 2018, something the Democratic governor has long contended, but his staff could have told him without breaking confidentiality laws. Noting the national dialogue about instances of deplorable treatment of women in the workplace, the report called for long overdue reforms in how state offices and campaign transition teams handle serious accusations of sexual assault and harassment. But the inquiry failed to answer the basic question that has vexed lawmakers conducting their own probe into the scandal, finding Alvarezs hiring was a foregone conclusion for which nobody in the governors orbit would take responsibility. After being asked Murphy by Murphy in October to perform the review, Vernieros four-month investigation found no evidence Murphy had any personal involvement in hiring Alvarez as chief of staff for the Schools Development Authority. So who hired him? The frenzied pace of a campaign transition left little paper trail, the report found, and top officials all either professed ignorance or claimed they could not recall. The governors chief counsel flatly denied any involvement. His chief of staff might have signed off orally but couldnt remember. Even the head of Murphys transition disclaims any substantive hiring role. No witness during our interviews or before the Legislature stated that he or she hired Mr. Alvarez or recommended him for placement at the SDA. Nor did anyone identify the person who did. Additionally, there does not appear to be any documentary evidence that answers that question. Nor have we had the opportunity to interview Mr. Alvarez," the report said. We are left to surmise that, similar to his joining the transition office, Mr. Alvarezs hiring into state service was a foregone conclusion given his involvement in the Murphy campaign and association with the transition office, according to the report. The report does find some fault with how members of Murphys transition team responded to Brennans allegation, saying they might have placed too much emphasis on the fact that criminal charges were not brought against him. It noted that there is a distinction between the evidence necessary to pursue a criminal indictment as compared to the lesser standard necessary to satisfy a civil or administrative proceeding. Officials, including Murphys chief of staff at the time, Pete Cammarano, have testified they felt the specter of a lawsuit hanging over them if they denied Alvarez a job on the basis of an allegation. Verniero says transition officials should have pushed for more information when they first learned about the allegation in December 2017. While Raj Parikh, legal counsel for the transition, said he was loathe to discuss the allegation with Alvarez, fearing he would put the then-anonymous accuser at risk for retaliation, Verniero said this was a misstep. He also found Cammarano should have followed up with Alvarez once he made the decision Alvarez had to go. The chief of staff met with Alvarez in March to tell him to begin looking for another job. Alvarez was told again in June by his boss at the SDA to make arrangements. Yet, he didnt resign until he was contacted by a reporter in October. The governors office, the report said, should have moved more expeditiously in following up on Mr. Alvarezs departure from state service after it raised the issue with him in March. Additionally, Verniero concluded Murphy likely did not know about the sexual assault claim until October, but someone on his senior staff could have told him. The confidentiality rules dictating who may be informed of a misconduct claim contain sufficient leeway for a governor to be informed of allegations involving a senior member of the executive branch. The report includes a number of recommendations, including expanding and clarifying state equal employment opportunity rules and modeling gubernatorial transitions after presidential transitions, wherein candidates begin assembling their administrations before the general election. In a statement released Wednesday afternoon, Murphy said his administration will accept the reports hard truths and work to advance Vernieros recommendations. Although we cannot turn back the clock, we must endeavor to make New Jersey a better place for survivors of sexual assault, and do everything we can to ensure their voices are heard as they seek justice, the governor said. State Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen, who co-chairs the committee investigating the matter, eviscerated the content of the report because she said it fails to answer key questions or hold anyone accountable. Unfortunately, this report falls short of the comprehensive investigation promised by the governor," Weinberg said in a statement. It fails to meet any reasonable standard for an investigation into the serious allegations of sexual assault, the screening practices for hiring public employees, the failure to take responsibility by key officials, the continued failure to find out what went wrong and the reasons why no real actions were taken to address the plight of the alleged assault survivor. At the conclusion of the committees hearings there have been seven so far lawmakers will draft legislation to fix the shortcomings in the hiring process and investigations into sexual misconduct, Weinberg said. The report appears to make more of an effort to exonerate the principals who were involved or should have been involved than it does to shed light on this case," she added. Its unclear how much the review will cost taxpayers. Vernieros firm, Sills Cummis & Gross, was hired at $350 an hour in October. A spokesman for the state Attorney Generals Office, Lee Moore, said the firm has not yet billed the state for its work. Tuesday night no doubt in anticipation of Vernieros report being released Murphy announced a new set of procedures that he said would clarify and improve the process of investigating sexual harassment and misconduct claims in New Jersey government. The new procedures will apply to people who work for a governor in the transition period from after the election and before being sworn in as well as to people who apply for jobs in state government, according to Murphys announcement. The rules also broadening the states authority to investigate. Senior ethics and EEO officials have told the legislative committee investigating Alvarezs appointment they did not have the jurisdiction to investigate the allegation because neither Alvarez nor Brennan were state employees at the time of the alleged assault. The new rule permits investigations regardless of when the accuser or accused joined the state payroll. NJ Advance Media staff writers Matt Arco, Brent Johnson, and S.P. Sullivan contributed to this report. Samantha Marcus may be reached at smarcus@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @samanthamarcus. Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. WASHINGTON Facing a divided Congress for the first time, President Donald Trump on Tuesday called on Washington to reject the politics of revenge, resistance and retribution. He warned emboldened Democrats that ridiculous partisan investigations into his administration and businesses could hamper a surging American economy. Trump's appeals for bipartisanship in his State of the Union address clashed with the rancorous atmosphere he has helped cultivate in the nation's capital as well as the desire of most Democrats to block his agenda during his next two years in office. Their opposition was on vivid display as Democratic congresswomen in the audience formed a sea of white in a nod to early 20th-century suffragettes. Trump spoke at a critical moment in his presidency, staring down a two-year stretch that will determine whether he is re-elected or leaves office in defeat. His speech sought to shore up Republican support that had eroded slightly during the recent government shutdown and previewed a fresh defense against Democrats as they ready a round of investigations into every aspect of his administration. "If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation," he declared. Lawmakers in the cavernous House chamber sat largely silent. Looming over the president's address was a fast-approaching Feb. 15 deadline to fund the government and avoid another shutdown. Democrats have refused to acquiesce to his demands for a border wall, and Republicans are increasingly unwilling to shut down the government to help him fulfill his signature campaign pledge. Nor does the GOP support the president's plan to declare a national emergency if Congress won't fund the wall. Wary of publicly highlighting those intraparty divisions, Trump made no mention of an emergency declaration in his remarks. He did offer a lengthy defense of his call for a border wall, declaring: "I will build it." But he delivered no ultimatums about what it would take for him to sign legislation to keep the government open. "I am asking you to defend our very dangerous southern border out of love and devotion to our fellow citizens and to our country," he said, painting a dark and foreboding picture of the risks posed to Americans by illegal immigration. This will be the link you'll want to bookmark tonight. It's the URL for our live coverage for #SOTU https://t.co/Fei9ekaaht pic.twitter.com/4HmsiOKqmT PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) February 5, 2019 The 72-year-old Trump harkened back to moments of American greatness, celebrating the moon landing as astronaut Buzz Aldrin looked on from the audience and heralding the liberation of Europe from the Nazis. He led the House chamber in singing happy birthday to a Holocaust survivor sitting with first lady Melania Trump. "Together, we represent the most extraordinary nation in all of history. What will we do with this moment? How will we be remembered?" Trump said. The president ticked through a litany of issues with crossover appeal, including boosting infrastructure, lowering prescription drug costs and combating childhood cancer. But he also appealed to his political base, both with his harsh rhetoric on immigration and a call for Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the "late-term abortion of children." Trump devoted much of his speech to foreign policy, another area where Republicans have increasingly distanced themselves from the White House. He announced details of a second meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, outlining a Feb. 27-28 summit in Vietnam. Trump and Kim's first summit garnered only a vaguely worded commitment by the North to denuclearize. But the president said his outreach to Pyongyang had made the U.S. safer. "If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea," he said. As he condemned political turmoil in Venezuela, Trump declared that "America will never be a socialist country" a remark that may also have been targeted at high-profile Democrats who identify as socialists. The president was surrounded by symbols of his emboldened political opposition. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was praised by Democrats for her hard-line negotiating during the shutdown, sat behind Trump as he spoke. And several senators running for president were also in the audience, including Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey. Another Democratic star, Stacey Abrams, delivered the party's response to Trump. Abrams narrowly lost her bid in November to become America's first black female governor, and party leaders are aggressively recruiting her to run for U.S. Senate from Georgia. Speaking from Atlanta, Abrams calls the shutdown a political stunt that "defied every tenet of fairness and abandoned not just our people, but our values." Trump's address amounted to an opening argument for his re-election campaign. Polls show he has work to do, with his approval rating falling to just 34 percent after the shutdown, according to a recent survey conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. One bright spot for the president has been the economy, which has added jobs for 100 straight months. The only thing that can stop it, he said, are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations an apparent swipe at the special counsel investigation into ties between Russia and Trumps 2016 campaign, as well as the upcoming congressional investigations. The diverse Democratic caucus, which includes a bevy of women, sat silently for much of Trump's speech. But they leapt to their feet when he noted there are "more women in the workforce than ever before." The increase is due to population growth and not something Trump can credit to any of his policies. The president also defended his decisions to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria and Afghanistan over the opposition from national security officials and many Republican lawmakers. "Great nations do not fight endless wars," he said, adding that the U.S. is working with allies to "destroy the remnants" of the Islamic State group and that he has "accelerated" efforts to reach a settlement in Afghanistan. IS militants have lost territory since Trump's surprise announcement in December that he was pulling U.S. forces out, but military officials warn the fighters could regroup within six months to a year of the Americans leaving. Several leading GOP lawmakers have sharply criticized his plans to withdraw from Syria, as well as from Afghanistan. Trumps guests for the speech included Alice Marie Johnson, a woman whose life sentence for drug offenses was commuted by the president, and Joshua Trump, a sixth-grade student from Wilmington, Delaware, who has been bullied over his last name. They sat with Mrs. Trump during the address. By Julie Pace and Catherine Lucey Sparked by the questionable handling of a sexual assault claim leveled against a senior member of his transition team, Gov. Phil Murphy late Tuesday announced an array of changes dictating how New Jersey will investigate allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct against state employees and expanding it to include state job applicants. The new procedures will apply to people who work for a governor in the transition period from after the election and before being sworn in as well as to people who apply for jobs in state government, according to Murphys announcement. This expansion takes aim at the murky hiring process surrounding Albert J. Alvarez, Murphys senior campaign and transition team adviser, who was hired for a six-figure job with the administration. Katie Brennan, the chief of staff for the state Housing and Mortgage and Finance Agency, accused Alvarez of sexually assaulting her after a campaign gathering in April 2017, when she was a campaign supporter and before her state employment. Prosecutors in two counties have declined to charge Alvarez with a crime. Through his attorneys, Alvarez contends the encounter was consensual. Brennan told three senior officials in the Murphy camp in late 2017 and early-to-mid 2018 about her allegations against Alvarez. But despite giving Brennan assurances Alvarez was going to leave his job, the administration allowed him to remain as chief of staff to the Schools Development Authority until Oct. 2, when a Wall Street Journal reporter inquiring about the alleged assault called him and the administration. Since December, a special legislative committee has grilled senior staffers in the Murphy campaign, the transition team and who work in his administration to determine how and why Alvarez was offered a job. A day after the Wall Street Journal story ran, Murphy said he believed Brennan, had no prior knowledge of the accusation until October, and regretted his team had hired Alvarez. The governor also immediately asked the state Division of Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action to identify new practices that would make New Jersey the gold standard when someone is the victim of a crime that they know what to do, that they are encouraged, (and) that they are supported." Murphy made those new practices public in a statement released after 6 p.m. Tuesday. These sweeping revised policies and procedures make significant and impactful changes to how sexual harassment and misconduct allegations are handled in state government, Murphy said in a statement. By embracing a survivor-centered approach in New Jersey, we are creating an environment where survivors of sexual harassment, misconduct, or assault are not only encouraged to come forward, but when doing so, they are met with dignity, respect, and a straightforward process to attain justice, the governor added. The new procedures include: Expanding the policy to all employees and applicants for jobs in state departments, commissions, state colleges or universities, agencies, authorities and the gubernatorial transition offices. Clarifying that alleged victims may file both a criminal complaint and a civil claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity office. Outlining examples of corrective measures after a complaint has been filed to protect the victim, such as removing the accuser or the accused from the workplace and contacting law enforcement. Broadening the states authority to investigate. Senior ethics and EEO officials told the legislative committee they did not have the jurisdiction to investigate the allegation because neither Alvarez nor Brennan were state employees at the time of the alleged assault. This protocol permits investigations regardless of when the accuser or accused joined the state payroll. Earlier on Tuesday, the committee heard from Melissa Liebermann, chief of staff to the New Jersey Attorney Generals Office, which determined the state had no jurisdiction to investigate Brennans complaint under its current rules. Liebermann said she took the matter seriously but because neither Brennan nor Alvarez were state employees at the time, the states rules did not apply, she said. State Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, D-Middlesex, praised the new rules. The revised policies announced today will be instrumental in the handling of allegations of sexual misconduct and discrimination in the future, Coughlin said. It is important that we, the leaders of this state, ensure employees feel safe in the workplace and know actions of harassment will not be condoned. Brennan and her attorney could not immediately be reached for comment. Brennan has said she made her story public because she wants to see changes to how victims are treated and complaints are investigated. I have pursued every form of justice available. But it has become clear that this system is not built for survivors," Brennan said in a statement last year. This is the second of three inquires Murphy launched since October. In November, state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal announced new protocols aimed at improving communication between a victim of sexual assault and law enforcement officials who investigate the complaints. The final inquiry, which could be released within days, asked former state Supreme Court Justice Peter Verniero to investigate the process around Alvarezs hiring. NJ Advance Media staff writers Brent Johnson and Samantha Marcus contributed to this report. Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. Thanks to a swipe of Gov. Phil Murphys pen Wednesday, New Jerseys 2,500 public schools will soon be required to have silent panic alarms used to help protect students during emergencies like an active shooter. Murphy signed into law legislation dubbed Alyssas Law after Alyssa Alhadeff, a 14-year-old former Woodcliff Lake resident who was among the 17 killed in the February massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Alyssas death is a stark reminder of the dangers of gun violence and the need for adequate school security measures," Murphy, a Democrat, said in a statement. In New Jersey, we will do everything in our power to prevent these tragedies from occurring within our borders. The bill (A764) passed both chambers of the Democrat-controlled state Legislature with broad bipartisan support. Murphy had conditionally vetoed an earlier version when he said its funding needed to be revamped. Lawmakers agreed with the governors changes to the bill. It will cost between $2.5 million and $12.5 million to install the alarms, according to the non-partisan state Office of Legislative Services. The money will come from a portion of a $500 million bond voters approved last year that will pay for improvements to public schools, vocational schools and community colleges. Gov. Phil Murphy signs "Alyssa's Law" on Wednesday. Alhadeff lived in Woodcliff Lake in Bergen County with her family from 2010-14. She was a freshman at Marjory Douglas when she died. Her parents, Ilan and Lori Alhadeff, were on hand Wednesday to see Murphy sign the law. Our hearts are overwhelmed to know our daughters death is making national changes for school safety, and hopefully other states will follow suit, the couple said. Proud to sign Alyssas Law in memory of Alyssa Alhadeff, a New Jersey native who was one of 17 killed in the Parkland shooting last year. All NJ public schools will now be required to install silent panic alarms to alert law enforcement during emergencies.https://t.co/sQBsWu7gpv pic.twitter.com/7dhaOf7GkI Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) February 7, 2019 State Assemblyman Ralph Caputo, D-Essex, the main sponsor of the measure, said the law "can increase the chances of diffusing a bad situation without further harm to students and staff. State Sen. Teresa Ruiz, D-Essex, another sponsor, said New Jersey will be "propelled into the forefront of states which are harnessing the power of technology to protect our schools from the type of heart-wrenching tragedies weve seen far too many times in the news. Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or Facebook. Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. WASHINGTON President Donald Trump didnt come out fighting in his second State of the Union address, spending much of his big speech talking about bipartisan accomplishments and singing Americas praises. Of course, the feel-good moments didnt last all the way through his 90-minute talk. He railed against illegal immigration, making false claims about caravans of drug traffickers and terrorists penetrating a weak southern border that could only be secured by a wall. He ordered a partial government shutdown over the issue, and another one looms in about a week. Trump also warned Democrats that they shouldnt investigate him. The presidents speech marked the first time he spoke before a Congress not totally controlled by his party after Democrats captured the House last fall. And was the first time Trump spoke before a bunch of lawmakers, including U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., who are looking to take his job in two years. Trump was supposed to address Congress Jan. 29, but the speech was postponed due to the record-long 35-day partial government shutdown brought about after Trump refused to sign a spending bill that didnt include $5.7 billion in taxpayer funds for a southern border wall he promised Mexico would pay for. Here are 12 points Trump made during his address including some that werent true: 1. Why cant we be friends? Much of the presidents speech focused on ways he could work with the Democrats who control the House and can block Senate action through a filibuster. Millions of our fellow citizens are watching us now, gathered in this great chamber, hoping that we will govern not as two parties but as one nation, Trump said. He ticked off potential areas of agreement, such as rebuilding Americas public works, reducing health care costs, defending American jobs and demanding fair trade. There is a new opportunity in American politics, if only we have the courage to seize it," Trump said. "Victory is not winning for our party. Victory is winning for our country. Booker wasnt impressed. It takes more than a nod to unity at the top of a speech to bring our country together. Our president has spent the last 2 years trying to drive us apart. Actions speak louder than words. #SOTU Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) February 6, 2019 2. We cant be friends unless you let me build the wall. All America knew the wall talk was coming. Trump made a new pitch for his wall by using the same discredited arguments about drugs and criminals pouring in through a porous southern border. The lawless state of our southern border is a threat to the safety, security and financial well-being of all Americans," Trump said. According to the Washington Post fact-checker: By any available measure, there is no new security crisis at the border. Prior to the speech, Trumps stance on immigration and the wall wasnt popular. Almost six in 10 U.S. voters, 59 percent, disapproved of the way Trump was handing immigration, with just 38 percent in favor, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released last week. A majority of voters, 55 percent, opposed the southern border wall, with 41 percent in favor. And by 61 percent to 33 percent, they favored new border security measures but not a wall. .@realDonaldTrumps continued lies about immigration are not going to convince me or the American people to support his foolish wall. Period. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (@RepBonnie) February 6, 2019 3. Yes, Mr. President, these women do owe their jobs to you. The loudest, sustained applause of the night came from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and the record number of women serving in Congress, many of them wearing suffragette white as a sign of their support for womens rights. That came after Trump proclaimed: Exactly one century after the Congress passed the constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote, we also have more women serving in the Congress than ever before. Thats great. Really great. And congratulations." And Trump can truly take credit for this job number. One reason there were so many women is because they organized and ran for office in response to Trump, beginning with the massive womens march the day after his inauguration. One of those women, New Jersey Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-11th Dist., won a House seat that had been in Republican hands for 34 years. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi listens to President Donald Trump during the State of the Union address. (Olivier Douliery | Abaca Press/TNS) 4. Legislate, dont investigate. Our poetic prez. Trump did have a pointed message for House Democrats who may be itching to investigate allegations of malfeasance in his administration after congressional Republicans showed little interest. An economic miracle is taking place in the United States -- and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics, or ridiculous partisan investigations, Trump said. If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation. It just doesnt work that way! We must be united at home to defeat our adversaries abroad. Republicans conducted numerous investigations of President Barack Obamas administration, including at least six probes into the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi, Libya. 5. Its the economy, stupid II? May be the major platform for Trumps re-election campaign. The president inherited a growing economy from President Barack Obama, and its only gotten better. In just over two years since the election, we have launched an unprecedented economic boom -- a boom that has rarely been seen before, Trump said. Wages are rising at the fastest pace in decades, and growing for blue collar workers, who I promised to fight for, faster than anyone else. He ticked off other economic successes. Nearly 5 million Americans have been lifted off food stamps, he said. The United States economy is growing almost twice as fast today as when I took office, and we are considered far and away the hottest economy anywhere in the world. Unemployment has reached the lowest rate in half a century. President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress. (AP Photo | Carolyn Kaster) 6. Fact checking his claims on taxes and family farms Trump continued to misrepresent the Republican tax law that was so unpopular that it helped the Democrats win a House majority last November. He said the legislation provided a massive tax cut for working families even though every independent study said that most of the benefits flow to the wealthiest Americans, and falsely claimed that the estate tax, which hits 1 of every 1,000 inheritances, affected small businesses, ranches, and family farms. In actuality, the number of family farms and small businesses subject to the estate tax before it was cut under the GOP tax law numbered 50 a year, less than than 1 percent of the 5,400 estates, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a progressive research group in Washington. And the law capped the major tax break taken by the middle class, the federal deduction for state and local taxes. 7. Here are some things Democrats could like. The president called for lowering the price of prescription drugs. It is unacceptable that Americans pay vastly more than people in other countries for the exact same drugs, often made in the exact same place, Trump said. This is wrong, unfair, and together we can stop it. He also called for paid family leave so that every new parent has the chance to bond with their newborn child. 8. Without me, wed be at war with North Korea Trump made the shocking claim that war would have broken out on the Korean peninsula had he not become president and met with North Korean leader Kim Jong U. As part of a bold new diplomacy, we continue our historic push for peace on the Korean peninsula, Trump said. If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea with potentially millions of people killed. Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Jong Un is a good one. President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address as Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., watch. (AP Photo | Andrew Harnik) 9. The only one talking about socialism is the president. Think the rich should pay more in taxes or corporations should pay a living wage to their employees? You could be branded a socialist. These proposals are nothing more than progressive democratic ideas that are firmly in the mainstream of political thought. But to avoid debating issues that polls show are popular with Americans, opponents simply brand them socialism, even though no one is talking about that. Here, in the United States, we are alarmed by new calls to adopt socialism in our country, Trump said. America was founded on liberty and independence - not government coercion, domination, and control. We are born free, and we will stay free. Tonight, we renew our resolve that America will never be a socialist country. Republicans reacted with thunderous applause. 10. Trumps claim on pre-existing conditions doesnt match the pre-existing GOP bill The GOP efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act would have eliminated the guarantee of affordable insurance for those with pre-existing conditions such as cancer and diabetes. While Republicans claimed the opposite, independent experts rejected their assertions. James Madara, chief executive officer of the American Medical Association, said that the GOPs repeal bill, "could effectively make coverage completely unaffordable to people with preexisting conditions. Then Republicans, supported by Trump, challenged the health care law in court, including its coverage of pre-existing conditions. And House Republicans voted against intervening in the lawsuit in support of the existing health care law with its protections. But on Tuesday, Trump proclaimed that protecting patients with pre-existing conditions was a major priority. The President claims that he wants to make health care more affordable, but he refuses to stop sabotaging our health care system, which drives up costs and undermines critical protections for people living with pre-existing conditions. Rep. Frank Pallone (@FrankPallone) February 6, 2019 11. What politician doesnt want to cut the ribbon on a new bridge? Both parties should be able to unite for a great rebuilding of Americas crumbling infrastructure, Trump said. I know that the Congress is eager to pass an infrastructure bill -- and I am eager to work with you on legislation to deliver new and important infrastructure investment, including investments in the cutting edge industries of the future. This is not an option. This is a necessity. Trump has talked about infrastructure since becoming president, but the only thing he has suggested so far is a scheme to privatize existing highways while requiring states and localities to shoulder the burden of financing projects that the federal government now pays for. I cheered the presidents call to come together on issues like infrastructure. But I heard more specifics about building walls than bridges. Tom Malinowski (@Malinowski) February 6, 2019 12. Some feel-good stories. Jersey native Buzz Aldrin, the second astronaut to walk on the moon after Neil Armstrongs giant leap for mankind, was in the audience as Trump marked the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11s moon landing. What an honor to be at the #StateoftheUnion, and to hear @POTUS resolve to pursue Americas greatness in space. #PresidentTrump - thank you for your commitment: This year American astronauts will go back into space on American rockets! #GodblesstheUSA #Wecameinpeace #Apollo11 Buzz Aldrin (@TheRealBuzz) February 6, 2019 So was Grace Eline of Gillette, a 10-year-old cancer survivor who Trump called an inspiration to us all. And the entire chamber sang Happy Birthday to another one of Trumps guests, Judah Samet, a survivor of the Holocaust and of the massacre at a Pittsburgh synagogue last fall. Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. For reasons difficult to ascertain, Gov. Murphy, a beneficent man, had a chance to place a stronger safety net beneath thousands of New Jerseys most vulnerable families last week, but passed. Instead, he shredded the net and crowned it with a flaming torch. This episode in weird governance should not pass without further discussion, and, hopefully, a reboot will remind Murphy and the Legislature that there are consequences when they dont work together. In this case, failing to act puts lives at risk: The governor, citing budgetary reasons, dropped an absolute veto on a bill that would have added another layer of emergency aid for thousands of people who are homeless or are at immediate risk of becoming homeless. These funds are available for up to 18 months within a 7-year period, and typically the money is used for rent, mortgage, or utilities. The bill would have made a person or family eligible for housing aid after that 7-year period had lapsed. Our states history of providing affordable housing solutions is not exactly a source of pride, so Murphy acknowledges the bill is necessary. Despite that need, and despite unanimous passage in the Senate (and a 70-9 Assembly vote), the governor vetoed the bill because there was no concrete fiscal estimate. In most cases, thats responsible budgeting, and were all sympathetic to a potential revenue shortfall this year. But instead of working with lawmakers, who estimated the outlay at $20 million, Murphy applied his own outsized cost projection ($200 million) without showing his back-of-the-envelope math, and dismissed the bill entirely. This was not a creative solution, given whats at stake for the homeless every winter. The governor could have conditionally vetoed the bill, buying time to work out a broader agreement, and worked with sponsors to come up with a time-period cost or apply a cap. Instead, he has given the Legislature a plausible reason to pursue an override, because even dedicated budget watchdogs are baffled. Consider this take from Sen. Declan OScanlon, R-Monmouth, who respects Murphys burden as the guy who pays the bills, and has often applauded vetoes of mid-budget expenses that were hard to justify. As the board president of a faith-based charity that serves needy families, OScanlon knows when desperation outweighs fiscal concerns: We rally churches and resources, direct people to assistance where its available, and screen them so they dont play the system, he said. Do some play the system? Very few. But the overwhelming number are one blown transmission away from losing it all, and if Emergency Assistance can help them weather a storm, theyre less likely to fall permanently into state dependency. The governor seems to think people are going to flood back into the program. If his $200 million number is accurate, thats four or five years of expired cases returning at once. Thats just not credible. If the governor wants to make a case, throw that in (to a conditional veto message) and well talk about it. But hed have more credibility if he said we cant afford $20 million. The veto assessment from bill sponsor and Senate President Steve Sweeney a cold act on the coldest day of the year is all good knockabout stuff, but this is no time for politics. People need help now. Their lives are, as author Barbara Ehrenreich calls them, one long emergency. They live in communities of terminal decay, live with deprivation and devastating levels of stress, endure weeks without heat or electricity because bills werent paid, and spend countless hours plotting how to avoid creditors. And then it gets worse when the eviction notice arrives. Murphy has had a busy legislative calendar, but he doesnt want this on his scorecard. Now, in the deadly freeze of mid-winter, he needs to call for another bill that will deliver relief to our most vulnerable. And if he chooses to pass, the Legislature should take the decision out of his hands. During the proceedings of SriLankan Airlines Commission, it has appeared on an e-mail sent by a former CEO Kapila Chadrasena that a hotel in Dubai had been booked by SriLankan Airlines for 100 individuals and among those individuals there was former Sri Lankan Ambassador to the United States, Jailiya Wickramasuriya and his family. Leading the evidence Senior State Counsel Chathura Gunathilake yesterday informed the PCoI into irregularities at SriLankan Airlines, SriLankan Catering and Mihin Lanka that it has appeared on the e-mail the hotel charges were paid by SriLankan Airlines to accommodate these 100 individuals. Earlier it was revealed to the Commission that Wickramasuriya had directly ordered a chartered flight in April 2013 from SriLankan Airlines to fly from Washington to Mattala via Dubai and billed it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. SriLankan Airlines Financial Compliances Manager Kasun Rathnayake informed the Commission the charter flight which booked by Wickramasuriya owes Rs. 7.8 million to the Airlines and it was booked without the Foreign Ministrys approval. The witness notified to the Commission when SriLankan had tried to recover this amount from the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Ministry officials informed the airlines that Wickramasuriya has booked the flight with the assistance of a SriLankan official and asked the airlines to conduct an internal audit to recover the amount. (Yoshitha Perera) United Airlines will woo high-fare passengers by retrofitting more than 100 planes to add more premium seats on key routes. The airline also plans to start using a new 50-seat jet with mostly premium seats on some key business-travel routes. United announced the moves Wednesday. They are part of an industry trend to give more space and better service to high-paying passengers who account for a disproportionate share of airline revenue. Andrew Nocella, the airline's chief commercial officer, said executives decided that United has "a shortage of business-class seats into the premium markets, and this fixed that problem." Henry Harteveldt, an airline analyst at Atmosphere Research, said United's announcement was a bold challenge to Delta Air Lines, the acknowledged front-runner among the nation's top three carriers for its on-time performance and strong profit margins. "This is big news. They are taking direct aim at Delta and its strength with premium travelers," Harteveldt said. United will retrofit 21 of its Boeing 767-300ER jets starting in the next several weeks. It will reduce seats from 214 to 167 by shrinking the economy section while going from 30 to 46 business-class seats and adding 22 premium plus seats. The planes will fly first between Uniteds hub in Newark and London. The airline also plans to add a few more first-class seats to its Airbus A319 and A320 planes. By year end, it hopes to begin flying new 50-seat Bombardier CRJ 550 jets between Chicago and smaller markets with many business travelers, such as Bentonville, Arkansas, the home of Walmart. Federal regulators have not yet certified the plane. Small, 50-seat planes are notoriously cramped and unpopular with many travelers. Nocella said United's new small planes 18 feet (6 meters) longer than the planes it uses now will have 10 business-class seats, 20 "economy plus" seats and only 20 regular economy seats. "By making those 50-seat jets more comfortable, United has a good chance of attracting more business and frequent flyers," said Harteveldt, the analyst. Chicago-based United is the nations third-biggest airline by revenue, trailing American and Delta. An overturned traffic-trailer on Route 495 near the Lincoln Tunnel in Weehawken early Wednesday is causing major traffic backups on main roads leading from New Jersey to New York. Though the tractor-trailer flipped on the westbound side of 495 near the exit from the Lincoln Tunnel into New Jersey, motorists headed the opposite direction into New York are also heavily delayed. The Lincoln Tunnel delays into New York are at least 45 minutes as of 7:15 a.m. and figure to increase as the heart of the morning rush approaches. All westbound lanes, meanwhile, are closed with traffic being diverted through the small tunnel that leads to Willow Avenue in Hoboken, according to 511nj.org, the state department of transportations traffic website. In addition, all lanes on Kennedy Boulevard are closed in both directions between Baldwin Avenue and the Willow Avenue entrance ramp to the Lincoln Tunnel in Weehawken. NY Waterway ferry service, PATH and NJ Transit trains are cross honoring NJ Transit bus tickets as of about 7:30 a.m. Bus service to/from PABT is subject to delays of 45 minutes due to an overturned tractor trailer on rte. 495 westbound (Weehawken), all lanes remain closed. Bus service westbound has been diverted to Hoboken and Weehawken. The exclusive bus lane remains closed at this time. NJ TRANSIT - NBUS (@NJTRANSIT_NBUS) February 6, 2019 The problems near the Lincoln Tunnel have created a domino effect as drivers head to the Holland Tunnel or George Washington Bridge to avoid the crash. Theres a 3-mile backup approaching the GW Bridge from Interstates 80 and 95 as of 7:15 a.m. Delays at the Holland Tunnel are 40 minutes and growing. Southbound NJ Turnpike traffic is also jammed approaching Exit 17, which funnels drivers onto Route 495 headed toward the Lincoln Tunnel. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. 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. The New York Police Department is heading the investigation of the death of a woman reported missing on Monday and found dead in Morris Township on Tuesday, authorities said. Paula Chin, 65, was reported missing Monday in New York Citys 1st policing district, in southern Manhattan, NYPD Lt. John Grimpel said in a statement. Her cause of death is under investigation. Three people have been charged with concealment of a corpse: Chins son, Jared Eng, 22, of Manhattan, as well as Jennifer Lopez, 18, of Manhattan and Caitlyn ORourke, 21, of Patterson, New York. New York authorities believe Chin died in New York and her body was brought to New Jersey. Chins body was reportedly found at an address on Bailey Hollow Road. Property records show a former address for her on that road. The Morris County Prosecutors Office said they are only assisting the NYPD on the case. The NYPD had previously tweeted about Chins disappearance. Editors Note: This story was updated later Wed. Feb. 6, 2019 with additional details. Taylor Tiamoyo Harris may be reached at tharris@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ladytiamoyo 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. A Florida woman can rest a little more comfortably Tuesday night knowing that a New Jersey judge has dismissed criminal charges she faced after her sister used her identity when she was busted for prostitution in Paterson last year. Paterson municipal court Judge Giuseppe Randazzo reviewed the case and dismissed it Tuesday afternoon, just one day after the story of the sisters made news across the country, according to a statement from state courts spokesman Peter McAleer. An expungement of the charges against Jaclyn Humienny will be expedited and related fees will be waived, the statement said. "Officials from Paterson Municipal Court will send Ms. Humienny a letter explaining the actions taken. Samantha Humienny, 24, was stopped by police in Paterson in November cited for prostitution, her family told NJ Advance Media Tuesday. Samantha identified herself as Jaclyn Humienny, her 20-year-old sister who lives in Florida. Jaclyns parents Brian and Cynthia have been trying to clear her name since the citation and a $530 fine for failing to appear in court were mailed to her. Brian Humienny said in an interview with NJ Advance Media that Samantha is a heroin addict and that he has not seen her for years. The family moved from Morris County to Florida over a decade ago and a few years after the move, Samantha, who was 16 at the time, ran away and returned to New Jersey. We dont blame her for what shes done, Brian said Tuesday. "She has warrants and shes trying to stay out of jail. We blame Paterson. The family said they were also fighting a $4,000 bill that was mailed to Jaclyn after Samantha checked into the emergency room at St. Josephs Hospital in Paterson and identified herself as her sister hours after receiving the citation from the Paterson Police Brian could not be reached for comment Tuesday night. Paterson Police Director Jerry Speziale said this week that an initial review of the case showed there was not enough evidence to drop the charge against Jaclyn. He said he thought she would likely have had to appear in person before a municipal judge and was also trying to arrange a video conference so she could remain in Florida while testifying before the Paterson court. Speziale could not be reached for comment Tuesday night. Samantha has at least two warrants out for her arrest, including one in Sussex County stemming from a 2017 and could face more charges for giving police a false name when she received the citation in November, police said However, police have not been able to locate the older sister, Speziale said early Tuesday. Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon 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. Police officers, firefighters and emergency service workers saved the life of a man who jumped off a Newark bridge into the frigid Passaic River early Tuesday in an attempt to take his own life, authorities said. Officers spent more than two hours attempting to convince a man to climb back from the ledge of the Jackson Street Bridge when he suddenly plunged feet first into the river at about 5 a.m., video released by Newark police shows. Police quickly sent out a rescue boat to reach the man, who was thrashing to stay afloat and started to slip below the water. An officer grabbed the mans arm, the only part of his body not beneath the surface of the 35 degree river, and held it until another officer pulled him onto the boat with an help from Kearny firefighters in a second boat. When the boat returned to the river bank, EMS workers tended to the unresponsive man before he was brought to University Hospital for additional treatment. I commend members of the Emergency Services Unit for their commitment to saving the life of this very distraught individual, Newark police director Anthony Ambrose said in a statement. Im proud of the extraordinary steps they took to save his life. From a lengthy negotiation process to lifting him up onto the rescue boat and transporting him to EMS, the officers involved did an excellent job in preserving his life. Police said the man is in his 30s, but he was not otherwise identified. Both firefighters and police from Newark and Kearny as well as Harrison police took part in the rescue. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. 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. Police on Tuesday asked for tips from the public to help bring an arrest in the slaying of a New Jersey man, who was found shot in the head next to his vehicle along a Pennsylvania highway. A state trooper discovered Tyrone M. Shaw, of Roselle Park, dead around 11:15 p.m. Monday, according to Pennsylvania State Police. The trooper had stopped to check a 2004 GMC Yukon sport utility vehicle that was pulled over on the shoulder of I-81 with its hazard lights flashing and found Shaws body between the SUVs passenger-side and a guardrail in West Hanover Township, authorities said. The SUV had a flat tire on the rear driver-side. An autopsy determined Shaw, 46, died from a single gunshot wound to his head and the case was ruled a homicide. Live from PSP Harrisburg, for an update on a homicide that left a man dead along Interstate 81 Monday evening: Posted by PennLive.com on Tuesday, February 5, 2019 Police asked for any video footage of the scene possibly captured by dashboard cameras from commercial vehicles traveling through the area. Companies were asked to search for video from GPS coordinates of 40.343439 latitude and -76.7438832 longitude. The footage may have captured critical information that may help us solve this investigation, Trooper Brent Miller, a police spokesman, told reporters. Shaw and his SUV were seen along the northbound highway from around 6:30 to 11:15 p.m., according to police. The killing occurred sometime within that time-span. Pennsylvania State Police said the shooting was an isolated incident directly related to the victim. The public is not in any danger, the agency said in a statement. Media Release #2423, Homicide, Unknown Suspect(s) West Hanover Township, Dauphin County, PA https://t.co/5V3tsDLMQ4 PA Crime Stoppers (@PACrimeStoppers) February 5, 2019 A spokesman would not elaborate, citing the active investigation. A road-rage incident initially reported by police was not related to the killing, according to authorities. Anyone with information was asked to call 1-800-4PA-TIPS. Callers can remain anonymous and a reward is being offered. Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. 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. After tragedy struck Monday morning when an apparent murder-suicide left three daughters without parents, four Freehold Township students started an online fundraiser for the orphaned teens. We wanted to put something together for the family because theyre in need and they could use the support, said Aidan Matthews, one of the four organizers. More than $60,000 has been raised for the Bartone girls as of Thursday. The overwhelming support for the daughters comes two days after cops say their mom was the victim of a homicide and their dad allegedly killed himself. Denise Bartone was found dead in her home early Monday, police said. Her husband, Kenneth Bartone, is believed to have jumped off the Edison Bridge in Middlesex County. He was found dead in the Raritan River Monday afternoon. The Monmouth County Prosecutors Office, which is investigating the deaths, has yet to release any details about the killing, including how she died and a possible motive. Close friends and peers of the Bartones middle child started the GoFundMe, which had received nearly 900 donations as of 9:30 a.m. Thursday. Matt Su and Sam Mueller started the fundraiser after seeing hundreds of Snapchats of a black screen and purple heart emojis posted by students in support of the Bartone girls. They paired up with Olivia Park and Aidan Matthews, who are close friends of the middle Bartone daughter and obtained permission from a family member to set up the fundraiser. The team of Biotechnology High School students has raised the goal several times since people keep donating, Matthews said. Its truly amazing the support of the community, said Matthews, a sophomore at the school. Everyone is very supportive of everything were trying to do." Denise Bartone, 48, was a prominent member of the townships education foundation, and worked as a marketing specialist at the Food Innovation Center at Rutgers University. The high schoolers said the money will go toward living expenses and to pay for college. The oldest Bartone daughter was recently accepted to Rutgers University. Matthews said the goal was to do something that would "help them and get them back on their feet for the time being. Denise Bartone Funeral arrangements were also announced for Denise Bartone. Visitation will take place Thursday and Friday from 3 to 8 p.m. at Clayton & McGirr Funeral Home in Freehold Township. The funeral will be held Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Co-Cathedral of St. Robert Bellarmine in Freehold Township. The family is asking for donations to be made in Denises name to St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital. Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @snietomunoz. 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. A 55-year-old Bordentown Township man pleaded guilty last week to luring a 14-year-old boy to a nearby park for sex, authorities announced. Last summer, when Joseph Coleman went to meet up with the boy, he got a surprise instead: the teen hed sent explicit messages to was actually an undercover detective. The Mercer County Prosecutors Office detective went undercover this past July and posed as a 14-year-old boy and responded to an ad posted by Coleman. Coleman exchanged at least 100 emails with the boy, including ones of graphic sexual nature. Prosecutors said Coleman made multiple attempts to arrange a meeting with the teen. In September, Coleman arrived at a Robbinsville park for a planned meet-up, but was arrested on the scene. He was charged with second-degree luring of a child and second-degree attempting to engage in an act of sexual penetration with a child. On Feb. 1, Coleman pleaded guilty one count of second-degree luring before Mercer County Superior Court Judge Thomas M. Brown, the prosecutors office said. The office is recommending a seven-year prison sentence with three years of parole ineligibility. He will also be required to register as a sex offender and be subject to parole supervision for life. Shortly after Coleman was arrested in early September, his brother, Michael Coleman was also arrested after posting threatening messages to the authorities investigating his brothers case. Michael Coleman was charged with threatening law enforcement in September 2018 and was accepted into a pretrial intervention program in December, the prosecutors office said Wednesday. His conditions includes 40 hours of community service and an anger management evaluation. Paige Gross may be reached at pgross@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter@By_paigegross. 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. Things were getting rowdy inside room 221 at the Crystal Inn Motel in February 2014 when a pair of Neptune police officers responded to a noise complaint, but the guests quickly turned down the music and the cops decided to let them off with a warning. The Jersey Shore motel had seen its share of robberies, burglaries and even murders, and police held the 10 people inside the room until they could check for warrants. One guest, Deyvon Chisum, had an outstanding warrant and when police arrested him, they found a gun. That prompted the officers to pat down the other guests, finding a second firearm on Keshown Woodard. The New Jersey Supreme Court on Tuesday said those searches were illegal, reversing a lower court ruling and finding the officers improperly detained the partygoers. Once the renter of the motel room lowered the volume of the music and the police declined to issue summonses, the police no longer had any reasonable suspicion that would justify the continued detention of the rooms occupants, Justice Faustino Fernandez-Vina wrote in the unanimous decision. Once the noise was abated, the police no longer had an independent basis to detain the occupants, or a basis to run warrant checks on them. Such action was unlawful. Woodard and Chisum eventually pleaded guilty to gun charges when the trial court found the gun evidence was fair game, and an appeals court upheld that decision. The Supreme Courts ruling sends the matter back for further proceedings consistent with this opinion," effectively destroying the states case against the pair. We respect the decision of the court," said Charlie Webster, a spokesman for the Monmouth County Prosecutors Office. He declined to comment further. Alison Perrone, a state public defender who represented Woodard, said the ruling was significant because it acknowledged that simply being in an area known for criminal activity did not grant police greater authority to detain people based on a minor incident like a noise complaint. The court reaffirmed that your constitutional rights apply wherever you are, she said. The justices found the detention of 10 people based on a noise complaint, which amounts to a violation of a municipal ordinance and did not even result in a ticket, was based on less than reasonable suspicion. The decision noted it would be both burdensome and problematic if at every public gathering where a noise complaint was reported responding police officers would be allowed to detain and run warrant checks on each and every individual in attendance. S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. A stoic Michael Stern sat directly across his daughters alleged killer on the witness stand Tuesday afternoon in Superior Court. Assistant Monmouth County Prosecutor Meghan Doyle peppered him with questions in the Freehold courtroom about his only child, Sarah Stern, his communication with her and the relationship the two shared. The trips the two went on together to digital-media conventions, disputes over political candidates and his wifes death from cancer in 2013. Michael Stern kept his composure, spared few tears, and responded with short answers to Doyles questions. He displayed the most emotion when Doyle asked him why he preserved an old iPhone after he got a new phone. Its got all the texts and messages from Sarah, he said after a slight pause, his icy-blue eyes visibly watered. At one point, the prosecutor asked Stern to identify Liam McAtasney in the courtroom. McAtasney, 21, is facing first-degree murder charges in the death of his only child. Hes right there," Stern said, pointing him out. Michael Stern points to Liam McAtasney at his trial in the Monmouth County courthouse on Feb. 5, 2019. Authorities say McAtasney strangled Sarah Stern, 19, on Dec. 2, 2016, during a robbery at her Neptune City home. McAtasney stole approximately $9,000 in cash, and then with the help of his roommate, Preston Taylor, dumped Sterns body off the Route 35 bridge and left her car there to make it appear as if she committed suicide, according to authorities. Sterns body has never been recovered. Taylor has admitted his role in the killing and testified against McAtasney earlier in the trial. Michael Stern was on a trip to Disney World in Florida when his daughter was reported missing, he testified. Once he returned, he said he spoke with detectives and thought there were several possibilities as to what could have happened. He said he initially thought his daughter was kidnapped or abducted. Stern was given limited information at first, he said, and that the days after her car was found were "a very hectic time. One thought that never crossed his mind, he said, was that Sarah jumped off the bridge. Michael Stern did his own research when he got home from the trip on Dec. 3, 2016, he testified. He looked throughout the home and in the backyard for clues, but also obtained his Optimum cable and phone bill from Oct. 24, 2016, thru Dec. 3, 2016. The landline phone had 216 outgoing and incoming calls, he said. Four of those calls on Dec. 2, 2016, were to a number he said he didnt recognize. The outgoing calls -- which came at 4:50 p.m., 4:48 p.m., 4:47 p.m., 4:46 p.m. -- he said he later learned were to McAtasneys cell phone. He said he doesnt recall ever calling McAtasney, and that Sarah Stern primarily used her cell phone to communicate with people. Michael Stern said he traveled with his daughter to Anaheim, California, for an online-video convention in 2015, and also went with her to several media events in New York. Sarah Stern, who was an aspiring artist, also went to these conventions on her own, including one in Toronto in 2016. When she returned from that trip, Michael Stern recalled how his daughter expressed a desire to move there, that she liked the people there and Canadas easy-going atmosphere. Michael Stern said he told Sarah that she could eventually relocate there, but she needed a plan. He advised her to go back to college -- she had stopped attending Brookdale Community College in Monmouth County -- and then she could obtain a work visa. You cant just go to Canada, he said he recalls telling Sarah. Doyle, the prosecutor, displayed for the jury text messages between Michael Stern and his daughter. In one exchange on Thanksgiving, Michael joked with his daughter about how their dog, Buddy, helped him cook the turkey. Sarah was visiting her two aunts in Florida while Michael Stern stayed home, he said. Wow, looks good! Sarah replied, after Michael Stern sent her a picture of the turkey. Give (Buddy) a bone and kiss for me. Doyle also displayed the several messages from Michael Stern to Sarahs phone in the days after she went missing, imploring her to call him. Sarahs phone indicated that the messages were never received because the phone was no longer active, Michael Stern acknowledged. Michael Stern said he was unaware of the shoebox full of cash Sarah found in the familys second home in Avon-by-the-Sea. The shoebox contained approximately $25,000 in cash and was left with a note from Sarahs mother, authorities said. That money had been deposited in a safety-deposit box at the Kearny Bank in Bradley Beach, authorities said. Taylor testified at the start of the trial that McAtasney went with Stern to the bank where she withdrew some of the money before she was killed. During cross-examination of Michael Stern, defense attorney Carlos Diaz-Cobo highlighted that Sarah Stern went to trips to conventions without her father and that she had expressed a desire to move. Diaz-Cobo asked whether he was aware of his daughter moving personal items to a neighbors home and to McAtasneys apartment while her father was on vacation in Disney World. Stern said he knew Sarah moved stuff to the neighbors house, but not McAtasneys place. Diaz-Cobo also reiterated that Michael Stern was made aware that McAtasney was at the search party for Sarah Stern in December 2016, and that McAtasney had come up to him. Earlier in the day, the jury heard testimony from a tide expert who said it was likely that Sarah Sterns body was swept out to the Atlantic Ocean before anyone could have found it. The trial reached its fifth day on Tuesday and will resume on Wednesday. Editors note: Sarah Sterns father testified in court that phone records show four outgoing calls from his home phone to a cellphone that he later learned belonged to Liam McAtasney. A previous version of this story was unclear. 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 Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Tea workers salaries are revised once in two years. The two-year Collective Agreement (CA) between Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) and trade unions was to be renewed on October 15, 2018. The new agreement which was signed almost two weeks ago was not published as usual. Trade unions are critisising the RPCs for depriving the tea workers of the attendance bonus and some other incentives when administering a so-called increase in the basic salary. The gazetting of the CA follows months of stalled negotiations. Estate workers betrayed after a long struggle Gazzette of CA still on hold New agreement an eyewash The 1000 Movement is a collective of unions and grassroots activists who are keen on increasing the daily basic salary of an estate worker to Rs. 1,000. Duminda Nagamuwa of the 1000 Movement said that there is no such increment provided in the newly-signed agreement. RPCs refused to accede to the tea workers thousand rupee wage increase demand and signed the Collective Agreement recently which saw the basic wage being increased from Rs.500 to Rs. 700. They have made the basic salary Rs. 700, removing the attendance and productivity allowances. So, essentially the daily net salary hike has been Rs. 20. This is just an eye wash Duminda Nagamuwa,The 1000 Movement According to the 2016 CA the basic salary of a plantation worker was increased to Rs. 500. Rs 60 a day was given as an attendance allowance, Rs 30 as a price share supplement and Rs 140 as a productivity allowance. So, altogether the daily wage of a worker came to about Rs 730. As per the new agreement, a worker gets a daily wage of Rs. 750 with a fixed share supplement of Rs. 50; which was Rs. 30 earlier. The other two key allowances including attendance allowance of Rs. 60 and Productivity Incentive of Rs. 140 were terminated. Now they have made the basic salary Rs. 700, removing the attendance and productivity allowances. They have increased the price share supplement to Rs. 50 from Rs. 30, making the new overall daily wage Rs. 750. So, essentially the daily net salary hike has been just Rs. 20. This is just an eye wash, Nagamuwa complained. Governments responsibility The meeting initially scheduled to be held on February 5 (Tuesday) with Tamil Progressive Front (TPF), RPCs, Plantations Ministry and Labour Ministry to come to a settlement regarding the salary increase of tea estate workers had been postponed, State Minister and TPF representative V.Radhakrishnan said. Speaking to the Daily Mirror, he said the officials of the RPCs had not confirmed their participation at the meeting. The TPF politicians including ministers Mano Ganesan, V.Radhakrishnan and P.Thigambaram are insisting on crediting the productivity allowance of Rs.140 to the basic salary. If the plantation companies dont agree with our demand, we need the government to intervene and contribute to the salaries of the workers. That is when we will decide whether to stay in the unity government or quit State Minister V. Radhakrishnan As a result of their objection, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had agreed to delay the issuing of the gazette notification pertaining to increasing the daily wage of estate workers up to Rs.700. This was to allow negotiations to continue regarding the issue until a solution is found. If the plantation companies dont agree with our demand, we need the government to intervene and contribute to the salaries of the workers. That is when we will decide whether to stay in the unity government or quit. The government also has a responsibility, State Minister Radhakrishnan said. Trade unions and their genuine purposes There are around five main trade unions operating in the estates including Lanka Jathika Estate Workers Union (LJEWU) and the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC). These labour unions are closely aligned with political parties. At a time when the expenditure for food, health, education, transport and clothes questions whether the basic needs of estate workers are fulfilled, compared to other ordinary workers, every tea estate worker is supposed to pay Rs.150 per month as the contribution to the trade union the individual holds membership with. Even the Ceylon Teachers Union, one of the main trade unions in the country, charges only Rs.20 per month from every member. Nagamuwa of the 1000 Movement said it is ridiculous as to how the so-called trade unions first give the consent to the agreement which was signed in their presence and later pose objections to the same agreement. He opines that the issue is nothing, but a political agenda. How unfair and inhumane it is to snatch such an amount of money from salaries of tea workers and not do anything for their betterment? Ministers Thigambaram and Mano Ganesan opposed this newly signed agreement not with the genuine sympathy for tea workers. It was because they thought they could gain political mileage out of this. As they have always been, they are just using the issues of their community for political gains. It is a betrayal of a long struggle, Nagamuwa said. Govt. Cant tell us what to pay and how to pay With our new productivity based wage model, workers earn as much as Rs.80.000 per month if they work harder, said Employers Federation of Ceylon Plantations Group Chairman Roshan Rajadurai. There are many families that have more than one source of income and enjoy a monthly income that exceeds the minimum wage of a tea estate worker. They earn a considerable amount of money to support their daily expenditure through other income sources. For example, men in the estate sector work as construction workers, three wheeler drivers and labourers in road construction. The Government does not provide everything for these workers. If they are paying the salaries of tea workers, they can tell and do what they want. We are the responsible party regarding the wages of the workers EFC Plantation Services Group Chairman Roshan Rajadurai The Government does not provide everything for these workers. If they are paying the salaries of tea workers, they can tell and do what they want. We are the responsible party regarding the wages of the workers, therefore the Government cannot tell us what to pay and how to pay. If they really want to intervene, they can easily be a part of it and pay the workers. I dont think the Government is in a position to do so because they are not even able to pay the EPF of the workers, he said. Is Sri Lankan tea running down in intl market? Tea is the second most excessively consumed beverage in the world. However, planters claim that the Sri Lankan tea industry is experiencing a difficult phase in the international market. Rajadurai told the Daily Mirror that their plantation companies are running down. We cannot financially afford to fulfill their demand for a daily wage of 1000 at this moment. We can afford to pay the salaries from what we earn. Our companies are running down in the market. The competition in the international tea market is high. Comparing with the tea workers in other countries, we have not even achieved 10% of their level of productivity. These happenings have made an already bad situation worse. The international prices are falling, he said. Despite him claiming that tea prices are falling, Colombo Tea Auction prices are not falling, but have been rising. The following table shows the tea average prices during every two years between 2012 and 2018. despite there being competition in the international market, Sri Lankan tea is not affected which is why tea prices have gone up without facing a threat at the moment Tea Board Chairman Lucille Wijewardena The Daily Mirror also spoke to the Sri Lanka Tea Board Chairman Lucille Wijewardena to inquire about the current situation of Sri Lankan Tea in the international market. Wijewardena refuted Rajadurais statement that tea prices are falling. despite there being competition in the international market, Sri Lankan tea is not affected which is why tea prices have gone up without facing a threat at the moment, he said. Authorities have identified the man stuck and killed by a New Jersey Transit light rail train Sunday night in Trenton as a 60-year-old city resident. Roberto Ramirez was hit by a River Line train at 6:40 p.m. just north of the South Broad Street crossing, a New Jersey Transit spokeswoman said Tuesday. He Twenty people were aboard the train headed from Camden to Trenton. Passengers were moved to buses to continue their trip when service was suspended. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. 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. JERSEY CITY A construction worker fell 15 feet to his death on the Jersey City waterfront Monday, officials confirmed. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), an arm of the Department of Labor, has initiated an investigation into the mans death after it learned of the fatality from The Jersey Journals inquiry, DOL spokeswoman Lenore Uddyback-Fortson said in an email. Police officers responded to the foot of Colony Road at the southern most end of Jersey City after receiving a call for a man who fell 15 feet, Jersey City spokeswoman Ashley Manz said. Emergency medical technicians could not resuscitate him after he was found unresponsive. He was pronounced dead and the incident remains under investigation, Manz said. The DOL confirmed that the man worked for Atlantic Sounding Co., a subsidiary of Weeks Marine, a Cranford-based marine construction company with a location on Colony Road. On Tuesday, a man who identified himself as the manager of Weeks Marine told The Jersey Journal that he could not disclose any information regarding the incident and deferred questions to the companys corporate office. A spokeswoman for Weeks Marine did not return a call for comment on Tuesday. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is also investigating the incident because it owns the property where the man fell and died, said Steve Coleman, deputy director of media relations at the Port Authority. Port Authority offers its sincere condolences to the family of the contractor who died Monday at the New Jersey Marine Terminal, Coleman said in a statement. All workplace fatalities are tragedies and the agency of course will assist all parties in any way possible during the investigation of this sad event." No other information on the mans death was available Tuesday. A New York man was arrested Saturday outside the Secaucus Walmart after an altercation over a parking spot turned violent, police said. Felix Aponte, 37, was charged with aggravated assault and weapons offenses related to a knife that he pulled during a fight with three women inside the store, Secaucus police Capt. Dennis Miller said. The conflict began in the parking lot and continued inside the produce section of the store, where things turned physical. Aponte brandished a folding knife and swung the weapon at one of the women, striking her jacket, Miller said. When a male employee tried breaking up the fight, Aponte slashed him on the hand, Miller said, adding that Aponte then fled the store and was eventually apprehended by police in the parking lot. The employee was taken to Hudson Regional Hospital and was treated for the injury, which was not considered life-threatening, Miller said. With the publics assistance and their wherewithal to get involved, the weapon was recovered. The suspect was successfully identified and is able to be prosecuted because of the cooperation of the witnesses and the Walmart staff, Miller said. The violent altercation unfolded one day before a separate incident was caught on video at the North Bergen Walmart. On Sunday afternoon, a New York woman was arrested after spraying employees and customers with pepper spray, and threatening an employee with a knife, authorities said. The woman now faces 19 charges stemming from Sundays incident. A Bronx woman who brandished a knife and pepper spray during a violent outburst at the North Bergen Walmart faces a slew of charges after the chaotic episode sent several people to local hospitals, authorities said. Imani Jones, 39, was charged with aggravated assault, possession of a weapon, and other offenses following the Sunday afternoon incident near the customer service area of the big box store. A spokesman for North Bergen said Jones was waiting in line at the customer service desk around 3:40 p.m. when she got into an altercation with an employee. She then pulled out a can of pepper spray and shot it at employees and customers. Following the scrum, Jones brandished a pocket knife and entered a packing room beside the customer service desk. A criminal complaint outlining the charges alleges Jones pointed the knife at an employee who was standing by the door and kept him in the room with her. The employee called police from inside the enclosed area and indicated he was stuck in the room with Jones and feared for his life, according to the court document. Five people suffered temporary blindness or vision impairment during the incident, and one person reported having a panic attack, according to the complaint. A spokesman for the township said four of the victims were taken to local hospitals for treatment. One woman told News 12 New Jersey she suffered a concussion during the chaos. I felt my head hit the wall and all I remember feeling was panic, like Shes trying to kill me, Carolyn Cuellar told the news station. I couldnt move. She just pinned me after she kept hitting my head. And I felt her hand and just like (claw at my face). Video obtained by HudPost captured a portion of the incident. The footage shows Jones and another person being separated by a group of employees and customers, while at least one employee rubs her eyes after the pepper spray was discharged. Jones is then seen in the doorway of the packing room, yelling obscenities with the knife in her hand. Responding police officers told Jones to drop the knife and used pepper spray to disorient her when she did not comply, the DV Pilot reported. Jones was placed under arrest and taken to Hudson County jail. She made her first appearance on 19 charges Tuesday afternoon in Criminal Justice Reform Court, after which she was released from custody. Customer and associate safety is a top priority for us, and were sorry for what these customers experienced," a spokeswoman for Walmart said in a statement. "Were grateful for the swift action of the North Bergen Police Department and will refer additional questions to them. Q. Will New Jersey ever allow deductions for 529 plan contributions? -- Saving A. It's a great question, but at this point, your guess is as good as anyone's. It's impossible to know what will take priority in Trenton and eventually be made into law. For that reason, it makes sense to make your plans using the best information we have today. So let's look at 529 plans. They were created in 1996 under the Small Business Job Protection Act to aid families in funding higher education needs, said Altair Gobo, a certified financial planner with U.S. Financial Services in Fairfield. He said while contributions are made from after-tax money - no deductions - the earnings on the 529 account accumulate tax-deferred. This accumulation of tax-deferred earnings, if used for qualified educational expenses, can be withdrawn tax- and penalty-free. If you decide to use a 529 plan to save for college, most people start by looked at the plan offered by their home state. That's because some states do offer deductions and other benefits. New Jersey's plan doesn't offer much. The plan, NJBEST, is offered through Franklin Templeton. "As of January 2019 there are no tax deduction benefits when making a contribution to a 529 plan in New Jersey, however you do have the ability to take advantage of up to a $1,500 maximum scholarship by investing within the program for over 12 years." This scholarship is only available if the 529 beneficiary attends a New Jersey college, Gobo said. But based on 529 plan rankings with Morningstar, Gobo said, it appears that other state plans may be more beneficial. Morningstar rates plans on the following pillars: Process (Investment Strategy), Performance, People (The manager & length of service), Parent (Rating of the underlying investment company), Price (fees on the plan.) "When reviewing ratings in each of these categories, New Jersey is rated very low while states like Illinois or Virginia are some of the highest rated," Gobo said. Make sure to consider plan fees before you choose a 529. Whatever you pay will eat into your profits over the course of your saving years. Email your questions to Ask@NJMoneyHelp.com. Karin Price Mueller writes the Bamboozled column for NJ Advance Media and is the founder of NJMoneyHelp.com. Follow NJMoneyHelp on Twitter @NJMoneyHelp. Find NJMoneyHelp on Facebook. Sign up for NJMoneyHelp.com's weekly e-newsletter. A man wanted for the violent sexual assault of a woman on the PATCO Speedline recently is now in custody. The woman, 22, was assaulted on the train early on Jan. 27, the Camden County Prosecutors Office said. The office and the Delaware River Port Authority, had made public photos of the suspected assailant in a train station and asked the public for help identifying him. On Tuesday, DRPA Police arrested Charles Arcano, 45, in South Philadelphia. Arcano, of Voorhees, is charged in Camden County with first-degree aggravated assault, sexual assault, aggravated sexual contact and criminal restraint. Arcano is at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility in Philadelphia awaiting extradition to New Jersey. The investigation is continuing and anyone with additional information can contact prosecutors Detective Tanner Ogilvie at 856-650-6398 or Delaware River Port Authority Cpl. Joseph Ebling at 609-685-2521. Tips can be emailed to ccpotips@ccprosecutor.org. Joe Brandt can be reached at jbrandt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JBrandt_NJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. American history teaches we should expect more from George Washington, the father of a country of immigrants from around the world. So when Sam Davis, a well-known George Washington impersonator, blamed all the Indian people in his town for denying him a second term on the Chesterfield township committee, and then called for a criminal investigation alleging a 117-vote margin was tallied because illegal immigrants voted, many were disappointed. Balvir Singh, the first Indian-American elected to the county freeholder board, said Tuesday he thought Daviss claims were racist. "If you want to be prejudice against a group of people based on their ethnicity thats the text book definition of a racist, Singh said. Singh said Tuesday the Burlington County Prosecutors Office told him Davis had requested an investigation but they determined it had no merit. Joel Bewley, a spokesman for the prosecutor, said in an email he cannot discuss the potential existence of an investigation into election results. Davis who was featured in 2013 Star Ledger documentary about George Washington impersonators was defeated by political newcomer Shreekant Dhopte in the general election in November. Dhopte won in a three candidate race this township of just under 8,000 south of Trenton. Davis allegedly demanded the investigation and rattled off a rant on a recent social media post alleging the election was swung by mail-in ballots from people of Indian descent who were not citizens. I know for a fact all the Indian people in Chesterfield voted for him and I also know that they are not United States citizens, Davis wrote on a Facebook post last week that registered more than 400 comments after a restaurant owner posted a note left by a customer that said Dont tip immigrants!!! Its the law that you must be a citizen to vote. If you are not a citizen and voted in an election it is a $15,000 fine...I cant wait until those people [are] slap with that big fine. Thatll teach them a lesson. Efforts to reach Davis for comment Tuesday by phone and through social media were not successful. The comments appeared to have been since deleted. He knows these accusations are baseless, Dhopte said Tuesday. I think he has lost his mind." Dhopte, 45, an IT manager for a pharmaceutical company, said Davis had invited him into his home before the election and they both vowed to not run a negative campaign. I did not expect him to say anything like this, Dhopte said. I dont know what happened to him. Dhopte was born in India and came to America when he was 27 in 2000. He became a citizen in 2012. He said Davis showed him his George Washington costumes when he invited him in. He took me to a room of memorabilia for when he plays George Washington all the costumes, how proud he was, Dhopte said. I thought the guy was a patriot, a nice person. Davis is a Republican and Dhopte is a Democrat. Singh, a Democrat and the first Indian-American to serve on the freeholder board, said some people in the Indian community spoke to him about their concerns after Davis posted his comments in a Facebook community group last week. Singh said he believes the election of Donald Trump, a Republican, as president in 2016 brought a return to bigoted behavior and believes the election in Burlington County in which Democrats took nearly 60 percent of the vote and swung control of county government from the GOP for the first time since 1975 signaled a clear message from voters. Newcomer Andy Kim defeated two-term incumbent GOP U.S. Rep. Tom MacArthur, who was one of the presidents biggest supporters in the Congress, in a race that topped the ticket in Burlington County. In 2016, expressing hatred of groups of people has become normalized, Singh said. Im astonished we are here in 2019 and this is still happening. Chesterfield has a population of just under 8,000. There are about 300 Asian Indians in the township, Dhopte said. Recent census data shows there are more than 1,000 Asian residents. Three candidates ran for one open seat in November including two Indian candidates. Dhopte won with 1,174 votes, to 1,057 for Davis and 211 for Independent candidate Jignesh Shah. 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 A public school janitor in Bergen County faces several charges after police say he planted a hidden video camera in a school bathroom and captured himself on the recording setting up the device, police said. Francisco Javier Lopez-Martinez, 59, of Bergenfield, was the supervisor of a crew working at Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood on Jan. 31, when the camera was discovered, according to city police Capt. Timothy Torell. A woman who worked for Lopez-Martinez told police she found a video camera in a bathroom she uses after teachers and students leave the school, Torell said. She found video clips of her exposed as well as Lopez-Martinez installing the camera, Torell said. Police armed with a search warrant went to the school on Knickerbocker Road, but could not find Lopez-Martinez, Torell said. Family members told police that Lopez-Martinez had called them, apologized and then threatened to harm himself, Torell said. Shortly after that, detectives obtained information that he was hiding somewhere on the Dwight Morrow High School and adjoining Janis E. Dismus Middle School campuses, Torell said. Due to his job, Lopez-Martinez had full access to all of Englewood public schools, both inside and out, Torell said. Police sealed off the two campuses and searched with a K-9 for several hours. Family members saw Lopez-Martinez with a gun in his hand shortly after 3:15 a.m. on the north side of the high school and grabbed him until Englewood police Officer Ronald Layne arrived moments later, Torell said. Officer Layne was able to wrestle the gun from his hand and handcuff him with the assistance of some of the other nearby officers, Torell said. The gun turned out to be an Airsoft pistol designed to appear exactly like a large caliber semiautomatic handgun, the captain said. Lopez-Martinez was charged with third-degree invasion of privacy, second-degree burglary, second-degree possession of a weapon for unlawful use, third-degree possession of a handgun on school grounds, third-degree hindering his own apprehension, fourth-degree obstruction of justice and fourth-degree resisting arrest. He was taken to a local hospital for psychiatric evaluation before being held at the Bergen County Jail ahead of a court appearance, Torell said. Police and school officials checked all schools in the district but found no other recording devices. There is no evidence suggesting that any children or school staff were recorded, Torell said. Preliminarily, evidence suggests that this single victim was the only individual targeted. 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. A woman from Ventnor was shot in the face while on vacation in Puerto Rico, according to a report Tuesday. Angelis Molina, who worked as a waitress in Atlantic City, remained in critical condition after she was wounded in the San Juan attack, NBC10 reported. The 20-year-old traveled to the island in mid-January, but opted to stay to pursue a chance at a modeling career. Her mother, Michelle Molina, told the television station she warned her daughter to stay safe. Atlantic County woman shot, critically wounded in Puerto Rico after going to the island for a vacation. Her mom is now... Posted by Ted Greenberg on Tuesday, February 5, 2019 And I tried to tell her, Its not what you think it is there. Its dangerous, Michelle Molina told NBC10 in an interview. Angelis Molina was in an apartment Thursday with several other people when an attacker opened fire. There were no arrests and no immediate word on a possible motive. Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. 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. Heavy container traffic at the Colombo Port Recommends maintaining status-quo of 60:40 ownership structure of shipping agencies But says full foreign ownership could be considered for investments over US $ 100mn Budget 2018 proposed to remove foreign ownership restrictions on shipping agencies and logistics firms By Nishel Fernando The final draft of the National Policy for Maritime and Logistics Sectors advocates Sri Lanka to continue with the status-quo of minimum 60 percent equity holding for locals in shipping agency companies as opposed to the 2018 budget proposal to liberalise foreign ownership restrictions of shipping agencies. Ports and Shipping and Southern Development Ministry Secretary Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake last week presented the final draft of policy document to the Ports and Shipping and Southern Development Minister Sagala Ratnayaka. It was highlighted in the draft document that the uplifting of the standards of shipping agency services provided to foreign ships as well as safeguarding the national interest with regard to employment, tax revenue generation, and protection of small and medium-sized businesses were the priorities of the government. However, the draft document stated that 100 percent foreign ownership of shipping agencies could be considered by the ministry in consultation with the industry stakeholders for foreign investments over US $ 100 million. If a foreign liner shipping principal would require to own 100 percent equity of its own agency company in Sri Lanka, same can be encouraged, provided this will be subject to sizable investment by the shipping line no less than US $ 100 million and other investment criteria to be stipulated by the subject Ministry of Ports and Shipping in consultation with the stakeholders, it stated. Finance and Mass Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera in the 2018 budget proposed to remove foreign ownership restrictions on shipping agencies and logistics firms saying that such a move would encourage foreign investments and enhance competition by reducing costs. However, the Ceylon Association of Shipping Agents (CASA) and Ceylon Freight and Logistics Association (CEYFFA) objected to the move. Also, the draft document proposes the government to introduce minimum standards for local shipping agents to ensure quality of service standards and compliance with code of conduct. Minister Ratnayaka is expected to submit the draft document for the approval of Cabinet of Ministers after obtaining consultations from industry stakeholders and the public. Once Cabinet approval is granted, the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) plans to setup a Maritime Promotion Bureau (MPB) through a secretariat, to implement the policy document approved by the Cabinet. The MPB will be chaired by a former SLPA official with representations from relevant ministries, State intuitions and industry stakeholders. The policy document envisages development of Sri Lanka as a maritime, logistics and a supply chain hub from a transhipment centre. The drafting of the policy document commenced under the leadership of former Ports and Shipping Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe with the involvement of 80 stakeholders. Niagara Falls, NY (14301) Today Considerable clouds this morning. Some decrease in clouds later in the day. Cooler. High 67F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight A few passing clouds, otherwise generally clear. Low 49F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. GREENWICH Police continued their investigation into the death a woman found stuffed inside a suitcase on the side of Glenville Road as they awaited autopsy results Wednesday. We are continuing to follow up on all leads and are currently focused on making a positive identification of the victim, police Lt. John Slusarz said. The autopsy results will provide additional information on the identity of the victim and the cause and manner of her death, he said. Police said there was no cause for undue alarm in the wake of the homicide investigation in the quiet residential neighborhood. It appears that this was an isolated incident, Slusarz said. Police do not know where the homicide occurred, but said it did not occur in the spot where the body was found. Autopsy results were not initially released by authorities. As police continued to work to identify the victim, who was found by town workers Tuesday morning, they issued another call for any information on the case from the public. The department is asking anyone who may have seen anything suspicious on Glenville Road in the last few days to contact the Greenwich Police Tip Line at 203- 622-3333, or send an email at Tips@greenwichct.org. She was bound at the hands and feet and inside a large suitcase. Investigators had some promising material to make an ID, police said. We have some leads on identification of the victim, but we are currently unable to confirm anything, according to a statement from Capt. Robert Berry sent Wednesday. Slusarz said the department appreciated the cooperation from the community after the gruesome discovery on Tuesday. We recognize that the extended road closure created significant inconvenience for many people. We appreciate the patience and understanding that the public had during this difficult situation, he said. The homicide investigation was causing shock and unease in the Glenville community. Local residents said it was hard to believe that a quiet corner of Greenwich was associated with a grisly crime scene. Were supposed to be the safest towns in America, or at least one of them, Melissa Klinka said as she headed to a neighborhood grocery store. So something like this makes people uncomfortable. A lifelong resident of the area, Klinka said she has been hearing lots of speculation about the case from people in the community, and what might have led to the disposal of the body off Glenville Road. She said she was hoping that authorities could wrap up the case and get closure. Its unnerving, said Anthony Zaccagnino, who manages the Shell station in Glenville. Not something that usually happens around here. And sad to hear. The gas station is near the spot where the body was found, and police set up roadblocks there on Tuesday during the lengthy investigation. Rosie Johnson, a local worker who was running errands at the post office, said the news came as a big surprise. Its so out of character for this area, she said. Johnson said she was especially distressed to hear of a young life, cut short, in such a brutal manner. News trucks were still sending out shots from the scene on Wednesday. The area where the body was found is out of sight from nearby residences, in a small depression on the east side of Glenville Road near Stillman Lane. It is near a small area adjoining the road where a car could park. Greenwich police and federal investigators worked a case that held some similarities with the current one in January 2008. A bullet-ridden body was found alongside Sterling Road in the Greenwich backcountry, and a security camera captured the image of a vehicle used in the killing. That lead brought authorities to a Bridgeport man, Larry Corbett, who was sentenced to a life term plus 10 years for the crime. rmarchant@greenwichtime.com Legal action against underworld figure Makadure Madush, who was arrested in Dubai, would be taken in Dubai, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe informed parliament today. He said the courts in the countries where the criminals were arrested could take final decisions on them. The Premier said this in response to a question raised by JVP MP Nalinda Jayatissa as to why no action was taken to bring down Udayanga Weeratunge, Arjuna Mahendran and Jaliya Wickramasuriya just as joint operation was launched between Dubai and Sri Lankan security authorities to arrest underworld figures including Makandure Madush. The Prime Minister said he would submit a report in parliament on this matter. (Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera) Im happy to report I learned a few things enduring for your sake Tuesday nights 90-minute State of the Union address. It wasnt that Donald Trump had become presidential. It was a manic speech that managed also to be tedious. It ping-ponged between everything being great and everything being terrible. My neck still hurts. As I said, I learned something. First, that the president did not declare a national emergency with respect to the border. This was something of intense focus at The Editorial Board and elsewhere. Invoking a set of statutes permitting Trump to use the military to build a wall was seen as a viable exit from his self-made political crisis. He didnt. Well what happens after the government runs out of money next week. Two, he did not threaten to close the government if the Democrats did not provide $5.7 billion in wall funding. That was oversight or he meant to take the option off the table. Its sometimes hard to tell with him. What I can say is Mike Pence did not rule out shutdown. I cant make that guarantee, he said Wednesday. If the president cant get a wall by shutting down the government (that would be another self-inflicted wound), and if he cant get a wall by declaring a national emergency (the Republicans really dont want him to go there), what then? Well, this is a president who would very much like to remain president (because, as Ive said, not being president puts him under immediate criminal scrutiny). The wall still animates the 40 percent or so of Americans who approve of the job hes doing. Therefore, common sense would suggest that hell make the wall a 2020 theme. Another thing I learned is Trump is very worried about the Democrats investigating him, his administration and his family. If there is going to be peace and legislation, he said, there cannot be war and investigation. He could be saying nothing will get done if the Congress investigates him. (Thats false.) He could be tying, in the minds of his supporters, his fate with the countrys. The implication is whatever bad thing the Democrats do, they do to America. The latter is what he meant. It was met with groans among the Democrats, according to Chris Coons on Bloomberg TV. In those groans resides something important the Democrats arent afraid of Trump. For that matter, neither are the Republicans. Remember, this president takes more than he gives to his party, and even when he gives, as he did when he signed the GOP tax law, its not the Republicans who will suffer when middle-class tax filers start feeling pain. It bears repeating: most people most of the time dont know much about politics, dont know they dont know much about politics, or if they do know how much they dont know, they dont care. But all that changes after something concrete happens, as when middle-class tax filers realize that nearly everything Trump told them about the historic tax code overhaul was false. Not only did it not create jobs or grow the economy, it gave billions back to the billionaires while sending the country deeper in debt. More concretely, it raised taxes on lots of Republicans. So even when the president vows to protect the country from the rising tide of socialism as he said, We were born free and we will stay free that must compete with what people know to be true about this president. One, that socialism might not be so bad when the rich are stealing from people who earn an honest living. Two, there are good reasons the Democrats are investigating Trump, a big one being Russia. So, the more this president rails against socialism in the coming months, the more Id expect the Democrats to bring up Russian sabotage of our republic. Not so much to foment hysteria, as leftist critics allege, but to remind voters that something is seriously wrong with this guy. For over two years, hes told us to trust him. Dont. John Stoehr is the editor and publisher of The Editorial Board, a daily newsletter about politics. He lives with his family in Westville. Some of the milk powder importing companies have been involved in a racket where a mixture of lactose powder and animal oil has been imported and sold in the local market in the guise of selling milk powder, Deputy Minister of Industries, Trade and Commerce Buddkia Pathirana revealed in Parliament. Mr. Pathirana alleged that the private sector company which the Consumer Affairs Authority had hired to do the investigation had deliberately delayed giving the result of the investigation. Minister Pathrana said the investigating company had accepted a bribe from the milk importing companies. The Minister said yesterday the decision on milk powder price issue would be taken up by next week by the Cost of Living Committee. He told this in response to an oral question raised by JVP MP Vijitha Herath as to whether milk powder importers had requested for reduction in tax on milk powder import and whether this situation has resulted in a shortage of milk powder in the market. MP Herath asked whether the government would reduce the taxes imposed on local milk powder manufacturers as a solution to the crisis. The deputy Minister said several milk powder importers had requested for a reduction in tax on imported milk powder but the ministry had not taken any decision on the matter. "We are not ready to dance to the tune of milk powder importers. We will take a decision on the matter at the Cost of Living Committee to be met next week," he said. (Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera) WALLINGFORD - There is increased police presence at Wallingford schools Wednesday because of a threat made on social media. Police were notified of the threat by a family that saw in on Snap Chat Tuesday night. School Superintendent Salvatore F. Menzo said in a statement, Last evening the Wallingford Police Department were notified by a family of a concerning post on Snap Chat. The anonymous threat was posted at 1 p.m. yesterday. It contained a map including Stevens Elementary School, Dag Hammarskjold Middle School, and Lyman Hall High School with the statement I am going to murder someone. While we know this is very concerning, the Wallingford Police Department does not see this as a credible threat. However, out of an abundance of caution, there will be police presence at all three schools today. Again, the Wallingford Police Department does not believe there is an actual threat, but we do want to have the officers visible to provide a greater sense of security for students and staff. I do also want to bring to the attention of Lyman Hall High School parents that the phones at the school are partially working this morning. Calls can be made out from the school; however, calls cannot be received at this time into the school. In the meantime, if you have the need to communicate information to Lyman Hall High School please send an email or call (203)949-6500. As always, I appreciate the support of the Wallingford Police Department. I also want to continue to encourage parents to speak with their children about such posts. The district has and will always to take these threats seriously. We also will continue to discipline those found responsible to the highest extent we can. Last December, a 17-year-old Lyman Hall High School student was arrested and charged with second-degree breach of peace after allegedly posting a threatening message on SnapChat. NEW HAVEN New Haven could be the first city in Connecticut to enact a local Homeless Persons Bill of Rights, but theres work to be done. The Human Services Committee heard testimony from a number of city officials and people who have experienced or currently are experiencing homelessness, on whether the city should pass a resolution that decriminalizes homelessness and affords anyone experiencing homelessness certain rights. The Homeless Advisory Commission proposed a resolution to decriminalize homelessness and adopt a bill of rights for people who are homeless to help ensure equal treatment by police, health care providers, housing agencies and the public. They presented the resolution and bill of rights to the committee Tuesday during a public hearing. Criminalization of homelessness is defined in the bill of rights as laws that prohibit or regulate behaviors in which people experiencing homelessness must engage to survive and enforcement of laws that disproportionately impact people who are experiencing homelessness, as well as the practices such as issuing arrests, citations, warnings, and requests to move along that are used to enforce such laws. Ordinances that criminalize homelessness are counterproductive because they keep people experiencing homelessness in a detrimental cycle of citation, imprisonment, poverty, and homelessness, the resolution said. Homelessness is a moment, said Bealton Dumas, who is homeless. You have to say yes now. Im chronically homeless. Do you know what that means? Dumas testified about his experience being homeless, sharing how he is discriminated against by businesses and police. Ive been through it, harassed by many police just sleeping on a bench. ... When youre homeless you get stereotyped. On a given night in 2018, 553,742 people experienced homelessness in the U.S., according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness The bill of rights encompasses 11 rights to which every person, regardless of housing status, should be entitled. They include the right to enjoy public space; employment fairness; medical care and dignity in meeting basic needs; the right to vote; to personal property and privacy; personal safety; to sit; to social exchange; equal treatment; housing fairness; and housing. In a memo by a legal intern for Corporation Counsel submitted to the committee the day before the hearing, Corporation Counsel doesnt recommend adopting the proposal, arguing the bill for New Haven is redundant to the states. This gets into so much more detail defining the contours of what those rights mean, said Allie Frankel from the Lowenstein Human Rights Clinic. This bill responds to New Havens unique concerns. Much of the discussion touched on the police departments role interacting with people experiencing homelessness. People criticized police for targeting the homeless population for loitering, We do not target homeless individuals merely because theyre homeless, Assistant Police Chief Racheal Cain said. Homelessness is not a crime. That is the philosophy of the department. ... We are not criminalizing homelessness. There are laws that we use to asses behavior. Under the bill, all local law enforcement should annually compile, review, and make available to any inquiring part, the number of citation, arrests, and other enforce activities made pursuant to laws and ordinances criminalizing homelessness, including laws prohibiting loitering, camping, public consumption of alcohol, trespass, park curfew, disorderly conduct, creating a public disturbance, obstructing free passage, degree breach of peace and failure to pay or plead. The documentation would include housing status of each person subject to the law enforcement actions but ensure a persons privacy, according to the bill. Currently, the police dont keep data on housing status of people written up or arrested, but the department might be able to going forward, Cain said. The committee didnt take any action on the resolution Tuesday so that the Homeless Advisory Commission may work further on the language now that the public and city officials had weighed in during the meeting. Committee Chairman Alder Darryl Brackeen Jr. recommended the commission encourage the public to attend the future meetings in which the commission will be working on the bill of rights. mdignan@hearstmediact.com NEW HAVEN Police Wednesday said the victim who suffered life-threatening injuries in one of three shootings Tuesday night was a 20-year-old man shot in the thighs and abdomen. The man was taken to the hospital after the shooting in the area of Shelton Avenue in the Newhallville neighborhood, during which a 19-year-old male also was shot in the ankle, Capt. Anthony Duff said in a release. The 20-year-old was taken to the hospital where he remains in critical but stable condition, Duff said. Ginnen Upan Seethala (The Frozen Fire) is a movie that was asking to be made. Its about the life of JVP leader Rohana Wijeweera and his bid to change the political history of Sri Lanka through armed insurrection. The resulting picture is so confusing that even the final death count varies widely. It was considerable and the damage to the countrys psyche even more drastic. The simple fact that no two Sri Lankans having a conversation in the street will trust a third party within earshot is the direct result of these two failed rebellions and the counter-terror which crushed them. That even controlled protest such as trade union action isnt allowed in many sectors is another blow to the practice of negotiating democratically. That a very powerful military has a say in our semi-democratic form of government is another disturbing result of Wijeweeras political goals and means. This has its insidious effects of social life as well as the arts. For example, the rule that the depiction of members of the security forces in film needs approval from the censors can hardly be called a democratic practice. Rohana Wijeweera is the most fascinating political leader and participant in the countrys post-independence politics. More than a participant, he was a mover and a shaker. Much has been written about him, most of it inconclusive and partisan, and a movie was waiting to be made. Now that its finally there, what does it tell us? Director Anuruddha Jayasinghe was a student of Thurstan College, Colombo, when he was arrested as a JVP activist during the late 1980s second JVP rebellion. That he sees the movie from a partisan point of view is understandable. That hes an admirer of the late JVP leader is quite acceptable. The trouble is that he seems to have made this historic movie with his heart, not his mind. Kamal Addaraarchchi, easily the most promising talent in film in the 1980s, lost his way. But he has made an impressive comeback in the role of Wijeweera, something which undoubtedly called for great commitment and determination. But his performance is marred by flaws in the character as scripted, and lets try to see what these flaws are. What we get here is a soft-spoken and benign Wijeweera. He is a moderate, cautionary figure keeping the hotheads in his inner circle at bay. He is a loving family man. In this version, its his attachment to his family which causes his downfall, when he ignores calls by fellow politburo members to flee his last refuge. All thats fine, but is that all there is to a man responsible for two very bloody Sinhalese youth rebellions in modern history? According to some sources, the combined death toll exceeds that of the 30-year civil war with the LTTE. How did he hold the volatile personalities of his politburo (PB) together? How did he deal with dissent? These are questions left unanswered by Ginnen Upan Seethala. According to it, the DJV or military wing of the JVP is an independent entity led by its leader Keerthi Wijebahu with a free hand. Its the DJVs rash decisions which led to the failure of the second JVP uprising. Was Wijeweera powerless to intervene or did he lack the political foresight and the will to veto the DJVs disastrous orders to the rank and file? This is hardly credible. All thats fine, but is that all there is to a man responsible for two very bloody Sinhalese youth rebellions in modern history? According to some sources, the combined death toll exceeds that of the 30-year civil war with the LTTE. How did he hold the volatile personalities of his politburo (PB) together? How did he deal with dissent? The ideological rift with Nandana Marasinghe, one of the more politically astute and dynamic PB leaders, is shown but we see only half the story. Marasinghes killing was ordered by his fellow PB members including Wijeweera. In the movie, though, the decision what to do with him is postponed by the PB and Nandana Marasinghe isnt heard of any more. Anyone not familiar with this history would assume that Marasinghe disappeared on his own free will. This movie leaves more questions unanswered. We see an endless series of PB meetings which dampens the impact of a story which should leave us at the edge of our seats. Less time talking and more time spent with the actual action would have given us the biographical thriller which the brochures promise. As it is, both the biography and the thriller have gaping holes. To the directors credit, some of the action scenes (such as the ethnic riots, political meetings, and a dramatic scene where military vehicles drive at night through pouring rain) are very well staged. But thats just not enough, and many scenes could have been better edited, for example the scene where a JVP youth orchestra plays early in the story. Its much too long. Itd be interesting to compare this movie with Stephen SoderbergsChe (2008, in two parts). It was criticised for showing mostly Che the public figure, and little of his private life. With Ginnen Upan Seethala, the criticism is that it shows too much of the private life. Both portraits are sympathetic, but in the latter case we want to know more about Wijweera than just how much he loved his wife and children. Soderbergs Che is played by Mexican actor Benicio del Toro. Hes not an exact look alike, but more importantly he gets under the skin of his character. In our case, Addararachchi doesnt have much to go by as he follows the script which gives us a moderate figure whose bid to enter mainstream democratic politics is thwarted by the autocratic President JR Jayewardene, the villain of the piece. In the final analysis, no agreement will ever be reached on that point if JR didnt proscribe the JVP, would Wijeweera and his cadres have given up the armed struggle? This is a tricky point. He rejected a peace offer from JRs successor R. Premadasa when the insurrection was at its height. Experience had undoubtedly taught him to distrust the politicians. What did his own nature dictate? The movie ends with the arrest of Wijeweera, thus leaving out the harrowing details of his execution. By some accounts, he was shot at the Colombo general cemetery but was still breathing when his body was thrown into the incinerator. This isnt an episode that the country can be proud of? By comparison, Abimail Guzman, the Peruvian leader of Sendoro Luminoso guerrilla movement which led a brutal 20-year-old war against the government of Peru, was spared after his arrest. So were his top aides. Guzman is still in prison but was allowed to marry and helped negotiate a peace settlement with his cadres. This is how our story too, should have ended. Instead, we keep taking grim satisfaction in a smug serve them right attitude while the smouldering socio-political problems which created Rohana Wijeweera continue to smoulder. Nadeeka Guruge has done an effective score while Dhanushka Gunathilakes cinematography is excellent, especially the outdoor night scenes. The script, editing and some of the acting leaves much to be desired. For example, in a crucial scene where Wijeweera and his PB members react in dismay to the arrest of a colleague, they behave not like hardened revolutionaries but a bunch of schoolboys reacting when their favourite batsman gets out for a duck. Despite such flaws, this is a historically important film and marks a milestone for the Lankan film industry. Along with Nidahase Piya DS screened last year (about D. S. Senanayake), the political biography is now in demand as subject matter for Sri Lankan films. Its a heartening development. Romelo Goss had a gun. It didnt matter that it was for protection and to keep from being ripped off while living in a tough neighborhood. It didnt matter that the gun had not been used during the course of any crime. When police arrested him with the unlicensed weapon in his possession during a car stop, the Bridgeport man was taken into custody and immediately put in isolation at a New Haven County jail, where he spent three weeks as a security risk because, he said, photos on his Facebook page were misinterpreted. He eventually ended up at Cheshire Correctional Institution, where he also was isolated for three months before being released into the general population. Give or take a few hours, Goss was left alone in a small cell without communication with another human being except for the guards who brought his meals for roughly 1,932 hours out of a possible 2,190. They only let me out some days for a half-hour, he said. I was even taken to the shower in handcuffs. Goss said the long stretches of quiet and being by himself was disturbing but it was impossible for him to vent frustration about the way he was being treated because they (guards) would drop you on your head if they were questioned or there was any hesitancy to their commands. I couldnt believe it was happening to me, Goss said. I sat across from Goss, 22, Tuesday listening to him tell his story while having lunch at Whites Diner in Bridgeport. He is a slight guy and soft-spoken. He now is the states justice advisor with the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance and Connecticuts Golden Gloves champion in the 123-pound fighting class who will represent the state in the Regionals Feb. 14 in Massachusetts. Goss revelations about his treatment while being incarcerated come on the heels of a report released last month by the Office of the Child Advocate outlining the abuse some teenagers experience while under lock and key. The report, centered on boys 15 to 17, detailed a system in which young inmates allegedly are being beaten, pepper-sprayed and thrown into isolation instead of being given patience, guidance and the mental health services they need. That certainly doesnt sound like the revamped juvenile justice system touted by former Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and his administration that has been hailed as a national model for juvenile justice reform. There are no role models to help us, Goss said. They dont defuse fights. They tell others what is being said about them to keep it going. There was nothing positive, only negative. Abby Anderson, executive director of the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance, said it is troubling that the warden of Manson Youth Institution an adult prison run by the Department of Correction housing inmates ages 15 to 21 spoke about the need for and positive aspects of using pepper spray on kids under 18 housed in his facility. He talks about how when kids cant breathe or are incapacitated they are immediately compliant. Goss has been arrested three times and was isolated for three weeks for his first offense, stealing a car, and also isolated on the second breaking and entering a home where he didnt participate in the crime but was with the people who did. Goss said though he was roughed up, he was never pepper-sprayed, but he witnessed that being done to others more times than he wanted to see. And that is what is driving this column. How many kids do we have in adults prisons being beaten and pepper-sprayed into obedience? How much real consideration does the DOC give to a young boys background. Many of these juveniles had a case number before a name and know more about sitting in waiting rooms at the Department of Children and Families then about sitting on a couch at home watching TV. Some of them know more and see more of caseworkers than their own mothers and fathers. I have to believe that most of them are locked up at 15 in an adult institution because they have seen too much of life too soon and long before their brains can process the long-term effects of their actions. Isnt that what scientists say and is the basis of why the Malloy administration believed the juvenile justice system had to be revamped? Goss says he doesnt come from a broken home and has supportive parents and siblings but still found himself in the prison pipeline. It appears that Connecticut is still in the pipeline, too. The purpose of retooling the juvenile justice system was to be more rehabilitative and less punitive to help teens stomping across life suffering from the whiplash of decisions many had nothing to do with but are part of the ride. Prisons have been closed and the savings and funding allegedly are to be diverted to educational, vocational and job programs and mental health services to help juveniles in the pipeline emerge as productive members of society. And we are waiting to see whether this new approach to juvenile crime will work and cut down on recidivism. But I am one of those people who once I get a disturbing image in my head, it wont go away and it will take a lot more than talk about retooling the system to convince me. I keep imagining a young boy sitting in a small, isolated space. He has just been manhandled and his eyes are stinging from pepper spray. He is in prison so not much good has happened in his young life. He is only 15 and alone and expected to beat the odds. I cant get that image out of my mind. Can you? Restraint? Since when isnt abuse abuse? Editors note: This story has been updated to reflect that Goss is a justice advisor with the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance, not the Office of the Child Advocate, as previously reported. NEW HAVEN A city police officer who last year was charged in connection with an alleged domestic assault has had the charges dismissed and is back on active duty. Luis Lopez, 38, of Waterbury, had been arrested in August by Torrington police after two alleged incidents that month. The allegations were that he had repeatedly physically abused an intimate partner and locked that person in an attic for hours. The charges were: two counts of third-degree assault, disorderly conduct, two counts of second-degree unlawful restraint, second-degree breach of peace and risk of injury to a child. NEW HAVEN Georgia Goldburn doesnt mince words. She was exuberant Tuesday in celebrating the addition of more day care slots for infants and toddlers at the Hope Child Development Center, now located in a larger space on Olive Street. Goldburn was equally straightforward in holding the state responsible for putting her center and others in jeopardy by not paying them for three months, in the case of the Care4Kids program. The delays through Care4Kids, Goldburn said, are tied to a new computer system that had been mandated. That, combined with the late payments from the state Department of Children and Families, left the system is in crisis, Goldburn said. The need for these slots for the working poor, according to Beth Bye, who is Gov. Ned Lamonts choice to lead the Office of Early Childhood, is great. She said Connecticut alone needs 51,000 spaces for infants and toddlers. The addition of spaces at Hope Child Development Center cuts that figure by 13. To qualify for a slot underwritten by Care4Kids and for some programs offered by DCF, a parent would get a certificate that shows they are working and their family income is at or below 50 percent of the state median income. In preschool and family day care homes, the slots are available to 65 percent of this demographic because of better salary rates for the providers, who are unionized. We almost have enough pre-school slots for working parents, Bye said. We really fall down on the infantile slots, said Bye, a former state senator from West Hartford. It is the economics, Bye said. In Connecticut, the standard is one worker for every four infants and toddlers. She said Goldburn suggested making that five to one, once a child turns 2. Bye said licensing regulations will soon be up for a public hearing. Byes department is also focused on telling parents the importance of using a licensed daycare program given the recent report of the Office of the Childcare Advocate. It found that six of the nine infant and toddler deaths at Connecticut day cares in 2016 and 2017 occurred at unlicensed, illegal home care programs, according to the CT Mirror. Bye said they hope to increase capacity by using the additional $14 million in federal Care4Kids dollars that have been made available by Congress. She said there is also a proposal for $5 billion more for kids. Democrats and Republicans agree on child care, Bye said. The family certificates travel with the child, so Hope can access the funds, even though it follows a Christian curriculum. For this reason, it cannot get funds for such things as Reading Readiness or state bonding for improvements. Day care providers from the area, in a separate meeting with Bye before the celebration for the Hope Child Development Center, explained that they cannot live on the rates paid to day care workers at the centers. The general scarcity of spaces for infants and toddlers, plus the low pay for the Care4Kids providers, means only 4 percent of the slots are available to low-income families. They are not going to take a certificate (family,) if they can get a full-pay parent, Bye said. My first charge as commissioner, looking at all the data, is that we need to do something about the shortage of infant and toddler care for our economy, for our safety and for families and good child development, Bye said. Goldburn said many providers are under tremendous pressure with the three-month delay in the processing of Care4Kids paperwork. DCF is an agency that also takes about two to three months, if you are lucky, to pay providers. Hope Child Development Center takes children under DCFs care whom the agency hopes to reunite with their families or in transition to foster care or into a permanent adoptive home. DCF has a long legacy in the child care realm of just not paying its provider on time, Goldburn said. Combine that with missing payments from Care4Kids, we are underwriting and financing two state agencies for child care services that is just not sustainable. Something has to happen. This is a scandal. ... We providers have been calling out for something to be done. Kim Harris of the Harris and Tucker preschool said the new computer program for Care4Kids also backed up payments for summer programs. In New Haven we are really vulnerable. Many of them (day care centers) are making critical decisions in their own personal budgets. This was a wonderful event for us to open this wonderful facility, but we are bringing on children that we are not being paid for, Goldburn said. She said they are wondering is they can open the new classroom they were celebrating. Goldburn was happy that Bye hit the ground running given her experience at the state and in operating her own day care centers. We have a perfect storm forming over the child care community, Goldburn said. mary.oleary@hearstmediact.com; 203-641-2577 Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera should resign from his post for removing Customs Director General P. S. M Charles, the Opposition said today. MP Vasudeva Nanayakkara said Ms. Charles had been removed because she had continued to investigate incidents of smuggling at Customs, irking some individuals. By reinstating Ms. Charles, Minister Samaraweera has admitted that it was wrong to remove her from the post of Customs Director General. The work-to-rule campaign launched by the Customs workers against this move resulted in a loss of over Rs.1,000 billion to the state, he said. (Lahiru Pothmulla) Video by Sanjeewa HAMDEN A plan to reorganize jobs in the Arts & Culture Department and mayoral administration was submitted, then withdrawn from the agenda for Mondays Legislative Council meeting. Mayor Curt B. Leng said in a statement Tuesday he withdrew the proposal to make changes, including at least two alterations to the planned job descriptions, but did not offer specifics. Under the withdrawn proposal, the position of information and research officer, currently held by Patrick Donnelly, would be replaced by a deputy chief of staff role. The new job would be tasked with many of the existing functions of its predecessor, as well as assist with the day-to-day direction and coordination with all the Towns Departments and staff. The role of arts director, currently held by Lengs former Chief of Staff Julie Smith, would be replaced by a town/Board of Education project manager role, which would manage existing construction projects and the implementation of major projects, among other duties. An arts and marketing manager job would be created to oversee arts and cultural programming in town and enhance Hamdens public image by marketing, sharing information and conducting media relations. The towns director of legislative and constituent services job, which was not funded for this fiscal year, would be eliminated. A director of town/ Board of Education legislative affairs position would be created to lobby for the towns interests at the state level. Roughly one-third of the job would be funded from the municipal budget, the other two-thirds from the school side. Board of Education member Walter Morton IV, a former staffer for state Sen. Martin Looney, D-New Haven, said Tuesday he began working as Hamdens liaison to Hartford on a short-term contract in January. The deputy chief of staff role would have a salary of $72,000, up from $62,000 for the nformation and research officer. The town/Board of Education project manager salary would be $100,000 half from the municipal budget, half from the school budget. The arts director role currently receives a $90,000 salary. There would be no additional salary costs for the towns budget in the current fiscal year, Leng said. The council would have been asked to shift approximately $22,740 from the line items for contracted services in the Mayors Office to cover the changes this fiscal year. Funding for the legislative liaison role was included in the town and school budgets this year, Leng said. Each of the jobs would be filled by mayoral appointment, according to the documents submitted to the council. Councilor Lauren Garrett shared her concerns about the proposal ahead of Mondays meeting. She said Tuesday that she considered it audacious for Leng to ask for raises for two town employees, given that municipal unions are being asked for concessions to balance the town budget and other employees have been denied salary increases. Council Minority Leader Marjorie Bonadies echoed these concerns in a statement Tuesday. She said that while reorganizing mayoral staff was Lengs prerogative, offering raises as other unions are asked to make concessions was bad optics. This would not sit right and rightly so, said Bonadies. The changing scope of these new positions in the Mayors office may very well be needed to reflect the challenges facing the town at this time but I believe raises will have to wait until budget time. Leng said Tuesday in a statement that the legislative liaison would will not only pay for itself, but will bring the added resources and grant opportunities so important to our Town during tight financial times and noted the town has a robust school construction program that requires daily oversight, which Smith, given her years of experience in the town government, is able to provide. Providing a $10,000 raise for Smith would be significantly more cost-effective than hiring a new position to address the serious need, he said. william.lambert@hearstmediact.com An online petition has been launched in an effort to persuade Qunnipiac University not to shut down its commercial AM radio station. Holly Masi, Hamdens zoning enforcement officer, launched the petition on the website Care2Petitions Jan. 17. As of 6 p.m. Tuesday, 681 people had signed it. School officials announced last month that they plan to have the station stop broadcasting on May 31. The decision to close the station was based on a decision to shift resources to more closely match the ever-changing needs and interests of our students, and to better prepare them for future employment opportunities, Lynn Bushnell, Qunnipiacs vice president of public affairs, said at the time. Masi, who said she hopes to collect 3,000 signatures or more, said closing the radio station would silence an important voice in the New Haven area. Its important to have that kind of platform where people can go, she said. You know that when you listen to that station, youre going to hear local news and local traffic, not whats going on someplace else. University officials need to view operating WQUN as something that creates good will in communities such as Hamden that the school claims to care about, Masi said. It bridges the gap between the university and the community, she said. More News News Quinnipiac University to close down WQUN-AM radio But even before the petition drive has been completed, Bushnell gave no indication school officials would change their mind about closing the station. We truly appreciate all of the support for AM 1220 WQUN, but our first priority has to be our students and allocating resources to areas that more closely match their needs and better prepare them for future employment opportunities, Bushnell said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. Bushnell has said when the university took control of the station in 1997, it was used as a training ground where students would learn skills to use in the radio industry. Interest in internships has declined significantly since then, she said. With the station slated to close at the end of May, one of the stations regular newscasters already has landed a new job. News anchor and reporter Michael Lyle Jr. said Tuesday on social media that he has been hired by New England Public Radio, WFCR-FM 88.5 in Springfield, Mass., as a news anchor. luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com WEST HAVEN Raw fish being improperly thawed, insects in rice, inadequately cooked meatballs and mice eating through packages were among health violations found at city restaurants and other establishments that carry food, recent inspection reports show. Eight establishments including restaurants, a convenience store and a day care failed the most recent inspections in their categories that dictate the number of times they are inspected per year, said city Chief Sanitarian Luci Bango. Bango provided most recent inspections in the categories, some of which are inspected every three, four or six months, or once per year. Per state Department of Health regulations, any establishment fails if it receives lower than a score of 80 out of 100 or if it receives a four-point violation, as those are the most serious in terms of risk for food-borne illness. Click here to read more about Connecticut restaurant inspection rules. In the West Haven cases, all the establishments quickly met with a passing grade upon re-inspection, with some of those re-inspections happening on the spot by businesses correcting four-point violations immediately, Bango said. There are two inspectors in West Haven for close to 300 establishments. Food establishments in the various categories that failed for various reasons during an unannounced visit in West Haven included: Jimmies Restaurant The iconic Jimmies of Savin Rock restaurant at 5 Rock St. failed for several violations during a Jan. 14 inspection, including a four-point violation for toxic items improperly stored, labeled or used. Some of the specific violations, according to an inspection report, included: chipped or cracked wooden salad bowls that Bango said could cause materials to get into food; a bucket of driveway sealant with coffee stored on top; rusty shelves in a cooler; foods unlabeled in a walk-in unit; broken kitchen floor tiles; water-stained ceiling tiles in storage room; raw beef stored above soups that Bango said could leak into food. The restaurant received a score of 86 and fixed the four-point violation on the spot, negating the need for a new reinspection score. At Jimmies Tuesday, a woman who identified herself as the manager, but declined to give her name even when a reporter called her back after an abrupt telephone hang up, said if anything needs fixing at the restaurant during inspection, it gets fixed on the spot. She then said, Have a nice day and hung up the phone. When called back for her name, the woman said, We dont give names. Im one of the managers working here. Elm Diner Elm Diner at 111 Elm St. had numerous violations and failed an inspection on Nov. 29, 2018, with a score of 79. Those violations included a four-point demerit under approved source, wholesome, unadulterated food. The diner also received points off the inspection for uncovered and unlabeled food items; food contacting the surface of a microwave; silverware being preset on tables; an unclean kitchen floor; having no waste bin at a handwashing sink; scattered boxes; inadequate water temperatures; dented cans; mop and broom not properly hung; problems with clean wiping cloths. After a reinspection on Jan. 31, the diner got a score of 90. The owner of the diner, who identified himself as Sonny Saini, said there were only a few violations, and We fixed all those things. China Sea The Chinese take-out eatery at 818 First Ave. failed inspection Jan. 3 but passed a reinspection Jan. 17. It failed with a 78 for numerous health code violations, including the improper thawing of raw fish; uncovered food items; improper labeling; improper disposal of waste water; improper storage and disposal of garbage/rubbish; and build-up of ice in a machine. The restaurant received a reinspection score of 91. Owner Yang Yang said Tuesday that all violations had been corrected. Its very clean, he said of his restaurant. Sweet Relief Catering An inspection was done in December 2018 and the catering company at 224 Campbell Ave. received a 92, but failed because of a four-point violation under the toxic chemicals category for sanitizer concentration exceeding the maximum amount permitted. The company did not receive a reinspection because it fixed the four-point violation on the spot, health officials said. The catering company also received points off for unlabeled food and improperly stored linens. An inspector also noted on the report that there was no hot water and that a small fire had been extinguished with salt, although neither resulted in points off the score. Owner Eric Rogers said hes been in business for 20 years and usually scores high on inspections without any serious four-pointers, but every once in a while there may be something isolated that gets by. Theyre here to help everybody, Rogers said of the health department. They want to make sure no one gets hurt. In reference to Bango, he added, We love Luci. Tutor Time The chain day care and learning center at 221 Bull Hill Lane received a failing grade Jan. 10 for inadequate temperatures during storage and preparation of food and adequate facilities to maintain product temperature. The first was a four-point violation that automatically failed the center, although its overall score was 94. There is no reinspection score because the center corrected the four-point violation on the spot, health officials said. A spokeswoman from Tutor Times parent company, Lydia Cisaruk, said in an email that the safety and wellbeing of our children and staff is of the utmost importance to us. She said a cooler at the facility is being serviced to ensure it functions properly, and other equipment is being used in the interim. Were committed to meeting or exceeding all applicable state and local regulations, she said in the email. Subway The Subway at 502 Saw Mill Road, in a category of places less frequently inspected, scored a 93 during the inspection in August 2018, but failed because of a four-point violation for not heating meatballs to a high enough temperature of 165 degrees before putting them in a steamer, health records show. The restaurant also received points off for not clearly labeling a spray bottle and not having thermometers in sandwich units. It did not receive a new inspection score because it fixed the four-point violation on the spot, health officials said. Subway World Headquarters provided the following statement, which they said was from the two franchise owners: We are committed to the highest food safety standards at our Subway restaurant. We took immediate steps to resolve the issue as soon as it was brought to our attention and the restaurant passed its reinspection. Along with Health Department inspections, the brand conducts regular inspections that are aimed at ensuring that our high food safety and cleanliness standards are met. Krauszers In a July 2018 inspection considered recent because it is in the less frequently inspected category the convenience store at 191 Platt Ave. had a four-point violation for not having approved sources of some food, health records show. It was also ordered to get an exterminator because mice had eaten through packages of food and there were mouse droppings found in Hostess boxes, according to the inspection report. The Krauszers also received points off for an unclean milk dispenser; not having paper towels in the restroom; using cups for sugar instead of scoops with handles; having an unclean floor under walk-in shelves and unclean shelves in the walk-in that were moldy. The store received a score of 85 and corrected the four-point violation on the spot, health records show. Two messages were left for the owner over two days seeking comment but the calls were not returned. Sonassa Afrimart Sonassa Afrimart, also in the not frequently inspected category, failed inspection in its last round done in May 2018. The store at 181 Boston Post Road, which sells mostly non-food items, received a four-point violation in the sources of food category and another violation for bags of pre-packaged rice that also contained insects, inspection records show. That was corrected by throwing away the food, Bango said. The store received points off for not labeling all food. Afrimart Sonassas score was 93 and the store corrected the four-point violation on the spot, health officials said. The Register tried to call the store for two days, but the number appears to be out of service. HAMDEN Town police are conducting an internal investigation after a video surfaced this week that shows officers allegedly acting aggressively during an arrest in February 2018. The video, first shared by WTNH Tuesday, reportedly shows the arrest of Victor Medina, accused of leading police on a chase in his car. Medina eventually pulls over in his driveway, and in the body-camera footage the news station posted, an officer can be seen telling Medina he would be shot if he did not comply with the officers orders, while another officer references Immigration and Customs Enforcement while speaking to a Latino passenger in the car. Acting Police Chief John Cappiello said Wednesday that the conduct featured in the video is concerning, which prompted him to order the internal investigation. The two officers involved were Officer Andrew Lipford and Sgt. Michael Sigmon, Cappiello said. They have not been placed on leave, he said. Mayor Curt B. Leng called the actions of the officers disgraceful in a statement early Wednesday morning. I do not expect, and will not tolerate, these types of actions by any of our law enforcement personnel, Leng said. Acting Chief Cappiello has launched an immediate internal investigation into this incident, and I will work closely with the Chief and the Hamden Police Commission to ensure that that the investigation is as thorough as the situation demands and deserves. Appropriate action will be taken, Leng said. As many know, I am a strong supporter of our local law enforcement and respect so many of our public safety men and women that work tirelessly for our community every day, Leng said. Certain actions taken and words spoken in the video shown today have no business being part of Hamden law enforcement. Period. Councilors Jody Clouse, Harry Gagliardi, Athena Gary, Justin Farmer, Brad Macdowall and Lauren Garrett decried the actions of the two officers as disgraceful and unacceptable in a statement Wednesday. They called for a creation of a civilian review board to help hold police accountable and urged that the results of the internal investigation be made public to help bolster trust in the department. These actions must be taken seriously. The threat of ICE involvement is in direct opposition to the arrangements we have been assured exist in Hamden, said the councilors. We must work together to ensure Hamden is and remains a sanctuary for our community. Medina was charged Feb. 8, 2018, with illegally operating a motor vehicle under the influence, engaging police in a pursuit, and failure to obey traffic control signals, according to state judicial records. He has pleaded not guilty to all three charges. The passenger did not face any charges, according to WTNH News 8. william.lambert@hearstmediact.com Contributed Photo / East Haven Police Department / Contributed Photo EAST HAVEN Police are looking for a 24-year-old who has two active arrest warrants and two active violation of probation warrants. The department said Devon Colon fled in a vehicle with a female passenger and a child in the vehicle during a motor vehicle stop on May 2, 2018, after being pulled over for speeding. The officer didnt pursue him because of the child in the vehicle. MILFORD A former volunteer fire captain accused of drunkenly setting a carboard box bonfire behind a Shelton firehouse took a plea deal in the case Tuesday. Gregory Bomba, 45, pleaded guilty to reckless burning before Judge Peter Brown. According to a plea deal between Bombas lawyer, John Cirello, and States Attorney Margaret Kelley, Bomba will receive a five-year suspended prison sentence and three years of probation when he is sentenced. The judge indicated Bomba will also have to perform 250 hours of community service. Another defendant in the case, William Tortora, whose brother is Sheltons fire marshal, is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday. The fire happened Feb. 3 in the rear parking lot of Echo Hose Hook & Ladder Co. 1 at 379 Coram Ave. as a past captains dinner took place inside the firehouse. Kelley said that surveillance video from the firehouse showed Bomba and Tortora lighting cardboard boxes on fire in the bed of a Tortoras pickup truck, which was parked behind the firehouse. The prosecutor said both of the men had been drinking at the time. A detective investigating the case recognized Bomba and Tortoras truck on the video, Kelley said. The defendant was moving boxes around to help the fire breathe, Kelley said. At one point the fire was about five feet high. Eventually Tortora got in the truck and drove away as the fire continued to burn, with Bomba taking pictures on his cell phone, Kelley said. He posted a picture he took during the incident on Facebook, though that was taken down after a short period of time, Kelley said. When questioned by police, Bomba confessed to starting the blaze, which caused an estimated $450 in damages to the building and a car parked nearby. The judge scheduled Bombas sentencing for April 23, and indicated he will make 250 hours of community service a condition of Bombas probation, in addition to alcohol abuse evaluation and treatment. Bomba remains free after posting $100,000 bond in the case. Tortora, 58, has been jailed since his arrest in the case last March. In addition to the arson, he faces child pornography possession charges connected with a police search of his cell phone during the investigation of the fire. ethan.fry@hearstmediact.com NEW HAVEN Residents of the East Rock neighborhood were surprised and saddened to see the sign Cafe Romeo is closed on the front door of the popular gathering spot. But the regular customers probably were glad to see a second line: Dont worry! A new coffee shop will be opening soon. When the cafes owner Chris Mordecai shut down his business last Saturday, he also said in the doors message: Wed like to thank our loyal customers for being part of our lives for the past 10 years. We have met many friends and built countless relationships. It is a sad day for many of us but also an opportunity to start a new chapter. While supervising the clean-out of the cafe at 534 Orange St. (a couple of blocks from Trumbull Street) Tuesday morning, Mordecai looked weary but relieved. We were open 10 years, he noted, although the actual 10-year anniversary would have been this coming October. Honestly, the first 7-8 years were really fun. My heart was into it. But 10-12 hours a day, seven days a week, 364 days a year we were closed only for Christmas it was just time for a change. he added. I missed parents picnics and birthday parties because I was tied down here. Mordecai said walking away from the cafe also will enable him to concentrate on his real estate business, Restoration Realty. Asked whether he had considered delegating the daily tasks so he didnt have to work so many hours, Mordecai replied, No one cares about the business as much as you do, as the owner. Its a 12-hours-a-day business. Asked about the new coffee shop promised in the closed message, Mordecai said hes not free to reveal the name of that new owner. But he did say: I sold it to another small local business. There will be another place for East Rock people to come to. I think theyll be very pleased. For neighbors worried about what might be showing up on their block, Mordecai said: I wouldnt sell it to a chain. He expects the new owner will spend the next few weeks or months doing renovations before opening. Mordecai sold to that unnamed owner the remainder of Mordecais 20-year lease. The cafe built a loyal following by offering pizza from a brick oven, Italian entrees, pastries, salads and sandwiches as well as coffee. Along with ample seats inside, there was an outdoor seating area with long tables for patrons to enjoy in warm weather and bask in the communal neighborhood atmosphere. Local artists displayed their work on the walls. Mordecai lives seven blocks away on upper Orange Street, across the street from Romeos Gourmet Shoppe, a longtime fixture in the neighborhood. When I moved there 13 years ago, I became good friends with Romeo (Simeone) and his daughter, Fran (Simeone). I asked Romeo if he wanted to be a third partner. We took his name and we did it. Mordecai said it was a good fit for him at the time, as he was tired of the corporate life: working for AT&T. The second partner in the venture was Bruno Massaro Jr. They moved into the former Bunnells Hardware store and did extensive renovations. But now, Mordecai said, Its time for a change. Im getting older; Im 46. He said its such a relief waking up in the morning and not having to worry about the cafe. Mordecai also announced the closing on the cafes Facebook page, prompting messages of anguish and gratitude (and, inevitably in the online world, a few complaints about past service). But the positive send-offs predominated. One poster wrote: Oh no! This is terrible news. Our family spent so many wonderful mornings at Romeos. He raved about the espresso and bagels. Another posted this: So sad. This was one of the best places Id ever worked at. Dang. I know the winters were tough but Im seriously bummed seeing this. And another called the cafes closing another sign of the apocalypse. Wishing everyone a happy landing. Thank you for your special shop and delicious food. randall.beach@hearstmediact.com. Self-driving cars should be able to solve traffic and parking problems. However, this requires that most self-driving cars are used with ride-sharing to maximize the useful rides per car and to reduce the amount of parking that is needed. Adam Millard-Ball, an associate professor of environmental studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz, warns that if self-driving cars are allowed to circle cities while waiting for passengers, this will make traffic much worse. Making Traffic Worse and Wasting Parking Studies find that 30% of city traffic is already caused by people in cars looking for parking. Self-driving cars that do not park would make traffic two times worse. Cities like Seattle have five parking spots per household. Adam Millard-Ball writes in Transport Policy on The autonomous vehicle parking problem. Millard-Ball recommends congestion pricing to penalize roaming self-driving cars that are not parking. Traffic and Parking Can Be Much Better Self-driving cars and networked cars can prevent traffic jams, reduce the need for parking and reduce the overall number of cars that are needed to efficiently move people around. The reduction of traffic jams involves robotic cars being able to safely follow more closely. Maximizing the number of rides while reducing the number of same cars will reduce transportation costs, traffic and parking demands. Tesla and Elon Wants to Create a Hybrid model of Uber and AirBnb Elon talked about a Tesla self-driving car future. Tesla will enable ride-hailing and ridesharing. There will be Tesla dedicated cars for ride-hailing and customers will be able to share their car at will, just like you share your house in Airbnb. It will be a combination of two models. Allowing customers to share their self-driving car will solve the parking and reduce traffic congestion. Politicians fear of facing the constituents in an election held on the due date is not listed, explained, or discussed under common phobias by psychologists. Probably, it is so rare in the democratic world that psychologists are yet to invent a term to denote the phenomenon. A few dictionary definitions blended together, phobia, is an extreme and illogical fear reaction. It makes one experience a deep sense of anxiety or dread when thinking of the foundation of fear. The fear can be of a place, object or situation. Unlike general nervous disorders, a phobia is generally connected to something in particular. The impact of a phobia can range from annoying to severely disabling. People with phobias often realize their fear is irrational, but theyre unable to do anything about it. Such fears can interfere with work, studies, and personal relationships. Election Phobia One of the worst phobias, they say is the social phobia which is also referred to as SAD [Social Anxiety Disorder]. Its tremendous worry about social states and it can direct to self-isolation. People with social phobia frequently go out of their way to keep away from public situations. This fear is a reflection of their own insecurities. They tend to judge other people based on what they think is suitable or embarrassing and they judge themselves by the same criteria. At the moment, six Provincial Councils have ceased to function. It is now more than fifteen months since the Eastern, Sabaragamuwa and North Central Provinces ceased to function without elections being held. Until such time the psychologists discover a suitable term to classify the phenomenon, lets call it Election phobia. Back in 1998, CBKs government suffered from Election phobia and attempted to shun polls this way. It is worth examining the issue although it was not as bad as the present scenario where we have already dragged it on for over a year. In June 1998, the terms of the Sabaragamuwa, North-Central, Central, Uva and Western Provincial Councils expired and automatically these Councils became dissolved. Elections Commissioner, if I remember correct it was Dayananda Dissanayake who announced fresh elections by calling for nominations, which task he completed by mid July, 1998 and the date of the poll was fixed for August 28 with casting of postal voting on 4th --surprisingly President CBK imposed a state of emergency and publicized a statement cancelling the poll. People with social phobia frequently go out of their way to keep away from public situations. This fear is a reflection of their own insecurities In fact the Kumaranatunga government suffered from a fear psychosis or Election phobia and wanted the election postponed. FR petitions were filed in the Supreme Court by several political activists. They alleged that the declaration of emergency was a scrupulous act by her to block the due process that protected the peoples right to franchise by the Commissioner who announced Provincial elections. The SC judgement on FR Petitions were delivered end January 1999. In his judgement, Justice Mark Fernando, with G. P. S. De Silva CJ and Justice Gunasekera agreeing, described the reasons for the declaration of emergency by the President and her intentions in cancellation of the poll, it also observed that the Commissioner had not acted as per rules by not fixing a new date for the election. He also stated that the suspension of the issue of postal ballot papers in which the then Elections Commissioner complied was unlawful, arbitrary and not bona fide; it was done with knowledge that the proclamation of emergency and the regulation cancelling the date of the poll would be made the next day. Justice Mark Fernando held that the Commissioner had the power to fix a fresh date for the poll in terms of the PC Elections Act, but the Commissioner failed in performing his sacred duty. This he should have carried out irrespective of the validity of emergency regulations. Justice Mark Fernandos judgement Justice Mark Fernando held that the provisions of the Provincial Councils Elections Act intended speedy election, within three months or so of the dissolution of councils, and the regulation cancelling the election was not valid under the powers of the Public Security Ordinance. There was no threat to national security and the Commissioner had an all party meeting prior to calling for nominations, where the IGP was present and he had not referred to any difficulty in providing security. He also observed that the Commissioner has been assigned with powers, and guarantees of independence by Articles 103/ 104 of the constitution in order that the commissioner conduct elections as per law and prevent elections being inappropriately held back or suspended. Dasa Raja DharmaAvirodha The government thinks it will face an unmistakable loss in the hands of the Rajapaksa led alliance. The opposition will exploit to the maximum the escalating prices; rise in corrupt activities; public discontent that the government is unable to counter successfully, all adding to the fear psychosis of facing polls. However, they should realize the fact that by postponing PC elections by unscrupulous methods, deceitful practices and tricks, they only convey a negative message to the constituents history has proved that this sort of attitudes make things worse for them. In the ten principals of Buddhist Dasaraja Dharma, the last is Avirodha or absence of obstruction it advocates the importance of respecting the will of the people at all times. The opposition should not be censored; giving up of confrontational approach and policies; and endeavour for amity, concord and unity. The will of the people could be tested only through holding elections as and when they fall due and by not postponing them. The Referendum under JRJ in 1982 Its apparent that the UNP government is causing this delay in order to buy time. Some say that the PC Elections would never be held before the Presidential election which falls due between November 9th and December 9th, 2019. In 1982, President JR Jayewardene feared a loss of his parliamentary 2/3 if the electorates vote at a General election held under the new PR system, [which majority he needed to tinker the constitution at his whim and fancy.] hence the idea of holding a controversial referendum was adopted with the help of 5/6 majority the party enjoyed at the time; there was initial opposition by a group within but they who surrendered the undated letters of resignation had little say. The Liberal Party (LP) led by Dr Chanaka Amaratunga and deputy Dr Rajiva Wijesinghe broke its alliance with the UNP over JR Jayewardenes undemocratic endeavour in postponing parliamentary elections for six years and replacing it with a referendum. The LP described it as an attack on basic democratic rights of the people. By deferment of the poll to allow for electoral restructuring, the government is hoping to strengthen its position. There are a few Supreme Court rulings on this matter. Parliamentary elections postponing could be done only with the approval of a two thirds majority in Parliament and at a referendum by the people. For PC polls there is no such rule or law. There is a Supreme Court judgement that acknowledged Universal Franchise as a human right. An embarrassing defeat at the Provincial Council elections would certainly affect or influence the constituents at future polls. PC elections are to be followed by Presidential and Parliamentary polls; chances of turning tables are remote. The General Election that is due to be held in the year 2020 would face a similar fate unless the government takes immediate action to prevent the escalating cost of living and control unprecedented corruption. 1n 1975, Sirimavo Bandaranaikes UF government used her 2/3 to postpone general elections for two years, extending its five year term to seven years. At the date fixed by them for facing the electorate in 1977, she and her government suffered the heaviest loss the SLFP ever faced. The display of power can only create fear, and not peace. It is not possible to achieve genuine and long-lasting peace through fear. Fear can develop detestation: suppression works temporarily, not successful in the long term. Subsequently it will erupt and become aggressive. This fear psychosis or Election phobia in politicians would lead to psychological maladjustment, an increase in tendency toward fascism and totalitarianism according to views of medical researchers. Writer can be contacted at - kksperera1@gmail.com Trading Symbols: "EGD:TSX.V | EGDFF:US" VANCOUVER, Feb. 5, 2019 /CNW/ - Energold Drilling Corp. (EGD: TSX.V / EGDFF: US) ("Energold" or "the Company" or "Energold Group") is pleased to announce it has been awarded contracts for $14 million in the Canadian oil sands in 2019 and a further $7.0 million in sustainable energy programs in the United States. The mineral sands drilling programs for the 2018/2019 winter season conducted by Energold's Canadian subsidiary, Bertram Drilling Corp. is working on a backlog of contracts from two major oil sands clients valued at over $14 million CAD. This represents a 75% increase over the 2017/2018 season and a continuation of an upward trajectory from 2016 lows. Comparatively at full capacity the oil sands division generated over $30 million CAD in revenues in 2012. Traditionally, oil sands activity in Canada primarily occurs between November and work wraps up by April. Management's efforts to diversify the energy drill fleet have been successful in adding a second season in both hydro carbons and sustainable energy across North America. Sustainable drilling activity by Q3 2018 reached 217,800 meters compared to 94,000 meters in 2017, representing a 231% increase year over year. Bertram Drilling Inc., Energold's US subsidiary, the group's leader in ground loop geothermal programs now has 5 rigs in the field working on a total of approximately $7 million in confirmed projects. This is a dramatic increase over the first quarter in 2018 where only one rig was committed. The Company believes this is indicative of the growing revolution in sustainable energy in the United States, and tentatively looks to a fully committed geo-thermal fleet for the balance of the year. About Oil Sands Canada Canada has the third-largest oil reserves in the world. With 170 billion barrels of oil that can be recovered economically with today's technology, 164 billion barrels, or 96 per cent of Canada's oil reserves are located in the oil sands.1 Oil sands mining have been conducted for almost five decades. Oil sands are recovered using two main methods: drilling (in situ) and mining. The method used depends on how deep the reserves are deposited. Despite lower energy prices, 2018 oil sands expenditures totaled $12.6 billion with forecasts relatively flat until 20212. Energold's energy division (Bertram Drilling Corp.) has been servicing the oil sands since 1962 and holds an industry leading record of safety and performance. About Geothermal Drilling Geothermal energy revolves around the study of harnessing of constant heat energy found just hundreds of meters below the earth's crust. Harvesting this heating or cooling energy requires a system which involves a loop, a geothermal heat pump, drilling of the wells, and a distribution system. For larger residential or commercial buildings, a passive geothermal system can mediate temperature and create significant electrical savings. For more information on geothermal systems please refer to our website. The geothermal (passive and active) energy industry was valued at over $34 billion in 2016 and set to grow to over $57 billion per annum by 2024. 3 About Energold Drilling Corp. Energold Drilling Corp. is a leading global specialty drilling company that services the mining, energy, infrastructure, geothermal, water and manufacturing sectors in 25 countries. Specializing in a socially and environmentally sensitive approach to drilling, Energold provides a comprehensive range of drilling services from early stage exploration to onsite operations as well as manufacturing. References: 1 https://www.capp.ca/canadian-oil-and-natural-gas/canadas-petroleum-resources 2 https://www.aer.ca/providing-information/data-and-reports/statistical-reports/executive-summary 3 https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2017/07/10/1041891/0/en/Geothermal-Energy-Market-worth-over-57-billion-by-2024-Global-Market-Insights-Inc.html On behalf of the Directors of Energold Drilling Corp., "Frederick W. Davidson" Frederick W. Davidson President, CEO 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. Forward-Looking Statements: Some statements in this news release contain forward-looking information. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to proposed activities, work programs and future expenditures. These statements address future events and conditions and, as such, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the statements. Such factors include, among others, the effects of general economic conditions, a reduction in the demand for the Company's drilling services, the price of commodities, changing foreign exchange rates, actions by government authorities, the failure to find economically viable acquisition targets, title matters, environmental matters, reliance on key personnel, the ability for operational and other reasons to complete proposed activities and work programs, the need for additional financing and the timing and amount of expenditures. Energold Drilling Corp. does not assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statement. SOURCE Energold Drilling Group For further information: Jerry Huang - Chief Financial Officer - (604) 681-9501 or via email at [email protected], 1100 - 543 Granville St., Vancouver, BC V6C 1X8, www.energold.com, Telephone: 604-681-9501, Facsimile: 604-681-6813, [email protected] Related Links http://www.energold.com A body found in a suitcase on the side of a road in an upscale Connecticut town has been identified as Valerie Reyes, 24, who had been reported missing, according to the Greenwich Police Department. Reyes, a resident of New Rochelle, New York, had been reported missing to police in that city and was last seen on the morning of Jan. 29, Greenwich police said. Her family was notified of the body's identification Wednesday night. The Vehicle Importers Association of Sri Lanka (VIASL) said that it hoped more taxes would not be heaped on vehicle imports in the upcoming budget. Its chairman Ranjan Peiris said imposing more taxes on vehicle importers in the guise of increasing Government revenue would make the government hugely unpopular at the upcoming elections. More and more taxes had been imposed on vehicle imports by the Yahapalana Government. The public and our members have suffered a lot from unbearable taxes that have been imposed. Since last September, the Finance Ministry had instructed us to keep a 200 per cent cash margin at the time of opening Letters of Credit (LCs) when importing all vehicles, except buses, lorries and ambulances. That had caused a slightly drop in the number of vehicles imported, he added. This high cash margin limits vehicle imports. Due to that, new vehicle registrations have decreased by more than 50 per cent, he said. He said if the government thought that it could collect more revenue from increasing taxes that is a false notion. Imposing more taxes may actually result in less revenue to them. The Rupee value against US Dollar is falling. Instead of controlling that aspect they are busy imposing taxes on vehicle imports, which is completely the wrong approach, he said. The government should take measures to improve the infrastructure for vehicle imports and introduce new technology such as hybrid and electric vehicles. If the government wants to encourage an environment-friendly transport service, it should take measures to reduce taxes on hybrid and electric vehicles, he said. The government should also conduct promotions while implementing the infrastructure that is needed for this purpose such as erecting charging points for electric vehicles countrywide, he said. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama) NEW HAVEN The highway billboard advertising that legal marijuana is just 60 miles up Interstate 91 is getting competition from a city-based addiction-treatment agency. Weedmaps billboard, just north of Exit 3, on the left side of northbound I-91 , advertises recreational marijuana in Massachusetts with the message, Weed is legal in 60 miles. Turnbridge, a residential program that specializes in treating addictions and related disorders in young men and women, has posted a billboard a little more than a mile up the highway, just before Exit 8, saying, Addiction treatment is closer. Its main office is at 189 Orange St. in New Haven. Diana Clark, family outreach specialist for Turnbridge, said it was important to counter the message of Weedmaps billboard because the opinion of the dangers of marijuana is shifting and were beginning to see younger and younger kids using it. She said marijuana is not addictive in the same way as opioids, but there is sleeplessness, appetite suppression, headaches. Users also become psychologically dependent, she said, adding, for a teenager who has a vulnerability to another psychiatric condition such as bipolar disorder or psychosis, marijuana can be the tipping point for the symptoms to surface. Recreational marijuana is legal in Massachusetts, although it is illegal to take it across the state line. The Connecticut General Assembly plans to debate legalizing recreational marijuana in the current session. Medical marijuana is legal in Connecticut. Weedmaps connects consumers and businesses, which can list their products for free. Clark said once an employee saw Weedmaps sign, there wasnt a big discussion before Turnbridges staff decided to post one, too. What we know about billboards for alcohol [is] the approval rates for teen use goes up. So if we draw a natural extension, Im worried about the legalization leading to younger and younger use, she said. As a treatment center that treats young adults and teenagers, we have a significant number of kids whose lives have been derailed by marijuana, without other substances, Clark said. She said heavy users quit going to school, quit getting up in the morning, quit after-school activities. Their sole purpose seems to be getting, using and staying high on marijuana. Clark said most of the 180 patients Turnbridge may treat at a given time are between 17 and 27 years old. She said the agency has seen an uptick in the last two years with kids with marijuana disorders that have really interfered with their functioning. They dont have coping strategies for normal disappointments of life. Turnbridge, a residential program, not only offers treatment for substance use disorders but assists with academic, work, budgeting and social skills. There also is a family program because what happens with families is they are adjusting to a lower level of functioning, Clark said. Families are offered therapy and 24/7 on-call support. In addition, there are five support groups in Connecticut that are open to the community for parents who may not have a child in Turnbridges program. Turnbridge can be reached at 203-937-2309 or through its website. Carl Fillichio, a spokesman for Weedmaps, responded to a request for comment in an email, saying, We encourage and advocate for responsible consumption of legal, adult use cannabis. Our site includes a comprehensive and easy to understand educational section ... which provides important information for both novice and connoisseur consumers. When firefighter Lt. Mike Rheault saw a young boy standing in the hallway of a building he was responding to, he noticed the boy looked like he wanted to say something. Tegan McCall has cerebral palsy and is nonverbal, so he could not speak. But when Rheault began signing to him in an effort to communicate, McCall's face lit up, and the two started signing to each other. McCall's mother recorded the conversation and uploaded it to social media, where it gained more than 20,000 views. Watch the video above to see the conversation between McCall and Rheault, and find out how much it meant to McCall and his mother. BETHEL The town plans to transfer money allocated for renovations to Johnson Elementary School to the project at Rockwell. Combined, the elementary school renovations cost about $377,000 under the $65.8 million budget voters approved in October 2017 But renovations to Rockwell Elementary School are about $1.2 million over budget, while Johnson is almost $1.6 million under budget, according to figures presented to the building committee Tuesday evening. Josh Adams, chair of the Public Site and Building Committee, said it is normal for costs to change from the time the project is voted on to when contractors bid for work. It was so early on, he said. Its preliminary. Its almost unfair to put the cart in front of the horse. Rockwell was initially projected to cost $24.7 million, but ran over budget because of environmental issues, including a chemical called PCBs, in the school that need to be abated, Superintendent Christine Carver said. In the fall, Rockwell had been projected to be $90,000 over budget, but the building committee eliminated various features in the building to drive down costs. Johnson was originally estimated at $41.1 million, but the construction company found savings by working with various vendors and subcontractors, said Bob Tripi, of Rizzo Corp. The town attorney has said the town is allowed transfer money from one school to the other because residents voted on the $65.8 million figure, not on how the funds would be dispersed to each project. But the first selectman needs to send a letter to the building committee approving the transfer. Adams said he expects to receive the letter on Wednesday. I dont feel comfortable moving forward until we have that letter, Adams said. If it gets the letter, the committee plans to vote next Tuesday on the construction companys proposal for the guaranteed maximum price for renovations. This proposal estimates Rockwell will cost $25.9 million, while Johnson will cost $39.5 million. This includes construction and soft costs. A $1.8 million contingency for Rockwell and a $2.6 million contingency for Johnson are still available. The proposal includes various features the committee could choose to add onto the project if money allows. The transfer between Johnson to Rockwell will not affect the grant the town will receive from the state to cover 45 percent of eligible costs for the renovations, Superintendent Christine Carver said. She said the reason Rockwell went over budget due to the hazardous materials in the school was acceptable to the state. (The state) even said its fairly common that it happens, Carver said. Rockwell was built in 1971 and serves kindergarten through third grade, while Johnson was built in 1980 and serves fourth and fifth grade. When the schools are complete, third-graders will go to Johnson. Preliminary work has been ongoing for months, but construction is expected to start in the spring and be completed by Dec. 1, 2020. DANBURY Barbaries Black Angus Grill has reopened after a frozen water pipe burst and shut down the restaurant over the weekend. Kitchen staff discovered the broken pipe on Saturday and forced the restaurant to close its doors Saturday and Sunday while waiting for a plumbing crew to arrive to fix the system, restaurant owner Karen Barbarie said. STAMFORD IT consulting and research firm Gartner , which is expanding its Connecticut headquarters, reported Tuesday increasing revenues for the past quarter and year. Quarterly revenues increased 7 percent, to about $1.1 billion. Profits came to approximately $84 million, compared with $107 million in the same period in 2017. The 2017 results reflected a $60 million gain tied to the U.S. tax reform passed the same year. For the year, Gartner posted $4 billion in revenues, up 20 percent from 2017. Annual profits totaled $122 million, compared with $3 million in 2017. The 2017 bottom line included the $3.3 billion acquisition in 2017 of technology-and-analytics firm CEB. As we enter 2019, were better positioned than ever to deliver indispensable value to leaders across every function in the enterprise, Gartner CEO Gene Hall said in a statement. Among Gartners major businesses, quarterly revenues for research increased 15 percent. Returns for conferences grew 18 percent. Consulting revenues grew 12 percent. Gartner employs about 15,000 worldwide. The company is headquartered at 56 Top Gallant Road, in the citys Waterside section. Last September, Gartner announced it would add 400 jobs in Stamford during the next five years. The company employs about 1,200 at the main offices and around 100 elsewhere in the state. In addition to its main complex at 56 Top Gallant, Gartner has leased space at the neighboring 700 Fairfield Ave., where most of the new hires would work. Those additions would complement the approximately 300 employees hired in the state in the past five years. A $5 million state loan would support the expansion. All or part of the loan from the state Department of Economic and Community Development could be forgiven if Gartner meets certain job targets. pschott@scni.com; 203-964-2236; twitter: @paulschott Sri Lanka is a country thats blessed four times over with the hallowed teachings and tenets of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Islam. But sadly though, these four major world religions have not had that much of an impact when it came to liberating this country from the clutches of narcotics. There have been several awareness programmes and anti-narcotic marches organised by religious leaders while Narcotic Bureau officials assisted by Police, STF and Navy personnel continue to crack down hard on the smuggling, trafficking and distributing of narcotics such as Heroin, Marijuana, Cocaine, Ice and Ecstasy, but the use of these deadly drugs is seemingly spreading at an alarming rate making one wonder whether enough is being done to eliminate this menace. The following is a cross section of recent drug detections culled from media reports: Up to July 27 this year, 48,129 suspects, including 22 foreigners from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Maldives, Bolivia, and Germany were arrested and 173 kilograms of heroin and 2,975 kilograms of cannabis seized;two suspects were arrested on December 12 and 231 kilograms of heroin worth Rs.2,778 billion seized on the seas off Beruwala;two Bangladeshis were arrested on December 31 and 200 kilograms of heroin and five kilograms of cocaine worth more than Rs.3 billion seized and on the same day 988 Ecstasy pills worth more than Rs.3.5 million meant for party goers on New Years Eve seized. On January 22this year, five suspects among whom were two Americans, an Afghan and two Sri Lankans were arrested and 95 kilograms of heroin worth more than Rs.1,141 million seized at Kollupitiya; on January 31, an Iranian woman was arrested at the BIA while attempting to smuggle some 400 grams of a narcotic known as KUSH into the country while two suspects transporting 41.530 kilograms of Kerala Ganja were arrested in Jaffna and on February 2, six suspects were arrested in Mirigama and Veyangoda and 14 mobile phones and 402 grams of heroin worth more than Rs.5 million seized. The foregoing clearly indicates the gravity of the situation Sri Lanka is faced with and that a concerted effort needs to be made to eliminate this menace from spreading its tentacles and ensnaring the vulnerable. In such a scenario, an important question that needs to be asked is what happens to the narcotics which are regularly seized by law enforcement agencies? Is it necessary to await the conclusion of court cases to destroy the drugs? We have rarely if at all seen reports of the drugs seized being publicly destroyed after a proper and efficient system of accounting and auditing so as to prevent them seeping back into circulation proving true the proverbial, many a slip twixt the cup and the lip and nullifying all the hard work done by our valiant drug busters. There is no doubt that the spread of narcotics is gathering momentum in Sri Lanka and is not too far-fetched to assume that while on the one hand,a large quantity of narcotics entering and circulating in the country are detected and seized, on the other hand there may be similar quantities reaching the addicts, who are craving for a few moments of escape and in the process ruining themselves. It must have been with the intention of underscoring the need for increased vigilance at all entry points that Aviation Minister Arjuna Ranatunga last week obtained Cabinet approval to import 20 specially trained sniffer dogs at a cost of Rs.46 million to be deployed at the Airport to thwart narcotics being smuggled into the country. It also goes without saying that we also need an elite unit of committed personnel, well trained in anti-narcotic operations to gather drug-related information from all available sources and neutralise and deactivate the drug cartels and their remote-controllers,who are directly or indirectly linked to bribery, corruption and money laundering. Meanwhile,let us also point out that no worthwhile purpose will be served by killing narcotic distributors and addicts while the kingpins remain ensconced beyond the long arm of the law and roaming around disfiguring and despoiling our beloved country. Spewing out empty rhetoric will not get us anywhere, what we need and need right now is action and uncompromising action at that. There is no time to waste. New Delhi: In his second State of the Union address, US President Donald Trump vociferously advocated for The Wall. Talking about the tension at the countrys southern borders, Trump said that, The proper wall never got built. I will get it built. "My administration has sent to congress a common-sense proposal to end the crisis on the southern border. It includes humanitarian assistance, more law enforcement, drug detection at our ports, closing loopholes that enable child smuggling, and plans for a new physical barrier or wall to secure the vast areas between our ports of entry," Trump said. He called on both the Republicans and the Democrats to join forces to fight against urgent national crisis. Hailing his landmark meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, Trump said that the US would have been at war with North Korea had someone else been at the Oval Office. The annual address also saw a rare moment when the Democratic leaders were seen cheering for Trump. It was when Trump was speaking about women in workforce, the Democratic women, dressed in all-white, stood to cheer Trump's State of the Union address. Even the US president had a surprised look on his face. Trump also made it clear that the US will oppose Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. "We stand with the Venezuelan people in their noble quest for freedomand we condemn the brutality of the Maduro regime, whose socialist policies have turned that nation from being the wealthiest in South America into a state of abject poverty and despair," Trump said. On January 21, a group of 27 soldiers rose up against Maduro in Caracas. Although that was quickly suppressed, it helped spark a week of protests in which 40 people were killed in clashes with security forces, with hundreds more arrested, according to the United Nations. The US has already recognised Opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuelas interim president on January 23 while seven European nations, including Britain, France, Germany and Spain, have said they will do likewise unless Maduro calls presidential elections. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The wait is over! After decades of delay, National War Memorial will be inaugurated on February 25 this month. After missing the Republic Day deadline last month, the memorial will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 25. According to a circular by the Kendriya Sainik Board, several ex-servicemen have also been invited for the event. The Prime Minister will address the meeting at around 4 Pm at the National Stadium. The memorial missed the January 26 deadline due to some pending work, a defence ministry official said. The initial plan was to inaugurate the National War Memorial on January 25 and hold the wreath-laying ceremony there instead of Amar Jawan Jyoti on the Republic Day. However, due to some pending work it has been postponed and it is likely to be completed in a month, the official said. Construction of National War Memorial was a promise made by the BJP during the 2014 polls to honour soldiers who laid down their lives in wars and military operations since India's independence. It is being built at the India Gate C-hexagon with four landscaped concentric circle, including Amar Chakra (Circle of Immortality), Veer Chakra (Circle of Bravery), Tyag Chakra (Circle of Sacrifice) and Rakshak Chakra (Circle of Protection). The Memorial complex will include a central obelisk, an eternal flame, murals, graphic panels, inscription of names of martyrs, busts of winners of Param Veer Chakra among other features. The memorial has seen servela political and logistical hurdles. Earlier, then Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had opposed the memorial saying that it would affect the ambience of the area and restrict movement of the place, which is a popular hangout zone for residents of Delhi. Dikshit had written to Sushil Kumar Shinde and Kamal Nath demanding an alternative site for the memorial. In 2014, after Narendra Modi came to power, nod was given for the Rs 400-crore memorial. At that time, there were confusion over the site of the memorial. Arun Jaitley, then Defence Minister, agreed to the proposal made by the Army for building a war memorial at the `Chhatri complex` of India Gate after visiting the national war museum site at the Princes` Park locality near India Gate. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Lucknow: The Yogi Adityanath government has recommended withdrawal of 38 criminal cases against more than 100 individuals in 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots. According to reports, the recommendation note has been prepared by special secretary JP Singh and undersecretary Arun Kumar Rai. The recommendation report was sent to District Magistrate after getting a green signal from the Uttar Pradesh government on January 10. Several leaders of the ruling BJP, including MPs Sanjeev Balyan and Bharatendra Singh, MLAs Sangeet Som and Umesh Malik, are accused in the matter. Minister in the state government Suresh Rana and Hindutva leader Sadhvi Prachi are also accused in cases related to the Muzaffarnagar riots. Communal clashes in Muzaffarnagar and adjoining areas in August and September 2013 had claimed 60 lives and displaced over 40,000 people. The state government had formed a SIT to probe the riot cases. The SIT has filed charge sheets in 175 cases. Police had registered cases against 6,869 people and arrested 1,480 people in connection with the riots. According to the SIT, 418 accused have been acquitted in 54 cases due to lack of evidence. With PTI Inputs For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Congress party president Rahul Gandhi was in Odisha's Roukela on Wednesday to address Parivartan Sankalp Samavesh rally. During the meeting, some Congress party workers started shouting 'murdabad' for Odisha CM Naveem Patnaik after which Rahul Gandhi urged them not to chant such slogans. "Murdabad RSS ke log, BJP ke log kehte hain. Hum pyaar se kaam karte hai, hum jodne ka kaam karte hain aur hum in logo ko pyaar se harayenge. Murdabad hum nahi kehne wale." #WATCH: Congress President Rahul Gandhi when some Congress workers shout 'murdabad' for Odisha CM, says "Murdabad RSS ke log, BJP ke log kehte hain. Hum pyaar se kaam karte hai, hum jodne ka kaam karte hain aur hum in logo ko pyaar se harayenge. Murdabad hum nahi kehne wale." pic.twitter.com/xKLGCzuEbn ANI (@ANI) February 6, 2019 Congress president Rahul Gandhi accused the Naveen Patnaik government in Odisha of being "remote-controlled" from Delhi. Addressing a Congress rally in this steel city in western Odisha, he said the state was hit by the chit fund scam, in which many leaders of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) were involved, while the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre was stung by the Rafale scandal. The Odisha government was not operating from the state but was "remote-controlled" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and it had readily extended its support to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government on measures like demonetisation, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and different issues in Parliament, whenever the prime minister desired, Gandhi said. Stating that the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which has a facility in Odisha, had suffered due to the Rafale fighter jets deal, he said the Modi government had deprived the youth of the state of a large number of jobs through it. "Had the HAL got the opportunity to manufacture the fighter aircraft, a large number of people, including engineers and technicians, would have got jobs," the Congress chief said. Hitting out at Modi, he said the prime minister had promised to bring back the black money stashed abroad and give Rs 15 lakh to all Indians, but the assurance had remained a hollow one. The BJP had also failed to honour its promise of generating two crore jobs every year, Gandhi added. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The Pulwama district commander of terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba was killed in a brief gunbattle with a joint team of the Indian Army, CRPF and SOG at Chakoora area of Litter in south Kashmirs Pulwama on Wednesday. The slain was identified as Irfan Ahmad Sheikh of Chakoora village. Irfan was commander for district Pulwama and was active since last years, according to local reports. Sources said one more terrorist has escaped from the site. The area is still under cordon to trace out the remaining hiding terrorists. In another incident in Valley, two CRPF jawans were injured after unknown terrorists hurled grenades on the 18 battalion of the forces in Kashmir's Kulgam on Wednesday. The attack took place around 4.15 pm in which the constables sustained splinter injuries in leg and were immediately shifted to the government hospital in Kulgam. The condition of the jawan are reported to be stable. Following the blast, the government forces launched a hunt to nab the attackers. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. The worlds largest life insurer, AIA, invites you to the AIA Walk for Life, a charity walk in aid of the Sri Lanka Heart Association (SLHA). As part of the companys centennial celebrations, AIA will donate Rs. 1000/- on behalf of each person that joins the walk, to the SLHA. AIA CEO Pankaj Banerjee noted, Non- Communicable Disease is a very real problem in Sri Lanka, responsible for over 75% of deaths, which is well above the global rate of 63%. As a company that prioritizes making a positive difference in the communitys health and wellness, we wanted to link our centennial celebrations to a worthy cause. Coronary Heart Disease caused almost 25% of total deaths in Sri Lanka (WHO, 2017) and it is most likely that many of us know someone affected by heart disease. So, it is relevant that we support SLHAs efforts to create public awareness on prevention of heart disease while providing proper training for their staff to deliver better treatment to patients. He added, As a company, we are committed to helping people live healthier, longer, better lives and this initiative is well aligned with this objective. And as we turn 100, a century of care, protection and trust is a milestone that we want to celebrate with you. So, I warmly welcome you to come walk for life with us, make a difference and be somebodys hero. President of the Sri Lanka Heart Association Dr. Duminda Samarasinghe extended his appreciation to AIA, it is great that a leading global insurer is concerned about the welfare of Sri Lankans and is addressing the issue of heart disease, which is a primary concern in the country. What is notably lacking is an informed awareness on the prevention and management of heart disease and that is something we want to prioritize. We also need better training exposure and resources for our staff, so they can provide better, more specialized treatment to patients with heart disease. We welcome this donation from AIA on behalf of all of you who will join the walk and look forward to making a meaningful impact in preventing and managing heart disease in the country. Visit the Walk for Life events page on Facebook for more information or register online at www.aialife.com.lk and gather your friends and family to join the AIA Walk for Life, on Sunday the 10th February at the Race Course Grounds Colombo. (Registrations start at 6.30 am) New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday began hearing on a batch of petitions challenging its landmarks judgement of allowing women of all ages to enter Kerala's Sabarimala temple complex. A five-judge Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi is hearing 65 petitions including 54 review petitions and 5 fresh writ petitions. "We have 54 review petitions and 5 fresh writ petitions. There are are some transfer petitions also. We will first hear review petitions," Justice Gogoi said. K Parasaran for the Nair Service society has begun arguments for reviewing the verdict. Justices RF Nariman, AM Khanwilkar, DY Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra are part of the Constitution Bench along with Justice Gogoi. The hearing was earlier scheduled on January 22 but it was postponed after Justice Indu Malhotra went on medical leave. In September last year, the Supreme Court had allowed entry of women of all ages into the Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala in Kerala. The five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, in its 4:1 verdict, had said that banning the entry of women into the shrine is gender discrimination and the practice violates rights of Hindu women. While Justices RF Nariman and DY Chandrachud concurred with the CJI and Justice A M Khanwilkar, Justice Indu Malhotra gave a dissenting verdict. Justice Malhotra, the lone woman judge in the bench, passed a dissenting judgement and said that issues which have deep religious connotation should not be tinkered with to maintain a secular atmosphere in the country. She was of the view that it is not for courts to determine which religious practices are to be struck down except in issues of social evil like 'Sati'. Justice Malhotra said the right to equality conflicts with the right to worship of devotees of Lord Ayyappa. She said the issue in this case not limited to Sabarimala only. It will have far-reaching implications for other places of worships. The judgement had sparked a massive protest by devotees of Lord Ayyappa a celibate - in several parts of Kerala with several women of all ages participating in it. According to them, the judgment was against culture and tradition. They also demanded that the agama (scriptures) traditions be followed in the shrine of Ayyappa. Meanwhile, the Kerala Government who has been facing widespread criticism over errors in the list of women who prayed at the Sabarimala Temple has decided to re-prepare the list. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: In a sensational twist in the brutal killing of rifleman Aurangzeb, the Indian Army has detained three soldiers of 44 Rashtriya Rifles for allegedly sharing the inside information just before his murder. Aurangzeb was conferred the Shaurya Chakra posthumously on the Independence Day last year. According to latest reports, the three soldiers shared the details of Aurangzebs movement. The rifleman was abducted by the terrorists after he left the army camp for his home in Jammu and Kashmirs Poonch area. The Indian Express report identified the three RR soldiers as Abid Wani, Tajamul Ahmad and Adil Wani. These soldiers will now face an inquiry for allegedly sharing information about the rifleman. The abduction and murder of the jawan came several weeks after dreaded Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Sameer Tiger was gunned down by security forces in a fierce encounter in Pulwama. The rifleman was part of Major Rohit Shukla's team that gunned down Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Sameer Tiger. Sameer Ahmad Bhat alias Sameer Tiger, an A++ category terrorist was killed in the encounter at the Drubgam village of Pulwama district in May last year. The Army jawan had boarded a private vehicle in Shopian for Rajouri. Terrorists intercepted the vehicle as it approached Kalampora and abducted the jawan. His bullet-riddled body was found at Gussu village, about 10 km from Kalampora, in Pulwama district. Thousands from the area had gathered and shouted patriotic slogans during Aurangzebs funeral. In a viral video, Hanief, Aurangzebs father was seen asking why Pakistani flags were being waved in Kashmir. "The State government does not allow Army to work on anti militancy operations. They (Army) would teach stone-pelters and militants a lesson if they are given free hand to work. But this government does not allow them," Hanief was quoted as saying in the video. (With PTI inputs) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: After months of staunch protests against the Supreme Courts Sabarimala Temple ruling, the Travancore Devaswom Board on Wednesday said that it respects the top courts verdict. Rakesh Dwivedi appearing for the Board that manages the Lord Ayyappa Shrine said that, TDB has taken a decision to respect the judgment and not seek review. Dwivedi also pointed out various questions of law addressed by the 2018 judgment and how each judge addressed them. Often accused for anti-reform mindset, the Board said that, we have to transform society and include women in all walks of life. We should not point out biological attributes to exclude women from any walk of life. The Boards U-turn came during the hearing by the Supreme Court on a batch of petitions challenging its landmark judgment of allowing women of all ages to enter Kerala's Sabarimala temple complex. A five-judge Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi heard 65 petitions including 54 review petitions and 5 fresh writ petitions. "We have 54 review petitions and 5 fresh writ petitions. There are are some transfer petitions also. We will first hear review petitions," Justice Gogoi said. K Parasaran for the Nair Service society has begun arguments for reviewing the verdict. Justices RF Nariman, AM Khanwilkar, DY Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra are part of the Constitution Bench along with Justice Gogoi. The hearing was earlier scheduled on January 22 but it was postponed after Justice Indu Malhotra went on medical leave. In September last year, the Supreme Court had allowed entry of women of all ages into the Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala in Kerala. The five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, in its 4:1 verdict, had said that banning the entry of women into the shrine is gender discrimination and the practice violates rights of Hindu women. While Justices RF Nariman and DY Chandrachud concurred with the CJI and Justice A M Khanwilkar, Justice Indu Malhotra gave a dissenting verdict. Justice Malhotra, the lone woman judge in the bench, passed a dissenting judgment and said that issues which have deep religious connotation should not be tinkered with to maintain a secular atmosphere in the country. She was of the view that it is not for courts to determine which religious practices are to be struck down except in issues of social evil like 'Sati'. Justice Malhotra said the right to equality conflicts with the right to worship of devotees of Lord Ayyappa. She said the issue in this case not limited to Sabarimala only. It will have far-reaching implications for other places of worships. The judgment had sparked a massive protest by devotees of Lord Ayyappa a celibate - in several parts of Kerala with several women of all ages participating in it. According to them, the judgment was against culture and tradition. They also demanded that the agama (scriptures) traditions be followed in the shrine of Ayyappa. Meanwhile, the Kerala Government who has been facing widespread criticism over errors in the list of women who prayed at the Sabarimala Temple has decided to re-prepare the list. The Supreme Court has reserved judgment in 65 petitions including 56 review petitions and 4 fresh writ petitions. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Robert Vadra, the brother-in-law of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, was Wednesday questioned by Enforcement Directorate (ED) in New Delhi for six hours in its money laundering probe into alleged possession of illegal foreign assets, days after he was directed by a city court to appear before the central probe agency. Vadra's wife Priyanka Gandhi accompanied him in a white Toyota Land Cruiser and dropped him outside the ED's office in Jamnagar House, in a move seen as sending a political message to Congress' opponents ahead of Lok Sabha polls. Shortly after, Priyanka took charge as AICC general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh East, a fortnight after her formal induction into the Congress party on January 23. "He is my husband, he is my family...I support my family," Priyanka said in a show of support to Vadra, who returned from London earlier in the day. Priyanka was asked by newsmen at the All India Congress Committee(AICC) headquarters whether she was sending any message by dropping her husband at the ED office for questioning. Asked if it was a political vendetta, she said everyone knows why this is being done.It is for the first time that Vadra, son-in-law of Sonia Gandhi, is appearing before any probe agency in connection with alleged criminal charges of dubious financial dealings. After jostling with a posse of assembled media persons, Vadra entered the ED office at around 3:47 pm, minutes after a team of his lawyers reached the premises. He then signed the attendance register before being taken in for questioning.Vadra has denied allegations of possessing illegal foreign assets and termed them a political witch hunt against him. Vadra has alleged he was being "hounded and harassed" to subserve political ends.Sources said Vadra has been asked that if he does not know about the property, then tell the same in writing. Vadra has been asked that he doesn't know arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari, then tell this in writing. Vadra has also been warned if he makes a wrong statement, he may have to face legal proceedings, sources said. Vadra told the ED officials that he has not purchased the property and calls himself innocent. "I do not remember much about the email and I do not know much about Sanjay Bhandari", says Vadra. The ED then showed the mails and said he had sent the mails to Bhandari. Here are some of the questions ED officials asked Robert Vadra Is London's 12 Brighton Squire property yours? Whats your connection with the London property, why mails were sent to you regarding its renovation? Is it right that the floor plan of this property was sent to you? In 2010, when these mails were coming to you, this property was with the arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari. Then why did the email come to you? Is this property linked to you? A fund was also sought to build a property from you, and in response, you also responded to Sumit Chadda who had sent the mail. You had assured him for the fund, why were you arranging for the fund? Why was the copy of every email sent to you was given to Sanjay Bhandari? How do you know Sanjay Bhandari and Sumit Chadda? Do you know the Indian national CC Thampi, who lives in Dubai, and who bought this property from Sanjay Bhandari? For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said that no one can stop them from holding a rally. He said this while referring to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjees decision to not allow his chopper to land in the state where he was scheduled to address rallies. The Uttar Pradesh chief minister had to Purulia by road from Jharkhand's Bokaro after the Bengal government denied permission for helicopter landing. Adityanath, who was addressing a Booth Adhyaksh Sammelan in Aligarh along with Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah, praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for launching various schemes for the welfare of the poor. In PM Modis regime, various schemes have been provided to the poor, including electricity connection, houses, and gas connection, Adityanath said. Modi Jis leadership has taken the nation to heights. We are on our way to become a superpower and therefore we need to make sure that PM Modi comes to power again, he added. The Uttar Pradesh chief minister asked party workers to work hard at the booth level as it is the key to success in 2019 Lok Sabha Elections. Mera booth Sabse majboot (My booth is the strongest) is password to success, said UP Yogi Adityanath in Aligarh. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Wednesday dismissed PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti's demand for action against an Army officer, saying "she doesn't need to be taken seriously". Malik's remarks come a day after Mufti demanded action against one Major Shukla, who allegedly tortured a Pulwama resident, Tauseef Wani, at the Shadimarg camp of the Army and threatened to kill him in an encounter. The governor said he stood behind the security forces and would not allow the such statements to demoralise the security forces. "She doesn't need to be taken seriously. We will not allow the morale of the security forces to be affected by statements like that of Mehbooba Mufti," Mailk told reporters here. "I stand by our forces. Wherever there are atrocities, we take action. In some such cases with regard to the police force, we are taking action and are transferring all of them (erring police personnel). But we still stand with our forces," he added. Malik alleged that Mufti's demand was aimed at gaining public support ahead of the upcoming state assembly elections. "It is the time of elections. Her party is breaking. She is in a bad state. (Previously also) she had come to power through this sort of support," he said. Responding to Malik's remarks, Mufti said she was "saddened" to see constitutional authorities "take sides so brazenly". "Instead of taking cognizance of the brutality that the young boy has been subjected to, and ordering action against the culprits, it is sad that the honourable governor is talking politics instead. Saddened to see the constitutional authorities taking sides so brazenly," she said in a tweet. The PDP president said instead of accusing her party of demonising the Army, the governor should face the situation. "So please let's call a spade a spade, instead of accusing us of demonising the Army. I have also spoken to the Corps Commander to take note of this incident," Mufti said. National Conference leader Omar Abdullah also objected to Malik's remarks. "Governor Sb this is an unacceptable statement and an unnecessary interference in politics. At this rate it won't be long before people stop taking Raj Bhavan seriously. So please consider the office you occupy before you give statements," Abdullah tweeted. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Bhubaneswar: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday launched a slew of highway and port projects worth Rs 6,000 crore in Odisha and said another Rs 2.5 lakh crore would be pumped in to boost the infrastructure here but the state must cooperate by expediting land acquisition process. The Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Water Resources Minister laid foundation for three national highway projects worth Rs 2,345 crore at Kamakhyanagar in Dhenkanal district of Odisha. These projects include four-laning of the Talcher-Kamakhyanagar section of NH 200/23, Kamakhyanagar-Duburi section of NH 200 and Duburi-Chandikhole section of NH 200, the officials said. He also inaugurated a port project worth Rs 431 crore and laid foundation for six others worth Rs 3,206 crore in total at a function at Paradip in Jagatsinghpur district. Stating that the length of national highways in Odisha has more than doubled in the last four years from 4,632 km in 2014 to 9,426 km in 2018, Gadkari said the Centre is now spending nearly Rs 1 lakh crore on laying national highways in the state. Also Read | No need to take Mehbooba's demand for action against Army officer seriously, says Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik He said the Centre is strengthening the transport system in the state in all sectorsnational highways, waterways and seawaysto enable Odisha realise its full potential as a mineral rich state. He added investments worth Rs 2.5 lakh crore was going to be made in the near future to further strengthen the states transportation sector. Speaking on infrastructure projects like coastal highway, second bridge over Brahmani river at Rourkela among others which are stuck due to issues like land acquisition, forest and environment clearances, the union minister said the Odisha government should cooperate in addressing these issues. The union minister said NH projects worth more than Rs 6,000 crore have been completed in Odisha. Some of these include four-laning of Sambalpur-Bargarh, Panikoili-Remuili and Bhubaneswar-Puri NH, six-laning of Bhubaneswar-Chandikhol NH, construction of four lane national highway upto Jharsuguda town, construction and strengthening of bridges on NH 57 and NH 59 and some other highways. Also Read | Honey-trapped on WhatsApp, Telugu NRI businessman killed in Andhra Pradesh for unpaid loans Several other projects worth more than Rs 4,500 crore are scheduled for completion this year, he said, adding about 1,645 km of NH worth Rs 30,000 crore are envisaged under Bharatmala, including 93 km of ring roads around major towns, and their detailed project reports are being prepared, he said. Gadkari announced that a 262 km-long waterway, combining Mahanadi and Brahmani rivers, will be developed from Kalinganagar to Dhamra via Paradip at a cost of Rs 5,000 crore. This waterway is expected to carry around 200 lakh tonne of cargo every year and is touted to be a game-changer for the state. It will boost coal, iron, steel and other industries in Odisha and create huge employment opportunities for the local population, officials said. Speaking on the port-led industrialisation, the union minister said 34 projects worth Rs 20,000 crore have been identified for Odisha under Sagarmala. Also Read | Delhi: 19-year-old woman arrested for raping another woman using sex toy The capacity and efficiency of Paradip Port is rising continuously and it will make the state prosper, the union minister said. Among the projects launched by Gadkari in Paradip port was a multipurpose berth developed for handling clean cargo for diversifying its freight profile. Its capacity is 5 Million Metric Tonne Per Annum (MMTPA) and the estimated cost is Rs 430.78 crore, officials said. A dust suppression system completed at a cost of Rs 17.5 crore was also launched in the mechanised coal handling plant at the port. Foundation stone was laid for several projects, including mechanisation of berths to enhance their capacity to 30 MMTPA, which will enable cargo handling of thermal coal exports in an eco-friendly manner through closed conveyor system at a cost of Rs 1,437.76 crore, officials said. Moreover, a new coal berth will be developed for handling coal imports at Paradip Port on build?operate?transfer basis at an estimated cost of Rs 655.56 crore. Also Read | Kartik Aaryans simpleton look in Pati Patni Aur is the latest meme-talk, seen them yet? A project worth Rs 66.4 crore will be taken up for transfer of thermal coal received through BOXN wagons from iron ore handling plant to mechanised coal handling plant stockyard, Gadkari said. The other projects at the port are installation of container scanner at a project cost of Rs 40 crore and a second exit from PPT including flyover to reduce traffic inside city area and provide improved connectivity at a cost of Rs 94 crore. A multi-modal logistics park being developed at an estimated cost of Rs 200 crore spread across 100 acres was also launched at Paradip, officials said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The Patiala House Court will hear the JNU sedition case against Umar Khalid, Kanhaiya Kumar, Anirban Bhattacharya on February 28, it said on Wednesday. The Delhi Police said before the court that the Delhi government hadnt given them the requisite permission to file a chargesheet in the case. The court said that permission should have been taken earlier and ordered the police to ask the state government to give the sanctions. It also said that authorities can't sit on file for an indefinite period. The court had January 19 slammed the police for filing a chargesheet against former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar and others in the 2016 JNU sedition case without taking approval from the legal department. "You dont have approval from legal department, why did you file chargesheet without approval?" the court asked the police. The Delhi police told the Metropolitan Magistrate Deepak Sheraw that it would procure the requisite sanctions from the legal department within 10 days. On January 14, the Delhi Police had filed the chargesheet against Kanhaiya Kumar and others. In its chargsheet, the police claimed that Kumar was leading the procession and supported the anti-India slogans raised in the university campus. "It is evident from Kumar's act seen in the video footage/statements of witnesses that he become the part of unlawful assembly, led the unlawful assembly, played active role in riots, raised/supported anti national slogans which lead to violence," the police said in its chargesheet, adding that "Kumar himself raised anti-India slogans to incite hatred and disaffection towards the government established by the law." RELATED Police also charged former JNU students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya for allegedly shouting anti-India slogans during the event held on February 9, 2016, to commemorate the hanging of Parliament-attack mastermind Afzal Guru. Khalid raised slogans as shown in the videos and mobile clips, the police said, citing a video which shows him saying "the programme is against occupation of Kashmir by the Indian State. I am making it very apparent that I am not from Kashmir but I believe that what is happening in Kashmir is Indian occupation of Kashmir..." The evidence listed by the agency include report of JNU's high-level committee, statement of varsity's Registrar Bhupinder Jutshi and the mobile phone recordings in which Kumar was seen arguing with him over cancellation of the programme. On February 11, 2016, a case was registered under sections 124A and 120B of the IPC against unidentified persons at the Vasant Kunj (North) police station, following complaints from BJP MP Maheish Girri and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen, which is involved in a series of terror acts, has been banned by the government, the Union Home Ministry said on Wednesday. In a notification, the ministry said the central government believes that the Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen (TuM) is involved in terrorism as it has committed and participated in various acts of terrorism in India and its members are getting financial as well as logistic support from their handlers based abroad. The Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen came into existence in 1990 with the objective of "liberation of Kashmir" and has been actively pursuing the same by way of acts of terror, the ministry said. "Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by clause (a) of sub-section (1) of section 35 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, the central government hereby makes the following further amendments in the First Schedule to the said Act, namely:- In the First Schedule to the said Act, after serial number 40 and the entries relating thereto, the following serial number and entries shall be inserted, namely:- '41. Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen (TuM) and all its manifestations'," it said. The TuM has carried out a number of terrorist attacks, besides subversive acts, such as grenade attacks, weapons snatching and supporting other terrorist outfits like the Hizb-Ul-Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba, in terms of financial and logistic support in the recent past, the notification said. The terror group has also committed acts of terrorism and promoting acts of terrorism. It has been engaged in radicalisation and recruitment of youth for terrorist activities in India. The notification said a number of cases have been registered by the Jammu and Kashmir Police in the recent past, in which it is found that the TuM has played a major role in commission of terrorist acts and a number of its cadre have been arrested. In the cases, it was also found that the group is running terrorist training centres for Kashmiri youth and is likely to recruit more youth from the Jammu and Kashmir, it said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: India's latest communication satellite GSAT-31 was successfully launched by European launch services provider- Arianespace rocket from French Guiana in the early hours of Wednesday. Blasting off from Ariane Launch Complex at Kourou, a French territory located in northeastern coast of South America at at 02:31 am (IST), the Ariane-5 vehicle injected GSAT-31 into the orbit in a flawless flight lasting about 42 minutes. "It gives me great pleasure on the successful launch of GSAT-31 spacecraft on board Ariane-5, this is the third mission for ISRO in 2019," Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) Director S Pandian said at Kourou soon after the launch. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump was to urge unity in his State of the Union speech Tuesday but the new spirit of bipartisanship risked withering before he even reached the podium. The White House said the annual speech to Congress would see an "optimistic" Trump seeking to heal the Republican-Democratic divide. 22:58 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Union Cabinet has approved the proposal for Abolition of Institution of Income-Tax Ombudsman and Indirect Tax Ombudsman. 20:31 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In All schools and anganwadi centres in Bageshwar, Tehri, Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Champawat to remain closed tomorrow in the light of heavy rain forecast in the mountain ranges of the state. 17:07 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Search Committee for Lokpal invites applications for chairperson and members of Lokpal 16:35 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In GoAir Airbus Neo aircraft returns to Ahmedabad Airport due to snag in engine A GoAir Airbus Neo aircraft flying from Ahmedabad to Kolkata returned at Ahmedabad Airport due to snag in the engine. The flight, with 185 passengers on-board, landed safely. 13:55 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Delhi High Court seeks reply of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on the petition filed by Himachal Pradesh's former CM Virbhadra Singh&his wife challenging the framing of charges by trial Court in disproportionate assets case against them. Next date of hearing is April 16. 13:05 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Lieutenant General KJS Dhillon, General Officer Commanding (GoC) 15 Corps designate, today inaugurated smart classrooms for students of Army Goodwill High School Hanzik, Sharifabad in Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir. #JammuAndKashmir : Lieutenant General KJS Dhillon, General Officer Commanding (GoC) 15 Corps designate, today inaugurated smart class rooms for students of Army Goodwill High School Hanzik, Sharifabad in Budgam district. pic.twitter.com/BzE2UFFV3U ANI (@ANI) February 6, 2019 11:40 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Lok Sabha adjourned for the day after paying homage to sitting BJD member from Odisha, Ladu Kishore Swain, who passed away today morning. 11:06 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In RJD gives notice in Rajya Sabha under rule 267 to the suspension of business and discusses against 13 point roster in university and colleges. 10:53 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In PoK protests rock London, agitators hand over memorandum to Theresa Mays office In sign of increasing global pressure on Imran Khan government, activists held protests at 10 Downing Street against Pakistan's illegal occupation in the region. Protestors also handed over memorandum to British Prime Minister Theresa Mays office. 10:15 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood face massive protest in London Several activists from Pakistan occupied Kashmir staged protests against Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in London, ANI reported today. 08:55 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In BJD MP Ladu Kishore Swain passes away at the age of 71. He was admitted to Apollo Hospital in Bhubaneswar yesterday late night due to kidney ailments. Odisha: BJD MP from Aska Lok Sabha constituency Ladu Kishore Swain passes away at the age of 71. He was admitted to Apollo Hospital in Bhubaneswar y'day late night due to kidney ailments. pic.twitter.com/1yN0gUNLs8 ANI (@ANI) February 6, 2019 07:41 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Japanese delegation led by Kenju Hiramatsu, Japanese Ambassador to India, met Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, today. Bengaluru: Japanese delegation led by Kenju Hiramatsu, Japanese Ambassador to India, met Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, today. pic.twitter.com/KdQrYJhJZf ANI (@ANI) February 5, 2019 For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. The United National Party (UNP) has informed Speaker Karu Jayasuriya of the partys intention to move a resolution on forming a National Government. The UNP has in doing so identified a UNP-Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) coalition as satisfying constitutional conditions for such an eventuality. The SLMC has just one member in Parliament, Seyed Ali Zahir Moulana, the others having contested under elephant symbol at the 2015 general elections. Two words. Hilarious and preposterous. Oh! There are another couple of words: expected and scandalous. Lets walk through the process. When the 19th Amendment was tabled in Parliament, the authors (who did a lot of hanky-panky after the Supreme Court determined that sections were unconstitutional) they ensured (yes, it was deliberate) that national government would be ill-defined. On April 28, 2015, MP Chandrasiri Gajadheera demanded a definition, the then Justice Minister Wijedasa Rajapakshe responded thus: A national government is formed when a recognised political party or an independent group obtaining the highest number of seats in Parliament and the recognised political party or the independent group obtaining the second highest number of seats in Parliament agree to form a Government. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe affirmed this position when others raised the question. Indeed, this is how the text of the draft reads (with respect to the size of the Cabinet): Article 46 (3) a National Government as: If at the conclusion of the General Election held immediately after the coming into force of this Article, the recognised political party or the independent group obtaining the highest number of seats and the recognised political party or the independent group obtaining the second highest number of seats in Parliament agree to form a government of national unity, then, notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (1), the number of ministers of the Cabinet of Ministers and the number of Ministers outside of the Cabinet of Ministers and the Deputy Ministers, may be increased up to 45 and 55, respectively. However, late that night, when the Bill was passed (while most the MPs were probably half-asleep), the constitutional experts involved, Jayampathy Wickramaratne certainly and possibly M.A. Sumanthiran of the TNA, the wording had been amended in favour of vagueness and making for multiple interpretations. The second highest number of seats section had been replaced by other parties or independent groups represented in Parliament. The subterfuge even escaped Asanga Welikala of the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) who edited a collection of essays on the 19th Amendment. Well, we are being generous here, for Welikala has scholarly credentials and one assumes that when compiling such a text basic homework would be done! So we have the four words; hilarious, preposterous, expected and scandalous. Hilarious because theres nothing national about the UNP and because the UNP plus a single SLMC MP is an insult to the word national when there are the SLFP, the SLPP, JVP and TNA making up more than 50% of the parliament. Preposterous because it goes against the grain of all sentiments associated with good governance and is antithetical to pre-election rhetoric of the UNP regarding cabinet size, doing things differently, being decent etc. Expected because the UNP has a long history of letting political expediency wreck national interest in such matters, dating back to J.R. Jayewardenes constitutional tinkering starting with the 1978 constitution, through all amendments until the 17th including the unconstitutional and treacherous 13th. Scandalous because the Speaker hasnt as of now thrown the motion out. The subterfuge even escaped Asanga Welikala of the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) who edited a collection of essays on the 19th Amendment The Speaker. Karu Jayasuriya. He didnt cover himself in glory during the recent constitutional crisis except of course in the eyes of the UNP and its support cast of funded-voices, candlelight-ladies and born-again democrats. A simple comparison on the motions against Ranil Wickremesinghe (April 2018) and Mahinda Rajapaksa (October-November 2018) in terms of adherence to procedural norms, time frame and of course how the vote was counted would put all doubts to rest. Now Karu Jayasuriya, the democrat, has a decent enough history, especially compared to the vast majority of parliamentarians past and present. And yet, apart from the ungainly and partisan conduct mentioned above, he was also complicit in another piece of constitutional skullduggery engineered by the UNP, that which related to the Provincial Councils. The UNP, was loud about legislation to ensure better female representation but quietly slipped in a bunch of procedural obstructions to make it hard to hold provincial council elections. Karu Jayasuriya chose to ignore objections raised at the time. The non-holding of long overdue PC elections is another matter about which the democracy-loving self-appointed civil society watchdogs are quiet about. Indeed, even the devolution-mad democrats including that arch word-twister M.A. Sumanthiran dont seem upset that these bodies are non-functional. In effect theyve cast a damning vote against constitutional amendments that seek to wreck the unitary nature of the state. Thats an aside, by the way. What we have is, let us reiterate, a hilarious, preposterous, scandalous and nevertheless expected attempt at constitutional tinkering on the part of the UNP. What it does to the spirit of democracy is something that should upset the more democratic elements in the UNP, for example, Eran Wickramaratne and, well, thats about the only name that comes up! Karu can do a Recent Karu and let Kiriellas motion hold. He could do an Old Karu and ensure that the flicker of that thing called the spirit of democracy prevail. If he does the former, theres bound to be objection from within parliament and it would be interesting to see how the TNA and JVP respond. There would be litigation and we can have a new season of courtroom teledrama. The Speaker is a seasoned politician. A year ago I would have been convinced that he would not allow this kind of nonsense. Now I am not sure. Who knows, though, maybe he will surprise one and all once again! malindasenevi@gmail.com. www.malindasenevi@gmail.com. New Delhi: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is back in news again and not for the right reasons. Barely a week after an HAL-upgraded Mirage 2000 crashed at its airport killing two Indian Air Force pilots, an Indian Army helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing in a potato filed near Bengaluru. News Nation was the first to capture the very moment when the chopper landed in the field. The officer flying the helicopter is said to be safe. According to an HT report, Rudra Mk IV armed chopper was also on an acceptance sortie just like Mirage 2000. The report said that the chopper made emergency landing due to hydraulic failure. In a statement, the HAL said that the chopper is now being flown back to its facility. The incident has added to the ongoing debate over the PSUs performance issue. Rudra, the armed choppers, are equipped with air-to-air missiles, 70 mm rockets and 20 mm turret guns, the HT report said. On Tuesday, the chopper made the emergency landing in a field at Talghatpora Police Station Limit in Kanakpora Taluk at around 1:15pm. The initial reports say that the pilot is safe. No damage was reported to the chopper also. #BREAKING | Indian Army helicopter makes emergency landing in potato field near Bengaluruhttps://t.co/yvHdejYg2Q News Nation (@NewsNationTV) February 5, 2019 The incident comes a day after Army chief General Bipin Rawat visited Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland to review the military preparedness. Arunachal Pradesh shares a 1,080 km border with China, 520 km border with Myanmar and 217-km border with Bhutan. The Army chief started his North East tour with a visit to the Spear Corps headquarters, Rangapahar Military Station, Dimapur in Nagaland on Sunday, they said. Gen Rawat reviewed the operational preparedness of Spear Corps and expressed satisfaction with the preparedness along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and lauded its people friendly counter-insurgency operations, officials said. Meanwhile, there are reports that the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force are embroiled in a tussle over who will control the attack choppers. The issue includes the role of the Apache choppers. General Rawat has been quoted as saying that Apaches need to be grouped with the armys strike formation. According to an Economic Times report, India has spent close to $3 billion for 15 Chinook and 22 Apache helicopters for the Indian Air Force. The army will separately get six Apaches, through an option clause of the earlier deal. The report also quoted General Rawat as saying that there will be anti-helicopters for the Indian Army. The Advanced Light Helicopter-Weapon system integrated will have missiles especially meant for anti-helicopter operations. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. highlights Pooja Shakun Pandey was arrested from Tappal in Aligarh. The police had registered a case against 13 people. The video of the incident went viral and drew massive condemnation. Aligarh : Hindu Mahasabha leader Pooja Shakun Pandey has been arrested by the Police for recreating Mahatma Gandhis assassination on his death anniversary. According to reports, the Hindu Mahasabha leader was arrested from Tappal in Aligarh District of Uttar Pradesh. The police have also arrested her husband Ashok Pandey. Pooja, however, said she had no regrets as she didnt commit any crime. "No regrets. We have not committed any crime. We have used our Constitutional right," she told media persons while being produced before a local court. Earlier on January 1, when the nation observed Mahatma Gandhis 71st death anniversary, Hindu Mahasabha leader Pooja enacted his assassination by Godse who was a member of her organisation. During the enactment of Gandhis assassination, Pandey shot at Gandhis effigy and garlanded his killer. Aligarh police has arrested Hindu Mahasabha's Pooja Pandey and her husband Ashok Pandey from Tappal, for recreating Mahatma Gandhis assassination. ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) February 6, 2019 The Hindu Mahasabha leaders actions had triggered a storm on social media with users slamming her and demanding police action against her. However, she wasnt moved by the criticism and told reporters that this would be an annual event "just like the burning of Raavan on Dussehra". A case was registered against 13 people, including Pandey for shooting at the effigy of the Father of Nation. The police arrested five people last week in connection with the event. The accused were booked under the Indian Penal Code Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), 147, 148, 149 (related to rioting). Meanwhile, Congress activists have been staging protests demanding the arrest of the accused. Former chief minister and Delhi Congress president Sheila Dikshit also staged a silent protest at Raj Ghat against the insult of Mahatma Gandhi. "People of India are enraged and will never forgive such a hurtful incident under the BJP rule at the Centre," Dikshit had said. Amid outrage, Union Minister Uma Bharti had clarified that she had no link with the with the Hindu Mahasabha and the culprits should be brought to book. Uma Bharti further added that she herself is a Gandhian and would always regret that people like Pooja stood by her side. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. highlights Vadra's wife Priyanka Gandhi accompanied him, in a white Toyota Land Cruiser. Vadra was directed by a Delhi court to cooperate with the investigation. The court had asked Robert Vadra to appear before the ED on Wednesday. New Delhi: Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra on Wednesday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money-laundering probe case relating to alleged possession of illegal foreign assets. Vadra's wife Priyanka Gandhi accompanied him, in a white Toyota Land Cruiser along with SPG personnel in tow, and dropped him outside the agency's office in Jamnagar House in central Delhi. She soon left in her convoy of vehicles. Vadra entered the ED office at around 3:47 pm even as a team of his lawyers had arrived minutes before him. This is the first time Vadra, also the brother-in-law of Congress president Rahul Gandhi, is appearing before any probe agency in connection with alleged criminal charges of dubious financial dealings. Vadra has denied these allegations in the past and termed them a political witch hunt against him. Rahul Gandhi's sister Priyanka Gandhi is married to Vadra and was recently appointed as party general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh. Vadra was directed by a Delhi court to cooperate with the investigation being carried out by the central probe agency after he knocked on its door seeking anticipatory bail in this case. The court had asked him to appear before the ED on Wednesday after returning from London. WATCH VIDEO | Robert Vadra being questioned by ED over money laundering case Official sources said Vadra will be put through questions on transactions, purchase and possession of certain immovable assets in London and his statement will be recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The case relates to allegations of money laundering in the purchase of a London-based property located at 12, Bryanston Square worth 1.9 million pounds, which is allegedly owned by Vadra. The agency had told the court that it has received information about various new properties in London which belongs to Vadra. The ED had carried out raids in this case in December last year and grilled his aide Manoj Arora, an employee of a firm linked to Vadra, Skylight Hospitality LLP. Vadra has also been directed by the Rajasthan High Court to appear before the ED on February 12 in connection with another money laundering case being probed by the agency. 21:48 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Robert Vadra leaves ED office after being questioned for five hours. Delhi: Robert Vadra leaves from the Enforcement Directorate office after questioning in connection with a money laundering case. pic.twitter.com/FtSidnpGJ8 ANI (@ANI) February 6, 2019 21:18 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Robert Vadra's questioning by the ED is over. The interrogation continued for five hours. 21:18 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Robert Vadras car reaches ED office. Vadra could be out soon. 21:04 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In The ED Director is holding a meeting with other officials at the agency headquarters on the Vadra case. The meeting is held to decide to the next date of questioning. 21:04 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In The questioning of Robert Vadra by could be over soon. The ED will again summon him for questioning as the agency is not satisfied with Vadra's answers. 18:46 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Vadra told the ED officials that he has not purchased the property and calls himself innocent. Vadra is being shown emails and property documents, sources said. "I do not remember much about the email and I do not know much about Sanjay Bhandari", says Vadra. The ED has shown the mail and said he had sent the mail to Bhandari. Answering the most questions, Vadra said he does not remember much and will tell once he does. 18:32 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In In the second phase, the documents are being investigated. Sources said Vadra has been asked that if he does not know about the property, then tell the same in writing. Vadra has been asked that he doesnn't know Sanjay Bhandari, then tell this in writing. Vadra has been warned if he makes a wrong statement, he may have to face legal proceedings, sources said. 18:00 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In The ED has been questioning Robert Vadra for more than two hours. 17:59 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Robert Vadra has submitted documents related to income tax to ED officials. 17:38 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Robert Vadra's statement is currently being recorded at the ED office. The Enforcement Directorate team led by Joint Director accompanied by Deputy Director and five other officers is questioning Robert Vadra, in connection with a money laundering case. 16:46 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In "I stand by my husband," says Priyanka Gandhi Vadra after dropping Robert Vadra at the ED office in New Delhi. 18:20 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Seven officials of the ED are questioning Robert Vadra at the agency office in New Delhi. 16:22 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Robert Vadra inside the Enforcement Directorate office, to appear in connection with a money laundering case. Delhi: Robert Vadra inside the Enforcement Directorate office, to appear in connection with a money laundering case pic.twitter.com/HIiwLYpMou ANI (@ANI) February 6, 2019 16:21 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Watch: Robert Vadra accompanied by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra arrives at the Enforcement Directorate office to appear in connection with a money laundering case. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra left soon after. #WATCH Robert Vadra accompanied by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra arrived at the Enforcement Directorate office to appear in connection with a money laundering case. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra left soon after. #Delhi pic.twitter.com/WI8qlLtF0X ANI (@ANI) February 6, 2019 For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: In a scathing attack on the Congress on Wednesday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Sambit Patra in an address to the media, said that there are posters of two culprits on display on the streets. Congress chief Rahul Gandhi is "Criminal No 1". Earlier on Thursday, after the Congress put up posters of party president Rahul Gandhi and newly appointed Congress general secretary for Uttar Pradesh east Priyanka Gandhi Vadra outside the party headquarters, they were removed by New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). Party leaders alleged that the posters were being removed on the direction of the Modi government. There are posters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in every part of the country. It is very unfortunate that NDMC chairman has ordered the removal of these posters on the direction of Modi ji, a Congress leader can be heard saying in the video. Here's what Sambit Patra said: 01.12 pm: As far as the posters are concerned, the Congress, after being caught red-handed after putting these posters, are trying to remove them. But Indians have the posters of this bail family in their hearts, says the BJP spokesperson. 01.11 pm: We all know that Rahul Gandhi's brother-in-law, who is out on bail, will come before ED today. We saw today morning how two people who are out on bail were on Congress party posters, says Sambit Patra. 01.10 pm: Corruption has been Congress' core agenda, says Sambit Patra. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Air India chief Pradeep Singh Kharola has been appointed the Civil Aviation secretary in a minor bureaucratic reshuffle on Wednesday. The vacancy had come up due to the superannuation of Rajiv Nayan Choubey on January 31, who took over as a member of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Sailesh, the secretary department of official language has been appointed the secretary ministry of minority affairs. He will also continue to hold the post of the secretary department of official Language on an additional basis. Who is Pradeep Singh Kharola? Kharola, a 1985 batch IAS officer of the Karnataka cadre, was in November 2017 named the chairman and managing director of Air India. Pradeep Singh Kharola hails from Dehradun, Uttarakhand. He was born on September 15, 1961. In 2015, Pradeep Singh Kharola was given additional charge of the post of additional chief secretary to tourism department, government of Karnataka. Kharola, a 1985-batch IAS officer, held the post of the chairman of Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation in 2013. Kharola was managing director of Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation when it was formed in 1997. He was also the managing director of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation. He was on Central deputation between 2001 and 2009 and on his return, he held, among others, the post of Principal Secretary to Chief Minister (Jagadish Shettar). In 2008, Kharola wrote the article for Economic and Political Weekly, titled Urban Public Transport Systems: Are the Taxation Policies Congenial for Their Survival and Growth? This article analyses the different levies on the operation of buses in a city and also attempted to compare these in different states in the country. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: So, it looks like Logan will be our final goodbye to Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. While it is beyond our imagination to imagine our hero with the perfect sideburns, leather-jacket-wearing, clawing character as non-other than Jackman, Marvel's head, Kevin Feige suggests that Jackman will no longer make a comeback as Wolverine. While the future of the X-Men franchise hasnt been revealed, the X-Men producer recently hinted that fans will see more of Wolverine in the future. Speaking during a Television Critics Association panel, producer Lauren Shuler Donner discussed the possibilities of a new Wolverine. Yes, because Hugh [Jackman], just the physicality of it all, just to bulk up, she said, discussing Jackmans exit from the franchise. This man worked so hard to bulk up, would get up at four in the morning to bulk and eat protein meals every two hours because his natural state, they used to call him Worm when he was a kid. So, his natural state is a very skinny guy. Also Read | Angelina Jolie urges Myanmar to stop violence against Rohingya Muslims Shuler also applauded Jackmans decision to step down giving others the chance, she said, Once you reach a certain age, the body just wont go anymore. I think he was wise to say, Im at that point. I cant do it. Now, that doesnt mean he cant come back as older Wolverine. You never know. Future Wolverine, you never know. With that, we only under who among the lucky actors will step into Jackmans shoe as the next Wolverine Donner added, "I don't know what [Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige is] thinking honestly," Donner said. "I don't even think Kevin knows. I think Kevin's still dealing with this wealth of characters and trying to make sense of them." While we await the next Wolverine, the X-Men universe has two movies lined up for release X-Men: Dark Phoenix and New Mutants. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Hollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Angelina Jolie, who is in Bangladesh to speak on the exodus of the Rohingya Muslims refugees urged Myanmar to show a genuine commitment to end violence and displacement in its Rakhine state that has driven hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims into neighboring Bangladesh. Jolie is visiting for three days before launching a global appeal for $920 million, chiefly to support the refugees needs for 2019. The US envoy for refugees made the comments on the second day of emotional meetings with Rohingya, including rape survivors, in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar district where some 740,000 Rohingya have taken refuge since August 2017. It was deeply upsetting to meet the families who have only known persecution and statelessness their whole lives, who speak of being treated like cattle, she told reporters at the Kutupalong refugee camp. Read | Tomb of Karl Marx vandalised in London Jolie added: They have been denied their most basic human right: citizenship in their country of birth. And some still wont even call the Rohingya by their rightful name. She thanked Bangladesh for hosting the refugees despite its own over-population further urging the international community to provide more resources for the refugees. Bangladesh is a generous country rich in culture and history, but with limited resources. And it cannot be left to shoulder the responsibility of hosting Rohingya refugees alone, she said. Jolie said Myanmar must ensure safety for the Rohingya to return home. They have an absolute right to return home, but only when they feel safe enough to do so voluntarily and they know that their rights will be respected, she said. The actor pleaded to end the violence in Rakhine, which UN officials have compared to genocide, also demanding immediate action against the perpetrators. Read | Fake University Scam: US govt misled Indian students, says Indian-American attorney "I urge the Myanmar authorities to show the genuine commitment needed to end the cycle of violence and displacement and improve the conditions for all communities in Rakhine state," she said. Jolie has previously met with displaced Rohingya while in Myanmar in July 2015 and in India in 2006. Jolie will conclude her visit on Wednesday after meeting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, and other senior officials in Dhaka, a UN statement said. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Hollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Sara Ali Khans mother Amrita Singh and aunt Tahira Bimbat were recently making headlines for a property dispute. They had claimed over property worth crores in Dehradun and had approached police regarding the case. According to reports, Amrita and Tahira approached the court to dismiss a plea by brother Madhusudhan over 1,70,000 sq.ft property located in Dehradun that is worth crores. After Madhusudhan passed away, Tahira reportedly requested the civil judge Ramesh Singh to dismiss her brothers case. They even approached the Clementown police station im Dehradun to claim their rights over the property. Now, as per a report in Bollywood Hungama, Amrita and Tahira have won the legal battle as there was no one to challenge their decision. Now, the next step is to approach the district magistrate court and complete all the legal formalities. Sara and Amrita recently spent some quality time in Kenya. The actress shared a few snaps on her social media account, giving an insight to her exotic vacation. Speaking about her mother Amrita, she had said in a recent interview, I dont think that she will work with me. I think my father might, but I dont think she will. Because she will be looking at me in a shot and be like eyebrow...dab.. because she is mom. So I think it will be the worst thing for her to work with me and probably the best thing for me to work with her. She wont do it. On the professional front, Sara was last seen in Simmba which also starred Ranveer Singh in the lead role. The film earned Rs 200 crore at the box-office and turned out to be a grand success. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Hours after Congress put up posters of party president Rahul Gandhi and newly appointed Congress general secretary for Uttar Pradesh east Priyanka Gandhi outside the party headquarters, they were removed by New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) on Wednesday. Party leaders alleged that the posters were being removed on the direction of Modi government. There are posters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in every part of the country. It is very unfortunate that NDMC chairman has ordered the removal of these posters on the direction of Modi ji, a Congress leader can be heard saying in the video. Delhi: Posters of Robert Vadra along with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra&Rahul Gandhi that were put up yesterday outside AICC headquarters, have been removed today. Jagdish Sharma,Congress says,"Modi govt is doing dirty politics, last night the posters were put up here now being removed." pic.twitter.com/hTAIVdSM3C ANI (@ANI) February 6, 2019 These posters and hoarding with photos of Rahul, Priyanka and her husband Robert Vadra - were put up outside party headquarters on Tuesday with slogans like "Kattar Soch Nahi, Yuva Soch" (Not extremist ideology but young thinking). Another slogan displayed on the posters reads, "Jan-Jan Ki Hai, Yahi Pukaar, Rahul ji-Priyanka ji Ab Ki Baar" (Everyone wants Priyanka and Rahul this time). Earlier on Tuesday, the newly-appointed Congress general secretary got an office, adjacent to the room of her brother, at the party headquarters on Akbar Road. She also met a few senior party leaders from Uttar Pradesh and held informal interactions with them. Sources said that during the meeting, she discussed issues relating to strengthening the party in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Priyanka, who was abroad when she was appointed to the party post on January 23, has been strategically given the charge of the party affairs in eastern Uttar Pradesh as it constitutes Prime Minister Narendra Modi's LoK Sabha constituency Varanasi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's stronghold Gorakhpur. New Delhi: Former chief minister Narayan Datt Tiwaris son Rohit Shekhar and his wife Ujjawal were seen at Congress headquarters in the national capital amid speculations that he is likely to join the party ahead of upcoming Lok Sabha Elections. However, Shekhar clarified that he went to meet people associated with his later father. According to reports, they also met UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi. I have met them (Sonia and Rahul Gandhi) several times in the past, but it should not be seen in political context, Shekhar said. Shekhar, an advocate by profession, came to limelight in 2008 when he went to court against Tiwari claiming he was born out of an affair between the Congress leader and his mother. In 2012, Tiwari who had quit as Andhra Pradesh Governor after a purported video of his sexual escapade was leaked - was forced to give samples of his DNA for a paternity test after warnings by the Delhi High Court. The court had even authorized the police to enforce its order if needed. Following which, the former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh moved to Supreme Court against the test but failed to stop it. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Please let us know what's going on! Go to form New Delhi: Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati has finally joined microblogging site Twitter. The development comes just months ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha Elections. Her official Twitter handle is @sushrimmayawati. In a welcome post, the BSP chief said that she will use the handle to interact with her supporters. "@Hello brothers and sisters. With due respect let me introduce myself to the Twitter family. This is my opening and inauguration. @sushrimayawati is my official Twitter handle for all my future interactions, comments and updates. With warm regards. Thank you," she wrote in her welcome post, she tweeted. Hello brothers and sisters. With due respect let me introduce myself to the Twitter family. This is my opening and inauguration. @sushrimayawati is my official Twitter handle for all my future interactions, comments and updates. With warm regards. Thank you. Mayawati (@SushriMayawati) January 22, 2019 The Bahujan Samaj Party has said that the former chief minister will use this Twitter handle to share her programmes in the future. "This is to inform you that BSP chief has for the first time decided to join Twitter for speedy interaction with media and masses besides expressing her views on various issues of national and political importance through Twitter," the party said in a press release. The first post from this twitter account was tweeted on January 22 and she has been regularly sharing press releases on it since then. Welcoming Mayawati's debut on Twitter, senior BSP leader Satish Chandra Misra told News Nation that this was a long pending demand of crore of supporters. Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and former Bihar chief minister Tejashwi Yadav welcomed her on the microblogging site. "Finally glad to see you here. Happy that you acknowledged and respected my request of joining Twitter during our meeting in Lucknow on 13th January. Warm Regards," Yadav said in a tweet. Finally glad to see you here. Happy that you acknowledged and respected my request of joining twitter during our meeting in Lucknow on 13th January. Warm Regards https://t.co/SzHlRkBPAB Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) February 5, 2019 Mayawat's official handle has nearly 9,000 followers - at the time of filing this story - and she follows only one person - Twitter Support. Shamokin, PA (17872) Today A steady rain this morning. Showers continuing this afternoon. Cooler. High 66F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low around 45F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. A Ngapuhi leader has called out leaders who don't know the articles of the Treaty of Waitangi. Sonny Tau, who in 2016 was fined and sentenced to community work for killing five protected kereru, said New Zealand leaders should know the articles of the Treaty of Waitangi. "Only one thing I've got to say this morning and that is: If we're going to lead a country, we need to learn the articles of the Treaty of Waitangi," he said, during the Waitangi Day dawn service on Wednesday. "There are some of us, leaders, who have slipped up on that, and all I ask is by this time next year that we all know the articles of the Treaty of Waitangi." People at the grounds that Newshub spoke to echoed Mr Tau's comments, saying it shouldnt just be our politicians but all Kiwis that should know the articles. His comments came after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern stumbled when asked to recite Treaty of Waitangi articles when she arrived at Waitangi on Monday. "Look, I know the principles of Waitangi, I know our obligations," she said. "Of course, we as a Government are trying to fill those not just in legislation, but in the policies and programmes that we roll out. "Certainly, I learnt about the Treaty as part of my education, and many of our young people will and should as part of learning about Aotearoa's history." Mr Tau said there's "a lot of angst about the Treaty of Waitangi", adding that a lot of people "don't actually realise the beautiful document that it is". "I know a lot of people in this country, even our European neighbours, haven't been to a marae before. "I want to encourage you all to visit a marae - it's not as scary as people think it is." When asked to respond to Mr Tau's comments, Ms Ardern told Newshub: "I absolutely know the articles of the Treaty." "It's a fair point and I wouldn't disagree with that at all," she said of his remarks. "We need to ensure that in the work that we do we are fulfilling the articles of the Treaty." Newshub. Even more jarring is knowing that some of the actions at the Waitangi Day Pub Crawl are those the perpetrators would never commit in New Zealand. Walking down the street with drawn-on ta moko and a Mongrel Mob jacket? Performing a haka in the middle of the street? Sadly, the latter example has less to do with actually performing and more to do with being drunk. The haka can be an incredibly beautiful way of expressing cultural pride and appreciation, whatever your ethnicity. But drunkenly performing in a huddle and getting most, if not all, of the movements wrong (not to mention those who dont even put down their beverage for the performance) isnt pride or appreciation, its mockery. Why not do it at the start of the day, when people are (more) sober? I know why not. Because a sober haka requires a level of knowledge and competence that many New Zealanders arent willing to work for. It requires an understanding of New Zealand history, good and bad, that would go against the very concept of boozing down the street, dressed as a lolly, to celebrate Waitangi Day. Thats not what the pub crawl is about. Those so enthusiastically participating in the Waitangi Day pub crawl may simply be celebrating the New Zealand they themselves have experienced. A New Zealand known only for pineapple lumps, K-bars and Shortland St. Where history is in the past and why cant we all just drink together and get along? Where Maori and their history of marginalisation exist only as an excuse to get drunk in public and wear costumes so easy to disregard at the end of the day. Update: Clint Heine has been in contact with The Spinoff to dispute what he deems was the attempted character assassination from Madeleine towards me. Heine went on to comment that Kiwis in London is my community on Facebook. I run it with a team of other volunteers. We are one of MANY groups on Facebook that promoted the pub crawl. Some of our team liaise with the police, others incl myself talk to Ngati Ranana on occasions (the London Maori club) and we all work towards a positive pub crawl We do a lot of hard work in London and people like Madeleine from the safety of her keyboard seems to want to destroy it to get likes and pander to her audience. The Spinoff What you need to know: Multiple bush fires have broken out near Nelson, including one on Rabbit Island on Wednesday afternoon A state of emergency has been declared The fire has now reached 1870 hectares and homes are being evacuated Civil Defence Minister Kris Faafoi has flown to Nelson in the wake of the emergency The fire has slowed but weather and wind could still fan the flames Sixteen helicopters are working alongside ground crews to control the fire Seventy-four homes have been officially evacuated, with 150 more self-evacuating All evacuees are asked to report to St John's Church on Edward Street so Civil Defence can record them. A monster fire has spread through valleys inland from Nelson forcing 170 homes to be evacuated. A Civil Defence state of emergency has been declared, and the Defence Force was called in to help fight it. Magic Talk host Sean Plunket warns making colonial history compulsory will turn lessons into "a propaganda exercise for the radicals and the separatists". The debate over the compulsory teaching of New Zealand's Maori-Crown relationship has hit the headlines recently. The History Teachers' Association (HTA) says some students are missing out and "should be exposed to multiple perspectives". But Plunket warns there's "a lot of BS in history" and says it's the version we learn that is important. "Are you like me, just a little bit worried that if we leave it to the lefty teachers, the version of history we get taught will be a little bit biased, a little bit one-sided," he told listeners on Tuesday. "I don't want to learn a bunch of propaganda that says the Treaty is a fraud, whities go home, I've been oppressed." HTA chairperson Graeme Ball has started a petition to make compulsory the coherent teaching of our own past, which already has 800 signatures. "Too few New Zealanders have a sound understanding of what brought the Crown and Maori together in the 1840 Treaty, or of how the relationship played out over the following decades," his petition states. Plunket is worried that the "left-wing and liberal" teaching profession will teach a version of history that will upset people. "It seems to me that the sort of history that most likely would get taught would make a whole lot of people - in fact most people learning it - feel bad about themselves and their forebears because it would be saying that they were really bad colonial white people who were subjugating and exploiting the tangata whenua," he argues. "Teaching our whole next generation of people to feel bad about it and feel that they have to constantly be saying sorry for something that their grandfather, great-grandfather or great-great-grandfather did doesn't seem to me to be particularly constructive." New Zealander Troy Skinner is facing life in prison after being indicted on several federal charges in Virginia. Skinner, 25, was shot trying to break into a house by the mother of a 14-year-old he had been chatting with online. She had previously broken off communicating with him. A federal grand jury has now charged Skinner with four counts of production of child pornography and one count of kidnapping and attempted kidnapping. "If convicted of producing child pornography, Skinner faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison on each count," the indictment said. "If convicted of the kidnapping/attempted kidnapping, he faces a mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison and a maximum of life. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties." Skinner was armed with a folding knife with a 2.75 inch blade and pepper spray when he smashed a glass door with a brick at the Goochland County home. As he attempted to enter the house, the woman shot him in the neck with a handgun, Goochland County Virginia Sheriff James L Agnew told Newshub in June 2018. He was treated for the wound at a hospital in Virginia. Newshub. The New Zealand Defence Force has joined the search for a man who failed to return from a tramping trip in the Tararua Ranges. The 60-year-old hiker had departed for a four day trip on Thursday, and was supposed to return on Sunday. He has not been heard from. An NZDF helicopter has embarked on a search and rescue operation above the mountains on Wednesday, following a request from the New Zealand Police. "The ground search continues today" said Senior Constable Pete Cunningham, Incident Controller from NZ Police. Search teams have been trying to locate the man since Tuesday morning, checking tracks and huts for any sign of him. Newshub. University of Otago researchers have discovered two new species of penguins that once lived on the Chatham Islands. The discovery was made while a PhD student examined hundreds of prehistoric and modern penguin bones. "She found some what we call 'sub fossil penguins'," Professor Jon Waters told Newshub. "They're not that old, just a few hundred years old. She found that they were genetically way different to any other penguins that are known in the world." The bones came from what would have been one of the world's largest crested penguins, now named eudyptes warhami. Also discovered was a much smaller subspecies of the yellow-eyed penguin named megadyptes antipodes richdalei. "The remarkable thing, though, is that there are still these discoveries to make out there," Professor Waters says. "We're still just piecing together the different pieces of the puzzle as to what New Zealand's wildlife was once like." He says both species would have lived for millions of years on the Chatham Islands, but they died out very quickly once humans arrived. "It really highlights how vulnerable some particular species are to the effects of humans. If something lives only on one island it can be really vulnerable to extinction, it's vulnerable to the pests that people introduce." Their bones are now on display at Te Papa Museum in Wellington. Newshub. The best Marvel Comics stories of all time according to the readers The ten top stories from Marvel's House of Ideas GamesRadar+ is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more Elizabeth City, NC (27909) Today Showers and thunderstorms likely. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 82F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Showers early, then cloudy overnight. Low 64F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Gilbert F. Kraemer, 74 years of age, passed away on Monday, May 31, 2021. He was born on November 9, 1946 in New Albany, Indiana to the late Edward and Henrietta (Renn) Kraemer. Gilbert was an Army Veteran serving in the 24th Infantry and was a 1965 graduate of Providence High School. Along So what happened? A political operative for the far-right fringe of the GOP published a photo which had been passed on by other operatives because the individuals in it couldnt be clearly identified. The governor panicked when he saw the photo and made a rush to apologize. Indignant individuals took to the streets demanding his resignation for a photo taken 35 years ago as though it was an ongoing thing. Major party leaders hopped on the band wagon to be sure theyd be counted on the right side of political correctness. Just Monday, the GOP majority leader in the House of Delegates demanded that the governor step down. I had the feeling that he rehearsed his statement to be sure he would look sufficiently serious and not laugh out loud. Does it surprise anyone that an allegation of sexual misconduct has been made against the lieutenant governor by GOP operatives? Apparently, U.S. Rep. Denver Riggleman didnt get the message about not saying anything while Democrats gathered to eat their own. Scott Shearer and Matt Roberts were the Friday keynote speakers for the Montanas Next Generation Conference this year. Their presentations dovetailed together very well with Shearer laying the foundation of the U.S. trade negotiations and Roberts then took that further and tied it into the current farm cycle. We have two species of fox: red and eastern gray. You are far more likely to see a red fox than a gray. Because both species sport both colors, it can be hard to distinguish them. Gray foxes are native to North America and prefer upland woods and riparian habitats and swamps. In other words, they dont like to be near people. Unlike other wild dogs, the gray fox retained the ability to climb trees. Its powerful hooked claws allow it to access the nests of birds and squirrels and to escape predators. The Asian raccoon dog is the only other canid that climbs trees. The red fox has adapted well to living in a variety of habitats, including near humans. Like many mammals, foxes will take advantage of whatever food is available, including human garbage, bird feed and an occasional chicken. The red fox is the size of a small dog, with a total length of about 40 inches and a weight of nine to 12 pounds. New Delhi: In an unprecedented move, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages the Sabarimala temple in Kerala took a U-turn in the Supreme Court on Wednesday by supporting the ruling which had allowed women of all age groups to enter the shrine. The board told the court that is high time that a particular class not be discriminated on the grounds of "biological attributes". The Kerala government, which is in agreement with September 28 ruling, urged the dismissal of petitions seeking review of the verdict. "Article 25 (1) equally entitles all persons to practise religion," senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the TDB, told the bench which also comprise Justices RF Nariman, AM Khanwilkar, DY Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra. The Board was earlier in opposition to the entry of women into the Lord Ayyapa shrine at Sabarimala and also opposed the PIL by Indian Young Lawyers Association saying that the celibate character of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala temple was a unique religious feature which was protected under the constitution. "Women cannot be excluded from any walk of life on biological attributes. Equality is the dominant theme of the Constitution," said Dwivedi adding that people should gracefully accept the apex court verdict. The apex court was hearing a batch of petitions seeking review of the verdict allowing the entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala shrine. A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi heard submissions on behalf of parties, including the Kerala government, Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), Nair Service Society and others and said that it would pronounce its order as to whether to review the judgment or not. The apex court was seized of as many as 64 petitions, including review pleas. Kerala government, the TDB and two women who had entered the shrine opposed the review petitions, including those filed by Nair Service Society. Earlier in the day, the TDB, which manages the shrine, told the apex court that they support entry of women of all age groups into the shrine. The apex court was hearing pleas seeking review of its verdict which had allowed women of all age groups entry into Kerala's Sabarimala temple. Senior advocate K Prasaran, appearing for Nair Service Society, opened the arguments before a five-judge bench and sought setting aside of the verdict. The review petitions are being heard by a Constitution bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi and justices R F Nariman, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra. There are 64 cases being heard in total, out of which some are review petitions and some transfer petitions. On September 28, a five-judge Constitution bench, headed by the then CJI Dipak Misra, in a 4:1 verdict had paved the way for entry of women of all ages into the shrine, saying the ban amounted to gender discrimination. The verdict had led to massive protests in Kerala and triggered a political slugfest between the ruling CPI(M), the BJP and the Congress. On November 13 last year, the apex court had agreed to hear in open court in January this year the pleas seeking review of its verdict, but had refused to stay the judgment. However, on January 22, the top court had said it may not start hearing the pleas, seeking review of Sabarimala verdict till January 30 as one of the judges of the bench, Justice Indu Malhotra, was on medical leave. Justice Malhotra, the lone woman judge in the bench, had delivered the dissenting judgment in the case last year. The two women, who had eventually managed to enter the temple in January and have since been threatened and even allegedly attacked, moved the Supreme Court on Tuesday, seeking to intervene as parties in support of its last September's historic judgment. Two other women have also filed similar petitions. Reshma CV, Shanila, Bindu A and Kanakadurga, hailing from Kerala, have filed applications seeking to be heard as intervenors. They are supporting the verdict. Of the four, Bindu and Kanaka Durga, aged 44 and 42, were the first to have stepped into the hallowed precincts after the top court lifted the ban. The other two applicants -- 33-year-old Reshma and 29-year-old Shanila, had twice attempted to enter the temple, first on January 15 and again on January 19. However, they were heckled and prevented by some self-proclaimed devotees after which they had to discontinue. "There are thousands of women waiting for Darshan at Sabarimala and are awaiting the final outcome of the review petitions, when this court would be pleased to hear and finally decide. The applicants may be permitted to intervene and make their submissions before this court when the Review Petitions are heard by this court, in order to oppose the Reviews," said Reshma and Shanila in their application. Bindu and Kanakadurga, in their application said, "The judgment of this court on September 28, 2018, upheld the dignity, liberty and equality of women of all ages and sent a strong message to the society against menstrual taboo. Proposed intervenors pray that they may also be heard to oppose the review, in case this court is inclined to review the judgment. It is in the interest of justice that the Proposed Intervenors are heard". On Monday, the CPI(M)-led Kerala Government had retracted from its earlier statement in Supreme Court that 51 women of menstrual age had entered the Ayyappa temple, and said it had proof to show only two women actually entered the shrine. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayans determination to facilitate womens entry into the temple triggered a political war, but he has maintained he is only following the SC directions. In ten years, computers will be able to propose the most suitable cancer treatment for you. The idea is to simulate how all possible combinations of existing cancer treatments will work on your particular tumor. Each year, 10,000 Norwegians die of cancer. Researchers at the University of Oslo are now developing a computer program that can help oncologists find the best personalized treatment for each patient. The hope is to be able to cure far more patients. One of the most common cancer diseases with poor prognoses is lung cancer. Each year, 3,000 are diagnosed with this sinister disease. 2,200 die of it. In fact, lung cancer takes as many years of life as breast cancer, prostate cancer, and intestinal cancer combined. "Although treatment has improved, we are still lacking tools to be able to decide the best treatment for the individual", says Aslaug Helland, who is both a professor at University of Oslo in Norway and clinician for lung cancer patients at Oslo University Hospital, Radium Hospital. Some of her patients start treatment with chemotherapy, others with immunotherapy. Immunotherapy is a modern treatment that stimulates the body's own immune system to fight the cancer. Although many people get good help from immunotherapy, it only works for half of the patients. "The problem is that we don't know who benefits from immunotherapy. If the drug does not work after two or three rounds, we will try something different, such as the classic chemotherapies, but by then we will have already squandered time that could have been spent on other treatment. We therefore need a system that says what is the best and most effective treatment for each patient - and with the fewest possible side effects", Aslaug Helland points out to the research magazine Apollon. This is precisely the great idea of Arnoldo Frigessi, professor of statistics at the University of Oslo, who leads both the Oslo Centre for Biostatistics and Epidemiology and BigInsight, a center for research-based innovation. Simulates cancer treatment His idea is to use mathematical and statistical methods to develop a computer program that will propose the best cancer treatment. Arnoldo Frigessi is an expert in describing biological processes with mathematical models. He works closely with everyone from oncologists and pathologists to molecular biologists, statisticians and mathematicians. "Today's treatment does not help three out of ten cancer patients. The cancer cells can also become resistant to the drugs they receive. The drugs then need to be replaced. Might one of the solutions be to give the patient several cancer drugs at the same time?" asks Arnoldo Frigessi. This is far more challenging than one would think. Imagine that your oncologist has the possibility to choose between 300 different drugs for a particular cancer disease. If the doctor is to choose the best combination of two different drugs from this selection, he has as many as 45,000 different treatment choices. "This multiplies the possibilities to the point where it becomes impossible for the doctor to figure out which combination of drugs works best". It is not possible to test all the possible combinations of drugs with traditional clinical trials. In classic clinical trials, two groups of patients are compared. One is given drug A, the other drug B. However, the doctor now wants to provide personalized medicine to a patient group that consists of just one patient. This makes it impossible to carry out classic trials of different types of treatments. Instead, Arnoldo Frigessi's solution is to make hundreds of thousands of virtual copies of the patient and test all the treatments on a simulation model on the computer to find the best treatment. Can change treatment Lung cancer expert Aslaug Helland believes that such a simulation model can change the future of cancer treatment. "We strongly believe that it can be possible to attack the cancer from different fronts at the same time. Then we need to know which combinations of drugs work best in each individual case", says Aslaug Helland. The combination of options increases even more by testing different doses and the order in which the drugs are taken. "There are endless possibilities here, and there's a lot we don't know. The simulation model can help us determine which combination is the best treatment for the individual patient, rather than spending time on treatments that do not help", Aslaug Helland points out. This simulation model is a so-called multi-scale model, with mathematical models of what is taking place from the molecular level up to the size of the cancer tumor. "We collect all possible data from the patient and can calculate how the treatment affects the chemical and physical reactions in millions of different cells. We can then simulate how the cancer would have developed with all the different therapies. Machines work fast. Our goal is that we might be able to test a hundred thousand different treatments over the course of one night and then say which ten drugs work best", points out Arnoldo Frigessi. To accomplish this, scientists need to mathematically describe how the lump of cancer functions, how many cells it consists of, how dense the cancer cells are and where the blood vessels are. They have also described the energy balance and the chemical and physical reactions in the cells. Their data includes genomic biomarkers, histopathology and magnetic resonance images. "We can then use the mathematical model to describe the condition of the cancer cells for the next twelve weeks, while bombarding them with various medications. Some drugs can only kill the cell at the moment it splits into two. We describe how each cell lives, develops, splits, and dies. We also need to calculate the amount of medicine needed to kill the cells and the probability of this happening". Oxygen to the cancer cells The researchers also model how the cells talk to each other, how the blood vessels grow and die and how the oxygen is distributed in the tissue. The blood carries oxygen to the cancer cells. If the supply of oxygen stops, the tumor may die. "The cells need oxygen to breathe. If the cells don't get enough oxygen, they're in trouble. The mathematical model explains how the cells are doing depending on the amount of oxygen", says Arnoldo Frigessi. The simulation model is very complicated. They have to build it up piece by piece. An essential part is precisely to simulate what is needed to reduce the supply of blood to the tumor. Some of the simulations show that the cancer flares up again. "It may be because the drug was given too seldom or at the wrong time". Cancer needs a lot of blood to grow. To get the blood they need, cancer cells produce a special protein that gives notice where the blood vessels should grow. Their model must therefore also take into account how the amount of this particular protein changes. A delicate balance is at work here. "If the blood vessels are destroyed, the chemotherapy will not reach the cancer cells". The drugs follow the blood vessels and must leave the vessels where the cancer cells are located. The program describes how much medication is leaching from the blood vessels and when it occurs. "This varies from patient to patient and must therefore be determined before the simulation can be run". The procedure is simple. The patient takes a contrast agent. Then it is possible to study how quickly the contrast agent leaches out of the blood vessels on an MRI scan. Unfortunately, the information is well hidden in the enormous amounts of data from the MRI scan. Arnoldo Frigessi must therefore develop statistical methods in order to determine how fast the blood vessels of the individual leach drugs. Numerical paradise The simulation model is bursting with stochastic models, which describe random events, multi-scale models, which provide a mathematical description of how the cancer develops in different dimensions, and last but not least: partial differential equations describing developments in time and space. The simulations must be run hundreds of thousands of times. It is then important to optimize the program so that they run as fast as possible. This is where the numericians enter the scene. Numerical analysts are experts in solving mathematical problems with the computer. Here, Arnoldo Frigessi has roped in Marie Rognes, chief researcher at the Simula Research Laboratory. With her expertise, the equations can be solved many hundred times faster. It will then be possible to simulate much larger parts of the tumor without losing time. "We simulate how the tumor develops every half hour. Numerically speaking, it is impossible to do it less often. The calculations will then be inaccurate. A number of calculations must be made for each unit of time. And the simulations must be conducted for all the different proposals for each cancer treatment", says Marie Rognes. She has taken two big steps to optimize the program. One is to create a code that guesses the right solution far faster. The second thing that she will eventually work on is to program the code so that the simulations can be run in parallel on a high-performance computer simultaneously by thousands of data processors. Tested on breast cancer The simulation model has been initially tested on patients with breast cancer. There are a number of different types of breast cancer. 3,500 contract breast cancer each year. Nine out of ten survive. Researchers have received detailed data from Ulleval Hospital/Radium Hospital on how four patients who had already been treated for breast cancer fared. "The simulation program reached the same results about how the cancer developed". This means that their simulations matched the reality. In their simulations, they have currently only modeled the effect on two types of chemotherapy. "We must include all the drugs that are used. They all work differently", says Frigessi. Breast cancer can be divided into two main categories: Cancer cells with and without oestrogen receptors. Cells with oestrogen receptors are the easiest to stop by blocking the receptor. The other group is more difficult. Chemotherapy works well on those cells that divide quickly, but unfortunately some patients suffer a relapse. Clinicians have guidelines on how they can treat breast cancer, depending on how the cancer cells look and what kind of receptors they have. "These guidelines build on many years of experience and knowledge from clinical trials. There is a plethora of treatment options and possibilities. Before we go and throw ourselves at all the medical combinations outside the guidelines, there are still niches within these that we can study further", says Professor Vessela Kristensen at the University of Oslo. She is one of the country's foremost researchers in breast cancer. She says it's important to knock out all the cancer cells. It's not enough to knock out the lion's share. "The few remaining cancer cells are the dangerous ones. The point is therefore to have a mathematical model for those patients whose treatment is not working. Although most people survive breast cancer, which is the most frequent form of cancer in women, the small percentage that suffer a relapse still totals many women", Vessela Kristensen points out. Sceptical Chief physician Olav Engebraten, who is an expert in the project, is sceptical about whether the simulations can improve treatment in the short term. He is a clinician and one of the foremost experts in treating breast cancer at Oslo University Hospital. "The idea is exciting. It may be interesting in the long term, but the problem is the wide variation that cancer diseases pose per se. The trademark of cancer is variation and instability. The systems must be good enough to pick out the medications that work or do not work based on the characteristics of the tumor", Olav Engebraten points out. Some patient groups receive targeted treatment. Others do not. Among those who do not receive targeted treatment, there are seven to eight different standard treatments. "Some standard combinations are well-proven", says Olav Engebraten. He is particularly sceptical about having to deal with a computer program that will suggest an optimum combination of drugs that have not been tested before. "Combining and adjusting drugs is very challenging. Many of them work on the bone marrow and other tissues. In the clinic, we usually do not combine drugs until the effect is well tested. When we calculate a patient's drug dosage, we need to know if the patient can withstand the treatment. The normal tissue must survive", he says, adding: "We will always experience that patients die from the disease. We can't cure everyone, but it's extra important that we do what we can to prevent patients from dying from the treatment itself. We can't throw precaution overboard". He is also sceptical about the current simulation model of the blood vessels in the tumor. "This model is a simplification of the reality. All of the assumptions are not enough. We also need more data", notes Engebraten. However, he adds that in the long term the simulations may be interesting for those patients who are not benefiting from current treatment. The survival rate for patients with breast cancer is up to 90 per cent. However, the prognoses are poorer for those with extensive illness, such as when it spreads to the lymph nodes. "The poorer the prognosis for survival, the greater the potential of the simulation model. We might then be able to save more lives in the long term. It would therefore have been fantastic to have such a simulation tool that could help us to choose the right treatment for such patients", notes Engebraten. Arnoldo Frigessi appreciates the skepticism of the clinicians. "I'm glad that the clinicians are skeptical. It helps us to improve the models so that they can become more realistic. I think one day that simulations will be part of clinical practice, but we are not there yet", says Frigessi. Aslaug Helland is not as critical as Olav Engebraten. She thinks it might be interesting to simulate blood vessels. "Although it is natural to think that we kill a tumor by taking away its blood supply, the results of this strategy have varied. We can still use the simulations to show who can benefit from this treatment", Aslaug Helland hopes. Vessela Kristensen notes that certain treatments destroy the formation of blood vessels. "Simulation of blood vessels is still only one of the many things that are part of the simulation model. The number of blood vessels is easy to measure. We are therefore trying to simulate the cancer-fighting effects of destroying blood vessels". She believes the model can show a correlation with the blood vessels not previously known about, adding: "Currently, we only simulate a small part of the reality. The simulation model can still change future cancer treatment. Medical treatment is based on experience. This experience takes a long time to build up. Sometimes it doesn't work. The simulation model can accelerate this process", Vessela Kristensen believes. Her entire point is briefly summarized: "Now we don't have to wait for generations to die to accumulate enough experience. The mathematical models can find the essence of all the experiences and come to faster conclusions. We therefore save both time and lives with these models. They can improve current practice", Vessela Kristensen believes. Mouse model When the simulation program has made its proposals, the oncologists can double check the treatment in the laboratory before the patient is medicated. "One possibility is to take pieces of the tumor in different vessels and test whether the cancer cells die with the various combinations of drugs", says lung cancer specialist Aslaug Helland. Another possibility is to test the proposed treatment on mice or in zebra fish. A few cells are then taken from the tumor and inserted into the test animals, which receive individual treatment. In the United States, clinics are already testing the tumor in mice and trying to treat mice with different types of treatments. The method nevertheless has its weaknesses: "Not all tumors grow in mice, the experiments use a lot of mice, and the method is very expensive", says Vessela Kristensen. Probability Arnoldo Frigessi emphasizes that the simulation model will not be able to provide a hundred per cent certain result. "However, the doctor will receive an answer from the program whether the result is 80 or 40 per cent certain. It makes a difference. The program must be able to say that the result is uncertain because some parameters, such as the amount of medication leaching from the blood vessels, are uncertain. I therefore believe that it is important to quantify the uncertainty. The program must also be able to say whether the treatment of a patient will be easy or difficult", Frigessi points out. Norwegian Medicines Agency Ultimately, the clinicians must have confidence in the simulation program. "No doctors dare use the recommended combination treatments when no one has done it before. The doctors must have confidence in the algorithm. My question is how to enable doctors to put their trust in these algorithms". His idea is that the algorithms in the simulation program need to be approved by the authorities before they are used. "Because the recommended combination of drugs is tailored to the individual patient, the Medicines Agency must approve the algorithms for the therapy and not the therapy itself. Perhaps our simulation program can be approved for every single disease, such as breast cancer and lung cancer", Frigessi hopes. University of Texas star baseball shortstop David Hamilton hit a pothole riding an electric scooter, tearing his Achilles tendon and requiring surgery. He'll miss the season. Cristal Glangchai, the CEO for a nonprofit, hit a rock riding her scooter, landing her on the pavement just blocks from home. "I lost control and ended up getting a concussion and a broken rib," said Glangchai, a 41-year-old mother of four. And Austins first scooter-related death occurred over the weekend. Police identified the scooter rider as Mark Sands, a 21-year-old UT student from Ireland, who died Saturday, just one day after suffering critical injuries when the electric scooter he was riding collided with a car. As many as 14,000 dockless electric scooters are on the streets of Austin, whose 326 square miles are home to almost 1 million people. That likely makes Austin one of the cities with the highest scooter-to-citizen ratio in the nation though the electric vehicles are also rapidly multiplying on the streets and sidewalks of Atlanta, San Diego, Nashville and Washington. At least 1,200 more are poised to appear in Austin whenever already-licensed operators deploy them. Ten companies have licenses to operate now. Austin city leaders, worried about injuries for both users and pedestrians, asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate scooter-related crashes and injuries. The first-ever CDC scooter study will also look at how accidents could be prevented. "We're totally paranoid," said Forrest Preece, a retired advertising executive who lives in a downtown condo and leads a largely pedestrian life. "I'm 72 and my wife is 70. It would be easy to knock us over," he said. "My wife actually went online and found a little mirror to attach to her wrist to look behind her so she's not constantly turning around. We go single file so she can see that mirror and see what's behind us." These scooters are everywhere speeding by or strewn on sidewalks and are likely to overwhelm the city this spring as Austin readies for an onslaught of scooter-riding visitors during the annual SXSW Conference & Festivals, running March 8-17. Last year's SXSW drew 432,500 people. The scooter study was launched in December when three CDC epidemiologists spent two weeks in Austin reviewing incidents and scooter-related injuries during a 60-day period from September to November. They began contacting the 258 individuals identified through EMS calls or who visited emergency rooms with a scooter-related injury. Findings from this study will likely be released in March and could have far-reaching effects as cities across the country grapple with reports of injuries from these e-scooters. "We don't know if there's something unique about Austin or the population there that may be different from other parts of the United States or globally," said Eric Pevzner, chief of the Atlanta-based CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service, which is conducting the probe. "The rate of scooter injuries in Austin may be consistent with what's being noticed in other places, or it may be much higher." These zippy, colorful motorized scooters, which are rented with a smartphone app and dropped off almost anywhere, are hard to resist. The companies behind them Bird, Bolt, Lime, Scoot, Skip and Spin, among others promote them as smart, low-cost transportation alternatives for short distances, especially in cities. Neither Bird nor Lime responded to multiple interview requests. Data on scooter-related injuries are collected by the Consumer Product Safety Commissions National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), but the category also includes skateboards and hoverboards, which account for the bulk of the injuries in the most recent data from 2017 well before scooters proliferated across the country. The Austin study will help develop a baseline for comparison. So far, what's believed to be the first published study examining scooter injuries was released last month in JAMA Network Open, a peer-reviewed medical journal. UCLA researchers studied 249 patients (228 scooter riders and 21 pedestrians) treated at two emergency departments over a year's time. Head injuries and fractures were the most common diagnosis. Among scooter riders, 80 percent were injured in a fall, 11 percent collided with an object, and almost 9 percent were hit by a moving vehicle or object. For almost 5 percent of patients, intoxication was a factor. Just 4 percent of riders wore a helmet. Such findings don't surprise physicians. "We're seeing five to six minor injuries a week, almost one a day hand and arm fractures, broken bones and facial injuries, such as scrapes and bumps and fractures," said Dr. Oscar Guillamondegui, trauma ICU medical director at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. "Approximately one to two major traumatic brain injuries a month are admitted to the trauma center. The reason is simple. Who's carrying a helmet? No one. No one is wearing them because no one is carrying them." Guillamondegui will appear this week on a panel dubbed a "community conversation about scooters in Nashville" as that city mulls more regulation. In Atlanta, the number of injuries per month has increased from about 30 to about 100, said Dr. Hany Atallah, chief of emergency medicine at Grady Health System, which includes Grady Memorial Hospital, the largest hospital in Georgia. Grady, which is among the nation's busiest Level 1 trauma centers, is looking at the rise and scope of scooter injuries as a new internal project. "I'm concerned people are riding these things without helmets and on roads in busier traffic," he said "As opposed to motorcycles, these wheels are pretty small. Certainly, hitting a pothole can send someone over." Cities are trying to balance the electric scooter as a boost to mobility with ensuring the safety of riders who travel amid motorists and pedestrians. There are plenty of reports of pedestrians tripping or falling over parked scooters, as well as tales of being hit by moving scooters. A handful of scooter-related deaths occurred last year: one each in Dallas, Washington, D.C., Chula Vista, Calif., and Cleveland. Some cities have introduced regulations that include banning the scooters, regulating the numbers allowed on the streets and specifying where they can park or ride. In Fort Lauderdale, Fla., the City Commission this week plans to evaluate its dockless mobility permit program and consider adjustments that could enhance safety, spokeswoman Dayana Diaz said. Officials in Portland, Ore., decided in January to conduct a second scooter pilot program this spring studying the impact of e-scooters on the city. This one will last a year, following a July through November study that found 176 people went to emergency rooms with scooter injuries. Of those, 84 percent fell from a scooter and 90 percent of riders didn't wear a helmet. As electric scooters multiply around the country and the world, a survey of 7,000 people in 11 major U.S. cities by the San Francisco-based data platform Populus found that 70 percent of those surveyed had a positive view of scooters. Atlanta placed first, with 79 percent of its residents in the positive category. Austin was a close second, at 76 percent. The CDC Austin study will calculate injuries per number of scooters ridden and per mile traveled. As researchers speak with those hurt, they'll ask about road conditions, street types, weather, helmet use and behaviors, including alcohol use while riding. While the study continues, Austin's transportation department announced a "pause" in issuing new licenses to dockless mobility operators to assess the level of demand for those currently licensed and to ensure safety. The city is also reviewing its current rules and expects to revise the scooter rider ordinance this spring. And, with the start of a new semester at UT-Austin, university officials announced new rules and fines for scooter use and indicated more changes are ahead, including dropping scooter speed limits on campus from 15 mph to 8 mph. Glangchai, the injured CEO, said she'll now "always wear a helmet and be a little more cautious" when she resumes riding following a six-week doctor-ordered hiatus. "Scooters empower people. It seems so easy to hop on and press go," she said. "It seems like it's easier to take more risks on a scooter. They're great because you get around places quickly, but it's almost like it's too easy for people to hop on and go fast." Physicians can now be alerted to pediatric patients' risk of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, or SUDEP, during routine primary care visits by using software developed and commercialized by a researcher-entrepreneur at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Digital Health Solutions LLC, founded by Dr. Stephen Downs, has created a module about SUDEP for its Child Health Improvement through Computer Automation, or CHICA, system. Families answer questions on an electronic tablet about several health topics, including epileptic seizures. "For children who have seizures, CHICA asks follow-up questions about frequency, medication adherence and barriers to accessing care," said Downs, who is the Jean and Jerry Bepko Professor of Pediatrics at the IU School of Medicine. "The program shares this information with the physician. It also makes a reminder, through the patient's electronic health record, for the physician to discuss SUDEP with the family. The physician can document discussing SUDEP and provide computer-generated educational materials." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that almost 3.5 million Americans had active epilepsy in 2015, including 470,000 children. In a 2017 guideline, the American Academy of Neurology urged health care providers to report risks associated with the condition, including SUDEP, to caregivers of children living with epilepsy. Downs said the module was tested at Eskenazi Health clinics for two months, and results were reported at the 2018 American Epilepsy Society meeting. Prior to testing the SUDEP module launch, 75 families of children with an epilepsy diagnosis were interviewed. Twenty-two percent reported that their physician had discussed SUDEP with them, while 28 percent had not heard of it before. "When we tested the SUDEP module, more than 2,300 children were screened for epilepsy, and 1.3 percent of families reported that patients were affected by epilepsy. Forty-seven percent of those patients had a seizure within the previous 12 months, which made them a high risk for SUDEP," Downs said. "Physicians reported counseling in 61 percent of those cases and referred families to a neurologist in 16 percent of those cases. They also counseled on medication adherence in 11 percent of the cases. "Multiple professional organizations recommend that clinicians seeing children with epilepsy advise families of the risk of SUDEP. This single intervention has been more effective by far than any other effort to date." Digital Health Solutions partnered with the Child Neurology Foundation and Greenwich Biosciences Inc. to create and test the SUDEP module. Digital Health Solutions licensed CHICA through the Indiana University Innovation and Commercialization Office, which protects, markets and licenses intellectual property developed at IU so it can be commercialized by industry. Amie Shea and Noelle Huser show off the Most Original Concept award they won at the Oregon Cinematic Arts Festival recently in Portland. Amie is a 2002 graduate of Cut Bank High School and the daughter of Pete Shea and Ruth Shea. She currently lives in Missoula but is feeling the pull to return to California and put her degrees to work. New research in Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience supports adding yoga as an adjunctive therapy to treat this chronic inflammatory disease According a study published in Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, eight weeks of intensive yoga practice significantly decreases the severity of physical and psychological symptoms in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a debilitating chronic auto-immune inflammatory disease. Marked improvements were seen in the levels of certain inflammatory biomarkers and assessments of functional status and disease activity in patients studied, demonstrating yoga's promotive, preventive, curative, and rehabilitative potential for achieving optimal health. "Our findings show measurable improvements for the patients in the test group, suggesting an immune-regulatory role of yoga practice in the treatment of RA. An intensive yoga regimen concurrent with routine drug therapy induced molecular remission and re-established immunological tolerance. In addition, it reduced the severity of depression by promoting neuroplasticity," explained lead investigator, Rima Dada, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India. She noted that high disease activity and underlying depression are associated with increased disability, reduced quality of life, and minimized rates of clinical remission and treatment response. The study was a mind-body intervention (MBI) randomized trial (with parallel active and control groups) to analyze the effects of practicing 120 minutes of yoga, five days a week for eight weeks on 72 RA patients. Both the test and control groups were simultaneously undergoing routine drug therapies (DMARDs). The findings show significant improvement in systemic biomarkers of neuroplasticity, inflammation, immune-modulation, cellular health integrity, and aging in association with the positive clinical outcome of reduction in depression severity, disease activity, and disability quotient in RA patients following the intensive yoga based MBI. Existing research has evaluated the role of yoga as an effective intervention to assist the management of RA with respect to clinical symptoms, quality of life, psychosocial outcomes, and functional ability. This study is one of the first to look at how yoga practice affects the systemic biomarkers of inflammation, cellular aging, and oxidative stress, especially in RA. "Our results provide evidence that yoga positively modifies the pathobiology of autoimmunity at cellular and molecular levels by targeting mind-body communications. Further research is needed for the exploration of possible mechanisms underlying the cumulative effect of yoga on multiple pathways at a cellular level," added Dr. Dada. "Yoga facilitates the mind's capacity to affect bodily function and symptoms mediated though a variety of downstream pathways and bring about natural immunological tolerance." RA is a heterogeneous autoimmune disease that results from the interplay of genetic and environmental factors and causes extensive systemic inflammation, cartilage damage, and synovial hyperplasia that cause physical disability and psychiatric comorbidity. The co-existence of depression and RA in individuals poses a significant healthcare burden on the patients, their caregivers, healthcare systems, and society as a whole. Existing medical therapies have a limited scope and fail to cure the psychological component of the disease and have numerous side effects. Depression seems to decrease patients' compliance and adherence to medical treatment and results in worse health outcomes and increases disease severity. Improvement in psychological health and reductions in severity made the yoga group more compliant and able to perform more daily chores without much difficulty. Dr. Dada concluded, "This study offers a new option. Pharmacological treatments can be supplemented with alternative and complementary interventions like yoga to alleviate the symptoms at both physical and psychosomatic levels." With yoga based MBI providing a holistic treatment dimension, reaching a state of remission is becoming a more achievable treatment goal. As a majority of diseases have a psychosomatic component, this approach may be widely applicable. Source: https://www.iospress.nl/ios_news/new-research-in-rnn-supports-adding-yoga-as-an-adjunctive-therapy-to-treat-this-chronic-inflammatory-disease/ Despite rapidly increasing intervention rates, the complication rate remains consistently low Scientists at the Center for Cardiology of the Mainz University Medical Center have examined the success of more than 13,575 minimally invasive procedures on the mitral valve in the largest study of their kind to date. Key findings: Although patients grew older during the period from 2011 to 2015 and the number of procedures increased from year to year, mortality and complication rates remained consistently low. Mitral valve insufficiency is the most common heart valve disease in Europe and the USA. About ten percent of people over the age of 75 are affected. Patients suffer from a weak closure and thus a leaky mitral valve. Until a few years ago, there was often only the possibility of a drug therapy, because for an open operation the patients are usually too old, have too many comorbidities, or the function of the left ventricle is too bad. There is now a new option to treat this leaky heart valve minimally invasive with a Mitraclip implantation. Germany is one of the leading nations in this innovative, new process. "Several studies with small groups of patients have already been published for the evaluation of the procedure with regard to the frequency of inserting the clip or the safety of the procedure. However, there have been no large data collections so far", explained the first and last authors of the study, Dr. Ralph Stephan von Bardeleben, Dr. Lukas Hobohm, and Dr. Karsten Keller. "That's why it was a good idea to examine the implantation numbers and the complication rates in Germany on a larger scale." The results show: The annual implantation numbers in Germany increased more than fivefold from 815 in 2011 to 4,432 in 2015. In total, the study included 13,575 patients who had been treated with Mitraclip. Earlier studies referred to a maximum of 1,064 procedures. The patients were usually between 70 and 89 years old and on average they got older and older. Another important result is that the complication rate or mortality did not change significantly during the period studied. Important prognostic factors related to hospital death were cardiac insufficiency, blood transfusion due to bleeding complications, stroke, pulmonary embolism, or pericardial effusion. The authors concluded from their findings that despite the dramatic fivefold increase in the implantation rate of the clip, the procedure has very low early-stage complication rates during hospitalization. "Catheter-assisted valvular heart valve therapy has evolved from a niche treatment of inoperable patients into a relevant and safe treatment option in only ten years, as our new study emphasizes once again", underlined von Bardeleben. The Mainz University Medical Center occupies a leading position in the field of gentle heart valve therapy, both nationally and internationally. "In 2018, we implanted more than 700 heart valves, making us one of the largest university centers for minimally invasive heart valve therapy," stated Professor Dr. Thomas Munzel, Director of Cardiology I at the Center for Cardiology of the Mainz University Medical Center. "And more than 200 of these were Mitraclips. This number is unique in the world." Furthermore, cardiologists have taken the opportunity to establish a new Heart Valve Unit in Mainz because of a striking increase in demand for such interventions in recent years. The advantage of the new heart valve unit: All relevant steps in the course of a heart valve implantation - from patient admission to planning and aftercare on the intensive care unit until to the discharge of patients - take place at one ward. A measles warning has been issued in Western Australia after a passenger was diagnosed with the illness. The passenger was travelling with Singapore Airlines. The passenger from Perth was returning from holidays at the Philippines on January 29. According to the WA health officials, people coming in contact with this passenger may have been inadvertently exposed to the infection. They add that those who are not immune due to previous vaccination could be at risk of the viral infection. 3d illustration measles virus. Image Credit: Design_Cells / Shutterstock The officials urge people who were on the same flight or have visited Coles at Raine Square in the Perth CBD on the morning of January 30 to be vigilant about symptoms of measles till end of the month and report to their health care providers if they encounter symptoms of the viral infection. Measles is a viral infection caused by a virus in the paramyxovirus family and can spread via respiratory tract secretions that have been released as aerosols in air due to sneezing and coughing. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), these symptoms usually appear around 10-12 days after infection. Some of the symptoms of the infection include high fever, runny nose, redness of eyes, typical rash all over the body etc. Measles can occur at all ages but children between the ages of 1 and 4 are most at risk. The virus is spread via millions of tiny droplets that are sneezed or coughed out by an infected person. Persons around who breathe in the droplets with the virus can catch the infection. Infection can also be spread when objects contaminated with the droplets are touched and the hands are brought near the nose of mouth. The initial symptoms of measles are much like a common cold of flu. There is high fever, red and runny eyes and nose and a characteristic rash. There are greyish white spots in the mouth and throat. After a few days a red-brown spotty rash will appear all over the body. This starts behind the ears commonly and spreads around the head and neck before spreading to the legs and the whole body. Hundreds of genes have been newly linked to depression, shedding light on the origins of the condition and highlighting personality types that could be at risk. The international study, involving more than two million people, is the largest of its kind. It could inform treatments for the condition, which affects one in five people in the UK and is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Scientists led by the University of Edinburgh studied information pooled from three large datasets of anonymized health and DNA records and pinpointed 269 genes that were linked to depression. They also used an innovative statistical method to identify sections of DNA that were common in people with depression and in those who adopted lifestyle behaviors such as smoking. The findings suggest that depression could be a driving factor leading some people to smoke, but more research is needed to explain why, the team says. Results also show that neuroticism - a tendency to be worried or fearful - could lead people to become depressed, which could shed light on personality factors that put people at risk. The statistical approach - known as Mendelian randomization - allows scientists to look at how a condition impacts on behavior, while ruling out other influences such as age or income. Anonymized data, used with donor consent, is held by UK Biobank, the personal genetics and research company 23andMe and the Psychiatry Genomics Consortium. Experts say that the study reflects the importance of data science in understanding mental health and the leading role that Scotland plays in this field. The team is inviting people with depression or anxiety in Scotland to take part in a further study, to understand more about the role of DNA in the common mental health conditions. The research - known as The Genetic Links to Anxiety and Depression (GLAD) Study - aims to better understand depression and anxiety in order to improve the lives of people with mental health issues. The team, working with colleagues at the National Institute of Health Research Mental Health BioResource and King's College London, hopes to collect saliva samples and questionnaires from 40,000 people across the UK. Participants in the study will be offered the chance to take part in further mental health research. The study, published in Nature Neuroscience, was funded by Wellcome and the Medical Research Council. Professor Andrew McIntosh, of the University of Edinburgh's Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, who led the research, said: "These findings are further evidence that depression is partly down to our genetics. "We hope that by launching the GLAD study, we will be able to find out more about why some people are more at risk than others of mental health conditions, and how we might help people living with depression and anxiety more effectively in future." Raliza Stoyanova, Wellcome's Senior Portfolio Developer for neuroscience and mental health, said: "This large study is an important advance in understanding how genetic variability might contribute to risk for depression. Given that current treatments work for only half of those who need them, the study provides some intriguing clues for future research to follow up - for example that biological pathways involved in developing the condition may not be the same as those involved in responding to treatment." Sophie Dix, Director of Research at mental health charity MQ, who was not involved in the research, said: "This study adds to the weight of evidence that genes are one of the key risk factors in depression, which is also impacted by life events such as social environment and trauma. The value of this could really be seen when looking into the development of personalized treatments - a welcome step given the dearth of innovation in identifying new approaches. We have seen very little advancement in nearly 50 years for people living with depression and right now the avenues available are not working for everyone. "The power of this big genetic study is that it can point to systems in the brain which adds to our currently limited understanding in this area. By increasing our understanding of these systems, and how the social environment affects biological risk factors, we can begin to identify new targets for treatments that could help the millions of people worldwide affected by depression." Atlas Award-winning study in Journal of Affective Disorders shows link between depression and sedentary behavior is strongest in cities Getting people involved in community activities like playing games and social events could be a low-cost way to tackle depression in the developing world, according to a study in the Journal of Affective Disorders. Sedentary behavior is on the rise around the world and has been linked to a whole host of problems, including heart disease and stroke, to diabetes and premature death. It's now clear that being inactive is also linked to depression, which is a growing issue in low- and middle-income countries, where sedentary behavior is on the rise. The lead author of the study, Dr. Davy Vancampfort, from KU Leuven in Belgium, says the new study highlights a need to take a new approach to mental and physical health in the developing world. "I think that in the future if we want more evidence-based healthcare in low-income countries, we need to bring these two different aspects of medicine together in a holistic health care model, which is currently absent in low-income countries," added Dr. Vancampfort. Dr. Vancampfort and his international team of colleagues around the world show that sedentary behavior in individuals with depression is linked to lower levels of social cohesion, due to a low level of involvement in community and social activities. Their work has been selected by an international scientific committee to be given the Atlas award. In a previous study, researchers looked at the impact of sedentary behavior on depression. They split participants into two groups: one group had to continue with their normal behavior; while the other group were asked to be sedentary for a period of one week. In the group asked to be sedentary, the level of depression increased significantly; when members of the second group changed back to their normal active behavior, depression rates dropped immediately. This led Dr. Vancampfort to the idea that addressing sedentary behavior would be an effective way to tackle depression. Using data from the World Health Organization (WHO), the team studied 2,375 people with depression in six low- and middle-income countries. More than 11 percent of people were highly sedentary, meaning they were inactive for at least eight hours a day. Notably, one factor strongly associated was a lack of involvement in community and social activities. There was also a strong link between depression and sedentary behavior in more urban settings, and this could be an increasing problem. In low-income countries, people are moving to cities, where they can afford a more sedentary lifestyle: they have more sedentary jobs and they can afford motorized transport. Identifying the link between depression, sedentary behavior and community activity in the city provides a solution. "We're trying to invite people to join social activity programs in a non-stigmatized environment," said Dr. Vancampfort. "I think one step is having more community activities in centers within big cities. There should be physical activities, sitting together, culture-sensitive activities, playing cards, playing games. I think that's the way forward." The next step for the research is to carry out longitudinal studies to determine whether sedentary behavior is causing depression or vice-versa. Ultimately, Dr. Vancampfort's aim is to promote a more holistic approach to healthcare in low- and middle-income countries, due to the strong link between mental and physical health. Serological group B streptococci (GBS) are common bacteria, which usually remain unnoticed. This is also the case for the almost 20% of pregnant women with vaginal or anal colonization of GBS. The bacteria pose a risk for the babies, however: In the worst case, an infection at birth can cause sepsis or meningitis in the newborn. To prevent these complications, pregnant women with certain risk factors receive antibiotics shortly before birth (risk strategy). However, there is also a test on the market that could be offered to all pregnant women (testing strategy). This test could detect also those pregnant women who have no risk factor, but still carry GBS. The German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) therefore investigated whether universal screening, i.e. the testing strategy, would offer advantages, and hence an added benefit, for newborns or expectant mothers in comparison with the currently used risk strategy. The final report now presented confirms the results of the preliminary report from 2018. According to the findings, this question cannot be answered as there are no informative studies for the comparison. In the Institute's opinion, it is unrealistic that these kinds of studies will be conducted in the future because it is very difficult to achieve the large sample sizes required. Antibiotics are standard treatment for certain risks About one in 3000 newborns is infected with GBS at birth; 3.2% of them die of the consequences. Pregnant women receive antibiotic prophylaxis if they have a fever, if there is a risk of premature birth, or if the birthing process is very slow, for example. This risk strategy can already prevent most infections. As an alternative option, all expectant mothers could be offered a microbiological examination in the form of the GBS test (universal screening). However, the test, which costs between 10 and 30 euros, is not a standard treatment reimbursed by German statutory health insurance funds - unless there is a risk of premature birth. Study results not sufficiently robust As was the case in the preliminary report, the Institute identified no study that could have provided robust results. There is a large "cohort study" comparing both strategies with each other (Schrag 2002), which is also referred to by the medical society. However, the Institute still rates its results as not sufficiently certain. The main reason is that there were notable differences between the participants not only regarding the test, but also in other characteristics. A lower complication rate, for example, could therefore have many reasons. The study also showed no "dramatic effects", i.e. no very large differences. Studies on "screening chain" not realistic In the final report, the Institute also showed scepticism whether it will ever be possible to conduct informative studies on the total so-called screening chain. Such studies would have to include several hundreds of thousands of pregnant women to ensure sufficient certainty of results. The large sample size is required as infections and their complications overall are rare. In smaller sample sizes, differences between the groups, e.g. the frequency of sepsis in newborns, could be due to chance alone. In contrast, studies investigating which strategy is better at reducing the currently frequent use of antibiotics are considered reasonable and feasible by IQWiG. Quick tests used during labour, which are already approved in the United States, should also be considered as another prevention strategy in these studies. A group of East Texas residents is facing federal drug charges after officials said they dis Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading. To subscribe, click here. Already a subscriber? Click here. Lake County Sheriff's office: No credible threat to Riverside students following social media post Authorities survey the scene of wreckage where a medical helicopter crashed in a remote wooded area in Brown Township on its way to pick up a patient, Jan. 29, 2019. Supporters and police authorities console one another before a hearing for suspect Wade Edward Winn at Clermont County Municipal Court in the shooting incident involving two officers of the Clermont County Sheriff's Office, Feb. 4, 2019, in Batavia, Ohio. Detective Bill Brewer died from gunshot wounds after being transported to Anderson Mercy Hospital. Free access for current print subscribers As a home delivery subscriber, you get free unlimited digital access to news-daily.com including stories, photos, obituaries, e-edition and more on your computer, tablet or phone. All you need is your print subscription account number and your last name. Don't know your subscription number? Email access@news-daily.com with your delivery address. Activate your account now. NEW MILFORD The Board of Education and Town Council are at odds over the cost of an oil tank replacement project. Some town council members doubt the school boards ability to oversee capital projects with the recent request for more money essentially doubling the cost to replace an oil tank at the central offices. School officials say a lot of unforeseen challenges with the tank replacements are the cause of the extra cost, while some council members say the contractor is overcharging the district. The schools are asking for an additional $80,000 or so to the $105,000 the Town Council already allocated for the project. We hope were getting to the end and we hope we wont need the contingency, Interim Superintendent of Schools Stephen Tracy said. The contractor, ETT Environmental, which is also replacing oil tanks for the town, will have to come before the Town Council to answer questions before any additional money is released. All of the tickets for the material hauled away will have to be given to council members as soon as possible. Were getting taken for a ride by our contractor, said Councilman Paul Szymanski. This doesnt make any sense to me. Szymanski, who has 20 years of experience in construction, said the jackhammer in the picture of the site is not the equipment the contractor is saying the schools rented for a month. He said three people were not needed to complete the work, which is usually a one- or two-person job, and the district was being charged five times the usual amount for some of the basic functions like removing the debris. These numbers are absolutely absurd and ridiculous, he said. School officials defended the costs by saying the tanks have encountered a series of problems largely due to how the tanks were originally installed. I think thats an oversimplification of whats going on, Facilities Director Kevin Munrett told Szymanski, adding the district rented three different jackhammers throughout the project. School officials said the tank removals have encountered a series of problems, beginning with the initial discovery in fall 2017 that the tanks would be needed to be replaced. While pulling permits to install check valves on the tanks, school officials learned some of the tanks were never registered. During the districts investigation, it came to light that three of the tanks would have to be replaced because of their age. The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection requires fuel tanks be replaced when they hit 30 years a deadline established by the manufacturers and enforced by the state. While replacing the tank at Hill and Plain Elementary School, workers discovered the schools electrical transformer and switchbox were on top of the tank, causing them to just seal and abandon it in place and order a new, above-ground tank. The extra work led the school board to spend $70,000 above the approved $92,000. At the Lillis Building, which is where the schools central office is housed, workers discovered the old tank was installed just three inches below the asphalt, when regulations call for 18 inches to 24 inches of cover. They encountered a lot of ledge and boulders as they were digging the deeper hole, causing the costs to go up. They also had to do it in a new location because they found an old sewer line. Szymanski said the school board should have changed to a smaller tank and known from the ground radar test that the original tank wasnt deep enough and a new plan needed to be created. He said the town entrusted the school board with a lot of money and questioned the school officials ability to oversee these capital projects. At this point, Im very concerned, he said, adding the school employee should be held responsible. Some council members agreed there should be accountability and suggested the schools have to pay for the new costs. Tracy said he decided to proceed with the work because he considered it was urgent since the replacement deadline was Dec. 31. Munrett said a smaller tank would have taken another 10 weeks, which they didnt have. If a tank is left in the ground after this deadline, the district could be charged a $10,000 fine for each tank and then a daily fine until it is removed. kkoerting@newstimes.com; 203-731-3345 NEW MILFORD Town-owned buildings could become more energy efficient through a partnership with Celtic Energy. Mayor Pete Bass said theyve been working on an agreement with the company for a year. Its all an effort to use our energy savings to fund more of our infrastructure, he said. Under the agreement, Celtic Energy would suggest ways to make the buildings more energy efficient and the improvements would be paid for with those energy savings. The town would still pay the same amount it does on energy, the amount beyond the actual energy usage would go to pay off the project. Essentially youre already paying for it by paying your energy bills, said Walt Donzila, the business director for Celtic Energy. He said these agreements were done so local governments could improve their infrastructure without having to come up with additional money for it. Celtic Energy, an energy consulting firm based in Glastonbury, oversees the performance contracts. Its main role is to represent the towns interests throughout the process and advise the town. It doesnt design the project. Celtics fee is set on a sliding scale based on the total cost of improvements and is generally about 2 percent of the overall project budget. Celtic will work with the town on which buildings to include and highlight things that should be done. The work then goes out to bid. Celtic will help the town select the energy service company from the bidders, negotiate that contract and then oversee the in-depth energy audit that company will do. The work is then completed and the savings are verified. Some examples of possible improvements are updating windows, heaters and boilers, as well as installing solar panels. You can make it as big or small as you want, he said. The bigger it is the more cost effective overall. Donzila said these types of agreements are successful because theyre performance-based contracts, which means if the energy cost ends up being higher than expected, that other company is on the hook for it, leaving little risk for the town. The contracts tend to last 15 to 20 years. Thats what performance contract means, they have to perform, he said. Newtown, Stamford and Southern Connecticut State University are all Celtic Energy clients, according to a recent presentation to New Milford Town Council. Councilman Tom Esposito, who works in the energy efficiency industry, said theyve been talking about this type of program for years. He said the improvements will not only save money, but improve air quality in the buildings, make them more comfortable and help New Milford with its commitment to be a clean energy community. He said this will also help attract businesses and residents who want to live in cleaner communities. This is a no brainer, Esposito said. I applaud this. Im really looking forward to this. kkoerting@newstimes.com Brian Koonz / Hearst Connecticut Media NEW MILFORD A New Milford police officer Louis Taranto, 42, of New Milford is due to appear at state Superior Court in Torrington on Friday after crashing into a sign on Bridge Street in New Milford and fleeing the scene. Around 1:10 a.m. Monday, Sgt. Frank Masi discovered the damaged state traffic control sign, along with a Connecticut license plate, which helped police identify the vehicle involved in the collision. 99 cent introductory offer Includes everything we offer online for 24-7 news. This option allows you to read unlimited stories at ctnewsonline.com, and access our e-Edition (digital replicate of the daily newspaper). $7.99 per month after the introductory offer. This service comes with a complimentary CT Select Card allowing for local discounts. Rates are subject to change. 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. Newburyport, MA (01950) Today Cloudy skies with periods of rain this afternoon. Thunder possible. High 81F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Cloudy and damp with rain early...then becoming partly cloudy. Low 54F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. University of Massachusetts Boston community members protested what they call substantial parking rate increases on Wednesday. Students, faculty, staff unions, and allies gathered at 7 a.m. at the new West Garage for picketing, ahead of a noon rally. Protestors addressed the negative effects parking rate increases can have on the community. They asked community members to boycott on-campus parking for the day. "To raise our parking fees from $6 to $15 a day is just criminal," said Juan Blanco who commutes from Worcester for his graduate degree. The increase is another expense he has to add to his already growing list at the public university. "I can't afford to pay these prices so I park 20 minutes away in Dorchester and walk which is adding another hour to my already 3-hour commute." The protest was organized by The Coalition to Save UMB, a coalition comprised of staff and faculty and endorsed by the Faculty Council. "Its unconscionable that a public university specifically reaching out to commuter students would significantly boost the cost of parking on campus and at a lot off-site that is serviced by a shuttle bus," Anneta Argyres, president of the Professional Staff Union, said in a statement. "Students and staff should not have to shoulder the cost of a new garage because our old garage was not built properly." After the rally, protesters marched to the chancellor's office hoping to get her to listen to their concerns. She was not available. Parking rates at UMass Boston have increased from $6 to $15 a day for most garages. Organizers of the rally say that the fees "unfairly target the campuss lowest-paid employees," due to the university's removal of reduced rate and multi-use passes. Schools officials told NBC10 Boston anyone buying a parking pass would get the best deal with only a 30 cent daily increase. They also said it hasn't raised parking prices since 2004. "They do have these parking passes but they only make sense if you are here five or four days a week on campus but most of us again that have full-time jobs are here 3 times a week," said Blanco. School officials said they will continue to bargain with the union on parking rates which have not yet been finalized. A Good Samaritan who helped four people escape a fiery crash in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts, is speaking out about his heroic efforts. Ross Dugan, who worked the overnight shift for the T, was driving home Wednesday around 6:30 a.m. when he saw a four-car crash happen near Exit 16A on Route 24. He says he then saw a Honda Civic burst into flames and his only reaction was to run over and try to help. "The car went up in flames, I just, I thought, nobody got out so I just ran over there," he said. Dugan says none of the doors would open but he was able to pull open a passenger window, allowing a man to get out. Dugan then got the driver and another passenger out. Just as the flames became too intense, a second hero came over and started spraying a fire extinguisher into the open window, he says. It was enough for Dugan to pull out the fourth victim. NBC10 Boston's Sky Ranger helicopter was over the scene Wednesday, where thick smoke could be seen emitting from the flames. West Bridgewater Fire Chief Kenneth May says the scene was very "hectic" when crews arrived. "When they arrived there, the car was fully involved and the occupants were pulled out on the side of the road," May said. State Police say three of the victims who were pulled from the vehicle -- a 45-year-old man, a 27-year-old man, and a 36-year-old man, all from Lawrence -- were taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton with non-life threatening injuries. The fourth victim, a 46-year-old man from Lawrence, was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston with more severe non-life threatening injuries. There were no updates on their conditions Wednesday night. Kathy Fonseca, Dugan's mother, says she is not at all surprised by her son's heroic actions to pull the four men from the vehicle fully engulfed in flames. While Fonseca says she thinks what her son did is crazy, she says she is extremely proud of him. Dugan suffered second degree burns to his face and hands, in addition to some cuts, but he says he has no regrets about jumping into help. "I just hope somebody would do the same for me, rather than sit in traffic and watch the whole thing, and do nothing," he said. All southbound lanes of Route 24 were shut down due to the fiery crash but reopened around 7:30 a.m. May said, "It was pretty significant. A lot of debris all over the place and then we had to shut the whole road down to deal with it." State Police say no one was injured in the other three vehicles that were involved in the crash. The investigation into the crash, including the cause, is ongoing. A fatal crash was reported on Route 24 in West Bridgewater hours earlier. A New Hampshire man is facing multiple charges after he allegedly drove drunk and crashed his car with his two young boys in the backseat. Emergency services responded to a single car crash on Mammoth Road in Pelham, New Hampshire, around 8 p.m. Tuesday. Pelham police officers arrived to find a maroon 2005 GMC Envoy off the side of the road, crashed into a telephone pole. The driver, Antonio DiRocco, 26, had been driving north when he lost control of his car and traveled across the other lane of traffic, finally stopping when he hit a telephone pole, according to Pelham police. The car had substantial front end damage and the pole had split in two. The Pelham native had his two sons, a 5-year-old and a 3-year-old, in the backseat when he crashed, police said. The children were in car seats and suffered non-life threatening injuries, though airbags were deployed throughout the vehicle. The children were taken to Lowell General Hospital and DiRocco was arrested on the scene. He was charged with driving under the influence, aggravated DUI, endangering the welfare of a child, reckless operation, yellow line violation, criminal mischief and open container. DiRocco will appear before a judge on Feb. 11 at the 10th Circuit District Court in Salem. It's unclear if he has an attorney. In his State of the Union address, President Donald Trump pushed for unity and cooperation between parties. But Democratic lawmakers from New England were quick to point out the gap between the president's words in the House chamber and his actions in the White House. "Unity is important. But I am dismayed at the lack of any kind of bipartisanship during the first two years of President Trump's presidency," said Rep. Richard Neal of Massachusetts. "It's great that @realDonaldTrump is talking about bipartisanship," Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts tweeted. "Dems & Republicans agreed on the bipartisan spending bills we passed in December he was the one who shut down the government for 35 days." On the heels of the longest federal government shutdown in history, and 10 days from another budget deadline, Trump was expected to make his proposed border wall a key topic in his speech. The president's demand that the wall be funded, and Congressional' Democrats' refusal to do so, kept the shutdown going on for more than a month. "Tonight, I am asking you to defend our very dangerous southern border out of love and devotion to our fellow citizens and to our country," Trump said in his speech, making reference to caravans "on the march to the United States," seemingly referring to asylum-seeking migrants from Central America. "Seeking asylum is LEGAL," Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts tweeted, punctuating each word with a clap. "Everyone in this room, Democrat and Republican, that represents communities on the southern border opposes the wall," said Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut. "If you support ICE, you should pay them," Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts said, alluding to the shutdown. In a statement, Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hamsphire said she appreciated Trump addressed the need to keep skyrocketing prescription drug prices in check. "It's very troubling, however, that the president barely mentioned the opioid crisis that remains the number one public health and safety challenge facing New Hampshire and states across the country," Hassan added. "I am also concerned that the President wouldn't rule out shutting down the government again. There is biparrtisan consensus on the need to strengthen border security, but our approach needs to be grounded in reality and hard-working Americans must not be used as political pawns." What to Know Michelle Carter, 22, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for the death of her boyfriend, Conrad Roy III. Carter sent a series of text messages encouraging Roy, who was suicidal, to kill himself. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on Tuesday upheld Carter's conviction, saying the evidence proved she caused Roy's death. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has upheld the involuntary manslaughter conviction of a Plainville woman after she encouraged her boyfriend to kill himself in dozens of text messages and told him to "get back in" a truck filled with toxic gas. Michelle Carter, 22, was convicted in the 2014 death of 18-year-old Conrad Roy III, who died by suicide after Carter encouraged him to end his own life. Carter was sentenced to 15 months in jail but has remained free as she pursued her appeal. "The evidence against the defendant proved that, by her wanton or reckless conduct, she caused the victim's death by suicide," the 33-page ruling reads. "Her conviction of involuntary manslaughter as a youthful offender is not legally or constitutionally infirm. The judgment is therefore affirmed." A judge had concluded Carter caused Roys death after she told him to get into his truck as it was filling with carbon monoxide. The then-17-year-old Carter texted her long-distance boyfriend: "You keep pushing it off and say youll do it but u never do. Its always gonna be that way if u dont take action." "And then after she convinced him to get back into the carbon monoxide filled truck, she did absolutely nothing to help him: she did not call for help or tell him to get out of the truck as she listened to him choke and die," Justice Scott Kafker wrote in Wednesday's Supreme Judicial Court ruling. Roy's grandmother, Janice, told NBC10 Boston she is happy with the outcome. "It feels like there is closure," she said. The Bristol County District Attorney's Office said its next step will be to file a motion with the trial court to revoke the stay of sentence and have Carter's sentence imposed. That motion will be filed in the coming days. Carter's lawyers said they are disappointed in the ruling and may appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. "Today's decision stretches the law to assign blame for a tragedy that was not a crime," the law firm of Fick & Marx said in a statement. "It has very troubling implications, for free speech, due process, and the exercise of prosecutorial discretion, that should concern us all." Matt Segal, legal director at the ACLU of Massachusetts, echoed those sentiments in a statement issued Wednesday afternoon. "Conrad Roy's suicide is indisputably tragic. But, by upholding Michelle Carter's conviction, the Supreme Judicial Court has handed prosecutors broad, undefined powers that diminish the speech rights of everyone in Massachusetts," he said. The trial drew national attention and was closely watched on social media, in part because of the insistent tone of Carter's text messages. In dozens of text messages, Carter urged Roy to follow through on his talk of taking his own life. "The time is right and you are ready ... just do it babe," Carter wrote in a text the day he killed himself. "You can't think about it. You just have to do it. You said you were gonna do it. Like I don't get why you aren't," Carter wrote in another text. Roy's father, Conrad Roy Sr., said Carter "exploited my son's weaknesses and used him as a pawn ... She has not shown any remorse." Carters attorneys argued that she made bad choices in her communication with Roy during his final hours, but did not commit any crimes. They said Roy was determined to kill himself and nothing Carter did could change that. They said Carter initially tried to talk Roy out of it and urged him to get professional help, but eventually went along with his plan. They also said Carter was struggling with mental health issues of her own bulimia, anorexia and depression during the time she urged Roy to kill himself. "We can all see from the text messages that Michelle Carter did not force Conrad Roy to kill himself," attorney Daniel Marx told the court in October. Carter and Roy met in Florida in 2012 while both were on vacation with their families. After that, they only met in person a handful of times. Their relationship consisted mainly of texting. Both teens struggled with depression. Carter had also been treated for anorexia, and Roy had made earlier suicide attempts. If you are in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting 'Home' to 741741. A former volunteer firefighter in Connecticut accused of drunkenly setting a fire behind a Shelton firehouse has taken a plea deal in the case. Forty-five-year-old Gregory Bomba pleaded guilty to reckless burning Tuesday, and has agreed to a five-year suspended prison sentence and three years of probation when he is sentenced. The Connecticut Post reports the judge indicates Bomba will also have to perform 250 hours of community service. Police say the fire happened Feb. 3 in the rear parking lot of the firehouse as a "past captains dinner" took place inside the firehouse. Authorities say video shows Bomba and another man lighting cardboard boxes on fire outside the firehouse. Police say Bomba was intoxicated at the time. The other defendant is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday. High levels of carbon monoxide at a Brockton, Massachusetts home resulted in four people being rushed to a hospital Monday morning. Authorities responded to the home located at 213 Sawtell Ave. sometime before 10 a.m., where carbon monoxide levels were at 900 ppm. One person in the house woke up and called 911. Officials believe the dangerous leak was caused by a faulty furnace, which they said was not venting correctly during the home's ongoing construction. All four victims are expected to survive, according to fire crews. Authorities did not release the identities of those who were hospitalized. New Hampshire authorities are trying to figure out how the intact human remains of a fetus or a child ended up at a wastewater treatment facility in Conway. A town employee doing regular maintenance at the wastewater treatment facility on Main Street found the remains Tuesday, according to the attorney general. Authorities are trying to figure out the circumstances leading to the discovery. Although investigators dont know why, they think they know how the remains ended up at the plant. Right now, it appears that they were likely transported through the sewer system, said Associate New Hampshire Attorney General Jeff Strelzin. He spoke with NBC10 Boston on the phone from his office in Concord, saying the remains are now with the states Chief Medical Examiner who will perform an autopsy. Strelzin said those results will help determine whether the remains were that of a child or a fetus. According to New Hampshire State law, a fetus is defined as an unborn offspring from the end of the twentieth week after conception - until birth. As authorities try to piece together what happened, the limited information is still sparking a passionate conversation in Conway. Its a child, first of all, and sounds like someone was callous enough to abandon this fetus, said Thomas Montgomery who was visiting North Conway from Massachusetts. Im appalled that someone would do something like that, said Jean Tancrede. Resident Paul Graham agreed. I think times are changing and people are not as concerned about human life as they once were, he said. Strelzin says its a priority to locate the mother to ensure her well-being. If you know anything, you should contact your local police department. Two now-former group home employees are accused of assaulting a disabled resident in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. Daniel Maina, 41, of Tyngsborough, and Jennifer Nganga, 60, of Lowell, were charged with assault and battery on a disabled person and abuse by a caretaker on Wednesday. Chelmsford police said Maina and Nganga were arrested following an investigation that allegedly showed a pattern of abuse on Paul Stanizzi, 50, a non-verbal resident at a group home on Harding Street. "The evidence gathered during the investigation showed a clear pattern of physical abuse against a victim who could not defend himself or report his abuse at the hands of the very people charged with his care and well-being," said Chelmsford Police Chief James Spinney. The group home is operated by Northeast Residential Services, which is a state-operated group home, according to the Department of Developmental Services (DDS). DDS responded to NBC10 Boston regarding the allegations. "DDS was deeply disturbed to learn of these horrible allegations and has a zero tolerance policy for abuse and neglect of individuals in its care," they wrote. "Additional precautionary steps have been taken including placing the employees supervisor and other group home staff on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation. Nursing staff have evaluated the other residents to ensure that they are safe and healthy." DDS added that both Maina and Nganga underwent background checks prior to being hired. Maina and Nganga were released on personal recognizance and are due back in court on March 26. Tokyo, February 6, 2019 - NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701) today announced that German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel visited the company's Tokyo headquarters on Tuesday, February 5, where she was introduced to NEC's advanced ICT technologies, including AI and biometric identification solutions, and engaged in dialogue with employees about technology, regulations and privacy protection. Chancellor Merkel toured the "NEC Future Creation Hub," a newly established co-creation space at NEC headquarters, as she was hosted by NEC's Chairman of the Board, Nobuhiro Endo, and a wide range of NEC employees on her only visit to a private company during this trip to Japan. German Chancellor, Dr. Angela Merkel, and NEC Chairman of the Board, Nobuhiro Endo Tour of the "NEC Future Creation Hub" The chancellor exchanged dialogue with members of NEC about the balance of technological innovation with legal regulations, privacy protection, human rights and ethics as digitization and the use of data continue making advancements among society and people. NEC also introduced AI and biometrics use cases as part of illustrating the value that they provide to customers, in addition to the demonstration of a satellite-mounted radar system for monitoring urban infrastructure, the integrated management of various sensing data, disaster prevention and disaster countermeasure solutions. This was in addition to an active discussion between Chancellor Merkel and NEC employees on the application of ICT for helping to resolve social challenges. "It was an honor for NEC to host German Chancellor Merkel, who plays a leading role in the promotion of international cooperation and development between governments and business," said Chairman Endo. "It was extremely meaningful for NEC to discuss with Chancellor Merkel issues related to value creation throughout the world, in addition to highlighting our latest solutions. Following this meeting, we look forward to promoting NEC's cutting-edge solutions for safety, security and social value across Germany and abroad." *** A Chinese court sentenced a Canadian man to death on Monday in a sudden retrial of a drug smuggling case and Beijing said that it has denied a Canadian diplomatic immunity, ratcheting up tensions since Canada's arrest of a top Chinese technology executive last month. A Chinese court in northeastern Liaoning province announced that it had given Robert Lloyd Schellenberg the death penalty, reversing an earlier 2016 ruling that sentenced him to 15 years in prison. 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 to warn Canadians of "the risk of arbitrary enforcement of local laws." 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. What seemed to be a great deal ended up being a giant farse. At least two dozen people tell Telemundo 44 they were scammed by a travel agency in Hyattsville, Maryland, that promised them airline tickets to Central America and Mexico at low costs. Police in Prince George's County are now looking for the accused travel agent. According to the victims, the company Azteka Travel & Services LLC, located on Annapolis Road in Prince Georges County, advertised through its social media accounts and other ads affordable flights to various destinations om Latin America, including places like El Salvador, from prices as low as $355. Interested buyers would contact the company and, after receiving payment through cash or credit card, an agency employee would say she would take care of getting the tickets with the airline. But the victims say that it was all a lie; the travel bookings were never made. When clients tried to contact the agency to secure their bookings or request a refund, they never got a response. Many of the people affected say they realized the arrangements were fraudulent only days before their supposed trips; others said they were stranded in Guatemala, El Salvador or Mexico, without a way to return to the United States. This lady does not know all the harm she is doing to us, Maria Lucia Martinez, one of the people scammed, said in an exclusive interview with Telemundo 44. She does not know [what she has done] because in order to make some money, I did not have a Christmas, I did not have a New Year [celebration]. Several victims opened complaints against the accused scammer, identified as Lorena Balbuena-Aguilar, who went by the name Ana Maria, according to the victims. An arrest warrant was issued for Balbuena-Aguilar on Jan. 26, but she has not been detained yet. The victims claim that they lost thousands of dollars, according to court documents. On one occasion, Balbuena-Aguilar is accused of using a clients credit card to purchase tickets for other people, stealing more than $6,000. On another occasion, Balbuena-Aguilar apparently lied to a client, telling them that their flight had been cancelled because of bad weather, forcing them to purchase another trip. Telemundo 44 has received dozens of calls from people reporting similar experiences. This is fraud that has been done to us. And it is tough, the way the situation we are going through is now Marlon Guevara, another of the victims, said. With the colder weather, work slows down, and it is harder to make money. If you believe you have been a victim in this kind of fraud, contact Prince Georges County police to file a complaint. You can also contact the Consumer Protection Division of the Maryland Office of the Attorney General by emailing consumer@oag.state.md.us or calling 301-386-6200. A Virginia family said they are afraid to be inside their own home after it was riddled with bullets early Monday. At 2 a.m., someone fired 11 shots in Montclair, and seven of those shots went into the home of the Zahids. Upstairs, a bullet went through a bathroom wall, through the bathtub, through the bathroom door and then into a wall. Lanay Zahid said she crawled on her hands and knees to check on her 3-year-old and 6-year-old boys. We found a hammer and a box cutter from our garage and we took it upstairs, she said. Our children slept in our bed. We locked the door, and I downloaded the police scanner app on my phone and listened to it until I dozed off, but I was sure biting my nails and freaking out. The Zahids said they asked the homeowners association for more patrols, but nothing has happened. The homeowners association had no comment for News4. Im supposed to be able to protect my family, but you rely on your neighborhood and your community to provide a little peace of mind, Zeeshan Zahid said. What happens when you reach out to them and they give you nothing. Prince William County police do not believe the Zahids were targeted. They said they think the shooting was reckless use of a firearm. They said they will increase patrols in the area. A 21-year-old man from Springfield, Virginia, is accused of soliciting sex from a minor after police say he offered to trade sexually explicit images of children. Fairfax County police say Monis Irfan met with an undercover detective after offering sexually explicit images of children through a social networking site. Irfan, an instructional assistant and substitute at Bush Hill Elementary School in the Alexandria area of Fairfax County, is being held at the Fairfax Adult Detention Center on no bond. He was arrested and charged with two counts of solicitation of a minor, as well as two related charges, Wednesday. Police ask anyone with information or knowledge of inappropriate communications with Irfan to contact detectives at 703-246-7800. A local federal whistleblower is raising questions about the welfare of K-9s deployed overseas through a State Department program intended to help other countries fight terrorism complaints that have caught the attention of multiple government oversight officials, News4 has learned. Dr. Karen Iovino, a veterinarian who until 2017 worked for a private contractor that trains the explosive detection K-9s in Virginia, is calling for the U.S. government to impose tougher oversight of the dogs once deployed in the war on terror. At issue is the State Departments Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program (ATA), which provides training and equipment to law enforcement agencies in more than 150 countries. As of September 2018, at least 100 explosive detection K-9s have been granted to six partner countries through the ATA program, according to a State Department official. The U.S. provides training to the recipients of the explosive detection canines. But in a federal complaint filed with the State Departments Office of the Inspector General in August 2017, Iovino alleges that, once leaving U.S. control, some of the K-9s given to foreign governments are dying due to medical conditions and lack of veterinary care, as well as poor working conditions. Unfortunately, we're sending dogs to an area of the world that has a lot of poverty and doesn't always see dogs or animals the way we do in the United States, she told News4. If we're going to gift a dog to these countries, we've gotta be sure they're taken care of. Iovino provided the I-Team with an internal email from a former colleague indicating one dog sent to Jordan died of suspected heat stroke in July 2017. She also provided photos of underweight K-9s she alleges were taken by a former contractor visiting the K-9s overseas photos News4 could not independently verify. Her allegations have sparked multiple federal inquiries. The State Departments inspector general has confirmed to News4 that its reviewing the health and welfare of explosive detection K-9s sent overseas. The IG, as well as the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform, are also reviewing Iovinos whistleblower complaint. In the filing, she alleges the private contractor, MSA Security, terminated her after she brought her concerns about the K-9s and other matters to the State Departments Office of Acquisitions Management. MSA Security declined comment to News4, citing a confidentiality agreement with the Department of State, but court records show it vehemently rejects Iovinos accusations pertaining to the reason for her dismissal. The contractor is appealing a July 2018 decision by the State Department IG that found it committed retaliation against her after she made protected disclosures. In an August 2018 letter made public in court records an attorney for the contractor blasted the IG investigation and said Iovinos position was eliminated because the Department of State had placed increased emphasis on monitoring the well-being of the overseas K-9s and created a position for a new veterinarian that would travel to provide care. Iovino, the attorney wrote, was not qualified for that position. MSA and the government can readily rebut Iovinos retaliation charges, the attorney stated. Last December, former House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy issued a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, requesting documents outlining the State Departments oversight of the Winchester-based Canine Validation Center, as well as governmental agreements between State and recipients of K-9s through the ATA program. Staff for the committees new chairman, U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., have since reached out to Iovino, though its unclear whether the committee will pursue the issue. The State Department confirmed its aware of Iovinos complaints but declined an interview about the ATA program, and the Embassy of Jordan in Washington, D.C., has not yet responded to multiple News4 requests. Reported by Scott MacFarlane and Katie Leslie, produced by Katie Leslie, and shot by Steve Jones and Jeff Piper. What to Know A California professor gave an account Wednesday of an alleged sexual assault in 2004 by Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax. In her first public comment, Vanessa Tyson said Fairfax forced her to perform oral sex on him. He said the encounter was consensual. Tyson said she didn't plan to come forward this month; rather, she says she spoke after a blog published a private Facebook post she wrote. The California professor who alleged that Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax sexually assaulted her in 2004 issued her first public statement Wednesday on the alleged attack, describing the use of force. Vanessa Tyson, a 42-year-old political science professor on leave from Scripps College, said Fairfax made her perform a sex act in a hotel room at the Democratic National Convention in Boston. Tyson, who studies the intersection of politics and the #MeToo movement, says Fairfax held her head down and forced her to perform oral sex on him in his hotel room at the 2004 convention. "I cannot believe, given my obvious distress, that Mr. Fairfax thought this forced sexual act was consensual," Tyson said in a three-page statement issued by her attorney. "To be very clear, I did not want to engage in oral sex with Mr. Fairfax and I never gave any form of consent. Quite the opposite." Fairfax, now a married, 39-year-old father of two, said that when he was 25, he had a "100 percent consensual" encounter with a woman he met at the convention. He is in line to succeed Gov. Ralph Northam, who is resisting calls to resign after the publication of a racist photo on his 1984 medical school yearbook page, as well as an admission of once wearing blackface. Tyson said she met Fairfax while they were working at the convention and that on July 28, 2004 he suggested they get some fresh air by walking to his hotel room. She said that "what began as consensual kissing quickly turned into a sexual assault" and that Fairfax forced her head to his crotch, where he had unzipped his pants. "Utterly shocked and terrified, I tried to move my head away, but could not because his hand was holding down my neck and he was much stronger than me," she said. Tyson said she did not speak about the alleged assault for years, citing "deep humiliation and shame," and the desire to succeed in her career as an academic. She said she began telling friends about what happened in October 2017, when she learned that Fairfax was running for lieutenant governor. "I have never wavered in my account because I am telling the truth. I have no political motive. I am a proud Democrat. My only motive in speaking now is to refute Mr. Fairfax's falsehoods and aspersions of my character, and to provide what I believe is important information for Virginians to have as they make critical decisions that involve Mr. Fairfax," Tyson's statement said. Fairfax said in a statement Wednesday that reading Tyson's account was "painful." "I have never done anything like what she suggests," the statement said. "Any review of the circumstances would support my account, because it is the truth. I take this situation very seriously and continue to believe Dr. Tyson should be treated with respect," Fairfax said. "But, I cannot agree to a description of events that simply is not true." On Tuesday, Fairfax called the allegation a political smear. He said he had no indication until shortly before he was inaugurated in 2018 that Tyson believed he had assaulted her. "At no time did she express to me any discomfort or concern about our interactions, neither during that encounter, nor during the months following it, when she stayed in touch with me, nor the past fifteen years," Fairfax said in a statement released Wednesday. "She in no way indicated that anything that had happened between us made her uncomfortable." Tyson said that in December 2017, she gave a friend at The Washington Post her account of what happened. She then spoke to his colleague. But the paper chose not to publish a story. The paper said it was unable to corroborate either Tyson's account or Fairfax's account of what happened. "I felt powerless, frustrated and completely drained," Tyson's statement said. "Again I tried to bury memories of this painful incident and focus on my work and my students." She said she did not choose to accuse Fairfax this month. Rather, she wrote a "private post" on Facebook about what happened, which the conservative blog Big League Politics published. "I was undecided about whether to speak out publicly. I knew that if I did so, I would immediately face accusations about my motives and be branded a liar, as is routinely the case when women come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against prominent men," she said. Tyson is on a yearlong fellowship at Stanford University, where she's studying the political discourse of sexual assault. She is slated to lead a symposium there next week titled: "Betrayal and Courage in the Age of #MeToo." In a 2007 YouTube video, Tyson talks about her work at a Boston rape crisis center, about being a victim of incest at age 8 and about the importance of sexual assault victims coming forward. "People don't want to hear the message so we just have to get a little louder," Tyson said. "Build the numbers, keep the message going do what we have to do until they start seeing us." Since the #MeToo movement emerged, Tyson has been frequently quoted as an expert about the intersection of politics and sexual assault and harassment claims, including the allegations by multiple women that triggered the 2017 resignation of Sen. Al Franken, the Minnesota Democrat. Tyson this week hired the same Washington law firm that represented Christine Blasey Ford, the California psychology professor who accused then Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her. He denied the accusation. During the Kavanaugh hearings last fall, Tyson posted on Twitter: "Sending love to all the survivors out there whose rapists/assailants called it 'consensual' and whose society privileges an old boys club over all else." A political death watch took shape at Virginia's Capitol as Gov. Ralph Northam consulted with top administration officials Monday about whether to resign amid a furor over a racist photo in his 1984 yearbook. Practically all of the state's Democratic establishment and Republican leaders, too turned against the 59-year-old Democrat after the picture surfaced late last week of someone in blackface next to another person in a Ku Klux Klan hood and robe. The photo was on Northam's medical school yearbook page. The sense of crisis deepened Monday as the politician next in line to be governor, Democratic Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, denied an uncorroborated allegation of sexual misconduct first reported by a conservative website. Fairfax told reporters that the 2004 encounter with a woman was consensual, and he called the accusation a political "smear." Protest chants, meanwhile, echoed around Capitol Square. Lobbyists complained they were unable to get legislators to focus on bills. Security guards joked about who was going to be the next governor. Cafeteria workers and members of the cleaning staff shook their heads in wonder. And banks of news cameras were set up outside the governor's Executive Mansion. Northam stayed out of sight as he met with his Cabinet and senior staff to hear their assessment of whether it was feasible for him to stay in office, according to a top administration official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The meetings included frank conversations about the difficulties of governing under such circumstances, the person said. Calls from lawmakers for Northam's resignation seemed to ease Monday. State Del. Lamont Bagby, head of the Legislative Black Caucus, said there was little left to say: "I'm going to let him breathe a little bit, give him space to make the right decision." The waiting game played out on what was already one of the legislature's busiest days of the session, with the House and Senate each seeking to complete legislation to send to the other chamber. Finance Secretary Aubrey Layne said he told Northam that the state cannot afford a prolonged period of uncertainty over his future. Northam's office is in the middle of negotiations with GOP lawmakers over a major tax overhaul and changes to the state budget. The Republicans control both houses of the legislature. "One way or the other, it needs to be resolved," Layne said. The furor over the photo erupted on Friday, when Northam first admitted he was in the picture without saying which costume he was wearing, and apologized. But a day later, he denied he was in the photo, while also acknowledging he once put on blackface to imitate Michael Jackson at a dance contest in Texas decades ago. The scandal threatens to cripple Northam's ability to govern. In a sign Monday of the challenges he could face, Katherine Rowe, president of the College of William & Mary, canceled an appearance by Northam at an event this Friday because his presence would "fundamentally disrupt the sense of campus unity we aspire to." Northam, a pediatric neurologist who graduated from Eastern Virginia Medical School and came to politics late in life, is one year into his four-year term. If he resigns, Fairfax will become the second African-American governor in Virginia history. The state's Republican House speaker said lawmakers are hesitant to seek Northam's impeachment and are hoping he steps down instead. "Obviously on impeachment, that's a very high standard," Speaker Kirk Cox said. "And so I think that's why I think we have called for the resignation. We hope that's what the governor does. I think that would obviously be less pain for everyone." Referring to the allegation against him, Fairfax said he was not surprised it came at a critical time: "It's at that point that they come out with the attacks and the smears. It is unfortunate. It really is, but it's sadly a part of our politics now." The Associated Press is not reporting the details of the accusation because AP has not been able to corroborate it. The Washington Post said Monday that it was approached by the woman in 2017 and carefully investigated but never published a story for lack of any independent evidence. The Post said the woman had not told anyone about it, the account could not be corroborated, Fairfax denied it, and the Post was unable to find other similar allegations against him among people who knew him in college, law school or in politics. The woman did not immediately respond Monday to a voicemail, text message or email from an AP reporter. The allegations were first reported by Big League Politics, the news outlet that first published the yearbook image. Last week, Northam came under fire from Republicans who have accused him of backing infanticide after he said he supported a bill loosening restrictions on late-term abortions. Late last month, Florida's secretary of state resigned after photos surfaced of him in blackface as a Hurricane Katrina victim at a 2005 Halloween party. Associated Press writer Ben Finley contributed to this report. Face to face with emboldened Democrats, President Donald Trump on Tuesday called on Washington to cast aside "revenge, resistance and retribution" and end "ridiculous partisan investigations" in a State of the Union address delivered at a vulnerable moment for his presidency. Trump appealed for bipartisanship but refused to yield on the hard-line immigration policies that have infuriated Democrats and forced the recent government shutdown. He renewed his call for a border wall and cast illegal immigration as a threat to Americans' safety and economic security. Trump accepted no blame for his role in cultivating the rancorous atmosphere in the nation's capital, and he didn't outline a clear path for collaborating with Democrats who are eager to block his agenda. Their opposition was on vivid display as Democratic congresswomen in the audience formed a sea of white in a nod to early 20th-century suffragettes. (Read a fact check of the State of the Union.) Trump is staring down a two-year stretch that will determine whether he is re-elected or leaves office in defeat. His speech sought to shore up Republican support that had eroded slightly during the recent government shutdown and previewed a fresh defense against Democrats as they ready a round of investigations into every aspect of his administration. "If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation," he declared. Lawmakers in the cavernous House chamber sat largely silent. Looming over the president's address was a fast-approaching Feb. 15 deadline to fund the government and avoid another shutdown. Democrats have refused to acquiesce to his demands for a border wall, and Republicans are increasingly unwilling to shut down the government to help him fulfill his signature campaign pledge. Nor does the GOP support the president's plan to declare a national emergency if Congress won't fund the wall. Wary of publicly highlighting those intraparty divisions, Trump made no mention of an emergency declaration in his remarks. He did offer a lengthy defense of his call for a border wall, declaring: "I will build it." But he delivered no ultimatums about what it would take for him to sign legislation to keep the government open. "I am asking you to defend our very dangerous southern border out of love and devotion to our fellow citizens and to our country," he said, painting a dark and foreboding picture of the risks posed to Americans by illegal immigration. The 72-year-old Trump harkened back to moments of American greatness, celebrating the moon landing as astronaut Buzz Aldrin looked on from the audience and heralding the liberation of Europe from the Nazis. He led the House chamber in singing happy birthday to a Holocaust survivor sitting with first lady Melania Trump. "Together, we represent the most extraordinary nation in all of history. What will we do with this moment? How will we be remembered?" Trump said. The president ticked through a litany of issues with crossover appeal, including boosting infrastructure, lowering prescription drug costs and combating childhood cancer. But he also appealed to his political base, both with his harsh rhetoric on immigration and a call for Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the "late-term abortion of children." Trump devoted much of his speech to foreign policy, another area where Republicans have increasingly distanced themselves from the White House. He announced details of a second meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, outlining a Feb. 27-28 summit in Vietnam. Trump and Kim's first summit garnered only a vaguely worded commitment by the North to denuclearize. But the president said his outreach to Pyongyang had made the U.S. safer. "If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea," he said. As he condemned political turmoil in Venezuela, Trump declared that "America will never be a socialist country" a remark that may also have been targeted at high-profile Democrats who identify as socialists. The president was surrounded by symbols of his emboldened political opposition. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was praised by Democrats for her hard-line negotiating during the shutdown, sat behind Trump as he spoke. And several senators running for president were also in the audience, including Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey. Another Democratic star, Stacey Abrams, delivered the party's response to Trump. Abrams narrowly lost her bid in November to become America's first black female governor, and party leaders are aggressively recruiting her to run for U.S. Senate from Georgia. Speaking from Atlanta, Abrams calls the shutdown a political stunt that "defied every tenet of fairness and abandoned not just our people, but our values." Trump's address amounted to an opening argument for his re-election campaign. Polls show he has work to do, with his approval rating falling to just 34 percent after the shutdown, according to a recent survey conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. One bright spot for the president has been the economy, which has added jobs for 100 straight months. "The only thing that can stop it," he said, "are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations" an apparent swipe at the special counsel investigation into ties between Russia and Trump's 2016 campaign, as well as the upcoming congressional investigations. The diverse Democratic caucus, which includes a bevy of women, sat silently for much of Trump's speech. But they leapt to their feet when he noted there are "more women in the workforce than ever before." The increase is due to population growth and not something Trump can credit to any of his policies. The president also defended his decisions to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria and Afghanistan over the opposition from national security officials and many Republican lawmakers. "Great nations do not fight endless wars," he said, adding that the U.S. is working with allies to "destroy the remnants" of the Islamic State group and that he has "accelerated" efforts to reach a settlement in Afghanistan. IS militants have lost territory since Trump's surprise announcement in December that he was pulling U.S. forces out, but military officials warn the fighters could regroup within six months to a year of the Americans leaving. Several leading GOP lawmakers have sharply criticized his plans to withdraw from Syria, as well as from Afghanistan. Trump's guests for the speech included Alice Marie Johnson, a woman whose life sentence for drug offenses was commuted by the president, and Joshua Trump, a sixth-grade student from Wilmington, Delaware, who has been bullied over his last name. They sat with Mrs. Trump during the address. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota signaled on Tuesday she could become the next Democrat to enter the presidential contest, teasing a major announcement on Sunday in Minneapolis. "Come to Boom Island in Minnesota ... and you'll find out," she told MSNBC host Rachel Maddow. "Then you'll find out my decision." She didn't offer further details about whether the event would serve as a formal campaign launch. If she enters the race, Klobuchar would likely use her Minnesota roots to make a strong play for the Midwest. The region backed Democrats in presidential contests for decades, but slipped away in 2016, playing a critical role in President Donald Trump's victory. Democrats have made it a top priority to recapture Michigan and Wisconsin in 2020 to winnow Trump's already narrow path to re-election. Underscoring her focus on the Midwest, Klobuchar already plans to visit neighboring Iowa, home to the nation's leadoff caucus, later this month. Klobuchar is a third-term senator who overwhelmingly won re-election last year. On Capitol Hill, she's known for her legislative productivity and genial demeanor. The 58-year-old former prosecutor has won acclaim for her style of questioning of high-profile nominees who appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee. During Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation hearing, she pressed him on whether he ever blacked out from alcohol use. He combatively threw the question back at her, for which he later apologized. She would be the fifth Democratic senator to enter an already crowded primary. Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Kamala Harris of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey have already entered the race. Other prominent Democrats, including former Vice President Joe Biden, former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, are expected to announce their 2020 decisions soon. The FBI is searching for more potential victims of a photographer accused of sexually assaulting models including minors during professional photo sessions on the West Coast over the past 25 years. Robert Koester, 52, was arrested on Nov. 13, 2018, in Carlsbad for allegedly assaulting a 16-year-old victim as she posed for him. Koester had been sub-contracted by the modeling agency, Frank, and met with the teenager on Nov. 12 to take her photos. During the modeling session, Koester allegedly inappropriately touched the teen. Afterward, the victim known as Jane Doe 1 told her boyfriend what happened and he urged her to tell her parents. The family reported the incident to the Carlsbad Police Department and Koester was arrested at his home on Carlsbad Boulevard the next day. At the home, police found evidence of the sex crime. Koester was booked into jail on several counts, including sexual battery, possession of child pornography and sexual penetration. He posted bail and was released. FBI On Nov. 21, 2018, Koester was arraigned in San Diego County and charged with 35 felony counts involving sex crimes against minors. At the time, San Diego County Deputy District Attorney Dan Owens confirmed three additional victims had contacted investigators alleging sexual abuse at the hands of the photographer. Owens said the alleged abuse happened during four separate instances between 2017 and 2018, each during a modeling photography session. He said Koester had talked his victims into posing for nude photos. Three of the victims including Jane Doe 1 were 16 years old. The fourth victim is now 18, but Owens said the crime against her happened when she was only 15 years old. Owens said there were likely more victims out there in this case and encouraged those potential victims to contact police with details. A photographer originally booked into jail on six felony sex crimes involving a teenager is now charged with 35 felony sex crimes involving four girls. NBC7's Rory Devine reports. On Wednesday, FBI San Diego officials said investigators had created a system online to collect information from potential victims in this case. Alleged victims can fill out this confidential questionnaire, which includes questions like, Were you photographed by Robert Koester? and If yes, when were you photographed? According to the FBI, Koester is currently facing 23 felony charges filed by state prosecutors in San Diego County in connection with his November 2018 arrest and two federal counts of sexual exploitation of a minor in California. Today, Koester is being held on those federal counts at San Diego Central Jail. Booking records indicate he is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 15. FBI San Diego officials said Koester owns a farm in Yamhill County, Oregon. Officials in that county, including the FBIs Portland Field Office and the Yamhill County Sheriffs Office, are investigating the case in that region. On Jan. 30, Yamhill County Grand Jury charged Koester with 32 felony counts of sex crimes involving four other victims in Oregon, the FBI confirmed. One of those victims was a minor. The counts against Koester in Oregon include first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy, and first-degree unlawful sexual penetration. Koesters bail on the Yamhill County charges was set at $2.5 million, the FBI said. According to investigators, Koester has used different names during his career as a photographer including Bert Kay, Rhake Winter, and Qitooly. The suspected serial sexual predators crimes could date from 1994 to 2018. The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about Koesters case or anyone who feels they may have been victimized by the photographer can reach out to the FBI via the online questionnaire or via email at ModelCase@fbi.gov. NBC 7's Dave Summers spoke to women with modeling experience who say interactions with photographers are usually one-on-on, which can be dangerous. Film Review by Chauncey K Robinson I Am the Night On the morning of January 15, 1947, the body of aspiring actress Elizabeth Short was discovered in Los Angeles, California. Her body had been severed in two pieces, drained of all its blood, mutilated, and posed in the grass where it was found as if Short were taking a modelling photo. It was a gruesome sight that led to a media frenzy but which would ultimately turn into a cold case, nicknamed the Black Dahlia, as Shorts killer was never brought to justice. India Eisley as Fauna Hodel and Chris Pine as Jay Singletary. The new TNT (Stan in Australia) mini-series, I Am the Night, attempts to shed light on the case by bringing focus to the equally strange true story of Fauna Hodel, the granddaughter of one of the main suspects in Shorts murder, George H Hodel. The crime noir style series mixes factual history with Hollywood folklore and only begins to scratch the surface on the controversial story. I Am the Night tells the story of Fauna Hodel (India Eisley), a teenage girl living in Reno, Nevada in the 1960s. Fauna believes herself to be mixed race, having a Black mother and a white father. She lives a simple life, but constantly feels as though she doesnt truly belong, as often she is mistaken for white, but identifies as Black. It is soon revealed that Fauna was given away at birth, and that she is actually the granddaughter of the wealthy and powerful doctor George H Hodel (Jefferson Mays). As Fauna travels to Los Angeles to investigate the secrets of her past, she meets journalist Jay Singletary (Chris Pine). As she works with Singletary to discover who she really is, and the kind of man her grandfather was as well, it takes both characters down a dark and dangerous path of revelations and Hollywood corruption. Director Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman, Monster) is at the helm of the series, and serves as director and one of the executive producers. The six episode mini-series takes on the ambitious task of trying to touch upon all the controversy surrounding the infamous George H Hodel and his family. It uses the real Fauna Hodels memoir One Day Shell Darken, as a base for the series. The television show then uses the fictional character of Jay to give viewers more insight into the case of the Black Dahlia and the Hodel familys connection to it. At times this method works, while at others, it leaves episodes feeling disjointed, as if theyre trying to meld multiple styles of stories into one cohesive plotline. That may have more to do with the fact that the series takes liberties with historical happenings and timelines in an attempt to make a true story, which spans over the course of decades, fit into the shows time frame of only a few weeks. Jenkins has made sure to give the series a distinct crime noir film style. This is appropriate given the source material and the traumatic web of real events the series uncovers and alludes to. Hodels story is one of medical malpractice, incest, sexual abuse, death, and corruption. Theres mystery and intrigue in every frame and a foreboding of danger. George H Hodels character is part of that atmosphere, serving as a symbolic boogeyman that cast a dark shadow on the lives of Fauna, her family, and Jay. Thus, with George H Hodel serving as mostly a symbol, it is Fauna and Jay that are fleshed out as the story unfolds. Although Jay is a fictional figure, I Am the Night does a fine job of giving him layers and nuance. Hes an army veteran with post traumatic stress disorder and a drive for uncovering truth through his journalism. Hes something of a tragic figure for most of the series, as his quest for truth through his news reporting led to him being blacklisted early on his career. Now he finds himself addicted to drugs and constantly pulling himself back from the brink of a mental breakdown. His bond with Fauna serves as a small beacon of light, holding the possibility of redemption for Jay. Pine competently displays these layers and trauma in an effective way that will make the viewers root for Jay to find some semblance of peace in a world of deceit and lies. Eisleys portrayal gives Fauna Hodel an air of subtle strength and resilience. Her character is one who constantly struggles to find somewhere to belong. At times though, Fauna is relegated to only reacting to circumstances around her, which could make it seem as though her character is more passive than proactive. Yet, Eisley still does well in making those moments resonate by displaying a wide range of emotions for Fauna as the series proceeds. Golden Brooks gives a breakout performance as Faunas troubled alcoholic mother, Jimmy Lee. The relationship between Fauna and Jimmy is a turbulent one that gives viewers another peek at what Fauna has had to deal with in her life and how it shapes who she is. It would have been easy for the show to fall into the overused trope of simply relegating Jimmy to being an abusive mother with resentment towards her adopted child, but instead it puts the whole relationship on the table, with all its layers and shades which ends up making for a more interesting subplot. The characters and relationships are at the heart of the series, and when the focus is more on those moments, the show shines brightly. It does take some time for the series to find its footing, as the mystery is slow to unfold. The connections between many of the characters arent revealed until later on. If a viewer knew nothing of the Black Dahlia case, or of Faunas truly bizarre life story, the slow beginning of the series may make it hard for them to stay long enough to get through Jay and Faunas journey. Also, the series has the outward appearance of a crime noir mystery, but overall it is more of a melodrama. There are moments when the themes of race and racism are touched upon, but they arent ever given enough space to be a major aspect of the show. Overall, I Am the Night only scratches the surface to the much deeper Hollywood tale of the Hodel family and the media phenomenon of the Black Dahlia case. Instead of taking on those larger than life stories, it chooses a more intimate approach of displaying how two characters, Jay and Fauna, are greatly affected by those happenings. The mystery serves as a backdrop for what ends up being a more human-interest tale. Peoples World A California professor who accused Virginia's Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax of sexually assaulting her 15 years ago hired Christine Blasey Ford's legal team to represent her, NBC News reports. Vanessa Tyson, who is on leave from her position as an associate professor of politics at Scripps College in California, accused Fairfax of sexually assaulting her at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. A member of her legal team gave NBC News permission to publicly identify her. Fairfax, a married, 39-year-old father of two, said Monday that when he was 25, he had a "100 percent consensual" encounter in a hotel room with a woman he met at the convention, which was held in Boston. He was not married at the time. "At no time did she express to me any discomfort or concern about our interactions, neither during that encounter, nor during the months following it, when she stayed in touch with me, nor the past fifteen years," Fairfax said in a statement released Wednesday. "She in no way indicated that anything that had happened between us made her uncomfortable." He further said that he first heard the allegation when approached by members of the media before his inauguration in 2018. The Washington Post wrote that the paper decided against publishing a story about her claim after reporters were unable to corroborate Tyson's claims nor find other, similar allegations against Fairfax. According to the Post's article Monday, Tyson described an encounter that began consensually and ended with a forced sexual act. NBC News reported Wednesday, citing two sources, that Fairfaix used profane language about his accuser, Dr. Vanessa Tyson, in a private meeting Monday night. Fairfax said in a statement Wednesday that "in my remarks on Monday, I think you could hear how emotional dealing with an allegation that I know is not true has been for me." Tyson hired Katz, Marshall & Banks, the same prominent Washington, D.C., law firm that represented Blasey Ford in her accusation against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Tyson's supporters have rallied online around the tag #IBelieveVanessa. Her Twitter page says she will participate in a public event on Feb. 12 called "Betrayal and Courage in the Age of #MeToo." On Tuesday, Fairfax called the revelation a political smear. The allegation initially surfaced Sunday on the conservative news and commentary site Big League Politics, which also broke news about a racist photo on Gov. Ralph Northam's 1984 medical school yearbook page. Calls for Northam to resign over the photo thrust Fairfax into the national spotlight, as he would be poised to be the state's next governor. Many lawmakers on Tuesday refused to comment on the accusation against Fairfax. Others said they need more information. "We don't have all the information, but we take any allegation of sexual abuse or harassment very seriously," said Virginia Sen. Louise Lucas, a Democrat. "So we are going to wait to see how that information evolves." U.S. intelligence agencies believe North Korea is unlikely to give up its nuclear weapons because "its leaders ultimately view nuclear weapons as critical to regime survival," Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence, told the Senate intelligence committee on Tuesday. That view contrasts with comments from President Donald Trump, who in June declared that North Korea was "no longer a nuclear threat," citing his talks with leader Kim Jong Un, NBC News reported. Coats also refuted Trump's statement that ISIS has been defeated. He said the group was "nearing" military defeat in Iraq, but has returned to its "guerrilla warfare roots," continues to plot attacks and "still commands thousands of fighters in Iraq and Syria." On election meddling, the annual public survey of national security threats found that U.S. intelligence agencies assess that Russia and China will seek to interfere in the 2020 presidential election, having learned lessons from Russia's operation in 2016. What to Know Brian Berger, a Philadelphia-area gemologist, purchased a piece of opal with a fossilized insect trapped inside. Scientists estimate that the insect may have become encased in the opal millions of years ago. Berger plans to name the opal "Beverly" in honor of his grandmother. What is millions of years old and is trapped inside of a rare gem? Not sure? We aren't either. But that's exactly the question a local gem dealer is trying to answer after discovering an unidentified insect fossilized in a rare piece of opal. Brian Berger, a Philadelphia-area gemologist, purchased the artifact after taking a trip to the Indonesian island of Java. Now, he is reaching out for help in identifying the mystery bug. Ive gotten 100 emails from different entomologists, Berger said. Im trying to figure out who the right people to do the job are. Berger told NBC10 he has been in communication with scientists from France, Germany, and Australia. The discovery is an uncommon one for several reasons. Scientists estimate that the insect may have become encased in the opal millions of years ago. In a blog post written by Berger, he analyzes the bugs physical characteristics, describing it as having an open mouth and fibrous structures extending from the appendages. He also says it is likely that the critter became trapped by tree sap or resin, which then fossilized into amber. Because the insect appears to be fully intact, Berger believes that the amber subsequently opalized, preserving the bug. Opal is formed when water runs down through the earth, carrying silica from sandstone into the earths cracks. After the water evaporates, the opal remains. This case has left many in the scientific community scratching their heads. Jon Gelhaus, curator of entomology at Drexel University, believes that there simply arent enough details to identify the specimen yet. It certainly looks insect-like. Its an oddity, he said after viewing a photo of the artifact. Berger plans to name the opal "Beverly" in honor of his grandmother. [She] was a unique gem just like this one, he told NBC10. What to Know Claire Risoldi was convicted of six criminal counts including theft by deception and insurance fraud for a scam involving torching her home Fire spread through the Risoldis' New Hope home, named "Clairemont" by the woman, three times between June 2009 and October 2013. Prosecutors said Risoldi and family collected more than $20 million in insurance claims then used the cash to fund an extravagant lifestyle. A suburban Philadelphia woman has been convicted of most charges in a multi-million-dollar insurance fraud case following fires at her Bucks County property. Jurors in Bucks County deliberated for four and a half hours before convicting 71-year-old Claire Risoldi on six of nine counts including theft by deception and insurance fraud. The case related to insurance claims following a 2013 fire at her Buckingham estate, known as Clairemont. She was acquitted of receiving stolen property related to claims from earlier fires or burglary reports. Risoldi has maintained her innocence since her 2015 indictment and alleges that $10 million in jewelry was gone following the last fire. At the time, now-disgraced former Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane accused Risoldi and her family of setting fires to the woman's home so they could collect more than $20 million in insurance claims, then used the cash float an "excessively extravagant lifestyle" marked by $1.2 million in jewelry and six Ferraris. Risoldi, four members of her Bucks County family and two alleged co-conspirators were hit with several fraud charges after a more than year-long statewide investigation. Fire spread through the Risoldis' New Hope home, named "Clairemont" by the woman, three times between June 2009 and October 2013. According to prosecutors, each fire started near a stockpile of highly flammable materials, including hairspray, and the cause was ruled undetermined. In one case, home surveillance video captured Risoldi leaving the house a minute before smoke appeared and may have been inside when the home was burning, prosecutors said. The family then would collect insurance money for lost jewelry, art and home treatments. Kane said at the time that the family inflated the price tenfold of Romanesque paintings that were destroyed by fire, depicting the Risoldis wearing "flowing robes gazing down from the heavens." They also attempted to file a $2 million claim for damaged window treatments. Risoldi accused firefighters of stealing more than $10 million in jewelry from "Clairemont" while fighting one of the blazes, Kane said. "I knew my guys didn't take anything out of the house, but we were accused," said Midway Volunteer Fire Company Chief Hugh Hager. After collecting the insurance money, the family used the cash to carry out real estate transactions, buy expensive cars and fund their lavish lifestyle, prosecutors said. More than $7 million in assets seized by the state included $3 million from bank accounts, $1.2 million in jewelry, six Ferraris, two Rolls Royces and a Shelby Cobra. The grand jury investigation found Risoldi increased coverage for her jewelry from $100,000 to nearly $11 million less than a month before the last fire in October 2013. Kane said jurors also found a pattern of questionable insurance claims by Risoldi spanning some 30 years. In one example, investigators found jewelry the woman said she lost in 1993. What to Know A New Jersey bus driver is accused of watching porn in front of elementary school students. Franck Lafortune was later arrested and charged with obscenity to minors under the age of 18. Lafortune and his wife insist the incident was a misunderstanding and that he was watching a non-pornographic video a friend sent to him. A New Jersey bus driver is accused of watching porn in front of elementary school students. The incident occurred Monday around 8:30 a.m., investigators said. Franck Lafortune, 64, of Burlington Township, New Jersey, was dropping off students while parked outside Indian Mills Elementary School in Shamong, New Jersey. Two students said they noticed Lafortune was watching a pornographic video on his cell phone as they exited the bus. The students told their parents who notified the school as well as New Jersey State Police. Lafortune was later arrested and charged with obscenity to minors under the age of 18. He was released pending a court appearance. Lafortune, who is originally from Haiti and says hes been a bus driver for nearly 20 years and is also a minister, insists that the incident was a huge misunderstanding. His wife, a teacher who did not want to be identified, spoke on his behalf. She told NBC10 the video was sent by a friend to her husband and that it was meant to be funny, showing police breaking up a fight. She also said that while the video showed people getting their clothes ripped, there was no actual nudity. That was not pornography at all, she said. Its on WhatsApp so they send to anybody. One of the videos, I even got it. Lafortune's wife also claimed her husband has disciplined at least one of the kids who reported the incident, implying that the student may have had a vendetta against him. "This is out there to dirty our names," she said. "We've never been in a case like that. This is ridiculous." State Police told NBC10 they could not comment on the investigation. President Donald Trump on Tuesday delivered his State of the Union address a week later than originally scheduled because of the historic 35-day government shutdown. Here are some of the top moments from his address: THE CHEERING WOMEN IN WHITE Democratic women, many of whom were wearing white in a nod to suffragettes, brought one of the night's most memorable moments when they cheered female economic numbers. "No one has benefitted more from our thriving economy than women who have filled 58 percent of our newly created jobs last year," Trump said. When he paused, the female legislators stood and cheered. A record 102 women are serving in Congress this year many of whom defeated men to win their seat in November's midterm elections. Lawmakers cheer as President Trump highlights the record-number of women serving in Congress during his #SOTU address. : Chip Somodevilla / Getty Imageshttps://t.co/F1nJRmGHi5 #SOTU pic.twitter.com/xsA7S79nni NBC News (@NBCNews) February 6, 2019 "You werent supposed to do that. Thank you very much," Trump ad-libbed. He urged the female lawmakers to remain standing as he honored their triumph more specifically. "Exactly one century after Congress passed the constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote, we also have more women serving in Congress than ever before," Trump said. The women stood with raised hands, cheering. They started up a chant of "USA, USA," which Republicans joined in on. The white that most women on Democratic side of the House chamber wore was the color favored by suffragettes, who won the right to vote from Congress 100 years ago. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York wore a white, caped blazer. A man wore white, too: Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota. TRUMP DOUBLES DOWN ON WALL Trump reiterated his demand that America needed a wall at the southern border. "Simply put, walks work and walls save lives," Trump said. "So let's work together, comprise and reach a deal that will truly make America safe." Hes not getting a wall. #SOTU Bobby L. Rush (@RepBobbyRush) February 6, 2019 It wasn't clear if Trump would commit to a wall amid negotiations over how to fund the government. Congress and the president have until Feb. 15 before funding runs out and the government shuts down again, and Democrats have been firm in opposition to the wall. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democrats did not join in as Republicans applauded Trump's remarks. BIRTHDAY CHEER Just about the whole joint session of Congress sang "Happy Birthday" to Judah Samet, a Holocaust survivor who escaped the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting. He was among the guests sitting with first lady Melania Trump at the address. Judah Samet, member of the Tree of Life Synagogue and Holocaust survivor. pic.twitter.com/mfAnyXVMTa The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 6, 2019 Samet was late for services at the Tree of Life synagogue on Oct. 27. Samet, who survived the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, was just pulling into a handicapped spot when a man told him there was gunfire inside. He witnessed an officer exchange fire with accused gunman Robert Bowers. FROM PRISON TO STATE OF THE UNION Alice Johnson, a grandmother who was pardoned by Trump after 22 years in prison, sat next to Jared Kushner in the chamber and wiped a tear as the president introduced her. Her sentence was considered harsh she was given a mandatory life sentence without parole for having taken part in a drug-dealing conspiracy, though she maintained she never dealt drugs herself and her pardon came after Kim Kardashian West argued her case to the president. MOON MAN Astronaut Buzz Aldrin salutes as he's introduced by Trump. Trump said American astronauts will return to space in 2019. President Trump recognizes Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin at #SOTU. https://t.co/YPmIKKs3Dk pic.twitter.com/2uL1wSkCaQ NBC News (@NBCNews) February 6, 2019 READING MATERIAL House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was seen reading paperwork a copy of the president's address while Trump spoke. She drew reaction on social media for smirking while clapping with arms extended toward him, a moment some dubbed the #PelosiClap. Negotiators for the U.S. and the Taliban insurgents have reached "agreements in principle" on key issues for a peace deal that would end 17 years of war in Afghanistan, the top U.S. envoy said Monday. The statement by U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad followed six days of talks last week with the Taliban in Qatar, where he urged the Islamic insurgent group to enter into direct negotiations with the government of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Ghani on Monday assured Afghans that their rights will not be compromised in the name of peace with the Taliban, who have been staging near-daily attacks against Afghan forces, causing scores of casualties every week. Their offensive has not let up despite the severe Afghan winter and the insurgents now hold sway over nearly half of the country. Khalilzad said in an interview with The New York Times that an agreement in principle was reached with the Taliban on the framework of a peace deal "which still has to be fleshed out" that will see the insurgents commit to guaranteeing that Afghan territory is not used as a "platform for international terrorist groups or individuals." He said the deal could lead to a full pullout of U.S. troops in return for a cease-fire and Taliban talks with the Afghan government. In his statement released by the U.S. Embassy, Khalilzad said, "We made progress on vital issues in our discussions and agreed to agreements in principle on a couple of very important issues. "There is a lot more work to be done before we can say we have succeeded in our efforts but I believe for the first time I can say that we have made significant progress," he said. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said he has been briefed on the talks and described them as encouraging, but he also told reporters that the department has not been directed to prepare for a full withdrawal from Afghanistan. Speaking before a meeting at the Pentagon with Shanahan, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said any discussion about the withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan would be premature. He said Khalilzad had briefed NATO allies on the talks weeks ago. "We are in Afghanistan to create the conditions for a peaceful negotiated solution," Stoltenberg said. "We will not stay longer than necessary, but we will not leave before we have a situation that enables us to leave or reduce the number of troops without jeopardizing the main goal of our presence and that is to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for international terrorists once again." He added that he believes it's too soon to speculate on withdrawal because "what we have to do now is to support the efforts to try to find a peaceful solution. We strongly support those efforts." Ghani sought to assure Afghans that no deals would be made without Kabul's awareness and full participation. "Our commitment is to provide peace and to prevent any possible disaster," Ghani said in an address to the nation. "There are values that are not disputable, such as national unity, national sovereignty and territorial integrity." Ghani's office said he and Khalilzad met late Sunday in Kabul to discuss details from the talks. Khalilzad's statement emphasized the inclusion of the Afghan government in the talks. "There is a false narrative that Afghans are not included. That is not true. The Afghan voice is there," he said. "We are working together to get to a comprehensive cease-fire. We are working with the Afghan government, with international partners, to find implementing mechanisms to reach these goals." Khalilzad has met with the Taliban on a number of occasions in recent months in the latest bid to end America's longest war. The U.S. invaded Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to topple the Taliban, who were harboring Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida. The statement from Ghani's office also claimed that the Taliban demanded from Khalilzad the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Afghanistan, but that there was also no agreement on that issue. The statement added that Khalilzad has no authority to discuss issues such as a future Afghan administration but that his goal is to facilitate an intra-Afghan dialogue, meaning direct talks between the Taliban and Kabul. Khalilzad had tweeted Saturday about progress in the talks in Qatar, where the insurgents have a political office, saying: "Meetings here were more productive than they have been in the past." "We made significant progress on vital issues," he tweeted, without offering details. Abdul Hakim Mujahid, a former Taliban official and currently a member of the High Peace Council, an independent body of clerics and respected Afghan figures, said he believes the Qatar talks resulted in a "good understanding between both sides" but that more discussions are needed in the coming weeks or months. "Afghanistan's problem is not so simple that it can be solved in a day, week or month, it needs more time and more discussions," Mujahid told The Associated Press. The Taliban have in the past refused to negotiate directly with Kabul a standing that does not appear to have changed. They have maintained that they are prepared to talk with U.S. officials only and only about the pullout of foreign forces from Afghanistan. Afghan political analyst Waheed Muzhda says he believes that Khalilzad and the Taliban have reached agreement on both the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan and a cease-fire deal, but that neither side is prepared to say so at this point. "But peace talks are not possible unless both sides first agree on a cease-fire," Muzhda said. In Monday's address to the nation, Ghani also stressed that U.S. and other foreign forces are in Afghanistan because they are needed here and that if there is to be any downsizing or pullout, the Kabul government will have to play a role in the talks. Ghani also reiterated his call on the Taliban to engage "in direct talks with the Afghan government." The fiancee of a man who was killed after stopping to help a crashed driver on the Pine Valley Creek Bridge Wednesday said her husband-to-be was the kind of guy who would help anybody at any time. "Oh God, no," Gwendolyn Sneed said, answering whether or not she was surprised by the circumstances of her fiance's death. "It didn't surprise me at all. It makes me laugh and cry at the same time. It was totally him." Robert Verlin Bruno, Jr. was found dead Wednesday morning under the Pine Valley Creek Bridge which spans some 400 feet in the air. The California Highway Patrol said Bruno, 48, stopped to help a driver in a Chevy pick-up truck who spun out on a patch of ice on westbound Interstate-8 and crashed into the bridge's railing sometime before 5:10 a.m. A good Samaritan fell to his death while trying to help a driver on an icy road in a tall bridge in Pine Valley. NBC 7's Bridget Naso has more. Moments later, another truck swerved to avoid the first crash and collided with a Kia Sorento. A fourth car then slammed into the back of the Kia, CHP said. In an attempt to avoid the oncoming cars, Bruno ran to the side of the bridge and jumped over the rail, CHP said. The bridge in San Diego's East County is one of the highest in the U.S. Bruno did not survive the fall. Officers on scene initially thought the good Samaritan, who was driving a Subaru, may have crashed into the spun-out truck and was ejected from the vehicle. Officers later learned Bruno had stopped to help the stranded driver. "He was a guy who would help anybody at any time," Sneed said. "He was the guy who would walk by someone who looked down and out and give him this leftover food." Sneed said she's experienced a rollercoaster of emotions since learning of Bruno's death and doesn't really know what she's supposed to do next. "He was the other half of me," Sneed said. "Spiritually, physically mentally." A man trying to help a driver who had just crashed on a bridge fell to his death trying to avoid more wreckage. NBC 7's Liberty Zabala has more. Bruno's body was found in a snow-covered canyon under the bridge by a chopper that was weaving through support beams during the search. He just celebrated his 48th birthday two weeks ago. While the chopper spotted Bruno just before 7 a.m., crews were still coming up with a plan to retrieve the body hours later. Sneed says the couple lives in Jacumba Hot Springs, about 75 miles away from San Diego, and both made the daily hour-long commute to work in the city. She says her fiance was always concerned for her safety on the roads when winter weather came and would constantly remind her to drive safely. She said it was raining the night before and snow was on its way. "He definitely warned me to be careful," she said. Between bedtime and 5 a.m. when Bruno left their house for work, snow had fallen. Sneed said she was still cozy in bed and no cautious advisories were exchanged that morning. "It snowed early that morning. There was black ice on the road and that's ultimately what killed him," she said. Sneed described Bruno as the type of man who could command a room -- an unfiltered, "totally authentic" man who respected everyone and got nothing but respect back. His skills in the kitchen and in his garden were a few that stood out to Sneed, and she said she's sharing her grief with their amazing families and friends. According to Sneed, Bruno was an installation manager at a business called Life Deck and like to restore cars and ride his motorcycle in his spare time. He has a 28-year-old son living out of town who Sneed says they raised together since he was nine. People at Major's Coffee Shop in Pine Valley told NBC 7 they know all about the dangers on the highway when freezing temperatures hit. Debi McNamer, owner of Majors Coffee Shop, said she's been driving around town at 5 mph to avoid sliding on the icy roads. She and others at the coffee shop were heartbroken to learn about what happened to the good Samaritan. "It brings tears to your eyes," McNamer said. You just think, 'Wow.' Somebody helping a neighbor, a stranger they didnt know, trying to be a good Samaritan and theyre killed because of it. A San Diego Police Department helicopter searched under the Pine Valley Creek Bridge for a driver missing after an icy crash along I-8. NBC 7's Liberty Zabala reports. The other victims involved in the crash, including a 4-month-old infant, were all believed to be accounted for, firefighters said. Only minor injuries were reported but medics did transport one person to the hospital. The crash on the bridge leading to and from the desert happened after about a week's worth of rain and snow from three separate storm systems. At 450 feet tall, the Pine Valley Creek Bridge is the 11th highest bridge in the U.S., according to World Atlas. While rain had cleared Wednesday morning, forecasters warned that roads would remain icy for several more days. CHP said conditions on the bridge at the time of the crash were foggy, icy and snowy. A CHP officer told an NBC 7 News crew the bridge conditions were so unsafe reporters could not be on it. Caltrans crews dumped a truckload of sand to de-slick the roadway enough to remove the vehicles after the crashes. During, traffic was reduced to one lane on westbound I-8. CPA solidarity with Venezuela The Communist Party of Australia stands squarely with the people of Venezuela, its elected government and the democratically-elected President, Nicolas Maduro. It condemns in the strongest possible terms the actions of the US in recognising its anointed would-be usurper of political power, Juan Guaido. Concerned about this gross interference in the affairs of a sovereign nation, country after country has rushed to re-affirm their recognition of Venezuelas elected President Maduro. Only the US and a tiny number of puppet states have seen fit to recognise the so-called interim president of Venezuela. Venezuela has been subjected to an incessant campaign of sabotage and worse, including a coup in 2002. The US administration will not rule out the military option to smash the Bolivarian Revolution begun in 1998. The hardships being suffered by the people of Venezuela are harsh, undeserved and unjust. They are clinging defiantly to the gains of their grassroots democracy but confronting the fact that their revolution was not complete; that the question of state power was never resolved and that it is not possible to advance to socialism without completing the task of wresting control of the state from the ruling capitalist class. The CPA demands that the Australian government recognises Nicolas Maduro as the legitimate elected President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. The CPA will continue to rally support for the legitimate government of Venezuela and against imperialist intervention. It calls on members and supporters to do all they can to express this solidarity in these very challenging and dark days facing the people of Venezuela. Bob Briton General Secretary Chief Maseimata hands over key to new classroom to Headmistress while Chief Maserei and Chairman of Tangovawia (right) looks on What to Know Beto O'Rourke told Oprah Winfrey in an interview Tuesday that he would decide this month whether or not he would run for president. O'Rourke lost to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R) by less than three percentage points in the November midterms. The Democratic primary field already includes notable names like Sens. Kamala Harris (D-CA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ). Breaking months of near-silence about his political future, Democrat Beto O'Rourke said Tuesday that he would announce his decision about a 2020 presidential run "before the end of the month" and suggested he's leaning toward it. The former Texas congressman, who found political stardom in his unsuccessful Senate bid last fall, opened up about a potential 2020 run in a conversation with a bigger star, Oprah Winfrey, during a taping of her program "Oprah's SuperSoul Conversations from Times Square." "I have been thinking about running for president," O'Rourke told Winfrey as the packed audience cheered. The 46-year-old Democrat cited his desire to help unify the country. "I'm so excited at the prospect of being able to play that role." O'Rourke dazzled Democrats last year by nearly defeating Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in the country's largest red state. In recent weeks, however, his presidential prospects have been overshadowed by the generally well-received 2020 campaign launches of Sens. Kamala Harris of California, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Cory Booker of New Jersey. His comments Tuesday offered a powerful reminder that the Democratic field is far from set. Winfrey, who has flirted with a potential run of her own, appeared to encourage O'Rourke to run during the wide-ranging interview that spanned nearly an hour. "What's it going to take for you to say, 'Yes, I'm doing it?'" she asked. The decision, O'Rourke said, would really be up to his family. He has three children under the age of 13. "For the last seven years, my family hasn't seen me," he said. He added, "That's the far more important responsibility." Winfrey herself has been the center of 2020 speculation, though she has said she doesn't plan to run. She remains an influential figure in Democratic politics, however. Her endorsement of Barack Obama was pivotal to his 2008 campaign. She also took the rare step of campaigning for Democrat Stacey Abrams ahead of her near-upset in the Georgia governor's race. Winfrey's show blurs the line between politics and pop culture. The lineup on Tuesday featured actors Bradley Cooper and Michael B. Jordan and philanthropist Melinda Gates, underscoring the sense of celebrity that surrounds O'Rourke. O'Rourke's low profile in recent weeks has taken curious turns. He treated Instagram followers to a glimpse inside his mouth during a teeth cleaning while trying to decry the Trump administration's border wall. He also recently traveled in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado, but his meandering online posts documenting the journey highlighted things like the open-face roast beef sandwich he had for lunch rather than offering hints about how he'd handle the rigors of a presidential campaign. Compare that to his potential 2020 rivals swarming states that kick off presidential voting: New York Sen. Kristen Gillibrand and former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper will be in South Carolina this week, Booker is visiting Iowa and Warren is set to formally announce her presidential bid Saturday, then hit New Hampshire and Iowa. O'Rourke said he needed to spend time traveling alone to help overcome "a profound disappointment in myself that I let so many people down." He said he emerged with the reinforced belief that "people are so good." The Texas Democrat, who represented a border state in Congress for six years, also took aim at President Donald Trump's push to build a border wall, calling it "a racist response to a problem that we don't have." Though the taping was Tuesday, the interview won't air on Winfrey's network until Feb. 16. After that, O'Rourke doesn't have another headline-grabbing event on his schedule at least not yet. A woman was slashed across her face by a man still on the run in Brooklyn, the NYPD says. The attack on the 31-year-old woman happened back on Feb. 3 at around 8 a.m. when the man engaged the victim in a conversation in the area of Boerum Street and White Street in Williamsburg, according to officials. The woman tried to walk away from the man, but the suspect then slashed her in the face, police said. She was rushed to an area hospital, where she was treated for a large cut on her face. The victim spoke to the New York Post and told the newspaper she was waiting for a Lyft when she was attacked. No arrests have been made and investigators urge witnesses to call Crime Stoppers with tips. What to Know A tractor-trailer overturned on Route 495 in New Jersey on the outbound helix of the Lincoln Tunnel Chopper 4 was over the scene and showed the truck on its side against the guard rail New Jersey Transit trains are cross-honoring bus tickets A tractor-trailer overturned on Route 495 in New Jersey on the outbound helix of the Lincoln Tunnel. Chopper 4 was over the scene and showed the truck on its side against the guard rail. The outbound roadway was temporarily closed, with traffic being diverted to the Hoboken exit, but had reopened as of around 8:30 a.m. Buses traveling to and from Port Authority faced delays of up to 60 minutes, NJ Transit said around 8 a.m. John F. Kennedy Boulevard below the helix was closed in both directions between Baldwin Avenue and Willow Avenue because debris from the truck fell below. NJT trains are cross-honoring bus tickets. What to Know A man apparently jumped from the Route 9 bridge in Freehold, New Jersey, in a possible murder-suicide, law enforcement sources say According to the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, authorities are investigating the crime as a possible murder-suicide Images from the bridge and the home show police presence at both locations A man apparently jumped from the Route 9 bridge in Freehold, New Jersey, in a possible murder-suicide, law enforcement sources say. Sources tell NBC 4 New York that the man allegedly killed his wife in their Freehold home, drove to the bridge over the Raritan River where they believe he jumped. According to a police source, the man's body has been found after an hours-long search. According to the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, authorities are investigating the alleged murder scene inside the couple's suburban home in Freehold. The couple had three daughters all in their teens, according to a neighbor. Sources say the girls were not hurt. It is unknown exactly where they were when the incident unfolded. Images from the bridge and the home show police presence at both locations. What to Know A former volunteer firefighter in Connecticut accused of drunkenly setting a fire behind a Shelton firehouse has taken a plea deal. Police say the fire happened Feb. 3 in the rear parking lot of the firehouse as a past captains dinner took place inside the firehouse. Authorities say video shows Bomba and another man lighting cardboard boxes on fire outside the firehouse. A former volunteer firefighter in Connecticut accused of drunkenly setting a fire behind a firehouse has taken a plea deal in the case. Forty-five-year-old Gregory Bomba pleaded guilty to reckless burning Tuesday, and has agreed to a five-year suspended prison sentence and three years of probation when he is sentenced. The Connecticut Post reports the judge indicates Bomba will also have to perform 250 hours of community service. Police say the fire happened Feb. 3 in the rear parking lot of the firehouse in Shelton as a past captains dinner took place inside the firehouse. Authorities say video shows Bomba and another man lighting cardboard boxes on fire outside the firehouse. Police say Bomba was intoxicated at the time. The other defendant is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday. What to Know A Connecticut city has a new official, and hes still in high school. Roman Khondker was sworn-in as a committee member with the West Haven Community Development Administration on Monday. As a committee member, he will review federal grants to help community facilities and low income housing. A Connecticut city has a new official, and hes still in high school. Nineteen-year-old Roman Khondker was sworn-in as a committee member with the West Haven Community Development Administration on Monday. Khondker says he wanted to become involved in politics after his family emigrated from Bangladesh to the United States to escape political persecution. He says he wants more people to enjoy life and enjoy more freedom and liberty. Khondker previously ran an unsuccessful bid in the Republican primary for state representative. As a committee member, he will review federal grants to help community facilities and low income housing. A senior at the Sound School in New Haven, Khondker says he will leave for college soon. Still, he says he hopes to stay local. A Philadelphia doctor with a suspended medical license used his colleague as a go-between to get prescription drugs so he could exchange them for sex, the United States Attorney's Office announced Wednesday. The two doctors are among 14 people facing charges for illegally prescribing opioids to patients who didn't need the drugs in exchange for cash, the USAO said. Others include physician assistants and employees of urgent care facilities in the Philadelphia region. According to prosecutors, 78-year-old Dr. Murray Soss had his medical license suspended in April 2017, so he turned to Dr. Frederick Reichle, 83, for help. Prosecutors say Soss would have Reichle fill out oxycodone prescriptions and then Soss would exchange the pills for sexual favors from one of his patients. The indictment claims that when Reichle was not helping Soss to sexually exploit his patient, he was getting paid off to prescribe drugs for his colleague's other patients. Since his suspended medical license meant Soss wasn't allowed to prescribe meds, he allegedly paid Reichle to act as the middleman between people and drugs. Using this system, Soss got paid to accept new patients - at times receiving $2,500 per person - and then allegedly funneled those patients to Reichle, who would in turn provide the prescription. "Soss and Reichle charged the patients a fee to obtain oxycodone prescriptions, written by Reichle, that were not medically necessary," the District Attorney's Office said. They and the 12 other defendants are accused of issuing more than 3,600 illegal prescriptions between 2014 and 2017. "As alleged in these indictments, thousands of illegally prescribed pills flooded our streets because of the conduct of these defendants," U.S. Attorney William McSwain said in a news release. According to the USAO, the suspects routinely charged people an $80 to $140 office fee at any of four Advanced Urgent Care locations before prescribing them painkillers. Federal prosecutors say the suspects did this on a daily basis and ignored signs that patients were abusing the painkillers or even selling them off to others. Despite urine tests showing patients testing positive for drugs like meth, heroin and cocaine, the defendants continued to prescribe them opioids, prosecutors say. Other times, the defendants allegedly ignored tests that came back negative for any drugs, which would suggest people were selling off their prescription meds. The investigation, carried out federally by agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration; and locally by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General and the Philadelphia Police Department, among others, found that the defendants exacerbated an opioid crisis already wreaking havoc on Pennsylvania. "The defendants issued 3,678 prescriptions which amount to hundreds of thousands of pills being used by addicted individuals," said Jonathan A. Wilson, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA's Philadelphia Field Division. According to the DEA, opioids disproportionately contributed to the state's 5,456 overdose deaths in 2017. "The high availability and corresponding demand leading to the misuse of illicit and prescription opioids is a crisis without geographic, demographic, or socioeconomic boundaries in Pennsylvania," the agency concluded in a September 2018 report. The 14 defendants are charged with distribution of oxycodone, conspiracy to dispense and distribute controlled substances outside the course of professional practice, health care fraud and related charges. Police are investigating after a woman was shot in Miami's Little Haiti neighborhood Wednesday. Miami Police officials said the woman was found shot in the back in the 100 block of Northwest 70th Street. She was unresponsive when she was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center. The victim is in her 20's and is not a resident of Little Haiti, the family said. Her identity has not been released. Details on her condition were not immediately available. Anyone with information about the shooting should call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS (8477). What to Know A report says the man in the truck, 45-year-old Joseph Riley, started following his son after the child refused numerous bath requests A North Florida father is behind bars after police say he tried to run over his son all because the child didnt want to take a bath. According to NBC affiliate WPMI-TV, witnesses called Escambia County Sheriffs deputies after hearing yelling and vehicles accelerating at high speeds before noticing that a young man whose age was not released was running from a truck that appeared to be following the child. A report from the ESCO says the man in the truck, 45-year-old Joseph Riley, started following his son after the child refused numerous requests to take a bath. When Riley threatened to spank him, the child left the home and Riley began to drive. Investigators say Riley was intoxicated at the time of the incident and lunged at deputies during his arrest, according to the report. Riley was charged with domestic violence with a deadly weapon as well as resisting arrest and was taken to jail, where he is being held on no bond and is scheduled to appear in court on February 28th. What to Know Officials tweeted out the message late Tuesday night saying the male student at Glades Middle School got a message from an unknown number. Police will be providing extra security to one middle school in Miramar after a text message sent to students warned of a possible shooting on Wednesday. Officials tweeted out the message late Tuesday night saying the male student at Glades Middle School got a message from an unknown number with that warning. The student told his parents, who called police. "I'm gonna shoot the school tomorrow during first period @10am," the message read. Miramar Police said they're investigating the credibility of the threat while adding extra officers to patrol the area around and inside the school grounds out of an abundance of caution. "We got the first phone call, it was one student, and shortly thereafter we started getting more phone calls," said Miramar Police's Tania Rues. The alleged threat is just the latest in South Florida over the past few months, including ones placed to schools in Miramar and Pembroke Pines. #Breaking Miramar police say this is the threatening message texted or shared with Glades Middle students yesterday @NBC6 pic.twitter.com/Xn2EfHAu0c Julia Bagg (@JuliaNBC6) February 6, 2019 "There's no reason to threaten middle school students, there's no reason to do that," said student Jorden Bennett. The latest alleged threat comes just over one week before the first anniversary of the deadly mass shooting inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, where 17 students and staff members were killed. Beacon of Solidarity Final Declaration of the 36th Southern Cross Brigade 2019 We, the 36th Southern Cross Brigade of Australia and New Zealand, having come to the end of their three week stay at Campamento Internacional Julio Antonio Mella, wish to express our gratitude to all who have made this unique and fulfilling experience possible, and to the Cuban people, who have consistently greeted us with warmth, openness and in the truest sense of solidarity. We feel so fortunate to have visited during such a pivotal moment of celebration, remembrance and renewal encompassing both the 60th Anniversary of the triumph of the Cuban Revolution and the final weeks of the extensive and far-reaching process of renewing the Cuban Constitution. We have been deeply moved, again and again, by the revolutionary vigour and courage of the Cuban people, and their deep commitment to honouring their brave forebears from Cespedes to Castro, and most especially at being warmly welcomed at events to honour the Caravana de Libertad in Ciego de Avila, Santa Clara and Havana. Weve been witnesses to the outpouring of revolutionary pride surrounding the 60th anniversary of the events of the First of January, 1959 and the subsequent Convoy of Victory, and recognise with a deep sense of gratitude the willingness of the Cuban people to allow us to stand alongside them during these poignant and exhilarating moments. A profound highlight for many Brigadistas was the opportunity to meet and speak with veterans of Cubas revolutionary struggle. We are also deeply impressed by what weve seen, heard and learnt about the process to rejuvenate the countrys Constitution. recently through the democratic process to update its constitution which will be put the Cuban people in a referendum on 24 February 2019. The referendum has been proceeded by an extensive period of consultation during the past year including among the Cuban diaspora. This resulted in over 2,100 suggestions being received of which 750 were included in the document which is being circulated to the Cuban people and if approved by the referendum by a majority of the people will become the new constitution. The rigorous process of discussion around the new Constitution and subsequent amendments displays an exceptionally high commitment to a truly participatory democracy, the likes of which is unheard of in our own countries. The proposed new Constitution will be put to the Cuban people in a referendum on February 24 this year. Weve heard from distinguished scholars, historians, authors and physicians, who have used their expertise to bring so many aspects of the history and current reality of Cuba to life. Weve been honoured by cultural performances across the country, including a gala performance of the Cuban Ballet, and been welcomed into the Barrio of Caimito by a local branch of the CDR. Weve visited monuments of intense significance, such as the Che Guevara Mausoleum in Santa Clara, and the Memorial to the Martyrs of Moncada in Artemisa. Through our visit to a provincial Hospital in Ciego de Avila and to the Central Unit of Medical Co-operators in Havana, weve learnt about Cubas radical and long-standing accomplishments in providing health care as a fundamental human right, as well as the exemplary commitment to internationalism that sees Cuba send tens of thousands of health care practitioners to many of the most underserved parts of the world. Weve gained insight into Cuban civil society through representatives of political and civil society organisations such as the Cuban Communist Party, the Federation of Cuban Women, the Federation of University Students, the Young Communist League and many others. The Southern Cross Brigade strongly reiterates its solidarity with the Cuban people. We will return home renewed and re-inspired by the courage and revolutionary spirit of this great country, ready to work at every turn to strengthen the friendship between the peoples of Oceania and Cuba and to counter anti-Cuban propaganda. As extremists and demagogues proliferate around the world, the humanist principles the Cuban project is based on take on ever more global significance and urgency. We take with us from Cuba the messages weve learnt from this dignified and sovereign society that centres humanity, that fosters a community that cares for one another, that provides free education and access to health care as core human rights, prioritising from the very start of its existence the struggle to eliminate illiteracy, disease, poverty and discrimination. We loudly declaim the brutality of the absurd and devastating US Blockade on Cuba, the impacts of which were painfully visible at every turn, from daily minutiae to life saving medical equipment. We call on the Australian and New Zealand governments to deepen their economic and diplomatic relations with Cuba, for an immediate end to the blockade, the return of occupied territory at Guantanamo Bay and an end to the hostilities and regime change policies sponsored by the US government. We are deeply grateful to the excellent emissaries of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the People (ICAP) who served as leaders, translators, historians, guides, teachers and friends. ICAP Brigade Director Rafaela Valerino, our interpreter and veteran of many Brigades, Ezequiel Morales, and Amistur official and interpreter Candida Rosa Sanson Abascal all worked with the utmost professionalism and kindness to ensure our Brigade was such a success. The stimulating and varied program came off with barely a hitch, and the level of thought and preparation that went into creating the plethora of experiences was evident. We also extend our gratitude and affection to the many staff at CIJAM who went above and beyond to facilitate our successful brigade and highly enjoyable stay at this beacon of international solidarity. The first new Roman Catholic church to be completed in Cuba since the country's 1959 socialist revolution was inaugurated with the aid of a Florida congregation Saturday, in a ceremony that observers called a hopeful sign amid international tensions. The Parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the western town of Sandino is one of three Catholic churches authorized by Cuba as part of a warming between the Vatican and the island's Communist government. It is the first to be finished, thanks in large part to financial aid from the members of St. Lawrence Church in Tampa, Florida. Tensions between Cuba and the U.S. have risen in recent weeks as the Trump administration has threatened new sanctions on Cuba and its ally Venezuela. "This is a bridge between Tampa and Cuba," said Rev. Ramon Hernandez, a Cuban-born priest who lives in Tampa and returned for the ceremony. The Cuban state and Catholic church clashed in the first decades after the revolution, when many priests worked against the new Communist-ruled state and were expelled by the government, which also took over many churches. President Fidel Castro began easing restrictions on religion in the 1990s. Popes John Paul II, Benedict and Francis all visited the island since then. A new church in Havana is also being used for worship but remains structurally incomplete. A third sanctuary in Santiago has yet to begin significant construction. The opening of the new church in Sandino was particularly significant because the town is home to families relocated from Cuba's Escambray region, where residents fought the Communist government in the first years after the revolution. "This is an historic event for the church," said church member Juan Hidalberto Hernandez. "Many families and their descendants left their saints behind and didn't have a church to pray in." The Tampa congregation donated about $95,000 for the new building, which holds some 200 worshippers and was built on land granted by the state. President Donald Trump predicted Wednesday that the Islamic State group will have lost by next week all the territory it once controlled in Iraq and Syria. He said the U.S. will not relent in fighting remnants of the extremist organization despite his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria over the objections of some of his most senior national security advisers. The president told representatives of a 79-member, U.S.-led coalition fighting IS that the militants held a tiny percentage of the vast territory they claimed as their "caliphate." "It should be formally announced sometime, probably next week, that we will have 100 percent of the caliphate," Trump said. U.S. officials have said in recent weeks that IS has lost 99.5 percent of its territory and is holding on to fewer than 5 square kilometers in Syria, or less than 2 square miles, in the villages of the Middle Euphrates River Valley, where the bulk of the fighters are concentrated. But there are fears the impending U.S. pullout will imperil those gains. Trump told coalition members meeting at the State Department that while "remnants" of the group were still dangerous, he was determined to bring U.S. troops home. He called on coalition members to step up and do their "fair share" in the fight against terrorism. Even as Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defended the withdrawal decision, which shocked U.S. allies and led to the resignations of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and the U.S. envoy to the anti-IS coalition, Brett McGurk, some military leaders, renewed their concerns. While the withdrawal would fulfill a Trump goal, top military officials have pushed back for months, arguing IS remains a threat and could regroup. U.S. policy had been to keep troops in place until the extremists are completely eradicated. Fears that IS fighters are making a strategic maneuver to lay low ahead of the U.S. pullout has fueled criticism that Trump telegraphed his military plans the same thing he accused President Barack Obama of doing in Afghanistan. Pompeo told the coalition that the planned withdrawal "is not a change in the mission" but a change in tactics against a group that should still be considered a menace. "In this new era, local law enforcement and information sharing will be crucial, and our fight will not necessarily always be military-led," he said. Trump's announcement "is not the end of America's fight. The fight is one that we will continue to wage alongside of you." He added, "America will continue to lead in giving those who would destroy us no quarter." Yet senior military officials acknowledged to Congress on Wednesday that the pullout would complicate their efforts. Owen West, the assistant secretary of defense for special operations, told the House Armed Services Committee that he shared Mattis' objections. West answered, "No, sir," when asked by a lawmaker if he thought Mattis was wrong to disagree with the withdrawal. At the same hearing, Maj. Gen. James Hecker, vice director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the withdrawal means "it is going to be difficult to keep up the pressure" on IS. "There will be a decrease in the amount of pressure that we will be able to apply," he said. "The concern is if we move our forces out of Syria that that may take some pressure off of the ISIS forces in Syria," Hecker said. "So our mission is to try to figure out how we can continue to keep the pressure on in Syria without any boots on the ground." Hecker said others would have to carry the burden once the U.S. left. He did not offer specifics. Pompeo called on the coalition to increase intelligence-sharing, repatriate and prosecute captured foreign fighters and accelerate stabilization efforts so IS remnants cannot reconstitute in Iraq, Syria or elsewhere. He said the fight is entering a new stage where those allied against IS must confront a "decentralized jihad" with more than military force. Pompeo mentioned the suicide bombing claimed by IS that killed four Americans two service members, a Pentagon civilian and a U.S. contractor in the northern Syrian town of Manbij last month. Manbij was liberated from IS control in 2016. The conference started hours after Trump, in his State of the Union address, lauded what he said was the near-complete victory over IS. He also reaffirmed his determination to pull out the roughly 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria. He had said in December that the pullout would proceed quickly. In liberated areas across Syria and Iraq, IS sleeper cells are carrying out assassinations, setting up checkpoints and distributing fliers as they lay the groundwork for an insurgency that could gain strength as U.S. forces withdraw. Activists who closely follow the conflict in Syria point to signs of a growing insurgency. Rami Abdurrahman, the head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, says IS still has 4,000 to 5,000 fighters, many likely hiding out in desert caves and mountains. A United Nations report circulated Wednesday said Islamic State extremists "continue to pose the main and best-resourced international terrorist threat." It said IS fighters remain under "intense military pressure" in their stronghold in eastern Syria, but they have "shown a determination to resist and the capability to counter-attack." Defense officials believe many fighters have fled to ungoverned spaces and other pockets in the north and west. A Defense Department watchdog report warned this week that even with the IS forces on the run, the group "is still able to coordinate offensives and counter-offensives, as well as operate as a decentralized insurgency." The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Tuesday voted to urge state officials to apply for a Medicaid waiver that would expand coverage for inpatient mental health treatment at residential facilities. Supervisor Kathryn Barger recommended pushing for the expansion. "Medicaid is the largest payer of mental health services and expansion of this coverage would be critical to those who are in need of treatment," Barger said. "It is imperative that we use this opportunity to demonstrate that mental health treatment should be a permanent and ongoing priority that is worthy of both federal and state investments." The federally funded health program has always excluded reimbursement for residential mental health care, with the exception of treatment for minors and seniors. The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services announced in November they would consider state applications for an exclusion waiver, which would make coverage available to those suffering from a severe mental illness. CMS said it is looking for innovative programs. If accepted, the waiver would free up funding to help the county deal with a decades-long shortage of mental health beds. The wait time for a bed in one of California's five state psychiatric hospitals is a year or more, leaving severely ill patients without the care they need and tying up resources in hospital emergency rooms, according to county officials. Last week, the board asked for a plan to expand the number of inpatient and "step-down" mental health beds for patients transitioning out of hospital care. "Today's motion is complementary to our existing efforts, and will allow us to right-size our network of hospital beds to ensure that the right level of care is delivered to those in need -- including not just mental health services, but also services for addictions and medical co-morbidities," said Dr. Jonathan Sherin, who runs the county's Department of Mental Health. California moved to de-institutionalize mental health care in the 1970s over concerns about abusive treatment and mental health advocates support the expansion of community-based care. The board voted to send a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom and state legislators urging the state to apply for the waiver. Newsom's proposed budget includes a number of investments in mental health care, including: What to Know Saturday, Feb. 9 Burbank Town Center 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The pause between rainstorms? We can get quite poetic about such times, describing them as flush with sunbeams, and happiness, and rainbows, and happy fun. All before we have to slip back into our galoshes and return to the world of puddle-jumping. Is it any surprise, then, that one of pop culture's main bringers of sunshine, and rainbows, and joy is going to call upon our fair region as we savor the break between two big splashers? Or, at least, the truck that represents the sunshine-bringing Hello Kitty will be visiting us, on Saturday, Feb. 9. That's when the ever-popular, queue-up Hello Kitty Cafe Truck stops by Burbank Town Center for ten twinkly hours. What will that sparkly stretch deliver? The chance to purchase a bunch of choice Sanrio-sweet items, including the Giant Hello Kitty Chef Cookie, the lunchbox with confetti popcorn, the new petit fours box set, a bow-shaped water bottle, a bow headband, and lots of tees, too. A few things to keep in mind? While the truck has toodled into a few Southern California places in recent weeks, like Torrance and Oxnard, this isn't an every-weekend kind of thing. So do go get your super-cute sweets and souvenirs now, if you're going to do so. Also? You'll likely hang out in line, whenever you arrive (the hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.), so plan on having a friend nearby. Because isn't friendship at the heart of so much the Sanrio world? Find your bow, place it atop your head, and find out more about the Hello Kitty Cafe Truck's pre-Valentine's visit to Burbank. The manager of a Southern California bank branch has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for conspiring to launder more than $25,000 in cash by converting it into cashier's checks. The Los Angeles U.S. Attorney's Office says 54-year-old Vivian Tat of Hacienda Heights was also sentenced Monday to pay a $2,000 fine. Tat and a co-defendant were found guilty in September of conspiring to commit money laundering and Tat also was convicted of two counts of causing a false statement in a bank record. The U.S. Attorney's Office says Tat is a vice president at East West Bank who is currently on administrative leave. The case is part of an operation called "Phantom Bank," which resulted in indictments of 25 defendants. Nine have been convicted. Sixteen await trial. What to Know Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam apologized Friday after a 1984 yearbook photo surfaced of people in blackface and a KKK robe. Northam said on Friday he was sorry for a "decision I made to appear as I did in this photo," but later said he wasn't shown in the picture The Chairman of the state's Republican party and many Democrat leaders have called for Northam to resign The racist yearbook photo that could sink Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's career may have been mistakenly placed on his profile page but even if it were put there intentionally, it's unlikely that many students would have noticed, according to alumni who put together the publication or submitted pictures to it 35 years ago. Dr. Giac Chan Nguyen-Tan, a physician practicing in Connecticut, remembers that a page he laid out for the 1984 Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook was changed without his knowledge before publication. "Could (the offensive photo) have been slipped in there? Absolutely," he said, adding that he doesn't remember laying out Northam's page, which ended up including a photo of one person in blackface and another dressed in a Ku Klux Klan hood and robes. Fellow yearbook staffer Dr. William Elwood disagrees. Elwood said he doubts any photos were mixed up and he says it's unlikely that someone could have pulled a prank because a limited number of people had keys to the yearbook room. He said he took his job seriously and received no complaints after the yearbook was published. Regardless of how the photo got there, it's possible not many noticed what was in the yearbook; few students enrolled in the intense medical school program took the publication very seriously or even looked at it after it was published, several classmates said. For many, the yearbook was simply not a priority. Northam and his former roommate, Dr. John "Rob" Marsh, rushed off to the military immediately after graduation. Others embarked on their residencies. "The yearbook comes out in the fall when you're gone," said Marsh, who roomed with Northam for two years before graduating in 1983. The half page that Northam was allotted in the yearbook includes three pictures, including one of him in a suit. A fourth photo shows a man in blackface standing next to a person in a full KKK costume. At a news conference Saturday, Northam remarked that a former, unidentified classmate told him she thought "numerous pages" of the yearbook had received the wrong photos. At the same time, however, Northam acknowledged that he wore blackface to imitate Michael Jackson at a dance contest in Texas decades ago. The image was one of at least three blackface photos in the 1984 publication, which was reviewed by an Associated Press reporter. One of the others shows a man in blackface who is dressed up as a woman wearing a wig. A caption reads: "'Baby Love,' who ever thought Diana Ross would make it to Medical School!" Calling the photos "shockingly abhorrent," school leaders said they have commissioned an investigation into all past yearbooks and the school's culture. "We are acutely hurt by the events that occurred," school president Dr. Richard V. Homan said at a news conference Tuesday. "But it does not compare to the feelings of outrage and pain for our minority and African-American community here at EVMS, Virginia and around the nation." Homan said when he discovered in early 2014 that photos of students posing in Confederate uniforms had appeared in the previous year's yearbook, he eliminated the program, which he said students had lost interest in anyway. The 1984 photo became public after it was posted Friday on the conservative website Big League Politics. The image set off a firestorm of criticism and calls from both state and national Democrats and Republicans for the 59-year-old Democratic governor to resign. Northam initially apologized for appearing in the photo, but the next day said it was not him in the photo. On Tuesday, the governor gave no public indication of whether he would step down. He spent Monday in conversations with top advisers about whether he can still govern. Retired physician and former Northam classmate Walt Broadnax, one of the few black students in the school's 1984 class, said he believes Northam's claim that he wasn't in the photo. "There is no way anyone would tolerate someone going to a party in blackface," said Broadnax, 60. "If I had known about it then, it would have been an issue." M. Scott Klavans, a Florida urologist and former Northam classmate, told the AP he is pretty sure the photo was taken at a Halloween party where attendees were told to dress up in the crudest or most obnoxious costumes they could imagine. Klavans said he doesn't remember whether Northam was wearing either of the costumes in the photo, but he said there were a "lot of people dressed up in costumes that were not appropriate at the time." Dr. Kevin Lynch, a Maryland physician who was friends with Northam in medical school, said he does remember occasionally seeing people wearing blackface at parties, but doesn't recall Northam ever doing so. "He's done great things. He's not a racist," Lynch said. A group of nine alumni who attended the medical school with Northam, including Nguyen-Tan, Marsh, and Virginia ophthalmologist Dr. Lisa Framm Sklar, released a statement Tuesday in which they denounced the photo, but also said they don't believe Northam is in it or that the governor "ever engaged in, promoted, tolerated, or condoned racism." Sklar, who is Jewish, and Nguyen-Tan, who was born in Vietnam, both said in separate interviews that they did not perceive any kind of racist atmosphere or bigotry among students. Northam is "the furthest thing he can be from someone who is a racist or bigot," Nguyen-Tan said. Elwood said he saw Northam's page shortly after publication but wasn't shocked or outraged. "It looked like it was done at a Halloween party," he said. "The political and social climate of this country is far different than it was 35 years ago." Associated Press researchers Randy Herschaft, Jennifer Farrar Monika Mathur and AP writers Jennifer Peltz, Jonathan Drew and Alanna Durkin Richer contributed to this report. A state lawmaker in Tennessee is proposing a new school dress code for parents. State representative Antonio Parkinson told the "Today" show he's heard enough "horror stories" about the way adults dress when they visit public schools in his state. "People wearing next to nothing. People wearing shirts or tattoos with expletives. People coming onto a school campus and cursing the principal or the teacher out. These things happen regularly," Parkinson, a Democrat, told "Today." Commercialappeal.com reported the law, which is in the early planning stages, would require school districts to forbid people from visiting campuses while drunk or high, or sexually suggestive clothing. "I am not proposing a dress code. I am telling school districts to post their minimum expected conduct for all on campus to see," Parkinson tweeted. "This is a good conversation we are having," Parkinson told "Today." "Weve opened up a dialogue that may have hit some tender spots for some people, but it also may begin to help." What to Know President Donald Trump will deliver his second State of the Union address Tuesday night at 8 p.m. The White House says Trump will call for unity and cross-party cooperation in the speech. Trump was not expected to declare a state of emergency during his address. President Donald Trump will deliver the annual State of the Union address Tuesday night. NBC 5's Julie Fine traveled to Washington D.C., to talk with Texas lawmakers about their expectations for the president's speech. "I hope he will speak forcefully but carefully and take his case to the American people about the issues that our country is facing right now as he talks about the state of the, and you know I think many of us believe the state of the union is good," said U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Heath, Dist. 4). Ratcliffe pointed to the economy as an example. The president's speech comes after a five-week government shutdown, the longest in the nation's history. Border and immigration are expected to be included in the speech. "I am expecting the president to lay out his vision for the next year of continuing economic growth, of border security. And I am looking forward to hearing what the plan is going forward. My constituents are excited to finally see some progress for this border security measure and the wall that he is talking about," said U.S. Rep. Lance Gooden (R-Terrell, Dist. 5) U.S. Rep. Colin Allred (D-Dallas, Dist. 32) said he's hopeful the president will try to unite the country and that he's looking for signals from the president that he wants to invest in infrastructure and lower the cost of health care. "This is a chance for us to get back to work and a chance I think for the president to show that he's willing to work with us on that," Allred said. "I'm hopeful that that's the message he sends tonight certainly one that I would be receptive to." Allred added that he wouldn't support the president using a national emergency to fund his border wall. U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Fort Worth, Dist. 33), said he hoped the president would promise to keep the government open and working, that he addresses infrastructure needs, protects health care and secures the border without "wasting money on a disastrous wall." U.S. Rep. Roger Williams (R-Austin, Dist. 25) said the speech is important for the president and that he was looking forward to what he had to say. "I hope he talks about unifying, bringing our country together. There's a lot of things we don't agree on, but there's a lot of things we do agree on. Let's talk about that first," Williams said. Williams said we have to address border security and that people cannot be allowed to cross the border illegally. President Trump's State of the Union address can be seen on NBC 5 at 8 p.m. The address will be streamed online as well. President Donald Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi struck starkly different tones in their border security standoff Wednesday, as Trump planned a rally in a Texas border city he says exemplifies the need for a wall and Pelosi said she'd back any bipartisan deal congressional bargainers produce. The contrasting pathways with Trump set to appear before raucous supporters and Pelosi signaling compromise came with just over a week until a Feb. 15 deadline for negotiators to reach agreement or potentially face a renewed partial government shutdown. House-Senate bargainers say their talks have become increasingly substantive and some lawmakers including Pelosi herself expressed hopes that negotiators might produce an accord as soon as Friday. Participants said the two sides were narrowing differences in their talks. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., a negotiator, said Democrats were showing some flexibility in the semantic dispute over the type of physical barriers they would accept while Republicans seemed potentially willing to limit where the structures might be built. "That basically sets the stage for a very reasonable, flexible negotiation," he said. Other unresolved questions include the amount to be spent on border security, and whether as Democrats have proposed to reduce the number of detention beds for migrants available to the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, Fleischmann said. "If they come up with a bipartisan agreement, I'm happy to support it," Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters. She said she hoped Trump would take "the same hands off" approach. Democrats have been in a position of strength in the talks, after Republicans lost House control in November's elections, Trump forced a record 35-day federal shutdown and surrendered without getting $5.7 billion he's demanded for a wall. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has also given bargainers a green light to seek a deal that he's said he hopes Trump would find "worth signing." If Pelosi and McConnell embrace a bipartisan agreement, it could isolate Trump and pressure him to accept it without re-escalating the fight. Trump has threatened a new shutdown or a declaration of a national emergency to access other budget funds if he's not satisfied with a deal steps members of both parties oppose. Bargainers met Wednesday privately for nearly two hours with federal border patrol and customs officials to hear their recommendations on how to secure the Southwest border. But several lawmakers emerged with differing conclusions. No. 2 Senate Democratic leader Richard Durbin said lawmakers were told the top priority was technology that could screen vehicles for drugs or migrants at border ports of entry. "They don't rule out barriers, they don't rule out fencing, but that isn't the first priority," Durbin told reporters. But Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., said the officials suggested a three-pronged approach using barriers, technology and personnel. He said the closed-door session was constructive. "The dialogue is good. The tone is good. We're talking about substance," Shelby said. He also said that in a phone conversation with Pelosi, "I just said, 'Look, can we reach a yes on this in any way or are we wasting our time.' She said, 'No, keep working together,' and she would like to see a legislative solution, the sooner the better." In comments that suggested a potential avenue for agreement, some lawmakers suggested that giving local officials a say would be pivotal. "We can probably get there on some sort of enhanced barriers with local input," said another negotiator, Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas. Democrats have proposed spending as much as $1.6 billion for border security including some types of physical barriers, but it remains unclear how much more money they'd accept as part of a deal. Cuellar said $5.7 billion for the wall is "not going to happen." Meanwhile, the White House said Trump will hold his first campaign rally of the year next Monday in El Paso, Texas. His campaign manager, Brad Parscale, tweeted that the rally will be held "less than 1000 feet from the successful border fence that keeps El Paso safe!" In his State of the Union address Tuesday, Trump cited El Paso as once having "extremely high rates of violent crime. He asserted that with its wall, "El Paso is one of the safest cities in our country." In fact, El Paso has never been considered one of the nation's most dangerous cities and its trends in violent crime mirror national swings. In 2005, the city had a murder rate of 2.5 for every 100,000 residents, compared with a national rate of 5.6. By 2010 after the wall was built, El Paso's murder rate had dropped to 0.9 for every 100,000 residents, compared with a national average of 4.8. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, tweeted that "El Paso has been one of the safest cities in the nation long before the wall was built in 2008. #WallsDontWork." "El Paso is safe due to its people, the good community relations with law enforcement, and the trust of all communities in our local institutions," Fernando Garcia, executive director of the Border Network for Human Rights, said in a statement. "El Pasoans should be offended by the way the president used our community to advance his racist and xenophobic agenda." Associated Press writer Elliot Spagat contributed to this report. Beyond Davos On the eve of yet another World Economic Forum, Zubair Sayed looks at how people are mobilising to find solutions to social problems exacerbated by inequality. The worlds business and political elites will again cosy up to each other later this month at the exclusive Swiss mountain resort town of Davos, as the World Economic Forum (WEF), hosts its annual meeting. During the last few years inequality has been on their agenda despite the irony of their role in fuelling it. Leading inequality economist Branko Milanovic says that Davos has been singularly unsuccessful in convincing governments to do anything about rising inequality. Beth Mukami speaks with children on the street in Dandora The statistics on inequality are staggering and becoming all too familiar. Last year it was reported that 42 people own the same wealth as the poorest half of humanity. And that 82 percent of the wealth generated in 2017 went to the richest 1 percent of the global population. Waiting for change to come from the top has never worked and wont work now. But a much more exciting story is emerging from frontline organisers across the world. A story of the people most affected by inequality getting together to build collective power and force governments to shift policies in the interests of the 99 percent. These are the frontline everyday heroes fighting inequality. Many of them are part of a new and growing global movement of activists and organisations that form part of the Fight Inequality Alliance. The alliance unites social movements, environmental groups, womens rights groups, trade unions and NGOs across the world and believes that large-scale social change comes about when people, not elites, organise and challenge those in power. Their stories highlight how, in many different ways, ordinary people are coming together to mobilise and fight against inequality, and to find solutions to social problems exacerbated by inequality. The inspirational Beth Mukami from the Dandora slum outside Nairobi in Kenya, started the Dandora Community Justice Centre after dealing with the horror of her husband being killed. Her story is one of fighting against the odds. Taylor lives in an Indigenous community on the outskirts of Guadalajara, the second largest city in Mexico. Her community includes Indigenous migrants from southern Mexico and Central America, that suffer discrimination and unemployment. She also experiences gender, youth and sexual diversity discrimination and, to challenge the status quo, started with neighbours and volunteers from a group called Documotora a documentary workshop to document the problems, challenges and strengths of her community. Zambian youth activist, Mzeziti Mwanza, campaigns for human rights and against inequality, especially for reduced inequalities in health care and access to education, with a focus on gender equality. In cities from Manila to Guadalajara, ordinary people will mobilise and gather in their thousands to demand and present solutions to rising inequality. They are demanding an end to the age of greed that has seen extreme wealth and power skyrocket to epidemic proportions. In Mexico, the city of Guadalajara will host a walk called From el Colli to Davos. It starts from a hill where rural and Indigenous migrants settle informally, expelled from the city and deprived of opportunities and services for a better life. It will culminate with a number of cultural activities, including a hip-hop and art contest and gathering peoples demands for change. In Zambia, there will be a festival in Shangombo, one of the poorest and most neglected districts of Zambia. The festival will highlight how politicians and elites make promises here during election campaigns and then forget the people, as well as peoples stories of inequality and their solutions. It will feature music stars Petersen Zagaze, BFlow and Maiko Zulu. In Kenya, Dandora slum in Nairobi will play host to the Usawa Festival (or Equality Festival), where hip hop star Juliani will perform, and alliance members will create a space for people to bring forward their solutions to inequality. Tackling inequality will take a step forward during that week, but it will happen because people are not waiting for answers, they are organising for change in spite of Davos, not because of it. New Internationalist Extremists stormed a luxury hotel in Kenya's capital on Tuesday, setting off thunderous explosions and gunning down people at cafe tables in an attack claimed by Africa's deadliest Islamic militant group. A police officer said at least 15 people had died. "It is terrible. What I have seen is terrible," said Charles Njenga, who ran from a scene of blood, broken glass, burning vehicles and pillars of black smoke. Al-Shabab the Somalia-based group that carried out the 2013 attack at the nearby Westgate Mall in Nairobi that left 67 people dead claimed responsibility for the carnage at the DusitD2 hotel complex, which includes bars, restaurants, offices and banks and is in a well-to-do neighborhood with many American, European and Indian expatriates. A Kenyan police officer said 15 bodies had been taken to the morgue. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters. The U.S. State Department confirmed that an American citizen was among those killed, but did not disclose the identity of the person. On Tuesday, his mother Sarah Spindler, confirmed the American killed was her son, Jason Spindler. Spindler was a graduate of NYU Law and the University of Texas at Austin and had previously volunteered in the Peace Corps. Al-Shabab asserted that 47 people were killed but its Shahada news agency post gave no details. Authorities sent special forces into the hotel to flush out the gunmen. Late Tuesday night, about eight hours after the siege began, Interior Minister Fred Matiang'i said all of the buildings affected 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. Some family members said they had been in touch with loved ones still hiding inside the complex, waiting to be rescued. Early Wednesday, Kenya's Interior Ministry said a tweet that all buildings had been secured and there was no further threat to the public. "To God be the Glory. We have been rescued. Over 50 people in my group. No injuries Thank you all for the support and prayers. Thanks You KDF," tweeted a Kenyan businesswoman, Aggie Asiimwe Konde. KDF stands for the Kenya Defense Forces. Authorities did not say how many attackers there were or what happened to them though Kenya's Citizen TV aired security-camera footage that showed at least four heavily armed men in dark-colored, paramilitary-style gear. A police officer who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media said bodies were seen in restaurants downstairs and in offices upstairs, but "there was no time to count the dead." A witness who gave his name only as Ken said he saw five bodies at the hotel entrance. Other people were shouting for help and "when we rushed back to try to rescue them, gunshots started coming from upstairs, and we had to duck because they were targeting us and we could see two guys shooting," he said. 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 Kenya's national police chief, Joseph Boinnet. Survivors reported hearing a shattering blast and saw people mowed down by gunmen as they sat in a cafe. Victims were left slumped on tables. "We were changing our shifts, and that is when I heard a loud blast and people were screaming," said Enoch Kibet, who works as a cleaner at the cafe and managed to crawl out a basement gate. "I couldn't believe I was alive. The blast was so loud and shook the whole complex." 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 still 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. As officers searched luxury fashion displays, wounded people were carried away on stretchers. 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. 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 al-Qaida-linked 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. The latest carnage demonstrated al-Shabab's continued ability to carry out spectacular acts of bloodshed despite a dramatic increase in U.S. airstrikes against it under President Donald Trump. Tourism an important source of revenue in Kenya, East Africa's largest economy has suffered because of the violence. Gunfire could be heard for hours after Tuesday's attack began. Some people ducked behind cars, screaming, while others took cover behind fountains and other features at the lush complex. A bomb disposal unit was called in, and police blew up a car they said had explosives inside. A grenade was seen in a hallway. Dozens of people were rushed to safety as plainclothes officers went from shop to shop in the complex. Some people held up their hands to show they were unarmed. A Kenyan intelligence official said the country had been on high alert since November, with information about potential attacks on high-profile targets in Nairobi. The official was not authorized to talk to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity. Despite the repeated attacks, the Kenya-Somalia border remains porous, with al-Shabab extremists able to easily bribe their way across, according to a U.N. panel of experts. The hotel complex, owned by Thailand's Dusit International chain in Nairobi's Westlands neighborhood, is about a mile (2 kilometers) from Westgate Mall on a relatively quiet, tree-lined road in what is considered one of the most secure parts of the city. The hotel's website says it is "cocooned away from the hustle and bustle in a secure and peaceful haven." On Monday, the hotel promoted its spa by tweeting: "Is your new year off to a rough start?" The family of a man fatally shot by an Arlington officer after a traffic stop in 2017 has filed a lawsuit in federal court against the city and the officer. The Dallas Morning News reports the lawsuit calls into question authorities' narrative of the night of the shooting, which the family of the victim has long disputed. Tavis Crane, 23, was shot multiple times by Officer Craig Roger the night of Feb. 1, 2017. Crane died early the next day at an Arlington hospital. The Tarrant County District Attorney's Office later released dash camera video that shows the traffic stop and a struggle between Crane and officers. Lt. Chris Cook, Arlington police spokesman, said Crane backed over Cpl. Elise Bowden and rammed into her patrol car. He then put the car in drive and ran over the officer a second time, Cook said. Bowden recovered from her injuries. At the time of the incident, Crane's family and attorneys said the officers initiated the struggle and then shot Crane. In the familys lawsuit, they say Crane was not in control of the vehicle at the time it began rolling backward over Bowden because Roper had already shot him. I know there was an officer who got hurt and we hate that she got hurt, but this officer would have not gotten hurt if not for the action of Officer Roper, The familys attorney, Daryl K. Washington, told The Dallas Morning News. Police say the dash-cam video backs up Roper. A Tarrant County grand jury in August of 2017 did not take action against the officer. Click here to read more from our partners at The Dallas Morning News. What to Know In Dallas, they're offering outstanding warrant fee relief in exchange for canned food Fort Worth Municipal Court is hosting a "warrant forgiveness" program throughout the month of February. Both the cities of Fort Worth and Dallas are taking steps to make it easy for people to clear outstanding warrants without facing jail time. Fort Worth For the second year, Fort Worth Municipal Court is hosting a "warrant forgiveness" program throughout the month of February. Those with a Class C offense can appear at a court location to get their warrants taken care of without fear of arrest. Many will be eligible for community service or a reduction in the fine amount. There will also be a mobile courtroom that goes to communities in an expansion of the Court in the Community initiative. COURT IN THE COMMUNITY LOCATIONS AND DATES Wednesday, Feb. 6, 9 a.m. - noon, Chisholm Trail Community Center, 4936 McPherson Blvd. Thursday, Feb. 7, 9 a.m. - noon, Victory Forest Community Center, 3427 Hemphill St. Wednesday, Feb. 13, 9 a.m. - noon, Riverside Community Center, 3700 E. Belknap St. Thursday, Feb. 14, 9 a.m. - noon, Southside Community Center, 959 E. Rosedale St. Wednesday, Feb. 20, 9 a.m. - noon, Como Community Center, 4900 Horne St. Thursday, Feb. 21, 9 a.m. - noon, Diamond Hill Community Center, 1701 N.E. 36th St. Wednesday, Feb. 27, 9 a.m. - noon, Thomas Place Community Center, 4237 Lafayette Ave. Thursday, Feb. 28, 9 a.m.- noon, Eugene McCray Community Center, 4932 Wilbarger St. Fort Worth Municipal Court Chief Judge Danny Rodgers said the inaugural effort in 2018 saw a huge response from the public. "We literally saw the tension melt. There were some tears. There was Jesus up in there," Rodgers said. "It was a whole lot of celebrating when they saw 'hey I can go get an ID' and an ID means I can apply for a job. It means I can get housing." Dallas In Dallas, the city Marshal is partnering with the North Texas Food Bank to offer outstanding warrant fee relief in exchange for canned food. Starting Feb. 9, those with warrants can eliminate a $50 warrant fee with three canned goods. The Dallas Municipal Court at 2014 Main St., will extend its hours: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 9 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 10 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, Feb. 11-13 City Marshal Gary Lindsey reminds defendants that there will be consequences for those who do not take care of their outstanding warrants. "After the grace period we will be out there executing those warrants," Lindsey said. "So, well be coming by their places of business and their homes taking them to jail so they can resolve those things before the municipal court." Police in San Antonio are searching for a man who kicked down the door of an apartment and shot four people, killing two of them, police say. Responding officers Tuesday night found a man and woman deceased in the apartment in the 500 block of Hot Wells Boulevard. The victims were aged in their early 30s or late 40s, WOAI-TV reported. Two other women had gunshot wounds that were not considered life-threatening. San Antonio police chief William McManus said the suspected gunman was more than 6-feet tall. McManus suggested the shooting was not random. No further information was released. Health officials say five cases of measles have been confirmed in southern Texas, including four children under the age of 2. The cases, which were announced Monday, include three in the Houston area, one in Galveston County and one in Montgomery County. A possible sixth case in Texas is awaiting lab confirmation. The announcements come as a measles outbreak hits the Pacific Northwest, where more than 50 cases have been confirmed. Officials urge vaccinations for the contagious virus, which was eradicated in the U.S. in 2000 as a result of immunization but arrives periodically with overseas travelers. The Houston Chronicle reports health officials were told the four children who fell ill had received their first of two measles vaccines. The second is given between the ages of 4 and 6. Exxon Mobil is making a big bet on the future of exporting natural gas. Exxon and Qatar Petroleum announced Tuesday that they will go ahead with a $10 billion project to export liquefied natural gas from a plant on the Texas Gulf Coast. The companies said construction at the Golden Pass plant in Sabine Pass, Texas, would start before April, and the export operation is expected to begin running in 2024. Exxon said the project will create 9,000 jobs during the five years of construction and more than 200 permanent jobs. Exxon Chairman and CEO Darren Woods said it would provide a long-term supply of liquefied natural gas and stimulate the local economy. The Golden Pass plant opened in 2010 to import gas that has been chilled into liquid form, allowing it to be loaded on to tankers for shipment. Its backers saw a market in importing natural gas, a cleaner fuel than oil. As U.S. gas production soared in this decade, however, with much of it coming from the Permian Basin in west Texas and New Mexico, Exxon and others studied ways to boost sales by using the suddenly abundant supply to meet surging global demand. Globally, annual trade in liquefied gas grew faster than 10 percent in both 2017 and 2018, according to the International Energy Agency. Demand has been growing fastest in Asia, especially in China, but European countries are also interested in stepping up imports as a way to diversify their energy supply and reduce their reliance on Russian gas. Trade in liquefied gas is expected to rise by more than two-thirds in the next 20 years, said Jean-Baptiste Dubreuil, an analyst with the Paris-based group. "It will be instrumental in the evolution of natural gas toward a more diversified, flexible and global market," Dubreuil said. The Texas project is expected to be the first of many similar announcements by energy companies this year. Dubreuil said others are expected to come from the U.S., Russia, Africa, and Qatar. Exxon and Qatar Petroleum say the export facility in Texas will be able to produce about 16 million tons of liquefied gas per year. Qatar Petroleum owns 70 percent of the export project and Exxon holds the other 30 percent after agreeing to buy out ConocoPhillips' 12.4 percent stake in the existing liquefied natural gas import terminal and pipeline. That purchase is awaiting regulatory approval. Exxon and Qatar Petroleum have worked together on exploration and development projects in Argentina, Brazil and Mozambique. Qatar Petroleum, a leading exporter of liquefied natural gas, has announced plans to invest $20 billion in the U.S. as it seeks to continue expanding beyond its home borders. At an event in Washington, Energy Secretary Rick Perry called the announcement "the latest example of the vital partnership between the U.S. and Qatar," including military ties and American colleges opening campuses in Qatar. On Jan. 1, Qatar left OPEC after a nearly two-year trade embargo against it by the oil cartel's leader, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt. Shares of Exxon Mobil Corp. rose 76 cents to close at $75.58. What to Know District Attorney Sharen Wilson reiterated her opinion that CBD is illegal. In Tarrant County, prosecutors say even THC-free CBD products could lead to a misdemeanor charge. A bill introduced Monday in the state legislature would clear up confusion and allow all Texans to possess, buy and sell CBD products. As North Texans continue to question whether they can use, or continue to use, the popular CBD oil for their aches and pains, one shop owner has decided to take down the product, fearing the possibility of a police raid. "I don't want to take a chance of somebody coming in and arresting any of my employees," said shop owner Nakomah Hanson, owner of the Southern Cloud Cartel store in Arlington. Hanson cleared his store of CBD after seeing an NBC 5 investigative report that said the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office considers the hemp-based oil to be illegal, unless obtained with a prescription to treat epilepsy. That revelation rattled shop owners and users throughout North Texas, and beyond, where CBD has become the newest health craze. On Tuesday, District Attorney Sharen Wilson reiterated her opinion that CBD is illegal. But she added in her statement that "we have not spent, and do not expect to spend, significant resources on cases involving CBD oil." However, Larry Moore, chief of the Tarrant County DA's criminal division, said last week that if a case is presented to them, "We are going to enforce the law." "If the police department presents to us a case of somebody illegally possessing CBD oil, we will prosecute the case," Moore said. Those words shook Jason Johnson, owner of a "Purely CBD" shop in Arlington. "It was just breathtaking, you know. Its really a shame," Johnson said. Johnson has opened eight CBD stores in Tarrant County in the last five months. He said most of his customers are middle aged, who use the oil for pain, anxiety and other health problems. Johnson said the product he sells contains no THC, the substance in marijuana that produces a high. But in Tarrant County, prosecutors say even THC-free CBD products could lead to a misdemeanor charge. "That was huge," said Johnson. "Do we shut our doors down and tell our customers, 'Hey, we can't help you no more.' Because I've had lots of customers call me, concerned about this," he said. Johnson said his shops will remain open, because he is convinced CBD that contains no THC is legal. Meanwhile, Hanson said he felt bad for his customers, as he cleared his shop of CBD, but that he felt the risks were too high to keep it in stock. "You have a lot of everyday-walks-of-life people who are out here and are nervous and don't know what to do," Hanson said, "and some of these people have never been in trouble in their lives." The CBD debate in North Texas has drawn national attention, including a plea from the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, a major advocacy group for the hemp industry, asking the Tarrant County DA, Wilson, to stand down until there's more clarity on what state law says about CBD. A bill introduced Monday in the state legislature would clear up confusion and allow all Texans to possess, buy and sell CBD products. The U.S. Hemp Roundtable told NBC5 Investigates that Wilson is the first district attorney from a major metropolitan area to threaten to arrest people for possessing CBD. The group added that while there have been arrests in other states, most of the cases were resolved once police understood the different between hemp and marijuana. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he will hold a two-day summit with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un Feb. 27-28 in Vietnam to continue his efforts to persuade Kim to give up his nuclear weapons. Trump has said his outreach to Kim and their first meeting last June in Singapore opened a path to peace, but there is not yet a concrete plan for how denuclearization could be implemented. Denuclearizing North Korea is something that has eluded the U.S. for more than two decades, since it was first learned that North Korea was close to acquiring the means for nuclear weapons. "As part of a bold new diplomacy, we continue our historic push for peace on the Korean Peninsula," Trump said in his State of the Union address. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told Congress last week that U.S. intelligence officials do not believe Kim will eliminate his nuclear weapons or the capacity to build more because he believes they are key to the survival of the regime. Satellite video taken since the June summit has indicated North Korea is continuing to produce nuclear materials at its weapons factories. Last year, North Korea released American detainees, suspended nuclear and long-range missile tests and dismantled a nuclear test site and parts of a rocket launch facility without the presence of outside experts. It has repeatedly demanded that the United States reciprocate with measures such as sanctions relief, but Washington has called for North Korea to take steps such as providing a detailed account of its nuclear and missile facilities that would be inspected and dismantled under a potential deal. At the second Trump-Kim summit, some experts say North Korea is likely to seek to trade the destruction of its main Yongbyon nuclear complex for a U.S. promise to formally declare the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, open a liaison office in Pyongyang and allow the North to resume some lucrative economic projects with South Korea. "Our hostages have come home, nuclear testing has stopped, and there has not been a missile launch in 15 months," Trump said. "If I had not been elected President of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea. "Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong Un is a good one," he said in announcing their second meeting. Stephen Biegun, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's special representative for North Korea, is hopeful, but acknowledges that many issues make it especially complicated for the two countries to "embark on a diplomatic initiative of this magnitude." Biegun was in Pyongyang on Tuesday. The Vietnamese city where the two leaders will meet was not announced. The country, however, is keen to project itself on the world stage. It is a single-party communist state that boasts of tight political control and a tough security apparatus similar to Singapore's. Where Singapore leans West, generally appreciative of U.S. influence in Asia, Vietnam leans East. Even with its edgy relationship with China, it has a long fraternal history with Asia's communist states. This is friendly ground for Kim and closer than Singapore. On a related issue, the State Department said this week that the U.S. and South Korea have reached a tentative agreement on sharing the costs of keeping 28,500 American troops in South Korea, but no final deal has been signed to replace the existing agreement, which expired at the end of 2018. South Korea pays more than $800 million a year, but Trump has demanded that Seoul pay 50 percent more. News that a tentative agreement has been reached offers relief to those who worried Trump would use the lack of a deal as a reason to pull U.S. troops out of South Korea as part of negotiations with Kim. North Korea has claimed that the presence of American troops in the South is proof that the U.S. has hostile intentions in the region. Trump said after his first meeting with Kim in June that while he'd like to bring troops home, "that's not part of the equation right now." Associated Press writer Grant Peck in Bangkok contributed to this report. What to Know The Washington Post obtained Elizabeth Warren's 1986 registration for the State Bar of Texas, which she ID'd herself as an "American Indian" Warren apologized in private to the chief of the Cherokee Nation for claiming to be a Native American for the past two decades. Warren is expected to formally announce her candidacy for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination on Saturday. Sen. Elizabeth Warren has issued a broader apology for claiming Native American ancestry amid a report that she identified herself as an "American Indian" on her registration for the State Bar of Texas. The apology comes after The Washington Post obtained and published Warren's 1986 registration card for the State Bar of Texas, in which she identifies as "American Indian." The handwritten card was signed by Warren in blue ink. Warren's office did not dispute the authenticity of the card, according to the Post. Warren told the Post she was sorry for "for furthering confusion on tribal sovereignty and tribal citizenship and harm that resulted." When asked if an earlier reported apology to the chief of the Cherokee Nation was also because she identified herself as Native American during her time at Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania, Warren reportedly said, "yes." In a statement to NBC News following the Post report, Warren spokesperson Kristen Orthman said, "As Sen. Warren has said she is not a citizen of any tribe and only tribes determine tribal citizenship. She is sorry that she was not more mindful of this earlier in her career." Republicans have claimed the Massachusetts senator identified as Native American in order to advance her career, an accusation that Warren has denied. She has released employment documents in an attempt to disprove those claims. It was previously reported earlier this week that Warren apologized to the chief of the Cherokee Nation, Bill John Baker, for publicly sharing the results of a DNA test that show she has a distant Native American relative. Warrens DNA test sparked backlash against the Massachusetts Democrat, who announced late December she is forming an exploratory committee for the 2020 campaign. The Post's report was published ahead of Warren's scheduled announcement this weekend, in which she is expected to formally announce her candidacy for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. She had previously announced she was launching a presidential exploratory committee. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with his counterparts from the military alliance at a summit in London in December. Stoltenberg said Wednesday that the leaders will "address the security challenges we face now and in the future, and to ensure that NATO continues to adapt in order to keep its population of almost one billion people safe." He thanked the British government for hosting the meeting, which falls during NATO's 70th anniversary year. No exact date was given. Trump endangers peace by cancelling nuclear arms deal with Russia Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who came to the Trump administration from the Tea Party wing of the Republicans, announced today that the president is suspending US participation in the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and is beginning the process of total US withdrawal in six months. Trump himself accused Russia today of covertly developing and fielding a missile system prohibited by the treaty, but neither he nor Pompeo presented any evidence to back up the claim. The INF treaty Trump is cancelling is particularly worrisome because, since it was signed by President Ronald Reagan and Soviet Communist Party General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev in December 1987, the Soviet Union and now Russia and the United States have not been allowed to possess any land-based cruise missiles that can strike within a range of 310 to 3,410 miles. The deal was made to prevent such missiles from being deployed in Europe. There were no such Soviet missiles in Europe at the time of the treaty signing, and there have been no such Russian missiles in Europe since then. (At the time of the treaty signing, the former Soviet Union, unlike the US, did not deploy nuclear weapons outside of its own territory. The US, however, stationed such missiles in other countries, including in what was then West Germany.) The only outside weapons of any type today in European countries, including the former socialist countries, are NATO weapons, among which are tanks and planes from the US. NATO, in violation of agreements made at the end of the Cold War, has moved weapons into all the countries from which the Soviet Union withdrew its forces, including Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. US weapons have even been deployed in places like Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, countries that were actually part of the Soviet Union itself. Showing once again that NATO is fully controlled by the United States, the organisation said in a statement made almost immediately after the Trump announcement killing the treaty, that the allies fully support this action. The dangerous scuttling of the treaty begs the obvious question: Is Washington laying the groundwork for its own deployment of such nuclear ground-based missiles either in Europe or someplace else in the near future? Or is it planning development of other weapons that would violate the treaty, either in Europe or elsewhere? The media has largely fallen for the line that there are people in the Pentagon who are reasonable and upon whom we can rely for protection against the excesses of President Trump. The scuttling of this historic treaty is just another piece of evidence that nothing can be further from the truth. Trump continues the long-held US policy of feeding its war machine and thereby keeping the generals happy. He has allocated them, with the agreement of Congress, the largest military budget in history. It includes money to modernise and upgrade the nuclear arsenal. Unfortunately, the long drumbeat about how dangerous Russia is because of its interference in the 2016 elections has contributed to making it more difficult to build opposition to things like ending a nuclear arms deal with that country. The line pushed by some of the militarists is that Russia is the main threat to America, so possibly its not so bad that we re-start the arms race. Its necessary for our security, they say, and with the continuing Russiagate scandal around the last elections, many including Democrats, have fallen into that trap. Trumps recent announcement that he was pulling out of Syria, for example, was portrayed by many liberals as some type of present for his pal Vladimir Putin. First of all, other than propaganda points, Russia has nothing much to gain from the US pulling out of Syria. It has its own long-standing problems with ISIS and extremist right-wing fundamentalist Islamists and can use all the help it can get fighting them. Second, and perhaps more important, Trump never really intended to get out of Syria anyway, as he has shown since the announcement. Likewise, despite his railing against NATO, including his threats to pull out unless other countries pay up, he has shown with his moves to kill the INF treaty, that NATO policy is Trump policy when it comes to carrying out imperialist aims around the world. We have only to look at Venezuela where Trump has stepped up the long-standing US attacks on that country with his national security adviser John Bolton laying it bare when he said this week how nice it would be to have US oil companies managing the flow of oil out of that country. Following right behind him in full support of overthrowing the elected government in Venezuela was the rest of NATO. All of Trumps complaints against it aside, NATO is the willing accomplice to US foreign policy. If the US militarists ever got rid of NATO, theyd have to replace it with something similar or even worse. When it comes to carrying out imperialist foreign policy, including killing a treaty that has prevented nuclear war, the shots are called in Washington, not in Belgium or anywhere else in Europe. Peoples World The suspect in an armored car heist in Kentucky who was discovered in Wethersfield after allegedly giving fake papers at the DMV has been indicted by a federal jury related to the theft of more than $900,000 from the armored vehicle, according to the Kentucky U.S. Attorneys office. Twenty-nine-year-old Mark Espinosa was arrested on January 30 when he went to get a drivers license and staff called police because the birth certificate he presented was forged, according to police. He gave responding officers a fake name, police said, but when he was fingerprinted, investigators realized that the man was actually the Mark Espinosa wanted by the FBI. The FBI Wanted poster for Espinosa said he was working as an armored truck driver near Jefferson Mall in Louisville, Kentucky on Dec. 5 when he and money from an armored truck owned by Garda World disappeared. FBI Louisville and @LMPD are excited to announce the capture of Mark Espinosa. Espinosa was arrested on a federal warrant near Hartford, Connecticut for his role in the Garda armored car theft. Thank you and great work @WethersfieldPD pic.twitter.com/ckRt4vYLVe FBI Louisville (@FBILouisville) January 30, 2019 In a joint press conference with @LMPD, FBI Louisville announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Mark Espinosa for his role in the Garda armored car theft. #FBIMostWanted pic.twitter.com/Y7A9NLMy2I FBI Louisville (@FBILouisville) January 9, 2019 In a media release Tuesday, the Kentucky U.S. Attorneys office announced that Espinosa was indicted with five charges related to the theft of more than $900,000 from that armored vehicle, including theft from a common carrier, bank robbery, interstate transportation of stolen money, monetary transactions involving stolen money, and money laundering. Investigators said Espinosa used some of the stolen money to buy a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu in Pennsylvania under a fake name. He also deposited $3,300 into a bank account under the same fake name. Espinosa had $850,000 in cash when he was located in Connecticut, authorities said. The FBI and the Louisville Metro Police Department continue to investigate. A Hartford non-profit is stepping in to help after learning that Manchester-based Eastern Connecticut Health Network will be eliminating its Meals on Wheels program by March 1, impacting close to 60 homebound individuals. There are individuals who are part of a separate Meals on Wheels program that is east of the river that are going to need to find a new provider, explained Community Renewal Teams Jason Black. Black said at this time they have taken on six of the 57 impacted residents. State Representative Michael Winkler (D-56th District), who serves Vernon, said he learned of the issue after a call from a constituent whose son relies on the service. I made a lot of calls and found out that ECHN was getting out of the Meals on Wheels business. Winkler said he was told the hospitals decision, in part, was financial because state reimbursement rates have fallen. They inherited the Meals on Wheels program when they bought Rockville General Hospital. It was never part of their core mission. They run hospitals. ECHN would not confirm the programs elimination over the phone, but in a statement to NBC Connecticut said: ECHNs main focus is delivering quality, compassionate clinical care. Like other healthcare networks nationwide, we strive to provide our patients with the highest quality care while operating as efficiently as possible. To help us achieve this goal, we have reorganized the management and staffing models in several departments. These changes are designed to make the best use of our available resources while maintaining our high standards of clinical care. Winkler said he is hopeful the transition will be seamless. He said Connecticut Community Care, a care management organization, is working to try to place people as quickly as possible. Black said he knows what a lifeline the service is and doesnt want to see anyone go without it. There are probably 50 or so who may be looking for services. Its not clear yet whether we are going to be able to add them to our roster. We hope that we can, if we can squeeze them in. For more information on the Community Renewal Teams Meals on Wheels Program call 860-560-5848 or click here. There will be an increased police presence at three schools in Wallingford on Wednesday after an anonymous threat was posted on social media. Wallingford Police were notified by a family about a concerning post on Snapchat on Tuesday night. According to police, the threat was posted at 1 p.m. on Tuesday. It contained a map with Stevens Elementary School, Dag Hammarskjold Middle School and Lyman Hall High School with the statement, "I am going to murder someone." Wallingford Police do not see the threat as credible, but out of an abundance of caution, there will be an increased police presence at all three schools on Wednesday, Wallingford Public Schools Superintendent Salvatore Menzo said in a statement. He also said the phones at Lyman Hall High School are only partially working. School officials said calls can be made out from the school, but calls cannot be received into the school. If you need to communicate information to Lyman Hall High School, you're urged to send and email or call 203-949-6500. School officials said they will continue to disicipline those found responsible for such posts to the highest extent they can. A Connecticut city has a new official, and he's still in high school. Nineteen-year-old Roman Khondker was sworn-in as a committee member with the West Haven Community Development Administration on Monday. Khondker says he wanted to become involved in politics after his family emigrated from Bangladesh to the United States to escape political persecution. He says he wants more people to "enjoy life and enjoy more freedom and liberty." Khondker previously ran an unsuccessful bid in the Republican primary for state representative. As a committee member, he will review federal grants to help community facilities and low-income housing. A senior at the Sound School in New Haven, Khondker says he will leave for college soon. Still, he says he hopes to stay local. Protect and serve... pizza, that is. The Chicago Police Department has resurfaced the age-old debate of Chicago vs. New York-style zas ahead of National Pizza Day Saturday. How will you celebrate, Chicago? Deep dish, or ol fashioned thin crust? Either choice beats New York-style slices, CPD wrote on Twitter, along with a photo of deep dish and thin crust pizza in the city. Saturday is #NationalPizzaDay. How will you celebrate, Chicago? Deep dish, or ol fashioned thin crust? Either choice beats New York-style slices. Like/RT if you agree. pic.twitter.com/WxLAxnMsCr Chicago Police (@Chicago_Police) February 6, 2019 The New York Police Department responded with, We recognize the slice of pizza on the right [thin crust], but whats the one on the left? Is there pasta in it? A detective added that CPDs post was a trick question. If its not from New York, its not pizza, Chief Dermot F. Shea wrote. We recognize the slice of pizza on the right, but whats the one on the left? Is there pasta in it? https://t.co/uHo9a7No2w NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) February 6, 2019 NYPD also questioned if the Chicago post counted as impersonation under NY state law. Who will win the debate? Automakers use events like the Chicago Auto Show to gauge interest from buyers as to whats hot and whats not on the car market, and occasionally those concept cars can become a reality. NBC 5s Kye Martin has the story. Looks like Chicago Police tweeted a video Saturday of what sounds like a dare involving some officers taking a bite of a Ny-style slice of pizza. "A few of our brave police officers from @ChicagoCAPS01 took one for the team and subjected themselves to NY-style pizza. The verdict: not bad, @NYPDnews. Not bad. Still doesnt beat Chicago! Happy #NationalPizzaDay" A few of our brave police officers from @ChicagoCAPS01 took one for the team and subjected themselves to NY-style pizza. The verdict: not bad, @NYPDnews. Not bad. Still doesnt beat Chicago! Happy #NationalPizzaDay pic.twitter.com/y52GxPj4QT Chicago Police (@Chicago_Police) February 9, 2019 NYPD responded shortly afterward with a video of themselves eating a Chicago Deep dish. "Ok @Chicago_Police, the bad news is, your pizza didnt cut it. The good news is, youre invited to New York for a slice on us any time! Happy #NationalPizzaDay, stay safe and warm!" read the tweet. Agree to disagree, but can we at least agree that pineapple doesnt belong on pizza? Well pick this back up in a few months on #NationalHotDogDay. Stay safe, @NYPDnews! https://t.co/4YM4JspcJN Chicago Police (@Chicago_Police) February 9, 2019 Chicago police replied with a "agree to disagree, but can we at least agree that pineapple doesnt belong on pizza? Well pick this back up in a few months on #NationalHotDogDay. Stay safe, @NYPDnews!" Stay tuned for round two come National Hot Dog Day on July 17. Illinois State Police are asking for the public's help in solving a pair of shootings on Interstate 57, including one that claimed the life of a 55-year-old woman. That shooting took place just after 10 p.m. in the northbound lanes of the interstate near Cicero Avenue, police said. The woman was the lone occupant in her vehicle at the time of the crash, and she was pronounced dead at the scene from a gunshot wound. Earlier Monday, three people were riding in a car in the northbound lanes near 127th Street when they were shot. A 38-year-old man remains in critical condition, but his condition has stablized, police say. The other victims, a 15-year-old boy and a 12-year-old boy, were also shot, but have been released from hospitals. Another victim, an 8-year-old boy, was in the car at the time of the shooting, and although he wasn't shot, he was still taken to an area hospital as a precaution. A preliminary investigation has ruled that the shootings are not connected, but that they are continuing to investigate. Anyone with information on either of the shootings is asked to call the Illinois State Police at 847-294-4400, and that callers may remain anonymous if they choose to do so. A Chicago man just won $20,000 a week for 20 years thanks to a persistent co-worker and his first-ever $20 scratch ticket. The lucky winner had been playing the Lucky Day Lotto for 18 years but never won a big prize, according to Illinois Lottery officials. The mans co-worker consistently tried to get him to purchase an instant ticket, but he never did until now. The man and his co-worker were at Plaza Food & Liquor, at 3459 W. Ogden Ave., when the co-worker convinced him to scratch his first $20 ticket, which turned out to be a winning 20x20 ticket. I plan to buy a house and start my own business, he told the Illinois Lottery. This winning ticket is my chance at living the American dream. The top prize was $20,000 a week for 20 years, resulting in a total of $20,800,000. The retailer received a bonus of $208,000. What to Know Virginia's attorney general said Wednesday that as a college student he once wore blackface as he dressed as a rapper. His admission follows the publication of a racist photo in the governor's yearbook, and a sex assault claim against the governor's deputy. A group affiliated with rapper Kurtis Blow, who Herring referenced, called Herring a "cultural tourist." Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring says he used blackface at a college party in 1980, in the latest controversy to hit Democrats elected to the state's highest offices. Herring is second in the line of succession for the governorship. His admission comes after the publication of a racist photo in the governor's yearbook and a sexual assault accusation against the lieutenant governor. The attorney general released a statement Wednesday saying he wore blackface and a wig as a costume decades ago. Herring said that as a 19-year-old college student, he and his friends dressed like rappers they listened to at the time, including Kurtis Blow, and prepared to perform a song. "It sounds ridiculous even now writing it. But because of our ignorance and glib attitudes and because we did not have an appreciation for the experiences and perspectives of others we dressed up and put on wigs and brown makeup," Herring's statement said. "This was a onetime occurrence and I accept full responsibility for my conduct," he continued. (Read his full statement below.) An organization affiliated with Blow, the rapper, issued its own statement. "Hip hop culture and rap music is a not a cultural phenomenon to be parodied or appropriated; it is a way of life for millions of people worldwide," said a representative of the Univeral Hip Hop Museum, of which Blow is the chairman. "Since you chose to become a 'cultural tourist' momentarily in your misbegotten youth, you now have a unique opportunity to give some thing back to the culture you had a passing interest in some 40 odd years ago," the statement continued. "Instead of making a pithy mea culpa, make a donation to the Universal Hip Hop Museum." The museum is slated to open in the Bronx. Virginia politics were rattled starting Friday when a photo surfaced from Northam's 1984 medical school yearbook page showing one person in blackface and another in a KKK robe and hood. Northam initially apologized for appearing in the photo; he later claimed he wasn't shown, but did say he once wore blackface as part of a Michael Jackson costume for a dance contest. Prominent figures from the left and right, including the chairman of the State Republican Party and the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, called for Northam to step down and let Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax take his seat. But in the following days, Fairfax's own past came under intense scrutiny. Vanessa Tyson, a political science professor on leave from Scripps College in California, came forward and accused Fairfax of sexually assaulting her at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Fairfax, a married, 39-year-old father of two, said Monday that when he was 25, he had a "100 percent consensual" encounter in a hotel room with a woman he met at the convention. He wasn't married at the time. According to The Washington Post, Tyson described an encounter that began consensually and ended with a forced sexual act. NBC News reported Wednesday, citing two sources, that Fairfax used profane language about his accuser in a private meeting Monday night. Fairfax said in a statement Wednesday that "in my remarks on Monday, I think you could hear how emotional dealing with an allegation that I know is not true has been for me." Fairfax's chief of staff and policy director conceded to NBC News that he used a profanity to refer to the situation but disputed that he directed any profanity to Tyson. Tyson's allegation against Fairfax was first published by the conservative blog Big League Politics, the same site that published the racist photo from Northam's yearbook. The blog published an image of a Facebook post by Tyson. She said a man who sexually assaulted her at the 2004 Democratic National Convention won statewide office in 2017 and "seems increasingly likely" to get a "very big promotion." She did not, in that post, name Fairfax as the perpetrator. Tyson issued an account on Wednesday of the alleged attack. Herring's full statement: "The very bright light that is shining on Virginia right now is sparking a painful but, I think we all hope, important conversation. The stakes are high, and our spirits are low. "I am sure we all have done things at one time or another in our lives that show poor judgment, and worse yet, have caused some level of pain to others. I have a glaring example from my past that I have thought about with deep regret in the many years since, and certainly each time I took a step forward in public service, realizing that my goals and this memory could someday collide and cause pain for people I care about, those who stood with me in the many years since, or those who I hoped to serve while in office. "In 1980, when I was a 19-year-old undergraduate in college, some friends suggested we attend a party dressed like rappers we listened to at the time, like Kurtis Blow, and perform a song. It sounds ridiculous even now writing it. But because of our ignorance and glib attitudes and because we did not have an appreciation for the experiences and perspectives of others we dressed up and put on wigs and brown makeup. "This was a onetime occurrence and I accept full responsibility for my conduct. That conduct clearly shows that, as a young man, I had a callous and inexcusable lack of awareness and insensitivity to the pain my behavior could inflict on others. It was really a minimization of both people of color, and a minimization of a horrific history I knew well even then. "Although the shame of that moment has haunted me for decades, and though my disclosure of it now pains me immensely, what I am feeling in no way compares to the betrayal, the shock, and the deep pain that Virginians of color may be feeling. Where they have deserved to feel heard, respected, understood, and honestly represented, I fear my actions have contributed to them being forced to revisit and feel a historical pain that has never been allowed to become history. "This conduct is in no way reflective of the man I have become in the nearly 40 years since. "As a senator and as attorney general, I have felt an obligation to not just acknowledge but work affirmatively to address the racial inequities and systemic racism that we know exist in our criminal justice system, in our election processes, and in other institutions of power. I have long supported efforts to empower communities of color by fighting for access to healthcare, making it easier and simpler to vote, and twice defended the historic re-enfranchisement of former felons before the Supreme Court of Virginia. I have launched efforts to make our criminal justice system more just, fair, and equal by addressing implicit bias in law enforcement, establishing Virginias first-ever program to improve re-entry programs in local jails, and pushing efforts to reform the use of cash bail. And I have tried to combat the rise in hate crimes and white supremacist violence that is plaguing our Commonwealth and our country. "That I have contributed to the pain Virginians have felt this week is the greatest shame I have ever felt. Forgiveness in instances like these is a complicated process, one that necessarily cannot and should not be decided by anyone but those directly affected by the transgressor, should forgiveness be possible or appropriate at all. In the days ahead, honest conversations and discussions will make it clear whether I can or should continue to serve as attorney general, but no matter where we go from here, I will say that from the bottom of my heart, I am deeply, deeply sorry for the pain that I cause with this revelation." Stay with News4 for more on this developing story. What to Know William Eric Brown died after an electronic cigarette exploded and cut his carotid artery, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner. He passed away several day after the incident, in the hospital, when doctors tried to remove a three-inch piece of metal from his head. His grandmother, Alice Brown, said she hoped others would recognize the dangers of vape pens. A Fort Worth man died last week after an electronic cigarette he was using exploded, cutting a major artery in his neck, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner. William Eric Brown, 24, died Jan. 29 at John Peter Smith Hospital due to "penetrating trauma from exploding vaporizer pen," the medical examiner said, noting shrapnel from the blast severed his left carotid artery. The report did not identify the brand of electronic cigarette or offer other details. Brown's grandmother Alice Brown said he told her he was going out to buy some vaping products. "He said, 'I'll be right back granny,'" Alice Brown said. Brown was sitting in his car in front of a vape supply store on the 4500 block of Golden Triangle when his pen exploded, Alice Brown said. An employee at the store said Brown never entered the store and declined to comment further. The medical examiner's website listed the store as the location where the incident occurred. Brown was rushed to the hospital and his grandmother said he was talking when he arrived. He died several days later after doctors had difficulty removing a three-inch piece of jagged metal from his head, she said. "Now he's got a new address in heaven," Alice Brown said. His grandmother said Brown was a certified electrician and took "good care" of her and her family. Alice Brown said what happened to her grandson should serve as a lesson of how dangerous vaping pens can be. Brown is believed to be only the second person to die in the U.S. from an exploding vape pen. In May, a Florida man died from a "projectile wound to the head" after an electronic cigarette exploded, according to The New York Times. Taking Issue Seamus Carey Power a class question I must strongly oppose the inclusion of the article by Philip Giraldi in the recent issue of the Guardian, entitled Registering Israels lobbyists. On my first read I was immediately struck by the incorrect analysis and apparently careless phrasing. Giraldis analysis is completely contrary to Marxism, with no genuine anti-imperialist analysis, no class analysis, and conflation of Zionist interests with Jewish interests ... he does not even use the word Zionism a single time independently, only a couple times in the first paragraph when naming two Zionist organisations. Giraldi poses the question of why the US state does not use its powers to monitor or control Zionist groups operating within the US; the broader question would be, why does US policy and action in general align with Israeli interests? The simple answer that should be obvious to us is, because Israeli interests are an extension of US imperialist interests, the interests of the imperial bourgeoisie. But Giraldi cannot see this. Instead his first thought proffered is, Jewish power in the United States. This is nonsense, this is nothing but anti-Semitism. Do we imagine that should Israeli and US interests diverge, the Israeli interests would win out, thanks to the influence of this alleged Jewish power? Of course not! If Israeli state interests were to diverge and as Marxists we must surely understand Israeli state interests to mean the interests of the minority of the Israeli ruling class, and not of the masses of working people US imperialism would immediately seek to crush this turn to independence, as they have done everywhere else. After making this analysis by reading the article without further context, I naturally investigated further maybe I was overreacting! But no, the author Giraldi is a former CIA officer and although he may criticise US policy, he does not do so from a progressive standpoint. He has the world outlook one would expect of a CIA officer. He has written dozens of articles for The American Conservative! I should not be surprised his analysis is contrary to Marxism. His anti-Semitism is much more overt in some other articles, and it is clear he does not believe that anything bad in the world proceeds from within the US state, no, its all thanks to Jewish Power (and in other articles he capitalises the P.) If we want to know what Giraldi means by Jewish Power, we can ask the man himself. From his article entitled Understanding Jewish Power (also available on Information Clearing House at www.informationclearinghouse.info/49628.htm): It does not take a genius to figure out that the United States is deeply involved in a series of seemingly endless wars pitting it against predominantly Muslim nations even though Washington has no vital interests at stake in places like Syria, Libya and Iraq. [!] Who is driving the process and benefiting? Israel is clearly the intended beneficiary of a coordinated effort mounted by more than 600 Jewish organizations in the US that have at least as part of their programs the promotion and protection of Israel. Heavily armed Israeli settlers run amok on the West Bank, beating and killing Arabs and destroying their livelihoods. That is what Israel and its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are all about and that is precisely the kind of a nation that America should not want to become, [!] but unfortunately the role of Washington as Israels obedient poodle [!] has our once great country [!] moving in the wrong direction. [!!] This has all been brought about by Jewish Power and it is time to wake up to that fact and address it squarely. [!!!] This is pure anti-Semitism. We cannot allow the waters to be muddied between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism. Blurring the lines between these two things is a well known Zionist propaganda tactic, as well as a fascist one. What ideological leg do we have to stand on if we commit the error ourselves! This anti-Semitism was not overt in the article published in the Guardian and I can understand why a casual reader might miss it based on the contents of the published article alone, I could have given the author the benefit of the doubt as simply being sloppy. But we cannot afford to be merely casual readers. I read closely, I sensed an incorrect analysis, I made further investigation, my analytical intuition turned out to be correct. I hope other comrades acted similarly. This degree of scrutiny must especially apply to articles from non-socialist sources. I hope youll excuse my tone, and know that my critique is coming from a friendly place (although certainly not friendly to Giraldi). I am a young Party member and while I was at first reluctant to be too assertive in stating my case on this issue, I have seen a disturbing growth in anti-Semitic and fascist views (with both pro- and anti- Zionist forms) amongst many sections of young people, and am increasingly forced to be aware that combatting these views and being well informed on the issue should be something we prioritise. Seamus Carey is a member of CPA Perth Branch. How are Californians feeling about the upcoming 2020 presidential election? What about the cost of living in the Golden State? A new Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday asked California voters to weigh in on those issues, in addition to how they feel about the border wall, immigation, marijuana and other hotly contested topics. Check out the breakdown below to see some of the highlights from the poll: 43 percent of California voters said they feel they can't afford to live in the state 77 percent of California voters said there is a housing crisis in the state 54 percent of California voters said legalizing marijuana has been good for the state 64 percent of California voters oppose building a wall along the country's southern border 76 percent of California voters said immigration is good for the country 69 percent of California voters support a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants 60 percent of Democrats and those leaning toward the Democratic side would be excited if former Vice President Joe Biden became the Democratic presidential nominee 58 percent of Democrats and those leaning toward the Democratic side would be excited if Sen. Kamala Harris became the Democratic presidential nominee Quinnipiac University said it surveyed 912 California voters when putting together its poll. He worked for years as a professional photographer, but the Federal Bureau of Investigation says he's a serial sexual predator suspected of taking advantage of models. Robert Arnold Koester, 52, photographed models sometimes in the nude for at least 25 years. Throughout that time he allegedly assaulted many of his subjects, including some younger than 18, and now the FBI is seeking information about his possible victims. Koester, a U.S. citizen, also went by the names Bert Kay, Rhake Winter and Qitooly, the FBI said. He allegedly began sexually assaulting his victims on the West Coast in 1994 and continued to do so through Nov. 13, 2018, when he was arrested in Southern California by Carlsbad police. Koester is facing 23 felony charges filed by state prosecutors in San Diego County related to that arrest, including child sexual abuse and production of child pornography. State prosecutors filed 23 felony charges, including child sexual abuse and production of child pornography, against Koester in San Diego County, and he faces an additional two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor in California, the FBI said. Authorities say Koester owns a farm in Yamhill County, Oregon, and on Jan. 30, a Yamhill County Grand Jury charged Koester with 32 felony counts involving four separate victims, one of whom was a minor. The charges also include multiple counts for first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy, first-degree unlawful sexual penetration, and causing another person to ingest a controlled substance, the FBI said. "If you have information about this ongoing investigation or believe you or someone you know may have been victimized by Robert Arnold Koester, the FBI requests that you complete this secure, confidential online questionnaire," officials said in a statement. San Jose's mayor is digging into San Jose's future traffic troubles. Mayor Sam Liccardo says he wants to bore a tunnel to connect the Mineta San Jose International Airport to a future transit hub at Diridon Station, and he believes that an underground tunnel like the one Tesla CEO Elon Musk proposed for Los Angeles could be what the South Bay needs, the Mercury News first reported. Liccardo said Tuesday that he has been in contact with Musk's Boring Company about the city's goal to transform Dirion into a grand central station that's capable of supporting the fast growing number of workers. "Let's take advantage of emerging technologies, particularly in tunneling, and finally connect our airport to the rest of the transit system," Liccardo said. The mayor says the tunnel would be two miles long between SJC and Diridon, but the idea is in its early stage. "I think that would be a great idea. Cut the traffic," commuter Florentino Silva told NBC Bay Area. Musk unveiled the prototype for his underground transportation tunnel last year in LA. The tunnel is just a test to prove the technology works and could one day cure traffic. It came almost two years to the day since Musk announced on Twitter that "traffic is driving me nuts" and he was "going to build a tunnel boring machine and just start digging." "It doesnt necessarily put rail in the tunnel. But it puts moving cars in the tunnel at much lower costs," Liccardo said. The Associated Press contributed to this report. A 17-year-old Moreno Valley girl was abducted and killed more than eight years ago by a man whose DNA traces were left like calling cards on her belongings, a prosecutor told jurors Tuesday, while the man's attorney countered that the government's evidence is "faulty" and said none of the facts support a conviction. "One of the saddest things in the world is the death of a child, and one of the worst things is the violent murder of a child," Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Michael Kersse told the jury tasked with deciding the fate of the alleged killer of Norma Angelica Lopez. "Norma was brutally ripped from the loving embrace of life and dumped like trash under a tree," he said. "Without DNA, the mystery of her death would have been unsolved. But DNA shows that man kidnapped and killed Norma Lopez." Jesse Perez Torres, 42, could face the death penalty if the jury convicts him of first-degree murder and finds true a special circumstance allegation of killing in the course of a kidnapping. Kersse recounted the events leading up to the girl's July 2010 abduction in a field around the corner from Torres' then-residence at 13173 Creekside Way. The prosecutor said Torres could easily have observed the teen leaving Valley View High School, where she was taking a morning biology class for the summer. Kersse theorized Torres watched the victim walk by multiple times in the three weeks before she was snatched. Every day that she'd previously left the Valley View campus, she had been with her boyfriend, Joshua Battest. But on July 15, 2010, he was behind schedule, and Norma set off on her own. She headed south on Creekside, east to Quail Creek Drive, then south again on Mill Creek Road before crossing an open field toward Cottonwood Avenue, where her older sister, Sonia Lopez, and friends gathered almost daily that summer. Kersse played a security surveillance videotape from a house looking down on Creekside, and the recording captured the last images of Norma alive, walking the route. The tape also showed, moments later, a green SUV cruising slowly in the direction that she was walking, shortly after 10 a.m. The vehicle re- appears less than five minutes later, speeding away from the area. According to the prosecution, Torres owned a green Nissan Xterra at the time. When Norma failed to arrive at the Cottonwood location by noon, her sister and friends headed into the field, intending to go to the Valley View campus to look for her. When they crossed the field, they discovered Norma's school binder, purse and a broken earring strewn on the ground, leading to immediate concerns that she had been forcibly taken, at which point her sister begged a passer-by to call 911. Sheriff's deputies initiated a search, but when no clues regarding Norma's whereabouts turned up after two days, and the weekend began, members of the community and her schoolmates formed their own search parties, distributing flyers bearing her photo and description. Five days later, Norma's remains were discovered in an olive tree grove at the edge of a residential property on sparsely populated Theodore Street, roughly 2 1/2 miles east of where she was snatched. Her decomposing body was naked from the waist up, covered in insects and bloated from the intense summer heat. Kersse alleged that "touch" DNA samples were lifted from the earring fragments, Norma's jeans, her panties and purse. He acknowledged the evidence was barely sufficient for the California Department of Justice to develop a partial DNA profile, but a private company with more sophisticated techniques was retained, and scientists there processed the forensic data and delivered a fuller profile of the donor. No matches were initially found in the state's Combined DNA Index System, better known as CODIS. But Kersse said that changed by September 2011, when potential matches were identified out of the 1.8 million individuals with DNA profiles in the database. The prosecutor alleged that Torres was the best match, culminating in his detention by sheriff's detectives, who found him at a Long Beach property owned by his mother. Torres had been required to provide DNA samples after a domestic violence conviction in early 2011. "The defendant lies and equivocates, trying to explain away his actions on July 15, 2010," Kersse said. "He offers a false alibi." Along with DNA evidence, the prosecutor alleged fibers emanating from a carpet exactly like the one in the Moreno Valley house where Torres resided were located on Norma's underwear. Defense attorney John Dorr repudiated the prosecution's contention that the DNA presented a substantive link between his client and the crime. "There were 24 potential DNA matches," Dorr told the jury. "You will hear nothing about the other 23, who they are, or their criminal backgrounds." The attorney criticized the handling of the DNA collected from the earring, showing pictures of it in the field that suggested it had been moved at least twice, possibly by evidence technicians, who could have contaminated it before sending it to be processed for forensic clues. "There was no sound reason to move that piece of evidence," Dorr said. He also challenged the prosecution's theory that Torres, who stands 5 feet 3 inches and weighs 109 pounds, could manhandle the victim, who was 5 feet 7 inches tall and 110 pounds, wrestling her into his vehicle and controlling her for however long necessary to commit the crime. "It would have been impossible," Dorr said. "This would have required several people." The defendant is being held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside, where he has been in custody since October 2011. Challenges to evidence, changes in defense teams and prosecutors involved in the case contributed to delays in bringing it to trial. The discovery of a new to science species of rare and primitive arthropod from the depths of a cave that was covered by a thick ice sheet until recently is certain to raise questions. In their study, published in the open-access journal Subterranean Biology, entomologist Alberto Sendra and local caver Craig Wagnell describe a new species of cave-dwelling, insect-like campodeid dipluran from the island of Vancouver (Canada) and discuss its origin. According to the study, the dipluran's presence could either mean that terrestrial arthropods have indeed been able to survive within the deep subterranean habitats during the Last Glacial Maximum period some 26,500 years ago or it is the result of related species having dispersed to the area during the deglaciation, making their way from as far as Asia. Contrary to most people's expectations, the new creature was discovered only an easy hike away from the nearest town of Port Alberni (Vancouver Island, British Columbia). There, cavers Craig Wagnell, Tawney Lem and Felix Ossigi-Bonanno from the Central Island Caving Club, together with Alberto Sendra, Alcala University (Spain), reported a remarkable, previously unknown species of dipluran from a couple of caves recently unearthed in the small limestone karstic area. Named Haplocampa wagnelli, the new species pays tribute to co-author Craig Wagnell, "who has dedicated many years sampling and exploring in Vancouver Island caves". Unlike most cave-adapted campodeid diplurans, whose bodies and appendages are characteristically elongated and slender - a "trademark" feature for strictly underground arthropods - the new species (Haplocampa wagnelli) has only slightly elongated antennae and legs and a thicker body. This is the reason why the researchers conclude that the species is not exclusively subterranean and is likely to also be present in soil habitats. On the other hand, its North American sister species seem to be even less adapted to life underground. Interestingly, the scientists note close relationships between the genus (Haplocampa) of the new species and three others known from the two sides of the north Pacific Ocean: Pacificampa (Japanese Islands and the Korean Peninsula), Metriocampa (Siberia) and Eumesocampa (North America). According to the team, this is evidence for dispersal events where populations would cross over the old Bering Land Bridge, which used to connect America and Asia. Furthermore, the new species is also one of the most northerly cave-adapted dipluran species, found at a latitude of 49 north. Some 26,500 years ago, its modern habitat would have been located underneath the Cordilleran Ice Sheet, part of the Late Wisconsinan North American ice sheet complex. (Natural News) The left-wing media has done its best in recent times to censor independent media, but the joke appears to be on them as they see their empires collapse. Mass layoffs are being seen across sites like BuzzFeed, Vox, Vice, and Huffington Post as readers take advantage of the many credible alternatives available on the internet today. In the latest mass layoff, Vice Media announced that staff cuts would affect around 250 people. The move is part of its new CEOs plan to reduce spending and reach profitability. It is reported that the cuts will be distributed across all of the companys departments, leaving 10 percent of its workforce looking for a new job. Last year, they implemented a hiring freeze and tried to reduce their workforce through attrition. In addition, Vice will be shifting its focus away from online publishing toward television and film production and branded content. BuzzFeed has also been hit with significant job cuts. The site was once a social media sensation due to its popularity among those with short attention spans who enjoyed wasting time on its listicles and quizzes, and they were hailed as the future of the industry when they hired reporters to create a more serious journalistic presence. However, they havent been as successful as they hoped, with 15 percent of staff roughly 250 workers getting their walking papers recently. One former employee of BuzzFeed, which is owned by NBC Universal, told the Los Angeles Times: The speed with which we went from being the gold standard to suddenly being this place of gloom and doom is really head-spinning. Interestingly, NBC Universal is also an investor in Vox Media, which saw 50 employees getting the pink slip last year and dozens offered different roles. Vox Media properties include Vox, Recode, Polygon, and the Verge. Meanwhile, Verizon Media Group, owners of the Huffington Post and Tech Crunch, recently announced that it would be cutting seven percent of its work force; Refinery29 and Mic have also seen job cuts in recent times. Gannett, which owns more than 1,000 newspapers across the nation, has recently cut 400 jobs, while another newspaper operator, McClatchy, recently offered 450 workers voluntary buyouts. The tide is turning Many of those who have lost their media jobs recently blame Google and Facebook and their monopoly over digital ads. Theres no question that traffic from these internet giants can make or break a site, but its also interesting to see the tables turned; some of the very same outlets that are suffering now have also benefited greatly from the moves by Google, Facebook and YouTube to bury independent media sites. All told, 2,100 media jobs were lost in the span of just two weeks, according to the Guardian, with most coming from digital publishers. According to the U.K. paper, the biggest mistake most digital publishers made was assuming Facebook and Google were truly interested in helping sustain their business. After adjusting their algorithm in a way that essentially demoted news in general, publishers like BuzzFeed have seen their traffic drop significantly. Its clear that people are growing increasingly tired of being fed the narratives that the globalist-funded, left-wing media was trying to push, and it looks like their efforts to silence independent journalism are now coming back to haunt them. Sources for this article include: ZeroHedge.com LATimes.com TheGuardian.com Friendship shared Timor Leste and Cuba The friendship shared by Timor Leste and Cuba unites two distant countries. More than 950 young Timorese trained in the Latin American School of Medicine are already serving their people. The brotherhood shared by Cuba and Timor Leste is consolidated every day, the countrys ambassador here, Maubere Lorosae da Silva Horta, (Loro Horta), stated to Granma International, while expressing his gratitude for the preparation received by his young compatriots in Cuban universities. He described bilateral relations between the nations as close, based on equality and mutual respect, exemplified by the more than 950 young Timorese trained in the Latin American School of Medicine, who already provide medical assistance to their people. The commitment made by the leader of the Revolution Fidel Castro to prepare more than a thousand doctors from our nation, will soon be fulfilled, since in Cuban classrooms right now there are about a hundred of them, the diplomat said, noting that higher education institutions have trained technicians, agronomists, and other specialists, who are playing a leading role in the economic development of the country. Additionally, a Cuban medical brigade of more than 300 health professionals is assisting the population in remote areas, and its results are evident in better quality of life and improvement of health statistics. Official relations between Cuba and Timor Leste began around May 20, 2002. Cuba was the second country after China to recognise our independence from Indonesia, but relations between our peoples were established many years before, during the national liberation struggle, Horta said. He gave as a personal example his parents participation in the XI World Festival of Youth and Students held in Cuba in 1978. Over the last 16 years, all our governments have consistently defended relations with Cuba and we have provided our support in the fight against the unjust US blockade, he added. He also highlighted that the Timorese people have genuine affection for Comandante Fidel Castro and upon his death, November 25, 2016, spontaneous activities took place in Timor Leste to honour his memory. Masses and commemorations were organized in the countrys 13 districts. I think Fidel Castro impacted the independence struggles of many countries in the world. Our young people approach the thought and work of Ernesto Guevara and they look very happy wearing clothing that bears the image of that great Argentine-Cuban fighter or the Comandante en Jefe. The contribution of these leaders to the oppressed peoples of the world is well known, the ambassador stated. On the occasion of the celebration in Havana of the 43rd anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Timor Leste ending Portuguese colonialism on November 28, 1975, it was emphasised that the nation was defined as anti-colonialist and anti-imperialist, and pursued strategies for economic development that had as their first priority human beings. Thus the focus remains on the well-being of the people, with the right to education, health, and a full life, promoting culture through those social goals. In his speech, delivered at the headquarters of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, the ambassador affirmed that cooperation between the Cuban and Timorese governments and peoples will continue, recalling that his countrys infrastructure was devastated after the national liberation struggle, and Cuba has been able to provide important cooperation in efforts to rebuild. We have achieved some important milestones in our history as an independent country, which gives us great pride. At the moment, we have one of the highest rates of doctors per resident in Asia, one for every 1,300 inhabitants, he said. Likewise, Timor Leste has one the lowest crime rates in Asia and economic development is advancing, though challenges exist, including providing more employment opportunities for young people, he added. The ambassador concluded his remarks affirming that both countries will continue to contribute to peace and sovereignty for the worlds peoples: We hope that the friendship between Cuba and Timor Leste will remain very deep and close for many generations, he said. Granma (Natural News) Virginia Governor Ralph Northam is lashing out against his many critics, whom hes patently declared as disgusting for pointing out the fact that he supports murdering babies after theyve been delivered from their mothers wombs. In a tweet he posted to Twitter on January 30, Northam made the claim that hes devoted [his] life to caring for children, adding that any insinuation otherwise is shameful and disgusting even though these statements about supporting infanticide came from his own mouth, leaving nothing to insinuation. If a mother is in labor the infant would be delivered, Northam earlier stated about what he believes should happen during a botched abortion. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if thats what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and mother, Northam added, with an emphasis on the portion of his statement that delineates his support for murdering a baby after its exited the womb, if thats what the mother and the family desired his words. You can watch Northam make these statements for yourself at this link. However, Northam is now claiming that he never actually said this and is now trying to turn the narrative around in condemnation of those who were actually paying attention to what he clearly stated with no ambiguity. Were not insinuating anything, replied the Susan B. Anthony List Twitter page to Northam this rebuttal tweet representing just one of more than 21,000, according to LifeNews.com, that challenged Northams false assertions about his critics. You said you support withholding care and allowing babies to die after a failed third-trimester abortion. You are a disgrace to your office and the medical community and should have your medical license taken away, the page added in its response to Northam. Mollie Hemingway, Senior Editor over at The Federalist, also tweeted a rebuttal to Northam, explaining: Sounds like you need a refresher on what *you* said this morning, followed by the aforementioned link to Northams earlier statements in support of infanticide. And heres a refresher on what the radical bill you support does, she added, followed by a link to the Virginia House GOP Twitter page, which contains a video clearly explaining how the bill that Northam supports contains provisions for legalized infanticide. Even Democrats are calling on Governor Blackface to resign but not because they oppose abortion, of course At the same time that hes receiving massive backlash from conservatives over his support for legalized baby murder after a baby is born, Governor Blackface, as some are now calling him, is also being chastised and told to resign by other baby-murderers like himself who are outraged over a photo that recently surfaced of himself and a friend dressed up in blackface and a Ku Klux Klan outfit, presumably for Halloween or a party. As we recently reported, the unearthed medical school yearbook photos suggest that Northam is a racist who hates black people, which has prompted many people to demand that he step down from his post. According to Big League Politics, Northams nicknames at VMI (Virginia Military Institute) included Coonman, which could be construed as a racial epithet, explained our own J.D. Heyes, citing the Big League Politics article that originally broke the news about Northam. Also, E.W. Jackson, Northams black opponent from his 2013 race for Virginia lieutenant governor, noted that his yearbook behavior is consistent because Northam refused to shake his hand at their debate, he added. For more related news, be sure to check out MedicalViolence.com and Twisted.news. Sources for this article include: LifeNews.com NaturalNews.com Twitter.com Twitter.com Twitter.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) Despite its pleasant ambiguity, as one far-left progressive described it, 2020 Democratic presidential frontrunner Kamala Harris newly-proposed Medicare for All plan isnt going over so well with average Americans, prompting the former girlfriend of former California State Assembly Speaker Willie Brown to backtrack her statements and do a 180-degree policy pivot. During a recent town hall event that aired on fake news network CNN, Harris made the suggestion that, in order for her socialized medicine scheme to actually work, all private health insurance would have to be completely eliminated. These were her exact words: It is inhumane to make people go through a system where they cannot literally receive the benefit of what medical science can offer. Because some insurance company has decided it doesnt meet their bottom line in terms of their profit motivation. Less than 24 hours later when it was determined by the Harris campaign that such a position is wildly unpopular with most Americans, Ian Sams, an adviser and national press secretary for Harris, suddenly and publicly stated that Harris now supports alternative options that wouldnt actually eliminate private health insurance. Medicare-for-all is the plan that she believes will solve the problem and get all Americans covered. Period, Sams is quoted as saying to CNN the day after Harris herself suggested scrapping all private health coverage. She has co-sponsored other pieces of legislation that she sees as a path to getting us there, but this is the plan she is running on. For more news about California libtards like Kamala Harris who are pushing insane policies like this that the vast majority of Americans find abhorrent, be sure to check out Collapsifornia.com. Remember the Dean Scream that killed Howard Deans bid for the 2004 presidency? Cackling Kamala did the same thing during her recent campaign kickoff speech To say that Harris is having a rough start garnering public support for the presidency right out of the gate would be an understatement. During her recent campaign kickoff speech in Oakland, California, Harris concluded it with what The American Mirror describes as a bizarre, wild laugh similar to the infamous Dean Scream that ultimately killed Howard Deans bid for the presidency back in 2004. Watch the video clip below of Cackling Kamala as she lets out a witchs chortle following a nauseating rant about restoring Americas moral leadership on this planet: What was so funny about announcing a campaign for president? asked The American Mirrors Olaf Ekberg about Cackling Kamalas strange response to her own pre-packaged rhetoric. Pocahontas also had her Howard Dean moment when she awkwardly chugged a beer in her kitchen during a Facebook live-stream event announcing her run for the presidency It seems to be a trend with Democrats lately, including with fellow Democratic contender for the 2020 presidential race, Elizabeth Warren, who during a recent I am running! video she live-streamed on YouTube awkwardly chugged a beer in front of her cell phone camera an apparent attempt by this Native American phony to resonate with everyday Americans. Pocahontas, as shes been popularly nicknamed by President Trump, was seen strangely popping the cap off of a beer bottle before taking a cringeworthy gulp of beer, all from the kitchen of her home in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the process clearly demonstrating to her mere handful of viewers that she doesnt actually drink beer. Watch below as Pocahontas meanders around her kitchen with a beer bottle in hand, attempting to make conversation with her husband who obviously wanted nothing to do with this lame attempt at relating to normal Americans: Sources for this article include: Breitbart.com AMGreatness.com TheAmericanMirror.com YouTu.be AmericanThinker.com NaturalNews.com YouTu.be (Natural News) The Palmetto State, more popularly known as South Carolina, seems to want to forever own the title of being the most ignorant and uneducated state in the Union. Its Attorney General, Alan Wilson, reiterated this embarrassing fact during a recent press conference over a proposed medical cannabis bill, where he non-ironically declared cannabis to be the most dangerous drug in America. Parroting the nonsensical propaganda of South Carolinas corrupt law enforcement head, Mark Keel who every year for the past several has brought in a band of his deputy thugs to the Columbia statehouse to decry the dangers of medical cannabis and intimidate its advocates Wilson is of the hilariously misguided persuasion that the many unsavory slang words that have been used over the years to describe cannabis somehow represent solid proof that the plant isnt a real medicine. They use words like stoned, high, wasted, baked, fried, cooked, chonged, cheeched, dope-faced, blazed, blitzed, blunted, blasted, danked, stupid, wrecked and thats only half the words they use, Wilson stated with a straight face alongside Keel and various other anti-cannabis tyrants who control South Carolina. Are these consistent with something that describes a medicine? he added, in total seriousness. The vast majority of South Carolinians support medical cannabis, but their conservative leadership says no way only Big Pharma is allowed With some of the highest rates of opioid abuse in the nation, accompanied by bottom-of-the-barrel rankings in education and many other metrics of civilized society, South Carolina could use a healthy infusion of plant-based medicine. And polls show that most South Carolinians regardless of their political affiliation are in full support of medical cannabis. But the states conservative leadership is digging its heel in the sand against it, regardless of public support, dredging up antiquated, disproven, and completely absurd arguments about its dangers as if the government should be in charge of dictating which plants people are allowed to grow and use for their own health benefit. The results from Benchmark Research shows that 72 percent of 400 South Carolinians polled support legalizing medical marijuana, including 84 percent of Democrats, 78 percent of independents and 63 percent of Republicans, reports The State. For more cannabis-related news, be sure to check out CannabisCures.news. Conservatism and cannabis prohibition are completely antithetical whats wrong with the police state South? One would think that conservative politicians, like those in South Carolina who claim to support limited government and maximum freedom and liberty for all citizens, would be fully on-board with medical cannabis or really any type of cannabis, seeing as how its just a plant. This would presumably include conservative Christians, whose holy text, the Bible, clearly states that cannabis and all other seed-bearing plants were given to humans by God as a gift. But it turns out that the exact opposite is true in South Carolina, as well as all throughout the so-called Bible Belt, which continues to engage in police state tyranny against the peoples God-given right to access natural medicine. How plant prohibition is consistent with conservatism in these states remain anomalous especially when the same Biblical texts that provision for the use of plants as food and medicine also prohibit the use of pharmaceutical drugs, declaring sorcery (pharmakeia) to be evil, and a disallowing factor in people gaining access to the kingdom of heaven. I heard so many absurd statements today that I lost room writing [them] down on here, Republican Representative from Beaufort, and the man spearheading the effort to pass comprehensive medical cannabis legislation in South Carolina year after year, told local media. Its like we traveled in a time warp back to the 1950s. Sources for this article include: Civilized.life PostAndCourier.com TheState.com GreenvilleOnline.com BibleGateway.com TheOpenScroll.com (Natural News) When coming home from a long trip to a scenic beach in the Caribbean, one expects to bring home happy memories and interesting souvenirs. For an unlucky Canadian couple, it was hookworms and the illnesses associated with those parasites that they took home with them. Katie Stephens and Eddie Zytner first noticed the itching feeling in their feet during the frenetic week they spent at the lovely resort town of Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. But the couple thought the symptoms were caused by the insect bites prevalent in the region. Things began to take a turn for the worse after they returned to Canada. Stephens and Zytners itching feet proceeded to swell over the course of several days. Painful blisters and bumps and ugly red rashes followed soon after. Worried about the deteriorating condition of their lower extremities, the couple visited several medical professionals. One expert was finally able to diagnose their grotesque medical condition as a case of cutaneous larva migrans. More commonly known as creeping eruption, CLM is a disease instigated by larval hookworms burrowing underneath human skin. The parasites leave red tracks in their wake as they travel around the upper layers of the skin. What are hookworms? According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, hookworms are parasitic nematodes whose larva live in soil or sand. The tiny creatures enter their hosts by burrowing through the unprotected skin in the feet. The hookworms that infested Stephens and Zytners feet were one of several species that use cats or dogs as their primary hosts. The most likely suspect was Ancylostoma braziliense, the most common species in southern America and a common cause of creeping eruption. Hookworms like A. braziliense can infect humans who sit or walk barefoot in sand or soil that contain feces from infected dogs and cats. When they enter the bodies of their hosts, the creatures begin a long and damaging trek through various vital organs and systems until they reach the small intestine. Once there, they sexually mature and reproduce. Their eggs exit their ill hosts through feces deposed on the soil, where they hatch into larva that await new victims. Fortunately for Stephens and Zytner, humans are not the primary hosts for A. braziliense. Having evolved to infest the internal organs of canines and felines, the hookworm larva normally last only six weeks in the very different environs of the human body before dying off. Cutaneous larva migrans can also be eliminated with the proper anti-parasitic medicine. (Related: Are you anemic? It may be bedbugs.) All this just from walking barefoot on the beach, Zytner lamented in a Facebook post. The couple learned their painful lesson. Now recovering from her unexpected bout with creeping eruption, Zytner warned against succumbing to the romantic temptation of walking on the beach without proper shoes lest one wanted to pick up unwanted hitchhikers in the form of hookworms. Anyone travellingcheck with your resort and see if the beaches around you are cleaned regularly. And its best to wear shoes on the beach as much as possible, she urged. Sources include: LiveScience.com CDC.gov Academic.oup.com At NATO Headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday (6 February 2019) the Permanent Representatives to NATO of the 29 members of the Alliance signed the Accession Protocol for the future Republic of North Macedonia. The signing ceremony took place in the presence of Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov. Following the signing of the Accession Protocol, Skopje can now take part in NATO activities as an invitee. The accession process now moves to the capitals of the 29 Allies where the Protocol will be ratified according to national procedures. The country will become a member of NATO as soon as all Allies have ratified the Accession Protocol. Speaking following the signing ceremony NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg said, NATO keeps almost one billion citizens across Europe and North America secure and with you joining NATO there will be thirty countries committed to protect each other. Your accession will bring more stability to the Western Balkans. This is good for the region and for Euro-Atlantic security. Mr. Stoltenberg congratulated both Skopje and Athens for showing commitment and courage in reaching an agreement on the name issue. Skopje already makes important contributions to NATOs training mission in Afghanistan and the Alliances KFOR peace keeping mission in Kosovo. Watch the trailer for a new film by Story in Progress following a team of scientists, explorers and conservationists surveying the effects of climate change on a remote region of the Great Barrier Reef. The full film is available to watch now. Dear patient readers, I had to waste time tonight looking for a replacement for my GE microwave which died with my dinner locked in it. The locking a a big feature on these stupid microwaves so its not as if I can pry the door open. And this microwave sits in a small space over the stoveand I cant get a microwave in the same form factor as the old one (12H x 10D x 24W), which is also frustrating, since the old one fit that space very well. So I need to settle on a compromise and get a new hanging rack and bribe the super + a handyman to install it (this is a two person job thanks to the space being difficult). Grr. Crapification plus a tax on my time since the old one only lasted four years while its predecessor lived to be nearly 20. Plus drama on the managing mother long distance front.all interpersonal stuff but still Year of the Pig 2019: 1959, 2007, 1971, 1995, 1983 Chinese Zodiac Pig. Resilc: So appropriate for the State of the Union speech. Colorado runner kills mountain lion in self-defense MPR (Chuck L) The Sierra Nevada Has Received 8 Feet of Snow (and Counting) Since Saturday Adventure Reports (David L) Even groundwater is contaminated with microplastics TreeHugger Lightsource BP to build U.S. university solar project Reuters. EM: The BP indeed stands for British Petroleum, which acquired a 43 percent stake in Lightsource in 2017. Twitter is down at of 8:15 PM!!! WTF!! Dark fiber lays groundwork for long-distance earthquake detection and groundwater mapping PhysOrg. Chuck L: A multidimensional breakthrough in seismometry, including lower cost. Crypto exchange in limbo after founder dies with password Naked Security (Glenn F) IBM Completes Blockchain Trial Tracking a 28-Ton Shipment of Oranges Coindesk Texas Man Dies After Exploding E-Cigarette Sends Shrapnel Into His Neck Popular Mechanics (resilc) The Worlds Biggest Spice Company is Using AI To Find New Flavors CNN Scans show womens brains remain youthful as male brains wind down MPR (Chuck L) Potential treatment for eye cancer using tumor-killing virus The Conersation Call for retraction of 400 scientific papers amid fears organs came from Chinese prisoners Guardian (Dr. Kevin) China? Brexit Cabinet Office voices concern over Interserve rescue deal Guardian. Richard Smith: The next Carillion. Germany reveals plan to stop foreign takeovers DW Venezuela New Cold War OPEC Pursues Formal Pact With Russia Wall Street Journal Russian Navy has new weapon that makes targets hallucinate, vomit: report The Hill (UserFriendly) Syraqistan Baghdad: Calls to Expel US Troops from Iraq after Trump said They spy on Iran Juan Cole Big Brother is Watching You Watch Imperial Collapse Watch Is this the Trump Doctrine? Sic Semper Tyrannis (Chuck L) SOTU. Seems to have been a damp squib. Trump Transition GOP senators think Trump would win vote on emergency declaration The Hill We may finally see Trumps tax returns, and Republicans are panicking Washington Post (David L). Repeat after me: tax returns are not a Rosetta stone. They wont show who he borrowed from, nor will they show co-investors. The might show (as we expect was the case with Romney, he hid tax returns that could have shown this) that he had a Swiss bank account and participated in the amnesty. pulling the rope Freddie Boer (UserFriendly) 2020 moderates have a credibility problem The Week (UserFriendly) Americas new antitrust agenda Financial Times (David L) The Democratic Partys Most Electable 2020 Candidate Isnt Running New York Magazine (resilc) Dem presidential field looks smaller than expected The Hill Ralph Northams demise cant be blamed on social media or the left. Slate Loud booms in downtown L.A.? That was a U.S. Army training exercise Los Angeles Times (resilc) Fake News High school citizenship tests will surely help address the problem of 65 year olds passing around falsified news about MS-13 or whatever on Facebook, a platform designed by thousands of scientists and engineers to manipulate them. https://t.co/gStu3JkVTl Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) February 5, 2019 Flip the Script: Drugmakers Blame Middlemen for Price Increases Wall Street Journal Class Warfare Antidote du jour. O4amuse: Barrett contemplates a rare snow day near the Oregon coast. And an anti-antidote, courtesy Richard Smith: NIWA is searching for the owner of a USB stick found in the poo of a leopard seal Recognise this video? Scientists analysing the scat of leopard seals have come across an unexpected discovery a USB stick full of photos & still in working order! https://t.co/2SZVkm5az4 pic.twitter.com/JLEC8vuHH0 NIWA (@niwa_nz) February 5, 2019 See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here. Yves here. Since the economists mentioned below got in quite a fistfight, Ill only add one observation: the notion that higher taxes mean entrepreneurs would leave is nonsense. Starting a new business requires above all customers. A foreign transplant wont have them and will be disadvantaged in acquiring them. And thats before these pundits having no clue as to how hard an international move is when you dont have an employer sponsoring it. Already rich people may give up their citizenship, but thats a different category. By Enrico Bergamini, Research Assistant at Bruegel, and previously a data science consultant for the NGO Action Aid. Originally published at Bruegel During a panel at Davos, Dell founder Michael Dell was asked about his opinion on the proposal of a 70% top marginal tax rate; he replied: Name a country where that has worked. Ever. Co-panelist Erik Brynjolfsson (MIT) names the United States, in between the 1930s and the 1960s, when the average top rate was higher than 70%, with peaks of 91%. On January 4th, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez newly elected Congresswoman and rising star of the Democratic Party proposed in an interview with 60 Minutes to raise the tax rate to 70% on incomes above $10 million. The tax, she explained, is meant to finance her plan for a Green New Deal: an ambitious programme of investments in carbon-free infrastructures and jobs, across various sectors, in order to decarbonise the economy by 2030. Ocasio-Cortez argued that, if taken in a historical perspective, this is far from a radical idea. Under Dwight Eisenhowers presidency in the 1950s, top marginal tax rates were as high as 91%, coming from the 73% of 1920 and still as high as 70% in 1980 This proposal kick-started a heated debate, not only about the technical calculations of top marginal tax rates but also on the progressivity of tax systems and the role of different economic policy instruments in fighting inequality. For the Washington Post , Jeff Stein with the help of tax experts such as Mark Mazur (Tax Policy Center), Joel Slemrod (University of Michigan) and Ernie Tedeschi (Treasury Department of Obamas White House) tries to assess the implications of this tax policy. Mazur calculates that it could raise $720 billion over the next decade, affecting 0.05% of the US population (around 16,000 households), although the estimate is likely to be much smaller because of the changing behaviour of the millionaires. Paul Krugman steps into the debate in a New York Times op-ed , reframing Ocasio-Cortezs proposal not as a radical socialist idea, but as an economically sound proposal, even moderate if viewed from a historical perspective. Krugman quotes the Diamond-Saez (2011) calculation of the 73% optimal top marginal tax rate, as well as the ideal rate found by Romer & Romer (2011), which was higher than 80%. He challenges the Republican trickle-down arguments for tax cuts as based on research by well, nobody, showing a non-negative correlation between economic growth and top marginal tax rates. But what would be the economic justification for high top marginal income rates? Krugman builds the argument on diminishing marginal utilities and competitive markets. The former imply that an extra dollar of income is more useful to low-income families than to richer ones. If each agent is paid her marginal utility, marginal top tax rates could even, theoretically, be up to 100%. The obvious tradeoff is that this would totally eliminate any incentive to work more, and hurt economic growth and innovation. However, in case of non-perfectly competitive markets, where market failures such as monopolies and rents are present, the optimal marginal tax rate that maximises social benefits and aggregate welfare can be quite high. John Cochrane replies to Krugmans arguments by pointing out that the 70% calculations are based on arbitrary assumptions, and that Mirrlees (1971) calculates an optimal rate of 0% starting from different assumptions. Cochrane writes that Saez-Diamond calculations do not include federal and local state taxes, and that the disincentive argument does not account for human capital decisions that individuals might take: And, like the decision to relocate, it depends on the total tax bite, not just the marginal tax bite. How much will I earn, after all taxes what lifestyle will I lead if I go to med school, or just stay where I am? Clive Crook, on Bloomberg , highlights the technical difficulties of calculating optimal tax rates, drawing attention to the fact that Saez & Zucman (2011) estimate a range between 48-76% where the optimal tax rate might lie. Also, Crook argues that, economically, it is a very questionable proposal; the risk is that the most successful entrepreneurs would emigrate, which would have costs higher than a loss of tax revenue. But what Crook finds as the main problem with social-welfare-maximising policies is that, by grounding arguments in diminishing marginal utilities, they ignore questions of justice and liberty: Whether some of the rich might deserve to be rich because of the work theyve done, the risks theyve taken, or the ideas theyve come up with is irrelevant. Garrett Watson, at the Tax Foundation , underlines the risk that innovation processes will be hampered by higher marginal tax rates, quoting empirical evidence from a 2018 working paper by Charles Jones. By contrast, Pasi Kuoppamaki, chief economist of Danske Bank A/Ss Finland branch, writes on the Hill that Nordic countries although each helped by having a smaller population have been able to make high taxation work well without harming innovation or incentives to work, while providing comprehensive welfare policies. On Bloomberg, Noah Smith also endorses the proposal as far from radical[,] and economically well-grounded. And further, the key issue in his view is to go beyond this plan and reform the corporate and capital-gains tax systems, enlarging the base of high earners, and probably using wealth taxes. Tyler Cowen, Michael Strain and Karl Smith join in a debate with Noah Smith on the economics of Ocasio-Cortezs plan for a top marginal tax rate. They express several concerns about the effectiveness of such a plan in fighting inequality, a plan that would foster tax avoidance schemes and hamper innovation processes. Karl Smith points out: What makes these systems redistributive is not punitive tax rates on the rich, but broad-based taxes that are used to fund a universal basic income for everyone. On avoidance, Aparna Mathur (American Enterprise Institute) explained that elasticities of high-income individuals, that have a much higher capacity to avoid taxes, would result in a government revenue 27.8% lower than the calculations made in a static scenario. She proposes alternative solutions, such as an X tax as suggested by Carroll and Viard (2012) that would distort incentives less, or a carbon tax that also would also entail redistributive mechanisms ( a point elaborated upon in a recent Bruegel Blueprint, written by Gregory Claeys, Gustav Fredriksson and Georg Zachmann ) The Bloomberg editorial board argued that Ocasio-Cortezs idea is unwise, but worth discussing: Since the revenue needs of the government will rise in the future, both for social-security spending and for tackling climate change, they suggest to focus on closing loopholes and broadening the tax base before raising the rates. Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman, of the University of California and Berkeley, address these concerns in an op-ed for the New York Times .They reply to the objections, showing that high top marginal tax rates are not correlated with slower economic growth (not only in the United States=, but also in Japan between 1950 and 1982). Their main point, though, is of a political nature. While in the US, incomes in the lower half of the distribution have stagnated for 30 years, the top 0.1% saw an increase of 300%, and the 0.001% of 600%. In their view, proposals like Ocasio-Cortezs have more to do with preserving a Japan-style liberal democracy, rather than paving the way for authoritarian reactions that result from years of negative income growth rates for a large part of the population. If the concentration of incomes at the top coincides with concentration of power, higher tax rates are meant to shelter society from the dangers of plutocracy more than to finance investment plans or the welfare state. This op-ed raised many reactions both from the left and from the right. Greg Mankiw criticised the political argument by commenting that most of the people that are earning high incomes earned their wealth honestly and have less political influence than commonly thought. Chris Dillow, from a Marxist perspective, argues that the excessive political influence of the rich cannot be solved by a socialist-democrat state intervention, which would be insufficient to mitigate the failures of capitalism. The debate was pushed, two days later, by the proposal of a tax reform by the Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren. This plan would introduce a wealth tax on the ultra-rich, a novel element in the history of US tax system. The proposal is based on an analysis by Saez and Zucman: a 2% tax on the wealth that exceeds 50 millions, and an additional surplus tax of 1% on households with a net worth of more than $1 billion. These taxes would raise, according to their calculations, $2.75 trillion for a 10-year timespan (1.0% of GDP per year), affecting 75,000 households a group smaller than the 0.1%. According to Saez and Zucman, the ultra-rich tax would be able to raise $212 billion for 2019. They present an estimate by Piketty, Saez and Zucman (2018) that the tax burden on the wealth of the richest 0.1% households (including local, state and federal taxes) would be 3.2% for 2019, lower than the burden on the 99%, estimated at 7.2%. They claim that the ultra-rich tax would raise the burden on the 0.1% to 4.3%. The revenue generated, Senator Warren explains in an interview , could be funneled into childcare and healthcare proposals, and to reduce student debt. Yet the main objective, in the Senators words, is to help to level the power dynamics in Washington, reducing the amount of political influence that the economic elite can achieve: Its about making democracy work better, and its about making the economy work better When you ask me about the centerpiece [of this proposal] it actually starts with an anti-corruption bill that tries to reduce the influence of money in Washington. Warrens proposal was defended by noted tax experts and by Paul Krugman in the New York Times, arguing that, although radical, it would raise the average tax rates on the richest 0.1% to 48%, up from 36%.He added that it would be feasible looking at Denmark and Sweden, where higher taxes did not lead to higher fiscal evasion if adequately enforced. On Bloomberg, while Noah Smith favoured a wealth tax meant to reduce income inequality as a better plan than many of the alternatives, Harvards law professor Noah Feldman expressed concerns as to the constitutionality of such a tax, shared by another candidate for the 2020 elections, Michael Bloomberg. As in the case of the Ocasio-Cortez proposal, many commentators put forward the argument that these type of taxes would hamper innovation and entrepreneurship. European Trends This chart from Pikettys Capital in the 21st Century depicts a decreasing trend in top marginal tax rates from a historical perspective, in a comparison between France, Germany, the UK and the US. The share of national income for the top 1% has been on the rise in many European countries. The late Anthony Atkinson proposed a 65% top tax rate for the UK in Inequality. What can be done? (2015), and also Piketty called for a rethinking of top marginal income rates in Europe. Of course, as mentioned by Grace Blakeley , the situation on the European side is much more complex and would require capital controls to be effective. However, if Europe is to accept the preoccupations for democracy expressed by Saez and Zucman, it should have a debate on high-income taxation. Yves here. Funny how idpol Dems pretty much never talk about the economic hardships African-Americans face, much the less what they intend to do about them. By Vincent Adejumo, Lecturer of African American Studies, University of Florida. Originally published at The Conversation The financial crisis of 2009, the worst since the Great Depression, was hard on all Americans. But arguably no group felt its sting more than African-Americans, who were already the most economically and financially vulnerable segment of the population going into it. Even today, a decade since the Great Recession hit, blacks still havent fully recovered and remain in a precarious financial condition. Whats worse, Wall Street and policymakers are beginning to worry another downturn may be on the horizon. I teach a class at the University of Florida called Black Wall Street, in which we explore the issue of capitalism as it pertains to African-Americans and examine historical data on income and wealth. In a nutshell, the numbers show blacks are woefully behind other groups and may never emerge from their rut if political leaders dont do something about it soon. He Merely Exists The notion that blacks are especially prone to financial instability in the U.S. economy is hardly a new revelation. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., for example, often highlighted the particular plight of African-Americans in his crusade for civil rights. In 1967, during a speech in Harlem, he said, If a man doesnt have a job or an income, he has neither life nor liberty nor the possibility for the pursuit of happiness. He merely exists. The data before the Great Recession of 2008-2009 tell a stark story. In 2007, the average black family earned US$55,265, just 64 percent of a white, non-Hispanic household income of $86,732. For the poorest fifth of African-American families, the situation is even worse. They earned just 43 percent of the income of their white peers in 2005. Furthermore, more than 20 percent of African-Americans earned less than $15,000 a year in 2008, nearly or more than double that of whites, Asians and Hispanics. African-Americans are also far more likely to be unemployed. In the years before the Great Recession hit in 2008, for example, the jobless rate among blacks was typically around 10 percent, more than doublewhat it was for whites. Enter the Great Recession Of course, the financial crisis was hard on everyone. Millions not only lost their jobs but also had to contend with the prospect of defaulting on student loans and unpaid credit card debt, and even foreclosure on their homes. And yet again, the Great Recession hammered blacks harder than other Americans because of their financial vulnerability. The unemployment rate, for example, peaked at 10 percent in 2009 for all Americans. For African-Americans, it exceeded 16 percent compared with a little under 9 percent for whites. African-American family incomes also suffered more than whites. The average black household earned $50,654 in 2010, 61 percent of a white family. And even today, although black incomes have recovered, African-Americans are still making only 63 percent of what whites earn. Coupled with the net worth and homeownership figures not recovering and even regressed since the recession officially ended, it means that blacks are still vulnerable to future economic downturns. In 2016, an African-American household had an average net worth of just $138,200, compared with $933,700 for a white family. This number is particularly high due to the fact that the vast majority of American billionaires are white. This can be partly explained by a sharp difference in the rate of homeownership one of the key pathways to secure, long-term financial stability. For blacks, its just 42 percent down from a high of 48 percent in 2004 compared with 73 percent for whites. In addition, blacks tend to own less valuable homes worth just $94,400 on average, versus $215,800 for whites. As was the case during past recessions, houses with the least amount of equity and worth are ripe for foreclosure and owners of these houses have less opportunity to use their home as collateral in an emergency. This lack of capital also forces African-Americans to incur more credit card debt than whites. And so even the slightest emergency in an economic downturn would result in a weakened ability to meet financial obligations. Dismal Data But beyond income and wealth, if you look at post-secondary education attainment, business and enterprise development, rates of divorce, single parent-headed households and health disparities, youll see the same picture of African-Americans being left behind. If these trends continue, the median wealth of black households as opposed to the average or mean figures mentioned above would fall from $1,700 as of 2013 to zero by 2053. For whites, median wealth is forecast to climb from $116,000 to $137,000. I believe the central link tying all these data points together are the racist policies that have been entrenched in Americas financial, economic and educational fabric since the beginning. Examples include Jim Crow lawsas it pertains to legal separation by race in public institutions and redlining policies concerning housing, which further allowed legal barriers to be put in place to impede the upward mobility of African-Americans. If these problems arent addressed, I fear African-Americans may not have another chance to ever becoming equal economic players in this country. The further they slide financially, the harder it will be to reverse the decline. Another recession may make it irreversible. And in Dr. Kings words, blacks would merely be existing. Chief Secretary to the President & Cabinet Munhumutapa Building Samora Machel Ave Harare Att: Dr M. Sibanda RE: INVITATION TO DISCUSS THE FRAMEWORK FOR POST-ELECTION DIALOGUE BY POLITICAL PARTIES We acknowledge receipt of a letter inviting the MDC to participate in a meeting set to discuss post-election dialogue framework. The party notes that Mr Mnangagwa has finally acceded to the call by President Advocate Nelson Chamisa of the need for dialogue as a way of resolving the national crisis. The MDC believes in genuine and sincere dialogue that ultimately must benefit the people of Zimbabwe. We also believe that national dialogue is part of the unfinished liberation struggle agenda. It is our considered view that at the core of the crisis in Zimbabwe is the disputed presidential election result and the associated governance issues. In view of this, the MDCs position is that the dialogue process must be convened by an independent mediator and not one of the disputants. In this respect the MDC believes that genuine dialogue can only take place if regionally facilitated and mediated by SADC and guaranteed by the AU and the UN. It is also our view and position that genuine dialogue can only take place when a conducive environment has been created for the same. In this respect the people of Zimbabwe and the MDC calls for the following: 1. Immediate cessation of all forms of violence against the people including rape, killings, shootings, torture, abductions as well as a genuine and transparent process to bring to book those responsible for killing, maiming and raping defenseless citizens, 2. Restore and guarantee the security of all citizens. 3. Immediately stop arbitrary arrests, mass trials, and all violations of the rule of law 4. Restore and guarantee the independence of the judiciary and cessation of all executive interference with the judiciary and judicial processes. 5. Restoration of the rule of law and an end to malicious prosecutions and the miscarriage of justice being witnessed at Rotten Row magistrates courts 6. Release of all political detainees and prisoners of conscience. 7. Restore and guarantee the respect of all human rights particularly political freedoms, security of each citizen and all civil rights. 8. The immediate return of all military personnel to the barracks, since the country is not at war. 9. Restore and guarantee freedoms of association, expression and movement. 10. Unbanning of civilian politics and decriminalization of the MDC party by an immediate end to the harassment and persecution of our partys leadership and their families. Cognisant of the need to balance the fears, interests and aspirations of all the potential stakeholders in the dialogue, the MDC is amenable to sincere discussions around the issues we raise and how best we can create a conducive environment for dialogue. Yours Faithfully Sessel Zvizvai Chief of Staff to the President Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News Editorial Respect sovereignty To Senator the Hon Marise Payne, Minister for Foreign Affairs, PO Box 6100 Senate, Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 I am writing on behalf of the organisation Just Peace Queensland Inc. Our 17-year-old organisation is focused on finding alternatives to war in resolving conflicts and seeking justice for its victims. We applaud the sentiments expressed in the first part of the last sentence in your Statement on Venezuela (January 28) namely: We now urge all parties to work constructively towards a peaceful resolution of the situation. Indeed, this is a guiding philosophy of my organisation. However I read the remainder of your Statement on Venezuela with great disappointment and alarm. Your support of the President of the National Assembly, Juan Guaido in his bid to assume the interim Presidency of Venezuela, is no way to find a peaceful resolution to the crisis. Quite the opposite in fact. Guaido was persuaded to proclaim himself as interim President in phone calls from US Vice President, Mike Pence and Canadas Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chrystia Freeland. The Venezuelan Constitution does not sanction these actions of Guaido in any way. He is second in accession after the Vice President, Delcy Rodriguez. Before that can happen however both the President and the Vice President must be permanently unavailable to serve. Furthermore, Juan Guaido is known to be associated with several Venezuelan and international organisations whose ultimate aim is to change Venezuelan society. Once again New Zealand has shown its independence on the global stage by refusing to takes sides in the escalating leadership crisis. It has declined to give official recognition to either Nicolas Maduro Moros or Juan Gerardo Guaido Marquez. I was also hoping that Australia would join with Mexico, which recognises Maduro as the President for the time being. Mexico is an influential member of the largely conservative Lima Group and did not sign the Lima statement. The January 4 meeting of the Lima Group was attended by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo by video link, and there are concerns that he was exerting undue influence upon the actions of the Group, to which the US does not belong. It seems certain, in view of subsequent statements by Pompeo, that his opinions would be forcibly expressed at the Groups meeting. The United States has a chequered history of interfering in the internal workings of Venezuelan society, which is inextricably linked to the fact that the South American country has the worlds largest oil reserves. John Bolton, Americas National Security Advisor said in a television interview on the January 28 that - Were in conversation with major American companies now... It would make a difference if we could have American companies produce the oil in Venezuela. It would be good for Venezuela and the people of the United States. I urge you to focus on a diplomatic resolution of the crisis, in which all parties work constructively towards a peaceful resolution of the situation. This must surely begin with a decision from Australia to avoid interfering in the internal affairs of a sovereign nation. I would also like this to continue with a pledge from Australia to help with the humanitarian crisis playing out across the border between Venezuela and Columbia. Yours sincerely Dr Michael P Henry Co-Convenor Just Peace OPPOSITION MDC leader Nelson Chamisa will not attend a meeting of political party leaders called by President Emmerson Mnangagwa at State House this Wednesday. The National Patriotic Front (NPF), which is linked to former president Robert Mugabe, also ruled out attending the meeting. Party leaders who confirmed they would turn up include Thokozani Khupe (MDC-T), Lovemore Madhuku (NCA), Noah Manyika (BZA), Nkosana Moyo (APA) as well as Daniel Shumba (UDA). The meeting, which will discuss a framework for national dialogue, was confirmed by the chief secretary to the president and cabinet Misheck Sibanda and invited the nearly two dozen contestants in last years presidential ballot. Chamisa, who came a close second to Mnangagwa in the disputed vote, has refused to accept defeat despite the Constitutional Court dismissing his legal challenge against the election result. The opposition leader has repeatedly called for a national dialogue to resolve what he describes as a legitimacy crisis around Mnangagwa which he says is responsible for the countrys economic and political meltdown. Even so, the MDC leader ruled out attending Wednesdays meeting. Commenting on Twitter, Chamisa said the country needed dialogue, not games. Weve a political crisis arising out of a disputed and rigged Presidential election result in Zimbabwe. The Presidency is disputed, we need genuine dialogue under a credible Convener and mediator to solve this crisis. Stop citizens abuses, beatings and arrests. In a statement, his party said it was disappointed that the presidents precipitous invitation seems to be an attempt to pre-empt efforts towards genuine dialogue. Several minimum conditions needed to be satisfied for dialogue to take place, the party said. These included the immediate release of political prisoners, the cessation of the current clampdown by the state and the return to barracks by the armed forces; and a full disclosure of the number of citizens killed so far, those injured, and the requisite action to deal with the perpetrators. Also snubbing Wednesdays gathering is the National Patriotic Front (NPF) which is linked to former president Robert Mugabe. The party did not contest the presidential election but won a seat in parliament. Spokesman Jealousy Mawarire said national dialogue could not be presided over by Mnangagwa. He dismissed Wednesdays talks as an attempt by Mnangagwa to hoodwink Zimbabweans and the international community. The NPF, Mawarire, insisted could not participate in talks with a president whose regime has incarcerated some of its leaders and forced others into exile while brutalising ordinary Zimbabweans for protesting against economic hardships. We believe that genuine dialogue that will restore constitutionalism, the security of citizens and the dignity of the Zimbabweans, among others, can never be convened by the Commander-In-Chief of the same security forces accused of brutalising our people, he said. As a party, our Deputy National Commissar, Jim Kunaka and our Mashonaland Central chairperson, Dickson Mafias, are languishing in prison as political prisoners. Several other high-ranking officials have skipped the countrys borders, running away from alleged state security agents hunting them as if they are common criminals. In light of our current circumstances we believe, as a party, that dialogue aimed at extricating our country from the current mess should be convened, facilitated and guaranteed by an international body given powers to superintend over the implementation of any agreement (s) that would come from therein. Meanwhile, a number of other opposition parties confirmed they would attend the meeting in separate interviews with NewZimbabwe.com. Yes, we have received the second letter and we are going to attend the meeting, MDC-T deputy president Obert Gutu said. Build Zimbabwe Alliance (BZA) presidential candidate Noah Manyika said he had strong reservations but would still attend the meeting. I will attend this meeting to hear if he is now prepared to do so and will only be prepared to join any continuing dialogue if this is clearly the case, Manyika told NewZimbabwe.com. In my view, real and meaningful dialogue that will lead the change we desperately need in our country can only happen if the people wrongfully detained have been released and the army is withdrawn completely from the streets and from manning roadblocks. Francis Danha of #1980 Freedom Movement Zimbabwe said; We knew they will come back to us. We are attending the meeting and we are prepared to rebuild the country, but if Mnangagwa is not sincere we will disengage. NewZimbabwe Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News Opposition MDC T led by Dr Thokozani Khupe has revealed that the party has accepted the invitation for dialogue from President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Party spokesperson Linda Masarira said the MDC T was sending its party leader Dr Khupe and the partys Secretary General Gibson Nyikadzino. Said Masarira: The MDC-T accepted the invitation and the Presidium accompanied by the Secretary General Nyikadzino are attending the dialogue. The national dialogue is important as it is a way of resolving the multi faceted crisis bedeviling the country. We believe that Zimbabwean politicians must learn to fight their battles without strangling the voter! This dialogue is a right step towards uniting all political players to work towards peace, truth, reconciliation and development of our country. Its good for our country that people find each other. Our nation is too polarised. There are destructive divisions. We need to see all political leaders burying their differences and focusing on bread and butter issues. The winner and losers all need to be magnanimous. Zimbabwe is such a beautiful country with vast potential for prosperity. We are praying for a fruitful dialogue which will see all political leaders putting Zimbabwe first. ZimbabweEye Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News MDC Alliance provincial youth chairman for Mashonaland Central, Tonderai Samhu, and four accomplices were on Monday slapped with a six-year jail term each by a Bindura magistrate for barricading roads and burning tyres in Mvurwi during last months protests, which were triggered by fuel price hikes. Samhu (34), together with Wonder Zuze (35), Beverly Mureya (41), Patris Dandajena (34) and Elisha Benjamin (50), had two years of their sentence suspended by magistrate Vongai Guwuriro. The five were part of the 12 Mvurwi protesters who were arrested last month, while seven others were acquitted due to lack of evidence. Prosecutor Clement Kuwanda told the court that on January 14, the five mobilised people to gather at Mvurwi Community Hall the following day in protest against the fuel price hikes. On January 15, the convicts met at Stardic service station in Mvurwi, where they broke into song, beating drums and dancing. They drew the attention of other Mvurwi residents, who joined in. The group of about 150 people marched towards Rwizi service station and later to the Mvurwi- Guruve Road, where they blocked the road with stones and worn-out tyres. Kuwanda said they blocked the intersection of Dawson Road and Birmingham Avenue using the wreckage of a Mercedes-Benz. They also blocked Harare-Mvurwi and Mvurwi-Mutorashanga highways using council refuse bins, drainage pipes, electricity poles, stones and logs. They also burnt tyres in the middle of the road, obstructing the free movement of people and threatened to torch vehicles passing by. Meanwhile, another Mutare protester was yesterday slapped with a three-year jail sentence for barricading roads and burning tyres during the three-day Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions-organised stayaway. Liberty Sithole (30) appeared before provincial magistrate Sekai Chiundura who, however, suspended one year for five years on condition of good behaviour. It is the State case that on January 15, Joseph Mushati saw smoke in the air near Islamic Church in Dangamvura and went to investigate. Mushati reportedly saw the convict in the company of others, who are still at large, burning tyres and barricading roads with stones at Boka turn-off, thereby blocking the free flow of traffic. The informant continued to follow the convict, who continued to barricade roads, before reporting him to police. NewsDay Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News A NKAYI family in Matabeleland North has been forced to exhume a body of a Mosotho man it buried in December after it emerged that they collected a wrong body from a South African funeral parlour. The family buried the body of Tanki Sotato, from Lesotho, after mistaking it for their late relative, Tendai Nkala (31). Both were both murdered at two different squatter camps and were taken to the same parlour in the neighbouring country. Nkala was assaulted to death at Poly and School Squatter Camp, in Johannesburg on November 26, while Sotato was killed on an unknown date during the same month at Madondo Squatter Camp in Johannesburg as well. Both bodies were taken to the same funeral parlour, resulting in the Nkalas collecting the wrong body on December 3. They then buried the wrong body in their village in Zenka, Nkayi. The parlour later realised that an error had been made after relatives of the Mosotho man noticed that his body was missing on December 18 and a follow up was made. The two families held a meeting in South Africa and the Lesotho family gave the Nkayi family three months to return their relatives body. Nkayi District Principal Administration Officer, Mr Etwell Mbewe confirmed the incident. He said the body belonging to the Lesotho national was exhumed on Monday afternoon and Kings and Queens Real Funeral Services was returning the body to South Africa. Mr Mbewe said government had intervened to ensure the body returns to South Africa. He said Nkalas body will be brought home in due course. The community of Nkayi has just witnessed a traumatising experience when a family has been made to exhume a body they buried two months ago. The body was taken on Monday and will be repatriated to South Africa. Fortunately the coffin was still intact, making the job easier, he said. Mr Mbewe urged people to check the bodies of their relatives on collection to avoid similar unfortunate incidents. The Nkayi family spokesperson, Ms Sifelani Nkala (43), said due to shock and trauma of losing their loved one to a gruesome murder, family members in South Africa failed to positively identify the body. She said during body viewing back home, the whole body was covered in bandages, leaving only the mouth and nose so they did not realise that a wrong body had been repatriated. Ms Nkala also said body viewing was done at sunset so it was not very clear. We were no longer at peace, imagining that there is a strangers body in our homestead. Their three months ultimatum to return the body haunted us even more. We are happy we are now clear and hopefully at peace with the foreign family. Whats left is for us to raise money once again and bring home our very own, she said. Ms Nkala said the deceased did not have a funeral policy and their family contributed R14 500 to repatriate the body and more than $2 000 on funeral expenses. She said they have to raise funds again to bring their loved one to his final resting place. Chronicle Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has invited all opposition political parties who took part in last years general elections to a crunch meeting tomorrow to discuss the framework for post-election dialogue, as pressure piles on him to engage his political nemesis for a lasting solution to the countrys economic and political crises. The Zanu PF leader, whose election victory has been disputed by the main opposition MDC leader Nelson Chamisa, leading to the current political logjam, had previously taken a hardline stance, refusing to engage the youthful opposition leader and demanding that the latter recognises his legitimacy first. The country has remained on the edge since last years disputed presidential election, with State security agents ruthlessly crushing anti-government protests organised by the opposition and civic groups. The invitation letters, dated February 5 and signed by Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet Misheck Sibanda, were sent to all political parties which participated in the July 30, 2018 harmonised elections. Chamisas party confirmed yesterday that it had received the invite. The party will discuss and issue an official statement on that in due course. To my knowledge, the invitation has been received, MDC deputy spokesperson Bekithemba Mpofu said. The meeting is scheduled to take place at governments New Munhumutapa building. The President, Cde ED Mnangagwa, is inviting leaders of political parties who participated in the presidential election of July 30, 2018 to a meeting to discuss a framework for dialogue and interaction, part of the letter read. Each presidential candidate is expected to bring three delegates and for those candidates with parliamentary representation, one extra delegate can be from Parliament. The clergy, under the Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC), recently offered to broker the talks for dialogue involving the countrys leading political parties. The United Nations (UN) recently said it was closely monitoring Zimbabwes volatile situation, and separately engaging government and other stakeholders to find a lasting resolution to the crisis. Obert Gutu, deputy president of the MDC-T led by Thokozani Khupe, confirmed receiving the invite, saying the party would be well represented at tomorrows meeting. We received that invitation and, yes, I can confirm that we are sending a four-member delegation because we think its an important process in kick-starting national dialogue. We are going to be represented in that meeting, Gutu said. We are yet to sit down as the leadership, but I can assure you that Khupe, myself and Nickson Nyikadzino are, for now, in the provisional list of our delegation to the meeting. As a party, anything and everything that makes our country better, we are in agreement. Innocent Netanyahu, spokesperson of the Zimbabwe Partnership for Prosperity (Zipp), said: We have been invited and we believe its a positive step. It proves that the President has been listening to many voices that our nation needs to set aside our differences and look at the bigger picture and have dialogue. We need to be magnanimous in defeat and victory and work together as Zimbabweans. Zimbabwe needs us to work together that way. We are the present generation that should rejoice when an elder calls for dialogue. We have to swallow our pride and develop for our country. That is the only way we can progress as a nation. Build Zimbabwe Alliance leader Noah Manyika, however, said he had been advised that the meeting had been rescheduled to today at State House. I have since received a second message indicating that the meeting has been brought forward to tomorrow the 6th and will now be held at State House at 4pm, he said. In my view, real and meaningful dialogue that will lead to the change we desperately need in our country can only happen if the people wrongfully detained have been released and the army is withdrawn completely from the streets and from manning roadblocks. It can only take place if, as the President promised upon his return from his overseas trip, the heads of those who have been responsible for brutalising citizens roll. Let me state clearly and unequivocally that I dont believe the President has created the right conditions for dialogue, something that is in his power to do. I will attend this meeting to hear if he is now prepared to do so and will only be prepared to join any continuing dialogue if this is clearly the case. NewsDay Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News MysteryPile Acceptable Terms of Use This page represents a legal agreement between owners of the MysteryPile site and Visitors to the Website or any of its established domains. Legal terms addressed on this page are respective to MysteryPile's website, mysterypile.com in its entirety, including present and future sub-domains attached to the mysterypile.com domain, and any content associated, web or mobile, known collectively as "Website" herein, owned, operated, and maintained by MysteryPile. Terms are defined and clearly outlined for the purpose of this agreement. These Terms of Use, together with our Privacy Policy, and any guidelines throughout the Website define MysteryPile's "Legal Terms". By using the Website, these Legal Terms are agreed to. 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Any cause of action by you with respect to our Website, must be instituted within one month after the cause of action arose or be forever waived and barred. Should any part of our Legal Terms be held invalid or unenforceable, that portion shall be construed consistent with applicable law and the remaining portions shall remain in full force and effect. To the extent that Content in our Website conflicts or is inconsistent with our Legal Terms, our Legal Terms shall take precedence. Our failure to enforce any provision of our Legal Terms shall not be deemed a waiver of such provision nor of the right to enforce such provision. The rights of MysteryPile under our Legal Terms shall survive the termination of our Legal Terms. Members of the South Texas Karate Black Belt Association gathered for a group photo Saturday during their first quarterly meeting of 2019. The group met in the classroom of local karate instructor J.C. Barrera. Those pictured are, standing from left, 1st degree black belt Johnny Santana, 4th degree black belt Epi Garcia, 3rd degree black belt Richard Cantu, III, 6th degree black belt Kevin Smith, 7th degree blsck belt Luis Lamb, III, 7th degree black belt Albert Lucio, 5th degree black belt Larry Lyman, 1st degree black belt Shane Schroeder, 3rd degree black belt John David Barrera, 6th degree black belt Rudy Lucio, 3rd degree black belt Mick Moore, 3rd degree black belt Vicki Bosman and 8th degree black belt Master Fernando Limon. Those seated are, from left, 1960 Olympic boxing champion Humberto Lefty Barrera, 8th degree black belt Master J.C. Barrera, 10th degree black belt Grand Master Raul Vasquez and 10th degree black belt Rianard Jackson. We stand with the Bolivarian Revolution Perth rallies for Nicolas Maduro & the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela A coup detat manufactured in the United States is underway in Venezuela with Juan Guaido, president of the Venezuelan National Assembly self-proclaimed as interim president. The US rushed to recognise Guaido challenging the legitimacy of the democratically elected President Nicolas Maduro who was sworn in for a second six-year term on January 10, 2019, was elected with more than six million votes on May 20, 2018. Some countries like Australia have followed the US dictates and recognise Guaido as the interim president of Venezuela. Solidarity groups in Australia called for rallies last week in support of President Maduro and to demand that the Morrison Government withdraw its recognition of the coup president. The Australia Venezuela Solidarity Network (AVSN) and the Australia-Cuba Friendship Society (ACFS WA) held a speak-out on Friday February 1 outside the Elizabeth Quay Station in Perth. Some 60 activists gathered with banners, placards and flags in support of President Maduro and calling for the Australian government to withdraw the shameful recognition of the coup president Guaido. Protesters were confronted by a small group of right-wing Venezuelans who expressed support for the US coup and the Australian recognition of their puppet president. They filmed and photographed all present, aggressively confronting people. During the speeches the members of the violent right-wing group chanted go to Cuba and death to all communists. It clearly shows the intolerance and the lack of political will to resolve their differences. The Communist Party of Australia has issued a statement in solidarity with President Nicolas Maduro and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. On January 23, to mark the international day in solidarity with the people of Venezuela and President Maduro, the CPA branch in Western Australia rallied in front of the US Consulate on Adelaide Terrace, Perth. We stand with President Maduro and the Bolivarian revolution. We demand the Australian government withdraw recognition of the coup puppet president. We support the efforts of Uruguay and Mexico to host a dialogue, peace and self-determination meeting; Juan Guaido rejected the invitation to the talks, Hands off Venezuela! Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, is asked to resign over a picture taken in 1984 and printed in his medical yearbook. A picture that supposedly showed him with a black face. First, he admits to it, then he backtracks the usual thing politicians do these days. This is something that happened 35 years ago! But when the governor made the case for abortion while a baby is being born, nobody said much about it. It was sort of swept under the rug. He thought it was fine to kill a baby and, yes, this man is a medical doctor. I agree he should resign, but not for smearing shoe polish on his face and doing the moonwalk, but for thinking it is all right to kill a baby! Sabine Maytum, Universal City Not just a dog I watched most of the procession and funeral service for Chucky, the Bexar County Sheriffs Office K-9 who was killed in the line of duty. No doubt there will be complaints from residents who were inconvenienced on the highways because of the procession of first responders from the Alamodome to Community Bible Church. There will probably be comments like, All this for just a dog. Chucky was not just a dog. He was a highly trained member of the sheriffs department. He was also a family member to his handler Deputy Kevin Rasmussen. There may be continuing debate as to why Chucky was not wearing his protective vest. Regardless, Chucky did what he was asked to do and, in the process, saved the life of his handler and probably many others by taking down an armed criminal, continuing to fight though mortally wounded. Sheriff Javier Salazar rendered a great salute to Chucky during the service, but I believe his most outstanding comments were made early on as the procession of first responders was forming at the Alamodome. He said during his law enforcement career he had attended many services for fallen officers. The fact that Chucky had four legs versus two was irrelevant he was a deputy sheriff killed in the line of duty. Just a dog? I think not. The show of support locally and throughout the state indicates how much the law enforcement community appreciate what their four-legged first responders do. Steve Spear Better tactics Re: K-9 heartbreak, Your Turn, Monday: I agree with Gloria Johnsons letter about Chucky. I, too, watched the drama unfold on TV. By my count, the handler had ample time to put a vest on him. It also seemed there could have been better tactics used by the officers to hem the suspect in and take him down. Would a human officer have been sent in without protective gear? A beautiful creature gave his life doing what he was trained to do. Too bad he wasnt protected by the organization that trained him. Dinah Aureli Bilingual and proud Re: El senor Castro no habla espanol, Another View, Jan. 24: I honor my parents for instilling in me and my siblings how to be proud Americans of Mexican descent. Within that premise, they also believed we should be be bilingual and bicultural. While neither of my parents were born in Mexico, they spoke perfect Spanish and perfect English. I remember in high school, I was caught speaking Spanish during lunch and was ordered to report to detention after school. I called my mother, and she told me to meet her in the principals office after school. She asked the principal to show her my transcript to discuss my grades. She pointed out my As in English and Spanish, and told them I would not be sent to detention for speaking two languages. I was not sent to detention. I am not sure why we are in awe of Europeans for speaking two, three and sometimes four languages. In the U.S., we are relegated to be monolingual in English. My mother told me if I only spoke English, I would still be seen as a Mexican because of how I looked, so she taught us how to fit in two worlds. My sister earned her Ph.D., and my brother and I earned masters degrees. My parents were my heroes, and I would hope there are more like them. Be proud of who you are and let no one make you feel less than others. I actually feel special because I am bilingual, bicultural and, above all, a proud American. S.H. Rodriguez Useful or beautiful Re: No joy sparked, Your Turn, Sunday: I feel Marilyn Stewarts pain when it comes to socks and saucepans sparking joy. May I offer my own favorite bit of advice from the brilliant designer William Morris: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. Amanda Churchill-Bergman Bowl not Super Did you watch the Incompetent Bowl? Richard Wallish Democrat? OK Re: Ultimate power, Your Turn, Sunday: I wonder why John Carhart of Seguin never said a word when Barack Obama was abusing his executive privilege. I guess its OK if youre a Democrat. Im sure Mr. Carhart falls into that category. Jerry Rossman Scooters will win All the hoopla about what to do about scooter ordinances is a laugh. The scooter companies will get anything they want due to our City Council. It will be just like the fireworks and cellphone ordinances. What is it going to take? One death or several deaths? Why doesnt the city get serious about increasing the fines and truly enforcing the policies? Keith MacFarland So far, every one of the 2020 Democratic presidential hopelesses oops, I mean hopefuls have stated they are running against President Donald Trump. How about scurrying back into the woodwork, taking your inflated egos with you youve had your 15 minutes of infamy gloating in front of the TV cameras and run for America instead? Carl Peabody Dynamic duo Are you looking for a dynamic matchup for the Democratic ticket in 2020? I am, and that would be Elizabeth Warren as president and Beto ORourke as vice president. Then come 2028, a seasoned Beto assumes the pillar of power. I find that daunting dont you, my Republican rivals? Robert Paul Monument to his ego Whats more hilarious than Donald Trump whining over initially being barred from giving the State of the Union speech, claiming that Nancy Pelosi doesnt want Americans to hear the truth? PolitiFacts scorecard show that Trump tells the truth 4 percent of the time; mostly the truth 11 percent of the time; half the truth 14 percent of the time; mostly falsehoods 21 percent of the time; complete falsehoods 34 percent of the time; and pants on fire lies 15 percent of the time. The truth is illegal immigration is the lowest its been in 10 years. That school shooting deaths dwarf any murders committed by MS-13. That caravans of refugees are not intent on coming into this great nation illegally. Trump promised a wall to his uneducated supporters but promised Mexico will pay for it. The truth is Trump wants a useless wall as an everlasting monument to his gargantuan ego. He is even crippling the country to get his wall. This fight is not about border security, since both Democrats and Republicans have agreed to fully fund legitimate improvements needed for border security. Only his uneducated believed that putting a financial chokehold on Homeland Security and TSA until he gets his wall makes us safer. Joe M. Velasquez Fantastic Mr. Fox After seeing all the letters from armchair psychiatrists, heres mine: I think President Donald Trump is crazy like a fox. I find it refreshing to see a politician who only talks out of one side of his mouth. He starts off outrageous, listens to all comers, encourages dissenting ideas and only then makes up his mind. A change from folks who talk in secret and dont let the public see what is happening. Not always right, but open. Penelope Talley No man an island Re: Either/or sometimes both/and, Another View, Jan. 26: What a lovely essay by John Eubanks reminding us of our interdependence with others, even though we seem to belong to tribes Help me plant the corn, and Ill help you build the barn to store it. Some people just dont understand the reality and necessity of No man is an island. We can only try to show them. Clay McGaughy To please them Here we go again. As long as Texas legislators pass laws that try to skirt the U.S. Constitution they will be mired in the courts. Bills on abortions, civil rights and voting rights and other issues are to please their benefactors. Legal challenges are defended with taxpayer dollars. Why should all Texans pay for the religious rights influence on lawmakers? When legislators forget they represent all Texans, power will soon change hands. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick doesnt have Joe Straus to keep him in line any more. Dianne Lavake, Zapata Howard Schultz, the coffee billionaire who imagined that he could attract broad support as a centrist, turns out to have an approval rating of 4 percent, versus 40 percent disapproval. Ralph Northam, a Democrat who won the governorship of Virginia in a landslide, is facing a firestorm of denunciation from his own party over racist images on his medical school yearbook page. Donald Trump, who ran on promises to expand health care and raise taxes on the rich, began betraying his working-class supporters the moment he took office, pushing through big tax cuts for the rich while trying to take health coverage away from millions. These are related stories, all of them tied to the two great absences in American political life. One is the absence of socially liberal, economically conservative voters. These were the people Schultz thought he could appeal to, but basically they dont much exist. The other is the absence of economically liberal, socially conservative politicians lets be blunt and just say racist populists. There are plenty of voters who would like that mix, and Trump pretended to be their man, but he wasnt, and neither is anyone else. Understanding these empty quarters is, Id argue, the key to understanding U.S. politics. Once upon a time there were racist populists in Congress: The New Deal coalition relied on a large contingent of segregationist Dixiecrats. But this was always unstable. In practice, advocating economic inclusion seems to spill over into advocacy of racial and social inclusion, too. Today, as the Northam affair shows, the party now has very little tolerance for even the appearance of racism. Meanwhile, the modern Republican Party is all about cutting taxes on the rich and benefits for the poor and the middle class. And Trump, despite his campaign posturing, has turned out to be no different. Hence the failure of our political system to serve socially conservative/racist voters who also want to tax the rich and preserve Social Security. Democrats wont ratify their racism; Republicans, who have no such compunctions, will remember, the party establishment solidly backed Roy Moores Senate bid but wont protect the programs they depend on. But why are there so few voters holding the reverse position, combining social/racial liberalism and economic conservatism? The answer, Id argue, lies in just how far to the right the GOP has gone. Polling is unambiguous here. If you define the center as a position somewhere between those of the two parties, when it comes to economic issues the public is overwhelmingly left of center; if anything, its to the left of the Democrats. Tax cuts for the rich are the GOPs defining policy, but two-thirds of voters believe that taxes on the rich are too low, while only 7 percent believe theyre too high. Voters support Elizabeth Warrens proposed tax on large fortunes by a 3-1 majority. Why did Republicans stake out a position so far from voters preferences? Because they could. As Democrats became the party of civil rights, the GOP could attract working-class whites by catering to their social and racial illiberalism, even while pursuing policies that hurt ordinary workers. The result is that to be an economic conservative in America means advocating policies that, on their merits, only appeal to a small elite. Basically nobody wants these policies on their own; they only sell if theyre packaged with racial hostility. So what do the empty quarters of U.S. politics mean for the future? First, Schultz is a fool and so are those who dream of a reformed GOP that remains conservative but drops its association with racists. Theres hardly anyone who wants that mix of positions. And fears that Democrats are putting their electoral prospects in danger by moving too far left are grossly exaggerated. Voters want an economic move to the left its just that some of them dislike Democratic support for civil rights, which the party cant drop without losing its soul. Whats less clear is whether theres room for politicians willing to be true racist populists, unlike Trump, who was faking the second part. Theres a substantial bloc of racist-populist voters, and you might think that someone would try to serve them. But maybe the gravitational attraction of big money which has completely captured the GOP and has arguably kept Democrats from moving as far left as the electorate really wants is too great. In any case, if theres a real opening for an independent, that candidate will look more like George Wallace than like Howard Schultz. Last month, one of Poland's most prominent politicians was assassinated. The mayor of Gdansk - northern Poland's largest city, where World War II began in 1939 and where the celebrated Solidarnosc (Solidarity) trade union was born four decades later - was emceeing the countdown to the finale of a nationally televised charity concert, when his killer leaped onto the stage and plunged a knife three times into the mayor's chest. Fifteen hours later, Pawel Adamowicz was pronounced dead. For all the pathology of global politics in the era of Trump (and of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the rest), this act of murder represents something radically different. Fake news, election hacking, hate speech: Defenders of political liberalism have grown accustomed to fighting these tooth and nail, precisely because they are served up daily, on a mass scale. Yet the assassination of a prominent public figure on a public stage with tens of millions watching - this perversion of public spectacle surpasses the most deranged tweets of populists in power. Public spectacle matters because of the way disinformation and propaganda have been used by Poland's majority-rule party, ironically named Law and Justice (in Polish, PiS). When PiS took power in 2015, it launched an avalanche of attacks on the independent judiciary, the free press, independent civil society and the European Union. By 2016, the party had stacked the Constitutional Tribunal, Poland's highest authority for judicial review (separate from the Supreme Court, which has authority over administrative and appellate, but not constitutional, matters). By 2018, it had changed the code binding practicing attorneys and judges across Poland. As it has gained power, PiS has spread fake news about its two-term predecessor in government, the Civic Platform, while investigating and holding hearings on its politicians (including former Polish prime minister Donald Tusk, who is now president of the European Council). Civic Platform is the party that launched Adamowicz's career. But in fact, Adamowicz's party politics proved a mere sideshow as he blossomed into one of the politicians, if not the politician, whom the new Polish authoritarian right has loved to hate. His boogeyman status emerged, at least in part, from his values. Among the last words Adamowicz pronounced from the stage before the assailant's knife entered his chest were "Gdansk is generous, Gdansk shares its wealth, Gdansk wants to be a city of solidarity." In 2017, Adamowicz famously earned a "death certificate" from Poland's nationwide extreme-right youth coalition, whose roots date back to the anti-Semitism and xenophobia of the 1920s and 1930s, for publicly declaring Gdansk would welcome the migrants being turned away across the Mediterranean. In fact, the city of Gdansk itself - and Adamowicz's attempt (rightly) to position it as a cradle of contemporary Polish and European history - is key. PiS's attempts at rewriting history - projecting a solely heroic narrative of Polish martyrdom, while ignoring its darker side - clashed with Adamowicz's philosophy as mayor. Perhaps the most visible symbol of this conflict - symbolic, because it focused on how to commemorate the most violent conflagration in human history - ss Poland's Museum of the Second World War. When PiS took the reins of power in 2015, the Museum of the Second World War, a world-class curatorial project years and millions of Polish zlotys in the making, found itself on the chopping block, denounced by PiS's Ministry of Culture as insufficiently celebratory. Instead of simply glorifying military gallantry and promoting technical knowledge about tanks, its creators also highlighted the suffering of civilians caught in the crosshairs of war. Because his city had granted the land to host the museum, Adamowicz was able to tie the national government up in a multiyear court battle, allowing for the curatorial team to finish its work before being pushed out. The museum's story is central to understanding how PiS in power has constructed and disseminated historical narratives that not only normalize, but indeed lionize, violence for a cause. To commemorate wartime civilian suffering - so goes their story - is to diminish the heroism of anti-Nazi resistance fighters. This itself is a dubious position, but Polish political culture has been poisoned to the point where violence for a cause has been ennobled with a certain mystique, reminiscent of 1930s Europe. This is why Pawel Machcewicz, the museum's founding director (and one of Poland's most eminent historians of the 20th century), has a pending lawsuit against the present PiS-installed museum leadership for copyright infringement. It is a creative way to fight back against Poland's version of the disinformation disseminated elsewhere in the world by the likes of Trump and Putin: The selective retouching and revising, in the span of a few months, of an exhibit that took scores of historians nearly a decade to put together. Gone is the film montage that originally closed the exhibit, displaying in parallel the postwar fates to the east and west of the Iron Curtain. While PiS projects the image of Poland as a martyr suffering in isolation, the museum's original design was, in the words of its creators, "that even though World War II belongs to the past, we must remember that peace has not been given to us once and for all." The story of the Museum of the Second World War has everything to do with Adamowicz's assassination. Nearly four years of fake news and hate speech (in Polish, hejt) have produced a canon of easy targets. This is what distinguishes Adamowicz's killing from the equally horrifying murders of Dutch director Theo van Gogh in 2004 and British parliamentarian Jo Cox in 2016. Adamowicz's killer, in the course of committing murder, identified publicly and via a mass telecommunications transmission that Adamowicz was his chosen scapegoat. Though incubated in prison, his public turn to violence - which he in fact justified as an act of political heroism - is a harbinger of what may become of future generations shaped and educated in the populists' ascendant rhetoric of heroic violence. On a global scale, we seem to be unlearning the lessons of World War II, reverting to the public violence of the 1920s and 1930s. In Poland, the idea of constructing a political and historical narrative to normalize the murder of a public figure dates back to that era. In 1922, the unassuming engineer Gabriel Narutowicz, the first president of a reconstituted Polish state, was assassinated a mere five days after his inauguration. A year before his murder, Narutowicz had been labeled Poland's "Jewish president" by Mlodziez Wszechpolska, the very same youth movement that sentenced Adamowicz to death in 2017. In his short time in national politics, Narutowicz became a boogeyman of the post-World War I Polish extreme-right, in a fashion eerily similar to Adamowicz. In his authoritative and moving account of the circumstances of Narutowicz's assassination, historian Paul Brykczynski suggests, troubling as the circumstances of the president's killing were, perhaps even more troubling were reactions to the event. What Brykczynski describes as interwar Poland's "unrepentant right" continued to provoke public violence - sometimes targeting individuals, always espousing anti-Semitism and xenophobia - all the way up until the outbreak of the Second World War. Given this history, is the murder of the mayor of Gdansk a peculiarly Polish story or a sign of our times? The answer: both. At a time when Brazil's president is rounding up LGBT activists, Hungary's prime minister is shuttering an internationally reputed university and the Philippines' president Rodrigo Duterte is declaring war on virtually anyone who opposes him, the Polish case may seem, if not innocuous, then at least far less dangerous. But to read it in these terms would be a grave error. The killing of Adamowicz is more than the reenactment of an assassination from 1922. It is the product of a collective retreat from the lessons of World War II. And it could easily mark the opening of floodgates not only in Poland but in Europe and beyond: that public figures who actively and vocally oppose the turn to populist authoritarianism become ready targets for public assassination. Whether Adamowicz's nationalist opponents were directly involved is beside the point. What matters is they have re-created a world in which the defense of initiatives like the Museum of the Second World War becomes grounds not only for political denunciation, but for murder. Pandora's box has been opened. Anti-authoritarian activists the world over should hearken to the circumstances of Adamowicz's assassination, with one clear voice declaring a return to political murder cannot, and will not, be tolerated, however politically divided the world of 2019. - - - Kosicki is assistant professor of history at the University of Maryland and author of Catholics on the Barricades." Moments before he struck and killed a 48-year-old man near a South Side bus stop Saturday morning, the suspect in the crash was asleep at the wheel, according to police. Edward Vincent Korslund, 26, was arrested on suspicion of intoxication manslaughter and failure to stop and render aid, court records showed. According to a San Antonio police report, a witness told officers he found Korslund asleep in his car at the intersection of South Zarzamora Street and Stonewall Avenue after the light turned green. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox The witness knocked on Korslund's window, and he woke up and sped off, according to the police report. Korslund ran a red light at the intersection of South Zarzamora and Nogalitos Street and then the witness heard a loud noise that sounded like a crash, police said. The witness then saw a man lying face down and saw Korslund running away, authorities said. The victim, who was not identified by the medical examiner's office as of Wednesday, was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers quickly found Korslund, who "seemed confused," according to the police report. RELATED: Man fatally struck by pickup in West Side San Antonio neighborhood identified Police noted a strong odor of marijuana coming from Korslund's pickup and found other narcotics as well. Officers also smelled marijuana on Korslund, according to the police report. Korslund refused to give consent for a blood draw, according to the police report, so officers obtained a warrant. Korslund remained in jail Wednesday, according to jail officials. His bail was set at $400,000. 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 The Knights Templar likely does not have as much widespread control as it used to, according to a 2018 report from Congressional Research Service, but at least one of its members has been laundering tens of thousands of dollars through a luxury used car dealership in San Antonio, authorities allege. A San Antonio man was arrested Jan. 30 on suspicion of conspiracy to commit money laundering after authorities raided four locations in San Antonio and seized dozens of high-end cars. Authorities allege he was part of the Knights Templar cartel of Mexico. Capitalism The real Murray-Darling culprit The report of the South Australian Royal Commission Inquiry into the Murray-Darling Basin has laid bare a river management system riddled with corruption and wide-open to abuse by rapacious irrigation corporations. The reports release follows the recent horrific mass death of fish in the River Darling and Menindee Lakes in NSW. In 1900 under the proposed new federal constitution, the federal government was responsible for the environment, and each state was responsible for the extraction of river water for the use of farmers and river communities, including Aboriginal communities, for whom the rivers are sacred. But river water is a priceless national asset, and under the Constitution upstream states can legally deprive their downstream neighbours of water to the point where communities are wiped out and native wildlife die en masse. Fast forward to 2007, a long drought and the death of much of the river systems wildlife prompted the then federal Howard government to introduce the Australian Water Act, which decreed that river water flows had to be adequate to support the natural environment, based on scientific advice. In 2010, in order to implement the Act, the Rudd government introduced the science-based Murray-Darling Basin Plan, under which irrigation companies would have to return between 3,980 and 9,000 gigalitres of water to the environment through a series of government water licence buy-backs, in order to avoid environmental devastation. Irrigation agribusinesses fear buy-backs because they could in theory be used to stifle their growth or even wipe them out. They therefore organised the burning of copies of the Plan outside the offices of the newly-created Murray Darling Basin Authority (MDBA). In 2012 the Gillard government finally buckled and the Authority arbitrarily reduced the amount of extra water for the environment to 2,750 gigalitres. That decision has contributed to the mass death of fish, as well as other flora and fauna, and a drastic reduction in water available for communities. Corrupt from the start The Royal Commission inquiry concluded that the MDBA and the eastern state governments have been guilty of maladministration, gross negligence and breaches of the law, and have failed to take into account climate change impacts. The Authority has been pressured by irrigators and their government backers to place limits on water extraction in the interests of the irrigators, not the environment. According to the report the Authority breached the Water Act by ignoring scientific warnings from CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation) against the reduction of environmental water flows, and in justifying its decisions it made unattributable, blank assertions, refused to reveal the scientific modelling underlying its decisions, acted with obsessive secrecy and failed to consult with Indigenous owners or local communities in determining water flows. The report argues that the Authority and state and federal governments have acted illegally because they have not given priority to the environment and their recommendations and actions have not been based on the best scientific advice. Successive federal governments have deliberately misinterpreted the word compromise in the Water Act, arguing that the Act requires water extraction judgements to be a compromise under which social and economic considerations are balanced against environment considerations, and that environmental water flows can be reduced if social and economic outcomes are improved as a result. In fact, the Act has the opposite intention. It gives environmental considerations top priority, and says that the best available science must be used to set a limit on the amount of water extracted so the environment is not compromised! The NSW government claims the solution to the lack of water for communities is to reduce environment water flows. For example, it wants to transfer extra water for community use from Menindee Lakes to Broken Hill; The Lakes have already been partially drained in an attempt to lower evaporation by reducing their surface area, and this undoubtedly contributed to the recent mass fish death. But the government still wants to proceed with the plan. The irrigators are now bitterly attacking the Royal Commissions findings. The conservative governments of the eastern states have refused to comment on them, but in some cases they have issued veiled threats that if more buy-backs are introduced they will quit the Plan and return to the pre-2012 arrangement, when up-stream state governments accepted no responsibility for allowing the flow of river water downstream to other states. The MDBA director and representatives of state and federal governments deny they have acted corruptly or illegally. But the Royal Commissions report demonstrates clearly they have violated the Water Act. The disastrous results of policies formulated to serve the interests of the irrigation corporations, are visible to the naked eye. In Queensland near the NSW border there are massive reservoirs filled with water for cotton crops, while just over the border the river is reduced to a series of moribund ponds. And the entire nation has seen the horrific mass fish kills in the stagnant or barely-flowing stretches of the rivers. The Inquirys report also notes that the policing of water extraction is in some areas non-existent, and that so-called water-saving measures are highly profitable for the irrigators, but no-one checks whether they actually work after theyre implemented. The Commissioner has expressed doubt as to whether any government can gain rational control of the rivers in the nations interest. But the river system is dying because of insatiable, irrational corporate greed and the solution lies in changing Australias political economy. A similar message leaps from the pages of another Royal Commission document, the report into the banks and financial institutions which was released this week. If we are to save the rivers we will have to get rid of not just the government but also capitalism, the political economic system that currently has the nation in its iron grip. Confluence Park, the $13.7 million project that's been attracting attention since before it was even finished in 2018, has been tapped for a prominent architecture award. The park was recently announced as one of nine recipients of the American Institute of Architects award, which celebrates the best contemporary architecture regardless of budget, size, style or type, according to the institutes website. Recipients not only represent impressive architecture, but also highlight the many ways buildings and spaces can improve our lives, the website said. It's a fitting award for the South Side park, which has been praised both for its unique design and its focus on education Confluence Park was designed partly with students in mind and includes an interactive space for ecology studies. Teachers can bring their classes for field trips and students can do live fieldwork and use the classroom's microscope to collect and analyze data. The park also recycled 17 trees from a Stephenville farm which were slated to be bulldozed, stacked and burned, according to previous Express-News reporting. RELATED: Meet the Central Texas man who makes all of the state park signs In honoring the park, the American Institute of Architects called it "a destination for learning and recreation" and "a piece of the country's largest environmental restoration project." The design reflects the idea of confluence the park is situated at the junction of the San Antonio River and San Pedro Creek throughout, the website says. Grand gestures such as the parks shaped lands represent the convergence of ecotypes, while the central pavilions concrete petal structures draw inspiration from plans that funnel rainwater to their roots. The structure took about two years to build and celebrated its grand opening in March 2018. "We're thrilled Confluence Park has been recognized with a 2019 AIA Honor Award for Architecture," the San Antonio River Foundation said in a Facebook post. "The (foundation) envisioned Confluence Park as a place where the local community could learn about water conservation and the San Antonio River." 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 Police are investigating after a 6-month-old died unexpectedly at a day care Monday on San Antonio's Southwest Side. Mila Rose Wallace was pronounced dead at 5:21 p.m., according to the Bexar County Medical Examiner. Autopsy results will not be available for 12 weeks, and police declined to provide further information because Mila was a child. April Lozano, the operator of 5 Little Hearts in-home day care, at 5578 Beech Valley Drive, did not immediately respond to multiple requests for comment. The day care has ceased operating while the case is investigated, state officials confirmed. Mila's mother, Hope Wallace, said the baby was not sick and didn't appear to have any conditions or habits that would have made her more susceptible to early death. Wallace said she received a call from Lozano around 5:30 p.m. Monday. "Your child is not breathing," Wallace recalled Lozano telling her over the phone. RELATED: Records: La Vernia day care director told child sex assault victim she was 'lying' and 'in trouble' The infant had been put down for a nap and not woken up, Lozano told Wallace. As Wallace drove over, she angrily demanded to speak with someone from emergency management services to find out if Mila was still alive. "I'm sorry, Ms. Wallace," she remembers hearing from EMS. "She was already gone when they called me." The day care was surrounded by police and medical vehicles when Wallace arrived and she said police blocked her from seeing her daughter and from speaking to Lozano. "They said they needed to take her and get cleaned up," Wallace said. "I don't know what 'cleaned-up' means, because she's a clean baby." She will see Mila for the first time at a viewing Thursday. "(Mila) was happy, she was friendly. Just the day before I took her to Chuck E. Cheese's and she rode in the car that they buckle up and it moves and they snap the picture," Wallace said. "She was a really good baby, really good, really healthy." FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox. The day care was issued a permit in November 2013. It has a maximum capacity of 12 and is willing to accept child-care subsidies, which is how Wallace discovered it. Wallace described the operation as unreliable with the caretaker sometimes taking hours to answer the door at drop off and said she noticed odd behaviors at times. For instance, on the day Mila died, the child had spent 9 hours at the day care, but her diaper bag was returned with all five new diapers still unused. State records show the child care facility had been cited by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission for 34 deficiencies in the past three years, 29 of which were weighted as high or medium-high risk. Citations included failing to submit a background check for a substitute caregiver, neglecting to clear the floor of infant choking hazards and multiple instances of caring for more children than the permit allowed. In 2017, the day care was cited for caring for 11 children despite the fact that a safety plan implemented earlier that year had required the provider to cease operating. The day care was allowed to resume normal operations later that year. Typically, registered child care homes are inspected at least once every two years. When they have several, serious or repeat deficiencies or they fail to make corrections quickly, they're inspected more often. In three years, Lozano's operation had been inspected 13 times. The day care has also been issued three administrative penalties during its tenure. Wallace's account bears a resemblance to another baby's death last year. In July, a 7-month-old boy died suddenly at a different day care in San Antonio. The baby's mother said at the time she believed the day care had allowed the child to sleep on his stomach, and he had spit up and choked on his own vomit. She also questioned the response time and CPR abilities of the day care, Our Little Hopes and Dreams Christian Learning Center on Callaghan Road. FROM OUR SUBSCRIBER SITE: Anti-vaccine Texas families may take their fight to day cares next She said she hoped to push for legislation that would require cameras at day care facilities. The boy's parents sued the day care, arguing the death was a result of negligence on the parts of the day care, its director and a caregiver, and later dismissed the case. After an autopsy, the medical examiner ruled it sudden unexplained death in infancy. Mila was born July 13. At nearly 7 months old, she was 17 pounds and 27 inches tall. She was teething. Her mother finds it hard to believe she simply died in her sleep. "That's what she told me happened, but...that doesn't seem right. My daughter always took naps with me and she always woke up," Wallace said. "She was just healthy, that's why I don't feel it was anything natural. She was too healthy." Beyond the funeral, Wallace hasn't decided what she'll do moving forward. "I'm just going to continue to pray that my daughter gets the justice that she deserves," she said. 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 Two juveniles have been charged in connection with a robbery that left a 16-year-old accomplice dead on Sunday in south Houston, police said. The deceased teen has been identified as Sterling Webb, according to a Houston police press release. Police said one 15-year-old male suspect has been referred to Harris county Juvenile Probation authorities on charges of murder and aggravated robbery. He was arrested on Wednesday at a relative's home, police said. A second juvenile male, 15, was also referred to juvenile probation on the same charges, police said. That boy remains at large. Police first responded to the shooting at 10:10 p.m. Sunday night at 12700 Glenhollow. Responding officers said they found Webb with a gunshot wound in the middle of the street. The preliminary police investigation determined three juveniles, including the deceased victim, had attempted to rob a man. During the robbery attempt, one of the juveniles was shot and the 23-year-old male was assaulted. The Houston Fire Department took the boy to Ben Taub General Hospital, where he was later pronounced deceased. The robbery victim was also hospitalized with unspecified injuries. Police said the victim was assaulted and managed to drive to another location, where paramedics were called. He was not shot during the incident, police said. Anyone with information on the case has been asked to contact the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS. 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 | 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. Plans for the highly-anticipated high-speed bullet train project that will connect Houston to Dallas in 90 minutes are inching along. While construction is not set to begin until late 2019, according to the Houston Chronicle, developers at Texas Central are making moves to get the project on track. RELATED: Things to know about Houston-Dallas high-speed bullet train beginning construction in 2019 On Monday, Texas Central announced via press release that it's partnered with Resource Environmental Solutions (RES) to help protect and enhance natural ecosystems and the environment throughout construction and operations. Over the past decade, the Houston-based company, in projects across the country, has restored more than 58,000 acres of wetlands, enhanced more than 290 miles of streams and planted more than 14 million restorative trees, according to the release. RES will oversee plans to comply with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' (USACE) requirements including restoring, enhancing and preserving wetlands, streams and environmentally sensitive habitats located along the train's route. As well, RES will proactively will collaborate with community leaders to identify local and regional conservation opportunities. "As Texans, RES understands the importance that Texans place on preserving the natural beauty of our great state, and we are confident that this systematic approach to restoring and preserving sensitive ecosystems will result in widespread improvements across the region and beyond," project delivery director at Texas Central Bill Tucker said in the release. The project's scale allows RES to identify both isolated pockets along the route that require restoration, and also entire complexes of streams and wetlands suitable for improvement and conservation in areas near the Trinity River, Navasota River, Spring Creek and Cypress Creek. The results will help strengthen and connect wildlife habitat corridors, improve water quality along the route and increase flood resiliency. The roster of other benefits include the following: For every one mile of high-speed railroad tracks, approximately 450 acres of farmland will be preserved; the high-speed train is estimated to remove more than 14,630 cars per day from Interstate 45, offsetting emissions in an area covering four counties that are in air quality non-attainment status; and Texas will use the newest generation of Shinkansen Japanese trains, the N700 Supreme, which consumes seven percent less energy and weigh seven tons less than the previous model, producing less noise and vibration. What's more, the project is expected to create an estimated 10,000 jobs each year of construction and 1,500 full-time jobs when operational. Marcy de Luna is a digital reporter specializing in social media, the famous, and food. You can follow her on Twitter @MarcydeLuna and Facebook @MarcydeLuna. Read her stories on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com. | Marcy.deLuna@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message A man who has been accused of robbing at least six stores over 11 days last month is gradually "becoming more aggressive" with his threats, according to Houston police. Police are asking for help identifying the man, who has been described as a black male between 30 and 35 years old. He is between 5-foot 9-inches tall and 5-foot 11-inches tall and weighs roughly 200 pounds, police said. 2018 ROBBERIES: Houston's most brazen and bizarre unsolved robberies of 2018 In the most recent robbery, on Jan. 30, police said he entered a Dollar General and approached the counter, acting like he was making a small purchase. When the employee opened the register, the man reached over the counter and reached into the drawer, police said. A struggle ensued when the employee grabbed the drawer, and the suspect hit the employee in the face, police said. The suspect made off with the cash, but not before a security camera captured an image of his face. In another previous robbery, on Jan. 28 at the Family Dollar at 4122 Telephone, the suspect attempted to return candy and waited for the employee to open the register. The employee was about to open it when he pushed her back, reached over the counter and removed money, police said. The man then walked around the counter in an attempt to force the employees to open the safe, police said. He was unsuccessful and fled the scene in a black Chevrolet Monte Carlo or Impala, police said. "Over time, the suspect is becoming more aggressive in the robberies by jumping the counter and stating to the employees that he has a gun, although one has not been seen yet," Houston police said in a press release. He has been suspected in the following robberies in south Houston: Jan. 19: Family Dollar on Broadway Jan. 20: Subway on South 75th Jan. 27: Family Dollar on Telephone Jan. 28: Family Dollar at 4122 Telephone Jan. 29: Family Dollar at 10996 Fuqua Jan. 30: Dollar General at 4000 Telephone Police are asking anyone with information about the suspect to call Crime Stoppers of Houston at 713-222-TIPS (8477) or submit information online at www.crime-stoppers.org. 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 | 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. WASHINGTON - The House Intelligence Committee's new Democratic leadership will scrutinize "credible reports of money laundering and financial compromise" involving the businesses of President Donald Trump and those closest to him, the panel's chairman said Wednesday, in what will be one of several priorities as lawmakers open a fresh investigation into the president's alleged Russia ties. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., outlined a five-point plan for the committee's investigation, encompassing Russia's election interference and the question of whether foreign governments have leverage over Trump, his relatives or associates. Schiff indicated the panel uncovered evidence of such vulnerabilities while under Republican leadership but neglected to pursue it. "For the last two years, the Republican majority has essentially been missing in action when it comes being a coequal branch of government," Schiff said Wednesday, promising that Democrats are "not going to be intimidated or threatened" by Trump's warnings against the Democrat-led investigations. "That ended with the midterms. We're going to do our jobs." But not without pushback from Trump, who railed Wednesday against the idea of Schiff pursuing an investigation into his finances, accusing him of "presidential harassment." "Under what basis would he do that? He has no basis to do that," Trump told reporters, when asked about Schiff's plans. "No other politician has to go through that. It's called presidential harassment. And it's unfortunate. And it really does hurt our country." Schiff retorted on Twitter, saying he could "understand why the idea of meaningful oversight terrifies the President." "Several of his close associates are going to jail, others await trial, and criminal investigations continue," he added, repeating that the panel "won't be distracted or intimidated by threats or attacks." The committee published its investigative plan after members voted unanimously Wednesday to give special counsel Robert Mueller copies of all the interviews the committee conducted during its GOP-led probe. Democrats have long questioned whether some witnesses lied to lawmakers during those interviews, and they plan to make obstruction of justice another focus of their planned probe. In the meantime, members have said, they think Mueller is best equipped to determine who is telling the truth. The committee heard testimony from more than 50 witnesses, including the president's son and son-in-law, Donald Trump Jr. and son-in-law Jared Kushner, and others close to the president and deeply knowledgeable about his campaign and business dealings. Schiff told reporters that the transcripts, which would be sent to Mueller immediately, include material that the special counsel's office has not seen previously. Mueller "will now have access to those transcripts for any purpose that will facilitate justice," Schiff said. The panel has released select transcripts to the special counsel, including those from interviews with Trump's longtime friend Roger Stone and Trump's former attorney and fixer Michael Cohen. Cohen, who is expected to begin a three-year prison sentence next month for lying to Congress and committing financial crimes, was due to appear before the House Intelligence panel for a closed-door interview on Friday. But that session has been postponed until Feb. 28, Schiff said Wednesday. This is the second time Cohen's planned testimony has been either delayed or canceled. Last month, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform scheduled a public hearing with Cohen for Feb. 7, but he Cohen canceled, citing threats Trump had made to his family. Cohen is still expected to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee for a closed-door interview on Tuesday. Republican members of the intelligence committee had hoped to release to the public transcripts from its unclassified interviews - which account for the vast majority - but the motion was voted down, said Rep. Michael Conaway, R-Texas, who ran the committee's GOP-led Russia probe. Last year, both Republicans and Democrats voted to release all of the transcript materials to the public, pending a review by the intelligence community. But that vote took place in September, and the interview transcripts still have not been cleared in the declassification review - a delay Republicans called "unacceptable" in a statement. Schiff said Wednesday that the intelligence community had estimated it would finish vetting the transcripts by May or June, but that he was trying to get them to hurry the process by releasing some of the less-sensitive records first. "There's no need to wait until they are all finished to release any of them," he said. The panel also voted down a GOP request to subpoena "witnesses whose testimony Democrats previously sought," according to a statement from Republican members. They did not specify which witnesses, however. Democrats complained forcefully last year that Republicans had blocked their effort and denied their request to subpoena key witnesses. But Schiff stressed Wednesday that while Democrats wanted to accommodate GOP requests, they would not begin firing off subpoenas before potential witnesses were given a chance to appear voluntarily. Detectives are still searching for answers in the January shooting death of a loving wife and avid Star Wars fan in the driveway of her Tomball-area home. Elizabeth "Liz" Barraza, 29, was setting up for a garage sale outside her home in the 8600 block of Cedar Walk Drive around 7 a.m. Jan. 25 when she was shot several times, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office. Barraza's family said Liz hoped to make some extra spending money for an upcoming wedding anniversary trip she was taking with her husband, Sergio Barraza. They were supposed to leave two days later. MYSTERIES: Crime Stoppers marked 16 unsolved killings in 2018 in the Houston area "A coward drove up, approached my daughter and forever changed our lives," Liz's father, Bob Nuelle, said fighting tears during a press conference Wednesday. "An unknown assailant shot and killed an unarmed and defenseless woman in a brutal act that demands justice." The shooter struck Liz several times and drove away in an older, dark-colored Nissan Frontier pickup truck. Detectives are unsure if the shooter was a man or a woman. Paramedics rushed her to a nearby Memorial Hermann hospital, where she stayed in critical condition until her death the next day. "We never imagined a life without her," Nuelle said. "We still can't." Sergio Barraza had just left for work minutes before his wife was shot, according to Harris County Sheriff's Office Homicide Detective Michael Ritchie. Detectives have spoken with him and other family members about Liz's death, all of whom have been cooperative throughout the investigation, Ritchie said. Sergio Barraza told reporters that he and Liz were active members of the 501st Legion a Star Wars fan group infatuated with the saga's villains. FOR SUBSCRIBERS: Judge makes pivotal ruling in former Katy football coach's murder trail, only on HoustonChronicle.com However, Sergio and Liz's involvement in the group was anything but evil. The couple spent hours dressing up in costume with other group members, bringing smiles to sick children and adults at area hospitals. In fact, Liz died in the same hospital she had spent those hours bringing cheer to countless patients. "I don't understand how someone could do this to her," Sergio Barraza said. "She didn't deserve to pass away like this. How someone could be so monstrous to commit an act like this ... I just really can't understand. I had to trade our fifth anniversary for a funeral." Houston Crime Stoppers and the 501st Legion are working together to offer a $20,000 reward to find her killer. "I need justice for Liz," Barraza said, turning to speak as if his late wife was standing right next to him. "I love you," he said. Sheriff Gonzalez urged the public to check surveillance cameras near the neighborhood to see if the pickup truck shows up in the early morning hours of Jan. 25. Investigators said the pickup truck was seen on camera shortly before Sergio Barraza left for work that morning, possibly indicating that the shooter was waiting for their victim to be alone with her guard down. "We will do everything possible to bring justice to Elizabeth's killer," Gonzalez said. "... Somebody out there knows something." Anyone with information about the shooter or the pickup truck is urged to call Houston Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477). 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 I could not be more disappointed in the social media post made last night by Tim Stewart," said Gennaro Bizzarro, a fellow Republican who is chairman of the chamber board. His choice of words was inexcusable and has no place in modern civil discourse. Tims words obviously do not reflect the feelings held by the members of the Greater New Britain Chamber of Commerce, our staff or myself. As chairman, I have a duty to confer with my fellow board members as well as to review our bylaws to ascertain what disciplinary authority we possess and the process by which it can be employed. We are doing that immediately. Crime Stoppers and the Houston Police Department's Robbery Division are seeking the public's help in identifying an aggravated robbery suspect. The alleged robber should be considered armed and dangerous. In what is believed to be his latest robbery, the suspect entered the HTV Nail location at 12380 West Bellfort in southwest Houston. According to the Robbery Division, "As the male was walking to the counter, he pulled out a handgun, placed a magazine in the weapon and racked the slide, placing a round into the chamber. The male then pointed the handgun at the employees and demanded the money from the cash register along with their personal property. Once the male had the money, he then fled the location in an unknown direction." THE NEWS YOU NEED: Chron.com Catch-up. Delivered to your email. Sign up now. This is the fifth incident in which investigators believe this robber is involved. Other incidences include: Dec. 29, 2018, at 11231 Bissonnet at 1:30 p.m. at Boost Mobile. Dec. 29, 2018, at 12635 Bissonnet at 2:20 p.m. at Boost Mobile. Jan. 9, 2019, at 11231 Bissonnet at 2:20 p.m. at Mattress King. Jan. 14, 2019, at 12629 Bissonnet at 11:40 a.m. at a nail shop. The suspect is described as a Hispanic or middle eastern male, 18 to 30 years old with a light complexion. In his latest crime, he was wearing a red Nike pullover and jeans. Crime Stoppers may pay up to $5,000 for information leading to the charging and/or arrest of the suspect in this case. Information may be reported by calling 713-222-TIPS (8477) or submitted online at www.crime-stoppers.org. rkent@hcnonline.com When Yesenia Sanchez got home late Jan. 27 and bit into her Whataburger sandwich, she got a huge surprise. Instead of tasting the juicy, cheesy perfection of a typical burger from Texas' beloved fast-food chain, Sanchez said she got a mouth full of mud. "[My] body went numb and [my] stomach turned into knots," Sanchez wrote to the Chronicle. "[I] couldn't believe what I was looking at. [I] felt it and [it] looked like mud." Sanchez shared video of the discovery Sunday night. "I was literally gagging and threw up a bit in my mouth," Sanchez said. Sanchez said she called the restaurant located at 1900 Decker Drive in Baytown immediately and was told to come and speak with the manager in person. HOUSTON RESTAURANTS: The top 10 most common health violations and why you should care "Once I opened the sandwich he [the manager] shook his head and apologized for it said he'd 'talk to them,'" Sanchez said. Sanchez said she thinks the two employees that made the sandwich intentionally placed the mud in the sandwich after she requested a different type of bread, she said. Sanchez said she did receive a refund for the allegedly muddy burger, but she feels let down by Whataburger. "I handled the situation calmly and [I was] collected even though what they did to me was foul," Sanchez said. "[I] feel sorry for the boys that cooked my sandwich [and I] hope they get help with the problems that led them to do that." A manager of the Baytown Whataburger refused to provide a comment to the Chronicle. The Chronicle reached out to the Whataburger Corporate Communications team for comment and received the following statement: "We're taking this matter very seriously, and we're focused on getting to the bottom of what happened and making it right with this customer. We immediately reached out to apologize and invited the customer back for a free meal and open dialogue. We're also reinforcing training procedures." Rebecca Hennes covers community news. Read her on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | rebecca.hennes@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message The first month of the year marked new beginnings for some San Antonio restaurantswhile others saw its doors shut forever. Among notable restaurant openings in January include Chacho's' long-awaited barbecue spot, Goodfire BBQa restaurant that food writer Chuck Blount says "teased motorists" for more than two years with tables, chairs and barbecue signage. The barbecue joint made its quiet debut in the third week of the month. A new produce purveyor will open in the former Canino's space at the Houston Farmers Market Saturday, the owner of the property announced Wednesday. Junior's Produce, a locally owned produce retailer, will sell Texas produce and farm fresh items from across the U.S., along with beans, nuts, herbs, preserves, fresh-squeezed juices and organic fruits and vegetables. "This is a lifelong dream come true," owner Junior Saldana said in an announcement. "I have worked in many areas of the industry, including large format grocery stores and specialty health food stores, and this is the perfect opportunity to begin my own venture." LISTEN: Winners of the Loopie Awards for Houston real estate revealed Canino's, which was the largest retail tenant in the nearly 18-acre property, closed last month after more than 60 years. Junior's will occupy more than 11,000 square feet. In May 2017, Houston investment and development firm MLB Capital Partners bought the property from the Farmers' Marketing Association of Houston Inc., which had owned and operated it since its inception in 1942. Plans are underway to update and renovate the farmers market property, add new tenants, and offer community programming. Junior's will be open daily at 2520 Airline Drive from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. 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. Monday, Jan. 28 Plainview police arrested two individuals Monday at the 400 block of W. 27th St. just before 10:40 p.m. Police arrested 36-year-old Alex Aguirre for credit card or debit card abuse, which is a state jail felony, and a 45-year-old man for possession or delivery of drug paraphernalia. Officers were called to the 1700 block of W. 10th St. Monday at 2:40 p.m. in reference to a suspicious person. Responding officers arrested a 52-year-old individual for outstanding warrant(s). Police arrested a 43-year-old man Monday at the 3600 block of Olton Road and charged him with driving while intoxicated. Officers were dispatched to the location at 3:14 a.m. Forgery was reported at the 200 block of SE Eighth St. Monday just after 2 p.m. Fraud was reported at the 1300 block of Jefferson St. Monday just before 11 a.m. Harassment was reported at the 700 block of El Paso Monday just after 7:10 p.m. A vehicle crash resulting in vehicle damage was reported Monday at 7th St. and Nassau St. around 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 29 Plainview police were called to the 1100 block of E. 11th St. in reference to a suspicious vehicle Tuesday just after 11:20 a.m. Responding officers found amphetamine and narcotic equipment at the scene and arrested two individuals. Officers arrested and charged 54-year-old Jesus Garcia with possession of a controlled substance, penalty group 1, which is a felony, possession or delivery of drug paraphernalia, driving with a license invalid with previous conviction/suspension without financial resolution, operation of a motor vehicle without financial responsibility and operating an unregistered motor vehicle. Trinny Marroquin, 50, was arrested and charged with possession/delivery of drug paraphernalia and prohibited substance/item in a correctional facility, which is a felony. Officers arrested a 37-year-old man at Ninth and Columbia Streets during a traffic stop at 11:38 a.m. Tuesday. The individual was charged with running a red light, having an expired license and displaying a fictitious license plate. Officers arrested a 36-year-old woman at the 2600 block of W. 24th St. Tuesday. The woman was charged with operating an unregistered motor vehicle, possession/delivery of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana. Officers were dispatched to the location at 3:27 p.m. Identity theft was reported at the 3200 block of Fisher ST. Tuesday just after 2:40 p.m. An assault was reported Tuesday around 3:30 p.m. at the 1500 block of Quincy St. Fraud was reported at the 1400 block of W. Fifth St. around 4:15 p.m. Tuesday. Wednesday, Jan. 30 Plainview police arrested 57-year-old Richard David Jones Wednesday at the 300 block of W. Ninth St. around 1:20 a.m. The individual was charged with driving with an invalid license with previous conviction/suspension without financial resolution and with an out-of-county felony warrant. Police arrested a 20-year-old individual Wednesday at the 2600 block of Dimmitt Road just after 2 a.m. The individual was arrested for active warrants and was also charged with evading arrest or detention. Officers were called to the 800 block of W. 11th St. Wednesday just before 9:40 a.m. in reference to a disturbance. Officers arrested a 21-year-old individual for possession/delivery of drug paraphernalia. A traffic crash resulting in vehicle damage was reported Wednesday at the 3200 block of Olton Road just before 8:20 a.m. An assault was reported Wednesday at the 1400 block of W. 21st St. around 7:30 a.m. A vehicle crash with vehicle damage was reported at the 4000 block of Olton Road just after 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. Criminal mischief was reported at the 600 block of W. 11th St. Wednesday just before 8:50 a.m. Responding officers found damaged property at the location. A theft was reported at the 2600 block of Joliet St. Wednesday just after 3:20 p.m. A vehicle crash resulting in vehicle damage was reported Wednesday at the 500 block of W. Fifth St. around 4:50 p.m. An assault was reported at the 2700 block of Itasca St. Wednesday just after 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 31 Officers arrested a 22-year-old man at the 3100 block of N. Interstate 27 and charged him with making a terroristic threat. The synopsis on the incident report describes a terroristic threat as a threat by an individual to commit an offense involving violence to a person or property with intent to incite fear of imminent serious bodily injury. Officers were called to the location around 9:45 p.m. Thursday. Police arrested a 56-year-old man for driving with an invalid license with previous conviction/suspension without financial resolution. The individual was arrested at the 600 block of Canyon St. just before 9:20 p.m. Thursday. Two individuals were arrested Thursday at the 1400 block of W. 33rd St. for assault. Officers responded to the location around 9:15 a.m. and arrested a 22-year-old woman and a 44-year-old woman. Both individuals were charged with assault causing bodily injury family violence. A 52-year-old woman was arrested Thursday at the 1200 block of Quincy St. just after 4 a.m. for active misdemeanor warrants. Plainview police arrested a 30-year-old woman and charged her with disorderly conduct Thursday at the 800 block of W. Fifth St. Officers were called to the location just after 8:40 a.m. An aggravated assault with a weapon was reported Thursday at the 2700 block of Olton Road just after 10:30 a.m. Officers were initially called to the location for a traffic problem. The incident report does not indicate an arrest. Officers were called to the 2200 block of W. 20th St. Thursday just after noon in reference to drugs. The call involved a juvenile. Officers found marijuana at Estacado Middle School. Illegal use of credit cards was reported Thursday at the 500 block of Quincy St. around 1 p.m. Fraud was reported at the 2100 block of W. Sixth St. Thursday just after 1:30 p.m. Forgery was reported at the 300 block of W. Eighth St. around 1:40 p.m. Thursday. An assault was reported at the 2500 block of Joliet St. Thursday around 2:40 p.m. The Runningwater Draw Retired Senior Volunteer Program chose to honor Judy Gattis as the next RSVP Volunteer of the Month. Gattis is a Lubbock native who graduated from Frenship High School in 1961 and later attended Draughon's Business College before landing a job with the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce where she aided membership development until eventually serving as assistant director. The wife and mother of two has been an RSVP member for more than nine years and has 1637 lifetime volunteer hours. Judy met her husband of 54 years, T.C., through an acquaintance group at her church. She was running late for the service one day and asked this gentleman if she could squeeze in beside him. He later asked her out for a coke and they have been together ever since. The couple has a daughter, Marcheta Key, who is a teacher at the John Glen Middle School in San Angelo, and a son, Leslie Gattis, who is an insurance agent here in Plainview. Gattis is very devoted and enjoys being in the lives of her four granddaughters and one grandson. A little-known fact is Gattis has survived cancer twice and is now a 10-year survivor. She was awarded the "Shining Star Award" through the American Cancer Society, at the Cotton Baron's Ball. She also has a heart to serve others. Judy was employed for 25 years by Caprock Plains Baptist Area, a service provided to all churches in the three different associations assisting pastors by promoting, workshops and trainings among other items. Upon retiring, Judy was approached by Rose Ann Bailey to assist with the flower shop within the Covenant Hospital Gift Shop that is run by the Auxiliary volunteers. She thought and prayed about it and some days later Janis Posey also asked her to fill in. After soon finding herself ordering plants, decorating with silk flowers, making bows and baskets, and placing her creations in the gift shop, Gattis realized she'd found her calling. She said, some customers even bring in items like a hat for her to add a plant and decorate for a loved one in the hospital. She also does other work around the community. As a member of Soroptimist International of Plainview, Judy serves as past president and is currently the editor of a monthly newsletter. The organization has won the Norma Caldwell Award twice, judged by content, communication and growth. It is through this endeavor that Gattis finds joy in writing and finding articles to empower women at their best. She once picked up a book at a recent garage sale, "Girl's Think Of Everything," which focuses on ingenious inventions by women everywhere. She writes about one invention in each issue of the monthly newsletter. Gattis is a member of the First Baptist Church where she is active in her Sunday school. She loves praying for people so much that she takes notes during the service and sends out a prayer list to her classmates. She also enjoys the personal contact with people and knowing you have made a difference. For the past 45 years RSVP has been linking volunteers age 55 and over from Floyd, Hale and Lamb Counties with community volunteer needs. RSVP is located at 825 Austin St. There is no cost to join one of the largest senior volunteer organizations in the nation and supplemental insurance is provided while volunteering. Those interested in joining can call (806) 291-1223 for additional information. Clearly one of his speechwriters was trying to get him to lower the temperature in Washington," Murphy said. President Trump will be off-script tomorrow. So Im not really sure it matters what the president said tonight. Vanuatu turns the Corner LETS USE THIS AS A SPRINGBOARD FOR THE FUTURE The clout of Nooyi is already evident, with the modest Pepsi powerhouse serving as a conduit between the state and Infosys, an India-based information technology company that last year picked Hartford as a hub in its U.S. expansion. The deal will bring an estimated 1,000 jobs to the capital city. It was Lamont who helped steer Infosys to the states economic development brass and he wasnt even governor yet. Mr. Stewart issued a statement on Wednesday afternoon, but it falls far short of the apology he should be offering. Let me say that first we are living in a culture where social media has become the public justice system," he wrote on Facebook. "I along with many other people should know better to not say things that might enflame [sic] the public. My comment was wrong and in poor taste in response to a particular time during the speech that I took offense to. Financial sector clean up: 84% of depositors ... Public defender William OConnor called Fluker an intelligent young man with a lot of potential" and told the judge the experience of the past several years has caused him to want to steer clear of courtrooms and jail. He told the judge he was comfortable she would not see Fluker again. A trail runner who was pursued and attacked by a young mountain lion survived by killing the cat with his bare hands, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers. The attack occurred Monday on Horsetooth Mountain in Larimer County north of Denver. "After additional investigation, including examination of the lion, we have confirmed the victim's account that he was able to suffocate the animal while defending himself from attack," Parks and Wildlife officials tweeted Tuesday morning. But just how he was able to accomplish that feat remains a bit of a mystery. The man, who has not been identified, was jogging on West Ridge Trail when he heard something running behind him, Parks and Wildlife spokeswoman Rebecca Ferrell told the Denver Post. Just as he turned around, the cougar pounced for his head and neck. The victim threw up his forearms to block the attack and then turned his back to the mountain lion, Ferrell said. With the cat momentarily neutralized, the man decided to counterattack. He jumped on top of the mountain lion and while wrestling with it, managed to smother the animal. A necropsy confirmed the jogger's story about the cause of death, but the exact nature of the mountain lion's injuries have not been made public, and a full report may take several days, the Post reported. After killing the cat, the man hiked out and was able to get to a hospital on his own. He suffered facial bite wounds and lacerations to his arms, legs and back, but is expected to make a full recovery. He remained hospitalized Tuesday. "The runner did everything he could to save his life," Mark Leslie, CPW northeast region manager told the Post. Horsetooth Mountain is a 2,711-acre open space area west of Fort Collins in the foothills of Larimer County. It ranges in elevation from 5,430 feet to 7,255 feet. MORE: Mountain lion reported in backyard near Pacifica park About 60 percent of Colorado is considered suitable mountain lion habitat. Attacks on humans by mountain lions are rare, however. The trail runner's motion may have triggered the juvenile cat's instinct to chase prey, wildlife officials say. If you confront a mountain lion, you should yell, wave your arms and try to make yourself appear larger. Do not turn your back on it. Do not lie down and curl up in a ball that's an invitation for the cat to attack. If you are attacked, you should fight back and if possible, target the cougar's eyes and nose. --- 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. On Jan. 3, China became the first nation to make a soft landing of a spacecraft on the far side of the moon. The subsequent video footage of the Change 4 rover making its way around this unexplored terrain, along with the images of their first-of-its-kind plant experiments, have hearkened us to another era, when NASAs Apollo astronauts planted the American flag on the moon and returned home with new science, data and perspective on the world and universe that we all share. The Apollo missions, however, were set against the backdrop of the Cold War, when space exploration was a proxy for the U.S.-Soviet fight for world leadership. Since the Change 4 landing, part of the ensuing media coverage has spurred new debate about whether a new space race with China is beginning. There are certainly groups in both countries who would like nothing better than to have an old-fashioned geopolitical race between two global powers. But that is a race for a different era and its not the one unfolding before us today. For as strategic as higher ground may be, the forces racing to the Moon are no longer just government assets. Todays space race is being waged by entrepreneurs and commercial innovators, and this new and inspiring competition is bringing technological revolution faster to space exploration and the commercial marketplace than anything imagined or produced by the Apollo era. While its important to pay attention to what China is doing on the moon, as well as its other space aspirations, they are not alone in their lunar pursuits. Nations such as India and Israel are planning on sending their own lunar probes in the near future. When you combine those efforts with NASAs ambitions with its commercial partners for its Gateway program, and any aspirations the Russians may have for visiting and exploring our nearest celestial neighbor, the space race to the moon is becoming a more crowded enterprise than we could have ever envisioned, even just a few short years ago. But the challenge to any race is having the resources, training and stamina to finish it. President Kennedys challenge to land a man on the moon before the decade was done was the echoing drumbeat for a generation. While it was not without challenge or debate, as a nation, we made a steadfast commitment to providing those assets to make that lunar race possible. In crossing that finish line 50 years ago, it was vision fulfilled and a national promise kept. Today, that echoing drumbeat is as different as the racers that are now taking their places on launch pads government, military and commercial. As much as national pride will drive any country to achieve its goals, todays space race to the Moon will be won more by the technology-leaping innovations and tactical partnerships than exceed any singular government appropriation by this country or any other. In the space race of today, no one can afford to go to the moon, Mars or anywhere else alone. We no longer live or operate in an environment where resources, training and stamina are steadfast, secure or assured. This is why sharing costs and risks with partners and even competitors is a path worthy of consideration as we plot our return to the Moon and endeavor to go beyond it. That type of environment is what makes the emerging space race even more complex than a clear contest between two different geopolitical forces. The advantage of this new space race environment is that with more participants gaining access to space, global capacity and competence expand and grow beyond where it was originally rooted. The expansion is the rippling wave of opportunity that always comes with exploration. People go where there is hope, growth and opportunity. Space is that place for many of us in this country, but it is also the same destination for others on this planet too. The costs are very real in terms of lives and national treasure, and any race in this environment is not without risk or challenge. But no market, pursuit or frontier was ever opened without taking those tough considerations in hand. The treadmarks of Chinas lunar rover are a sign of the intensifying global competition in space, but it will not be long before there are many more tracks beside them as we, as a world, reach for the moon and the promise of what lies beyond. Tom Zelibor is CEO of The Space Foundation in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He wrote this for InsideSources. ALBANY New York's top health officials told lawmakers Tuesday they are unsure how an unexpected $2.3 billion state budget shortfall next year might impact their budgets. At a budget hearing on health care spending, state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker and Medicaid Director Donna Frescatore said they didn't have any more information about the larger than expected shortfall that was announced by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli on Monday. "That's shocking to me," said Sen. Brad Hoylman, D-Manhattan. "That could mean a massive recalibration of your budget." In January, Cuomo proposed a state budget that would include $19.6 billion in spending on health care, a 3.6 percent increase over the current fiscal year. But Monday's announcement of the budget shortfall cast doubt on whether that increase is realistic. With few answers on that front, lawmakers pressed state health officials on other issues, including the state's plan to control the rise of e-cigarette use and vaping among youth, and the governor's apparent reluctance to embrace universal single-payer health care. Zucker said the state has seen a dramatic rise in the number of high schoolers who use e-cigarettes, from 10 percent in 2015 to 30 percent just two years later. He blamed the products, the most popular of which resembles a USB flash drive, for a recent uptick in tobacco use among high schoolers the first such uptick since the state began tracking use in 2000. "Now, it's small, but it's up," Zucker said of the rise in tobacco use. "And we feel this is attributable to the e-cigarette use." The governor's proposed budget attempts to curb these increases by imposing a 20 percent tax on vapor products, and clarifying that the Department of Health has authority to ban flavored products. The legislation would also ban stores from displaying products in stores, and crack down on tobacco use more broadly by raising the age to buy cigarettes from 18 to 21. Assemblyman Andrew Raia, R-Long Island, worried whether a ban on flavors would ultimately harm adults like himself, who have used flavored vaping products to quit smoking combustible cigarettes. "Anyone who's trying to quit smoking, the last thing they want to consume is a tobacco-flavored vaping product," Raia said. "So quite honestly, those flavors are quite important in getting people off cigarettes." Additionally, he said, a flavor ban could open the door to discriminatory policing in the same way marijuana prohibition did. "You are basically going to give a police officer the right to search somebody's car if they smell any vape products," he said. Sen. Diane Savino, D-Staten Island, who sponsored a statewide "Tobacco 21" bill, said she has grown increasingly concerned about enforcement. Banning the products is not enough, she said, noting that her 17-year-old nephew is able to purchase Juul e-cigarettes from local bodegas and 7-Elevens. "They are blatantly violating the law by selling to young people," she said. Some lawmakers expressed dismay Tuesday that the Cuomo administration appears in no rush to implement a single-payer health plan in the state, an issue that has gained steady public support over the years and that has passed the state Assembly several years running. The executive budget did propose creating a commission that would look at how to achieve universal health care access in New York. It charges the departments of Health and Financial Services with appointing experts to the commission, which would be tasked with presenting a plan to the governor by Dec. 1. But Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, a longtime sponsor of a single-payer bill, and Sen. Gustavo Rivera both Democrats implied Tuesday that they have little faith that even a commission process would make it into the final budget. "It seems like it's something you want to put forward so you can say you're doing something about it," Rivera told Zucker, punctuating the comment with a thumbs-down. Zucker, however, defended the idea of a commission process. "We need to get as much information as possible," he said. "There are many different moving parts to this issue, and I just think that in order to do this the right way we should have a commission look at this and get as much feedback as we can." The budget hearing was the eighth of 13 planned for this legislative session. The next hearing is Wednesday on K-12 education. State Rep. David McSweeney has filed a bill that would force most taxing bodies in Illinois to reduce their property tax levies by 10 percent over two years before freezing those levies in place, a measure that already has attracted opposition from local governments. McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills, said House Bill 320 will provide property tax relief for Illinois residents, who pay among the highest property taxes in the nation. It would lower property tax levies by 5 percent each year for two years for all local governments, including those with home-rule powers. After those two years, property tax levies would be frozen unless local voters agreed to raise them by passing a referendum. We know property taxes in Illinois are too high, McSweeney said in a statement. We know that people are leaving Illinois in droves in large part because the taxes are too high. Illinois lost nearly 45,000 people net last year alone. The longer we delay action on solving the property tax issue in Illinois, the more people are going to leave. We need to reverse this out-migration. It is time to lower property taxes permanently in Illinois. State Rep. Jonathan Carroll, D-Northbrook, signed on to the bill as a sponsor in the House. Gov. Bruce Rauner had made a property tax freeze a top priority, even holding up the states budget to try to force one. He was unsuccessful. Rauner had pushed for a four-year freeze of property tax levies. McSweeney said a freeze isnt enough. The biggest issue I hear about in my district is property taxes, he said. This is a real effort to bring about property tax relief. McSweeney said he expects to pick up additional sponsors for his bill. He said a state mandate is the only way to force local governments to cut spending. He said the measure does allow for taxing bodies to raise rates, but they would need to get voter approval to do so. This is a crisis, McSweeney said. The Illinois Association of School Boards plans to oppose the bill, said Ben Schwarm, deputy executive director of the association, which represents local school boards. Most of the states more than 800 school districts rely on property taxes for the bulk of their revenue. Schwarm said the bill doesnt provide for any way to make up that revenue. Without it, school districts would be forced to cut programs, services and staff, he said. In an email exchange, Dr. Eric Secor, associate medical director of Integrative Medicine at Hartford Hospital, writes that small studies suggest a benefit but, "without larger, more comprehensive studies physicians are unable to prescribe a specific treatment 'dose,' how long should the exposure be, for what duration. Until this information is available, halotherapy will continue to be used for relaxation or as an alternative modality, outside mainstream medical care." Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription, or activate your access, to continue reading. Mayor Erin Stewart, a Republican, said that before she decides to support or oppose a ban, she wants to know precisely how it would work. The way the proposal is currently written might be confusing to store owners and customers alike, she said, because it carries so many exemptions. But shes also reluctant to discourage local business; at least two Little Poland merchants have told her that it would hurt their operations, she said. State Rep. Mickey Dollens, D-Oklahoma City, changes his 8-month-old son's diaper on his legislative desk at the state Capitol. Dollens said the men's bathrooms at the state Capitol were not equipped with changing tables when his son visited him at work last month. 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! We are pleased to announce something we have been planning for a very long time; a labor of love and a broadening of our horizons that we have dreamed of since we first felt the crackle of freshly fallen leaves under our boots as kids, the post read. The project at Loop 250 near Fairgrounds Road continues. There were reports that there was some damage to parts of the loop in that area, but a Texas Department of Transportation spokesman told the Reporter-Telegram that repairs associated with the project are ongoing. Gene Powell of the Odessa office of TxDOT said the final surface will be put down in the spring, so the temporary surface allows for the situation to be assessed now. (Bloomberg) -- Digital-asset exchange Quadriga CX has a $200 million problem with no obvious solution -- just the latest cautionary tale in the unregulated world of cryptocurrencies. The online startup cant retrieve about C$190 million ($145 million) in Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ether and other digital tokens held for its customers, according to court documents filed Jan. 31 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Nor can Vancouver-based Quadriga CX pay the C$70 million in cash theyre owed. Access to Quadriga CXs digital wallets -- an application that stores the keys to send and receive cryptocurrencies -- appears to have been lost with the passing of Quadriga CX Chief Executive Officer Gerald Cotten, who died Dec. 9 in India from complications of Crohns disease. He was 30. Cotten was always conscious about security -- the laptop, email addresses and messaging system he used to run the 5-year-old business were encrypted, according to an affidavit from his widow, Jennifer Robertson. He took sole responsibility for the handling of funds and coins and the banking and accounting side of the business and, to avoid being hacked, moved the "majority" of digital coins into cold storage. BITCOIN BENTLEY: Houston billionaire entrepreneur's auto dealership takes cryptocurrency His security measures are understandable. Virtual currency exchanges suffered at least five major attacks last year. Japan, home to some of the worlds most active digital-asset exchanges, has also hosted two of the biggest known crypto hacks: the Mt. Gox debacle of 2014 and the theft of nearly $500 million in digital tokens from Coincheck Inc. last January. The problem is, Robertson said she cant find his passwords or any business records for the company. Experts brought in to try to hack into Cottens other computers and mobile phone met with only "limited success" and attempts to circumvent an encrypted USB key have been foiled, his widow, who lives in a suburb of Halifax, said in the court filing. "After Gerrys death, Quadrigas inventory of cryptocurrency has become unavailable and some of it may be lost," Robertson said, adding that the companys access to currency has been "severely compromised" and the firm has been unable to negotiate bank drafts provided by different payment processors. Quadriga CXs directors posted a notice on the firms website on Jan. 31 that it was asking the Nova Scotia court for creditor protection while they address significant financial issues" affecting their ability to serve customers. A hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, and Ernst & Young has been chosen as a proposed monitor. For the past weeks, we have worked extensively to address our liquidity issues, which include attempting to locate and secure our very significant cryptocurrency reserves held in cold wallets, and that are required to satisfy customer cryptocurrency balances on deposit, as well as sourcing a financial institution to accept the bank drafts that are to be transferred to us," the firm said. Unfortunately, these efforts have not been successful." As is often the case with crypto, the episode has raised speculation on Reddits online forums, where posters are wondering aloud if the business was a scam, calling for class-action lawsuits and even concocting conspiracy theories that call into question whether the CEO is even deceased. The latest online speculation suggests that Quadriga CX funds have been moving -- even though the firm claims they cant get access. --With assistance from Luke Kawa. To contact the reporter on this story: Doug Alexander in Toronto at dalexander3@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Michael J. Moore at mmoore55@bloomberg.net, ;David Scanlan at dscanlan@bloomberg.net, ;Jeremy Herron at jherron8@bloomberg.net, Dave Liedtka, Andrew Dunn 2019 Bloomberg L.P. The prosecutors sentencing memo references a report from the U.S. Probation Office which said, Mr. Spences proclivity for firearms, in conjunction with his poor judgment, created a significant risk for the community. ... He now faces a lengthy term of incarceration which will provide a period of protection to the public. Moultrie, GA (31768) Today Thunderstorms likely. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 78F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Cloudy. Low near 70F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Wide-moat Wells Fargo (WFC) continued to wade through multiple issues in the quarter. The bank, as expected, recorded another $175 million legal accrual related to a settlement with the Attorneys General of all 50 states (as well as the District of Columbia) with regards to many of the already disclosed issues the bank is facing. There were a number of other one-time items in the quarter, making overall numbers somewhat noisy. That being said, net income was down roughly 1.5% compared with the same quarter last year, with share repurchases helping to lift EPS to $1.21, up from $1.16. The return on average tangible common equity did improve to 15.4%, and despite the weaker revenue growth, management was able to get the expense base to the lower end of their target range. We like the improving returns on equity, the strong growth in card and C&I loans, and the decreasing expense base, however, the announcement that the asset cap will stay in place for all of 2019 was a significant negative. We still believe the bank has meaningful room to improve returns on equity with further expense management, and we do not believe the bank needs significant revenue growth to improve its returns, but it will be a bumpy ride to get there as long as the bank remains under the regulatory microscope. We are currently modelling almost no revenue growth through 2021. Based on our updated forecasts, we are lowering our fair value estimate to $65 from $67. The bank was able to repurchase roughly 3% of shares outstanding in the quarter, which we believe is value-accretive, and the bank has a dividend yield of over 3.5%, which should make it a little easier to wait for the story to play out. Morningstar Premium Members gain exclusive access to our full analyst reports, including fair value estimates, bull and bear breakdowns, and risk analyses. Not a Premium Member? Get this and other reports immediately when you try Morningstar Premium free for 14 days This circa 1940 photo released by the New England Air Museum shows Lt. Eugene Bradley, who died in a training crash in August 1941 at the former Windsor Locks Army Air Base, in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. Bradley was 24 and his wife, Ann, was newly pregnant when he died. Researchers and archaeologists have pinpointed the crash site at the airport, now named Bradley International Airport in his honor. The Lorain Fire Department has closed off sections of Broadway due to pieces falling off of the Eagles Building. An Elyria man accused of stabbing a woman during a carjacking was indicted in federal court, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorne Students from North Ridgevilles Lake Ridge Academy earned 19 Gold Key awards and an American Vision Award that will be juried in New York Cit Historian and educator Kevin Jennings will present a talk on The History of LGBTQ People, comprising significant events in gay history, from the Native American Two-spirit tradition to the era of marriage equality. The free presentation, put on by the Kent Memorial Library, will be held at the Kent Town Hall. That record was his World War II draft registration card, which lists his next of kin as living in Morganton. Johnston also found a webpage where local resident Dalton Walters had tried to purchase a Bennett propeller for the History Museum of Burke County in 2012. Knowing that, she went to Wayne Hitt, curator at the museum, to find out if the purchase went through. Hitt told her that an employee of Drexel Heritage Furniture Company, Don McCall, donated a Bennett propeller to the museum. The propeller is made out of mahogany wood. Then , Samuel Bennetts daughter (Faye Bennett Poteat) found out about it, and she brought additional material (to the museum), Johnston said. She brought in ads and a story. The story goes something like this: There was this kit you could buy at the time, called the Heath Parasol plane kit. You could buy a plane, build it yourself, and it would be approved for flight. He bought a kit to build a plane. February 06, 2019 U.S. Asks More Countries To Occupy Northeast Syria Monday's piece about the situation in Syria included a judgment that now seems to be wrong. The Trump administration planned to replace U.S. troops in northeast Syria with those of various allies. James Jeffrey, the neoconservative U.S. special envoy to the anti-ISIS coalition, thought up an elaborate scheme to 'protect the Kurds' and to secure the borders to Turkey with the help of allied troops. Aaron Stein @aaronstein1 - 17:33 utc - 24 Jan 2019 The Jeffrey plan being carried to Ankara/Rojava is very complex, requires open-ended commitments from UK-France, Turkish patrols in rural areas, SDF acquiescence, 3rd party forces, and US top cover, perhaps including a US enforced NFZ (unclear if POTUS is on board with this bit) A week later the Wall Street Journal reported that the crazy scheme failed to win support from any of the relevant parties. The Kurds rejected it and Britain and France declined to send troops on a never ending mission between the waring Turkish and Kurdish sides. The assertions that the scheme failed may have been premature. There are signs that it is still been worked on. Today Secretary of State Mike Pompeo talked to foreign ministers and officials of the U.S. coalition against ISIS. He made a remark that seems to announce a request to these allies to send their troops to replace the U.S. forces in northeast Syria: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday reassured allies that the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria was not the end of Americas fight and called on them to recommit to permanently defeating Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. ... Our mission is unwavering, but we need your help to accomplish it, just as weve had over the past months and years, Pompeo said, To that end, we ask that our coalition partners seriously and rapidly consider requests that will enable our efforts to continue. Those requests are likely to come very soon, he added, without elaborating. Pompeo also wants (vid) the coalition to "removal of all Iranian led forces from Syria." He also asked for hundreds of millions fro Iraq. One of the participants of the meeting was the German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, a rather daft member of the formerly social democratic party. As he traveled to Washington DC he lamented (in German) about a "vacuum" that would be created when the U.S. troops withdraw (my translation): Before his flight to Washington Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) said: "In Syria we still have no clarity how a vacuum can be avoided after the announced U.S. troop draw-down, so that no new escalation of old conflicts and a resurgence of the Islamic State can happen." He hoped to receive more information on the issue during the talks in Washington. The danger from the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq "is by far not over." How come these politicians never learned physics? Northeast Syria is not closed off from the atmosphere or the surrounding lands. That makes a vacuum there impossible. Former British ambassador to Syria Peter Ford offers a helpful Guide to Decoding the Doublespeak on Syria. It includes this entry: Term: Vacuum. The US will be leaving a vacuum when it pulls troops out. Meaning: Restoration of law and order. Once the US stops blocking the way the Syrian government will return to the currently US-controlled territory and will keep ISIS down, as it is doing in the rest of Syria, and Turkey out. The tone of Maas' remarks seems intended to prepare the German public for a military mission in northeast Syria. Turkey had already rejected the idea of foreign troops on its southern border. Yesterday Erdogan felt the need to again emphasize it: As Turkey prepared for a summit on Syria with Russia and Iran, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country wanted sole control over a proposed buffer zone in northern Syria, rejecting a plan by the United States for a multinational force to police the area. ... The Wall Street Journal reported in January that Washington was trying to get Western partners, such as Australia, France and the United Kingdom, to patrol the stretch of Syrian territory along the Turkish border after US troops leave the area. Washington is concerned that Turkey will attack the YPG once US soldiers are withdrawn. In his speech, Erdogan said the US plan was not an option. I repeat: Any proposal except a model for a safe zone under Turkish control, with other countries just providing logistical help, is unacceptable. He said there was no example for a safe zone successfully administered by international powers. The Turkish president said Turkish troops would be welcomed by locals in Syria: They trust us. Nearly all population centers near the Turkish borders in northeast Syria have a Kurdish majority. The Kurds certainly do not trust Turkey. Erdogan wants to push the Kurds away from the Turkish border. He would then 'resettle' the Syrian refugees in Turkey in those areas. Most of the refugees are relatives of Turkish supported 'rebels' and aligned with Erdogan's Islamist ideology. Prewar map of ethnic majorities by town Green=Kurd, Purple=Arab, Red=Turkmen, etc - Map by Ariyan Newzad - source - bigger The U.S. idea of bringing in some other foreign troops to replace the U.S. contingent is unfortunately not dead. Pompeo announces new "requests", Maas is playing up a "vacuum" and Erdogan feels the need to emphasize Turkish opposition to it. Any foreign state would be crazy to commit to such a scheme. A deployment of troops there would be: Illegal under international law, against the will of the host country Syria, against the will of the NATO member and neighbor Turkey, in the midst of ethnic-religious conflicts, without secure communication routes and without a defined end. The people benefiting from such a deployment would by the PKK/YPK Kurds that helped to defeat ISIS. But they are themselves an internationally recognized terrorist organization that should not be supported. The other party to benefit is Israel which historically uses the Kurds to undermine the sovereignty of Arab countries. A foreign troop deployment in northeast Syria would help Israel's aim to keep Damascus weak. The J. Jeffrey plan is a mess and should not have been given any thought at all. It is worrying that discussions about it still continue. Posted by b on February 6, 2019 at 18:24 UTC | Permalink Comments next page next page 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. Its just so typical. When theres a big mess to clean up, governments and institutions turn to taxpayers. It doesnt matter who made the bad choices. It doesnt matter who put fuel on the flames. When companies, industries or institutions burn to the ground, governments expect us to be willing socialists. Consider what happened in the 1990s with Long-Term Capital Management (LTCM). The American hedge fund was filled with the best and brightest. On the board of directors were two Noble Prize-winning economists. Yet what LTCM did was anything but smart. Like most hedge funds they tried to make as much money as possible. The risk of failure was an afterthought. The fund jumped into emerging markets. They leveraged their book by a factor of 25 to 1. That means LTCM had about 4% of what they needed to cover any sour trades. When the inevitable drew close, LCTM partners got an offer. The offer was from US investment bank Goldman Sachs and Warren Buffett. They wanted to buy the partners out for just US$250 mln. Such an offer was about 5% of the funds value just months ago. The partners didnt accept. Instead, they waited for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to step in. At the expense of taxpayers, LTCM partners would receive US$405 mln from the bank. They would also pump US$3.65 billion into the fund, which would remain there for the next three years. This is something those with political power just expect people to accept. And theyre now doing it to us Aussies, although to a lesser extent, right after the Banking Royal Commission. Free Guide: How to Invest in the Massive Infrastructure Boom. Download now. Taxpayers pay, again In case you missed it, heres a few wrongdoings we found out about during the royal commission AMP charged customers for services they didnt receive. Then they lied to ASIC about whether they provided those services or not. NAB also charged customers for services they didnt receive. CBA was selling dubious insurance to consumers. Within 12 months we saw 130 witnesses. There were more than 10,000 public submissions. The royal commission saw most, if not all, of the dirty behaviour going on at Aussie banks. So, what will the new Haynes recommendations do for big banks down under? Almost nothing. I couldnt find any real fundamental banking reforms Haynes didnt recommend stripping the Big Four of their power to self-calculate risk weightings. This allows them to compete at a competitive advantage to all other banks. Haynes also didnt recommend removal of any other regulatory preferential treatment to encourage competition from small banks. Instead, Haynes thought it was key that big banks pay mortgage broker fees From the Australian Financial Review (AFR): Borrowers will have to pay the fees of mortgage brokers, a provision that ought to undermine the big banks stranglehold on distribution which has allowed them to maintain and expand market share in home loans despite offering more costly products than their competitors. Really. Will that solve our problems? Among the Haynes recommendation was an additional regulatory watch dog. This new regulator will check to make sure regulators like APRA and ASIC are doing their job. Yep, you read that right. We need a taxpayer-funded regulator for the regulators. But why stop there, Haynes? Why not get a regulator to regulate the regulators who are regulating original regulators? Its just ridiculous. The AFR continues: A new independent watchdog will police the financial regulators who have been directed by the Hayne royal commission to punish misconduct more aggressively by pursuing court action to deter wrongdoing by financiers. And this is really the crux of the problem. It will be the taxpayers that fund any new regulation of these greedy, dishonest executives. Big banks will be no worse off after all 76 recommendations. Its why the shares of the Big Four all rose yesterday. Are we just not going to hold individuals accountable? Why not take a percentage of executive pay to fund regulators? Why not take a cut of managements stock options to fund relief packages? Why is it that you and I that need to pay to keep bank executives from wrongdoings? For small banking Yesterday I wrote about what I believe could be a solution to the tyranny of the Big Four. Heres a snippet: Imagine a local bank does what the Big Four dothey charge for services they dont provide and sell you products you dont need. Pretty soon, customers wake up and move their business to another bank. [So local banks]care about you and the businesses in your community. Their aim is to service the local economy. That means local home buyers and local businesses. The latter is probably the biggest advantage of local bank, as it spurs local economic growth. Right now, customers cant turn to another bank because the Big Four control more than 80% of the home loan market. There is no fair competition in our banking sector. Its one of the reasons the Big Four are among the most profitable and concentrated banks in the world. Most of these profits come from regulatory favouritism. Its regulators that allow the Big Four to gain advantages over the rest. And thanks to Haynes, you and I are going to fund these biased watch dogs. Your free market friend, Harje Ronngard, Editor, Money Morning Free Report: Four-Step Guide to Small-Cap Success. Download your free report now. Imagine this happened to you when you were in your early 20s: You quit your job or studies. You travel to some of the worlds most exotic places from Marrakesh to the Maldives. But you werent backpacking, oh no. Forget roughing it out like some cash-strapped uni student. Instead, you live in absolute luxury. Entire days spent lazing around in crystal coastal waters, drinking champagne on super yachts and hiking across breathtaking mountain ranges. Oh, and all your hotel stays were free meals included. Sounds pretty good, right? Of course it does. But youre probably thinking: How on Earth would this be possible? Or: This sounds great but it wouldnt have been sustainable or led to a particularly successful career. In fact, I probably wouldve ended up a spoilt brat! Granted, the uphill career battles and financial lessons most of us learn in our early 20s are important. Theyre invaluable seasons of life. But, in todays new digital economy, such a globetrotting life Ive described is not only possible. Its a full-blown, lucrative career. Its all due to the power of the Insta-economy. A select group of young influencers selling the dream to their fellow millennials one snap at a time. Let me explain 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. A digital business revolution Instagram, the worlds biggest image-sharing app has influencers in almost every industry from fashion and beauty to travel and extreme sports. These influencers recommend the hottest brands and start-ups to a wide pool of followers. And let me tell you, these followers drink up an Instagram icons every picture like its the last drop of water on Earth. In return, these influencers get paid big money from the brands they promote. Just for snapping away with their smartphone and posting it in an instant (actually a lot more thought goes into these pictures than that, but you get the gist). In business, we use the term, Thought Leaders. Well, in the world of consumerism, influencers are Brand Leaders. Their opinions are powerful, surprisingly fickle forget old ideas like brand loyalty and spread like wildfire. Thanks in large part to Instagram and other social media. Most of these influencers are Millennials people born in between 1981 and 1996, roughly and the only people to be born in history as complete digital natives. This is normal to them. Theyre also known as Gen-Yers, or to people stuck in traditional business behaviours: pains in the you-know-what! But its undeniable that theyre propelling a digital business revolution. And not only are they changing buying behaviours, theyre changing the entire economy. Such is the emerging economic power of this demographic; the best investors need to keep shape or ship out! The global growth of this bold new workforce Millennials are finally set to overtake Baby Boomers (their parents generation) in population this year. There are now 2.3 billion Millennials and they represent about a third of the worlds buying population. But by 2025, its predicted theyll make up 75% of the worlds workforce as baby boomers retire. In India alone, Millennials are the chief wage earners with a 47% share in the working age population. And what about our home-grown Aussie youngsters? Well our media likes to rave on about lazy Gen Y students who fritter their disposable income away on avocado brunches while wilfully neglecting the Aussie dream of home ownership. But while Millennials may not be as wealthy (or economically lucky depending on your viewpoint) as the previous generation, theyre fast becoming Australias most influential in terms of purchasing power. This is obvious. The president of beauty and personal care titan Unilever Alan Jope has said, We dont think of them [Millennials] as special or different any more. They are the core of our business. But Millennials arent just consumers. Theyre also producers. The new titans of business. Millennials currently hold about 20% of all leadership roles and this is set to grow fast. One famous example is none other than Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg (whose net worth jumped $6 billion in a day last month.) Love em or hate em, as an investor, you need to start tuning in with this generation. It might even be time to get yourself an Instagram account Good investing, Ryan Dinse, Contributing Editor, Money Morning Free Report: Insiders guide to trading options for profit on the ASX: Discover how to potentially boost your stock returns with options. Download now. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed separate monetary penalties on lenders -- UCO Bank, Axis Bank and Syndicate Bank -- over deficiencies in complying with different regulatory norms. The RBI imposed a penalty of Rs 2 crore each on UCO Bank and Axis Bank for non-compliance with its circular on 'Collection of Account Payee Cheques - Prohibition on Crediting Proceeds to Third Party Account' and Master Directions on 'Frauds - Classification and Reporting by commercial banks and select FIs'. In addition, a separate penalty of Rs 20 lakh was imposed on Axis Bank for contravention of the directions contained in 'Master Circular on Detection and Impounding of Counterfeit Notes' and, the 'Circular on Sorting of Notes - Installation of Note Sorting Machines'. In another statement, the RBI said it has imposed a penalty of Rs 1 crore on the government-owned Syndicate Bank for non-compliance with the directions contained in 'Master Circular on Frauds - Classification and Reporting' and 'Circular on Risk Management Systems in Banks'. Disclaimer: Information, facts or opinions expressed in this news article are presented as sourced from IANS and do not reflect views of Moneylife and hence Moneylife is not responsible or liable for the same. As a source and news provider, IANS is responsible for accuracy, completeness, suitability and validity of any information in this article. The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) Mumbai on Tuesday ordered the liquidation of the debt-hit fashion textile major Reid & Taylor after all attempts to revive it failed. The NCLT Mumbai bench comprising B.M. Mohan and V. Nallasenapathy ruled that the investors have failed to satisfy their networth before the NCLT and hence there are no options left but to order the liquidation of the company, preferably as a going concern. The ruling came after several investors proposed by the Employees Association and other bidders in the past few months failed to satisfy the basic criteria to take over the sick company, burdened by a default of Rs 4,100 crore. "We call upon the registrar and Resolution Professional (RP) to put in their best efforts to ensure that the company is sold as a going concern," the NCLT Mumbai Bench said in their oral order this evening. The bench ruled that it had honest intentions to prevent the company from going into liquidation, protect employees and save the creditors, including public sectors, who had invested public money to get maximum returns. "We are passing the order (of liquidation) because all our efforts to offer opportunity to the investors to revive the company have gone in vain. We are saddened the manner in which investors have misrepresented facts before us. We are, therefore, constrained to give further opportunity to investors to take over R&T," ruled the NCLT members. The judges also rebuked a representative of Indian Gas Ltd. New Delhi, the final investor, which staked a claim to take over the company, but later failed to prove the IGL's networth. Last week, the NCLT Mumbai bench had directed the IGL to appear before the NCLAT, New Delhi in a case filed by Finquest Financial Solutions LTd. (FFSL), the majority stakeholder in R&T. However, the IGL failed to appear and formally prove its credentials before the NCLAT, which ordered the NCLT Mumbai to dispose of the matter within two weeks and placed the matter for final hearing on February 27 (in New Delhi). "We will not hear you today. Who are you? You are only an employee and we have given you an opportunity to prove your company's networth, but you failed," the NCLT Mumbai bench said sharply today. The NCLT also rejected Scorpio Vintrade to invest jointly with IGL as it was not a group company of the latter today. Earlier, other investors SPGP Group of Hong Kong, CFM Asset Reconstruction Pvt. Ltd, had staked their claims but later withdrew from the fray. Edelweiss ARC, one of the financial creditors had initiated the NCLT proceedings under Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process, to recover the monies defaulted by R&T. Officials in the FFSL said the fate of around 1,100 employees of the Mysore-based company would be clear now that the NCLT Mumbai's final verdict has been delivered. Promoted by S. Kumars-fame textile tycoon, Nitin S. Kasliwal, Reid & Taylor once boasted of top-notch brand ambassadors such as Hollywood's Pierce Brosnan and Bollywood's Amitabh Bachchan. Since 1999, the company operates a modern plant and machinery in Mysore from where it produced its famous men's apparels ranging from formal to casuals, but after the financial crisis hit a few years ago, it continued with truncated operations. Disclaimer: Information, facts or opinions expressed in this news article are presented as sourced from IANS and do not reflect views of Moneylife and hence Moneylife is not responsible or liable for the same. As a source and news provider, IANS is responsible for accuracy, completeness, suitability and validity of any information in this article. While the government has been busy making loud claims of savings and delivery of benefits due to Aadhaar, the Rajya Sabha was told that there was no study conducted to evaluate benefits of Aadhaar linking to Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA) scheme and its beneficiaries. Rajya Sabha member Ritabrata Banerjee had asked the question to know if there was any study conducted to evaluate benefits of Aadhaar linking in timelines of payments, increasing enrolment, removing corruption and identifying fakes and duplicates in the MGNREGA scheme. In his written reply, Narendra Singh Tomar, minister of rural development, said, "No such study to evaluate benefits of Aadhaar linking in respect of MGNREGA, has been got conducted by the Ministry." According to the minister, out of pl convert to millions MGNREGA workers, the Aadhaar number pl convert to millions (89%) active workers have been seeded into MGNREGA programme database (NREGASoft). "Use of Aadhaar under MGNREGA has brought transparency in the system and minimised leakages of fund," he claimed. Replying to a question on whether the government is providing and promoting an Aadhaar opt-out option, Mr Tomar stated that the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has not created any general option to exit from Aadhaar. He claimed "...such an exit option has only been mandated for children who have been enrolled with consent of their parents provided that they do not intend to avail the benefits of the scheme. No general option to exit for Aadhaar was laid down by the Supreme Court as a binding direction and consequently no such option has been created." However, what the minister had stated is not complete truth. The Supreme Court, in its judgement on 26 September 2018, had allowed anyone to exit from the scheme. The apex court had said, Since we have held that enrolment is voluntary in nature, those who specifically refuse to give the consent, they would be allowed to exit from Aadhaar scheme. (page 441 of 567) "Those persons who need to avail any subsidy, benefit or service would need Aadhaar in any case...On the other hand, those who do not get any benefit of the nature prescribed under Section 7 of the Act, it would always be open for them not to make use of Aadhaar card or to make use of this card in a limited sense, namely, showing it as a proof of their identity, without undergoing any authentication process," the apex court had said. Earlier in 2014, responding to queries filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the UIDAI had admitted that there is no way to delete biometric data if a person wants to opt out of Aadhaarthere is no exit. Even during the marathon hearing before the five-judge constitutional bench of the Supreme Court, attorney general (AG) KK Venugopal too admitted that there were no field level studies for audit of exception registers or verification of enrolment rejections. The AG had also accepted that there was no opt-out in Aadhaar even for children who are enrolled after they attain age of consent. This was overruled by the apex court and allowed children to opt-out of Aadhaar after attaining age of consent. Earlier in July 2018, in a written answer, Ram Kripal Yadav, minister of state for rural development, had said "As per management information system (MIS), states and union territories have deleted 1.94 crore beneficiaries registered under the MGNREGS during FY2017-18. The reasons are fake identity, duplicate job cards, wrong allocation, deceased, and person shifted to new family." Nuke War! | 10) North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times. Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works! US President Donald Trump plans to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Vietnam on February 27 and 28, Politico reported on Tuesday. Trump disclosed the date in a meeting with television anchors, Politico said. He was expected to announce details of the summit with Kim during his annual State of the Union address to Congress later on Tuesday. It was not immediately clear in which city the meeting would take place. Trump first met Kim on June 12 in Singapore and has been eager to hold a second summit in spite of a lack of concrete progress in persuading North Korea to give up a nuclear weapons program that threatens the United States. Communist-ruled Vietnam, which has good relations with both the United States and North Korea, had been widely touted as the most likely venue for the meeting. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Vietnam in July and urged North Korea to follow its example, saying Trump believed Pyongyang could replicate Hanoi's path to normal relations with Washington and prosperity after its own war with the United States. U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun was due to hold talks in Pyongyang this week to map out what he called "a set of concrete deliverables" for the second meeting. Former UK Prime Minister Theresa May British Prime Minister Theresa May tried to break the deadlock over Brexit on February 6 by thrashing out alternative proposals for the Irish border with political parties in Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom is on course to leave the European Union on March 29 without a deal unless May can convince the bloc to reopen the divorce deal she agreed in November and then sell it to sceptical British lawmakers. As companies and governments across Europe step up preparations for the turmoil of a no-deal exit, diplomats and officials said the United Kingdom now faces three main options: a no-deal exit, a last-minute deal or a delay to Brexit. At meetings in Belfast, May tried to tackle the biggest obstacle to getting a deal ratified by the British parliament - an insurance policy covering the possible future arrangements for the border between EU-member Ireland and the British province of Northern Ireland. "We will find a way to deliver Brexit that honours our commitments to Northern Ireland," May said on February 5. May said she would seek an alternative arrangement which avoids the need for a hard border or legally binding changes to the border backstop to introduce a time limit or create an exit mechanism. Brexit has snagged on the 310-mile (500-km) frontier because there is disagreement on how to monitor trade without physical checks on the border, which was marked by military checkpoints before a 1998 peace deal ended three decades of sectarian conflict. MAY TO BRUSSELS As a way to prevent a hard border, Brussels and London agreed a so-called backstop - basically a promise that unless the sides come up with a better idea then the United Kingdom would remain bound by EU market and customs rules so that goods would not have to be checked. But the Northern Irish party which props up May's minority government says it could endanger the province's place in the United Kingdom, while Brexit supporters in May's Conservative Party worry it would lock the country into EU rules for the long term. British ministers, The Sun newspaper said, have been examining a plan drawn up by Japan's Fujitsu to track trade across the border, while the Telegraph said ministers had discussed delaying Brexit by eight weeks. May is due to meet European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and then European Council President Donald Tusk in Brussels on Thursday. While the EU has been clear it does not want to reopen the divorce deal, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said a creative solution could break the impasse. But diplomats in Brussels said they had heard no new proposals from London and the risk of a no-deal exit was increasing. EU leaders, diplomats said, were frustrated at May's failure to build a consensus on Brexit. Delaying Brexit would extend rather than resolve the uncertainty that is hurting the economy, Britain's business minister Greg Clark told a parliament committee on February 6. U.S. President Donald Trump rallies with supporters in a hangar at Missoula International Airport in Missoula, Montana, U.S. October 18, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC1ABB606CE0 President Donald Trump was to urge unity in his State of the Union speech on February 5 but the new spirit of bipartisanship risked withering before he even reached the podium. The White House said the annual speech to Congress would see an "optimistic" Trump seeking to heal the Republican-Democratic divide. "The president is calling for unity," senior advisor Kellyanne Conway told Fox News. However, the president got into a testy exchange with the senior Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, just hours before he was due to give the nationally televised address from the chamber of the House of Representatives. "The state of the Trump economy is failing America's middle class," Schumer tweeted. "The state of the Trump healthcare system is failing American families. The state of the Trump Administration is chaos." Trump ripped back at Schumer for "already criticizing my State of the Union speech, even though he hasn't seen it yet." Another tough preview was due a few minutes before the speech when Democratic Senator Kamala Harris, who has announced a challenge to Trump in the 2020 presidential election, planned a so-called "prebuttal." Once Trump finishes, the Democrats were to field another woman, Stacey Abrams, who almost upset the odds to win Georgia's governorship, to deliver the traditional rebuttal. At the heart of the rancor is Trump's single-minded drive -- and failure -- to get congressional funding for walls along the US-Mexican border. Trump says a wall or fence is needed to prevent an "invasion" of Central American migrants whom he repeatedly casts as a horde of killers and rapists. In his latest tweet on the subject on February 5, Trump again resorted to hyperbole, warning of "tremendous numbers" of illegal immigrants approaching, stating "we will build a Human Wall if necessary." Democrats, who took control of the House of Representatives last year and therefore control half of Congress, accuse Trump of fear mongering and refuse to give their approval. The resulting standoff has turned a relatively minor funding debate into an existential test of political strength in the buildup to 2020 presidential elections. The row has seen an ever more frustrated Trump trigger a crippling five-week partial shutdown of government in revenge. Democratic House speaker Nancy Pelosi, who will be sitting a few feet behind Trump during the State of the Union, exacted her own reprisal by forcing the speech to be delayed by a week. Things could soon escalate, with Trump threatening to declare a national emergency so that he can bypass Congress and give himself power to take military funds for his project. Officials say the speech will tout the strength of the US economy, a key element in Trump's 2020 reelection hopes. The White House says he will also propose federal infrastructure spending, an area where Democrats could conceivably join forces with the government. More contentiously, Trump will claim foreign policy successes. That means defending his push -- criticized by some in the security services and many in his own Republican Party -- to withdraw US soldiers from Syria and Afghanistan as soon as possible. Trump is likewise expected to update Congress on China trade talks and on his intention to hold a second summit with reclusive North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, whom he is trying to persuade to give up nuclear weapons. Closer to home, he will likely dial up the pressure on Venezuela's leftist leader Nicolas Maduro. Opposition leader Juan Guaido's envoy to Washington is among the top guests invited to attend the speech. Among those watching Trump from the chamber will be members of Democrat-chaired House investigative committees determined to probe the president's personal finances and other sensitive areas. That's on top of the huge investigation by special prosecutor Robert Mueller, who is charged with examining alleged collusion between the Trump election campaign and the Kremlin. New trouble emerged late Monday with reports that New York federal prosecutors have issued subpoenas in a sweeping probe of suspected fraud and other crimes by Trump's lavish 2016 presidential inauguration committee. "This has nothing to do with the White House," Trump spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told CNN in an attempt to distance the president from the latest scandal. Men walk near the Chinese national flag and a flag of the Bank of China in Beijing, China May 24, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas Peter - RTX37CXR A $300 million loan offered by Bank of China to Sri Lanka is facing delays, government officials familiar with the negotiation told Reuters. The Indian Ocean island nation, a key battleground in the tussle for influence in South Asia between China and traditional regional power India, was due to receive the loan before the end of January, but it is now unlikely to be finalised until later this month, according to four officials. R H S Samaratunga, secretary to the finance ministry and treasury, said Colombo expected a response from the bank by February 20, meaning the loan may not be finalised for several more weeks. "They had asked a few questions and we have responded," he told Reuters. "Then they said they will come back. But now they say they want to consult their head office." Sri Lanka is seeking the loan, which it said could be raised to $1 billion by the end of March, as it struggles to repay foreign debts after a political crisis delayed the government's borrowing plan. The country is due to repay a record $5.9 billion this year, including $2.6 billion in the first three months. "Usually if Chinese banks promise a loan, they give it quickly and on time," a top government official who is aware of the negotiation told Reuters. The official said the negotiation, which was due to be closed in the last week of January, had dragged on after the Chinese bank had asked for "in-depth and lengthy data unlike in the previous negotiations" to compile the loan, and the finance ministry needed more than a week to compile the data. A third official, who is also involved with the negotiation, said Sri Lanka was likely to receive the loan by the end of February, "if all goes well". "We can only start negotiations after February 14 due to Chinese New Year holidays. Then we need to go through cabinet approval," he told Reuters, asking not to be identified because he is not authorised to talk to the media. A fourth official said the government would negotiate on increasing the loan to $1 billion separately after receiving $300 million. Officials from the Bank of China were not immediately available for comment. On January 17, central bank chief told Reuters that the country would receive a $300 million loan from Bank of China before the end of January and another $700 million by end-March. Investor confidence took a hit when President Maithripala Sirisena abruptly sacked Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in October, replaced him with pro-China former president Mahinda Rajapaksa and dissolved parliament. Sri Lanka's top court then ruled the dissolution of parliament was illegal and Wickremesinghe was reinstated in December, but the seven-week-long crisis has strained state finances. A series of credit rating downgrades during the crisis has made it harder for Sri Lanka to tap international capital markets. The Bangladesh Bank has filed a lawsuit in New York federal court to recover the lost $81 million in one of the biggest cyber heists in history in 2016. The New York Federal Reserve is supporting the Bank by providing technical assistance and International payments network SWIFT has signed an agreement to rebuild its infrastructure, according to a Reuter report. The lawsuit is filed against Manila-based Rizal Commercial Banking Corp (RCBC), for its alleged role in a conspiracy aimed at stealing nearly $1 billion from Bangladesh banks New York Federal Reserve account. RCBC has called the legal action Bangladesh Bank filed on Thursday as beyond the U.S. jurisdiction, completely baseless and nothing more than a thinly veiled PR campaign to shift blame from itself, Reuters reports. In a statement released to the media, the NY Fed said on Friday, that the New York Fed and Bangladesh Bank believe that safe and reliable funds transfer services are critical for global financial stability, and that the type of fraud perpetrated on Bangladeshs account at the New York Fed represents a threat to the international funds transfer system. This agreement demonstrates that the New York Fed and Bangladesh Bank are aligned in the pursuit of recovering the funds and directing litigation against those who were complicit in or benefitted from the fraud." A day later, SWIFT too came out in support of the Bangladesh bank. SWIFT, the New York Fed and Bangladesh Bank have worked together since the cyber fraud event occurred ... to recover the entire proceeds of the crime and to bring the perpetrators to justice in cooperation with law enforcement from other jurisdictions, SWIFT said in a statement to Reuters. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey recently hinted at a new feature on the platform that users have long been demanding - the ability to edit tweets. The social media platform currently doesnt have an edit feature for tweets. A topic that has become of the primary point of contention among millions of Twitter users, apart from demanding the permanent ban of vile users. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey spoke about the idea of an edit feature on the Joe Rogan Podcast. Speaking about the feature during the interview, Dorsey told Rogan, You could build it as such, so maybe we introduce a 5-second to 30-second delay in the sending. And within that window, you can edit. Dorsey explained that the microblogging site was built on the SMS format of text messaging, where a tweet works the same way as an SMS, once you send it, you cant get it back. Dorsey made it clear during the duration of the podcast that an edit feature that lets users go back, and correct tweets would likely take the spontaneity out of tweeting. This isnt the first time Dorsey has spoken about the edit feature. During a visit to India, he asked a hall full of students from the Indian Institute of Technology if an edit feature should be added to the platform. At the discussion with the IIT students, Jack spoke about the flawed reasoning behind having a permanent edit button that would enable users to go back and correct tweets, regardless of the time. However, the real-time nature of the platform which separates it from the likes of other social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram would be compromised if such a feature existed. What users can expect though is a small window to correct minor errors in tweets like spellings, wrong URLs, grammar and typos. Along with other sectors, the film industry also benefited from the digital revolution in India. The industrys love story with digital technology began somewhere in 2005-2006. But it came into full force only in 2008-2009. As of now, 100 percent screens in India have been digitized. But what is digitisation? Primarily, digitisation is the use of digital technology to project motion pictures and also to distribute them. This means that India has moved from an analogue content to media, that can be distributed online. The use of digital technology is not restricted to conversion from an analogue to digital prints, it is also used for marketing and merchandising. But how is digitisation turning out to be a game changer for the film industry? Talking to Moneycontrol, Pankaj Jaysinh, COO, UFO Moviez, listed few benefits of digitisation. "One cost we earlier had was of maintaining negatives. If not stored properly they go bad. Now storage of content is digital which will remain in the same condition year on year. So, the cost has come down drastically." Thanks to digitisation, there are multiple pan-India releases, there is the flexibility of programming, which makes it cost-effective, Jaysinh said. The cost of showing a movie has also come down due to digitisation, Jaysinh added. The cost of an analogue print is somewhere around Rs 45,000-50,000. On the other hand, digital prints cost around Rs 12,000. "Moving the print from point A to point B is not required for a digital print and can be sent via satellite. While shifting from one point to another, the film can get pirated so even that gets eliminated due to digitisation. It is a huge cost saving, both directly and indirectly." Adding to this, Siddharth Anand Kumar, VP, Films and TV, Saregama and Yoodlee Films said that digital distribution not only helps the viewers to watch the film simultaneously all across the country but also helps film producers to reach relevant audiences and increase the number of prints without any additional costs. He cited a few examples. Akshay Kumar-starrer Singh is Kinng was released via digital distribution. The film had released simultaneously in around 400 odd digital theatres. In 2008, Ghajini, starring Aamir Khan, released with the maximum number of prints in India 1,200 (both digital and analogue versions). In 2013, Dhoom 3 released with 4,500 prints, and almost all were digital. This upset the apple cart completely and the exhibition process of films wasn't the same, he said. Privacy proof But according to Jaysinh, the biggest saving from digitisation is cut down of piracy. "Cinema has opened up in the vaguest of the places and smallest of the towns. In such places, there were video parlours. Now there is no need for it because at the same price people can watch the movie legally. You cannot 100 percent eliminate piracy but you can dilute it." According to a research paper titled The Digitisation of Bollywood: Adapting to disruptive innovation, incorporating watermarks which are invisible to the naked eye is one way to deal with the issue of piracy. "UFO Moviez has digital cinema systems that provide watermarking in each cinema wherein the system creates a unique fingerprint when projecting the digital movie on the screen in a non-intrusive manner," said Rajesh Mishra Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Indian operations, UFO Moviez. Mishra further said that using this technology security feature, it is possible to trace, from a pirated CD or DVD, the name and location of the theatre where the film was illegally videographed, along with other co-ordinates like time, date, thus, helping to crack down on piracy. Another way to deal with the menace of piracy is a simultaneous release in a large number of theatres. This also leads to a larger reach of cinema. Same day theatrical release of films in urban, rural and sometimes even overseas cinemas reduces the scope of piracy. Along with that, digitisation helps in multiple pan-India releases and there is the flexibility of programming which makes it cost-effective. "Digitisation ensures that the film is released at the same time, on the same day all across India. Earlier the single screens in small towns would have a film release almost 2-4 weeks post the actual date of release. With the advent of digital prints, this gap was bridged. In single screens, digitisation ensures superior quality of the prints, but this, of course, needs the single screens to spruce up their exhibition facilities to support the new age prints," Kumar said. Advantage single screen Digitisation has made a huge difference to single screens. Jaysinh said that due to this change "multiple programming is happening in single screens". In addition, due to the digitisation, single screens have come under one roof which helps them to increase their advertising revenues. Before digitisation, to advertise in individually owned theatres an advertiser would have to meet that many theatre owners. This changed after digitisation as companies like UFO Moviez and Qube centrally perform the selling, display and serving of advertisements to their respective networks. Digitisation has also helped small films as they are making it big in the market because of this new wave. "It (digitisation) saves costs in its (smaller films) pre-production and post-production stage. With digitisation, one can see and rectify glitches in the shoot on the go, and this is tantamount to saving costs in re-shooting - something that small films don't find it easy to bear. Better marketing The marketing push for films also got a boost with digitisation as trailer and music launch started happening on social media platforms. Films create a lot of buzz with their promos/teasers and music prior to their release. Platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, YouTube are essentially used for online marketing. "With the advent of digital production of films, producers can target the relevant markets where they want to release the film. Given that the film is allowed the same day and date release all over, marketing communication and strategy is effectively channeled for its release," Kumar said. Also, when it comes using the digital content on multiple platforms like internet or mobile, which are expected to emerge as major contributors to the film industry's overall future revenues, digital content is less complex. New genres are being tried by the filmmakers thanks to digitisation. For example, animation was nearly non-existent in Bollywood before the advent of digitisation but that has changed. Animation as a sector is growing in the industry. Digitisaton has made a difference in all the three stages of film-making. "From the very way a film is conceptualized, to the whole process of shooting and finally what comes across as the finished product - digitisation has changed the whole filmmaking process," Kumar explained. "Be it the pre-production stage, where the story is developed; the production stage, where one can actually look into the footage that is shot and correct it on the spot or the post-production stage where the entire film can be given a new look/tone/texture - digitisation has been influential at every stage," Kumar said. Rahul gandhi_President_Congress Congress president Rahul Gandhi will be in Ajmer on February 14 to address a state-level Sewa Dal convention, Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot said in a statement on Wednesday. He said the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee has also invited the party chief to speak at a gathering in Udaipur on March 1. A state election committee meeting was also held Wednesday, for selecting Lok Sabha poll nominees. As per the statement, a meeting chaired by Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot in the presence of party general secretary Avinash Pandey and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot unanimously decided to authorise Congress President Rahul Gandhi for selecting nominees for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. It was also decided to conduct a two-day training camp for Congress workers on February 11 and 12 in Bada Padampura of Jaipur. A training camp from February 15 to 25 will be held for booth management and other polls practices. The Department of Telecom will seek views of telecom regulator TRAI on allocation of spectrum worth Rs 65,000 crore to Indian Railways without auction, a top official said Tuesday. "Indian Railways has asked for 10 Mhz of spectrum in 700 Mhz band for setting up public safety and security service. The Digital Communications Commission has decided that the DoT should take view of Trai in the matter," Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan told reporters after the meeting of Digital Communications Commission (DCC). The radiowaves in 700 Mhz band considered premium for long distance mobile communications as it required less number of mobile towers to provide services compared to 3G and 4G services. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has recommended base price of Rs 6,568 crore per megahertz of radiowaves in 700 Mhz band implying the total value of airwaves is around Rs 65,680 crore at the reserve price. The frequency band is earmarked for mobile services and allocating it to Indian Railways for non-commercial use may also adversely impact levies like adjusted gross revenue, spectrum usage charges and licence fee collected. Besides, the DCC, formerly Telecom Commission, in its meeting held Tuesday decided to allow government's engineering and consultancy firm Telecommunications Consultants India Limited (TCIL) to raise funds by diluting 25 per cent stake. "The DCC decision is in line with that of Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs to disinvest 25 per cent in the company. TCIL had requested to carry on piggy back transaction of 10 per cent which DCC approved. TCIL has been allowed to retain fund raised from 10 per cent stake for working capital and rest of the 15 per cent will go to the government," Sundararajan said. In a move to boost setting up of VSAT based network, the DCC reduced entry fee on VSAT to Rs 15 lakh from Rs 30 lakh and waived fee of Rs 16 lakh that organisations required to pay for each VSAT hub thereafter. Further, the DCC approved bringing of audio-conferencing service under ambit of telecom licence as it was once used by a company to provide free calls on mobile phones though app by using landline connections. Calls made from landline connections do not attract any interconnection usage charges while it is charged between a mobile to mobile call made on different networks. The DCC also rejected a proposal of Trai to create data aggregators as it felt already many players are doing similar work and the commission decided against creating a new category for data services under telecom licences. A tourist from Belgium who had come to India in December for a trip had to fly back to her country after men posed as police officers allegedly harassed and duped her. The victim later wrote a complaint to the Belgium Embassy, and the case has been forwarded to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Esther Deleu, the Belgian tourist, stated that she landed in Delhi on December 6 at around 4 pm and took an auto to her hotel. When she reached Minto Road, the auto driver took her to a parking lot. Two men, dressed as police officers showed her their cards of police and informed her that the area near her hotel was cordoned off because of protests. She was asked not to go ahead without the permission of the tourist police. The two men then gave her an address to the police centre. The auto driver dropped her to the spot where six men in uniform were already waiting. Deleu also said that the accused asked her to remove her gold jewellery as it would cut her fingers. When she informed them about her hotel booking, they informed her that the reservation was cancelled. The tourist was then taken to a travel agency where she was offered cake and water. The two men at the travel agency suggested her expensive hotels for hours after which she accepted an offer for a hotel room for $40. She further wrote in the email that she was given a room with no windows and internet connectivity. I locked myself inside the room as people knocked on the door. I was paralysed. I contacted my friend in Rishikesh, who called the hotel where I was supposed to stay and discovered that my booking was never cancelled, she told by The Indian Express. She mentioned that many people knocked at the door as she had locked the room from the inside until the manager of the hotel came to the rescue. Deleu then took the first flight to her country and after two months, gathered the courage to inform the Belgium Embassy, which further informed the MEA and the Delhi Police Commissioner Madhur Verma. Verma told The Hindu , Based on the complaint, a case under relevant sections of Delhi Prevention of Touting and Malpractices against Tourist Act and cheating has been registered on Saturday. The victim is being contacted. He also said that the police is investigating and looking into the places mentioned by Deleu in her complaint. Apples smartwatch Watch Series 4 is not just known to be one of the best fitness trackers that notifies users about text messages and calls, but also as a life-saving device. The smartwatch is reported to have saved life of a 67-year-old in Norway. Toralv Ostvang, from Norway, has credited Apple Watch 4 for saving his life after he fainted and hit his head in the washroom. The watch has a feature where after a fall if it does not detect any movement from the user for more than 60 seconds, it alerts emergency services. As soon as the watch sent an alert message to the police, help arrived within half an hour. Ostvang sustained four fractures on his face. His daughter, Kirsti Ostvang told national broadcast company NRK that without the smartwatch, there could have been a high probability of her father dying. She further stated that her father was not carrying his phone in the bathroom and it was amazing that the watch alarmed the officials who helped him survive after the severe fall. How does Fall Detection work in Apple Watch 4? The watch 4 has sensors like accelerometer and gyroscope that are used in fall detection. They measure up to 32 g-forces and use custom algorithms to calculate and identify if hard falls hurt the user. When a fall is detected, the Watch 4 will analyse wrist trajectory and impact acceleration to alert the user. The user can dismiss the alert or choose to inform the emergency services. However, if the user does not perform either of the actions, the watch would automatically notify the emergency services and send a message with the location to the emergency contacts updated by the user. This feature is exclusive to Apple Watch Series 4 and by default activated for users above 65 years. Blast from the Past This is not the first time an Apple Watch has been a part of life-saving operations. Five such cases have been reported in the past wherein users credited the watch for notifying them about a possible life-threatening condition or contacted emergency services due to no response from the user. The watch also features electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) that monitor the users heart-rate and inform them to get medically checked in case of any possible irregularity. Users have written to Tim Cook, Apple CEO, thanking him for providing such life-saving features Chinese manufacturers have dominated Indian markets with their budget smartphones that offer unrivalled price-to-performance. But one Chinese manufacturer that has remained predominantly silent in Indian markets is now taking it to the next level. Chinese smartphone manufacturer Coolpad has launched Coolpad Cool 3 in India at Rs 5,999. Tough Competition The Chinese phone maker previously launched the Coolpad Note 6 back in May 2018 with decent specs for its Rs 8,165 price tag. With an 8MP and 5MP front camera sensors and a 13MP rear camera, the Coolpad Note 6 sported a pretty decent camera for its price range. Other stellar features of the phone were the 64GB storage, 4GB of RAM and a 4070 mAH battery. Writing Past Wrongs Perhaps the only downside to the Note 6 was its lousy screen-to-body ratio and unimpressive design. With the Coolpad Cool 3, it attempts to correct those flaws. Coolpad Cool 3 Specifications The Coolpad Cool 3 couples Android 9 Pie with a 5.71-inch HD+ (720x1500 pixels) display. It is powered by the 1.3GHz octa-core Unisoc processor, paired with 2GB of RAM. While it has dual SIM slots, internal storage it offers is 16GB expandable up to 128GB. On the camera front, the Coolpad Cool 3 has an 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 0.3-megapixel camera. The front side has a 5-megapixel snapper for selfies. Coolpad Cool 3 packs a 3,000mAh battery and connectivity options include Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi, 4G VoLTE, and more. Win-Win for the Consumer All things considered, the launch of the Coolpad Cool 3 right after Samsungs M series smartphones only reiterates the importance of Indias rising budget phone market. As manufacturers flood the budget smartphone space, consumers stand to greatly benefit from the steep competition. Abraham Loeb Moneycontrol News Abraham Loeb, Harvards top scientist, raked up controversy recently after he stated that at least one alien spacecraft exists among us. Supporting his theory, Loeb told Chicago Tribune that his theory is based on a calculation. The remark came in view of an interstellar object being sighted at a remote patch of our galaxy. While almost every astronomer was trying to figure out how the object dubbed 'Oumuamua' Hawaiian for scout, got there, Loeb went on to suggest it came from another civilisation. Loeb wrote with his colleague Shmuel Bialy in a journal Letters in November: "Considering an artificial origin, one possibility is that Oumuamua is a lightsail, floating in the space as a debris from an advanced technological equipment." His peers, however, were left irked by the remarks, who found the theory to be flimsy and wondered why Loeb, a revered scientist, would push for a such a theory on the existence of aliens. Interestingly, even before Loeb - the head of Harvards astronomy department had made this controversial statement, he was known for his lectures on cosmic modesty where he explained it as an idea that states it is arrogant to believe we are alone in the universe. The Shiv Sena on February 6 backed police action against activist and academician Anand Teltumbde, and sought to draw a parallel between those linked to the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune and terror outfit Al-Qaeda. It said constant attacks on police, administration and law, raising doubts over the state government and demoralising people is the strategy of militant organisation Al-Qaeda. "People supporting Elgar Parishad also have a similar strategy," the Sena said in hard-hitting comments in an editorial published in the party's mouthpiece 'Saamana'. Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar dubbed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) a terrorist body but it is a radical nationalist organisation, the Sena said. Teltumbde, who the police claim has Maoist links, is an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Koregaon Bhima case registered by Pune Police. The case was filed following violent clashes at Koregaon-Bhima village near Pune district in Maharashtra on January 1, 2018. The activist was arrested last week in the case and then released following a sessions court order. He was booked following the Elgar Parishad event on December 31, 2017, which, the police alleged, triggered violent clashes the next day at Koregaon-Bhima. According to police, the event was funded and supported by Maoists. "The Koregaon-Bhima riots where Dalits were attacked has caused a vertical split in society. Sowing the seeds of rebellion, creating and spreading such literature and raising funds for it is the actual work of Maoist intellectuals. Al-Qaeda and intellectuals linked to Elgar have a similar style of functioning," the Sena said. It said people facing criminal charges such as murder, corruption and massacre get acquitted at times, which does not necessarily mean they are innocent and Teltumbde's supporters should know this. The Sena claimed some serious "anti-national activities" were being planned, and portraying police as criminals was the beginning of such a conspiracy. "Hence, this is the right time to stand firmly with police," the Uddhav Thackeray-led party said. It also objected to the term 'Dalit academic' used to refer Teltumbde, saying it was an insult to tag caste with a person's intelligence. "People having a soft corner towards the Naxal movement cooked up the plan to spew venom of casteism in Maharashtra," the editorial said, adding that "bogus intellectuals" reacted to the action against Teltumbde and other intellectuals like Varavara Rao, Arun Perreira, Vernon Gonsalves and Sudha Bhardwaj as if the "sky was falling". The court offered them, including Teltumbde, some respite, but does it mean police should not do any thing, wondered the Sena, an ally of the BJP in Maharashtra and at the Centre. "Police have presented proof of their (activists) speeches and venom-spewing literature. All these people were key persons to destabilise the country," the Sena alleged. Their high academic qualifications have offered them some prestige and they created good contacts in fields of administration, law and judiciary and education sectors, it said. "These people have used such a network to spread the destructive thoughts of Naxalites and Maoism," the editorial alleged. In a way, these people are "sponsors or preachers of terrorism", it said, adding that intellectuals also need to abide by law. These people despise 'Hindutva' and defame the country on international platforms, the editorial said. "Prakash Ambedkar calls RSS a terrorist organisation. Ambedkar's associates are AIMIM leader Owaisi and they support (former JNU students' union head) Kanhaiya Kumar, Teltumbde and (Dalit activist and Gujarat MLA) Jignesh Mevani. RSS is a radical nationalist organisation," the Sena said. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra with her husband Robert Vadra at the coronation ceremony of Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi. (PTI) Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra is expected to appear before the Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday in connection with a money laundering case relating to alleged possession of illegal foreign assets, official sources said. Vadra was directed by a Delhi court to cooperate with the investigation being carried out by the central probe agency after he knocked on its door seeking anticipatory bail in this case. The sources said Vadra, once he appears, will be grilled about the transactions, purchase and possession of certain immovable assets in London and his statement will be recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. A Delhi court last week granted interim bail to him till February 16 and asked him to join probe by appearing in person on February 6 in this case. The case relates to allegations of money laundering in the purchase of a London-based property located at 12, Bryanston Square worth 1.9 million pounds, which is allegedly owned by Vadra, brother-in-law of Congress president Rahul Gandhi. The agency had told the court that it has received information about various new properties in London which belongs to Vadra including two houses of five and four million each, six other flats and more properties. "We just want him to come and inform about his properties," the ED counsel had said in the court. In his anticipatory bail plea, Vadra had said he was being subjected to "unwarranted, unjustified and malicious criminal prosecution which on the face of it is completely politically motivated and is being carried out for reasons other than those prescribed under law". The ED had carried out raids in this case in December last year at premises of a firm linked to Vadra in Delhi. It also grilled his associate Manoj Arora in connection with the case. Vadra had alleged he was being "hounded and harassed" to subserve political ends. Arora had also alleged before the court that the case was foisted on him by the NDA government out of "political vendetta". However, the ED had refuted the allegations, asking that "should no authority investigate any political bigwig because that will be called a political vendetta?" The agency had told the court that it filed the money laundering case against Arora after his role came up during the probe of another case by the Income Tax Department under the 2015 anti-blackmoney legislation against absconding arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari. It had alleged that the London-based property was bought by Bhandari for GBP 1.9 million and sold in 2010 for the same amount despite incurring additional expenses of approximately GBP 65,900 on its renovation. "This gives credence to the fact that Bhandari was not the actual owner of the property but it was beneficially owned by Vadra who was incurring expenditure on the renovation of this property," the ED had told the court. Arora, an employee of Vadra's Skylight Hospitality LLP, was a key person in the case and he was aware of the latter's overseas undeclared assets and was instrumental in arranging funds, ED had alleged. Sitaram Yechury A meeting between Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury has led to speculation of a possible pact in West Bengal. Both the Congress and the CPM-led Left Front have been sidelined in West Bengal over the years. While Mamata Banerjee-led All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) is in power in the state, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has emerged as the number two. The meeting comes days after Gandhi called Banerjee to express his support against the BJP after officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) tried to question Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar. Banerjee was staging a dharna to protest the development. While Yechury claimed that he stumbled upon Gandhi in Parliaments Central Hall, Congress functionaries were quoted by the Hindustan Times as saying that the two met at the latters office in Parliament. The functionaries added that the two discussed a wide range of issues and briefly touched upon the subject of a pact in West Bengal. The pact would, however, be short of an alliance, the report suggests. Both leaders said they would prefer to wait for reports from their state units before taking any decision. The two sides had formed an alliance for the 2016 West Bengal Assembly election. Congress and CPM ended up winning 44 and 26 seats respectively in the 295-member Assembly. The Left parties together had won 32 seats. During CPMs Party Congress meeting in Hyderabad in 2018, an understanding with the Congress had been approved, but a political alliance had been ruled out. Congress and the CPM continue to be rivals in Kerala where the BJP has had no success so far. **BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE** New Delhi: Newly appointed Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra meets families living at Aurangzeb Road cluster housing in New Delhi, Tuesday, Feb 5, 2019. (PTI Photo) (PTI2_5_2019_000206B) Newly inducted All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary for Uttar Pradesh (East), Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, kick started her political journey by meeting slum dwellers at New Delhis Aurangzeb Road housing cluster on February 5. The Gandhi scion's entry into active politics was announced last month when she was on a personal visit abroad. She returned to India on February 4. Gandhi reached the Aurangzeb Road cluster housing on February 5 night to visit a differently-abled boy Ashish, who she has been reportedly aiding for years now. She met Ashish and his family, and enquired about his health. Delhi:Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visited a differently-abled boy Ashish at Aurangzeb Road cluster housing,today.Ashish's father Subhash Yadav says,"She comes every 2 months,spends time with us&asks us about our well-being.She has been helping us in Ashish's treatment for last 3-4 yrs" pic.twitter.com/JXUsO2wqAN ANI (@ANI) February 5, 2019 "She comes every two months, spends time with us and asks us about our well-being. She has been helping us in Ashish's treatment for last three-four years," Ashishs father told news agency ANI. Gandhis entry into active politics has created a lot of buzz in political circles and within the Congress. Observers feel that the visit, instead of holding a rally or a road show as her first appearance after taking over, is an attempt to send out a message that her focus is on the common man. Earlier in the day, she met Congress President and brother Rahul Gandhi at the latters residence, along with other Congress leaders. She is expected to attend a meeting of AICC General Secretaries and in-charges of states in Delhi on February 7, to chalk-out strategy for the Lok Sabha elections due by April-May. Another meeting of Congress state unit chiefs and Congress legislative party leaders is also lined up on February 9. Rahul Gandhi Hitting out at the government on the issue of unemployment and farmer distress, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday dubbed Prime Minister Narendra Modi "jumla raja" (king of rhetoric) and his rule "chaupat raj" (regime of ruin). Using Twitter to take a swipe at the prime minister, he tagged a media report on the unemployment situation in Uttar Pradesh, claiming that youth with even PhD degrees are applying for class IV jobs. "Farmers do not get the right prices, the youth do not get the right jobs, in 'jumla raja's chaupat raj', no hard working person gets respect," the Congress chief said in a tweet in Hindi. Gandhi has been highly critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue of unemployment and has often accused him of not fulfilling his promise -- before coming to power-- of providing two crore jobs per year to the youth. The Congress chief has also attacked Modi for not providing adequate prices to farmers for their produce. BJP_bhartiya Janta party Opposition BJP in Karnataka on February 6 disrupted Governor Vajubhai Vala's address to the joint sitting of the state legislature here. This is the first session after the cabinet expansion in December and political turmoil that engulfed the state following the alleged attempt by the BJP to topple the government by poaching disgruntled legislators of the ruling JD(S)-Congress coalition. As soon as the governor started his customary address to the joint sitting, BJP members entered the Well of the House, asking him not to deliver the address. "You are made to read lies, so please don't read it," BJP members said. However, Vala continued with his speech, even as BJP members intensified their sloganeering. "We don't want a bundle of lies to be read. Down down... the government that has lost majority and trust," they shouted. As the BJP's protest intensified, the governor said he is concluding his address, and it should be deemed as read. Vala read out the last paragraph of his speech. Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, who also holds the Finance portfolio, is scheduled to present his coalition governments second budget on February 8. PM Modi only no. 1 in party | Asked who was the number 2 in the party, Shah said: There is only number one in our party and that is Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Were you to look for a number two after him, you would not find any. As far as the leadership of the party is concerned, I am very happy to be leading the worlds largest party and often seek suggestions from my seniors whenever occasion arises. BJP president Amit Shah said on Wednesday the upcoming Lok Sabha elections will be Prime Minister Narendra Modi versus the rest. Shah, while addressing a meeting of BJP booth workers here, also said the BJP has rid Uttar Pradesh of goons and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has tackled the land mafia problem in the state. "Upar Modi, neechey Yogi (Modi as prime minister and Adityanath as chief minister). This general election will be Modi versus the rest," he said, adding that this would be the poll scenario in Uttar Pradesh. "The BJP has rid Uttar Pradesh of goons, of parivaarvad. Yogi has tackled land mafia in Uttar Pradesh. Goons are now scared of cops," the BJP chief said. Shah said crime was under control in the state after Yogi Adityanath government came to power. Slamming the alliance between the SP and the BSP for the parliamentary polls, he said, "We will put Aligarh locks on their shop. BJP workers will put Aligarh locks on the shop of Buaa-Bhatija (Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav)." Aligarh is known for locks, now a dying industry. Shah said, "Reporters often ask me that when buaa and bhatija have come together, then how 74 seats will be won in UP? I say that if you see the sea of party workers, you will come to know that from where 74 seats will come." The BJP is different from other parties, as victory is guaranteed by the booth level workers and not by any one leader, he said. Q20. Sir Chhotu Ram was the originator of the concept of compensating the farmer for at least the expenses incurred by him on farming. The concept has now evolved into 'Minimum Support Price'. What was his most famous creation? The Congress' farmers' unit president Nana Patole alleged that by promising Rs 17 a day to farmers in the Union Budget, the government has added salt to their injuries. The All India Kisan Congress chairman, addressing a press conference here, said a farmer's family cannot even afford tea with the amount announced for them. At the conference, some farmers displayed cheques of Rs 17, which they said they would send to the prime minister as part of their protest. Patole said by paying Rs 17 a day to farmers, the government had added salt to the their wounds and would have to pay for it. Union Finance Minister Piyush Goyal, in the Interim Budget, announced that farmers will be provided Rs 6,000 per year in three installments under a central government scheme. This translates into Rs 16.44 daily. P Chidambaram Fear rules the country today and there is a danger that the Constitution will be replaced by a document inspired by Hindutva, claims senior Congress leader P Chidambaram. The former Union minister of finance and home says this scenario will be the end of the 'idea of India' given to us by the founding fathers, adding to restore that idea will require nothing less than another freedom struggle and another Mahatma Gandhi. He makes these comments in his new book "Undaunted: Saving the Idea of India", a collection of his essays published last year. According to the Rajya Sabha member, an economy derailed can be put back on the rails and a society divided can be healed and united but one thing cannot be fixed if it is broken, and that is the Constitution and the constitutional values embodied in that document. At present, every value of the Constitution is under attack - freedom, equality, liberalism, secularism, privacy, scientific temper, etc., he says. "There is a clear and present danger that the Constitution of India will be replaced by a document that will be inspired by an ideology called Hindutva. That will be the end of the 'idea of India' given to us by the founding fathers; and to restore that idea will require nothing less than another freedom struggle and another Mahatma," he writes in the introduction of the book, brought out by Rupa Publications. "I have no hesitation in saying that, today, fear rules India. Every individual lives in fear - fear of the neighbour, fear of self-styled moral brigades, fear of the law applied with an evil mind and unequal hand and, above all, fear of the snooping Indian State," he goes on to say. For reclaiming freedom, fear must be driven away, he says, adding it is not an easy task, but we cannot give up. "Average citizens have summoned the courage to push back against a State in by-elections and elections to State legislatures; however, the task is unfinished, and it must be accomplished in the next hundred days. We have to carry on, undaunted, until we complete the task," he writes. Former Vice President Hamid Ansari has written the book's foreword in which he talks about the efficacy of institutions and cites few examples. "If the Budget is passed without scrutiny and debate by the Parliament; and if important pieces of legislation are endorsed without reference to standing committees or select committees, then it is evident that the Parliament as the designated legislative institution is not doing its duty and the government of the day is failing in its primary duty. "The same holds for several other institutions. Some have imploded, others have faltered on their essential functions. Still others have succumbed to backdoor control. Together they raise doubts in the public mind and undermine the confidence essential in a normal, open, system," Ansari writes. He also rues that an ideological deviation, conscious and unabashedly public, undermines the core values of the Constitution, differentiates between citizens on grounds of faith, seeks to impose a single cultural denominator to homogenise a plural society, and undermines secularism and the principle of fraternity. The essays in the book, which will be launched on Friday, chronicle the events that happened in 2018. They are grouped, subject-wise, into sections and arranged chronologically within each section. According to Chidambaram, although the BJP considers all Opposition politicians as political enemies, he does not regard the BJP as foe. "To me, it is a political party that is at the extreme right of Indian politics and it is for the people of India to accept or reject the party," he says. He also says that miracles could have been performed with the kind of majority that the BJP got on its own (282) and with its allies (336) in the Lok Sabha elections of 2014. "Indeed, Mr Narendra Modi started with a bang. If he ends his term with a whimper, he has no one to blame except himself," Chidambaram writes. Congress and BJP MLA's raise slogans over the issue of chit fund scam during the Budget Session of Odisha Assembly, in Bhubaneswar. (PTI) The proceedings of the Odisha Assembly was disrupted on February 6 as opposition Congress and BJP MLAs raised the farmers issue and demanded the cancellation of the Question Hour. Speaker P K Amat adjourned the House till 3 PM in two phases, first for one hour and later till post lunch session. Soon after the House made obituary reference to Aska MP Ladu Kishore Swain, the BJP and Congress members raised farmer issues and Mandi irregularities. They rushed to the well of the House demanding cancellation of Question Hour for a discussion on the issues. The treasury bench members on their part stood near their seats demanding Special Category status for Odisha. The House also condoled death of freedom fighter and former MLA Priyanath Dey. BJP_bhartiya Janta party The BJP on February 6 flagged off a fleet of 25 'raths' for its 'Bharat Ke Mann Ki Baat, Modi Ke Saath' campaign in Rajasthan to seek suggestions from the public for the party's Lok Sabha election manifesto. The 'raths' carrying suggestion boxes will travel across all the 25 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state. Union MoS for Information and Broadcasting minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore launched 25 specially designed vehicles. "The raths will travel across all the Lok Sabha constituencies. The public will be able to drop their suggestions for the party manifesto in the boxes in the 'raths'. The suggestions will be forwarded to Rajnath Singh in New Delhi for inclusion in the manifesto," Rathore said. "India has a large young population and we are inviting the youth and every citizen of the country for giving their suggestions. The government has always maintained a two-way communication with the public, be it for policy-making or any other programme," he said. Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani said on February 5 no peace deal between the Taliban and the United States could be finalised without involving his government as "the decision-maker". Ghani's government has so far been shut out of the evolving peace talks between Taliban negotiators and US envoys to end more than 17 years of war, with the hardline Islamist movement branding his government a U.S. puppet. He made his remarks in a television interview as Afghan opposition politicians, including his predecessor Hamid Karzai, met Taliban representatives in Moscow. "At the end of any peace deal, the decision-maker will be the government of Afghanistan," Ghani told TOLO News, the country's largest private television station. "No power in the country can dissolve the government," said Ghani, who added he was ready to "stand and defend our country". "Rest assured that no one can push us aside," he said. With both sides hailing progress in talks in Qatar last month, US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad is due to meet Taliban representatives there again on Feb. 25. Ghani's comments were some of the most extensive since he met Khalilzad in Kabul last week after the latest round of talks. He said on Twitter early on Wednesday he had received assurances by phone from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about Washington's commitment to an "enduring partnership" with Afghanistan. Their military partnership was "unwavering" and would remain until a lasting and inclusive peace was achieved, he said. US President Donald Trump referred to the peace talks in his annual State of the Union address on February 5, describing the talks as "constructive" and that Washington would be able to reduce the number of U.S. troops and focus on counter-terrorism efforts as they made progress. "We do not know whether we will achieve an agreement - but we do know that after two decades of war, the hour has come to at least try for peace," Trump said. CEASEFIRE, WITHDRAWAL US officials say any withdrawal is contingent on a ceasefire - something the Taliban insists on happening first - and that the movement must be prepared to enter talks with the Afghan government to help create a durable peace. After two years of intensified attacks by the Taliban on the Afghan government, military and foreign forces, they now control or contest nearly half of the districts across Afghanistan. A ceasefire and the withdrawal of thousands of US-led NATO troops is on the table after Washington secured earlier assurances from the Taliban that they would not allow groups such as al Qaeda and Islamic State to attack the United States and its allies. Western diplomats and security advisers believe a swift foreign pullout would put the stretched Afghan forces under severe strain. "The Taliban said they are ready to sever ties with al Qaeda and the Islamic State, and this is a good development," Ghani said. A US general told a Senate hearing shortly before Ghani's interview was broadcast that the talks were in their early stages and the Afghan government would have to be part of any negotiated solution. "I would characterise where we are in the process as very, very early in the process," U.S. General Joseph Votel, head of the U.S. military's Central Command, told a Senate hearing. Votel also said the United States would need to continue to support Afghan security forces financially even if US troops withdrew. The United States has about 14,000 troops in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led Resolute Support mission and a separate counter-terrorism effort largely directed at groups such as al Qaeda and Islamic State. Some 8,000 troops from 38 other countries also participate in Resolute Support. Way back in the early 90s, when Dhirendra Kumar was just out of college, he managed to convince his parents to break a part of their fixed deposits and invest that money in mutual funds. Fortunately for Kumar, his parents backed their son's instinct and even more fortunately for them, the value of their investment sky rocketed in a mere 18 months. That was the starting point for Kumar's journey into the world of mutual funds. Value Research, the name of the firm founded by Kumar, was born after he received his first paycheck from a leading business daily for a bunch of articles on disinvestment. "I had to craft a name then and there. Value Research. It was not a well-thought-out thing," says Dhirendra recalling that day. "It was not an incorporated company. It was not even a proprietary firm then. So, after I got my cheque as compensation for those 10 company reports, published in Economic Times I went to open a bank account in that name," he says. In a podcast with Moneycontrol, Kumar recounts his journey and learnings as an investor and an entrepreneur. Below is the edited transcript of Dhirendra Kumar's conversation with Moneycontrol Hello and welcome to Moneycontrol Podcast. I am Santosh Nair and with me is Dhirendra Kumar, Founder and Chief Executive of Value Research which runs the mutual fund portal valueresearchonline.com. Dhirendras foray into the world of mutual funds coincided with the opening up of the sector in the early 90s. He is considered a pioneer in mutual fund research and analysis. In addition, Dhirendra also edits two monthly magazines, and writes columns on financial planning, capital market policies and market trends. Thanks for joining us on this podcast, Dhirendra. DK: Thank you, Santosh. SN: So I am hoping that at the end of this conversation, our listeners would get to know about your lifes journey so far as an entrepreneur and investor, understand how the mutual fund industry evolved over the last three odd decades and they could also get some handy tips on mutual fund investing from the expert himself. DK: Yes, that is the core SN: So, Dhirendra tell us what attracted you to Mutual Funds way back in the 90s. At that time, stocks were the big thing. Harshad Mehta was the rock star of the stock market and share prices were shooting through the roof. In comparison, mutual fund as a product was not very well understood. So, what prompted you to take that path? DK: No, it was not a very planned thing. I graduated in 1990 from a college in Delhi, which was away from the fancy part of the city. I had to spend my time after college. So, I went about organising information. The newspaper which I used to buy, I used to clip them, organise them. So, after three years of graduation, I was sitting on a dossier of companies, information which was organised. This was all pre-internet days. You did not have handy information available resulting from a search query. Those dossiers, resulting from three years of boredom, turned out to be wonderful assets. So, my starting point was not mutual funds. My starting point was equity research. I was curious about equity. I was just trying to figure out how things work, and this was also pre-Harshad Mehta, pre-securities scam. I was curious and there was no information available. I had a lot of questions and trying to find those answers and information. There was no CNBC and there was no internet. Those days, all you could do was try and figure out things, try and read things. I was able to put those dossiers and was able to put together a piece which I thought was a little ahead of time. I was able to write stock reports on all the public sector companies, which were likely to go public. The government was thinking of disinvestment. So, that was my early initiative. As a student, I was alone and that was the start of Value Research, in that sense because the public sector disinvestment was announced. I was still in college. I had just landed up at The Economic Times and those were easy dayspre-terrorismso access was easy. I just walked into Swaminathan Aiyars office. He saw my work and said, Why dont we publish it today onward, we will carry it as a series. Ten companies disinvestments were announced. So, that is how Value Research got started. I had to craft a name then and there. Value Research. It was not a well-thought-out thing. It was not an incorporated company. It was not even a proprietary firm then. So, after I got my cheque as compensation for those 10 company reports, published in Economic Times I went to open a bank account in that name. So that was the start of Value Research and then the disinvestment happened and then the mutual fund thing was actually a side thing. In 1990, I persuaded my parents to break their fixed deposit and invest in mutual funds. SN: That was quite adventurous. DK: That was adventurous. But they thought that I might be doing something thoughtful. It was actually great value at that time because accessing equity market for individuals was absolutely impossible. You had to be well-heeled. Brokers never used to attend you, and understandably so. It was a very small market. And the broker was actually taking a lot of risk in terms of deliveries (because of fake share certificates), the ability to get the payment or make the payment if you sell something. Equity mutual funds actually democratised something which was otherwise not accessible to individual investor. Magnum Multiplier Scheme 1990 was the fourth such equity mutual fund. Equity mutual funds were not big then. And the three that were there, the one which existed before that, one was Master Share (UTI) of course. Then we had Canshare and there was another one. And then this MMS 90. So I persuaded my parents to invest in this mutual fund. SN: If I may ask, how much did you ask them to part with? DK: They parted with quite a bit of saving because my parents were government servants. My mom is a teacher and my father was a central government officer. All their savings were in fixed deposits. I was able to persuade them to invest a few lakh rupees and that was quite a remarkable thing because few lakh rupees in those times was quite a bit because we are talking about thirty years ago. That apart, the money actually turned 18 times in flat 18 months. So, this Rs 10 invested became Rs 180, thanks to the great Indian scam and the absolute unawareness about it. This is when my mutual fund thing came in. I was a believer in fact-led thinking and all I did was put together a scorecard of all mutual funds. There were 80 funds then of which only 7-8 were equity funds; remaining were hybrids and fixed income. I was able to put together their names and found they were all closed-end funds. So the basic features like when they started, when they will expire, their maturity date, what are the terms of their maturity, any interim liquidity that will be enabled by the fund company because there used to be partial repurchase possible for something like Master Gain and things like that. There will be start of repurchase, and they were all listed. You could buy them at a steep discount or a big premium and get their net asset value. The disclosure of mutual fund information at that point was absolutely ridiculous. We used to get the NAV of a mutual fund every quarter and that too with a two-month lag and that was also supposed to get published in some hidden newspaper in some back page. You know most of the time it will be appearing in Afternoon Dispatch and Courier or something like that. The cheapest newspaper advertising would be bought by fund companies to do that statutory publishing of those NAVs. I had a piece of information which others didnt have and putting it all together I was able to make a whole story. I was able to understand that all the funds are trading at 10 times-20 times their NAV because the Magnum Multiplier scheme which I was telling you which multiplied 18 times, the NAV of that was about Rs 20 and in May 1992 it was trading at Rs 180 in the market. SN: Quite a big jump. DK: A big premium to its NAV. It was selling at 9 times its real worth. And that was the time I started reading Peter Lynch, Warren Buffet and the Berkshire Hathaway annual reports which were published here and there. Being in Delhi was a bit advantageous because we had the American Central Library, we had the British Council Library and that was a half-an-hour bus ride from my place. So we had access to wonderful knowledge repository where we could see how things were done elsewhere because there was a huge information gap. So that was it. Once I did this I persuaded my parents to sell those investments. That Rs 3 lakh becoming 18 times was quite something. But I decoded something else. What I realised was that money gives you freedom and I saw it happening live. Before that, I was studying and it looked like a game; but it is not a game. It makes a difference to the way you think, your plans, your life plans, gives you freedom, gives you choice. I saw that happening in my parents life. My father had planned that he will retire and build his house. Thats how it used to happen those days. He was able to prepone that plan. His plans for my sisters wedding underwent a change in terms of being a little liberal, or being a little more exploratory and things like that. So, I saw those not life impacting but definitely making impactful changes. It can mean different things to different people at different stages, but it was just not a game. And mutual fund at that point was in a state of infancy. I thought that this is something which looks very promising. It is accessible to anybody, it is simple and it has the potential and it is making something accessible which is otherwise not accessible, desirable to have. So, I was able to put together a scorecard of mutual funds. I went back to Swaminathan Aiyar again and he was a ready buyer. That piece of work as well started getting published from that day onwards. So, my mutual fund scorecard appeared in what is now discontinued Investors Guide of Economic Times which used to get published every Monday. It continued for the next decade. And that was the start of Value Research. That was my first brush with mutual funds. Personal experience, the commercial experience and the start of the scorecard and for the next five years it carried on. SN: So as soon as you were out of college you were already in business? DK: I got into business. It was not a planned implementation of a business plan, it just happened. SN: So what were the initial days like? What do you recall of it, some bittersweet moments? DK: They were all sweet, no bitter. Because now with hindsight I can tell you that sometimes a lot of people used to look at me as a liability in terms of somebody who had turned up to seek information. I would ask for the net asset values from fund companies. There were eight companies then - five bank sponsored, one LIC, one GIC and UTI. And the five sponsor banks were Canara Bank, SBI, Bank of India, Bank of Baroda and Indian Bank. When I turn up at these places to ask for the NAV, I would be made to wait and things like that. At one point, there was a very interesting incident. I went to a fund company to ask for the NAV and they said, We havent calculated it. Why dont you help us do that? They gave me the ledger, multiply the number of shares with current price. There used to be a printed bhav copy (daily record of stock prices along with volume of shares traded). So, I was made to write down the prices of closing prices of stocks from the bhav copy into that ledger so that the multiplication got easier. So, I contributed a little bit to the calculation of the NAV at a couple of fund companies. But mostly immediately after the scorecard became popular, I was generally welcomed and I was quite not, I would not say pampered, but surely seen as an acceptable evil. Because I was just putting everything in the public domain and bringing greater transparency. And I saw there were other things. Almost all mutual fund schemes used to trade at a huge premium to NAV around the great Indian scam in 1992. Soon after publication of the scorecard, the premium disappeared. They started trading at a discount. And then I saw the birth and the emergence of the modern mutual fund. Because all what I am telling you is the pre-SEBI days. SEBI mutual fund regulations became effective in 1993, which coincided with the emergence of the private sector. So, we saw the Kothari Pioneer and Morgan Stanley making an entry. So witnessing that the start of the open-ended funds, the disbelief in the start of open-end mutual fund, Kothari Pioneer, initial focus on creating awareness that you will not get a mutual fund certificate but you will get an account statement from here on, persuading the fund companies to share their portfolio with us, that is a very interesting story. I went to UTI to seek portfolio information and I was told that it is very secret information and they were not supposed to disclose it and rightly so. There was no law requiring them to share it with me if quarterly NAV disclosure was the norm. I was denied that information. I then threw a carrot that if you share your portfolio, then I will be able to write about it and you will benefit as a result of it and without information what do I say about Master Share. But it did not work. But I was able to derive the portfolio of UTI from Parliament Library and being in Delhi was quite advantageous because it was set up under the Parliamentary statuette and they had to do their annual filing and UTI annual report was filed in Parliament every year. So that was my first discovery that if information is there in the public domain and you create awareness and anything which is based on facts, getting your point across gets easy. I was not giving anything out of my hat. It was not a random thing. It was based on facts, publicly disclosed information. So that was the start of many interesting stories because for the first 10 years I was hands on, I was doing everything. I used to input the NAVs, I used to design the scorecard, I used to deliver the scorecard at Economic Times at midnight every Friday. So it was interesting. SN: So what are the basic rules that you have followed while running your business and how have they evolved over the years? DK: There are two basic rules which I follow. One is that produce something which is useful. And the other one is even more straightforward: make more money than you spend. If you have these two things in placebig or smallthe definition of big or small, but it creates enough and that does the job. SN: You have stuck to that all throughout. No additional rules. DK: I didnt have the margin of error. If I was ever spending more than I earn, I would pack and go back home. I remember my early three-four years, coming from a conservative traditional family where you get up in the morning, take a bath and light up agarbathi in front of God. I used to have Bhagavat Gita in the room where I used to live alone. So, I will have my emergency money which was a Rs 100 note which if everything goes wrong you buy a ticket and go back home. So, I didnt have the margin of error. So that second thing was non-negotiable. And first thing was that I did not come from any background which will get me any privilege. I did not have access, I did not have a network. I had no advantage. So, unless you had a belief that you need to produce something useful there was absolutely no choice. That I think has carried on. SN: And how has your style of management changed? Over the first 10 years, you said you were pretty hands on. After that? DK: I was always and even now I am hands on. I know everything that goes on. Also that I have done each and every role. I have done the sales job, I have done the data acquisition job, I have written stories, I have written columns, I have written reports, I was always a vendor to other publications. I started writing a column for Business Today in 1993. I was always producing that scorecard for Economic Times, so I understood the deadline, the need for accuracy. So many of those values were not determined by the policy of the respective companies. They were my personal values which evolved. You will be out of business if you are not right. Your margin of error is very small if you are a vendor. Nobody is going to excuse you for a mistake. So I was extremely careful. The rigour of work to be done came because of that, it was entirely out of fear that it would be embarrassing. Besides, you would be out of business. You will be unemployed and you will starve to death. That was the primary drive. We do at Value Research everything. Then the television thing happened, then the internet happened. There is a story at the start of every business. It was a not planned thing. We started our Value Research online which was once again not an implementation of a plan. Just that in 1999, a lot of internet companies came. They all wanted to start a mutual fund website as of yesterday. And they were big companies. GE Capital, go4ia Hindustan Times companyincluding Moneycontrol . So, everybody was my customer for information. We had 50 such companies, more than 50 such companies which came into being. And in a matter of one and half years, they all disappeared. We were lucky to get the money. I built the capacity to serve those customers with the technologies arm, which was built from scratch and that was the time when we hurriedly did that because before that Value Research database was a long large number of Excel files because data wasnt much. And I knew each and every piece of data because I was so hands on. I still remember most of the starting date and end date and terms of the mutual fund schemes. We formulated the classification system, which has now evolved into the SEBIs classification system because the initial classification system was closed-end funds, hybrids, open for repurchase. The classification system was not objective driven. This is what happened in 1999. The start of Value Research online was entirely an accident because I had to deploy those people who had built the capacity to handle that data and Value Research came into being and all others died. We only have four companies which have existed since then of our customers. ICICI Direct, Economic Times.com and Moneycontrol. SN: Okay. So retaining talent is key to success of any business doing well. What has been your experience on that front? DK: Yes, retaining talent is a challenge. And for first 10 years I had no plans of retaining the talent, because I just couldnt. We did not have margins. We were making a living. For first 8-10 years we had a lot of people who came, learnt and went away to run great businesses, do meaningful things because their financial aspirations were not met or could not be met because the whole business was evolving. There was no business plan and there was no capital. There was no margin. You can't really build things to sustain them. I think since 1999 I was able to build enough resources so that I can plan medium term and long term, because before that it was living on a day to day basis. Whatever margins, whatever surplus we will create, some of the assets would guzzle it; you needed a 600 DPI printer which would cost you 85,000 rupees which was important or you needed a scanner. So just to give you a perspective of the costs, my first 286 costed about Rs 80,000 in 1990 which was a big capital investment and a Maruti 800 car would cost 45000 rupees then. So, you had to make a choice whether you want a have a car or a 286, and my first computer was 286 - 40 MB with 4 MB RAM which was priced this much or likewise getting a fax machine which was primary source of getting information from fund companies. Otherwise you actually tied up with a STD/PCO centre, you gave that number for getting those faxes. So it was fun but trying to prioritise these things, the capital guzzling nature of sourcing information, essential stuff, we didn't have the margin. So, 2000 onwards I had enough resources to think medium term, long term and not to live on a day to day basis and after that it was two sets of people I always come across. The people who are able to enjoy what they are doing here and then there are people who look at it as a job. So, you focus on the people who enjoy and I have many employees. In fact of my current strength, the people who have been with me for 10 years I don't think they even think in terms of..they just like me and we like them. SN: Magazine is a tough business to be in. Very few of them in India make meaningful profits. So, what prompted you to get into this space? DK: Same principle. But magazines in India are unprofitable, it is other magazines problem. We have always been profitable. And the two principles which I had stated earlier that you have to be useful and you have to make more money than you spend. This actually was a very significant thing in our life. In October 2002, the market was down in the dumps. Market was at 2800 on the Sensex and I designed, devised this magazine. I thought it would be a useful thing. Initially we used to produce something at Value Research which was called mutual fund performance report which was packaged as a research product. It was a set of performance tables, portfolio aggregates and other things and was priced at around Rs 30,000 and we had 15 subscribers of the twenty-five companies which existed then. 15 of the 25 companies used to subscribe. Even companies would find it difficult to subscribe. So, I thought it was a very useful thing. People are able to get a comparative statistics on mutual fund performance which can guide them make a choice. And it was priced at a level where it cannot be democratised. So I thought of packaging it in a manner, because consumers wont pay Rs 18,000-30000 for a research product which would have a daily update or a weekly update by email or a printed version of a 100 page document and it was useful for almost every investor or every intermediary at least. So, I thought of devising a mechanism of getting that across to people, to intermediaries and investors or mutual fund geeks and getting the price point to Rs 100. So, Rs 100 I was making on cover price. It used to cost around Rs 35-38 to produce the magazine, Rs 20-30 as distributors commission. IBH - India Book House was our distributor. So, we still used to make 10-20 rupees and I thought that it because it is going to be an opinionated product on mutual fund and if you have too much advertising, we run the risk of not been looked at as independent and the magazine just took off. We had ready advertisers, every fund company wanted to advertise, every fund company wanted to take the back cover and most fund companies wanted to underwrite that they would like to advertise for years. And when we launched the magazine all I did was I wrote a mail to 30,000 distributors that this magazine has been launched and it might be useful to you and I wrote to all those people who used to write post cards to Value Research seeking some information. So that was our only marketing spend. Writing letters to people who were connected to us, all the business card collected over period in public engagements and other places and we were able to get 10000 subscribers in few months and that was it. Of course, by that time Value Research online was also live, so we could really see the response. We were the first magazine to be a believer of subscription and our first issue onwards we had live subscription available, you could subscribe online and I enabled that and we got ready subscribers. So, this is a very unique magazine. Other magazines - maybe they have to ask both the questions again that are they useful and in the changing context because I find that even we have to re-invent ourselves. I really wonder if my magazine has the same important role as it played back then in 2003, because in 2003 internet was not that democratised. Reliance Jio wasnt there. You always needed computer to access that information now that is available on the phone. So my magazine for the information, for the data it may not be that relevant. So, we have to change ourselves and we have changed ourselves in a limited way. But I think magazines will lose relevance simply. But because it turns out to be a ready reckoner, all the people who love mutual fund or who like mutual fund or they are involved with mutual fund or make a living they carry it in their briefcase till the next months issue replaces it, so its simply useful. We have nearly about 95% renewal rate and we have never seen a decline over this period. SN: So how do you manage your investments? Do you put all your money into mutual funds? DK: Yes, I used to put all my money in mutual funds. But since the last one year I have started putting some money in stocks directly. We launched a service called Value Research stock advisor and lot of our subscribers started complaining that here is Dhirendra Kumar who is running a stock advisory service and he has no investment in stocks. So, I have a deep rooted interest in stocks. It's just that I don't see mutual funds and investing in stocks directly as any conflicting thing. My primary thing is that my long term money should be in equity and I would say that if you have the time, if you have the inclination and if you enjoy doing it then you should be investing in stocks because besides the return, there is the joy of discovering great stock, finding great companies. In the process you learn all about the crooked companies, all the rejections because for all the stocks that we recommend there will be about 15 to 20 stocks which we dont, but we learn in the process. So, that became interesting. So, I have decided over the next 4 years I will be putting I will be moving 50% off my networth into stocks but in a fairly methodical way. All my portfolio is public disclosure on my website. SN: So, what do you look for when deciding on which mutual fund to invest in? DK: Initially we didn't have a choice. But going by what has happened to my money in mutual fund in the last 25 years, if you invest in equity fund and if you forget about it 20-25 years it works out nicely and I actually find it very amusing that we did not have a choice of which fund to invest in way back in 91, 92, 93, or 94, 95 the whole of 90s. And in those days, there used to be a section called section 88 which is a predecessor of section 80C. The maximum investment that was possible was Rs 10,000 in a mutual fund and that was of the Rs 60,000 that was available in section 88. So, I invested Rs 10,000 in the tax saving funds. Some of those investments are up 20 times, 30 times sometimes 40 times and those are investments which is pre-PAN days, which is pre-email days simply because they are not available online, so they are valid investments and they have just turned out to be blockbusters. You need time and you need to be invested in equity and you need to be entrusting that money to a reasonable fund manager and if you are able to do your SIP nothing like it. You will be able to average better; which was not a possibility in the closed-end era. So thats basic: long term money, investing in equity regularly that takes care. But that apart, if you have to choose the funds from fund manager I would say that look at a fund with a five year history, a fund which has been through at least one down cycle and one up cycle and a fund which has done a little better in a down cycle and a little less worse than others in a down cycle and an up cycle, thats good enough. Its hard to predict which one will do best, but if a fund manager has demonstrated this in a full market cycle you have hope. SN: So, if one is looking to build a portfolio mutual fund scheme, what is the optimal number of schemes that he should be investing in? DK: It means different things for different people, you can build great portfolio with just one fund if you have Rs 5,000 to invest. One balanced fund and it does it all. Look at the benefits, you are investing in equity, it will have embedded rebalancing. You will not be liable for any taxes till you realise that money. You can make Rs 500 investment and you can increase it by 10% every year and your 75% money can be in equity, 25% in fixed income and all the money will be treated as equity investment. So, look at the multiple advantages and now a days if you are a little thoughtful and if you are investing in the direct plan it will come at very low cost because now from April 1, the cost of mutual fund is going to be streamlined even more. So you just might at 1% or less than 1% and as it gets bigger it will cost even lower. So, it could be one fund, it could be more than one fund if you want to spread your risk but I would say that for most people one fund to five funds will fulfil most of your needs, very complex investment needs because all you need is at best two or three multi-cap funds, one tax saving fund for sake of getting that Rs 150,000 which is your tax exemption limit. You can consider that fund also as you multi-cap allocation and that takes care of it. That apart, one liquid fund for any money which you want it to be on call and any medium-term need, money which you like need to anywhere between 1 to 4 years and you don't want to take chances with that. For example, if your child is getting into college and you want to move a part of equity money into fixed income so you are sure that you are not struggling with that money, not taking any chance with that money, for first year college fee and admission fee, that money should be an ultra-short-term bond fund or a short-term bond fund. So, 3-5 funds can fulfil most peoples needs. SN: And should investor book profits in their mutual fund from time to time? What should be the approach? DK: Two reasons when you should book your profit, one is that fund has turned bad. If you thought that you have chosen a good fund and it is not proving to be one, by all means book profit and move that money, invest in some better fund immediately. The other reason is need-based. When you need the money you need the money and just take it out and it is important that how you take the money out from any market linked investment because everybody has been told about, do SIP. Nobody has told you that how to take your money out, how long before you need it. So, you do your SIP to reduce the risk of catching the market high, even if you have lump sum money you are definitely going to need lump sum money when you need it if you are planning for a goal. And make sure that you are not dependent on madness of the market for such critical needs. So, do your systematic withdrawal plan, withdraw your money methodically well before you need it because if you are going to depend on the market, markets can be crazy on occasions and it is very likely to be crazy entirely when you need it, going by Moores law. So, just be little thoughtful and methodical about averaging things. SN: So how much time do you devote to reading? What are the kind of books that you read? Could you name some that left a lasting impression on you? DK: Of course my first investment book which I had read, which still I think is a must read for any investorI encourage my staff to read it is One Up on Wall Street. It's an easy read, it helps you comprehend things, it a nice story being told, which helps you comprehend the basics of fundamental investing what works in investing or in stocks. I have read all the investment books and all the informational stuff but that is more of a need to read because one writes a column and one is looking for interesting ideas and opportunities. Beyond that, very unrelated things, things on psychology or this is one book which I discovered after 15 years of running Value Research which is the Up the Organization by Robert Townsend. I wish when I was getting started in 1990, I would have read this. This is one book which I keep on my desk and which I also buy a copy of this for all the line managers because this is a guideline, it is a one page guideline on anything that you do in the business, how to conduct meetings, how to organize party, how to hire, how to advertise, how to write copies. I like this, and this is a very direct book. It very much aligns with my line of thinking that useful, profitable and direct and very straight forward. But then there is lot more to learn. Of late, I have been reading a lot on something like the base camp founders book, 37 Signals, things like that and what I enjoy reading of late for couple of years now is history and history of varied kind. SN: And have you been teaching your children how to manage their finances, do you discuss your work with them? DK: I discuss my work with them but they have their own interests and I have two daughters, the younger one seems little more interested. But what I find is it is hard to teach them, it is hard to tell them, it hard to sit in a session where you start teaching them but they see you, they observe you. They learn things not while you are teaching, the way you are conducting yourself, how we make our buying decision, what we spend on, how we think when we are buying something, how much hard we think before we do things so I think they figure out that I think is a good lesson. That apart, they are still not extravagant so that is coming in handy. SN: Thank you for your time Dhirendra. It was an interesting conversation and I am sure our listeners would have gained some useful insights on investing as well as entrepreneurship Thank you for this opportunity, Santosh. Five bags full of gold, said to be worth about Rs 10 crore, were looted by a group of armed robbers from the premises of a private finance company here on February 6. Senior Superintendent of Police, Manoj Kumar, said "we are investigating the matter. The employees of the company whose statements are being recorded, have claimed that all the robbers were armed with pistols and they took the manager at gun-point forcing him to hand over the keys to the safe". The SSP said "The company officials say that the value of the gold looted is nearly Rs 10 crore." . The robbers, about six in number, were all armed with pistols and they barged into the office of Muthoot Finance in Bhagwanpur locality, after one of them hit the guard Manoj Kumar Jha with the butt of his firearm. "They came posing as customers, seeking a loan in exchange of gold. As I began guiding them inside, one of them struck the back of my head after which I fell down. I noticed them, while in a semi-conscious state, leaving the premises with bags in their hands. When I came to my senses I realized what had happened," Jha told reporters. The employees claim that one of them, carrying five bags, filled these with gold kept inside the safe while his associates kept threatening other staff and customers not to raise any alarm. They decamped the premises without causing physical harm to anybody, the SSP said. "We are, however, investigating the whole thing. An intensive search operation has been launched in the town to identify and nab the culprits", he said. A Delhi court on February 6 gave Delhi Police time till February 28 to procure the sanctions needed to prosecute former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar and others in a 2016 sedition case. The court told the police to ask the authorities concerned to expedite the sanctions. The police told the court that the sanctions are pending with the Delhi government and are expected in a matter of days. "Authorities can't sit on file for indefinite period," the court said. The court had earlier questioned Delhi Police for filing a chargesheet against Kumar and others without procuring the requisite sanctions and granted time till February 6. On January 14, police filed the chargesheet against Kumar and former JNU students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya in a city court. It said Kumar was leading a procession and supported seditious slogans during an event in the varsity on February 9, 2016, to mark the hanging of Parliament-attack mastermind Afzal Guru. India ranks second only to Chile among emerging economies to lead the transition to clean energy, according to a 2018 Climatescope report by energy researcher BloombergNEF. India climbed three spots since last year on the back of the government's strong commitment and support towards renewable energy over increased investments, clean energy installations and being host to the world's largest renewables auction market. Source: Climatescope. India also has been reducing its dependence on coal for generating energy, which factored in its ranking second on the 2018 Climatescope report. However, not everything is rosy in India's renewables market. According to a report by renewable energy consultancy firm Bridge to India, poor policies have raised uncertainty over the duties on imported solar panels, causing a sharp decline in new solar capacity additions in 2018. "Total installation (of utility projects) in the financial year 2018-19 is expected at only 4.1 GW, down a very significant 55 percent over previous year and well short of MNREs (ministry of new and renewable energy) 16 GW annual plan," Bridge to India said. In the third quarter of 2018, India added 1,697 megawatts (MW) of solar power capacity. While this is marginally better than the previous quarter when the numbers fell to their lowest level since early 2017, it is still far below the 4,130 MW added in the first quarter of this year. The Narendra Modi-led government has set an ambitious goal to generate 175 GW of clean energy by March 2022, of which 100 GW be from solar energy, 60 GW from wind power and 15 GW from other sources. In July 2018, India imposed a safeguard duty on solar panel imports from China and Malaysia -- 25 percent for one year, 20 percent for the next six months, and 15 percent for the subsequent six months. While the government has imposed this duty to protect domestic players from a steep rise in the inbound shipments of the product, analysts have warned that the move is expected to slow capacity addition, making it hard for India to reach its ambitious National Solar Mission target to add 100 GW of solar power capacity by 2022, according to a report by the ratings agency Crisil. However, owing to the lack of a renewable energy policy, India may miss this target, as per the State of Renewable Energy in India 2019 report by city-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). Uncertainty over the safeguard duty indicate the need for a renewable energy policy. Read: Opinion | How the govt has left the solar sector in darkness Considering the myriad challenges, India may achieve about 76 percent of the 175 GW target of renewable power generation capacity by the scheduled date of 2022, Wood Mackenzie's solar analyst Rishab Shrestha told PTI. "The recent cancellation of auctions risks jeopardising investor confidence. Various duties on equipment and the associated uncertainty has led to a short-term uptick in solar prices. This leads to the knock-on effect on already cash-strapped state distribution companies who are showing an unwillingness to green light high priced solar projects," Shrestha added. Also, coal remains the principal energy driver in the near term with India still depending on the polluting fuel for three-fourths of its energy requirements, according to the Climatescope report. Compared to the all-India average, the demand for power has also increased over the years at a phenomenal rate. And while supply has also increased, it caters more to the traditional power load requirements established with increasingly outdated thermal coal-fired power plants, according to a report by Institute of Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). The decade-low stockpile at Coal India's mines and over half of the plants' stocks at supercritical levels, the reliance on imported coal for several power plants will increase the flow of imports into India, Bhargava said. Thus, even though India is making progress in renewable energy capacity, the government has to focus on establishing a proper renewable energy policy, increase production from renewable sources and keep an eye on bureaucrats who try to scuttle India's solar rooftop plans. The continuous industrial production growth has been pushing up coal's demand. "We have increased India's imports for thermal coal from 158 million tonnes to 164 million tonnes in 2018 with a further upside risk of 3-4 million tonnes as coal stocks at Indian power plants and Coal India Ltd are at historically low levels," said Pralabh Bhargava, Wood Mackenzie's principal coal analyst. TCS and Infosys will be at the forefront given their comprehensive offerings, ability to win large integrated deals, and process capability live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Share price of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) gained 1.2 percent intraday Wednesday as company gets order from Solidarity Bahrain. Solidarity Bahrain B.S.C., a leading insurance provider in Bahrain, has selected TCS BaNCS as its core platform for digitally transforming its property and casualty and takaful group life insurance businesses. As part of this digital transformation, Solidarity Bahrain will replace its existing core policy administration system with a comprehensive solution that can not only support existing operations but also power its future growth. "TCS BaNCS' comprehensive and integrated capabilities will help Solidarity Bahrain differentiate itself in a Business 4.0 world and achieve its growth and transformation objectives," said Venkateshwaran Srinivasan, Vice President and Head, TCS Financial Solutions. At 12:31 hrs Tata Consultancy Services was quoting at Rs 2,066, up Rs 21.65, or 1.06 percent on the BSE. The share touched its 52-week high Rs 2,273.00 and 52-week low Rs 1,391.15 on 01 October, 2018 and 26 March, 2018, respectively. Currently, it is trading 9.08 percent below its 52-week high and 48.56 percent above its 52-week low. 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. Over 73 percent of startups that raised capital between Rs 50 lakh to Rs 2 crore in India have received angel tax notice(s) from the Income Tax Department till date. This is as per findings of a survey conducted by LocalCircles and the Indian Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (IVCA). Around 30 percent of startups have received three or more such notices, as per the survey, which included over 2,500 startups and entrepreneurs. Only 27 percent startups did not receive any angel tax notice for raising money. Angel tax has been the biggest bone of contention for startups as they are subject to it whenever they raise money from friends, family, and venture capitalists. A startup becomes liable to pay angel tax when it receives an equity infusion in excess of its 'fair valuation'. Tax authorities treat the premium paid by investors as income, taxable at about 31 percent. Watch: 3 Point Analysis | What is angel tax? The issue came to light after various startup entrepreneurs reported receiving tax notices on angel investment raised 3-4 years back. They were being asked to provide an explanation for the funding raised and their valuations. Media reports suggest that in some cases the sum that the startups must cough up as tax and late payment fee even exceeded the original funding amount. Read: Govt likely to come up with fresh notification on angel tax in a week The survey indicates that most Indian startups, who are raising money, have a high likelihood of receiving an angel tax notice under Section 56(2)(viib) or under Section 68 or both. It also highlighted a worrying trend that angel investors are very cautious in making investments due to various hurdles, especially angel tax. Sources: LocalCircles. Funding has seen a downward trend even though the startup movement is on the rise and the number of angel investors have increased. Startups were hopeful that the Budget will get them some respite from the issue or at least a commitment from the government on resolving the issue, but it stayed unaddressed in the Finance Minister's Budget speech. MG Motor India (Image: Moneycontrol) MG Motor India on February 6 said it has tied up with five leading private banks to offer vehicle loans to its customers and dealers. The company said it has signed agreements with Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank and Yes Bank. "This is in addition to the MoU signed with India's leading public sector lender State Bank of India by the company earlier this week," MG Motor India said in a statement. The partnerships will provide financing solutions to MG's customers and dealer partners starting with its first launch, the Hector SUV, in the second quarter of 2019, it added. "Through these partnerships, MG Motor India will offer term loans to its customers while also facilitating inventory funding and access to credit solutions for its dealerships," MG Motor India Chief Commercial Officer Gaurav Gupta said. He further said,"joining hands with the largest financial institutions in the country will facilitate credit to our dealer partners and customers." The carmaker said it plans to operate 110 sales and service touch points across India ahead of the launch and is working to provide financial packages to meet requirements of customers. Lupin | Rakesh Jhunjhunwala increased stake in company to 1.53 percent in September quarter, from 1.47 percent in June quarter; LIC also raised stake to 3.71 percent from 2.7 percent and MFs to 12.58 percent from 11.94 percent. (Image: Reuters) Lupin is likely to report a subdued show for the December quarter results as lack of new launches and pricing pressure could impact its financials. Here is a gist of what brokerages think about the results. Brokerage: Edelweiss | Profit: Rs 281.8 crore The brokerage expects US sales (~USD 180 million) to grow 8% sequentially as launch of gBeyaz and gTemovate, coupled with full quarter of Solosec and Tobi, will likely offset erosion ingNamenda. Further, it sees domestic business to grow 8% YoY on a base made unfavourable by GST-related restocking, while APAC sales to be assisted by a 6% JPY tailwind. EBITDA margins expected to grow by 130bps QoQ, to ~15%, led by rupee depreciation Brokerage: Reliance Securities | Profit: Rs 253.4 crore Reliance Securities expects muted growth in sales during the quarter. With continued pricing pressure on its key molecules (gGlumetza, gFortamet and gMethergine) and lack of key launches, its US business is expected to report weak growth. India business is expected to report healthy growth of 12.3%. EBITDA margin is expected to contract by 100 bps YoY to 16.3% due to weak US sales and higher raw material cost from China. Factors to watch out for: Outlook on Gavis business/new launches, outlook on India/US and Japan business, and update on the USFDA warning letter Goa and Pithampur Unit-2. Brokerage: Motilal Oswal | Profit: Rs 247.6 crore Motilal Oswal expects Lupin to report growth of 5% YoY in its Q3FY19 revenue at Rs 4,180 crore primarily due to ~9% YoY decline in the US business (~32% of total sales). EBITDA is expected to decline 6% YoY during the quarter to Rs 630 crore, with EBITDA margin declining ~180bp YoY to 15.5%, primarily due to lower gross margin and higher other operating expenses. Key issues to watch out for - Update on traction in Solosec brand for the US market - Update on warning letter for Goa and Indore facility - Outlook on inorganic growth initiatives Brokerage: Emkay | Profit: Rs 241.7 crore Q3FY19 could be muted quarter for Lupin given the drought of high-value launches within the US geography. A few new launches (like gMepron, gDacogen and gRapaflo) will offset the pricing pressure in the base portfolio. Key things to look for would be commentary on the progress of remediation for Goa and Indore facilities and product pipeline. Student leaders accused the Union government of presenting an Interim Budget that was silent on the issue of jobs and employment opportunities for youth in the country. Students under various outfits will march from the historic Red Fort to Parliament on Thursday in protest, they said in a joint statement. N Sai Balaji, the president of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union, said, "(Prime Minister Narendra) Modi will come to young India for one more chance. But this time we are not going to give him any chance as our PM. Modi has ruined our future. Through our unity we are going to ensure all vacant government jobs are filled, 10 per cent of GDP is spent on education, gender and social justice is ensured." Student leaders from AISA, Pinjra tod, Samajwadi Yuvjan Sabha, Aam Aadmi Party students' wing Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS), Youth for Swaraj etc. argued how the budget was conspicuous by its silence on the issue of jobs, except for pompously declaring that job-seekers have turned job-creators in India. "This is a huge blow to the youth of the country who are suffering from massive unemployment rate in the wake of demonetisation. The budget is equally silent about the key demands of regularisation and minimum wages raised by employees," they said in the statement. Shivani from CYSS said campuses have been turned into "war zones" by the Modi government. RBI Amol Agrawal The case of transferring a higher share of Reserve Bank of Indias (RBIs) reserves to the government has become a thorny issue in the relations between the two entities. So much so that one of the first decision by the new RBI Governor Shatikanta Das was to appoint an expert committee under former governor Bimal Jalan to review the status and the need of these reserves, and study best global practices followed by other central banks. We review some of these global practices in this article. Just like any organisation, central banks have to decide on the allocation of profit after deducting expenditure from income. The question here is: should the central bank first deploy a part of its profit towards building capital and reserves in order to strengthen its financial position and then transfer the remaining to the government? If yes, the next question will be how should the central bank allocate its profits between its capital and reserves and transfers to the government. Is there a prescribed rule for this arrangement or is it best left to discretion and judgment of stakeholders? There has been some recent research on this topic. Two papers are worth mentioning in particular. One by David Archer and Paul Moser-Boehm of Bank for International Settlements (Central bank finances, 2013, BIS Paper No 71) and other by European Central Bank (ECB) economists Daniela Bunea, Polychronis Karakitsos, Niall Merriman and Werner Studener (Profit distribution and loss coverage rules for central banks, 2016). Archer and Moser-Boehm say that the rule-based regimes have four features: targets for buffers/reserves, retention schemes, dividend smoothing, and arrangements in case of central bank losses. They also add that despite having laws, in most cases central banks are at the mercy of the government. They point to following examples:-The Bank of England is required to distribute to the exchequer 100 percent of any issue department surplus and 50 percent of any banking department surplus, irrespective of the state of equity reserves. - The Central Bank of Ireland can only retain a maximum of 20 percent of any surplus, independent of the state of equity. - Having calculated distributable income as a five-year smoothing of accounting income (adjusted for certain revaluation income), the Sveriges Riksbank must distribute 80 percent, irrespective of the equity situation. - The Bank of Japan may only retain 5 percent of surpluses by right and distribute the rest. However, the minister of finance may allow higher retention. - Some central banks have targets for reserves. For instance, in Mexico, when reserves become negative, the central bank can retain higher profits to make the reserve in black again. The ECB paper divides different central bank approaches in six categories. They also got responses from 58 central banks on where they fitted across the six categories: One can read the research paper for more details. But the broad idea is that there is no one way to think about the issue of allocation of central bank profits. Where does RBI fit in all this? First of all, Section 47 of the RBI Act is on this allocation: After making provision for bad and doubtful debts, depreciation in assets, contributions to staff and superannuation funds [and for all other matters for which provision is to be made by or under this Act or which] are usually provided for by bankers, the balance of the profits shall be paid to the Central Government." RBI/India would fall under the fifth category as per categorization by ECB economists. However, two parts of RBIs reservescontingency reserve and asset development reservefall under Category 4 as profits were transferred to these two till they reach 12 percent and 1 percent of total assets of RBI by 2005. The eventual share was much higher (20 percent and 2 percent, respectively) and, as a result, no allocation was made into them from 2013-14 onwards. To sum up, RBIs expert committee clearly has a tough job on its hands. First of all, it has to decide the appropriate level of capital and reserves to be held by the central bank and then fix a rule-based regime for the transfer of both current and future surpluses. Though, one should be mindful of these rules as governments can freely tinker with them. Recently, Turkey made amendments in its central bank act, which pushed it to give an interim dividend to the government ahead of elections. Hence, the allocation rules can help avoid frictions, but at the end of the day, it is a governments call on whether it wants to accept the rules in the first place or not. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Realty major DLF on Wednesday said it would sell shares to institutional investors to raise about Rs 3,000 crore when market conditions are conducive, a senior company official said. The company plans to issue up to 17.3 crore shares through qualified institutional placement (QIP) to raise funds, as part of its objective to become a debt-free company. Its current debt stood at Rs 7,224 crore till December 2018. Sources had earlier said that the company plans to raise Rs 3,000-4,000 crore through QIP. DLF will launch the QIP at an opportune time, its whole-time director and group chief financial officer Ashok Tyagi told analysts. The company also expressed confidence that it would achieve sales booking guidance of Rs 2,250 crore as the company has achieved nearly Rs 1,800 crore sales in the first three quarters of this fiscal. In August 2017, DLF promoters sold entire 40 per cent stake in rental arm DLF Cyber City Developers Ltd (DCCDL) for Rs 11,900 crore. This deal included sale of 33.34 per cent stake in DCCDL to Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC for Rs 8,900 crore and buy-back of remaining shares worth Rs 3,000 crore by DCCDL. The deal concluded in December 2017. As a result, DLF stake in DCCDL increased to 66.66 per cent stake from 60 per cent, while GIC has the balance 33.34 per cent stake in the joint venture firm. Post this transaction, DLF promoters K P Singh and family infused Rs 9,000 crore in the company and would pump in Rs 2,250 crore more. DLF has made preferential allotment of compulsorily convertible debentures (CCDs) and warrants to the promoters against infusion of funds. As infusion of funds by promoters will lead to increase in their shareholdings beyond permissible limit of 75 per cent, the company plans to launch QIP and maintain minimum public shareholding norm of 25 per cent. Sri Sri Ravishankar's FMCG brand Sri Sri Tattva is pushing the pedal on the growth front. It plans to increase its footprint in Indian rural markets, boost exports and is looking to open 1,000 Sri Sri Tattva stores over the next couple of months. Speaking to Moneycontrol, Arvind Varchaswi, Managing Director, Sri Sri Tattva, said: "We want to deepen our rural connect along with Tier-II and Tier-III cities. We already have about 2700 entrepreneurs. We train them to be entrepreneurs and they start their own business. We would like to create 25,000 such entrepreneurs by year-end." On its international footprint, he said the brand is looking to export its products to 70 countries at least by this year-end. Currently, the Ayurveda brand exports to 36 countries spreading from Australia, Nigeria, Germany, USA, UAE and Argentina. Exports contribute about 20-25 percent to its annual turnover. Among all the 350 products, Ayurveda contributes maximum to the revenue of the brand toothpaste in personal care and cookies in FMCG are the highest contributor, he said, without disclosing revenues. Of these products 95 percent products are manufactured by Sri Sri Tattva. "We are not launching products just because we need to. A lot of expertise goes in to our products. We are launching products that we have expertise. We have more than 350 products as of date if I take the SKUs it will be much more," he said. "We have tied up with Unibic for manufacturing quality cookies along with health benefits," Varchaswi said. When asked whether the company has broken-even in all its businesses, Varchaswi said: "We have broken even across all our product categories and seeing healthy growth on all our products." He pointed out that there is a huge demand for natural and herbal products. Sri Sri Tattva currently sells its products across omni-channel business with their products having touch points of 2,00,000 general trade outlets. Apart from that, they are present in trade outlets like Big Bazaar, More Megastores, Spencers, Reliance Retail, Metro Cash & Carry, Walmart along with e-commerce tie-ups with Amazon, Flipkart, Ebay and Big Basket. They have launched three different formats of franchise stores which are Sri Sri Tattva Mart, Sri Sri Tattva Wellness Place and Sri Sri Tattva Home & Health and are aiming to open 1000 franchise stores. Moneycontrol News Global retail giant Walmart is looking to open 5-7 stores in India this year as it seeks to ramp up operations in the cash and carry segment, said Krish Iyer, President and Chief Executive Officer, Walmart India. Expecting double digit growth in omni-channel, Iyer said, We will continue to invest opening more stores in the country. Last year we opened two and this year we are planning to open 5-7 more stores. Speaking on the sidelines India Food Forum 2019 event held in Mumbai, Iyer pointed out that the company will be able to achieve its target of opening 50 stores by 2020. Currently, Walmart has 22 stores across the country. Views on Budget On the Union Budget that was presented on Feb 1, Iyer said it focused on three aspects - growing consumption, putting more money in the hands of middle class and farmers package for their welfare. Growing consumption is the key for driving GDP growth, job creation, and making economy much more vibrant. Every single aspect will be taken care if consumption grows, Iyer said adding that overall, he was satisfied with the budget presented by the Finance Minister. Direct sourcing When asked if the company does direct sourcing from farmers, Iyer said, We do direct sourcing but not on a large scale. We teach them techniques of farming so the crop is grown well and helps them grow their (farmers) income. This bodes well with PMs (Modis) program of doubling farmers income. Other important point is whatever they grow, farmer must get better realisation. So, there is complete transparency in terms of pricing, in terms of payment, timeliness of payment. So this experience of direct sourcing has been good so far, he added. On February 1, Finance Minister Piyush Goyal announced a relief package of Rs 75,000 crore under a new scheme PM Kisaan Samman Nidhi for distressed farmers who have seen their incomes stagnate because of plunging prices, barely enough to pay for loans and input costs. As part of the package, that includes an income support scheme, the government will transfer a sum of Rs 6,000 per year to farmers who own up to two hectares of land. The scheme will be applicable from December 1, 2018, and will benefit 12 crore farmers. Further, Goyal also announced a move that will benefit farmers across India. He announced 2.5 percent interest subventions for farmers struck by natural calamities. IndiGo live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More India's largest airline IndiGo, operated by Interglobe Aviation, has gone back to the sale and lease model, at least for now, instead of buying aircraft, as it looks to conserve cash in trying circumstances. Till 2017, the airline had championed the sale and leaseback model. But that year, it switched to buying aircraft and owning them to bring down ownership cost and counter rising lease rentals. However, in an indication of squeezed margins, the airline has been forced to go back to the old model. Chief Financial Officer Rohit Philip said IndiGo has used the sale and leaseback model for the recent two additions in its fleet of ATR aircraft. The airline now has a fleet of 14 ATRs. Of these, the first 12 were bought as cash purchases. "During the periods of uncertainty, it is always prudent for airlines to manage cash carefully. So we decided to finance the next tranche of five airplane through an operating lease, and then we make a case-by-case basis beyond that," said Philip. He said the airline will be using the sale and leaseback model for the next three ATRs too. At the same time, the IndiGo CFO reiterated this was a temporary measure to preserve the cash. In a sale and leaseback model, an airline buys an aircraft, sells it to a lessor and then leases the plane back. The model helps conserve cash, and also keeps airline books debt free. The change In 2017, the airline industry was enjoying healthy margins, thanks to cheap fuel. IndiGo could dip into its cash reserves to buy aircraft and keep them. Cash purchases also helped counter lease rentals that were going skywards. This was especially true for the new A320neos. "On a net basis, there is differences in Ceos and Neos, especially when you talk about older planes. You will have low lease rentals. Especially, the used planes that we have, have low lease rentals but higher maintenance costs, higher fuel burn," said Philip. The Ceos are the earlier generation A320 aircraft. Philip added: "Neos might have slightly higher rentals but lower maintenance costs and lower fuel burn." Higher costs Circumstances changed last year when a record increase in crude rates saw most of the airlines, including IndiGo, bleeding. The airline, which has the highest market share in the domestic aviation industry, reported its first quarterly loss since listing on the BSE in the second quarter of the current financial year. In the third quarter, an improved other income helped the low budget carrier keep its book in the black. The airline has the most aggressive fleet expansion plan, among its Indian peers. In the third quarter, IndiGo added 19 aircraft to its fleet, which now has 208 planes. Of these, 29 are owned by the company and the rest is on the sale and leaseback model. The carrier has also increased the number of dollar-denominated leases. "Now about 80 percent of our supplementary rent liability is collateralised with dollar deposits," said Philip. "So the exposure to the rupee on the mark-to-market on this - it used to be in the order of Re 1 is equal to Rs 85 crores. Currently, it is Re 1 is equal to Rs 24 crores. And we will, by the end of next quarter, I think pretty much be fully hedged," he added. The German cabinet will hold a secret session on February 6 to discuss safeguard measures regarding the possible participation of China's Huawei Technologies in building Germany's 5G network, the daily Handelsblatt said, citing government sources. Huawei faces international scrutiny over its ties with the Chinese government and suspicion that Beijing could use Huawei's technology for spying, which the company denies. February 6 meeting will focus on whether a security catalogue, prepared by the Federal Network Agency and the cyber defence agency (BSI), along with certification rules and a no-spy agreement with China, will be enough to ensure future 5G mobile networks are safe, the paper said. The session, to be held after the regular cabinet meeting, and attended by the German foreign, interior, economy, finance, and transport ministers, will discuss measures proposed last week by Deutsche Telekom to safeguard national security, the paper said. On February 5, Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany needed guarantees that Huawei would not hand over data to the Chinese state before the telecoms equipment supplier can participate in building its 5G network. Answer: Tata Motors Fitch Ratings said on January 6 it has placed the credit rating of India's Tata Motors Ltd on negative watch, stating increasing risks for its British luxury car unit - Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) - over a potentially chaotic Brexit. This comes after the ratings agency placed the credit ratings of JLR, Britain's biggest carmaker, under review for possible downgrades. Trade barriers and logistic issues from a disorderly Brexit could have an impact on JLRs competitive positioning and lead to significantly lower sales and profitability, the credit rating agency said, placing the parents long-term issuer default rating on rating watch negative. JLR had said in January there would be a week-long pause in production in April due to potential disruption from Brexit and trimmed production. The carmaker, based in central England, is also planning to prune its workforce as it battles to return to profitability amid lower Chinese demand and a slump in European diesel sales. The action was prompted by uncertainty ahead of Brexit, which could lead to lower sales and higher costs that may strain the company's liquidity position, Fitch added. British Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal was rejected in parliament last month and the government is trying to make changes to win the support of lawmakers even as the divorce date for Britain's departure from the European Union looms less than two months away. Bombay Dyeing posted a net loss of Rs 142.8 crore in the quarter ended December 31. Ramesh Ranganathan, CEO of Bombay Dyeing, spoke to CNBC-TV18 about the company's financial performance and growth prospects. "We have moved over from percentage of completion method to project completion method and by means of that, we have had to reverse our earnings at the beginning of this financial year and as it is primarily on account of completion contract method, we will be recognizing that income and the profits by end of this year as we are expecting the completion of our premium project in Dadar, which is the Island City Centre (ICC) I and II. "These are two 60-storey buildings, which are nearing completion and the moment we have the occupancy in place, we will be in a position to recognise the income and the profit. So we will have one of the best years for us at Bombay Dyeing. Primarily because those milestones have not been achieved in Q3 is the reason why you see the results the way they are, Ranganathan said. "Almost 65-67 percent of the inventory has been sold. The cash flows that are likely to come out of this would primarily help us retiring the debt. The debt is around Rs 3,500 crore, which will be coming down substantially over the next few quarters," said Ranganathan. "We are planning to launch a commercial building in Worli project, which will be close to a million sq ft," he added. Source: CNBC-TV18 Vedanta | CRISIL downgraded long term credit rating to AA-/Stable from AA/Negative. (Image: PTI) live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More A sure way to upset investors is by mixing a listed companys funds with the promoter groups businesses. Despite this being common knowledge and several instances where investors have punished companies, Vedanta did just that. The episode is one that leaves you scratching your head, wondering why this decision and if there is a bigger plan afoot. First, lets add up the damage. There is that hit to the companys reputation among investors and the corporate governance issues it raised. Ratings took a knock. Moodys Investors Service lowered its outlook on Vedanta Resources ratings to negative from stable, citing this development as a credit negative while also pointing at downside risks to commodity prices. Then theres the tangible damage done to valuations. Vedantas shares have fallen by 18 percent, or by Rs 13,250 crore, in a matter of days after this revelation. What irked investors so much? While announcing its results, Vedanta said that its 100 percent subsidiary Cairn India Holdings (Cairn) invested $200 million, or Rs 1,431 crore to acquire an economic interest in Anglo American, with Moodys stating the total investment to be done by 2020 at $561 million. Cairn acquired this interest from Volcan Investments, the ultimate holding company of Vedanta. A little bit of history here. Volcan is the investment vehicle of the promoter group, Anil Agarwal and family. Volcan owns a majority stake in Vedanta Resources, the holding company of Vedanta. Vedanta Resources was the investment vehicle of the group, and was listed in London till October 2018. At the time of the delisting announcement, Volcan owned a 66.5 percent stake in Vedanta Resources. In effect, Volcan owns nearly all of Vedanta Resources, which in turn owns a 50.1 percent stake in Vedanta. In 2017, Volcan had through a structured transaction acquired a 19.6 percent stake in Anglo American (which has increased subsequently) for 3.5 billion pounds for which it issued mandatory exchangeable bonds, as explained in Moodys release. Volcan has the option to repay the loan and get ownership of the shares or the bonds can be exchanged into Anglo American shares. At present, Volcan owns a 21 percent stake in Anglo American, and it has transferred a 1.8 percent stake (only the economic interest) to Cairn in return for the investment made. When one looks at the damage this episode caused in relation to the sums involved, one may wonder why go to all this trouble for a $561 million investment to be made over 20 months. In fact, Vedanta did pay out dividend of Rs 10,188 crore (or $1.5 billion and this included dividend distribution tax) in the December quarter. Half this amount would have gone to the parent. Now, the official reason given in Vedantas announcement to the stock exchange is that Cairn was offered this opportunity to invest. It considered and accepted it because the structure provides higher returns compared to other overseas cash management investments that would yield two percent. The investment was made in December 2018. The December quarter results included a mark-to-market profit on this investment. While that meant a loss too could happen, Vedantas release to the stock exchange on February 4 clarified that the investment now has full capital and downside protection. The steep fall in Vedantas shares and Moodys reaction indicates some scepticism about these explanations. When a parent company offers an option, does a subsidiary have a real choice to decline it? The timing is another factor. It comes shortly after delisting Vedanta Resources, when the management had said that Vedanta would now be the main listed vehicle for equity investments providing an exposure to India and Africa. Then, there is the interview that Agarwal gave to PTI, just a few days before Vedantas results were announced and news of this investment emerged. He said he has no intention of retiring as the group needed his risk-taking ability and aggression to grow into a world-class conglomerate. This statement reiterates his ambition of turning the group into an international mining giant. Could this relatively tiny investment by Cairn be a heads-up to investors that Vedanta is now in action, as the investment vehicle for the groups global ambitions? In any potential combination with Anglo American, Vedantas status as a listed company with a market valuation can play an important role. Agarwal has maintained that the investment in Anglo American is just that and they are not looking for anything further. But if you take his statement of becoming a global natural resources conglomerate seriously, then this investment fits in with that ambition. Nudging Vedanta into this transaction structure raises the possibility that it could play a bigger role in furthering Agarwals ambition or at least part funding it. That is, Vedantas equity could be used if a share swap is contemplated or to raise equity and debt funding. This is all in the realm of speculation but the air will be cleared by 2020. Thats when the structured transaction entered into by Volcan matures. That leaves Vedantas shareholders staring at uncertainty till 2020. Investors would have been valuing its shares based on its existing and future cash flows, most of which are tied to its domestic business. Now, they find themselves staring at a possibility of being right in the middle of a large global combination, if the group does indeed embark on that path. There is no way of knowing what the structure could be and the impact it will have on their companys financial position. Thats an overhang that cannot be shrugged off easily. The sooner clarity emerges the better it is for the stock. Invest In Psychedelic Therapy? (Ad) Psychedelic Therapy Clinics are popping up all over LA and Arizona. Some of them charge up to $2,000 for a full treatment... this is an emerging trend every investor should consider. Tell Me More About Psychedelic Therapy Halliburton Company provides a range of services and products to oil and natural gas companies worldwide. 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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 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 319-283-2144 or email circ@oelweindailyregister.com. (CNN) "The legislature finds that the cigarette is considered the deadliest artifact in human history." So begins the text of a new bill introduced in Hawaii's State House, calling for a phased ban on cigarette sales in the state by 2024. Hawaii has some of the most restrictive cigarette laws in the nation. In 2016, it became the first state to raise the age to buy cigarettes to 21. Now, its new bill calls for raising the cigarette-buying age to 30 by next year, up to 40, 50 and 60 in each subsequent year, and up to 100 by 2024. That would effectively clear Hawaii's store shelves of cigarettes, although tourists could still bring them in. And curiously, Hawaii would offer its centenarians the chance to buy cigarettes near the end of their life -- if they could find them. CNN has reached out to the bill's sponsor, Rep. Richard Creagan, for comment. Creagan, who is an emergency room doctor, told the Hawaii Tribune-Herald, "Basically, we essentially have a group who are heavily addicted in my view, enslaved by a ridiculously bad industry which has enslaved them by designing a cigarette that is highly addictive, knowing that it highly lethal. And, it is." The age limits would not apply to e-cigarettes, cigars or chewing tobacco. Federal law requires states to set the minimum tobacco-purchasing age at 18, and the government enforces the measure by withholding FEMA grants from states who don't comply. Currently, most states allow 18-year-olds to buy cigarettes, and four have raised the minimum age to 19. The bill notes that Hawaii "is suffering from its own addiction to cigarettes in the form of the large sums of money that the State receives from state cigarette sales taxes," to the tune of $100 million annually. One reason for the law's staggered rollout is to give the state time to find ways to adjust for the lost cigarette tax revenue. In 2015, the National Academy of Sciences released a report that argued increasing the age to buy tobacco to 21 would have a "considerable impact" on the age at which someone takes their first puff. The report also suggested "if someone is not a regular tobacco user by age 25, it is highly unlikely he or she will become one." Creagan told the Hawaii Tribune-Herald he's confident the bill will survive any court challenges. Unlike Second Amendment gun rights, the U.S. Constitution does not recognize smoking as a fundamental right. In 2012, a federal appeals court upheld a lower court ruling against a smoker who challenged an anti-smoking ordinance in Clayton, Missouri, on grounds that it violated his constitutional rights. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Hawaii is considering a bill that bans cigarette sales to anyone under 100." Italys deputy prime minister met with leaders of Frances Yellow Vests, extending a helping hand and giving more oxygen to a simmering feud between embattled Macron and the government in Rome. Luigi di Maio, Deputy Prime Minister and leader of Italys anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, had a sit-down with two of the Yellow Vest leaders, Cristophe Chalencon and Ingrid Levavasseur. The wind of change has crossed the Alps! he proclaimed on Twitter, uploading a photo of himself with the two. The Yellow Vest leaders appeared to have swapped their distinctive high-visibility jackets for more casual fatigues, but it apparently didnt make the conversation any less meaningful. We have a lot of common positions and values, such as the defense of citizens, social rights, direct democracy, and environment," the 5-Star Movement said. While di Maios demarche will predictably be met with little praise in Paris, he is not the first top official to publicly render support to the French grassroots movement. Matteo Salvini, another Deputy Prime Minister who also leads the Lega Nord party, once said he supports honest citizens who protest against a governing president [who stands] against his people. In another jibe, Salvini, who rarely minces his words, said the French will be able to free themselves from a terrible president" on May 26, when the European Parliament elections take place. Also on rt.com President against his people: Salvini openly backs Yellow Vest protesters, lashing out at Macron Interestingly, Chalencon and Levavasseur are on the list of prominent Yellow Vests that are hoping to run in 2019 European elections, according to French media. We want to create a list that resembles the citizens and shows that we are independent, non-partisan from the first day, campaign manager Hayk Shahinyan told BFMTV. Meanwhile, Emmanuel Macrons situation at home is precarious as the nationwide Yellow Vest protests entered the 12th consecutive week. Protests that began as a response to a fuel tax hike evolved into a broad rejection of his neoliberal economic policies. READ MORE: Going nationwide: 2/3 of French back anti-govt Yellow Vests protests, poll shows Macron, who was dubbed the president of the rich, tried to quell the riots by introducing higher minimum wages and promising to halt the fuel tax rise at the end of 2018. However, the measures seemed to take little effect as the rallies resumed this year. Like this story? Share it with a friend! Caracas will do everything possible to minimize effects of US sanctions against Venezuelan energy giant PDVSA on the global oil market, the technical adviser for the state-run firm, Ronny Romero, said. Yes, we are facing new illegal sanctions from the US. We were exporting about 500,000 bpd to the US. PDVSA will redirect exports to other customers in Europe and Asia, he told Sputnik. Romero, who is Venezuelas National Representative to OPEC, explained that European and Asian customers should not be afraid to buy oil from the country because Washingtons sanctions apply only to US entities. Also on rt.com US announces sanctions against Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA Anyway, Russia and China dont care about US sanctions, he said, adding that Venezuela would do our best in order to not affect the market. Washington imposed sanctions against PDVSA last week, seizing $7 billion in assets. US National Security Advisor John Bolton said that in addition to that, the sanctions will affect $11 billion worth of the companys exports over the coming year. The US buys a significant amount of Venezuelan oil, according to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who said the sanctions would have a modest effect on American refineries. Also on rt.com Venezuelan oil exports plunge on harsher US sanctions Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro criticized US sanctions on PDVSA, saying the restrictions were tantamount to illegal seizure. Venezuela is home to the worlds largest oil reserves. Oil sales account for 98 percent of export earnings and as much as 50 percent of GDP. Washington is betting that the sanctions-hit PDVSA will be unable to export enough oil, causing President Maduros government to quickly run out of cash. At the same time, the US is trying to force international recognition of the chairman of the National Assembly Juan Guaido as the countrys new president. For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section UN, Arab Red Crescent send 100 trucks of humanitarian aid from Damascus to Syrian camp near Jordan UN, Arab Red Crescent send 100 trucks of humanitarian aid from Damascus to Syrian camp near Jordan The UN and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent are dispatching more than 100 trucks of humanitarian aid from Damascus to Syrians stranded near the border with Jordan. The convoy was described on Wednesday by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent as the largest to reach more than 40,000 residents of the Rukban camp. Its carrying food, medicine and educational materials. The distribution is expected to take seven days and involve more than 140 Red Crescent volunteers, AP said. The last aid delivery to the isolated camp was sent in November, nearly 10 months after the previous batch.Source : RT - Daily news Backbench Labour MP Chris Williamson has hit out at the UKs response to the Venezuelan crisis for following the lead of US President Trump. He insisted that there is no place for external intervention from foreign powers. In response to the US, UK, Canada and many European countries coming out to officially recognize Juan Guaido as Venezuelas interim president, Williamson reminded MPs in Parliament on Tuesday that US intervention in Latin American countries never ends well. He suggested US intervention and things such as manufactured shortages of food currently enveloping Venezuela, have been witnessed over the years in Chile, Honduras and other Latin American countries. Williamson, a prominent Corbynite MP, argued that instead of doing as theyre told by President Trump, Theresa Mays government should be working with the international community to find a peaceful resolution between Venezuelas socialist leader Nicolas Maduro and Guaidos opposition party. Williamson told MPs: ...rather than acting as Donald Trumps poodle, [the UK] should actually be calling on the United States and indeed the worlds community to get together [both sides] around the table to reach a mutually acceptable solution. There is no place for external intervention from foreign powers, the Labour MP added. Also on rt.com Its not just Venezuela: Nicaragua & Cuba also on the way of American imperialism K. Livingstone It comes after the Netherlands, Germany, the UK, France, Spain, Sweden, Belgium, and Denmark joined the US in recognizing Guaido after earlier calling on the democratically-elected President Nicolas Maduro to run fresh elections a request he rejected, insisting elections will take place in 2020. However, not all in the EU have offered resounding support for Guaido, the National Assembly leader. On Monday, Italy reportedly blocked an EU statement recognizing Guaido as Venezuelas legitimate leader. Russia, China, Turkey, and Iran have said they see Maduro as the only legitimate leader and warned against meddling in Venezuelas domestic affairs. Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! to RT newsletter to get stories the mainstream media wont tell you. Moscow will quit the INF Treaty in six months in a mirror response to US withdrawal from the nuclear pact, Russian FM Sergey Lavrov said as Donald Trump revealed that Washington is considering negotiating a new agreement. Russia has said everything [it is going to say] concerning the INF issue, responding to US unfounded allegations, Lavrov said on Wednesday. Moscows top diplomat also stated that Russia is delivering a mirror response and will quit the treaty in six months. He was commenting on US President Trumps statement that Washington might be interested in negotiating another agreement that would include China and other countries. Also on rt.com Russia suspends INF Treaty in mirror response to US halting the agreement Last week, President Vladimir Putin said Moscow is suspending its participation in the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty after the US announced its withdrawal from the agreement. Both Moscow and Washington have accused each other of violating the terms of the nuclear pact. The treaty was signed by the US and USSR in 1987, and had remained a key pillar of European security. If you like this story, share it with a friend! Saudi Arabia and its allies in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) are reportedly trying to deepen partnership with Russia-led oil producers, seeking to seal a new formal pact with Moscow. The proposal to transform the oil cartel, which is aimed at supporting the global oil market amid US refusal to curb output and pressure on the organization, might be discussed at the coming meeting in Vienna later this month, according to OPEC officials cited by the Wall Street Journal. However, such an idea to formalize the union between OPEC and other major oil producers has not been welcomed by all the members of the cartel. The move has reportedly met opposition from Iran, as it fears that Moscow and Riyadh would take control over the group. Tehran has been cooperating with Moscow for years, but is at loggerheads with its regional rival Saudi Arabia. Also on rt.com Cha-ching! OPEC+ deal adds extra $120 billion to Russia's coffers, energy minister says Russia is not a member of OPEC, but it has been cooperating with the organization under the so-called OPEC+ deal in a bid to stabilize the oil market and bolster crude prices. Following months of declining oil prices, the 15-member alliance and non-OPEC allies led by Russia agreed to significantly slash output in December. The idea to set up a joint structure with OPEC was floating for some time last year. But in December, Russias energy ministry ditched the proposal, saying that any official alliance would only create a new headache for all the players on the market. At the same time, it stressed that the cooperation with OPEC and allied major oil producers will continue. Also on rt.com Russia turns down permanent alliance with OPEC In January, the UAEs energy minister said that if OPEC's agreed cuts of 1.2 million barrels per day would not be enough, the members and allied countries are ready to extend the deal. However, the introduced measures have already affected the market, with crude prices rising to the highest level since late November 2018 earlier this week. For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section Donald Trumps State of the Union speech sent mixed messages about where the president stands on foreign policy, analysts told RT, as his anti-intervention views clash with his threats against Iran and Venezuela. While the commander-in-chief praised US troops serving in Afghanistan and Syria as having fought with valor, he gave little indication of a timeline for a possible pull-out from the region, despite previous sentiments to the contrary. The omission did not sit well with analysts. Michael Maloof, a former Pentagon official, told RT that Trumps failure to provide specifics about a withdrawal timeline from the warzones was disappointing especially because the president had earlier indicated that troops would be returning home in the near future. Also on rt.com Foolish wars, politics & ridiculous probes: Only natural predators that threaten the US miracle? The president likely glossed over a withdrawal timeline because it would have been very controversial, Maloof suggested, adding that ultimately, Trump may even embrace his cabinets neo-conservative approach to foreign policy. While the president railed against foolish wars as one of the few obstacles standing in the way of the miracle of American economic might, Maloof said that Trumps threats directed at Venezuela and Iran show that Washingtons penchant for regime change has not subsided. These are very scary times, Maloof warned, adding that despite its military might, the US could once again get bogged down in another Vietnam in places like Venezuela. Likening the speech to pouring old neo-con wine into a new America First rhetorical bottle, Jim Jatras, a former US diplomat, lamented that elements within the Trump administration were working against the presidents stated foreign policy objectives. Also on rt.com SOTU: Trump urges Congress to choose greatness; Is that even possible? The one bright spot is probably Korea but there are people in his administration who would like to tank that one as well, Jatras said. Trump has signaled that hes open to reconciliation between the two Koreas, but his cabinet not to mention most of Washington and the media continue to paint peace efforts on the Korean peninsula as naive and dangerous. Trumps decision to pump record amounts of money into the military is also a cause for concern, Jatras warned. Now [Trump] is threatening to have a new arms race with the Russians and the Chinese. We spend 10 times as much as the Russians, three times as much as the Chinese. Not enough money isnt our problem here. It is because the strategy is all wrong. I think he knows that, the former US diplomat said. Like this story? Share it with a friend! Macedonia signs key NATO membership text as ratification process begins Macedonia signs key NATO membership text as ratification process begins NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov led an accession protocol on Wednesday signing ceremony in Brussels. The move is seen as a big step for the small Balkan country toward becoming the 30th member of NATO and it also marks the end of a long dispute with Greece over Macedonias name. The country is expecte dto jon the alliance under the name of North Macedonia, possibly late this year or in early 2020, AP said. US President Donald Trump and his NATO counterparts are due to hold a summit in London in December. The meeting, to mark NATOs 70th anniversary, could formally welcome North Macedonia should the ratification process be completed.Source : RT - Daily news Former Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters has lashed out at the US government for destroying real democracy in Venezuela, calling for an end to Trumps coup in the Latin American country. The legendary rock musician expressed his outrage at how the US is treating Venezuela on Twitter and Facebook, demanding that Washington leave the people there alone. They have a real democracy, stop trying to destroy it so that the 1% can plunder their oil, the former Pink Floyd bassist and co-lead vocalist wrote on Sunday. He also posted a leaflet titled Stop Trumps coup in Venezuela, which called for an emergency demonstration in front of the US Mission to the UN in New York. Waters words prompted a wave of comments, most of which were quite unsympathetic towards the music icon. Some social media users condemned him for supporting a dictatorial regime, while others lamented that he has no clue what is happening in Venezuela. Also on rt.com Roger Waters: Neoliberal propaganda keeping voters asleep like Orwellian sheep One person posted a picture of Venezuelan people eating leftovers from a trash can, saying Wish you were here to see this, in reference to the Pink Floyd song Wish You Were Here. Waters was also accused of hypocrisy for being a communist lover with pockets full of money. There was a smattering of support for the musician. One Twitter user replied by calling Venezuelas opposition leader Juan Guaido the White Houses dog. There were also calls to avoid aggression. People have to understand war is not the solution to any problem, one person wrote on Facebook. Also on rt.com Criminal Roger Waters blacklisted by Ukraine over Russian interviews Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the US stands with Venezuelas opposition in its noble quest for freedom, while the elected president Nicolas Maduro sees Washingtons actions as insane and illegal. Roger Waters has been engaged in political activism for years. He is well known as a devout Palestinian human rights defender, and a critic of the US-backed Syrian opposition. Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! Politicians are normally judged by what they do rather than on what they wear, but one lawmaker in Brazil has caused a stir over her revealing first-day outfit choice and says shell sue those abusing her online. Ana Paula da Silva, known locally as Paulinha, had previously served two stints as a city mayor before being elected to the Brazilian state of Santa Catarinas Legislative Assembly in October. But she rose to wider public attention in January, after pictures posted from the assemblys opening day went viral and began to garner some unsavory attention. The striking red outfit with the plunging neckline that the state deputy wore was quick to attract comments online. Some immediately questioned if it was the right place for her to wear it. Others were quick to praise and deem Paulinhas clothing choice as appropriate for the place and pointed out it is the character of the politician that counts. Some joked that she went clubbing after the formalities at the Assembly had ended. However, many were scathing in their assessment calling her the representative of prostitutes and some even making references to rape. READ MORE: Brazilian faith healer forced women to work as fertility slaves on 'baby farms,' activist says Paulinha struck back at the worst of the trolls on Monday, saying that her team has made copies of the offending comments. They will be filed as part of a lawsuit to bring the most malicious commenters to justice, among them a police officer in the state. Any compensation she receives will be donated to a charity of abused women. READ MORE: Why not?: Brazilian transsexual volleyball star runs for Congress I thought people were going to talk about the red, but they just focused on the cleavage, she told local network NSC TV, adding that the way I dress is my problem. Women have breasts and I have big breasts, Ive always been like that, she said, adding that she wont become another woman after becoming a deputy. The message has been given, she said. Women are in politics and society has to get used to it. There are much more important issues for the Legislative Assembly to discuss. Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! Fearing potential terrorist attacks, the south-eastern city of Grenoble will temporarily close a mosque in which imams were allegedly calling for armed jihad. Over 400 worshippers attended the mosque each day. The Al-Kawthar mosque, located in a populous Rue des Trembles district of Grenoble, has become fertile soil for disseminating ideas and theories that provoke violence, hatred and discrimination, the local prefecture said. It claimed the imam legitimized armed jihad Sharia and discrimination against women. The imams sermons allegedly stirred up hatred towards those practicing other religions. It is thought that over 400 Muslims attended the Al-Kawthar each day, according to French media. The mosque will now be shut for six weeks and its assets will be frozen. To do so, Grenoble authorities invoked a specific French law which deals with prevention of terrorist attacks and threats to national security. The city, which is home to over 162,000 residents, accommodates 20 mosques, including the Al-Kawthar, according to a local Muslim-oriented website. Last year, it emerged that mosques in Aix-en-Provence, Sartrouville and Marseille were also closed for preaching radical Islamism. The move came after a string of terrorist attacks sent shockwaves across France, leaving multiple people killed and injured. Also on rt.com Austrias Kurz receives death threats after shutting down mosques Grenoble itself witnessed a terrorist attack in 2015, when a man was found beheaded at a local factory and an Islamist flag was seen flying over the facility. A 35-year-old man, Yassin Salhi, was arrested in the manhunt that followed. It later transpired that the victim of the attack was his boss. In 2016, French authorities closed around 20 mosques considered to be spreading violent extremism. In all, there are some 2,500 mosques and prayer halls in France. Of those, around 120 are considered to be preaching radical Salafism, a strict Sunni interpretation of Islam. Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! UK Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has been banned from the port of Calais, after its chief accused him of showing disrespect for not being open about his post-Brexit plan to reduce activity at the French harbour. The ports chairman, Jean-Marc Puissesseau, told the Telegraph that the transport minister had given him no warning about UK government proposals to bypass Calais in a no-deal-scenario. Grayling had asked the French port in November whether they would be ready to cope with an increase in customs checks, in the event the UK leaves the EU without a deal on March 29, according to Puissesseau. Also on rt.com Demented pantomime: UK govt stage fake traffic jam to test no-deal Brexit event, Twitter erupts We told him yes, though we did not know as much as we know today. He did not tell us that he wanted to reduce the activity [at Calais]. Puissesseau added: It is not fair at all, it is completely disrespectful. I dont want to see him again. The port of Calais, the fourth largest in France, has devised a new traffic light system to keep operations running smoothly after Brexit. Green for lorries with the correct paperwork, red for lorries with no paperwork and orange for drivers who are not sure. Puissesseau joked: I have heard he is failing Grayling He will have to have a declaration if he comes to Calais. He will have to go through the orange lane. Grayling is not short of controversy. He notoriously handed the no-deal scenario contract worth 13.8m to Seaborne Freight, a ferry company which currently has no ferries. In 2015, as UK justice secretary, he proposed a 5.9m deal to run a training programme for prisons in Saudi Arabia, which was dropped after public outcry. In 2014, he spent 72,000 defending a High Court challenge to his ban on prisoners receiving books from family members, a challenge which he lost. Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! to RT newsletter to get stories the mainstream media wont tell you. SAGINAW, MI Officers from the Saginaw Police Department arrested a man they believe approached students at least four times while they were on bus stops awaiting transport to school. On Tuesday, Feb. 5, Detective Sgt. Oscar Lopez announced that police arrested a 43-year-old man and charged him with accosting a child for immoral purposes. The mans name is being withheld pending arraignment. The first incident occurred around 7:10 a.m. on Jan. 11 on Madison near North Bond, when a female student and her brother were walking separately from one another when an unknown man approached and tried to grab her. She ran to her brother and the subject fled. On Jan. 15, shortly before 7 a.m. on North Bond near Reed, police say a female student was walking when an unknown male exited from a light-colored four-door vehicle and began to chase her. The student managed to get on the bus, according to Lopez. Moments later on South Elm near Division, four female students were waiting for the bus when they observed a male standing across the street behind a tree. The girls deemed this to be suspicious and went back to one of their homes and notified a parent, according to Lopez. The fourth incident occurred on Jan. 25 around 8 a.m. on Mackinaw near South Mason. Two female students were waiting at a bus stop when they observed a male make a lewd gesture as he drove past in a light-colored vehicle. The females walked away and he followed them. The subject drove past them again this time exposing his genitals, according to Gomez. Detective Phillip Graves worked tirelessly on this case following up on any and every lead, said Lopez said. Assistance from the public and good old fashion police work played a large role in tracking down this individual. Anyone with information on any of these incidents are urged to call Detective Graves at 989-759-1761. MUSKEGON, MI Midtown Muskegon is expected to get a face lift this year with major improvements planned for the citys Third Street corridor. City staff are planning a $450,000 project to widen sidewalks on both sides of Third Street to make the area more walkable. The project also would create space for outdoor seating possible for such restaurants as Hamburger Mikey and Curry Kitchen, said Muskegon City Manager Frank Peterson. Other potential improvements include new landscaping, trees, benches and streetlights courtesy of Consumers Energy. Jackson-based Consumers Energy donated $200,000 to the project and the Community Foundation for Muskegon County pledged $40,000. The rest of the project will be funded by the Downtown Development Authority and with money budgeted for major street repairs. The idea is to narrow Third Street and make that portion of Nelson Neighborhood more attractive to visitors and longtime residents. The Nelson Neighborhood has struggled for decades and everyone around here knows it, Peterson said. Its struggled with blight, its struggled with slum landlords and crime. And to see people reinvesting in it is amazing. To see it cleaned up is really important to us. The several blocks of Third Street that stretch from Muskegon Avenue on the west to Jefferson Street were renamed Midtown Muskegon following action in 2017 by the Muskegon City Commission. Nelson Neighborhood is the center of Muskegons urban core and is not only one of the largest neighborhoods in the city, but one of the most racially and economically diverse, Peterson added. Its the part of Muskegon where theres really a place for everyone, he said. But its also one of our most invisible neighborhoods. It could be a spot that attracts new people and is welcoming to longtime residents. The project is just one part of the citys years-long effort to revitalize the neighborhood adjacent to downtown. In 2017, the city completed work on its Midtown Square housing development between Monroe and Houston avenues and Fourth and Fifth streets. The city now wants to expand that development and build affordable housing near Jefferson Street and Apple Avenue. Consumers Energy Foundation Secretary and Treasurer Carolyn Bloodworth said she hopes the companys contribution will enhance the renaissance of this historic area. Consumers Energy is dedicated to ensuring Michigan communities are growing and thriving, Bloodworth said in a statement to MLive/Muskegon Chronicle. We are pleased to support the Midtown/Third Street Revitalization project with a grant that will enhance the renaissance of this historic area. "We look forward to the future as this project is completed and becomes a vibrant commercial and residential area that supports Muskegons growing downtown. Design work on the project is still underway and the city is seeking qualified contractors to complete construction, said Leighann Mikesell, the citys director of municipal services. Work likely will begin either this spring or fall, as area business owners have requested that the city not disrupt business during summer, Mikesell added. If we did it in the spring, wed try and get it done around Memorial Day, and if we do it in the fall, wed wait until after Labor Day to start, she said. MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI All 12 Muskegon County school districts are at risk of extending the school year into summer due to snow days. After a week of brutal cold that closed state government, universities, businesses and car factories, all Muskegon-area schools have used more than the state-allotted snow days. The state allows public schools to cancel classes up to six days for events out of their control, such as subzero temperatures. The state superintendent can grant a waiver for an additional three days on a case-by-case basis. Each Muskegon-area district has closed seven or eight times due to winter weather. All 12 districts were closed for the week of Jan. 28-Feb. 1 during the historic polar vortex that held the state in its icy grip. If districts cant get a waiver for the additional snow days, theyll have to add days to their calendars at the end of the school year or make up the time some other way. However, the potential of extending the school year in June wont cause Muskegon-area superintendents to keep buildings open during hazardous conditions, they all agreed in an email thread with MLive/Muskegon Chronicle. Closures are already being considered for Wednesday, Feb. 6. Freezing rain is expected to move through the southern half of Lower Michigan Tuesday night, resulting in ice rink-like conditions Wednesday morning. I hope not, Muskegon Public Schools Superintendent Justin Jennings said of whether there would be a snow day on Wednesday. The district has already closed seven times. Hell drive local roads early to determine if theyre safe for buses. School cancellation decisions are exclusively based on concern for safety of children and staff, said Superintendent Tom Livezey of Oakridge Public Schools. The number of accrued snow days does not impact school cancellation decisions. Oakridge has used eight snow days, along with Orchard View Schools, Ravenna Public Schools and Holton Public Schools. Reeths-Puffer Public Schools, North Muskegon Public Schools, Muskegon Public Schools, Muskegon Heights Public School Academy System, Fruitport Community Schools, Montague Area Public Schools and Whitehall District Schools have each closed for seven snow days. "Our closure criteria would not and will not change knowing that we may have to add days in June, said Superintendent John VanLoon of Ravenna. Safety and security of the students, parents and staff is our first priority and will continue to be so, regardless of the number of snow days that are called. Each superintendent said they plan to appeal to the state for up to an additional three excused snow days, for a potential nine excused days. With winter not being over yet, we will wait to request forgiveness of any days beyond the six allowable days to see if we reach the maximum three additional snow days that we may request, Livezey said. Orchard View Superintendent Jim Nielsen fully expects the waivers to be granted in light of the extreme weather that caused Governor Gretchen Whitmer to call for a state of emergency. However, the state superintendent decides whether to grant additional snow days. Sheila Alles currently serves as the interim state superintendent. At the end of the year, if students were not in the classroom at least 1,098 hours during at least 180 days the school district is at risk of receiving less money, per state law. Some school districts schedule more than the minimum required hours to give themselves a cushion, said Bill DiSessa, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Education. According to the most recent data available from the state, in 2016-17, 117 school districts canceled class more than nine times during the school year. Thats compared to 26 school districts in 2015-16 and 33 school districts in 2014-15. BERRIEN COUNTY, MI -- A man accused of killing his lovers husband was arraigned on a murder charge in Berrien County District Court Monday. Jeremy Cuellar, 24, was extradited to Michigan and arraigned at the court in St. Joseph Monday, Feb. 4, for the alleged premeditated murder of U.S. Army Sgt. Tyrone Hassel III, 23. The sergeants wife, Kemia Hassel, 22, was previously arraigned on similar charges connected to the killing of her husband, according to a press release from Berrien County Sheriffs Department. A police investigation revealed the pair was having an affair and plotted to killed Tyrone Hassel III to continue their relationship and reap financial benefits resulting from his death, the release said. Cuellar, who was also in the military, was stationed at Fort Stewart in Georgia. Kemia Hassel and her husband were also stationed at Fort Stewart, where they lived with their 1-year-old child. If convicted of first-degree, premeditated murder, Cuellar and Hassel could face a sentence of life in prison without the chance for parole. The pair is scheduled to appear for a joint preliminary examination Wednesday, Feb. 20, Chief Assistant Prosecutor Steve Pierangeli said Tuesday, Feb. 5. Hassel was scheduled to appear for a preliminary examination Tuesday. The hearing was adjourned so Cuellar and Hassel could appear in court together, at the request of the judge, Pierangeli said. On the night of his death, the victim and his wife were staying with his father in St. Joseph Township while the two were home on military leave during the holiday season. Hassell was at a family gathering in Benton Harbor Dec. 31, 2018, when he returned to his fathers home about 11 p.m. to bring his wife some food, police said. He was confronted there by an assailant who shot and killed him, the release said. Cuellar traveled from Fort Stewart to Chicago several days prior to Dec. 31, police said. He waited for directions from Hassel to ambush the victim, and did so on New Years Eve, the release said. Kemia Hassel was arrested and taken to the Berrien County Jail Saturday, Jan. 12, according to jail records. She was arraigned on a charge of first-degree, premeditated murder Jan. 14. Both Hassel and Cuellars bonds were set at $2.5 million each, with a requirement for a GPS tether should either post bond. UPDATE: Bangor police in Van Buren County confirmed late Tuesday, Feb. 5 that a woman was arrested for being in possession of stolen vehicle owned by Judge Bell. A man in the vehicle also was arrested on assault charges. OSHTEMO TOWNSHIP, MI When Cheri Bell reported her vehicle stolen after someone she met through Facebook took it for a test drive and never returned, a public safety dispatcher told her the circumstances surrounding the theft were common. What may not be quite as common is that the stolen vehicle belongs to a Kalamazoo County judge. Bell, the wife of Kalamazoo County Probate Court Judge Curtis Bell, said she was communicating with the woman Sunday, Feb. 3, to set up a time to meet so the supposed buyer could look the vehicle over. They met after 3 p.m. Monday, Feb. 4, Bell said. After Bell showed the woman how to use the automatic starter and told her where the documents were in the glove box, she handed her to the keys to the Buick Enclave owned by Bell and her husband, she said. The woman told her she planned to drive past a nearby tire store so her boyfriend could look at the vehicle. The woman left a different vehicle, a Lexus, in Bells driveway and drove off in the Enclave. After about a half hour, Bell began to wonder if the woman was taking too long. She spoke with her husband, who urged her to check in with the woman again. Hes less forgiving of time passing, she said. Hes like, You let her take the car? When she reached out again, Bell said, the woman told her she wanted to take her children for a ride also. Then I said, Bring the car back please, she said. Bell did not get a response and has not since, she said. After her daughter checked a couple tire shops nearby and found no sign of the vehicle or the man said to be working at one of them, Bell reported the theft to the Kalamazoo County Sheriffs Office. The vehicle is a black 2012 Buick Enclave and had a license plate with number 2CG22, Bell said. The car also had a specialized FOP license plate and a tow hitch. Bell posted a photograph of the woman she believes stole the car, pictured alongside a man, as well as information about the incident, photos of the vehicle, and the words please share. As of publication, the post had received 425 comments and more than 2,300 people had shared her post on Facebook. Kalamazoo County Undersheriff James Van Dyken said the people pictured in Bells Facebook post are considered suspects in the theft, and police are looking for them. MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette is not identifying the suspects at this time because they have not been charged with a crime. After Bells post was shared on Facebook, she received comments from people giving her more information about the suspects, and was contacted by some who believe the same suspects could be involved in other car thefts in the area. She said she was somewhat embarrassed when someone posted a link to the Michigan Department of Corrections website, which showed the female suspect had a criminal history including convictions for larceny, possession of methamphetamine and uttering and publishing. Bell, who works in fund development for Planned Parenthood, said she wants the vehicle back. But she also feels sorry for the thief and wonders what brought her to behave the way she has. I was worried about her last night, Bell said, wondering how the case could end, and the possibilities of a police pursuit or another incident. Its inconvenient, and Ill certainly behave differently when using social media to purchase things, but I feel sad for her, she said. Bell is trusting the police to do their job to investigate, she said. Before she stopped messaging the woman who left with the car, Bell said, she tried one last message in hopes of helping the woman resolve the situation safely. My husband is a judge and we have already contacted the sheriffs office, her message read, in part. Please park the car and walk away. KALAMAZOO, MI -- A state law was invoked by the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners this week to require Treasurer Mary Balkema to answer questions about the statutory duties of her position. The board voted 10-1 Tuesday, Feb. 6, to delegate county Administrator Tracie Moored to identify questions about the treasurers responsibilities as the foreclosing governmental unit, and to require Balkema submit a written report, under oath, within 45 days. Board Chair Julie Rogers, a Democrat, said the move seeks to answer long-standing questions about the treasurers authority. Rogers said the motion was not directly related to an ongoing Michigan State Police investigation into accounting abnormalities in the treasurers office. I think they are two different tracks, Rogers said. I have been a commissioner with this board for six years and I had some of these questions for six years and weve asked past administrations and leadership. Finally there is the will from leadership to look into this. Rogers said one of the major questions is what happens to properties that are not sold at foreclosure auctions. Balkema maintains that state law is silent on what she can or cannot do with property held by her office. Rogers said the board should be more involved in the decisions to return foreclosure properties to the tax base. It should be a partnership and a dialogue, Rogers said. A motion introduced Tuesday by Republican Commissioner Roger Tuinier cites a section of Michigan law laying out the powers of county commissioners. It allows the board, by a two-thirds vote, to remove a county officer who fails to give a report at the boards request. Balkema said the board absolutely could have received answers to its questions without invoking the state law. The Republican said the motion was a largely political" move that, to her knowledge, has never before been used against a county treasurer in Michigan. (The board) can ask me for something anytime, Balkema said. I could not recall one time during my employment that I did not give a report or document that was asked of me. Rogers said she requested accounting information during the 2019 budgeting process last fall but did not receive the details she was seeking. Tuinier introduced the motion during a discussion on the countys tax reversion fund and delinquent tax revolving fund, both managed by the treasurer. Bonnie Toskey, of Lansing-based law firm Cohl, Stoker & Toskey, was retained to provide legal advice on the subject. Commissioner Ron Kendall, who voted against the motion Tuesday, said he is not opposed to oversight, but expressed concern that the board could become a roadblock in the process of returning foreclosed properties to the countys tax base. Tuinier said the motion does not seek to destroy anybodys reputation, but allows the board to use its authority to ask questions without a lot of backlash. I dont want to micromanage this at all, but when we do have questions that are concerning I think we should be able to get answers to them, Tuinier said. Commissioners John Gisler and Stephanie Moore praised Balkemas work in the community but supported seeking more transparency. The delinquent tax revolving fund ensures taxing jurisdictions receive property tax payments on time. The treasurer loans the expected amount to jurisdictions like cities, townships, libraries and schools then collects late payments from property owners. Last fall, the board discussed whether to transfer $500,000 from the fund to housing assistance. Balkema objected at the time, saying it would make it difficult to replace late tax revenue. I think its part of who has control over delinquent tax revolving fund, who is the agent of the fund and who determines the excess, Balkema said Wednesday. That is the rub and has been the rub ... People who are not charged with that duty think they know more than the person charged with the oversight and supervision of the fund. The tax reversion fund is comprised of foreclosure fees and proceeds from property sales. As Kalamazoo Countys foreclosing governmental unit, state law allows Balkema to direct the investment of the account to cover costs incurred in maintaining the property and reimburse taxes and fees owed on the property. Police investigate treasurer On Sept. 7, 2018, Kalamazoo County Corporation Counsel Elizabeth White met with Michigan State Police in Prosecutor Jeff Gettings office to discuss financial transactions involving the treasurers office and county land bank. State police opened an investigation after White provided records of home foreclosures, auctions and county expense accounts. White said she reviewed county records and brought her concerns to Getting, who referred her to Michigan State Police. The administrator was notified after the matter was turned over to state police. The police investigation seeks to settle questions about whether the treasurer acted illegally while financing property redevelopment through the foreclosure process. Nearly 800 pages of investigation documents, released to MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette through the Freedom of Information Act, show Balkema paid a single contractor almost half a million dollars for work on properties since 2011, allowed contractors to avoid paying sales tax by using county credit accounts and used proceeds of property sales to buy thousands of dollars in outdoor furniture, clothing and transportation to a conference in Wisconsin. Questions have also been raised about the transfer of properties to Balkemas church and a nonprofit that employs a county commissioner. Moore, a Democrat, referenced an adversarial relationship between county officials that makes communication difficult. Moore said White never came to board leadership with questions about the treasurers office. Moore questioned whether the county should also be re-evaluating its relationships with nonprofits and other organizations involved in the treasurers work to rehabilitate blighted properties. Moore said much of this work is done in her district, located on the north side of Kalamazoo. Police documents show Michigan State Police provided a general briefing of the situation to the Michigan Attorney Generals Office in October 2018 after obtaining records from White. MSP Lt. Chuck Christensen said on Jan. 21 the investigation is likely a few months away from being finalized. Vice Chair Tracy Hall, a Democrat, said there have been long-standing questions about the delinquent tax revolving fund, which even predates her tenure on the board in 2016. Hall said Tuesdays motion doesnt have anything to do with the police investigation. No, no, Hall said. Its separate. KALAMAZOO, MI -- A political opponent of Kalamazoo County Sheriff Rick Fuller could receive a $70,000 payout to settle a federal lawsuit alleging Fuller removed Swaffords police powers as punishment for challenging the sheriff in the 2016 Democratic primary. Thomas Swafford and his campaign committee sued Fuller and the county in 2017 for allegedly violating his constitutional rights under the First and 14th Amendments. Swafford alleged Fuller abused his power to retaliate against Swafford by declining to swear him in as a deputy after the 2016 election. The Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners approved a $70,000 settlement with Swafford and his campaign committee on Tuesday, Feb. 5. Corporation Counsel Elizabeth White said a settlement agreement will be drafted, signed by both parties and filed in U.S. District Court to close the case. In January, attorneys for both parties met to discuss a settlement. The court was informed of the parties' decision to settle the complaint and ordered closing documents to be filed by Feb. 15. Fuller declined to comment. Undersheriff James VanDyken said the sheriff does not discuss personnel matters. In a text message to MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette, Swafford said Fuller swore him back in as a deputy on Dec. 5, 2018 and reissued Swaffords firearm, badge and other police equipment. He referred other questions to his attorney, Collin Nyeholt. Nyeholt said Swaffords police powers were returned shortly after U.S. District Judge Janet Neff declined a motion by the county to rule in its favor without going to trial. Neffs order came on Nov. 30, 2018. Nyeholt said the settlement allows both parties to deny liability. I have no issue with it, Nyeholt said of the settlements terms. While determining whether the case should see trial, Neff ruled that a reasonable juror could conclude that the county violated Swaffords First Amendment rights and infringed on his ability to run for office. In the November 2018 ruling, Neff found Swaffords criticism of the sheriffs office is protected under the First Amendment because statements were made during the campaign and in open forums designated for political speech instead of in the workplace. However, Neff recommended more investigation into whether actions were taken against Swafford to deter him from making similar statements in the future. Swafford started as an unpaid officer in the reserve division in 2002 before briefly taking a position in the dispatch center in 2009. He was hired as a corrections officer in 2010 and became a training officer for the jail division of the sheriffs office. Five years later, Swafford announced his intention to seek the Democratic Party nomination for sheriff in the 2016 election. Before the election, Swafford was investigated for improper inmate fraternization because an inmate was overheard discussing Swaffords candidacy during a monitored visitation. An investigation sought to determine whether Swafford had inappropriate contact with the inmates family. Court documents show an investigation found Swafford didnt violate any policies. Fuller defeated Swafford by a landslide in the August 2016 primary. The sheriff earned more than three times as many votes. Two days after ballots were cast, Swafford was removed from his position as field training officer. Fuller testified that he did not learn of the removal until after it occurred. Court documents state a captain removed Swafford because his negative attitude toward the sheriff caused the captain to believe Swafford would not be a good role model or ambassador for the sheriffs office. Swafford continued to campaign for 2016 Republican candidate Jeff Heppler, court documents state. Fuller was re-elected in November 2016, defeating Heppler. The day after the election, Swafford filed to run for sheriff in 2020, later announcing he would run as a Republican. Fuller said in court testimony that Swaffords candidacy was likely to undermine the department and promote disharmony among co-workers, impair discipline by supervisors and have a detrimental impact on close working relationships for which personal loyalty and confidence are necessary. Swafford testified that on Jan. 4, 2017, he was called into Fullers office and told he would not be sworn in as a deputy and would lose his power to make arrests. Fuller asked Swafford to return his firearm, badge and other police equipment, but Swafford would continue to work in the jail with full pay. Court documents show Swafford made $31.93 per hour after a recent two percent pay raise. A lieutenant escorted Swafford to his locker to recover the items. Fuller notified the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards that Swafford would not be sworn in because Fuller no longer had trust or confidence in him, court documents state. During court testimony, Swafford acknowledged some disharmony among jail employees regarding the election, but said he did not believe it impacted jail operations. Swafford acknowledged his candidacy could cause morale issues among his co-workers. Part of Swaffords job duties include breaking up fights, writing police reports and patting down inmates as they enter the jail. All other employees with similar duties at the jail are sworn in as deputies, according to court documents. Meanwhile, Swafford said in court documents that his professional life has suffered. Co-workers regularly tease him and inmates disrespect him. Swafford said in his complaint that inmates are less likely to accept his direction, creating concerns for his safety. In 2017, Swafford filed a grievance with the Kalamazoo County Police Officers Labor Association over the removal of his police powers. The grievance was denied because the union ruled the sheriff has discretion regarding who he chooses to swear in as a deputy. Swaffords personnel file, obtained by MLive through the Freedom of Information Act, shows a record of positive performance evaluations. Performance evaluations from 2010 to 2017 did not identify performance issues in any category. Performance evaluations show Swaffords supervisors consistently stated he required little supervision and could be trusted to handle high-stress situations. Swafford has always been very respectful and professional when dealing with other staff members, an excerpt of a 2017 evaluation reads. (He) reacts well under pressure, motivates others to perform well, and maintains the use of the chain of command within the department. In 2013, Swaffords performance was recognized for responding to an emergency in the jail. Fuller worked for 20 years as a deputy or sergeant before being elected sheriff in 2008. He also worked as a police officer for the Homer Police Department and as a firefighter, EMT and dispatcher in Marshall. JACKSON, MI A motorist charged with causing a crash that killed 3-year-old Raylyn Kami Johnson is heading to trial with a murder charge added to his case. Kingston Skrzynski,, 19, of Jackson was bound over for trial Wednesday, Feb. 6, on one felony count each of second-degree murder, reckless driving causing death and operating while intoxicated causing death after his preliminary examination before District Judge Joseph Filip. Skrzynski was originally only charged with reckless driving causing death and operating while intoxicated causing death. The charges are almost totally inadequate with what occurred and could have occurred, Filip said. Negligence was not a substantial cause of the childs death, it was the cause. Witnesses testified that on Aug. 26 they saw Skrzynskis vehicle speeding and passing vehicles on the shoulder of southbound U.S. 127 in Liberty Township. Karyn Murdie testified Skrzynski was tailgating closely behind her for several miles on U.S. 127 before the crash. She identified Skrzynski in court as the driver based on how closely he was following her. I could clearly see his face in my rearview mirror he was so close, she said. I saw a van pulling out of a driveway ahead of me, then I saw him in my side mirror hit the van. While traveling on the shoulder of U.S. 127, Skrzynski rear-ended a minivan between Cook and Reed roads shortly after it pulled out of a private drive, police said. The minivan rolled several times and Raylyn was ejected. She was later pronounced dead at Henry Ford Allegiance Health. Adrienne Cognata, a registered nurse in Henry Ford Allegiance Healths Emergency Department, was on her way home when she saw the crash and stopped to help, she said. I asked everyone if they were OK, but before they answered I heard someone screaming, she said. She saw a woman hovering over Raylyns body on an embankment trying to giver her CPR, so she ran to her to help, she said. Cognata performed CPR on Raylyn for 10 minutes until medical personnel arrived and took over, she said. Skrzynski told police he was changing the radio station in his car when he looked up and saw a car heading toward him, causing him to swerve unto the side of the road and hit the van, Michigan State Police Trooper Raven Tonner said. Toxicology tests showed Skrzynski had methamphetamine and Gabapentin, a medication used to treat seizures and nerve pain, in his system at the time of the crash, Tonner said. The test did not state the quantity of the drugs found in his blood. A toxicology test was also performed on the driver of the van, Raylyns mother, which did not show any traces of drugs or alcohol, Tonner said. Its unclear how Raylyn was restrained inside the vehicle at the time of the crash, Tonner said. A second 3 year old in the minivan was flown to Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor for treatment. The driver and passenger in the van suffered minor injuries. Skrzynski and a passenger in his vehicle also both suffered minor injuries. All have since recovered. Skrzynskis case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Thomas Wilson. He is currently free on $5,000 bond. Second-degree murder is punishable by up to life in prison. Reckless driving causing death and operating while intoxicated causing death are both punishable by up to 15 years in prison. JACKSON, MI A man accused of opening fire and hitting a man in the foot outside a Jackson lounge and a strip club during a brawl seven months ago has been found guilty as charged. After a two-day trial, a jury on Tuesday, Feb. 6, convicted Leandrew Martin on nine felony charges stemming from the shooting at about 1 a.m., July 22, behind Kingstons Lounge, 629 E. Michigan Ave., and the neighboring Avenues Gentlemans Club in Jackson. Martin, 40, was convicted of one count each of assault with intent to do great bodily harm, felon in possession of a firearm, felon in possession of ammunition, carrying a concealed weapon, carrying a dangerous weapon with unlawful intent and four counts of felony firearm. He was originally charged with assault with intent to murder which was downgraded during the trial. This isnt a complicated case, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Kelsey McKinnie told the jury during her opening statements. (Martins) friends got into a fight and when the fight died down Martin started shooting. He shot 10 times which you will see on video. Witnesses testified there were several people at the club celebrating a family member being accepted into college when an unknown man started an argument with someone outside the club. As the argument continued, someone threw a brick at the group, now consisting of about 20 people, and a fight ensued, witnesses said. Prosecutors played a security camera recording from Avenues Gentleman's Club that captured the fight showing Martin pulling out a handgun and opening fire at individuals less than six feet away. Police recovered 10 shell casings from a 40-caliber handgun at the scene. The only reported victim from the shooting was a 31-year-old man who was struck in the foot, police said. Martin is scheduled to be sentenced March 20 before Circuit Judge Susan Jordan. He is currently lodged in the Jackson County Jail. Assault with intent to do great bodily harm is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, but Martin was convicted as a four-time violent habitual offender, which carries a mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison, prosecutors said. LEONI TWP., MI Howard Linnabary survived a recall election to keep his seat as Leoni Township supervisor but now faces a new attempt to remove him from office. Township Clerk Mark Carpenter filed a lawsuit on Monday, Feb. 4, to have Linnabary removed from office immediately for not taking an oath of office after winning his recall election in November 2018. A motion hearing is scheduled before Jackson County Circuit Judge Richard LaFlamme at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 11. Carpenter filed the lawsuit in his official capacity as clerk, with the townships attorney Guy Conti representing him. Linnabary is representing himself, per court records. An elected township official must take an oath of office by Jan. 1, per state law, but it doesnt clarify if that applies to officials surviving a recall, Contis legal opinion said. While the clerk is supposed to swear in newly elected officials, Carpenter said in the lawsuit that failure to take an oath is completely the failure of the successful candidate. Its unclear why Linnabary allegedly wasnt administered the oath. Linnabary declined to comment. Carpenter did not return requests for comment. If Linnabary is removed, it could also affect votes taken by the townships Board of Trustees since the start of the year, according to Contis legal opinion in the court documents. Any action taken by the Leoni Township Board where Mr. Linnabary was the mover of the enabling motion as well as any actions taken by the Leoni Township Board that received only four affirmative votes of which one was Mr. Linnabarys is null and void, Contis legal opinion said. If an official doesnt take an oath by Jan. 1, the board can choose to appoint the official to the spot, per state law. A similar situation occurred in Monroe Countys London Township earlier this year when Supervisor Gary Taepke wasnt sworn in before Jan. 1 after surviving a recall election. Taepke feared the board would appoint somebody else, he told the Monroe News. The board later voted 3-1 to keep Taepke as the supervisor. Michigan changed its recall process in 2012. Previously, residents would vote whether to recall an official and later voted on the replacement. Its now done in one election, where voters choose between the incumbent or any challengers. Linnabary earned 42.8 percent of the vote in the three-way race for supervisor in November. It is clear that the people of Leoni Township elected Mr. Linnabary as their Supervisor, Contis legal opinion said. This legal opinion is not meant to be, and should not be interpreted as, questioning the judgment of the people of the township. Linnabary was the only Leoni Township official to survive the recall. Clerk Michele Manke and Treasurer Lori Stack, also up for recall in November, lost to Carpenter and Patrick Clemente, respectively. The three officials were entangled in controversy after voting to give portions of each $5,000 medical marijuana business application fee to themselves. The policy has since been changed and Linnabary was the only official of the three to give the money back. BYRON TOWNSHIP, MI -- After a lengthy police investigation, the August death of a retired Byron Center pastor has been ruled a suicide. A death certificate filed at the Kent County Clerks office, updated last month, shows the cause of death for 66-year-old Dale Cross Sr. as self-inflicted gunshot wound. Since the death Aug. 6 -- Cross was found next to his SUV along 68th Street SW east of Burlingame Avenue and a handgun registered to him was found at the scene -- police have conducted numerous interviews of people near the area that day. Kent County sheriffs investigators thought the death could be suspicious because of Crosss wound. A bullet entered the top left side of his head and exited below his right ear, according to a search warrant to collect information from Crosss electronic devices. Cross, however, was right-handed and known to carry his handgun on the right side of his waistband. Kent County sheriff"s Sgt. Joel Roon said the investigation into Crosss death was long and deep with many hours spent looking into it. Cross appeared to have been preparing to change a tire when he died, although police determined the tire was simply low and didnt require repair. He said investigators talked to people who heard the shots and drove past the area that day. We were kind of able to piece a timeline together to a very narrow window, he said. There just wasnt really the escape route that would accommodate a second person leaving. Roon said Crosss family asked for a second opinion from the medical examiners office on the death. He said a second forensic pathologist concurred with the first ruling. Crosss family members pushed for an extensive investigation. They said suicide was not consistent with his religious beliefs. During the investigation, police issued at least two news releases asking for the publics help to get more information on the case, specifically about a man in his 20s who may have stopped to help Cross prior to the shooting. Theres no indication that person was in any way a suspect, Roon said. Cross was a pastor at Abundant Life Church of God in Wyoming for 24 years before retiring in 2012. OTTAWA COUNTY, MI A former Georgetown Little League board member is accused of stealing at least $20,000 from the organization. Victoria Hillard, 40, was arraigned Wednesday, Feb. 6, in Hudsonville District Court on a 10-year felony charge of embezzlement by agent over $20,000. She turned herself in for the court appearance but has yet to be booked through the Ottawa County Jail, sheriffs Capt. Mark Bennett said. He said she took the money over the course of several months. The money was allegedly used for personal debts. She had been a treasurer, police said. Georgetown Little League said in a statement that it has taken steps, and will continue to take steps, to safeguard league funds. It is going to seek restitution if Hillard is convicted. It could also file a civil lawsuit, the statement said. Months ago, the organization selected a subcommittee of the Georgetown Little League Board president Sean Wright, vice-president Tyler Wolf and treasurer Chris DeJongh to work with attorney Joel Baar to seek compensation for the loss. They intend to strengthen internal controls so that all measures are taken to hopefully prevent a similar situation from happening again in the future, the statement said. Finally, the GLL board is conducting an internal review of existing safety precautions and protocols, with the goal of preventing this from ever happening again. The GLL board takes this matter very seriously. It is certainly disappointing that GLL resources were stolen by a trusted board member, who many of us consider a longtime friend. As stewards of GLL resources, the GLL board takes its fiduciary duties very seriously and these duties extend to holding people responsible for their actions. We also view this as a teachable moment for our community. There are consequences for misconduct, but there is also room for grace, mercy and forgiveness. A phone message left at Hillards home was not immediately returned. PORTLAND, MI -- Shortly after midnight, Rose Cyr was awakened by heavy knocking at the door. It was the police. Cyr was confused; she hadnt done anything wrong. Then she saw the water. When I went to bed, it wasnt raining or snowing or anything -- everything was fine, she said. I opened the door and theres police and theres just water. Thats all you see is water. I had one more step before it was over my porch. Cyr and her two grandchildren were among about 50 residents evacuated early Wednesday morning, Feb. 6, after an ice jam on the Grand River caused major flooding along Canal and Water streets on the rivers western bank. The flooding on Canal Street was high enough that first-responders used boats to evacuate Cyr and other residents. Those guys did a good job, she said. They need to be recognized. The waters have since receded somewhat, and most residents were allowed back in their homes by Wednesday afternoon. But not Cyr. Shes one of a few residents who live on Canal Street who are awaiting the all clear. I have no clue what Im going home to, she said, adding that shes never seen flooding like this in her 25 years at the home. Cyr said the water hadnt made it into her home but had flooded her garage when she evacuated. Cyr said she has flood and home insurance. A makeshift shelter for evacuated residents was set up overnight by the American Red Cross at the Portland Central Church of the Nazarene. Gerald Smith, a Red Cross volunteer and Saranac resident, arrived at the church at 4 a.m. and was still manning the front door into the early afternoon. I want to serve, Smith, a volunteer firefighter and pastor, said. Thats all I want to do. He said the roughly 20 people that sought shelter at the church were in good spirits and helpful to each other. Although almost all residents were allowed back into their homes, Smith said theyre keeping the cots and other equipment in place just in case more flooding occurs. Portland Police Chief Star Thomas said its not clear at this time if the river will rise again in the coming days. Ive been in Portland for 14 years and it has never crested to the residential streets in that time, Thomas said. The rising waters also flooded the basements of some businesses along Kent Street on Grand Rivers eastern bank. The ice breakup that resulted in the jam and the flood also caused problems for the U.S. Geological Survey. The USGS equipment that measures river height at the Kent Street Bridge upstream from the jam was dislodged during the ice breakup at around 5 p.m. Tuesday, USGS officials said. Crews were out Wednesday morning implementing a temporary fix until long-term equipment could be installed. The ice jam on the Grand River comes after days last week when wind-chill temperatures dropped well below zero, followed by a rather quick warm up and melt. On Wednesday, freezing rain made for hazardous conditions in many Michigan locations. GRAND RAPIDS, MI Dangerous winter storms have pushed nearly all school districts in Kent and Ottawa counties beyond their six-day state allotment of forgiven time - meaning the school year could get longer. With snow days piling up, school superintendents are monitoring the weather for freezing rain that could close schools Wednesday, Feb. 6. A winter storm advisory is in effect from 10 p.m. to 1 p.m. Most districts were closed all last week because of severe conditions from widespread lake-effect snow showers and subzero wind chills. Michigan law allows districts to be forgiven for six days of closures due to conditions beyond their control such as weather and power outages before having to make up loss instructional days. An additional three days may be granted with the approval of the state superintendent. But many districts have or are close to maxing out the additional three days. Only one district is at 6 days, most have between seven and 10 days this school year. Last week, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency due to subzero temperatures. However, the Michigan Department of Education has not said whether it will automatically grant waivers for the three additional days. Below are the number of snow days districts in the Kent and Ottawa ISDs have used as of Friday. Feb. 1: 10 Days: Lowell, Rockford and Caledonia (One of the 10 days for Rockford and Caledonia was due to a power outage). 9 Days: Zeeland, Northview, Cedar Springs, Kent City, Sparta, and Thornapple-Kellogg (One day due to a power outage. The two-day mid-winter break has been reduced to one). 8 Days: Forest Hills, Grandville, Allendale, Kenowa Hills, Coopersville, Wyoming, Comstock Park, Godfrey-Lee (including one day for an employees funeral), and Saugatuck. 7 Days: Grand Rapids, Hudsonville, Holland, Jenison, Kelloggsville, Godwin Heights, Byron Center, Kentwood, West Ottawa, Spring Lake, Grand Haven, and Hamilton. 6 Days: - East Grand Rapids. Rockford Public Schools Superintendent Michael Shibler said he has already reached out to a few West Michigan lawmakers to discuss future legislative help for districts if they continue to pile up snow days. School districts will need some legislative relief because of the unusual circumstances, said Shibler, who said the district has 10 closures, including for a power outage. School districts still have the rest of February, March and part of April to get through. In a recent letter to district parents, Shibler said regardless of how many days we do or do not have left, I will always make decisions based on the safety of students, staff, and the community. During the 2012-13 school year, the Legislature agreed to allow districts to make up snow days by lengthening school days even if they didnt meet the mandated number of days. The governor can also grant a waiver to schools that request one. But that waiver only would cover days taken for inclement weather after April 1. Cedar Springs Superintendent Scott Smith said their district has used nine days and has already sought approval for the three extra days. If it is dangerous, closing Wednesday will be an easy call, he said. Kenowa Hills Superintendent Gerald Hopkins said school leaders worry about icy conditions, including road conditions, sidewalks and parking lots. He said they have used eight days but decisions are always about safety. "Ice makes for unpleasant and dangerous situations,'' he said. "We have consistently communicated to our families the potential for having to extend the school year if days have to be added to make up for loss instruction.'' Thousands of students are currently slated to end the school year June 7. At the end of the year, students have to be in the classroom at least 1,098 hours during at least 180 days -- or a school district is at risk of receiving less money, per state law. FENTON, MI Workers and ownership scurried around the new Andiamo Restaurant Monday afternoon putting the finishing touches on a multi-million dollar project that has been in the works for months. Located in the three-story Horizon Building at 102 West Silver Lake Road, Suite 1, the Italian eatery is set to open Wednesday, Feb. 6. Dominic Vicari, an operating partner with the Joe Vicari Restaurant Group who will oversee all daily operations, was excited the day has finally arrived for the approximately $2.5 million eatery, the first Andiamo in Genesee County. His father Joe started the Andiamo brand 30 years. It has grown into a total of eight Metro Detroit Andiamo locations, two Joe Muer Seafood locations, Brownies on the Lake in St. Clair Shores, three Country Inn locations, five 29/41 Mediterranean Street Food locations, the 800-seat Andiamo Celebrity Showroom located within Andiamo Warren and the Andiamo Italian Steakhouse at The D Hotel in Las Vegas. Along the years, Joe and Rosalie, Dominics mother, purchased a home 15 years ago on Lake Fenton. Weve seen the city grow over that time, Dominic Vicari said. This (property) used to be an old gas station, collision shop. Now its a magnificent building. The first thing patrons will see upon walking through the front doors of the restaurant is a large bar seating area with an intricate light fixture that provides full meal service, craft cocktails and 12 beer taps Vicari said will rotate on occasion with new brews. At each end of the roughly 9,000 square-foot space are large dining rooms including an all-season spot with large windows facing out to the downtown area. The spaces will be available for private gatherings. This is a newer (design). Our other locations are more like that traditional Italian restaurant (with darker lighting), said Vicaro. This is a little more casual, more rustic ... that new kind of feel we want to go with. I felt like this design would be a perfect fit for up here. The menu will offer the traditional scratch cooking and many of the dishes Andiamo has become known for, Vicari said, but some new items will also appear including wood-fired pizzas. Over the years of doing different specials or doing different things, we have a (recipe) book this size, he noted, holding his hands several feet apart. Ive noticed the trend of Italian cooking is changing a little bit and we kind of want to keep up with that. Everybody knows the standards, the tomato Bolognese sauce or the fettuccine alfredo, but to get a crispy friend short rib ravioli thats something new the chefs are sort of taking on and making a little bit different, noted Vicari. We wanted to stay with that curve there. Hours of operation are 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday, 4 p.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, and 4 p.m.-9 p.m. Sunday. Reservations are now being taken for Wednesdays opening. Were happy to be with this building. Its a great location, said Vicari. Were happy to be in town. We hope to have a lot of people come check us out. ARGENTINE TWP, MI A guilty plea has been entered in connection with the September 2018 shooting death of a 28-year-old Argentine Township man. Floyd Bryon Blalock, 22, of Linden pleaded guilty Tuesday, Feb. 5 in Genesee District Court to one count each of manslaughter and felony firearm. Officers with the Argentine Township Police Department responded around 7 p.m. Sept. 22 to a residence in the 16000 block of Seymour Road for a report of a shooting. Argentine Township police Detective Sgt. Doug Fulton previously said witnesses told investigators that the friends were playing with a handgun when it fired, striking Christopher Baldwin once in the chest and shoulder area. Witnesses told police it was a habit of the friends to unload the firearm and dry fire it at each other, Fulton said. Dry firing a gun involves removing the ammunition before pulling the trigger. Baldwin was pronounced dead at the scene. No other injuries were reported among three others inside the residence at the time of the shooting. Matt Norwood, Blalocks attorney, said it was an emotional scene in the courtroom on Tuesday, with Blalock mouthing Im sorry to the victims family. Hes been locked up and he hasnt had the ability to go and personally apologize, he added, noting Blalock is very apologetic for the incident. Its a tragedy and shows that no one should mess with guns. The guilty plea dropped a second-degree murder charge to manslaughter. The sentencing guidelines, Norwood said, may land Blalock in prison for up to four years. Hes been in custody since the day of the incident. Norwood pointed toward the police report that indicated all the people that were there called the shooting an accident. The second the gun went off, my client was calling 911 trying to save his buddy, went out into the road trying to wave down first responders, he said. Fulton called it a sad situation all the way around. Blalock is scheduled to be sentenced March 4 in front of Genesee Circuit Judge Richard B. Yuille. ANN ARBOR TWP., MI - Icy roads prompted Washtenaw Community College to delay its morning classes Wednesday, Feb. 6. WCCs main campus will open at noon Wednesday, with classes at 1 p.m. and later meeting as usual. Many of the areas K-12 schools opted to canceled classes with freezing rain spreading throughout southeast Michigan, including Detroit and Ann Arbor early Wednesday. Inclement weather forced WCC to cancel or delay classes three times last week, along with other area universities like Eastern Michigan University and the University of Michigan. ANN ARBOR, MI A former Washtenaw County probation officer wont face jail time for lying to police in connection with the 2015 killing of Keandre Duff. Sarah Stein, whose job it was to enforce probation sentences, will now serve 18 months of probation herself, in addition to two years of court supervision. Tears trickled down Steins face during her sentencing hearing as Duffs mother, Markitta Claybron, called the 40-year-old former probation officers lies a major source of pain for the victims family. Claybron asked Washtenaw County Trial Judge Carol Kuhnke to show no mercy to Stein because of her job as probation officer. You knew that man murdered my son and you chose to withhold information and allowed me and my family to suffer, Claybron said. You had a role to make a difference in our childrens lives and you chose to become the evil part of the senseless acts that they were doing out there. Your decision hurt me and my family with me being a Christian, I do forgive you. It was one of the hardest things I had to do in my life because youre an adult and you know better." Stein, of Ann Arbor, was accused of lying to police about her former juvenile probationer, Tariq Jackson, whos serving 17 to 40 years in prison after being convicted of second-degree murder and other felonies for his role in the gang-related killing of Duff following a party in Ypsilanti. Stein told officials she did not think Jackson was capable of murder and denied being told elements of the crime, according to court records. But a phone recording with her alleged lover another former juvenile probationer of hers exposed the lie, investigators said. Stein admitted in the call that Jackson told her all about shooting 20-year-old Duff, according to police. She resigned from her position as probation officer in December 2018, shortly before pleading guilty to two counts of lying to a peace officer - one a felony and the other a misdemeanor. Sentencing guidelines allowed for up to five years prison, but Kuhnke spared Stein any time behind bars. Stein told the court she was embarrassed and ashamed of my behavior. "I want to sincerely apologize for very poor judgement, Stein said prior to being sentenced. The actions did not come from malice. I will not stand before you today and minimize my behavior by offering excuses for my actions. I have used the last two and a half years to fully examine myself and identify my personal limitations. although it has been difficult to accept some of my vulnerabilities I have a much deeper understanding of who I am." MLive/The Ann Arbor News reporter Darcie Moran contributed to this story. ANN ARBOR, MI - A car fire in a hospital parking structure blocked roads near the University of Michigan medical campus on Wednesday. Firefighters were called about 4:40 p.m. Feb. 6 for a reported car fire in the P2 parking structure at University Hospital, said Ann Arbor Fire Chief Mike Kennedy. Firefighters quickly knocked the fire down, he said. The hospital's pressurized entrances and fans then kept smoke from getting into the hospital. That's been an issue in the past, Kennedy said. One vehicle was significantly damaged, while two others suffered minor damage, Kennedy said. He was not aware of anyone injured. Traffic to the emergency room and on East Medical Center Drive at Washington Heights was blocked to all but emergencies, said University of Michigan Deputy Chief of Police Melissa Overton. However, the roads were reopened as of 5:50 p.m., Kennedy said. ISLE ROYALE, MI - One of three female wolves that had been caught in Minnesota this fall and relocated to Michigans Isle Royale in hopes of boosting the national parks predator pack there has left the island. She used an ice bridge created by the polar vortex to trot back to the mainland at the end of January, the park service said. Researchers were alerted to the possible departure through the female wolfs GPS tracking collar. It was later confirmed when a team from the longtime Wolf and Moose research project, there for its annual winter study, was able to see the wolfs route off the island during an airplane flyover of the area. The wolf crossed back to the mainland after last weeks deep freeze. Isle Royale sits in Lake Superior and is about 22 miles from Canada, and about 18 miles from the wolfs native Minnesota. Mark Romanski, Isle Royale National Parks project lead for the wolf reintroduction efforts, had been watching the GPS tracking data from the wolves when he noticed little movement between Jan. 27 and Feb. 2, according to the National Park Service. This can happen when a wolf is hunkered down in dense forest cover and there is no clear view for the collar to transmit data up to the satellites. Blinded by the poor satellite transmissions, the park needed aerial observations to help locate the translocated wolves, park staff said. Michigan Technological University researchers arrived on Saturday, Feb. 2, including lead researcher, Rolf Peterson. The team confirmed two of the three collard wolves were still on the island. Then they started following a very static-filled signal off the islands north shore, toward Canada. We followed the signal toward the north shore of the island and finally out over the open water of Lake Superior, Peterson said. A lead a half mile wide had opened a few hours before, as the ice bridge was dislodged by a strong northeast wind. We flew out across the open lead and out over the ice pack then determined that the wolfs signal was still to the north, straight to the mainland. We gave up further search because the weather was deteriorating and evening was approaching. Later that day, GPS satellite data confirmed what researchers suspected: the wolf known as F003 departed the island on Jan. 31, made a beeline north, then headed west to the border between Canada and northeastern Minnesota. This map shows the wolf's path from Isle Royale back to the mainland. I was excited to see locations after not seeing anything for five days, but that excitement quickly gave way to disappointment as my eyes followed the track that led away from Isle Royale. I knew this could happen but of course you always hope for the best," Romanski said. Researchers said they understood that wolves could return to their original territory. They just didnt foresee that there would be a polar vortex creating an ice bridge just a few short months after the animals were relocated. The national park is in the midst of an ambitious plan to relocate more than two dozen wolves to the island over the next few years, trying to bolster a predator population that had dwindled to just two wolves in the last few years - a pair that was not breeding. But the process has had some bumps. A male wolf was found dead after being released on the island, and a female that was caught died before she could be released. Two new females remain on the island, along with the existing pair. More than 1,500 moose also live on the island - a booming population that has park staff worried about the big animals overbrowsing the wilderness. Theyre hoping more wolves will bring the moose numbers back into balance. Project staff hope to bring more wolves over this winter, this time from Canada. Dave Mech, a federal Wolf Biologist and former member of the Isle Royale research team, said the early research on wolf translocation indicated that if you moved a wolf less than 80 miles it typically would try to return home, especially if it was a breeding animal. So a Minnesota wolf trying to return is not surprising. However, we also found that if they were held in the release area for three to four weeks they generally stayed in the area. Since all of the new wolves were moved in the fall it will take time to tease out the behaviors related to translocation. The Isle Royale wolf translocation is new territory in understanding wolf behaviors and will be ground breaking with new information as it unfolds. Paul Ajegba, the man tapped by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to head the Michigan Department of Transportation, says Michigan needs to rethink how it funds roads and the system needs an infusion of dollars, but how to accomplish that is up to the governor and Legislature. We have more needs than we have dollars, Ajegba told the state Senate Advise and Consent Committee during a hearing Tuesday to consider his appointment. The core issue is funding. He said Michigan ranks 46th among the 50 states in per-capita funding for roads. The state Senate has 60 days to object to Ajebgas appointment. If no objection is raised, he is automatically confirmed. Ajebga, a 28-year veteran of MDOT, got a arespectful hearing from the committee, and Sen. Peter Lucido, R-Shelby Township, thanked him at the hearings conclusion for being direct in his answers. Ajebga said his top priorities are transparency, sufficiency in terms of funding, efficiency and innovation. Asked by Lucido why he thought he was picked for the top job, Ajebga cited his reputation for doing more with less. I have a tendency to look for creative solutions to complex problems, he said. As an example, he cited his work on a nine-mile stretch of U-23 north of Ann Arbor which has been designated a flex route that notifies drivers when traveling on the shoulder is allowed. The system also offers suggested speed limits and indicates when to merge. The innovations have reduced traffic congestion during morning rush hour as well as reduced the number of accidents. Ajebga told the committee that hed like to take MDOT to the next level, but a key component of that is figuring out strategies to increase road funding. My opinion is that we have to grow the pie, he said. We have to grow the funding. He pointed to Public Act 51, which governs the gas tax. Is this still the right model?" he said. Republicans and Democrats on the committee seem to agree. Lucido pointed out that PA 51 is 68 years old and created at a time when the vehicle were less fuel efficient and thus the tax generated more money. Sen. Curtis Hertel, D-East Lansing, told Ajebga that if he was looking for partners to revise PA 51, I think youd find some people in this room," including himself. Lucido and other Republicans suggested that maybe diverting more sales tax revenues to roads might to be a solution, although that would mean finding a new funding stream for the School Aid Fund, which also gets sales tax dollars We cant rob Peter to pay Paul, Lucido said. One idea that Ajegba discouraged was bonding. You dont bond unless you have a way to pay for the bonds, he said. Ajegba decline to say how much money is needed, but said a hike in the gas tax and registration fees approved in 2015 was inadequate.. When fully implemented that legislation puts an extra $1.2 billion toward roads starting in 2021, but Ajebga said about 60 percent will go to county and local governments. Ajebga declined to offer specifics on how to generate more road funding, saying that was up to the Legislature and Whitmer, who made improving the roads a signature campaign promise. Asked to detail his conversations with Whitmer on the topic, Ajebga demurred. While there have been a lot of conversations behind the scenes about improving roads, Ajebga said, Whitmer is the proper person to present a plan. Part of developing that plan is gathering information from counties and local governments about their needs regarding roads, Ajebga said, adding, I dont have a good grasp on their needs. He also said any road-improvement plan needs to take maintenance into account, saying one problem in the state has been rebuilding a road only to shortchange proper maintenance because of lack of dollars. Once roads are improved, we have to find a mechanism to keep them there, he said. In addition, Ajegba said the department cant ignore other needs, such as mass transit and walking and bike paths. Just to say that all the money should go to roads and nothing else ignores how everything fits together, he said. Hertel, a Democrat, said this an area where bipartisanship is needed. I hope we can all come together to solve this problem of crumbling roads, he said. Asked why he wants to head MDOT, Ajegba offered a wry smile. I like challenges, he said. Its a good opportunity to be changing the way we do things in Michigan. Amanda Thomashow, who filed the first Title IX complaint against Larry Nassar, will attend tonights State of the Union speech in Washington, D.C., as the guest of U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly. Thomashow was molested by Nassar in 2014, and filed a complaint that led to Michigan State Universitys first investigation of the sports-medicine doctor. Slotkin represents Michigans 8th Congressional District, which includes Michigan State. Last week, Slotkin sent a letter questioning Secretary of Education Betsy DeVoss proposed rule changes to Title IX, which Slotkin says likely would have shielded MSU from responsibility under Title IX to protect Nassars victims. Thomashow now works as an advocate for victims rights at a Michigan nonprofit as well as with the Michigan Domestic and Sexual Violence Prevention and Treatment Board. She also is part of an advisory board overseeing Michigan States new Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program that will offer 24-hour-a-day, first-response medical care to sexual assault survivors on campus. I could not be more proud to be joined at the State of the Union by a woman who has exhibited such leadership and effected real change on an issue directly impacting the 8th district community, Slotkin said in a press release. I find it extremely troubling that under Secretary DeVoss proposed changes to Title IX, MSU would likely not have been required to take action to protect Amanda and other survivors of the Larry Nassar scandal," Slotkin said in her statement. Im looking forward to having her here to discuss both the ways Congress can serve as a check and balance on the Administrations proposed Title IX roll-backs, as well as the proactive action we can take to keep students safe on campus." Marijuana sold in Michigan could come with a label warning women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, under a proposal by State Rep. Thomas Albert, R-Lowell. The unborn in Michigan deserve a fair shot and exposure to harmful products unfairly inhibits both brain development and subsequent life opportunities, Albert said in a statement. Putting warning labels on marijuana products is an effective safety measure that will help protect Michigans future generations. Alberts proposed law would affect both recreational and medical marijuana products. His proposed warning label would read as follows: WARNING: Use by pregnant or breastfeeding women, or by women planning to become pregnant, may result in fetal injury, preterm birth, low birth weight, or developmental problems for the child." Parents must be made aware of the fact that it could harm their child, Albert said in a statement. Due to limited and at times conflicting research, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists advise against marijuana use for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. There is no known safe limit for marijuana use during pregnancy or by women who are breastfeeding their children. Some research shows that using marijuana while you are pregnant can cause health problems in newborns -- including low birth weight, reads the CDCs website, citing studies from 2013 and 2016. Chemicals in marijuana -- including THC -- can be passed to a child through breast milk, according to the CDC. However, data on the effects of marijuana exposure to your baby through breastfeeding are limited and conflicting. To limit potential risk to the infant, breastfeeding mothers should avoid marijuana use, according to the CDCs website. In an October 2017 opinion from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' Committee on Obstetric Practice, the group writes that its difficult to be certain about the specific effects of marijuana on pregnancy because those who use it often use other drugs as well, including tobacco, alcohol, or illicit drugs, and in part because of other potential confounding exposures. Adverse socioeconomic conditions, such as poverty and malnutrition, may contribute to outcomes otherwise attributed to marijuana, the committee wrote in its opinion. For example, one population-based study reported that pregnant marijuana users were more often underweight and had lower levels of education, had a lower household income, and were less likely to use folic acid supplementation than nonusers. In Colorado and California, where marijuana is legal for both adult use and medical purposes, warning labels are required to include information about risks to pregnant women. The language required on Colorado products includes this warning: There may be long term physical or mental health risks from use of marijuana, including additional risks for women who are or may become pregnant or are breastfeeding." Californias required government warning includes this statement: Cannabis use while pregnant or breastfeeding may be harmful. House Bill 4126, which would amend the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act, and House Bill 4127, which would amend the Medical Marihuana Facilities Licensing Act, have been referred to the House Judiciary Committee for consideration. -- Amy Biolchini is the marijuana beat reporter for MLive. Contact her with questions, tips or comments at abiolch1@mlive.com. Read more from MLive about medical and recreational marijuana. Almost nine pounds of medical marijuana and infused products are being recalled from a Vassar store in Michigans seventh recall so far this year. Seven strains of marijuana as well as edibles and concentrates sold at Elite Wellness Vassar from November 2018 to Feb. 1 contained too much chemical residue to pass lab testing, according to the the states Bureau of Marijuana Regulation. The Wednesday, Feb. 6, recall is the sixth instance of marijuana grown by caregivers and sold untested to patients that has now been tested and has failed since Jan. 1. In total, 60 pounds of marijuana and related products have been recalled from licensed provisioning centers across the state. State regulators are facing pressure from testing labs and now the lead sponsor of the 2016 medical marijuana law as a result. No patients have reported illness to date, said David Harns, spokesman for the Bureau of Marijuana Regulation. Officials are allowing provisioning centers to purchase marijuana from caregivers and sell it untested until March 31, as long as patients sign a waiver. Every state-licensed lab in Michigan has asked the state to change their minds in the name of patient safety and requesting caregiver product be tested before being sold. Harns said the state has taken their letter under consideration. Wednesday, the Great Lakes Cannabis Chamber of Commerce issued a statement urging Governor Gretchen Whitmer and regulators to put an end to the caregiver marijuana supply altogether at provisioning centers. One of the major goals of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Facility Licensing Act (MMFLA) was patient safety, said former State Rep. Mike Callton, R-Nashville, who was the main lawmaker behind the MMFLA. The state cannot continue to allow arsenic and other harmful substances to taint medicine being sold in Michigan. Last week, marijuana products were recalled from an Ypsilanti provisioning center due to the presence of arsenic and cadmium, among other issues. E. coli, salmonella and mold have also been found in medical marijuana that has been recalled. Here are the products sold at Elite Wellness Vassar at 664 State Road in Vassar from Nov. 13, 2018, to Feb. 1 that are affected by the Feb. 6 recall: Agent Orange (Flower) 1A405010000089B000000349 Failed for chemical residue AK Extracts Crumble (Concentrate) 1A405010000089B000000287 Failed for chemical residue Blue Cheese (Flower) 1A405010000089B000000158 Failed for chemical residue Detroit Growers Extracts (Edible) 1A405010000089B000000003 Failed for chemical residue Grand Daddy Purp (Flower) 1A405010000089B000000107 Failed for chemical residue Ice Cream Cake (Flower) 1A405010000089B000000355 Failed for chemical residue Lemon Drop (Flower) 1A405010000089B000000246 Failed for chemical residue Orange Skittles (Flower) 1A405010000089B000000325 Failed for chemical residue and bile tolerant bacteria Super Lemon OG (Flower) 1A405010000089B000000354 Failed for chemical residue Anyone with the recalled products should return them to the provisioning center for proper disposal. Here are the details of the past six recalls: Jan. 4, the state issued a voluntary recall of five different products sold at approximately 15 or more licensed provisioning centers due to computer input errors that did not show if the products had been tested. -- Amy Biolchini is the marijuana beat reporter for MLive. Contact her with questions, tips or comments at abiolch1@mlive.com. Read more from MLive about medical marijuana. MARQUETTE, MI A man who crossed the United States-Canada border with child pornography has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. Jason Henry Bishop was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Robert J. Jonker on Tuesday. The court also ordered that Bishop be supervised for 10 years following his release from prison, must pay a $40,000 fine and pay $5,100 in special assessments. The investigation into Bishop started when he crossed the U.S.-Canada border in Sault St. Marie on Jan. 27. Canadian Border Patrol officials became suspicious and sent Bishop for a secondary inspection. During the secondary inspection, they located several photos of child pornography. CBP forwarded Bishops electronic devices to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations, which recovered child pornography and images Bishop took of himself in a shirt that reads I am a child molester. Another recovered photo features a self-made poster that reads I love child porn. A review of Bishops criminal history uncovered that he solicited sex with underage children on at least three prior occasions, according to a news release. Today's significant prison term against a convicted child predator should serve as a clear warning for those who target and prey on children, said Steve Francis, special agent in charge for HSI Detroit. The aggressive investigation and prosecution of child predators remains among HSIs highest priorities. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Lochner and Davin Reust. Gov. Gretchen Whitmers recent efforts to restructure Michigans environmental department could be in limbo as Republican lawmakers consider invoking a constitutional right to reject it. This week, Whitmer signed Executive Order 2019-2 to rebrand the Department of Environmental Quality as the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). The executive order also creates new offices within the department, including the Office of the Clean Water Public Advocate, the Office of the Environmental Justice Public Advocate, and the Interagency Environmental Justice Response Team. The main sticking point in the order is a section that gets rid of the Environmental Rules Review Committee, Environmental Permit Review Commission and Environmental Science Advisory Board. Those panels were recently established by the legislature and were backed by the business community - on Monday, Michigan Chamber President and CEO Rich Studley urged the legislature to seriously consider disapproving the order. State Rep. Triston Cole, R-Mancelona, said Wednesday morning lawmakers are currently talking through options about the best path forward. I personally believe the Governors overstepped her constitutional authority to undo that with the swipe of a pen, and so were going to address that, he said. Im not personally opposed to the entire thing, but just particular pieces, he continued. The legislature has 60 days from the signing of the order to decide whether to overturn it. Whitmer spokesperson Tiffany Brown said the Governor has broad Constitutional powers to reorganize government, subject to a legislative veto, including the power to support the action she took in EO 2019-2. This is about streamlining the regulatory process in state government, Brown said. The department already has a robust stakeholder engagement program on their permits and rules and will continue to work to ensure that all stakeholders have a voice in that process. The Michigan League of Conservation voters said in a statement the legislature should support, not block, Whitmers efforts. We need swift action to promote clean water, not legislative delays, political games or additional layers of bureaucracy, said Lisa Wozniak, the leagues executive director. We urge the state Legislature to support and work with Gov. Whitmer to ensure state government can protect our water, Great Lakes and the health of Michigan citizens. LANSING, Mich. -- A lucky man from Monroe County said he just had to keep writing down how much money hed won because he just couldnt believe it was real. Thankfully for him, it is real and on Tuesday, he claimed a $2.5 million Lotto 47 jackpot. I checked my tickets Monday during my trip to the grocery store, said the 75-year-old player who chose to remain anonymous. "When I scanned the Lotto 47 ticket, I got a message to see the retailer. The clerk printed off the numbers and we both looked over my ticket. She told me Id won the jackpot and my first reaction was: I did? When I got home, I kept writing $2,500,000 down on a piece of paper because I just couldnt believe Id won so much and I wanted to see what it felt like to write such a huge number. To win his prize, the man matched all six numbers drawn -- 02-16-23-26-39-41 -- for the Lotto 47 drawing held on Saturday, Feb. 2. The lucky player bought his ticket at the Uptown Bar, located at 8 West Front Street in Monroe. He visited Michigan Lottery headquarters in Lansing Tuesday to claim his prize. He elected to receive his jackpot as a one-time, lump-sum of $1.6 million. He plans to take a vacation and use the money to help family. Im retired and live a comfortable life, but dont have much money to spend on my family. This will allow me to help them tremendously, the player said. After more than a week of psychiatric evaluation, Lions linebacker Trevor Bates was arraigned from a New York City hospital on four charges stemming from a night in which he was accused of skipping out on a taxi cab fare and later punching a sergeant. He has pleaded not guilty, which will send the case to a second hearing scheduled for March 8. His bond was set at $10,000, or $5,000 cash, and court records show he has not yet posted it. The Lions backup linebacker is charged with assault, resisting arrest, theft of services and obstruction of government administration. He faces between probation and prison time of up to seven years if he is convicted. The charges stem from a Friday night on Jan. 26 in New York City in which Bates was arrested initially for allegedly skipping out on a $32 cab fare. New York police say he was arrested and transported without incident, but when they informed him he was going to be released on a ticket unless he had any outstanding warrants, he grew agitated with the fingerprinting process and struck a sergeant in the face. The sergeants benevolent association that represents the union tweeted a statement calling Bates a wild animal and dog crap, which has drawn its own criticisms of racism. Bates' agent, Jeff Jankovich, released a statement calling Bates' behavior not at all consistent with the man and friend we know him to be. Bates has been active in helping the children of incarcerated felons in the Detroit area, including hosting a bowling event for them just six days before his arrest. The Lions have not taken any action with Bates yet. General manager Bob Quinn said in a statement that he was aware of the arrest but had not gotten a chance to speak with Bates yet. How to use the mindat.org media viewer Click/touch this help panel to close it. Welcome to the mindat.org media viewer. Here is a quick guide to some of the options available to you. Different controls are available depending on the type of media being shown (photo, video, animation, 3d image) Controls - all media types Zoom in and out of media using your mousewheel or with a two-finger 'resize' action on a touch device. Use the mouse or your finger to drag the image or the view area of the image around the screen. < and > at the left and right hand side of the screen move forwards and backwards for the other images associated with the media you selected. Usually this is used for previous/next photo in a gallery, in an article or in search results. Keyboard shortcuts: use shift + the left and right arrow keys. < and > in the bottom center are used for switching between the photos of the same specimen. Keyboard shortcuts: use the left and right arrow keys. > in the bottom center, raises the information box giving details and further options for the media, < at the top of this box then hides it. Keyboard shortcuts: use the up and down arrow keys. ? opens this help window. Keyboard shortcuts: use the H key or the ? key. Other keyboard shortcuts: 1 Fit image to screen 2 Fill screen with image 5 Display at full resolution < Make background darker > Make background lighter space Hide/dim titles and buttons Scalebar If the field of view (FOV) is specified for the photo, the scalebar appears in the left bottom corner of the viewer. The scalebar is draggable and resizeable. Drag the right edge to resize it. Double click will reset the scalebar to it's default size and position. If the scalebar is in default position, double click will make it circular. Controls - Video Video files have a standard set of video controls: - Reset to start, - Skip back, - Play, - Pause, - Skip forwards. Keyboard shortcuts: You can stop/start video play with the P key. Controls - Animation (Spin Rotation) Animation (usually 360 degree spin rotations) have their own controls: - enable spin mode. Note that while images are loading this option will not be available but will be automatically activated when the animation has loaded. Once active you can spin the image/change the animation by moving your mouse or finger on the image left/right or by pressing the [ or ] keys. The button switches to move mode so that you can use your mouse/fingers to move the image around the screen as with other media types. The button, or the P key will start playing the animation directly, you can interrupt this by using the mouse or finger on the image to regain manual movement control. Controls - 3D Stereoscopic images If a stereoscopic 3D image is opened in the viewer, the 3D button appears in the bottom right corner giving access to "3D settings" menu. The 3D images can be viewed in several ways: - without any special equipment using cross-eyed or parallel-eyed method - with stereoscope - with anaglyph glasses. - on a suitable 3D TV or monitor (passive 3D system) For details about 3D refer to: Mindat manuals: Mindat Media Viewer: 3D To enable/disable 3D stereo display of a compatible stereo pair image press the 3 key. If the left/right images are reversed on your display (this often happens in full-screen mode) press the 4 key to reverse them. Controls - photo comparison mode If a photo with activated comparison mode is opened in the viewer, the button appears in the bottom right corner giving access to "Comparison mode settings" menu. Several layouts are supported: slider and side by-side comparison with up to 6 photos shown synchronously on the screen. On each of the compared photos a view selector is placed, e.g.: Longwave UV . It shows the name of currently selected view and allows to select a view for each placeholder. Summary of all keyboard shortcuts The Air Force Knew It Had an Ejection Seat Problem, But Didn't Speed Up a Fix. Then a Pilot Died And his widow fears that another pilot may suffer the same fate. The U.S. Army will buy the Israeli-made Iron Dome air-defense system to protect soldiers from indirect-fire threats on the battlefield. "The U.S. Army has announced its intent to procure a limited number of Iron Dome weapon systems to fill its short-term need for an interim Indirect Fire Protection Capability," Col. Patrick Seiber, spokesman for Army Futures Command, said Wednesday in a press release. The Iron Dome Weapon System was developed by the Israeli firm Rafael Advanced Defense Systems to detect, assess and intercept incoming rockets, artillery and mortars. Rafael has teamed with Raytheon to produce Iron Dome's Tamir interceptor missiles to engage incoming threats launched from up to 40 miles away. "It's the world's most used missile defense system, intercepting more than 1,500 targets with a greater than 90 percent success rate since being fielded in 2011," according to Raytheon's website. Air and missile defense is one of the Army's top modernization priorities in an effort to replace its Big Five weapons platforms -- which include the Patriot air defense system -- by 2028. "The Iron Dome will be assessed and experimented as a system that is currently available to protect deployed U.S. military service members against a wide variety of indirect-fire threats and aerial threats," Seiber said in the statement. The Army statement did not provide details about how much it will pay for the Iron Dome systems. Seiber told Military.com that the Army is proposing spending $1.6 billion through 2024 to field an enduring capability that may "componentize" portions of the Iron Dome system. Inside Defense reported in early January that the Army will buy two Iron Dome batteries to provide ground forces an interim capability by 2020. Seiber confirmed the two-battery buy for an "interim cruise missile defense capability as mandated in the FY19 DoD Appropriations Act." "Protection of our soldiers is paramount; they deserve the tools needed to fight, win and return home safely," Seiber told Military.com. "Iron Dome is a combat-proven system that could be used to help protect our forces from a variety of indirect-fire and aerial threats." The statement stressed that the Army has not decided on a long-term interim Indirect Fire Protection Capability. "While Iron Dome has been in operational use by the Israeli Air Force since 2011 and proven effective in combat, it should be noted that the U.S. Army will assess a variety of options for its long-term IFPC solution," Seiber said in the statement. The Army is also planning on fielding the first Northrop Grumman-made Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System, or IBCS, sometime in December, Bruce Jette, the assistant secretary of the Army for Acquisitions, Logistics and Technology, said recently. "IBCS is a major acquisition effort to develop a common integrated-fire control element for air and missile defense, providing functional capabilities to control and manage linked radars and interceptors," Seiber said. -- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com. In a speech that stressed bipartisanship and compromise for the good of the Republic, President Donald Trump highlighted a need to pull out of the longtime war in Afghanistan, seek for peace on the Korean Peninsula, and return home from Syria. "Great nations do not fight endless wars," Trump said, in one of the most memorable lines from his annual State of the Union address Tuesday night. Following a partial government shutdown over which tensions between Trump and Democratic leadership became white-hot, the president took a different tack with the address, highlighting progress in the economy and foreign policy and defense and calling on the nation to come together. On the Korean peninsula, Trump credited himself with preserving peace with the North Korean dictatorship. That push for peace, he said, would continue, with a second round of talks between Trump and Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the end of the month. "If I had not been elected President of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea," Trump said. "Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong Un is a good one. And Chairman Kim and I will meet again on February 27 and 28 in Vietnam." Absent from the speech was mention of Space Force, Trump's proposed 6th branch of the military. He did, however, salute a special guest of honor: Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon. "This year, American astronauts will go back to space on American rockets," Trump said, to a standing ovation. While a significant portion of the speech did focus on the president's efforts to shore up the southern border from illegal immigrants and his stated need for a wall, there were no news announcements regarding an ongoing deployment of active-duty troops to the border. "I have ordered another 3,750 troops to our southern border to prepare for the tremendous onslaught," Trump said, echoing a Pentagon announcement made days earlier. "This is a moral issue ... Tonight, I am asking you to defend our very dangerous southern border out of love and devotion to our fellow citizens and to our country." Funding for Trump's proposed border wall was the primary point of contention that led to the appropriations impasse. The government reopened after a historically long closure at the end of January, but will shut down again Feb. 15 if a budget agreement is not reached. The president has hinted at plans to declare a national emergency if the wall goes unfunded. "This is a smart, strategic, see-through steel barrier -- not just a simple concrete wall," Trump said in his speech. "It will be deployed in the areas identified by border agents as having the greatest need, and as these agents will tell you, where walls go up, illegal crossings go way down." Beyond the nation's borders, Trump called for troops who had fought hard to return home. "Our brave troops have now been fighting in the Middle East for almost 19 years. In Afghanistan and Iraq, nearly 7,000 American heroes have given their lives," he said. "More than 52,000 Americans have been badly wounded. We have spent more than $7 trillion in the Middle East." He held up the recently begun negotiations with the Taliban as a sign of change, saying there might be a political solution to "this long and bloody conflict." "As we make progress in these negotiations, we will be able to reduce our troop presence and focus on counter-terrorism," he said. "We do not know whether we will achieve an agreement -- but we do know that after two decades of war, the hour has come to at least try for peace." In the fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, Trump in his 2018 speech pronounced the Islamist militant group nearly 100 percent defeated. With the fight continuing a year later, he remained sanguine, hailing the accomplishments of the anti-ISIS coalition and echoing his earlier calls to pull U.S. troops out of Syria. "When I took office, ISIS controlled more than 20,000 square miles in Iraq and Syria. Today, we have liberated virtually all of that territory from the grip of these bloodthirsty killers," he said. "Now, as we work with our allies to destroy the remnants of ISIS, it is time to give our brave warriors in Syria a warm welcome home." How that pullout from Syria will proceed is unclear; earlier Tuesday, Army Gen. Joseph Votel, commander of U.S. Central Command, said Trump had not consulted with him before announcing in December his plans to pull roughly 2,000 troops out of the country. Trump also cheered his success in securing an increase in defense spending on the order of $100 billion by NATO. He also mentioned his recent decision to pull the United State out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, or INF, in response to stated Russian violation of terms. Russia has since also pulled out of the treaty. "Perhaps we can negotiate a different agreement, adding China and others, or perhaps we can't --- in which case, we will outspend and out-innovate all others by far," he said. -- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck. You cant choose your parents. A sexist vulgarity by the former mayor of New Britain is haunting the current Mayor Erin Stewart, who happens to be his daughter. But its threatening the career of her father, Timothy Stewart, who tweeted the description Bitches in heat! under a Facebook photo of a dozen white-clad members of Congress in attendance at Tuesdays State of the Union address. The post resulted in Erin Stewart tweeting that she is embarrassed and mortified, by her fathers post. Gennaro Bizzarro, chairman of the Greater New Britain Chamber of Commerce, said he immediately placed Timothy Stewart on administrative leave from his post as president of the 400-member organization. His choice of words was inexcusable and has no place in modern civil discourse, Bizzaro said in a statement. Tims words obviously do not reflect the feelings held by the members of the Greater New Britain Chamber of Commerce, our staff or myself. As Chairman, I have a duty to confer with my fellow Board members as well as to review our bylaws to ascertain what disciplinary authority we possess and the process by which it can be employed. We are doing that immediately. I will be calling a special meeting of the Chamber board where we will make a decision about Tims future with the Chamber. In the meantime, I have placed Tim on administrative leave pending the Boards action. Sen. Marilyn Moore, D-Bridgeport, said Timothy Stewarts comment is also insulting to men. We are all someones son or daughter and we should be disgusted with this language, Moore said. Is this what we can expect as women rise in politics at both the federal and state level? It is disappointing considering a man who once represented a city that is at least half women. Shame on you. This kind of bigoted and sexist response is exactly what weve come to expect from some Republicans under Donald Trump who leads the pack. Lindsay Farrell, state director of the Working Families Party, called for Bizzarro to fire Timothy Stewart. Tim Stewarts comments last night are beyond outrageous, she said. Chamber of Commerce Chairman Bizzarro has not gone far enough in placing Mr. Stewart on leave; he needs to call for his immediate termination. Anything less sends a signal to other men with derogatory, outdated views of women or anyone else, that this kind of behavior is tolerable and will go without real consequences. PORTLAND - As both Portland and East Hampton pursue discussions with various water companies, the state has weighed in advising both towns the requirements for interconnection. East Hampton is reaching a crisis stage with the lack of a viable source of potable water for both residential and commercial use. Until and unless they find a company that can supply clean water in volume, town officials say efforts to expand the tax base will be crippled. The two towns have had preliminary discussions about the possibility of extending a water line that currently supplies Portland with water from the Metropolitan District Commission to East Hampton. At the same time, the two towns are not limiting themselves to that possible solution. Both Portland First Selectwoman Susan S. Bransfield and East Hampton Town Manager Michael Maniscalco have, independent of one another, reached out to the Connecticut Water Co. and to the Aquarion Water Co. Connecticut Water, headquartered in Clinton, serves 90,000 customers in 56 cities and town, according to information on its website. Aquarion, headquartered in Monroe, is a subsidiary of Eversource. Its website says Aquarion serves 198,000 customers in 51 cities and towns. Bransfield and Maniscalco were part of a group of more than 40 people, including town and state officials and water company representatives who met in Hartford late last month to discuss the issue. Bransfield has said she sees extending water service to East Hampton as opening the way to expanding it further into eastern Connecticut as part of a regional approach to providing a reliable water source. For his part, Maniscalco does not disagree with that idea - at least in theory. But he insists East Hamptons needs are critical and must be met as quickly as possible. He has pointedly described East Hampton as a First World community forced to rely on a Third World water supply. East Hampton, which depends largely on wells for its water supply now, is bedeviled by both chemical contamination dating back to its 19th century role as a manufacturing center as well as abnormally high levels of iron in the rocks that underlay the town. Now the state, in the person of Denise Ruzicka, director of the Water Planning and Management Division of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, has weighed in on what would be required if the decision to move forward with the MDC expansion is agreed upon. The transfer of 50,000 gallons or more during any 24-hour period from one distribution system or service to anotherwould require a permit, Ruzicka wrote in a letter addressed to the chief executive of the MDC, Portlands Public Works Director Robert Shea, and East Hamptons Public Utilities Administrator Tim Smith. Both towns would be required to file permit applications as well as the MDC, she continued. Given that this would be an interbasin transfer of water with multi-town if not regional implications, it would require an individual permit application with the attending public process. Further, the department would require the applicants to file an environmental impact report on the transfer which (A) considers the effect of the transfer on present and future water uses in the proposed donor basin; (B)includes a plan for meeting water supply needs and demands in the donor basin for a minimum of twenty-five years; and (C) analyzes the alternative solutions to the water supply or wastewater problem including comparative cost analysis of the proposed transfer relative to alternatives measures. Another country's judiciary is at the center of public outcry in the European Union's east. Slovakia's former prime minister, Robert Fico, is vying to join the nation's Constitutional Court after protesters forced him out with the largest anti-corruption rallies since the fall of communism. His candidacy has ignited outrage among many of the euro-area country's 5.4 million voters, who charge that he allowed graft to thrive under his rule. "His appointment would be a blow not only to all protesters but justice as such," said Juraj Seliga, an organizer of the demonstrations. "If lawmakers approve him as a candidate, they'll show a complete lack of political self-reflection." The uproar over the Constitutional Court, seldom the subject of front-page news in Slovakia, comes as the EU battles nationalist and populist governments that it says are undermining the rule of law and backsliding on democracy. Front and center are Poland and Hungary, which have overhauled their judicial systems to give politicians more sway, while Romanian authorities are rolling back anti-graft efforts. Party Connection If Fico takes the bench at the highest court when Slovakia replaces nine of its 13 judges, he'd be the first former prime minister and head of a ruling party to do so since the country was founded in 1993 when it split with its federation partners, the Czechs. Lawmakers are expected to vote on a list this week. He's vowed to step down as chairman of Smer, the party he founded 20 years ago, if he gets the job, but his position there makes him a shoo-in for the short list. During his time as prime minister, which stretched to a decade during multiple terms, Slovakia's economy leaped forward as it attracted billions in foreign investment, mainly from the car industry, to become an export powerhouse. And while some of his counterparts in eastern Europe resisted closer integration with the EU, the 54-year-old Social Democrat embraced the adoption of the euro, and advocated for Slovakia to be at the bloc's "core" alongside Germany and France. He acknowledged public anger over graft and pointed to actions that his government took to fight it, including increasing whistle-blower protections and making public procurement more transparent. "There indeed is corruption in Slovakia," Fico said in late 2017. "But there is a big difference between the perception of corruption and reality. Today we are fighting the perception." Public ire came to a head last year after Jan Kuciak, a journalist who wrote about white collar crimes with ties to politicians, was murdered with his fiancee in an execution-style assassination. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets across Slovakia, prompting Fico to step down halfway into his third term. He vowed, standing next to a table stacked with 1 million euros meant as a reward for information, to solve the killing. Taking a page from his populist peers in the region, he also blamed billionaire George Soros for orchestrating his demise. Citizens aren't keen to see him at the court. Only 18 percent of Slovaks said he should get the job, a January poll conducted by Focus for TV Markiza showed. His court ambition is a problem not only for voters but also for President Andrej Kiska, an outspoken critic of Fico who has said that moral integrity is a key precondition for Constitutional Court justices. That has raised speculation that the Smer-controlled government may try to delay the judge-selecting process until after Slovakia's presidential elections this March. Kiska said he won't run again, and that might increase Fico's chances, particularly as Smer's candidate, European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic, is leading opinion polls. "It's a complicated plan which may not succeed," said Grigorij Meseznikov, Director of the Institute for Public Affairs, a Bratislava-based think tank. "If Fico doesn't get the post, he won't leave the politics. I wouldn't write his political obituary yet." New Britain police are still looking for the man accused of shooting his girlfriend to death on Elam Street Monday. Detectives issued a plea to the public for information on Benjamin Morales, 42, of 39 Elam St. after connecting him to the murder of a 28-year-old woman found shot to death late Monday afternoon in his apartment. The victim was identified by New Britain police Wednesday as Alice Marie Figueroa, of Elam Street. The Office of the Chief State's Medical Examiner ruled Figueroa's death a homicide by gunshot. Police are aggressively investigating, acting Deputy Chief Jeanette Portalatin said, and will seek charges against anyone who is helping Morales avoid capture. It was the second death in the state attributed to domestic violence in less than two days. A Fairfield woman was also shot to death Sunday night in her sons home after her ex-husband allegedly broke into the house and killed her before her son could intervene, reports said. An arrest has been made in that case. New Britain police arrived at the Elam Street address on a report of shots fired at around 5:45 p.m. Monday and found the 28-year-old woman who had been shot several times. She later died at an area hospital. Detectives obtained a warrant charging Morales with the murder. He is still on the lam as of this morning, officers said. Morales frequented New Britain and Hartford, police said. He should be considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call Lt. Adam Rembisz at 860-826-3131 or the Community Tip Line at (860) 826-3199. Anonymous tips can also be left on www.newbritainpolice.org. A.O. Centrul de Drept al Femeilor" anunta concurs de oferte pentru selectarea unei companii care va oferi locatie, servicii de cazare si alimentatie pentru desfasurarea Conferintei Internationale Gov. Ned Lamonts new budget director, Melissa McCaw, deftly maneuvered through a series of political landmines Tuesday in her first appearance before the General Assembly. While pledging to be an open and transparent partner with legislators, the former Hartford budget chief fielded questions about the capital city bailout, which state taxes might be on the rise, Connecticuts fragile relationship with its hospitals, and economic class warfare. Ive been in the trenches and Ive been on the front lines, and I am confident that with almost two decades of experience we can work with the General Assembly to craft long-term solutions to the states budget that will stabilize our finances and facilitate economic growth, McCaw told the legislatures Executive and Legislative Nominations Committee. Lamonts nomination of McCaw as secretary of the Office of Policy and Management was one of his first appointments after the November election. Though McCaw, 39, has 17 years of fiscal experience, including seven years as a state budget analyst in the 2000s and another seven as budget director for the University of Hartford, her last job before her current role overseeing Hartfords finances drew considerable attention Tuesday. Republican lawmakers pressed the Democratic governors nominee for her take on the 2017 state bailout of Hartford a long-term deal which legislators from both parties insisted went way beyond what the General Assembly intended. Legislators insisted they intended to channel a total of $40 million in extra aid to Hartford over two fiscal years. But in early 2018, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and then-state Treasurer Denise L. Nappier signed a deal through which the state will pay off the entire principal on Hartfords general obligation debt, about $534 million, over the next two or three decades as well as an undetermined amount of interest. The prior governors administration obviously sought their own legal opinion, McCaw told Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano, R-North Haven. I was not part of that conversation, therefore I cannot opine. But how much aid would McCaw recommend, as state budget director, if another municipality is at risk of bankruptcy as Hartford was? asked Rep. Chris Davis, R-Ellington. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to any municipalities financial struggles, McCaw said, before quickly adding two qualifiers. The key is prevention, McCaw said, specifically to make sure (cities and towns) are taking all measures necessary to right their own ship. And if emergency aid is necessary, she added, the Lamont administration and the legislature must be partners in that process, from start to finish. You dont achieve significant change, she said, with a top-down approach. Fasano raised a different controversial subject, saying the Malloy administration badly fractured Connecticuts relationship with its hospitals through tax hikes, mid-year reductions in state payments to hospitals, and an ongoing dispute over how those payments are calculated. Fasano said some hospitals could be shortchanged by as much as 26 percent this fiscal year. To have a fresh start you have to have good faith, he said, pressing McCaw for assurances that her office would resolve the disputed payment calculations before proposing any changes to the hospital tax or other policies affecting the industry. McCaw noted the administration began its work just one month ago, and is required by law to submit a two-year state budget plan to lawmakers in 15 days. And while the payment dispute is on the top of our priority list and conversations are ongoing, the budget process including the administrations proposals for the hospital provider tax system cannot stop and wait. Republican lawmakers tried to get a sneak peak of that budget, asking McCaw whether it would involve tolls, cuts to social services, or tax increases. Lamont said during the campaign he only would support tolls on trucks, but he since has been pressed to consider a broader plan. The governor has not finalized his position, McCaw told Rep. Jason Perillo, R-Shelton, adding the goal is to build a Special Transportation Fund that can finance key transportation projects and remain in balance. As for cuts to social services: Im not going to show our hand, McCaw replied initially, before adding the administration might seek to curb costs by building on efforts to reduce pharmacy expenses through auditing and quality control. She was equally noncommittal about tax increases, saying the administration has been researching options to broaden the sales tax base and reduce the overall sales tax rate. Im not able to comment on that at this time McCaw said. The new budget director was definitive, though, when it came to the states faltering PILOT (Payment In Lieu Of Taxes) grant. This program, which reimburses communities for a portion of revenues they lose because state properties, nonprofit colleges and hospitals are tax-exempt, has been whittled down by legislatures for a decade. Could that all be reversed in Lamonts first biennial budget? Perillo asked. That is a challenge I do not see how we could overcome in just two years, McCaw replied. But it wasnt just Republicans who had tough questions for McCaw, who found herself caught in an economic class debate between two Fairfield County Democrats Rep. Bob Godfrey of Danbury and Sen. Alex Bergstein of Greenwich. Its time we stopped taxing struggling working families, Godfrey said, adding that for too long Connecticut has fostered policies that let rich people off. Bergstein urged Godfrey to try to not classify people as rich people and certainly not to blame rich people as the enemies of our state. Its not rich people who are the enemy. Its divisiveness and a lack of understanding. McCaw assured lawmakers that the Lamont administration is committed to bringing all interests together to solve Connecticuts fiscal challenges. The governor has set the tone in terms of making sure the table is larger, she said. Were about open and honest dialogue. Woman jailed for maintaining drug house A Bad Axe woman was sentenced to 180 days this week for maintaining a drug house. Autumn J. Peruski, 33, was given credit for 29 days served and placed on probation for a period of six months. She will serve her sentence until Feb. 18 and then be released due to her pregnancy. She was ordered to pay $130 to the Crime Victims Rights fund, $68 in State Minimum Costs and $95 toward restitution. Peruski was ordered to not consume any drugs or alcohol and will be subject to drug/alcohol testing. Peruski was represented by Bad Axe-based attorney Dawn Young. Man stands mute to two charges A Ruth man stood mute in court this week to single counts of operating while intoxicated-third offense and fourth-degree fleeing/eluding police. Bryant Adam Messing, 27, is scheduled to appear for a pretrial hearing on Feb. 26. His bond was continued. Messing is being represented by Bad Axe-based attorney Michelle Siev. Ohio man pleads no contest to assaulting officer A New Philadelphia, Ohio, man pleaded no contest this week during court proceedings to assaulting/resisting a police officer. Darryl Lee Marteny, 33, is scheduled to appear for sentencing on April 8. His bond was continued. Marteny is being represented by Bad Axe-based attorney Michelle Siev. Man confesses to violating probation A Caro man pleaded guilty in court this week to previously violating conditions of his probation. Andrew Kevin Stricker, 30, is scheduled to appear in court next on Feb. 25 for sentencing. He is being held without bond. Stricker is being represented by Bad Axe-based attorney Michelle Siev. Miami, FL (33127) Today Mostly cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. High 89F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 79F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Posted Wednesday, February 6, 2019 10:43 am Ray Stiltner was born in Leslie, W. Va., Nov. 8, 1925, and passed away with family by his side in Vancouver, Wash., Jan. 30, 2019. His parents were James Miles and Caledonia Clementine Stiltner. He grew up with four brothers and five sisters in a coal mining town in West Virginia. His father was a coal miner for 50 years. As job opportunities were few and times were hard in the hills and hollers of West Virginia in the 1940s, Rays father didnt want his boys to work in the mines. As soon as Ray was old enough, he joined the military, as did his older brother. Ray served in the United States Navy Air Corps during World War II. A top turret gunner, radio and radar operator, he flew in 52 missions in the South Pacific. In his later years, he told stories and recalled many events of his years in the Navy flying in B-24 Liberator, Privateer and PBY-5 airplanes. He especially enjoyed attending Navy reunions, reuniting with his squadron buddies. Ray met the love of his life, Mary Hilton, in Chehalis, Wash., after his discharge from the military. He was a Greyhound Bus driver and she worked as a waitress at the Greyhound Bus Depot during her senior year of high school. They were married for 65 years, when Mary passed away in 2013. He had a variety of jobs throughout his life including; Greyhound Bus driver, owner of Twin City Bus line, Centralia Police Officer and Centralia School District Transportation Supervisor. He later earned his electrician certification from the University of Washington and retired from Weyerhaeuser. Ray loved country and southern gospel music and was a talented musician. He enjoyed playing his guitar and singing country songs, John Denvers, Take Me Home, Country Roads was his favorite. He also played the banjo, mouth harp, harmonica and had a beautiful singing voice. Ray had a favorite poem by Don Williams and would recite it often, Im just a country boy, money have I none, but Ive got silver in the stars and gold in the morning sun. Ham radio operating was one of Rays favorite hobbies. A talented Morse Code operator in the military, he taught Morse Code classes at Centralia College. Ray loved animals and birds of all kinds. He especially loved his poodles, Pierre and Barbie Doll. Bird watching was a favorite pastime and he loved feeding the hummingbirds. He would stand still so they would fly into his hands. In their retirement years, Ray and Mary loved traveling the United States and Canada and especially loved spending time with their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren at their favorite vacation spot, Seaside, Ore. Ray is survived by his children, Patti (Carl) Green of Spokane, Pam Winter of Wichita, Kan., John (Gail) Stiltner of Centralia and Peggy Allen of Vancouver. He is also survived by nine grandchildren; 35 great-grandchildren; sisters, Artia Clevenger of Baltimore, Md., and June Wray of Centralia; brother, James (Nonie) Stiltner of Rochester; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Mary; brothers, Orville, Clarence and Arnel Stiltner; sisters, Nora Johnson and Merline Canfield; baby great-grandson, Braden; and beloved sons-in-law, Ken Allen and Jay Winter. A celebration of Rays life will be held Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019, at 1 p.m., at Centralia Nazarene Church, 1119 West First Street, Centralia, Wash., 98531. Visitation will be held Friday, Feb. 8, 2019, from 5 to 8 p.m., at Sticklin Funeral Chapel, 1437 South Gold Street, Centralia, Wash., 98531. A private graveside service will precede the memorial service. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing 2 Timothy 4:7-8, NIV. Posted Tuesday, February 5, 2019 3:03 pm Legislators propose replacing the moribund death penalty with the mandatory imposition of life imprisonment without parole. The Senate Law and Justice committee heard public testimony on Senate Bill 5339 sponsored by Senator Reuven Carlyle, D-Seattle. Its been a long public discourse the last 10 to 15 years in our state and in our country about this issue, said Carlyle. I think the result of that civic discourse in the last number of years has been a growing recognition that the data shows that the death penalty is applied in a way that is not consistent. In October 2018, the Washington State Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty was being applied in an arbitrary and racially biased manner. The court converted all death penalty sentences to life in prison without parole. Governor Jay Inslee signed a moratorium on imposing the death penalty in 2014. I respectfully suggest that closing the books on this chapter is a responsible public policy step given where the courts and our state have come and that it really solidifies our statute in a way that makes it clear and unequivocal for years to come, said Carlyle. District 4 Senator Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley noted that Washington effectively no longer has a death penalty and given the reasoning behind the Supreme Courts ruling last year it would be difficult to craft death penalty legislation that would satisfy the court. Former state Secretary of the Department of Corrections Dick Morgan testified in support of the bill, speaking on behalf of several other previous DOC secretaries. Morgan said hundreds of prisoners have committed similar crimes and were sentenced to life without parole yet from a management viewpoint they pose no greater risk than those on death row. They are from a managerial standpoint indistinguishable from one another, yet the cost of managing those sentenced to death is extraordinarily high for the department, said Morgan. Preparing for an execution takes significant additional personnel and is done on a voluntary basis. Morgan noted that its common for personnel who have participated in an execution to not wish to do so again. Since 1904, 78 people have been executed in Washington state, according to the Department of Corrections. The last execution took place in 2010. Cal Brown, convicted of strangling and stabbing a woman to death in 1991, was executed by lethal injection. A house bill proposed by Representative Carolyn Eslick, R-Sultan, would allow the death penalty to continue in specific circumstances. HB 1709 would ensure the imposition of the death penalty on inmates charged with first degree murder committed while serving a prison term. This legislation is in response to the murder of correctional officer Jayme Biendl in 2011 by an inmate serving life in prison, according to Padden. Companion bill to remove the death penalty, HB 1488, which would also eliminate the death penalty, is not currently scheduled for public testimony and is sponsored by Dist. 33 Representative Tina Orwall, D-Des Moines. SB 5339 is scheduled for executive action by the law and justice committee on Thursday. (CNN) A Russian couple has been arrested in Kuala Lumpur for child endangerment after video clips were shared online showing a man swinging an infant around as part of a street performance, according to state media Bernama. The tourist couple, aged 27 and 28, were arrested in the Malaysian capital at around 3.30 p.m., Monday, in the tourist area of Bukit Bintang, while allegedly repeating the performance while attempting to solicit donations. Members of the public had alerted the authorities to the suspected child abuse. Video of the initial performance shows a man holding the diaper-clad four-month-old infant by its legs, swinging the child through his legs and above his head, while other tourists sit nearby, chanting and playing instruments. A small crowd gathered to witness the event, with some recording it on cellphone cameras. One person reportedly can be heard saying in Malay: "Stupid! How can you do that?" Zayl Chia Abdulla, a Facebook user who posted a video of the performance, wrote: "I (happened) to pass by this area in Bukit Bintang and I saw this irresponsible act that can literally cause injury to that poor baby. "Why (are authorities) allowing such act to be showcase to (the) public. These street performers need to be arrested! Please do something." The performance appears to have been inspired by the controversial Russian practice of baby dynamics yoga, or baby swinging yoga, which has been featured on Russian channel Russia Today. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Russian couple arrested after Malaysia baby-swinging video emerges." Posted Wednesday, February 6, 2019 9:28 am The number of Washington law enforcement and government leaders balking at upholding gun control measures approved by voters in November, is growing. Stevens County Sheriff Brad Manke said his deputies will not actively seek out violators unless there is an imminent threat to public safety. I took an oath to defend the Constitution and uphold the laws of the state of Washington, so I don't feel I can say I will not enforce a law under any circumstances, he said. However, it would have to be a pretty extreme circumstance for us to ever make a custodial arrest for a violation. As a sheriff, you have a lot of discretion and I will say that we are going to respect the Second Amendment. Initiative-1639 passed with more than 60 percent of the vote, with the majority of yes votes coming from heavily populated, more urban counties west of the Cascades, while voters on the east side of the state mostly gave it a thumbs down. The measure raises the minimum age for adults to buy a semi-automatic rifle from 18 to 21, redefines semi-automatic rifles as assault rifles and mandates safety classes for purchases. In addition, it requires firearms dealers to sell trigger locks and gun safes and prevents them from selling to out-of-state residents. The law would also make firearm owners criminally liable if their guns were involved in any criminal incidents, even if the weapons were stolen. The measure is being challenged for its constitutionality in U.S. District Court by the Second Amendment Foundation as well as the National Rifle Association. Manke said he opposed I-1639 and is hopeful the NRA-led challenge will ultimately prevail. When my 19-year-old daughter can't carry a .22 rifle off our property but we can send her off to war I don't agree with that at all, he said. Manke concedes there could be huge liabilities for jurisdictions refusing to enforce the law altogether if an underage subject uses a gun for a violent crime and authorities knew about weapons access and failed to act. A motion to dismiss the NRA suit was filed by state Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Safe Schools Safe Communities, the leading proponents of I-1693; it will be heard Feb. 15. Attorney General Office policy director Kate Kelly released this statement about the resistance rising in Eastern Washington: We are aware of this situation and are actively monitoring developments as they occur. Attorney General Ferguson has been clear that he is committed to protecting the legal and constitutional rights of Washingtonians, and upholding the will of the state's voters in passing I-1639. At least 20 county sheriffs statewide have said they would not actively enforce the measure. She said the AG's office was confident I-1639 would be found constitutional. She referred people wanting further information to http://www.atg.wa.gov/initiative-1639. Pend Orielle Sheriff Glenn Blakeslee shares Mankes views and they are working with other authorities on the east side to consolidate concerns about nonspecific and vague language in I-1639 that is open to interpretation. They plan to ask the Legislature to further define the issues they identify. We are trying to make as much sense of I-1639 as we can, Blakeslee said. After doing research, he learned that the definition of assault rifle in the measure is more restrictive than even than that of the United Nations and California. It's much too broad for my comfort, he said. This definition could end up being applied to every semi-automatic handgun or shotgun. He said the requirements for storage are also too vague and could be interpreted differently by someone on the west side of the state than on the east. I want my citizens to have guns accessible where they can get to them in an emergency. I dont like this law and Im going to use a lot of discretion when enforcing it, he said. Existing state law provides exemptions for underage possession of a firearm, such as target shooting and hunting, Blakeslee said. He is going to follow those regulations and believes that will be important given that I-1639 does not specify whether guns already purchased by 18 to 20 years old are grandfathered and legal. We are going to rely heavily on those exemptions, he said. Okanogan County Sheriff Tony Hawley said I-1639 has the potential to re-victimize victims. If someone has guns stolen and then we prosecute them for not storing them correctly, we are re-victimizing that individual, he said. I dont like this law. My interpretation of I-1639 is that the language is so contradictory it's unenforceable. Until that's cleared up, we will do an investigation and document our findings and then turn them over to the prosecutor. Stevens County Commission Vice Chairman Steve Parker said a proclamation is being drafted by the elected body in opposition of the new gun control laws. A proclamation is a statement of principal, as opposed to an ordinance, which is local law, or a resolution, a legislative stance, he said. The commission has taken time to research statements made by other counties, such as Franklin County's resolution announcing that its officials don't want the new laws enforced within their jurisdiction. Cowlitz County has also passed a resolution opposing the implementation of I-1639. The idea was that we needed to make some kind of a statement, but we didn't want to cross jurisdictional lines, Parker said. It is really the jurisdiction of the sheriff and prosecutor to enforce these laws so we didn't want to muddy the waters. Stevens County Prosecuting Attorney Tim Rasmussen pointed out the Second Amendment says, The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed so there should be no law telling people how to handle firearms in their own homes. People have a right to protect themselves, he said. I support efforts to reduce gun violence but not to the extent of depriving people of their constitutional rights. Rasmussen believes portions of I-1639 will be found unconstitutional. The portion that holds a gun owner accountable for actions of other people I do not believe will stand judicial scrutiny, he said. Like Manke, Rasmussen said an 18-year-old who is eligible to serve in the military should not be prohibited from gun ownership. That is just nuts, he said. He said many young people in Washington are taught by their parents how to safely handle guns and that is family business and the government should not tell families how to conduct themselves. All prosecution is based on a case-by-case analysis, said Rasmussen, which considers the facts and the application of the law. For that reason, he said he could not predict his response to any hypothetical situation that could arise under I-1639 laws. Parker believes I-1639 was approved because too many voters have not been educated about how their constitutional rights play a vital role in protecting their personal liberties. We need to call out any law that violates the constitution, he said. That's exactly what Republic Police Chief Loren Culp said he is doing by refusing to enforce laws that violate the Constitution. He was pleased with the announcements of Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer, Pacific County Sheriff Robin Souvenir, Gray Harbor County Rick Scott, Grant County Sheriff Tom Jones, Lincoln County Sheriff Wade Magers, and Kittitas County Sheriff Gene Dana that they would not enforce I-1639 laws. Lewis County Sheriff Rob Snaza, Wahkiakum County Sheriff Mark Howie, Franklin County Sheriff Jim Raymond, Benton County Sheriff Jerry Hatcher, and Adams County Sheriff Dale Wagner have publicly stated that I-1639 appears to violate the constitution and for that reason is non-enforceable. Skamania County Sheriff Dave Brown said he believes the law is unconstitutional and will wait for the courts to decide the issue before starting enforcement. I did not personally support this initiative but I follow the rule of law, he said. Chelan County Sheriff Brian Burnett took the same stance. Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich issued a statement against I-1639 last week and said he offered to join the opposition lawsuit, although sheriffs have no standing to become a party. He said there is nothing to enforce at this time and, until the day there is, I'll evaluate it and if it is against the Constitutions of the state of Washington or that of the United States, I will stand against it. Ferry County Sheriff Raymond Maycumber said he would not enforce provisions of the law that he believes are unconstitutional. As a person who has spent most of my adult life in service to our system of justice, I must have faith that the courts will fairly try and lawfully apply due process to the constitutionality of this initiative and find it lacking, as I do, he said. Some gun shop owners, such Matt Cieslar of Talos Tactical in West Richland, have joined the rebellion by continuing to sell semi-automatic rifles to adults ages 18-20. Cieslar says there is a loophole in the law, that the definition of assault rifle will be determined and implemented July 1. I-1639 was approved Nov. 6 by a 60.33 percent margin statewide, but only 13 of Washington's 39 counties supported it. All but two counties Spokane and Whitman counties in favor were in Western Washington. While Spokane approved the measure with 51.1 percent of the vote, Stevens County rejected it by 72.1 percent. Voters in Ferry County where Republic is located, opposed I-1639 by a nearly 80 percent margin. To the sheriffs and police chiefs who say they have no choice but to enforce the law, Culp asks: Would you have arrested Rosa Parks for not sitting in the back of the bus because she was breaking a law? Would you have arrested Jews because that was a Nazi law? No law approved by a state can supersede the rights protected in the U.S. Constitution, Culp said. The supreme law of the land is the constitution and that's the law I uphold, he said. His bid to have Republic declared a sanctuary city for Second Amendment rights is on hold pending further research by the city council, which he said is strongly supportive of his stand, as are local citizens. When officers graduate from the academy they are certified by the state as peace officers, not law enforcement officers, Culp said. So, the argument that we have to enforce a law that doesn't keep the peace doesn't hold water. He said the Legislature is considering more gun control laws and its time for authorities and citizens alike to stand up and be counted or they will lose their Second Amendment rights. It will keep happening until enough police chiefs and sheriffs stand up against it, he said. Roger Harnack contributed to this report. Thank you very much, Mr President. I would like to thank you for your reception and hospitality. And of course, let me thank you once again for the honest talks we had. As I had the opportunity to also stress over the previous days to the press, who requested that I make a statement in light of my visit, our dialogue all these years was an honest dialogue, and an important one, not only for the future of our peoples, but also for our wider region I would say. Our two countries were able to work together closely in 2015 and 2016, which was a critical period; mainly because it was the period during which the unprecedented refugee and migration crisis broke out. It was then that we managed, for the first time, to work together, not only on issues of so-called low politics, but also on tackling this greatly significant international issue: the refugee and migration crisis. In this context, we are able to build a new strategy for cooperation between Europe and Turkey. At the same time, we were able to also jump start the positive agenda of Greek-Turkish relations. Our economic and energy cooperation. We were able to conduct rounds of exploratory talks and to promote dialogue between our military officials to reduce tension in the Aegean.And at the same time, we succeeded in promoting talks on the Cyprus issue. Talks which came very close to reaching a solution, opening up difficult issues, such as the issue of security. Unfortunately, though, the horrible coup ensued here in Turkey as well as other developments, which put a brake on this positive course. You will remember that I was one of the first people to call you that night, to express Greeces support, which is a country that defends Democracy and Liberty. And as such, a country that condemns all forms of coups, and of course every attempt to overthrow democratic law. But later, it is a fact that there were developments that created obstacles to this positive course of Greek-Turkish relations. Often, there was confrontational rhetoric. In the Aegean, unfortunately, we saw the number of violations of Greeces national airspace reaching very high levels, with very dangerous incidents at sea and in the air. And, at the same time, the incident with the eight soldiers, to which you referred, was a thorn in our relations and, subsequently, yet another thorn, the incident with the two Greek soldiers who were held in Turkey. Given these conditions, we could accept that this vicious cycle is our fate, our kismet. But we did not do so. And I am happy that we did not. Today, during our talks, I believe that it was made clear, yet again, that neither your nor I accept the logic of intertia and compliance with the course most travelled. Because we recognise that the challenges we face, in our age and in our region, do not permit us to remain trapped in an impasse, but we strive for and seek dialogue in order to find a peaceful manner for resolving any differences we may have. At the same time, with regard to cross-border contacts, the economy, tourism, culture, our peoples, as they live in the same region, continue to grow closer. And I believe we must follow the example of our peoples. In this context, we must abolish the thinking of the past, in order to build a relationship based on mutual respect. A relationship based on respect of International Law, elimination of threats of war and, of course, on mutual understanding; mutual understanding of our concerns. In December 2017, as you said, you visited Greece for the first time. For the first time, after 65 years, in the capacity of President of Turkey, you visited our country. For the first time, after 65 years, we had an official visit to Greece by a Turkish President. There were many who said, following that meeting of ours, that it was not a successful meeting, because we spoke honestly. I said that precisely because we spoke honestly that this was a successful meeting. Because we must discuss matters precisely when difficulties exist. The channels of communication and dialogue must be open in order to overcome any differences we may have. Of course, I hold a sort of record since, in the four years that I have been Prime Minister, I have visited Turkey four times in my capacity of Prime Minister of Greece. We have met that many more times at international fora. And of course, in this positive spirit, we agreed today to proceed in the near future with the basic goal of reducing tension in the Aegean and promoting trust building measures. And I believe that talks that will ensue after our meeting, between our ministers of National Defence and of our Ministries of Foreign Affairs can indeed contribute to this. With the creation of these conditions, I believe that, going forth, we can have progress and also repeat exploratory talks on the issues we have with the continental shelf in the Aegean. Of course, we also discussed the Cyprus issue. I stressed the need for a fair and sustainable solution to exist, within the framework of the UN resolutions for the benefit of all the people of Cyprus, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, which will constitute the reunified federal Cyprus, a normal country in the region and a normal country belonging to the EU. And of course, I believe that we owe it to this new effort to avoid the mistakes of the past. And this is why I submitted the view that we must agree to carrying out preparatory meetings on the crucial issue of security, in which Greece and Turkey are involved. At the same time, I stressed the importance that respecting International Law in the Eastern Mediterranean plays and, of course, the need for energy to serve as a bridge and not as an obstacle, not as a subject of conflict in the region. And already, we are working together on certain important energy projects such as the TAP pipeline. We would like to have broader cooperation, such as on the Turkish Stream. Of course, since we want to bring back the positive agenda to our talks, we discussed the economy, our economic relations, the steps we must take for them to change the lives of the citizens in the region for the better. We agreed that we must work together so that, this summer, the ferry services connecting Izmir and Thessaloniki can become a reality. And we agreed to proceed with organising a new business forum which will showcase the opportunities that arise for collaboration, especially now that Greece has exited an economic crisis that had plagued it these previous years. We also discussed the Refugee issue, our cooperation within the context of the EU-Turkey Statement and the possibilities that exist for reducing the flows, the need for increasing returns, and tackling the networks of traffickers. We also agreed on the need to work together closely on EU-Turkish relations, stressing the support that Turkey must have, given that it hosts more than 4 million refugees and migrants. And we discussed the prospect of revising the EU-Turkey Customs Union for the benefit, among other things, of the countries in the region. And of course I once again had the opportunity to stress Greeces long-standing support for Turkey's accession perspective. Something that will also be to the benefit of Turkey, as well as the benefit of Europe. This course, the accession course may contribute to a return to the significant democratic reforms that were made in recent years and, of course, they need to be strengthened. As regards the thorny issue of the eight soldiers regarding which the Greek justice system has made clear decisions, I wish to state, yet again, that Greece, under the Rule of Law, must respect the decisions of Justice. In Greece, of course, coup attempts are not welcome. Nonetheless, what has precedence at this time is strengthening our cooperation in the area of security, in order to effectively tackle the networks of traffickers who are active in the Aegean and in Evros, as well as to tackle every criminal organisation, every suspect, who wishes to create problems in the good neighbourly relations and good cooperation between the two countries. Therefore, we agreed to step up our cooperation in the field of security between the respective Ministries. I would like once again, therefore, in closing, to thank President Erdogan for his invitation extended to me to visit Ankara and to travel to Istanbul tomorrow, where I shall have the opportunity to also visit Halki, to meet the Patriarch. I believe there is a great possibility in the near future to invest in the positive agenda of relations between the two countries. The period we are going through is a special period. Greece is coming out onto the markets after numerous years of economic crisis, is returning to the economic light, has possibilities. At the same time we are resolving problems that have lasted for decades, such as our difference with our neighbour to the North, North Macedonia. Therefore we must, and I say we can, create the conditions to give shape to a climate of security, peace, and cooperation in the Aegean, which will be to the benefit of both peoples, both countries, and this of course is contingent upon building carefully. We want to now lay the foundations so that we will be able to build at some point. We are not ready to build without first laying the foundations. Therefore, the subject of this meeting was to create the conditions to be able to later take historic steps in Greek-Turkish relations. I thus believe that, in this context, this opportunity we had to meet was greatly successful, greatly productive and honest, and I would like to thank you once again. JOURNALIST: I would like first of all to ask the Greek Prime Minister, given that relations between the two countries are traditionally charged, given that difficult issues exist between the two countries, which many times and at many periods are trying to relations between the two countries on numerous levels, with complex issues, why in your opinion was this choice made, why did you choose for this meeting to take place now, to accept the invitation at this juncture? There is criticism by many that perhaps the selection of this point in time was not the most proper choice. I would be interested in hearing President Erdogans comment. Thank you. PRIME MINISTER: I think that I have already answered that question by making a comment in my initial statement with regard to President Erdogans visit to Athens, in December 2017. I believe that the two neighbouring countries, especially when they have issues to resolve, must hold frequent talks, open channels of communication, especially at the highest level. If there were no issues to resolve, there would be no reason to hold these frequent and substantive contacts. I feel, therefore, that the criticism that may be exercised by certain individuals is criticism which, if one thinks about it well, leads to a quagmire, to inertia, as well as to dangerous slippery slopes. If I was not in constant contact with President Erdogan, then we would not be able to face the critical issues which we have been faced with many times, or the dangers we have averted. If I were unable to pick up the telephone, or if the President were unable to pick up the telephone, so that we could communicate, it would be very probable that we would find ourselves faced with dangerous escalations, often without meaning to, and this is the worst thing. Therefore, I consider it a fortunate fact that this level of communication and honesty exists between us, and I feel that this is the basis for us to proceed even further in the near future, to even more constructive and substantive talks which may potentially lead to specific decisions. Taking the podium, the President told me that we dont have resolutions to sign today, but I told him that we will perhaps have some the next time we meet. JOURNALIST: First of all, Mr Tsipras, Fethullah Gulens movement in our country is a red line. There are eight soldiers who have escaped to your country. Of course, you are aware that there is a difference between them and the other because, they had criminal intentions towards our President. Please tell us if you intend to return them to us. PRIME MINISTER: I believe that this issue which you are asking me about has been exhausted in our discussions. I would like to repeat once again the categorical opposition of the Greek Government, of Greece, as well as of the Greek people, to all those who attempted to topple the democratically elected government in Turkey. And once again I shall express, as regards my political stance, that Greece is a country which supports Democracy and has no intention to protect or favour putschists or coups which go against stability and the democratic proper functioning of the neighbouring country. Beyond that, I believe that it is completely clear that Greece has its own legal system. The independence of Justice is completely respected, and of course the separation of power is an absolute condition of the Greek Constitution. Certain decisions were made by Greek Justice, which we must respect, and which we are respecting. And of course, beyond that, I believe what is especially important is what I told you earlier, that we are discussing with President Erdogan about the extent to which our cooperation will be more effective going forward in the area of security, in the area of tackling the violent activity of networks of traffickers or terrorists at our borders. And in this area, I believe that we have taken certain specific initiatives which may potentially come to fruition in the near future. Thank you for subscribing! By signing up to this free newsletter you agree to receive occasional emails from us informing you about our products and services. You can opt out of these emails at any time. On Saturday, June 19, 2021, Emmett Colon Mitcham Jr. died at Rush Foundation Hospital. He was a true gentleman; He loved God, his family, his church, and his work. Emmett was kind-hearted and quick-witted, often making up songs to describe his current situation. To him, work was the joy of a There is something about the friendships that are forged in the Bollywood industry. Like it is the case with any workplace friendship, these stars also end up establishing bonds that help them enjoy the entire process of filmmaking, be it as an actor, director or another cast member. While we can give you innumerable examples of great friendships that have bloomed in the industry courtesy all the kickass films that the Hindi film industry churns out year after year, we want to talk about a very interesting turn that Riteish Deshmukh and Ajay Devgn's friendship has taken on Twitter of late. YouTube It all started when Ajay recently took to Twitter to share a photograph of himself and director Indra Kumar, while Riteish could be seen in the background, having gotten caught in the shot unaware. However, it was Ajay's caption on the post saying, piche yeh daadi wala baba kaun hai?, which started a hilarious banter between the two. Riteish decided to get back at Ajay with a tweet and the allusion will make you LOL. Taking inspiration from Devgn's trademark stunt, wherein he is seen riding on two vehicles at once, as made iconic by his pose in 'Phool Aur Kaante' and recreated in the 'Golmaal' series, Riteish posted a video of a dog riding atop a auto and wrote, @ajaydevgn just saw your dog.... Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Ltd Ajay's reply to this dig has left us in splits. Ajay replied on the tweet with a picture of a sparrow perched on a fence in Ajay's iconic pose and said, Ya just like how this bird is mine. Ya just like how this bird is mine pic.twitter.com/SZRE4Cxzko Ajay Devgn (@ajaydevgn) February 5, 2019 We are loving this playful banter between the two actors, who shall be seen together in 'Total Dhamaal' which is scheduled to release on 22nd February. Clomid is the former brand name of the drug clomiphene citrate, which doctors use to treat infertility in females. Sometimes, however, they may also prescribe it off-label for males with infertility. Infertility can affect both males and females. According to the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, infertility results from: male reproductive issues one-third of the time female reproductive issues one-third of the time unknown issues or both male and female reproductive issues one-third of the time Doctors consider a person to have infertility if they are unable to achieve pregnancy after trying for 1 year. In this article, we discuss what clomiphene citrate is, whether it works for males with infertility, and when doctors prescribe it to males. We also cover its side effects and other male fertility treatments. What is clomiphene citrate? Share on Pinterest In some cases, a doctor may prescribe clomiphene citrate to treat male infertility. Clomiphene citrate is a type of ovary stimulant. Doctors commonly prescribe this medication to treat infertility in females. Clomiphene citrate works in a similar way to estrogen, which is a female sex hormone. Taking this drug encourages ovulation, or the release of an egg from the ovaries. This can help boost fertility for females who have difficulty conceiving due to issues with ovulation. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have approved clomiphene citrate for the treatment of infertility in females. However, doctors sometimes also prescribe clomiphene citrate off-label for treating males with infertility. Off-label means that the FDA have not approved this particular use of the drug. Does it work in males? In males, clomiphene citrate increases levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). These hormones are important for fertility and are present in both males and females. LH encourages the release of testosterone in males. FSH is important in the first stage of sperm production, or spermatogenesis. Increasing the level of these hormones in the body can lead to an increase in testosterone and the creation of more sperm. However, hormone interactions are complex, and there is not currently enough research to know whether boosting LH and FSH has a direct impact on male fertility. Taking clomiphene citrate may work for some males and not others. According to one 2015 review, there have been mixed results from clinical studies testing the effectiveness of taking clomiphene citrate for male infertility. The drug may improve sperm motility for some males. Motility refers to how well sperm move through the female reproductive system to fertilize an egg. However, using clomiphene citrate may reduce total sperm count in some males. This reduction may relate to dosage of the medication. Because the FDA have not approved clomiphene citrate for treating infertility in males, there is no agreement on the best dosage. For this reason, doctors need to rely on their own judgment when prescribing this drug. However, studies suggest a dosage of anywhere between 12.5 and 400 milligrams (mg) per day. A small meta-analysis including three studies found that a daily dose of 50 mg may improve fertility. There is also no agreed length of time for how long a male should take this medication. Researchers need to carry out more studies to determine whether clomiphene citrate is effective for treating male infertility, which types of male infertility it might treat, and what the ideal dosage may be. When do doctors prescribe it for males? Doctors can choose to prescribe a medication off-label if they believe that the benefits outweigh the risks. Though the FDA have only approved clomiphene citrate for the treatment of infertility in females, doctors may also choose to prescribe it for males with unexplained infertility or when other treatments have been unsuccessful or are unsuitable. However, it is important for the doctor to explain that neither the safety nor the effectiveness of the drug for this purpose are fully known, and to ensure that the person understands any potential risks. Side effects Share on Pinterest Clomiphene citrate can cause headaches and dizziness. Clomiphene citrate can cause side effects in some people. These can include: headache nausea and vomiting problems with vision dizziness stomach pain or discomfort mouth ulcers cataracts breast growth If a person experiences side effects from taking clomiphene citrate, they should seek medical advice. A doctor may advise that they stop taking the drug or lower the dosage. Some males may choose to take clomiphene citrate because they believe that it will improve mood, enhance their performance during exercise, or increase energy. Doctors sometimes prescribe it off-label as an alternative option for people who cannot take testosterone therapy. Because clomiphene citrate increases testosterone levels, it may help improve symptoms of hypogonadism in some people. Other male fertility treatments Treatment for male infertility depends on the underlying cause, but it can include medications and surgery. If successful, these treatments will help a person conceive naturally. Some causes of male infertility and the medications that a doctor may recommend for them include: Cause of male infertility Medication Hyperprolactinemia, a condition in which the body makes too much of a hormone called prolactin. Dopamine agonists such as bromocriptine. Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, which is when the testicles do not produce testosterone. Testosterone replacement or medications containing gonadotropin-releasing hormone. High levels of reactive oxygen species molecules in the sperm. Vitamin E and selenium supplements. Retrograde ejaculation, which occurs when semen flows backward into the bladder. Initial treatment with over-the-counter decongestant medications, such as pseudoephedrine. For some causes of male infertility, a doctor may recommend surgery. This can include: Cause of male infertility Surgery Varioceles, or swollen veins in the testicles. A doctor can perform minor surgery to block blood flow to the vein. Azoospermia, which occurs when a person has too little sperm in their semen. A doctor may recommend surgical sperm retrieval. This involves using a small needle to collect sperm from the testicle for use in vitro fertility treatments. Ejaculatory duct blockage, which prevents sperm ejaculation. A surgeon can make a small incision in the duct to unblock it. The cause of male infertility is not always clear, and treatment with drugs or surgery may not be effective. In such cases, a doctor may recommend assisted reproductive technology. These methods can bring egg and sperm together to create an embryo without sex. Some common examples include: Intrauterine insemination . This involves taking a males sperm and placing it directly into a females uterus to fertilize an egg. . This involves taking a males sperm and placing it directly into a females uterus to fertilize an egg. In vitro fertilization . This involves a healthcare provider bringing sperm and egg together in a laboratory to create an embryo and then placing it into a persons uterus. . This involves a healthcare provider bringing sperm and egg together in a laboratory to create an embryo and then placing it into a persons uterus. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection. This involves injecting an egg with a single sperm to create an embryo and then placing it into a persons uterus. by Joe Mandese @mp_joemandese, February 6, 2019 The combined live television network audience of the President's State of the Union address Tuesday night ranked 7th among all presidential SOTUs rated by Nielsen -- placing it behind Barack Obama's January 27, 2010 address and just ahead of Bill Clinton's January 25, 1994 address, according to a Research Intelligencer analysis of historical Nielsen data. This year's address delivered a marginally higher television audience than last year's -- the current President's first State of the Union Address -- which ranks as the 9th most-watched SOTU -- just ahead of George W. Bush's Jan. 23, 2007 address. The No. 1 television audience goes to Bill Clinton's February 17, 1993 address, which delivered a combined network TV audience of 66.9 million and a 44.3 rating. advertisement advertisement "While coverage varied by network, 12 aired live coverage from approximately 9:00 p.m. ET to 10:30 p.m. ET," Nielsen said in a statement releasing Tuesday's SOTU ratings. "In terms of the social nature of the address, the State of the Union 2019 was the No. 1 most social program on Feb. 5, 2019," Nielsen continued, adding: "There were 15.2 million total interactions across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter about the State of the Union 2019. Of the 15.2 million total interactions measured, 12% occurred on Facebook, 5% occurred on Instagram and 84% occurred on Twitter." Nielsen said "the most social moment" on Twitter occurred at 10:13 p.m. ET with 82,000 interactions, as viewers tweeted in the minutes following the Presidents condemnation of socialism and statement that great nations do not fight endless wars, referring to drawing down the number of American troops fighting overseas. by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, February 6, 2019 Home furnishings and kitchenware store Williams-Sonoma has no grounds to sue Amazon over allegedly misleading search ads and email promotions for Williams-Sonoma products, Amazon argues in new court papers. Williams-Sonoma would like to be the only website that sells genuine Williams-Sonoma products. But the law doesnt give it that power, Amazon argues in papers filed Tuesday with U.S. District Court Judge Elizabeth Laporte in San Francisco. Amazon's argument comes in response to a lawsuit filed by Williams-Sonoma in December, when the company alleged that Amazon created an unauthorized store on its site, and used misleading search ads and emails to wrongly suggest it is an authorized Williams-Sonoma retailer. One Google search for the phrase williams sonoma returned with a headline that included the phrases Williams & Sonoma at Amazon and Amazon Official Site, according to the original complaint. advertisement advertisement Williams-Sonoma also alleged that its president received an email from Amazon advertising a one-pound tin of Williams-Sonoma Peppermint Bark for $47.35, when the store sells the same product online for just $28.95. Williams-Sonoma claims in its lawsuit that this activity by Amazon amounts to trademark infringement, confuses consumers, and hurts the company's reputation. Amazon counters in its new court papers that people who purchase products are allowed to re-sell them, and that it's allowed to offer a platform for those sales and advertise the products. The company adds that the email offering Peppermint Bark truthfully states that Williams-Sonoma products are available through Amazons website. Williams-Sonoma's lawsuit included separate allegations that Amazon's private label, Rivet, sells knockoffs of the furniture Williams-Sonoma offers under the West Elm brand. Amazon hasn't yet addressed those allegations. by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, February 6, 2019 The Federal Communications Commission's repeal of the Obama-era net neutrality rules is already harming the public, former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler will suggest Thursday in Congressional testimony. When the FCC made its made the controversial decision to revoke net neutrality, it also transferred oversight over broadband providers to a different agency -- the Federal Trade Commission. But the FTC isn't equipped to police broadband providers, Wheeler will argue. The FTC is a fine agency, but ... it lacks the resources and rulemaking authority, and it also lacks the engineering expertise required for dealing with internet service providers. he will testify to a subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce committee. advertisement advertisement Because of the decision by the Trump FCC to walk away from its responsibilities, when California firefighters couldn't use their mobile phones during the Mendocino Complex fire, they could not turn to the FCC for help, he will tell lawmakers. When researchers discovered that mobile carriers were throttling streaming services -- something the carriers had promised not to do -- the agency that should be responsible for the nations networks did nothing." When Wheeler led the FCC during the Obama administration, the agency imposed some common carrier rules on broadband carriers, including rules prohibiting blocking or throttling and charging higher fees for prioritized delivery of content. Current FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, who opposed those rules, shepherded their recent repeal. Since then, broadband providers have faced criticism over their practices on several occasions. In one well-publicized example, Verizon throttled firefighters as they attempted to combat blazes in Mendocino. Also, researchers at Northeastern University, University of Massachusetts-Amherst and Stony Brook University reported last year that the major wireless carriers were slowing streaming video traffic. Thursday's hearing -- the first related to net neutrality since Democrats regained control of the House -- is part of an initiative by Congressional leaders to closely scrutinize the FCC. Reps. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-New Jersey), who leads the Energy and Commerce committee, and Mike Doyle (D-Pennsylvania) chairman of the Communications and Technology subcommittee, recently criticized FCC chairman Ajit Pai for being unresponsive to oversight requests. Not only have you have failed on numerous occasions to provide Democratic members of this Committee with responses to their inquiries, you have also repeatedly denied or delayed responding to legitimate information requests from the public about agency operations, the lawmakers wrote to Pai Friday. Under your leadership, the FCC has failed repeatedly to act in the public interest and placed the interest of corporations over consumers. Procter & Gamble has acquired This is L, a San Francisco-based company that markets organic cotton tampons and pads and natural latex condoms. No purchase price was announced. This is an extreme example of a big company acquiring a smaller one. P&G has 95,000 employees, while This is L has seven. But L tampons, available via CVS, Target and 5,000 other stores, successfully capitalizes on the trend toward cause marketing and natural materials, like the fragrance-, chemical- and pesticide-free organic cotton the company uses, according to P&G. After returning home from "documenting humanitarian crises around the world," (according to the company's website) former photojournalist Talia Frenkel, the CEO, decided to market environmentally sensitive products to help the developing world. The first, in 2011, was a condom. advertisement advertisement Now, for every condom, tampon or pad that the company sells, it distributes one in a developing country through its network of thousands of female entrepreneurs, according to the company website. The donation program is headed toward distributing 250 million products worldwide. Basically, it's a tampon you can really feel good about, wrote Teen Vogue, which featured L in its March issue marking Womens History Month. Our strong growth has enabled us to stand in solidarity with women in more than 20 countries, said Frenkel in a press release, sounding a little like the impassioned text of the Our Movement section of the This is L website. Our support has ranged from partnering with organizations to send period products to native communities in South Dakota, to supplying pad-making machines to a women-led business in Tamil Nadu," she added. "Pairing our purpose with P&G's expertise, scale and resources provides an extraordinary opportunity to contribute to a more equitable world. The company got a big push in 2015 from Y Combinator, which famously invests $150,000 in couple of start-ups a couple of times a year and then helps them grow. (Dropbox, Twitch, Reddit and Airbnb are among others benefiting from that investment over the years.) The company's ethos seems to mesh well with cause marketing efforts by P&Gs Always brand. Last August, Always launched its #EndPeriodPoverty campaign to distribute 15 million period products to school children. P&G says Always has given away 80 million such products around the world in the last ten years. This acquisition is a perfect complement to our Always and Tampax portfolio, with its commitment to a shared mission to advocate for girls confidence and serve more women, said Jennifer Davis, president, P&G global feminine care division, in a statement. Marrying L to P&G will probably cause some initial weirdness, with an international mega-giant firm coupled with a tiny manufacturer licensed as a public-benefit corporation. Frenkel told the Y Combinator blog she remembers an initial This is L business meeting in which she asked, OK, how do you get a UPC code? A P&G spokeswoman said, We're focusing now on ensuring a smooth transition so that L is set up for success moving forward. She added, The products will continue to have their own equity, product offering and stay true to their purpose, including social responsibility programs. Were pleased that the founder of the business, Talia Frenkel, will partner with us as a consultant and brand ambassador for L. We look forward to working closely together to scale L.s deep sense of purpose and advance its socially responsible business. Yet it would seem L tampons exist, to some extent, because the product is what some perceive as a healthier alternative to major brands. From our deep consumer research and understanding, we know that different consumers are seeking different propositions, the spokeswoman said. Some we are currently meeting today with our Always and Tampax portfolio, [while other consumers] are looking for products like L. Ventilator-associated pneumonia is caused when a patient with an underlying condition associated with the disease is kept on ventilators for a long period of time. The conditions associated with the disease include cardiovascular disease, neurological diseases, or trauma. Blunt or penetrating trauma may play a key role in the development of the disease, with blunt trauma exhibiting a higher statistical correlation with the disease than penetrating trauma. Other physical factors such as the elevation of the head of the bed can also play a part in the development of ventilator-associated pneumonia, although the role played by such factors can be subtle and not quantifiable. The presence of a flat bed can exacerbate the buildup of fluids within the lungs, causing ventilator-associated pneumonia. Higher duration of being placed on a ventilator is also a causative factor for the onset of ventilator-associated pneumonia. Get Sample Copy @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1377 The growing demand to eliminate hospital-acquired infections (HAI) is likely to be a major driver for the global ventilator-associated pneumonia market over the forecast period. The rising prevalence of cardiovascular and particularly lung diseases is also likely to be a key driver for the ventilator-associated pneumonia market over the forecast period. The increasing geriatric population around the world is also likely to be a major driver for the global ventilator-associated pneumonia market, as older people are not only more prone to contracting pneumonia, but are also more likely to be placed on ventilators. Segmentation: The global ventilator-associated pneumonia market is segmented on the basis of diagnosis, mode of treatment, end use, and region. On the basis of diagnosis, the global ventilator-associated pneumonia market is segmented into clinical examination, radiological examination, microbiological analysis, and others. The microbiological analysis segment is further sub-segmented into blood and pleural fluid cultures, nonquantitative or semi-quantitative airway sampling, and quantitative cultures of airway specimens. By mode of treatment, the global ventilator-associated pneumonia market is segmented into home care, hospital care, and others. On the basis of end use, the global ventilator-associated pneumonia market is segmented into hospitals and clinics, ambulatory care centers, emergency medical services, and research centers. Regional Analysis: The global ventilatory-associated pneumonia market is segmented on the basis of region into the Americas (North and South America), Europe (Western and Eastern Europe), Asia Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa. North America and Europe are likely to be the major regional segments of the global ventilator-associated pneumonia market over the forecast period due to the growing geriatric population and growing prevalence of lung diseases in these regions. The growing awareness about hospital-acquired infections in the region has led to growing efforts to wipe them out. This is also likely to be a key driver for the ventilator-associated pneumonia market in these regions. North America and Europe have been at the forefront of the movement to identify the threat of hospital-acquired infections and nullify it. North America is likely to lead the global ventilator-associated pneumonia market over the forecast period, with Europe coming in a close second. The Asia Pacific ventilator-associated pneumonia market is likely to exhibit the highest growth rate over the forecast period due to the growing prevalence of respiratory disorders as well as the increasing healthcare expenditure in the region. The adoption of ventilators is likely to grow in Asia Pacific over the forecast period, as governments in the region have made significant commitments towards growth of the healthcare sector. This could emerge as a key driver for the ventilator-associated pneumonia market over the forecast period. Competitive Analysis: Leading players in the global ventilator-associated pneumonia market include Merck & Co. Inc., AstraZeneca, Nabriva Therapeutics AG, MedImmune, and Adenium Biotech ApS. Industry Updates: In January 2019, Liberate Medical received a Breakthrough Device designation from the U.S. FDA for its VentFree muscle stimulator. The muscle stimulator shortens the need for ventilator support and thus could help reduce the prevalence of ventilator-associated pneumonia by striking at the root cause of the problem. Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/ventilator-associated-pneumonia-vap-market-1377 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 Future Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune 411028 Maharashtra, India Phone: +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Tyto Care is an on-demand telehealth provider based in Israel that hopes to bring all aspects of a doctors visit to the home. Beyond the limits of traditional telemedicine, the platform also allows patients to conduct their own physical exam using a device that combines a camera, stethoscope, otoscope, thermometer, and tongue depressor. The idea began after Co-Founder and CEO Dedi Gilad, whose daughter had recurrent ear infections as a child, figured there was a better way to receive medical care than repeated visits to a doctor. He couldnt understand why he needed to go into these flu clinics or get out of work in order to take his daughter, day after day, into a clinic, recalls Ophir Lotan, VP of Product and Implementation at Tyto Care. As an engineer, he started thinking about a potential solution to this issue. That solution was TytoCare. Since the companys launch in 2012, it has raised over $56 million and evolved to become a mobile platform with a sleek physical exam kit. TytoCare works by connecting patient and physician through the TytoApp on a smartphone or tablet. Once the video call is connected, the physician assesses symptoms and guides the patient through a basic physical exam using the toolkit. Patients can measure heart rate and body temperature, capture heart and lung sounds, and obtain images and videos of the ears, throat, and skin. Based on symptoms and physical exam findings, the physician can make recommendations and prescribe appropriate medications. Alternatively, the patient can conduct an independent physical exam guided solely by the mobile app. Making the patient-conducted exam accurate is a key part of the technology, says Lotan. We have built-in guidance technology so we not only guide the user on how to capture the right data, we also in real time analyze the data and determine whether the data captured is of good quality. And it works, he says, citing a study done at the Schneider Childrens Medical Center, a leading childrens hospital in Israel, which confirmed that Tytos capability to perform a physical examination is on par with conventional in-clinic examination tools. Since validating its tools and platform, TytoCare has expanded rapidly. The company launched in the US after receiving FDA clearance in 2017, and plans to expand further into Europe and Canada after receiving the CE Mark and Health Canada approval in 2018. The company is also looking to move into Asian markets such as China and Japan. Although not currently available directly to consumers, TytoCare partners with a variety of health providers. Weve partnered with 50 health organizations, says Lotan, including a wide range of the leading US health systems, top telehealth companies, retailers, large private practices, and some self-insured employers. In the end, the team behind TytoCare sees itself as more than just a telehealth platform with a highly accurate physical exam kit. Were very excited about what were doing, says Lotan, and the fact that we could potentially positively impact the way consumers utilize healthcare. Flashbacks: Tyto Care Brings the Doctors Visit to Home: Seen at CES 2019; Tyto Lets Primary Care Docs Examine Patients Remotely, Now Cleared in Europe; Tyto for At-Home Visits with Your Kids Doctor Learn more at Tyto Cares website Renal Denervation Market Overview The surge in blood pressure cases due to increased exposure to causative factors is spurring the need for renal denervation. Market reports associated with the healthcare industry has been offered by Market Research Future which makes reports on other industry verticals that aims to analyze the current market scenarios better. The market is anticipated to develop at a CAGR of 40.4% while raking in revenues valued at USD 2,850 million in the forecast period. The advances in drug therapy and surgical procedures is boosting the renal denervation market considerably. The escalation in the number of hypertension cases globally is creating substantial demand for the market. The improvements in the healthcare sector are also adding to the overall growth of the market for renal denervation. Furthermore, increased level of investment in the research and development of treatment methods is expected to bolster the market expansion in the upcoming forecast period. Get Sample Copy at https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/6712 Industry Updates: Nov 2018 Medtronic has recently announced that the FDA has permitted the company to initiate an investigational device exemption trial of a renal denervation system for the treatment of hypertension in patients who are already taking antihypertensive medications. The system called Symplicity Spyral will be tried in the SPYRAL HTN-ON MED trial, a potential, randomized, sham-controlled study of up to 340 patients for three years. Segmental Analysis The segmentation of the renal denervation market is segmented on the basis of technology, product, region and end use. Based on product, the renal denervation market is segmented into Vessix (V2), Symplicity, Iberis, EnligHTN, Paradise, and others. Based on technology, the renal denervation market is segmented into ultrasound, radiofrequency, micro-infusion, and others. On the basis of end user, the market for renal denervation is segmented into ambulatory surgical centers, hospitals, clinics, and others. The regions included in the renal denervation market is segmented into Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the world. Detailed Regional Analysis The regional analysis of the renal denervation market includes regions such as Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, Middle East, and Africa. The European region is likely to command the renal denervation market globally over the forecast period owing to the strong research organization in the region and the growing development of increasingly more progressive renal denervation devices. The growing incidence of drug-resistant hypertension in the European region is further expected to drive research in the renal denervation market, ensuring the European regions lead in the renal denervation market in the forecast period. The Asia Pacific region is also projected to be a key regional market for renal denervation in the forecast period owing to the rising incidence of hypertension and the stable development in the healthcare infrastructure. This is expected to confirm the extensive accessibility of renal denervation devices as well as growing research into product development to create more advanced renal denervation devices in the forecast period. Browse Complete Premium Research Report https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/renal-denervation-market-6712 Competitive Landscape The market also shows potential for demonstrating a greater comparative or differential value. The presence of a productive entity is expected to generate more sales or superior margins compared to its market rivals. The market trends hint at favorable development of the products that can bring in novelty to the product range and address the customer need better. The advent of new technology has boosted the growth potential of the market. Substantial cutbacks in administrative finances are bringing further development to the market. The development of a strong value chain is moreover motivating the expansion of the market. The market competitors find themselves in a favorable position with the ability to manage the pace of change. The regions included in the renal denervation market are Medtronic, Boston Scientific, ReCor Medical, St. Jude Medical, Cardiosonic, Kona Medical, Cordis, Sound Intervention, and Terumo. Table Of Contents: Chapter 1. Report Prologue Chapter 2. Market Introduction Chapter 3. Research Methodology Chapter 4. Market Dynamics Chapter 5. Market Factor Analysis Chapter 6. Global Renal Denervation Market, By Product Chapter 7. Global Renal Denervation Market, By Technology Chapter 8. Global Renal Denervation Market, By End-User Type Chapter 9. Global Renal Denervation Market, By Region Chapter 10. Company Landscape Chapter 11. Company Profiles Chapter 12 MRFR Conclusion Chapter 13 Appendix LIST OF TABLES LIST OF FIGURES Avail discount at https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/check-discount/6712 Renal Denervation Market Research Report: by Product (Symplicity, Vessix (V2), EnligHTN, Paradise, Iberis, Others), by Technology (Radiofrequency, Ultrasound, Micro-infusion, and Others), by End-user (Hospitals, Clinics, Ambulatory Surgical Centers, and Others), and Region Forecast To 2023 About Market Research Future: MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. 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: Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Diagnostic Imaging Services Market Synopsis Global Diagnostic Imaging Services Market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 8.2% over the forecast period. In recent years, diagnostic imaging services improved their efficiency and accuracy for the of various acute and chronic diseases including cardiovascular diseases and cancer. The increasing prevalence of geriatric population and subsequent growth in the incidence of cardiac, and neurological diseases including cancer, growing government fundings for development of medical diagnostics field, and the on-going technological advancements in imaging services are some factors that are anticipated to drive the market growth during the assessment period. Request Sample Copy at https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/7186 Additionally, increasing demand for diagnostic imaging devices and development expenditure by the government as well as private sector is likely to contribute to the market growth. As per the data by the Office for National Statistics, in 2016, the gross domestic expenditure on research and development (R&D) was Euro 33.1 billion (USD 35.2 billion) in the UK. However, high cost of diagnostic imaging devices and unfavorable reimbursement policies may hamper the market growth during the assessment period. Top Players: Some of the prominent players in the global diagnostic imaging services market are Center for Diagnostic Imaging (CDI), Medquest Associates Inc./Novant Health, Simonmed/Dignity Health, Touchstone Imaging, Alliance Medical, Medica Group, Sonic Healthcare, Global Diagnostics, Consensys Imaging Service, Inc., Progressive Radiology, Concord Medical Services Holdings Limited, Alliance Healthcare Services, InHealth Group and others. Diagnostic Imaging Services Market Segmentation: The Global diagnostic imaging services market has been segmented into procedure, application, and service provider. By procedure, the market has been segmented into X-ray, Computed Tomography, Ultrasound, MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), Nuclear Imaging, Radiography and others. The procedure segment is estimated to hold major market share in the global diagnostic imaging services market due to the rising R&D activities in the medical diagnostics field. On the basis of application, the global diagnostic imaging services market has been segmented into Neurology, Cardiology, Oncology, Musculoskeletal and others. The Global diagnostic imaging services market, by service provider, has been segmented into Clinics & Hospitals, Diagnostic centers, Research laboratories and others. Diagnostic Imaging Services Market Regional Analysis: On regional basis, the Americas is anticipated to dominate the global diagnostic imaging services market owing to the growing clinical R&D budgets by both government as well as public and private organizations in diagnostic imaging modalities and increasing adoption of advanced technologies in the region. Additionally, rising prevalence of geriatric population along with various chronic diseases is contributing the growth of this market. According to a report by Population Reference Bureau, the number of older population (aged 65 and above) will rise to nearly 24% from 15% by 2060. Europe is expected to hold the second largest position in the global diagnostic imaging services market owing to the presence of strong academic & research base and availability of funding for research in the European countries. Moreover, rising healthcare expenditure and awareness among people for detection of diseases is boosting the market in this region. The Asia-Pacific region is anticipated to be fastest growing region is due to rising demand for imaging devices, good quality healthcare infrastructure and incidence of major key players for growth and development in this region. The Middle East & Africa has the least share of the global diagnostic imaging services market. Moreover, the major market share of the region is expected to be held by the Middle East region owing to the increasing government initiatives for the healthcare sector. Browse Complete 90 Pages Premium Research Report Enabled with 30+ Respective Tables and Figures at https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/diagnostic-imaging-services-market-7186 About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. Contact Market Research Future Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune 411028 Maharashtra, India +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Submit A Press Release $25.00 / for 2 days Ensure your press release runs prominently on our website and in our E-mail Newsletter. Gauranteed placement on these platforms is $25. Note: All submissions will go through our editorial approval process before being posted. Note: We have changed our commenting system. If you do not have an mdjonline.com account, you will need to create one in order to comment. There is nothing better than a get-together in January to cure post-party depression after the Christmas season. On Jan. 17, Carolyn and Doug 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. Atlanta, GA (30342) Today Cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. High 81F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 58F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Roswell, GA (30075) Today Cloudy early with peeks of sunshine expected late. High around 80F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Mainly clear. Low 58F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. "It was a serious country," he added. "And the stuff we focused on, the '57 Chevy's, the hula-hoops, the rock 'n' roll: that stuff was thought of as candy for children." It's difficult not to wonder if by creating the song "American Pie," McLean single-handedly elevated a moment that would have been lost - or at least dulled - to the annals of pop music history into "the day the music died," something we collectively "remember." McLean made it his quest to learn as much about Holly as he could, even though at the time "there was nothing available on anybody... You couldn't find anything." He hung out with musicians such as Pete Seeger and his beloved Everly brothers, learning more about Holly's life as he worked on his own folk music career. But when he learned the infamous laundry detail that contributed to Holly's death, that was it. Fifth-graders in McDowell County will never meet the man who was the inspiration for the TIM program, but they will know the lessons he worked to teach. TIM stands for Teaching students lifesaving lessons, Improving their quality of life and Maintaining a safe learning environment. The program was originated in honor of the late Tim Duncan, a dedicated McDowell County law enforcement officer who lost his life in an off-duty accident in 2008. Duncan spent a good portion of his career teaching DARE in McDowell County Schools. He made a positive, lasting impact on childrens lives, said former chief of the McDowell County Sheriffs Office and now Sheriff Ricky Buchanan in 2008 when the program started. Tim was a dedicated husband, father and law enforcement officer and loved his kids in the schools and they loved him. He was very dedicated and passionate about his role in the schools and making a difference in many kids lives. To kick off the program, students are introduced to Duncan and his career by watching the TIM video which includes a message from his widow, Jamie Ball. Throughout the next several weeks, fifth-graders learn about the dangers of legal and illegal drugs, bullying and social media, gun safety and violent video games, wrapping up with a panel discussion with role models in the community. Students at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester have ended a sit-in as talks with the school administration continue regarding incidents of sexual misconduct on campus, one of which includes a professor who has been placed on administrative leave. Hundreds of students were parked outside the office of Holy Cross President Rev. Philip Boroughs on Monday and Tuesday, waiting to hear if the school would meet a list of demands. The sit-in, not organized by a particular group, came after philosophy professor Christopher Dustin was placed on administrative leave following allegations of sexual misconduct. Students on Monday morning gave Boroughs a list, demanding: 1) A full acknowledgement from the College President that (1) for twenty months while Christopher Dustin was under investigation for alleged sexual misconduct, the college failed to alert the student body, faculty, staff, and Board of Trustees of Professor Christopher Dustins misconduct and that (2) the College should not have allowed Professor Dustin to continue to interact with students. In future circumstances of faculty and staff misconduct, especially in cases involving students, the College shall take steps to remove said person from campus and prohibit any interaction with students. 2) The College must terminate their professional relationship with Christopher Dustin for his violation of the Colleges sexual misconduct policy and mission statement pending the thorough and timely completion of the investigation he is currently undergoing. In the Colleges own words, sexual misconduct, in all forms, violates the sanctity of the human body and spirit and will not be tolerated within the College community, and Professor Dustins behavior should not be an exception. Additionally, the Distinguished Teaching Award received by Professor Dustin in 2004 must be revoked. 3) An external audit by an impartial third party of the Title IX Office, its practices and officers, and the Colleges policy surrounding sexual harassment and faculty misconduct. Dean Irish, due to his unique role as the Student Conduct Officer and his proximity to information about sexual assault on campus, must be placed under review with a signed promise by Dean Murray that the results of such a review will be publicly available to the fullest legal extent.The Board of Trustees must be informed of any faculty under review for gross misconduct at the beginning of the review, and of any findings of any investigation. 4) A preliminary report from Philip Catanzano detailing a timeline of his investigation published by March 1, 2019 and a promise that the findings of the investigation will be made publicly available to the fullest legal extent upon its completion. Boroughs met with students on Monday and Tuesday to discuss the demands. Fr. Boroughs and members of his executive team met with students again today, and they had a positive and productive meeting, a Holy Cross spokesman said Tuesday night. Both the administration and students have some follow up work to do, but they identified some clear next steps and areas of consensus. We are continuing to work together and feel good about where we are in this important conversation. Tuesday morning, student organizers indicated that Holy Cross administration agreed demands three and four would be met. The sit-in is over for now- massive respect to the organizers and protesters for the victories achieved in the past two days. I hope the administration is well aware that we will all come back in a moments notice if need be. #EndSexualViolenceAtHolyCross Holy Cross YDSA (@holycrossydsa) February 5, 2019 Mia Yee, a senior, Fenwick Scholar and organizer, said individual students and student organizations have been afraid to lead the protest for fear of losing financial aid or club funding. Allegations involving Dustin are not the only reports of sexual misconduct on campus. Last summer, organist James David Christie resigned from his post as an artist-in-residence at Holy Cross following allegations from several students who said they were sexually abused by him. In recent months, an Instagram account called @SexualAssaultontheHill has shared more than 100 stories from students regarding alleged sexual violence experienced while at Holy Cross. Additionally, students have expressed disappointment with the schools Title IX process. Stacey Abrams called the government shutdown a stunt engineered by the President of the United States in her rebuttal to the State of the Union address Tuesday night. Speaking from Atlanta Abrams, who is the first black woman and first non-sitting public official to deliver the rebuttal, spoke about her family history and voters rights in the roughly 10-minute address. Abrams unsuccessfully ran for the governor of Georgia in 2018 but has maintained popularity across the country. Abrams, who is a fiction and non-fiction writer, wrote the speech herself, aides told CNN and used it as a way to introduce the American public to her family and her personal history. She spoke growing back and forth between lower middle class and working poor. Her mother was a librarian who taught us to love learning and her father was a shipyard worker. Both later became United Methodist ministers. These were our family values faith, service, education and responsibility, Abrams said. Our power and strength as Americans lives in our hard work and our belief in more. My family understood firsthand that while success is not guaranteed, we live in a nation where opportunity is possible. But we do not succeed alone in these United States, when times are tough, we can persevere because our friends and neighbors will come for us. Abrams spoke of voter suppression and rejected Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnells recent statement that Democratic efforts to overhaul voting measures and make Election Day a federal holiday are a power grab. We must reject the cynicism that says allowing every eligible vote to be cast and counted is a power grab, Abrams said. She added: Lets be clear: voter suppression is real. From making it harder to register and stay on the rolls to moving and closing polling places to rejecting lawful ballots, we can no longer ignore these threats to democracy. She said she is very disappointed by President Donald Trumps approach, but said I still dont want him to fail. We need him to tell truth, Abrams said. and to respect his duties and the extraordinary diversity that defines America. President Donald Trump offered his policy vision for the United States and reflected on the accomplishments of his first two years in office Tuesday as he delivered his State of the Union Address before a joint session of Congress. The president, who was forced to reschedule his annual remarks amid the federal government shutdown, used his prime time speech to urge American to put aside their partisan differences and come together on an array on policy issues. He further reaffirmed his pledge to push for tougher immigration laws and border security -- an issue at the center of debate of Capitol Hill as lawmakers work to avoid another federal funding lapse. Here are 5 takeaways from the presidents second State of the Union Address: 1. Trump urged lawmakers to support his push for stricter immigration law enforcement and a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. The president continued to press lawmakers to support his plan to build a wall along the United States' southern border with Mexico. Noting that many of the lawmakers in the chamber for his speech had previously supported spending for such barriers, Trump called on Democrats and Republicans to support his commonsense proposal to end the crisis on our southern border." This is a smart, strategic, see-through steel barrier -- not just a simple concrete wall," he said. It will be deployed in the areas identified by border agents as having the greatest need, and as these agents will tell you, where walls go up, illegal crossings go way down. ... Simply put, walls work and walls save lives. So lets work together, compromise and reach a deal that will truly make America safe. 2. The president took aim at ridiculous partisan investigations." Trump, who has repeatedly cast Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation into the 2016 campaign as a witch hunt, appeared to take another swipe at the probe as he delivered his 2nd annual State of the Union address. Contending that an economic miracle is taking place in the United States, the president cautioned that the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations. He added that if there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation. It just doesnt work that way! Trump continued. 3. Trump announced the launch of a government-wide initiative focused on economic empowerment for women in developing countries. Pointing to womens gains in the economy and in Congress, the president used his State of the Union Address to announce a new government-wide initiative that will focus on economic empowerment for women in developing countries. Trump said the effort, which is set to go live on Thursday, comes as part of his administrations commitment to improving opportunity for women everywhere. 4. The president calls for unity in Congress. Despite calling on lawmakers to support his campaign trail pledge to build a wall along the United States' southern border -- an issue which has divided Congress -- Trump repeatedly urged Democrats and Republicans to come together and work on behalf of all Americans instead of just one political party. Contending that Congress represents the most extraordinary nation in all of history, he asked lawmakers to choose whether we are defined by our differences or whether we dare to transcend them. This is our future -- our fate -- and our choice to make. I am asking you to choose greatness, he said. No matter the trials we face, no matter the challenges to come, we must go forward together. 5. Trump calls for ending the HIV epidemic, other health care proposals. The president urged Congress to support a series of health care-related policies, including his budget request to make the needed commitment to eliminate the HIV epidemic in the United States within 10 years. Together, we will defeat AIDS in America, he said. Trump added that he will also prioritize efforts to lower the cost of health care and prescription drugs, as well as to protect Americans with pre-existing conditions. He further called on Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mothers womb. Let us work together to build a culture that cherishes innocent life, he said. And let us reaffirm a fundamental truth: all children -- born and unborn -- are made in the holy image of God. President Donald Trump used his second State of the Union Address Tuesday to lay out his policy vision for the United States, tout his accomplishments in office and call for American unity particularly in Congress. Trump, who has publicly sparred with an array of Democratic leaders, urged House and Senate lawmakers gathered for the joint congressional address to come together on infrastructure spending, health care-related issues and other areas of bipartisan agreement. The president, however, remained firm in his push for tougher immigration enforcement, including his proposed wall along the United States southern border with Mexico an issue which has divided Democrats and Republicans and ultimately led to the recent 35-day government shutdown. Stressing that the policy priorities laid out in his State of the Union Address are neither based solely on Republican nor Democrat-backed proposals, Trump argued that his agenda reflects that of the American people. The president called on lawmakers to join him in breaking what he called decades of political stalemate," and to govern not as two parties, but as one nation. We can make our communities safer, our families stronger, our culture richer, our faith deeper, and our middle class bigger and more prosperous than ever before. But we must reject the politics of revenge, resistance, and retribution -- and embrace the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise, and the common good. ... The decision is ours to make, he said. We must choose between greatness or gridlock, results or resistance, vision or vengeance, incredible progress or pointless destruction. Trump asked lawmakers to choose greatness. With Congress facing a Feb. 15 deadline to strike a border security deal and avert a second federal funding lapse, the president specifically urged Democrats and Republicans to join forces again to confront an urgent national crisis: individuals who enter the United States illegally. Arguing that lawmakers have a moral duty to create an immigration system that protects the lives and jobs of our citizens," he offered that now is the time for the Congress to show the world that America is committed to ending illegal immigration and putting the ruthless coyotes, cartels, drug dealers and human traffickers out of business. The president, who has repeatedly cast the situation at the southern border as a humanitarian crisis, added that the lawless state of our southern border is a threat to the safety, security and financial wellbeing of all Americans. That threat, he offered, has already been felt by Americans like his State of the Union guests: Elvin Hernandez, a special agent with the Department of Homeland Securitys Investigations division, and the relatives of Gerald and Sharon David, who were killed last month by an immigrant who reportedly came to the United States illegally. Trump called on Congress to pass what he called his commonsense proposal to end the crisis on our southern border. This is a smart, strategic, see-through steel barrier -- not just a simple concrete wall, he said. It will be deployed in the areas identified by border agents as having the greatest need, and as these agents will tell you, where walls go up, illegal crossings go way down. ... Simply put, walls work and walls save lives. So lets work together, compromise, and reach a deal that will truly make America safe." Aside from immigration-related policies, Trump urged Democrats and Republicans to come together in supporting an infrastructure spending package. Offering that both parties should be able to unite for a great rebuilding of Americas crumbling infrastructure," the president said hes eager to work with lawmakers on legislation to deliver new and important infrastructure investment, including investments in the cutting edge industries of the future. This is not an option, he said. This is a necessity. The president further touted his administrations work since taking office in 2017, offering that it has moved with urgency and historic speed to confront problems neglected by leaders of both parties over many decades." Trump praised efforts to overhaul Americas tax code, reform the criminal justice system and enhance the United States' energy production. He also highlighted his administrations work to overhaul the criminal justice system, including his recent signing of bipartisan-backed federal sentencing reform legislation, known as the First Step Act. Policy changes included in that legislation, he argued, have helped Americans like Matthew Charles, who was released early from his 35-year prison sentence in January as a result of the new law. He added that the experiences of people like Alice Johnson, who had been serving a mandatory life sentence for nonviolent drug charges prior to receiving clemency last year, further underscore the need to address disparities in criminal sentencing. Trump was initially set to deliver his second State of the Union Address on Jan. 29. The annual address, however, was rescheduled after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi refused to let the president use her chamber during the record-setting government shutdown. Shortly after the White House and congressional leaders struck a deal to temporarily end the funding lapse, Pelosi announced that the State of the Union Address would be held on Feb. 5. The presidents joint congressional speech came as lawmakers work to reach a long-term spending agreement to avoid another partial government shutdown. Trump, who has repeatedly called on Congress to set aside $5 billion for border wall construction, has offered that he may resort to using his executive authority to build the structure if lawmakers fail to include such spending in their proposal. Despite President Donald Trumps State of the Union call for lawmakers to come together on an array of policy issues, some Massachusetts Democrats questioned his commitment to bipartisanship. Members of the states congressional delegation offered that while they support the presidents call for unity on Capitol Hill, they remain skeptical as to whether Trump will be able to put partisan politics aside when it comes to contentious issues, like immigration. U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, a Springfield Democrat who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee, said hes dismayed at the lack of any kind of bipartisanship" during the first two years of Trumps administration. The congressman, however, stressed that he is ready to unify with the administration and (his) colleagues on the other side of the aisle for the common good of the constituents (they) proudly serve. The need for common ground is imperative to success, he tweeted shortly after the presidents joint congressional address. In unity there is strength and I continue to stand at the ready to unify with the Administration and my colleagues on the other side of the aisle for the common good of the constituents we proudly serve. The need for common ground is imperative to success. #SOTU Rep. Richard Neal (@RepRichardNeal) February 6, 2019 U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, meanwhile, argued that when Donald Trump talks about compromise, what he really means is capitulation. The Massachusetts Democrat questioned the presidents willingness to work with Democrats on immigration, infrastructure and other issues, offering that hes only really supportive of his own policies. There is an opportunity to work together ... but only if President Trump actually understands what true compromise requires, he said in a statement. "Tonight, President Trump advised Congress: We must reject the politics of revenge, resistance and retribution and embrace the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise and the common good.' So far in his administration, he has yet to take his own advice. U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III, D-Brookline, offered that its hard to unite a country when you refuse to defend the majority of the people who proudly call her home. The congressman accused the president of supporting policies that have scapegoated, excluded, targeted and ignored large groups of Americans. Congresswoman Katherine Clark, D-Melrose, contended that Trumps speech set forth a vision that is in contrast to his own policies. We heard commitments to lowering prescription drug costs, to eliminating AIDS/HIV and fighting childhood cancer. These are noble causes that the Trump administration has undermined with its own attacks on the Affordable Health Care Act, science and funding for research, she said in a statement. Clark added that the president declared a message of unity then referred to Congress oversight responsibilities as a ridiculous partisan investigation. U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, a Worcester Democrat and chairman of the House Rules Committee, also questioned the presidents call for bipartisanship. Its great that Donald Trump is talking about bipartisanship. Dems and Republicans agreed on the bipartisan spending bills we passed in December he was the one who shut government down for 35 days, he tweeted. Its great that @realDonaldTrump is talking about bipartisanship. Dems & Republicans agreed on the bipartisan spending bills we passed in December he was the one who shut government down for 35 days. Rep. Jim McGovern (@RepMcGovern) February 6, 2019 Massachusetts Democratic Party Chairman Gus Bickford called Trumps remarks on unity, bipartisanship and healing meaningless, arguing that the president has routinely attacked and belittled women, immigrants, communities of color, working families, the LGBTQ community and others. The real test will be whether the president and his Administration make any effort to do better or whether they continue to incite hatred and division, he said in a statement. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat who is eying a 2020 White House bid, meanwhile, urged supporters upset with the presidents State of the Union remarks to fight for the change (they) want to see" by contributing to her presidential exploratory effort. We heard plenty of things in tonights (State of the Union)that made my blood boil. But its not enough for us to just get angry at Donald Trump (again). ... This is our moment, she tweeted. We heard plenty of things in tonights #SOTU that made my blood boil. But its not enough for us to just get angry at @realDonaldTrump (again). We have to fight for the change we want to see. This is our moment chip in now: https://t.co/2xGf7rkInY Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) February 6, 2019 This is a breaking news story and will be updated. The U.S. House Intelligence Committee announced Wednesday that it would postpone Michael Cohens closed-door testimony before the panel until next month, attributing the move to the interests of Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation into the 2016 presidential campaign. U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat who chairs the committee, said that Cohen -- President Donald Trumps former personal lawyer and a target of the Mueller probe -- will now testify before lawmakers on Feb. 28. Cohen, who was sentenced to three years in prison for charges brought as part of Muellers investigation, had been scheduled to testify Friday as part of the panels own investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential contest. It is not the first time Cohens congressional testimony has been rescheduled. He was expected to speak before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Feb. 7 -- an appearance that was indefinitely postponed due to alleged threats. Schiff and U.S. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, said while they understood the completely legitimate concerns for the safety and security of Mr. Cohen and his family members ... not appearing before Congress was never an option. Senate lawmakers, meanwhile, subpoenaed Cohen to testify before their chambers Intelligence Committee in mid-February. Cohen pleaded guilty in August to federal charges involving his taxi businesses, bank fraud and campaign finance work. In late-November, he pleaded guilty to making false statements in 2017 testimony before the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence about a plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. U.S. District Judge William H. Pauley III sentenced Cohen in early December. The presidents former lawyer is scheduled to report to prison on March 6. Did the State of the Union feel long Tuesday night? At 82 minutes long, it was the third longest State of the Union address in history. It fell just seven minutes short of President Bill Clintons 89-minute address in 2000 which set the record, according to the Washington Examiner. Clintons 1995 address, clocking in at 85 minutes, is the second longest State of the Union address. The State of the Union was typically about 40 minutes long, and had only latest longer than an hour once in 1967 until Clinton changed the course. President Lyndon B. Johnson delivered a 62 minute speech that year, according to the Examiner. The Tanglewood Learning Institute, which launches in June at the new Linde Center for Music and Learning, will make the fabled Lenox concert venue a year-round facility. The four-building Linde Center will play a key role in establishing Tanglewood for the first time as an all-season facility, with learning institute programming, event rental and concert use by the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Beyond the year-round opportunities, the Tanglewood Learning Institute will promote new programming that complement the concert experience, according to its director, Sue Elliott. "The launch of TLI programming and the opening of the Linde Center for Music and Learning this summer marks the beginning of a new journey to bring Tanglewood to the world and the world to Tanglewood," Elliott said. The institute programs will link Tanglewood performances to relevant themes from the worlds of visual arts, film, history, philosophy, and current events, offering experiences that dissolve the traditional barrier between performer and audience. The Tanglewood Learning Institute will also offer programs in Boston beginning in fall 2019, as well as a series of online learning programs to be unveiled in 2020. "All of us at the BSO are thrilled to launch the Tanglewood Learning Institute and open a transformative new chapter of programming to enjoy alongside the great tradition of Tanglewood performances," said Mark Volpe, the BSO's president and chief executive officer, in a statement. "With a whole new layer of activities available for patrons curious to get closer to our world of music and even venture beyond it, TLI will offer visitors a sense of discovery and engagement on a scale never before offered by the festival in its 82-year history. Tanglewood was founded in 1937 and its music center three years later by Serge Koussevitzky. "We hope that he would be happy with us for carrying out and furthering his vision for Tanglewood in a way that we believe reflects our own time," BSO Music Director Andris Nelsons said. "Maestro Koussevitzky's visionary leadership continues to be an inspiration to us all and to the development of the Tanglewood Learning Institute." HOLYOKE -- Former Ward 4 Councilor Tim Purington, known as a public health advocate and the driving force behind harm reduction programs for drug users that included the first needle exchange program in Western Massachusetts, died over the weekend after a long struggle with brain cancer. He was 58. "Holyoke lost a true hero this week in the passing of Tim Purington," said Mayor Alex B. Morse, ordered flags around the city lowered to half-staff. "More importantly, Tim was a dedicated community member, a loved one, and a friend to so many of us," Morse said. At-large City Councilor Rebecca Lisi, a friend of Purington, broke the news at the start of Tuesday's meeting, drawing gasps from several councilors. Purington served two terms on the council, keenly focused on improving conditions in his ward. Council President Todd McGee offered a moment of silence during the meeting. "Tim worked tirelessly, quietly, and fiercely on issues of social justice in the Pioneer Valley, especially around advancing harm reduction policies for people who chose to use drugs," Lisi said in a written statement. She added, "He was instrumental in helping to craft community-based syringe services whose success at the local level eventually led to state legislative changes to remove barriers to access to safe syringes. He believed that all people should be treated kindly and compassionately." Lisi also noted Purington's current role as a commissioner on the Holyoke Housing Authority's board. "Tim leaves behind him a legacy of hard work and service in our community," Lisi wrote. Morse said he first met Purington in 2006 while the two worked the phone banks on behalf of former Gov. Deval L. Patrick, during Patrick's first campaign. "I had no idea that night that our paths would cross in powerful ways in the years ahead," Morse said. "As a young person, I admired his leadership on the Holyoke City Council as he provided our city with a needed progressive voice." Though physically imposing, Purington was a soft-spoken advocate for drug users and people with HIV. Purington retired from Northampton-based Tapestry Health Systems in 2017, after 20 years. He led the way on harm reduction, including needle exchanges in Northampton, which opened in 1995, and Holyoke, which opened in 2012. The latter involved a protracted legal battle between the City Council and the Morse administration. "He believed that people in the throes of addiction deserve our compassion and care and that all of us are worthy of love and access to treatment," Morse said. "His efforts, and the fight that ensued soon after led to the legalization of countless more syringe access programs across the state." Purington and a team of volunteers spent weekends cleaning up their Ward 4 neighborhood, leaving few lots, parks or alleys untouched. "Holyoke is a better, healthier, and more just city because of Tim's tireless efforts. I am a better person and mayor because of his influence. We will all miss you, Tim," Morse said. EASTHAMPTON -- A downtown adult-use cannabis shop plans to open this spring now that its owner has the city's approval. The Verb is Herb proprietor William Hartley gained a special permit from the Planning Board Tuesday for what he's calling a "mom and pop" marijuana shop at 74 Cottage St., a small storefront wedged between a nail salon and art supply store. The unanimous vote followed lengthy public comment, where residents questioned the store's impact on parking and traffic, and said they didn't want to see customers lined up along the sidewalk. The permit was issued with a number of conditions. For at least for 60 days, all customers must have an appointment. Hartley and his consultant, Stephen Chaisson of the AC3 group, said customers could book a place in line using a smartphone app called "QLess." "The software tells the customer when to come in," said Hartley. "You can not come in unless you are in the queue." Chaisson said the app could book up to 60 customers an hour, and that generally there is a 40 to 50 percent "no show" rate. Five or six employees would handle sales inside the small shop, which has a legal occupancy limit of 49. Several residents said that busy Cottage Street can't accommodate another 30 to 60 people per hour looking for scarce parking, and questioned whether the queuing system would work. "I live one block away, and that area has bad parking problems as it is," said one man. "It is very dangerous driving in the evening. Is this a commitment to having no external lines? And if they do, can I call the police? What is the parking plan?" The proprietors said that customers would be given information about where they can and can't park, and they fielded numerous questions about the queuing procedure. City Planner Jeffrey Bagg said that under the city's downtown zoning, the Planning Board can't require that The Verb is Herb provide dedicated on-site parking for its customers. Planning Board vice chair James Zarvis noted that marijuana shops are allowed on Cottage Street under the city's adult-use cannabis zoning, and agreed that the storefront is "grandfathered" in terms of the parking requirement. "We could get sued for not abiding by our own zoning," Zarvis said. Zarvis suggested that The Verb is Herb was being unfairly targeted because it plans to sell marijuana. "We have put more onerous conditions upon them than any other shop on Cottage Street," he said. "Frankly, I am a bit disgusted." Zarvis said that The Verb is Herb has been before the board three times, and that it was time to take a vote. He said larger issues of parking and traffic on Cottage Street would have to be taken up by the City Council. During public comment session, some residents spoke up for Hartley, including his commercial landlord, Wesley Malzone, who said Hartley has been a responsible tenant. Vincent Corsello, co-owner of the nearby Corsello Butcheria, asked those present if they would be so concerned about traffic if Hartley had planned a wine store. A letter from Precinct 3 City Councilor Thomas Peake was read aloud. Peake said discussions are needed about traffic, particularly after a pedestrian was fatally struck in a Cottage Street crosswalk. However, he said he supports the new shop. "Any new business on Cottage Street is going to mean new visitors, and that's going to have impacts on traffic and parking," Peake wrote. "To me, those impacts are preferable to an empty storefront. Busy and vibrant downtowns can be hectic and difficult to drive through, but there are a lot of communities that would love to have that instead of what they have." Easthampton resident Karima Rizk, introduced as director of operations at The Verb is Herb, said the store would enforce a "good neighbor policy." "Our customers will be told what they can't do," Rizk said. "If they violate those rules, they won't be served." She named public consumption, loitering outside the shop, and being "rude to neighbors" as examples of unacceptable behavior. Hartley and his team must appear before the Planning Board again in 60 days to evaluate whether their operating plan is working effectively. Rizk, who holds an MBA from the Eisenberg School of Management, said her well-publicized plans to open a "cannabis cafe" in Easthampton are on hold for now, because the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission has not yet issued rules allowing social consumption. The Verb is Herb will not cultivate its own marijuana, but will buy from other licensed growers and processors in the state. Bagg, the city planner, noted that the nearby parking lot at the 50 Payson Ave. municipal building is underutilized, even as motorists vie for Cottage Street parking. He said a more comprehensive look at downtown parking and traffic is planned. WAREHAM - A passenger killed in a crash with a dump truck has been identified as a 48-year-old Fall River resident. Joseph Faria was killed in the crash at about 4:45 a.m., Monday. The driver was treated for minor injuries, Massachusetts State Police said. Faria and the driver were traveling east on Route 195 in a 2012 Nissan Titan pickup truck when they are believed to have struck a large construction dump truck. The Nissan then went off the right side of the road and crashed into the woods, police said. Police are continuing to try to identify the dump truck and operator, who left the scene of the crash. The truck may have damage to the left rear of the truck bed and may have black paint transfer. Anyone with information about the truck or the crash is asked to contact the State Police Barracks in Bourne at 508-759-4488 or dial 911. The crash under investigation by Trooper Gregory Furtado, the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, Crime Scene Services Section, and troopers assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorneys Office. SPRINGFIELD An independent study conducted by the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center found the state is underfunding Springfield Public Schools by $94 million. We are in a crisis due to the underfunding that has gone on for years, said Maureen Colgan-Posner, president of the association. A public forum is being held Thursday from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Forest Park Middle School to discuss the Fund Our Future campaign, which calls for the state to allocate $1 billion to properly fund public schools. The campaign is also requesting $500 million to fund public higher education in the state after the study found that it is also being shorted $12 million, leading to increased student loan debt. The study was done for the entire state and every community in the state of Massachusetts is owed money, its not just Springfield, Colgan-Posner said. Some of the areas being underfunded in the public schools include the cost of health insurance for employees, special education and English language learners programs. The state has not adjusted the formula to account for the increase in students using these programs. When you adjust the formula you see these are areas that are severely underfunded, Colgan-Posner said. The goal of the forum is to inform Springfield residents about the budget challenges faced by public schools and higher education and to discuss with residents what they would like to see funding used for. Two weeks ago, Gov. Charlie Baker proposed increasing spending on K-12 education by an additional $1.1 billion in the next seven years. Colgan-Posner said the timeline is too long. His proposal is pretty close to what we are asking for, but the big concern is that he wants to do it over seven years and our students cant wait that long, she said. The underfunding that has gone on for years has created a crisis in our public schools that is just not sustainable. The association decided to partner with Springfield Technical Community College on the forum because it is also underfunded. This is a campaign that is for pre-K through 12 and higher education because it has also been decimated over the last number of years, Colgan-Posner said. Our job is to prepare our students to go on to higher education, and if they cant do that then we havent done our job. A light dinner, child care and free transportation from STCC, Rebecca Johnson School and Chestnut Middle School will be available. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., listed her race as American Indian on a State Bar of Texas registration card in 1986 the first document showing the presidential hopeful making the claim in her own handwriting, according to The Washington Post. The card, obtained by The Washington Post in an open records request, represents a previously unknown instance of Warren claiming her race as Native American. Warren has previously declined to answer whether she or an assistant filled out forms in which her race was listed as Native American, according to the newspaper. A Warren aide did not dispute to CNN the cards legitimacy or Warrens handwriting, and noted that the form was not a part of the application to the bar, but rather a registration card to the Texas Bar after the senator was already admitted. The aide declined to comment on whether there might be other unreported examples of Warren having claimed American Indian heritage. Theres no indication that Warren had anything to gain by reporting herself as Native American on the Texas bar card, The Washington Post reported. Above the lines for race, national origin and handicap status, the registration card states, The following information is for statistical purposes only and will not be disclosed to any person or organization without the express written consent of the attorney. Warrens past assertions of having Native American ancestors have been regularly mocked by President Donald Trump, who has referred to her as Pocahontas. Her use of DNA testing to confirm her limited Native American heritage last year was criticized by some Native American groups, prompting her to apologize. Warren is expected to formally announce her presidential bid on Saturday. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upheld the conviction of Michelle Carter, the woman convicted of involuntary manslaughter for pressuring her boyfriend into killing himself when they were both teenagers. Conrad Roy III was found dead in a Fairhaven Kmart parking lot on July 13, 2014, after he turned on a gas-powered water pump and allowed the cabin of his truck to fill with carbon monoxide. Carter was 17 years old when she sent Roy, her on-and-off again boyfriend, a barrage of texts and Facebook messages encouraging him to kill himself before his eventual suicide. After those messages were discovered by police, she was charged with a count of involuntary manslaughter in Taunton Juvenile Court. We conclude that the evidence was sufficient to support the judges finding of proof beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant committed involuntary manslaughter as a youthful offender, and that the other legal issues presented by the defendant, including her First Amendment claim, lack merit, Justice Scott Kafker wrote in the ruling. We therefore affirm. Carters defense attorneys wrote on Twitter that they are considering all legal options, including a possible appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. We are disappointed in the Courts decision, they wrote. We continue to believe that Michelle Carter did not cause Conrad Roys tragic death and is not criminally responsible for his suicide. Thousands of text and Facebook messages were entered as evidence at the trial, revealing the mental health struggles of both teenagers and the intimate details of their largely digital relationship. While Carter and Roy met while on vacation in 2012, they communicated almost entirely by text. At first, those messages showed Carter urging Roy to seek help for his depression, which had led him to multiple previous suicide attempts. But in the weeks before Roys death, their communications took a darker turn. Carter began urging Roy to follow through with plans to kill himself, expressing disappointment when he failed to do so. Last night was it. You keep pushing it off and you say youll do it but u never do. Its always gonna be that way if u dont take action," Carter wrote to Roy. Youre just making it harder on yourself by pushing it off, you just have to do it. The case captured national and international attention, both for its look into the underbelly of teenage secrecy and mental health and its chief legal question: when can words kill? On June 16, 2017, Carter was found guilty by a judge. She was sentenced to 15 months in jail, though her sentence has been stayed pending appeals in state courts. Carter's attorneys had argued that Carter was neither responsible for Roy's death nor her own actions, saying that the suicide plan was of Roy's own devising and that Carter's judgment was compromised by the antidepressants she was taking at the time. But Judge Lawrence Moniz, who issued the verdict after Carter waived her right to a jury trial, ruled that Carter caused Roy's death by telling him over the phone to get back in his truck as it filled with the deadly gas. "She instructed him to get back in the truck which she has reason to know is becoming a toxic environment to human life," Moniz said in a statement from the bench. Moniz also ruled that Carter had a legal duty to call for help after placing Roy in a life-threatening situation, citing a case where two homeless people started a warehouse fire that killed six Worcester firefighters after it was not reported. Prosecutors argued that Carters instructions to Roy met Massachusetts' definition of manslaughter, and that the state has long recognized that -- in certain circumstances -- words can kill. In their appeal to the SJC, Carters attorneys argued that the conviction violated Carters First Amendment right to free speech by criminalizing non-threatening or coercive text messages. They also disputed the prosecutions account of a crucial phone call, in which Carter allegedly told Roy to get back in his truck as it filled with carbon monoxide. The only account of that call came from texts that Carter later sent a friend. Carter may have confabulated about what Roy was doing in the truck, dramatized her role in a later text to another teen, or simply been mistaken, but her claim - that Roy got out of the truck, that she told him to get back in, and that he did so - cannot be credited, her attorneys wrote. But the Supreme Judicial Court ruled that Moniz had properly weighed the evidence, and was justified in finding that Carter had in fact made that decisive phone call. The judge could have properly found, based on this evidence, that the vulnerable, confused, mentally ill, eighteen year old victim had managed to save himself once again in the midst of his latest suicide attempt, removing himself from the truck as it filled with carbon monoxide, Kafker wrote in the ruling. But then in this weakened state he was badgered back into the gas-infused truck by the defendant, his girlfriend and closest, if not only, confidant in this suicidal planning, the person who had been constantly pressuring him to complete their often discussed plan, fulfill his promise to her, and finally commit suicide. And then after she convinced him to get back into the carbon monoxide filled truck, she did absolutely nothing to help him: she did not call for help or tell him to get out of the truck as she listened to him choke and die." While Moniz tailored his ruling to Carters specific case, it raised questions about whether the definition of manslaughter in Massachusetts has now been expanded. At an October hearing on Carter's appeal, SJC justices asked prosecutors about whether Carter's conviction could lead to criminal charges for people who advise terminally ill relatives to end their lives, questioning whether the ruling could have unintended consequences. Assistant District Attorney Shoshana Stern said that any application would still require prosecutors to prove coercion and that there was wanton and reckless conduct -- the legal standard for manslaughter in Massachusetts. But she also said that sympathetic circumstances were not a legal shield from prosecution. Theres not really a compassionate exemption for most criminal law, she said. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 6) The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Wednesday denied a Lanao del Norte official's accusation the rebel group was behind the series of bombings in Mindanao a day before the second round of the Bangsamoro plebiscite. MILF Chairman Al Hajj Murad Ebrahim said there's no basis for Lanao del Norte Governor Imelda Dimaporo's accusation that the MILF's top commander was behind the three bombings on Tuesday. He said resorting to violence will only discourage voters to go out and vote on their town's inclusion in the new Bangsamoro autonomous region. "Hindi katanggap-tanggap na ibibintang sa amin kaagad without any proof. We have been campaigning very hard na walang magiistorbo sa plebisito dahil alam namin na kailangan bumoto ang mga tao. If there are disturbances, that will discourage voters to go to voting places. Ang magiging biktima nito ang plebisito. We are denying mayroon involvement ang MILF forces," Murad told CNN Philippines. He said there is a possibility the bombings were carried out by those who want to sabotage the second plebiscite. "Ang mga very close na magsa-sabotage ang mga taong hindi umaayon sa plebisito. Sa panig namin, wala kaming inaapela kung hindi pabotohin ang mga tao. Huwag i-intimidate at huwag i-manipulate ang resulta ng plebisito," he said. Dimaporo, who has campaigned against the inclusion of six towns in her province in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), said she suspects Commader Al Mujahid Abdullah "Bravo" Macapaar was behind the blast. Two explosions were reported in the towns of Kauswagan and Lala in Lanao del Norte a day before the plebiscite. The third explosion rocked Sultan Naga Dimaporo at around 10 p.m. Tuesday. Related: Explosions in Mindanao reported a day before BOL plebiscite The Armed Forces of the Philippines said the bombings can be seen as scare tactics. MILF intimidation? A video of Commander Bravo surfaced on Tuesday night where he was seen talking to his men in Maranao language and ordering them to go down to areas near the highway on plebiscite day. Murad said the MILF forces have been instructed to coordinate with government forces and local authorities before implementing new plans. He added they are allowed to be deployed, but they will be going around as civilians without firearms. This was seconded by Bravo, saying his men were ordered not to use force as they go down from the mountains, protect the civilians especially those who will vote "yes." Bravo also told them to be ready to defend the people's votes in case someone will try to spoil the plebiscite. The commander and his men will also avoid going to crowded areas. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it expects around 640,000 residents to participate in the second referendum, which will take place from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m Wednesday. It estimated results to be released four days after the plebiscite. The poll body on January 25 announced the ratification of BOL four days after 1,540,017 residents in the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) voted "yes" to the creation of the entity. Cotabato City, which is not an official part of ARMM, will also join the new Bangsamoro region after majority of its residents cast their votes in favor of inclusion. Isabela City in Basilan, however, rejected to be part of the new region. When the areas covered by the BARMM are established, President Rodrigo Duterte is expected to appoint members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), which will include incumbent officials of the regional government. The BTA will have legislative and executive powers during the transition period. It will be considered the Bangsamoro government during the transition and will have exclusive powers over budgeting, justice, agriculture, human rights and tourism, among others. CNN Philippines correspondent Gerg Cahiles contributed to this report. South Africa: Mawela appointed as Gauteng's new commissioner Experienced policeman, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela, has been announced as the new Gauteng provincial commissioner. Mawela takes over the reins from Deliwe De Lange who retired in October last year. With 34 years experience in the police force, Police Minister Bheki Cele expressed full confidence in Mawela. Mawelas appointment was among a raft of Gauteng leadership appointments announced by National Commissioner, General Khehla Sitole, on Wednesday. Sitole during the process briefing announced a reconfiguration of the provinces leadership which will change from cluster to five regions. Speaking at the event, Cele said: Gauteng Province has and will always continue to be one of our priorities in crime fighting and to reduce crime in the Republic of South Africa. Hence this province in particular could not be allowed to stay long without a permanent Provincial Commissioner, he said. Cele thanked Gauteng Premier David Makhura and provincial community safety MEC Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane, as well as the South African Police Service management for their cooperation during the process of appointing the leadership of the province and reorganization of the provincial management. Mawela, who was enlisted in 1984, has obtained a National Diploma in Policing and a Bachelors Degree in Administration. He has been in senior management positions since 2004 at national level, as well as serving as a joint Chairperson of the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) the operational arm of the Justice Crime Prevention and Security Cluster. The newly appointed provincial commissioner of Gauteng has been serving as a divisional commissioner of Operational Response Services (ORS) since 2011. As the Ministry of Police and the management of the SAPS we have full confidence in the newly appointed Provincial Commissioner and we call upon all structures in the criminal justice cluster to work together with the police in the fight against crime, and creating a safe and secure environment for all. As well as to ensure a better and easy life for the people of Gauteng. Working together we can and surely turn the tide on Gauteng, said Cele. Makhura welcomed the appointment and said the Gauteng government looked forward to working with Mawela. The MEC and I will be there working with the policemen and women. We are not just going to complain we will be there with the police to face the criminals head on, he said. He added that his government was determined to make the province safe. We want to work with our communities. Let us make sure that the communities are organised, let us make sure that the CPFs are in place. We must report criminals; we know them. Our children are on drugs we must target these drug lords and their factories. We mustnt just go for those who distribute. We must arrest the big guns, he said. He urged the provincial top brass to have Gautengs most wanted criminals to be in jail in the next three months. Mawela described himself as a leader who was always willing to hear new ideas in the quest to improving crime fighting efforts. In the spirit of community policing, I call on all the people of Gauteng to tell me: how do you want me to police you? Mawela said. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2019-02-06. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker testified about climate change before a congressional committee in Washington on Wednesday, calling on Congress to create federal emissions targets, fund research on climate change and consider climate change resilience in federal infrastructure funding. In response to a question about whether policymakers can do anything about climate change, Baker compared climate change to acid rain and the ozone layer, other environmental challenges that public policies have been able to address. The bigger issue here is are you willing to head in that direction, be practical, chase cost-effective opportunities and recognize there are ways to get from here to there, Baker said. Baker said in any district that has farmers, fishermen, resort operators or foresters, I promise you they are worrying about climate change all the time. Baker, a Republican, testified before the House Natural Resources Committee alongside Democratic Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina. It was the first congressional hearing on climate change in more than eight years. Other witnesses included scientists and climate activists. Bakers willingness to testify and make a clear statement about the importance of addressing climate change represented another break between Baker and national Republicans, many of whom remain skeptical of climate change. President Donald Trump, a Republican, has publicly mocked the concept of climate change, calling it a hoax, though he has since walked back that comment, and questioning whether human activity contributes to climate change. Committee Chairman Raul Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat, opened the committee hearing by criticizing the Trump administration for mocking science and mislead(ing) the public about what our climate will look like if we do nothing. Baker opened his testimony by saying that in Massachusetts, climate change is not a partisan issue. While there may sometimes be disagreement on specific policies, we understand the science and we know the impacts are real, Baker said. The Massachusetts Legislature passed a bill in 2008, which was signed by then-Gov. Deval Patrick, a Democrat, setting targets for massively reducing carbon emissions over time. Baker said the targets have succeeded in getting Massachusetts to reduce emissions and produce more clean energy. He urged Congress to pass similar goals nationwide, which could vary by region. We believe it is essential to establish federal emission reduction targets that can vary by state or region with policy flexibility for states to design solutions that work for their unique circumstances, Baker wrote in written testimony provided to the committee. Such targets would level the playing field and send a clear signal to business and industry as we transition to a clean energy economy. Baker signed a bill passed by the Legislature in 2016 that required the state to solicit long-term contracts for hydropower and wind power, which are cleaner sources of energy than gas, coal or oil. In his testimony, Baker repeatedly referred back to that legislation, pointing to the procurement of offshore wind as a success, with Massachusetts getting a competitive price for the proposed project and helping launch a new offshore wind industry in the Northeast, with other states accepting the bids Massachusetts rejected. In his fiscal 2020 budget proposal, Baker proposed increasing a tax on real estate transfers to pay for infrastructure to address climate change. This includes funding dams and drainage improvements to address flooding, developing land use policies that protect the coast and assessing vulnerabilities in transportation. Massachusetts already participates in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a market-based system in which several Northeast states agree to put a price on carbon emissions from power plants. In December, Massachusetts joined eight Northeast states in pledging to develop a similar market-based framework for reducing emissions from transportation. Baker stressed the importance of all of these initiatives. There is no single solution to the challenges we face and we need to take a flexible approach that supports the innovations of tomorrow while acknowledging the role existing resources like natural gas and nuclear power, have played in our success to date, Baker said in his written testimony. Baker listed several areas where the federal government could help states. He asked Congress to provide federal money to make infrastructure more resilient before a disaster occurs, to fund research in technologies that can reduce emissions and help municipalities adapt to climate change, and to ensure that federal funding for infrastructure considers things like rising sea levels and flooding. Rep. Tom McClintock, R-California, questioned the governors about federal environmental regulations that he said led to forest fires in the West by making it harder to manage forest land. Baker stressed that he is pushing for actions on climate change that are practical and cost-effective and implemented well. Sometimes when something doesnt go the way it should go, everyone blames the concept, Baker said. Sometimes we screw up the way we implement it. Asked about Trumps interest in opening up water off the coast of New England for drilling for oil and gas, Baker said there is not support in Massachusetts for allowing offshore drilling. He said he would rather see the development of offshore wind energy. The tourism and fishing industries, Baker said, provide a lot of good reasons not to do offshore drilling. Baker received some pushback from his own party. U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, a Louisiana Republican, noted that Massachusetts has some of the highest electricity prices in the country. He pointed out that Massachusetts has virtually no oil or gas production and relies on other states, like Louisiana, for the large amount of energy it uses. At the same time, U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman, a California Democrat, praised Cooper and Baker for testifying as problem solvers not bound by party labels. The country needs to hear more of that, Huffman said. America is tired of the shrill, fact-free partisan food fight that has tended to be what we see when we talk about climate change. Bakers willingness to be seen as a national leader on climate change marks a break not only from many in his party, but also from Bakers words as a candidate during his first, unsuccessful run for governor in 2010. At that time, the Boston Globe reported that Baker declined to say whether he believes there is a human role in climate change. Im not saying I believe in it. Im not saying I dont. Youre asking me to take a position on something I dont know enough about. I absolutely am not smart enough to believe that I know the answer to that question, Baker said in 2010, according to the Globe. This time, when Grijalva asked if humans contribute to climate change, Cooper cited the overwhelming scientific consensus that they do. Baker clapped Cooper on the back and said, What he said. SPRINGFIELD An ex-Hadley police officer who broke a prisonerss nose in 2017 has been found guilty of deprivation of civil rights resulting in injury and submitting a false report. A jury found Christopher M. Roeder, 48, of Agawam, guilty on both charges following seven hours of deliberations over two days in U.S. District Court. Judge Mark Mastroianni set sentencing for May 14. The verdict came after five days of testimony. Both defense and prosecution played a seven-minute video showing Roeder using an elbow strike to break the nose of prisoner Nickolas Peters during a confrontation at Hadley police headquarters on April 4, 2017. During closing arguments on Monday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Visser said Roeder wanted to punish the prisoner for speeding through a construction zone and striking Roeder with the side view mirror of his pickup on March 30, 2017. After arresting the man four days later, Roeder used excessive force during a confrontation in the booking room and then filed a false report to justify his actions, the prosecutor said. He knew that he was not allowed under the circumstances to break (Nickolas) Peters nose, but he did it anyway, Visser said in closing arguments. But defense lawyer Thomas J. OConnor, Jr. accused prosecutors of cherry picking evidence to present a false portrait of his client. The prosecution not only minimized the importance of events leading to the Peters arrest, it also refused to acknowledge the pattern of escalating hostility by the prisoner while in the booking room. He didnt have to wait to be hit," said OConnor, adding that Roeder struck the prisoner once to gain control, then called paramedics to get him medical care. Testifying in his own defense, Roeder told jurors he used the elbow strike to avoid being overpowered by the prisoner an assertion that prosecutors dismissed as false. Roeder was fired following the incident and indicted on federal charges. He remains free on $1,500 unsecured bond. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Roder faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 on the charge of deprivation of civil rights resulting in injury. The charge of falsifying a police report carries a maximum term of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Deepika Bains Shukla and Timothy Visser prosecuted the case. The trial was given a high priority by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Massachusetts, said Andrew E. Lelling, the offices top prosecutor. Police officers put themselves at risk for the public good every day. The defendant, however, diminished the sacrifices of his fellow officers by violating the constitutional rights of an arrestee, Lelling said. "Law enforcement officers are rightfully held to a higher standard and, on the very rare occasions when officers refuse to meet that standard, they will be held to account, he added. The top agent in Bostons FBI office also praised the jurys verdict. With todays conviction, Mr. Roeder finds himself on the opposite end of the very laws he was sworn to uphold. Wearing a badge is a privilege and honor that most law enforcement officers take seriously," Joseph R. Bonavolonta said. "Its not a license to corrupt the administration of justice, but Mr. Roeder clearly forgot that when he broke a mans nose and tried to cover it up by falsifying his police report. His actions undermined the hard work of the entire law enforcement community, he added. SPRINGFIELD For many active seniors, the idea of visiting a senior center evokes visions of walkers, knitting clubs and bland food, but the staff at the Raymond A. Jordan Senior Center at Blunt Park is doing everything it can to let people know this state-of-the-art $12 million center is not your grandmothers hangout spot ... except, it is. There is a misconception that senior centers are for people who arent active anymore, but its quite the opposite, said Sandy Federico, director of the senior center. We have so many vibrant seniors who are full of joy and full of life. It makes this a wonderful place to work. The staff at the center, which is situated among the trees in Springfields Blunt Park, welcome anyone 55 years and older from anywhere in Hampden County, and they make it easy to become a member. The initial registration is one page long and there is no fee. After the initial registration and first visit, members can come and go using a keycard. The center feels less like a bleak facility for the elderly and more like a luxurious country club. In the morning, a small cafe serves up freshly brewed coffee and pastries, which members can drink at the little cafe or take with them to the dining area featuring large windows with a view of the picturesque trees in Blunt Park. In the mood for some quiet time? There is a library with plush arm chairs and cozy reading corners. Got a new Samsung phone for Christmas or maybe a MacBook pro? Members can take computer and technology classes to learn how to do more than just check their email. For those interested in a little fun, there are pool tables on the second floor and an activity room open for anyone wanting to start anything from an in-depth book club to bingo and much more. I think the pool room is my favorite, I want my office in here, said Cindy Coughlin, senior program coordinator for the center. We have a pool league, and seniors are teaching each other to play. Its great. One of the highlights is the fitness center, which features all new equipment. The cardio side is the most popular, said Kerry Welch, the health and wellness coordinator. Right now, we have four treadmills, two recumbent bikes with back support, one upright bike, a seated stepper for those who cant stand on the treadmill but still want a good workout for their arms and legs, and we have hand bicycles for upper body workouts. These are wheelchair accessible. Welch runs the gym daily from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and said its busiest in the mornings. We have a larger crowd in the morning, but its pretty steady throughout the day, he said. Welch said there is no need to be intimidated, even for those who have not been in a gym in years. As long as they get an approval from their doctor, they can come in and I will teach them how to use all of the machines and help them with the settings depending on their height, he said. We have weight equipment, but everything starts at 10 pounds, so anyone can do it. For those who prefer group exercise, the center offers everything from walking groups to tai chi and aerobic dance classes. Kim Norrington, a professional dance instructor, has taught several classes at the center. The idea is just to get people moving in a fun and comfortable environment, she said. I personally hate going to the gym, but with dance I am still moving and keeping myself active. Springfield resident Marvo Perry has taken full advantage of what the center has to offer. As a person of senior age, sometimes we sit around, and we mope, but this is a way to come out and be around other people and do something good for your mind and your body, she said. Perry enjoys taking tai chi and dance aerobics as well as having lunch with friends in the beautiful dining room. This is a wonderful place to meet new people and to communicate and enjoy each others company, she said. The dining room at the center is one way the staff entice seniors to participate. Its a great place to get a healthy, fresh, delicious meal on a fixed income. The staff prepares food with locally sourced ingredients and makes sure to offer up colorful, healthy plates with a wide variety of options. We have an on-site chef and offer two meal options as well as fresh fruit, dessert, coffee, tea and milk every day for $3.50, Federico said. That price alone is huge for many of our seniors who are on a fixed income, but still want to go out and have a meal with friends. They can bring containers and take leftovers home as well. The center also provides many social services from a nursing station to a career center for those who may have retired or lost a job but are still looking for meaningful employment. They can learn how to create a resume as well as learn new computer programs, Coughlin said. The Department of Elder Affairs Senior Community Service Employment Program is a federal program that will pay the salaries for seniors working at a host agency for up to four years. Part of what we do is to help employ out of work, low-income seniors and get them back into the workforce, Federico said. There are a lot of people with backgrounds rich with so much experience and we want to get them hired. Seniors are very reliable, very punctual and dedicated. The outreach division of Elder Affairs is funded through Greater Springfield Senior Services. They fix whatever is wrong from house repairs to verification on medications, reporting abuse or medical issues. They address all of those, Federico said. Another social service provided is the SHINE division. As seniors retire, they begin the daunting process of signing up for Medicare. That is where SHINE steps in. SHINE is a health insurance assistance program for people on Medicare, said Alicia Germain, program coordinator. Its primarily staffed with volunteers in the community. We cover all of Hampden County, and have two paid staff members who manage and administrate the program. Overseen by the Executive Office of Elder Affairs in Boston, SHINE receives federal funding to help seniors navigate the health care system. We have someone in every senior center in Hampden County, and they go through state certification and lots of training. They are very knowledgeable and qualified to discuss insurance options with anyone on Medicare, Germain said. Federico said the center is so much more than a place for older people to spend their day. Everything we do here has many layers to it. They think they are signing up for dance, or a computer class, but they are getting so much more out of it, Federico said. Its a way to socialize with others and meet new people with similar or very different life experiences. Coughlin said. While the center has been popular since it opened last year, it has the capacity for many more seniors. We want them to come in and meet a new friend, to enjoy their time here and re-discover themselves, Federico said. They have worked hard all of their lives and its their time now. The center is open Monday through Friday from 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (the gym is open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and is closed on weekends. PVTA transportation is available throughout the day. For more information on transportation, activities and events organized by the center call 413-787-6785, or stop by the center. While Valentine's Day centers more on romantic dinners than drinking, these amorous evenings often start with a suave cocktail or end with a nightcap at a favorite spot. With that in mind, here are a few somewhat romantic bars for you to check out with your date, of a bit of tippling is on your Valentine's Day agenda. Some of these spots are within restaurants, but they are also places you can simply have a drink. As always, this list nips not exhaustive, so if I left out your favorite spot, let me know, and next year I'll try to include it. Starting up north, Greenfield's Seymour the Pub is rustic, but has a sexy charm all it's own. It's not fancy, but the general mood is quiet and warm. In Montague, the Alvah Stone, although mainly an eatery, is a gorgeous spot for tippling. Hadley's Alina's has also been a longtime spot for romantics. In Northampton, there are plenty of places to grab an aperitif. The Green Room is renowned for its cocktails, although if you want a wider array of great beers and wines, The Sierra Grille is a popular spot, and it also has superb, high-end mixed drinks. Across the street from Sierra, The Tunnel Bar is known for its cozy atmosphere and leather chairs. Spoleto's wine list is also perfect for a Valentine's Day drink. Another Tunnel Bar, in Easthampton, is in the basement of The restaurant Coco. It also has a warm low-light mood for romance. Easthampton has several great spots: The other side of Luthier's Co-op, Ray-Ray's Cafe, is gaining a solid reputation as a Dionysian venue, and the new ironically named Gigantic has received some solid reviews from friends of mine. With only 683 square feet, the place is the very definition of cozy and snuggly. In Holyoke, the Delaney House's bar section, The Mick, has a full bar and a great wine list. In Springfield, the new MGM Springfield has several bars, but the upscale Commonwealth Bar and Lounge features an atmosphere that is perfect for a cocktail with your date. Nearby Art E Pasta at 272 Worthington St, is also known as a great date night venue. Scouting Report The band Personal Touch will be appearing at The Club One on Friday, Feb. 15, as part of Valentine's Day weekend. The band is an R&B group featuring former members of the Jus Us Band, Souled Out, and Soul Sound Review. This will be an exclusive area appearance by the group, which has just returned from a theater engagement in North Carolina. The band also will be featured this summer as part of the Hartford Jazz Festival. Personal Touch has just released its first CD, "Better With Time,":which will be available for purchase at the show or can be found on iTunes and CDbaby. Tickets for the show are $35 and the price includes dinner. Club One is at 60 N. Westfield St. in Agawam. Do you have a cool event coming up at a local club? Send me a note about it at least two weeks in advance to geolenker@yahoo.com and I'll try to mention it in this space. LONGMEADOW Bay Path University received a $1.58 million grant from the nonprofit Strada Education Network for a three-year project titled Closing the Gaps: Building Pathways for Adult Women in a Technology-Driven Workforce. Bay Path said in a news release Tuesday that it will use the money to research and engage with employers and to build up its The American Womens College program to enroll more adult women. The courses offer cybersecurity and information technology studies. The American Womens College offers online courses and the option of taking some classes in person at Bay Path on Saturdays, according to its website. According to the release, the project will use evidence-based strategies, adaptive learning technology and predictive analytics built into the Social Online Universal Learning (SOUL) model that is the foundation of The American Womens College online accelerated baccalaureate degree programs. Partners include the Bay Path University Cybersecurity Academic Advisory Council, Economic Development Council of Western Massachusetts, MassHire Hampden County Workforce Board, MassHire Franklin Hampshire Workforce Board, Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council, Pass the Torch for Women, PSI Services, Jeannette Rankin Womens Scholarship Fund, Springfield Technical Community College, University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute and the Center for Educational Policy at the College of Education at University of Massachusetts Amherst. Bay Path University said it was selected from hundreds of applicants in the innovative solutions in education-to-employment competition Strada Education Network announced in 2018. The competition focused on investment in working adults required to get more skilled as the labor market shifts and disconnected youth 18 to 24 who are neither working nor in school. The advancement of women is central to Bay Path Universitys mission as a womens university, said Amanda Gould, chief administrative officer at The American Womens College, in a prepared statement. Through The American Womens College, our strategic priority has been to scale up our capacity to reach more adult women through high quality online learning which in turn will help them achieve career-focused degrees and credentials. The Strada Education Network grant will help us strengthen this pipeline and address a critical national need to prepare a digitally fluent workforce that is fully inclusive of women and minorities. Nearly a decade after opening pay-what-you-can restaurants around the country, Panera Bread is shuttering its last Panera Cares location this month. The last remaining store, located in Boston, is set to close Feb. 15, Bloomberg first reported. The cafes offered customers the option to pay what they wanted, with a suggested donation listed on the menu equivalent to the retail value of the meal. Panera opened its first free meal cafe in 2010 with the goal of raising awareness about hunger in the U.S. It had locations in Chicago; Clayton, Missouri; Portland, Oregon; and Dearborn, Michigan. The Boston location at 3 Center Plaza opened in 2013. According to the companys website, guests who could not meet the suggested donation amount were asked to limit themselves to one entree and beverage per week. Customers could also earn a meal voucher by volunteering for one hour per week in Paneras community cafe. Despite our commitment to this mission, its become clear that continued operation of the Boston Panera Cares is no longer viable, Panera told Bloomberg in a statement. MassLive has reached out to the company for comment. TODAYS WORD is careened. Example: Mildred beamed from ear to ear, and the ladies watched, smiling in anticipation, as she walked toward the table with the cake it had taken nearly a full day to make, until the cat skittered by her ankles, causing her to stumble, making the cake go careening into Lovelles lap. WEDNESDAY'S WORD was gibble-gabble. It means senseless chatter. Example: Mildred, anxious to ease the tension, said cheerfully as she brought out a large coconut cake, Oh, lets stop this gibble-gabble and get back to the best part of our luncheon meeting the dessert! Vegetables cooking qualities In an article on Jan. 29 in The New Yorker, Helen Rosner recommends making vegetable noodles in an article called What Rutabaga Does Better Than Everything Else. Rutabaga noodles are great because they are big enough to make various shapes, have a mild flavor that doesnt overpower sauces and maintain a good texture after they are cooked. TODAYS WORD is gibble-gabble. Mildred, anxious to ease the tension, said cheerfully as she carefully brought out a large coconut cake on an delicate china platter, Oh, lets stop this gibble-gabble and get back to the best part of our luncheon meeting the dessert! TUESDAYS WORD was contrite. It means feeling or expressing remorse or penitence; affected by guilt. Example: Suddenly contrite, Betty Lou blushed and apologized for her inappropriate comments, saying that the medication she had been on lately had been messing with her head. Chamber Music Recital In time for Valentines Day, the Patrick Henry Community College Chamber Music Recital Series is hitting the theme of romance. The chamber musicians will present the program Love on Stage at 3 p.m. Sunday in the Walker Theatre at PHCC. Admission costs $10 for adults and $5 for students. More household tips To get stains and smells out of a cutting board, rub it with the cut side of a lemon. For extra improvement, sprinkle it with salt or baking soda first. After five years of serving as Apples Senior Vice President of retail and online stores, Angela Ahrendts is leaving the company. Apple announced the news today in a lengthy statement, but word had already spread across social media earlier following a tweet from Bloombergs Mark Gurman. Ahrendts will be replaced by Deirdre OBrien, who will assume the title of Senior Vice President of Retail and People in April. OBrien, who has been with Apple since 1988, will be in charge of both retail and human resources. Ahrendts was always considered an unusual choice for Apple, coming as she did from her previous post as the CEO of British fashion brand Burberry from 2006 to 2014. By 2015, she was already earning a $70 million salary, higher than that of Apple CEO Tim Cook. Ahrendts arrived at the Cupertino company ahead of the launch of the Apple Watch, which Apple initially marketed as a luxury device rather than a fitness tracker or medical accessory. Ahrendts helped create a shopping experience in which Apple Watch buyers visited specialized boutiques in the style of luxury brands, creating a vastly different experience from the everyman atmosphere of the regular Apple Store. I wasnt a fan. Ahrendts also made subtle changes to the Apple Store proper. The T-shirts worn by Geniuses are now made from a softer material, for instance, and Ahrendts was responsible for doing away with the lanyards employees used to wear. She may have gone even further, but certain elements of Apple tradition prevented her from making some changes, for better or for worse. In an October 2017 BuzzFeed News profile, for instance, she recalled that Apple design chief Jony Ive told her not to mess with the tables. Its currently not known why Ahrendts is leaving the company, but her departure seems to mark a shift in the companys retail direction. For years, Ahrendts was enthusiastic about her position, as revealed in this Jobsian statement she made on LinkedIn in 2017: At Apple, we believe that people with passion can change the world. In an era of social everything, we want to spark possibility and opportunity in the creative arts, in real life, person to person. 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!) Local News, Business & Finance, Press Releases By Long Island News & PR Published: February 06 2019 Terminal Project Will Create More Than 750 Total New Jobs, Adding to the 9,600 Jobs Generated by Overall JFK Modernization. New York, NY - February 6, 2019 - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that American Airlines and British Airways will invest $344 million in John F. Kennedy International Airport to expand and improve the customer experience at Terminal 8 as part of the Governor's comprehensive plan to make the airport a modern, 21st century gateway to the nation. "Only four months ago, we announced plans to transform JFK Airport into a state-of-the-art global hub, with new and unified terminals adding 4 million square feet and increasing the airport's capacity by at least 15 million passengers annually," Governor Cuomo said. "Today that transformation is well underway, with an extraordinary private investment that will turn JFK into a truly modern airport. This new investment is part and parcel with the State's broader efforts to modernize airports all across New York. From JFK and LaGuardia to Ithaca and Rochester, we are making historic progress rebuilding our airport infrastructure for the future and ensuring New York State remains the nation's front door." "This significant investment continues our efforts to expand and modernize services at JFK Airport," said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. "The project will create new jobs and new opportunities for thousands of New Yorkers, and continue to grow our state's economy and attract more visitors. This transformation of JFK and other airports across the state will ensure easier and safer travel and enhance the overall experience." The Terminal 8 enhancements will be made pursuant to an agreement between the Port Authority and American Airlines over the next three years in preparation for British Airways moving from their current location in Terminal 7, which will be replaced as part of JetBlue Airways' plan to build a new terminal on the airport's north side. No Port Authority funding is being committed to the Terminal 8 upgrade. Today's announcement is the latest step in Governor Cuomo's sweeping $13 billion vision plan for the future of JFK unveiled in October 2018. This record investment, 90 percent of which is private funding, calls for a unified and interconnected airport featuring two new international terminals with state-of-the-art passenger amenities, convenient ground transportation options, and vastly simplified roadways that will increase the airport's capacity by at least 15 million passengers per year. The American Airlines and British Airways investment in Terminal 8 will improve the overall customer experience, with a total of 70,400 square feet of added space including 33,000 square feet of public space. Another 57,500 square feet of existing space will be refurbished. New amenities include premium lounges for both airlines, enhanced baggage systems, premium check-in space and upgraded concessions. There will be five additional wide-body gates to allow for more transatlantic flights and four nearby on-airfield plane parking/unloading areas to accommodate the added flights. As a result, passengers will have the increased flexibility of 14 daily flights to London from the same terminal. The continuing investments come as JFK has been setting record passenger volumes in recent years, hitting an all-time high of more than 61 million passengers in 2018, up 2.5 percent from the prior year's record. The Terminal 8 upgrade is expected to create 500 direct jobs and 750 total jobs over the project's life, adding to the 9,600 new jobs in the Governor's original $13 billion JFK vision plan. Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton said, "American Airlines and British Airways have joined the extraordinary efforts underway to make John F. Kennedy International the world-class airport our customers expect and deserve. This is a turning point in JFK's history. We are responding to record numbers of passengers with record levels of infrastructure investment. We also will ensure best-in-class customer service is part of these initiatives, as work begins on transforming JFK into a worthy gateway to the United States." As part of the implementation of the JFK vision plan announced last October, JetBlue is constructing a $3 billion, 1.2 million square foot new terminal on the airport's north side that will connect to the airline's existing Terminal 5. Additionally, another new $7 billion, 2.9 million square foot terminal on the airport's south side will occupy the area where the existing Terminals 1 and 2 are located, in addition to the are left vacant when Terminal 3 was demolished in 2014. The new south side terminal will be developed by the Terminal One Group, a consortium of four international airlinesLufthansa, Air France, Japan Airlines and Korean Air Lines. Collectively, these necessary changes will increase the airport's capacity by at least 15 million passengers a year. Additionally, state-of-the-art technological improvements will be included as part of the terminal upgrades. The New York State Department of Transportation will improve highways leading to/from JFK, while the Port Authority will invest in on-airport roadway improvements to simplify the existing spaghetti-like loop roads. American Airlines President Robert Isom said, "Investing in our terminal and welcoming our partners is a win-win for both customers and team members at American and British Airways. Co-locating with British Airways will allow our customers unprecedented convenience and flexibility between these two world-class cities." British Airways Chairman and CEO Alex Cruz said, "We're excited to announce our move to Terminal 8, alongside American Airlines, our Atlantic joint-business partner. Offering the best customer experience at JFK now and in the future is a top priority. We look forward to working with the Port Authority and American Airlines to continue building a world-class transatlantic travel experience in our new home from 2022." More than 8,000 American team members call New York home at JFK and LGA and help American support a variety of community and civic programs important to the city through Do Crew, the airline's team member volunteer program. American Airlines has agreed to abide by new provisions regarding construction requirements, compliance directives, M/WBE participation, and local business participation consistent with new standards that are being established by the Port Authority as part of the airport's redevelopment programs. Local News, Press Releases, Politics By Long Island News & PR Published: February 06 2019 Kevin Maney of NY TRACON continued to work in high stress job without pay during shutdown. Huntington, NY - February 6, 2019 - Congressman Tom Suozzi (D Long Island, Queens) has invited air traffic controller Kevin Maney, of Congressman Tom Suozzi (D Long Island, Queens) has invited air traffic controller Kevin Maney, of Greenlawn, NY , to be his guest at this evenings State of the Union Address. Maney has worked for the FAA for 33 years and is the president at the National Air Traffic Controllers Association for NY TRACON, also known as N90, in Westbury. He was one of 265 air traffic controllers and related staff at NY TRACON that were impacted by the longest government shutdown in our history. Kevin and his fellow air traffic controllers are dedicated, hardworking professionals. Their already stressful work was made even more stressful by the 35-day shutdown. The safety of everyone in our metropolitan area depends on these well-trained and high-skilled workers. Expecting them to work without pay is neither acceptable nor safe. Our federal workers and their families should not be held hostage like this over a political argument, said Suozzi. Peadar Toibin TD, and his new, recently affiliated political party 'Aontu', will hold a public meeting in the Longford Arms Hotel, on Wednesday, February 6 at 7.30pm. This meeting is one of a series of meetings that are being held through the thirty-two counties. Deputy Toibin said, We are an All-Ireland party. We seek the unity of the Irish people north and south. We seek the self-determination & Irish independence north and south. A seek to develop a broad inclusive organisation to achieve that. It is our view that that Sinn Fein has narrowed the space in which people can participate. We will be broader and much more welcoming. We are blown away by the level of support. There is an avalanche of people who are getting in contact with us. Many of these people, who are from a Fianna Fail background or a Sinn Fein background are seriously frustrated that the leaderships of their parties do not represent them anymore. Also read: Affordable waste disposal needed for Longford tenants Its like watching a pressure cooker valve being released at meetings. People are saying that they have no one to vote for, that all the parties are uniform on so many issues. The truth is respectful opposition is not the enemy, its an important part of a health a democracy. People in housing crisis, who have health care issues and are struggling to makes ends meet want and need their issues to be crowbarred back up the political priority agenda. Yet the political establishment seem to be prioritising everything else but economic justice. We believe that all human life should be protected and that no mother or child should be left behind. We seek to protect the most vulnerable in society at all stages of life. We believe that all of the necessary economic and social supports must be provided to mothers and families to ensure that they know that they can raise their children in confidence. I would greatly encourage people from all political backgrounds and none to seize this opportunity and help build this new All Ireland movement. Also read: Limited access to GPs in Longford and elsewhere possible on Wednesday as doctors take to the streets A man who bit his brothers ear causing two thirds of it to be removed during an alcohol fuelled row has been handed a 12 month prison sentence. Martin McDonagh, 16 Clonguish Court, Newtownforbes, Co Longford pleaded guilty at Longford Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing serious harm to Thomas McDonagh at the aforementioned address on August 27 2016. The court heard how the defendant had invited his brother to his house where a drinking session ensued with both men and their two respective wives. It was during this get-together that a fight caused by a disagreement over the two mens mother broke out which soon spilled out onto the front lawn. During the struggle, it emerged Mr McDonagh gripped the left ear of his brother with his teeth. The damage was so severe, two thirds of the defendants brothers ear lobe was removed, leaving him with a disfiguring scar. Judge Keenan Johnston said a particularly aggravating factor in the case was Mr McDonaghs refusal to accept any initial responsibility for his actions, labelling an attempt to lay the blame on his brothers wife as an appalling vista. The father of two, who by his own admission has struggled with alcohol and drugs addiction, completed a 12 week rehabilitative programme at Cuan Mhuire in Athy, Co Kildare shortly before Christmas 2017. However, when in the witness box Mr McDonagh admitted the following June he suffered a relapse, resulting in him getting behind the wheel of a car which subsequently ended in him hitting and fatally injuring a pedestrian on the main N4, close to Newtownforbes. Thirty-two-year-old Craig McDermott was killed as he walked with another man along the main carriageway at Deerpark on June 15 2018. Though no criminal proceedings have been launched against Mr McDonagh, he told Judge Johnston: If I could give my life for that boy to be here, I would. After insisting he had handed himself into gardai the following day, Mr McDonagh added: I didnt think it was a person I hit, I just panicked. Judge Johnston said despite it being apparent no formal charges had yet been brought against the defendant, it was clear both episodes were down to Mr McDonaghs dependency to alcohol. Of grave concern is that the accused in June of last year apparently on his own admission took a car out, said Judge Johnston. He said he relapsed and was drinking when the car was involved in the fatal death of a pedestrian. Testimonies were also provided by Mr McDonaghs wife, Lena as well as his brother and victim in the case, Thomas McDonagh. Both pleaded with Judge Johnston to refrain from issuing a custodial sentence in view of the ill health of his own mother and the imminent arrival of his third child. Judge Johnston said both statements, together with Mr McDonaghs early plea and offer of 2,500 by way of compensation were mitigating factors. However, he said the 25-year-olds decision to bite the ear of his own brother was an extremely violent, out of control action and, as such, had to be treated as a hugely aggravating factor. A reluctance to fully engage with both the probation services and alcohol treatment aftercare programmes alongside his original decision to apportion the blame on his sister-in-law were further factors in determining sentencing, he added. In doing that, he said the court was obliged to consider the five pillars of sentencing, namely punishment, deterrence, restitution, rehabilitation and protection of the public. The court must impose a sentence that reflects the gravity of the offence and the culpability of the accused, he said, describing the actions of Mr McDonagh and injuries sustained by his victim as being at the upper end of seriousness. The maximum sentence for an offence of this nature is five years in prison and I am absolutely satisfied that given the gravity of this offence it ranks at the apex of offending behaviour and does before mitigation attract a sentence of four years and six months, he said. In taking into account all the mitigating factors before him which also included the defendants health issues and the fact he is on disability, Judge Johnston said it was incumbent on him to issue a sentence that reflected both the gravity of the offence and the culpability of the accused. The court also has to bear in mind the incarceration of the accused will deprive his wife and children of his companionship, it will probably impact negatively on his mother for whom he is a carer and it will have devastating impact on the entire family, said the judge. As such, Judge Johnston handed down a three year prison sentence, suspending the final two years. They were suspended on the proviso Mr McDonagh adhered to a number of strict conditions upon his release from prison, one of which required Mr McDonagh to enter into a 500 bond to keep the peace and be of good behaviour for a period of five years post release. Further conditions included 2,500 to be paid to his brother, upon his release from prison Mr McDonagh submit himself to the Probation Services for ongoing advice and consultations over his addiction issues, to remain drug and alcohol free during the term of the suspended sentence and when, as requested, submit urine analysis to the Gardai. The sentence, he ordered, would not be activated until March 12 in order to allow Mr McDonagh assist his wife into settling into their new home which they are due to move into this week. In the immediate aftermath of making his determination, Mr McDonaghs wife attempted to approach the bench, shouting to Judge Johnston: Im begging you, please. As he turned down those overtures, Judge Johnston told defence counsel Des Dockery SC his hands were tied, adding it was the most benign sentence which could have been imposed in the circumstances. On Sunday last, February 3rd the annual Clonfin Commemoration was held and this year the committee were delighted to welcome Micheal O Muircheartaigh as their guest speaker. The large crowd that braved the rain heard the legendary commentator speak of the troubled times in our country and he said that Clonfin was up there with the best of them in our fight for Freedom. He congratulated the committee on their efforts and encouraged them to continue passing on our history to the next generation. After the ceremony Michael expressed a wish to visit Mullinalaghta who he said he was looking forward to seeing in action in Thurles on February 16. His wish was granted and Owen Devaney was delighted to bring him on a tour of the half parish. When this was completed he stopped off at McElvaney's of Coolarty where he mingled with the young and the not so young and one, much to the intrigue and excitement of those present. A spokesperson said: On behalf of all we extend sincere thanks to Micheal for coming among us and for his lovely speech and also to all who took part in the ceremony. Sincere thanks were also extended to all the stewards, to the teachers and pupils of Killasonna National School who called the roll of honour and sang the National Anthem, members of the C Coy 6th Battalion and the R.D.F. under the command of Lt. Robert Packenham, members of the O.N.E. the Longford Pipe Band and Cian O Farrell. Likewise warm praise was afforded to nurse, Michelle Lynch and Shauna Kilbride, the Gardai and Fr Simon Cadam. Appreciation also went the way of Eamon Shannon Spanfix Ltd, Creative Ireland, Longford Library Services, the McEvaney families and those who did the catering. Finally, the committee wish to acknowledge the help of Longford County Council and look forward to their continued support . A judge in New York has ruled a former GAA coach with links to the midlands and facing almost 400 charges of child sex abuse can be extradited back to Ireland. The Leader understands, however, that it could be the best part of 12 months before the man will stand trial. The suspect has been in custody since January 16 and sought to be released on bail last week. The mans sister asked a judge to release him because she said he had health problems. A lawyer for the man also said his client had not fled Ireland, as claimed by authorities, but moved to the US, where he lived openly and used his real name. However, in a ruling on Tuesday, Judge Daniel Stewart of the United States District Court in Albany certified that the man could be extradited. Having reviewed the documents that have been appropriately authenticated and submitted to the court, and having conducted a hearing and listened to the representative for the government and [the suspects] attorney, I now conclude that the requirements of extradition have been satisfied, the judge said in a written ruling. The judge also rejected an argument put forward by the mans lawyer that probable cause had not been proven, which is required before an extradition request can be certified. The court also finds probable cause to believe that the crimes charged occurred and that the accused is responsible. The charges at issue derive from the claim that [the suspect] had a long-standing sexually abusive relationship with two young boys whom he had befriended, groomed, and exploited when they were between the ages of 12 and 19, Judge Stewarts said. The detail provided in the statement of facts and the information provided to the court is extensive, and the court notes that the information is based upon a large number of witness statements, including statements from the alleged victims and independent exhibits. [The suspect] himself left Ireland before he had an opportunity to be questioned by the police in the presence of his solicitor. The man left Ireland in 2013 while gardai were investigating claims he sexually abused two boys at a GAA ground and elsewhere between 2004 and 2009. He is charged with 394 criminal counts including 210 of sexual assault and 177 counts of rape arising from alleged prolonged sexual abuse of two minor victims. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is now expected to sign off on the formal granting of the extradition. Also read: Man arrested in New York in connection with midlands sex offence charges WATCH | New York extradition hearing for midlands man facing 394 sex offence charges adjourned WATCH | Man accused of sex assault offences fighting extradition from United States Attic Youth House is a phoenix that was risen from the ashes by the public and deserves support from national government, according to Longford town Cllr Peggy Nolan, who has proposed that Longford Municipal District make a once-off payment to support the organisation and ensure its success. Cllr Nolan's notice of motion was unanimously supported by her Longford MD colleagues at their recent meeting, but raised the issue that the valuable youth service is being ignored by national government. There are works going on in the Attic and they need funding to put a permanent worker in place. And if they dont get that worker, that worker will go to county Leitrim, said Cllr Nolan. The Attic is the go-to place for our youth. The work that they do cant be quantified. We couldnt afford to pay for the work that they do on a voluntary basis. They rarely ask for our help. They fundraise through Hype, which should be recognised as one of the finest festivals in the country. Theyve cleared all their debts. They own the property. Theyve done so much off their own back with minimal support from national government or even local government. Also read: Longford's Attic House: Representing the interests of county's youth Im asking that out of our resources we give them a helping hand. This is crucial. Its crucial to the services that theyre providing. Its the go-to place for our youth for a listening ear, a helping hand and encouragement. Head of Finance for Longford County Council, John McKeon, said that the council has been making contributions to the Attic House annually since 2009, with the exception of 2016 and 2017. In this instance, he added, there are two funding schemes that the council can draw from to provide support for the Attic House. Theres the General Municipal Allocation, which is your allocation every year. And then for emergency once-off situations like this, where theyre trying to keep the jobs in Longford, sometimes we can dip into the paid parking funding, he said. So my suggestion would be, first of all that an application is made to the General Municipal Authority and yearly applications go into that, but that just as a once off, this would be paid by the paid parking fund. Councillors agreed that they would allocate funding not exceeding 15,000 to the Attic House, which would be split between General Municipal Allocation and the paid parking fund. Having agreed on action to be taken, the councillors steered the conversation to national government and the lack of support that such a valuable service is receiving. Cllr Gerry Warnock agreed that the Attic team does tremendous work with the young people of Longford but said that Longford MD are really filling a gap that should be filled at a higher level. We have a Minister for Youth there now and what better example of how local youth services can be helped out by a proactive group like the Attic, he said. Also read: Longford's Attic Youth House 'absolutely devastated' at the loss of long-serving volunteer Ross McCann And I think, really and truly, this local authority is picking up the slack on a hell of a lot of occasions and I think it has to be acknowledged because I think this MD and the local authority, in general, have always been there to fill the breach for worthy community groups. Cllr Mae Sexton fumed that it is a disgrace beyond disgrace that no support has been offered from higher up, while Cllr Joe Flaherty stressed that a clear message needs to be brought to national government. Any time the Attic comes to the door, well never turn them down and Im delighted to support Peggys motion. But Im willing to emphasise the point that the Attic has been very, very poorly treated by the national government, he said before addressing Cllr Nolan directly. Were happy to dig deep but, Peggy, you need to bring the message back to government that were picking up the pieces for them again and its not the function of the local government to bail out local groups and organisations. Central government cant claim the credit for all these services and resources if theyre not willing to finance them. That message needs to go back loud and clear that were more than happy to do it. But were not happy that we have to do it at the same time, because this is down to central government and, again, were digging them out and thats not our job. Cllr Nolan accepted the comments of her colleagues and agreed that a strong message needs to be sent to government. When (the Attic) bought the house out there (on the Ballinalee Road), I was the one who liaised with the Taoiseach of the day. I went and met him in Dublin. He came down here on two occasions when they were overcrowded in the Temperance Hall. He walked the site and then there was a change in government, she said. It went to the stage that I was so disappointed with the support that we didnt get that I didnt go to the opening of Attic because I felt I couldnt. I felt that I had let them down. I took it personally that Attic was let down by the then Taoiseach and the Minister with responsibility. I have no problem going public with that because the truth is the truth. But I have to say I did everything that I could. And youre right. We shouldnt have to fund it. It should come from national funding. So Ill put my hands up and say I did everything I could and I was mortified when it fell at the last hurdle. I did everything I could and I will continue to do it, she concluded. Also read: Memorable trip to Edinburgh with Longford's Attic House Lockport, NY (14094) Today Considerable clouds this morning. Some decrease in clouds later in the day. Cooler. High 64F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Mainly clear. Low 48F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Texas Secretary of State David Whitleys move to purge nearly 100,000 people who do not appear to be U.S. citizens from state voter rolls without properly vetting the information was irresponsible. Only six weeks into his new job he created a mountain of busywork for already overtaxed election officials across the state and landed Texas in federal court. More troubling is the impact this fiasco will have on Texas voters. The League of United Latin American Citizens alleges in a lawsuit filed last week in San Antonio against Whitley and Attorney General Ken Paxton, claiming the effort to remove voters from the rolls is nothing more than a witch hunt designed to intimidate minority voters. The lawsuit has merit. The huge list was released prematurely before the names were cross-referenced with readily available immigration information or double-checked for duplicate listings. Four days after notifying election officials of the massive purge, state officials began backtracking. They conceded some of the names were duplicates and some people should never have been on that list because they were naturalized citizens and indeed were eligible to vote. Every year, hundreds of thousands of immigrants become naturalized citizens. Between 2007 and 2017, 7.5 million people became naturalized citizens in the U.S.; in Texas, there were 53,000 new naturalized citizens in 2014. Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said an estimated 5,000 Bexar County voters were on the list initially sent out by the state. It is uncertain how many remain on the updated list. Kudos to Bexar County Elections Administrator Jacque Callanen for taking a wait-and-see attitude before mailing letters to those on the Bexar County list. She said she was not opening the computer list until the dust settles. The long-tenured election official said the office went through something similar when there were attempts to remove deceased voters from the rolls using Social Security data provided by the secretary of state. Many of those on that list turned out to be alive. Elections officials have better things to do than waste their time working off faulty lists. Bexar County is holding its ninth election in 11 months and will likely have a runoff election for the Texas House District 125 seat before the next regularly scheduled election in May. Some counties had already mailed out letters when state officials announced a massive revision last week. They had to issue retraction letters, which will only sow further voter confusion. In Harris County, more than 60 percent of the names on the list were found to be in error. Initially, 30,000 voters were tagged for removal; after adjustments were made, the list was culled to 11,000 names. The original purge list with 98,017 names came from the Texas Department of Public Safety. It showed Texas residents with legal immigration status who had either obtained a Texas drivers license or personal ID from the state agency. They could not have obtained either of those documents without presenting documentation showing they were in the country legally. The secretary of state has every right to remove ineligible voters from the rolls and have any ineligible voters who participated in elections prosecuted, but it cannot be done in a haphazard manner. It must be done in a way that maintains the integrity of the elections system and ensures there is no infringement on anyones voting rights. There is a right way to do this, and this was definitely the wrong way. It has all the earmarks of voting purges in other states whose real intent are simply to diminish the number of minority voters on the rolls. Likely underlying all this is the mostly discredited charge cited by President Donald Trump in trying to explain why he lost the popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton by nearly 3 million that thousands of undocumented immigrants or illegal voters cast ballots. The presidents own commission since disbanded found scant evidence of this. And rarest of all is in-person voter fraud, nonetheless used to justify this states and other states voter ID laws. Challenging an individuals right to vote is serious business. It should not be made lightly or done purely for political advantage. And thats what it looks like was attempted here. A proposal to make Election Day a federal holiday intended to increase voter turnout is a power grab by Democrats, according to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Its difficult to wrap heads around this one. On the Senate floor last week, McConnell slammed the holiday proposal and the entirety of HR1, which would, among other things, prohibit voter roll purges (are you listening, Texas?), compel presidential and vice presidential candidates to release tax returns, and force states to create independent redistricting commissions. He said, HR1 would victimize every American taxpayer by pouring their money into expensive new subsidies that dont even pass the laugh test. Mr. Majority Leader: We and many other Americans havent been laughing for years as GOP-controlled legislatures, including here in Texas, have approved measures to restrict voting rights and gerrymandered districts to guarantee one partys continued dominance. As for releasing tax returns in non-Beltway parlance, this is called transparency. Allowing voters to know, for instance, if a presidential candidates claims to business acumen and billionaire status are accurate and whether he has conflicts that might impinge on acting in the public interest. These and other HR1 features are certainly ripe for debate. But power grab is simply a bomb thrown to stifle that debate. And it is a more apt description of the voter restrictions in vogue in GOP-controlled states for years now. What McConnell purposely elides here is the tenet that more voting equals more democracy. Will making Election Day a federal holiday result in higher turnout? That, too, is worth debating, but it strikes us as a useful way to eliminate using work as an excuse for not casting a ballot, and its reasonable to assume higher turnout. And there are other things that can be done simultaneously to promote this higher turnout more online and mail voting, for instance. McConnells real problem: The folks empowered by many of HR1s measures are voters. The Bexar County Sheriff's Office is admitting jail staff made a mistake when they sent a drug offender to prison rather than a court-ordered rehabilitation facility. It was the fourth botched release or transfer from the jail in January that officials have acknowledged. Bexar County court records show that Johnny Villalobos, 41, was sentenced to 5 years of probation and ordered to a rehabilitation facility in January after he was arrested on a charge of possession of a controlled substance. However, on Jan. 17 jail officials accidentally sent him to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's Garza West prison unit rather than to the department's Substance Abuse Felony Punishment Facility. Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said the mistake was a "clerical error, due to paperwork crossing in transit from other agencies," but also took responsibility for it and promised changes to the system. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox "Nonetheless, the error was on the part of BCSO personnel and was preventable," Salazar said in a statement. "This incident was discovered during an ongoing Internal Affairs investigation and an internal audit of booking procedures. Sweeping changes are taking place to the process, and there will be accountability." Villalobos' attorney, John Kuntz, said he was notified of the problem in late January after Villalobos wrote a letter to his family telling them he was in general population of the prison. Kuntz notified court officials and reached out to the jail to correct the issues. He said he was "stonewalled." "I had a conversation with a jail corporal and he basically had zero interest in helping," he said. "He informed me, as he had informed a probation officer, that this isn't the first time it's happened." It's unclear if there have been other documented cases like this in the Bexar County Jail or whether the sheriff office's internal audit discovered other instances. Kuntz, who has been a lawyer since 1997, said he's never experienced anything like this. After he felt he was getting nowhere with jail officials, Kuntz reached out to a San Antonio media outlet, hoping the publicity would help rectify the problem. Sheriff's office officials said they were notified of the mistake by the court clerk in early February, and have submitted documents to correct it. Kuntz said the setback means Villalobos was delayed by about a month in beginning his 9-month treatment program. "It's delaying him re-entering society, getting back to work and getting back to his family," Kuntz said. "What price do you put on that?" The family is considering taking legal action over the mistake. "It's definitely being discussed," Kuntz said. "Without question." Although Kuntz has been alarmed with the recent problems at the jail, he said he feels Salazar's "heart is in the right place." "This has been an ongoing problem that predates Salazar," he said. "He's taken over a minefield of problems." Regardless, January was marred with mistakes at the Bexar County Jail. On Jan. 3, jail officials mistakenly released Andrew Taylor Ford, who was in custody on suspicion of failure to stop and give information. The charge was dismissed, but jailers overlooked an order to keep Ford in jail on an unrelated charge out of San Patricio County. Ford eventually surrendered to his probation officer in San Patricio County on Jan. 11. Later that month, jail officials let Ricardo Mujica, who was convicted of a domestic violence charge, go free despite an immigration detainer. Because his state charge had already been handled, the sheriff's office said deputies had no authority to bring him back into custody. RELATED: Bexar County jail officials announce 3rd mistaken inmate release this month On Jan. 26, jail officials released Terrik McCoy, who had been arrested on a charge of evading arrest, without an electronic monitor, which was a condition of his release. Sheriff Javier Salazar personally tracked McCoy down and brought him into custody the next day. McCoy was released again after he was properly fitted with the monitor. The mistakes came under the watch of Deputy Chief Ruben Vela, who Salazar suspended on Jan. 27. "I think we have a difference in management style," Salazar said in a news conference shortly after the suspension. "This jail administration had been advised to get a handle on that situation ... it was clear we still haven't gotten a handle on it." Salazar also said in that press conference that he planned on meeting with Vela to discuss the oversight issues occurring at the jail. "I'll be having a meeting with him very soon to address my concerns and what took us to this point," Salazar said. "We need to figure out what went wrong and what we could have done better to fix it." 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 WASHINGTON - In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, President Trump made an appeal for bipartisanship, asking Congress to "reject the politics of revenge, resistance and retribution." That plea evidently didn't resonate with one senior adviser to his reelection campaign. Katrina Pierson, who also served as Trump's national campaign spokeswoman in 2016, took to Twitter after the speech to compare Democratic congresswomen who wore white in tribute to the suffragists to the Ku Klux Klan. "The only thing that the Democrats uniform was missing tonight is the matching hood," Pierson tweeted early Wednesday morning. Pierson's jab was among the discordant notes on a night the president had pitched as a paean to cooperation before mostly sticking to hard-line demands for a wall along the southern border and repeating attack lines against undocumented immigrants. But Trump did pause to recognize the influx of newly elected Democratic women in the chamber. Trump noted that "we also have more women serving in the Congress than ever before," as freshman firebrands such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., stood while the crowd applauded. Pierson, who made false claims on live television during the 2016 election about Hillary Clinton's health and wrongly asserted that President Barack Obama started the war in Afghanistan, was not the only figure affiliated with Trump's campaign to draw KKK comparisons with the Democrats wearing white. The Rev. Darrell Scott, who acted as a liaison between Trump and black pastors and served on his presidential transition team, tweeted before the State of the Union, "I see the Dems have their Klan colors on tonight!!" The KKK comparison was repeated by other right-wing figures, including Sean Davis, co-founder of conservative site the Federalist, and radio host Mark Simone. "Tonight is not the first time a bunch of ghouls dressed in white denied the humanity of an entire class of people in order to continue perpetuating horrific violence against them," Davis wrote on Twitter. Simone tweeted: "The Democrat women all dressed in white - to show solidarity with the Ku Klux Klan? As a tribute to Good Humor salesmen? To look like insane asylum attendants? They like dressing like Charlie Chan?" The tweets echo a talking point for some on the right who have tried to link the Democratic Party's history with the KKK. As Jennifer Mendelsohn and Peter A. Shulman wrote March 15 in The Washington Post, those claims are mostly spurious, "ground zero in an online campaign to misrepresent the Democratic Party's history as uniquely tainted by racism." The KKK, indeed, infiltrated both parties during the height of its influence in the 1920s, they reported: "Klansmen were influential inside both major parties, pushing racism, nativism, Prohibition and especially anti-Catholicism. In the South, Jim Crow-supporting Democrats made a natural fit for the KKK. But in Midwestern industrial towns full of immigrant Catholics and Jews who voted Democratic, the Klan took root largely among Republicans. The Klan was Democratic in Oregon and Republican in Indiana - two of its biggest strongholds. By the end of the decade, the organization, whose membership remained semi-secret, claimed 11 governors, 16 senators and as many as 75 congressmen -roughly split between Republicans and Democrats." The real reason Democratic women wore white on Tuesday night was in a nod to the history of the U.S. suffragist movement, whose backers often dressed in white while battling to give women the right to vote. Like many gestures by Democrats on Tuesday, the white outfits were meant as a not-so-subtle jab at Trump and his policies. "We'll honor all those who came before us & send a message of solidarity that we're not going back on our hard-earned rights!" tweeted Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla. WASHINGTON - She smiled tightly. She pursed her lips. And, again and again, she peered down at a sheaf of papers as if to say: Is this over yet? House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was the face of Democratic exasperation Tuesday night, sitting behind President Donald Trump as he delivered his second State of the Union address - and his first with an opposition leader sharing the rostrum. For the most part, Pelosi maintained an even countenance as Trump ran through both odes to partisan unity and red-meat lines such as "walls save lives" that were calibrated to needle Democrats. On a few occasions, she was more demonstrative. When Trump declared that "America is winning each and every day," she appeared to meet eyes and chuckle with another Democrat in the audience, and when he declared a moment later that "the state of our union is strong," she gently shook her head. At times, she served as the conductor of a Democratic orchestra - shushing lawmakers who groaned at Trump's mentions of a migrant caravan, then holding her palms in the air and urging her caucus to stand when he recognized a historic class of new women in Congress, the vast majority Democrats. Trump, for his part, made no direct recognition of Pelosi or the new Democratic majority in his speech aside from his opening words: "Madame Speaker." But Pelosi made an impression with her mere presence, seen by millions of Americans looking over Trump's left shoulder - an image symbolizing the new reality in Washington where Democrats are poised to keep watchful eye on Trump and his administration. "All eyes are going to be on her . . . to see if she can hold a poker face," Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., said before the speech Tuesday. "Because I know what she really would like to do would be to take the gavel and go 'boop' atop his head." Several Democrats said they were delighted that after eight years of men at the top of the House rostrum for the prime-time address to the nation, Pelosi would be back. She wore a suffragette-white blazer, joining scores of other Democratic women. Her attire, however, was festooned with a golden broach in the shape of the House mace - an ancient symbol of power. "She's the mother of the country," said Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla., of the imagery. Pelosi brought a fresh electoral mandate and positive new polling numbers to Tuesday's address. A CNN poll published Monday pegged Pelosi's favorability rating at 42 percent - her highest rating in that poll since April 2007, shortly after beginning her first four-year stint with the speaker's gavel. Trump's approval rating in the same poll, which carried a 3.8 point margin of error, stood at 40 percent. Weeks after Pelosi first won the gavel in 2007, President George W. Bush paid tribute to her as the first woman to hold the position at the outset of his speech, calling it a "high privilege and distinct honor . . . to begin the State of the Union message with these words: Madam Speaker." While Trump paid no tribute of his own Tuesday, he exchanged pleasantries with Pelosi upon ascending and descending the rostrum. The two leaders are already locked in a contentious relationship due to the ongoing dispute about funding for the southern border wall that Trump promised Mexico would pay for during his 2016 campaign. That dispute led into and played out during the recent government shutdown, during which Trump tried - and failed - to turn Democrats against Pelosi's no-negotiation strategy. A centerpiece of the clash was the State of the Union address itself - the two leaders sparred over whether the speech would happen while the shutdown was in effect. After the address, Pelosi made it clear that she would not back down. "Instead of fear-mongering and manufacturing a crisis at the border, President Trump should commit to signing the bipartisan conference committee's bill to keep government open and provide strong, smart border security solutions," she said in a statement. Pelosi and her fellow House Democrats used the speech's occasion to send messages of their own - largely through the guests they invited to the House chamber for the speech. Pelosi's guests included two active-duty transgender Army officers - an implicit critique of Trump's decision to implement a ban on transgender servicemembers - and survivors of last February's mass shooting at a Florida high school, a protest of the Republican stance against stricter gun control. Also attending as Pelosi's guest was Leana Wen, Planned Parenthood's new president, who appeared amid a new uproar over Democratic state lawmakers' attempts to expand abortion rights in New York and Virginia. Highlighting Democrats' position on immigration, Pelosi invited Angelica Salas, a former undocumented immigrant who now leads the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, and Jose Andres, a Washington-based chef who has been an outspoken supporter of immigrant rights. Other House Democrats invited a variety of Americans representing implicit criticism of Trump and his policies - including federal employees who went unpaid during the recent 35-day partial government shutdown, immigrants who are at risk for deportation due to Trump's policies, those vulnerable under potential Republican health-care initiatives and more. Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, the chief executive and co-founder of the advocacy group MomsRising, said Pelosi's invitation for her to attend was "sending a strong message to the moms of American that she is listening, that what we say is important." But she said the more profound message would be sent by the scores of Democratic women wearing white to send a message of female unity. A few hours before the speech, Pelosi joined Democratic women for a group photo in the Capitol complex. "The unity that we're showing is that the state of our union is strong," Rowe-Finkbeiner said. "We are rising, we're coming out to town halls, we're making calls, we're speaking out to our elected officials, and we know that our country is much better than the country that Trump has been projecting." Trump delivered his speech as congressional negotiators aim to hash out a border security spending deal that would avert another shutdown Feb. 15, when the short-term measure that reopened the government last month will expire. Trump argued for his border wall while sketching out areas of bipartisan cooperation on infrastructure investment and lowering prescription drug prices. Those are areas where Pelosi herself has acknowledged potential for cooperation - and issues that Trump brought up during the short phone call she made to him last week to extend her State of the Union invitation. The talk of potential compromise, however, has been cursory, glossing over considerable policy differences between how Democrats and Republicans have historically approached those particular issues. And while Trump and Pelosi might share platitudes about working together on those issues, the House calendar is sending a different message. On Thursday, the House Ways and Means Committee will convene a hearing on the disclosure of presidential tax returns - a clear attack on Trump's decision not to disclose his returns. And Friday, the House Judiciary Committee will question Matthew G. Whitaker, Trump's acting attorney general - the first of several high-level Trump administration officials who have been summoned to appear over the coming weeks. Pelosi's guests Tuesday also included Army Capt. Jennifer Peace and Army Maj. Ian Brown, who are representing the pro-transgender activist groups OutServe-Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and SPARTA, or Servicemembers, Partners, Allies for Respect and Tolerance for All. The gun-control advocates attending at Pelosi's invitation were Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime Guttenberg was killed last year in the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida; Charlie Mirsky, a Parkland student who has organized the March for Our Lives campaign; and Mattie Scott, an activist with the Brady Campaign in Pelosi's hometown of San Francisco. Several political allies of the speaker also attended, including Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez and the leaders of five major labor unions. Notably were two top Democratic officials from New Jersey - Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver and state Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg - who led a letter signed by female leaders in that state supporting Pelosi's election as speaker. Their support helped convince several newly elected New Jersey House members to back Pelosi at a time after the election when her return to the speakership was not assured. Call it The Plaid Pants Theory. The furor over the now infamous photo on Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's yearbook page - of one person in blackface and another in a Klan robe and hood - has led Internet sleuths to another photo, from Northam's high school yearbook in 1977. It shows Northam and four other student officers from the Hi-Y club, a civic organization in which Northam served as president. In the black-and-white photo, Terry Smoot, the club secretary, is wearing loud plaid pants typical of the late 1970s. The pants are very similar, those examining them on social media note, to the pants worn by the person in blackface in the photo on Northam's 1984 medical school yearbook page. The governor denies that the blackface photo is his, but has been unable to explain so far who is posing in the photo and how it got into his medical school yearbook. Searching for an answer to that question, people using Google this week had begun to type in "Northam and Plaid Pants Theory." But it was really two opposing theories. The governor's critics saw the pants as proof that Northam must have been involved. "Smoking gun?" wrote one under the Twitter handle @CafeNetAmerica. "Photo shows Man in Same Plaid Pants as the Blackface-KKK Yearbook Photo." "Unless guys in 1984 shared pants, the one in blackface in #Northam picture is NOT @GovernorVA," countered @HillBuzz, who posited that the governor might be the one donning the KKK hood. Others focused on height: Northam is taller than Smoot in the high school photo, and the person in blackface is taller than the person in the Klan robe in the medical school yearbook. So, if Smoot is the person in blackface, then neither person in the picture could be Northam, this theory goes. There's just one problem. The guy in blackface? "It definitely is not me," Smoot told The Washington Post in a phone interview on Tuesday. Smoot, who lives outside Richmond, remembers the pants from high school. But he says he lost contact with Northam at about that time. The two went to different colleges, never hung out or went to parties together in the years after, and Smoot says he definitely was never present when someone wearing his pants - or ones like them - dressed in blackface. Smoot, 60, said he was flabbergasted to see the photo from Northam's medical school yearbook surface over the weekend - and shocked even more in subsequent days to find reporters knocking on his door and calling his and his family members' phones. "I've now looked up the websites. I've seen my face superimposed on the other person in costume. And I've read the analysis of how the pants hang on my frame and, to be honest, I find it all rather absurd," Smoot said. Smoot said he barely remembers the "Hi-Y" club, but he does remember the governor. He said he can't imagine Northam ever having dressed as either person in costume featured some seven years later on his page in the Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook. "From my knowledge of Ralph, he's an honest fellow, and there's not a racist bone in his body. The whole notion of him dressing like that is just so foreign, I couldn't believe it was him," Smoot said. "There were other people I could suspect of doing something like that, but not Ralph - he was too well liked by everyone." The government is planning to introduce a system to certify the safety of online "cloud" data storage services, according to sources. Government institutions would only be able to use certified services. Demanding that companies in charge of important infrastructure, such as electricity and railway networks, find secure cloud services, the government wants to strengthen defenses against cyber-attacks from China and other nations, the sources said. The government plans to draw up security standards and start trial runs this year, with the aim of introducing the full system in 2020. An increasing number of companies are adopting cloud storage services as an efficient means of data management that saves the time and effort that in-house information systems require. The government is also working out a policy to encourage government-linked institutions to use cloud services, in principle, including for information systems that store the public's data, such as on taxes. However, unsecured cloud systems are vulnerable to data leaks from cyber-attacks. Therefore, the government decided to create a framework to screen the security of cloud service providers and prioritize services that fulfill certain security standards. There are to be three security grades. The highest - level three - would require the establishment of a defense mechanism for data centers and the confirmation of the safety of telecommunications equipment. Institutions that handle highly confidential data, such as on national security, would only be allowed to use cloud services from providers that fulfill these standards. To ensure security standards are being met, the auditing body that the government authorizes would regularly inspect these operators. A list of approved providers would be created. Government institutions would invite providers on the list to bid for government contracts. On the other hand, legal regulations demand that specified secrets and highly classified documents be kept in storage mediums that are not connected to the internet. Thus cloud storage would not be used for these types of data. The United States, Britain and Australia already have similar certification systems. The Japanese government is considering a mutual recognition system in which different countries would approve each other's security standards. It is said that the United States is moving to exclude Chinese companies from supplying telecommunications equipment that government institutions use, and applying strict security standards to cloud services would further freeze out Chinese firms. The Japanese government is also planning to essentially ban Huawei Technologies Co. and ZTE Corp. - major Chinese communications equipment manufacturers - from supplying government institutions with telecommunications equipment. The government is gradually transferring data management and administrative systems operations from in-house servers to private cloud services. The government believes it is safer and more efficient to leave the defense of increasingly sophisticated cyber-attacks up to the specialized technology of the private sector. However, the government lacks uniform standards on cloud security. The United States, Britain and other nations have voiced concerns over sharing information with Japan due to possible "back doors" in its security systems. Establishing detailed security standards for cloud storage in a new certification system this time is seen as a response to these concerns. EDWARDSVILLE International television news host Fareed Zakaria will be the featured guest speaker for the Mannie Jackson Center for the Humanities Foundations Fourth Annual Fundraiser Dinner, Tuesday, March 26, at The Commons on Lewis and Clark Community Colleges Godfrey Campus. Zakaria will speak on the role of leadership in pressing national and global issues. The program will begin at 6:30 p.m.; doors will open at 6 p.m. Fareed Zakaria is a living example of the mission of the MJCHF Humanities-Inspired Leadership program, said MJCHF Founder and President Mannie Jackson. We are pleased to model the mission through his message. Zakaria hosts Fareed Zakaria GPS (Global Public Square) for CNN Worldwide and is a columnist for The Washington Post, a contributing editor for The Atlantic, and a bestselling author. Fareed Zakaria GPS is a weekly international and domestic affairs program that airs on CNN/U.S. and around the world on CNN International. Since its debut in 2008, it has become a prominent television forum for global newsmakers and thought leaders. Interviews on Fareed Zakaria GPS have included U.S. President Barack Obama, French President Emmanuel Macron, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as well as various military officials, corporate leaders and other public figures. The program earned the prestigious Peabody Award in 2011 and an Emmy Award nomination in 2013. Zakaria has regularly hosted primetime specials for CNN Worldwide, and frequently contributes his thoughtful analysis of world events and public affairs to CNN.com; Fareeds Global Briefing, a daily digital newsletter; and other programming across CNNs multiple platforms. Fareed Zakaria has rightfully been recognized as one of the top 10 global thinkers of the last decade by Foreign Policy magazine, said MJCHF Board Member and L&C President Dale T. Chapman As the U.S. and countries throughout the globe struggle with issues of forced migration, food and water shortages, and imploding nation states, I can think of no better speaker to help inform the L&C MJCH Humanities-Inspired Leadership program. Zakaria is the author of three, highly-regarded and New York Times bestselling books: In Defense of a Liberal Education (2015), a commentary on the importance of a well-rounded education; the international bestselling The Post-American World (1st ed. 2008, 2nd ed. 2011), a discussion of the rise of non-Western powers; and The Future of Freedom (2003), a study of illiberal democracy in various countries, also an international bestseller. Prior to his tenure at CNN Worldwide, Zakaria was editor of Newsweek International, managing editor of Foreign Affairs, a columnist for Time, an analyst for ABC News, and the host of Foreign Exchange with Fareed Zakaria on PBS. In 2017, Zakaria was awarded the Arthur Ross Media Award by the American Academy of Diplomacy. He was named a Top 10 Global Thinker of the Last 10 Years by Foreign Policy magazine in 2019, and Esquire once called him the most influential foreign policy adviser of his generation. Zakaria serves on the boards of the Council of Foreign Relations and New America. He earned a bachelors degree from Yale University, a doctorate in political science from Harvard University and has received numerous honorary degrees. Zakaria joins the list of esteemed national and international guests who have been featured by the MJCHF, including General Colin Powell (2016), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (2017) and Naomi Tutu (2018). Tickets, which include dinner and a program, are $200 each and are available online at www.mjchf.org/zakaria. Previous events have sold out, so be sure to reserve your spot today. To learn more about the Mannie Jackson Center for the Humanities, visit www.mjchf.org or call (618) 655-2881. Bush meat and cross-border visits are off the table for Jenti Gabriel Mambuku, a mother of eight living in a South Sudanese market town a short bus-ride from neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo. The reason: Congo's worst-ever Ebola outbreak that's claimed 460 lives since August. The last time the deadly hemorrhagic virus went transnational in 2014, it killed more than 11,000 people in three West African countries. The outbreak has put war-torn South Sudan on high alert, with health workers being vaccinated and residents being taught how to avoid infection. In Mambuku's town, Yambio, that means foregoing trips to see family in Congo and avoiding local delicacies like monkey, zebra and antelope meat. "I told my children that we cannot continue eating bush meat or any dry meat because we fear that the Ebola is very near now," the 35-year-old said in an interview on the outskirts of Yambio, about 220 miles west of South Sudan's capital, Juba. Human infections of Ebola in Africa have been associated with hunting, butchering and processing of meat from infected animals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2002, the World Health Organization linked an outbreak of Ebola in Gabon to an infected gorilla. Yambio is situated in dense forest within about 40 kilometers (25 miles) of the border with Congo, where residents source so-called bush meat. In the past, inhabitants of the town and surrounding areas simply walked across the border to visit relatives on the other side, often bringing fresh supplies with them. Those trips are being curbed because of the Ebola outbreak, according to Victor Diko, a Yambio county official who is supervising efforts to prevent the disease from spreading. The outbreak in Congo is in two provinces -- North Kivu, which borders Rwanda and Uganda, and Ituri, along the boundaries with Uganda and South Sudan. "The risk of Ebola spreading here is very high because of the very many porous border points which are not monitored," Diko said in an interview. South Sudan is ill-equipped to mount an emergency response to a disease outbreak. Five years of civil war that erupted in December 2013 and may have killed almost 400,000 people has stretched the country's health facilities to near-breaking point. "Coupled with insecurity and inaccessibility, an outbreak of Ebola virus disease in South Sudan can potentially be devastating with immense human suffering and a high number of deaths," said Helene Sandbu Ryeng, a spokeswoman for the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund. "Prevention is paramount." The UN has appealed for $16.3 million to help set up systems needed to prevent the disease from spreading to South Sudan, which has had three previous outbreaks of the disease. The Ebola response in West Africa in 2014-16 cost more than $3.6 billion. The UN said on Monday it's Central Emergency Response Fund allocated $2 million to help strengthen surveillance in South Sudan and fund other measures needed to protect about 440,000 people in high-risk areas. The area along the Congolese border lacks adequate mobile-phone networks that would allow health workers to carry out prevention campaigns by SMS, according to Ryeng. That, coupled with low levels of literacy, has forced community members to hold meetings with small groups of people to sensitize them to the threat the disease poses. The message is getting through. "I am scared to visit my relatives who are across the border because I fear I can contract Ebola," said Mambuku. "They are also not coming to us because we don't want them to bring the disease here." ALTON Two people from East Alton were charged Monday with two counts each of aggravated battery for allegedly torturing and beating a male victim, using a butane torch lighter to burn his head. Charged are David A. Flynn, 41, and Mary A. Flynn, 45, both of the same address in the 300 block of George Street. Each is held in lieu of $1 million bail. Charges claim the victim was tortured over the course of several months, between Sept. 1 and Dec. 14, 2018, in that they hit him with various blunt objects about the head and body, punched and kicked him, burned his head and used a Taser on him. The victim requested an order of protection against David Flynn, claiming that, in addition to using the torch on him, he used a scouring pad on his skin, then rubbed it with salt. The victim also alleged Flynn hit the victims hand with a can of soup. He said that Flynn previously hit him seven or eight times with a police baton and a Maglite flashlight. He said in an affidavit that, after being beaten on Dec. 10, he was feeling dizzy and was examined at a hospital. The victim said he had three fractures on the top of his head, a fractured forehead and on both sides of his face. His kneecap and two ribs were broken. The staff members at the hospital gave him a prescription pain medication, but Flynn would not allow him to fill it. He said I deserved the pain, the victim says in an affidavit. David has promised to kill me many times. He told authorities he did not report the beatings in the past because he was afraid for his life. One of the counts against each is an enhanced, Class X version of the charge, for which the defendants could get between six and 45 years in prison. Those counts allege they used a torch to burn the victims head, causing bodily harm and disfigurement. The other counts are aggravated battery, for which they could be sentenced to between for and 15 years in prison. Washington Facing a divided Congress for the first time, President Donald Trump on Tuesday called on Washington to reject "the politics of revenge, resistance and retribution." He warned emboldened Democrats that "ridiculous partisan investigations" into his administration and businesses could hamper a surging American economy. Trump's appeals for bipartisanship in his State of the Union address clashed with the rancorous atmosphere he has helped cultivate in the nation's capital as well as the desire of most Democrats to block his agenda during his next two years in office. Their opposition was on vivid display as Democratic congresswomen in the audience formed a sea of white in a nod to early 20th-century suffragettes. Trump spoke at a critical moment in his presidency, staring down a two-year stretch that will determine whether he is re-elected or leaves office in defeat. His speech sought to shore up Republican support that had eroded slightly during the recent government shutdown and previewed a fresh defense against Democrats as they ready a round of investigations into every aspect of his administration. "If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation," he declared. Lawmakers in the cavernous House chamber sat largely silent. Looming over the president's address was a fast-approaching Feb. 15 deadline to fund the government and avoid another shutdown. Democrats have refused to acquiesce to his demands for a border wall, and Republicans are increasingly unwilling to shut down the government to help him fulfill his signature campaign pledge. Nor does the GOP support the president's plan to declare a national emergency if Congress won't fund the wall. Wary of publicly highlighting those intraparty divisions, Trump made no mention of an emergency declaration in his remarks. He did offer a lengthy defense of his call for a border wall, declaring: "I will build it." But he delivered no ultimatums about what it would take for him to sign legislation to keep the government open. "I am asking you to defend our very dangerous southern border out of love and devotion to our fellow citizens and to our country," he said, painting a dark and foreboding picture of the risks posed to Americans by illegal immigration. More Information State of Union reaction Rep. Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam: Criticized President Trump for not mentioning "the massive and growing climate crisis that his own intelligence chiefs have assessed as a threat to America's national security, infrastructure, public health and our national economy. Our climate message ... is clear: We hear you, we believe the science, we understand the urgency and we are committed to delivering results." Gov. Andrew Cuomo: Defended New York's Reproductive Health Act, which Trump criticized in his speech: "Tonight President Trump proposed rolling back the protections provided by Roe v. Wade - the law of our nation for 46 years affirmed and reaffirmed by numerous Supreme Courts. Never. New York has a message to those who spread lies and fear to control women's reproductive health decisions: Not going to happen. Not now, not ever." U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.: "President Trump has had years to bring this country together, but instead he has chosen to divide the country across every single line he can imagine. If President Trump wants to convince the country that he actually cares about bringing us together, then he can start by no longer using government workers as political pawns, reuniting the families that his administration ripped apart at the border, and stopping with political wedge issues like telling women they can't make their own health decisions in consultation with their doctor." Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville: "Protecting our national security, strengthening our infrastructure, lowering the cost of health care, fighting against pediatric cancer, eliminating HIV/AIDS, securing our border, and fighting for the interests of hardworking American families are priorities that both sides of the aisle can and should come together to achieve. President Trump called on Congress to join together in a bipartisan fashion to work on behalf of the American public, and I am looking forward to negotiating in good faith with my colleagues to secure our border and fix our broken immigration system." See More Collapse The 72-year-old Trump harkened back to moments of American greatness, celebrating the moon landing as astronaut Buzz Aldrin looked on from the audience and heralding the liberation of Europe from the Nazis. He led the House chamber in singing "Happy Birthday" to a Holocaust survivor sitting with first lady Melania Trump. "Together, we represent the most extraordinary nation in all of history. What will we do with this moment? How will we be remembered?" Trump said. The president ticked through a litany of issues with crossover appeal, including boosting infrastructure, lowering prescription drug costs and combating childhood cancer. But he also appealed to his political base, both with his harsh rhetoric on immigration and a call for Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the "late-term abortion of children." Trump devoted much of his speech to foreign policy, another area where Republicans have increasingly distanced themselves from the White House. He announced details of a second meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, outlining a Feb. 27-28 summit in Vietnam. Trump and Kim's first summit garnered only a vaguely worded commitment by the North to denuclearize. But the president said his outreach to Pyongyang had made the U.S. safer. "If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea," he said. As he condemned political turmoil in Venezuela, Trump declared that "America will never be a socialist country" a remark that may also have been targeted at high-profile Democrats who identify as socialists. The president was surrounded by symbols of his emboldened political opposition. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was praised by Democrats for her hard-line negotiating during the shutdown, sat behind Trump as he spoke. And several senators running for president were also in the audience, including Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey. Another Democratic star, Stacey Abrams, delivered the party's response to Trump. Abrams narrowly lost her bid in November to become America's first black female governor, and party leaders are aggressively recruiting her to run for U.S. Senate from Georgia. Speaking from Atlanta, Abrams calls the shutdown a political stunt that "defied every tenet of fairness and abandoned not just our people, but our values." Trump's address amounted to an opening argument for his re-election campaign. Polls show he has work to do, with his approval rating falling to just 34 percent after the shutdown, according to a recent survey conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. One bright spot for the president has been the economy, which has added jobs for 100 straight months. "The only thing that can stop it," he said, "are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations" an apparent swipe at the special counsel investigation into ties between Russia and Trump's 2016 campaign, as well as the upcoming congressional investigations. The diverse Democratic caucus, which includes a bevy of women, sat silently for much of Trump's speech. But they leapt to their feet when he noted there are "more women in the workforce than ever before." The increase is due to population growth and not something Trump can credit to any of his policies. The president also defended his decisions to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria and Afghanistan over the opposition from national security officials and many Republican lawmakers. "Great nations do not fight endless wars," he said, adding that the U.S. is working with allies to "destroy the remnants" of the Islamic State group and that he has "accelerated" efforts to reach a settlement in Afghanistan. IS militants have lost territory since Trump's surprise announcement in December that he was pulling U.S. forces out, but military officials warn the fighters could regroup within six months to a year of the Americans leaving. Several leading GOP lawmakers have sharply criticized his plans to withdraw from Syria, as well as from Afghanistan. A 4-year-old boy accidentally shot his pregnant mother after finding a loaded handgun inside their Seattle suburb home, authorities said. The woman, who is eight months' pregnant, and her boyfriend were in bed watching TV on Saturday afternoon when the boy walked in, found the handgun and shot his mother in the face, said Sgt. Ryan Abbott, a spokesman for the Kings County Sheriff's Office. The weapon was placed between the bed mattress and the box spring, and the boy found it there, Abbott said. The mother was rushed to a hospital with life-threatening wounds, though she is now in stable condition. Her boyfriend, who is also the boy's father, is under investigation for not securing the gun, which he borrowed from a friend, and "putting somebody at risk," Abbott said. The accidental shooting happened just months after Washington state voters approved a controversial initiative that would, among other things, hold a person criminally liable if he or she fails to properly secure a gun that was then fired by someone who can't legally use it, i.e., a child or a felon. Initiative 1639, a sweeping gun control proposal that voters approved in November, would also raise the minimum age to buy a pistol or a semiautomatic rifle to 21. It would impose more background checks and longer waiting periods for sales or delivery of semiautomatic rifles. Gun rights advocates and several sheriff's departments have strongly opposed the initiative, which immediately prompted lawsuits from the Second Amendment Foundation and the National Rifle Association. Several sheriff's offices have announced that they will not enforce the initiative until legal challenges have been resolved. "I am instructing my deputies not to enforce Initiative 1639 in Grant County while the constitutional validity remains in argument at the federal courts level," Grant County Sheriff Tom Jones said in a statement Monday. "I swore an oath to defend our citizens and their constitutionally protected rights. I do not believe the popular vote overrules that." Parts of Initiative 1639, including the gun storage provisions, won't be in effect until July - meaning it would not be a vehicle to criminally charging the boy's father. Abbott said an investigation is ongoing, and the father, whom officials have not named, could face charges such as reckless endangerment. Still, the shooting comes as Washington state officials and gun control advocates have been pushing for laws on properly storing weapons at home. Accidental shootings involving guns that were not properly secured at home have long been considered among the leading causes of injuries involving children. The Washington Post's Christopher Ingraham has documented hundreds of cases in which kids accidentally shot themselves or someone else in their household. In King County, which covers the suburb where the family lives, council officials recently approved a law imposing fines of up to $1,000 for failing to safely store firearms. The cities of Seattle and Edmonds have passed similar ordinances. Three people landed behind bars for allegedly using a stun gun-type weapon to rob a Stripes convenience store in Laredo. On Monday, Jonathan Espinoza and Dustin Sandoval, both 18, were arrested and a 14-year-old male juvenile was detained in connection with the case. Each was charged with robbery. A woman has been arrested for claiming that several people "jumped her" and stole a purse and an iPod from her, according to Laredo police. Authorities identified her as Ernie Trejo, 23. She was served with an arrest warrant that charged her with false alarm or report. A Laredoan who is facing murder, kidnapping and robbery charges in Webb County has been ordered to federal prison for a carjacking and for possessing a firearm. Rodrigo Garza De La Cruz pleaded guilty in June in a Laredo federal court. This week, U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo ordered Garza De La Cruz to serve a total of 25 years in federal prison 120 months for the carjacking and another 180 months for the related firearm offense to be served consecutively. The sentence will be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. READ ALSO: Laredo man sentenced to life for murder of teen girl gets 15 more for sexual assault "Protecting our community from the most violent offenders is at the core of the ATF mission," said Special Agent in Charge Fred Milanowski of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. "Taking criminals off the street who prey on our citizens while using firearms will continue to remain an ATF priority." In May 2018, Garza De La Cruz was convicted by jurors of raping his ex-wife. A jury in the 406th District Court imposed a combined 36-year prison sentence and a $5,000 fine against him. The murder, aggravated kidnapping and aggravated robbery charges stem from an incident that occurred Sept. 14, 2017. That day, Garza De La Cruz entered Ochoa Sanchez Park by Monterrey Avenue and East Locust Street and shot and killed 53-year-old Reynaldo Flores, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. RELATED: Timeline sheds light on escape, eventual capture of man charged in Ochoa Sanchez park homicide He then carjacked an 81-year-old man while fleeing the scene. He approached the man in his vehicle and threatened to kill him if he did not drive him to Mexico, prosecutors said. Garza De La Cruz fled with the vehicle before officers tracked him down to a residence in the Cielito Lindo neighborhood. Garza De La Cruz, who barricaded himself inside the home, eventually surrendered after a three-hour standoff with police. No one else was harmed. The murder, aggravated kidnapping and aggravated robbery charges that he was indicted on are pending in the 49th District Court. Each charge is first-degree felony punishable with life or five to 99 years in prison and a possible $10,000 fine. A status conference in the case is set for Feb. 22. Garza De La Cruz will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. A 16-year-old boy was shot in the head Tuesday in central Laredo, police said. He was taken to Laredo Medical Center and later airlifted to a San Antonio hospital, where he was listed in critical but stable condition, according to authorities. Laredo police said the case unfolded at about 12:45 a.m. in the 700 block of East Lyon Street. READ ALSO: LPD: Man reportedly calls victim snitch, stabs him in torso Responding officers met with the mother of the boy, who stated that her son had been shot. Laredo Fire Department crews said he had a gunshot wound to the top of his head. He was breathing on his own, first responders said. Crews immobilized him and administered advanced life support before taking him to LMC. Detectives with LPD's crimes against persons unit responded to the scene to take over the case. RELATED: LPD: Man allegedly fired shots in the direction of his ex-girlfriend after argument Investigators interviewed witnesses in an attempt to identify the suspect. No arrest has been made. A preliminary report states the shot came from outside the home and struck the boy, who was inside the house. Anyone with information on the case is asked to call police at 795-2800 or Laredo Crime Stoppers at 727-TIPS (8477). Information provided through Crime Stoppers may be eligible for a cash reward. The Atlas of Reds and Blues By Devi S. Laskar Counterpoint. 272 pp. $25 --- Poet and novelist Caoilinn Hughes wrote in Granta last year that "when poets turn their hands to prose, those hands might well belong to Midas." Indeed, there is often something that stands out about novels written by poetically minded people: "It's not just the sentences - though me-o-my, the sentences! - it's the sensibility," Hughes wrote. Her examples included books by Paul Beatty, Sylvia Plath and James Baldwin, but she might as well have been describing "The Atlas of Reds and Blues," poet Devi S. Laskar's debut novel. An early paragraph summarizing the main character - known throughout the novel as Mother - reads: "She is a seasoned reporter with a husband who knows which kiosk sells the best croissants at Charles de Gaulle Airport better than he knows where the cough medicine is stored at home. She is a mother of three small children. A woman who does not want to let go of her former life, a woman who cannot stand the mind-numbing repetition of her present." The novel's plot is both straightforward and complex: In a Georgia driveway in 2010, Mother lies bleeding from a gunshot wound to her midsection. Below her is the fast-warming concrete of the hot day and above is a cloudless, bright blue sky. Law enforcement officers with Kevlar vests and automatic guns traipse through the house and around her prone form, shoo the neighbors away and trade quips with the dispatcher. It's a nightmarish scene, and one that comes to us only in fragments throughout the novel - but it is the place from which all other fragments unfold, moving backward and forward in time. "The Atlas of Reds and Blues" is a quick read, in part, because of these short sections, some only two sentences long. But it's a page-turner, too, because of the urgency of each small story, each revelatory memory. These fragments are tied together by several themes and timelines. One thread follows Mother's career as a budding journalist while another shows Mother and her sister as the children of Indian immigrants and the only brown girls at their Catholic school in the South. When a black boy named Henry arrives, a classmate tells Mother that it's nice the two of them are going together, because "it makes sense." Another thread follows Mother's Middle Daughter as she is relentlessly bullied at school, eventually ending up in the hospital with a concussion. Yet another gives fascinating tidbits about the history of Mattel's Barbie and all her offshoots, detailing her size changes, her growing world of friends of different races and how a version of the doll in a wheelchair required that the Barbie Dream Houses be redesigned so that said wheelchair could fit in the plastic mansions' elevators. Many fragments don't contribute linear bits of story but depict slice-of-life moments in which Mother faces some kind of difficulty, from racism in a variety of forms to parental exhaustion to the near-constant absence of her globe-trotting husband, whom she dubs (without capitalization) her hero and her man of the hour. The scenes themselves dictate whether this spousal nickname is ironic: Sometimes, the husband seems like a good man who makes her laugh, who provides for their children, who was supportive throughout her struggle to get pregnant and her first miscarriage; at other times, he is - and there is really no other way to put this - so (BEGIN ITAL)white(END ITAL), so oblivious to the fact that his wife is constantly facing abuse from white neighbors, store clerks and police officers. Mother and the Middle Daughter keep the bullying from him, neither of them wishing to upset him over the fact that racism is alive and well in the suburban South and beyond. Surviving racism in America is a major theme throughout the book. As a child, Mother learns she's expected to be grateful for attending Catholic school, for being taken "off the streets - although she doesn't quite understand what streets she is being spared from, since she still has to walk a half mile every weekday to and from the city bus stop to school." As an adult, buying snacks for her husband while pregnant, she's told off by the cashier for eating unhealthy food, and when she explains it isn't for her, she's accused of lying about her marriage because she's not wearing a ring. She is trapped in this reality, and so are her daughters, but her husband - her hero - often chooses to ignore its existence, creating a subtle tension that underlies their often-happy marriage. In her acknowledgments, Laskar thanks her publisher for "embracing this experiment." If "The Atlas of Reds and Blues" and the lyric, thematic and structural care the author has lent it are an experiment, then it is certainly a successful one. --- Masad is a book critic and fiction writer, the founder and host of the blog The Other Stories and a doctoral student at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Study says the overall effect will be negative, but of the $250bn in Chinese exports subject to new US tariffs, about 82% will be captured by firms in other countries The US-China trade war is creating a large group of beneficiary countries as importers seek alternative source countries to avoid tariffs, according to a new UN study. However, the study by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD - the main UN body dealing with trade, investment and development issues) found the net impact of tariffs between the two largest global economies is negative, with the risk of an escalation in conflict threatening a damaging currency war, and increasingly protectionist policies hurting the weakest economies. UNCTADs Key Statistics and Trends in Trade Policy 2018 estimates that of the $250 billion in Chinese exports subject to US tariffs, about 82% will be captured by firms in other countries, about 12% will be retained by Chinese firms, and only about 6% captured by US firms. Similarly, of the approximately $110 billion in US exports subject to Chinas tariffs, about 85% will be captured by firms in other countries, US firms will retain less than 10%, while Chinese firms will capture only about 5%. The results, said UNCTAD, were consistent across different sectors, from machinery to wood products, and furniture, communication equipment, chemicals to precision instruments. The reason is simple: bilateral tariffs alter global competitiveness to the advantage of firms operating in countries not directly affected by them, said the organisation. This will be reflected in import and export patterns around the globe. Countries that are expected to benefit the most from US-China tensions are those which are more competitive and have the economic capacity to replace US and Chinese firms. The study indicates that European Union exports are those likely to increase the most, capturing about $70 billion of US-China bilateral trade - $50 billion of Chinese exports to the US, and $20 billion of US exports to China, said UNCTAD. Japan, Mexico and Canada will each capture more than $20 billion. While these figures do not represent a huge slice of global trade - this was worth about $17 trillion in 2017 - for many countries they make up a substantial share of exports. For example, the approximately $27 billion of US-China trade that would be captured by Mexico represents a non-negligible share of Mexicos total exports of about 6%. Substantial effects relative to the size of their exports are also expected for Australia, Brazil, India, Philippines, Pakistan and Vietnam, said UNCTAD. However, the study also found that even for countries whose exports are set to increase because of the trade war, not all the results were positive. For example, Brazil has benefited from Chinese buyers sourcing non-US soybeans, but the impact has been distortionary. Because the magnitude and duration of tariffs is unclear, Brazilian producers have been reluctant to make investment decisions that may turn out to be unprofitable if the tariffs are revoked, said UNCTAD. Moreover, Brazilian firms operating in sectors using soybeans as inputs such as livestock feed are bound to lose competitiveness because of price rises stoked by Chinese demand for Brazilian soybeans. The study also argued that although some countries will see exports surge, negative global effects would be more common, while a still fragile economy was vulnerable to, for example, trade tensions spiralling into a currency war that could make dollar-denominated debt more difficult to service for developing countries. Another worry is that more countries may join the fray and that protectionist policies could escalate to a global level, added UNCTAD. As protectionist policies generally hurt weaker countries the most, a well-functioning multilateral trading system able to defuse protectionist impulses and maintain market access for poorer countries is crucial. Finally, in an interconnected global economy, the tit for tat moves of the trade giants are likely to have a domino effect beyond the countries and sectors targeted. Tariff increases penalize not only the assembler of a product, but also suppliers along the chain. For example, the high volume of Chinese exports affected by US tariffs is likely to hit East Asian value chains the hardest, with UNCTAD estimating that they could contract by about $160 billion. Denham Springs, LA (70726) Today Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. High around 85F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 6) Committees of both chambers of Congress are convinced that the former Customs chief is not liable for the shipments of 11-billion worth of shabu that slipped into the country last year. The House panels on Dangerous Drugs and Good Government and Public Accountability did not recommend the filing of charges against former Bureau of Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapena in connection with the illegal drug shipments which were hidden in magnetic lifters. This is despite the panels saying that "existing corrupt practices under Commissioner Lapena's watch have made our ports vulnerable to smuggling illegal drugs." "To get into the bottom of this issue, a deeper probe should be taken up by the appropriate Committee in the House," the 19-page report said. This is similar to the recommendations made by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee in December, which also cleared Lapena but said "this is not to say that those involved cannot go any higher." The House panels recommended that charges for violation of the Dangerous Drugs Act should be filed against former Customs intelligence officer Jimmy Guban, former P/SSupt. Eduardo Acierto and former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Deputy Director Ismael Fajardo in connection with the shabu shipment. They also recommended the filing of charges against the owners of the vehicles which were used to transport the illegal drugs hidden in magnetic lifters from the Manila port to a warehouse in Cavite. At the height of the shabu scandal mess and following the accusation of former Customs X-ray chief Lourdes Mangaoang that Lapena ignored her warning about the presence of illegal drugs in the magnetic lifters, President Rodrigo Duterte transferred him to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority. CNN Philippines Correspondent Xianne Arcangel contributed to this story. Update, 4:15 pm ET: Officials have confirmed the patient does not have Ebola, according to NBC News. An earlier version of this article was published below: A patient in Pennsylvania is being tested for a possible Ebola virus infection, according to news reports. On Wednesday (Feb. 6), the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) said that it was testing the patient for the deadly virus out of "an abundance of caution," according to local news outlet NBC 10 Philadelphia. Early test results suggest the patient has another condition that is the cause of their illness, but the hospital is taking precautions until the definitive results are in. "A patient who met screening criteria for Ebola testing is currently being evaluated at HUP while tests to assess the patients condition are completed," Dr. Patrick J. Brennan, chief medical officer at Penn Medicine, told told NBC 10. The hospital did not release any further information about the identity of the patient or how they were possibly exposed to Ebola. Last month, an American man was monitored for symptoms of Ebola at a hospital in Nebraska. Doctors believed the man was possibly exposed to the virus while in Africa, but the man did not develop Ebola symptoms and was released from the hospital in mid-January, according to NBC News. An outbreak of Ebola has been ongoing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since August 2018. So far, at least 788 people in the country have been sickened by the disease, and 486 have died, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The Ebola virus can spread when a person comes into contact with an infected person's bodily fluids such as blood, urine, stool, saliva or semen and the fluids enter a healthy person's body through broken skin or mucous membranes, according to the WHO. Originally published on Live Science. Billions of laser scans have revealed a lost city that was once a bustling epicenter in what is now South Africa's Suikerbosrand National Park, new research finds. The newly discovered city, called Kweneng, was once a thriving capital that existed from the 1400s until it was destroyed and abandoned, likely because of civil wars, in the 1820s, said Karim Sadr, a professor of archaeology at the University of the Witwatersrand, in South Africa. However, it's not clear if this conflict immediately sounded the city's death knell. That's because some of the remaining structures date to between 1825 and 1875, "in what we call the terminal phase" of Kweneng, Sadr told Live Science. [Photos: Ancient Rock Art of Southern Africa] Researchers have known about Kweneng since at least the 1960s, but they didn't realize its actual size until now, Sadr said. Revil Mason, the retired director of archaeological research at Witwatersrand University, discovered pre-colonial structures there during an aerial survey in 1968. "He spotted a number of ruins, but far fewer than are actually present," Sadr said. The city is hidden under a thick layer of vegetation, Sadr said. But in 2012, Sadr analyzed satellite images from Google Earth, and found that Kweneng had twice as many structures as previously realized. And now, with the new aerial survey using lidar or light detection and ranging Sadr and his colleagues discovered that "there were actually three times as many structures as Mason had initially identified," Sadr said. The vast area where the lost city, known as Kweneng, once stood. (Image credit: Karim Sadr) For the recent survey, the researchers used a lidar machine to shoot billions of lasers at the ground. Once these lasers hit an object, be it a structure, a bird or a tree, they bounce back to the machine, which calculates the time it took to return. Ultimately, that time gives a distance, which the machine can use to create a 3D topographical map of the area. "[We're] filling a huge historical gap, especially for southern Africa, because you know pre-colonial history of southern Africa has no written record," Fern Imbali Sixwanha, a doctoral student of archaeology at the University of the Witwatersrand, told Africa News. "So, now we [are] starting to fill in the gaps using this lidar technology." The lidar results revealed a greater concentration of ancient stone-walled structures than had been suspected about 800 to 900 compounds in all. Given that each compound could have housed a few to many families, between 5,000 and 10,000 people were likely living there during the city's peak in 1820, Sadr said. The researchers dated the structures based on their "characteristic architectural style," which are also found in other historic African cities far to the west of Kweneng, Sadr said. The researchers documented the structural remains of the lost city. (Image credit: Karim Sadr) The Tswana, a group of people who still live in Botswana, South Africa and neighboring regions, would have lived in Kweneng. And since they didnt have a written language, findings like this one can shed light on the peoples lives and perhaps, the architecture they used and how they set up cities. "It is the largest of the pre-colonial Tswana capitals that we know so far," Sadr said. Moreover, it is the only known Tswana city that was occupied from the 1400s or 1500s, when it was just a few scattered homesteads, all the way to its pre-classic period in the 1600s, when villages appeared, he said. "In its classic phase, between around 1750 and 1825, Kweneng grew into a city," Sadr said. Originally published on Live Science. It's difficult to imagine now, but at certain points in Earth's history, ice covered the entire planet. This frozen Earth, nicknamed snowball Earth, was a setting "so severe, that the Earth's entire surface, from pole to pole, including the oceans, completely froze over," said Melissa Hage, an environmental scientist and assistant professor at Oxford College of Emory University in Georgia. In 1840, Louis Agassiz, a Swiss natural scientist, was among the first to acknowledge and provide evidence that Earth had gone through ice ages, according to the University of California Museum of Paleontology. Joseph Kirschvink, an American geologist, later coined the term "snowball Earth," in a 1992 textbook. Kirschvink's work was based on evidence provided by Agassiz and others. Scientists believe that three to four severe ice ages, which froze nearly or all of the surface, occurred between 750 million and 580 million years ago, probably because Earth's land masses were all located at or near the equator, which resulted in increased weathering. Weathering is when wind and precipitation break down rocks and minerals on the planet's surface. The process leads to decreased carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, which allows more heat to dissipate from the surface and into space, cooling the planet. "Increased continental weathering led to a decrease in atmospheric carbon dioxide and [therefore, caused] global cooling," Hage said. "Once the polar oceans began to freeze, more sunlight was reflected off the white surfaces and cooling was amplified." Typically, ice that forms over the continents, such as ice sheets, will slow weathering and allow atmospheric carbon-dioxide levels and temperatures to rise. However, hundreds of millions of years ago, all of Earth's land masses were located at the equator. Without land masses at the poles for ice sheets to form on, and the weathering and cooling cycle continued unchecked, plunging the planet into a deep freeze, according to Hage. Scientists estimate that average global temperatures dropped to minus 58 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 50 degrees Celsius) during these ice ages, which each lasted approximately 10 million years. With water unable to evaporate from the ice-covered oceans, the water cycle (in which water travels between the atmosphere, land and oceans) shut down. There is some debate, however, as to whether the Earth was completely frozen solid or if there were still patches of slushy material or open water at the equator where sunlight could enter the water and allow some organisms to survive. This "slushball Earth" hypothesis was introduced in 2000 by Richard Cowen, an American geologist, according to Dartmouth University. The intense ice ages eventually melted away. Scientist believe that volcanoes continued to pump carbon dioxide into the atmosphere throughout the ice ages, eventually warming the planet enough that the water cycle could resume. The increased greenhouse gases (water vapor and carbon dioxide), which retain the heat on the surface of the planet, eventually led to runaway heating, said Hage, raising global average temperatures to 122 F (50 C) over just a few hundred years. This, in turn, led to increased continental weathering, which helped decrease the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and cool temperatures back down. A phenomenon known as the Milankovitch cycles also played a part in the ebb and flow of ice ages, according to Hage. The three cycles are named for Mulutin Milankovic, a Serbian astronomer, who provided evidence linking climate changes with the changing amount of solar energy the Earth's surface receives based on the planet's position. The cycles refer to slight changes in the shape of Earth's orbit around the sun, the tilt of the planet's axis and how much the Earth wobbles on its axis as it spins. As the Earth warmed and came out of its deep freeze, a huge explosion of life occurred, known as the Cambrian explosion, according to the University of California Museum of Paleontology. This is the earliest known period within the fossil record in which major groups of animals appear within a very brief geologic time period (about 40 million years). Will we see another snowball Earth in our future? According to Hage, it's unlikely, due to the spread-out orientation of the continents. "Even with extreme winters, continental ice sheets would form, which would stop continental weathering and allow carbon dioxide to build up in the atmosphere, leading to warming rather than runaway freezing," she said. Additional Resources: Now, picture that fountain made of thousands of wriggling fly larvae. That's what scientists found while studying the dinnertime of black soldier fly larvae, or maggots. When vast quantities of these larvae feed together, their surging movement around their food creates a living fountain of writhing bodies. That may sound revolting, but the strategy makes maggots uniquely efficient at devouring meals en masse, scientists reported in a new study. [Ear Maggots and Brain Amoeba: 5 Creepy Flesh-Eating Critters] Larvae of the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) typically hatch, live and eat together in the hundreds and thousands, and each voracious grub can consume up to twice its body mass in a day, lead study author Olga Shishkov, a doctoral candidate in mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech, told Live Science. Other animals, such as piranhas and flesh-eating dermestid beetles, are also known to feed quickly in large groups, and these carnivores can swiftly reduce a corpse to a stripped skeleton. But the dynamics of group-feeding behavior are not well-understood, so the researchers decided to dive deep into piles of maggots (figuratively speaking) to see what the energetic larvae might reveal. "If you watch a video of any kind of maggots, they squirm around a lot. They're constantly in motion," Shishkov said. "If this didn't benefit them, they probably wouldn't be wasting their energy." A single maggot eats about twice its own body mass in a single day. (Image credit: Shishkov and Hu, Georgia Tech ) Go with the flow Using cameras positioned above and below fish tanks, the scientists filmed feeding sessions of groups of larvae from 500 to 10,000 individuals as the maggots swarmed around orange slices. The researchers then used a technique called particle image velocimetry (PIV) to analyze the flow and movement of the group as a whole. As the larvae fed, their movements seemed random to the naked eye, but algorithms detected "a coherent flow direction," the study reported. Viewed from the top, particle analysis showed the mass of maggot bodies flowing outward. Meanwhile, the view from the bottom revealed a flow inward, along with a vortex of the entire feeding mass. The writhing of black soldier fly larvae around their food may seem random, but it turns out there's a reason for their wriggling. (Image credit: Shishkov and Hu, Georgia Tech) What was happening? When the larvae swarmed around their food, wriggling maggots at the bottom closed in for the first bites. But as the diners' eager neighbors squirmed around them, the first eaters were carried upward by waves of other hungry maggots. Once they reached the top, they tumbled all the way down an effect resembling water flow in a fountain, the study authors said. "New larvae crawl in from the bottom and are 'pumped' out of the top," the authors wrote. Larvae typically eat for only 5 minutes at a time; a flowing momentum in the group means that larvae that are close to the food and resting get moved aside to make room for maggots with empty bellies. This "fountain of larvae" feeding strategy is unique to maggots, because it involves a level of prolonged, full-body contact that is simply not feasible for other types of animals, the scientists explained in the study. The findings were published online Feb. 6 in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface. Originally published on Live Science. THE UL Hospitals Group has moved to reassure the public that the sickest patients are seen as priority at University Hospital Limericks emergency department, as it faces another day of strike action this Thursday. While injury units at St Johns, Nenagh and Ennis have reopened following Tuesdays 24 hours of strike action, they will be closed as a result of the nationwide dispute on Thursday. There will be significant disruption to a wide range of healthcare services in the Mid-West, from Thursday 8am to Friday 8am, and that updates will be made via social and local media. All planned daycase and inpatient surgical procedures have been cancelled for tomorrow (7th February). The vast majority of outpatient appointments have been cancelled, however a small number of clinics will go ahead tomorrow and those patients are being contacted directly. UL Hospitals continues to work with the INMO to secure the safest possible level of nursing and midwifery cover in our hospitals during the period of the strike and contingency arrangements are being finalised. We will re-schedule any appointments or procedures that have been cancelled due to strike action this week as soon as possible. According to the INMOs daily trolley figures, there were 50 patients on trolleys at the emergency department and in the wards at UHL this Wednesday morning. High numbers of presentations are expected at the Emergency Department (ED) at University Hospital Limerick today, 6th of February, and patients attending the ED can expect to experience extended waits in many cases. We apologise for this and regret that patients have to wait but we wish to reassure patients and families that we are working to ensure that the sickest patients are seen as a priority. We are asking members of the public to please consider all their care options before presenting to the ED at UHL. Members of the public with a less serious illness can be treated by their GP or out of hours GP service where their GP can refer them to an Assessment Unit if required. However, if you are seriously injured or ill or are worried your life is at risk the ED will assess and treat you as a priority. A UNIVERSITY of Limerick research centre is among seven centres to share a new 39 million investment, that will see 15 PhD positions created in Ireland. SSPC, the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) pharmaceutical research centre, based in UL, is one of seven centres awarded funding through a new partnership to support doctoral training. We are delighted to receive funding on this programme, SSPC director Professor Gavin Walker said. Strengthening academic links across national boundaries and through partnerships such as these means we can tap into further expertise, and tackle priority areas through excellent and transformative research. The funding will now see the SSPC work with two leading schools of pharmacy in the UK: the University of Nottingham and University College London. The three groups will work together as a Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Transformative Pharmaceutical Technologies. The CDT, which will be led by Dr Snjezana Stolnik-Trenkic at the University of Nottingham, will help 75 doctoral scientists to drive innovation in the sector, by designing and developing new medicines. The project will also see 15 new PhD positions created here, with the first expected to begin later this year. Funding for the UK side of the CDT will come from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). Industry investment is also expected to add to the overall project. SSPC is a SFI research centre, hosted by UL. The centre is run in partnership with University College Cork, National University of Galway and Trinity College Dublin, the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, Dublin City University, Waterford Institute of Technology and Athlone Institute of Technology. LIMERICK features prominently in a major jobs and investment announcement by Pat McDonagh Supermacs and SO Hotels Groups this Wednesday. A total of 300 new jobs will be created across the country. Three hotels the Castle Oaks House Hotel in Castleconnell, Killeshin Hotel and Athlone Springs Hotel will be refurbished and redeveloped. Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys announced that 100 jobs will be created through the redevelopment and refurbishment of the three hotels. Mr McDonagh said that he intends to spend a further 1/2 million on the further modernisation of the Killeshin Hotel in Portlaoise. The hotel group recently announced a 1.5 million investment in the Athlone Springs Hotel to develop and refurbish the hotel he purchased in the summer of 2018. The Castle Oaks House Hotel in Castleconnell was purchased before Christmas and will also undergo refurbishment and development in the coming year. While there was no figure released this Wednesday it is expected that a sum in the region of 1.5m will be invested to upgrade the hotel overlooking the Shannon in the pretty village. A total of two hundred jobs will be created in three new Supermacs outlets in Wexford, Waterford and Kinnegad. Minister Humphreys said: It gives me great pleasure to announce the creation of 300 jobs by the Supermacs and SO Hotels Groups at six locations including Portlaoise, Athlone and Kinnegad in the Midlands, as well as Wexford, Waterford and Limerick. I would like to warmly congratulate Pat and Una McDonagh and everyone involved on their wonderful achievement and wish them all the best in the exciting new chapter ahead. It is especially pleasing to see an Irish company creating local jobs, not only directly, but through the wide base of Irish suppliers and those involved in the building developments. Supermacs MD, Pat McDonagh, said that the positivity in the regions was one of the key reasons for recent investments. What makes Supermacs different is that we source as much of our produce as we can from local suppliers, he said. That starts with the building process and continues on to the supply of the food that we supply our customers. We have been using much of the same local suppliers throughout the country for over 30 years," said Mr McDonagh. He continued: Not only do we provide sustainable jobs but we also provide sustainable careers often in parts of the country that need them. But we also become active members of the community as well. Another thing that sets us apart is our commitment to the communities we are involved with. The group currently employs over 4,000 people throughout the country through company, franchisee and hotel employees and is on a major recruitment drive for management staff in particular. We will be engaging in a major recruitment drive to get staff for these new openings in Supermacs and the hotels, said Mr McDonagh. A LIMERICK man was fined for littering following what was described in court as a straight forward case. Patrick Crawford, who has an address at Clarina Avenue, Ballincaurra Weston, was prosecuted in relation to a detection which was made at Rathroe, Rosbrien on July 19, 2018. At Limerick District Court, Paul Clancy, a litter warden with Limerick City and County Council, said after examining five bags of household rubbish which were dumped at the side of the road near the M7 flyover, he found evidence which was linked to the defendant. Photographs of the rubbish, which was dumped next to a no dumping sign, were submitted to the court. Mr Clancy told Judge Bernadette Owens that an on-the-spot fine was issued and that a number of reminder letters were sent to Mr Crawford whose partner agreed to pay the fine in installments over a number of weeks. While the first payment of 50 was received by the local authority, the balance was never paid. Judge Owens imposed a 150 fine and ordered that Mr Crawford pay the costs and expenses incurred by the council. Solicitor Ger Reidy indicated these totalled 280. Neither Mr Crawford or his partner were present in court for the brief hearing. We're sorry that the ministry you were looking for is no longer available on LightSource.com. However, below are some great ministries that offer related content. Enjoy the inspiration, encouragement, and Biblical challenge from these LightSource.com ministry partners! Kildare based Ag-tech company TERRA NutriTECH is one of just ten companies from around the world to be selected for the prestigious Pearse Lyons Accelerator Programme. Specialising in precision delivery of liquid supplementation for livestock through water systems on farms, the family run company who now have a five percent penetration within the Irish dairy mineral market, will work with Alltech and partners Dogpatch Labs. Now in its third year, a record breaking 251 start-ups from 53 countries applied to be part of The Pearse Lyons Accelerator. Based in Moone, TERRA NutriTECH, a family run company recently announced news of a 2 million investment towards research and development and global expansion plans. The innovative technologies were developed by brothers Tom and Padraig Hennessy who founded the company in 2012. Farmers are the beneficiaries of their product design with important elements being the accurate delivery of supplements, elimination of waste and labour reduction which leads to improved herd health and higher farm profitability. This new accolade follows on from Terra NutriTECH being awarded the overall winner of the National Enterprise Awards, a first for a Kildare company and winners of the Google Adopt-a-Startup program 2018. The Pearse Lyons Accelerator was the brainchild of the late Dr. Pearse Lyons, founder of animal nutrition company, Alltech. In the early 1980s, he developed the company in his garage beginning with just $10,000. What makes this accelerator unique is the commitment from Alltechs leadership to actively mentor the start-ups. This now includes our president and CEO, Dr. Mark Lyons who is directly involved in the programme and sees collaboration through innovation as a key growth strategy for Alltech, said Robbie Walker, Alltechs Programme Director of The Pearse Lyons Accelerator. Alltech has always been a thought leader in the industry and the focus is bringing the latest and greatest innovations to their customers. Running the accelerator gives an opportunity to learn about these new technologies and showcase them to customers. Their aim of the programme is to accelerate the business development of each of the ten selected companies culminating with the start-ups presenting on the main stage at one: The Alltech Ideas Conference in Lexington, Kentucky, USA in May. More than 4,000 Agri industry leaders from over 70 countries will be in attendance. Through the Pearse Lyons Accelerator we carry on my fathers the legacy, his entrepreneurial spirit and his desire to empower the next generation of entrepreneurs who are transforming the face of agriculture. said Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech. Other accelerator companies selected hail from Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, Portugal and Spain. Mr Lyons said: Our class of 2019 start-ups focus on all aspects of agriculture including animal welfare, meat quality, crop health and increased productivity. The final 10 reflect the full breadth of Alltech's global operations and we believe that their technologies can make us and our customers more sustainable, profitable and innovative. A travel agent found guilty of stealing money from a charity which sent terminally ill children to Lapland must wait to hear the outcome of an appeal against his conviction. John Murphy (69), also known as Con Murphy, had pleaded not guilty to four counts of theft from The Children to Lapland Appeal between June and July 2010 totalling 18,643. Murphy, of Church Road, in Killiney, had founded the charity in 1987. It raised money from donations to bring terminally ill children on trips to see Santa Claus in Lapland. Murphy also operated United Travel, a travel agent based in Stillorgan, in Dublin, before it went out of business in 2012. His defence at trial was that the charity owed him money and it was normal for monies to travel back and forth between the accounts. The prosecution characterised his position as the Father Ted defence. To quote Dermot Morgan, they're trying to say 'the money was simply resting in my account, Garrett McCormack, for the DPP, contended. Murphy was found guilty by a jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after 42 minutes of deliberations and he was subsequently given a wholly suspended three-year sentence by Judge Pat McCartan on March 16, 2016. He moved to appeal his conviction this week on the main ground that the trial judge deprived the jury of the opportunity to consider the defence of honest belief. Murphys barrister, Patrick Reynolds BL, said there was evidence of a belief on Murphys part that he was entitled to act as he did. He said the auditor had confirmed under cross-examination that Murphy had subsidised the charity for years and the investigating detective accepted reluctantly that Murphys personal accounts and business accounts were interchangeable, Mr Reynolds said. Counsel submitted that the trial judge, on four occasions in his instructions to the jury, stated there was no defence for them to consider. Furthermore, he said the trial judge unfairly made the point that Murphy had not gotten into the witness box to say he believed he was entitled to the money. President of the Court of Appeal Mr Justice George Birmingham, Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy and Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy, reserved judgment. Det Garda Brian Daveron told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court that he began investigating the Children to Lapland Appeal after a complaint about how it was being run. He obtained court orders for access to the charitys account and Murphys personal accounts. He discovered four cheques had been written from the charitys account and lodged in Murphys personal account. Murphy was not in court for the appeal. Money spent by the Irish Prison Service on handcuffs and bomb detection does not have to go through normal open contract rules. The Irish Prison Service was quizzed by Deputy Alan Farrell on the spending at a recent Dail Public Accouts committee meeting. He said there were five urgent purchases for 0.5 million that were not compliant with procurement rules. Caron McCaffrey replied: Of the five cases, which total 498,000, three related to security equipment we were not in a position to go to the market to tender on. That comprised handcuffs, an explosive detection system and the installation of security netting at a prison to combat a particular issue we have with drugs being thrown over the walls, she said. Deputy Farrell was puzzled about how cuffs and nets would be restricted, but Ms McCaffrey declined to give further information for security reasons. 7m prison computer bill due to CCTV storage The Irish Prison Service appears to have to spent millions of euro extra as part of the upgrade of its prison CCTV system. Galway TD Catherine Connolly said the estimate was over 4 million and the outturn was over 7 million. The Prison Service gives the reason for that as additional storage space. In reply Ms Caron McCaffrey, Director General said there has been a change from outdated systems to high-definition CCTV. The physical IT storage space to store that footage has increased and we have had to invest significant moneys to purchase additional storage to ensure all the CCTV footage that is captured and saved as part of an incident is then available for any criminal or Inspector of Prisons investigation, she said. Supermac's announced 300 new jobs this morning, in six regional locations around the country. Some of these will be involved in a renovation of sections of the Killeshin Hotel in Portlaoise, which is owned by Pat McDonagh. The announcement of the jobs was made by Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphries at the Killeshin Hotel in Portlaoise on Wednesday morning. Two hundred jobs will be in new Supermac's outlets in Wexford, Waterford and Kinnegad. The rest will be in redevelopment works at Pat McDonagh's SO hotel group , including the Killeshin Hotel, the Athlone Springs and the Castle Oaks in Limerick. Together, these three hotels will create a further 100 jobs and I am delighted to hear there will be a significant investment right here in the Killeshin in Portlaosie. Im also delighted to see there are plans to build another Supermacs in Portlaoise and it is brilliant to see an Irish company creating local jobs," she said. Supermac's owner, Pat McDonagh also noted his other major Laois project, the proposed 10 million Obama Plaza style service station at Togher. He said that his plans would be the gateway project for the inland port at Togher, which would see the installation of roads and infrastructure. Speaking to the Leinster Express, Mr McDonagh said that plans for the Killeshin hotel include the renovation of the bar and restaurant areas, as well as the bedrooms. This would take place over the next 12 months. Noting that his planning application for the service station at Togher was awaiting a decision from An Bord Pleanala, he said he hoped that if permission was granted, that it would be up and running within a year. Plans for Togher include a drive-thru and a six-pump forecourt, with an overhead canopy and huge floor area of 1,220 square metres. People throughout Laois are encouraged to have their say in the public consultation on the new heritage plan for Ireland, Heritage Ireland 2030 this week. Heritage Ireland 2030 is based around three themes of: - national leadership - supporting stronger heritage partnerships - building community and local involvement in heritage The aim of the plan is to guide the Governments heritage priorities and investment over the next decade and beyond. This includes how the 285m commitment to heritage will be spent. Local workshops are a key element of the public consultation process and are being coordinated and facilitated by local authority Heritage Officers. Laois TD and Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan encouraged people to have their say. Our heritage is a shared responsibility and a shared treasure. We need to work together at national, local and community level to care for it and to unlock its future potential. So I invite you to play your part in shaping the future of our heritage and have your say during this consultation period. The natural and built heritage around us enriches our lives, inspires our achievements and gives life to our communities. It underpins our culture, our economy and our society. Our vision for heritage is a simple one - that heritage is valued and protected. Heritage Ireland 2030 will be built around that vision: that the way in which we identify and protect our heritage is the best it can be. A discussion document can be downloaded at www.chg.gov.ie/heritage/ heritageireland2030/ and you can make submissions by email heritageireland2030@chg.gov.ie via online survey www.surveymonkey. com/r/LBLJHDT or by post to Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Custom House, Dublin 1, D01 W6XO. The public consultation day is designed to offer people a chance to ask questions and get information. If you have a specific issue youd like to clarify, or if youre not sure how to write your submission, please do come along and we will help in any way we can. We cant guarantee we will have all the answers, but if we work together we can make sure the final plan is as strong as it can be for communities and for our shared heritage, said the organisers. The drop-in session in Portlaoise library takes place on Thursday, February 7 from 3pm to 7.30pm. Mold was found in the Phillipsburg town offices two years ago. While other departments moved out, police have been left waiting. No more, they say. The towns police union wants to relocate to a temporary location -- any temporary location -- within 45 days, according to a WFMZ report from Tuesday nights town council meeting. Both Chief Robert Stetner and union president Lt. John Maczko told the town how frustrated they were by delays in securing a new headquarters. Their 20-minute dialogue with the council was also posted to YouTube by resident Blaine Fehley, who was involved in a failed recall against Mayor Stephen Ellis. The mayor himself was present at the meeting -- his first since being asked to leave one in September -- though he appeared to sit with the audience, not with council. Police have remained at the town hall on Corliss Avenue since 2017, while other offices relocated to a former school and council meetings have been moved to the Phillipsburg Housing Authority facility. The plan has been to turn the towns old armory building on Heckman Street into a public safety building, housing not only police, but fire and emergency management, as well. Council budgeted $3.2 million for the conversion in August, but on Tuesday said the bond was not properly adopted. Subsequent requests have pushed the project beyond the budget. In the middle of Tuesdays meeting, council went behind closed doors with police. Afterward, Council President Bobby Fulper told WFMZ that a council committee will work with police on a plan to get the department relocated. Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveNovakLVL and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. In his State of the Union address Tuesday, President Donald Trump railed against socialism, promised a campaign to eradicate HIV and AIDS in the U.S., and reiterated his demand to build a barrier on the U.S.-Mexico border. He acknowledged the white-clad women representatives sitting in the Democratic section of the House, praising their election victories. He sought to further isolate Iran as a rogue state while saying his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is de-escalating that nations threat to the U.S. He said he believes the U.S. would at war with North Korea today had he not won the 2016 election. He praised advances in the economy, last years tax cuts and dropping jobless rates. He said trade talks with China, Mexico and Canada are paying off. The only things that can hinder progress, he said, are war and ridiculous partisan investigations a reference to the Robert Mueller investigation and expected committee hearings by House Democrats into his campaign activities. He expressed confidence that a wall will be built on the southern border, but stopped short of saying hed declare a national emergency to get it done. Fact-checkers were kept busy, too, pointing out several Trump assertions that didnt hold up. What do you think? Was this a good performance, a game-changer for Trump? More fodder for his opponents? Have a say in our informal, unscientific poll, and feel free to elaborate in the comment section. The Nurture Nature Center in Easton is hosting three community forums on the newly updated Lehigh Valley Hazard Mitigation Plan. Members of the Northampton County Emergency Management Agency and Lehigh Valley Planning Commission will be on hand to discuss area hazards and how to mitigate them, a news release says. A new community project to learn about the science of hazards, to identify steps to reduce losses and to develop a shared vision of resilience will also be announced, according to the news release. Residents of the Easton Area School District are invited to the first session from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 21 at the Nurture Nature Center at 518 Northampton St. in Easton. A meeting for residents of the Wilson Area School District will be from 7 to 8:30 p.m. March 12 at the Mary Meuser Public Library Annex, 1803 Northampton St., Wilson Borough. A meeting for residents of the Bangor Area School District will be at 7 p.m. March 21 at the Washington Township Municipal Building, 1021 Washington Blvd., Washington Township, Northampton County. Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter@RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook. Female Democrats in the House of Representatives showed up for Donald Trumps State of the Union address on Tuesday wearing white as a symbol of solidarity. Women from both parties were invited to dress in white by the House Democratic Womens Working Group. Wearing suffragette white is a respectful message of solidarity with women across the country, and a declaration that we will not go back on our hard-earned rights, Rep. Lois Frankel of Florida, the chair of the working group, said in a report by CNN. House Democratic women dressed in white for the #SOTU walk up the spiral staircase in the HVC > pic.twitter.com/LMxC4CGJ83 Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) February 5, 2019 Photos of the scene were posted to social media Tuesday afternoon by reporters and politicians, including Congresswoman Deb Haaland of New Mexico. In 2017, the same group got the Democratic women to wear white at the presidents joint address to Congress in memory of the womens suffrage movement, but also to show Trump their support for womens issues, including affordable health care and equal pay. The State of the Union was scheduled for 9 p.m. Tuesday. Today, we wear suffragette white to send a strong message that we are fighting for womens rights and equal pay. #WomenUnited #SOTU pic.twitter.com/zkqPHqcfa3 Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) February 5, 2019 The women wearing white showed up i droves during Trumps speech, including Nancy Pelosi. The dozens of female representatives wearing white is stark. If you ever needed a visual representation of how many women the Democrats elected this will drive it home https://t.co/hrFjgFWUjT #SOTU pic.twitter.com/dOTK0RDrSj Los Angeles Times (@latimes) February 6, 2019 Democratic congresswomen (including Speaker Nancy Pelosi) are dressed in white a symbol of womens suffrage for Tuesday nights State of the Union address. #SOTU pic.twitter.com/m1s38oiFWI Vox (@voxdotcom) February 6, 2019 This clip of all the women in Congress cheering for the women in the workforce makes me so so happy 100% the highlight of this #sotu pic.twitter.com/Mi0nwI9uGf Adrienne Mahsa Varkiani (@AdrienneMahsa) February 6, 2019 Women in white: @AOC and Ana Maria Archila, who confronted Jeff Flake in an elevator during Kavanaugh hearings, ready for SOTU pic.twitter.com/TRqBiSo2LE Sheryl Gay Stolberg (@SherylNYT) February 5, 2019 Even Donald Trumps daughter, Tiffany Trump, wore white on Tueday night. Tiffany Trump wears white, the color chosen by Democrats as a political statement, at State of the Union via @usatoday https://t.co/32SGGCXC7Z Washington stories (@wash_stories) February 6, 2019 Tiffany Trump wears all-white to father's #SOTU speech, matching Dems wearing white in solidarity https://t.co/9nJuQ7ktYA pic.twitter.com/gjDFDwavGs The Hill (@thehill) February 6, 2019 Celebrities, including George Takei, also chimed in to applaud the show of solidarity by the women. Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon 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. - A young Nigerian lady based abroad has taken to social media to narrate how her father disowned her for leaving her abusive boyfriend - According to her story, her parents tried to get her back with the man even after she told them he had raped and abused her - This resulted in a fight after which her father disowned her and her siblings for disrespecting him An abroad-based Nigerian lady left social media in shock after she narrated how her parents disowned her for leaving her abusive boyfriend. Identified as Scilla, she revealed how she broke up with her boyfriend after he took advantage of her when she was drunk. The breakup did not sit well with her parents as they wanted her to get back with the man. A fight soon ensued between her father and herself with her siblings by her side. Rather than confront the main issue, he disowned her alongside her siblings who tried to reason with her, for disrespecting him. She narrated: "There was this dude I used to talk to. One day I was super drunk and this nigga had sex with me. Mind you I was unconscious, and had no memory of what happened the night before. The next day he told me we had sex and I was wondering why hed have sex with a drunk unconscious girl READ ALSO: Personal letter from the Editor-in-Chief of Legit.ng (former NAIJ.com) Thats rape. So after that day I cut him off. My parents on the other hand liked this guy and wondered why we stopped hanging out so I told them he was abusive. The very first time this guy yelled at me I had to hold myself in the fetus position to protect myself. That was the same day the rape happened. This man is screaming and hitting things. Anyhow. I get home, confided in my siblings and they stood by me the whole time but I had no intention of ever telling my parents this guy raped me. Everytime they asked about him I told them he was abusive and hes scary cos I feel hes gonna hit me. And my dad LITERALLY said to me oh thats bad, he has anger issues and thats terrible.A little back ground on the guy. His parents recently filed for a divorce in the end of last year because for about 28years of their marriage his father was abusive to all of them. He would hit his mom and his kids. Thats all he knows, abuse. But he swore he never wanted to be like his dad. And he seemed perfect until that day. We got in a heated argument on why hed had sex with a drunk girl and he literally turned red and turned into an animal.So anyhooo. My parents knowing Im scared of this dude. They know after it ended I had to go to therapy. Even though they had no clue he raped me I believe they should know that was enough for me to stay away from this man. So on Sunday I was suspecting they were still in communication so I took my moms phone when she was not looking. I go through it and see my own mother contacted this man and told him I was a child who didnt know what I wanted and if he still wanted me back she and my dad were willing to come in to help....IMAGINE, IF HE STILL WANTED ME BACK??? My parents knew this man was abusive. READ ALSO: Presidential candidate Atiku calls Davido reigning king of music, he reacts My parents knew this man sent me to therapy. My mother went ahead and told him I was in love with him. Someone I hadnt spoken to in about a month.Then in the text I see they set up a meeting to meet up at Wendys last Friday. So at this point Im furious. I drop her phone back and go to my room thinking of what to do...by the time I came out she had left for work so I step outside the house to call this man to know the details of their meeting. He was telling me my parents said I was a child who didnt know what I want and they like him and want us together and that his anger issues could easily be worked on so it shouldn't tear us apart. At this point Im FURIOUS. I hung up, called my siblings together and told them what was happening and they were all mad so I go confront my dad in his room. One of my sisters follow me. I went to his room and said dad I wanna talk to you about something. So I had been suspecting you and this guy were in communication, and I took moms phone and went through it...at this point I get emotional and couldnt get my out words out right but I try anyway. I asked him do you love me at all? And he says what kind of question is that and I asked him why was he getting in contact with this dude and why did they meet KNOWING FULLY WELL Im scared of this guy? A guy thats abusive at this point Im crying...I was like you think being abusive is a flaw??? (In the text my mom said his issues was a flaw and we all got flaws anyway)...you know what my dad said? He said hes my father and will not answer to me and I should get out of his room PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News on Legit.ng News App And I said Im not going anywhere. I kept going...why are you so desperate to see your daughter with a man you dont care what kind of man it is? Then he comes to me holding a hanger he was using to hang his clothes saying he would slap me. He said do you want me to slap you? And I said you cant slap me and he said he will slap me then my brother comes in expecting to see the conversation going on smoothly but was shocked seeing my dad standing over me saying he will slap me. So my brother says do you really wanna slap her? Your 27yo daughter is confronting you over wanting her to get back with an abuser and you want to slap her? TRY IT! I DARE YOU! Slap her! I dare you to touch her And at this point Im sitting on the floor confused and crying like why would he want to hit me? Then my dad faces my brother and said I will slap you too my brother took off his glasses and said I DARE YOU TO COME AND SLAP ME at this point my uncle and aunty come in the room with my other sister and its loud af and my dad and brother gets into it. And out of no where I screamed do you know ***** raped me? DO YOU KNOW HE RAPED ME? And my dad looks at me and says are you yelling at me? Im your father, I gave birth to you. At this point Im wondering why what was getting to him was the fact that I was yelling not the fact that Im telling him this man raped me. Then my brother goes off saying this stupid man raped my sister and NOW that you know youre angry that shes raising her voice. Meanwhile my uncle was separating my brother and my dad cos punches and hands were being thrown. The min my uncle heard rape he turned into an animal and said GIVE ME THAT MANS ADDRESS RIGHT NOW! And he was going off ANGRY AF! Meanwhile the next thing my father said was I disown all 4 of you. Youre no longer my children, leave my house My uncle was telling him Sir, Priscilla said this man raped her, now we understand the level of her anger all my dad could say was all of you leave my house NOW! Anyhoo we didnt leave. I told him to call the cops if he wants to. My dad literally didnt care this man raped me" Scilla went on to reveal that her father is speaking to neither her nor her siblings and has gone ahead to disconnect them from utility privileges. She revealed that she has already made plans to move out with her three siblings. So sad! Meanwhile, a Nigerian man has taken to social media to share a rule he would live by as a parent. The man identified as Kabir Shema revealed what he would do if his daughter gets beaten by her boyfriend when he starts his own family. Get the hottest gist on Africa Love Aid HELLO! NAIJ.com (naija.ng) upgrades to Legit.ng We keep evolving to serve our readers better At what point should a person walk out of an abusive relationship? | Legit TV Source: Legit.ng - Several socio-cultural groups have kicked against the Army's plan to launch another Operation Python Dance during the elections - The groups described the Army clamp down as a way of intimidating voters during the election - According to Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the Operation Python Dance will be used to prevent Igbo voters from casting their votes The Igbo-socio cultural group Ohanaeze Ndigbo, its Yoruba counterpart Afenifere and the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) have all kicked against the Nigerian Army's plan to launch Operation Python Dance during the forthcoming election. Vanguard reports that Ohanaeze Ndigbo criticised the Army's plan to clamp down on members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) during the election. The Ohanaeze's statement reads: Our attention has been drawn to the marching orders given by the Chief of Army staff to Division and Garrison Commanders in the South East of Nigeria to go after IPOB members in the region in order to forestall their threat to boycott the forthcoming general elections and instead hold their own referendum." The group said it is disturbed by Army chief's order and that it might be misconstrued to execute carnage and inhuman and degrading treatment on southeast youths. READ ALSO: Boko Haram attacks worsen since November, 59,200 people displaced - IOM IPOB remains a peaceful organization championing self-determination. Their last threat for boycott of Anambra state elections witnessed no violence but instead, we saw a higher turnout of voters than in the previous elections. The army did not order any such operation then as they are ordering now. "We hope this operation is not aimed at scaring the people of the south-east from coming out to cast their votes. We should be allowed to use our traditional rulers, community leaders and religious leaders to restrain our children," the statement reads. Afeniferes national publicity secretary, Yinka Odumakin, described the Army's operation as an intimidation of the masses. Odumakin said: It is nothing but sheer intimidation ahead of the elections in terms of militarising a section of the country where the APC is not comfortable. Why have they not organized Python Dance against Boko Haram that has been killing our soldiers all the while? So, it is a political move and we reject such operations, we are against it. The national chairman of PANDEF, Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga, retd, also kicked against the Army's operation. He said: Even when the times were not like this, we in the Niger Delta have always kicked against militarization. We want to demilitarize our zone, if we have been saying that over time, then it makes sense that it is most uncalled for now. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app This is election time and there is no need to cause more tension, there is no problem here, militancy has come down drastically and all we need is good governance. Deploying military here and there, Python Dance, Crocodile Smile and all that are unnecessary. It is not evidence of good governance. You cannot militarize a place, especially in a democracy and you call that good governance, it is not. People must be free to exercise their legitimate rights. So on the basis of that, we are opposed to all the Python Dance and Crocodile Smile at this time. Freedom is what we are looking for, if we lose freedom, then, we have lost democracy. Everybody should know where his own freedom ends, that is all that is required." Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army has vowed not to tolerate undue interference by politicians in the conduct of its Operation Python Dance. Brigadier General Sani Usman, the army spokesman, gave the warning in a statement on Sunday, February 3, after troops arrested 16 suspected political thugs in Sokoto state. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better Nigeria Latest News: Buhari vs Atiku - 2019 Elections | Legit TV Source: Legit - Ahead of the 2019 general elections, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, former president of Liberia, arrived Abuja in official capacity - Johnson-Sirleaf who arrived the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on Tuesday, February 5, was received by the ECOWAS delegation led by vice president, Finda M. Koroma - According to the former president of Liberia, she expects to meet with political leaders and join Nigerians to ensure that the process is peaceful and successful Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, former president of Liberia, on Tuesday, February 5, arrived in Abuja as the head of ECOWAS observer mission in Nigeria ahead of the 2019 general elections. News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports she was received by the vice president of the ECOWAS commission, Finda Koroma, members of the commission and some representatives of the ECOWAS Parliament. According to Johnson-Sirleaf, she expects to meet with political leaders and join Nigerians to ensure that the process is peaceful and successful. The former Liberian president said she would share the findings of earlier missions and consult with those who were already on ground to observe the elections. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, former president of Liberia Source: Original READ ALSO: ASUU resorts to referendum as strike continues With less than two weeks to the 2019 general elections, the international community has deployed various missions to observe the electoral process closely. The former Liberian president also promised to help ensure that the election process in Nigeria is peaceful and successful. Sirleaf made the promise when she was received by the vice president of ECOWAS Commission, Finda Koroma, at the Presidential Wing of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. She was also received by other members of the commission and some representatives of the ECOWAS Parliament. I hope to meet with political leaders, I want to be able to understand the role I have to play to make sure that I am well prepared to carry out the function. I am pleased that it is an ECOWAS assignment and I will be working with them (ECOWAS Commission) and they will guide me and I just expect that I will join all Nigerians to make sure that this whole process is so peaceful and successful. That is the purpose of my mission. The former Liberian president also said she would share in the findings of earlier missions and consult with those who had been on ground. READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda She said: I cannot make a statement till I have had an opportunity to be able to share in the findings of earlier missions, to consult with those who have been on ground. At a later date, the ECOWAS Observer Mission will be fully engaged, will carry out its functions and speak when it is time to speak." The electoral assistance to member states has been a vital part of the ECOWAS approach to promote democracy, human rights and the rule of law in the sub-region. Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that the federal government welcomed the statements from the United States and the United Kingdom demanding credible and peaceful election in Nigeria and threatening punitive measures against election riggers and perpetrators of electoral violence. In a statement issued in Ilorin on Friday, January 24, the minister of information and culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the federal government is delighted that the statements came after it alerted the nation, to the machinations of some opposition elements who are working to scuttle the 2019 polls through widespread violence. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng: We have updated to serve you better! I am learned, I am educated but PVC is a NO | Legit TV: Source: Legit - Pretty Nollywood actress, Rahama Sadau, has come under attack after releasing stunning photos of herself - The actress who showed off her arm in a black mono-strap had some righteous northerners shaming her for exposing her body - For Sadau, she is an unapologetic powerful woman and she wants the world to know Nollywood actress, Rahama Sadau, has had some righteous northerners bash her after she released new stunning photos of herself. The young actress had hoped to appeal to her new group of fans and posed in a stylish mono-strap top that showed off her arm. Many agreed that she looked every shade of gorgeous and praised her for being very simple and classy. However, her choice of outfit was not well received by some of her northern Muslim followers who reminded her that God frowned on such displays. They accused her of now being too famous to care about the instructions of the prophet and warned her to repent before it is too late. READ ALSO: Becca welcomes first child after six months of marriage See the stunning photo below: PAY ATTENTION: Get your daily relationship tips and advice on Africa Love Aid group Some accused the actress of chasing popularity and not modesty. They also prayed that Allah forgive her sins. Read some of the comments below: Comments (Picture/Twitter) Source: Twitter Comments (Picture/Twitter) Source: Twitter Recall that Rahama Sadua got banned from Kannywood after being accused of indecently hugging a male in a music video. It appears that is the same measure of spirit that is being used to judge her. Meanwhile, just recently, Rahama Sadua, completed her degree in Human Resource Management and graduated of Eastern Mediterranean University in Northern Cyprus. The 25-year-old movie star shared photos from her convocation ceremony on social media and announced her latest feat with a powerful caption. Did you know? NAIJ.com (naija.ng) is now-> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better. PAY ATTENTION: Read best news on Nigeria's #1 news app Nigeria Celebrities: How Much Do They Spend On Luxury Life? on Legit TV: Source: Legit In light of the current craze that has heralded the upcoming BBNaija reality show for the year 2019, a correspondent of Legit.ng took to interviewing some people at the Lagos audition ground. Several startling details were garnered from Nigerian youths who were aspiring to be in the house. One of the most shocking comments was one gotten from a Nigerian lady who claimed she is a worker of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG). The lady particularly said that she was ready to do anything, no matter how nasty, to be a BBNaija housemate and win the prize money of N45m. The bawdy statements made by this lady who spoke exclusively to Legit.ng has attracted quite a lot of comments from many people. One of those who have weighed in on the issue is popular OAP Daddy Freeze. The religious pundit took to his page to repost the video in which the RCCG worker who identified herself as Ruth Babs claimed that she had even told members of the church about her earnest desire to win BBNaija's money. He then went ahead to give his own comment on the issue. READ ALSO: We can discuss the real truth about Christ for free - Daddy Freeze to Pastor Adeboye According to Daddy Freeze, he cannot totally blame Ruth and he is not surprised that such statements were being made by her. For him, the church pastors are to blame for this as they have also proven over time that they can do anything for money as well. The on air personality was especially surprised at the lady's exclamation when she heard that the prize money for the 2019 episode of the BBNaija reality show was N45m. He expressed his dismay at her reaction. READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda See his post below: Several people could not also hide their shock at the lady's statements. Being a church worker at RCCG, they had not expected such remarks from her. This caused them to react in startling manners. See some of their reactions below: PAY ATTENTION: Get your daily relationship tips and advice on Africa Love Aid group peaceful_czar: "if she wins , she will still go to the church and give testimony of Gods blessings and sow seed with part of the 45 million ." aalflceo: "Well, this is just that average lost Nigerian girl who thinks theres manna(45m)out there waiting for them to cash it. The government can do better misleading us." smokentertament: "@daddyfreeze she has a loose mouth. If you can't control yourself, you can't go far in life.That is why she will not get it. she is Part of the people that destroy the body of Christ." jimomayowa: "Sincerely. I do not think she was first a christian. She is a church goer and then decided to join the workforce to help alleviate poverty, but sadly God cannot be mocked, He sees the deep and secret things of men, that not working out for her, she comes out in the open to make a complete fool of herself." jimomayowa: "Daddy Freeze, you are only trying to use to criticism against big churches to become infamous. Among those you teach the word personally, I am sure there are those whose character flaws are far worse than that of this girl." therealehirozay: "Yehoshua! This one shock me oh ." PAY ATTENTION: Read best news on Nigeria's #1 news app The BBNaija craze is everywhere indeed. Recently, a Nigerian mother who is a farmer took to auditioning for a shot at being a contestant at 2019 BBNaija reality show. According to her, she wants to make a difference by being the mama of the house. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have upgraded to serve you better Church worker reveals why she wants to enter BBNaija | Legit TV Source: Legit Despite the controversies that have trailed the subject of same sex relationships in the country, a Nigerian lady recently took to her social media platform to bare her mind on lesbianism. The lady identified as Igwe Gloria took to Facebook with a post in which she had fearlessly preached about homosexuality. She posted a photo in which she was spotted receiving a kiss on the cheek from another female who is probably her partner. Gloria accompanied the photos with a note in which she had divulged that being a lesbian is bae and as such engaging in it would not bring any case of regret. READ ALSO: Nigerian lesbian couple show love as they celebrate their 2 years anniversary (photos) She said : "Lesbianism is a bae. I swear u wont regret it.Stop crying for that useless boyfriend of urs Just an advice tho" READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda Igwe Gloria's post. Photo source: Facebook/Igwe Gloria Source: Facebook PAY ATTENTION: Read best news on Nigeria's #1 news app She also advised that females should stop shedding tears over their male boyfriends as being with a fellow female will leave them unhurt. PAY ATTENTION: Get your daily relationship tips and advice on Africa Love Aid group Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously gathered the report that a public relations officer of the Zone 2 police command, Dolapo Badmus, had said that Nigeria is no place for homosexuals. She called on Nigerians to come forward with evidence proving anyone to be gay so that they could be dealt with accordingly. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have upgraded to serve you better Nigeria Latest News: Over 57 Suspected Gay Newbies Arrested by Police | Legit TV Source: Legit - Mr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim says 70% of Nigerians voters are yet to decide who to vote for among the presidential candidates - The presidential candidate of Peoples Trust (PT) is making the claims barely 10 days to the 2019 general elections - The presidential hopeful advised Nigerians to reject the APC and the PDP, saying they have failed the country The presidential candidate of Peoples Trust (PT), Mr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has said that 70% of Nigerians voters are yet to decide who to vote for among the presidential candidates barely 10 days to the 2019 general elections. The presidential hopeful made the comment during his campaign in Akure, the Ondo state capital on Tuesday, February 5. His words: Some few days to election more than 70 percent of the electorates are still wondering who they are going to vote for. They have been examining the candidates they are going to vote for and what these candidates promised to offer and among all the alternative parties, the PT is the biggest. But, I can tell you that this election is still very open even though its ten days to the election. READ ALSO: PDP overheating polity with falsehood to cause confusion, APC alleges He advised the electorates to reject the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), saying both parties have failed the country in the last twenty years. He urged Nigerians to support his candidacy, for rapid economic development that will lift the masses out of abject poverty, adding that he had no plan to step down for either the APC's Muhammadu Buhari or Atiku Abubakar of the PDP. Olawepo-Hashim expressed confidence that the presidential candidates of the APC and PDP are beatable in the coming elections. He advised eligible voters to secure their future by voting for his party in the election, promising that he would create jobs and make the environment conducive for businesses to flourish. According to him, his the PT is already fine-tuning its strategy in all states of the federation on how to wrestle power from the ruling APC, adding that the party had the highest number of representation in constituency nominations. Addressing rumours that he may step down from the race, Olawepo-Hashim said: Nigeria is a very interesting country, and I don't know any country where other parties candidate are pressured to step down. I think its a coinage here, because in a multi party democracy, nobody steps down, you win some seats and on the basis of this you can form coalition based on programmes after the election. The presidential election is not about party but about candidates and the future of this country and the two parties have failed in that regard. But we give hope that if we come in, Nigeria will be better. READ ALSO: Ill end ASUU strike on my first day in office if I win presidency - Atiku Meanwhile, a recent public opinion poll conducted by NOIPolls has revealed that majority of Nigerians are not aware of most registered political parties in the country. The poll which was released on Tuesday, February 5, also revealed that the two most popular political parties in Nigeria are the APC and PDP. The respondents, however, showed some level of awareness on about 26 of the 91 registered political parties with the All Progressive Grand Alliance coming third followed by the Social Democratic Party. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng: We have updated to serve you better! Sowore: I have about 22 million votes already| Legit TV Source: Legit.ng - A total number of 277 generating sets will be deployed to Registration Area Centres in Enugu state for the general elections - One generating set would be deployed to each of the 260 political wards in the state while the remaining sets would be on stand-by, INEC said - Enugu currently has 1,942,776 registered voters and 4,146 voting locations comprising 2,958 polling units and 1,188 voting point Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will deploy 277 generating sets to its Registration Area Centres (RAC) in Enugu State for the general elections. Dr Emeka Ononamadu, INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday, February 5, that the generating sets were both brand new and refurbished ones. READ ALSO: 5 days to Atiku campaign rally in Kano, Governor Ganduje orders closure of stadium He said that one generating set would be deployed to each of the 260 political wards in the state while the remaining sets would be on stand-by at the state headquarters. We are going to deploy generating sets and non-sensitive materials before the election day. INEC Enugu has concluded final verification of conditions of polling unit locations and RAC centres before now. We had started preparation of the RAC, which are mostly in public schools for our ad hoc staffs comfort. PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News Anywhere 24/7. Spend less on the Internet! After refurbishing some of the RAC centres, we will move the non-sensitive materials including the generating sets to the RAC centres in the state, he said. NAN reports that Enugu state currently has 1,942,776 registered voters and 4,146 voting locations comprising 2,958 polling units and 1,188 voting points. Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that the Independent National Electoral Commission (lNEC) said that 304,852 registered voters are yet to claim their Permanent Voterss Cards (PVCs) in Kwara state few days to the general election. INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Attaihiru Madami, disclosed this in Ilorin on Monday, January 4. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better Nigeria News Today: INEC May Ban Electronic Devices At The Polling Booths | - on Legit TV Source: Legit.ng - The President Muhammadu Buhari's administration has ended the importation of rice in Nigeria, the federal government has said - FG said prior to the administration of President Buhari, Nigeria was importing major food items including the ones the country was capable of producing - According to Nduka Eluhaiwe, a special assistant to the CBN governor, Nigeria following President Buharis mandate, major sectors of the economy has witnessed some form of change or the other The federal government has said that Nigeria is no longer importing rice needed to be consumed by Nigerians across the country. Speaking at the maiden edition of the Nigeria Policy Development (N-PoD) summit, on Tuesday, February 5, a special assistant to the governor of Central Bank of Nigeria development finance, Nduka Eluhaiwe, said the president Muhammadu Buhari-led administration has ensured an end to rice importation. The event themed: Interrogating the Change Agenda: Challenges and Lessons Learnt was organised by the office of the special assistant to the president on policy development and analysis. According to Eluhaiwe, prior to the administration of President Buhari, Nigeria was importing major food items including the ones the country was capable of producing. READ ALSO: Bill Clinton reportedly set to meet Buhari, Atiku ahead of 2019 general elections He said because the president wanted to deliver on all his campaign promises, he mandated that all issues raised in his manifesto be touched. Eluhaiwe said: In 2014/15, the main issues that were raised by Mr. President and his main focus were for the leader of the team to focus on agriculture and development finance. He also mandated that all issues raised during the campaign at that time be touched. And I am happy today that he didnt disappoint Nigerians "We observed that one of the critical issues was that Nigeria was spending billions of dollars importing foods into this country. Then, this was the only country where you would import what you have the capacity to process when beyond agriculture, Eluhaiwe said. The development banker also noted that Nigeria following President Buharis mandate, major sectors of the economy has witnessed some form of change or the other. He said averagely pre-Buharis administration, Nigeria was not spending anything less than $600 billion on food importation. READ ALSO: 5 days to Atiku campaign rally in Kano, Governor Ganduje orders closure of Kano stadium Speaking on measure used to tackle importation of staple food products, Eluhaiwe said, the CBN in consultation with the federal; government of Nigeria decided to do away those food items that Nigeria had the capacity to produce. We decided to take one of the major foods and that is rice, we saw it as a low hanging fruit. So in collaboration with the federal government of Nigeria we established the Anchor Borrower programme. And our first experiment was in Kebbi state, the impact of the Anchor Borrower programme is immeasurable today. In terms of productivity, the first year of the Anchor Borrower programme 400,000 farmers were anchored on the programme. Productivity of the farmers particularly the rice farmers increased from one and half tonne per hectare to 4 - 8 tonnes per hectare. Today, as we speak Nigeria does not import any rice. Any foreign rice you see in Nigeria is smuggled through the borders of the country, which the federal government is tackling, he noted. Also speaking, Buba Marwa, a former governor of Borno and Lagos states during the military administration said, the significance of the summit is to reinvigorate the change agenda which is the Next Level aspirations of present administration. Marwa said this can be achieved through the change management methodology of learning, unlearning and relearning using critical review and information sharing. He said there is no need to belabour the evident fact that President Buhari-led adminsitartion inherited a collapsed economy, decayed critical infrastructure, plethora of abandoned projects, insecurity arising from Boko Haram, low national savings, economic sabotage, and corruption on a grand scale. However, Marwa noted that what is most important for now is the lessons learnt in combating these challenges. PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news updates According to him, Change cannot and will never occur in an environment that is not driven by learning and unlearning. Long before now, President Muhammadu Buhari has consistently argued that the problem of Nigeria is corruption, poverty and insecurity. These were his campaign slogans since he joined partisan politics. Not surprising, he was vindicated in 2015, 30 years after vested interests chased him out of power because he dared to do what he is doing now back then, Marwa added. Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a fight between some personnel of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and a gang of rice smugglers on Monday, February 4, resulted into one of the officials being injured. The incident was revealed by the command's spokesman, Danbaba I. who in a statement also disclosed that the smugglers succeeded in setting one patrol van ablaze. Danbaba said: Our men were to execute information on suspected smuggled vehicles, an accident occurred not too far from the location where our men are operating. When road safety came, they sought for the assistance of our men to evacuate the injured persons to the nearest hospital." NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng: Same great journalism, upgraded for better service! Customs Seize N1bn Worth of Codeine: Importation of Fairly-Used Bags, Shoes Banned | Legit TV Source: Legit - The Ohanaeze Ndigbo have said it plans to embark on a tour to mobilise people of the southeast ahead of the 2019 general elections - The group said the tour would ensure that people of Igbo ethnic group to participate in this years general elections - According to Ohanaeze Ndigbo, citizens of Niger, chad and neigbouring countries are migrating into Nigeria ahead of the elections Members of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo have warned against foreigners voting in the forthcoming 2019 general elections across Nigeria. Vanguard reports that the group said such move by any group or members of any political party would not be tolerated. In a statement issued on Monday, February 4, the deputy publicity secretary of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chiuks Ibegbu, said the group would also embark on a tour across states in the country. Ibegbu said the tour is aimed at mobilising people of Igbo ethnic group to participate in this years general elections. READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda Ohanaeze warns against foreigners voting in the forthcoming elections. Citizens of Niger, Chad, Cameroun, Mali and other African neigbouring countries that have been infiltrating Nigeria of recent should desist from their interference in Nigeria territorial integrity and sovereignty. INEC, security agents and other persons concerned with the election should please keep to the rules or have themselves to blame if things go awry, Ibegbu said. He also warned that it is important for all national to exercise their civic rights at the poll because the 2019 election will either make or mar Nigeria. PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news updates Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)'s presidential ambition in the forthcoming general election, Atiku Abubakar, received a huge boost as leaders of the Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo, Northern Elders Forum, Pan-Niger Delta forum, the Middle Belt Forum, and a faction of Afenifere endorsed him. The group disclosed this at a meeting tagged: Summit of Nigerian leaders and elders. It was gathered that the group arrived at the conclusion after series of meetings with the presidential candidates in the past months. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng. We have upgraded to serve you better. Obasanjo bombs Buhari again, says FG is empowering Boko Haram | Legit TV. Source: Legit Toronto, February 6: Weeks before a reportedly second summit meeting between North Koreas leader Kim Jong-Un and US President Donald Trump, a UN committee has released a report saying that Pyongyang continues to stockpile and maintain its nuclear arsenal. This confidential report by United Nations sanctions monitors was submitted to the 15-member UN Security Council sanctions committee. The report says that North Korea has worked over the years to ensure that its nuclear arsenal cannot be destroyed by air strikes. The report said it "found evidence of a consistent trend on the part of the DPRK (Democratic Republic of North Korea) to disperse its assembly, storage and testing locations". The UN report says that Pyongyang "is using civilian facilities, including airports, for ballistic missile assembly and testing with the goal of effectively preventing 'decapitation' strikes on a smaller number of identified nuclear and missile assembly and manufacturing sites". This report is a stark contradiction to the picture that US President Donald Trump has tried to paint of the impact of his outreach to North Korea. After last years Singapore summit, Trump had proclaimed "tremendous progress" in his dealings with North Korea" as well as saying that North Korea no longer posed a nuclear threat. The UN report was preceded by a similar report by the US intelligence agencies which said that it is unlikely that North Korea will give up its nuclear stockpile. The report comes as experts on North Korea have warned that Kim Jong-UN has been stringing the U.S. along as he tries to negotiate a relief from economic sanctions. The UN monitors also noted "a trend in the DPRK's evasion of financial sanctions using cyber-attacks to illegally force the transfer of funds from financial institutions and cryptocurrency exchanges". "The country continues to defy Security Council resolutions through a massive increase in illegal ship-to-ship transfers of petroleum products and coal," the sanctions monitors found. "These violations render the latest UN sanctions ineffective." (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 06, 2019 01:20 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Islamabad, February 2: With an aim to provide a much-needed boost to its economy, the Pakistan government is mulling over a plan to export donkeys to China. With this move, Pakistan is likely to earn millions of dollars annually in foreign exchange. According to a report published in Gulf News, the Live Stock Department in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has announced that it will develop donkey farms. It will be the first farm of its kind in Pakistan. Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Meets Imran Khan for Talks on Economic Aid in Pakistan. Pakistan has the third-largest population of donkeys, while China tops the list. According to reports, there will be at least two donkey farms set up in Dera Ismail Khan and Mansehra with the foreign partnership. Recently, the first donkey hospital in Lahore was opened to support the initiative. Pakistan authorities claimed that foreign companies were willing to make a $3 billion investment enabling commercial farming of donkeys. China Colonising Alienated Pakistan: European Foundation for South Asian Studies. During the first three years, the Pakistan government is planning to export 80,000 donkeys to China which has pledged to provide generous aid to Islamabad to overcome its financial woes. Meanwhile, Pakistan is also negotiating a USD 8 billion bailout package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to overcome a severe balance-of-payments crisis that threatens to cripple the country's economy. Earlier this month, Islamabad received a $6.2-billion bailout from the United Arab Emirates, a couple of months after receiving $6-billion package from Saudi Arabia. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 03, 2019 12:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). New Delhi, February 6: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the Congress over the reports that a few cabinet ministers of United Progressive Alliance II (UPA) government had spread fakes news that the Indian Army, then headed by General VK Singh planned a coup to topple the government. The BJP demanded answers from the Congress chief Rahul Gandhi over the reports. The Sunday Guardian in its report also quoted Intelligence Bureau officials from 2011 and 2012. However, IB refuted the claims after being contacted by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Indian Army is Conservative, Can't Allow Homosexuals: General Bipin Rawat. The ruling BJP party blamed the Gandhi family for the whole incident. This was a manufactured coup. This was a drama - a conspiracy. Via this, plot was hatched to defame the Army. The country's top intelligence officials, when they tell the Prime Minister that it's a hoax, should have ended there, reported Repulicworld.com quoting BJP leader GVL Narasimha Rao. Indian Army's Major General Dismissed From Services After Found Guilty by Court Martial in Two-Year-Old Sexual Harassment Case. Replying to the BJP's allegations Ex-Defence Minister AK Antony said that when these reports of coup surfaced in 2012, he had given answers in Parliament. Antony stated, "As Defence Min at that time, there were a lot of questions in the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha, I had given detailed answers. Please go through Parliament website, you'll get the answer I'd given." Ex-Defence Min AK Antony on BJP's allegations that UPA regime had asked IB for a coup attempt to topple Manmohan Singh govt: As Defence Min at that time, there were lot of ques in RS&LS, I'd given detailed ans. Please go through Parliament website, you'll get the answer I'd given pic.twitter.com/vHVbikisUM ANI (@ANI) February 6, 2019 The incident was dated back to January, 2012, when media reported that the movement of two army units towards Delhi was noted. The movement of troops sent alarm bells ringing at Raisina Hill. The Incident took place on January 16, 2012. This unit was identified as a large element of the airborne 50 Para Brigade based at Agra. In the Explanation, the Army had said that it was carrying out exercises to check its ability to make quick deployments of key units during fog. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 06, 2019 04:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Terni, February 6 - Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said Wednesday that it was odd that the government had allowed Paris to have access to a key cost-benefit analysis on the controversial TAV Turin-Lyon high-speed rail link before him. The government has said the analysis will have a major bearing on whether it decides to press ahead with the project. It sent the report to the French government on Tuesday. League leader Salvini says the project should go ahead but his coalition partners in the 5-Star Movement (M5S) are opposed to it. "I, the deputy premier who represents the Italian people, do not have the cost-benefit analysis on the TAV but it seems that Paris does," Salvini said during as visit to the central city of Terni. "This is quite bizarre". M5S leader, Labour and Industry Minister and fellow Deputy Premier Luigi Di Maio disagreed. "Salvini should relax. I haven't read the cost-benefit analysis either," Di Maio said. Transport and Infrastructure Minister Danilo Toninelli said it was normal for the French authorities and the European Commission to see the analysis before other members of the Italian executive. "We gave the report to France first because it relates to an international treaty," said Toninelli, an M5S member. "Today we will give the cost-benefit dossier to the European Commission. "Matteo will have to have a little patience and wait 24 hours. "When the time comes, I'll take it to him personally in a closed envelope". The transport ministry said Wednesday evening it had sent the report to the EC. Milan, February 6 - A 67-year-old pensioner who worked as an 'educator' in a Milanese parish was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of abusing three Chinese children aged 10, 11 and 12 in his home. The alleged abuse took place in northern Milan, police said. The children attended the same parish, police said. Rome, February 6 - Self-proclaimed Interim Venezuelan President Juan Guaido has written to Italian Deputy Premiers Matteo Salvini and Luigi Di Maio asking them to meet an official delegation from the South American country's parliament "as soon as possible", sources said on Wednesday. Guaido said the aim was for an "exchange of opinions on the decisive transition that Venezuela is experiencing". "We would like to present the need for free democratic elections in Venezuela in a short period of time thanks to the support of the international community," he added. Unlike the United States and other EU countries, Italy has not recognised Guaido as interim president. Salvini on Tuesday said Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was an outlaw and fresh elections should be held as soon as possible after last July's allegedly rigged ballot. Terni, February 6 - Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said Wednesday that it was odd that the government had allowed Paris to have access to a key cost-benefit analysis on the controversial TAV Turin-Lyon high-speed rail link before him. The government has said the analysis will have a major bearing on whether it decides to press ahead with the project. It send the report to the French government on Tuesday. League leader Salvini says the project should go ahead but his coalition partners in the 5-Star Movement (M5S) are opposed to it. "I, the deputy premier who represents the Italian people, do not have the cost-benefit analysis on the TAV but it seems that Paris does," Salvini said during as visit to the central city of Terni. "This is quite bizarre". M5S leader, Labour and Industry Minister and fellow Deputy Premier Luigi Di Maio disagreed. "Salvini should relax. I haven't read the cost-benefit analysis either," Di Maio said. Transport and Infrastructure Minister Danilo Toninelli said it was normal for the French authorities and the European Commission to see the analysis before other members of the Italian executive. "We gave the report to France first because it relates to an international treaty," said Toninelli, an M5S member. "Today we will give the cost-benefit dossier to the European Commission. "Matteo will have to have a little patience and wait 24 hours. "When the time comes, I'll take it to him personally in a closed envelope". Rome, February 6 - ANAC President Raffaele Cantone said Wednesday that the fact he has applied for three top prosecutor positions does not mean he is set to quit the national anti-corruption body imminently. "I'm not resigning as ANAC president," Cantone said in a statement. "I want to specify that I presented applications to (the judiciary's self-governing body) CSM last week for posts at the prosecutor's offices in Perugia, Torre Annunziata and Frosinone after a long evaluation of a purely personal nature. "Knowing that the time frames of the Supreme Council of Magistrates (CSM) would not be short, I intended to inform members of the executive, with whom there has been intense institutional cooperation in recent months, as soon as possible. "As soon as the news entered the public domain, I immediately requested appointments with the premier and the ministers of the interior and justice, to whom I will illustrate my reasons in the next few days". A magistrate by profession, Cantone was nominated to head ANAC five years ago by former centre-left premier Matteo Renzi. His term at the head of the body is set to end in April 2020. Rome, February 5 - A 45-year-old woman in Sweden has undergone surgery to permanently implant a robotic hand that she will be able to use on a daily basis in a world first, sources said Tuesday. The robotic hand was built thanks to the DeTOP European project led by Christian Cipriani of the Pisa Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna's Institute of Bio-robotics. Experts are working to prepare two more operations, in Italy and in Sweden, the sources said. The Swedish woman, whose right hand was amputated in 2002, is following a programme of rehabilitation to regain strength in the muscles of her forearm, which were weakened after the amputation, and, by using virtual reality, is learning to control the robotic hand, researchers and scientists told reporters on Tuesday. In the next few weeks, they said, she will be able to go home and use the new hand every day. "Thanks to this human-machine interface that is so accurate," Cipriani said, "and thanks to the skill and degree of sensitivity of the artificial hand, we expect that in the space of a few months the woman will regain motor and perceptive functions very similar to those of a natural hand". The surgical operation took place in Goethenburg, at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital. The operating surgeons were Richard Branemark and Paolo Sassu. They implanted into the forearm (radius and ulna) of the woman titanium structures as a bridge between bones and nerve endings on the one side and the robotic hand on the other, the scientists said. Thanks to 16 electrodes inserted into the residual muscles, it was possible to establish a direct connection between the prosthesis and the nervous system. In this way, the robotic hand can be controlled in a more effective way and it becomes possible to restore the sense of touch too. The implant was developed in Sweden by a group coordinated by Max Ortiz Catalan, of the Integrum company, in collaboration with the Chalmers University of Technology. The robot hand was realised by the dalla Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Pisa and the Prensilia company, a spin-off of the Sant'Anna BioRobotics Institute, within the framework of the DeTOP project (Dexterous Transradial Osseointegrated with neural control and sensory feedback), financed by the European Commission within the Horizon 2020 programme. Other collaborators include the Swedish universities of Lund and Gothenburg, the University of Essex, the Swiss Centre for Eletcronics and Microtecnologiay, Rome's Universita Campus Bio-Medico, the Centro Protesi of Italian work-accident insurance agency Inail and the Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli in Bologna. Cipriani told ANSA that "the next implant will be made in Italy by the dal Campus Biomedico di Roma and the Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli di Bologna". "We are looking for a candidate who lends themself to an intervention similar to that carried out in Sweden, but who has a different case file". For this reason, he said, it is hard to predict when the operation will take place. A medical examiner says a North Texas man was killed when an e-cigarette exploded in his face. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office reports 24-year-old William Brown of Fort Worth died Jan. 29, two days after a vaporizer pen he was using at an e-cigarette shop in nearby Keller exploded. The medical examiner says shrapnel from the explosion severed his left carotid artery and peppered his skull. A similar incident also killed a Florida man last May. Officials said 38-year-old Tallmadge D'Elia of St. Petersburg died when his exploding vape pen sent two fragments into his skull. He also suffered burns on about 80 percent of his body. The death was ruled an accident. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 6) The House Appropriations Committee will subpoena Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno after he repeatedly snubbed hearings on alleged anomalies in the 2019 national budget. The panel on Wednesday approved Leyte Representative Vicente Veloso's motion to subpoena Diokno. READ: Palace: Duterte ordered Diokno to skip House probe on 'insertions' Last week, the committee issued a show cause order to Diokno asking him to explain why he should not be cited in contempt for his failure to attend the hearings. Diokno submitted to the committee a letter stating that he had already "sufficiently" answered lawmakers' questions on the budget during the "Question Hour" held in December. Letter from Budget Secretary Ben Diokno in response to the show cause order issued to him by the House of Representatives https://t.co/sDo55hwVGt pic.twitter.com/CN3a5nTZtT CNN Philippines (@cnnphilippines) February 6, 2019 However, Camarines Sur Representative Rolando Andaya, committee chairman, said otherwise since the Secretary has yet to submit documents they asked from the Department of Budget and Management. Andaya on Monday asked Diokno to release the national government's 2018 savings report, or else he would hold the 2019 national budget. The lawmaker has been accusing Diokno of inserting multibillion-pesos in the proposed budget to fund projects allegedly bagged by the construction firm owned and run by the Budget chief's son-in-law. Diokno has denied the allegation. The proposed 3.575 trillion national expenditure may hurdle the bicameral committee this week before Congress goes on break for the midterm elections. Senator Loren Legarda, chairperson of the Senate finance panel, on Monday said the committee eyes the ratification of the proposal by Friday, February 8. Firefighters in Whitefish rescued a dog that fell through the ice in the Whitefish River Monday. From the Whitefish Fire Department on Facebook: "Shout out to B-shift for helping this adorable dog who fell in the Whitefish River this afternoon!For those wondering, he is fine. He was warmed up, then he and his human were given a ride back to their car." BOZEMAN- When youre sick with cancer the last thing you want to have to worry about is your commute to treatment. Unfortunately for many members of our community battling a life-threatening illness that is a real worry. Christine Day a three-time cancer survivor knows firsthand the struggle of commuting to treatment. I required treatment in Billings, I was unable to drive myself there and back, I had to count on family and friends to do it for me, Day said. The mental exhaustion on top of the physical exhaustion from chemo and other treatment makes the commuting process difficult. After beating cancer Day went to work making sure nobody else in Montana went without a ride and someone to talk with on that ride home. When I heard about the volunteer program I thought what a great way to pay it forward, Day said. Helping people with cancer was something she told her self she would do when she retired. I said I was going to be helping others that are cancer patients and now thats what Ive done. Day said. So a few times a week Christine puts some miles on her car and some smiles on some faces and takes people to their cancer treatments. She, knowing their struggle all too well. But the need for her work is huge right now, Bozeman Health needs more drivers to help people make it to treatment and they are asking the community for help. The driving schedule is flexible around your schedule, and you can do as much or as little as your life permits. Day says she gets sad when she has to stop driving people due to their treatment being over because usually, they form a bond, but she always has a celebration with them at the end to celebrate that last ride. If you would like to volunteer Bozeman Health provides liability insurance and gas cards, all you need to do is send an email to this address to start the volunteer process. If youd like to help give rides you can send an email to mpalmersheim@bozemanhealth.org You can learn more about volunteer services here The viral game, known as the Momo Challenge, has made its way to Montana. According to Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office, a Lockwood 12-year-old received an invitation to play. Momo encourages children to complete challenges. Sgt. Bob Lester with the sheriff's office explained that those challenges start off minor and increase to suicide or serious/violent crimes. There are rules when taking part in the challenges. The child must video or take a picture of them doing the challenge and send it in. However, if they don't send evidence, they will likely receive threats. "When you don't do that challenge, is when the bullying and intimidation starts," explained Sgt. Bob Lester. According to the Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office, the Lockwood child who received a notification from Momo Monday night, immediately told his grandparents. Sgt. Lester said, "They were threats to kill friends and it had specific names on it. And he was scared, and I told them to tell him thank you for calling because how many kids would've laid in bed that night and just stewed all night long. He told them, he must've had a good relationship to tell them and secondly, the fact that he told, may have prevented a lot of other kids from having some sleepless nights." The sergeant explained that he has read up on the challenge and from what he has read, it can be accessed through Facebook and the WhatsApp. The WhatsApp is a free calling and messaging app. Sgt. Lester speculates that videos and pictures of the challenges will eventually be sold. "As the challenges progress, whether they go into violent or sexual nature, they will eventually be sold or shared on the internet. That's the whole purpose of this, is to get the graphic video and photos." This is the first time Sgt. Lester has heard about Momo and at the same time, he said some people claim this viral challenge is a hoax. But, he said he will continue to talk about it with the community and his own children. "It teaches us to be nosey, we need to be in our kids' business. We are the parents. You need to be doing random audits on your kids' phone, looking in there and asking questions. Like I told my daughter, once it happens to you, I can't take it back, I can't go back and take that event from happening. So, I'm probably going to do things that you don't like to prevent it from ever happening and to teach you for what to look for." Sgt. Lester told KULR-8 that it is very important for parents and their children to have a good relationship with one another. That is the reason he wrote "Tell your kids you love them" on the sheriff's office facebook post. A local gym owner has found a way to give back and help cancer patients at Billings Clinic. Battleground Fitness on Overland Ave. had a fundraising drive in October and they hold one every year. People pay to workout for a good cause. One of the owners of the gym said they like to keep the fundraising local, in Billings or the state of Montana. Trevor Craig, one of the owners, explained that a nurse who goes to the gym said there was a need for housing for cancer patients at Billings Clinic. Craig said that the gym raised around $7,000 to $8,000. But, he also said, that just wasn't enough. That is when Craig went above and beyond. "I have a house, a rental house next to one of my businesses, and I decided to just donate that to the cancer housing for cancer patients. And then, the gym is going to fundraise every year and we're going to raise enough money to pay all of the ancillary costs associated with that. Cable, utlities, and cleaning maid services for when people come in and out." Amberly Pahut is the Senior Director for Philanthropy at Billings Clinic added, "It's absolutely incredible. When families, or a loved one is diagnosed with cancer, there are so many things that run through those people's minds. And when you think about the complexities that come with traveling to Billings from the region, and then thinking about being away from your home and those areas of comfort for six weeks, if you're here for stemcell treatment, that can be really challenging." Criag explained to KULR-8 that the house is about 2,000 sq. ft. and that there can be two different patients along with their caregivers living there. This article was updated to correct the spelling of Trevor Craig's name. During the Democratic response to the 2019 State of the Union address, former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams explains why she is disappointed by President Donald Trump's approach to the nation's problems. Being proud of being an American Serving in the military or as a first responder Being an honorable citizen Freedom to speak your mind Vote View Results "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 In My Kitchen: MORE celebrates Chinese New Year with Chef Ian Hung K-pop fans have reason to cheer - MTV Asia introduces 'The Show' to Southeast Asia for the first time! The variety music programme is a weekly series that will be aired live from South Korea and shown exclusively on MTV Asia in this region. Hosted by Jang Ye-eun from CLC and Jeno from NCT, and subtitled in English, it makes sure you stay on the pulse of what's hot in K-pop. Check out performances by the latest chart-toppers, behind the scenes footage of K-pop artistes, and be a part of a global fan voting process. The Show showcases the biggest names in K-pop and airs live on Tuesday, at 4pm (WIB, VN), 5pm (PH, SG) and 6pm (MY). Catch the replay on Saturday at 10am (WIB, VN), 11am (PH, SG) and on Sunday, 12am (MY). It will also be made available on the MTV Play app. "Proud and excited to be the first in Southeast Asia to premiere The Show, we truly believe this is the answer to our fans' call for all things K-pop. If there's one thing a K-pop fan needs to tune in to, this is it!" said Abhishek K Rao, Senior Director, MTV Brand, Southeast Asia. A unique segment of The Show is its 'The Show Choice' element, a global and real-time voting system where adoring fans can play a part in choosing their top idols via the Starpass[1] app. Fans are able to vote before the show and even during the live segments. Past K-pop groups that have appeared on The Show include Wanna One, IZ*ONE, Monsta X, NCT and Red Velvet. [1] Starpass is an idol fandom app available on the Google Play Store and the iTunes App Store. If you're interested in submitting a Letter to the Editor, click here. Submit ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) -- A former Navy SEAL from St. Louis killed in Syria was laid to rest Wednesday. Scott Wirtz, a navy SEAL of 10 years, had been working for the Defense Intelligence Agency since 2017. He completed three deployments for the agency in the Middle East. The funeral mass was held at the Cathedral Basilica on Lindell. A big crowd turned out despite the rain. U.S. military members, the Patriot Guard, St. Louis Fire Department and members of local law enforcement were on hand at Lambert Airport last Saturday when Wirtz's body arrived. Flags were placed on every overpass between Lambert Airport and the funeral home when his body arrived in St. Louis. The visitation for Wirtz was held Tuesday at Ortmann-Stipanovich funeral home in Creve Coeur. After the funeral mass, a motorcade took his body to Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. Jasper, TX (75951) Today Mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 84F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight A few clouds. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable. CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduros government last year sold 73 tonnes of gold to Turkey and the United Arab Emirates without the required approval of the opposition-led National Assembly, an opposition legislator said on Wednesday. Of that total, Abu Dhabi investment firm Noor Capital bought the largest amount, 27.3 tonnes of gold, opposition legislator Carlos Paparoni told a news conference, without providing evidence. Paparoni also said a Turkish firm bought 23.9 tonnes of gold last year. Venezuelas opposition, led by National Assembly leader Juan Guaido, has sought to prevent the gold sales, believing Maduros government is using the proceeds to try to stay solvent as U.S.-imposed sanctions cut off other revenue streams. The United States and numerous other countries have recognized Guaido as Venezuelas interim leader in the aftermath of Maduros re-election last year in a vote critics have called a sham. Venezuela had gold reserves of 132 tonnes between the central banks vaults and the Bank of England at the end of November, according to central bank data. Venezuelas Information Ministry did not immediately respond to requests to comment. Noor Capital last Friday said it had bought 3 tonnes of gold on Jan. 21 from the Venezuelan central bank and would not buy more until Venezuelas situation stabilized. Its purchase was in accordance with international standards and laws in place as of that date, it said. We will keep working so that not one more gram of gold can be sold, Paparoni said. In response to a request to comment, Noor Capital issued the same statement as last week saying it does not engage in any illegal or prohibited transactions. Paparoni also said Maduros administration had transferred 127 million euros to bank accounts in Russia, without providing a date. Since Monday, the Venezuelan government has not been able to move money between its accounts in banks in the European Union, Paparoni said. Turkey and Russia have been key supporters of Maduro. Maduros government began selling gold about a year ago after falling oil production, economic collapse and mounting U.S. sanctions hit public income in the OPEC-member nation and made it hard for it access credit. The Brumadinho dam burst on Jan. 25, killing 142 people and leaving almost 200 still missing, according to the latest report from rescue workers. Vale said its plan to shift to dry tailings, which would start next year, was aimed at boosting the dry processing portion of its production to 70 percent by 2023, thus reducing the need for dams in its operations. Investments to service Vale's existing dams in 2019 will total about $70 million, the company said, representing a 180 percent increase from 2015. That year a Vale joint venture was responsible for another deadly dam spill that killed 19 people and polluted a major river. ($1 = 3.6695 reais) (Reporting by Ana Mano; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe) * European Commission blocks Siemens, Alstom rail merger* Also blocks Wieland-Werke's bid for Aurubis unit* France, Germany seeking to change EU competition rules (Adds Alstom CEO, analyst, updates Alstom shares) By Foo Yun Chee and John Revill BRUSSELS/ZURICH, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Siemens and Alstom's plan to create a European rail champion collapsed on Wednesday after EU regulators blocked the deal, prompting Germany and France to call for an overhaul of EU competition policy to better meet global challenges. The European Commission also rejected a bid by German copper company Wieland-Werke AG to buy a business unit from Aurubis, Europe's biggest copper smelter, similarly arguing the deal could have pushed up prices for consumers. The two vetoes are likely to spur efforts by France and Germany to loosen EU competition rules so as to take a more global than solely European view of mergers and potentially to allow EU ministers to have a say. Shortly after the Commission's announcements, German economy minister Peter Altmaier said Berlin and Paris were working on a proposal to change European competition rules to facilitate large cross-border mergers. France's Alstom said the veto was a clear set-back for industry in Europe, while Joe Kaeser, the chief executive of Germany's Siemens , said Europe urgently needed to reform its industrial policy to help its companies compete. "Protecting customer interests locally must not mean that Europe cannot be on a level playing field with leading nations like China, the United States and others," Kaeser said in a statement. Proponents of the bloc's strict merger regime, however, argue such changes could lead to opaque and unpredictable rules. The Commission has approved over 3,000 mergers in the past 10 years and blocked only nine, including those on Wednesday. EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager dismissed Siemens and Alstom's argument about merging to compete with their bigger Chinese state-owned rival CRRC in the European market. "We don't see the Chinese coming. The Chinese are nowhere, not at all in Europe," she told a news conference. Shares in Siemens were little changed by the announcement, which was widely expected. However, Alstom stock gained more than 4 percent. Broker Berenberg said the market had been overly focused on the potential benefits of the rail merger, and ignoring that Alstom's earnings could double by 2025. Alstom Chief Executive Henri Poupart-Lafarge told reporters the company was looking into new avenues for expansion, saying future growth would be "more organic". INSUFFICIENT CONCESSIONS Siemens and Alstom had wanted to combine their rail operations to compete more effectively with CRRC globally, backed by the French and German governments, which favour creating industrial champions. However, Vestager said she blocked the deal to protect competition in the European railway industry. "Without sufficient remedies, this merger would have resulted in higher prices for the signalling systems that keep passengers safe and for the next generations of very high-speed trains," she said. In the copper case, Vestager said rolled copper would become even more important in an age of electrical vehicles. She said the companies in both deals were not willing adequately to address the regulator's competition concerns and their concessions fell short. The rail deal also triggered criticism from national competition agencies in Germany, Britain, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands. Siemens makes the ICE trains for Deutsche Bahn and also builds units for Channel Tunnel operator Eurostar. Alstom is the manufacturer of France's signature bullet train, locally known as the TGV. The rolling-stock maker also sells urban and suburban trains as well as signalling systems. Canadian rival Bombardier welcomed the Commission's decision. "It would have severely undermined the health and competitiveness of the whole European rail market, leaving European consumers, both as rail users and tax payers, to pay the price," said Daniel Desjardins, Bombardier general counsel and company secretary. Bombardier, which sources say also held talks with Siemens in 2017, would have faced a rival with operations more than double its size in the European market, even though the merged group, in revenue terms, would only have been half the size of CRRC. <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Alstom and Siemens shares FACTBOX-Franco-German cross-border deals: from knives to sport shoes Graphic on global rail players BREAKINGVIEWS-Derailed train M&A spells poor EU antitrust revamp ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, additional reporting by Philip Blenkinsop in Brussels, John Revill in Zurich, Michelle Martin in Berlin and Matthias Blamont, Sudip Kar-Gupta in Paris, and Alison Lampert in Toronto; Editing by Philip Blenkinsop and Mark Potter) Messaging: foo.yunchee.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)) The two vetoes are likely to spur efforts by France and Germany to loosen EU competition rules so as to take a more global than solely European view of mergers and potentially to allow EU ministers to have a say. Shortly after the Commission's announcements, German economy minister Peter Altmaier said Berlin and Paris were working on a proposal to change European competition rules. Alstom said the veto was a clear set-back for industry in Europe, while Siemens Chief Executive Joe Kaeser said Europe urgently needed to reform its industrial policy to help its companies compete. "Protecting customer interests locally must not mean that Europe cannot be on a level playing field with leading nations like China, the United States and others," Kaeser said in a statement. Proponents of the bloc's strict merger regime, however, argue such changes could lead to opaque and unpredictable rules. EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said the Commission had approved over 3,000 mergers in the past 10 years and blocked only nine, including those on Wednesday. "Prohibition decisions, they are rare and it is the first time (we have announced...) two prohibition decisions on the same day," she told a news conference, adding most mergers either did not pose a problem or the companies involved offered sufficient remedies. Shares in Siemens and Alstom were little changed by the announcement, which was widely expected. INSUFFICIENT CONCESSIONS Siemens and Alstom had wanted to combine their rail operations to compete more effectively with China's state-owned CRRC Corp Ltd , a move backed by the French and German governments, which favour creating industrial champions. However, Vestager said she blocked the deal to protect competition in the European railway industry. "Without sufficient remedies, this merger would have resulted in higher prices for the signalling systems that keep passengers safe and for the next generations of very high-speed trains," she said. In the copper case, Vestager said rolled copper would become even more important in an age of electrical vehicles. She said the companies in both deals were not willing adequately to address the regulator's competition concerns and their concessions fell short. The rail deal also triggered criticism from national competition agencies in Germany, Britain, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands. Siemens makes the ICE trains for Deutsche Bahn and also builds units for Channel Tunnel operator Eurostar. Alstom is the manufacturer of France's signature bullet train, locally known as the TGV. The rolling-stock maker also sells urban and suburban trains as well as signalling systems. Canadian rival Bombardier welcomed the Commission's decision. "It would have severely undermined the health and competitiveness of the whole European rail market, leaving European consumers, both as rail users and tax payers, to pay the price," said Daniel Desjardins, Bombardier general counsel and company secretary. <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Alstom and Siemens shares ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, additional reporting by Philip Blenkinsop, John Revill in Zurich, Michelle Martin in Berlin and Sudip Kar-Gupta in Paris; Editing by Philip Blenkinsop and Mark Potter) * Closely watching iron ore prices after Vale's dam collapse (Adds quotes and details) By Yuka Obayashi TOKYO, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Japan's top steelmaker Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp on Wednesday warned its annual profit would be 6 percent less than previously forecast, citing lower crude steel output for the financial year ending on March 31. The company now estimates its annual profit will be 330 billion yen ($3.01 billion), down from its earlier guidance of 350 billion yen, under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Nippon Steel, the world's third-biggest steelmaker, also reduced its estimate for its annual crude steel output to 41.3 million tonnes from 42.1 million tonnes on a parent basis, due to troubles at its mills. "The troubles reflect the lower quality of raw materials," Nippon Steel Executive Vice President Katsuhiro Miyamoto told a news conference, as well as the difficulties in producing value-added products such as high-tensile steels that can't be processed in the same volumes as lower-quality metal. Asked whether the revision is also due to higher prices of iron ore after Vale's deadly dam burst in Brazil, Miyamoto said that was not factored in, but that the higher prices of the steel-making ingredient may affect earnings in the next financial year starting on April 1. "Iron ore spot prices have soared since the dam collapse, but futures prices are at lower levels, suggesting that market participants expect the market to stabilize," Miyamoto said. Iron ore prices hit a nearly two-year high on Monday. Nippon Steel's downward revision follows similar moves by its peers JFE Steel, a unit of JFE Holdings, and Kobe Steel. JFE announced its results on Friday and Kobe on Tuesday. Japanese steelmakers are enjoying solid domestic demand from automakers as well as the construction sector, which is busy with projects for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. But natural disasters and glitches at their ageing facilities have prevented them from producing as much steel as they had planned. In an effort to boost output, Nippon Steel will start operating a new blast furnace, already built in Wakayama in western Japan, in mid-February. It will replace the existing 31-year-old blast furnace at the plants, which is the world's oldest blast furnace in operation. Nippon Steel's recurring profit grew 12 percent to 253 billion yen for the April-December quarter on the back of higher product prices. The company is set to change its accounting method to IFRS from the Japanese standard at the end of the current financial year. ($1 = 109.7900 yen) (Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell and Tom Hogue) CAPE TOWN, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia will invest around $3.8 billion to enhance access to geoscience data and reduce regulatory red tape as it looks to boost mineral exploration, senior government officials said on Wednesday. Government plans to jump-start the Saudi mining sector form part of a broader industrial strategy aimed at diversifying the economy and attracting private-sector investments worth 1.6 trillion riyals ($426 billion) over the next decade. Investments will be made through the National Industrial Development and Logistics Program (NIDLP), part of Vision 2030, a reform strategy led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and intended to wean the economy off oil while creating jobs. "For some time Saudi mining has been characterised by a lack of publicly available geoscience data, longer processing times on licenses and a lack of transparency," Khalid Al-Mudaifer, vice minister of mining, told an African mining conference. He said the $3.8 billion would be spent on making it easier to do business and improving data quality to reduce the risks associated with investing in new mining opportunities for gold, zinc, rare earth metals and other minerals. Saudi Arabia is one of the world's top phosphate suppliers and its mining sector employs around 250,000 people. The vice minister also said the government was working on a digital platform to help finalise exploration licenses within 60 days, compared to six months at present. "Also the law allows 100 percent ownership ... and you can apply for exploration or mining licenses," he said. Earlier, Abdulrahman Al-Belushi, who heads mining strategy at the NIDLP, said there were vast opportunities in Saudi Arabia should investors look to exploit mineral resources valued at an estimated $1.3 trillion. "Aside from the oil and gas in the eastern part of the kingdom, we have been blessed with tremendous geological potential that remains vastly unexplored," he said. The government has identified 51 potential exploration projects, including 14 gold and 14 copper, covering around 1,351 square kilometres that could be among the first targeted, another official said. ($1 = 3.7502 riyals) (Reporting by Wendell Roelf; Editing by Dale Hudson) TOKYO, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Japanese trading house Sumitomo Corp booked one-off losses of about 15 billion yen ($137 million) on the Ambatovy nickel-cobalt project in Madagascar in the October-December quarter and cut its nickel output estimate for the current year for the project. The losses include about 10 billion yen due to lower-than-expected production and about 5 billion yen on the disposal of some fixed assets and appraisal of ore inventories, Sumitomo Chief Financial Officer Koichi Takahata told a news conference. For the current business year to end-March, Sumitomo lowered its estimate of Ambatovy's nickel output to 38,000-40,000 tonnes from 40,000-43,000 tonnes. Takahata said output is expected to grow to around 46,000 tonnes next year starting in April. Sumitomo owns a 47.67 percent stake in the project. ($1 = 109.7300 yen) (Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; editing by Richard Pullin) Messaging: yuka.obayashi.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)) Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication. BERLIN, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Europe should change its competition rules to facilitate cross-border mergers and create European champions which can compete with rivals from China and the United States, German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said on Wednesday. Siemens and Alstom's plan to create a European rail champion collapsed on Wednesday after EU antitrust regulators rejected the deal, saying that it would have hurt competition and led to higher prices for consumers. "We do respect the decision and the authority of the European Commission, but we are convinced that we must think about and decide on future changes of European competition rules," Altmaier told reporters in Berlin. "I've agreed with my French colleague Bruno Le Maire that we will prepare a joint Franco-German initiative that is aimed at getting an up-to-date adjustment of European competition law." (Reporting by Michael Nienaber Editing by Michelle Martin) Reuters Messaging: michael.nienaber.reuters.com@reuters.net )) Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication. Passenger growth in Europe slowed to 6.1 percent in 2018 from 8.5 percent in 2017, which had been the quickest growth since 2004. Freight traffic declined much more sharply, from 8.4 percent growth in 2017 to 1.8 percent last year, with drops in traffic in November and December. "The trend of decreasing freight traffic is hard to ignore. It reflects weakening economic data and contraction forces at play, not just in Europe but around the world. These will ultimately translate into lower passenger demand," Olivier Jankovec, Director General of ACI Europe, said. "Adding to that, volatile oil prices, labour cost pressures and more consolidation should also lead airlines to be more cautious with capacity expansion. So pressures on passenger traffic are likely to come both from the demand and supply sides in 2019." Jankovec also said Brexit uncertainty was the "top immediate risk", with ACI Europe's figures already showing that British airports were among the weakest for passenger growth. With less than two months until Britain is due to leave the European Union, Prime Minister Theresa May is yet to clinch a deal that is acceptable to both Brussels and British lawmakers. Britain and the EU have said that planes will keep flying after Brexit, even if Britain leaves without a deal. Last week Wizz Air said it was seeing a Brexit impact on bookings but said its core central and eastern European markets were outperforming western Europe. ACI's figures showed that passenger numbers at Eastern and Southern EU airports grew the most, with passengers from Lithuania's Vilnius and Slovakia's Bratislava up 30.9 percent and 18.1 percent respectively. (Reporting by Alistair Smout; editing by David Evans) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House Intelligence Committee is set to pursue a wide investigation into attempts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election, including a look at Donald Trumps financial transactions, the panels Democratic chairman Adam Schiff said on Wednesday. A day after the Republican president warned Democrats against ridiculous partisan investigations in his annual State of the Union address, Schiff said they would not be intimidated. Were going to do our proper oversight, he told reporters after the intelligence panels first meeting, which was closed. The committee voted to provide transcripts of testimony it took behind closed doors in its probe of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election to the special counsel for use in any prosecutions, something Schiff promised to do last month after a second Trump associate was charged with lying to Congress. Schiff has said that an area of particular interest related to investigations of Trump are allegations that Russians might possess financial leverage over him. Our job involves making sure that the policy of the United States is being driven by the national interest - not by any financial entanglement, financial leverage or other form of compromise, he said told reporters on Wednesday. Trump, asked about Schiffs comments at a White House appearance, retorted: Under what basis would he do that? He has no basis to do that. Hes just a political hack. ... There would be no reason to do that. Schiff, who assumed the committee chairmanship after Democrats won control of the House of Representatives in November elections, outlined lines of inquiry it intends to pursue on Russian election activities, possible Trump campaign ties and matters relating to Trumps business dealings. Congress has a duty to expose foreign interference, hold Russia to account, ensure that U.S. officials - including the President - are serving the national interest and, if not, are held accountable, Schiff said in a statement. Schiff said the panel would release transcripts of all interviews after Roger Stone, a longtime ally of Trump, was charged with lying to Congress. Stone is accused of lying to Congress about the 2016 campaigns efforts to use stolen emails to undercut Trumps Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. He has pleaded not guilty. Schiff said Special Counsel Robert Mueller had access to the transcripts but a formal release was necessary for him to be able to use them in any prosecutorial proceedings. Trumps longtime self-described fixer, lawyer Michael Cohen, pleaded guilty to charges including lying to Congress. CUSTOM FORECAST: Current Conditions MORE: Maps & Radars INTERACTIVE RADAR: Click Here LIVE EYE: Tower Cams SIGN UP: KIMT News 3 Email Newsletter ALERTS: WeatherWarn WEATHER APP: iOS | Android Winter Weather Advisory Areas Affected: Allamakee; Chickasaw; Clayton; Fayette; Floyd; Howard; Mitchell; Winneshiek NWS LaCrosse (Southwestern Wisconsin, Southeastern Minnesota, and Northeast Iowa) ...Wintry Mix Through Tonight and Snow Thursday to Lead to Difficult Travel... .A wintry mix of snow, sleet, and freezing drizzle will move northeastward through the area this evening, before switching to mainly freezing drizzle and perhaps some light snow for the overnight hours. Expect ice accumulations of 1 to 2 tenths of an inch, which will cause slick roads. The precipitation will quickly transition to all snow on Thursday morning through the entire area other than far southwest Wisconsin. The snow will be heavy at times, with rates approaching 1 inch per hour. Totals are expected to generally range from 3 to 9 inches, with the highest totals being near and east of the Mississippi River and north of Interstate 90. In addition, winds could gust in the 30 to 40 mph range, especially in open areas of northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota. This could lead to some blowing and drifting snow. Travel will be impacted, including the Thursday morning and evening commutes. Snow is expected to taper off by late Thursday evening. ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST THURSDAY... * WHAT...Mixed precipitation. Total snow accumulations of 2 to 4 inches and ice accumulations of one tenth to two tenths of an inch. Winds gusting as high as 35 mph. * WHERE...Portions of southwest Wisconsin and northeast Iowa. * WHEN...Until 6 PM CST Thursday. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Plan on slippery road conditions. Areas of blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning and evening commute. A Winter Weather Advisory means that periods of snow, sleet or freezing rain will cause travel difficulties. Expect slippery roads and limited visibilities, and use caution while driving. The latest road conditions for Iowa can be found on-line at 511ia.org, in Minnesota at 511mn.org, and in Wisconsin at 511wi.gov or by calling 5 1 1. Winter Weather Advisory Areas Affected: Cerro Gordo; Emmet; Franklin; Hancock; Kossuth; Winnebago; Worth; Wright NWS DesMoines (Central Iowa) ...Large Winter Storm Affecting Iowa into Thursday... .Light freezing drizzle will persist into the evening before transitioning more toward freezing rain central and southeast overnight. This may lead to significant ice accumulations in the far southeast corner of the state. Farther north, the precipitation will transition to a wintry mix and then snow, eventually spreading northwest to southeast. Gusty winds will develop into midday as well, leading to significant blowing snow north and the potential for tree and power infrastructure impacts south where significant icing occurs. All of these elements will lead to hazardous driving conditions into Thursday and be followed by another round of bitter cold and wind chills into Friday morning when additional Wind Chill Advisories and Warnings will likely be needed. ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST THURSDAY NIGHT... * WHAT...Mixed precipitation this evening, changing to snow and blowing snow Thursday. Snow accumulations of 2 to 5 inches and ice accumulations of around one tenth of an inch. Winds gusting as high as 40 mph. Bitter cold wind chills later Thursday. * WHERE...Northern Iowa. * WHEN...Until midnight CST Thursday night. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Plan on slippery road conditions. Widespread blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility Thursday. The hazardous conditions could impact the Thursday commute. The dangerously cold wind chills as low as 35 below zero could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes. A Winter Weather Advisory means that periods of snow, sleet or freezing rain will cause travel difficulties. Expect slippery roads and limited visibilities, and use caution while driving. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1. Winter Weather Advisory Areas Affected: Dodge; Fillmore; Houston; Mower; Olmsted NWS LaCrosse (Southwestern Wisconsin, Southeastern Minnesota, and Northeast Iowa) ...Wintry Mix Through Tonight and Snow Thursday to Lead to Difficult Travel... .A wintry mix of snow, sleet, and freezing drizzle will move northeastward through the area this evening, before switching to mainly freezing drizzle and perhaps some light snow for the overnight hours. Expect ice accumulations of 1 to 2 tenths of an inch, which will cause slick roads. The precipitation will quickly transition to all snow on Thursday morning through the entire area other than far southwest Wisconsin. The snow will be heavy at times, with rates approaching 1 inch per hour. Totals are expected to generally range from 3 to 9 inches, with the highest totals being near and east of the Mississippi River and north of Interstate 90. In addition, winds could gust in the 30 to 40 mph range, especially in open areas of northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota. This could lead to some blowing and drifting snow. Travel will be impacted, including the Thursday morning and evening commutes. Snow is expected to taper off by late Thursday evening. ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST THURSDAY NIGHT... * WHAT...Mixed precipitation expected. Total snow accumulations of 4 to 6 inches and ice accumulations of around one tenth of an inch expected. Winds gusting as high as 40 mph. * WHERE...Portions of southwest Wisconsin and southeast Minnesota. * WHEN...Until midnight CST Thursday night. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Plan on slippery road conditions. Areas of blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning and evening commute. A Winter Weather Advisory means that periods of snow, sleet or freezing rain will cause travel difficulties. Expect slippery roads and limited visibilities, and use caution while driving. The latest road conditions for Iowa can be found on-line at 511ia.org, in Minnesota at 511mn.org, and in Wisconsin at 511wi.gov or by calling 5 1 1. Winter Weather Advisory Areas Affected: Freeborn; McLeod; Meeker; Stearns; Steele; Waseca NWS Minneapolis (Southern Minnesota) ...LIGHT SNOW TONIGHT AND GENERALLY 1 TO 3 INCHES EXPECTED... ...HEAVIER SNOWFALL TOMORROW WITH BLIZZARD CONDITIONS DEVELOPING IN SOUTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA THURSDAY AFTERNOON... .A Blizzard Warning has been issued for portions of west central, southwest, and south central Minnesota, or generally south of a line from Montevideo, to Mankato from noon Thursday, through 12 AM Friday. A Winter Storm Warning has been issued for portions of east central Minnesota, as well as west central Wisconsin, or generally east of a line from Rush City, to Forest Lake, Cottage Grove and Cannon Falls Minnesota from this evening, through 12 AM Friday. A Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect for the remainder of central and southern Minnesota from 6 PM this evening, through 12 AM Friday, which includes cities of Alexandria, St. Cloud, Owatonna and Albert Lea. This winter storm will come in three parts. The first part will develop this evening with occasional light snow, possibly mixed with freezing drizzle in southern and east central Minnesota, as well as west central Wisconsin. Most areas will only receive up to 1 to 3 inches of snow overnight. The second part will come Thursday morning as the main storm moves out of the Plains, and into the Upper Midwest. This is where the bulk of the heavy snow will occur, especially in south central and east central Minnesota, as well as west central Wisconsin. The third part will come Thursday afternoon as strong northwest winds develop, and blizzard conditions will develop in parts of west central, southwest, and south central Minnesota. Total snowfall accumulations of 2 to 5 inches are likely in the advisory area, with 6 to 8 inches likely in the Winter Storm Warning area by Thursday evening as the snowfall tapers off. However, blizzard conditions will continue in west central, southwest, and south central Minnesota through Thursday evening. ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO MIDNIGHT CST THURSDAY NIGHT... * WHAT...Snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 3 to 5 inches. Winds gusting as high as 35 mph. * WHERE...Portions of central and south central Minnesota. * WHEN...From 6 PM this evening to midnight CST Thursday night. Most of the heavier snowfall will occur Thursday morning. Only light snow amounts of 1 to 2 inches are expected tonight. Parts of south central Minnesota could get near blizzard conditions Thursday afternoon and evening. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Plan on slippery road conditions. Patchy blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning or evening commute. A Winter Weather Advisory means that periods of snow, sleet or freezing rain will cause travel difficulties. Expect slippery roads and limited visibilities, and use caution while driving. The latest road conditions for Minnesota can be found at 511mn.org and for Wisconsin at 511wi.gov, or by calling 5 1 1 in either state. CHARLES CITY, Iowa A Wisconsin man arrested after a 100 mph chase that injured two members of law enforcement is pleading not guilty. Leonard Michael Lewis, 21 of Madison, WI, is charged with eluding, operating a motor vehicle without the owners consent, and two counts of interference with official acts causing bodily injury. Authorities say Lewis led them on a chase on January 15 that began on Highway 27 and ended when Lewis abandoned his vehicle in a farm field, then was caught after a foot pursuit. A Floyd County deputy and a Charles City police officer suffered minor injuries in the pursuit. Lewis is scheduled to stand trial starting March 21 in Floyd County District Court. ROCKWELL, Iowa - While Election Day is in the rear view mirror for most voters, Rockwell residents showed up to the polls on Tuesday for a special election. Three candidates, Lee Gossweiler, Thomas Worley and Kevin Zeitler, are vying for the at-large council seat left vacant by Adam Wedmore, who was recently elected the Cerro Gordo County Auditor in November. Tuesday evening KIMT received the results of the election. Out of the 166 voters who cast their ballot Thomas Worley received 83 of those votes, being elected as the new councilor. Kevin Zeitler came in second place with 50 votes and Lee Gossweiler had 33 votes. Kay Whitney came to the Community Center to cast her vote, and while there's only one item on the ballot, she believes others should follow her lead. "It's very important because if you don't get and out vote, your voice isn't heard. I believe any election is important." Roger Sido was on the city council for more than a decade and also voted. "You want someone that's pretty levelheaded, be able to see both sides of any issue, be able to compromise in most respects." WASHINGTON (AP) Face to face with emboldened Democrats, President Donald Trump called on Washington to cast aside "revenge, resistance and retribution" and end "ridiculous partisan investigations" in a State of the Union address delivered at a vulnerable moment for his presidency. Trump appealed Tuesday night for bipartisanship but refused to yield on the hard-line immigration policies that have infuriated Democrats and forced the recent government shutdown. He renewed his call for a border wall and cast illegal immigration as a threat to Americans' safety and economic security. Trump accepted no blame for his role in cultivating the rancorous atmosphere in the nation's capital, and he didn't outline a clear path for collaborating with Democrats who are eager to block his agenda. Their opposition was on vivid display as Democratic congresswomen in the audience formed a sea of white in a nod to early 20th-century suffragettes. Trump is staring down a two-year stretch that will determine whether he is re-elected or leaves office in defeat. His speech sought to shore up Republican support that had eroded slightly during the recent government shutdown and previewed a fresh defense against Democrats as they ready a round of investigations into every aspect of his administration. "If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation," he declared. Lawmakers in the cavernous House chamber sat largely silent. Looming over the president's address was a fast-approaching Feb. 15 deadline to fund the government and avoid another shutdown. Democrats have refused to acquiesce to his demands for a border wall, and Republicans are increasingly unwilling to shut down the government to help him fulfill his signature campaign pledge. Nor does the GOP support the president's plan to declare a national emergency if Congress won't fund the wall. Wary of publicly highlighting those intraparty divisions, Trump made no mention of an emergency declaration in his remarks. He did offer a lengthy defense of his call for a border wall, declaring: "I will build it." But he delivered no ultimatums about what it would take for him to sign legislation to keep the government open. "I am asking you to defend our very dangerous southern border out of love and devotion to our fellow citizens and to our country," he said, painting a dark and foreboding picture of the risks posed to Americans by illegal immigration. The 72-year-old Trump harkened back to moments of American greatness, celebrating the moon landing as astronaut Buzz Aldrin looked on from the audience and heralding the liberation of Europe from the Nazis. He led the House chamber in singing happy birthday to a Holocaust survivor sitting with first lady Melania Trump. "Together, we represent the most extraordinary nation in all of history. What will we do with this moment? How will we be remembered?" Trump said. The president ticked through a litany of issues with crossover appeal, including boosting infrastructure, lowering prescription drug costs and combating childhood cancer. But he also appealed to his political base, both with his harsh rhetoric on immigration and a call for Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the "late-term abortion of children." Trump devoted much of his speech to foreign policy, another area where Republicans have increasingly distanced themselves from the White House. He announced details of a second meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, outlining a Feb. 27-28 summit in Vietnam. Trump and Kim's first summit garnered only a vaguely worded commitment by the North to denuclearize. But the president said his outreach to Pyongyang had made the U.S. safer. "If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea," he said. As he condemned political turmoil in Venezuela, Trump declared that "America will never be a socialist country" a remark that may also have been targeted at high-profile Democrats who identify as socialists. The president was surrounded by symbols of his emboldened political opposition. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was praised by Democrats for her hard-line negotiating during the shutdown, sat behind Trump as he spoke. And several senators running for president were also in the audience, including Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey. Another Democratic star, Stacey Abrams, delivered the party's response to Trump. Abrams narrowly lost her bid in November to become America's first black female governor, and party leaders are aggressively recruiting her to run for U.S. Senate from Georgia. Speaking from Atlanta, Abrams calls the shutdown a political stunt that "defied every tenet of fairness and abandoned not just our people, but our values." Trump's address amounted to an opening argument for his re-election campaign. Polls show he has work to do, with his approval rating falling to just 34 percent after the shutdown, according to a recent survey conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. One bright spot for the president has been the economy, which has added jobs for 100 straight months. "The only thing that can stop it," he said, "are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations" an apparent swipe at the special counsel investigation into ties between Russia and Trump's 2016 campaign, as well as the upcoming congressional investigations. The diverse Democratic caucus, which includes a bevy of women, sat silently for much of Trump's speech. But they leapt to their feet when he noted there are "more women in the workforce than ever before." The increase is due to population growth and not something Trump can credit to any of his policies. The president also defended his decisions to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria and Afghanistan over the opposition from national security officials and many Republican lawmakers. "Great nations do not fight endless wars," he said, adding that the U.S. is working with allies to "destroy the remnants" of the Islamic State group and that he has "accelerated" efforts to reach a settlement in Afghanistan. IS militants have lost territory since Trump's surprise announcement in December that he was pulling U.S. forces out, but military officials warn the fighters could regroup within six months to a year of the Americans leaving. Several leading GOP lawmakers have sharply criticized his plans to withdraw from Syria, as well as from Afghanistan. Trump's guests for the speech included Alice Marie Johnson, a woman whose life sentence for drug offenses was commuted by the president, and Joshua Trump, a sixth-grade student from Wilmington, Delaware, who has been bullied over his last name. They sat with Mrs. Trump during the address. MASON CITY, Iowa The woman accused of being too drunk to care for her grandchild is pleading not guilty. Lakesa Marie Mitchell, 36 of Mason City, is charged with child endangerment. She was arrested on January 5 after medics were called to the home where Mitchell was caring for her two-month-old grandchild. Court documents state the child had rolled off the bed and onto the floor, where its mother found it. The child was taken by ambulance to be evaluated for injuries. Authorities say a check of Mitchells blood alcohol level found it at .214, more than twice the legal limit. Her trial is now set to start on April 23. MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) Officials say a Mason City man who was shot by a railroad officer has been released from the hospital two months after the shooting. 30-year-old Nathan Lee Olson was released Friday from MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center. State investigators say Union Pacific Special Agent Louis Miner stopped Olson for trespassing on UP property on Nov. 29 and an altercation ensued before Miner shot Olsen near a railroad crossing in Mason City. Police have not said whether Olson was armed or released the extent of his injuries. Miner is still on paid administrative leave pending completion of the investigation. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 6) A joint House panel recommended the filing of graft, technical malversation, and grave misconduct charges against former President Benigno Aquino and his former Cabinet officials over his administration's bungled Dengvaxia vaccination program. The House Committees on Good Government and Public Accountability and Health on Wednesday voted 14-4 on the recommendation report. The solons said Aquino, his Budget Chief Butch Abad and Health Secretary Janette Garin allegedly conspired to purchase the anti-dengue vaccine and spend P3.5 billion in the nationwide immunization program. This program was carried out towards the end of Aquino's term in 2016. Lawmakers said the former government officials should be held liable for "confederating with one another" to give unwarranted benefits to Sanofi and to ensure the government's bulk purchase of Dengvaxia despite the lack of assurance over its safety. "It is apparent that there was collusion among public officials to ensure that a large quantity of Dengvaxia vaccines would be purchased by the government for administration to school children. This was done even though the safety and efficacy of Dengvaxia had not been clearly established. These officials provided shortcuts in the process to favor Sanofi Pasteur, the manufacturer of a commercially available dengue vaccine," the committee report read. Dengvaxia was administered to over 800,000 students in a school-based government immunization program in April 2016. Sanofi Pasteur in November 2017 announced the vaccine posed potentially severe dengue risks among those with no dengue history. The resulting panic prompted the Health Department to suspend its program. The joint House panel said Aquino, Abad, and Garin should also be taken to task for using savings to purchase Dengvaxia even though it wasn't allowed under the Constitution. It added Aquino may be charged for graft for approving the use of P3.5 billion from the 2015 Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund savings for the purchase of dengue vaccines for the immunization program. The former president is facing three complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman over the vaccine controversy. The committees also said Abad may be held liable for requesting the use of P3.6 billion worth of government savings, through a Special Allotment Release Order (SARO), for the procurement of dengue vaccines. Garin was also part of the recommendation for pushing for the mass use of Dengvaxia. The joint House panel also recommended filing of graft charges against Dr. Maria Joyce Ducusin, Dr. Rosalind Vianzon, Dr. Mario Baguilod, Dr. Julius Lecciones, Dr. Estrella Paje-Villar, Dr. Kenneth Hartigan-Go, Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy, and members of the Philippine Children's Medical Center Bids and Awards Committee. GARNER, Iowa Police say he was caught with drugs and a gun. He says hes not guilty. Jacob Dean Ganseveld, 26 of Klemme, was arrested January 6 after a traffic stop in Garner. Police say they found more than eight grams of methamphetamine in Gansevelds vehicle, as well as a digital scale, syringes, and a black revolver with the serial number removed. Ganseveld is pleading not guilty to possession of meth with intent to deliver, possession of a firearm by a felon, and failure to use a drug tax stamp. His trial is due to start on March 20 in Hancock County District Court. GARNER, Iowa A not guilty plea is entered by the accused accomplice of a man who stole from his own grandparents. Colby Anthony Olhava, 23 of Garner, is charged with 1st degree theft, 2nd degree burglary, two counts of trafficking in stolen weapons, transfer of a firearm to an unauthorized person, and two counts of possession of a controlled substance. Authorities say Olhava helped Anthony Fickel Schoneman steal over $10,000 worth of items from the home of Fickel Schonemans grandparents. The stolen items included prescription pills and a handgun. Olhava is accused of keeping some of the property at his home and giving the handgun to a convicted criminal. Olhavas trial is scheduled to start on March 20. Fickel Schoneman already pleaded guilty to 2nd degree burglary and received five years of supervised probation. MASON CITY, Iowa - According to the Alzheimer's Association, an estimated 5.5 million Americans age 65 and older live with dementia. And it can be tricky to find a balance that gives them some independence while ensuring their safety. Darci Stumo is a CMA at Mason City's IOOF home. Her niece's grandfather has dementia, and recalls a time where he went missing from his Northwood area home, but ended up unharmed in the Owatonna area. With the chilly weather outside, it's important now more than ever to have a plan to check on those at risk. "Check on them in the morning and maybe later in the afternoon or evening. A couple times a day. If you needed to, call or go in and check on them. At least call. Most of the time, they'll answer the phone." In addition, there are resources out there for those who might need them, like caregivers and the Rochester and Mason City Salvation Army's Adult Day Program, and Stumo suggests contacting your church. "People at church like to help each other out. Reach out to your church or your pastor and see what they can do." Older pupils are more susceptible to the power of brand names, and girls are more susceptible than boys, according to new research from the children at St Aidans National School in Kilmanagh. The schools sixth class recently exhibited their project at the RDS Primary Science Fair which ran alongside the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition in Dublin. Its the fourth year in a row that a class from St Aidans has exhibited. This years project Are we blinded by the brands? aimed to discover if students tastebuds are deceived by branding. They carried out their research over a four-week period. The work involved questionnaires, surveys and a number of taste tests. The children randomly selected four volunteers (two boys and two girls) from a junior, middle and senior room. They carried out taste tests on them with their eyes open, and then repeated the same taste test a second time, but this time the participants were blindfolded. This was to determine if they would choose the branded product with their eyes open compared to a generic product when blindfolded, such as tap water versus Ballygowan brand water. Having recorded their predictions and observations, tallied and measured their surveys and results the class concluded: The senior pupils were most blinded by the brands; girls were more blinded by the brands than boys; the junior pupils were least blinded by the brands; the Penguin chocolate bar brand influenced them the most, while Squeez orange juice influenced them the least. The class, together with their teacher Miss Ryan and Principal Robbie Byrne, exhibited from 9am to 3.30pm on the day and enjoyed an interactive, educational day out, exploring other projects, shows and stalls in the secondary section of the BT Young Scientist Exhibition. They were interviewed by News2Day, and Minister Eoghan Murphy dropped by their stand, where he also took a taste test. Finally, they were presented with a plaque from the judge and each child received a certificate of participation. With spring calving now underway on many Irish farms, IFA Health and Safety Executive William Shortall has urged farmers to be particularly vigilant to ensure their own safety. An average, 9% of farm fatalities are caused by cow and heifer attacks each year, with farmers more vulnerable to accidents at this time of year due to tiredness brought on by the heavy workload of spring. This is compounded by the fact that heifers and cows can be unpredictable at calving time and may hit out without warning. According to IFA Health and Safety Executive William Shortall, Spring is the busiest time of year on many Irish farms. Farmers work around the clock, often needing to be up several times a night to check on animals. This can lead to severe tiredness, restricting a farmers ability to react quickly. The IFA has developed some useful tips for farmers to help keep them safe, including: Dont be afraid to ask for help from a neighbour with a difficult cow or calving Know your limitations, youre not as agile as you were this time last year Make sure the calving gate is operating properly Make sure the calving jack and ropes are fit for purpose Make sure all dogs and children are out of sight before entering the pen Make sure the cow is correctly locked into the calving gate Ensure calving pens have appropriate lighting Remember there is no such thing as a quite cow Monumentality/Fragility, a major multi-venue exhibition of contemporary crafts featuring 74 makers from 19 European countries, including seven Irish participants, will open in Kilkenny on Saturday afternoon. In a major endorsement of the local, specialist craft industry, three of the seven Irish participants are Kilkenny based. They are: Textile artist Caroline Schofield and jeweller Eimear Conyard, who is also the Course Manager at the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland Jewellery and Goldsmithing Centre of Excellence. The third is jeweller, Annemarie Reinhold who initially studied Art, Craft and Design at the Grennan Mill Craft School, Thomastown before progressing to the National College of Arts & Design in Dublin from which she graduated with a Degree in Metals and Jewellery in 2016. She is living in Kilkenny, developing her skills further at the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland Jewellery and Goldsmithing Centre of Excellence. In partnership with the OPW, the showcase of over 170 exceptional objects will be displayed at two locations The National Design & Craft Gallery, Castle Yard and across the road at Kilkenny Castle. Ireland is the only country to host the exhibition for the European Prize for Applied Arts outside of Belgium. Monumentality / Fragility will be officially opened at the National Design & Craft Gallery and Kilkenny Castle on Saturday, from 4 to 6pm with guest speaker Gaelle Cornut,director of BeCraft. Karen Hennessy, Chief Executive of the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland said hosting the exhibition across two venues in Kilkenny was a privilege. It is also an opportunity to share the stunning work of a diverse group of European artists with the public. Among which there is a strong Irish representation and it is great to be able to display the very best of modern craft practice within the historical setting of Kilkenny Castle as well as the National Design & Craft Gallery, Ms Hennessy said. Mary Heffernan of the Office of Public Works in Kilkenny said the OPW delighted to partner with the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland to showcase this wonderful exhibition taking place at both venues. Kilkenny has become synonymous with excellence in art, design and craftsmanship and this collaboration represents a great opportunity to bring this array of talented artists from around Europe before a new audience in one of Irelands finest national historic properties. Billy Moore from Higginstown, Clara is a man of principle. As chairman of the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) in Kilkenny, he took on Glanbia (then Avonmore), the politicians and anyone else who stood in the way of farmers and their rights. And he also stood his ground during internal bickering within IFA. It came as no surprise that his autobiography, which doubles as a history of Higginstown and Clara is such an honest and enjoyable book. It should be compulsory reading for every young person in Kilkenny. The level of detail about his own place, his people, his neighbours and the goings on in Clara is phenomenal and his style, is a breath of fresh air; a welcome relief from the usual, boring, formulated biographies, which are based on newspaper clippings and have no real soul - This book is full of spirit. A fascinating little snippet revolved around his grannys cure for burns and blood poisoning. Billy said that while it is not as important as it was, it was successfully used recently on a horse that had bad cut to its fetlock and had been given up on by the vet. It contains hogs lard, beeswax, brown resin and a secret ingredient. As a young man, he answered an advert in the Farmers Journal and ended up working 14 hours a day for a farmer in Sweden. What makes this book special is Billys memory and the oral history handed down through generations of Moores is finally put down on paper and there for future generations to cherish. Another major reason the memoir is so enjoyable is his attention to detail and his ability to remember the price of farms 60 years ago and who bought and sold them. In the foreword to the book, entitled, From Ironmills To Higginstown, Billy thanked the late Michael Doyle of Danesfort and formerly of Coolcullen who filled him in on a lot of his own familys history. Incredibly, Billy Moore can trace his family back to the first half of the 17th century. According to my grandfather, Bill Moore, the first member of our family here in Clara came after helping a man called Kavanagh from Higginstown who was injured in a faction fight and he ended up marrying his daughter, Billy recounted in the book. The ninth generation of Moore is on the farm and another of Billys relations was a leader of the White Boys in 1775. They were a secret, farm organisation that used violent tactics to defend tenant farmer land rights for subsistence farming. Like many other farms in Kilkenny, each field in the Moore holding has an individual name like An Cruiscin, An Ghleann, An Cill, An Bhalla Ban and An Eascra. A launch date for the book will be announced shortly. OREGON An Oregon lawmaker has proposed a bill that would expunge some misdemeanor marijuana convictions from a criminal record. Senate Bill 420 deals with misdemeanors relating to delivery, possession or manufacturing of marijuana. Since Oregon marijuana laws have changed over the years, if it is a misdemeanor that would no longer constitute a crime, it would be erased. The bill would allow the Justice Department to look back at criminal records and determine who would be eligible to have those convictions set aside. Additionally, the bill also said an individual would not have to pay outstanding fines or serve remaining jail time for those convictions. These are crimes that we've chosen should not be crimes anymore and people are actually affected by old convictions when they are applying for work and for housing, Jesse Lohrke, an attorney with Lohrke Law said. Helping them get those off their records is a great thing. Lohrke said if passed, the bill could benefit numerous people in the community. "It would be great for those people, they'll have a better chance to essentially get better jobs, better housing or just overall into a better situation," Alex Traylor, a manager at Eugene OG said. Ed Chartrand, a homeless man living in Springfield said he has a $600 fine from a marijuana conviction several years ago hanging over his head. He said if he no longer had to pay it, it would make a big difference. "It would mean that that would disappear and it would take some debt off my hands, maybe even get [me] off the streets," Chartrand said. The bill is still in the early phases of being considered. EUGENE, Ore. -- A 10-year-old author in Eugene held a special event last weekend to help Greenhill Humane Society. Emma Phipps has written two books: Nalas Adoption Adventure and Nalas Dog Training Adventure. Phipps got the idea after she adopted Nala, wanting others to know about the benefits of adopting animals. I love animals, and I know that adopting is good for all animals because it gives each dog a home where they can be loved, just like I love Nala, Phipps said. Phipps read her book at Greenhill, and Nala made an appearance. Greenhill received $1 from each book sold at the event. 17 Shares Share In the last few years as documentation demands from insurers have skyrocketed, the buck has been passed straight into the lap of physicians offices where insurers have saved billions of dollars even as theyve slashed physician reimbursements by even more. Is it any wonder our offices are chaotic, patients complain about long waits, insurance issues, referrals, pre-authorizations, and copays? Do we have to do it all? Why? Simply because we were told to over the years until its become way beyond just unbearable. God forbid a client, as patients are now referred to, vents a claim against a doctor or his or her office as insurers jettison out a letter immediately, demanding a response and instant satisfaction. How about the other way around? Can physicians call and file a complaint about abusive patients to their insurers? In your dreams maybe. Its all about money, and the clients have all the rights as physicians take all the abuse. But who do patients vent their anger, disenchantment, and resentments toward? Thats right, and its not those who are responsible for it its the doctors and their terrible staff. Its a mostly no-win situation for physicians as people continue to wonder why physicians burnout and are miserable. Thanks to an out-of-control insurance and government regulatory monstrosity forced upon us; patients are experiencing longer wait times, staff members overwhelmed and overworked, rising tensions on both sides, less time with physicians all in the name of improved quality health care? Why dont you sell me an acre of swampland in the Sahara? This upside-down, bad-to-worse, day-to-day never-ending health care fiasco continues. The insurers and pharmaceuticals keep raking it in at the expense of doctors and patients left holding some change in wooden pennies at the bottom of the totem pole. Physicians need to refer complaints directly to insurers and pharmacies and educate their patients to complain directly to them as well. The AMA should educate the public and protect their physicians from harassment that they and their staff are exposed to on a daily basis. Any wonder why physician burnout is so rampant? Weve been demoted to providers who take the heat for the malpractice of insurers, pharmacies, and their agents. I posit that now more than ever physician shopping is at its highest levels. The only problem is how patients too have become impatient and react emotionally failing to realize they are shortchanging but themselves. They forget that its not for convenience that they see a physician instead of proper/best treatment of their maladies and the sorely sought peace of mind and reassurance they seek. Unfortunately the alternate providers they find results in inferior care as long as the wait times are palatable, the TV ads more luring and their logos strike a familiar chord. Insurers couldnt give a rats torso as they refer the unhappy patient to another of their providers so they can continue to collect their premiums. This is more than just corporate America, but instead, its a corporeal punishment and disaster waiting to happen. When it comes to health, physicians are held to the highest standards and face the harshest penalties. Corporate American health care gets away with just the opposite and does so without fear of any repercussions. That is why I believe that corporate American health care must be legislated so they cannot have it both ways as they do now. Put up or shut up when it comes to the medical care of humans. If you are not a licensed physician, you should not be able to hire a physician to parrot your rules and regulations to other physicians. You should not be involved in the decision-making process that licensed physicians are tasked with daily. You accept no liability and dictate all the terms; we need a halt and cease of these practices to be replaced by a much higher standard of honesty, transparency, commitment and accountability if you are to have any involvement in health care. You cannot just rake in obscene profits and hold the physicians accountable for anything you can dump on their laps. The buck has to stop somewhere. I suggest that since these entities have made physicians stretch the buck as far as they can already, its high time we unload it back on them. Physicians should refuse to do paperwork, waste their time on ridiculous insurance mandates and patients as well as physicians might soon begin to thrive once again. Next, we renegotiate with all insurers en-masse through our professional societies (I can dream cant I?) to reflect their profits and growths with our own. This is more than reasonable as without us there would be no partnership, and theyd be out of business. We neednt accept an existence of being dumbed down, downtrodden, disenchanted and disempowered. Instead, we must blossom as the talented, bright, caring professionals who bring the greatest value and who will take back the reigns of our profession from kidnappers who leach off it. It will take hard work in educating our patients, placing higher demands of ourselves and our professional societies but its difficult but very doable. Our profession is not on death row, and hope is but a notion of finding the courage and strength within ourselves to act now. Just like drug reps start by visiting medical students even before they are in practice, we need to educate our future physicians as to the potential they would claim instead of risk giving away. We need to learn from the pharmaceutical companies the most important lesson of them all: promotion. Its high time we started promoting ourselves and not our masters, from transforming the sheeple MDs we are to the lionhearted healers within us all. For at the end of the day, we will discard our burnt-out lives of misery and reclaim the joy of our calling. Also, well avail ourselves to those who seek us out for our highest capacity to heal. Dont fool yourselves as this will never occur until we have learned to throw off our limiting shackles to heal ourselves and our noble profession. Then and only then can our staff be more accommodating, efficient, caring and become a more accurate reflection of who we the physicians you will see after they pass the reception area truly are. Michael Weiss is a cardiologist and can be reached on Twitter @HeartAndSoulDoc. Image credit: Shutterstock.com NORTH PLATTE A school bus driver in Hayes Center, Nebraska, thought he smelled burning wires while out on his route. Within minutes after he and seven students got off the bus Monday afternoon, flames broke out and consumed the vehicle. The drivers quick actions prevented what could have been a disastrous situation, Superintendent Tony Primavera said. Primavera said he was in a meeting with the Hayes Center school principal, Megan Soundy, when the 911 call came through. "Shes an EMT, and were sitting in this meeting and she goes, One of our buses is on fire," Primavera said. He asked her if an ambulance had been called to the scene. "She said, 'Its just the fire department,'" Primavera said. "Thank God, no ambulance was called. "We didnt know it at the time. The kids had already been off the bus for several minutes." Smoke started to come out of the bus' electrical panel after all the students were off the bus, Primavera said. The driver grabbed the fire extinguisher, but the smoke got too thick and the driver decided to get out. The driver then spotted flames and called for help. HOLDREGE There are two reasons Al Dutcher doesnt pay attention to late winter-early spring weather predictions by Punxsutawney Phil or any other real or imagined characters. First, he lives in Nebraska, not Pennsylvania. Second, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln associate state climatologist relies on science positions of highs and lows in the Gulf of Alaska and in equatorial regions of the Pacific Ocean, historical trends, real-time maps and years of experience to guide his own weather forecasts. Dutchers late winter-early spring forecast at Tuesdays South Central Water Conference in Holdrege was, I think its going to be a tough row to hoe for calving season. Thats not good news for cattle producers or anyone hoping to downsize winter coats or put away snow boots and shovels anytime soon. Dutcher said conditions are in place for wet weather, with possibly one or two major snowstorms in Nebraska from now until mid-March. He cautioned that the storms likely will involve wet and wind-driven snow, but other dangers may include more arctic air, freezing drizzle and rain. TOKETEE FALLS, Ore. UPDATE: The body of a Mt. Angel man who went missing in the Toketee Falls area in early February has at last been found, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. Search and rescue teams found 30-year-old Jeffrey Vance's body on Sunday. They had returned to the Clearwater area to resume search efforts that had been called off in February amid heavy snows. A volunteer discovered him just before noon. "The Douglas County Medical Examiner's Office is conducting a death investigation. There are no immediate indications of foul play," the Sheriff's Office said in a statement. Vance's next of kin has been notified. (Updated 4/15/19 at 5:30 p.m.) UPDATE: Search and Rescue teams have suspended efforts to find a missing man in the Toketee Falls area amid worsening weather conditions, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) announced on Tuesday. Efforts began on Monday, February 4 when 29-year old Anthony Fennimore reported that he and his friend, 30-year-old Jeffery Vance, had become separated after their car broke down in that area. Deputies have since determined that the two got lost and separated on Sunday, February 3. Search teams found the 2008 Chevy Colorado pickup near Clearwater on the following Wednesday. In spite of those discoveries, DCSO said that there has been no sign of Vance. With heavy snow coming down in the area, the agency suspended search efforts on Saturday "until conditions improve." DCSO said that it has been assisted by Jackson and Josephine County Search and Rescue, Oregon Department of Emergency Management, Oregon Military Department, Pacific Power, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and Oregon State Police. (Updated 2/12/19 at 11:10 a.m.) INITIAL REPORT: A 30-year-old man from the Salem area remains missing on Tuesday with search and rescue teams deployed, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO). Sheriff's deputies responded to the Glide Store in Douglas County around 6 p.m. on Monday after a man called dispatch to report that he and his friend had been "lost in the woods" for two days and then gotten separated. The caller was 29-year-old Anthony Fennimore of Silverton, DCSO said. He told dispatchers that he and his friend, 30-year-old Jeffery Alan Vance of Mt. Angel, had car trouble in the area of Toketee Falls. On Friday night, Fennimore told deputies, the two became lost after walking away from their vehicle. By Saturday night or Sunday morning, the two had become separated. Fennimore found help on Monday morning when a passerby gave him a ride to Glide, where he called dispatch. Vance remains missing at this time, DCSO said. Search and Rescue teams have yet to find Vance or the vehicle, which Fennimore described as a maroon 2008 Chevy Colorado pickup with Oregon license plate 436KSW. Vance is described as 6 feet tall and 300 pounds. with brown hair and blue eyes. He was last known to be wearing dark blue or black Helli Hansen rain gear, a brown or gray stocking cap, a camouflage framed backpack and Georgia boots. DCSO is being assisted by Pacific Power, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Forest Service and Oregon State Police. FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) The Latest on a man attacked by a mountain lion in Colorado (all times local): 11:45 a.m. Wildlife officials say a man who fought off a young mountain lion on a northern Colorado trail killed the animal by choking it. The man was running alone near Fort Collins on Monday when the lion attacked him from behind after the movement apparently triggered its hunting instincts. A spokeswoman for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Rebecca Ferrell, says the man told investigators he choked it and an examination of the animal confirmed that. Ferrell says he did exactly the right thing by fighting back as hard as he could. Since he was just out for a run, he didn't have anything to help him other than "sheer will." The agency isn't identifying the man because of its investigation. He was hospitalized but is expected to make a full recovery. Mountain lions attacks are rare. Sixteen people have been injured and three killed by mountain lions in Colorado since 1990. 8:49 p.m. A man is recovering after he fought off and killed a mountain lion that attacked him during a trail run in northern Colorado. Rebecca Ferrell, a spokeswoman for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, tells The Coloradoan the man was running alone at Horsetooth Mountain Open Space near Fort Collins when he was attacked from behind Monday afternoon. The runner, whose name has not been released, fought off the cougar, hiked out of the area and drove himself to a hospital. He suffered facial cuts, wrist injuries and puncture wounds to his arms, legs and back. Wildlife officers searching the trail found the juvenile mountain lion's body near several of the runner's possessions. The last mountain lion attack in Colorado was reported in June 2016 in Pitkin County. Turkey on Wednesday hit out at President Emmanuel Macrons announcement that France would make April 24 a national day of commemoration of the Armenian genocide. We condemn and reject attempts by Macron, who is afflicted by political problems in his own country, to try and save the day by turning historical events into a political matter, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said in a statement after the French leaders announcement on Tuesday. Macron said Tuesday: France is, first and foremost, the country that knows how to look history in the face, during a speech to the Armenian community at a dinner in Paris. Turkey and Armenia have long been at odds over the treatment of Armenians during World War I. Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their people were killed during the war. But Turkey the Ottoman Empires successor state denies that the massacres, imprisonment and forced deportation of Armenians from 1915 amounted to a genocide. The claims of a so-called Armenian genocide have no legal basis at all, and go against historical realities. It is a political lie, Kalin said. No one can sully our history, the spokesman added. The French president said he had previously informed his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan of his decision. France was one of the first major European nations to recognise the mass killings as genocide. More than 20 other countries have followed suit. Armenians commemorate the massacres on April 24 the day in 1915 when thousands of Armenian intellectuals suspected of harbouring nationalist sentiment and being hostile to Ottoman rule were rounded up. South Africas President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Thursday deliver his last state-of-the-nation address ahead of elections in May with his party smarting from corruption allegations. In his address to parliament last year, two days after Jacob Zuma had resigned from office, Ramaphosa vowed a new dawn, promising economic revival and to fight endemic corruption, earning him plaudits even from the opposition benches. But, a year later, growth is tepid and unemployment remains stubbornly high at more than 27 percent while embarrassing details of corruption within the government and ANC ruling party officials have emerged. An ongoing commission into graft has heard blow-by-blow details of how bribes were paid to several government and party officials, including senior cabinet ministers serving in Ramaphosas government. Mineral resources minister Gwede Mantashe and environment minister Nomvula Mokonyane are some of the top party guns whose names have been linked to corruption by witnesses at the graft hearings. Ramaphosa is under pressure to move against the implicated officials, but he must also ensure the party maintains some unity through the election. The truth that is coming out will set us free and will make us stronger but we must make sure the wrong things being talked about in the commission must never, ever happen again in South Africa, Ramaphosa said at an ANC meeting last weekend. Battle for votes The opposition has jumped onto ANC corruption as a election trump card. Corruption is in the very DNA of the ANC, said Mmusi Maimane, leader of the main opposition Democratic Alliance. We urge the president to act, and act fast. Radical leftist opposition leader Julius Malema has challenged Ramaphosa to explain his links with Bosasa, a company that corruptly won huge government tenders under Zumas tenure. Ramaphosa is alleged to have benefited from Bosasa donations when he campaigned for the ANC presidency in 2017. If Cyril thinks he is going to do what Zuma was doing in that parliament, we will treat him the same way we treated Zuma, warned Malema, whose MPs booed and shouted down Zuma whenever he addressed parliament. Ramaphosas own position is precarious as he attempts to lead a clean-up of government within a divided ruling party, said Judith February, a researcher with the Pretoria-based Institute of Security Studies. He also faces pressure from beyond the borders of Africas most advanced economy. The Sunday Times at the weekend reported that five countries the US, Britain, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland had written a note to his office last year urging him to ensure full respect for the rule of law if he wanted to attract investment. The economy is forecast to have grown less than one percent last year, and huge debts racked up by state-owned companies such as power-monopoly Eskom and South African Airways are a major headache for Ramaphosa. Given that most are in disarray, Ramaphosa needs to spell out how he will deal with corruption, and get them back on track, said February. Ramaphosa is also expected to give an update on the controversial land reform plans to tackle apartheid-era inequality through expropriation without compensation, which spooked foreign investors. The time has come for the president to move beyond the endless gimmicks and buzzwords that are taking us nowhere, wrote economist Duma Gqubule in a newspaper column. Despite the falling recent support, the ANC is tipped to win the parliamentary election with around 60 percent of the votes, according to surveys conducted late last year. EXTENDS H1 ZONE OF DEPOSIT TO 775 METRES VERTICAL DEPTH VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Balmoral Resources Ltd. (Balmoral or the Company) (TSX: BAR; OTCQX: BALMF) announced that the Companys first expansion drilling on the Grasset nickel-copper-cobalt-PGE deposit since 2015 has both expanded the H3 Zone of the deposit with broad mineralized intercepts and successfully intersected the lower H1 Zone of the deposit at a vertical depth of approximately 775 metres. This latter intercept adds over 230 metres to the known vertical extent of high-grade and disseminated nickel sulphide mineralization at Grasset. The late 2018 drill program also extended both zones of the deposit by approximately 100 metres to the northwest (see Figure 1). The deposit continues to remain open to depth and along strike to the northwest. Drilling expanded the known extent of one of the broadest portions of the deposit, located near the base of the currently delineated resource. The high grade core of the Grasset deposit currently hosts an Indicated Resource estimated at 3.45 million tonnes grading 1.56% nickel, 0.17% copper, 0.03% cobalt, 0.34 g/t platinum and 0.85 g/t palladium to a vertical depth of just under 500 metres (see full disclosure regarding this resource estimate in NR16-04, March 7, 2016). Drill holes GR-18-90D and GR-18-107 both returned nickel sulphide mineralized intercepts of over 90 metres in down-hole width (see Figure 2, table below and updated cross-sections at www.balmoralresources.com). Both holes contain a high grade core which returned 23.03 metres grading 1.08% nickel, 0.12% copper, 0.03% cobalt, 0.20 g/t platinum and 0.51 g/t palladium in hole 90D, and 53.50 metres grading 1.11% nickel, 0.12% copper, 0.03% cobalt, 0.22 g/t platinum** and 0.55 g/t palladium** in hole 107. Additional drilling to further expand the H3 and H1 Zones of the deposit, via wedging from a pilot hole completed during this program (see below), is planned to commence later in the first quarter. Hole Az. Dip From To Interval* Nickel Copper Cobalt Pt Pd Zone Number (Metres) (Metres) (Metres) (%) (%) (%) g/t g/t GR-18-90C Wedge from 236.94 243.51 6.57 0.82 0.24 0.02 0.28 0.71 H1A including GR-15-90A 237.40 238.43 1.03 2.66 0.95 0.04 0.80 1.19 " GR-18-90D Wedge from 237.94 246.01 8.07 1.06 0.15 0.02 0.38 0.92 H1A including GR-18-90C 237.94 240.62 2.68 2.14 0.28 0.03 0.80 1.98 " 480.23 577.82 97.59 0.53 0.05 0.02 0.09 0.21 H3 including 537.77 560.80 23.03 1.08 0.12 0.03 0.20 0.51 " and 570.52 576.54 6.02 0.90 0.08 0.02 0.19 0.46 " GR-18-102A 058 -61 751.30 752.08 0.78 0.51 0.002 0.02 0.07 0.17 H3 941.96 956.11 14.15 0.41 0.04 0.01 0.07 0.15 H1 including 955.60 956.11 0.51 2.76 0.15 0.05 0.40 0.98 " GR-18-103 047 -51 688.49 692.80 4.31 0.55 0.17 0.02 0.21 0.50 H3 including 691.52 691.95 0.43 2.24 1.27 0.04 1.16 2.84 " 793.46 816.01 22.55 0.40 0.05 0.01 Pending H1 including 813.66 814.78 1.12 2.24 0.24 0.04 0.54 1.32 " GR-18-104 052 -53 Lost in Overburden GR-18-105 010 -65 213.80 224.60 10.80 0.35 0.02 0.01 Pending H3 314.94 321.92 6.98 0.90 0.12 0.02 0.31 0.50 H1 including 318.82 321.92 3.10 1.49 0.21 0.04 0.55 0.83 " which includes 321.45 321.92 0.47 2.69 0.47 0.10 0.90 1.26 " GR-18-106 049 -53 Lost in Overburden GR-18-107 045 -58 410.57 420.91 10.34 0.29 0.02 0.01 Pending HW 454.12 546.69 92.57 0.77 0.08 0.02 0.20** 0.51** H3 including 455.47 508.97 53.50 1.11 0.12 0.03 0.22** 0.55** " * Reported drill intercepts are down-hole widths, not true widths. At this time there is insufficient data with respect to the shape of the mineralized zones for the majority of the intercepts to calculate true width orientations in space. Where a greater density of data is available true widths are estimated to range between 70 and 82% of reported widths. ** Pt and Pd analysis for sub-intervals 454.12-460.48 and 514.00-546.69 metres in hole GR-18-107 remain pending. These intervals have been assigned zero values in calculating the values reported above. Thus Pt and Pd values reported are anticipated to increase once PGE analysis are available. Drill hole GR-18-102A, the pilot hole for planned expansion drilling of the H3 Zone of the deposit between 500 and 700 metres vertical depth, successfully intersected the lower, H1 Zone of the Grasset deposit within less than 25 metres of its predicted location. This intercept is over 375 metres deeper than any previous intercepts of the H1 Zone and 230 metres deeper than any previous intercept of the deposit. The lower margin of the host ultramafic unit, and the H1 Zone located along this lower contact, continue without significant interruption to at least 775 vertical metres (see Figure 3). The H1 intercept in Hole 102A returned a high-grade intercept of 2.76% nickel, 0.15% copper, 0.05% cobalt, 0.40 g/t platinum and 0.98 g/t palladium over 0.51 metres at the base of a broader 17.79 metre wide nickel sulphide zone (see Table 1 above). Hole 102A intersected a broad quartz porphyry unit along the projection of the H3 Zone, which is typically weakly developed along its southeastern margin at depth. A narrow nickel sulphide intercept along the lower contact of the dyke indicates that the H3 Zone is present at a vertical depth of 620 metres, but disrupted by the dyke in this hole. Both the H1 and H3 Zones were also intersected in hole GR-18-105, the most northwesterly hole to test the deposit to date. Hole 105 returned a 3.10 metre intercept with grades almost identical to the current resource grade of the deposit from the H1 Zone, indicating potential to further expand the high-grade portion of the deposit to the northwest. The H1 Zone of the Grasset deposit has now been intersected for 1,140 metres along strike and from the bedrock surface to a vertical depth of 775 metres, while the broader H3 Zone has now been intersected for 700 metres along strike and to a vertical depth of approximately 620 metres (see Figure 1). Both zones of the deposit remain open along strike to the northwest and to depth. Summary Drilling has expanded the Grasset deposit by as much as 230 metres vertically to a depth of 775 metres, and by 100 metres along strike to over 1,100 metres with the deposit remaining open in both directions. Broad intercepts of nickel-copper-cobalt-PGE bearing sulphides continue to expand the core of the deposit near the base of the currently delineated resource where it remains open The H1 Zone of the deposit exhibits no significant disruption to the deepest level tested (775 vertical metres) and shows increased grade and thickness to the northwest, enhancing the potential for resource growth The pilot hole for deep testing of the H3 Zone has been completed and drilling is currently anticipated to resume later in the first quarter 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 Grasset 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 anticipated results from outstanding assays, 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. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 6) The Department of Justice said it has filed charges of multiple murder and multiple frustrated murder against five suspects in the Jolo Cathedral blasts. DOJ Undersecretary Markk Perete said Wednesday that "Sulu OIC (Officer in Charge)-Provincial Prosecutor Rommel Cancio today filed an information for the complex crime of multiple murder with multiple frustrated murder against Mukammar L. Pay alias Kammah, Albaji K. Gadjali, Radjan B. Gadjaliq, Kaiser Gadjali and Said Alih." The charges were filed at the regional trial court in Jolo, according to Perete. He added this was because the witnesses and evidence needed to prosecute the case are in Jolo. "It would be more efficient to hold trial there unless compelling reasons exist for the transfer of trial to Manila. As of now, we have yet to receive any request from our prosecutor to effect such transfer," Perete said. Kamah is said to be a senior operative of Abu Sayyaf commander Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan and the one who escorted the Indonesian couple that conducted the January 27 suicide bombings, which killed 23 people. Kamah has also been identified as a brother of a slain Abu Sayyaf member. However, Philippine National Police Chief Dir. Gen. Oscar Albayalde said Kamah has not yet admitted his hand in the attack. In an interview with CNN Philippines News Night on February 4, Sulu Provincial Police Director SSupt. Pablo Labra said Kamah has been one of the suspects in the attacks from the beginning. The five suspects in the twin blasts at the Our Lady of Mr Carmel Cathedral surrendered to authorities on February 4 amid a massive manhunt. Case solved The Interior Department considers the Jolo bombing case solved with the surrender of the five suspects. As far as the government is concerned, the Jolo bombing case is already solved. We have already identified the perpetrators of the bombing and they are now under police custody," Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano said. He said there is a manhunt for 14 conspirators, including Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan. Our security forces, particularly the PNP with the help of the AFP, are conducting an intensified operation to track down and arrest the 14 other accomplices who are involved in the bombing. The long arm of the law will catch up with them sooner than later, Ano said. Summerville, SC (29483) Today Scattered thunderstorms during the morning becoming more widespread this afternoon. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 79F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms. Low around 70F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. A new restaurant in Clemmons is marrying Lebanese and Italian dishes on its extensive menu. Mediterraneo Pizza & Grill is at 3120 Gammon Lane in the Peace Haven Village shopping center that is anchored by Publix supermarket at Peace Haven and Lewisville-Clemmons Road. The restaurant is owned by Salvatore and Antonio DAbbusco, two brothers and natives of Naples, Italy. Antonio DAbbusco and his wife, Ramona Hage, own Mediterraneo Restaurant at 309 Pisgah Church Road in Greensboro. I worked for my brother in Greensboro for seven years as the head chef and manager, Sal DAbbusco said. Before that, I was working in a restaurant in Florence (Italy). After seven years, the 31-year-old Sal DAbbusco was ready to step out on his own. He said he chose Clemmons in part because he felt that the Greensboro and Winston-Salem markets were getting full as least for pizza and Italian food. Of course, its the Lebanese items on the menu that help set Mediterraneo apart from other restaurants. That part of the menu came from Hage, who is Lebanese-American. We got all of our Lebanese recipes from her mother, and Ive learned how to cook all of this Lebanese food. We like the idea of combining the two cuisines. A bill put forward last week by N.C. Sen. Joyce Krawiec of Forsyth County is worthy of every legislators support, as well as that of the public. The bill would ban female genital mutilation in the state, the Journals Richard Craver reported. Krawiec said she filed the bill because we must protect our girls from this abuse of being mutilated ... and this barbaric procedure. We agree. Female genital mutilation is defined as the partial or complete removal/circumcision of the labia majora, labia minora, or clitoris, for nonmedical reasons. The procedure is performed in parts of India and northern and southern Africa, sometimes as a religious ritual, but often under the guise of a medical procedure, which makes it even more insidious by giving it the trappings of modernity. And its sometimes performed in the U.S. According to the World Health Organization, the procedure has no health benefits for girls or women, but it can cause severe bleeding, infections and other medical complications. What are they afraid of? That someone may change her mind? My own thinking about abortion was partly formed by having almost witnessed a back-alley abortion when a college friend sought an abortion in 1970 in Spain. We walked into a room with a white linoleum table over which, not kidding, a single lightbulb hung. We bolted, called home for money and put her on a plane to London for a legal abortion. No one wants women to be subjected to such last resorts. But nor should we be celebrating laws that ignore the humanity of an unborn child. While there are only four doctors in the U.S. that perform third-trimester abortions and, obviously, no one gets an abortion on the delivery table, as New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg put it, the codification of late-term abortion should be discomfiting. It is obvious, meanwhile, that these pro-abortion legislators new efforts are aimed at undoing, one by one, the state-level victories of their pro-life counterparts even, apparently, if it means putting womens lives at greater risk by allowing non-doctors to perform abortions. But more concerning than a possible increase in late-term abortions (now at fewer than 2 percent of all pregnancy terminations) is the clinical way weve come to view and discuss human life. When we use language to disguise reality whether the developing human baby is a clump of cells, a fetus, or, even, a product of termination we move ever-closer to the dehumanization of us all. Kathleen Parker (kathleenparker@washpost.com) is a columnist for The Washington Post. North Carolinas most important emergency is not the next federal government shut-down. Nor is it a fake national emergency on the nations southern border. Our states real emergency is a real threat to its dominant position in the world of barbecue. Forget for a moment about our family spat about whether it is Eastern or Lexington style barbecue that is better. We can fight cheerfully among ourselves about that question forever. But, according to barbecue expert John Shelton Reed, there is not much difference between the two, especially if it is real barbecue. Real barbecue, he says, must be cooked and smoked over real wood coals. Otherwise, Reed says, it is not real. It is rather, using the French word for false or fake, faux cue. The immediate challenge to our favorite food comes from CBSs The Late Show host Stephen Colbert. He is a South Carolina native who usually makes his living coming up with new ways to make fun of President Donald Trump. Last month, however, he resurrected his barbecue war against us. He reached a confidential settlement agreement with Baptist in May 2008 in which he received compensation. In January 2009, Vincoli alerted State Health Plan officials that Baptist was collecting more than it would have been entitled to if the plan had known about hospital rate increases and had insisted on getting rate discounts it was eligible for. Baptist and at least 20 other hospitals said that at that time they had contracts that didnt require them to notify the State Health Plan of rate increases, so they didnt. A state auditors report in September 2011 concluded that Baptist met the requirements of the contract and is not required to repay any money, primarily because the contract had expired when the overpayments came to light. The state auditor said a poorly written contract by the State Health Plan, along with a faulty job of monitoring the contract, seems to be at the root of the overpayments. Vincoli alleged that the systems knowingly participated in submitting fictitious cost-report claims to Medicare and Medicaid, which he claimed was violation of the federal False Claims Act. Vincoli initially claimed that Baptist had $179.2 million in cost overstatements over a 13-year period. We want to see what the problems are, what has changed in education (since 2004) and find solutions, Johnson said. State Rep. Julia Howard, R-Davie, said she has heard from at least nine House members asking to join HB13. Howard is the sponsor of the bill. Education has changed since 2004, and the current law doesnt take those into account, like Early College, Howard said. Our goal should be better preparing students through education ... so they can enter the workforce ready for gainful employment. Long odds The bills face what appear to be very long odds of passage, if theyre not considered as dead on arrival. I expect it will be contentious going forward, state Rep. Marvin Lucas, D-Cumberland, a member of the committee, said at the end of the meeting. The 2004 law, which went into effect in the 2005-06 school year, passed after the successful Save Our Summers campaign by coastal business owners and a vocal parents group. Investigators arrested four more people Monday as part of their investigation into illegal drugs in the Southmont community of Davidson County, authorities said Tuesday. These arrests followed the arrests of eight people on drug offenses and other charges in the same investigation. Davidson County sheriffs deputies found illegal drugs, a gun and money last week at a Lexington home, authorities said Monday. Davidson County sheriffs deputies conducted a traffic stop and searched another home in the 100 block of Beckner Road in Lexington, the Sheriffs Office said. Investigators found 4 ounces of marijuana, less than a half-ounce of Psilocybin mushrooms, a small amount of cocaine, five doses of Adderall, and $800 in cash, the sheriffs office said. Adderall is an addictive prescription stimulant with effects similar to methamphetamines. Michael James Pruitt, 25, of Beckner Road in Lexington was charged with felony possession of cocaine, possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana and other offenses, the sheriffs office said. Jeffary Scott Freeman, 30, also of Beckner Road in Lexington was charged with possession with intent to manufacture, sell and deliver a controlled substance and other offenses, the sheriffs office said. No gun was found, but shell casings and one bullet matching Valentine's gun were found, White said. Another bullet was not matched with any gun. Besides Ruth and Valentine, Candice L. Venable and Jamie B. Blackmon were injured in the shooting. William Speaks, Ruths attorney, asked Albright to accept the plea. He said Ruth contends that Valentine was the instigator and that he was only trying to defend himself. If the case had gone to trial, Speaks said, he would have argued self-defense on behalf of his client. On Sept. 17, 2017, wwo months after the shootout over a parked car, White said, Ruth and his girlfriend were arguing. At one point, the two were out on the porch. The woman's son told police he heard gunshots and went to check on his mother. The son later reported that Ruth placed a gun to his face and asked, Do you want to be next, White said. The son ran away and escaped through a window. The woman was not injured. The involuntary manslaughter conviction on Ruth's record stems from a Feb. 3, 2016, Alford plea to that charge and a charge of assault with a deadly weapon, inflicting serious injury. Tax fraud cases involving potentially stolen identities are handled differently; you should go to the web site listed above for more information in those cases. On the state level, you can report suspected tax fraud at www.ncdor.gov/contact-us/report-tax-fraud or by phone at 800-232-4939. Q: In Surry County, N.C. 89 between Flippen Road and Lowgap was repaved last fall. Are they going to install center line reflective markers in the pavement? P.P. Answer: The contractor is behind but will be installing the markers as part of the contract, said Charles Reinhardt, division maintenance engineer with the state Department of Transportation. Q: On Sunday evening, we were ready to watch the Super Bowl on WFMY over-the-air on channel 2.1, but the signal was gone. Was there a local blackout? I checked the channel on Monday morning and it was working like usual. K.B. Answer: You may have had a problem with your antenna or television, but if there had been a widespread problem, SAM or WFMY would have heard from more people about it. In the latest report, MarkTen XL of NuMark was third at 6.6 percent, blu eCigs of Fontem Ventures was fourth at 6 percent and Logic of Japan Tobacco was fifth at 2.7 percent. Altria announced Dec. 7 its decision to discontinue the struggling e-cigs MarkTen and Green Smoke and oral nicotine product Verve. We note that Nielsen data does not capture the impact of couponing on sales performance, as it technically happens after the point of transaction, Herzog said. While we are not clear how much this skews our ability to gauge organic brand-level performance, we believe the discrepancy could be rather significant given the magnitude of couponing we understand is occurring presently in the category by MarkTen XL, Logic and Vuse. In the traditional cigarette category, Herzog said industry volume declined by 4.6 percent despite recent price increases by Philip Morris USA, Reynolds and ITG Brands LLC. She predicted industry volume to decline 4.6 percent in 2019. Herzog said that for all the buzz about e-cigs, it remains as just the fourth largest tobacco product in terms of having 4 percent of retail sales, compared with 83 percent for traditional cigarettes, 8 percent for chewing and smokeless tobacco and 5 percent for cigars. Del. John Kelly, R-Wood, said that he will not be introducing legislation this year to require warehouses to keep up-to-date inventory lists that would help first responders when putting out fires. President Donald Trump, with Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., behind him, on Tuesday night delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. The Associated Press Jennifer Dorsey is chief copy editor and Business section coordinator. She worked in Washington, D.C., and Chicago before moving to the Tetons. 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. Kylie Mohr covers the education and health beats. Mohr grew up in Washington and came to Wyoming via Georgetown. She loves seeing the starry night sky again. Mike has reported on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem's wildlife, wildlands and the agencies that manage them since 2012. A native Minnesotan, he arrived in the West to study environmental journalism at the University of Colorado. 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. Today Clouds and some sun this morning with more clouds for this afternoon. Hot. High 107F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Tonight Some clouds. Low 79F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Tomorrow Sunshine and clouds mixed. Hot. High 101F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. The human race is closer to herd suicide than it has been in history, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists warns in part, because of cybersecurity issues, including both information warfare and insecure IoT devices. Founded by the Manhattan Project scientists who built America's nuclear weapons program, the Doomsday Clock is a regular reminder of the existential threats to the species that humanity has created for itself. The Doomsday Clock stands at two minutes to midnight, the same as 1953, at the height of the Cold War. Cyber-enabled information warfare is a threat to the common good. The only way to prevent such an extinction event, the Bulletin argues, is evidence-based scientific research and rational debate. However, the tsunami of information warfare we are witnessing today disrupts society's ability to know what is true and what is false. That makes fact-based solutions extremely difficult. "The increased use of information warfare to undermine democracy around the world," the Bulletin writes, puts "the future of civilization in extraordinary danger.... Cyber-enabled information warfare is a threat to the common good." In other words, we can't solve the problems that could kill us all if we can't agree what the problems are, or even what the facts are. Inconvenient facts There are enough nuclear weapons in the world today to kill all life on earth, and despite the collapse of the Soviet Union, this threat hasn't gone away. Nor has climate change gone away simply because of the unwarranted, widespread disbelief in the scientific evidence, the Bulletin writes. Humanity has to arrive at a fact-based consensus to solve these problems. "The corruption of the information ecosystem is in this sense what we call a force multiplier," Herb Lin, a senior research scholar for cyber policy and security at Stanford University, and a member of the Bulletin's Science and Security board, tells CSO. "It makes solving these problems even harder. It's exponentially harder if you can't agree on the facts." The Bulletin is less worried about nation-states hacking each other and more worried about governments lying to each other's citizens and to their own. "Rather than a cyber Armageddon that causes financial meltdown or nationwide electrical blackouts, this is the more insidious use of cyber tools to target and exploit human insecurities and vulnerabilities, eroding the trust and cohesion on which civilized societies rely," says Lin. The Bulletin calls on nations to engage to dialogue and set international norms to halt the use of information warfare in the common, global interest. IoT devices and cyber Armageddon While the Bulletin is more worried about information warfare, they also call out the threat of insecure internet of things (IoT) devices, including attacks on the energy grid. Widespread sabotage of IoT infrastructure could escalate to a shooting war, even nuclear war, they worry. "The sophisticated sabotage of the 'internet of things' computer networks that control major financial and power infrastructure and have access to more than 20 billion personal devices could have impacts so severe as to inspire military responses, potentially involving nuclear weapons," the Bulletin authors wrote. Lin downplays the risk of such attacks, however. "I do worry about attacks on the energy grid. They are, in my view, a serious concern, but that's very hard to do, if not impossible." A return to the Dark Ages? The greatest threat posed by information warfare, Lin argues, is not the destruction of all human life in nuclear Armageddon, or the withering of human civilization due to climate change, but the death of the mind the end of the rational, scientific life that emerged, celebrated during the Enlightenment hundreds of years ago. "Cyber-enabled information warfare and information operations, taken to their extreme, threatens civilization as we know it," Lin says. There are fates worse than death, and the Doomsday Clock now reflects that. A security researcher has questioned the attribution of a cyber-espionage campaign to the group known as APT10, which has long been suspected to be operating with patronage from China, pointing out instead that the activity that had been classed as APT10 was more likely attributable to another group, APT31 aka Zirconium. The attribution to APT10 was made jointly by the companies Rapid7 and Recorded Future, with the latter releasing a blog post overnight which said the campaign in question had targeted at least three American firms and a Norwegian firm known as Visma, a managed services provider and a client and supplier of Recorded Future. The blog post said an international apparel company and an American legal firm were also targeted, with the campaign having been uncovered between November 2017 and September 2018. The incident was said to be related to the US charging two Chinese men with infiltrating a number of managed service providers and other organisations in the US. This activity is not APT10. It is all APT31 (or ZIRCONIUM) in our terms. The C2 domains that you mention were all registered and the threat actors made subsequent changes in specific ways that we attribute (with other information) to ZIRCONIUM. bk (@bkMSFT) February 6, 2019 "Based on the technical data uncovered, and in light of recent disclosures by the US Department of Justice on the ongoing activities of Chinese state-sponsored threat actors, we assess with high confidence that these incidents were conducted by APT10 (also known as Stone Panda, menuPass, CVNX) in an effort to gain access to networks and steal valuable intellectual property or gain commercial advantage," Recorded Future claimed. But the security researcher, who goes by the initials bk and claims to be an analyst at the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Centre, "This activity is not APT10. It is all APT31 (or ZIRCONIUM) in our terms. The C2 domains that you mention were all registered and the threat actors made subsequent changes in specific ways that we attribute (with other information) to ZIRCONIUM," he wrote. "ZIRCONIUM has registered 50+ C2 domains in this same manner you mention. Swiftydns\.com nameserver (initially) then topdns\.com soon after. This has gone on for a few years...When the sub-domains are created for these C2's they _typically_ resolve to IP's that are allocated to a VPS reseller named 'CrownCloud'. I think you're missing the point. You guys have been throwing "High Confidence" around pretty loosely. pic.twitter.com/4JPXGUzR2Y Ben Goerz (@bengoerz) February 6, 2019 "Usually when you find one C2 for ZIRCONIUM you can find several by hunting the allocated netblocks for the provider and joining in other data. You'll find more ZIRCONIUM if you use this methodology against the C2s you listed." Recorded Future's confidence about attribution was also questioned by another researcher. Ben Goerz who wrote: "I think you're missing the point. You guys have been throwing 'High Confidence' around pretty loosely." Recorded Future, which has close links with In-Q-Tel, the CIAs investment arm, and Google Ventures, responded to the tweets from bk, saying: "Appreciate your input. Definitely happy to collaborate and compare notes/data. Please check out this part of the report where we did caveat for a potential link." The part of the report referred to was at the end of the blog post and said: "Based on available information, we assess that this intrusion was conducted by the group that is known as APT10. However, during the course of this investigation, we have had privileged conversations that lead us to believe that in the future, portions of what is now known as APT10 will be recategorised as a new group. There is insufficient data at this time to make that distinction." Australian consumers are reporting having their bank accounts drained by fraudsters and their email inboxes accessed in the latest scam involving theft of mobile numbers, according to the newly published report on fraud from the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman. The TIO Systemic Spotlight report Reducing fraudsters theft of mobile numbers reveals how fraudsters steal a consumers mobile number by convincing the mobile service provider to switch the number to a new SIM card in the fraudsters possession (known as SIM swaps). And, the TIO warns that once a fraudster has access to a consumers mobile number they can use it to access the consumers bank account, emails, and other online accounts. Commenting on the TIOs publication of the report, Ombudsman Judi Jones said, Fraudsters are developing new ways to collect personal information about a consumer accessing social media profiles, posing as telemarketers, or sending deceptive emails. They use this information to impersonate consumers, deceive mobile service providers, and steal consumers mobile numbers. Jones notes that the TIO's Systemic Investigation Team noticed a trend of complaints in 2018 about mobile service providers who had a low bar for consumer identity verification. We have been working with these providers to address these problems and help prevent future complaints, Jones said. Jones also said that since the Telecommunication Industry Ombudsman started to work with the providers on this issue, they have introduced new security procedures including two-factor authentication. We welcome the industrys continued work towards consistently robust identity verification procedures. It is important to ensure these procedures keep up with evolving technological risks, Jones said. Jones notes that the TIO has also published a guidance note about how its office handles complaints about unauthorised SIM swaps. The TIO also offers guidance on what consumers should do if their mobile number is stolen?: If you find your service is suddenly disconnected or receive notification about a SIM swap you didnt authorise, you may be a victim of mobile number theft. We suggest you: Contact your bank or financial services provider immediately and explain that your mobile number has been taken. Ask them to check for any withdrawals or unusual transactions on your account. Contact your mobile service provider and ask them to get your number back. Contact IDCARE, Australia and New Zealands national identity and cyber support service at www.idcare.org or via phone on 1300 432 273. If fraud or theft has occurred, contact the police. For unresolved complaints about financial institutions, the TIO directs enquirers to contact the Australian Financial Complaints Authority at www.afca.org.au or via phone 1800 931 678. And, if you have a complaint about how your mobile service provider dealt with a SIM swap, contact the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman at www.tio.com.au or via phone on 1800 062 058. And, on how consumers can protect against the theft of their mobile numbers, the TIO notes that the more publicly available your personal information is, the more susceptible you are to mobile number theft. To protect yourself, the TIO suggests you: Dont respond to emails asking for your bank account details, phone number and personal details. Dont respond to any caller who asks for access to your computer. Dont give them any passwords or other information. Hang up. Dont click on links in emails or text messages saying you have won a prize or have a message, particularly if you dont know the sender. Reduce disclosure of personal details such as full name, mobile number and full date of birth online on social media, online dating websites or blogs. If you must enter these details, ensure they are hidden from public view. Lock your letterbox. Fraudsters can gain personal information about you by physically stealing your mail. The TIO also lists ways mobile service providers can strengthen identity verification procedures: Huawei will take between three and five years to fix security concerns identified in a report by an oversight board, the president of the Chinese telecommunication equipment provider's Carrier Business Group, Ryan Ding, says in a letter to Norman Lamb, the chair of the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee. The letter was written in response to one from Lamb that asked several questions of the company. One was about the shortcomings identified in the latest report from the Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Centre's Oversight Board. The HCSEC, a testing centre set up by the company and jointly run with the UK's National Cyber Security Centre, tests the company's technology to ensure that any security issues are mitigated and issues a report every year. Ding said the latest report had identified "some areas for improvement in our engineering processes and we are working to address them". "Enhancing our software engineering capabilities is like replacing components on a high-speed train in motion," he said. "It is a complicated and involved process and will take at least three to five years to see tangible results. We hope the UK Government can understand this." Ding ruled out any possibility that the company would be asked to assist China in intelligence gathering, saying this had never happened and would never happen. "Were Huawei to engage in malicious behaviour, it would not go unnoticed - and it would certainly destroy our business," he said. "For us, it is a matter of security or nothing; there is no third option." With regard to China's National Intelligence Law, Ding said the Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry had clarified that no Chinese law obliged any company to install backdoors. "To confirm this interpretation, we have also sought the opinion of a leading Chinese law firm, Zhong Lun, which has been reviewed by Clifford Chance LLC, a well-respected international law firm based in London," he said. "The legal opinion confirms that relevant provisions of the Counter-Espionage Law, the Anti-Terrorism Law, the Cyber Security Law, the National Intelligence Law, and the State Security Law do not appear to empower PRC government authorities to plant backdoors, eavesdropping devices or spyware in telecommunications equipment. "In addition, the relevant provisions of China's National Intelligence Law do not appear to have extra-territorial effect over Chinese companies' overseas subsidiaries and employees, such as Huawei UK." Lamb also asked what reassurances Huawei could provide to show that its products and services were not a threat to British national security. Ding said in response that the company's "solid track record" was the strongest evidence it could provide. "Over the past 30 years, Huawei has provided network products and solutions to nearly 1500 telecom operators in more than 170 countries and regions," he said, adding that the company was delivering stable telecommunications service to more than three billion people. He said some governments had labelled Huawei a security threat, but had never substantiated these allegations with solid evidence. Ding's letter was sent on 29 January, about a week before a report in a London newspaper hinted that the forthcoming report from HCSEC would claim that Huawei had not addressed security concerns raised last year even though the NCSC said at the time that fixing the issues identified would take until mid-2020. London's Telegraph newspaper claimed that the latest draft report had found that "issues raised from its previous findings into the Chinese telecoms giant have not been fully addressed and will criticise Huawei over the security of its technology". The issues in question were raised in July last year when the last report from the HCSEC was issued. At the time, as iTWire reported, the report claimed that equipment made by Huawei had technical and supply-chain issues that exposed the UK's telco networks to new security issues. Ding made no reference to this, but mentioned the HCSEC while asserting that the company took cyber security very seriously. He pointed out that since 2011, John Suffolk, a former British government CIO, had been functioning as Huawei's Global Cyber Security and Privacy Officer. A Cyber Security Verification Lab set up by Huawei reported directly to Suffolk, providing reports that detailed the quality and security capabilities of the company's products, Ding said. He also said the HCSEC Oversight Board included members of the company, the UK Government and British telcos and the most recent report from this board said this assurance model was the best way to manage any risk stemming from Huawei's involvement in the British telecommunications sector. Asked about action against Huawei taken by other countries, including the so-called Five Eyes nations, Ding said while some countries had acted to restrict the company's business activities, in many cases the media had exaggerated the extent of the restrictions. He claimed that to date: Canada had not imposed any restrictions on Huawei; New Zealand had turned down a single 5G proposal but the regulatory process was still ongoing; Australia had raised extra requirement for the supply of 5G products but Huawei was still a major provider of network equipment; and Even in the US, existing laws only restricted use of federal funds to purchase Huawei networking hardware and services and there were no restrictions on the company's business activities. Thanks to The Register for the link to the letter. Diners have amazing choices at the Interlaken Sportsmans Club at the annual Wild Game Dinner, pictured here in 2016. This years dinner is March 9 at the Interlaken Sportsmens Club. Like the Ithaca Times? Please help support local journalism by whitelisting this site in your ad blocker. Thank you! On Friday, officials with the Walker County Hospital District board announced that they have finalized a $7.8 million purchase of Huntsville Memorial Hospital. Do you feel like this is a good use of tax dollars, and is this the right direction for the struggling health care facility? You voted: Wednesday, February 6th, 2019 (6:55 am) - Score 7,031 Cable ISP Virgin Media has this morning announced the trial of a new 8Gbps+ (8000Mbps+) home broadband service via their Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based network, which is a small scale test that will run for six months and take place with 50 homes in the large Cambridgeshire village of Papworth. At present the provider says they have no plans to roll this out and the trial is largely just an opportunity to test and learn what their full fibre network is actually capable of. In other words it should be viewed in a similar way as last years 10Gbps FTTP trial by Hyperoptic (here) or Gigaclears 5Gbps trial (here) from three years ago (i.e. a useful test with some marketing benefit, but not yet a real product for homes). Otherwise the trial itself appears to be using point-to-point Ethernet Passive Optical Network (EPON) technology. This has already been used to deliver full fibre speeds of up to 1Gbps in the UK (Virgin was doing this in Papworth until last year), but the operator says theyve been working with long-time technology partner, ARRIS, to boost this by testing new hardware (e.g. new router) and software in their residential fibre network. At this point we assume theyre still harnessing Radio Frequency over Glass (RFoG) for the trial, which adapts to their cable DOCSIS signals (the communication standard for cable operators) in the home environment. This makes it easier for them to run a mixed hybrid fibre coax (HFC DOCSIS) and pure fibre FTTP network in different parts of the UK. Meanwhile the peak download speed of 8.465Gbps (Gigabits per second) and upload of 8.14Gbps was tested and independently verified by Ofcoms technical partner, SamKnows, who fast tracked the development of a new speed testing tool specifically designed to test multi-Gigabit connections. Other speed testing companies will face a similar challenge with the next generation of technologies. Richard Sinclair, VMs Executive Director of Connectivity, said: As the UKs fastest widely available broadband provider, were committed to making Britain faster and this trial pushes the boundaries of whats possible. Whether its streaming UHD movies on Netflix, playing the latest games online or video conferencing, faster internet connections have changed our lives immeasurably over the past decade. As speed leaders, Virgin Media is not going to stand still; this trial is about looking ahead to the next decade and beyond. With the volume of our customers internet usage almost doubling every year, trials like this will ensure we have the capability to meet the demand of data-hungry services in the future be that over cable or full fibre. Sam Crawford, Founder and Chief Technology Officer at SamKnows, said: We measure broadband speeds around the world and this trial has been delivering speeds far in excess of what we typically see in customers homes. By using SamKnows certified measurements, Virgin Media was able to inexpensively troubleshoot issues quickly to consistently deliver innovative multi-gigabit speeds to real customers. Papworth, which is home to a population of around 3,000 people, has of course been used to test Virgins FTTP services before (since 2014) and this includes their narrow-trenching approach to civil engineering with the John Henry Group (here and here). Sadly trials of the 1Gbps service came to an abrupt end last year (here) and it now seems as if this may have been necessary for them to deploy the latest test kit. All of this is important because Virgins 3bn Project Lightning network expansion expects to reach around half of its additional premises (3-4 million) via FTTP technology by the end of 2019 or 2020, although it obviously wont have much benefit for the majority of their network on HFC DOCSIS technology. However the forthcoming DOCSIS 3.1 upgrade will be able to deliver Gigabit downstream speeds when required. As usual its worth remarking that having a speed of 8Gbps in your home would have little benefit today since it goes well beyond the capabilities of most internet services (i.e. they cant deliver content / data to you that fast). Furthermore it would be hampered by the limitations of other local hardware and WiFi speeds. At present its hard enough to make full use of 1Gbps, let alone anything faster. Later this year, Virgin Media said they will also be making some larger-scale network announcements to further solidify their speed leadership in the market. UPDATE 7:56am We understand that VM are using the ARRIS E6000 CCAP CMTS edge router hardware on their side of the network (not to be confused with their customer CPE router / kit), which is also ready for future DOCSIS 3.1 upgrades. The ARRIS ONU also appears to be used as part of the customer premises (CPE) side setup. UPDATE 10:07am Were still trying to find out exactly what broadband router (CPE) is being used for this inside the home environment, although it appears to be a device from Ruckus Networks (owned by ARRIS) and better yet its one equipped with the bleeding edge 802.11ax WiFi standard (aka WiFi 6). UPDATE 11:14am The broadband router being used is a Ruckus R730, which is a dual-band, dual-concurrent 802.11ax AP that supports 12 spatial streams (88:8 in 5GHz, 44:4 in 2.4GHz), 1 x 5Gbps Ethernet port, 1 x 1Gbps Ethernet port and 1 x USB v2.0 port. Commentary Say No to Myitsone Graffiti is seen on a stone at the confluence of the Mali and Nmai riversthe source of the Irrawaddy Riverat Myitsone outside Myitkyina, Kachin State in March 2017. / Reuters Anyone saying Yes to resuming the Myitsone Dam project on the Irrawaddy River in Kachin State can expect public fury at best andit doesnt seem like much of an exaggeration to say ita death squad at worst. The controversial project is officially suspended, but recently returned to the center of public attention thanks to some undiplomatic remarks from Chinese Ambassador Hong Liang, delivered as he was meeting with Kachin politicians and religious leaders in the state capital, Myitkina. Hong claimed the Kachin people were not opposed to the dams resumption. Really? His remarks drew public outrage, but there has been no apology from the senior Chinese diplomat. To gauge public opinion in Myanmar we could call a nationwide referendum; Chinawith which we have nurtured a long-lasting relationshipwould then be in no doubt as to where the public stands. If we believe in paukphaw (fraternal) relations between China and Myanmar, our Chinese brothers should know that the majority of people in this country oppose the dam project. But I can see at least one potentially positive development in all this: Since the majority of people oppose the controversial project, Myitsone is an issue on which all citizens can find some common ground, forging much-needed unity in the country. Government and religious leaders, politicians, lawmakers, activists and the public have strong opinions on the issue and will make it known to the world that they despise the projectthis is healthy. The Myitsone controversy also offers a valuable lesson to us all; the contract was signed when the country was under the former military junta. In future, any issue related to mega projects will need to be handled with more transparency and accountability, and public participation is, as always, important. On the issue of Myitsone, the National League for Democracy-led governments stance should be loud and clear. So far, however, the public is not satisfied with the governments position. State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi recently said that no investor would trust Myanmar if a new government abolishes projects approved by its predecessor just because they do not comply with its policies. Suppose a foreign investor established a business and the government that approved that business then left office. If its successor terminates the project saying it did not approve it, then no businessperson would want to invest in this country. Her statement coincides with widespread concerns among the public over Chinas attempts to resume the dam project after seven years. In 2011, when she finally joined the protest against the dam project, the then opposition leader echoed the publics concern that the dam was dangerous and divisive. In a statement issued at the time, she said, Since the commencement of the Myitsone project, the perception long held by the Kachin people that successive Burmese governments have neglected their interests has deepened. She went on to say, We would urge that in the interests of both national and international harmony, concerned parties should reassess the scheme and cooperate to find solutions that would prevent undesirable consequences and thus allay the fears of all who are anxious to protect the Irrawaddy. For reasons that are not hard to grasp, since the NLD came to power, her stance on this issue has become increasingly equivocal. She ordered the establishment of a committee to look for an appropriate resolution to the Myitsone Dam project. During her visit to China in 2016 she said she is willing to look for a resolution that suits both sides interests. Last week, U Thaung Tun, minister for investment and foreign economic relations, acknowledged that the China-backed project is dogged by major problems and has received nationwide pushback. As we are the government, we are working hard to find a solution, the minister said at a press conference during the Invest Myanmar Summit in Naypyitaw. The minister said the government and the commission set up by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi are in very serious discussions and considering all possibilities, including downsizing the dam, relocating it or developing other projects instead. He said the dam project as it was initially conceived under the previous government was misguided. So would Daw Aung San Suu Kyi say yes to the Myitsone project? Government leaders including the State Counselor realize that resumption of the dam project is political suicide. Recently, we have seen many brave people come out to protest against the dam project. One is the respected Cardinal Charles Bo, who said that the dam, which is slated for construction at the source of the Irrawaddy River, known as Myanmars lifeline, must be stopped to ensure a peaceful future for the country, adding that construction of the dam would be a death sentence for the people of Myanmar. The cardinals call follows a strong push by China to convince local people to support the project. His statement, titled Stop Trafficking Our Mother Irrawaddy, is timely. In it, Cardinal Bo told local authorities and the international community that Myanmar is facing the sad prospect of losing the Irrawaddy to the greed of a superpower. China, no doubt, will not be pleased. On behalf of all the people of Myanmar, especially the poor farmers, we earnestly request all stakeholders to stop their attempts to abuse our Mother Irrawaddy, the cardinal said in his statement. It was a wonderful statement that echoes the sentiments of millions of people in the country. Make no mistake: The public outrage against the dam project is gaining momentum and the government must listen to these voices. Certainly, whoever speaks out on this issue could make himself or herself a hero. And a surprising candidate has emerged! In a recent meeting of stakeholders in Myitkyina, Myanmar military chief Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing held discussions with Kachin religious leaders on IDPs, the peace process and the Myitsone project. The commander-in-chief, who has made no secret of his political ambitions in 2020, reportedly said it is hard to go against the publics will on the dam issue, and promised that the Tatmadaw would do anything it can. But, he added, the final decision would be made by the Hluttaw, or Parliament. Without a doubt, introducing this hot-button issue into the sleepy Parliament will liven it up again. To be fair, Myanmar and China are neighbors, and Beijing is always in a hurry to assist whenever Myanmar faces a political or diplomatic crisis; the governments recent efforts to strengthen ties with Beijing as criticism over the Rohingya refugee crisis pushes Myanmar away from the West are understandable. But Myanmar is still an independent nation, and China must respect this. Malaysias Mahathir Mohamad, who returned as the countrys prime minister at the age of 93 early last year, traveled to Beijing in August and said No to Chinese projects worth more than $20 billion, including the East Coast Rail Link, which was supposed to run down peninsular Malaysias eastern seaboard as part of Beijings Belt and Road Initiative. Likewise, the government in Myanmar can say No to past projects and renegotiate deals to reflect public opinion. Whatever amount of pressure the government is subjected to, and regardless of the challenges the country faces, its time to demonstrate that Myanmar is not a client state of any country and still exercises independence and a neutral foreign policy. Saying No to Myitsone will ensure the future of the country. The more China pushes Myanmar to resume the dam project, the greater the public outrage and fury it will face. When it comes to Beijings efforts to achieve a paukphaw relationship, this can only be counterproductive. Aung Zaw is the founding editor-in-chief of The Irrawaddy. News Parliament Approves Committee to Draft Amendments to Constitution Daw Aung San Suu Kyi delivers a speech calling for the amendment of the Constitution at a rally in Boseinman Stadium, Yangon, on May 17, 2014. / Reuters YANGON Nearly 67 percent of Union Parliament lawmakers voted Wednesday morning to form a committee to draft amendments to Myanmars undemocratic Constitution. Parliament approved the formation of the committee with 414 votes in favor, 191 opposed and six abstentions. Though it was a secret ballot, the 31 percent who voted against the motion were likely military representatives appointed by the army chief, who hold 25 percent of the seats, and members of the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), who hold 5 percent. Following the vote, Speaker U T Khun Myat announced that the committee would be chaired by Deputy Speaker U Tun Tun Hein, comprise an equal number of lawmakers from both houses of Parliament, and include military representatives and independents. U Tun Tun Hein, 70, the former lawyer, was elected deputy speaker in March 2018. U Aung Kyi Nyunt, a lawmaker for the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD), introduced an urgent proposal to Parliament to form the committee as soon as possible on Jan. 29. The military lawmakers objected to the proposal and boycotted the parliamentary debate on the motion on Tuesday. Thirty lawmakers from the NLD, USDP and some ethnic minority parties did join the debate. All but the five USDP lawmakers who joined in endorsed the proposal and offered suggestions on what form it should take. The USDP lawmakers strongly objected to the motion. The Constitution, drafted by the then-ruling military junta in 2008, has been widely criticized as undemocratic. It reserves 25 percent of parliamentary seats both regionally and nationally for the military and gives the army chief the power to appoint the ministers of defense, home affairs and border affairs. The army can also select one of the countrys three vice-presidents. Amending the charter also requires approval from more than 75 percent of the total lawmakers in Parliament, effectively giving the military a veto over any proposed changes. Burma One Year On, No Response on Myitsone Impact Assessment Two fishermen throw out their nets on the Irrawaddy River. / The Irrawaddy NAYPYITAWThe commission tasked with evaluating hydropower projects on Myanmars Irrawaddy Riverincluding the Myitsone Dam in Kachin Statesubmitted its assessment to the Presidents Office more than one year ago. The commission was formed on August 12, 2016, and was assigned to assess potential impacts of proposed projects on the environment, society, foreign investment, economy and water resources along the Irrawaddy River. Speaker the Lower House of Parliament U T Khun Myat chairs the 20-member commission and the State Counselors Office Minister U Kyaw Tint Swe serves as vice-chairperson. Union ministers and Kachin States chief minister are also members of the commission. We presented our assessment, but [the Presidents Office] has not made any reply about what to do next. The authority of the commission is limited [to submitting the assessment], Mi Kun Chan, a member of the commission, told The Irrawaddy. The commission has studied the dam project contract signed under the former military government by Myanmars former Vice Sen-Gen Maung Aye and Chinas President Xi Jinping, who was vice president at the time. It is up to the government to make the decision. As the commission includes a lot of experts, I dont want to make personal comments. I dont know if [the government] will release the report during its two remaining years [in office], said Mi Kun Chan. Sources close to Chinese investors said that Beijing has invested at least $6 billion in Kachin State including the $3.6-billion dam project in Myitsone to be located at the confluence of Mali or the NMai rivers where the Irrawaddy River begins. The project was shelved by then-President Thein Sein in 2011 amid widespread public concern over its social and environmental impacts and recently returned to the spotlight when Chinese Ambassador Hong Liang claimed after a visit to Kachin State at the end of December that the Kachin people were not opposed to its resumption. Kachin spiritual leaders, Kachin political parties and Kachin people have publicly objected to the dam project, and called for its termination. There is the Sagaing Fault, and if something happens Myitkyina will be flooded in seconds, and Bhamo will be flooded in minutes, said Lower House lawmaker U Aung Thein of Bhamo Township. None of the Chinese-backed projects in Myanmar, including those in Kachin, benefit Myanmar citizens, he claimed. News Hundreds of Arakanese, Chin Flee to Bangladesh as Army, AA Clash in Paletwa A separate group of displaced Arakanese and ethnic Chin trek to safety in Bangladeshs Bandarban District in recent days. / Ko Ko Marma / Facebook YANGONAbout 250 newly displaced Arakanese and ethnic Chin from Chin States Paletwa Township were driven from their homes into neighboring Bangladesh last week by fierce fighting between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army (AA). Some of the children in the group are reportedly gravely ill as the refugees lack food, clothing and shelter in the areas cold conditions, a rights worker said. Medical and other aid workers were reportedly trying to reach the group, but the area they have fled into is extremely difficult to reach. Win Thein, a member of Bangladeshs Bandarban District Human Rights Commission based in Ruma upazila (sub-district), told The Irrawaddy that over the weekend he met with the displaced villagers near a small village in a densely forested area known locally as Thuisa Para, about 11 km from the Remakri BGB (Border Guards Bangladesh) Camp. He said that according to the displaced people, the Myanmar military (or Tatmadaw) torched homes in Kha Maung Wa village and Kin Tha Lin village in the upper Paletwa region last week. A group of 124 ethnic Chin arrived in Bandarban Districts Ruma Township on Sunday. The following day, 126 Arakanese people from various villages entered the same area. We cant reach that region by car or boat; trekking is the only option. If we travel from Ruma Township it takes almost one day, Win Thein said. According to initial reports from Ruma residents, the IDPs trekked for a couple of days to reach the Remakri region from the western Myanmar border. Relief groups could not reach Remakri by car; they had to take a boat trip from Ruma town and then make a six-hour trek to reach Thuisa village. The IDPs had been denied entry by local residents due to a lack of facilities there. Thus, all refugees are temporarily camping near a stream without enough food, tarpaulins or blankets. Win Thein said the group included 60 children, including a few newborns. The refugees were without blankets or warm clothes. He said that their lack of warm clothing posed a threat of pneumonia among the children, adding that about five of the children had been unconscious since Monday. When he returned to Ruma town from Remakri, he sent doctors and other relief workers to rescue the children and provide some emergency medical aid to the refugees. He explained that the climate in the mountains in the area at this time of year is very cold, not unlike the hilly region of Shan State in northern Myanmar. The refugees were not allowed to enter Thuisa village as it does not have sufficient shelter for them, and the entire village relies on shifting cultivation and growing seasonal fruits. All they have are machetes and bamboo baskets. Thats all I could see, he said. I have no idea whats happening there right now because that region is out of the range of telecom networks, Win Thein said. Another activist from Ruma, Aye Tun, also went to meet the displaced Arakanese and Chin people in the Remakri region. He said arrangements were being made to transport tarpaulins to the refugees so they could put up modest temporary shelters near the stream. He said that some local Marma people were helping by giving food to the refugees. The authorities had provided no support or humanitarian assistance to the refugees as of Wednesday. Despite the presence of Bangladesh border guards in the region, however, the refugees were not being driven back into Myanmar. Aye Tun said that the local Marma and hill tract people of Bangladesh are familiar with the Arakanese and Chin, and willing to assist the refugees. Even the adults could not stay longer without warm clothes in that densely forested area; just imagine the kids without blankets at night and sleeping on the ground, Aye Tun said. District Human Rights Commission member Win Thein said he was told by refugees that Myanmar Army soldiers set some homes alight in Kin Ta Lin village, which is home to 40 families, and Kha Maung Wa, which has 60 homes. It was unclear Wednesday whether the entire villages had been burned to the ground. He said the displaced Arakanese villagers had initially wanted to flee to the nearest townships, Kyauktaw and Paletwa, but as the fighting had been going on for several days, they decided to cross the Bangladesh border and trekked for two days. On the way to Bandarban district, they met up with AA soldiers on the Myanmar border, who gave them some rice. The Irrawaddy could not independently verify the claims of the Bangladesh-based human rights group. Regarding the allegations of the villagers, The Irrawaddy attempted to phone a brigadier-general at the Office of the Commander-in-Chief for comment but the calls went unanswered on Wednesday. AA spokesman U Khine Thuka told The Irrawaddy that the group was taking care of about 120 displaced villagers from Paletwa in its area of control on the Myanmar border. He explained that based on their own accounts, the refugees had been in a chaotic situation since the fighting broke out, with families being separated. Win Thein said that Bangladeshi authorities summoned Myanmars envoy to Bangladesh at least twice in recent days to discuss the new refugee arrivals in Bandarban District. He said they reminded the envoy that Myanmar has still not repatriated the nearly 800,000 Rohingya refugees who fled to Bangladesh in 2017, and was now allegedly driving ethnic groups out of its territory again. The Bangladesh authorities are now really mad at the Myanmar Army, as it is creating more troubles for Bangladesh, he said. As a human rights defender, Win Thein urged both Myanmar and Bangladesh authorities not to block aid shipments to the region. If they fail to transport necessary medicines and food to the refugees, the children who had just moved into a cold climate from a tropical zone were at risk of developing deadly pneumonia, he said. Burma State Govt Lacks Community ConnectionState Counselor in Shan State State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi greets youths in Mongyawng Township during her visit to eastern Shan State on February 5, 2018. / Myanmar State Counsellor Office CHIANG MAI, ThailandState Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi urged the Shan state government to have a closer relationship with its people and fulfill the needs of the public as necessary during her trip to townships in eastern Shan State which commenced on Tuesday. She met locals of Tachileik and Mongyawng townships on Tuesday, and Kengtung, Mongton and Mong Hsat townships on Wednesday, to listen to their concerns and to receive their questions. She gave public replies to those gathered at each township. Frankly, Ive noticed that the state government and people do not have the communication you should have. Many of the public concerns and issues heard during meetings like this should have been dealt with by the state government, she said during her address to the public in Kengtung. The State Counselor, who also takes the role of chairperson of the Central Committee to Implement the Development of Border Areas and Ethnic Nationals, visited Kachin and Chin states in October 2018 and made a second trip to Chin State in January. She will attend Shan State Day celebrations in the Shan capital Taunggyi on Thursday before her trip concludes. During her speeches in eastern Shan state, she focused on the importance of regional development, including access to clean water, road and electricity infrastructure, employment and improvement of the education and healthcare sectors. She spoke about land issues, building peace and rule of law. She pushed the need for the state government and public to communicate frequently and to tackle issues such as requests to upgrade urban drainage systems and other township matters as necessary. She also encouraged the locals to raise their concerns with respective township and state officials who are assigned to deal with the matters. She highlighted that it is inappropriate for these issues to be solved only after Union-level government officials pay visits to a region or state. As for issues to be taken to Union level, she said they would be dealt with immediately or directed to be solved through the relevant channels. In Kengtung, the locals requested the governments help in the reopening of a road near Mongla closed by the Tatmadaw (Myanmar Army) since October 2016 and the opening of the border gates with neighboring China. The State Counselor responded that the border gate matter would need to be discussed with China. As for the road closure, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said that because it relates to the lack of peace and stability in the region, internal conflicts must first be resolved. Thus we need peace as well as development. I have repeatedly said it.We cannot maintain peace without development, and vice visa. They are inseparable, she added. Similarly, in Mongyawng on Tuesday residents raised the issue of border trade with China, saying they dont have free movement in order to carry out trade as the town is adjacent to Monglas Special Region No. 4, which is controlled by the National Democratic Alliance Army. U Aik Kham Hlaing, the Shan State parliamentarian from Constituency No.1 in Mongyawng told The Irrawaddy that the local people have high expectations of the State Counselor, and hope she will ease their concerns. He said, they were told their complaints would be shared with the relevant ministries and replied to later. As during almost every trip the State Counselor makes around Myanmar, she spoke about the role of young people in society and the importance of vocational training. She urged the people to carry out their duties and responsibilities while the country is in the process of building a democratic federal union. In a country like ours where there is a need to establish unity from diversity, we need to nurture understanding and mutual respect of one another, she told the public in Tachileik on Tuesday. It is acceptable to love your own people but it would be a grave mistake to be intolerant of others because of this reason. Burma Infographic: NLD's First Big Step Toward Constitutional Reform People join a rally calling for amendments to the Constitution in Yangon in 2012. / The Irrawaddy Burma Helicopter Ferrying Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Makes Emergency Landing State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi disembarks a military helicopter in Chin State in January. / State Counselor's Office NAYPYITAW A military helicopter ferrying State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi made an emergency landing in Shan States Mong Ton Township on Wednesday because of a hydraulic fluid leak. The state counselor had just attended the groundbreaking ceremony for Mong Ton Ta Seng Bridge in eastern Shan and was en route to Mong Hsat Township when the chopper was forced to land. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi thanked the pilot and said he made the right decision, State Counselors Office spokesman U Zaw Htay told The Irrawaddy. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was grateful to the Tatmadaw [military], which arranged the helicopters and the pilot, who made the right decision, he said. Under such circumstances, it is up to the pilot to decide whether or not it is safe. His decision was right, and the trip went well, as expected, he added. The helicopter that made the emergency landing as well as two others have flown back to base in Nansang Township. Shortly after the helicopter took off, it had to land due to a hydraulic fluid leak. Then she switched to another helicopter and left, U Tin Khaing, chairman of the Mong Ton Township chapter of the ruling National League for Democracy, told The Irrawaddy. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi finally arrived safely in Mong Hsat, where her meeting with local residents was broadcast by the State Counselors Office. U Win Myat Aye, the Union Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, once told the media that the government did not have its own helicopters and had to ask the military to help facilitate trips on its own choppers. In August the state counselor rented helicopters from the Htoo Company for her trip to Magwe Regions Pakokku Township. U Zaw Htay said at the time that she did not use military helicopters on the occasion because the trip was partly personal. According to sources in Naypyitaw, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will be travelling around Shan State and then visit Tanintharyi Region. Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko. Burma Families Displaced by Fighting in Chin State Flee Toward Indian Border: Arakan Army A woman and child displaced by fighting take shelter in Paletwa Towhship, Chin State, in November 2017. / Chit Min Tun / The Irrawaddy YANGON More than 120 residents of Chin States Paletwa Township displaced by fighting between the Myanmar military and Arakan Army (AA) are taking shelter in territory under the control of the ethnic armed group near the border with India, a spokesman for the group said. There are 124 people altogether, and we are finding out where the other villagers have fled to, U Khaing Thu Kha told The Irrawaddy. He said 48 people from Kin Talin Village and 76 people from Khamaungwa Village arrived on Sunday 32 men, 33 women and 59 children under 12 years old. We are taking the best care we can of the civilians who have arrived in our area of control. But it will not be easy in the long run. We will have to find other ways, said U Khaing Thu Kha. He said that clashes from Jan. 20 through Monday have displaced people in seven villages including Khamaungwa, Kin Talin, Khaw Sa and Tawagu. But only those from Khamaungwa and Kin Talin have arrived in AA-controlled territory, he added, with the whereabouts of the others unknown. The spokesman said the military has damaged several Arakanese villages along the Shin Let Wa and Kin Talin creeks with artillery fire. On Sunday, police in Paletwa arrested 24 people who had recently fled Rakhine States Kyauktaw Township along with two locals sheltering them in their homes, after army Maj. Aung Naing Soe filed a complaint under Section 17 (1) and (2) of the Unlawful Associations Act. They are being detained at Sittwe Prison. Residents of Shin Let Wa Village told The Irrawaddy by phone that the military had increased security in the village and restricted their movements. The Irrawaddy could not verify the report independently and could not reach military spokespeople for comment. The Paletwa Township administrator told The Irrawaddy there were no new displaced people in the area recently. The military and AA have clashed sporadically in Paletwa since 2015. Fighting there resumed in November and has since spread to Buthidaung, Rathaedaung, Kyauktaw and Ponnagyun townships in neighboring Rakhine State, displacing more than 5,000 people. On Dec. 21 the military announced a unilateral ceasefire with armed groups in the northeast to last until April. 30. It said it left Rakhine State out because of the ongoing threat posed by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army. On Jan. 4 the AA attacked four border guard police posts in Buthidaung, seizing more than 40 arms and thousands of rounds of ammunition. Thirteen police and nine others were injured in the attack. Afterward, the Presidents Officer ordered the military to crush the AA. The governments National Reconciliation and Peace Center is meanwhile taking steps to hold talks with the Northern Alliance, of which the AA is a member. Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko. Burma Anti-Corruption Commission Trains Officials at Problem Ministries Officials attend the opening ceremony of a corruption-prevention training session. / Moe Moe / The Irrawaddy NAYPYITAWThe Corruption Prevention Unit of the Myanmar Anti-Corruption Commission will conduct training for officials at the 14 ministries that have drawn the most complaints from the public. There were many complaints filed against them. Those ministries have to engage with the public directly. There may be procedural irregularities, and even if they acted according to procedures, dissatisfied individuals file complaints, spokesperson U Kyaw Soe of the anti-graft body told the press after opening the technical training session on Tuesday. Among the ministries that have drawn a high number of complaints are Home Affairs; Office of the Union Government; Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation; Transport and Communications; Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation; Electricity and Energy; Labor, Immigration and Population; Commerce; Education, Health and Sports; Planning and Finance; Hotels and Tourism; Construction; and the Union Attorney-Generals Office. The commission said it received 10,747 complaints from Nov. 24, 2017 to Dec. 31, 2018, of which over 2,000 were filed in Yangon Region and 1,837 in Mandalay Region. The three-day training session will help restore trust between the public and the government, U Kyaw Soe said. President U Win Myint in December approved the creation of corruption-prevention units (CPUs) within government departments. The CPUs are a component of the Public-Private Collaboration against Corruption plan, a key part of the Anti-Corruption Commissions 2018-21 strategy. Anti-Corruption Commission chairman U Aung Kyi stressed the importance of CPUs, saying they are key to restoring the credibility of civil servants and the publics trust in the governments public service delivery. U Aung Kyi said the CPUs most important task is to conduct corruption risk assessments in order to find the causes of corruption and devise appropriate control measures. Daw Lei Lei Thwin, a member of the commission, said at a press conference in March last year that most of the complaints were filed against the Home Affairs Ministry. The Anti-Corruption Commission plans to conduct similar training at all ministries to help fight corruption, U Kyaw Soe said. U Thein Than Oo, general secretary of the Independent Lawyers Association of Myanmar, expressed his support for the training, saying that knowing the penalties for taking bribes would deter civil servants. Asia Indian Police Rescue 180 Nepalis in Major Anti-Trafficking Operation Foreign workers are seen at a construction site in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on November 13, 2006. / REUTERS MUMBAIIndian police have rescued more than 180 Nepali men and women in a major operation near the border with Myanmar after activists raised suspicions they were being trafficked into forced labor. Police in the northeast Indian state of Manipur said they had arrested four Nepalis in the main city of Imphal and charged them with human trafficking. Other arrests had been made elsewhere, they said. We got specific inputs from certain NGOs (non-government organisations) who were alerted by relatives that their family members had gone without their knowledge and permission, said Manipurs director general of police L.M. Khaute. So there was circumstantial evidence that this could be human trafficking, he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Campaigners say traffickers are using the road between India and Myanmar to transport workers illegally to other Southeast Asian countries or the Middle East without going through Indian airports, where checks have intensified. Most of the 183 people rescued so far had either flown to India from Nepal or travelled by road. Campaigners suspect others may have already crossed into Myanmar. This is an easy road route for labor trafficking, said Hasina Khabhih, founder of Impulse NGO Network, which helps state authorities conduct rescue operations. Campaigners who spoke to the rescued men and women said they had been promised work permits and new passports and in some cases the agents had kept their original documents. There is complete labor exploitation in such cases, said Bishwo Khadka, head of Maiti Nepal, one of the charities that tipped off Indian authorities. They are not provided what they have been promised. There are hundreds of cases of girls working in the Middle East who call us for help because they are confined and are not paid what they were promised, Khadka said by phone from Nepal. Khadka was to fly to India on Tuesday to help repatriate the rescued Nepalis. South Asia is the fastest-growing and second-largest region for human trafficking in the world after East Asia, according to the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Victims, mostly from poor rural areas, are lured by traffickers with promises of good jobs, only to find themselves forced to work in fields or brick kilns, enslaved in homes as domestic workers, or as prostitutes. Traditionally, traffickers have used Nepal as a transit point to send women to the Gulf. But trafficking through Myanmar is now on the rise, police say. As I write the US is organising the groundwork for a coup in Venezuela. Things are progressing along a tried and tested plan which was used in Chile in 1973 and recently in Ukraine. Unlike Chile in 1973, so far the Venezuelan military has remained loyal to the government and state and has not conspired with the US. As a result the US has pimped a US educated puppet to the position of Interim president, a position that does not exist in Venezuela. Attempts have been made to challenge the legitimacy of President Maduro. Maduro won 68% of the vote against two right-wing candidates. Sixteen right-wing parties participated. The election was boycotted by the ultra-right. Former US president Jimmy Carter, hardly a political radical, has congratulated Venezuela on having one of the fairest and most transparent electoral systems in the world. Two hundred international observers testified to its fairness at the time. Questions regarding the legitimacy of the election only arose as the US and the right wing in Venezuela looked for a pretext to overthrow the government. Maduro has more claim to be the legitimate president of Venezuela than Trump has to be president of the US. Maduro was elected by a majority of those who voted. Trump, as we know, polled about 3m votes less than Clinton, yet his legitimacy is not challenged. Why? Because he was elected according to the US constitution. Maduro was elected according to the Venezuelan constitution. Venezuela is a divided country, the wealthy have never reconciled themselves to the left wing government and have tried to violently overthrow the government in the past. In this they have been supported by successive US administrations which for the past 20 years have tried to destabilise Venezuela with economic warfare and a financial blockade as they attempt to reassert their control over the country and its oil and gold deposits. Not to be outdone the EU has joined the US as it attempts to overthrow the legitimate government of Venezuela. The EU parliament, which was elected on a smaller turnout than that which elected Maduro, has shown itself to be a bastion of reaction by recognising the US puppet. Unfortunately the Irish Government has sided with the US and the EU in backing the attempted coup. Their actions are an insult to Irish democracy. One hundred years ago, when Irish democracy established a sovereign republic, the powerful Imperial powers, Britain, France and the US refused to allow Ireland entry to the Versailles negotiations. Now Ireland has thrown in its lot with these same powers who have not changed their ways. They still believe they can intervene anywhere in the world on the slightest pretext. Iraq, Libya and Syria show what happens when their imperial ambitions become reality. The ongoing interference in the internal affairs of Venezuela is contrary to Article 2.4 of the UN Charter which states: All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations. The Irish government hopes to be elected to the Security Council of the UN yet are prepared to support the US and the EU as they ride roughshod over its Charter. Why would any country that believes in the rule of law in international relations support a country that is a catspaw for US and EU interests? Jimmy Corcoran Gurranabraher Cork Sean ORiordan says nurses are right to make their voices heard after enduring substandard wages and conditions for far too long. I would like to pose a question to the public regarding the nurses strike. And I want to stress that this is a personal question which has nothing to do with my job as a senior reporter with the Irish Examiner. Its about natural justice. My daughter is a nurse at Cork University Hospital who got up last Wednesday at 6am to mount the earliest pickets, which neither she or her colleagues wanted to do, but felt they had no choice but to undertake this action because of the poor pay and dire conditions they are enduring on a daily basis. Shes 23 and spoke to the media without any prompting from me, which Olivia Kelleher of the Irish Times can confirm, as she didnt even know she was my daughter at the time of the interview. Nurses braved the shocking weather conditions to mount the picket. But they do the same when they are on a shift, often taking their lives in their hands to make sure the sick are looked after. I can confirm that she often comes home with her lunchbox untouched, which we give out about. She sacrifices her breaks because its a vocation to help others in trouble, just like other emergency services will do when called on. But its constant in nursing. However, there are other people who have vocations in this country, which this Government and successive ones (made up of other parties who now claim to be fighting their corner) have totally ignored and unrewarded because they know that these angels will still do the job for substandard wages and conditions. If the snow had become heavier during the first strike day, as it may well do in the coming days and weeks, who will the Government call out then? The Defence Forces, of course. These are another group of dedicated people who have sworn an oath of allegiance to the State and who are dragged out by a Government when theres any emergency and expected to save the nation. Many of their families are on the breadline because those serving in the army, navy, and air corps (who regularly undertake emergency medivacs within the country and to England) are paid a pittance. Another national disgrace. The Government has now threatened that it could hit nurses with financial penalties if they continue industrial action. I would pose the question: Would they dare do that to the gardai when the boys in blue threatened to walk out? Not a chance. Other unions representing different interest groups in the county will no doubt look for pay increases shortly. And after years of austerity they are right to do so. However, it is time they recognised and provided far more vocal support for the worst paid public servants nurses and Defence Forces members. I have to acknowledge that firemen, gardai, and some businesses have offered support on a local level to less-paid emergency services. Their representative bodies and other major unions should now seriously step up to the plate in a very vocal fashion. It is time the public service underdogs are rewarded and it is up to all unions/representative bodies to ensure that the less well paid in our society are looked after first and foremost. One day you may have to rely on the selfless acts of strangers who care for you when youre in most need. Just like my daughter, her colleagues, fireman, gardai, the air corp crew who fly you to a hospital abroad, the paramedics who save your life after a heart attack or traffic accident, or the army lads who turn up to sandbag homes when there are floods or sweep the snow away. This is supposed to be a Republic. It has lost that ethos. - Sean ORiordan is a senior reporter with the Irish Examiner False information, particularly that which is spread online, puts years of medical research and lives at risk, writes Junaid Nabi. The most frustrating part of my job as a public health scientist is the spread of false information usually online that overrides years of empirical research. It is difficult enough for doctors to counter medical falsehoods in face-to-face conversations with patients. It becomes even harder to do so when such fakery is transmitted via the internet. I recently witnessed this pattern first hand in Kashmir, where I was raised. There, parents of young children trusted videos and messages on Facebook, YouTube, or WhatsApp that spread false rumours that modern medications and vaccines were harmful, or even that they were funded by foreigners with ulterior motives. Discussions with local colleagues in paediatrics revealed how a single video or instant message with false information was enough to dissuade parents from trusting in medical therapies. Physicians in other parts of India and Pakistan have reported numerous cases in which parents, many of them well educated, refuse polio vaccinations for their children. Reports that the CIA once organised a fake vaccination drive to spy on militants in Pakistan have added to mistrust in the region. Given the high stakes involved, states sometimes resort to extreme measures, such as arresting unco-operative parents, to ensure that vulnerable communities are vaccinated. This is just one regional example of the global threat that online misinformation poses to public health. In the US, a recent study in the American Journal of Public Health reported how Twitter bots and Russian trolls have skewed the public debate on vaccine effectiveness. Having examined 1.8m tweets over a three-year period from 2014 to 2017, the study concluded that the purpose of these automated accounts was to create enough anti-vaccine content online to develop a false equivalence in the vaccination debate. Such misinformation programmes succeed for a reason. In March 2018, researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology reported that false stories on Twitter spread significantly faster than true ones. Their analysis revealed how the human need for novelty, and the informations ability to evoke an emotional response, are vital in spreading false stories. The internet amplifies the damage caused by these alternative facts, because it can disseminate them at massive scale and speed a few fake or troll accounts are enough to spread misinformation to millions. And once it spreads, it is virtually impossible to retract. The role of Twitter bots and trolls in the 2016 US elections and the Brexit vote is clear. Now they have affected global health as well. If we dont take robust and co-ordinated steps to address this alarming trend, we may lose out on a centurys worth of successes in health communication and vaccination, both of which depend on public trust. We can take several steps to start reversing the damage. For starters, health officials and experts in both developed and developing countries need to understand how this online misinformation is eroding public trust in health programmes. They also need to engage actively with global social media giants such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google, as well as major regional players, including WeChat and Viber. This means disparate partners working in tandem to create guidelines and protocols for how information of public interest can be disseminated safely. In addition, social media companies can work with scientists to identify patterns and behaviours of spam accounts that try to disseminate false information on important public-health issues. Twitter, for example, has already started using machine-learning technology to limit activity from spam accounts, bots, and trolls. More rigorous verification of accounts, from the moment of signing up, will also be a powerful deterrent to the further expansion of automated accounts. Two-factor authentication, using an email address or phone number when signing up, is a prudent start. Captcha technology requiring users to identify images of cars or street signs something humans can do better than machines (for now, at least) can also limit automated sign-ups and the activities of bots. These precautions are unlikely to infringe upon any individuals right to voice an opinion. Public health officials must err on the side of caution when weighing free-speech rights against outright falsehoods that endanger public welfare. Abusing the anonymity provided by the internet, spam accounts, bots, and trolls serve to disrupt and pollute available information and confuse people. Taking prudent action to avert situations where lives are at stake is a moral imperative. Global public health took huge strides forward during the 20th century. Further progress in the 21st will come not only through ground-breaking research and community work, but also through online engagement. The next battle for global health may be fought on the internet. And by acting quickly enough to defeat the trolls, we can prevent avoidable illnesses and deaths around the world. - Junaid Nabi is a public health researcher at Brigham and Womens Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston. The opinions expressed in this article are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Brigham and Womens Hospital. - Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2019. You know your stock has fallen to all time lows when even Brussels bureaucrats tell a reverend's daughter to go to hell, but warn the devil himself may not let her in because of the damage being caused her own country. However, given the boiling blood pressure nature of Brexit, it was perhaps inevitable that even normally cool and calculated politicians have chosen to do away with the nuanced PR and getting biblical on the crisis. With just 51 days to go until the EU-UK divorce date, all eyes were on Taoiseach Leo Varadkar as he travelled to Brussels for the latest round of crucial Brexit talks today. However, within minutes of the first public engagements with European Council president Donald Tusk and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker taking place, it was clear the usually headline-grabbing Irish leader had been relegated to the sidelines. Speaking alongside Mr Varadkar in what was meant to be a carefully choreographed media statements event, Mr Tusk was in no mood for continuing to play Brexit saint act. Setting in motion a clear change in tone from previous Brexit engagements, Mr Tusk channeled his best 1980s Margaret Thatcher impression, saying a re-run of the Brexit referendum is out, any change whatsoever to the backstop is out, and that slim British hopes of a "new offer" from the EU is ... well, you get the picture. And then, in the blink of an eye, the normally calmly spoken European Council president let his hooves poke out from under the podium and appeared to swap his speech for an old testament bible verse, effectively telling hard-line Brexiteers and the British government to go to hell. "I've been wondering, what that special place in hell looks like, for those who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan for how to carry it out safely," he said to momentary gasps at the inflammatory language, before handing over the stage to Mr Varadkar. Microphone picks up @campaignforleo warning @eucopresident: "they'll give you terrible trouble". Tusk nods and laughs pic.twitter.com/20xlTzqelM Georg von Harrach (@georgvh) February 6, 2019 The comment - and Mr Tusk being caught on a still live microphone moments later laughing and saying "yeah, I know!" when told by the Taoiseach the British media will give him "terrible trouble" over what he said - was repeated throughout the day by other EU leaders. As the DUP's Sammy Wilson - himself no stranger to bible verses - furiously lashed out, labelling Mr Tusk a "devilish, trident-wielding euro maniac" and other MPs raged at the remark being "out of order", European Parliament negotiator Guy Verhofstadt stuck the knife in further, saying: I doubt Lucifer would welcome them [Brexiteers], as after what they did to Britain, they would even manage to divide hell. And, just moments after being pictured alongside Mr Varadkar holding a novelty sized "thank you from Ireland card" sent by a Dublin family, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker was just as forceful in his hardline support for Ireland, saying the EU is not about to budge. The tough stance is almost certain to be part of an increasing EU strategy to pile pressure on British prime minister Theresa May and other MPs to back down on their demands before Ms May's crucial meetings in Brussels and Dublin on Thursday and Friday. However, given the pressure cooker nature of Brexit, it remains unclear if the apparent plan will lead to a road to Damascus moment for Brexiteers or see Britain fling furiously to another bible verse by cutting off their nose to spite their face. Perhaps with one eye on the potential damage a no deal Brexit will cause Ireland and the other on a different biblical story - the judgement of Solomon, where two fighting women claiming ownership of a child were asked if they would allow it to be cut in half - Mr Varadkar was yesterday playing it uncharacteristically diplomatic, and side-stepped when asked if he wanted to pour petrol onto the hellish Brexit flames. No change on the backstop, no new deal, no concessions of any kind, he said... then added he is still happy to break bread with Ms May, whose visit to Dublin to meet Mr Varadkar for dinner tomorrow could ultimately become her last political supper. "Look one thing I can definitely say is no matter what happens in the next couple of months Ireland and the UK, we have to have good relations no matter what happens," he smiled, slightly turning the other cheek. Some may look at the never ending Brexit purgatory of the past two and a half years and believe a bit of time warming their hoofs in hell may be just what Britain deserves. But, given the fact Ireland is just as vulnerable as Britain in a no deal Brexit and that hell can always make room for one more lost soul, Irish diplomats will no doubt be hoping the hardline EU stance has the required response, remembering that old saying 'the path to hell is paved with good intentions'. Emotions ran high at Powerstown Park as the 94th national coursing meeting came to a close, the owners of both classic winners overcome by it all as they drank in their success. Its not the first time Liam Dowling from Ballymacelligott in Kerry has left Clonmel for home with a title in his pocket, but that didnt lessen the joy as he took the handshakes and hugs following Ballymac Enyas impressive win over Crafty Perfecto in the final buckle of the Horse & Jockey Hotel Oaks. Im over the moon, he said afterwards. It was a long dream of mine... Shes a bitch we always had a lot of time for. Owned and trained by Dowling, Ballymac Enya qualified at Glin and came to the meeting at odds of around 8-1 on Sunday morning, reduced to 5-2 48 hours later. Hats off to everybody around her and the team, the greyhound veteran added, before fighting back the tears as he mentioned a friend and associate who is not in good health. A big hello to Alan Newman, I want to dedicate this Oaks to Alan. Its the pinnacle, he said of winning the classic. Weve had a good run through the trial stakes all year but to come here you have to cap it and weve done that today. Its every doggy mans dream and having done it, its just fantastic. We will relish it. Meanwhile, the BoyleSports Derby, which proved a bookies benefit, also went the way of a previous winning owner as Rumour Has It, for Basil Holian and Bernie Diskin-Holian from Galway and trained in Rosegreen by Kevin Barry, defied morning odds of 6-1. Cloud nine, its unreal, Basil Holian said before the presentation, also struggling to hold back the tears. We were in trouble last night, he had an injury and we managed to get it right. Kevin worked tirelessly on him but even at 8am this morning, we were half-thinking of withdrawing him. Gerry Reilly got involved, our physio, and did a super job to get him ready. We made the decision to give him a chance and give it a go. A previous Derby winner with Adios Alonso (2010) in partnership with the late Richie Maher and Oaks with Rith Gan Gaisce (2005) Holian said connections were sweet on Rumour Has It coming into the week, but he still had to overcome that injury. We put enough money on him to pay for the party. Winning a Derby is phenomenal. We bred this lad and reared him, so were just so, so happy. It takes a lot to shock the coursing people. Hot weather maybe. Slow hares. Pub closing times. But one of the buckles in yesterdays Champion Stakes came close as anything to stopping them in their tracks. One of the biggest roars of the week came when hot favourite for the stake, Watchman also owned by the Holians, came up against Ahamore Wonder in the quarter-final. As short as 1-2 for outright success at the start of business, the Kevin Barry-trained dog looked to be on course to progress when, for some reason, he jinked to his right, forcing his opponent to effectively hurdle him and also forcing himself out of the contest. The unpredictability of coursing was never better illustrated than in that buckle, was how the on-course commentator described it, while his colleague declared hed never seen anything like it. Kevin Barry cant believe it, was another fair summation. Next stop the Irish Cup for Watchman while Ahamore Wonder owned by Martin Galvin and Muiris Galvin from Lixnaw continued to upset the odds by beating Shine a Diamond next time out and then shining in the final against Granard Bolt. That collective shout of wonder from the stands was only matched for volume throughout finals day by the guffaws of laughter from the parade ring, as our bookmaking friends watched the two favourites crash out of the Derby reckoning at the quarter-final stage. First, the long-time ante-post favourite Boylesportsmagic, 2-1 yesterday morning, had his colours lowered by the Brendan Matthews-trained Huntingtown (5-1 at dawn); then it was Noreen McManuss Gerry Holian-trained Return Ticket (7-4) who departed the action against Undersupervision (8-1), trained by Declan Byrne. Oakview Leigh and Rumour Has It were the others to make it to the penultimate stage and then Rumour Has It came from behind at the top of the hill to claim a place in the final against Huntingtown. Whatever upset Kevin Barry felt after that morning mishap was probably forgotten by early afternoon when Rumour Has It kept going and kept going. After two days of sub-tropical conditions (its all relative), yesterday was more like it as far as traditional coursing weather was concerned. The forecast went for rain and sure enough Sliabh na mBan had disappeared behind the mist by the time the first punters arrived at the renowned venue for the big day. The Oaks took a more orthodox route than the male classic, the two hotpots Cha Cha Matilda and Crafty Perfecto safely negotiating the hill for the fourth time this week before facing each other in the semi and their fifth buckles of the meeting, the Crafty bitch owned and trained by former ICC president Brian Divilly making it through a thrilling clash. She met the aforementioned Ballymac Enya but the Divilly hopes of a first classic were dashed by Enya, who held on all the way up the hill to claim the spoils. The Champion Bitch Stakes went to Blades of Honour, owned by Tara Guiney from Rathkeale and trained by Gerry Holian, who also trained Laurina to win the Kitty Butler Stakes for Ray Conroy and Ollie Dunne and Wi Can There to take the T.A. Morris Stakes. Wi Can There is owned by Lars Wicander and Mats Wicander from Sweden, a new hotbed of coursing. As the Metropole Hotel unveils its own new snug, Donal OKeeffe takes a leisurely stroll around Cork and visits some of the citys cosiest pub corners. On a wintry night in Cork, as locals tramp in with snow on their coats, four young women sit by the stove in the snug of Reidys Vault Bar on Lancaster Quay. The snug all dark timber, frosted glass and mirrored cabinets is a place of warmth and refuge. Of all the snugs in Cork, says one woman, over a balloon glass full of ice, fruit and, presumably, gin, this is the snuggliest. The proprietor, Maura Reidy, has worked here for many years, and she can recall a time women were restricted to snugs, not so much by choice, but by powerful social convention. In those days, women were only allowed in snugs. They usually only drank sherry, port, or a small Guinness and milk. That was supposed to be good for the blood. Now, of course, women can drink with the best of them, and fair play to them. Catherine Coffey OBrien, a community activist and a Workers Party local election candidate for the Cork City North West ward, remembers when women were confined to snugs: You went up to the hatch and you ordered your drink and the barman would deliver it to you, in case you might contaminate the poor men out in the bar with your womanly charms! Snugs are in the news in Cork at the moment, thanks to the recent opening of a snug in the Metropole Hotel. Its a cosy space, and already very popular, but like most Cork snugs, it doesnt pass the strictest definition of a snug. For me, an authentic snug has to have an independent door, says Michael ODonovan of the Castle Inn on South Main Street. Of the pubs visited by the Irish Examiner for this incomplete look at Cork snugs, only the Castle Inn and the Long Valley snugs have separate entrances. The Long Valley snug. The doors to the snug came from a ship that ran aground off Cork in 1928. Picture: Larry Cummins Author and historian Tom Spalding is currently researching Cork pubs as part of his PhD in the Technical University, Dublin (formerly the DIT). Snugs were popular with women, but not exclusively for them. Some women frequented the public bar (although they may have been ladies of easy virtue) and many men who did not wish to be disturbed used the snug. Snugs were also popular with priests, guards, men wishing to avoid getting caught in a round, or trying to avoid a particular regular. Some pubs had several snugs, Spalding notes: Callanans originally had two; Le Chateau was divided into four little bars. Most remaining snugs have been modified the one in the Oval lacks its door for example. Snugs started to disappear in the 1950s, and the trend accelerated in the 60s as lounge bars were introduced. These took over the role of the snug as spaces catering to women, but now in mixed groups with husbands or (whisper it) boyfriends. Changing fire regulations and other trends saw many Cork pub interiors removed from the 1980s onwards, and now few remain. Coffey OBrien calls the segregation of women in public houses almost an unwritten apartheid. But when you look at this countrys shameful history, she says, the snug was only a visible manifestation of our misogyny. The snug is not just part of Irish pub history. Its importance as a cultural space not to mention as a theatrical device was recognised by Sean OCasey. The Plough and the Stars takes place in part in a pub with a snug, outside the doors of which momentous, revolutionary action is taking place. In keeping with this theme, author Louise ONeill was recently invited to be author in residence at the Metropole as it prepared to unveil its snug. Tom Spalding says its nice to see the tradition being revived in places such as the Met Bar or the Poor Relation, which did not have snugs before. Perhaps in an age where everything we do is highly subject to public scrutiny, a little privacy and old-fashioned intimacy is becoming valued. Louise ONeill in the snug at its launch. Cork has plenty of snugs to choose from. BarBarella on Barrack Street (previously The Gateway, established 1698) is the oldest licensed premises in Cork. It has several snug-like spaces, as does its sister pub BarBarossa on Oliver Plunkett Street. An Spailpin Fanach on South Main Street has been a tavern since 1779, and has three snugs. The first snugs wood-panelling and stone walls have the unmistakeable feeling of authenticity. The second is further in, and has a fireplace at its heart(h). The third, and newest, looks the oldest, with its Players Please and Clarkes Perfect Plug signs. The Mutton Lane Inn, off Patrick Street, dates back to 1788. Its snug was only restored to use in the past few decades, its wooden partition walls rescued from storage. Callanans on Georges Quay has been in Robert Crowleys family for three generations. My mother, Colette Crowley, nee Callanan, is the owner. Her parents bought it in the 1930s. Some people love snugs, Robert says, and some hate them. You have privacy, but you can feel outside of the atmosphere. A pint sits on the table in the snug, sheet music spread beside it. A man steps in from having a smoke outside. Ill be in my office, he says, closing the snug door. The Castle Inn on South Main Street has been in the Connolly family now the ODonovan family since the 1930s, and dates back to at least the 1870s. Owner Michael ODonovan says the snugs traditional customers were women and priests. People forget priests frequented snugs too. Were between three churches here, St Francis, St Augustines and St Peter and Pauls. The Welcome Inn on Parnell Place dates back to 1845 and has what is probably the smallest snug in Cork. The Welcomes snug will comfortably fit two people, or four at a pinch. The Poor Relation on Parnell Place has recently added two new snugs. The Vicarstown Bar on North Main Street has an old snug, now opened out, which still has its original stained-glass windows. Sober Lane on Sullivans Quay has a newly renovated snug, with a separate hatch to the bar and a curtain. The Long Valley snug. Picture: Larry Cummins The Oval on South Main Street boasts a traditional snug inside the front door, and an unofficial snug at the back by the fireplace. The Long Valley on Winthrop Street has one of Corks best-loved snugs. The original Victorian tiled floor is still intact, and the doors came from the White Star Liner RMS Celtic, which ran aground off Roches Point in 1928. The wooden benches were once intended for a planned Cork US consulate. The Shelbourne on McCurtain Street has two luxurious snugs, and the pubs proprietor, Philip Gillivan, says theyre a popular recent addition. Some regulars gave out yards, but the snugs give you added privacy. To steal a phrase from a non-alcoholic beer, its for the pub when you dont want to be in the pub. The Old Reliable on Shandon Street used to have a snug, but that was opened up long ago. Asked where all the women who drank in snugs are now, an older man raises his morning pint and says: Theyre all gone upstairs. The British Prime Minister has begun a round of meetings with Northern Irelands political leaders as she strives for a breakthrough on the Irish backstop impasse. On the final day of a two-day visit to Belfast, Theresa May has scheduled meetings with all five of the main parties at Stormont House. On Tuesday, Mrs May had conversations with business and community leaders. Theresa May, centre, is greeted as she arrives at Stormont on Wednesday morning (Brian Lawless/PA) The region has been in a political limbo land since January 2017, with senior civil servants running public services amid a reluctance by the Government to introduce direct rule. On his way into Stormont House on Wednesday morning, Ulster Unionist leader Robin Swann said a no-deal Brexit should see Mrs May immediately move to impose Westminster rule. She has to put direct rule in place come March 30 because Northern Ireland needs political leadership and it needs political direction, he said. So by March 29, if we are coming out with no deal with no Executive, we need direct rule for Northern Ireland, the manufacturing industry needs direction, our agrifood industry needs direction, we need some sort of political leadership in Northern Ireland. (PA Graphics) Sammy Wilson: Withdrawal agreement not acceptable, technology is answer to border issue By Vivienne Clarke The DUPs Brexit spokesperson Sammy Wilson MP is adamant that his partys message to British Prime Minister Theresa May is that the current withdrawal agreement is not acceptable. While he will not be at the meeting in Belfast today, as he is in London, he said that Arlene Foster will tell Mrs May that there is an alternative which is the removal of the backstop and to instead put in place an agreement about trade between Northern Ireland and the Republic. Were never going to be sure what this Prime Minister is going to do, he told Newstalk Breakfast. He said that the DUP will be keeping an eye on what Mrs May says in Brussels and will be hoping to talk to her today about what she plans to say in Brussels. But he pointed out that whatever is decided in Brussels she will still have to bring it back to Westminster. He warned that she would suffer the same fate as before if she comes back with a paper agreement. Mr Wilson said that the signs from both Brussels and Dublin were that paperless checks and documentation were a solution to avoid a hard border. He said that EU negotiators that already admitted it was possible to check trade through technology. This already happens in other places. He said that the technology company Fujitsu was in talks with UK officials to find ways for trade to be monitored, but that cross border trade already happens seamlessly every day between Northern Ireland and the Republic and lorries are not stopped. The technology is there, it will happen in the future. Theresa May to meet main NI parties as she engages on backstop The British Prime Minister will meet the main Northern Irish parties later as she steps up her bid for a breakthrough on the backstop. Theresa May has already had conversations with business and community leaders during her two-day trip to Belfast. She is expected to meet the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Fein among others on Wednesday. The premier has suggested that she is seeking changes to the controversial backstop in her Brexit deal, rather than its total removal from the UKs EU Withdrawal Agreement. The Prime Minister is expected to meet the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Fein among others on Wednesday during Stormont talks (Steve Parsons/PA). But asked how she could convince the people of Northern Ireland to accept a Brexit deal which was stripped of the backstop, Mrs May said: Im not proposing to persuade people to accept a deal that doesnt contain that insurance policy for the future. What Parliament has said is that they believe there should be changes made to the backstop. It was in that light that she was working with MPs, the Irish government and the EU to find a way to meet the commitment to take Britain out of the EU on March 29 with a deal which avoided a hard Irish border, she said. The Irish Government accused the Prime Minister of harbouring unrealistic expectations over the backstop. The mechanism has polarised nationalists and unionists. Many unionists believe the insurance policy to preserve a frictionless frontier on the island of Ireland could threaten the integrity of the UK if Northern Irelands customs regulations varied from Great Britain after Brexit. Nationalists and many business leaders fear major disruption to trade and a hard border threatening peace process gains if no deal is struck and the backstop is not triggered. Meanwhile, Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will travel to Brussels for meetings with European Council president Donald Tusk and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker. Mrs May is due to visit the Belgian capital on Thursday, where she will hold a series of talks with key figures including Mr Tusk, Mr Juncker, European Parliament president Antonio Tajani and the European Parliaments chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt. It will be the Prime Ministers first chance to hold first face-to-face talks in Brussels since the Withdrawal Agreement reached last November was rejected by the House of Commons. And it comes a week after MPs voted for an amendment tabled by Conservative grandee Sir Graham Brady and backed by the Prime Minister which requires the Northern Ireland backstop to be replaced with alternative arrangements to avoid a hard border. Mrs May will seek to secure changes which can persuade MPs to support her deal in a series of votes expected on February 14. In Westminster, the working group bringing together senior Eurosceptic and former Remain-supporting Tories will continue efforts to agree alternatives to the backstop along the lines of the Malthouse Compromise. Talks involving Conservatives including Brexiteers Iain Duncan Smith, Theresa Villiers, Steve Baker and Owen Paterson along with former Remainers Nicky Morgan and Damian Green will continue in Whitehall, chaired by Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay. The first meeting on Monday was described as detailed and constructive by the Brexit department.- Press Association Gardai objected to bail being granted to two teenagers accused of travelling around Cork City in a stolen car throughout the early hours of Tuesday. Both defendants are aged 17 and their bail applications were dealt with at in camera hearings of Cork District Court today. Judge Olann Kelleher refused bail and remanded in custody the teenager accused of driving the car until the juvenile court of Cork District Court on Friday. The co-accused, who is charged with allowing himself to be carried in a stolen car, was released on bail to the same court. Diarmuid Kelleher, solicitor, said the teenager accused of driving the car did not steal it. The 17-year-old said he paid for it with an iPhone and 50. Detective Garda Liam Lingane disputed this and said they had spoken to the owner of the car who denied selling it to the accused. Det Garda Lingane said: It is my belief is that he is out of control and he will commit further offences if given bail. Detective Garda Liam Lingane testified during the application by the co-accused charged with travelling as a passenger in the same car that a large number of stolen cars were being recovered in the Gurranabraher Garda District. Det Garda Lingane objected to bail on the basis of the seriousness of the allegations in the case. The detective said the seriousness of the allegations prompted the objection to bail. He alleged that the stolen car was being driven all over the north side of Cork City throughout the early hours of Tuesday morning. Diane Hallahan said the only evidence was of the accused going into a garage shop and returning to a car and she said he had no previous convictions and was only 17. He was granted bail on condition that he would live with his mother, keep a curfew to be home every night between 9pm and 6am, sign daily at Gurranabraher and not travel anywhere in a car. A man in his 60s has been arrested after stolen property, including various car parts, were discovered by gardai in Co Monaghan. Gardai investigating the theft of a car from Dublin yesterday carried out searches at a premises in Castleblayney this morning. A senior garda is under investigation concerning allegations he used racist language to describe black people. The incident, related issues that flowed from it, and a subsequent internal Garda probe, are all included in the investigation by the Garda ombudsman, Gsoc. It is understood the actions of a former senior officer, who has since retired, are also under investigation. The initial incident involved an allegation that at a work briefing in 2014 the senior garda referenced a local gang of black youths who were suspected of involvement in burglaries. He is alleged to have said that its open season on n****rs. There were more than a dozen gardai of different ranks at the meeting. Later, the alleged comment was passed around in the station and eventually Garda HQ and the Department of Justice informed about it. An internal Garda investigation was conducted. As part of that, a questionnaire was handed out to all who had attended the briefing asking whether they had heard the racist language. It is unclear how many confirmed they had heard it. The senior garda in question was cleared following the investigation but a junior garda was found to have breached discipline. He was subsequently cleared. The Gsoc investigation includes examining the internal garda investigation. A complaint about the affair, including how the matter was handled, was made to Gsoc over two years ago. The ombudsman usually conducts a preliminary inquiry to determine whether a full investigation is required and that stage has now been reached. The Irish Examiner understands that Garda commissioner Drew Harris, the senior garda, and the retired garda, were all informed in recent days that a full investigation is under way. A spokesperson for Gsoc said they had no comment to make. The Garda Press Office last night said An Garda Siochana does not comment on Gsoc investigations that may be taking place. The officer in question is the second senior garda member to come under investigation by Gsoc in recent months. The second case is due before the High Court next week. Gardai have made three arrests as part of their investigation into the murder of Michael Keogh in Dublin in 2017. Mr Keogh was shot dead at the age of 27 on May 31, 2017, at Sheridan Court on Dorset Street. A cervical cancer expert has told the High Court it was incorrect to say the cells he identified as abnormal on Ruth Morrisseys MedLab smear slide had nothing to do with the cancer she suffered. Dr Michael McKenna was under cross examination by counsel for MedLab in the fifth day of the case taken by Limerick woman Ruth Morrissey who has sued the HSE and two US laboratories over the alleged misreading of two smear tests she had in 2009 and 2012 under the CervicalCheck screening programme. Ms Morrissey is seriously ill with cervical cancer. Consultant cytopathologist Dr Mc Kenna who is head of one of the North's four screening laboratories has already given evidence to the court that cervical cancer on the balance of probabilities was there in Ruth Morrissey's 2012 smear slide when it was tested by the MedLab laboratory and reported as negative. Eoin McCullough SC for MedLab put it to Dr McKenna Ruth Morrissey did not develop glandular cell cancer but squamous cell cancer. Put to Dr McKenna that the cells he identified as abnormal in the 2012 MedLab slide had nothing to do with the cancer Ruth Morrissey got, Dr McKenna replied : That would be incorrect. Counsel put it to Dr McKenna these cells he identified as abnormal were unrelated to the cancer Ms Morrissey suffered. Dr McKenna replied it was incorrect. Ruth Morrissey and her husband Paul Morrissey of Kylemore, Schoolhouse Road, Monaleen, Co Limerick have sued the HSE and the US laboratory Quest Diagnostics Ireland Ltd with offices at Sir John Rogerson's Quay, Dublin along with Medlab Pathology Ltd with offices at Sandyford Business Park, Dublin 18. It is claimed there was an alleged failure to correctly report and diagnose and there was an alleged misinterpretation of her smear samples taken in 2009 and 2012. A situation, it is claimed, allegedly developed where Ms Morrisseys cancer spread unidentified, unmonitored and untreated until she was diagnosed with cervical cancer in June 2014. It is further claimed a review of the 2009 and 2012 smears took place in 2014 and 2015 with the results sent to Ms Morrissey's treating gynaecologist in 2016, but she was not told until May 2018 of those review results which showed her smears were reported incorrectly. The Morrisseys further contends that if Ms Morrissey had been told the results of the smear test audits in late 2014 or early 2015, she would have insisted on an MRI and other scans. The HSE the court has already heard admitted it owed a duty of care to Ms Morrissey but not to her husband. The laboratories deny all claims. The case before Mr Justice Kevin Cross continues tomorrow. Businessman Denis OBrien was wrongly included in newspaper articles among a gang of 22 people alleged held responsible in the articles for bringing down the Irish economy in 2008, the High Court has been told. Unlike the situation in the film The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, there was no distinction drawn in the Sunday Business Post articles between Mr OBrien and the other individuals described as the gang of 22, Luan O Braonain SC said. There were no red or green or even orange distinctions drawn, he said. Mr OBrien was included even though the articles, published on March 15 2015, noted he had paid off his loans to Anglo and was among Bank of Ireland and AIBs best customers, he added. Mr OBrien had dealt with his bank borrowings in a way that had none of the consequences which the SBP claimed arose from borrowings of the gang of 22, he said. Counsel said the word gang means a group of people usually acting together who are up to no good and this was not language used to give the impression of something neutral. When lawyers for Mr OBrien wrote to the SBP complaining about the articles and asking why he was included in this gang, they were told he was among a group of 22 people referred to in a Top Exposures section of a report compiled by Price WaterhouseCoopers for the Government at the time of the financial crisis in 2008, counsel outlined. Mr OBrien was not happy with that response and ultimately initiated defamation proceedings. In those proceedings, he claims the articles complained of had several meanings, including he was a member of a gang who had destroyed Ireland and bankrupted its banking system. In its defence, the SBP has denied the articles mean what Mr OBrien alleges. It also denies there was malicious publication or that, as a result of the articles, Mr OBriens reputation was damaged or that he was exposed to odium, ridicule and contempt. The defence also pleads fair and reasonable publication on a matter of public interest but Mr OBrien disputes that and contends it was not fair or reasonable to publish the articles in the manner they had been published. Mr O Braonain said the defence has not pleaded that the alleged meanings that Mr OBrien attributes to the articles are true. This meant, for example, if the jury found the articles meant he was one of the developer kings who destroyed Ireland and bankrupted its banking system, that meaning was false Counsel is continuing his opening of the action by Mr O'Brien against Post Publications Ltd, publishers of the Sunday Business Post (SBP), over a number of articles published in the newspaper on March 15 2015. He was in court today as the action resumed before Mr Justice Bernard Barton and a jury. The jury was told Mr O'Brien is seeking "substantial" and aggravated damages over the alleged defamation. The case concerns articles published in the SBP on March 15 2015, including a front page article which referred to a "secret" report by Price WaterhouseCoopers (PWC), called "Project Atlas", into Ireland's banks. The article was headlined "22 men and 26bn" and the subheading was: "The secret report that convinced Cowen the banks weren't bust." Above the headline was a stamp with the word "Confidential" and a strapline, "The files they don't want you to see". Beside the headline, and below the words "Top Secret" was a list of names, including Denis O'Brien's. Mr O Braonain has told the jury the world economy went bust in 2008, Irish banks were guaranteed and later bailed out by the State and those events were part of the focus of the articles which particularly addressed Project Atlas. He said a front page article stated the PWC report "shows how just 22 men ended up owing 25.5bn to their banks" and meant Mr O'Brien was one of the 22. It was Mr O'Brien's case that and other articles identify the 22 with the downfall of Ireland and the bankruptcy of its banking system and mean certain things that injure Mr OBriens reputation, he said. The case continues. A couple who found a 4,500-year-old arrowhead on a mountain trail say they would like to see it go on display in Cork. Suzi Kennefick and Jim Twomey, from Kildinan in north Cork, reported their remarkable early Bronze-age find to the National Museum of Ireland and are liaising with its antiquities experts to arrange for its transport to Dublin for a detailed examination. Ms Kennefick said they knew that under the National Monuments Act, they had to report their find. We are sad to let it go but its the right thing to do, she said. The National Museum has sent us out some forms, which we are filling out, and we are arranging for the arrowhead to be delivered to Dublin, or for them to collect it. But we have asked them if it could be housed or displayed in Cork. It is hoped that arrangements could be made for the artefact to go on display through a permanent loan to the Cork public museum. Suzi and Jim were hiking with their collie, Blue, along a trail in the Nagle Mountains on Saturday when something to the edge of the stony path caught Jims eye. We both looked down and thought it was unusual, that this could be something, but we were absolutely shocked when we had a closer look. Apart from a tiny chip off the point, its absolutely perfect, Suzi said. The 7cm long arrowhead, which dates from the time of the pyramids of Giza, was trapped beneath a thin layer of ice. It may have been washed onto the path during recent heavy rain. They brought it home and reported the find to the National Museum which has now confirmed from an initial assessment of Suzis photos that it is a tanged chert arrowhead, which most likely dates from 2,500 to 2,200BC - the early Bronze Age. The barbs clearly show how it has been shaped by human hands before being mounted on the tip of a wooden shaft for use in hunting, or even warfare. The early Bronze Age in Ireland saw the introduction of several significant innovations, most notably the development of metalworking. Copper and gold were amongst the earliest metals used but bronze, a mixture of tin and copper - highly prized and costly commodities - became a fashionable choice for metalworkers, with access to the materials probably confined to the elite. Flint scrapers, knives, and polished stone axes were used daily. The megalithic tomb known as wedge tomb was used for burial and was the main burial rite for the next 1,000 years. Ms Kennefick said they have found numerous fossils while out walking the hills over the years, including one cylindrical fossil of organic origin which baffled experts in England and Ireland, but never something as remarkable as this arrowhead. They are in line for a discretionary reward for reporting their find and discharging their duties under the National Monuments Act. Failure to tackle climate change in a speedy and effective way could lead to financial instability in Ireland, according to the governor of the Central Bank. Regulatory policies and supervisory practices must address the risks of climate change, Philip Lane said as he delivered the 2019 Monsignor Padraig de Brun Memorial Lecture at NUI Galway. The biennial public lecture is held in honour of Monsignor de Brun who served as University president from 1945 until 1959. Entitled Climate Change and the Irish Financial System, Mr Lanes lecture focused on the climate-related work agenda facing the Central Bank. He said all sectors of the economy will be affected by climate change, whether through exposure to weather-related shocks or the economy-wide transition to low-carbon means of production and consumption. These structural changes would require considerable investment by households, firms and the government to retrofit buildings and switch to low-carbon production techniques and transportation methods. The economy-wide and societal challenges posed by climate change mean that it is inevitable that the financial system has a central role in managing climate risks and financing the carbon transition, said Mr Lane. Accordingly, the strategic plans of financial firms will have to address climate change. Equally, as the guardian of financial stability and the financial regulators, central banks have a leadership role in ensuring that climate change is a strategic priority for the financial system as a whole. We plan to incorporate the carbon transition into our macroeconomic and financial stability assessments. Over time, the carbon transition will be an influential factor in shaping macroeconomic outcomes. He added that regulatory policies and supervisory practices must address the financing of the related shifts in the structure of the economy and investments. He noted that households will face several challenges over the coming years. A senior garda says the era of leaving car doors unlocked at night even in country areas is over after a weekend spree saw as many as four cars stolen and items taken from 35 vehicles. The thefts occurred over a period of little more than 24 hours last weekend and involved vehicles in Bandon, Clonakilty and, in one instance, Bantry. The thefts took place in the early hours of last Saturday and Sunday and gardai are investigating a possible link to cars being interfered with in the Cork City suburbs of Ballincollig and Togher at the end of last week. Gardai said all but one of the vehicles entered illegally last weekend were unlocked and they appealed to motorists to take extra care. Supt Brendan Fogarty of Bandon gardai said that of the 35 vehicles broken into over the two nights last weekend, 21 were in the Clonakilty area and 14 were in the Bandon division from estates in Belgooly and Riverstick. In addition, four vehicles were taken two from the Ladys Cross estate on the edge of Clonakilty, and one each from Bandon and Bantry. While gardai are not definitely linking all four thefts to the spate of robberies from cars, its understood the cars taken from Clonakilty and Bandon areas were likely to have been the work of the same gang. It emerged that one of the vehicles, stolen from the Bandon area, has since been recovered in Cork City. Gardai from West Cork are collaborating with their counterparts in the city as they investigate the thefts. Supt Fogarty said: Its a lot of thefts from vehicles in a short period. We have had nothing like this in the last couple of years. He said criminal gangs are increasingly mobile and the era of leaving cars unlocked outside the front door is over, adding that gardai are appealing to motorists to take common sense steps: We ask that cars are secured at night time, that theyre parked in well-lit locations and that no property is visible inside them. Its understood that in many cases small sums of cash were taken from the vehicles, which will be harder to trace or recover. Supt Fogarty said: I would ask that if anyone noticed any suspicious people or vehicles around Clonakilty, Belgooly or Riverstick on Sunday night into Monday morning, to contact us at any Garda station. Any cars or taxis who were driving in those areas with dash cams we would also like to hear from you. The World Photography Organisation has revealed the Open competition's shortlisted images for the 2019 Sony World Photography Awards. The organisation received more than 326,000 entries from 195 countries. In the Open competition, there will be one overall winner who will scoop up 5,000 as part of the prize. The shortlist for the Professional competition will be announced on March 26. There are 10 categories in the Open competition, including Architecture, Culture, Creative, Motion, Landscape, Natural World & Wildlife, Portraiture, Still Life, Street Photography, and Travel. As well as the overall winner, there will one winner and 15 shortlisted images for each category. The Open category winners will be announced on February 26 while the overall Open winner, as well as the Photographer of the Year prize will be announced on April 17. The judges say there were impressed by the high standards of the images and noted "a wide range of creative approaches, influences and techniques throughout the shortlists." Here, we sample some of our favourites. Kuo Zei Yang from Taiwan took an image of fog hovering over the Tre Cime di Lavaredo peaks in the Italian Alps by night. 2019 Sony World Photography Awards Francois Lenoir, Belgium, took a photo of a crash at the first corner of the Belgian Grand Prix in August 2018. 2019 Sony World Photography Awards Canadian photographer Sandi Little said she attended an 'eagle watch' event in Sheffield Mills, Nova Scotia, along with dozens of other photographers - and it was during this that she took this amazing picture. 2019 Sony World Photography Awards Greg Lecoeur from France took this close-up portrait of a grey seal in the Farne Island archipelago off the coast of Northumberland in England. 2019 Sony World Photography Awards Arnaud Guillard from France took this image during the yellow-vest protest in Paris at the Avenue des Champs Elysees. 2019 Sony World Photography Awards British photographer Tracey Lund took this shot of gannets feeding underwater while travelling around some of Shetlands remotest headlands. 2019 Sony World Photography Awards Dikpal Thapa documented locals in Nepal harvesting honey from wild Himalayan bees. 2019 Sony World Photography Awards Alimohammad Karami took this image, which shows people gathering for 'Noruz', the traditional Iranian festival of spring. 2019 Sony World Photography Awards All shortlisted and winning images will be part of the 2019 Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition at Somerset House in London. They will be on show from April 18 to May 6, 2019. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 6) Millions of children remain unvaccinated against measles, flu and other diseases, mostly due to their parent's fear of another Dengvaxia mess, a Department of Health (DOH) official said. Dr. Ruby Constantino, DOH Disease Prevention and Control Bureau Director said they were not able to include all children in their immunization coverage program since some parents' are apprehensive of its adverse effects, similar to the controversial dengue immunization program in 2014. Constantino said they gathered this data through focus-group discussions in different cities across Metro Manila. "The major reason, wherein we have a big drop from 70% in 2017, we had only 39% (coverage) in 2018, of course because of the Dengvaxia scare," Constantino told CNN Philippines' New Day. President Duterte and the Health Department are urging parents to have their kids vaccinated to avoid getting the flu and other diseases. Also, what are the dangers of swimming in Manila Bay? | #CNNPHNewDay https://t.co/sDo55hwVGt pic.twitter.com/xABKTGRT7a CNN Philippines (@cnnphilippines) February 5, 2019 In 2018, the DOH sought to include 2.8 million children in their immunization campaign specifically for measles. However, they were only able to vaccinate around one million children or about 44% of their target. In total, 2.4 million children have not received measles vaccinations, Constantino said. This could result in another measles outbreak in 2019, the health official warned. DOH records showed confirmed measles cases rose by 547 percent from 791 patients in 2017 to 5,120 cases 2018. Most of the infections in 2018 were recorded in Metro Manila with 1,094 cases, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao with 645 cases and CALABARZON with 621 cases. On the other hand, cases of influenza or flu dropped significantly the previous year, Constantino said. "Based on last year, the last week December 23 to 31 we only have 197 cases and these are based on our data, which is actually 84% lower than that of the 2017 of the same period,"she said. However, she clarified that the data only covered those who sought consultations in hospitals. The health official said they plan to coordinate with local officials to encourage more parents to have their children vaccinated. "We are changing our strategies and (we're) being more aggressive and directing our communication not only to parents but to local leaders so they can help us motivate the parents to submit their children to vaccination," she said. In January 29, President Rodrigo Duterte allayed fears of vaccines and urged parents to have their children vaccinated. He said parents should not be complacent when it comes to protecting their children's health. READ: Duterte urges parents to have their children vaccinated Ireland is in the top 10 in the world when it comes to cybersecurity, a report by a tech consumer website has found. The survey by British firm Comparitech examined a number of factors in 60 countries relating to keeping data secure, such as the percentage of mobile phones and computers infected with malware, and the number of financial malware attacks. Malware is software designed to gain unauthorised access or to destroy a devices system, while financial malware are malicious programs created to steal a users money from the bank account on their computer system, Comparitech said. Ireland came sixth in the firm's survey, behind the US, Denmark, Canada, France and Japan. It ranked ahead of Sweden, the UK, Holland, Singapore and Australia. Algeria was found to be the worst country for cybersecurity, with one-third of computers infected by malware, and a fifth of mobiles infected. Indonesia, Vietnam, Tanzania and Uzbekistan are among the worst countries for cybersecurity, Comparitech said. Ireland, by comparison, sees just under 4% of mobile phones infected with malware, as well as almost 8% of computers, the report found. Just 0.5% of Irish online users have been the subject of financial malware attacks, Comparitech said. The most up-to-date legislation for cybersecurity were France, China, Russia, and Germany, the report found. Japan is the most secure country in the world, according to the findings. Rebecca Moody of Comparitech said: "Despite some countries having clear strengths and weaknesses, there is definite room for improvement in each and every one. "Whether they need to strengthen their legislation or users need help putting better protections in place on their computers and mobiles, theres still a long way to go to make our countries cyber secure." Comparitech said that as the landscape of cybersecurity constantly changes, countries had to try and "get one step ahead of cybercriminals" in relation to scams which were evolving constantly. Ms Moody said that despite the findings, all countries surveyed had room for "significant improvements". So thats Wednesday nearly wrapped up. Here are some of the stories we published on irishexaminer.com today which we hope will help you make sense of it all this evening. TO INFORM Brexit crisis: European Council president Donald Tusk caused controversy by saying there is a "special place in hell" for people who promoted Brexit without a plan. While Theresa May announced that she will follow up her trip to Brussels tomorrow with a visit to Dublin on Friday. Children's hospital controversy: Health Minister Simon Harris has blamed design elements for the spiralling costs of the national children's hospital and pledged to use the full rigour of the law to pursue those responsible for the huge bill. #GPprotest: Hundreds of GPs protested outside the Dail today to tell the government enough is enough on lack of funding and contract negotiations. Venezuela: Ireland has become the latest EU country to recognise Juan Guaido as the interim President of Venezuela. Islamic State: US President Donald Trump has said he expects to be able to announce next week that the US and coalition partners have reclaimed 100% of the Islamic State caliphate. EBS: A financial services company has claimed before the High Court that its agreement to operate three branches of the Educational Building Society (EBS) was terminated over a refusal to engage in the alleged mis-selling of financial products. Six Nations: Rob Kearney is expected to return at full-back for Irelands Guinness Six Nations trip to Scotland on Saturday. TO ENGAGE How Cork has changed: The population of Cork City is ageing, its student and non-Irish population has surged but despite the recovery, pockets of the northside have fallen further into deprivation. Nurses' strike: Ahead of tomorrow's strike, Sean ORiordan says nurses are right to make their voices heard after enduring substandard wages and conditions for far too long. TO ENTERTAIN The sarcastic clap is here: An image of Nancy Pelosi applauding Donald Trump with apparent sarcasm during the State Of The Union address has become a meme. Cork's favourite snugs: Donal OKeeffe takes a leisurely stroll around Cork and visits some of the citys cosiest pub corners. MOST READ SO FAR TODAY Cork discovery: A couple who found a 4,500-year-old arrowhead on a mountain trail say they would like to see it go on display in Cork. Toronto, Ontario - February 6, 2019 (Newsfile Corp.) (Investorideas.com Newswire) Crown Mining Corp. (TSXV: CWM) ("Crown" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has staked an additional 35 new federal mining claims adjacent to the Engels Mine in the Light's Creek Copper District, in Plumas County, northern California. These claims were staked to cover potential extensions to the high-grade ore that was mined as an underground operation in the early 1900's (see Figure 1). Crown's decision to expand its tenement position was prompted by reviews of historical data indicating that the copper (silver) grades at Engels are open in all directions. The newly staked claims lock up the interpreted extensions or potential repetitions of copper-silver mineralized zones at Engels. The Company's landholdings now total 12 square miles of contiguous patented and unpatented mining claims that cover the Moonlight, Superior and Engels deposits - which have inferred and/or indicated resources - as well as several partially tested and untested exploration targets. Commenting on the importance of this development Crown CEO Stephen Dunn, said: "Historical reports on the underground mining activities at Engels indicate early miners focused on the highest-grade sections of the ore body, ignoring material that graded below 1.5% copper. Reports, maps, drill logs, and historic resource calculations recently reviewed by our team show copper (silver) mineralization at Engels extends well beyond the historic underground mine workings and the Company's previous land holdings opening the potential for an open-pit type deposit that could add significantly to the economics of the Moonlight Deposit (PEA details below). Securing these additional claims is an important milestone for the Company and is part of our ongoing strategy to create value at Light's Creek Copper District. We will continue to advance that strategy, and once the funding is in place, initiate exploration development programs to fully define the potential of this exciting copper district". Figure 1 About Crown Mining Corp. Crown controls approximately 12 square miles of patented and unpatented federal mining claims in the Light's Creek Copper District in Plumas County, NE California; essentially, the entire District. The District contains substantial copper (silver) sulfide and copper oxide resources in three deposits - Moonlight, Superior and Engels, as well as several partially tested and untested exploration targets. The Superior and Engels Mines operated from about 1915-1930 producing over 161 million pounds of copper from over 4 million tons of rock containing 2.2% copper with silver and gold credits. The Moonlight Deposit was discovered and drilled by Placer Amex during the 1960's. A Preliminary Economic Assessment Study ("PEA"), prepared by Tetra Tech Inc., had the following highlights: After-tax NPV of US$179M at an 8% discount rate and a $3.15 copper price. After tax IRR of 14.6% Initial Capital Cost: US$513M, including a contingency provision in the amount of US$71M Plant Processing Rate: 60,000 tons per day (STPD) Average Copper Recovery: 86.0% Mine Life: 17 years, based on the existing Mineral Resource estimate Life of mine copper production of 1.5 billion pounds Please note 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. Furthermore, there is no certainty that the preliminary economic assessment will be realized. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Readers are encouraged to read the technical report. Further details of the PEA and the resources on Crown's property and the parameters used to calculate them can be found in the "Technical Report and Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Moonlight Deposit, Moonlight-Superior Copper Project, California, USA" dated April 12, 2018 on both the company's website at www.crownminingcorp.com or on www.sedar.com under the Crown Mining Corp profile. Mr. George Cole is the Qualified Person pursuant to NI 43-101 responsible for the technical information contained in this news release, and he has reviewed and approved this news release. For more information please see the Crown website at www.crownminingcorp.com. For Further Information Contact: Mr. Stephen Dunn, President, CEO and Director, Crown Mining Corporation (416) 361-2827 or email info@crownminingcorp.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 press release. This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities laws and regulations, including statements regarding the future activities of the Company. Forward-looking statements reflect the current beliefs and expectations of management and are identified by the use of words including "will", "anticipates", "expected to", "plans", "planned" and other similar words. Actual results may differ significantly. The achievement of the results expressed in forward-looking statements is subject to a number of risks, including those described in the Company's management discussion and analysis as filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities which are available at www.sedar.com. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon forward-looking statements. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy the securities in any jurisdiction. The common shares will not be and have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or applicable exemption from the registration requirements. 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. 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Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.asp New Mexicos Bernalillo County will pay almost $2 million to settle a series of lawsuits stemming from a deputys 2017 fatal shooting of two unarmed suspects. KRQE-TV reports the county will make a $1.75 million payout to resolve litigation in the shooting that resulted in the deaths of driver Isaac Padilla and passenger Martin Jim. Authorities say Deputy Joshua Mora, the undersheriffs son, pursued a stolen vehicle in November 2017. The chase ended with Mora fatally shooting the two men. Mora had said he feared for the safety colleagues when Padilla revved the engine after being cornered. He declined to comment when reached by the news station. The incident sparked calls for body cameras, which Sheriff Manuel Gonzales has refused to use. His department has faced lawsuits in other deadly force cases. Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits Mexico West Virginia Governor Jim Justice has appointed Erin K. Hunter as acting insurance commissioner for the state, effective Jan. 25, 2019. She takes over for Allan McVey who was appointed by Justice last month as Secretary of Administration. McVey served as insurance commissioner since March 2017. As acting insurance commissioner, Hunter is responsible for the overall regulation of the West Virginia insurance market, as well as protection of insurance consumers. Hunter has also served as the General Counsel for the West Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner since March 31, 2018 and will continue in that role as well. After several years as a litigator in private practice, Hunter was initially hired into the Insurance Commissioners Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement Division in 2012 as a staff attorney. As a staff attorney, Hunter handled a myriad of insurance related investigations and administrative proceedings, including consumer complaints, tax assessment disputes, financial solvency actions, company licensing actions, market conduct actions, and insurance agent/producer licensing actions. As General Counsel, Hunter provides legal advice to the agency and is charged with managing all legal issues affecting the agency, including general insurance regulatory policy, outside litigation, administrative actions and enforcement against regulated entities, public inquiries and outreach, state administered workers compensation fund claims and operations, workers compensation employer compliance and enforcement, state legislation and other legislative developments and rules implementation, as well as testifying before the West Virginia House of Delegates and Senate committees, staffing for various boards and council, Freedom of Information Act inquiries, and other agency personnel, administrative and contractual issues. Hunter attended West Virginia University where she graduated with Bachelor of Arts degrees in English Literature and Political Science. She then attended West Virginia University College of Law where she received her Juris Doctorate degree in 2003. Hunter has continued her professional development by obtaining designation as a Professional, Academy of Healthcare Management (PAHM) through Americas Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) and received a certificate in Insurance Regulation through The Institutes. Hunter is continuing her professional development training and has also undertaken various other courses regarding flood insurance, insurance law, workers compensation and insurance accounting. Source: West Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner Topics Legislation Workers' Compensation Virginia West Virginia Technology-driven health plan Oscar has named former American International Group executive Sid Sankaran as its new chief financial officer. Sankaran, who will join Oscar on March 1, was named chief financial officer at AIG in December 2015 in an executive shake-up by then-CEO Peter Hancock. He oversaw a nearly $500 billion balance sheet and was responsible for AIGs end-to-end financial operations, corporate development, and capital markets activities. Prior to that, he spent five years as AIGs chief risk officer and was a key member of the executive leadership team that helped lead the company through its restructuring. Before joining AIG, he was a partner in the finance and risk practice at Oliver Wyman Financial Services. Last December, AIG CEO Brian Duperreault appointed Mark D. Lyons to succeed Sankaran. At Oscar, Sankaran will oversee accounting, financial planning and analysis, strategic finance, actuarial, pricing, and plan design and will be based in the companys New York headquarters. Oscar, founded in 2012, uses technology and personalized service to help members choose their health care. The Oscar service includes a personalized concierge team that helps members do everything from finding a doctor to processing a claim, a 24/7 Doctor on Call service for members on the go, and a curated network of physicians and hospitals. Source: Oscar Topics InsurTech Tech AIG Appalachian Underwriters Inc. (AUI) has hired four workers compensation underwriting professionals in its St. Peters, Missouri, office. Tara Regan-Collins, senior underwriter, is a seasoned insurance professional, previously working with another national managing general agent (MGA) where she was senior underwriter. Prior to that, she managed large deductible accounts for a major excess insurer. Regan-Collins will be handling the West region for AUI. Kimberly Ksiazkiewicz, senior underwriter, comes to AUI with 10 years of industry experience, most recently serving as underwriting supervisor for a national MGA. She will be underwriting workers comp business in the Southeast region, as well as middle market accounts. Eric Nitz, underwriter, has been an underwriter for the past five years. He will be working on accounts under $25,000 from the AUI Xpress workers compensation online rater. Available in 32 states, the online rater is the most efficient way to submit small workers comp business to AUI. Kathy Hovis, underwriting assistant, will be supporting the St. Peters underwriting team to rate, quote, and bind new workers comp business. She brings with her three years of workers comp policyholder experience. Source: Appalachian Underwriters Inc. Topics Workers' Compensation Underwriting Insurance Wholesale Missouri A Volvo Cars joint venture has won approval to begin hands-free testing of its software for self-driving cars on Swedish highways, partner Veoneer said. Veoneer said the Zenuity joint ventures software for Level 4 autonomous driving the second highest level would be tested in a Volvo car by trained drivers with their hands off the steering wheel at a maximum speed of 80 kilometers per hour (50 miles per hour). The venture is striving to keep up with larger rivals in the race to develop self-driving vehicles. U.S. companies are leading the pack, with Googles Waymo last year winning the first approval to test cars without safety drivers on Californian public roads. General Motors Cruise has said it is ready to deploy a self-driving car with no manual controls, while Germanys BMW and Audi have also secured testing rights. Securing permissions has got tougher after an accident involving a Volvo car that Uber was using to test its own self-driving software. Uber last month resumed limited testing on public roads. Zenuity has been running tests in Sweden to collect data to develop autonomous functionalities and sensors, while Volvo has been carrying out separate tests to gather data to improve driver experience and study driver behavior. Veoneer Chief Technology Officer Nishant Batra said the approval to do real-life tests was essential for gathering important data and test functions. It is a strong proof-point for the progress of Zenuitys self-driving capabilities, he said. Veoneer spokesman Thomas Jonsson said it was too early to say when Zenuity could potentially test without a safety driver. Zenuity, formed by Volvo and Veoneer in 2017, is expected to have its first driver assistance products on sale by 2019 with autonomous driving technologies shortly afterwards. Volvo and its Chinese parent Geely are customers. Volvo has goals of delivering self-driving cars sometime after 2021 and deriving a third of its sales from fully autonomous cars by 2025. Documents obtained from the Swedish Transport Authority showed Volvo in September secured the right to test self-driving cars at 80kph and the permit removed a previous condition that a driver has at least one hand on the steering wheel. The cars Volvo was testing were for the development of fully autonomous vehicles and it was using outside parties and test drivers, a Volvo spokesman said. A top Level 5 vehicle, or fully autonomous vehicle, will be able to navigate roads without any driver input in all conditions. Volvo teamed up with Baidu last year to use the Chinese companys autonomous software to develop a Level 4 car. (Reporting by Esha Vaish in Stockholm; editing by Mark Potter and Ed Osmond) Related: Topics Auto Autonomous Vehicles A huge fire at Ocados flagship robotic distribution center will hit sales growth, the British online supermarket pioneer warned on Wednesday, sending its shares sharply lower. Around 20 fire engines and 200 firefighters were called to the blaze at the highly automated site in Andover, southern England, which raged for over 24 hours from the early hours of Tuesday. The cause of the fire has yet to be established. Whilst we are informed by the fire brigade that it is now under control, during the night part of the roof collapsed and there has been substantial damage to the majority of the building and its contents, Ocado said. The Andover site was providing about 10 percent of Ocados UK capacity and used the robotic technology that the firm is selling to clients around the world. As a result of this incident there will be a constraint on our ability to meet our growing customer demand and there will be a reduction in sales growth until we can increase capacity elsewhere, it said. Ocados retail sales rose 12 percent to 1.48 billion pounds ($1.92 billion) in its financial year to Dec. 2, 2018. The firm has comprehensive insurance cover for the Andover complex or customer fulfillment center (CFC) as it calls it as well as the stock and equipment on site, and for business interruption losses. Shares in Ocado were down 7.8 percent at 1023 GMT. Though Ocado has a 1 percent share of Britains grocery market, its 7.2 billion pound stock market valuation has been driven by the technology side of its business providing international retailers with the infrastructure and software to develop their own online grocery businesses to compete with tech giants such as Amazon. For those investors who mainly value Ocado as a technology business, this 10 percent dent (in retail capacity) in the near term, should not make a huge difference, said Bernstein analyst Bruno Monteyne. What is totally unclear to us at this stage is whether the cause of the fire (unknown right now) has any implications for the technology platform itself. Instrumental The Andover plant, which was processing 30,000 orders a week is Ocados third automated warehouse and has been instrumental in the firm winning major deals to sell its technology to U.S. group Kroger Co., Frances Casino, Canadas Sobeys and Swedens ICA. While Ocados first two centers at Hatfield, north of London, and Dordon, central England, require humans to load thousands of crates traveling on miles of conveyor belts, Andover has hundreds of robots speeding along at four meters per second on giant grids. A fourth CFC at Erith, near London, opened last summer. It is currently processing around 35,000 orders a week. Four times bigger than Andover, at maturity it will be the worlds biggest automated distribution center, processing 220,000 orders a week. An Ocado spokesman said in theory Andovers business could be served by the other three CFCs and network of spokes (satellite distribution depots) though it would take some time to formulate an economic plan. Ocado said on Tuesday the fire had broken out on one of the grids of robots at Andover, forcing it to suspend operations. The group was founded by three Goldman Sachs bankers 18 years ago. After struggling for years to post a profit it has flourished in the last year and nearly doubled its stock market value after striking the technology deals. The company on Tuesday reported full-year earnings and cautioned that investment in partnership deals would hit short-term profits. ($1 = 0.7711 pounds) (Reporting by James Davey; editing by Kate Holton and Mark Potter) Topics Tech By creating an innovative and nimble operating platform, SSL Endeavour, London-based Lloyds broker, aims to attract and retain the best entrepreneurial brokers who are freed up to create innovative client solutions, said Group Managing Director Karen Allen. Being a niche broker, being a nimble broker, and not being one of the big three [brokers], we have the agility where we can actually get close to the client, said Allen in an interview with Insurance Journal. With a flat management structure, brokers at SSL Endeavour dont operate under the same sorts of constraints that exist at larger brokers, where you end up filling out a form about a form, about something that youve forgotten you were trying to get approved, she said with a laugh. Our product leaders are empowered and can run their own businesses within our company, Allen said. Were interested in developing new products, which help clients plug gaps in their risk management plans. Thats how we can be innovative and attract new clients. We're interested in niche products for unmanageable risks which fall in the specialty arena and we're getting a lot of interest from individuals and teams. We're seeking to hire market-leading brokers who have a loyal following both at Lloyd's, but also with their client base. She cited an actual example of a loan company and client who came to SSL Endeavour for help after trying and failing to get unique financial coverage solution from one of the big brokers. Allen explained the client was concerned it could be forced to assume liabilities from loans made to clients, which were beyond its comfort and control due to solvency regulations. We came to the table and initially spent time understanding exactly the concerns of the client, she said. We then worked with various insurers to explore how different solutions could work. We are in the process of designing a specific new product, which we hope to launch shortly, Allen added. She expects the product to be of considerable interest to other clients operating in this space as it would plug a very real coverage gap for insureds in the sector. Im absolutely delighted because this is exactly where we should be innovating and adding some proper client value. Allen expressed excitement about the journey ahead for her company, which as a nimble, independent broker is not restrained by the bureaucracy that is common among bigger brokers. She speaks from experience, having spent her career of almost 20 years as a broker in the Lloyds market, specializing in international specialty casualty insurances. Her most recent role was as director for International at the Howden UK Group Ltd. Other broker roles included director of Specialty Casualty at Denis M. Clayton which became Tower Perrin and ultimately JLT Re. She also had been a senior broker at HW Wood and an account executive at Willis. Allen joined SSL Endeavour as group managing director in October, just two months after Endeavour Insurance Services and marine broker SSL Insurance were both simultaneously acquired by JC Flowers with a view to merging the businesses into one platform. Allen said that great progress has been made to integrate the brokers, including a move to a single London location and plans for rebranding in its final stages. Strategic Hires and Acquisitions With strong expertise in marine and property and casualty, Allen affirmed that SSL Endeavour aims to provide a boutique of product services, adding to its expertise with strategic hires and acquisitions. There are a huge number of specialty products the company wants to offer that are natural complements to our existing business, she said, pointing to the examples of professional indemnity, financial institutions, warranty and indemnity insurance as well as, political risk, and protection and indemnity (P&I) marine. Were interested in niche products for unmanageable risks which fall in the specialty arena and were getting a lot of interest from individuals and teams, Allen said. Were seeking to hire market-leading brokers who have a loyal following both at Lloyds, but also with their client base. Its all about providing the best operating platform to attract independent, entrepreneurial brokers and then allowing them to get on with what they do best, Allen continued. She described one such differentiator as the companys digital claims handling platform, called Advantage, which is offered free of charge to clients and allows U.S. and Canadian coverholders to process their London market claims using a single data entry platform, removing costly duplication and dramatically improving efficiency. The Advantage system provides a single point of entry initiated by the coverholder or third party administrator, thus streamlining the existing method of handling claims, Allen said. The claims platform also satisfies the regulatory challenges facing clients, thereby removing that burden from them. Allen confirmed that SSL Endeavour has much more extensive plans for technology investments in 2019, with work already underway to further build out the Advantage platform and systems capabilities, including new dashboard oversight and reporting functions to benefit all parties in the insurance chain. Technology as Enabler Allen describes technology as an enabler, rather than a disrupter, which will benefit SSL Endeavour as well as the London market. She cited the example of the London markets electronic Placing Platform Ltd. (PPL), which has received some resistance within the market, probably because of the fear of change. (PPL and electronic trading in general is a core component of the London markets Target Operating Model, or TOM, which aims to make it easier to transact insurance in the London market. PPLs target is for 100 percent of risks entering the market to be placed electronically through the platform by the end of this year). Can PPL solve all of the London market efficiency problems? I wish it could. PPL represents an important commitment to become more efficient through technology but, as we all know, there are significant further developments that need to take place to see electronic placing develop to what it could and should be able to achieve. Whatever form electronic placing eventually takes, Allen said, the London market needs enthusiastically to embrace any change that will improve its efficiency and reduce its cost base so it can compete with other global markets. Whatever happens in the London market, it will always thrive as a big differentiator, by creating innovative solutions for clients across the globe. While the London market is moving from paper-based placements to electronic placements, Allen predicted that face-to-face discussion between brokers and underwriters to finalize insurance terms will continue to exist for clients who require more than standardized, off-the-shelf solutions. However, brokers will use iPads, rather than the masses of slips and endorsements I used to cart around Lloyds! Diversity and Inclusion Another welcome area of change for the market has been in the area of diversity. Lloyds brokers have traditionally had a strong male dominance, said Allen. Even today, their boardrooms are filled with men and, unfortunately, I think it is still tough for women to break through to the board level. This is particularly the case in the broker space, she said, pointing to the fact that there are many more women holding UK Financial Conduct Authority-approved status at insurance companies than there are at brokers. While she emphasized she is not a supporter of quotas, Allen believes that companies in the insurance industry can make a big difference by creating a culture that encourages more women to rise through the ranks, which is principally about nurturing an environment where all staff not just women can increase their confidence and professional exposure. As a result, one of Allens stated aims is to find ways to encourage women, so hopefully one of the younger women coming through the ranks now will have my job one day. While younger men appear to have greater confidence, some women are afraid to step up, particularly when theyre young, although they may have huge talent with huge capabilities, she explained. As one small example of her effort to increase the exposure and confidence of her brokers, Allen said she invites a young female or male staff member to join her when she attends the Insurance Supper Club, a London market insurance group that meets monthly, which was formed by Inga Beale, the former CEO of Lloyds. I think its hugely important for all of our young brokers to be able to interact with senior market leaders. Its about bringing our young people together in order to develop our brokers into the most rounded, professional, and confident people they can be. While the market has much work to do in the area of diversity, she acknowledged, its come a very long way since she started in the business 20 years ago. At that time, she said she could not have imagined that she would be able to have the role she has now. It felt entirely out of scope and out of reach, but if I am honest that was less about the fact I was a woman and more because I arrived in London from the North East of England at 19 [as a student]. I had no contacts and little support initially in my chosen career and hence it felt improbable I would succeed in an industry which then was full of clubs and cliques. However, over the years, there have been a lot of women paving the way, including Inga Beale at Lloyds. Diversity is valuable to companies because it brings unique perspectives to decision making, she affirmed. I know from my own experience that a board that is diverse in terms of gender, race, and culture is far more enabled to take decisions that are reflective of the world we live in. Career Path How did Allen get into insurance? Just like many people in the market, it was completely by accident, she recalled, laughing. In my case, I turned up at the wrong job interview because I was given the wrong address, which just so happened to be an employment agency supplying staff to Benfield Grieg, the reinsurance broker. (Benfield Grieg was the predecessor of Aon Benfield.) I was still in university at the time and I was doing my best to try and pay my way. I ended up three days later taking a temp role with this insurance broker during my university holiday. My career literally just led on from there, she said. She had no family connections in the industry and didnt know anything about Lloyds of London. It was a real eye-opener. What an amazing stroke of luck to be able to get into this sector; it was such a random thing. I can really say its been the best career decision I could have accidentally made. Twenty years later, Allen said she hopes to bring the lessons of this experience to a vision for SSL Endeavor, building on what Ive seen work really well in brokers, and frankly, what Ive seen that hasnt worked as well. One of those lessons is to carefully handle integration of two companies, building one vision, one strategy and one culture, which needs to start on day one of an acquisition, she added. Wise Advice When asked what is the best piece of advice shes received, Allen answers quickly: Stay true to your values and your principles. Behave with integrity and treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself. If you stay true to your values and principles, its such a compelling and strong grounding, youll find its easier to rise to the challenges, to find different ways of doing things, and have the conviction that youre doing things for the right reason. Allen said another piece of advice she received from a very wise person, was to question the process. There may not be a good reason why somethings been done in the same way for the last five years or two decades. Thats why Allen encourages all SSL Endeavour employees to look at how were doing things, look at our processes, and suggest way to improve efficiencies. After all, through such empowerment, SSL Endeavour is creating value for its customers, its employees and ultimately for the London market. Related: Topics Agencies Excess Surplus London Lloyd's SterlingRisk Insurance, a Woodbury, N.Y.-based independently owned insurance brokerage, has hired Steven Guthart as president and chief marketing officer. Guthart brings more than 30 years of industry experience to SterlingRisk. He previously served as president of Brooklyn operations at HUB International Northeast Limited. At HUB Northeast, Guthart was most recently responsible for general commercial business as well as the senior care practice, insuring nursing homes and assisted living facilities throughout the U.S. His additional responsibilities included managing all business planning, budgeting, marketing, new business development, client services, staffing and cross-sell initiatives. His previous responsibilities at HUB Northeast also included serving as the wrap-up practice leader and a member of Hub International Limiteds national claims team. He also served as a technical resource for the Northeast and was part of HUB Northeasts mergers and acquisitions team. Prior to joining HUB Northeast in 2005, Guthart served as vice president and partner of a regional brokerage based on Long Island, N.Y., where he was responsible for the commercial lines operations. He has held various management positions with major insurance carriers, including American International Group, Tokio Marine and Aetna Casualty & Surety, as well as other regional brokerage firms, including Corak & Guthart Financial Services, where he was principal and president of the company. Founded in 1932, SterlingRisk has offices in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, California and Indiana. The company has experience in multiple areas, including property and casualty, aviation, environmental, construction, employee benefits consulting, personal lines, risk management, loss control and claims advocacy. Source: SterlingRisk Insurance Topics New York The growing network, which added 17 new agencies in Pennsylvania and New Jersey in 2018, celebrates diversity by bringing together agencies of all types and sizes, including a number of ethnic and culturally-focused agencies as well as some women-owned businesses. A shift in demographics is critically important for agents to understand because its a customer-based business, Tiene pointed out. For example, as [a huge amount of the population] is aging and moving from active workforce to semi-active workforce and retirement, their [insurance] needs change dramatically and how they buy product changes dramatically. At the same time, the population of the US is becoming dramatically more diverse, according to Tiene. As an example, he asked: How does an agent who might not have a large population of Spanish-speaking clients evolve in response to the reality that the segment of the US population with Spanish as a first or second language is increasing? Agents need to find ways to respond to some of these societal changes. Weve got agents in our group that are already dealing with [demographic trends like] that, and theyre able to share their experiences through leader-to-leader workshops and other mechanisms weve put in place. [They] help other agents understand [the issues], and, interestingly, they provide support, Tiene told Insurance Business. One thing weve noticed over the last several years is a growing collegiality between our members. Our agents lean on each other. Theyll either meet an agent at one of our events and call back for advice, or theyll call us and ask if anyone in the group has dealt with a particular problem, and well be able to connect them. Weve created this collegial group of very competitive people who feel that [] they can trust others who, in another environment, they might consider as competitors. As the US population demographic changes, so too does the make-up of the agency distribution channel. Market consolidation is rife, meaning smaller independent agencies are being snapped up by larger firms and private equity players. Tiene has also noticed a trend of new agencies being set up with younger owners using their fresh skillsets to start agencies from scratch. These folks are in their 30s and were watching them [] and their utilization of digital, and were really excited, he told Insurance Business. We think theres a true evolution going on within the distribution channel, and its going to be interesting. Hub International Limited has announced the acquisition of a book of business from Fortenberry McNamara, a Mississippi-based employee benefits consulting firm. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Fortenberry McNamara is an affiliate of Executive Planning Group. It provides insurance underwriting, employee benefits, and human resources consulting services. William McNamara, one of the agencys owners, will join Hub Gulf South. H. Larry Fortenberry will continue to operate Executive Planning Groups wealth-management and individual insurance operations. Risoldis lawyer, Jack McMahon, defended his client by insisting that she did not lie about her claims that her jewelry was stolen following a fire. The time is always right to do what is right, McMahon said in his closing argument in the three-week trial, quoting the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The attorney also quoted the late Gambino crime family boss Gotti in his statement, arguing that the government was using smoke and mirrors to conceal the truth of the case. I never lie, because I dont fear anyone. You only lie when youre afraid. Despite the lawyers rhetoric, the 12-man jury chose to convict Risoldi, who was first charged in 2014 with attempting to defraud AIG out of $20 million, on six out of nine charges. Pennsylvania senior deputy attorney general Linda Montag maintained that Risoldi and her family schemed to defraud insurers after three fire incidents since 2009 at the family estate in New Hope. Risoldi had insured $10 million worth of jewelry, which she claimed had been purchased prior to 1965 and given to her by her late husband. She later claimed that it was all stolen after a fire. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that, to this date, none of the jewelry has been recovered. According to court statements, AIG had bought the policy on Risoldis jewelry before the 2013 fire. McMahon insists that around this time, AIG had even received a $128,000 check from Risoldi to pay for the coverage. The defense lawyer argued that the insurers acceptance of the payment meant that it was comfortable with covering $10 million worth of jewelry, and that it should not have contested her eventual claim. Montag, however, countered by saying that the Risoldis were continually filing claims on items they had already claimed on in the past. Prosecutors also alleged that Risoldi and her family forged appraisal documents in their insurance claims; the forged documents included numerous misspellings of the word jewelry. Cyber insurance specialist, CFC Underwriting, has always been at the forefront of cyber risk solutions. The firm has the largest cyber underwriting and in-house cyber claims and incident response teams in London, UK, covering over 40,000 businesses in more than 60 countries, including Australia. CFC cyber product leader, James Burns, spoke to Insurance Business about how the product has evolved in recent years, and more importantly, where its heading. Business interruption is almost like the prodigal son of the cyber insurance market, he said. If you look right back to the 1990s / early 2000s when cyber insurance policies were first developed, there was no meaningful privacy legislation, even in the US. At that point cyber insurance was all about business interruption. It was developed for the first breed dot-com companies, who were trading online and therefore had big exposure to system downtime. In 2003, the state of California in the US introduced the first meaningful breach notification legislation. It stated that if a business lost consumer data, it was responsible for paying to notify consumers, and could also be held liable for fines, penalties and other liabilities as a result. After that, similar privacy legislation swept through the rest of the US, and cyber insurance policies in the US reinvented themselves to become all about privacy. The product really took off in the US because privacy is quite an easy concept for consumers to understand and for brokers to sell. Cyber insurance sales in the rest of the world have lagged slightly behind the US something Burns attributes to the slower evolution of meaningful privacy legislation. Without strict privacy legislation, lots of organisations outside of the US believed they didnt have enough exposure to privacy risk to necessitate a cyber insurance purchase. However, thats changed in recent years thanks to the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe and other stringent privacy laws like the Australian Privacy Act. In the past few years, weve seen a massive uptick in cyberattacks, particularly driven by ransomware, as well as an increase in non-criminal system failures. Whether caused by criminal activity or not, were seeing insureds systems being taken out, causing huge interruption to business operations and significant financial losses. Thats completely separate from the privacy risks businesses have finally grown to understand, Burns told Insurance Business. This new type of exposure is very similar to the exposure that the first breed of dot-com companies faced, and its becoming more apparent and relevant to the business community as organisations become reliant upon technology. The industry is calling this exposure cyber-triggered business interruption risk, and thats where cyber insurance policies are moving now. Cyber insurers are working to develop policies that are broad enough and have the right level of limits so that all types of companies can protect themselves against cyber-triggered business interruption risk, and not just data breach exposure. CFC Underwriting recently announced an upgrade to its cyber insurance product, introducing what it described as market leading business interruption cover and expanded cover for a variety of cybercrime activities. With the new product, businesses will see business interruption cover triggered by IT system failure, in addition to malicious cyber events. Theres also full supply chain business interruption cover so that if the system of a technology supplier of the insured is impacted, or that of a named non-technology supplier, cover will kick in. Prior to coverages like this being developed within the cyber market, policyholders were turning to add-ons in their property policies to cover cyber-triggered events. However, while many property policies would include sub-limited coverage for damage to data, lots of insurers continued to require a physical trigger before offering business interruption coverage, which was a problem for non-physical cyber events. Some traditional property policies were picking up cyber-triggered business interruption, but oftentimes it was without the property markets intending on them doing so. Burns added that its largely felt that this is an exposure that belongs in the cyber market and that the cyber market is here and ready to take it on. The challenge weve got is that because cyber products have developed into these fairly broad all-encompassing solutions for any businesss full range of intangible assets, that means theres a lot of different specific exposure points that need explaining. The more exposure points there are, the more confusing it can appear for clients and brokers in relation to what coverage is being offered, he commented. Thats why I think privacy really helped launch cyber as a mainstream product line in the US. Privacy is quite an easy concept to understand. If youre a business that holds data and someone steals that data, youre at financial risk, so they want to buy a solution to protect against that. Cyber-triggered business interruption is potentially a slightly more difficult concept for people to understand. In a traditional property policy, if you have physical damage and it leads to financial loss, its fairly easy to grasp because theres cause and effect. Non-physical damage is that one step beyond, but its no less of a risk exposure for so many businesses. Theres a lot of education work to do, and I think the way the industry responds is going to be really important. Businesses have to become aware of how non-physical events can have business interruption impacts, and its our job as cyber insurers to explain that exposure to them. ICA clarified what the flood crisis means for householders in terms of their insurance cover and responded to warnings from Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill that north Queenslanders would not accept unfair premium increases after the floods, AAP reported. Right now, were focused on fixing properties, Campbell Fuller, ICA communications manager, told the news agency. Any talk of premium rises is premature. Campbell said all insurers have had a standard definition for flood since 2012, which includes water escaping from a dam, including an intentional release. There may be a small percentage of policyholders who have decided to opt-out of flood cover at time of purchase or chose to buy a policy that excludes flood, Campbell said. Those policyholders may need to have their claims tested to determine if their claim meets the standard flood definition. ICA also expressed concerns that a significant number of Townsville commercial policyholders may not have taken up flood cover. Hill urged insurance companies to act as responsible corporate citizens to help speed up the recovery effort, AAP reported. The insurance giant, whose network of brands includes AAMI, Apia, Shannons, Vero, Bingle, Resilium, and CIL, previously announced a financial assistance package for customers impacted by the catastrophic floods. The financial relief package provides flexible finance options for those who are experiencing hardship due to the extreme weather, Cameron said. Suncorp is urging customers in the water-ravaged region to remain safe as they inspect the damage to their properties, before contacting their insurer to report their claims. The safety of our customers in these flood-affected areas is our number-one priority, and so our teams are urging residents to take every precaution, Cameron said. Our thoughts are with all of those who have been impacted. Our customer support teams are on the ground, providing initial assistance to those in need. Suncorp customers can lodge a claim by visiting the insurers website, calling 13 25 24, or contacting any Suncorp brand they are insured with. 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. Woodbridge, VA (22192) Today Rain showers this morning with overcast skies during the afternoon hours. Thunder possible. High 73F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 54F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. The Barchart Chart of the Day belongs to the plastic products company Deswell (NASDAQ: DSWL ). Readers are always asking me how to find stocks that are just beginning to trend before everyone else discovers them. One of the best ways is to look at Barchart's Strong Volume Gains preformatted screener. It identifies stocks... Read More There are so many different ways that you can hug a person. Obviously, each type of hug is going to have a little different meaning to it,... Photo of some murthis at the Swaminarayan Temple in Louisville, Kentucky, which was vandalized. "Our main concern is just making sure that we feel safe when we come back to this temple to pray," Indian American Raj Patel told the Courier-Journal. (baps.org photo) A guided visit to the Taj Mahal in Agra is part of the curriculum for HeritageINDIA, a three-week fully-funded scholarship program organized by Indiapora and 360+ for Indian American high school students to connect with their Indian roots. (Sajjad Hussain/AFP/Getty Images) Humans fear that robots might take over their jobs someday, and no kidding, the process has started. Technology has taken over in many ways - first, there was an AI-powered TV reporter in China and now there are robot servers in various restaurants. One such restaurant has opened up in Chennais Porur area where robots serve food communicate with customers in English and Tamil. The eatery is located in Chennais Mugilivakkam Porur and has a team of seven robots designed in blue and white. AFP The customers are welcomed by a female robot at the reception who responds to various questions the customers might have. Inside the restaurant, the robots dressed as waiters, then, bring exotic drinks and meals tp the table. The restaurant also serves Indo-Asian cuisines. The hotel staff has trained the robots well and each of them costs around Rs 5 lakh. ANI "We have three branches in India. The robots will interact with customers and guide them with the table numbers. As there was no Robot Restaurant in India before, we worked on it and got successful. The robots are yet to be named. We will ask the customers to suggest names. Later, we will conduct a name keeping ceremony. We have two types of robots, one for serving food and the other one to interact and guide the customers. We are planning to expand our chain in Bengaluru," Kailash - the General Manager of the restaurant - told ANI. AFP "We have provided a tablet on every table which has the menu. Once the customers select their choice of dishes, the order is sent to the kitchen. From there, the order is collected by the robots and they are programmed in a way that they take the order to the right table," he added. Traffic rules in India are a big mess and when it comes to the implementation of laws for the top brass it becomes a big problem. But as far as Hyderabad traffic police is concerned no one is above the law. Someone recently pointed out that Hyderabad Mayor Bonthu Rammohans car was parked in a no-parking zone in the Cyberabad area. The photo of the mayors car was posted by the person and it went viral on the internet. Later, the traffic police sent an e-challan to Rammohan, who then thanked the person for pointing out that he didnt follow the rules. He also appreciated the Telangana Police for treating him like any other citizen and doing their duty. I appreciate the citizen who bought the traffic offence of my car to the notice of TS police. I have cleared the challan. Request you all to take this as an example not to keep quite at offence that comes to your notice and at the same time follow the rules. pic.twitter.com/3x9njD4p6B BonthuRammohan,Mayor (@bonthurammohan) February 2, 2019 But, he later clarified that the offense was committed by his driver and not him. It was not an intentional offence by my driver, It happened when we were on our duty responding to the problems in the https://t.co/GC1m7S8xzP isnt a excuse though... Rules are for everyone and we all should abide by them. PS:Not punishing my driver for this offence. BonthuRammohan,Mayor (@bonthurammohan) February 2, 2019 However, he has set an example for all the those who use their position and influence to evade the law, and he is getting well-deserved praise for it. 1. Good sir, its really appreciable thing. Leader has to follow before addresing it. You followed and hope everyone will follow it. sam_gowd (@sam_gowd) February 2, 2019 2. Really Good to Know...Appreciate it @bonthurammohan Garu Younus Farhaan (@YounusFarhaan) February 2, 2019 3. Appreciate your doing sir. Hope to see more parking spaces / parking towers in our city soon. Maharshi Reddy (@rishi337) February 2, 2019 4. Highly Appreciated sir. CITIZEN (@mjagdish1) February 2, 2019 5. Highly appreciated sir, great example for every citizen Riya zafer (@riyazafer) February 3, 2019 6. 7. We should be proud of such a citizen and the leader like you. Suman Kuppa (@KuppaSuman) February 4, 2019 8. Good example Mayor garu. You were honest and not afraid to publicly rectify a mistake. We need leaders like you very much ram gollakota (@ramgv) February 2, 2019 9. Really you are great sir.. A good message to hyd city people..All the citizens should obey the traffic rules.. Thank you sir.. raju (@rajuqju086) February 4, 2019 10. We should be proud of such a citizen and the leader like you. Suman Kuppa (@KuppaSuman) February 4, 2019 Earlier in November, a Hyderabad traffic police officer fined the Additional Commissioner of Police for parking his vehicle in a no-parking zone. Hats off to the Hyderabad traffic police for doing their job and setting an example for the rest of the country. When Flight Lieutenant Abhijit Gadgil died in MiG 21 crash in 2001 in Sutagarh, Rajasthan, his parents Captain Anil Gadgil and Kavita were devastated. But what shocked them was that their son was blamed for the crash and not the plane which even then was called the flying coffin. Captain Anil Gadgil Spatial disorientation was later cited as the reason for the crash. Spatial disorientation refers to the pilot's inability to determine position, motion and location in relation to their surroundings and environment. The parents who had just lost their 27-year-old son didnt accept any of explanations and attempts to blame their son for the crash and decided to counter it. They sought justice for their son and rightly so. He took off in his MiG-21 and within a few seconds, his aircraft nose-dived into the sands of the dark area ahead. The total flight time was 33 seconds. All over, shared Captain Anil Gadgil, Abhijits father with The Better India. And with this, our whole world turned upside down, he added. Thus began their own battle The name flying coffins gave the MiG 21 a lot of disrepute, but various incidents of crashes over claimed over 200 lives and there are hundreds of parents like Gadgils who lost of sons in these crashes. Though Gadgils dont endorse this name given to the plane, the plane that crashed with their son flying it also had a technical issue which resulted in the crash and death of a young and fine pilot. Captain Anil Gadgil Captain Anil and his wife Kavita decided to fight, not only for the justice for their son but for all those pilots who lost their lives due to faults in the aircraft. Captain Anil is an IAF veteran who served as a Wing Commander and had participated in the 1971 war. He had retired in 1985. His wife Kavita led the campaign for the justice for his son and hundreds other. Kavita came into the spotlight in 2002 as the grieving mother who refused to accept that scores of young pilots like her son were dying in horrific MiG-21 plane crashes in a peacetime environment, Anil says. She submitted a memorandum to the then defence minister, the Late Mr George Fernandes, raising questions on the alarming rate of the fatal accidents of these aircraft and the letter from the Air Force blaming Abhijits spatial disorientation for his MiG-21 crash. In crusade for justice, they met the President Seeking justice for their son, the couple also met the then president APJ Abdul Kalam and after their consistent efforts and pursuit for justice, the IAF finally conceded in a letter that the said spatial disorientation could have been the result of the technical malfunction in the plane and Flt Lt Abhijit wouldnt be blamed for the crash. President also assured them the safety of pilots flying the MiG 21 would be a priority. In 2007, Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra directed Rang De Basanti was partially inspired by the couples efforts and struggle to get justice for their son. Founded Jeet Aerospace Institute After getting justice for their son, the couple decided to immortalise their sons name with a cause that will keep his alive forever. In 2006, the couple decided to establish The Jeet Aerospace Institute (JAI) on the land owned by the couple near Khadakwasla dam in Pune to train the young people who dream to fly for the IAF. Captain Anil Gadgil JAI was established with support from eminent scientist Dr RA Mashelkar and a journalist, Kumar Ketkar. While Captain Anil brought a firsthand experience of flying with the premier organisation like IAF, his Kavita managed the operations. We designed a mobile twin-jet simulator to train pilots and raised funds to get that built. We also built a small house, a couple of classrooms and a hangar to keep the mobile simulator where pilots are trained to fly in a jet cockpit, says Kavita. The whole endeavour did cost nearly two crores and the majority of the investment was made by Gadgil couple and their elder son Kedar who helped his parents with Rs 25 lakh. The 33-year-old prince, often mentioned to by his initials MBS, is expected to first travel to Pakistan on February 16, and will then travel to Malaysia before finally arriving in New Delhi in the fourth week of February. Read more Here's more top news of the day: 1) Bullet Train Will Pass Through Flamingo Haven & Leopard National Park, Why Nobody Cares? Indias ambitious bullet train project between Ahmedabad-Mumbai has been drawing public ire since its announcement. Questions have been raised over the investment and that if India, the nation with highest number of stunted children, really needs a bullet train. Read more 2) This Pune Couple Lost Their Son In A MiG21 Crash, They Kept Fighting Until Justice Was Served Captain Anil Gadgil When Flight Lieutenant Abhijit Gadgil died in MiG 21 crash in 2001 in Sutagarh, Rajasthan, his parents Captain Anil Gadgil and Kavita were devastated. But what shocked them was that their son was blamed for the crash and not the plane which even then was called the flying coffin. Read more 3) Kerala Woman Who Was The First To Reach Sabarimala Can Now Return To Her Husband's Home, Says Court AFP She was thrown out of her house by her in-laws for defying religious customs. Days after her ouster, a local court has paved way for the return to her husband's home in Mallapuraram district of north Kerala. Read more 4) Meet The People Who Survived Cancer, Survived To Tell Their Tales And Inspire Others BCCL/Representative Image There are several people succumbing to the critical ailment but there are some who have battled it and emerged as victors. One such story is of this youth from Bhopal, Sameer (name changed). Read more 5) Forget Rafale Row, With Just 31 Squadrons Of Jets, IAF Chief BS Dhanoa's Worry Is Genuine AP A day before the accident, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa had emphasised on the need of the fighter jets and maintaining the squadrons of fighter jets to counter any emergency. Read more Journey of Kanaka Durga has been tough after she became one of the first two women to enter Sabarimala Temple. She was thrown out of her house by her in-laws for defying religious customs. Days after her ouster, a local court has paved way for the return to her husband's home in Mallapuraram district of north Kerala. The feisty mother of two, however, returned on Tuesday, to an empty house in Angadippuram as her husband reportedly took their children and moved into a rented house. AFP "I got the court order and I could enter my house. I am happy and have nothing to say more. I could not see my children today, but I hope I can see them next time", Durga said. Talking about her in-laws she said, "I don't have any difficulty to stay with them but they are not ready to stay with me. Everything will be solved." Kanaka Durga had filed a complaint with district officials after she was prevented entry into her house and the Pulamanthol Grama Nyayalaya issued an interim order on Tuesday stating that she had a right to stay at her husband'shome. The case is scheduled for hearing in the local court on March 11. AFP Durga had alleged that her mother in law attacked her when she returned after entering Sabarimala temple. Subsequently, her mother-in-law had also registered a counter complaint with the police. On September 28, 2018, the Supreme Court had lifted the ban on the entry of women between the ages of 10 and 50 into the Lord Ayyappa shrine at Sabarimala. BCCL Nearly four months after the verdict, Bindu Ammini and Kanaka Durga, both aged below 50, entered the Lord Ayyappa temple to offer prayers. (With ANI Inputs) Oglala lawmakers bill would make SD consult with tribes By Talli NaumanNative Sun News Today Contributing Editor PIERRE Oglala Lakota Rep. Peri Pourier introduced a bill in the South Dakota Legislature on January 25 that would provide tribal oversight of cultural resources involved in state-permitted projects. The bill to revise certain provisions on the protection of historic properties would amend state law to require the same kind of supervision afforded projects under federal permit. Currently, Tribal Historic Preservation Officers must be consulted on permits in federal jurisdictions, such as those pertaining to the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Parks, or Army Corps of Engineers. However, approval of projects outside of those public lands does not require input from tribal government. This bill will bring state law in alignment with federal law Section 106 of the National Historical Preservation Act requiring consultation with the tribes and Tribal Historic Preservation Officers, Pourier said in a call for constituents to lobby their lawmakers for the amendment. The National Environmental Protection Act requires that Section 106 be respected in elaboration of environmental impact statements, but only in federal jurisdictions. On January 28, the bill went to the House of Representatives State Affairs Committee . It must obtain majority approval in the committee, if it is to reach a full vote in the House of Representatives. No committee hearing date was set for it by press time. Backers recommended contacting committee members to discuss the context of the proposals. Those who will determine the initial fate of the proposal are at the following email addresses: Lee.Qualm@sdlegislature.gov, Arch.Beal@sdlegislature.gov, David.Anderson@sdlegislature.gov, Kevin.Jensen@sdlegislature.gov, Drew.Dennert@sdlegislature.gov, Steven.McCleerey@sdlegislature.gov, Mike.Diedrich@sdlegislature.gov, Tim.Goodwin@sdlegislature.gov, Spencer.Gosch@sdlegislature.gov, Jon.Hansen@sdlegislature.gov, Jamie.Smith@sdlegislature.gov, and Steven.Haugaard@sdlegislature.gov The language in the bill stipulates: The South Dakota Legislature finds and declares that it is in the best interest of the state and its citizens to provide for the preservation of its historical, architectural, archaeological, paleontological, and cultural sites, and traditional cultural properties by protecting, restoring, and rehabilitating sites, buildings, structures, and antiquities of the state and of the Indian tribes of the state that are of historical significance. Contact Talli Nauman at talli.nauman@gmail.com Copyright permission Native Sun News Today Join the Conversation State of the union was once the forum for Indian removal Andrew Jacksons tragic message to Congress in 1829But Tuesday night begins a new chapter #ICTSOTUBy Mark TrahantIndian Country Today The State of the Union was once a written message to Congress. At the end of 1829, President Andrew Jackson wrote his state of the Union with a message of support for the new states and he made it clear that he was taking Georgias side over the Cherokee Nation These States, claiming to be the only sovereigns within their territories, extended their laws over the Indians, which induced the latter to call upon the United States for protection, he wrote. Georgia became a member of the Confederacy which eventuated in our Federal Union as a sovereign State, always asserting her claim to certain limits, which, having been originally defined in her colonial charter and subsequently recognized in the treaty of peace, she has ever since continued to enjoy, except as they have been circumscribed by her own voluntary transfer of a portion of her territory to the United States in the articles of cession of 1802. He then told Congress that he informed the Indians that tribal self-government would not be permitted and advised them to emigrate beyond the Mississippi. So for Indian Country, the state of the union was tragic. ( Cherokee Nation: A brief history of the Trail of Tears .) Whats so extraordinary about this moment is that Jackson argued he was doing this for humanitys sake. Andrew Jackson in 1824. Painting attributed to Thomas Sully. Image: U.S. Senate "Our conduct toward these people is deeply interesting to our national character, he wrote. Their present condition, contrasted with what they once were, makes a most powerful appeal to our sympathies. Our ancestors found them the uncontrolled possessors of these vast regions. By persuasion and force they have been made to retire from river to river and from mountain to mountain, until some of the tribes have become extinct and others have left but remnants to preserve for a while their once terrible names. Surrounded by the whites with their arts of civilization, which by destroying the resources of the savage doom him to weakness and decay, the fate of the Mohegan, the Narragansett, and the Delaware is fast over-taking the Choctaw, the Cherokee, and the Creek. That this fate surely awaits them if they remain within the limits of the States does not admit of a doubt. Jackson argued that removal was to avert a calamity. As a means of effecting this end I suggest for your consideration the propriety of setting apart an ample district west of the Mississippi, and without the limits of any State or Territory now formed, to be guaranteed to the Indian tribes as long as they shall occupy it, each tribe having a distinct control over the portion designated for its use, Jackson said. That would be the Indian Territory. Later the Twin Territories. And now Oklahoma. Grover Cleveland also brought up Indian affairs in his state of the union . He wrote: When the existing system was adopted, the Indian race was outside of the limits of organized States and Territories and beyond the immediate reach and operation of civilization, and all efforts were mainly directed to the maintenance of friendly relations and the preservation of peace and quiet on the frontier. All this is now changed. There is no such thing as the Indian frontier. Civilization, with the busy hum of industry and the influences of Christianity, surrounds these people at every point. None of the tribes are outside of the bounds of organized government and society, except that the Territorial system has not been extended over that portion of the country known as the Indian Territory. As a race the Indians are no longer hostile, but may be considered as submissive to the control of the Government. Few of them only are troublesome. Except the fragments of several bands, all are now gathered upon reservations. "My Land, My Future": young tribal citizens take part in a #StandWithMashpee rally at the U.S. Capitol on November 14, 2018. Photo by Indianz.Com (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) More than a century later its unlikely that President Donald J. Trump will preach removal. Or submission. But what will be left unsaid are the policy choices that have been made at the Department of Interior Although not recorded as an official State of the Union, the arguments accepted by the government are familiar: The Tribe argues that the United States retained paramount authority over Indian affairs within the original thirteen states despite state actions and the slow development of Federal authority in the early constitutional period. Regardless, the Tribe adds, any exercise of state authority over Indians did not oust or otherwise limit Federal authority. However, the Interior Department said, the counter was that state powers precluded a Federal relationship in or before 1934, and that is because the Tribe was always under the Commonwealth's care and authority, its members could not have been wards of the United States. And thats the side of the argument that the Trump administration picked. The National Congress of American Indians said it disagrees strongly with Interiors decision and that it severely restricts the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribes sovereignty and its ability to exercise meaningful self-governance. In addition, the Tribes reservation is now threatened with disestablishment. The Tribe is effectively stripped of important reliance interests that will affect the social service programs it provides to its citizens, as well as the economic development ventures (including gaming) that the Tribe relies on to support critical tribal government functions and provide job opportunities to its people. President Trump proudly displays Jacksons portrait at the White House. Jackson is his kind of hero. But on Tuesday night, at the State of the Union, a different type of history is unfolding. For the first time, there are Native American women sitting in the chamber as elected leaders of Congress, of a state government, and a more representative democracy. Whats said, or left unsaid, cannot change that. Mark Trahant is the editor of Indian Country Today . He is a member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes . Follow him on Twitter @TrahantReports This story originally appeared on Indian Country Today Join the Conversation Trump call for unity appears to do little to sway divided Congress By Keerthi Vedantam and Andrew HowardCronkite News WASHINGTON President Donald Trump used his first speech to a divided Congress Tuesday to call for unity, with a pledge to work with you to achieve historic breakthroughs and a plea to govern not as two parties, but as one nation. The agenda I lay out this evening is not a Republican agenda or a Democratic agenda, Trump said at the outset of his State of the Union address. It is the agenda of the American people. But while the speech included broad policy targets and applause lines that drew all members of Congress to their feet, there were also calls for an end to ridiculous partisan investigations of his administration and demands for a border wall that drew groans some in the chamber. Some even laughed at Trumps suggestion that if not for his election as president, the U.S. would be at war with North Korea by now. The divide in the chamber could be seen in the white dresses worn by about 60 of the Democratic women to show solidarity with other women, and in the scores of standing ovations from the Republican side of the chamber as the Democrats sat. And it was mirrored in Arizonas congressional delegation, whose reactions largely followed party lines. If he wanted to unify the country, he would have given a different speech than he gave tonight, said Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Phoenix. He seemed intent on providing divisive rhetoric versus bipartisan solutions. But Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Prescott, said the speech shows a compassionate America that is badly in need of bipartisanship and a unifying message. We are in a civil war right now in this country. Its just we havent fought that war with bullets yet, Gosar said. We are so divided, I see it in my own family. So what is it? Does the American public win or do the parties lose? The speech was the first since Democrats took control of the House and followed a bitter stalemate between the White House and Congress that led to a five-week partial shutdown of the government earlier this year. It was also delivered a week later than originally scheduled, after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, withdrew an invitation for Trump to speak while the government was shut down. The speech, Trumps third to a joint session of Congress, clocked in at close to 90 minutes, about twice as long as early reports suggested it might be. It was interrupted almost 100 times by applause, only about one-third of which included more than a handful of Democrats. Trump said the state of the union is strong, and spent much of his speech touting what he called the achievements of his administration, including a strong economy, record-low unemployment rates for minorities, successful criminal justice reform and moves to extricate the U.S. from endless wars in the Middle East. The only thing that can stop the thriving economy, Trump said, are foolish wars, politics, or ridiculous partisan investigations. That sparked chants of USA, USA in the chamber, the first of three times the can interrupted the speech including one time from Democrats, after Trump noted that more women are serving in Congress than ever before, and once by Republicans after Trump vowed the U.S. will never be a socialist country. Trump also laid out an ambitious agenda, but one with few details. He called for greater investments in infrastructure and promised new programs to fight childhood cancer and to eliminate the HIV epidemic in the United States within 10 years. He promised to introduce legislation to lower prescription drug costs and to include a plan for nationwide paid family leave in his next budget. But he also called on Congress to pass bills that are not likely to be as popular, including a ban on late-term abortions, and chided the Senate for its failure to approve all of his nominees. Navajo Nation VP Lizer and I had a great discussion before the #SOTU. Grateful to have him in the chamber tonight, and I look forward to continuing to work together to address the needs of Navajo families. #AZ01 pic.twitter.com/dtD0JAgZDU Rep. Tom O'Halleran (@RepOHalleran) February 5, 2019 What appeared to be the most divisive issue was Trumps renewed call for a border wall as part of a commonsense proposal to end the crisis on our southern border that includes more officers, better drug detection and tighter laws. In the past, most of the people in this room voted for a wall but the proper wall never got built, Trump said. I will get it built. Trump dedicated more than two pages of his 11-page speech to the very dangerous southern border, which he portrayed as open to gangs, sexual abuse, drug smugglers and human traffickers. He drew groans when he said action was needed to stop large, organized caravans on the march to the United States. Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Tucson, whose district includes much of the border accused Trump of mischaracterizing, exaggerating and outright lying about the situation on the southern border. The crisis we have at our border is manufactured, and manufactured by Trump and his administration, said Grijalva, pointing to the former White House policy of separating children from parents at the border. It was all about him repeating the same exaggerations and lies hes been repeating. The White House on YouTube: President Trump Delivers the State of the Union Address Trump reminded Congress that there are just 10 days left to pass a budget that includes border security funding he accepts, or the government could shut down again. But he did not threaten to declare a national emergency to fund a wall, even though he has insisted he has the authority to do so. Gosar thinks Trump could take executive action to get his border wall if Congress will not fund it. They can challenge it all they want, Gosar said of a likely Democratic challenge to any such action. But there may be more consequences than they actually know. Despite the sometimes strident rhetoric, Trump began and ended the speech with an optimistic vision of an America that can do the incredible defy the impossible conquer the unknown. This is our future our fate and our choice to make. I am asking you to choose greatness, he said. No matter the trials we face, no matter the challenges to come, we must go forward together. Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Peoria, said she thought the address was motivational for both sides of the aisle. Now its our turn, she said. Its our time that members of Congress do the next great thing. Lesko also said she was glad the president spoke about the current state of the economy because it really is good and we need to remind ourselves how great its going. Great, but not for everybody, said Navajo Nation Vice President Myron Lizer, who was at the speech as a guest of Rep. Tom OHalleran, D-Sedona. There was just no depth in regard to assisting us in Indian Country, Lizer said. While Trump acknowledged lower unemployment rates among women, minorities and people with disabilities, the Native American unemployment rate hovers around 12 percent. With the new budget coming out to assist in providing more funding to Indian Country in terms of economic development, I think we can help bring jobs to Indian Country and drop those unemployment rates, said Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez. On my way to the #SOTU with Navajo Nation President Nez. He comes to Washington with so many stories of how the #TrumpShutdown disrupted critical health & safety services in Native communities stories we must keep in mind as we consider the current state of our union. pic.twitter.com/sbiajuANep Tom Udall (@SenatorTomUdall) February 6, 2019 Both Nez and Lizer were interested in Trumps call for greater investments in infrastructure, an action Trump said was, not an option. This is a necessity. When I heard maybe infrastructure stimulus, it made me think there was hope that we could give more funding resources to Indian Country, Nez said. OHalleran said it is easier to talk about bipartisanship than to practice it, particularly when it comes to controversial legislation. He would rather see actions than talk. But we have to do it in a way thats not. Its my way or the highway, on either side, OHalleran said. So we have to find that secret balance. Cronkite News reporters Micah Alise Bledsoe and Luv Junious contributed to this report. State of the Union coverage from Cronkite News This story originally appeared on Cronkite News and is published via a Creative Commons license . Cronkite News is produced by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University Join the Conversation 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. Send to Email Address Your Name Your Email Address Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Email check failed, please try again Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. As president of the North Carolina Community College System and State Superintendent of our K-12 public schools, we are happy to highlight February as Career Pathways Month in North Carolina. We work with thousands of people every day who share one mission: success for all of North Carolinas students. We also know that career success comes in many forms and that more and more of our students are finding success through multiple pathways. This February, we would like to engage our states parents, students, educators, and community leaders in a myth-busting exercise about college and careers. Here are three of the biggest myths we heard before taking on our leadership roles: MYTH 1: Students must earn a four-year degree to be successful. REALITY: Here in North Carolina, we currently have more opportunities in well-paying, high-demand careers than we have the skilled workforce to fill; there are hundreds of job titles in dozens of career fields such as web developer, electric lineworker, dental hygienist, and law enforcement officer. And while nearly all require some training or education beyond a high school diploma, none of those requires a four-year degree. Undated handout photo issued by Lancashire Constabulary of Rachel Tunstill, 28, who has been found guilty of the murder of her newborn daughter following a retrial. Photo: Lancashire Constabulary/PA Wire A mother who stabbed her newborn baby to death with scissors has been jailed for life for a second time. Mental healthcare boss Rachel Tunstill, 28, stabbed Mia Kelly to death with a pair of scissors in the bathroom of her home in Burnley, Lancashire, and then placed her body in plastic bags before dumping it in the kitchen bin. She was originally found guilty of murder and jailed for a minimum of 20 years following a trial at Preston Crown Court in June 2017. But the conviction was quashed as Court of Appeal judge Lord Justice Treacy ruled that the jury in the case should have been offered a verdict of infanticide to consider. A jury at Liverpool Crown Court found Tunstill guilty on Tuesday of murder following a retrial, a Lancashire Police spokesman said. On Wednesday she was sentenced to life imprisonment and told to serve a minimum of 17 years before she can be considered for release, said police. The court heard Tunstill, a psychology graduate, had high-functioning autistic spectrum disorder. She had claimed she was unaware her pregnancy was virtually full-term and thought she was having a miscarriage at the flat in Wellington Court she shared with her partner, forklift driver Ryan Kelly, 31. But the court heard the baby was almost full-term and she was 37 to 38 weeks pregnant. The jury was told Tunstill had been charged with murder but jurors were able to consider alternatives of manslaughter, manslaughter with diminished responsibility or infanticide. The defence said Tunstill's balance of mind was disturbed in the period following the birth on the evening of January 14 2017 and that she suffered "an acute stress reaction". In the weeks leading up to the birth Tunstill, a deputy manager at a residential home for people with mental health issues, carried out internet searches for terms including "how to end a pregnancy late". She also searched for information on notorious killer Mick Philpott, who murdered six of his own children in a house fire, and the court heard she had said she was interested in how somebody described as a "psychopath" could have cried on television about the deaths before his guilt was revealed. The court was told that since being in prison Tunstill had reported hearing voices and claimed they told her she was like serial killer Rose West. Speaking on Tuesday, Detective Chief Inspector Gareth Willis said: "This was a truly horrifying and callous killing of a defenceless newborn baby by her mother, her source of life and who should have been her source of love. "What is worse is that a totally innocent man, still coming to terms with the realisation he had a daughter and that she had died, was questioned by police because Tunstill lied about the fact she had killed the baby, stating that it was stillborn. "She has still never admitted why she killed Mia." Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gives opening remarks during the Global Coalition to Defeat Isis meeting (Alex Brandon/AP) America will not shirk the responsibilities of leadership in the fight against the Islamic State group, Mike Pompeo has said. The US Secretary of State was trying to allay fears that President Donald Trumps decision to withdraw forces from Syria could jeopardise gains against the militants there and neighbouring Iraq. President Trumps announcement in December shocked US allies and led to the resignations of Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and the top US envoy to the anti-IS coalition, Brett McGurk. Expand Close Secretary of State Mike Pompeo addresses the Global Coalition to Defeat Isis meeting (Alex Brandon/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Secretary of State Mike Pompeo addresses the Global Coalition to Defeat Isis meeting (Alex Brandon/AP) While the withdrawal would fulfil a Trump goal, US military leaders have pushed back for months, arguing IS remains a threat and could regroup. US policy had been to keep troops in place until the extremists are completely eradicated. Fears that IS fighters are making a strategic manoeuvre to lay low ahead of the US pullout has fuelled criticism that President Trump telegraphed his military plans the same thing he accused President Barack Obama of doing in Afghanistan. Mr Pompeo told foreign ministers and senior officials from the 79-member, US-led coalition that the planned withdrawal is not a change in the mission but a change in tactics against a group that should still be considered a menace. IS has lost more than 99% of the territory it once held in the two countries. America will continue to lead in giving those who would destroy us no quarter, Mr Pompeo said. Mr Pompeo called on the coalition to increase intelligence-sharing, repatriate and prosecute captured foreign fighters and accelerate stabilisation efforts so IS remnants cannot reconstitute in Iraq, Syria or elsewhere. He said the fight is entering a new stage where those allied against IS must confront a decentralised jihad with more than military force. The Duchess of Sussex attending an official welcome at Consular House in Tonga on the first day of their visit to the country. Photo: Paul Edwards/The Sun/PA Wire Close friends of the Duchess of Sussex have spoken out in support of Meghan to counter the "global bullying" directed at the royal. The five unnamed women have painted a picture of a genuine, home-loving wife who has created a cosy cottage for her herself and husband Harry, in an interview with a US magazine. Expand Close The Duchess of Sussex leaves after a visit to Mayhew, an animal welfare charity she is now supporting as patron, at its offices in north-west London / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Duchess of Sussex leaves after a visit to Mayhew, an animal welfare charity she is now supporting as patron, at its offices in north-west London A friend of the duchess, described as a former co-star, told the publication People: "Meg has silently sat back and endured the lies and untruths. "We worry about what this is doing to her and the baby. It's wrong to put anyone under this level of emotional trauma, let alone when they're pregnant." It emerged last week that Kensington Palace staff are spending hours each week moderating online abuse aimed at Meghan, a former star of the show Suits, and the Duchess of Cambridge. One friend countered reports that Meghan's estranged father, Thomas Markle, has said he cannot contact his daughter, telling the magazine: "He's never called; he's never texted. It's super-painful." Expand Close File photo dated 19/05/18 of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle riding in an Ascot Landau along the Long Walk after their wedding in St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp File photo dated 19/05/18 of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle riding in an Ascot Landau along the Long Walk after their wedding in St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle Another friend described how they have all visited Meghan and Harry's home in the grounds of Kensington Palace, and how their lifestyle is the opposite of perception - a "cosy" home where she prepares the meals for her herself and her husband. Meghan is thought to be approaching the seventh month of her pregnancy and footage has emerged showing her baby bump moving during her visit to Bristol last week. A segment of Meghan's Oscar de la Renta outfit is seen to jump out - as if kicked by her baby - when she visited the city's Famous Bristol Old Vic theatre with husband Harry. When her stomach moves the duchess, who is holding her bump, glances down briefly. Meghan revealed in mid January her baby is due around the end of April or beginning of May. The political crisis in the US state of Virginia has spun out of control with the states attorney general confessing to a blackface incident in the 1980s and a woman going public with detailed allegations of sexual assault against the lieutenant governor. With Governor Ralph Northams career already hanging by a thread over a racist photo in his 1984 medical school yearbook, the days developments threatened the careers of all three of Virginias top elected officials, all of them Democrats. The twin blows began with state attorney general Mark Herring issuing a statement admitting he wore brown make-up and a wig in 1980 to look like a rapper during a party when he was a 19-year-old student at the University of Virginia. Expand Close A protest in Richmond calling for Governor Ralph Northam to resign (Shelby Lum/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A protest in Richmond calling for Governor Ralph Northam to resign (Shelby Lum/AP) Mr Herring, who has been among those calling on Mr Northam to resign, said that he was deeply, deeply sorry about the costume and that the days ahead will make it clear whether I can or should continue to serve. Then, within hours, Vanessa Tyson, the California woman whose sexual assault allegations against Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax surfaced earlier this week, put out a detailed statement saying Mr Fairfax forced her to perform a sex act on him in a hotel room in 2004 during the Democratic National Convention in Boston. Ms Tyson disclosed her name in the statement. Ms Tyson, a 42-year-old political scientist who is on a fellowship at Stanford University and specialises in the political discourse of sexual assault, said, I have no political motive. I am a proud Democrat. Expand Close Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax (Steve Helber/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax (Steve Helber/AP) Mr Fairfax has tried to brand me as a liar to a national audience, in service to his political ambitions, and has threatened litigation, she said. Given his false assertions, Im compelled to make clear what happened. Mr Fairfax, who is in line to become governor if Mr Northam resigns, has repeatedly denied her allegations, saying that the encounter was consensual and that he is the victim of a strategically timed political smear. At no time did she express to me any discomfort or concern about our interactions, neither during that encounter, nor during the months following it, when she stayed in touch with me, nor the past 15 years, he said in a statement. Ms Tyson said she suffered deep humiliation and shame and stayed quiet about the allegations as she pursued her career, but by late 2017, as the #MeToo movement took shape and after she saw a news article about Mr Fairfaxs campaign, she took her story to The Washington Post, which decided months later not to publish a story. The string of scandals that began when the yearbook picture came to light last Friday could have a domino effect on Virginia state government. If Mr Northam and Mr Fairfax fall, Mr Herring would be next in line to become governor. After Mr Herring comes House Speaker Kirk Cox, a conservative Republican. Democrats have expressed fear that the uproar over the governor could jeopardise their chances of taking control of the Republican-dominated Virginia legislature this year. Expand Close Virginia governor Ralph Northam (Steve Helber/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Virginia governor Ralph Northam (Steve Helber/AP) The party made big gains in 2017, in part because of a backlash against President Donald Trump, and has moved to within striking distance of a majority in both houses. Mr Herring, 57, went public after rumours of a blackface photo of him began circulating at the Capitol. But in his statement, he said nothing about the existence of a photo. The attorney general made a name for himself nationally by playing a central role in bringing gay marriage to Virginia, and he had been planning to run for governor in 2021. That conduct clearly shows that, as a young man, I had a callous and inexcusable lack of awareness and insensitivity to the pain my behaviour could inflict on othersMark Herring If he resigns, the legislature gets to pick his replacement. In his statement, Mr Herring said he and two friends dressed up to look like rappers they listened to, including Kurtis Blow, admitting: It sounds ridiculous even now writing it. That conduct clearly shows that, as a young man, I had a callous and inexcusable lack of awareness and insensitivity to the pain my behaviour could inflict on others, he said. But he also said: This conduct is in no way reflective of the man I have become in the nearly 40 years since. Mr Northam has come under pressure from nearly the entire state and national Democratic establishment to resign after the discovery of a photo on his profile page in the Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook of someone in blackface standing next to a person in a Ku Klux Klan hood and robe. He admitted at first that he was in the photo without saying which costume he was wearing, then denied it a day later. Expand Close Virginia Speaker of the House Kirk Cox, a conservative Republican, could benefit from the crisis (Steve Earley/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Virginia Speaker of the House Kirk Cox, a conservative Republican, could benefit from the crisis (Steve Earley/AP) But he acknowledged he once used shoe polish to blacken his face and look like Michael Jackson at a dance contest in Texas in 1984, when he was in the US Army. Mr Herring came down hard on Mr Northam when the yearbook photo surfaced, condemning it as indefensible, profoundly offensive and shocking and deeply disappointing. He said that it was no longer possible for Mr Northam to lead the state. Mr Herring, who was elected to his second four-year term in 2017, announced when he first took office that he would no longer defend the states ban on gay marriage, saying it was time for Virginia to be on the right side of history. A US federal judge overturned the ban, citing Mr Herrings opposition, and Virginia began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in 2014, nearly a full year before the US Supreme Court legalised gay marriage nationwide. A Michigan man who fatally shot six strangers in between picking up passengers for Uber has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole. Jason Dalton was sentenced yesterday in Kalamazoo County court. He pleaded guilty to murder last month, just as jury selection in his trial was about to begin. The 48-year-old admitted shooting eight people in three locations in the Kalamazoo area in February 2016. Four women, a man and a 17-year-old boy were killed in what appeared to be a random spree. Two others were injured. After Dalton's arrest , police quoted him as saying a "devil figure" on Uber's app was controlling him on the day of the shootings. Relatives of the victims told him they believe he is destined for greater punishment. Laurie Smith told Dalton during his sentencing hearing that he will face "the ultimate judgment" from God after he dies. Smith lost her husband and son in the shootings. Michigan has no death penalty, so he received the mandatory life sentence. Prosecutor Jeff Getting said he's glad Dalton is being locked up but he wishes "somehow (the sentence) could be more." Dalton told a judge last month that he had wanted to plead guilty "for quite a while." Defence lawyer Eusebio Solis said he advised Dalton against it but added his client wanted to spare the victims' families more grief. The finding does not necessarily mean smoking cannabis increases the chances of fatherhood, the study authors and other experts were quick to point out (stock picture) Smoking cannabis has unexpectedly been linked to greater fertility in men. The result came as a big surprise to scientists measuring the sperm counts of more than 600 men from couples attending a fertility clinic. They expected cannabis to have a detrimental effect on sperm count and fertility. Instead, those participants who admitted ever taking the drug turned out to have higher sperm counts than non-users. The finding does not necessarily mean smoking cannabis increases the chances of fatherhood, the study authors and other experts were quick to point out. "There could be a non-causal explanation, such as the effect of the male hormone testosterone on both sperm count and risk-taking behaviour such as smoking cannabis," said US lead researcher Dr Jorge Chavarro, from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in Boston. "These unexpected findings highlight how little we know about the reproductive health effects of marijuana, and in fact of the health effects of marijuana in general. "Our results need to be interpreted with caution, and they highlight the need to further study the health effects of marijuana use." Determined: Donald Trump is demanding money to pay for the wall. Photo: Reuters Democrat women planned to wear white at Donald Trump's State of the Union speech last night in support of gender equality as the deep divisions in Washington DC were on display. The US president's political opponents invited transgender soldiers, climate change scientists and undocumented migrants to the address, underscoring their rejection of key parts of his policy agenda. Mr Trump's guests included the family of a woman murdered by an illegal migrant, the manager of a sawmill that recently reopened and a former opioid addict, highlighting his own priorities. The disparity between the guests accentuated the yawning gap between the Republican and Democratic parties that exists while Mr Trump made bipartisanship a focus of his speech. The Democrats control the House of Representatives - the chamber where Mr Trump's address was due to take place - and can therefore veto any of the president's proposed legislation. White House aides briefed that Mr Trump would acknowledge that, by vowing to "bridge old divisions" in an apparent reach across the political aisle. The president was due to call for agreement on bringing down prescription drug prices and improving infrastructure, even while making immigration reform a central theme, despite being a key point of contention. Lois Frankel, a Florida congresswoman and chair of the Democratic Women's Working Group, led calls for her party's female politicians to wear white - chosen for its association with the women's suffrage movement. Yesterday morning, the most senior Republican and Democrat in the Senate gave assessments of the Trump presidency that laid bare the division. Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, touted the "immense progress" achieved since Mr Trump took office, citing the booming US economy. But Chuck Schumer, the Democrat leader, said: "The president will say the state of our union is strong, but the American people know the truth." Mr Trump was set to deliver a speech challenging Democrats to approve funding for his long-sought border wall, but stopping short of declaring a national emergency over it, at least for now. Before a joint session of Congress, Mr Trump was expected to stir contention with remarks on immigration policy, after his demand for $5.7bn (5bn) in wall funds triggered a historic 35-day partial government shutdown. Millions of Americans were expected to watch the address on television, giving the Republican president his biggest opportunity to date to explain why he believes a barrier is needed on the US southern border with Mexico. The speech was delayed for a week because of the shutdown, which ended on January 25. As Mr Trump took centre stage in the chamber of the House of Representatives for the big speech, sitting behind him was expected to be his main congressional adversary, Nancy Pelosi, the House speaker, who has shown no sign of budging from her fundamental opposition to the president's wall-funding demand. Daily Telegraph, London Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021] Flash Top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un (L) shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore before the first-ever DPRK-U.S. summit, on June 12, 2018. (Xinhua/The Straits Times) U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday in his State of the Union address that he will meet with the top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Kim Jong Un, on Feb. 27-28 in Vietnam. Speaking to a joint session of Congress in the House of Representatives, Trump said that "as part of a bold new diplomacy, we continue our historic push for peace on the Korean Peninsula." "Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong Un is a good one. Chairman Kim and I will meet again on February 27 and 28 in Vietnam," he added. U.S. State Department said earlier on Monday that Stephen Biegun, U.S. special representative for DPRK-related issues, will travel to Pyongyang later on Wednesday for meetings with his DPRK counterpart, Kim Hyok Chol, to lay the groundwork for the second Trump-Kim summit and to "advance further progress on the commitments the President and Chairman Kim made in Singapore: complete denuclearization, transforming U.S.-DPRK relations, and building a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula." Trump met with Kim for the first time in Singapore in June, reaching several consensuses that have led to the improvement of the U.S.-DPRK relations. However, differences between the two sides remain over key issues including the scale of denuclearization, U.S. sanctions on the DPRK and whether to issue a war-ending declaration. Alice Johnson, who was granted clemency by President Trump in 2018 while serving a life sentence in a nonviolent drug case, wipes away tears as White House advisers Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump and Eric Trump's wife Lara Trump applaud as U.S. President Donald Trump delivers his second State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. February 5, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - HP1EF26093M6C Democratic female members of Congress cheer after President Donald Trump said there are more women in Congress than ever before during his second State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. February 5, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst First lady Melania Trump applauds with cancer survivor Grace Eline as she is mentioned by U.S. President Donald Trump as he delivers his second State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. February 5, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst Members of Congress cheer after President Donald Trump acknowledges more women in Congress during his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019.(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) U.S. President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., February 5, 2019. REUTERS/Jim Young Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX) reacts as U.S. President Donald Trump claims that El Paso, Texas, has become safer due to a wall along the border with Mexico as he delivers his second State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. February 5, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) joins fellow Democratic members of Congress before U.S. President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., February 5, 2019. REUTERS/Jim Young President Donald Trump shakes hands with Supreme Court Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh before the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019 in Washington. (Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool) Grace Eline waves as President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Astronaut Buzz Aldrin salutes as President Donald Trump mentions him as first lady Melania Trump looks on as U.S. President Trump delivers his second State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. February 5, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst Members of Congress cheer after President Donald Trump acknowledges more women in Congress during his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Alice Johnson waves as President Donald Trump acknowledges her during his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) The U.S. Capitol dome is shown, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019, after President Donald Trump delivered the State of the Union address before the joint session of Congress. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) Many Democratic legislators wear white as President Donald Trump gives his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019 at the Capitol in Washington. (Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool) Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) reacts alongside Vice President Mike Pence as he applauds U.S. President Donald Trump during his second State of the Union address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. February 5, 2019. REUTERS/Leah Millis Attendees applaud as U.S. President Donald Trump delivers his second State of the Union address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. February 5, 2019. REUTERS/Leah Millis President Donald Trump gestures as a conductor as people in the chamber sing "Happy Birthday" to Judah Samet as he delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. Same turned 81 on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) President Donald Trump vowed in his State of the Union speech on Tuesday to build a border wall, which is a source of a deep partisan divide, and said Democratic attempts at "ridiculous partisan investigations" could damage U.S. prosperity. Trump spoke to a joint session of the U.S. Congress facing political discord over his demands that Democrats end their opposition to funding for a U.S.-Mexico border wall he says is needed to stem illegal immigration and smuggled drugs. During his 82-minute speech, he outlined his political priorities without providing specific policy details. Trump called illegal immigration "an urgent national crisis," but stopped short of declaring a border emergency that would allow him to bypass Congress for wall funding. Instead, he urged Democrats and Republicans to find a compromise by a Feb. 15 deadline. Expand Close Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) reacts alongside Vice President Mike Pence as he applauds U.S. President Donald Trump during his second State of the Union address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. February 5, 2019. REUTERS/Leah Millis / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) reacts alongside Vice President Mike Pence as he applauds U.S. President Donald Trump during his second State of the Union address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. February 5, 2019. REUTERS/Leah Millis "In the past, most of the people in this room voted for a wall, but the proper wall never got built. I will get it built," Trump said in the House of Representatives chamber, with his main Democratic adversary, new House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, watching over his shoulder. Democrats call the wall a waste of money and ineffective. During the speech, Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal tweeted her opposition to the wall, saying: "The border is more secure than ever. Enough." Expand Close Many Democratic legislators wear white as President Donald Trump gives his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019 at the Capitol in Washington. (Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Many Democratic legislators wear white as President Donald Trump gives his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019 at the Capitol in Washington. (Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool) Trump warned, without offering evidence, that Democratic efforts to investigate his administration, along with the possibility of U.S. involvement in wars abroad, would endanger the U.S. economy. "An economic miracle is taking place in the United States and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics, or ridiculous partisan investigations," he said. Expand Close The U.S. Capitol dome is shown, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019, after President Donald Trump delivered the State of the Union address before the joint session of Congress. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The U.S. Capitol dome is shown, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019, after President Donald Trump delivered the State of the Union address before the joint session of Congress. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) His remarks came as Democrats who now control the House planned a series of probes into the Trump administration and his personal finances, while Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller investigates Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow. Russia denies meddling and Trump has said there was no collusion. Democratic Representative Val Demings called Trump's remarks shameful and said the investigations would proceed. Expand Close Alice Johnson waves as President Donald Trump acknowledges her during his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Alice Johnson waves as President Donald Trump acknowledges her during his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) "We're not going to stop," she said. Apart from lauding economic accomplishments - unemployment near a five-decade low and manufacturing job growth among them - Trump's speech was light on new initiatives to further stoke growth in an economy seen as losing momentum as it began 2019. Financial markets were largely subdued as Trump delivered his speech. It was pablum, without specifics, said Tim Ghriskey, chief investment strategist at Inverness Counsel in New York. Trump's speech unfolded largely in a civil fashion with Cabinet members, military commanders and several Supreme Court justices in attendance at the annual presidential address to Congress. Expand Close Astronaut Buzz Aldrin salutes as President Donald Trump mentions him as first lady Melania Trump looks on as U.S. President Trump delivers his second State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. February 5, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Astronaut Buzz Aldrin salutes as President Donald Trump mentions him as first lady Melania Trump looks on as U.S. President Trump delivers his second State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. February 5, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst Many Democratic women lawmakers wore white to celebrate 100 years of women having gained the right to vote. Republicans cheered on the president, while Democrats grimaced or shook their heads but held their fire and applauded at non-partisan moments, such as when two Holocaust survivors were recognized. Despite a lack of concrete progress in persuading North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program, Trump said his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would take place on Feb. 27 and 28 in Vietnam. It is expected to be either in Hanoi or Da Nang. From China to Venezuela to Afghanistan, Trump devoted a large section of his speech to foreign policy, saying a trade deal was possible with China if Beijing agrees to "real structural change." The world's two largest economies are in talks to try to hammer out an agreement to end a trade war. Trump hailed peace efforts unfolding between his administration and Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan and said if a deal could be reached, it would allow him to bring some U.S. troops home after 17 years of war spawned by the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. "As we make progress in these negotiations, we will be able to reduce our troop presence and focus on counterterrorism," he said. Expand Close Grace Eline waves as President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Grace Eline waves as President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) He also hailed allied gains against Islamic State militants in Syria and reiterated his plan to withdraw U.S. troops from that war zone, despite comments earlier in the day from a top U.S. general, Joseph Votel, that a U.S. pullout could prompt a resurgence in the militancy. "Great nations do not fight endless wars," said Trump, whose withdrawal plans are opposed by many congressional Republicans. Trump also denounced Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who the United States and a number of Latin American and European countries accuse of being an illegitimate leader after last year's disputed election. Expand Close Members of Congress cheer after President Donald Trump acknowledges more women in Congress during his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Members of Congress cheer after President Donald Trump acknowledges more women in Congress during his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Trump used part of his speech to offer a spirit of compromise, particularly in areas such as lowering the price of prescription drugs and funding a $1 trillion upgrade in U.S. roads, bridges and other infrastructure. But whether Trump and his opponents would follow through was far from clear, with both sides entrenched in long-held positions and girding for 2020 elections, reluctant to give the other side a political victory. Driving the two parties apart is Trump's insistence on funding for the border wall. Pelosi, who frequently sat stony-faced through Trump's address, has shown no sign of budging from her opposition to Trump's wall-funding demand. The Republican president appeared in the House chamber just weeks after his demand for $5.7 billion in funding for the U.S.-Mexico wall triggered a historic 35-day partial government shutdown that more than half of Americans blamed him for, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling. "Simply put, walls work and walls save lives. So let's work together, compromise, and reach a deal that will truly make America safe," Trump said. In the Democratic response to Trump's speech, Stacey Abrams, who lost a race for governor of Georgia last November, said that while Democrats stood ready to secure the country's ports and borders, "America is made stronger by the presence of immigrants not walls." For all of Trump's talk about political unity, he could not resist denouncing liberal Democrats who have gained power in the House, best personified by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has proposed a 70 percent tax on the richest Americans. "We are born free, and we will stay free. Tonight, we renew our resolve that America will never be a socialist country," Trump said. As Trump spoke, Ocasio-Cortez could be seen smiling broadly. President Donald Trump gestures as a conductor as people in the chamber sing "Happy Birthday" to Judah Samet as he delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb 5, 2019. Same turned 81 on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Even as he appealed for unity, President Donald Trump made it clear in his State of the Union address on Tuesday that his idea of common ground is having Democrats back his policy agenda and stop investigating his administration. For all of Trump's talk about bridging "old divisions" and pursuing bipartisan initiatives, he previewed the well-trod themes that will power his 2020 re-election campaign: a hard line on immigration and border security, a deep suspicion of trade deals, and an "America First" foreign policy. This time, the dissonance between Trump's words and the political reality was more jarring than ever. For the first time in his presidency, Trump had a Democrat seated behind him in the House chamber, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and spoke to a Congress where Democrats share power with Republicans. Beyond Capitol Hill, the field of Democrats seeking to challenge Trump for the presidency is growing by the week. The speech suggested that Trump, while talking up such lofty bipartisan goals such as combating HIV and childhood cancer, was signaling to his most passionate supporters that he was not about to compromise on the issues that matter most to them. "While there were many unifying moments, the president took time to appeal to his base over issues that split the parties such as investigations, immigration and abortion," said Ron Bonjean, a longtime Republican strategist in Washington. "Nothing has changed after tonight's delivery by Trump because both sides are simply too dug in to allow any sort of major compromise legislation to occur," Bonjean said. Fresh off a month-long partial government shutdown that damaged him politically, Trump showed no inclination he would back off his demand for more than $5bn for a barrier along the US border with Mexico and in fact used a large portion of the speech to make his case for the wall to the American people. In doing so, Trump employed much of same rhetoric he used during last year's congressional elections, warning of an "onslaught" of migrants from Central America, labeling the border "lawless" and declaring that "countless" Americans had been murdered by illegal immigrants. For a reminder of how his party fared in those midterm elections, Trump only had to look at the sea of white outfits worn by Democratic women in attendance on the House floor. They chanted "USA! USA!" when Trump recognized their achievement. Regardless, Trump delivered a stark warning to Democrats such as Pelosi who have said they will push to hold his administration accountable: Back off, or I wont work with you. "If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation," Trump said. "It just doesn't work that way." And in talking about the vibrant American economy, Trump implied he would be quick to blame Democrats for any slowdown. Culture Wars Expand Close U.S. President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, February 5, 2019. REUTERS/Jim Young / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp U.S. President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, February 5, 2019. REUTERS/Jim Young Trump also re-stoked America's culture wars, spending a portion of the speech blasting abortion-rights legislation in New York and Virginia, a move that will endear him to evangelical voters. "There was very little difference between this speech and what you'd hear at one of his campaign rallies," said Doug Thornell, a longtime Democratic congressional aide. "To many people this speech will be remembered for his continued obsession with the wall, the demonization of immigrants, and his bizarre attack on congressional investigations. Truly stunning." But Alex Conant, a former top aide to Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio, said that Trump succeeded in showing that he was open to working with Democrats on issues such as prescription drug prices. "After a tough couple of weeks, this was the reset that Trump needed," Conant said. "He laid out a popular agenda and framed the big political issues of the day in the most favorable way possible." There are clear signs that the showdown over the border wall has dinged the president: The most recent Reuters/Ipsos tracking poll had Trump's approval rating at a shade over 39pc, the lowest it has been since early last October. The number of Americas who disapprove of Trumps job performance stood at more than 56pc. With Trump's re-election campaign set to begin in earnest, the president must also await the final determination of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating ties between Trump's campaign team and Russian officials as well as possible obstruction of justice. A year ago, Trump made a similar plea for bread-breaking with Democrats, only to have the year swallowed up by scorched-earth congressional elections, a divisive fight over Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, and finally the 35-day government shutdown. All the while, Trump regularly blasted Democrats on his Twitter feed as unhelpful, obstructionist and unpatriotic. "There is no reason to think he wants unity. He thrives on disunity," said John Geer, an expert on public opinion at Vanderbilt University. "The president may call for working together, but past behavior suggests otherwise." The Pope has said that he is willing to mediate between Nicolas Maduro and Juan Guaido, Venezuela's rival presidents, but only if both sides request his help. Pope Francis has been urged by both men to intervene. But while Mr Maduro seeks negotiations, Mr Guaido and his supporters see it as a ploy to buy time, and say that they will only sit to talk once Mr Maduro has stepped down. The Pope also confirmed that Mr Maduro had written a letter to him, but said that he had not yet read it. "I will read the letter and see what can be done, but the initial condition is that both sides ask for it," he said. "We are willing." Mr Guaido is relying on the rising tide of support spearheaded by the US to oust Mr Maduro, the president since 2013. Ocado was the biggest faller after the company warned a fire at its warehouse would impact sales growth (PA) The FTSE 100s winning streak came to an end on Wednesday due to caution on the global markets and a stronger pound, while Ocados stock market fortunes took a turn for the worse after a warehouse fire. The blue-chip index was flat, closing 4.28 points lower at 7,173.09. Fiona Cincotta, senior market analyst at City Index, said a lack of firm updates on simmering trade tensions between China and the US had contributed to a more cautious mood on the markets. The FTSE snapped a six-day winning streak on Wednesday after Trump dented risk appetite with his nothing new State of the Union Address last night, she said. Traders had been optimistic that Trump would provide further details on developments in USSino trade relations, instead little sign of progress saw investors adopt a more cautious approach to trading on Wednesday. A stronger pound added to the pressure on Londons top stocks. Sterling was up 0.28% against the euro at 1.138 and 0.09% up on the US dollar at 1.295, despite the deadlock in Brexit negotiations and Donald Tusks comments that there is a special place in hell for those who pushed for Brexit with no plan in place. David Madden, market analyst at CMC Markets UK, said: It has been a quiet day for sterling in terms of economic announcements. The Bank of England interest rare decision tomorrow will be in focus. Some traders believe the UK central bank wont hike rates this year, regardless of Brexit as the latest UK data has pointed to a slowdown. Ocado, which performed well on the stock market yesterday following its annual results, suffered a change in fortunes after it warned sales figures could be impacted by a fire at its Andover facility. Shares dropped 65.6p to close at 968.4p as the company said the shutdown of the warehouse means there will be a constraint on our ability to meet our growing customer demand. Meanwhile, Barratt Developments reported a rise in half-year sales and profits as it continues to shrug off Brexit pressures hitting the wider property market. Shares in the countrys largest housebuilder were bolstered by the news, rising 15.4p to 561.8p. However fellow housebuilder Redrow warned that Brexit uncertainty had started to eat into its sales, even as it posted record half-year profits. The group reported a 9% rise in sales to 970 million in the six months to December 31, while pre-tax profit rose 5% to 185 million. Shares inched up 1p to 593p. On the oil markets, a barrel of Brent crude was trading 0.8% higher at 62.58 US dollars. Oil prices were climbing after data showed a smaller rise in US stockpiles of crude than expected. In Europe, the French Cac was down 0.08% and the German Dax fell 0.38%. The biggest risers on the FTSE 100 were RSA Insurance up 15.2p to 532.4p, Barratt Developments up 15.4p to 561.8p, Evraz up 13.6p to 528p and Hiscox up 31p to 1,469p. The biggest fallers on the FTSE 100 were Ocado down 65.6p to 968.4p, Tui down 27p to 1,184p, Rightmove down 8.35p to 471.8p and Reckitt Benckiser down 103p to 5,857p. Russia has said it will develop a new hypersonic missile and a land-based version of an existing cruise missile by 2021 following the demise of a key nuclear arms control treaty with the US. Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu yesterday issued a deadline to top brass to create a long-range, land-based hypersonic missile as well as modify the air-and-sea-based Kalibr cruise missile, which he said had "recommended itself well in Syria". He also called for the range of all missiles under development to be extended. On Saturday, President Vladimir Putin said Russia would leave the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty and develop new weapons, the day after the United States announced its withdrawal. US President Donald Trump has accused Moscow of violating the treaty with "impunity", a reference to years of complaints that it was secretly developing a prohibited missile. The Kremlin argued that US missile defence and drone capabilities constitute a violation of the agreement. The end of the INF raises the spectre of a US arms race with both Russia and China, which has been actively developing missiles within the 500-5,500km range banned by the US-Russian agreement. Under Mr Trump, the US has already begun developing its first new long-range nuclear weapons since 1991. Last March, Mr Putin announced a raft of new nuclear weapons. As Russian-American relations deteriorate, top US officials yesterday said that foreign agents did not have a significant impact on computer systems and other equipment underpinning the November 2018 congressional elections despite reports of hacking attempts. The statement by the US Department of Justice and the US Department of Homeland Security contrasted with US officials' view that the 2016 presidential election was the target of a sophisticated Russian hacking and propaganda campaign to help Mr Trump defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton. The two agencies said the US government has found no evidence that foreign governments or agents had an impact last November, when Democrats won control of the House of Representatives. Neither political campaigns nor electronic voting machines or other infrastructure was significantly affected, they said in a joint statement. They declined to provide further details. ( Daily Telegraph, London) A woman was being held last night for a suspected "revenge arson attack" on a Paris apartment block in which 10 people are so far confirmed to have died, with 33 injured. At least one of the victims was a "young child", according to the local mayor. The fire on the upper floors of the building in the rue Erlanger in the upmarket 16th district of south-west Paris is the most deadly in the French capital since 2005. Videos from the scene showed the building engulfed in flames and firefighters climbing flimsy ladders to rescue stricken residents, some in pyjamas, from the top of the eight-storey block. Many escaped on to the roof. Remy Heitz, the Paris prosecutor, said that a "40-year-old woman who has prior psychological problems" had been arrested "apparently in a drunken state" at the scene after trying to set light to a car. "She apparently had a row with neighbours which ended badly and she set fire to the building," he added. An investigation has been launched into the criminal charge of causing death by arson. The suspect's neighbour, a 22-year old professional firefighter who declined to be named, told 'Le Parisien' newspaper he thought the woman had acted in revenge after his girlfriend complained about loud music. President Emmanuel Macron tweeted yesterday morning: "France has woken up to tragedy." Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said: "I want to salute the huge mobilisation of the Paris firefighters," he said. "More than 250 people arrived immediately and, throughout the night, saved more than 50 people in truly exceptional conditions." Firefighters rescued some from the roof as well as others who had clambered out of windows to escape the flames. Mr Castaner said the blaze, that started on the second floor, had been extinguished and more than 30 people were being treated for "relatively" light injuries. "I heard a woman screaming in the street, crying and screaming for help," said witness Jacqueline Ravier, who lives across the street. She saw a young man blackened by smoke and a woman motionless on the ground. Flames were shooting out for hours from the top of the building and soot-covered victims were fleeing. Ms Ravier said shaken residents were brought to her building and the one next door while firefighters continued to fight the flames. City fire service spokesman Clement Cognon said firefighters went door-to-door to ensure there were no more victims and to prevent residual fires. "The situation was already dramatic when the firefighters arrived," Mr Cognon said. Emergency workers sought to shore up the building that was badly damaged after flames shot out of windows stretching across the upper floors. Meanwhile, four children aged between three and eight have died in a house fire in England. Two adults and a fifth child, a toddler, were being treated in hospital for injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening following the blaze in Stafford, north of Birmingham. Police and emergency services were called at 2.40am yesterday. A man jumped out of a window at the house with a young child, the BBC reported. Chief Inspector John Owen of Staffordshire Police described the incident as "absolutely heartbreaking". An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing. Romanian police have detained an Italian citizen who allegedly posed as a plastic surgeon in clinics around Bucharest. Border police detained Matteo Politi on a train on the Romanian-Hungarian border early on Wednesday after an alert went out. A statement said he was being investigated for fraud. Politi, 38, who used the alias Matthew Mode, had been operating in several private clinics. The College of Medics said on Tuesday that it had not issued Politi with a licence to practice. Romanian health authorities, who must also issue a separate permit to doctors, say he was given one in March 2018 after submitting a fake diploma claiming he had qualified as a doctor in Kosovo. Media reports said he previously received a suspended 18-month sentence in Italy for having posed as a doctor without a licence. Pope Francis has publicly acknowledged the scandal of priests and bishops sexually abusing nuns. Francis said there had been one case where sisters had been reduced to "sexual slavery", and vowed to do more to fight the problem. The pope admitted to the problem for the first time in public during a news conference while returning to Rome from the United Arab Emirates. The acknowledgement comes just two weeks before he hosts an unprecedented gathering of bishops to craft a global response to the scandal of priesthood predators who targeted children and the superiors who covered up the crimes. Francis was asked about priests who target adult women - the religious sisters who are the backbone of the Catholic Church's education, health care and social service ministries around the globe - and whether the Holy See might consider a similar universal approach to combat that issue. "It's not that everyone does this, but there have been priests and bishops who have," Francis told reporters. "And I think that it's continuing because it's not like once you realise it that it stops. It continues. And for some time we've been working on it." "Should we do something more? Yes. Is there the will? Yes. But it's a path that we have already begun," Francis said. Francis' acknowledgement of the problem comes as he prepares to decide the fate of the disgraced American ex-cardinal, Theodore McCarrick, who is accused of abusing minors as well as adult seminarians. That case also cast a spotlight on the issue of abusive power relationships, and whether the Catholic Church ought to consider seminarians and sisters as "vulnerable adults" when compared to the priests and bishops who control everything from their vocations to their studies and salaries. Francis noted that Pope Benedict XVI had taken action against a France-based order that admitted the priest who founded it had violated his chastity vows with his female recruits. Francis said the sisters had been reduced to "sexual slavery" at the hands of the Reverend Marie-Dominique Philippe and other priests. The Community of St Jean admitted in 2013 that Philippe had behaved "in ways that went against chastity" with several women in the order, according to the French Catholic newspaper 'La Croix'. Francis' comments about "sexual slavery" suggested that the relations were not consensual and could have involved abuse of conscience and power as well. Phillipe died in 2006. Three years later, the local bishop imposed a new superior on the order's contemplative branch of nuns. Some rejected the new leader and followed their old female superior to found a new institute in Spain. Benedict eventually dissolved that, a decision Francis held up as evidence of Benedict's hard line in the case. He said Benedict acted "because a certain slavery of women had crept in, slavery to the point of sexual slavery on the part of clergy or the founder," he said. "Sometimes the founder takes away, or empties the freedom of the sisters. It can come to this," Francis said. Officials are probing a report that disgraced entertainer Rolf Harris walked onto the grounds of a primary school and waved at pupils. The convicted sex offender went onto the premises of Oldfield Primary School near his home in Bray, Maidenhead, to talk to a sculptor working in the grounds, the Daily Mirror reported. Harris, who was jailed for five years and nine months in 2014 but released on licence in May 2017, was then told to leave by the school's head teacher. A British Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said: "When sex offenders are released they are subject to strict licence conditions and are liable to be returned to custody for breaching them. "We are looking into these reports and will take appropriate action." Thames Valley Police said an officer attended the scene and established that no offence had been committed. Head teacher Richard Jarrett told the paper that the school has "two forms of security" and Harris had no access to the pupils "whatsoever". He told the paper: "We've got a wood sculptor working close to the road at the moment and Rolf Harris lives about three doors down from the school. "He must have seen him (the sculptor) and come into the school area. He had no access to the children whatsoever. "I went over and shook his hand and introduced myself. He explained what he was doing - that he was getting some wood from the sculptor. I said, 'You need to go'." Thames Valley Police said it was called to Oldfield Primary School at around 3.15pm on Tuesday. The force added: "A report was made that a man was on the site of the school. An officer attended the scene but no offence was committed. No arrests were made." Harris, a family favourite for decades, was convicted of 12 indecent assaults at London's Southwark Crown Court in June 2014, including one on an eight-year-old autograph hunter, two on girls in their early teens, and a catalogue of abuse against his daughter's friend over 16 years. They took place between 1968 and 1986. In May 2017 he was formally cleared of four unconnected historical sex offences, which he had denied. Later the same year, one of the 12 indecent assault convictions was overturned by the Court of Appeal. Metropolitan Police handout photo of Noah Gofur, with his mother Marjana, and the officers who responded to his 999 call. The seven-year-old has helped save his mother's life by ringing the police after she collapsed. Metropolitan Police/PA Wire A remarkable recording of a 999 call reveals how a seven-year-old boy helped save his mother's life by ringing the police after she collapsed. Noah Gofur, from Bromley, south London, called 999 when his mother Marjana fell to the floor unable to move after picking him up from school. He told dispatchers: "Hello, my mum can't move. She's lying on the floor and I don't know what's happening." As well as giving police the information they needed over the phone, Noah also looked after his 15-month-old sister Isabella until help arrived. Officers arrived to find Marjana (37) slumped on the floor semi-conscious, where she was treated by paramedics and taken to Princess Royal University Hospital. Doctors believe she may have been suffering complications from an ear infection. She said: "We are so proud of Noah, it must have been upsetting for him to see me unwell but he was amazing calling for help. "We've always taught him to know our address in case he ever got lost or something happened but we could have never imagined him being so brave." Metropolitan Police officers paid a surprise visit to Noah to show their gratitude for his heroics, allowing him to play inside their car as a treat. His mother added: "I'm so grateful for everything the police have done for us, not only on the night but coming to see Noah and letting him play in the police cars too. "We really feel like this has been a huge boost to his confidence." Pc Matt Lockie, who arranged the visit, said: "Noah did a great job in making sure his mum got the care she needed, and his fast thinking and bravery meant she is now recovering well. "We were delighted to be able to pop round to say well done and we know he has been recognised at school as well, which is great. "Hopefully his actions mean that if any other children are in the same situation, they will know what to do." Flash French firefighters had found two more lifeless bodies in the Paris building ravaged by a huge fire in early hours of Tuesday, bringing the total death toll to ten, local media reported. The fire broke out after midnight on the upper floors of an eight-storey building in Paris' swanky 16th district, which is home to foreign embassies and renowned museums. It has been brought under control by firefighters early in the morning. At least ten residents died and 36 people were injured, including eight firefighters, according to the report. "It was a particularly violent fire," Captain Clement Cognon of the Paris fire service told BFM TV, adding that the casualties were likely to increase. French judicial police had opened an investigation for "voluntary destruction by fire leading to death," as investigators were favoring a "criminal" cause for the blaze, Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz told reporters at the scene. A 40-year-old female resident of the eight-storey building has been detained and remained in police custody, he said. Known to have had psychological problems, the woman was suspected to be behind the fire in Rue Erlanger, western Paris, he added, noting that the investigation will determine how the fire broke out and why it spread so quickly. "France wakes up in emotion after the fire ... in Paris tonight. Thoughts for the victims. Thanks to the firefighters whose courage saved many lives," wrote President Emmanuel Macron in Twitter. Ceon Broughton, 29, arrives at Winchester Crown Court where he is charged in connection with the death of Louella Fletcher-Michie. Steve Parsons/PA Wire Ceon Broughton, 29, arrives at Winchester Crown Court where he is charged in connection with the death of Louella Fletcher-Michie. Steve Parsons/PA Wire Ceon Broughton, 29, arrives at Winchester Crown Court where he is charged in connection with the death of Louella Fletcher-Michie Steve Parsons/PA Wire Ceon Broughton, 29, arrives at Winchester Crown Court where he is charged in connection with the death of Louella Fletcher-Michie. Steve Parsons/PA Wire Louella Fletcher-Michie, the daughter of Holby City actor John Michie, who was found dead after taking party drug 2CP at Bestival Zoe Barling/PA Wire The daughter of Holby City actor John Michie was filmed by her boyfriend as she overdosed on drugs at a music festival, a court has heard. Louella Fletcher-Michie, 24, was given the drugs by her on-off boyfriend Ceon Broughton, 29, and died as her parents rushed to help her, it is alleged. She took the class A party drug 2-CP at Bestival in Dorset on September 10 2017 and died in woodland an hour before her 25th birthday. Her parents rushed to the site after telephoning Broughton as Ms Fletcher-Michie overdosed and hearing her "screeching", Winchester Crown Court heard. Expand Close Ceon Broughton, 29, arrives at Winchester Crown Court where he is charged in connection with the death of Louella Fletcher-Michie Steve Parsons/PA Wire / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ceon Broughton, 29, arrives at Winchester Crown Court where he is charged in connection with the death of Louella Fletcher-Michie Steve Parsons/PA Wire However, Broughton insisted she was fine and referred to Ms Fletcher-Michie as a "drama queen", jurors heard. Broughton, of Enfield, north London, denies manslaughter and supplying Ms Fletcher-Michie the drug. Prosecutor William Mousley QC said Broughton did not get help because he was handed a suspended jail term one month earlier and feared the consequences. He said: "She died as a result of having taken a large dose of, later described by the defendant as an overdose, of a class A drug known colloquially as 2-CP, which he had given her at a music festival." Expand Close Ceon Broughton, 29, arrives at Winchester Crown Court where he is charged in connection with the death of Louella Fletcher-Michie. Steve Parsons/PA Wire / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ceon Broughton, 29, arrives at Winchester Crown Court where he is charged in connection with the death of Louella Fletcher-Michie. Steve Parsons/PA Wire Mr Mousley added: "It had a terrible effect upon her, leading to her death after a significant period of suffering in woods close to the festival site, all of which he must have observed." Jurors heard Broughton filmed Ms Fletcher-Michie, a dancer and yoga teacher, as her condition deteriorated. In clips shown to the court, she repeatedly shouts at Broughton to telephone her mother, Carol Fletcher-Michie, but he tells her to "put your phone away". Carol Fletcher-Michie eventually contacted Broughton at 6.48pm and heard her daughter "screeching". Expand Close Ceon Broughton, 29, arrives at Winchester Crown Court where he is charged in connection with the death of Louella Fletcher-Michie. Steve Parsons/PA Wire / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ceon Broughton, 29, arrives at Winchester Crown Court where he is charged in connection with the death of Louella Fletcher-Michie. Steve Parsons/PA Wire Mr Mousley said: "She told her husband that they needed to get to her and they dropped everything to travel from north London to Dorset." Her brother Sam also contacted Broughton and urged him to seek medical help. But Broughton sent Sam a message which said "call back in an hour" and referred to Ms Fletcher-Michie as a "drama queen", the jury heard. Jurors were told Sam had also been given 2-CP by Broughton previously. When Sam then asked if Ms Fletcher-Michie had taken 2-CP, Broughton told him: "Yeah, but I bumped it up a bit." Mr Mousley said Sam thought that meant "either a larger dose or a combination of it with other drugs". Broughton has also previously admitted supplying the drug to Ms Fletcher-Michie and her friend at Glastonbury Festival in June 2017, the jury heard. After Mr Michie arrived at the festival site at Lulworth Castle, he messaged Broughton asking if he had sought medical help, Mr Mousley said. Carol Fletcher-Michie also sent a message which said: "Please message me that Louella is okay." Mr Mousley added: "In addition, during that extended period of time when they were together, he filmed her on a number of occasions. "He filmed her when she was disturbed, agitated and then seriously ill over a period of hours. "He even did so, the prosecution suggest, after she was apparently dead." A month before the incident, Broughton was handed a 24-week prison sentence suspended for one year, jurors heard. Mr Mousley said: "His failure to get her treatment which may well have saved her life was borne of selfishness and in self-preservation. "Because to have done otherwise, to have acted positively, he knew would have exposed him to the possibility of arrest and prosecution for a criminal offence punishable with imprisonment." Ms Fletcher-Michie was found dead by a security steward in the woodland, 400m from the festival's hospital tent, at around 1am. A post-mortem examination found "2-CP toxicity" and traces of ketamine and MDMA. Mr Mousley said a medical expert, Professor Charles Deakin, estimated a "90%" chance of survival with early intervention. Jurors were told Ms Fletcher-Michie occasionally used party drugs, including 2-CP and MDMA, and tried to take pills into Bestival which were confiscated by security. She told Broughton, who had travelled to the event separately, and he replied "that he would bring some", the jury heard. Stephen Kamlish QC, defending, said Broughton and Ms Fletcher-Michie "were in love with each other" and "soulmates". He said: "You will hear from experts that no-one has ever been known to die from taking this drug (2-CP) or taking an overdose." Ms Fletcher-Michie had acquired the 2-CP herself, he said, adding: "This is not gross negligence manslaughter." The trial continues. European Union authorities have decided to reject a merger between the rail activities of Frances Alstom and German firm Siemens, the French finance minister has said. Bruno Le Maire said on France 2 television that the decision is an economic mistake. The veto on the merger is expected to be formally announced by the EUs competition commissioner later on Wednesday. Mr Le Maire said the ruling will block the creation of a European rail giant that could have competed with Chinese giant CRRC. Its going to serve Chinas economic and industrial interests, he said. EU authorities had raised concerns about competition in Europe in the rail sector. Mr Le Maire called for a revision of European competition rules, saying the the pertinent market for analysing competition is the world market and not the European market. Expand Close Alstom headquarters near Paris (Christophe Ena/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Alstom headquarters near Paris (Christophe Ena/AP) On Tuesday, German economy minister Peter Altmaier floated the same idea of giving greater weight in competition law to the global market. The French and German governments defended the merger, but competition authorities in the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain expressed concerns that the new company would be in a dominant position that would potentially overpower smaller rail manufacturers and increase prices in the market. Alstom is best-known for Frances TGV and Siemens for Germanys ICE high-speed trains. Housebuilder Redrow has warned that Brexit uncertainty has started to eat into its sales, even as it posted record half year profits. The group reported a 9% rise in sales to 970 million in the six months to December 31, while pre-tax profit rose 5% to 185 million. However, Redrow said that sales were negatively affected towards the end of the calendar year as a result of the political uncertainty surrounding Brexit and the effect of high stamp duty tax. This, the firm added, has disrupted the normal trade-up/down-sizing market, with sales for the first five weeks of 2019 down from 166 million to 156 million. The market during the run-up to the festive period and the first two weeks of 2019 was subdued by macroeconomic and political uncertaintySteve Morgan, Redrow chairman The housing market, particularly in London and the South East, has slowed markedly since the Brexit vote as the economy stutters and demand plummets. Nevertheless, completions increased by 12% to 2,970 in the period and the total order book rose 11% to a record 1.2 billion. Outgoing chairman Steve Morgan said: The market during the run-up to the festive period and the first two weeks of 2019 was subdued by macroeconomic and political uncertainty. However, sales over the last three weeks have bounced back with reservations running at similar levels to last years strong market activity. Mr Morgan, who founded the company, is to retire at the end of March and chief executive John Tutte will become executive chairman following his departure. He has been chairman of Redrow for two stints the first from 1974 to 2000, and then since 2009. He said on Wednesday: It is nearly 45 years since I founded Redrow and when I step down as chairman next month it will be exactly 10 years since I returned to the business. I am proud of the legacy I leave behind having completed over 6,000 homes for the first time in 2018 and handed over our 100,000(th) Redrow home last October. An image of Nancy Pelosi applauding Donald Trump with apparent sarcasm during the State Of The Union address has become a meme. Trump turned to Pelosi, Speaker of the Democrat-controlled House and one of the Presidents biggest political rivals, after a section of the speech in which he talked about co-operation, compromise and the common good. Pelosi stood, extended her arms and clapped in what certainly appeared to be a sarcastic manner a moment that was captured perfectly by photographer Doug Mills. The image struck a chord with news organisations and social media users alike. US website Slate described it as the sarcastic point clapback heard around the world while on Twitter Pelosis applause was widely labelled a mood. Pelosi's clap is the mood Samhita (@TheSamhita) February 6, 2019 When I tell my wife I changed a diaper. pic.twitter.com/N2ncXAuUb2 Mikel Jollett (@Mikel_Jollett) February 6, 2019 The image quickly became a new meme. And social media users got creative with Photoshop. This is too much fun. One more. Happy Holidays from Donnie & Melania. pic.twitter.com/94w4WJW0tI Matt M. McKnight (@mattmillsphoto) February 6, 2019 And for some the image even became a new emoji. The Presidents call for co-operation came at a time of stark division between Republicans and Democrats in Washington, highlighted by a government shutdown over disagreements about funding for a border wall. Trump and Pelosi clashed on the issue during televised exchanges at the White House in December and the pairs rivalry has continued to grow. Pelosi refused to invite the President to deliver the State Of The Union in the House as is her prerogative as Speaker while the shutdown was ongoing, and Trump in turn cancelled Pelosis scheduled trip to Afghanistan last month. Is that why the Government spent that staggering 38m on the Eircode system ("'Bin garda' to crack down on households that don't dispose of their waste properly", Irish Independent, February 4)? To use as a tool to snoop on what citizens, mainly the poorer ones no doubt, do or don't do with their refuse? That aside, has this 'plan' been seriously thought through? The intention to issue on-the-spot fines as part of this new initiative, with no mention of any waivers or alleviations where there is poverty, has all the appearances of a return of the Poor Laws... people being further penalised for being poor. In addition, your report that inspectors will be able to issue fines of 75 on anyone who "can't prove they are disposing of their waste legally" flies in the face of the legal principle that one is considered innocent unless proven - repeat proven - guilty. Surely waste management in this country is in a big enough mess without compounding it with half-baked, unworkable schemes that might even expose the State to claims of miscarriages of justice on foot of fines being issued on the mere suspicion that waste had been illegally disposed of? Methinks this is just another fine mess in the making. Jim O'Sullivan Rathedmond, Co Sligo Criticism of the High Court's valuable services is unjust Listening to and reading the recent media coverage of the Masters Court (the High Court), I do think this service is coming in for unfair criticism from some quarters, insofar as one of the main functions of the Masters Court is to acquaint the common man/woman with the procedures and parameters where lay litigants are involved and ensure they get a fair hearing. It is the master's statuary obligation to create a level playing pitch where reams of paper are being churned out in a factory-like manner by one side or the other, creating an unfair advantage. As a citizen of this country who is presently in the throes of the Masters Court, I believe the master is doing his best to achieve a fair hearing when both parties eventually go downstairs to the court - or in some cases an amicable solution can be arrived at, which I am sure would be the master's preferred outcome. It is a sad day for open justice in the courts system when one sees the judiciary interfering with the valuable services the Masters Court provides. Name and address with Editor Home isn't always where the heart is in troubling times The parallel between the jingoism of arch-Brexiteers and the anti-Home Rule politicians of 1921 is deeply disturbing. My compliments to Hugh Duffy for his carefully researched letter which reminds us of parliamentary behaviour in Westminster almost 100 years ago. The then-House of Commons was described by a member of the Irish Parliamentary Party, William O'Brien, as being "raucous with the jeers and derision of Ireland's own so-called representatives". The letter reminded me of the presidential debate in 2011 hosted by Pat Kenny, on RTE. I wasn't reminded of the dramatic fall of Sean Gallagher - who could forget that? - but of another set of responses to a question from the audience. In these moments a mirror was held up to the nation, but, I suspect, most of us averted our eyes. A young woman challenged Martin McGuinness and Dana as to why they were running for the presidency when, as far as she was concerned, they were from another country (the UK) and had nothing to do with Ireland. The response was extraordinary. Dana and Martin formed an unusual alliance: in their eyes and their voices, in their defensive words there was a softness that could only be genuine. Each spoke, movingly, about how they always looked south; about how they could still feel that abandonment, passed down the generations since partition; this was their inheritance, their desire to belong, to be part of an Ireland of 32 counties. That hope was visibly leaching from them when they realised that this young woman, born at the end of the 20th century in the south, cared little about their plight. The cruelty of partition meant that some people in Ireland did get to be Irish (with bells and whistles and loops and lace) but some others, nationalists - mainly Catholics - had to deal with being politically locked into the United Kingdom. Their hearts were Irish, but their pockets were British. I ask you, reader, the following question. If it was 1921 and you were living somewhere in Ireland would you be pro-treaty or anti-treaty? If you were a Catholic living in Antrim would you be for partition or against partition? Same question if you were a Protestant living in Fermanagh. Go figure. Alison Hackett Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin 'Without wishing to call the sanity of the leader of a neighbouring country into question, Theresa May does appear to be in repeat mode.' Photo: Reuters The definition of insanity is said to be doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Without wishing to call the sanity of the leader of a neighbouring country into question, Theresa May does appear to be in repeat mode. The British prime minister is going around the mulberry bush once more with her Brexit withdrawal agreement. Mrs May still thinks there is a way for her to satisfy Westminster, all parts of the United Kingdom and the EU with a deal she has failed to secure now for more than two years. And yet she seems to be among the more sane members of the Houses of Parliament these days. Mrs May was in Belfast yesterday making another worthy speech and expressing her appreciation to the people who are working hard to make Brexit as smooth a process as possible. The prime minister insisted there was no suggestion Britain would leave the EU without some sort of a backstop insurance policy to protect against a hard Border in Northern Ireland. She said she would only accept that technology could play "a part" in any alternative arrangements, and that she would not countenance anything that would disrupt the lives of Border communities. Her commitment to avoiding a hard Border in Ireland is "unshakeable". Unfortunately, this is coming from someone standing on a plinth built on sand. The prime minister seemed to be accepting there would be a backstop - just not the backstop envisaged under the existing withdrawal agreement between the EU and the UK. Exactly what she does have in mind isn't clear. Mrs May is developing a talent for saying whatever she feels her audience wants to hear. And there's a different message for different audiences. Immediately, her comments in Belfast generated a negative response from Brexiteers in London. Illustrating the difficulty in balancing the demands of the various conflicting influences over the process, Brexit supporters were alarmed at the idea she was taking a step back from previous assurances. Northern Ireland is the smallest and least populated country in the UK. And the Brexiteer wing is not going to allow it to hold up the departure. Mrs May is now preparing a different message for a different audience as she prepares to meet EU leaders in Brussels for the first time since her monumental Westminster defeat on her Brexit deal. She will request the reopening of the withdrawal agreement to address concerns on the backstop. The British tactics seem to rely upon jittery nerves at the prospect of a no-deal Brexit prompting concessions as the finishing line approaches. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar also heads to Brussels to discuss contingency plans for a no-deal Brexit. Mr Varadkar is caught between the rock of no backstop and the hard place of no deal. However, the EU is on our side - for now. The EU has to hold its nerve. This is no time for a different message to be delivered. Tanaiste Simon Coveney visits Washington for meetings with senior US officials and elected representatives when he will highlight Irelands concerns on Brexit and push for US support. Photo: PA With seven weeks and two days left to B-day it's a shame that there is not the same movement in Brexit talks as there is involving some of the main actors. A heavy-hitting EU delegation came to Dublin to talk about how the Republic might well manage a no-deal Brexit - effectively how the trains, boats and planes are going to run in a time of confusion. At the same time some of the other key players took off on their own travels. UK Prime Minister Theresa May continues to show the same capability to confuse movement with progress. She finishes her phoney apologia about the backstop in the North of Ireland today, scoots back to London, and is off to Brussels tomorrow for a rendezvous with some of the EU kingpins. Mrs May will meet EU Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to press her demands for changes to the divorce deal that was agreed on November 25 last. Brussels diplomats remain insistent she will be told in person what has already been conveyed to her officials, and via the international media: that the Irish backstop stops where it is. Flash China's UN envoy on Tuesday urged support for "countries concerned" in combating transnational organized crime at sea, pointing out that maritime security remains grim on Africa's west coast. Ma Zhaoxu, Chinese permanent representative to the United Nations, told a Security Council meeting that China supports these countries in "enhancing coordination, formulating joint strategies and mechanisms, cracking down on transnational organized crime at sea, and thereby achieving development and prosperity." He said that in recent years, while pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden have decreased significantly, the situation of maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea on Africa's west coast remains grim, "which has severely affected the economic and social development of coastal states in Africa." He warned that illegal funds have flown into terrorist organizations, extremist forces, and criminal groups, exacerbating national and regional instability, and threatening international peace and security. In coping with the situation, the Chinese envoy said the international community should assist the coastal states in capacity building while respecting their sovereignty, adding "this entails efforts to support coastal states in improving their domestic legislation, and establishing and strengthening maritime security forces." Particularly, Ma pointed out that the international community should engage in the construction, operation, and maintenance of ports and other facilities of the coastal states and support them, "so they are more competent in ship docking, replenishment and maintenance, and be better equipped with more sufficient logistical guarantee." Moreover, he highlighted the role of regional and subregional organizations and established regional long-term mechanisms in addressing the issue, and stressed the need to mobilize resources and strengthen international cooperation. Relevant UN agencies, the International Maritime Organization, the Interpol, among others, should provide more assistance to coastal states, he detailed. "The international community can draw from the success stories and, on the basis of thorough consultations with the coastal states, ... exchange evidence and information and facilitate the investigation, prosecution, and trial of relevant cases with all the necessary conveniences," he added. In addition, Ma called for increased development assistance to the coastal states, stressing development is the overarching key to solving all problems. He proposed more assistance to help coastal states root out the causes of poverty and social injustice, speed up economic and social development, and increase anti-terrorism cooperation. Theresa May travelled to Northern Ireland yesterday to deliver a set-piece speech, reiterating her commitment to avoiding a hard Border, and she will leave today with no one any the wiser about how she plans to achieve this. In Edgar Allan Poe's classic 'The Tell-Tale Heart', the narrator assures readers he is not mad as he recounts how he murdered a harmless old man and dismembered his body, before revealing he confessed to the crime as he couldn't bear the sound of his victim's heart beating beneath the floorboards where he had buried him. One wonders if Mrs May, too, as she delivers speech after speech which offer nothing but vapid assurances on how she intends to secure a Brexit deal, is haunted by a sound that grows increasingly deafening - "tick, tock, tick, tock". There are just 51 days to Brexit and, by Mrs May's own admission, she has no concrete plan on how she will deliver her "unshakeable" commitment to preventing a hard Border in the absence of the backstop. She has done a good job, thus far, of putting on a brave face and publicly attempting to mask this uncertainty with cheery optimism - although her voice betrays a fraught intonation whenever she is grilled on specifics. Yesterday, she told an audience in Northern Ireland that "technology could play a part" and she intends to "look at alternative arrangements", before stressing these "must be ones that can be made to work for the particular circumstances of Northern Ireland". What she failed to mention was that EU and British negotiators have already spent two years examining all of these alternative arrangements in detail before discounting them as unworkable. The inherent madness of the British position is that, publicly at least, the government continues to insist that there is some magical solution to the most intractable problem posed by Brexit - and that it can be found in under two months. But, instead of producing any silver bullet that can kill the bitter division that exists in the House of Commons, MPs continue to stagger around bleating inanities prefaced by gibberish like "Canada plus", "max fac" and "Malthouse compromise". The level of blind panic and naked desperation that exists within the British government is manifest in the appointment on Monday of an "alternative arrangements working group" to chart a coherent route out of this morass. A sombre press release from Downing Street, announcing the creation of this crack team, stated the group would be meeting regularly. However, it then transpired that just three meetings have been pencilled in this week. Appointing a working group of MPs who have almost no time to consider this vexed issue is manifestly bizarre, but the composition of the group makes the entire effort even more difficult to understand. Among their illustrious number are arch-Brexiteer Marcus Fysh, whose sole contribution to the debate, thus far, was to respond "ya da ya da gravity ya da ya da meaningless graphs, supposition and cod economics ya da ya da ya" in response to someone on Twitter who had the temerity to suggest the example of the Canadian-US border was unworkable in an Irish context. Given the man can't even spell 'yada', one shouldn't hold out too much hope that his fingerprints will be anywhere near a solution. Another member, fellow Brexiteer Steve Baker, is on record as recently as Sunday as stating Mrs May's deal can only attract the support of the House of Commons if it contains the so-called 'Malthouse compromise' - described by another member, remainer Nicky Morgan, as "a free-trade agreement lite". Meanwhile, pledging to "battle for Britain" in her self-styled ongoing war with the EU, Mrs May was still suggesting in a column at the weekend "a time limit or unilateral exit mechanism" from the backstop as potential solutions - despite these notions having been repeatedly and trenchantly rejected by the Irish Government for rendering any backstop functionally useless. Confused yet? You're not alone. And you can rest assured that, however minimal your comprehension, you are nowhere near as confused as the stream-of-consciousness blather that now constitutes debate in the House of Commons. As if the situation was not deranged enough, former Northern Ireland first minister David Trimble popped up yesterday to threaten court proceedings against the British government over the backstop. According to Mr Trimble, the backstop undermines the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) by imposing "a number of top-down structures", although he was coy about giving any more detail. Predictably, this news got a whole host of Brexiteers deliriously excited, as upholding the Good Friday Agreement has always been one of the overriding aims of those on the other side of the argument, with virtually no thought given to it by those intent on leaving. Their excitement will be short-lived. The text of the Withdrawal Agreement, if anyone bothered to read it, unequivocally states it "respects the essential state functions and territorial integrity of the United Kingdom" and "is without prejudice to the provisions of the 1998 Agreement regarding the constitutional status of Northern Ireland and the principle of consent". Further, the notion that the Withdrawal Agreement contravenes the "principle of consent" enshrined in the GFA - that the constitutional fate of Northern Ireland is the preserve of the people of Northern Ireland - has already been adjudicated on by the UK Supreme Court, which roundly rejected it. According to the Supreme Court, the Withdrawal Agreement "neither regulated any other change in the constitutional status of Northern Ireland nor required the consent of a majority of the people of Northern Ireland to the withdrawal of the UK from the EU". It should also be noted that those who assume Mr Trimble possesses some sort of insight into this debacle should recall an interview he gave to RTE last year in which he expressed confidence that the challenges posed by Brexit could be resolved in "half an hour". "The Taoiseach, the prime minister and somebody from Brussels who is in a position to take decisions, if those three people sat down around a table I suspect it wouldn't take them more than half an hour to sort things out," he said. As the UK hurtles towards its self-imposed March 29 deadline, the only certainty that exists is that it will crash out of the EU unless a deal is in place. That deal, today, looks as far away as when the Article 50 process was first triggered. Tick, tock, tick, tock. Wanna get paid over 2k per week to visit glaciers in Alaska, go white water rafting in Norway or ride an urban zip wire in Dubai? Of course you do... and of course there's a catch. You enter via competition, and the dream job lasts just a couple of weeks. Royal Caribbean International has launched a search for a "Global Experience Hunter" - an "apprentice" it says it will pay 6,000/6,850 over at least three weeks spent cruising around Japan, Alaska, Europe and the Middle East. The "Shore Explorer" will seek out and test "extraordinary shore experiences" in jaw-dropping locations including CocoCay, a private island in the Caribbean, sharing their footage and photos on Instagram, Insta Stories and IGTV. Oh, and you'll also get 50/57 a day for expenses. It follows a similar "intern-ship" offered two years ago, which saw Russ Francis appointed Royal Caribbean's 'Instagrammer in Chief'. Indeed, the successful candidate will work together with Francis on the dream job assignment. How does it work? In a sign of the times, candidates are being invited to apply by sharing their best travel experience on Instagram, tagging @RoyalCaribbeanUK and #ShoreExplorer. Entries close on March 1, and the winner will be chosen by a judging panel including Francis, James McVey of The Vamps, Ben Bouldin of Royal Caribbean and influencer and travel writer Nadia El Ferdaoussi. So, what does the perfect candidate need to apply? Expand Close CocoCay, Royal Caribbean's private island / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp CocoCay, Royal Caribbean's private island T&Cs stipulate that applicants should be 21 or older, live in the UK or Ireland, hold a valid passport and be able to drop everything to travel between May and August for at least three, and up to four, consecutive weeks if required. Royal Caribbean is seeking "someone who has a passion for travel, exploration and seeking out new and extraordinary experiences around the world," McVey says. "And, of course, they have to be brilliant at sharing their adventure online too! Royal Caribbean was voted Ireland's Favourite Cruise Line in the Irish Independent's Reader Travel Awards 2019, and its fleet includes the largest cruise ship in the world - Symphony of the Seas, which launched last year. The search for a 'Shore Explorer' follows new research commissioned by the cruise line, which reveals Irish millennials are adopting a do it rather than own it attitude on holidays. Over half (56pc) claim they would rather spend their money on memorable experiences over material possessions (27pc), it says. The survey also provides a clue as to why Royal Caribbean is immersing itself in Instagram... 30pc of those surveyed have booked a holiday or experience after seeing someone posting about it on the social platform, it found. Read more: Parents are too busy to potty train their children early enough - not recognising the strain the delay puts on their bladders and bowels, a survey suggests. A survey of early years staff in the UK by charity ERIC and the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) revealed 68pc of them feel that over the past five years children were being potty trained at a later age. Almost half (43pc) of the 202 early years practitioners questioned felt it was down to parents putting it off because they are too busy or at work too long. The nursery practitioners said parents needed more support, and 92pc believed toilet training should be a shared responsibility between nursery and home. To support this, NDNA and children's bowel and bladder charity, ERIC, have developed a potty training policy and training for nursery staff. They are also preparing resources for practitioners and families that will focus on what they need to know - such as spotting the signs of a child being toilet ready and steps to achieve potty training success. A nursery owner from West Midlands said: "Parents are busy and it has lifestyle impacts. It's about being consistent and showing them early on about what a potty is, but the morning routine is a busy time for parents to be able to do this. "They rely on nursery to do this, but the potty should be the first place a child goes once they wake up to understand the morning bowel routine." Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of NDNA, said: "It's clear that parents and nursery practitioners need to work more closely together to benefit children so no child goes to school unable to use the toilet properly." She added: "The absorbency of disposable nappies and pull-up pants means that often parents and children don't notice when they are wet, which can delay potty training." Juliette Randall, chief executive of ERIC, said: "It's good news that so many settings include potty training as part of their age two progress review, however only 53pc of respondents actually have a potty training policy in place. "Critically, the survey showed there is little or no recognition of the relationship between successful potty training and healthy bladders and bowels. "Constipation is the most common bowel problem in children affecting up to 30pc of all children and particularly common among pre-school children. "It can have a huge impact on potty training, yet only 16pc include how to identify and manage constipation in their policies." The survey suggests that 70pc of early years practitioners have received no guidance in how to potty train. It also indicates that many look online for information and support (27pc), or contact their health visiting teams (25pc). Speaking ahead of the release Ofsted's 2018 annual report, chief inspector Amanda Spielman said there was growing evidence of children arriving at reception unable to use a toilet. She said: "This is difficult for teachers, disruptive for other children and has a terrible social impact on the children affected. This is wrong. "Toilet training is the role of parents and carers and should not be left to schools." Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, which has many members in nurseries, said: "When we survey our members about this, 57pc said a reduction in local health services to support families was having a negative impact on children's readiness for school. "The support that families of all kinds regard as essential are being cut back or have already disappeared. "Cuts to school budgets mean that it's also getting harder to address these issues once the children are in school." Embraced: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry with her mother, Doria Ragland, (left) at the launch of the cookbook. Photo: PA Meghan Markle has been accused of a lot of things - pestering aides with 5am text messages, a touch of high-handedness with staff, even a pinch of diva behaviour about tiaras - but her latest decision is sure to win her quiet admiration. By moving in her mother Doria Ragland to help with her baby, Meghan has given the practice her royal imprimatur. And while it's hardly the case that royal mothers never have help - staff are hired from Norland College, the brown-uniform-clad Norland Nannies - there is something decidedly more ordinary about the Meghan option. Most new families do not enjoy the luxury of a private pile or 'cottage' as Frogmore is euphemistically known, so adding a parent into an already emotionally-charged situation can prove trying. And so it was when Aleksandra Dempsey asked her mother, Grazyna, to stay when she got pregnant with her second child. "With my first one, we didn't think about it that much. It's much easier with a first child. But with the second, I was worried that I would go into labour early, in the middle of the night, that I might need an emergency C-section. Then you have another child to consider," she says. Her daughter, Andrea, is four. "So after we got pregnant, we thought about it for a while and took a holiday in Poland shortly after. We had to decide which of the mothers to ask, but Michael's mum lives on a farm, so we didn't think that would be fair." Expand Close Aleksandra Dempsey says it was a great help, but sometimes difficult, when her mother came from Poland to help her with her two children Andrea (4) and Daniel (3 months). Photo: Steve Humphreys / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Aleksandra Dempsey says it was a great help, but sometimes difficult, when her mother came from Poland to help her with her two children Andrea (4) and Daniel (3 months). Photo: Steve Humphreys Then there are the practical arrangements. Aleksandra and her husband, Michael, live in a two-bedroom apartment in Dublin. Grazyna lives in Poland. When Aleksandra gave birth, she was two weeks overdue, by which time Michael had already used up his paternity leave. So Grazyna's arrival was welcome. There were, however, still niggles. "I have to say, it was difficult," Aleksandra admits. "We live in a tiny two-bedroom apartment - the children sleep in the other room. So my mum slept on the couch for a month. She agreed to do that. It was a bit of a mess though. And she doesn't really speak much English. She does get on with my husband, and he speaks a little Polish. If they're having a conversation, I will translate." Aleksandra (39) is perhaps more honest than a lot of women with their mothers. And maybe that helped the situation to work. "It was a help, but it was also a risk. I told my mother 'if I'm fed up with you after two weeks, you have to go home'. So she got a one-way ticket from Poland because neither of us knew how it would go. Sometimes parents can be overbearing. "In the end, we got on pretty well. It was great to have someone to help, to cook dinner or clean up the house. She would say to me: 'Aleksandra, your windows look dirty. How about I clean them?' Expand Close Meghans mum Doria will move in to help with the baby / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Meghans mum Doria will move in to help with the baby "So I was like, 'Super'. The last thing on your mind is cleaning the windows. All that stuff was great." The Meghan message may encourage new mothers to ask for help. Whereas previously, families lived close to their parents and regularly availed of their support, a more mobile and urban-centred population now means that is not always possible. Laura Erskine, who presents the podcast Mum Truths and has three children aged nine, seven and two weeks, says there is more pressure on Irish mothers than ever "to be seen to be coping". "The pressure is really from watching other people," she says. "It's not from celebrities - whom you always assume have night nurses and doulas - but from friends and influencers. You see them and they have their make-up on, their hair is done, they're out getting their figure back. We try to do too much too early. We don't let our bodies recover and our hormones settle down. It's all about being the best mum you can, including bouncing back. But we shouldn't be feeling guilty about not taking visitors and not [going] out and about, or at least seen to be." Laura raises an important issue - the average first-time Irish mother is now over 31 and while ageing grandparents may well be willing to help, they may no longer be capable of many childcare duties. "It's a great idea, provided you get on with them, and provided they're still around," says Laura. "We're having children later in life than ever before. For example, my mum is very well intentioned and would love to help, but she's 81. She wants to enjoy the grandkids rather than be involved in that way. She's made it very clear that her role in raising children is over." Many Irish women enjoy a candid, if sometimes volatile, relationship with their mothers. Which is fine - fun even - in measured amounts, but perhaps not sustainable over long periods. "Do you get on with them or not? Because motherhood is an emotional rollercoaster. There's a lot of hormones for the first six weeks. If you don't get on with your mother or mother-in-law, can you cope with that," asks Laura. "Then, do you have the space? So many of us live in apartments - you might not physically have the room." But research shows mothers do better with more social support. Dr Anne Kehoe is a clinical psychologist and member of the Psychological Society of Ireland. Her doctoral thesis examined stress in parents of newborns. She says that having an extra pair of hands can be beneficial and not just for domestic chores. "There is research to show that those becoming parents or expanding their families cope better if they have good social support. Overall, it can reduce the stress on them." It can also alleviate some factors that impact postnatal depression. "One of the contributing factors in PND can be a lack of a support network. Sometimes you can have the best and biggest network and still suffer from it. Some factors are internal, some are external," says Dr Kehoe. However, she counsels that adding another dynamic to an already challenging time must be carefully managed. "Moving in a grandmother could bring challenges. For example, some of the advice given to new parents has changed over the years. Grandparents may have been told to put their babies to sleep on their front and the current advice is to put babies to sleep on their backs. Grandparents may be used to running their own homes and the change to being a guest in someone else's can be difficult. "If a grandparent was to take over or undermine a parent's relationship with their new baby, or with each other, this might not be helpful." But what about the relationship? Can sleep-deprived and possible tense new parents cope with another individual living in their space? "It can be destabilising. Any new person in your house causes a change. A nanny or any kind of staff will change the dynamic. Even a new baby changes the dynamic. You have to ask, do the advantages they bring balance out the disadvantages?" There will always be those for whom partners and in-laws prove a toxic mix. But for others, Meghan's decision will hopefully open a conversation about asking for help. And in that, she has done new mothers a big favour. A young mother has died after she was found unresponsive at her sick child's bedside at a Dublin hospital. The woman, who has been named locally as Sarah Jane Brazil, was found unconscious in Children's Health Ireland at Tallaght on Sunday. It is understood the 32-year-old mother of two had been attending her young son who was being treated at the hospital when tragedy struck. Ms Brazil was originally from the Killinarden area of Tallaght, Dublin. A spokesperson for Children's Health Ireland at Tallaght confirmed that an unexpected death had taken place at the hospital. "Children's Health Ireland at Tallaght can confirm that an adult passed away unexpectedly at the weekend," the spokesperson said. "The person was accompanying a young inpatient who was being treated in the children's service. "Children's Health Ireland and Tallaght University Hospital would like to extend their condolences to the family of the deceased. "As is the case with all unexpected deaths, the relevant authorities were immediately alerted and support was provided to the family. "No further comment will be made out of respect for the family." Tributes A number of tributes were paid to the young woman on social media with friends describing her as "loving" and "caring". One user wrote: "I just can't get my head around you being gone all the memories running round my head, friends for 20 years." "Such a young beautiful life taken too soon" another user posted. Ms Brazil will repose in her family home in Killinarden today before removal on Friday for funeral Mass in the Church of the Sacred Heart in Killinarden at 10am. Cremation will take place after the Mass at Newlands Cross Cemetery. ULSTER Bank and Nama are to give an interest free loan of more than 1.1m to help a US bankruptcy trustee trying to recover and sell off the assets of bust developer Sean Dunne. The unusual move comes as trustee Richard Coan continues to investigate the transfer of tens of millions of euro in assets to Mr Dunnes wife, former journalist Gayle Killilea. According to a court filing, lawyers for trustee Richard Coan say the loan is necessary in order for him to perform his duties, pay administrative expenses and maximise returns for unsecured creditors. The Carlow-born businessman was a prominent developer during the Celtic Tiger era, when he was dubbed the Baron of Ballsbridge. However, his fortunes dipped during the economic crash and after relocating to the US he filed for bankruptcywith debts of about 700m in 2013. He was also adjudicated bankrupt in Ireland the same year. Mr Dunne is currently undergoing a dual bankruptcy process both in Connecticut and Ireland, which has taken up considerable court time on both sides of the Atlantic. He was held in contempt by a US judge in August 2017 for failing to co-operate with a request from Mr Coan. In Ireland, his bankruptcy has been extended until 2028 by the High Court over his wilful and deliberate failure to co-operate with Official Assignee Christopher Lehane. Ms Justice Caroline Costello criticised him for hiding or not disclosing information about certain assets and said he was a deeply dishonest witness. Lawyers for Mr Coan put the loan agreement before the United States Bankruptcy Court in Connecticut for approval earlier this week. Ulster Bank and Nama are Mr Dunnes biggest creditors. Under the agreement, Ulster Bank would provide $599,887 (525,767) and Nama would provide $675,112 (591,698) on an interest free basis. The bankruptcy estate will not be required to grant the lenders a security interest over assets in the estate. The cash is to be repaid on the dismissal of the bankruptcy case or earlier if sufficient funds are recovered by the trustee. Lawyers for Mr Coan said because Mr Dunne did business in Europe, North America and Africa prior to his bankruptcy, the expense associated with the trustees administration of the estate and investigations and litigation regarding assets and transfers has been, and will continue to be, significant. Court filings outlined how credit facilities totalling 660,000 were previously extended to the bankruptcy estate by Ulster Bank and Nama, but these are nearly fully expended. In a recent court filing, Mr Coan alleged emails in deleted email accounts show Mr Dunne made efforts to conceal his ownership of Walford, Irelands most expensive house, when it was purchased for 58m in 2005. Mr Coan has been seeking emails from a number of Gmail accounts used by Mr Dunne as part of a lawsuit in which the trustee is seeking to reverse the transfer of tens of millions of euro in assets to Ms Killilea. He alleges the assets were fraudulently transferred and are still under the control of Mr Dunne. But the claims have been denied by Mr Dunne and Ms Killilea, who maintain the transfers were lawful and made at a time when he was solvent. Fine Gael senator Frank Feighan said he will not seek the party nomination to contest the next General Election in Roscommon-Galway. Senator Maura Hopkins, who lives in the constituency, has declared her interest in running as the partys candidate. Mr Feighan lives in a neighbouring constituency, the new Sligo-Leitrim/South Donegal/North Roscommon area. He said he is happy to withdraw his interest in the role now that the party has a candidate who is from the constituency. I had been asked to consider putting my name forward for selection to contest the Roscommon/Galway constituency, even though I didnt reside there, he said. This was based on a number of factors, not least that I had been successful in two successive General Elections in the constituency of Roscommon/South Leitrim, as well as my extensive political experience as a Government politician who delivered for the region. I have also said previously that I would only consider putting my name forward for the Roscommon/Galway selection convention to assist the party in the absence of Fine Gael finding a suitable candidate. That position for me has now changed, given Senator Maura Hopkins has officially declared her intention to secure a party nomination. I wish Maura all the best in her endeavours. Fianna Fail TDs have called for political accountability for the ongoing crises that have besieged the health service. The demands will ramp up pressure on Health Minister Simon Harris who is engulfed in a controversy surround the cost of the National Children's Hospital while also battling to prevent seven days of nurse strikes. At a Fianna Fail parliamentary party meeting in Leinster House, senior party figures complained that the party is being blamed for propping up Fine Gael amid the growing number of health controversies. Sligo-Leitrim TD Marc MacSharry said the party needed a "political head" to show they are holding Fine Gael to account for the strikes, the hospital's cost and the Cervical Check scandal. Mr MacSharry also said nurses were not happy with Fianna Fail's output since they began industrial action last week. He said the party should put their own policy forward for finding a resolution rather than backing calls for pay reviews which the nurses oppose. Galway West TD Eamon O Cuiv also said the party should seek "political accountability" from the Government for the crises in the health service. Carlow-Kilkenny TDs John McGuinness and Bobby Aylward were also critical of the party's approach to the nurses strike and other health scandals. Waterford TD Mary Butler and Tipperary's Jackie Cahill are also understood to have raised concerns about the party's stance. TDs said nurses on picket lines were blaming them for keeping Fine Gael in power. Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin responded by asking the party for their "patience" so he could address the issues. Detectives investigating the murder of a German backpacker in Northern Ireland have been granted additional time to question a suspect. The 59-year-old was originally arrested in connection with Inga Maria Hausers death last May and later released on bail pending further inquiries. Police have now been granted another 14 hours to ask him further questions. The body of the Munich teenager was found dumped in a remote part of Ballypatrick Forest, outside Ballycastle, Co Antrim, 14 days after she was last seen. The 18-year-olds death in April 1988 remains one of the regions most high-profile unsolved murders. Another man was arrested last May for questioning about the murder. He was also later released on bail pending further enquiries. Detectives changed the terms of his release to unconditional in December. Last year, on the 30th anniversary of the crime, detectives said they believed a number of people may have been involved either directly in the murder or in the subsequent cover-up, and said they only need fractional pieces of evidence to bring the chief suspects to justice. Police have a male genetic profile found at the murder scene. A number of years ago, in one of the largest DNA screenings ever undertaken in the UK, 2,000 samples failed to produce a definitive match. Prior to her death, Ms Hauser had travelled through England and Scotland and, according to diary entries, intended to travel south to Dublin after her ferry docked at Larne, Co Antrim. But for reasons as yet unexplained, she ended up going in the opposite direction and was found dead in remote woodland two weeks later. It is understood the IRA carried out its own investigation into the killing 30 years ago. It is believed republican paramilitaries had considered passing information about the alleged murderer to the RUC (Royal Ulster Constabulary) at the height of the Troubles, but did not follow through. Flash The president of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly, Maria Fernanda Espinosa, on Monday called for equity in diagnosis, treatment and care for cancer patients. She made the plea in a tweet on World Cancer Day, which falls on Feb. 4. "Today, on #WorldCancerDay we raise awareness on the importance of prevention and screenings to combat this global health challenge. Equity in diagnosis, treatment and care must apply to all human beings -- no matter where they live, their income, or gender." According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cancer is responsible for almost one in six deaths globally. This year, the WHO is focusing on cervical cancer. The family and friends of the late model and autism campaigner Alli MacDonnell are organising a memorial for her. Close friend Lisa Burgess paid tribute to the mother of four, describing her as "wickedly funny, naughty, full of mischief and extraordinarily caring and compassionate". "She was an extraordinary mother and lived for her kids and her wonderful family," she said. Ms Burgess, who is currently undergoing chemotherapy for cancer and now lives in Spain, said her friend was a huge support to her during her treatment. They first met 10 years ago while Ms Burgess was working as a stylist for TV3. In recent years, Ms MacDonnell fronted campaigns for Autism Ireland after her youngest son was diagnosed with the condition. Ms MacDonnell (37) passed away suddenly early Monday morning. "I had chemo recently. As always Alli would be sending me funny messages to keep my spirits up. She was positive and upbeat and her last message to me in recent days was 'I love thee xxxx'. "She was a passionate voice for autism. She managed to balance work, charity and mothering four children with aplomb. I admired this greatly. "She faced the challenges of autism head on and helped many with unseen work. "It has been agreed that with her family and work colleagues we will organise a memorial to Alli. This memorial will be in honour of the most beautiful woman inside and out I had the privilege to know," said Ms Burgess. A woman has spoken about her shock at seeing a dead swan surrounded by litter along Dublin's Grand Canal on her way home from work. Images shared with Independent.ie show the deceased swan among plastic and litter, with two other swans searching for food nearby. Niamh Cregan explained how she was walking home last night when she came across the "disturbing" scene. "It was so heartbreaking. There are two other swans, we would see the three of them every day. It looked like they were trying to make a nest among the plastic," she said. Expand Close Photo: Niamh Cregan / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Photo: Niamh Cregan "The photos are really so disturbing and ridiculous and can be prevented if we keep our canal clean." Ms Cregan said that it appeared that the birds were trying to scavenge among the litter, as well as using pieces to build a nest. "It's a huge danger to wildlife and people don't realise the damage they are doing. We need to look after our environment, our wildlife and also work towards a more sustainable Ireland." Meanwhile, local councillor Mary Freehill said she received reports of a dead swan last week near the Portobello end of the canal, which the council removed at her request. "What am I concerned about is that volunteers have found rubbish dumped in the canal. "We need to have discussions about what toxins are in the canal. I think an autopsy needs to be done on the dead swans to see if there is something causing this," the Labour councillor told Independent.ie. Expand Close The swan was found near Grand Canal Dock. Photo: Niamh Cregan / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The swan was found near Grand Canal Dock. Photo: Niamh Cregan A spokesperson for Waterways Ireland told Independent.ie that the dock is cleaned on a regular basis, and that the swan had since been removed. "Litter dumped in watercourses feeding the Grand Canal and blown into the dock does gather in the north western corner of Grand Canal Dock. It is cleared on a regular schedule. The work is done from a boat as most of the litter can be accessed and removed in this way," they said. "Sometimes dead wildlife is also found. Today the body of a swan was removed from the dock, along with the litter." They appealed to nearby walkers to use nearby bins and to avoid throwing rubbish into the canal. "Waterways Ireland asks the public to dispose of their litter responsibility, ensuring it does not enter our watercourses, littering and potentially providing a hazard for wildlife." Flood damage in the Townsville area and inset, Catherine Simpson with her two daughters An Irish woman living in Queensland has told how her family has been housebound for nearly a week as unprecedented levels of rain continue to cause chaos. Catherine Simpson, originally from Co Limerick, owns a gym and beauty salon in the Townsville area which have been forced to close due to flooding. Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close An aerial view shows flood waters in the suburb of Hyde Park, Townsville, North Queensland, Australia, February 4, 2019. AAP Image/Dave Acree/via REUTERS An aerial view shows the flood-affected area in Townsville, Queensland, Australia February 3, 2019, in this still image from video obtained from social media. Queensland Government Air/via REUTERS A man reclines on a unicorn float in floodwater on Bowen Road in Rosslea district, Townsville, Queensland, Australia Feburary 3, 2019 in this still taken from social media video. Nathan Hughes via REUTERS Floodwater flows over the Aplins Weir Rotary Park footbridge in Mundingburra district, Townsville, Queensland, Australia Feburary 3, 2019 in this still taken from social media video. Nathan Hughes via REUTERS Ross River Dam releases water in Queensland, Australia, in this still photo from a February 3, 2019 video by Julia Hunt. Julia Hunt/Social Media/via REUTERS Flooding is seen in Bicentennial Park in Queensland, Australia, in this still photo from a February 3, 2019 drone video footage by Queensland Fire and Emergency Services. Queensland Fire and Emergency Services/Social Media/via REUTERS Floodwater flows by the Aplins Weir Rotary Park footbridge in Mundingburra district, Townsville, Queensland, Australia Feburary 3, 2019 in this still taken from social media video. Marissa Papageorge via REUTERS Floodwater flows by the Aplins Weir Rotary Park footbridge in Mundingburra district, Townsville, Queensland, Australia Feburary 3, 2019 in this still taken from social media video. Marissa Papageorge via REUTERS SES volunteers are seen rescuing residents in Rosslea, Townsville, Queensland, Australia February 2, 2019. Picture taken February 2, 2019. AAP Image/Andrew Rankin/via REUTERS Amelia Rankin stands in flooded waters in Hermit Park, Townsville, Queensland, Australia February 3, 2019. AAP Image/Andrew Rankin/via REUTERS Residents evacuating to higher ground in Hermit Park, Townsville, Queensland, Australia February 3, 2019. AAP Image/Andrew Rankin/via REUTERS Flooding is seen in Rosslea, Townsville, Queensland, Australia February 2, 2019. Picture taken February 2, 2019. AAP Image/Andrew Rankin/via REUTERS Rocks are seen blocking Muller Street in Wulguru, Townsville, as flooding continues in northern Queensland, Australia February 1, 2019 Local resident Paul Shafer and his daughter Lily stand in floodwaters near star pickets that show where the storm water cover has been removed in Hermit Park, Townsville, northern Queensland, Australia This handout from the Australia Department of Defence taken on February 2, 2019 and received on February 4, 2019 This handout from the Australia Department of Defence taken on February 2, 2019 and received on February 4, 2019 This handout photo from the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) taken on February 3, 2019 and received on February 4, 2019 shows flooding in Townsville This handout photo from the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) taken on February 3, 2019 and received on February 4, 2019 shows flooding in Townsville. This handout photo from the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) taken on February 3, 2019 and received on February 4, 2019 shows flooding in Townsville.Photo by Handout / QUEENSLAND FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES / AFP A handout picture provided by Queensland Police Service, taken on February 2, 2019 and release on February 3 shows two police officers wading in flood waters in Townsville.Photo by Queensland Police Service A handout photo taken by Erin Hahn on February 3, 2019 and received on February 4, shows a crocodile during the floods in Townsville. A handout photo taken and recieved February 4, 2019, from the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) shows the flooding in Townsville. Photo by Queensland Fire and Emergency Services A handout photo taken and recieved February 4, 2019, from the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) shows the flooding in Townsville. Photo by Queensland Fire and Emergency Services / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp An aerial view shows flood waters in the suburb of Hyde Park, Townsville, North Queensland, Australia, February 4, 2019. AAP Image/Dave Acree/via REUTERS Mrs Simpson said all the schools in the area are remaining closed and hospitals are advising people to stay home unless it's an emergency. She moved to Queensland six years ago and said "I have never witnessed anything like this in my life". The Limerick woman has two children - a four-year-old girl and a seven-month old girl - and says locals are fearful as the rain isn't expected to stop for at least another 10 days. "Growing up in Ireland I was used to the rain but nothing on this scale. It's like your worst nightmare, or something out of a movie... there's snakes coming out of the drains and even the idea of going into the flood waters is frightening as there's plenty of snakes, crocodiles and spiders around," she told Independent.ie. Expand Close A crocodile climbing a tree in Queensland Photo: Mick Doyle / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A crocodile climbing a tree in Queensland Photo: Mick Doyle "We've a trainer from our gym who has been trapped in her car because the road got flooded and about 20 members of our gym have had their homes destroyed. "Luckily our house is okay as it's up on a hill. We're a bit like Noah's Ark but the roof in the gym has about 15 holes in it and there is a lot of water damage". Mrs Simpson said a lot of the schools have been "completely destroyed", adding "I don't know how we'll overcome it". "Our clothes are starting to rot and there's mould and dampness all over the place. It's crazy to think that a river can literally overcome your whole neighbourhood. I'm guessing there's thousands without homes. The shelters are all full too. We're just all thinking when is this rain going to stop". Read More Two men aged in their 20s died in the catastrophic floods. Australian authorities pulled the bodies of the two men from a storm water drain during cleanup efforts yesterday. Days of severe rainfall caused insurance losses estimated at more than 40 million, while weather officials have warned that heavy showers could continue in some areas. A number of Irish families live in the Townsville area, with some having their homes completely destroyed. Father-of-three Mick Doyle, originally from Saggart, Dublin described how crocodiles are climbing trees to escape the gushing waters. He and his wife Rachel have been living in Australia for over seven years and bought their first family home two years ago. Now the Dubliner fears their house will be completely destroyed after they had to evacuate on Sunday. His eldest child suffers from epilepsy and autism and they are worried about getting access to medication. "We got no warning at all to leave... everything happened so quickly," Mr Doyle told Independent.ie. "If we had left it another 20 minutes yesterday we wouldn't have made it out of our house. "It's been really stressful. We fear everything will be destroyed when we go back. We brought the things that mean most to us but had to leave so much of our belongings behind. "We've got three small kids, aged nine, four and two. Our eldest has epilepsy and it has been a massive upheaval for him. The other two kids think we're on holidays as we're staying with friends. Vincent Meehan, from Co Leitrim, owns a Specsavers branch in the local Townsville shopping centre. He had to send staff home after the centre was evacuated over the weekend. Mr Meehan, who moved to Queensland in 2015 with his wife, described the chaos as he tried to stock up on food. "We knew things were starting to get serious because the floods weren't going away," he said. "We started to go down to the shops to try and get some food. There was barely anything left on the shelves. No meat, no bread, no bottled water. I was in the st ore for ten minutes and next minute there was an announcement asking all shoppers to leave. I couldn't even pay for the groceries... I went to another shop and the only meat left was dog meat." Mr Meehan's house has luckily been unaffected but some of his friends haven't been so lucky. "At least two of my friends had 20cm of water in their house. People might find it hard to believe that it comes on quickly but it does. It was raining the same level all week and there was nothing different and then all of a sudden it started to overspill. "We're suffering a big loss of earnings now as we haven't been able to open Specsavers since Saturday morning. We have insurance but these things take a long time to pan out. We closed early on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and now we can't open as there's no power and we can't get an electrician to fix it". Up to 26 communities across the country are without a GP, angry doctors warned today. It comes as hundreds of GPs are to march on the Dail to highlight what they say is a crisis in general practice. Dr Maitiu O Tuathail, President of the National Association of General Practitioners which is organising the protest, said: There are currently 26 communities without General Practitioners across this country. With 700 GPs about to retire in the next four to five years, and newly qualified GPs choosing Dubai over Dublin, many more communities will be left without a GP. The neglect of General Practice by this Government will lead to its extinction." The GPs want the cuts in fees they are paid for treating medical card holders, imposed during the recession to be reversed. Negotiations are under way between the Irish Medical Organisation and health officials on the fees and also other issues relating to the services provided by GPs for the HSE. NAGP chairman Dr Andrew Jordan said: This is the only way we can highlight to the Government that General Practice is dying. One in two GP practices are in debt trying to keep going. There are now entire communities where GPs have retired and not been replaced - there are not enough GPs to handle the demand. Young, newly trained GPs are emigrating and there is no one to replace older GPs. General Practice in Ireland is literally dying because it is not being properly resourced. Government funding for primary care was cut in 2010 and never restored. The NAGP said global evidence confirms that community-based health systems, like the family doctor system, are the most efficient, safe and effective. Nurses on picket lines said that pay and conditions have "gone downhill" and they would continue to strike until this situation was reversed. University Hospital Limerick was the most overcrowded hospital in the country with 59 patients waiting on trolleys. Erica Shanley, a nurse with 22 years' experience, said "patient safety" was at "the heart" of why she and her colleagues had taken to the picket line. "We are striking to save our staffing levels. The staffing level on the wards is critical and at breaking point. Patient safety is at the heart of [our strike] what we are trying to do," she said. "Obviously we want pay restoration," she added. "We are all very highly qualified. I've a first class masters which isn't recognised in our profession, yet other similar professions would be getting bursaries on a yearly basis for extra qualifications. "It's about equality. But the heart of this is safe staffing. We want our patients to be safe and we want them to have good care." Juliana Dowling (24), from Malahide, is a nurse in St James's Hospital. She said that the hours and work they are expected to put in have reached breaking point. Expand Close Resolve: Nurse Siobhan Keegan outside St Lukes General Hospital in Kilkenny. Photo: Damien Eagers / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Resolve: Nurse Siobhan Keegan outside St Lukes General Hospital in Kilkenny. Photo: Damien Eagers "In the intensity we work in I feel we deserve more," she told the Irish Independent. "We can't give the care that we want to give to our patients. It has got critical. The wards we work on are busy surgical wards and it's not safe. "If we were paid more we'd have more staff." Rachael Lawless (23), from Howth, is also a nurse in St James's Hospital. She said that it was frustrating that so much was paid for the new Children's Hospital, but there would be no one to staff it if conditions remained the same. "The Government is paying for some of the best nurses in the world for what? To export them?" Meanwhile, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has told the Dail there is no guarantee that granting nurses a pay rise will help address retention and recruitment issues in the health sector. He said the Government wants to resolve the dispute with nurses as INMO members engaged in a second day of strike action yesterday. He said offering a pay rise may not help retain nurses or attract young workers to the profession. "It hasn't solved it in Australia and it hasn't solved it in the Middle East." INMO general secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha said a press release from Government yesterday saying it was willing to talk about working conditions and staffing was not going to bring them to the table. A former chairperson of the National Roads Authority Fred Barry has been appointed to chair the board responsible for building the new National Children's Hospital (NCH). The appointment of Mr Barry by Health Minister Simon Harris follows the decision of the former hospital chairman, Tom Costello, to step down amid the controversy over the escalating expense of the new hospital, which will cost at least 1.4bn to construct. Mr Harris said Mr Barry has vast experience in managing complex projects. "I want to thank Mr Barry for taking up this role. The National Children's Hospital is the most significant investment in children's healthcare in this country," the minister said in a statement last night. Pressure is intensifying on Mr Harris after Paschal Donohoe said it would have been "helpful" if he had been told of the escalating costs of the NCH earlier. Mr Harris has faced growing criticism over his handling of the massive cost overrun, including a barrage of Opposition claims he should have told Government colleagues about the situation sooner. Expand Close Labour leader Brendan Howlin Photo: Frank McGrath / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Labour leader Brendan Howlin Photo: Frank McGrath Mr Harris first became aware of concerns over rising costs at the NCH at the end of August last year, but he didn't tell other ministers until November when it was determined that construction costs had soared by 450m to 1.43bn. Facing questions by TDs, Public Expenditure Minister Mr Donohoe said: "It would have been helpful, obviously to have been aware of this issue as it was developing." He insisted that Mr Harris was "doing what he should have been doing" during this period in seeking to understand the scale of the sums involved and then briefing Government. Meanwhile, Fianna Fail TDs have called for political accountability for the ongoing crises that have besieged the health service. At a parliamentary party meeting in Leinster House, Sligo-Leitrim TD Marc MacSharry said the party needed a "political head" to show it is holding Fine Gael to account for the strikes, the hospital's cost and the CervicalCheck scandal. Galway West TD Eamon O Cuiv said the party should seek "political accountability" from the Government for the crises. Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin responded by asking the party for its "patience" so he could address the issues. In the Dail, Labour leader Brendan Howlin challenged Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on the delay in Mr Harris telling his fellow ministers about the increased costs. He said that there had been a separate "battle going on" at the time within Government about general overruns in Department of Health spending of around 600m. He claimed it's "not credible" that "nobody mentioned that, by the way, there's maybe 400m or 500m overrun in the capital side as well". Mr Varadkar insisted that Mr Harris "did the right and appropriate thing" and sought full facts and figures before briefing the Government. A Department of Health spokesperson last night said Mr Harris had confirmed in September spending "to date was in line with the expected expenditure profile". A statement added that while the matter of potential escalation in costs was known, "commercially sensitive negotiations" were ongoing and costs weren't finalised until November. Determined: From left, nurses Ciara Byrne, Susan Sherwood and Clare Harte outside St Lukes General Hospital in Kilkenny. Photo: Damien Eagers Cancer patients and the elderly were caught up in the shutdown of vital hospital and community services as nurses again took to the picket line. Several cancer surgeries had to be cancelled, causing serious anxiety to patients who had been booked in to have tumours removed. Some other patients who were due to have scans to diagnose cancer saw them put on hold. The walkout by more than 35,000 nurses, and reliance on emergency cover in most areas of the health service, hit 40,000 patients and people reliant on community services. Some hospital clinics resembled a "ghost town", said one doctor. Only urgent surgery went ahead and all outpatient clinics for 13,000 patients were cancelled. Many patients are unlikely to have their appointment rescheduled for weeks or months with growing concern at the cumulative effect of the backlog. Another round of patients who were due to attend hospital tomorrow were told yesterday not to turn up. Members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation are threatening their third day of strike action tomorrow, leaving services struggling to cope. All admissions to respite services in the community have been halted in recent days for the elderly and people with a disability. Day services for people with a disability which are reliant on a service from nurses also shut. Routine public health nurse visits to people in their home were also halted. The HSE said hospitals were yesterday unable to discharge patients to nursing homes. It means that hospital wards are unable to free up wards in many cases. It is becoming increasingly difficult to control the A&E trolley crisis as a result. There were 430 patients waiting for a bed yesterday evening, including 192 who were delayed for more than nine hours. Health Minister Simon Harris, who will appear before the Oireachtas Health Committee today, is due to warn that as the action continues there is increased risk for patients and clients. "We estimate that in excess of 40,000 patients and service users are impacted upon each strike day. "The HSE continues to seek full derogation for cancer surgery and services while the action continues." Meanwhile, the overtime ban by members of the Psychiatric Nurses Association is causing serious disruption to mental health patients. Some community clinics are having to be shut in order to allow nurses to be transferred to inpatient duties. There is particular concern that the refusal to do overtime overnight will lead to some patients having to have less freedom, and be subjected to more restrictive monitoring due to a shortage of nurses. If the next round of strike action goes ahead tomorrow all outpatient, inpatient and day surgery will again be cancelled. Injury units will be closed, and routine community nursing services along with health centre nurse clinics will be cancelled. Public day centres and day hospitals for older people or people with disabilities will be shut, and all planned respite admissions halted. Taking a stand: Julianna Dowling (24), from Malahide, Rachael Lawless (23), from Sutton, and Rachel Griffith (24), from Finglas, at St Jamess Hospital, Dublin. Photo: Kyran O'Brien A big Government push is under way to stop six more national nurses' strikes by getting their union back to talks today. Sources said there were frantic efforts behind the scenes over the last 24 hours to find new grounds to ask the Workplace Relations Commission or Labour Court to step in. They said the Government is willing to table a review of nurses' roles that would also examine staffing levels, and might report next year. But it is unclear how the crucial issue of pay will be dealt with. The State mediation bodies are unlikely to get involved unless there is some sign that the deadlock over the nurses' demand for a pay rise can be broken. An attempt by senior ministers to get the nurses back to talks earlier this week drove an even deeper wedge between the sides. It was shot down by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation because of a Government precondition that pay would not be discussed. But Government officials were last night going through the clauses of the current public sector pay deal "with a fine tooth comb" to explore avenues to resolve the row. Healthcare services have been plunged into chaos and nurses are planning another 24-hour stoppage tomorrow. This will be followed by three in a row from Tuesday to Thursday next week and another two strikes the week after that. "The aim is to get the nurses back to the negotiating table tomorrow," said a Government source last night. They said the effect of the strike in terms of patient care has hit home within Government circles. "There is a lot of work under way to see if we can get to a position to invite them back into talks within the existing framework of the current pay deal," the source added. "Everything is being examined in detail to see if we can come up with something new to bring back to the table." The Workplace Relations Commission is willing to facilitate talks but the Government would prefer the dispute to end up at the Labour Court. It is seen as having the potential to resolve the row more swiftly by issuing a recommendation that might be accepted by both parties. Senior INMO official Tony Fitzpatrick said "we need to get back to the Labour Court". However, he added that the Government must come in "unconditionally". Deputy general secretary of the union Dave Hughes warned there will "have to be money involved" to resolve the dispute as "nurses will not get off the streets empty handed". He claimed the threat of knock-on claims is a "fallacy". He denied there would be a domino effect if nurses were rewarded for extra duties they have taken on. He said these include drug prescribing and triage, for which there is no "grade attached". Meanwhile, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform said nurses' basic pay would rise from between 22pc to 40pc over the next two years if an extra 12pc pay rise was granted. A newly qualified staff nurse will see their basic pay rise by 25pc from 29,056 to 36,196 by the end of next year. However, a 12pc increase would push it to 40,540 in October next year - an increase of 11,484 or 40pc in just two years. Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin called for a mediator like the former head of the Workplace Relations Commission, Kieran Mulvey, to intervene. "Substance must replace spin in the resolution of this dispute," he said. Gardai are investigating after the body of a man was discovered in his home in Dublin city centre yesterday evening. It's understood the man - aged in his late 30s - was found in his bed in the Pearse Street area of the capital. A Garda spokesperson said last night that the man's death was being treated as a sudden death. The Irish Independent understands that he was the victim of a violent assault last week. He was rushed to hospital last Friday with serious leg injuries after he was knocked down by a car. Gardai are investigating whether a dissident republican was behind the shocking incident. He was treated for his injuries before being discharged from hospital. Emergency services were alerted after the discovery of the man's body and a Garda presence remained at the scene last night. A post mortem is due to be carried out today. The passing of the CAO February 1 deadline will not result in school life becoming any less busy for Leaving Cert students. Many schools are entering into mock exams. Projects for home economics, LCVP and engineering are due in the next month and Leaving Cert orals start on March 25. The thoughts of all these deadlines can easily overwhelm us, so prioritising is key to ensuring students manage to stay on top of things. Here are some February tasks that will help bring peace of mind. Learn to study better Despite their best intentions, many students find it extremely difficult to establish a good study routine. It is likely that the 'mock' exams have either already begun or will start very soon. Impending exams can focus thoughts and help students to get down to some very productive work and this Leaving Cert practice run shows students their strengths and weaknesses. Take full advantage of this new learning and make best use of the remaining four months. Take one last look at your CAO It can be helpful to revisit the order of preference list this month. Changes can be made up to March 1 for a fee of 10. This means that if an applicant spots a mistake on their form, it can be rectified - perhaps an applicant has forgotten to list a restricted entry course for which they wish to be considered. Finish HEAR and DARE applications Any CAO applicant interested in HEAR or DARE must have indicated their intention to apply by February 1. They must also complete the online supplementary information form by March 1. Applicants may need the assistance of a parent to do so, especially with regard to the HEAR application. An applicant must also submit all supporting documentation by April 1 - this can take a long time to collect and professionals, whether a hospital consultant or a special needs teacher, require sufficient notice. Focus on PLC and Level 5/6 We have mentioned further education/PLC courses many times in the last number of weeks. They offer excellent entry routes to third level and allow students to gain an award that may assist them in accessing their chosen degree. The difference being that, in a PLC, students study an area in which they are interested rather than the broad range of subjects required at Leaving Cert. Applications can now be made to most further education colleges. Colleges will continue to take applications until all courses are filled, but some courses fill early. If students have already applied for an FE course, they should spend some time now preparing for the interview. Check out options Unfortunately, every year a number of students apply to the CAO and enter third level because they cannot find a viable alternative, rather than because of a genuine passion for their chosen course. With the increase in apprenticeships, work opportunities and training programmes, there are more options than in the last decade. Students should regularly check careers websites to ensure they are aware of all opportunities as they arise. We often only realise that something is the perfect opportunity for us after we see it advertised. Many of these programmes and employers begin to advertise in spring, so it is prudent to keep a close eye on careers news websites and the media. For example, the Dublin Airport Authority is currently recruiting apprentice electricians and fitters. Aoife Walsh is a guidance counsellor at Malahide Community School, Co Dublin Q I heard you can make changes to your CAO after the February 1 deadline has passed. Is this true? A From February 5 to March 1, the CAO allows applicants to make changes to their submitted form for a fee of 10. Most applicants should not need to make changes at this time as they can make any changes during the 'change of mind' period from May 6 until July 1. One of the main reasons why applicants avail of this facility is because they forgot to enter a restricted entry course. Restricted entry courses, which are clearly marked in the CAO handbook, require applicants to undergo early assessment procedures, which may begin as early as February. For example, art courses require applicants to submit a portfolio of work, a drama or music course may require an audition, and medicine requires students to take a suitability test. These courses should be included on the CAO no later than February 1, so applicants can be invited to attend tests and auditions or to submit work. But the change of course choices facility allows applicants to rectify any mistakes or omissions made before the February 1 deadline. This facility will also benefit any postal applicants who may have made a mistake on their application, of which they only become aware after they received their statement of choices. A SLEDGEHAMMER, bars and hatchets were thrown at gardai as they pursued a prolific robbery gang during a high-speed chase on the M50. The 220kph chase came to an end shortly before 5am yesterday when two brothers gardai suspect to be main participants in the so-called New M50 Gang were arrested by armed officers outside the house of one of their associates in the Bawnogue area of Clondalkin. Two suspects who were involved in yesterdays early-morning crime spree are believed to be on the run, but two siblings, aged 19 and 23, were still being questioned at Wicklow Garda Station last night. Gardai released details of the arrest operation yesterday and Independent.ie can reveal that as well as the four overnight burglaries in Co Wicklow and Co Wexford yesterday, the New M50 Gang are suspected of at least 25 similar crimes in the past 10 weeks, including three shop raids in Balbriggan last week. The recent robberies have happened across Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Kilkenny and gardai believe that the reckless young Clondalkin gang has been using the countrys motorway system to travel at speed in high-powered vehicles to blitz businesses in smash-and-grab robberies. The car that gardai seized yesterday, thought to have been used in the four robberies, was an extremely powerful VW Passat, which has an engine size of over four litres. The crime spree started at around 1am when three men forced entry into a filling station in Gorey town. Cigarettes, along with an undisclosed sum of cash, were taken, a garda spokesman said. It is understood the Gorey filling station was targeted just minutes before Brownes Village Store in Redcross, Co Wicklow, was hit at 1.50am when three raiders wearing balaclavas and boiler suits ransacked the shop, with a getaway driver remaining in the car outside. The gang had gained entry to the store by using a crowbar to break a window and then stole a hatchet that was later thrown at gardai during the high-speed car chase. They escaped with around 600 in cash and almost 10,000 of cigarettes before continuing on the crime spree targeting a Rathnew shop, which was burgled along with a phone shop in Wicklow town. Sums of cash, along with cigarettes and mobile phones, were taken during the raids, a garda spokesman added. After the arrests took place, investigating officers recovered a large quantity of cigarettes, phones, SIM cards and other property from the car. Last night, a senior source estimated that the total value of the stolen goods was more than 25,000. In one of the raids, which occurred at the XL Shop in Rathnew, Co Wicklow, shortly after 3.30am, the raiders got away with another 10,000 of cigarettes and almost 1,000 in cash. Sources have revealed that the gang hot-wired an electric shutter to gain entry to the shops main door before blitzing the store in Rathnew and then driving away at high speed. They spent less than 10 minutes in the shop. It had only been a few hours earlier that the shocking serious of raids began with the Esso filling station robbery. It is thought the gang were driving north back to their Dublin base when they hit two more shops and broke into the Eir mobile store in Wicklow town. However, by the time the gang reached Kilmacanogue in north Wicklow on the N11, multiple garda units had been made aware of what had happened earlier in the morning and an attempt was made to stop the criminals high-powered vehicle. It sped off and the dramatic chase continued at eye-watering speeds for a distance of well over 30km. Amid the frenzied pursuit, the thugs in the car treated themselves to some stolen sweets while flinging some of their more dangerous loot at the chasing gardai. Sources say that by the time the drama finally ended, 20 patrol cars and the garda helicopter were involved in the manhunt. The operation was led by the specialist anti-burglary unit. It ended in the Bawnogue area after gardai chased the suspects through the Adamstown and Newcastle areas of South Dublin. Two suspects remained on the run last night. A Belfast man has appeared in court today charged with raping his disabled mother. The 32-year-old defendant, who cannot be identified, is accused of carrying out the sexual assault at their home in the early hours of Sunday morning. His lawyer said he emphatically denies the alleged offence. Belfast Magistrates' Court heard the man claims he went into his mother's bedroom to get cigarettes. According to his account she woke up when he lifted a bed sheet to look for a lighter which had fallen from the packet. Defence solicitor Feargal MacElhatton told the court: "She said 'You're trying to have sex with your mother', which he denied by saying 'catch yourself on' or words even more emphatic than that." The man left their home a short time later and contacted a relative to say 'My mother's at it again, she's gone crazy', Mr MacElhatton submitted. He stressed that the accused maintained his denials throughout five interviews, and also provided intimate samples for forensic tests. Opposing bail, a detective cited the vulnerability of the alleged victim. "She has a range of disabilities," the detective said. Concerns were also raised for the accused's own safety. Deputy District Judge Trevor Browne was told police have notified the man about a potential threat to him believed to come from other family members. Granting bail, however, Mr Browne banned the defendant from any contact with his mother. He is only to be released when an address approved by police is identified and confirmed. The man is due back in court in four weeks time. The former partner of a man whose body was found in a farmyard tank two years after he disappeared has told how she was invited to go on a trip with him and his partner, Mary Lowry, on the weekend before he went missing. Mary Glasheen, who remained friends with Bobby Ryan after their relationship, told the Central Criminal Court that he and Ms Lowry were going to Bundoran, Co Donegal, to see the popular Irish showband The Indians, but she decided not to go with them. Patrick Quirke (50), of Breanshamore, Co Tipperary, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Bobby Ryan (52), a DJ known as Mr Moonlight, between June 3, 2011 and April 2013. Mary Lowry's son Tommy Lowry told the trial that he "did not like spending time" with the accused man, Patrick Quirke. It also heard how Mr Quirke knew of the existence of an underground tank at Ms Lowry's farm in Fawnagowan, Co Tipperary, where Mr Ryan's body was found. Ms Glasheen told the court that while she had been invited by Mr Ryan to accompany them to Bundoran, she decided not to go because she felt "they were a couple and it wouldn't be nice to be the only person with a couple", adding that she might have considered going along if someone else was going too. Ms Glasheen told the murder trial that she had a relationship with Bobby Ryan but was "delighted" when he met Mary Lowry and "could be happy, hopefully". She said she had a three-month relationship with Mr Ryan starting in January 2008 after she separated from her husband, who subsequently passed away the following year. She described Mr Ryan as "bubbly, kind, liked dancing, happy" and said he would ask her if she would "like to go out for a meal or whatever". Expand Close Accused: Patrick Quirke has denied the murder of popular DJ Bobby Ryan. Photo: Collins Courts / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Accused: Patrick Quirke has denied the murder of popular DJ Bobby Ryan. Photo: Collins Courts After the relationship ended, they were still friends, she said, adding hey would go for lunch on Sunday "if he was at nothing". Asked if she was aware of his relationship with Mary Lowry, Ms Glasheen said she was. Asked how she felt about it, she replied: "Delighted he had met somebody and he would be happy, hopefully." She agreed she had seen the couple together and thought that this was in the dance hall at the Times hotel. "They seemed to be happy, yes," she replied in question to how they were together. Under cross-examination by Bernard Condon SC for the Defence, Ms Glasheen agreed she had not had as much contact with Mr Ryan but then met him at the Times hotel and he introduced her to Mary Lowry. He put it to her that she had told gardai that one night in the Times, she had danced with Mr Ryan. After this, Mary Lowry had passed a comment that she "knew Ms Glasheen was there because she heard her laughing". Ms Glasheen told the gardai that she thought it "a bit of a bitchy comment". "I felt she was cutting at me," Ms Glasheen agreed she had told the gardai, explaining she has "a loud laugh that she is aware of" and it gave her a bit of a shock to be approached like that by Mary Lowry, whom she had not noticed before. Ms Glasheen agreed she had been asked by Bobby to go on the trip to Bundoran to see the showband The Indians but she decided not to go. "They were a couple and it wouldn't be nice to be the only person with a couple - maybe if there was someone else going too," she said. She agreed that she had texted Mr Ryan at 10pm the night before his disappearance and did not get a reply which was "unusual". She also agreed that she had told gardai that she had met Mary Lowry "at different dance"' since Bobby went missing, adding: "She'd look at me but wouldn't salute." Ms Glasheen agreed that on one occasion she had stayed overnight at Bobby Ryan's when he got a new house at Boherlahane. She had bought him a mirror to wish him well and he wanted to go for a few drinks, she said, adding that Mary Lowry and Bobby had slept upstairs while she had slept downstairs on the couch, she said. Former justice minister Patrick Cooney has received an apology, damages and his legal costs under a settlement of his defamation action against the 'Irish Times'. The case was listed in the High Court jury list for hearing tomorrow but Paul Gallagher SC, for Mr Cooney, told Mr Justice Bernard Barton yesterday it had settled on terms, including an apology to be read in court. Brian O'Moore SC, for the newpaper, read the apology. It stated: "On February 26, 2014, the 'Irish Times' published an article suggesting that Mr Patrick Cooney was an accomplice to alleged Garda brutality when he was Minister for Justice from 1973 to 1977. "On November 17, 2014, the 'Irish Times' published an apology for making this allegation, acknowledged its falsity and undertook not to repeat it. "An opinion piece by Professor Diarmaid Ferriter in the edition of June 4, 2016, referred to a unit within the Garda Siochana known as the 'Heavy gang' and to Garda abuses. "Neither the 'Irish Times' nor Professor Ferriter intended the reference to Mr Cooney in that article as suggesting that he approved of any abuse that occurred. We accept that he did not approve of such alleged abuses or illegality and that any such suggestion is entirely false. "We apologise to Mr Cooney and his family for the great upset caused to them by this article and undertake for the future not to print or publish this allegation or any similar allegation in this form. The 'Irish Times' has further agreed to pay substantial damages and costs to Mr Cooney." Mr Justice Barton struck the case out on the basis agreed between the sides. Mr Cooney served in the cabinet of Fine Gael Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave, and was one of three surviving ministerial colleagues to attend his funeral in 2017. The son of murder trial witness Mary Lowry has told how he "did not like spending time" with accused man Patrick Quirke. Tommy Lowry (21) recalled an occasion when Mr Quirke was "giving out" to his mother about a missing ladder on the farm. Ms Lowry had then asked him what he had done with her passport and Mr Quirke told her that he had "sold it". The Central Criminal Court also heard how Mr Quirke knew of the agricultural tank where the body of Bobby Ryan was found, two years after his disappearance. Patrick Quirke (50), of Breanshamore, Co Tipperary, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Bobby Ryan (52), a DJ known as Mr Moonlight, between June 3, 2011, and April 2013. Tommy Lowry told the court he and his two younger brothers had been happy when their mother, Mary, had met Bobby Ryan. "We got on well - Bobby was funny, he'd always try and crack a joke," he said. "There was no problems - we were all happy that mam was happy and Bobby was happy too." Expand Close The accused, Patrick Quirke, leaves with his wife Imelda. Photo: Tony Gavin / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The accused, Patrick Quirke, leaves with his wife Imelda. Photo: Tony Gavin He conceded his younger brother, Jack, had given Bobby a "hard time, slagging him about being bald", but said he was young at the time and "it was all fun and games". When his father died of cancer in 2007, the farm had been leased to Patrick Quirke, he said. Asked his perception of him, he said that in the beginning, he "went around doing his own business on the farm". "As time went on, I felt that he came into the house a lot more and made himself at home," he said. Expand Close Bobby Ryans daughter Michelle and former wife Mary. Photo: Collins Courts / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Bobby Ryans daughter Michelle and former wife Mary. Photo: Collins Courts "I didn't feel like he belonged inside my house but he was there." He recalled that Mr Quirke would give out about things going missing on the farm and would blame him or his brother Jack. He told the court about going on holidays with him, saying: "I didn't like to spend time with him. I didn't like it one bit. It's just the way it was." On one occasion he heard Mr Quirke asking his mother about a missing ladder. His mother replied by asking where her passport was and, the witness said, Mr Quirke responded by saying he had sold it. Expand Close Mary Lowrys brothers in law Jimmy and Johnny. Photo: Collins Courts / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Mary Lowrys brothers in law Jimmy and Johnny. Photo: Collins Courts Jimmy Lowry told the court he was the brother of the late Martin Lowry. He recalled how on the night of his daughter Aoife's 18th birthday party he heard that his sister-in-law Mary Lowry, Martin's widow, was involved in a new relationship. He was happy for her, he said. Asked how Pat Quirke and his brother had got on, Mr Lowry replied: "Quite well." They would share machinery or do things together on the farm. Asked who knew of the existence of the tank, he said: "As far as I know, myself, my brother, Johnny and Pat." Expand Close Mary Lowry. Photo: Tony Gavin / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Mary Lowry. Photo: Tony Gavin Meanwhile, Johnny Lowry told the court he had also heard the news about his sister-in-law's new relationship at his niece's birthday party. "I was happy for her. I wished her well," he said of Mary, explaining that he had rung her. Asked how she had responded, he replied: "Good." Asked how his late brother, Martin, had got on with Pat Quirke, Mr Lowry said "well", adding that they worked together and helped each other out. Asked about the relationship between Ms Lowry and Pat Quirke after Martin's death, Mr Lowry said: "They seemed to be close. Closer than normal." Asked if he was aware of anything going on, he replied: "No, but I had my suspicions." Eileen Barlow, a friend of Mary Lowry's for some "26 or 27 years", recalled a night out the women had in the Times hotel in August 2010 when Bobby Ryan had asked Ms Lowry to dance. "I was so happy for Mary because I witnessed both Bobby and Mary dancing - Mary was so alive on the dance floor - I was glad to see that," she said, adding that her friend had been through "a very distressing stage" because her husband had passed away. Mary and Bobby were "in great form. They seem to have really connected", she said. "They were very, very happy and seemed buzzing after the dancing together." She told the court she had spoken to Bobby Ryan that night, telling him that after what Mary had been through, she wanted to make sure she was in safe hands. She asked Bobby "if his intentions were good" and if he would look after Mary because she "needed a refuge". They met again on St Patrick's Day at Ballyglass hotel and Mary seemed "very joyous", she said, adding: "They seemed very happy." Meanwhile Mary Ryan, Bobby Ryan's former wife, told the court they had grown apart after many years together and had eventually separated. "We were more like friends than husband and wife at that point," she said. She was aware of his relationship with Mary Lowry, saying: "I was happy for him, why wouldn't I be?" The court also heard from Clare O'Grady, who lived locally and who travelled to work in Limerick every morning. She said that at 6.45am on the day Mr Ryan disappeared she saw a silver van parked into the side of the road near a marshy area. She had never met a vehicle on that road at that hour, she said. The trial continues. TIED agents of EBS were put under pressure to mis-sell unsuitable investment products to customers, the High Court has been told. The court has heard claims an EBS regional manager, Tim Gleeson, asked a tied agent, Betty Martin Financial Services Ltd (BMFS), to undertake commercial activities that were unprofessional, unethical and against Central Bank rules and guidelines. BMFS operates EBS branches in Lucan, Athlone and Longford, but its contract is set to be terminated next month. The allegations were outlined as part of an action where BMFS is seeking an interlocutory injunction blocking EBS from terminating its tied agency agreement. BMFS director Declan Martin claims that after BMFS refused to comply with requests to mis-sell products, EBS served notice it intended to terminate the tied agency agreement. It is alleged other tied agents who faced similar pressures also had their contracts terminated. The claims are denied by EBS and the court has heard an audit by the special investigations unit of the building societys parent company AIB in 2017 found the allegations were not substantiated. Opening the case today, Declan McGrath SC, for BMFS, read into the record an affidavit sworn by BMFS director Declan Martin. In the affidavit, Mr Martin said he had been involved within the EBS group for over 17 years, having started as a cashier and being promoted to various positions, including advisor, branch manager and then subsequently to tied agent. He and his sister Sheila Martin took over the operation of BMFS in 2012. Their mother Betty was the original tied agent. Mr Martin says that when BMFS entered into the tied agency agreement, it was assured by EBS executive Gerry Middleton that the building society would never terminate it save for exceptional reasons, such as misconduct or gross misconduct. He claims that from 2010 onwards, he and his sister began to have issues with EBS regional manager Tim Gleeson. Mr Gleeson asked BMFS to undertake commercial activities that were unprofessional, unethical and against Central Bank rules and guidelines, he alleged in his affidavit. Mr Martin explained that when a customer or potential customer seeks to open an account, they are required to complete a questionnaire. This is required by the Central Bank to ensure customers are put into the correct products, guided by risk appropriateness and appetite. The Central Bank guidance ensures customers who achieve a low score on the questionnaire are categorised as low risk and should only invest in deposit accounts. Customers with a higher score, indicating they have a greater risk appetite and understanding of the risks of investing, are allowed to open other accounts and invest in more risky products. According to Mr Martin, from 2010 onwards he was pressurised by Mr Gleeson to encourage customers to answer the questionnaire so as to score a higher risk rating and get them to invest in high risk investment products that EBS would have increased earnings from. I resisted this pressure and refused to sell high risk investment products to unsuitable customers, he said in the affidavit. Issues came to a head in 2017 and Mr Martin said that, out of necessity, he recorded Mr Gleeson directing staff to mis-sell unsuitable products. He said that in May 2017, a termination notice was served on BMFS by Mr Gleeson for no reason or cause. After this occurred Mr Martin said he went to EBS managing director Des Fitzgerald and complained about Mr Gleeson. He said Mr Fitzgerald confirmed he was withdrawing the notice and that there would be an investigation into the matters raised. The internal investigation commenced in August 2017, but its report that December found the allegations were not substantiated. While the AIB Group internal audit report purports to find that there is no evidence to support the allegations made by me, I have made contact with a number of other tied agents or persons employed by tied agents who have experienced the same pressure to mis-sell financial products, Mr Martin alleged in his affidavit. He said a new termination notice was issued by EBS in February last year. The court heard the allegations were denied by Mr Fitzgerald, who maintained in an affidavit the proceedings were procedurally abusive. In his affidavit, Mr Fitzgerald said Mr Martins claims were wrong and misplaced. The termination was on a no fault basis under the terms of the tied agency agreement, said Mr Fitzgerald. He said Irish Life had considered the matter and found there was no evidence of mis-selling. An internal audit also found no evidence of any alleged pressure to mis-sell products, he said. In response to a query from Mr Justice John Jordan, counsel for EBS Ciaran Lewis SC confirmed his clients did not intend to advance any reason for the termination as part of its defence of the proceedings. Mr Lewis confirmed both sides were entitled to terminate the agreement. The case continues. In the race to succeed Mario Draghi as European Central Bank (ECB) president, Germany's one-time favourite could yet stage a comeback. Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann, who ended 2018 languishing in Bloomberg's survey of economists behind three other rivals for the prize, may make up lost ground after a double boost in recent days. First, Germany's government decided, after apparent hesitation, not to propose a replacement for ECB chief economist Peter Praet, allowing Ireland's Philip Lane to emerge unopposed for that job, and pointedly keeping alive Mr Weidmann's candidacy. Then Italy's finance minister, Giovanni Tria, confirmed a thawing in his country's opposition to the Bundesbanker when he told 'Die Welt' that he's "open" to the prospect - and "unbiased." The race to succeed Mr Draghi in November remains likely to be settled in a bout of horse-trading for EU positions, including the presidents of the Commission, the Council and the ECB, some time after European Parliament elections in May. Mr Weidmann was the early favourite for economists, in a contest that was likely from the start to be dominated by northern Europeans, after southern Europe's current turn with Italy's Mr Draghi. Former Finnish central bank Governor Erkki Liikanen, his successor, Olli Rehn, French Governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau and ECB Executive Board member Benoit Coeure are among contenders who might geographically qualify. The German candidate's opposition to quantitative easing has haunted his candidacy from the start, with some officials in European capitals from Rome to Paris worried he could become an even more powerful obstacle to stimulus in a future downturn. While Mr Weidmann has tried to assuage such qualms, he hasn't tempered his views on the need for stimulus withdrawal. He told an audience last week that since normalising policy will take years, that's "all the more reason not to squander any time". His prospects slumped as fellow countryman Manfred Weber, leader of the largest bloc in the European Parliament, manoeuvred to replace Jean-Claude Juncker at the helm of the EU Commission. German Chancellor Angela Merkel was said to have decided it's more useful for her government to secure that than the ECB role. While that could still happen, Mr Weidmann, her former adviser, remains a potent pawn for the chancellor to deploy in the EU negotiations that will ensue. Mr Weidmann's candidacy also offers Germany the prospect to claim the prize of ECB chief that eluded it throughout the history of the euro, despite being Europe's biggest economy, and the home and original inspiration for its central bank. Bloomberg TESCO has announced that Irishwoman Christine Heffernan will join the executive committee as group communications director from March of this year. Ms Heffernan will replace Jane Lawrie. Ms Heffernan has most recently worked as executive director to Group CEO Dave Lewis. Prior to that she spent five years as director of corporate affairs in Tesco Ireland, as well as a board director and member of its senior leadership team. She has previously worked at the European Parliament and as a policy advisor at the Treasury in London. She has been a board member of Threshold, Irelands national housing charity, since 2013. Dave Lewis, Tesco Group Chief Executive, said:"Im really pleased to welcome Christine to the Group Comms Director role. She brings a wealth of experience and business insight to the role, as well as energy and deep communications expertise. "Strengthening our communications and building trust in our brand are key priorities for us and I look forward to Christines leadership in achieving those objectives." A new survey claims that most Irish broadband users are "not satisfied" with their broadband. The Coyne Research poll of 1,000 people, commissioned by Imagine Communications, claims that over 60pc of rural dwellers believe faster broadband "would significantly enhance their quality of life" and that 42pc "feel their community has been let down by the quality of broadband they receive, rising to 64pc dissatisfaction in rural villages". The research comes as the government continues to say that a "conclusion" to the current National Broadband Plan assessment with Granahan McCourt is "a number of weeks away". Some 540,000 rural homes and businesses, affecting over one million people, are currently stuck without high speed broadband. The government has pledged that a national state-funded rollout will connect every last one of the 540,000 premises to speeds up to 1,000Mbs. This rollout is based primarily on fibre lines to each premises, with a small percentage likely to be connected wirelessly. Imagine Communications, which paid for the Coyne Research survey, was eliminated from the National Broadband Plan as a primary bidder at an early stage. Its founder, Sean Bolger, is understood to have grown disillusioned with the state rollout and has repeatedly criticised it. Imagines main product is wireless broadband, described as 4G LTE. The company's website asks rural village communities to club together so that Imagine might have a minimum number of customers it can rely on for business. However, the governments National Broadband Plan, which is scheduled to hook up all such premises to higher-speed, fibre broadband at a subsidised price, may affect demand for such products. Imagine was a participant in Comregs most recent spectrum auction, buying a chunk for the purpose of offering high speed wireless internet in regional areas, potentially branded as 5G. However, it is not clear when it will roll this service out. Sean Bolger was unavailable for comment. Homestays as a new type of tourist accomodation have been booming in China, with the number of host families quadrupling to 200,000 by the end of 2017, according to figures from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Tourist homestay services are mainly grouped in east China's Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian and Jiangxi provinces, in Sichuan and Yunnan in the southwest, and Guangdong and Guangxi in the south, the ministry noted at a press conference. The ministry called the integration of tourism, leisure and cultural experiences a developing trend in China, with a sharp increase in tourist products combining sightseeing, leisure vacations, parent-child interaction and cultural experiences. During the National Day holidays in 2018, China recorded a total of 726 million domestic tourist trips, of which more than 90 percent involved cultural activities. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 6) The Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday declared measles outbreak in Metro Manila and Central Luzon. At least 861 suspected cases of measles, a highly infectious disease locally known as "tigdas," have been reported across the National Capital Region as of February 2, DOH Undersecretary Eric Domingo told CNN Philippines. He described the number as "quite high," but assured the public that authorities are now responding to the outbreak. Cities with the most number of cases include Manila, Caloocan, Marikina, Pasig, Navotas, Paranaque, Taguig, Pasay and Malabon. Meanwhile, DOH's regional office in Central Luzon said more than 400 cases of measles have been recorded since January 1. Jesse Fantone, head of the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit, confirmed five dead from measles. Domingo said the low coverage of measles vaccinations contributed to the rise in measles cases. DOH earlier warned of a possible outbreak, saying 2.4 million children have not received measles vaccinations. Ruby Constantino, DOH Disease Prevention and Control Bureau Director, said many parents say they fear to have their kids immunized because of the controversial Dengvaxia mess. On January 29, President Rodrigo Duterte himself allayed fears of vaccines and urged parents to have their children vaccinated. He said parents should not be complacent when it comes to protecting their children's health. READ: What you need to know about measles DOH: Vaccinations will really save lives Speaking to CNN Philippines Newsroom Wednesday, DOH Assistant Secretary Eric Tayag said other areas may also experience increase in number of measles cases. This is to be expected, he said, due to the virus circulating in the country during the colder months. "That was in December, and will continue to be transmitted to vulnerable population, especially children which did not get their vaccination against measles," he said. Tayag said the department is still verifying reports on which areas have high measles cases, as they want to be sure before making any pronouncements. DOH: Vaccination will really save lives pic.twitter.com/AmB2GMau2N CNN Philippines (@cnnphilippines) February 6, 2019 Tayag said the measles vaccine will "really save lives." He added that the people's fear of vaccines after the controversy surrounding the anti-dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia, may have contributed to the current rise in measles cases, but there were also other factors to consider. "For many years, we only have enough vaccine coverage that will not allow us to eliminate measles from the country, and so therefore, the number of suceptibles accumulate that would explain why there will be outbreaks," he said. That's why the DOH had supplemental vaccination activities to catch up, Tayag added. He said the primary reason behind the outbreak was that not enough children were getting vaccinated. Tayag urged parents to have their children get vaccinated against measles to provide them lifelong immunity from the disease. "Bakuna lang po talaga ang magiging pinakamainam na prevention po natin diyan. Yung magkakatigdas po, para naman hindi naman po nagkakaroon ng komplikasyon, ay kailangan po patignan niyo po kaagad 'yan," he said. [Translation: The vaccine is the most effective prevention for that. Those who will get measles, so there won't be any complications, should be checked immediately.] Large numbers of people who have worked in Britain are entitled to a tax refund, but many are unaware of it. Tax specialists Taxback.com said the rebates could be worth more than 1,000. An estimated one in three Irish people who have worked in the UK are entitled to a tax rebate. But many are not aware of their eligibility or the length of time they have to claim. A crash-out Brexit could see thousands of Irish people returning home from the UK, which will mean they will be entitled to claim tax refunds. Taxback.com commercial director Eileen Devereux said the UK has remained a popular destination for Irish workers in recent years. She said the most recent Central Statistics Office statistics show a total of 12,100 Irish people migrating to the UK in the last year. This figure was closer to 20,000 in 2011 when the numbers were at their peak. While people are still leaving our shores to work in our nearest neighbours, it is not unlikely that Brexit could see an influx of Irish workers return home, Ms Devereux said. She said many of these people end up coming home for one reason or another. Our experience is that many dont know they have left valuable tax refunds behind them, effectively giving the UK tax authorities their hard-earned cash. The Taxback.com expert said that people who have worked in the UK and paid tax in the last four years could be due a tax rebate. Figures from the UKs Office for National Statistics estimate that there were 149,000 people who were born in Ireland, aged 16 to 64 living and employed in the UK between 2013 and 2015. Any of those people who may have already returned home, or may be thinking of it, would do well to check their eligibility for a rebate, which could be as much as a huge 963 [1,095], which is our average UK tax rebate. Taxback.com has created what it calls a no-nonsense guide to income tax in the UK, which is aimed at helping Irish people who have worked or are currently working in the UK, to sort out their tax affairs and avail of any refunds that may be due. Dont you want me?: The Human Leagues Philip Oakey at Bulmers Live C&C has been warned many youngsters dont think alcohol is cool Social media culture is putting people off alcohol, posing challenges to Bulmers-maker C&C, analysts at investment bank Berenberg have told clients. Shares in the company fell 2.6pc in Dublin yesterday after the analysts cut their rating on the company's stock to 'sell'. C&C's stock has been boosted since its acquisition of UK wholesaler Matthew Clark Bibendum, but Berenberg believes market expectations for the company are too high. It says the company's drinks brands - including Bulmers and Magners cider and Tennent's lager - are facing structural challenges due to demographics. The so-called 'Generation Z' - generally defined as people born in the mid 1990s - is drinking less alcohol, Berenberg said. "Social media culture has placed significant emphasis on vanity and looks, to which alcohol and smoking are not conducive," analysts at the German investment bank said in a note circulated to clients. "People have been put off the consumption of alcohol that may lead them 'going viral' for being 'wasted on camera'," they added. "Twenty years of anti-drug, anti-smoking and anti-alcohol education has done its job: it is no longer 'uncool' to not drink or take drugs." Berenberg also said C&C was facing challenges from competition, like Heineken's Orchard Thieves. Berenberg said that acquiring a wholesaler wouldn't fix these issues, as Berenberg sees them. The argument in favour of having a wholesaler is that it will enable you to push your brands, but Berenberg said that C&C already had big Scottish and Irish wholesalers (Gleeson) and still faced challenges in terms of market share. A global tech firm with a hub in Dublin's Docklands will be creating 150 new highly skilled jobs here as part of a 8m investment in its Irish workforce. French firm Assystem Technologies and its affiliates - including SQS Ireland - are relaunching under new brand Expleo today after 50 years in business. The rebrand is part of a global growth strategy to expand the firm's footprint, particularly in Germany, North America and India. Assystem Tech completed a number of acquisitions in 2018, including Dublin-based SQS, which already boasts a 500-strong workforce here. Expand Close (L-R): Pat Breen, Minister of State for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection; Phil Codd, Managing Director, Expleo Ireland; and Mary Buckley, Executive Director, IDA Ireland. Photo credit: Leonard Photography / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (L-R): Pat Breen, Minister of State for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection; Phil Codd, Managing Director, Expleo Ireland; and Mary Buckley, Executive Director, IDA Ireland. Photo credit: Leonard Photography Under Expleo Ireland, 120 new jobs will be created at the North Wall Quay site and an additional 30 at its Digital Labs in Belfast. The announcement follows the expansion of other tech firms in Dublin in recent months, including Google, Facebook, Amazon, WeWork and Wrike. Roles in the areas of robotics, quality engineering, DevOps, project management and business agility are currently live for application. Read More Expleo Group's aim is to combine technology and design to provide end-to-end services for businesses across the globe looking for digital project expertise. The team here will be focusing on the pharmaceutical, manufacturing, aerospace and automobile industries as key growth areas. Managing Director, Expleo Ireland, Phil Codd, said that the development "marks the start of a bold new chapter for the company across the island of Ireland". "We have a rich digital ecosystem in Ireland and we plan to be an even greater driving force at the heart of that ecosystem, reinforcing Irelands position as a major player in the global digital economy." With strong Franco-German ties, the group employs 15,000 people in more than 25 countries, connecting clients with experts locally. Expleo Groups network of affiliate companies includes Aerotec, Athos Aeronautique, Double Consulting, Edison Technical Recruitment, Moorhouse Consulting, Silver Atena, Stirling Dynamics, Sud Aviation Services, Trissential and Vista Technologies. Mary Buckley, Executive Director, IDA Ireland, said that today's announcement by Expleo will provide excellent career opportunities for technology professionals and graduates alike. THE spectacular collapse of the trial of the former Anglo Irish Bank chairman Sean FitzPatrick in 2017 was a result of conduct characterised by "gross incompetence" and bordered on "potential criminality", the Joint Committee on Business, Enterprise and Innovation was told yesterday. The comments by Fianna Fail TD and spokesman on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Billy Kelleher, were made as the committee probed a proposed Bill designed to overhaul the State's powers to crack down on white collar crime in Ireland. The Bill will also establish the Corporate Enforcement Authority - an autonomous successor to the Office of the Director for Corporate Enforcement (ODCE). The ODCE was left reeling from stinging criticism from the judge presiding over the Sean FitzPatrick trial in 2017. In 2017, the then Tanaiste and Justice Minister, Frances Fitzgerald, slammed the ODCE as "not fit for purpose". But Eadaoin Collins, a principal officer with the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, yesterday evening defended the ODCE, following a slate of new appointments since 2012. "The ODCE is fit for purpose," said Ms Collins. "It has, I believe, a very strong track record. "Just to put this into context, there were a number of investigations in parallel and there was only one where adverse shortcomings were identified. The office does have a good track record in terms of prosecutions." The planned overhaul of the ODCE was announced by the Government in late 2017, soon after the trial of Mr FitzPatrick collapsed. He had been accused of allegedly misleading Anglo Irish Bank's auditors in relation to millions of euro in loans he received from the bank. He had pleaded not guilty to 27 offences. Hearing the case, Justice John Aylmer said that the investigation that had been carried out by the ODCE fell short of an unbiased, impartial, balanced investigation that an accused is entitled to. Mr FitzPatrick was acquitted on all counts. The ODCE's lead investigator, Kevin O'Connell, had previously admitted to destroying potentially relevant documentary evidence. That admission came during the initial trial of Mr FitzPatrick, in 2015. Ms Collins said it was "fully accepted" that the standard of investigation by the ODCE in the case "was below par". Incredibly, for the first time, the new Bill plans to give the new corporate watchdog permission, on foot of a search warrant, to use its own devices on site to connect to corporate networks and to access off-site machines or cloud storage belonging to either an entity or individual. Until now, evidence had to be in physical form, such as a printed document, or testimony from a person who witnessed an event. Operating profit at Irish conglomerate DCC was 'significantly ahead of the prior year' in the company's third financial quarter. DCC told the market yesterday that despite a mild winter - a negative for sales of the company's home heating oil and gas - trading was in line with expectations in the quarter, covering the three months to the end of December 2018. It did not provide detailed financial figures in the statement. DCC shares rose more than 2.6pc in London yesterday. The company said its liquefied petroleum gas division, which supplies heating gas for homes and businesses, had been boosted by contributions from previous acquisitions. Its retail and oil division, which includes sales of home heating oil, had been impacted by the 'Yellow Vest' protests against fuel taxes in France, the company said. But it added that overall French performance was robust, and the division boosted operating profit on foot of good performances in Britain and Denmark. Its healthcare business, which provides products to health and beauty providers, had also posted operating profit that was well above the prior year, DCC said. DCC, founded by businessman Jim Flavin in 1976, started out as a venture capital group before becoming the large diversified entity it is today. FILE PHOTO: The corporate logo of Bayer is seen at the headquarters building in Caracas May 6, 2015. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins/File Photo Bayer said on Wednesday that farmers in France and Germany were digging up thousands of hectares of rapeseed fields after traces of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) banned for cultivation were found in seeds sold by the company. GMO crops are widely grown across the world, but they remain controversial in Europe, where very few varieties are authorised for growing and some countries like France have completely outlawed their cultivation, citing environmental risks. Checks by the French authorities during the autumn showed minute quantities of GMO seeds, estimated at less than 0.005 percent of the volume, in three batches of rapeseed seeds sold under the Dekalb brand, Catherine Lamboley, Bayer's chief operating officer for France, said. Dekalb was previously a Monsanto brand before the U.S. company was taken over by Bayer last year. The GMO found, which is a rapeseed variety grown in Canada, is not authorised for cultivation in Europe, although it is allowed in imports destined for food and animal feed, Lamboley said. Bayer issued a product recall but some of the seed had already been sown, representing about 8,000 hectares in France and 2,500-3,000 hectares in Germany, which are in the process of being dug up, Bayer said. It was not yet known what caused the contamination of the rapeseed seeds, produced in Argentina in a GMO-free area, Lamboley said. "We decided to immediately stop all rapeseed seed production in Argentina," she told Reuters in a phone interview. Bayer's Argentine rapeseed seeds were destined for the European market and represent 12 percent of its rapeseed supply for France, the company added. Bayer declined to estimate the overall cost of the GMO contamination but said it will offer compensation of 2,000 euros ($2,277.80) per hectare to affected farmers, suggesting a payout of around 20 million euros in France and Germany. The compensation reflected the loss of rapeseed fields this season and the fact farmers would not be able to grow the crop next either as a precaution to avoid re-emergence of the GMO strain, Lamboley added. The order to destroy some crops is another blow for European rapeseed growers who had already cut sowings sharply due to dry weather. However, the area is small compared to the total French winter rapeseed area, which the farm ministry in December forecast at 1.23 million hectares. The corresponding German crop area is seen at close to 1 million hectares. Property developer sentiment remains strong in Dublin, boosted by an increase in construction activity across the residential, office and hotel sectors last year. Meanwhile the development of student accommodation has remained static, according to the Deloitte 'Dublin Crane' survey. The report captures the development of new schemes and the significant refurbishment of property including office, residential, hotels and student accommodation throughout 2018. In the office space, the sector witnessed a continued surge in development, supported by a strong performance of the Irish economy and the continued commitment of investors, both domestic and international. The volume of development in the Dublin office sector increased from around four million sq ft in 2017 to 5.6 million sq ft of office space under construction last year. However Michael Flynn, head of real estate at Deloitte Ireland, said the group envisage a reduction in the scale of city centre development over the short to medium term, as the office accommodation developed last year and this year satisfies remaining demand. "This has been reflected in a noticeable reduction in planning applications lodged with Dublin City Council," Mr Flynn said. "The decrease in new applications most likely reflects the closing of supply gaps in the market, which means future commercial development should proceed at a more measured pace." That said, the impact of Brexit on demand for office space remains to be seen," he added. In the hospitality area, there are currently 20 hotels under construction in the Dublin City Council area. These range from new builds to "significant" renovation and extension work, according to the report. These schemes will add a total of 2,752 rooms to Dublins hotel stock when completed, up from 929 rooms in 2017. Elsewhere, and there has been a slight reduction on the number of student accommodation beds under construction. Chad Bailey, 46, was traveling northeast on Ind. 2 in a white 2011 Toyota Prius when he went off the roadway to the right for unknown reasons, striking a utility pole, Erow said, adding speed and roadway conditions are believed to be a contributing factor. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will travel to Brussels today to lobby key EU leaders to pledge major emergency aid for Ireland if the UK crashes out next month. Mr Varadkar is expected to petition for cash injections and a loosening of strict EU rules on aid in order to combat the fallout from a chaotic Brexit. With no consensus emerging from London on the Irish backstop, no-deal plans are being ramped up here - including changes to VAT rules and infrastructure at ports and airports. Plans to keep rail lines open between Ireland and Northern Ireland are also being examined. Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe told an Oireachtas committee that discussions were ongoing with the EU Commission on state aid that may be needed. The Fine Gael leader's back-to-back meetings with EU leaders comes a day ahead of Theresa May's own set of meetings in Brussels. She will arrive tomorrow to press the EU to allow negotiations to reopen or face the threat of a no-deal scenario. In Belfast yesterday, Mrs May moved to reassure people her commitment to avoiding a hard Border was "unshakeable". But she was not able to spell out what changes she was seeking, causing the Irish Government to warn against "unrealistic expectations". Mrs May's comments also angered Brexiteers who fear that her speech steps back from previous assurances. Mr Varadkar will make the case for Ireland not to emerge as a scapegoat as a result of Brexit with key EU figures today including Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker. He will look for support in a series of back-to-back meetings with key EU figures and is expected to seek cash injections and a loosening of aid rules to provide targeted help for industries worst hit by a chaotic Brexit, including fishing and farming industries. Ireland has already put the EU on notice that it will make an application for emergency supports if no deal comes to pass, and sources say Mr Varadkar's purpose in Brussels will be two-fold. Firstly he wants to shore up support for the backstop and thank EU chiefs for standing so resolutely behind Ireland in the past week. However, he will also be seeking assurances that Ireland will not be scapegoated in a no-deal scenario. This country will be looking to Europe for "major financial assistance" if the UK crashes out, particularly in the area of agriculture and small enterprises. The European Commission's no-deal contingency plans already recognise that Ireland stands to be more adversely affected by a disorderly Brexit than other member states. They have committed to addressing "the specific challenges of Irish businesses" - but what exactly this means has yet to be defined. The EU will provide technical and financial assistance for the training of new customs officers, however Mr Varadkar's requests are likely to be more heavily weighted toward direct intervention in certain sectors. While the EU's no-deal plans state that the union's laws provide for "a variety of instruments to cope with the most immediate effects of the withdrawal of the UK", Mr Varadkar is likely to ask what this means in particular terms. Already Business Minister Heather Humphreys has lobbied heavily for a temporary relaxation of state aid rules. Speaking ahead of his meetings, Mr Varadkar said "ongoing uncertainty in London" means that no-deal preparation is being ramped up. EU Commission officials were in Dublin yesterday discussing contingency plans for a no-deal scenario. Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe told an Oireachtas committee meanwhile that if Britain leaves without a deal "there will be trade-offs and choices that have to be made" in order to avoid Border infrastructure which the Government is resolute it will do. In Belfast, Mrs May moved to quell anxiety in Northern Ireland over her new Brexit strategy but was unable to spell out her alternatives to the Irish protocol. She was forced to deny she had performed a U-turn on the backstop - a legal insurance policy to prevent the re-emergence of a hard Border on the island of Ireland - and said any new Brexit deal will include one, but changes must be made to the current backstop to ensure the deal commands a majority in Westminster. But Downing Street was unable to clarify what the preferred option to achieve those changes was, saying a number of options - all of which have been previously ruled out by the EU - are being looked at. Her confirmation that there will be a backstop did not sit well with the European Research Group of Eurosceptic Tory MPs, one of whom said: "Even if she doesn't mean what she said, we still do." However, DUP leader Arlene Foster appeared to leave room for manoeuvre on the backstop solution, branding the "current backstop" toxic. But she refused to say if the deal would have to be renegotiated or if she would accept legally binding assurances. A spokesperson for the Taoiseach welcomed Mrs May's commitments on the Border but expressed concern about "unrealistic expectations" over what can be achieved with the backstop. Mrs May said pledges made in the joint report in December 2017 were made in "good faith" and said the British government will honour the principles of the Good Friday Agreement. Prime Minister Theresa May at a community centre during her visit to Belfast. Tuesday February 5, 2019. Clodagh Kilcoyne/PA Wire British Prime Minister Theresa May held a series of meetings with Northern Ireland's political leaders as she strives for a breakthrough on the backstop impasse. But Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald criticised Mrs May as coming to Belfast with "no plan, no credibility and no honour". She said she had had a "very direct meeting" with Mrs May. "We are now 51 days from the Brexit deadline and the British Prime Minister has come here empty handed with the same old rhetoric with no plan, no credibility and frankly no honour," she said. "We have told her that the British strategy of running down the clock and playing a game of chicken with Ireland and Irish interests is profoundly unacceptable and wrong. "We have told her that the days of Britain dictating to Ireland or Irish people, that those days are over and will not return. "We have told her that the backstop is the bottom line, the bare minimum requirements to meet Irish interests, to protect the Good Friday Agreement, to prevent a hardening of the border, to in some way mitigate citizens' rights." The Democratic Unionist Party were the final party to meet Mrs May at Stormont House. Speaking afterwards, DUP leader Arlene Foster reiterated her position that the backstop is the "main problem". She said her party has an "ongoing engagement" with the Government over Brexit. Expand Close Sinn Fein deputy leader Michelle O'Neill (left) and leader Mary Lou McDonald speaking to the media as they arrive at Stormont for talks with Prime Minister Theresa May. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA Wire / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sinn Fein deputy leader Michelle O'Neill (left) and leader Mary Lou McDonald speaking to the media as they arrive at Stormont for talks with Prime Minister Theresa May. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA Wire "This was another useful opportunity to press for a deal which works for the entire United Kingdom. We want a deal which respects the Union and the referendum result," she said. "Our message was very simple. The draft Withdrawal Agreement is flawed because the backstop would undermine the economic and constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom." The Ulster Unionist Party had met the British Prime Minister first, and leader Robin Swann said his party had a "very clear message" for the Prime Minister. He said Mrs May will have to put direct rule government in place for Northern Ireland by March 30 if there is no extension of Article 50. But after his meeting, Mr Swann claimed Mrs May appeared reluctant to talk about efforts to restore powersharing. "The conversation we were having with the prime minister was initially about Brexit, we had to drag her to a place were we actually started to talk about how we get these institutions back up and running," he said. Alliance Party leader Naomi Long expressed her impatience at what she termed the lack of progress in the two years since the UK voted to leave the European Union. She said she had a "very direct" meeting with the Prime Minister. "It's very clear from our perspective that the time for reiterating red lines and regurgitating reassurances has long gone," she said. Expand Close DUP Leader Arlene Foster leaves Stormont after holding talks with Prime Minister Theresa May on the second day of her visit to Belfast. Wednesday February 6, 2019. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA Wire / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp DUP Leader Arlene Foster leaves Stormont after holding talks with Prime Minister Theresa May on the second day of her visit to Belfast. Wednesday February 6, 2019. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA Wire "What we need now, and the only lines we are interested in, are black and white on paper, an actual deal. "That is the only thing that is actually going to reassure the public, it is the only thing that is going to reassure business and it is the only thing that is going to reassure those of us in politics who are concerned about what is going to happen next. "This is not about political philosophy, this is about people who live in Donegal and work in Derry, this is about people who live in Newry and work in Dundalk. This is about people being able to do their jobs, it's about workforce planning in our health service, in our schools, it's about all of those things. It's not about philosophical debates in Parliament." SDLP leader Colum Eastwood, who was third in to see Mrs May, said she needed to understand there was no alternative to the backstop. "Last week's vote - the Brady amendment - was a betrayal of everything that was said before that, of the people of Northern Ireland and of all the political progress that we have made," he said. "It just doesn't add up. The last time Theresa May was here she was expounding the values of the backstop and now we are in a situation where apparently the alternatives to the backstop are being explored. "We made it very clear that there are no alternatives to the backstop. "The bottom line is this - for the people of Northern Ireland, for our peace process, for all of our political progress, we need to remain within the customs union and single market in order to avoid a hard border. "I think that will begin to be understood at all levels in the British parliament because they don't have an alternative. They talk about vague alternatives but there aren't any alternatives." Ireland's ability to fend off pressure from bigger EU countries such as Germany and France on key issues will be greatly reduced after Brexit, a new report has found. A veto over a unified taxation policy will continue to protect our 12.5pc corporation tax rate, but our voting power on 80pc of EU legislation will be lessened. The withdrawal of the UK means votes taking place under qualified majority voting (QMV) will be difficult for smaller nations to block, even if they form a coalition. Under QMV, a group of at least four countries must come together to oppose legislation but even then can only block it if they make up 35pc of the population of the EU. The Institution of International and European Affairs (IIEA) assessment said Ireland would have to be "strategic in its alliance building across different policy areas after Brexit, and that including France or Germany in any potential coalition will be increasingly important". The Government has been working to build ties with a so-called Nordic-Baltic grouping in recent years that includes countries such as the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland and Latvia. The IIEA said Ireland was right to be looking towards "other small, open and like-minded countries as it seeks to build alliances after Brexit". "However, it is imperative that the larger member states are included if the coalition is to have significant influence in the council," the report noted. "Ireland is wary of fixed alliances with particular groupings and prefers to invest in individual countries, in order to allow flexibility in these arrangements across a whole range of policy areas. "Genuine efforts are required by ministers to engage directly with their counterparts in other member states in order to learn their concerns and priorities and to identify convergences of interest." On taxation, the IIEA said that senior figures in the EU continue to push the idea of applying QMV to tax policy - but this has "sparked some unease among a number of member states". These states, including Ireland, fear they would lose a critical veto over tax rates. The Central Bank has been able to provide assurances that the financial system as a whole was resilient enough to withstand a hard Brexit and that the most material 'cliff-edge' financial stability risks arising from Brexit "have been largely mitigated". Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said he has met with top officials from the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA), which manages the country's debt, the Central Bank and the Revenue Commissioners to assess readiness. "All are engaging closely in the overall whole-of-Government preparations, and are confident they have put appropriate contingency measures in place to do everything possible to limit the inevitable disruption to consumers and trade, in the event of a no-deal Brexit," Mr Donohoe said. The minister again stressed the "backstop" is not for negotiation and there is "no such thing" as a managed "no deal". Even in a cliff-edge Brexit, the Irish economy is likely to keep growing, albeit at a much slower pace. "The initial assessment by my department suggests the level of economic activity will be around 4.15 percentage points lower than our existing trajectory over the medium-term and will be around six percentage points lower compared to a no-Brexit scenario," the minister said. A slowdown of such magnitude would cause the headline deficit to widen by as much as a percentage point of gross domestic product. EU Council President Donald Tusk and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar shake hands as the they give statements after a meeting at the European Council headquarters in Brussels, Belgium February 6, 2019. REUTERS/Yves Herman EU Council President Donald Tusk and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar gesture as they give statements after a meeting at the European Council headquarters in Brussels, Belgium February 6, 2019. REUTERS/Yves Herman Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was caught on microphone telling European Council President Donald Tusk that he will get "terrible trouble" from the press for his strong remarks on Brexit on Wednesday Immediately beforehand, Mr Tusk had asked if there is a "special place in hell for those who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan". The pointed remarks from Mr Tusk came after the Taoiseach arrived in Brussels for talks with EU leaders to discuss preparations for a no-deal Brexit. Mr Tusk reiterated that the EU will not be offering the United Kingdom any concession on the so-called backstop. The EU chief took an extremely hard line against the UK political system, saying there is no effective leadership for the Remain side of the debate. Read More And he demanded that British Prime Minister Theresa May bring realistic suggestions for how to end the impasse and prevent a no-deal scenario. "I've been wondering what that special place in hell looks like, for those who promoted Brexit, without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely," Mr Tusk said at the joint news conference with Mr Varadkar. Expand Close EU Council President Donald Tusk and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar gesture as they give statements after a meeting at the European Council headquarters in Brussels, Belgium February 6, 2019. REUTERS/Yves Herman / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp EU Council President Donald Tusk and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar gesture as they give statements after a meeting at the European Council headquarters in Brussels, Belgium February 6, 2019. REUTERS/Yves Herman After the two leaders finished their statements, Mr Varadkar and Mr Tusk shook hands, with the Taoiseach caught on microphone telling Mr Tusk he will get in "terrible trouble from the British press". Mr Tusk laughed and replied: "I know." Expand Close EU Council President Donald Tusk and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar shake hands as the they give statements after a meeting at the European Council headquarters in Brussels, Belgium February 6, 2019. REUTERS/Yves Herman / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp EU Council President Donald Tusk and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar shake hands as the they give statements after a meeting at the European Council headquarters in Brussels, Belgium February 6, 2019. REUTERS/Yves Herman A clip showing the exchange was viewed over 43,000 times within 40 minutes of being posted on Twitter. The remark by Mr Tusk about a special place in hell angered Brexit supporters in Britain. Expand Close Taoiseach Leo Varadkar talks to European Council President Donald Tusk during their meeting at the Europa building in Brussels, Belgium, February 6, 2019. Francisco Seco/Pool via REUTERS / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Taoiseach Leo Varadkar talks to European Council President Donald Tusk during their meeting at the Europa building in Brussels, Belgium, February 6, 2019. Francisco Seco/Pool via REUTERS Veteran Brexiteer Nigel Farage retorted: "After Brexit we will be free of unelected, arrogant bullies like you - sounds like heaven to me." Pro-Brexit Conservative lawmaker Peter Bone said Tusk's comments were an outrageous insult to the British people Mrs May is due in Brussels tomorrow to discuss her alternative arrangements to the backstop. Her trip will come a day after a whistlestop tour of the EU capital by Mr Varadkar that includes a meeting later today with European Parliament president Jean Claude Juncker. The Taoiseach plans to thank EU bosses for their solidarity on Brexit and also lobby for emergency aid in the event that the UK crashes out on March 29. In a statement to the media after their meeting, Mr Tusk said: Our most important task is to prevent a no-deal scenario. He reiterated that the EUs top priority is the border on the island of Ireland and maintaining the peace process. We will not gamble with peace or put a sell-by date on reconciliation. This is why we insist on the backstop. There was some surprise when Mr Tusk finished by saying: Ive been wondering what that special place in hell looks like for those who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely. Mr Varadkar was more timid in his remarks, but said events in Westminster over recent weeks demonstrate exactly why we need a legal guarantee that a hard border cannot emerge. He said other EU members had offered unwavering commitment to protecting hard won peace and stability. Read More The Taoiseach said the solidarity shown by the EU resonates deeply in Ireland and across all smaller EU countries. But DUP Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson said: "Donald Tusk once again shows his contempt for the 17.4 million people who voted to escape the corruption of the EU and seek the paradise of a free and prosperous kingdom. "It is Tusk and his arrogant EU negotiators who have fanned the flames of fear in an attempt to try and overturn the result of the referendum." Ahead of her own trip to Brussels, Mrs May is today engaged in a round of meetings with political leaders in Northern Ireland. She is holding talks with the five main parties at Stormont House. The North has been in a political limbo land since January 2017, with senior civil servants running public services. Yesterday, Mrs May suggested she is seeking "changes" to the backstop in her Brexit deal, rather than its total removal from the Withdrawal Agreement. She spoke of an "unshakeable" commitment to avoiding a hard border in Ireland after Brexit, pledging: "The UK Government will not let that happen. I will not let that happen." But asked how she could convince the people of Northern Ireland to accept a Brexit deal which was stripped of the backstop, Mrs May said: "I'm not proposing to persuade people to accept a deal that doesn't contain that insurance policy for the future. "What Parliament has said is that they believe there should be changes made to the backstop." 'ALTERNATIVE arrangements' will "never replace the backstop", European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker has said. Following a meeting with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Mr Juncker sternly warned there are no new options on the table for the British government. He said Prime Minister Theresa May, who travels to Brussels tomorrow and Dublin on Friday, knows the Commission is not prepared to reopen the Withdrawal Agreement negotiated last year. Mr Junckers comments came just hours after European Council President Donald Tusk enraged many British politicians and the DUP by asking about a special place in hell for those who supported Brexit but didnt have a plan. The Commission chief brushed aside questions on Mr Tusks provocative language but did make it clear that EU is tired of the UKs dithering on Brexit. We are sticking to the line, he said in relation to the backstop, which is a legal mechanism to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland. Asked by Independent.ie whether financial supports will be available for Irish industry in the event of a no-deal scenario, Mr Juncker said Ireland would not be left alone. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the EU will always listen to suggestions that the UK government has to make. He said the threat of a no-deal is not a threat the EU is making. But Mr Varadkar said he does have a concern about the idea of alternative arrangements being pursued by Mrs May at this late stage. He said the phrases can mean whatever you want it to mean but it cannot result in the deletion of the backstop from the Withdrawal Agreement. The two men met in Brussels alongside a selection of other senior diplomats, including Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan and the EUs Chief Brexit Negotiator Michel Barnier. In a joint statement, Mr Varadkar and Mr Juncker reiterated a desire that the backstop will never come into use. However, they said it is balanced compromise, representing a good outcome for citizens and businesses on all sides, including in Northern Ireland. The backstop is not a bilateral issue, but a European one. Ireland's border is also the border of the European Union and its market is part of the Single Market. We will stay united on this matter. Ireland is increasingly prepared for a no-deal Brexit, Mr Varadkar added, while highlighting Ireland did not want things to end in such an abrupt split. "I am confident a solution can be found," Varadkar said after talks with Mr Juncker. "Ireland is increasingly prepared for a no-deal." A report has found that the majority of major trauma in Ireland is caused by a fall of less than two metres (Niall Carson/PA) The majority of major trauma incidents in Ireland are caused by a low fall of less than two metres, a report has found. One in two patients sustained their injury in their own home, 77% of which were low falls. The Major Trauma Audit (MTA) national report examines the most severely injured patients in the Irish healthcare system. It presents data from over 5,000 patients across 26 trauma hospitals in Ireland, representing 86% of all major trauma patients in 2017. Kenneth Mealy, president of RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland), will launch the report at the NOCA (National Office of Clinical Audit) annual conference on Wednesday. The report finds that the average age of major trauma patients was 58-years-old, with 21% of patients requiring transfer to another hospital for ongoing care. This report tells us that our homes are dangerous places, especially for older people. Dr Conor Deasy Many patients in Ireland continue to be brought to hospitals that do not have the services on site to manage their injuries. MTA highlights that 44% of patients who suffer major trauma are over the age of 65 years. The report also shows that older major trauma patients with complex medical needs do not receive the same level of response as younger patients with the same severity of injury and have considerably worse outcomes. Dr Conor Deasy, clinical lead for MTA, said: This report tells us that our homes are dangerous places, especially for older people. We need to address the epidemic of low falls in the home through engineering, medical and societal approaches. We have NCTs to ensure car and road user safety, should we have something similar for our homes given the burden of injury associated? Meanwhile, a report by the Irish National ICU Audit (INICUA) found that while ICUs are safe there is a need for more beds to meet demand. The INICUA was established by NOCA to focus on the care of patients in adult Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and Paediatric Intensive Care Units (PICUs). The report includes the very sickest patients in the Irish healthcare system and examines data from 6,186 adult patients and 1,463 paediatric patients across 14 units. The report found that Irish units are very busy, with 91% bed occupancy in adult ICUs and 94% bed occupancy in PICUs in 2017. The recommended occupancy levels are 70-80%. The average length of stay in an adult ICU was five days, which is comparable to the UK. However, the overall length of stay in the hospital after discharge from an ICU was 24 days in Ireland, compared with 15 days in the UK. Illness severity and the predicted risk of death at the time of admission to ICUs were higher for Irish adult patients than in the UK. Dr Rory Dwyer, clinical lead for the Irish National ICU Audit said: The report shows that most Irish ICUs work at the limits of their capacity, but provide high quality care with similar patient outcomes to the UK. But Sparks-Wade said she thinks her outspoken nature is what is helping her cope with what happened to her. As big as my mouth is and that I was a victim, she said. Now, Im a survivor, while saying she is trying to forgive those people whom she said turned to Facebook in recent days to post messages placing blame on her for what happened. Hundreds of GPs have protested outside the Dail to tell the government enough is enough on lack of funding and contract negotiations. Organised by National Association of GPs Ireland (NAGPI), the crowds turned out to protest for a reversal of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) Act 2015 which they say is causing a crisis in the sector. Members of @NAGPIrl the National Association of General Practitioners hold up their stethoscopes during a protest outside the DAil over inadequate funding of GP services. #GPprotest @pa pic.twitter.com/GKxQxFMlf5 Niall Carson (@niallcarsonpa) February 6, 2019 According to organisers, the protest is to highlight to the current Government that a complete reversal of FEMPI without preconditions is now the only option that will be accepted by general practice. The group say that years of successive cuts in Government funding for general practice have created an inefficient, unstructured health system, which is now collapsing. The attitude of the government is dishonest and negligent according to the President of NAGPI, Maitiu OTuathail, and that the failure to reverse FEMPI has had a devastating effect on GPs. The morale that GPs have now, which is so low, but there is also a negligent failure to offer services to our patients because if we do not have the funding, we cannot do that, he said. Expand Close Stethoscopes are held during a protest (Niall Carson/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Stethoscopes are held during a protest (Niall Carson/PA) Dr Dermot Quinlan, a GP in Glenmire in Co Cork said GPs are working 12 hour days to ensure the safety of patients in a system that is in crisis. General practice is in crisis, GPs are under severe pressure and we need resources to continue to care for our patients in the community, he said. We have a huge problem recruiting young GPs, a lot of them are emigrating, we have a substantial number of GPs retiring so were losing people at every possible stage. GPs say rural Ireland in particular is facing an enormous crisis in attracting doctors to the practice, as there are not enough GPs to serve the public, many are having to retire early, due to burnout. Sunny blue skies at the @NAGPIrl protest outside the Dail by hundreds of GPs. Calling for a reverse of FEMPI and more resources to tackle staff retention and training. pic.twitter.com/lkk82U76Kv aoife moore. (@aoifegracemoore) February 6, 2019 Fianna Fail Health spokesman Stephen Donnelly took to the stage during the protest and told the crowds: The Government was told that if investment in general practice didnt happen, if respect was not shown to existing GPs and future GPs this would happen, then by this time we would have a very serious problem and here we are. The protest comes just one day after a second day of strike action by nurses across the country, and hours after a five hour-long health committee into the overspend of the National Childrens Hospital. At the protest, Labours Alan Kelly said there needed to be some form of political accountability. Theres so many things going on with (Health) Minister (Simon) Harris, and obviously theres a huge amount of pressure there. Well find out what happened with the hospital in the coming days and weeks and then well make decisions around political accountability. During Leaders Questions on Wednesday, Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy said that important engagement between the State and the Irish Medical Organisation resumed in October over GP contracts. Some progress was made but there are outstanding issues. We need to ensure that as we benefit patients, we also provide value for money for the taxpayer. The States negotiating team is keen to bring a renewed focus to the engagement with the IMO in the coming weeks in an effort to bring matters to a conclusion, he said. Meanwhile, the HSE said discussions were ongoing with the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation around allowing major surgeries, including cancer, to proceed. All outpatient, inpatient and day surgery appointments were cancelled for Thursday. Minor Injury Units would be closed, while routine community nursing services and health centre nurse clinics had been cancelled. Public day centres and day hospitals for older people or people with disabilities would close. All planned admissions, including respite and rehabilitation, to public community nursing units and specified centres for people with intellectual disability had been cancelled. Leaders facing serious domestic crises can try to distract public dissatisfaction by embarking on foreign adventures which can then be presented as a victory. It is a policy which can, at times, work very well. For Donald Trump, however, the scope for this is rather limited. The US president announced in the foreign policy section of his State of the Union address that he will hold another summit with Kim Jong-Un of North Korea. Talks are being held with the Taliban over Afghanistan. In Syria, he claimed Isis has been defeated under his command. Nearer home, he decried Nicolas Maduros government in Venezuela, putting the blame for the troubles there on leftist policies. There were no overt military threats against Venezuela or anywhere else. Trump has been less inclined to use the armed forces than most of his predecessors in the White House. The US did carry out strikes in Syria after the Assad regimes chemical attack in April last year, but that was after Trump had backed himself into a corner, before speaking to his officials, by tweeting missiles are coming after seeing pictures from Ghouta on television. In the event, US diplomats and military gave the Russians enough detailed early warning for them and the Syrian regime to ensure that the missiles largely hit bases which had been evacuated, with the result that casualties were minimal. Trump, a Vietnam draft dodger, had a tendresse for the military, as was reflected in the sheer number of former generals he appointed to the administration. But they have now gone, the love affair is over, and his continuous traducing of those who risked their lives for their country like the late John McCain has led to distrust and disdain among the military and intelligence services. One of the defining images from the State of the Union speech was that of the ranks of senior commanders sitting in stonyfaced silence. There are hawks in the Trump administration, most notably the national security adviser John Bolton another Vietnam draft dodger who remains a supporter of the Iraq invasion and has been consistent in threatening regime change on perceived enemies. But the president himself, and his core constituency, show little aptitude for foreign wars. State of the Union: Donald Trump says US will 'never be a socialist country' Trump, unlike congress, has been careful to avoid making combative statements about Russia, even after events like the Novichok poisoning in Salisbury, and it is highly unlikely there will be any armed confrontation with the Kremlin over Ukraine or potential flashpoints in eastern Europe. Critics say the main reason for this is Trumps alleged secret Kremlin connection. Special envoy Robert Muellers investigation into whether the president was the Muscovian candidate in the US election continues. Trumps regular sniping at Nato while failing to criticise Russia is seen as another manifestation of this alleged Moscow link. The issue will be a lot clearer by the time he comes to Britain for the 70th anniversary conference of Nato in December. The Mueller inquiry is expected to be finished by then and the report submitted. The summit with Kim Jong-un, to be held in Vietnam at the end of this month, was the main event unfurled by Trump. But this had been well trailed and expected: and it is the second one; the novelty factor of the first meeting is no longer there. There is also the additional problem that little was achieved at the first summit in Singapore. That is not the way Trump presented it of course. If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would, right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea, he said. This is untrue, there is nothing to suggest that either Barack Obama or Kim Jong-un were preparing for war. It was Trump who threatened war on coming into office with tweets of unleashing fire and fury and annihilating the country. The tweets escalated tension and raised the prospect of sparking a conflict, but senior members of the administration, like then defence secretary James Mattis, ensured that matters did not get out of hand. Trump held up the Singapore summit as a great triumph for his policy and the US. In reality he appeared to have been outmanoeuvred by Kim Jong-un. North Korea has not conducted new nuclear tests, but it has refused to dismantle its nuclear programme or allow international inspections. We also know, from UN monitors, that it is working hard to ensure its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities are not destroyed by military strikes. If the president does make real progress in the Vietnam summit and obtain verifiable steps from North Korea on its nuclear programme then he could rightly claim a great diplomatic success. Whether that happens is another matter. John Bolton had suggested Pyongyang should follow the Libyan model of disarmament under which Colonel Muammar Gaddafi gave up his countrys nuclear programme in return for security guarantees. We all know what happened to Gaddafi, driven from power with western intervention and lynched. Kim Jong-un could be forgiven for feeling a degree of trepidation about taking that particular path. Trump pointed out in his speech that 7,000 US troops had died and $7 trillion was spent in two decades of wars in the Middle East. This is, of course, a terrible waste of American blood and treasure. He did not mention the manifold more people of that region who had died in these conflicts or the sheer devastation which had been caused. The Trump administration has done next to nothing to stop the wars. The presidents first official visit after getting to office was to the Gulf to openly sell arms which are being used in conflicts, including the carnage in Yemen. And the enduring problem of Israel and Palestine has actually worsened under his tenure, with the moving of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The president wants to bring the troops home something that will be approved by the American public. But it would not be easy, as President Obama, who had the same aim, found out. Trump effectively declared victory over Isis in his speech, pointing out the huge swathe of ground lost by the Islamists. When I took office, Isis controlled more than 20,000 square miles in Iraq and Syria. Just two years ago. Today, we have liberated virtually all of the territory from the grip of these bloodthirsty monsters, he said. In reality, much of that gain had already occurred under the Obama administration. And the fact remains that even if the caliphate is more or less over, Isis remains in the field and a sudden withdrawal of American troops, as he proposes, would allow them and their allies to re-establish themselves. That is certainly the view of the American military as well as senior members of congress, Republicans as well as Democrats, who are putting steps in place to prevent a unilateral pullout by the president from Syria. Congress wants to prevent a similar retreat in Afghanistan. In 2003, a year after the Taliban regime had fallen, American and British civil and military resources were moved away from the country, just at the time when there was a desperate need for stability and reconstruction to be poured into the bloody quagmire of Iraq. The Taliban, fed and watered by their sponsors, elements of the Pakistani armed forces and secret police, the ISI, came back across the border in this security vacuum and established themselves. The Americans and the British had to redeploy in vast numbers in 2006 to try to turn the tide. Pulling out US forces now may well mean they would have to come back in future. One needs to recognise it is entirely right that the Americans talk to the Taliban. But the Afghan government must also play a part in this and not be excluded as they are being now. The aim of the talks is powersharing with the Taliban; the feared scenario is a power struggle between the various shades of Islamists now in the country. That is certainly the view of the Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani, who invoked the memory of his predecessor, Mohammad Najibullah, who was dragged away from the UN compound where he had taken refuge, and tortured, murdered and left hanging from a lamp post in 1996 by the Taliban after they had taken over Kabul. The victims of the war are Afghans, so the initiative for peace should be in the hands of the Afghans, said Ghani recently. We insist on [safety] measures because we are aware of the experience of Dr Najib. We all know he was deceived. The UN guaranteed him peace, but it ended up with a disaster. The talks are likely to continue. But there have been talks before which have got nowhere, and there is a long way to go before one knows whether they will lead to a resolution of this long war. Claiming to have started an economic miracle in America, Trump wanted to warn that it can be derailed by foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation. It just cannot work that way! The repeated references to the investigations reveal the real apprehension of the president, of the dark cloud hanging over him with the threat of impeachment. It is not, one feels, Syria or Afghanistan or Venezuela which will be the foreign state that has the most impact on what happens to the Trump presidency, but Vladimir Putins Russia. The prime minister went to Belfast this week to create yet more confusion about the Irish backstop and its place in her Brexit deal if that wasnt her aim, its certainly what she achieved. Theresa May rattled Brexiteer cages when she told Northern Irish business leaders that there was no suggestion of removing the backstop, and instead said she merely wants to change the wording of the provision, leaving the tentative truce among the Tories once again looking like it was about to fall apart. Downing Street later insisted that all options remain open, including full replacement which indicates that the PM said what she did only because she was faced with the anger and distrust of the people who will actually be affected by any problems with the Irish border post-Brexit. Which begs the question why did she leave it so long before speaking to these people? Her off-message answers to the audience in Belfast on Tuesday suggested that she was finally beginning to see how all the deal-making and breaking has gone down over there. Indeed, it must be difficult to stick to the party line of Im sorry I havent a clue when confronted with the fact that Westminster policies have left many in Northern Ireland feeling betrayed and shafted. Loughs, Brexit and fishermen in Northern Ireland Show all 14 1 /14 Loughs, Brexit and fishermen in Northern Ireland Loughs, Brexit and fishermen in Northern Ireland Enda Craig, a member of the Loughs Agency Advisory Forum, holds a map of Lough Foyle in Moville, Ireland Reuters Loughs, Brexit and fishermen in Northern Ireland Oyster farmer William Lynch puts on his wellington boots on his oyster farm on Lough Foyle in Culmore, Northern Ireland Reuters Loughs, Brexit and fishermen in Northern Ireland Women walk along the shores of Carlingford Lough with Northern Ireland seen across the lough in Carlingford Reuters Loughs, Brexit and fishermen in Northern Ireland A poster hanging on a wall of a house reads: "No to the ferry", referring to a proposed new car ferry that would run from Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland through Carlingford Lough in Greencastle Reuters Loughs, Brexit and fishermen in Northern Ireland Skipper Shay Fitzpatrick (L) and boat owner Brian Cunningham navigate out of Warrenpoint harbour into Carlingford Lough in Warrenpoint, Northern Ireland Reuters Loughs, Brexit and fishermen in Northern Ireland A woman with flowers walks past an old fuel station in Carlingford, Ireland Reuters Loughs, Brexit and fishermen in Northern Ireland A boat is seen at sunset on Carlingford Lough in Greenore, Ireland Reuters Loughs, Brexit and fishermen in Northern Ireland A mandries off after swimming in Carlingford Lough in Omeath, Ireland Reuters Loughs, Brexit and fishermen in Northern Ireland A derelict house is seen on the shore of Carlingford Lough in Omeath, Ireland Reuters Loughs, Brexit and fishermen in Northern Ireland Skipper Shay Fitzpatrick dredges mussels from Carlingford Lough in Warrenpoint, Northern Ireland Reuters Loughs, Brexit and fishermen in Northern Ireland Bagged-up farmed oysters at a cleaning facility to get them ready for overseas shipping in Moville, Ireland Reuters Loughs, Brexit and fishermen in Northern Ireland A man walks his dog in matching hi-vis outfits on Carlingford Lough in Greenore, Ireland Reuters Loughs, Brexit and fishermen in Northern Ireland Carlingford Lough and in the distance Northern Ireland are seen at sunset from Omeath, Ireland Reuters Loughs, Brexit and fishermen in Northern Ireland A sign that reads: 'In 1721 nothing happened here' is seen on the shores of Carlingford Lough in Carlingford, Ireland Reuters However, if May thinks her rogue reassurances about the backstop will get rid of some of this bad feeling well it wouldnt be surprising, given shes shown almost total disregard for the people of Northern Ireland throughout the Brexit process. This visit has come entirely too late to be of any value either to May or to Northern Ireland. There are now just 51 days to go until the UK is supposed to leave the EU, and there is still no clarity on what exactly that departure will look like. Northern Ireland has been told that there will be no hard border, but given no detail about what will happen instead, and the backstop, meant to guard against the hard border that nobody wants, is as up in the air as it ever was. We woke up today to headlines about proposed technological solutions to the border question. One such fix involves using mobile GPS on mobile phones to track peoples movements across the border. Clearly this is a plan devised by someone who has not spent much time near the border in question. The vagaries of phone signal in the area make it difficult to arrange a coffee, let alone prop up a customs system. Meanwhile, even if these plans looked like they might work out, 51 days doesnt give us time to make sure. One Belfast resident summed up how many of her peers feel, telling The Independent: [May] says, We are looking at this now, but why werent you looking at it two years ago? This is the biggest question that hangs over the government. The question they should really be made to answer is more like why werent you looking at it before the referendum?, but weve all had to recalibrate our expectations since then. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events May met with Northern Irish political parties on Wednesday, but comments from party leaders revealed that the prime minister had nothing new for her Stormont colleagues. She could have delivered that lack of information months ago. At the moment, just seven weeks ahead of Brexit, the prime minister has entered hurricane mode, moving slowly through the UK (heading to Brussels to renegotiate the backstop next) and leaving a trail of confusion and anger behind her. Perhaps if she had taken on board the views of people and businesses in Northern Ireland at an earlier stage this wouldnt be the case. But if May thinks her last-minute visit to Northern Ireland will reassure people there that shes committed to protecting their best interests, shes clearly just as confused as the rest of us. At some point, probably in the relatively near future, Theresa May will no longer be prime minister. Time will pass. Walking holidays will be taken. Food will be cooked. Food will be eaten (a real benefit). And with a wistful air shell look back on all this and wonder: Did that really happen? To which the answer, quite incredibly, will be yes. The events that are currently occurring in British politics are, I am fairly confident, real. None of this is a vivid helldream we have woken into and are yet to wake again. Which brings us on to today. Theresa May went to Belfast, where she stood in front of a grey window on a cold and rainy day, a grim tableau of perfectly British misery, framed by a grim tableau of perfectly British misery. The only way to tell them apart was that one had been generously spattered with bird s*** and the other had not. Here, with 52 days until Brexit, she told her audience she was committed to finding a solution to the Northern Irish backstop problem. But now, it should be so clear it should be visible from space, is not the time to be committed to finding solutions. The time to be committed to finding solutions was long ago. Now is the time at which the solutions should have been found. And if they havent been found, then perhaps its time to be committed to considering the possibility that they might never be found. That they dont exist. That the backstop is the backstop is the backstop and there is no way over it under it round it or through it. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events If there were a way to have no hard border at all between two countries that have different customs regulations, someone would have come up with it by now. They have not, and they will not, which is why the backstop is there, and why it will always be there. It is now three weeks since her deal was rejected by the House of Commons, and a week since the House of Commons also passed the Brady amendment. The Brady amendment mandates Theresa May to go back to Brussels and demand the impossible. To tell them to renegotiate the withdrawal agreement and, in any meaningful sense, get rid of the backstop. They are not going to do it. They could not have made that any clearer. And so here she was, in Belfast, saying she is not proposing a deal with no backstop, but merely seeking changes to the backstop. In other words, having decided the only possible way to carry on in her job was to reluctantly agree to do the impossible, now, here she was, from a safe distance across the Irish Sea, quietly telling her hard Brexiteer colleagues that what do you know? the impossible was impossible all along. Oh, and heres another thing that various sensible people are saying with increasing regularity: leaving the European Union on 29 March will be impossible. The legislation required will not get through parliament in time. It cant be done. It wont be done. An extension is now inevitable. But Theresa May is still insisting that it can and will be done, which it wont be. Brexit: the impossible in pursuit of the impossible, and the whole thing entirely pointless. A 20 year-old asylum seeker has received a wave of praise and support for rescuing a young woman who was being assaulted by another employee. Mamoud Diallo is currently working as a trainee cook in Autrans, an alpine region in the south east of France, but originally hails from Guinea. Following his brave intervention, the perpetrator was arrested by the police and the wheels were swiftly put in motion for a resolution to Diallos asylum claim to be reached. Having first arrived in 2018, Diallo now has an appointment with the Frances Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons on 19 February. Following this meeting, the department will decide whether to accept or reject his asylum application. This isnt the first time that a person travelling to France for a better life has made headlines for their brave actions. Diallos courage reminds us of Mamoudou Gassama, the Malian who exhibited superhuman powers when he climbed a building in Paris last May to save a little boy. He was promised French citizenship by president Emmanuel Macron and a job at the fire service. In 2015, former French president Francois Hollande awarded French citizenship to another Malian Muslim, Lassana Bathily, who risked his own life to rescue six people from being murdered during a terrorist attack two days after the Charlie Hebdo shooting. When we read articles about Diallo, Gassama or Bathily, their stories of bravery are undoubtedly uplifting. They provide optimism at a time when the world seems like it is becoming more dangerous and unfair. I still remember seeing Gassama entering the courtyard of the Elysee Palace for the first time wearing a t-shirt and jeans as he went to meet president Macron. These are images of hope and justice. But let us not forget that, other than these three heroes, people risk their lives every day in order to come France. Some are from Senegal, Ivory Coast, Mali or Guinea, and find it hard to find work or a place to live. Some of them are able to work as builders, cleaners or as kitchen porters, but many are still consigned to poor areas of Paris and in other parts of France. President Macron is heckled by onlookers as he visits damaged Arc de Triomphe after protests in Paris After a long journey through Chad, Libya, crossed the Mediterranean, Diallo arrived in the town of Grenoble last March. Asylum seekers like him, who have darker skin, often face racism and unfair stereotypes. Whipped up by the surging far-right, many in France believe their jobs are being stolen and become hostile. But the truth is that people from oversees from all walks of life keep Frances economy thriving. With support among the public and French politicians, Diallo hopes to get papers in order to stay in France. He said: "Im proud that a young man from Guinea defended a French woman. This will be remembered. I want to stay here to continue to learn how to cook. My goal is to return to Guinea one day to open a French restaurant." Though while still in France his dream is to join the French Army. Yet as uplifting as this story is, receiving respect as a foreigner in France should not hinge on your ability to perform superhuman acts of kindness or bravery. Currently the fate of men like Diallo too often rests on a Hunger Games-style lottery of public opinion. Asylum seekers and immigrants shouldnt need to become heroes in order to be treated with dignity and be allowed to stay in France. I dearly hope the Guineans dream comes true, but his story is one of luck as well as courage. The system must change, because for men like Diallo, this isnt reality TV its real life. The entire team at Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) were immensely saddened to hear of the death of Jeremy Hardy last week. Jeremy made jokes about his height, but as one of our trustees declared when they heard the news, Jeremy was a moral giant. Always ready to challenge injustice with a perfect combination of compassion and mischievous wit, his support for the rights of Palestinians was unflagging. He revelled in the implausible extent of Palestinian hospitality, and could joke about the daily grind of the occupation without belittling the immense impact of its routine indignities. In the past few days, weve heard from people who chose to support MAP, and the Palestinian cause more widely, because of his work. He set a great example of how celebrity status can be used to shine a light on injustice. Weve lost a wonderful friend. Our thoughts are will his wife, Katie, his daughter Betty, his family, and his many friends. Aimee Shalan CEO, Medical Aid for Palestinians Lessons from Neeson I do not have an insight into Liam Neesons personal experience but, when he said, We need to talk about these things ... We all pretend were politically correct ... You sometimes just scratch the surface and you discover this racism and bigotry and its there, I understood. We have long discussed, in our family, and way before the divisive Brexit, how thin the veneer of civilisation is and how, in another universe, we could so easily all have been singing Tomorrow Belongs To Me. A cause, an anthem, a charismatic leader is all it takes for us to choose to ignore what really matters. Liam Neeson has, bravely, made a point that we should all heed rather than condemn. Beryl Wall London W4 Lets turn the yellow vests movement into a general strike With no pre-existing organisation, thousands of French workers and students have battled Macrons government of the rich for 12 straight weeks. They have repelled a regressive fuel tax, and their hi-vis jackets have been adopted as a symbol of resistance from Belgium to Burkina Faso. The gilets jaunes have been called far-right thugs, Russian stooges, a privileged white riot. But research suggests they are simply ordinary working-class people, resentful at years of being squeezed by austerity and soaring living costs. Ironically, given his criticisms of Maduros hated dictatorship in Venezuela, Macrons own approval has plummeted, and he has sanctioned repression worthy of any despot. Thousands have been injured by the CRS riot police. An elderly woman was killed by a gas canister in Marseille. Children have been maimed by sting-ball grenades. New police tactics have effectively suspended the right to demonstrate legally in the centre of Paris, and there have been many preventative arrests of suspected troublemakers. The yellow vests are inspirational, but Macron can survive a thousand days of protest. The coup de grace must come from a rolling general strike that will paralyse France, as in 1968. Jean-Luc Melenchon is well-placed to make such a call, having consistently supported the gilets jaunes and seen his popularity climb as a result. Given the impasse over Brexit, Corbyn should also take note. If Labour mobilised its 500,000 members to protest like the French, with the demand of a general election, we could finally finish off our own zombified government. Joseph Attard London Foxed Liam Fox has a long record of government service. Some successes too perhaps but also several failures, including as a failed Brexit negotiator. One success must be for becoming the highest expenses repayer in the shadow cabinet. He was also found to have given a lobbyist friend inappropriate access to the defence ministry when defence secretary. A failure, perhaps? Now secretary of state for international trade is this really a role to which he is best suited at this most crucial time in our trading? His approach to tariffs looks dicey, to say the least. Why on earth has he been given this role? Is it because he has befriended a prime minister whose business experience is nil? Betty Davies Nottingham Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Smoking gun? So, tobacco companies are paying a pitiful amount of corporation tax. Aside from my firmly held belief that no corporation or company should somehow manage to avoid paying its fair share of taxes, I consider there to be something particularly sinister and alarming about a corporation that ruins lives with its disease-afflicting drugs utilitising such loopholes. As far as Im concerned, smoking needs to be massively reduced. The tobacco industry should, therefore, be taxed a greater sum than other corporations, and certainly not less. Cigarettes themselves should be taxed more to reduce the urge of smokers to purchase. Finally, the UK should emulate Sweden, and ban smoking in public places. Cigarettes are perilously dangerous; all justifiable actions should be used to curb their usage. Hit the disgraceful tobacco industry where it hurts. Sebastian Monblat Fareham The whole package The troublesome ingredient in all of the hair products that you list in your article is the plastic packaging, not the small trace of something nasty in the shampoo. Roberta Mitchell Cornwall During a State of the Union in which Donald Trump at one point seemed to take personal credit for inspiring the record number of women now in Congress, most of whom ran in direct opposition to him, there was one woman whose tireless campaigning and pursuit of social justice played a pivotal role yet went unmentioned. When this speech is written up in the history books, they shouldnt forget the name Kim Kardashian West. In May last year, Kardashian met with Trump and Jared Kushner in the Oval Office to lobby generally for prison reform, and specifically to call for the release of Alice Marie Johnson, a 63-year-old woman who was given a life sentence in 1996 for her involvement in a cocaine trafficking organisation in Memphis. Trump agreed to commute Johnsons sentence, and today he invited her as one of his many stunt guests. Seated next to the looming Kushner, who always looks as if hes caught in the midst of A Series of Unfortunate Events, Johnson wiped away tears as Trump said: When I saw Alice's beautiful family greet her at the prison gates, hugging and kissing and crying and laughing, I knew I did something right. Alice is with us tonight, and she is a terrific woman. The moment drew a rare moment of genuine unity, and a standing ovation for Johnson from both sides of the political aisle. Its hard to give any credit to a president whose administration recently admitted they have no way of reuniting immigrant children with the parents they snatched them from, but in this case, credit where its due, Trump really did do something right for once. Commuting Johnsons sentence was an admirable thing to do, and he was also right to say that sentencing laws have wrongly and disproportionately harmed the African American community. You really can tell when hes sticking to the script - thats not the sort of line youll ever hear him ad lib at one of his base-pleasing, MAGA-cap-waving rallies. After Johnsons moment, he went on to introduce Matthew Charles, another nonviolent drug convict, who recently became the first prisoner released under the FIRST STEP Act (which stands for the Formerly Incarcerated Reenter Society Transformed Safely Transitioning Every Person Act - even that acronym is a hard-working member of society). Again this act, which Trump signed into law on 21 December last year, is something he should be applauded for, however reluctant you feel about that. Thats especially true when you consider that in the past Trump has talked about executing drug dealers, and even this time last year at the State of the Union he was giving it his hardman act and arguing that the country should be much tougher on drug dealers and pushers. Of course, theres still a long way to go. At the moment FIRST STEP only addresses prison reform, not sentencing reform. Some of the bipartisan lawmakers who helped shape Congresss criminal justice bill, including Democrat Hakeem Jeffries and Republican Doug Collins, have already begun to talk about a second package which would look to go further and reform sentencing this year. A related area where the law is a mess is around marijuana legalisation. Trump steered well clear of addressing federal legalisation in this speech, but with New York set to be the latest state to legalise recreational use this year, nationwide legalisation is beginning to look like a forgone conclusion, and with it the call to commute the sentences of many more people currently serving time for nonviolent marijuana-related offences. In total, there are currently around 456,000 people in American prisons serving time for nonviolent drug-related offences, including simple possession. As Trump uncharacteristically but correctly pointed out, sentencing has always disproportionately affected African Americans and other minority groups, a problem which has acknowledged at all levels of government. Last year, California State Senator Ben Allen told me this was one of the reasons he had supported marijuana legalisation in the state. I felt that our previous policies were so backward, and of course the brunt of those policies fell very severely on communities of colour and lower income communities, he said. There was a lot of differential policing in this area. Sadly, its doubtful even the awesome star power of Kim Kardashian West can lobby individually for each of those 456,000 who remain behind bars. It says something about how craven and limelight-obsessed Trump is that all it took was her powers of persuasion to secure Johnsons release, though actual policy reform would be a victory for all of them. Lets hope it really does come to that. In his speech, Trump said that Johnsons story reminds us that we always have the power to shape our own destiny, but thats not quite true. If you ever find yourself in prison in Trumps America, your best hope is still having a celebrity on your side. Uganda has unveiled a new tourism strategy that focuses on promoting its naturally endowed nice-looking women. It comes as the countrys state minister for tourism, Godfrey Kiwanda, launched a beauty pageant called Miss Curvy Uganda to promote tourism to Uganda. The pageant was part of Ugandas Tulambule tourism initiative, designed to showcase the attractions the country has to offer. Curvy women have now been added to a list of tourism attractions that run from spectacular wildlife to national parks. The beauty pageant launch featured women posing poolside with the tourism minister in capital Kampala. The ultimate gorilla experience in Uganda Show all 10 1 /10 The ultimate gorilla experience in Uganda The ultimate gorilla experience in Uganda A toddler in the more socialised Mubare group Will Whitford The ultimate gorilla experience in Uganda A shy female from Rushenya's group Will Whitford The ultimate gorilla experience in Uganda The Ivy Trail, en route to the gorillas Will Whitford The ultimate gorilla experience in Uganda Augustine Muhangi and trackers connect samples from gorilla beds Will Whitford The ultimate gorilla experience in Uganda Geoffrey Twinomuhangi works with the trackers to find the gorillas Will Whitford The ultimate gorilla experience in Uganda Forget the gorillas, the views aren't bad either Will Whitford The ultimate gorilla experience in Uganda Sue Watt with Kanyonyi in the more socialised group Will Whitford The ultimate gorilla experience in Uganda Big Daddy Rushenya Will Whitford The ultimate gorilla experience in Uganda Rushenya shows the crew his assets Will Whitford The ultimate gorilla experience in Uganda One of the Mubare gorillas freshening up Will Whitford We have naturally endowed nice-looking women that are amazing to look at. Why dont we use these people as a strategy to promote our tourism industry? Kiwanda was quoted as saying in The East African newspaper. He added that the Miss Curvy pageant offered an alternative view to the typical slim entrants. Miss Curvy Uganda is open to those aged 18 to 35, said organisers. According to local media, Ann Mungoma, the organiser of Miss Curvy Uganda, said that the pageant would enhance the visibility and appreciation of Ugandan people. Miss Curvy is an event that will bring out the endowment of the real African woman. It is an exceptional event that will see young ladies showcase their beautiful curves and intellect, she said. A mission statement on the website states: Uganda is dubbed as being gifted by nature. This is not only exhibited by the abundance of natural resources, but it also extends to the people of Uganda. For the first time in Uganda, women who are proud of the way they look have a reason to smile as a new beauty pageant which celebrates true African beauty has come into existence. Dubbed Miss Curvy Uganda, the event organised to recognize and acknowledge the big, bold and beautiful plus size Ugandan ladies. The pageant has been widely criticised. Ugandan activist Primrose Nyonyozi Murungi has called for the government to call off the contest. In a Facebook post, she wrote: Its 2019 ladies and gentlemen. And a whole board of tourism sat down, discussed and decided to actually pass something like this. Those were men and women with daughters at home. Its not known when the pageant will take place. British Airways is to leave its own terminal at New Yorks JFK airport and move in with its alliance partner, American Airlines. The move from Terminal 7 to 8 will take place in 2022. BA is the only non-US airline to have a terminal at New Yorks premier airport. It has occupied Terminal 7 for decades, including through the Concorde era. It is the main tenant but shares the terminal with its sister airline, Iberia, and eight other airlines. The move to Terminal 8 will allow Terminal 7 to be demolished to accommodate a much-expanded presence for the home town airline, jetBlue. BA and the airport owner, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, are investing 250m to recreate and customise Terminal 8, with additional stands, improved baggage systems and new lounges. Yet British Airways is to pump another 52m into the existing facility to see it through the next three years, to provide brand new lounges for First and Club World customers and an upgraded customer experience for all customers. BAs chairman and chief executive, Alex Cruz, said: We look forward to working with the Port Authority and American Airlines to continue building a world-class transatlantic travel experience in our new home from 2022. 2018: New York City sky turns neon blue after explosion at power plant Show all 8 1 /8 2018: New York City sky turns neon blue after explosion at power plant 2018: New York City sky turns neon blue after explosion at power plant Bright blue light is seen after a transformer explosion on Thursday at an electric power station in the New York City borough of Queens Twitter/Eat_Work_Run/Reuters 2018: New York City sky turns neon blue after explosion at power plant The sky flashed an eerie blue over New York City and social media users feared the worst. In the end, the explanation turned out to be somewhat more mundane: a problem at a local power plant Alexander C Kane/Twitter/AFP/Getty 2018: New York City sky turns neon blue after explosion at power plant "The lights you have seen throughout the city appear to have been from a transformer explosion at a Con Ed facility in Queens. The fire is under control, will update as more info becomes available," the New York Police Department tweeted AFP/Getty Images 2018: New York City sky turns neon blue after explosion at power plant Viewed from the Upper West Side of Manhattan, the night sky is alight as a Con Edison facility in the Queens borough of New York experiences a transformer explosion AP 2018: New York City sky turns neon blue after explosion at power plant The explosion seen from Manhattan AP 2018: New York City sky turns neon blue after explosion at power plant AP 2018: New York City sky turns neon blue after explosion at power plant Reuters 2018: New York City sky turns neon blue after explosion at power plant Reuters The move will make connections easier between British Airways transatlantic services and American Airlines domestic links. Some business passengers will welcome the move because it will allow them to switch easily between BA and AA without changing terminals. A passenger who misses the 10.25pm American Airlines departure to Heathrow and who wants to catch the 11.15pm British Airways flight must change terminals. BAs rival, Virgin Atlantic, is already co-sited with its partner, Delta, in JFK Terminal 4. Also at New York JFK, Air France has inaugurated a beauty treatment centre in its terminal 1 lounge. First and Business Class passengers will be able to enjoy two private beauty booths with a massage table for the longer treatments, like in a real beauty institute. The treasures are strewn over a swath of Saudi Arabia bigger than Lake Ontario, rising from the desert: a rambling Nabataean necropolis, a field of soaring stone pillars, a lonely Ottoman railway station, and graffiti, lots of it, inscribed over millennia on honey-coloured boulders and red mountain rock. It is a unique and unruly mix of natural beauty and ruins that trace thousands of years of human settlement and the caravan routes of incense traders and pilgrims. But the site has struggled to find an audience beyond this cosseted kingdom, apart from the locals, intrepid tourists and archaeologists who have been sifting through the areas civilizational silt for years. Now, Saudi Arabias leaders say they have finally decided to let the world in. The attractions, around the city of Al-Ula, are the cornerstone of a planned effort to invite foreign tourists to the kingdom, beyond the millions of religious pilgrims who visit Saudi Arabias holy sites every year. Like many changes under way in the country, the plan is mostly aimed at boosting the economy by tapping sources of revenue beyond oil. The ambitious initiative, led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, would be challenging in the best of times relying on the government to abandon its wariness of foreign visitors and on the outside world to revise its perceptions of Saudi Arabia as a forbiddingly conservative society. But recently, the challenge has only become more acute. The governments crackdown on dissidents and perceived enemies has undermined its own aspirations for greater openness. The killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in Istanbul in October led to international criticism of the crackdown and of the crown prince, who was widely blamed for ordering the killing. Saudi Arabia says Mohammed did not know about the plot, although it involved his most senior aides. Saudi Arabia's hidden archaeological treasures Show all 12 1 /12 Saudi Arabia's hidden archaeological treasures Saudi Arabia's hidden archaeological treasures Tombs in Mada'in Saleh were decorated by Alexandrian masons in the first century with Greek, Roman and Persian symbols Nicholas Shakespeare Saudi Arabia's hidden archaeological treasures The ancient Biblical city of Dedan is situated on the lip of an oasis Nicholas Shakespeare Saudi Arabia's hidden archaeological treasures Cliffs formed out of red and black sandstone have eroded into crazy, hallucinatory shapes such as elephants, mushrooms, and seals Nicholas Shakespeare Saudi Arabia's hidden archaeological treasures Ancient Dedan inscriptions. Holes in the rock floor denote a sacrificial spot from the time of the Dedanites Nicholas Shakespeare Saudi Arabia's hidden archaeological treasures A street in the old town of Al-Ula Nicholas Shakespeare Saudi Arabia's hidden archaeological treasures Mada'in Saleh, the archaeological site with the Nabatean tomb from the first century Nicholas Shakespeare Saudi Arabia's hidden archaeological treasures Ahmed comes from a long line of imams descended from a grand tribal judge who arrived c1400 in Al Ulas 'old town' Nicholas Shakespeare Saudi Arabia's hidden archaeological treasures The cliffs in the distance: out of the flat desert, one after another, the ornate facades rise into sight, 111 of them, carved into perpendicular cliffs up to four storeys high Nicholas Shakespeare Saudi Arabia's hidden archaeological treasures The temples of Mada'in Saleh near Al-Ula have survived for 2,000 years Nicholas Shakespeare Saudi Arabia's hidden archaeological treasures 'Charles' is scratched on the oat-coloured mud wall not by Charles Doughty but by Prince Charles (in 2015, with his key) Nicholas Shakespeare Saudi Arabia's hidden archaeological treasures Al Gharamil Saudi Arabia's hidden archaeological treasures Mada'in Saleh tombs After the killing, some foreign companies and organisations distanced themselves from Mohammeds initiatives, including projects promoting the arts, tourism and culture that have been embraced by thousands of Saudis. Tourism has great potential in the kingdom because it is so underdeveloped, says Kristin Smith Diwan, a scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. Saudis are especially hungry for more public spaces and cultural growth. But there are social barriers and fears to overcome in attracting an international clientele. Jailing women activists doesnt help, she says, referring to the nearly eight-month detention without trial of Saudi Arabias most prominent womens rights advocates. Brutally killing a prominent journalist doesnt help. Saudi officials are pressing ahead with the crown princes initiatives and hoping that high-profile cultural events might temper the criticism from abroad. The government recently introduced an electronic visa system that allowed hundreds of foreign visitors in December to attend a motor-sports event in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, that included concerts by western and Arab musicians. Saudis are especially hungry for more public spaces and cultural growth. But there are social barriers to overcome Kristin Smith Diwan The plans to develop Al-Ula are the centerpiece of the tourism initiative. Officials leading the development effort believe that they can lure a mix of cultural tourists and eco-travellers from the west, visitors from the Gulf, and Saudis eager to broaden their view of national heritage to include a pre-Islamic history suppressed for decades by the countrys leaders and religious conservatives. We always knew we had an important historical site. But nobody knows about us, says Ahmed al-Imam, a tour guide from Al-Ula whose family has lived for generations in the area, a place rich with culture but struggling with high unemployment. We are hoping for more opportunities, he says. The kingdom has been widely condemned for the killing of Jamal Khashoggi (PA) A royal commission created by the crown prince is working quickly to prepare the site to receive visitors within the next few years. Resorts are being planned, residents are receiving training to work with tourists, and teams of archaeologists and researchers are conducting surveys of historical sites and environmental features over roughly 9,000 square miles. A winter festival, currently under way, is a soft opening of sorts for the site, with appearances by international musicians and artists. Amr al-Madani is the chief executive of the commission and is Al-Ulas tireless promoter, shuttling back and forth to the remote site several times a month with an army of assistants and prospective developers. The first visitors he hopes to lure are Saudi citizens, resident expatriates and regional visitors. Within four years, the aim is for half of the sites visitors to live within a six-hour flight from Saudi Arabia, he says. The best-known attraction is the Nabataean necropolis Madain Saleh, a sister city to Petra, in neighboring Jordan, consisting of more than 130 tombs with columned facades carved into rock. But fewer people are aware that the area around Madain Saleh contains Bronze Age tombs, the ancient capital city of Dedan or evidence of the southernmost outpost of the Roman empire. We can be excited about heritage and nature, but the real deal is economic diversification, Madani says, repeating a government mantra. He mentioned the possibility that the region could produce dates or natural plant-based oils. The government is also providing scholarships for more than 160 students to study tourism and the hospitality industry in an effort to create local jobs, he says. Despite the obvious potential of Al-Ula and other historical sites around Saudi Arabia, the government, which tightly restricts travel to the kingdom, has not traditionally regarded tourism as important for the economy, Madani says. Saudi Arabias pre-Islamic heritage was also marginalised, he says. For decades, the kingdoms dominant historical narrative has focused almost exclusively on the rise of Islam in the 7th century, as well as the history of the ruling family. Saudi Arabias strictly conservative religious ideology regards any reverence for pre-Islamic sites as idolatry, leading to the destruction or neglect of artifacts and architecture from the pre-Islamic and early Islamic eras. The government has won praise for taking greater measures over the past decade to protect pre-Islamic history, a heritage it highlighted in the landmark Roads of Arabia exhibition. At Al-Ula, we are being encouraged to find what we find, says Rebecca Foote, the commissions director of archaeology and cultural heritage preservation. Wanting to know everything about a period in a place and having the resources and the backing to do it on this scale, I believe is unparalleled. When Laila Nehme, a senior research fellow at the French National Centre for Scientific Research, began working at the site 16 years ago, there was nobody there, she says. The site was almost virgin. Its a dream for an archaeologist. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Over that time, she and other archaeologists established that the area was the southernmost outpost of the Roman empire, extending the empires boundaries by almost 200 miles. By studying 150 inscriptions in the area dating to the 3rd century, they found evidence of the transition of Nabataean script into Arabic. People in Saudi Arabia were already well aware of the site, which is mentioned in the Koran. What is new to them is this idea that it is part of their history, part of their national heritage, Nehme says. It will take a little more time. Washington Post Council officials postponed consideration of an ordinance that called for new standards for animal control particularly laws determining when it would be too hot or too cold for people to have their pets outside. Wyatt said the ordinance needs more work before a final vote can be taken. The councils Public Safety committee is scheduled to meet March 12 to review the ordinance further. The main challenger to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the countrys upcoming elections has suggested Jewish-only settlements in the West Bank may be removed should he come to power. Benny Gantz, a former general and head of the newly founded Resilience Party, is seen as the biggest threat to Mr Netanyahus 10-year reign in elections scheduled for April. Mr Gantz had previously said some West Bank settlements would remain forever. In his first interview since announcing his run for prime minister, he cited the dismantling of settlements in Gaza in 2005 as an example that could be replicated in the West Bank. All sides had a lot at stake and the state managed to do it without tearing the country apart. It was done legally, carried out by the State of Israel and the IDF, and even though it was very painful for the settlers, it was handled well, he said. We must take the lessons of the disengagement and implement them in other arenas. Many Israelis consider the Gaza disengagement under then prime minister Ariel Sharon a historic mistake that emboldened the Islamist group Hamas. Palestinians await Israeli demolition of their homes in the West Bank Show all 7 1 /7 Palestinians await Israeli demolition of their homes in the West Bank Palestinians await Israeli demolition of their homes in the West Bank Children play as their parents prepare for their homes to be destroyed (Bel Trew) Bel Trew/The Independent Palestinians await Israeli demolition of their homes in the West Bank A toddler plays in the dirt of Khan al-Ahmar village (Bel Trew) Bel Trew/The Independent Palestinians await Israeli demolition of their homes in the West Bank Palestinian flags festoon the Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar as they await eviction (Bel Trew) Bel Trew/The Independent Palestinians await Israeli demolition of their homes in the West Bank Children play as their parents brace themselves for the bulldozers (Bel Trew) Bel Trew/The Independent Palestinians await Israeli demolition of their homes in the West Bank Iman, 7, says she does not want to leave her home (Bel Trew) Bel Trew/The Independent Palestinians await Israeli demolition of their homes in the West Bank The demolition order includes the villages school, which provides education for some 170 children from five different Bedouin communities. (Bel Trew) Bel Trew/The Independent Palestinians await Israeli demolition of their homes in the West Bank The playground of the school which will likely be demolished in the coming days (Bel Trew) Bel Trew/The Independent But the continued growth of settlements in the West Bank is seen as one of the greatest barriers to an eventual peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians. More than 400,000 Israelis live in the territory, and a further 200,000 in East Jerusalem, both of which were captured by Israel in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. Most of the international community views settlements as illegal in 2016 the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution that described them as a flagrant violation of international law. Palestinians argue they harm the chances of a two-state solution by taking land that would eventually make up a Palestinian state. Settlement construction has surged under Donald Trump, who has taken a more relaxed approach to the issue than previous presidents. Data compiled by Peace Now, an advocacy group in Israel, found that construction had risen 20 per cent in the first nine months of 2018, compared with the year before. Speaking on Tuesday, the UN secretary general Antonio Guterres described settlements as a major obstacle to peace, which should be halted and reversed. Recommended Israel settlement activity surges during Trump presidency Ongoing settlement construction and expansion in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is illegal under United Nations resolutions and international law, he said. A two-state solution is the only way to achieve the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and secure a sustainable solution to the conflict. According to current polling, Mr Gantz is expected to win about 24 seats in the Knesset, trailing Mr Netanyahus Likud by six seats. The former general, frequently described as charismatic in profiles, was the Israeli armys chief of staff during the 2014 Gaza war, codenamed Operation Protective Edge. Mr Gantz has highlighted his role in the war in promotional material for his campaign. Israel launched the military operation in the Gaza Strip following the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers by Hamas members. The subsequent war left more than 2,200 Palestinians dead. Sixty-three per cent, or 1,391, did not take part in the fighting, including 526 minors, according to Israeli human rights group BTselem. It is estimated that 18,000 homes were destroyed or severely damaged and that more than 100,000 Palestinians were rendered homeless. Russia has sentenced a Danish national to six years imprisonment in the first prosecution of a Jehovahs Witness since a crackdown on the fringe religious group began three years ago. On Wednesday morning, a regional court in Oryol, western Russia, agreed with prosecutors that 46-year-old Dennis Christensen was guilty of extremist behaviour by ignoring a 2016 ban of his local group. Mr Christensen had undermined the constitutional order of Russia by recruiting new members and agitating for the superiority of the movement over other Christian confessions, prosecutors alleged. Moreover, he had played a central role in organising the local group, even teaching followers the principles of evading surveillance by security services. While Mr Christensen was never actually an official member of the organising committee of the Oryol group, he was the only person arrested in a dramatic raid by masked officers during a prayer meeting in May 2017. A Jehovahs Witness since childhood, the Danish national moved to Russia in the late 1990s. He spent some time working as a volunteer in the St Petersburg Jehovahs Witness branch, before moving to Murmansk in the Russian far north, and then to Oryol. In 2017, Russias Supreme Court agreed with the authorities assessment of Jehovahs Witnesses as extremist and ruled that all Russian branches of the organisation should be closed. Amnesty International has described Mr Christensen and other Jehovahs Witnesses arrested under the crackdown as prisoners of conscience. Before sentencing, Mr Christensen said the charges were absurd, but thanked the judge for allowing him to return to prison in time for dinner. The six-year prison sentence, while only six months short of what prosecutors asked for, was the minimum the judge could administer. Less than 0.1 per cent of trials in Russia end in acquittals. World's most popular religions Show all 7 1 /7 World's most popular religions World's most popular religions Christians Source: Pewforum Getty Images World's most popular religions Muslims Source: Pewforum World's most popular religions Hindus Source: Pewforum World's most popular religions Buddhists Source: Pewforum World's most popular religions Folk Religions Source: Pewforum Getty Images World's most popular religions Other religions Source: Pewforum World's most popular religions Jews Source: Pewforum Getty The verdict ended hope for activists who had been encouraged by an unexpected December intervention by Vladimir Putin, who criticised silly extremism trials, and called for greater scrutiny. Speaking in his daily press conference with journalists, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that he was unfamiliar with the details of the case but said he was sure there was some element of extremism given the eventual conviction. Pope Francis has for the first time admitted the Catholic Church has an ongoing problem with priests and even bishops who sexually abuse nuns, saying that more must be done to prevent it. Speaking to reporters aboard the papal plane as he returned to the Vatican after a visit to the United Arab Emirates, he said some of the nuns had been used as sex slaves. It is true ... there have been priests and even bishops who have done this. I think it is still going on because something does not stop just because you have become aware of it, he said, according to the Associated Press. We have been working on this for a long time. We have suspended some priests because of this. The Pope made the comments in response to questions about an article that appeared last week in a Vatican monthly magazine about the abuse of nuns in the church. Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Show all 55 1 /55 Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis celebrates the Holy Mass at the Phoenix Park, in Dublin AP Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis arrives at Phoenix Park for a Papal Mass of the World Meeting of Families in Dublin EPA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures A vigil takes place at the site of the mass grave which contained the remains of 796 named babies from the Bon Secours Mother and Baby home in Tuam. The vigil coincides with the Phoenix park mass which is taking place in Dublin held by Pope Francis. Excavations at the site in 2017 revealed underground structures which held babies bodies with ages ranging from 35 weeks to three years old with most of the dead buried in the 1950s when the facility was run by the Bon Secours Sisters, a Catholic religious order of nuns who received unmarried pregnant women to give birth Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures An aerial view of the crowd at Phoenix Park Getty Images Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Children queue for communion during Pope Francis' closing Mass PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures The Stand4Truth rally gathers outside a former Magdalene laundry in Dublin as part of the demonstrations against clerical sex abuse PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis leads the Holy Mass at Phoenix Park AFP/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis arrives to celebrate the Holy Mass at the Phoenix Park AP Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures The names of the victims are read out as a vigil takes place at the site of the mass grave which contained the remains of 796 named babies from the Bon Secours Mother and Baby home Getty Images Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis leads the Holy Mass at Phoenix Park AFP/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures A member of the clergy carries a bowl of incense PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures AP Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures A vigil takes place at the site of the mass grave which contained the remains of 796 named babies Getty Images Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Members of the public pray as they watch Pope Francis deliver a Papal Mass of the World Meeting of Families at Phoenix Park EPA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis attends the closing Mass at the World Meeting of Families at Phoenix Park in Dublin PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis passes by a banner of a protester as he leaves St Mary's Pro-Cathedral AP Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis speaks during his visit to the Capuchin Day Centre for Homeless in Dublin AP Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis waves to the waiting crowds on Christchurch PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis waves to the waiting crowds on College Green PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Members of the public wave at Pope Francis as he travels through the city Getty Images Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis laughs as he leaves St Mary's Pro Cathedral during his visit to Dublin Reuters Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Two boys wave flags after climbing a post as they wait for Pope Francis Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pairs of baby shoes are hung from black ribbons on Gardiner Street in Dublin in memory of the children who died at the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, Co Galway PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Crowds on O'Connell Street PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures WMOF2018/Maxwell Photography/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis memorabilia on sale on O'Connell Street PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis arrives at St Mary's Pro-Cathedral during his visit to Ireland to attend the 2018 World Meeting of Families AFP/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis waves to the waiting crowds on O'Connell Street PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis addresses the congragation at St Mary's Pro-Cathedral AFP/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Stephen O'Brien selling bottles of holy water from the St Mary's Pro Cathedral PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis prays inside St Mary's Pro Cathedral Reuters Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures A man waves a rainbow flag behind a model of a pope which stands in the window above a bar Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures People hold a banner against Pope Francis on the way to St Mary's Pro-Cathedral AP Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Nuns wait by the side of the road for Pope Francis Reuters Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures A model of a pope is placed in the window above a bar as crowds wait for Pope Francis to travel through the city Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Crowds on O'Connell Street, Dublin waiting to see Pope Francis as he travels in the Popemobile PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis waves to wellwishers as he arrives at Dublin Airport Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures His visit, the first by a Pope since John Paul II's in 1979 is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of Catholics to a series of events in Dublin and Knock PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis talks to journalists aboard a plane flying from Fiumicino aiport to Dublin AFP/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures LGBT protestors from Dublin Pride and We Are Church with flags and umbrellas on Ha'Penny Bridge, Dublin to remember the victims of clerical sex abuse ahead of the start of the visit to Ireland by Pope Francis PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis disembarks from the aircraft as he arrives at Dublin Airport Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Woman wait for Pope Francis to drive past, in Dublin Reuters Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Reuters Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Taoiseach Leo Varadkar delivers a speech watched by Pope Francis in St. Patrick's Hall at Dublin Castle WMOF2018/Maxwell Photography/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Protesters hold banners during a demonstration against clerical sex abuse, in Dublin Reuters Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis plants a tree during a meeting with Irish President Michael D Higgins, at Aras an Uachtarain PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis walks with the President of Ireland Michael Higgins at Aras an Uachtarain WMOF2018/Maxwell Photography/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Reuters Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis, center, is flanked by Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, right, as they arrive to meet authorities, in Dublin AP Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Protestors wearing baby shoes, to signify the children who died in mother and baby homes in Ireland, protest in Dublin ahead of the start of the visit to Ireland by Pope Franci PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis exchanges gifts with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar AFP/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis speaks with President Michael D Higgins in his study during a visit to Aras an Uachtarain in Phoenix Park, Dublin PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Navy band march prior to the arrival of Pope Francis at the Presidential residence in Dublin AP Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Eddie McGuinness from Dublin LGBTQ Pride carries a rainbow flag across Ha'Penny Bridge, Dublin ahead of the start of the visit to Ireland by Pope Francis PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures A message left by Pope Francis in the visitors book at Aras an Uachtarain in Phoenix Park PA The magazine, Women Church World, revealed that some nuns were forced to abort the priests children or bear children that the priests refuse to recognise as their children. Should more be done? Yes, the Pope said. Do we have the will? Yes. But it is a path that we have already begun. The AP said in recent months, more and more nuns had been coming forward to report abuse, encouraged by the #MeToo movement, which drew strength from a flurry of revelations of assault and abuse against celebrities and senior figures in industry and the media in October 2017. Producer Harvey Weinstein, who has been charged with assault, has denied the allegations. 'I beg the Lords forgiveness' for child abuse 'betrayal' says Pope Francis at a service in Knock, Ireland The news agency said that in 2018, the International Union of Superiors General, which represents more than 500,000 Catholic nuns, urged their members to report abuse. The Pope said that former Pope Benedict dissolved a religious order of women shortly after his election as pontiff in 2005 because slavery had become part of it (the religious order), even sexual slavery on the part of priests and the founder. He did not name the group, but Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti said it was a French order. Before he became pope, Benedict was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the head of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican department that investigates sexual abuse. The pope at the time was John Paul. Then-cardinal Ratzinger wanted to investigate the religious order where women were being abused but he was blocked, Pope Francis said, without saying who prevented the probe. Pope Francis has summoned key bishops from around the world to a summit later this month at the Vatican to find a unified response on how to protect children from sexual abuse by clergy. Asked if there would be some kind of similar action to confront abuse of nuns in the church, he said: I want to move forward. We are working on it. The Polish government is hampering the efforts of womens rights groups with raids, denial of funding, public smear campaigns and disciplinary action, a report has found. The Human Rights Watch study warns the tactics are putting womens rights and safety at grave risk saying the governments overt disdain for womens rights and failure to counter misinformation campaigns has cultivated a climate of fear among campaigners. Activists said the actions of the government also put women and girls including survivors of violence off pursuing help. The report looks at how the ruling Law and Justice-led government has targeted womens rights groups since coming to power in 2015 through raids and lack of funding often with little warning and no clear justification. The party is founded on a socially conservative Catholic ideology and has pursued a restrictive agenda with regards to female reproductive rights. 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 Hillary Margolis, a womens rights researcher at Human Rights Watch, said: Using scare tactics to cripple these groups is just another attempt by the Polish government to roll back womens rights. Activists have targets on their backs simply for helping survivors of abuse or for supporting basic rights to reproductive health and peaceful protest. Government agencies have put employees who support womens rights protests or who team up with womens rights groups before disciplinary hearings and threatened their jobs, the report found. The government has at times appeared to support or failed to refute public smear campaigns by the ruling party and other politicians and church-backed groups that mischaracterise womens rights organisations and their work as dangerous to families and traditional values. The report found a lack of government funding has led organisations to cut back on staff, reduce their geographic scope, and shrink vital services for survivors of domestic and other gender-based violence. This is said to have led to considerable gaps in shelter, counselling and legal support. Agata Teutsch, director of Autonomia Foundation, which conducts workshops in schools to counter gender-based violence and discrimination, said personal smears by conservative politicians and in the media have posed a risk to the work carried out by her organisation. There were articles that mentioned me by name, that said Im a dangerous person for kids, she said. For some communities or some people, [now] Im someone not to cooperate with, Im not someone you can trust. Researchers spoke to people who have experienced intimidation or retaliation due to taking part in peaceful womens rights protests or liasing with groups working on womens rights. Five women said their public employment came under threat, including three teachers and one school headmistress who were subjected to disciplinary proceedings, though no grounds for disciplinary action were found. Anna Glogowska-Balcerzak, coordinator of the Womens Rights Centre in Lodz in central Poland, which provides support for women survivors of violence, said they have been forced to radically cut services outside the city. We had clients from all over the region. Now we have only one support group in one small town, she said. She said this was having a fundamental impact on women experiencing domestic violence: Some women stay with their abusive partners because they have nowhere else to go. Human Rights Watch called on the European Union and its member states to hold Poland to account for failing to implement EU policy on equality, womens rights and violence against women. Ms Margolis said: The Polish government is punishing not only the activists and organisations it targets, but the women who rely on them for lifesaving help. Allowing this to happen sends a dangerous message that women cant count on the EUs commitment to protect them. The purported clampdown on womens rights campaigners is taking place in a climate of restrictive reproductive policies for women in Poland, which has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe. In Poland, abortion is illegal except in cases of rape or when a females life is at risk or if the fetus is irreparably damaged. Under the Law and Justice government, access to the morning-after pill, which has been rebranded the early abortion pill, has also been restricted since July 2017 with the introduction of a requirement for a prescription for emergency contraception. In October 2016, legislation was proposed to completely outlaw abortion. The plans prompted around 30,000 people to assemble, despite awful weather, in Warsaws Castle Square, chanting: We want doctors, not missionaries! The far-reaching protests were successful and triggered lawmakers to vote against the restrictive legislation. Turkish police have seized a Bible thought to be 1,200 years old from a suspected smuggling gang. Six people have been arrested after allegedly attempting the sell the ancient manuscript in the southeastern Diyarbakir province. The Biblical text was written across 34 pages of leather with gold-encrusted religious motifs. Police are investigating whether the book was smuggled across the border from nearby Syria. Turkey has become a primary destination for looted antiquities from the war-torn Middle Eastern country. Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Show all 14 1 /14 Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Trucks full of women and children arrive from the last Isis-held areas in Deir ez-Zor, Syria Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Zikia Ibrahim, 28, with her two-year-old son and 8-month-old daughter, after fleeing the Isis caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Men who fled the last Isis-held area of Syria line up to be questioned by American and Kurdish intelligence officials Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate A young girl pulls her belongings after arriving Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate An SDF fighter hands out bread to women and children after they arrive Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Sita Ghazzar, 70, after fleeing from the last Isis-held territory in Syria Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate A family from Russia who recently fled the last Isis-held area of Syria Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Syria at war: Fleeing the caliphate Richard Hall/The Independent Three of the suspects were caught in possession of the Bible on Monday by local officers as they tried to find a buyer for the manuscript, said the Diyarbakir governors office. The remaining suspects were later arrested and all six remain in custody. Turkish authorities have stepped up attempts to stamp out the trade of stolen artefacts in recent years. Recommended Fakes flood out of Syria as smugglers fail to steal masterpieces The government has issued a list of items believed to have been stolen from Syria, warning antiquities traders and collectors against their sale or purchase. Thousands of anti-smuggling operations are carried across Turkey every year, according to the Daily Sabah, a pro-government newspaper. Dutch police have shot dead a man during a reported gunfight outside the countrys central bank in Amsterdam. The man was killed after approaching officers with a firearm behind the Nederlandsche Bank on Wednesday night. Witnesses said about 20 shots were fired at about 7.15pm. A bystander was also injured. Amsterdam police said officers had been responding to reports a man with gun when the suspect came at the agents with the weapon. Photographer Dennis Brandsma, who lives nearby, told De Telegraaf. I heard a few bangs, together with my son. Then we immediately realised that it was not fireworks. I saw a man lying on the floor. There were agents around him. 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 area around the bank has been cordoned off by officers. Pictures posted on social media showed paramedics, military police and local officers at the scene, and a man lying motionless on the floor. Police spokesman Ruben Sprong said there was no indication the incident was related to terrorism. But of course, everything is unclear, he added. We are still looking into things. A man who suspected his wife of committing adultery flew into a drunken rage and stabbed eight people to death and injured seven more in north west China. Police in Baiyin, a city in Gansu province, only identified the 49-year-old attacker by the surname Guo. The force said in a statement that the man suspected his wife of committing adultery. He then attacked people in neighbouring homes with a knife before dawn and was later arrested. No details were provided about the victims. 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 killings come a month after a man from the same region was found guilty of raping and killing 11 girls and women and was executed. Gao Chengyong, 54, became known as Chinas Jack the Ripper after his 2016 arrest for the horrific mutilations he carried out on his victims between 1988 and 2002. Additional reporting by AP The body of a young woman has been found stuffed inside a suitcase alongside a road in Connecticut, and authorities say victim was bound at the hands and feet. The body was found at 8.15am on Tuesday and about 10 to 15 feet away from Glenville Road in Greenwich. "The victim was found bound at the hands and the feet, and the victim was found in a suitcase," Greenwich police Captain Robert Berry told an ABC affiliate. The body is believed to belong to a woman between the ages of 18- and 30-years-old. The police are actively investigating the case as a homicide. The medical examiner is working to determine the victims identity and cause of death. 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 "We have received some leads, on some, I would say, possible identifications of the victim," Mr Berry added. "But at this time, nothing is confirmed. So I have no information to release identifying the victim. We are following up on leads." Investigators do not think the woman was killed on Glenville Road, but they are uncertain of where the killing happened. Recommended Canadian serial killer admits murdering eight men News of a dead body discovered in the scenic Greenwich has sparked concerns among its mostly affluent residents. "It was very upsetting when we originally heard about it," Courtney King, a resident, said. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events The body was found in a road locals often use for walking and running. "I'm still trying to take this in, because I just heard about it a few minutes ago," Joe Allegro, who lives nearby Glenville Road, said. "I've got kids here. I didn't know if it is an adult or a child." A spokesperson for Donald Trumps re-election campaign has compared the white outfits worn by a group of Democratic women to the State of the Union to the robes of the Ku Klux Klan. Katrina Pierson, a senior adviser on Mr Trumps 2020 campaign, tweeted on Wednesday mocking the white attire, which was worn in honour of the womens suffrage movement. The only thing that the Democrats' uniform was missing tonight is the matching hood, Ms Pierson wrote, referring to the white robes associated with the racist American group. One of the most visually striking moments during the State of the Union address came from the dozens of women who wore white including the president's adult daughter Tiffany Trump. The decision to do so was made, according to new Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, in order to mark the 100th anniversary of women winning the right to vote. 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 theres so much more that we have to fight for, Ms Ocasio-Cortez said on Tuesday. From wage equality, to pay-cheque fairness, to protecting ourselves and believing survivors. Ms Pierson was among several conservative and right-wing commentators to denounce the women, even as Mr Trump himself noted that women had filled more jobs in the past year than men, and congratulated the historic number of women who won election to the US Congress last year during the 2018 midterm elections. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Mark Simone, a radio host, mocked the women and, like Ms Pierson, made a reference to the Ku Klux Klan. The Democrat women all dressed in white to show solidarity with the Ku Klux Klan? As a tribute to Good Humor salesmen? To look like insane asylum attendants? They like dressing like Charlie Chan? Mr Simone wrote. Trips taken by Donald Trump to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida during the first three months of his time as president cost US taxpayers $14m, according to a new report. The report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) analysed Mr Trumps travel and security costs for four trips he took to the Florida resort, which has been dubbed the winter White House because he has frequented the location so often during the colder months of the year. All told, the trips cost $10.6m for the use of government vehicles, and another $3m that was spent on rooms and other costs for administration workers who joined the president on the trips. While the White House has not commented on this latest report and the government costs detailed inside, the West Wing has justified the presidents expenses in the past by claiming that Mr Trump continues to work regardless of where he is. The cost of Mr Trumps travels to Mar-a-Lago have been particularly contentious, as they require considerable security preparations including deploying the US Coast Guard into the Atlantic ocean near his resort. 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 previous report released last year looking at the cost of deploying the Coast Guard to protect Mr Trump while at Mar-a-Lago found that it has cost more than $20m. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events The new GAO report comes as questions have swirled around the presidents workload after nearly three months worth of his private schedules were leaked to the press and showed he spent around 60 per cent of his time in the months following last years midterms in unstructured executive time. Ive never done this before, but I saw how much my sister enjoyed it, she said as she picked up her drumstick. Im open to trying new things. Donald Trump will hold a second historic leaders summit with North Koreas Kim Jong-un, the president has confirmed, in Vietnam on the 27 and 28 February. Mr Trump was speaking during the State of the Union address, during which he described a historic push for peace on the Korean Peninsula as crucial to national security. He told Congress: If I had not been elected President of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea with potentially millions of people killed. Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong-un is a good one, he said. Mr Trump and Mr Kim became the first leaders of their two countries to meet head-to-head in a summit in Singapore last June. Those talks were met with a wave of optimism North Korea released American detainees, suspended nuclear and long-range missile tests and dismantled a nuclear test site and parts of a rocket launch facility without the presence of outside experts. Since then, however, there has been little-to-no concrete progress made towards the normalisation of relations. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told Congress last week that US intelligence officials do not believe Kim will eliminate his nuclear weapons or the capacity to build more because he believes they are key to the survival of the regime. Satellite video taken since the June summit has indicated North Korea is continuing to produce nuclear materials at its weapons factories. At the second Trump-Kim summit, some experts say North Korea is likely to seek to trade the destruction of its main Yongbyon nuclear complex for a US promise to formally declare the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, open a liaison office in Pyongyang and allow the North to resume some lucrative economic projects with South Korea. Stephen Biegun, Secretary of State Mike Pompeos special representative for North Korea, is hopeful, but acknowledges that many issues make it especially complicated for the two countries to embark on a diplomatic initiative of this magnitude. Mr Biegun was in Pyongyang on Tuesday. The Vietnamese city where the two leaders will meet was not announced. The country, however, is keen to project itself on the world stage. It is a single-party communist state that boasts of tight political control and a tough security apparatus similar to Singapores. Additional reporting by agencies Isis will have lost all the territory it once controlled in Iraq and Syria by next week, Donald Trump has claimed. The president made the statement during a gathering of coalition partners on Wednesday, where he maintained his promise to withdraw US troops from Syria. It should be formally announced sometime, probably next week, that we will have 100 per cent of the caliphate, Mr Trump said. The United States military, our coalition partners and the Syrian Democratic Forces have liberated virtually all of the territory previously held by Isis in Syria and Iraq, Mr Trump told foreign ministers and other senior officials from 79 countries that have worked alongside the United States in fighting Isis. The comments came after secretary of state Mike Pompeo reassured coalition partners that a US withdrawal does not signal the end of Americas fight. Mr Pompeo called on American allies to work to ensure that Isis does not return to Syria and Iraq. US officials have said in recent weeks that Isis has lost 99.5 per cent of its territory and is holding on to fewer than 5 square kilometres in Syria, or less than 2 square miles, in the villages of the Middle Euphrates River Valley, where the bulk of the fighters are concentrated. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty The president shocked the US defence establishment and foreign allies in December when he announced his plan to withdraw the US from Syria, where a group of roughly 2,000 US soldiers have been stationed. Mr Trump had said he wanted to pull out US soldiers within 30 days, but he later slowed the withdrawal after several key resignations. The former US defense secretary Jim Mattis announced he was resigning from his position in the presidents cabinet. Mr Pompeos remarks came during the first meeting of senior coalition officials since Mr Trumps announcement, which included Turkey, France, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco, and Iraq. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Iraqs foreign minister Mohamed al-Hakim called on those countries to help expose sleeper cells during that meeting in order to restore stability. Mr Pompeo said that Isis has kept a strong presence in Iraq, and that it could be attempting to launch a clandestine resurgence. The coalition must continue to support the government of Iraq in its efforts to secure the liberated areas of that country, Mr Pompeo said to Mr Hakim. Mr Foreign Minister, were with you. Reuters contributed to this report Donald Trump has said he will push for legislation to end late-term abortions and protect babies who can feel pain in the mothers womb. In a statement clearly designed to appeal to the Evangelical Christians who have been among his strongest supporters, the president attacked the state of New York, which last month passed legislation intended to defend a womans right to access abortion services amid fear the Supreme Court could overturn Roe v Wade. That 1973 judgement has been considered the bedrock to allow women obtain safe, legal procedures. The New York state measure the Reproductive Health Act has been criticised by conservatives who say it expands access to late-term abortions. There could be no greater contrast to the beautiful image of a mother holding her infant child than the chilling displays our nation saw in recent days. Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mothers womb moments before birth, said Mr Trump. These are living, feeling, beautiful, babies who will never get the chance to share their love and dreams with the world. He added: I am asking Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mothers womb. Let us work together to build a culture that cherishes innocent life. And let us reaffirm a fundamental truth: all children born and unborn are made in the holy image of God. 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 Critics of the president claimed he was intentionally seeking to rouse his base by making false claims. In an attempt to rile up conservatives, President Donald Trump used his State of the Union address to repeat abortion opponents latest lie, wrote the progressive website Think Progress. State of the Union: Trump pledges to 'defeat Aids in America and beyond' Indeed, the president mischaracterised two abortion bills in Virginia and New York during his speech to a joint session of Congress. The bills codify rights already established in Roe v Wade. The New York bill was signed into law on the 46th anniversary of the landmark abortion rights case, while the Virginia bill has so far failed to leave a key legislative committee. As the president was speaking, the White House was bolstering his remarks in a series of press releases. President Trump is calling on Congress to defend the dignity and life of every person and pass legislation to prohibit late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mothers womb, it said. Recently, our country has witnessed a chilling disregard for life as States have taken up legislation that would expand access to abortion up until just moments before birth. In a State of the Union speech calling on Washington to cast aside revenge, resistance and retribution, Donald Trump was accused of issuing a veiled threat over the investigations dogging his administration. An economic miracle is taking place in the United States and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations, Mr Trump said on Tuesday evening, as lawmakers in the House chamber sat largely silent. "If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation. The comment appeared to be a warning directed at Democrats to drop congressional investigations into his administration if they want him to compromise on legislation. Mr Trump is staring down a two-year stretch that will determine whether he is re-elected or leaves office in defeat. House Democrats, newly empowered since their midterms victory in November, have pledged to launch a raft of investigations into the president and his administrations conduct. President Trump delivers State of the Union address Show all 22 1 /22 President Trump delivers State of the Union address President Trump delivers State of the Union address Nancy Pelosis sarcastic clapping stole Trumps thunder For many the president's speech was overshadowed by Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's applause after his call for political unity, which many interpreted as "sarcastic" AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Trump issues ominous threat over investigations as he rails against immigration and abortion In a State of the Union speech calling on Washington to cast aside revenge, resistance and retribution, Donald Trump was accused of issuing a veiled threat over the investigations dogging his administration. An economic miracle is taking place in the United States and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations, Mr Trump said AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Congresswomen, dressed in white in tribute to the women's suffrage movement, pose for a photo as they arrive AFP/Getty Images President Trump delivers State of the Union address The 72-year-old harkened back to American achievements, celebrating the moon landing as astronaut Buzz Aldrin looked on from the audience and heralding the liberation of Europe from the Nazis AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address He also led the House chamber in singing happy birthday to a Holocaust survivor sitting with first lady Melania Trump. "Together, we represent the most extraordinary nation in all of history. What will we do with this moment? How will we be remembered?" Mr Trump said Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dressed in white in an act of solidarity with other women declined to join a standing ovation for Donald Trump despite his purported call for unity Reuters President Trump delivers State of the Union address The president ticked through a litany of issues with crossover appeal, including boosting infrastructure, lowering prescription drug costs and combating childhood cancer Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Republican Veronica Escobar reacts as President Trump claims that El Paso, Texas, has become safer due to a wall along the border with Mexico Reuters President Trump delivers State of the Union address Despite no one working in the White House Office of National Aids Policy, and having sacking his HIV advisory council last year, Mr Trump pledged to inject funds to stop the spread of the disease in America by 2030 Getty Images President Trump delivers State of the Union address "Scientific breakthroughs have brought a once-distant dream within reach," the president said. Together, we will defeat Aids in America and beyond." he said Reuters President Trump delivers State of the Union address Trump led the House chamber in singing happy birthday to a Holocaust survivor sitting with first lady Melania Reuters President Trump delivers State of the Union address He also appealed to his political base, both with his harsh rhetoric on immigration and a call for Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the "late-term abortion of children EPA President Trump delivers State of the Union address Women from both political parties wore white outfits tonight at the behest of the Democratic Womens Working Group to honor the legacy of women's suffrage in the United States AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address He devoted much of his speech to foreign policy, another area where Republicans have increasingly distanced themselves from the White House EPA President Trump delivers State of the Union address Trump greets Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, alongside Vice President Mike Pence AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address US First lady Melania Trump (left) with Grace Eline and Joshua Trump, special guests of President Donald Trump AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Trump announced details of a second meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, outlining a summit in Vietnam starting on 27 February AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address "If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea," he said AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Supreme Court Justices John Roberts, Elena Kagan and Neil Gorsuch laugh AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address President Trump greets lawmakers after delivering his second State of the Union address EPA President Trump delivers State of the Union address Independent Senator from Vermont Bernie Sanders holds his notes EPA There are also federal and state probes into Mr Trumps business, charitable foundation, and presidential campaign. Laurence Tribe, a constitutional law professor at Harvard, said the ridiculous threat stuck out like a sore thumb. It equates the search for truth with war. Thats deeply wrong. And its un-American, Mr Tribe tweeted. Presidential historian Michael Beschloss compared the comment to one made by former president Richard Nixon, who was forced to resign ahead of impeachment following congressional investigations into his administration. He said Nixon in 1974 waited until near the end of his State of the Union to insist that the Watergate investigation be called off." The comment came amid a speech absent of suggestions Mr Trump would be willing to compromise on his own priorities, as he again used his platform to push his hardline immigration agenda, including his increasingly unpopular demands for a border wall. The US public largely blames Mr Trump for the 35-day government shutdown, which he imposed because Democrats refused to agree to $5.7bn (4.4) in wall funding. In support of his argument it would help truly make America safe, Mr Trump repeated his false claim a steel fence in El Paso, Texas, had turned the city from one of the most dangerous to one of the safest cities. "I am asking you to defend our very dangerous southern border out of love and devotion to our fellow citizens and to our country," he added, painting a dark and foreboding picture of the risks posed to Americans by illegal immigration. Elsewhere, the 72-year-old harkened back to American achievements, celebrating the moon landing as astronaut Buzz Aldrin looked on from the audience and heralding the liberation of Europe from the Nazis. State of the Union: Trump claims 'powerful barrier' made El Paso safer He also led the House chamber in singing happy birthday to a Holocaust survivor sitting with first lady Melania Trump. "Together, we represent the most extraordinary nation in all of history. What will we do with this moment? How will we be remembered?" Mr Trump said. The president ticked through a litany of issues with crossover appeal, including boosting infrastructure, lowering prescription drug costs and combating childhood cancer. Despite no one working in the White House Office of National Aids Policy, and having sacking his HIV advisory council last year, Mr Trump pledged to inject funds to stop the spread of the disease in America by 2030. "Scientific breakthroughs have brought a once-distant dream within reach," the president said. Together, we will defeat Aids in America and beyond." But he also appealed to his political base, both with his harsh rhetoric on immigration and a call for Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the "late-term abortion of children. He devoted much of his speech to foreign policy, another area where Republicans have increasingly distanced themselves from the White House. He announced details of a second meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, outlining a summit in Vietnam starting on 27 February. "If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea," he said. However, for many his speech was overshadowed by the spectacle of Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's applause after his call for political unity, which many interpreted as "sarcastic". Additional reporting by AP Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dressed in white in an act of solidarity with other women declined to join a standing ovation for Donald Trump despite his purported call for unity. Mr Trump began his State of the Union address by claiming he wanted to work with the new Congress, including the Democratically-controlled House, in remarks that saw many members of the two chambers stand and applause among them a number of Democrats, including speaker Nancy Pelosi. I stand here ready to work with you to achieve historic breakthroughs for all Americans. Millions of our fellow citizens are watching us now, gathered in this great chamber, hoping that we will govern not as two parties but as one nation, said Mr Trump. The agenda I will lay out this evening is not a Republican agenda or a Democrat agenda. It is the agenda of the American people. But commentators were quick to spot that a number of Democrats, especially a group of women politicians wearing white, did not join in the standing ovation. Among them were Ms Ocasio-Cortez, Eleanor Holmes Norton and Pramila Jayapal. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez greets fellow lawmakers ahead of the State of the Union address Getty Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez participates in an event with Democratic members of Congress EPA Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures The Democrat senator speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol January 30, 2019 Getty Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and fellow Democrat Rashida Tlaib AP Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at the Senate chamber to watch two votes on January 24, 2019 Getty Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez arrives with Chellie Pingree at a House Democratic Caucus meeting Getty Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Ocasio-Cortez during Donald Trump's State of the Union address Reuters Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures New York State Assembly member Catalina Cruz with Ocasio-Cortez AFP/Getty Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Nydia Velazquez talks with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Reuters Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Ocasio-Cortez casts her vote for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House EPA Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez poses with a campaign worker during a whistle stop in the Queens borough of New York Reuters Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Ocasio-Cortez outside the US Capitol AFP/Getty Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Ocasio-Cortez after casting her ballot in the 2018 midterm general election at a polling site in New York EPA Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez looks on during a march organised by the Women's March Alliance in Manhattan Reuters Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Ocasio Cortez looks on at the Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 16, 2019 AFP/Getty Some Dems like AOC did not stand for Melania Trump as others gave her a standing ovation, tweeted CNNs congressional reporter, Manu Raju. Ahead of Mr Trumps speech, the 29-year-old Democrat, one of the most progressive new members of the new congress, told the network she was wearing white because theres so much more that we have to fight for. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events 2019 is the 100th anniversary of the womens right to vote....and theres so much more that we have to fight for, she said. From wage equality, to paycheck fairness, to protecting ourselves and believing survivors. Recommended Trump eyes 2020 with speech designed to please conservatives The Hill reported that last week, the House Democratic womens working group urged female members from both parties to wear white to the event in homage to the suffragette movement. Among those who accepted the invitation was Mr Trumps 25-year-old daughter, Tiffany, who also wore all white for the event. Donald Trump has been ridiculed for taking credit for the number of women serving in congress in his State of the Union address. The US president congratulated himself for creating a strong economy saying women had particularly benefited from job creation. No one has benefited more from our thriving economy than women, who have filled 58 per cent of the newly created jobs last year, Mr Trump said on Tuesday evening. Several female congresswomen many of whom wore white in tribute to the womens suffrage movement drew attention to themselves by pointing at themselves, standing up and applauding each other. This included Elissa Slotkin, Chrissy Houlahan, Mary Gay Scanlon and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. You werent supposed to do that, Mr Trump said. Womens March bread and roses rally in London Show all 70 1 /70 Womens March bread and roses rally in London Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London A protester with a banner chants slogans as she takes part in the Women's March calling for equality, justice and an end to austerity in London Reuters Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Reuters Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London A girl holds a rose as protesters take part in the Women's March calling for equality, justice and an end to austerity Reuters Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Reuters Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent Womens March bread and roses rally in London Reuters Womens March bread and roses rally in London A woman dressed as suffragette gestures Reuters Womens March bread and roses rally in London Reuters All Americans can be proud that we have more women in the workforce than ever before, the president said. The world leader who has a record of making demeaning comments about women also directly addressed the record-breaking number of women who were elected in Novembers midterm election. Dont sit yet, youre going to like this and exactly one century after congress passed the constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote, we also have more women serving in congress than at any time before, he said. Mr Trump pointed and smiled at the large group of female Democratic representatives who chanted U-S-A. State of the Union: Trump asks Congress to end late term abortion Although there are more women serving in congress than ever, the women are overwhelmingly Democrats, with the share of Republican women in the House having gone down since the last congress. There were 23 Republican women serving in the House as voting members last congress, but that has now decreased to 13 this congress. According to the Centre for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, of the 127 female voting members of the House and Senate in the chamber on Tuesday night, 106 are Democrats and just 21 are Republicans. Mr Trump has been mocked on Twitter for what critics see as a bid to take credit for the growing numbers of women serving in congress. Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat Senator exploring a presidential bid, said she was cheering for her colleagues serving their first term in congress after defeating Republicans. President Trump seems not to understand that the female jobs he created were Democratic women in congress, she tweeted after the speech. Trump claiming credit for having more women serving in congress than at any time before is like the earthquake taking credit for the most rebuilding of a community, quipped one critic. Trump taking credit for there being more women in congress is like the Fyre Fest guy saying Youre welcome for the documentaries!! #SOTU, added another. Trump shamelessly tries to take credit for the fact that 'we also have more women serving in the congress than ever before'. (Theyre almost all Democrats who are not fans of his.), said one more. But others noted Mr Trump was perhaps actually able to take credit for the mounting number of women in congress noting many threw their hats into the ring to oppose his presidency. Trump deserves credit for the influx of women to congress. They all ran to oppose him. (And virtually all are Dems), said one Twitter user. The celebrations in congress on Tuesday were fleeting with the president later calling on congress to pass a bill that would end late-term abortion. The same women who had moments before enjoyed gains referred to by Mr Trump looked ahead in silence. Donald Trump has reached out to his base of supporters with a State of the Union address that seemed more designed to bolster his chances in 2020 than act as the unifying occasion some in the White House suggested it would be. Over the course of 65-minutes, the president doubled down stubbornly on some of his controversial policies and threw in some new suggestions one of them in particular designed to appeal to evangelical Christians and conservatives. He offered just a handful of crumbs to those looking for something to pull the nation together at a time of uncertainty. The president began with language that suggested he may indeed be seeking to appeal across party lines. The agenda I will lay out this evening is not a Republican agenda or a Democrat agenda. It is the agenda of the American People, he declared. In the 20th century, America saved freedom, transformed science, and redefined the middle class standard of living for the entire world to see. Now, we must step boldly and bravely into the next chapter of this great American adventure, and we must create a new standard of living for the 21st century. Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Show all 23 1 /23 Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Joe Biden The former vice president - poised to be a frontrunner - has announced his run. He recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Bernie Sanders The 2016 runner-up has announced that he will be running again in 2020 Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Hillary Clinton The 2016 Democratic presidential candidate and former Secretary of State says she is still considering whether she will run again. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Pete Buttigieg The Indiana mayor and war veteran will be running for president. If elected, he would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Kamala Harris The former California attorney general will be running for president in 2020. Introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions testimony, she has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts Senator has formally launched her bid for president in 2020. A progressive Democrat, she is a major supporter of regulating Wall Street. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Beto ORourke The former Texas congressman told Oprah Winfrey that he has been thinking about running for presidency, but stopped short of formally announcing his bid to run in 2020. AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam has announced his bid. He intends to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord. Vice News Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has announced that he will be running for the presidency in 2020. If he secures the nomination he said finding a female vice president would be a priority. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a special meaning for the Latino community in the US. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but is likely to face tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Andrew Yang The entrepreneur has announced his presidential candidacy, and has pledged that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18. AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual advisor has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? John Kerry The former secretary of state has said he is still thinking about whether to run. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Michael Bloomberg The entrepreneur and former New York mayor with a net worth of around $50bn has said he will decide by the end of February whether to seek the presidency. AFP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Howard Schultz Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has not yet ruled out running for president in 2020, despite criticism that his bid could help re-elect Mr Trump by dividing the Democrat vote. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Eric Holder The former attorney general has said he will decide in the next month or so whether to run as a 2020 presidential candidate. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Eric Swalwell The California congressman said he is ready to do this and will decide before April whether to run. MSNBC Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Terry McAuliffe The former Virginia governor, who worked to elect Democratic governors during 2018 midterms, said there was a 50 per cent chance he would run. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Sherrod Brown The Ohio senator is still undecided about whether to run for president in 2020. Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Mitch Landrieu The former New Orleans mayor said he doesnt think he will run for president, but never say never. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin But his address very quickly turned into a defence of his administrations most divisive policies, including his demand to build a border wall and to crack down on immigration. Democrats, who now control the House of Representatives, have repeatedly refuse to provide him the $5.7bn he has demanded for a wall, and his refusal to compromise on the issue led to the biggest government shutdown in history, and another one is potentially just days away. Despite this, while he stopped short of declaring a national emergency one possible tactic that would secure him the money for a wall without funding from Congress - he termed illegal immigration an urgent national crisis. One commentator calculated he spent 17 minutes talking about immigration. In the past, most of the people in this room voted for a wall, but the proper wall never got built. I will get it built, Mr Trump said. So lets work together, compromise, and reach a deal that will truly make America safe. He added: My administration has sent to Congress a commonsense proposal to end the crisis on our southern Border. It includes humanitarian assistance, more law enforcement, drug detection at our ports, closing loopholes that enable child smuggling, and plans for a new physical barrier, or wall, to secure the vast areas between our ports of entry. This is a smart, strategic, see-through steel barrier not just a simple concrete wall. The president, who revealed he will meet again with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un later this month in Vietnam, boasted of the strength of the economy, and the record low unemployment. He used that issue to attack the investigation being carried out by special counsel Robert Mueller into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia in the 2016 election. State of the Union: Stacey Abrams hits out at 'engineered shutdown' in Democrat response An economic miracle is taking place in the United States and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations. If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation. It just doesnt work that way, he said. In comments that appeared directed at evangelical Christians who have been such an important part of his base of supporters, he also said he would would push for legislation to end late-term abortions and protect babies who can feel pain in the mothers womb. There could be no greater contrast to the beautiful image of a mother holding her infant child than the chilling displays our nation saw in recent days. Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mothers womb moments before birth, said Mr Trump. These are living, feeling, beautiful, babies who will never get the chance to share their love and dreams with the world. He added: I am asking Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mothers womb. Let us work together to build a culture that cherishes innocent life. And let us reaffirm a fundamental truth: all children born and unborn are made in the holy image of God. The Democratic response was delivered by Stacey Abrams, who last November narrowly lost winning her attempt to become governor of Georgia. Had she done so, she would have been the first African American woman to hold such a position. As it was, on Tuesday night, she became the first black woman to deliver an official response to the State of the Union address. In her remarks, she accused Mr Trump and other Republicans of abandoning working Americans and fomenting partisan discord. Speaking from a union hall in Atlanta, Ms Abrams combined her partys vision of a more unified society with her personal story as a black daughter of the Deep South. These were our family values: faith, service, education and responsibility, she said, arguing for this uncommon grace of community, she said. We do not succeed alone. In these United States, when times are tough, we can persevere because our friends and neighbours will come for us. A nationally-televised speech can have the power to catapult a relatively unknown lawmaker into the spotlight and launch a prolific political career that shapes generations of American society. For Stacey Abrams, that opportunity came on Tuesday night. Georgias 2018 Democratic gubernatorial candidate provided her partys official response to Donald Trumps second State of the Union address, offering a message of hope and unity while calling out the presidents falsities and exaggerated claims surrounding illegal immigration. "Even as I am very disappointed by the presidents approach to our problems, I still dont want him to fail, Ms Abrams said on Tuesday night. But we need him to tell the truth and to respect his duties and respect the extraordinary diversity that defines America. Our progress has always been found in the refuge, in the basic instinct of the American experiment, to do right by our people." The message appeared to resonate with Americans across the country, including political campaign experts and voters alike, who called on the 45-year-old politician to run for the US Senate in Georgia or even the White House. President Trump delivers State of the Union address Show all 22 1 /22 President Trump delivers State of the Union address President Trump delivers State of the Union address Nancy Pelosis sarcastic clapping stole Trumps thunder For many the president's speech was overshadowed by Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's applause after his call for political unity, which many interpreted as "sarcastic" AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Trump issues ominous threat over investigations as he rails against immigration and abortion In a State of the Union speech calling on Washington to cast aside revenge, resistance and retribution, Donald Trump was accused of issuing a veiled threat over the investigations dogging his administration. An economic miracle is taking place in the United States and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations, Mr Trump said AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Congresswomen, dressed in white in tribute to the women's suffrage movement, pose for a photo as they arrive AFP/Getty Images President Trump delivers State of the Union address The 72-year-old harkened back to American achievements, celebrating the moon landing as astronaut Buzz Aldrin looked on from the audience and heralding the liberation of Europe from the Nazis AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address He also led the House chamber in singing happy birthday to a Holocaust survivor sitting with first lady Melania Trump. "Together, we represent the most extraordinary nation in all of history. What will we do with this moment? How will we be remembered?" Mr Trump said Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dressed in white in an act of solidarity with other women declined to join a standing ovation for Donald Trump despite his purported call for unity Reuters President Trump delivers State of the Union address The president ticked through a litany of issues with crossover appeal, including boosting infrastructure, lowering prescription drug costs and combating childhood cancer Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Republican Veronica Escobar reacts as President Trump claims that El Paso, Texas, has become safer due to a wall along the border with Mexico Reuters President Trump delivers State of the Union address Despite no one working in the White House Office of National Aids Policy, and having sacking his HIV advisory council last year, Mr Trump pledged to inject funds to stop the spread of the disease in America by 2030 Getty Images President Trump delivers State of the Union address "Scientific breakthroughs have brought a once-distant dream within reach," the president said. Together, we will defeat Aids in America and beyond." he said Reuters President Trump delivers State of the Union address Trump led the House chamber in singing happy birthday to a Holocaust survivor sitting with first lady Melania Reuters President Trump delivers State of the Union address He also appealed to his political base, both with his harsh rhetoric on immigration and a call for Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the "late-term abortion of children EPA President Trump delivers State of the Union address Women from both political parties wore white outfits tonight at the behest of the Democratic Womens Working Group to honor the legacy of women's suffrage in the United States AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address He devoted much of his speech to foreign policy, another area where Republicans have increasingly distanced themselves from the White House EPA President Trump delivers State of the Union address Trump greets Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, alongside Vice President Mike Pence AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address US First lady Melania Trump (left) with Grace Eline and Joshua Trump, special guests of President Donald Trump AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Trump announced details of a second meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, outlining a summit in Vietnam starting on 27 February AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address "If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea," he said AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Supreme Court Justices John Roberts, Elena Kagan and Neil Gorsuch laugh AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address President Trump greets lawmakers after delivering his second State of the Union address EPA President Trump delivers State of the Union address Independent Senator from Vermont Bernie Sanders holds his notes EPA Stacey Abrams for Senate or president or emperor or honestly whatever she damn pleases, Amanda Litman, a former director of Hillary Clintons 2016 presidential campaign, wrote in a tweet following the speech. Ms Abrams, who previously served as the minority leader in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2011 to 2017, has reportedly been courted by Chuck Schumer and other Democratic officials to launch a bid for the US Senate in her home state. It remains unclear when and how the popular Democrat may serve in an elected capacity; after narrowly losing her 2018 gubernatorial race an election shrouded in controversy after being overseen by Ms Abrams opponent, Brian Kemp, Georgias former secretary of state she launched a non-profit called Fair Fight, focused on restoring voting rights and accessibility across the country. Stacey Abrams flames Trump for voter suppression in Democrats' response to State of the Union She has reportedly held lofty political goals since she was a teenager, keeping an excel sheet of her potential career trajectory since she was 18 years old, according to Cosmopolitan. Ms Abrams has reportedly envisfaed a presidential run for herself in 2028. Calls for Ms Abrams to launch her candidacy ahead of the 2020 elections were ignited in the moments following her speech on Tuesday night, with her supporters noting a clear contrast between her address and that of Donald Trump. Recommended Stacey Abrams to sue in Georgia governor election The president lambasted illegal immigration and renewed his vows to build a wall across the US-Mexico border, while Ms Abrams called for compassionate treatment at the border. Democrats stand ready to effectively secure our ports and borders, but we must all embrace that from agriculture to health care America is stronger with immigrants, not walls, she said. Dan Pfeiffer, who served as a senior adviser to Barack Obama and tweeted Stacey Abrams should run for President on Tuesday night, told the New York Times Ms Abrams could energize Democratic voters to flock to the polls in 2020. I have no idea if she can win the nomination, but neither does anyone else, he said in an email to the newspaper. What I do know is that she can inspire people to activism and that is key to a Democrat winning back the White House. The democratic governor of New Mexico is withdrawing most of her states National Guard troops from the US-Mexico border, just as Donald Trump is planning a surge in US troops to combat what he describes as a major national security threat. Just before Mr Trump delivered his second State of the Union address on Tuesday, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced that she would partially withdraw the troops that her Republican predecessor had sent there nearly a year ago at the presidents suggestion. New Mexico will not take part in the presidents charade of border fear-mongering by misusing our diligent National Guard troops, Ms Lujan Grisham said in a statement. Before her announcement, the state had 118 troops deployed at the border. Ms Lujan Grishams withdrawal will leave just around a dozen guardsmen along the southern border between her state and Mexico. I recognize and appreciate the legitimate concerns of residents and officials in southwestern New Mexico, particularly Hidalgo County, who have asked for our assistance, as migrants and asylum-seekers continue to appear at their doorstep, she said. Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border Show all 30 1 /30 Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border Members of the caravan of Central American migrants climb the border wall in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico EPA Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border US Border Patrol agents seen through the concertina wire where the border meets the Pacific Ocean AP Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border Central American migrants pray at a temporary shelter in Tijuana AP Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border Darwin, a 12 year old migrant boy from Honduras, looks out from under a tarp while taking refuge at a shelter in Tijuana Reuters Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border Central American migrants line up for a meal at a shelter in Tijuana AP Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border Angel, a 13-year-old migrant from Honduras looks towards the United States past the border fence in Tijuana Reuters Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border Members of the LGBTQ community -who split from a caravan of Central American migrants heading to the US- arrive at the Diversidad Migrante (Migrant Diversity) NGO headquarters, which they will use as shelter, in Tijuana AFP/Getty Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border US military personell install barbed wire fences to stop the passage of Central American migrants EPA Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border Young Honduran migrant Daniel Gamez waits with his family in a line for a meal after arriving with the Central America migrant caravan in Tijuana AP Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border Two women, one carrying a child, walk north after crossing illegally into the United States as a Border Patrol agent moves in to detain them AP Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border EPA Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border A child looks out the window of a bus upon its arrival at a temporary shelter in Tijuana AFP/Getty Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border Migrants from Honduras dry their clothes in the sand after washing off in the Pacific Ocean AP Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border Central American migrants at a temporary shelter near the US-Mexico border AFP/Getty Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border US police agents stand guard near the US-Mexico border fence AFP/Getty Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border A migrant, who claimed not to be part of the Central American migrant caravan walks on the US-Mexico border fence AFP/Getty Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border Eldin, a migrant man from Honduras, awakes next to his seven year old son Jose while taking refuge at a shelter in Tijuana Reuters Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border Migrants line up for food at a shelter AFP/Getty Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border A man installs concertina wire on top of the border structure on the US side AP Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border Central American migrants sit on an overlook in Tijuana AP Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border A migrant, who is part of a caravan traveling en route to the United States, shouts as he waits to receive food in a shelter in Tijuana REUTERS Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border A man tries to get over a border structure topped with concertina wire AP Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border People who are part of the Central American migrants caravan arrive at a shelter EPA Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border AFP/Getty Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border EPA Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border Migrants pray at a temporary shelter in Tijuana AP Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border Migrants shower outside a temporary migrant shelter next to the Us-Mexico border fence Getty Images Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border US Border Patrol agents, left, speak with two Central American migrants as they sit atop the border structure AP Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border A Central American migrant looks on through the US-Mexico border fence AFP/Getty Images Migrant caravan reaches Tijuana on US border A migrant stands next to the border fence REUTERS The Pentagon announced over the weekend that it would send 3,745 more troops to the US southern border in order to install barbed wire fencing and to assist US Customs and Border Protection operations. That will bring the total number of US troops on the border to 4,350. New Mexico is one of four US states to share a land border with Mexico in the southwest United States, where an influx of Central American migrants have surrendered themselves claiming asylum in recent months and years as they flee violence and economic hardship in their home countries. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Ms Lujan Grishams state in particular has received attention after the deaths of two migrant children in the care of the United States, Guatemalan children Filipe Gomez Alonzo and Javelin Caal. Ms Lujan Grisham as also directed 25 National Guard troops from Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Wisconsin to withdraw from the border between her state and Mexico. Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring has confirmed he wore blackface to a college party in 1980, just days after calling on the states governor to resign over a similar racial scandal. Mr Herring apologised for donning blackface in a statement released shortly after the attorney general met with members of Virginias legislative black caucus, writing: Honest conversations and discussions will make it clear whether I can or should continue to serve as attorney general. I have a glaring example from my past that I have thought about with deep regret in the many years since, and certainly each time I took a step forward in public service, realizing that my goals and this memory could someday collide and cause pain for people I care about, those who stood with me in the many years since, or those who I hoped to serve while in office, the statement read. In 1980, when I was a 19-year-old undergraduate in college, some friends suggested we attend a party dressed like rappers we listened to at the time, like Kurtis Blow, and perform a song. It sounds ridiculous even now writing it, he added. But because of our ignorance and glib attitudes and because we did not have an appreciation for the experiences and perspectives of others we dressed up and put on wigs and brown makeup. Four days earlier, the attorney general slammed Virginia Governor Ralph Northam after an image from his 1984 yearbook page circulated online showing a man in blackface and another dressed as a member of the Ku Klux Klan, saying it is no longer possible for him to remain in office. 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 Virginias executive branch has been mired in controversy in recent weeks following the governors blackface controversy and new accusations of sexual assault against Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax. Mr Fairfax was accused earlier this week of sexually assaulting a female victim during the 2004 Democratic National Convention. The lieutenant governor who has denied the allegations would be Mr Northams successor if he decides to step down from his post. The governor has seemingly fought back against nationwide calls from Democrats to resign. After initially admitting to having been one of the men in the photo from his yearbook page, Mr Northam held a press conference in which he walked back those comments and claimed to have no idea how the photo was featured on his page. Mr Northam has admit to wearing blackface as part of a Michael Jackson costume for a dance competition in the 1980s, but denied having any involvement in the yearbook photo, describing it as disgusting, offensive and racist. It remains to be seen whether any of the three politicians will step down in the wake of their scandals. If all three eventually resign, the governors seat would then go to Kirk Cox, Virginias Republican House Speaker. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events This was a onetime occurrence and I accept full responsibility for my conduct, Mr Herrings statement continued. This conduct is in no way reflective of the man I have become in the nearly 40 years since. He added, no matter where we go from here, I will say that from the bottom of my heart, I am deeply, deeply sorry for the pain that I cause with this revelation. Boyer and another person had covered the dog with some blankets and as it has some injuries to his rear extremities, Wojas said. The injuries do not appear life threatening. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, the first woman to wear the hijab in Congress, delivered a quirky response to President Donald Trumps State of the Union address with a nod to special counsel Robert Muellers investigation and immigrants in a video of her dancing. The freshman congresswoman, representing Minnesotas fifth district, posted a video of herself dancing to Childish Gambinos This is America, a popular song condemning the treatment of marginalised communities in the country, with text on the clip reading: My message to Trump. In the video, Ms Omar was decked out in colors of the American flag: red, white and blue. Like her fellow Democratic congresswomen, she wore a white shirt in honour of the suffragettes, womens rights and equality, paired with a red shirt and blue headscarf. The video was posted on Twitter with the following caption: When I hear Individual 1 spout hate about immigrants. Individual 1 is how the president is referred to in the filings from Mr Muellers investigation into possible Russian interference with the 2016 presidential election, and whether the Trump campaign meddled or colluded with Moscow. 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 Soon after posting the video online, Ms Omar followed up with another tweet lambasting Mr Trumps State of the Union address. The most pedestrian speech we have ever heard, Ms Omar, a Somali refugee, said in the tweeted video. It didnt sounds like a presidential speech. It also didnt address any of the critical issues we have. She added that the presidents speech was a parade of American heroes, that he sort of used to manipulate the American people. Throughout his speech, Mr Trump attacked Mr Mueller and the special counsel investigation. He referred to the latter as ridiculous partisan investigations as a hindrance to acknowledging the so-called economic miracle occuring in the US. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events In promotion of his notorious $5.6bn wall proposal on the US-Mexico border, one in which resulted in the longest government shutdown in American history, the president called for unity among Democratic and Republican lawmakers. We can bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions, forge new solutions, and unlock the extraordinary promise of Americas future, he added. The decision is ours to make. Senator Elizabeth Warren said on Tuesday she was sorry she identified herself as a Native American for almost two decades, reflecting her ongoing struggle to quiet a controversy that continues to haunt her as she prepares to formally announce a presidential bid. Her comments more fully explain the regret she expressed last week to the chief of the Cherokee Nation, the first time she has said she was sorry for claiming American Indian heritage. The private apology was earlier reported as focusing more narrowly on a DNA test she took to demonstrate her purported heritage, a move that prompted a ferocious backlash even from many allies. Ms Warren is on the cusp of formally announcing her presidential bid and will be vying to lead a party that has become far more mindful of non-white voters and their objections to misuse of their culture. "I can't go back," Ms Warren said in an interview with The Washington Post. "But I am sorry for furthering confusion on tribal sovereignty and tribal citizenship and harm that resulted." Ms Warren has been trying for the past year to get past the lingering controversy over her past assertion that she is Native American. Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Show all 23 1 /23 Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Joe Biden The former vice president - poised to be a frontrunner - has announced his run. He recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Bernie Sanders The 2016 runner-up has announced that he will be running again in 2020 Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Hillary Clinton The 2016 Democratic presidential candidate and former Secretary of State says she is still considering whether she will run again. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Pete Buttigieg The Indiana mayor and war veteran will be running for president. If elected, he would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Kamala Harris The former California attorney general will be running for president in 2020. Introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions testimony, she has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts Senator has formally launched her bid for president in 2020. A progressive Democrat, she is a major supporter of regulating Wall Street. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Beto ORourke The former Texas congressman told Oprah Winfrey that he has been thinking about running for presidency, but stopped short of formally announcing his bid to run in 2020. AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam has announced his bid. He intends to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord. Vice News Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has announced that he will be running for the presidency in 2020. If he secures the nomination he said finding a female vice president would be a priority. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a special meaning for the Latino community in the US. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but is likely to face tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Andrew Yang The entrepreneur has announced his presidential candidacy, and has pledged that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18. AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual advisor has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? John Kerry The former secretary of state has said he is still thinking about whether to run. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Michael Bloomberg The entrepreneur and former New York mayor with a net worth of around $50bn has said he will decide by the end of February whether to seek the presidency. AFP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Howard Schultz Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has not yet ruled out running for president in 2020, despite criticism that his bid could help re-elect Mr Trump by dividing the Democrat vote. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Eric Holder The former attorney general has said he will decide in the next month or so whether to run as a 2020 presidential candidate. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Eric Swalwell The California congressman said he is ready to do this and will decide before April whether to run. MSNBC Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Terry McAuliffe The former Virginia governor, who worked to elect Democratic governors during 2018 midterms, said there was a 50 per cent chance he would run. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Sherrod Brown The Ohio senator is still undecided about whether to run for president in 2020. Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Mitch Landrieu The former New Orleans mayor said he doesnt think he will run for president, but never say never. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin In addition to the DNA test, she released employment documents over the summer to show she did not use ethnicity to further her career. And in a speech a year ago, she addressed her decision to call herself a Native American, though she did not offer the apology that some wanted at the time. But as Ms Warren undergoes increased scrutiny as a presidential candidate, additional documents could surface to keep the issue alive. Using an open records request during a general inquiry, for example, The Post obtained Ms Warren's registration card for the State Bar of Texas, providing a previously undisclosed example of Ms Warren identifying as an "American Indian." Ms Warren filled out the card by hand and signed it. Dated April 1986, it is the first document to surface showing Ms Warren making the claim in her own handwriting. Her office did not dispute its authenticity. For Ms Warren, putting this chapter behind her is key to calming the nerves of Democrats who want a nominee who can move beyond any problems in his or her past and present a strong challenge to President Trump. For the Democratic electorate, roiled by Mr Trump's racially insensitive comments, it has become more important for a Democratic standard-bearer to show an understanding of issues related to race and identity. The nascent 2020 Democratic field is already the most diverse in history, with two black senators, five women, a gay man and an Asian entrepreneur among the announced or potential candidates. Non-white voters have a significant voice in the Democratic primaries. Black people made up 25 per cent of the electorate in the 2016 Democratic primary, according to exit polls. Hispanic voters made up 7 per cent, but that rose to 19 per cent in Nevada, a critical early primary state. It was previously reported Ms Warren called Bill John Baker, the principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, and apologised for sharing the results of a DNA test that showed she had a distant relative who was Native American. Julie Hubbard, a spokesperson for the Cherokee Nation, declined to address the scope of the conversation between Ms Warren and the chief. Ms Warren, when asked in a brief interview on Tuesday whether she had intended the apology to include labelling herself as Native American when at the University of Pennsylvania and at Harvard University, replied "yes." She gave the same response when asked whether it included labelling herself as a minority in the Association of American Law Schools directory. "I told him I was sorry for furthering confusion about tribal citizenship," Ms Warren said. "I am also sorry for not being more mindful about this decades ago. We had a good conversation." CNN reported her broader apology on Monday. Several tribal members applauded her. "This closes the matter," tweeted Keith Harper, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and a former US ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Council. "Onward." But not all were pleased. "I want to see it in writing," said David Cornsilk, a historian and genealogist who is also a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. "I want her to go on national TV. I want her to do a video like she did to announce her DNA results. It just seemed very lacking." Elizabeth Warren takes major step towards running for president in 2020 In October, Ms Warren released the DNA results showing she had a Native American ancestor six to 10 generations ago. The move backfired, with Cherokee leaders outraged that she used the test to show any connection to the tribe, a process they control. It also dredged up uncomfortable issues about defining race via bloodlines. The test was an attempt to quell the criticism and occasional mockery she has faced for years. President Donald Trump has frequently called her "Pocahontas." The campaign of former senator Scott Brown, R-Mass, whom Ms Warren ousted in 2012, referred to her as "Fauxcahontas." Republicans have charged that Ms Warren claimed Indian ancestry to advance her career, though an investigation by the Boston Globe showed Ms Warren was considered a white woman when hired as a law professor by the University of Pennsylvania and then by Harvard University. The Texas bar registration card is significant, among other reasons, because it removes any doubt that Ms Warren directly claimed the identity. In other instances, Ms Warren has declined to say whether she or an assistant filled out forms. The card shows her name, her gender and the address for the University of Texas law school in Austin, where she was working at the time. On the line for "race," Ms Warren neatly printed, "American Indian." She left blank lines for "National Origin" and "Physical handicap" and signed the document. "She is sorry that she was not more mindful of this earlier in her career," said Kristen Orthman, a Warren campaign spokesperson. Ms Warren filled out the card after being admitted to the Texas bar. Ms Warren was doing legal work on the side, according to her campaign, but nothing that required bar admission in the state. The date coincided with her first listing as a "minority" by the Association of American Law Schools. Ms Warren reported herself as minority in the directory every year starting in 1986 when AALS first included a list of minority law professors to 1995, when her name dropped off the list. Ms Warren also had her ethnicity changed from white to Native American in December 1989 while working at the University of Pennsylvania. The change came two years after she was hired there. Several months after Ms Warren started working at Harvard law school in 1995, she approved listing her ethnicity as Native American. Harvard listed Ms Warren as Native American in its federal affirmative action forms from 1995 to 2004, records show. There is no indication Ms Warren had anything to gain by reporting herself as Native American on the Texas bar card. Above the lines for race, national origin and handicap status, the card says, "The following information is for statistical purposes only and will not be disclosed to any person or organisation without the express written consent of the attorney." Separately, Ms Warren's candidate financial disclosure report was released on Tuesday, showing that she and her husband have a net worth between $5.2 million and $9.1 million, in line with other reports of her wealth. Ms Warren, who made a career in academia with research on how debt leads to personal bankruptcy, reported no mortgage on homes in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Washington. The couple also reported no credit card debt. The Washington Post Donald Trump Jr has defended the hard-line stance on immigration his father took during Tuesday nights State of the Union Address, describing the first family as the product of an incredible immigrant story in an interview with Fox News. The 41-year-old first son warned of immigration causing a decline in Americas allegedly crumbling public school and health care systems while claiming his father was all for immigration albeit with several exceptions. My mom is an immigrant. My fathers mom is an immigrant, weve lived an incredible immigrant story and a success story in this country, the first son said on Wednesday morning. That said, we cant just haphazardly let everyone come in, let everyone come into a system that theyre likely to never pay into, where theyre going to destroy our school systems, which are already so overburdened. Our health care system, the same thing; you know, we want to be compassionate, we want to help everyone, but we have to help our own people first, he added. Once we deal with all of those problems, then we can deal with the rest of the world. The interview followed Donald Trumps second State of the Union address to a joint-session of the US Congress in which the president renewed his vows to build a wall along the US-Mexico border and made exaggerated claims about immigrant violence across the country. President Trump delivers State of the Union address Show all 22 1 /22 President Trump delivers State of the Union address President Trump delivers State of the Union address Nancy Pelosis sarcastic clapping stole Trumps thunder For many the president's speech was overshadowed by Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's applause after his call for political unity, which many interpreted as "sarcastic" AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Trump issues ominous threat over investigations as he rails against immigration and abortion In a State of the Union speech calling on Washington to cast aside revenge, resistance and retribution, Donald Trump was accused of issuing a veiled threat over the investigations dogging his administration. An economic miracle is taking place in the United States and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations, Mr Trump said AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Congresswomen, dressed in white in tribute to the women's suffrage movement, pose for a photo as they arrive AFP/Getty Images President Trump delivers State of the Union address The 72-year-old harkened back to American achievements, celebrating the moon landing as astronaut Buzz Aldrin looked on from the audience and heralding the liberation of Europe from the Nazis AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address He also led the House chamber in singing happy birthday to a Holocaust survivor sitting with first lady Melania Trump. "Together, we represent the most extraordinary nation in all of history. What will we do with this moment? How will we be remembered?" Mr Trump said Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dressed in white in an act of solidarity with other women declined to join a standing ovation for Donald Trump despite his purported call for unity Reuters President Trump delivers State of the Union address The president ticked through a litany of issues with crossover appeal, including boosting infrastructure, lowering prescription drug costs and combating childhood cancer Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Republican Veronica Escobar reacts as President Trump claims that El Paso, Texas, has become safer due to a wall along the border with Mexico Reuters President Trump delivers State of the Union address Despite no one working in the White House Office of National Aids Policy, and having sacking his HIV advisory council last year, Mr Trump pledged to inject funds to stop the spread of the disease in America by 2030 Getty Images President Trump delivers State of the Union address "Scientific breakthroughs have brought a once-distant dream within reach," the president said. Together, we will defeat Aids in America and beyond." he said Reuters President Trump delivers State of the Union address Trump led the House chamber in singing happy birthday to a Holocaust survivor sitting with first lady Melania Reuters President Trump delivers State of the Union address He also appealed to his political base, both with his harsh rhetoric on immigration and a call for Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the "late-term abortion of children EPA President Trump delivers State of the Union address Women from both political parties wore white outfits tonight at the behest of the Democratic Womens Working Group to honor the legacy of women's suffrage in the United States AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address He devoted much of his speech to foreign policy, another area where Republicans have increasingly distanced themselves from the White House EPA President Trump delivers State of the Union address Trump greets Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, alongside Vice President Mike Pence AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address US First lady Melania Trump (left) with Grace Eline and Joshua Trump, special guests of President Donald Trump AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Trump announced details of a second meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, outlining a summit in Vietnam starting on 27 February AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address "If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea," he said AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address Supreme Court Justices John Roberts, Elena Kagan and Neil Gorsuch laugh AFP/Getty President Trump delivers State of the Union address President Trump greets lawmakers after delivering his second State of the Union address EPA President Trump delivers State of the Union address Independent Senator from Vermont Bernie Sanders holds his notes EPA Working-class Americans are left to pay the price for mass illegal migration reduced jobs, lower wages, overburdened schools, hospitals so crowded you cant get in, increased crime, and a depleted social safety net, Mr Trump said on Tuesday night. Numerous studies have revealed immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than the native-born US population, including both undocumented and legal immigrants. I want people to come into our country in the largest numbers ever, he added, reportedly going off the transcript and against White House proposals which have sought a reduction in legal immigration. But they have to come in legally. Still, the presidents son reiterated those claims on Wednesday, suggesting the rest of the world uses merit-based immigration programmes and lambasting the Democratic Party for its out of touch stance on illegal immigration. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Its amazing that were having these arguments today, he said. Democrats are so out of touch. And, you know, their motives are not pure. Fox & Friends host Brian Kilmeade concluded the interview by saying the first son clearly would have a great political future should he ever run. Beto O'Rourke crept to the edge of announcing a presidential bid here during an interview with Oprah Winfrey, saying he was leaning towards a run and would make a final decision by the end of the month. In a theatre in New York's Times Square - and sandwiched in a programme that started with actor Michael B Jordan and ended with actor-director Bradley Cooper - the former Texas congressman outlined the case for a Democratic candidate who could knit together a divided country and dropped hint after hint that he believes such a candidate should be him. "I have been thinking about running for president," he said, to a large round of applause. "And what's your conclusion?" Ms Winfrey asked, as if urging him to get into the race. "Are you running?" "That's a big question for us to think through," he said. "I've got to tell you. You can tell. I'm so excited at the prospect of being able to play that role." Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Show all 23 1 /23 Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Joe Biden The former vice president - poised to be a frontrunner - has announced his run. He recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Bernie Sanders The 2016 runner-up has announced that he will be running again in 2020 Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Hillary Clinton The 2016 Democratic presidential candidate and former Secretary of State says she is still considering whether she will run again. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Pete Buttigieg The Indiana mayor and war veteran will be running for president. If elected, he would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Kamala Harris The former California attorney general will be running for president in 2020. Introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions testimony, she has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts Senator has formally launched her bid for president in 2020. A progressive Democrat, she is a major supporter of regulating Wall Street. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Beto ORourke The former Texas congressman told Oprah Winfrey that he has been thinking about running for presidency, but stopped short of formally announcing his bid to run in 2020. AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam has announced his bid. He intends to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord. Vice News Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has announced that he will be running for the presidency in 2020. If he secures the nomination he said finding a female vice president would be a priority. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a special meaning for the Latino community in the US. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but is likely to face tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Andrew Yang The entrepreneur has announced his presidential candidacy, and has pledged that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18. AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual advisor has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? John Kerry The former secretary of state has said he is still thinking about whether to run. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Michael Bloomberg The entrepreneur and former New York mayor with a net worth of around $50bn has said he will decide by the end of February whether to seek the presidency. AFP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Howard Schultz Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has not yet ruled out running for president in 2020, despite criticism that his bid could help re-elect Mr Trump by dividing the Democrat vote. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Eric Holder The former attorney general has said he will decide in the next month or so whether to run as a 2020 presidential candidate. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Eric Swalwell The California congressman said he is ready to do this and will decide before April whether to run. MSNBC Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Terry McAuliffe The former Virginia governor, who worked to elect Democratic governors during 2018 midterms, said there was a 50 per cent chance he would run. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Sherrod Brown The Ohio senator is still undecided about whether to run for president in 2020. Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Mitch Landrieu The former New Orleans mayor said he doesnt think he will run for president, but never say never. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin "What's it going to take?" she asked loudly. "What's it going to take for you to say 'yes?' " He playfully said his 12-year-old son, Ulysses, was among those most against him running for president, after Mr O'Rourke was away for long stretches during last year's failed US Senate campaign. "The good thing for those who want us to run is our oldest, Ulysses, who was most desperate that we never run for office ever again because of how long I have been gone, is about ready for me to leave the house," Mr O'Rourke said. Mr O'Rourke would be entering a presidential field that is growing more crowded by the week. Since he stepped offstage after his November loss, Democratic senators Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand and Kamala Harris and others have joined the the party's field. Still, Mr O'Rourke in his Senate campaign demonstrated a raw ability to attract enthusiasm, raise record amounts of money online and harness social media in a way that few other candidates have been able to replicate. In a field that has already launched into discussions of health care policy and tax proposals, however, he would be under pressure to deliver more specifics about his campaign as well as his extended public ambivalence about seeking the presidency. Ms Winfrey provided a key 2008 endorsement for Barack Obama in his first presidential run and has triggered buzz of her own around calls for her to seek office. At one point, Mr O'Rourke gamely turned towards her. "Many of the questions that you have been asking me, I'm sure many people here would like to know the answer from you," he said. "Is this something you would consider?" "The reason I respect your process is because I do firmly believe it's something you've got to feel inside of yourself," Ms Winfrey responded. "Not what everybody else says, that I believe that I can answer this call for this particular moment in our time, in our culture, in our society." The 50-minute interview began with Mr O'Rourke reflecting on his Senate-race loss and what he could have done differently. He ran a unique campaign, he said, and would do the same if he were to run in 2020. He did not have a pollster or a speechwriter, and he prided himself on going to Republican-dominated areas that Democrats often overlooked. "I learned a hell of a lot during that campaign," he said. "And I think at a time that our politics is so heavily scripted and tested and safe, there was something that was new and maybe even dangerous or different about the way that we ran this campaign." After the campaign, he said, he felt a "profound disappointment" and set off on a solo journey, one that was well-documented - and often mocked by critics - in Medium posts he put online, saying he was "in and out of a funk." It went from his on-the-road meals ("Pepperoni and cheese pizza. Ice cream for dessert.") to questions of national unity ("How do we stop seeing each other as outsiders?"). At one point, he live-streamed part of a dental appointment. He has said he is considering both running for president and teaching in a classroom. Yet he has done little of the preparation seen from other candidates, favouring a psychological journey more than one that is practically focused on hiring staff or raising money. Beto O'Rourke to supporters 'I'm so f***ing proud of you guys' "I had to be moving; I had to be meeting people," Mr O'Rourke said. "It's just how I think, how I find the next step. I just truly emerged out of this by being with people. That journey totally took me out of not just a funk but out of myself, and into what we are all connected to, which is this amazing place and idea, which is America," he said. "We want to play as great a role as possible in making sure this country lives up to the expectations." The interview at times had the feel of Mr O'Rourke openly wondering whether he was the one for the moment - as the crowd egged him on, hoping he would just go ahead and announce. "I'm increasingly excited about doing something - again, to the best of my ability, fulfilling my purpose to its greatest level," he said at one point. "Can I be part of bringing people together in a deeply divided country around things we agree are common - can we have a common conception on what it is to be American?" he said at another point. "I think about our politics, the way that we run campaigns, the way that we connect with each other. . . . If I can play some role in helping the country to do that, by God I'm going to do it." "By God, when are you going to know the answer?" Ms Winfrey said. "Really soon," Mr O'Rourke responded. "Before the end of this month." Ms Winfrey brought up the meeting he had last year with Mr Obama, asking for details about whether refreshments were served (coffee, in a porcelain cup) and whether the former president urged Mr O'Rourke to run (he did not, but they did discuss a presidential campaign). "At about minute six or seven, I realised: I am so tense and tight, and I'm sure I just have the weirdest look on my face. This loop is going through my head, 'I am listening to President Obama, I am sitting with President Obama,'" Mr O'Rourke said. "I kind of mind-controlled my body and my expressions and I tried to look relaxed." A few minutes later, he stopped himself, as if stunned. "Even saying these words, it's hard to believe that I'm saying I met with Barack Obama," he said. "And I'm saying it to Oprah Winfrey." At the end of the interview, Ms Winfrey looked over and said, "You seem like you're getting ready to run." Mr O'Rourke leaned back and smiled. The Washington Post A former congressman who supports Donald Trump has been scolded for branding Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a 29-year-old coffee barista. MSNBC host Ari Melber hit back at Jack Kingston, an ex-Republican congressman from Georgia, on Tuesday night after he dismissed the congresswoman as a coffeemaker. Mr Melber was hosting a panel about Mr Trumps recently leaked private schedules which reveal the US president has spent nearly 60 per cent of his scheduled time in the White House over the last three months enjoying unstructured executive time. The daily schedule, leaked by a White House source, showed clear discrepancies in what the president was said to be doing with his time on paper compared to his reported reality. Mr Melber said: Surely you cant say this is normal presidential scheduling. Your response? Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez greets fellow lawmakers ahead of the State of the Union address Getty Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez participates in an event with Democratic members of Congress EPA Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures The Democrat senator speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol January 30, 2019 Getty Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and fellow Democrat Rashida Tlaib AP Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at the Senate chamber to watch two votes on January 24, 2019 Getty Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez arrives with Chellie Pingree at a House Democratic Caucus meeting Getty Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Ocasio-Cortez during Donald Trump's State of the Union address Reuters Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures New York State Assembly member Catalina Cruz with Ocasio-Cortez AFP/Getty Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Nydia Velazquez talks with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Reuters Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Ocasio-Cortez casts her vote for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House EPA Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez poses with a campaign worker during a whistle stop in the Queens borough of New York Reuters Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Ocasio-Cortez outside the US Capitol AFP/Getty Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Ocasio-Cortez after casting her ballot in the 2018 midterm general election at a polling site in New York EPA Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez looks on during a march organised by the Women's March Alliance in Manhattan Reuters Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Ocasio Cortez looks on at the Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 16, 2019 AFP/Getty Mr Kingston replied: Ari, let me say, No. 1, here we have a 29-year-old coffee barista telling a man whos made billions of dollars running management and enterprises and investments and real estate all over the globe, and she is going to tell him how to manage the world. But Mr Melber interrupted immediately rebuking him for referring to the rising political stars background. She is not being quoted today based on the fact that she worked on retail or in service, Mr Melber said. She is quoted as a member of congress, the same title as yours. Do you not give her the same respect of the title you held? But Mr Kingston, a former Republican congressman from Georgia who was a CNN contributor, appeared to ignore his input and simply applauded Mr Trump. On Monday, the Hollywood Reporter reported Mr Kingston no longer worked with CNN as the news network had not renewed his contract. Star Wars actor Mark Hammill voiced anger that Mr Kingston who is known for stoking controversy and was a senior advisor and spokesperson for the Trump campaign was on MSNBC a day after leaving CNN. Ms Ocasio-Cortez, who was dressed in white in an act of solidarity with other women, declined to join a standing ovation for Mr Trump at his State of the Union on Tuesday night despite his purported call for unity. Ms Ocasio-Cortez, who represents New Yorks 14th congressional district, worked as a bartender before thrashing Democrat stalwart Joe Crowley the 10-term representative and then-fourth-ranking Democrat in the House. The self-avowed socialist, from the South Bronx, has worked as a waitress, childrens book publisher, community activist, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and volunteered for Bernie Sanders during his 2016 presidential campaign. She supports abolishing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and the creation of a universal healthcare system. Already this year, she has asserted that Mr Trump is no question a racist, and beaten back a manufactured controversy over a video of her dancing while in university. Robert Barnes has been a reporter and editor at The Washington Post for more than 30 years. For the last 12, he has covered the Supreme Court. This week he experienced something he says was a first in his career: a storm of commentators, many anonymous, swarming his social media accounts and email inbox to tell him something he saw with his own eyes and reported in The Washington Post did not actually happen: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, alive and well, attending a performance about her life at a museum in Washington - her first public appearance since she underwent cancer surgery in December. A falsehood has been spreading in dark corners of the internet that Ruth Bader Ginsburg is dead - and in the hours after he published his report, conspiracy theorists pelted Mr Barnes with their doubt-mongering. Photos were not allowed at the event, so one of the doubters emailed Mr Barnes 21 questions about Ms Ginsburg's appearance - the size of her security detail, what gender they were, for example - telling Mr Barnes that if he did not answer every single one of them, then it was a sign his article was not to be believed. Mr Barnes had unknowingly run into a distinct facet of the modern news cycle: a small but vocal crowd of fired up commentators organising online around a conspiracy theory with political undertones. Conspiracy theories about political figures are not new, but social media and other digital tools that allow for and, at times, encourage their wide dissemination have given them a new prominence in the Trump era. Though it is impossible to know how large these groups are, the disruption they cause far exceeds their size, due in part to visibility social media algorithms lends to ideas that fire people up, regardless of their veracity. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty But there is often more to these movements than they first seem. QAnon, the shorthand for a tale that fantasises about a vast, "deep-state" conspiracy aimed at thwarting President Donald Trump, was presented as an organic movement when it burst into mainstream consciousness last summer. But reporting later showed some of the main groups that had spread it were profiting off the attention it helped bring them. The Pizzagate conspiracy theory spread through the fringes of right-wing Internet culture to Twitter, where it was amplified by people with huge followings - and also, as it turns out, Russian bots. And the conversation after major news events, like the Parkland shooting in Florida last year, is routinely distorted by complex processes that lend themselves to gaming and manipulation, experts say, though specific actors and motivations can be hard to immediately discern. They include spurious accounts, trending hashtags supported by bot networks, and opaque algorithms that surface buzzy content and commentary - no matter what the facts are. Two anonymous Twitter accounts were behind the edited snippet of video about an encounter between a group of Catholic high school boys and a Native America activist that went viral, for example. One of the accounts was later booted from Twitter after the service said it was manipulating the conversation. In Ms Ginsburg's case, doubt about her health began to spread around the time she missed the court's first case, 7 January, as she recovered from surgery on 21 December. It appears to have originated on the message boards that house the QAnon theory. An anonymous but influential account posted a stew of doubt-mongering, wondering about Ms Ginsburg's "real medical diagnosis," and wondering what kind of "off-market drugs" were sustaining her. "The clock is ticking," the commenter wrote. "PANIC IN DC." There was no panic in the District of Columbia. The mini empire of amplifiers, profiteers, and fame seekers who benefit from QAnon's small but passionate audience went to work. Soon, videos questioning the official line on Ms Ginsburg's health were the top search results for the justice's name on YouTube. An online petition to impeach her failed to meet a 5,000 signature goal. But its real boost came when a couple of right-wing personalities with large social media followings engaged with it. Ben Garrison, a prominent pro-Trump cartoonist, tweeted about Ms Ginsburg's whereabouts, musing on his blog about whether liberals would ever keep her death "a secret," so Mr Trump could not fill the seat with a conservative. Fox News show Fox & Friends aired a graphic that briefly said she had died, though it quickly apologised and said it was a mistake. James Woods, an actor who is a mainstay of the conspiracy-laden parts of the pro-Trump Internet, helped to get the hashtag #WheresRuth trending on Twitter on 28 January. Two days later, Sebastian Gorka - a former adviser of President Trump's - tweeted to his 700,000 followers "Still no sign," noting the State of the Union was about a week away. Next, the theory started to draw mainstream coverage - another way conspiracy theories spread, even when they are properly fact-checked, debunked and contextualised, experts say. And the Twitter hoaxes continued. An anonymous account shared an old photo of the presidential hearse carrying Ronald Reagan past the capitol building, writing "Prominent DC Funeral Home vehicle seen leaving the Ginsberg estate . . . what's going on?" The conspiracy theory lives on in the algorithms. YouTube is still recommending "RBG dead" as one of its autofill searches. Twitter's autofill recommendations for "RBG" have an even wider selection: "#RBGWhereYouBe," "#RGBProofOfLife," and "RBG dead." Ms Ginsburg did not attend the State of the Union on Tuesday night. Neither did Justices Thomas, Alito, Sotomayor or Breyer. The conspiracy theory may be given more oxygen by her absence. If hoaxers were seeking attention for the theory, they have certainly succeeded. Targeting reporters like Mr Barnes with wide followings online is a good way to start. Other reporters who saw Ms Ginsburg on Monday night at the performance were hit with the same flood of replies and emails. After the Parkland shooting, Whitney Phillips, a Mercer University professor who studies online culture, told the Post that conspiracy theorists and hoax spreaders are "really good at seeding a story with an establishment outlet so they can bring that prize back to those far-right circles." People know that journalists are on Twitter, searching for news and story ideas. It is considered a victory when those fringe conspiracies are amplified into the mainstream by a reporter attempting to debunk them. After the QAnon theory went viral, for instance, conspiracy theorists were delighted by the mainstream attention. The Supreme Court has been the target of conspiracy theories before. After Justice Antonin Scalia died suddenly at a Texas ranch in 2016, conspiracy theories swirled about the nature of his death, and whether he was murdered as a political hit. The theories, which have no grounding in evidence, live on today. The Supreme Court does not have another public session until 19 February, Mr Barnes said, noting that specialists said there is a six to eight week recovery typically expected for the procedure Ms Ginsburg had undergone. "It seems logical that she would be back for it," he said. Mr Barnes said he is less offended by suggestions he was fooled by a body double than those that say he made up Ms Ginsburg's appearance last night. "Feeling grateful for tweeters who say I, and many others, saw RBG body-double, as opposed to those who think I lied," he wrote on Twitter. "They won't be happy if she skips speech tonight, as she has Trump's first 2. Thomas and Alito not likely either, but, I swear, also alive." The Washington Post The Arizona nurse accused of raping a severely disabled woman in Arizona has pleaded not guilty. The crime was discovered after the woman gave birth unexpectedly in December at the long-term care facility where she had been resident. Other carers at the facility indicated that they had not noticed the woman was pregnant. Nathan Sutherland appeared in court wearing an orange jumpsuit and shackles on Tuesday in Maricopa County Superior Court, where he faces charges of sexual assault and abuse of a vulnerable adult. Mr Sutherland, who is a licensed practical nurse and has worked at the Hacienda Healthcare Skilled Nursing Facility since 2012, is being held on $500,000 bail. The charges followed an investigation by police which allegedly linked him to the case through DNA evidence. On Tuesday, Mr Sutherlands lawyer, Dave Gregan, said that he will work to uphold Mr Sutherlands process rights. 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 say that the baby is doing well and is in the care of the womans family. The woman has been in the facility for nearly two decades. She was initially described by authorities as comatose, but her parents have since then clarified that she can respond to sounds and make facial gestures. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events She can also move her limbs, head and neck to some degree, they say. The Massachusetts Supreme Court has upheld the manslaughter conviction of a woman who persuaded her boyfriend through text messages to commit suicide. Michelle Carter, 22, will serve 15 months in prison for the July 2014 suicide of Conrad Roy III, 18, after she was found guilty in 2017. Prior to the courts decision Wednesday, Carters sentence had been placed on hold as her appeal was reviewed. According to court documents, the conviction of involuntary manslaughter was upheld by the court because the evidence against the defendant proved that, by her wanton or reckless conduct, she caused the victims death by suicide. The ruling continued: Her conviction of involuntary manslaughter as a youthful offender is not legally or constitutionally infirm. The judgement is therefore affirmed." 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 was previously ruled by the Bristol County Juvenile Court that Carter caused Roys death in Fairhaven, Massachusetts by encouraging him to get back in his truck, where he would eventually kill himself with carbon monoxide. The couple reportedly spoke on the phone twice as Roy, who was suicidal and had previously been admitted to a psychiatric hospital, contemplated his suicide, Bristol County prosecutors heard during the 2017 trial. Carter also encouraged Roy to take his life over text, writing: No more pushing it off. No more waiting". In another message, Carter wrote: "You can't think about it. You just have to do it". During the trial, a guilty ruling was supported with text messages Carter sent to her friends following Roys death, in which she took the blame for Roy's suicide and said it was her "fault". Court documents reveal the high court used Carters messages in its decision: As the defendant herself explained, and we repeat due to its importance, [The victims] death is my fault like honestly I could have stopped him I was on the phone with him and he got out of the [truck] because it was working and he got scared and I f***ing told him to get back in because I knew he would do it all over again the next day and I couldnt have him live the way he was living anymore I couldnt do it I wouldnt let him. In a statement to NBC, Carters lawyer Daniel Marx expressed disappointment with the courts decision and suggested an appeal to the US Supreme Court was possible. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events We continue to believe that Michelle Carter did not cause Conrad Roys tragic death, and she should not be held criminally responsible for his choice to end his own life, he said. We will evaluate all legal options including a possible appeal to the US Supreme Court. A man in Texas died after an e-cigarette he used exploded in his face and tore his carotid artery causing a massive stroke. William Brown, 24, died on January 29 at a Fort Worth hospital from cerebral infarction and herniation, after the debris from his exploding vape pen dismembered his left carotid artery, according to the Tarrant County medical examiners office. Mr Brown was just a few weeks away from his 25th birthday. The e-cigarette explosion reportedly took place on January 27 in the parking lot outside of a store selling smoking and vaping products. The store manager, Smoke and Vape DZ, told CNN that he called an ambulance immediately after the vape explosion. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty Mr Brown visited the store the day of the explosion asking for assistance in using the vape pen. The store said it was unable to help him since it did not sell that brand of vape pens. He did not buy anything at the store. After the explosion, Mr Brown was rushed to the hospital where he was put into a medically-induced coma. The x-rays reportedly showed that parts of the e-cigarette were stuck in his throat. [A part] went across his lip, apparently somehow, and cut his lip, Alice Brown, Mr Browns grandmother, told CNN. That three-piece thing went into his throat and stayed there. He had a future ahead of him; a life ahead of him, she added, stating she did not understand why the doctors didnt operate on her grandson sooner. A JPS Health Network spokeswoman said health privacy laws prohibit her from commenting on the specifics of Mr Browns case, but said they are continuing to communicate with the young man's family and offered their sincerest condolences. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events We hold ourselves to the highest standards in providing high-quality healthcare and will take family concerns seriously as we review all that transpired, the spokeswoman said. There have been quite a number of reports involving e-cigarette explosions. The US Fire Administration reported there were about 195 separate e-cigarette fire and explosion incidents in the US between 2009 and 2016 that were covered by the press. In May 2018, a man from St Petersburg, Florida, died after his e-cigarette exploded and shot a part of the device into his head. A Fox Business Network presenter blamed the fact schools have being teaching children fairness after the organisations own polling showed there was overwhelming support for higher taxes on multi-millionaires. Democratic senator Elizabeth Warren has proposed a wealth tax for those earning more than $50m and has won support from both Democrats and Republicans. Recent polling has shown that the American public is widely supportive of the move. A total of 70 per cent of people are in favour of raising taxes on those earning more than $10m and 65 per cent supported tax rises for those earning more than $1m, according to a recent Fox News poll. In response to the poll, Charles Payne, host of Fox Business Network's Making Money with Charles Payne, said: The idea of fairness has been promoted in our schools for a long 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 We are starting to see kids that grew up with the notion of fairness above all and now they are becoming vote age they are bringing this ideology with them. The clip was shared widely on social media, with many responding with dismay. Twitter user Dan Holden said: As a teacher, I am so happy to find out that my plan is working. While Neliza Drew added: How dare people grow up believing in fairness or justice. They all really came together for the love of dance, said Helene Zukas, an English language teacher at Lincoln and Emerson middle schools and the sponsor of the Emerson Dance Club, which includes about a dozen students in both the general education program and the special education program. The man piloting a small plane who died and killed a family after flying into a California home over the weekend was carrying falsified credentials identifying him as a retired Chicago police officer, authorities said on Tuesday. Antonio Pastini was killed when the twin-engine plane broke up shortly after takeoff and fell in pieces in Yorba Linda, igniting a fire in a home where four people died on Sunday. The cause of the crash has not been determined. The 75-year-old was initially identified as a retired officer but Chicago police said there were no records of him working for the department. The credentials found at the crash site included false retirement papers and a police badge bearing the same number as a badge reported lost in 1978, Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in an email. Orange County sheriffs spokeswoman Carrie Braun said the credentials were not legitimate but confirmed the pilot was Mr Pastini. The victims inside the home have yet to be publicly identified. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty Mr Pastinis daughter, Julia Ackley, said her fathers birth name was Jordan Isaacson, but she didnt say why he changed it. She wouldnt address the police credentials. Id prefer not to comment, and let the investigators do their job, Ackley told KABC-TV. My father is exactly who he said he was. She said he was a restaurant owner and an experienced pilot who flew regularly from his home in Nevada to visit family in California. Aviation safety experts cautioned against drawing early conclusions about the cause of the crash. Recommended Plane crashes into California home in deadly accident At this stage you dont make assumptions. You let the evidence lead you where it leads you, said John Cox, a former commercial pilot and a veteran crash investigator who is head of the consulting firm Safety Operating Systems. National Transportation Safety Board investigators have been collecting parts of the aircraft, the planes records and information about Pastini, who was described as a commercial pilot with an instrument flight rating, a certification that allows pilots to legally fly in certain weather conditions including rain, fog and clouds. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Weather was intermittently rainy across Southern California during the weekend, but specific conditions encountered by the flight were not immediately known. The Associated Press contributed to this report Labours Emily Thornberry has refused to recognise Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the countrys interim president despite acknowledging the desperate situation in the country. During a speech on foreign policy, the shadow foreign secretary said Venezuela needs timely and effective new elections to solve its political crisis but said there should be no invasion. However, in a break with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, Ms Thornberry backed the use of targeted sanctions and whatever means necessary short of a military invasion to bring about change. Her comments came after Mr Corbyn hit out at interference in the countrys politics following Western pressure on president Nicolas Maduro to quit. Ms Thornberry said a Labour governments foreign policy would put respect for human rights and international law above other considerations. Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government Show all 18 1 /18 Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government Protesters clash with the Bolivarian National Police during a demonstration against the government of the Venezuela and president Nicolas Maduro in Caracas on 23 January 2019 EPA Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government Demonstrators cheer as Venezuela's National Assembly head Juan Guaido declares himself the country's "acting president" at a rally in Caracas AFP/Getty Images Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government Opposition supporters take part in a rally against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government REUTERS Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government Opposition supporters take part in a rally against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas REUTERS Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government Juan Guaido, head of Venezuela's opposition-run congress, declares himself interim president of the nation until elections can be held during a rally in Caracas demanding leader Nicolas Maduro's resignation AP Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government Opposition supporters carry letters to form the word "Democracy" while taking part in a rally against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government REUTERS Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government Police watch over marching anti-government protesters in Caracas EPA Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government A vehicle is overturned as opposition demonstrators block a road during a protest against the Venezuelan government AFP/Getty Images Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government A National Police officer fires rubber bullets during a protest against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas REUTERS Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government A demonstrator throws back a gas canister while clashing with security forces during a rally against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas REUTERS Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government Security forces look on after clashing with opposition supporters participating in a rally against Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro's government REUTERS Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government Demonstrators during a protest against the government of Nicolas Maduro at Plaza Altamira in Caracas Getty Images Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government Demonstrators during a protest against the government of Nicolas Maduro at Plaza Altamira in Caracas Getty Images Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government EPA Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government AFP/Getty Images Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government The remains of a statue of Venezuela's late President Hugo Chavez is seen hanging from a pedestrian bridge after it was destroyed in San Felix, Venezuela REUTERS Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government Riot police on motorcycles clash with opposition demonstrators during protests in Caracas AFP/Getty Images Venezuela protests: thousands rally against government Supporters celebrate Juan Guaido declaration that he is Venezuelan president EPA She said: Under a Labour Foreign Office, I can also guarantee there will be no indulgence of human rights abuses because they are committed by less powerful countries, or by governments who call themselves socialist but who, by their actions, betray every socialist ideal. The UK, US and European powers including France and Germany have recognised Mr Guaido as the interim president. But Ms Thornberry told an event at the Institute for Government in London on Wednesday: What I am saying is that we begin with dialogue. Recommended May throws weight behind Venezuelan opposition leader amid protests That offer has been made, internally and externally we need to ensure that happens. She added: Thats the best way to proceed rather than somebody saying thats it, weve had enough, we recognise X, we dont recognise Y any more. Thats not the way to treat another country, even a country in as desperate a situation as Venezuela. Ms Thornberry said she was a great believer in sanctions as a way of using foreign policy muscle that doesnt involve killing people. The move to recognise Mr Guaido by the UK and its allies followed the failure of the embattled incumbent Mr Maduro to call new presidential elections as demanded by the Europeans and other foreign countries. Mr Corbyn was an admirer of Mr Maduros socialist predecessor Hugo Chavez and has condemned interference in Venezuelan politics. In response to foreign secretary Jeremy Hunts call for sanctions earlier this month, Mr Corbyn said: We oppose outside interference in Venezuela, whether from the US or anywhere else. There needs to be dialogue and a negotiated settlement to overcome the crisis. Ms Thornberrys speech echoed the ethical foreign policy championed by former Labour foreign secretary Robin Cook. However, she was critical of former prime minister Tony Blairs government, which she said ultimately failed to strike the right balance or square that circle. Our values will never again be sacrificed on the altar of commercial interests, she said. Press Association A war of words has further undermined Theresa Mays mission to Brussels to rescue her Brexit deal, after the EU warned of a special place in hell for politicians who botched the project. Downing Street and Tory politicians hit back angrily after the extraordinary attack by Donald Tusk on those who triumphed in the referendum without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it safely. The prime ministers spokesman urged people to ask whether such language was helpful before noting, sarcastically, that was impossible because he didnt take any questions. Andrea Leadsom, the Commons leader, condemned the comments by Mr Tusk, the European Council president, as disgraceful and spiteful, saying such behaviour demeans him. Sammy Wilson, Brexit spokesman of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which props up the Tories in power, went further branding him a devilish, trident-wielding, Euro maniac. Recommended Labour officially calls for Brexit to be delayed But pro-EU Tory Anna Soubry backed him and named Boris Johnson, David Davis and Nigel Farage as among his likely targets, for having abdicated all responsibility. The fury overshadowed the tough message for Ms May before she lands in Brussels on Thursday morning that the EU will never agree to reopening the divorce deal, as she has vowed to do. Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Show all 20 1 /20 Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Brexit supporters outside parliament PA Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament An anti-Brexit protester adjusts her pro-EU wig AFP/Getty Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament A message to Jeremy Corbyn in support of a peoples vote Getty Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament A mock Titanic captained by Theresa May heads towards an iceberg in a stunt by campaigning group Avaaz AP Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Anti-Brexit protesters outside parliament PA Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Protesters of opposing sides are in close contact outside of parliament PA Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Paintings of Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn Getty Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage speaks to the media at the protests outside parliament Reuters Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament A pro-Brexit protester in Parliament Square Getty Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Opposing protesters share the space outside parliament Getty Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament An anti-Brexit protester holds EU balloons outside parliament Reuters Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Anti-Brexit protesters stand on Westminster Bridge PA Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage speaks to the media at the protests outside parliament Reuters Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Anti-Brexit protesters demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament EPA Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament A pro-Brexit protester sets up outside parliament Reuters Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament An Avaaz campaigner holds a Peoples Vote life float Reuters Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament A demonstrator holds a sign advocating a no-deal Brexit outside parliament AFP/Getty Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament An anti-Brexit protester waves an EU flag on Westminster Bridge PA Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Protesters of opposing sides demonstrate outside parliament AFP/Getty Brexit deal vote: Opposing groups of protesters gather by parliament Protesters of opposing sides stand near parliament Reuters The prime minister will again demand either an end date for the Irish backstop or an exit mechanism from it for there to be any hope of the Commons passing the deal. Ms May appeared to drop her third option replacing the backstop with ill-defined alternative arrangements, based on unproven technology to the anger of some Brexiteer Tories. Speaking in Brussels alongside Irish premier Leo Varadkar, Mr Tusk insisted the EU would not be making any new offer and called for a realistic suggestion from the UK side. Vowing to stand by the Irish government, he said: We will not gamble with peace or put a sell-by date on reconciliation. This is why we insist on the backstop. Later, Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission president, echoed the message in a joint statement with Mr Varadkar, saying: We cannot accept the idea, which is circulating around, that the withdrawal agreement could be reopened. Mr Varadkar ridiculed Ms Mays claim that MPs had shown what needed to be done to pass the deal, arguing: Alternative arrangements can mean whatever you want them to mean. He also pointed to the risk of chlorinated chickens and hormone-pumped beef from the UK if the EU compromised on the backstop, saying: We wouldnt want that coming into our markets. Privately, No 10 did not disguise its gloom about the chances of a breakthrough that would allow a second meaningful vote to take place next week. The standoff was underlined on a day when: * Labour called for Brexit to be delayed, by extending Article 50, because the government has run out of time to pass the deal before departure day in just seven weeks. * The Commons adjourned before 3.30pm a time when most people are only coming back from lunch, said one MP because there was no other business, despite the Brexit crisis. * The prime minister was accused of travelling to Northern Ireland empty-handed with the same old rhetoric, with no plan, no credibility and frankly no honour, after talks with its political leaders. * Greg Clark, the business secretary, said exporters needed the deal to be secured in the next few days, as he again hinted he would resign if a no-deal Brexit was pursued. * Mr Varadkar announced he would host Ms May for Brexit talks over dinner in Dublin on Friday night after she meets both Mr Tusk and Mr Juncker on Thursday. * Labour MP Lisa Nandy claimed up to 60 Labour MPs would back the Brexit deal if the prime minister conceded on access to the single market and remaining in a permanent customs union. Mr Tusk set off the verbal fireworks when he urged Ms May to give us a deliverable guarantee for peace in Northern Ireland and the UK will leave the EU as a trusted friend. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events He then added: By the way, I have been wondering what that special place in hell looks like for those who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan to carry it [out] safely. Mr Tusk also revealed he was losing hope that the UKs decision to leave could be reversed in a fresh referendum. The facts are unmistakable, he said. Today, there is no political force and no effective leadership for Remain. I say this without satisfaction, but you cant argue with the facts. In response, the prime ministers spokesman said: Its a question for Donald Tusk as to whether he considers the use of that sort of language to be helpful and I appreciate that was difficult this morning, because he didnt take any questions.: He added: We had a robust and lively referendum campaign in this country in what was the largest democratic exercise in our history. People voted to leave the European Union and what everybody should be focused upon now is delivering the verdict of the British people. Theresa Mays attempts to end the Brexit impasse have been dismissed as the same old rhetoric by Northern Ireland political leaders following last-ditch talks to salvage her deal. The prime minister held meetings at Stormont on Wednesday, where she sought to convince the five main parties of her commitment to avoiding a hard border in Ireland. But she faced accusations shed turned up empty-handed with the same old rhetoric, with no plan, no credibility and frankly no honour and her attempts to find an alternative to the unpopular backstop mechanism were described as chasing unicorns. DUP leader Arlene Foster also ramped up the pressure on Ms May to strip the backstop from the deal, saying MPs had given the prime minister a mandate to replace the insurance policy. It comes as European Council president Donald Tusk drew fury from Eurosceptics by saying there was a special place in hell for Brexiteers without a plan. 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 On a two-day visit to Belfast, Ms May set herself at odds with Brexit hardliners by saying she was seeking changes to the controversial backstop, rather than its total removal from the withdrawal agreement. The backstop would see the UK tied to a customs union and Northern Ireland bound to some single market rules if a trade deal cannot be agreed. The DUP and Ulster Unionists are vociferously opposed to the mechanism but Sinn Fein, the SDLP and the Alliance Party argue it is the only way to maintain a frictionless border post-Brexit. Ms Foster told reporters at Stormont there had been a useful engagement with the prime minister where the party reminded Ms May of their opposition to the Irish backstop, as the DUP believe it creates divergence between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. She said: We reiterated again the fact that the backstop was the problem in relation to the withdrawal agreement and the Brady amendment that was put down in the House of Commons last week gives her the mandate now to go to Brussels as she intends to on Thursday and we look forward to hearing the outcome of that. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events As Ive said, the Brady amendment is clear in relation to the withdrawal agreement that the backstop needs to be replaced. That is her mandate and thats what I expect her to take to Brussels. Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald warned the prime minister that she risked breaking up the UK if she engaged in brinkmanship with the EU. She said: We have told her that the British strategy of running down the clock and playing a game of chicken with Ireland and Irish interests is profoundly unacceptable and wrong. We have told her that the days of Britain dictating to Ireland or Irish people, that those days are over and will not return. She accused Ms May of acting in absolute bad faith, adding: If British politicians cannot accept the specific needs of this country, of the Northern Irish, if British politics is incapable of acknowledging and upholding the Good Friday Agreement and the hardening of the border, then the only last option the backstop of last resort is a referendum on Irish unity. Naomi Long, leader of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland, said the prime minister gave no detail about what the alternative arrangements could be to replace the backstop in their meeting. She went on: I am tired of people chasing unicorns. It has to stop, we dont have time. We need practical solutions that are going to actually address the realities that we are facing. UUP leader Robin Swann said if Ms May cannot negotiate an extension and no deal is reached, then she must introduce direct rule for Northern Ireland. And SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said that his party had told Ms May that it is now time to put up or shut up, as the backstop was only viable solution to the border issue. Close 'Special place in hell' for people who promoted Brexit without a plan, says Donald Tusk Irish taoiseach Leo Varadkar and European Council president Donald Tusk have said they will not gamble with peace over Theresa Mays demands on the Northern Ireland backstop. In an extraordinary intervention, Mr Tusk lashed out a Brexiteers in the UK, saying: Ive been wondering what that special place in hell looks like, for those who promoted Brexit, without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely. His comments sparked a furious reactions from Eurosceptics, with the DUP's Sammy Wilson calling Mr Tusk a "devilish, trident wielding, euro maniac". Shortly afterwards, Labour's Emily Thornberry, standing in for Jeremy Corbyn at Prime Minister's Questions, called for Article 50 to be extended to allow for more time for negotiations with the EU. As it happened... There is a special place in hell for pro-Brexit campaigners who demanded Britain leave the EU without explaining how it should happen, Donald Tusk has said. The European Council president launched the scathing attack as he accused anti-EU campaigners of pushing for Brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely. Mr Tusk also dismissed suggestions that the EU could reopen negotiations over the controversial Northern Ireland backstop, dealing a blow to Theresa Mays hopes of securing fresh concessions as she tries to get her exit deal through parliament. Speaking in Brussels alongside Irish taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Mr Tusk said: Ive been wondering what a special place in hell looks like for people who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely. He also tweeted the accusation moments later. Ms May is hoping to persuade the EU to place a time-limit on the backstop or give the UK the right to exit the mechanism unilaterally - a key demand of Tory rebels but Mr Tusk said there would be no new offer from Brussels. He said: The position of the EU27 is clear, as expressed in the documents agreed with the UK government that is, the withdrawal agreement and the political declaration. The EU27 is not making any new offer. 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 Insisting that the backstop was necessary to maintain peace in Northern Ireland, he added: The top priority for us remains the issue of the border on the island of Ireland and the guarantee to maintain the peace process in accord with the Good Friday Agreement. There is no room for speculation here: the EU itself is first and foremost a peace project. We will not gamble with peace or put a sell-by date on reconciliation. This is why we insist on the backstop. Ms May has promised to put forward a fresh plan for maintaining an open border in Northern Ireland by next Wednesday, but Mr Tusk warned that any new proposals from the UK must be believeable. He said: Give us a believable guarantee for peace in Northern Ireland and the UK will leave the EU as a trusted friend. I hope the UK government will present ideas that will both respect this point of view and at the same time command a clear and stable majority in the House of Commons. His stance was echoed by Mr Varadkar, who said he was open to further discussions with the UK but that the current withdrawal agreement remained the best deal possible. He said: While we expect that the backstop will never be used, we agreed again today that it is needed as a legal guarantee to ensure that there is no return to a hard border on the island of Ireland while protecting the integrity of our European single market and customs union. I think the events in London and the instability in British politics in recent weeks demonstrates exactly why we need a legal guarantee and a solution that is operable, that we know will work and will last. After their joint press conference, microphones recorded Mr Varadkar joking to Mr Tusk: Theyll give you terrible trouble in the British press. A laughing Mr Tusk replied: Yes I know. The comments sparked a furious response from Brexiteers. Andrea Leadsom, the leader of the Commons, said Mr Tusk has "no manners", telling the BBC: I think that what he has said is pretty unacceptable and pretty disgraceful. "I'm sure that when he reflects on it he may well wish he hadn't done it." The DUPs Sammy Wilson called Mr Tusk a devilish, trident-wielding, euro maniac, adding: Donald Tusk once again shows his contempt for the 17.4 million people who voted to escape the corruption of the EU and seek the paradise of a free and prosperous kingdom. This devilish euro maniac is doing his best to keep the United Kingdom bound by the chains of EU bureaucracy and control. Asked about the row, Ms Mays official spokesman said: Its a question for Donald Tusk whether he thinks using that language was appropriate. Chris Grayling is no longer welcome in Calais after behaving in a completely disrespectful manner over no-deal Brexit planning, the ports chair has said. The transport secretary was criticised by Jean-Marc Puissesseau for failing to warn him that the UK government was planning to divert sea traffic from the French port in the event of a disorderly Brexit. Mr Grayling has already faced widespread mockery for awarding a lucrative contract to charter extra ferries to a firm without any ships, which hopes to open a new route from Ramsgate to Ostend in Belgium. Mr Puissesseau told The Telegraph: Mr Grayling came to us in November and asked us if we would be ready. We told him yes, though we did not know as much as we know today. He did not tell us that he wanted to reduce the activity (at Calais). How Brexit will affect your travel to Europe Show all 14 1 /14 How Brexit will affect your travel to Europe How Brexit will affect your travel to Europe Passports British passports that expire after 29 March 2019 will continue to be valid as UK travel documents, but will lose the power that comes with being a European Union passport notably the right of free movement within the EU27. UK passports issued from 30 March 2019 will have the words European Union removed from the cover and the first page (along with the translations into Welsh and Gaelic). But they will still be burgundy. By October 2019, new British passports will have dark blue covers Getty How Brexit will affect your travel to Europe Pets You will still be able to travel to the EU with your pet after Brexit, but it could well get more complicated depending on the status that the European Union decide to apply. If the UK is given Part 2 listed status, there would be some extra requirements for travelling pets and owners post-Brexit. These would require an additional visit to the vet and some additional papers to be carried but would not prevent you from enjoying your trip, says Eurotunnel. But it adds that if the UK is given unlisted, third-country status, owners who wish to travel with their pets from the UK to EU nations will need to discuss their specific preparations and requirements with an Official Veterinarian at least four months prior to their desired travel date AFP/Getty How Brexit will affect your travel to Europe Eurotunnel/Eurostar The Treaty of Canterbury between the UK and France governs the Channel Tunnel link and operations will continue subject to any local disruption at Folkestone and/or Calais AFP/Getty How Brexit will affect your travel to Europe Driving Motorists, whether taking their own cars or hiring abroad, are likely to need to obtain an International Driving Permit or two; different EU countries are signed up to different treaties, so for a trip embracing Spain and France you would need both types. These are currently sold from a limited number of Post Offices, but the government intends to make them widely available. The cost is 5.50 for each. Motor insurance will no longer automatically extend to the EU. Insurers will provide on request a Green Card, for which an extra charge will be made PA How Brexit will affect your travel to Europe Flights Even in the event of a no-deal Brexit, flights will continue to operate between the UK and European Union. However, in the event of the UK leaving with no deal, many flights are likely to be cancelled because departures would be capped at 2018 levels. As UK airlines have already announced thousands of new flights to Europe from the end of March 2019, some would have to be cancelled Getty How Brexit will affect your travel to Europe Air routes The network of flight links between Britain and eastern Europe could be affected by any reduction in the number of workers from those countries. Not only do they use the flights so do their families and friends PA How Brexit will affect your travel to Europe Flight disruption rights Current European passengers rights rules, known as EC261/2004, stipulate high payouts for delays and cancellations that cannot be attributed to extraordinary circumstances. Buried in a document called Beyond the Horizon: The Future of UK Aviation, the government says the UK will not fall below current standards of protection when we leave the EU AFP/Getty How Brexit will affect your travel to Europe Entry regulations to the European Union From 11pm GMT on 29 March 2019, UK travellers will become third-country nationals when travelling to Schengen countries and subject to the standard rules of admission for citizens of nations such as the US, Japan and Australia. That means there must be at least 90 days (roughly three months) left on your passport beyond your intended date of departure. Because third-country nationals can remain in the Schengen area for 90 days, the actual check carried out could be that the passport has at least six months validity remaining on the date of arrival Getty How Brexit will affect your travel to Europe Online registration prior to travel ETIAS From 2021, non-EU nationals who do not require a visa to enter the Schengen area including British travellers will need to request prior authorisation to visit Schengen countries. The Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) is aimed at reducing the migration, security or public-health risk from nationals of visa-exempt third countries, which is what the UK will become after Brexit. It costs 7 for three years AFP/Getty How Brexit will affect your travel to Europe Brexit clauses A large number of travel providers even including National Express coaches have added Brexit clauses to their terms and conditions. These generally specify that they will not be liable for consequential losses as a result of Brexit-related issues PA How Brexit will affect your travel to Europe Fast track lanes for passport control entering EU countries British passport holders will not be able to use them, and must join the queue for third-country nationals. People holding an EU passport or ID card as well as a British passport will be able to exit the UK on the British passport but enter Europe on the EU document Getty How Brexit will affect your travel to Europe Ferries The ferry industry insists vessels will continue to sail. The UK Chamber of Shipping says: Unlike the carriage of cargo, trade deals do not have a significant effect on the cruise and passenger ferry industry. The explicit standardisation of commodity codes and tariffs associated with trade deals have little relevance to holidaymakers. Having said that, the government and Kent County Council are planning for possible chaos at Channel ports because of a backlog of trucks in the event of a no-deal Brexit. This would impinge on holidaymakers plans PA How Brexit will affect your travel to Europe European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) The EU says: If you fall ill or have an accident during a visit to another EU country, as an EU citizen you have the right to receive the necessary public healthcare in any EU country under the same conditions as people in the host country. The EHIC also works in Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Treatment, says the NHS, is at a reduced cost or, in many cases, free of charge. From 11pm GMT on 29 March 2019, when the UK ceases to belong to the European Union, British travellers will have no automatic right to use the EHIC. There is no certainty about what may replace it PA How Brexit will affect your travel to Europe Mobile phones From 30 March 2019, the law banning mobile phone firms from charging extra for calls and data in Europe will cease, though operators have yet to set out exactly what will replace it. In theory, mobile phone firms can impose whatever fees they think the market will bear. But Dave Dyson, chef executive of Three, says his firm is committed to maintain the availability of roaming in the EU at no additional cost following Brexit AFP/Getty It is not fair at all, it is completely disrespectful. I dont want to see him again. He added: We didnt ask for Brexit, but we have spent the money for traffic to flow regularly. Mr Puissesseau has insisted a traffic light system set up by Calais officials would have been able to cope with the extra border checks required under a no deal. He added that the cabinet minister was now so unpopular in Calais that he would have to pass through the traffic light system himself if he dared to show his face at the port again. Mr Grayling, whose department faces major Brexit pressures, has come under fire over his no-deal plans after it emerged he had handed a 13.8m contract to Seaborne Freight, a firm that had never previously operated a ferry service. The government awarded an 800,000 contract to a law firm for advice in case Eurotunnel takes legal action against the Department for Transport (DfT) for distortionary and anti-competitive behaviour. Meanwhile, lorry trials near Dover to prepare for potential travel chaos were also derided when only 89 vehicles turned up out of the 150 invited. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Labour MP Virendra Sharma, a supporter of the Best for Britain campaign, said: Surely this is peak Chris Grayling, only this time hes gone international. All he needs to do now is release a statement blaming everyone else and his predictable path of chaos will be complete. A DfT spokesperson said: While the transport secretary strongly supports work across government with the EU to ensure a deal is reached, he will also continue to lead the DfT to ensure all contingencies are prepared for concerning Brexit. Brain injuries suffered at the hands of a violent partner could be leading women prisoners to commit more crimes, a study has suggested. The research, which is the first of its kind, found two-thirds of female prisoners who have a brain injury say it was carried out by an abusive partner. The study, conducted by The Disabilities Trust and Royal Holloway University, also discovered 64 per cent of incarcerated women had experiences or symptoms linked to brain injuries. Researchers worked with 173 women at HMP Drake Hall, a womens prison in Staffordshire, who were screened using the Brain Injury Screening Index. While there are far higher numbers of people with traumatic brain injuries in the prison population than in the general population, the study found the prevalence of such injuries to be slightly higher in female rather than male prisoners. UK prison conditions: in pictures Show all 8 1 /8 UK prison conditions: in pictures UK prison conditions: in pictures A cell covered in graffiti at HMP Liverpool. PA UK prison conditions: in pictures HMP Liverpool has some of the worst conditions inspectors have seen. HM Inspectorate of Prisons/PA UK prison conditions: in pictures A broken window in a cell at HMP Liverpool HM Inspectorate of Prisons/PA Wire UK prison conditions: in pictures A shower unit with protruding electric cable at HMP Liverpool HM Inspectorate of Prisons/PA UK prison conditions: in pictures Litter at HMP Liverpool HM Inspectorate of Prisons/PA Wire UK prison conditions: in pictures A wall damaged by damp at HMP Liverpool HM Inspectorate of Prisons/PA UK prison conditions: in pictures A pool table at HMP Liverpool HM Inspectorate of Prisons/PA UK prison conditions: in pictures A sign for HMP Liverpool, where drones are seized at a rate of more than one a week. The prisons watchdog flagged up the impact of the remote-controlled flying devices at HMP Liverpool. PA Data has shown such injuries are known to lead to an increased risk of violence, earlier age of first incarceration, a greater number of convictions, re-conviction, mental health problems and a greater number of attempts at suicide. Researchers said the lack of understanding and identification of a brain injury results in a higher risk of custody and reoffending. Dr Ivan Pitman, a clinical neuropsychologist who was involved in the report, said the proportion of women who had a history of domestic violence was unknown before this report and was shockingly high. People being in violent relationships can be the cause of a brain injury and brain injuries can make people offend among other factors, he told The Independent. Some women who have acquired their injury through domestic abuse have a change in their behaviour and cognition. When you elucidate women to the fact an injury they had aged 21 when they were knocked around is still affecting them at 48, they are shocked. Dr Pitman said it was mindboggling professionals were not asking whether prisoners had a brain injury as a standard matter of protocol. It is alarming to see there is such a high rate of brain injuries but then also to understand that the services are not doing the basics, he added. The study found 62 per cent of 100 women who had brain injuries at Drake Hall prison reported their brain injury was caused by domestic violence. Some 29 per cent of women attributed their brain injury to road traffic incidents. Of the 100 women given specialist support, there were 196 reports of severe blows to the head, with some women having sustained multiple injuries. Half of those women with brain injuries had been in an adult prison five or more times and a third sustained their first injury prior to their first offence. Rachael Mcnulty, the clinical supervisor for the study, said that when an individuals brain development is disrupted, it affects their behaviour, emotion and cognition. She said: The brain does everything. If at some point your brain is disrupted, it has an effect an all elements of your life. People may be more prone to being impulsive and have less emotional resources to deal with anxiety or anger. The research clearly demonstrates the link between life trauma and offending, violence, and victimisation. It showed women with brain injuries were more vulnerable and had more mental health issues. Jocelyn Gaynor, head of The Disabilities Trust Foundation, noted the studys findings would be likely to have an impact on those working in the domestic violence and womens sector and even the government. It is not just the number of women who have experienced domestic violence, but also the accounts from women that are distressing, she said. The report called for people to be screened for brain injuries when entering prison or probation services and for all prison and probation staff to receive basic brain injury awareness training. Researchers also demanded studies to be carried out to examine the potential effect of brain injury on re-offending behaviour. The female prison population is highly vulnerable with charities warning they are often victims of much more serious offences than the ones they have been convicted of. The vast majority of female offenders are handed short sentences of six months or less for minor crimes, with a quarter imprisoned for under a month. However, the jail sentence can still be profoundly disruptive causing people to lose their jobs, homes and contact with children. Factors said to drive women to turn to crime include poverty, drug and alcohol problems, mental health issues and coercive relationships with men. Some 60 per cent of female offenders have experienced domestic abuse, an estimated 24 to 31 per cent have dependent children and those in jail or on probation are more than twice as likely to suffer mental health issues as men. But the figures on domestic abusive are likely to be an underestimate because many women fear disclosing abuse. Previous research by charity Women in Prison shows 79 per cent of the women who use their services have experienced domestic violence or sexual abuse. Almost half of all female prisoners in England and Wales say they committed their offence to support the drug use of someone else, according to Ministry of Justice data, while many more are substance abusers themselves. A patient is being tested for the rare and deadly Ebola virus in a hospital in Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia clinic said it had ordered the test out of an abundance of caution, without providing information about the patient or their prognosis. Dr PJ Brennan, the chief medical officer of Penn Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, said preliminary testing of the patient had revealed another health condition. Proper protocols and precautions will remain in place to ensure the safety of all of our patients and staff, Mr Brennan said in a statement. The Ebola testing comes one month after an American man in Nebraska was monitored for possible exposure to the virus following a trip to the African continent. Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Show all 27 1 /27 Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Haja Bobor, 31 During Ebola, they quarantined areas. My husband was at Kailahun and couldnt cross the boundary, so we were separated. They taught us how to wash our hands and we were all washing our hands every day; even my children were washing their hands. Haja is the mother of three surviving children, two of her children died from diarrhoea WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Aruna Bockarie, 24 This is the finished toilet that we have built in our compound, I am very happy to have my own toilet and I will be proud to use it WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Aruna Bockarie, 24 All the parents came together and built a school in the village, we have just opened the school. The children are at assembly with no uniforms. I am the teacher at the school so I took this photo to show how we have been working hard for our children to be educated WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Haja Bobor, 31 Here is my son, Sessay (left), with his friends. I was happy to snap them. I have given birth to six children, but only three are still alive. The first one I lost was three years ago, and the second was two years ago. Four months ago I lost Senior Lahai. He was six months old and was affected by a runny stomach and a rising body temperature WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Haja Bobor, 31 Four months ago I lost Senior Lahai. He was six months old and was affected by a runny stomach and a rising body temperature. He was really, really sick, he wasn't even taking breast milk, and he died. My heart was broken. My baby used to be strong. He was able to sit by himself and was just starting to practise to crawl and reach for things. He laughed a lot when I played with him, Id clap and dance. I have a happy moment when he started sitting by himself and learning to crawl. Those are the happy moments that makes a mother most happy. The moment I remember most about Lahai was when he was breastfeeding and was playing with my neck and chin with his hand. I look to the future and hope that such things won't happen again, and that God will give me children that stay with me WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Aruna Bockarie, 24 My step brother Ibrahim is building our toilet with loamy soil because we dont have cement. WaterAid taught us about good sanitation and I want to show that we are now building our own toilets so that we will not go to the bush or use the stream as a toilet that is why I took this photo WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Aruna, 33 Washing in the stream: When we came here the water system was very bad. I know that when I drink dirty water I get sick. We are getting diarrhoea because we are drinking that type of water. If I am sick I am not able to earn money because I am not able to go to work, and I have to stay at home, which is very difficult for me WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Tailu Yajah These are the contractors that came to build the water well, and they are mixing the stones and the cement to build the cover of the well WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Tailu Yajah I started tree climbing when I was living with my grandmother and she was trying to get some palm kernels and process them to make the oil that we use. I didnt like doing the processing part so I decided to climb the trees to do the harvest instead. Tree climbing is very difficult. At times you can be confronted by a snake, as you are going up you just see one and it will hiss at you. If you are not strong you are going to fall out of the tree, and could die! I am just doing it for necessity sake. I dont want to do this job really, but at the moment I have no other means of making money, so I have no choice but to do this to manage my family WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Haja Bobor, 31 They killed my uncle during the war. I was not in this village during the war; I was in Guinea. Just after the war, my mother asked me to come back home. There were no houses when I returned; it had all been destroyed WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Tailu Yajah This is my son Bockarie. He reminds me of his mother, who is not presently here with me, and he resembles me. Recently my son was very sick and we had to take him to the clinic to get treatment. Even getting to the clinic costs money. I didn't have any money, so I had to borrow money from the community people so I could take him to the hospital. Having very good drinking water would ease the issues with having to take people to the hospital because of illness, and the problem of finding the money to manage that WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Tailu Yujah Sidique is 21 years old, he is my daughters husband and is drinking from the stream we use to fetch water. Our forefathers created this village, and the water was good. They covered it with a concrete box to keep it safe, but all of that fell down during the war, and afterwards no one could repair it. The water is not good here now and I have worms as a result. It will be very good to have clean water; it would give us a long life. If you have good drinking water, then your life is safe, but if you dont then your life is not secure. Having good drinking water would ease the issues with having to take people to the hospital because of illness, and the problem of finding the money to manage that WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Matu, 40 We the women of this village are experiencing the problems with lack of water and we pray that things will change. The rain washes everything, including faeces into the water. The children get diarrhoea from the water. With clean water, I would be clean and would not suffer from sickness WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Matu, 40 This is my brothers wife, she is holding both her daughter and my granddaughter WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Matu, 40 Matu is the life and soul of the village of Tombohuaun. She is a traditional birth attendant and plays an important role within the womens society. Matu suffers from poor health; she has stomach problems caused by the dirty water WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Amadou Kokoyeh (Bush Chicken), 8 My name is Amadou Kokoyeh, but I am more familiar with Kokoyeh [Bush Chicken]. The name Kokoyeh was given to me by fathers older brother. Its meant to be a bird that is in the bush and mostly eats other peoples groundnuts when they plant them. WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Amadou Kokoyeh (Bush Chicken), 8 This is my father helping to dig the water well, so that we will have clean water to drink. I am happy because we are going to have a well in my village. I dont think the water we currently collect from the muddy spring is good for drinking because it is exposed, and leaves and other things fall in it. I also get water down there with my mum, and sometimes I go with the other kids. Sometimes when I drink it, I have a stomach pain, and it also brings me headache. I have got sick from that, and I was taken to the health centre WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Amadou Kokoyeh (Bush Chicken), 8 This is my family my mother, father and younger brother. When Im not with them this picture will make me feel closer to them WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Amadou Kokoyeh (Bush Chicken), 8 Moserie Yajah was lying down in the grass, and asked me to get a shot of him. At the moment, every day people ask me to get a photo of them. I feel very happy when people ask for a picture. What I love most to get a shot of is people that are well dressed, sitting in a chair or in a very comfortable area that I can snap WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Amadou Kokoyeh (Bush Chicken), 8 We were going down to Matus place, and my friends and brother decided to cover themselves with that fishing net, and asked me to take a shot of them. The fishing net was taken from Ginnahs mother (Massah) and I think the picture is really good. I like the photo mainly because they are standing close to the wash yard, where people go to heat their water and wash. I love it because they are all my brothers, and we look out for each other WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Amadou Kokoyeh (Bush Chicken), 8 I love this picture. I took this photo of Bockarie when he was drinking water. The water was collected from the muddy spring where everyone collects water. I dont think it is good for drinking because it is exposed, and leaves and other things fall in it. I also get water down there with my mum, and sometimes I go with the other kids. Sometimes when I drink it, I have a stomach pain, and it also brings me headache. I have got sick from that, and I was taken to the health centre. If it rains, we harvest rainwater WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Amadou Kokoyeh (Bush Chicken), 8 This is my cousin Papay; we are very close he lives nearby and we spend lots of time together. In this picture he is messing around. On his head is what our fathers make to catch fish in small streams. We then eat some fish and they sell the rest. It is important for our survival WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Kempah Ginnah, 42 The community people helping to build the water well, I was glad about this, that is why I took this photo. Kempah is a youth leader and mechanic from Tombohuaun WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Kempah Ginnah, 42 These children are our next of kin, my children and their friends. They are wonderful children WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Jeneba, 13 Here, my father, brothers and aunt are separating cocoa fruit from pods. By selling cocoa, my family earns enough to pay my school fees WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Haja Bobor, 31 We have now built a small school in our village. This is inside the class for my childrens first day in school. I took this picture to show them in the future so they will know that I want them to be educated and also free from diseases WaterAid Life after Ebola: a community rebuilds in Sierra Leone Haja Bobor, 31 This is my Aunt Mamie Ansumana. She is 40 and is a farmer. She loves going to the farm and likes to smile. She looked after me when my children died. The dirty water caused the death of two of my children; I dont want anything to happen to the others. She took me from the room where Senior Lahai died to her own room. I slept in her room for some time. I want to thank to her because she is still taking care of us WaterAid The patient was released from the hospital after the required 21-day monitoring period when testing results determined he did not have any of the viruss symptoms. Recommended Scientists are putting trackers on bats to stop a deadly virus Ebola is considered to be a rare, but extremely deadly virus that often causes hemorrhagic fevers. The virus is named after a river in the Democratic Republic of Congo after it was discovered there in 1976. There is currently no proven cure. The World Health Organisation reported this week that, since August, an Ebola outbreak in the DRC has killed at least 430 people. In 2014, a major Ebola outbreak impacting Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea resulted in the deaths of more than 11,300 people. The unexpected finding that men with a history of cannabis smoking had higher sperm counts has been widely reported after it was published in a leading fertility journal. Harvard University researchers tested sperm of 600 men who were currently enrolled at fertility clinics and asked them about their previous drug taking, for the study published in the journal Human Reproduction. Around half of men had tried, or currently used, cannabis and the researchers found just 5 per cent had clinically low sperm counts, compared to 12 per cent of those who had never tried it. But does the drug really improve your chances of parenthood? I believe it is clear from her conduct that there is no chance that this representative is going to effectively represent our community, he said. It had been my intention tonight to ask our council to consider censure or similar condemnation. But that just doesnt go far enough. I believe Rep. Stava-Murray should resign. I call on her to do so. I hope others in our community join me in this call. Toyota slashed its profit forecast for 2019 and warned that it will be impossible to avoid the harmful effects of a no-deal Brexit. We cannot avoid the negative impact no matter how much we prepare beforehand if Britain leaves the EU with no deal, the firms senior managing officer Masayoshi Shirayanagi said on Wednesday. He said Toyota will monitor the situation, hoping that it will not happen, adding it was not currently considering production changes. His comments come just days after Nissan said it would build its new X-Trail in Japan rather than at its plant in Sunderland. Toyota, Japans biggest car manufacturer, employs about 3,000 people in the UK, mostly at its vehicle manufacturing plant in Burnaston, Derbyshire, and an engine factory in Deeside, North Wales. Britain before Brexit: Wales Show all 16 1 /16 Britain before Brexit: Wales Britain before Brexit: Wales Swansea A giant anonymous message calls after a shopper leaving the town centre, his bags full with advent calendars and Christmas wrapping paper, reminding him of the non-material hes lacking. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Wrexham Two notices occupy the same wall, both white, both prohibitive. Yet the distance between them goes further than the grey bricks: they are separated by political and everyday concerns, by enmity and whats simply not allowed. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Cardiff Another tent pitched in a British town centre, adding to those I saw in Coventry and Margate and Great Yarmouth and elsewhere. It looks so out of place, so unadapted, and I can almost hear the bitter scrape of a tent peg on concrete, unable to penetrate, unable to settle in and secure. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Swansea Its jarring to see the sanitised whiteness of the hospital on the high street. Its clinical, no frills description is at odds with the puns and the slogans of big-name brands. Yet its more mysterious too: the crucial details are absent, only its origin is laid bare as a clue. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Merthyr Tydfil The site of the former police station, now demolished, the ground bare behind bars. The sign hangs like an historical artefact, revealing not only what once was, but how the public and the law were divided. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Aberystwyth Thank you notes to God are displayed in St. Michaels Church. Im interested in how people interpret His role in their lives and how they express gratitude. I try to ignore innuendo when I see this note, and consider the vague completeness of Gods contribution. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Port Talbot A view of the Tata Steelworks from an underpass by the M4. It flanks the southern side of the motorway, facing the hills to the north and the town between and below. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Swansea A disused road sign, first in Welsh, then in English, propped up against a tanning shop. The surface of the body designed to sell the product has been satirised with graffiti in Arabic: Oh, fire of my heart! I read the message as a subversive play on heat and attraction in our society, counterposing the superficial, sexualised burning of the bodys exterior (tanning) with the purer, warmer image of the interior fire of love. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Aberystwyth The university Geography Society beats the History Society in a drinking competition. Participants turn glasses over above their heads to prove that theyre empty. Student supporters cheer from the balconies in drunken delirium. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Port Talbot A distinctly twenty-first-century British hieroglyphic. A symbol conveying an obsession with virility, with its tendency to tarnish and spoil, to reduce everything it touches to an insignificant canvas for its power. I would say it has something to do with Port Talbots phallic steelworks and their daily emission, if I hadnt seen it so much elsewhere in Britain. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Merthyr Tydfil Children imagine the future of the town, and in so doing transform the present, from something static and fixed to a place of becoming, where now is simply a transitional phase, pregnant with the utopian possibilities of Las Tydfil, a place combining two of Britains strongest currents: environmentalism and gambling. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Cardiff The Welsh Dragon is printed on plastic bags probably because the company thinks it can sell more products by tapping into the countrys niche patriotism. Yet, it also means that the Welsh Dragon is being treated as rubbish, thrown to the gutter, trashed in landfill, left as litter in a mess of detritus. Richard Morgan Britain before Brexit: Wales Cardiff Black Friday on Queen Street. The street is lined with commercial exclamations - of sales and deals and time running out - that sometimes appear better as ironic parodies of the fate of the capitals rough sleepers than notices of the products and bargains they promote. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Swansea An anarchist imperative opposite the prison wall, suggesting to the residential area that fundamental, wholesale social change cannot come about through participating in the democratic political process, but only by rejecting it, confronting it, and rising against it. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Merthyr Tydfil Investment cut in half. The promise of a sale broken. Once an announcement, now discarded to the street, visible only to those looking down, more meaningful now than ever before, in the company of rotting autumn. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Wrexham The town has a similar accent to the Liverpudlian one. There are hints that it shares an undercurrent of resentment towards The Sun newspaper too. Richard Morgan/The Independent Toyota warned in December that a no-deal Brexit would cost the company $10m (7.7m) a day through delays to its supplies. That followed comments in October from Marvin Cooke, managing director of the Burnaston plant. My view is that if Britain crashes out of the EU at the end of March, we will see production stops in our factory, he said at the time. Toyota said on Wednesday that net profits would fall by a quarter this year due to losses on investments in other companies and was not due to falling profits in its core vehicle-making business. The company said it now expected net income of 1.87 trillion yen (13.2bn) with a steeper profit decline than the manufacturer predicted in November, when it announced expectations for 2.3 trillion yen in net income, down 7.8 per cent from its 2018 financial year. Toyota left its projections for sales and operating income unchanged at 29.5 trillion yen and 2.4 trillion yen, respectively. The company is forecasting that its consolidated global vehicle sales will hit 10.55 million, up 50,000 units from the previous fiscal year. Toyota updated its foreign exchange rate projections. The Competition & Markets Authority's (CMA) slap down of the internet hotel booking industry has been widely hailed by consumer groups. It might be even more important than it looks. First the details: the CMA became concerned about sharp practice last year. It has since uncovered problems including sites not displaying the full cost of hotel rooms upfront, giving a false impression rooms popularity, not being clear about the role commission plays in how they are ordered in search results, even engaging in high pressure sales tactics (loads of people are interested in your room, book now!). Expedia, Booking.com, Agoda, Hotels.com, ebookers and trivago have all been made subject to enforcement action, and have made undertakings to clean up their acts. They have been given until September to do so, and the CMA has promised to monitor compliance. Other sites in the sector have agreed to abide by the principles underlying the undertakings even if they havent been caught with their pants down. Heres why this has implications beyond hotel rooms. The named operations effectively function as price comparison sites for travellers. Such sites can be found at work in a range of sectors and they ought to serve as an invaluable consumer tool as well as a means of fostering competition in markets where that has sometimes been lacking. Im particularly thinking here of the financial services and energy markets. Some of the same problems found with these hotel sites have emerged in other sectors too, which the CMA has also taken aim at. Now, people like me continually urge people to take advantage of price comparison sites because, when they work well, they can yield substantial savings. To use them to their best effect you are best off pumping your details into two or three, but just using one could still save you money. My family has switched energy provider twice now, to our considerable benefit. We wouldnt hesitate to do so again. Weve also used them for certain kinds of insurance. Trouble is, we are in the minority. Even now, most people stick with rotten deals through which they get soaked. 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. This is probably chiefly down to inertia. But the concern that price comparison sites yield dubious results isnt going to help in persuading people to get off their backsides. And they have been yielding dubious results too often as this CMA investigation, and its other actions, have demonstrated, as the fuss raised by consumer groups like Which? has demonstrated. While hotels have been in focus today, the entire industry needs to clean up its act. Not to put too fine a point on it, but doing so should ultimately be good for business. People who follow a religion through active participation in congregations tend to be happier, according to a new study. The study by Pew Research Centre, a nonpartisan fact tank, compared the lives of religious people and non-religious people by analysing survey data from more than two dozen countries including the United States, Mexico, and Australia. According to the results, religiously active people are typically happier and more civically engaged meaning they are more likely to do things such as vote in elections or join community groups than adults who either do not practise a religion or do not actively participate in one. Additionally, the study also found that involvement in religious congregations coincides with some healthier lifestyle choices, with religious people reportedly smoking and drinking less than those without a faith. World's most popular religions Show all 7 1 /7 World's most popular religions World's most popular religions Christians Source: Pewforum Getty Images World's most popular religions Muslims Source: Pewforum World's most popular religions Hindus Source: Pewforum World's most popular religions Buddhists Source: Pewforum World's most popular religions Folk Religions Source: Pewforum Getty Images World's most popular religions Other religions Source: Pewforum World's most popular religions Jews Source: Pewforum Getty However, the health benefits do not extend to other areas of life, as the study found that religious people are not healthier in terms of exercise frequency and rates of obesity, nor were they in better self-reported overall health. To understand the link between religion and happiness, researchers categorised people into three categories actively religious, or those who attend at least religious services at least once a month, inactively religious, people who identify as a religion but attend less often, and religiously unaffiliated, people who do not identify with a religion. The study mostly relied on survey data from Christian-majority countries as the religion prompts the most involvement in religious services. However, data from some African and Asian countries and territories was also analysed. Recommended Hindu women are proving religion and equality can go hand in hand Researchers found that more than one-third of actively religious adults in the US describe themselves as very happy and in 12 of the countries analysed, those active in religious congregations were found to be happier by a statistically significant margin than those who are unaffiliated with a religion. In roughly nine countries analysed, involved religious people reported happiness higher than inactively religious adults. In none of the countries did those who actively participate in religion report significantly less happiness than non-religious people, however, there were some countries where religious involvement correlated with little difference in happiness. While striking, the link between happiness and religion requires further study as the numbers do not prove that going to religious services is directly responsible for improving peoples lives, according to researchers. Rather, the opposite could be true that happier people engage in religious participation because they overall participate more in activities compared to unhappy people as the surveys showed that many active religious people also reported voluntary involvement in other organisations. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Or, those involved in religious congregations may simply be happier because they benefit from the social connections theyve built. The study, which focused on surveys conducted since 2010 by Pew Research Centre, the World Values Survey Association, and the International Social Survey Programme, is the latest to research the link between happiness and religion, with a previous study from the Office for National Statistics wellbeing programme finding a similar link. Smartphone users will now be able to discuss menstruation with an emoji as a period emoji has been released as part of Apple's latest iOS software. The emoji, which is a drop of blood, is one of 230 new emojis revealed by the Unicode Consortium earlier this year, which also include gender-neutral characters. An emoji to represent periods comes after a campaign led by global womens rights charity Plan International UK received support from more than 55,000 people. The charity, which hopes to eliminate the stigma surrounding periods, pushed for a period emoji after a survey of women aged 18 to 34 revealed that 47 per cent believed a period emoji would make it easier talk about periods with female friends and partners. The blood drop was submitted to Unicode by Plan International UK and NHS Blood and Transplant. An emoji dictionary: What do they mean? Show all 8 1 /8 An emoji dictionary: What do they mean? An emoji dictionary: What do they mean? Emoji Slang translation: lol; lmao / Old-fashioned words: laughing out loud; laughing my ass off; I say, thats rather funny An emoji dictionary: What do they mean? Emoji Slang translation: beautifull; gawgeous; hotttt / Old-fashioned words:beautiful; gorgeous; jolly attractive An emoji dictionary: What do they mean? Emoji Slang translation: xoxo; xoxoxox / Old-fashioned words: hugs and kisses; hugs and kisses (in slightly greater quantity) An emoji dictionary: What do they mean? Emoji Slang translation: GJ; job; haha / Old-fashioned words: good job; good job; well done, that was rather funny An emoji dictionary: What do they mean? Emoji Slang translation: oml; ughh; ughhh / Old-fashioned words: Oh my Lord; oh damn; oh damn and blast An emoji dictionary: What do they mean? Emoji Slang translation: ffs; grr / Old-fashioned words: for fucks sake; Im furious (in fact Im so furious, Im growling) An emoji dictionary: What do they mean? Emoji Slang translation: cmeo; crbt; waa / Old-fashioned words: crying my eyes out; crying real big tears; Im so very unhappy that Im wailing An emoji dictionary: What do they mean? Emoji Slang translation: zzz; btd; gnstdltbbb / Old-fashioned words: I am sleepy; Im bored to death; good night, sleep tight, dont let the bed bugs bite Of the new emoji, Plan International UK's chief executive Rose Caldwell said: "We are thrilled to see the arrival of this long-awaited blood drop emoji, which signals a real breakthrough in the fight against period stigma. Recommended Inclusive new emojis for 2019 include a wheelchair user and bionic arm "Girls, women and other menstruators told us this emoji would help them talk more freely about their periods, which is why we campaigned so hard to make it a reality." Previously, Carmen Barlow, digital strategy and development manager at Plan International UK, reiterated the importance of a period emoji in an age where so much of our communication is conducted via technology. Emojis play a crucial role in our digital and emotional vocabulary, transcending cultural and country barriers, Barlow said. A period emoji can help normalise periods in everyday conversation. For an organisation like Unicode to recognise that menstruation should be represented in this new global language is a huge step towards breaking down a global culture of shame around periods." The release of the period emoji was met with joy on social media. Were getting a period emoji and its bloody brilliant news, one person wrote, while another said: "I can't wait to use this as the emoji for my period when I track it on my calendar. I mean... wow this is neat." The new release features a range of other inclusive emojis as well. In addition to emojis that represent people with disabilities, which include icons such as hearing aids, guide dogs and wheelchairs, the release also expands the range of emojis for different cultures and relationships so that everyone feels represented. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events The new emojis are available for users who update to iOS 13.2. A total of 230 brand new emojis are set to arrive to major platforms this year including a wheelchair user, guide dog and prosthetic limbs. The Unicode Consortium a computing industry standard for the consistent representation released its official list of emojis for 2019 on Tuesday, revealing new additions across a number of categories including animals, food and culture. Following a proposal from Apple last year calling for more emojis to represent people with different disabilities, Unicode has announced the update will include people in manual and motorised wheelchairs, prosthetic limbs and service dogs. There will also be a number of additional symbols that werent included in Apples original proposal, such as standalone characters using a cane and the gender-inclusive deaf person emoji. This years crop is also set to feature a number of symbols that represent different cultures. An emoji dictionary: What do they mean? Show all 8 1 /8 An emoji dictionary: What do they mean? An emoji dictionary: What do they mean? Emoji Slang translation: lol; lmao / Old-fashioned words: laughing out loud; laughing my ass off; I say, thats rather funny An emoji dictionary: What do they mean? Emoji Slang translation: beautifull; gawgeous; hotttt / Old-fashioned words:beautiful; gorgeous; jolly attractive An emoji dictionary: What do they mean? Emoji Slang translation: xoxo; xoxoxox / Old-fashioned words: hugs and kisses; hugs and kisses (in slightly greater quantity) An emoji dictionary: What do they mean? Emoji Slang translation: GJ; job; haha / Old-fashioned words: good job; good job; well done, that was rather funny An emoji dictionary: What do they mean? Emoji Slang translation: oml; ughh; ughhh / Old-fashioned words: Oh my Lord; oh damn; oh damn and blast An emoji dictionary: What do they mean? Emoji Slang translation: ffs; grr / Old-fashioned words: for fucks sake; Im furious (in fact Im so furious, Im growling) An emoji dictionary: What do they mean? Emoji Slang translation: cmeo; crbt; waa / Old-fashioned words: crying my eyes out; crying real big tears; Im so very unhappy that Im wailing An emoji dictionary: What do they mean? Emoji Slang translation: zzz; btd; gnstdltbbb / Old-fashioned words: I am sleepy; Im bored to death; good night, sleep tight, dont let the bed bugs bite Among them are the sari, a Hindu Temple, mate a traditional South American drink and a Diya Lamp an oil lamp used by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains across the world to celebrate Diwali. There are also 70 new combinations for the couple holding hands emoji, ensuring that all couples can be represented in every skin tone. (Image: Emojipedia) Food lovers can expect a number of new additions too including a waffle, butter, garlic, falafel and a juice box, while there are several new animal emojis, including a sloth, otter, flamingo, orangutan and skunk. Also making the cut is the pinching hand which has already sparked a number of memes on social media. While some say it could be used to represent the universal sign for its this big, others have compared it Ross from Friends keep it down gesture in the episode The One Where Ross Moves In. I just need pinching hand emoji for the unsolicited d*** pics, one person wrote. Another added: Pinching hand emoji or fellas keep it down emoji you tell me. Although the full list of emojis have been announced, it will be several months before the update hits users phones. According to Emojipedia, people can expect to see the new additions arrive in April and continue through the end of the year. Nancy Pelosi has invited a multitude of guests to Tuesdays State of the Union - including chef Jose Andres. The chef confirmed he would be attending on Twitter, where he responded to an inquiry regarding restaurants hosting State of the Union watch parties. No but I am going, Andres wrote. A spokesperson for the House speakers office confirmed to The Hill Andres was invited as a guest. The chef's attendance should come as no surprise, as the SOTU wont be the first time this year the chef, activist and philanthropist has become involved in politics. State of the Union address: President Obama's speech Show all 8 1 /8 State of the Union address: President Obama's speech State of the Union address: President Obama's speech State of the Union U.S. President Barack Obama shakes hands with Speaker of the House John Boehner (R) as Vice President Joe Biden looks on at the end of President Obama's State of the Union address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington State of the Union address: President Obama's speech State of the Union US President Barack Obama departs following his State of the Union address on Capitol Hill in Washington State of the Union address: President Obama's speech State of the Union Barack Obama delivers the State of the Union address to Congress Getty Images State of the Union address: President Obama's speech State of the Union U.S. President Barack Obama blows a kiss to his wife, first lady Michelle Obama who was sitting in the gallery, at the end of his State of the Union address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington State of the Union address: President Obama's speech State of the Union US First Lady Michelle Obama looks at guest Rebekah Erler as President Barack Obama mentions her and her family during the State of the Union address at the US Capitol in Washington State of the Union address: President Obama's speech State of the Union Alan Gross (C), recently freed after being held in Cuba since 2009, pumps his fist after being recognized by U.S. President Barack Obama during the State of the Union speech in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington State of the Union address: President Obama's speech State of the Union U.S. lawmakers pay tribute to the victims of the Paris attacks by holding up pencils during U.S. President Barack Obama's State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington State of the Union address: President Obama's speech State of the Union U.S. President Barack Obama arrives to deliver his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington Who is Chef Andres? Andres is a Spanish-born chef, restaurateur, and founder of World Central Kitchen, a non-profit organisation dedicated to providing meals for people in disaster zones. Recommended Chef Jose Andres nominated for Nobel Peace Prize Through World Central Kitchen, Andres has helped millions of people in the wake of disasters all over the world - including those in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria and survivors of the deadly wildfires in California. Most recently, Andres dedicated his efforts to the US Capitol, where he opened a kitchen to feed furloughed federal employees free meals during the government shutdown. At the time, he said: We believe no person should have to go through the pain of not knowing what to feed the children. For his humanitarian work, Andres has previously been named one of Time magazines 100 Most Influential People. He also received the awards of Humanitarian of the Year and Outstanding Chef from the James Beard Foundation and has been nominated for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for his disaster relief efforts. The chef is also an outspoken critic of President Trump. In addition to backing out of plans to open a restaurant in Trump International Hotel following anti-immigration comments made by the president, Andres has on numerous occasions questioned Trumps policies, including after Hurricane Maria. Pelosi helped Andres hand out food to furloughed workers during government shutdown (Getty) In January of last year, the chef offered lunch to all of the winners of the presidents Fake News awards. Andres and Pelosi will be joined at the SOTU by other guests including Chef Tyler Florence, Planned Parenthood president Leana Wen, and Fred Guttenberg, a father of a student killed in the Parkland shooting. The president will deliver his second State of the Union Tuesday. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events The Independent has contacted Nancy Pelosis office for comment. Pregnant women who use household products containing certain chemicals could be putting the health of their childs lungs at risk, new research has found. A study published in The Lancet Planetary Health journal looked at data from more than 1,000 mother-child pairs and found links between prenatal exposure to parabens, phthalates and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and reduced lung function in children. PFAS are found in many household products and food packaging, such as microwave popcorn bags and non-stick or stain-resistant cookware. These chemicals can be absorbed by the mother through food or water and subsequently by the unborn baby, who will absorb them via the placenta. The study was led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) and the French Institute for Health and Biomedical Research, both of whom worked in collaboration with other European teams. NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary Show all 18 1 /18 NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, addresses demonstrators following the march AFP/Getty NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary EPA NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary Reuters NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary REUTERS NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary EPA NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary REUTERS NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary PA NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary REUTERS NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary REUTERS NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary PA NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images They looked at participants from six different European countries: Spain, France, Greece, Lithuania and Norway, and found 85 exposures in total during pregnancy and 125 during childhood. The researchers measure lung function in children once at six years old and again at 12 via spirometry, a simple test used to diagnose lung conditions which works by measuring how much air you can breathe out in one forced breath. They identified nine exposures in total that impaired lung function, with DINP (Diisononyl phthalate), and DEHP (di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate) singled out as showing the strongest associations. Both of these are used in a range of plastic products and can be absorbed through the skin. Recommended Spread of swine flu this winter could pose risk to pregnant women This is the first study that applies an exposome approach to identify associations between pre- and childhood exposure to a range of important environmental factors and impairment of lung function, thereby representing a new paradigm in environmental health research, explains Martine Vrijheid, co-coordinator of the study and ISGlobal researcher. Vrijheid added that the findings could have significant implications from a public health perspective. Preventive measures to reduce exposure to the chemical substances identified, including a stricter regulation and the labelling of consumer products to better inform the public, could help prevent lung function impairment in childhood and benefit health in the long-term, she said. A pair of briefcase-sized Nasa spacecraft have been lost after they flew past Mars. The two robots collectively known as Marco and nicknamed EVE and WALL-E have flown so deep into space that the space agency is now unable to reach them, engineers said. It is unlikely the pair will ever be heard from again. It has been more than a month since the robots were last heard from and they are now millions of miles beyond the red planet. But Nasa considers the very fact it could talk to them at all a major success. The two craft pushed up against the limits of experimental technology, they say, and helped prove concepts that could allow such tiny robots to venture even more deep into space. MarCO was th first interplanetary mission to use a class of small spacecraft known as CubeSats. Together, the pair worked as communications relays during the landing of InSight, a Nasa rover that dropped down around New Year and will be delving deep into Mars's surface. MarCO-B, one of the experimental Mars Cube One (MarCO) CubeSats, took this image as it approached Mars from about 357,300 miles to 11,200 miles away, just before NASA's InSight spacecraft landed on Mars (NASA/JPL-Caltech) The two spacecraft were able to beam back data during the descent of the lander in near real-time, and sent back the stunning first images that were taken by InSight. The craft even did some science of their own: WALL-E took its own photos, and EVE did some simple radio science. Because the technology was experimental, Nasa weren't relying on either of the CubeSats working at all. If they had broken on their way as engineers suspected they might the data would still have been sent back but it would have taken much longer to receive it. After their work was done at Mars, they carried on off into space. WALL-E hasn't sent a message since 29 December, and is thought to be more than a million miles past Mars; EVE is even further away, at about two million miles, and hasn't spoken to Nasa since 4 January. Researchers don't know exactly why the pair have lost touch. WALL-E has a leaky thruster and might be wobbling so that it can't send commands. The sensors that allow them to charge their batteries from the sun might also have broken. They will continue flying away from Earth as February goes on, making sending any data ever more difficult and so meaning that Nasa don't expect to ever hear back. 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. The Gemini IV crew conducted scientific experiments, including photography of Earth's weather and terrain, for the remainder of their four-day mission following Ed White's historic spacewalk on June 3 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Frosty slopes of Mars This image of an area on the surface of Mars, approximately 1.5 by 3 kilometers in size, shows frosted gullies on a south-facing slope within a crater. The image was taken by Nasa's HiRISE camera, which is mounted on its Mars Reconaissance Orbiter Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Yellowstone from space NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman shared this image of Yellowstone via his twitter account Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Saturn This near-infrared color image shows a specular reflection, or sunglint, off of a hydrocarbon lake named Kivu Lacus on Saturn's moon Titan Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Worlds Apart Although Mimas and Pandora, shown here, both orbit Saturn, they are very different moons. Pandora, "small" by moon standards (50 miles or 81 kilometers across) is elongated and irregular in shape. Mimas (246 miles or 396 kilometers across), a "medium-sized" moon, formed into a sphere due to self-gravity imposed by its higher mass Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An X1.6 class solar flare flashes in the middle of the sun in this image taken 10 September, captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy An image of the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy seen in infrared light by the Herschel Space Observatory. Regions of space such as this are where new stars are born from a mixture of elements and cosmic dust Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Mars Rover Spirit Nasa's Mars Rover Spirit took the first picture from Spirit since problems with communications began a week earlier. The image shows the robotic arm extended to the rock called Adirondack Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Morning Aurora From the Space Station Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photograph of the green lights of the aurora from the International Space Station Nasa/Scott Kelly Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Launch of History - Making STS-41G Mission in 1984 The Space Shuttle Challenger launches from Florida at dawn. On this mission, Kathryn Sullivan became the first U.S. woman to perform a spacewalk and Marc Garneau became the first Canadian in space. The crew of seven was the largest to fly on a spacecraft at that time, and STS-41G was the first flight to include two female astronauts Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Fresh Perspective on an Extraordinary Cluster of Galaxies Galaxy clusters are often described by superlatives. After all, they are huge conglomerations of galaxies, hot gas, and dark matter and represent the largest structures in the Universe held together by gravity Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Sees a Galactic Sunflower The arrangement of the spiral arms in the galaxy Messier 63, seen here in an image from the Nasa Hubble Space Telescope, recall the pattern at the center of a sunflower ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Pluto image Four images from New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) were combined with colour data from the Ralph instrument to create this enhanced colour global view of Pluto Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Fresh Crater Near Sirenum Fossae Region of Mars The HiRISE camera aboard Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter acquired this closeup image of a "fresh" (on a geological scale, though quite old on a human scale) impact crater in the Sirenum Fossae region of Mars. This impact crater appears relatively recent as it has a sharp rim and well-preserved ejecta Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Peers into the Most Crowded Place in the Milky Way This Nasa Hubble Space Telescope image presents the Arches Cluster, the densest known star cluster in the Milky Way NASA & ESA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space An Astronaut's View from Space Nasa astronaut Reid Wiseman tweeted this photo from the International Space Station on 2 September 2014 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Giant Landform on Mars On Mars, we can observe four classes of sandy landforms formed by the wind, or aeolian bedforms: ripples, transverse aeolian ridges, dunes, and what are called draa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Expedition 39 Landing A sokol suit helmet can be seen against the window of the Soyuz TMA-11M capsule shortly after the spacecraft landed with Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan (NASA/Bill Ingalls) Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Jupiter's Great Red Spot Viewed by Voyager I Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and perhaps the most majestic. 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 "This mission was always about pushing the limits of miniaturized technology and seeing just how far it could take us," said Andy Klesh, the mission's chief engineer at JPL. "We've put a stake in the ground. Future CubeSats might go even farther." Nasa hopes to use the same technology which allows spacecraft to be launched cheaply and easily to venture off elsewhere in the solar system in future missions. "There's big potential in these small packages," said John Baker, the MarCO program manager at JPL. "CubeSats - part of a larger group of spacecraft called SmallSats - are a new platform for space exploration that is affordable to more than just government agencies." A Chinese satellite has snapped what might be the best ever photo taken of the Moon and the Earth. The image shows our neighbour's "dark side" the distant part of the Moon that is always facing from Earth and so has gone largely unseen by humanity. And it shows our planet, small in the background, dwarfed as the camera floats in front of the Moon. But the photo was able to be taken because China's Longjiang-2 is currently in Lunar orbit. It arrived in June 2018, alongside another satellite that has recently been busy helping engineers speak with the Chang'e-4 lander that has been exploring the surface of the far side of the Moon. Now that the quiet period to ensure there wasn't too much radio noise during that lunar landing is over, the satellite is back to work. That gave scientists the opportunity to take more photos of the Earth and Moon. The new image was taken as part of that work, after an instruction was sent to the satellite to start taking timelapse images. The first of them was downloaded to the Dwingeloo telescope in the Netherlands on 4 February after being taken a day before. 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. The Gemini IV crew conducted scientific experiments, including photography of Earth's weather and terrain, for the remainder of their four-day mission following Ed White's historic spacewalk on June 3 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Frosty slopes of Mars This image of an area on the surface of Mars, approximately 1.5 by 3 kilometers in size, shows frosted gullies on a south-facing slope within a crater. The image was taken by Nasa's HiRISE camera, which is mounted on its Mars Reconaissance Orbiter Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Yellowstone from space NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman shared this image of Yellowstone via his twitter account Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Saturn This near-infrared color image shows a specular reflection, or sunglint, off of a hydrocarbon lake named Kivu Lacus on Saturn's moon Titan Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Worlds Apart Although Mimas and Pandora, shown here, both orbit Saturn, they are very different moons. Pandora, "small" by moon standards (50 miles or 81 kilometers across) is elongated and irregular in shape. Mimas (246 miles or 396 kilometers across), a "medium-sized" moon, formed into a sphere due to self-gravity imposed by its higher mass Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An X1.6 class solar flare flashes in the middle of the sun in this image taken 10 September, captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy An image of the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy seen in infrared light by the Herschel Space Observatory. Regions of space such as this are where new stars are born from a mixture of elements and cosmic dust Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Mars Rover Spirit Nasa's Mars Rover Spirit took the first picture from Spirit since problems with communications began a week earlier. The image shows the robotic arm extended to the rock called Adirondack Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Morning Aurora From the Space Station Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photograph of the green lights of the aurora from the International Space Station Nasa/Scott Kelly Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Launch of History - Making STS-41G Mission in 1984 The Space Shuttle Challenger launches from Florida at dawn. On this mission, Kathryn Sullivan became the first U.S. woman to perform a spacewalk and Marc Garneau became the first Canadian in space. The crew of seven was the largest to fly on a spacecraft at that time, and STS-41G was the first flight to include two female astronauts Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Fresh Perspective on an Extraordinary Cluster of Galaxies Galaxy clusters are often described by superlatives. After all, they are huge conglomerations of galaxies, hot gas, and dark matter and represent the largest structures in the Universe held together by gravity Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Sees a Galactic Sunflower The arrangement of the spiral arms in the galaxy Messier 63, seen here in an image from the Nasa Hubble Space Telescope, recall the pattern at the center of a sunflower ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Pluto image Four images from New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) were combined with colour data from the Ralph instrument to create this enhanced colour global view of Pluto Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Fresh Crater Near Sirenum Fossae Region of Mars The HiRISE camera aboard Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter acquired this closeup image of a "fresh" (on a geological scale, though quite old on a human scale) impact crater in the Sirenum Fossae region of Mars. This impact crater appears relatively recent as it has a sharp rim and well-preserved ejecta Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Peers into the Most Crowded Place in the Milky Way This Nasa Hubble Space Telescope image presents the Arches Cluster, the densest known star cluster in the Milky Way NASA & ESA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space An Astronaut's View from Space Nasa astronaut Reid Wiseman tweeted this photo from the International Space Station on 2 September 2014 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Giant Landform on Mars On Mars, we can observe four classes of sandy landforms formed by the wind, or aeolian bedforms: ripples, transverse aeolian ridges, dunes, and what are called draa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Expedition 39 Landing A sokol suit helmet can be seen against the window of the Soyuz TMA-11M capsule shortly after the spacecraft landed with Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan (NASA/Bill Ingalls) Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Jupiter's Great Red Spot Viewed by Voyager I Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and perhaps the most majestic. 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 It marks the first time that both the Earth and Moon are in view from that satellite, though it will probably not be the last. And it might be the best ever picture taken of the two objects together. The Longjiang-2 satellite had originally headed to the Moon alongside a companion, known as Longjiang-1. Together, the two were tasked with looking onto the Moon's surface as they travelled around in orbit. But China lost contact with Longjiang-1 as it headed out to the Moon. Longjiang-2 has now been left alone, to send stunning photographs back down to Earth. Jennifer Lawrence is engaged to Cooke Maroney, according to reports. The news comes just hours after Page Six revealed the actor was spotted wearing a massive ring on her left finger while at dinner with the 34-year-old. The couple, who have been dating since June 2018, have tried to keep their relationship out of the public eye as much as possible. Jennifer Lawrence - Oscar-winning actor in pictures Show all 12 1 /12 Jennifer Lawrence - Oscar-winning actor in pictures Jennifer Lawrence - Oscar-winning actor in pictures Jennifer Lawrence onstage after winning the award for Actress in a Leading Role during the 2013 Oscars Getty Images Jennifer Lawrence - Oscar-winning actor in pictures Jennifer Lawrence attends the UK premiere of Mother at the Odeon Leicester Square Getty Images for Paramount Pictu Jennifer Lawrence - Oscar-winning actor in pictures Jennifer Lawrence at Paris Fashion Week Getty Images for Dior Jennifer Lawrence - Oscar-winning actor in pictures Jennifer Lawrence attends the New York premiere of A Beautiful Planet on April 16, 2016 Getty Images Jennifer Lawrence - Oscar-winning actor in pictures Jennifer Lawrence visits The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon on November 18, 2015 Jennifer Lawrence - Oscar-winning actor in pictures Jennifer Lawrence, winner of the Best Actress award for Silver Linings Playbook, at the 2013 Oscars Getty Images Jennifer Lawrence - Oscar-winning actor in pictures Jennifer Lawrence attends the 90th Annual Academy Awards Getty Images Jennifer Lawrence - Oscar-winning actor in pictures Jennifer Lawrence in the audience during the 90th Annual Academy Awards Getty Images Jennifer Lawrence - Oscar-winning actor in pictures Lawrence on the red carpet at the Oscars Getty Images Jennifer Lawrence - Oscar-winning actor in pictures Lawrence (far left) takes part in a group selfie taken by Bradley Cooper at the 2014 Oscars Getty Images Jennifer Lawrence - Oscar-winning actor in pictures Actress Jennifer Lawrence arrives for the 90th Annual Academy Awards on March 4, 2018 AFP/Getty Images Jennifer Lawrence - Oscar-winning actor in pictures Lawrence on the red carpet for the 2018 Oscars Getty Images So much so, that people know very little about J.Laws new partner. To rectify that, weve found out everything you need to know about Cooke Maroney, from where he grew up to how the couple first met. He grew up in Vermont Maroney grew up in Vermont where his parents, James Maroney and Suki Fredericks, own a farm. According to Medium, his parents decided to move further up north after they grew tired of raising their son in the city. He is an art gallerist Maroney is the director of New Yorks Gladstone art gallery, which boasts a list of high profile clients including Anish Kapoor, Matthew Barney, and Lena Dunham's father, Caroll Dunham. He also previously worked at the Gagosian, another esteemed gallery, according to Page Six. He's an NYU alum According to reports, Maroney went to high school in Vermont before studying art history at New York University. He and Lawrence met through a mutual friend The couple were first introduced to each other by the actors best friend, Laura Simpson. They met through Jens friend Laura.The relationship has been going on a few weeks. But they have been very private and careful not to be seen together, a source told Page Six in June. He keeps his personal life private Lawrence and Maroney have tried hard to keep their relationship private, even after their romance was revealed last summer. Aside from rare sightings in New York, the couple have been spotted in Paris and Rome. They also reportedly attended a premiere for The Favourite in late September. You also won't find Maroney on any public social media. He does have an Instagram account, but it's private with fewer than 2,000 followers. Im excited to do it and Im glad they were willing to let me speak, he said, lauding the countys professionalism in scheduling him to speak. I hope they are as receptive to what I have to say as they are to all the other speakers who invoke the name of God. Temperatures in May were the hottest ever recorded, scientists have said, making abnormal the new normal. Last month was the 13th in a row that temperatures have been recorded as above average for the time of year. May also saw record rises in levels of carbon dioxide in Antarctica, the last region to be affected by high concentrations of the greenhouse gas. This year is now the hottest on record, and it was also revealed that the northern hemisphere has experienced its hottest ever spring. Global temperature records were broken across land and sea in May, according to data from NASA and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). At 15.67C, temperatures were 0.87C more than the 20th century average of 14.8C. Despite the El Nino weather system - which has now ended - strongly influencing global weather, scientists insist the underlying cause of the warming were greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere by humans. The state of the climate so far this year gives us much cause for alarm, said David Carlson, Director of the World Climate Research Programme. Exceptionally high temperatures. Ice melt rates in March and May that we dont normally see until July. Once-in-a-generation rainfall events. The super El Nino is only partly to blame. Abnormal is the new normal. 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 Arctic has been particularly badly affected and sea ice has begun melting early. Snowfall across the northern hemisphere was described as exceptionally low by the World Meteorological Organisation. In Barrow, Alaska, the northernmost city in the US, the earliest snowmelt ever recorded was announced on 20 May by the NOAA, ten days earlier than the previous record, set in 2002. Usually, the snow begins to melt in June or July. Mr Carlson said: The rapid changes in the Arctic are of particular concern. What happens in the Arctic affects the rest of the globe. The question is - will the rate of change continue? Will it accelerate? We are in uncharted territory. Data for the southern hemisphere made equally grim reading. On 23 May, the NOAA reported carbon dioxide concentrations reached a symbolically significant 400 parts per million at the South Pole. The far southern hemisphere was the last place on earth where CO2 had not yet reached this mark, said Pieter Tans, the lead scientist of NOAA's Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network. Global CO2 levels will not return to values below 400 ppm in our lifetimes and almost certainly for much longer. Human behaviour combined with El Nino caused this rise, according to scientists from the Met Office. Did Climate Change kill over 200,000 Kazakh antelopes? "The atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration is rising year-on-year due to human emissions, but this year it is getting an extra boost due to the recent El Nino event, said Richard Betts, who led the Met Office research. He continued: This warms and dries tropical ecosystems, reducing their uptake of carbon and exacerbating forest fires. Since human emissions are now 25 per cent greater than in the last big El Nino in 1997/98, this all adds up to a record CO2 rise this year. In a State of the Union address bookended with references to American heroism during World War II, President Donald Trump focused heavily on security, trade, and foreign policy. Small businesses barely surfaced in the 82-minute speech Tuesday night. His tone was collegial, noting that "many of us have campaigned on the same core promises, to defend American jobs and demand fair trade for American workers... We must reject the politics of revenge, resistance, and retribution and embrace the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise, and the common good." One of the few mentions of partisanship came in the beginning of the address, when Trump implied that an investigation was incompatible with the business of making law: "If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation. It doesn't work that way." The President highlighted some of the successes of the past few years. While the economy got great billing, aside from an infrastructure bill, Trump didn't propose many new initiatives that seemed designed to appeal to business, and mentioned small business only once. None of the purely domestic initiatives received anywhere near the attention the President gave to what has become a priority for his administration: a wall along the United States' border with Mexico, which he described as a "smart, strategic, see-through barrier, not just a simple concrete wall." The President painted the border as a conduit for illegal drugs, sex traffickers, and violent criminals, asking Congress to "join forces again to confront an urgent national crisis." Some have speculated that the President would declare a national emergency in order to allow him to use money allocated for other uses to build a wall. The President, notably, did not use the word "emergency" to describe the situation at the border, although he did repeatedly say that it was "very dangerous." He also said he was deploying 3,750 troops to the border. On the domestic front, as expected, Trump laid out the rosy economic figures: growing wages, low unemployment, and about five million new jobs. The January jobs number--304,000 new jobs--got special billing, as it was almost double what was expected. He noted his administration's zeal for cutting regulations, which many entrepreneurs share. Especially notable, said Trump, was the elimination of the mandate, under the Affordable Care Act, that every individual purchase health insurance or pay a penalty. In his only mention specifically of smaller companies, the President said, "We have virtually ended the estate tax, or death tax, on small businesses." Trump framed the trade war with China as his attempt at "reversing calamitous trade policies." He said he was working on new trade rules with China, and called for "real structural change" that would reduce the deficit and protect American jobs. He called NAFTA a "catastrophe" and urged Congress to pass his trade agreement with Mexico and Canada. And he asked for passage of the Reciprocal Trade Act, which would make it easier to launch retaliatory tariffs. Near the end of his speech, Trump called for new legislation to address a variety of priorities: infrastructure spending; the cost of medicine and of health insurance; stopping HIV/AIDS; developing new treatments for childhood cancers; paid family leave; and the prohibition of so-called late-term abortions. (The Center Square) High school students may soon be able to take financial literacy courses as part of their required two years of social studies with a measure awaiting the governors approval. The commissions proposal was in response to a December request from the Naperville City Council, which asked the advisory group to weigh in on whether any of the housing included in the 13-acre project should be designated as affordable and, if yes, how much. Its an intimate space. My idea is how do we make this a tangible story because we are much closer to these people and this society than we think so we wanted it to bring it close, we wanted to make it small and we wanted to make it reflective of our society, she said. Each day, it surprises me how similar it feels to situations we encounter today in our society. Obviously, there are extreme things that we arent dealing with today because were not in London in the 18th century. But it does feel eerily similar. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 6) Police on Wednesday released chilling video footage of the killing of Randy Malayao, the consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) who was shot dead inside a passenger bus last January 30. The closed-circuit television (CCTV) video showed Malayao boarding the bus at a terminal in Quezon City at around 9 p.m. on January 29. Police noted a person of interest watching him, supposedly verifying if he had embarked. Police said the man took a photo of the bus and left. In another security footage some five hours after, two persons of interest stood in front of the bus Malayao boarded as it stopped at a terminal in Nueva Vizcaya. At around 2:20 a.m., a man wearing a face mask and cap, went straight towards the rear of the bus. Two gunshots were heard as he was seen hurriedly fleeing the crime scene. The Cagayan Valley police earlier released facial sketches of two suspects, including the gunman believed to be around 20 to 25 years old. The other suspect is believed to be the driver of the getaway motorcycle. READ: LOOK: Facial sketches of suspects in NDFP consultant slay The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) vowed to seek justice for Malayao and "punish the perpetrators of this fascist crime." CPP founding chairman Jose Maria Sison said the rebel group is now considering totally closing its doors to the peace talks following Malayao's killing. Malayao is part of the NDFP which represents communist rebels in talks with the government that aims to put an end to their five-decade armed insurgency. Malacanang condemned Malayao's killing and said "we will never tolerate any unlawful killing in this country." 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. A: We actually call it Jaguarville Community since there are other team members that take part in it. That is the exciting change through the years. It has expanded to classes such as Mallory Berk's Humanity, Anne Obringer's English and Michelle Lange's Spanish classes. They have been a huge help. Also, there are sixth-grade teachers (Bennett Nelson and Monique Bonneville) that also hire students. It is basically a community that has its own government and economy. The students elect the judicial, legislative, and executive branches. In fact, this year's high school seniors created the Jaguarville Constitution that is followed every year. I still have the original version with their signatures. Through the years, we have only had two changes in our constitution. Students (Congress and President) make their own laws (rules) for class. If students break a law, they receive a ticket. If they have so many unpaid tickets, students go to court, in which five students are the judges. Students can also take other students to court for injustices that have occurred. The economy part involves students earning Jaguar Bucks by having a job that they actually perform. They have bills to pay every month-rent, WiFi, electric, gas, and water & garbage. After their bills, there are stores and a cafe where they can spend their money. In addition, we have a monthly auction for numerous items. At the end of the year, there is a buyout where students spend all their money. To be honest, many of the students will donate their money to the upcoming sixth-graders. I think of my first economy 25 years ago where the big buyout item was a CD, and students had a checkbook and received paper bills. Now, students can buy so many different items, and it is all online including their bills. We tell students that years ago it used to take them about 20-30 minutes to pay bills each month whereas for them it is less than 5 minutes. The city has $3.3 million in annual funding to pay for capital projects, Holleb said. But officials have identified nearly $30 million in projects that need to be completed, while the city would be responsible for funding about $10 million of that total, Holleb said. 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. Your support is needed now more than ever Help support your local news Local news sources need your help. Stay in the know on Coronavirus, local updates, and more. iciHaiti - Conference : For a safer Internet for all As part of the first edition of the "Safer Internet Day" an annual global event organized by the European INSAFE Network in February to promote a better Internet with young people, their parents and the educational community and encourage responsible behavior online a conference will take place at the Higher School of Infotronics of Haiti on Tuesday, February 5 from 9:00 to 11:00 am around the theme "For a safer Internet for all". Guest Speakers: Christelle Vaval (Business Law Specialist and ISOC Haiti Board Member), Gael Beaubeuf (CISA, CAPM), Kathlyn Bastien (Head of IT Department at CREDOC at the Primature) and Obed Sindy (President of the ISOC Haiti) as moderator to celebrate the "Safer Internet Day 2019" in a first edition. All Haitians are invited to follow the hashtags #SID2019 and #SaferInternetDay to participate in this global mobilization around a safer Internet for all. The slogan of the campaign, "Together for a Better Internet", is a call to action for all stakeholders to come together and play their part so that better Internet for all and especially for the youngest is possible. IH/ iciHaiti That lawsuit, first filed in June 2016 while Wayne Motley was mayor, pointed to three different meetings, one where he was told not to take photos during the meeting, another where he was escorted out of the meeting and a third where he was told he couldn't speak during the public-comment portion because someone else had put his name on a list of those wishing to speak. Albert Chenail's will leaves half his estate to establish a scholarship fund for deserving Drury High students. Drury High Graduate's Bequest Establishes Scholarship Fund Albert Chenail NORTH ADAMS, Mass. A Drury High School graduate has left half of his $1.1 million estate to endow a scholarship fund at his alma mater. Albert Harvey Chenail, who died in April 2017 at the age of 96, bequeathed an initial $400,000 to establish the Frederick L. Chenail and Jessie M. Chenail Scholarship Fund in honor of his parents. His will states "the total amount of such Fund shall be invested and reinvested by Drury High School and that the income from such Fund shall be rewarded annually as a scholarship to a student at Drury High School for the purpose of furthering his or her college or vocational school education." The gift requires the creation of a committee of the superintendent, Drury's principal and guidance director, and that the "award shall be made to a worthy student having financial need." Chenail was a Navy veteran of World War II who graduated from what was then North Adams State College. He was an inspector for the Navy, including working in the Navy Department at the former Sprague Electric Co. He also was a member of the Frank R. Stiles Post 125 American Legion. Such bequests don't normally come to the School Committee, administrative assistant to the superintendent Nancy Rauscher explained at Tuesday's meeting, "but this language in the will was very unique and very specific." Scholarships are usually established and operated by the estates or families but in this case, Chenail's will gave the oversight responsibility to the School Department. Rauscher said she had been working with the estate's attorneys and the School Department's attorney to work out the steps. Once the School Committee had accepted the gift, the next step would be to determine where the money would go. There are three options: leave the funds where they are now, being managed by Atlas Private Wealth Management on Union Street and change the name on them; have them sent to a broker of the School Department's choice, or have a check made out and determine from there. The committee accepted the gift but made no other decision at this point. Rauscher said a further distribution of funds would follow once the estate's administrative fees and taxes are paid and the funds are accounted by the state. Chenail was the last surviving member of his immediate family. His wife of 44 years, the former Rita Bergeron, died in 1997 and he outlived his seven brothers and sisters. He does have several nieces and nephews. "A lifelong resident of Berkshire County, Mr. Chenail felt very strongly about the importance of education," wrote his attorney, James J. Sisto, in a letter to Superintendent Barbara Malkas. "Antoinette Hawke and James Harvey, the niece and nephew of Mr. Chenail and the Personal Representatives of his Estate are honored and proud that their uncle's generosity will continue in perpetuity upon the establishment of the Frederick L. Chenail and Jessie M. Chenail Scholarship Fund to benefit a worthy student of financial need each and every year." Mayor Thomas Bernard said the bequest was deeply appreciated and "really remarkable" and that he and Malkas have had some preliminary conversations about how to honor Chenail and his family. "It needs to be honored and it needs to be celebrated," he said. "As students begin to benefit from this scholarship that they recognize this is a real signature gift." The scholarship endowment was certainly the largest but not the only gift accepted by the School Committee on Tuesday. It accepted three more donations for the public schools totaling $1,700. Steve Green and Susan Walker, longtime activists in the community and education supporters, donated $500 to "help support the education of North Adams school students." General Dynamics Mission Systems of Pittsfield donated $1,000 in support of STEAM (science, tech, engineering, arts and math) activities and programs at the request of employee Wilfred Bourdon, who volunteers with the programs. Joshua Mendel, director of recruitment and outreach at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, donated $200 in honor of professor Phyllis Hakeem "a true champion for education and a friend to North Adams Public Schools." Mendel said Hakeem was a mentor and guide to him and that he hoped the gift could be used toward literacy education. Malkas said this gift has a special meaning because of Hakeem's work with many of the administrators. Malkas also announced that the School Department had received a $285,549 Community Preschool Partnership Initiative Grant with Child Care of the Berkshires for 2019. The grant cycle opened in mid-December and closed Jan. 4, so it took a concerted effort to get everything in on time. The grant will be used to fund two full-day preschool classrooms with both before and after-school care at Brayton Elementary School and at Child Care of the Berkshires; the hope is that year two of the grant will double the amount. Translation: El sector de carga aerea sube 3,5% en 2018. La demanda se debilita en diciembre (pdf) Le fret finit lannee en hausse de 3,5 %, malgre le ralentissement a la fin de 2018 (pdf) 2018 3.5% (pdf) Geneva The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released full-year 2018 data for global air freight markets showing that demand, measured in freight tonne kilometers (FTKs) grew by 3.5% compared to 2017. This was significantly lower than the extraordinary 9.7% growth recorded in 2017. Freight capacity, measured in available freight tonne kilometers (AFTKs), rose by 5.4% in 2018, outpacing annual growth in demand. This exerted downward pressure on the load factor but yields proved resilient. Air cargos performance in 2018 was sealed by a softening in demand in December. Year-on-year, December demand decreased by 0.5%. This was the worst performance since March 2016. Freight capacity, however, grew by 3.8%. This was the tenth month in a row that year-on-year capacity growth outstripped demand growth. International e-commerce grew in 2018 which was a positive factor for the year. Yet, there was a softening of several key demand drivers: The restocking cycle, during which businesses rapidly built up inventories to meet demand, ended in early 2018; Global economic activity weakened; The export order books of all major exporting nations, with the exception of the US, contracted in the second half of 2018; Consumer confidence weakened compared to very high levels at the beginning of 2018. Air cargo demand lost momentum towards the end of 2018 in the face of weakening global trade, sagging consumer confidence and geopolitical headwinds. Still, demand grew by 3.5% compared to 2017. We are cautiously optimistic that demand will grow in the region of 3.7% in 2019. But with the persistence of trade tensions and protectionist actions by some governments there is significant downside risk. Keeping borders open to people and to trade is critical, said Alexandre de Juniac, IATAs Director General and CEO. To attract demand in new market segments, the air cargo industry must improve its value proposition. Enabling modern processes with digitalization will help build a stronger foothold in e-commerce and the transport of time- and temperature-sensitive goods such as pharmaceuticals and perishables, said de Juniac. DECEMBER 2018 (% year-on-year) World share1 ftK AStK fLF (%-pt)2 fLF (level)3 Total Market 100.0% -0.5% 3.8% -2.1% 48.8% Africa 1.7% -2.2% 4.9% -2.8% 38.1% Asia Pacific 35.4% -4.5% 2.6% 4.1% 54.0% Europe 23.3% 1.9% 3.7% -1.0% 56.7% Latin America 2.6% -0.1% 6.0% -1.8% 29.1% Middle East 13.3% 0.1% 4.5% -2.1% 48.8% North America 23.7% 2.9% 4.5% -0.6% 41.4% Regional Performance Airlines in all regions with the exception of Africa reported an annual increase in demand in 2018. Asia-Pacific carriers posted the weakest growth of any region in December 2018 with a decrease in demand of 4.5% compared to the same period a year earlier. Capacity increased by 2.6%. The weaker performance in December contributed to growth in freight demand of only 1.7% in 2018 compared to 2017. Annual capacity increased 5.0%. The weaker performance of Asia-Pacific carriers in 2018 largely reflects a slowing in demand for exports from the regions major exporters (China, Japan and Korea). Signs of a moderation in economic activity in China and an escalation of trade tensions continue to pose a downside risk to air cargo in Asia-Pacific. North American airlines posted the fastest growth of any region for the seventh consecutive month in December 2018 with an increase in demand of 2.9% compared to the same period a year earlier. Capacity increased by 4.5%. This contributed to an annual growth in demand in 2018 of 6.8%, matching the rate of capacity increase. The strength of the US economy and consumer spending have helped support the demand for air cargo over the past year, benefiting US carriers. European airlines posted a 1.9% year-on-year increase in freight demand in December 2018 and a capacity rise of 3.7%. The improved performance in December contributed to an annual growth in demand for air cargo of 3.2% in 2018. Capacity increased by 4.3% in the same year. Weaker manufacturing conditions for exporters, particularly in Germany, one of Europes key export markets, along with mixed economic indicators impacted demand in 2018. Middle Eastern carriers freight volumes increased 0.1% year-on-year in December and capacity increased 4.5%. This contributed to an annual increase in demand of 3.9% in 2018 the third fastest growth rate of all the regions. Annual capacity increased 6.2%. The region continues to be affected by geopolitical issues. Latin American airlines experienced a decrease in year-on-year demand of 0.1% in December after three months of positive growth. Capacity increased by 6.0%. Despite a decrease in demand, its worth noting that the within South America market continues to perform strongly, with international demand up almost 20% year-on-year. Annual growth in freight demand among Latin America carriers in 2018 increased by 5.8% - the second fastest of all regions. Annual capacity increased 3.4% in 2018. African carriers saw freight demand decrease by 2.2%, in December 2018, compared to the same month in 2017. This was significantly less than the 9.4% decrease the previous month. Capacity increased by 4.9% year-on-year. Its worth noting that seasonally-adjusted international freight volumes, despite being 7.7% lower than their peak in mid-2017, are still 50% higher than their most recent trough in late-2015. Annual growth in freight demand among Africa carriers in 2018 decreased by 1.3% and capacity grew by 1%. Check out the 2018 Air Freight infographic for a quick overview. Read the full December 2018 freight analysis (pdf) For more information, please contact: Corporate Communications Tel: +41 22 770 2967 Email: corpcomms@iata.org Notes for Editors: Scott Cohen is something of an enigma in the music industry. He is both an understated mensch who discreetly supports artists and music tech startups (such as a nascent Spotify) and a power player who advises industry bodies like the British Phonographic Industry. His career in music began in the late 80s as an artist manager, but he foresaw the future impact of technology on the business while many others dismissed it. There is an elegant symmetry to his big idea becoming a successful company that was sold back to the industry for over $200 million. His pitch for what was to become The Orchard was a distribution company for the digital music age. However, most record label executives scoffed at the concept of a digital music marketplace at the time, and so the sofa-surfing Cohen bootstrapped his early days. He found a career-defining collaborator and ally in fellow maverick Richard Gottehrer, who co-founded Sire Records with Seymour Stein in 1966. A canny music executive, performer and co-writer of hits like "I Want Candy", Gottehrer got the concept, and they co-founded The Orchard in 1997. Today, The Orchard is recognized as a pioneering music and video distribution company and it operates in more than 40 global markets. It was fully acquired by Sony for $200m in 2015. "Today no-one can conceive of a world which is post-streaming or post-fan." Given the prescience of his vision, Cohen is in high demand as a mentor and public speaker. At the Eurosonic Nooderslag (ESNS) conference in Groningen earlier this month, he looked into the future with his keynote presentation "Racing Off The Cliff What Comes After Streaming?" Cohen started by inviting the packed auditorium to remember the music industry 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 years ago. "In the 80's rap music was dismissed as a fad, in the 90s no-one in the industry could imagine a world without MTV. Today no-one can conceive of a world which is post-streaming or post-fan. Every ten years something kills the music industry. If you want to know what's next look at the tech world." Artificial Intelligence (AI) was a key trend for Cohen. "AI is something that our business relies on today for organization, recommendation and search. There are 20,000 new tracks uploaded to Spotify every day, do you seriously think that humans are listening to every track and categorizing them?" The overlap of big data and AI has resulted in the death of the music genre as a marketing concept, he continued. "Searching by genre doesn't exist anymore. New Music Friday or your Daily Mix on Spotify are not genres. Tracks get into your AI-driven playlists because they are good. The biggest iTunes track of 2017 was Despacito, one of 2018's biggest acts was BTS from South Korea, they had two albums debut at #1 on the Billboard 200. In the genre-driven world, these would have just been labeled World Music. Cohen explained how fans of BTS are not only redefining the term fan but offering a glimpse into a "post-fan" world. The self-organizing BTS Army surprised the bands' UK concert promoters by crowdfunding a billboard to welcome their idols to London. In South Korea, the BTS Army regularly pay for billboards to celebrate the bands anniversaries, concerts and birthdays. The US branch of the BTS Army clubbed together for billboards in Times Square to support the band and camped out for over a week to secure tickets for their first stadium concert in the United States. Cohen said that the industry needed to empower this level of passionate fandom. Today bands need to create the environment for this relationship with their fans, and to help them do things by themselves. The world domination of BTS segued neatly into another of Cohen's big predictions, a "post-West" music industry. The global population is 7.7 billion people, but Europe, the US and Canada only amount to 1.1 billion. What about the other 6.6 billion people, are you targeting them or ignoring them? If you ignore them you are in serious trouble. India has a population of 1.3 billion, and many millions of people in India have a good quality of life. There are 4.4 billion people in Asia, many of them have mobile phones and are becoming more affluent. As an industry, are we thinking about this at all?" Cohen contrasted the high percentage of younger people in developing nations with the aging populations of the West and was frank about the prospects of merely transposing a Western-focused mindset. "They don't want our shit; they have their own music." "For anyone under 20, their mindset is, who cares, give me the hits." Cohen continued in a controversial vein, puncturing one of the most sacred cows in the industry, the album format. "The album was artificial when it started; record companies invented the format to generate more money. Today there is no album. For anyone under 20, their mindset is 'who cares, give me the hits'". He also spelled out the end of our current paradigm of infinite choice. "The experiment of the unlimited web has in some ways failed. Twenty thousand new tracks are uploaded to digital services every day. Access to 'everything' is too much! We need to move to a new model of trusted recommendations." Social media in its current iteration is also wide open for disruption, he continued. "Social media is not what it once was. Today there are only three elements: the users, the platforms which sell the users' data, and the brands who sell stuff to the users. Imagine a future where we take the brands out of the picture. Younger people are creating their own ad-hoc networks already. Blockchain could be the autonomous technology that facilitates an entirely new way of people connecting with music." A Post-Fan Era Cohen highlighted the pivotal importance of the live music industry but challenged it to be more innovative. "Glastonbury sold out in 37 minutes with no lineup because people have a genuine hunger for shared experiences. Is the live industry doing the most possible or the least possible? We need to create new live music experiences." The role of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) was currently underestimated, he continued. "AR is going to have a major impact on the music industry, but almost no one is doing anything about it. Mixed reality is being used by SAAB to help build fighter jets, but in the music space we just have dead people coming back as holograms. We need to be more creative. What's the point in just going to a gig in VR, I want to experience something that can't happen in real life! Let's create completely new experiences using music. If you think that mixed reality isn't interesting, you're probably going to be replaced." " What would 'Dark Side Of The Moon' sound like with AI, what would Pink Floyd do in 2019? Next, Cohen deconstructed a concept which is central to popular music: the pop star. "To begin with we just had our voices to express ourselves. Musical instruments were invented around 30,000 years ago, but it was only recently that purely electronic instruments were made, ones which had no manifestation in physical space. Our next evolution will be to AI generated music. Movie editors currently use AI to deliver exactly the right music, perfectly in time with the film cuts, and changes can be made in seconds. Machines can write great music, and they have no ego. Instagram completely democratized photography, so will we use AI to help create music like we use spellcheck when typing now? Wait until musicians really get into working with AI and see what they can create. What would 'Dark Side Of The Moon' sound like with AI, what would Pink Floyd do in 2019? After an hour of future gazing, the ESNS delegates filtered out of the auditorium, pondering what an AI-driven, post-fan, post-West, mixed reality, blockchain-powered future might look like. Is the broader music industry asking the same questions, or are they convinced that the future is inconceivable without our current streaming paradigm? If something kills the music industry every ten years as Cohen suggests, we won't have to wait too long to find out. Article 13 Moves Forward As France, Germany Sign On Article 13 is moving forward to full adoption after France and Germany signed on to a revised version. The on again off again controversial EU copyright directive legislation is set up-end the Safe Harbor protections on which YouTube and other popular user-generated platforms were created. Google, YouTube and others have aggressively opposed Article 13 whole the major labels and most of the music industry have supported it. The new version excludes some newer and smaller internet companies from the tough new rules. The deal, first made available via Politico UK, excludes companies if they fit three criteria: the service is publicly available for less than three years has fewer than 5 million monthly unique visitors an annual turnover of less than 10 million/$11.4M USD These smaller sites must still obtain licenses from rights holders, but will not be forced to use upload filters to prevent infringing content from being re-uploaded. Other sites must now add upload filters, including many that just allow comments. Here are some diverse examples via EU analyst Julia Redda: Discussion boards on commercial sites, such as the Ars Technica or Heise.deforums (older than 3 years) Patreon , a platform with the sole purpose of helping authors get paid (fails to meet any of the three criteria) Niche social networks like GetReeled , a platform for anglers (well below 5 million users, but older than 3 years) Small European competitors to larger US brands like Wykop, a Polish news sharing platform similar to Reddit (well below 10 million turnover, but may reach 5 million visitors and is older than 3 years) Read the full new deal here (pdf). Share on: Out of touch Employees worldwide (70%) see their job as an important part of their identity. In fact, almost nine in 10 hope to work for a company that makes them feel like part of a family, the report said. But companies are missing out on an opportunity to connect with their teams. Some employees think their companys long-held values have grown out of touch in a changing world, while others claim the company values are no longer aligned with their own. The foundation has become unsteady, said Mark Shadle, managing director at Zeno Global. This difference creates a barrier to employee engagement, and much of it has to do with the communication gap between leaders and their teams. The study noted: 62% of workers believe they would perform better if their bosses communicated more clearly 63% claim they would perform better if their companies articulated values, strategy and direction more clearly This is becoming the perfect storm, as employees are saying I dont know what my company stands for, Im not getting the information I need to do my job well, and Im worried about my future, says Shadle. As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content. When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to. After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS! OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those. Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. The house in the Roby area was lost to fire in early January, largely because of the dire situation being faced by the Roby Volunteer Fire Department. Texas Secretary of State David Whitley announced a few days ago that his office has identified 95,000 people listed on the states voter rolls who also provided information to the Department of Public Safety indicating that they arent United States citizens. Because this lack of citizenship would make them ineligible to vote, Whitley forwarded the names to county election administrators. According to Whitley, 58,000 of the 95,000 have voted in at least one election since 1996. Noncitizens shouldnt be voting, and no one can object to careful and legal efforts to keep voter rolls current. But Whitleys office acknowledged that the 95,000 identifications were WEAK matches, using all caps for emphasis. Because people who provide documents indicating non-citizenship, like green cards, arent required to go back to DPS and change their status when they get their citizenship, most or all of the 95,000 may be qualified to cast ballots. Already a handful of county election officials - including in Harris County - have determined that more than 20,000 of the names dont belong on the list. Yet other counties are sending notices to the people Whitleys office identified demanding that they prove their citizenship. If they fail to get the notices or respond in time, or if they cant muster adequate documentation fast enough, their registration can be canceled. Whitleys hunt for stealthy foreign electors probably isnt the best use of our tax dollars. Noncitizens almost never try to vote. In 2017, the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University Law School set out to test President Trumps claim that millions voted illegally the year before. Responding to the centers survey, election administrators in 42 jurisdictions reported only 30 cases of noncitizen voting - this out of 23.5 million votes cast in their locales. Other scholars have also emphasized the near total absence of noncitizen voting. If you werent a citizen, would you risk prosecution and possible deportation just to gain the infinitesimal say in government represented by a single vote? Previous attempts to purge illegal voters havent exactly hit pay dirt, either. In Florida, a 2012 effort to use drivers license records to remove noncitizens ended up erroneously fingering a significant number of eligible voters and embroiling the state in years of pointless litigation. It was eventually abandoned, having found that 85 of the 180,000 people originally identified werent eligible. In Kansas, Secretary of State Kris Kobach claimed to have found 43 noncitizens who registered to vote (out of 1.8 million), and 11 who actually went to the polls. Defending his dragnet in court, he called these meager numbers the tip of the iceberg. Not surprisingly, a federal judge ordered him to stop, saying there is no iceberg; only an icicle, largely created by confusion and administrative error. Fortunately, if Texas wants to use DPS records to guarantee the right to vote for all eligible Texas voters, as Whitley said in his original statement, theres a much easier way than searching for needles in haystacks. He can obey a federal judges order last year to comply with the National Voter Registration Act, the Motor Voter law. That federal statute, passed in 1993, requires states to enable people getting or updating drivers licenses to register to vote in one simultaneous step. Yet for years, Whitleys office has been preventing people who renew their license or change their address online from taking advantage of this simple, federally guaranteed method of registering. Rather than voluntarily abide by the Motor Voter law or at least grudgingly obey the judges order, Whitley has filed an appeal that was argued this week. Thats any litigants right, but in its papers Texas barely defends its compliance with the 1993 statute. Mostly, the states lawyers just claim the individual voters who brought the lawsuit arent the right parties to appear in court (a contention also rejected by the trial judge). This legal argument is dubious, but regardless of the procedural technicalities, Whitley has no excuse for unapologetically flouting a federal law enacted to help people vote. Over one million Texans deal with DPS online, many of whom may have been disenfranchised by the extra, illegal barrier to registration Whitley is putting in their way. And Texas officials have admitted that there is no serious technological or financial obstacle to complying with the law. Of course, this isnt the first time a court found Texas zeal to advance voting rights to be somewhat, well, selective. Judges found that the original version of our voter identification law discriminated against minorities and others without the prescribed forms of identification. Recall that a hunting license was fine, while a student ID was prohibited. And Texas gerrymandering of Congressional districts was also litigated wastefully for years before being struck down. Now, the state faces lawsuits from civil rights groups over Whitleys list. But if Texas recent record isnt exemplary, theres always tomorrow. When it comes to using DPS records, heres hoping the Secretary of State does the right thing and decides to focus more on promoting civic participation and less on chasing after an almost mythical species of voter fraud. Martin J. Siegel is an appellate lawyer in Houston who specializes in constitutional and civil rights cases. Since the early 1970s, the pro-democracy nonprofit Freedom House, founded in 1941 to mobilize American public opinion against Nazism, has published an annual survey evaluating political freedoms and civil liberties in countries around the world. Using 25 indicators, including electoral processes, individual rights and the rule of law, nations are scored on a 100-point scale. For decades, both Republican and Democratic leaders saw the values championed by Freedom House, which is partly funded by the United States government, as quintessentially American, and the United States has generally scored quite high on Freedom Houses index. Recently, however, that has begun to change. The latest edition of Freedom in the World, Freedom Houses flagship report, has just been released. For the second year in a row, the United States had a score of 86, down from 94 in 2009. According to Michael Abramowitz, Freedom Houses president, its the lowest score for the United States since the survey began. Though still ranked as free, America now falls below not just Canada and the Nordic countries, but also Greece, Latvia and Mauritius. The current overall U.S. score puts American democracy closer to struggling counterparts like Croatia than to traditional peers such as Germany or the United Kingdom, the report said. Two years into Donald Trumps presidency, American democracy has in many ways proved resilient. Several of the criminals who helped Trump get elected either have gone to prison or soon will. Democrats won control of the House in 2018 and have already started checking the presidents power. The courts have blocked some of Trumps more egregious nativist policies, including his effort to rescind Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. Trumps attempts at racist demagogy often end up mobilizing public opinion against him. There has been a revival of civic activism; according to Freedom House, the United States score for freedom of assembly has improved in the last year. But the Freedom House report gives us at least two reasons for continuing alarm. The first is that it usually takes more than two years for a democracy to collapse. Elsewhere in the world, in places like Hungary, Venezuela or Turkey, Freedom House has watched as democratic institutions gradually succumbed to sustained pressure from an antidemocratic leadership, often after a halting start, the report said. Abramowitz told me that an increase in corruption and a decrease in transparency both hallmarks of this administration are often early warning indicators of problems in a democracy, undermining public faith in the legitimacy of the system. Second, if Americans increasingly ignore Trumps words, foreign leaders dont. Authoritarianism is on the rise all over the globe according to the Freedom House report, this is the 13th consecutive year that global freedom has declined. Trumps presidency is a consequence of this trend, but its also become an accelerant of it. There are plenty of reasons to be cynical about the idea once a consensus view in American foreign policy that its the sacred duty of the United States to promote democracy around the world. One of the pretexts for Americas war in Iraq, after all, was that it would spread democracy in the Middle East. Under Trump, however, were learning that an American approach to the world that is completely amoral and transactional creates its own dangers. All over the globe, autocrats have learned that they will pay no serious diplomatic price for repressing or even killing reporters. In 2017, Cambodian strongman Hun Sen said of journalists, Donald Trump understands that they are an anarchic group. Later that year his government forced one of the countrys most prominent independent newspapers to close. The Trump administration remained loyal to Saudi Arabias crown prince despite the CIAs assessment that he ordered the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist. As Abramowitz pointed out, laws have been proposed or passed in at least 17 countries to censor the internet in the name of fighting fake news. They didnt come up with this on their own! he said. If a Democrat wins the presidency in 2020, theres going to be a lot of pressure to move beyond this foul moment and forgive those who were complicit in it. Were not good at holding elites to account in America; the architects of both the Iraq War and the 2008 financial crisis have gone largely unpunished. Still, I hope we can summon the political will for a reckoning with how thoroughly this administration has betrayed Americas highest ideals. Well need a full accounting of all the institutional corrosion the Trump presidency has caused, and all the money Trump and his associates have made off it. The world offers more lessons about how democracies grow weak and brittle than how they can be revived. America may never again be taken seriously as the global champion of liberal democracy. But perhaps it could at least figure out a systematic way to repudiate illiberalism. Were not the only country thats going to need it. Goldberg is a New York Times columnist. Kimberly was an amazing kid. She had been in Girl Scouts since kindergarten. She loved her little brother and our pet cat, Shannon. She loved to read and competed in a contest called Battle of the Books all three years of middle school. She wanted to design video games when she got older, and she loved her American Sign Language class at Santa Fe High School. She was my life and on May 18, 2018 my life changed forever . RELATED: Now its happened here That morning I had gone to work at 5 a.m., just like normal. Kimberly would catch her bus at home with her bus driver, Ms. Julie. I was driving my school bus route, as I did every day, when the dispatch asked all drivers to pull over to a safe location. About 10 minutes later they told us to proceed to the schools. I noticed something was wrong. There were too many police cars driving toward the high school. Things were worse when we finally reached the campus at about 8:30 a.m. It looked like a war zone. Helicopters, police and ambulances were everywhere. The shock was immediate, but it would be many hours until I would find out that my daughter had been one of the ten people murdered in her art class. They found four bullets in her body. I knew right away this was bigger than a school board issue or a city of Santa Fe problem. This was a systematic failure from Washington, D.C. on down. I announced on Facebook that Kimberly had been killed and immediately started calling for gun reform. I received a lot of negative feedback for that. People said I had not even grieved for Kim and here I was preaching on her grave. President Donald Trump and Texas Republican politicians met with families and promised changes. I think they forgot about that during the midterm elections. In September, I confronted U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz at a rally and called him out on his lack of action on background checks after the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012. That earned me more negative feedback. I know that plenty of people probably didnt want to hear what I had to say, but I refused to back down. I dont want another family to have to deal with this pain. It is a pain already inflicted upon too many families. Texas marked the end of Christmas with the shooting death of 7-year-old Jazmine Barnes. Just a few days later, three children were killed in Texas City and their mother was shot in the head. Last month a teenager shot her boyfriend in Austin while posing with a gun. Gun violence is a public health crisis. Americans kill each other and themselves at an alarming rate. In 2018, 40,000 people died from guns the highest in 50 years. We need to realize that some people arent fit to own deadly weapons. We need to realize that Joe Citizen doesnt need an AR-15 to protect himself. We need to find a balance between honoring the Second Amendment and reducing gun violence. This has been going on for too long. I was in high school when the shooting happened at Columbine High School. That was April 1999. Twenty years and one month later, my daughter was murdered at her school. RELATED: We the (gun) people Some Texans get upset when you mention gun reform. They take it as a personal affront. I had my own personal experience with weapons when I served in the Army. Frankly, it was not something I enjoyed. I wish that others, too, would share a healthy hesitance to the danger posed by firearms. However, I have noticed that when you explain the issue a little bit more, when you fight for common-sense regulations like background checks, safe-storage laws and red flag laws, that most people find common ground. It is a constant battle. As I attend the State of the Union tonight, I hope to spread the message of gun safety and gun reform. I would not be sitting there if I had not lost my child to a mass murder. Its a unique opportunity but let me tell you, I would much rather have my child. Here is my message: Keep your guns but, please, help me prevent another shooting like the one in Santa Fe help me end the rampant violence. Hart is a gun reform activist who lost her daughter in the Sante Fe High School shooting in May of 2018. She will attend the 2019 State of the Union Address with U.S. Rep Lizzie Fletcher, D-Houston, and is one of several guests who have been personally affected by gun violence. SaysHou: Get smart opinions on big topics sent directly to your inbox Given his history its hard to believe anything President Donald Trump said in his second State of the Union address will turn out better than promises he made a year ago that have failed to materialize. Trump laid out a $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan in his 2018 State of the Union speech that was supposed to be primarily funded by the private sector. Neither Congress nor corporate America was ever sold on the idea. The plan had flaws, and the president never spent the political capital needed to make it better. A year ago Trump said my administration has met extensively with both Democrats and Republicans to craft a bipartisan approach to immigration reform. Instead of reform Trump has spent an inexcusable amount of time trying to keep a promise that right-wing pundits say he must fulfill to prevent his political base from falling apart: Build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico. Trump shut down parts of the government for 35 days to try and get his wall only to be thwarted by the Democratic majority in the House. While he didnt threaten another shutdown Tuesday night, he still wants the wall. Trump announced he plans to send another 3,700 soldiers to the southern border to stop another wave of Central American refugees from entering the United States. He again called for the proper wall that has never been built. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi adamantly opposed a wall, but Trump continues to fight for it for two reasons. It appeases his base, whose fear of immigrants is being exploited to plot Trumps political future, and it distracts from how Trump is sabotaging institutions Americans have depended on for years to protect us from real enemies that threaten our way of life. Trumps legerdemain was on full display Monday when he announced in a tweet his nomination of former oil and gas industry lobbyist David Bernhardt to become interior secretary. The media were focused on his upcoming State of the Union message. So the timing muted reaction to it. Bernhardt has been serving as acting secretary ever since Ryan Zinke resigned in December amid ethics investigations. But he should not be in charge of an agency founded in 1849 to protect Americas Great Outdoors. As Kieran Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity, explained: Bernhardt got this nomination as a reward for months of work cramming Americas natural heritage into a wood chipper. Trumps constant sniping at Americas intelligence agencies looks like another sleight-of-hand trick. Maybe the Mueller investigation can tell us why Trump said his intelligence chiefs should go back to school because they disagreed with his assessment that U.S. troops can leave Syria now that ISIS supposedly has been defeated. Does he want to hand over Syrias future to Russia? Trump also touted his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, saying they will meet again on Feb. 27-28 in Vietnam. Trump said if he werent president the U.S. would right now be in a major war with North Korea. He totally disregarded U.S. intelligence reports saying North Koreas nuclear missile program has not stopped. Titled Choosing Greatness, Trumps speech Tuesday night was his first joint address to Congress since Pelosi took back the speakers post. Whether Trump accomplishes anything on his list will depend on he and Pelosi putting the border wall fight behind them to find bipartisan solutions in other areas. Trump mentioned some of those areas in his speech, including, again, infrastructure: Both parties should be able to unite for a great rebuilding of Americas crumbling infrastructure." Does he mean it this time, or will all his talk about working with Democrats once again fade like morning fog when political expediency turns his head? It was clear that Trump had in mind arguably the most loyal segment of his base, evangelical Christians, when he promised to seek legislation making so-called late-term abortions illegal, comparing the medical procedure to an execution. Stoking the fire of an issue that divides not just political parties but families and friends suggests Trumps political ambitions will take precedence over any grand statements about bipartisanship. That means the state of the union is in for a bumpy ride. WASHINGTON President Donald Trumps State of the Union address, billed as a plea for unity and bipartisanship, came amid a threat to go around Congress to make good on his campaign promise of building a wall on the southwestern border. Trumps border wall strategy, more than a month in the making, has narrowed through the recent government shutdown talks and appears now to be aimed squarely at the Rio Grande Valley and Texas, which he highlighted last month in a visit to McAllen. Simply put, walls work and walls save lives, Trump said in his address Tuesday night, citing the example of El Paso. So lets work together, compromise, and reach a deal that will truly make America safe. But unless he can break the partisan stalemate and circumvent another partial government shutdown in 10 days, the remedy he has proposed is the declaration of a national emergency, a measure that has alarmed liberals and conservatives alike. While Tuesdays speech was intended to talk up the economy and tout the accomplishments of his administration, it was his message on immigration and the border wall the central issue in the 35-day government shutdown that struck some of the deepest chords among Texans in Congress. Adding to the sense of urgency was Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsens announcement hours before the speech that a new caravan of about 2,000 migrants had arrived at the southern border in Piedras Negras, across the river from Eagle Pass, Texas. Trump stopped short of using the State of the Union address to declare a national emergency. But he helped make the case, saying The lawless state of our southern border is a threat to the safety, security, and financial wellbeing of all Americans. Although Trump has received support for a wall from most Texas Republicans, some have expressed reservations about the presidents claim of executive power to reallocate money Congress has approved for military construction and other projects. Some, including Texas U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, pointedly rejected a plan floated last month to use unspent disaster relief funds, an idea that the White House promptly walked back. Cornyn, one of the top Republicans in the Senate, questioned the utility of resorting to national emergency powers to redirect federal spending, saying it would almost certainly spark legal challenges that could take years to resolve. Then theres just the general concern about (whether) presidents can essentially usurp the Constitutional role of Congress to appropriate money, he said Tuesday. Other prominent Republicans also sought to distance themselves from Trumps threat to invoke emergency powers to build a wall. I do think this is a route we dont want to go down, Texas Republican Michael McCaul, the former chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said Tuesday in a television interview. Only if Congress gives the president no other choice but to declare an emergency. Other Texas Republicans expressed similar misgivings but sought to lay the blame on Democrats. If Democrats are so upset about the emergency declaration, they need to come to the table and negotiate, said U.S. Rep. Brian Babin of Woodville, appearing on Fox News. Were asking for $5.7 billion dollars out of a trillion dollar plus budget. Its less than one tenth of one percent of our budget. How can they tell us this is money they cant find? This is national security. A new CNN poll found that by a 31-66 percent margin, Americans are opposed to Trump declaring a national emergency in order to build the border wall. The margin is 24-73 percent among women and 34-63 percent among independents. While continuing to press for $5.7 billion in new wall funding, Trump also has maintained that he is using money left over from the 2017 and 2018 budget years to shore up or build nearly 20 miles of border barriers in Texas. Existing border contracts announced in November would cover a total of 18 miles in the Lone Star State 14 miles of levee wall in the Rio Grande Valley and four of new steel bollard wall to replace existing fencing in El Paso. The contracts in the Rio Grande Valley, worth $312 million, include eight miles of new levee wall construction in five segments south of Alamo, Donna, Weslaco, Progresso and Mercedes. Another six miles lies within the McAllen Station area. Both projects were slated to begin in February. Democrats, meanwhile, have shown little sign of backing away from their opposition to any new spending on wall construction, a position that put them at loggerheads with the administration, forcing a month-long partial government shutdown. San Antonio U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, brother of former San Antonio mayor and presidential candidate Julian Castro, sent a message on immigration by inviting a Dreamer from Texas A&M as a guest. We must continue to show the American people that those the president tries to demonize are just like you and me, and deserve a pathway to citizenship so they too can achieve their own version of the American dream, said Castro, chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Despite Trumps speech calling for reconciliation, he spent the hours ahead of the speech on Twitter, his go-to medium, taunting Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (Hes just upset that he didnt win the Senate) and issuing new warnings about the migrant caravan and the need for a wall. Tremendous numbers of people are coming up through Mexico in the hopes of flooding our Southern Border, he tweeted. We have sent additional military. We will build a Human Wall if necessary. If we had a real Wall, this would be a non-event! kevin.diaz@chron.com Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht called on the Legislature to do away with the states current system of electing judges in partisan races during his State of the Judiciary Address on Wednesday. No method of judicial selection is perfect, Hecht told the joint session of the House and Senate. Still, partisan elections is among the very worst methods. Texas is one of a handful of states that requires judges to declare a political party in elections. Hecht said that system should be cast aside in favor of nonpartisan races in which candidates would not be required to have party affiliation. During the 2018 midterm elections, more than 400 Democratic judges unseated incumbents around the state as turnout surged and a majority of voters opted for the straight-ticket voting option. Hecht, a Republican, lamented the election results, saying Texas lost seven centuries of judicial experience. When partisan politics is the driving force, and the political climate is as harsh as ours has become, judicial elections make judges more political, and judicial independence is the casualty, Hecht said. The system of straight-ticket voting, which allows voters to quickly choose all the Republican or Democratic candidates on their ballot, is in the process of being phased out by 2020. He also endorsed two bills that would create more stringent qualifications for judges. Qualifications did not drive their election, Hecht said of the hundreds of new judges. Partisan politics did. Texas is well known for sweeps on judicial seats. In 1994, for example, 19 Democratic judges in Harris County were swept out of office when Republicans led by Newt Gingrich took control of the U.S. House of Representatives. It went the other way in 2008, with 22 of 26 Republican judicial incumbents losing their posts as Democrat Barack Obama won the White House. pcobler@express-news.net Ald. David Villalobos said he felt like the city of Waukegan was being overlooked by the U.S. EPA, pointing to a website it created in response to resident concerns. The website for Lake County looks much the way it did when it first went live, while the Sterigenics website has had 11 updates, he said. The worldwide Ismaili Muslim community announced Wednesday it is moving forward with plans to make Houston the site of its first U.S. cultural center and to create an architectural landmark in the heart of the city that will reflect a spirit of tolerance, diversity and learning. London-based Farshid Moussavi Architecture has won the commission to design the important new building on a high-profile, 11-acre site at the southeast corner of Allen Parkway and Montrose Boulevard. A rising star who also has taught for more than a decade at her alma mater, Harvard University, she was selected from a star-studded selection list of finalists that included David Chipperfield, Jeanne Gang and Rem Koolhaas. The rigorous competition was a vivid illustration of the global stature that an Ismaili Center holds in the architectural and built environment community, and of the attractiveness of Houston as a destination city for world-scale architecture, said Dr. Barkat Fazal, president of the Ismaili Council for USA. Houstons Ismaili Center, the seventh globally, will be the institutional, intellectual and cultural center for the Shia Ismaili Muslim community in the U.S. Like unique, elegant and dramatic Ismaili centers in London, England; Burnaby, British Columbia; Lisbon, Portugal; Dushanbe, Tajikistan; Dubai, UAE; and Toronto, Ontario that were built between 1985 and 2014, it will be designed both to embrace its surroundings and to symbolize core Ismaili values. All of them were designed by architects of great international standing, and, I would emphasize, of great multicultural sensitivity, said His Highness the Aga Khan, the worldwide Ismaili spiritual leader, when the Toronto center opened in 2014. The Aga Khan Foundation purchased the Houston property in 2006 and in 2011 donated the seven monumental artworks Jaume Plensas Tolerance sculptures of kneeling figures that are situated just across the street in Buffalo Bayou Park. Moussavi said she was honored to partner with the Ismaili Muslim community. Our team brings a broad perspective, with diverse skills and experience in international practice, scholarly research, multidisciplinary thinking and delivering cultural projects successfully in the U.S., she said. It will bring Houstons diverse communities together in a unique space for cultural, educational and social activities. Omar Samji, an energy-industry lawyer who volunteers with the Ismaili Council, said the community had been waiting for the right time to move forward. The group declined to release preliminary renderings, although Samji said the Center should be distinctly American and Texan in its approach, but expressive of Houstons diverse cultures. The building will occupy less space than the landscaping, he predicted, with outdoor spaces that connect visually to the adjacent Buffalo Bayou Park. Samji said a construction timetable and budget would not be finalized until Moussavis designs are complete. He expects the entire project will take several years. While the facility will house a Jamatkhana, a place for spiritual contemplation and prayer services, it will also have a larger ambassadorial mandate to present public programs that promote culture, knowledge sharing, civics and faith dialogue. Since 2002, local members have presented programs such as Ted Talks, concerts and political debates at the $10 million Ismaili Community Center and Jamatkhana on 11.5 acres in Sugar Land. Ismailis are a very generous community, very service-oriented and engaged, said local member Afshi Charania Merchant. Volunteering is part of our ethos, and were heavy on programming and intellectual engagement. Houston is home to one of the nations largest Ismaili Muslim communities, with an estimated 40,000 members. Worldwide, the diverse community within the Shia branch of Islam has 15 million members. They are the only Shia community led by a living, hereditary imam who is directly descended from the Prophet Muhammad. In addition to program spaces, all of the major Ismaili centers incorporate courtyards and green space. Landscaping of the flood-prone site in Houston, adjacent to Buffalo Bayou Park, will be designed by Thomas Woltz of Nelson Byrd Woltz, familiar for his master plan and ongoing work at Memorial Park. Hanif Kara, co-founder of AKT II who also teaches at Harvards Graduate School of Design, is the structural design consultant; and Paul Westlake of DLR Group/Westlake Reed Leskosky of Cleveland is the architect of record. Mayor Sylvester Turner called the development a milestone for the city. The Ismaili Center will be a place where Houstonians of all backgrounds, faiths, and walks of life will find engaging, thoughtful and compassionate programs and people, he said. Philanthropist Nancy Kinder is also pleased. This is tremendous news for Houston and further evidence of our growing role as a global city and cultural capital, said the president and CEO of the Kinder Foundation the angel behind a number of the citys public-private park redevelopment projects. Not only will the Ismaili Cultural Center complement Buffalo Bayou Park but the world-class design team reflects a high caliber of design we have come to expect from the Aga Khan. While Moussavi has designed apartment buildings, cultural spaces, parks and retail stores across the world, the Ismaili Center Houston will be just her second U.S. project, following the $18.7 million Museum of Contemporary Art in Cleveland, which opened in 2012. This will put her on the map, said Rice University architecture dean Sarah Whiting, who has known Moussavi for years and called her both a dynamic presence and a terrific talent with composition, space and materials. Its super exciting for them to take a chance on a rising architect, Whiting said, comparing Moussavis opportunity to that of Johnson Marklee, the designers of the new Menil Drawing Institute. Whiting also finds it significant that the Aga Khan chose a woman for the project. Although half of the students at the Rice Architecture School are women, she said, we dont have many buildings by other women to show them in Houston. She also finds the site significant for the city because it establishes a northern anchor for the cultural corridor that begins at the southern end of Montrose with the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Anne Olson, president of the Buffalo Bayou Partnership, noted that several commercial developments will also be taking shape in the next few years on significant parcels of land that remain along or near Allen Parkway. But she also sees a cultural corridor taking shape east-to-west, from Bayou Bend and Rienzi (both of which are on the bayou), toward Buffalo Bayou Parks Cistern and other planned amenities. The park wants to expand its public art offerings, Olson said. She already envisions shared programming with the Houston Ismaili Center. I cant think of anything better to be on that site, she said. How they open up to the community is going to be really important. molly.glentzer@chron.com I called state Rep. Gene Wu Tuesday to wish him a happy Lunar New Year and to ask whether the Year of the Pig is off to a good start. Wu, a Democrat who represents House District 137 in southwest Harris County, is one of just three Asian-American members of the Texas Legislature. The other two are Democratic state Rep. Hubert Vo, also of Houston, and Republican state Rep. Angie Chen Button of Garland. And that morning, their colleagues in the Texas House had joined them in celebrating the Lunar New Year by adopting a resolution they co-authored to that effect. But the celebration came amid backlash to the news last month by Texas Secretary of State David Whitley that his office had flagged 95,000 registered voters as potential noncitizens. On HoustonChronicle.com: Public education, school safety flagged as emergency items by Gov. Greg Abbott In the weeks leading up to his State of the State speech, Gov. Greg Abbott has been sounding the alarm about voter fraud and illegal voting by noncitizens which is extremely rare. Republicans like Texas Attorney Gen. Ken Paxton have seconded those concerns. Their actions reminded me that we all benefit from the states diversity and from the diversity of its electorate, which helps ensure that their fearmongering about certain communities wont go unchallenged. Which brings us back to Lunar New Year. The holiday, which is sometimes referred to as Chinese New Year, doesnt have a fixed date it marks the beginning of a new year on the lunar calendar, which varies depending the lunar cycle. And Wu, who was born in China, refers to the holiday as Lunar New Year, as a way of recognizing the diversity of the Asian community in Texas. Its a time of celebration, a time of family togetherness, a time of great food, Wu said. And that morning, he had told his colleagues that this year should be a good one, even for Texans who dont celebrate Lunar New Year. On HoustonChronicle.com: Chinese New Year celebration marks year of political awakening for Houstons Asian American community And this year is not just the Year of the Pig, which happens every 12 years it is the Year of the Golden Pig, which Wu said cycles around every 60 years. The Year of the Pig is already supposed to be a year of great prosperity, of great joy, but the year of the Golden Pig is supposed to be an especially prosperous, especially joyous year, Wu said, while introducing the resolution. So we hope that the entire state benefits from the Year of the Golden Pig, especially during the legislative session. Wu, who was born during the Year of the Horse, demurred when I asked him to explain the astrology in more elaborate detail. As an attorney, his expertise lies elsewhere. The Legislatures budget-writers could use good news. In his State of the State address, Abbott called for school finance reform, teacher pay raises and property tax relief as emergency items for this years legislative session. Two years ago, Abbotts emergency items were sanctuary cities and school bathrooms. This year, many Democrats had been worried that Whitleys announcement about the voter purge was a sign that Abbott was planning to list election fraud among his emergency items for the session. On HoustonChronicle.com: Voter suppression is wrong, and Gov. Greg Abbott owes Texans an apology More specifically, the governor might have called on the Legislature to pass a law requiring Texans to provide proof of citizenship before registering to vote in state elections. Bills to that effect have already been filed in the Texas House and the Texas Senate. And, to many Texans, that might sound like a reasonable idea. But those Texans would be inconvenienced by the passage of such legislation, if not effectively disenfranchised by it. A look at the text of House Bill 378, authored by Republican state Rep. Mike Lang of Granbury, makes that clear. An unexpired passport would be acceptable as proof of citizenship, by its standards. So would a certified copy of your birth certificate, or your naturalization papers. Most Americans dont carry such documents around with them, on a daily basis. A majority of U.S. citizens dont even have passports. The passage of such a measure would therefore have a chilling effect on voter registration in the state. The Texas Republicans whove been sounding the alarm about voter fraud and illegal voting by noncitizens, like Abbott, seemingly havent even considered that. And Texas voters should therefore be thankful for the diversity of the states electorate and the growing diversity of our elected officials. The latest Republican-led crackdown on voting rights has targeted certain communities, including the Asian community. The Democrats and civil-rights groups whove been defending the rights of the voters in those communities have been defending the rights of all Texans, even if many Texans dont realize that. And Wu is right, that all Texans have something to celebrate during this years Lunar New Year festivities. Pope Francis has acknowledged that members of the Catholic clergy abused nuns, adding to a string of recent allegations about widespread sexual abuse by priests and coverups by the church hierarchy. "It's not that everyone does this, but there have been priests and bishops who have," Francis told reporters aboard the papal plane on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. The wire service and other outlets had reported on allegations of nun abuse over the past year, but the pontiff had not previously confirmed that such abuse took place. Francis is due to host a gathering of bishops and cardinals in two weeks to address the broader global issue of clergy sexual abuse - including, largely for the first time, of adult victims and accountability for those at the top of the church who mismanage and cover it up. The Post's Stefano Pitrelli and Chico Harlan wrote in September, when the meeting was announced, that the meeting "is believed to be unprecedented, indicating that the church recognizes that clergy sex abuse is a global problem - even in countries where the church maintains strong social power and cases have not come to light in great numbers." "The Church's credibility has been seriously undercut and diminished by these sins and crimes, but even more by the efforts made to deny or conceal them," Francis wrote in a letter to U.S. bishops last month. "This has led to a growing sense of uncertainty, distrust and vulnerability among the faithful." Asked whether he would take a similarly broad approach to tackling the abuse of nuns, Francis signaled that he would. "Should we do something more? Yes. Is there the will? Yes. But it's a path that we have already begun," he said, the AP reported. Francis has been criticized in the past for his handling of the topic. In January 2018, he dismissed accusations that Chilean bishop Juan Barros had covered up sexual abuse committed by a priest named Fernando Karadima. "There is not one shred of proof against him. It's all calumny. Is that clear?" the pope said at the time. He later apologized and dispatched investigators to Chile but did not condemn Barros. Some are also dissatisfied by what they consider a slow Vatican response to major sexual-abuse scandals that broke in other countries, including Australia and the United States. "The church remains quiet about its investigations and disciplinary procedures," Harlan reported last year. "It does not release any data on the inquiries it has carried out. A proposed tribunal for judging bishops accused of negligence or coverup was quashed by the Vatican department that was supposed to help implement it. And, rather than being fired and publicly admonished, offending church leaders are typically allowed to resign without explanation." A few high-profile allegations against top Catholic clerics by nuns have gained attention in the last year, with some Catholics calling it a #MeToo moment for religious sisters. Last fall, Indian nuns in the state of Kerala made news by marching with placards, demanding action against a bishop they say raped a nun between 2014 and 2016. After reportedly getting no response from the church to her complaint, she went to police in June - a radical move in the state. "There are many nuns within the church who are suffering. They are afraid to come out. The church mechanism is a very large and powerful one," a lawyer who was helping the women, Indulekha Joseph, told the Washington Post last year. "The other problem is once a nun speaks, she is thrown out of the convent and may find herself on the street, because often her family is not willing to accommodate her. A campaign of character assassination starts. The nun will be portrayed as a prostitute." Last month, a Vatican official who handles sexual abuse cases for the church quit after being accused of sexual abuse by a former nun. The woman, Doris Wagner, last year had accused an unnamed priest of making sexual advances on her while in confessional. She later identified the priest as Hermann Geissler, who was chief of staff of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, a body that handles discipline in sexual abuse cases within the Catholic Church. Geissler has maintained his innocence but said he was resigning to protect the church. ATLANTA - Stacey Abrams delivered a sharp rebuke of President Donald Trump in the official Democratic response to the State of the Union address Tuesday night, castigating Trump and the GOP over immigration, voting rights, health care and the economy, in a preview of the battle lines that could shape the 2020 election. Abrams, the first African-American woman to give the official rebuttal, cast the recent government shutdown as a "stunt" by Trump. She dismissed the critique by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., of a proposed voting overhaul from Democrats. And she accused the GOP of disregarding or failing to understand middle-class Americans. "America is made stronger by the presence of immigrants, not walls," Abrams said, referring to Trump's determination to build a wall on the border with Mexico. In a roughly 11-minute speech, Abrams sought to sharpen the contrast Democrats are seeking with Trump and the GOP ahead of the next election, as well as introduce herself to a broad audience ahead of a possible Senate run in here in Georgia, a potential 2020 battleground. The speech was risky in a sense, since the track record of recent responses to the annual address has been spotty. Some drew ridicule while others left no lasting impact. Trump's address mixed bipartisan notes - "Victory is not winning for our party, victory is winning for our country" - with polarizing themes, such as his renewed pitch for a wall. Abrams also infused her speech with nods to unity, noting that she had worked with GOP leaders in the Georgia state legislature. The excitement surrounding Abrams's speech, which she gave from here in the Atlanta area, was hard to miss in recent days. Abrams, 45, has become a marquee figure in her party after nearly being elected the nation's first black female governor in Georgia in November. For many Democrats, Abrams, a former state legislative leader, provides an appealing snapshot of what the party is offering as it gears up to take on Trump and the Republicans in the next election. She lives in a state that has leaned conservative but is changing demographically and becoming more competitive in statewide races. As Democrats seek to elevate fresh faces, women and minorities, Abrams is a woman of color who has never held federal office and does not currently hold an elected position. She took aim at the recent government shutdown, which polls suggest was unpopular with the public and stemmed from the partisan dispute over a border wall. "The shutdown was a stunt engineered by the president of the United States, one that defied every tenet of fairness and abandoned not just our people - but our values," Abrams said. The partial shutdown was the longest in U.S. history, spanning 35 days. Trump demanded money for a border wall, refusing to sign legislation to reopen government before caving to pressure from both parties. A new shutdown deadline looms on Feb. 15. Abrams joined a list of other promising politicians tapped to offer a response to a president of the opposing party. For some, things did not turn out as well as they had hoped. In 2013, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., gave a speech remembered most for his awkward attempts to swig from a water bottle without breaking eye contact with the camera. Four years before Rubio, then-Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, R, responded to then-President Barack Obama's first address to a joint session of Congress. Jindal's address was widely panned by his own party. Abrams is one of a trio of Democrats who became stars within the party by performing well in the midterms - albeit losing - in states not traditionally friendly to Democrats. The others are former Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke of Texas and former Florida gubernatorial hopeful Andrew Gillum. Abrams has long stressed voting rights and registration, an issue increasingly important to Democrats, who have made the case nationally that GOP officials are placing obstacles in the paths of minority and other voters. In her speech, Abrams addressed the recent comment by McConnell that a Democratic proposal to make Election Day a federal holiday, along with other voting overhaul measures, amounts to a "power grab." "We must reject the cynicism that says allowing every eligible vote to be cast and counted is a 'power grab,' " said Abrams. As she did in her campaign for governor, Abrams aimed for a personal touch at the top of her speech, talking about her family "went back and forth between lower middle class and working class" when she was growing up. She also sought to distinguish her party from the GOP when it comes to the economy, arguing that "families' hopes are being crushed by Republican leadership that ignores real life or just doesn't understand it." The GOP tax bill "rigged the system against working people," she said. Abrams challenged Republicans to embrace stonger gun control measures, delcaring, "this White House responds timidly while first graders practice active shooter drills." During her campaign, Abrams rarely mentioned Trump by name, instead focusing on such policy ideas as extending Medicaid eligibility, increasing spending on public education, creating new jobs and encouraging small business. Abrams used the occasion of her speech to promote her new political group, Fair Fight Action, which is seeking to call attention to concerns about the state's election system and has filed a lawsuit alleging that officials "grossly mismanaged" the 2018 contest in violation of Georgians' rights. Fair Fight Action hosted watch parties in Georgia and elsewhere across the country.During one such gathering at Noni's, a restaurant and bar in Edgewood, a gentrifying neighborhood here, a young and racially diverse crowd gathered to watch Trump and Abrams speak. A burst of boos erupted when Trump first appeared onscreen. They repeatedly called out "liar!" as he spoke. In 2018, Trump backed Republican Brian Kemp, who narrowly defeated Abrams. Trump said last week that he respected Abrams and hoped she would do "a good job" in her address. Many Washington Democrats are hoping Abrams will challenge Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., in 2020. Abrams met with Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, last month, according to a Democrat familiar with the conversations. "Georgia is definitely in play and is a battleground state, and I am excited that the rest of the country is realizing that and putting us in the spotlight," said state Sen. Nikema Williams, newly elected chairman of the Georgia Democratic Party. Abrams has yet to declare her next move. Other possibilities include another run for governor in 2022 or even a bid for higher office. The reception to her speech could help determine her future. - - - Sullivan reported from Washington. In his first State of the Union address last year, President Donald Trump outlined his vision for an America first approach to overhauling the immigration system, revitalizing manufacturing and prioritizing national interests abroad. As Trump prepares to deliver his second address Tuesday, which is also expected to highlight the presidents immigration agenda, heres an assessment of his progress on the promises he made last year. Immigration THE PROMISE It is time to reform these outdated immigration rules, and finally bring our immigration system into the 21st century. These four pillars represent a down-the-middle compromise, and one that will create a safe, modern and lawful immigration system. For over 30 years, Washington has tried and failed to solve this problem. This Congress can be the one that finally makes it happen. Status: Unfulfilled. Attempts to pass a comprehensive immigration overhaul failed in Congress, with proposals backed by the White House receiving the least support. The four pillars Trump described are providing a pathway to citizenship for the immigrants originally brought to the U.S. as children, known as Dreamers; building a wall on the southern border; ending the diversity lottery visa program; and limiting family-based immigration. In February 2018, the Senate rejected three immigration bills. The White House plan, which met all four of Trumps requirements, received the fewest votes. The two other bills did not fulfill all the requirements. In June, the House rejected another bill that included the four pillars as well as a more hard-line measure that did not provide a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, who were brought to the country illegally as children. And Trumps address this year comes after a 35-day government shutdown, the longest ever, over the presidents demand for border wall funding. Manufacturing and trade THE PROMISE Chrysler is moving a major plant from Mexico to Michigan; Toyota and Mazda are opening up a plant in Alabama. Soon, plants will be opening up all over the country. Status: Unfulfilled. Toyota and Mazda broke ground on their $1.6 billion joint venture in Alabama in November. Chrysler had announced that it would move production of heavy-duty pickups not the plant itself from Mexico to Michigan, but has since paused those plans. A database maintained by the Reshoring Initiative, a group that encourages companies to move back to the United States, listed plans by Chevrolet to expand car battery production in Michigan, Fords unveiling of a 3D printing operation in the state and the opening of a new factory in Ohio by a Japanese company that makes prototype parts. But no other company has announced or opened a new assembly plant in the United States. In contrast, General Motors said it would idle five car factories. New rules for automakers in the successor to the North American Free Trade Agreement would require automakers to eventually produce 75 percent up from 62.5 percent of a vehicles content in North America to qualify for zero tariffs. But the deal still awaits congressional ratification. And the changes would do little to encourage investment in the United States since most vehicles are going to be able to get over those new thresholds pretty easily, said Kristin Dziczek, vice president for industry, labor and economics at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Even if the administration raised tariffs on foreign car imports, spurring investment in the United States, automakers would still be mindful of the volatility of Trumps trade policies and investment would sit on the sidelines, Dziczek said. Employment in the auto industry has increased slightly under Trumps watch, to about 1 million in November 2018 from 955,800 in January 2017. The number of vehicles manufactured in the United States has continued to decline, even after a slight uptick last summer. According to the Reshoring Initiative, announcements to increase investment or move companies back to the United States peaked in 2016. THE PROMISE We will work to fix bad trade deals and negotiate new ones. And we will protect American workers and American intellectual property, through strong enforcement of our trade rules. Status: Fulfilled. Trump has renegotiated NAFTA and a bilateral trade deal with South Korea. While the changes to the South Korea agreement were modest, the revised NAFTA strengthens intellectual property rights in Canada. An investigation into Chinas trade practices concluded that Beijing had, among other unfair trade practices, violated U.S. intellectual property rights. As a result, the Trump administration imposed tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese products. The two sides are in talks over a trade deal to resolve the dispute. Health care THE PROMISE People who are terminally ill should not have to go from country to country to seek a cure I want to give them a chance right here at home. It is time for the Congress to give these wonderful Americans the right to try.' Status: Fulfilled. Trump signed Right to Try legislation into law in May, allowing terminally ill patients to seek access to experimental medicine that is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. A similar program known as compassionate use, or expanded access, has been in place since the 1970s, and the FDA says it authorizes 99 percent of the requests it receives. The new law allows patients, with the approval of their doctor, to ask drug companies directly for access, rather than wait for approval by the agency. THE PROMISE That is why I have directed my administration to make fixing the injustice of high drug prices one of our top priorities. Prices will come down. Status: Partially fulfilled. Drug prices are still increasing, albeit at lower rates than in previous years. An Associated Press analysis found that from January to July 2018, drug companies raised prices on more than 4,400 products, with a median increase of 5.2 percent. That was lower than the median increase of 8 percent for the same period in 2017. Drug prices have continued to increase on hundreds of medicines this year. Infrastructure THE PROMISE Tonight, I am calling on the Congress to produce a bill that generates at least $1.5 trillion for the new infrastructure investment we need. Status: Unfulfilled. No comprehensive bill has emerged since Trump nudged Congress to act. A detailed version of Trumps proposal, released by the White House in February 2018, pledged $200 billion in federal funding (less than half of what the Trump transition team promised in December 2016). The money would come from savings from other cuts in the federal budget, according to the White House, and would spur states and private companies to invest $1.5 trillion in infrastructure over the next decade. Yet Congress has not passed any bill that would make good on this $200 billion proposal. Draft legislation to temporarily increase the gas tax to shore up the Highway Trust Fund was never formalized or voted on. Accountability in government THE PROMISE I call on the Congress to empower every Cabinet secretary with the authority to reward good workers and to remove federal employees who undermine the public trust or fail the American people. Status: Unfulfilled. Trump signed an executive order in May making it easier to fire government employees, but a federal judge struck down most of its provisions. A similar bill was introduced in the House but did not advance to a vote. Military THE PROMISE For this reason, I am asking the Congress to end the dangerous defense sequester and fully fund our great military. Status: Partially fulfilled. While Congress has not yet repealed the defense sequester limiting military spending, lawmakers effectively ignored it and increased funding last year. The Budget Control Act of 2011 imposes caps on federal spending for the next decade, to compel Congress to find savings in the budget. If lawmakers do not reduce spending, sequestration kicks in and enforces the caps. Later spending deals raised the caps, limiting military spending to $549 billion in the 2018 fiscal year and $562 billion in the 2019 fiscal year. Trump signed legislation that allotted the Pentagon $629 billion and $647 billion in 2018 and 2019 fiscal years, far exceeding the spending limits. (Those figures do not include a separate Pentagon account for war spending.) While the sequester is still in place for the 2020 and 2021 fiscal years, it is not difficult to imagine lawmakers and the president continuing to raise the cap rendering the sequester moot. Foreign policy THE PROMISE That is why, tonight, I am asking the Congress to pass legislation to help ensure American foreign-assistance dollars always serve American interests, and only go to Americas friends. Status: Unfulfilled. Congress ignored Trumps calls to drastically reduce foreign aid, instead approving budgets that included billions more than the president had requested, and made no significant changes to foreign aid policy. Sarah Rose, an analyst at the Center for Global Development, said the administration had been constrained by Congress and its own fundamental inconsistency in funneling money to friends and allies while simultaneously giving aid to countries that might not otherwise receive it in order to counter Chinas influence. Trump has threatened to cut off aid to Central American countries over migrant caravans, and Nikki Haley, the former ambassador to the United Nations, had proposed making aid contingent on support for U.S.-backed policies at the United Nations. Yet the amount of assistance given to Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador has been typical. And while the United States did end funding for Palestinian refugees in August, it did not follow through on withholding aid from countries that voted for a U.N. resolution condemning Trumps decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, said Jeremy Konyndyk, a former director of the foreign disaster assistance program at the U.S. Agency for International Development. The issue is that he made a promise that was well beyond his ability to accomplish, Konyndyk said. The president is not a monarch and cant just do things unilaterally. This article originally appeared in The New York Times Medina said she was thankful that Waukegan Fire Chief George Bridges Jr. came to the memorial to tell her that he felt her son was a hero because he jumped in to save his friend, and that friend was eventually saved. Bridges said he wanted to meet the family and tell them personally. An 11-year-old boy who says he's been bullied because of his last name - Trump - will be one of President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump's guests at the State of the Union on Tuesday, the White House announced. Joshua Trump, a sixth-grade student from Wilmington, Delaware, who is not related to the president, drew headlines last year after his parents went public to share stories of the abuse they said he had suffered because of his last name. "They curse at him, they call him an idiot, they call him stupid," his mother, Megan Trump Berto, told ABC affiliate WPVI at the time. The problem has been ongoing for years, his parents said. They pulled Joshua out of school for home schooling at one point but decided to enroll him in middle school with the hope that the bullying would decrease. It didn't. "He said he hates himself, and he hates his last name, and he feels sad all the time, and he doesn't want to live feeling like that anymore, and as a parent, that's scary," Trump Berto said. The first family's other guests include Grace Eline, a child who was diagnosed with a brain tumor when she was 9; Judah Samet, a Holocaust survivor who lived through the shooting at Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Ashley Evans, a recovering opioid addict; Elvin Hernandez, a special agent at the Department of Homeland Security who focuses on human trafficking; and Debra Bissell, Heather Armstrong and Madison Armstrong - family members of a Nevada couple who authorities say were killed by an undocumented immigrant. Melania Trump has made combating bullying one of her main priorities in the White House - the thrust of her "Be Best" initiative. But many have pointed to the disconnect between her work and her husband, who regularly employs sharp rhetoric and frequent verbal and personal attacks. Trump Berto did not return a message left with her father. At least five students at Joshua's middle school have been disciplined for bullying-related issues, officials said previously. The White House said Joshua was a fan of science, art and history and hoped to pursue a career that had something to do with animals. "His hero and best friend is his Uncle Cody, who serves in the United States Air Force," the White House said. The long vacant Robinson Public Warehouse at 2323 Allen Parkway is becoming the latest Houston landmark to fall to the wrecking ball. Despite the efforts of the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance, the building is being torn down to make way for a religious cultural center. We hate to loose an important historic building like that, but at least this time there is a chance that some very good architecture is going to be built on that site, David Bush, spokesman for the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance said. GHPA had hoped to help the buildings previous owners, the Robinson family, find a buyer willing to restore the property. Despite interest from several developers, the propertys location on a 100-year flood plain near Buffalo Bayou made it a difficult sell. The building flooded 1935 and later took on four feet of water during Tropical Storm Allison in 2001. Ameriton Properties, a subsidiary of apartment developers Archstone-Smith, purchased the land in 2004. For a time, it appeared the land might become a high-density residential project called the Village at Allen Parkway. But the plans never materialized and, according to Bush, it was recently resold to the Aga Kahn Foundation, a Muslim foundation which is moving ahead with plans to redevelop the property into an Ismaili Centre. Archstone sold it very quietly. It was quite a surprise, Bush said. According to Bush, the new cultural center will front Montrose Boulevard and span from West Dallas Street to Allen Parkway and include classrooms and lecture halls. The warehouse is the latest historic location along Allen Parkway to be redeveloped. The old Jefferson Davis Hospital was demolished to make way for the high-tech, high-security Federal Reserve Bank and the old Gulf Publishing building was converted into a residential tower. The Robinson Public Warehouse originally opened in 1929 as a Sears, Roebuck & Co. department store and cost $1 million to construct, a small fortune at the time. You can see as they are knocking it down that it was really a very well built structure, and they dont build things like that anymore, Bush said. But Sears relocated a decade later after the building flooded in 1935. The building later served as the first campus of the Baylor College of Medicine for four years before it was purchased by A.G. Robinson in 1959 and converted into the Robinson Public Warehouse for his storage and delivery business. Five cases of measles have been confirmed in the greater Houston area, a regional cluster that makes Texas the eleventh state this year to report the highly contagious disease until recently thought virtually eliminated in the U.S. The cases, all announced Monday, include three in Harris County, one in Galveston County and one in Montgomery County. They involve four children, all under 2 years of age, and a woman between the ages of 25 and 35. All are doing well now. "This is a reminder for people to be on guard and be up to date on their vaccinations," said Dr. Umair A. Shah, executive director for Harris County Public Health. "Measles, a serious disease, is in our community." Measles, caused by an airborne virus, is particularly dangerous, capable of causing serious neurological disorders and death in infants and the developing fetus in pregnant women. It is spread through direct contact with discharge through the nose and mouth as well as coughing and sneezing. Shah said it was too early to say whether the five cases might be the start of a local outbreak. The counties are monitoring anyone exposed to the measles patients while they were contagious to see if they develop symptoms. None has so far. Dr. Peter Hotez, an infectious disease specialist at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, said he's concerned because in the pre-vaccine era, measles typically peaked in the late winner and early spring. He said "a perfect storm could be coming." 'TEXAS WALKS DANGEROUS PATH:' Houston's current vaccination rate is appalling, editorial board says The numbers have already begun increasing in Texas. There was one case per year in the state in each of 2015, 2016 and 2017, then nine cases last year. This year's possible sixth case, elsewhere in Texas, awaits lab testing, said a spokesman for the state department of health. The local cases occurred independently of each other except for the Harris County woman and the Montgomery County child, a girl. Health officials said there was a connection between the two cases but provided no details. Hotez said the fact that the other three cases, all involving boys, were unrelated suggests there may have been multiple original sources. Shah noted that Harris County's original source or sources, known in public health circles as Patient Zero, is unknown. The cases come amid a resurgence of measles, often linked to people not being vaccinated. The largest recent outbreak, at least 209 cases since October, has occurred in New York and New Jersey since last fall, an outbreak linked to unvaccinated children's travel to Israel. In all in Europe, there were nearly 60,000 cases last year. There have also been 49 cases reported since late last year in the state of Washington, which has declared a state of emergency. A vast majority of those weren't vaccinated against the disease, health officials there report. It was unclear Monday if a lack of vaccination played a role in any of the Houston-area cases. All four children had received the first of the two shots the second is given between the ages of 4 and 6 and the woman said she'd been vaccinated, though the county is still working to confirm that through records. Shah noted that the first dose of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine is fully protective in 85 percent of those who get it, but there's no way of knowing if a child is in that group or the 15 percent who need the second shot to receive full protection. Shah also noted that the person or persons who originally transmitted the virus may have been unvaccinated, he said. "2019 might be the year we really see the public health consequences of anti-vaxxers," said Hotez, who's waged a campaign against the movement the last two years. "In a sense, we already saw that in 2018, but it looks like cases may pick up more in 2019." A 2018 study led by Hotez found four Texas counties, including Harris County, ranked in the top 15 metropolitan "hot spots" of vaccine exemptions, the nation's areas with the highest numbers of kindergartners not getting inoculated for nonmedical reasons. Throughout the state, those numbers have spiked from less than 3,000 in 2003 to about 50,000 in 2017, the latest year for which statistics are available. There are no current measles cases in Houston. The last confirmed report of measles in Houston was last year, a case imported from overseas that received attention after a Texas Children's nurse posted about it on a Facebook page called Proud Parents of Unvaccinated Children. Before that, the last case in Houston was 2013. The current cases in Harris County are in the northwest area. Houston's MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccination rate for children under 2 is 87.8 percent, below the national rate of 91.5 percent and the Texas rate of 90.3 percent. About 1 of 4 who get measles will be hospitalized two of the five local people were and nine of 10 people around someone showing symptoms will become infected if they're not vaccinated. Common symptoms include fever, a runny nose, a hacking cough, red eyes with severe sensitivity to light and a distinctive rash. The vaccine's first dose is not given until 12 to 15 months of age. Other states that have reported measles cases this year are Hawaii, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Colorado, California and Georgia. todd.ackerman@chron.com NOTE: This story has been updated to reflect the latest MMR vaccination rates. 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. What was Lincoln is now Montrose. What used to be San Felipe in the Fourth Ward is now West Dallas. And what's now Cullen used to be St. Bernard. Dozens of Houston streets have changed names over the years. More recently, you might remember Dowling -- named after local saloon owner and Confederate lieutenant Dick Dowling -- changing its name to Emancipation Avenue. Here are two more examples of Houstonians looking to rename a street. One was successful, the other was not. One stemmed from a war fought an ocean away, another came about under mysterious circumstances. For years, German Street was a major thoroughfare in the Second Ward. Its name served as a reminder of the significant German population that settled in the area in the 19th century. A Houston Chronicle article noted that "with its extension, German Avenue, it passes through Central and Magnolia parks and ultimately reaches the Ship Channel. It is the main thoroughfare through Central Park." But by 1917 the U.S. had declared war on Germany. In June, combat forces would arrive in Europe to take on that nation's army. Patriotism was running high in the U.S. and in Houston, especially on German Street. Residents there figured they didn't want to live on a road that bore the name of the enemy. So in June, a group representing that street met at the county courthouse and unanimously voted to change its name. "How can a man who believes in the justice of the allied cause reside on German Street and be patriotic?" T.B. Tucker told Houston City Council the following week, according to the July 3 Chronicle. "We know German Street is almost as old as Houston, but we want its name changed to Belgium Street. The Belgian army saved Europe. They held back the German tidal wave until France and England could mobilize. France and England will hold the enemy until America mobilizes, and then the war will be over." What's the matter with Mattes? Another name considered for German Street was Mattes, in honor of Army Capt. Joseph W. Mattes. He was brutally killed by mutinous soldiers during the Houston Riot of 1917. Problem is, residents said they couldn't pronounce his name, the Chronicle reported on June 4, 1918. Instead, it became Canal. See More Collapse No one apparently asked Fannie Culmore, of 2118 German St., what she thought of the name change. After learning of the news to rename it she gave council a piece of her mind. "We are not fighting the German people; we are fighting the kaiser, and the kaiser does not truly represent the real German character," she said, as reported in the July 19 Chronicle. "No reasonable person will agree that any good purpose would be served by changing the name of one of the oldest streets in Houston. On the other hand, it would be plain hysteria. "German Street was given its name 70 years ago by John Fisher, one of the first settlers here. It was named German Street when I moved there, in 1861, and this is the first time I have ever heard a suggestion to give it some other name. "Eleven of my 12 children were born on German Street. My father lived there before me. If you give it another name, I am ready to move -- and that would break my heart." That was enough for council to drop the matter ... for 11 months. On June 3, 1918, Houston City Council passed an ordinance renaming German Street to Canal. The following night, city leaders in Magnolia Park voted to change it to Belgian Street. (One has to assume Belgian became Canal when Houston annexed Magnolia Park in 1926.) The name change was buried in the Chronicle. A check of the 1922 City Directory shows that Culmore didn't stick to her vow. Her address is listed as 2118 Canal. *** Over in the North Side, Common Street begins at Burnett and runs parallel to Fulton. In October 1919, residents there filed a petition seeking to change its name to Melrose. "Just what the cause of this is, remains a mystery," the Chronicle wrote in its Oct. 8 editions. "The petition filed with the city council asking that the name of the street be changed from Common to 'Melrose' gives no reason why the change is desired." Following the idea that a person is judged by the name of the street they live on, the Chronicle figured that since residents there were "railway employees and have enjoyed an unprecedented era of prosperity," they sought a name that sounded more "mellifluous." Whatever the reason, it fell flat. Common Street remains to this day. J.R. Gonzales, a third-generation Houstonian, covers local history with an eye toward the people and events that have mostly been forgotten to time. Follow him through Bayou City History on Facebook and Twitter. He can be reached at 713-362-6163 or john.gonzales@chron.com. Fleetwood Mac's legacy is as much about music as it is drama. And they don't stop giving us what we want. Lindsey Buckingham was fired from the band in early 2017 after Stevie Nicks issued an ultimatum -- it was her or him. Nicks is still with the band. The Japanese drama Shoplifters, nominated for a foreign-language-film Oscar, trains its lens on a likable poor family of low-level criminals barely eking out a living in a society often painted as a gleaming technocracy. The Lebanese drama Capernaum, also competing in the same category, also focuses on a poor family of lawbreakers but instead of eliciting sympathy, they engender disgust. So much so that one of the children, 12-year-old Zain though hes not sure of his age since his parents couldnt be bothered to remember when his birth date is tries to sue his abusive mother and father as demonstrably unfit. Thats probably the best filial response a parent can expect if theyre smuggling drugs, looking to offload one of their kids to their gangster bosses, and admit in court that they didnt really want children in the first place. But if Capernaum from the word capharnaum which means chaos seems like its going to be just two hours of desperation, degradation and family discord (though theres plenty of all three), it ultimately ends up as an inspiring evocation of the human spirit, thanks to the explosive presence of Zain (a wonderful Zain Al Rafeea, a Syrian refugee in his first major role, the case for many in a cast of largely non-professionals). If Zain at first seems hardened by the experiences in his short life, he still has the capacity for empathy. He demonstrates that when, after fleeing home, he insinuates himself into the life of Rahil (Yordanis Shiferaw), an undocumented Ethiopian immigrant who has to hide her baby, Yonas, from her employer and authorities. At first, they form a tenuous alliance she needs someone to watch Yonas when shes at work, he needs food and shelter but what at first was a function of necessity becomes something resembling a family. And if his baby-sitting skills are sometimes questionable, theyre never less than sincere. There are moments when Capernaum brings to mind the 2016 film Lion both have a young boy on his own in a forbidding, dusty big city but whereas the PG-13 Lion never got as grim as it might have, the R-rated Capernaum is often more bleak. You just know that the shred of emotional piece he finds with Rahil cant last. Capernaum is directed and co-written by Nadine Labaki (Where Do We Go Now?), notably the only female director with a film in the running at the Oscars this year, with a bracing sense of street-level social realism. Capernaum Rated R: strong language, drug material Running time: 126 minutes In Arabic with English subtitles **** (out of 5) See More Collapse For example, its not often in Western films that viewers get to see how immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa are viewed and treated in the Middle East. And its never mawkish, feeling at times like it could be a documentary about life in Beiruts shabbiest neighborhoods. The film has been castigated in some quarters for being overly manipulative only a monster doesnt respond to a child in peril, no matter how artless the narrative but Capernaum overcomes its built-in cliches to forcefully tell a story as urgent as the latest breaking-news bulletin. cary.darling@chron.com The Venezuelan crisis reveals two important facts about global energy markets: the world has plenty of oil, and the U.S. will always need to import some of it. With 297 billion barrels of proven reserves, Venezuela has more oil than any other nation, including Saudi Arabia. The South American country could supply the United States for the next 40 years if it was not such a political basket case. President Donald Trump last week refused to recognize a sham election staged by Nicolas Maduro. Instead, he recognized the leader of the National Assembly, Juan Guaido, as the interim president until Venezuela can hold a proper election. Trump also implemented a plan to deny Maduro the money his nation raises by selling 1.1 million barrels of oil a day, a move that could radically reduce Venezuelan exports. Historically, global markets have reacted badly to this kind of geopolitical drama, but so far, they have barely blinked, with international benchmark Brent crude hovering at $62 a barrel. On HoustonChronicle.com: Dont believe the hype about the looming crude shortage Gone are the days when a hiccup in an OPEC member nation could easily add $10 to the price of oil. The number of suppliers has become so diverse, and theyve built so much excess capacity, that global markets feel secure. Such a diversity of suppliers is especially crucial for the U.S., which is not only one of Venezuelas biggest customers, but also also an exporter to Venezuela. The oil business is far more complicated than most realize. In the world of crude oil, there are dozens of different types, which are graded on their thickness and sulfur content. Texas Permian Basin produces light, sweet crude. Venezuelas oil is thick and sour, which is far more common in the Western Hemisphere and generally cheaper. Most U.S. coastal refineries are designed to use a blend of light and heavy crudes, which guarantees they can shop the global market and maximize economic efficiency. Once a refinery is built and tuned, it can cost tens of millions of dollars to optimize it for a different blend. Refiners also do not want to get locked into buying from a single supplier. A refinerys location is also a factor since importing oil from the Middle East is often cheaper for north eastern refinery than moving domestic crude up from Texas. By keeping their options open, refiners guarantee energy security, if not energy independence. In 2018, the U.S. imported an average of 2.8 million barrels a day of medium or heavy crude from foreign suppliers, according to analysts at Morningstar Commodities Research. More than 500,000 barrels a day came from Venezuela, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Venezuela, meanwhile, imported about 105,000 barrels a day from the U.S., because its crude is so thick that the national oil company PDVSA must thin it with light crude and other byproducts to load it onto tankers. Lately, PDVSA has relied on West Texas oil. U.S. refiners must still blend the Venezuelan crude before making gasoline, jet fuel and diesel. The biggest importer for the U.S. market is Citgo, which PDVSA bought in 1990. The U.S. has historically relied on Venezuela for about 5 percent of its daily crude supply, though that number has dropped with Maduros mismanagement of PDVSA. Luckily, refiners have plenty of alternatives to heavy Venezuelan crude. On HoustonChronicle.com: Venezuelan virus turns Citgo into a zombie Offshore producers in the Gulf of Mexico, some operating just outside Venezuelan-controlled waters, are thrilled to see prices rise for their medium sour oil, a grade known as Mars. Exxon Mobil, Shell and Chevron are helping replace the lost Venezuelan barrels at only a slightly higher price. Canadian oil sands operators produce a very heavy crude that has suffered horribly since oil prices dropped in 2014 and provincial officials ordered a cut in production to boost prices. Now the Canadians are gearing up to deliver heavy crude to the Gulf Coast using railroad cars since the Keystone XL pipeline is still caught up in litigation and state regulatory hearings. Saudi Arabia, which also cut production to boost prices, also sells a heavy crude. If prices begin to creep too high and endanger the global economy, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman can easily replace the lost Venezuelan barrels. The Venezuelan crisis demonstrates the wisdom of seeking energy security, not energy independence. Rather than relying solely on North American crude, the United States has wisely ensured that there are plenty of different places to buy different types of oil to meet our needs. The oil market is another example of the benefits of globalization, and how it makes us more secure. Chris Tomlinson writes commentary about business, economics and policy. chris.tomlinson@chron.com twitter.com/cltomlinson Two Texas health care giants, Memorial Hermann Health System and Baylor Scott & White Health, abruptly called off their proposed $14 billion merger on Tuesday with officials offering no reasons for the move. The cross-state deal that captured national attention would have created the largest non-profit health system in Texas and one of the largest in the United States. It was also the latest in an exploding trend of multibillion-dollar health care mega-mergers where bigger is seen as better. Both Houstons Memorial Hermann and Dallas-based Baylor Scott & White officials issued identical press releases on Tuesday that said they have chosen to seek their health care visions separately rather than together. They were otherwise tight-lipped throughout the day, offering few clues on why the deal fell apart. "After months of thoughtful exploration, we have decided to discontinue talks of a merger between our two systems," said the statements. "Ultimately, we have concluded that as strong, successful organizations, we are capable of achieving our visions for the future without merging at this time." Chuck Stokes, Memorial Hermann CEO, wrote in an email to employees: "Our goal was never about getting bigger. Our goal is to create a model for integrated, consumer-centric, cost-effective care, and I am confident in Memorial Hermann's ability to accelerate and achieve this effort. "We appreciate the time, thought and care that was invested in this process by so many from both organizations, and extend our deepest thanks to all those involved for their many months of hard work, above and beyond their regular day-to-day responsibilities," Stokes email said. On HoustonChronicle.com: Is bigger better? Memorial Hermann and Baylor Scott & White merger raises questions As word spread, those who had been watching the cross-state merger unfold expressed a mixture of surprise -- and relief. "I was worried about hospital prices rising. I was worried about patients, and I was worried about health insurance premiums in Houston," said Vivian Ho, a health economist at the Baker Institute for Public Policy. She has been skeptical from the beginning that by joining the health systems communities would benefit through increased access and efficiency and, ultimately, lower costs. The prevailing economic research, Ho said, shows the exact opposite with prices rising after a merger even if the hospitals are not in the same market. Still, she assumed the Texas deal would go through. Its good for Houston," echoed Chris Skisak, executive director of the Houston Business Coalition on Health, who was glad to see the deal fall through as he remains unsure that simply being big always translates into improved quality and lower costs. On Oct. 1, the two health care systems announced plans to join into a single umbrella organization operating 68 hospitals across 30 counties in Texas. At the time, officials were full of optimism that the move would create a path to the future of healthcare in the state. There were no outward signs of trouble as the year ended, with officials maintaining that the deal could close as early as the summer of 2019. Such a large merger needs approval from both the state attorney general's office and the Federal Trade Commission to rule out antitrust issues. But at the announcement last fall, Deborah Cannon, chair of the Memorial Hermann Health System board of directors, expressed confidence the deal would pass muster because the two systems are not in the same market. Regulatory hurdles do not appear to have been behind the merger collapse. The FTC on Tuesday said in an email it could not confirm whether the merger had been filed for review. The Texas attorney general's office similarly did not comment about the deal. The merger came apart recently as the two systems were nearing the end of the due dilligence stage, said a spokeswoman for Memorial Hermann in an email who offered no further specifics. On HoustonChronicle.com: CHI-Dignity merger now complete While large hospital system mergers continue to rule the day, not all deals go through. Last year, a proposed North Carolina cross-state merger between Charlotte-based Atrium, formerly known as Carolinas HealthCare System, and UNC Health care fell apart over a dispute about control. Barack Richman, professor of law and business administration at Duke University, said Tuesday that hospitals are dependent not only on support but full-throated enthusiasm from state policy makers. A tepidness can sometimes be enough to cause second-thoughts on a deals wisdom, he said. The Texas merger was officially on for just four months, but hospital officials have said the two systems were in talks about eight months before that. Jim Hinton, CEO of Baylor Scott & White, was to have become head of the unnamed joint operation and Stokes would continue to lead Memorial Hermann. Both health systems were considered financially strong going into the merger, although Baylor Scott & White was seen to have a slight edge and was also larger. Although Memorial Hermann experienced a sharp decrease in income and margins in 2017, the hospital said its financial picture has stabilized. Martin Arrick, managing director at S&P Global Ratings for its non-for-profit health care group, said joining separate corporate cultures can be tricky, especially when the scale grows. Is Texas really ready for a statewide system? he wondered, The answer is perhaps not. Erin Douglas contributed to this report. jenny.deam@chron.com twitter.com/jenny_deam erin.douglas@chron.com twitter.com/erinmdouglas23 Just hours ago, Wiz & Curren$y were on Twitter teasing us that something new was dropping this Friday, and it turns out its their long awaited joint project 2009! On Tuesday night, Spitta took to his IG to share the tracklist to the project, while also revealing that the project will be dropping this Friday, February 8th. Dropping the album Friday. #2009 #taylorgang #jetliferecordings #gangliferz #tayloredjets, he left as his caption. The project, which follows up their How Fly tape hitting streaming services last week, will contain 14 tracks in total and feature guest appearances from Ty Dolla $ign & Problem, the latter of which who appears on the song Getting Loose. In support of the project, Wiz & Spitta will also be hitting the road for the similarly-titled 2009 tour, which kicks off this Friday in Santa Ana, California. You can peep the rest of the tour dates right here if interested. Check out Wiz & Curren$ys tracklist (below) and be sure to check back Friday to hear the full tape. What record are you excited to hear the most? It has all of the different stereotypes and all the different personalities of what people think of theater people inside and outside the industry, said Beadle. Its funny and its delightful and its heartwarming, and theres somebody in the play that you can identify with, even if you dont know anything about theater. Donald Trump offered his Black History Month address along with a tweet. Both forms of messages were received with a whole lot of mix feelings. Here's what's he sent via Twitter: "National African American History Month is an occasion to rediscover the enduring stories of African Americans and the gifts of freedom, purpose, and opportunity they have bestowed on future generations..." This was his very last tweet of the day on February 1st and most of the social media users who commented on his post did not seem to be rocking with it for a number of people. The response that got the most clout in impressions called out the president for his own part in racist actions against Black people. "Heres an enduring story: Donald Trump took out full page ads calling for the death penalty for five young African-American men who were wrongfully convicted and eventually exonerated," the Twitter user wrote in reference to the Central Park 5. "Or how about the one where our first black president endured a racist birther conspiracy?" The comments section listed many of the politicians short comings from before and during his presidential term. Others offered some levity by pointing out how someone else must have written the Tweet. View a few reactions below. The Oakland Raiders have been having a few problems trying to find a home for the 2019 season. In 2020, the Oakland Raiders will become the Las Vegas Raiders but as of right now they're trying to come to a solution for next season. Yesterday, it was reported that the team was in the midst of talking to the San Francisco Giants of the MLB in order to play their home games at Oracle Park in San Fran. Despite the reports, it appears that San Francisco mayor London Breed isn't a big fan of the idea. Breed spoke to KTVU-TV on Tuesday where she made her feelings about a Raiders move to San Francisco clear. "As far as I'm concerned, the Oakland Raiders should play in Oakland," Breed explained. "In SanFrancisco we have a number of challenges that we need to address with the Warriors coming to the new Chase arena. We have a number of things for years we've been working to prepare for, and we don't need another layer to add to what we already have in terms of an area that's really congested." Last season the Raiders had an abysmal season finishing with a record of 4-12 which put them in last place in the AFC West. Money Man had a hell of a run in 2018. The rapper pulled a boss move in early 2018 when he bought himself out of his contract with Cash Money Records. It's a ballsy move but the independent route seems to be more in his lane. Throughout the year, he liberally released music for his fans through YouTube and Soundcloud. Some of the releases didn't even land on streaming services. Now, he comes through with more heat as he keeps the momentum going in 2019. Money Man is back with his new track, "Shit Got Real." The rapper's latest single is a collaboration alongside his close affiliates, BC JRoc and BC Shooter. His new single follows the release of his track, "Airbnb" with Trauma Tone which he released a few days ago. Peep his new track below. Quotable Lyrics Shit got real, ain't nobody slidin' N***as acting pussy, why the fuck you cryin'? N***as out here cappin', why the fuck you lyin'? Jay-Z's purchase of TIDAL caused a few legal issues over the past few years. The rap giant was sued by the lawyers who helped him acquire the streaming services. The lawsuit alleged that the rapper owed money to the law firms for their services in helping him buy TIDAL. The rapper claimed he was overcharged. However, it looks like this lawsuit is officially in the past. Vivien Killilea/Getty Images According to The Blast, Jay-Z took a W in his court battle with the Swedish law firms who claimed that he owed them nearly $600K. The law firms filed a stipulation of discontinuance of their case. They're dismissing the lawsuit entirely without having the option to refile at a later time. Both parties' legal teams signed off on the stipulation, meaning the case is now officially closed. Roschier and SEB, the Swedish lawsuits who accused Jay-Z's company, S. Carter Enterprises, of owing them money for their services in representing HOV in court over the purchase of TIDAL. They said Jay-Z hired them to act as financial advisor and handling and settlement agent to Carter Enterprises or its designee for the Tidal deal. They said Jay only paid them a portion of what they were owed. Roschier said they were owed $294K while SEB said they're owed $304,383. Hov claimed the lawyers overcharged him, saying they didn't do their job to the fullest extent. He wanted the suit tossed since they didn't "perform under the contracts they now seek to enforce. It's been well documented over the last couple of weeks that Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans wants out of town and that it appears as though he wants to join LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. Teams like the Boston Celtics have also entered the fray trying to acquire Davis, but the Lakers have been the team going the hardest. Reports have shown that Magic Johnson offered the Pelicans Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, Ivica Zubac, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and even some first-round draft picks, but it still wasn't enough for New Orleans to accept. Johnson has been awaiting for a counter-offer from the Pelicans but according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Pelicans haven't picked up the phone. At least not with Magic. The trade deadline is tomorrow, February 7th at 3 P.M. EST which doesn't give either party much time to get a deal done. With the Pelicans seemingly unwilling to do business with the Lakers who have been aggressive in their pursuit of Davis, it appears as though Davis may still be in New Orleans after tomorrow. Wojnarowski also reported that Davis has a list of teams he'd be willing to go to that includes the Lakers, the Los Angeles Clippers, and the Milwaukee Bucks. 21 Savages recent arrest at the hands of ICE has raised a surplus of questions. While the hip-hop community mobilizes to stand united in the #Free21Savage movement, fans are left picking up the pieces. Many have already seized the 21 is British narrative, letting en guarde ad-libs and musket references fly. Others have taken a more proactive approach, contributing their signatures to an official petition. Different reports seem to circulate every hour, making it difficult to piece together an accurate timeline. For that reason, it only makes sense to assemble a comprehensive guide to 21s ongoing legal saga. Should you be confused, concerned, or simply curious, consider taking the time to familiarize yourself. Shareif Ziyada/Getty Images TWO COUSINS ARRESTED On February 3rd, 2019, 21 Savage and his cousin Young Nudy were both arrested in Atlanta. While initial reports seemed to indicate that local police had been targeting both artists in one fell swoop, their arrests were later revealed to be unconnected. An associate of Nudy named DJ BJ claimed that the cousins werent even in the same car, let alone arrested in the same operation. Yet both rappers were arrested nonetheless; Nudy, by Atlanta police, 21 by ICE agents. For those wondering, Nudy was booked on aggravated assault and gang charges. His lawyer W. Scott Smith has since issued a statement: We believe that Young Nudy is innocent and this is a case of mistaken identity. Young Nudy's legal team is working closely with law enforcement to ensure this case does not get blown out of proportion. Moses Robinson/Getty Images, Scott Dudelson/Getty Images On the other hand, 21 found himself in ICE custody. At the time news of the arrest broke, a tweet from WSB shared a statement from ICE spokesman Bryan Cox: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested unlawfully present United Kingdom national Sha Yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph AKA 21 Savage during a targeted operation with federal and local law enforcement partners early Sunday in metro Atlanta. The invocation of a United Kingdom origin story soon led to an explosion of internet wit, in spite of the potentially serious consequences. Meanwhile, the same ICE spokesman continued to clarify what happened, explaining that 21 originally arrived on American soil in 2005 (making him approximately 12 years old), but the following year, failed to abide by the criteria of his expired VISA. ICE even proceeded to assassinate the rappers character, branding his entire public persona as false. ICEs original statement also alludes to 21s federal drug charge, which occurred in 2014, when the rapper was twenty-one. The strange thing is, it seems to be invoked as a catalyst for his forced departure, despite having occurred five years ago. Not to mention, the charge was since expunged from his record, though such formalities matter little to ICE. So how did ICE come to nab 21 in the first place? Contrary to early reports, it was not merely a case of wrong place, wrong time, nor was it in any way related to Nudy's charge. Earlier today, TMZ reported that 21 Savage actually filed for a U-Visa in 2017, which would allow him to tour outside of the United States. Of course, that means that ICE were already aware of the rappers status. While it has yet to be confirmed, speculation suggests that ICE ran a background check, noticed 21s prior felony, and used it as ammunition in their campaign for deportation. Not only that, but Law Enforcement have continuously attempted to drive home the British National narrative, using loaded, evocative terms in what feels like every statement. Though the young star spent the majority of his life in Atlanta, a few tweets seemed to erase his entire local identity in one fell swoop. The idea that one cannot come to develop a newfound home seems decidedly at odds with Americas founding principles. Lest we forget, 2Pac himself was born in New York, and went on to emblemize the west coast. In any case, 21s reputation as an Atlanta-bred act certainly took a hit, at least insofar as the internet was concerned. Prince Williams/Getty Images THE BRITISH INVASION So where is 21 Savage actually from? And how did he find himself on American soil in the first place? Many have already claimed 21s birthplace as Dominica, with XXL citing an alleged pre-fame Facebook page as a tenuous source. Yet the island of Dominica was indeed under British rule up until 1978, so the timeline doesnt exactly line up. On February 4th, the Daily Mail cleared the air by posting a copy of 21s birth certificate. The rapper was actually born in the London borough of Newham, the son of Heather Joseph and Kevin Emmons. It would appear that 21 and his mother eventually moved to Atlanta, leaving behind two sisters named Kyra and Jayda, who currently work as dance choreographers. In truth, it appears that 21s origin was never truly a secret. People simply neglected to look deeper, because in reality, why would they? Yet the proof is out there. A video from last summer features his mother sharing a few words at her sons Back To School Drive. In it, her British accent is evident, though people only began making a big deal of it in recent days. While many will likely flock to the clip as evidence of 21s British descent, it serves a dual purpose: highlighting his contributions to the Atlanta community. Though 21s father is officially documented as Kevin Emmons, The Breakfast Clubs Angela Yee has claimed Dr. Amsu Anpu to be the rappers father. At this moment, its difficult to assess whether Emmons actually changed his name, or if Dr. Anpu is a father figure in 21s life. The Dr. has occasionally posted pictures of 21 Savage in a celebratory fashion, with captions that suggest a familial connection. At this time, Dr. Anpu has shared the circulating #Free21Savage petition on his Instagram page. For what its worth, he does, in fact, have a British accent. THE FALLOUT Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images Earlier today, the rappers lawyer Charles H. Kuck, has issued a statement: "ICE detained Sheyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, the well-known Atlanta based recording artist and songwriter also known as '21 Savage.' Based upon incorrect information about prior criminal charges and now refusing to release him on bond of any amount, despite the fact that he has a pending U-Visa application (as the victim of crime) with USCIS, and that he has relief from removal available to him. Mr. Abraham-Joseph has never hidden his immigration status from the U.S. government. The Department of Homeland Security has known his address and his history since his filing for the U Visa in 2017, yet they took no action against him until this past weekend. ICE can only continue to detain individuals who are a threat the community or a flight risk to not show up at their hearings. Obviously, our client is not a flight risk, as he is widely recognizable, and a prominent member of the music industry. Likewise, Mr. Abraham-Josephs is clearly not a danger to the community, and in fact, his contributions to local communities and schools that he grew up in are examples of the type of immigrant we want in America." ICE has not charged Mr. Abraham-Joseph with any crime. As a minor, his family overstayed their work visas, and he, like almost two million other children, was left without legal status through no fault of his own. This is a civil law violation, and the continued detention of Mr. Abraham-Joseph serves no other purpose than to unnecessarily punish him and try to intimidate him into giving up his right to fight to remain in the United States. He rose above the difficult circumstances of his youth to achieve success and make contributions to our society that rival any of those by a natural born citizen. Mr. Abraham-Joseph has US citizen children that he supports and is eligible for relief from deportation. We and he will fight for his release, for his family, and his right to remain in our country. No one would expect less from him. Interestingly enough, Kucks statement suggests that ICE is employing intimidation tactics on the rapper, which coincides with another disturbing revelation. He is in lockdown for 23hrs of the day," explains Savage's co-manager Stone Mound Meezy. "No tv or any communication besides our 10 min phone calls ... everything Ive told him that has been happening made him happy & makes this time fly by thank yall for the support." Such an image affirms the intimidation cited by Kuck, and we can only hope that 21 keeps a staunch resolve. After all, the people have rallied around his cause, even if ICE seems hellbent on giving him the boot. Despite the rappers sudden change in fortune, the entire rap game seems to have united behind him. A petition, started by Black Lives Matter activist Patrisse Khan-Cullors, has been widely circulated by 21s collaborators, and social media has been abuzz with his fellow artists sharing thoughts, prayers, and words of encouragement. Though some might still attempt to discredit the rapper's Atlanta roots, in reality, he remains an integral member of the community. Not only did he grow up there, but he forged relationships, witnessed the death of his best friend, and developed into the man and artist he is today. In the end, losing 21 would be a blow to the entire rap game, and we can only hope this mess gets sorted out before long. For now, it's still free 21 Savage! And lest we forget, Young Nudy! The first MAXX by Steigenberger in the country is located on MargaretengArtel in Vienna's fifth district within easy walking distance of the shopping facilities of MariahilferstraAYe MAXX by Steigenberger launches on the Austrian market on 1 February 2019. The first MAXX by Steigenberger in the country is located on Margaretengurtel in Vienna's fifth district within easy walking distance of the shopping facilities of Mariahilferstrae. Vienna will thus become the first city in which Deutsche Hospitality has a four-brand presence. The Steigenberger Hotel Herrenhof and the IntercityHotel Wien already boast prime positions and are set to be joined by Jaz in the City Vienna in the early summer of 2020. "Establishing one of the first MAXX Hotels in Vienna was something that was very close to our hearts from the very outset," said Deutsche Hospitality's CEO Thomas Willms. "Vienna is one of Europe's top locations when it comes to quality of life, internationality and tourism. All of this is reflected in the young and design-conscious appearance of MAXX by Steigenberger, which is a very good match for the city." The hotel dates back to 2013. Originally opened in the Margareten district by the Falkensteiner Hotel Group, it was operated under the Falkensteiner Hotels & Residences brand until the company decided to divest itself of the property as part of plans to focus more closely on leisure and pursue new expansion projects in Italy. The new MAXX by Steigenberger Hotel is run by the Feuring Group. Matthias Lowin, Managing Director of Feuring Hotelconsulting GmbH, very much welcomes this commitment to Vienna and is delighted to be resuming cooperation with Deutsche Hospitality. "We are very pleased that we have been able to implement a further successful project in the form of the new MAXX by Steigenberger Vienna as part of our long standing collaboration with Steigenberger. We are excited about what the future holds for both companies and are sure that we will continue to work together in a spirit of partnership. Vienna is an extremely interesting location for us, and we believe that there is considerable potential here for such a great product as MAXX by Steigenberger." The MAXX by Steigenberger Vienna is located at Margaretengurtel 142 in the city's fifth district within the direct vicinity of Margaretengurtel underground station and the Raimund Theatre. The hotel offers 195 rooms including 21 suites. There is also a restaurant complete with bar, a conference area and a health and beauty spa and gym facility. Daily News Delivery Join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest Hotel industry news and trends. Subscribe 2021 Hotel News Resource Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management Scholars Mercy Kiprotich and Vladan Pantelic Selected Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) is pleased to continue its partnership with the Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management (EAHM) through the addition of two new scholars to its Middle East Research Center: Mercy Kiprotich and Vladan Pantelic. The HFTP Middle East Research Center, along with the HFTP Americas and Asia Research Centers, are an essential component of HFTP's initiative to provide members with quality new resources and information that advance the global hospitality industry. Kiprotich and Pantelic are currently pursuing their master's degrees and will be delving into research that provides new insights in hospitality management in the United Arab Emirates. Both scholars were carefully selected by EAHM, and will conduct their research under the supervision of Dr. Sanjay Nadkarni, Ph.D, Director of EAHM's Innovation and Research Center. Leading up to their graduate school careers, both Kiprotich and Pantelic boast impressive backgrounds in the industry. "We are fortunate to have Mercy and Vladan join the HFTP Middle East Research Center," said HFTP CEO Frank Wolfe, CAE. "While their futures are bright, their prior industry experiences alone have set them apart from their peers. As research scholars, their contributions will help HFTP advance industry knowledge." Prior to her studies, Kiprotech worked extensively in hospitality, building her international, hands-on experience in event planning, sales performance analysis, and property management. As a graduate student, she is diving into her thesis investigating how Dubai hotels are beginning to leverage blockchain technology. Pantelic, who has vast experience in operations with Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts, will use his knowledge to focus his thesis on the selection of key performance indicators by hotel management in the UAE. HFTP will provide a platform for the dissemination of the scholars' findings through whitepapers and blogs. Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) established in 1952, is an international, nonprofit association, headquartered in Austin, Texas, USA, with offices in Hong Kong, United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Dubai. HFTP is recognized as the spokes group for the finance and technology segments of the hospitality industry with members and stakeholders spanning across the globe. HFTP uniquely understands the industry's pressing issues and assists its stakeholders in finding solutions to their challenges more efficiently than any organization. It does this via its expert networks, research, certification programs, information resources and conferences/events such as HITEC. HFTP also owns the world's only hospitality-specific search engine, PineappleSearch.com. For more information about HFTP, email membership@hftp.org or download the HFTP/HITEC media kit via the HFTP website. Read industry updates on the suite of HFTP hospitality news sites: HITEC Bytes, Club Bytes, Finance Bytes and HFTP News. Daily News Delivery Join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest Hotel industry news and trends. Subscribe 2021 Hotel News Resource A few months ago, Google began unrolling a new design for their hotel search results. With the updated design, they now display four hotels instead of three and have updated the filters available to the user, all in an effort to help people easily find the hotel that best fits their needs. So, how can hotels make sure that they are in the best position possible when it comes to this new design? A few months ago, Google began unrolling a new design for their hotel search results. With the updated design, they now display four hotels instead of three and have updated the filters available to the user, all in an effort to help people easily find the hotel that best fits their needs. So, how can hotels make sure that they are in the best position possible when it comes to this new design? Read on to understand how a hotel can optimize their brand recognition, and ultimately drive more traffic to the hotel website using Googles new search results interface for hotels. Understanding the search queries of users The first thing youll need to know if youre a hotel optimizing for organic search traffic is how your target market is using Google. In order to identify how people search for hotels, youll need to understand the variety of search queries people use. The two primary ways people search for hotels are: People search for Hotels in {name of town, city, or vicinity} People search for Hotel 48LEX in NYC How to make it to the top of Googles Hotel Search listings Googles new hotel listings place more emphasis on the featured properties with larger images, and bigger fonts for hotel descriptions and prices. The display on mobile is much more prominent, meaning theres little space for organic search results to appear above the fold. With these results being pushed further down the page, the prized first-page search results are more valuable than ever. The goal for hotels is to obtain a spot on the first page of hotel listings, with a definitive description of the brand and a visible image of the hotel in order to drive traffic and conversions. However, getting to the top of search results pages is not always an easy task. Hotels cant buy their way to the top, nor can they request for better rankings. The only way to appear is to ensure that complete, high-quality information about your hotel is available (and well-optimized) on your website. To achieve the best possible organic visibility in Googles Hotel Search listings, follow these three steps: Have quality photos that help to increase conversions and clicks. Be sure to upload photos after verifying your Google My Business account, which is one of the best ways to help Google identify what information to provide about your brand. Always save images with keywords in the file. For example, if you upload an image of the hotel pool, be sure to name the file: hotel-pool-in-Miami-Beach. Google may also source images of your hotel from Google Maps street view, Google users, and professional photographers. Encourage guests to leave as many positive Google reviews as possible. Reviews are heavily weighted when it comes to factors that influence your organic search rankings. The more positive reviews you have, the better your organic visibility will be. Google Reviews offer star ratings and reviews for your business, curated from various sites across the internet, including Revinate, ReviewPro, and TrustYou. Its more important than ever to deliver a quality experience that encourages guests to leave positive reviews that appear in Google search results and Google Maps across all devices. Provide useful information, such as hotel descriptions and amenities. Ensure the Hotel Details Card of your Google My Business account is updated with accurate phone numbers, addresses, Google maps geo markers, recent photos of the hotel, guest reviews, and amenities. Keeping this complete, data up-to-date, and updated regularly can develop trust in Googles algorithm and give your brand more favorable organic visibility. Conclusion Theres a lot you can do to help drive more traffic and increase conversions through search engines for your hotel. Googles new hotel search grid, Google Maps listings, and its hotel display cards are crucial to help drive positive brand recognition and drive conversions. Make sure to fully optimize your Google My Business Page with accurate and descriptive information about your hotel and brand. Upload and manage your photos and maintain your reviews in order to improve your rankings within Googles hotel search interface and begin to see the conversions increase. ABOUT HEBS DIGITAL: Founded in 2001, the firm is headquartered in New York City and has global offices in Las Vegas and Asia Pacific. Through its Smart Guest Acquisition Suite, including the smartCMS, Smart Personalization Engine, Smart Data Marketing, and full-service digital consulting and marketing solutions, HEBS Digital helps hoteliers drastically boost direct bookings, lower distribution costs, and increase the lifetime value of guests. Part of NextGuest Technologies, HEBS Digital and Serenata CRM, the most comprehensive Hotel CRM Suite today, are the creators of the hospitality industrys first Fully-Integrated Guest Engagement & Acquisition Platform. A diverse client portfolio of top-tier luxury and boutique hotel chains, independent hotels, resorts and casinos, franchised properties and hotel management companies, convention centers, spas, restaurants, DMO and tourist offices across the globe are all benefiting from HEBS Digitals direct online channel strategy and digital marketing expertise. HEBS Digitals technology, website design and digital marketing services have won more than 500 prestigious industry awards, including World Travel Awards, HSMAI Adrian Awards, Stevie Awards (American Business Awards), Travel Weeklys Magellan Awards, and more. The HEBS Digital team is comprised of thought leaders, a diverse team of experts comprised of over 33 nationalities speaking over 22 languages. Contact HeBS Digitals consultants at 1 (800) 649-5076 (North America), +64 (0) 9 889 8489 (Asia Pacific) or success@hebsdigital.com. Daily News Delivery Join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest Hotel industry news and trends. Subscribe 2021 Hotel News Resource Supplier News 6 February 2019 The hospitality industry is quickly evolving, and this evolution is making it more challenging than ever for hoteliers to serve their guests in new ways and lead their businesses. There are modern challenges, and new ways to do business that can seem overwhelming. It's also more critical than ever for hospitality professionals to know that they have complete data (online and offline), and focus their energy on having the right marketing partners and platforms in place to meet their unique business plan, shape their marketing communications, advertising efforts, and empower their teams to bring in more profitable guests. "We view this partnership as a connection of two like-minded partners who get the hospitality industry, get the challenges and goals of hoteliers, and want to give their clients the best possible toolkit of solutions and services to make them successful," stated Kyle Buehner, CEO, NAVIS. "It's not about having all of your vendors under one roof, it's about having the right partners. Partners that have your best interest at heart, and your revenue goals in mind." The hospitality experts at NAVIS and GCommerce, together, help hoteliers merge online and offline guest data--to give their clients the support they need to bring in more guests, improve guest experience, and increase revenue. Both companies recognize this unique opportunity, in an ever-changing vendor landscape, to partner and create a suite of solutions and services that provide their clients with a range of support, from marketing, to call center services--all adding up to a complete CRM platform. "Our mission is to give hoteliers a canvas of marketing support that makes their hotel shine. The best way for us to target our marketing support is by leveraging the data our clients collect from current and prospective guests to better market to them," stated Chris Jackson, President, and Partner, at GCommerce. "With the NAVIS partnership, we can bring our clients' extremely targeted and measurable marketing strategies. It's a perfect friendship of online and offline data management, paired with strategic digital marketing!" The two companies already share multiple client relationships and look forward to offering more opportunities for their growing client bases. Find out what sets NAVIS and GCommerce apart from the competition and how they help hoteliers succeed by giving them back control of the guest relationship. Learn more at naviscrm.com and gcommercesolutions.com. Join NAVIS and GCommerce for a joint webinar to Bring Your Online And Offline Guest Data Together For More ROI. About NAVIS: NAVIS is the only complete customer relationship management software specifically designed for the hospitality industry. The leader in hospitality CRM solutions and services, only NAVIS provides a CRM platform that unifies your Reservations, Revenue and Marketing teams around a single source of guest data, that drives more direct bookings and more revenue. NAVIS has been serving the hospitality business since 1987. A privately held company, NAVIS is headquartered in Bend, Oregon with growing teams in both Orlando, Fla. and Reno, Nev. The company has been honored with the Top Workplaces award six times by The Oregonian for consecutive years, the Orlando Sentinel Top 100 Companies award for the third year in a row, and one of the Northern Nevada Human Resources Association's Best Places To Work for the second consecutive year. Learn more at www.naviscrm.com. About GCommerce: Built on the belief that one-size-fits-none, GCommerce strives to eliminate the cookie-cutter approach to digital marketing. Catering to a wide variety of clients in the hospitality and tourism industry, GCommerce provides a customized, strategic, and client-focused approach to digital marketing. Services provided include but are not limited to search engine optimization and marketing, website design and development, display advertising, email marketing, content marketing, and social media advertising and consultation. Boasting a robust and diverse clientele including industry-leading hotel management groups, luxury and boutique hotel brands, resorts and casinos, franchises and independents, and more. For more information, visit www.gcommercesolutions.com or reach out to [email protected]. Supplier News 6 February 2019 San Francisco, CA - RobertDouglas announced today that it advised AutoCamp in their selection of Whitman Peterson as a strategic capital and growth partner. Under the agreement, Whitman Peterson, a real estate private equity company specializing in helping drive growth of target sector platforms, has led a dedicated capital commitment of $115 million focused on acquiring and redeveloping properties for AutoCamp's expansion. As part of the transaction, Whitman Peterson has also invested in the AutoCamp operating company. AutoCamp, headquartered in San Francisco, California, has developed an outdoor hospitality experience for people who love nature while still addressing their need for proper amenities and the luxury of a seamless hospitality experience. Founded by Neil Dipaola and Ryan Miller, AutoCamp's portfolio consists of two properties in Russian River and Santa Barbara, a property in Yosemite under development, and a robust pipeline of future locations nationwide. "AutoCamp is a major player in the outdoor hospitality space, and we truly believe that their product is one-of-a-kind and is quickly changing how travelers think about traditional lodging options," notes Lindsey Whang, Senior Associate at RobertDouglas. Whang believes "the AutoCamp team has created the most unique, defensible and scalable outdoor hospitality platform in existence today." "Whitman Peterson's deep experience and asset management expertise combined with AutoCamp's entrepreneurial spirit and innovative approach to hospitality creates a powerful partnership poised for rapid growth in an exciting and emerging sector of the industry," said Robert Stiles, Managing Director and Principal of RobertDouglas. Dedicated capital provided by Whitman Peterson will give AutoCamp the ability to develop over $500 million in projects. The partnership has already closed on their first venture, the development of AutoCamp Yosemite. Situated a short drive from the gates of Yosemite National Park, the property will include 105 luxury Airstreams and tents and is slated to open the first quarter of 2019. About AutoCamp AutoCamp, the leading outdoor lodging brand, makes it easy for people to connect with the great outdoors by providing modern and stylish accommodations. The company's unique properties are known for beautiful modern Airstream suites, and luxurious tents. AutoCamp has revolutionized alternative lodging by blending the traditional outdoor experience with the service and design of a boutique hotel. From luxury linens, bedding, and bathrobes to a mid-century modern inspired reception and meeting space, AutoCamp has reimagined the outdoor lodging experience for the modern adventurer. Visit AutoCamp in Santa Barbara; the Russian River Valley; and soon to be open at Yosemite near Mariposa, California. For more information and booking visit autocamp.com. About Whitman Peterson Whitman Peterson ("WP") is an institutionally backed real estate investment management company actively investing in the hospitality, multifamily, student and seniors housing sectors. Through its discretionary commingled funds, WP has invested in transactions involving more than 150 acquisition and development assets, with an aggregate capitalization of over $15 billion. The firm has investments across 30+ submarkets in the U.S. and also has investments in the U.K. and Latin America. Whitman Peterson focuses on helping drive significant asset and operating company growth to a select group of prominent national operating, investment, and development companies within WP's target sectors. To learn more about Whitman Peterson, visit WhitmanPeterson.com. Supplier News 6 February 2019 PITTSBURGH - Aptech Computer Systems announced that Airline Hotels upgraded its financial system to PVNG Enterprise Hotel Accounting Software at nine properties. Airline Hotels is a second-generation, family-founded, hospitality company, based out of Saskatchewan that owns and operates hotels. Browser-based PVNG hotel accounting software simplifies accounting operations and safeguards data in the cloud. Aptech is the leading provider of hospitality business intelligence, budgeting and forecasting, and enterprise hotel accounting software systems. Click here for more on Aptech's products and services. "Airline Hotels tapped PVNG in late 2018 to migrate its financial operation and chain data to the cloud for easier access and better business decisions," said Todd Asmundson, corporate controller for Airline Hotels. "PVNG is a full-function hospitality enterprise back office system that is very easy to use. We migrated our data with Microsoft SharePoint to put all our records in the cloud. We trained our managers to access their property data and see the numbers for all our hotels. Seeing the performance data helps them manage better by comparing operation strategies from other properties. This also frees our accounting staff to focus on analysis rather than supporting management inquiries." Airline Hotels previously used Aptech's Profitvue Back Office Accounting system and converted files and reports to PVNG. "Profitvue did a great job for Airline for many years. We work closely with Aptech's team and they provide excellent support for us up in Canada," Asmundson said. "PVNG provides a large number of great reports and handles the Canadian dollar and date conventions perfectly." PVNG lets operators have total flexibility allowing or limiting data access across multiple properties. "We used to do benchmark reporting that compared property performance. PVNG lets our managers do their own evaluations. We can restrict access to specific data, but we want our managers to see how their associates are doing. For example, our lounge managers can compare revenue and expenses at other properties to learn what management practices are working best. PVNG works very well for us." Sam Costa, Aptech director of customer service said, "Airline Hotels had a smooth conversion from Profitvue to PVNG's cloud platform. Their nine property management teams picked up the new system right away. Their system license lets them have unlimited users per property so Airline's team can make the best use of PVNG's data access flexibility." PVNG's user interface is built on an easy to navigate architecture. Its robust functionality and platform is completely new. The system expands on processes valued by thousands of accounting professionals that use Aptech's legacy application, Profitvue. The PVNG Enterprise Accounting System supports one property or a large multi-brand, multi-property portfolio. It uses the most current technology platform and incorporates AP, GL, AR, Statistics, Financials, and a Bank Reconciliation, all with familiar browser navigation. PVNG also makes it simple to become 11th Edition compliant by implementing its packaged chart of accounts and financial statements. PVNG's cloud platform also lets Aptech monitor and support all aspects of their system processes for hands on support if needed." Click here for more on Aptech's products and services. About Aptech Computer Systems, Inc. Aptech Computer Systems, Inc., based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is the only provider of a fully integrated enterprise accounting, business intelligence and planning ecosystem to the hospitality industry. All of its clients are companies like yours, which own or manage hotels. Its solutions help customers at both the corporate and property levels understand their financial and operational data for faster goal achievement. The company is renowned for introducing business intelligence into the hotel industry, and offers a solid resource of hospitality professionals. Aptech is an IBM Software Value Plus partner and Premier Solution Provider, as well as a Prophix Premier Business Partner. Incorporated in 1970, Aptech's state-of-the-art back office, true business intelligence and enterprise planning solutions are 100% hotel specific. Solutions include PVNG, Execuvue and Targetvue. Clients comprise over 3,500 properties - including large chains, multiple-property management companies and single-site hotels. Execuvue is registered to Aptech Computer Systems, Inc. All other trademarks are owned by their respective holders. For more information please visit www.aptech-inc.com. About Airline Hotels Airline Hotels, one of Canada's Best Managed Companies, is an award-winning, privately-held Canadian company with hotels in SK, AB, MB, and ON. As an equal opportunity employer to 920 associates, we believe in our values: Respect, Integrity, Teamwork and Entrepreneurship. For information go to www.airlinehotels.ca Supplier News 6 February 2019 This Thursday, Ireckonu will be attending and speaking at this year's HTNG Hospitality Tech Summit, located at Hotel Okura Amsterdam. Industry expert and Ireckonu's VP of Sales, Kees van Donk, will be representing Ireckonu as they align themselves with Hotel Okura and discuss the start of their joint journey, focusing on the boundless enhancements Ireckonu can bring to an already exceptional hotel. Ireckonu's ability to communicate with all the on-premises and above property systems, consolidate the data trapped in data silos, and display them on a living, updated dashboard, provides Hotel Okura with newfound insights on integral information about their guests and the hotels systems. This presentation will be done in collaboration with Michiel Roelfsema, deputy General Manager of the Hotel Okura Amsterdam. A few kilometers down the road, Hanna Schiller, VP of Marketing and Business Development, and Inge van Weert, General Manager of QO, will present at SAIA's SBC & Trend Partner conference, highlighting another collaborative partnership between Ireckonu and QO Amsterdam - a trailblazing, eco-efficient hotel, centered near the heart of Amsterdam. QO is aiming to become a staple in the hospitality industry, designing a warm and welcoming hotel that runs with the utmost efficiency and provides guests with a one-of-a-kind experience. QO and Ireckonu's harmonized ideals of optimal productivity and technological advancement allow both partners to expand on these focal points, utilizing Ireckonu's middleware solution as a framework to ultimately become an 100% Energy Neutral Hotel. Both QO and Ireckonu are looking to create a new standard for how a modern, luxury hotel should look and function. Press Release 6 February 2019 Dubai, UAE: At last week's Saudi Arabia Hotel Investment Conference(SHIC) being held at the new Marriott Riyadh Diplomatic Quarter in KSA, the winner of the SHIC Young Leader Award was announced - recognising the exceptional young local talent working within the Kingdom's hospitality sector. Advertisements Yasmin Al Sanea, Human Resources Manager at the Intercontinental Al Jubail, was not only announced as the winning recipient of the award, but she also achieved wide recognition from the SHIC Board and broader industry, for her achievements so early in her career. "I feel blessed and honoured to have been selected as this year's Young Leader award recipient and thank God for that. The hospitality and tourism sector is so fast-paced and dynamic especially for local nationals, and as a young professional, it's an incredible achievement to be acknowledged by some of the industry's best leaders," Yasmin said. As well as receiving a full access pass to SHIC, Yasmin was also awarded with a two-day leadership course at the prestigious Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management in Dubai, with flights and accommodation included in her prize. Jonathan Worsley, Chairman of Bench Events and Co-Founder of SHIC, said: "It is comforting to meet so many young industry professionals who are showcasing their passion and commitment to leadership. This is what SHIC and AHIC are all about - growing the industry and developing world-class hospitality leaders." Commenting after the awards, Dr Badr Al Badr, Chief Executive Officer at DUR Hospitality, expressed his pleasure to support young and emerging talents within the Saudi hospitality sector. He stressed on the importance of contributions brought in by fresh talents towards developing innovative approaches and initiatives that will help drive the sector forward, achieve global excellence, and position Saudi Arabia as a leader in hospitality. Furthermore, Al Badr congratulated Yasmin Al Sanea, stating that this important recognition highlights the major role played by women in developing all sectors in the Kingdom, and urged for more women empowerment within all the fields that will contribute in achieving a robust and varied Saudi economy. The judging panel included the region's hospitality leaders, including Dr Badr Al Badr, Chief Executive Officer at DUR Hospitality, Shuja Zaidi, Principal at Equinox Hospitality, and Gasem Al Maimani, CEO at Taiba Holding Company. About AHIC 2018 AHIC, now in its 14th year, is the annual gathering for the Middle East"s hospitality investment community organised by global hotel investment event organiser Bench Events in partnership with MEED Events. AHIC creates a knowledge and networking platform for global and regional investors of all backgrounds, offering essential insights to investing in hotels, showcasing regional and international hospitality investment opportunities and facilitating direct connections with hospitality industry stakeholders. AHIC 2018 will be held in a purpose-built AHIC Village on the beach of the Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, from 17 April to 19 April 2018 in partnership with Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA). Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, AHIC 2018 will be co-hosted by its founding patron, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Airports, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman and CEO of Emirates Airline and Group, whose continued support of the industry and AHIC has been critical to the region"s tourism growth. AHIC 2018 Sponsors AHIC 2018 is hosted by Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority. Sponsors include: Al Marjan Island, Hilton and The Rezidor Hotel Group as Platinum Sponsors; AccorHotels, Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB), Dur Hospitality, Emaar Hospitality Group, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), IWG (Insignia Worldwide Group), Marriott International; The Moroccan Agency for Tourism Development SMIT and Wyndham Hotel Group as Emerald Sponsors; and Action Hotels, Colliers International, Louvre Hotels Group, Melia Hotels International, STR, Time Hotels and Roya International as Gold Sponsors. About Bench Events Global event organiser Bench Events has a long track record of delivering multiple premium hotel investment conferences and forums across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America. Market leading annual conferences include the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC) in Dubai, now in its 14th year, the Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF) the new Asia Hotel and Tourism Investment Conference (AHTIC), The Summit in London and the Latin American Hotel & Tourism Investment Conferences (SAHIC). Bench Events" extensive portfolio also includes the Global Restaurant Investment Forum (GRIF) in Dubai and AviaDev, designed to promote the future air connectivity in Africa. Bench Events" mission is enabling prosperity by facilitating growth, networking, and thought leadership in the hospitality industry worldwide. www.benchevents.com About MEED MEED is a remarkable senior management media brand, that encompasses subscription to the MEED Business Review publication and website, www.meed.com, as well as organising the MEED Quality Awards for Projects, AHIC and Innovation Live! MEED also works with clients on bespoke content, events, broadcast and digital offerings. MEED also has two high-value content businesses, MEED Projects and MEED Insight. MEED Projects is the Middle East's premium project tracking database and MEED Insight offers tailored research and in-depth analysis. Established in 1957, MEED, has been integral to delivering business information and news, intelligence and analysis on the Middle East economies and activities ever since. www.meed.com About Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) The Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) was established in May 2011 under the government of Ras Al Khaimah. In order to achieve target growth of one million visitors by the end of 2018, the authority aims to develop the emirate"s tourism infrastructure and establish Ras Al Khaimah as a world-class destination for leisure and business travel, creating sustainable investment opportunities and enhancing the quality of life for its residents. In order to achieve its goals, the RAKTDA has a government mandate to license, regulate and monitor the emirate"s tourism and hospitality industry. Event For you as a hotelier, a Hospitality Industry Club EveningCamp means an evening full of workshops where you can exchange ideas with colleagues from your city and experts from the hotel tech industry. You will create the evening together with your colleagues and the topics that interest you. We offer you the right setting: cool location, tasty snacks and plenty of drinks. Who we are The Hospitality Industry Club is a community of service providers in the hotel branch. We got together to present hoteliers with innovative solutions, technologies and ideas in a relaxed atmosphere yet inspiring. Should you expect a classic sales event with product presentations our events are the wrong place. What we do Our community of selected providers will meet you at twelve cities in Central Europe. Most times in a slightly different setup than the week before. During the evening camp our experts exchange know-how and deliver new insights on topics defined together with you, the hoteliers. Sounds great and is a lot of fun. How does it work out We start at 6:30 PM planning with 4-5 hours for a short innovation talk by one of the partners, a quick introduction round, networking, exchanging ideas and, most important, defining the topics which shall be covered together for the workshops. To make sure you don't sit there all evening starving, there are, of course, delicious local specialities - in every city created by a local hero in loving handwork - and of course beer, wine, coffee and soft drinks. You are invited. HotelCamp | Cologne is organized by Hospitality Industry Club Appointment 6 February 2019 Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI), the premier global sales organization for independent luxury hotels and resorts and small luxury brands in the meeting, incentive, convention and exhibition industry, today announced the appointment of Jamie Lee Tiffany as director of sales within the company's western U.S. sales team. Jamie Lee brings more than 12 years of experience in the meetings and hospitality industry. Prior to joining ALHI, she served as senior sales manager at L'Auberge Del Mar in Del Mar, California, where she was awarded numerous accolades including Team Leader of the Year, Sales Team of the Year, Living Above the Line Award, Top Producer and Chairman's Recipient several years in a row. Jamie Lee previously served as sales manager at Estancia La Jolla in La Jolla, California, and as global account manager at Hotel Connections in NY, New York. Jamie Lee also serves on the SITE Southern California Board of Directors and was chair of the Global Young Leaders Committee for SITE Global. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in communications from the University of California, Davis. Enter the Once Upon A Child Spring Style Sweepstakes today for the chance to WIN! Refresh your child's wardrobe! You could be the LUCKY WINNER of $200 in Store Cash! 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. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 6) Voters in Lanao del Norte trooped to polling precincts Wednesday despite a number of explosions ahead of the historic Bangsamoro plebiscite. As the second round of the plebiscite wrapped up, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it considers a "60% voter turnout high" in the provinces of Lanao del Norte and North Cotabato. "Regarding voter turnout, we consider a 60% voter turnout high already considering that we have voters who are from areas not asking for inclusion in the BARMM but will need to consent to the inclusion of the other areas in their municipality or province," Comelec Chairman Sheriff Abas said. Four explosions took place in Mindanao on Tuesday-- the day before voters were to decide on additional areas under the new Bangsamoro autonomous region. The first happened along a road in Talayan, Maguindanao, while the next two were reported in the towns of Kauswagan and Lala in Lanao del Norte late Tuesday afternoon. The latest explosion was in Sultan Naga Dimaporo, also in Lanao del Norte, at around 10 p.m. Tuesday. No deaths or casualties were reported. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said the blasts could have been "scare tactics" of some groups ahead of the plebiscite. "Exactly, that's how we see it (that they were only meant to sow fear). I think most of the authorities who would like to take it objectively is that they would like to look at it as a mere statement of sorts to discourage those who are supposed to cast their votes to do so," AFP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Edgardo Arevalo told CNN Philippines. "These are abnormal incidents. This by and large is a sort of terrorism in itself. So we should not allow terrorism to thrive in our communities," he added. While investigation is ongoing, Arevalo assured residents that security measures will be strengthened. "We cannot, at this point, discount that possibility because investigations are still ongoing. From there, we'll be having some traces as to who were behind these blasts," Arevalo said. Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief, Director General Oscar Albayalde said authorities are monitoring persons of interests. Malacanang on Wednesday said "no amount of bombing or terroristic act will scare, intimidate nor threaten" the voters in the area. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) earlier denied it had a hand in the bombings, despite claims of Lanao del Norte Governor Imelda Dimaporo that the rebel group was behind these. Polling precincts closed at 3 p.m. Both the military and Comelec said they have not received reports of major untoward incidents during the plebiscite. Initial counting of votes has begun in the plebiscite areas. After the tallying, returns will then be transmitted to the municipal board of canvassers. The municipal canvass will then be submitted to the National Plebiscite Board of Canvassers at the Comelec headquarters in Manila. The poll body said it estimates results to be released in four days. Comelec on January 25 announced the ratification of BOL four days after 1,540,017 residents in the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) voted "yes" to the creation of the entity. When the areas covered by the BARMM are established, President Rodrigo Duterte is expected to appoint members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), which will include incumbent officials of the regional government. The BTA will have legislative and executive powers during the transition period. It will be considered the Bangsamoro government during the transition and will have exclusive powers over budgeting, justice, agriculture, human rights and tourism, among others. Anchor/Multimedia Journalist Hello! I am the weekend anchor as well as a reporter for Your News Now! You can reach me with news tips (or just to say hello!) at khonigford@wlio.com. Support local journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. Contribute Marshall H. Tanick, a resident of Golden Valley, is an attorney with Meyer Njus Tanick. He also is a reformed former smoker (cigars only). Please be aware that Cache Valley Publishing does not endorse, and is not responsible for alleged employment offers in the comments. Recommended for you Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Please be aware that Cache Valley Publishing does not endorse, and is not responsible for alleged employment offers in the comments. Antebellum army experimented with ships of the desert ON A SPRING MORNING IN 1883, a homesteader near Eagle Creek in southeast Arizona left her adobe house to fetch water. Suddenly, the woman screamed. From inside the house, a second woman had looked out to behold a huge, strange red animal with a rider on its back. The second homesteader barricaded the door and began to pray. At nightfall, menfolk returned from hunting sheep stolen by Apaches to find the would-be water carrier trampled to death and surrounded by huge cloven footprints. A few nights later, several miles northeast, two prospectors awoke terrified as a beast stove in their canvas shelter. Clambering to their feet, the pair watched a large, ungainly animal gallop off, leaving a trail of cloven prints and, snagged on brush, tufts of red hair, inspiring legends of the Red Ghost. The mystery beasts presence in the Southwest of the 1880s dated back four decades, to a time when westbound pioneers confronted the Rockies, the Sierras, and vast deserts between as they trekked toward the rich valleys of coastal California and Oregon. Pioneers crossed the continent using three main routes: the northerly Oregon and Humboldt trails, each originating in Missouri; and the southerly Gila Trail, starting from El Paso, Texas and traversing New Mexico and Arizona to Southern California through fry-pan hot Indian territory. Migrants depended on draft and pack animals. Horses were suitable for short stretches but required grain to supplement local forage. Oxen were sturdier, cheaper, and more dependable, but maddeningly slow. Mules, though stubborn, seemed the best bet: stronger, hardier, less picky about food and slower to thirst. Their flinty hooves easily negotiated mountain and prairie terrain; and their tough hides withstood saddle and harness abrasions. To protect western pioneers from Indians, Americas fledgling Army established cavalry outposts along the main trails. Provisioning these isolated garrisons challenged military logisticians, particularly in the most irksome desert for beasts in the world, as one Army quartermaster called the New Mexico terrain surrounding Fort Yuma. And once established out West, homesteaders needed a way to stay in touch with one another and folks back East. That meant reintroducing the camel to America. North America had been the home of the original camels, which stood scarcely a foot high. Evolution wiped out those prehistoric North American ancestors, but their descendants, double-humped Siberian and Chinese Bactrians and speedy, single-humped North African Arabians called dromedaries became essential to transport and commerce in those regions. Spanish and English colonists in America imported a few camelidae specimens for tasks like hauling ore. These experiments failed but the era of westward expansion revived interest. As early as 1837, U.S. Army Captain and Seminole War veteran George H. Crosman was advocating that the military import and test camels. Crosman corresponded with E.F. Miller, a generals son, who shared his enthusiasm. The two envisioned in the seven-foot-tall, half-ton camel an ideal means of negotiating Americas deserts. With its dexterous lips and razor teeth, a camel would eat virtually anything. The animals series of regurgitant stomachs consumed every mote of nutrient and moisture. Humps stored fat, a reserve drained as needed until the hump turned flaccid. A camel ordinarily drank its fill every three days but could survive much longer. Camels hardened feet need not be shod; and they are so sure-footed that desert armies mounted light artillery on them. Capable of proceeding at 10 mph without a load, a heavily burdened camel slowed considerably but still was able to travel 12 hours without pause. With proper care, a camel lived 40 years, compared with horses at 30, mules 27, and oxen 20. In the 1800s, average human lifespans approximated the camelsallowing long and productive cross-species partnerships. Crosman and Miller failed to impress U.S. Quartermaster General Thomas S. Jesup, but the case for camels eventually gained new urgency. The United States had acquired vast stretches of Southwest territory after defeating Mexico in the 1846-1848 conflict, whereupon prospectors combing the conquered territory discovered gold and silver deposits. Mexican War veterans like Quartermaster Corps officer Henry C. Wayne, knowing the terrains rigors and weather, recognized the camels suitability. Still, Jesup resisted. Camel adherents finally found a welcoming ear in U.S. Senator Jefferson Davis (D-Mississippi). Davis, whose first wife had been a daughter of Zachary Taylor, had fought in Mexico alongside Old Rough and Ready. Named secretary of war in 1853 by President Franklin Pierce, Davis asked Wayne to make a case to Congress for camel transport. In his formal report, Wayne included a martial option: fleet Arabians might be used against Indians in promptly punishing their aggressions. Congress balked. However, newspaper editors, lecturers, and authors fostered the idea until, in 1855, the U.S. House of Representatives appropriated $30,000today, roughly $900,000for the purchase and importation of camels and dromedaries for military purposes. Davis set to work, naming Wayne director of the Camel Military Corps and arranging for U.S. Navy storeship Supply, fresh from Commodore Matthew Perrys sally to Japan, to undertake a camel-buying expedition in the Mediterranean. Wanting recommendations for a suitable skipper, Davis turned to Edward F. Beale, a Mexican War Navy veteran who also had explored Death Valley with frontiersman Kit Carson. Beale nominated a kinsman: Lieutenant David Dixon Porter, a scion of a nautical family whose ranks included adoptive brother David Farragut. Wayne, carrying orders from Davis to buy both Bactrian and Arabian specimens, sailed for Europe in spring 1855 to consult with zoologists before joining Porter late that July aboard Supply at La Spezia, Italy. The plan was to sail to Tunis, acquire a camel, and study its management on shipboard. In North Africa, Porter and Wayne connected with Gwinn H. Heap, Porters brother-in-law and Beales close friend. Son of camel expert Samuel Heap, former American consul at Tunis, Gwinn knew the region, knew camels, and possessed the skill to illustrate the expeditions travels. At Tunis the Americans bought a camel. In addition, the local bey gifted them two more. The dromedaries adapted well to life at sea. Tethered below, the animals gave very little trouble, very much less than a horse, Heap reported. After pauses to dock in Malta, Smyrnanow Izmir, Turkeyand Salonikanow Thessaloniki, GreeceSupply arrived at Constantinople, now Istanbul, Turkey, in October 1855. Demand generated by forces fighting the war in Crimea made camels too expensive for the Americans, but British demonstrations of Bactrians and Arabians performance convinced Wayne to stick with dromedaries. The party sold two of the test camels then sailed for Alexandria, Egypt, arriving late in November. The Americans soon learned about camel idiosyncracies. Shady camel merchants disguised sick or overworked stock by blowing air through a reed to inflate limp humps. Camels ear-piercing groans, especially while being loaded, carried for miles. Worse, furious excitement seized bull camels during a prolonged rutting season. Males eyes reddened and mouths projected bladder-like membranes emitting burbling sounds like a human breaking wind. The sex-crazed beasts jousted among themselves and assaulted handlers, vexing their American stewards. In defense, Wayne hired three indigenous drovers to assist Albert Ray, his American wrangler. Egyptian dromedaries were cheap but Egypt was stingy with export permitsuntil the Americans proffered gifts: two rifled muskets, ammunition, and a mold for casting Minie balls. Carrying ten dromedaries, Supply left Alexandria in January 1856 for Smyrna, where Gwinn Heap was already shopping. He greeted Supply with a 21-animal herd: 19 Arabians15 male, 4 femaleone Bactrian, and one mixed-breed Booghdee. Wayne figured a Bactrian would mollify his boss, Davis. When Supply departed Smyrna for America on February 15, Waynes stock, augmented by the birth of an Arabian and purchase of another Bactrian, numbered 33. Wayne had spent only a third of the funds allotted. Storms plagued Supply all the way back. Of six calves born at sea, four died as did a birthing female. On May 14, 1856, 34 camels stepped ashore at Indianola, Texas, a small Gulf Coast port. As Porter and Heap arranged another buying trip, Wayne launched the Camel Military Corps experiment. In the days ahead, while Waynes beasts made a few friends, they encountered many more skeptics and outright detractors. Watching a dromedary kneel so a drover could load it with two 300-pound hay bales, Indianolans guffawed. The animal wouldnt rise, much less move. Once handlers increased the load to four bales of hay, however, the beast calmly stood and strode off. After acclimating his charges for three weeks, Wayne set out for the interior. Outside Victoria, Texas, Wayne met Pauline Shirkey, 10. He gave the girls mother, Mary, camel hair clippings from which she spun thread and knit socksa gift Wayne sent to President Pierce. Before the caravan departed for San Antonio, Pauline took a memorable ride. The camel bells were jinglingand I was sitting on the back of this unusual steed, she marveled 75 years later. Most locals shied away from the animals odor, noise and, not least, their ability to terrify other livestock. A camels scent, an expert noted, was more easily imagined than described. Presaging the tactic associated with early automobiles, Wayne sent a horseman ahead. Get out of the road! the rider would shout. Camels are coming! By the time the camel herd settled at Camp Verde, an Army post sixty miles northwest of San Antonio, the animals had demonstrated the advantages they offered the army. Once away from populated areas, Wayne advised Davis, camels delivered high-capacity, low-consumption, long-range desert transport for freight, mail, even infantry. The versatile creature could also be mounted with a small gun throwing shrapnel. Wayne and Davis diverged on what came next. Wayne favored patient breeding; Davis wanted immediate full-scale testing. Orders were orders, but Wayne, sensing changes ahead, looked to transfer. Denied re-nomination for the 1856 presidential election, incumbent Democrat Pierce yielded the party reinsas well as the presidencyto James Buchanan. Davis subsequently lost out in a March 1857 cabinet shakeup. He was replaced by former Virginia governor John B. Floyd just as David Porter and Gwinn Heap were delivering 41 additional camels to coastal Texas. Accompanying the beasts were 10 foreign contract workers; notable among them were two Turks Hadji Ali and Eliasand Greek-born George Caralambo. Having completed their contractual obligations, Porter and Heap moved on as did Wayne who, after turning over the Corps to Captain Innis N. Palmer, transferred to Philadelphia. At first, incoming Secretary of War Floyd seemed eager to put the fledgling Camel Corps to work. A four-month debut projectsurveying for construction of a federal road north from El Paso to Fort Yuma, then west to the Colorado River, an 800-mile trek ending at the California borderbegan that June. Employing 25 Arabians from Camp Verde, each toting roughly 700 lb., and 75 mules, each carrying about 175 lb., Beale led the expedition through country where everything ahead is dim, uncertain or unknown, except the dangers. At one point, Beale, riding a large white dromedary stallion named Seid, galloped off, sheik-like, on a 27-mile scouting foray. The best horse or mule in our camp, he marveled, could not have performed the same journey in twice the time. The party reached California on October 17 but Beale wasnt quite done. After sending a 22-animal caravan to Fort Tejon, an outpost adjoining what is now Californias Los Padres National Forest, Beale saddled Seid while Hadji Alihis name Americanized as Hi-Jolly saddled Tuile. Accompanied by horsemen, the two riders navigated their Arabians across more than 200 miles of barren terrain to reach El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula. The animals arrival at what is now Los Angeles stirred excitement. Camels had reached the American West. Citing Beales enthusiasm, Floyd unsuccessfully urged Congress to buy 1,000 more camels, even though Lloyd and Jesup scarcely were able to employor maintaintheir existing herd. One Arizona cavalry captains request to use Arabians to chase marauding Indians did get Jesups endorsement, but Lloyd turned down the overture. At Camp Verde, meanwhile, Innis Palmer pleaded for funds to clothe his nearly naked foreign drovers. A major impediment was Department of Texas commander David E. Twiggs. I know that no living animal can bear the pressure of 600 pounds and go through a campaign in our country, Twiggs declared. By now the West Coast Arabians had relocated to Camp Fitzgerald near Los Angeles. With little else to do, Hi-Jolly and George CaralamboGreek George to allgave camel rides to curious schoolchildren. Male camels began to scrap. During one particularly vicious fight, Tuile stepped on Seids head, killing the stallion. Learning of the camels corralled down South, Newman S. Clarke, the California Departments San Francisco-based commander, requested jurisdiction. Jesup agreed, but it was September 1860 before Clarke instituted a camel express resupply route, an erstwhile Dromedary Line, between Los Angeles and Fort Mohave, 300 miles northeast. Greek George inaugurated the run only to have his camel die en route. When Clarke died that October, the Dromedary Line ceased. Mules stayed the preferred beast of burden. By now, civilian camels were reaching American shores. In October 1858, American steamship Thomas Watson, a known slaver, docked at Galveston, Texas. The owner of record, Mrs. M. J. Watson, declared her vessel was carrying 89 camels. She asked British Consul Arthur T. Lynn for the certification of health required of vessels leaving Galveston for British ports. Suspecting Watson was bound for Cuban slave ports, Lynn declined. During the ensuing dispute, Watson let the beasts go free. About half succumbed to disease or slaughter before she paid a local rancher to round up the survivors. He pastured them on the mainland but, when payments stopped, they too were set loose. In July 1860, San Francisco merchant Otto Esche returned to San Francisco from China with 45 winter-hardened Bactrians. He quartered the animals in a tent on Bush Street, planning to auction them individually. When Esches $1,200-per-head asking price got no takers, he sold ten in a package deal to Julius Bandmann, who pastured them near Pacific Street with occasional thistle-grazing forays to the Presidio. Bandmann resold the beasts for service as pack animals working the Washoe silver mines in distant Esmeralda County, now part of Nevada. Esche, meanwhile, sold a British Columbia mining outfit two dozen animals for a total of $6,000. Employed until 1863 on the rugged Old Cariboo Road, the Cariboo camels eventually were set loose. At least one, said to have been mistaken by a hunter for a bear, was killed, butchered, and served as grizzly steaks. Some of the beasts meandered south to Idaho and Nevada. By then, two dozen Military Camel Corps Arabians had completed their final meaningful job, a midsummer 1859 topographical survey of the Big Bend region in southwest Texas. As Wayne and Beale had, expedition leader Second Lieutenant Edward L. Hartz extolled the animals. The patience, endurance and steadiness which characterize the performance of the camels during this march, Hartz wrote in his journal, is beyond praise. Civil war undid the Camel Corps. When Texas seceded on January 28, 1861, former U.S. Army camels were neglected and abused. Some creatures delivered rural mail; one hauled a Confederate generals baggage. Another, Old Douglas, served with the 43rd Mississippi Infantry; he was killed at Vicksburg. Three camels escaped to federal lines in Arkansas, they were auctioned in St. Louis. When peace was declared, Camp Verdes 66 surviving camels were sold at auction for just $330 to Bethel Coopwood, a Confederate cavalryman who had fought in Arizona and New Mexico. Selling the Ringling Brothers Circus five animals, Coopwood employed the rest of the herd carrying freight between Laredo, Texas, and Mexico City. That business soon failed. The army also auctioned its California camels. Caravanned amid great curiosity up the coast to San Francisco in 1863, all three dozen Arabiansincluding Tuile, now Old Tule and 35 years oldfetched $1,945 from Samuel McLaughlin. He sold a few to a small circus, sent others to silver mines in Nevada, and staged a few Great Dromedary Races. In ensuing decades, remants of Americas camel experiment made occasional news. Edward Beale kept several at his ranch near El Tejon, California, training a pair to pull a sulky on 100-mile trips to Los Angeles. In advance of July 4, 1876, animals that had passed through Otto Esches and Julius Bandmanns hands climbed 9,000-foot Mount Davidson, Nevada, hauling firewood to fuel a centennial bonfire visible from all parts of the Washoe Valley. By mid-1857, all but three Levantine drovers had returned to their homelands. As late as the 1885-1886 cavalry campaign against the Apache war chief Geronimo, Hadji Ali, now a naturalized citizen named Philip Tedro, skinned mules for the army. He married a Tucson woman and fathered two daughters but died impoverished and alone in 1902. Greek George, too, became a citizen. Known as George Allen, he lived for a time near what is now Hollywoods Santa Monica Boulevard. Speaking only Spanish and recognizable by a Homeric and seemingly bulletproof thatch of beard and hair, he died in 1913. The Turkish-born Elias was to exert the most significant impact. Moving to Sonora, Mexico, where he wed a Yaqui Indian woman, Elias operated a ranch and fathered Plutarcho Elias Calles. Nicknamed El Turco, Calles served as a populist Mexican president 1924-1928. By the mid-1880s, American interest in camels as beasts of burden had run out. Cowboys and Native Americans who encountered feral camels were more inclined to kill than domesticate them. Accordingly, the 1883 sightings of Arizonas Red Ghost sparked the sort of wonder later sparked by UFOs. The Arizona mystery resolved itself in stages over the next decade. A month after the water carriers death, a rancher claiming to have seen the Red Ghost described a shaggy red-hued camel carrying a human figure. Seeing the same apparition weeks later, prospectors shot at it; the animal fled, shaking loose a human skull with bits of flesh and hair attached. Finally, in 1893, a rancher saw the Red Ghost consuming his turnip patch, grabbed a rifle, and killed the beast; inspection revealed that knotted rawhide strips, some cutting into the dead animals hide, had been securing remnants of a corpse. The only question, noted the Mohave County Miner, is whether the man was tied on him for revenge or merely as an ugly piece of humor by someone who had a camel and a corpse for which he had no use. Over ensuing decades, camel sightings persisted but gradually dwindled. Old Topsy, last documented descendant of the original Camel Military Corps, died in 1934. Attendants at Griffith Park, the Oakland Tribune reported, destroyed her after she became crippled with paralysis. This story originally appeared in the April 2019 issue of American History. Subscribe here. A former Topgun instructor describes a typical combat training mission during his time at the Navy Fighter Weapons School. In September 1982 I was one of eight students being briefed in a classroom at the Navy Fighter Weapons School at Naval Air Station Miramar for a series of flights over southern Arizona, part of the five-week Topgun class. We were four pilots and four radar intercept officers (the RIOs included me) from four different squadrons. When the instructor was done, we headed back to our hangars and manned-up our F-14A Tomcats. We took off in pairs, for the days scenario was two fighters versus an unknown number of adversaries, which showed up on the flight schedule as 2vUNK. The first number always referred to the fighters (good guys), while the second referred to the bandits (bad guys). Each run would begin with about 30 miles of separation between the opposing parties. The fighters would run a radar intercept against the bandits and launch simulated missiles along the way if shot criteria were met. When we intercepted the bandits, we would engage any that remained in a swirling dogfight. As F-14 pilots and RIOs we were confident in our abilities and looked forward to the days challenges, even though our opponents were highly skilled, wily Topgun instructors. Grumman F-14s had been part of Topgun since they joined operational Navy squadrons in 1974. Over the next few years they displaced the legendary McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II as the Navys frontline fighter, but F-4s hadnt completely disappeared. In addition to the four Navy Tomcats in my Topgun class, four Marine Corps Phantoms filled the remaining openings in the then-standard eight-plane class. But we mostly operated with our own species, mixing aircraft types on a few flights as the syllabus progressed from 1v1 to 8vUNK in 28 flights over the five weeks. While the F-4 had earned an impressive reputation in combat, partly as a result of training conducted by Topgun and similar programs during the Vietnam War, the F-14 brought many useful improvements to the tactical air combat arena. In terms of aerodynamics, the F-14s swing wings maintained the optimum angle as the Mach number changed, while the tunnel area between the engines provided substantial lift, both of which increased the Tomcats turning ability compared to its predecessors. Cockpit switchology was more logical than in previous fighters, and the large canopy provided the crew with excellent visibility all around. The Hughes AWG-9 radar and weapons control system enabled F-14s to detect and track targets at long range, track multiple targets and launch radar-guided missiles at targets below our altitude, known as look-down, shoot-down. Though common today, these were important improvements when the F-14 was introduced. I didnt think about these innovations that morning as I orbited 15 miles east of the Marine Corps Air Station at Yuma, Ariz. I was flying with Lieutenant Sandy Winnefeld, call sign Jaws, a talented pilot and squadron mate in Fighter Squadron 24 (VF-24). We hadnt flown together much, but a few warmup hops and some frank discussions with Topgun veterans in the squadron helped us to be ready when the course started. Boomer and Jake, Lieutenants John Stufflebeem and Steve Jacobsmeyer, were our wingmen. They were the pilot and RIO, respectively, of an F-14 from sister squadron VF-211. Our squadrons were assigned to the same carrier, and in standard Topgun fashion we were wingmen throughout the class. In the 2v phase, we flew with Boomer and Jake on every flight, taking turns as flight lead while the other plane was the wingman. Once an intercept developed, we could switch tactical lead and wingman roles if necessary. We briefed the ground rules for these switches, and used radio calls to accomplish them. After a few flights we operated well as a team. Crusing above the Pacific, Bio Baranek enjoys the 360-degree view afforded by the Grumman F-14s cockpit. The Tomcat was the first U.S. fighter in decades to offer such all-around visibility. (Dave Baranek) Crusing above the Pacific, Bio Baranek enjoys the 360-degree view afforded by the Grumman F-14s cockpit. The Tomcat was the first U.S. fighter in decades to offer such all-around visibility. (Dave Baranek) We had completed F-14 training within months of each other, and had roughly 1 years in our fleet squadrons at this point. All of us had flown multi-aircraft missions, but few of those had the intensity we experienced in Topgun, which was really a graduate course in fighter employment. As the scenarios evolved, I expanded my sphere of tactical concern outward from my own cockpit to encompass multiple aircraft and consider how my fight affected our assigned mission. Thanks to Topguns intense debriefs and a no-holds-barred attitude shared by Jaws, Boomer and Jake, my skill as an RIO increased rapidly from the first day. My own call sign was Bio, though for a week or so it was Bionic, since that rhymes with my last name. One of my F-14 instructors, Lieutenant Steve Superman Jones, encouraged me to go with that call sign when I was an ensign, but it didnt sound good on the radio, and I wasnt very bionic anyway. So my first pilot in VF-24 shortened it to Bio, which stuck. Our 2vUNK scenario was one of the most realistic, because the basic unit for combat employment of Navy fighters is a section (two fighters) composed of lead and wingman. The value of a second fighter was borne out repeatedly, and the Navy almost never assigned a single fighter to a combat mission. If we started out as a division of four fighters, we could easily split into two sections. On the bandit side, in the real world you rarely knew for sure how many you were actually facing, so it was always good to think there were an unknown number of bandits. Despite the quality of E-2 Hawkeye, E-3 Sentry AWACS or shipboard radar control, despite the fighters ability to sanitize airspace and kill enemy aircraft before the merge, additional enemy fighters could show up over hostile territory at almost any time. Focusing on killing those you see is a good way to be killed by those you dont. One of the worst times an unknown could show up would be while the fighters were running an interceptwith RIOs looking at their radars, pilots setting up a tactical formation, everyone checking switches in their cockpits, communicating with the radar controller and thinking 15 to 30 miles ahead. Topgun wanted to give us the most challenging training possible, so it had the option to use aWild Card, a single bandit that could jump the fighters any time after the fights-on call. Crews were always briefed when we were susceptible to being jumped by a Wild Card, because otherwise the appearance of an unexpected aircraft would be cause to terminate the run. And even when we werent actually jumped, just checking for the Wild Card added to our workload. Our Topgun opponents were flying Northrop F-5E and F-5F Tiger IIs and McDonnell Douglas A-4F Skyhawks. On paper the F-14 bested both aircraft in most measures of performance, even though it was much larger than either of them. But their small size and agility helped both types challenge the Navys frontline fighters. Moreover, the experience of their Topgun pilots was a huge factor and one of the schools major teaching points: Aircrew training and performance are frequently the deciding factor in aerial combat. Led by a two-seat Northrop F-5F, three single seat F-5E Tiger IIs head out for an early morning missionto give Topgun students a run for their money over Southern California. (Dave Baranek) Led by a two-seat Northrop F-5F, three single seat F-5E Tiger IIs head out for an early morning missionto give Topgun students a run for their money over Southern California. (Dave Baranek) For this Wednesday morning runhalfway through the five-week programall Topgun aircraft were simulating MiG-21s with simple heat-seeking missiles that had to be fired from the rear quarter so they could track our exhaust heat. That gave the F-14s a decided advantage during the intercept, but would still be a challenge once we engaged the bandits. Flying in loose formation at 22,000 feet and about 220 knots indicated airspeed, we waited for the first two F-14s to finish so we could take our turn on the range. Rather than just kill time waiting, we switched the front-seat radios in both jets to listen to the other section. We heard the fighters ahead of us run intercepts, call missile shots and engage at the merge. It did not go well. Since it played out just moments before we were to enter the same arena, however, this helped us prepare mentally and gave us fresh incentive to remain calm and professional. The other section knocked off their last fight and headed for Yuma to refuel and debrief. We reset our front-seat radios to our assigned frequency, and on the back-seat radio I called, Topgun 3 and 4 ready for weapons checks. We coordinated with our controller to verify that our TACTS pods were working. Each aircraft carried a small pod that linked us to the Tactical Aircrew Combat Training System, transmitting our position, speed, Gload and other information to ground stations where it was viewed in real time and recorded, making it a priceless aid for both real-time control and detailed debriefs. I thought TACTS was a cool gadget when I was first exposed to it, and the more I used it, the more I appreciated its value. Our controller said, Bandits on station, ready. Having done this about two dozen times so far in Topgun, our section was ready so I replied, Fighters are ready. The controller said, Recorders on, fights on. Bandits 108 degrees at 36 miles, angels 22, headed northwest. Angels 22they were at an altitude of 22,000 feet. That would surely change during the run. As we completed our left turn, Jake and I both slewed our radars to the limit of their scan volumes to point toward the threat. I was searching medium to high altitude, he was searching medium to low. For initial detection I used long-range automatic mode, and almost immediately saw initial radar contacts, so I said over the radio, Jaws contact that call. Fighters steady one-zero-zero. On a mission like this, we used the pilots call sign for our aircraft. The hits on my radar were off a few degrees from the controllers call, but it was close enough for the start of the intercept. My directive call to the pilotsfly a heading of 100 degreeswas more important than the targets exact location at this point. This was something all RIOs are taught starting in Pensacola, but at Topgun it was hammered home for me. During the intercept, the lead RIO had to drive the fighters. The radar placed a small symbol for the contact on the 9-inch scope between my knees. This was the tactical information display (TID). Jaws had a duplicate of the display, but he wasnt looking at it. Wed talked about who looked where during the intercept, and at this point his attention was focused outside. I took two seconds to look high over my left shoulder, then jerked my head to look high over my right, scanning for a Wild Card. He would be hard to see against the bright midday sun. Nothing up there. Jake was doing the same in his jet. I returned to my radar. I noted bandit altitude, about the same as ours, and figured this would be a good time to switch the radar to a manual mode (pulse search) to try for a better sense of the number of bandits and their formation. I adjusted antenna elevation, then twisted other knobs to enhance the radar picture, actions that were essentially subconscious by then, given my 700 hours in the F-14. I leaned forward to squint at the small 4-inch detail data display (DDD) in front of my face. On the glowing green screen I saw black blobs representing mountains, and discerned several well defined black dots. Jaws, single group, 108 at 32, I estimated over the radio. It was still early in the intercept, so I didnt have to be too accurate. I reached up and switched back to the autotrack mode. I told Jaws about my radar mode switches. If I was having problems, he might suggest a solution, but this run was going fine so far. Jake said, Boomer same. He saw the targets that the controller and I called, and had no additional bandits in his altitude block. We were flying at about 350 knots, the bandits about the same. Every second we came almost 1,200 feet closer to each other. This was the slow part of the intercept. It was now about 30 seconds after the fights-on call. Jaws, 112 at 30, angels 22, heading west, speed 350. Bearing, range, altitude, heading and speed. My radar was automatically tracking one of the targets and occasionally showed another symbol, but it couldnt yet distinguish all the additional targets. Our heading was fine, so I didnt need to give direction for a few seconds. We were headed roughly east (100 degrees), accelerating through 400 knots, with Boomer and Jake on our left side about 1 miles away. Every few seconds I looked for a Wild Card. On the intercom I told Jaws,I see additional targets in pulse, but theyre just a gaggle. Roger. I looked up and left again, then right, and called over the UHF radio, Jaws, hard right, tally, right five high! Id spotted a bandit about 10,000 feet above us, just beginning his attacka Wild Card. Jaws added power and pulled our jet into a level 4-G turn to the right, abandoning the intercept to deal with the immediate threat. Boomer started to go nose-low so both fighters were not in the same piece of sky. Four sets of eyeballs looked high and to the right. After 30 to 40 degrees of turn, we heard over the radios, Fighters continue. That call came from the Wild Card pilot and meant we had seen him early enough to meet the training objective, so now we could turn our attention back to the intercept. Over the radio I immediately said, Jaws, left, steady 110. Estimating we were about 25 miles from the bandits, I wanted to get them on radar and reassess. The AWG-9 lost the target in the turn but displayed an estimated location. This agreed with my mental plot, so I ensured my radar was looking in the right place. In just a few seconds the target reappeared, and now the radar broke out additional targets.Jaws, single group, 115 at 22 miles, come left 090. Theyre at angels 18, lets go down. Jake answered, Boomer, second group in eight-mile trail. Aside from its relatively slow roll rate, the F-14 was remarkably maneuverable for a 60,000-pound fighter with a 62-foot length and fully extended wingspan of 64 feet. (Dave Baranek) Aside from its relatively slow roll rate, the F-14 was remarkably maneuverable for a 60,000-pound fighter with a 62-foot length and fully extended wingspan of 64 feet. (Dave Baranek) We immediately recognized this tactic from our classes. While we were dealing with the Wild Card, some bandits performed a tight delaying turn that put them a few miles behind the lead. This would complicate our decision-making: We couldnt dogfight the first bandits, or the trailers would easily shoot us, but we couldnt ignore the lead bandits either. If we could use the Tomcats vaunted AIM-54 Phoenix missile, we could each launch missiles at some targets, then attack the others with our other weapons. But in those days AIM-54s were reserved for defending the carrier against a Soviet bomber raid, so we had a real challengeespecially since we were required to visually identify all aircraft before shooting. As we had planned, Jake now focused his radar on the second group. We were now inside of 20 miles to the lead group. Jaws descended to 16,000 feet and leveled off. I switched again to the manual radar mode and got an accurate look at the bandit formation. Both the fighters and the bandits accelerated, so we were now approaching each other at one mile every four seconds. On the radio I described the bandit formation, Jaws, lead group is lined-out right, 18 miles, angels 18. Jake said, Boomer, trailers at 25 miles. It sounds like a long distance, but I knew things would happen fast in the next minute and was feeling the excitement. I switched back to auto-track mode, and adjusted the scale of my display. The radar took a few sweeps to process information. Now we were about 13 miles from the lead group. On the intercom I said, Jaws, look at the TID. For most of the intercept to this point Jaws had been looking outside the aircraft. When we had less than 15 miles to the merge I set up a picture on the display that he could see, then told him when to look. This was his cue to say, Boomer is at left eight low, using the common clock code. Jaws looked in to get the tactical picture. I looked out to locate our wingman. He said, Got it, and I said, Visual, so we both accomplished what we intended. I turned to the radar again and took a radar lock on the lead bandit, which would allow us to shoot an AIM-7 Sparrow missile. Once I saw the two small green lights indicating a good lock, I said over the radio, Jaws, locked lead, 10 miles, lined-out right. Jake said, Boomer, trailers at 16 miles, angels 15, line-abreast. So the second group had sped up a little, and they were a little below us. Jaws turned our fighter to the right to put the targets on the nose. He looked through the head-up display on his windscreen, and a green diamond showed target location based on our radar lock. Jaws had good vision and called, Speck in the diamond. This let everyone know he could see something where the bandits were supposed to be, which was good. I divided my attention between ensuring the radar lock stayed good, checking Boomers position, checking fuel and making notes for the debrief. If the radar hiccupped, I could manually get another lock, but that didnt happen on this run. I didnt write a lot of notes during intercepts, but the Topgun debrief was always in the back of my mind. Fox One, lead A-4, 18,000 feet. Jaws squeezed the trigger on his stick, and a tone indicated that the simulated AIM-7 shot registered on the TACTS instrumentation. He had identified the aircraft type and altitude to show he was not just taking a wild shot. In the next 30 seconds things happened fast, and there was a lot of information to process. Boomer made a radio call that he saw both bandits in the lead group. Jake made a radio call about the trail group; he had a radar lock. I updated Jaws on Boomers position (9 oclock low, one mile). The bandit we shot was called dead by the TACTS controller. Jaws selected a Sidewinder heat-seeking missile, got a tone and called a shot on the second bandit in the lead group. That one was also a kill; the lead group was gone. Jaws gave Boomer the lead to get us to the trailers, only eight miles away now. From looking out and forward to acquire the bandits, I went back to the radar and took a lock on the second bandit of the trail group. Fox One, northern F-5, 15,000 feet. Boomer had identified and shot one of the trailing bandits. On his call the entire formation was considered hostile, so Jaws also launched a missile: Fox One, southern bandit that group. The TACTS controller announced both of those bandits killed, then said, Knock it off, knock it off. Jaws, knock it off. Boomer, knock it off, state 10.8. So there had been four bandits downrange, and we were awarded kills for all of our missile shots. A great way to start a day of flying! We flew back to our holding point and set up for the next run. On the second run we did not have a Wild Card, but that aircraft flew with the other bandits to present us with a 2v5. We also did not kill all the bandits before the merge, so we had some great engaged time. We then flew a third engagement, a short setup of about 20 miles, before landing at Yuma to debrief, turn the jets around and brief for an afternoon go. On later flights Topgun would simulate bandits armed with radar-guided missiles, presenting us with a more challenging intercept. I rarely thought about the specific elements of the F-14 that made us so capable in both the intercept and engaged portions of air-to-air combat. They were all things that I had been trained to use, and my expertise in employing the total system was demanded. In looking back and comparing the systems, capabilities and threats from 1982 to those of today, however, it is interesting to think how much has changed. In general, fighters worldwide now have greater maneuverability and increased engine thrust compared to aircraft then in service. Avionics and air-to-air missiles of friendly and threat forces have also seen significant advances. Yet a common element links combat aviators of all eras: The aircrew makes the difference. The training, skill and performance of the pilot and additional crew are often the deciding factors in an engagement. Topgun and similar programs have always realized this, and they continue to prove its validity and relevance in aerial warfare. David Baranek graduated from Topgun in 1982 and accumulated 2,500 hours in F-14s during three squadron assignments. He also spent 450 hours in F-5Fs as a Topgun instructor, and is listed in the credits of the film Top Gun. His book Topgun Days, from which this article is adapted, was published in June and is recommended for further reading. Also try: Grumman F-14 Tomcat: Bye-Bye Baby!, by Dave Parsons, George Hall and Bob Lawson; Grumman F-14 Tomcat: Shipborne Superfighter, by Jon Lake; and Tomcat! The Grumman F-14 Story, by Paul T. Gillcrist. Originally published in the November 2010 issue of Aviation History. To subscribe, click here. Click here to build your own Topgun Tomcat! US president Donald Trump called for unity, as had been previewed by his aides, in his State of the Union address on Tuesday but also pitched hard his immigration agenda that includes the divisive border wall, differences over which caused the longest government shutdown in history. On Afghanistan, a key take-away from the speech for India, Trump said his administration has accelerated the negotiations for a political solution, talking to all, including the Taliban. He said as talks progress the United States will be able to reduce our troop presence and focus on counter-terrorism. He did not mention either a drawdown timeline or number. The US president also announced he would be meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for their second summit on February 27 and 28 in Vietnam. And about trade war with China, President Trump said that while the two countries are working on a new trade deal, the US will not accept anything that does not include real, structural change to end unfair trade practices, reduce our chronic trade deficit, and protect American jobs. He also declared victory in the battle against the Islamic State, saying it has been evicted from virtually all of the territories it had held when he came into office. Trumps speech, delivered to a packed joint sitting of US congress, lasted 82 minutes and was interrupted many times by applause, mostly partisan, from Republicans and his cabinet, but also by both sides a few times, especially on women issues. A noticeably large group of Democrat women leaders dressed in white, in a nod to the movement for womens right to vote, joined in for a bit with a standing ovation, on some women issues, when he spoke of job numbers for women. Trump started with a lofty call for unity. Together, we can break decades of political stalemate. We can bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions, forge new solutions, and unlock the extraordinary promise of Americas future. The decision is ours to make, he said. We must choose between greatness or gridlock, results or resistance, vision or vengeance, incredible progress or pointless destruction. Tonight, I ask you to choose greatness. Few minutes later, Trump plowed into immigration, asking once again for Democrats to join Republicans behind his plan. The president and congressional Democrats are stalemated on the funding of a border wall, the key element of Trumps immigration agenda and also the most divisive, with a looming deadline of February 15 when funding runs out for government departments that opened recently after the unprecedented 35-day shutdown. Trump proceeded to pitch his immigration plan talking about caravans of illegal immigrations marching towards the US border from central America, drugs, human traffickers, murders, rape, gang violence that he has used before portray a sense of crisis needing urgent attention. This is a moral issue, he said, and proceeded to talk about victims of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants. Not one more American life should be lost because our Nation failed to control its very dangerous border. The US president then sought support for a plan he sent the congress earlier but which has already been rejected. It includes $5.7 billion for a wall in exchange for temporary relief for undocumented immigrants brought to the US as children and more funds for hiring extra immigration judges and border agents. The wall, he also called it a physical barrier, remains the cornerstone of his plan and promise. And he is not abandoning it. Walls work and walls save lives, the president pitched it, one more time. So lets work together, compromise, and reach a deal that will truly make America safe. Also read| Full text of US president Donald Trumps State of the Union address Immigration was one of the five major areas he focussed on in his second the State of the Union address. The other four were infrastructure development; healthcare to bring down drug prices among other things; trade, that included talks with China and the pact with Canada and Mexico to replace an earlier agreement; and national security through military and diplomacy. While speaking of the achievements of his administration earlier in the speech, the president took a shot at the ongoing Russia investigations, some of which are being conducted by congressional committees, separately from the one led by special counsel Robert Mueller. An economic miracle is taking place in the United States -- and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics, or ridiculous partisan investigations. If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation. It just doesnt work that way! US president Donald Trump said in his highly-anticipated State of the Union speech on Tuesday that illegal immigration was an urgent national crisis as he vowed to build a border wall that has led him on a collision path with Democrats. Trump spoke in the chamber of the House of Representatives facing political discord over his demands that Democrats end their opposition to funding for a border wall he says is needed to stem illegal immigration and smuggled drugs. He also said the Democrat attempts at ridiculous partisan investigations could damage the countrys prosperity. (Follow live updates here) He made the speech before a joint session of the US Congress, with his main Democratic adversary, new House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, watching over his shoulder. He, however, stopped short of declaring a border emergency that would allow him to bypass Congress for wall funding. Instead, he urged Democrats and Republicans to find a compromise by a February 15 deadline. In the past, most of the people in this room voted for a wall, but the proper wall never got built. I will get it built, Trump said. This is a smart, strategic, see-through steel barrier not just a simple concrete wall. It will be deployed in the areas identified by border agents as having the greatest need, and as these agents will tell you, where walls go up, illegal crossings go way down, he said. Democrats, however, say the wall would be a waste of money and ineffective. Read| Trump praises legal immigrants, says want people to come... but legally The Republican president appeared in the House chamber just weeks after his demand for $5.7 billion in funding for a US-Mexico border wall triggered a historic 35-day partial government shutdown that more than half of Americans blamed him for, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling. The nationally televised address gave Trump his biggest opportunity to date to explain why he believes a barrier is needed on the US southern border with Mexico. The speech was delayed for a week because of the shutdown, which ended on January 25. Simply put, walls work and walls save lives. So lets work together, compromise, and reach a deal that will truly make America safe, Trump said. At the same time, Trump warned that Democratic efforts to investigate his administration, along with the possibility of US involvement in wars abroad, would endanger the US economy. An economic miracle is taking place in the United States and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics, or ridiculous partisan investigations, he said. Also read| Chinas theft of US jobs and wealth must come to an end: Trump His remarks came as Democrats, who now control the House, planned a series of investigations into the Trump administration and a special prosecutor investigates Russian meddling into the 2016 US presidential election and possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow. Russia denies meddling and Trump has said there was no collusion. Apart from listing economic accomplishments - unemployment near a five-decade low and manufacturing job growth among them - Trumps speech was light on new initiatives to further stoke growth in an economy seen as losing momentum as it began 2019. A Reuters poll last month forecast economic growth would slow to 2.1% this year after likely averaging around 3% in 2018. No sign of any shift Pelosi, who wore white like many Democratic lawmakers to celebrate the 100th anniversary of American women gaining the right to vote, applauded half-heartedly at times and frequently sat stony-faced through Trumps address. She has shown no sign of budging from her opposition to Trumps wall-funding demand. That has led Trump to contemplate declaring a national emergency, which he says would let him reallocate funding from elsewhere without congressional action. Some of Trumps fellow conservatives have urged him not to declare an emergency. Republican Senator Susan Collins told reporters on Tuesday that such a move would upend the balance of powers between the White House and Congress. Trump also used part of his speech to offer a spirit of compromise, particularly in areas such as lowering the price of prescription drugs and funding a $1 trillion upgrade in US roads, bridges and other infrastructure. But whether Trump and his opponents would follow through was far from clear, with both sides entrenched in long-held positions and girding for 2020 elections, reluctant to give the other side a political victory. Trump also called attention to his efforts to rewrite trade deals with China and other nations to make the terms more favourable to the United States. As his economic advisers work to complete a trade deal with China, Trump said any agreement must include real, structural change to end unfair trade practices, reduce our chronic trade deficit, and protect American jobs. He also called out Iran for threats against Israel. We will not avert our eyes from a regime that chants Death to America and threatens genocide against the Jewish people, he will say. Trump also addressed foreign policy, including support for an effort to coax Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro into leaving power and declaring the Islamic State militant group all but defeated. Also read: Full text of US president Donald Trumps State of the Union address (With Reuters inputs) An Indonesian court on Wednesday jailed a British woman for six months for slapping an immigration officer in the face on the island of Bali after an argument over a fine for staying in the country after her visa expired. Auj-e Taqaddas, 42, was found guilty in a court in Balis capital, Denpasar, of violence against an officer at Balis airport carrying out his legal duty, Judge Esthar Oktavi told Reuters. The sentence is six months in prison, Oktavi said by text message. The sentence was lighter than the one-year jail term sought by the prosecutor over the incident on July 28 last year. This is an unfair decision ... I was forcibly brought to the court, no lawyers provided, Taqaddas told the court, accusing the prosecutors of torturing her three times and trapping her in the country. The judge and prosecutor said Taqaddas had filed an appeal. Her sentencing had been postponed several times because she was sick and also when authorities said she had checked out of a hotel, and could not find her, when they tried to collect her for the hearing. A smartphone video of the purported incident, which went viral at the time, showed an agitated Taqaddas shouting and swearing at the immigration official, before slapping him across the face after grappling to snatch her passport back from him. The woman had overstayed by about 160 days and was asked to pay a fine of 300,000 rupiah ($21.60) for each day, or about $3,500 in all. The resort island is Indonesias main tourism hub, attracting millions of foreign tourists a year to its beaches, temples and bars. A small number of visitors run into trouble with the law every year, sometimes for breaking the Southeast Asian countrys tough laws on drugs. But prosecutors pointed to witnesses who testified that the officers, who were wearing tactical vests and had their badges on lanyards, were readily identifiable. One of the officers wedged his car in front of Auterberrys at a stop light near the Interstate 290 interchange. The second officer pulled behind Auterberry and activated his emergency lights, Assistant States Attorney Alyssa Rabulinski told jurors. RANCHI: Unrest is simmering among farmers in Jharkhand due to delay in release of compensation amount against the crop loss incurred during kharif season last year. Farmers said they were undergoing an acute crisis, as they face another drought-like situation in rabi season this year. The state government declared 129 out of 264 blocks in Jharkhand as drought hit. As many as 93 blocks are severely affected by drought due to poor sowing during rainy season last year. Three central teams assessed a drought situation in 21 blocks of seven districts from December 7 to December 9 last year. The teams accepted the states claim of major crop loss in the rainy season. The state has sought an assistance of Rs 818.93 crore from the entre to deal with the situation. The centre has reportedly approved the drought package for Jharkhand and the fund is expected to be released this week, officials said on Tuesday. Two months have passed since the central teams visit.We are still running from pillar to post for compensation against crop loss. No government official has any information regarding the delay, said Nandu Viswakarma, a resident of Tibera village in Nawa Bazar block in Palamu district. Viswakarma said he had sown paddy on four acres of land. However, the output was merely 1.5 quintal. The government has announced Nawa Bazar block as drought hit but we are yet to get any compensation, he said, adding, I have seven-member family and undergoing an acute financial crisis. Union finance minister Piyush Goyal in the interim budget for 2019-20 proposed Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, under which a farmer with less than 2 hectares of landholding will get an annual incentive of Rs 6,000, to be paid in three equal instalments. The state government has already promised Rs 5,000 per acre to farmers having up to five acres of land. Sahimsah said, I have heard that the farmers who have their land records digitised will get the benefit of governments incentives. If it is true, no farmers from the block will get the benefit, as land records of our lands are yet to be uploaded online. Poor sowing during the rabi season has resulted in additional woes for the farmers. Around 36% arable land, meant for rabi crops, are lying fallow. Against the target of 11.69 lakh hectares, sowing coverage of rabi crops was recorded in merely 7.58 lakh hectares of land. Sowing coverage for the rabi season in 2018 was 79%, around 20% above the current year. Mukesh Sinha, deputy director at state agriculture department said, Jharkhands proposal for drought package is under process with the centre. We hope funds would be released very soon. Ashok Kumar , special secretary at disaster management department said, The data of farmers crop loss is being collected. They would be given compensation very soon. Jharkhand drought Total drought affected blocks: 129 Severely drought hit blocks: 93 Jharkhand seeks from Centre: Rs 818.93 crore Central teams visit Jharkhand: December 7 to December 9 EOM Prime Minister Narendra Modi may lay the foundation of the long-awaited Patna metro rail project later this month or early next month. Bihars Urban development minister Suresh Sharma told HT that the state government was all geared up for the foundation laying on February 17 or on March 3, when the Prime Minister comes. The PM may lay the foundation of the project once it is cleared by the Union cabinet, likely this month itself. Chief minister Nitish Kumar has also expressed his desire that the foundation is laid by the PM, said Sharma, adding that it would give them huge political mileage ahead of Lok Sabha elections. The minister said that principal secretary of urban development department (UDD), Chaitanya Prasad, had already left for Delhi to discuss the DPR of metro rail project with senior officials of different ministries and pave the way for the cabinet nod at the earliest. We have got information about Modis tentative plan to visit Bihar on February 17 and March 3 to attend a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) event in Patna. CM Nitish Kumar would approach him for the foundation laying of the project as soon as it is approved by the Centre, said Sharma. The DPR of Patna metro rail was cleared by the state cabinet in October last year. In view of the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, leaders of the NDA constituents, JD(U), BJP and the LJP, have proposed a mega rally at Gandhi Maidan on March 3, a few days ahead of the announcements for polls by the Election Commission of India. The rally would apparently launch the NDAs election campaign in Bihar by Modi. Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday visited the families of two Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots, who were killed in the Mirage 2000 crash in Bengaluru on February 1. The minister visited the family of squadron leader Siddhartha Negi in Dehradun and later arrived in Ghaziabad to meet the family of squadron leader Samir Abrol at his residence in the citys Gandhi Nagar locality. Both Samir, 32, and Siddhartha, 31, were on a test flight in their upgraded Mirage 2000 fighter jet when it crashed during the take-off at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) airstrip on February 1. The two pilots were attached to the aircraft and systems testing establishment. The French origin trainer aircraft, manufactured by Dassault Aviation, was on an acceptance sortie after being upgraded at HAL. The IAF has already ordered a probe into the accident. The minister visited our family to offer condolences. There was no conversation beyond this. The air force knows better about the crash and we trust them to do justice to us. The inquiry into the crash will take its own time and we will be patient, Sushant, Samirs brother, said. The minister, during her 30-minute stay in Ghaziabad, also met Garima, Samirs wife. After the crash, Garima and Sushant had shared some tweets and posts on social media but said that these were not directed towards anyone. After the defence minister left their house on Tuesday, Sushant said they dont want to politicise the issue. The tweets are very personal and depict the emotions of the family after such an incident. These were just to be shared among family and friends. These were not directed towards anyone. My brother was very proud of the air force. So why shouldnt we be proud of my brother and the force? he said. Samirs family had earlier said that off all the aircraft Samir had flown, he loved flying the Mirage 2000 the most. The Mirage was first inducted into IAF in 1984 and the recent crash was the 11th incident involving the Mirage fleet. The IAF is now left with an inventory of 48 Mirage 2000 fighter jets. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized smuggled, foreign-origin cigarettes worth Rs 17 crore on February 5 and arrested two people involved in a cigarette-smuggling racket. According to DRI officials, this is one of the largest cigarette seizures in recent times. Acting on specific inputs, DRI officials intercepted a 40-feet container at a godown in Taloja, in Navi Mumbai, on Tuesday. The container was from Dubai and its destination was Aurangabad inland container depot (ICD). Inside, 650 master cartons were recovered, containing clove cigarettes of the Indonesian brand Gudang Garam. When the DRI team raided the godown, the cigarettes were being replaced with declared cargo. The market value of the seized cigarettes is estimated at Rs 17 crore. Gudang Garam is a popular brand among Indian smokers, according to the DRI. In October 2017, the agency seized Rs 6.92 crore worth Gudang Garam cigarettes. During the raid, officials arrested Ranjay Kumar and Rajeev Kumar, and detained two others for questioning. The accused were arrested under relevant sections of the Customs Act. The DRI officials are looking for another man, Manish, who is from Cyprus but is operating from Dubai. According to the DRI, he is the mastermind of the racket. Explaining the modus operandi, a DRI official said the container containing the cigarettes came from Dubai where the smugglers took advantage of the free trade zone. It was to be offloaded at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) in Navi Mumbai and would then be transported by road to Aurangabad. Before it reached the ICD in Aurangabad, where customs officers would check the seal and consignment, the syndicate would replace the smuggled cargo of cigarettes with cartons of wash basins, the declared imported cargo. Both the original broken seal and the duplicate seal were recovered from the premises, according to the DRI. Although the wash basins were marked as Made in China, it was found that they were domestically procured in Navi Mumbai. The markings were intended to mislead customs officials into thinking the wash basins were imported. The accused told the DRI during interrogation that around two weeks ago, theyd carried out a trial run by smuggling 45 cartons of cigarettes in the same way. When this was successful, the 650 master cartons were smuggled in. I dont know how familiar you are with 23 And Me. I first heard about it during a visit to San Francisco two years ago and found the idea fascinating. A friend got us the kits and we discovered that all we had to do was to spit into a container. This container went back to 23 And Mes headquarters in America, where they isolated the DNA and analysed it. Many weeks later, they mailed us our reports. Not only did these reports contain a list of diseases and conditions that we might be genetically susceptible to, it also analysed our ancestry. And it included the names or intials of a lot of people (from among those who had sent their DNA to 23 And Me) who we were related to (even distantly), nearly all of whom we had never heard of before. My wife, who is a Punjabi from the area around the Jhelum had wondered if there would be traces of Greek DNA in her results because Punjabis are said to carry the genetic imprint of Alexander the Greats invading army. No such luck. There was nothing Greek about her genetic make-up. (Well, Alexander did get here in 326 BC which is quite a long time ago.) On the other hand, there were many surprises. The report said that part of her ancestry was Middle Eastern (which may explain those eyebrows), East Asian (those high cheekbones) and bizarrely, Scandinavian. (What? Scandinavian? She is hardly a Viking.)! Most of her DNA suggested South Asian ancestry as you would expect, but the cocktail of her ethnicities took us by surprise. The list of her genetic relatives followed from this. Though she was born a Hindu she shared genes with many Muslims (I guess, most Punjabis from the Jhelum region do) and many people who, judging by their names, were probably white. (Vikings? Who knows?) My results were much less exciting. I was nearly 100 per cent South Asian. There were no Chinese people or Vikings in my ancestry. And when I looked at the list of my genetic relatives, they were all Gujaratis. 23 And Me is the service I used but, all over the world, people are going to hundreds of such companies which track down your ancestry and help put your DNA to a variety of uses. In America, the focus is on finding exact ethnic origins because it is a country created by immigrants and nearly everyone has a different cocktail of ethnicities in their genes. To a lesser extent, Europeans also have complex ancestry. But because 23 And Me is not particularly interested in India, they are content to identify a general South Asian ethnicity rather than look for the categories that serious scientists have listed. Some of us have Ancestral North Indian (ANI) DNA. Some have Ancestral South Indian (ASI). Some have other origins. And nearly all of us are a mixture of the various genetic types that characterise the subcontinent. This is fine, right? And it is good to know who our ancestors were, isnt it? Er, yes. Unless you live in todays India, alas. David Reich is one of the worlds foremost genetic researchers. (I reviewed his book Who We Are and How We Got Here for HT last year), but even he has had to come to terms with the problem faced by anyone carrying out DNA research in India. As he wrote in his book, the tensest 24 hours of my scientific career came in October 2008 when I travelled to Hyderabad to discuss these initial results... The results he refers to suggested that Indians were descended from a mixture of two highly divergent ancestral populations. One such population was what Reich called West Eurasians. The results of his research were complex but one thing he was certain about was that there was a migration to India from the Steppes thousands of years ago and that many Indians carried some Steppe DNA. He called it West Eurasian because people in that Steppe region still had the same DNA suggesting a kind of Central Asian-European ancestry for many of us. Those of you who paid attention in class may find this vaguely familiar. You were probably told that we were descended from Aryans who invaded India and pushed the Dravidians South. You were also told that one branch of the Aryans went West and set up European civilisations. This was the view of British historians and there was some evidence for this view. Linguists suggest that Sanskrit and Latin were derived from a common source language. Archaeology suggests that one group of Indians arrived later than those who had set up existing civilisations in the subcontinent. And the languages of the South seem different from those of the North. The problem was that a) there was no real evidence of any kind of invasion and b) the British used this theory for their own ends, suggesting that the Upper Caste North Indians (who were fairer) were kind-of-European like the Brits and therefore, that these Upper Castes were their natural allies. This theory was already in place when, in the 1920s, Mohenjodaro and Harappa were discovered. British historians had no idea that such a civilisation (which they called the Indus Valley Civilisation) had even existed and they struggled to put a date to it (1500 BC was one estimate) and tried to fit it into their Aryan-Dravidian model. By the 1940s, the very word Aryan had fallen into disrepute in the West after Adolf Hitler hijacked it to refer a master race that was superior to gypsies, Jews, Eastern Europeans and others. And after the British left, Indian archaeologists discovered that this civilisation spread far beyond the Indus Valley; new sites keep being discovered, including many in Gujarat. The origin of the Harappan civilisation is one of the most fascinating mysteries of Indian history. Who were these people? Why had we never heard of them before? The debate has continued to rage but there are broadly three theories. A) They were part of an unknown civilisation who vanished when their civilisation perished. (This is what Pakistanis tell visitors to Mohenjodaro). B) They were part of a Dravidian civilisation that withered away. C) They were the original Hindus. Most of us would be happy enough with any of these explanations if the truth could be established. But the problem is that while we now have written corroboration of the ways of the Harappa civilisation (from abroad; it had links with Mesopotamia which recorded their interactions) we still havent (even after a near century!) been able to decipher the Harappan script. So all we have is archaeology, which is fascinating but inconclusive. Over the last decade, DNA has entered the picture. As Dr. Reich found, the DNA evidence suggests that there were many kinds of Indians. There were the First Indians who have been here for tens of thousands of years. Then came a wave of Iranian agriculturists who immigrated to India. Around 5000 BC, the early Harappa civilisation was established. In 2100, the Steppe people started moving to India. In 2000 BC, migrations from China reached Eastern India. None of this is about invasions or Aryans or Dravidians. It only suggests that what 23 And Me calls South Asian DNA is a lot more complex than we realise. Fair enough. So why does it lead to so many controversies that Dr. Reich had the tensest 24 hours of his career while telling people what Indian DNA was? Well, because politicians and their followers have always been reluctant to accept the diversity and complexity of India. The DMK, which wanted Tamil Nadu to secede from India in the 1950s, saw Indian history through the prism of Dravidians who had battled Aryans for millennia. The Dravidians were a separate and distinct people (except perhaps for the Brahmins who, it was claimed, had been suborned by the Aryans) and deserved their own country. And now, there is the problem of the Hindu Right. It rejects the notion of different people arriving in India at different times and says that Indians have always lived in India and they have always been Hindu; till the Muslims got here. For this to be true, the Harappa civilisation has to have been a Hindu civilisation. There can be no migration from the Steppes. The suggestion that the Steppes people brought an early form of Sanskrit with them is misplaced. Sanskrit is purely Indian. The Harappa language was a form of Sanskrit it just hasnt been properly deciphered yet. The Harappa gods were Hindu gods. And so on. As all of this is difficult to prove, battles break out over archaeology. Historians say that the Harappan people were not big on horse-drawn chariots. So every time archaeologists find a cart, it is claimed that this is a chariot. If a single horse fossil is found from the later Harappa period, then this is taken as proof that historians were wrong. But archaeology is easier to dispute than DNA. If scientists can say with some certainly that ANI (or the Steppe DNA) entered India only towards the end of the Harappan period then this is hard to dispute. So the scientists are called charlatans and anyone who believes them is anti-Hindu. Besides, say the objectors, given that we dont have access to much Harappan DNA, how do we know that this so-called ANI was not already in the veins of the people who built Mohenjodaro, etc. etc. When the mounting DNA evidence is hard to fight, a new theory turns up. How do we know that all the people with so-called Steppe DNA in central Asia did not originally come from India? Why should we assume a migration into India? Why not outwards? Because you dont find ASI DNA in those areas, retort the scientists. If there was a migration out of India then surely other Indian DNA types should also be found? But the sceptics are unconvinced. For most of us, the debate is not one where we want to take sides. Does it really matter to us whether the people of Harappa were Hindus or not? We are proud of an ancient Indian civilisation regardless. (For the record, I have also heard Jains say that the Harappans were the first Jains.) It is slightly worrying though that while scientists just look for answers without any preconceptions, the people who oppose them with a fanatical zeal tend to be members of the Hindu right. The Sanghis have made up their minds. And any answer contrary to their view, they believe, can only be the result of an anti-Hindu conspiracy. As DNA technology advances, expect more such battles. We may have had plastic surgery missiles, satellites, nuclear weapons etc. in ancient India --- as the Hindu Right tells us -- but I doubt if we had DNA sequencing. And so this battle will never end. Science may look for answers. But activists will always seek to rearrange the past to suit the politics of the present. Note: An excellent book on the subject is Tony Josephs Early Indians, which has just been published. Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The state government on Tuesday constituted a four- member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the 1984 anti- Sikh riots in Kanpur, principal secretary, Home, Arvind Kumar said. The Supreme Court had ordered further investigation by SIT in connection with the FIRs lodged at Nazirabad police station, as well as other FIRs related to the riots in Kanpur, he said. Former director general of police Atul (he goes by one name) will head the SIT. Its other members are Subhash Chandra Agrawal (retired judge), Yogeshwar Krishna Srivastava (retired additional director prosecution) and a serving senior superintendent of police/superintendent of police (SSP/SP). The SIT will have a six-month tenure. It will examine the FIRs lodged during the riots in which the district police had submitted a final report. The team will also examine the cases in which the accused had got relief from court. The cases of heinous crime will be examined on a priority basis, the official said. Regional parties have joined in fear of Modiji: Amit Shah Corrupt and casteist parties have formed alliance. On the other side, you have Modiji led BJP. These parties have only regional presence and have joined in fear of Modiji. In 2019 elections, BJP will come with thumping majority in UP and get 74 seats and Modi will become PM again. BJP govt brought two benefits for small traders: Amit Shah BJP govt has improved productivity in UP. For small traders, BJP govt has announced that those earning Rs 40 lakh, do not need to file GST and those earning up to Rs 5 lakh need not pay taxes. Yogi govt brought Anti-Romeo squads and stopped harassment of women: Amit Shah I had told during the assembly elections in UP and said give BJP a chance and we will send away those who try to elope. Girls used to be taken away when they were studying and were harassed by thugs on motorcycles. We ha said that we will set up Anti-Romeo squads and hang the harassers upside down to make them straight. We had promised to buy farmers wheat and grains at 1.5 rate of production cost. Yogi Adityanath govt in UP has now done this. BJP wants Ram temple at that same spot: Amit Shah Whenever the Ram temple case comes in Supreme Court, Congress leaders tried to push it back. They tried to bring impeachment and threaten the judges. BJP wants Ram temple at that same spot. No worker needs to be confused about this. Now, Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas has asked for return of the 42 acres of land near the disputed site. Do Congress, SP, BSP want the temple at that site? They should make their stand clear. Modi ordered surgical strikes within 10 days of Uri attack: Amit Shah People begin clapping as Amit Shah starts reading out 129 schemes brought out by Modi govt in last 4 years. Amit Shah says: Modiji has brought 129 schemes for the welfare of the people. But the biggest work has been to ensure security of the country. For 10 years, it was Rahul babas govt. The aunt and nephew (referring to of BSPs Mayawati and SPs Akhilesh Yadav) supported them. Alia, Mallya, Jamalya and such people used to enter this country through Pakistan and blast bombs. There was nobody to stop them or eliminate them. And nobody was concerned about catching them or taking action against them. The Pakistanis had a habit of attacking us like in Mouni babas (referring to former PM Manmohan SIngh) time. One day, Pakistani terrorists killed 12 jawans in Uri. But this time it was not Mouni babas govt, but 56-inch chest, Modijis. It was govt formed by the firm beliefs of Bulandshahrs jawans. Modiji ordered surgical strikes within 10 days in Pakistani homes. Rahul baba is asking 4 years account: Amit Shah Rahul baba is asking 4 years account, while your family has been ruling this country for four generations. I want to ask what you did. Modijis govt gave toilets, gas connection, Mudra bank loans, houses, electricity to crores of people who did not have it and brought respect to the poor and women. 19,000 villages have electricity. Can you say who will become BJP president after me? Amit Shah asks When Sonia Gandhi left Congress presidency, you knew that Rahul Gandhi would take up that post. But can you say who will become the president of BJP after me? This is BJP, and its true democracy. A tea sellers son becoming PM is true reflection of a democracy: Amit Shah IN 1982, I was a booth worker, pasting BJPs posters in Gujarat. BJP has made a booth worker like me the national president of the party. A tea sellers son becoming the PM is a true reflection of a democracy. BJP has done this. In other parties, you have six generations of leaders. BJP wont reply by violence: Amit Shah So many scams, poor peoples money misappropriated...Mamata sat on fast to save a police officer. How long can this go on? TMC workers are killing BJP workers. We would not reply by violence but by pressing lotus sign in election, says Amit Shah. We will win 23 seats in West Bengal: Amit Shah Mamata Banerjee stopped Yogis helicopter. PM Modi was given a small ground. Why is Didi stopping BJP workers? We would win 23 seats in West Bengal, says Amit Shah. BJP wants construction of Ram temple at the same spot: Amit Shah Kumbh is going on in Prayagraj. BJP wants the construction of Ram temple at the same spot in a grand manner. We have sought land to build Ram Temple. SP, BSP and Congress should clear their agenda, whether they want the construction of Ram Mandir or not, says BJP chief Amit Shah. PM Modi has established the name of India globally: Amit Shah Narendra Modi has established the name of India globally. More than eleven lakh poor given treatment, says Amit Shah. BJP govt in 2019 would lead to Uttar Pradesh as best state in India: Shah BJP government in 2019 would lead to Uttar Pradesh as best state in India, says Amit Shah. Bua bhatija might come together, but BJP will 74 seats: Amit Shah Bua bhatija might come together... can rope in Rahul Baba, yet the BJP will win 74 seats, says Amit Shah. PM Modi took revenge of our jawans death: Amit Shah Our jawans were burnt in Uri but Modi regime replied in 10 days by surgical strike. Only Americans and Israelis could do so but Modi took revenge of our jawans death, says Amit Shah. PM Modi to give Rs 7 lakh to farmers: Amit Shah Prime Minister Narendra Modi to give Rs 7 lakh from fifty thousand crore to farmers. Modi made changes in GST for relief to traders, says Amit Shah. In 2019 we will win and throw out infiltrators: BJP chief Amit Shah Rahul Baba and company opposed action against those crossing borders. These infiltrators are vote bank of Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party. In 2019 we will win and throw out infiltrators, says BJP chief Amit Shah. We ended dynasty rule in Uttar Pradesh: Amit Shah Caste ridden Uttar Pradesh is changed by the BJP. We ended dynasty rule in Uttar Pradesh. In BJP booth in-charge provides victory: Amit Shah In BJP booth in-charge provides victory. In 2014 I was mocked by Akhilesh when I claimed seventy seats in Uttar Pradesh. In 2017, I claimed 300 seats in assembly election but we won 325 seats, says Amit Shah. Amit Shah addresses Booth Adhyaksh Sammelan BJP national chief Amit Shah is currently addressing Booth Adhyaksh Sammelan in Uttar Pradeshs Aligarh. Mera booth sabse majboot is password to success: UP CM Mera booth Sabse majboot is pass word to success, said UP Yogi Adityanath in Aligarh. In PM Modis regime, various schemes have been provided to the poor, including electricity connection, houses, and gas connection, Adityanath added. Modi has taken the nation to heights: Yogi Adityanath Modi leadership has taken the nation to heights, and we are on our way to become a superpower, for which we need to make sure that Narendra Modi comes to power again, said UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath at Booth Adhyaksh Sammelan in Aligarh. 22,000 booth leaders attend event Over 22,000 booth workers are attending Booth Adhyaksh Sammelan that will shortly be addressed by BJP national chief Amit Shah in Uttar Pradeshs Aligarh. Amit Shah to address booth workers meeting BJP national president will today address a booth workers meeting in Uttar Pradeshs Aligarh at around 1:30 pm. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has once again issued a challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah over forming alliances with opposition parties and leaders in the future. Tejashwi Yadav seemed to be reacting to BJPs president Amit Shah comment in November last year comparing the opposition parties to a band of thieves. The Bharatiya Janata Party leader had also accused them of looting the countrys wealth by indulging in corruption. The Rashtriya Janata Dal leader had on Tuesday dared the Prime Minister and senior BJP leaders Amit Shah, Arun Jaitley, Ravi Shankar Prasad to sign an affidavit during his meeting with Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata. He had asked them to give an assurance that they would not seek help from any of the 23 opposition parties to form a government at the Centre after the Lok Sabha election. PM Modi Ji & Co. says all parties and leaders in opposition alliance are corrupt, Tejashwi Yadav, the leader of opposition in Bihar, reiterated his demand on Wednesday. I openly challenge Mr. Modi, Amit Shah and others in BJP to submit an affidavit stating that they will never ever get into alliance with any of these leaders and parties in future. Will they?? (sic) the younger son of RJD leader Lalu Prasad asked on Twitter. Tejashwi Yadav was among the several opposition leaders who met Mamata Banerjee, who had staged a sit-in protest against the CBIs alleged attempt to question Kolkata Police chief Rajeev Kumar over the Saradha case. He had also participated in the mega opposition rally called by Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata on January 19. Keralas Sabarimala temple administration on Wednesday closed ranks with the states Left Front government and pledged to support women of childbearing age worshipping there, in a surprising volte-face from its previous stance, as the Supreme Court took up petitions challenging its September 28, 2018, order throwing open the hilltop shrine to women of all ages. Women cannot be discriminated against because of biological attributes, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) told a five-judge Constitution Bench,which reserved its verdict on a bunch of petitions challenging the judgment that ended the practise of barring women aged between 10 and 50 years from entering the 800-year-old temple in the belief that its presiding deity, Lord Ayyappa, was a celibate. Keralas Left Front government, which says it is committed to implementing the order, on Wednesday sought the dismissal of the petitions, arguing that peace will prevail ultimately in the state despite periodic tension and clashes between right-wing Hindu groups, that want the ban to stay, and the police. Article 25(1) equally entitles all persons to practice religion, senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for TDB, told the bench. Women cannot be excluded from any walk of life on biological attributes... equality is the dominant theme of the Constitution, said Dwivedi, adding that people should gracefully accept the apex court verdict. The board had earlier staunchly opposed a public interest petition filed by the Indian Young Lawyers Association, which wanted female devotees of all ages to be allowed to pray at Sabarimala. The celibate character of Lord Ayyappa at the Sabarimala temple is a unique religious feature that was protected under the Constitution, the board, which oversees the administration of the temple, had maintained. The top court judgment enraged traditionalists and caused unrest in parts of Kerala, where both the BJP and the Congress opposed the state governments vow to uphold the verdict. Protestors thwarted some attempts by women in the taboo age group to enter the shrine until two women, Bindu Ammini and Kanakagurga, in their 40s, escorted by the police, became the first to do so on January 2. BJP chief Amit Shah expressed solidarity with the protesters and Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit out at the state administration over what he called the most shameful behaviour by any party and government. The bench, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi and comprising justices RF Nariman, AM Khanwilkar, DY Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra, reserved its judgment after hearing submissions by the state government, TDB, the Nair Service Society a forum of the influential Nair community that opposes the entry of women and others. It was hearing 65 petitions, including 54 review pleas. TDB earlier appeared reluctant to go against the sentiments of a large section of devotees and implement the verdict, which has been hailed as historic and progressive for gender justice. To be sure, the board comprises nominees of the Kerala government, which says it will ensure police protection for women who want to visit the temple nestled in the Western Ghats. Asked if the boards changed stance was out of pressure exerted by the state government, TDB president A Padmakumar told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram: The boards decision was not on the basis of the government stand. We were asked if the board accepts the September 28 decision of the court and we said we accept it, which is natural. There should be no discrimination to anyone in offering prayers, that is the stand we have taken. The Pandalam royal family, the custodian of the Sabarimala temples jewellery, slammed the board. They have toed the line of the Kerala government. When they earlier said they are with the wishes and aspirations of the Sabarimala devotees, it was all a bluff. Today their true colours have surfaced and this means both the government and TDB are out to destroy the customs and traditions of the Sabarimala temple, the familys spokesperson, PS Verma, said. The review petitions broadly argue that the Supreme Courts verdict on the matter was erroneous, saying it ventured beyond the questions of law and delved into the question of customs. Events after the judgment clearly demonstrate that an overwhelmingly large number of women are supporting the custom of prohibiting the entry of women of menstruating age group into the temple, they say. In the court, the Kerala government said the exclusion of women from temples was not essential to Hindu religion, arguing that many of those who sought a re-look of the judgment did not come up with valid legal points. It was argued that on account of the [September 28] judgment, social peace has been destroyed. This is not something which should concern a constitutional court. Peace will prevail ultimately. But a constitutional breach cannot be allowed till that time, said senior advocate Jaideep Gupta, who appeared for the Kerala government. Senior advocate K Parasaran, appearing for the Nair Service Society, assailed the majority verdict, saying Article 15 of the Constitution throws open to the public the secular institutions of the country but it doesnt deal with religious institutions. The article throws open all public institutions of secular character for all classes of citizens but the article conspicuously omits religious institutions, he said. On September 28 last year, a Supreme Court bench, in a 4:1 majority verdict, said divinity and devotion cannot be subject to the rigidity and stereotypes of gender, adding that the exclusion on the basis of biological and physiological features was unconstitutional and discriminatory because it denied women the right to be treated as equals. Justice Malhotra, the lone woman judge on the bench, dissented and said notions of rationality cannot be invoked in matters of religion by courts. Bindu and Kanakadurga, the two women who entered the shrine in January and prayed there under police protection, told the Supreme Court on Wednesday about their resolve to enter the temple again on its opening on February 12. They are facing social exclusion as well as social boycott for just entering the temple as allowed by the Supreme Court in its verdict, senior advocate Indira Jaising, appearing for the women, said. My right of practice and professing any religion is protected under the Constitution. Nothing can stop me from having a darshan of Lord Ayyappa and entering the temple under the law, she said on her clients behalf. (With inputs from agencies) . The Supreme Court is all set to hear review petitions against its verdict allowing women of menstruating age to enter Keralas famed Sabarimala shrine, an order that snowballed into a major issue in the state . Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi will head a five-judge constitution bench which will hear the case which was scheduled for hearing on January 22 but had to be postponed as Justice Indu Malhotra was on medical leave. Here is a timeline of the case: 1991: Kerala High Court upholds an age-old restriction on women of menstruating age entering Sabarimala temple. 2006: Kannada actress-politician Jayamala claims she had entered Sabarimala shrine in 1987 as a 28-year-old and had touched the deity as part of a film shoot. 2006: The Kerala government ordered a probe into the acctress cliam, but the case was later dropped. 2008: Keralas LDF government files an affidavit supporting a PIL filed by women lawyers questioning the ban on the entry of women in Sabarimala November 2016: Keralas Left Front government says it was for the entry of women of all age groups into the temple. 2018: Supreme Court Chief Justice Dipak Misra, hearing the PIL, questions the temples authority to deny entry to a particular section of women. September 28, 2018: Supreme Court ruled that women, irrespective of age, can enter Keralas Sabarimala temple. November 2018: SC agrees to hear review petitions Supreme Court reserves verdict on Sabarimala review pleas The Supreme Court has reserved its verdict on Sabarimala review pleas after a five-judge bench heard the matter. Scriptures do not exclude women Sriptures do not exclude women, the Sabarimala Board said standing its ground in Supreme Court. Devaswom board supports entry for women of all ages in Supreme Court Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, representing the Devaswom board, says the board supports entry for women of all ages in Sabarimala temple. Kanaka Durga returns home with court order Thrown out by family for entering Sabarimala, Kanaka Durga returns home with court order Read @ANI story | https://t.co/UNOgnCRmFV pic.twitter.com/diBHKrF0KF ANI Digital (@ani_digital) February 6, 2019 If its a denominational temple only then question of essential practise will arise If its a denominational temple then only the question of essential practise will arise, submits Kerala government. Jagannath temple is unique in its practise and yet this court has held its not a denominational temple... similarly Kashi vishwanath and tirupati have been said not to be denominational, it said. Inconsistencies in different judgements cannot be included in review jurisdiction Inconsistencies in different judgements cannot be included in the review jurisdiction. Also, non consideration of arguments is not a ground for review at all. Several review petitions say their arguments were not concerned. This cannot be a complaint and cannot be termed as an error on record to say arguments were not considered, said judges. Kerala opposes the review Kerala says its opposing the review. There was also a consensus of judges on three issues - One that Sabarimala is not a denominational temple, second aspect was that a persons eight to worship in a temple is taken away together for a major part of that persons life, third aspect was that the rule violated the act governing temples itself. Cant hear all 54 review petitioners: Supreme Court The Supreme Court on Wednesday said that it cannot hear all 54 review petitioners in the Sabarimala temple case, and will restrict itself to eight to nine petitioners. Untouchability has nothing to do here: V Giri Untouchability has nothing to do here. Entry (to Sabarimala temple) is sought to be prohibited only due to nature of deity. It is not an exclusionary practice, said advocate V Giri appearing for the priest. Exclusionary practice in Sabarimala based on character of deity: Advocate appearing for Nair Service Society Senior advocate K Parasaran appearing for the Nair Service Society said the exclusionary practice in Sabarimala is based on the character of the deity. Supreme Court begins hearing The Supreme Court Wednesday commenced hearing on pleas seeking review of its verdict which had allowed women of all ages entry into Keralas Sabarimala temple. Senior advocate K Prasaran, appearing for Nair Service Society, opened the arguments before a five-judge bench and sought setting aside of the verdict. The review petitions are being heard by a Constitution bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi and justices R F Nariman, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra. There are 64 cases being heard in total, out of which some are review petitions and some transfer petitions. Everything will be solved: Kanaka Durga Kanaka Durga says, I got the court order&I could enter my house. Im happy. I could not see my children today, but I hope I can see them next time. I dont have any difficulty to stay with them, they are not ready to stay with me. Everything will be solved. 5-judge bench to hear petitions The five-judge constitution bench led by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi. Justices Rohinton Nariman, AM Khanwilkar, DY Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra are part of the bench. Sabarimala review petition: A chronology of events The Supreme Court is all set to hear review petitions against its verdict allowing women of menstruating age to enter Keralas famed Sabarimala shrine, an order that snowballed into a major issue in the state . Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi will head a five-judge constitution bench which will hear the case which was scheduled for hearing on January 22 but had to be postponed as Justice Indu Malhotra was on medical leave. Complete timeline of the case here. Congress had come under criticism after Rahul Gandhis support for verdict The Congress had come under flak after Rahul Gandhi who had earlier argued that all women should be allowed to enter the Sabarimala temple changed his stance saying he cannot take an open-and-shut position on the issue as there is validity in the arguments of both the sides. Kerala CMs determination to facilitate womens entry triggered political war Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayans determination to facilitate womens entry into the temple triggered a political war between the state government and the opposition parties, including the BJP and the Congress. The interim budget 2019-20 announced annual income support of Rs 6,000 to all farmer families with land ownership up to two hectares under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN). The announcement triggered a war of words between the Opposition and the government. Dear NoMo, 5 years of your incompetence and arrogance has destroyed the lives of our farmers. Giving them Rs. 17 a day is an insult to everything they stand and work for. Congress president Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet, hours after the scheme was announced. Speaking in Leh on February 3, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked the Opposition by saying, PM-KISAN is a phenomenal scheme for farmers. People sitting in air conditioned rooms in Delhi do not know what Rs 6,000 mean for a poor farmer living in distant and difficult areas of the country. What both Gandhi and Modi did not tell us was how much an average Indian farmer earns. In an interview to the Business Standard newspaper published on Monday, chief economic advisor Krishnamurthy Subramanian said Rs 6000 announced in the scheme is actually one-sixth, or 16.66% ,of their [small and medium farmers] annual income and hence it is not a trivial amount. Subramanian did not cite a source for these statistics. So how much does the Indian farmer earn? And is Rs 6,000 substantial? An HT analysis shows that an average Indian farmer would be earning Rs 10,329 per month in 2018-19. This means an annual payout of 6,000 would be less than 5% of the annual income of Rs 1,23,948 that the average Indian farmer currently earns. An HT analysis of the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) data suggests that the average farmer income could be much higher than the figure quoted by Subramanian. In 2016, NSSO published a report which gives annual income of farmers in India between July 2012 and June 2013. According to the report, an average agricultural household earned Rs 6,426 per month, or Rs 77,112 per year, in India. As is to be expected, there were significant differences in this amount according to land-ownership. Farmers owning between 0.01-0.4 hectare of land reported income of Rs 4,152 per month, while those owning 10 hectares or more had an income of Rs 41,388 per month. If one were to take the weighted average of income of all farmers owning up to 2 hectares of land (beneficiaries of PM-KISAN), it comes out to Rs 5,240 per month. The NSSO report also tells us that the target group under PM-KISAN accounts for 87% of the total number of agricultural households in the country. Does this mean that handouts under PM-KISAN would give income equal to more than a months earnings to 87% of Indias farmers? If this is true, it is not an insignificant move. Still, simply using the NSSO figures could overestimate the PM-KISANs impact on farmers incomes. This is because the 2012-13 incomes would have increased by 2018-19, the first year when farmers are supposed to get the PM-KISAN payments. Since we do not have NSSO data for farmers incomes after 2012-13, one way to extrapolate farmers incomes in 2018-19 would be to apply the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.2% in the nominal gross value added component of agriculture and allied activities between 2012-13 and 2018-19 on the farmers income figure given in the NSSO report. Basically, this increases farm incomes by the same proportion as the agriculture component of the economy. Once this growth rate is applied, the nominal average income of a farmer in 2018-19 increases to Rs 10,329 per month, while the average weighted income of the beneficiary group increases to Rs 8,422 per month. The NSSO report also gives monthly incomes for farmers in each decile class in 2012-13. Using the method described above shows that all farmers in India would have had a monthly income of more than Rs 6,000 in 2018-19. The analysis further shows that Rs 6,000 would be less than two-thirds of the monthly income for more than half of agricultural households in 2018-19, if the income distribution given in the NSSO report were to hold today. Unless the CEA has access to statistics which are not in the public realm, and show that farm incomes have fallen in nominal terms between 2012-13 and 2018-19, the impact of PM-KISAN will be much less on farmers income. The scheme will only provide 6% of annual income of the targeted farmers, instead of 17% figure as claimed by the CEA. That said, for a family earning Rs 8,422 a month, every little bit helps. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday said she stood by her husband Robert Vadra, as she dropped him off at the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning in connection with a money laundering case. He is my husband, he is my family...I support my family, Priyanka Gandhi said when asked whether she was sending a message by dropping off her husband. Everyone knows why this is being done, PTI reported her as saying. Her comment (and the drop-off) came hours after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) targeted Vadra, challenging Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhis brother, to explain how a road-pati became a crorepati. The Congress has maintained that the cases against Vadra are part of a political witch-hunt by the BJP-led Union government. Priyanka Gandhi has taken charge as general secretary in charge of Uttar Pradesh (East). This is the first organisational position she has held in the Congress. Wednesday marked the first time Vadra has been questioned in any of the probes initiated against him under the Narendra Modi regime. He remained in the ED office for over six hours, during which investigators recorded his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case. Following a review of the answers given by Vadra, we will take a call whether to ask to him to come for another round of questioning, said a senior ED official on condition of anonymity. He will be questioned again on Thursday from 10.30am. He is expected to appear before ED officers in Rajasthan in connection with another probe on February 12. Watch: BJP, Congress in war of words over ED summons to Robert Vadra Vadras lawyer Suman Jyoti Khaitan said his client appeared on his own and has cooperated with investigators. Whatever questions were put to him, he answered all of them. This is a politically motivated case and Vadra has always denied all the charges, he said. Khaitan refused to go into the specifics of questioning but said: He will appear before ED if called again. Whenever the ED will call him, he will appear. ED has alleged that Vadra is the controlling beneficiary of a property in London located at 12, Bryanston Square there. The property is worth GBP 1.9 million. It was sold by an alleged arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari, who is on the run now. Read: On ED questioning Robert Vadra, Mamata Banerjee talks of opposition unity ED had a prepared a questionnaire for Robert Vadra which contained questions about his links with the London-based property and Sanjay Bhadari. ED also wanted to quiz him about a property at Delhis Malcha Marg which was owned by a trust. Later, an associate of Vadra, Jagdish Sharma became convener of the trust. Sharma, too, was present outside the ED office when Vadras questioning began. He denied all allegations. ED carried out raids in the PMLA case in December and questioned Vadras aide Manoj Arora. Vadra appeared before the ED after being directed by a Delhi court to cooperate with the investigation. There have been allegations about his alleged involvement in a petroleum deal in 2009 too. We want to seek clarity on this too, added the ED official. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged that Vadra got kickbacks from a petroleum deal in 2009 during the UPAs first term and also received a huge sum from a defence deal. Gone are those days when Vadra possessed only one property in London, reports say he has eight properties in London, he claimed. Read: Tomorrow it can be PM Modi: Congress leader on ED summons to Robert Vadra Vadra sought protection from the arrest from the court on which the court granted interim bail till February 16. In his plea, Vadra alleged that a malicious criminal prosecution has been launched against him which is politically motivated. Political commentator and former IAS officer Afzal Amanullah said Priyanka accompanying her husband to the ED office gave a larger signal that the party was solidly behind him. And if a wife drops off her husband at the ED office there cant be any space for criticism. It is also significant as opposition parties have often alleged the NDA is using agencies to settle scores with political opponents, he said. Congress president Rahul Gandhi launched a frontal attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday at a public rally at Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi district of the state. he alleged that PM Modi and CM Patnaik work in tandem to snatch peoples land and give it to their industrialist friends. Gandhi said Patnaik is a remote controlled by PM Modi. Gandhi said, Modi gave you Rafale (scam), we will give you minimum guaranteed incomeNo power in the world can prevent us from giving minimum income support to the poorThis is not a promise like giving Rs 15 lakh or providing 2 crore jobs. The Congress president repeated his charge against PM Modi saying, Chowkidar chor hai (the watchman is a thief) and Naveen Patnaik is remote controlled by chowkidar. Whatever chowkidar tells Naveen Patnaik to do, he just agrees to it. Beginning his speech at the rally in Oriya, Gandhi said, In the budget, they (the BJP) claimed to have taken historic step of providing assistance to the farmers. But what they offered is Rs 3.5 per person per day in a farmers family. They promised only Rs 17 a day to a family of farmers. (PM) Modi gives Rs 3.5 to farmers but he waived off the loans worth Rs 3.5 lakh crore of 15-20 industrialist friends.We gave you MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act), for which Rs 35,000 crore was spent every year under UPA (United Progress Alliance) government. Modi gave deposited money for 10 MNREGA schemes in his friends pockets, said Rahul Gandhi, who returned to Kalahandi after nine years. The Congress president reiterated his partys election promise to ensure minimum assured income to every poor in the country if it is voted to power in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. He said, The Congress had been working on the scheme for past five-six months. He alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government destroyed all the schemes the Congress-led UPA government gave you. He said, We gave you MNREGA, Modi destroyed it. We gave you RTI (Right to Information), he destroyed itwhatever we gave you, he destroyed it. Taking on the Biju Janata Dal government of Naveen Patnaik, Gandhi said, The BJD government is in Odisha for 18 yearsBut the tribal youths of the state dont find jobs hereOdisha does not offer you jobsHere your land is snatched, your jungle is taken away, but if you want jobs, you have to go to other places like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Delhi. Gandhi said if the Congress comes to power in Odisha, it will protect the land of the farmers and tribal people the way it is being done in neighbouring Chhattisgarh. A Tata factory(steel plant) was to be built in Chhattisgarh with thousands of crores. The factory could not be built in 5 years. The Chhattisgarh government gave away the land back to tribal people. Naveen Patnaik and the BJD want to take away the land of tribal people. The Congress party will ensure that the rights of tribals are restored, he said, adding that during the UPA regime, the central government enacted PESA (Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) law for protecting the rights of tribals over jal, zameen aur jangal (water, land and forests). This was the second visit of Rahul Gandhi to Odisha this year. Earlier, he visited the state on January 25. His visit comes days ahead of BJP president Amit Shahs visit to the state. Shah is scheduled to visit Odisha on February 15. Shah had visited the state on January 29. Chief Minister Patnaik is also on a statewide tour in an attempt to deal with the challenges posed by the two national parties. Odisha is likely to go to assembly election at the same time as the parliamentary polls later this year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate the National War Memorial to the country on February 25, after addressing a meeting of more than 15,000 veterans at the National Stadium, two persons familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity. Promised in the National Democratic Alliances 2014 election manifesto, the countrys first war memorial near the India Gate complex will pay homage to over 26,000 soldiers who have sacrificed their lives since 1947. Designed in four concentric circles, the memorial will be spread over 40 acres, with a 15-metre-high obelisk at its centre. The busts of 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees (Indias highest war-time gallantry award) will also be a part of the memorial. The 42-metre-high India Gate, built by the British, commemorates the sacrifices of more than 83,000 Indian soldiers killed during World War I and the Afghan campaign. The Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate is a tribute to the memory of 3,843 Indian soldiers killed during the 1971 India-Pakistan war. Currently, all ceremonial functions are held at Amar Jawan Jyoti, but these will now move to the new war memorial, one of the persons added. A February 5 letter from the defence ministrys Kendriya Sainik Board (KSB) to all Rajya Sainik Boards (RSB) has informed them about the dedication ceremony of the war memorial by the PM, and asked them to identify ex-servicemen who will attend the event. The RSBs have to inform the KSB how many veterans will attend the meeting at the National Stadium by February 10. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday told a delegation from Goa that the government may not immediately amend an existing law to restart iron ore mining in the state because of frequent disruptions in parliamentary proceedings caused by the opposition. The mining dependents, represented by Goa Mining Peoples Front (GMPF) and MPs from Goa, including Narendra Sawaikar and Shripad Naik, met the Prime Minister in New Delhi to seek resumption of the iron ore extraction in the coastal state. The delegation met PM for about 15 minutes and sought his intervention to save the livelihood of about 3 lakh people of the state directly and indirectly involved in the mining sector. PM said parliament is not functioning well, Puti Gaonkar, a member of the delegation, said. Iron ore mining came to a halt in March after the Supreme Court ruled that the renewals of 88 mining leases by the state government in 2015 were illegal. The industry has sought an amendment to either the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (MMDR) Act or the Goa Daman and Diu (Abolition of Concession and Declaration as Mining Leases) Act, 1987 to restart iron ore extraction and avoid auctions now mandated by the MMDR Act. South Goa Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Narendra Sawaikar, who too was part of the delegation, said Modi assured the delegation that we will all have to work together to try and find a solution to the issue. We have explained to him the situation and he has also said hes aware that the situation has arisen because of the Supreme Court judgement, Sawaikar said. Goas town and planning minister Vijai Sardesai warned that if mining does not resume in the state, people will react in the coming Lok Sabha polls. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday slammed the Centre for the interrogation of Robert Vadra by the Enforcement Directorate, claiming that the BJP was deliberately doing it ahead of the general election. Asserting that the Bharatiya Janata Party would not be able to scare the Opposition by the tactics of sending notices casually to everybody, Banerjee said: We will complain to the Election Commission against such trend. They (the Centre) are doing it deliberately ahead of the polls. They think the opposition will stay silent. We are united, we are together, we will walk together, the Trinamool Congress supremo told reporters at the state secretariat. Read more| Priyanka drops off Robert Vadra at ED office, it is a clear message Vadra was Wednesday questioned by the ED in connection with a money-laundering probe into alleged possession of illegal foreign assets, days after his wife, Priyanka Gandhi, was formally inducted into the party. Banerjee also said she would be in Delhi next Wednesday and Thursday, where the Opposition parties would make a decision on their future course of action. Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik on Wednesday said there was no need to take PDP president Mehbooba Mufti seriously over her remarks on an incident of alleged assault on an Army soldier. His comments that the security forces wont be demoralised by her comments after the former CM demanded action against an Army officer who allegedly beat a man from Pulwama and threatened to kill him in an encounter, drew strong backlash from her and NC leader Omar Abdullah. The Army officer has been investigating the barbaric killing of soldier Aurangzeb last year. In this connection, three Rashtriya Rifles men were detained. On Monday, 27 year-old Tawseef Ahmad Wani, brother of Abid Wani, one of the three soldiers detained, was admitted to hospital with multiple injuries after being assaulted brutally, allegedly by Armymen. Mehbooba had visited the injured soldier in SMHS hospital and demanded action against the officer and posted a picture of the jawan on Twitter, with comments: Visited Tawseef Wani who was allegedly beaten up by an Army Major so ruthlessly that he had to be hospitalised. The irony is that his brother serves in the Army. Malik, however, said he stood by the forces. We have given directions that excesses (by security forces) if any, must be probed and action taken. In some police cases, we came to know about some excesses, and they are being transferred but we stand by our forces, he said on the sidelines of a programme in Jammu University. When reminded about Mehboobas remarks against the Army officer, he said, Chunaav ka waqt hai, unki party toot rahi hai, kharab haal mein hai. Wo isi kism ke support se taakat mein aayi thi, unko seriously lene ki zarurat nahi. Humare suraksha balon ka kisi Mehbooba Mufti ji ke bayan se manobal nahi girne diya jayega. (It is election time. Her party is breaking. She is in a very bad situation. She came to power on the back of such politics. There is no need to take her seriously. Our security forces are not going to be demoralised by any Mehbooba Mufti or her statements). Mehbooba criticised the governnor through a series of posts on Twitter. Instead of taking cognisance of the brutality that the young boy has been subjected to, and ordering action against the culprits, it is sad that the honourable governor is talking politics instead. Saddened to see the constitutional authorities taking sides so brazenly, she said. Instead of taking cognizance of the brutality that the young boy has been subjected to , and ordering action against the culprits , it is sad that the honourable governor is talking politics instead. Saddened to see the constitutional authorities taking sides so brazenly. https://t.co/DLEnsBOPGg Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) February 6, 2019 So please lets call a spade a spade instead of accusing us of demonising the Army. I have also spoken to the Core Commander to take note of this incident, she added and demanded that armymen be held accountable when they commit human rights violations. Former chief minister and National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah also joined her in attacking the governor. Governor Sb this is an unacceptable statement & an unnecessary interference in politics. At this rate it wont be long before people stop taking Raj Bhavan seriously. So please consider the office you occupy before you give statements, he said. Governor Sb this is an unacceptable statement & an unnecessary interference in politics. At this rate it wont be long before people stop taking Raj Bhavan seriously so please consider the office you occupy before you give statements https://t.co/S7kBeZWpqN via @GreaterKashmir_ Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) February 6, 2019 Originating in the 1990s in Australia, where there are now 1,000 such clubs, Mens Sheds have spread throughout the United Kingdom and the United States. In 2017, the U.S. Mens Sheds Association was formed, with 13 sheds in the United States now and at least 10 more in the process of being established. Taking a high moral ground and vociferously advocating equidistance from both the ruling AIADMK and the principal opposition DMK appears to have left actor-politician Kamal Haasans fledgling party, Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM - People Justice Centre) to plough a lonely furrow in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. While the AIADMK has been dismissive of Kamals political entry, the DMK has thus far avoided any criticism of him. But, both have not made any explicit overture to the actor for an electoral alliance. It is nearly a year since the versatile actor launched his MNM at a massive rally in Madurai which was attended by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. While his celluloid rival, Rajinikanth is yet to launch his party and is indecisive about entering the LS poll arena, Kamal has now announced that the MNM is ready to contest all the 39 constituencies in Tamil Nadu the lone seat in neighbouring Puducherry Union Territory. We would rather contest alone. We are very clear on it. No change in this stand, was his response to media questions on Tuesday, whether the MNM would team up with the DMK for the LS poll. Asked if the party would contest all the 40 seats, he said, We are working on that. Further, the actor asserted that he was not interested in seat sharing at the cost of the MNMs ideology. Even Congress presenting an option to join the DMK-led alliance seems to be not an option attractive enough to him. While pointing out that the AIADMK is facing corruption charges, Kamal maintains that he would not agree that DMK president MK Stalin has a clean image. Kamal had earlier openly asked the Congress to snap ties with the DMK, so that his fledgling MNM could enter into an alliance with the grand old party. While the Congress has politely declined it, the DMK chose not to react to it. He had even called on Congress president Rahul Gandhi as well as UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi in the national capital in June last year. Then, he had a meeting with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as well. Though not aggressive in his criticism of the Modi government and the BJP, he had not endeared himself to the saffron camp. The BJP too is keen on roping in Rajinikanth and not Kamal. It is at this juncture that Kamal says that his MNM will go it alone. No major party in the state is ready to take him along. They are probably considering him as a spoiler and doesnt want to team up with, says political analyst K Elangovan, a practising advocate. Initially, Kamal said talks were on with parties and the MNM gave him a free hand to decide on alliance. Then, he kept everyone guessing on whether the party would contest the elections. His open call to the Congress to break its alliance with the DMK appears to be his Achilles heels. Kamal says one thing today and changes it another day. DMK is not dependent upon others. Our party panel on alliance is carrying out its work. It is better not to comment on what Kamal is going to do, said DMK organising Secretary RS Bharathi, MP. According to Elangovan, Kamal doesnt fit into the Dravidian framework and not only that he has not been able to convey and have political conversation. He is still not able to project his brand of politics and connect with the people. Politics is a disturbing phenomenon, it should create ripples. Even his language is not articulate enough, he points out. But, an MNM functionary, who doesnt want to be named said cadre is enthused about Kamals announcement. Of all the leaders, it was Kamal who had spent more time in the delta region in the aftermath of the disastrous Gaja cyclone and stood with the people. Our Gram Sabha is now followed by the DMK. We are out to prove our strength in the elections, the functionary said. Former Jammu and Kashmir minister Choudhary Lal Singh on Wednesday quit the BJP. He said his recently-floated Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan (DSS) has applied for registration with the election commission (ECI) to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha and assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. We have approached the Election Commission of India for the registration of our party and allotment of symbol a lion and a goat drinking water together from a river. Thereafter, we will launch an aggressive campaign, Singh said. Singh, who skipped Prime Minister Narendra Modis rally in Samba district on Sunday, said he has been staying away from BJP functions for the last nine months. It (BJP) has its own flag and symbol and I have mine, he said, adding that the doors of his party are open to everyone who supports the vision document. Singh and his party colleague Chander Prakash Ganga had to submit their resignation from the council of ministers in the previous PDP-BJP dispensation after questions were raised over their participation in Hindu Ekta Manch rally organised in support of those arrested in connection with the Kathua rape and murder case which rattled the entire nation in January last year. Singh, who held back to back rallies seeking CBI probe in the case, had on July 22 announced the launch of apolitical group and released its 25-point vision document and flag. Singh reiterated his demand for a CBI probe in the Kathua rape case, saying he will continue his fight even after court verdict in the case. The weather office on Tuesday forecast a fresh spell of rain and snowfall in the Kashmir Valley. A fresh spell of rain and snowfall is expected from February 5 to 8, the MeT department said.Following the forecast, authorities issued an alert advisory to various district magistrates in the valley. The Pirpanjal mountain range from Bhaderwah to Baramulla will receive heavy rain and snow on February 6 and 7, the MeT, said. Srinagar recorded minimum temperature of 0.2C on Monday night, while it was minus 5C at the ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir. The one-way traffic resumed on Jammu-Srinagar national highway on Tuesday as authorities allowed traffic from Srinagar, after it remained suspended for the past five days. Himachal issues avalanche threat advisory The Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority on Tuesday issued a travel advisory after an avalanche warning in the high hills by the Manali-based Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment. The SASE issued an avalanche threat in Chamba, Lahaul-Spiti, Shimla, Kinnaur and Kullu districts. The district administrations have been advised to keep search and rescue teams on standby and ask people to avoid travel.There are chances of heavy snowfall at some places in Kullu, Chamba, Lahaul-Spiti, Shimla, Kangra and Kinnaur districts from Wednesday. India will send a draft agreement for the Kartarpur corridor to Pakistan in four weeks time, Punjab chief secretary Karan Avatar Singh told reporters on Tuesday after an hour-long meeting at the Union home ministry. The corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Pakistans Kartarpur the final resting place of Sikh faiths founder Guru Nanak Dev with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Indias Gurdaspur district Among others, the Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Ajay Besaria, Union home secretary Rajiv Gauba and senior officials of the Punjab government were present in the review meeting. Kartarpur is located in Shakargarh in Narowal district of Pakistans Punjab. Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, had spent more than 18 years there. The Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara is located on the banks of the Ravi river, about three-four km from the border inside Pakistan. India has already communicated to Pakistan the coordinates of Zero Point for the opening of the Kartarpur corridor, a home ministry official who did not want to be named said. New Delhi also wants members of all faiths to be allowed to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib. The meeting also discussed land acquisition for the highway and for the Integrated Check Post (ICP). Construction on the corridor in the Pakistani side is expected to finish by end June 2019, but that on the Indian side is expected to take slightly longer. We are on schedule to put everything together for the celebrations to mark the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the home ministry official said. The Union home ministry was told that the preliminary notification for land acquisition for the highway has already been issued and the notification to acquire land for ICP will be issued on Wednesday. The Punjab government has assured that the land will be available by mid-March, the official said. (With inputs from agencies) India has sharpened its focus on scaling up infrastructure along the China border and set a target of three years to complete all strategic road projects along its northern frontiers, a top general said three days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi travels to Arunachal Pradesh to lay the foundation of a tunnel at the Sela Pass. The tunnel forms part of a strategic road project that will reduce travel time to Tawang, a sector where the Indian Army is heavily deployed. The PM will lay the foundation on February 9. Border Roads Organisation (BRO) chief Lieutenant General Harpal Singh said on Wednesday that it will complete by December 2022 all 61 strategic roads assigned to it along the countrys northern border with China, spread across Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Sikkim, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. These roads add up to a total length of 3,417km, of which 2,350km has been completed. We have redeployed our task forces and moved the bulk of them from the hinterland to the northern borders to construct strategic roads within three years. Of BROs 32,000-strong workforce, 67% is now deployed along the Chinese border, Singh said. The Sela Pass tunnel, announced by the government in the 2018 Budget, is part of the Balipara-Charduar-Tawang road, one of the strategic projects along the Chinese border. The tunnel will cut down travel time to Tawang by at least two hours, improving border connectivity for the army. Of the 61 roads assigned to it, BRO, which has finished work on 34, has been questioned by parliamentary panels over delays. It is unfair to calculate progress by taking into account the number of roads completed. The length of the roads completed is the industry standard of measuring progress. We have completed almost 70% of the road length, Singh said. If you also count tracks [distinct from black-top roads] that facilitate vehicular movement, we have covered 98% of the road length, he said. Some key roads likely to be completed soon include a 35km stretch road that will improve connectivity to Doklam, where Indian and Chinese soldiers were locked in a tense 73-day standoff in 2017. Singh said this road would be completed by March 2019. The Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldie road in Ladakh is expected to be completed by next year, he said. This road measures 250km. Singh said India is aiming to match infrastructure on the Chinese side of the border by 2024-25. Projects are being monitored by the highest levels of the government. We are course to be on a par with China on the infrastructure front, he added. Apart from the 61 roads being built by BRO, the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) is currently engaged in the construction of 12 strategic roads along the Chinese border. The 73 roads measure a total of 4,643km. The government is also set to clear the construction of 44 more strategically important roads along the India-China Border in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, according to the CPWDs annual report for 2018-19. Building these roads is expected to cost around Rs 21,040 crore, the report says. The detailed project reports for these roads, aimed at swifter mobilisation of troops, are before the Cabinet Committee on Security for approval. The construction work is expected to be split between BRO and CPWD. Infrastructure development along the northern borders is improving. Renewed efforts are being made to complete projects on time. Things have been delayed but are gathering pace now, said Lieutenant General SL Narasimhan (retd), who commanded a corps in the North-east and is currently a member of the National Security Advisory Board. Uttar Pradesh police have arrested All India Hindu Mahasabha leader Pooja Pandey and her husband Ashok Pandey for recreating the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in Aligarh on January 30, his death anniversary. New agency ANI reported that the two leaders of Hindu Mahasabha were arrested from Tappal in UP. No regrets. We have not committed any crime. We have used our constitutional right, Pooja Pandey told reporters after her arrest in Aligarh. Earlier, five people had been arrested for allegedly burning an effigy of Mahatma Gandhi. The arrested persons are accused of firing at the effigy of Mahatma Gandhi and setting it ablaze. A video of the incident surfaced later on social media showing the accused shouting slogans against Mahatma Gandhi and praising his killer Nathu Ram Godse. The police had registered a case for promoting hatred and disturbing harmony in connection with the incident. Accused Pooja Pandey is the national general secretary of the Hindu Mahasabha. In the video, she was seen firing at the effigy. She had justified assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in the video. The Hindu Mahasabha had organised a function in Aligarh on the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi during which the members of the outfit garlanded Godses statue and distributed sweets. The outfit burnt the effigy of Mahatma Gandhi and said that the event would be organised every year the same way as Ravanas effigy burning is held during Dusshera celebrations. This is not the first time that the Hindu Mahasabha has praised Nathu Ram Godse for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. Hindu Mahasabha leader Swami Pranavananda had announced in 2015 that statues of Godse would be installed in six districts of Karnataka. He had also called him a patriot. This year is being celebrated as the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, who was born on October 2, 1869. It was the theme of this years Republic Day Parade, which saw 22 huge tableaux dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi. The death anniversary of Mahamta Gandhi is observed as the Martyrs Day in India. The Hindu Mahasabha, however, treats the day as Shaurya Divas (Bravery Day) to honour Mahatma Gandhis killer Nathu Ram Godse, who was one of the early members of the outfit. Freedom fighter Madan Mohan Malaviya had founded the Hindu Mahasabha in 1915. A Tamil filmmaker, working as an assistant director in Chennais Kollywood film industry, was arrested on Wednesday on the charge of murdering his wife last month and dumping her body parts in garbage bin in the city. With the arrest of Gopalakrishnan (51) from his Jafferkhanpet residence, the Pallikaranai police have solved the mystery behind the recovery of a womans limbs a hand and two legs at the Corporation dump yard at suburban Perungudi on January 19, a couple of days after the Pongal festival. Corporations sanitation workers brought the garbage in a truck from Kodambakkam area of the city to Perungudi, who alerted the police about this. The hand had a tattoo and police were initially clueless. But a missing woman complaint in Thoothukdi threw some light and the deceased was identified as Sandhya (39) from the southern port town of Thoothukudi. It led to the arrest of Gopalakrishnan and during questioning, he admitted to having committed the crime, police said. Police said Gopalakrishnan had produced a budget film financed by Sandhya in 2010. But it had flopped and a financial crunch forced him to work as an assistant director with his friends and acquaintances. Meanwhile, frequent quarrels erupted between them as both suspected each others fidelity and they had filed for divorce. Though Sandhya had left for her maternal home in Thoothukudi, they were on talking terms as they have two kids, a son and daughter. Gopalakrishnan suspected that Sandhya, much younger to him, was having an affair. Since they were on talking terms, he invited her to Chennai during Pongal holidays. They had fought with each other since her arrival and on January 18 night, a day after Pongal festivities, he hit her in a fit of rage and she died on the spot. To conceal the crime, he had decapitated the body and sliced the limbs and threw them at different places. A hand and two legs, thrown in Kodambakkam were recovered from Perungudi, police said. However, police suspect that Gopalakrishnan alone could not have cut the body into pieces in his crowded neighbourhood. Further investigation is on to ascertain whether some of Gopalakrishnans friends helped him. The news comes a day after a doctor in Madhya Pradesh was reported to have killed his driver, cut his body into over two dozen pieces and put them in a drum filled with acid to dissolve them, in a technique similar to one seen in TV show Breaking Bad. Nearly two months after resigning from the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), former Indian Army chief General JJ Singh (retd) joined the SAD (Taksali) outfit on Wednesday. JJ Singh had resigned from the SAD in December last year citing personal reasons but had also said there was a disillusionment with the party leadership. He had also served as the president of the SADs ex-servicemen wing. The first Sikh chief of the army and former Governor of Arunachal Pradesh had joined the Akali Dal on the eve of the Punjab assembly election in 2017. He had unsuccessfully contested against Congress veteran Captain Amarinder Singh, now the Punjab chief minister, from his bastion Patiala. JJ Singh said on Wednesday it was a mistake to join SAD after he became the member of the new outfit, which he described as the genuine Taksali party of Punjab. The SAD and Congress are working hand in glove. They tried their best to ruin my status, he said. The SAD is a commercial party which has been running hotels and many more business in the state, he said. When he joined the SAD in 2017, JJ Singh had said he chose the Parkash Singh Badal-led party over the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party because of the work they had done to promote heritage and restore the hurt pride of the Sikhs. He joined the Taksali brigade in presence of SAD (Taksali) president Ranjit Singh Brahmpura and senior vice-president Rattan Singh Ajnala. Brahmpura said with the inclusion of JJ Singh, his party has become stronger in Punjab. JJ Singh became the 22nd army chief in 2005 and retired from the force in 2007. Karnataka Congress has played down the defiance shown by four of its MLAs, who skipped the opening day of budget session on Wednesday. Karnataka Congress leader DK Shivakumar did not seem worried about the rebel MLAs tying up with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to move a no-confidence motion against the HD Kumaraswamy government in the state. On being asked if the Congress is worried about the BJP moving a no-confidence motion in the wake of rebel MLAs defying the partys directives, Shivakumar said, Let them try. Congress MLAs Ramesh Jarkiholi, MaheshKumtalli, Umesh Jadhav and Nagendra defied the whip and remained absent from the Karnataka assembly. The Congress leader, in turn, targeted the BJP for boycotting the Governors speech in Karnataka assembly earlier in the day. Shivakumar said it is very shocking that BJP legislators are showing this attitude of frustration towards the Governors speech. The BJP had shouted slogans in the Karnataka assembly during Governor Vajubhai Valas speech. The party MLAs shouted, Governor go back in the assembly. The protesting MLAs alleged that the Congress-JD(S) government does not have majority in the house. Defending the action of the party MLAs, BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa said, No development is going on in the state. There is infighting within the cabinet. That is why we boycotted Governors speech. Yeddyurappa, however, denied that the BJP was planning to move a no-confidence motion against the Kumaraswamy government. We are not going to move a no-confidence motion. We are waiting and observing everything, he said. The Congress-JD(S) alliance formed the government in Karnataka last year on the support 117 MLAs in a house of 224 legislators. Two Independent MLAs were also supporting the ruling coalition. Independent MLAs H Nagesh and R Shankar announced withdrawal of support to the Kumaraswamy government last month. In this background, the four rebel Congress MLAs make the stability of the Kumaraswamy government fragile. The MLAs have defied two notices served by the party. The party had also issued a whip on Tuesday asking all the MLAs to be present in Karnataka assembly on Wednesday but they stayed away from the house. They had also not attended the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meet on January 18. However, Kumaraswamy has said there is no threat to his government. The development has come at a time when some reports have suggested differences between the Congress and the JD(S) over seat sharing arrangement for the Lok Sabha election. Karnataka has 28 Lok Sabha seats. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Wednesday targeted the opposition parties over contentious issues including Ayodhya dispute and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) at a rally of partys booth-level workers in Uttar Pradeshs Aligarh. He said the BJP is committed for construction of a Ram temple at the same site in Ayodhya and dared the Congress, the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to clarify their stand on the matter. Shah said the Narendra Modi government submitted an affidavit in the Supreme Court to return land acquired near the disputed site in Ayodhya by the Centre to its owners. We want that a grand Ram temple is constructed at the same spot (where there was Mughal era Babri Mosque). The Congress, the SP and the BSP, if they have guts, should clarify their stand on Ram temple, said Amit Shah. The Babri mosque was demolished in December 1992 following a movement led by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and supported by the BJP. The Supreme Court is hearing a bunch of petitions to decide the title suit in the matter. The case will decide who owns the disputed land in Ayodhya, where the BJP has been campaigning for construction of a Ram temple. On the question of the NRC, which is being prepared for Assam, Shah said the Modi government wants to implement the register of citizens but Congress president Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders are opposing it. Should not we drive away the infiltrators, Shah asked his party workers from the stage he shared with UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union minister Maneka Gandhi among others. After winning 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Modi government will drive out every single infiltrator from the countryInfiltrators can be vote bank for the SP and BSP. It is a question of national security for the BJP, Shah said. The BJP president mocked the oppositions attempt to present a united front against the BJP-led NDA in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections saying, The grand alliance is a farceIt wont make any difference to the election results. He said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and other leaders of the grand alliance are all regional leaders with no national influence. Shah also took a dig at Congress president Rahul Gandhi for dismissing the assured income assistance scheme PM Kisan - for the farmers announced in the Budget 2019 by the Modi government. Shah said the previous Congress-led UPA government gave Rs 53,000 crore to farmers as loan waiver while the Modi government announced an annual scheme of Rs 75,000 crore for assured income of farmers. Gandhi had earlier said the PM Kisan scheme is an insult to farmers. The Modi government has offered Rs 17 a day to the farmers, he said. A panel appointed by the government to detail the sub-categorisation of Other Backward Classes (OBC) is likely to miss the May 31 deadline for submitting its report because the process of collating caste-wise population data cannot be undertaken with general elections around the corner, people familiar with the matter said. The general elections, to be held in multiple phases, are likely to be announced in March. The panel was set up in 2017 to look into an equitable distribution of OBC reservation benefits -- or to essentially make sure that no one OBC group is hogging a disproportionate share of benefits . It has so far been granted five extensions to finalise its report. A delay in the submission of the report means that nearly 983 castes found to have missed out on benefits of OBC reservation will not get relief anytime soon. The commission has pointed out that about 150 castes are the top beneficiaries of quotas for OBCs, but nearly 983 castes are not able to avail these benefits at all. In 2015, the now-scrapped National Commission for Backward Classes recommended three categories for OBCs extremely backward classes, more backward classes, and backward classes. The 2017 panel, headed by Justice G Rohini suggested a fresh survey to get caste-wise population, since there is no data post-Independence on the employment and education status of OBC. In its consultation paper, the panel pointed out that data indicates a high level of inequity in the distribution of benefits across different communities included in the central list. There is a 27% reservation for OBCs, except the so-called creamy layer, in educational institutions and government jobs. The central list has about 2,600 castes and the 2007 National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) data put the OBC population at 40.94% of the total population. Six or seven state OBC commissions, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and West Bengal, have responded to the consultation paper that was circulated, but a number of states are yet to respond. Another impediment is that a fresh round of survey cannot be conducted when the elections are so close, said one of the people cited in the first instance. The BJP-led NDA government in 2017, proposed sub-categorisation of OBCs, ostensibly to devise a more equitable distribution of quota benefits among various castes. Political analysts, however, saw this as an attempt to design a coalition of non-dominant castes among OBCs to upstage regional leaders from dominant caste groups -- such as the Yadavs in the Hindi heartland and the Jats in Rajasthan. Especially at a time when the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party have announced an alliance in the electorally critical state of Uttar Pradesh, a sub-categorisation of OBCs could have helped the BJP woo the non-dominant backward classes. The BJP last year announced a training scheduled for its OBC members with an aim to help them strategise on how to expand the partys base among OBCs. Such training sessions were held in states such as UP, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Vivek Kumar of Jawaharlal Nehru University said, They wanted to mitigate this image that the BJP is anti-Dalits and OBCs. This [sub-categorisation] was a long-thought strategy to win over the most backward classes, he added. A 17-year-old girl is battling for her life in a hospital in Hyderabad after she was attacked by a stalker near a bus stop on the busy Barkatpura road on Wednesday morning, the police said. The girl, a student of a private college, was walking towards the bus stop to take a bus to her college at around 9am, when 19-year-old Bharat attacked her with a sickle-like weapon on her stomach, neck and hands. Bharat fled the spot within seconds and the heavily bleeding girl was rushed to a private hospital. Her condition is said to be critical. The family members of the girl complained to the police that Bharat was stalking her for the last few days. Following their complaint, the She-team of the Hyderabad Police, which protects women from stalkers and sexual harassers, detained him a few days ago. He was let off after a counselling session. However, there is no change in the attitude of Bharat. Two days ago, he called the girls mother and threatened her, when she asked him to mend his ways, an official with Kacheguda Police said. The official said special teams have been formed to look for the accused. A 15-year-old girl in Uttar Pradeshs Modi Nagar allegedly ended her life by setting herself afire in her house Monday morning. The police said three days ago, the girls cousin was getting married and only the male members were allowed to go in the baraat (marriage procession). She was getting ready to go to her cousins wedding. Her father did not allow her to go with the baraat as no women members were joining the wedding procession. Upset by that, she skipped her dinner and on Monday morning, set herself afire after dousing her body with kerosene kept in the kitchen, a police officer said. Two months ago, the girl was allegedly harassed by a man and a case was filed in this connection. However, her family claimed that her suicide had nothing to do with this incident. Her father has given it in writing that the girl killed herself out of anger and he did not want to file a case. In connection with the incident that took place two months ago, an FIR was lodged and the suspect was arrested and sent to jail, Upendra Kumar Agrawal, senior superintendent of police, said. A few major suicide prevention helpline numbers in India are +91-4066202000 from Roshni (Hyderabad based) and +91-4424640050 from Sneha India foundation (Delhi based) besides the police helpline number 100. The 2018 Revision of World Urbanisation Prospects by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), suggests that currently, 55% of the world population lives in urban areas. This is expected to grow to 68% by 2050. India, China and Nigeria will account for more than a third of this projected growth. Therefore, managing urban growth is going to be the most important challenge for this century, especially for next couple of decades, and especially in these countries. However, the problem will be even more challenging in India. The same report suggests that Delhi will become the most populated city and that too in less than 10 years. The population of Delhis urban agglomeration will reach 3.7 crores in 2028 against Tokyos 3.6 crores. Tokyo is currently the most populated city in the world. So, how will Delhi and its urban agglomeration solve the problems of transport, housing, energy, jobs etc for its residents? One way to a solve a problem is to look at how a similar issue has been addressed elsewhere. For example, Metro rail in India has scaled up after the launch of Delhi Metro. This is because cities could learn for Delhi Metros experience and replicate the same. But in the case of urban management at this scale, there is no parallel example. Therefore, India needs to devise its own strategy to address these issues and here are three key things that can be looked at: Looking at cities beyond political boundaries The problem of a city is not confined to its political boundary even as the actions may be. Let me explain this by taking the example of air pollution in Delhi-NCR. Air flow does not follow administrative or political boundaries. Therefore, in order to address air pollution in the national capital region, actions must be taken in the air shed area of Delhi. This means that actions should be taken in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan for checking air pollution in Delhi. However, this does not happen on ground and lack of it is confined to respective states. The same issue can also be seen in other sectors, such as transport. Therefore, it is important to look at cities beyond their administrative boundaries and develop plans for cities along with their regions. Yes, the approach needs to be much better than that of the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB). Preparing a blue print for urbanisation A couple of years ago, a World Bank report described Indias urbanisation as messy and hidden. The study estimated that India has an urban population in excess of 55% as against the census statistics of 31%. The reason for this discrepancy was on account of the fact that cities like Delhi have seen maximum population growth on the fringe. What is interesting in this finding is the fact that a lot of such fringe areas were technically outside the administrative boundary of the city. And so, such areas may exhibit all the characteristics of an urban area, but are not classified as urban. Therefore, the result is that while core areas of city remain, they are seeing stagnant or declining economic activity, and the peripheral areas are seeing growth. This type of low-density sprawled development in these peri-urban areas are putting extreme stress on the overall resources. Therefore, we need a blue print for urbanisation in the country which will help in advancing planned and sustainable development of urban areas. Creating differentiated systems for planning The other big problem with our system is that we use the same planning framework for any and every urban area in the country. For example, the approach to planning Delhi is same as planning for Gurugram, even though the size, need and context may be different. It doesnt work. It is important to develop a planning framework that responds the needs and the context of the environment. The question to us is that why should schemes like Government of Indias Smart Cities mission, which intends to develop 100 smart cities, use the same approach to plan for an area in New Delhi as Tirupati? Its important to remember the large cities like Delhi have access to resources, knowledge and finance and therefore, their approach is totally different from that of say Sonipat, which is still trying to develop. For example, there is a provision to give special status to large cities in China and United Kingdom. Therefore, we need to develop graded systems of planning and do away with the cookie cutter approach. For far too long India has neglected the reality of urbanisation and the issues that comes with it. Its time to give due attention to urban areas to make them work. Indias urbanisation is not only a challenge but also an opportunity, provided we can make it work. (Amit Bhatt is the director- integrated transport, WRI India) Sonam Kapoor is one of the most stylish actors weve ever seen, so we couldnt be more captivated by her latest magazine cover for Brides Todays anniversary issue. The cover features the Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga actor wearing a beautifully embellished ombre coat from fashion designer Tarun Tahilianis spring summer 2019 collection, India By The Nile, and sitting on the floor in a relaxed pose. Sonam Kapoor needs very little to play up her inner glow. But the dress she wore for the cover photo shoot only plays up her natural beauty. Sonams flared floor-grazing ensemble maintained the sophistication of traditional hand-embroidery, while reflecting the ease of a playfully modern silhouette. Sonams sheer tulle outfit may look light in weight, yet is heavy on romance. Watch video and see photos of Sonam Kapoors latest magazine photo shoot that offers a mix of whimsy and modernity: Sonam Kapoors dress looked elegant and ethereal. But her hair stole the show. She brought an unexpected edge to her ethereal ensemble with an enviable set of curls a far cry from her natural straight hairstyle. After seeing some behind-the-scene photos shared by her hair and make-up artist, Namrata Soni, were guessing Sonams springy ringlets were a result of hours of prep. Sonams blush ensemble was complimented by a delicate rose gold makeup: A subtle rose gold shadow, a couple coats of mascara on her eyelashes. Her nude lip was equally gorgeous with its subtle pink tinge. Sonam Kapoor has never been one to shy away from bold fashion choices, but do you think her latest style combination was a bit too much? We couldnt decide between her sleek, straight hairstyle or her latest curls, but what do you think of her look? Are you loving it? Check out more photos of Sonam Kapoor dressed in Tarun Tahiliani for her latest magazine shoot: Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter The high school and intermediate examinations of the UP Board are set to begin from Thursday. In a first, the examination schedule will be completed in 16 working days. Like last year, the Special Task Force (STF) has been tasked with keeping copying mafia away from the examination centres. Preparations have been completed for holding copying free examinations. CCTV cameras and voice recorders have been installed at all centres. Voice recording and CCTV footages will be monitored continuously, said Neena Srivastava, secretary, UP Board. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath, in a video conferencing on Saturday, has asked all district magistrates and district inspector of schools to remain vigilant so that copying mafia do not spoil the sanctity of the exams. SSP STF Abhishek Singh said, The force will remain more vigilant in districts that shares borders with other states. In all, a total of 8,354 examination centres have been set up in 75 UP districts. Of these, a significant 1,314 centres have been identified as sensitive while 448 centres have been identified as highly sensitive. Strict measures, including heavy deployment of police, have been put in place. Invigilation staff has been instructed to ensure that unfair means are not used. We are trying for the first time to hold examinations in 16 working days, which should be a record in itself. Sector and zonal magistrates at exam centres have also been deputed to check any untoward incident, said Srivastava. A total of 58,06,922 students are set to appear in high school and intermediate examinations. Of these 31,95,603 will appear in high school and 26,11,319 will appear in intermediate exams. The examinee count this year is 9,15,846 less than last year. Last year, a record 10,44,619 lakh students nearly 15% of all those who had registered had skipped the UP Board exams. Due to strictness last year, registrations for 2019 examinations witnessed a sharp fall of about 9 lakh students as compared to last year. The high school examination which is commencing on February 7 will end on February 28 (14 working days) while the intermediate examination also beginning on February 7 will be completed in 16 working days and end on March 2. A total of 4.37 crore coded answer sheets have been printed and distributed. Many firsts With the Board switching over to the NCERT pattern, now Class 12 students will be writing one paper for 39 important subjects like physics, chemistry, biology, English, maths, Hindi, etc. Also the morning shift of the examination will start from 8am instead of 7.30am. Model paper on website The UP Board has released model question papers on its website for the convenience of examinees. The papers are more on the pattern of CBSE exams. Candidates may download them free of cost In numbers 58,06,922 students set to appear 3195603 to appear in high School 2611319 to appear in intermediate exams 8354 exam centres made in 75 districts 4.37 crore coded answer sheets printed, distributed for the exam SSC GD Admit Card: Staff Selection Commission (SSC) has released the admit cards for the Constable (GD) in CAPFs, NIA & SSF and Rifleman (GD) in Assam Rifles Examination 2018 exams on its official website at ssc.nic.in SSC has earlier started releasing the admit cards for GD constable recruitment 2018 exams on its various regional websites starting from the eastern region, the central region, the north western region Chandigarh, the southern, western and Madhya Pradesh regions. Candidates can download their admit cards from their respective regional SSC websites online. Constables (GD) in Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), NIA & SSF and Rifleman (GD) in Assam Rifles (AR) Examination, 2018 will be held from February 11, 2019 to March 11, 2019 SSC Admit card for G D Constable Recruitment 2018: Steps to check Visit the official websites of the respective SSC regions. Under the notice section or candidates alert section, find the link to download e-admit card for SSC GD recruitment 2018 Key in your roll number or registration ID number, date of birth and exam centre code and submit Your admit card will be displayed Download and take its print out. Direct link for SSC official notice for SSC admit card Direct link to download SSC GD constable recruitment exam admit card for North western region Chandigarh Direct link to download SSC GD constable recruitment exam admit card for Central region Direct link to download SSC GD constable recruitment exam admit card for Southern Region Direct link to download SSC GD constable recruitment exam admit card for Western Region Direct link to download SSC GD constable recruitment exam admit card for Madhya Pradesh Region Direct link to download SSC GD constable recruitment exam admit card for Eastern region The Gujarat Technological University (GTU) on Wednesday announced the results of Diploma 5th semester regular and remedial exams. They have also declared the PDDC Semester 7 remedial and regular results. Apart from this, BPH semester 6 remedial results have also been announced. All these examinations were held in December 2018. Candidates who have appeared in the examination can check their results by visiting the official website of Gujarat Technological University. Here are the direct link to check the results: Result of DIPL SEM 5 - Remedial (DEC 2018) Exam Result of DIPL SEM 5 - Regular (DEC 2018) Exam Result of PDDC SEM 7 - Remedial (DEC 2018) Exam Result of PDDC SEM 7 - Regular (DEC 2018) Exam Result of BPH SEM 6 - Remedial (DEC 2018) Exam Check your result by keying in your enrolment number or seat number, captcha code and click on search. Download the result on your computer and take a printout too. Note: The online re-check/re-assess(Last Date for Student is 11 Feb 2019, Last date for Institute: 12 Feb 2019.) The intermediate examination of Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) began on Wednesday at 1339 centres in 38 districts across the state. A total of 13,15,371 candidates have registered for the examination. In the first shift, which started at 9.30am and concluded at 12.45pm, science students appeared in the Biology paper while the vocational course students appeared for RB Hindi. A total of 3,17,273 students had registered for the biology examination, while 731 candidates had filled the form for RB Hindi. In the second shift, which started at 1.45am and concluded at 5pm, philosophy paper examination was held for arts students. A total of 13,473 students had registered for the exam. For commerce students, entrepreneurship examination was held for which 48,840 students had filled the form. According to a notification issued by the board, the first shift examination was held in peaceful manner and the second shift also began on a peaceful note. Abhishek a science student who appeared for the biology paper exam at Miller High School in Patna said, The questions were easy. I could solve all of them as I was prepared. Short answer type questions carrying two marks were easy and saved a lot of time. MP Trivedi of Patna science College said, The questions of biology was very easy but the question paper did not follow the exam pattern. The paper was unbalanced gave priority only to a few topics and did not touch many. The question paper was very different from the blueprint. Raushan Kumar another student who took philosophy paper in arts said, The questions were easier than expected. I am happy that the exams have started well with an easy paper. I am more confident for next paper. With new changes in the OMR sheet candidates seemed very happy. From this year, candidates dont have to colour the circles of OMR sheets for filling their name, roll number, roll code etc. The OMR sheet has pre-printed names , roll number, roll codes and subject code which saves alot of time for the candidates. Earlier we were worried as colouring those OMR circles is a very crucial task. Any error can lead to rejection of our answer sheets. But this change in OMR sheet has saved our time and reduced the tension, said Puja Kumari another candidate. Traditionally when a United States (US) president makes a State of the Union address in his penultimate year, he sets out to explain to voters why he or his chosen successor should be re-elected. President Donald Trump did so on Tuesday in his own inimical way: Suddenly moving between statesman-like calls for unity and comity and thinly-veiled attacks against the opposition Democrats and blood-curdling claims about the security of the countrys borders. Mr Trumps priority was to communicate to his electoral base: The disenchanted, white working class that represent little over a third of US voters. Since the Republicans ceded the House of Representatives to the opposition in the recent midterm elections, the president is working to immunise himself against the pathogens that lengthy, hostile congressional investigations will throw up. This requires him to preserve the blind loyalty he has inspired among the Republican base and, as a consequence, lock in the support of a Republican leadership which still sees him as an outsider. His speech was notable for the portrayal of the US border being overrun by hordes of illegal immigrants and the overriding need for a wall to keep them out. Mr Trump also iterated his determination to pull US troops out of Syria and Afghanistan. A final throw-in was a rant against late abortions. All of these had the sole purpose of keeping his loyalists happy. A goal made all the more necessary because many were soured by his lengthy and damaging shutdown of the US government. Mr Trumps doubling down on his anti-immigrant rhetoric as well as his continuing criticism of the US military presence in Afghanistan will trouble New Delhi. While it is possible that nothing may come to pass on the ground, constructive action on either front will be largely impossible as they become key themes during the protracted US presidential campaign season. India will take greater comfort in the US presidents insistence that there will be no end to the economic frictions between the US and China until the latter carries out major and probably impossible structural economic reforms. There is no certainty as to who will win the coming US presidential elections or, more importantly, whose vision of the worlds most powerful country will hold sway for another four years. All polling evidence shows the US more polarised than it has ever been for decades. If Mr Trump has staged a coup detat against the Republican Party, the new Democratic Congress saw a similar battle between the party mainstream and its socialist wing. The state of the American Union: already knee deep in the waters of a turbulent political battle. At the Richard Flowers Homes off 139th Street in Robbins, officials showed off an empty, three-bedroom apartment where a family is set to move in next week. When the two-story structures were originally built in 1952, every unit had a first-floor kitchen and living room and bedrooms on the second floor. Customs officials recovered at least 600 kg of dry Khat leaves valued at Rs 17 crore from three consignments at Delhi airport, which were imported as green tea leaves from Ethiopia. This is the biggest seizure of the banned drug, officials said, adding that two Ethiopian nationals were arrested in the case. Dry Khat is a stimulant drug, which is usually chewed, smoked or mixed in liquids. In India, it is listed as a psychotropic substance under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. It is equally addictive as heroin. Dry Khat makes a person hyperactive and aggressive. It energises one with elevated blood, sudden behavioural changes and may cause paranoia, a customs officer said. The officer said the recovery led to the arrest of two Ethiopian nationals and a man who worked at the Delhi airports cargo terminal. The three containers were imported to Delhi from Ethiopia on February 2. The seizure was a joint effort of officials from customs (cargo) and IGI airport. A customs officer from Delhi airport, who did not wish to be named, said they had received an input regarding the movement of the containers from the African nation on January 30. On Monday, when the containers were being readied for transportation, we raided the cargo terminal and caught two Ethiopian men to whom the containers belonged. On questioning, they tried to pass off the drug as green tea leaves. We got it checked from our experts and the leaves were identified as dry Khat. The two men were arrested, said the officer. Detailed examination revealed that each of the three containers had 200 kg dry Khat. After the interrogation of the two men, we zeroed in on an Indian who reportedly works as a customs broker. He was helping the two men with the paper work in clearing the consignment. We are yet to ascertain his antecedents. We are not revealing the names of the three men as investigation is in process, the officer said, adding that they have not come across any medical or legal industrial usage of dry Khat for which such a large consignment could have possibly been smuggled into the city. The Delhi government was yet to give the go-ahead to Delhi Police to prosecute Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya for sedition, a day before a city court was set to hear the charge sheet against 10 people, including the three former Jawaharlal Nehru University student union leaders, for allegedly shouting anti-national slogans in 2016. Until late Tuesday night, the home minister was yet to approve or decline the prosecution sanction the police need to proceed with the case in court. The court will take cognisance of the charge sheet and begin the process to frame charges only after the Delhi governments green light. Delhi government officials said the police had sent a copy of the charge sheet to the home department just two hours before they submitted it in court. Under the Code of Criminal Procedure, investigating agencies have to take the approval or sanction from the state government while filing charge sheets in sedition cases. A senior government official, who did not wish to be named, said the file is with Delhi home minister Satyendar Jain. According to government records, the file reached the home minister on January 21. It was sent to Jain by the principal secretary (home). But, ever since, the file has remained with the minister. It took police three years to file the charge sheet. How can they expect the government to read and approve the file in a week? Things dont work this way. One has to understand the case and the listed evidence. The minister neither approved the prosecution sanction nor denied it, the Delhi government official said on condition of anonymity. A media adviser to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said: The Delhi governments stand will be conveyed to the court by the police whenever the case comes up next. The Delhi police had on January 14 filed a charge sheet against 10 persons on charges of sedition, criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly, rioting and other IPC sections. The 10 persons include former JNU student union president Kanhaiya Kumar, university student Umar Khalid and a practising doctor who was a student in a Ghaziabad college at the time of the incident. Kumar and the other students have accused the police of filing false charges against them. According to the police, the 10 had allegedly shouted anti-India slogans on the evening of February 9, 2016. Police in their first information report said the former students and a few outsiders, who were invited to the campus, had held a rally inside JNU to mark the death anniversary of Parliament-attack mastermind Afzal Guru and Kashmiri separatist Maqbool Bhat. A Delhi police officer supervising the case, who did not wish to be named, said, According to a Supreme Court judgment, filing a charge sheet without the state governments sanction is not illegal. One can produce a copy of the sanction later. We are yet to get a sanction. We may request court to proceed by taking cognizance in other Indian Penal Code sections, until we get the approval on sedition charges. A man attempted to rape a one-year-old girl after locking her up in a godown in outer Delhis Aman Vihar Monday evening, police said. The girls father alleged that he found his toddler daughter gagged and with a rope around her neck, leading him to suspect that the man planned to kill the child after raping her. SD Mishra, deputy commissioner of police (Rohini), confirmed that the girl was locked up in a room, but said it was unclear whether she was tied up. The DCP said though the suspect had removed the girls clothes, she was rescued before he could cause any harm. The suspect, identified as 22-year-old Dharmendra, has been arrested and booked for illegal confinement and under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The officer said the Indian Penal Code section for rape wasnt added because the medical examination did not reveal any injury. The girl lives with her parents in Aman Vihar. Her father works in a factory. The suspect, Dharmendra, was a frequent visitor to the girls house and was known to her family. He works as a helper of a vendor who sells chhole-bhature, the DCP said. Dharmendra allegedly took away the girl on Monday evening after telling her relatives that he would buy her some sweets. When he didnt return with my daughter even after 10 minutes, I looked around for them but couldnt find them, the girls father said. We visited a godown where the man lives, but found it locked from outside. We then went to the market to see if he was at work, but couldnt find him. We visited the godown again and, this time, it was locked from inside, the father said. The father with the help of others broke opened the door. Inside, my daughter was found gagged and tied up. The man had tried to hide her under a pile of clothes. She was in a bad shape, the father said. The girl was rushed to Sanjay Gandhi Hospital even as Dharmendra was caught by the public and thrashed. He had to be hospitalised, police said. The girl, too, is admitted to hospital, but she is out of danger. Political bickering has begun over regularisation of unauthorised colonies in Delhi in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections. Housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday accused the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi of delaying in regularisation process. Speaking at an event to launch a web portal for land pooling, Puri said the Delhi government had sought two more years to complete regularisation. Thanks to the policy for the Delhi government, we have not been able to regularise the colonies. The local government has again sought two years to complete the process, Puri said. The minister said a committee was formed under the housing and urban affairs secretary (Durga Shankar Mishra) in 2017 to expedite the process by resolving all issues with the local government. The Delhi government had then said they need two years to deal with the issues. We are trying to solve the problem but the local government is not on board. And they blame the central government, Puri said. The AAP government hit back at the Union minister, and blamed the Centre for the delay. As per records, the Delhi government had approved and sent the file to the Centre two years back, said the Delhi governments media advisor. As elections near, the AAP government is in an overdrive to inaugurate development projects in unauthorised colonies. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is also targeting the ruling party in Delhi by raking up the regularisation of unauthorised colonies, considered AAPs vote bank. A Dubai court has awarded the custody of a three-year-old boy to his mother, directing her ex-husband, a native of Haryanas Raipur Rani, to handover the boy to her within a month. Granting divorce to the couple, the court, in its January 23 order, said if the boys father, Shahid Hussain, did not comply with the orders by February 23, it would issues his arrest warrants in line with the UAE laws. Originally issued in Arabic, the court order translated into English was made available recently. The boys mother Naseem Akhtar, who hails from Malerkotla in Punjab, and currently resides in Dubai, has been struggling to regain the custody of her son Ryan since January 2018, when her husband snatched the boy, then two years old, from her in India and fled to Nepal. The divorce was granted from January 4, 2018, when Naseem last saw her husband and son. Speaking to HT over the phone, Akhtar that Shahid and her son Ryan were in Nepal, as per records of the immigration authorities. The Regional Passport Office, Chandigarh, which had suspended Shahids passport to prevent him from entering or exiting India, has issued alerts to authorities concerned regarding Shahids possible presence in Nepal. After marrying him in August 2014, Naseem had joined Shahid in Sharjah, where he used to work then. In a complaint lodged before the Sangrur police, Naseem had submitted that during their visit to India in January 2018, Shahid took her and her son to Delhi at his friends apartment, where he assaulted her for six days. On their way back to Malerkotla, Shahid assaulted her again, snatched her breastfeeding son, and fled with their passport and other education documents. After filing the FIR, Naseem got another passport made and returned to Sharjah, eventually relocating to Dubai. After this, Shahid travelled to Nepal on February 6 with their son, following which his Indian passport was suspended on February 27. But, he somehow managed to return to UAE on April 1. On checking his immigration status later, Naseem found that as of December 20, both Shahid and her son were in Nepal. Court order The Dubai court in its order directed Shahid to pay a lump sum compensation of 10,000 United Arab Emirates dirham (AED), 40,000 AED as rent for Naseems dwelling, in addition to a one-time payment for her furniture (15,000 AED), along with payment of electricity, water and internet bill in a sum not exceeding 1,000 AED. The court also ordered an alimony of 6,000 AED for the waiting periods expenses while restoring Naseems educational documents, etc., to her. The court also directed Shahid to pay an alimony of 1,500 AED per month and AED 500 every Eid-Ul-Fitr and Eid-Ul-Adha. Besides, he will have to pay a fosterage remuneration of 5,000 AED per month for her son, in addition to taking a health insurance for him, paying his school fees and related expenses. Easy escape to Nepal Naseem said despite a lookout circular against Shahid and impounding of his passport, Shahid had been using the Nepal route to move in and out of India since January 2018, while giving her no details regarding the exact whereabouts of their son ever since. My son has a digestion problem, and needs breast milk. He used to hit our son so often during his fits of rage, shared a concerned Naseem. Indian nationals do not require a visa or passport to travel to and from Nepal. In fact, any proof of identity is enough, including a driving licence with photo, a voter ID card, a ration card or even some identity document issued by authorities in Kathmandu. From Kathmandu, they can take a flight to India or can just cross over by road. Still marvelling at the pictures of actor Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas Jodhpur wedding? The Bajirao Mastani actor has credited her husband for choosing the Rajasthan city as their wedding venue. The actor made her fifth appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and the discussion centred on her much-talked about wedding celebrations. The actor went on to reveal that she was the one who wanted to get married on an island before Nick suggested India. She told Jimmy, I always wanted to get married in a private island away from everything. We were like really stressed out about it cause we thought Seychelles, Maldives, Mauritius and nothing was working out, how will we fly everyone and the logistics. The former Miss World shared how the two were still pondering over their wedding venue when Nick had said, Why arent we doing this in India? Shouldnt I be taking my bride from her home? Jimmy also asked Priyanka about the picture that she shared on her Instagram with the caption, Home. She went on to explain that it was her cousin Divya who clicked the picture to tease her later that she was the first one to fall asleep while watching the Super Bowl. The actor was trolled on the social media as her fans asked her about the third person who was present in the room who clicked the picture. Comparing Nicks house with hers, she said, Now nothing works in my house because I am never in my house, my coffee machine doesnt work, the air-conditioning makes a sound. My house is cute, its beautiful...but nothing works. Even my doorbell doesnt work now. She added, When I go to Nicks house, it makes me so nervous as when something is so super clean and when you take off your shoes, it bothers you. His house is just perfect. My dog peed on his carpet and its a white carpet too. Before he came home, I went through everything... cleaners, baking soda, scrubbing... but he still noticed. Also read: Adding Jonas to my name doesnt take away my identity, says Priyanka Chopra The two tied the knot at Udaipur in a Catholic and a Hindu ceremony in a multiple day affair. The lavish affair was then followed by three wedding receptions one in Delhi and two in Mumbai. Priyanka and Nick recently flew to the ski resort of Mammoth Mountain in California for a family holiday along with the Jonas brothers and Priyankas mother Madhu Chopra. On the work front, Priyanka will now be seen in Isnt It Romantic that is set to arrive on Netflix on February 28. She is also working on her comeback Bollywood film, The Sky Is Pink, being directed by Shonali Bose. The film also stars Farhan Akhtar and Zaira Wasim. Follow @htshowbiz for more Actor Alia Bhatt may have found her perfect someone but is not thinking about tying the knot just yet. She was asked about her boyfriend and actor Ranbir Kapoor at a promotional event for her upcoming movie Gully Boy and her reply was quite witty. According to a Pinkvilla report, Alia said, I think people should now take a break. We have had two beautiful weddings last year. I think we can chill now, watch movies, work in movies, and rest can be seen later. Here, Alia was talking about the weddings of Deepika Padukone with Ranveer Singh, and of Priyanka Chopra with Nick Jonas. Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt at Umang Awards 2019 in Mumbai. (IANS) Deepika and Ranveer got married in Italy in November while Priyanka and Nick tied the knot in Jodhpur last December. Both the weddings kept Bollywood and its fans busy for almost two months with their stunning pictures and many receptions. Also read: Anushka chats with her doppelganger, says she has been waiting for her all her life Ranbir and Alia, meanwhile, are enjoying their new relationship to the fullest. When not shooting together for their first film together, Brahmastra, Alia and Ranbir are spotted on walks together in New York. She was by his side in the US as he attended to his ailing father and veteran actor Rishi Kapoor. Ranbir and Alia also recently met Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of the Bollywood contingent that flew to New Delhi with filmmaker Karan Johar. They were also seen together at the annual Umang event, hosted to honour the Mumbai Police. They shook a leg with actor Shah Rukh Khan on stage and even clicked pictures with policemen. Ranbir confirmed his relationship with Alia in May 2018 in an interview with GQ magazine. Meanwhile, Alia gave a silent nod to it on Karan Johars chat show, Koffee With Karan later last year. Alia will now be seen in Gully Boy with Ranveer Singh, which releases on February 14. She will also star in Kalank with Varun Dhawan and in Takht with Ranveer again. She also has Brahmastra, which will be released as a trilogy, beginning next year. Ranbir will also be seen in Shamshera. Follow @htshowbiz for more The Congress in Karnataka on Tuesday attempted to thwart alleged efforts to derail the coalition government it has with the Janata Dal (Secular) by issuing a whip asking its legislators to not just be present for the Budget session, which will begin on Wednesday, but also to vote in favour of the finance bill. Chief minister Kumaraswamy is set to present the Budget on Friday, and the session is set to last till February 15. The coalition has had a turbulent eight months in power, with constant speculation of some of its MLAs being keen to defect to the BJP. The absence last month of four rebel Congress MLAs from a legislature party meeting called by former chief minister and CLP chief Siddaramaiah had only heightened the speculation . The four legislators Ramesh Jarkiholi, Mahesh Kumathahalli, Umesh Jadhav and B Nagendra had all been issued show cause notices by Siddaramaiah and though they replied, Congress leaders admit that it is highly likely that the four are ready to jump ship. Breaking News Updates Would you like to receive our Breaking News updates? Signup today! Calendar Updates Would you like to receive our weekly Calendar updates? Signup today! Deals Updates Would you like to receive Deals updates? Signup today! Karstrand is one of about 70 U.S. citizens who will travel abroad this year through the Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Program. More than 450 teachers applied for the opportunity to promote global education, according to the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. A call to Gibbens' office Tuesday was not returned. Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson said his office is reviewing the possibility of appealing the sentence. Judges are bound by Kansas' sentencing guidelines, and there must be a "substantial and compelling reason" for judges to go below or above the recommended punishments. Thompson's office can argue that one doesn't exist in Soden's case. Thompson said it would be unethical for him to comment on what Gibbens said in his courtroom. Gibbens said during the hearing that he considered Soden's age as a factor. He also said Soden was intellectually impaired and lacks capacity for judgment. In using the term "aggressor" to describe the victims, Gibbens appeared to be talking about Kansas law, which says a defendant's sentence can be reduced if the victim "was an aggressor or participant" in the crime. In this case, Gibbens found that the sisters are the former. The crime happened in early 2018. Soden knew the sisters through their mother, who regularly cleaned his apartment, Thompson said. Eventually, he contacted them through Facebook and began asking for nude photos and sexual favors in exchange for money, Thompson said. Three people have been charged after a search in the town of Catawba also yielded drugs and stolen property, according to a release from the C NEWTON The Catawba County Branch NAACP will celebrate Black History Month at the February meeting on Sunday at 4 p.m. at Mt. Olin AME Zion Church, 2583 Smyre Farm Road, Newton. We have a great program lined up, said Jerry L. McCombs, Catawba County Branch president. We look forward to the community joining us in this annual celebration, which is open to the public. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is the nations oldest and largest civil rights organization. The North Carolina Conference of NAACP Branches is 70 years old and includes more than 100 units across the state. The Catawba County Branch meets the second Sunday of each month. NEWTON Nu Chapter, The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, held its winter breakfast meeting recently at Abernethy Laurels in Newton. Martha Brown, Nu Chapter president, welcomed members and special guests prior to a breakfast buffet. Following the meal, Dinah Poteat, a previous teacher grant recipient, shared with the group how the voice recorders that were purchased with grant money are still impacting her students after several years. Dee Snyder, first vice president, and members of the leadership development committee recognized long-term members of Nu Chapter in a ceremony honoring Treasured Roses. The following members were recognized for 25 years of continued service and leadership: Martha Brown, Marilyn Futrelle, Arlinda Graham, Rebecca Rowe, and June Trivette. Diane Creasman and Carol Warren were honored for 30 years of service. Irene Craig and Claudia McLean were recognized for 40 years of service, and Nancy Jo Teague achieved 45 years of continued service and leadership to the chapter. Each honoree was escorted to the stage by an escort who spoke briefly about the leadership and contributions the member had made to Nu Chapter. Honorees each received a service pin, certificate, and long-stemmed red rose. Uniontown, PA (15401) Today A few showers this morning with overcast skies during the afternoon hours. Cooler. High 66F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Mostly clear. Low 46F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Jennifer Fitch waynesboro@herald-mail.com HARRISBURG, Pa. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf outlined his budget priorities for 2019-20 on Tuesday, telling state lawmakers he is particularly focused on education and workforce development. Wolfs $34.1 billion plan would establish $45,000 as the minimum annual salary for teachers, expand early-childhood learning opportunities, and find ways to offer more career training through higher education and apprenticeship programs. It also would feature a GI bill tailored to the state. When Amazon made its decision not to locate its second headquarters in Pennsylvania, it cited workforce concerns as a main reason. ... Across the commonwealth, we have workers aging out of our workforce, and too often, the next generation of worker is not there or doesnt have the skills to replace them, Wolf said. Including nearly $500 million in supplemental cash for the current fiscal year, Wolf is seeking authorization for another $1.9 billion in new spending, or nearly 6 percent more, the Associated Press reported. The proposal wouldnt increase the states taxes on income and sales, but Wolf last week laid out a parallel plan to impose a severance tax on Marcellus Shale natural-gas production to finance borrowing for an ambitious capital plan that would fund a wide range of projects, the AP reported. Pennsylvania state Rep. Paul Schemel expressed concerns about the Marcellus Shale proposal and increased spending, but said the overall presentation wasnt controversial. The word around here is he is interested in a vice president spot for whoever the Democratic nominee (for president) is, so he lobbed softballs, said Schemel, R-Franklin. Schemel said the governors presentation always is a wish list that becomes subject to negotiations during the appropriations process. State Rep. Rob Kauffman expressed concerns that the governor is not setting money aside in a rainy-day fund for the future when the economy might be struggling. Increased spending by 4.3 percent is reckless. Its careless. ... Very frankly, hes not as concerned about four or five years from now as he is spending the taxpayers money in 2019-20, said Kauffman, R-Franklin. Wolfs first term was marked by long, drawn-out budget fights with Republican lawmakers. The new proposal is modest in comparison to his earliest plans, which carried multibillion-dollar tax increases, and seems to reflect Wolfs shift in strategy in the past couple of years to the realities of negotiating with big Republican majorities. The extra spending largely would go toward public schools, prisons, pension obligations, health care for the poor, mental-health services, and social services for children, older residents and the disabled. The administration said the plan carries a half-billion dollars in new initiatives. Kauffman was highly critical of Wolf viewing the previous years budget as if it included special-funds dollars that never were appropriated. He also is particularly frustrated by the governor reinstating cash benefits for welfare. Schemel was part of a group of lawmakers who first listed special funds where money wasnt being spent. He said he wants discussions to continue on pulling money from those sources. The Associated Press contributed to this story. Jennifer Fitch waynesboro@herald-mail.com CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. Franklin County (Pa.) Commissioners Chairman Dave Keller is throwing his name into consideration for the Pennsylvania 33rd Senate District seat being vacated by Richard Alloway II. Alloway II, R-Franklin/Adams/Cumberland/York, recently announced he plans to resign from the state Senate effective Feb. 28. He said he plans to return to practicing law and doing lobbying work. Elections officials are awaiting word on how a special election will be conducted, but they have said it likely will be timed to coincide with the states May 21 primary. The county parties likely will name conferees to select the names for ballots. Keller, 49, of Chambersburg is the latest Republican candidate to express interest in the role. Other announced candidates are Doug Mastriano of Fayetteville, Pa., and Trevor Taylor of Straban Township in Adams County, Pa. I feel called to public service because it gives me the opportunity to help people every day, Keller wrote in an email. Keller has been a county commissioner for 11 years, and already announced he would seek re-election to another four-year term in 2019. He said he intends to stay on parallel tracks and remove his name from the county commissioner position if selected as the next state senator. In his email, Keller highlighted his work with municipal leaders and other counties commissioners. He described himself as pro-life and pro-Second Amendment. As senator, I will support fiscally conservative spending and legislative initiatives that improve the efficiency and effectiveness of government at all levels, he said. I will also support efforts to reduce reliance on property taxes for education; bring fairness and equity to education funding for schools in south central (Pennsylvania); reduce unfunded mandates on counties, boroughs and townships; and help secure necessary grant funding for historic preservation, transportation, libraries, conservation and other worthwhile projects, Joyce F. Nowell jnowell@herald-mail.com GREENCASTLE, Pa. The long road to bringing upgrades to two key crosswalks in Greencastle finally might be coming to an end. The borough received a state grant in May 2017 to install two blinking crosswalk signals along Baltimore Street one at Linden Avenue and another at Allison Street. Two years later, officials are ready to seek bids for the project. Discussion about the heavily used crosswalks was initiated nearly three years ago by school board member Shannon Yates, who sees safety and security of students as one of his top priorities, both as a school board member and parent. We have many students in Greencastle who walk to and from school on a daily basis, he said. The improvements to our crosswalks on Baltimore Street will provide higher visibility and safety for our students, as well as our community members who cross the very busy street. This improved visibility is extremely important during the dark hours of the early morning as our students as on their way to school. The $43,677 grant came from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportations Green Light-Go funding program, with 20 percent of the funding to be a local contribution. The borough and the Greencastle-Antrim School District each are contributing $5,460 as matching funds for the rectangular rapid-flashing beacon system. Vehicles are required to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks under state law, and the flashing beacon system provides an extra alert to oncoming traffic that someone is in the crosswalk. Nearby Waynesboro, Pa., has some of those types of systems. These will be the first of their kind in Greencastle. Greencastle applied for the competitive grant in summer 2016 and heard it was a recipient the following spring. Time was spent on grant executing with PennDOT, preliminary design, and application and issuance of permits for the traffic-control devices, Borough Manager Eden Ratliff said. Permits were issued by PennDOT in January, he said. As with many projects that include the use of state funding, there are hurdles that can cause delays, Yates said. One such delay was the approval process needed from PennDOT to allow the installation of these lighted crosswalk devices on a state road. The delays in getting this project moving have been frustrating, however, the borough and the school board continue to work together diligently to get this project complete. The borough council is expected to consider awarding the bid at its April meeting, but a timeline for completion of the project has yet to be determined. That will depend, in part, on the schedule of the contractor, Ratliff said. Green Light-Go, also known as the Pennsylvania Municipal Signal Partnership Program, was made possible by Act 89, a far-reaching transportation plan adopted in November 2013. Act 101 of 2016 provided updates to the program by reducing the applicant match to 20 percent, expanding eligible applicants to planning partners and counties, and allowing all projects to be led by applicants. Dave McMillion davem@herald-mail.com Tom Wibberley waved to Congress and a national TV audience Wednesday night as a nation reflected on its fight against terrorism. Wibberley is the father of Washington County native Craig Wibberley, who was killed in an attack on the USS Cole in Yemen in 2000. Tom Wibberley was one of 13 special guests of President Donald Trump as the president delivered his State of the State address Tuesday night. In illustrating the United States' progress in reducing terrorism abroad, Trump talked about how an al-Qaida operative suspected of being involved in the attack on the USS Cole had been killed. The U.S. Central Command confirmed last month that Jamal al-Badawi was killed in a "precision strike" east of Sanna, the Yemeni capital. The attack on the USS Cole also killed 19-year-old Washington County native Patrick Roy. Trump said he was honored during his speech to have Tom Wibberley in attendance Tuesday night. Wibberley waved to the crowd as applause erupted. Kevin Simmers, a former Hagerstown Police Department officer, also was at the State of the Union address. He was the guest of U.S. Rep. David Trone, D-Md. Trone and Simmers were together earlier in the day in Washington County as Simmers and his wife cut the ribbon on Brooke's House, a local transitional housing facility to help women struggling with addiction. It was named in memory of Simmers' daughter, who died of a heroin overdose. Alexis Fitzpatrick afitzpatrick@herald-mail.com Top priorities for Washington County Public Schools in fiscal year 2020 include expanding early education and making technology upgrades, Superintendent Boyd Michael said Tuesday. The district also wants to add counselors, social workers and special education and English-learner teachers. Michael presented what he called a needs-based draft budget of $286.6 million, which Board of Education members unanimously adopted Tuesday. Michael said the proposal was virtually identical to one presented at the Dec. 18 joint meeting with the county commissioners. Tuesdays draft, he said, had more solid state revenue numbers and revised calculations of maintenance of effort, including the requirement of Washington County government to increase maintenance-of-effort funding by 2.5 percent based on the low effort designation, along with salary and benefits for additional pre-K teachers. Maintenance of effort is a state requirement tied to enrollment that requires county government to provide at least the same level of per-student funding year to year. The budget also added pre-kindergarten teachers, allowing the district to accommodate 1,345 students 1,310 in full-day programs and 35 in half-day programs. He said the increase should let the school system qualify for offering universal pre-K to 80 percent or more of the countys 4-year-olds, opening WCPS up to additional funding. Michael said the draft budget adds 10 much-needed positions for counselors and social workers, or combinations of the two, and three English-language learner teachers. Those changes came from listening to the needs of WCPS staff members and looking at the districts changing demographics, he said. We want all of our students to be successful, he said after Tuesdays meeting. The budget also addresses the addition of 18 special education teachers, some of whom started during the current school year; brings the number up to 21 of paraprofessionals to aid pre-K teachers; and supports two new school resource officers. According to Chief Operating Officer Jeffrey Proulx, with the districts proposed budget of $286.6 million, state revenue is estimated to be $183.2 million. There will be $100.5 million in local maintenance-of-effort revenue and $1.1 million in other revenues. The district is requesting an additional $1.9 million from the county. Michael said the draft budget is now in the hands of the board, which will present its budget proposal with any additions or deletions at the March 5 business meeting. Julie E. Greene julieg@herald-mail.com The Washington County Board of Commissioners shared several of their priorities Tuesday during the morning presentation for the State of the County. The Washington County Chamber of Commerce hosted the morning presentation at Fountain Head Country Club. The morning event had what chamber officials believed was a record turnout, with 235 people. Chamber CEO and President Paul Frey asked the commissioners what initiatives they would champion during the next four years, to serve as their legacy of service. Commissioner Cort Meinelschmidt said he wants to make sure the now-forming economic development coalition works. Attracting high-quality employers and helping existing ones grow generates money to help with public services such as education, fire and rescue, he said. He also said he wants to change the way the ethics board is appointed, so the commissioners arent recommending appointees. Commissioner Randy Wagner listed his top concerns as economic development to increase the tax base; education; and first responders. President Jeff Cline said he wanted to improve access to the commissioners with an extra meeting a month scheduled for the late afternoon and evening. Cline also said the technical high school needs to be expanded, to serve more students. School resource officers and first responders also are high on the list, he said. Vice President Terry Baker said emergency services and education are priorities. Baker said he wanted to see the county budget include a line item for the senior center and find out how to provide more money to Meals on Wheels. Commissioner Wayne Keefer said economic development, education, emergency services and senior citizens were top priorities. Keefer said he hoped to be a senior citizen some day and joked that some of his counterparts already are. Audience members submitted only two questions. Frey said that told him the county is doing a good job communicating. On a question about the possibility of the minimum wage going up, Meinelschmidt said that could affect more county employees than just those making minimum wage, creating a ripple effect. The commissioners were asked if they would support fully funding school resource officers. Meinelschmidt said taking over that funding is complex. It wouldnt reduce how much money the county must provide the school system, he said. The devils always in the details, he said. More that 50 people attended the afternoon session at the Kepler Theater, posing questions about issues including the high water table following heavy precipitation in 2018. The State of the County video presentation is available online at https://youtu.be/6WM fNpykY1s. Staff writer Dave McMillion contributed to this story. IDOT authorized us to begin preliminary engineering on two intersections to show the traffic signal design. Second, we need to present the engineering depictions at a public meeting to receive public comment on the proposed design. If the engineering produces a feasible plan that has public support, IDOT indicated that they could support the installation of the signals, Di Santo said. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 5) A top-level panel of representatives from the United States will head to the Philippines to discuss and review the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) with the Philippines, Defense Chief Delfin Lorenzana said Monday. "They have been asking me what our plans and their high-level delegations will be arriving here soon, not yet the formal talks but just maybe the audience to explore what other things that we are thinking on our side. We also want to know what they are thinking on their side," Lorenzana told reporters. The defense chief said he wants to remove so-called ambiguities in the 67-year-old agreement. In December, Lorenzana ushered the idea of clarifying provisions in the treaty to cover issues surrounding the hotly contested South China Sea. "We just want to know, remove the ambiguities because they always say that we do not involve ourselves in territorial disputes. I think that's the origin of all the problems in the West Philippine Sea when they said we are not involving ourselves in territorial disputes," he said. The global waterway is the subject of various overlapping maritime claims. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration recognized the Philippines' claims over the 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone, but China has refused to observe the ruling. It instead reinforces its historic rights using its nine-dash line claim. The defense chief said the review will be good for the Philippines, citing an instance of a collision between Chinese and American frigates in the South China Sea. "Suppose there will be shooting there, and they invoked the MDT then you are involved, we're involved," he said. Tensions between the U.S. and China has risen following Beijing's alleged militarization and reclamation activities in the South China Sea, prompting security concerns in the area. Lorenzana then said the U.S. should define its scope in assistance to the Philippines to address these concerns. "They could define our territory also, what is the limit of our territories. If they said that they are going to defend us or help us if Metropolitan Philippines is attacked, what do they mean by 'Metropolitan Philippines?' Does it include Scarborough Shoal, Mischief Reef or Pag-asa (island)? That's ambiguous there," Lorenzana said. The agreement states that the Philippines and the U.S. would assist each other when either of them is attacked by a foreign force. The review of the treaty is expected to happen within the year, Lorenzana said. Julie E. Greene julieg@herald-mail.com The Washington County Board of Commissioners appear ready to do more to assist volunteer fire and EMS companies with staffing and funding. The board asked Division of Emergency Services Director R. David Hays to gather more specific information from volunteer companies about their needs. That will be used, in part, to determine how many paid full-time firefighters the county should seek through a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant. Hays said after the meeting that county officials will develop a more formal presentation about a potential phased approach to help fire and EMS. That is expected at the Feb. 26 commissioners meeting. Lets stop talking and lets start doing, Commissioner Cort Meinelschmidt said. County officials said they want to move quickly, so they are prepared if they apply for a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response, or SAFER, grant from FEMA. Hays said the application window usually closes around now, but might stay open due to the federal government shutdown. FEMA has not announced the application schedule, according to an email from an agency spokeswoman. Commissioner Randy Wagner asked the odds of the county getting a SAFER grant. Were the kind of county that grant is designed for, Hays responded. Neighboring Allegany and Frederick counties, as well as Berkeley County, W.Va., have received SAFER grants. A grant would cover 75 percent, including wages and benefits, the first two years, then 35 percent in the third year. The county would bear the full cost the next year. The county already provides almost $7.2 million a year to assist fire and EMS throughout the county. That includes staffing subsidies, workers compensation for fire and EMS volunteers, and indirect contributions to help with equipment testing and maintenance. Bob Moncrief, president of the Washington County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association, said the association will have community meetings to educate the public about fire and EMS issues. The volunteer companies also are looking at ways to cut costs, including converting stations to more energy-efficient LED lighting. Hays said in a phone interview that he expects a hybrid approach to be the most plausible for fire and EMS. For fire, that means paid and volunteer firefighters, but also perhaps more help with operating expenses, he said. For EMS, some companies are asking for a higher staffing subsidy and some are looking for the county to take over providing paid personnel. The estimated cost of a full-time firefighter at every volunteer station, 24/7, is $4.5 million for 60 firefighters. Some volunteer fire companies are holding their own, either with or without their paid firefighters, Hays said. For EMS, a 2007 plan led to the first phase, providing a staffing subsidy to ambulance companies. A full phase two for EMS would mean the county hiring or retaining up to 104 EMS personnel, most of which are now paid workers. The cost of the EMS phase two is an estimated $2.5 million. The county would struggle if it hired 104 EMTs and paramedics and 60 firefighters, Hays said. The county will send volunteer fire and EMS companies a survey on their needs. Commissioner Randy Wagner asked about accountability. Hays said theres room to improve. With additional programs or money, there will be more accountability. There have been significant black marks throughout history because of mismanagement or misappropriation of funds, Hays said. Its imperative to be good stewards of taxpayer money, he said. Jeb Eckstine, president of Community Volunteer Fire Co. Inc. of District 12 in Fairplay, addressed the commissioners as a resident and not as fire company president. Im tired. Im getting older. Theres no people coming in like there used to be to back us up, said Eckstine, a volunteer firefighter for more than 40 years. Thirty years ago, there were enough volunteers to sport an entire softball league and still have enough volunteers to get every firetruck to an emergency, Eckstine said. Now, he doubts there are enough volunteers to put an entire softball team together. Weve talked about this for years and years and years. ... Its time for action. No more talking. We need the funding, Eckstine said. Everybodys families should expect that every response is going to be answered, he said. But failure rates are increasing for emergency responses and the issue has reached a critical level, he said. Some departments are doing well, but that wont last, Eckstine said. Don Aines daines@herald-mail.com A Hagerstown man previously convicted of gun possession and assaulting police officers entered the big leagues Tuesday with a guilty plea to a 2018 gun charge and a six-year state prison sentence, a prosecutor said. Washington County Circuit Judge Mark K. Boyer sentenced 20-year-old Devonte Warfield to 12 years, with all but five years suspended, on a charge of being in possession of a firearm after having been convicted of a violent crime. The five-year portion of the sentence is mandatory and not eligible for parole. That plea also violated Warfields probation on a 2017 conviction for second-degree assault. Boyer sentenced him to another 6 1/2 years in prison with all suspended, except one year and one day. Warfield will be on probation for five years after his release. Mr. Warfield had his chance with local time, Assistant States Attorney Brendan Flynn told Boyer. He has graduated to the big leagues, the Division of Corrections. Hes going to come to realize that every traffic stop is going to be a felony stop in the future, Assistant Public Defender Stephen Musselman told Boyer. The sentence came with a warning from Boyer that he will impose all of the suspended portion of the sentence if Warfield violates probation again. Boyer told Warfield it was up to him to decide if he wanted to do life in prison on the installment plan. On Sept. 26, 2018, county narcotics task force agents saw a possible drug transaction in the parking lot of a Virginia Avenue business and recognized Warfield as he went from one car to another, a 2018 Nissan Altima. The Altima was reported taken from its owner without permission two days earlier, the charging document said. The car was traded to Warfield in exchange for drugs, the document said. Police followed the car from the business to the intersection of Wilson Boulevard and Maryland Avenue, then pulled it over, the document said. Warfield, who was in the back seat, was seen reaching into the front of his pants. Flynn said Warfield had a Walther .380-caliber handgun in his waistband with a fully loaded magazine and a round in the chamber. Warfield entered an Alford plea in circuit court in 2017 to second-degree assault and was sentenced to 10 years with all but 18 months in jail suspended. An Alford plea is not an admission of guilt, but the defendant acknowledges the state has enough evidence to get a conviction. That was for an April 18, 2017, incident in which he struck two police vehicles when he tried to elude them in a stolen car. Warfield was arrested 10 days later during a traffic stop in which he was found armed with a handgun. He pleaded guilty in district court to possession of a handgun by a minor and received a two-year suspended sentence. Warfield is scheduled for a hearing on Feb. 12. Mike Lewis mlewis@herald-mail.com Two area Charlotte Russe stores will close as the young womens clothing chain goes through Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Stores in Valley Mall in Halfway and Francis Scott Key Mall in Frederick, Md., are among 94 outlets that will close, according to bankruptcy documents filed Monday. Charlotte Russe also operates Peek stores for children. In a news release Monday, the company said Charlotte Russe and Peek stores and online platforms will remain open. The company will provide more details later about plans for locations that will close. The company said it received a bankruptcy financing package worth up to $50 million to help it continue operating. The news release states that Charlotte Russe intends to use these proceedings to facilitate an orderly wind-down of a group of approximately 94 of its store locations, while continuing to pursue a ... sale of the business and assets. According to the court paperwork, Charlotte Russe, founded in 1975, is a specialty fashion retailer of young womens apparel and accessories. Headquartered in San Diego, the company sells merchandise to customers in the contiguous 48 states, Hawaii and Puerto Rico through its online store and 512 brick-and-mortar stores in various regional malls, outlet centers and lifestyle centers. In 2016, the company acquired the Peek brand, which offers playfully inspired designer clothing for babies, boys and girls ranging in age from infant to 12 years old, the filing states. The company has about 8,700 employees. According to the court filings, Charlotte Russe and its advisers analyzed the performance, sales and profitability of all of the chains retail stores. The company determined that starting liquidation sales at the 94 stores offers the best way under the circumstances to maximize the value of the debtors businesses and assets for their estates and creditors, the documents state. Dave McMillion davem@herald-mail.com The Washington County Division of Plan Review and Permitting granted a controversial demolition permit Tuesday for a roughly 208-year-old stone house and accessory buildings in the Fairplay community. The move came less than 24 hours after the countys planning commission, sympathizing with property owners rights, unanimously recommended the approval of the demolition permit to tear down the house at 18461 Manor Church Road. Plan Review and Permitting Director Ashley R. Holloway said with or without the planning commissions recommendation to grant the permit, the division would have issued it. Its the way the process was written, Holloway said in a phone interview. The Historic District Commission voted 5-0 on Jan. 16 to deny the demolition permit requested by Robert Householder, who bought the property in October. Householder said previously that he bought the 132-acre property to tear down the home and build a new one. Historic District Commission member Gary Rohrer said at the time: 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. On Monday night, the planning commission voted 5-0 to support a permit to raze the Emmert-Wingert House. Planning commission member Randy Wagner, a county commissioner, abstained from voting. Wagner said Tuesday morning that he when he took the position on the planning commission, the county attorney advised him to abstain from a vote if the issue could end up before the commissioners. Asked if there was consideration to take the matter to the county commissioners, Holloway said, Thats not part of the process. Planning commission member David Kline said he appreciates historic preservation, but we dont have the right to tell (property owners) what they can and cannot do with their property. Householder told planning commission members that when he looked at the property, he was told the house was a disaster. Also, 60 percent of the stone foundation on a barn, which is tied to the demolition permit, is falling apart, Householder said. He wants to start a beef operation on the property and said the barn is not up to todays standards. Householders application for the demolition permit triggered a policy that calls for a review of the permit by the Historic District Commission and the planning commission. Planning commission member Jeremiah Weddle said he went through the Emmert-Wingert house once and considered buying it. But Weddle said the only feature worth anything was the limestone rock in it. Theres water running through the basement, Weddle said. Why are we putting them through the wringer like this? he said, referring to the owners. Planning and Zoning Director Stephen Goodrich said the county is not putting Householder through the wringer, emphasizing again the reviews are a part of the permit process. Some Historic District Commission members were at the planning commission meeting, but they did not speak. The Historic District Commission plans to meet Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Washington County Administrative Complex to discuss county demolition procedures. Staff writer Julie E. Greene contributed to this story. Staff reports The Herald-Mail SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. The Shepherd University Lifelong Learning program is offering a diverse course lineup for the spring semester. Although the majority of classes start the week of March 11, FASTEnER (Fine Art, Science, Technology, Engineering and Educational Resource) Lab courses begin as soon as Monday. A reception to discuss the new semester will take place at 5 p.m. Feb. 28, in the Erma Ora Byrd Hall lobby on the campus. Lifelong Learning has several courses this semester in areas that have long been requested, including Operas of Giuseppe Verdi; Trends in French Cinema; Art History: From Cimabue to Christo; Baby Boomer History: The 60s; Songwriting 101; Intro to Monsoon Asia; and Understanding Twitter. Lifelong Learning continues its offerings in literature with courses on the impacts of poetry and short stories, a fiction writers retreat, and a class on William Shakespeares The Tempest and Margaret Atwoods Hag-Seed. Two popular courses are returning: The Bible through Darwins Eyes and the Contemporary American Theater Festival 2019 Season in Context. Courses on current events include seminar discussions of foreign-policy issues; the implications of Brexit to Ireland; political ethics; historical causes of inequality; and the return of Susan Strasser to discuss the history of residential segregation. History courses include an examination of patterns in human history; West Virginia mine wars; Quebec City: the French Period; little-known facts about the American Civil War; and the Temples of Angkor. Ray Smock, former director of the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education, will offer a new course that examines forgotten stories and the implications for the future. Self-improvement courses continue to be an important part of the Lifelong Learning program, with new and ongoing courses in dealing with mortality, understanding our place in the universe, retirement planning, Medicare and decluttering your home. Science-focused courses include psychology for today, studies of wielding power and understanding drones. Returning this semester are popular hands-on workshops in the FASTEnER Lab, including digital fabrication, metalworking, 3-D printing, MIG welding, wax casting, 3-D self-portrait, glass fusing, making paper, woodworking, constructing Nantucket baskets and constructing nesting Shaker boxes. Lifelong Learning continues its partnership with the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education with screenings and discussions of two films that focus on socially and historically relevant issues, and also continues support of the Presidents Lecture series by coordinating presentations on cultural, financial and scientific topics from leaders in those fields. Day and overnight excursions offer a range of cultural and historical experiences along the eastern seaboard and beyond. Trips offered this semester include the Lorton Workhouse; Glenstone Museum; Great Falls Canal Boat; West Virginia Mine Wars; Chicago Art, Architecture and Theater; Old Quebec; and tours to Australia and New Zealand; Iceland; San Antonio; and a Danube River cruise. Shepherd Universitys Lifelong Learning program is volunteer and member-driven and dedicated to offering academic courses and activities to the community. Classroom/lab offerings consist of six-week courses and one-time Brown Bag Lectures, although there are some classes that are shorter and longer in duration. Although some programs are free, attendance generally requires an annual membership starting at $85 annually, plus class fees, which includes discounts for day excursions and free Brown Bag Lectures. For additional information and to register, go to www.shepherd.edu/lifelonglearning; or contact Karen Rice at krice@shepherd.edu or 304-876-5135. The Illinois 2nd Appellate District ordered a new trial for Shadwick King, 51, in August 2018, ruling that a former FBI profiler offered testimony during the trial that went beyond his expertise and therefore deprived King of a fair trial. King is serving a 30-year sentence for the 2014 murder of his 32-year-old wife, Kathleen King. Of course, most residents want the passenger rail service. But the approach being taken with Salvation Army is unlikely to garner local support based on related historical experience alone. There are also likely better ways for reclaiming that property that doesnt create notoriety for either the company or project in the name of moving forward. But lets consider if the move from the railroad company has nothing to do with passenger rail service. Then the company stands to create certain notoriety for itself and more concern for the rest of us. Salvation Army, after all, isnt a business refusing to budge; its a nonprofit. By abruptly exerting this real estate power after Salvation Army has owned the building for over 30 years, Norfolk Southern stands to come across as unreasonable and underhanded, a sort of bully with clear and yet unknown motivations. And what if the company comes across other businesses along its route that it finds to be encroaching on land that also belongs to it? Salvation Army has the advantage of a larger parent organization to fall back on; smaller business the mom-and-pop stores that contribute to the generational fabric in this region might encounter more trouble. Displacement could easily interrupt the flow of regular customers and revenue depending on the whereabouts of relocation. River Street would be closed off for one block, redone with permeable pavers and form a place where city celebrations or other events could take place, officials said. The whole new park would be linked to RiverEdge Park on the east bank of the river by a new pedestrian bridge across the Fox River currently under construction. It is expected to be finished by October 2019. BRISTOL, Tenn. Both at-large seats of Bristol, Tennessees city council will likely be occupied by very different faces following the May election. Both Councilman Jack Young and Vice Mayor Michelle Denise told the Herald Courier on Tuesday night that they did not plan on seeking re-election, though both said they had not closed the door on running completely. However, with the deadline for candidates to petition expiring on Feb. 21, there are only a few weeks left for them to throw their hats back in the ring. Both Young and Denise have served two terms in council, but each said they planned on departing for different reasons. Young said three of his children will graduate high school in the next four years, and after talking with his wife, he decided he wants to focus on his family. Denise said she was happy with the changes she has seen in the city since she was first elected in 2011 and felt the founding fathers of the U.S. created our system of government so elected officials could serve, do what they needed to do and then leave office. I think the city is going in a great direction, Denise said. A new member has not been elected to council since 2013. 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 mining company received a cessation order and two notices of violation for a mine blowout last week. The Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy investigated the blowout in the Upper Elk Creek area of Buchanan County at about 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 30. The DMME said its investigators determined the incident occurred in an underground mine owned by CM Mining. The company has been ordered to stabilize the site. CM Mining was issued one cessation order for causing imminent danger to the public health and safety, according to Tarah Kesterson, public relations manager for the DMME. The mine stopped producing coal in 1994 and was reclaimed. But it still has a permit with DMME because the agency still monitors water at the site to ensure it is clean, Kesterson said. Along with the violations, CM Mining must submit a plan that addresses water conditions of the underground works and have it approved by DMME. In the plan, the company must also list steps to prevent further material damage to offsite areas and any sudden release of built-up water from the mine workings. BRISTOL, Tenn. The last piece was put into place for Bristol Tennessee City Schools new middle school on Tuesday night, when city council approved using eminent domain to acquire the last property on the districts list. City council unanimously voted to approve the use of eminent domain to acquire 908 Oakland Drive, which is appraised at $76,000, because the owner Mia Sensabaugh and her legal representation stopped responding to offers to purchase the property after several months of negotiation with the district. This is essentially a last resort that we are trying to use, and I know while we are doing this we still are advocating for this not to have to go through eminent domain, Councilman Jack Young said. Young said he hoped the negotiations could be settled before the issue is brought before a judge. Neither Sensabaugh nor her lawyer, Gina Smith of Jamii Law, could be immediately reached for comment. Sensabaugh did not attend the meeting. Communication between both parties began on April 26, 2018, and was mutual until December, when responses ceased from Sensabaugh and her representation. Ballad Health announces partnership with United Way GATE CITY, Va. - Ballad Health System announced today it will partner with seven United Way chapters to help promote improved literacy for area elementary students. Ballad CEO Alan Levine said the company will invest $200,000 - half from its employees and half from its foundation - to bolster existing reading programs in East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. The United Ways will contribute $100,000 to the effort toward an array of programs, including Reading Buddies in place in both Bristol systems. "This is just the beginning " Levine said. "There is a passion around reading proficiency for third graders is not new. What is new is having all these United Way organizations and Ballad Health come together focused on this one thing. That will be a powerful difference." Improving elementary reading proficiency was among the commitments Ballad made in its initial application to the states of Tennessee and Virginia, because early reading proficiency is an indicator of success later in school and helps children become healthy, productive adults, Levine said. 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. Shane Ragsdale, formerly of Greenville, beloved son of Sheila June Winters and father Sariah Vanderwal-Ragsdale, passed away May 31, 2021 in the ICU of Hilo Hawaii hospital of pneumonia. Hi memorial service was held June 12, in Makapala, Hawaii. His fellowship on Earth will be missed; antici Members of the Greenville High School music program competed at the Region 3 UIL Solo and Ensemble Competition Saturday at North Garland High School. Of the 103 students that participated, 95 of them earned first division ratings and 74 of the students qualified for the state competition in June. PHOTOS Steps recent college grads can take to build credit Youve graduated from college, secured that first full-time job and are ready to move out of your parents home. But before you move into that new apartment or buy a new car, you should probably start thinking about your credit. There are many misconceptions about credit and for recent college graduates, you might not know where to start when it comes to building it. Here are some of the steps you should take after you graduate from college. (Noah McGee, The Active Times) 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. It has been a year since broadcaster Gareth O'Callaghan was told by doctors his life was about to change for ever. Despite being diagnosed with rare, incurable multiple system atrophy (MSA), a neurodegenerative illness, he is "grateful" for the challenging past 12 months. The progressive disease, which affects 3,000 people in Ireland and the UK, results in a loss of function and the death of different nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. "It will be a year this week since my doctor said to me he believed there could be something nasty out on the horizon. That was months before any tests," the former RTE and Classic Hits FM broadcaster wrote on Facebook. "Without doubt it's been the most challenging year of my life. "The reason there is a gratefulness and acceptance on my part is because it has made me realise what truly matters in life. I met a woman four years ago whom I never believed I would meet. Her name is Paula. "Without her the world would feel like a very empty place. Her love and her support makes the unbearable manageable on bad days. I couldn't imagine the two of us not knowing each other four years on." Experimental The father-of-three, who is raising awareness of the disease, is now undergoing experimental treatment in the form of oxygen therapy at a clinic in Galway. However, he also made sure to say he still misses his loyal listeners. "It's hard to believe I presented my final radio show five months ago. I miss the connection I had with my listeners, which for many of us spanned a long number of very enjoyable years," he wrote. "Sadly, I have to say here that I miss little else about radio in recent years. "Gone are the days when a real star like Jon Bon Jovi might sit opposite you in your radio studio and chat for half-an-hour about his new album. "Now the radio stations play 10 forgettable songs in a row." A Dublin mother has been given a 21-day suspended sentence after her daughter missed more than 40pc of school days over two years. The woman pleaded guilty to breaking the Education (Welfare) Act for not complying with an official warning to ensure her child went to school. Dublin District Court heard that her now 14-year-old daughter kept missing school despite her mother being offered a wide range of support, including a lift to take her to classes. Judge Alan Mitchell described the girl's attendance rate as "chronic" and told the woman she needed to apologise to her daughter for neglecting her education. Absent The case was referred to an education and welfare officer in 2017 after the girl, who is in second year, had missed 113 days out of 181, with 90 absent days remaining unexplained. When she was in fifth class in primary school, she also missed 78 out of 181 days. The woman was prosecuted by the Child and Family Agency. A school attendance notice was issued in October 2017 and after that the girl continued to miss about 40pc of days, Judge Mitchell heard. The charge can result in a 1,000 fine and a one-month sentence but harsher penalties can be applied for repeat offences. An education and welfare officer told the court a range of support was offered to the girl and her mother including a home school liaison, school completion programme, behaviour support, a learning support programme, extra curricular activities and a homework club. Text messages and letters were also sent out, the officer said. The court heard that school transport was offered "to physically bring her to school on mornings it was necessary". A one-to-one support worker was also offered to help the girl remain in education. Judge Mitchell heard that the school had confirmed the child did not have special education needs. Prosecution solicitor Orla Crowe told the court the education and welfare service tried to encourage attendance when support from the parent was limited. She said it was considered a "parental responsibility issue". Defence solicitor Roy O'Neill told the court there had been a number of bereavements in the woman's family. He said his client wished to apologise to the court but Judge Mitchell said: "She needs to apologise to her child." Neglect Mr O'Neill said the accused now took it seriously and the girl was bright with a good future ahead of her. Judge Mitchell noted from a school report that, although the girl had managed to pass her exams, she was "completely at a loss in relation to content being taught due to absenteeism". The judge told the woman, who had no previous convictions, that not giving children an education was a form of neglect. He imposed a 21-day jail sentence but suspended it on condition she did not reoffend in the next 12 months. She was also told she would be supervised by the Probation Service. The judge said the woman risked going to jail if her daughter did not attend school. Darragh Heavey had been homeless, but is back on track A horse enthusiast caught with 400 worth of cannabis at a stables had been sharing it with others after they "clubbed together", a court heard. Darragh Heavey's fingerprints were found on the drugs in the raid, but it took gardai 18 months to track him down. Judge Dermot Simms gave him a six-month suspended sentence after he admitted drugs and motoring charges. Heavey (32), of Moeran Road, Walkinstown, pleaded guilty to possession of drugs with intent to supply on March 3, 2017. Sgt Ian Lambe told Dublin District Court a search was carried out at stables at Con Colbert Road, Ballyfermot, and cannabis herb worth 400 was found. The accused's fingerprints were on the drugs. Heavey went to Kevin Street Garda Station last month and made full admissions. Scene The court heard the supply element was "more along the lines of sharing with friends". There had been a "bit of a scene" at the stables whereby "lads would club together" and buy cannabis to share. Judge Simms remarked that it was for consumption "by hum- ans rather than the horses". Sgt Lambe said he had been trying to track the accused down and recently discovered he was working as a carpenter on an ad hoc basis. Heavey had been homeless for a period but his life was now "back on track". The accused had a positive interest in horses, and this was a "pro-social activity", defence solicitor Peter Connolly said. Heavey came from a very positive home environment and his family had "disdain" for the offence, Mr Connolly said. Separately, he admitted driving without insurance or a licence in Drimnagh. The judge also banned him from driving for six years. Dublin City Council (DCC) has shot down a proposal to construct a tunnel under a city centre street in order to ease heavy traffic congestion. Fianna Fail councillor Frank Kennedy suggested building a tunnel for traffic underneath the proposed College Green plaza. The council is currently attempting to push through plans to pedestrianise the street - one of the busiest in the city - but had its first planning application shot down by An Bord Pleanala. One of the reasons for the application being turned down was issues over alternative traffic measures. Mr Kennedy asked if a feasibility study for this had been considered by DCC, but council chief executive Owen Keegan said that the construction of a tunnel under the plaza would not be practical. Mr Keegan did not believe the proposal to be feasible due to the "construction, maintenance and operational requirements of such a tunnel". Unclear The Fianna Fail councillor suggested that the tunnel could possibly run underground from College Street and resurface before the turn at Fownes Street. Mr Keegan added that it was unclear how tunnel portals could be located on any approach to College Green. He expressed concerns over the visual and environmental intrusion such a tunnel would cause. An Bord Pleanala said that the 13,960sqm site "would produce a quality public realm that would significantly enhance the amenity and attractiveness of this city centre location". However, the plans were refused last October due to traffic concerns and the possible impact on bus services. Dublin city councillors agreed in November that the pedestrianisation should go ahead. The council will be putting in a revised planning application to the board over the next 12 months. She has taken a bite out of the Big Apple, and now Niamh Quirke's sights are firmly set on the bright lights of London. The former Fair City actress is living in New York where she studied at the Conservatory for Dramatic Arts. Now graduated, she aims to move to England this summer with her boyfriend Rhys Wilson, who she met at the school. "I'm going to move to London in May, so that's the goal right now," she told the Diary. "I'll think about work closer to the time, but right now I'm being in the moment here in New York. I'm excited to start a new chapter." Learning her craft in New York has left the 22-year-old from Clondalkin "pinching herself", but she added that as an aspiring actress she's willing to go anywhere to keep progressing in her field - even though missing out on her mum's 50th birthday in a few days' time was making her feel a little homesick. "It's funny, like anywhere you go you get into your little ways, your routine," she said. "Sometimes I pinch myself and think how cool a city I'm living in. The other night I was in the car going over the Manhattan Bridge and you just see that skyline - it's beautiful, and I think how lucky I am to live here. "Life's too short to stay in the one place, you go where the job takes you." Films Niamh has a number of short films set for release soon, but she's best-known to Irish audiences as Rachel Brennan from Fair City. Asked about Vikings actor Elijah Rowen's recent remarks about the soap being "embarrassing", for which he has since apologised, Niamh said she hoped he had seen the error of his ways. "I think it's hard, you have to be careful what you say. He's young, and I just hope he learned from the mistake," she said. "If you're a working actor you're blessed, and once you're passionate about it, that's what matters." Niamh said there are tough times when auditions don't lead to roles, but she always trusts the right job will come along. "Not booking a job doesn't mean the talent isn't there, it might mean they went for someone with a different hair colour, someone who's taller, so it's reminding yourself that you've done the best you could and now it's out of your control and to keep putting yourself out there," she said. "You could hear hundreds of nos waiting for that one yes." As for any pressure to look a certain way in the acting world, Niamh said she feels more pressure from social media to look 'perfect'. "I think the hardest thing for any girl is to stop comparing themselves to other women," she said. "We need to try to be happy in our own skin." MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WV News) His childhood was as difficult as anyone you will ever meet or hear about and that is part of the reason why Noe Hauert said he was in his kitchen when he heard a thunderlike noise about 8 a.m. and noticed the water coming into his yard. He and his wife took their son to a babysitters home and got to higher ground just up the drive from their home. Within 20 minutes, he had 3 feet of water in his garage, he said. They no longer knew God! Thats the tragic sentiment, the awful reality we find with Gods people after Joshua and his generation died, and it had catastrophic implications for the dark period of the Bible we call the Judges: After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel (Judges 2:10). No one was left among Gods people to be witnesses to others of his mighty acts of deliverance, guidance, and grace. What was the result? The people did what they wanted and turned away from God because they did not know him. They then became prey to the nations around them. In their religion and their daily lives, they devolved into a people less and less recognizable as the people of God. How important is it to experience the work of God for us in Jesus, today? Crucial! Vital! Essential! Experiencing God through the work of Jesus is just as vital for us in our lives today as it was for those generations so long ago. When Jesus first sent his disciples out on his mission, he sent them as witnesses of the great things God had done through him: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8 Bold added for emphasis.) Like the man delivered from thousands of demons, we are to Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on us (Mark 5:18). However, our work as witnesses must not stop with testifying just to our own people! Jesus commissioned us to share it with everyone who is interested (1 Peter 3:15-16). We must commit to sharing our testimony to all people. We are to be Jesus witnesses to everyone, to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8) and to "all nations" (Luke 24:47-48). Of course, there are a couple of problems with this challenge. First, we need to experience the work of God through Jesus in our lives. Second, we must be committed to obey and share what God has done with others. Lets address both of those challenges briefly beginning with the commitment piece first. The apostle Peter, who helped carry out the Lords commission, reminds us that our commitment to share is rooted in five things (1 Peter 3:15-16): A willingness, at our heart level, to honor Jesus as our Lord. Preparing something we can share the things weve witnessed the Lord do in our lives. Living our lives based upon the hope we have in Jesus. Treating others with gentleness and respect. Living good lives no matter the circumstances in which we find ourselves. Now for the first part: What do we share? Ah, thats the witness part. We are to share what weve seen the Lord do in our own lives and the lives of those around us! We must NOT be like the people in Judges 2:10 one generation after another that didn't know the great things the Lord had done for them! Of course, I can hear some objections from folks: But, I dont know what great things he has done in my life, my life is pretty boring. But, Im not even sure what kind of great things I'm looking to find. But, Im not sure he still does those kinds of things today. But, Living passionately for Jesus and giving thanks for his work in our lives is vitally important for us in having something to proclaim. Without intentionally obeying the Lord and giving thanks for what he is doing in us, we soon forget that he is at work in our lives. Our discipleship becomes the recitation of great things he did in the first century there is no living witness to what he is doing now. However, if we obey and give thanks intentionally, we can witness the Lords work in our lives. We can "live into" his answers to our prayers. We can experience his presence and power as we obey him. Luke and Paul both emphasize the incredible work of the Holy Spirit in our lives as we live for Jesus (Acts 2:38-47; Romans 8:1-39). Consistent with the will of the Lord, the Holy Spirit: Leads us. Guides us. Intercedes for us when we pray. Empowers us as we serve. Closes doors we dont need to open. Opens doors we need to walk through. Provides us gifts to use for ministry. Gives us words to say when we need to share our witness before those who are interested or hostile. Will always be at work to transform us to be like Christ. The Spirits presence is our power to both experience the great things God is doing through Jesus and also our power to be Jesus witnesses (Acts 1:8; Luke 24:48-49). Matthew wrote his gospel to remind us that Jesus wasnt just the great teacher like Moses long ago in his ministry. He is also the Lord who does mighty acts, but not just mighty acts long ago in his earthly ministry but also through us, in us, and among us today. Jesus promises to be present, experienceable, and with us in four ways as Immanuel, God with us, today: As we read about him and join him in the long story of Gods work through his people (Matthew 1:23).[NOTE] As we live together in genuine fellowship and radical community there I am with them (Matthew 18:20). As we care for those who are in need what you did for these, you were doing it to me (Matthew 28:40 NLT). As we go to share the great news about Jesus with the world I am with you always (Matthew 28:20). As we experience Jesus presence his work in us, through us, and among us we have something to share with people. We not only can share what Jesus did in his ministry; we can also share what he is doing now in our lives. We are witnesses of his work. We are caught up in his acts of mercy and power in our day. We get to be front row witnesses of his mighty acts of deliverance, guidance, and grace in our lives and the lives of those we reach out to bless. We experience Jesus as Immanuel God with us as we live out the promise our Lord gave us: But, Im not even sure what kind of great things I'm looking to find. Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son (John 14:12-13). We are witnesses! We have something to share! So, lets be witnesses with those here, near, and far (Acts 1:8) like the first followers of Jesus were. Their lives were so identified with what Jesus did, that their critics recognized their power came from him! The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13 NLT). [NOTE] The scripture references from Matthew are the direct uses of the name "Immanuel" or phrases that are synonymous with its meaning "God with us." Notice the synonymous phrases: I am in your midst, you have done it unto me, and I am with you always... In addition, the contexts that surround these passages define and explain the four moves to experience Immanuel that Matthew is emphasizing. See, the genealogy of chapter 1, the emphasis on the practices and values of the radical community Jesus describes in chapter 18, the parable of helping those in need in Matthew 25, and the Great Commission of Jesus in chapter 28. Today's message is part five of an eight-part series called 8GHT Eight Truths that Turned the World Upside Down! Special thanks for the use of the Jesus related images in this series to Free Bible Images and The Lumo Project. Those pictures associated with the ministry of the apostle Paul are courtesy of Boettcher+Trinklein Television Inc. All rights reserved, from ToTheEndsofTheEarthMovie.com. Betts cited research that in 2025, this workforce will need an additional 180,000 care workers and 55,000 nurses. Attracting, skilling and retaining and more importantly, deeply engaging this workforce is our number one priority, she said. Our strategy is to build a compelling capability enabling model that allows people to enter as care workers and to acquire skills over time to grow their careers. Betts added that the number one skill that a senior HR practitioner needs today is to speak the business language and then to help the business understand how the peoples strategy will deliver on the business strategy. Importantly, we need to deliver on that strategy with culture and behaviours that means our customers and communities really trust the organisation theyre dealing with, said Betts. Press release Learning about agency work, meeting with legislators and watching a Senate Floor Session was all part of the Montana Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Calling on the Capitol Jan. 31 to Feb. 1 in Helena. The YF&R Calling on the Capitol provides a way for collegiate Farm Bureau students as well as active farmers/ranchers to experience the legislative process first hand. The Montana Farm Bureau lobbyists briefed the group on how a bill becomes law, how to work with legislators and how to testify. Its important to know your audience and focus on a single issue,... Steve, left, and Charlie Steinmetz both laugh during an interview in an office at their family business, Havre Ford, Tuesday in Havre. The brothers have taken over since their father, Pete, retired from the business. Editor's note: This is the fourth in a series of long-standing locally owned businesses. Anyone who has a business they think would be appropriate for the series can call Tim Leeds at 265-6795 or email him at tleeds@havredailynews.com. Havre Ford is a long-time community business owned by the Steinmetz family for the past 30 years. "One of the neat things about working in a family business is you get to work with your family," part owner and General Manager Charlie Steinmetz said. "Sometimes that can be one of the challenging things, too, but we get along pretty good." His dad, Pete Ste... Montana State University-Northern is hosting a Start Smart workshop Tuesday to help women and anyone else who is interested in learning about how to negotiate their level of pay in the workplace. The workshop is sponsored by the American Association of University Women and is being put on by Northerns Multicultural Center. Multicultural Center Director Cristina Estrada-Underwood said the workshop is geared toward women who will be graduating college, but added, I think anybody and everybody would benefit from attending this workshop. Estrada-Underwood said men are also welcome t... Michigan City, IN (46360) Today Mostly sunny. High 71F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies this evening. Increasing clouds with periods of showers late. Low 57F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. 26th Ward: Is gentrification a synonym for economic expansion or a dirty word? For voters in this ward that includes part of fast-changing Logan Square and much of Humboldt Park, perspectives on growth define the election. Ald. Roberto Maldonado wants to add more affordable housing and protect longtime ward residents from encroaching real estate development, which he sees as a destabilizing force. To Maldonado, The 606 recreational trail is an amenity but also a warning sign of rising rents. I am unapologetic when it comes to pushing the construction of affordable housing so that we can reach parity with the forces of gentrification, he tells us. A balanced take on growth is needed to spur job growth and generate city tax revenue, but thats not what we hear from Maldonado. When real estate investors come to him offering to make 20 percent of a developments units affordable, he says he tells them he wants a 50-50 mix. More than likely, that ends the meeting. We get a different view from challenger David Herrera, who grew up in the ward and has a background in finance and real estate. Herrera doesnt want to price out longtime residents, but he understands the need to woo investment and small businesses. Otherwise, the exodus of residents and jobs from his ward, and Illinois, will continue. Herrera has creative ideas to boost economic activity by opening old-time manufacturing areas to development. If we dont have a sustainable community where people can work and live, displacement will accelerate, he says. Also running is Theresa Siaw. Herrera is endorsed. Published on 2019/02/05 | Source Actor Joo Won is returning to civilian life after serving his country for 21 months. Advertisement Joo Won is discharged from Chulwon, Kangwondo Baekgol Brigade on the 5th. Initially, he was supposed to come back on the 15th, but the newly applied laws shortened his service. Joo Won joined the military on the 16th of May in 2017 and he signed up for active duty. Joo Won came in first in the first four weeks of basic military training, and was even awarded at the ending ceremony. Afterwards, he served his military service as an assistant at the boot camp of Baekgol Unit. Published on 2019/02/06 | Source Koreans eat a rice cake soup called tteokguk on Lunar New Year's Day, but not many people realize how many regional variations there. The difference usually comes down to ingredients used to make the broth, or whether dumplings are added or not. Advertisement The most common base for the broth is beef, but it is only natural for people to use ingredients that are most easily found in their region. Traditionally, people in northern parts including Pyongyang only ate dumpling soup, while people in southern areas ate ttoekguk that is similar to the standard version today. In central parts like Gyeonggi and Chungcheong provinces, people ate the dish with both rice cakes and dumplings. In southern coastal towns like Geoje, Masan and Tongyeong in South Gyeongsang Province, people put oysters in the soup, and Gangneung on the eastern coast of Gangwon Province is famous for its tofu, so tofu and dumplings are added. In South Jeolla Province, people traditionally add pulled chicken in soy sauce, and in the Chungcheong provinces locals use flour dough instead of rice cakes. In the past, tteokguk in Gyeongsang Province was unique because the rice cakes were shaped like coins rather than oval, probably suggesting their wishes for wealth in the New Year. The reason the rice cakes changed from round to oval is not certain. Han Bok-ryeo, an expert on royal court cuisine, says, "In practical terms, it's easier to slice rice cakes at a slanted angle rather than perpendicularly. Also I suppose an oval shape looks bigger, and therefore makes a bowl of tteokguk look fuller". Haiti - News : Zapping... "The subsidy of petroleum products only benefits the rich" "A responsible government must eliminate the subsidy for petroleum products. This subsidy only benefits the rich : 20% of the richest consume 93% of the Gazoline and Diesel. But before, the Government must reduce its spending to give a substantial subsidy targeted poorer communities," said Economist Eddy Labossiere. Well welcome the Diaspora On Tuesday, Yvon Bonhomme, the Director General of the Ministry of Haitians Living Abroad (MHAVE), visited the Ministry's kiosk at the Toussaint Louverture International Airport to inquire about the complaints of Ministry employees assigned to this service and to assess the needs of the kiosk responsible for welcoming our compatriots in the diaspora. Carnival : Croix des Bouquets, 3rd Sunday without fault On February 3 in Croix-des-Bouquets, following the 3rd Sunday of pre-carnival activities, the municipal authorities are proud to announce that once again the human toll is zero deaths, zero injuries while the number of Festivalgoers keep growing from one week to the next. Sunday February 10th will be the last day of pre-carnival activities at Marin, the 5th and last day Sunday February 17th will take place in Lilavois before the Carnival scheduled for February 22, 23 and 24, around the theme "Kwadebouke se ke m" See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26808-haiti-croix-des-bouquets-recruitment-of-queens-and-kings-for-the-carnival-parade.html https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-26736-icihaiti-croix-des-bouquets-carnival-logo-contest.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26789-haiti-croix-des-bouquets-2nd-pre-carnival-sunday-without-any-incident.html Improve the business climate in Haiti Tuesday Deputy Gary Bodeau, Speaker of the Lower House, received in Parliament the Private Sector Economic Forum to discuss the country's economic and financial situation as well as the development of a legislative agenda to improve the business climate in Haiti. Gonaives : The Court of Appeal postpone to 8 days its decision Tuesday, the judges of the Court of Appeal of Gonaives, sent back to 8 days, the Case on the traffic of weapons in Saint Marc https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18569-haiti-flash-worrying-seizure-of-weapons-from-the-usa.html . The Public Ministry requires one week to rule on the defendants' request : Godson Orelus and Sandra Thelusma. See also : https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-26393-icihaiti-justice-the-lawyers-of-godson-orelus-appeal-the-decision-of-judge-lumerant.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26314-haiti-justice-seizure-of-weapons-in-st-marc-9-indicted-2-in-prison-and-7-fugitives.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25946-haiti-justice-godson-orelus-former-dg-of-the-pnh-arrested-and-imprisoned.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18569-haiti-flash-worrying-seizure-of-weapons-from-the-usa.html 1st meeting of the Board of Directors of the FNE Tuesday Pierre Josue Agenor Cadet, the Minister of National Education chaired the first meeting of the Board of Directors of the National Fund of Education (FNE). The establishment of the Fund, the start-up budget of the institution for the next three months were, among other things discussed. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26238-haiti-education-7-years-after-its-launch-the-national-education-fund-has-a-dg.html HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Social : Official Launch of the Food and Nutrition Security Program Tuesday at the Montana Hotel Prime Minister Jean Henry Ceant jointly with the Ambassador of the European Union Vincent Degert, proceeded to the official launch of the Food and Nutrition Security Program (SAN) funded by the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) and the special solidarity action. This four-year program is composed of the multi-sectoral SAN Program (40 million Euros, financed) and the Pro Resilience Program (10 million Euros) for the regions of North West, Upper Artibonite and Grande-Anse and aims to sustainably improve the food and nutrition security of the most vulnerable populations, while building their capacity to withstand and overcome shocks and crises. In his opening speech Prime Minister Ceant said "I reiterate once again the commitment made by the Republic to allow all his daughters and sons to eat their fill. As part of the UN concert in 2015, it was agreed to eliminate poverty in all its forms and around the world by 2030. The country holds many resources and potentialities that its daughters and sons must highlight to achieve this goal. The indicators on food insecurity and malnutrition show that the situation is alarming. Successive shocks we face make the task even more complex. The Government is aware of the enormous challenge it faces in order to eradicate hunger, ensure food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. It is possible to do this with collaboration and continuity in the actions of the State. Ambassador Degert said "SAN is the culmination of a long process with the Haitian State to address food and nutrition security issues in Haiti. In a very concrete way, this program aims to improve the quality of basic services to the population of the regions concerned, to strengthen their livelihoods by supporting the development of local agricultural sectors, family farming, social safety nets, improvement of health services, prevention of malnutrition and nutrition education. The coherence of the action is based on improving access to food by supporting local production and marketing efforts." Recall that in Haiti, food insecurity affects about 30% of the rural population which represents a tragedy in the present as well as in the future. 275,000 children, or 22% of the under-5 population, are chronically malnourished, causing delays in their growth that will have consequences when they reach adulthood for the country's sustainable development. See also : https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-26815-icihaiti-food-security-40-million-euros-for-the-most-vulnerable-populations.html https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-26578-icihaiti-agriculture-deterioration-of-food-security-at-the-national-level.html https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-26418-icihaiti-social-22-million-haitians-in-acute-food-insecurity.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22926-haiti-social-new-recommendations-to-improve-food-security.html HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Bahamas : Haiti asks for the return of dead bodies of Haitians drowned in the sinking Monday, following the sinking on February 2 of a boat of Haitian migrants https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26849-haiti-social-bahamas-shipwreck-last-balance-19-survivors-and-28-deaths.html which sank after striking a reef, 6 miles off the Abaco Islands north of the Bahamas archipelago and causing at least 28 deaths, the Government of Haiti has formally requested the Government of the Bahamas to return the bodies of the 28 Haitians who drowned, said Darren Henfield, the Bahamas Foreign Minister. The total number of migrants who went to sea was unknown, however, Clarence Russell the Bahamas Immigration Director said that according to survivor testimony reports, this figure could reach 80. Henfield said the Chancellery has maintained a constant dialogue with Haitian officials since the tragedy and confirmed that an envoy from the Haitian Embassy in Nassau had visited Abaco on Sunday "It is my understanding that the Haitian embassy has asked for the remains to be turned over to them after the pathologist and the inquest is completed [...]" Chancellor Henfield lamented that "[...] these boats dont have any kind of live-saving apparatus on them; they dont have proper communication equipment, so that they can call for help; and most of the people who travel in them cant swim [...] the best we can do is continue to encourage the Haitian people, through their government and via other means of communication to the population, that this is, in fact, a very dangerous journey to make between Haiti and The Bahamas [ ...] See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26849-haiti-social-bahamas-shipwreck-last-balance-19-survivors-and-28-deaths.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26837-haiti-flash-toll-rising-at-least-28-haitians-die-drowned-off-the-bahamas-update.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26829-haiti-flash-shipwreck-off-the-islands-of-abaco-16-dead-and-15-haitian-survivors.html SL/ HaitiLibre A mid-level restaurant, like Chilis, Red Robin or Panera. Light industry to keep jobs in the area. More retail so we don't have to go to Tucson. Better and more mass transit options. All of the above. Vote View Results Have any questions? Please give us a call at 520-625-5511 PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- The Prichard man accused of killing his estranged wife and kidnapping his 2-year-old daughter will appear in court today, according to Capt. Doug Adams with the Pascagoula Police Department. JoQuincy Maurice McCord, 27, turned himself in to the Mobile Police Department on Tuesday night after fleeing from Pascagoula where he allegedly killed his estranged wife, Brittany Moore McCord, 33. The shooting happened just after 5 p.m. Tuesday evening at the Bandywood Apartments in Pascagoula. According to Adams, officers were dispatched to the scene at 5:15 p.m. where they found Brittany, also a mother of a 13-year-old had been shot once fatally. She was pronounced dead at the scene. JoQuincy then took their 2-year-old daughter, Genesis McCord and fled to Mobile, where he turned over his daughter to a family member. That family member subsequently called MPD, as did JoQuincy to tell police he wanted to turn himself in. According to Adams, PPD received a call from MPD at 8:15 p.m., saying that JoQuincy was in police custody. The child was turned over to PPD investigators and was safely returned to Pascagoula last night. JoQuincy signed an extradition waiver and is back in Jackson County where he is being held at the Adult Detention Center and is charged with murder. Court is set for 1 p.m. today before Judge Michael Fondren. At CES, Google showed off an interpreter mode on Google Home displays which let two people carry a conversation with Google Assistant as a translator. The feature is still not perfect but is already rolling out on Google Assistant devices - The Verge confirms this in its own testing. A new support page is up on Googles website describing how to initiate the mode to translate phrases between two languages. You can start by asking it to help me speak Spanish, Interpret Spanish to English, Spanish interpreter, or Be my French interpreter. This will initiate the mode which can translate between 26 different languages. According to the support page, the feature will be supported by all Google Home speakers, some speakers with Google Assistant built in, and All Smart Displays. Smart displays have the advantage of visual feedback to show the participants a transcript of the conversion between the two languages. Google first announced this kind of translation feature when it introduced the Pixel Buds at the Google Pixel 2 launch. In practice, the feature wasnt very polished when it first launched. Google aims to improve the feature over time following its rollout on Google Home devices. Currently supported languages are: Arabic, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukranian, and Vietnamese. Source | Via Vietnam's selection as the venue for the second summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is largely a matter of convenience and security, but not without bigger stakes. Washington's goal for the talks Feb. 27-28 is for North Korea to agree give up its nuclear weapons. North Korea frames the issue more broadly, seeking a removal of the "nuclear threat" from U.S. military forces in South Korea. The announcement was made in Trump's prepared remarks the White House released for his Tuesday night State of the Union address. Trump has said that his outreach to Kim and their first meeting last June in Singapore opened a path to peace. But there is not yet a concrete plan for how denuclearization could be implemented. Host Vietnam hopes to boost its diplomatic leverage against its powerful neighbor, China, which contests waters in the South China Sea claimed by Hanoi. But Vietnam's history as a U.S. adversary that transitioned on its own terms to a dynamic free-market economy under a communist political system suggests a larger meaning for the summit. "By choosing Vietnam, the two leaders send a strong strategic message to the world that they are willing to make a breakthrough decision to turn an enemy into a friend and together make the world a better place, following the example of the U.S.-Vietnam relationship," said Le Hong Hiep, a research fellow at the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore. A FRESH, SECURE STAGE America's past military involvement in Vietnam, whether it's seen as tragic or noble, provides a historically dramatic stage for Trump to again draw attention to his foreign policy accomplishments. As a single-party communist state, Vietnam boasts tight political control and an efficient security apparatus, and successfully hosted the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings in 2017, and the regional edition of the high-powered World Economic Forum last year, both in the central coastal city of Danang. "Like Singapore, where they met last time, Vietnam is a very secure place," said Murray Hiebert, senior associate of the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "Vietnam's security police are able to keep away crowds of the curious and keep journalists in designated areas." Trump's attendance at the 2017 APEC meeting means "he's familiar with the country and has good rapport with its leaders," Hiebert said. COMMUNIST TIES This is friendly turf for Kim. Even though North Korea has remained mired in Cold War isolation while Vietnam's postwar path led toward integration with the globalized economy, the two communist countries share a history of anti-imperialist struggle and ambivalent relations with common neighbor China. "Vietnam and North Korea have long had fraternal communist ties, so North Korea is familiar with the country and its officials. North Korea would also feel confident that Vietnam's security apparatus could secure Kim's protection," Hiebert said. There's also the bonus that a flight from Pyongyang to a meeting in Vietnam is roughly two-thirds of the six-hour flying time to Singapore, and none of it over hostile territory. A forward-looking North Korea might learn something from Vietnam's impressive economic growth due to "bold economic reforms, proactive integration into the world economy, and excellent partnerships with strategic partners, with the U.S. and South Korea among the most important ones," said Vu Minh Khuong, associate professor at Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a similar point when he visited Hanoi last July after two days of talks in North Korea. "The leaders of Vietnam realized their country could reform, it could open up and build relationships without threatening the country's sovereignty, its independence, and its form of government," he said in a speech to Hanoi's business community. "I have a message for Chairman Kim Jong Un: President Trump believes your country can replicate this path. It's yours if you'll seize the moment. WHAT VIETNAM GAINS "Vietnam is locked in a pretty intense rivalry with China in the South China Sea, so Hanoi is looking for regional and international diplomatic support as a hedge against Beijing, and hosting a summit like this would certainly strengthen its international profile," said CSIS scholar Hiebert. In particular, helping Washington achieve its Korean policy goals could help fulfill Vietnam's desire for closer relations with the U.S., both to encourage trade and investment and serve as a strategic counterweight to China. Trump's abandonment of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade group dampened hopes for a takeoff in trade, and Vietnam's poor human rights record, especially its harsh repression of political dissidents, has hurt chances for closer security links. However, intense media coverage of the summit would attract significant international attention from tourists and investors, said research fellow Hiep. Associated Press writer Annabelle Liang in Singapore contributed to this report. Patty Perreira and I started Barton Perreira in 2007 after working together at Oliver Peoples. OP sold to Oakley in 2006. I moved on at the closing of the sale and Patty stayed for a few months but decided that it wasnt for her. We got together and were very confident that we could start our own brand. We wanted to continue and improve from where we left off at Oliver Peoples. Its a very difficult process -- that's what I can tell you! Often it's trial and error. As a startup brand you are always looking for international sales, but getting a bad distributor can be very detrimental for your brand. I would advise people to be careful and patient. Can you explain the process of finding the right international distribution partner? What does the word entrepreneur mean to you? That you have a vision for what you want to do and are willing to take the risks needed to accomplish those goals. How did it feel the first day you opened for business? Getting Barton Perreira to become a reality had so many different aspects that its hard to say there was an opening day. But, starting your own brand is awesome -- tons of work and scary all at the same time. Plus, once you jump on the spinning wheel it never stops! Related: Finding the Right Idea Is Like Falling in Love, According to This Entrepreneur What was your toughest challenge and how did you overcome it? We launched into retail stores in December 2007. By September of 2008, the financial markets collapsed. Business came to a halt -- for everyone. We tightened everything we could and focused on making the best product. Slowly sales picked up and by the end of 2009 things were really going in a great direction. Is there a particular quote or saying that you use as personal motivation? If you think back 10 or 15 years, "maintaining diversity" meant getting people of color, women and other underrepresented groups around the table. But just getting them through the door does not mean you get to keep them, and it certainly doesnt accelerate their growth as employees. In fact, in todays millennial-driven society, more and more workers will merely ghost the workplace rather than endure working for a company theyre not happy with, according to the Washington Post. This might mean a job candidate agreeing to take a job and just never showing up, or a full-time employee walking out one day, never to return. This drives recruiters crazy. What's interesting is that ghosters tend to be young, and one reason for their alarming actions may be the historically low unemployment rate. Another big reason is simply that they're unhappy with their current work setting, particularly its lack of diversity and inclusion. In fact, this is something many millennials prioritize: According to a study our company conducted with the Institute of Public Relations and KRC Research, 47 percent of millennials surveyed said they considered diversity and inclusion an important factor during job searches. Need more evidence that these efforts are worth pursuing at your company? McKinsey & Co. found that gender-diverse companies examined outperformed their peers by 15 percent, while ethnically diverse business did so by an amazing 35 percent. Related: How to Create a More Inclusive Workplace As an entrepreneur, then, you should probably see these as important statistics that might mean the difference between your company thriving or dying. Not only that, but using inclusion metrics can speak to enhancing your retention rates, promoting diverse individuals and improving overall employee engagement. To ensure your own company is not only diverse but also inclusive, use these strategies: 1. Leave the dictionary at home. You need to establish the difference between diversity and inclusion before you can move forward with any plan, and that doesnt mean cracking open the Oxford English Dictionary. According to Gallup, millennials have a broader definition of "diversity" and "inclusion." Because so many of this age group are the ones ghosting jobs and because 75 percent of the workforce will be made up of them by 2025, its important to establish your own definitions. How do you define "inclusion"? What indicators will be meaningful to your organization? Consider your size, location and demographics. For example, startups tend to have informal cultures, which can accidentally leave out new employees or make the founding employees into a kind of clique. Don't let this happen: Redefine diversity and inclusion for your company by being self-aware about what makes you susceptible to risk. Related: Diverse Hiring and Inclusive Leadership Is How Startups Thrive 2. Break out that No. 2 pencil. Measuring inclusion can seem nebulous; you might not know what to include in your assessment. And you wouldn't be alone: Most run-of-the-mill employee-engagement surveys barely tackle inclusion, or do it inadequately. Some questions, such as Are you satisfied with your advancement opportunities? touch on it, but the data is rarely segmented by gender, ethnicity, age, tenure or other demographic categories. Writing in the Harvard Business Review, diversity/inclusion consultant Karen Brown described a company that had to both break down its engagement surveys by segment and send a secondary questionnaire, just to learn why there werent as many women in a clients partner roles. Instead of creating multiple team surveys at your company, create a custom set of metrics based on the way you've defined inclusion for your specific culture. Questions should ask how attentive team members are during meetings, whether all employees are invited to informal get-togethers, etc. Without these assessments, you may have programs in place that don't address your organization's needs. 3. Follow the syllabus. Just as teachers create lesson plans or a syllabus for a class, companies need to create strategies for building inclusive environments. This includes making a continued investment beyond hiring a set number of women or people of color. Now that youve evaluated how your own company is doing with inclusion, create programs that will put embedded biases to bed. Consider AT&T's strategy: The company has created employee resource groups that help employees learn more about, and support, communities across various demographics. The widespread participation that's occurred in these groups proves that employees find them valuable. Then, once you have programs in place, create an internal performance review system that measures your leaders following the initial assessment. Ensure theyre being put on the hook to sponsor across lines of gender, age and ethnicity. Make sure theyre leading teams that allow everyone -- not just one particular group of people -- to speak up and contribute. 4. Ensure everyone is involved. Create three different training programs: one for managers only, one for everyone but managers and one for all of your employees. Managers need to know how to conduct an inclusive meeting to ensure everyones voice is heard. All-hands meetings that train employees how to identify scenarios where others are being mistreated and how to intervene will help guarantee your strategies are followed. In addition, provide assertiveness training for employees so used to being ignored that they feel they can no longer speak up. This one might be more difficult, as speaking up can destroy relationships with supervisors or result in negative performance reviews, according to Harvard Business School behavioral scientist and author Francesca Gino. Your own culture might not be toxic, but a company's previous culture may still affect how your employees react now, so be patient with this training. 5. Showcase inclusivity in action. After youve established a strategy and offered training for your whole team, you need to monitor your companys progress. While you want to keep an eye on noninclusive behavior, of course, showing your team examples of inclusivity will also help demonstrate what the concept looks like in action so that employees are more conscious of their own behaviors. According to an MIT study that discovered the brain circuit needed for observational learning, learning by example is a critical part of the human experience -- and that includes social behaviors. You can provide these examples by filming meetings and pulling out the best of moments to showcase inclusivity in action. You might also hire an improv or comedy troupe to demonstrate the difference between inclusive and noninclusive behaviors with humor. Related: Debunking 'Diversity' by Amplifying Inclusion While diversity seems pretty straightforward, inclusion is a critical part of the equation for creating a company culture that people want to work for. Don't just invite people to the table -- ensure that they can speak and are listened to as well. If not, you might watch some of your best employees walk out the door, "ghosting" you for forever. Related: Don't Get 'Ghosted': How Inclusion Will Keep Your Millennial Employees From Walking Why LGBTI Equality Still a Distant Dream at the Workplace Companies That Discard Old Thinking About Ability Are Ahead of the Curve Copyright 2019 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 31) Mindanao Islamic Telephone Company (Mislatel) may have the technical capability to compete with the existing telecommunication providers in the Philippines, but an expert believes that its commitments are not enough to take the country to the forefront of the industry in Southeast Asia. "From their track record they may perhaps have the technical capability, but the commitments that they made were actually quite not high enough. Nakukulangan kami," Pierre Galla, a telecommunications expert and co-founder of advocacy group Democracy.net, said on CNN Philippines' On The Record Thursday. Mislatel is a consortium composed of Davao-based businessman Dennis Uy's Udenna Corporation and Chelsea Logistics Holdings, partnered with the state-owned China Telecommunications, and the Mindanao Islamic Telephone Corporation, Inc. It has vowed to provide an average internet speed of 27 Mbps to 37.03% of the Philippine population in its first year of operation. For its second to fifth years in operation, the consortium committed to invest nearly 260 billion to cover 84.01 percent of the country with an average internet speed of 55 Mbps. Such commitments, according to Galla, are "fairly disappointing" despite the group's promise to shell out hundreds of billions of pesos in upgrading its service and coverage in years after its maiden operation. "We will merely be at par with our neighbors at present. Maiiwan pa rin tayo," he said. "The money is not the issue. When we were crafting highest committed level of service we were talking about coverage and speed of as many Filipinos as much as possible," he added. Galla, however, came to the group's defense against criticism that it won the bidding for the country's third major telco player because of its ties with China. He said Democracy.net "does not see preferential treatment at all" in the selection of Mislatel as the third telco player. "Our point of view would be which of the over 200 participants and several thousands of their affiliates would have been brought together to create this preferential treatment... when in fact some of those involved in the crafting of the ToR (terms of reference) are actually against the administration," he said. Galla was among those who crafted the ToR for the selection. Mislatel won the bidding in November last year after its rivals Philippine Telegraph and Telephone Corp. and the SEARS Telecom Consortium of former Ilocos Sur Governor Luis "Chavit" Singson were declared disqualified for different reasons. It is still uncertain, however, if the consortium will be allowed to operate after the Senate public service committee on Wednesday failed to reach a decision on issues regarding the validity of the group's franchise. READ: Senate panel eyes curing provisions for Mislatel's franchise issue South Africa: SA playing its part to curb maritime crime South Africa says it is actively playing its part to combat transnational organised maritime crime, while remaining committed to its international obligations aimed at combating lawlessness at sea. Ambassador Mxolisi Nkosi, the Deputy Director-General of Global Governance and Continental Agenda at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), on Tuesday addressed a United Nations Security Council debate on transnational organised crime at sea as a threat to international peace and security. Maritime crime, Nkosi said, has had a significant impact on the African continent, affecting stability, security and the development of both coastal and inland countries. In many instances, it is the effects of transnational organised crime that fuels conflicts on the continent. The proceeds from these crimes contribute to a proliferation of small arms and light weapons, protracted conflicts, drugs and human trafficking, terrorism, money-laundering and increased mercenary activity. In order to arrest the challenges posed by this broad phenomenon, it is crucial that a robust, regulatory framework and a coordinated and comprehensive approach be developed at national, regional and international levels to address this scourge, he said. Nkosi highlighted that the South African security and coastal patrols have confiscated numerous vessels and arrested countless people involved in illegal fishing and abalone poaching in SA waters. This denies South Africa millions of dollars of revenue and negatively affects the livelihoods of our coastal communities, he said. South Africa has worked together with African countries in developing continental instruments which seek to create an oceanic environment which is safe, secure and environmentally sustainable for the benefit of the peoples of Africa. In cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the governments of Mozambique, Tanzania and South Africa have entered into a trilateral agreement to counter drug trafficking on maritime routes in the Indian Ocean. Nkosi said this agreement seeks to intensify maritime surveillance capability, detection of illicit trafficking in the Indian Ocean as well as enhance the security at ports and other points of entry in the region, he said. In addition to these initiatives on the African continent, South Africa is currently the chair of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), which was formed in 1995 and consists of 21 Indian ocean-rim countries from Africa, Asia as well as Australia. IORA recognises that the ocean economy is emerging globally as a common and critical source of growth, innovation and employment creation due to the enormous economic potential that it possess. The association has identified maritime security and safety as a priority. South Africa is a maritime country with a coastline of over 2 800 kilometres and an exclusive economic zone of 1.54 million square kilometres, straddling both the Indian and Atlantic oceans, which is larger than the land size of 1.2 million square kilometres. About 580 ships are in South African waters every day and annually over 11 000 ships dock in the countrys ports. South Africa, Nkosi said, has welcomed the adoption of recent Security Council Resolutions in 2017 and 2018, whose measures are expected to contribute significantly to resolving the challenge, specifically off the coast of Somalia and affected coastal areas in the Gulf of Guinea. These resolutions embody some of the progressive mechanisms the international community should implement in order to prevent and counteract maritime crimes and maintain international peace and security, said the ambassador. South Africa has identified marine protection and governance as one of the priorities under Operation Phakisa, which is South Africas ocean economy strategy. Nkosi said South Africa fully supports the call for strengthening the capacity of member States maritime security in order to enforce international maritime law. The importance of exchanging evidence and information for anti-piracy law enforcement purposes, as well as lessons learnt and best practices sharing between States, international and regional organisations is imperative. This ensures that the necessary structures remain dynamic and that the relevant structures, strategies and programmes are adapted to align to the shifts in global trends, he said. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2019-02-06. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. GREENWICH Three things changed once the Robinsons crossed the Mason-Dixon Line on their summer trips from Connecticut to North Carolina: the scenery, the accents and their safety. Growing up in the 1950s and 1960s, racism was a fact of life in both northern and southern states for Richard A. Robinson, who is the first African-American man to serve as chief justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court. Only the South, where his family ventured every summer to visit his grandfather, was openly and legally racist. Robinson visited Greenwich High School on Tuesday morning for Black History Month. He recounted his upbringing in Stamford during the best of times and the worst of times: When African Americans were making gains toward equality through the legal system, led by Martin Luther King Jr., and when they lived under Jim Crow laws and were the attacked by dogs, sprayed down and bombed in their churches. America is better now, but Robinson shared his current concerns with students. We are in an uneasy period. Like you, I have witnessed what is going on with a wide range of emotions: like anger, fear, grief, resentment and even despair, he said. All of my experiences from my youth taught me that courts can be a powerful force in making things right. From his southern mother, Robinson learned an enduring lesson: Mind yourself, and remember what happened to Emmett Till. Till was an African-American boy who was lynched in 1955 after being accused of offending a white woman in her familys grocery store. He was 14 years old. The case was reopened last year, but the woman who falsely accused him was deemed mentally unfit to stand trial. Robinson was born three years later, and 10 years later, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that banning interracial marriages was unconstitutional. The judge said his world is better than that of his family. His maternal great-great-grandparents were slaves, his maternal granduncle was lynched and his mother walked miles to the only black school in town. People tend to think the North was free of these problems, but Connecticut has a complicated history as well, he said. For example, Connecticut, a farming state, enforced the Fugitive Slave Act, he said. More than a century later, Robinson still faces racism. In his first board meeting while providing legal counsel for the city of Stamford, an attendant whispered sideways: I guess Ill have to learn Swahili. He was assigned to represent a woman who attempted to refuse his help because he was not experienced. The comments made last year before he was appointed chief justice were just as bad, he said. Robinson, who grew up in Stamford, also explained the long road to presiding over the highest court in Connecticut. He started as the assistant counsel for the city of Stamford law department, became a Superior Court judge, then was appointed to the state Appellate Court, then to the state Supreme Court, and finally chief justice in 2018. It is not lost on me that I have held this position not because I was the first African American qualified to do it, but because I am the first African American who was given the chance to do it, Robinson said. He devoted the last half of his presentation to teaching students one way to fight for equal treatment: acknowledging implicit biases. Robinson trains lawyers and judges who overwhelmingly trust the accuracy of their gut instincts to question these subconscious classifications. These assumptions are pervasive, according to Robinson, who showed images of lotions advertising their versatility for normal to dark skin tones, as well as a baby sling marked to married, white women and single, black women. The last image sparked a conversation in the audience, sophomore Anna McDonnell noticed. I think the implicit bias part was eye-opening, she said. Classmate Miles Langhorne agreed. I think its a lot better than it was in the 60s, but there are still issues that happen in todays society, he said. I dont think we have control over it, but it happens and we need to work on it. Sophomore Jesika Garay appreciated that Robinson shared his experiences. I could relate to my family, she said. Her family is Hispanic, and when they walk together, people look at them differently, she said. Training will not make people less biased, but it will help them evaluate their assumptions, Robinson said. Im amazed at how people will go, Wait a minute, I did that the other day, he said. I still do it. Educating students is equally important to Robinson, especially those who are preparing for college, where they might encounter groups attempting to shut down ideas deemed unacceptable, he said. I think its tremendously important people get out of their bubble, he said. There are a lot of curious minds here today. I would love for them to question the information thats put before them. jo.kroeker@hearstmediact.com GREENWICH Have you spotted a coyote in town? Sarah Coccaro, Greenwich Conservation Resource Manager for Greenwich, took part in the Living with Coyotes Science Sunday presentation at the Greenwich Point Park Seaside Center in Old Greenwich. She showed off a map detailing all the spots in Greenwich where coyote spottings have been reported during the event, which was presented by the Bruce Museum. Chris Vann from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and Allyson Halm from New Canaan Animal Control discussed the nature of coyotes and practical tips for homeowners to ensure the safety of themselves, their pets and their property. The packed event included activities for kids. Support local journalism We are making critical coverage of the coronavirus available for free. Please consider subscribing so we can continue to bring you the latest news and information on this developing story. In addition, the college is considering upgrading technology such as computer labs, or adding new instructional or security technology. We are looking at some of that right now and that will probably be the first thing that we are able to spend the money on, but other than that, we are watching it closely, Kinlaw said. As for the future, Kinlaw also believes the workforce development center and future renovations afforded by the quarter-cent sales tax increase will be a difference maker that fits in really well with the community college systems prioritization of the program. According to RCCs 2017-18 Report to the Community, 46.3 percent of 2017 graduates were in career and technical education, compared to college transfer graduates who made up 27 percent of the years graduating class. Kinlaw said the national issue of workforce development is something he often hears about in the community and that the non-stop conversation circles around developing a work base that is ready to work, skill-wise and systemically. The Eagle Scout said he first gained interest in firefighting after his mother accidentally caught their kitchen on fire. As a youngster, whose first Boy Scout merit badge was in fire safety, Lingle was introduced to the possibility of a fire career by a firefighter who told him about the Explorer program, moments after he had run back into his home to knock down the grease fire with an extinguisher. It just became my love, Lingle said. There is something exciting about running into something thats on fire. It terrifies other people and makes them worried, but something about us as firefighters where we start and where we come from we are just wired a little bit differently. Lingle, who emergency services officials believe brings a wealth of experience and education to the office, is also well versed in the area of code inspections. The certified building inspector and fire prevention inspector said he believes code inspections not only protect citizens but also protect responders to fires and other emergency situations. Lingle added that he looks forward to the opportunity to learn new skills in his new position and noted that working with the countys 17 volunteer fire departments is crucial. He treated Instagram followers to a glimpse inside his mouth during a teeth cleaning while trying to decry the Trump administration's border wall. He also recently traveled in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado, but his meandering online posts documenting the journey highlighted things like the open-face roast beef sandwich he had for lunch rather than offering hints about how he'd handle the rigors of a presidential campaign. WASHINGTON Facing a divided Congress for the first time, President Donald Trump on Tuesday called on Washington to reject "the politics of revenge, resistance and retribution." He warned emboldened Democrats that "ridiculous partisan investigations" into his administration and businesses could hamper a surging American economy. Trump's appeals for bipartisanship in his State of the Union address clashed with the rancorous atmosphere he has helped cultivate in the nation's capital as well as the desire of most Democrats to block his agenda during his next two years in office. Their opposition was on vivid display as Democratic congresswomen in the audience formed a sea of white in a nod to early 20th-century suffragettes. Trump spoke at a critical moment in his presidency, staring down a two-year stretch that will determine whether he is re-elected or leaves office in defeat. His speech sought to shore up Republican support that had eroded slightly during the recent government shutdown and previewed a fresh defense against Democrats as they ready a round of investigations into every aspect of his administration. "If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation," he declared. Lawmakers in the cavernous House chamber sat largely silent. It would take some fancy footwork to describe the wall as a military construction project, and the chances are pretty high that judges won't be persuaded. The disaster-relief statute has some of the same problems. Here the image is of a natural disaster even worse than California wildfires or Texas flooding, and that needs immediate attention. Again, the wall doesn't seem to fit. But the disaster-relief statute's definitions are looser than the military-construction statute's, so maybe judges would hold their noses and let the president use that money to build the wall. Politics reenters the picture here. The disaster-relief money is already set to go to California, Texas and elsewhere. Members of Congress from those states aren't going to like it when they see money flowing away that was supposed to be used to help their constituents. Using disaster-relief money might increase the chance that Congress would override a presidential veto of a joint resolution. There's one last wrinkle. The Constitution gives the president "the executive Power." Defenders of a really strong presidency might argue that this power allows a president to override congressional statutes limiting his power to use already appropriated money. Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson wrote that in such cases the president's power was "at its lowest ebb." But "lowest ebb" doesn't mean "nonexistent." Such calls had been raining down all evening, but the one from the Black Caucus was especially significant, given the nature of the crisis. Aides and advisers went home that night thinking that Northam would have no choice but to step down the next day. Northam shifted from his office in the Patrick Henry Building on Capitol Square to the nearby Executive Mansion, and, according to one adviser, spent almost the entire night calling former classmates and checking with people back home. No one there believed he was in the picture. First lady Pam Northam was particularly insistent that the governor should slow things down and defend himself, several people said. Saturday morning, Northam told advisers that he was now confident that he wasn't in the picture, and he wasn't going to step down. What's more, Northam wanted to hold a news conference and take any and all questions the media could throw at him. Some advisers thought this was a bad idea, but they could not dissuade him, according to two people familiar with the situation. They pressed him on what he would say and whether he was ready to handle a grilling on live national television. Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough Jr. of Forsyth County said Tuesday he will end the sheriffs office contract that allows the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain people suspected of being undocumented immigrants in the Forsyth County Jail. Kimbrough made his announcement following a rally and news conference by a group supporting a man from Honduras who is being held at the jail following his arrest Monday. What that means is the sheriffs office will no longer house immigration violators, Kimbrough said at his own news conference outside the jail. Currently, the sheriffs office is not an extension, and will never will be an extension, in this administration, of immigration services, Kimbrough said. We are not helping ICE. We have not arrested anyone on immigration violations, nor do we plan on it. Nor are we actively looking for immigration violators, Kimbrough said. That is not what the sheriffs office does, nor will we ever do that. GREENSBORO City government plans to be more assertive and dogged in efforts to include companies owned by minorities and women in municipal contracts. City staff members suggested changes Tuesday aimed at helping the City Council increase participation by minority and women business enterprises as subcontractors working on municipal projects. They told the council in a Tuesday work session that the key to achieving higher MWBE participation includes setting goals for the next year in each annual budget and then following up to see what strides are made in hitting those targets. The initiative follows a study completed last year by an outside consultant that found the city could do much better when it comes to including businesses owned by minorities and women in municipal contracts for construction projects, professional services, goods and other services. The consultant's study found that such businesses dont always share in city contracts in part because they are less likely than those owned by white men to qualify for the bank loans necessary to grow and prosper. GREENSBORO A Greensboro man faces a first-degree murder charge in his mother's death, which marked the city's fifth homicide of 2019. Emergency personnel were summoned about 5:40 p.m. Jan. 29 for an unresponsive woman inside 4304 Summit Ave., police said in a news release. The woman, identified as 81-year-old Mary Moore Foulks, was taken to a local medical facility where she was pronounced dead, police said. On Thursday, the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined the cause of death was from injuries sustained at her home on Jan. 29 and ruled her death a homicide. Police said her son, 60-year-old Edward Paul Foulks surrendered Tuesday to police and was charged with first-degree murder. Foulks is being held without bond in the Guilford County jail. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 336-373-1000 or text "badboyz" and the tip to 274637. Tips are anonymous and Greensboro/Guilford Crime Stoppers will pay a cash award of up to $2,000 for information leading to the arrest or indictment of the person responsible. Precinct FR5A will meet to organize at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 9, at the Guilford County Democratic Party's Office, 2300 W. Meadowview Road in Greensboro. The office is in Suite 110 of the Wrightsville Building. This meeting is free and open to any registered Democrat residing in precinct FR5A. Attendees will elect precinct officers and delegates to the Guilford County Democratic Party Convention to be held March 30. Only organized precincts will cast votes at the GCDP convention. Sometime after 11 p.m. on Jan. 13, a 14-year-old girl sneaked out of her home in the Tennessee mountains. She climbed into 31-year-old Bryan Rogers's car and they drove nearly 800 miles to his home in Wisconsin, according to police, avoiding toll roads and gas stations, anywhere with surveillance. He was virtually a stranger, but she hoped he was a stranger willing to help. She had started chatting with him on Christmas Eve after meeting him on the online game Roblox. Before long, she had confided in a series of online messages that her adoptive father had been sexually molesting her. She told him that she'd tried to tell her mother, who didn't believe her, according to a police affidavit. She told him she was so distraught she had been planning to kill herself. "I can't just stay here bryan I'm begging u plz," she wrote to him. He would help her, he said, but on one condition: She would have to record her rape on video and send it to him. It was the only way he could avoid going to prison, he said. "I know you don't want to do it but I don't exactly want to see your dad rape you either," he told the 14-year-old, according to messages later obtained by the FBI. "But we need clear video evidence." So she gave it to him. Now that video is the basis of a federal sexual exploitation case against Rogers and a rape charge against her adoptive father, Randall Pruitt. After more than two weeks of an intensive search, investigators on Jan. 31 discovered the girl hiding in a closet at Rogers's home in Madison, where he lived with his mother, according to an affidavit filed Monday in Wisconsin federal court. He claimed he didn't alert police about the alleged sexual abuse or turn over the video to authorities, the affidavit says, because he thought it was blurry and would not hold up in court. Attorneys for Rogers did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The search for the 14-year-old girl began almost immediately after her mother discovered she was not in her bedroom on the morning of Jan. 14. Soon, police detected her cellphone near a cell tower in Corbin, Kentucky, about 30 miles from the Tennessee border. But no one knew whether she was abducted or had fled. Her parents didn't know why she would be in Kentucky or heading north, as they had recently moved from Georgia, and nothing on her laptop or in other text messages indicated plans to flee. The calendar in her bedroom at the farmhouse where she lived with Pruitt, her mother and three siblings, about a mile up a mountain in Madisonville, indicated that she had plans for the weekend, reported WATE 6, the ABC affiliate in Knoxville, Tennessee. The home-schooled teenager, an animal lover, left a list of chores pinned to her wall, reminders to feed the horses and the pigs and ducks and dogs. By Jan. 25, Pruitt and the girl's mother, Christina, appeared before a gaggle of reporters alongside the Monroe County sheriff and pleaded for her daughter, if she was listening, to "please come home." "It's like having your soul ripped out of our body," said the bearded Pruitt, his black-and-blue plaid shirt tucked into blue jeans. "You can't think. You can't eat. You can't sleep. You can't rest. Life has just ceased for us since the day she left." What Pruitt didn't know while pleading for the public's help, police now say, is that his daughter had secretly recorded him sexually assaulting her and shared the tape with Rogers. Police believe Pruitt is the same man seen on video coming into the girl's bedroom late at night and raping her. In online messages starting Dec. 24 and later obtained by the FBI, the girl expressed discomfort about having to create the video, but Rogers assured her it was absolutely necessary - and nonnegotiable if she wanted help. "Bryan do u understand how hard that would be though," the girl told him, according to the affidavit. "yes ... But understand that I can get in a hell of a lot of trouble for harboring you," he responded. "Unless you can prove what he did they will just release you back to him if we get caught." "I understand bryan I guess ... As far as needing the evidence goes and u getting in trouble," she said. He gave her the instructions. "Be in your room when he comes home and have the phone recording," he told her. "That way when he comes for you it's already recording and you don't have to worry about anything. And I can't help you if we don't have foolproof leverage against your dad. He's been molesting you for 12 years ... If that's not enough of a reason to get the video then idk what else to tell you." She cursed at him, reminding him she was suicidal over this. "So I'm an a----- for not risking going to prison for someone I haven't even met?" he asked. "IDFK ANYMORE!!" she responded. "But u can't just leave me here!" Once investigators pinpointed Rogers, they arrived at his home on Jan. 31. He admitted he talked to the girl via Roblox, telling the agents that she confided in him about the sexual assault and had sent him a video, but claimed that he had never traveled to Tennessee and that the girl was not with him, according to the affidavit. Agents came back four hours later. This time, his mom answered the door. They told her they needed to search the house and that's when they found the 14-year-old hiding in a basement closet. Once arrested, Rogers admitted he asked her to email the video of the "full blown rape" and that once he had it, he drove to Tennessee to pick her up and bring her back, the affidavit says. Rogers admitted he tried to avoid any surveillance on toll roads and smashed her phone so it could not be traced. The officers found the seven-minute video on his computer. Currently detained in Dane County Jail, Rogers is set to appear in federal court Thursday for a detention hearing in the Western District of Wisconsin. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years on the single charge of sexual exploitation of a minor for the purpose of producing a visual depiction, according to the Justice Department. Randall Pruitt appeared Wednesday in state court wearing a bulletproof vest over his striped inmate jumpsuit. His bond was set at $2 million on the rape charge, reported WTVC, the ABC/Fox affiliate in Chattanooga. WATE 6 reported that the girl is back in Monroe County but the whereabouts of her and her siblings is confidential. The news station spoke to her mother, Christina, who said she was focused on "bringing her daughter home" and that the allegations against Pruitt were new to her. Trump peppered his remarks with calls for bipartisanship, urging Washington to govern "not as two parties, but as one nation." But his message clashed with the rancorous atmosphere he has helped cultivate in the nation's capital as well as the desire of most Democrats to block his path during his next two years in office. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told Congress last week that U.S. intelligence officials do not believe Kim will eliminate his nuclear weapons or the capacity to build more because he believes they are key to the survival of the regime. Satellite video taken since the June summit has indicated North Korea is continuing to produce nuclear materials at its weapons factories. Hapag-Lloyd will retrofit its 15,000 TEU ship Sajir to operate using liquified natural gas (LNG). In future, the engine system will be able to function using either of two types of fuel: LNG or low-sulfur fuel oil (LSFO). The contract for the retrofitting was signed at the end of last week with Hudong ZHONGHUA Shipbuilding (Group) Co., LTD. The conversion will be carried out in the Shanghai-based shipyard Huarun Dadong Dockyard Co., Ltd. During its time in the shipyard, the ships fuel system and its existing heavy fuel oil-burning engine will be converted into a dual-fuel engine. The plan will be to operate the vessel using LNG, but to also be able to use low-sulfur fuel oil (LSFO) as a backup. By converting the Sajir, we will be the first shipping company in the world to retrofit a container ship of this size to LNG propulsion. By carrying out this unprecedented pilot, we hope to learn for the future and to pave the way for large ships to be retrofitted to use this alternative fuel. Richard von Berlepsch, Managing Director Fleet Management at Hapag-Lloyd Using LNG in the shipping industry could potentially reduce CO 2 emissions by 15 to 30 percent and sulfur dioxide and particulate matter by more than 90 percent. The Sajir is one of the 17 vessels in Hapag-Lloyds fleet that were originally designed to be LNG-ready. Its 16 sister ships are also technically prepared for retrofitting. Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL) signed a cooperation agreement with Honda Motor in Tokyo to cooperate formally to develop electric vehicles for the future market. Under the agreement, CATL will become Hondas partner in the field of lithium-ion EV batteries. CATL will guarantee the supply to Honda of about 56 GWh of lithium-ion EV batteries before 2027. CATL currently uses NCM as a core material in its automotive cells; energy density is as high as 240 Wh/kg. In 2016, Honda officially announced its strategy to accelerate electrification: its global sales of the electric vehicles including HEV, PHEV, and EV are to reach 65% of the group in 2030. Also, at the Beijing Motor Show in 2018, it officially announced that more than 20 electric vehicles would be launched in China by 2025. The cooperation models, which will be developed by Honda and CATL together, will be introduced to global markets beyond China. In order to provide more effective localization service support, CATL will set up a local office in the first half of this year in Utsunomiya, the location of the Honda R&D Co., Ltd., Automobile R&D Center in Tochigi. Customer-centered is the philosophy that CATL has always insisted on. We hope that we can establish more efficient communication channels, more timely response mechanisms, and establish a closer relationship for further cooperation. Honda and CATL have been worked closely on advanced and reliable battery solutions for Hondas future electric vehicle applications. In the future, we will support Honda not only in China, Japan, but also to create world-leading electric vehicles that serves global consumers. Naosumi Tada, head of CATLs Japanese subsidiary In 2018, General Motors and Honda announced they were partnering on new advanced chemistry battery components, including the cell and module, to accelerate both companies plans for all-electric vehicles. The next-generation battery will deliver higher energy density, smaller packaging and faster charging capabilities for both companies future products, mainly for the North American market. (Earlier post.) Under that agreement, the companies will collaborate based on GMs next generation battery system with the intent for Honda to source the battery modules from GM. ExxonMobil and partner Qatar Petroleum have decided to proceed with development of the Golden Pass LNG export project located in Sabine Pass, Texas. Construction will begin in the first quarter of 2019 and the facility is expected to start up in 2024. The Golden Pass project will add liquefaction and export capabilities to the existing liquefied natural gas import terminal near Sabine Pass. New facilities for natural gas pretreatment and liquefaction will be constructed. The project will utilize existing tanks, berths and pipeline infrastructure. The $10+ billion liquefaction project will have capacity to produce around 16 million tons of LNG per year (send out capacity). It is expected to create about 9,000 jobs over the five-year construction period and more than 200 permanent jobs during operations. Preliminary estimates by an independent study indicate the project could generate up to $31 billion in US economic gains and more than $4.6 billion in direct federal, state and local tax revenues over the life of the project. Golden Pass is part of ExxonMobils plans to invest more than $50 billion over the next five years to build and expand manufacturing facilities in the US. This includes the Growing the Gulf initiative. Working interests in the Golden Pass LNG export project are 70% Qatar Petroleum and 30% ExxonMobil. This project builds upon the successful international relationship between ExxonMobil and Qatar Petroleum, with Qatar Petroleum joining ExxonMobil in exploration and development activities in Argentina, Brazil and Mozambique. Gibbens said during the hearing that he considered Soden's age as a factor. He also said Soden was intellectually impaired and lacks capacity for judgment. In using the term "aggressor" to describe the victims, Gibbens appeared to be talking about Kansas law, which says a defendant's sentence can be reduced if the victim "was an aggressor or participant" in the crime. In this case, Gibbens found that the sisters are the former. The Nogales measure would be one of the more direct swipes against one of Trump's signature initiatives. In September 2017, the San Diego City Council adopted a resolution that said Trump's walls would be "damaging symbols of fear and division that will increase tensions with Mexico, one of the United States' largest trading partners and a neighbor with which communities such as San Diego in the border region are inextricably linked culturally, physically, and economically." The Illinois Retail Merchants Association, for example, wants to set the minimum wage at different levels in different parts of the state because the cost of living and doing business in many areas downstate is lower than in Chicago. Similar plans have been adopted in New York and Oregon. Chicago and Cook County have had a head start on raising the minimum wage. The citys $12 hourly rate will rise to $13 on July 1, when the countys minimum wage will also increase, from $11 to $12. Their proposed legislation would force local districts to report all credible cases of student sexual assault or abuse to the Illinois State Board of Education. And it would make it a crime for school employees to have sexual contact with a student, regardless of the students age. Under current law, sex with a student is legal if he or she is older than 17 and no force is involved. 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. Police said they believe hes between 18 and 23 years old, 510 to 602, 150-170 lbs, with a dark complexion. Photos show him wearing a black coat with a white collar and trip that has a NASA logo on the front and an American flag on the right sleeve. TOPEKA [mdash] Edna E. Yoder, 75, of Topeka, died at 1 a.m. Saturday, June 19, 2021, at her residence. She was born Oct. 3, 1945, in LaGrange, to Emmery and Mary (Chupp) Miller. On Oct. 15, 1964, in Topeka, she married Raymond M. Yoder. He survives. Survivors in addition to her husband are t Its been 10 years since Virginias oldest beer trail The Brew Ridge Trail was founded in Nelson County by five breweries and the Nelson County Department of Economic Development and Tourism. Since then, the number of breweries, wineries and cideries along Virginia 151 has exploded. On Feb. 9, the breweries along the Brew Ridge Trail will kick off a weeklong celebration of the 10-year anniversary with the Brew Ridge Trail Festival. Mandi Smack, co-founder of Blue Mountain Brewery and Barrel House, said when she and her husband, Taylor, first founded the brewery in Afton, they were the only one on Virginia 151. When we first bought the land to build on, everyone thought we were crazy, she said. Mandi Smack said the wineries in the area have always helped business, but when other breweries like Devils Backbone Brewing Company came along in 2008, they gained more traction with tourists. It was rough here. There just wasnt the big beer scene there is now, she said. Now, 10 years later, its obvious to the Smacks and other members of the Brew Ridge Trail they made the right move developing along Virginia 151. In the 1990s, when the Clintons were in the White House, the Democratic Party got into the habit of making compromises, both personal and political. President Bill Clinton was determined to show he was not a typical liberal, a term that had become an epithet. As governor of Arkansas and candidate for president, he denounced hip-hop artist Sister Souljah for justifying black-on-white violence and refused to grant clemency to cop-killer Ricky Ray Rector, who was executed despite his mental incompetence. As president, he signed a welfare-reform bill over the anguished protests of Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, D-N.Y., and balanced the budget while proclaiming that the era of big government is over. Many Democrats were unhappy with this triangulation, but they gritted their teeth because Clinton also attempted to expand health care coverage and keep abortion legal - and he was better than the Republicans. For the same reasons, Democrats overcame their qualms over the Clintons personal conduct, ranging from dodgy financial deals (cattle futures, Whitewater) to his treatment of women, which led to credible accusations of sexual harassment and even rape. Democrats were the feminist party, but they made excuses for Clinton that they would never have made for a Republican. Richard Homan, president of Eastern Virginia Medical School, apologized Tuesday on behalf of the institution for what he said was a pattern of shockingly racist photos in the schools yearbooks, including a photo on Gov. Ralph Northams 1984 yearbook page. I want to express my sincere apologies, particularly to the African-American community who are most injured by past yearbooks and photos circulated in the press over the past few days, Homan said at a news conference. The Norfolk medical school has hired former state attorney general Richard Cullen and a team of lawyers from the McGuireWoods law firm to investigate the medical schools past and current culture surrounding race and has appointed three people to a community advisory board that will work in parallel on the investigation. They will have the authority to investigate any aspect of EVMS that they feel is important, Homan said. He said that the results of the investigation will be released in a single report to both the schools board of visitors and to the public. Gloucester, MA (01930) Today Cloudy skies with periods of rain this afternoon. Thunder possible. High 79F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Rain ending early. Remaining cloudy. Low 54F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Ukraine Opens Treason Probe Against Pro-Russian Politician By RFE/RL February 05, 2019 Authorities in Ukraine say they are investigating allegations that Viktor Medvedchuk, a shadowy Ukrainian political operative with close personal ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, has committed high treason and sought to undermine the country's territorial integrity. The spokeswoman for the Prosecutor-General's Office, Larysa Sarhan, wrote on Facebook on February 5 that Ukraine's Security Service will investigate the case that was launched following a complaint filed by lawmaker Andriy Teteruk. Medvedchuk heads the Opposition Platform -- For Life party and Ukrainian Choice, two political organizations that many in Ukraine consider to be pro-Kremlin. Teteruk claimed that Medvedchuk told his party congress on January 29 that territories controlled by Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine must be granted autonomous status within the country, according to Sarhan. Sarhan cited the constitution stating that Ukraine is a "unitary country" and guaranteeing the country's "territorial integrity." The spokeswoman also said that Russia was "conducting aggressive operations against Ukraine" by supplying the separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk regions with military "personnel, weaponry, and other materials." Granting autonomy to the eastern region known as Donbas would "legalize temporarily occupied territories," which would contradict the Ukrainian constitution and help "a foreign country to conduct sabotage operations against Ukraine," Sarhan added. In a statement, the Opposition Platform -- For Life party denounced the accusations against Medvedchuk as "delusional," and said the investigation had been ordered by Kyiv's pro-Western authorities ahead of presidential elections set for March 31. Medvedchuk is a regular participant in negotiations aimed at resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine that has killed more than 10,300 people since April 2014. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-opens-treason-probe-against -pro-russian-politican/29752897.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. UK Cabinet Secretly Weighs Eight-Week Brexit Delay - Reports Sputnik News 03:44 06.02.2019 British Cabinet ministers have held secret talks on how to delay the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union, presently scheduled for March 29, British paper The Telegraph reported Tuesday night. The deal they seek would push Brexit back to May 24. The publication reported the ministers hope to convince EU leaders to agree to a two-month-long "grace period," if Prime Minister Theresa May can get Parliament to pass a Brexit deal, to allow time for Parliament to deal with more necessary legislation. May came out against such an extension earlier on Tuesday, The Guardian reported. "She was pretty clear she had no time for anyone calling for it to be extended," a Cabinet source said. Parliament needs that extra time, since it hasn't even passed the existing Brexit deal, negotiated in secret with the EU by May last Fall. Both her Cabinet ministers and the legislature were deeply incensed by the closed-door negotiations, which they felt gave the UK a bad deal, and as a result, Parliament has tried twice to remove her from power with one attempt by her own party and one by the opposition and adamantly refused to pass her Brexit deal. Both ouster attempts failed, and May remains prime minister of an increasingly shaky Conservative government. However, it's unknown whether Brussels will agree to a delay proposal, since EU leaders have so far refused any significant renegotiation of the deal they signed last year. "The deal we have achieved is the best deal possible, the only deal possible," EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said at the time. "There is no room whatsoever for renegotiation. But, of course, there is room, if used intelligently, there is room enough to give further clarifications and further interpretations." The deadlock threatens a "no-deal Brexit," which would see the UK immediately depart from the EU customs union without a negotiated post-Brexit relationship. While May has said this will be bad for the country, others have dismissed those fears as unfounded. The issue of the so-called "Irish backstop" has become the major point of contention in the deal. If the UK leaves the EU without a deal negotiated, the hard border between the UK's Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, which together share the island, could reignite violent conflicts settled in the Good Friday agreement in 1998. May's deal provides for a "soft border," which would include Northern Ireland in the customs union but not the rest of the UK, creating an extremely complex situation that the Democratic Unionist Party, which rules Northern Ireland and which also played kingmaker for May's government in Parliament, finds intolerable. Sputnik A security officer started following her and eventually called police and her father. I was mad," the girl said. I went to the second floor at the top of the stairs. The police came up the stairs and they was like, you need to get your coat and go to the in-school room. I was like, I dont want to go in there. Senior EU officials reject any compromise on Brexit deal, thwart May's push for settlement Iran Press TV Tue Feb 5, 2019 01:35AM Senior European Union officials have rejected any possible compromise on the already agreed Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, countering British Prime Minister Theresa May's push for new negotiations. Chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier rejected any additional negotiations over Brexit on Monday, noting that any alternative mechanism to the deal can be considered only after Britain leaves the EU. Head of the European Commission's civil service Martin Selmayr also rejected reports that the EU would consider adding legally binding assurances to the original agreement. Selmayr further quipped at the claim, saying "the EU did well to start its no-deal preparations in December 2017." The statements came a day after May vowed to "battle" for a solution for her government's embattled Brexit initiative in future talks with the EU. May's draft Brexit deal with the EU was rejected in the British parliament by a large majority on January 15. She has since then vowed to work with the EU to find a solution to the backstop problem. The so-called backstop clause of the Brexit deal is an insurance policy designed to prevent the return of border checks between Ireland, which is an EU member, and British-ruled Northern Ireland. Critics say the clause would undermine the UK's sovereignty as it effectively separates Northern Ireland from the mainland Britain. If May fails to reach any settlement over the backstop, Britain may leave the EU on March 29 without a deal. A no-deal Brexit would reinstate a hard border between the two Irelands, three decades after checks and controls were removed as part of a historic deal signed between London and Dublin. Speaking on Monday, Irish Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe claimed that Dublin had rejected London's attempts at bilateral border talks over the matter. Donohoe insisted that Ireland will not engage in any negotiation process that leads to the implementation of a hard border. Turkey's Erdogan Steps Up Pressure on US as Key Syria Talks Begin By Dorian Jones February 05, 2019 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he has not yet seen an acceptable plan for the creation in Syria of a safe zone aimed at protecting Turkey's border from attack. Erdogan spoke Tuesday at a parliamentary meeting of his ruling AKP, saying, "There is no satisfactory plan that is put before us concretely yet. He also said, "Of course we are loyal to our agreements, our promise is a promise. However, our patience is not limitless." Erdogan spoke as his foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, was visiting the United States for talks with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other senior diplomats. The two-day discussions were expected to focus on U.S. President Donald Trump's recent proposal to create the zone to protect Turkey from the YPG, a Syrian Kurdish militia. Washington's support of the YPG in the war against Islamic State angers Ankara, which considers the militia terrorists linked to a decades-long Kurdish insurgency inside Turkey. Turkish-U.S. tensions have been eased by Trump's decision in December to withdraw all U.S. forces from Syria. Erdogan, however, is voicing growing frustration about a perceived lack of clarity on when U.S. forces will withdraw and how and when the zone is implemented. The talks this week are part of a process initiated last year by then-secretary of state Rex Tillerson to ease bilateral tensions over Syria. Erdogan on Sunday warned that Turkish forces massed on the Syrian border were ready to intervene unilaterally. In the past 18 months, Ankara has launched two military operations into Syria against the YPG, securing a large swathe of Syrian territory. Signs of Trump backsliding? Analysts suggest Ankara's hardening rhetoric is an indication of concern that Trump is starting to backslide on his Syrian withdrawal commitment. The U.S. president faces intense domestic criticism along with accusations the U.S. is abandoning Kurdish fighters. "Americans won't leave the area without any concrete protection plan or safe haven for the Kurds," said international relations professor Huseyin Bagci of Ankara's Middle East Technical University. "There is the option for the U.S. to withdraw its land presence but to extend a protection umbrella with some sort of no-fly zone," said former Turkish diplomat Aydin Selcen. "Some sort of aerial protection can be declared," he added, "That's why (Russian President Vladimir) Putin was so cautious when he said we have to wait and see whether the U.S. will be out of Syria. We have to see whether it's just a change in the presence in Syria, rather than a complete withdrawal." Turkish and U.S. diplomats were also expected to address the thorny issue of who would control and administer the proposed 32- kilometer-deep safe zone. Erdogan on Tuesday reiterated his demand for the zone to be under Turkish control and supported logistically by "international allies." The YPG rejects such a demand, warning it would resist militarily. Ankara has indicated the safe zone would follow the lines of previous Syrian military operations against the YPG, relying heavily on elements of the Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army, or FSA, a coalition of militias fighting the Damascus government. Analyst Atilla Yesilada of Global Source Partners warns such a move is contentious. "The FSA, these guys are vandals; no one knows who these guys are. A few days ago, they were part of (al-Qaida-affiliated) al-Nusra, and trusting the security of the mainly Kurdish population and even Christians would be a disaster," he said. US seeking allies for safe zone control According to reports, Washington has been seeking international allies to control the safe zone, but unsuccessfully. Ankara is also looking to other allies for a solution. Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin on Monday said talks would resume with Russia on the creation of the zone. Erdogan is due to meet Putin later this month. Erdogan also confirmed that talks on an intelligence level were continuing with Damascus. Ankara severed its diplomatic relations with the Syrian government at the start of the civil war. The Syrian government, however, could yet offer a solution to the current impasse. "Ankara will be happy with a situation where Damascus' authority is extended to the Turkish frontier," while "replacing the local YPG authority along the frontier," he said. The YPG started talks with Damascus last month in a move seen as preventing a Turkish military operation. U.S.-Turkish diplomatic talks in Washington were also expected to focus on the future of the Syrian city of Manbij. U.S.-backed forces composed mainly of the YPG seized the strategically important city in 2016 from Islamic State. During a visit to Ankara in 2016, then-U.S. Vice President Joe Biden promised the Kurdish militia would withdraw from Manbij after its capture. The ongoing presence of YPG in the city is another point of tension in Turkish-U.S. relations. Ankara's anger is exacerbated by what it claims is the slow progress of an agreed upon U.S.-Turkish road map to hand over Manbij to Turkish-backed Syrian forces. "If the terrorists do not leave Manbij in a few weeks, then our patience will end. The United States must keep Turkey's data on Syria's promises. Otherwise, Ankara itself will take steps to eliminate the threats to national security," Erdogan said Tuesday. Currently, the Turkish, U.S. and Russian military forces are deployed in and around Manbij. Analysts, however, say time may now be against Washington, given Trump's commitment to leave Syria. "All the other actors, Turkey, Iran, Russia, Syria, have the time to wait the U.S. out," said Selcen. US Urges Allies to Take Back Daesh Terrorists Captured by Kurds in Syria Sputnik News 12:06 05.02.2019 Earlier in February, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced that they had captured three more alleged Daesh* militants from Germany, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. US State Department deputy spokesman Robert Palladino has called for the repatriation of foreign citizens who came to Syria to join Daesh ranks and were captured by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). "The United States calls upon other nations to repatriate and prosecute their citizens detained by the SDF and commends the continued efforts of the SDF to return these foreign terrorist fighters to their countries of origin", Palladino said in a statement. He praised the SDF's "clear commitment to detain these individuals securely and humanely". Last week, France's Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said that a spate of French jihadis had already returned home and that more would come back after the withdrawal of US troops from Syria. Britain, in turn, has repeatedly signalled its reluctance to receive UK citizens who joined Daesh, while other European countries have mainly kept mum on the fate of those are seen as a security threat. Earlier, the SDF said that they had detained more than 900 foreign militants during their campaign against Daesh in northeastern Syria. In addition to the militants, the SDF are also reportedly holding more than 4,000 family members of Daesh terrorists. In December 2018, the SDF said that Daesh had stepped up attacks on Kurdish fighters after Washington announced its plans to withdraw US troops from Syria earlier that month. The Kurdish-led SDF, backed by Washington, are currently engaged in a fight against terrorists. They control most of the territory of Syria northeast of the Euphrates, which Damascus has repeatedly stressed is illegal. *Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist group banned in Russia and a number of other countries Sputnik If Israel Continues Attacks in Syria, Iran Will Respond - Security Council Head Sputnik News 18:19 05.02.2019(updated 18:38 05.02.2019) MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani said on Tuesday at a meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem that Israel will receive a decisive response if it continues attacks in Syria. "In case of continuation of such actions, specific measures will be taken to contain it and to respond decisively and symmetrically, giving an exemplary lesson to the lying and criminal rulers of Israel," Shamkhani said, as quoted by the IRNA news agency. Muallem, in turn, said that the Syrian government was committed to ensuring the security of the Iranian forces in the country. Last month, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps second-in-command Brig. Gen. Hossein Salami said in a television address that Iran's strategy was to wipe "the Zionist regime" of Israel off the political map. Relations between Israel and Iran have been very strained recently. Israel has been opposing Iran's military presence in Syria, fearing Tehran might gain increased influence in the region. Iran has stressed that in only sends advisers at the request of the Syrian government. Sputnik Netanyahu, Putin To Meet To Discuss Iran's Presence In Syria By RFE/RL February 05, 2019 Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow later this month for talks on Iran's presence in Syria, the Israeli leader has said. The February 21 talks will focus on Israel's efforts to prevent Iran from "creating another front against us right here on the other side of the Golan Heights," Netanyahu said on February 5. There was no immediate comment from Moscow. If confirmed, the talks will be Netanyahu's third meeting with Putin since July 2018. Russia and Iran have provided Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with crucial military support throughout the seven-year civil war in Syria, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions. Israel has repeatedly pledged to stop Iran from entrenching itself militarily in Syria, carrying out hundreds of air strikes there against what it describes as Iranian targets in Syria and those of allied militia, including the Lebanon-based Shi'ite militant group Hizballah. The secretary of Iran's National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, warned Israel on February 5 of a "firm and appropriate" response if it continued attacking targets in Syria, according to Fars news agency. Shamkhani made the comment during a meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem in Tehran, ahead of a summit of the leaders of Russia, Turkey, and Iran in the Russian Black Sea resort town Sochi on February 14 about the situation in Syria. Last week, Netanyahu met with Russian officials in Jerusalem to discuss "strengthening the security coordination mechanism between the militaries" to avoid possible "friction" in the war-torn country, his office said at the time. Israel and Russia maintain a hotline to prevent their air forces from clashing over Syria. But in September, a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance plane was shot down by Syrian air defenses in the northwestern province of Latakia following an Israeli raid. All 15 servicemen on board were killed and the Russian military accused the country's military of using the Russian plane as a cover to dodge Syrian air-defense systems. In response, Moscow announced that it will deliver the S-300 missile system to improve Syria's defenses and will provide Syrian government forces with updated automated systems for its air-defense network. Netanyahu's planned visit to Moscow also comes after President Donald Trump in December announced that he intends to withdraw all 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria. Critics have said that a vacuum left by the departure of U.S. troops from Syria could result in a resurgence of the extremist group Islamic State (IS) and Al-Qaeda in the country or neighboring Iraq. There are about 2,000 U.S. troops currently deployed in Syria, where they are assisting a Syrian Arab and Kurdish alliance fighting against some of the last IS-held areas and other forces Addressing the Senate Armed Services Committee on February 5, the head of the U.S. military's Central Command warned that the fight against IS militants and other extremists "is not over and our mission has not changed." The militant group "retains leaders, fighters, facilitators, resources, and the profane ideology that fuels their efforts," General Joseph Votel said. He also said that there were currently up to 1,500 IS fighters in the small area they still control in the southern part of the Euphrates River Valley near Iraq's border. The remainder have "dispersed" and "gone to ground," he added. A Defense Department watchdog report released on February 4 warned that IS could make a comeback within six to 12 months after the U.S. troops leave Syria and "regain limited territory." With reporting by dpa, AP, AFP, and Reuters Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/netanyahu- putin-to-meet-to-discuss-iran-s-presence -in-syria/29753264.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. Iran, Syria will boost terror combat until its eradication: Shamkhani Iran Press TV Tue Feb 5, 2019 03:31PM A senior Iranian security official says the joint fight with Syria against terrorism has contributed to regional and international security, emphasizing that the two nations will continue their cooperation until the eradication of the scourge in the Arab country. "Cooperation between Iran and Syria in the fight against Takfiri terrorism has resulted in undeniable achievements for the region and international security and this trend will be continued until the end of the security crisis in this [Arab] country," Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani said in a meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem in Tehran on Tuesday. He further said certain Western countries' "excessive demands" and "acts of sabotage" targeting the political process in Syria indicate that their "illogical positions and pretexts" are merely aimed at prolonging the crisis gripping the Middle Eastern country. Iran warns Israel Shamkhani further urged Muslim countries to reinforce their convergence and strengthen cooperation to solve their common problems. "Common enemies of the Muslim world, particularly the US and the Zionist regime (Israel), are trying to destroy great interests of Muslim countries such as security and economic progress by creating and intensifying conflicts and discord," the SNSC secretary said. The top Iranian security official also censured as "unacceptable" the Israeli regime's continued acts of aggression against Syrian soil and violations of its territorial integrity. "If these actions continue, some calculated strategies will be activated for deterrence and as a firm and appropriate response in a way to teach a lesson to the criminal and lying rulers of Israel." Israel frequently strikes the Syrian territory, attacking military targets belonging to Syria and its allies, which have been assisting Damascus' war on foreign-backed terrorist groups. Observers view the attacks as a means of propping up the Takfiri terror groups that have suffered crushing defeat recently. In January, Syria once again wrote protest letters to the United Nations, urging the world body to take a decisive step and put an end to Israel's acts of aggression against its territory, which it said were an attempt to raise the "morale" of the remaining terrorist hotbeds that are "subservient" to Tel Aviv. Elsewhere in the meeting, Shamkhani stressed the importance of improving relations between Tehran and Damascus in various fields, particularly in trade and economic sectors, emphasizing that Iran would stand by Syria in the reconstruction plans of the war-ravaged country. 'Syria duty-bound to protect Iranian military advisors' Muallem, for his part, hailed Iran's extensive support for the Syrian government and nation. He said Iranian military advisers are present in Syria to strengthen its national army in the fight against terrorism, stressing that Damascus is duty-bound to protect them. The Syrian foreign minister added that sustainable peace and security will be established in the region if some countries change their approaches and launch a real fight against the remaining Takfiri terror groups in Syria such as the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as al-Nusra Front. Back in January, the chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) 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. Israel doesn't want peace in Syria, Mideast: Zarif In Tehran, the Syrian foreign minister also sat down for talks with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif. During the meeting, Zarif said the Tel Aviv regime does not favor the establishment of peace and security in Syria and the entire Middle East. He further called on regional countries to boost their convergence and cooperation to counter any plots against them. The top Iranian and Syrian diplomats discussed ways to improve relations and the latest developments unfolding in Syria. Syria's resistance foiled enemies' adventurism: Larijani Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani also held a meeting with Muallem, during which he said the Syrian people's resistance has neutralized the enemies' adventurism. The top Iranian parliamentarian told the visiting Syrian foreign minister that Tehran and Damascus should boost their trade ties in 2019. For his part, Muallem criticized Washington's double-standard approaches to Syria and said despite its claims, the United States has not reduced its forces in the Arab country but has even increased their numbers under the pretext of supervising the planned pullout process. Syria accuses US, allied militants of blocking humanitarian aid in Dayr al-Zawr Iran Press TV Tue Feb 5, 2019 04:24PM The Syrian government has accused US military forces and their allied Kurdish militants from the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) of blocking deliveries of critical humanitarian supplies to internally displaced people in the country's embattled eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr. Mohammed Dhiab, the media coordinator for the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) in the province, told Syria's official news agency SANA on Tuesday that a convoy of 10 truckloads of drinking water, medicine, hygiene products and other basic commodities was once again prevented from passing al-Salihiyah crossing point. He added that the convoy had been stopped at the Kurdish-controlled crossing point for five consecutive days before being denied entry under the pretext that American forces in the area had not allowed the passage. Dhiab further noted that US troops and SDF militants placed concrete barriers and barricades in front of the trucks at last. The official went on to say that the aid convoy had been provided by the Syrian government, SARC as well as the Russian Coordination Center, and was destined for the town of Hajin, which lies along the Euphrates River and south of the provincial capital city of Dayr al-Zawr. On January 31, US forces and Kurdish militants prevented an aid convoy from the Syrian government and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent from reaching villagers in the rural outskirts of Dayr al-Zawr despite guarantees from the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) concerning free and unimpeded deliveries of humanitarian aid shipments throughout the Syrian territory. Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov told reporters on May 4 last year that the US was blocking deliveries of humanitarian supplies from international organizations to the Rukban refugee camp in southern Syria. "Despite earlier-made hopeful statements, US representatives continue to block any deliveries of humanitarian aid to the Rukban refugee camp, where about 50,000 Syrians, most of them women, elderly people and children, need help," Konashenkov said. "The US regional command refuses to guarantee safe entry for UN and ICRC aid convoys, insisting that all products, water and necessities should be transferred only to militant gangs controlled by Americans The humanitarian situation also remains difficult in Syria's Raqqah, which turned into a ghost city after the carpet bombing by the international coalition," he stressed. "After liberation from the grip of terrorists, Raqqah residents were deprived of the possibility to receive humanitarian aid from international organizations due to the unwillingness of the US to admit convoys from Syrian authorities and international organizations," Konashenkov pointed out. Larijani calls for expansion of Tehran, Damascus ties IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, Feb 5, IRNA -- Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani on Tuesday called for expansion of economic cooperation between Iran and Syria. Larijani made the remarks in a meeting with visiting Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem. Fortunately, relations between the two countries are deeply rooted and the two sides intend to further bolster and expand such relations, he said. Iran is very pleased with regards to political developments in Syria and also fight against terrorism in the country, Larijani said. Today all witness that resistance of Syrian nation in dealing with enemies' adventurism has borne fruits, he said. There is no doubt that economic cooperation between the two countries should be increased this year mainly in small-scale businesses, he said. Syrian foreign minister for his part said the economic sanctions imposed by the US on Iran indicates to what extent the US president is ignorant of the capacity and firm determination of Iranian nation. He also congratulated the 40th victory anniversary of the Islamic revolution and highlighted the positive impact of the Islamic revolution on regional developments. Referring to close cooperation between Iran, Resistance movement and Russia in fight against terrorism, he said these victories angered the Zionists and Americans and they seek to continue aggression on Syria to attain their sinister goals, Muallem said. US conspiracies against the Islamic Republic of Iran are doomed to failure like the ones against Syrian nation, he said, adding that the US economic sanctions against Iran indicates Trump's ignorance in dealing with firm determination of the Iranian nation. The US has not reduced the number of its troops in Syria but has increased it instead, he said. 1430**1771 Russia to Develop Ground-Based Kalibr Missiles Amid INF Treaty Row - Minister Sputnik News 12:18 05.02.2019(updated 20:43 05.02.2019) MOSCOW (Sputnik) - A ground-based version of Kalibr sea-based complexes with a long-range cruise missile should be developed in 2019-2020 in response to the US decision to suspend its obligations under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday. "In 2019-2020, we should develop a ground-based version of sea-based Kalibr complexes with a long-range cruise missile, which has proved to be effective in Syria. During the same period, we should create a ground-based missile complex with a long-range hypersonic missile," Shoigu stated, adding that the measures would be taken in light of Washington's decision on the INF Treaty. "Besides, it is important to increase the range of land-based missile systems, which are currently being developed," Shoigu added. Speaking further, the senior official said that the experience of conducting combat operations with the help of high-precision weapons in Syria demonstrated that Russia needs to re-equip the orbital group of military spacecraft. "Syrian experience shows that effective use of high-precision weapons requires detailed reconnaissance and cartographic data. Such data can be obtained only via modern satellites capable of surveying the Earth's surface in high definition," Shoigu said, adding that the Russian Defense Ministry was already actively working on the task. On Friday, the United States announced the suspension of its participation in the Cold War era treaty that banned ground-launched medium-range missiles with a range of 310-3,400 miles. Next day, Russia suspended its obligations under the treaty as well. At the same time, US Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman said on Monday that Washington reserved the right to freeze its withdrawal notice from the INF Treaty if Russia returned to verifiable compliance with the arms limitations pact within six months. Sputnik Russia Developing More Missile Systems 'Not Helpful' For INF Treaty - Pentagon Sputnik News 20:50 05.02.2019 WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Russia developing additional missile systems is not helpful if Moscow wants to save the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, US Department of Defence spokesperson Johnny Michael told Sputnik on Tuesday. "Developing additional non-complaint systems is not helpful if they truly wish to save the [INF] Treaty," Michael said. Earlier in the day, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said that a ground-based version of the Kalibr sea-based systems with a long-range cruise missile would be developed in 2019-2020 in response to the US decision to suspend its obligations under the INF Treaty, and a ground-based system with a long-range hypersonic missile should be created as well. On Friday, the United States announced the suspension of its participation in the Cold War era treaty that banned ground-launched medium-range missiles with a range of 310-3,400 miles. Next day, Russia suspended its obligations under the treaty as well. At the same time, US Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman said on Monday that Washington reserved the right to freeze its withdrawal notice from the INF Treaty if Russia returned to verifiable compliance with the arms limitations pact within six months. Sputnik Riel Jones, 32, had been standing on the sidewalk in front of Nicks Gyros when someone walked up and shot him around 11:10 p.m. Tuesday, Chicago police said. He had frequented the restaurant in a shopping strip on the northwest corner of 79th Street and Ashland Avenue in the Gresham neighborhood, according to his family. He liked their cheeseburgers. He had probably stopped there for a bite on his way home from his sisters place, they said. Lavrov Calls Russian Military Base In Tajikistan 'Important Security Factor' By RFE/RL's Tajik Service February 05, 2019 DUSHANBE -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has called a Russian military base in Tajikistan "an important factor for Tajikistan's security." Speaking to journalists in Dushanbe on February 5 after talks with Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin, Lavrov said Moscow is ready to assist Tajikistan in the modernization of its armed forces and "strengthening the state border," taking into account, among other things, "existing threats that continue to be imposed from the territory of Afghanistan." "I would like to stress the role of Russia's 201st Military Base [in Tajikistan], which is an important factor of Tajikistan's security," Lavrov said. About 7,000 troops from Russia's 201st Motor Rifle Division are stationed at three facilities that are considered part of the Russian base in Tajikistan. Lavrov, who started his Central Asian tour on February 4 with a visit to Kyrgyzstan, said in Bishkek earlier that Moscow is open to talks about setting up a second Russian military base in Kyrgyzstan if Kyrgyz authorities initiate the issue. Lavrov is scheduled to conclude his tour of the region with a visit to Turkmenistan on February 6. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/lavrov -calls-russian-military- base-in-tajikistan-important- security-factor-/29752743.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. Moscow Says New Missile Systems Planned To Counter U.S. By 2021 By RFE/RL February 05, 2019 Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu says Moscow will push to develop two new land-based missile systems before 2021 in response to Washington's planned exit from a landmark nuclear arms control agreement. The U.S. withdrawal from the Cold War-era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty came after Washington repeatedly accused Moscow of violating the accord, which bans both countries from stationing short- and intermediate-range land-based missiles in Europe. On February 1, U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington was starting a process to withdraw from the 1987 treaty within six months. In a tit-for-tat move on February 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was also leaving the treaty and would begin work on new types of weapons that would breach the deal. 'Hypersonic' Missile At a meeting with defense officials on February 5, Shoigu said Russia should develop two new missile systems during the next two years. "From February 2, the United States suspended its obligations under the INF treaty," Shoigu said. "At the same time they are actively working to create a land-based missile with a range of more than 500 kilometers which is outside the treaty's limits," Shoigu said. "President Putin has given the Defense Ministry the task of taking symmetrical measures." Shoigu said during the course of 2020 and 2021, Russia "must develop a land-based version of the sea-based Kalibr system with a long-range cruise missile." "In this same time frame, we must create a land-based missile system with a hypersonic long-range missile," he said. Washington has not yet commented on Russia's announcement, but Trump administration officials were quoted as saying last week that there were no immediate plans to test or deploy missiles banned under the INF Treaty. The bilateral treaty, the first of its kind to eliminate an entire class of missiles, was widely seen as a cornerstone of arms-control stability in Europe and elsewhere. Washington and NATO have accused Russia of breaching the accord by developing the 9M729 cruise missile, also known as the SSC-8. Moscow has denied that the missile was violating the treaty and accused the United States in turn of wanting to abandon the pact so it can start a new arms race. U.S. disarmament ambassador Robert Wood told a UN-sponsored Conference on Disarmament in Geneva on February 5 that the United States would reconsider its withdrawal from the INF treaty "should Russia return to full and verifiable compliance." "This is Russia's final opportunity to return to compliance," Wood said. With reporting by Reuters and AFP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/moscow-says -new-missile-systems-planned-to- counter-u-s-by-2021/29752866.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. 'In Principle' Deal Reached on Cost-Sharing for US Forces Korea Sputnik News 02:10 06.02.2019(updated 02:11 06.02.2019) After months of debate, a contract has been agreed to between the US and South Korea for the latter to increase its share of financial support for the 28,500 US forces stationed in the country. "The United States and the Republic of Korea have reached an agreement in principle on a new Special Measures Agreement," the US State Department said in a Tuesday announcement. "Both sides are committed to working out remaining technical issues as quickly as possible." According to the previous deal, which expired at the end of 2018, Seoul paid 41 percent of the $2 billion bill for US Forces Korea, which amounted to an $848 million check, The Hill reported. The publication noted that 70 percent of those funds went toward paying the salaries of the nearly 9,000 South Korean employees who work with the US military. The new deal isn't only "significantly more" for South Korea, reportedly approaching $1 billion, according to Stars and Stripes, but has also been reduced from a five-year contract to merely annual, according to Yonhap News Agency. However, Stars and Stripes noted that Seoul shouldered most of the $10.7 billion cost of upgrading Camp Humphreys, the massive army garrison between Seoul and the demilitarized zone (DMZ) that serves as the headquarters of US Forces Korea. The new HQ, adopted last summer, is twice as far from the DMZ, which serves as the border with North Korea, than its predecessor, US Army Garrison Yongsan, Sputnik reported. In November, the Pentagon investigated three South Korean firms it claimed had defrauded the US military by vastly overcharging them for fuel supply expenses, Sputnik reported. Hyundai Oilbank, S-Oil Corp and Jier Shin Korea together are accused by US prosecutors of a bid-rigging scheme to milk the Pentagon of over $100 million in excess costs. In an interview with CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday, US President Donald Trump dismissed the idea of reducing the strength of US Forces Korea as he prepares for an upcoming summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un intended to further progress on denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula. Trump has previously raged about US deployments overseas and threatened to bring US troops home a policy he's set in motion in Syria already. North Korea has technically been at war with South Korea and the United States since 1950, since the fighting in the Korean War ended with only a ceasefire and the establishment of the DMZ. While Kim and his South Korean counterpart, Moon Jae In, reached an end-of-war agreement last September and relations between the two countries have significantly relaxed in the last year, no such relationship exists between Pyongyang and Washington, the latter of which still maintains destructive economic sanctions on the country. Sputnik South Korea submits to US demand to share troop cost Iran Press TV Tue Feb 5, 2019 10:15AM The United States and South Korea have agreed "in principle" to share the cost of stationing US military personnel in the Asian country after months of wrangling over who should foot the bill. "The United States and the Republic of Korea have reached an agreement in principle on a new Special Measures Agreement," a State Department spokeswoman said Monday. The five-year contract between Washington and Seoul known as Special Measures Agreement, which outlines cost sharing for US forces in South Korea, expired on December 31. Since then, the two sides had been locked in a standoff over US President Donald Trump's request for a 50-percent increase in South Korea's contribution. "Both sides are committed to working out remaining technical issues as quickly as possible," the State Department spokesman said. Under the new agreement, South Korea would increase its financial contribution to nearly $1 billion, a State Department official told CNN. The expired deal required South Korea to pay 960 billion won ($848 million) a year for the cost of maintaining some 28,500 American troops stationed in the country. Trump has been pushing for between $1.2 and $1.6 billion per year, but South Korean President Moon Jae-in is resisting the demand. The US president has reportedly called on Seoul to cover the cost of deploying new aircraft carriers and bombers. The United States has already deployed two Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) launchers to South Korea, sparking weeks of protests in the Asian country. Back in October, he criticized Seoul for failing to finance the controversial deployment of the American missile system on the Korean Peninsula. South Korea's Yonhap news agency earlier quoted a diplomatic source in Seoul as saying that Washington appeared set to accept Seoul's request to contribute under $1 billion in 2019, and that the deal would run for a year. Seoul had reportedly rejected an American suggestion to sign a one-year contract last year. The source attributed the compromise to their decision to focus their efforts on diplomacy with North Korea ahead of a second US-North Korea summit slated for later this month. However, the United States and South Korea are at loggerheads on how far to go in embracing North Korea. The US intelligence chief has said that Pyongyang is unlikely to give up its nuclear deterrent, while Seoul no longer views the North as its main enemy. Pyongyang Using 'Civilian Facilities' to Hide Nuclear, Missile Sites - UN Report Sputnik News 00:39 06.02.2019 North Korea is reportedly taking steps to protect its nuclear and missile stockpiles from potential military strikes, a confidential 317-page report to a UN Security Council sanctions committee revealed this week. Obtained by Reuters on Monday, the report claims that UN monitors had "found evidence of a consistent trend on the part of the [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] to disperse its assembly, storage and testing location." The UN report explained that Pyongyang was using "civilian facilities, including airports, for ballistic missile assembly and testing with the goal of effectively preventing 'decapitation strikes' on a smaller number of identified nuclear and missile assembly and manufacturing sites." Additionally, it stressed that the DPRK was continually ignoring UNSC resolutions through its "illegal ship-to-ship transfers of petroleum products and coal." The Security Council has repeatedly imposed sanctions on North Korea since 2006, when the country first conducted a nuclear test. North Korea has since run five additional nuclear tests. "These violations render the latest UN sanctions ineffective," reads the memo, referring to the council's past eight resolutions that banned the country's exports of coal, crude oil, refined petroleum and lead, among others. Furthermore, the report accused Pyongyang of violating a UN arms embargo and using "cyberattacks to illegally force the transfer of funds from financial institutions and cryptocurrency exchanges" in order to bypass financial sanctions. As the country was also hit with a ban on luxury goods, UN investigators will be looking into the sighting of a "relatively new" Rolls-Royce Phantom limousine that appeared in Pyongyang on October 7, 2018. The confidential report was originally submitted to the 15-person sanctions committee on Friday, Reuters reported. This latest development comes weeks before US President Donald Trump is expected to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for their second summit. It has been reported that the meeting could be held in the Vietnam later this month. Stephen Biegun, the US special envoy for North Korea, is scheduled to hold preparatory talks with North Korean counterparts on Wednesday in Pyongyang, the US State Department revealed on Monday. Sputnik North Korea insulating nukes, missiles against strikes: UN Iran Press TV Tue Feb 5, 2019 07:05AM A confidential report to the UN Security Council says North Korea is working to ensure that its nuclear and missile capabilities would not be destroyed by any military strikes. The report said UN sanctions monitors had "found evidence of a consistent trend on the part of the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) to disperse its assembly, storage and testing locations." The report seen by Reuters on Monday was sent to a 15-member UN Security Council sanctions committee ahead of a second summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump later this month. In the wake of the first summit between Trump and Kim, which was held in June in Singapore, they agreed to work toward denuclearization, but that agreement, made in a written document, was broadly worded. UN sanctions not effective Subsequent diplomacy between the two sides has also made little progress in recent months, mainly because the US refuses to lift harsh sanctions on the North. The UN report also said harsh sanctions on North Korea were proving ineffective. "The country continues to defy Security Council resolutions through a massive increase in illegal ship-to-ship transfers of petroleum products and coal," the report said. "These violations render the latest UN sanctions ineffective." The council has imposed a series of strong economic sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear and ballistic missile tests. The monitors said they had detected "new sanctions evasion techniques that defeated the due diligence efforts of the region's leading commodity trader, as well as the US and Singaporean banks that facilitated the fuel payments and a leading UK insurer that provided protection and indemnity cover to one of the vessels involved." Since the last summit in Singapore, the North has suspended missile and nuclear testing, demolished at least one nuclear test site, and agreed to allow international inspectors into a missile engine test facility and another nuclear testing site. North Korean authorities, however, have complained about continued US and UN sanctions, calling them a "source of mistrust." Kingdom launches first Saudi communications satellite (SGS-1) successfully, HRH the Crown Prince signed the final piece to be placed on the satellite with the words, "Above the Clouds" Saudi Press Agency Wednesday 1440/6/1 - 2019/02/06 Riyadh, February 05, 2019, SPA -- The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the King Abdul-Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), announced today that the first Saudi satellite for communications (SGS-1) has been launched successfully from the Guiana Space Centre on an Ariane 5 rocket. HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Crown Prince, Vice President of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Defense, had signed the final piece to be placed on the Saudi satellite before its launch with the words, "above the clouds." Eng. Khaled bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih, the Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources and Chairman of the board of directors of KACST, explained that such a spectacular national achievement has come as a result of the great support provided to the Kingdom's research and development sector by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and HRH the Crown Prince. The launch is part of Saudi Vision 2030, which aims at localizing strategic technologies in the Kingdom, increasing local content and enabling Saudi young people to work with advanced state-of-the-art technologies in the field of satellite development and manufacturing. Richard Edwards, Executive Vice President of Lockheed Martin International lauded his company's strategic partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, saying, "The successful launch of this satellite is a first step in our unique partnership with King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is established on innovation, science, technology and HR development". The development of the satellite (SGS-1), which was created in collaboration with Lockheed Martin, included the qualification of a number of Saudi engineers in compliance with the qualification standards and requirements adopted by the company for its employees across all the operational phases of manufacturing and testing, with the target of conveying to them the expertise and know-how required for manufacturing and testing giant satellite technologies used for space communications in geostationary orbit. The satellite aims to employ advanced Ka-band capabilities to enable space communications at ultra-fast speeds, as part of the national strategic plan to fulfill the Kingdom's domestic requirements, provide high-specification communications services specifically custom-made for the government sector and, at a commercial level, exporting these services to the MENA region, Europe, Africa and Central Asia. The satellite also aims to improve local capabilities and human resources and creating job opportunities in the space industry. The Saudi communications satellite, which will be operated and controlled by Saudi national personnel, has a multibeam payload that provides a total throughput capacity of over 34 gigabits per second, as well as highly efficient solar panels that generate power with a total capacity exceeding 20 Kw. The satellite has a processing unit that is capable of altering the ascending and descending signal configurations, a distribution unit that is able to pass communications to users, bypassing ground stations. In addition, it carries a communication Ku-band payload dedicated to Halasat, one of Arabsat's affiliate companies. The Saudi communications satellite employs hybrid (electric and chemical) propelling systems which has helped to reduce the satellite's weight while increasing its life expectancy. It weighs 6.5 tons and has a life expectancy of over 20 years. It also uses advanced technologies enabling it to provide highly secured and anti-interference telecommunications. The Saudi communications satellite (SGS-1), which is the first satellite of its kind to be owned by the Kingdom, will offer multiple applications that include broadband telecommunications, highly secured communications, as well as communications dedicated for remote areas and disaster-stricken areas. Finally, the SGS-1 satellite, which will be operated and controlled from ground stations based in Saudi Arabia, will serve and support the infrastructure of the telecommunications sector in the Kingdom. --SPA 00:37 LOCAL TIME 21:37 GMT 0033 U.S. Navy Successfully Conducts AN/SPY-6(V) Air and Missile Defense Radar Ballistic Missile Test Navy News Service Story Number: NNS190205-04 Release Date: 2/5/2019 10:12:00 AM From PEO IWS Public Affairs KAUAI, Hawaii (NNS) -- The U.S. Navy's AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) successfully tracked a ballistic missile target, Jan. 31. The short range ballistic missile target was launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility. AN/SPY-6(V)1 AMDR searched for, detected, and maintained track on the target as predicted. The flight test, designated Vigilant Nemesis, is the final developmental test in a series of ballistic missile defense flight tests for the AN/SPY-6(V)1 AMDR. "The radar performed exactly as predicted. This completes our rigorous developmental test program to support the on-time delivery of the Navy's newest Flight III destroyer." Capt. Seiko Okano, major program manager for Above Water Sensors, Program Executive Office Integrated Warfare Systems (PEO IWS). Based on preliminary data, the test successfully met its primary objectives. Program officials will continue to evaluate system performance based upon telemetry and other data obtained during the test. Integrated air and missile defense testing commenced in March of 2017 with the successful completion of the first live ballistic missile flight test mission for the AN/SPY-6(V)1 radar named Vigilant Hunter. Vigilant Nemesis was the capstone ballistic missile test for the AN/SPY-6(V)1 AMDR and the 15th live ballistic missile test for the radar's development phase. PEO IWS is an affiliated PEO of the Naval Sea Systems Command that manages surface ship and submarine combat technologies and systems and coordinates Navy enterprise solutions across ship platforms. 'Bloated' But Not Adequate: Pentagon's Cyber-Defenders Unfit for Real Threats Sputnik News 01:37 06.02.2019 US cyber defenders are unprepared against real-world threats due to understaffed and underfunded "Red Teams," according to a 2018 annual report published last week by the US Department of Defense's (DoD) Office of the Director of Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E). Red Teams are groups of US troops, employees and contractors who test Defense Department networks for cyber vulnerabilities by assuming adversarial roles. "Currently Red Teams lack the time and funding to develop new tools and capabilities. The manning models for the Service Red Teams vary widely and are not uniformly successful," the DOT&E wrote in its fiscal year 2018 Annual Report. "Reviews of the capabilities of several Red Teams in FY18 showed that the best teams were overscheduled and overwhelmed by workload," the report added. The findings are based on data from more than 50 cybersecurity assessments with Combatant Command (CCMD) and Services. A CCMD is composed of forces from at least two military departments. According to the report, the Army's Threat Systems Management Office Red Team did not have sufficient time to "prepare the array of representative cyber-attacks attributed to the portrayed adversary," resulting in what the DoD described as a "gap" between cyber Red Team capabilities and cyber threat groups. "Assessments that do not include a fully representative threat portrayal may leave warfighters and network owners with a false sense of confidence about the magnitude and scope of cyber-attacks facing the Department," the DoD noted, also adding the DOT&E is collaborating with DoD Red Teams to close that gap, which includes helping them obtain additional personnel as well as more advanced capabilities and training. However, according to web developer and technologist Chris Garaffa, the understaffed and underfunded Red Teams reveal the Pentagon's misplaced priorities, not a lack of money. "The Department of Defense will get more than $8 billion for cybersecurity-related activities," Garaffa told Sputnik Tuesday. "The fact that this is far more than any other federal agency is not surprising given the bloated DoD budget in comparison with the funding of the rest of the federal government, but it's a small fraction of the $686 billion total budget for the DoD overall," he added, citing a White House report outlining federal budgets. "In comparison, the Department of Energy recently announced grants of up to $28 million frankly a pathetic and insufficient amount for development of resources to secure the country's energy infrastructure. While the most common narrative we hear about cyber threats are attacks on our electricity grid from China and Russia, the government priorities are clear in these budget allocations," Garaffa noted. A US National Intelligence Strategy released last month identified Russian and Chinese cyber activities as among some of the major emerging threats to the United States. In October 2018, a Government Accountability Office report found that the DoD faces "mounting challenges in protecting its weapon systems from increasingly sophisticated threats," citing the department's "late start in prioritizing weapon systems cybersecurity," its "nascent understanding of how to develop more secure weapons system" and its "software dependent DoD weapon system" as some of the underlying reasons behind the challenges. "This study [the DoD report published last week] makes sense, especially in the context of a Government Accountability Office report from October 2018 that highlighted the massive increase in exploitable software and hardware in military weapons. The lethality and danger of the Pentagon's weapons can never be understated, and neither can the risks if these weapons fell into the hands of another malicious actor," Garaffa added. Sputnik Report: Foreign Meddling Had No 'Material Impact' on US Midterm Election By Masood Farivar February 05, 2019 A new U.S. assessment of foreign interference in the 2018 congressional elections has concluded that outside meddling had no effect on the integrity and security of the voting systems, but the government didn't say whether foreign actors influenced the outcome of the election. The classified report by the U.S. departments of Justice and Homeland Security found "no evidence to date that any identified activities of a foreign government or foreign agent had a material impact on the integrity or security of election infrastructure or political/campaign infrastructure" used in the midterm elections, the agencies said in a statement released Tuesday. The joint report, delivered to President Donald Trump on Monday, was prepared in response to an executive order Trump signed in September that declared foreign interference in U.S. elections a national emergency and authorized sanctioning foreigners engaged in disinformation campaigns and cyberattacks on U.S. election systems. But it remains unclear whether the report -- along with earlier findings by the U.S. intelligence community accusing Iran, Russia and China of interference with the election -- will trigger economic sanctions or other punitive measures. VOA sought comments from the departments of Justice and Homeland Security, as well as the White House. None has yet responded. A Treasury Department official said the department "does not telegraph sanctions or comment on prospective actions." "While the report remains classified, its findings will help drive future efforts to protect election and political/campaign infrastructure from foreign interference," the statement said. The latest findings mirror a recent post-election assessment by the U.S. intelligence community and statements made by U.S. officials after the closely watched Nov. 6 vote, which led to the Democratic takeover of the House of Representatives. Trump signed the election meddling executive order after being repeatedly criticized for not condemning Russia for interfering in the 2016 U.S. presidential election by hacking the emails of the Democratic National Committee and the campaign of his opponent, Hillary Clinton. The order directed the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to produce an initial report of foreign interference within 45 days of a U.S. election, followed by a report and recommendations for "remedial actions" by the departments of Justice and Homeland Security. Critics said at the time that the order did not go far enough and pressed Congress for tougher legislation. Concern that Russia and other countries might try to penetrate U.S. voter databases and other systems to sow confusion, prevent voters from casting ballots or even find a way to change actual vote counts persisted in the run-up to the Nov. 6 vote. But those fears were not borne out, thanks in part to pre-election security preparations. Except for sporadic reports of online misinformation on Election Day, security officials reported no attacks on election systems. DNI Report In a report in December, the DNI concluded that Russia, China and Iran sought to meddle in the election, but their actions did not compromise the "nation's election infrastructure that would have prevented voting, changed vote counts or disrupted the ability to tally votes." Dan Coats, director of National Intelligence, said at the time that U.S. intelligence did find "Russia, and other foreign countries, including China and Iran, conducted influence activities and messaging campaigns targeted at the United States to promote their strategic interests." But Coats said the intelligence community "did not make an assessment of the impact that these activities had on the outcome of the 2018 election." States Respond In a statement, the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) said the report "confirms what NASS members saw within their own states -- that there was no successful foreign interference or disruption to election infrastructure during the 2018 midterm elections." "We appreciate our federal partners' support in protecting our nation's elections," NASS spokeswoman Maria Benson said. In most U.S. states, secretaries of state are responsible for overseeing elections. Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, the ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, called for the report's declassification. "A classified report and a short press release with no details isn't nearly good enough," Warner tweeted. "We need more transparency on how our democracy is being targeted by our adversaries." VOA National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin contributed to this report. One example is Dec. 26, when winds from the southeast blew pollution from Sterigenics toward monitors at Willowbrook Village Hall across the street; a neighborhood nearly 400 yards west of the facility; and Hinsdale South High School, about a half-mile northwest. The highest concentrations of ethylene oxide ranged from 10.5 micrograms per cubic meter of air at Village Hall to 1.17 at the west neighborhood site to 0.566 at the high school monitor. Piracy and high seas crime growing, becoming more sophisticated, UN Security Council told 5 February 2019 - International maritime crime is becoming "increasingly sophisticated" as criminal groups exploit jurisdiction and enforcement challenges on the high seas and pose "immediate danger to people's lives and safety", the UN anti-drugs and crime chief warned the Security Council on Tuesday. "Two-thirds of the world's surface is ocean. Nearly all of that is beyond any State's territorial waters and largely not subject to a single state criminal jurisdiction," Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said as he briefed the Council's first-ever debate targeting the global challenge of transnational maritime crime. Speaking via video conference from UNODC headquarters in Vienna, he spotlighted the root causes of transnational organized crime at sea and the linkages between terrorism, piracy and illegal trafficking. "The high seas are open for vessels of all countries, both coastal and landlocked, to support international trade and economic cooperation, contact among peoples and the responsible use of natural resources" he maintained. "However, in recent years the freedom of navigation is being exploited by criminal groups." "Maritime crime by its nature involves vessels, cargoes, crews, victims and illicit money flows from many regions", he explained, adding that UNODC's counter-piracy programme grew from its success off the coast of Somalia, which has been plagued by high-seas crimes such as piracy, robbery and smuggling. UNODC continues to support trials in Kenya and Seychelles, as well as the humane and secure imprisonment of convicted pirates and has completed the first phase of the Mogadishu Prison and Court Complex, which will be handed over to the Somali Government shortly. He said that through public/private cooperation, UNODC has made advancements through the Indian Ocean Forum on Maritime Crime, which coordinates the response to heroin and charcoal smuggling that is funding terrorist groups and the Contact Group on Maritime Crime in the Sulu and Celebes Sea. The agency also supports inter-regional cooperation against criminal activities at sea; is working to secure the container trade supply chain; and is combatting terrorism, human trafficking and migrant smuggling, wildlife and fisheries crime, firearms trafficking and emerging crimes. "All our work at sea, where jurisdiction is complex crime is often committed unseen and enforcement is difficult builds on UNODC s long experience and research expertise in addressing all forms of organized crime, terrorism and corruption", stated the UNODC chief. Mr. Fedotov emphasized the importance that countries ratify and implementing international commitments, including UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its protocols, and provide technical assistance. High seas criminality 'a threat to Gulf of Guinea and the world' For his part, Simeon Oyono Esono Angue, Foreign Minister of Equatorial Guinea, which presides over the Council for the month of February, pointed out that in the last decade, piracy in the Gulf of Guinea accounted for 30 per cent of attacks in African waters. "What is happening in the Gulf of Guinea is important for all of us here", he spelled out. Although a security threat, the Gulf also provides the resources that sustain Equatorial Guinea's economy. "This area is of vital importance for my country's subsistence", he argued, asking "the African Union Commission, the United Nations and strategic partners represented in this room" to support efforts to ensure peace and marine security, the fight against terrorism and piracy, and the sustainable development of the countries in the region. Speaking via teleconference from the capital of Angola, Luanda, Florentina Adenike Ukonga, Executive Secretary, Gulf of Guinea Commission, also briefed the Council and focused on crime in the region "as a threat to world peace and security". Comprised of countries from Liberia to Angola, the Gulf of Guinea area encompasses a 6,000 km coastline, which Ms. Ukonga called "a wide expanse of water that no country in the region can successfully patrol". However, she did make some recommendations, saying: "Transnational organized crime at sea in the Gulf of Guinea region can be reduced with a better and more coordinated intervention at national, regional and international levels,". US says no evidence foreign states impacted 2018 midterm elections Iran Press TV Tue Feb 5, 2019 04:11PM Senior officials in the US government say that foreign states did not significantly influence the 2018 congressional elections, despite reports of hacking attempts leading up to the midterm elections in November. The US Department of Homeland Security and US Department of Justice released a statement on Tuesday, said the US government has found no evidence that foreign governments or agents had an impact last November, when Democrats won control of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of Congress. Neither election campaigns nor electronic voting machines or other infrastructure was significantly affected, they said in their joint statement The statement stands in contrast to the 2016 US presidential election, which American officials say was the target of a sophisticated Russian hacking and propaganda campaign. The National Republican Congressional Committee, which works to elect Republican candidates, said it was the target of a hacking attempt last year. US federal investigators are probing whether President Donald Trump's election campaign colluded with Moscow to win the 2016 election. Trump denies any collusion, and Moscow has also denied involvement. US intelligence officials warned last week that Russia and China are already targeting the 2020 presidential election. After winning the 2016 election through electoral votes and despite losing the popular vote, Trump formed a voter fraud committee, accusing Democrats of getting undocumented immigrants to vote in favor of his rival, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. A new study shows that democracy in the United States has experienced a significant decline under Trump, who keeps attacking people's democratic freedoms on a regular basis. Freedom House, a US-based non-governmental group, warned in its latest report on Monday that US democratic freedoms were eroding at rates similar to countries where democracy had been ultimately overtaken by authoritarianism. North Carolina Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Attempting and Conspiring to Provide Material Support to ISIS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, February 4, 2019 Erick Jamal Hendricks, 38, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). A jury in Akron, Ohio, convicted Hendricks last year of attempting and conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. The sentence was announced by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman of the Northern District of Ohio and Special Agent in Charge Eric Smith of the FBI's Cleveland Office. According to court documents and trial testimony, Hendricks tried to recruit people to train together and conduct terrorist attacks in the United States on behalf of ISIS. "Hendricks used social media to recruit others to plan and carry out attacks on our homeland in the name of ISIS, with the goal of creating a sleeper cell on our soil," said Assistant Attorney General Demers. "Thanks to the collaborative efforts of law enforcement, Hendricks' plan was thwarted, and with today's sentence, he is being held accountable for his terrorist activities." "This defendant sought to create a cell of ISIS supporters, train those people and then launch attacks from inside the United States," U.S. Attorney Herdman said. "This defendant posed a very real threat to the safety of our community and nation." "Erick Jamal Hendricks represents the significant online ISIS threat that we face daily a US citizen that became radicalized online and attempted to recruit and train individuals to commit jihad, all while living in the United States," said Special Agent in Charge Smith. "The FBI urges the public to report information regarding individuals pledging their allegiance to ISIS or other identified terrorist groups. The FBI is pleased that Hendricks was stopped before he was successful and now will spend a significant amount of time behind bars." According to court documents and trial testimony, Hendricks tried to recruit people to train together and conduct terrorist attacks in the United States on behalf of ISIS. Amir Al-Ghazi was arrested in the Northern District of Ohio in June 2015 after attempting to purchase an AK-47 assault rifle and ammunition from an undercover law enforcement officer. Al-Ghazi had pledged allegiance to ISIS in social media and made statements expressing interest in conducting attacks in the U.S. Hendricks had contacted Al-Ghazi over social media to recruit him in the spring of 2015. Hendricks allegedly told Al-Ghazi that he "needed people" and wanted to meet in person; that there were several "brothers" located in Texas and Mexico; that he was attempting to "get brothers to meet face to face;" and that he wanted "to get brothers to train together," according to court documents and trial testimony Al-Ghazi said Hendricks tested his religious knowledge and commitment, inquiring about his willingness to commit "jihad," to die as a "martyr" and his desire to enter "jannah" (paradise). Al-Ghazi understood these statements to mean that Hendricks was recruiting people to train together for the purpose of conducting a terrorist attack in the U.S. and to see if Al-Ghazi was suitable for recruitment, according to the allegations. Al-Ghazi believed that Hendricks and the "brothers in Texas and Mexico" may have been responsible for a thwarted terrorist attack in Garland, Texas, on May 3, 2015, and therefore he decided to stay away from social media for a period following the attack to minimize detection by law enforcement. Hendricks also communicated over social media with several other people, including an undercover FBI employee (UCE-1). Hendricks on April 16, 2015 instructed UCE-1 to download the document "GPS for the Ghuraba in the U.S.", which included a section entitled "Final Advice" which advocated that "brothers and sisters" should not allow themselves to go to jail. This section also allegedly encouraged Muslims to die as a "Shaheed" (martyr), to "Boobie trap your homes," to "lay in wait for them" and to "never leave your home without your AK-47 or M16." Hendricks also directed UCE-1 to communicate online with other people and stated "It's hard to sift through brothers;" "Allah chooses only the few;" and "Everyday I do this day in and day out," according to court documents and trial testimony. Hendricks told another person that his goal was to create a sleeper cell to be trained and housed at a secure compound that would conduct attacks in the U.S. He mentioned that potential targets included military members whose information had been released by ISIS and the woman who organized the "Draw Prophet Mohammad contest," and he claimed to have 10 members signed up for his group, according court documents and trial testimony. On April 23, 2015, Hendricks used social media to contact Elton Simpson, who, along with Nadir Hamid Soofi, was inspired by ISIS and launched the attack on the "First Annual Muhammad Art Exhibit and Contest" in Garland. Simpson and Soofi opened fire, wounding a security guard, before Garland police returned fire and killed both Simpson and Soofi. Hendricks also connected UCE-1 with Simpson via social media, communicated with UCE-1 about the contest in Garland, and directed UCE-1 to go to the contest. Hendricks said: "If you see that pig (meaning the organizer of the contest) make your 'voice' heard against her." He also asked UCE-1 a series of questions related to security at the event, including: "How big is the gathering?" "How many ppl?" "How many police/agents?" "Do you see feds there?' "Do you see snipers?" and "How many media?" Shortly thereafter, Simpson and Soofi committed the attack on the cartoon drawing contest. Al-Ghazi is serving a 16-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to attempting to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization and being a felon in possession of firearms. This case was investigated by the FBI's offices in Cleveland; Columbia, South Carolina; Baltimore; and Charlotte, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney's Offices in the District of Maryland, District of South Carolina and the Western District of North Carolina. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Shepherd and Mark S. Bennett and Trial Attorney Rebecca Magnone of the National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section. Topic(s): Counterterrorism National Security Component(s): National Security Division (NSD) Press Release Number: 19-70 Taliban Shifts to Talks With Moscow Despite Possible US Peace Deal Sputnik News 03:34 06.02.2019(updated 03:35 06.02.2019) On Tuesday, senior Afghan officials, including former President Hamid Karzai, met with Taliban representatives in Moscow weeks after the insurgents met with US representatives to discuss an end to the war. However, no Afghan government officials were present at the meeting, and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani strongly criticized the talks as undermining his government. Dr. Marvin Weinbaum, the scholar-in-residence and director of the Middle East Institute's Center for Pakistan and Afghanistan Studies, joined Radio Sputnik's Loud & Clear Tuesday to discuss the Taliban talks. "I think that unless, and until, they're [the Taliban] willing to talk directly with the Afghan government, it's going to be very difficult for the US, as much as it is angling to get out of Afghanistan as soon as possible. But if it does so without a ceasefire and some kind of discussions between the Taliban and the government in Kabul, it's going to look too much like we [the US] sold them out," Weinbaum told hosts John Kiriakou and Brian Becker. The US invaded Afghanistan in 2001 as a reaction to the 9/11 terror attacks, with the mission lasting until December 28, 2014. Since then, Afghanistan has been in a state of political turmoil, with the government unable to establish full control over the country's territory due to various terrorist factions, in particular the Taliban and Daesh. The US has long insisted that the Afghan government take part in the peace negotiations; however, the Taliban has said it is the only stakeholder in Afghanistan that will deal with the US, rejecting the Kabul government as a US puppet. In January, US President Donald Trump announced that the US and the Taliban had reportedly finalized a deal to end the war in Afghanistan. The deal will ensure that terrorist groups are not allowed to use the country as a base of operations and that the US and other foreign countries will withdraw their troops, Sputnik previously reported. "As far as the Moscow discussions, they are significant," Weinbaum told Sputnik. "Part of the Taliban's approach here is, 'We are not against talking to Afghans we don't want to talk to the Kabul government because they aren't in a position to negotiate. They are just puppets to the US," Weinbaum added. "What is interesting about the meeting in Moscow is that opposition politicians in the country representing all of the major opposition parties are in Moscow today talking. But they're all trying to diminish the Kabul government in the lead-up to the elections, which will take place this summer. So, what they want to show is that this government has no credibility, and that there should be an interim government and then elections to hopefully oust the government," Weinbaum continued. In addition, the meeting in the Russian capital is a victory for the Kremlin, according to Weinbaum. "[The meeting is Moscow] sidelines the American negotiations and means that there is an alternative. Russia would like to say that 'whatever goes on in Afghanistan, we would very much like to be part of it.' This is a bit of a struggle between the US and Russia, because we are in a position where both parties are trying to say they can do what has to be done in terms of ending the conflict, but theirs is the way to do it," Weinbaum noted. Sputnik Trump Makes Last Appeal for Wall Funding in State of Union Address By William Gallo February 05, 2019 President Donald Trump used the State of the Union address Tuesday night to make a final push for a wall along the southern U.S. border, just days ahead of what he has warned could be another government shutdown. "I will get it built," vowed Trump, promising a "smart, strategic, see-through steel barrier." But he stopped short of declaring a national emergency to obtain funds to build the wall. Trump, who made a border wall one of his signature campaign promises, spent much of his speech on dangers at the border with Mexico. "As we speak, large, organized caravans are on the march to the United States," Trump said, referring to the group of migrant men, women and children as a "tremendous onslaught." Trump made his second State of the Union address with a new backdrop: for the first time a Democratic Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi of California, looked over Trump's shoulder as he spoke in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol. Democrats took control of the House of Representatives during November midterm elections, creating a divided government between the Democratic controlled House and the Republican Senate and White House that makes it much harder for Trump to implement his policy proposals. In an apparent acknowledgement of that new political reality, Trump focused much of his speech on calls for unity and bipartisanship. At one point, Trump insisted that lawmakers must "rekindle the bond of love" in Washington. "I ask the men and women of this Congress: Look at the opportunities before us! Our most thrilling achievements are still ahead. Our most exciting journeys still await." But it's unclear how receptive Democrats will be to such messages from a president who regularly hurls insults and denigrating nicknames at his political opponents on Twitter and who has often seemed more concerned about pleasing his own political base than reaching across the aisle. Democrats' reaction to the speech appeared mixed. Pelosi, along with other Democrats, sat with a polite smile, clapping only during selective portions of the speech. However, when Trump acknowledged that more women are serving in the current Congress than ever before, the entire chamber erupted in chants of "USA." Trump slams 'ridiculous' investigations But an awkward moment occurred early on, when Trump implicitly criticized Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. After citing a litany of economic successes, Trump said the only thing that could stop his "economic miracle" are "foolish wars, politics, or ridiculous partisan investigations." "If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation - it just doesn't work that way," Trump said -- a line that resulted in near-silence in the chamber. The investigation into Russia's attempts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election and any links between Moscow and the Trump campaign is reportedly nearing completion. The probe has already resulted in indictments of or guilty pleas from at least 34 people, including six former Trump advisers and 26 Russian nationals. Trump has routinely slammed the investigation and other similar probes in Congress as a "witch hunt." Shutdown debate The recent 35-day partial government shutdown over wall funding was evidence of Trump's weakened position. Trump's approval rating sank steadily during the shutdown, as opinion polls showed more Americans blamed him than Democrats for the impasse that resulted in 800,000 federal workers being furloughed or forced to work without pay. Trump's address did not indicate whether he was willing to shut down the government again over the wall debate. The president has repeatedly warned he may declare a national emergency if Congress doesn't give him $5.7 billion for a border wall by February 15, when government funding runs out again. The move is opposed by many lawmakers, including in Trump's Republican Party, most significantly Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Democratic response Congress seems unlikely to give Trump what he wants, if the formal Democratic response to the president's speech is any indication. In her rebuttal speech, Stacey Abrams, a former Georgia state lawmaker who is seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party, slammed the shutdown as "a stunt engineered by the president of the United States, one that defied every tenet of fairness and abandoned not just our people, but our values." Strong economy As Trump begins his third year as president, he has presided over a quickly growing economy. The U.S. economy added 2.6 million jobs in 2018, the highest figure since 2015. As of January, the unemployment rate stands at just 4 percent. "We are considered far and away the hottest economy anywhere in the world -- not even close," Trump said. But there are several underlying concerns. The national debt has ballooned to nearly $22 trillion and recently accelerated thanks in large part to Trump's 2017 tax cuts which largely benefitted corporations and wealthy Americans. The stock market, meanwhile, is down over 3 percent since Trump's last State of the Union address, due to uncertainty about Trump's trade policy. Trade Trump, however, is digging in on trade. To build on U.S. economic success, Trump will say that "one priority is paramount: reversing decades of calamitous trade policies." Trump has promised to massively increase tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods if the two sides cannot reach an agreement by March 1. The White House is also considering imposing tariffs of up to 25 percent on imports of automobiles and car parts. "It is unacceptable that Americans pay vastly more than people in other countries for the exact same drugs, often made in the exact same place. This is wrong, unfair, and together we can stop it," Trump said. North Korea Foreign policy, including Trump's talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, was a heavy focus of the speech. Trump announced a venue and date for his upcoming second summit with Kim -- Feb. 27 and 28 in Vietnam. "Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong Un is a good one," Trump said. The summit could help break a deadlock in U.S.-North Korean talks. Since agreeing last year to work toward the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, the two sides have not been able to agree on what that means or how it will be carried out. Afghanistan, Syria Trump also addressed U.S. peace talks with the Taliban. Last month, U.S. officials announced progress on a framework deal under which the U.S. would withdraw its troops from Afghanistan in exchange for Taliban promises that the country would not be used by terrorists. Trump has also announced plans to withdraw the 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria, saying Islamic State has largely been defeated there. "As a candidate for President, I pledged a new approach. Great nations do not fight endless wars," Trump said -- comments that could upset many in Congress. The Republican-led Senate earlier in the day broke with Trump on Syria and Afghanistan, passing a largely symbolic resolution that opposed a "precipitous withdrawal," insisting militants in both countries still pose a threat to the U.S. Venezuela Trump also reiterated U.S. support for Venezuela's interim president, Juan Guaido, the head of the opposition-led National Assembly who declared himself interim president last month. "We stand with the Venezuelan people in their noble quest for freedom," Trump said. The Trump administration last month recognized Guaido over current president and longtime U.S. foe Nicolas Maduro. Many other governments have since followed the U.S. lead in recognizing Guaido, saying Maduro should step down because he ruined Venezuela's economy and came to power in flawed elections. State of the Union guests In keeping with tradition, the White House invited several guests who reflect the president's policy priorities. Trump's guest include the family of a couple who were killed by immigrants in the U.S. illegally, a woman who struggled with opioid abuse, and a child named "Joshua Trump" who the White House says was "bullied in school due to his last name." The House Democratic Women's Working Group invited female lawmakers of both parties to wear white at this year's State of the Union to mark the suffragette movement, which led to a woman's right to vote in 1920. That group of women remained seated when Trump proposed legislation to prohibit the "late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mother's womb." Taliban Kill Dozens of Afghan Forces as Disputed Peace Talks Open By Ayaz Gul, Pete Cobus February 05, 2019 The Taliban is reported to have killed up to 40 government troops in separate attacks in northern Afghanistan as a controversial "intra-Afghan dialogue" began Tuesday in Moscow to debate a political resolution to the war. The deadliest of the insurgent raids occurred early Tuesday near the provincial capital of Kunduz, officials and residents said. Safiullah Amiri, the deputy chairman of the provincial council, told Afghan media the attack killed at least 25 soldiers and three policemen while 20 others were wounded. The clashes lasted two hours, he added. Defense Ministry officials in Kabul have confirmed the early morning "large scale" attack by the Taliban, saying it was swiftly repulsed, killing 22 assailants and injuring many more. They admitted Afghan forces suffered casualties but would not reveal any figures. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed its attack in Kunduz killed 30 personnel of the Afghan National Army. The insurgents also raided a police post overnight in neighboring Baghlan province, killing at least 10 security troops, Afghan media quoted unnamed security officials as confirming. Afghan authorities rarely make public their battlefield casualties. But President Ashraf Ghani recently revealed last month that more than 45,000 government forces have been killed since he took power in September 2014. Moscow talks The clashes came as Taliban and Afghan opposition leaders gathered in Moscow for what organizers said would be a two-day "intra-Afghan peace meeting" to discuss recent peace building efforts in Afghanistan. Afghan Foreign Ministry Spokesman Sebghatullah Ahmadi told VOA the Moscow meeting has no legitimacy and the government will not accept any possible outcome of the discussions. A 10-member Taliban delegation, led by chief insurgent negotiator Sher Muhammad Abbas Stanikzai, and about 40 prominent Afghan figures, accompanied by former president Hamid Karzai, are participating in the discussions, but no representatives of President Ashraf Ghani have been invited. In a departure statement Monday, the Afghan opposition delegation noted the Moscow meeting was "the first step towards intra-Afghan peace talks." Ghani's government has criticized the gathering as "little more than a political drama" and an attempt by "so-called founders" of the current Afghan democracy "to gain power." The Taliban remains averse to any direct or indirect talks with the Kabul government, dismissing it as an American "puppet." The so-called "intra-Afghan peace meeting" in Russia comes days after the United States reported "significant" progress in ongoing talks with Taliban insurgents, though they also excluded the Afghan government. Denying involvement The Russian government has denied involvement in arranging the disputed huddle in Moscow, which was held at the Kremlin-owned President Hotel. Between the choice of the high-security venue itself and the sheer number of visas issued to participants, it appeared the Afghan diaspora group that organized the talks was at least working in coordination with government officials. The scene around the hotel on Tuesday was one of high security. Anyone without formal registration to enter the hotel was not allowed on the premises, and black sedans with Russian license plates and single roof-mounted flashing blue lights the sign of Kremlin or State Duma officialdom on Russia's roadways were seen coming and going from the hotel entrance. The New York Times reported that both Afghan representatives and Taliban members said Russian officials were playing a "major role behind the scenes." Russian state media mostly downplayed the event's significance, with TASS reporting only that the Kremlin "had no planned meetings with the Taliban." Domestic television coverage of the event was virtually non-existent. The dialogue underscores a deepening political divide in Afghanistan and further weakens the Afghan government, analysts say. Russia criticized Afghan officials have criticized Moscow for not upholding its pledges to facilitate direct talks between Kabul and the Taliban. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, apparently responding to the criticism, has reiterated his government's committed to help in a political settlement to the Afghan conflict. "Russia has been actively advocating an intra-Afghan dialogue involving both the government and the Taliban, which are part of Afghan society; there is no denying this," Lavrov noted while speaking to reporters on Monday. "It is common knowledge that a dialogue between the Afghan government and the Taliban cannot be avoided," he added. Lavrov, however, criticized Washington for holding what he described as "behind closed doors" talks with the Taliban. The Russian foreign minister was directly referring to last months' six-day negotiations U.S. reconciliation envoy Zalmay Khalilzad held with Taliban officials in Qatar. Khalilzad and the Taliban say they made significant progress in the Doha talks and have come close to a deal on withdrawal of U.S.-led foreign forces from Afghanistan. In exchange, the Taliban has assured it will not allow international terrorist groups, including al-Qaida and Islamic State to plot attacks from Afghan soil. U.S. and Taliban negotiators are due to meet again in Qatar on February 25 to resume their discussions. US Senate Criticizes Trump's Plan to Withdraw Troops from Syria, Afghanistan By Michael Bowman February 05, 2019 The U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to caution President Donald Trump against swift U.S. troop withdrawals from Syria and Afghanistan. Trump revealed his decision to withdraw all U.S. forces from Syria in December, declaring that the U.S. had defeated Islamic State and no longer needed to deploy troops in Syria. The Senate vote came just hours before Trump was scheduled to deliver his nationally televised State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress. "While I understand and respect President Trump's desire to bring our troops home and to end these protracted wars, we must do so in a way that ensures enduring stability and protects our interests and those of our allies, the need for caution and reflection as we consider troops withdrawals," South Dakota Republican John Thune said late last week in arguing for the reprimand of the president's decision. The Senate-passed bill also would facilitate penalties against U.S. companies that boycott Israel, a move that sorely divided Democrats and was portrayed by some Republicans as a litmus test of support for the Jewish state. The chamber approved the Strengthening America's Security in the Middle East Act, 77 to 23. All of the votes in opposition came from Democrats, who rejected the anti-boycott measure in a bill that also provides military assistance for Israel, extends defense cooperation with Jordan and imposes new sanctions against the Syrian government. The bill would allow U.S. states and cities to decline to do business with American companies that take part in a campaign to boycott and divest from Israel in order to pressure the Jewish state to alter its policies with regard to Palestinians and Israeli settlements. Senate reaction Known as BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions), the campaign describes itself as "Palestinian-led" and aims to end "international support for Israeli apartheid and settler-colonialism." "This anti-Israel crusade has waged economic war against the Jewish state by pushing companies around the world to boycott any business with Israel or its entities," Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn said. The legislation's chief sponsor, Republican Marco Rubio of Florida, said the bill was designed to allow local governments "to boycott the boycotters." Democrats derided the legislation as an assault on America's First Amendment constitutional right to free speech. Maryland Democrat Chris Van Hollen called the measure "state-sponsored discrimination against disfavored political expression." "There's not a single senator that voted against that bill that supports the BDS movement," Democrat Chris Murphy of Connecticut told VOA. "This is simply a concern about First Amendment issues." US-Led Coalition Denies Confrontation With Iran-Backed Militia in Iraq By Rikar Hussein February 05, 2019 The U.S.-led coalition fighting against the Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq Monday denied it faced a head-to-head encounter with the Iran-backed militia known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in the Nineveh province of Iraq. The Shiite militia in Iraq alleged its fighters Friday prevented the American troops within the anti-IS coalition from conducting a field operation inside the city of Mosul. "The patrol referenced was routine and there was no confrontation," Col. Sean Ryan, a spokesperson for the U.S.-led coalition, told VOA in an email. "The coalition is here at the invitation of the Iraqi government and this was coordinated with the Iraqi Security Forces," he said. The coalition spokesperson did not disclose more information about the operation. Abu Jaffar al-Shabaki, the head of PMF's 30th Brigade, in a press conference Saturday said the U.S. troops were surveying Mosul city and filming neighborhoods with video recorders. He alleged PMF fighters stopped the survey operation after U.S. troops reached the Presidential Palace area near the Mosul Hotel where a PMF headquarter is based. "These patrols reveal the presence of U.S. ground troops in Iraq, contrary to what is claimed as otherwise by some," said al-Shabaki, warning that "any future move of the U.S. forces will have serious repercussions, and cannot be accepted at all" Ridwan al-Anzi, the deputy head of PMF's Nineveh Operations, claimed the U.S. troops ended their survey operation after the PMF warned them and blocked the road leading into the Presidential Palace area. "Our response created a state of observable panic and extreme fear among them, which led them to request air cover in anticipation of any action against them," al-Anzi said in the press conference Saturday. PMF video The PMF media accounts and Iran's state-backed news channel Press TV released a video allegedly showing the PMF militia stopping the U.S. patrol. The footage showed armored vehicles with PMF green flags blocking a road as armed men in military uniform, claimed to be U.S. troops, passed by. VOA could not independently confirm the authenticity of the video. This is not the first time the Iran-backed militants in Iraq claim to have challenged the U.S. troops in Iraq. The PMF last month claimed it prevented another U.S. survey in Anbar province. The U.S.-led coalition told VOA then that the operation, which was coordinated with the Iraqi security forces occurred without incident. PMF The PMF is an umbrella organization of several Shiite militias formed in 2014 after the Iraqi army fled the area following IS attacks. The group includes U.S. terror-designated militias, such as Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq and the Badr organization, and Iran-friendly parties such as the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq. U.S. officials consider the group a regional proxy of Iran that is increasingly threatening and provoking American troops in Iraq and Syria. An assessment of the U.S. anti-IS operations by the Pentagon's Office of the Inspector General (OIG) last November reported that Iran-backed militias were likely behind two attacks targeting U.S. facilities in Iraq last September, including mortar attacks that targeted Baghdad's Green Zone and landed near the U.S. embassy, and rocket attacks that targeted the Basra Airport, near the U.S. consulate. The PMF says the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq is a violation of Iraq's sovereignty and has constantly threatened action against them if they refuse to withdraw. Qais al-Khazali, a powerful PMF leader known for his anti-American sentiment, told Associated Press last week that he expects the Iraqi parliament to vote in favor of U.S. troops withdrawal in coming months. US-Iran U.S. President Donald Trump has, however, stated his country's troops will remain in Iraq to counter Iran's threats. He said the troops would soon be moving to the huge Al Asad Airbase in Iraq's Anbar province and that their new tasks would include protecting Israel and keeping an eye on Iran, which his administration has accused of being the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism and of wanting to acquire nuclear weapons. In a CBS interview broadcast Sunday, Trump said U.S. troops withdrawing from neighboring Syria would soon be moved to the huge al-Asad Airbase in Iraq's Anbar province with a new mission of protecting Israel and countering Iran. "We spent a fortune on building this incredible base. We might as well keep it," he said. "And one of the reasons I want to keep it is because I want to be looking a little bit at Iran because Iran is a real problem." The comment by the U.S. president caused uproar among Iraqi officials, with the Iraqi President Barham Saleh Monday asking the U.S. "don't overburden us with your Iran issues." Top US General 'Not Consulted' About Syria Troop Withdrawal By Jeff Seldin February 05, 2019 The commanding general of U.S. forces in the Middle East was not told before President Donald Trump initially declared victory over the Islamic State terror group and announced his decision to withdraw troops from Syria. "I was not aware of the specific announcement," Gen. Joseph Votel told U.S. lawmakers Tuesday of the president's announcement this past December. "I was not consulted," he added. Since the announcement, Pentagon officials have confirmed some equipment has been moved out of Syria. Other preparations to pull some 2,000 U.S. troops out of Syria also have been ongoing. But there has been little clarity as to how and when U.S. forces will ultimately leave, while questions abound about whether the pullout would give Islamic State militants an opportunity to regain strength and retake territory. "We are going to do that in a very deliberate manner," Votel said. "I am not under pressure to be out by a specific date and I've not had any specific conditions put upon me." He said that means finding ways to withdraw without giving the terror group any openings. "We do have to keep pressure on this network," Votel said. "They have the capability of coming back together if we don't." The warning follows others by top defense and intelligence officials in recent days, including a report released Monday by the Pentagon's internal watchdog. "Absent sustained [counterterrorism] pressure, ISIS could likely resurge in Syria within six to 12 months and regain limited territory," the report said, using an acronym for the group. It further warned IS still commands "a battle-hardened and well-disciplined force ... able to coordinate offensives and counter-offensives." Slow, steady progress Votel told lawmakers Tuesday that, for now, U.S. partner forces are making slow but steady progress against the last sliver of the terror group's self-declared caliphate, roughly 50 square kilometers in Syria's Middle Euphrates River Valley. "That fight is progressing as we envisioned it," he said of the final push against an estimated 1,000 to 1,500 fighters. "It's very dense, urban terrain," Votel said "The area is laden with extreme explosive hazards." Still, Votel said he expects the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces will liberate the remaining territory before the last U.S. troops leave the country. Unanswered questions The head of U.S. Central Command also said the United States is working with partners and allies to make sure that even then, IS will not able to stage a comeback. But officials continue to warn that may prove difficult. U.S. defense and intelligence agencies estimate the terror group still has anywhere from 20,000 to 30,000 fighters and supporters dispersed across Syria and Iraq, some of them already carrying out attacks as part of a growing insurgency. U.S. officials also believe morale among IS fighters remains high despite losing more than 99 percent of the territory it once controlled. And there are questions as to whether the U.S.-backed Syrian fighters will be capable of maintaining pressure on IS without the presence of U.S. forces and with the possible loss of support from Kurdish fighters. Kurdish commanders have warned they may have to abandon the fight against IS in order to defend against Turkish forces which might attack once U.S. troops leave. Turkey considers many of the Kurdish fighters to be linked to the PKK, a terrorist group which has been waging a decades-long insurgency in southeastern Turkey. "We are going to consider things like protection of our partners, the Kurds," Votel told lawmakers of the U.S. withdrawal. "We are going to consider the concerns that Turkey has." Red Flag adjusts for today's challenges By Airman 1st Class Bryan Guthrie, 99th Air Base Wing Public Affairs / Published February 05, 2019 NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. (AFNS) -- The 414th Combat Training Squadron, which oversees Red Flag, is making changes to the exercise for improved efficiency at Nellis Air Force Base. Red Flag is a realistic multi-domain training exercise that maximizes the combat readiness and survivability of participants by providing a robust, accurate training environment. "We see units arrive at Nellis at varying levels of being prepared," said Col. Michael Mathes, 414 CTS commander. "By the end of three weeks, units are not just capable of executing their wartime mission with confidence. They are ready for combat." While early Red Flag exercises focused on survivability of combat pilots, Red Flag now integrates the five core functions of the Air Force: intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance, command and control, air superiority, strike and personnel recovery to ensure Airmen are ready for today's fight. "The value of integration exercises like Red Flag is in the building block approach," Mathes said. "It starts with unit-level preparation, making sure that unit can function as a team. It moves to package integration, which is making sure that functional teams, like strike fighters and bombers can work together. Then we get to Red Flag where multi-package integration comes into play, learning how to integrate different packages superiority, strike and mobility aircraft -- into one mission to achieve the same goal." According to Mathes, Red Flag exercises enable the Air Force to more quickly harness readiness through exposure to professional adversaries, also known as the red force; working with coalition and joint partners and integration with the personnel recovery mission in a singular environment and scenario. Looking to the future, we can expect Red Flag to continue to evolve to meet today's challenges. "We're continuing to improve threat replication, how we focus on the supported commands and implementing improvements to our debrief process to make the training more effective and efficient," Mathes said. Expanding on the latter, Mathes explained the importance of debriefs the process of examining a completed mission to assess what went well and what could be improved and why they are critical to the training. "We are leveraging new technology to validate mission effects and compile data so we can quickly give facts to the mission commander, tactical mentors and air expeditionary wing leadership," said Mathes. "This facilitates a more efficient and effective process of providing information for the human-to-human debrief, where the learning really happens." Additionally, Mathes envisions further improvements for the exercise, especially with international partners. Roughly 2,900 personnel assigned to 39 units are participating in Red Flag 19-1. Ninety-five aircraft from the U.S. Air Force, Royal Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force are scheduled to complete 26 missions over a three-week period. Mathes said the partnership with U.S. allies and other nations will become the most important part of the exercise because a strong coalition will be critical to the success of future conflicts. Although the aircraft in the sky are visible reminders of air power, Mathes said none of it is possible without the tireless work behind the scenes that make Red Flag and the Air Force a success. "It's important to give thanks to the Airmen and joint participants and not just to the operations personnel, but also the maintenance and support," Mathes said. "The real facilitator (for Red Flag) is the human element that chooses to sacrifice their time and energy to come together for unity of purpose. Airmen make airpower." When doctors at the Bahamian hospital determined they could not treat Gale, her family had to wait overnight until the airport opened so an air ambulance could take her to a hospital in Fort Lauderdale, according to the lawsuit. The court filing asserts that Gale, who was rushed into surgery at the Florida hospital, would have suffered less brain damage from the hemorrhage if she had received treatment sooner. Lima Group Calls on Venezuela Military to Recognize Guaido as Interim President Sputnik News 03:38 05.02.2019 WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The Lima Group is calling on the Venezuelan military to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's interim president, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said during a press conference. "We are indeed calling on the military of Venezuela as we call on all Venezuelans and as we call on all governments of the world to recognize Juan Guaido as interim President of Venezuela," Freeland said on Monday after a meeting of the Lima Group in Ottawa on the political crisis in Venezuela. Freeland added that Canada "absolutely" rules out military intervention in Venezuela. "I read point 17 of our declaration, which talks about the importance of a process of political transition using political and diplomatic means without the use of force or coercion," Freeland told reporters on Monday. "Canada absolutely rules out military intervention." By contrast, US officials have said that all options are on the table regarding the crisis in Venezuela. Freeland also said that the Lima Group has welcomed Venezuela's interim government as full member of the bloc. "We are delighted that the National Assembly and the interim President Juan Guaido on behalf of the Venezuelan people have asked to become members of the Lima Group," Freeland said on Monday. "Today we have taken the important step of welcoming the interim government of Venezuela as a full member of the Lima Group." Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs said that the members of the Lima Group will hold their next meeting in Colombia in near future. "The work of the Lima Group has intensified, and we agreed that we will meet again soon this time hosted by our friends from Colombia," Freeland told reporters on Monday. The members of the Lima Group and representatives of Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido discussed efforts to rebuild and restore the country's economy, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said. "We did devote a considerable amount of our time today to talking about how the Lima Group and the international community more broadly can support the eventual rebuilding and reconstruction of Venezuela," Freeland told reporters on Monday. "We heard from economic experts, we also heard from representatives of interim President Juan Guaido about the very advanced plans which the opposition has." The Lima Group will suspend military cooperation with the Venezuelan government of President Nicolas Maduro, the group said in a declaration that it issued after concluding a meeting on the crisis in Venezuela. On January 23, the leader of the opposition-led Venezuelan National Assembly, Juan Guaido, proclaimed himself an interim president of Venezuela after he contested the results of the election last year in which Maduro was re-elected for a second term. Canada, the United States and many of their allies, particularly European Union members, have voiced support and recognized Guaido as Venezuela's interim president. However, a diplomatic source in Brussels told Sputnik on Monday that Italy had blocked an EU joint statement recognizing Guaido. Russia, China, Mexico and several other countries have said that Maduro is the legitimate president of Venezuela and demanded that other countries respect the principle of non-interference in Venezuela's internal affairs. Sputnik Maduro Calls Lima Group's Declaration on Venezuelan Crisis 'Ridiculous' Sputnik News 07:45 05.02.2019(updated 08:17 05.02.2019) BUENOS AIRES (Sputnik) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday brushed off the declaration of the Lima Group on Venezuela as the member states strongly condemned the Venezuelan leadership and supported the country's opposition as the interim government. "The latest communique of the Lima Group is ridiculous. We do not know whether to laugh or vomit I am absolutely convinced that we will win in this battle, in this historical period, we will win against the Lima cartel, I am convinced that we will win in diplomacy and politics," Maduro said in his address. Venezuelan President Maduro also said that at least 10 million people will sign a letter to the White House urging the United States to refrain from interfering in Venezuela's domestic affairs. "At least 10 million Venezuelans will sign it, we will send this document to the White House, insisting on respect [of rights]," Maduro said in his address to the nation. The Lima Group and a number of other countries convened in Ottawa on Monday to discuss a range of solutions to the political crisis in Venezuela. The attendees issued a declaration following a meeting, which has slammed the Venezuelan government over the growing political crisis and called on the global community to suspend financial and trade ties with Caracas. In January, the Lima Group, which has not recognized Maduro's re-election last year, urged the Venezuelan president to call a new election and delegate his powers to the parliament until the vote is held. The group then agreed to impose sanctions on individuals and entities linked to the Venezuelan authorities. On January 23, Juan Guaido, the speaker of the Venezuelan opposition-led National Assembly, proclaimed himself the country's interim president. The opposition figure was supported by the United States and a number of other countries. Russia and China, as well as several other countries, have refused to support Guaido, backing Maduro as the country's legitimate president and demanding that other countries respect the principle of non-interference in Venezuela's domestic affairs. Sputnik Maduro on Possible Intervention: Venezuela to Make US Suffer Irreparable Losses Sputnik News 13:11 05.02.2019(updated 14:20 05.02.2019) On Sunday, US President Donald Trump stated that the use of the US military in the Venezuelan crisis was among the possible variants. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has warned that he was going to make the US intervention irreparable for the enemy in case Washington decides to take military action in Venezuela. "We are planning to respond to a US intervention in such a way as to make [the United States] suffer irreparable military and human losses," Maduro told the RT broadcaster in an interview on Tuesday. Maduro's comments come after late last week US President Donald Trump confirmed in an interview with the CBS broadcaster that he was considering the use of military force in the Venezuelan crisis. Responding to Trump's statement, Maduro pledged that Venezuela's military would do its best to prevent a possible foreign invasion of its territory. On US Sanctions and PDVSA Addressing the issue of US sanctions against Venezuela's PDVSA oil company, he condemned them, calling the move "illegal compensation." This comes after last week the United States blocked all of PDVSA's assets in its jurisdiction and imposed a ban on making deals with the company. US Treasury Department said in a statement that Washington would keep using its "economic tools" to back Juan Guaido, who has declared himself interim president of Venezuela. On Elections in Venezuela Nicolas Maduro also commented on elections in the Latin American state saying that there was "no shortage" of them, and there would be no presidential election in the country in the near future. "In Venezuela, there is no shortage of elections," Maduro said when asked about the call by some countries to hold early presidential elections in the country. He explained the only expected elections were parliamentary ones, which should be held in 2020. "The problem is in the opposition, and not in the regular elections. We held 25 elections in 20 years. In the past 18 months, we have held six elections. The elections in 2018 were set at the request of the opposition," he said. On January 23, Juan Guaido, the speaker of the Venezuelan opposition-led National Assembly, proclaimed himself the country's interim president. The opposition figure was supported by the United States and a number of other countries. Russia and China, as well as several other countries, have refused to support Guaido, backing Maduro as the country's legitimate president and demanding that other countries respect the principle of non-interference in Venezuela's domestic affairs. Sputnik Mount Olympus Drills 'Latest Sign' of US Military Expansion in Greece Report Sputnik News 18:31 05.02.2019(updated 18:32 05.02.2019) Last year, Washington and Athens agreed to deploy US drones to the Larissa Air Force base in Greece. The allies are currently considering deploying US F-35 fighter jets to a base in the Greek city of Volos. Washington and Athens conducting a joint live-fire exercise at the foot of Mount Olympus in January is "the latest sign" of the US military expanding its presence in Greece, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports. The newspaper cited Greek Brigadier General Georgios Fasoulos, who observed the exercises, as saying that the Athens-Washington alliance equally meets the interests of both sides. "For Greece, it is important to have a strong ally, while the United States deems it significant to join an alliance with a stable country in the current unstable situation," Fasoulos said. US Lieutenant Colonel Jamie LaValley, for his part, pointed to what he described as Greece's "ideal" geographical position to carry out military drills over the Aegean Sea and at a high altitude above Mount Olympus on a small territory". He was echoed by Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, who said during his visit to Athens in September 2018 that Washington is planning on expanding its presence in Greece by increasing its use of military bases and ports in the country. "If you look at geography, [] and you look at current operations in Syria, you look at potential other operations in the eastern Mediterranean, the geography of Greece and the opportunities here are pretty significant," he pointed out. Dunford's remarks came as the WSJ reported at the time that the US and Greece were discussing the deployment of US Patriot air defence missile systems and F-22 Raptor fighter jets to the Greek island of Karpathos. Since October, Greek and US servicemen have reportedly been undergoing joint training at a base near the city of Volos, as well as in Alexandropoulos and Araxos, while a an American MQ-9 Reaper UAV conducted flights from the Larissa Air Force base. Separately, media reported that the Pentagon plans to use Greek bases in the Peloponnese, though the allegations that were later rejected by Athens. Sputnik US Increasing Military Presence in Syria Despite Withdrawal Plans - Reports Sputnik News 20:54 05.02.2019(updated 21:33 05.02.2019) Washington announced plans to withdraw from the war-torn country in late December, after President Trump declared victory against Daesh (ISIS) and recalled a campaign promise not to get the US stuck in wars in the Middle East. The United States has shored up its presence in Syria, transferring about 150 trucks and armoured vehicles and mobile generators to north-eastern parts of the country from neighbouring Iraq, Turkey's Anadolu news agency reported, citing local sources. According to Anadolu's sources, the vehicles made their way into Kurdish-controlled areas of north-eastern Syria on Monday night, crossing the Simelka checkpoint along the Syrian-Iraqi border, and arriving at a US military logistics centre in Syria's Kharab Ishq and Sirrin on Tuesday. Unverified video footage of the vehicles has been posted on social media. "The US is continuing to assist the separatist terrorist PKK organisation in northern Syria. Video of the latest convoy sent. No camouflage. They're out in the open now." The video shows generators and construction equipment, Humvees, and Toyota pickup trucks carried by transport trucks. President Donald Trump announced plans to withdraw the contingent of 2,000 US troops from Syria in December, citing the imminent defeat of Daesh (ISIS)* and his campaign promise to bring the US home from "endless wars" in the Middle East. Earlier Tuesday, Turkish President Recep tayyip Erdogan said that no satisfactory arrangement has been agreed with Washington on the creation of a safe zone in northern Syria, and warned that Turkey's patience was running out. Erdogan stressed that if the Kurdish YPG militia, which Ankara considers to be terrorist organisation, is not removed from Syria's Manbij in two weeks' time, Turkey would "take steps to eliminate the threats to national security." Last month, commenting on US-Turkish negotiations surrounding a proposed 30-kilometre "buffer zone" in Syria between Turkish and Kurdish forces, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that any agreement involving Syrian territory must include agreement from Damascus. The Syrian government has rejected the safe zone proposal, accusing Ankara of turning "a blind eye to the international resolutions which have always affirmed respect for Syrian territorial integrity." *A terrorist group outlawed in Russia and many other countries. Sputnik Official: US Trying to 'Off-Ramp' Central Asia From Russian Military Procurement Sputnik News 21:46 05.02.2019 WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States is trying to enable countries in Central Asia to have options in obtaining US military equipment rather than relying on military procurement from Russia, but the cost of US weapons will continue to be an issue, Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Gen. Joseh Votel said in a congressional testimony on Tuesday. "As we look to off-ramp Central Asian countries from Russian defense equipment, the higher price of US systems will remain a challenge for nations like Kazakhstan," Votel told the US Senate Armed Services Committee. Votel noted that Kazakhstan, in particular, has expressed interest to work with the US to improve its logistical, medical, and engineering military branches, General noted. In addition, Votel said that Uzbekistan has expressed interest in diversifying their military equipment. "Tashkent has provided lists of US systems and equipment they are interested in purchasing," Votel said. Votel also noted the United States' continuing improvement of bilateral military relations with Tajikistan. Sputnik 'Intra-Afghan' Talks Under Way In Moscow Amid Continuing Violence By RFE/RL February 05, 2019 Taliban representatives and an Afghan delegation led by former President Hamid Karzai have begun two days of talks in Moscow billed as part of an "intra-Afghan" peace process -- despite the absence of Kabul government representatives and continued militant attacks back in Afghanistan. The gathering has been criticized by the office of current Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. It comes as broader peace talks aimed at ending the country's 17-year war appear to be gaining momentum, despite the Taliban's continued refusal to meet directly with Afghan government representatives. The Russian government has denied organizing the meeting, which is being hosted by a Moscow-based organization of Afghan diaspora leaders. However, it's highly unlikely such a high-profile event would be allowed to take place in Moscow without the Kremlin's blessing. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said as the talks got under way on February 5 that there were no contacts planned by the Kremlin to meet with any of the Taliban delegates. The Moscow talks were also expected to be attended by delegates from Afghan diasporas from the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Europe, as well as representatives from Iran and Pakistan. The Moscow meeting is "nothing more than a fantasy. No one can decide without the consent of the Afghan people," Ghani told Afghan broadcaster Tolo News. "Those who have gathered in Moscow have no executive authority. They can say what they want," the Afghan president added. Afghanistan's chief executive, Abdullah Abdullah, said the Afghan government should be at the center of any peace talks, adding that Kabul "would prefer the Moscow meeting had a different shape." Abdullah also said the Taliban was the biggest obstacle to peace in Afghanistan. But he said that if the Moscow meeting creates "an opening for real peace talks, it would still be a step forward." The United States has not commented publicly on the meeting, which includes a 10-member Taliban delegation led by Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai. Going into the negotiating room in Moscow on February 5, Stanikzai did not respond to questions from journalists about the Taliban's position on direct talks with an intra-Afghan delegation -- saying that "comments will come later." Karzai described the talks as "very, very satisfactory." "We understand that the government needs to be part of these negotiations. We wish they could have been here today," he told reporters. Along with Karzai, the former president, many of the 38 delegates from Kabul have held prominent government positions. Among them is potential presidential candidate Hanif Atmar, who resigned as Ghani's security adviser in August. Former Vice President Mohammad Yunus Qanuni and former Balkh Governor Atta Mohammad Noor are also on the list of participants, along with former Taliban insurgents who reconciled with the Afghan government. Since his appointment in September, U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad has been holding separate negotiations with the Taliban. He's also pressed for talks to bring together all major parties in the conflict. Stanikzai, the head of the Taliban delegation visiting Moscow, said on February 5 that peace talks with the United States in Qatar last month had been a "success," Russia's Interfax news agency reported. In Washington, U.S. General Joseph Votel, head of the U.S. military's Central Command, told a Senate hearing that talks between the United States and Taliban were in their "very, very early" stages. The Afghan government has to be "a part of this solution and must be in the negotiation aspects of this," he also said, adding: "We can't do that on their behalf." Meanwhile, Taliban attacks have continued in Afghanistan. A predawn militant attack on February 5 on an army base in northern Kunduz Province killed at least 26 members of the security forces, said Mohammad Yusouf Ayubi, head of the provincial council. Ayubi said the attackers were eventually repelled after reinforcements arrived at the besieged base on the outskirts of the provincial capital, Kunduz city. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the Kunduz attack. Late on February 4, at least 21 people were killed in two Taliban attacks. Eleven police officers were slain when the insurgents stormed a checkpoint in northern Baghlan Province, and 10 people were killed in a militant attack on a local pro-government militia in a village in northern Samangan Province. With reporting by Reuters, AFP, AP, Interfax, and TASS Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/afghan-taliban -moscow-talks/29751787.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. Ghani: Pompeo Said 'No Ambiguity' About U.S. Commitment To Afghanistan By RFE/RL February 05, 2019 Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has reiterated the U.S. commitment to Afghanistan in a telephone call with President Ashraf Ghani, the Afghan leader says. "Secretary Pompeo stressed that there is no uncertainty and ambiguity about the U.S. commitment to Afghanistan and our enduring partnership," Ghani tweeted on February 5. The Afghan president also quoted Pompeo as saying that "our military partnership is unwavering and will remain until a lasting and inclusive peace is achieved." The telephone conversation comes days after President Donald Trump made clear that he wants to reduce U.S. military engagement in Afghanistan. In the CBS interview broadcast on February 3, Trump said U.S. troops had been in Afghanistan for nearly 19 years, and, while the outcome of ongoing peace talks with the Afghan Taliban remains to be seen, "They want peace. They're tired. Everybody's tired." The president said he planned to keep a small contingent of troops in Afghanistan for "real intelligence" purposes and said U.S. forces would return to that country if necessary. There are currently about 11,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, where the Western-backed central government has struggled to fend off a resurgent Taliban and other militant groups since the withdrawal of most NATO forces in 2014. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ghani-pompeo- said-no-ambiguity-about-u-s-commitment-to- afghanistan/29753272.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. Republican-led Senate breaks with Trump over Syria, Afghanistan withdrawal plans Iran Press TV Tue Feb 5, 2019 06:20AM The Republican-led US Senate has backed an amendment opposing President Donald Trump's plans for a quick withdrawal of American troops from Syria and Afghanistan, citing concerns that such moves will benefit Russia and Iran. The senators voted 70-26 in favor of the non-binding and largely symbolic amendment on Monday, which disputed Trump's claims about defeating Daesh and said the terrorist group still posed a "serious threat" to the US mainland. Upon announcing his plans to evacuate Syria and drastically reduce troop levels in Afghanistan in December, Trump said he was returning American soldiers home in a few months because Daesh was no longer a threat. However, the new amendment, drafted by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, argued that while there had been progress in the fight against Daesh in both Syria and Afghanistan, the Trump administration had more to do in order to ensure the terror outfit's "enduring defeat." It further warned that "a precipitous withdrawal" from the two countries could cause instability in the region and leave behind a vacuum that Iran and Russia would fill. Trump's announcement has been met with heavy backlash from both sides of the aisle. It also led retired General Jim Mattis to hand in his resignation as Defense Secretary. Before the vote on Monday, McConnell said he brought the bill to let senators "speak clearly and directly about the importance" of the missions in Afghanistan and Syria. Last week, after senators pushed the amendment through, he told reporters: "Withdrawal of the United States forces from the ongoing fight against these groups . . . could allow terrorists to regroup, destabilize critical regions, and create vacuums that could be filled by Iran or Russia, to the detriment of United States' interests and those of our allies." I defeated all Republicans, people agree with me: Trump In an interview aired by CBS on Sunday, Trump made it clear that he was not going to halt the withdrawal and retract one of his main campaign promises just because Senate Republicans said it was being done "precipitously." "Precipitously? We've been there for 19 years. I want to fight. I want to win, and we want to bring our great troops back home," Trump said. "I ran against 17 Republicans. This was a big part of what I was saying, and I won very easily. I think the people out in the world - I think people in our country agree," he said, referring to the 2016 presidential primaries, where he defeated over a dozen of Republican candidates to win party nomination. He claimed that even the Taliban were weary of war and had agreed to peace talks to end the conflict. "And we'll see what happens with the Taliban. They want peace. They're tired. Everybody's tired. We'd like to have - I don't like endless wars. This war. What we're doing is got to stop at some point," he said. War unites Republicans, Democrats: Rand Paul The vote drew an angry response from Senator Rand Paul, who accused both parties of forming a "war caucus." "What is the one thing that brings Republicans and Democrats together?" Paul asked. "War. They love it, the more, the better. Forever war, perpetual war." The Kentucky lawmaker hailed Trump for being "bold enough and strong enough" to bring the war in Afghanistan to an end. "How do you leave precipitously after 17 years?" Paul asked. "We are no longer fighting anyone who attacked us on 9/11." The US invasion of Afghanistan began after the September 11, 2001 attacks against World trade Center in New York City. Middle East bill moves forward The vote on Monday added the new amendment to a broader Middle East security bill which is currently moving through Congress and addresses a range of issues involving America's regional interests. The Senate voted 72-24 in a procedural vote later on Monday to advance the bill. To become law, the Middle East bill needs to pass the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives, which is unlikely due to concerns about a provision that aims to curb the "Boycott, Divest and Sanctions" movement against Israel and its violent treatment of Palestinian people. This was the second time in the past two months that Republicans in the Senate supported measures contradicting Trump's foreign policy, although legislations to change his policies have yet to become law. UNSC calls on Yemen's rival forces to leave Hudaydah Iran Press TV Tue Feb 5, 2019 06:59AM The United Nations Security Council has called on Yemen's warring parties to pull their forces out of the Red Sea port city of Hudaydah and two other ports "without further delays" under a recent UN-brokered ceasefire deal. In a statement on Monday, the 15-member UN body expressed concern over alleged violations of the Hudaydah ceasefire agreement, which was reached last December in Rimbo, a town near the Swedish capital Stockholm, between Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah movement and the former Saudi-backed regime. "The members of the Security Council called on the parties to seize this opportunity to move towards sustainable peace by exercising restraint, de-escalating tensions, honoring their commitment to the Stockholm Agreement and moving forward with swift implementation," the council said. The council further asked the UN's Yemen envoy Martin Griffiths "to continue to keep them closely informed of developments so that they may consider further action as necessary in support of a political settlement." The Houthi movement and forces loyal to the Riyadh-backed regime of ex-president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi have, over the past weeks, traded accusations of truce violations in Hudaydah, a lifeline for millions of Yemenis. The two sides missed a January 7 target to withdraw their forces from Hudaydah as they disagree on who should control the city and ports. Meanwhile, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said representatives from both parties met for a second day on a ship in the Red Sea on Monday and "reiterated their commitment to implementing the Hudaydah aspects of the Stockholm agreement." 'Jordan to host fresh UN-mediated talks' Additionally, Jordan is preparing to host a new round of talks between Yemen's warring sides under the auspices of the United Nations. The UN said in a statement that the Ansarullah movement and the Saudi-backed delegation will hold negotiations over prisoner swap on Tuesday. The two warring sides have already agreed to exchange 16,000 detainees and submitted lists of prisoners' names to UN mediators. The details are yet to be worked out. The prisoner swap deal was signed as a confidence-building measure ahead of the Sweden peace talks. The UN added that the two sides will meet again in the Jordanian capital, Amman, on Wednesday for "technical" talks to "finalize the list of prisoners." Griffiths and Peter Maurer, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which is overseeing the prisoner exchange process between the warring sides, "are scheduled to take part in the first day" of the talks, the UN statement said, without specifying how many days the meetings would last. 'Swap deal hangs in balance' The ICRC's director of operations Dominik Stillhart said the agreement on the prisoner exchange was "hanging in the balance," with trust among the parties "insufficient." Stillhart said that each party had presented a list of up to 8,000 detainees to be released, but that many names could not be accounted for, and hence the prisoner exchange would realistically involve a significantly lower number. "There is a lot of disappointment on both sides," said Stillhart. "What we now see on both sides (is that) they don't have them all because a lot of them, they probably died during the conflict." "The whole discussion now is who will finally be on the lists," he said. Stillhart also noted that distrust was running high between the two warring sides. "There are expectations that some people on both sides should appear on the list and if they are not, immediately the question is: are you hiding them?" he said. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates launched the Hudaydah offensive in June 2018, but faced strong resistance from Yemeni armed forces led by the Houthis as well as the city's residents. That offensive was part of a broader Saudi-led military campaign, which has been underway against Yemen since March 2015. The war has, however, failed to achieve the goal of reinstating the ex-Hadi regime, thus pushing the Saudi-backed side into peace talks with the Houthi movement, which has been both running state affairs and leading the armed forces in defending the country against the Riyadh-led aggression. Powell was accused of holding Eilman against her will and attacking her before she fell. He initially faced criminal charges including kidnapping and sexual assault. He was convicted on charges related to Eilmans abduction and given a 12-year prison sentence a term that was shortened by parole and credit he received for serving more than four years in the Cook County Jail while the case made its way through the courts. Lima Group calls for Maduro ouster 'without force' Iran Press TV Tue Feb 5, 2019 10:57AM US allies in the Lima Group of Latin American countries plus Canada have called for a regime change in Venezuela where President Nicolas Maduro is under immense pressure to step down. The Lima Group, set up in 2017 with the aim of undermining Venezuela's socialist government, on Monday sided with US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido, who declared himself president last month. The group issued a 17-point declaration in Ottawa, reiterating "their support for a process of peaceful transition through political and diplomatic means without the use of force." The declaration by Canada, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay and Peru insisted that any regime change should take place without a military intervention. On Sunday, President Donald Trump said a US military intervention in Venezuela was still on the table after his security adviser John Bolton suggested 5,000 troops could be sent to respond to the crisis in Venezuela. The Lima Group called for measures to prevent the government in Caracas "from conducting financial and trade transactions abroad, from having access to Venezuela's international assets and from doing business in oil, gold and other assets." The US, which immediately recognized Guaido as the country's "interim president," has already imposed economic and political sanctions on the country. The most recent measure was taken against oil firm Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) in order to funnel income from the country's main oil exporter into the hands of the self-declared leader. The European Union is considering imposing more sanctions on Venezuela but has not discussed an oil embargo, Malta's foreign minister said on Monday. Observers say the new sanctions are set to worsen economic problems of Venezuelan people, who are already struggling under harsh American penalties. Bolton said at a briefing last week that the sanctions would cost Caracas $11 billion in lost export proceeds over the next year and block Maduro from accessing PDVSA assets worth $7 billion. Maduro has accused Washington of stealing the company's oil and said Bolton was openly calling for a coup from Washington. Hands off Venezuela Canada's Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland on Monday called for a freeze of the Venezuelan government's assets to put them in the hands of the opposition leader. Her remarks at the closing press conference of the Lima Group were interrupted by protesters who called on the bloc to take their "hands off Venezuela." Freeland also ruled out military intervention as an option to overthrow the government of President Maduro. Peru's Foreign Minister Nestor Popolizio, who has already warned Washington against military intervention, also reiterated that the group "would not consider the use of force." Maduro has warned Trump against attempting to topple his government, saying the US president would be held responsible in the event of any ensuing violence. In an interview with Press TV, Latin America expert Gloria La Riva, said that the oil-rich county "is particularly strategic for the United States and Canada." "Now Canada is hosting the Lima Group today," she said. "Canada is a major oil seeking and mining country and they are exploiting gold and other strategic metals around the world. So, Venezuela is very very important to them." Cheryl Labash, writer and anti-imperialist activist, also told Press TV that the US "is trying to redraw its hegemony over Latin America" by ousting Maduro who "is a democratically elected president of Venezuela." US intervention could spark civil war Maduro told a Spanish television on Monday that the crisis could lead to civil war in the oil-rich country. "Everything depends on the level of madness and aggressiveness of the northern empire [the US] and its Western allies," he said. "We ask that nobody intervenes in our internal affairs... and we prepare ourselves to defend our country." In a coordinated move on Monday, 17 countries of the 28-member European Union, including France, Spain and the United Kingdom, officially announced their support for Guido. Italy, however, blocked a European Union statement to recognize the self-declared president. The decision came after Maduro rejected an EU ultimatum to hold an early presidential election, saying "Venezuela has done all its elections." Feb. 5, 2019 News By Terri Moon Cronk Defense.gov Centcom Commander Briefs Senators on Regional Challenges WASHINGTON -- No other region in the world is as dynamic, hopeful, challenging and dangerous as the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, the Centcom commander told the Senate Armed Forces Committee today. "It is an area of great contrast and contradiction," Army Gen. Joseph L. Votel said of the Middle East, Central and South Asia, and the area known as the Levant. "It is an area rich in history, culture and resources, but also an area pulsing with sectarianism, violence, poor governance, corruption, disenfranchisement, profound human suffering and economic disparity," Votel said. The general said Centcom's AOR is an area where the United States retains vital interests as its forces work to prevent attacks on the U.S. homeland, to counter malign and destabilizing influence, to contain the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and to ensure freedom of navigation and commerce through critical international waterways. Threats in Centcom "[Four] of the five major competitors, or threats, identified in the National Defense Strategy -- China, Russia, Iran and violent extremist organizations -- reside or are contested in the Centcom area of responsibility every day," Votel told the senators. In the final two weeks of 2018, he added, Centcom supported the United Nations special envoy in the establishment of a nascent cease fire in Yemen, enabled the work of a U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, began planning for the orderly and professional withdrawal under pressure of U.S. forces in Syria, while maintaining coalition efforts to support the government of Iraq and the Iraqi security forces in addressing the remnants of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in that country. "We monitored and mitigated the unprofessional acts of Iranian naval forces in international waters and observed the professional mature actions of the U.S.-advised Lebanese armed forces as they maintained stability along the border with Israel," the general told the committee. "Those two weeks were not an aberration for the command; they were business as usual as they have been in Centcom nearly every day since its inception in the early 1980s," he added. South Asia Strategy The general said the conditions-based South Asia strategy in Afghanistan is working. "We continue to use military ways and means to advance our end state of reconciliation," he said. "In Syria and Iraq, the unrelenting work of the 79-member Defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria Coalition, the determination and bravery of the Iraqi security forces and Syrian Democratic Force partners and the support of multiple international government organizations has largely liberated the so-called physical caliphate of ISIS. "The successful partnership with the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Iraqi security forces was instrumental in [territorial] gains against ISIS," Votel continued, "but it is important to understand that even though this territory has been reclaimed, the fight against ISIS and violent extremists is not over and our mission has not changed." Keeping a Vigilant Offensive The general said the coalition's hard-won battlefield gains can be secured only by "maintaining a vigilant offensive against a now-largely disbursed and disaggregated ISIS that retains leaders, fighters, facilitators, resources and the profane ideology that fuels their efforts." As the defeat-ISIS campaign in Syria transitions from liberating territory to enabling local security and addressing the ISIS clandestine insurgency, "U.S. ground forces will depart Syria in a deliberate and coordinated manner while we concurrently consult with allies and partners to implement stabilization efforts," Votel said. These details are being developed now and will ensure campaign continuity and capitalize on the contributions of the international community to prevent a resurgence of ISIS in Iraq and Syria, the general added. "We also remain steadfast in reminding the Saudi-led coalition partners of their obligations under the law of armed conflict and ensuring that the fight in Yemen does not spread across the region sowing more instability and threatening critical infrastructure and U.S. lives and interests," the Centcom commander said. Unwavering Commitment For more than 17 years of sustained conflict across the Centcom area of responsibility, "our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen and civilians have answered the call with unwavering commitment and devotion matched only by the families who support them," Votel told the committee. "We could not have accomplished what we do without all of them and they deserve the very best capabilities and support we can provide from weapons and communication systems to health care and housing," he added. "I ask for continued strong support from Congress and from the American people to provide our servicemen and women everything they need to accomplish their vital missions and lead healthy fulfilling lives in continued service to our nation," Votel said. Army National Guard aviation test their mettle at Fort Bliss By Sgt. Christopher Hernandez February 5, 2019 FORT BLISS, Texas -- Huddled inside a tightly compacted room of a flight hangar, a group of National Guard Soldiers shuffled playing cards as they exchanged jokes with one another. Suddenly, the jovial ambiance was interrupted by an urgent radio call for a medical evacuation. Without hesitation, the Soldiers sprang into action as they ran toward their UH-60 A/L Black Hawk helicopters, gathered all of their equipment and then ascended onto the skiesall in a matter of about 15 minutes. This aforementioned scene encompasses one of many exercises conducted by four National Guard aviation regiments, as part of their culminating training event (CTE) conducted at Biggs Army Airfield, Fort Bliss, Texas, Jan. 30, 2019. "We'll be sitting there on standby, so we wait for a call to come in and then we go out and practice our run-ups all the way through the mission," said Sgt. Tyler Monts, UH-60 helicopter repairer and flight instructor for Gulf Company, 1st General Support Aviation Battalion, 168th Aviation Regiment, Mississippi Army National Guard. "All of that gets us into the battle rhythm, so we're ready when we go overseas." For the past three weeks, National Guardsmen of the 171st Av. Regt., 211th Av. Regt., 168th Av. Regt. and 135th Av. Regt. have been exhaustively taking part in their pre-mobilization training exercises here. This collective of units comprises of personnel and equipment pooled from the Nebraska and Colorado Army National Guards (the CH-47 Chinook helicopter crews), as well as the Mississippi, New York, New Jersey, and Wyoming Army National Guards (the Black Hawk crews). "It's nice being in a company that's split between different states," said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Warren Buchanan, a CH-47F Chinook maintenance test pilot with Bravo Company, 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment, Colorado Army National Guard. "This is one of the first times since our last deployment that we were able to pull everybody together. Each state tries to run things the same exact way so that when we do come together, there are no issues." Of course, the success of the pre-mobilization training operation is attributed to the oversight, evaluations, and guidance provided by Soldiers of the Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, and First Army Division West, Fort Hood, Texas. "This mobilization was definitely unique," said Sgt. 1st Class Reid Carpenter, UH-60 A/L team noncommissioned officer in charge of the observer controller/trainers, 1st Training Support Battalion, 351st Av. Regt., 166th Av. Bde., First Army Division West. "We typically do these at Fort Hood, but the training unit that was deploying (fell) under an aviation task force here at Fort Bliss. They were around and had the personnel and resources in place to act as a higher command." The Chinook and Black Hawk flight teams were presented real-world scenarios in their validation and military rehearsal exercises (MRXs), mirroring as closely as possible to what they would most likely encounter in their forthcoming deployment. "We've been doing the simulated 9 Line MedEvac requests, and there's been a couple of mass casualty situations as well, just to get everyone familiar as to what the routine will be like overseas," said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Preston Blocker, an air medical evacuation pilot for Gulf Co., 1st General Support Aviation Battalion, 168th Av. Regt., Mississippi Army National Guard. "We've also been doing hoist extractions, rescue seats, and some simulated skid lifts. We've done live lifts with our medics because they need to be proficient in case that we must do that overseas. "We've also been doing degraded visual environment (DVE) settings, which are brownout landings due to an accumulation of dust, especially around here and in (overseas theater). It allows us to get a little more comfortable in the eventuality of landing in areas with brownout conditions," Blocker said. Alternatively, the Chinook teams were given different mission sets to train on, respective of their own unique capabilities. "infiltrations and exfiltrations are our main job, and it is known as direct support. We also have general support missions, (which is) anything from providing food, water, and personnel," said Sgt. 1st Class Jared Wiehn, CH47F Chinook Helicopter Repairer and platoon sergeant for Bravo Co., 2nd Bn., 135th Av. Regt., Nebraska Army National Guard. While the training exercises were respectable, there should've been a greater variety of scenarios, Wiehn said. "They could've thrown more at us," Wiehn said. "It was great training, but we can always get better by them pushing us and stressing us out a little bit more." In spite of minor disadvantages, the National Guardsmen all hold the consensus that First Army Division West and Combat Av. Bde., 1st Ar. Div. was vastly accommodating to them in their entire pre-mobilization process. "I really do not have anything negative to say about the experience, and it was the best pre-mobilization that I've ever gone through," Buchanan said. "It was nice that the (First Army Division West) actually came out to our states and did some work with us during our annual training. We were able to link up with them and get them to see how we were running things, and they give us some tactics, techniques, and procedures for some things to adjust and what they were looking for." "When the time comes to go down there, things will go really smooth," Buchanan said. For Carpenter, facilitating these training exercises gave a sense of accomplishment for himself and First Army Division West in its entirety. "Overall, I felt like this was a good experience, as it was definitely something different," Carpenter said. "With the opportunity to have the training unit work with the people that they'll work with prior to getting deployed, it will make the transition much quicker and make them more effective. I'm sure that they will be able to execute their missions at a much higher proficiency and much faster than they would've otherwise." Soon, the four National Guard aviation regiments will mobilize to their overseas tour of duty, taking all that they've learned and gained from their experiences here at Fort Bliss. "This place is just been, hands-down, one of the best pre-mobilization locations that I've been to, and this is my third deployment, "Wiehn said. "If we get called up again, then this definitely would be the first place that I would go back to." BSNL revises Rs. 525, Rs.725 postpaid plan; offers unlimited calls and more data benefits News oi-Priyanka Dua The Rs.525 used to offer 15GB earlier per month, however, the telco is not offering the data carry forward on these two plans. Almost all telecom players are revising their plans to attract new users and Bharat Sanchar Telecom Limited (BSNL) has revised its existing tariff plans for its postpaid users. The State-run telecom operator BSNL has now revised Rs.525 and Rs.725 plans to offer more benefits, Telecomtalk reported. According to the report the Rs. 525 is now providing 40 GB data every month, 100 SMS per day, and one year of Amazon Prime membership for free, while the Rs. 725 is offering 50GB of data benefit. The Rs.525 used to offer 15GB earlier per month, however, the telco is not offering the data carry forward on these two plans. Meanwhile, the company has announced the launch of a new plan for broadband plans in which users will get 40GB daily data at 100 Mbps speeds for a month at Rs. 2,499. However, the speed will be reduced after the completion of daily FUP. This plan is valid across the country where BSNL is offering FTTH services. This plan has been launched under its Bharat Fiber programme that was launched a few days ago. However, there is a catch as this plan is available in selected circles. Bharat Fiber Programme is offering 35GB per day as low as Rs 1.1per GB. The company has also joined hand with BSNL has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ciena to prepare its network for the impending evolution toward 5G. BSNL, in support of the Digital India vision by Hon'ble Prime Minister Narender Modi and recent strategic telecom plan from India's Department of Telecommunications, is working to conduct field trials to roll out 5G by 2020. 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 Walmart might exit Flipkart post new FDI rules, says Morgan Stanley News oi-Priyanka Dua There is a precedent for an exit as Amazon retreated from China in late 2017 after seeing that the model no longer worked for them. According to a new report by US investment banker, Morgan Stanley Walmart may exit Flipkart after India's new Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) norms for e-commerce companies came into force. "An exit is likely not completely out of the question with the India e-commerce market becoming more complicated," said Morgan Stanley, in a report 'Assessing Flipkart Risk to WMT EPS.' "There is a precedent for an exit as Amazon retreated from China in late 2017 after seeing that the model no longer worked for them," the report said. "We estimate that Flipkart derives 50 percent of its revenue from this category, meaning Flipkart could face meaningful disruption and top-line pressure in the near term," report further said. Meanwhile, there is a report that Walmart refuted the claim of the report. To recall, last year in August Walmart Inc. and Flipkart have announced the closing of the agreements for Walmart to become the largest shareholder in the Flipkart Group. Walmart now holds approximately 77 percent of Flipkart. The remainder of the business is held by other shareholders, including Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal, Tencent, Tiger Global and Microsoft Corp. Moving forward, Flipkart's financials will be reported as part of Walmart's International business segment. Moreover, Flipkart's existing management team will continue to lead the business. Tencent Holdings Limited and Tiger Global Management LLC will remain represented on the Flipkart board, in addition to independent board members, and will be joined by new members from Walmart. The board will work to maintain Flipkart's core values and entrepreneurial spirit while ensuring it has strategic and competitive advantages. 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 Microsoft Academia Accelerator 2019: AI is the solution for disaster management News oi-Vivek IIT Madras students won the first prize with cash money of Rs 5,00,000 Microsoft India today hosted AXLE, a Microsoft Academia Accelerator an annual showcase of collaboration between Microsoft and academia. This years AI for Good theme packed in a rich agenda of keynotes, tech talks and student projects that showcased innovative ways of using technology to solve real-world challenges. The event brought together Computer Science faculty, Microsoft leaders and employees, several industry influencers and students from top engineering colleges of India who showcased innovative ways of building state of the art technology to predict or manage natural disasters better. Microsoft's Academia Accelerator is a programme designed to build a deep, meaningful, and long-term relationship with academia and industry. With Academia Accelerator programme, the students will get mentor support from Microsoft team to further enhance their CS skills. Chitra Sood, Director of Business Management, Microsoft India (R&D) Private Ltd said Academia Accelerator aims to provide insights to students about important technology trends and practices and adding industry know-how to the existing Computer Science curriculum. At Microsoft, we see unique ways of how AI can be used to improve products, services and how fostering the dialogue on the beneficial use of AI can help in enabling long term sustainable solutions to large scale challenges. India has immense potential to be a hub of development for AI driven solutions. Microsofts engagement with the Academia reiterates our commitment to engage and enrich the innovation journey of students in Engineering schools. It makes AI and its benefits accessible and drive digital transformation at the grassroot level. We are excited by the enthusiasm shown by students using AI and anticipate that they will apply their learnings from this challenge through their career. Winning Team Projects IIT Madras: UAVs for Disaster Management (WINNER) Whenever disaster strikes, access to accurate information and the capacity to respond with life-saving assistance is critical. The project aims to solve this exact issue by creating an end-to-end autonomous system, to provide precise information about where exactly the people are stuck, with the use of UAVs which are powered with AI and Computer Vision. The system can efficiently distribute the drones to cover maximum area, and perform intelligent tasks such as detecting people (both visible and partially visible), whether they are able to move or not and activity recognition to help in optimizing the resources available. IIT Guwahati: DUBG (First Runner up) DUBG is a mixed reality app for efficient post-disaster management. Rescuers are busy during operation, which is why this app is based on Mixed Reality so that rescuers dont waste time on pre-planning their routes and operating any device for communication. DUBG makes basic tasks like communication, navigation and current status monitoring easy for rescuers. The teams vision is to create an Augmented Reality based navigation system enhanced by voice assistant to make the rescue drives hassle free. Using the current technology of Microsoft such as Mixed Reality and Azure Speech Recognition, the IIT Guwahati team has reimagined current disaster management system. IIT Jodhpur: Disaster Chain (Second Runner up) The project is a distributed IoT-based solution, deployed in different sections / rooms of the building with the target as home / building automation solution, which acts as an early warning system and takes precautionary measures on detection of disasters, offloading crucial immediate steps from the cloud to edge, while staying connected to the cloud for data storage and further analytics. It works with an Android app (skinapp), using an exported tensor flow model trained on Microsoft's custom vision service (cognitive services) to predict skin diseases offline (for survivors rescued from the disaster zone). 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 Chinese satellite captures breathtaking image of Earth and Moon News oi-Vishal Kawadkar Chinese satellite produces an image of Earth and Moon like never before. In January, China landed a rover on the far side of the Moon that never faces Earth. Now, a new photo released by the Chinese space agency shows a rare look at both full discs from the far side of the Earth's natural satellite. The image shows our planet and the Moon from an entirely new angle. This is the original resolution (640x480 pixels with heavy jpeg compression). Downloading these 16 kilobytes took almost 20 minutes. We did color-correct the original. pic.twitter.com/4XszxJOAmT Tammo Jan Dijkema (@tammojan) February 5, 2019 The picture was captured by the camera housed on the Chinese DSLWP-B / Longjiang-2 satellite on February 4. This is the first ever image of the Moon's far side and the Earth after the Chang'e 5T1, took a shot of both bodies together in 2014. Longjiang-2 had to shut down its camera for a few months in order to avoid interfering with the landing of Chang'e 4, but now it seems the operations will resume. "Downloading these 16 kilobytes took almost 20 minutes. We did color-correct the original," one of the telescope operators, Tammo Jan Dijkema, said on Twitter. He also posted the original image that shows violet-looking Moon and Earth. by the end of 2019, the China National Space Administration plans to launch another Chang'e 5 mission to bring first samples of the lunar soil and bring them to Earth. The mission will retrieve samples from Earth's natural satellite or scout for water on the surface. The mission will also examine potential areas where it can set up a base for humans, according to Chinese state media. 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 Specifications 6.3-inch FHD+ Infinity V display Octa-core 2.4GHz processor Mali-G71 GPU 4GB RAM 64GB storage (512GB expandable) Android 8.1 Oreo (Experience UI 9.5) HD Widevine L1 support 13MP + 5MP rear camera 8MP front-facing camera 5000mAh battery Design Well, looks aren't the biggest highlight of the Galaxy M20. Samsung has used a hard plastic rear which makes the phone resistant to accidental drops. While the front panel looks beautiful, the rear is the exact opposite. The back panel has a boring design and acts as a fingerprint magnet, thanks to its glossy nature. It also houses a fingerprint sensor which has an awkward placement and we often found ourselves reaching out for the fingerprint sensor. It feels a bit uncomfortable and not suitable for someone with small palms. But, holding the device feels good, offering a good grip and a sense of durability. The Galaxy M20 is by no means qualifies as a slim smartphone. The massive 5000mAh battery makes it chunky and a bit heavy compared to other smartphones in the segment. If you are someone who drops their phones quite often, the Galaxy M20 has you covered. The front panel houses a huge display that covers the most of real estate up front. The display also has a very small notch that doesn't draw much attention. On the sides, you get the volume rockers, power key, and the SIM card tray. At the bottom, the device has a USB-C port along with the speakers and a microphone. Overall, it is a pretty well-rounded smartphone in terms of design, however, the company could have made the back panel more exciting. Display Samsung has used its Infinity U display for the new Galaxy M20. Although the display doesn't feature a Super AMOLED but do not get fooled by the TFT panel, as it makes for a great viewing experience. You might not get to see the dark blacks on the new panel, but that's forgivable considering the price of the device. The bezels are also pretty slim which makes this display ideal for multimedia consumption. Since the display is Widevine L1 compliant, you'll be able to stream all the content from video streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video in high definition. We played a few videos and movies on this display and were surprised by the results. The screen is fairly bright and the color reproduction is also brilliant. Although the viewing angles aren't that great, that's something TFT screens are infamous for. But, overall the display on the Samsung Galaxy M20 managed to impress us. Camera Optics-wise, the Galaxy M20 comes equipped with a dual rear camera setup that packs a 13MP sensor with F1.9 aperture and a 5MP ultra-wide lens. The dual camera setup is complemented by an LED flash. While the 13MP is the primary sensor, the 5MP sensor lets you take ultra-wide shots at 120-angles, compared to the normal 78-angles offered by other devices in this price segment. Honestly, the camera on the Galaxy m20 is kind of a letdown. The pictures taken in good lighting conditions came out decent but still lacked details. The also showed some noise and lacked the dynamic range and sharpness. The wide angle shots also looked a bit grainy. For low light photography, the Galaxy M20 wouldn't be a good option. The images lack details and sharpness which is a bit disappointing. We also tried the 13MP front-facing camera, and we can say that it's decent for video calling and selfies. Also, the AR emoji feature is fun trying out, but it isn't that produces breathtaking selfies. Overall, the Galaxy M20 has a lot to improve on the camera-front and doesn't really gives a tough fight to its contemporaries in this particular department. Performance Under the hood Exynos 7904 1.8Ghz octa-core chipset paired with 4GB of RAM. We were satisfied with the performance of the Galaxy M20. It managed to perform day-to-day tasks without breaking a sweat and the app launch and switching were swift. We hardly noticed any kind of lag and stutter, however, we did feel that the device gets a bit toasty when firing up some graphics-heavy games. But the mild games work like a charm on this device, thanks to the Mali-G71 GPU. The device offers Dual SIM with Dual VoLTE which ensure crystal clear voice calls. The call quality was really good and the earpiece was loud enough for crowded places as well. Also, the audio on the Galaxy M20 is powered by Dolby Atmos, but it only works with the headphones on. But, it makes for a great audio experience while watching movies as you get to hear all the sound effects with immersive details. The Galaxy M20 runs the Android 8.1 Oreo with the company's Experience UI 9.5. Well, since this is 2019, bringing a smartphone with a dated software seems unfair. While the UI feels smooth, bringing the latest Android 9 Pie would have been great. The software also comes with some bloatware, which could hamper the performance of the phone in the long run. Samsung is rumored to push Android 9 update for the device in August, but it seems a bit too late. Speaking of the battery, the smartphone is backed by a huge 5000mAh battery. The battery reservoir is surely one of the biggest highlights of the Galaxy M20. We rigorously used the phone for a whole day, and it still had a few hours of juice left. Our usage included playing a few high-end games, listening to music, browsing the internet. For moderate users, the device might work for at least a day and a half before you look for a charger. In case of a hardcore user, you will have to refuel the phone before going to bed. Verdict With the Galaxy M20, Samsung seems to have introduced a much-needed budget device for its sales. As the company plans to lock horns with the Chinese compatitors, it needs to have a powerful, feature-rich device in the segment, and the Galaxy M20 checks almost all the boxes. It comes with a brilliant display, a long-lasting battery life, and a sturdy build. Starting at Rs 10,990, it is Samsung's most aggressively priced device till date. It sure has its flaws like the design could have been more attractive, or the cameras could have been better, but it still makes for a good value for money if you look beyond these minor bumps. We wouldn't call it the best Android smartphone in this price segment, but writing it off the cards totally would be unfair. As we know, Samsung has a loyal fan-base, the new M series will definitely catch many eyes for its fresh and aggressive approach. Overall, Samsung has offered a well-rounded smartphone at an affordable price, making it a safe bet to place your money on. It seems the company has finally taken the right path with its latest M series of smartphones and should continue to launch more such smartphones. As for the Galaxy M20, we will surely recommend the device as it brings a sense of freshness to the company's budget lineup. Moto Z4 Play will have a 48 MP camera with an in-display fingerprint sensor News oi-Vivek Moto Z4 Play is expected to launch by Q2 of 2019 Motorola is known for offering smartphones with modular support or MODS under the Moto Z series of smartphones. The Moto Z4 Play is expected to be the next affordable Moto Z series of device, which is expected to come with a lot of exciting features. The latest CAD based renders of the Moto Z4 Play re-affirms that the device will look similar to the previous Moto Z Play smartphones with a sleek design and a massive camera bump. The smartphone will continue to retain the 3.5mm headphone jack and the type-C port for charging and data syncing. Moto Z4 Play leaked specifications Latest leaks and speculations predict that the Moto Z4 Play will be the first Motorola smartphone to use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 SoC. This entry-efficient tier two chipset will be coupled with either 4/6 GB of RAM and 64/128 GB of internal storage with a micro SD card slot for additional storage expansion. The device will have a 6.22-inch OLED display with FHD+ resolution, protected by 2.5D curved tempered glass. The smartphone will come with a water-drop notch with more than 90% screen to body ratio with minimal bezels across the display. The most interesting part of the Moto Z4 Play's specs sheet is the fact that the device comes with a massive 48 MP camera sensor. Unlike most other smartphones featuring a Sony or a Samsung sensor, the Moto Z4 Play comes with an S5KGM1SP 48 MP sensor developed by Q-Technology. Like every other Moto Z series smartphone, the Moto Z4 Play will offer stock Android OS with no third-party customization. The device is expected to come with a 3600 mAh battery with support for Turbocharging via USB type C port. Considering the leaked features/specifications of the Moto Z4 Play, the device is most likely to retail around $400-$500 price range, which will compete against the OnePlus 6T and Honor View20. Via 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 Google Pixel 3 Lite, Pixel 3 XL Lite latest leak reveals model numbers News oi-Sandeep Sarkar The Pixel 3 Lite is expected to carry a price tag below Rs 40,000 in the Indian market. Google's upcoming mid-range Pixel smartphone line up is the next big release expected by the tech giant. The Pixel 3 Lie and Pixel 3 XL Lite have been appearing every now and the over the web via numerous leaks and rumors. Recently, both the devices were spotted on the popular benchmarking platform Geekbench revealing some specs and the single-core and multi-core test scores. Now, both these smartphones have made it again to the rumor mill revealing the model numbers which it will carry. While the Pixel 3 Lite smartphone is tipped to carry a model number G020B, the Pixel 3 XL Lite is said to come with a model number G020F. Google is said to design the new Pixel 3 Lite and the Pixel 3 XL Lite for the emerging markets such as India. It is further suggested that both the devices will be manufactured by Foxconn which is Taiwanese electronics manufacturer. The Pixel 3 Lite is expected to carry a price tag below Rs 40,000 in the Indian market. The tech giant is expected to bring the smartphones soon in the Indian market; however, there is no specific information available on the launch date. Like we mentioned earlier, both the Pixel 3 Lite and the Pixel 3 XL Lite have shown up on Geekbench recently. Both the smartphones are tipped to run on a premium mid-range Snapdragon 710 chipset which will be paired with 4GB of RAM. The Geekbench listing also shared the single-core and multi-core test scores of the device which logged at 1,640 and 4,973 points respectively. Besides, some other leaks suggest that the Pixel 3 Lite will sport a 5.5-inch FHD+ display panel with a screen resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels and an aspect ratio of 19:9. This means it is optimum for high-resolution video playback. It is also speculated that the device will run on Android Pie and will be backed by a 2,915mAh battery unit. Source 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 Thank you for reading! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content. Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021. OK, Rich Daley got elected six times by the people in this city, OK, and they voted for him, Bill Daley snapped at critics during a Sun-Times mayoral forum Tuesday. Now, you can insult them (voters) and think that theyre all idiots because they voted for him, and thats basically what youre hearing here. Im sick and tired of hearing people talk about the people of this city who voted for somebody six times, as though theyre all idiots for doing that. Crime top story Walworth County treatment courts face uncertain future after DA questions role Walworth County Judicial Center in Elkhorn, Wis. Zeke Wiedenfeld Katie Behl David Reddy Kristina Secord Picknell Nancy Russell Daniel Johnson ELKHORN The future of Walworth Countys treatment courts is uncertain after District Attorney Zeke Wiedenfeld at a special meeting Tuesday questioned his offices participation in the programs and its level of control over who enters them. Wiedenfeld told other members of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee that his concerns are a matter of public safety. But his statements led other members of the committee to speak out in favor of the programs. And while there were procedural challenges and debates about who gets into treatment courts, the human impact hangs over all of it. In late 2016 and 2017, six people overdosed and died before entering drug treatment court after being made eligible for the program or after being denied entry and receiving different sentences, such as probation, said treatment court coordinator Katie Behl. Meanwhile, there were open spots in the program that is grant-funded to fit 25 participants. Its just its tragic, Behl said. And its not to say its anyones fault Some of my urgency to get people into programming right out the gate is because Im the one who sees them. Im the one who talks to them. Im the one who listens to their story. And two weeks later they die. District attorneys concerns Most questions from Tuesdays meeting went to Wiedenfeld. Although treatment courts would not necessarily cease to exist without the participation of the district attorneys office, some committee members, including Judge Phillip Koss, signaled they would not support programs without it. Wiedenfeld said he is concerned with a treatment-court structure that does not give his office authority to limit who gets into the programs. He said he did not know if he wanted to be involved with a program where its up to the judges. The judge who oversees drug court, Daniel Johnson, said I dont think its fair to essentially accuse the judges of willy-nilly sending people into these programs whenever we feel like it without a rhyme or a reason to it. Judge David Reddy, who is the project director for the countys treatment courts, said only two of the 69 entries into drug court were against the recommendation of the DAs office. Wiedenfeld said its his philosophy to be proactive and address small problems before theyre big. Wiedenfeld said he requested more detailed eligibility criteria for program entry. He was more concerned with drug court instead of OWI court because the latter has more explicit rules as to who can and cannot enter the program (only third- and fourth-offense intoxicated driving offenders). OWI court started in Walworth County in October 2011, and drug court in July 2014. Without final say over program entry and clear criteria, Wiedenfeld said he was worried about safety. There could be participants who dont have a violent felony offense but have a history of domestic violence, he said. Or perhaps drug dealers could join the treatment setting and take advantage of potential buyers. Behl responded by saying research shows violent offenders do better than nonviolent offenders in treatment courts. She said theres no research, negative or positive, about drug dealers in such courts. Reddy asked Sheriff Kurt Picknell and Elkhorn Police Chief Joel Christensen if they had safety concerns with treatment courts. Christensen said they always must consider public safety. Picknell agreed that they will always be cautious. On the topic of public safety, Clerk of Courts Kristina Secord said all but one relevant case from 2017 that did not go to drug court ended with probation. How would that be safer than treatment court? Wiedenfeld said sentencing decisions are not always up to him. But in plea deals, he said, they consider when people go through intensive treatment on their own. For some, thats better than drug court, he said. But Reddy said length of time in treatment has a direct effect on outcome. A 30-day treatment program does not compare to the average for drug court, which is 86 weeks. This is especially true for opiates and opioids, said Carlo Nevicosi, of the countys Department of Health & Human Services. And thats one of the founding things of treatment courts, Behl, the coordinator and chair of the committee said. Is that it holds individuals in participation in treatment longer than they would outside on their own, even more than probation. All it takes is one person While he was incarcerated between 2005 and 2011, Ted Hawver spent time in solitary confinement. The treatment in the penal system, he said, is not up to par with what Walworth Countys treatment courts offer. He graduated from OWI court and spoke during the public comment period at Tuesdays meeting. He said he has been sober for about five years. Treatment court gave me an opportunity to change my life, he said. I think its just common sense, he continued. Jail or treatment. Treatment: People can become productive members of the community again. You throw them in jail: The recidivism rate speaks for itself. Wiedenfeld said he and others on the committee support treatment. But he also said he thinks there should be stronger sentences on drug cases, and treatment is not an entitlement but rather an opportunity people should act on. Walworth County Board Chairwoman Nancy Russell said taxpayers are not gonna be happy if the treatment courts go away. I think it would be a terrible thing if we stop doing this, Russell said. Because then were turning our back on a lot of people in Walworth County who really need this program. Behl said OWI court has saved $2.7 million after saving more than 41,000 days worth of jail supervision. She provided other statistics from the National Drug Court Institute in June 2016: The average graduation rate in drug courts increased to 59 percent in 2014 (Walworth Countys is currently at 56 percent, up from 44 percent in 2016). Drug court reduces crime by as much as 45 percent compared to traditional sentences. 75 percent of drug court graduates remain arrest free at least two years after leaving the programcompared to just 30 percent of individuals released from prison. Picknell said all those in attendance at the meeting showed the desire and resolve of the group to find a solution. Committee members said they planned to meet again to further discuss the subject. At the end of the day, all it takes is one person, Behl said. Treatment courts just need to save one life to make the program worth continuing. Senate Bill 225 would change that by allowing nonaffilated voters to participate in their own primary. Under the proposal, nonaffiliated candidates could file for office. Nonaffiliated voters would then choose among those candidates, and the winner would advance to the general election. Now, some of you might be thinking this: Doesn't this turn nonaffliated voters into what amounts to another political party? That's a good question. Hold onto it for a few more paragraphs. The reason Richardson is concerned about nonaffiliated voters is that they've emerged over the last few years as a substantial bloc: In Oregon, some 880,000 voters (including the writer of this editorial) are registered as nonaffiliated. The number of such voters in Oregon is larger than the number of registered Republicans. Part of the reason for the growth in the ranks of nonaffiliated voters has to do with the state's so-called "motor voter" law, which automatically registers people to vote when they get or renew a driver's license. Voters who are registered through the motor voter law are assumed to be nonaffiliated unless they specify a party. Voters can specify their preferred party on a card that is mailed to them. If voters don't return the cards, they remain on the voting rolls as nonaffiliated, which explains the upsurge in those ranks. Galveston, TX (77553) Today Scattered thunderstorms, especially during the morning. High 88F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight A few clouds. Low 82F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. A celebration of life for Barabra Zackery, 79, of Gainesville, will be held at a later date. A full obituary will be published when service times have been scheduled. Barbara passed away on June 15, 2021 in Gainesville. You may sign the online registry at www.geojcarroll.com. Have any questions? Please give us a call at 907-352-2250 Doing good old-fashioned live television once in a while is a Trump-era innovation begun by Colbert, who has credited live shows with helping him find his sea legs as Late Show host. The fact that so many now are willing to do the extra work to be as up-to-the-minute about this president as possible is a good thing for comedy, if not necessarily for the republic. Uh-oh! It could be you, or it could be us, but there's no page here. Done right, this rate structure can help lower electricity costs across the board for Virginians and improve grid reliability. It is critical that the utility also provide consumers with greater access to data regarding their energy use. Virginians cannot take advantage of more efficient rates, like TVRs, if they dont know when theyre using energy. Data access can also help sophisticated consumerslike businesses, industry, colleges and universitiesidentify the best services and technologies, from energy performance contracting to rooftop solar energy, for their needs. Most consumers do not have the time to analyze their granular energy data and determine whether solar or smart thermostats make sense for them. That is why data access should be paired with insight and analysis, providing consumers with concrete steps to invest wisely, save money, and meet their sustainability goals. The utility should make such analytics as part of any modernization plan while also providing access for third parties to offer such services direct to consumers. School officials are using the live birth rate in Fredericksburgs 22401 ZIP Code to be able to project how many students will enter kindergarten. There are 351 enrolled in kindergarten at Hugh Mercer this year. While enrollment is projected to drop to 300 next school year, it could be higher if this year proves to be a trend instead of an anomaly. Without additional staff members, frankly, were playing catch up. I feel for the teachers who spoke to us tonight because we havent been able to hire the teachers we need to put in the classrooms to reduce those numbers. Its that simple, said Melton. If we do not add these new positions, then we are going to be in worse shape next year than we are this year. School Board member Jannan Holmes asked what school employees raises will actually be if they have to pick up part of the increase in health insurance. Baker told her that it will depend on their salary and what tier theyre on. He said that hes been talking with Anthems Local Choice representative, whos told him that a firm figure should be available in a few weeks. Chairwoman Malvina Kaye asked Baker if hed looked into other providers to see if he could get a better deal. He said teachers would like the school system to keep Local Choice because of the providers in its network. Were putting as much pressure on them as we can, Baker said. We have an outside broker who tries to find the best price for us. 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 woman was robbed at gunpoint in the parking lot of a North Stafford bank Tuesday morning, police said. Stafford Sheriffs 1st. Lt. Chris Cameron said the incident took place outside the PNC Bank in Aquia Town Center. The victim is a customer at the bank. The robber was described only as a black male wearing gray clothes and a white mask. A large number of deputies responded to the scene, but the robber had not been apprehended as of Tuesday night. Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriffs Office at 540/658-4400. Keith Epps 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 school administration has contacted all of the parents involved as well as sent a message out to their parent community to inform them of the situation, Erow said. 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. In an age where consumers are increasingly embracing the buy local movement, community-focused Pet Supplies Plus has long been Americas favorite local specialty store for people passionate about their pets. The thriving national brand, with a neighborhood feel, is also the perfect franchise fit. Mike and Rachel Zavasky are a dynamic father-daughter franchise duo who own two Pet Supplies Plus locations in Pennsylvania and recently opened a third store in Florida. When the pair decided to team up in business, they did their due diligence, researching all types of brands from yogurt shops to bagels to bird supplies before deciding on Pet Supplies Plus. A visit to the corporate office of the Livonia, Michigan-based franchise sealed the deal for the successful multi-unit franchisees. They are just so great, notes Mike, who was a successful insurance executive before turning to franchising. Speaking from my own corporate experience, its clear that the team at Pet Supplies Plus has a good thing going. It is a proven concept and a business that will last. And there is a lot of momentum in this very large market segment. With overall spending in the pet industry projected to soar to an all-time high of $96 billion by 2020*, Pet Supplies Plus leads the way in the industry as a top franchise poised for growth. The franchise, founded in 1988, operates more than 450 stores in 33 states. The brand is known for its personalized approach, offering a variety of natural foods, hard goods, and pet services in a welcoming way. The Zavaskys epitomize the brands focus on community service through partnerships and events with local animal shelters, nonprofits, and rescue organizations. The franchise owners even helped put on a benefit concert with the Humane Society featuring the rock band Gin Blossoms. Pet Supplies Plus stores are also known for fun, pet-bonding events designed to socially connect pet parents in the community. Other neighbor-centric features include self-pet wash stations, new pet parent education, and carry-out service in which team members carry heavy items to neighbors cars for every neighbor, every time, at every store. This type of hands-on time in the stores and within the community is the favorite part of the business for Rachel Zavasky, who serves as Director of Operations for the stores, and also assists her father with payroll, invoicing, and event planning. I enjoy engaging with the neighbors and team members, says Rachel. Its really great when we get to help neighbors with their pets allergies or issues. They are so happy and appreciative of the help. Theres a lot to love about the brand. Pet Supplies Plus is among the top 50 in Entrepreneur Magazines Franchise 500 Ranking and the #1 pet industry brand for the last 5 years. Franchise owners cite the low fees and labor costs as key benefits. According to the brands current Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), stores have averages sales of over $2.2 million**. For franchisees, Pet Supplies Plus is a solid investment backed by over 30 years of leadership and support. They have proven expertise and are always available to help improve business, notes Mike, who also cited his District Team Leader, a special regional mentor provided to every Pet Supplies Plus Franchise Owner, as a key asset to the onboarding process. We welcome all their suggestions and have had success in implementing them, he adds. Pet Supplies Plus is seeking to expand its winning franchise model with business savvy pet lovers with growth markets available across the country, with special emphasis west of the Mississippi River. To learn more about the Pet Supplies Plus franchise opportunity, visit https://www.petsuppliesplus.com/franchise/. *According to https://blog.marketresearch.com/projected-2017-trends-in-the-pet-industry. **According to Pet Supplies Plus 2018 FDD. Sola Salon Studios Announces Expansion To South America With The Opening Of Its First Location In Brazil February 06, 2019 // Franchising.com // DENVER, CO - Sola Salon Studios, the leader in the salon studio category for beauty professionals, is excited to announce the opening of their first South America location in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as part of their international expansion. Sola Salon Studios provides high-end, fully-equipped studios for professionals, along with in-depth, innovative marketing, education, technology and business tools and support. During a special launch event, over 50 key industry and media members gathered with presentations by Rodrigo Miranda, General Manager of Sola Salon Studios in Brazil, Richard Klevenhusen of the Brazilian Association of Beauty Salons, as well as top management from Sola Salon Studio corporate team. The Sola location in Rio de Janiero encompasses 4,915 square feet and offers 22 studios, a coffee shop, reception area and waiting room for guests. Brazil, as one the largest, strongest and most important beauty markets in the world, was the natural choice for Solas first initiative in South America. This expansion into Brazil is a significant milestone for us and underscores the success of our business model and concept. We are grateful and excited to be able to bring Sola to Brazil. We look forward to continued growth in Brazil and beyond, stated Ben Jones, VP of Business Development, who leads Solas international expansion efforts. Rodrigo Miranda, who brings extensive experience in the beauty industry and was a former LOreal executive, will lead the expansion plan for Sola in Brazil. We decided to bring this superior business model to Brazil after observing the difficulty that beauty professionals have relative to setting up and running a successful establishment here. Sola Salon Studios provides a cost-effective, turnkey solution for anyone wanting to run and own their own business. I did a great deal of research and Sola was the only organization that provides not only state-of-the-art studios, but the essential infrastructure and organizational support that is needed, commented Miranda. The expansion plans in Brazil call for an additional 50 Sola locations in the country over the next 10 years. Sola Salon Studios currently have over 400 locations in North America with over 12,000 beauty professionals. About Sola In 2004, Sola Salon Studios was established with the opening of our first location in Denver, CO. Now with more than 400 locations open nationwide, we are proud to offer salon professionals the freedom and benefits of salon ownership without the upfront costs and risks associated with opening a traditional salon. Our innovative salon model empowers hairdressers, estheticians, nail techs, massage therapists and other like-minded professionals to take control of their lives and their careers. We provide beauty professionals with high-end, fully-equipped salon studios alongside the support and tools they need to launch their salon business in no time. Media Contact: Dina Elliot President & Co-Founder Exit One Solutions O. 239.598.0246 Dina.Elliot@exitonesolutions.com SOURCE Sola ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Lightbridge Foundation Awards $68,000 in 20th Anniversary Year Lightbridge Academys philanthropic arm was seeking to award $20,000 to grant 20 wishes to celebrate its anniversary. To say the team exceeded its goal is an understatement. February 06, 2019 // Franchising.com // ISELIN, NJ - The best part of achieving your goals is the ability to set another, higher goal. Early education and child care franchise Lightbridge Academy can attest to this on multiple fronts thanks to a wildly successful year celebrating two decades in business. Giving back has been a part of the brands DNA from the beginning; founder and CEO Guy Falzarano created the Lightbridge Foundation as an extension of the brands Circle of Care philosophy in 2001, just three years after its first center opened. To date, the Lightbridge Foundation has given away nearly $450,000 to those in need -- including a whopping $68,000 awarded in grants and support this year. Dina Duffy, the foundations executive director, explained her teams original goal was to grant 20 wishes with $20,000 in celebration of Lightbridge Academys 20th anniversary. The Lightbridge Foundation raised funds through a variety of activities and events, including its inaugural Field Day, an event full of fun games and friendly competition challenges--including a baby race-- that Duffy said had phenomenal participation from kids, their families and Lightbridge staff across all of its locations. Field Day and several other events helped the foundation raise nearly $40,000 over the year, which when coupled with funds reserved from prior years, allowed for a record $68,000 in donations being awarded by the Lightbridge Foundation. For Duffy, being able to support the greater community in such a substantial way holds great personal meaning. I lost my son two years ago, and if it wasnt for my Lightbridge family, I dont know what I would have done, Duffy said. When you go through something like that, you want to reach out to others to help them with what theyre going through. The Lightbridge Foundation prides itself on supporting anyone who falls within the company's Circle of Care philosophy: children, families, staff, franchisees and the greater community regardless of their affiliation with Lightbridge. Duffy detailed the variety of community members the foundation granted wishes to over the course of the year, from a staff member who needed medical equipment in order to come home from the hospital, to children diagnosed with cancer in need of expensive support, to a community member with nine children who lost everything in a fire. We work very hard to find some way to help, Duffy said. Whether it is through active participation in community events, volunteering or providing financial support, theres heart involved. For us, its all about demonstrating that we care deeply for those families in need and are here to support them through their journey. One beneficiary of the Lightbridge Foundation was Lisa Hayward, a longtime Lightbridge Academy staff member who began her career while still in college as a teachers assistant located in Rutherford, New Jersey. Hayward eventually received a full-time teaching position at another Lightbridge center in nearby Clifton where she has worked ever since. When Haywards triplet daughters were born prematurely, the foundation stepped in to help. When my daughters were born at 29 weeks, we didnt know what to expect, Hayward said. Lola and Delilah spent 66 days in the NICU, while Stella spent 113 days there. I was on a lengthy maternity leave, some of which was unpaid. The Lightbridge Foundations grant helped us pay for expenses for travel to NYC to see our girls daily, as well as help us make ends meet before I could go back to work. For Hayward, Lightbridges impact on her family goes far beyond the tangible support they received during an extremely difficult time. The family at Lightbridge has been part of our lives for a long time, she said. Not having to stress about financial issues, being able to focus on our girls getting stronger and enjoying our time together. I was completely taken aback and didnt expect such generosity. Now happy and healthy, Haywards daughters are enrolled in Lightbridge Academy. The staff is extremely supportive of us as parents and our girls, and we know that their time there will be well spent, she said. After an incredible year of giving, Duffy is already motivated and ready to kick into high gear for next years efforts to support deserving individuals within the Circle of Care like Hayward and her family. There is never a lack of families needing support, Duffy said. Its my job as executive director to raise the funds and resources to help the foundation meet that demand. We are reaching out to larger companies and conducting bigger fundraising events than just inside our centers. I know the difference we make and am passionate about continuing to building the Lightbridge Foundation in order to supporting the families in the communities we serve. About Lightbridge Academy Established in 1997, Lightbridge Academy provides early education and child care to children ages six weeks through kindergarten, as well as special programming for children up to 10 years old during school holidays, breaks and summer camp. The company franchised in 2011 in an effort to expand their distinctive concept throughout the Northeast; it currently has over 100 child care centers either open, under construction or in development throughout Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Guy and Julia Falzarano founded the company based on core values and a Circle of Care philosophy that places equal importance on the needs of children, their families, teachers, center owners, and the community. Lightbridge Academy was ranked on the Entreprenuer Magazine Franchise 500 in 2019 and on the Franchise Times Top 200+ in 2018. To learn more about Lightbridge Academy, prospective families and franchisees are encouraged to visit www.LightbridgeAcademy.com or call (732) 980-1900 x 199. Media Contact: Lauren Turner No Limit Agency lauren@nolimitagency.com 312-526-3996 SOURCE Lightbridge Academy ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus In this file photo, President Donald Trump speaks on the possibility of a government shutdown during the signing ceremony for the First Step Act and the Juvenile Justice Reform Act in the Oval Office of the White House December 21, 2018 in Washington, DC. When Trump gave his State of the Union address last year, he was coming off one of the highest points in his presidency. (CNN) -- President Donald Trump delivered his 2019 State of the Union address on Tuesday. Read the President's speech as prepared for delivery and released by the White House. Madam Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, the First Lady of the United States, and my fellow Americans: We meet tonight at a moment of unlimited potential. As we begin a new Congress, I stand here ready to work with you to achieve historic breakthroughs for all Americans. Millions of our fellow citizens are watching us now, gathered in this great chamber, hoping that we will govern not as two parties but as one Nation. Trump calls for end of resistance politics in State of Union Facing a divided Congress for the first time, President Donald Trump on Tuesday called on Washington to reject "the politics of revenge, resistance and retribution." The agenda I will lay out this evening is not a Republican agenda or a Democrat agenda. It is the agenda of the American people. Many of us campaigned on the same core promises: to defend American jobs and demand fair trade for American workers; to rebuild and revitalize our Nation's infrastructure; to reduce the price of healthcare and prescription drugs; to create an immigration system that is safe, lawful, modern and secure; and to pursue a foreign policy that puts America's interests first. There is a new opportunity in American politics, if only we have the courage to seize it. Victory is not winning for our party. Victory is winning for our country. This year, America will recognize two important anniversaries that show us the majesty of America's mission, and the power of American pride. In June, we mark 75 years since the start of what General Dwight D. Eisenhower called the Great Crusade -- the Allied liberation of Europe in World War II. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, 15,000 young American men jumped from the sky, and 60,000 more stormed in from the sea, to save our civilization from tyranny. Here with us tonight are three of those heroes: Private First Class Joseph Reilly, Staff Sergeant Irving Locker, and Sergeant Herman Zeitchik. Gentlemen, we salute you. In 2019, we also celebrate 50 years since brave young pilots flew a quarter of a million miles through space to plant the American flag on the face of the moon. Half a century later, we are joined by one of the Apollo 11 astronauts who planted that flag: Buzz Aldrin. This year, American astronauts will go back to space on American rockets. In the 20th century, America saved freedom, transformed science, and redefined the middle class standard of living for the entire world to see. Now, we must step boldly and bravely into the next chapter of this great American adventure, and we must create a new standard of living for the 21st century. An amazing quality of life for all of our citizens is within our reach. We can make our communities safer, our families stronger, our culture richer, our faith deeper, and our middle class bigger and more prosperous than ever before. But we must reject the politics of revenge, resistance, and retribution -- and embrace the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise, and the common good. Together, we can break decades of political stalemate. We can bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions, forge new solutions, and unlock the extraordinary promise of America's future. The decision is ours to make. We must choose between greatness or gridlock, results or resistance, vision or vengeance, incredible progress or pointless destruction. Tonight, I ask you to choose greatness. Over the last 2 years, my Administration has moved with urgency and historic speed to confront problems neglected by leaders of both parties over many decades. In just over 2 years since the election, we have launched an unprecedented economic boom -- a boom that has rarely been seen before. We have created 5.3 million new jobs and importantly added 600,000 new manufacturing jobs -- something which almost everyone said was impossible to do, but the fact is, we are just getting started. Wages are rising at the fastest pace in decades, and growing for blue collar workers, who I promised to fight for, faster than anyone else. Nearly 5 million Americans have been lifted off food stamps. The United States economy is growing almost twice as fast today as when I took office, and we are considered far and away the hottest economy anywhere in the world. Unemployment has reached the lowest rate in half a century. African-American, Hispanic-American and Asian-American unemployment have all reached their lowest levels ever recorded. Unemployment for Americans with disabilities has also reached an all-time low. More people are working now than at any time in our history --- 157 million. We passed a massive tax cut for working families and doubled the child tax credit. We virtually ended the estate, or death, tax on small businesses, ranches, and family farms. We eliminated the very unpopular Obamacare individual mandate penalty -- and to give critically ill patients access to life-saving cures, we passed right to try. My Administration has cut more regulations in a short time than any other administration during its entire tenure. Companies are coming back to our country in large numbers thanks to historic reductions in taxes and regulations. We have unleashed a revolution in American energy -- the United States is now the number one producer of oil and natural gas in the world. And now, for the first time in 65 years, we are a net exporter of energy. After 24 months of rapid progress, our economy is the envy of the world, our military is the most powerful on earth, and America is winning each and every day. Members of Congress: the State of our Union is strong. Our country is vibrant and our economy is thriving like never before. On Friday, it was announced that we added another 304,000 jobs last month alone -- almost double what was expected. An economic miracle is taking place in the United States -- and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics, or ridiculous partisan investigations. If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation. It just doesn't work that way! We must be united at home to defeat our adversaries abroad. This new era of cooperation can start with finally confirming the more than 300 highly qualified nominees who are still stuck in the Senate -- some after years of waiting. The Senate has failed to act on these nominations, which is unfair to the nominees and to our country. Now is the time for bipartisan action. Believe it or not, we have already proven that it is possible. In the last Congress, both parties came together to pass unprecedented legislation to confront the opioid crisis, a sweeping new Farm Bill, historic VA reforms, and after four decades of rejection, we passed VA Accountability so we can finally terminate those who mistreat our wonderful veterans. And just weeks ago, both parties united for groundbreaking criminal justice reform. Last year, I heard through friends the story of Alice Johnson. I was deeply moved. In 1997, Alice was sentenced to life in prison as a first-time non-violent drug offender. Over the next two decades, she became a prison minister, inspiring others to choose a better path. She had a big impact on that prison population -- and far beyond. Alice's story underscores the disparities and unfairness that can exist in criminal sentencing -- and the need to remedy this injustice. She served almost 22 years and had expected to be in prison for the rest of her life. In June, I commuted Alice's sentence -- and she is here with us tonight. Alice, thank you for reminding us that we always have the power to shape our own destiny. When I saw Alice's beautiful family greet her at the prison gates, hugging and kissing and crying and laughing, I knew I did the right thing. Inspired by stories like Alice's, my Administration worked closely with members of both parties to sign the First Step Act into law. This legislation reformed sentencing laws that have wrongly and disproportionately harmed the African-American community. The First Step Act gives non-violent offenders the chance to re-enter society as productive, law-abiding citizens. Now, States across the country are following our lead. America is a Nation that believes in redemption. We are also joined tonight by Matthew Charles from Tennessee. In 1996, at age 30, Matthew was sentenced to 35 years for selling drugs and related offenses. Over the next two decades, he completed more than 30 Bible studies, became a law clerk, and mentored fellow inmates. Now, Matthew is the very first person to be released from prison under the First Step Act. Matthew, on behalf of all Americans: welcome home. As we have seen, when we are united, we can make astonishing strides for our country. Now, Republicans and Democrats must join forces again to confront an urgent national crisis. The Congress has 10 days left to pass a bill that will fund our Government, protect our homeland, and secure our southern border. Now is the time for the Congress to show the world that America is committed to ending illegal immigration and putting the ruthless coyotes, cartels, drug dealers, and human traffickers out of business. As we speak, large, organized caravans are on the march to the United States. We have just heard that Mexican cities, in order to remove the illegal immigrants from their communities, are getting trucks and buses to bring them up to our country in areas where there is little border protection. I have ordered another 3,750 troops to our southern border to prepare for the tremendous onslaught. This is a moral issue. The lawless state of our southern border is a threat to the safety, security, and financial wellbeing of all Americans. We have a moral duty to create an immigration system that protects the lives and jobs of our citizens. This includes our obligation to the millions of immigrants living here today, who followed the rules and respected our laws. Legal immigrants enrich our Nation and strengthen our society in countless ways. I want people to come into our country, but they have to come in legally. Tonight, I am asking you to defend our very dangerous southern border out of love and devotion to our fellow citizens and to our country. Trump announces second Kim summit will take place in Vietnam President Donald Trump announced during Tuesday's State of the Union address that his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will take place in Vietnam on February 27 and 28. No issue better illustrates the divide between America's working class and America's political class than illegal immigration. Wealthy politicians and donors push for open borders while living their lives behind walls and gates and guards. Meanwhile, working class Americans are left to pay the price for mass illegal migration -- reduced jobs, lower wages, overburdened schools and hospitals, increased crime, and a depleted social safety net. Tolerance for illegal immigration is not compassionate -- it is cruel. One in three women is sexually assaulted on the long journey north. Smugglers use migrant children as human pawns to exploit our laws and gain access to our country. Human traffickers and sex traffickers take advantage of the wide open areas between our ports of entry to smuggle thousands of young girls and women into the United States and to sell them into prostitution and modern-day slavery. Tens of thousands of innocent Americans are killed by lethal drugs that cross our border and flood into our cities -- including meth, heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl. The savage gang, MS-13, now operates in 20 different American States, and they almost all come through our southern border. Just yesterday, an MS-13 gang member was taken into custody for a fatal shooting on a subway platform in New York City. We are removing these gang members by the thousands, but until we secure our border they're going to keep streaming back in. Year after year, countless Americans are murdered by criminal illegal aliens. I've gotten to know many wonderful Angel Moms, Dads, and families -- no one should ever have to suffer the horrible heartache they have endured. Here tonight is Debra Bissell. Just three weeks ago, Debra's parents, Gerald and Sharon, were burglarized and shot to death in their Reno, Nevada, home by an illegal alien. They were in their eighties and are survived by four children, 11 grandchildren, and 20 great-grandchildren. Also here tonight are Gerald and Sharon's granddaughter, Heather, and greatgranddaughter, Madison. To Debra, Heather, Madison, please stand: few can understand your pain. But I will never forget, and I will fight for the memory of Gerald and Sharon, that it should never happen again. Not one more American life should be lost because our Nation failed to control its very dangerous border. Melania Trump travels solo to the Capitol again for the State of the Union For the second year in a row, first lady Melania Trump departed the White House solo, 40 minutes ahead of her husband for his State of the Union address. In the last 2 years, our brave ICE officers made 266,000 arrests of criminal aliens, including those charged or convicted of nearly 100,000 assaults, 30,000 sex crimes, and 4,000 killings. We are joined tonight by one of those law enforcement heroes: ICE Special Agent Elvin Hernandez. When Elvin was a boy, he and his family legally immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic. At the age of eight, Elvin told his dad he wanted to become a Special Agent. Today, he leads investigations into the scourge of international sex trafficking. Elvin says: "If I can make sure these young girls get their justice, I've done my job." Thanks to his work and that of his colleagues, more than 300 women and girls have been rescued from horror and more than 1,500 sadistic traffickers have been put behind bars in the last year. Special Agent Hernandez, please stand: We will always support the brave men and women of Law Enforcement -- and I pledge to you tonight that we will never abolish our heroes from ICE. My Administration has sent to the Congress a commonsense proposal to end the crisis on our southern border. It includes humanitarian assistance, more law enforcement, drug detection at our ports, closing loopholes that enable child smuggling, and plans for a new physical barrier, or wall, to secure the vast areas between our ports of entry. In the past, most of the people in this room voted for a wall -- but the proper wall never got built. I'll get it built. This is a smart, strategic, see-through steel barrier -- not just a simple concrete wall. It will be deployed in the areas identified by border agents as having the greatest need, and as these agents will tell you, where walls go up, illegal crossings go way down. San Diego used to have the most illegal border crossings in the country. In response, and at the request of San Diego residents and political leaders, a strong security wall was put in place. This powerful barrier almost completely ended illegal crossings. The border city of El Paso, Texas, used to have extremely high rates of violent crime -- one of the highest in the country, and considered one of our Nation's most dangerous cities. Now, with a powerful barrier in place, El Paso is one of our safest cities. Simply put, walls work and walls save lives. So let's work together, compromise, and reach a deal that will truly make America safe. As we work to defend our people's safety, we must also ensure our economic resurgence continues at a rapid pace. No one has benefitted more from our thriving economy than women, who have filled 58 percent of the new jobs created in the last year. All Americans can be proud that we have more women in the workforce than ever before -- and exactly one century after the Congress passed the Constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote, we also have more women serving in the Congress than ever before. As part of our commitment to improving opportunity for women everywhere, this Thursday we are launching the first ever Government-wide initiative focused on economic empowerment for women in developing countries. To build on our incredible economic success, one priority is paramount -- reversing decades of calamitous trade policies. We are now making it clear to China that after years of targeting our industries, and stealing our intellectual property, the theft of American jobs and wealth has come to an end. Therefore, we recently imposed tariffs on $250 billion of Chinese goods -- and now our Treasury is receiving billions of dollars a month from a country that never gave us a dime. But I don't blame China for taking advantage of us -- I blame our leaders and representatives for allowing this travesty to happen. I have great respect for President Xi, and we are now working on a new trade deal with China. But it must include real, structural change to end unfair trade practices, reduce our chronic trade deficit, and protect American jobs. Another historic trade blunder was the catastrophe known as NAFTA. I have met the men and women of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, New Hampshire, and many other States whose dreams were shattered by NAFTA. For years, politicians promised them they would negotiate for a better deal. But no one ever tried -- until now. Our new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement -- or USMCA -- will replace NAFTA and deliver for American workers: bringing back our manufacturing jobs, expanding American agriculture, protecting intellectual property, and ensuring that more cars are proudly stamped with four beautiful words: made in the USA. Tonight, I am also asking you to pass the United States Reciprocal Trade Act, so that if another country places an unfair tariff on an American product, we can charge them the exact same tariff on the same product that they sell to us. Both parties should be able to unite for a great rebuilding of America's crumbling infrastructure. I know that the Congress is eager to pass an infrastructure bill -- and I am eager to work with you on legislation to deliver new and important infrastructure investment, including investments in the cutting edge industries of the future. This is not an option. This is a necessity. The next major priority for me, and for all of us, should be to lower the cost of healthcare and prescription drugs -- and to protect patients with pre-existing conditions. Already, as a result of my Administration's efforts, in 2018 drug prices experienced their single largest decline in 46 years. But we must do more. It is unacceptable that Americans pay vastly more than people in other countries for the exact same drugs, often made in the exact same place. This is wrong, unfair, and together we can stop it. I am asking the Congress to pass legislation that finally takes on the problem of global freeloading and delivers fairness and price transparency for American patients. We should also require drug companies, insurance companies, and hospitals to disclose real prices to foster competition and bring costs down. No force in history has done more to advance the human condition than American freedom. In recent years we have made remarkable progress in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Scientific breakthroughs have brought a once-distant dream within reach. My budget will ask Democrats and Republicans to make the needed commitment to eliminate the HIV epidemic in the United States within 10 years. Together, we will defeat AIDS in America. Tonight, I am also asking you to join me in another fight that all Americans can get behind: the fight against childhood cancer. Joining Melania in the gallery this evening is a very brave 10-year-old girl, Grace Eline. Every birthday since she was 4, Grace asked her friends to donate to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. She did not know that one day she might be a patient herself. Last year, Grace was diagnosed with brain cancer. Immediately, she began radiation treatment. At the same time, she rallied her community and raised more than $40,000 for the fight against cancer. When Grace completed treatment last fall, her doctors and nurses cheered with tears in their eyes as she hung up a poster that read: "Last Day of Chemo." Grace -- you are an inspiration to us all. Many childhood cancers have not seen new therapies in decades. My budget will ask the Congress for $500 million over the next 10 years to fund this critical life-saving research. To help support working parents, the time has come to pass school choice for America's children. I am also proud to be the first President to include in my budget a plan for nationwide paid family leave -- so that every new parent has the chance to bond with their newborn child. There could be no greater contrast to the beautiful image of a mother holding her infant child than the chilling displays our Nation saw in recent days. Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother's womb moments before birth. These are living, feeling, beautiful babies who will never get the chance to share their love and dreams with the world. And then, we had the case of the Governor of Virginia where he basically stated he would execute a baby after birth. To defend the dignity of every person, I am asking the Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mother's womb. Let us work together to build a culture that cherishes innocent life. And let us reaffirm a fundamental truth: all children -- born and unborn -- are made in the holy image of God. The final part of my agenda is to protect America's National Security. Over the last 2 years, we have begun to fully rebuild the United States Military -- with $700 billion last year and $716 billion this year. We are also getting other nations to pay their fair share. For years, the United States was being treated very unfairly by NATO -- but now we have secured a $100 billion increase in defense spending from NATO allies. As part of our military build-up, the United States is developing a state-of-the-art Missile Defense System. Under my Administration, we will never apologize for advancing America's interests. For example, decades ago the United States entered into a treaty with Russia in which we agreed to limit and reduce our missile capabilities. While we followed the agreement to the letter, Russia repeatedly violated its terms. That is why I announced that the United States is officially withdrawing from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, or INF Treaty. Perhaps we can negotiate a different agreement, adding China and others, or perhaps we can't --- in which case, we will outspend and out-innovate all others by far. As part of a bold new diplomacy, we continue our historic push for peace on the Korean Peninsula. Our hostages have come home, nuclear testing has stopped, and there has not been a missile launch in 15 months. If I had not been elected President of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea with potentially millions of people killed. Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong Un is a good one. And Chairman Kim and I will meet again on February 27 and 28 in Vietnam. Two weeks ago, the United States officially recognized the legitimate government of Venezuela, and its new interim President, Juan Guaido. We stand with the Venezuelan people in their noble quest for freedom -- and we condemn the brutality of the Maduro regime, whose socialist policies have turned that nation from being the wealthiest in South America into a state of abject poverty and despair. Here, in the United States, we are alarmed by new calls to adopt socialism in our country. America was founded on liberty and independence --- not government coercion, domination, and control. We are born free, and we will stay free. Tonight, we renew our resolve that America will never be a socialist country. One of the most complex set of challenges we face is in the Middle East. Our approach is based on principled realism -- not discredited theories that have failed for decades to yield progress. For this reason, my Administration recognized the true capital of Israel -- and proudly opened the American Embassy in Jerusalem. Our brave troops have now been fighting in the Middle East for almost 19 years. In Afghanistan and Iraq, nearly 7,000 American heroes have given their lives. More than 52,000 Americans have been badly wounded. We have spent more than $7 trillion in the Middle East. As a candidate for President, I pledged a new approach. Great nations do not fight endless wars. When I took office, ISIS controlled more than 20,000 square miles in Iraq and Syria. Today, we have liberated virtually all of that territory from the grip of these bloodthirsty killers. Now, as we work with our allies to destroy the remnants of ISIS, it is time to give our brave warriors in Syria a warm welcome home. I have also accelerated our negotiations to reach a political settlement in Afghanistan. Our troops have fought with unmatched valor -- and thanks to their bravery, we are now able to pursue a political solution to this long and bloody conflict. In Afghanistan, my Administration is holding constructive talks with a number of Afghan groups, including the Taliban. As we make progress in these negotiations, we will be able to reduce our troop presence and focus on counter-terrorism. We do not know whether we will achieve an agreement -- but we do know that after two decades of war, the hour has come to at least try for peace. Above all, friend and foe alike must never doubt this Nation's power and will to defend our people. Eighteen years ago, terrorists attacked the USS Cole -- and last month American forces killed one of the leaders of the attack. We are honored to be joined tonight by Tom Wibberley, whose son, Navy Seaman Craig Wibberley, was one of the 17 sailors we tragically lost. Tom: we vow to always remember the heroes of the USS Cole. My Administration has acted decisively to confront the world's leading state sponsor of terror: the radical regime in Iran. To ensure this corrupt dictatorship never acquires nuclear weapons, I withdrew the United States from the disastrous Iran nuclear deal. And last fall, we put in place the toughest sanctions ever imposed on a country. We will not avert our eyes from a regime that chants death to America and threatens genocide against the Jewish people. We must never ignore the vile poison of anti-Semitism, or those who spread its venomous creed. With one voice, we must confront this hatred anywhere and everywhere it occurs. Just months ago, 11 Jewish-Americans were viciously murdered in an anti-semitic attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. SWAT Officer Timothy Matson raced into the gunfire and was shot seven times chasing down the killer. Timothy has just had his 12th surgery -- but he made the trip to be here with us tonight. Officer Matson: we are forever grateful for your courage in the face of evil. Tonight, we are also joined by Pittsburgh survivor Judah Samet. He arrived at the synagogue as the massacre began. But not only did Judah narrowly escape death last fall -- more than seven decades ago, he narrowly survived the Nazi concentration camps. Today is Judah's 81st birthday. Judah says he can still remember the exact moment, nearly 75 years ago, after 10 months in a concentration camp, when he and his family were put on a train, and told they were going to another camp. Suddenly the train screeched to a halt. A soldier appeared. Judah's family braced for the worst. Then, his father cried out with joy: "It's the Americans." A second Holocaust survivor who is here tonight, Joshua Kaufman, was a prisoner at Dachau Concentration Camp. He remembers watching through a hole in the wall of a cattle car as American soldiers rolled in with tanks. "To me," Joshua recalls, "the American soldiers were proof that God exists, and they came down from the sky." I began this evening by honoring three soldiers who fought on D-Day in the Second World War. One of them was Herman Zeitchik. But there is more to Herman's story. A year after he stormed the beaches of Normandy, Herman was one of those American soldiers who helped liberate Dachau. He was one of the Americans who helped rescue Joshua from that hell on earth. Almost 75 years later, Herman and Joshua are both together in the gallery tonight -- seated side-by-side, here in the home of American freedom. Herman and Joshua: your presence this evening honors and uplifts our entire Nation. When American soldiers set out beneath the dark skies over the English Channel in the early hours of D-Day, 1944, they were just young men of 18 and 19, hurtling on fragile landing craft toward the most momentous battle in the history of war. They did not know if they would survive the hour. They did not know if they would grow old. But they knew that America had to prevail. Their cause was this Nation, and generations yet unborn. Why did they do it? They did it for America -- they did it for us. Everything that has come since -- our triumph over communism, our giant leaps of science and discovery, our unrivaled progress toward equality and justice -- all of it is possible thanks to the blood and tears and courage and vision of the Americans who came before. Think of this Capitol -- think of this very chamber, where lawmakers before you voted to end slavery, to build the railroads and the highways, to defeat fascism, to secure civil rights, to face down an evil empire. Here tonight, we have legislators from across this magnificent republic. You have come from the rocky shores of Maine and the volcanic peaks of Hawaii; from the snowy woods of Wisconsin and the red deserts of Arizona; from the green farms of Kentucky and the golden beaches of California. Together, we represent the most extraordinary Nation in all of history. What will we do with this moment? How will we be remembered? I ask the men and women of this Congress: Look at the opportunities before us! Our most thrilling achievements are still ahead. Our most exciting journeys still await. Our biggest victories are still to come. We have not yet begun to dream. We must choose whether we are defined by our differences -- or whether we dare to transcend them. We must choose whether we will squander our inheritance -- or whether we will proudly declare that we are Americans. We do the incredible. We defy the impossible. We conquer the unknown. This is the time to re-ignite the American imagination. This is the time to search for the tallest summit, and set our sights on the brightest star. This is the time to rekindle the bonds of love and loyalty and memory that link us together as citizens, as neighbors, as patriots. This is our future -- our fate -- and our choice to make. I am asking you to choose greatness. No matter the trials we face, no matter the challenges to come, we must go forward together. We must keep America first in our hearts. We must keep freedom alive in our souls. And we must always keep faith in America's destiny -- that one Nation, under God, must be the hope and the promise and the light and the glory among all the nations of the world! Thank you. God Bless You, God Bless America, and good night! The-CNN-Wire & 2019 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved. If we went to a two-dog limit, that would allow a landlord to allow tenants to have two dogs per unit, Oak Park Trustee Dan Moroney said. An individual landlord would be able to override that to make their own rules for their building. It gives the landlord the tool, but they dont have to do that. I could see issues where you have buildings highly populated with dogs that can create problems for adjacent properties. GREENVILLE, SC (FOX Carolina)- The Greenville City Police Department says they arrested a suspect after one person was killed during a fatal shooting on Saturday on Jenkins Street. ANDERSON, SC (FOX CAROLINA) -The Anderson County Sheriff's Office says a man threw about 80 grams of meth out of the window while he was trying to flee from deputies during a traffic stop. After killing the child, Harris wrapped the body and put it in the backseat of a borrowed 1996 Chevrolet Camaro, prosecutors have said. He drove to Chicago, dismembered the body and wrapped the pieces in plastic bags that he weighted with barbells and tossed into the Garfield Park Lagoon, according to prosecutors. Jackson Heights, Queens (WPIX) -- Charges have officially been filed against the suspected MS-13 gang member who allegedly shot and killed a rival gang member on a crowded Queens subway platform Sunday afternoon. Ramiro Gutierrez, who was taken into Police custody on Monday, is now facing charges for murder, gang assault, and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon, authorities said Tuesday. The 26-year-old suspect is accused of shooting and killing 20-year-old Abel Mosso around 1 p.m. Sunday after fighting on a Manhattan-bound 7 train. Mosso is a suspected 18th Street gang member. In graphic surveillance video of the shooting, viewers can see the victim struggling as he was beaten on the ground before six shots are fired. Authorities are still looking for two people of interest. On Monday evening, police released photos of two men wanted for questioning in connection with Sunday's shooting. One is described as 30 to 35 years old, last seen wearing a dark color hat, red scarf, dark sweatshirt, dark pants and white sneakers. The second man is 30 to 35 years old, slim build, and was last seen wearing a gray hoody sweat shirt, black pants, and black sneakers. MS-13 is a transnational street gang pinned for numerous crimes across the country, prompting the FBI in 2004 to start a MS-13 National Gang Task Force. Members have been linked to several crimes and murders on Long Island in recent years. The 18th Street gang is also a "transnational" criminal gang. The two gangs have had previous feuds, Department of Justice records show. The-CNN-Wire & 2019 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved. MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Two demonstrators have been arrested outside the Alabama attorney general's office during a protest over the 2018 shooting death of a black man at a shopping mall. Law enforcement officers on Wednesday afternoon led two women away in handcuffs after a demonstration over the state's decision to clear a police officer in the shooting death of Emantic "EJ" Bradford Jr. Bradford was killed Thanksgiving night by a police officer responding to a shooting at a shopping mall in the Birmingham suburb of Hoover. Demonstrators on Wednesday banged on the front door at the office of Attorney General Steve Marshall in Montgomery. They shouted Bradford's name and demanded to speak with Marshall. Most of the protesters left after a state law enforcement officer read an order to disperse. The two women were arrested on disorderly conduct charges after they returned. One of the women said they returned to get signs and other property that were left behind. A Santa Rosa County woman was found dead in a garage under some household items Tuesday, February 5. At a press briefing on Wednesday, officials confirmed the death of 57-year-old Carrie L. Brewer. Brewer was last seen on Sunday, February 3. According to authorities, deputies were called to 2212 Fulva Drive in Navarre on Tuesday, in response to a missing person at approximately 9:30 a.m. They say shortly after, around lunchtime, deputies were called back to the home after disturbing notes were found suggesting that a homicide had occurred. After obtaining a search warrant, deputies discovered Brewer's body. Early reports suggests that Brewer died from blunt force trauma. Officials have identified 51-year-old Robert Shane Lucas as a person of interest in the case. Lucas is the son-in-law of the victim. According to officials, one of the notes suggests that Lucas was, "going to get a gun," therefore he is considered armed and dangerous. Lucas was arrested after deputies spotted him in the victim's vehicle. He was taken into custody on Bay Street in Gulf Breeze after a chase. MOBILE. Ala. (WALA) -- We're always asking you to send us video of people "Caught In The Act." This next guy is sure glad he did. The suspect in the case is "a repeat offender" and was not only identified but arrested. It was the first theft reported of the new year in Mobile's First Precinct -- a bicycle stolen right outside the Home 2 Suites by Hilton at McGowan Park. It wasn't long after we aired the surveillance video -- that police knew who they were looking for. "A lot of people recognized him. I had people coming at me on Facebook and a couple of phone calls. And text messages of other people who knew him who said yeah, we've seen this guy before. Your segment on this was a big help -- I do believe," said Doug Dabney, owner of the stolen bike. It would take a few weeks to track him down, but Mobile Police arrested 43-year-old Chad Wilkins January 31st. While they've yet to locate the bike -- Dabney is pleased with the work of MPD and also gives credit to Fox 10 News Caught In The Act. "It's a very valuable tool... And I know the police appreciate it. I have to lament back to my story and the story you did just the other day with the guy trying to steal the car and couldn't drive the stick. Where do these people come from -- you gotta wonder... You gotta wonder what people are thinking these days," said Dabney. While Wilkins appears to be smiling in his latest mug shot -- the joke's on him. While you might think stealing a bike is a petty crime -- not this one -- because it was worth nearly a thousand dollars, Wilkins is being charged with felony. If you have video of someone Caught In The Act - be sure to email it to us at fox10reportit@fox10tv.com. We just might show it in our newscast. The family of the man mistakenly shot to death by a police officer on Thanksgiving Night at a Hoover Mall, said justice was not served on Tuesday. This after the state's attorney general said no criminal charges will be filed against that officer. You shoot my child three times and you call that justice, said April Pipkins, EJ Bradfords mom. The Alabama Attorney General's Office released a report and video of the Thanksgiving Day shooting at the Riverchase Galleria Mall on Tuesday. The video shows the chaos and the split second decision a Hoover Police Officer had to make after two people were shot. I think the video itself speaks to what law enforcement has to do in making very quick judgments and how this officer was trained in executing his training in handling this particular situation, said Steve Marshall, the Alabama Attorney General. Erron Brown, the person police now say is responsible for causing the shooting ran off immediately after the shots were fired. In the video released on Tuesday, you can see him entering the JCPenny store. Also in the video at about the same time, you see EJ Bradford Jr. pull out what police say is a gun and then runs toward one of the injured victims. We believe that there is a totality of the story that ultimately demonstrated that this officer perceived EJ Bradford was a direct threat, not only to two people on the ground, but to others in the mall, Marshall said. According to the report and video evidence released on Tuesday, the officer and his partner were stationed nearby when the first shooting happened and in less than five seconds confronted the person they thought was the shooter, 21-year-old EJ Bradford Jr. In the report the officer who opened fire on Bradford Jr. says because of how quick the situation unfolded he did not give a verbal warning before firing. Bradford's dad cannot comprehend how no charges will be filed. This don't make no sense, said EJ Bradford Senior. I spent 12 years in the Marine Corps defending this country, worked at the Birmingham city jail over 26 years. Dealing with law enforcement and this is bull crap that I told was going to happen from the start. The attorney general's office says the report is about transparency. 20-year-old Erron Brown was eventually arrested and charged with attempted murder in the shooting at the mall. Full report can be found here. More than any other factor, I see board meetings spiral out of control when the members, justifiably or not, feel that the board is not being transparent, said association attorney Benjamin Rooney at Keay and Costello in Wheaton. The Prichard man accused of killing his estranged wife and kidnapping their two-year-old daughter is now in custody. JoQuincy McCord surrendered to Mobile Police around 8 p.m. Tuesday. According to police in Pascagoula, McCord shot and killed the child's mother at Bandywood Apartments around 5:15 p.m. After the girl was reported missing, an Amber Alert was issued by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation. Police said after the murder in Pascagoula, McCord fled to Mobile and called police to surrender. He was taken into custody at the Chevron at the corner of Grelot Road and University Boulevard. Mobile Police said the child, Genisis McCord, has been found unharmed and safe. Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO) Q1 2019 Earnings Conference Call Feb. 6, 2019 8:00 a.m. ET Contents: Prepared Remarks Questions and Answers Call Participants See all our earnings call transcripts . Prepared Remarks: Operator Greetings, and welcome to Atmos Energy first-quarter 2019 earnings call. [Operator instructions] As a reminder, this conference is being recorded. I would now like to turn the conference over to your host, Jennifer Hills, vice president, investor relations. Jennifer Hills -- Vice President, Investor Relations Thank you, and good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining us for. This call is being webcast live on the internet. Our earnings release and conference call slide presentation are available on our website at atmosenergy.com. As we review these financial results and discuss future expectations, please keep in mind that some of our discussions might contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Act and the Securities Exchange Act. Our forward-looking statements and projections could differ materially from actual results. The factors that could cause such material differences are outlined on Slide 21 and are more fully described in our SEC filings. Our first speaker is Chris Forsythe, senior vice president and CFO at Atmos Energy. Chris? Chris Forsythe -- Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Thank you, Jennifer, and good morning, everyone. We appreciate your interest in Atmos Energy. Yesterday, we reported fiscal 2019 first-quarter earnings of $158 million, a $1.38 per diluted share, compared with adjusted earnings of $152 million or $1.40 per diluted share in the prior-year quarter. Fiscal 2018 adjusted earnings and diluted earnings per share, excluding $162 million, a $1.49 per diluted share benefit as a result of implementing tax reform last year. Also, yesterday, the board of directors approved the 141st consecutive quarterly cash dividend of $0.525, which represents an indicated annual dividend of $2.10 per share for fiscal 2019, an 8.2% increase over fiscal 2018. Slides 4 and 5 provide details of the quarter-over-quarter changes to operating income for our distribution and pipeline storage segments. I'll touch on a few of the highlights. Contribution margin in our distribution segment rose a net 1% or about $4 million, strong consumption driven by colder weather in October and November when most of weather normalization mechanisms were not yet in effect, contributing an incremental $7.7 million. Weather was 20% colder quarter over quarter with most of our service areas experiencing colder-than-normal conditions. Solid customer growth continued, primarily in our Mid-Tex Division. Over the last 12 months, our distribution segment added a net 36,000 customers, which represents a 1.1% net customer growth. This growth contributed an incremental $3.7 million to contribution margin. The implementation of tax reform into customer bills more than offset rate increases that were implemented in the prior fiscal year and the first quarter, resulting in net $7.3 million decrease in customer rates. However, this had no material impact to the segment's net income as a result of the corresponding reduction in our effective income tax rate. Operating expenses rose 3.5%. Higher employee-related costs, depreciation and ad valorem tax expenses drove this increase. In our pipeline and storage segment, contribution margin increased about $9 million. About two-thirds of this increase relates to new rates that were implement approved in the prior fiscal year through APT's two GRIP filings. Additionally, stronger transportation margins contributed incremental $3.1 million, net of the impact to -- of our Rider REV mechanism as APT continues to benefit from wider spreads. The supply and demand dynamics in the Permian basin combined with colder weather drove a 12% increase in transportation volumes. Operating expenses for this segment increased $11 million or almost 20%. This increase is focused on pipeline integrity work and reflects the timing of these activities. In the current year quarter, APT accelerated some hydrostatic testing that new client provided this fiscal year. In the prior year quarter, pipeline integrity work that had been planned for the first quarter was deferred later into fiscal 2018, resulting in a lower-than-normal expense for that quarter. Additionally, depreciation and ad valorem taxes rose year over year due to last year's capital spending. Consolidated capital spending increased 8.7% to $416 million, about 82% of the spending was dedicated to safety and reliability projects. Cold and wet weather in some of our service areas created challenging conditions, which delayed some projects. However, we benefit from having over 6,000 relatively small projects each year that allow us to quickly reallocate our spending when we face these types of challenges. We remain on track to achieve our capital spending target of $1.65 billion to $1.75 billion for the year. From the financing perspective, we had a very good, very busy quarter, as we completed $1.35 billion in debt and equity financing. And early October, we completed a successful $600 million, 30-year public debt issuance at an interest of 4.3%. The net proceeds were used to pay down outstanding commercial paper. In late November, we issued approximately $750 million of equity. The offering included an equity forward arrangement that will remain in place through March of 2020. At contemplation of the offering, we've received approximately $495 million in net proceeds and allocated the remaining $245 million to the forward. As of December 31, 2018, we had not accessed the net proceeds allocated to the forward. At this time, we anticipate the net proceeds from this issuance will satisfy our equity needs for fiscal 2019. Additionally, in November, we filed a new $500 million at-the-market equity issuance program that will support our equity needs beyond fiscal 2019. As a result of these financing activities, our equity to total capitalization was 59%, and we had no short-term debt at quarter-end. We can consider the $218 million in cash on hand at the end of December, we have approximately $1.8 billion in total equity available to support our capital spending program. After an exceptionally busy year, in fiscal 2018, we completed our fiscal -- we expect our fiscal 2019 regulatory calendar to return to a more traditional cadence. To date, we've implemented $21 million in annualized regulatory outcomes and have about $38 million in progress. General rate cases in Kentucky and for about 15% of our Texas customers and annual filings for TransLa service area in Louisiana, the City of Dallas and Tennessee highlight the key filings that are currently in progress. We continue to implement tax reform into customer bills with completion of our Mississippi and Tennessee annual filings during the first quarter. Virginia is the last stage we have not yet incorporated the effects of tax reform into our rates, but our general rate case currently in progress will address tax reform. We're now focused on finalizing the refund periods for our excess deferred taxes. Slide 20 details the progress we have made on tax reform to date. In summary, we're off to a solid start to the fiscal year. We remain on track to meet our 6% to 8% earnings-per-share growth target. And yesterday, we reaffirmed our fiscal 2019 earnings per share guidance range of $4.20 to $4.35 per diluted share. I will now turn the call over to Mike, for some closing remarks. Mike Haefner -- President and Chief Executive Officer Well, thank you, Chris, for the update on the quarter. And it was a very good quarter, and thank you, for those of you, who are joining us this morning. As you can see from our fiscal first-quarter results, we're off to a very good start to the year. We remain on track to meet our investor -- investment spending goals and our earnings growth targets. The 8.7% increase in capital spending during the first quarter demonstrates our team's consistent, predictable execution of our safety investment strategy. In order to sustain this strategy for the long term, which includes increasing our capital spending from $9 billion, over the past 10 years, to brand $9 billion to $10 billion over the next five years, our team is constantly looking for ways to improve. In the first quarter, we began rolling out new advanced asset data collection technology to field employees and contractors. During construction, crews will collect GPS locations, material, construction methods, operator qualification data for newly constructed pipeline. This will transform the process of asset data collection, data verification, project closings and the transfer of that key data to back-end systems that are used to support operations, maintenance, damage prevention, integrity management and our compliance programs. With thousands of capital projects completed each year, innovations like this that lie at the intersection of emerging technology, business process change and most importantly, our employees, are certainly game changers on our safety journey. This rollout will continue through this year 2019 and also through 2020. This transformational technology is the one example of the many initiatives under way inside the company to scale our capabilities, capture efficiencies and enable our very talented employees to do what they do best, which is investing in safety and serving our customers and members of the community exceptionally well. We're also taking huge steps forward in methods of communicating with key stakeholders. In the first quarter, we implemented interactive project maps for all of our service areas that are displayed on our company's website and show current and recently completed pipe replacement projects, giving our customers and other stakeholders' access to status updates about projects in their communities right down to the street level. For larger projects, we now develop customized websites, conduct door-to-door visits, send out mailings and use other channels, as needed, to most effectively reach our customers. And we're beginning to publish annual operating reports for our regulators and also community leaders. And we meet with officials in the cities we serve to keep them informed of our pipe replacement activity. In December, we issued our first corporate responsibility report under the title of an Integrated Annual Report. We also published our first methane emissions report. Keeping key stakeholders informed, the company actions supporting our long-term commitments to good governance, our employees, customers, the 1,400 communities we serve and the environment. I want to share some of the highlights from these reports. We adhere to strong corporate governance practices including a focus on thought diversity at the board. Women now hold more than 20% of our board seats, and three or four directors who joined the board since 2016 are female or minorities. And this year, the board will further strengthen corporate governance by forming a new board committee to oversee the company's corporate responsibility and sustainability. And our pursuit to be the safest provider of natural gas services, we know that equipping employees with the training tools and support they need to operate safely and contribute at the highest level essential to our success. Employees received more than 53,000 hours of safety training last year and more than 73,000 hours of hands-on technical training in the state-of-the-art Charles K. Vaughan training center in Plano, which is a site of more than 850,000 hours of training since its opening. In part due to this training, the OSHA rate of recordable employee injuries has decreased 23% since 2013. Over the past five years, employees also benefited from more than $1 million in higher education assistance received through the company's Robert W. Best Education Assistance Program. Employees continue to reach new heights in delivering exceptional customer service giving customers more options and convenience when initiating service, calling about a bill or making a payment arrangement. A new Spanish language account center was implemented in the past quarter as well as intelligent call routing technology that anticipates customers' needs and connects them with the most qualified agents. And our customers tell us they like what they see. 96% of our customers are satisfied or very satisfied with their interactions with our contact center agents and 97% are satisfied or very satisfied with our on-site technicians. The company contributed $6.1 million to charitable organizations last year and that includes $2.7 million that went to help customers in need through our Energy Assistance Program. We're also working with 400 community support organizations to give low income families access to federal home energy assistance funds. But I am particularly proud of the contributions our Atmos Energy employees make in the communities, in which they operate. Last year, employees contributed $700,000 during our week of giving campaign and volunteered more than 35,000 hours of their own time to help their community. Also highlighted in the report is the work our team does to protect the environment, which has always been important to our company, our employees, our customers and the communities. As a founding member of the EPA's Natural Gas STAR Methane Challenge Program, we work proactively to improve efficiency and reduce methane emissions. Since 2012, we've replaced over 3,500 miles of pipe, and we've decreased total emissions due to the use and loss of natural gas by 13.7% in our system. Over the next five years, we plan to replace between 5,000 and 6,000 miles of pipeline including all remaining cast iron by 2021, two years earlier than originally planned and between 200,000 and 300,000 field service lines. This will reduce methane emissions another 10% to 15%. As we continue to replace infrastructure, we set a goal to reduce our system's methane emissions by 50% by 2035. In addition to pipeline replacement, we're protecting the environment in other ways. In 2018, we completed our ninth LEED-certified service center and we have four more under way. Over 40% of our customers has signed up for electronic billing, one of the highest percentages in the industry, resulting in savings of approximately 152,000 pounds of paper every year. And we partner with municipal solid waste landfill gas producers to transport renewable natural gas to market. And for safety and to best serve our customers, we review and incorporate state-of-the-art equipment for leak detection, monitoring and leak repair prioritization, including the use of 11 advanced mobile leak detection technology units that are 1,000x more sensitive than traditional technologies. In closing, as always, I'd like to thank our employees for their outstanding efforts. They strive to find ways to improve every day to deliver safe, reliable, affordable and exceptional natural gas service for the nearly $3.3 million customers we serve in over 1,400 communities in our eight-state footprint. They come to work every day, focused on safety, while providing excellent customer service, closely monitoring and maintaining our system and executing our capital spending program. We appreciate your time this morning. We're off to a good start for the year. And now we'll take any questions you may have. Questions and Answers: Operator Thank you. [Operator instructions] Our first question is from Christopher Turnure with J.P. Morgan. Please proceed. Chris Turnure -- J.P. Morgan -- Analyst Good morning, guys. It was helpful that you quantify the impact of wider basis spreads at APT on the quarter. Certainly, good to see that number. It's difficult to do, but could you maybe take a crack at talking about how sustainable that might be throughout 2019 and maybe into 2020? Mike Haefner -- President and Chief Executive Officer It's -- Chris, good morning, by the way, and thanks for being on and for your question. As we've said in the past, it's difficult to predict really beyond the current quarter. We do know that there is additional pipeline capacity expected to come on into service at the end of calendar year. And so we would expect that, that would normalize pricing a little bit. And as you know and a lot of our transport opportunities are opportunistic, as we serve primarily our firm supply customers, which would be the LDCs in our -- on system industrials. And as we get into the summer months, as we saw in the last -- or summer -- last summer, we do an awful lot of maintenance on the pipeline when we're in the off-peak season. So we're not going to get into the prediction for the rest of the year. We're happy we gotten off to a good start and had this opportunity. And again, as you know and others know, that three quarters of any benefits beyond the Rider REV benchmark flow back to our care of customers, which is -- creates yet another opportunity to keep customers' bills low. Chris Turnure -- J.P. Morgan -- Analyst OK. So at least for the first quarter, fair to say, that you're running a little bit ahead of maybe the plan that you had introduced back in November? Mike Haefner -- President and Chief Executive Officer Yes. Chris Forsythe -- Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Yes. Chris Turnure -- J.P. Morgan -- Analyst OK. And then switching gears. I believe, legislation was introduced or at least was being discussed in Texas, to increase oversight of the Railroad Commission. Could you give us any thoughts you have on that, maybe probability of success there, what that might entail or any other legislation that you're keeping your eyes on this session? Mike Haefner -- President and Chief Executive Officer Yes. Chris, there is -- each legislative session, there is legislation that is advanced. And we engage with those legislators, as we are here in Texas. I think, in Texas, this time, it's gotten a little more publicity. But, I mean, the starting point is we all share the same objective, which is pipeline safety and also further acceleration or acceleration of our infrastructure modernization and aging infrastructure replacement. So we don't -- we expect -- we're in discussions right now, trying to find good solutions that are supportive of our strategy and also meet the interest of all other parties. But, again, the general theme is focused on accelerated replacement of infrastructure, which we have been doing and certainly continue to. And then also more visibility and transparency around leak, as leaks appear and mapping of those leaks in Texas, as you may know, we file every six months a leak report with the Railroad Commission and it provides an awful lot of that information. But I think the net of it is, it's very early in the session right now. And, I mean, we're pretty confident at this point in time that things will progress under normal pace and not have any significant impact to it. Chris Turnure -- J.P. Morgan -- Analyst OK. Excellent. Thanks, Mike. Mike Haefner -- President and Chief Executive Officer Thank you, Chris. Operator Our next question is from Charles Fishman with Morningstar Incorporated. Please proceed with your question. Charles Fishman -- Morningstar Inc. -- Analyst Thank you. Two questions. First, and it's probably my misunderstanding. I thought, in the Dallas settlement, you had agreed to a 50% equity cap. And yet I notice on Slide 12, you're requesting the 60%. Is that just -- was that just for that one settlement last year? Or I guess, my understanding was that what you were going to use going forward, but, obviously, that's not the case. Can you talk about that? Chris Forsythe -- Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Sure, Charles. This is Chris. Yes. When we reached at the settlement with the City of Dallas last February, we agreed to reduce our ROE down to 9.8% and increase the equity cap up to 58%. So that's where we are. We also had a similar cap with our Mid-Tex and West Texas RRM mechanisms in Texas that we established about a year ago at this time. So at this point -- and we do have a 15% of our customers, as I mentioned, where we have a statement of intent in progress, they're currently at a 10.5% and 55% ROE. We are currently preparing to go to Austin, in the first step part of March to have that case heard out at this point. But -- and settlement discussions are still ongoing. But the lion share of the state has been set, at 98 -- 9.8% equity -- or ROE and 58% equity cap. Charles Fishman -- Morningstar Inc. -- Analyst OK. But maybe I'm still misunderstanding this. On Slide 12, if I look at the first two filings, one, the filings ones you intent to file. You show an authorized capital structure on the third bullet point on each one of 60% equity. So how does -- why is that 60%? And then it was 58% before. Chris Forsythe -- Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Right. Yes. The requested capital structure is -- under the law, we had to file based on where we ended the test year-end. So we ended it right at 59.7% with all the financing activities that we had in the quarter. So that will just be a point of discussion when we go through the process. And we're actually beginning to close the discovery process right now. Charles Fishman -- Morningstar Inc. -- Analyst So it sounds like the 58% is not really a hard cap, it's subject to discussion at each round? Chris Forsythe -- Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Generally, we try to adhere to the terms, but given where we were at the end of -- at the test year-end, we had to file based on where our equity capitalization was. And remember too, Dallas is on a 13-month average as well. So it looks a little bit different vis-a-vis at the test year-end of September 30. So -- and we will get it worked out and the negotiations. Charles Fishman -- Morningstar Inc. -- Analyst OK. Second question. I noticed on the queue that regulatory excess deferred taxes, let's say, they were $740 million at the end of your '18 fiscal year. They are now at about $718 million, so a $22 million drop during the quarter. I realize Virginia is not in there yet and I realize every jurisdiction has little different amortization schedule. But is that, from a modeling standpoint, as an analyst, that was $22 million, maybe $25 million per quarter is how we'll see that liability going down over the next few years? Is that reasonable? Chris Forsythe -- Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Yes, that sounds about right. I mean, if you go to Slide 20, if you want to try to get a little bit more details in terms of modeling, we have provided the provisional amortization periods by jurisdiction. And if you wanted to get an approximation of the excess deferred taxes by jurisdiction, you can kind of do it somewhat pro rata based upon our rate base and then you can use the amortization periods, provided on Slide 20, to the deck, to help with the modeling on that. Again, it's really difficult right now to -- it's being folded in jurisdiction by jurisdiction. For example, as I mentioned, Mississippi and Tennessee just started, the Tennessee was in mid-October, Mississippi was in the 1st of November, West Texas and Mid-Tex RRMs were in October, so I understand the modeling could be a little bit challenging. But I think the information on Slide 20 is ought to give you a pretty good indication of how that's going to flow back. And at the end of the day with -- it's actually fully implemented and embraced, we expect our customers to benefit more than $125 million per year. So that's inclusive of the 21% rate as well as the flow back of the excess deferred taxes. Charles Fishman -- Morningstar Inc. -- Analyst I'm probably too lazy to do it jurisdiction by jurisdiction. I guess, I was looking for an easy way out. But it sounds like if I do like $100 million per year realizing that once we get Virginia in there, that's probably close? Chris Forsythe -- Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer And Virginia is very small. I -- so if you do the 740 divided by 25, that may be a good way to start, if you're doing some high-level modeling. Yes. OK. That's all I had. Thank you. Operator [Operator instructions] Our next question is from Ryan Levine with Citi. Please proceed with your question. Ryan Levine -- Citi -- Analyst Good morning. Would you be able to comment on the current labor availability within your service territories? And that's -- how that's evolved over the last few quarters? And if there's any [Inaudible] to be a governor to some of the acceleration of the CAPEX programs? Mike Haefner -- President and Chief Executive Officer Yes, I mean, it's a good question and it's something that we've commented around before. We haven't seen a change in the labor market in the last year or so. But it is a constraint for us as we are growing and working with our contractors, so that they can grow their crews. And big issue is not just finding people, but it's people with appropriate qualification to work on our system safely. I mean, we've kind of baked in what we think they're capable of doing in our estimates in terms of pipe replacement that we're able to complete each year, and that's something that we watch very closely. But again, we haven't -- it is a constraint. We factored it into our plans. We believe, we have. And we haven't really seen a change in those mark conditions kind of year over year. So we're pretty comfortable right now with what we're seeing. Ryan Levine -- Citi -- Analyst OK. Thanks. And then second question, is there any update that you're able to communicate around the NTSB investigations and the time line for any type of conclusion? Mike Haefner -- President and Chief Executive Officer Really, there is nothing new for us. I mean, we initially expected the factual report, which would be the first piece that would come out to be somewhere in the end of this first calendar quarter or second calendar quarter. But with the government shutdown, we're not sure what the impact that will have on that. I know they got pretty backed up and there were a number of other investigations that they've had to start up once they got back. So we really don't have any information either way. And -- but, again, the sequence is a factual report typically will come out and then sometime after that would be their safety recommendations. Ryan Levine -- Citi -- Analyst OK. So this is considered a nonessential government agency. So is it safe to assume that no work was done during the shutdown? Mike Haefner -- President and Chief Executive Officer Yes. Ryan Levine -- Citi -- Analyst OK. Thank you. Mike Haefner -- President and Chief Executive Officer Thank you, Ryan. Operator There are no more questions at this time. I would like to... go head, Jen. Jennifer Hills -- Vice President, Investor Relations Thank you, everyone, for joining us this morning. A recording of this call is available for a replay on our website through May 9, 2019. We appreciate your interest in Atmos Energy, and thank you for joining us. Goodbye. Duration: 29 minutes Call Participants: Jennifer Hills -- Vice President, Investor Relations Chris Forsythe -- Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Mike Haefner -- President and Chief Executive Officer Chris Turnure -- J.P. Morgan -- Analyst Charles Fishman -- Morningstar Inc. -- Analyst Ryan Levine -- Citi -- Analyst More ATO analysis This article is a transcript of this conference call produced for The Motley Fool. While we strive for our Foolish Best, there may be errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in this transcript. As with all our articles, The Motley Fool does not assume any responsibility for your use of this content, and we strongly encourage you to do your own research, including listening to the call yourself and reading the company's SEC filings. Please see our Terms and Conditions for additional details, including our Obligatory Capitalized Disclaimers of Liability. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published a patent for Samsung Electronics hinting at the companys brand new plans for the S Pen. This patent focuses on the S Pen doubling as a camera that could provide users with a vastly superior optical zooming system in contrast to the digital zoom. The patent further notes that in general, smartphones are used more for taking photos and an optical zooming function provides superior quality. However, thanks to their thin designs, smartphones are restricted to digital zoom. To get around this problem, Samsungs newly granted patent illustrates that the company might be considering adding a camera with an optical zoom inside a future Note Smartphone S Pen. Since Samsung started innovating the S Pen thanks to the newly added button that allows users to click on to take photos with their phone and control a slide presentation, it seems that the Samsungs granted patent is likely giving us a peek at what to expect of the next-gen S Pen. The camera lens is fit into the upper chamber of the S Pen and a control key that could control the zooming feature. More specifically, Samsungs new optical system may include at least one lens or maybe even more. The patent figure points that this next-gen pen would come with an optical system, an image sensor, a control key, and controller. As Samsung extended the use cases of the S Pen, the granted patent also notes that it may provide a slot in future notebooks and desktop displays to slip the S Pen into. Samsung filed for this patent back in late February 2017 and it was granted today by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Source | Via Q: I live in Wisconsin and have had the same issue with rodents (mice, chipmunks) chewing on my 2017 Prius and 2007 Jeep Cherokee. I purchased the rodent repellent tape, and when repairs were needed, I have the techs apply the tape. I have also tried Bounce dryer sheets and mothballs and cakes. All have had some success, and (knock on wood) I have not had any issues in the past few months. That, though, is changing and not in a way most travelers will be able to afford. United Airlines, continuing the push to serve the needs of its highest-paying customers, said that it is expanding the availability of its most expensive seats and will add, for the first time, first-class seats to some of its smaller, regional jets. worth paying multiplex prices for worth a look, but wait for DVD, unless your favorite actor is in it give it a miss my reaction under consideration my reaction under gag order for now not yet seen by me By Ricardo Brito and Roberto Samora BRASILIA/SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazilian miner Vale SA on Tuesday declared force majeure on some iron ore contracts after a court-ordered halt to a mine responsible for nearly 9 percent of its output following a dam burst which likely killed more than 300 people. The force majeure on some iron ore and pellets sales contracts came after a court on Monday ordered it to stop using eight tailings dams, including one affecting production of about 30 million tonnes of iron ore output per year. By Ricardo Brito and Roberto Samora BRASILIA/SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazilian miner Vale SA on Tuesday declared force majeure on some iron ore contracts after a court-ordered halt to a mine responsible for nearly 9 percent of its output following a dam burst which likely killed more than 300 people. The force majeure on some iron ore and pellets sales contracts came after a court on Monday ordered it to stop using eight tailings dams, including one affecting production of about 30 million tonnes of iron ore output per year. The force majeure is the latest sign of how the Jan. 25 disaster at the tailings dam at Vale's Corrego do Feijao iron ore mine in Brazil's mining heartland of Minas Gerais, which killed 142 people, with 194 still missing, is roiling the broader mining industry. Iron ore prices have surged since the disaster, hitting a nearly two-year high on Monday. The force majeure announcement came as questions swirl around whether more could have been done to prevent the Brumadinho disaster, Brazil's deadliest ever. A report Vale commissioned last year to look into the stability of the tailings dam certified it as sound but raised concerns over its drainage and monitoring systems. The report by German-based TUV SUD, reviewed by Reuters on Tuesday and marked as last updated in August 2018, made a variety of recommendations aimed at improving the safety of the structure, It also said the dam adhered to the minimum legal requirements for stability. Among the issues identified were cracks in drainage channels, which were pictured in the report. The audit also recommended the installation of a new monitoring system able to pick up tiny movements in the soil. LIQUEFACTION Vale said in a statement it had followed the recommendations in the report, which it described as "routine." Vale shares closed almost stable on Tuesday, at 44.68 reais, after having lost 15 percent this month. The report appeared at odds with a statement from TUV SUD the day after the spill, which said "based on our current state of knowledge, no damages were found" during their inspection of the dam. Issues with drainage could be crucial in investigations into the causes of the dam rupture, with a state environmental official telling Reuters that evidence suggested the burst was caused by liquefaction. Liquefaction is a process whereby solid material such as sand loses strength and stiffness, behaving more like a liquid. It is a common cause for the collapse of upstream dams holding mining waste, known as tailings, because their walls are mostly built with dried tailings of sand and clay-like mud. Drainage issues can cause water to seep into the dried tailings, changing their consistency and stability. "To increase dam safety regarding failure from liquefaction, it is recommended to adopt measures to reduce the possibility of a trigger," TUV SUD said in its evaluation of the dam, recommending avoiding work that could cause an "overload" of the dam's reservoir. "The installation of seismological monitoring equipment is also recommended in the vicinity of the dam." TUV SUD did not respond to a request for comment. (Reporting by Ricardo Brito; Additional reporting by Stephen Eisenhammer in Belo Horizonte, Jake Spring in Brasilia, Eduardo Simoes in Sao Paulo and Edward Taylor in Frankfurt; Editing by Bernadette Baum and James Dalgleish) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. US Central Command General Joseph Votel said on Tuesday that militants operating out of Pakistan and Afghanistan continue to threaten Afghan stability as well as stoke tensions between Pakistan and India Washington: Pakistan's actions are often a source of "frustration" to US' regional efforts in Afghanistan, a top American general has said as he asked Islamabad to cease its behaviour undermining stability and play a constructive role in achieving peace in South Asia. During a Congressional hearing, Commander of the US Central Command General Joseph Votel told the lawmakers on Tuesday that militants operating out of Pakistan and Afghanistan continue to threaten Afghan stability as well as stoke tensions between Pakistan and India. "We look to regional actors such as Pakistan to cease behaviour undermining regional stability and play constructive role in achieving peace in Afghanistan as well as the whole of South Asia," General Votel told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. In his testimony, General Votel said that Pakistan has taken positive steps to assist Special US Representative of Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad in support of Afghanistan reconciliation by facilitating talks with the Taliban. But Pakistan "has avoided taking any concrete or irreversible steps such as arresting or expelling Taliban leaders who do not cooperate with reconciliation efforts," he said. Since being appointed in September last, Khalilzad has met with all sides in an attempt to end America's longest war in which the US has lost over 2,400 soldiers in more than 17 years. The Taliban control nearly half of Afghanistan and are more powerful than at any time since the 2001 US-led invasion after the 9/11 terror attacks. "With our strategic focus on reconciliation and regional security, Pakistan has a unique opportunity to make good on its promises of support to US efforts focused on finding a negotiated settlement to the Afghanistan conflict," the US Commander said. If Pakistan plays a positive role in achieving a settlement to the conflict in Afghanistan, the US will have opportunity and motive to help Islamabad fulfil that role, as peace in the region is the most important mutual priority for the US and Pakistan, he said. Pakistan, Votel said, presents the US with challenges and opportunities in the execution of its South Asia Strategy. As a state possessing nuclear weapons that sits at the nexus of Russian, Chinese, Indian, Iranian, and US geopolitical interests, Pakistan will always be a country of importance to the US, he noted. "However, Pakistan's actions are often a source of frustration to the US regional efforts in Afghanistan," Votel said. The Pentagon's posture with Pakistan involves supporting Department of State as they pursue a diplomatic solution with Islamabad to end the conflict in Afghanistan while ensuring that Pakistan's equities are acknowledged and addressed in any future agreement. Votel told lawmakers that Pakistan has not taken concrete actions against the safe havens of violent extremist organisations or VEOs inside its borders. "Similarly, VEOs located in Afghanistan conduct attacks inside Pakistan. This cross-border instability and violence generates tension along both sides of the border," he said. "The suspension of US security assistance funds to Pakistan remains in place. Meanwhile, some US Pakistan military cooperation activities have continued, demonstrating the importance of military cooperation, despite challenges in the bilateral relationship," the general said. By Lesley Wroughton and Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has sent food and medicine to Colombia's border with Venezuela, U.S. officials said on Tuesday, although it is still unclear how the aid will get past the objections of President Nicolas Maduro, who has blocked shipments in the past By Lesley Wroughton and Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has sent food and medicine to Colombia's border with Venezuela, U.S. officials said on Tuesday, although it is still unclear how the aid will get past the objections of President Nicolas Maduro, who has blocked shipments in the past. One official with knowledge of the plans, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the aid will be prepositioned at the main Colombian-Venezuelan border crossing at Cucuta. The U.S. officials said trucks carrying the aid, including high-protein foods, would arrive in Cucuta this week at the request of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who last month declared himself to be the South American nation's interim president. Opposition lawmaker Miguel Pizarro told reporters in Caracas on Tuesday that Guaido's team would communicate the next steps on shipping the aid once it was in place. Shipments were also coming from Venezuelan companies abroad, Colombia, Canada and Germany. Aid groups have asked authorities to allow the aid in, said Caritas, a Catholic aid group. Prepositioning aid in warehouses or in truck convoys at border posts for weeks, or sometimes months, is common while officials negotiate safe passage. Franklin Graham, chief executive of relief group Samaritan's Purse and the son of renowned Christian evangelist Billy Graham, said until humanitarian groups had access inside Venezuela, most aid likely would remain at the border. "I dont know how theyre going to do that, until the political situation changes, said Graham, referring to the dilemma of how to get the aid inside Venezuela. Samaritan's Purse has operated for the past three years in Cucuta, where food, medicine and backpacks are given to Venezuelans heading on foot into Colombia. The group also has managed to get a small amount of aid inside the country, which Graham called "a drop in the bucket" compared to what is needed. "The government of Venezuela needs to open the borders, that's it: Open the borders and let food convoys come into your country, open up your airports and let food flights fly in," said Graham, who said he spoke to U.S. President Donald Trump about the situation in December. FLOW OF MIGRANTS Pressure is growing on Maduro to step down after more than a dozen European Union nations, including Britain, Germany and France, on Monday joined the United States, Canada and a group of Latin American countries in recognising Guaido as Venezuela's legitimate leader. However Russia, China and Turkey continue to back Maduro, accusing Western nations of meddling in Venezuela's internal affairs. The 35-year-old Guaido, the head of Venezuela's National Assembly, has galvanized the opposition with a hopeful message. He has repeatedly called on Venezuela's military, which has remained loyal to Maduro, to support a transition to democracy. The United States could attempt to seek the approval of the United Nations Security Council to deliver aid without Maduro's cooperation, but Russia would likely block such a move. So far, Maduro has rejected foreign aid. "We are not beggars. You want to humiliate Venezuela, and I will not let our people be humiliated," he said on Monday. Maduro's government, overseeing an economic collapse that has prompted 3 million Venezuelans to flee the country, lashed out at the EU nations for recognising Guaido, accusing them of submitting to a U.S. "strategy to overthrow the legitimate government." The Cucuta crossing from Venezuela appeared to be quiet on Tuesday. The largest city along the frontier, Cucuta has borne the brunt of the arriving migrants. Thousands of people cross the pedestrian bridge daily lugging suitcases and plastic bags. "Maduro doesn't want help," said Carolina Rozo, 20, as she crossed the bridge with a wheeled metal shopping cart. "He wants us to be poor. We have to come to buy food because we cannot even get cooking oil and eggs in Venezuela." Those who settle in Cucuta are often Venezuela's poorest. Others walk and bus hundreds of kilometers to other cities in Colombia, or follow thousands of others to Brazil, Peru, Chile and Argentina. With Maduro in control of Venezuela's military and all the territory, getting aid in will be hard, said Jeremy Konyndyk, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development, who has led U.S. government responses to international disasters. "If the goal here is to alleviate suffering, then you do need to be smart about dealing with the power structure that is in place," Konyndyk said. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; Additional reporting by Michelle Nicols at the United Nations, Helen Murphy in Bogota, Mayela Armas in Caracas and Anggy Polanco and Nelson Bocanegra in Cucuta; Editing by Paul Simao) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate passed a Mideast policy bill on Tuesday including a measure that would allow states to penalise businesses that take part in boycotts of Israel and an amendment that breaks with President Donald Trump by opposing any plans for an abrupt withdrawal of troops from Syria. By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate passed a Mideast policy bill on Tuesday including a measure that would allow states to penalise businesses that take part in boycotts of Israel and an amendment that breaks with President Donald Trump by opposing any plans for an abrupt withdrawal of troops from Syria. The Senate backed the Strengthening America's Security in the Middle East Act by a lopsided 77-23 on Tuesday, hours before Trump was to deliver his annual State of the Union speech discussing his policies for the year. Trump is expected to discuss foreign policy in the address to a joint session of Congress, including declaring the Islamic State militant group all but defeated. Many members of Congress, including several fellow Republicans, strongly disagree with a plan Trump announced in December to withdraw 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria on the grounds that the militant group no longer posed a threat. Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who rarely breaks from Trump, introduced the non-binding amendment passed on Tuesday. It acknowledged progress against Islamic State and al Qaeda in Syria and Afghanistan but warned that "a precipitous withdrawal" could destabilise the region and create a vacuum that could be filled by Iran or Russia. The amendment called on the Trump administration to certify conditions had been met for the groups' "enduring defeat" before any significant withdrawal from Syria or Afghanistan. The amendment also includes provisions supported by both Republicans and Democrats to impose new sanctions on Syria and guarantee security assistance to Israel and Jordan. Those are seen as efforts to reassure allies worried about shifts in U.S. policy, including Trump's Syria plan. To become law, however, the bill would need to pass the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives, where it is unlikely to move without significant changes because of concerns about the provision addressing the "Boycott, Divest and Sanction" movement targeted at Israel's treatment of the Palestinians. Opponents of that provision argue that Americans' participation in boycotts is protected by the constitutional right to free speech. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Leganes opened the scoring through forward Martin Braithwaite in the first half, then went a man down early in the second after defender Allan Nyom was sent off following a dangerous sliding tackle on an opponent. The roundtable which saw women defend their rights before the Taliban comes a week after the insurgents held talks with US negotiators in Doha about ending the 17-year war. Both sides touted 'progress' at the conclusion of the six-day discussions in Qatar. Moscow: The Taliban began an extraordinary meeting with high-ranking Afghan politicians including women on Tuesday in Moscow, where rivals of President Ashraf Ghani called for an interim government as they negotiated without him. The unprecedented gathering saw the Taliban outline their vision for Afghanistan including rules around women and the adoption of an Islamic constitution in televised talks before heavyweights, including former president Hamid Karzai. The Taliban led prayers and dined with the leaders some sworn enemies before sitting down for their most significant engagement with Afghan politicians in recent memory. The roundtable which saw women defend their rights before the Taliban comes a week after the insurgents held talks with US negotiators in Doha about ending the 17-year war. Both sides touted "progress" at the conclusion of the six-day discussions in Qatar. The Doha and Moscow talks, though entirely separate, both excluded the government in Kabul, where Ghani has expressed anger at being increasingly sidelined from key peace negotiations. But many of his chief opponents including some contesting presidential elections in July were present in the Russian capital and some called for the formation of an interim government to include the Taliban. "The interim government should also pave the way for a transparent election... so that the political factions including the Taliban take part in the process with peace of mind," Atta Muhammad Noor, an influential former warlord who was invited to Moscow, said on Twitter. It could act as "transition path... through this fragile and messy situation" and convince the insurgents to take part in the political process, he added. The Taliban, who ruled Afghanistan under a ruthless interpretation of Sharia law between 1996 and 2001, said they did not want a "monopoly of power" but "an inclusive Islamic system". But they have refused thus far to talk to Ghani despite his offers for talks, calling his administration a US puppet. "There's something surreal about Afghanistan's most powerful Opposition politicians meeting with the Taliban in order to spark an intra-Afghan dialogue that doesn't include the country's own government," analyst Michael Kugelman of the Wilson Center in Washington said. Ghani's allies in Washington insist Afghans should lead the peace process, and the months-long push by Washington to engage the Taliban has ostensibly been aimed at convincing them to negotiate with Kabul. He has repeatedly said that all Afghans should agree on the need to end hostilities and an eventual withdrawal of foreign forces, but that he would not "surrender to a temporary peace deal". In extraordinary scenes, the Taliban listened as women addressed the Moscow roundtable an unthinkable prospect under their regime, which was toppled by US-led forces in 2001. The insurgents indicated they could loosen some guidelines around women in line with Sharia law extending even to female representation in the parliament. Fawzia Koofi, one of two women invited to Moscow, said the Islamist militants would "have to adapt to a modern Afghanistan". "When they were in power, they would not even let women leave their homes," Koofi, the head of Afghanistan's parliamentary Committee on Women and Human Rights, said. "But now we're hearing women could be prime minister or a minister. It's a change I think. It's a positive step but not enough." But the group stopped short of agreeing to a female president, she added. Under their rule, the Taliban severely curtailed women's liberties, barring them from work and school, and confined women to their homes only allowing them outside with a male escort and hidden beneath a burqa. The Taliban also elaborated on their vision for Afghanistan, including the replacement of the constitution with one crafted by Islamic scholars. "The Kabul government constitution is invalid. It has been imported from the West and is an obstacle to peace," said Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, who headed the Taliban delegation. The group also promised to stamp out poppy cultivation and take steps to prevent civilian casualties in a conflict that has killed and wounded hundreds of thousands. Jarring images of Karzai, a US-appointed president, and other leaders joining Taliban officials in prayer and breaking bread in Russia sparked some anger back home. "If you guys can eat together, laugh and pray together, hug each other, why you are still killing innocent Afghans?" one Facebook user posted. The two-day Moscow talks conclude on Wednesday. The Taliban are scheduled to hold a separate, second round of peace talks with the US in Doha on 25 February. The British prime minister is due in Brussels on Thursday to discuss ways to ensure Britain's orderly withdrawal from the EU and avoid what Tusk warned would be a 'fiasco.' Brussels: European Union leader Donald Tusk on Wednesday condemned those calling for Brexit with no idea how to carry it out, saying he hopes Theresa May now has a "realistic" plan. The British prime minister is due in Brussels on Thursday to discuss ways to ensure Britain's orderly withdrawal from the EU and avoid what Tusk warned would be a "fiasco." But Tusk, standing by Irish leader Leo Varadkar, warned once again that the divorce deal May agreed last year but failed to sell to her parliament will not be reopened. Neither will the deal's "backstop" that ensures an open Irish border, he said, denouncing the British eurosceptics pushing for an abrupt "no deal" departure. "I've been wondering what that special place in Hell looks like, for those who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely," Tusk said. Ireland's Varadkar met Tusk, who represents EU member states as president of the European Council, before talks with EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker. Both top EU officials are due to host May on Thursday, but few in Brussels expect her to come with an acceptable offer to revive the deal, 50 days from Brexit. "Today our most important task is to prevent a no deal scenario," Tusk said, stressing that the EU "is not making any new offer" and the deal is "not open for renegotiation." Offering warm support for his guest, Tusk said the European Union "will not gamble with peace" on the Irish border by removing the backstop from the deal. "I hope that tomorrow we will hear from Prime Minister May a realistic suggestion on how to end the impasse," he said. But he added: "A sense of responsibility also tells us to prepare for a possible fiasco." Varadkar, whose government has stressed the importance of maintaining an open border between Ireland and Northern Ireland after Brexit, thanked Tusk. "While we expect the backstop will never be used, we agreed again today it is needed as a legal guarantee to ensure there is no return to a hard border," he said. May fears she will not be able to command a majority in the House of Commons to ratify a withdrawal that binds Britain into a customs union until the border issue is resolved. On Wednesday, she discussed the issue with Northern Irish leaders in the British province before her difficult visit to Brussels to confront a sceptical Juncker and Tusk. Last month, the House of Commons overwhelmingly rejected the Brexit deal that May had negotiated with the EU over 18 months of painstaking high-stakes diplomacy. May is now looking into changes to satisfy her MPs, who fear the backstop would keep Britain indefinitely tied to EU rules with even closer alignment for Northern Ireland. Speaking in Northern Ireland on Tuesday, May vowed to seek a solution that keeps the border open and preserves the peace that ended years of violence in the British province. The impasse in Brussels has led to heightened fears Britain could crash out of the EU, its closest trading partner, without a deal on March 29, disrupting trade flows. German chancellor Angela Merkel said during a trip to Tokyo on Tuesday: "Two months is not a long time but there is still time, and this should be used by all sides." British MPs who met Juncker's right-hand man, Martin Selmayr, in Brussels on Monday said he did not rule out some kind of legal assurance on the backstop. But Selmayr himself rejected this, tweeting: "On the EU side, nobody is considering this." By Angus McDowall BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's new government will agree to implement all the economic reforms the country promised at an international donor meeting last year, its finance minister said on Tuesday after talks to set policy. By Angus McDowall BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's new government will agree to implement all the economic reforms the country promised at an international donor meeting last year, its finance minister said on Tuesday after talks to set policy. Rival parties formed a new unity government on Thursday after nearly nine months of wrangling. Like the previous coalition, it is headed by Western-backed Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri and includes most major factions. Since the government was formed, a cabinet committee has been working on a draft statement of government policy that will be put to parliament. The ministerial statement will include all the reforms contained in a Paris conference of donors and the commitment to reduce the deficit and carry out fundamental reforms in various sectors, Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil told Reuters. At last year's conference, donors pledged more than $11 billion in infrastructure investment in Lebanon to help boost its weak economy, on condition the country carries out economic reforms. Hariri pledged at the conference to reduce the deficit as a proportion of GDP by a total of 5 percent over five years. Lebanon has one of the world's highest levels of public debt, equivalent to around 150 percent of gross domestic product. The policy statement will be put to cabinet for approval on Wednesday, before it goes to parliament, and will maintain the existing position of keeping out of regional conflicts like Syria, Information Minister Jamal al-Jarrah said earlier. Lebanon declared a principle of "disassociation" in 2012 to keep the deeply divided state formally out of regional disputes such as the lengthy war in neighbouring Syria. Washington had urged it to uphold that after the Iran-backed Hezbollah group gained more influence with another seat in cabinet. Despite the disassociation policy, the heavily armed Hezbollah has been fighting for years in Syria alongside President Bashar al-Assad. "We as a state are committed to distancing ourselves from events in the region," Jarrah said. Hezbollah's bigger role - with three seats out of 30 in cabinet - reflects the greater clout it has obtained from involvement in Syria and gains by allies in May's parliamentary election. The U.S. government has urged Lebanon's new government to ensure resources do not help Hezbollah, which it deems a terrorist organisation. (Reporting by Laila Bassam and Angus McDowall; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Frances Kerry) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. A Hindu temple was vandalised in Pakistan's Sindh province by miscreants who set the holy books and idols on fire, drawing a strong reaction from Prime Minister Imran Khan who ordered swift and decisive action against the perpetrators. Islamabad/Karachi: A Hindu temple was vandalised in Pakistan's Sindh province by miscreants who set the holy books and idols on fire, drawing a strong reaction from Prime Minister Imran Khan who ordered swift and decisive action against the perpetrators. The incident happened last week in Kumb, a town in Khairpur district. The unidentified assailants fled the after vandalism. Khan on Tuesday night took to Twitter to call upon the provincial authorities to take swift action against the culprits. The govt of Sindh must take swift and decisive action against the perpetrators. This is against the teachings of the Quran. pic.twitter.com/aNr9uAkyTk Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) February 5, 2019 "The government of Sindh must take swift and decisive action against the perpetrators. This is against the teachings of the Quran," Khan said. The community has approached the police to register a case against unidentified persons. There was no caretaker at the temple because the community felt that it was safe enough, since it was surrounded by their houses. After the incident, the Hindus in the area held a protest in the city, Samaa TV reported. Rajesh Kumar Hardasani, the adviser of the Pakistan Hindu Council, has demanded the formation of a special task force for the security of Hindu temples. "This action has caused unrest among the Hindu community. These types of attacks are done in an attempt to disturb religious harmony across the country," he said. Police said that they were hunting for the attackers but so far no arrest was made. Nobody or group took responsibility of the attack. Hindus form almost two per cent of the 220 million population in Muslim-majority Pakistan. Most of the Hindus live in Sindh province. They often complain of harassment by the extremists. By Panu Wongcha-um and Panarat Thepgumpanat BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai junta chief Prayuth Chan-ocha is known for losing his temper in public, but recently he has displayed a softer side amid speculation he may run for office in the first elections since the army seized power in 2014. The general-turned-prime minister has appeared on state television cooking a chicken curry for villagers and riding a tractor with farmers. Last month, he released one of his trademark ballads, which has been played repeatedly on the radio By Panu Wongcha-um and Panarat Thepgumpanat BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai junta chief Prayuth Chan-ocha is known for losing his temper in public, but recently he has displayed a softer side amid speculation he may run for office in the first elections since the army seized power in 2014. The general-turned-prime minister has appeared on state television cooking a chicken curry for villagers and riding a tractor with farmers. Last month, he released one of his trademark ballads, which has been played repeatedly on the radio. "Don't let anyone destroy things like in the past ... Hold our hands sincerely and go forward together," goes the song, which was written by the 64-year-old leader himself. Prayuth, in short, has been acting a lot like a politician - even as he keeps the country waiting to hear if he will be a candidate in a long-delayed general election to restore civilian rule, now set for March 24. The election is seen as a battle between voters loyal to ousted populist prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his sister Yingluck - both deposed in military coups - and establishment-minded traditionalists who accuse the Shinawatras of corruption. A pro-military party, Palang Pracharat, last week asked Prayuth to be its prime ministerial candidate. Prayuth, however, says he needs time to think. Technically, he has until Friday, the deadline to register candidates. Most presume he will not be able to resist entering the race. Under a new constitution ratified in 2016, the military has a powerful sway over who will be prime minister. A combined majority of the 250-seat Senate, entirely appointed by the junta, and the 500-seat House of Representatives chooses the prime minister. So a candidate who can count on the support of the Senate would only need 126 votes in the lower house to have an overall majority. Even if he doesn't stand in the election, Prayuth could still return as a last-minute "outside" prime minister if parties cannot agree on any of the candidates listed before the vote. LOVE, NOT FEAR Despite the built-in advantages, Prayuth's transition from coup-maker to candidate may not be easy. Since taking power, he has often shown flares of temper. He once threatened to throw a podium during a press briefing and at another time mused he could "probably just execute" a roomful of reporters. He drew fire from rights groups for a ban on political activity and internet censorship, and for detaining and summoning hundreds of activists and dissidents for "attitude adjustment". Now, Prayuth must act less authoritarian, said political scientist Prajak Kongkirati, who lectures at Bangkok's Thammasat University "Prayuth needs people to love him now because to win an election you cannot use fear," Prajak said. "He knows he cannot be a dictator forever." In Thailand's deeply divided politics, Prayuth appeals to the royalist, military and middle-class opponents of Thaksin, who is seen as corrupt demagogue for policies that included subsidised health care and support for rice farmers. Both Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 coup, and his sister, Yingluck, forced from office in 2014, live in exile. Both have been convicted of corruption, which they deny. For many in the elite, Prayuth's 2014 coup was necessary - and they might vote for him to extend his tenure, said Pongphisoot Busbarat at Chulalongkorn University "Prayuth has been doing well for the elite, big businesses and royalist allies," Pongphisoot said. "His grumpy character may appear a liability to his image for many voters, but for his supporters it is his strength." 'UNCLE TU' Prayuth was born in 1954 to a military family in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, and his military career was forged during a turbulent period. He was in pre-cadet school in 1973 when student protests brought down a military regime, ushering in democratic rule. Three years later, he was at the prestigious Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy when right-wing mobs massacred dozens of left-leaning student protesters leading to another military takeover. In the army, Prayuth was known for his decisiveness and devotion to the revered monarchy. This year's election comes just six weeks before the coronation of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who assumed the throne after the death of his father, who reigned for 70 years. Prayuth rose in the ranks to become army chief, and in 2014 staged Thailand's 13th successful military coup. His reputation for testiness came almost immediately. There are also more eccentric moments that endear Prayuth, known by his nickname "Uncle Tu", to his supporters, like his ballads and when he kissed a frog in 2017. "It's like he has two personalities," said Wassana Nanuam, a veteran journalist who has followed Prayuth's career since 2003. "He also knows how to use humour which people know isn't fake." Prayuth, whose office did not respond to requests for an interview, spends most of his private time with his wife and twin daughters, in their 30s, at his home at a military base. One leisure activity he has had to give up is riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle. "Sometimes he just starts his Harley up at home because he can't go out. He hasn't been able to ride outside since he became army chief, because he would require security to follow him," said government spokesman Lieutenant General Werachon Sukhondhapatipak. After nearly five years in power, Prayuth is not acting like a man ready to ride into the sunset. "I am a soldier, so if you criticise me a lot I will get angry," Prayuth told reporters in November. "But I have to adjust myself now because I have to be patient to be a politician." (Editing by Kay Johnson, Robert Birsel) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. (Reuters) - The European Union and Ireland are in discussions over a substantial Brexit emergency fund in order to offset the impact of a no-deal Brexit on Ireland's food exports to Britain, the Guardian newspaper reported on Tuesday. Ireland will look for a 'long-term fix' in EU budget talks in April instead of a lump sum Brexit bailout, the newspaper reported, citing sources (Reuters) - The European Union and Ireland are in discussions over a substantial Brexit emergency fund in order to offset the impact of a no-deal Brexit on Ireland's food exports to Britain, the Guardian newspaper reported on Tuesday. Ireland will look for a "long-term fix" in EU budget talks in April instead of a lump sum Brexit bailout, the newspaper reported, citing sources. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By Brendan Pierson and Gabriella Borter NEW YORK (Reuters) - Jurors in the U.S. trial of accused Mexican drug cartel boss Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman ended their second day of deliberations on Tuesday without reaching a verdict. The 12 jurors in federal court in Brooklyn began their deliberations shortly after 9 a.m By Brendan Pierson and Gabriella Borter NEW YORK (Reuters) - Jurors in the U.S. trial of accused Mexican drug cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman ended their second day of deliberations on Tuesday without reaching a verdict. The 12 jurors in federal court in Brooklyn began their deliberations shortly after 9 a.m. (1300 GMT), and were sent home at 4:15 p.m. They are expected to resume at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday. Guzman, 61, is accused of leading Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel, which became one of the most powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world. He twice escaped from prison in Mexico, and will face the possibility of life in a U.S. prison if convicted. On Tuesday afternoon, the jurors asked to hear a phone call in which a man, who prosecutors say is Guzman, discusses selling methamphetamine in the United States, as well as part of one witness's testimony about importing ephedrine into Mexico to manufacture methamphetamine. The call was played for them, and court stenographers read them a transcript of the testimony. The jurors had asked on Monday whether ephedrine is considered methamphetamine, and were instructed by U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan to refer to the evidence in the case. Jurors also asked for the entire testimony of Colombian drug trafficking brothers Jorge and Alex Cifuentes, both of whom testified at length against Guzman. Because their testimony spanned several days, Cogan said he would give them written transcripts, which are expected to be ready on Wednesday. The 11-week trial, which featured testimony from more than 50 witnesses, offered the public an unprecedented look into the inner workings of the cartel, named for the state in northwest Mexico where Guzman was born in a poor mountain village. Prosecutors said he trafficked tons of cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine into the United States over more than two decades, consolidating his power in Mexico through murders and wars with rival cartels. The defense argued that Guzman was set up as a "fall guy" by Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, a drug kingpin from Sinaloa who remains at large. At least three jurors are immigrants, three are Spanish speakers and several have ties to law enforcement. Almost all of them had heard of Guzman before the trial began, but said they could be impartial. The only exception was a woman from Ethiopia who said she had "no clue" who he was. (Reporting by Brendan Pierson; Editing by Alistair Bell and Grant McCool) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. It was so Trumpian. US president Donald Trump, profoundly weakened by looming legal and political peril and surrounded by a sea of freshman Democrats dressed in suffragette white, checked off the box on his second State of the Union (SOTU) calling for an end to 'ridiculous partisan investigations' alluding to the Robert Mueller probe, 'foolish wars' the 'politics of revenge' and then insisting that he will 'build the wall' along the US Mexico border. New York: It was so Trumpian. US president Donald Trump, profoundly weakened by looming legal and political peril and surrounded by a sea of freshman Democrats dressed in suffragette white, checked off the box on his second State of the Union (SOTU) calling for an end to "ridiculous partisan investigations" - alluding to the Robert Mueller probe, "foolish wars", the "politics of revenge" and then insisting that the economy is a "miracle" and that he will "build the wall" along the US Mexico border. "If there's going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be foolish wars and partisan investigations", said Trump, in the oddest moment of the entire evening, a moment that left half the House suppressing its laughter and the other half awkwardly quiet. Trump's speech, pockmarked with incorrect grammar and syntax, mixed in soaring prose with strong language on immigration that tied right into his base which voted for him in 2016. Trump used gory language on abortion and sent a veiled warning that there will be no legislation if "partisan investigations" don't end. In saying this, Trump just added another Nixonian parallel to his chaotic presidency. US president Richard Nixon too called for an end to the Watergate investigations during his 1974 State of the Union address. Trump, after 37 minutes of staying on message, came into his own as he pivoted to his all-base, all-the-time strategy: stories of illegal immigration, his border wall project, blood and gore. Trump offered a preview of his 2020 campaign, and fear will be its reigning idiom. "Presidential power is the power to persuade. If a president loses the ability to bring other players along with him, he is lost," says Harvard political scientist Richard Neustadt in his book Presidential Power and the Modern Presidents. With his own party warning Trump not to declare a national emergency in his speech, Trump's first SOTU since the Democrats won the House in the biggest 'blue wave' election since Watergate was one he delivered (politically) on his knees, with a powerful woman looming over his left shoulder. But it's not over even after its over. Trump has had a pattern of coming up with his most bizarre tweets immediately after a big speech. But even there, Democrats have taken the fight to his doorstep, blasting him on his preferred platform: Twitter. Sorry, sir. But Article 1 of the Constitution is the legislative branch. And it has the responsibility to exercise oversight of the other branches of government. We would be delinquent in our duties if we failed to provide the necessary oversight. #SOTU Nancy Pelosi (@TeamPelosi) February 6, 2019 Let's not forget the circumstances of this particular SOTU. Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi denied Trump this stage when he refused to budge on the shutdown. He got it back when he caved and there's a 15 February deadline looming again. The political spectacle today is a lollipop handed to Trump by a hardline negotiator. Trump spent the first half hour saying things he has never said before, which nobody in the Opposition is buying, "Victory is not winning for our party, victory is winning for our country... We must reject the politics of revenge and retribution," said the US president who has spent the last two years engaging in bitter personal attacks. Trump's non-Trumpian quotes drew eye rolls and subdued laughter on the Democratic side. Trump is not used to standing in a crowd where the majority of the people are not on his team. Today was that kind of day. Trump walked in and saw at least five of his opponents look him straight in the eye, many of them women who are running for president in 2020. Sen. Chuck Schumer: "I'm glad that President Trump is going to be the warm-up act for Stacey Abrams." #SOTU #SOTU2019 https://t.co/yOuvaT7axC pic.twitter.com/cuyo9WDE13 The Hill (@thehill) February 6, 2019 The optics were inescapable. Behind Trump sat Nancy Pelosi, the lady who has stonewalled Trump, a symbol of split screen Washington, of the lame duck phase of Trump's presidency. Trump's approval rating is at 37 percent lower than almost every other president at this point in time. But then again, these were the exact numbers before his 2016 win. With another shutdown deadline looming, the president has few options for getting Congress to fund a border wall, and he risks further alienating his own party if he tries to circumvent lawmakers by declaring a national emergency instead. In the Democratic response by rising star Stacey Abrams, the spotlight was firmly on Trump's shutdown "a political stunt engineered by this president that defied every tenet of fairness and abandoned not just our people, but our values." "America is made stronger by immigrants, not walls", said Abrams. Addressing Congress during his annual second State of the Union, Trump said progress has been made in his administration's efforts to achieve peace on the Korean peninsula. US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he will hold the second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Vietnam at the end of February. The summit will be held on 27 and 28 February. Kim and Trump met in Singapore last year, marking the first bilateral meeting between leaders of the two countries. Addressing Congress during his annual second State of the Union, Trump said progress has been made in his administration's efforts to achieve peace on the Korean peninsula. "As part of bold new diplomacy, we continue our historic push for peace on the Korean Peninsula," Trump said. The president said that although much work remains to be done, his relationship with North Korea's leader is "good." "Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong-un is a good one," he said in announcing their second meeting. Trump, however, also gave an ominous warning about the risks of heightened tensions with Pyongyang. "Our hostages have come home, nuclear testing has stopped, and there has not been a missile launch in more than 15 months," Trump said. "If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea." The lead US negotiator with North Korea, Stephen Biegun, is set to meet with his North Korean counterpart on Wednesday in Pyongyang. He said that he hoped the meeting with Kim Hyok Chol would map out "a set of concrete deliverables," according to Reuters. It is not clear in which city the summit will take place. Hanoi, the nation's capital, and Da Nang, a coastal resort town, have both been floated as possibilities. Vietnam, however, is keen to project itself on the world stage. It is a single-party communist state that boasts of tight political control and a tough security apparatus similar to Singapore's. Where Singapore leans West, generally appreciative of US influence in Asia, Vietnam leans East. Even with its edgy relationship with China, it has a long fraternal history with Asia's communist states. This is friendly ground for Kim and closer than Singapore. Trump has said his outreach to Kim and their first meeting last June in Singapore opened a path to peace. But there is not yet a concrete plan for how denuclearization could be implemented. Denuclearizing North Korea is something that has eluded the US for more than two decades, since it was first learned that North Korea was close to acquiring the means for nuclear weapons. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told Congress last week that US intelligence officials do not believe Kim will eliminate his nuclear weapons or the capacity to build more because he believes they are key to the survival of the regime. Satellite video taken since the June summit has indicated North Korea is continuing to produce nuclear materials at its weapons factories. Last year, North Korea released American detainees, suspended nuclear and long-range missile tests and dismantled a nuclear test site and parts of a rocket launch facility without the presence of outside experts. It has repeatedly demanded that the United States reciprocate with measures such as sanctions relief, but Washington has called for North Korea to take steps such as providing a detailed account of its nuclear and missile facilities that would be inspected and dismantled under a potential deal. At the second Trump-Kim summit, some experts say North Korea is likely to seek to trade the destruction of its main Yongbyon nuclear complex for a US promise to formally declare the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, open a liaison office in Pyongyang and allow the North to resume some lucrative economic projects with South Korea. Stephen Biegun, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's special representative for North Korea, is hopeful, but acknowledges that many issues make it especially complicated for the two countries to "embark on a diplomatic initiative of this magnitude." Biegun was in Pyongyang on Tuesday. On a related issue, the State Department said this week that the US and South Korea have reached a tentative agreement on sharing the costs of keeping 28,500 American troops in South Korea, but no final deal has been signed to replace the existing agreement, which expired at the end of 2018. South Korea pays more than $800 million a year, but Trump has demanded that Seoul pay 50 percent more. News that a tentative agreement has been reached offers relief to those who worried Trump would use the lack of a deal as a reason to pull U.S. troops out of South Korea as part of negotiations with Kim. North Korea has claimed that the presence of American troops in the South is proof that the U.S. has hostile intentions in the region. Trump said after his first meeting with Kim in June that while he'd like to bring troops home, "that's not part of the equation right now." With inputs from agencies After two years of bitter partisanship and personal attacks, President Donald Trump will call for unity and cross-party cooperation in Washington during Tuesday's State of the Union address, a message likely to ring hollow with emboldened Democrats eager to block his push for a border wall. Washington: After two years of bitter partisanship and personal attacks, President Donald Trump will call for unity and cross-party cooperation in Washington during Tuesday's State of the Union address, a message likely to ring hollow with emboldened Democrats eager to block his push for a border wall. Trump's primetime address comes at a critical moment in his presidency. He pushed his party into a lengthy government shutdown over immigration they'd hoped to avoid, only to cave to Democrats. With another shutdown deadline looming, the president has few options for getting Congress to fund a border wall and he risks further alienating his own party if he tries to circumvent lawmakers by declaring a national emergency instead. Trump was not expected to issue the emergency declaration in his speech, according to four people familiar with his plans, in part because he's aware of GOP opposition and wants to avoid being booed in the House chamber. Still, the president was expected to hammer his case that the situation at the southern border represents a humanitarian and security crisis. As he stands before lawmakers, the president will be surrounded by symbols of his political opposition. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was praised by Democrats for her hardline negotiating during the shutdown, will sit behind the president as he speaks. And several senators running for president will be in the audience, including Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey. Another Democratic star, Stacey Abrams, will deliver the party's response to Trump. Abrams narrowly lost her bid in November to become America's first black woman governor, and party leaders are aggressively recruiting her to run for Senate. White House officials said Trump planned to highlight areas where he believes he can work with Democrats, including infrastructure and prescription drug pricing. The focus on reaching across the aisle is a tacit admission from the White House that Trump may need a course correction if he is to win re-election. His approval rating stands at just 34 percent after the shutdown, according to a recent survey conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Even as his advisers touted bipartisanship, reality kept breaking through in the hours before Trump's speech. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York accused Trump of "blatant hypocrisy," saying the president may want to talk about unity Tuesday but "spends the other 364 days of the year dividing us." Minutes later, Trump tweeted that Schumer was "just upset that he didn't win the Senate, after spending a fortune." Against that backdrop, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is working to keep the government open. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said he remains hopeful Congress can resolve the dispute by the Feb. 15 deadline. "Democrats can call it a fence, the president can all it a wall and then we can call it a day, which I think is one way of skinning the cat," said Cornyn, who is a close adviser to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. While Trump was still putting the final touches on the speech Tuesday afternoon, he was expected to use some of his televised address to showcase a growing economy. Despite the shutdown, the U.S. economy added a robust 304,000 jobs in January, marking 100 straight months of job growth. That's the longest such period on record. Trump and his top aides have also hinted he is likely to use the address to announce a major milestone in the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria. Despite the objections of some advisers, Trump announced in December that he was withdrawing U.S. forces in Syria. In a weekend interview with CBS, Trump said efforts to defeat the IS group were "at 99 percent right now. We'll be at 100." The U.S. military says the Islamic State group now controls about 5 square kilometers (less than 2 square miles) in the villages of the Middle Euphrates River Valley in Syria, where the bulk of the fighters are concentrated. Including the large swath of desert around the villages, the militant group controls more than 50 square kilometers (20 square miles). The figures do not include IS militants in other parts of the country. That's down from an estimated 400 to 600 square kilometers (155 to 230 square miles) that the group held at the end of November before Trump announced the withdrawal, according to two officials who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. However, a Defense Department inspector general report released Monday said the Islamic State group "remains a potent force of battle-hardened and well-disciplined fighters that could likely resurge in Syria" absent continued counterterrorism pressure. According to the Pentagon, the group is still able to coordinate offensives and counteroffensives. Administration officials say the White House has also been weighing several "moonshot" goals. An announcement is expected on a new initiative aimed at ending transmissions of HIV by 2030. "He will be asking for bipartisan support to make that happen," said White House counselor Kellyanne Conway. Trump's guests for the speech include Anna Marie Johnson, a 63-year-old woman whose life sentence for drug offenses was commuted by the president, and Joshua Trump, a sixth-grade student from Wilmington, Delaware, who was allegedly bullied because of his last name. They will sit with first lady Melania Trump during the address. US president Donald Trump vowed Tuesday that the United States would outspend Russia on missiles without a fresh international accord after he ditched a landmark Cold War treaty Washington: US president Donald Trump vowed Tuesday that the United States would outspend Russia on missiles without a fresh international accord after he ditched a landmark Cold War treaty. Trump's warning during his annual State of the Union address cemented fears of an emerging arms race, with Russia hours earlier pledging to design new missiles over the next two years. The United States last week started the process of exiting the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, saying that Russia has been violating the pact through a new missile system and ignored repeated complaints. "Under my administration, we will never apologise for advancing America's interests," Trump told US lawmakers assembled in the House chamber. "Perhaps we can negotiate a different agreement, adding China and others. Or perhaps we can't in which case, we will outspend and out-innovate all others by far," Trump said. While pointing the finger at Russia, US officials have voiced concern that the 1987 treaty does not constrain China, whose rapidly growing military relies on medium-range missiles as a core part of its defence strategy. The INF treaty banned all missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometres, a legacy of the end of the Cold War as last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and US president Ronald Reagan sought to ease European fears of an arms race that would destroy their cities. Russian President Vladimir Putin who has sought a warm relationship with Trump but is widely reviled by the US establishment responded Saturday by saying Moscow would also leave the INF treaty. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said earlier Tuesday that Putin had approved plans for new missiles. "During 2019-2020 we have to develop a land-based version of the seaborne Kalibr system equipped with a long-range cruise missile which showed good results in Syria," Shoigu told defense officials. "Over the same period we will also have to create a land-based missile system with a long-range hypersonic missile," he said. Latvia urges international pact Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics of Latvia for which former ruler Russia looms large as a threat voiced hope that Washington and Moscow would work with other powers on a new agreement. "I would advocate even if it is going to take a very long period of time, even if it may be a very, sometimes, complex and disappointing, from time to time, process it would be good to try to find a way forward on a multilateral arms control agreement in this area," Rinkevics told AFP. "It needs to be more than the United States and Russia because there are more countries that can produce such weapons than 30 years ago," he said in an interview in Washington, where he is taking part in a 79-member conference Wednesday on the fight against the Islamic State group. Latvia, like other members of the NATO alliance, has backed the United States which has charged since the administration of former president Barack Obama that Russia is infringing on the INF treaty with the range of its new 9M729 missile system. But Rinkevics played down the immediate impact of the INF treaty's demise, saying that Russia had already been stepping up military movements since Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea. He acknowledged that a future pact was unlikely to be as sweeping as the INF treaty. "The difficult answer is that I don't see currently much appetite to do anything in this direction, almost from everyone," Rinkevics said. Even though North Korea has remained mired in Cold War isolation while Vietnam's postwar path led toward integration with the globalised economy, the two communist countries share a history of anti-imperialist struggle and ambivalent relations with common neighbor China Bangkok: Vietnam's selection as the venue for the second summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is largely a matter of convenience and security, but not without bigger stakes. Washington's goal for the talks on 27-28 February is for North Korea to agree give up its nuclear weapons. North Korea frames the issue more broadly, seeking a removal of the "nuclear threat" from US military forces in South Korea. Host Vietnam hopes to boost its diplomatic leverage against its powerful neighbour, China, which contests waters in the South China Sea claimed by Hanoi. But Vietnam's history as a US adversary that transitioned on its own terms to a dynamic free-market economy under a communist political system suggests a larger meaning for the summit. "By choosing Vietnam, the two leaders send a strong strategic message to the world that they are willing to make a breakthrough decision to turn an enemy into a friend and together make the world a better place, following the example of the US-Vietnam relationship," said Le Hong Hiep, a research fellow at the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore. A FRESH, SECURE STAGE America's past military involvement in Vietnam, whether it's seen as tragic or noble, provides a historically dramatic stage for Trump to again draw attention to his foreign policy accomplishments. As a single-party communist state, Vietnam boasts tight political control and an efficient security apparatus, and successfully hosted the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in 2017, and the regional edition of the high-powered World Economic Forum last year, both in the central coastal city of Danang. "Like Singapore, where they met last time, Vietnam is a very secure place," said Murray Hiebert, senior associate of the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "Vietnam's security police are able to keep away crowds of the curious and keep journalists in designated areas." Trump's attendance at the 2017 APEC meeting means "he's familiar with the country and has good rapport with its leaders," Hiebert said. COMMUNIST TIES This is friendly turf for Kim. Even though North Korea has remained mired in Cold War isolation while Vietnam's postwar path led toward integration with the globalised economy, the two communist countries share a history of anti-imperialist struggle and ambivalent relations with common neighbor China. "Vietnam and North Korea have long had fraternal communist ties, so North Korea is familiar with the country and its officials. North Korea would also feel confident that Vietnam's security apparatus could secure Kim's protection," Hiebert said. There's also the bonus that a flight from Pyongyang to a meeting in Vietnam is roughly two-thirds of the six-hour flying time to Singapore, and none of it over hostile territory. A forward-looking North Korea might learn something from Vietnam's impressive economic growth due to "bold economic reforms, proactive integration into the world economy, and excellent partnerships with strategic partners, with the US and South Korea among the most important ones," said Vu Minh Khuong, associate professor at Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a similar point when he visited Hanoi last July after two days of talks in North Korea. "The leaders of Vietnam realized their country could reform, it could open up and build relationships without threatening the country's sovereignty, its independence, and its form of government," he said in a speech to Hanoi's business community. "I have a message for Chairman Kim Jong-un: President Trump believes your country can replicate this path. It's yours if you'll seize the moment." WHAT VIETNAM GAINS "Vietnam is locked in a pretty intense rivalry with China in the South China Sea, so Hanoi is looking for regional and international diplomatic support as a hedge against Beijing, and hosting a summit like this would certainly strengthen its international profile," said CSIS scholar Hiebert. In particular, helping Washington achieve its Korean policy goals could help fulfill Vietnam's desire for closer relations with the US, both to encourage trade and investment and serve as a strategic counterweight to China. Trump's abandonment of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade group dampened hopes for a takeoff in trade, and Vietnam's poor human rights record, especially its harsh repression of political dissidents, has hurt chances for closer security links. However, intense media coverage of the summit would attract significant international attention from tourists and investors, said research fellow Hiep. After two years of bitter partisanship and personal attacks, President Donald Trump will call for unity and cross-party cooperation in Washington during Tuesday's State of the Union address, a message likely to ring hollow with Democrats determined to block his push for a border wall. Washington: After two years of bitter partisanship and personal attacks, President Donald Trump will call for unity and cross-party cooperation in Washington during Tuesday's State of the Union address, a message likely to ring hollow with Democrats determined to block his push for a border wall. Trump's prime-time address comes at a critical moment in his presidency. He pushed his party into a lengthy government shutdown over border security, only to cave to Democrats. With another shutdown deadline looming, the president has few options for getting Congress to fund a border wall, and he risks further alienating his party if he tries to circumvent lawmakers by declaring a national emergency instead. Trump was not expected to issue the emergency declaration in his speech, in part because he's aware of GOP opposition and wants to avoid being booed in the House chamber. Still, the president planned to hammer his case that the situation at the southern border represents a security crisis for Americans. "No issue better illustrates the divide between America's working class and America's political class than illegal immigration," Trump will say, according to excerpts released ahead of his address. "Wealthy politicians and donors push for open borders while living their lives behind walls and gates and guards." As he stands before lawmakers, the president will be surrounded by symbols of his emboldened political opposition. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was praised by Democrats for her hard-line negotiating during the shutdown, will sit behind the president as he speaks. Some Democratic women will be wearing white, the color favored by early 20th-century suffragettes. And several senators running for president will be in the audience, including Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey. Another Democratic star, Stacey Abrams, will deliver the party's response to Trump. Abrams narrowly lost her bid in November to become America's first black female governor, and party leaders are aggressively recruiting her to run for US Senate from Georgia. In excerpts released ahead of Abrams' remarks, she calls the shutdown a political stunt that "defied every tenet of fairness and abandoned not just our people, but our values." For a time, it was unclear if Trump's annual address to Congress would happen. He'd been scheduled to speak to lawmakers last week, but Pelosi forced him to postpone while the shutdown persisted. White House officials said Trump planned to highlight areas where he believes he can work with Democrats, including infrastructure and prescription drug pricing. For Trump, the focus on reaching across the aisle is a tacit admission from the White House that Trump may need a course correction if he is to win re-election. His approval rating stands at just 34 percent after the shutdown, according to a recent survey conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. But even as his advisers touted bipartisanship, reality kept breaking through in the hours before Trump's speech. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York accused Trump of "blatant hypocrisy," saying the president may want to talk about unity on Tuesday but "spends the other 364 days of the year dividing us." Minutes later, Trump tweeted that Schumer was "just upset that he didn't win the Senate, after spending a fortune." Against that backdrop, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is inching toward a potential agreement that would give Trump just a fraction of what he's demanding. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who stood by Trump during the shutdown, said Tuesday that his top priority is forging a bipartisan House-Senate agreement, not placating Trump. "I think the conferees ought to reach an agreement and then we'll hope that the president finds it worth signing," said McConnell, R-Ky. While Trump was still putting the final touches on the speech Tuesday afternoon, he was expected to use some of his televised address to showcase a growing economy. Despite the shutdown, the US economy added a robust 304,000 jobs in January, marking 100 straight months of job growth. That's the longest such period on record. Trump and his top aides have also hinted that he is likely to use the address to announce a major milestone in the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria. Despite the objections of some advisers, Trump announced in December that he was withdrawing US forces in Syria. In a weekend interview with CBS, Trump said efforts to defeat the IS group were "at 99 percent right now. We'll be at 100." Foreign policy has been another area where Republicans have increasingly been willing to distance themselves from the president. Several leading GOP lawmakers have sharply criticized his plans to withdraw from Syria, as well as from Afghanistan. Trump, in excerpts of his address, defended his moves, declaring: "Great nations do not fight endless wars." Trump is expected to detail other looming threats from abroad, including Iran and the tumult in Venezuela, where the US has called on embattled President Nicolas Maduro to step down. Trump may also preview plans to hold a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Administration officials say the White House has also been weighing several "moonshot" goals. An announcement is expected on a new initiative aimed at ending transmissions of HIV by 2030. "He will be asking for bipartisan support to make that happen," said White House counselor Kellyanne Conway. Trump's guests for the speech include Anna Marie Johnson, a woman whose life sentence for drug offenses was commuted by the president, and Joshua Trump, a sixth-grade student from Wilmington, Delaware, who has been bullied over his last name. They will sit with first lady Melania Trump during the address. By Keith Coffman DENVER (Reuters) - A Colorado jogger strangled a juvenile mountain lion in the foothills of Horsetooth Mountain northwest of Denver, acting in self-defence after the predator attacked him, authorities said on Tuesday. The man, who was not identified, survived the life-and-death struggle in the Horsetooth Mountain Open Space, a mountain park less than 70 miles (110 km) from Denver, officials said. The man was running on a trail when the juvenile cougar attacked him from behind, biting and clawing his face, back, legs and arms, state and local officials said in a joint statement late on Monday By Keith Coffman DENVER (Reuters) - A Colorado jogger strangled a juvenile mountain lion in the foothills of Horsetooth Mountain northwest of Denver, acting in self-defence after the predator attacked him, authorities said on Tuesday. The man, who was not identified, survived the life-and-death struggle in the Horsetooth Mountain Open Space, a mountain park less than 70 miles (110 km) from Denver, officials said. The man was running on a trail when the juvenile cougar attacked him from behind, biting and clawing his face, back, legs and arms, state and local officials said in a joint statement late on Monday. During the struggle, the man strangled the wild animal with his bare hands, Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokeswoman Rebecca Ferrell said by phone on Tuesday. "There was some wrestling going on and the cat did latch onto his arm but he was able to choke it," she said. The size of the cougar was unclear, Ferrell said, because other animals fed on the carcass before wildlife officers arrived. But it is believed it was a male. The runner went to a hospital, officials said, with injuries that were serious but not life-threatening. The remainder of the animal's body was recovered near the trail, where the jogger had dropped some possessions, and taken to a Colorado Parks and Wildlife lab for a necropsy, officials said. "The runner did everything he could to save his life," said Mark Leslie, CPW Northeast Regional Manager. "In the event of a lion attack, you need to do anything in your power to fight back, just as this gentleman did." Mountain lion attacks have caused fewer than 20 fatalities in the United States in the past 100 years. Sixteen known attacks have occurred in Colorado since 1990, officials said. "Mountain lion attacks are not common in Colorado and it is unfortunate that the lion's hunting instincts were triggered by the runner," Ty Petersburg, area wildlife manager for the CPW, said in a statement. "This could have had a very different outcome." (Reporting by Keith Coffman in Denver, additional reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta and Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Editing by Dan Grebler) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. British prime minister Theresa May told business leaders in Northern Ireland on Tuesday that she is seeking changes to the Brexit withdrawal agreement but not the total removal of the backstop plan that is the most contentious part of the deal. London: British prime minister Theresa May told business leaders in Northern Ireland on Tuesday that she is seeking changes to the Brexit withdrawal agreement but not the total removal of the backstop plan that is the most contentious part of the deal. May said during a visit to Belfast that the British government retains its commitment to preventing the construction of a physical border between Ireland and Northern Ireland when Britain leaves the European Union. The prime minister said she was in Belfast "to affirm my commitment to delivering a Brexit that ensures no return to a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland which is unshakable". She also emphasised the government's commitment to the Good Friday agreement, largely credited with ending decades of violence known as "the Troubles" when it was signed in 1998. Britain is scheduled to leave the EU on 29 March, but no withdrawal agreement has been approved because Britain's Parliament has voted down May's plan, in part because of concerns about the difficult border issues. The situation is complex because Ireland is a member of the EU while Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. The currently wide-open border between the two entities will, after Brexit, become the only land border between the UK and the EU. May plans to meet European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels on Thursday, seeking concessions on border-related issues and will return to Parliament next week with what is expected to be a modified plan. Her original plan was defeated by more than 200 votes, a loss of historic proportions for her minority government. May is expected to have an uphill fight in Brussels because EU leaders have steadfastly opposed reopening the 585-page withdrawal agreement negotiated over the course of two years. Kavya Narayanan In the fast-changing, warming world we live in, one of the most important areas of research and policy is clean energy. India is among the leading economies second only to Chile that people have their eyes on to lead the switch to sustainable sources of energy. That's according to a new report, the 2018 Climatescope, put together by the leading energy research giant, Bloomberg NEF. India has jumped to second place in this year's #climatescope ranking. Clean energy investment in India totaled $7.4 billion in the first half of 2018, with solar projects accounting for the majority share. @KirtiVasta https://t.co/fQ0wk8Ernf pic.twitter.com/WxB1OPgY3G BloombergNEF (@BloombergNEF) November 27, 2018 Home to the world's largest renewables auctions The ranking may not say very much on its own, but the jump from the fifth to the second spot on the list comes after dedicated efforts to increase the money spent, the number of clean energy installations around the country and playing host to the largest renewables auction market. It helps that India has consistently brought down the dependence on coal to meet its energy needs. This played no small part in its shiny silver ranking in the Climatescope report. Over 11 gigawatt (GW) in solar power projects were awarded to energy companies through auctions in 2017, the report says. As a result, 2017 was India's best year yet in boosting its solar capacity, when new installations jumped by 90 percent over the previous year. The climb was a lot less steep in 2018 when renewables made up 71 GW of India's new energy capacity. This was a 68 percent jump over 2017, helped by new policies that are enabling the renewables sector. India is undeniably a potential leader in the space, according to multiple different experts, and home to the "most competitive auctions in the world" for renewable energy, as the report puts it. A new @BloombergNEF report shows that corporations purchased more than double the amount of #RenewableEnergy in 2018 than the year before. https://t.co/XpX6c26I9t We need to continue this momentum in 2019 & raise #ClimateAction in all sectors #ParisAgreementpic.twitter.com/iOiX38e3CY UN Climate Change (@UNFCCC) January 30, 2019 That said, the bigger picture shows a not-so-rosy future for India's renewables market. Unhelpful policies Policies in some areas a new safeguard duty on imported solar panels, for instance have made energy companies in India uncertain about breaking new ground. This, according to a report by renewable energy consultancy firm Bridge to India, brought a sharp dip in new additions and installations in 2018. The government imposed this duty to protect Indian energy companies from the steady competition coming from elsewhere in the world. Analysts have warned that despite having Indian interests in mind, the move will: slow the growth of renewables in India make it hard for India to reach its ambitious target for the National Solar Mission: to add 100 GW of solar power capacity by 2022 Not having a renewable energy policy will be what keeps India from making this target, the 'State of Renewable Energy in India 2019' report by a local think tank says. Despite this challenge and others, India is on track to meet 76 percent of its 175 GW renewable energy target for 2022, solar analyst Rishab Shrestha from Wood Mackenzie told PTI. Still a coal country The demand for power has increased over the years at a phenomenal rate, and so has the supply. However, outdated coal-fired power plants are rising to meet that demand with much more ease than renewables are, a report by the Institute of Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) says. Coal companies in India are upping the ante and increasing imports of coal to survive in an industry under threat. "We have increased India's imports for thermal coal from 158 million tonnes to 164 million tonnes in 2018... as coal stocks at Indian power plants and Coal India Ltd are at historically low levels," Pralabh Bhargava, a principal coal analyst at Wood Mackenzie told PTI. India might be making great progress towards building its renewable energy capacity. But without a working renewable energy policy, the entire sector is at the mercy of bureaucrats, who have better things to worry about that climate change and the environment. tech2 News Staff In a technology that's been heralded as a breakthrough in conservation, a remote recording device is 'eavesdropping' on one of the rarest birds in New Zealand to monitor how they're adjusting after being released back into the wild. The 'conversations' that the endemic hihi birds have with one another are recorded by scientists and assessed for how successful their conservation efforts have been. The scientists were also using the bird calls to track the movements and health of individual birds, which is the first effort of its kind in conservation. For instance, a happy hihi call sounds like marbles clanging together, known as a 'stitch' call. Scientists traced the hihi calls from what was once a random distribution to what is now a more settled home range. This makes the reintroduction of hihis in the wild, and the new method that was used to monitor them a hooting success. The hihis are now a "locally extinct" species that have disappeared from most of their former range. From habitat loss, fragmentation and spread of mammal predators, there are just a few thousand adults left in highly protected reserves. As a conservation strategy, neither tracking individual animals in the field, nor using radio-trackers embedded in their skin is ideal. These are also expensive and have a risk of influencing the animal's behaviour or survival. In turn, it could drastically influence decisions about whether reintroduction programs like these are successful or not. "Using acoustic recording devices enabled us to remotely monitor the birds we released, giving us a true understanding of how they settled post-reintroduction this has really exciting implications for the reintroduction programmes of many other difficult to monitor endangered species globally." By recording and listening to hihi calls, the researchers managed to track, but also understand how they used the area they were reintroduced to. After a small adjustment period, the birds seemed to be in a "settlement phase", where each bird found a territory of its own. "Or in other words a sure sign of a happy hihi," Oliver Metcalf, one of the study's authors from Manchester Metropolitan University, said in a statement. Hihi translated to 'first ray of sunshine', and are associated with health in Maori culture. "They're an age-old indicator of a healthy forest. Not only are they important to protect, but have proved to be a unique and ideal model to study the effectiveness of this new technique... (it) has huge potential for reintroduction programmes for other species." Researchers from the international conservation charity Zoological Society of London, the Imperial College of London and the Rotokare Scenic Reserve Trust are part of the new study, which was published this week in Methods in Ecology and Evolution. The Associated Press A Geneva art museum says Facebook prohibited it from promoting an upcoming exhibit with images of two statues a half-naked Venus and a nude, kneeling man. The Museum of Art and History took to Twitter to say it had wanted to post pictures of the statues on Facebook to promote the Caesar and the Rhone exhibit that opens Friday, but the social media platform prevented us from it, because of their nudity. The museum instead put the images on Twitter on Friday with the French word for censored over the statues presumably private parts, adding: Maybe its time that this platform changes its policy for museums and cultural institutions? Facebook didnt immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment. The museums 3 -month exhibit pulls together works from the Louvre Museum in Paris, an antiquities museum in Arles, France, and other institutions to convey Caesars invasion of the Rhone River region running through Geneva and southeast France to the Mediterranean. Nous voulions promouvoir l'exposition "Cesar et le Rhone" en utilisant ces deux uvres mais #Facebook nous l'interdit, en raison de leur nudite... Peut-etre serait-il temps pour cette plateforme de changer sa politique pour les musees et les institutions culturelles? pic.twitter.com/RSHn6g8O8F MAH Geneve (@MAHgeneve) February 1, 2019 The marble statue of Venus of Arles was made in the first century and depicts the goddess posed with one arm outstretched and a robe draped around her waist. The first-century BC bronze of a bearded captive shows him with his hands seemingly bound behind his back, symbolizing Romes triumph over Gallic tribes. Museum of Art and History spokeswoman Sylvie Treglia-Detraz said a first attempt to post the images drew a Facebook response: We dont allow ads that depict nudity, even if it isnt sexual in nature. This includes the use of nudity for artistic or educational purposes. The issue strikes at the differing attitudes about nudity in Europe, where topless and even nude beaches and parks arent unusual, and in the United States, where government officials have been known to cover up topless statues. The Conversation The Ganges is a lifeline for millions of people who live within its catchment as a source of water, transport and food. During the Hindu pilgrimage known as Kumbh Mela the Ganges plays host to the largest human gathering on Earth as 120m people arrive to bathe in the river over 49 days. Despite its tremendous spiritual significance, the Ganges is also notorious for having some of the most polluted water in the world. For 79% of the population of the Ganges catchment, their nearest river fails sewage pollution standards for crop irrigation. Some 85% of the population live near water that isnt safe for bathing and Allahabad where Kumbh Mela takes place in 2019 is one of those places. Our own research suggests that as the number of people living in nearby cities increases, the problem with water quality in the Ganges worsens. Urban populations in the Ganges catchment contribute around 100 times more microbial pollution per head to the river than their rural counterparts. This means that untreated sewage discharged from a sewer appears worse for river water quality than sewage discharge where there are no sewers at all. When we examined 10 years of water quality data we found that the concentration of faecal coliforms a common pollution indicator found in human faeces increased when the density of people living upstream increased. This makes sense: more people means more poo. But we also found that people living in cities in India contribute more pollution per person than those in rural areas how much more depends on the population density. A person living in an area in India with 1,000 people per km, a density similar to central London, contributes on average 100 times more pollution to the nearest river than they would in an area with 100 people per km say, rural Devon in the UK. So why does it appear that a person living in an Indian city produces more sewage pollution than someone living in the countryside? Of course, people in the cities are unlikely to actually contribute significantly more faeces than those in rural communities. Instead, its probably sewers that are to blame. In cities, extensive sewage networks efficiently flush sewage to the river, whereas in rural areas more people defecate in the open or in pit latrines. This means faeces in rural areas are less likely to be washed into the river and the bacteria and viruses they carry are more likely to die in situ. Milledge et al., 2018, Author provided As the population density of a place increases, sewers become more common. Sewage removal is essential for the protection of public health, but without effective treatment, as is typically the case in the Ganges catchment, it comes at the cost of increased river pollution and waterborne diseases for people living downstream. Its therefore clear that water quality in the Ganges is a more complex and widespread problem than previously thought. Wed expected that cities, with their more advanced sewage management, would be better for the river. What we found was the opposite more sewers without sewage treatment makes river pollution worse. The urgency to invest, not only in sewers, but in the treatment of sewage has never been greater especially in the most densely populated areas. However, the Western approach of taking all waste to a central treatment plant is expensive and so may not be the best solution. Onsite treatment technologies such as off-grid toilets or decentralised treatment plants are rapidly developing and may help improve river water quality sooner, enabling more and more people to celebrate Kumbh Mela safely. David Milledge, Research Fellow, Newcastle University and Joshua Bunce, Researcher in Environmental Engineering, Newcastle University Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 6) The Senate has allowed the transfer of Mindanao Islamic Telephone Company's (Mislatel) ownership control to a consortium. The consortium, led by Dennis Uy's Udenna Corporation, Udenna's subsidiary Chelsea Logistics Holdings, and foreign state-owned China Telecom, will also take over Mislatel's franchise to operate. Under the House resolution adopted by the Senate, Mislatel's ownership structure will be: 35 percent to Udenna, 25 percent to Chelsea Logistics, and 40 percent to China Telecom. READ: House resolution calls for Udenna-China Telecom control of MISLATEL Senate Committee on Public Services vice chair Francis "Chiz" Escudero, who defended at the plenary the House resolution, admitted that there were defects in Mislatel's franchise. "According to the representatives of Mislatel, they did not make a public offering equivalent to 30 percent of their shareholdings owing to their non-operation," Escudero said, referring to statements made by Mislatel during a previous Senate hearing. The franchise granted by Congress to Mislatel in 1998 required it to be in operation one year after the franchise was granted, and to make a public offering of 30 percent of its shares. Mislatel had previously stated that the peace and order situation in Maguindanao had prevented it from operating. READ: Drilon says franchise of Mislatel 'deemed revoked' due to violations In the plenary hearing Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said that Mislatel was given a nationwide franchise, which allowed it to operate outside of Maguindanao. Drilon, along with Senators Panfilo "Ping" Lacson and Risa Hontiveros voted against adopting the resolution. The Mislatel Consortium plans to operate by late 2019 or early 2020. tech2 News Staff Samsung Galaxy S10 lineup is currently the most anticipated device that is expected to be unveiled within just a few weeks. If reports are to be believed, the phone could be announced as early as 20 February with the device starting to ship by the first week of March. Now, adding more weight to the previous reports is a poster from Indonesia that was leaked by Twitter user Reza Naufal, which claims that the Galaxy Unpacked event will take place on 21 February at 2.00 am (12.30 am IST), with the pre-orders starting on 22 February. In addition to that, Samsung has also started counting down days to the event on its official Indonesia website and is taking registrations for interest. The website also mentioned that the ones who register now may win the next Samsung Galaxy for free. Parallelly, Marques Brownlee has recently shared a video on YouTube that shows off dummy design of the Samsung Galaxy S10 and the Galaxy S10 Plus. The dummy units shown in the video are pretty similar to the renders we have been seeing so far, except that the Galaxy S10 Plus in the video is shown with dual-front sensors. There is also a smaller 5.8-inch display the variant that Samsung will launch, which is rumoured to be called the Galaxy S10E or Galaxy S10 Lite. tech2 News Staff Oppo's upcoming budget-segment smartphone called the Oppo K1 is going to be launched in India today at 12.00 pm. The Chinese smartphone giant has partnered with Flipkart as its online sales partner and we expect the device to be priced at around the Rs 15,000 - Rs 20,000 mark. If you wish to catch the launch live you can head over to Flipkart's website or Oppo's Facebook and Twitter pages. There is also a YouTube live stream link embedded below. Apart from the Oppo K1 smartphone, the company could also be working on two more devices which could be called as Oppo R19 and Oppo RX17 Pro. However, there is no confirmation on these handsets as of right now. The Oppo K1 had been launched in China back in October 2018 so we know the specs of the device anyways. The Oppo K1 was unveiled with a waterdrop notch. It is available in two storage variants, a 4 GB RAM and 64 GB of storage variant and a 6 GB RAM and 64 GB storage variant. The storage is expandable using a micro SD card slot on both models. Inside, you get a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 SoC and the phone runs Oppo's Color OS 5.2 based on Android Oreo 8.1. There is a dual camera set up at the back with a 16 MP (f/1.7 aperture) primary sensor and a 2 MP secondary sensor. On the front, there is a 25 MP selfie camera. The phone is powered by a 3,500 mAh battery. tech2 News Staff In order to provide better support for users who are deaf or hard of hearing, Google has just rolled out two new apps Live Transcribe and Sound Amplifier. Live Transcribe As the name suggests, this app helps make everyday conversations much more accessible as it takes in speech through the phones microphone and converts it into captions in real-time. The app uses Google's prowess in speech recognition to make things much simpler for those who are hard of hearing. There are a few extra features in the app as well that make it easier for those who are hard-of-hearing to use. For example, there's haptic feedback so that if someone's speaking you from behind, the phone will vibrate to alert you that someone's talking to you. There's also a loudness indicator in the upper right corner, with an inner and outer circle. If the inner circle gets larger, that means you're in a particularly noisy environment, informing the user that the other person will have to speak louder in order for the app to work. It will also let the deaf person know that they'll have to speak louder to be heard. Live Transcribe is available in over 70 languages and dialects. Apart from providing live transcription, the app also enables two-way conversation via a type-back keyboard for users who have difficulty speaking. Sound Amplifier Google first demonstrated Sound Amplifier in May last year at I/O, its annual developer conference. The app features as a new option inside 'Accessibility Settings' that takes the user to a screen with an array of sliders for adjusting various sound settings. However, this feature only works with wired earphones or headphones. Sound Amplifier works by increasing quiet sounds, while not exaggerating loud sounds. You can customise sound enhancement settings and apply noise reduction to minimise distracting background noise. The apps use cases are situations where there is a lot of background noise, like noisy public areas and airport lounges. While Live Transcribe is available in early access limited beta through the Play Store, Sound Amplifier is available on the Play Store but works only on devices running Android 9 Pie. tech2 News Staff Just a few days back, Flipkart partnering with Chinese OEM Honor hosted Honor Days Sale on its website. The online retailer has now announced its own Super Value Week sale to offer smartphones from some of the popular brands at a discounted price. The sale which began on 4 February will continue till 8 February. Apart from grabbing discounts on certain smartphones, prospective buyers can get an additional Rs 1,000 off as well on the exchange of their old smartphone. Flipkart is also offering Complete Mobile Protection for a price as low as Rs 99. If you are planning to buy a good smartphone in the mid-range segment, here are some the lucrative discounts the e-commerce retailer is providing that you can take a look at. Nokias glass-encased compact smartphone the Nokia 6.1 Plus is listed on the website at an offer price of Rs 14,999 for the 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage model. The phone features a tall 5.8-inch (diagonally) full HD+ display, 16 MP + 5 MP dual rear camera, Snapdragon 636 SoC and 3060 mAh battery. The budget smartphone Nokia 5.1 Plus is available at Rs 9,999 against the original price of Rs 10,599. Realmes popular mid-range handset, the Realme 2 Pro is also available at a discounted price of Rs 12,990 for the 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage variant down from the original price of Rs 13,990. The phone packs a reliable Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chipset that can handle day-to-day activities with ease, decent dual rear cameras and a vibrant 6.3-inch full HD+ display. Honor 9N gets Rs 2,000 off on the 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage model and it is now available at a discounted price of Rs 11,999. Among other handsets, Motorolas big battery packed device Motorola One Power gets a discount of Rs 1,000 and it is available for Rs 14,999 against the original price of Rs 15,999. LGs premium phone, the LG G7 ThinQ that sorts brilliant camera sensors, a vibrant display and sleek glass body can be purchased at Rs 29,999 during the Flipkart Super Value Week sale. The Vivo V9 Pros price has been reduced as well and it is available at Rs 14,990. The phone bundles an additional discount of Rs 1,500. Among other Vivo handsets, the Vivo V11 Pro also tags an exchange offer of Rs 2,500. Googles previous flagship model, the Pixel 2 XL is listed as well on the Super Value Week sale page. The phone is available for a discount price of Rs 39,999 for the 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage model. However, Amazon is offering the Google Pixel 2 XL at Rs 39,684 which is around 300 rupees less than the offer listed on Flipkart. But at the time of writing only one product was seen listed on Amazon website. In case you are looking to invest on a premium smartphone with impressive imaging sensors, Flipkarts offer can be a decent deal breaker. Reuters Two key US House of Representatives Democrats on Tuesday asked Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook, to answer questions about a privacy flaw in Apples group video chat software after a teenager and his mother tried for days to warn the iPhone maker of the bug. Apple said on Friday it had fixed the issue with FaceTime and said it planned to improve how it handles reports of software bugs. House Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone and Representative Jan Schakowsky, who chairs a subcommittee overseeing consumer issues said in a letter they were deeply troubled over how long it took Apple to address the security flaw. They want to know when Apple first learned of the issue, the extent to which the flaw may have compromised consumers privacy, and if there are other undisclosed bugs that currently exist and have not been addressed. Apple did not immediately comment to Reuters. Your company and others must proactively ensure devices and applications protect consumer privacy, immediately act when a vulnerability is identified and address any harm caused when you fail to meet your obligations to consumers, the Democrats wrote. We do not believe Apple has been as transparent as this serious issue requires. The flaw in the software allowed users to hear the audio of a person they were calling before that person answered the call. Apple turned off the FaceTime group chat feature last week as its engineers worked to fix the issue. We want to assure our customers that as soon as our engineering team became aware of the details necessary to reproduce the bug, they quickly disabled Group FaceTime and began work on the fix, Apple said in a statement last week. Reuters Amazon.com Incs grocery service is slowly returning on its India website after the online retail giant faced disruption from revised e-commerce curbs which kicked in on Feb. 1. New federal rules, which bar companies from selling products via vendors in which they have an equity interest, forced Amazon India to remove hundreds of thousands of products from its site last week. The policy has spooked Amazon and Walmart-owned Indian rival, Flipkart, as it is forcing them to alter their business structures. On Tuesday, Amazon Pantry was offering select food products, such as cookies and tea, in New Delhi and Mumbai. Though Reuters reporters in both cities were able to place Pantry orders, several customers complained on Twitter they were struggling to get their requests fulfilled. India allowed Amazon to retail food products in the country in 2017 and the company committed $500 million in investment. Amazon was using that government permission to sell some Pantry grocery products via an affiliate, two sources familiar with the plans told Reuters. Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Though several of Amazons products, such as its own range of Presto-branded home cleaning goods, were still unavailable, some have returned for sale in recent days. Some products were now being sold through sellers in which Amazon doesnt have direct or indirect equity stakes, making them compliant with the new rules, one of the sources said. Nevertheless, the new policy has hit Amazon and Walmart hard. Morgan Stanley warned that the new regulations would increase the cost of doing business and add uncertainty over losses for Flipkart. Walmart last year pumped in $16 billion to buy 77 percent of Flipkart in its biggest ever deal. Though still too early to assess, Morgan Stanley said it may make sense for Walmart to walk away if it cant see a long-term path for profits in the country. Investors too have criticized the policy, saying the sudden changes to the e-commerce curbs raise broad worries about an unstable regulatory environment in India. Frequent policy changes make the whole ecosystem nervous, said Rajat Tandon, President of the Indian Private Equity & Venture Capital Association, which counts global investors such as KKR & Co and Sequoia Capital among its members. The new rules, however, have pleased small traders who had long complained that e-commerce giants used their control over inventory from affiliated vendors to create an unfair marketplace where they could offer discounts. The meeting was convened by the Congress to assess whether its flock was intact amid speculation that some of the party MLAs had switched over to the BJP. Bengaluru: Former Karnataka chief minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah has issued another notice to four dissenting party MLAs seeking an explanation before or after the Assembly Session. Siddaramaiah had earlier this month served notices to the four legislators who did not turn up at a Congress legislature party meeting in Bengaluru. Speaking to the media at that time, Siddaramaiah said, "The situation is not like it is being portrayed in the media. Notice has been served to all four MLAs (Ramesh Jarakiholi, Mahesh Kamatihalli, B Nagendra and Umesh Jadhav). There is no problem to the government." Siddaramaiah also said three of the MLAs had responded to the notice with the exception of Umesh Jadhav, the MLA from Chincholi who has not replied yet. The four Karnataka Congress MLAs on 18 January abstained from the CLP meeting, which decided to move rest of the 76 legislators to a resort. The meeting was convened by the party to assess whether its flock was intact amid speculation that some of the party MLAs had switched over to the BJP. The Congress, which shares power with JD-S, has 80 MLAs in the 224-member Assembly, including the Speaker. Accordingly, 79 MLAs were expected to attend the CLP meeting held under the supervision of central leaders KC Venugopal and Mallikarjun Kharge. What the CBI must be wary of now is how the Kolkata Police commissioner may define cooperation which the Supreme Court said he must extend to investigators. A senior police officer from the North East, known for his integrity and investigative skills, was once explaining to meoff-the-record, of coursethe torture techniques he used in interrogation. When I argued in favour of psychological techniques instead of physical ones, the officer shot back in anger: If I think somebody is involved in a crime in some way and I must question him, do you expect me to offer him a drink, a cigarette and then bow to him and ask with a smile: Sir, will you now please tell me the truth? But this convivial sort of interrogation is exactly what CBI officials investigating the Rs 10,000-crore Saradha chit fund scam might have to do in dealing with Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar. Thats because the Supreme Court, in its commendable ruling on Tuesday that defused an explosive constitutional crisis, ordered the CBI not to take any coercive steps against Kumar including arrest. In other words, the court wanted the CBI to be nice to the officer. The judges said that the officer, on his part, must cooperate with the CBI and submit himself to questioning in the neutral place of Shillong. With tongue firmly in cheek, the irrepressible Meghalaya governor Tathagata Roy tweeted his joy. He welcomed all concerned to Shillong where, he said, the weather is glorious, the rhododendrons will start blooming in a while. To a suggestion on the partaking of scotch, the governor said: Ah well... Hon'ble Supreme Court has very wisely chosen Shillong for CBI's questioning Rajeev Kumar. Weather now is glorious,the rhododendrons will start blooming in a while. I'm sure the government will arrange for a comfortable venue for the parties. Welcome to the Scotland of the East! Tathagata Roy (@tathagata2) February 5, 2019 The congenial interrogation that its officers must undertake in Shillong neednt overly worry the CBI because its not always rough handling or coercive methods that produce results in an investigation. Nor should the agency unduly fret over West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjees claim that the apex court ruling was a victory for her, which is no more than the bluff and bluster of a street-fighter that she takes pride in being. It was after the CBI swooped on the police commissioners home in Kolkata on Sunday evening allegedly to arrest him that Mamata let loose policemen manhandle and intimidate the agencys officers. Then we had the spectacle of the live telecast of a dharna, not by the CBI, but by Mamata herself, and the nation didnt know who did what. Even if the CBI cant arrest Kumar immediately and must even be hospitable to him during its impending encounter in Shillong, it has, at last, gained access to the allegedly elusive officer. The central agencys main grouse against Kumaran ostensibly unproven claimis that he has either destroyed or not handed over to it certain electronic evidence relating to the scam. Kumar had accumulated this evidence while he himself had investigated the case as the head of the West Bengal governments Special Investigation Team (SIT) before the CBI took over the probe on an order by the Supreme Court on 9 May, 2014. (Narendra Modi took oath as the prime minister on 26 May, 2014.) Kumar is a tough nut to crack But Kumar, who originally hails from Uttar Pradesh, wont be an easy customer for the CBI. A BE (Computer Science) graduate from Roorkee University (now IIT Roorkee) before joining the IPS ranks in 1989, he apparently possesses awesome knowledge of anything electronic. Before he became a blue-eyed cop of Mamata, she had hated him for his alleged electronic surveillance of Opposition leaders during the Left rule of West Bengal. And BJP called him a snooping cop before the 2016 Assembly elections. Kumar is known to be smart but fiercely loyal to his political masters and even considered honestif professional honesty and political loyalty can coexist. Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi may have been overly optimistic when he observed: ...if (electronic) evidence is destroyed, it can always be retrieved. It is electronic evidence. Two monkeys and an elephant What the CBI must be wary of now is how the Kolkata Police commissioner may define cooperation which the Supreme Court said he must extend to investigators. Whats cooperation for him may be the opposite of it for the CBI. Historically, cooperation has never been an easy word to even mention, especially in situations akin to two monkeys fighting over coconut and the elephant trying to mediate. Its not difficult to imagine an eventuality of either the CBI crying non-cooperation and the IPS officer screaming coercion inside the comfortable venue that the governor is talking about. Its, in fact, not the first time that the Supreme Court is talking of cooperation from state agencies in this case. In its May 2014 verdict which handed over the investigation to the CBI, the court said: Needless to say that the State Police Agencies currently investigating the cases shall provide the fullest cooperation to the CBI including assistance in terms of men and material to enable the latter to conduct and complete the investigation expeditiously. It goes without saying that it was a course of collision but not cooperation that the officers of the West Bengal government chose in the past five years, and the CBI didnt make it any better by descending on Kumars home on Sunday as if he were a petty criminal. There is no compelling reason now to believe that Mamatas favourite officer will decide to extend cooperation in Shillong, though its a good thing for both him and the CBI if he does. One possibility thats staring at us is that of either CBI or the Bengal government going back to Supreme Court and complaining about the way the interrogation went on. Thats when we may end up with an unprecedented court-monitored interrogation, instead ofor along witha court-monitored investigation. As for a court-monitored investigation, this is how the Supreme Court concluded its May 2014 verdict: We do not for the present consider it necessary to constitute a Monitoring Team to monitor the progress of the investigation into the scam. But, we leave the exercise of that option open for the future. At the root of the current West Bengal mess are two wrongs. First, we had Modi letting loose his CBI on political rivals. Second, we had Mamata unleashing her own policemen to rough up the bad guys of CBI, as if two wrongs make a right. The first one could only be inferred, and the second could be watched on TV screens. The first amounted to impropriety in politics. The second meant a brazen assault on the Constitution and federalism. But with histrionics guaranteeing live TV coverage and a statusimagined or realof a unifier of Opposition, Mamata is sure to revive a similar farce sooner than later. Sit back and hold your breath. The author tweets @sprasadindia RLSP on Monday observed 'Bihar Bandh' in protest against the police lathi-charge on Kushwaha and other political leaders during its 'peaceful' Jan Akrosh rally. Patna (Bihar): Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) chief Upendra Kushwaha on Wednesday accused Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar of hatching a conspiracy to kill him during a protest march last week where he and other leaders were lathi-charged by the police. "Nitish Kumar plotted to kill me. I was attacked during the Raj Bhawan march. I demand that the incident should be probed by a sitting judge (of the Patna High Court) immediately," Kushwaha told reporters in Patna. Kushwaha also alleged that an FIR was registered against him and 250 of his colleagues by the chief minister. Further taking a swipe at Kumar, RLSP chief added: "I am giving a warning to Nitish Kumar. If he does not withdraw his complaint, then by 9 February, all of us and 250 unknown people will surrender at the Kotwali Police Station." On 2 February, RLSP protesters while marching towards the Raj Bhawan in Patna for educational reforms in Bihar were subjected to baton charge. Several protesters were injured and many were detained during the protest. The party on Monday observed "Bihar Bandh" in protest against the police lathi-charge on Kushwaha and other political leaders during its "peaceful" Jan Akrosh rally. Scores of RLSP leaders and workers took out rallies across the state while holding aloft placards and party flags. Armed with lathis (sticks), the workers raised slogans against Kumar and termed him a "dictator". BSP supremo Mayawati has for the first time joined Twitter for what she says will facilitate 'speedy interactions' with people, triggering a thankful response from RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav. Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati has for the first time joined Twitter for what she says will facilitate "speedy interactions" with people. "This is to inform you that BSP national president Mayawati has for first time decided to join Twitter for speedy interaction with media and masses besides expressing her views on various issues of national and political importance through Twitter," read a statement from the party on Wednesday. Her official Twitter handle is @SushriMayawati. Welcoming Mayawati on Twitter, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav wrote on the micro-blogging website, "Finally glad to see you here. Happy that you acknowledged and respected my request of joining Twitter during our meeting in Lucknow on 13 January. Warm regards." Mayawati was recently in the news for forging a pre-Lok Sabha poll alliance with Uttar Pradesh's Samajwadi Party. Meanwhile, late in January, the Enforcement Directorate had conducted searches in connection with alleged irregularities of over Rs 111 crore in construction of memorials in the state Mayawati's tenure. Tamil cinema star Kamal Haasan announced that his party Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls independently A year after taking a plunge into politics, Tamil cinema star Kamal Haasan on Wednesday announced that his party Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls independently. In December last year, while announcing that MNM will contest the Lok Sabha polls, Haasan had said that his party will forge an alliance with like-minded parties. However, according to reports, he said on Wednesday that he does not want to carry the "burden of an alliance". This announcement comes only a day after he met the MNM office-bearers at the party office in the Coimbatore district. The meeting saw the participation of 11 district in-charges, including Coimbatore, Tiruppur and Erode, reported PTI. Ruling out an alliance with the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, Haasan had harshly criticised the partys response to the Tuticorin protests and cyclone Gaja. Earlier in 2018, Haasan had also said that "my colour is not saffron". He also told the The Times of India in an interview that his party would rather fight the polls alone than ally with the DMK. Meanwhile, actor-turned-politician Prakash Raj announced his plunged into politics Wednesday, hoping to be the questioning voice. I am contesting elections as a citizen of India, independent and without a high command, he told The Economic Times. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday strongly came out in support of her husband Robert Vadra, whom she dropped off at by the Enforcement Directorate's office for questioning in a money laundering case. New Delhi: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday strongly came out in support of her husband Robert Vadra, whom she dropped off at by the Enforcement Directorate's office for questioning in a money laundering case. In an apparent political message, Priyanka Gandhi dropped off her husband before taking charge as the Congress general secretary at the AICC headquarters. "He is my husband, he is my family...I support my family," she said when asked whether she was sending a message by dropping off her husband. Asked if it was a political vendetta, she said that everyone knows why this is being done. The case pertains to money laundering and alleged possession of illegal foreign assets. Priyanka Gandhi's show of support to her husband came days after an emotional message from Vadra on her appointment AICC general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh east. "Congratulations P... always by your side in every phase of your life. Give it your best, Vadra had said in a Facebook post. Vadra appeared before the ED after being directed by a Delhi court to cooperate with the investigation being carried out by the central probe agency. He had knocked on the court's door seeking anticipatory bail in the case. A Delhi court last week granted interim bail to him till 16 February and asked him to join probe by appearing in person on February 6 in this case. 'Asked about Vadra's questioning by the ED, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, "Election season is on and we expect that everyday when a summon is to be answered there will be a press conference." The attempt is to mislead, confuse and to create and ambience before election, but people see through this, he said at a press conference. The ED, Income Tax department, the CBI, and 10 other agencies could not do a thing against him, for so many years. It shows that this is nothing but an 'electoral jumla', he alleged. Singhvi claimed that the charges against Vadra are "fickle, superficial, non-existent, non-substantive" nature of the charges. The BJP had full four and a half years to investigate but could not find anything, he claimed. During Governor Vajubhai Vala's address to the joint sitting of the state legislature, BJP members rushed to the Well and alleged that the HD Kumaraswamy government was now a minority government. The proceedings of the Karnataka Assembly were disrupted on Wednesday the first day of the state's budget session as the Opposition BJP created a ruckus over the ruling coalition's numbers in the House. During Governor Vajubhai Vala's address to the joint sitting of the state legislature, BJP members rushed to the Well and alleged that the Congress-JD(S) government was in minority. "You are made to read lies, so please don't read it," BJP members said. However, Vala continued with his speech, even as BJP members intensified their sloganeering. "We don't want a bundle of lies to be read. Down down... the government that has lost majority and trust," they shouted. Bengaluru: Protest in Karnataka Assembly by opposition parties during Governor Vajubhai Vala's address. BJP alleged that the present government doesn't have the numbers & is a minority government. pic.twitter.com/lqbxyvsSav ANI (@ANI) February 6, 2019 About seven Congress MLAs, including four disgruntled ones, were absent during the governor's speech, CNN-News18 reported. Vala only managed to read out two paragraphs of his speech as the protests intensified. In the May 2018 Assembly election, the BJP had emerged as the single largest party. However, when the BJP lacked the numbers during a floor test, state unit president BS Yeddyurappa was forced to resign as the chief minister. Ever since the Congress and JD(S) formed the coalition government, the BJP has been constantly accused of attempting to topple the Kumaraswamy administration. A stormy budget session for 2019 was especially on the cards because of the political turmoil in the state following alleged attempts by the BJP to poach disgruntled coalition leaders. Few Congress legislators had triggered the crisis in January by camping in Mumbai along with BJP leaders, allegedly with an intention to jump to the saffron party's side. The Congress had accused the BJP of luring MLAs with money and power and also threatening to fix them using central agencies. Subsequently, MLAs H Nagesh and R Shankar withdrew their support claiming "disappointment" and "lack of clarity" in the coalition government. On 18 January, the Congress called for a legislature party meeting in a show of strength. Four MLAs, who stayed away, were served notices seeking an explanation as to why action should not be taken against them under the anti-defection law. Ahead of the budget session in the state, a whip was issued to all MLAs of ruling JD(S)-Congress coalition on Tuesday to be present in the state Assembly during all days of the budget session and vote in favour of the government. Amid reports that disgruntled Congress lawmakers on the BJP's radar might keep away from the session, state Congress chief Dinesh Gundu Rao had said that action will be taken against legislators if they violate the whip. Kumaraswamy, on Tuesday, said BJP leaders were in an illusion. "Let them continue to be in illusion... I will do my duty... screen will be lifted tomorrow (Wednesday), you will get all the information," he added. Union minister DV Sadananda Gowda had said in January that the BJP would stake claim to power in Karnataka if the coalition government falls. This is the first session after the cabinet expansion in December. Though the chief minister is expected to present his government's second budget on 8 February, Wednesday's disruption of proceedings indicates that things may go off schedule. With inputs from agencies The Congress announced that all its state divisions or Pradesh Congress Committees will constitute social media departments which will function under a designated chairperson and that each Assembly segment and booth in the country will have social media coordinators. The Congress on Tuesday announced that all its state divisions, or Pradesh Congress Committees, will set up social media departments that will function under a designated chairperson. Each Assembly segment and booth in the country will also have social media coordinators from the party. With this move, announced in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress will attempt to establish a crucial connect with people in all corners of the country, especially the young. India has close to 900 million eligible voters, and an estimated half a billion have access to the internet. The country has 300 million Facebook users and 200 million on WhatsApp, more than any other democracy. The Congress's social media department was constituted in 2017 under former MP Divya Spandana, who has over eight lakh followers on Twitter. The party's official Twitter account has 4.81 million followers. Congress chief Rahul Gandhi joined Twitter in 2015 and is prolific on the social media site. The party, in a circular signed by Lok Sabha MP and Congress general secretary KC Venugopal, also announced that its three national-level social media conveners will monitor the functioning of the state social media departments. The national convenors are Hasiba Amin, Ruchira Chaturvedi and Zoheb Shaikh. Each state social media department will have three members who will be designated as state social media conveners. Several state Congress bodies, like the Gujarat Congress, already have social media accounts. In the party communication, a copy of which is with Firstpost, Venugopal lists a state social media department chairperson's role as chiefly pertaining to ensuring that the Congress' campaign activities receive traction online. The chairperson will also be in charge of identifying one social media coordinator for each Assembly segment and one for each booth. He or she will also be responsible for training party cadre on the use of social media. Adding emphasis to the value of a digital reach before the polls, the chairperson has also been given the responsibilities of "covering all events, rallies, online campaigns and press conferences" at the Pradesh Congress Committee level. The Congress had used a grassroots social media connectivity effort to its advantage in the Rajasthan Assembly polls, the results of which were announced in December 2018. For Rajasthan, it had hired political strategist Naresh Arora, who had said that the online campaign attempted to strike a healthy balance between positive messages highlighting the party's vision and negative one, slamming the ruling party for its alleged inefficiency in administration. This was similar to the strategy the party adopted in Punjab, where strategist Prashant Kishor (now a JDU member) played an important role. The party's digital campaign strategy that became popular during the Punjab Assembly elections in 2017, involved incumbent Chief Minister Amarinder Singh as the protagonist in "Coffee with Captain" and "Main Captain de naal naal". The politics of majoritarian mobilisation is central to the BJPs political philosophy, the Congress, on the other hand, has historically been a broad church. It will never be able to compete on this terrain with conviction After having dispensed buckets of generosity of spirit to the prime accused in the murder of police inspector Subodh Kumar Singh in Bulandshahr, the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh is dispensing the same kind of generosity to more than a hundred people accused of participating in or instigating the Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013 by recommending the withdrawal of 38 cases. The recommendation was made after the government gave its sanction on 10 January, in pursuance of which note was sent to the district magistrate on 29 January. The recommendation will be presented to the relevant court soon. The government had earlier sought an opinion on the withdrawal of 119 first information reports. It is believed that the advocacy of BJP MP Sanjiv Balyan, also accused of instigating the riots and who had met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in this connection last year, played a significant role in shaping this initiative. The rhetoric Balyan has used to push this initiative is sanctimonious and the rationale disingenuous. He says that he has sought no exemption for himself, but has been motivated by the fact that rich people have been given a clean bill of health, while poor people have been slapped with cases. It is not his fault that the accused are Hindus. Be that as it may, the solution in such circumstances would have been reopening cases against the 'rich and affluent', not exonerating the poor. The Muzaffarnagar riots were some of the worst in recent memory and BJP leaders played a major role in fanning the flames to polarise an area not known for being communally sensitive, with purely political and electoral gains in mind. Balyan, as mentioned, was one of the accused as was Uttar Pradesh BJP MLA Sangeet Som. That doesnt necessarily mean that they are guilty as charged, but it does not mean that riot cases should be withdrawn before being brought to some kind of judicial conclusion either. At present, there is, as in so many other instances, the question of timing. The present government in Uttar Pradesh came into being in May 2017 over a year and a half ago. If it really thought that many of the cases relating to the Muzaffarnagar riots were not of a really serious character and could be withdrawn which would at any point of time have been a travesty of justice, let us emphasise it could have done so soon after coming to power. And Balyan surely did not have some kind of epiphany about class injustices in 2018; he met Adityanath with his plea for clemency in February 2018. The Adityanath government, in turn, is acting on this humanitarian plea to exonerate accused persons who happen to be Hindus with the Lok Sabha elections a couple of months or so in the offing. The Uttar Pradesh governments initiative can thus be seen only as another attempt at majoritarian consolidation, faced with the near certainty of a massive erosion of its 2014 tally and perhaps even a rout contending with the combined efforts of the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party. There is every indication that ploys such as these may not work, just as the alarums and excursions over the Ayodhya may, in fact, backfire. But over the decades one has come to expect the BJP to engage in sectarian politics. But what of the Congress? On Tuesday, the administration in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh, charged three men with provisions of the National Security Act (NSA) for the crime of cow slaughter. It is inconceivable that this could have been done without reference to some political authority in the state recently wrested from the BJP by the Congress. Even if the Khandwa administration acted on its own, it was incumbent on the Kamal Nath government to countermand the Khandwa administrations decision immediately on receipt of the information. Till last reports, it has not done so. This is preposterous and unconscionable. The NSA is a draconian piece of legislation which provides for preventive detention of people whose actions may be in one way or another prejudicial to the security of the state. Slaughtering a cow may be against the law in Madhya Pradesh, but it is hardly a threat to national security. The Congress government in Madhya Pradesh is, thus, guilty of indulging in is competitive communalism. You can, if you really stretch, explain away party president Rahul Gandhis pre-election and much-publicised temple visits as a matter of personal choice. If you are good at callisthenics, you can even explain away the part of the Madhya Pradesh election manifesto promising a large number of shelters for cows. But it is somewhat more difficult to explain away the bizarre Ram Van Gaman Path tour to trace Ramas footprints in Madhya Pradesh and the setting up of a religious and spiritual department that will organise the production of cow urine and cow-dung cakes in gaushalas. And now there is this invocation of the NSA for cow slaughter. There are several problems with the path the Congress, or at least a section of it, seems to be embarking on. First, in pragmatic terms, the Congress will fail if it tries to engage in competitive communalism or majoritarianism. The politics of majoritarian mobilisation is central to the BJPs political philosophy and is genetically embedded in the party. It has been doing this for decades. The Congress has historically been a broad church. It will never be able to compete on this terrain with anything approaching conviction. But there is the matter of principle, for want of a better word, as well. The Congress is betraying its political heritage by engaging in this kind of cynical, manipulative political action. More to the point, from the current standpoint, it is compromising its opposition to its principal adversary. Prospective voters will find it difficult to take the Congress seriously now when it attacks the BJPs communal, majoritarian and obscurantist agenda if it continues in this vein. The Congress must step back and match its actions to its rhetoric. In other words, it must strive at all times to protect the Nehruvian vision of an India that is truly pluralist multiverse, where diversity and dissent can flourish, not just be tolerated. If it doesnt stand by this vision, it might win an election against the BJP, but the BJP will have won because it will have altered forever the political terrain and the terms of the debates about India. From Uttar Pradesh to Madhya Pradesh, from the BJP to the Congress, the nation seems to be under siege. Obviously, the BJP wont undergo some kind of Damascene conversion, but the Congress can surely return to its roots. BSP president Mayawati Wednesday claimed that the BSP-SP alliance has left the BJP's top leadership 'sleepless' and 'afraid', due to which the party curses the coalition in all its meetings Lucknow: BSP president Mayawati Wednesday claimed that the BSP-SP alliance has left the BJP's top leadership 'sleepless' and 'afraid', due to which the party curses the coalition in all its meetings. Mayawati's counter came hours after BJP president Amit Shah attacked the alliance at a meeting of booth-level workers in Aligarh. "The BSP-SP alliance has not only made the BJP's top leadership sleepless but also afraid and they are out to curse it in all the big and small programmes," the BSP chief said in a party release. "We got to hear the same in the Aligarh programme, in which the alliance was termed a farce," Mayawati said. "This cursing only encourages the people of the 'sarv samaj' associated with the alliance to work hard, in turn adding to the frustration of the BJP," she added. Mayawati said the BJP could sense its defeat in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The BJP is sensing that it will face a drubbing in the upcoming elections and will lose power because of the BSP-SP alliance, and hence is out to defame it, she claimed. "It is most unfortunate that they are trying their best to entangle the leaders of opposition parties and conspiring to defame them among the people," she added. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said none of the BJP's plans would work as people were aware of the party's designs and unhappy about the prevailing situation. "Everyone is aware of how under the BJP-led central and Uttar Pradesh governments casteism, political vendetta and communalism have increased," Mayawati said. On the Ram temple, she said construction of the shrine is not an issue, but the real issue is whether the country will be run according to the Constitution or the narrow mindsets of the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh the ruling party's ideological parent. The actual problem is that BJP and company consider themselves to be above the Constitution and law of the land, which has led to serious problems in the country, she said. Quoting an e-mail trail, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged that Priyanka Gandhi's husband Robert Vadra's company received 'kickbacks' from a series of companies floated to 'turn black money into white'. New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday attacked the Congress over the Enforcement Directorate's summons to Priyanka Gandhi's husband Robert Vadra to appear before it in connection with a money laundering case. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged that Vadra benefitted from a petroleum and a defence deal which took place in 2008-09 when the UPA was in power. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, he claimed that Vadra, brother-in-law of Congress president Rahul Gandhi, utilised the money to buy posh properties worth several crore rupees in London. Quoting an e-mail trail, he alleged that Vadra's company received "kickbacks" from a series of companies floated to "turn black money into white". "The 2019 Lok Sabha election is a fight between the gang of corrupt versus transparency of Narendra Modi government," he said. Vadra is expected to appear before the Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday in connection with the money laundering case relating to alleged possession of illegal foreign assets. Kolkata: The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) West Bengal unit on Wednesday said it has cancelled the rally of former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Murshidabad district as the district administration denied permission to land his chopper. Chouhan, a BJP national vice-president, was scheduled to attend two rallies Wednesday - one at Baharampur in Murshidabad district and the other at Kharagpur in West Midnapore district. "We have decided to cancel the rally today as we were not given permission to land the chopper at Baharampur in Murshidabad district. He will be attending the rally at Kharagpur today," BJP state general secretary Sayantan Basu said. "It has been decided that Chouhan will now attend the rally at Kharagpur and will go there by road from the Kolkata airport," Basu said. Accusing the state administration of indulging in "vendetta politics", Basu said the Trinamool Congress (TMC) cannot stop the "march of the BJP by denying permission to land choppers." "Earlier also permission for landing of choppers had been denied for the rallies of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Union minister Smriti Irani and other leaders. This is not new to us. We will fight it out in our own way," he said. The TMC leadership termed the charges against the state government baseless and claimed the district administration may not have allowed the landing of chopper after looking into the security aspect. On 1 February, Drivers Colony at Korukkupet in North Chennai a space where local political meetings are frequently held wore an entirely different colour. It was witness to a medley of performances, including Bharatanatyam by the Chathurlakshana School of Fine Arts; Gaana and dance performance by Dancing Dolls; and the story of Korukkupet presented in a song by the youth of Arunodhaya. These performances were part of the finale of the Chennai Kalai Theru Vizha. For many in the neighbourhood, it was an experience worth cherishing. A local woman had come after sending her kids to their tuition classes. I was just curious, she said matter-of-factly. There was another one, begging her seven-year-old son, who was complaining of leg pain, to stay back a little longer. It is not always that we get to see such performances, she told him. Some had sauntered in, drawn by the different kind of sounds from the stage. What really stood out among the medley of performances was Thol Pavai Koothu (shadow puppetry) by Kalavalarmani B Muthuchandran and his troupe from Kanyakumari district. A dying art in Tamil Nadu, Thol Pavai Koothu has very few practitioners Muthuchandran and his family being foremost among them. An ancient form of story-telling, Thol Pavai Koothu involves using figures made of goatskin to enact a story. That is where the name is derived from. In Tamil, thol means skin, Muthuchandran says. His one-hour performance had a wide-ranging arch from a variety of scenes from the Ramayana, to contemporary issues like the importance of not using plastic. Behind the translucent screen, Muthuchandran deftly used his hands to move the puppets around and bring his various characters to life. His effortlessness in enacting scenes that appear difficult, including the viswaroopam of Hanuman when he meets Sita in Ashokavanam, or later, of a man climbing a palm tree, speaks volumes about his expertise in Thol Pavai Koothu. It is not something you learn in school. I have learnt it from my father Balakrishna Rao, I have seen him making the puppets, and giving voices to them. I have learnt it from a distance while accompanying him on his shows, doing music, he says. Muthuchandrans performance was interspersed with a liberal dose of humour, often sending the audience into splits. For many youngsters, it was a first-of-its-kind experience. Thol Pavai Koothu is 400-year-old folk art. We have been doing it for over 15 generations. I have been able to trace it up to six generations, Muthuchandran explains, listing the names of his forefathers. Up until three decades ago, his family had been nomadic. I decided to build a house in Kanyakumari and settle down because I want my son to study. It was difficult for us to get an education since we kept moving from one place to another. I did not want my son to meet with the same fate. Exactly 28 years ago, Muthuchandran decided that his family needed a home they could call their own. His familys story dates back to the pre-British era of the Thanjavur Sarabhoji rulers. We migrated from Maharashtra during their period because the kings were patrons of folk art. But after the British took over, we were left in the lurch and many families like ours had to leave Thanjavur. The families spread across Tamil Nadu, often travelling from one place to another in search of work. Muthuchandrans is among the very few families today to preserve the art of Thol Paavai Koothu. My ancestors toured throughout Tamil Nadu, camping at a village to do a performance and then moving to another. Today, from Kanyakumari, I travel the length and breadth of Tamil Nadu. But I am afraid I will be the last in my family. My son is pursuing a Bachelor's degree in History, I'm not certain what he plans to do. Tholpavai Koothu is a hugely demanding art. It requires an entire family to be involved, in order to put up a decent performance. What you see on stage is the final act of a very long process. The arduous process begins with procuring goatskin and treating it for days. We either keep it immersed in water and let it lie around for a couple of days. After this treatment, the goatskin turns dry, into something like paper and we draw and make puppets out of it, Muthuchandran explains. The process typically takes about a week. While it is easy to make puppets for a show like the Ramayana, which Muthuchandran has learnt from his father, he employs his creativity to make puppets for contemporary subjects. Muthuchandran can also speak in 28 to 31 different voices to suit each character on stage. It is not always easy to establish the difference between one character and another through voice. But typically, only one person will be behind the screen doing it. I always handle all the male voices needed for the show. My family members help in coordinating the music and other elements. Muthuchandran believes the contemporariness he has managed to inculcate in his art has helped it survive. There were times when my ancestors would do performances revolving around the Ramayana that would last for three hours or more. Today, it is not possible. People are neither interested in the Ramayana, nor in having such long performances. He draws from the stories he hears told by people he meets on his travels. I go to villages where I see a family finding it tough because the head of the family is an alcoholic. I speak to people and find out why plastic is harmful. My parents are my first gurus, but I have also been fortunate enough to be guided by AK Perumal, a scholar in folk arts. He has often helped me incorporate contemporary subjects into my performances, giving me material and ideas. But the contemporariness notwithstanding, Thol Pavai Koothu has its own set of challenges as a full-time occupation. We hardly get four to five chances to perform each month. This is not enough to sustain a family as big as ours, Muthuchandran says. The fear of family tradition being abandoned after him is palpable in his voice. I can understand if my son does not want to pursue this art, he says, even as a young girl walks up to him, to thank him for the performance. I have never seen something like this, she tells him. But this is why I want him to pursue it, at least part-time, says Muthuchandran. All photographs taken by G Rajaram The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has recommended withdrawal of 38 cases against more than 100 accused in the deadly riots in Muzaffarnagar district that claimed at least 60 lives and displaced over 50,000 people The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has recommended withdrawal of 38 cases against more than 100 accused in the deadly riots in Muzaffarnagar district that claimed at least 60 lives and displaced over 50,000 people, reports said. According to reports, UP's special secretary of law JJ Singh had directed Muzaffarnagar district magistrate Rajeev Sharma in January to withdraw the cases. TimesNow reported that the "UP government had given the sanctions to withdraw the cases on 10 January and the note was sent on 29 January". Though reports in January claimed that the note recommended retraction of only 18 cases, media reports on Wednesday put the number of cases to be withdrawn at 38. According to The Times of India, the riot cases "deal with charges of dacoity, use of fire and explosive substances, and defiling places of worship and outraging religious feelings.... Another case pertaining to obstruction to work with criminal intent and injury by a man under Section 7 of CRPC will also be withdrawn." According to PTI, the directive had come after the state government sought details of 125 cases filed in relation to the Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013. Additional district magistrate Amit Kumar had told the news agency that the state government had sought the details to review the possibility of withdrawing the 125 cases pending in courts. Several leaders of the ruling BJP, including MPs Sanjeev Balyan and Bharatendra Singh, MLAs Sangeet Som and Umesh Malik, have been named in these 125 cases. Minister in the state government Suresh Rana and Hindutva leader Sadhvi Prachi are also accused in cases related to the Muzaffarnagar riots. The state government had formed SIT to probe the riot cases. The SIT has filed charge sheets in 175 cases. Police had registered cases against 6,869 people and arrested 1,480 people in connection with the riots. According to the SIT, 418 accused have been acquitted in 54 cases due to lack of evidence. With inputs from PTI Chatham, VA (24531) Today Showers with a possible thunderstorm this morning, then variable clouds during the afternoon with still a chance of showers. High 79F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Cloudy early with some clearing expected late. Low 57F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Over 500 Indian fishermen and more than 1,050 Indian fishing boats are believed to be in Pakistan's custody, the government said Wednesday New Delhi: Over 500 Indian fishermen and more than 1,050 Indian fishing boats are believed to be in Pakistan's custody, the government said Wednesday. The government said it has sought their early release and repatriation from the neighbouring country. Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh, in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha, said the government's persistent efforts have succeeded in securing the release and repatriation of 1,749 Indian prisoners, including 1,725 fishermen, along with 57 boats from Pakistan's custody since 2014. This includes 179 Indian prisoners and fishermen who were repatriated from Pakistan in 2018, he said. According to the available information, 503 Indian fishermen are believed to be in Pakistan's custody, the minister said. Pakistan, through a list shared on 1 January, 2019, has acknowledged the custody of 483 fishermen who are Indian or believed-to-be-Indian in their jails, Singh said. The 483 fishermen includes those who are in Pakistan for over 20 months. The government has asked Pakistan to provide consular access and early release and repatriation of the remaining Indian prisoners and fishermen along with their boats in Pakistan's custody, he said. More than 1,050 Indian fishing boats are believed to be in Pakistan's custody, Singh said. However, he said Pakistan has not acknowledged their custody so far. Responding to a question on whether the government has recently received any representations regarding alleged attacks by Sri Lankan Navy on Indian fishermen and capture of their properties, Singh said the government has received letters from the state governments of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry and also from fishermen associations on it. During the past three years, there have been occasions when the arrested Indian fishermen have complained of assault by Sri Lanka Navy, the minister said. The fishermen issues have been raised at the highest level, including by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Lankan counterpart Ranil Wickremesinghe during the latter's visit to India in October 2018. To another question, Singh also informed the Lower House that 4,705 Indian nationals are in prisons in Gulf countries, which also includes Indian origin labourers imprisoned due to accidents. Replying to another question, Singh said the total number of Indians who have completed their jail terms but are still lodged in prisons of foreign countries is 434, out of which 396 Indians are in Pakistan. To a question on complaints by NRI brides, he said the ministry has been receiving petitions from Indian women deserted or harassed by their NRI spouses. Between January, 2014, and December, 2018, the ministry has addressed 5,379 complaints of distressed Indian women deserted by their NRI spouses, he said. On another question, Singh said the number of emigration clearances granted to ECR passport holding Indian workers in the last three years was 5,20,938 in 2016, 3,91,024 in 2017, 3,40,157 in 2018. The VHP will cease its campaign towards the Ram temple for four months and will continue to demand the construction of the temple in Ayodhya immediately after the 2019 general elections. New Delhi: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has put its campaign for bringing an ordinance for the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya on hold for four months in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. "If we look forward to conducting a protest, then people will say that we are doing so to influence the people ahead of the Lok Sabha elections and we are trying to support a particular party. Hence, the seers have decided that for the next four months, we are not going to hold any protest for construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya," VHP Joint General Secretary, Surendra Jain, said. However, Jain made it clear that the VHP will continue to demand the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya immediately after the 2019 general elections. "We have only stalled it. We have put it on hold for some time because of the Lok Sabha elections, but soon after that we will again come forward with the demand for an ordinance to build Ram temple," Jain added. The move comes a week after the central government approached the Supreme Court for permission to return 67 acres of land surrounding the disputed portion in Ayodhya to its original owners, including Ram Janambhoomi Nyas. The government, in a petition, had sought a direction for releasing the land, which it had acquired about two-and-a-half decades back, leaving untouched 0.313 acres of the disputed area. The top court had earlier cancelled the hearing in the Ayodhya title suit, which was slated for January 29 by a five-judge bench due to the unavailability of Justice SA Bobde. In 2010, the Allahabad High Court had divided the disputed land in Ayodhya into three parts for each of the parties Sunni Waqf Board, Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla. The Uttar Pradesh government has constituted an Special Investigation Team to probe the circumstances that led to riots in Kanpur in 1984 following the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi, an official release said Tuesday night. Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government has constituted an Special Investigation Team to probe the circumstances that led to riots in Kanpur in 1984 following the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi, an official release said Tuesday night. The four-member SIT, to be headed by retired Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police Atul, has been asked to submit its report within six months, the release said. Other members of the SIT include retired district judge Subhash Chandra Agarwal and retired additional director (prosecution) Yogeshwar Krishna Srivastava. At least 125 people were killed in 1984 riots in Kanpur after the assassination of Indira Gandhi. In August 2017, the apex court had issued a notice to the state government on a petition seeking an SIT probe of the riots. A contempt notice was served to Prashant Bhushan by the Supreme Court following pleas filed by the Centre over his tweets criticising M Nageswara Raos appointment A notice was served to advocate and activist Prashant Bhushan by the Supreme Court on Wednesday following contempt pleas filed by Attorney General KK Venugopal and the Centre over his tweets criticising M Nageswara Raos appointment as interim CBI director. The bench comprising of Justices Arun Mishra and Naveen Sinha condemned Bhushan for 'wilfully and deliberately passing comments on a sub-judice matter, saying the court will later deal with the question of whether any person can criticise the court in such matters, leading to an impact on public opinion. The bench observed that a contempt notice should not be used frequently. "We are not averse to media reporting on court proceedings but the lawyers involved in a case should resist from making a public statement in a sub-judice matter. It has now become common that lawyers appearing in case making a statement and participate in a debate in a sub-judice matter," the court said, according to The Times of India. In his tweets, Bhushan had alleged that Venugopal had misled the Supreme Court by submitting fabricated minutes of the meeting of the selection committee formed to appoint the new CBI director. Bhushan is appearing for the NGO Common Cause, which filed a petition challenging the appointment of Rao as the interim CBI director. Bhushan accepted the notice and was given three weeks to reply and the matter was listed for further hearing on 7 March. With the TDB opposing the review petitions in the Sabarimala case, the devotees are fearing another wave of violence. The sporadic violence that Kerala witnessed in the wake of the 28 September Supreme Court verdict lifting the ban on the entry of women of child-bearing age in the Sabarimala temple could have been checked, if not averted totally, had the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which administers the temple, accepted the right-wing outfits demand for filing a review petition. The board, which was initially in favour of such a legal recourse, changed its stand after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan indicted its president A Padma Kumar, a former legislator of the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist), on 2 October for deviating from the governments line of implementing the verdict. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Sangh Parivar, which initially welcomed the apex court verdict, viewed the TDB volte face as part of the LDF governments agenda to destroy Sabarimala and unleashed their cadres in the hillock and across the state to prevent women from entering the temple, resulting in widespread violence. With the TDB opposing the review petitions filed by different organisations and individuals during the hearing on Wednesday, the devotees are fearing another wave of violence when the temple opens for the monthly pooja on 12 February. People like Prayar Gopalakrishnan, former president of TDB and one of the petitioners, said that he wont be surprised if the devotees who opposed the entry of women in the temple turn their ire on the TDB. They may not allow the TDB president and other members to enter temples under the board if they do not change their stand, he told reporters in New Delhi. Sabarimala Karma Samithi leader Rahul Easwar has described the volte face taken by the board on its stand as a betrayal of the devotees. They will give a befitting reply to the TDB for not respecting their sentiments. The TDB was established to protect the interest of the devotees and the temples. However, it has cheated the devotees after taking their money, Easwar said. BJP leader PS Sreedharan Pillai has also aired the same view and warned that the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government will have to pay the price for the betrayal. This is the beginning of the end of the Communist Party in Kerala, he added. The pro-women entry stand taken by the government in the apex court is considered significant since senior lawyers believe it will influence the outcome of the review petitions. Supreme Court lawyer MR Abhilash said that the official stand will carry more weight when the constitution bench takes a decision on the review petitions. However, Sasikumar Varma, president of the executive committee of Pandalam palace, former custodian of the temple, believes that this does not mean that the bench would not give due consideration to the points raised by the petitioners. When the government and the TDB asserted that they were with the devotees, we hoped that they will take a neutral stand on the review petitions. By opposing the petitions, they have made it clear that they are not with the devotees. It is unfortunate that the TDB, which is bound to protect the customs and traditions in Sabarimala has taken a political stand, he added. Varma said that the palace and others opposing the entry of women between the ages of 10 and 50 in Sabarimala will explore other options if the Supreme Court turns down the review petitions. He said they might consider filing a curative petition in such a case. The U-turn taken by the TDB has not come as a surprise to the devotees. The board, which opposed the petition originally filed by the Delhi-based Young Lawyers Association challenging the ban on the entry of menstruating women in Sabarimala, was under extreme pressure from the government and the party to toe their line. Padma Kumar had justified the boards decision to reject the devotees plea to file a review petition, saying that being a party to the petitions, it will get an opportunity to state its stand in the hearings. However, none of the devotees had expected that it will back the womens entry in the temple when the petitions were taken up for hearing, especially after he asserted that the board would stand by the devotees. The devotees feel that the board has made volte face due to the combined pressure from the government as well as the party. While the chief minister berated him for taking a stand in favour of filing a review petition, CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan sought to correct him. The party chief said that Padma Kumar had failed in projecting the Communist viewpoints, forgetting the fact that he is an important functionary of the party. Easwar is not ready to blame Padma Kumar. I know him personally. Padma Kumar and his family are strong devotees of Lord Ayyaappa. He would not have taken such a stand if he was left alone. Sadly, the government has made him a tool in its hands. This will have far-reaching repercussion in the administration of the temples under the TDB, he added. The TDB stand has strengthened the allegation of those opposing the entry of menstruating women in the temple that the government is out to destroy the temple. Prayar Gopalakrishnan sees signs of desertion of Sabarimala by the devotees in the sharp decline in the revenue received by the TDB during the current season. When I headed the board, Sabarimala had earned a revenue of over Rs 680 crore. The total earning of the TDB during the current pilgrim season is less than Rs 130 crore. If the government and the TDB continue to support the violation of the customs and traditions in Sabarimala, more devotees will desert the hill shrine, he added. The stakeholders in Sabarimala were expecting a decision on the controversial issue before the temple opens for the five-day monthly pooja. With the Supreme Court granting seven days time to the petitioners to file their replies, many fear that hill shrine will turn into a conflict zone once again. The Supreme Court started hearing a bunch of review petitions urging it to revisit an earlier order allowing women to enter Sabarimala shrine. A five-judge bench, led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, remarked that the pleas made by both petitioner and respondent had interesting aspects The Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved judgment on 65 petitions, including 56 review petitions and four fresh writ petitions, urging it to revisit an earlier order allowing women to enter the Sabarimala shrine in Kerala. While the Kerala government stood by its stand and told the five-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi that there was no need to review the original verdict of the apex court, the Travancore Devaswom Board changed its stand on not allowing women of all ages into the temple and said it now respected the Court's verdict. The bench began the hearing by remarking that the pleas made by both petitioner and respondent had interesting aspects. However, it asked the lawyers to limit their arguments only to the grounds on which they are seeking review or defending the court's previous judgment. The court also ruled out the live telecast or video recording of the court proceeding as requested by one of the petitioners. The court observed that the case primarily involves enforcement of fundamental rights under Article 25. Lawyer K Parasaran, arguing on behalf of the petitioners, sought to lay down his case based on the argument that Constitution covers only limited aspects of religion. He pointed out that the earlier verdict in the Sabarimala case failed to deal with the interplay of Preamble to the Constitution and Articles 15, 17 and 25 of Constitution. Parasaran argued that the court's judgment didn't discuss Article The 15 at all and that's an error apparent, CNN-News 18 reported. Bar and Bench reported that Parasaran further argued on the basis of the Article 17 and the reference to untouchability in the Supreme Court's September order. He said that the expanded meaning given in judgment to untouchability under Article 17 will result in it applying only to Hindu Religious institutions under Article 25(2)(b). He argued that this cannot be equated with the nature of ban being sought in Sabarimala. To this, Justice Rohinton Fali S Nariman interjected saying that untouchability was not the only criterion based on which the court chose to set aside the ban on women's entry. The petitioner, however, argued that even the Preamble to the Constitution grants people the freedom to adhere to their religious practices. The Chief Justice of India alloted 90 minutes to those supporting the Supreme Court verdict. Advocate Jaideep Gupta, arguing for the Kerala government, said there is no need to review the verdict allowing entry of women of all ages into temple and that the case cannot be reopened by way of review petitions. "A challenge on the ground of untouchability or any other provision will not affect the verdict," the Kerala government told the court, adding that it is "it is not a private issue but a public law issue unless they argue that women between age 10 to 50 are not a class of Hindus." The Bench reassembled after lunch break with senior counsel Rakesh Dwivedi beginning arguments for the Travancore Devaswom Board. In what came as a surprise to even the Bench, the Board spoke in favour of the Court's original judgment, allowing the entry of women into the temple. Justice Indu Malhotra observed that the Board had argued against the entry of women in the main case, to which Dwivedi said, "We have to transform society...we should not point out biological attributes to exclude women from any walk of life." Advocate Indira Jaising, beginning the round of submissions, said the fact that a purification ceremony had been held at the temple, affirmed that menstruating women are considered "polluted". "A case for review is not made out. Your Lordships may keep in mind the basic feature of the Indian Constitution, which is gender justice," she said, adding that on 12 February, when the temple reopens, women and especially Bindu and Kanakadurga, should be allowed to enter the temple. Jaising's case was bolstered by advocate PV Dinesh who said, "Most of the review petitioners here are violators of the judgment of this honourable court, who were rioting on streets. Your Lordships should ask them on what grounds they have come here in review." The pleas were filed by a bunch of religious groups, Lord Ayyappa devotees and politicians following the violent protests in favour and against the 28 September verdict. The Supreme Court has said that the writ petition will be heard later. Meanwhile, four women who support the previous judgment have requested the court to be made a party in the case. Reshma CV, Shanila, Bindu A and Kanakadurga, hailing from Kerala, have filed applications seeking to be heard as intervenors. Of the four, Bindu and Kanakadurga, aged 44 and 42, were the first to have stepped into the hallowed precincts after the top court's historic judgement lifted 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. The other two applicants 33-year-old Reshma and 29-year-old Shanila, had twice attempted to enter the temple, first on January 15 and again on 19 January. However, they were heckled and prevented by some self proclaimed devotees after which they had to discontinue. "There are thousands of women waiting for Darshan at Sabarimala and are waiting the final outcome of the review petitions, when this court would be pleased to hear and finally decide. The applicants may be permitted to intervene and make their submissions before this court when the Review Petitions are heard by this court, in order to oppose the Reviews," said Reshma and Shanila in their application. Bindu and Kanakadurga, in their application said, "The judgment of this court on 28 September , 2018, upheld the dignity, liberty and equality of women of all ages and sent a strong message to the society against menstrual taboo. Proposed intervenors pray that they may also be heard to oppose the review, in case this court is inclined to review the judgment. It is in the interest of justice that the Proposed Intervenors are heard". On 13 November last year, the apex court had agreed to hear in open court in January this year the pleas seeking review of its verdict, but had refused to stay the judgement. However, on 22 January, the top court had said it may not start hearing the pleas, seeking review of Sabarimala verdict till 30 January as one of the judges of the bench, Justice Indu Malhotra, was on medical leave. Justice Malhotra, the lone woman judge in the bench, had delivered the dissenting judgement in the case last year. Meanwhile, a plea seeking contempt action against a thantry of the Sabarimala temple has been filed alleging that he had ordered cleaning of the premises. With inputs from PTI, @utkarsh_aanand, @barandbench The Appellate Tribunal, which works under the department of revenue, has termed the Sandesara Group fraud against the public sector banks as 'daylight robbery' seeking stringent action in the case. Sandesara brothers Nitin and Chetan Sandesara, owners of Sandesara group of companies and now officially designated economic offenders New Delhi: The Appellate Tribunal, which works under the department of revenue, has termed the Sandesara Group fraud against the public sector banks as 'daylight robbery' seeking stringent action in the case. Sandesara brothers Nitin and Chetan Sandesara, owners of Sandesara group of companies and now officially designated economic offenders swindled at least Rs 6,000 crore from state-owned banks before fleeing the country. "They, after looting huge amounts from the banks, have left the country and investigation against them (Sandesara brothers) is still underway. Stringent and shocked action should be taken against them who are enjoying the lavish life in foreign countries by cheating the public amount," the tribunal observed. The tribunal, while allowing corporate insolvency resolution process under the provisions of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016 (IBC), said that the agencies are clueless whether Sandesara bothers will ever return to face the law. The group had taken the loans from various banks, including Dena Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce and Federal Bank. The tribunal said that large number of properties have been mortgaged with the banks and money must go to them. Sandesara Group's initial operations were limited to trading, tea business and machine tools. Later, the group started to diversify their operations into mines, infrastructure development in SEZ and ports, etc within the country. Sterling Biotech Ltd (SBL) is a flagship company of the group. It was started in 1985 as 'Pluto Exports & Consultants Ltd'. In 1991, it diversified into the tea plantation business and changed its name to Sterling Tea and Industries Ltd. In 1995, the company entered into a technical tie-up with Croda Colloids Ltd, a gelatin manufacturer which was based in the UK, and in 1997, first gelatin production facility at Karakhadi in Gujarat was commissioned. In 2000, tea business was sold off and from 29 March, 2001 it changed its name to Sterling Biotech Limited. Subsequently, other companies like Sterling International Enterprises Limited , Sterling Oil Resources Limited, PMT Machines Limited, Sterling SEZ & Infrastructure Limited, Sterling Port Limited and Sterling Healthcare Private Limited were floated by the promoters. The Sandesara Group entered into oil production operations in Nigeria in 2005 and thereafter, the main focus of the operation seems to have shifted to offshore oil exploration business. Almost all the Indian companies of the group, irrespective of their main area of operation, appear to have developed association with the Nigerian operations by creating offshore subsidiaries. In particular, through two of its Indian companies (Sterling International Enterprises Ltd and Sterling Oil Resources Ltd) the entire Nigerian operations are funded and managed by the group through layers of subsidiaries and step down subsidiaries in BVI, Mauritius, Nigeria and UAE. Sandesara group floated More than 151 benami entities wherein the employees and key persons were shown as shareholders and directors. The documents available with Enforcement Directorate (ED) suggested that about 100 undisclosed offshore entities were incorporated in BVI, Seychelles, Liechtenstein, Cayman Islands, Mauritius and UAE with Nitin Sandesara and Chetan Sandesara mentioned as the beneficial owners. One of the major methods by which the Sandesara Group was diverting funds, investigation revealed, was through booking of bogus purchase of goods and capital assets. Just as there was a phenomenal increase in turnover of the company due to its systematic manipulative methods, the funds deployed in the group also increased substantially. Substantial funds were raised by way of bank loans also citing various projects of the group both in India and abroad, particularly Nigeria. The money infused into the business of the group was simultaneously being withdrawn through booking of bogus capital assets for which purpose the loans were mainly obtained. Creation of more than 151 benami entities in India and the presence of over 100 undisclosed offshore entities acted as an effective smoke screen to funnel the funds without raising any alarm. Investigators said most of the benami entities in India are only on paper and have no real business. Still crores of rupees have been routed through them under the cloak of suppliers of machineries and service providers. "Just like the creation of super profits, the corresponding increase in fixed assets was also only on paper. This bogus purchase of fixed assets had helped in accounting for the borrowed funds without having to actually use them for the stated purpose and also in nullifying the tax incidence on the abnormal profits that the company has shown year after year," investigators said further adding that the increase in fixed assets of the group as a whole has been manipulated as a matter of routine and almost the entire addition to fixed assets running to thousands of crores was found to have been shown as purchased from the benami companies only. Even in the Nigerian entities, almost the entire expenses are booked in the name of the undisclosed offshore companies only, making it a myriad web through which funds are funneled. These entities being used to book expenses in Nigeria are undisclosed offshore companies and most of them are found to be owned by Nitin Sandesara and his relatives. Entities with similar names have been incorporated in different countries under different ownership, thereby making it difficult for the investigators to follow the funds trail. The present case is a classic example as to how the public money has been swindled by these groups and individuals. No one knows when enquired why they have left the country and how they have managed to flee recently in pending investigation by various agencies, no one is aware whether they will ever return to home country and pay their debts, every one appearing is clueless on this question, tribunal said. Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra on Wednesday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED). On Wednesday, Robert Vadra appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a 2009 money laundering probe relating to alleged possession of illegal foreign assets. Vadra's wife Priyanka Gandhi accompanied him in a white Toyota Land Cruiser, along with SPG personnel, and dropped him outside the agency's office in Jamnagar House in central Delhi. She soon left in her convoy of vehicles. Vadra entered the ED office at 3:47 pm even as a team of his lawyers arrived minutes before him. This is the first time Vadra, the brother-in-law of Congress president Rahul Gandhi and son-in-law of Sonia Gandhi, is appearing before any probe agency in connection with alleged criminal charges of dubious financial dealings. Vadra has denied these allegations and termed them a "political witch hunt" against him. Vadra was directed by a Delhi court to cooperate with the investigation being carried out by the central probe agency after he knocked on its door seeking anticipatory bail in this case. The court asked him to appear before the ED on Wednesday after returning from London. Official sources said Vadra will be put through questions on transactions, purchase and possession of certain immovable assets in London and his statement will be recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). ED sleuths are also expected to quiz Vadra about Manoj Arora, an employee of a firm linked to Vadra, Skylight Hospitality LLP. Vadra is likely to be confronted with an email trail between London-based Sumit Chaddha, arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari, Arora and himself. Vadra will be also questioned about alleged London properties. The case relates to allegations of money laundering in the purchase of a London-based property located at 12, Bryanston Square worth 1.9 million pounds, which is allegedly owned by Vadra. ED told the court it received information about various new properties in London which belong to Vadra. "This property (12, Bryanston Square, London) was purchased in 2009 by Sanjay Bhandari for GBP 1.9 million and sold in June 2010 for the same amount. Despite incurring additional expenses of approximately GBP 65,900 on renovation of this property, it was sold for GBP 1.9 million without including renovation cost in the sale price," ED alleged in its plea to the court. "This gives credence to the fact that Sanjay Bhandari was not actual owner of the property but it was beneficially owned by Robert Vadra, who was incurring expenditure on this property. This fact is further inferred from the email dated 05.07.2010 addressed to Manoj Arora by Sumit Chaddha enclosing therewith item-wise expenses incurred and expenditure projected in future for the said property even after the sale of the said property to Sky Light Investment FZE." The ED will also likely confront Vadra with an email dated 4 April, 2010, in which Bhandari's associate Sumit Chaddha reported the progress of work of renovation. Vadra reportedly replied to the email, saying that he would look into the issue and sort it out. Vadra's lawyers have refuted this allegation, saying he has no business relations with Bhandari and has not entered into any transactions of a financial nature with him. The agency had carried out raids in this case in December and grilled Arora. Vadra has also been directed by the Rajasthan High Court to appear before the ED on 12 February in connection with another money laundering case being probed by the agency. Vadra's lawyers said he "is being subjected to a farce of criminal prosecution which actually is beset with nothing else except political vendetta. He is being virtually subjected to unwarranted, unjustified and a malicious criminal prosecution which on the face of it is completely politically motivated and is being done and carried out for reasons other than those prescribed under law." With inputs from PTI 'Why is the central government so scared? Has Rajeev become their nightmare? I do not know what is going on. He never joined the dharna,' Mamata told reporters after calling off her demonstration on the third day on Tuesday evening. Kolkata: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday described as "blatant lie" the Ministry of Home Affairs' (MHA) charge that Kolkata Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar participated in her dharna, and said the officer never went up to the dais of her three-day sit-in. Mamata lashed out at the Centre for asking West Bengal government to initiate proceedings against Kumar for indiscipline and violation of service rules, and termed the act a "political vendetta". "Why is the central government so scared? Has Rajeev become their nightmare? I do not know what is going on. He never joined the dharna. Absolutely blatant lie," Mamata told reporters after calling off her demonstration on the third day on Tuesday evening. Earlier during the day, the Union home ministry, which is the cadre controlling authority of the Indian Police Service officers in the country, asked the West Bengal chief secretary to initiate the process against Kumar. The ministry said that as per information received by it, Kumar sat on a dharna along with some police officers with the West Bengal chief minister, which is prima facie in contravention of the extant provisions of the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968 and All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969. Mamata said it was the job of a police officer to give protection to the prime minister and chief ministers. "And please remember the duty of the police as per protocol is to be with the prime minister, the chief minister or the governor to give security to them. That is the law. Even during election time, the CPs, SPs stay at the spot with VIPs while performing their duty," she said. "I am the chief minister. Can't they talk to me downstairs if any consultation is needed," she said adding that she held a Cabinet meeting with all her ministers inside a police outpost next to the dais Monday. "What is this going on," she asked, hitting out at the MHA missive. The chief minister went on, describing the Centre's move as a part of a "larger conspiracy" to control government agencies, including those in the state. "You (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) want to see the education, you want to see agriculture, see everything. You want to be the only man, one party to be in the country," she said, and added, "You resign from the post of the prime minister and go back to Gujarat to control the state agencies there". Mamata sat on a "Save the Constitution" dharna in front of Metro Cinema in the heart of the city since Sunday night insisting that the latest CBI action was tantamount to stifling the spirit of "Constitution and federalism" in the country. Her fight got support from Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Andhra Pradesh counterpart Chandrababu Naidu other prominent leaders such as Sharad Pawar, Farooq Abdullah, DMK's Kanimozhi, RJD's Tejashwi Yadav. With the heat turning up on the Saradha chit-fund scam in West Bengal and the ghost of the scandal coming to haunt former TMC leader Mukul Roy and ex-Assam Congress member Himanta Biswa Sarma, the focus is back on possible political opportunism practised by tainted netas. India has seen many men and women with a criminal history enter the political fray, but apart from the nit-picking by rival parties, questions are rarely raised on their infamous past and often, the clout-bearing leaders end up being elected as MLAs or even MPs. However, with the heat turning up on the Saradha chit-fund scam in West Bengal and the ghost of the scandal coming to haunt former TMC leader Mukul Roy and ex-Assam Congress member Himanta Biswa Sarma, the focus is back on possible political opportunism practised by tainted netas. Both Roy and Sarma joined the BJP when the CBI probe in the case was on and they have reportedly become hindsight targets post their political shift. This is not the first instance of political leaders jumping boats and being welcomed by Opposition parties despite active cases against them. Many such examples emerge from the north Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar where parties like the BSP, SP, RJD and JD(U) are known to have repeatedly fielded tainted candidates for appeasing the vote bank in a particular constituency. Anand Sen Yadav BSP MLA Anand Sen Yadav, who was earlier a member of the Samajwadi Party (SP), was indicted in more than ten criminal cases including murder, assault, and extortion and fought the 2007 Uttar Pradesh state Assembly elections from jail. He won, and was appointed the Minister of State for Food Processing in Mayawati's cabinet. Interestingly, he was in jail during the swearing-in ceremony as the court refused him leave since he was locked up for "serious criminal charges". Eventually, a second ceremony was held for him. A probe was only initiated against him when he resigned from his post in 2007. Shekhar Tiwari Shekhar Tiwari, another BSP MLA, joined the Mayawati-led party (was earlier part of INC) in 2007 (BSP won the 2007 elections in Uttar Pradesh) despite various criminal cases against him. According to police reports, Tiwari was being investigated in 14 criminal cases relating to government contracts and extortion, but after he was elected as a MLA, ten of those cases were closed for want of evidence. Anand Mohan Singh Singh served a three-month jail sentence for violence in 1983 but in 1990 was elected from the Mahishi constituency to the Bihar Legislative Assembly as a representative of the Janata Dal. He continued his criminal activities while being an MLA, leading a notorious sectarian gang, described by a Hindustan Times report as a "private army", during the 1990s. In 1993, he founded the Bihar People's Party and contested the 1995 state Assembly elections. The BPP later joined with the Samata Party, for whom he stood successfully in the Sheohar constituency as a Lok Sabha candidate in the 1996 general elections. His success in those elections came despite him being in prison during the campaign. He was again elected from the constituency in the 1998 Lok Sabha elections as a Rashtriya Janata Party candidate supported by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). By 1999, Singh had switched from the BPP to BJP that was courting him and numerous other criminal-politicians in Bihar as it sought support for the national government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. However, Singh lost his Sheohar seat to Anwarul Haq of the BJP in the 1999 Lok Sabha election. Thereafter, he merged the BPP with the Indian National Congress (INC) and hoped to stand again for election in Sheohar. Singh later joined JD(U). He is thought to have been a significant influence in the creation of the NDA government in Bihar headed by JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar from November 2005, and bringing together the Rajput and Bhumihar communities in the state. In 2010, Singh once again supported the Congress and opposed Kumar in the Bihar Assembly election, although he could not stand as a candidate due to being in jail Mohammad Shahabuddin Shahabuddin, a gangster turned politician was elected four times as an RJD MP and twice an MLA from Bihar's Siwan. Being convicted in many criminal cases, he was debarred from contesting the 2009 general elections. In 2004, Shahabuddin's opponents were intimidated against campaigning even though he was in prison during the elections. Immediately after the elections, which he won by a margin of 1,00,000 votes, nine party workers of the Opposition candidate, JD(U)'s Om Prakash Yadav were found murdered, allegedly for daring to contest against him. In the early 1990s, Shahabuddin came into the political limelight, joining the Janata Dal youth wing under Lalu Prasad Yadav. He won the 1990 and 1995 Vidhan Sabha elections and was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1996 on the JD ticket, after which he grew in stature. With Lalu holding sway over the then Bihar government, and with the formation of the RJD in 1997, Shahabuddin's power increased dramatically. A report by the People's Union for Civil Liberties in 2001 stated that: The patronage and defacto immunity from legal action offered to him by the RJD government gradually made him a law unto himself giving him an aura of invincibility since the police turned a blind eye to his criminal activities. The subsequent elections saw largescale rigging as booth capturing was reported from as many as 500 polling stations and re-polling was ordered by the Election Commission of India. In April 2005, a police raid led by then Siwan SP Ratna Sanjay on Shahabuddin's house in Pratappur helped recover illegal arms such as AK-47s, and other military weaponry authorised for possession only by the army, including night-vision goggles and laser-guided guns. Some of the discovered arms had the markings of Pakistan ordnance factories, and the then Bihar DGP, DP Ojha alleged that Shahabuddin had ties with Pakistan intelligence agency ISI. Subsequently, eight non-bailable warrants were issued for arresting Shahabuddin. However, his party was part of the UPA headed by Manmohan Singh, and thus, continued to yield considerable clout. Athough he was living in his official assigned quarter in Delhi, and attending the Parliament, the Delhi Police and a special team sent from Bihar could not arrest him for over three months. However, a team from Bihar, was finally able to arrest him from his official residence in Delhi in November 2005. Subsequently, he was refused bail by the Supreme Court, where he was asked: By virtue of being an MP, are you entitled to keep these weapons, including a night vision device, when even the police, CRPF and other security agencies do not have it and only the army possesses it. Pappu Kalani Kalani won elections for the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in 1986 on a Congress ticket after emerging as the leader of an organized crime syndicate in the 1980s. He also won the 1990 elections as a Congress candidate, but later contested as an Independent candidate in the 1995 and 1999 elections. Kalani has been elected continuously from the seat since then, including two elections from 19922001 while being in jail on murder charges. At one point, former Maharashtra chief minister Sudhakarrao Naik made a statement that then Congress chief minister Sharad Pawar, had asked him to "go easy on Pappu Kalani". Later, Shiv Sena chief minister Manohar Joshi announced his intention to prosecute criminal-politicians, but political realities ensured that nothing much was done. Under Indian law, someone who has not been sentenced to more than two years for a crime cannot be considered guilty of a major crime and is free to fight elections. Thus, despite being in jail, Kalani kept fighting and winning the Assembly seat from Ulhasnagar. In 1999, when his mentor Pawar formed the NCP, Kalani also joined it. However, mounting public pressure proved disruptive for the nascent party and he was forced to resign. At this time, he handed over the Municipal corporation to his wife Jyoti Kalani, who would also soon be arrested on charges of forgery, non-payment of revenue and illegal liquor manufacturing. However, staging a comeback, in 2004, Kalani again won the Assembly elections, as a candidate of the Republican Party of India (Athavale). His wife, however, continues to be with the NCP. Mukhtar Ansari Mukhtar Ansari, who has multiple cases of murder, extortion and kidnapping against him, was elected as an MLA from the Mau constituency a record five times. He was the prime accused in the Krishnanand Rai murder case and has pleaded not guilty. Ansari won his first Assembly election as a BSP candidate and the next two as an independent. He had joined BSP in 2007 and unsuccessfully contested the 2009 Lok Sabha election. After BSP expelled him in 2010 for criminal activities, he formed his own party Quami Ekta Dal with his brothers. He won from the Mau seat in the 2012 Uttar Pradesh elections but later in 2017, merged the Quami Ekta Dal with BSP and won the next state elections as a BSP candidate. BSP had allowed in Ansari and his brother Afzal after they claimed that they had been falsely framed in criminal cases for fighting against the "feudal system", and promised to refrain from participating in any crimes. Mayawati portrayed Ansari as a 'Robin Hood' and called him "a messiah of the poor". Ansari fought the 2009 Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi on a BSP ticket, while being lodged in the jail. However, on 26 January, 2017, Ansari rejoined the BSP, right before the 2017 Uttar Pradesh elections. There was also speculation about the Ansari brothers joining the rival SP. Mayawati defended his entry into the party, stating that the criminal charges against Ansari had not been proven, and that the party gives people a chance to reform themselves. Sukh Ram Sukh Ram represented the Mandi Lok Sabha constituency, which his son contested and won in 1993. Sukh Ram won the seat in 1996, but the two were expelled from the Congress party for their involvement in a telecom scam. Post this, Ram and his son formed the Himachal Vikas Congress and had a post-poll alliance with the BJP, which led them to join the government. Ram lost the Lok Sabha election in 1998, but won the Assembly seat. His son Anil Sharma was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1998. In the 2003 Assembly polls, Ram retained the Mandi Assembly seat but joined the Congress in the run-up to the 2004 Lok Sabha polls whereas Sharma won the Mandi Assembly seat in 2007 and 2012 as a Congress candidate. However, recently Ram crossed over to BJP. Welcoming Ram into the fold, BJP was quoted as saying that cases against Ram were "bygones". Francisco Pacheco Pacheco has been involved in various controversies and has ten criminal cases registered against him. In June 2006, Pacheco slapped a junior engineer Kapil Natekar for not attending his personal assistant's call. Pacheco was sentenced to imprisonment for six months. In June 2010, he was arrested over his alleged involvement in the suicide of his girlfriend Nadia Torrado. He was forced to resign from his ministerial post in the Congress-led government, but was later given a clean chit due to the absence of evidence. Pacheco had won the 2002 Legislative Assembly election as a member of the United Goans Democratic Party. He later split and formed the United Goans Democratic Party (Secular), which merged with the BJP in January 2005. He later joined the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and won the 2007 election. Prior to the 2012 Legislative Assembly election, he left the NCP and joined the Goa Vikas Party (GVP). Pacheco's wife Viola Pacheco was made the GVP president in 2012 but he quit the party and joined the Goa Su-raj Party only to become the GVP supremo later and ally with the ruling BJP. Santokben Jadeja Known to be the only female don of India, Santokben was an MLA from 1990 to 1995 as a candidate of Janata Dal and was close to former Gujarat chief minister Chimanbhai Patel who was associated with both the Janta Dal and the Congress. Santokben was was alleged to be behind the murder of 14 people, who she believed were responsible for her husband's murder. She was arrested for giving shelter to people, who were accused of raping two girls. However, her closeness to Patels political outfit saw her rise as a political power in the coastal region of Gujarat as she became the first and only woman from Porbadar district to be elected to the state assembly in 1989. In December 2002, she filed her nomination papers for the Kutiyana Assembly seat but later withdrew in favour of the Congress candidate. Phoolan Devi Devi, a noted dacoit turned-social reformer contested the 1996 Lok Sabha election as a member of the Samajwadi Party as Mulayam Singh Yadav's government in Uttar Pradesh had withdrawn all cases against her and summarily released her from prison. She won the election and served as an MP during the 11th Lok Sabha. She lost her seat in the 1998 election but was re-elected in the 1999 election and was the sitting MP from Mirzapur when she was assassinated in Delhi. Other examples include: Neelalohithadasan Nadar who was accused and convicted of sexual assault against women quit JD(S) and joined the BSP in 2018, heading the state unit of the party. Presently, Nadar is the state president of JD(S) in Kerala; Jagannath Mishra, an accused in the fodder scam, who was convicted in 2013 and left the Congress to join NCP and is currently a member of the JD(U); Churchill Alemao, a former Congress and TMC member, Alemao was arrested in 2015 in the JICA scam. However, on 17 October, 2016, he joined the NCP and declared his intent to contest the election. Nila Vikhe Patil has been a member of the Board of the Green Party, Swedish Young Greens, Green Party Gothenburg, Green students of Sweden, and also a member of the executive committee of the Green Party Stockholm Ahmednagar: Nila Vikhe Patil, a person of Indian descent, has been named political advisor in the Swedish Prime Minister's Office. Patil, 32, daughter of leading educationist Ashok Vikhe Patil, would be working with Stefan Lofven, the Social Democrat leader who was in January elected as Swedish prime minister, leading a Social Democrat-Green Party coalition. "Nila has been appointed as the Political Advisor to the Prime Ministers Office in charge of Finance and will handle taxes, budgets, financial markets and housing," her father said. She has also been elected to the City Council of the Stockholm Municipal Corporation. Also a Political Advisor in the PMO during the previous government, Nila has been active member of the Green Party and is a member of the Election Committee of the Stockholm Green Party, he said. Born in Sweden, Nila spent early years in Ahmednagar in Maharashtra and is the granddaughter of former Union Minister Balasaheb Vikhe Patil and niece of Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly. She holds a Bachelor's degree and MBA from Gothenburg School of Business, with Economics and Law and also studied MBA in University de Complutense in Madrid. Nila has been a member of the Board of the Green Party, Swedish Young Greens, Green Party Gothenburg, Green students of Sweden, and also a member of the executive committee of the Green Party Stockholm, her father said. Sweden has been on a charm offensive towards India, supporting PM Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' manufacturing summit with Lofven leading a delegation of the Swedish industry leaders to the launch event in 2016. India is also an increasingly important market for Sweden, with over 160 Swedish companies now established in the country, said Ashok Vikhe Patil, chairman of the Vikhe Patil Foundation, which runs 102 educational institutes across Maharashtra. Nepal's labour and occupational safety department on Wednesday ordered all its labour offices throughout the country to finalise the actual number of Indian workers working in different sectors in the country. Kathmandu: The Nepal government has made it mandatory for Indian citizens who come to work in Nepals industries and other institutions to possess necessary work permits. Nepal's labour and occupational safety department on Wednesday ordered all its labour offices throughout the country to finalise the actual number of Indian workers working in different sectors in the country. "While inspecting the institutions, the number of Indian workers will be updated. And if they dont have a work permit then inform the institution to take the work permit is directed hereby," the letter signed by the departments industry inspector Prashant Shah, states. Until now, as part of special ties between India and Nepal, no permit was required for Indian nationals working in Nepal and vice versa. The government's move could be considered as a part of its efforts to secure the open border that Nepal shares with India. Last month, the Nepal Rastra Bank banned the circulation of Indian currency notes of Rs 200, Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 in the country. There has been no formal response from the Indian government on this development yet. The four nuns and the survivor nun had written to the Kerala chief minister, seeking his intervention to ensure that their transfer orders were not affected till the trial of the case was over. New Delhi: The National Commission For Women (NCW) has written to Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, urging prompt action in ensuring safety of two nuns who are witnesses in a rape case against Bishop Franco Mulakkal, and were issued transfer orders by their congregation. The complainants alleged that the transfer orders were aimed to split them and "to sabotage the case" against Bishop Franco Mulakkal, the NCW said in the letter. The letter said that the two nuns, who approached the women's panel, alleged the transfer orders issued last year were to pressurise and threaten them as they were prominent witnesses in the case. "The complainants also apprehend danger to their lives, if transferred to distant regions," the letter said. "As you are aware of the seriousness of the issue, the National Commission for Women urges your personal intervention into the matter to ensure safety of the complainants, victim (of the case under trial) and the fellow nuns," the letter added. The Commission requested the chief minister "to take prompt action to ensure prevention of sabotage of material evidence and witnesses in pending case against rape-accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal, so that justice may prevail". The nuns had been asked to report to the Missionaries of Jesus congregation's Jalandhar convent and meet its Superior General Sr Regina Kandamthottu on 26 January. Earlier, four nuns were served notice by the superior general of the congregation, Regina Kadamthottu, urging them to take up their assigned responsibilities as befitting members of the Missionaries of Jesus congregation. The four nuns and the survivor nun had written to the Kerala chief minister, seeking his intervention to ensure that their transfer orders were not affected till the trial of the case was over. Bishop Mulakkal, a senior member of the Roman Catholic clergy in India, was arrested in 2018 following allegations by the nun that he repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted her at the Kuravilangad convent between 2014 and 2016, a charge denied by him. While stray cattle ambling around towns and villages have always been a feature of life in rural India, farmers say their number has increased sharply in recent years to the extent that they have become a menace, and blame the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP-led government Kakripur/Mahaban: As night fell on Uttar Pradesh's Mahaban, Gopi Chand Yadav gathered blankets and a flashlight to spend the night sitting on a wooden platform in his field. His task: to use bamboo sticks to ward off stray cattle from intruding and eating a maturing mustard crop. Like Yadav, many thousands of farmers stay awake to guard their farms over a cold winter or face losing their crops to the cattle a double whammy for growers already reeling from a plunge in crop prices. While stray cows ambling around towns and villages have always been a feature of life in rural India, farmers say their number has increased sharply in recent years to the extent that they have become a menace, and blame the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP-led government. Protecting cows considered sacred to Hindus was one of the measures meant to shore up support in the heavily populated, Hindi-speaking belt across northern India that has been a heartland of the ruling BJP. Instead, it is creating a backlash, even among Hindu farmers. "We already had enough problems and now the government has created one more," said octogenarian farmer Baburao Saini from Kakripur village, about 85 kilometres from New Delhi. "For the first time, weve been forced to stay in the fields to protect our crops." More than 50 farmers that Reuters spoke to in Mahaban and nine other villages in Uttar Pradesh said they will think twice before voting for Modis BJP in the next general election, due by May. The cattle issue and low farm prices are major reasons behind their disillusionment with a party that most say they voted for in the last election in 2014. In 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Modi had swept Uttar Pradesh winning 73 of 80 seats with rural voters swayed by a promise of higher crop prices, and Hindu farmers supported the BJP amid tensions with the minority Muslim community. Cow protection Modi is trying hard to claw back support among the nation's 263 million farmers and their many millions of dependents after the BJP lost power in December to Congress in three big states Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan where agriculture is a mainstay. Farmers keep cows to produce milk, cheese and butter, but to harm or kill a cow, especially for food, is considered taboo by most Hindus. Most states have long outlawed cow slaughter, but after coming to power in 2014 the BJP ratcheted up its distaste for trade in cattle, launching a crackdown on unlicensed abattoirs in Uttar Pradesh and on cattle smuggling nationwide. At the same time, a wave of attacks on trucks carrying cattle by Hindu vigilante groups has scared away traders, most of whom are Muslims. This has brought to a halt the trade even in bullocks, which are not considered sacred. Rising sales of tractors and increasing mechanisation mean that more animals are redundant for use in farming. The farmers Reuters spoke to said they revered cows as most devout Hindus would, but a sudden halt in the trade of cattle had hit the rural economy. In their view, the government should come up with more cow shelters and let cattle traders deal in other animals without fear of attack. "The government has only enforced the laws by closing down unlicensed abattoirs and cracking down on cattle smuggling, said BJP spokesman Gopal Krishna Agarwal, who added that he runs a cow shelter of 1,300 cattle. Were not trying to hurt either any community or the rural economy. Crops trampled Fodder prices have gone up by more than a third in the past year and most farmers cannot afford to keep cows after they stop producing milk, said Rajesh Pahalwan as he smoked a hookah pipe in the village of Manoharpur. Six farmers sitting with him nodded in agreement. In India, the worlds biggest milk producer, about 3 million cattle become unproductive every year. In the past, Hindu farmers would sell unproductive cows to Muslim traders and about 2 million of these would end up smuggled to Bangladesh for meat and leather. But that trade has now been throttled by the government crackdown, trade and industry officials say. This has led to many unproductive cattle being abandoned, farmers said, but governments both state and federal have failed to construct new shelters, leaving rising numbers of stray cattle that are feeding on crops, or even garbage. "The government clearly did not think of alternatives before putting these curbs in place," said Deepak Chaudhary, a wheat farmer on the outskirts of Mathura, considered to be the birthplace of the Hindu God Krishna. "As Hindus, we treat cows as sacred but these unwarranted measures have upended the economics of farming." The government did provide some relief in its interim budget last week as it announced a cow welfare programme costing 7.50 billion rupees in the year beginning April. But there are hardly any "adequate measures to rehabilitate" cattle, said Fauzan Alvi, vice-president of the All India Meat and Livestock Exporters Association. "Forget about cows, we cannot sell even a single animal to even our relatives thanks to cow vigilante groups which are aided and abetted by the BJP," claimed Chaudhary who is a wheat farmer. Modi, in the past, has condemned violence by cow vigilantes, but critics and Opposition parties say some of the right-wing Hindu groups involved have links to his party, a charge that the BJP denies. Nearly 85 percent of Indias farmers own less than 2 hectares (5 acres) of land, so even a relatively small area damaged has a big impact on their livelihood. Only two weeks ago, some cattle ravaged an acre of wheat grown by farmer Chandra Pal in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh. My investment went down the drain after some stray cattle trampled and ate up the crop, he said. Many farmers in Uttar Pradesh are now using barbed wire to stop animals from entering their farms, but that is expensive. We have been at the receiving end of anti-farmer policies of the government and the problem of stray cattle is just another blow to us, said farmer Amar Chand, from Maholi village who voted for Modi in 2014. Unlike the previous general election, farmers are not solidly behind Modi, whos on shaky ground this time round. The Congress on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government of eroding federal autonomy and alleged that its claim of increased devolution of funds to states had turned out to be a 'maha jumla' New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government of eroding federal autonomy and alleged that its claim of increased devolution of funds to states had turned out to be a "maha jumla". Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said the BJP's promise of ensuring fiscal autonomy of states had been trashed by the government. He said the states' share in the central taxes was only 33 percent and not 42 percent, what the Modi government had promised. The BJP used rosy terms like "Team India" and "cooperative federalism" ahead of the 2014 general elections, but five years down the line, it had "completely eroded" federal autonomy and independence of states, he said. "Time and again, the Modi government boasted that they are implementing the 14th Finance Commission, which increased the devolution of funds from 32 percent to 42 percent. But this has turned out to be a 'Maha Jumla'," the Congress spokesperson told reporters. "In 2014 manifesto, the BJP also promised to 'ensure fiscal autonomy of states,' but that has been thrown into the dustbin," Singhvi said. "The Modi government claimed 42 percent devolution towards states, but not even in one year of its term it has achieved that threshold. It has never breached the 35 percent mark," he claimed. Singhvi said Rathin Roy, a member of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council, had punctured the Centre's tall claims of "fiscal mismanagement" towards states. He said the Modi government's so-called "increased devolution" turned out to be a "cruel joke". The Centre cut the number of centrally sponsored schemes (CSS) from 70 to just 27 and also cut contribution in many CSS from 75 percent to 50 percent, he alleged. "This effectively means states are getting less as their share of tax revenue and a pittance for the share of centrally sponsored schemes," Singhvi said. "To add insult to injury, the Modi government, which has exclusive usage of revenue collected from cess and surcharges, is sitting on a bounty of 3.04 trillion (last fiscal 2018-19) while states are reeling under the fiscal pressure of funding their own schemes as well as the ones the Modi government abandoned," he added. The Congress spokesperson said the "fraud on federalism" was a result of the Modi government's decision to raise cess and surcharges exponentially, especially on petroleum products, "while pretending to accept the Finance Commission recommendations and upholding federalism". "None of that bounty is to go to the states, even though there has been a constant demand from states to include cess and surcharges into the divisible pool," he said. Taking a dig at Modi, Singhvi said his government had no jobs and only pakoras to offer to the youth of the country. "People of India will never forgive and forget this fakery," he said. According to government data, 34,000 kilometres of road has been laid in Uttarakhand over the past 18 years, but only 24,000 kilometres is concretised. Editor's Note: The idea of a 'ghost village' is now a reality in Uttarakhand, where remote villages in the hills lack basic amenities like roadways, health centres and schools. This seven-part series will examine the root cause of this migration and the measures being taken to tackle the problem. Read the series here. Dehradun, Uttarakhand: Its been 18 years since Uttarakhand was carved out of Uttar Pradesh, but poor road connectivity in its remote hilly areas is leading to mass exodus and empty villages. Dinesh Mahtolia is a professional trainer and motivator hailing from Uttarakhands Bhadrakot village in Nainital; unfortunately, there is little about his own hometown that motivates him: more than 50 percent of the residents, including the Mahtolias, have long since migrated from the village, when we spoke to him. Reason: its been 18 years since Uttarakhand came into existence, but Mahtolias native place still lacks road connectivity, as do thousands of others. Unlike many other states, Uttarakhand doesnt have the luxury of multiple transport options; road is the only option. Thats the harsh reality of the hilly state, one of the main reasons behind mass migration of locals heading to other areas with better connectivity and basic amenities. No road map in sight Several families, including mine, shifted to Haldwani city in the same district; many others left the state altogether, some even the country, due to lack of proper road infrastructure, said Mahtolia. And this despite hailing from a VVIP district Nainital that was, in fact, the summer capital of the United Provinces during the British Raj. Also, three-time Uttar Pradesh chief minister, the late Narayan Dutt Tiwari, who was also Uttarakhand chief minister, hails from Nainital. If a popular district as this is in such poor shape, what can be expected for others in remote regions? Its ironic that Uttarakhand was created out of Uttar Pradesh to better handle the hilly areas infrastructural development, which was ignored in the huge states governance. The BJP and Congress have played musical chairs with Uttarakhands seat of power nine times thus far, and yet, those residing in thousands of its villages still dont have access to proper roads. Authorities paint different picture According to Public Works Department (PWD) data, there are 15,745 villages (tok) in Uttarakhand. Of these, 12,225 have road connectivity. Which means 3,520 villages (25 percent) dont. Mahtolia explained, We have to cross the Gola river to reach the nearest road. Come monsoon, even this option is taken away, as the rising water level cuts villages off, and there is no bridge yet to cross it. The alternative is to walk a 7 to 8 kilometre hilly stretch. PWD head RC Purohit, however, defended the department, saying roads have been sanctioned in 2,519 villages. We have a target of laying 800 to 900 kilometres of road per year. The government and PWD are committed to connecting every citizen, he said. Official figures, however, paint a one-sided picture. According to government data, 34,000 kilometres of road has been laid in Uttarakhand over the past 18 years, but only 24,000 kilometres is black-topped, that is concretised. In the rest, work hasnt progressed after the initial hillside cutting. With 10,000 kilometres left uneven, driving is at the motorists risk. Worse still, questions have been raised over the construction quality of completed roads, as most deteriorated soon after construction. Home is where the road is Mahtolia said, I have a deep emotional bond with my village, but if I want to ensure a good education and future for my children, I cant go back there. I visit once or twice a year, but I have to put up in someone elses house, as my home is in complete disrepair. Echoing Mahtolia, Dipak Mudila, a resident of Kusail village on the border district of Pithoragarh, said his native place in Didihat development block also lacks road connectivity. My village is in danger of being completely abandoned. Residents have migrated to places that give them access to basic amenities. I have shifted to the district headquarters. The worst thing though is hillside cutting for roads; authorities include those areas in the list of road-connected villages, but these stretches are not at all safe to drive on, especially during the monsoon, he added. Mudila said further, I go to Salla village from Pithoragarh where I lecture at the the Inter College. There are very dangerous spots at many places but contractors have not repaired it for the past four years. Although a large sum of money is allocated every year to repair roads in the name of disaster management, there's never any improvement. The story is the same in almost all remote hilly areas, as there is no monitoring and accountability. He added that highways are in much better shape compared to link roads. State governments promises However, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat sought to assure that his government is serious in tackling the problem of migration and enhancing road connectivity. I admit that thousands of villages are yet to be connected, but its also true that 4,270 kilometres of new road has been laid and 1,472 roads have been reconstructed over the past 22 months. At the same time, 155 new bridges have been sanctioned, so that transportation can be smoother, he said. Pointing out the constraints, Rawat added that Uttarakhand has limited resources and a complex geographical situation; nevertheless, its infrastructural development would be the top priority, he promised. Rahul Singh Shekhawat is a Dehradun-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com In a notification, the ministry said the central government believes that the Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen is involved in terrorism as it has committed and participated in various acts of terrorism in India and its members are getting financial as well as logistic support from their handlers based abroad. New Delhi: The Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen, which has been fighting for "liberation of Kashmir" and is involved in a series of terror acts, has been banned by the government, the Ministry of Home Affairs said on Wednesday. In a notification, the ministry said the central government believes that the Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen is involved in terrorism as it has committed and participated in various acts of terrorism in India and its members are getting financial as well as logistic support from their handlers based abroad. The Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen came into existence in 1990 with the objective of "liberation of Kashmir" and has been actively pursuing the same by way of acts of terror, the ministry said. "Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by clause (a) of sub-section (1) of section 35 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, the central government hereby makes the following further amendments in the First Schedule to the said Act, namely: In the First Schedule to the said Act, after serial number 40 and the entries relating thereto, the following serial number and entries shall be inserted, namely: '41. Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen and all its manifestations'," it said. The Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen has carried out a number of terrorist attacks, besides subversive acts, such as grenade attacks, weapons snatching and supporting other terrorist outfits like the Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba, in terms of financial and logistic support in the recent past, the notification said. The terror group has also committed acts of terrorism and promoting acts of terrorism. It has been engaged in radicalisation and recruitment of youth for terrorist activities in India. The notification said a number of cases have been registered by the Jammu and Kashmir Police in the recent past, in which it is found that the Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen has played a major role in commission of terrorist acts and a number of its cadre have been arrested. In the cases, it was also found that the group is running terrorist training centres for Kashmiri youth and is likely to recruit more youth from the Jammu and Kashmir, it said. The MHA letter recognises other police officers presence at the dharna along with Kumar, but disciplinary action has been ordered against the Commissioner of Police, Kolkata, alone. Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's ugly spat with the Centre only exacerbated on Tuesday afternoon when the Ministry of Home Affairs asked the West Bengal government to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Rajeev Kumar, Kolkata police commissioner who is caught in the eye of the storm. CBI's move to arrive at Commissioner of Police Kumars home on Sunday evening finally brought to head the high-level bureau-political spat between the Centre and the Trinamool Congress government, which has been playing out on national stage, over the past few days. Banerjee seized the opportunity to indulge in some pre-poll dharna politics even as the CBI moved to Supreme Court twice, on Monday and Tuesday with a contempt of court petition against Kumar and also charging him with tampering with material primary evidence in the chit fund case. While Mamata withdrew her dharna on Tuesday after Supreme Court told Kumar to cooperate with the CBI, the war has clearly not ended. In a letter addressed to the West Bengal chief secretary Malay Kumar De, the MHA cited indisciplined behaviour and violation of All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968/AIS (D&A) Rules, 1969 by the officer. The letter dated 5 February, 2019 mentioned that as per information received by the MHA, "Rajeev Kumar sat on a dharna along with some police officers with the Chief Minister, West Bengal, at Metro Channel in Kolkata, which is prima facie in contravention of the extant provisions of AIS (Conduct) Rules, 1968/AIS (Discipline & Appeal) Rules, 1969." The MHA communication cited the extant provisions of the Rules 3(1), 5(1) and 7 of the AIS (Conduct) Rules, 1968, which were reportedly flouted by Rajeev Kumar. Kumar faces the music alone The MHA letter recognises other police officers presence at the dharna along with Kumar, but disciplinary action has been ordered against the Commissioner of Police, Kolkata, alone. That, you all know why, says TMC member Monojit Mondal, also a professor at Jadavpur University, when asked why other police officers were ignored while Kumar faced the music. A senior police official with the Kolkata Police, on condition of anonymity, said: "First of all, Kumar was speaking to her about law and order situation. (Chief minister) Mamata was then waiting for the stage to get ready and begin her dharna. And if they want to talk about breach of service rule, then yes, each and every police officer present there trying to put things in order should be charged similarly." Mondal said he doesnt understand why so much buzz about Rajeev Kumar sitting there for few minutes?. She is the chief minister of the state and Rajeevs duty is to look after her security (in Kolkata). If there was a sudden law and order situation, who would have taken responsibility? Also if you have observed earlier, it is the style of Mamata Banerjees functioning. She has held number of impromptu meetings with the police. This, too, was one such spontaneous moment," he argued. As soon as the news of this letter reached Mamata, who was still at the dharna site, she refuted the fact that Kumar had joined her in the protest. Addressing the media from the podium, she said, Rajeev never joined me in the dharna. What kind of propaganda is this? He is the Commissioner of Police and I am the Chief Minister, can he not come to me to consult some important administrative decisions?" However, journalists and eye-witnesses from the dharna site tell a different story. On Sunday, Kumar along with DGP Virendra, former DGP Surajit Purkayastha and ADG (Law & order), Kolkata Police, Anuj Sharma were sitting with Mamata at the Metro Y Channel in Kolkata, right after her announcement at the police commissioners house that she was going to fast unto death in protest of CBI audacity. He continued to drop in at the dharna site on various occasions for the next two days, right up until its end on Tuesday evening. "We saw he (Kumar) was sitting there (Metro Channel) for quite a while and it did look like dharna. Now, Trinamool Congress and the chief minister may play around with the situation and not accept it," said a reporter on the condition of anonymity. The reporter also pointed out that this could barely be called a breach by Bengal standards. Here is a detailed break-up of Kumar's whereabouts over the last two days Sunday: 8.24 pm: First located outside his residence leaving for Metro Y Channel 8.45 pm - 9.20 pm: Kumar was at the dharna site Monday: 9 am: Arrives at Metro Channel and meets Mamata. Goes backstage to hold a meeting and leaves 12 noon: Attends an official Kolkata Police function which Mamata also attended 5 pm: Kumar arrives again at dharna site, stays backstage for a while and leaves Tuesday: 9.16 am: Arrives at the dharna site, goes backstage, holds a meeting with the chief minister 2 pm: Kumar arrives to meet Mamata again 6 pm: Kumar once again is at the spot and leaves only after Mamata announces the withdrawal of dharna 'Who is Didi trying to fool' BJP Rajya Sabha MP Roopa Ganguly said that if Kumar was there just to consult Mamata on vital decisions then why six other chairs were placed around the chief minister. My sources were there, you all journalists have seen it, you know it better. He was there for good 20-30 minutes and that too sitting quietly. Who is Mamata ji trying to fool? Another point that the opposition is dissecting is while CBI was at Kumars home on Sunday, the Kolkata Police maintained that he was not there. But right after Mamata left for the Metro Channel to commence the dharna, he was seen coming out of his home. Bengals Didi was at Commissioner of Police's house for more than an hour, planning actions against CBI. And right after she left, out comes Rajeev Kumar from his house. Do they take all of us to be fools? I am telling you she has withdrawn the dharna because she is to attend global business summit happening in Kolkata on 7 and 8," added Ganguly. Sunday (3 February) was a tricky day for Mamata as most of her MPs, including Amit Mitra and Derek OBrien, were in Delhi to attend the Budget Session. Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim was, meanwhile, constantly by Mamata's side. In order to show support, district leaders of TMC rushed to Kolkata and TMCs face in Birbhum, Anubrata Mondal, was seen joining his leaders dharna on Sunday night. While Mondal is famous for making controversial political comments, he maintained a no comments gesture while at the dharna. When asked about Kumars breach of discipline, Mondal says: BJP has now nothing to do, they feel helpless and scared. Now that democracy has won they are coming up with new ideas to harass the officer. As Didi said he is one of the worlds best cops, I do believe the same. I was there, Rajeev Kumar never got onto the dais, he came and sat on the chair for a while, you cant call it a dharna." The author is a Kolkata-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters The history of the case bears significance in the present context as Mamata on Monday sat on dharna in Kolkata to protect Kumar who is suspected to have tinkered with evidence in the scam. Mamata, known for hitting streets and rabble-rousing for populist causes, seems to have reversed her politics in her constitutional role. She is seen as taking the side of the corrupt and protecting a few of her favourites at the expense of masses. It seems that there is a political tug of war going on over the Saradha chit fund scam in Kolkata. To simplify it further, one can say: the BJP is determined to expand its influence in West Bengal, an unchartered territory for the Hindutva forces, and Mamata Banerjees Trinamool Congress is retaliating against it to retain its territory. But such simplification will be a gross misreading of the reality. At the heart of the scam involving the Saradha Group of financial firms lies the interests of over a crore gullible investors spread across Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha and regions of the North East who have been robbed of their hard-earned money to a group of fraudsters masquerading as entrepreneurs and actively protected by unscrupulous politicians and bureaucrats. In the past seven years, over one hundred people have committed suicide in these regions owing to these brazen frauds known as Ponzi schemes. The anatomy of these frauds was simple. In the absence of any institutional banking support for daily wage earners in these areas, small investors were roped in with the promise of unrealistically high returns. They often promised to double the investment within three years. Many small investors fell prey to the glib talk of agents who were largely recruited from the local areas. In 2012 the scam exploded as the SEBI asked the group not to take any more money from investors, and agents who found themselves cornered by investors gheraoed the Trinamool Congress office in Kolkata. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee then formed a special investigation team (SIT) under the supervision of Rajeev Kumar who held the charge of police commissioner, Bidhan Nagar. Though he started probing the case, it became apparent that the Saradha scheme was just the tip of the iceberg. Frauds of similar nature were perpetrated over the entire eastern and northeastern states. JVG, Rose Valley and many others had robbed lakhs of investors. Ironically, some of these groups even ran media houses and roped in prominent journalists and film stars to burnish their credentials and instil confidence among people. Unsurprisingly, politicians and bureaucrats turn out to be significant beneficiaries of the systematic loot of the most vulnerable social segment. There is no doubt that Trinamool Congress with its rising political graph was reckoned as the biggest beneficiary when the Supreme Court in 2014 expanded the scope of the investigation and called in the CBI to widen the dragnet. As of now, the scale of the scam that involves Ponzi schemes in West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Assam, Bihar and elsewhere is estimated to be around over Rs 1 lakh crore. The history of the case bears significance in the present context as Mamata on Monday sat on dharna in Kolkata to protect Kumar who is suspected to have tinkered with evidence in the scam. Mamata, known for hitting streets and rabble-rousing for populist causes, seems to have reversed her politics in her constitutional role. She is seen as taking the side of the corrupt and protecting a few of her favourites at the expense of masses. Of course, the CBI sleuths going to the Kolkata police commissioners residence without a warrant can be faulted on many counts. There were several alternative ways to handle the situation to deal with a non-cooperating government functionary. For instance, a defiant Lalu Prasad Yadav found himself cornered when he was charge-sheeted in the fodder scam in 1997. He had to resign as chief minister after much protest. A similar, calibrated approach could have been less controversial and more effective. But consider the way politics has been unfolding in West Bengal. Despite holding a constitutional post, Mamata has been defying every norm of the Constitution. Her government is blocking Prime Minister Narendra Modis rallies in West Bengal, banning BJP-organised marches and prohibiting BJP president Amit Shah from holding meetings and yatras in the state. More recently, she literally banned the operations of CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) in West Bengal in contravention of federal norms. Apparently, her garrulousness is clearly more than a political fight. She seems to be aggressively pushing boundaries on the issues pertaining to federalism and challenging the authority of the Centre and its jurisdiction. There is no doubt that Mamata would have found less than a match if Modi were not the prime minister. Modi had a stint as chief minister and now as prime minister, and thus it was naive to expect that Mamata would go unchallenged. There is no doubt that the attempt to search Kolkata police commissioners residence was an overtly political move to assert the Union governments right and dismiss any delusions that Mamata may be entertaining of being the sole arbiter of defining terms of relations with the Centre. As expected, she reacted in the manner of a streetfighter but this time for a wrong cause. Remember the image of Mamata being dragged out of the Writers' Building by Jyoti Basus police or holding massive protests wearing simplicity on her sleeves as a leader of the common people? That image of her younger days gets distorted when she is today seen in the company of bureaucrats and political leaders with dubious antecedents. Perhaps Mamata seemed too impatient to wait for the opposition to rally around her for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. In the process, she invented a wrong cause to project her leadership. In his lecture on Politics as a Vocation, German sociologist Max Weber writes, Politics is a strong and slow boring of hard boards. It takes both passion and perspective. Mamata has enough of passion but she seems to be lacking in perspective in her choice of Modi as her adversary. Folkston, GA (31537) Today Thunderstorms likely. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 81F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. Low near 70F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. A Delhi court on Wednesday gave Delhi Police time till 28 February to procure the sanctions needed to prosecute former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar and others in a 2016 sedition case. A Delhi court on Wednesday gave Delhi Police time till 28 February to procure the sanctions needed to prosecute former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar and others in a 2016 sedition case. The court told the police to ask the authorities concerned to expedite the sanctions. The matter was being heard by the Court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Deepak Sahrawat, Bar and Bench reported. The Delhi Police is supposed to get the Delhi government's nod before prosecuting in sedition cases, as mandated under the Code of Criminal Procedure, reported Hindustan Times. However, the Aam Aadmi Party government has so far not given a go ahead in this case. On 14 January, police filed the chargesheet against Kumar and former JNU students Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya and seven others at the Patiala House court. It said Kumar was leading a procession and supported seditious slogans during an event in the varsity on 9 February, 2016, to mark the hanging of Parliament-attack mastermind Afzal Guru. The police told the court that the sanctions are pending with the Delhi government and are expected in a matter of days, reports said. "Authorities can't sit on file for an indefinite period," the court said. The court had earlier questioned why the Delhi Police had filed a chargesheet against Kumar and others without procuring the requisite sanctions and granted them time till 6 February. The file requesting sanction, which was submitted to the Delhi government's home department, reportedly just two hours before police filed the chargesheet in the case on 14 January, made its way to the law department, and is lying with Delhi home minister Satyendar Jain at present, The Times of India reported. The report said the file had also become a point of friction between Delhi law minister Kailash Gahlot and Principal Secretary (Law) AK Mendiratta. Mendiratta, reportedly, forwarded the file to the home department without routing it through Gehlot first. Mendiratta had argued that the competent authority in such cases was the home minister's office, while Gahlot slapped a showcause notice on the former. Meanwhile, the home department too is unlikely to grant the required sanctions at such a short notice. According to Hindustan Times, a senior government official who did not wish to be named, said the file reached the home minister on 21 January, but has since remained with the minister. "It took police three years to file the chargesheet. How can they expect the government to read and approve the file in a week? Things dont work this way. One has to understand the case and the listed evidence. The minister neither approved the prosecution sanction nor denied it," the Delhi government official told Hindustan Times. With inputs from PTI The government has sought applications for chairman and members of anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal, nearly five years after the Lokpal Act came into force, officials said Wednesday. New Delhi: The government has sought applications for chairman and members of anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal, nearly five years after the Lokpal Act came into force, officials said Wednesday. An advertisement seeking applications from desired and eligible candidates has been issued by the Personnel Ministry. For the appointment as the chairman, a person who is or has been Chief Justice of India or a Supreme Court judge is eligible to apply. Besides, individuals with "impeccable integrity and outstanding ability" having special knowledge and expertise of not less than 25 years in matters related to anti-corruption policy, public administration, vigilance, finance including insurance and banking, and law and management are eligible to apply. Those with less than 45 years of age are not eligible to apply. According to rules, there is a provision for a chairperson and a maximum of eight members in the Lokpal. Of these, four need to be judicial members. "Not less than 50 percent of the members of the Lokpal shall be from amongst the persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, minorities and women," the advertisement seeking the applications reads. Upon selection, the chairperson and members shall hold office for a term of five years or till they attain 70 years of age. The salary and allowances of the chairman of the Lokpal will be same as that of the Chief Justice of India. The members will be paid salary and allowances same as that of a judge of the Supreme Court. The last date to apply for the post is 22 February. The advertisement was issued following a meeting of an eight-member search panel late last month. The search committee, mandated to form a panel of candidates who could be considered for the appointment as chief and the members of Lokpal, held its first meeting on 29 January. The panel, headed by former Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai, had then discussed modalities related to the appointments. The Supreme Court had recently set up a February-end deadline for the Lokpal search committee to send a panel of names who could be considered for the appointment as its chairman and members by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led selection committee. The apex court had on 17 January asked the search committee to complete its deliberations and recommend the names by the end of February. The Lokpal Act, which envisages establishment of the anti-graft body Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in states to look into cases of corruption against certain categories of public servants, was passed in 2013. As per the advertisement, the chief and members of the Lokpal are not eligible for reappointments. They will also not be eligible for any diplomatic assignment, appointment as administrator of a Union territory and for further employment to any other office of profit under the government of India. The Act prevents the chief and members of the Lokpal from contesting any election of President or member of either house of Parliament or member of either house of a state legislature or municipality or panchayat within a period of five years from the date of relinquishing the post. The Lokpal selection committee is headed by the prime minister and has as its members the Lok Sabha Speaker, leader of the opposition in the lower house, the Chief Justice of India or a judge of the apex court nominated by him, and an eminent jurist who could be nominated by the President or any other member. Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge had been invited in the past meetings of the selection panel as "special invitee". President Ram Nath Kovind had nominated former Attorney General of India Mukul Rohatgi as "eminent jurist" as the member of the panel against the vacancy arising following the death of senior advocate PP Rao. International Day of Zero Tolerance For Female Genital Mutilation: In India, FGM in the form of 'khatna' is strongly associated with the Dawoodi Bohra community. Since 2003, the world has been observing International Day of Zero Tolerance For Female Genital Mutilation on 6 February. This is part of the United Nations' efforts to raise awareness about the practice, which is considered a violation of the rights of women and children. "It denies them their dignity, endangers their health and causes needless pain and suffering, even death," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, while calling for global action against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Prevalence of Type I and Type II FGM The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines FGM as a practice comprising "all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons". The WHO classifies FGM into four types. Type I is the partial or total removal of the clitoris; Type II includes the removal of the labia minora, as well, with or without excision of the labia majora; Type III is termed infibulation (the narrowing of the vaginal opening through the creation of a covering seal); and Type IV includes other ways in which the genitals are mutilated (pricking, piercing or incising). Types I and II are the most common forms of FGM, accounting for 85 percent of all cases. At least 200 million girls mostly between infancy and the age of 15 and women in 30 countries have been subjected to FGM. Several African countries, along with some Asian countries, contribute significantly to this list. Nearly half of the cases are recorded in just three countries Ethiopia, Egypt and Indonesia. According to the data available from 2004 to 2015, nearly all women between 15 and 49 in Somalia have have been subjected to FGM. FGM's negative health effects Minimising sexual desire, preserving virginity, initiating girls into womanhood and improving their marriage prospects are considered the prime motivations for practicing FGM a widespread cultural phenomenon. Nonetheless, UNICEF considers it a patriarchal activity, calling FGM a "manifestation of patriarchal control over women". FGM negatively affects the physical and mental health of girls and women. Immediate effects include severe pain, excessive bleeding (haemorrhage), genital tissue swelling, fever and infections. Infections and excessive blood loss could also be fatal. Long-term effects of FGM include reduced sexual pleasure, menstrual problems, formation of cysts and painful urination due to recurring urinary tract infections. A study in six African nations between 2001 and 2003 also found a direct link between FGM and complicated child births. Women face several psychological issues, as well. Girls subjected to FGM are likely to face depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and low self-esteem in their adult life. According to a research article, many girls also face nightmares and a sense of humiliation and betrayal by parents after circumcision. FGM is often wrongly viewed as an Islamic tradition since many countries where it is practiced are Muslim-dominated. In fact, some Christian communities in Africa as well as Ethiopian Jews also practice female circumcision, but none of the religious scriptures advocate the practice. Many religious leaders, especially in Africa, have also denounced FGM and supported its abolition. Consolidated efforts of community leaders and international organisations have resulted in over 20 African countries banning the practice. According to a study published in BMJ Global Health, there has been a significant decline in FGM in East and North Africa since the 1990s. But the report also acknowledges the under-reporting of cases. Dawoodi Bohra activists fight 'khatna' In India, FGM in the form of 'khatna' is strongly associated with the Dawoodi Bohra community. According to Sahiyo, an NGO that advocates the abolition of FGM, practitioners often quote the Da'im al-Islam (a 10th-Century book of jurisprudence) to justify khatna. They believe that khatna is practiced for physical as well as spiritual hygiene. Speaking anonymously to The Hindu, a community leader said, in 2017, that khatna did not fall under any of the four categories of FGM and insisted that it is "mild and harmless". A recent Sahiyo survey report revealed that 80 percent of those surveyed had undergone khatna. A similar percentage of them had studied up to the undergraduate level, which is higher than the 22 percent average of the member states of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. At least 56 percent of them belong to the upper-middle income group and high-income group another aberration from the global data. Also, the majority of the respondents believe that khatna is a tradition or a measure to curb sexual desire. Despite their efforts to raise awareness against FGM, Mariya Taher, the author of the report and co-founder of Sahiyo, said the organisation continues to face backlash from the Bohra community. "But that is the reality of advocacy work and trying to bring about change," she added. "We experience backlash on a daily basis on social media. It isn't easy, and there days when it gets to me more than others." However, social sector professional Hamnah Mistry, while conducting her independent research, encountered several women speaking out against khatna. "Most of the women who underwent the painful process remember it like it was yesterday. Many who went under the knife are unwilling to let their daughters undergo the cut," Mistry said. Policy analyst Shaheeda Tavawala-Kirtane said the discourse around khatna has changed in recent years. "A private, hidden and secretive practice that has been silently perpetuated for centuries has now come into the public arena and is being questioned and openly debated," she said. Meanwhile, the lack of official data in India has resulted in no national law against FGM, and consequently, the Ministry of Women and Child Development refuses to consider FGM an issue. "Even if a law banning FGM comes into effect, it is important to not stigmatise the survivors or the community," Mistry asserted. While efforts to bring in a national law continue, organisations like Sahiyo advocate large-scale community outreach to encourage women to speak up. "We're utilising storytelling methods to build a critical mass of voices against female genital cutting to show that there is a growing community trend towards abandonment of the practice," Mariya explained. Tavawala-Kirtane, however, laments that there is no woman from the community who can act as the collective voice of the Dawoodi Bohra women. Tavawala-Kirtane, who is also an intervenor in the FGM case, claimed she has heard paradoxical and polarised arguments in the Supreme Court. "We hope that the learned judges make a decision that will be in the best interest of all Dawoodi Bohra girls and women in India and around the world," the policy analyst said. A blood-stained blade was also found near the body of 45-year-old SC Kathua. The body, which was found in the factory area behind Section 2 region of GCF, was severely decomposed. Jabalpur: The junior works manager (JWM) of Guns Carriage Factory (GCF) was found dead in a drain on Tuesday, confirmed police officials. He had been missing since 17 January after being summoned by the CBI in connection with the alleged supply of Chinese-spare parts for production of indigenised Bofors guns used by the Indian Army. A blood-stained blade was also found near the body of 45-year-old SC Kathua. The body, which was found in the factory area behind Section 2 region of GCF, was severely decomposed. Police have sent the body for post-mortem. The family of the deceased have suspected a murder, however, the police team believe that Kathua committed suicide. The deceased wife Mausami Khatua filed a missing report with Ghamapur police station in Jabalpur on 18 January. Earlier in July 2017, the CBI had booked a Delhi-based firm and the Gun Carriage Factory for selling fake Chinese spare parts to the ordnance factory, which comes under the production department of the defence ministry. The CBI had registered a first information report (FIR) of cheating and forgery against unknown officials of the factory, accusing them of conspiring with the Delhi-based firm which was chosen to supply parts for the manufacture of the artillery guns. Robert Vadra on Wednesday appeared before the ED in connection with a money laundering case against him Kolkata: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday came out in support of Robert Vadra by terming the questioning of son-in-law of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) as an "attempt to stop the Opposition parties to unite." "It is an attempt to not allow Opposition parties to unite. Hence they are serving the ED notices to everyone and anyone. But all opposition parties are united," Banerjee said on being asked to comment on summons and questioning of Robert Vadra by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case registered against him. All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Banerjee last month organised a mega anti-BJP rally to raise voices against the alleged oppressive policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre. Leaders from at least 20 Opposition parties were present at the United Opposition Rally. Robert Vadra on Wednesday appeared before the ED in connection with a money laundering case against him, where he was questioned for nearly five hours. To send out a message, Vadra's wife Priyanka Gandhi accompanied him to the ED office and left after dropping him there. The Patiala House Court had granted interim bail to Vadra on 2 February till 16 February in connection with the money laundering case. During the course of the hearing, the ED had told the court that they had learnt about more overseas properties related to Vadra and hence, said he should join the probe. It also said Vadra and his associates got kickbacks in the petroleum deal inked in 2009. A day ahead of the hearing, Vadra had filed an anticipatory bail plea in connection with the case and claimed that he was being targeted and subjected to false prosecution which has "the colour of political witch hunt." He had also stated in his petition that he is a law-abiding citizen. Trumps policies have the potential to create instability across the world, and rebound on the US. Hes the man every columnist loves to hate, and every cartoonist adores. Yet, President Donald Trump was reported to have got an approval of 76 percent of viewers on a CBS poll after his second State of the Union speech. When Trump speaks, he still aims at voters and not at the censorious crowds in front of him or behind the TV cameras. None of that, however, takes away from the fact that he is probably the most controversial US president to have ever taken a bow from the lawns of the White House. Trump cannot complain of lack of coverage of his second State of the Union ( SOTU). The SOTU is another example of the balance of power between the White House and the Congress that underpins US democracy. The US Constitution requires 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. In simple words, Trumpian tendencies to go it alone are checked severely and consistently since George Washington delivered his first address in 1790. Since then, the requirements of the address have only got more detailed, requiring the president to provide data beyond just budgetary information. With the coming of television and now the internet, its also now become a platform for the president to directly address the people. And thats what Trump is best at. The main points in the address related to internal issues will likely gain more support from his voter base than derision. Predictably, Trump stood firm on his demand for the Mexico border wall, warning of an impending immigration crisis. Again, the CBS poll shows that a full 72 percent of viewers approved of his immigration policy, particularly among a large (legal) immigrant population that rightly or wrongly sees the incoming Mexicans as a threat. Rather surprisingly, beyond a call to work together in a bipartisan manner, Trump made no reference at all to the longest shut down in US history, nor did he apologise to the hundreds of federal workers affected by it. Surprising, because the issue will come up again in a few weeks, when another shutdown looms. Certainly, the president could boast of the uptick in the US economy, creating more jobs ( though not as much as he claimed according to the US Bureau of Labour Statistics, the US has now become a net exporter of energy, brought more women into government, and Trump's ominous plans for a Reciprocal Trade Act which will impose tariffs swiftly on any country, is also likely to raise his popularity if passed. His claim that he reversed decades of US policy by staring down the Chinese dragon is certainly true: for the moment. That brings the issue to the foreign affairs segment. Trumps policies have the potential to create instability across the world, and rebound on the US. No doubt the White House announcement that the US will suspend its obligations on the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty of 1987 was shrewdness itself. The INF Treaty is a key arms control deal that banned land based and cruise missiles between a range of 300 to 3,400 miles. By announcing this suspension, Trump comes across as tough on Russia, blunting accusations of being Putins best bud. The announcement offers six-month window for Russia to stop testing of the new 9M729 cruise missile which the US has been saying contravenes the treaty. In fact however, this is probably a move to pull out of the treaty anyway, since there is the looming threat of Chinese missiles which are exactly in the same range. In other words, the president hit two birds with one intermediate missile. The trouble is this will ensure that Russia will go full ahead with its own programme, while China will carry on regardless, endangering one of few successful arms control treaties ever negotiated. With regard to North Korea, Trump duly announced his next summit with the mercurial Kim Jong-un on 27 and 28 February. There is no doubt that the president scored, and scored well in this area. North Korea hasnt tested a single missile or warhead for the past 15 months. The trouble is that Pyongyang probably did its quota of needed tests already, while experts believe that the regime continues to hone its technological capability in this area. Another issues is Trumps commitment to bring the troops home: a historically charged phrase that is also likely to win him domestic support. His dislike of endless war is understandable: in Syria, because the Islamic State has apparently been defeated, and in Afghanistan, because Trump sees no value in that war. Thats where the problem is likely to start, and probably marks trouble at the end period of this presidency. The Islamic State is likely to re-group, and Pakistan is likely to continue its machinations in Afghanistan. Thats what his intelligence tells him. It is now apparent that the assessments of US intelligence are widely divergent from that of the president. Media reports indicate frustration within the intelligence agencies with the presidents apparent preference to make his own assessments rather than listen to detailed daily briefings. Divergence is apparent in almost all of the issues listed above, including Russian interference in elections, the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the sincerity of North Korea and most of all the situation in conflict areas such as Syria and Afghanistan. These differences were apparent most recently in the briefing by Dan Coats, Director of National Intelligence where he warned dryly that actions by the North Korean dictator were inconsistent with the declared support for denuclearisation. That led to a furious tirade by the president against the intelligence on a crucial TV programme aired a day before his SOTU address, where he stated baldly that intelligence agencies were often wrong. That is unfortunately true. US intelligence has erred badly on various occasions, including on Iraqs nuclear weapons (there were none), and often on assessments on Pakistan. But intelligence assessments anywhere can go wrong. But the public differences with intel is not the real issue. The problem is that Trump does not also believe his chiefs that Iran is adhering to its commitments under the nuclear deal made with his predecessor. It seems its not that Trump wants to bring the troops home. He wants to deploy them elsewhere. The SOTU, though slightly toned down in terms of feistiness, is still troubling to all those who are rightly fearing the consequences of a trade war, a resurgence of terrorism, not to mention regressive immigration policies. But heres the thing. Trump's approval ratings havent fluctuated much (remaining at a term average of 39 percent) though it is far lower than that of even President Obama (49 percent). Somewhat like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Trumps rating could climb if employment continues to rise within an overall improvement of the economy. Again like Modi, his ability to talk directly to the people on issues that concern the day to day life of the people is considerable. Fortunately, unlike Modi, the former reality TV star sees irascibility as not just a vote winner, but a technique to use in foreign policy. That has created a whole new tenor in international relations where nations are uneasy about what the US may do next. The exact jargon to describe this extremely uncertain international climate has yet to emerge. BJP inducted Bharati Ghosh, a former police officer, into its ranks in West Bengal. Ghosh, an officer once much favoured by the Trinamool Congress government and leadership, has had a chequered career that is worth recounting in some detail to make a larger point about the party that still controls the Centre On Monday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) inducted Bharati Ghosh, a former police officer, into its ranks in West Bengal. Ghosh, an officer once much favoured by the Trinamool Congress government and leadership, has had a chequered career that is worth recounting in some detail to make a larger point about the party that still controls the Centre. Ghosh was an officer of the West Bengal police service who went on to serve in peacekeeping missions. After the Trinamool Congress came to power in 2011, she was promoted to the Indian Police Service and became the superintendent of police (SP) of West Midnapore district, a post in which she remained for five years. As the SP of a district, where the Communist Party of India (Maoist) had become very powerful, Ghosh was involved in the joint Centre-state operations against the Maoists initiated by the Trinamool Congress government. The operation proved spectacularly successful, especially after the Maoist leader Kishanji was killed in a shootout with the security forces. In 2017, she was finally transferred out of the district and put in command of the 3rd Battalion of the State Armed Police. Soon after, at the fag end of the year, and possibly consequentially, she sought and was granted voluntary retirement. In 2018, following a complaint of malfeasance against Ghosh, the Calcutta High Court ordered an investigation. In pursuance of this judicial directive, the state police began an investigation, in the course of which, the police claimed, several incriminating pieces of evidence were unearthed against Ghosh relating to extortion and illegal gold transactions using demonetised currency. Raids unearthed Rs 2 crore in cash from a flat allegedly owned by a close friend of Ghosh and her husband MAV Raju and Rs 2.4 crore from a flat in Kolkata, the ownership of which was being verified. Raids at the residences of Ghosh and police officers close to her also led the police to tablets, pen drives, hard disks, 50 land sale deeds involving transactions of around Rs 300 crore and, in a somewhat bizarre twist, 57 sealed bottles of imported scotch; 1.1 kg of gold was reportedly found in Ghosh's bank locker as well. At least two FIRs were registered against Ghosh and six of her 'associates', including police officers, were arrested. Ghosh, however, could not be found and police began a hunt for her while Ghosh issued audio-tapes denouncing the 'witch-hunt' against her. Her husband was implicated in these cases too and was arrested in August 2018 after the Calcutta High Court rejected a plea for anticipatory bail. Ghosh, however, has not been arrested till now. There is a hypothesis that purportedly explains Ghosh's precipitous fall from grace. Some claim, on the basis of information supposedly provided by Trinamool insiders, that Ghosh was not really close to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as is commonly believed, but to Mukul Roy, who was the Trinamool second-in-command during the period when she was living a charmed career. It is unusual in the extreme for an officer to be posted as SP in the same district for five years, for instance. When Roy was for all practical purposes drummed out of the party and subsequently joined the BJP, the hypothesis goes, Ghosh lost her 'protection' and became just another police officer. Of Roy, more in a bit. Ghosh and her lawyer claim that all the stuff the police found was planted by them, while Ghosh's partisans and Opposition parties in Bengal claim that the Trinamool government was persecuting Ghosh. The Congress and Communist Party of India (Marxist) point out that Ghosh was close to the Trinamool leadership and harbours secrets, which is why she is now being hounded. All of these arguments miss the point. Arresting someone is hardly the most logical way of protecting secrets, which could then easily be revealed when the cases go to court. As for the witch-hunt bit, surely that is for the courts to decide. What made Ghosh run, when, as a former police officer with a high enough profile, she could have submitted to the enquiries and trusted the judiciary to vindicate her? As things stand, however, the Supreme Court is slated to hear Ghosh's anticipatory bail plea on 11 February. We all know just about enough of the law to know that there can be no presumption of guilt a person, in other words, is innocent until proven guilty. Thus, too, for Ghosh. That issue of presumption does not necessarily hold good in politics, an arena where the dynamics of public perception are radically different from the rules that shape determinations in the arena of the judicial process. The BJP keeps rattling on and on about how practically every party in India and their leaders are corrupt. Of late it has turned its light on Mamata, presuming, somewhat risibly, that it can thereby make serious inroads into Bengal in the impending Lok Sabha elections. That nothing could be further from the truth is demonstrated by the fact that in its desperate attempt to breach fortress Bengal, the BJP has inducted into its ranks two former Trinamool 'insiders' over whose heads hang no haloes, but huge question marks. One is the recently recruited Ghosh and the other is the inestimable Mukul Roy. There can be no doubt that if the Trinamool Congress illegally benefited from the Saradha Ponzi scheme, and the others that were later uncovered, Roy had to be at the heart of the deals that were putatively struck. He was, after all, Mamata's second-in-command and practically ran the party on a day-to-day basis. He was the machine man. Along with a host of other Trinamool leaders, Roy, too, was questioned by the CBI in the Saradha scam. Yet, when he joined the BJP he just went off-radar. He was granted immunity by the ruling party which micro-manages the CBI because he had become one of them while other leaders are still being investigated. So, when the BJP's sanctimonious leadership preaches homilies on corruption and honesty and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's relentless war on corruption, people have in the past five years or so figured out how to react: don't even listen, far from believe. As Anna Hazare called off his seven-day fast for the formation of a Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in the states, the anti-corruption crusader who once drew thousands to the national capital's central protest grounds must now grapple with his new image as an activist diminished. Anna Hazare on Tuesday called off his seven-day fast for the formation of a Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in the states. At the end of what was the 19th fast of his career as an anti-corruption crusader, Hazare who once drew thousands to the national capital's central protest grounds must now grapple with his new image as a man diminished. "I have decided to call off my fast after satisfactory talks with Fadnavis and the other ministers," Hazare told reporters. Not many were there, and those that had gone to Ralegan Siddhi village in Ahmednagar were drawn more by the possibility of the fast ending with Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis's visit, than the fact that it was happening at all. Union ministers Radha Mohan Singh and Subhash Bhamre and Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan were also present during Fadnavis's talks with Hazare. Until Tuesday, Mahajan had been the sole link between the administration and Hazare as the hunger strike dragged on. At the Yadav Baba temple where Hazare sat on his strike since 30 January, there were only a handful of his dogged followers native to Ralegan Siddhi, reported HuffPost. Not one renowned name travelled to the village to join hands with Hazare. The contrast with his wildly successful fasts in 2003 and 2011 was stark. The Gandhian activist's 2003 fast, which forced four Maharashtra ministers to quit and led to the enactment of the Right to Information Act in the state, saw social justice crusaders like GP Pradhan, Baba Adhav and Govind Shroff stand by him, reported Times of India. In 2011, his tent at the Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi saw Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi, Medha Patkar and Vishwambhar Choudhuri. Young men and women visited the tent sporting caps like Hazare's and chanted "I am Anna too". For the first time, television channels devoted themselves exclusively to a movement. Kejriwal went on to become the Chief Minister of Delhi after leaving Hazare's movement and founding the Aam Aadmi Party. Kiran Bedi joined the Bharatiya Janata Party and is now the governor of Puducherry. Medha Patkar, still an independent activist devoid of political affiliation, is no longer a part of Hazare's movement. While on his way out, Vishwambhar Choudhari told Times of India that it was the abysmal lack of buzz surrounding Anna's March 2018 stir in Delhi that drove him to dissociate himself from the movement. "There was no strategy, no planning, no clarity on demands. Earlier, he had a core committee and a process for holding negotiations. Now it is only Anna and the government who do the talking," he had said. Even though Hazare's core considerations have remained the same a fair governance aided by the Lokyukta and ease of living for farmers the media's perception of him changed as well. Manu Joseph writes on LiveMint that before Hazare's famous Delhi fast in 2011, he was only remotely known as an activist. Editors considered him a puritan and were unaware of the right-wing slant of his beliefs. As his revolutionary fast began, Hazare gave out a message that was not just anti-politician but also anti-rich. He and his followers lamented that politicians were building roads and airports when farmers were starving. "But when Team Anna saw the support of the urban middle class, the anti-corruption movement became a clearly focused movement against politicians," the opinion piece said. Soon, it was an anti-Congress movement because by then, the Congress had become the poster child of corruption in the country. However, what urban India viewed as a protest against a corrupt government was soon imbued with Hazare's immense personal liking for the BJP, reported The Washington Post. A Financial Express report notes that after the Lok Sabha vote on the Jan Lokpal Bill was concluded in 2011, television reporters had asked Hazare what he thought of the BJP, which like the Congress, had not endorsed the essential features of the Lokpal in Parliament. Hazare abruptly got up and walked away, to the utter astonishment of reporters and Arvind Kejriwal, who sitting next to Anna. As his trusted aides left, so did Hazare's innate trust in the BJP. "During my Ramlila Maidan agitation on Lokpal and Lokayukta, the entire country stood up. An atmosphere was created. That is the reason why you (BJP) came to power. Now you are betraying the people who brought you to power," Hazare had said before starting his 2019 fast. "Leaders like Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj had once vehemently defended the Lokpal demand in Parliament. But after coming to power, they are mum over it. It looks like they are allergic to Lokpal and Lokayukta. The agitation brought them to power but they have forgotten it," he had added. In the years since the BJP government came to power at the Centre, caste issues which had hitherto been expertly handled by Hazare's team, came to receive more prominence thanks to instances of caste and religious violence. Team Anna members had very intelligently not projected their social base in terms of caste configuration, and has been quite smart at using it, observed News18. Anna was made to break his fast by receiving juice from two Dalit children at Ramlila Maidan in 2011. However, in what is a case of optics aging badly, under laws promulgated over the years to prevent caste-based repression, public declaration of the caste of the two children made a fit case for prosecution of Hazare. And it was the steady escalation of miscalculations like this that drove Hazare out of the headlines. Members of the 'Save Sharada Committee Kashmir' are demanding a pilgrimage for Kashmiri Pandits to Sharada Peeth, which is situated in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Prayagraj: In the magnificent Kumbh Mela, members of the 'Save Sharada Committee Kashmir' have been pushing forward their demand of starting a pilgrimage for Kashmiri Pandits to Sharada Peeth, which is situated in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Founder of the 'Save Sharada Committee Kashmir', Ravinder Pandit told ANI in Prayagraj: "Since ancient Sharada is located in PoK, we are urging to the Indian and Pakistan government to permit visas to pilgrims who want to visit there. Sharda Peeth is an ancient religious place, which had the oldest study centre, and it had its own language and culture." Ravinder further said that the Government of India has a written to the Pakistan government regarding the same. "All prominent priests have urged PoK authorities, and we have asked them to maintain the infrastructure of the temple," he added. Situated close to the Line of control (LoC), Sharada Peeth is an abandoned temple, which sits in PoK's Sharda village in the Neelum Valley. After the Partition of India, the sacred site remained on the other side of the Indian border and became far from the reach of Indian pilgrims. Notably, Kashmiri Pandits consider Sharada Peeth as an important site because it's said to be an abode of Lord Shiva. In 2018, after the Pakistan government opened the Kartarpur Corridor to allow Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur across the border, it encouraged Kashmiri Pandits to call for the opening of a corridor to Sharada Peeth. In this regard, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah have requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to look into the matter and pursue the request. Buena Vista, CO (81211) Today Mostly sunny skies. High near 85F. Winds WSW at 15 to 25 mph.. Tonight Clear skies with a few passing clouds. Low 52F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph. The fake University of Farmington was run as a sting operation by the US homeland security since 2015 to try and catch people who had initially travelled to the US on student visas but wanted to stay on in the country. But Indian authorities have now questioned the modus operandi of the US government The plight of 129 Indian students in the US who face deportation after they were caught allegedly enrolling themselves at a fake university in Farmington Hills, Michigan, may test India-US ties, but it has once again brought to the spotlight the scam that was Trump University founded by the country's president Donald Trump. The likely deportation also comes at a time when Trump is facing criticism over building a wall against illegal Mexican migration. Students of the now defunct Trump University, which was open from 2005 to 2010, had filed a lawsuit in 2013 alleging the institute used false advertising and high-pressure tactics to sell them expensive seminars that would be mentored by real estate experts. This led to loss of thousands of dollars in tuition. A "one-year apprenticeship" cost $1,495, a "membership" over $10,000 and "Gold Elite" classes for $35,000. Trump eventually faced two lawsuits and ended up paying $25 million to aggrieved students. The US government now claims to have exposed a "pay to stay" scheme wherein students, including many Indians, take admission in fake universities deliberately to falsely maintain their student visa status and remain in the country. The likely deportation of students to India will have devastating consequences since they will also be blacklisted while applying to varsities in the future. Pupils will need a couple of years before they are able to apply for another visa and as reported by News18 and the popping-up of the Farmington University in their database will be a major red flag. The fake University of Farmington was run as a sting operation by the US homeland security since 2015 to try and catch people who had initially travelled to the US on student visas but wanted to stay on in the country. But Indian authorities have now questioned the modus operandi of the US government. While the US agency said the students were aware of committing a crime to fraudulently remain in the country, Indian authorities are saying that the students could have been tricked into the scheme. While Trump could escape by laying a "fine" to aggrieved students of his sham university, his administration has increasingly clamped down on undocumented migrants and visa overstayers. These Indian students stand to lose their careers because of tough enforcement tactics by US immigration authorities in the recent years. Immigration agents had earlier set up the fake University of Northern New Jersey in 2016 following which a total of 21 people, mostly from China and India, were arrested, reported BBC. California-based immigration attorney Anu Peshawaria said that Department of Homeland Security knowingly allowed the fake university to be set up, misleading students sitting hundreds of miles away in another country, reported News18. "What is surprising is that the university was registered with the education board that authorises the issuance of I-20s to students, which in turn is approved by the Department of Homeland Security," she was quoted saying. Peshawaria also stated how it was "worse" that these students, based on their approved I-20s even got driver licenses from the US Department of Motor Vehicles, adding a stamp of authenticity to the university's credentials. By Robin Emmott BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The United States sees the European Union as its top priority in a global effort to convince allies not to buy Huawei equipment for next-generation mobile networks, a U.S. State Department Official said on Tuesday By Robin Emmott BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The United States sees the European Union as its top priority in a global effort to convince allies not to buy Huawei equipment for next-generation mobile networks, a U.S. State Department Official said on Tuesday. After meetings with the European Commission and the Belgian government in Brussels, U.S. officials are set to take a message to other European capitals that the world's biggest telecommunications gear maker poses a security risk, said the official, who declined to be named. "We are saying you need to be very, very cautious and we are urging folks not to rush ahead and sign contracts with untrusted suppliers from countries like China," the official said. The United States fears China could use the equipment for espionage - a concern that Huawei Technologies Co. says is unfounded. The push to sideline Huawei in Europe, one of its biggest markets, is likely to deepen trade frictions between Washington and Beijing. Washington is using "multiple tracks", the U.S. official said, including talks at the U.S.-led NATO alliance in Brussels and at international conferences in Barcelona and Munich: "Europe is definitely where we see this as the top priority." Huawei gear is widely used in Europe but the push is aimed at equipment for the new fifth generation mobile technology, which promises to link up everything from vehicles to factories at far greater speeds. While Washington has largely barred Huawei from supplying its government and contractors, it sees advanced European preparations for 5G networks as a security risk that could also endanger the United States. "Going with an untrusted supplier like Huawei or ZTE will have all sorts of ramifications for your national security and ... since we are military allies with almost all members of the European Union, on our national security as well," the official said. SMOKING GUN? Asked for evidence of intelligence work by Huawei or its rival ZTE, the U.S. official said American alarm stemmed more from China's status as a one-party state, a series of Chinese laws approved in 2017, and counter-terrorism legislation. The official cited language in the National Intelligence Law that directs individuals and companies to aid China's intelligence-gathering and keep such work secret. "Huawei and ZTE ... are ensconced in a one-party state where they are simply not equipped to resist directions from Beijing." The official also pointed to vulnerabilities found in older networks built by Huawei in Britain, even when they were monitored by a laboratory overseen by British intelligence. Reuters reported exclusively on Jan. 30 that the European Commission, the EU executive, was considering proposals that would ban Huawei from 5G networks, but that work was at an early stage. Concern is also growing in Germany. But France is walking a fine line, with parliament reviewing a provision that would increase government powers to make checks on 5G equipment. "We may not have all the information the United States has. But we take decisions based on what we know. And at this stage, we have not decided to ban Huawei in France," a French official said this week. (Additional reporting by Michel Rose in Paris; Editing by Kevin Liffey) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. The show cause notice was issued by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) earlier this week, and Airtel has been given three days time to respond New Delhi: Telecom regulator TRAI has served a show cause notice to Airtel over the blackout faced by some of its DTH customers during the switchover to the new tariff regime, sources said. The show cause notice was issued by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) earlier this week, and Airtel has been given three days time to respond, they told PTI. When contacted, an Airtel spokesperson said a few customers may have experienced delays in the provisioning of channels, owing to a massive surge in last minute requests during migration, and that the service provider remains committed to ensuring compliance with all regulatory norms. TRAI has unveiled the new tariff order and regulatory regime for the broadcast and cable sector, which would pave the way for consumers to opt for channels they wish to view and pay only for them. It had said every channel should be offered a la carte, with a transparent display of rates on electronic programme guide. The new framework came into effect from 1 February. In a statement Wednesday, TRAI said it had "received information that while migrating consumers, one large service provider has caused a blackout on the TV screen of a few thousand subscribers". Taking a serious view, the regulator has issued a show cause notice to that service provider, TRAI statement said but neither identified the player, nor divulged any details. A TRAI official, however, confirmed that the operator in reference is Airtel and that in the said instance, certain customers who had made channel selection under the new framework, had faced disruption during the migration process and could only view the last channel they had chosen. "So, TRAI issued show cause notice on why adequate measures were not taken, despite the regulator insisting that consumers should not face any inconvenience," the Trai official said. Responding to an e-mailed query, an Airtel spokesperson said, "customer experience is of paramount importance to us. We have over 15 million customers who are being migrated to the new tariff regime. Due to the massive surge in last minute requests, particularly on January 31 and February 1, few customers may have experienced some delays in the provisioning of channels". "We remain fully committed to ensuring compliance with all TRAI guidelines and will file our response to the notice," the Airtel spokesperson added. Airtel's DTH offerings had 15 million customers at the end of the December quarter, an increase of 7.6 percent over the corresponding quarter last year. Niti Aayog has identified 35 PSUs, including Air India, Air India's subsidiary AIATSL, Dredging Corporation, BEML and Scooters India for strategic sale. New Delhi: The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Tuesday held a meeting to work out steps to expedite the strategic sale of PSUs identified by government think-tank Niti Aayog, a senior official said. Niti Aayog has identified 35 PSUs, including Air India, Air India's subsidiary AIATSL, Dredging Corporation, BEML and Scooters India for strategic sale. "There is not much headway in strategic sale of CPSEs because of opposition by certain organisations. The PMO tried to identify these bottlenecks and come up with the roadmap to expedite the whole process," the official, who did not wish to be identified, told PTI. The government has set a target of Rs 90,000 crore to be mopped up from share sale of central public sector enterprises (CPSEs) in financial year 2019-20, higher than the Rs 80,000 crore target this fiscal. Niti Aayog recently submitted to the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) the fifth list of CPSEs, profitable as well as non-profitable, which can go for a strategic sale. This takes the total number of PSUs identified for strategic disinvestment to 35. The companies which have been shortlisted for strategic sale include Air India, Air India's subsidiary AIATSL, Dredging Corporation, BEML, Scooters India, Bharat Pumps Compressors, and Bhadrawati, Salem and Durgapur units of steel major SAIL. The other CPSEs for which approvals are in place for outright sale include Hindustan Fluorocarbon, Hindustan Newsprint, HLL Life Care, Central Electronics, Bridge & Roof India, Nagarnar Steel plant of NMDC and units of Cement Corporation of India and ITDC. Even as the industry continues to raise concerns over the new FDI norms governing the e-commerce space, former Infosys chief financial officer Mohandas Pai on Wednesday said it is a move in the right direction Mumbai: Even as the industry continues to raise concerns over the new FDI norms governing the e-commerce space, former Infosys chief financial officer Mohandas Pai on Wednesday said it is a move in the right direction. E-commerce firms are "using abusive, predatory pricing to drive out local businesses and we do not want global monopolies," Pai, who is also associated with the startups' promotion body Isprit, told the ongoing Tiecon 2019 summit. "The regulations that we have introduced is somewhat reasonable even though the way it was done is wrong," he said. Addressing the same event, senior lawyer Nishith Desai wondered if the move was done for the benefit of a particular set of market-players as there are always lobbies at work. "The unfortunate part is that our mindset is shrinking," Desai said, hinting that the country is drifting away from the tenets of globalisation. Another lawyer dealing closely with the startup ecosystem Karan Kalra said, "this is not driven by the will to promote business but by the vote-bank politics. The government is changing its own position." KPMG India taxation head Hitesh Gajaria said the decision has not come out of the blue as the BJP even in the last election manifesto had also talked against FDI in retail. "They will let go off billions of dollars but they will focus on jobs and appeasement for a section of the society," he added. Tightening norms for e-commerce firms having foreign investment, the government on 1 February notified the new FDI norms that debar online marketplaces like Flipkart and Amazon from selling products of companies which they are their subsidiaries, apart from banning them from entering into exclusive marketing arrangements saying such pacts would influence prices. The revised FDI policy for online retail, issued by the commerce and industry ministry, also said these firms have to offer equal services/facilities to all its vendors without discrimination. Following this, media reports said many small sellers on Amazon have started quitting the platform in large numbers citing difficulty in managing logistics on their own. Prior to 1 February, Amazon had as many as around 4 lakh small sellers on its platform but with the new rules in place, its Cloudtail and Appario have become inactive. Many have criticised the new FDI norms in e-commerce space and attributed to the BJP's bid to placate the small traders ahead of the polls as the mom-n-pop shopkeepers have been a strong vote bank for the ruling party. Many opinion polls have predicted BJP not securing a clear mandate in the summer elections. Brokerage Morgan Stanley had hinted that Walmart Inc, which had pumped in the largest-ever FDI into the country last August by snapping up Flipkart for USD 16 billion, would lower its profitability in the long-run. However, following the report earlier in the week, the US retail major had on Wednesday said it was committed to the country as it was optimistic despite recent changes in policy. Morgan Stanley, in a report titled 'Assessing Flipkart risks to Walmart's EPS' dated 4 February, has claimed that "an exit is likely, not completely out of the question, with the Indian e-commerce market becoming more complicated." Meanwhile, on the issue of angel tax, Pai joined a wider section of industry leaders expressing concern but claimed that the PMO had hinted at a relook into the issue. Principal chief economic advisor Sanjeev Sanyal has also assured a relook, Pai claimed, and termed the provision as a penalty or a tax for residentship in the country. Desai termed the angel tax proposal as a "demon tax" which reminds of the older days of tax terrorism. MADRID (Reuters) - Taxi-drivers in the Spanish capital seeking tighter regulation of Uber and other ride-hailing services called off their indefinite strike on Tuesday after 16 days during which they obtained no concessions from the Madrid regional government. Madrid's refusal to accept drivers' demands came after ride-hailing companies Uber and Cabify said last week they were suspending their services in Barcelona in response to the regional government's imposition of limits on how they operate in the city. MADRID (Reuters) - Taxi-drivers in the Spanish capital seeking tighter regulation of Uber and other ride-hailing services called off their indefinite strike on Tuesday after 16 days during which they obtained no concessions from the Madrid regional government. Madrid's refusal to accept drivers' demands came after ride-hailing companies Uber and Cabify said last week they were suspending their services in Barcelona in response to the regional government's imposition of limits on how they operate in the city. Union representatives in Madrid said the strike had demonstrated the unity and power of the drivers, which would help them continue the fight for their demands. "It is a long war, in which you can lose battles, but in the end I'm sure we can win," Julio Sanz, head of the Taxi Federation union, told reporters. The city's taxi drivers started the protests on Jan. 20 against the private services, which offer rides that often undercut taxi prices and can be hailed via the internet rather than in the street. Last week, riot police backed by a fleet of tow trucks had to clear hundreds of vehicles blocking the capital's Paseo de la Castellana thoroughfare. In September, Spain's government gave ride-hailing companies four years to comply with regulation granting them just one new licence for every 30 taxi licences. The cab drivers are demanding stricter regulations now. Following protests by Barcelona taxi-drivers, the Catalan government had ruled that ride-hailing services could only pick up passengers after a 15-minute delay from the time they were booked. (Reporting By Andrei Khalip; Editing by Angus MacSwan) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Darjeeling tea became the first GI tagged product in India, in 2004-05. The Geographical Indication or GI tag on Darjeeling tea is not the sole prerogative of the Tea Board run by the government, said the Calcutta High court dismissing a case filed for the exclusive use of the GI tag, according to media reports. In 2010, the Tea Board had filed a case against ITC, the hotel-to-tobacco group, which operates a premier lounge named Darjeeling Lounge at ITC Sonar Hotel in Kolkata. The Calcutta High Court ruled that Darjeeling Tea as a GI-owned by the government-run Tea Board for tea originating from the region cannot be claimed for unrelated goods or services, according to a report in the Times of India. The GI is a limited right, the high court said. It can be enforced only if it is misused in respect to the same product, the report said. Incidentally, Darjeeling tea became the first GI tagged product in India, in 2004-05. Since then over 300 products have been added to the list and given the GI status. This range from Darjeeling Tea, Kangra paintings, Tirupathi ladoo, Nagpur Orange and Kashmir Pashmina among registered GIs in India. Karnataka tops with 38 GI products, followed by Maharashtra which has 32 and Tamil Nadu with 25 GI products. A Geographical Indication (GI) is an agricultural, natural or a manufactured product (handicrafts and industrial goods) originating from a particular area. It enjoys a specific reputation which is attributable to that geographical region. It is a legal right under which the GI holder can prohibit others from using the same name. Last week, Suresh Prabhu, Union Civil Aviation said that all the airports in the country will soon have 'Geographical Indication Stores' which will promote products unique in that region. --With agency inputs The policy aimed at integrating and optimising various elements of logistics value chain, to ensure seamless, multi-modal growth of an efficient logistics sector in the country. New Delhi: The commerce ministry has proposed several measures such as setting up of a separate fund, single-window e-marketplace and a law to define the role of various stakeholders, as part of the draft national logistics policy released Wednesday. The policy aimed at integrating and optimising various elements of logistics value chain, to ensure seamless, multi-modal growth of an efficient logistics sector in the country. The ministry has sought views of stakeholders by 19 February. Its objectives include providing an impetus to trade, enhancing export competitiveness, improving India's ranking in the Logistics Performance Index to between 25 and 30, reducing losses due to agri-wastage to less than 5 percent, driving logistics cost to 10 percent of GDP from the current levels of 13-14 percent. The other thrust areas of the policy include focusing on critical projects to enable first mile and last mile connectivity; proper development of multi-modal logistics parks (MMLP); interventions to reduce logistics cost and promote efficiency for movement of key commodities; and setting up a Logistics Data and Analytics Center. Besides, it includes creating a Center of Trade Facilitation and Logistics excellence; promoting cross regional trade on e-commerce platforms through seamless flow of goods; promoting green logistics; and setting up a start-up acceleration fund. It said a non-lapsable logistics fund will be created, to drive progress against the key thrust areas. The fund can be deployed for providing viability gap funding for select MMLP projects, first and last mile projects and projects for poorly-serviced remote areas; incentivising select logistics skilling programmes; and setting up a start-up acceleration fund to incentivise development of new technology. Talking about the law, it said a framework act on integrated logistics will be enacted to define the role and responsibilities of all stakeholders in the multimodal logistics space. "This will institutionalise the defined roles of the relevant stakeholders as per the national logistics policy," it added. Further, the draft has suggested constitution of four committees or councils including the National Council for Logistics, chaired by the prime minister; an apex inter-ministerial committee, chaired by the Minister of Commerce and Industry; an India Logistics Forum chaired by the commerce secretary; and an empowered task force. This is required as the logistics wing under the ministry would be requiring extensive coordination, data gathering and monitoring across central ministries including roads, railways, shipping, civil aviation, food processing finance and home affairs, it said. "The council (chaired by the prime minister) will provide overall direction and guidance for the integrated development of logistics in the country. Further, it will review the progress made against the Integrated National Logistics Action Plan every six months.," it added. It added that creation of a national logistics e-marketplace as a one-stop marketplace will involve simplification of documentation for exports/imports and digitisation of processes. "An effective and efficient logistics ecosystem can be a key contributor to robust economic growth in the country, with the potential to facilitate domestic and foreign trade, promote global competitiveness, enhance incomes, and drive the Make in India initiative," it added. High logistics cost in India impacts both external and internal trade. The cost in India is estimated at 13-14 percent of gross domestic product, compare with 9-10 per cent in the US and Europe and 11 percent in Japan. There is no single unit which manages the sector, as it is currently being managed by many ministries including road transport, shipping, railways, civil aviation, posts and commerce and industry, and finance. The losses for Amazon may double in three years, while Walmart could see an incremental loss of $280 million from Flipkart by the year-end Following the implementation of the revised foreign direct investment (FDI) policy norms for e-commerce firms, Amazon India and Flipkart are likely to see their losses spike, said a media report. The losses for Amazon may double in three years, while Walmart could see an incremental loss of $280 million from Flipkart by the year-end, The Times of India reported citing analyst reports from Morgan Stanley. JP Morgan has also said that Amazons total India revenue will come down to about $5.3 billion at the end of March 2020 due to the new FDI policy, the newspaper added. On Wednesday, Walmart, which invested $16 billion in Flipkart in August last year, said it is committed to the Indian market and is optimistic despite recent changes in the FDI policy for e-commerce firms in the country. The Bentonville-based retailing major's statement came after a recent report by global consultancy firm Morgan Stanley, which had hinted that Walmart may quit Flipkart as the new foreign direct investment (FDI) policy came into effect, which would lower its profitability in the long run. Morgan Stanley, in a report titled 'Assessing Flipkart Risk to Walmart EPS' dated 4 February, claimed that "an exit is likely, not completely out of the question, with the Indian e-commerce market becoming more complicated." Walmart's and Flipkart's commitment to India is deep and long term. Despite the recent changes in regulations, we remain optimistic about the country, said Dirk Van den Berghe, Executive Vice President and Regional CEO Walmart Asia and Canada. He further added, "We will continue to focus on serving customers, creating sustained economic growth and bringing sustainable benefits to the country, including employment generation, supporting small businesses and farmers, and growing Indian exports to Walmart's global markets." Flipkart CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy too refuted the claim of a Morgan Stanley report. The report couldnt be further than the truth. Walmart remains extremely confident about the potential of the Indian market and in Flipkarts ability to lead the e-commerce space, Krishnamurthy was quoted as saying by Business Standard in an internal communication to its employees. Tightening norms for e-commerce firms having foreign investment, the government, from 1 February, barred online marketplaces like Flipkart and Amazon from selling products of companies where they hold stakes and banned exclusive marketing arrangements that could influence product price. The revised policy on FDI in online retail, issued by the commerce and industry ministry, also said that these firms have to offer equal services or facilities to all its vendors without discrimination. With inputs from PTI SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Quantstamp , a blockchain security company, assisted MakerDAO, Austin Griffith, and Brian Ethier in auditing the buffiDai token which will be used at ETHDenver 2019 . BuffiDai is a proof-of-concept cryptocurrency that is designed to act as a localcoin which will drive the ETHDenver economy, create a frictionless user experience for attendants, and serve as an experiment meant to improve future implementations. ETHDenver is a hackathon taking place from February 15th - 17th in Denver, Colorado that incentivizes the Ethereum developer community to share knowledge and continue building towards a decentralized future. Quantstamp is grateful to help launch this initiative and looks forward to continuing to secure the underlying buffiDai smart contracts as the project develops. "Here at Quantstamp, our mission is to advance the mainstream adoption of smart contracts and blockchain applications by providing state-of-the-art security services," says Quantstamp CEO Richard Ma. "We are thrilled to enhance the security of ETHDenver's economy by contributing to the pop-up economy experiment." Quantstamp is a blockchain security company that develops decentralized and QSP-fueled security protocols, audits blockchain applications, and provides services to projects and enterprise clients. Blockchain companies trust Quantstamp to audit essential community projects such as OmiseGO's Plasma MVP and Chainlink's oracle network. The buffiDai project is unique in that it enables an ephemeral economy, a transitional economy that only exists for the duration of ETHDenver. By selling food, swag, drinks, NFTs, and other goods exclusively in buffiDai, ETHDenver's organizers aim to invigorate the event's economy and enhance the social experience of attendants by incentivizing them to spend and trade buffiDai inside the event. Another key motivation for developing buffiDai is to enhance the ease of use of cryptocurrency technology. An emerging narrative in the cryptocurrency space is that the lack of user-friendliness is a barrier to user adoption. In order to develop user-friendly crypto solutions, buffiDai intends to create a frictionless onramp and onboarding experience for users. BuffiDai was produced in collaboration with Austin Griffith , Brian Ethier , POA Network , Solidcoin , SendWyre , Quantstamp , and ETHDenver , coordinated through the MakerDAO Community Grants Program. "At ETHDenver, we plan to help people go from crypto-curious to active participant in an ephemeral economy in seconds with zero friction," says Richard Brown, Head of Community Development at MakerDAO. "We chose Quantstamp because we know they hold themselves and their peers to the highest security standards. We look forward to engaging with them again on future projects." If you are interested in attending this year's ETHDenver event, please visit their website for more details. If you are interested in seeking an audit from Quantstamp, please visit our website for more details. Weekly net asset value ("NAV") is calculated as of the close of business on each Tuesday and posted on the following business day. In the event that Tuesday is not a business day, the Company will calculate the close-of-business NAV as of the business day immediately preceding that Tuesday. The end-of-month NAV is calculated as of the close of business on the last day of the month and posted on the following business day. For weeks that include a month-end NAV report, PSH will provide only the month-end NAV and not report the Tuesday NAV. Monthly NAVs are published in accordance with the Decree on Conduct of Business Supervision of Financial Undertakings under the Wft (Besluit Gedragstoezicht financiele ondernemingen Wft). 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. Press release Boulogne-Billancourt, 6 February 2019 Antalis announces unaudited estimated operating results for FY 2018 in line with its objectives Antalis announces its unaudited operating results for FY 2018 as prepared by the management of the company. At constant scope and exchange rates and compared to FY 2017, its estimated sales should stand at 2,310 million, down 1.0% (-2.8% sales as reported) and its estimated EBITDA at 74 million, representing a 3.2% EBITDA margin, in line with its objectives for FY 2018. These operating performances highlight Antalis' resilience in the context of a sharp volume decrease in the European Papers distribution market due to selling price increases driven by soaring paper pulp prices. They also reflect the increasing contribution of Packaging and Visual Communication to the Group's gross margin, which should represent approximately 37% in 2018. In view of the announcement made by Sequana, its controlling shareholder, regarding the decision handed down by the Court of Appeal in London in the litigation between Sequana and British American Tobacco (BAT), Antalis reminds that this decision has no impact on Antalis, which is not a party to this litigation. In agreement with Sequana, the board of directors of Antalis has taken the decision to commission an investment bank to set up a new shareholding structure in the coming months in the interests of the company, which will enable it to ensure its development and to implement its strategic plan. Antalis will publish its annual results on 29 March 2019 before the opening of the stock exchange. About Antalis Antalis (Euronext Paris: ANTA) is the leader in B2B distribution of Papers (number 1 worldwide outside the United States) and industrial Packaging, and number two in the distribution of Visual Communication media in Europe. In 2017, the Group reported sales of 2.4 billion and employed 5,500 people serving approximately 140,000 customers, companies and printers in 41 countries. Through its 123 distribution centres, Antalis makes around 13,500 deliveries per day worldwide and it distributed 1.5 million tons of paper in 2017. Contacts Analystes & Investisseurs Xavier Roy-Contancin +33 (0)1 58 04 21 90 Communication Sylvie Noque +33 (0)1 58 04 21 90 contact@antalis.com www.antalis.com I mage Sept Claire Doligez Priscille Reneaume +33 (0)1 53 70 74 25 cdoligez@image7.fr preneaume@image7.fr ------------------------ Copyright Actusnews Wire Recevez gratuitement par email les prochains communiques de la societe en vous inscrivant sur www.actusnews.com Communique integral et original au format PDF:Telecharger le PDF Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 6, 2019) - New Energy Metals Corp. (TSXV: ENRG) (OTC Pink: NEMCF) ("New Energy Metals" or the "Company") announces a non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") of up to 6,666,667 units (the "Units") at a price of $0.075 per Unit for gross proceeds of up to $500,000. Each Unit will consist of one common share of the Company and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (each, a "Warrant"). Each whole Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional common share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.25 per share for a period of two years from the closing of the Offering. In the event that the closing price of the Company's shares on the TSX Venture Exchange is $0.50 or greater per share for a minimum of ten consecutive days commencing four months and one day after the closing of the Offering, the Company may accelerate the expiry date of the Warrants by providing notice to the shareholders thereof and, in such case, the Warrants will expire on the 30th day after the date on which such notice is given by the Company. The Company may pay finder's fees to arm's length parties that have introduced the Company to subscribers participating in the Offering. All securities issued in connection with the Offering will be subject to a four-month and one day hold period in Canada, during which time the securities may not be traded. The Offering is subject to TSX Venture Exchange and other regulatory approval. The net proceeds from the Offering are intended to be used to fund exploration and development of New Energy Metal's projects as well as for general corporate purposes. None of the foregoing securities have been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act") or any applicable state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) or persons in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor will there be any sale of the foregoing securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. About the Company New Energy Metals is focused on the exploration and development of energy metals in Chile. The Company's assets include the Cristal copper project located in northern Chile and several prospective cobalt projects in Chile's past producing San Juan cobalt district. On behalf of New Energy Metals Corp. Cesar Lopez, President & CEO T: 604.484-1232 E: info@newenergymetals.ca W: www.newenergymetals.ca 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. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities legislation, including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, the intended use of the proceeds received from the Offering, the Company's expectation that it will be successful in enacting its business plans, anticipated results from exploration activities, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: "believes", "will", "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "estimates", "plans", "may", "should", "potential", "scheduled", or variations of such words and phrases and similar expressions, which, by their nature, refer to future events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that investor interest will be sufficient to close the Offering and the receipt of any necessary regulatory approvals in connection with the Offering, including TSX Venture Exchange acceptance of same. Forward-looking statements involve 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 statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others, lack of investor interest in the Offering, actual results of exploration activities, requirements for additional capital, future prices of precious metals, copper and cobalt, changes in general economic conditions, changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities, other risks of the mining industry, the inability to obtain any necessary governmental and regulatory approvals (including TSX Venture Exchange acceptance of the Offering), changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, hedging practices, and currency fluctuations, as well as those factors discussed under the heading "Risks and Uncertainties" in the Company's most recent 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 statements. Except as otherwise required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking information in this news release or incorporated by reference therein. **NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES** To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/42689 Local Namibian group to undertake small scale mining operation to exploit manganese occurrence within Kunene Co-Cu project area in exchange for royalty payments Manganese occurrence previously evaluated and deemed to be too small for Namibia Critical Metals to develop but is economic for small scale producer Cash flow from royalty payments will contribute to continued exploration and development of the Company's Kunene Co-Cu Project HALIFAX, NS / ACCESSWIRE / February 6, 2019 / Namibia Critical Metals Inc. ("the Company" or "Namibia Critical Metals") (TSXV:NMI) today announced that, through its wholly-owned subsidiary company Kunene Resources Namibia (Pty) Ltd. ("Kunene Resources"), it has signed an agreement ("the Agreement") with a private Namibian group ("the Group") to allow the pegging of a mining claim covering a small manganese occurrence within EPL 4347 which is held by the Company. The Agreement will allow the Group to develop a small scale mining operation to produce manganese mineral concentrates in return for a sliding scale royalty payable to the Company based on the grade of concentrate produced and prevailing commodity prices. Namibia Critical Metals has reviewed the available technical information on the occurrence and concluded that is not of sufficient scale to be of interest to the Company. This arrangement allows for the benefits of future commercial production to be realized by local enterprises and advances small scale mining operations within Namibia. Pine van Wyk, Chief Executive Officer of Namibia Critical Metals stated, "We are pleased to have reached this agreement which can provide meaningful jobs and cash flow to a Namibian company while at the same time monetizing a small scale mining opportunity not of primary interest to the Company. With success, the operation will provide Namibia Critical Metals with some modest cash flow which will support our larger scale operations in the area." Provisions of the Agreement Under the terms of the Agreement it is contemplated that the Group will acquire the mineral rights for the exploitation of manganese over a small area covering the known extents of the manganese occurrence through application to the Ministry of Mines and Energy for a mining claim. The Group will also have the right to establish a works area to provide for the installation of ancillary equipment to support development of the mining operation. The Agreement will remain in effect so long as the Group retains its rights in accordance with the Minerals Act. The Company will relinquish its mineral rights over the area covered by the manganese mining claim. As consideration for the consents given by the Company, the Group will pay a royalty in respect of the manganese extracted calculated as a sliding scale royalty ranging from 1-5% tied to the percentage grade of the manganese and to the US dollar price achieved for the sale of each dry metric ton unit of manganese which is the internationally agreed-upon unit of measure for manganese ore pricing. The royalty is capped at N$100 (approximately CDN$10) per dry metric ton. All costs and liabilities pertaining to the mining operations will be borne by the Group. Background on Manganese Occurrence and Company Due Diligence The manganese occurrence was discovered by Kunene Resources in 2013 and evaluated over a three-year period as the Olulilwa Manganese Project. A comprehensive exploration program comprised of detailed surface mapping and diamond drilling was undertaken in 2016 to consider the technical and financial feasibility to mine the occurrence by open pit methods and to build a pilot plant to produce manganese concentrate. It was concluded that the Olulilwa manganese beds had the potential to be developed into a small-scale manganese mine. The Company re-logged diamond drill core from the 2016 program and re-sampled to determine if any potential for base metals exists in the area covered by the manganese occurrence. Results do not indicate any mineralization of economic significance for copper, lead, zinc or other metals of interest outside of manganese. Donald M. Burton, P.Geo. and President of Namibia Critical Metals Inc., is the Company's Qualified Person and has reviewed and approved this press release. About Namibia Critical Metals Inc. Namibia Critical Metals Inc. holds a diversified portfolio of exploration and advanced stage projects in the country of Namibia focused on the development of sustainable and ethical sources of metals for the battery, electric vehicle and associated industries. The common shares of Namibia Critical Metals Inc. trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "NMI". Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. For more information please contact - Namibia Critical Metals Inc. Don Burton, President Tel: +01 (902) 835-8760 Fax: +01 (902) 835-8761 Email: Info@NamibiaCMI.com The foregoing information may contain forward-looking information relating to the future performance of Namibia Rare Earths Inc. Forward-looking information, specifically, that concerning future performance, is subject to certain risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially. These risks and uncertainties are detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the appropriate securities commissions. SOURCE: Namibia Critical Metals Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/534613/Namibia-Critical-Metals-Enters-into-Agreement-to-Allow-for-Development-of-Small-Scale-Manganese-Mine-at-Kunene Marijuana News TodayWe're experiencing a bit of the mid-week blues in the marijuana news today; the pot stock market has been taking a pretty thorough thrashing. Meanwhile, U.S. marijuana legalization continues, with New Hampshire lawmakers hearing arguments for marijuana legalization in the state.New Hampshire is a small state that likely won't shake up the U.S. marijuana paradigm, but it is now officially in the running with New York, Illinois, and several other states to possibly see recreational marijuana legalization hit in 2019.Legalization supporters face opposition from the state's governor, who said he would veto a marijuana bill, and from the usual motley. 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. ABUJA, Nigeria, February 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The campaign of Nigerian presidential candidate for the People's Democratic Party Atiku Abubakar today launched the AtikuPlanForYOUth, the world's first 'emojified' manifesto (on http://www.wevoteatiku.com) in a new effort to attract youth voters. (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/818683/PDP_AtikuPlanForYOUth_Infographic.jpg ) Drawn from the previously published Atiku Plan, the AtikuPlanForYOUth brings to life the People's Democratic Party (PDP) candidate's promises to Nigeria's 130 million under-30s. In an increasingly noisy debate, the Atiku campaign said the aim was to cut through the rhetoric to help youth voters understand more about the issues that matter most to them. The novel manifesto 'emojifies' 40 pledges from TheAtikuPlan across the key areas of government, education, jobs, human capital, economy, business, and sport and culture. Highlights include pledges that Atiku will: Devote 25% of the budget to education - Buhari allocated only 7% in 2018. Create up to 3 million new private sector jobs each year Deliver a $900 billion , top 20 global economy Nigeria's slowing economy and failing education system have driven youth unemployment to record highs - reaching 38% in the second quarter of 2018. Only 50% of children finish primary school with many of them unable to go to secondary school, resulting in seven million young people each year entering a struggling labour market with few if any relevant skills. The AtikuPlanForYOUth is aimed at Nigerians youths looking for major new investment in job creation, apprenticeships and vocational training. Campaign spokesman Osita Chidoka said: "The AtikuPlanForYOUth is our way of speaking directly to young people with a positive message of hope for their lives and careers. "By condensing TheAtikuPlan into a set of youth-focused promises, we're cutting through the noise to tell young people clearly and simply why Atiku is the only bridge to the brighter future they deserve." The AtikuPlanForYOUth was created and launched by @WeVoteAtiku - part of the official PDP election campaign. With Election Day on Saturday, February 16, the campaign is entering its final phase to rally voters behind its pro-business message. Mr Chidoka continued: "Our young people are our most precious asset today, and our message to them is clear: Act now. Take your future into your hands. Come out and vote for Atiku on February 16th." Notes: About the People's Democratic Party (PDP) The People's Democratic Party (PDP) is a major contemporary political party in Nigeria. Its policies generally lie towards the centre-right of the political spectrum. It won every Presidential election between 1999 and 2011, and was until the 2015 elections, the governing party in the Fourth Republic. Currently, PDP controls 14 states out of 36 states in Nigeria. About WeVoteAtiku WeVoteAtiku is a PDP-backed social media campaign to inform and empower Nigerian youth to vote for a better future for themselves, friends and family by voting for Atiku. PDP's aim is to get Nigeria's youth out to vote for Atiku and the PDP by highlighting the reasons why a vote for Atiku is a vote for their own and their country's future. Nigerian youths deserve a better future. On Saturday, February 16, go vote @Atiku Abubakar for President and make it happen. Part of @OfficialPDPNig WeVoteAtiku A collaborative strategic innovation project, bringing together: Leading automotive, aerospace and defense manufacturers, including Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi, MBDA and Safran; Innovative and high-growth French companies; Prestigious research laboratories, including CEA and Inria. Financing of 11.7m obtained under the Bpifrance Invest for the Future Program (Programme d'Investissements d'Avenir PIA). Kalray (Euronext Growth Paris: ALKAL), a pioneer in processors for new intelligent systems, today announces the launch of the collaborative ES3CAP program1, combining 11 industrial and academic partners, for which Kalray is the lead partner. The ES3CAP program, with a total budget of 22.2m over three years, will receive 11.7 million2 in financing under the Invest for the Future Program3, managed by Bpifrance, to contribute to finance the research activities. The objective of the ES3CAP project is to build a hardware and software platform for manufacturers developing critical applications that require high-performance computing capacity, in the fields of aeronautics (aviation, flying taxis, drones), defense and self-driving vehicles. It comprises an entire ecosystem of partners working on complementary aspects of operating systems and real-time, critical software tools, computer vision, data fusion and artificial intelligence, all on a reliable and secure hardware platform, Kalray's MPPA ("Massively Parallel Processor Array"). The artificial intelligence boom is on the verge of revolutionizing many markets. The self-driving cars, aircraft engines and robots of the future will all require access to new Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) in direct interaction with the physical world and with the capacity to process, via increasingly sophisticated algorithms, an increasing amount of data and functions. These processing operations must be carried out while ensuring compliance with the strict functional safety and security requirements shared across these different industries. Therefore, these changing requirements have therefore forced manufacturers to adopt new generations of processors called "multi" or even "many" cores, the only processors capable of meeting the twofold need for performance and integration of a large number of functions on a single component capable of providing the required computing capacity and operational independence. ES3CAP relies on Kalray's MPPA manycore processors, which meet all of these requirements perfectly. The industrial partners for this project include Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi and EasyMile for automotive, and Safran Electronics Defense and MBDA for avionics and defense. Technological partners include ANSYS/Esterel Technologies for the certified software development tool portion and the generation of the multi-core code, Krono-Safe for its ASTERIOS software solution consisting of a suite of integrated software tools and a multi-core real-time kernel with a high level of operational reliability, Prove Run for the security architecture, OS and high security services, Kalray for its intelligent MPPA processors and the associated software platform, PROPHESEE for the patented high-performance neuromorphic vision comprising sensors and artificial intelligence. The expert partner tasked with ensuring the operational reliability of the physical platform is IROC Technologies. The key academic partners are CEA (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission) and Inria (French research institute for digital sciences). Eric Baissus, CEO of Kalray, commented as follows: "Intelligent systems are going to play an increasingly important role in our lives, whether in the self-driving cars or aircraft of the future. France has a very dynamic and cutting-edge ecosystem in this area. We're delighted to have been able to surround ourselves and the ES3CAP project with renowned manufacturers, research laboratories, fast-growing SMEs and French start-ups, and to have obtained the support of the French government to strengthen a national sector that is both commercially attractive and strategic for our industry." Remi Bastien, VP Automotive Prospective at Groupe Renault added: "This collaborative project with Kalray, bringing together expertise from multiple disciplines and sectors, is a great opportunity for Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi. We expect that it will lead to a variety of applications in the development of future vehicles' electronic architecture from the more complex, related to autonomous driving, to simpler ones." Pejvan Beigui, CTO of EasyMile: "We are looking forward to collaborating with the institutions, large enterprises and deep-tech startups of the ES3CAP consortium. Kalray's platform, built on top of their innovative many-core MPPA processor, is ticking all the boxes when it comes to EasyMile's requirements for high performance, high reliability and ultra-safe systems. I am very excited at the prospect of running EasyMile's leading autonomous navigation software on the MPPA processor and leveraging the tremendous value this platform will bring us." On behalf of Safran, major European player in aeronautics and defense, Joel Berkoukchi, Deputy General Manager, Director of the Avionics Division declared: "The ES3CAP project gives Safran the opportunity to broaden the environment of Kalray's new generation of high-compute and safety-critical MPPA processor, and to ease its integration into innovative avionics architectures to bring autonomous aircraft to life." Harold Van den Bossche, Responsible for industrial Policy and Supply Chain at MBDA, a major European player in the defense sector, made the following comments: "MBDA is very happy to be taking part in the development of the "multi-core" processor ecosystem on the Kalray platform. The applications for our future on-board systems are highly promising, and thus contribute to the strength of our armed forces. The ES3CAP consortium is a prime example of cooperation between major groups, institutions and SMEs in supporting technological innovation in France and guaranteeing the sovereignty of our technological and industrial capacities for both civil society and defense." Sophie Remont, Head of Expertise at Bpifrance: "Kalray has successfully shared its strategic vision and has formed high-quality industrial and academic partnerships in order to achieve its goals. We're delighted to be joining Kalray in this new innovative project, for which it is the lead manager." ABOUT KALRAY Kalray (Euronext Growth Paris FR0010722819 ALKAL) is the pioneer in processors for new intelligent systems. As a real technological breakthrough, "intelligent" processors have the capability to analyze on the fly, and in an intelligent manner, a very large amount of information, and to make decisions and interact in real time with the outside world. These intelligent processors will be deployed extensively in fast-growing sectors, such as new-generation networks (intelligent data centers) and autonomous vehicles, as well as healthcare equipment, drones, and robots. Kalray's offering encompasses both processors and complete solutions (electronic boards and software). Created in 2008 as a spin-off of CEA ("Commissariat l'energie atomique et aux energies alternatives", the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission), Kalray serves customers such as server manufacturers, intelligent system integrators, and consumer product manufacturers, including car makers. For more information, visit www.kalrayinc.com. ABOUT THE "INVEST FOR THE FUTURE" PROGRAM With some 57 billion euros, the Invest for the Future program, coordinated by the CGI, was set up by the French government in order to help finance innovative and promising investments in France. Six national priorities were therefore identified, in order to enable France to increase its growth and employment potential: higher education, research and training, the promotion of research and its application in the economic world, sustainable development, industry and SMEs, the digital economy, healthcare and biotechnologies. The third part of the program, PIA3, is part of the French investment plan (Grand Plan d'Investissement GPI) presented by the Prime Minister on September 25, 2017. To learn more about Invest for the Future: www.gouvernement.fr/secretariat-general-pour-l-investissement-sgpi. Twitter: @SGPI_avenir ABOUT BPIFRANCE Bpifrance is the French national investment bank: it finances businesses - at every stage of their development through loans, guarantees, equity investments and export insurances. Bpifrance also provides extrafinancial services (training, consultancy..). to help entrepreneurs meet their challenges (innovation, export). For more information, please visit: www.bpifrance.fr and presse.bpifrance.fr - Follow us on Twitter: @Bpifrance @BpifrancePresse 1 "Embedded Smart Safe Secure Computing Autonomous Platform" 2 Contribution to the project's financing in the form of mixed subsidies and recoverable advances from the State (PIA). 3 The Invest for the Future program, managed by Bpifrance, was set up by the French government in order to help finance innovative and promising investments in France, with a principle of co-financing for each project. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190206005424/en/ Contacts: Kalray Investor relations Eric Baissus investors@kalrayinc.com +33 4 76 18 90 71 ACTUS finance communication Caroline Lesage kalray@actus.fr +33 1 53 67 36 79 Press Loic Hamon communication@kalrayinc.com +33 4 76 18 90 71 ACTUS finance communication Serena Boni sboni@actus.fr +33 4 72 18 04 92 Skyya Megan Kathman megan@skyya.com +1 (651) 785-3212 Bpifrance Laure Schlagdenhauffen Laure.schlagdenhauffen@bpifrance.fr +33 1 41 79 85 38 Secretariat general pour l'investissement Vincent Deshayes Vincent.deshayes@pm.gouv.fr +33 1 42 75 64 29 Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Caroline Sasia Caroline.sasia-lallier@alliance-rnm.com +33 6 11 30 36 71 SpendEdge, a well-known procurement intelligence solution provider, has announced the completion of their latest supply chain risk assessment study for a company in the food industryThe study highlights how changing customer demands require companies to understand millennial preferences and employ new strategies to survive in the competitive market. It also gives a detailed overview of how supply risk assessment process can address risks occurring in the organization's value chain. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190206005543/en/ Supply chain risk assessment study for a company in the food industry. (Graphic: Business Wire) The demand for healthy ingredients, complex flavor profiles, and environmentally sustainable offerings among consumers are some of the new trends in the food industryThese trends are creating challenges for companies in the food industry and are compelling them to employ key technologies and acquisition strategies to meet the changing customer needs. Not only this, companies are forced to identify security vulnerabilities, justify spending, improve planning and boost their productivity. This has necessitated organizations to address potential risks and gain a competitive edge in the marketplace. According to the procurement experts at SpendEdge, "Supply chain risk assessment services are vital for organizations to identify, monitor, and address potential risks to minimize the negative impact they may have on an organization's supply chain." The Business Problem:The client is a leading company in the food industry with annual revenue of over $13 billion. Despite being a global leader, the company was facing several challenges due to their inefficient supply chain risk management strategies. They wanted to minimize the loses occurring due to the risks in the supply chain. They were also finding ways to improve the efficiency of their overall supply chain operations and manage both short and long-term supply chain risks. Such needs compelled the client to leverage SpendEdge's supply risk assessment process and devise an effective supply chain risk assessment framework for their business. Want to mitigate supply chain risks and enhance the overall performance of your organization? Talk to our experts and know how our supply chain risk assessment services can help you achieve this. The Solution Offered:The experts at SpendEdge offered actionable insights that helped the client to enhance their risk assessment process and devise an effective risk management strategy. The risk assessment process improved the overall supply chain performance of the food industry company and offered detailed insights needed for understanding market scenarios. This approach helped the client to identify risk factors in their external and internal supply chain networks, enhance supplier negotiation strategies and develop a precise risk assessment framework. Companies need effective risk management strategies to enhance the overall performance of their supply chain. To know how you can implement such strategies for the benefit of your organization, Request a free proposal today! SpendEdge's supply chain risk assessment process helped the client to: Minimize the cost of maintaining supplier data. Devise an effective risk assessment framework. Still wondering how a supply chain risk assessment process can help your company? Request a free demo and know how our portfolio of supply chain risk assessment solutions can help your organization. SpendEdge's supply chain risk assessment process also offered predictive insights on: Analyzing supplier negotiation strategies, industry standards, and expectations. Identifying demand risks, operational risks, supply risks, and economic crises in their supply chain networks. Read the complete article to know more: https://www.spendedge.com/casestudy/risk-assessment-food-industry About SpendEdge: SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions. To know more, https://www.spendedge.com/request-free-proposal View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190206005543/en/ Contacts: SpendEdge Anirban Choudhury Marketing Manager US: +1 630 984 7340 UK: +44 148 459 9299 https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / February 6, 2019 / Findit, Inc., a Nevada corporation trading on the OTC Pinksheets (FDIT), owns and operates the website Findit.com. Findit provides members the ability to join Findit free and post content they want indexed in Findit and crawled by Google, Yahoo and Bing along with other search engines. Content posted on Findit can also be shared to other social networking sites that include but are not limited to Facebook (FB), Twitter (TWTR), Pinterest, LinkedIn (MSFT) and Google. One of the areas that Findit offers online tools is the real estate market. Brokers and Agents can list homes and properties for sale or lease and Property Managers and property owners can list Vacation Rentals on Findit for free. As the number of vacation sites grows, two of the industry leaders are Airbnb and VRBO. Findit provides property owners and property managers of vacation rentals the ability to list their properties free and include two buttons in their listing: one that says 'Book Now' the other that says 'Availability'. When creating the listing on Findit, these two buttons can be linked (by either the property owner or property manager) directly back to the property owner's website, where the renter can contact the property manager or book online from the property owner's or manager's vacation rental website. Property managers can charge a fee or no fees at all when vacation renters book directly with them. Another benefit of listing your vacation rental in Findit is the owner can list the exact address of the vacation rental. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRI-BnGHkao Findit added the 'Book Now' and 'Availability' buttons yesterday at the request of one of our members, Abodeca (pronounced 'Abode-eck-uh'). Abodeca, which is the vacation rental marketplace that directly connects guests and hosts with no booking fees, has multiple listings in Findit under vacation rentals and plans to add more now that this feature is available, which makes the no booking fee process seamless for the renter. In a sea full of hotel websites and vacation rental listing spots, Findit along with companies like Abodeca is differentiating itself by helping vacation renters connect with vacation rental homeowners and property managers with no booking fees. Vacation renters are often charged a booking fee to reserve the vacation rental for their next vacation. Moreover, vacation goers often do not know the exact location of the vacation rental until after booking. But not with Findit and sites that include Abodeca. When you rent your next vacation rental, search through Findit and Abodeca to reduce your costs and apply the savings you receive by not paying a booking fee to extend your stay. Secondly, in most cases, you will know the exact address of where you are going, so you can map out your entire stay before booking, making sure the unit or home you are renting is right for you. Clark St. Amant of Findit stated, "Customers love to save money and when planning a trip every dollar counts. By listing your vacation rental on Abodeca and creating a listing in Findit that links back to Abodeca, you are helping vacation renters save money by directly connecting the vacation renter with the vacation rental property manager or property owner. The vacation renter still gets to go on vacation and they still get to stay in the vacation rental that they picked - it's the same property that is also offered on Airbnb and VRBO, but with the savings of No Booking Fees now being passed along to renter." Founded by property managers who envision bringing the industry back to the time when potential guests and hosts could easily connect to each other without a middleman getting in the way, Abodeca creates a comfortable, low-cost solution for both parties. Check out 5 new listings from Abodeca on Findit! 100 Evergreen #6 Imperial Beach, California, 91932 Chemin du Giroux St Gervais, France, 74190 Ffryes Beach Saint Mary, Antigua and Barbuda 116 East Hudson Avenue Folly Beach, South Carolina, 29439 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico, 23400 Findit offers premium services to property owners and property managers that can improve their online web presence through SEO. Having the listings prepared correctly with the right titles, descriptions, pictures and video can increase and improve a specific property listing in Findit as well as Google. In addition to creating a premium listing, sharing to social networking sites can result in your property being shared by visitors to your listing may have friends looking to travel to your destination. Premium listings can also include a press release in Findit and a Right Now Status Update featuring the specified property. Avoid booking fees by listing your vacation rentals on Abodeca and create your listings on Findit that can link back to Abodeca. Pass the savings on to your renters by no longer having them pay booking fees - take control back. Disclaimer: Thomas Powers is a Director of Findit, Inc. and one of the principal owners of Abodeca. About Findit, Inc. Findit, Inc., (OTC Pinksheets FDIT) 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., trades under the stock symbol FDIT on the OTCPinksheets. 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/534605/Findit-Teams-Up-with-Abodeca-a-Vacation-Online-Booking-Site-To-Bring-Vacation-Rentals-To-Renters-with-No-Booking-Fees-Differentiating-Them-from-Airbnb-and-VRBO Bloomberg Edelson's Founder, Liam Riley of Puyallup, Washington Joins ADHC's Cannabis Advisory Board ("CAB") DEL MAR, CA / ACCESSWIRE / February 6, 2019 / American Diversified Holdings Corporation (OTC PINK: ADHC) announced today that www.TheCBDKlub.com has retained the services of Bloomberg Edelson, LLC to manage the development of ADHC's ecommerce platform, brand awareness campaign and social media presence. ADHC has also appointed the firms' COO, Liam Riley to ADHC's Cannabis Advisory Board ("CAB"). ADHC management concluded extensive meetings with Bloomberg Edelson's team at the recently concluded www.CannaCon.org/Seattle trade show. All aspects our the business plan including: supplier network, CBD regulatory landscape, brand awareness strategy and marketing activities were analyzed and reformulated in a team approach. www.TheCBDKlub.com has been deactivated awaiting a complete restructuring by the Bloomberg Edelson team of web developers and ecommerce experts. A relaunch will be scheduled in the near future with all the new features have incorporated into the site. The preliminary site proved to be invaluable in establishing the vision of www.theCBDKlub.com to our customers and business partners. In additional news, the CannaCon.org/Seattle trade show can only be described as a monumental success for www.TheCBDKlub.com and our Partner New World CBD Distributors. Numerous high level contacts were established in the retail and wholesale arena. Further meetings and negotiations are currently underway highlighted by a retail chain with over 2000 outlets and a major importer to Latin America that indicated a multi million dollar potential for www.TheCBDKlub's private label line of products. More news will be forthcoming as these customers materialize into business relationships. About Bloomberg Edelson, LLC Bloomberg Edelson LLC is a boutique marketing & consulting firm located in the Seattle Metro Area. The firm is known for its "Innovative Cannabis Branding" strategies by creating living brands that are engaging and responsive. Members of the firm's advisory team have lived, breathed and thrived in the Cannabis/Hemp/CBD marketplace for 15 years. Bloomberg Edelson LLC, clients include with new startups, established business looking to branch into the Cannabis arena and public corporations. See www.BloombergEdelson.com for more information. Mr. Riley can be reached at 917-771-3648 or bloombergedelson@gmail.com. "This relationship with ADHC's www.TheCBDKlub.com is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. Our experience in building ecommerce platforms in the Cannabis space has been very well received by our Pacific NorthWest clients in both the Hemp and Marijuana Space. Creating a technological superior ecommerce platform followed by building a high quality brand and ultimately driving the customer experience will build long lasting revenue for www.TheCBDKlub.com," commented Mr. Riley. "CBD provides a level of potential growth opportunity for this generation that has not been seen since the internet was introduced.The political environment is changing and the people have spoken. CBD is here to stay! I have met with management and am very excited to work on the CBD Klub concept. Im looking forward to utilizing all the resources of our firm to assist in creating a leading CBD/hemp ecommerce platform that will lead the way forward. To borrow a term from my days of Naval Service, We are at the "TIP of the Spear", leading the way in a new exciting industry," concluded Mr. Riley. "Adding Bloomberg Edelson to our existing Partner, Mr. David Day and the New World CBD Distributors is a great match," commented ADHC. "As we grow our distribution channels, formulate and expand our proprietary brand of private labeled CBD products, having these two great firms on board will create an overwhelming team to capitalize on this ever growing market. We have the technology, the product and the brand. The next step is to incorporate a social media strategy with Cannabis Influencer to drive customers to our platform. Shareholders can rest assured we are firing on all cylinders and moving forward at lightning speed," concluded ADHC. American Diversified Holdings Corporation ("ADHC"-OTC) is a holding company that provides executive management, corporate governance, administrative support, financial advice, and introductions to capital sources to various micro-cap private and public companies that have proven revenues and business models. The company is composed of two divisions. AURACIS is a patented bio-device company utilizing Trans-cutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) for migraine pain management. www.AuracisMigraine.com. www.TheCBDKlub.com is a unique E-commerce platform connecting consumers suppliers manufacturers and growers of Cannabis with emphasis on CBD for both humans and pets. This press release contains forward-looking statements pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include risks and uncertainties that may cause the Company's plans to change and are in no way intended to guarantee that the Company will be successful in executing its plans. Common stock currently trades on the over-the-counter under the symbol ADHC. This press release in no way constitutes any recommendation regarding the securities of ADHC or its affiliates. Any person reading this press release is advised that this release should be considered in the light of all facts and circumstances regarding the business and financial condition and prospects of ADHC, and no reference has been made that this release contains all information. CONTACT: ADHCinvestor@gmail.com Tel: 858-259-4534 SOURCE: American Diversified Holdings Corporation View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/534563/wwwTHECBDKlubcom-Retains-Leading-Seattle-Area-Cannabis-Media-Firm-Bloomberg-Edelson-llc-To-Develop-CBD-Ecommerce-Platform-and-Brand-Awareness-Campaign Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 6, 2019) - Max Resource Corp. ("MAX" or the "Company") (TSXV: MXR) (OTC Pink: MXROF) (FSE: M1D1) is pleased to announce exploration results from the Company's 1,757 sq. km gold bearing conglomerate "Choco Precious Metals Project", located 100km SW of Medellin, Colombia. Highlights On-going exploration by the Choco team has located gold bearing conglomerate, designated Outcrop 2, a further 7.5km to the south; The area of our on-going exploration now covers 36 sq. km; Processing of the gold bearing conglomerate from the six 2m by 2m by 30cm trial pits and the two outcrops continues and results will be reported as received and verified; Field exploration continues, with the objective of increasing the lateral extent of the conglomerates and gold mineralization of the Company's Choco Precious Metals district area. Brett Matich, Max's President and CEO commented: "The continuing exploration success suggests Max may well be on the cusp of a new gold discovery. The results of this exploration program will provide an indication of the scale of this project." Image 1 To view an enhanced version of Image 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3834/42684_8961bc8ef4cd18f4_002full.jpg Exploration to date: sinking of six 2m by 2m by 30cm trial pits and sampling of two outcrop exposures over a 36 sq. km area; processing 25kg to 50kg random samples from the + 2,000 kg of conglomerate produced from each of the six test pits to confirm the presence of free gold; processing 25kg to 50kg of chip samples from the two outcrop exposures to confirm the presence of free gold; free gold was observed in the first sample from each of the first five trial pits; confirmation of a vertical thickness of 12m from outcrop 1 in near the centre of the 36 sq. km area. Image 2 To view an enhanced version of Image 2, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3834/42684_8961bc8ef4cd18f4_003full.jpg Exploration Strategy As shown in the above Exploration Strategy Schematic, the Company is working on an exploration model where the gold bearing conglomerates have formed at the base of the western slopes of the mountains to the east. The Company considers systematic bulk sampling at surface to be the most practical means of determining grade, processing characteristics and the lateral extent of the flat-lying gold bearing mineralized system. Sampling exposed faces of outcrops will provide initial assessment of thickness, depth and vertical continuity of the gold through the system. The six 2m by 2m by 30cm deep trial pits are excavated from surface by pneumatic hammer. A measured specific gravity of 2.2 indicates + 2,000 kg of hard rock conglomerate is collected from each pit. The on-going exploration in the central part of the mineralized area indicates a vertical thickness of 12metres. Samples were taken down the face of the outcrop to determine gold distribution vertically through the conglomerate. Analytical results are pending. Choco Precious Metals Project MAX has 100% ownership of 82 and 50% of 7 mineral license applications, totaling over 1,757 sq. km located within Choco Department approximately 100km SW of the city of Medellin, Colombia. Compania Minera del Choco Pacifico ("Choco Pacific") produced 1.5 million ounces of surface gold and 1.0 million ounces of surface platinum from the "Choco District" between 1906 to 1990, largely limited to an average depth of 8 meters or less. MAX's Choco Precious Metals Project covers or is adjacent to much of Choco Pacific's historic exploration and production areas. Choco Pacific historic reports indicate the hard rock conglomerates underlying the surface production areas are gold-bearing, extensive, shallow and generally flat lying with thicknesses from a few metres to 20 metres. Source: R.J. Fletcher and Associates (2011) Review of Gold and Platinum Exploration and Production in Choco Province Colombia Part 3. Private Report for Condoto Platinum Ltd.) MAX cautions investors it has yet to verify the historic information. Sampling and Analysis Methodology Sampling integrity is essential. The conglomerate (hard rock) surface is cleaned and a 2m by 2m square is marked. A pneumatic hammer then chips and breaks the conglomerate outcrop to a depth of 30cm. The broken conglomerate is collected in pre-numbered rice bags; approximately 25kg per bag. Each pre-numbered bag is sealed by the geologist and transported to secure, locked storage at the Novita Camp, in Choco. Two bags per pit are then transported by Company personnel to the town of Istmina, where the bags are transported to Medellin for processing at Actlabs Medellin and the CIMEX Mineral Institute at the Medellin Mines Faculty of the National University of Colombia. Each approximate 50kg sample is first crushed to 2 millimeters (2mm). The -2mm and +2mm fractions are separated by sieving with each fraction subsequently pulverized. The -2mm fractions are concentrated by gravity pan and visually examined for free gold by MAX technical personnel. There has been no analysis conducted on the +2mm fraction. Noble Transaction As previously announced (see Max press release January 28, 2019), Max continues to pursue the acquisition of mineral rights and concessions in and around the Novita Project from Condoto Platinum Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Noble Metals Limited. Because Max proposes to issue 26,665,896 common shares to Noble Metals on the closing of this transaction (constituting approximately 32.7% of the issued and outstanding shares of Max after adjusting for the transaction), the transaction would constitute Noble Metals as a new 'control person' of Max and requires both TSX Venture and shareholder approval. Max has been working with TSX Venture in an effort to obtain conditional approval while simultaneously adjusting the transaction structure to remediate concerns developed over the course of its due diligence. Max anticipates that it should be in a position to request shareholder approval in the near future. The transaction remains subject to TSX Venture approval. About Max Resource Corp. Max Resource Corp.'s focus is to explore and consolidate gold and platinum group mineral assets in the richly endowed Choco mineral district of Colombia and to explore the Gachala sedimentary copper hosted mineral belt of Colombia. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF MAX RESOURCE CORP. "Brett Matich" Brett Matich, CEO and President Tim Henneberry, P. Geo (British Columbia), a member of the Max Resource Corp. Advisory Board, is the qualified person who has reviewed and approved the technical content of this news release on behalf of the Company. For further information, please visit the Company's website at www.maxresource.com or the Company's profile at www.SEDAR.com. If you would like to be added to Max Resources' news distribution list, please send your email address to info@maxresources.com. For more information contact: Investor Relations Tel: (+1) 604 365-1522 info@maxresource.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 includes certain statements that may be deemed as "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements pertaining to completion of the Transaction and any approvals required in connection with the Acquisition. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guaranteeing 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 the forward-looking statements include: changes in market conditions, unsuccessful exploration results, changes in the price of commodities (particularly copper), unanticipated changes in key management personnel and general social, economic or geo-political conditions. Mining exploration and development is an inherently risky business. Accordingly, the actual events may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements. These and other factors should be considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be from time to time by the Company or on its behalf, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. We seek safe harbor. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/42684 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 6, 2019) - Genesis Metals Corp (TSXV: GIS) ("Genesis" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a new resource estimate for the 100% owned Chevrier gold project located near Chibougamau, Quebec. This resource estimate is for both the Main Zone and East Zone on the Chevrier project. The East Zone is located approximately 10 km northeast of the Main Zone. Both zones are located within the Fancamp Deformation Corridor, a major structural break that appears to control the location of gold mineralization. Highlights Totals for each category 423,000 ounces of gold averaging 1.22 g/t Au in the Indicated Resource category 303,000 ounces of gold averaging 1.27 g/t Au in the Inferred Resource category *Mineral Resource Estimate for a combined pit constrained and underground scenario at a cut-off of 0.3 g/t Au in-pit and 0.95 g/t Au underground Mr Brian Groves, CEO of Genesis commented: "We are pleased with the results of this resource estimate as it represents a significant milestone in the history of Chevrier. Our drilling to date within the Main Zone has been for confirmation purposes and this has allowed us to develop a robust model for gold mineralization. Recommendations arising from this estimate and input from our recently strengthened technical team will help us to explore the potential for expansion of the mineralized envelopes as well as other targets on the 130 square km property." The estimate was completed by Marc Jutras, P.Eng., M.A.Sc. of Ginto Consulting Inc. and complies with National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") and guidelines developed in 2014 by the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy ("CIM"). Mr Jutras is a registered professional engineer in the provinces of British Columbia, Quebec and Newfoundland. Geological data were modeled for each of the Main Zone and East Zone by Daniel Gaudreault, P.Eng. of Geologica Inc. Messrs Jutras and Gaudreault are Qualified Persons ("QP") as defined by NI 43-101 and are independent of Genesis. The mineral resource statement for each of the Main Zone and East Zone are presented in Table 1, while assumptions used to derive the optimized pit shells and additional underground mining costs are presented in Table 2. The mineral resources are stated at various gold cut-offs in Table 3 for the indicated resources, and in Table 4 for the inferred resources. Table 1 Mineral Resource for the Main Zone and East Zone Indicated Resources1 - Chevrier Project - Effective February 04, 2019 Zone Tonnes Grade (g/t Au) Cut-off (g/t Au) Contained oz Au Main Zone Pit Constrained 8,903,000 1.13 0.3 323,000 Main Zone Underground 1,890,000 1.64 0.95 100,000 Total Main Zone 10,793,000 1.22 423,000 Inferred Resources1 - Chevrier Project - Effective February 04, 2019 Zone Tonnes Grade (g/t Au) Cut-off (g/t Au) Contained oz Au Main Zone Pit Constrained 1,684,000 1.12 0.3 61,000 Main Zone Underground 4,622,000 1.33 0.95 198,000 Total Main Zone 6,306,000 1.27 259,000 East Zone Pit Constrained 399,000 1.28 0.3 16,000 East Zone Underground 732,000 1.19 0.95 28,000 Total East Zone 1,131,000 1.22 44,000 1 Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. There is no certainty that all or any part of the Mineral Resources estimated will be converted into Mineral Reserves. The estimate of Mineral Resources may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-political, marketing, or other relevant issues. The CIM definitions were followed for the classification of Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources. The quantity and grade of reported Inferred Mineral Resources in this estimation are uncertain in nature and there has been insufficient exploration to define these Inferred Mineral Resources as an Indicated Mineral Resource and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in upgrading them to an Indicated Mineral Resource category. Table 2 Pit Constrained and Underground Assumptions (US$) Price of gold $1400 CAD:USD Exchange rate 1.25 Open Pit Mining Cost (per ton) $2.20 Processing Cost (per ton) $12.00 G&A Cost (per ton) $2.50 Mill Recovery 95% Pit Slope (degrees) 50 Underground Mining Costs (per ton) $7.50 Table 3 Indicated Mineral Resources - Chevrier Project - Sensitivities to Cut-off Grade Cut-Off Grade Au g/t Tonnage tonnes Average Au Grade g/t Contained Au ounces Pit Constrained 0.3 8,903,000 1.13 323,000 0.4 7,684,000 1.26 311,000 0.5 6,602,000 1.39 295,000 Underground 0.9 2,133,000 1.56 107,000 0.95 1,890,000 1.64 100,000 1.0 1,682,000 1.72 93,000 Pit Constrained + Underground 0.3 PC, 0.9 UG 11,036,0000 1.21 430,000 0.3 PC, 0.95 UG 10,793,000 1.22 423,000 0.3 PC, 1.0 UG 10,585,000 1.22 416,000 Table 4 Inferred Mineral Resources - Chevrier Project - Sensitivities to Cut-off Grade (Includes Main Zone and East Zone) Cut-Off Grade Au g/t Tonnage tonnes Average Au Grade g/t Contained Au ounces Pit Constrained 0.3 2,083,000 1.15 77,000 0.4 1,799,000 1.28 74,000 0.5 1,605,000 1.38 71,000 Underground 0.9 5,695,000 1.29 236,000 0.95 5,354,000 1.31 226,000 1.0 4,687,000 1.36 205,000 Pit Constrained + Underground 0.3 PC, 0.9 UG 7,778,000 1.25 313,000 0.3 PC, 0.95 UG 7,438,000 1.27 303,000 0.3 PC, 1.0 UG 6,770,000 1.29 282,000 The resource estimate was prepared by utilizing Geotic and Vulcan software. Geotic was used to model five sub-zones of the Main Zone and 6 sub-zones of the East Zone. The models resulted in polygons defined by using a 0.3 g/t Au cut-off and geological controls to establish continuity of gold mineralization. Vulcan was employed for grade estimation, block modelling, and pit optimization. Three-dimensional block modelling employed Ordinary Kriging and Inverse Distance squared for interpolation within the Main Zone and Inverse Distance squared for interpolation within the East Zone due to the smaller number of composite samples within the mineralized envelopes of the latter. For the Main Zone, the drill hole database is comprised of 205 holes with 56,718.7m of drilling. The mineral resource estimate is based on 163 drill holes intersecting the mineralized orebodies with 8,801 1.0m composites. The composites were capped with thresholds selected from the probability plots and a cutting statistics utility for each of the five sub-zones. Variograms were modeled to assess the gold grade continuity of each sub-zone. Gold grade estimates were calculated with ordinary kriging for four of the sub-zones, while inverse distance squared was utilized for the grade estimation of the other sub-zone. A rotated block model (X axis at an azimuth of 43) was discretized on 5m (strike) x 2.5m (across strike) x 5.0m (vertical) blocks over the area of interest. The estimates were validated and classified based on the gold grade continuity and drill density for the indicated portion. For the East Zone, the drill hole database is comprised of 34 drill holes with 8,520.1m of drilling and 280 surface channel with 201.5m of sampling. The mineral resource estimate is based on 34 drill holes and 170 surface channels intersecting the orebodies with a total of 643 1.5m composites. The composites were capped for four of the six sub-zones. Variograms were carried out on all data to assess the general continuity of gold grades and to help in dimensioning the search ellipsoids. An inverse distance squared approach was selected for the gold grade interpolation of the six sub-zones. An orthogonal block model was discretized on 5.0m (strike) x 2.5m (across strike) x 5.0m (vertical) blocks over the area of interest. The estimates were validated and classified as inferred. The resource estimates for the Main Zone and East Zone are constrained within optimized Lerchs-Grossmann constrained pits calculated within Vulcan. Additionally, mineralized material below the optimized open pit shells was considered as amenable to bulk underground mining. The Company believes that the wider intervals of mineralization encountered in drilling at depth would support such a conceptual underground mining method. Relevant underground mining cost assumptions are based on current operating mines. QA/QC The Company maintains a rigorous QA/QC program with respect to the preparation, shipping, analysis and checking of all samples and data from the Property. Quality control for field sampling and drill samples at the Company's projects covers the complete chain of custody of samples, including sample handling procedures and analytical-related work, plus the insertion of standard and blank materials. The QA/QC program also includes data verification procedures. Actlabs in Ancaster, Ontario, Canada (ISO 17025 certification) assayed all rock and core samples from the current field program using fire assay and atomic absorption finish for gold and gravimetric finish if gold grades exceeded 5 g/t Au. Mr. Andre Liboiron, P. Geo, Exploration Manager for the Company and a QP as defined within NI 43-101 for the Chevrier Project, has overseen the QA/QC program of the Company. An independent sampling of mineralized intercepts was carried out by Ginto Consulting Inc. and consisted of 22 samples in Main Zone and 11 samples in East Zone. Results have confirmed the presence and grade of gold mineralization within these intercepts. Messrs Jutras, Gaudreault and Liboiron have reviewed the contents of this release and approve the information contained herein. The full report detailing the results of this resource estimate will be filed under the profile of the Company on SEDAR within 45 days. About Genesis Metals The Company is focused on advancing the Chevrier Gold Project located 35 km southwest of Chibougamau, Quebec. The Project is located along the Fancamp Deformation Zone, 15 km northeast of the high-grade Monster Lake gold deposit and 15 km northwest of the past producing high-grade Joe Mann gold mine. Genesis also owns 100% of the 203 km2 October Gold project located in the southern Swayze greenstone belt in Benton Township, Ontario. This project is located 35 km northwest of IAMGold and Sumitomo Mining's Cote Lake deposit and 50km southeast of Goldcorp's Borden gold deposit. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "Brian Groves" Brian Groves CEO and Director "Jeff Sundar" Jeff Sundar President and Director Suite 1500, 409 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 1T2 Telephone: 604-646-8356 Fax: 604-484-7155 Email: js@genesismetalscorp.com Website: www.genesismetalscorp.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. Certain disclosure in this release, including statements regarding the intended use of proceeds from the private placement, constitute forward-looking information or statements (collectively, "forward-looking statements") for the purpose of applicable securities laws. In making the forward-looking statements, the Company has applied certain factors and assumptions that are based on the Company's current beliefs as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company, including that the Company is able to obtain any government or other regulatory approvals required to complete the Company's planned exploration and development activities, that the Company is able to procure personnel, equipment and supplies required for its exploration and development activities in sufficient quantities and on a timely basis and that actual results of exploration activities are consistent with management's expectations. Although the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect, and the forward-looking statements in this release are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Such risk factors include, among others, that the Company will be unable to obtain required regulatory approvals on a timely basis or at all, that actual results of the Company's exploration activities will be different than those expected by management and that the Company will be unable to obtain or will experience delays in obtaining any required government approvals or be unable to procure required equipment and supplies in sufficient quantities and on a timely basis. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, 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 required by law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/42685 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 6, 2019) - Aftermath Silver Ltd. (TSXV: AAG.H) (the "Company" or "Aftermath Silver") is pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement of up to 23,809,524 shares at a price of $0.105 per share. The private placement is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange and the securities will be subject to a four month and one day hold period under securities laws. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the private placement for the acquisition and exploration of the Challacollo and Cachinal Silver-Gold projects in Chile (see news release dated January 15, 2019), and for general working capital. Challacollo Silver-Gold Project Aftermath recently entered into a non-binding letter of intent with Mandalay Resources Inc. to purchase its 100% interest in the Challacollo silver-gold project in Chile. Challacollo is a low-sulphidation epithermal deposit which hosts a historic 30 million silver ounce Indicated Mineral Resource (4.7 million tonnes at 200 g/t silver) and a 6.9 million silver ounce Inferred Mineral Resource (1.6 million tonnes of 134 g/t), with associated gold credits. Previous drilling concentrated on the principal vein (Loloen Vein) to a depth of about 200 m below surface. Aftermath will focus its initial exploration efforts on parallel vein systems, not included in the historic Mineral Resource, that have some preliminary drilling. The oxidation level bottoms at approximately 200 m below surface; however, the down-dip extent of the mineralized structures remains unknown. Gold and base metal grades are generally observed to increase with depth. The Challacollo project is located in Chile's Tarapaca Region (Region I). The project is approximately 30 km east of the Pan American Highway. Power transmission lines are located 15-30 km from the property. The Project includes water rights. For further details please see the Company news release August 1, 2018. Cachinal Silver-Gold Project The Company has also entered into a definitive agreement with Halo Labs Inc (Formally Apogee Opportunities Inc) to purchase its 80-per-cent interest in the Cachinal silver-gold project, Chile. Cachinal is a low-sulphidation epithermal deposit which hosts a current CIM compliant 18.4 million silver ounce Indicated Mineral Resource (5.66 million tonnes of 101 g/t) and 3 million silver ounce Inferred Mineral Resource (0.82 million tonnes of 115 g/t), with associated gold credit. Shallow drilling has defined the current mineral resources principally to a depth of 150 m below surface and provides sufficient evidence to interpret the presence of high-grade shoots within the vein system extending below the base of a potential open pit. Following these high-grade shoots to depth with drilling will be the initial focus of the Company's efforts to expand the silver-gold mineralisation. The oxidation level bottoms at about 120 - 150 m below surface; however, the down-dip extent of the mineralized structures remains unknown. The Cachinal Silver-Gold Project is located in Chile's Antofagasta Region (Region II). The project is located about 40 km east of the Pan American Highway, in a nearly flat plain at an elevation of around 2,700 m above sea level, 16 km north of Austral Gold's Guanaco gold-silver mine. For further details please see the Company news release June 25, 2018. Qualified Person Peter Voulgaris, MAIG, MAusIMM, a consultant to the Company, is a non-independent qualified person as defined by NI 43-101. Mr. Voulgaris has reviewed the technical content of this news release, and consents to the information provided in the form and context in which it appears. About Aftermath Silver Ltd Aftermath Silver Ltd is a Canadian junior exploration company engaged in acquiring, exploring, and developing mineral properties with an emphasis on silver in Chile. The Company is focused of growth through the discovery and acquisition of quality projects in stable jurisdictions. Aftermath continues to seek new opportunities to take advantage of the relatively low silver price. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS "Sean Hurd" Sean Hurd, President & CEO 604-484-7855 The TSX Venture Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This release includes certain statements that may be deemed to be "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the applicable Canadian Securities laws. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts are forward looking statements, including the anticipated time and capital schedule to production; estimated project economics, including but not limited to, mill recoveries, payable metals produced, production rates, payback time, capital and operating and other costs, IRR and mine plan; expected upside from additional exploration; expected capital requirements; and other future events or developments. Forward-looking statements include statements that are predictive in nature, are reliant on future events or conditions, Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "predict", "potential", "targeting", "intend", "could", "might", "should", "believe" and similar expressions. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such 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 the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, changes in commodities prices; changes in expected mineral production performance; unexpected increases in capital costs; exploitation and exploration results; continued availability of capital and financing; differing results and recommendations in the Feasibility Study; and general economic, market or business conditions. In addition, forward-looking statements are subject to various risks, including but not limited to operational risk; political risk; currency risk; capital cost inflation risk; that data is incomplete or inaccurate. The reader is referred to the Company's filings with the Canadian securities regulators for disclosure regarding these and other risk factors, accessible through Vendetta Mining's profile at www.sedar.com. There is no certainty that any forward-looking statement will come to pass and investors should not place undue reliance upon forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to provide updates to any of the forward-looking statements in this release, except as required by law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/42681 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 6, 2019) - Fremont Gold Ltd. (TSXV: FRE) (FSE: FR2) (OTC Pink: USTDF) ("Fremont" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that a 1,000 metre reverse circulation drill program is underway at the Company's Gold Bar project, located in the Gold Bar District, Eureka County, Nevada. Gold Bar was exploited by Atlas Precious Metals Corp. from 1986-1994 and produced 286,354 ounces of gold (1). Soil sampling by Fremont has identified several geochemical anomalies to the southeast of the historic Gold Bar mine, in areas not previously drilled. Fremont plans to drill test several of these anomalies, which may represent an extension to the historic Gold Bar mine (see Figure 1 and the October 30, 2018, news release). Gold Bar and Gold Canyon Projects Fremont's Gold Bar and Gold Canyon projects are both former mines in the Gold Bar District, Eureka County, Nevada, an active mining district within the Battle Mountain-Eureka Trend. The district contains several Carlin-style sediment-hosted gold deposits, including McEwen Mining Inc.'s ("McEwen") Gold Bar project, which is scheduled to begin production in Q1 2019. Fremont's Gold Bar and Gold Canyon projects are adjacent (west) and immediately north of McEwen's Gold Bar project. While McEwen's project and Fremont's project share the same name, the historic Gold Bar mine is held by Fremont. McEwen's project comprises four of the five satellite pits to the historic Gold Bar mine, whereas Fremont controls the remaining satellite pit, Gold Canyon (see Figure 2). Fremont's Gold Bar project encompasses the historic Gold Bar mine, which produced 286,354 ounces of gold from 1986 to 1994 (1), and the Millsite deposit, which hosts a historic resource of 147,000 ounces of gold (1.62 Mt @ 2.57 g/t gold) (1,2). Millsite is believed to be a faulted offset of the historic Gold Bar mine and is located to the northwest of the open pit. Fremont recently completed a soil sampling program based on a new structural interpretation and identified coincident gold and mercury geochemical anomalies to the southeast of the historic Gold Bar mine. This new interpretation and data suggest that gold mineralization related to the historic Gold Bar mine may extend to the southeast. Gold Canyon is adjacent to and directly northwest of McEwen's project, approximately 800 metres from McEwen's Gold Ridge deposit. Gold Canyon produced approximately 41,000 ounces of gold from 1990-1994(1) and a stockpile of previously mined ore still exists at site. Figure 1: Permitted Drill Holes and Mercury Soil Anomalies to the Southeast of Historic Gold Bar Mine To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3169/42674_0500a4a25434097b_002full.jpg Figure 2: The Gold Bar District To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3169/42674_0500a4a25434097b_003full.jpg About Fremont Gold Fremont's mine-finding management team has assembled a portfolio of high-quality gold projects in Nevada with the goal of making a new discovery. Fremont's Gold Bar and Gold Canyon are past producing gold mines adjacent to McEwen's Gold Bar project, where mine construction is underway. Other projects include North Carlin, Goldrun, Hurricane, and Roberts Creek. We are aligned with our shareholders: Insiders own approximately 20% of Fremont. The content of this news release was reviewed by Dennis Moore, Fremont's President, a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. On behalf of the Board of Directors, "Blaine Monaghan" CEO Telephone: +1 604-676-5664 Email: blaine@fremontgold.net www.fremontgold.net 1 Internal report, Atlas Precious Metals, Mines, December 13, 1995, prepared by Pincock, Allen & Holt 2 The Company has not verified these historical resources and is not treating these historical estimates as current mineral resources 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. Forward looking statements Certain statements and information contained in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable U.S. securities laws and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, which are referred to collectively as "forward-looking statements". The United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a "safe harbor" for certain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements and information regarding possible events, conditions or results of operations that are based upon assumptions about future economic conditions and courses of action. All statements and information other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "seek", "expect", "anticipate", "budget", "plan", "estimate", "continue", "forecast", "intend", "believe", "predict", "potential", "target", "may", "could", "would", "might", "will", "hope", "will be", "expected" and similar words or phrases (including negative variations) suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding an outlook. Forward-looking statements in this and other press releases include but are not limited to statements and information regarding the start of drilling at Gold Bar by the end of January, and Gold Canyon soon thereafter, and the amount and type of drilling. Such forward-looking statements are based on a number of material factors and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Fremont undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements included in this press release if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as otherwise required by applicable law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/42674 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 6, 2019 / NV Gold Corporation (TSX-V: NVX; OTC PINK: NVGLF) ("NV Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that Dr. Marcus Johnston has joined the Company as Vice President of Exploration, after serving as a consultant and Exploration Manager for NV Gold since early 2018. "I am pleased to welcome Dr. Marcus Johnston to NV Gold's executive management team as VP Exploration, after assisting the Company as Exploration Manager over the past year," John E. Watson, Chairman of NV Gold commented. "We are currently reviewing multiple priority accretive exploration projects in preparation for the 2019 season, with the objective of securing an advanced mineral project to actively explore utilizing our multiple extensive geological databases, and in-house technical team and Board. Dr. Johnston's extensive experience of evaluating and exploring properties in Nevada, will play a key role in advancing our mineral property portfolio in 2019. With a tight corporate share structure, low burn rate, and focused management team, we look forward to a positive year ahead. I wish to thank our supportive and patient shareholders, as displayed in the recent AGM voting, as we ensure we select and advance key mineral properties for exploration." Dr. Marcus Johnston, PhD in Economic Geology, brings more than 20 years of experience in exploration and mining, with an emphasis on mineral systems in Nevada. Dr. Johnston has consulted to various private groups over the past four years, including NV Gold, since early 2018. Prior to this, he has worked with Renaissance Gold Inc., Victoria Gold Corp., and Newmont Gold Corp. Dr. Johnston began his research on Carlin-type deposits in 1997, which led directly to the discovery of the Helen Zone (current resource is 713,000 oz gold and 237,000 oz silver) near the old Cove open pit in north-central Nevada, and revitalization of the entire McCoy mining district (now owned by Premier Gold Mines Ltd.). Dr. Johnston has evaluated more than 500 properties in Nevada, and played an integral role in advancing numerous exploration projects and active mines. Dr. Johnston holds a BSc from George Mason University, an MSc from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, a PhD from the Ralph J. Roberts Center for Research in Economic Geology at the University of Nevada, Reno, and is an active member and former President and Director of the Geological Society of Nevada. NV Gold reports the strong support and re-election of John Watson (Chairman and CEO), Peter A. Ball (President & COO), Dr. Quinton Hennigh, Dr. Odin Christensen, and Alfred "Alf" Stewart as Directors of the Company at its annual general meeting held January 30, 2019. At the meeting, the Company's shareholders also approved the renewal of the Company's stock option plan and the re-appointment of Davidson & Company LLP as auditors of the Company, as set out in the Company's management information circular dated December 11, 2018. The Company announces that it has granted incentive stock options to an officer and consultant under its Stock Option Plan entitling them to purchase an aggregate of up to 375,000 common shares of the Company. The stock options are exercisable on or before January 30, 2024 at a price of $0.17 per share. In addition to receiving stock options, Dr. Johnston will also receive a one-time bonus of 190,000 shares of the Company in respect of his appointment, subject to TSX Venture Exchange acceptance. About NV Gold Corporation NV Gold is a junior exploration company based in Vancouver, British Columbia that is focused on delivering value through mineral discoveries. Leveraging its highly experienced in-house technical knowledge, NV Gold's geological team intends to utilize its geological databases, which contains a vast treasury of field knowledge spanning decades of research and exploration, combined with a portfolio of mineral properties in Nevada, to prioritize key projects for focused exploration programs. On behalf of the Board of Directors, John E. Watson Chairman and CEO For further information, visit the Company's website at www.nvgoldcorp.com or contact: Peter A. Ball, President & COO Phone: 1-888-363-9883 Email: peter@nvgoldcorp.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward Looking Statements This news release includes certain forward-looking statements or information. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. The expectation of creating shareholder value from NVX's efforts as owner of the Properties and the Databases and other future plans and objectives of the Company, including exploration plans, 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. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's plans or expectations include market prices, availability of capital and financing, general economic, market or business conditions, regulatory changes, timeliness of government or regulatory approvals and other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. 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 except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation. SOURCE: NV Gold Corporation View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/534601/NV-Gold-Appoints-Dr-Marcus-Johnston-PhD-as-VP-Exploration OYSTER BAY, New York, Feb. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- ABI Research, a market-foresight advisory firm providing strategic guidance on the most compelling transformative technologies, just announced the latest Executive Foresights and upcoming analyst speaking engagements and events. Latest Executive Foresights: Additive Manufacturing and Generative Design Put Manufacturing Operations Management in the Spotlights as Hybrid Manufacturing Heats Up In his most recent Executive Foresights, ABI Research's Principal Analyst Ryan Martin wrote, "By 2030, the number of production-ready additive manufacturing platforms that ship each year will increase more than tenfold: more than US$325 billion in hardware and related systems revenue. These systems will produce more than US$360 billion worth of parts and end products each year (up from US$6.8 billion today) and nearly US$2 trillion in sum by the end of the next decade (MD-AMMT-101). These systems will need to work with the ones that came before them. Today, most do not." Read more. Key Takeaways from 2018 for the Drone Industry In this Executive Foresights, ABI Research Analyst Rian Whitton wrote, "Everyone knows that DJI dominates the drone market and that competitors are struggling on the platform front. It is also well-known that software service providers for drones took a hit in 2018 with the closure of Airware. Why has the drone market evolved in such a way?" Read more. What Awaits the Telco Ecosystem as it Targets Manufacturing? In his most recent Executive Foresights, ABI Research's Principal Analyst Pierce Owen wrote, "Nokia and other network vendors have targeted the manufacturing sector because it offers an enormous opportunity. The connection revenues and network services revenues for cellular connected devices in the manufacturing sector alone will grow significantly to generate over US$1.1 billion by the end of 2023 and over US$23.8 billion by 2030. Right now, no one has even started to capture this revenue because of the many challenges vendors face in connecting and networking assets on the factory floor." Read more. For more forecasts and recommendations on manufacturing, please visit ABI Research's Industrial Solution. Upcoming Analyst Speaking Engagements and Events: 7 ABI Research Analysts to Provide Strategic Guidance About Transformative Technologies to Mobile World Congress 2019 Attendees Seven ABI Research analysts will be on-site at Mobile World Congress 2019 in Barcelona, Spain, from Feb. 25-28 to conduct press interviews and one-to-one business meetings about transformative technologies, announced ABI Research, a market-foresight advisory firm providing strategic guidance on the most compelling transformative technologies. If you would like to schedule a press interview or 1:1 business meeting with an ABI analyst, visit https://go.abiresearch.com/2019-mwc-schedule-a-briefing. Also at Mobile World Congress on Feb. 27 from 9:25 a.m. to 10:40 a.m., ABI Research's Dominique Bonte, Vice President of Verticals and End Markets, will moderate the panel "C-V2X Ready to Roll at Global Level." The Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) panel is part of the Connecting the Mobility World with C-V2X session and presented by the 5G Automotive Association (5GAA). Bonte's panel will focus on China, the European Union, Japan, and the United States; a go-to-market timeline also will be discussed. ABI Research's Chief Research Officer, Stuart Carlaw, will then moderate the panel discussion "Service Co-creation That Delivers Value and Impact: When, Why and How?" on Feb. 27 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This session is a masterclass from seasoned industry leaders, Kore Wireless CEO Romil Bahl and Synchronoss CEO Glenn Lurie, who can talk from direct experience about best practices in service co-creation, whether for one major partner or hundreds. How in practice does a CEO's bright idea become a deployed service that creates value for everyone involved? About ABI Research ABI Research provides strategic guidance for visionaries needing market foresight on the most compelling transformative technologies, which reshape workforces, identify holes in a market, create new business models and drive new revenue streams. ABI's own research visionaries take stances early on those technologies, publishing groundbreaking studies often years ahead of other technology advisory firms. ABI analysts deliver their conclusions and recommendations in easily and quickly absorbed formats to ensure proper context. Our analysts strategically guide visionaries to take action now and inspire their business to realize a bigger picture. For more information about ABI Research's forecasting, consulting and teardown services, visionaries can contact us at +1.516.624.2500 in the Americas, +44.203.326.0140 in Europe, +65.6592.0290 in Asia-Pacific or visit www.abiresearch.com. Contact: Deborah Petrara/Christopher Leary Tel: +1.516.624.2558 pr@abiresearch.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/276887/abi_research_logo.jpg Avantida continues to grow its network in the US, with ZIM joining Maersk on the platform Avantida, an E2open company, announced today that ZIM, one of the leading shipping lines, has partnered with Avantida to offer street turn services in the United States via the Avantida platform. ZIM, the second shipping line to offer this service to US transporters, joins Maersk, who introduced the Avantida platform to the US and Canada last month. Avantida's platform facilitates empty container triangulation, or the reuse of an import container for an export booking (street turn). This fully digital process offered by ZIM not only provides dispatchers and planners requesting street turns with an accurate, reliable response, it also reduces time, transport costs and CO2 emissions as truck miles are reduced. In less than a month since Avantida launched in the US and Canada, it has welcomed over 130 transport and logistics companies to its platform. Adding ZIM to the Avantida network allows end users to experience the benefits of connecting with multiple shipping lines on one single platform. "We are quickly gaining traction in the US. The partnerships with Maersk and now ZIM reflect the market's eagerness to embrace the Avantida platform," said Luc De Clerck, CEO, Avantida. "We hope to soon offer the transport community in the US a central hub for requesting optimisations to all major shipping lines. "We have a successful partnership with Avantida in Europe, and are sure the platform will provide great opportunities to the transporters in the US who are seeking to optimise their container transport planning, while reducing their carbon footprint," said Gil Lehman, ZIM US VP Logistics. "The cooperation is part of ZIM's ongoing effort to introduce new advanced platforms for the benefit of our vendors and customers," added Ronen Meroz, ZIM Global Intermodal Manager. Today, the Avantida platform is active in Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Poland, Lithuania, Scandinavia, Switzerland, the UK, Mexico, the United States and Canada. Overall, the platform counts on over 4,000 registered companies and facilitates an average of 2,000 transactions a day. About Avantida Avantida, an E2open company, is an online platform that facilitates services offered by ocean lines to transport and logistic companies for digitally optimised container transport planning. Headquartered in Antwerp, Belgium, with a tech hub in Krakow, Poland, Avantida is an agile team of 30 entrepreneurial minds that aims to digitally transform traditional logistics processes. To such extent, that major global ocean lines regard them as one of the most advanced players in their field, creating financial opportunities for all stakeholders in the chain. Services include reuse (empty container triangulation) and change of the assigned drop-off and pick-up location. About ZIM Since 1945, ZIM provides creative operational and logistical solutions to customers. Over the years ZIM has grown to become a leading force in the shipping industry, by pioneering innovative technologies and expanding its vast geographical network while maintaining its tradition of excellence. About E2open At E2open, we are creating a more connected, intelligent supply chain. One that starts with the ability to sense and respond to real-time demand and supply constraints. One that brings together data from customers, channels, suppliers, contract manufacturers and partners. One that enables companies to use data in real time, with cognitive artificial intelligence and machine learning to drive smarter decisions. One that delivers all this complex information through a single pane of glass that provides a clear view across the supply and demand ecosystem. E2open is changing everything. Demand. Supply. Delivered. www.e2open.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190206005194/en/ Contacts: Media: Luc De Clerck, CEO Avantida email luc.declerck@avantida.com cell +32 (0)475 26 98 84 Lisa Aurichio BSY Associates Inc. email lisa@bsya.com cell (917) 476-8366 MACOM Technology Solutions Inc. ("MACOM") will attend Mobile World Congress 2019, February 25th-28th at the Fira Gran Via in Barcelona, Spain. To help carriers meet the explosive traffic demand for 5G Communications, MACOM is enabling the next generation of 5G Wireless Networking and Infrastructure Deployments with a broad portfolio spanning RF power amplifiers, RF Switches and LNA's to a full suite of millimeterwave components, optical and photonic semiconductors. MACOM is helping carriers deliver not only their traffic growth requirements, but also helping them to solve their size, weight, power and cost challenges. MACOM is providing the requisite wideband performance, multiband operation and spectral efficiency for the next generation of wireless deployments. MACOM offers highly efficient and broadband RF Power amplifiers, integrated Tx and Rx FEM modules and discrete products, plus optical and photonic components for backhaul and fronthaul, leveraging industry leading GaN-on-Silicon, AlGaAs, Indium Phosphide and Etched Facet Technologies. Make an appointment to meet with MACOM experts in Barcelona's premier venue, the Fira Gran Via, Hall 8.1, Meeting Room CC8.15 to learn more about: The Trusted Name in High-Performance RF Components: Showcasing MACOM's high-performance portfolio serving diverse markets, including wireless infrastructure and networking, radar, and high speed optical Showcasing MACOM's high-performance portfolio serving diverse markets, including wireless infrastructure and networking, radar, and high speed optical Enabling the Next Generation of Wireless Basestations: Cutting-edge GaN-on-Si Integrated Doherty Power Amplifiers for M-MIMO and high-power Macro Basestations Cutting-edge GaN-on-Si Integrated Doherty Power Amplifiers for M-MIMO and high-power Macro Basestations Front-End Modules (FEMs): Delivering performance, size and reliability for wireless networking leveraging proprietary switching technology and integration Delivering performance, size and reliability for wireless networking leveraging proprietary switching technology and integration Application Support: MACOM's unparalleled customer support leverages decades of experience to solve complex problems MACOM's unparalleled customer support leverages decades of experience to solve complex problems Cross Reference Tools: MACOM's cross reference tools will assist in finding MACOM products that are a substitute or alternate replacement to other manufacturers Members of MACOM's product management, engineering and applications teams will be available by appointment throughout the show. To make an appointment, please contact your local MACOM sales representative. Show Information: Location: Fira Gran Via, Barcelona Monday, February 25 th : 9:00 AM 7:00 PM : 9:00 AM 7:00 PM Tuesday, February 26 th : 9:00 AM 7:00 PM : 9:00 AM 7:00 PM Wednesday, February 27 th : 9:00 AM 7:00 PM : 9:00 AM 7:00 PM Thursday, February 28th: 9:00 AM 4:00 PM For more information about Mobile World Congress, visit: https://www.mwcbarcelona.com ABOUT MACOM: MACOM enables a better-connected and safer world by delivering breakthrough semiconductor technologies for optical, wireless and satellite networks that satisfy society's insatiable demand for information. Today, MACOM powers the infrastructure that millions of lives and livelihoods depend on every minute to communicate, transact business, travel, stay informed and be entertained. Our technology increases the speed and coverage of the mobile Internet and enables fiber optic networks to carry previously unimaginable volumes of traffic to businesses, homes and datacenters. Keeping us all safe, MACOM technology enables next-generation radars for air traffic control and weather forecasting, as well as mission success on the modern networked battlefield. MACOM is the partner of choice to the world's leading communications infrastructure, aerospace and defense companies, helping solve their most complex challenges in areas including network capacity, signal coverage, energy efficiency and field reliability, through its best-in-class team and broad portfolio of analog RF, microwave, millimeterwave and photonic semiconductor products. MACOM is a pillar of the semiconductor industry, thriving for more than 60 years of daring to change the world for the better, through bold technological strokes that deliver true competitive advantage to customers and superior value to investors. Headquartered in Lowell, Massachusetts, MACOM is certified to the ISO9001 international quality standard and ISO14001 environmental management standard. MACOM has design centers and sales offices throughout North America, Europe and Asia. MACOM, M/A-COM, M/A-COM Technology Solutions, M/A-COM Tech, Partners in RF Microwave, The First Name in Microwave and related logos are trademarks of MACOM. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. For more information about MACOM, please visit www.macom.com, follow @MACOMtweets on Twitter, join MACOM on LinkedIn and Facebook, or visit the MACOM YouTube Channel. SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: This press release contains forward-looking statements based on MACOM's beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to MACOM. These forward-looking statements reflect MACOM's current views about future events and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and changes in circumstances that may cause those events or our actual activities or results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statement. Although MACOM believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot and does not guarantee future events, results, actions, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. A number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, those factors described in "Risk Factors" in MACOM's Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. MACOM undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. DISCLAIMER FOR NEW PRODUCTS: Any express or implied statements in MACOM product announcements are not meant as warranties or warrantable specifications of any kind. The only warranty MACOM may offer with respect to any product sale is one contained in a written purchase agreement between MACOM and the purchaser concerning such sale and signed by a duly authorized MACOM employee, or, to the extent MACOM's purchase order acknowledgment so indicates, the limited warranty contained in MACOM's standard Terms and Conditions for Quotation of Sale, a copy of which may be found at: http://www.macom.com/partner-login View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190206005008/en/ Contacts: FOR SALES INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: North Americas -- Phone: 800.366.2266 Europe -- Phone: +353.21.244.6400 India -- Phone: +91.80.43537383 China -- Phone: +86.21.2407.1588 MEDIA CONTACTS: Ozzie Billimoria MACOM Technology Solutions Inc. 978-656-2896 ozzie.billimoria@macom.com Colin Boroski Rainier Communications 508-475-0025 x142 cboroski@rainierco.com Anja-Maria Hastenrath embedded PR +49 (0)89 64913634-11 ah@embedded-pr.de DETROIT, Feb. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --Stratview Research announces the launch of a new market research report on AFP/ATL Machines Market by Machine Type (AFP, ATL, and Hybrid AFP/ATL), by End-User Type (Tier Players, OEMs, and Others), and by Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World), Forecast, Competitive Analysis, and Growth Opportunity: 2019-2024. This market report, from Stratview Research, studies the AFP/ATL machines market over the trend period of 2013 to 2018 and forecast period of 2019 to 2024. The research 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. AFP/ATL Machines Market: Highlights Among industries with brilliant composites penetration, aerospace is one such industry that witnessed excellent penetration of advanced composites in the crucial sections including fuselage and wings in next-generation aircraft such as B787 and A350XWB. Prepregs are the most felicitous material for fabricating composite parts that are laid layers on layers manually, generally at a rate of 2.5 lbs. per hour. It was impossible to fabricate large number of composite parts with such a low layup rate. This challenge led to the development of Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) and Automated Tape Layup (ATL) machines for fabricating aircraft structural parts including fuselage and wings at a greater speed. AFP/ATL machine suppliers are continuously advancing the AFP/ATL processes, especially targeting increase in the layup rate and reduction in wastage. As per an indepth study conducted by Stratview Research, the global AFP/ATL machines market is forecasted to grow at an impressive rate over the next five years to reach an estimated value of US$ 294.7 million in 2024. The growth of AFP/ATL machines is governed by vast factors among which a wide array of benefits offered by these machines over the traditional hand layup process coupled with organic growth of the aerospace industry are the prime growth drivers. AFP/ATL machines lay prepreg material efficiently at a rate of more than 50 lbs. per hour with improved part quality, which is not possible with the traditional hand layup process. A skilled technician can generally lay prepreg at 2.5 lbs. per hour. These machines are playing a pivotal role in achieving OEMs' focus on the development of lightweight composite parts with reduced cycle time. Click Here and Run Through the Detailed TOC of the Report The research's findings suggest that AFP machine is expected to remain the most dominant machine type in the market over the next five years, owing to the development of low-cost AFP machines and their increasing acceptance in a wide array of industries including automotive and spatial. Based on the end-user type, tier players and OEMs are likely to remain the major procurers of these machines in coming eons. Others mainly include universities and research centers, who generally procure AFP/ATL machines for the research and developments purpose to find an innovative solution for various industries. Register Here and Ask for a Free Sample on the Report In terms of regions, North America is expected to remain the largest market for AFP/ATL machines during the forecast period. The USA is the growth engine of the region's market with the presence of all major aircraft OEMs, tier players, and major AFP/ATL machine suppliers. Asia-Pacific is likely to witness the highest growth during the same period, driven by a host of factors including increasing demand for commercial aircraft to support rising passenger traffic, and upcoming indigenous commercial and regional aircraft (COMAC C919 and Mitsubishi MRJ). Some of the key players in the global AFP/ATL machines market are M.Torres Disenos Industriales S.A.U, Electroimpact Inc., Coriolis Composites Technologies SAS, Ingersoll Machine Tools Inc., Fives, Accudyne System, Inc., Automated Dynamics, and Mikrosam AD. Development of low-cost robotic AFP machines, close engagement with OEMs for the development of custom machines addressing specific requirements of clients, expansion in untapped and growing markets, and execution of mergers & acquisitions are 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 AFP/ATL machines market and has segmented the market in three ways, keeping in mind the interest of all the stakeholders across the value chain. Following are the three ways in which the market is segmented: AFP/ATL Machines Market by Machine Type: AFP Machine (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW) ATL Machine (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW) Hybrid AFP/ATL Machine (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW) AFP/ATL Machines Market, By End-User Type Tier Players (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW) OEMs (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW) Others (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and RoW) AFP/ATL Machines Market, By Region North America Europe Asia-Pacific Rest of the World Stratview Research has number of high value market reports in the global aerospace & defense industry. Please refer to the following link to browse through our reports: Click Here for Other Reports from Stratview Research in the Aerospace & Defense Industry Some of our other premium market reports in the aerospace & defense industry: Aircraft AFP/ATL Composites Market by Aircraft Type (Narrow-Body Aircraft, Wide-Body Aircraft, Regional Aircraft, General Aviation, Helicopter and Military Aircraft), by Application Type (Airframe, Engine Applications, Flight Control Surfaces, and Others), by Fiber Type (Glass Fiber Composites, Carbon Fiber Composites, and Aramid Fiber Composites), by Automation Type (Automated Fiber Placement and Automated Tape Layup), and by Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World), Trend, Forecast, Competitive Analysis, and Growth Opportunity: 2019-2024. Aerospace 3D Printing Market by Vertical Type (Materials and Printers), by Industry Type (Aircraft, UAV, Spacecraft), by Application Type (Engine Components, Structural Components and Space Components), by Printer Technology Type (SLA, SLS, DMLS, FDM, CLIP, and Others) 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. Contact: Stratview Research E-mail: sales@stratviewresearch.com Direct: +1-313-307-4176 PALM BEACH, Florida, Feb. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- It doesn't take a crystal ball to see that we need all the lithium we can mine. It's the preferred battery type for almost every devise out there from mobile phones to cars. Industry sources show that: "it's clear that the rapid increase in lithium consumption over the past few decades requires an equal expansion of lithium sources and production sites. In 2009, the lithium ion battery industry accounted for 21 percent of all annual lithium consumption. Today, that figure has almost doubled, and battery production - especially batteries for the manufacture of electric vehicles - will continue to gobble up a progressively larger share of lithium. A single electric vehicle requires as much lithium as 10,000 mobile phones, and global electric vehicle sales will essentially double in 2021, then double again by 2025. In other words, expanding access to lithium must remain a priority for the EV and electronics industry." Active stocks in the markets this week include NRG Metals Inc. (TSX-V: NGZ) (OTC: NRGMF), Nemaska Lithium Inc. (TSX: NMX) (OTC: NMKEF), Livent Corporation (NYSE: LTHM), Standard Lithium Ltd. (OTC: STLHF) (TSX-V:SLL), Glencore Plc (OTC: GLNCY) (LSE:GLEN) According to the article "There are two main sources of lithium: mines and brine water. Most of the world's lithium (87 percent) comes from the latter source. The remaining 13 percent of the world's lithium is found in more traditional mines. Lithium concentrations in hard rock (pegmatites) are higher than those found in brine, but the mining process has a higher cost and a larger environmental footprint. Still, hard-rock lithium mining can be competitive, at least in mines that are already in operation. But even using traditional recovery methods, extracting lithium from brine is easier and cheaper than hard-rock mining by about half." NRG Metals Inc. (TSX-V:NGZ.V) (OTCQB:NRGMF) BREAKING NEWS: NRG Metals is pleased provide an update on progress with a Preliminary Economic Analysis of the Hombre Muerto North Lithium Project, located in Salta Province, Argentina. The evaluation is being conducted by Knight Piesold Consulting (KP) and JDS Energy & Mining (JDS). The analyses are currently focused on process engineering optimizations. Simultaneously, design work and evaluation of site infrastructure is ongoing, including the overall general arrangement with optimal location for potential pilot and production plant sites and the ponds. Material quantities and costs are being prepared and preliminary economic numbers are being developed for the P.E.A. The HMN Project is strategically located in the Hombre Muerto Salar, an area of active lithium production by FMC at the Fenix lithium mine, some 12 kilometers south of the project area. The project is surrounded by ground now owned by POSCO, a Korean based lithium producer, as a result of its US$ 280 million purchase of the area from Galaxy Resources Ltd, an Australian based producer. Galaxy is also moving their portion of the Hombre Muerto Salar, the Sal de Vida Project, to lithium production. Read this and more news for NRG Metals at: https://www.financialnewsmedia.com/news-ngz/ Other recent developments in the mining industry include: Livent Corporation (NYSE: LTHM) recently announced that its 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders will be held on Wednesday, May 1, 2019, at 2:00 p.m. E.T. at FMC Tower at Cira Centre South, 2929 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104. For more than six decades, Livent has partnered with its customers to safely and sustainably use lithium to power the world. Livent is one of only a small number of companies with the capability, reputation, and know-how to produce high-quality finished lithium compounds that are helping meet the growing demand for lithium. The company has one of the broadest product portfolios in the industry, powering demand for green energy, modern mobility, the mobile economy, and specialized innovations, including light alloys and lubricants. Livent employs approximately 700 people throughout the world and operates manufacturing sites in the United States, England, India, China and Argentina. Nemaska Lithium Inc. (OTCQX: NMKEF) (TSX:NMX.TO) recently announced the appointment of Robert Beaulieu as its new Vice President, Operations. Since January 3, Mr. Beaulieu has been overseeing the construction and operations readiness work that will lead to the commissioning of the Whabouchi mine and the Shawinigan electrochemical plant. "We are truly pleased to welcome Robert to Nemaska Lithium, an incredible talent developed through various Canadian and international experiences," said Guy Bourassa, President and CEO of Nemaska Lithium. "Robert has led the start-up and operations of large-scale projects and we will benefit from his vast experience in transitioning from construction and development to ramp-up and commercial operations and process optimization. As we are fast approaching a new turning point in our history, his extensive track record in the development of complex and innovative mining and metallurgical processing projects will be an excellent addition to team." Standard Lithium Ltd. (OTCQX: STLHF) (TSX-V: SLL.V) recently the company reported a maiden lithium resource statement for its approximately 30,000 acre Project (aka TETRA Project) in the south-western region of Arkansas, USA (the "Property"; see Company news release dated 8th Jan 2018). The maiden resource report includes 802,000 metric tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) at the Inferred Resource category. Combined with Standard Lithium's other project in Southern Arkansas (Lanxess Property; see news dated 14th November 2018), this results in a total combined Arkansas lithium brine resource of 3,888,000 tonnes LCE. Robert Mintak, CEO said "This combined project in Southern Arkansas positions us as the largest lithium brine resource in the US; a significantly expanding market that currently relies on imports of foreign lithium." Dr. Andy Robinson, President and COO of Standard Lithium continued "Our collaboration with TETRA Technologies was fundamental in allowing Standard Lithium to gain a meaningful foothold in the south-west Arkansas Project area, and this maiden resource estimate is validation of the high resource potential we identified in this highly prospective region. We look forward to tighter definition of this resource and developing its potential in parallel with the Lanxess property." Glencore Plc (OTCPK: GLNCY) (LSE:GLEN.L) - It was recently reported by REUTERS that the company announced that it is close to finalising a deal to make a $500 million payment to the mining arm of Brazil's Companhia Siderurgica Nacional (CSN) for iron ore cargoes to be delivered over five years, sources familiar with the matter said. One source said Glencore would sign the deal no later than the first quarter. The Brazilian steelmaker is aiming to reduce debts that piled up after an iron ore and steel price rout in 2015-2016 and a severe recession in Brazil, prompting investors to demand asset sales. Glencore, which sources said would secure backing from banks for the deal, and CSN declined to comment. 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. 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Contact Information: E-mail: editor@financialnewsmedia.com +1(561)325-8757 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. We hereby invite you to participate at the presentation of the Schibsted Media Group Q4 2018 report on 13 February 2018. Quarterly Earnings Release Time: 13 February 2018 at 07.00 CET Interim report, presentation materials, and spreadsheet with key figures and analytical information will be made available on the investor relations pages at https://www.schibsted.com/ir/ (https://www.schibsted.com/ir/). Results Presentation Time: 13 February 2018 at 10.00 CET (NOTE: New time) Location: Schibsted's premises in Akersgata 55, Oslo. The presentation will be webcasted live at https://www.schibsted.com/ir/ (https://www.schibsted.com/ir/). It will be presented in English. Participants can send in written questions through the webcast player. CEO Kristin Skogen Lund, EVP CFO Trond Berger and CEO of MPI Rolv Erik Ryssdal will present. A recording of the presentation will be available on our web site shortly after the live webcast has ended. Conference call for investors and analysts - Q&A session Time: 13 February 2018 at 14.00 CET Questions relating to the results will be answered in a conference call. The session will be held in English. NOTE: To avoid waiting time when connecting to the call, please use the below link 5-10 minutes prior to start time, where you will be asked to type in your phone number and registration details. The Event Conferencing system will automatically call you back on the phone number you provide and place you into the event. Please note that the link will become active 15 minutes prior to the event: Link to join call: https://bit.ly/2t8UP5N (https://bit.ly/2t8UP5N) For manual dial-in, use the following number (note that this connection might take more time): +47 2350 0187. Passcode: 200225. For additional phone number, please visit https://www.schibsted.com/ir/ (https://www.schibsted.com/ir/). A recording of the conference call will be made available at https://www.schibsted.com/ir/ (https://www.schibsted.com/ir/). Oslo, 6 February 2019, SCHIBSTED ASA Jo Christian Steigedal VP Investor Relations This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5 -12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. 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: Schibsted via Globenewswire VERONA, Italy, MILAN and MONTREAL, February 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Trueblue, a leading technology innovator in the Pharmaceutical sector for the last 17 years is pleased to announce the opening of its North American office in Montreal, Canada and the appointment of Mario Settino as Executive VP of Corporate Development and CFO. Mr. Settino, a resident of Canada, has had a successful career of over 35 years as a public company executive in both Canada and the USA. Most recently he was CFO of BioAmber and previously President of Peds Legwear with its main operations in North Carolina, USA. Before this he held senior executive positions at Miranda Technologies /Grass Valley, Loblaws, Bombardier and LGS, (an IBM company). Mr. Settino is a chartered professional accountant (CPA) who began his career at Deloitte and holds degrees from Concordia University and McGill University. Mr. Settino will be based in Montreal, Canada and will be responsible for all of Trueblue's corporate functions, including finance and legal. He will also draw upon his strong background in business development to lead the North American expansion and support the Company with their global clients. Mr. Settino will be supported in the North American market by a dedicated team including Corrado Corsini, VP Account Manager and Luca Caucchioli, Account Manager. The office will be located at 1250 Rene-Levesque West Suite 2200, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3B 4W8. About TRUEBLUE Since its founding in 2002 the Company has been recognized for innovation and excellence of its solutions and support services. With over 90 clients, Trueblue has worked with many of the top global pharmaceutical companies and has reached a leading position in the market with its products and services. With over 140 employees with offices in Verona and Milan, Italy, Trueblue is founded on the strength of its people and puts a high value on them. This people-oriented approach is based on significant investments aiming at providing the best solutions to meet its clients' needs. Trueblue will be present at the 17th edition of EyeForPharma Barcelona from March 12-14. Come visit our booth and discover our new offerings. Contact us at trueblue.it Marco Bonesini, CEO, marco.bonesini@trueblue.it, +39-0459200901; Mario Settino, Executive VP Corporate Development and CFO, mario.settino@trueblue.it, +1(514)984-1441; Anita Battistella, Marketing Manager & Media Relations, anita.battistella@trueblue.it , +39-0459200901 Agreement Allows Junkosha to Serve Its Customers with Patented Technology Developed by Zeus ORANGEBURG, South Carolina, Feb. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Zeus Industrial Products, Inc. (Zeus), a leading polymer extrusion manufacturer and material science innovator, has reached an agreement with Junkosha, Inc. (Junkosha) regarding access to intellectual property. The negotiations involved the cross-licensing of intellectual property assets to avoid infringement on either company's patent rights. Under the terms of the agreement, Zeus is fully licensed to market Junkosha's patented peelable heat shrink. Additionally, Zeus developed and patented clear peelable heat shrink marketed under the brand name FluoroPEELZ. Junkosha is now fully licensed to sell Zeus' patented clear peelable heat shrink. Because both companies can provide the market with clear, peelable heat shrink solutions, customers now have a choice. They can select the most appropriate product from their preferred supplier without concern over patent infringement. Zeus will continue to feature its clear peelable heat shrink, now available in shrink ratios up to 2:1, in the "Switch Suppliers and Save" program. Launched in November 2018, this program incentivizes manufacturers that are ready to transition to a better supplier, and in turn, achieve cost savings by bundling complementary products. COMMENTS "As a result of negotiations with Junkosha, we are happy to have reached a licensing agreement for our clear peelable heat shrink solution. This agreement provides greater choice to customers and eliminates supply chain disruptions due to patent infringements. We are also pleased to continue conducting our 'Switch Suppliers and Save' campaign that features FluoroPEELZ. To date, this innovative program has achieved impressive results, and we expect to generate even greater interest during the coming months. With a free initial run, future pricing benefits and a streamlined transition, buyers, engineers, and manufacturers can easily justify a move to a new supplier." - Bob Chaney, Senior Vice President, Global Sales & Marketing, Zeus Industrial Products, Inc. RESOURCES Click here to request free samples. Zeus Industrial Products: Learn more about the company and its products on the Zeus website; or call toll-free 1-800-526-3842 or +1-803-268-9500 outside the U.S. ABOUT ZEUS INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS, INC. Zeus Industrial Products, Inc., is headquartered in Orangeburg, SC, USA. Its core business is the development and precision extrusion of advanced polymeric materials. The company employs over 1,500 people worldwide with facilities in Aiken, Gaston, and Orangeburg, South Carolina; Branchburg, New Jersey; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Guangzhou China; and Letterkenny, Ireland. Zeus products and services serve companies in the medical, automotive, aerospace, fiber optics, energy, and fluid management markets. For more information, visit www.zeusinc.com. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/790870/Zeus_Logo.jpg Furth / Southend-on-Sea, UK (ots) -- Querverweis: Bildmaterial ist abrufbar unter http://www.presseportal.de/bilder -Senior industry expert Simon Cooper will join Solopress as managing director in February 2019 as part of the planned transition of Solopress' founders Aron Priest and Andy Smith to new roles. With long-term executive roles at Cimpress subsidiaries Tradeprint and Exaprint, Cooper is one of the most experienced online printing executives in the UK. Michael Fries, CEO of the Onlineprinters Group which Solopress is part of, commented on the development: "We are very happy to have Simon join the Onlineprinters family. With his experience in printing and e-commerce, his leadership skills and a strong entrepreneurial background, Simon will be key in developing and growing Solopress."Business DevelopmentTwo years after the acquisition of Solopress by the Onlineprinters Group, Solopress has strengthened its market position as a UK market leader in online printing. The Essex-based company has been successfully integrated into the Onlineprinters Group. Through scaling of the production within the group, joint procurement of consumables and technology as well as investment in software, equipment and infrastructure, Solopress has improved its competitive edge. A large number of new customers have been gained through the expansion of products and services.Simon Cooper, the new managing director of Solopress, states: "I'm incredibly excited to be joining Solopress as I've long admired the brand and their approach to the market. Their e-commerce shop and 24-hour turnaround times have long been the envy of the industry and I am delighted to now have a chance to join the business and provide the leadership it'll need as the founders change roles. I'm looking forward to working with the strong Solopress team and COO Kevin Seaden to further accelerate Solopress' development."Management transitionSolopress founder Aron Priest will become an active advisor and continue to serve Solopress in his new role. Andy Smith will turn to new entrepreneurial projects. "I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to the company founders Andy Smith and Aron Priest. They have built Solopress and made it one of the market leaders that it is today. I am happy that Aron will continue to advise Solopress and share his experience and knowledge," Group CEO Michael Fries says. Aron Priest comments: "I'm very proud of Solopress' market position, which is an achievement of the hard work of the Solopress staff that I would like to thank. Simon has the knowledge and the ability to increase Solopress' market share and its leading position in the UK market."About Onlineprinters GroupThe Onlineprinters Group is one of the leading online print shops in Europe. Employing a staff of more than 1,400, Onlineprinters produced 3 billion+ printed advertising products last year. More than 1,500 print products including business cards, letterheads, flyers, catalogues, brochures, large-format advertising systems and more are sold to 1,000,000 customers in 30 European countries through 18 web shops. Internationally, the online print provider is known under the brand name of Onlineprinters; in Germany it operates as diedruckerei.de. British market leader Solopress and LaserTryk, the Scandinavian number one, are members of the Onlineprinters Group.About SolopressSolopress is one of the UK's largest online printers, offering a wide range of business related printed products, including business cards, leaflets, brochures, posters and banners. With the maxim "Print Delivered Tomorrow" the company ships over 77% of its print jobs within 24 hours of being ordered. Last year alone, Solopress produced over 480,000 orders, and hit the 2,000,000th order milestone in December 2018. Large production facilities combined with an internally developed workflow and superb customer service (rated Excellent on Trustpilot with over 18,000 reviews) have seen Solopress achieve a substantial growth for fourteen consecutive years.Originaltext: Onlineprinters GmbH digital press kits: http://www.presseportal.de/nr/75635 press kits via RSS: http://www.presseportal.de/rss/pm_75635.rss2Onlineprinters Group Press Contact: Onlineprinters GmbHPatrick Piecha Head of Public Relationspress@onlineprinters.com Phone: +49 9161 6209807 Mobile: +49 174 30 77 250 Jazz Aviation LP to be the first Canadian Operator of the ATMOSPHERE Cabin under the Air Canada Express banner MONTREAL, Feb. 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bombardier Commercial Aircraft announced today that a subsidiary of Chorus Aviation Inc. ("Chorus Aviation") has finalized a firm purchase agreement for nine CRJ900 aircraft. These aircraft will be operated by Jazz Aviation LP, a subsidiary of Chorus Aviation, under the Air Canada Express banner, making them the first Canadian operator of the new ATMOSPHERE cabin for CRJ Series regional jets. Based on the list price of the CRJ900 aircraft, the order is valued at approximately $437 million U.S. "We are delighted that Chorus and Jazz have chosen Bombardier products for the growth and renewal of their fleet. It reaffirms their confidence in the value that the CRJ Series provides to airlines," said Fred Cromer, President, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. "The CRJ900 aircraft is ideally suited to growing markets and is recognized for its superior performance, economics and passenger comfort." "The addition of these new CRJ900 aircraft is part of the ongoing modernization of our Jazz fleet," said Joseph Randell, President and Chief Executive Officer, Chorus. "These aircraft provide unit operating costs that are amongst the lowest of any regional aircraft, allowing us to more effectively compete while addressing changing market demand." Jazz, under the Air Canada Express brand, will operate the CRJ900 in a dual-class cabin configuration with 76 seats. The airline intends to take delivery of their first aircraft with the latest enhancement to the CRJ Series regional jets - the ATMOSPHERE cabin in the first half of 2020. About the ATMOSPHERE Cabin The new ATMOSPHERE cabin sets new standards of passenger experience in the regional jet market segment. Key features of the new interior are comprised of larger passenger living space, wheel-first roller bag capability, more spacious lavatory, increased cabin connectivity options, all integrated in a contemporary design and material choices. In fact, the ATMOSPHERE cabin design allows passengers to carry and store an "oversized" roller bag within the aircraft cabin bins which minimizes the need to check bags at the counter or the gate. To learn more: DiscoverAtmosphere.com About CRJ Series Aircraft Every 5 seconds, a CRJ Series regional jet takes off or lands somewhere in the world. The CRJ Series family of aircraft has transported more than 2 billion passengers to become the world's most successful regional jet program - linking people and communities like no other. The CRJ Series regional jets have revolutionized aviation with their proven efficiency, reliability and profitability. The CRJ Series regional jets share commonality benefits that provide flexibility to operators and allow them to optimize their fleets to meet specific market demands. No other regional aircraft deliver this capability. Optimized for medium-haul regional routes, these aircraft can provide up to 10 per cent cash operating cost advantage over competing jets. Since its launch, the CRJ Series family of regional jets has stimulated the regional jet market. In North America alone, it accounts for over 18 per cent of all jet departures. Globally, the family operates 194,800 flights per month. About Chorus Headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Chorus Aviation Inc. ('Chorus') was incorporated on September 27, 2010. Chorus' vision is to deliver regional aviation to the world. Chorus has been leasing its owned regional aircraft into Jazz's Air Canada Express operation since 2011 and has established Chorus Aviation Capital Corp. to become a leading, global provider of regional aircraft leases. Chorus also owns Jazz Aviation LP and Voyageur Aviation Corp. - companies that have long histories of safe and solid operations that deliver excellent customer service in the areas of contract flying operations, engineering, fleet management, and maintenance, repair and overhaul. Together, the Chorus group of companies can provide a full suite of regional aviation support services. Chorus Class A Variable Voting Shares and Class B Voting Shares trade on the TSX under the trading symbol 'CHR'. For more information, visit www.chorusaviation.ca About Jazz Jazz Aviation LP ('Jazz') has a strong history in Canadian aviation with its roots going back to the 1930s. As the largest regional carrier in Canada, Jazz has a proven track record of industry leadership and exceptional customer service and has leveraged that strength to deliver value to all its stakeholders. Jazz operates more flights and flies to more Canadian destinations than any other airline, and has a workforce of approximately 4,600 professionals, highly experienced in the challenging and complex nature of regional operations. Under a capacity purchase agreement with Air Canada, using the Air Canada Express brand, Jazz provides service to a variety of markets throughout North America. For more information, visit www.flyjazz.ca About Bombardier With over 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 Exchangeor follow us on Twitter @Bombardier . Notes to Editors An image of the CRJ900 aircraft in the Air Canada Express livery is posted with this press release at www.bombardier.com . For more information on the CRJ Series aircraft, visit http://news.commercialaircraft.bombardier.com/ Follow @BBD_Aircraft on Twitter to receive the latest news and updates from Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. To receive our press releases, please visit the RSS Feed section of Bombardier's website. Bombardier, CRJ Series, CRJ900 are trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries. For Information Nathalie Scott Bombardier Commercial Aircraft +1-416-375-3030 nathalie.scott@aero.bombardier. com www.bombardier.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1d69646d-5562-4b9a-94ff-e08714483791 Introducing Eve Truth, the latest addition to the Eve collection, fronted by Eva Mendes LONDON, Feb. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Avon will expand its multi award-winning Eve fragrance collection this quarter, building on the success of what is already one of the top brands in the Avon portfolio. Hollywood star Eva Mendes is the ambassador of the Eve brand and the new Eve Truth Eau De Parfum will launch in Q1 2019 in the majority of Avon's 50 countries worldwide. Eve Truth is the latest premium, long-long-lasting fragrance from the bestselling Eve brand.Eve Duet, the first fragrance in the Eve line up, won a highly coveted Fragrance Foundation Award last year. By building on this top-selling brand's success Avon is hoping to increase its fragrance category market share. The bolstered collection will support Representatives in building their businesses, with a compelling fragrance and celebrity equity that will excite and entice customers with luxury at an accessible price. Created by world-renowned French perfumer Laurent Le Guernec, who has over 10 Fragrance Foundation Awards to his name, Eve Truth will launch with the backing and support of a strong digital marketing and advertising campaign. The captivating fragrance has been created to give women the freedom to be themselves. It blends delicate flowers, energetic fruits and sensual minerals - including living magnetite, the most magnetic of all the naturally occurring minerals on earth - to reflect the modern woman's freedom to amplify her 'true self'. "I'm honoured to be the face of Eve Truth, which reflects women's many layers and provides a full fragrance experience to embody the modern woman," says Eva Mendes. "Sharing my truth with other women and asking them to share their truth with me is how I stay connected with the amazing women in my life." Tatiana Piccolo, Vice President Global Fragrance at Avon explains that fragrance is a key category for modernising the brand and leveraging the strength of Avon's innovation. "We have a tremendous opportunity to build market share further and improve brand perception as we develop compelling consumer propositions like Eve Truth, to build Avon's position as a global fragrance powerhouse." The fragrance launch is yet another step in the Avon transformation, as the business opens up to partnerships and strategic alliances to deliver on-trend, high-quality, accessibly priced beauty to all. Louise Scott, Chief Scientific Officer, said: "The launch of Eve Truth is extremely exciting for our millions of beauty entrepreneurs and their customers because this really is a premium fragrance made accessible to everyone. We've worked with world-class perfumers and top-quality ingredients to create a beautiful scent that lasts." About Avon Products Inc. For 130 years Avon has stood for women: providing innovative, quality beauty products which are primarily sold to women, through women. Millions of independent Representatives across the world sell iconic Avon brands such as Avon Color and ANEW through their social networks, building their own beauty businesses on a full- or part-time basis.Avon supports women's empowerment, entrepreneurship and well-being and has donated over $1billion to women's causes through Avon and the Avon Foundation. Learn more about Avon and its products at www.avonworldwide.com. Stand4Her Forward-Looking Statements This material contains "forward-looking statements" that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating to product launches, marketing and advertising campaigns, market share and brand perception. Because forward-looking statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties, actual future results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the possibility of business disruption, competitive uncertainties, and general economic and business conditions in Avon's markets as well as the other risks detailed in Avon's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Avon undertakes no obligation to update any statements in this material after it is posted to the Investor Relations section of our website. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/818532/Avon_Eve_Truth.jpg NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / February 6, 2019 / On Wednesday January 18th, 2017, Sherry Li, Chairman of Board of Thompson Education Center, Mike Wang, Board Member/General Manager of Thompson Education Center and fellow associates attended the Victory Reception, which honored Republican National Committee chair and incoming White House chief of staff Reince Priebus. The reception took place at 12:30 p.m. Vice President Mike Pence, the newly appointed Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, Co-Chairman of the Republican National Committee Sharon Day, and Republican Finance Chair Lewis M. Eisenberg all attended the Reception. Later that night, Sherry Li, Chairman of the Board of Thompson Education Center and Chairman of the education center's school board will join the Cabinet Dinner with select Cabinet appointees and to have an intimate policy discussion. Thompson Education Center has always been a supporter and contributor of the Trump's victory campaign. Back on September 29th, 2016, Thompson Education Center attended the Trump Victory Campaign Dinner in New York. Presidential Candidate Donald J. Trump and Vice President Candidate Mike Pence both attended and gave speeches during the dinner event. Throughout his speech, Mr. Trump talked about his vision of how to "Make America Great Again!" "As a real estate developer, I share the same American dream and the same American value with you,' Sherry Li, Chairman of Board of Thompson Education Center shared her point of view with Presidential Candidate Donald J. Trump and Vice President Candidate Mike Pence before the dinner. On December 7th, 2016, after Trump elected, Thompson Education Center attended the breakfast event hosted in New York by President-Elect Trump and his Transition Finance Committee Members including well-known Steven Mnuchin (Treasury Secretary), Wilbur Ross (nominated as Secretary of Commerce), Ambassador Charles Glazer and many others including well known Lewis M. Eisenberg, a businessman and investor who serves as finance chairman of the Republican National Committee and sits on the leadership team of Trump's Inaugural Committee. The name list of the Transition Finance Committee attached below shows that promoting economic development will be the main agenda for Trump's administration. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-FIzP7Vx2I In addition to Thompson Education Center's donations towards Trump's victory campaign, Sherry Li, Chairman of Board of Thompson Education Center later become a RNC Regent Member of Republican National Committee. Thompson Education Center project is coming to the Town of Thompson. It will develop a new high-end education community in Sullivan County, New York. The project has entered into agreements and signed letters of interest with high schools, colleges, and education institutions of which each of them will provide a great number of students to attend the education center. Thompson Education Center project will help create many jobs in the region and stimulate the local economy. There will be total 6 phases for the project, and according to the economic report, each phase will create over 3000 jobs (including Direct, Indirect and Induced effect jobs). Over 20,000 jobs will be created throughout the entire project, such as construction professionals (including architect, engineer, land use lawyer, environmental specialist, planner, well driller, wastewater management team, traffic study team, modular manufacturer, landscape & lighting, general contractors and Sullivan local sub-contractors), real estate agents, professors, instructors, cleaning, and maintenance workers, etc. In addition to the jobs directly created from the project and the day-to-day operations on location, there will be a ripple effect throughout the community. The new employees along with the resources required to run the Education Center will increase demand greatly for local goods and services, benefiting the entire local community. Thompson Education Center will bring investment into the U.S. to create job opportunities, which includes many high-income jobs. As a result, the middle class will back to American society. The goal of the Thompson Education Center project is in line with President-elect Trump's new policy, together we can "Make America Great Again!" To view this video on YouTube, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZtDkHkaSu8 Thompson Education Center - A High-End Education Community in Sullivan County, NY: http://thompsoneducationcenternews.com Thompson Education Center to Offer Classes and Programs to Alleviate Nursing Shortage: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/thompson-education-center-offer-classes-151000942.html Thompson Education Center Announces Plans for Performing Arts Center: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/thompson-education-center-announces-plans-215500406.html Contact Information: ThompsonEducationCenterNews.com http://thompsoneducationcenternews.com contact@thompsoneducationcenternews.com SOURCE: Thompson Education Center View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/534145/Thompson-Education-Center-Attends-Victory-Reception Solopress Founders Change Roles SOUTHEND-ON-SEA, England, Feb. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- - Cross reference: Picture is available via epa european pressphoto agency (http://www.epa.eu) - Senior industry expert Simon Cooper will join Solopress as managing director in February 2019 as part of the planned transition of Solopress' founders Aron Priest and Andy Smith to new roles. With long-term executive roles at Cimpress subsidiaries Tradeprint and Exaprint, Cooper is one of the most experienced online printing executives in the UK. Michael Fries, CEO of the Onlineprinters Group which Solopress is part of, commented on the development: "We are very happy to have Simon join the Onlineprinters family. With his experience in printing and e-commerce, his leadership skills and a strong entrepreneurial background, Simon will be key in developing and growing Solopress." Business Development Two years after the acquisition of Solopress by the Onlineprinters Group, Solopress has strengthened its market position as a UK market leader in online printing. The Essex-based company has been successfully integrated into the Onlineprinters Group. Through scaling of the production within the group, joint procurement of consumables and technology as well as investment in software, equipment and infrastructure, Solopress has improved its competitive edge. A large number of new customers have been gained through the expansion of products and services. Simon Cooper, the new managing director of Solopress, states: "I'm incredibly excited to be joining Solopress as I've long admired the brand and their approach to the market. Their e-commerce shop and 24-hour turnaround times have long been the envy of the industry and I am delighted to now have a chance to join the business and provide the leadership it'll need as the founders change roles. I'm looking forward to working with the strong Solopress team and COO Kevin Seaden to further accelerate Solopress' development." Management transition Solopress founder Aron Priest will become an active advisor and continue to serve Solopress in his new role. Andy Smith will turn to new entrepreneurial projects. "I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to the company founders Andy Smith and Aron Priest. They have built Solopress and made it one of the market leaders that it is today. I am happy that Aron will continue to advise Solopress and share his experience and knowledge," Group CEO Michael Fries says. Aron Priest comments: "I'm very proud of Solopress' market position, which is an achievement of the hard work of the Solopress staff that I would like to thank. Simon has the knowledge and the ability to increase Solopress' market share and its leading position in the UK market." About Onlineprinters Group The Onlineprinters Group is one of the leading online print shops in Europe. Employing a staff of more than 1,400, Onlineprinters produced 3 billion+ printed advertising products last year. More than 1,500 print products including business cards, letterheads, flyers, catalogues, brochures, large-format advertising systems and more are sold to 1,000,000 customers in 30 European countries through 18 web shops. Internationally, the online print provider is known under the brand name of Onlineprinters; in Germany it operates as diedruckerei.de. British market leader Solopress and LaserTryk, the Scandinavian number one, are members of the Onlineprinters Group. About Solopress Solopress is one of the UK's largest online printers, offering a wide range of business related printed products, including business cards, leaflets, brochures, posters and banners. With the maxim "Print Delivered Tomorrow" the company ships over 77% of its print jobs within 24 hours of being ordered. Last year alone, Solopress produced over 480,000 orders, and hit the 2,000,000th order milestone in December 2018. Large production facilities combined with an internally developed workflow and superb customer service (rated Excellent on Trustpilot with over 18,000 reviews) have seen Solopress achieve a substantial growth for fourteen consecutive years. Onlineprinters Group Press Contact Onlineprinters GmbH Patrick Piecha Head of Public Relations press@onlineprinters.com Phone: +49-9161-6209807 Mobile: +49-174-30-77-250 Berlin (ots) - fairr.de is now offering all of its products and services in English. This is the first time that comprehensive information on the German retirement system is available in English. fairr.de breaks down the - sometimes complex - German pension system with the unique fairr.de-Cockpit where users can get an overview of their pension gap, existing retirement income and tax-optimized solutions to close any remaining gap. This service is available to users for free even without them becoming customers. Employers using the corporate pension solution of fairr.de also have access to the employer cockpit in English. In addition to information about the German pension system and product details, the experts of fairr.de are also available for English-speakers via live-chat, email and phone. "Over time we have continuously expanded our product and service offering and it now covers all pillars of the German retirement system. With customer numbers in the five figures range and expected pension payouts from our products in the billions, fairr.de is already today having a significant impact on the German market for retirement saving. To further accelerate our growth rate, we are looking for ways to appeal to an even broader customer segment. Expats living in Germany currently are not able to find reliable information on the German retirement system and product solutions in English", explains Jens Jennissen, CEO of fairr.de. "At the same time, we see strong demand from our corporate pension customers for a bilingual solution. An attractive corporate pension offering can only help employers in the war for talents if employees also understand what's being offered. To make our offering bilingual was therefore a logical step for us", adds Dr. Alexander Kihm, who leads product development at fairr.de. About fairr.de and the retirement cockpit fairr.de is the leading European pension start up. Using the fairr.de-Cockpit, customers are able to optimize their retirement saving and income across all pillars of the German retirement system against set targets. They can do so completely online and in real-time. The cockpit takes into account the customer's tax situation and offers ways to maximize the after-tax retirement income using fairr.de's award-winning and proprietary savings products. Originaltext: Fairr.de GmbH digital press kits: http://www.presseportal.de/nr/114135 press kits via RSS: http://www.presseportal.de/rss/pm_114135.rss2 Contact: Dr. Alexander Kihm | +49 30 120 822 631 | presse@fairr.de | www.fairr.de/presse Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de FELTON, California, Feb. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The global warehouse robotics market is expected to reach USD 6.00 billion by 2025. The increasing importance of automation in the manufacturing sector is driving the market for robotics across the globe. The products find utility as material handling equipment in various industries including automotive, food & beverage, pharmaceuticals, electronics, oil & gas, construction, and e-commerce. Robots fit in well as companies look for ways to bring in operational efficiency by improving inventory control and increasing labor efficiency to reduce lag time in order processing. The focus on optimizing warehouse operations has gained more importance with an ever-growing e-commerce industry, where effective backend operations play a critical role. The automation in the manufacturing sector with the help of warehouse robotics systems has made picking, moving, labeling, and packaging processes easier and efficient. These systems also enable firms to achieve the global quality standard at a fast pace through the process quality monitoring robots. The rapid growth of the electronics industry in emerging economies including, China, India, and Taiwan is fueling the market for warehouse robotics. For instance, the new product launches by the leading electronic companies including, LG and Samsung on white goods including, smart LED TVs is expected to have a positive impact on the market. The automation of production processes through the inclusion of warehouse robotic systems has resulted in improved efficiency, consistent quality, minimal maintenance costs, and safe operation. Sometimes the sorting and assembling of the miniaturized electronics are not feasible for the human. The mobile robots are proved to be highly important and useful for performing such a delicate task and it gives a better quality of the product. Over the past few years, the automotive manufacturing firms have been increasing spending towards the utilization of warehouse robotics systems for the movement of finished four vehicle products. As of 2017, the U.S. and China were the major manufacturers of automotive across the world. The number of robots installed in these two countries has increased considerably over the years. The major part of the U.S. and China's robot order goes to the automotive industry. In the automotive sector, robots are mainly used in for laser cutting, palletizing, CNC machines, welding, plasma cutting, press machines, and BIW welding lines. Robots are also gaining popularity in the painting operation. There are few automotive companies are aiming for complete automation of the manufacturing process with the help of the warehouse robots in their production plant. Thus, the automotive industry is expected to remain a lucrative application segment for warehouse robotics market. Browse full research report with TOC on "Global Warehouse Robotics Market Size and Forecast, by Product (Mobile, SCARA, Articulated), by Function, by Application (Packaging, Automotive, Pharmaceuticals, Food & Beverage), by Region, and Trend Analysis, 2015 - 2025" at: https://www.hexaresearch.com/research-report/warehouse-robotics-market Some of the key manufacturers in the robotics market include ABB, KUKA AG, FANUC Corporation, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd, Amazon Robotics, YASKAWA Electric Corporation, Locus Robotics, OMRON Corporation, Fetch Robotics, Inc., IAM Robotics, Honeywell International Inc., and IBM. Over the past few years, these key players have opted for M&A activities in order to expand their business. The small players of this market are also expanding the business by entering into the new region. For instance, GreyOrange, an Indian startup company, has expanded its business to the U.S., Japan, Singapore, and Germany. Browse related reports by Hexa Research: Industrial Robotics Market - The global industrial robotics market is projected to witness significant growth in coming years owing to rising demand for high productivity and reduced operational costs in manufacturing units. Industrial robot is a programmable device that performs tasks based on algorithms. The global industrial robotics market is projected to witness significant growth in coming years owing to rising demand for high productivity and reduced operational costs in manufacturing units. Industrial robot is a programmable device that performs tasks based on algorithms. Fiber Laser Market - The global fiber laser market is expected to witness significant growth on account of growing R&D activities. Increasing adoption of fiber lasers to improve efficiency of manufacturing process in industries can drive the market in the coming years. The global fiber laser market is expected to witness significant growth on account of growing R&D activities. Increasing adoption of fiber lasers to improve efficiency of manufacturing process in industries can drive the market in the coming years. Smart Thermostat Market - The global smart thermostat market is anticipated to witness considerable growth in the forthcoming years. Smart thermostat is a device used in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment to control temperature of a room. The global smart thermostat market is anticipated to witness considerable growth in the forthcoming years. Smart thermostat is a device used in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment to control temperature of a room. Quantum Dots Market - The global quantum dots market size is anticipated to witness healthy growth during the forecast period of 2018 to 2025. Their scope of application has been widening and they are increasingly emerging mainstream in several industries, thanks to their miniature properties. Hexa Research has segmented the warehouse robotics market report based on product, function, application and region:- Segmentation by product SCARA Robots Mobile Robots Articulated Robots Cylindrical Robots Parallel Robots Cartesian Robots Segmentation by Function Pick & Place Transportation Packaging Assembling & Dissembling Others Segmentation by Application E-Commerce Automotive Packaging Electrical & Electronics Metal & Machinery Food & Beverage Pharmaceutical Chemical, Rubber, & Plastics Others Segmentation by Region North America Europe Asia Pacific Central & South America Middle East & Africa & Key countries analyzed U.S. Germany China Japan Brazil Key players analyzed: ABB FANUC CORPORATION KUKA AG YASKAWA ELECTRIC CORPORATION Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd Locus Robotics Amazon Robotics Honeywell International Inc. OMRON Corporation Fetch Robotics, Inc. IAM Robotics IMB About Hexa Research Hexa Research is a market research and consulting organization, offering industry reports, custom research and consulting services to a host of key industries across the globe. We offer comprehensive business intelligence in the form of industry reports which help our clients obtain clarity about their business environment and enable them to undertake strategic growth initiatives. Contact: Michelle T. Corporate Sales Specialist Hexa Research Phone: +1-415-349-0058 Toll Free: 1-800-489-3075 Email: sales@hexaresearch.com Web: https://www.hexaresearch.com/ LONDON, February 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In its quest to identify the best Brands in the world, the Global Brands Magazine awards night was conducted at 'The Banyan Tree Hotel' Macau, overseeing the iconic Galaxy Complex, The Venetian and The Parisian Macao on 25thJanuary 2019. Representatives of top brands gathered at the ballroom for the iconic evening which marked the presence of the greatest brands across the globe. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/709695/Global_Brands_Magazine_Logo.jpg ) This year in excess of 8000 companies from 130 countries were evaluated through the judging process and at the end of the year more than 900 companies were announced across regions. The event was marked by the presence of certain Top Brands across the globe. The awards ceremony embraced speeches from Mr. Shivakumar, Mr. Harold Awuah-Darko, Mr. Danny Khursigara and Mr. Charles Tidswell followed by awards presentation by Mr. Justin Lian Jin Lu, Mr. Jeff Keong Choi, Mr. Daniel Gracias, Mr. Wilson Chi Ian Lam, Ms. Yvonne Chan and Mr. Shivakumar. The Global Brands Magazine awards night was an opportunity for the executives of top brands to get under one roof and receive the coveted award. The Global Brands Magazine awards have become a benchmark providing a precise indicator of leading brands across the globe. Shivakumar, Director of Global Brands Magazine awards stated, "This year the awards were quite elaborate with a record of more than 8000 companies being evaluated under various categories and criteria. The combined brand value of these companies were more than 1 trillion pounds. At the end of the process we are honoured to have these prestigious companies under one roof. The companies have the highest regard for building a long on a sustainable brand value through investment in long term customer satisfaction." About Global Brands Magazine Global Brands Magazine is a leading Brands magazine providing opinions and news related to various brands across the world. The company is headquartered in United Kingdom. A fully autonomous branding magazine, Global Brands Magazine represents an astute source of information from across the industry. The magazine provides the reader with up-to-date news, reviews, opinions, polls on leading brands across the globe. It is a progressive and data Centric review & research company, providing high level of recognition and reviews to its partners which creates huge impact on their branding, social and digital space. For more information please visit:http://www.globalbrandsmagazine.com SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The global hyperspectral imaging systems market is anticipated to reach USD 17.64 billion by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. It is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 10.6% during the forecast period. New product launches coupled with advancements in technology, designs, and features is driving the demand from various fields, such as military, remote sensing, healthcare, mining, vision and optical, and meteorology. Key suggestions from the report: Hyperspectral camera is estimated to hold the largest market share in near future due to the recent advancements in sensor development which have led to growth of the camera segment Military segment accounts for the largest market share due to advancement in data management of hyperspectral imaging along with component fabrication techniques, better accuracy and consistency compared to other conventional imaging techniques Asia Pacific has been estimated to be the fastest growing region due to the presence of large pool of patients, increasing healthcare awareness, rising government funding for R&D, and upcoming research projects Major players operating in the hyperspectral imaging systems market include Headwall Photonics Inc.; Resonon, Telops Inc.; Corning Incorporated; Norsk Elektro Optikk AS; Surface Optics Corporation; Bayspec Inc.; Chemimage Corporation; and Applied Spectral imaging. Read 120 page research report with TOC on "Hyperspectral Imaging Systems Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Application (Military, Remote Sensing, Medical Diagnostics, Optical Sorting), By Product (Camera, Accessories), And Segment Forecasts, 2019 - 2025" at: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/hyperspectral-imaging-systems-market There are certain advantages of hyperspectral imaging, such as the non-requirement of prior knowledge of the spectrum and sample. In addition, it provides extensive information for analyzing and processing the image. These advantages are anticipated to drive investments from market players, which is anticipated to drive the demand during the forecast period. Hyperspectral imaging is being used extensively in the healthcare sector, mainly for ophthalmology, gastrointestinal procedures, tissue diagnosis, fluorescence microscopy, and vascular system imaging. The increasing application can be attributed mainly to its high clarity and accuracy of this imaging method. Rapid industrialization along with demand for high bandwidth communication is fueling growth of hyperspectral imaging systems market in the forthcoming years. In addition, existing market players are switching to advanced technologies to gain competitive advantage. Rise in R&D and growth opportunities in emerging countries and the aim to maintain international product quality standards is anticipated to drive market expansion. Connect with our analyst for specific inquiries about this market Affordable electronic circuits and high-speed technologies have cascaded into introduction of advanced sensor technologies. Furthermore, advancements in sensor technologies have improved the image quality, economic efficiency, and reliability of the technical products and thus, are anticipated to fuel the market growth. Grand View Research has segmented the global hyperspectral imaging systems market on the basis of product, application, and region: - Hyperspectral Imaging Systems Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) Cameras Accessories - Hyperspectral Imaging Systems Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) Military Remote Sensing Medical Diagnostics Machine Vision & Optical Sorting Others - Hyperspectral Imaging Systems Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025) North America U.S. Canada Europe Germany U.K. Asia Pacific Japan China Latin America Brazil Mexico Middle East and Africa (MEA) and (MEA) South Africa Saudi Arabia Gain access to Grand View Compass, our BI enabled intuitive market research database of 10,000+ reports Browse related reports by Grand View Research: Surgical Robot Market - The global surgical robot market size was valued at USD 4.0 billion in 2015 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 20.03% over the next eight years. The global surgical robot market size was valued at in 2015 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 20.03% over the next eight years. Therapeutic Bed Market - The global Therapeutic Bed Market size was valued at USD 2.6 billion in 2015 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.3% over the next eight years. The global Therapeutic Bed Market size was valued at in 2015 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.3% over the next eight years. Steam Autoclaves Market - The global steam autoclaves market was valued at USD 1,452.9 million in 2014 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.9% over the forecast period. About Grand View Research Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead. Contact: Sherry James Corporate Sales Specialist, USA Grand View Research, Inc. Phone: 1-415-349-0058 Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519 Email: sales@grandviewresearch.com Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter ROCKVILLE, Maryland, Feb. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --Fact.MR has published a new research study titled "Polyamide in E-Mobility Market Forecast, Trend Analysis & Competition Tracking - Global Market Insights 2018 to 2028", which focuses on the demand for polyamide in e-mobility market. It has been analyzed that growing consciousness among automakers is rising due to the mass benefits of using polyamide across the e-mobility sector. The assessment delivers a clear insight about the various numerous opportunities for polyamide manufacturers which are projected to enhance in the coming years until 2028. According to report findings, the electric vehicle stock would reach almost 5 million in 2019. The assessment highlights the leading factors which are favoring the increase in applications of polyamide in e-mobility market. Some of these prime market drivers include: The escalating trend of vehicle electrification is expected to lessen the negative environmental influence of the transportation industry; this in turn is creating high-end demand for polyamide in e-mobility market. Growing acceptance of electric cars across developing countries is motivating the sales prospects for companies of polyamide in e-mobility market. Current developments across engineering plastics augment performance features of polyamides in e-mobility market. The superior polyamide manufacturers are working to promote the amazing properties of polyamide to improve its adoption in advanced automotive components like control units in autonomous cars. Browse Full Report on Polyamide in E-mobility Market with in-depth TOC- https://www.factmr.com/report/2380/polyamide-in-e-mobility-market Noteworthy Share by Hybrid Electric Vehicles to Impact the Growing Demand for Polyamide in E-mobility Market The report standpoints the increasing fuel prices along with environmental concerns which are ensuing in a dramatic change away from conservative, internal combustion engine (ICE) only vehicles to modern electric variants. It has been assessed that hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) are outdoing among the various other type of electric vehicles over the global scenario. The developed regions, especially North America and Europe are seen as the primary market grounds for this rising demand. As per this Fact.MR study, it has been revealed that HEVs acquire over 60% of the revenue share across the polyamide in e-mobility market. Further, this assessment mentions that the polyamide demand will tend to remain the highest close to 54,000 tons during 2019. Request For Sample Report- https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=2380 In addition, the report also imparts the specifics about the significant surge in global sales of HEVs which is mainly attributed to cheaper costs as well as adoption of polyamide by automakers to increase the cost-efficiency of HEVs. The popularity factor of HEVs across the global buyer population is indeed encouraging manufacturers of polyamide in e-mobility market. APEJ Region Delivers Advancing Electric Vehicle Industry to Attract Polyamide Manufacturers Although the prices of polyamide are rising, the rapidly developing electric vehicle industry across the Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) region is paving a solid path for manufacturers of polyamide in e-mobility market. Interestingly, some of the leading manufacturers of specialty chemicals are striving to capitalize in the APEJ region to support local production and sales of electric vehicles. Furthermore, major polyamide manufacturers are planning to upgrade polyamide production in the region so as to cater the growing demand for polyamide in e-mobility market across versatile applications, like e-motors and batteries. Ask Our Industry Expert for more details on report- https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=AE&rep_id=2380 Popular Automotive Market Report By FMR- CNG Vehicles Market- Global CNG vehicle Market anticipated to grow at more than 3.2% CAGR during forecast period 2018 to 2027. Heavy Duty Trucks Market- Heavy-Duty Trucks Market likely to Register 4.1% Growth during 2018-2027 Excavator Market- Focus on Improving Performance Features: A Key Trend in the Excavator Market 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 Rohit Bhisey Fact.MR 11140 Rockville Pike Suite 400 Rockville, MD 20852 United States Email: sales@factmr.com Web: https://www.factmr.com/ PORTLAND, Oregon, Feb. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Keystroke Dynamics Market by Component (Software and Service), Organization Size (Large Enterprises and SMEs), Deployment Model (On-Premise and Cloud), Authentication Type (Static Authentication and Continuous Authentication), Industry Vertical (BFSI, Retail and E-Commerce, Healthcare, Government and Defense, Education, and Others), and Application (Identity Proofing, Continuous Authentication, Risk and Compliance Management, and Fraud Detection and Prevention): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2018-2025". The research provides in-depth analysis of the industry dynamics, key market segments, market size & estimations, top investment pockets, and competitive landscape. According to the report, the global keystroke dynamics market accounted for $129.8 million in 2017 and is expected to reach $754.9 million by 2025, registering a CAGR of 24.7% through 2025. Increase in the number of fraudulent digital transactions worldwide and rise in demand for multi-modular biometrics drive the growth of the global keystroke dynamics market. However, issues related to performance and interoperability coupled with lack of awareness about this technology hamper the market growth. On the contrary, growing need for advanced security measures in the Internet of Things (IoT) landscape is expected to create lucrative opportunities for the market players in the near future. Request Sample Report at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/5141 Software segment to retain largest market share through 2025 The software segment held the largest share in 2017, contributing three-fourths of the total revenue, owing to rise in demand for multimodal biometrics alongside associated benefits such as accurate real-time detection. However, the service segment is expected to register the fastest CAGR of 27.6% during the forecast period, owing to aggrandized need for periodic release of security updates and provision of maintenance services for existing infrastructure. SMEs segment to manifest fastest growth by 2025 Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) segment is projected to register the fastest CAGR of 30.7% through 2025, owing to ease of installation and cost-effectiveness of keystroke dynamics solutions among SMEs. However, the large enterprises segment held the largest share in 2017, contributing more than four-fifths of the total revenue, owing to the increasing need for securing digital transactions in large enterprises and introduction of the "bring your own device" concept. On premise segment to lead the market through 2025 The on premise segment held the largest share in 2017, contributing nearly two-thirds of the total revenue, owing to the increasing adoption of on-premise keystroke dynamics in data intensive industry verticals such as BFSI, government and defense, which generate massive amount of critical data, which needs high level of security. However, the cloud segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR of 28.6% through 2025, owing to its growing adoption supported by numerous benefits, such as scalability, high cost efficiency, and enhanced flexibility in deployment. Static authentication segment to portray fastest growth through 2025 The static authentication segment is projected to manifest the fastest CAGR of 25.6% during the forecast period, owing to the increase in applications of static authentication during sign-in process for authenticating legitimate users. However, continuous authentication segment held the largest share in 2017, contributing about two-thirds of the total market share, owing to the surge in end-user industry applications such as risk and compliance management and fraud detection & prevention. For Purchase Enquiry: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/5141 BFSI segment to retain lion's share through 2025 The BFSI segment accounted for the largest share in 2017, contributing about two-fifths of the total revenue, owing to aggrandized use of multimodal biometrics for several applications such as facial recognition, fingerprints, and keystrokes to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data. However, the healthcare segment is projected to manifest the fastest CAGR of 31.1% during the study period, owing to rise in demand for advanced security mechanisms to prevent card-related frauds and fradulent insurance claim frauds. The other segments analyzed in the report include retail & e-commerce, government and defense, education and others are. Risk and compliance management segment to register highest CAGR by 2025 The risk and compliance management segment is projected to register the fastest CAGR of 26.6% during the forecast period, owing to the increase in demand for risk and compliance management solutions among end-user organizations to reduce cyber and data breach risks. However, the continuous authentication segment held the largest share in 2017, contributing nearly one-third of the total revenue, as the data captured through continuous keystroke dynamics enables real-time authentication and prevents data breach after the initial login process. The report also analyzes identity proofing and fraud detection & prevention segments. North America region to garner largest revenue through 2025 North America region contributed the largest share, with nearly two-fifths of the total market revenue in 2017. This is attributed to the increased demand for security and verification on account of the surge in cyberattacks and data breaches in this region and rise in demand for multimodal biometrics in government databases, large organizations, and defense sector for safeguarding confidential data. However, Asia-Pacific region is expected to register the fastest CAGR of 27.5% during the forecast period, owing to rise in online transactions, growth of the e-commerce industry, and increase in expenditure by government and BFSI organizations to beef up security to safeguard data. Major market players The key players analyzed in the report include KeyTrak Inc., ID Control, Delfigo Security, Authenware Corporation, SERBAN Biometrics, TypingDNA, BehavioSec Inc., Intensity Analytics, DeepNet Security, and Daon Inc. Access KNOWLEDGE TREE (Premium on-demand, subscription-based pricing model) at:https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/knowledgetree 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: Cloud Identity Access Management (IAM) Market - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2014 - 2020 Security Information and Event Management Market - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2014 - 2022 About Us Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. 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. Contact: David Correa 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States USA/Canada (Toll Free): +1-800-792-5285, +1-503-894-6022, +1-503-446-1141 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1(855)550-5975 help@alliedmarketresearch.com Web: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com LONDON and AMSTERDAM, Feb. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Creative technology company Splash Worldwide is honored to announce the immediate addition of Mareike Ahner as Account Director for the company's office in Amsterdam. Ahner's appointment was announced by Splash's Group Client Services Director, Maja Seggerman. Ahner brings more than 10 years of expertise in establishing and managing integrated marketing operations processes across international markets to her new position with Splash. She previously spent seven years as an Account Director for Hogarth Worldwide in the firm's offices in Dusseldorf, Hamburg and London. Her connections and skills also leverage accomplishments forged through key staff positions within major European offices of BBDO, TBWA and Jung von Matt. "Splash is a completely independent company with a flexible and nimble way of working," Ahner began. "What also attracted me is the outstanding expertise in technology and digital communication in combination with strong creative and strategic capabilities. I will be the 'feet on the ground' for some of our existing clients based in the Amsterdam area and for business development here, working closely with our HQ in London." "Our clients need us to deploy their creative communications intelligently around the world," said Seggerman. "This means we need creative empathy, production knowledge and technology to support delivery. Mareike's skillset encapsulates all of this to help us bring an international mindset to our clients' most ambitious expectations." To support Splash Worldwide's mission to Unleash Creativity around the globe, the expanding company continues to seek out dynamic individuals driven to innovate and collaborate with the world's best. To learn more about open positions across its network of offices in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, please visit http://bit.ly/JoinSWW. About Splash Worldwide Splash Worldwide (https://www.splashworldwide.com) is a creative technology company that unleashes creativity for everyone, everywhere. With multi-disciplinary insight, creative, production, technology, consulting and innovation teams, we collaborate with clients to create impactful content and distribute it within the right ecosystems. Our offices in London, New York, Los Angeles, Portland, Amsterdam, Dubai, and Singapore serve the world's largest brands and bridge the gap from concept to delivery. NOTE TO EDITORS: Image to accompany this story available here: http://www.darnellworks.com/splashww/mareike.html Innodisk is bringing its AIoT-ready solutions for embedded industrial memory, storage, and expansion at Embedded World 2019 in Nuremberg, Germany NUREMBERG, Germany, Feb. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Innodisk is at the forefront with AIoT and integrated industrial solutions. To help facilitate the merger with AI technology, Innodisk has already assembled a lineup of AIoT-ready solutions which will be showcased in hall 1, booth 259, 261 at 2019 Embedded World in Nuremberg, Germany. In addition, Innodisk will contribute to the embedded world Exhibitors' Forum with a presentation titled "Industrial Storage at the Edge - Orchestrating AIoT-Ready Solutions", by C.C. Wu, vice president of Innodisk on February 27 from 1:30 to 2:00 pm. The live AIoT demos from Innodisk uses AI platforms and include 2D and 3D Facial recognition, 3D measurement setup and object detection, will provide fascinating insights into practical applications such as airports and smart city surveillance. In these multi-platform demonstrations, the Innodisk AIoT solution will demonstrate how AI can be integrated into IoV and IoT platforms while performing different tasks using industrial SSD and memory modules. Among the newest product innovations, we have the 32GB Industrial-grade DRAM modules. This high capacity solution joins the team of wide temperature 2666MT/s ECC and RDIMM modules in Innodisk's AIoT push. These modules are specifically suited for demanding workloads while simultaneously being able to withstand the tough conditions at the edge. For flash storage, the newest 3D NAND devices in various form factors will be on display along with the new high-performance M.2 PCIe solid state drive (SSD) series. Equally important is I/O expansion. Many current platforms require full redesign to comply with the demands of AIoT. With Innodisk's expansion card, these platforms can easily integrate display, CANbus, serial and LAN capabilities. These cards are now all available in a robust M.2 form factor, with the newest M.2 display card supporting 4K resolution. Join us at Embedded World to learn more about our AIoT solutions and innovative products. Booth No.1-259, 1-261, Hall 1 2019/02/26 - 2019/02/28 Nuremberg, Germany About Innodisk Featured on Forbes' Asia's 200 Best Under A Billion companies, Innodisk is ranked as Top 1 global Industrial SSD manufacturer and a service-driven provider of flash memory, DRAM modules and embedded peripheral products for the industrial and enterprise applications. For more information about Innodisk, please visit https://www.innodisk.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/817845/Elektronik_Praxis.jpg Cura Partners, Inc., one of the largest cannabis and hemp-based CBD consumer products companies in the world, is officially entering the European market (EU) through a distribution agreement with Plata Wellness. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190206005217/en/ The agreement allows Cura's Select CBD products to be available direct to consumers in legal markets across Europe via the website www.selectcbd.eu. Cura has appointed Plata Wellness Limited (Plata) to assist with its entry into the EU. In addition to Plata's role as Cura's inaugural overseas distributor, Plata is also providing a number of other services including order fulfilment, payment processing, and in the future, licensing and manufacturing. This partnership begins with the introductions of Select's CBD disposable vaporizer cartridges but will, over time, add other legal consumer products including tinctures, gel caps and muscle rubs. "Cura's decision to move into Europe is in direct alignment with the company's mission to be the leading provider of cannabis oil to consumers and brands in legal U.S. and international markets," said President and Chief Executive Officer Cameron Forni. "I'm proud of the team that made this possible, and look forward to partnering with Plata Wellness to get the Select CBD brand into the hands of consumers across Europe." Europe is home to more than 741 million people, more than double the combined population of the United States and Canada. When trying to extrapolate these numbers to account for the potential demand in Europe's much larger population, there is a crystal-clear reason why established cannabis companies in the United States are now turning their attention to Europe. "We are delighted to have partnered with Cura, the market leading company in this sector. We are excited to work together to bring the Select brand to prominence in Europe and to supply consumers with these award-winning products," said Jon Robson, Managing Director at Plata Wellness Limited. Consumers in the United Kingdom can purchase Select CBD Blends vape pens online at www.selectcbd.eu with additional products coming soon. About Select CBD Select CBD products are hemp-derived and contain zero percent THC. Produced by Cura Wellness, the brand pairs naturally extracted essences with CBD rich oil, capturing the synergy between herbs and CBD. Learn more about the Select CBD line of products online at: www.selectcbd.com About Cura Partners, Inc. Cura is one of the largest cannabis companies in the world, on a mission to be the leading provider of cannabis oil in legal U.S. and international markets. Our goal is to provide people with the cleanest high-quality cannabis and hemp oils, with the safest delivery methods available. Makers of the Select Oil and Select CBD brands, Cura was established in Portland, Oregon in 2015. In 2018, we were named as one of the Top 100 Companies to Work For in Oregon by Oregon Business Magazine, placing no. 12 in the Large Companies category. Also, in 2018, we aplaced no. 45 on the Inc. 5000 list and were listed by Portland Business Journal as the fastest-growing company in Oregon's history. In addition to our home state of Oregon, we are proud to have a large presence in Nevada, California, Arizona and soon additional states and locations across North America and around the world. Learn more at: www.curacan.com About Plata Plata is a UK based specialist in distribution of consumer goods. Established in 2016, it counts several high end retailers as its clientele. Plata has extensive experience and reach in Europe and is proud to have assisted Cura in completing the first legal export of finished article CBD product from the US. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190206005217/en/ Contacts: Cura Partners, Inc. Public Relations Director: Jordon Rahmil, Jrahmil@curacan.com 503-509-7645 BRUSSELS, February 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- One of Us European Federation and its forty member organizations of 19 European Union countries will gather in Paris on the 23rd of February, in Palais du Luxembourg. During a conference, which is placed under the high patronage of Professor Remi Brague (from the Institut de France) the Cultural Platform One of Us will be launched. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/818088/One_Of_Us_Logo.jpg ) 150 thinkers from all over Europe will join the platform to form a "think tank" to debate about the future of Europe. The group which exists from intellectuals such as philosophers, historians, lawyers, doctors will strive together for the renewal of Europe, in which human dignity will again be recognized and valued within its laws and (political) actions. The purpose of the conference is to awaken the intelligence and conscience of Europe. Intellectuals from various countries will speak during this conference. The presidency of the day will be provided by Mr. Jaime Mayor Oreja, President of the One of Us Federation, former Minister (Spain), and former Member of the European Parliament. Europe faithful to Human Dignity One of Us was founded in 2014 after the success of the first European citizens' initiative One of Us. Almost two million people signed then against the destruction of human embryos. One of Us is committed to the unconditional recognition of human dignity, and the protection of human life in the most vulnerable stages of development, but also in times of illness, advanced age and the life ending. The One of Us Cultural Platform is a step forward of the European Federation One of Us, born as a European Citizen Initiative. Manifesto of the Cultural Platform One of Us During the launch of the Cultural Platform the main objectives of the One of Us Cultural Platform Manifesto will be presented. The Manifesto is a result of a study by all intellectuals who participate in the Forum and it incorporates their contributions, which were gathered at a meeting held in Valencia on May 26, 2018. In Paris One of Us aims to establish the method of work of the Cultural Platform and its future projects. The main topic of reflection is the analysis of the current ethical dilemmas that threaten European society. Intellectuals will debate on how these dilemmas can be averted and turned into an opportunity for the future of Europe, as it was once meant to be: connected, in peaceful harmony with understanding and respect for the value of life. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 5) A South Korean firm is looking to help shipbuilding firm Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction (HHIC), a top defense official said. In an interview with reporters Monday, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana named automobile company Hyundai Motors among those eyeing to help HHIC, which has recently filed for corporate rehabilitation. "Lately, I also heard that Hyundai of Korea is also interested," Lorenzana said when asked if the government is interested in taking over the shipping firm. But this does not rule out a possible takeover by the government. "If worse comes to worst that we have to take over then the Senate has already allocated money to takeover the facility and then the navy plus some local shipbuilders also can come in and run the facility," Lorenzana added. The Department of Labor and Employment has previously pledged to assist the workers who will be displaced by HHIC's rehabilitation to find new jobs. READ: DOLE to assist in re-employing Hanjin workers LONDON, Feb. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- PremFina Ltd ("PremFina" or the "Company"), the first premium finance company to offer a proprietary software as a white-label service in the U.K., is pleased to announce the appointment of Glenn Marshall to its business development team. Marshall joins PremFina after spending seven years as an independent business development consultant in the software, banking and insurance industries. Prior to that, he spent 12 years at Close Brothers Premium Finance ("CBPF") working in business development and sales, including the last three years as a sales manager. "PremFina is re-inventing the U.K. insurance premium finance industry," said Marshall. "I want to be part of that new iteration of the industry with those who are at the forefront of such change." Marshall will help further the Company's presence and generate sales primarily in the North West. His appointment comes just weeks after PremFina announced Anete Kreinberga had joined as a Credit Risk Manager, making him the Company's third hire of an ex-CBPF employee. "Glenn is a fantastic addition to our team especially since he has the experience to value much needed innovation we're bringing to the market," said Bundeep Singh Rangar, the CEO of PremFina. "No doubt he'll help our business grow and stand out." PremFina's diverse staff includes those who have previously worked for rivals such as BNP Paribas Premium Finance and the Royal Bank of Scotland's (RBS) former premium finance division, Finsure. About PremFina PremFina Ltd is a UK-based premium finance company that promotes financial inclusion by enabling the payment of insurance premiums via instalments. It supplies insurance brokers with funding lines and also enables broker-funded and branded credit agreements via its Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) affiliate IXL PremFina Ltd. With PremFina, brokers receive higher profit, greater autonomy and the opportunity to increase the lifetime value of their customers as well as cross-sell and up-sell additional products. PremFina's shareholders include global investors Rakuten Capital, Draper Esprit Plc, Thomvest Ventures, Emery Capital, Rubicon Venture Capital, Talis Capital and the Company's founder. Website: https://www.premfina.com For All Enquiries: Pawandeep Kaur Marketing Assistant Pawandeep.Kaur@PremFina.com +44-203-500-3462 SHENZHEN, China, Feb. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Mindray (SZSE: 300760), a global leading developer and provider of medical devices and solutions, has announced the official launch of its brand new patient monitor range - the ePM Series - in late January, 2019. As the much-awaited fourth generation of Mindray's popular mid-acuity monitors, the ePM Series delivers an excellent visual experience, intelligent operation, accurate physiological measurements, smooth workflow and comprehensive connectivity options for demanding hospital settings, such as emergency rooms, recovery units, sub-acute units and general wards. "Integrating decades of clinical insights, our new ePM Series patient monitors are designed to address the monitoring pain points of our customers in sub-acute care areas," according to Sabrina Lin, Senior Business Director of PMLS Business Unit at Mindray. Developed around the philosophy of simplicity, the ePM Series brings a smartphone-like user experience. As the first monitor supporting gesture operation in the mid-acuity patient monitor market, it is easy to use without sacrificing any functionality. Efficient workflow enabled by user-friendly user interface design allows caregivers to access common functions in no more than 2 steps. The ePM Series is equipped with various Clinical Assistive Applications (CAAs), such as automated Early Warning Scoring (EWS), which helps caregivers identify deteriorating patients quicker and more accurately. Other measurement tools are specially designed for neonates to improve safety in NICU. In many cases, patients in mid-acuity care areas are conscious and moving, causing unintentional yet unwelcome interference and false alarms during the monitoring. This could further burden already very busy caregivers, leading the risk of alarm fatigue to rise. The ePM Series features innovative CrozFusion technology, which combines and analyses SpO 2 pleth waveforms and ECG to help reduce false arrhythmia alarms by 50%, and increase the accuracy of heart rate and pulse rate by 30%*. With seamless connection to the Central Station or the hospital's Electronic Medical Record (EMR), the ePM Series allows continuous monitoring at the point of care, be it at the bedside or on the move. Inheriting advantages from the last three generations (the 509, PM-9000 and iPM Series), the ePM Series patient monitors are set to create a new milestone in the evolution of Mindray mid-acuity patient monitoring technology. "The ePM Series well represents our mission - advanced medical technologies to make healthcare more accessible," said Huang Haitao, Vice President of Mindray. * Source: Mindray multi-parameter fusion database. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/817152/Mindray_ePM_Series_Patient_Monitor.jpg Airbus will deploy Dassault Systemes' 3DEXPERIENCE platform to take major step forward in its digital transformation Airbus makes digital design, manufacturing and services a reality across all divisions and product lines Regulatory News: This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190205006036/en/ (Photo: Dassault Systemes) Airbus and Dassault Systemes (Paris:DSY) have signed a five-year Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to cooperate on the implementation of collaborative 3D design, engineering, manufacturing, simulation and intelligence applications. This will enable Airbus to take a major step forward in its digital transformation and lay the foundation for a new European industrial ecosystem in aviation. Under the MOA, Airbus will deploy Dassault Systemes' 3DEXPERIENCE platform, which delivers digital continuity, from design to operations, in a single data model for a unified user experience, making digital design, manufacturing and services (DDMS) a company-wide reality for all Airbus divisions and product lines. DDMS paves the way for breakthroughs in new product design, operational performance, support and maintenance, customer satisfaction and new business models, as it represents a move from sequential to parallel development processes. Instead of first focusing on product performance, Airbus will be able to co-design and develop the next generation of aircraft with the manufacturing facilities that will produce them, reducing costs and time to market. "We are not just talking about digitalisation or a 3D experience, we are rethinking the way aircraft are designed and operated, streamlining and speeding up our processes with customer satisfaction in mind," said Guillaume Faury, President Airbus Commercial Aircraft. "DDMS is a catalyst for change and with it we are building a new model for the European aerospace industry with state of the art technology. Our target is a robust production setup that offers a reduction in product development lead time." "Nothing exemplifies the intersection of technology, science and art more than aviation. When we reflect on how the industry has evolved to where it is today, it's a blend of technical prowess, digital precision and inspiration," said Bernard Charles, Vice Chairman and CEO, Dassault Systemes. "The Aerospace industry has a proven track record of fast transformation, faster than in most industries. It delivers high quality innovation and new services for operations in highly complex and regulated environments. The 3DEXPERIENCE platform will accelerate the digital transformation of Airbus. Airbus can capture insights and expertise from across its ecosystem to deliver new experiences that only the digital world makes possible." Share on Twitter: @Airbus @Dassault3DS embark on strategic partnership to create the European aerospace industry of tomorrow digitaltransformation smartmanufacturing factoryofthefuture 3DEXPERIENCE About Airbus Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2017 it generated revenues of 59 billion restated for IFRS 15 and employed a workforce of around 129,000. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners from 100 to more than 600 seats. Airbus is also a European leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as one of the world's leading space companies. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide. About Dassault Systemes Dassault Systemes, the 3DEXPERIENCE Company, provides business and people with virtual universes to imagine sustainable innovations. Its world-leading solutions transform the way products are designed, produced, and supported. Dassault Systemes' collaborative solutions foster social innovation, expanding possibilities for the virtual world to improve the real world. The group brings value to over 250,000 customers of all sizes, in all industries, in more than 140 countries. For more information, visit www.3ds.com. 3DEXPERIENCE, the Compass logo and the 3DS logo, CATIA, SOLIDWORKS, ENOVIA, DELMIA, SIMULIA, GEOVIA, EXALEAD, 3D VIA, BIOVIA, NETVIBES and 3DEXCITE are registered trademarks of Dassault Systemes or its subsidiaries in the US and/or other countries. This and other press releases and high resolution photos are available on: AirbusNewsroom View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190205006036/en/ Contacts: Airbus Media Contacts Matthieu DUVELLEROY matthieu.duvelleroy@airbus.com +33 (0)6 29 43 15 64 Lois BENQUET lois.benquet@airbus.com +33 (0)6 42 88 10 65 Dassault Systemes Press Contacts Corporate / France Arnaud MALHERBE arnaud.malherbe@3ds.com +33 (0)1 61 62 87 73 North America Suzanne MORAN suzanne.moran@3ds.com +1 (781) 810 3774 EMEAR Virginie BLINDENBERG virginie.blindenberg@3ds.com +33 (0) 1 61 62 84 21 China Grace MU grace.mu@3ds.com +86 10 6536 2288 India Santanu BHATTACHARYA santanu.bhattacharya@3ds.com +91 124 457 7111 Japan Yukiko SATO yukiko.sato@3ds.com +81 3 4321 3841 Korea Hyunkyung CHAE hyunkyung.chae@3ds.com +82 2 3271 6653 AP South Magdalene TAN magdalene.tan@3ds.com +65 9487 1206 LONDON - TORTOLA / ACCESSWIRE / February 6, 2019 / Atlas Mara Limited ("Atlas Mara" or the "Company" and, including its subsidiaries, the "Group") (LSE: ATMA), the sub-Saharan Africa financial services group, today announces the following key initiatives and updates: Atlas Mara's Board of Directors is undertaking a review of strategic options and assessing indications of interest for certain banking assets Atlas Mara continues focus on investments in core markets where a path to market leadership is clearly achievable; will seek to partner, exit or reduce risk exposure elsewhere Atlas Mara announces plan to accelerate new digital banking & agricultural finance initiatives, including a Memorandum of Understanding to consider the acquisition of Fairfax Africa's 35% stake in GroCapital, a South African financial services provider Atlas Mara announces leadership transitions and enhancements to its management team and operational structure The Board of Directors of Atlas Mara is undertaking a review of strategic options to determine the key strategic priorities and actions for 2019 and beyond to drive shareholder value. The process includes a review of each banking operation to ensure that top five market leadership is practicably achievable in the near term, or to explore transactions that will reduce risk exposure where such leadership is unlikely on a stand-alone basis. As part of this process, Atlas Mara has retained Citigroup Global Markets Limited ("Citi") to assist in the review and to evaluate various indicative proposals received by and options available to the Company. The Board has identified the following key strategic priorities for 2019 and beyond that must be in place to realize substantial core operational growth and maximize value: 1. Focus on the core to maximize value by reducing exposure and/or activities in non-core markets; exploring potential strategic partnerships; selectively expanding into new scalable markets and/or increasing the depth and scope of financial services offered. 2. Accelerate agricultural finance platform given the importance of the sector in Africa, with expertise that can be leveraged across Atlas Mara's markets through a potential new investment in a 35% stake in GroCapital, a financial services platform in the South African market. 3. Execute on Nigerian strategy by achieving consolidation of Union Bank of Nigeria ("UBN"), and supporting opportunities for prudent growth along with a capital and liquidity plan oriented towards a sustainable dividend policy. 4. Invest in high-impact technology and digital banking strategy, including establishing a sub-Saharan pan-African digital bank, creating transactional platforms to drive substantially lower cost of funds, enhancing core banking systems, and developing technology-enabled products to retain and grow Atlas Mara's customer base. 5. Reposition Markets & Treasury business line and expand client base and offerings, moving closer to relevant business opportunities, and accelerating revenue growth by offering a full suite of products and services to a larger and more diverse group of clients. Further detail of these strategic initiatives will be communicated as part of an Investor Day intended to be held following the release of Atlas Mara's 2018 financial results. Fairfax Africa Holdings Corporation ("Fairfax Africa"), as the largest shareholder of Atlas Mara, and Atlas Merchant Capital ("AMC"), the investment platform of the founder of Atlas Mara, remain committed to these strategic priorities to accelerate the transformation of the Group and create shareholder value. As a long-term Africa investor with a permanent capital base and a footprint complementary to that of Atlas Mara, Fairfax Africa continues to represent a strong and supportive strategic partner for the Company to enable its next phase of growth. The companies are exploring geographic and operational synergies, given Fairfax Africa's holdings and expertise across the sector including in agricultural finance, infrastructure finance, and insurance, among other areas. Union Bank of Nigeria Nigeria remains a flagship market for Atlas Mara and is central to the Company's overall strategy. The Company is focused on execution of its previously stated objectives, including achieving consolidation of UBN. Atlas Mara remains committed to supporting UBN's strategies for growth within the Nigeria banking industry. Notably, Atlas Mara will support a growth strategy consistent with prudent management of capital and liquidity and a sustainable dividend policy. Digital Banking As part of its strategic imperative to be a positive disruptive force in the banking industry, Atlas Mara will focus on developing a digital banking platform that can be implemented across its markets to strengthen its retail banking franchise, and which is expected to lead to a broader base of deposits and lower cost of funds. Sub-Saharan Africa remains one of the greatest global opportunities for enhancing financial intermediation using technology, and Atlas Mara intends to use the Digital Bank to accelerate its core business growth and profitability across the Group. Atlas Mara believes that the Digital Bank presents a significant opportunity for growth, and the Company is increasing its focus on the initiative. As a result, the Board has asked John Staley, CEO, who has significant experience and expertise in this area, to focus his efforts in 2019 on developing this opportunity for the Company. Leadership Changes Atlas Mara announces that Bob Diamond, a founder of the Company, has decided to transition from his role of Chairman and return to his role as a non-executive director of the Board, to enable him to increase his focus on his other executive roles while continuing to contribute actively to Atlas Mara's growth and strategic direction. As previously announced, Mr. Diamond assumed the role of Chairman on an interim basis with the expectation that a new Chairman would be appointed in due course. He has served as Chairman for two years, guiding Atlas Mara through a substantial transformation, including its strategic financing with Fairfax Africa and the increase in its ownership of UBN from 31% to 49%. Concurrently, the Board has appointed Michael Wilkerson, a non-executive director of Atlas Mara, to assume the role of Executive Chairman. Mr. Wilkerson currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of Fairfax Africa, a TSX-listed company focused on investments in Africa, and the largest shareholder in Atlas Mara. In other changes, Funke Opeke, Chair of the Nominations Committee and Hisham Ezz Al-Arab have resigned as directors of Atlas Mara to focus on their leadership responsibilities with other companies, as CEO and as Chairman and Managing Director, respectively. The Board has appointed Mr. Diamond to assume the role of Chair of the Nominations Committee in place of Ms. Opeke. The Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Jawaid Mirza as an independent non-executive member of the Board, effective April 1, 2019. Mr. Mirza has over 30 years of experience in banking with global financial institutions, including senior executive positions with Citibank and ABN AMRO Bank. He served as ABN AMRO's CFO European Region, Managing Director and COO for Global Private Banking, Asset Management and New Growth Markets, and Managing Director and CFO for Asia, Middle East and Australia. Mr. Mirza also served as Group COO and later CEO and Managing Director for Consumer & Commercial at Commercial International Bank of Egypt. Mr. Mirza is currently an independent non-executive board member of Eurobank Ergasias (Athens), where he chairs the Audit Committee and is a member of the Risk Committee, and of Commercial International Bank ("CIB") of Egypt, where he chairs the Audit Committee and is a member of the Risk and Board Technology & Operations committees. He is also a non-executive board member of the South African Bank of Athens. Mr. Diamond said, "I am excited to return to my original role on the Board and to continue to partner with Michael to accelerate the execution of our strategy. My belief in our ambition - to create a premier sub-Saharan African financial institution to better serve continental and global customers - remains as strong as the day we founded the Company." Mr. Diamond also said of the transitions, "On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Funke and Hisham for their valuable contributions to the growth and strategic direction of Atlas Mara. They provided extraordinary service and leadership, and we wish them all the best with their companies. I am also excited to work with Jawaid, who I know will bring incredible value to the Board." Mr. Wilkerson said, "On behalf of the Board of Directors and the Company, I want to express our gratitude to Bob for his leadership as Chairman through the challenging times of the past two years. I look forward to continuing to work together on the Board to build on our partnership to fulfill the vision of creating a leading, sub-Saharan African financial services platform to better serve our customers and communities. Mr. Wilkerson continued, "We thank Funke and Hisham for their service and look forward to welcoming Jawaid to the Atlas Mara Board of Directors. We have high regard for Jawaid's expertise and know that he will add substantial value to the Company going forward." Atlas Mara further announces that Muhammad "Omar" Khan has been appointed Chief Financial Officer of Atlas Mara effective April 2019. Kenroy Dowers, who served as Acting Chief Financial Officer, will continue in his role as Group Managing Director for Strategy and Investments. Mr. Wilkerson said, "We greatly appreciate Kenroy's strong leadership and significant contributions as Acting CFO, and look forward to continuing to work with him." Mr. Khan was previously Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Commercial International Bank ("CIB"). Mr. Khan has over 24 years of banking experience in the Middle East, Asia, Europe and Canada with Citibank, ABN AMRO, Royal Bank of Scotland and CIB, among others. During this time Mr. Khan has developed expertise in a multitude of areas of banking, including Finance, Asset & Liability Management, Service & Quality, Retail, Operations, Human Resources, Project Management and Administration. Proposed Acquisition of 35% stake in GroCapital Consistent with the strategic alignment outlined above, Atlas Mara and Fairfax Africa have entered into a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding whereby Atlas Mara would explore the acquisition, in a proposed share exchange transaction on terms to be agreed, Fairfax Africa's 35% stake in GroCapital Holdings Limited ("GroCapital"), a South African financial services provider with a core focus on the agricultural and food processing sectors. This transaction will be subject to finalizing definitive agreements, as well as the approval of the South African Reserve Bank, the Minister of Finance, and the Competition Commission, and other regulatory approvals and customary conditions precedent. In addition to Fairfax Africa, GroCapital's shareholders include the Public Investment Corporation of South Africa (35%) and AFGRI Holdings Limited ("AHL") (30%). Fairfax Africa has a 43% indirect beneficial interest in AHL. GroCapital offers through its subsidiaries comprehensive traditional business banking such as lending, transactional banking and treasury functions, as well as alliance, business and international banking. Its subsidiaries are known for a focus on the development of market-leading, niche alliance transactional banking offerings in partnership with businesses. GroCapital's go-forward strategy is to focus on companies in agriculture and food production, offering debt origination, forex and commodity trading, specialised finance and broking services, and an array of financial and insurance products and services directly to the farmer and agricultural intermediaries. As part of AHL, GroCapital has an established track record in financial services, offering bespoke financial products and services to the agribusiness and food sectors. AHL maintains c. $1 billion in farmer and corporate loan portfolios, with a proven history of negligible bad debts through multiple agricultural cycles. When concluded, this transaction would position Atlas Mara to access the South African banking market, enabling it to participate in financing of trade flows, foreign exchange, commodity finance and retail banking, and allow for operational integration into the core banking and technology environment of the Company, including with regard to digital banking and cross-border payments. The Board sees considerable potential for the Company to capitalize on the large market opportunity in agricultural finance ("agrifinance") in sub-Saharan Africa and the unique positioning Atlas Mara could achieve with this strategic transaction to enhance its capabilities in this industry vertical. The World Bank estimated in a 2016 report on agribusiness in sub-Saharan Africa that the sector faces an annual financing gap of at least $11 billion, and agribusinesses routinely cite the lack of access to financing as one of the key impediments to their growth. Atlas Mara's current footprint includes markets in which agriculture is a leading contributor to economic output but remains underbanked. For example, in Nigeria, the Company's largest market, agriculture is one of the largest economic contributors at more than 20% of GDP and more than 30% of employment per the World Bank's 2017 data, but represents a far smaller proportion of credit and financial services transactions. Atlas Mara's footprint is well matched to a focused agrifinance strategy, and the Board foresees the potential of such a strategic transaction to enhance the Company's agrifinance-specific capabilities and expand its reach into new, attractive agrifinance markets. The Board of Directors of Atlas Mara will form a special committee of independent directors who are unaffiliated with Fairfax Africa or GroCapital to assess the strategic merits of the potential transaction, and to oversee negotiation of the key terms of a proposed agreement. Operating Structure The Company is also reviewing its operational structures. Dubai will for the time being remain the corporate headquarters of Atlas Mara, while the Company accelerates the shift of key functions and personnel closer to Atlas Mara's banking operations in Africa. Over time, the Group expects to eliminate various duplicative structures that were inherited from previous acquisitions, which is expected to result in greater operational efficiencies and lower costs. As part of the review the Company has also determined to reposition the Markets & Treasury offshore business segment, to be more strategically located for additional business opportunities, and in light of the potential agreement to acquire a substantial position in GroCapital, which will give Atlas Mara its first presence in South Africa. The offshore segment will transition from its base in Dubai, with further plans to be announced in due course. Contact Details Investors Kojo Dufu, +1 212 883 4330 Media Teneo, +44 20 7420 3142 Anthony Silverman About Atlas Mara Atlas Mara Limited (LON: ATMA) is a financial services institution founded by Bob Diamond and listed on the London Stock Exchange. Its vision is to create sub-Saharan Africa's premier financial services institution through organic and inorganic growth by combining the best of global institutional knowledge with extensive local insights. With a presence in seven sub-Saharan countries, Atlas Mara aims to be a positive disruptive force in the markets in which we operate by leveraging technology to provide innovative and differentiated product offerings, deliver excellent customer service and accelerate financial inclusion. For more information, visit www.atlasmara.com Forward Looking Statement and Disclaimers This announcement does not constitute or form part of any offer or invitation to purchase, otherwise acquire, issue, subscribe for, sell or otherwise dispose of any securities, nor any solicitation of any offer to purchase, otherwise acquire, issue, subscribe for, sell, or otherwise dispose of any securities. The release, publication or distribution of this announcement in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law and therefore persons in such jurisdictions into which this announcement is released, published or distributed should inform themselves about and observe such restrictions. Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements which are based on Atlas Mara's expectations, intentions and projections regarding its future performance, anticipated events or trends and other matters that are not historical facts, including expectations regarding the future operating and financial performance of the Company. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward- looking statements and the actual events or consequences may differ materially from those contained in or expressed by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of such statements and, except as required by applicable law or regulation, Atlas Mara expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com. SOURCE: Atlas Mara Limited View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/534593/Atlas-Mara-Undertakes-Review-of-Strategic-Options LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / February 6, 2019 / Anglo Pacific Group PLC ("Anglo Pacific", the "Company" or the "Group") (LSE: APF, TSX: APY), the London and Toronto listed royalty company, is pleased to announce that the directors are recommending a 25% increase in the final dividend for 2018, to be approved at the 2019 Annual General Meeting ("AGM") on 13 May 2019. Highlights 25% increase in the final dividend being recommended for 2018 Final quarterly dividend of 3.125p per share being recommended by the directors, subject to shareholder approval at the 2019 AGM Combined with the 4.875p per share in quarterly dividends already paid or declared in 2018, this would result in a total dividend of 8p per share for the year, a ~14% increase on the 7p per share paid in 2017 Quarterly base dividend level of 1.625p to be retained for 2019 with the final dividend to be decided when announcing the Q4 2019 dividend The dividend timetable for 2019 is as follows: Q3 2018 Q4 2018 * Q1 2019 Q2 2019 Amount (pence) 1.625p 3.125p 1.625p 1.625p Payment date 14-Feb-19 30-May-19 15 Aug 19 14 Nov 19 Record date 04-Jan-19 17-May-19 5 July 19 4 Oct 19 Ex-div date 03-Jan-19 16-May-19 4 July 19 3 Oct 19 * subject to shareholder approval at the 2019 AGM Julian Treger, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, commented: "After a record year of income in 2018 we are pleased to recommend a 25% increase in the final dividend for 2018, bringing the total dividend for the year to 8p per share. In arriving at this number, we took into account a very strong set of results for 2018 along with the prospect of meaningful growth from Kestrel in 2019, as announced in our recent Q4 2018 trading update. We are mindful of balancing our growth ambitions with rewarding our shareholders for their continued support and feel that this level of dividend provides healthy dividend cover in excess of 2 times while allowing us to recycle income into growth opportunities. Growth remains the firm focus for 2019." This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of EU Regulation 596/2014 (as amended) Anglo Pacific Group PLC +44 (0) 20 3435 7400 Julian Treger - Chief Executive Officer Kevin Flynn - Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary Website: www.anglopacificgroup.com BMO Capital Markets Limited +44 (0) 20 7664 8020 Jeffrey Couch / Tom Rider / Neil Elliot Canaccord Genuity Limited +44 (0) 20 7523 8000 Martin Davison / James Asensio Peel Hunt LLP +44 (0) 20 7418 8900 Ross Allister / James Bavister / David McKeown Capital Market Communications Limited (Camarco) +44 (0)20 3757 4997 Gordon Poole / Owen Roberts / James Crothers Notes to Editors About Anglo Pacific Anglo Pacific Group PLC is a global natural resources royalty company. The Company's strategy is to develop a leading international diversified royalty company with a portfolio centred on base metals and bulk materials, focusing on accelerating income growth mainly through acquiring royalties on projects that are currently cash flow generating or are expected to be within the next 24 months, as well as investment in earlier stage royalties. It is a continuing policy of the Company to pay a substantial portion of these royalties to shareholders as dividends. Cautionary statement on forward-looking statements and related information Certain information contained in this announcement, including any information as to future financial or operating performance and other statements that express management's expectation or estimates of future performance, constitute "forward looking statements". The words "expects", "anticipates", "plans", "believes", "estimates", "seeks", "intends", "targets", "projects", "forecasts", or negative versions thereof and other similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Further, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, estimated or intended in the forward-looking statements. Furthermore, this announcement contains information and statements that are based on certain estimates and forecasts that have been provided to the Group by Kestrel Coal Pty Ltd ("KCPL"), the accuracy of which KCPL does not warrant and on which readers may not rely. The material assumptions and risks relevant to the forward-looking statements in this announcement include, but are not limited to: stability of the global economy; stability of local government and legislative background; continuing of ongoing operations at the properties underlying the Group's portfolio of royalties in a manner consistent with past practice; accuracy of public statements and disclosures (including feasibility studies and estimates of reserve, resource, production, grades, mine life, and cash cost) made by the owners and operators of such underlying properties; accuracy of the information provided to the Group by the owners and operators of such underlying properties; no material adverse change in the price of the commodities produced from the properties underlying the Group's portfolio of royalties and investments; no material adverse change in foreign exchange exposure; no adverse development in respect of any property in which the Group holds a royalty or other interest, including but not limited to unusual or unexpected geological formations and natural disasters; successful completion of new development projects; planned expansions or additional projects being within the timelines anticipated and at anticipated production levels; and maintenance of mining title. If any such risks actually occur, they could materially adversely affect the Group's business, financial condition or results of operations. For additional information with respect to such risks and uncertainties, please refer to the "Principal Risks and Uncertainties" section of our most recent Annual Report on the Group's website www.anglopacificgroup.com. Readers are cautioned to consider these and other factors, uncertainties and potential events carefully and not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are made as of the date of this announcement only and the Group undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Third party information As a royalty holder, the Group often has limited, if any, access to non-public scientific and technical information in respect of the properties underlying its portfolio of royalties, or such information is subject to confidentiality provisions. As such, in preparing this announcement, the Group has largely relied upon the public disclosures of the owners and operators of the properties underlying its portfolio of royalties, as available at the date of this announcement. This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com. Anglo Pacific Group PLCView source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/534566/Anglo-Pacific-Group-PLC-Announces-Recommended-Final-Dividend-for-2018 Pharmaceutical and biological customers can benefit from an extended supplier offering for their fill-finish lines and from a faster drug product time-to-market PADUA, Italy and AUBURN, Alabama, Feb. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Stevanato Group, through Ompi, its specialist in glass primary packaging for the pharmaceutical industry, and SiO2 Medical Products, Inc. ("SMP") jointly announce today a collaboration agreement. The agreement will enable pharmaceutical and biologics customers, contract filling organizations, and research laboratories to receive SMP's proprietary primary containers in Ompi's industry-recognized EZ-fill packaging configurations in trays and nest & tubs. SiO2 Medical Products, Inc., a privately-owned company, develops and manufactures precision-molded containers composed of engineered polymers, such as cyclic olefin polymer (COP), and incorporates a thin, transparent, silicon-based coating system composed of organosiloxane and silica nano-layers, which can also incorporate distinct surface properties. This new and patented coating system provides the durability and dimensional consistency of plastics with the oxygen barrier properties, ultra-low extractables, and pH stability of silica glass (i.e., quartz). Bringing together the best qualities of both plastics and glass containers, without their respective drawbacks, presents an innovative approach to primary packaging. SMP's primary containers supplied in Ompi's industry-known packaging configurations readily integrate with existing fill-finish processing lines and accelerate the commercialization of pharmaceuticals and biologics. EZ-fill trays and nest & tubs are designed to mitigate the risk of breakages, cosmetic issues, and particulate generation. Validated to be shipped in quantities as low as a single carton, Ompi EZ-fill offers a solution that can be extended from the clinical trial stage through to industrialization. Andrea Zambon, Marketing Director - Pharmaceutical Systems Division, Stevanato Group, said: "With the agreement with SMP, Ompi further strengthens its EZ-fill technology leadership and market positioning in secondary packaging. Thanks to our flexible, easy to use, and lean solution, clients can immediately integrate the EZ-fill packaging into their fill-finish lines to commercialize their therapies in the primary container of their choice, now including SMP's proprietary primary containers." Robert S. Abrams, Founder, CEO and Chairman of SMP, said: "We look forward to working with Ompi to fast-track the packaging, transportation, supply, and integration of SMP's primary containers with existing fill-finish lines. Ompi's industry-recognized EZ-fill packaging configurations are often requested by our customers, and we are pleased to collaborate to make that request a reality." About Stevanato Group: Founded in 1949, the Stevanato Group is the world's largest privately-owned designer and producer of glass parenteral packaging for the pharmaceutical industry. It comprises two operational divisions dedicated to serving the pharmaceutical industry. The Pharmaceutical Systems division comprises Ompi, specializing in glass primary packaging, and Balda, focused on specialty plastics and delivery devices. The Engineering Systems division comprises Spami, Optrel, InnoScan and SVM, specializing in glass processing, inspection systems, assembly and packaging solutions. These two divisions enjoy a close, mutually supportive relationship, which ensures that Stevanato Group has complete control over the entire production process. The Group also benefits from the SG Lab activity that provides technical and analytical services on the potential interaction between drug and container. For more information, please visit www.stevanatogroup.com. About SiO2 Medical Products, Inc.: SiO2 Medical Products, Inc. ("SMP") is a U.S. based, privately-held company founded in 2011. SMP has successfully developed and commercialized a wide range of novel products for use in pharmaceutical packaging, labware, and consumable applications. Using the well-known process of Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD), the SMP team has developed proprietary technology to apply thin, transparent coatings or plasma treatments to a broad range of medical devices. The resulting plasma coated medical devices possess outstanding barrier properties, while plasma treated surfaces have ultra-low protein/peptide binding capabilities. SMP is headquartered and has a state-of-the-art, 160,000 sq. ft. manufacturing and R&D facility in Auburn, Alabama; with sales, marketing, legal, and project management capabilities based out of offices near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For more information, please visit www.sio2med.com. SOURCE SiO2 Medical Products, Inc. For more information contact Jaimin B. Shah (legal@sio2med.com). Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/556205/SiO2_Logo.jpg Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 6, 2019) - Resinco Capital Partners Inc. (CSE: RIN) (OTC Pink: RSCZF) (FSE: L6V1) (the "Company" or "Resinco") is pleased to announce that the Company has appointed pioneer and trailblazer of modern immunology, Sir Marc Feldmann, to its Advisory Board after fully acquiring his company, ReFormation Pharmaceuticals Corp, a medical cannabis company developing innovative, first-in-class therapies to repair vital organs and stem cells by combining cannabinoids and an endogenous trigger of repair. Sir Marc Feldmann, whose research breakthrough on inflammation led to the creation of some of the world's top-selling drugs like Humira and Remicade, is embracing medical marijuana, through co-founding ReFormation Pharmaceuticals with Professor Jagdeep Nanchahal. Specifically, ReFormation Pharmaceuticals has identified a molecule (HMGB1) that primes the body's own stem cells to accelerate repair and regeneration following acute or chronic injury. "As medical marijuana regulations ease, Feldmann is paving the way for a new class of cannabis derived-drugs to treat pain and other conditions. His background and expertise will be valuable as we accelerate growth in the medical marijuana pharmaceutical space and capitalize on the industry's evolution," says Alex Somjen, President & CEO of Resinco. "I am pleased to chair Resinco's Advisory Board and work with the team to advance the Second Generation of the Medical cannabis industry," said Sir Marc Feldmann, Chairman and Founder of ReFormation Pharmaceuticals. "Through rigorous clinical trials using FDA approved practices, we intend to accelerate ReFormation's development of cannabis treatments triggering stem cell repair, where the medical benefits are based on hard science and government regulation." About Resinco Capital Partners Resinco Capital Partners is a global investment company which specializes in providing early stage financing to private and public companies as well as medical cannabis pharmaceutical companies. The Company engages in new, early stage investment opportunities in previously underdeveloped assets and obtaining significant positions in early stage investment opportunities that adequately reflect the risk profile. Website: www.resincocp.com About ReFormation Pharmaceuticals Corp ReFormation Pharmaceuticals Corp is a medical cannabis pharmaceutical Company headquartered in Toronto, ON, with its Research and Development team at the University of Oxford. The Company is focused on an innovative approach to repair vital organs by combining cannabinoids and an endogenous trigger of repair (HMGB1). ReFormation is based on disruptive technology which will deliver a first in-class therapeutic. The Company has identified a molecule that primes the body's own stem cells from a diverse range of tissues to accelerate repair and regeneration following acute or chronic injury. The Company's research pipeline will deliver further IP based on composition of matter and has a comprehensive work package of testing in animal models of diseases where no comparative treatment exists. ReFormation Pharmaceuticals is led by world class scientist, CEO and Chief Science Officer, Professor Jagdeep Nanchahal, of the University of Oxford. Website: https://www.reformationpharma.com/ Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Information: This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". The use of any of the words "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "would", "project", "should", "believe" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. These statements speak only as of the date of this News Release. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks including various risk factors discussed in the Company's disclosure documents which can be found under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com. RESINCO CAPITAL PARTNERS INC.: Company Contact Mr. Alexander Somjen, CEO 647-362-8998 Media Contact Tim Gray, Account Director KCSA Strategic Communications Phone: 212.682.6300 Email: Resinco@KCSA.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/42665 The Activist Investing Annual Review 2019, produced by Activist Insight in association with Schulte Roth Zabel (SRZ), was released today. The review analyzes trends in shareholder activism, ranks the top 10 activist investors and provides predictions for the year ahead. The review is in its sixth year of publication. Highlights from the 2019 review include: 922 companies were publicly subjected to activist demands, including more than 400 outside the United States; 142 U.S. settlements were recorded in 2018, versus 119 in 2017 and 168 the year before; and In 2018, the number of demands pushing for M&A increased by 23% compared to 2017, while the number of demands opposing M&A increased 8% year-over-year. Click here for a PDF of the review. Marc Weingarten and Ele Klein, SRZ partners and co-chairs of the firm's global Shareholder Activism Group, contributed expert commentary to the review. The publication also features interviews with Aneliya Crawford, New York-based shareholder activism and M&A and securities partner, Jim McNally, London-based shareholder activism, corporate and funds partner and Michael Swartz, SRZ partner who co-chairs the Litigation Group and heads the shareholder activism litigation practice. "This past year we've seen an increase in M&A-related activism, with activists publicly going against acquisition offers and others encouraging public companies to put themselves up for sale. These strategies were particularly effective in 2018 and remain a big part of the current market," said Mr. Weingarten. "Another development is that we now see some public companies accepting activist investors as important shareholders, and those companies are taking increasing efforts to seriously consider, and often accommodate, the activists' suggestions," commented Mr. Klein. "Activism reached record levels in many markets during 2018, fueled by high deal volumes and a new wave of settlements," said Josh Black of Activist Insight, who serves as editor-in-chief of the review. "At the same time, traditional activists departed from their playbooks in a multitude of ways and first-time dissidents continued to take up activist strategies, making shareholder engagement more complicated and demanding." "We are pleased to partner with Activist Insight on the publication of this review, which offers valuable insights on current trends in the shareholder activism industry," said Alan Waldenberg, chair of SRZ's Executive Committee. The Activist Investing Annual Review 2019 also features "The Activist Top 10," with Elliott Management topping the list for the fourth year in a row. Activist Insight compiled the list based on the number of companies publicly subjected to activist demands, average size of targets, news stories generated and annualized total returns. "The Activist Top 10" for 2019 are: 1. Elliott Management 2. JANA Partners 3. Carl Icahn 4. Starboard Value 5. Legion Partners 6. Third Point 7. Sandon Capital 8. Engine Capital 9. Barington Capital Group 10. ValueAct Capital About Activist Insight Since 2012, Activist Insight (www.activistinsight.com) has provided its diverse range of clients with the most comprehensive information on activist investing worldwide. Regularly quoted in the financial press, Activist Insight is the trusted source for data in this evolving space. Activist Insight offers five industry-leading products: Activist Insight Online, Activist Insight Shorts, Activist Insight Governance, Activist Insight Vulnerability a tool for identifying potential activist targets and Activist Insight Monthly, the world's only magazine dedicated to activist investing. About SRZ's Global Shareholder Activism Group SRZ was named "Activist Adviser of the Year" at The Deal Awards Europe, presented in November 2018. Widely regarded as the dominant global law firm for activist investing, SRZ brings a sophisticated knowledge of market practices and unparalleled expertise in all areas related to activist investing. The firm has more than 30 years of experience advising clients on more than 1,000 shareholder activism matters, making SRZ one of the most experienced advisers to activists in the world. Among numerous campaigns in the past year, SRZ successfully represented Trian Fund Management in its proxy contest securing the appointment of its CEO and founding partner Nelson Peltz to The Procter Gamble Company's Board of Directors. Procter Gamble, a $228-billion market cap multinational manufacturer, is the largest company ever to be the subject of a proxy contest. To visit SRZ's Shareholder Activism Resource Center, click here. About Schulte Roth Zabel Schulte Roth Zabel LLP (www.srz.com) is a full-service law firm with offices in New York, Washington, DC and London. As one of the leading law firms serving the financial services industry, the firm regularly advises clients on corporate and transactional matters and provides counsel on regulatory, compliance, enforcement and investigative issues. The firm's practices include: bank regulatory; bankruptcy creditors' rights litigation; blockchain technology digital assets; broker-dealer regulatory enforcement; business reorganization; complex commercial litigation; cybersecurity; distressed debt claims trading; distressed investing; education law; employment employee benefits; energy; environmental; finance; financial institutions; hedge funds; individual client services; insurance; intellectual property, sourcing technology; investment management; litigation; litigation finance; mergers acquisitions; PIPEs; private equity; real estate; real estate capital markets REITs; real estate litigation; regulated funds; regulatory compliance; securities capital markets; securities enforcement; securities litigation; securitization; shareholder activism; structured finance derivatives; tax; and white collar defense government investigations. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190205006026/en/ Contacts: Schulte Roth Zabel LLP Sun Min sun.min@srz.com | +1 212.610.7539 Group Gordon Inc. Lana Gersten lgersten@groupgordon.com | +1 312.846.1655 JPMorgan has hired Bharat Iyer to take on the post of head of Indian equity research. He will be based in the investment banks Mumbai offices and his new position will also add responsibility for equity strategy and automobiles to his research portfolio.He joins from Citigroup and will now report to Jose M. Linares, JPMorgan's Hong Kong based head of Asian equity research. The move also follows the recent transfer of five analysts from Hong Kong to India.JPMorgan has also indicated that Iyers hiring will be the first of several in India, with the bank poised to lure senior and junior analysts over 2006.For the past five years Iyer... In less than a day's time, one of the most awaited movies of 2019, Nata Sarvabhouma is hitting the screens. Starring Puneeth Rajkumar, Rachita Ram and Anupama Parameswaran in the lead, the film has already grabbed the audience's attention with its impressive trailer and soundtrack. Now, we have learnt that Nata Sarvabhouma is opening with 550+ shows in Bangalore on the first day alone! This makes Puneeth's horror-thriller the biggest Kannada release ever beating Yash's KGF Chapter 1. Trade analyst Raghu Nandan Reddy tweeted, "#Natasaarvabhowma All set for the biggest release ever for any Kannada film in Bangalore city on Day 1. Opening with 550+ shows in Bangalore city on Day 1. HUGE. Current Day 1 shows count record holder is #KGF with 525 shows on Day 1 #PowerStarPuneethRajkumar" - (sic) Despite the highest number of screenings, the makers allowed early bookings for the film owing to the increased demand. The booking for Nata Sarvabhouma began on February 3, 2019. Early morning shows in several theatres are already houseful. #Natasaarvabhowma All set for the biggest release ever for any Kannada film in Bangalore city on Day 1. Opening with 550+ shows in Bangalore city on Day 1. HUGE Current Day 1 shows count record holder is #KGF with 525 shows on Day 1#PowerStarPuneethRajkumar pic.twitter.com/uXy8tFbp4A Raghu Nandan Reddy (@Ragsblr) February 5, 2019 MOST READ : Ahead Of KGF's Release On Amazon Prime The Streaming Platform Trolled The Fans; Here's Proof! Nata Sarvabhouma has set yet another record by becoming the only Kannada film till date to be screened for 24 hours in a row. Urvashi theatre in Bangalore has announced a full day screening of the Puneeth starrer. The first show on February 3, 2019, is scheduled for 4 am. You can also watch the film at 7 am, 10 am, 1 pm, 4 pm, 7 pm and 10 pm. The tickets for Nata Sarvabhouma are priced between Rs 100 and 300. If you are looking for recliners, then prices may be higher based on the theatre you pick. Rating: 2.5 /5 Star Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Annu Kapoor, Kamal Sidhu, Valentina Carnelutti Director: Anand Surapur The Fakir Of Venice Movie Review: Farhan Akhtar |Annu Kapoor | FilmiBeat For those living under the rock, here's a little piece of trivia! The Fakir Of Venice was supposed to be Farhan Akhtar's acting debut. Unfortunately, the film got stuck in the cans due to legal and financial issues and the actor sashayed into Bollywood with the 2008 film Rock On! instead. Now after close to a decade, the film is finally making its way into the theatre halls. Has the black-comedy lost its relevance over this period of time? Well thankfully, the answer is in negative. To begin with, The Fakir Of Venice opens with Adi Contractor (Farhan Akhtar), a production co-ordinator successfully smuggling a monkey across the border to a foreign crew for a shoot. Soon, this smooth-talking hustler is hired to find a fakir who can perform feats of endurance at a renowned art exhibition in Venice. After an unsuccessful trip to Benaras, Adi's search for the holy man ends in Mumbai when he comes across a poor painter named Sattar (Annu Kapoor) who used to bury himself in sand on the beach for a living in the past. Adi who wants to earn some quick bucks to attend a film school in New York, grabs this opportunity and convinces Sattar to accompany him to Venice as the fakir. Sattar's drinking habits make him an unsuitable candidate for this journey but Adi is confident that they can pull it off. And so, the two travel to the floating city to con the European art world. Will their deceit be caught? The rest of the film holds the answer. Interestingly, Anand Surapur's The Fakir Of Venice is loosely inspired by director Homi Adjania's bizarre experience of taking an unemployed building painter to be a part of an art installation in Venice. While the plot is far away from mainstream stuff and is intriguing, the novelty soon wears off especially in the second half when the logic goes for a toss and the situations look derived out of convenience. The narrative gets a tad repetitive and exhausting. Having said that, the film does have some sprinkling of humour throughout its run-time to give you some laughs. Speaking about the performances, Farhan Akhtar who faced the camera for the first time in this film shows a spark and looks just the same as he looks now. Together with his partner-in-crime Annu Kapoor, the duo keep you invested when Surapur has a tight hold of his direction. Annu Kapoor proves once again why he is one of the most versatile actors we have around. Portraying a humble man who struggles to come to terms with death, the actor leaves you moist-eyed in a scene or two. Kamal Sidhu has nothing substantial to do in this film. Bunty Nagi's editing works fine. Deepti Gupta, Preetha Jayaraman, Bakul Sharma's cinematography goes apt with the story-telling. However, there are a few moments when the camera movements are a little shaky. Wonder if that's done intentionally! AR Rahman's music isn't his best but that doesn't add any hinderance. The Fakir Of Venice is not everyone's cup of tea. If off-beat stories are your thing then this con job makes up for decent one-time viewing mainly for its theme and Annu Kapoor's impressive act. I am going with 2.5 stars. Make Way For The New Posters In this poster, Varun is seen lifting Shraddha Kapoor upside down. Varun Has An Interesting Story To Tell Sharing these posters, the actor tweeted, "This has to be the most difficult poster shoot of my life. P.s @ShraddhaKapoor is very light to carry but I nearly broke her in half." Street Dancer Brings Back Varun Dhawan & Prabhudheva Together Director Remo D'Souza shares, "For me, Street Dancer is a family reunion. I am looking forward to again work with Prabhu Sir, Varun and Shraddha and welcome Bhushanji in our journey this time. We have envisioned Street Dancer to be a seamless amalgamation of emotion and dancing but this time the passion will be limitless." Varun too is excited to watch with Prabhudheva and tweeted, "Oh DEVA re DEVA aya PRABHUDEVA. The god of dance @PDdancing #streetdancer3d. Very excited to work with this man again he's someone I have always looked upto." The Reunion Does Not End Here! Varun Dhawan, who started the first schedule of the film in Amritsar with Punjabi actress Sonam Bajwa, will begin his next schedule in London on 11th Feb till end of March where Prabhu Deva will be joining him and the other cast. The reunion does not end there; Shraddha Kapoor, who has shared screen space with Varun & Prabhudeva in Remo's previous dance film, is set to join the team in London too. Joining this cast is leggy lass Dilbar girl' Nora Fatehi. Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category 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. Scientists and farmers have warned of the barrier to innovation facing British farming following the European Court of Justices ruling on gene editing, but also highlighted the opportunity Brexit represents for the UK to set its own course. In July, the Court of Justice ruled that new breeding techniques (NBTs) will be subject to the same regulations, effectively signalling that the EU is an unfavourable location to undertake plant genetics research, development and commercialisation of new crop innovations. Leading researchers representing more than 75 European plant and life sciences research centres, including those from the UK's John Innes Centre, are said to be deeply concerned about the recent ruling. Paul Temple, a mixed farmer and past Vice President for the NFU, expressed disappointment that Europe has effectively closed its door to innovation by virtue of its regulatory approach to gene editing and GM crops. He warned that the UK is facing an unprecedented challenge thanks to rising temperatures, leaving the it vulnerable to fluctuating food prices, But he suggested Brexit could be an opportunity for the UK to diverge from EU regulation on plant science. Mr Temple said: While we dont have a big enough commercial market alone for these crops, the mere fact that the UK can now do the trials and encourage the technology, put it in the fields and demonstrate it can be workable and manageable to the rest of the EU, will be a real positive for the UK post-Brexit. It would potentially allow those that want to have the choice in Europe to say look this is what the UK has done, this is how it is managed, its perfectly possible. 'Politically driven' His concerns were echoed by other interviewees, including Dr Zoe Davies, Chief Executive of the Pig Association, who observed that regulatory decisions in Europe are currently politically driven, not evidence-based at all. But she is optimistic about what Brexit can potentially bring. The fact that we have a forward-thinking government that is embracing technology and wanting the industry to move forward and improve productivity, as well as thinking about our ability to provide food for the British public, creates quite a conducive environment for us to suggest certain technologies are taken forward, she said. Philip Wynn, Chair of LEAF, who has spent 45 years managing and advising businesses in nearly every sector of the agricultural industry, suggested it is essential that the agricultural policy of the future has a clear vision and is implemented with clarity and leadership. Given his experience, Wynn is clear that gene editing and new breeding techniques in UK food and farming will play a central role. Key will be the ability to grow crops with fewer inputs, he said. Intelligent, sustainable farming systems are the future. Rothamsted Research Professor Jonathan Napier told the website that the UK has a wellspring of smart, well-trained research scientists who have been limited by Europes regulatory regime. The UK has a fantastic research base for plant related technology, but as part of the EU there has been no obvious route to market for that - it has been effectively untranslatable, he commented. Ultimately, you are doing fundamental research funded by the UK taxpayer, but looking to exploit it outside the UK. 'Development gap' Their comments echo the findings of a report authored by independent expert Graham Brookes last year, which found that the EU crop biotechnology regulatory system has already contributed to a significant loss of high value-added research scientist jobs and has left the UK subject to a crop trait research and development gap. The paper concluded that the potential long-term benefits to the UK economy are likely to be highest if the UK sets its own path on EU crop biotechnology based on sound science, consistent with the regulatory systems operating in most other countries of the world. Mark Buckingham, Chair of the Agricultural Biotechnology Council said: Its clear that Brexit represents a moment of opportunity, and that there could be tremendous potential benefits to the UK setting its own path on techniques such as editing individual genes in crops. A reset of agricultural policy to ensure that regulation rests on science is critical if we are to meet the challenges of the future. A new scheme will provide 3,000 to seven farmers in a bid to provide real world, scientifically robust solutions to the challenges currently faced by UK agriculture. The aim of the Rothamsted Research's project 'FarmInn' is to provide new knowledge that can be implemented in the field. It gives farmers a chance to find solutions to the things that matter most to the agricultural community. It is anticipated that about seven projects will be funded in the first instance, with each farmer receiving up to 3000 to cover the eligible costs of running their trial. Any proposal that addresses the efficiency, productivity and sustainability of farm businesses will be considered, says project leader Dr Ian Shield. We want to hear from the farmers themselves. The FarmInn scheme is unique in that it will also provide free access to Rothamsteds researchers and facilities, by pairing each farmer with an expert in the field, he added. Farmers are by nature great innovators, continually striving for new and better ways of doing things. They also possess a huge wealth of expertise, and when it comes to their own land, an unrivalled level of knowledge, Dr Shield said. We aim to support that spirit of discovery by taking away some of the financial risks of trying something new, and by providing them with specialist support in terms of designing experiments, collecting data and analysing results. Farmers are being asked to submit their idea via a short, simple application form and projects will be chosen by a panel of Rothamsted staff, who will then assign a suitable scientist to work with the applicant to produce a project plan. FarmInn will work closely with the Innovative Farmers scheme which already has an established network of farmers and growers running on-farm trials. Dr Kate Pressland, Programme Manager of Innovative Farmers said: The two initiatives will complement each other greatly, we anticipate some of our Field Labs graduating to FarmInn to give them the potential to be scaled up and more rigorously tested. Likewise, some FarmInn applications may be referred to our scheme for proof of concept testing or as a pilot to more detailed research. The RSPCA and the British Veterinary Association have joined forces to call on the government to repeal a legal exemption that permits animals to be slaughtered without pre-stunning. Both groups say slaughtering without pre-stunning causes 'unnecessary pain and suffering'. The latest figures from 2017/18 reveal that over 120 million animals were slaughtered without being stunned first - more than three animals slaughtered every second on average. In an open letter to Defra Secretary Michael Gove, the BVA and the RSPCA urge the UK government to change legislation in England which currently allows non-stun slaughter for religious purposes. The organisations urge government to provide further public transparency on this issue by releasing the comprehensive 2018 slaughter survey results, which were originally due for release Autumn 2018. Until such legislation is in place, the RSPCA and BVA are calling for the following: Meat to be labelled with the method of slaughter, e.g. stunned or non-stunned, so consumers are fully informed about the meat that they are buying. Non-stun slaughter to only be permitted at levels that meet local religious community demand for this type of meat in the interests of limiting animal pain and suffering. A ban on export of meat from non-stunned animals or live animals destined for non-stun slaughter. An immediate post-cut stun for cattle, sheep, goats and deer to reduce the period of pain and distress. 'Welfare of animals' The letter follows a recent, high profile decision to ban the slaughter of animals without prior stunning in the Flanders region of Belgium which came into force at the start of the year. Belgium joins several other European countries, including Iceland, Sweden, Switzerland and Denmark in making this decision, demonstrating that a full ban on non-stun slaughter is possible within EU law. RSPCA chief executive, Chris Sherwood said: Our concern does not relate to the expression of religious belief but the welfare of animals. Until there is a change in the law to end non-stun slaughter, there are several measures the UK Government could introduce to reduce the suffering involved in this practice. For example, by ensuring trade deals with other countries do not include non-stun meat or live animals for non-stun slaughter, clear labelling should be adopted to enable consumers to make an informed choice about the meat they buy and how it was slaughtered. 'Transparency' The BVA and RSPCA have called on Defra to be transparent on the issue of non-stun slaughter and release the latest comprehensive Food Standards Agency (FSA) survey results. It provides details on the number of animals in England and Wales slaughtered with non-stun methods, and critically includes data on the level of exports. Although Mr Gove himself signalled a commitment to publish the data by Autumn 2018, it has yet to appear. The most up-to-date FSA figures show that between October 2017 to September 2018, over 120 million animals were slaughtered without pre-stunning, including 118 million meat poultry (11% of the total number of poultry slaughtered), 3 million sheep and goats (25% of the total number of sheep and goats slaughtered) and 24,000 cattle (1% of the total number of cattle slaughtered). All animals slaughtered under the Shechita (for Kosher) are non-stunned, however, between two thirds and three quarters of meat labelled Halal is from animals that have been pre-stunned. The manufacture of painted wire fencing under the Tinsley Green, Rylock and Sentinel brands is to remain in the UK. Under an agreement signed today between Hampton Steel and Betafence, the green paint line in the Shepcote Lane factory in Sheffield will be dismantled and rebuilt in Hamptons factory in Sanders Road, Wellingborough. The acquisition of this facility by Hampton will enable the continuing production of premium green painted products in hinge-joint and fixed knot fencing, barbed wire and related products under these well-known brands, thereby creating sustainable and environmentally friendly products for its customers in the agricultural and forestry sectors in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The line, which was installed in Sheffield in February 2018, joins Hamptons state of the art wire weaving machinery at the Wellingborough factory in Sanders Road whilst Hamptons innovative VERSALOK FENCE POST will continue to be produced at the nearby London Road site. We are delighted with this acquisition, said Mark Johnson, Hamptons Managing Director, it enables us to maintain and extend our reputation for high quality and premium products demanded by our customers. Betafence continues to be committed to the Perimeter Protection and Engineered Mesh markets in the UK, focusing on delivering innovative products and service from its other European plants. Betafence will continue to serve agricultural markets in continental Europe with trusted brands such as Motto, Casanet, Hexanet, Ursus Heavy and Heavy AS, and Wine Wires with Trigalv and Zincalu coatings. Andrea Bori, Betafence VP said: This exciting development is in line with our strategy to develop commercial and operational centres of excellence, supported by a significant investment programme in technology, manufacturing and digital infrastructure to improve our flexibility, service and efficiency. People who live in rural areas across England and Wales have been reminded to apply for the Princes Countryside Fund grant scheme which has grants of up to 50,000 available. The grants are available for projects that will provide a long-term positive impact to the individuals and communities they seek to benefit. The funds aim to sustain rural communities, improve the prospects of viability for farm and rural businesses and support aid delivery in an emergency as well as building resilience. Funding is available for projects affecting areas of greatest need in rural England and Wales. To be eligible for a grant the applicant will need to demonstrate that the project is focusing on at least one of these areas: Sustaining Rural Communities Projects that deliver assets and services that keep isolated communities together and develop a more sustainable rural economy. Developing sustainable rural community assets, businesses and services. Providing advice and new skills and business training that benefit the local economy. Improving the prospects of viability for farm and rural businesses Projects that will focus on developing stronger, more sustainable farm businesses and other rural enterprises with the aim of halting the decline of the rural economy. Encouraging local food production and short supply chains and knowledge transfer e.g. farmer networks. Providing new skills and training for rural, and agricultural benefit. Supporting Aid Delivery in Emergency and Building Resilience Projects that support farm businesses, rural businesses and communities to plan for and recover from natural disasters such as flooding or animal disease and build resilience. Applications will be accepted from charities; community interest companies; companies limited by guarantee; not for profit organisations; social enterprises and unincorporated associations. The Princes Countryside Fund will not accept applications from individuals, private businesses and other organisations such as local authorities or political groups. The Fund is particularly keen to hear from projects in the north east of England, and from all parts of rural Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, but all projects that meet eligibility criteria will be considered. The agricultural industry contributes 9 percent of the UK's small and medium sized businesses, according to new figures. Recent data suggests that there are over 153,300 SMEs working in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector within the UK. With a total of 1,667,265 SMEs in the UK, the agricultural industry makes up 9 percent of the UKs SMEs. The region most densely populated with agricultural SMEs is the South West, housing 25,545 SMEs. Across the UK, over 70 percent of SMEs are registered as micro businesses an indicator that the appeal in developing a business from scratch is far from being in the decline. The importance of small and medium sized businesses to the economy is significant, with over 51 percent of total revenue and over 60 percent private sector employment driven by SME. Because of this, its becoming more important than ever to ensure these enterprises are supported in every way possible to protect the UK economy. Bizdaq an online platform for the buying and selling of businesses has created an interactive online map that provides an overview of UK SMEs, including which regions are most and least heavily saturated with SMEs and which industries are dominating the SME landscape. REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio Ohio Department of Agriculture Director Dorothy Pelanda is hosting a series of informal meet and greet events across Ohio. The meetings will let Pelanda share information and listen to thoughts and ideas from members of Ohios food and agriculture industry. The meet and greets will be hosted in conjunction with local soil and water conservation districts. The events are open to the public. Meetings are planned on the following dates: Feb. 11 9:30 a.m. Ross County Service Center, 475 Western Ave., Chillicothe; 11:30 a.m. Jackson County OSU Extension, 17 Standpipe Road, Jackson; 2:30 p.m. Athens Public Library, 30 Home St., Athens; Feb. 15 10 a.m. Wilmington College Kelly Center, 1870 Quaker Way, Wilmington; 1 p.m. Springview Government Center, 3130 East Main St., Springfield; Feb. 22 10:30 a.m. Union County Ag Center Buckeye Meeting Room, 18000 St. Rt. 4 N, Suite B, Marysville; 2 p.m. UVCC-Adult Technology Center, 8901 Looney Rd., Room 600, Piqua; March 1 10 a.m. Gottfried Nature Center, 9783 County Highway 330, Upper Sandusky; March 4 1 p.m. Eaton First Church of God, 601 E. Lexington Rd., Eaton; 3:30 p.m. Central Service Building, 220 W. Livingston St., Celina. Additional dates and locations will be released once they become available. by Kamran Hoda | Wed, Feb 6th 1:55pm EST Lance Stephenson shot shot 3-for-7 on his way to 13 points, one rebound, and two assists against the Pacers on Tuesday. by Austin Van Ryn | Clippers Correspondent | Tue, Feb 5th 3:01pm EST Reggie Jackson scored 14 points in Monday's win over the Denver Nuggets. Jackson added four assists, and one rebound in 22 minutes. Fantasy Impact: Jackson's 22 minutes were a season-low, matching his November 19th outing. The Pistons got up big on the Nuggets in the second quarter and never looked back. Jackson and the Pistons play the New York Knicks on Tuesday. Telecom Argentina S.A., together with its subsidiaries, provides telecommunications services in Argentina and internationally. The company offers telephone services, including local, domestic, and international long-distance telephone services, as well as public telephone services; interconnection services, such as traffic and interconnection resource, dedicated Internet access, video signals transportation in standard and high definitions, audio and video streaming, dedicated links, backhaul links for mobile operators, Internet protocol virtual private network, video links, value-added, data center hosting/housing, and other services; and call waiting, call forwarding, conference calls, caller ID, voice mail, itemized billing, and maintenance services. It also provides mobile telecommunications services, including voice communications, high-speed mobile Internet content and applications download, online streaming, and other services; and sells mobile communication devices, such as handsets, Modems mifi and wingles, and smart watches under the Personal brand. In addition, the company offers internet connectivity products, including virtual private network services, traditional Internet protocol links, and other products; data services; and programming and other cable television services. The company was formerly known as CablevisiAn S.A. and changed its name to Telecom Argentina S.A. in January 2018. Telecom Argentina S.A. was founded in 1979 and is based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Read More Nelnet, Inc. engages in loan servicing, communications, and education technology, services, and payment processing businesses worldwide. The company's Loan Servicing and Systems is involved in loan servicing activities, such as loan conversion, application processing, borrower updates, customer service, payment processing, due diligence procedures, funds management reconciliation, and claim processing activities for student loan portfolio and third-party clients. This segment also provides student loan servicing software; business process outsourcing services specialized in contact center management, such as inbound calls, outreach campaigns and sales, and interacting with customers through multi-channels. The Education Technology, Services, and Payment Processing segment offers financial management services; assistance with financial needs assessment; school information system software that automates administrative processes; professional development and educational instruction services; and technology products that aid in teacher and student evaluations. It also offers technology and payments services, including electronic transfer and credit card processing, reporting, billing and invoicing, mobile and virtual terminal solutions, and specialized integrations to business software; and mobile first technology focused on increasing engagement, online giving, and communication for church and not-for-profit customers. Its Communications segment fiber optic service to homes and businesses for internet, television, and telephone services. Its data services include high-speed internet access; and telephone services comprise local and long distance telephone, hostedPBX, and other services. Its Asset Generation and Management segment acquires, manages, and owns loan assets. It also provides investment advisory services. The company was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska. Read More Wall Street analysts have given iShares Core 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 Core 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. Vocera Communications, Inc. provides secure, integrated, and intelligent communication and workflow solutions that empowers mobile workers in healthcare, hospitality, retail, energy, education, and other mission-critical mobile work environments in the United States and internationally. The company's communication solution integrates with other clinical systems, including electronic health records, nurse call systems, and patient monitoring, as well as to provide critical data, alerts, alarms, and clinical context that enable workflow. It also offers Vocera Communication and Workflow System, a software platform, which connects communication devices, such as hands-free, wearable, and voice-controlled Smartbadge and badges, as well as third-party mobile devices; and Vocera Care Experience, a hosted software suite that coordinates and streamlines provider-to-patient and provider-to-provider communication and clinical rounding to enhance quality of care, patient and staff experience, reduce care provider's risk, and improve reimbursements, as well as Vocera Ease, a cloud-based communication platform and mobile application to enhance the patient experience by enabling friends and family members to receive timely updates about the progress of their loved one in the hospital. In addition, the company provides professional, software maintenance, and technical support services; and classroom training, distance learning, or customized courseware for systems administrators, IT and industry-specific professionals, and end-user educators. As of December 31, 2020, the company provided its solutions to approximately 1,900 healthcare facilities, including large hospital systems, small and medium-sized local hospitals, clinics, surgery centers, and aged-care facilities. It sells its products through direct sales force, resellers, and distributors. The company was incorporated in 2000 and is headquartered in San Jose, California. Read More Suruga Bank Ltd. provides various banking and financial products and services to individuals and corporate customers in Japan. The company offers deposit products, such as time, ordinary, savings, foreign currency, and other deposits, as well as current and general accounts; card, housing, second house, resort, startup, project assistance, and business up term loans, as well as loans by purpose; credit and debit cards; and overdrafts and other financing products. It also provides investment trust, public bond, pension contribution, insurance, inheritance/trust, lottery, foreign currency exchange reservation, pay-easy, Web oral receipt, safe deposit box, external linkage, foreign remittance, fund management, e-combination, payment, nursing care/medical care/dispensing compensation receivable factoring, mortgage, and Internet and telephone banking services. In addition, the company offers staffing, money lending and credit guarantee, mortgage loans guarantee, printing, bookbinding, packing and shipping, leasing, and clerical agency and system engineering services. It operates through a network of 128 branches in Japan. The company was founded in 1895 and is headquartered in Numazu, Japan. Read More HARTFORD Ansonia school and city officials may be patching up their differences over funding, but the state Board of Education isnt ready to close the books on the matter. Assistant Attorney General Ralph Urban advised the board on Wednesday to make sure any agreement satisfies state law. Since the board started an inquiry, it has to decide if matter has been settle or not, Urban said. It is your opportunity to determine if the matter is satisfied. The Ansonia school board and city officials have locked horns over school funding for the 2017-18 school year, when the city took back $600,000 it had given the district when a late state budget gave the citys schools with more funds than anticipated. The resulting shortfall had Schools Superintendent Carol Merlone threatening to end school early. That didnt happen, but the matter did end up in court and on the state Department of Educations radar when concerns were raised about whether the city had satisfied the states minimum budget requirement. The board scheduled an inquiry on the matter for last month, but that was postponed when the two sides agreed to mediation in front of retired Superior Court Judge Robert Holzberg. The result was a proposal for the city to add $850,000 to the school boards 2018-19 budget and for the school district to be more transparent about its spending. The Board of Alderman gave their approval to the plan by a 9-to-2 vote on Tuesday. Merlone said the school board has scheduled a special meeting at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday to also take action on the deal. Louis B. Todisco, an attorney for the state Department of Education, said once both sides agree and documents are signed, the state can withdraw the case as long as its determined the minimum budget requirement for 2018-19 fiscal year has been met. I did ask the (Ansonia) school boards attorney if they believe the MBR has been satisfied and he said yes, Todisco said. State School Board Member Terry Jones said he is happy the issue appears settled, but said he wish there had been more dialogue between the two sides earlier. So did Sharon Voroschak-Papcin, an Ansonia resident who address the state board at the start of its meeting Wednesday. There are always two sides to every story, she said. Framing municipalities as the bad guys in school funding disputes is not only irresponsible, it works against this (boards) goal of teaching Connecticuts children, Voroschak-Papcin said. Voroschak-Papcin said the whole city has been stressed by the situation. In her view the Ansonia school board used bullying tactics when it threatened to close school early and that the administration has refused to disclose public documents, even to its own members, she told the state board. I want to see the city of Ansonia and Board of Education move forward together, not dwell on the past, she said. Last June, while the suit was pending and the school board sought a temporary emergency order, the Board of Aldermen agreed to set up a $500,000 contingency fund which the Board of Education could spend only on specific items like payroll, insurance and textbooks. If approved, the settlement would add $850,000 to the schools 2018-19 budget. Under the proposal, the 2019-20 budget would include $800,000, which under the states minimum budget requirement law cannot be removed from future school board budgets. In exchange for the payout, the pending proposal calls for the school board to authorize the citys insurance broker to analyze claims information and evaluate insurance options. This has been an area of contention, particularly after a recent audit determined the school board overspent its 2017-18 budget by $225,694 mostly, by underestimating insurance costs. The proposal also requires the school board to provide the city with budgetary and financial information, and to implement a shared, modern financial platform to replace its current software. lclambeck@ctpost.com; twitter/lclambeck STAMFORD Friends and family of Malaysia Goodson held a candlelight vigil for her at Cove Island Park one week after she died in a Manhattan subway station. Dieshie Goodson, Malaysias older brother, said about 50 friends and family showed up for the event, including a pastor from New Jersey who heard about the tragedy and felt sorry for the family and came to Stamford Monday eveneing to show his support. BRIDGEPORT The Park City Magnet School was among several schools to be announced as winners in Metro-North Railroads poster safety contest, according to a news release. The contest was aimed at students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. They were tasked with creating posters to illustrate what they think is most important about rail safety. The contest, which ran from Oct. 2018 through the end of Nov. 2018, overlapped National Rail Safety Week. The contest was open to students who attend schools within Metro-Norths territory across New York and Connecticut. Bridgeports Park City Magnet School was the winner for the poster designed by students from kindergarten through third grade level. North Haven High School was runner-up for the poster designed by students from ninth to 12th grade. The winners and runner-ups for the other awards were all New York schools. In total, there were 62 student poster entries from 13 different schools. Judges evaluated the posters for the best representations of safety around trains and train tracks. More Information Winners and runner-ups: Pre-K Winner: J.A.C.E Daycare and Early Learning Program in Wappingers Falls, N.Y. Runner-Up: Through the Looking Glass in Buchanan, N.Y. K-3rd Winner: Park City Magnet School in Bridgeport, C.T. Runner-Up: Frank G. Lindsey School in Montrose, N.Y. 4th-8th Winner: Dobbs Ferry Middle School in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. and Graham Elementary School in Mount Vernon, N.Y. Runner-Up: P723X at 338X in Bronx, N.Y. 9th-12th Winner: Cardinal Hayes High School in Bronx, N.Y. Runner-Up: North Haven High School in North Haven, C.T. See More Collapse Safety is our top priority at Metro-North, said Catherine Rinaldi, president of Metro-North Railroad. Im delighted that our contest received such a wonderful response from the students who live in the communities we serve. The contest was overseen by TRACKS, the railroads free safety community outreach and education program. TRACKS, run by the Metro-Norths Office of System Safety, is an acronym for Together Railroads and Communities Keeping Safe. The five winners will be featured in a presentation by TRACKS. The four runner-ups will receive TRACKS swag. Winning schools will also get a meet-and-greet session with Metro-Man, the Metro-North superhero, with Tracks, his faithful canine companion a MTA Police dog. The schools will receive a customized school banner and a certificate of recognition from the Vice President of System Safety and President of Metro-North Railroad. The contest was a creative way to amplify our safety message and help keep all the children who live in the railroads territory out of harms way, Rinaldi said. Visit http://web.mta.info/mnr/tracks for more information about TRACKS and the poster contest. Imagine for a moment that a presidential candidate made this speech: My fellow Americans, Im here today to tell you about my economic plan. Each year, I will require every middle-class family across this great country to write a check. We will then pool the money and distribute it to the richest Americans among us the top 1 percent of earners, who, because of their talent, virtue and success, deserve even more money. The exact size of the checks will depend on a familys income, but a typical middle-class household will hand over $15,000 each year. This plan, I promise all of you, will create the greatest version of America that has ever existed. You would consider that proposal pretty radical, wouldnt you? Politically crazy. Destructive, even. Well, Ive just described the actual changes in the American economy since the 1970s. Economic output known as GDP per person has almost doubled over this period. But the bulk of the bounty has flowed to the very rich. The middle class has received relative crumbs. If middle-class pay had increased as fast as economic growth, the average middle-class family would today earn about $15,000 a year more than it does, after taxes and benefits. Instead, that middle-class family effectively forfeits the money to the rich, year after year after year. The extreme redistribution of income upward has multiple causes. Some of them, like technological change, stem mostly from private-sector forces. But government policy plays a crucial role. Tax rates on the wealthy have fallen sharply. Labor unions have been undermined. Big companies have been allowed to grow even bigger and more powerful. The United States has lost its lead as the most educated country in the world. More often than not over the past 40 years, our government has helped the rich at the expense of everyone else. As a result, economic inequality has reached Gilded Age levels. In the face of these trends, the radical response is to do nothing or to make inequality even worse, as President Donald Trumps policies have. Its radical because soaring inequality is starting to threaten the basic fabric of American life. Average life expectancy, amazingly, has fallen over the past few years. Over the sweep of history, the main reason that societies have declined, as scholars Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson have written, is domination by a narrow elite that have organized society for their own benefit at the expense of the vast mass of people. Its worth keeping all of this in mind when you hear critics (or journalists) describe the economic proposals of the Democratic presidential candidates as radical. Theyre not radical, for the most part. The proposals are instead efforts to undo some of the extreme economic changes of recent decades and to ensure that most Americans workers not just a narrow elite fully benefit from economic growth. The proposals also happen to be popular, broadly speaking. On social issues, like abortion and immigration, the country is deeply divided. But clear majorities support higher taxes on the wealthy, higher taxes on corporations, more education funding and expanded government health insurance. No wonder: Americans dont resent success, but they do resent not receiving their fair share of economic growth. The coming primary campaign will be a good time for the candidates to hash out which specific ideas make sense and which dont. So far, the agenda looks pretty good. Elizabeth Warren has a plan to increase workers power within companies and help them get larger pretax raises. Cory Booker and Kamala Harris want to lift the after-tax pay of the middle class and poor. Kirsten Gillibrand and others support reducing major living costs, like child care and education. Perhaps most important, some Democrats have begun pushing for a wealth tax to reverse the upward redistribution of the past 40 years. Do you know who already pays a wealth tax? Middle-class Americans. Its called the property tax, as Noah Smith of Bloomberg Opinion has noted. Every year, homeowners pay a percentage of their house value in tax. A house, of course, is the biggest asset that most families own. If middle-class families can pay an annual tax on their main source of wealth, wealthy families can, too. The United States as we have known it optimistic, future-oriented and more powerful than any other nation cannot survive the stagnation of mass living standards over many decades. Im glad to see that some political leaders understand this and are trying to recapture a core feature of American life. Maybe we should start describing those leaders as conservatives. C.S. Lewis was only partly right when he wrote: The greatest evil is conceived and ordered (moved, seconded, carried and minuted) in clean, carpeted, warmed and well-lighted offices, by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voice. Lewis, perhaps, couldnt have envisioned the day when a law allowing abortion up to the moment of birth would receive a standing ovation, as occurred last month with New Yorks passage of the absurdly named Reproductive Health Act. Upon signing the bill, which also permits some health care professionals who are not doctors to perform the abortions, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered that One World Trade Center be illuminated in pink, hijacking the color associated with saving breast-cancer victims and the birth of a baby girl. What a weird, wicked world we live in. In Virginia recently, Delegate Kathy Tran testified on behalf of a bill that would have simplified the process for having a late-term abortion. Currently, Virginia law requires three doctors approval for such a procedure. The bill, which was subsequently tabled, wouldve required only one. This was hardly the stuff of infanticide, a word that began tumbling from the lips of certain critics, but Gov. Ralph Northam wasnt helpful. Two days before his yearbook scandal broke, he talked during a radio interview about making distressed newborns comfortable while the family decides whether to resuscitate. Just maybe were not very good at talking about the unspeakable. Meanwhile, lawmakers in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont and other blue states are busy hammering out their own legal concoctions, likely concerned that Roe v. Wade will be overturned by the now-predominantly conservative Supreme Court. I leave others to argue the validity of those concerns, but my sources in the pro-life movement, including several legal scholars, think upending the decision is unlikely given that, in 1992, the court not only reinforced Roe but actually made the ruling stronger. Regardless, the pro-choice movement has been preparing for such a frontal assault on the few abortion restrictions left to states. In 1973, when Roe was issued, a babys viability was set at 24 to 28 weeks. Today, thanks to technology and our finer understanding of human development, viability occurs around 22 weeks. In New York City, where about 2 in 5 pregnancies are terminated, there will no longer be any presumption of humanity for the baby at any stage of pregnancy, which goes far beyond abortion jurisprudence. Most Americans are fully against such extreme approaches to abortion. One survey puts the share who support abortion during the third trimester at just 13 percent. Like many if not most Americans, I have been reasonably at ease with President Bill Clintons 1996 call for making abortion safe, legal and rare, but had hoped wed seriously pursue that goal through better information and limit abortion to the first trimester. But the pro-choice side has resisted many attempts to educate. Activists have opposed laws requiring that pregnant women have the option of viewing a sonogram before their abortion. Theyve also thwarted attempts to make adoption resources available at abortion clinics. What are they afraid of? That someone may change her mind? My own thinking about abortion was partly formed by having almost witnessed a back-alley abortion when a college friend sought an abortion in 1970 in Spain. We walked into a room with a white linoleum table over which, not kidding, a single lightbulb hung. We bolted, called home for money, and put her on a plane to London for a legal abortion. No one wants women to be subjected to such last resorts. But nor should we be celebrating laws that ignore the humanity of an unborn child. It is obvious that these pro-abortion legislators new efforts are aimed at undoing, one by one, the state-level victories of their pro-life counterparts even, apparently, if it means putting womens lives at greater risk by allowing nondoctors to perform abortions. But more concerning than a possible increase in late-term abortions (now at fewer than 2 percent of all pregnancy terminations) is the clinical way weve come to view and discuss human life. When we use language to disguise reality whether the developing human baby is a clump of cells, a fetus, or even a product of termination we move ever-closer to the dehumanization of us all. kathleenparker@washpost.com Julian Castro wants to be the first Latino president. A friend of mine for the past 15 years, Castro checks a lot of boxes on the application. A graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Law School, hes smart, capable, thoughtful and calm all things President Donald Trump isnt. He has local and federal executive experience. And as he showed in both his keynote speech at the 2012 Democratic National Convention and, more recently, when he announced his candidacy a few weeks ago in San Antonio, hes got a fantastic personal narrative that makes even the most cynical believe anew in the American dream. Castro also has the right nemesis. The Mexican-American is vying for the chance to trade barbs with the tweeter in chief, who with apologies to Will Rogers never met a Latino he didnt insult. Not since the 1952 Massachusetts Senate race when John F. Kennedy, the great-grandson of Irish Catholic immigrants, defeated Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., whose grandfather was a virulent immigration restrictionist has the poetry of politics been this thick. Is this a great country or what? Latinos already know that. Just like we know that 2020 could be the Year of the Latino. Its our turn. Latinos have handed Democrats a majority of their votes in the last 15 presidential elections, dating back to the Viva Kennedy clubs in 1960. Even when the party picked lousy candidates Walter Mondale in 1984, Michael Dukakis in 1988, John Kerry in 2004 Latinos loyally went down with the ship. And just enough Latino voters splintered off to help re-elect Ronald Reagan in 1984 (just under 40 percent) and George W. Bush in 2004 (44 percent). And its our time. As Americas largest minority, the nations 58 million Latinos make up 18 percent of the U.S. population. We will grow to 25 percent in the next 30 years, demographers say. We control $1.4 trillion in annual spending, and according to the Latino Donor Collaborative our $2.13 trillion GDP is larger than Indias. And were swing voters who decide elections. Three battleground states Colorado, Florida and Nevada have large Latino populations. Nativists know those figures better than anyone, which is why they make Latinos the focal point of the immigration debate. But just who did the migrating? St. Augustine was founded in 1565, and Santa Fe in 1607. Like Native Americans, Latinos were here to greet everyone else with no walls. To this day, Latinos have worked crummy jobs, started businesses, employed people, paid taxes, and put up with racism, ignorance and discrimination both overt and subtle. We also have a proud tradition of military service that dates to the Civil War. Shout out to Cpl. Joseph H. De Castro of the Union Army, who received the Medal of Honor for valor at Gettysburg in 1863. In all, 60 Hispanics have received that distinction. And dont miss this part in 42 of those cases, the Medal of Honor was awarded posthumously to heartbroken family members, with a salute and a folded flag on behalf of a grateful nation. You see, Latinos gave at the office and gave, and then gave some more. So, the next time you load up on talk-radio bile and feel the urge to accuse us of not assimilating or not loving our country, say it to our faces. Julian Castro knows that history. But before he can write his own chapter, he has to raise millions of dollars by convincing donors that he can win, place or show in a crowded field. A year from now, the cattle call of what could be more than 20 candidates will winnow down to about a half-dozen finalists. Anything can happen. Still, its a safe bet that when those folks gather on a debate stage in Iowa or New Hampshire, they could have names like Biden or Harris or Warren. There may even be a Beto. Castro needs to make the cut. That means throwing elbows with fellow Democrats within the family who will do the same with him. It means letting his guard down, and telling a story, and talking straight, and explaining to voters of all colors how he could make their lives better. My friend is used to knowing the answers on test day. Yet this is no spelling bee. Running for president is blood sport. And there are no participation trophies. Its not enough to merely be in the arena. You have to do battle, and play to win. ruben@rubennavarrette.com Hillary Clinton won the battle, but Bernie Sanders won the war. In their heated 2016 duel for the presidency, Clinton walked away with the Democratic nomination. But Sanders reshaped the partys agenda. That impact is most obvious on the issue of health care. The concept of a single-payer, Medicare for All system, one of Sanders signature proposals, has moved from the fringe to the mainstream in the span of three years. In fact, its beyond mainstream in the Democratic ranks. Medicare for All has become the password that Democratic hopefuls must whisper to gain admission into the 2020 primaries. Its so popular with the partys base that, in some cases, its hard to tell if candidates are championing it out of sincere belief or out of peer pressure. OnExpressNews.com: Two San Antonio convicted felons challenge state election law Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand and former San Antonio Mayor (and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development) Julian Castro all have embraced Medicare for All. The one prominent Democratic contender to express unease with the concept, Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, faced pushback at a recent Iowa meet-and-greet over his position. Things were so different in 2016. At that time, Clinton scored points by poking holes in Sanders plan. Clinton pointed out that Democrats had sacrificed so much for the Affordable Care Act, then-President Barack Obamas signature achievement. The 2010 passage of the ACA came only after months of brutal legislative haggling and angry protests from tea-party Republicans. The ACA cost dozens of Capitol Hill Democrats (and hundreds of state lawmakers) their seats. It survived repeated congressional repeal efforts and judicial challenges. In a major sense, Democrats were still reeling from the ACA blowback and Sanders was ready to discard that health care overhaul and go for something bigger. If youre having Medicare for All, single-payer, Clinton told Sanders at a January 2016 debate, you need to level with people about what they will have at the end of the process you are proposing. Clinton added, The numbers dont add up and many people will actually be worse off than they are now. Its easy to see now that the ACA, rather than mollifying progressive Democrats, emboldened them to push for more. While the ACA filled much of the donut hole of Americas uninsured providing coverage to more than 20 million people through a combination of Medicaid expansion and insurance exchanges it also fell short in undeniable ways. Part of that has to do with the fact that more than a third of the states refused to participate in Medicaid expansion. And part of it has to do with the fact that anyone earning more than 400 percent of the poverty level did not qualify for government subsidies on the ACA exchanges and found themselves with a thankless choice: pay through the nose for coverage or get slapped with a tax penalty. (That penalty was zeroed out in December 2017 as part of the GOP tax-cut bill.) Its understandable that the Sanders wing of the party looked at all the political hassles that went into passing (and protecting) a market-based, patchwork compromise law and concluded they might as well go for the full enchilada. If you accept the premise that health care is a right, and not simply a privilege, its hard to argue with the goals of the progressive warriors pushing Medicare for All. OnExpressNews.com: Texas voter fraud fiasco the latest salvo in 26-year battle The 2020 Democratic presidential field will need to explain, however, in serious detail, how bumping up marginal tax rates for the wealthy will come close to paying for a program estimated to cost $3 trillion a year. (To put things in perspective, total annual federal revenue currently is only about $3.4 trillion.) Theres also the question of what will become of the private insurance market. Harris took heat for saying, at a Jan. 28 CNN town hall, that she would eliminate the employer-based private coverage that insures an estimated 155 million Americans. The backlash she encountered for that comment offered a reminder that the public has a muddled perspective on health care. According to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation survey, 71 percent of Americans support Medicare for All, but that number drops to 37 percent if the plan means eliminating private health-insurance companies. Castro supported Clinton over Sanders in 2016, and repeatedly championed the virtues of the ACA. In January 2016, Castro said, Millions of Latinos have benefited from the Affordable Care Act. He warned against Republicans recklessly abandoning the ACA or attempting to rearrange so much that it doesnt work. Three years later, Castro and his Democratic rivals have moved well beyond rearranging the ACA. Theyre ready to scrap it. In that sense, it doesnt matter if Bernie Sanders wins the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. The partys next nominee almost surely will be carrying his flag. PIEDRAS NEGRAS, Mexico When about 1,800 Central American immigrants landed in this border city Monday, hoping to enter the United States, local and state officials in Mexico were ready for them. In fact, they had chartered the 48 buses and one Sprinter that carried the caravan of Central Americans about 270 miles to the border from Saltillo, the state capital of Coahuila. Coahuila, Saltillo and Piedras Negras arranged for the buses. Their leaders had all met on Saturday in Saltillo, and came up with a plan, Coahuila state spokesman Jose Gabriel Borrego said. By Tuesday, the migrants, including a large number of women and young children, were being housed in an unused maquiladora, a former assembly plant. There are about 35 active industrial plants in this border city. A large new sign on the fence reads, Albergue Migrantes, Spanish for Migrant Shelter. The caravan was the first to reach the Texas border since similar waves of migrants fleeing poverty and violence in Central America traveled on foot and in vehicles last fall through Mexico toward California. Some of the migrants there tried to crash the border illegally and were met by Border Patrol agents firing tear gas canisters. On ExpressNews.com: Fortifying the border The chaotic scenes led to a new policy by the Trump administration in December that requires asylum-seekers on the southern border to wait in Mexico until they can see a U.S. immigration official, a process that can take months for their initial hearing. It was one of several policy changes after the administration was widely criticized for separating parents and children at the border last year and holding them in detention. Mexican officials have reluctantly agreed to accommodate the waiting immigrants by issuing them humanitarian visas and work permits. The policy change is seen by many as an effort to discourage asylum cases, and is expected to reduce the number who apply. In Piedras Negras, across the Rio Grande from Eagle Pass, long lines already were forming inside the migrant hostel to apply for humanitarian visas. The visas allow the immigrants to leave the enclosure, but they are of no help in entering the United States. Amid mobs of reporters and scores of police and soldiers, Coahuila Gov. Miguel Riquelme Solis, Piedras Negras Mayor Claudio Bres Garza and other state officials inspected the facility Tuesday. The governor said he would guarantee the safety and human rights of the people, and that they would have food and the basic necessities, Borrego said. Some immigrants had tried to climb over a 12-foot fence and escape Monday night, but they were pushed back. On Tuesday, a line of soldiers and grim-faced federal police stood along the fence to deter any similar attempts. They were backed up by a SWAT team of state police wearing helmets and riot gear. Its an enormous number of immigrants, so were coordinating with the army and federal police, said Luis Garcia, the Piedras Negras police chief. There have been a few problems among the immigrants, but were keeping them separated. Inside the fence, people were drying clothes on lines, children were using crayons and coloring books, men were getting haircuts and others were buying cigarettes and food through the fence. Some Central Americans were paying a stiff markup: A pack of Mexican Chesterfield cigarettes that cost 30 pesos on the outside was bringing 55 pesos through the bars. In the large sleeping rooms, once used for manufacturing, immigrants were divided according to age and gender. Many were lounging on blue foam mattresses. On ExpressNews.com: Trudging along, migrants seek a better life Along the fence, some were offering to sell their stories to American and Mexican reporters. Others spoke freely. Were prisoners. We cant get out. We didnt expect this, said Raul Artaga, 22, of Honduras. We crossed at Chiapas. It took us 22 days to get here. Were poor. There is no work in Honduras. I want to work in the United States, he added. A little farther down the fence, Susana Chacon Jovel, 32, and her 2-year-old son Derek, from San Pedro Sula, Honduras, were getting accustomed to the sudden turn of events. We were in the first caravan. We left Honduras on Oct. 13. Weve been traveling five months, she said. They told us theyd give us papers to get into the United States, but they lied, she said of the smugglers who helped them cross into Mexico from Guatemala. Like others, she said violence and poverty in Honduras makes anything else worth a shot, even if it means traveling for months, and being detained. I think there are more gangsters in Honduras than police, she said bitterly. At a nearby booth inside the enclosure, Irene Chapa de Bres, the Piedras Negras mayors wife, and several other women were handing out water, cookies and crackers. These are little snacks for the children, she said. The situation is difficult, but we feel their humanity. We are citizens of the world, not of Mexico. Later Tuesday night, a local band came in to provide music for a dance to help keep the adults entertained. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said they are monitoring several caravans headed north from Central America and have reinforced staffing to address any contingency. It was clear that federal officials in Eagle Pass were on high alert Tuesday, just hours before President Demand Trump was to deliver his State of the Union address and demand funding for his border wall and immigration reforms. He repeatedly has railed against the migrant caravans, calling them an invasion. On ExpressNews.com: Trumps border wall strategy aimed at Rio Grande Valley and Texas One of the two bridges connecting Piedras Negras and Eagle Pass was closed and the other was reduced from four lanes of travel to two. Stationed near the middle of the bridge, at the international line, was a force of two dozen Customs and Border Protection agents, as well as some large vans and shipping containers. Rows of concertina wire were also used. Below the bridge, more than 20 Border Patrol and Texas Department of Public Safety vehicles were seen positioned along the riverbank. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said members of the lawless caravan would not be allowed to illegally enter the United States. The secretary blamed Congress for the latest caravan, and said it aptly demonstrates the need for an impenetrable border wall, as Trump has demanded. Such caravans are the result of Congress inexcusable failure to fully fund a needed physical barrier and unwillingness to fix outdated laws that act as an enormous magnet for illegal aliens, she said, adding, This crisis wont be solved until we have comprehensive border security. Former City Councilman Ray Lopez has raised more than $93,000 in his bid to become San Antonios newest state representative, outpacing his four competitors combined by nearly a 2-to-1 margin. He has also spent more on his campaign than the rest of the field, dishing out $49,000 since Jan. 1, according to campaign finance reports released Tuesday. Art Reyna, who previously held the legislative seat currently up for grabs, has spent just about $48,000, but no other candidate has paid out more than $20,000. The five candidates are nearing the end of a frenzied, monthlong campaign for the District 125 seat in the Texas House of Representatives. Early voting in the race started Jan. 28 and continues through Friday. The special election is Tuesday. Political observers say cash is made even more important during such an abbreviated campaign, when candidates are working to ensure voters know an election is occurring and turn out to vote. About 2,100 people have cast ballots so far, and the race is expected to generate characteristically low turnout. Bexar County Commissioner Justin Rodriguez, who had held the seat since 2012, vacated it when he was appointed to replace the late Paul Elizondo on the local level. That triggered an off-cycle special election as lawmakers met in Austin for the states 86th Legislative Session. On ExpressNews.com: Everything you need to know about early voting in the HD-125 special election Lopezs haul included support from some of the areas largest companies. NuStar Energys political action committee donated $5,000, and two executives from the company chipped in a combined $6,000 as well. The retired AT&T executive also received cash from top leaders at Frost Bank, Zachry Corp. and Joeris General Contractors, along with current state Reps. Roland Gutierrez and Leo Pacheco. Reyna, who served HD-125 from 1996 to 2002, brought in nearly $15,000, but he also lent the campaign $35,000 of his own money. His largest cash donation came from the Texas Association of Realtors PAC ($2,500). Coda Rayo-Garza, a senior coordinator for the San Antonio Independent School District, brought in the second-highest amount of money just shy of $20,000. Rayo-Garzas top donor was Annies List ($2,500), an organization devoted to boosting female representation in government. Rayo-Garza is the only woman in the race, and the seat has been held by men for the last 22 years. On ExpressNews.com: Meet the candidates who want to become San Antonios newest state representative Fred Rangel, a construction business owner and the lone Republican in the race, brought in about $13,000. His largest benefactors were Texas Right to Life, which spent $3,000 phone banking, and the state GOP, which gave $1,500. Rangel is using $8,000 of his own money. Steve Huerta, a Democrat who has faced scrutiny about whether he is allowed to run for the seat, raised about $5,000, mostly consisting of so-called in-kind contributions of office space, marketing and printing expenses. An Express-News investigation last month found that Huerta, an activist who has said his experience as a felon would give him unique perspective in Austin, is not eligible to run for the office because of that conviction. Huerta, arrested for possessing less than a gram of cocaine in 1999, disputes that assertion. His name is on the ballot and, if he wins, it would create another vacancy in the seat, state officials said. 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 Two weeks after police found the body of 8-month-old King Jay Davila wrapped in a blanket and buried in a backpack in a Northeast Side field, Lupe Sampayo walked into a San Antonio Baptist church and took a seat in the back. It had been several years since Sampayo, 60, had attended a Sunday service. He felt out of place. But he needed Gods guidance. Sampayos nephew, Christopher Davila, was accused of failing to seek medical care for his son, King Jay, after he was injured in a purported accident. Sampayos sister and niece were accused of staging a kidnapping to cover up the death. Please help with this, Sampayo said recently, recalling his prayer to God. Im going to trust you with any problems. Anything that anyone says, Im giving it to you. Whatever the outcome of the situation, its in your hands. Almost immediately, Sampayo felt as if a load had been lifted from his shoulders. In an exclusive interview with the San Antonio Express-News, Sampayo spoke about how King Jays death and the alleged cover-up has created a rift in his close-knit family. A month after King Jay was killed, Sampayo doesnt know what to believe and struggles to comes to terms with what role, if any, his family played in his great-nephews death. Its tearing us apart, Sampayo said. And weve always been real close. Police have charged Davila, 34, with injury to a child, child endangerment and tampering with evidence, along with two other charges. Police believe Davila staged the kidnapping with the help of his mother, Beatrice Sampayo, 64, and cousin, Angie Torres, 45, to cover up foul play. Davila remains in the Bexar County jail in lieu of a $1.25 million bond. He now says King Jay died after the car seat holding the boy fell off a bed. He says he did not call 911 because he panicked. Police officials have hinted that they do not believe Davilas latest account. The Bexar County Medical Examiners Office concluded that King Jay died of a blunt force trauma injury. It ruled his death a homicide. On ExpressNews.com: After infants body found, police doubt father injured his son accidentally When Lupe Sampayo speaks about his sister, Beatrice Sampayo, who has been charged with tampering with evidence, he struggles to find the right words. His voice softens. He pauses to compose himself. He wavers between disbelief that Beatrice Sampayo, who he said loves children, would cover up her grandsons death and acceptance of the mounting evidence against her. He has not talked to her since she was arrested on Jan. 10. Im still upset with her, Lupe Sampayo said Saturday, pausing to smoke a cigarette. Im not going to say that Im not. She went ahead and she lied to us, too. She didnt think about what it would do to the rest of the family. When asked if he believes Beatrice Sampayo was involved with the alleged cover-up, Sampayo backtracked. Thats what they say, Lupe Sampayo said. I don't know. I don't know what to believe. The alleged cover-up has also caused a rift between Lupe Sampayo and another sister, Rosalinda, whose daughter, Torres, was assaulted by three inmates while in the bathroom of the general population unit on Jan. 9. On ExpressNews.com: Women accused of covering-up King Jays death assaulted in jail After the attack, Lupe Sampayo told Rosalinda that Torres wouldnt have been assaulted if she hadnt taken part in the alleged cover-up. Rosalinda sent him a long text message, explaining how upset she was by his comments. During the initial stages of the investigation, Lupe Sampayo expressed frustration that Police Chief William McManus had zeroed in on Davila, who police suspected early on had a role in King Jays purported disappearance. McManus wants Chris bad, Lupe Sampayo said Jan. 8. We just want to find the baby. Now, Lupe Sampayo realizes he was wrong in doubting the police. He apologized to McManus. Ive just got to accept whats going on, he said. And let the truth come out. A good baby Lupe Sampayo, one of 11 siblings, has always been close with his family. He was particularly attached to the youngest five, including Beatrice Sampayo, because they were closer in age to him. When he was young, his father, Pedro Sampayo Sr., was arrested after he broke into the home where his wife lived and doused it with gasoline. The elder Sampayo, who had recently been released from prison, was looking for his wife, who was hiding in another house. According to Express-News archives, Sampayo carried a 5-gallon can of gasoline into the home and said he was going to burn it down, along with 10 of his children, his mother-in-law and sister-in-law. He nailed the doors and windows shut and began sharpening a 7-inch butcher knife. At one point, the elder Sampayo had two of his children carry his crippled mother-in-law into the bathroom, where he drenched her with gasoline. One of his children escaped and was able to summon a police officer, who broke into the house and tackled Sampayo as he attempted to strike a match. Lupe Sampayo said the trauma unified his siblings. He said his father was crazy, but his mother raised her children the good way. She adored children and was very family-oriented. On ExpressNews.com: Asked where missing child is, grandfather says Only God knows Thats part of the reason he has struggled to come to terms with King Jays death. He said Davila and the boys mother, Jasmine Gonzales, would stop by his sisters home on the West Side frequently, often with King Jay in tow. He still vividly remembers the first time he held King Jay. He was playful and cheerful, Sampayo said. He was a happy kid, a happy baby. Now, Sampayo looks back on those memories and searches for clues of what was to come. Even in retrospect, he doesnt recognize any red flags. He said Davila, who has five other children and a baby on the way, seemed like a good father, despite his lengthy criminal record. I never saw Chris hurt his children, not even spank them, he said. Sampayo wonders if drugs could have influenced Davilas actions. When Davila was arrested a second time on Jan. 10, officials say he was carrying methamphetamine. He was charged with possession of a controlled substance. Well get by Sampayo tries to keep his mind off King Jays death, but its hard to avoid. Almost daily, he passes the Friends Food Mart on Enrique M. Barrera Parkway, where Davila reported that King Jay had been kidnapped. Every time Sampayo drives by, his heart drops. For two weeks, Sampayo struggled. The pain was made worse by hurtful comments on online, made by strangers who compulsively reviewed his familys social media accounts. They dont even know us personally, he said. They dont know what kind of family we are. One day, while spending time with his brother-in-law, Mario Davila, he realized he needed guidance. He bowed his head and prayed to God. It was then that he felt as if a burden had been lifted. Sampayo has encouraged Mario Davila to seek Gods guidance, as well. The two, along with Sampayos brother, Richard, and a close friend, have attended church twice. They chose to attend the church that Sampayos mother attended before she passed. Sampayo takes comfort knowing that, in time, the truth will be revealed, even if that truth is hard to comes to terms with. Hes confident that his family will be OK. Well get over it, he said. Its going to take time, but well get by. Emilie Eaton is a criminal justice reporter in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | eeaton@express-news.net | Twitter: @emilieeaton King Jay Davila, the 8-month-old infant who was found wrapped in a blanket and buried in a backpack in a Northwest Side field last month, died of a blunt force trauma injury, the Bexar County Medical Examiners Office said Friday. His death has been ruled a homicide. The ruling comes nearly a month after the boys father, Christopher Davila, 34, called police to report that his car had been stolen from a West Side convenience store with his infant son inside. On ExpressNews.com: Asked what happened to the baby, grandfather says: Only God knows Police discovered King Jays body a week later and charged Davila with injury to a child, child endangerment and tampering with evidence, along with two other unrelated charges. Police believe Davila staged the kidnapping with the help of two family members to cover up foul play. Davila remains in the Bexar County jail on a $1.25 million bond. Now, he says King Jay died after the car seat holding the boy fell off a bed and hit the floor. He says he did not call 911 because he panicked. Officials have hinted that they do not believe Davilas latest account. On ExpressNews.com: Public memorial service planned for King Jay His mother, Beatrice Sampayo, 64, and his cousin, Angie Torres, 45, also remain in jail. They face charges of tampering with evidence for their roles in trying to cover up the death, police said. The investigation into King Jays death is ongoing. The Medical Examiners Office completed it autopsy in January but did not release the results until Friday at the request of the San Antonio Police Department. In a statement, SAPDs Public Information Office said additional charges could be upgraded at the completion of the investigation. Paul Stephen / Staff In the latest TasteCast podcast, we talk about fideo and why you shouldnt be afraid to get crazy with it, ese. The fideo loco so popular in Tex-Mex spots in San Antonio is totally different from fideo versions in Mexico and Spain, and we address all of them with four recipes in this story. We also talk about the old-school beef cut that rivals brisket: beef shoulder clod. Its a big cut, sometimes 20 to 30 pounds, that lost out to brisket in the 1960s, but its still around and still so good. MIDLAND, Texas In a global collapse of oil prices five years ago, scores of U.S. oil companies went bankrupt. One field withstood the onslaught, and even thrived: the Permian Basin, straddling Texas and New Mexico. A combination of technical innovation, aggressive investing and copious layers of oil-rich shale have transformed the Permian, once considered a worn-out patch, into the worlds second most productive oil field. And this transformation has apparently inoculated Texas against its traditional economic enemy, the boom-and-bust cycle pegged to oil prices. Even now, with prices still far below their peak, the Permian is bursting with production and exploration, and the biggest concern is how to create more capacity to get all that oil to market. On the Express-News: New deals continue the energy sector's Permian focus The shale-drilling frenzy in the Permian has enabled the United States not only to reduce crude-oil imports, but even to become a major exporter for the first time in half a century. Its bounty has also empowered the United States diplomatically, allowing it to impose sanctions on Iran and Venezuela without worrying much about increasing gasoline prices. Mounting Texas crude exports have pressured global oil prices down and are a major reason that Russia and Saudi Arabia recently cut their own production to push oil prices back up. OPEC producers never thought the Permian could be the next star world producer, said Rene Ortiz of Ecuador, a former secretary-general of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. They never thought one field one, and not a country could actually be the monster field of their imaginations. Last year alone, the Permians production rose 1 million barrels a day, and it could surpass the Ghawar field in Saudi Arabia, the worlds biggest, within three years. Now producing 4 million barrels a day, the Permian generates more oil than any of the 14 members of OPEC except Saudi Arabia and Iraq. All told, domestic oil production increased 2 million barrels a day last year, for a record of 11.9 million barrels, making the United States the worlds top producer. Permian production has quadrupled over the last eight years, in contrast with the decline of most other established oil fields, for several reasons. Companies found ways to lower exploration and production costs in tapping the Permians accommodating shale. New technologies for drilling and hydraulic fracturing helped bring the break-even price for the best wells from over $60 a barrel to as low as $33. The Permian, as vast as South Dakota, is distinct from other shale fields because of its enormous size, the thickness of its multiple shale layers some as fat as 1,000 feet and its proximity to refineries on the Gulf of Mexico. Some shale fields produce too much natural gas, which is worth less than oil. Others have uneven layers of rock difficult to drill through. The Permian is rich in oil, and its shales are relatively easy to tap with todays rigs. On the Express-News: Electricity use growing fast in West Texas' Permian Today the biggest risk, at least for producers, is that too much output might drive down prices too much and jeopardize their profitability. They could also prompt another round of aggressive actions from OPEC and its new ally, Russia. If U.S. production grows another 2 million barrels a day, we could take market share, but how long would OPEC allow that to happen? said Scott D. Sheffield, chairman of Pioneer Natural Resources, a major Permian producer. You could have another price war. That may be inevitable. As many as 15 oil and gas pipelines serving the Permian are expected to be completed by the middle of 2020, potentially increasing exports from the Gulf of Mexico fourfold to 8 million barrels a day after 2021, according to a recent Morningstar Commodities Research report. The Permian has been producing oil for a century, and provided much of the fuel the allies needed to win World War II. By 2008, it was a field in steep decline. Many major oil companies left, selling their land to smaller ones for a song. But as the big companies looked for fields deep under oceans and in the Arctic, independents like Concho Resources and Parsley Energy pioneered shale drilling here, giving the field new life. When oil prices took a dive, the upstarts experimented. They drilled longer wells and spaced them closer together in a zipper design to penetrate more shale. They tinkered with their formulas of chemicals and sands that they blast through the rocks, and they used computer technology to steer drill bits more accurately. OPEC changed the price of poker and the Permian had the best hand, said Dale Redman, chief executive of ProPetro, one of the basins biggest fracking service companies. They unleashed our creativity. They forced us to do things better and cheaper. ProPetro laid off 250 workers three years ago, after oil prices fell below $30 a barrel. But the company has since hired back those employees and added hundreds more, including 600 when they completed an acquisition on Jan. 1. What makes the payroll additions all the more remarkable is that they come in the wake of the most recent downturn in oil prices from $76 a barrel in early October to $42 in late December before recovering to more than $55 on Friday. Despite the ups and downs, there are signs of expansion everywhere in the West Texas desert. Trucks line up at dawn for half a mile to pick up sand at local mines for the days fracking jobs. Competition for workers is so fierce that fast-food restaurants have blinking signs advertising their salaries. Anadarko Petroleum and Plains All American Pipeline are constructing new regional offices to add to those built in recent years for Chevron and Apache. Motel rates and apartment rents have climbed so much that trailer parks are the only option for many workers. But few seem to mind. I will have work here forever, said Mike Wilkinson, a truck driver who came from Dallas a year ago and moved into a trailer with his teenage daughter. As hard a place as this is to look at, they are going to need guys like me to move equipment around here for years to come. Wilkinson has reason for enthusiasm, given the giant new investments that Exxon Mobil, Chevron, BP and Shell have begun to make here despite all the price uncertainty. With a major acquisition in New Mexico last year, Exxon Mobil became the most active driller in the basin, and projects that it will increase production fivefold by 2025. Also growing rapidly here, Chevron estimates that 1 in 6 of every barrels it produces globally will come from the Permian by 2021. After regaining a foothold in the Permian last year, BP is expected to invest heavily, contributing to a total investment of more than $10 billion by the major oil companies here this year, according to IHS Markit, the energy consultant. Royal Dutch Shell is just beginning to catch up, after buying acreage from Chesapeake seven years ago. It has 1,300 wells that produce 145,000 barrels of oil a day and associated gas, a 200 percent increase since January 2017. The company projects it can increase production to 200,000 barrels a day by 2020. Shells chief executive, Ben van Beurden, said Thursday that his company was seeking to increase its footprint in the Permian, the most recent sign that big oil companies will continue to snap up smaller ones. For Shell, the Permian is absolutely critical, said Gretchen Watkins, president of Shell Oil. The Permian is massive; its a game changer for U.S. shale. It is the powerhouse field. But the output of shale wells declines quickly, making the drilling here a never-ending treadmill. And that has been a challenge for the small companies that have been the innovators here but are now facing demands from investors to show financial discipline. Typical of the smaller producers is Parsley Energy, one of the most active drillers in the basin with some of the most productive wells. Its share price was cut in half over the last two years as it outspent its cash flow grabbing land and ramping up production. Late last year, as oil prices fell, Parsley changed course. It is reducing spending on exploration and production this year by $300 million. It decommissioned two of its 16 rigs late last year, and two more in January. We all have to be prepared, said Matt Gallagher, Parsleys chief executive, for a six-month slump in prices. Were one Twitter message away from a deal with Iran and $40 oil. The multinationals have the wherewithal to stick by their aggressive development plans and take a longer view. They bring an arsenal of tools that the smaller companies lack. With their size and reach, they can make the best deals for equipment like drill rigs and fracking services. Many have their own pipelines, refineries and global trading personnel to sell their oil for the highest price. In January, Chevron agreed to acquire a refinery in Pasadena, Texas, from Brazilian company Petrobras for $350 million to refine more products coming from the Permian. The announcement came only days after Exxon Mobil announced a major expansion of its Beaumont, Texas, refinery to process more local crude. The major companies also aim to cut production costs even further with increasingly sophisticated applications of artificial intelligence. Shell, for instance, has developed algorithms to replicate and standardize the most effective drilling and fracking methods worldwide. We are not here through one boom and bust, said Amir Gerges, Shells Permian general manager. We are here developing a generational resource. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. From: American Evaluation Association (AEA) For Immediate Release: Dateline: Washington , DC Wednesday, February 6, 2019 Nancy Breton, and I am the Sexual Violence Prevention Evaluator with the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH). Much of my work focuses on ensuring state-funded sexual violence prevention education programs within New Mexico middle and high schools are effective, impactful, and sustainable. Over time, I noticed themes of behavior and its potential relationship with socioeconomic and demographic issues especially within marginalized populations. I sought to understand state-specific root causes of sexual violence. Luckily, our Sexual Violence Prevention program received supplementary funding from CDC, allocating $10,000 for this project. Because of the limited timeline (4 months to report findings yikes!), I had to focus in to feasibly create a thorough report by the deadline. The The information from this project is sacred and private this community owns the data and will choose who and how it will be shared, should they choose to. Still, I learned a few lessons that I feel are pertinent for other evaluators: Evidence-based : This term can be subjective. Marginalized populations have practiced their own forms of research within their community. Be sure to empower them as knowledge brokers. Asset Mapping: Think about and ask the community what they see as limitations, but, also, what strengths they can identify to address their concerns. Serve vs. Help : Unless the community identifies you as one of its own, you are an outsider. Therefore, act in service to this community. They are not helpless. Complete and Absolute Partnership : If a community will be affected by your report then include them throughout deciding what is important to investigate, what should be reported, and who should have access to the data. It Takes Time : Building community relationships is an important component of ethical evaluation, even if funding deadlines make that difficult. Face-to-face meetings and maintaining rapport will show your dedication to serve, and will create invaluable partnerships. Co-leading with members of the community and adequately compensating all those involved would be a model. I hope this helps! To see more of NMDOH and our partners efforts to prevent sexual violence in New Mexico, check out our site: The American Evaluation Association is celebrating New Mexico (NM) Evaluators ( About AEA The American Evaluation Association is an international professional association and the largest in its field. Evaluation involves assessing the strengths and weaknesses of programs, policies, personnel, products and organizations to improve their effectiveness. AEAs mission is to improve evaluation practices and methods worldwide, to increase evaluation use, promote evaluation as a profession and support the contribution of evaluation to the generation of theory and knowledge about effective human action. For more information about AEA, visit www.eval.org. Hello AEA! My name is, and I am the Sexual Violence Prevention Evaluator with the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH). Much of my work focuses on ensuring state-funded sexual violence prevention education programs within New Mexico middle and high schools are effective, impactful, and sustainable. Over time, I noticed themes of behavior and its potential relationship with socioeconomic and demographic issues especially within marginalized populations. I sought to understand state-specific root causes of sexual violence.Luckily, our Sexual Violence Prevention program received supplementary funding from CDC, allocating $10,000 for this project. Because of the limited timeline (4 months to report findings yikes!), I had to focus in to feasibly create a thorough report by the deadline.The 2016 Sex Crimes Trends in New Mexico report states that the American Indian/Native American population comprised 15% of New Mexicans who reported experiencing sexual violence, even while comprising less than 10% of the state population. Given this was a pilot project with limited funds and time, I decided to work with the Native population within the Albuquerque area. Finding partners for this project was not easy, as there is historical trauma associated with government research on this population. I worked hard to create a relationship with various partners, which has been quite rewarding.The information from this project is sacred and private this community owns the data and will choose who and how it will be shared, should they choose to. Still, I learned a few lessons that I feel are pertinent for other evaluators:I hope this helps! To see more of NMDOH and our partners efforts to prevent sexual violence in New Mexico, check out our site: https://nmhealth.org/about/erd/ibeb/svsp/ . Keep up the amazing work!The American Evaluation Association is celebrating New Mexico (NM) Evaluators ( www.nmeval.org ) Week. Do you have questions, concerns, kudos, or content to extend this aea365 contribution? Please add them in the comments section for this post on the aea365 webpage so that we may enrich our community of practice. Would you like to submit an aea365 Tip? Please send a note of interest to aea365@eval.org. aea365 is sponsored by the American Evaluation Association and provides a Tip-a-Day by and for evaluators. Low Caregiving and Health Literacy Leads to Caregiver Exhaustion CONTACT: Pamela D. Wilson 888-393-7754 Email: Inquiry_For_Pamela@pameladwilson.com Golden, Colorado February 6, 2019 Caregivers take feelings of overwhelm, exhaustion, and isolation in stride not realizing the long-term risks. While caregiving has many positive benefits, caregivers who report experiencing stress are at greater risk of physical and mental illness. The care of aging loved ones suffer when caregivers become exhausted. Caregivers admit to feeling like they have to do it all. Hesitation exists to ask questions. Many caregivers wait to ask for help until a disaster happens. This hesitation results in poor care for aging parents, spouses, and family. Navigating the caregiving and healthcare systems is challenging. Healthcare literacy rates in the United States are low. Many caregivers do not understand instructions provided by physicians, have difficulty following instructions on prescription bottles, and fail to follow up with care. Many caregivers feel "talked down to" by healthcare providers who don't explain information in non-medical terms. This results in caregiving gaps that penalize aging adults who need care. It is time to talk openly about the challenges of caregiving like we do about the weather. Frequently and without hesitation. Caregivers must be comfortable seeking support. Aging adults who need care must also be comfortable expressing concerns. Caregiving is a 2-way street that cannot succeed without better than average communication. For caregivers, taking a single step forward to access support can make a significant improvement in caring for an aging parent, spouse, or another family member. Answers to common caregiving questions are at https://www.caregiver-911.com Offered are proven solutions by caregiving expert, Pamela D. Wilson, plus answers to questions about keeping aging parents at home, managing in-home caregivers, deciding when it's time to move to assisted living, how to manage behaviors related to Alzheimer's are offered through the FREE articles and video series available FREE at caregiver-911.com. Better support for caregivers results in better care for aging family members. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE In all of the turmoil over investigations about Russian influence in U.S. elections and the attention paid to the bipartisan sentence reform act, another act passed by Congress has gone relatively unnoticed. However, according to criminal justice expert Paul Brakke, who has published seven books with American Leadership Books, Congress' recent passage of the Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018 (OCRA) in October is an important step in combating the growing opioid use disorder which now has its own acronym - OUD. It can also help to ameliorate the housing and homeless crisis, although help to resolve this should go beyond just helping addicts. As Brakke states, "By itself, OCRA isn't enough to be the complete solution to the opioid epidemic, since drug users shouldn't be treated preferentially for government aid. But it has some important key provisions along with funding that can help, and in the future, funding should additionally be expanded to help all of the homeless with housing. At least, this legislation could pave the way to help end the housing crisis in many cities, since all of the homeless should be taken off the streets, so they no longer are an eyesore and embarrassment there. Moreover, this shouldn't be just free housing, but recipients of aid should have to work for it, too." According to Brakke, the provisions of this current bill are the following: - The act reauthorizes $500 million in funding each year to combat the opioid use disorder. - The act provides for further access to treatment and recovery services for addicts. - The act gives the National Institutes of Health the authority to more quickly authorize research on alternative pain therapies instead of opioids. As Brakke points out, such provisions are sorely needed because of the huge number of deaths from the opioid epidemic. According to the National Vital Statistics System Mortality File, over 700,000 people died from drug overdoses between 1999 and 2017, and about 68% of over 70,200 drug overdose deaths in 2017 were due to an opioid. These numbers work out to an average of 130 Americans dying every day from an opioid overdose. "And that's clearly unacceptable," says Brakke. Brakke also points out how this act will help to reduce homelessness, another growing crisis in cities around America. Citing an October article on the EndHomelessness.org website, "The Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018: What Does It Mean for People Experiencing Homelessness" by Chandra Crawford, Brakke notes that the bill recognizes the importance of stable housing as a critical part treatment and recovery. "This is particularly important if people are currently homeless or could be. That's why the Act encourages the states to pay for housing-related services for homeless people with OUD using Medicaid. At the same time, an additional act should provide services to help all homeless people get off the streets. And part of the act should include a "work for services" provision, so this doesn't become a free ride for the homeless. Then, too, if housing aid is given to addicts, it should be terminated after a year if they continue to use or haven't found a job, since it's not fair to give homeless addicts preferential housing assistance not available to the rest of the homeless." While this may seem like a policy to delight liberals, Brakke points out that conservatives will find much to like in this approach, because homelessness negatively impacts local businesses and a city's economy as a whole. "For example, people who are homeless and have a drug problem contribute to the general deterioration of the neighborhood by shooting up and leaving needles on the street. Or they end up in jail or prison for selling drugs to support their habit. So helping the homeless through this act is not only a more humane approach to dealing with the opioid crisis, but it makes perfect economic sense to do so, resulting in a cleaner city, a stronger retail community, and more sales from tourists." Brakke also points to the way the Act is designed to achieve these goals of getting the homeless with a drug problem off the streets and into housing, citing Crawford's article on "The Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018." For example, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) is supposed to issue a report to Congress in a year highlighting the new programs from the states that have led to better treatment outcomes or increased housing stability through providing Medicaid for people who are homeless and have OUD. Additionally HHS plans to provide technical assistance to help the states develop or expand their housing supports from such homeless people with OUD. Still another benefit of the act is that it authorizes community block grants through 2023 to provide funds for temporary housing for up to two years for this group of homeless people with OUD who are in treatment. The pilot program is designed to help states with the highest rates of drug overdose deaths combined with other factors, such as having a high rate of unemployment. As Brakke observes, "Thus, this act both helps the homeless with a drug problem and the local economy where joblessness is high. In fact, there is a close connection with these two problems, in that helping the homeless overcome their drug problem and find housing can help them find jobs." Brakke is particularly supportive of this act as a first step to overcome homeless generally, because of his research on the opioid crisis, which he has written about in a chapter in Crime in America and in Dealing with Illegal Immigration and the Opioid Crisis. He is also planning a future more in depth analysis of this problem. In writing his books and working as a consultant, Brakke brings to the table a unique conservative approach to crime, criminal justice, and American society. That's in contrast to the liberals, who usually discuss ways to reform the system through more of a social welfare approach. Brakke's approach is based on an economic business model of doing what works most efficiently to both cut down costs and create more productive citizens. He is now bringing his unique approach to his forthcoming book Fractured America, dealing with the many divisions that are tearing America apart and how to heal these divisions. It will be published in early February. Since publishing Crime in America, Brakke has made 35 videos featuring highlights from the book which are available on the American Leadership Books YouTube channel at https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCfHgXXiW3jgODnaypgcYZFw/videos/upload To learn more, you can get a copy of Crime in America, with a chapter on the opioid crisis. The book is available through Amazon, Kindle, and major bookstores. It is currently available on Kindle at a reduced price during its special KDP Select Promotion at https://www.amazon.com/Crime-America-Conservatives-Approaches-Criminals-ebook/dp/B07MKZG84Z. Also, free copies are available for government officials who are seeking ways to reduce crime and fix the criminal justice system and for members of the media at www.crimeinamericathebook.com. For media copies of the book, more information on American Leadership Books and Paul Brakke, and to set up interviews, please contact: Jana Collins Jones & O'Malley Toluca Lake, California jana@jonesomalley.com (818) 762-8353 BREXIT UPDATE 06-Feb: The Pound Sterling (GBP) exchange rates firmed through Wednesdays session while remaining in the vicinity of two-week lows against both the Euro (EUR) and US Dollar (USD) despite renewed criticism over PM Mays Brexit plans. At the time of writing, the Pound-to-Dollar exchange rate was seen trading at a session high of $1.29744 while the Pound-to-Euro exchange rate was last seen at pushing to a session high of 1.1392. PM May was in Northern Ireland during Wednesday, meeting with party leaders from the top 5 N.I. parties in a bid to allay concerns over the Irish backstop and garner support for her withdrawal agreement. Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Arlene Foster said that the talks with the PM presented another opportunity to press the PM to pursue a Brexit deal which not only avoids a no-deal outcome but also replaces the current Irish backstop component. Speaking following the meeting, Arlene Foster said, The backstop would undermine the economic and constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom... it is the main problem, adding, The Prime Minister made commitments that there would be legally binding changes to the withdrawal agreement. That is what is needed. Foster went on to say, It is welcome that the Prime Minister is travelling to Brussels to seek changes but she must stand strong and by the commitments she made to the House of Commons, and, We want a deal. One that works for us as well as our neighbours in the Republic of Ireland. But we must face reality. There is no 'agreement' unless it is able to command the necessary support in Parliament. Evidently the pressure is building in Brussels. A deliberately provocative & disrespectful statement about the 17.4m of us who voted to leave. This is a time for solutions & genuine diplomacy not insults. https://t.co/km40QOkoA0 Arlene Foster (@DUPleader) February 6, 2019 Commentary following the PMs meeting with Sinn Fein was altogether more negative. Sinn Fein president, Mary Lou McDonald, commented We are now 51 days from the Brexit deadline and the British Prime Minister has come here empty handed with the same old rhetoric with no plan, no credibility and frankly no honour adding We have told her that the British strategy of running down the clock and playing a game of chicken with Ireland and Irish interests is profoundly unacceptable and wrong. Alliance Party leader Naomi Long said that, he time for reiterating red lines and regurgitating reassurances has long gone adding, What we need now, and the only lines we are interested in, are black and white on paper, an actual deal. Meanwhile, comments from the president of the European Council, Donald Tusk that theres a special place in hell for those who backed Brexit without having any notion of how it could work, have sparked mixed reactions from UK lawmakers with some voicing outrage and others, such as the SNP finding agreement. "European Council President Donald Tusk has spoken of a "special place in hell" for "those who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan of how to carry it out safely". BBC In a press statement the EU Council leader said By the way, I have been wondering what the special place in hell looks like for those who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely. I've been wondering what that special place in hell looks like, for those who promoted #Brexit, without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely. Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) February 6, 2019 He added that the EU was preparing for the possible fiasco of a no-deal Brexit and that himself and the wider EU had hoped that the UK would renege on the EU referendum and remain in the EU, stating, People all over the continent, and in Ireland, hoped that the UK would change its mind about Brexit. Reiterating his stance that the EU would not be making any new offer in anticipation of PM Mays expected visit to Brussels to continue to seek changes to the EU withdrawal agreement, Tusk added I hope that tomorrow we will hear from prime minister May a realistic suggestion on how to end the impasse in which the process of the orderly withdrawal of the UK from the EU has found itself following the latest votes in the House of Commons. UPDATE: The Pound to Euro (GBP/EUR) exchange rate punched higher on Thursday, with the pairing touching 1.1440 as following the banks first policy meeting of 2019, BoE Governor Mark Carney stated that consumer should not prepare for a rate cut. This follows the release of the European Commissions latest forecasts earlier in the session, which saw the Euro weaken as the EC slashed its growth forecasts for the Eurozone. UPDATE: The Pound-to-Euro exchange rate edged higher over the course of Wednesday, ending the session 0.25% in the green overall. After a narrow overnight range Pound Sterling dipped sharply against the single currency ahead of the European session and is seen trading at 1.1370. For the Euro (EUR), Wednesdays session will see the release of the European Central Banks (ECB) latest economic bulletin alongside Italian retail sales and the European Commissions latest economic forecasts for the bloc. In the UK, the Bank of England (BoE) releases - including their latest inflation report, policy summary release and bank rate decision - will take the spotlight alongside any further Brexit developments as Prime Minister Theresa May travels to Brussels to push for changes to the EU withdrawal agreement. Commenting in regards to an adjustment of UK interest rates, managing director of currency strategy at BK Asset Management, Kathy Lien, wrote, The BoE wont even consider changing interest rates until the terms to leaving the EU become clear. Euro (EUR) Softened by Gloomy German Industrial Data The Euro (EUR) was placed on the back foot against the Pound (GBP) and the majority of its other peers on Wednesday as markets reacted to the latest industrial figures from Germany. According to Germanys federal statistics agency, Destatis, domestic factory order growth plummeted 1.6% in December, down from an upwardly revised -0.2% growth in November and well short of expectations of a modest rebound of 0.3%. This was the worst monthly reading since May and saw factory orders falling 7% through 2018, the largest yearly decline since 2012. The drop in orders was attributed to various factors, including Brexit, trade tensions and pressure on Germanys car industry, however the drop appeared to be mostly driven by weak demand from abroad, with orders from outside the Eurozone declining 5.5% in December. Claus Vistesen, chief Eurozone economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics said: Across sectors, weakness in capital and intermediate goods were the primary drivers, especially on the export side to non-Eurozone countries. By contrast, new orders for consumer goods rebounded strongly across the board, pointing to a revival in the auto sector towards the end of the year. The year-over-year rate was depressed by base effects from a very strong finish to the year in 2017, but the message remains clear: German manufacturing is suffering. Todays data has also further fanned fears that the Eurozones largest economy may be headed towards a recession Deutsche Bank economist, Sebastian Becker wrote on Tuesday: The start of the German economy into 2019 has been a major disappointment so far. The development of several key cyclical indicators is telling us that the German economy is drifting towards recession right now. Pound (GBP) Exchange Rates Stable despite Brexit Concerns Meanwhile the Pound (GBP) traded in a neutral range on Wednesday as Brexit remained centre stage. Theresa May has been holding meetings in Northern Ireland with the countrys five main political parties in an attempt to understand their positions on the backstop agreement and discuss how to avoid a hard border. However this comes at the same time as European Council President Donald Tusk launched a blistering attack on those MPs who backed Brexit, warning that there is a special place in hell for those who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan of how to carry it out safely. Tusks comments came after talks with Irish premier Leo Varadkar in Brussels in which the two agreed that the Irish backstop must remain. GBP/EUR Exchange Rate Forecast: BoE in the Sights for Investors Looking to the second half of the week, the Pound Euro (GBP/EUR) exchange rate may struggle on Thursday as the Bank of England (BoE) concludes its first policy meeting of 2019. While no policy changes are expected from the BoE this month, GBP investors will likely pay close attention to the banks forward guidance. Investors will be eager to hear the banks assessment on Brexit and whether alongside signs of slowing global growth, this could lead the bank to adopt a more dovish tone this year, with some analysts forecasting that the BoE could seek to delay its next rate hike until 2020 at the earliest. On top of this Theresa May will also travel to Brussels tomorrow to meet with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in an attempt to negotiate an alternative to the backstop agreement. This may lead to Sterling coming under further pressure if the EU remains staunch in its refusal to renegotiate the withdrawal agreement as it increases the risk of a no-deal Brexit if May returns empty handed. Meanwhile the European Commission will deliver its latest forecasts for economic growth on Thursday, potentially dragging on the Euro if growing uncertainty leads the EC to lower its growth expectations for 2019. BREXIT UPDATE: Wednesday saw the Pound Sterling (GBP/) end the session down against the US Dollar (USD/$) while up against the Euro (EUR/). Following Wednesdays meeting with top tier Northern Irish politicians, Prime Minister May is due to return to Brussels to pursue changes to the EU withdrawal agreement. EU officials have continued to assert that the withdrawal agreement is the only possible deal and isnt open for renegotiation. "Sterling remains close to the bottom end of recent trading ranges as markets wait for todays update from the BoE and the outcome of PM Mays talks in Brussels." Lloyds 07/02 Early Thursday trading saw the GBP decline sharply against both peers with the Pound-to-Dollar exchange rate last seen at $1.29075 after a brief dip below $1.29. Against the single currency, the Pound experienced a similar dip and was last seen trading at 1.1371, the lower bound of the overnight range after breaking lower earlier in the session. British Pound Hovers at Multi-Week Lows as PM May Meets Northern Irish Party Leaders The Pound Sterling (GBP) remained subdued during Wednesdays session, edging marginally higher from fresh two-week lows against both the Euro (EUR) and US Dollar (USD) but failing to gain any upside momentum. At the time of writing, the Pound-to-Dollar exchange rate was last seen trading at $1.29580, after losing the key $1.3 level during Tuesdays session and slumping to a multi-week low of $1.29246. The Pound-to-Euro conversion rate meanwhile was last seen trading at 1.137 after a Tuesday, two-week worst of 1.1333. Prime Minister Theresa May is in Belfast on Wednesday to meet with top tier Northern Irish politicians from each of the five main parties as she continues her efforts to foster support for the EU withdrawal agreement. Northern Irish lawmakers have consistently rejected the deal due to the Irish backstop component which, if it came into effect, would see N.I. subjected to EU customs regulations in order to avoid a hard border. The Prime Minister relies on votes from the Democratic Unionist Party, headed by Arlene Foster, if she hopes to pass the withdrawal agreement through the House of Commons. Ahead of the meetings, BBCs Ireland correspondent, Chris Page, wrote, The Stormont parties will give the prime minister two very different messages about the backstop. Sinn Fein has said her plan to ask the EU for legally binding changes is a huge act of bad faith. But the DUP says the current backstop proposal is unacceptable." Elsewhere, the Pound Sterling was little moved by late-Tuesday reports that the government intend to seek an extension to the article 50 deadline which currently stands at March 29th. The Pound has previously rallied on similar news with the GBPs current subdued response reflective of growing concerns that the UK is bound for a no-deal outcome. Regarding the deadline, giving evidence to the Commons business committee on Wednesday, business secretary Greg Clark said that the real deadlines for Brexit as far as some businesses are concerned is effectively over the next couple of weeks. Citing a shipping time of six weeks to Japan, Clark commented that exporters will need to know if the terms of trade have changed well ahead of the article 50 imposed deadline of March 29th. When asked if he would resign if the government decided to pursue a no-deal Brexit outcome, Clark said, if it were ever to be the policy of the government, as a matter of policy, to leave the European Union (without a deal), I think there would be many people on all sides of the House that would regard that as unacceptable. Commerzbank FX strategist, Ulrich Leuchtmann, commented on the GBP, I can understand that speculative market participants are ready to bet on the GBP recovery. However, that should not prevent the market from reflecting the changing likelihood of a no deal proportionately in the GBP exchange rates. Echoing a growing consensus among institutional forecasts, Leuchtmann added, I do not consider GBP weakness during this time to be sufficiently priced in. In a poll of currency analysts and FX strategists conducted by Reuters it was found that all respondents were in agreement that the GBP is likely to rise in a benign Brexit outcome, i.e., the passing of Mays deal, but is expected to depreciate further in a disorderly Brexit scenario. Upside predictions tip the Pound Sterling to gain between 2% and 5%, with the Pound-to-Dollar cross expected to hit $1.31 in one month and target $1.40 by the end of the year. A no-deal outcome is expected to yield declines of between 5% and 10%. For the GBP. A University of Texas at Arlington math professor will use a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to prepare graduate and undergraduate students for data-based careers in agriculture-related fields. Jianzhong Su, UTA math professor and chairman of the Department of Mathematics, received a four-year, $295,000 USDA grant for an Alliance for Smart Agriculture in the Internet of Things Era project. It will encourage graduate and undergraduate UTA STEM students to expand their opportunities in the agriculture sector. Su will lead the UTA project in collaboration with the University of Texas at El Paso and New Mexico State University to implement the proposed activities sponsored by a USDA collaboration grant. Heidi Taboada, associate dean for research and graduate studies in UTEP's College of Engineering, is principal investigator in the USDA grant. UTA professors Nick Fang, assistant professor of civil engineering; Jaime Cantu and Shouyi Wang, assistant professors of industrial, manufacturing and systems engineering; Hristo Kojouharov, math professor; and Wen Shen, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering form the rest of the principal investigating team. UTA will recruit a team of graduate and undergraduate students to form a Smart Agriculture learning community and will manage the learning community through teaching, research and mentoring. Su and his team will be able to advise and mentor students individually in the form of meetings, seminars and other organized activities with the entire Smart Agriculture cohort so that students will be adequately prepared academically and in professional development. UTA will enhance the Smart Agriculture Learning Community through experiential learning, internship and research opportunities. "We've already recruited four students and are pursuing research in three different directions," Su said. "The first research project is with Nick Fang and we'll be looking at using unmanned aircraft vehicles, or drones, to take images of the agricultural fields while collecting a large amount of data that will help farmers to know ground moisture levels and crop growth." Shen and Kojouharov will oversee the second project that involves using small biosensors to detect the presence of bacteria, contamination and moisture levels on any crop. The sensors will also provide the necessary data that will better assist with food safety and storage, and increase productivity with less human intervention with the food products, Su said. UTA will involve all Smart Agriculture students in experience learning and research in data science related to the USDA mission. The faculty team will continue to recruit graduate and undergraduate students each year for research projects related to water, food, nutrition and other agriculture-focused research. The faculty team also will seek partners for internship opportunities for Smart Agriculture students. "With urban farming, the experimental field is very limited and there are questions about making decisions using data because certain products may take a longer time to grow and you don't have space to grow other things, versus other food products that have a much quicker turnaround time," Su said. "That leaves room for optimization and Dr. Cantu and Dr. Wang are involved in designing that process that can potentially lead to making better decisions with benefits to customers in mind." Su's USDA grant leans heavily on two of the themes of UTA's Strategic Plan 2020, building sustainable communities and data-driven discovery, said Morteza Khaledi, dean of the College of Science. " The work and research that these professors and students will perform will make better use of the land and help farmers and, in the long run, consumers of those agricultural products," Khaledi said. UTA's Department of Mathematics is the recipient of 2013 American Mathematics Society Award for an Exemplary Program or Achievement in a Mathematics Department. With the support of U.S. Department of Education-supported Graduate Assistance for Areas of National Need program for graduate students, the National Science Foundation's System for Undergraduates to Reach Goals in Education program for undergraduate students and the NSF Math Bridge-to-Doctorate program, UTA Mathematics is a national leader in education, research and mentoring, serving a diverse population of students. Its data-driven discovery research program is also strengthened with recent hiring of five new faculty members in data science, statistics and imaging. ### Researchers at the University of Sydney and the Sydney Institute of Marine Science have found that climate change could lead to declines of underwater kelp forests through impacts on their microbiome. In humans, it has been observed that changes in the microbes in the gut can result in poor health. A similar process happens in kelp. Predicted ocean warming and acidification can change microbes on the kelp surface, leading to disease and potentially putting fisheries at risk. Climate change is affecting biodiversity at a global scale. In the marine realm, ocean warming and acidification are pushing dominant habitat-forming species, such as corals and large seaweeds, into decline, affecting biodiversity. New research shows these two processes can cause changes in the microbiome on the surface of large brown seaweed leading to disease-like symptoms. Blistering, bleaching and eventually degradation of the kelp's surface is impacting the species' ability to photosynthesise and potentially survive. This could impact kelp forests around the world. For example, it could contribute to further declines of the 8000km long kelp forests that dominate the bottom half of Australia - known as the Great Southern Reef - potentially affecting all the associated ecosystems, including many species of fish, shellfish, lobster and abalone. "If we lose the kelp forests, we also lose our two biggest fisheries," said Dr Ziggy Marzinelli, lecturer in Marine Temperate Reef Ecology in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences. The cooler water kelp forests support a significant component of Australia's fisheries and is estimated to be worth over $10bn to the Australian economy. Published today in Proceedings of The Royal Society B, the study tested the independent and interactive effects of ocean warming and acidification on the associated microbiome and condition of the dominant kelp Ecklonia, which is already in steep decline in Australian waters. "Our study shows the effects of climate change can be complex, driven by changes in tiny organisms - microbes - that cannot be seen," Dr Marzinelli said. "Changes in the microbiome impacts the life of the host. When you have disruption to the microbiome in the human gut, it affects your health. It's the same for seaweed. One of the consequences you see is clusters of blisters on the surface of the kelp." The study has implications for the health and resilience of entire marine ecosystems, said Professor Peter Steinberg, director of Sydney Institute of Marine Science, who co-authored the study. "The impact of losing the kelp forests would be the same as cutting down all the trees on the land. All the animals would be affected. It is the same in the oceans. If we lose the physical structure of the habitat, we lose the ecosystems." One surprising aspect of the research showed the microbiome reverted to a healthier state when it was exposed to the most extreme scenarios. "When we tested under warming and acidification conditions predicted in 50 years time, the microbiome reverted to what it was at the start with healthy hosts," said Professor Steinberg. "This was a surprise. It means it is hard to predict what might happen in the most extreme future ocean conditions." ### Excessive weight gain in children under two years can lead to cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors in teenage years including increased cholesterol, being overweight and having fat around the middle, finds new research from the University of Sydney. Obesity and cardiovascular risk factors in childhood and adolescence are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease in adulthood, the leading cause of death in Australia. Published today in The Journal of Paediatrics, the study tracked the Body Mass Index (BMI) of children from birth to 14 years and found that earlier onset of high BMI (in children under two years) resulted in higher cholesterol levels, higher blood pressure, and more central (unhealthy) fat in adolescence, compared with onset of high BMI in children aged three to five. Teenage obesity is a major health problem in Australia, but the pathways to and the consequences of obesity in teenagers has not been well studied. This is the first study to look at the consequences of weight gain at two different stages of early childhood and its impact on developing cardiovascular disease as an adult. "Our study found that there are two main pathways to obesity as a teenager - rapid weight gain in the first two years of life (early weight gain) or rapid weight gain between ages two and five years of age (later weight gain)," said senior author University of Sydney's Professor David Celermajer, Scandrett Professor of Cardiology at Sydney Medical School and the Heart Research Institute. "The data shows that there are consequences of the timing of the onset of excess BMI in early childhood. "Earlier onset of a rising BMI that persisted through childhood results in greater central fat and higher cholesterol in teenagers, independent of their BMI at 14 years." Study details: A group of 410 Australian children were assessed from birth throughout childhood to age 14 years, recording their weight, height, and waist circumference. Of the 410 children, 190 had detailed measurements of cholesterol, blood pressure and central weight recorded at age 14 years. Three groups were identified in the study: normal BMI, "Early Rising" excess BMI from two years, and "Late Rising" excess BMI from five years. Lead author Dr Jennifer Barraclough, cardiologist and PhD student at University of Sydney and the Heart Research Institute said: "The early weight gain group have more centrally placed or unhealthy fat than the later weight gain group. Fat around the middle is a key risk factor for cardiovascular disease in adulthood. "The early weight gain group also had significantly higher cholesterol levels compared to a group of healthy weight teenagers. "Our study shows that the earlier the onset of excess fat before five years of age, the more likely the individual is to have fat around the middle by adolescence. "The study also found that both early and late weight gain groups were more likely to have mothers with overweight or obesity and a high BMI, than healthy weight teenagers." Co-author Professor Louise Baur, Head of Child & Adolescent Health at the University's Sydney Medical School and The Children's Hospital at Westmead said: "This study has shown that it is important for families and the community to understand the risks of excess weight gain in early life and to ensure healthy eating and activity are supported from a very young age. "These findings may provide an opportunity to identify "high risk" young children and trial interventions at an early age, prior to the development of high cholesterol and centrally placed fat which becomes evident in adolescence and increases the risk of heart disease as an adult." Professor Baur highlighted the importance of healthy infant feeding. "Breastfeeding should be supported where possible until at least 12 months, with solids introduced from around 6 months. "Healthy eating and physical activity for all family members is also an important factor promoting healthy weight gain in the young child. Family doctors and early childhood nurses can also help to monitor weight gain in this critical period of life," she said. ### Linking genomics to evolution to ecology, the work takes an unusual approach to reveal broad implications of how species adapt to their local environment In a remote area of British Columbia's Vancouver Island, Kennedy Lake's deep blue waters stretch over 25 square miles. The lake is home to the threespine stickleback, a diminutive fish species that has provided rich fodder for evolutionary study. These sticklebacks thrive in both marine and freshwater habitats and exist in most of the inland waters that dot the northern coasts of North America, Europe, and Asia. Significant to scientists, the species has a conspicuously variable trait governed by a single gene: the amount of bony plating, or "armoring," on their bodies. Variations in this gene in this tiny fish species have the potential to alter the broader aquatic ecosystem, according to new research led by University of Pennsylvania postdoctoral researcher Seth Rudman. Fish with more armoring released more phosphorous into the water around them, the researchers found. Because phosphorous is such a key element in aquatic ecosystems, such a difference may have trickle-down effects on microbes, plants, and algae in freshwater or marine area. "Genomics has played such a large role in advancing biological research in many, many disciplines and subdisciplines," says Rudman, the lead author on the work, who completed the investigations with colleagues during his doctoral studies at the University of British Columbia (UBC). "But the thing that I think about most and is the motivation for this study is how do we apply genomics to help us better understand ecosystems? In a way I view this work as a proof-of-concept that there are scenarios in which changes in individual genes can have effects on ecology." The team used novel methods to assess how evolution influences the elemental make-up of individual fish, essentially viewing the organisms as a sack of atoms--carbon, calcium, strontium, and the like. What they found indicated that evolution has acted not only to differentiate the elemental composition of marine fish compared to their freshwater counterparts but has also influenced their ability to take up elements from the environment. "I think the fact that evolution really did affect ion movement for these fish is surprising," Rudman says of the work, which appears in the journal Ecology Letters. Generally, sticklebacks in marine waters have more plating, while sticklebacks in freshwater have less. But Kennedy Lake's stickleback population is unusual in having stable populations of both "low-plated" and "high-plated" fish, traits governed by the Eda gene, making it an ideal site for study. When Rudman and colleagues collected both types of fish from the lake and placed them in filtered water, they found the high-plated fish excreted more phosphorous compared to low-plated fish. Using methods more often associated with toxicology studies to track radio isotopes, they also found the high-plated fish took up more calcium. The finding suggests that the version of the Eda gene a fish possesses influences how it interacts with its surrounding environment, potentially triggering ecosystem-wide effects. In a second part of the study, Rudman and coauthors looked at fish in other areas of British Columbia, collecting them from either marine environments, where fish tend to be more plated, or freshwater ones associated with low-plating, to look for signs the populations had adapted to their local environment and the ecological implications of those changes. To do so, the researchers examined what the fish were made of chemically. "I think one of the newer components of this paper is we're able to think about these organisms as a chemical cocktail," Rudman says, "and when we do that we're able to explicitly link changes in them to changes in the way they're interacting with the environment." Wild-caught marine and freshwater fish differed considerably in their so-called "ionome," the composition of elements they contained, the team discovered. These differences persisted even when marine fish were rasied in freshwater and freshwater fish were raised in saltwater. However the fish also showed signs of adapting to their new environments. "We found that when marine fish were placed in freshwater, their ability to assimilate phosphorous increased," says Rudman. "This makes a lot of sense because phosphorous is really a limiting element in freshwater systems." Taken together, the study points to a rare case where scientists have been able to link a genetic difference to a physical trait and then link that trait to a potential ecosystem effect, since other organisms could make use of the elements the fish extrude or take up. Rudman also notes that the findings underscore how quickly evolutionary changes that influence these ecological effects can occur. "Darwin said that evolution is slow, happening over eons, and ecology is happening today in our backyards," Rudman says. "But that is not true. Evolution is happening fast in many systems, within a summer for a fruit fly or across a decade for sticklebacks." Rapid evolution, a feature of changing conditions like those we see today, will have ecological consequences, he adds, and may one day help scientists predict how species will respond to challenges to come. "This presents a way in which evolution and ecology could be very tightly coupled in determining the fate of populations and species under future conditions," Rudman says. ### Rudman's coauthors on the study were Taylor Gibbons and Colin Brauner of UBC, Jared Goos of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Joseph Burant of the University of Guelph, Kevin Brix of the University of Miami, and Punidan Jeyasingh of Oklahoma State University. The study was supported by the University of British Columbia and the National Science Foundation (grants 1256867 and 1306452). DURHAM, N.H.-- Ask any "Downton Abbey" fan about the wildly popular historical television drama and they will wistfully reminisce about being whisked away to a more gentile and elegant time in post-Edwardian England. With a majestic castle as the backdrop and actors adorned in lavish costumes, audiences were immersed into life as it was in the early 1900's. Or, were they? A historian at the University of New Hampshire takes a closer look at the beloved show to reveal that it may have been preserving history not as it actually was but as fans believe it ought to have been. "While historical objects, styles and period antiques were meticulously curated to ensure the authenticity of the show, the behavior and values portrayed by the characters in 'Downton' had a more modern slant," said Nicoletta Gullace, associate professor of history at UNH, who studies 20th century British history. "Life was hard and gritty in the early 1900's. So the show's producers created a safe and more palatable experience to satisfy today's viewer by airbrushing over some of the ugliness including severe poverty, human rights abuses, bankruptcy, rampant sexism, and just how dirty it was to live during that period." In her study, recently published in the Journal of British Cinema and Television, Gullace, a "Downton Abbey" fan herself, acknowledges that the award-winning PBS drama was a fairytale of wealth and elegance driven by wonderful writing and intriguing plots. But as a historian, who is often invited to speak about "Downton Abbey," she notes that the show fabricates a more 'habitable past' that celebrates the rich and conservative while not offending today's audiences. She cites examples like unlikely class interactions between servants and masters, the tolerance of sexual and social outsiders and the unending kindness of the wealthy Crawleys toward people regardless of their rank. "The drama did a remarkable job of getting people excited about history in a way real history usually can't," said Gullace. "Most Americans don't really know that much about British history so this introduced a whole new audience to this time period. But academic scholars often ask, to what degree were they learning the real history?" Gullace says that the magic of "Downton Abbey" was the way it created a fictional past that seemed so 'real' that viewers could imagine themselves living there. She points to the relatable feminist nature of many of the female characters. Each of the young women exhibited a plucky feminism - Sybil through women's suffrage, Edith with her newspaper and Mary by asserting sexual autonomy. However, they aren't really representative of the sexual mores of the time and would have been extremely rare. But to draw in American viewers, mostly women between 35 and 49, "Downton Abbey" carefully constructed a more desirable past, which also includes modern behaviors where women enjoy opportunities for autonomy and self-fulfillment, even though the most important ones center on the quest for true love. Gullace acknowledges that it is hard to control any interpretation of the past in most creative mediums, especially for a show with such a passionate audience that craves a period that they can relate to. She points out that "Downton Abbey" is not any different from other living museums, such as New England's Old Sturbridge Village, or any historical re-enactments that take place on battlefields across the United States. Their popularity, just like with "Downton Abbey," shows the public craves learning about history but wants it to be fun. ### The University of New Hampshire inspires innovation and transforms lives in our state, nation and world. More than 16,000 students from all 50 states and 71 countries engage with an award-winning faculty in top-ranked programs in business, engineering, law, health and human services, liberal arts and the sciences across more than 200 programs of study. As one of the nation's highest-performing research universities, UNH partners with NASA, NOAA, NSF and NIH, and receives more than $110 million in competitive external funding every year to further explore and define the frontiers of land, sea and space. For more than a decade, citizen science projects have helped researchers use the power of thousands of volunteers who help sort through datasets that are too large for a small research team. Previously, this data generally couldn't be processed by computers because the work required skills that only humans could accomplish. Now, computer machine learning techniques that teach the computer specific image recognition skills can be used in crowdsourcing projects to deal with massively increasing amounts of data--making computers a surprising new partner in citizen science projects. The research, led by the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, was chosen as the cover story for the most recent issue of the British Ecological Society's scientific journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution. In this study, data scientists and citizen science experts partnered with ecologists who often study wildlife populations by deploying camera traps. These camera traps are remote, independent devices, triggered by motion and infrared sensors that provide researchers with images of passing animals. After collection, these images have to be classified according to the study's goals to produce useful ecological data for analysis. "In the past, researchers asked citizen scientists to help them process and classify the images within a reasonable time-frame," said the study's lead author Marco Willi, a recent graduate of the University of Minnesota master's program in data science and researcher in the University's School of Physics and Astronomy. "Now, some of these recent camera trap projects have collected millions of images. Even with the help of citizen scientists, it could take years to classify all of the images. This new study is a proof of concept that machine learning techniques can help significantly reduce the time of classification." Researchers used three datasets of images collected from Africa--Snapshot Serengeti, Camera CATalogue, and Elephant Expedition--and one dataset from Snapshot Wisconsin with images collected in North America. The datasets each featured between nine and 55 species and exhibited significant differences in how often various species were photographed. These datasets also differed in aspects such as dataset size, camera placement, camera configuration, and species coverage which allows for drawing more general conclusions. The researchers used machine learning techniques that teach the computer how to classify the images by showing the computer datasets of images already classified by humans. For example, the machine would be shown full and partial images that are known to be images of zebras from various angles. The computer then would start to recognize the patterns, edges, and parts of the animal, and learn how to identify the image as a zebra. The researchers can also build upon some of these skills to help computers identify other animals, such as a deer or squirrel, with even fewer images. The computer also learns to identify empty images, which are images without animals where the cameras were usually set off by vegetation blowing in the wind. In some cases, these empty images make up about 80 percent of all camera trap images. Eliminating all the empty images can greatly speed the classification process. The computer's accuracy rates for identifying empty images across projects range between 91.2 percent and 98.0 percent, while accuracies for identifying specific species are between 88.7 percent and 92.7 percent. While the computer's classification accuracy is low for rare species, the computer can also tell researchers how confident it is in its predictions. Removing low-confidence predictions increases the computer's accuracies to the level of citizen scientists. "Our machine learning techniques allow ecology researchers to speed up the image classification process and pave the way for even larger citizen science projects in the future," Willi said. "Instead of every image having to be classified by multiple volunteers, one or two volunteers could confirm the computer's classification." While this study focused on ecology camera trap programs, Willi said the same techniques can also be used in other citizen science projects such as classifying images from space. "Data in a wide range of science areas is growing much faster than the number of citizen science project volunteers," said study co-author Lucy Fortson, a University of Minnesota physics and astronomy professor and co-founder of Zooniverse, the largest citizen science online platform that hosted the projects in the study. "While there will always be a need for human effort in these projects, combining these efforts with the help of Big Data techniques can help researchers process more data even faster and allows the volunteers to focus on the harder, rarer classifications." Led by Fortson, the Zooniverse team at the University of Minnesota, including Willi, is working to integrate machine learning techniques into the platform so the hundreds of researchers from astronomy to zoology using the platform can take advantage of them. In addition to researchers at the University of Minnesota, the international team on this study included researchers from the University of Oxford, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, Adler Planetarium, and the conservation organization Panthera. ### The study was funded primarily by the National Science Foundation (Award IIS 1619177) with additional support from University of Oxford's Hertford College Mortimer May Fund, Google Global Impact Award, and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (ST/N003179/10). Researchers used the Minnesota Supercomputing Institute at the University of Minnesota for some of their research. To read the full research study entitled "Identifying Animal Species in Camera Trap Images using Deep Learning and Citizen Science," visit the Methods in Ecology and Evolution website. MYC, a gene with high cancer-initiating potential, is overexpressed in over 40% of breast cancers. While MYC programs breast cancer cells to build more macromolecules (anabolic metabolism) it also creates a metabolic vulnerability by making them more sensitive to a type of cell death known as apoptosis. Research Director Juha Klefstrom, PhD, University of Helsinki, Finland, has worked for a long time to exploit this apoptosis-sensitizing effect of MYC in the battle against the cancer. Klefstrom and his research group found that, because of this vulnerability, cancer cells can be attacked with a "drug cocktail" that includes the diabetes drug metformin and venetoclax, a BCL-2 protein inhibitor that can induce apoptosis in cancer cells. The group identified metformin in a search for drugs that could boost the apoptosis-inducing action of venetoclax. Venetoclax has been approved to treat certain leukemias but not yet for the treatment of breast cancer. "This drug combo exploits specific metabolic vulnerabilities that high levels of MYC creates in tumor cells. Metformin and venetoclax, when given together, killed breast tumor cells in culture and blocked tumor growth in breast cancer animal models. Furthermore, the drugs efficiently killed authentic breast cancer tissue donated by breast cancer patients. The breast cancer samples were obtained fresh from surgeries performed in Helsinki University Hospital", Dr. Klefstrom says. However, the researchers soon discovered that the metformin plus venetoclax treatment only held tumors in check as long as the mice with implanted breast tumors were actively being treated with the drugs; once the treatment was stopped, the tumors grew back. The study shows that tumors were initially filled with tumor-killing lymphocytes; however, after the treatment they largely vanished and the remaining killer cells expressed PD-1, a marker of immune cell exhaustion. To help the immune cells better fight the tumor, the researchers developed a new treatment strategy. First, they hit breast tumors with apoptosis-inducing drugs metformin and venetoclax to reduce the tumor size and to wake up killer lymphocytes. After the primary tumors were surgically removed, the mice were then treated with a triple combination: metformin, venetoclax and a PD-1-targeted antibody, which is used in immunotherapies to keep killer cells active long-term. "With this combination the survival of mice carrying implanted tumors was extended dramatically in comparison to mice that were treated with only single or double combinations", Klefstrom states. Klefstrom highlights that this is a wonderful example of a translational study fundamentally aimed at taking research from bench to bedside. The key people from the University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital (HUS) - basic researchers, pathologists, surgeons and oncologists - were all involved at the earliest stages of the study. The first author of the study Dr Heidi Haikala notes: "It's quite amazing how we've been able to bring a discovery from the lab bench all the way to the doors of the cancer clinics within the time frame of one PhD project. We are very excited about our findings and hope that they will translate to benefit breast cancer patients." "This is a great example of how scientists in academia, leveraging highly specialized tumor models and applying their unique insights, can contribute to the discovery of potential new treatments for people with cancer. It is also a testament to the great research being done in smaller countries like Finland," states Joel Leverson, Ph.D., a Senior Scientific Director at AbbVie and one of the senior authors in the study. "We finally have a drug combination that efficiently exploits MYC's apoptotic function and most importantly, these drugs can be tested in the clinic in real patients. We are currently working hard towards this next step.", Klefstrom concludes. ### The collaborative study involved Juha Klefstrom, Satu Mustjoki and Timo Otonkoski groups at the University of Helsinki, FIMM, HUSLAB pathology, Helsinki University Hospital/HUS breast cancer surgery unit and HUS Comprehensive Cancer Center. Other key collaborators included University of Wurzburg, Germany, Oncotest GmbH (now part of Charles River Laboratories Inc.) and AbbVie, North Chicago. Scientists at UC San Francisco, in collaboration with colleagues at the University of North Carolina (UNC), have developed the world's largest virtual pharmacology platform and shown it is capable of identifying extremely powerful new drugs. The platform, soon to contain over a billion virtual molecules never before synthesized and not found in nature, is poised to dramatically change early drug discovery and send waves through the pharmaceutical industry, the authors say. In recent years, rapid developments in atomic-scale molecular imaging and virtual pharmacology, both pioneered at UCSF, have made it possible to resolve the chemical structures of important biological targets of interest, then to rapidly simulate how millions of drug-like molecules would bind to these targets -- without the need to physically synthesize and test any but the very best drug candidates in the real world. But a major bottleneck remained: Scientists estimate that the number of possible drug-like molecules approaches the number of atoms in the observable universe, but most current drug discovery databases only contain at most a few million molecules, most of them minor tweaks on established drug templates. Without access to a better chemical imagination, how are researchers to systematically explore the vast and alien universe of potential drugs to identify those with the best chance of helping patients? Now Brian Shoichet, PhD, and John Irwin, PhD -- a professor and adjunct associate professor of pharmaceutical chemistry, respectively, in UCSF's School of Pharmacy -- have begun to crack this problem through a collaboration with a remarkable chemical supplier based in Ukraine, as described in a study published February 6, 2019 in Nature. Over the past decade, Kiev-based Enamine Ltd has innovated an efficient pipeline to produce any of over a billion never-before-made drug-like compounds on demand -- at a cost of about $100 per molecule -- by combining any of tens of thousands of standard chemical building blocks with one another using over a hundred established chemical reactions. Irwin and Shoichet have partnered with Enamine to begin incorporating its vast virtual catalogue into their free public drug discovery database -- called ZINC -- which currently contains over 750 million compounds and is constantly growing as Enamine and other suppliers add new building-blocks and chemical reactions. The UCSF team is steadily converting hundreds of millions of Enamine's theoretical molecules into three-dimensional chemical models compatible with a computational pharmacology approach -- called "docking" -- pioneered by Shoichet and School of Pharmacy mentor Tack Kuntz, PhD, which makes it possible to rapidly simulate in 3D how hundreds of millions of potential drugs will bind to a specific biological target of interest. At its current exponential rate of growth, ZINC is projected contain over one billion 3D models of never-before-synthesized chemical compounds by the year 2020. "Our platform can now screen 100 times more molecules than are available in most drug screening libraries, with far more diversity in the molecules screened. Soon it will be able to screen 1000 times more," Irwin said. "People are going to have access to a lot of new chemistry that no one has looked at before." In their new study, as a proof of the power of this vast and chemically diverse new screening platform, the researchers used 3D docking to search the ZINC database for potential drugs against two unrelated targets: a bacterial enzyme, beta-lactamase, which is involved in antibiotic resistance, and the D4 dopamine receptor, found on brain cells, which has been implicated in psychosis and addictive behavior. After virtually screening through hundreds of millions of novel drug candidates, the researchers ordered several hundred of their top hits from Enamine, none of which had ever been synthesized before, for laboratory testing by scientists at UCSF and UNC. Among the new computer-selected molecules were the strongest beta-lactamase inhibitor known and one of the most powerful dopamine receptor activators ever described. "The D4-binding compounds identified from ZINC are among the most potent ever reported," said co-senior author Bryan L. Roth, MD, PhD, the Michael Hooker Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology at the UNC School of Medicine. "This kind of rapid screening of millions of potential compounds is a major step toward creating better medications for many illnesses, and in the case of the D4 receptor, psychiatric conditions." The scientists are now able to identify such powerful drug candidates because the ZINC platform enables them to search a wider and more diverse universe of possible molecules than was previously possible. Imagine you are a hiring director looking for a new employee: if you only interview three or four candidates drawn from your familiar social network, the chances of finding the best possible person for the job are low. But if you can screen through a vast worldwide database of resumes, you are much more likely to find many more high-quality candidates. For example, based on the success rate in lab tests of more than 500 D4 receptor-targeting molecules flagged by virtual screening, the authors estimate that the full ZINC database contains nearly half a million never-before-synthesized compounds capable of targeting this key psychiatric protein. "One of the bubbles constraining novel drug discovery has popped," Shoichet said. "Chemists have struggled with our inability to access large, diverse sets of chemical structures for decades. Now, with patient support from the National Institutes of Health, an unexpected confluence of new technologies has suddenly cracked opened a door that long seemed locked." ### Authors: The co-first authors of the new study were Jiankun Lyu of UCSF and East China University of Science & Technology (ECUST) in Shanghai; Trent E. Balius, PhD, and Isha Singh, PhD, of UCSF; and Sheng Wang, PhD, of UNC Chapel Hill and ECUST. Additional authors were Anat Levit, PhD, Matthew J. O'Meara, PhD, and Enkhjargal Algaa of UCSF; Tao Che, PhD, of UNC Chapel Hill; Yurii S. Moroz, PhD, of National Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv and Latvia-based Chemspace, Ltd; and Kateryna Tolmachova, MS, and Andrey A. Tolmachev, PhD, of Enamine Ltd. Funding: The research was supported by grants from the US National Institutes of Health (GM71896, R35 GM122481, R01 MH112205, U24DK1169195) and the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB19000000); a UCSF Program in Breakthrough Biomedical Research New Frontier Award; and a NIMH Psychoactive Drug Screening Contract. Disclosures: Shoichet and Irwin are founders of a company, BlueDolphin LLC, that works in the area of molecular docking. Co-authors Tolmachova and Tolmachev are employees of Enamine Ltd. About UCSF: UC San Francisco (UCSF) is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. It includes top-ranked graduate schools of dentistry, medicine, nursing and pharmacy; a graduate division with nationally renowned programs in basic, biomedical, translational and population sciences; and a preeminent biomedical research enterprise. It also includes UCSF Health, which comprises three top-ranked hospitals - UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals in San Francisco and Oakland - as well as Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital and Clinics, UCSF Benioff Children's Physicians and the UCSF Faculty Practice. UCSF Health has affiliations with hospitals and health organizations throughout the Bay Area. UCSF faculty also provide all physician care at the public Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, and the SF VA Medical Center. The UCSF Fresno Medical Education Program is a major branch of the University of California, San Francisco's School of Medicine. Please visit http://www. ucsf. edu/ news . Follow UCSF ucsf.edu | Facebook.com/ucsf | YouTube.com/ucsf Safety in the downtown core emerged as one of the top concerns during a meeting of business owners, service providers and city officials Thursday. The two-hour meeting covered a wide range of topics on homelessness and the impact is having on the downtown core. Jen Casorso facilitated the event that had 80 people in attendance. Casorso said the goal of the meeting was to create a dialogue between the various camps. Hopefully this is a catalyst for people to want to get together again, said Casorso. There are certainly some raw emotion around the safety issues that people have experienced, whether it be theft, assault, or just aggressive behaviour, those are top of mind for people. It really takes a whole community to respond to these issues and that was our whole goal today was to try and figure out how they can do that. Annette Sharkey, with the Social Planning Council, said she believes businesses feel their concerns haven't been heard and the meeting was a meant to allow people to have a voice. You can't resolve these issues in one meeting and I sincerely hope businesses did feel heard, she said. I think safety is the No. 1 thing businesses are discussing, so I think working with RCMP, bylaw, the community safety office are ways that we can support businesses. RCMP Supt. Shawna Baher said the meeting was informative and helpful. Like any community in B.C. and Canada we are seeing an increase in homeless and unfortunately what happens sometimes as a result of behaviour sometimes the criminality increases in certain areas, said Baher. Baher said the RCMP Downtown Enforcement Unit, bylaw and the business improvement area will continue to work together to improve the downtown. City Counc. Kari Gares said businesses are looking for solution-based answers and I don't think we are at a point in time where we can really provide that, so I think this is a great start to bring everyone to the table to start that dialogue. The first-term councillor said the issues surrounding the downtown core is something the city needs to take to heart. I think this is a start off point. There is a lot more that we do need to do, said Gares. One of the clear takeaways I got is safety is the key issue for them. As well as ending a decades-old hunt, the discovery has applications in diverse fields including chemical manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and miniaturization A new physical effect has been demonstrated at the University of Bath after 40 years of pursuit by physicists around the world, which could lead to advancements in chemical manufacturing efficiency, miniaturisation and quality control in personalised pharmaceuticals. For the first time ever the research team in the Department of Physics was able to use a physical effect - specifically the colour-changing of light scattered from chiral molecules - to measure the chirality present, confirming predictions of theoretical work from the 1970s. The technique is 100,000 times more sensitive than standard methods used today. Chirality describes the orientation of molecules, which can exist in left or right 'handed' forms depending on how they twist in three dimensions. Many molecules essential to life, including DNA, amino acids and proteins, exhibit chirality and the handedness can totally change their function or properties. Therefore knowing the chirality of a substance is often critically important. For decades scientists had sought to prove that you could accurately determine the chirality of molecules by measuring a colour-changing (nonlinear) effect upon illumination with twisted (circularly polarised) light. In theory, twisted light could change colour and then scatter differently from differently handed molecules - but this had never been demonstrated experimentally. Dr Ventsislav Valev, who leads the research group in the Department of Physics at the University of Bath, said: "We've demonstrated a new physical effect - you don't get to say that every day. This is exactly why I got into science. "We began thinking about the problem 13 years ago, together with Prof Thierry Verbiest, at KU Leuven, Belgium. Because the effect was so elusive, I knew half of the solution would be to develop a very sensitive experimental setup. This is what I did for many years. The other half was finding the right samples and I was really excited to discover the nanoscopic silver springs (nano-helices) fabricated by Prof Peer Fischer's group, at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, in Stuttgart, Germany." PhD student Joel Collins had an incredible moment when running a series of tests on these springs. He said: "To be honest my attitude was almost 'OK let's get this out the way to make sure it doesn't work and we can move onto something else'. Then, together with my colleague Dr Kristina Rusimova, we noticed that there did actually seem to be an effect, and I thought 'Hmmmm, that's interesting.' "We kept repeating the experiment to make sure it was actually a real effect and we saw that not only it's there but it's huge - we were only using really low concentrations of our nano-helices. "For my part, I didn't really recognise how important it is, and was expecting someone to come along and rip it to shreds, to say - 'you haven't thought of that' or 'you've missed this'. But over time it has dawned on me - that this is actually a fantastic result." The experimental geometry is in fact quite simple; the nano-springs are dispersed in water within a glass container where they spread randomly. Then a laser is aimed at them. The twist (circular polarisation) of the laser is switched periodically and light scattered from the container at 90 is analysed to determine the chirality of the springs present. The research is published in Physical Review X. Dr Valev added: "It's taken 40 years, people have been looking for this without success, and not for lack of trying. It's amazing. The theory was quite controversial, people thought that maybe the effect was impossible to observe, maybe something else was there, blocking it. "For 200 years, scientists have been using the same method to measure chirality. It's not very sensitive, but it's robust and simple, however precise measurements of chirality have become a major hurdle for human-made chiral nanotechnology because of false positives. "Now we have a method 100,000 times more sensitive, free from false positives. There's a new kind of manufacturing process currently emerging. It is called 'lab-on-a-chip' and our effect fits very well with it. "A more sensitive test means you can use lower quantities in quality control and reduce waste, there are applications in chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing, as well as in microfluidics, in miniaturisation and for developing personal pharmaceutical technologies." Advanced laser sources, sensitive detection equipment and state-of-the-art nanofabrication techniques have all come together to enable the experimental observation of the new effect. Professor David Andrews, from the University of East Anglia, theorised the effect 40 years ago. He said: "Dr Valev's pioneering work is a clever and highly significant achievement, for he has realised a kind of application that could never have been imagined when the theory was first laid, forty years ago. "His results serve as an encouragement to all pure theorists!" Next, the researchers will be using their findings to characterise chiral molecules and to develop its technological applications. ### The paper "First observation of optical activity in hyper-Rayleigh scattering" is published in Physical Review X. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevX.9.011024. The research was funded by The Royal Society, the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC). For further information, please contact Chris Melvin in the University of Bath Press Office on +44 (0)1225 383 941 or c.m.melvin@bath.ac.uk Notes University of Bath The University of Bath is one of the UK's leading universities both in terms of research and our reputation for excellence in teaching, learning and graduate prospects. The University is rated Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), the Government's assessment of teaching quality in universities, meaning its teaching is of the highest quality in the UK. In the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014 research assessment 87 per cent of our research was defined as 'world-leading' or 'internationally excellent'. From developing fuel efficient cars of the future, to identifying infectious diseases more quickly, or working to improve the lives of female farmers in West Africa, research from Bath is making a difference around the world. Find out more: http://www. bath. ac. uk/ research/ Well established as a nurturing environment for enterprising minds, Bath is ranked highly in all national league tables. We are ranked 6th in the UK by The Guardian University Guide 2019, 5th for graduate employment in The Times & Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019, and 4th in the Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey 2018. A new study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences reveals one of the enigmas related to the social behaviour of the western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) in the heart of the African equatorial rainforest. These primates show a dynamic social structure -individuals change frequently between families- with a high degree of tolerance and peaceful coexistence among the members, according to the new article which counts on the participation of the experts Jose Domingo Rodriguez Teijeiro, Magdalena Bermejo, Guillem Molina-Vacas, from the Faculty of Biology and the Biodiversity Research Institute of the University of Barcelona (IRBio). According to the authors, this social behaviour may have played an important role in the evolutionary story of the species, easing the exchange of information and a better exploitation of trophic resources. However, this social dynamics may have worsened the impact of some infectious diseases in the population of gorillas, experts warn. In this context, epidemic Ebola virus outbreaks, which affected the primate population in Congo between 2002 and 2004, caused the disappearance of 95 % of this ape, causing this species to be in critical danger of extinction according to the Red List of threatened species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In the new study, carried out in the Ngaga Forest in the Republic of the Congo, counts on the participation of German Illera (Great Apes Conservation/Research Odzala-Lossi and SPAC gGmbH, Republic of the Congo), Giovanni Forcina, Ruben Bernardo-Madrid, Eloy Revilla and Carles Vila (Donana Biological Station EBD-CSIC) and other experts of the University of Rennes (France). After the western lowland gorillas in the heart of the forest The ecology and behaviour of the western lowland gorilla inside the equatorial forests was an enigma so far. Since the first scientific studies started, differences between the behaviour of these two African primates were known: the western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) -living in rainforests around the basin of the River Congo- and the mountain gorilla (Gorilla gorilla beringei), a better studied primate in the volcanic mountainsides of the African Rift. At the moment, hunting and epidemics endanger the survival of wild populations of these primates which share more than 98% of genetic material with the human species. Unlike the mountain gorilla, which has aggressive and infrequent interactions between families, the western lowland gorilla was known to have frequent and peaceful interaction between members of the families. However, due a low visibility inside the forests, western lowland gorillas that had been studied in bais, typical open clearings which are the meeting point for families of the species to feed from plants rich in mineral salts. As part of the study, the experts conducted a scientific monitoring over five years to three families of the western lowland gorilla in the same heart of the Congo forest. According to the conclusions, interaction between individuals from different families is common and peaceful so the individuals eat and play together with no signs of aggression. Regarding methodology, experts profiled an image of the social structure and parentage relations of more than 120 gorillas through the genetic analysis of faeces samples taken over four months -in families and single individuals- in the Ngaga forest. A dynamic social structure with no records of infanticides Data show families have a dynamic social structure in which individuals conduct frequent changes among family groups. Young individuals are usually outside the family and enter temporarily other family groups in which they have no close relatives. This social behaviour could be linked to the lack of infanticide records in this species, experts note. This new study shows the image of a modular society featured by the existence of strong ties which do not avoid the transfer of individuals between different families and a high degree of tolerance between their members. The results of this study show the importance of complementing in situ monitoring studies with non-invasive genetic analysis to find the structure and social dynamics in animal species which are hard to have access to. At the same time, conclusions highlight the importance of social behaviour in disease transmission and the development of effective conservation strategies in the long run. ### CHAPEL HILL -- Backed by a $5.1 million grant, University of North Carolina and University of Malawi College of Medicine physicians and scientists will launch a multi-pronged effort to combat cervical cancer in Malawi, a country in sub-Saharan Africa where cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in partnership with the U.S. National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, will fund a total of $12 million for two new programs to prevent cervical cancer in sub-Saharan Africa, including the project in Malawi and one in Mozambique. "By screening women, we are able to detect and treat precancerous changes before they develop into cervical cancer," said Jennifer Tang, MD, MSCR, co-principal investigator of the study for UNC, associate professor in the UNC School of Medicine Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology's Division of Global Women's Health and a member of the UNC Institute for Global Health & Infectious Diseases Malawi site. "Because women in Malawi weren't getting screened, they were getting diagnosed very late. A late cervical cancer diagnosis is usually a death sentence in Malawi. That is why we're trying to screen as many women as possible using a highly sensitive test, and to treat the women with evidence of precancerous lesions the same day. This increases the number of women screened and treated, and decreases loss to follow up." Globally, the majority of cervical cancer deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, according to the World Health Organization. The disease is linked to the sexual transmission of HPV, or human papillomavirus. Malawi has the second-highest cervical cancer rate of any country in the world, according to 2018 estimates from the HPV Information Centre. That is due to high rates of HPV as well as HIV, and low population-level screening and vaccination, said Satish Gopal, MD, MPH, member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, cancer program director for UNC Project-Malawi and an associate professor in the UNC School of Medicine Division of Hematology/Oncology. In 2004, the Malawi Cervical Cancer Control Program set a target of screening 80 percent of eligible women for cervical cancer. Yet, less than a third had completed this screening as of 2015, according to data from the program. "Progress is being made, but there is a tremendous amount still to do to stem the cervical cancer epidemic," said Gopal. "We need to understand how to most efficiently deliver the preventive services to the highest number of women, and avert these unnecessary cancer deaths." With the new funds, UNC-Chapel Hill and the Malawi College of Medicine will evaluate the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of integrating self-collection HPV testing into voluntary family planning clinics and community-based sites in Malawi. The researchers also are planning to investigate the effectiveness of treating precancerous lesions using a method known as thermocoagulation in a "screen-and-treat" strategy. "We couldn't be more proud of this team of U.S.- and African-trained investigators receiving such a large award to better understand the global burden of cervical cancer," said Myron Cohen, MD, director of the UNC Institute for Global Health & Infectious Diseases. "UNC faculty and staff from across the campus have worked hard over the past 25 years to build a self-sustaining model of clinical care, research and training in Malawi for health professionals from the United States and in-country to succeed and improve health for all. This grant exemplifies this mission." Recent technological advances have made the project possible, Tang said. HPV testing can now be completed rapidly to determine if a woman has a strain of the virus that is high-risk for causing cervical cancer. With the results, providers can determine which women might need same-day treatment of precancerous cervical lesions. Thermocoagulation involves using a portable, battery-operated device that can easily be used in settings with limited resources, she said. "Transportation is one of the biggest barriers to treatment for women in Malawi, along with cost," she said. "We're trying to save women from having to come to the clinic multiple times, spending money and time they don't have. As soon as we find a problem, we are treating it immediately." UNC physicians and researchers have been collaborating with Malawian health leaders since 1990 to provide clinical care and research for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. This partnership led to the establishment of the UNC Project-Malawi site in Lilongwe. As prevention and treatment interventions have improved the survival rates of people living with HIV in Malawi, cancer has emerged as a growing health problem in the country. In 2014, the Malawi Cancer Consortium was launched with funding from the National Cancer Institute to help fight cancer, and HIV-associated cancers in particular. Last year, Malawian leaders traveled to UNC-Chapel Hill to meet with Carolina leadership, physicians and scientists to prepare for the opening of Malawi's first dedicated cancer center, which is expected this year and is being built adjacent to UNC Project-Malawi. The newly funded cervical cancer project builds on the results of a pilot study led by Lameck Chinula, MMED, FCOG, who is co-principal investigator for this project and the first Malawian-trained obstetrician and gynecologist at UNC Project-Malawi. During the pilot study, more than 400 rural women were screened for cervical cancer using a community-based screening approach, and then treated with thermocoagulation if they were found to have precancerous lesions. Chinula, who is also a research assistant professor in the UNC School of Medicine's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, was trained in South Africa through funding from the UNC Institute for Global Health & Infectious Diseases partnership with the Fogarty AIDS International Training and Research Program and the Gilead Training Fellowship. To address another critical need, he was also trained to perform the surgical procedure used to treat invasive cervical cancer - radical hysterectomy - by two U.S. gynecologic oncology specialists. Chinula now strives to educate other clinicians, and Malawian women in general, to stop cervical cancer before it becomes deadly. "We would like to see providers maximize any contacts they have with women and use the most efficient, culturally-sensitive screening test available to identify patients needing treatment for cervical pre-cancer," Chinula said. "By allowing women to self-collect specimens for HPV testing, we hope to empower and increase the number of women screened. As a clinician-researcher who has had to deliver the bad news of an incurable cervical cancer diagnosis in Malawi, I can look to the future with hope that a day will come when these diagnoses will be a rare occurrence." According to the USAID, this is the first time the agency has funded programs to prevent cervical cancer in the context of broader women's health, other than under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). These new programs in Malawi and Mozambique will coordinate closely with PEPFAR investments in both countries. "Women who aren't screened and treated for cervical cancer have a higher risk of dying of this preventable disease," said UNC Lineberger's Jennifer S. Smith, PhD, professor of epidemiology at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. "We need to do all that we can to increase cervical screening rates globally. We're testing a self-sampling technology that should increase screening coverage dramatically, but we do have unanswered questions about implementation within existing health care systems and cost. Study findings will inform future policy and implementation, not only for self-collection tests in Malawi, but other countries." ### Background noise is generally regarded as a nuisance that can mask important sounds. But noise can be beneficial too. It can convey information about important environmental conditions and allow animals to make informed decisions. When bat researchers recorded and played back rain sounds for two different species of bats, both species chose to delay emergence from their roosts. "Bats are acoustic specialists," said Inga Geipel, a Tupper Postdoctoral Fellow at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. "They are active at night and depend on sound to navigate their environment and to find food. When they hear the sound of rain at sunset, they decide to stay inside their roosts for a while longer." Bats have good reasons not to want to go out in the rain, as wet bats spend more energy when flying. Further, rain might also have a strong impact on the bats ability to navigate and find food through sound. Rain noise could mask prey sounds or jam the echolocation system of the hunting bats. Geipel and colleagues investigated the effect of rain noise on bat decision making. They studied two different species of bats: the common big-eared bat (Micronycteris microtis), which catches insects from leaves and other surfaces in forest understory, and the Pallas's mastiff bat (Molossus molossus) that hunts insects on the wing as they fly through open spaces. "We wondered whether bats are staying longer in the safety of their roosts during rain storms and whether noise would inform them about the rainfall outside," Geipel said. To test their ideas, Geipel and her team put a speaker near entrances of bat roosts and broadcast recordings of heavy downpours. Simultaneously, they video-recorded the responses of the bats. For comparison, they also played recordings of normal forest sounds. Both species delayed their emergence from their roosts when they heard the sound of rain. The scientists also observed that the big-eared bats rapidly flew in and out of their roosts on short 'exploration flights,' likely meant to gather direct information about environmental conditions. "Noise is often thought to be a nuisance with negative consequences," Geipel said. "But through this study we show that noise can actually be used as a salient informational cue. It can provide individuals with important information about their environment and when it's safe to hunt." ### Reference: Geipel, I., Smeekes, M.J., Halfwerk, W., Page, R.A. 2019. Noise as an informational cue for decision making: the sound of rain delays bat emergence. Journal of Experimental Biology. 222, jeb192005. doi:10.1242/jeb.192005 ARLINGTON, Va.--For creating the most comprehensive global map of the ocean floor, Dr. David Sandwell received the Charles A. Whitten Medal, sponsored by the American Geophysical Union (AGU). Sandwell, a geophysicist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, accepted the award at the AGU Fall Meeting in December 2018. Named after scientist Charles A. Whitten, the medal is given to honor "outstanding achievement in research on the form and dynamics of the Earth and planets." Since the 1990s, sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), Sandwell has combined satellite data with acoustic depth measurements to develop a detailed, accurate map of the sea floor--painting a vivid tapestry of the deepest, least explored parts of the ocean. The map catalogues thousands of previously unidentified underwater mountains, trenches, physical undersea connections between South America and Africa, and extinct ridges that spread the sea floor in the Gulf of Mexico. "Dr. Sandwell's groundbreaking work provides the first high-resolution map of the ocean floor," said Dr. Tom Drake, head of ONR's Ocean Battlespace and Expeditionary Access Department. "This has opened new research areas for oceanography, marine geology and geophysics--critical topics for the U.S. Navy." Sandwell's work relies on satellite altimetry (radar) to measure small bumps and dips on the ocean surface, which point to large-scale features on the ocean floor. For example, undersea mountains are huge enough to exert gravitational pulls that gather water in a bump on the sea surface. In contrast, massive cracks and rifts on the ocean floor have less gravitational attraction, resulting in a dip on the surface. For utmost accuracy, Sandwell blends satellite measurements with traditional sonar soundings from manned research ships. This enables him to compare the topography of the sea surface with that of the sea floor and form a complete map of the bottom. Sandwell created multiple versions of his map over the last two decades. He unveiled the first in 1997, based on marine gravitational data gathered by the Navy's GEOSAT Earth-observation satellite. In 2014, he improved the original map by adding data from additional satellites operated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency. "Dr. Sandwell's map is like a smart phone that improves with each new model," said Dr. Reginald Beach, who sponsors Sandwell's work for ONR's Ocean Battlespace and Expeditionary Access Department. "Each version teaches us more about the topography of the ocean bottom, which is crucial to safe navigation for the Navy." Sandwell is now updating the 2014 map with information gathered by another pair of satellites run by NASA and the French space agency, CNES. Other data comes from sonar soundings compiled by Australia, during that nation's participation in an international effort to scour the southern Indian Ocean in search of the wreckage of Malaysian Airways Flight 370--which disappeared in 2014. Australia made the sonar data publicly available in 2017. "Thanks to this new data, our map can provide greater information about the world's oceans," said Sandwell, "particularly the Southern Hemisphere, which includes the Indian Ocean and south Atlantic Ocean. I'm grateful to ONR for its valuable support over the years, which has been crucial to creating the most accurate sea floor map possible." AGU is a not-for-profit, scientific organization with nearly 60,000 members in 139 countries. ### EVANSTON, Ill. --- A new study may resolve an old debate about how tough the Vikings actually were. Although TV and movies paint Vikings as robust souls, braving subzero temperatures in fur pelts and iron helmets, new evidence indicates they might have been basking in 50-degree summer weather when they settled in Greenland. After reconstructing southern Greenland's climate record over the past 3,000 years, a Northwestern University team found that it was relatively warm when the Norse lived there between 985 and 1450 C.E., compared to the previous and following centuries. "People have speculated that the Norse settled in Greenland during an unusually, fortuitously warm period, but there weren't any detailed local temperature reconstructions that fully confirmed that. And some recent work suggested that the opposite was true," said Northwestern's Yarrow Axford, the study's senior author. "So this has been a bit of a climate mystery." Now that climate mystery finally has been solved. The study will publish on Feb. 6 in the journal Geology. Axford is an associate professor of Earth and planetary sciences in Northwestern's Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. The study is a part of Northwestern Ph.D. candidate G. Everett Lasher's dissertation research, based in Axford's lab. To reconstruct past climate, the researchers studied lake sediment cores collected near Norse settlements outside of Narsaq in southern Greenland. Because lake sediment forms by an incremental buildup of annual layers of mud, these cores contain archives of the past. By looking through the layers, researchers can pinpoint climate clues from eons ago. For this study, Lasher analyzed the chemistry of a mix of lake fly species, called chironomids, trapped inside the layers of sediment. By looking at the oxygen isotopes within the flies' preserved exoskeletons, the team pieced together a picture of the past. This method allowed the team to reconstruct climate change over hundreds of years or less, making it the first study to quantify past temperature changes in the so-called Norse Eastern Settlement. "The oxygen isotopes we measure from the chironomids record past lake water isotopes in which the bugs grew, and that lake water comes from precipitation falling over the lake," said Lasher, first author of the paper. "The oxygen isotopes in precipitation are partly controlled by temperature, so we examined the change in oxygen isotopes through time to infer how temperature might have changed." Because recent studies concluded that some glaciers were advancing around Greenland and nearby Arctic Canada during the time Vikings lived in southern Greenland, Axford and Lasher expected their data to indicate a much colder climate. Instead, they found that a brief warm period interrupted a consistent cooling climate trend driven by changes in Earth's orbit. Near the end of the warm period, the climate was exceptionally erratic and unstable with record high and low temperatures that preceded Viking abandonment of Greenland. Overall, the climate was about 1.5-degrees Celsius warmer than the surrounding cooling centuries. This warmer period was similar to southern Greenland's temperatures today, which hover around 10-degrees Celsius (50-degrees Fahrenheit) in summer. In another surprise, Axford and Lasher found that the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) -- a natural fluctuation in atmospheric pressure that is often responsible for climate anomalies in the region -- probably was not in a dominantly positive phase for multiple Medieval centuries as had been hypothesized. (When the NAO is in its positive phase, it brings cold air to much of Greenland.) "We found that the NAO could not explain Medieval climatic changes at our site," Lasher said. "That might call into question its use in explaining long-term climate change over the last 3,000 years elsewhere." So what did cause the Vikings' fortuitously warm climate? Lasher and Axford aren't sure but speculate it might have been caused by warmer ocean currents in the region. The new data will be useful for climate modelers and climate researchers as they seek to understand and predict what might be in store for Greenland's ice sheet as Earth warms rapidly in the future. "Unlike warming over the past century, which is global, Medieval warmth was localized," Axford said. "We wanted to investigate what was happening in southern Greenland at that time because it's a climatically complex part of the world where counterintuitive things can happen." The Norse settlements in Greenland collapsed as local climate apparently became exceptionally erratic, and then ultimately consistently cold. But Axford and Lasher will leave it to the archaeologists to determine whether or not climate played a role in their departure. "We went in with a hypothesis that we wouldn't see warmth in this time period, in which case we might have had to explain how the Norse were hearty, robust folk who settled in Greenland during a cold snap," Lasher said. "Instead, we found evidence for warmth. Later, as their settlements died out, apparently there was climatic instability. Maybe they weren't as resilient to climate change as Greenland's indigenous people, but climate is just one of many things that might have played a role." ### "Medieval warmth confirmed at the Norse Eastern Settlement in Greenland" was supported by the National Science Foundation Polar Programs CAREER Award (number 1454734). The Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation (NETRF) continues its aggressive funding of neuroendocrine cancer research with eight new grants totaling $2.5 million. With this newest round of funding, NETRF expands its portfolio to include research into lung neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), which affect about one in four NET patients. NETRF is the leading private funder of neuroendocrine cancer research, funding more than $22 million in NET research since 2005. NETRF looks for innovative and transformational ideas, such as leveraging findings made in other cancer types to accelerate progress in NETs. The eight new projects explore some of the latest advancements in cancer: CAR T-cell therapy combined with antibody-drug conjugates Photodynamic therapy Deciphering the impact of mutations in key genes in NETs Improving outcomes by combining biomarkers and radiomics "Smart" chemotherapy Novel SSTR2 radioligands Alpha-particle emitting agents for the treatment of lung NETs Testing new cancer vaccines on NETs As a less common cancer, NETs lag behind other cancers for research funding. "Neuroendocrine tumor is a neglected tumor type that doesn't get its due funding from the National Cancer Institute and other organizations," said George Fisher, MD, PhD, co-chair, NETRF Board of Scientific Advisors. NETs occur in hormone-producing cells, most commonly forming in the lung, pancreas, and gastrointestinal tract. Despite appearing in different sites, tumors forming in this cell type are classified as neuroendocrine and require different tests and treatments. "We are searching out the best science, identifying dedicated investigators, and asking the right questions with the singular goal of trying to identify new treatments, and better ways to manage the disease," said Dan Chung, MD, co-chair, NETRF Board of Scientific Advisors. Two U.S. cancer centers will receive their first NETRF grant: Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, and Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL. Two international organizations will also receive their first NETRF grant: BC Canada, Vancouver, Canada, and Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands. Other institutions funded in this grant cycle include the University of Pennsylvania, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Stanford University, and the University of California, San Francisco. "We seek out projects to understand the basic biology of NETs, in addition to research that may be translated from the bench to the clinic to make an impact on patient treatment," said Elyse Gellerman, NETRF chief executive officer. The NETRF grant process is a competitive and structured peer-review process, which starts with an annual call for letters-of-intent in late spring. All applications are evaluated by NETRF's Board of Scientific Advisors. Final approval is made by the NETRF Board of Directors. As a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, NETRF is supported by charitable donations from individuals and foundations. A generous, transformational gift from the Margie and Robert E. Petersen Foundation will fund several of the new projects. Additional philanthropic support has been provided by the Goldhirsh-Yellin Foundation of Los Angeles and the Karpus Family Foundation of New York. ### About NETRF The Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation (NETRF) is dedicated to funding research to discover cures and more effective treatments for neuroendocrine cancers. Since its inception in 2005, NETRF has awarded over $22 million in large-scale, multi-year grants to leading scientists at renowned research institutions around the world. Grants are made possible by the generous support of individuals, families, and foundations dedicated to advancing NET research. For more information go to netrf.org. The weather these days is wild and will be wilder still within a century. In part, because the water from melting ice sheets off Greenland and in the Antarctic will cause extreme weather and unpredictable temperatures around the globe. A study published today in Nature is the first to simulate the effects, under current climate policies, that the two melting ice sheets will have on ocean temperatures and circulation patterns as well as on air temperatures by the year 2100. Consequences for ocean circulation and water and air temperatures "Under current global government policies, we are heading towards 3 or 4 degrees of warming above pre-industrial levels, causing a significant amount of melt water from the Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets to enter Earth's oceans. According to our models, this melt water will cause significant disruptions to ocean currents and change levels of warming around the world," says Associate Professor Nick Golledge from Victoria University of Wellington's Antarctic Research Centre in New Zealand. He led the international research team made up of scientists from Canada, New Zealand, the UK, Germany and the USA. The research team combined highly detailed simulations of the complex climate effects of the melting with satellite observations of recent changes to the ice sheets. As a result, the researchers have been able to create more reliable and accurate predictions of what will occur under current climate policies. Warming in Eastern Canada and cooling in Northwestern Europe Professor Natalya Gomez, from the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at McGill contributed to the study by modelling projected changes to water levels around the globe as ice melts into the ocean. The ice sheet simulations suggest that the fastest increase in the rise of sea levels is likely to occur between 2065 and 2075. Melting ice sheets will affect water temperatures and circulation patterns in the world's oceans, which will in turn affect air temperatures - in a complex ice-ocean-atmosphere feedback loop. "Water levels would not simply rise like a bathtub," says Gomez. "Some areas in the world, such as the island nations in the Pacific, would experience a large rise in sea level, while close to the ice sheets the sea level would actually fall." However, the effects of ice sheet melt are far more widespread than simply leading to changes in sea levels. As warmer melt water enters the oceans, for example in the North Atlantic Ocean, major ocean currents such as the Gulf Stream will be significantly weakened. This will lead to warmer air temperatures in the high Arctic, Eastern Canada and Central America, and cooler temperatures over northwestern Europe on the other side of the Atlantic. New information to help shape future climate policies According to the researchers, current global climate policies set in place under the Paris Agreement do not take into account the full effects of ice sheet melt likely to be seen in future. "Sea level rise from ice sheet melt is already happening and has been accelerating in recent years. Our new experiments show that this will continue to some extent even if Earth's climate is stabilized. But they also show that if we drastically reduce emissions, we can limit future impacts," says Golledge. ### To read "Global environmental consequences of 21st century ice sheet melt" by Nicholas Golledge et al in Nature: https:/ / www. nature. com/ articles/ s41586-019-0889-9 The research was funded by NASA, New Zealand's Royal Society Te Aparangi, the Antarctic Research Centre, the New Zealand Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, and NSF Antarctic Glaciology Program. Contacts: Natalya Gomez, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, McGill University Natalya.gomez@mcgill.ca (English interviews only) Katherine Gombay, Media Relations, McGill University Katherine.gombay@mcgill.ca, 514 398-2189 Shared decision-making seen as an important instrument to obtain better research results and gain support and acceptance from the wider public, according to a new position paper published in the Journal of Neuromuscular Diseases Amsterdam, February 6, 2019 - The old-fashioned paternalistic relationship between doctors and patients has gradually evolved into a more collaborative one in the era of patient-centered medicine. Shared decision-making (SDM), in which doctors and patients jointly decide on treatment or care, has emerged as a gold standard model of healthcare. Yet considerably less attention has been given to obtaining the patient's perspective on neuromuscular research on such matters as research objectives, study design, or even consent. A position paper in the Journal of Neuromuscular Diseases describes conclusions reached at an international workshop that focused on finding creative solutions to integrate and enhance the patient's point of view in neuromuscular research. "I need to revise my grant application to include patient perspective in my research project!" commented attendee Valeria Sansone, MD, Director of the NEMO Centre, Milan (Italy). Dr. Sansone was one of 45 clinicians, healthcare professionals, researchers, patients, caregivers, and representatives from regulatory agencies and pharmaceutical companies from 15 countries who attended this international workshop. The gathering was convened by the European Neuromuscular Centre (ENMC) upon its 25th anniversary and was held in Milan, Italy from January 19-20, 2018. "The ENMC, a group of patient organizations for neuromuscular disorders, convened this workshop to familiarize itself with the concept of SDM, which is new for most patients and researchers in the neuromuscular field," noted Ellen Sterrenburg, PhD, Chair of the ENMC Executive Committee. The Workshop recommendations include higher patient involvement in research activities related to neuromuscular diseases: clinical trials, sample biobanks/patient registries, and regulatory processes. Educational, structural, and cultural changes need to be implemented by all stakeholders: patients and patient organizations, healthcare professionals, and regulatory bodies. In an introductory talk, Ingeborg Meijer, PhD, of the Center for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) of the University of Leiden and Spierziekten Nederland, Baarn (The Netherlands) set the tone of the Workshop by presenting a graphic conceptualizing the levels of patient involvement in decision processes related to health called the "ladder of participation." "There is a need for a change in culture in many medical research disciplines in order to succeed in the empowerment of patients, their families, and advocates, but this change should be adopted also by researchers, doctors, and all other professionals," explained Dr. Meijer. During the session on biobanks and registries, Hanns Lochm?ller of the CHEO Research Institute in Ontario (Canada) said, "Rare disease research centers offer an ideal setup to implement and integrate patient involvement at all levels." He pointed to several examples of patient co-creation in research programs such as the UK myotonic dystrophy registry, which is patient driven but professionally supported. In this registry, the patient initiates the registration and names a doctor to enter the patient's clinical data, eliminating possible biases of past registries. Patients have also played a significant role in the TREAT-NMD global registries and developing the International Charter of principles for sharing bio-specimens and data. "Patient commitment is facilitated when registries and researchers commit to reporting research results back to the data providers, the patients, and families. A challenge is educating scientists to be flexible and change their research protocols according to the priorities of the research participants," explained Dr. Lochm?ller, co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Neuromuscular Diseases. Patient participation in biobanks would also benefit from SDM. To accomplish this, the ENMC Workshop provided specific educational (e.g., "the consent form should be updated to accommodate modern techniques applied to cell lines and biopsies and written together with patient organizations to ensure understanding"), cultural (e.g., "patients who donate data or samples are to be seen as partners in research and should be aware of this role"), and structural recommendations (e.g., "research information should go back to patients in the form of regular newsletters and updates"). In a session on clinical trials, participants agreed that involvement of persons with NMD (or patient organizations) in clinical trials, as experts of their own disease, should happen in a proactive way from the beginning and through discussion of trial design options. As an illustration, Baziel van Engelen, MD, PhD, Professor of Neuromuscular Diseases at Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre and former ENMC Research Director, presented his experience with patient participation in the OPTIMISTIC clinical trial for myotonic dystrophy type 1. A unique feature of the trial design was asking each patient which determinant of health status the individual wanted to change. "The concept of promoting health (vs. decreasing the disease) and treating the patient (vs. treating the disease) led in this case to an impressive retention level throughout the study and to very high satisfaction of the patients involved," said Prof. Dr. van Engelen. Patient input may come from individual patients or patient organizations, such as EURORDIS and those that are condition-specific. Several initiatives are in place to help patients achieve relevant competencies and encourage those who want to take on the responsibilities of being knowledgeable patient representatives. "Having the patient voice in a clinical trial is not only feasible, it should be a logical and natural thing," commented Dr. Lochm?ller. ### The Arctic is warming faster than the rest of the planet, causing carbon containing permafrost, frozen for thousands of years, to thaw and release methane into the atmosphere; a new IIASA study suggests that it is possible to neutralize this threat Permafrost is soil that remains frozen for two or more consecutive years. It is usually composed of rock, soil, sediments, and varying amounts of ice that bind the elements together. The permafrost of the Arctic landscape represents one of the largest natural reservoirs of organic carbon in the world. When the permafrost thaws, the soil microbes contained in the soil can turn the carbon into carbon dioxide and methane, which are both greenhouse gases that are known to contribute to global warming when released into the atmosphere. Unfortunately, this is exactly what is currently happening as a result of climate change. In fact, the massive amounts of methane that could potentially be released as a result of permafrost thaw, has often been described as a ticking time bomb and has long been a concern for climate scientists. A study by researchers from IIASA, Canada, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, however, suggests that it is possible to neutralize the natural gas threat that lies in wait under the Arctic soil. The team looked at several possible future scenarios, including some where the world continues to release manmade carbon and methane emissions into the atmosphere at the current rate, and some where we meet the targets of the Paris Agreement. In their analysis, the researchers quantified the upper range value for natural methane emissions that can be released from the Arctic tundra, as it allows it to be put in relation to the much larger release of methane emissions from human activities. Although estimates of the release of methane from natural sources in the Arctic and estimates of methane from human activity have been presented separately in previous studies, this is the first time that the relative contribution of the two sources to global warming has been quantified and compared. "It is important to put the two estimates alongside each other to point out how important it is to urgently address methane emissions from human activities, in particular through a phase out of fossil fuels. It is important for everyone concerned about global warming to know that humans are the main source of methane emissions and that if we can control humans' release of methane, the problem of methane released from the thawing Arctic tundra is likely to remain manageable," explains Lena Hoglund-Isaksson, a senior researcher with the IIASA Air Quality and Greenhouse Gases Program and one of the authors of the study published in Nature Scientific Reports earlier this week. According to the researchers, their findings confirm the urgency of a transition away from a fossil fuel based society as well as the importance of reducing methane emissions from other sources, in particular livestock and waste. The results indicate that man-made emissions can be reduced sufficiently to limit methane-caused climate warming by 2100 even in the case of an uncontrolled natural Arctic methane emission feedback. This will however require a committed, global effort towards substantial, but feasible reductions. "In essence, we want to convey the message that the release of methane from human activities is something we can do something about, especially since the technology for drastic reductions is readily available - often even at a low cost. If we can only get the human emissions under control, the natural emissions should not have to be of major concern," concludes Hoglund-Isaksson. ### Reference: Christensen TR, Arora VK, Gauss M, Hoglund-Isaksson L, & Parmentier F-JW (2019). Tracing the climate signal: mitigation of anthropogenic methane emissions can outweigh a large Arctic natural emission increase. Nature Scientific Reports DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-37719-9 [pure.iiasa.ac.at/id/eprint/15736] Ray Norstrom has complained about the characterization of opponents of the Agassiz Road supportive housing project as mainly senior citizens. He finds the portrayal disturbing and strictly a product of media reporting (Put it near your home? Castanet, Feb 5). Norstrom has apparently misunderstood media reports, for it was the opponents themselves who opted for that rhetorical strategy. Again and again, they described themselves as 600 seniors living in fear of incursions against their personal safety and material well-being. At hearing, the rhetoric was amplified by several speakers referring to widows as being even more exposed. Arguments of weakness, vulnerability, terror and the inability to stand up for oneself were deployed so often, one senior finally stated for the record that she found such depictions embarrassing, degrading and offensive. Interestingly, this rhetoric was matched by arguments of deep entitlement. A discourse of rights the right to an undisturbed retirement, the right to an exclusive neighbourhood hit a high-water mark when one gentleman boldly insisted that he had the right to be unafraid. Dianne Varga, Kelowna Researchers investigating the effect of cannabis smoking on men's testicular function have made the unexpected discovery that it is linked to higher sperm counts and higher testosterone levels among moderate users compared to men who never smoked it. The study is published today (Wednesday) in Human Reproduction [1], one of the world's leading reproductive medicine journals. Previous studies had suggested that cannabis (also known as marijuana) had an adverse effect on sperm production, especially among heavy users. However, the effect of moderate consumption has been less clear. The principal investigator of the current study, Jorge Chavarro, Associate Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, USA, said: "These unexpected findings from our study highlight that we know too little about the reproductive health effects of cannabis and, in fact, of the health effects in general, to make strong statements about the impact of cannabis on health, with the possible exception of mental health. We know a lot less than we think we know." Prof Chavarro and colleagues looked at the effect of smoking an average of two joints a week among 662 subfertile men attending the Massachusetts General Hospital Fertility Center between 2000 and 2017. They found that the 365 men who had ever smoked cannabis had significantly higher sperm concentration than the 297 men who had never smoked it - 63 million sperm per millilitre of semen (million/mL) compared to 45 million/mL - after adjusting for factors that could affect the result such as age, abstinence time, smoking, and intake of coffee, alcohol and cocaine. There were no statistically significant differences in sperm concentration between current and past cannabis smokers. Among men who had ever smoked cannabis, those who smoked it more often had testosterone levels an average of eight nanograms per decilitre (ng/dL) higher than those who used it less often. Only 5% of cannabis smokers had estimated sperm concentrations below 15 million/mL (the World Health Organization's threshold for "normal" levels) compared to 12% of men who had never smoked cannabis. Cocaine use was associated with a higher estimated proportion of men (12 %) having sperm concentration below WHO reference values. The first author of the study, Dr Feiby Nassan, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said: "Our findings were contrary to what we hypothesised at the start of the study. However, they are consistent with two different interpretations. First, these findings are consistent with a U-shaped relation whereby low levels of cannabis use could benefit sperm production due to the well-known role played by the endocannabinoid system, but potential beneficial effects reverse at higher levels of use. An equally plausible interpretation is that our findings could reflect the fact that men with higher testosterone levels are more likely to engage in risk-seeking behaviours - including drug use - and that the relations we see between cannabis smoking, sperm counts and testosterone levels are because men with higher testosterone, within normal levels, have higher sperm counts and are more likely to smoke cannabis." The researchers warn that their findings should be interpreted with caution and more research is needed to look at the effects of cannabis use on fertility. There are several limitations to the study, which could raise the possibility that their results are not explained by a true underlying biological mechanism, but are spurious associations. Prof Chavarro said: "First, we do not know to what extent these findings may apply to men in the general population. Second, since semen quality is a poor predictor of fertility, these findings should not be interpreted as implying better fertility with cannabis use. An equally important limitation is the fact that most of the data were collected while cannabis was illegal in Massachusetts, so it is difficult to know to what extent men may have under-reported use of cannabis because of social stigma or potential consequences related to insurance coverage for infertility services." [2] The men taking part in this study completed a self-administered questionnaire that asked them about whether they had ever smoked cannabis, if they currently smoked it, the number of joints they smoked a week, whether they ever quit and for how many years, age of starting to smoke it, the last time they smoked cannabis and the total duration of cannabis smoking. The questionnaire asked similar questions about cocaine use, medical history, lifestyle and demographic information. They provided semen and blood samples, which the researchers analysed for information on sperm and reproductive hormones. The researchers are continuing to study the effects of cannabis smoking in couples and how this could affect the outcomes of treatments for infertility. ### [1] "Marijuana smoking and markers of testicular function among men from a fertility centre", by Feiby L. Nassan et al. Human Reproduction journal. doi:10.1093/humrep/dez002. [2] Recreational use of cannabis is now legal in the state of Massachusetts. DURHAM, N.C. -- A new Duke University-led study provides the first detailed record of the diving behavior of Cuvier's beaked whales in U.S. Atlantic waters. Cuvier's beaked whales are the world's deepest-diving mammal, but studies of their behavior are constrained by the animals' offshore location and limited time spent at the surface. The new data, recorded from 5,926 dives of tagged whales off Cape Hatteras, N.C., showcases the remarkable diving abilities of these animals and provides new clues to how they make a living at the extremes of depth and cold. "Their deep dives average about 1,400 meters, lasting about an hour, while they are feeding near the sea floor. They typically only spend about two minutes at the surface between dives," said Jeanne Shearer, a doctoral student in ecology at Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment. "It's amazing that they can dive to such depths, withstand the pressure, and be down there that long, with such brief recovery times." Past studies have documented the diving behavior of Cuvier's beaked whales in Pacific waters, Italy, and the Bahamas, but this is the first one focused in the U.S. Atlantic. Scientists estimate about 6,500 Cuvier's beaked whales live in the northwest Atlantic. Populations in different areas exhibit some differences in diving behavior, highlighting the need for data from around the world. To conduct the study, scientists attached LIMPET satellite-linked tags to 11 Cuvier's beaked whales that live and dive most of the year in waters a two-hour boat ride from Cape Hatteras. One tag failed, but the other 10 recorded 3,242 hours of behavioral data from 5,926 individual dives -- both deep and shallow -- between 2014 and 2016. Aside from the extremely deep dives that these whales are able to make, the data showed that they dive nearly continually, with deep dives followed by 3-4 shallow dives that extend to around 300 meters. How they continuously dive to these depths without long recovery periods is still a mystery to scientists. "Cuvier's beaked whales are only half the size of the sperm whale," Shearer said. "Their dives push the limits of mammalian physiology, but we still don't know how they're able to behave this way." She and her colleagues published their peer-reviewed findings Feb. 6 in the journal Royal Society Open Science. Aside from adding to our knowledge of the species' remarkable diving capability, the findings provide a baseline for controlled experiments, now underway at Duke, to study their reactions to low levels of sonar. "It's important to understand their typical diving behavior in order to interpret the results of behavioral response studies," said Shearer, who conducts her research at the Duke University Marine Laboratory in Beaufort, N.C. "These animals are fascinating and there is so much we still don't know about their behavior and physiology," Shearer said. "They are the world's deepest mammalian divers, but we don't yet understand how they dive to such extremes." ### Funding for the new study came from the U.S. Fleet Forces Command. Shearer's co-authors were Nicola Quick, William Cioffi, Heather Foley, Zachary Swaim, Danielle Waples and Andrew Read, all of Duke; Robin Baird and Daniel Webster of Cascadia Research Collective; and Joel Bell of Environmental Conservation, Marine Resources Section, at Naval Facilities Engineering Command Atlantic. CITATION: "Diving Behaviour of Cuvier's Beaked Whales (Ziphius cavirostris) Off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina," Jeanne M. Shearer, Nicola J. Quick, William R. Cioffi, Robin W. Baird, Daniel L. Webster, Heather J. Foley, Zachary T. Swaim, Danielle M. Waples, Joel T. Bell and Andrew J. Read. Royal Society Open Science, Feb. 6, 2019. DOI: 10.1098/rsos.181728 The article is available free with open access from the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society at https:/ / onlinelibrary. wiley. com/ doi/ abs/ 10. 1111/ jgs. 15731 As we age, we become more likely to experience symptoms of depression. Research shows that depression's symptoms can be linked to a higher risk for death. Yet often, older adults' symptoms of depression may be missed by healthcare professionals. What's more, symptoms of depression have been linked to heart disease and stroke in middle-aged and older adults. Researchers suggest that the depression-heart disease link could play a role in the increased risk of death among older adults who have symptoms of depression. There's also a known link between depression and deaths from cancer and falls in older adults. These connections might contribute to an increased risk of death for older adults, researchers suggest. Since depression symptoms change over time, it's possible that studying those symptoms during an older adult's doctor visits could provide more information. To learn more, a research team designed a study to investigate the role depression symptoms play in an increased risk of death over time. The team also examined the role heart disease and stroke play in the link between depression symptoms and increased risk of death. Their study was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. The researchers used information from the Three-City Study, a French study that investigated dementia, heart disease, and stroke in people aged 65 and older during five healthcare visits the participants made over 10 years. At the start of the study, 16 percent of 9,294 participants had a history of heart disease. Most participants were around 73 years old; 37 percent were men. About 23 percent of participants had symptoms of depression when the study began (28 percent of women and 13 percent of men). Almost 7 percent were taking medication for their depression. At three follow-up visits, the participants were tested again for symptoms of depression. When the participants were monitored for depression symptoms at several visits over time, symptoms of depression were linked to an increased risk for death, including death from heart disease and stroke. However, those diseases explained only a small percentage of the deaths associated with depression symptoms over time. The researchers said their study suggested that, for older adults living with depression, preventing heart disease may not be the only factor that will help prevent or delay death. Interestingly, antidepressants were not associated with an increased risk of death in this study. ### This summary is from "Depression increases the risk of death independently from vascular events in elderly. The 3C Study." It appears online ahead of print in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. The study authors are Renaud Pequignot, MD, PhD; Carole Dufouil, PhD; Karine Peres, PhD; Sylvaine Artero,PhD; Christophe Tzourio, MD, PhD; and Jean-Philippe Empana, MD, PhD. About the Health in Aging Foundation This research summary was developed as a public education tool by the Health in Aging Foundation. The Foundation is a national non-profit established in 1999 by the American Geriatrics Society to bring the knowledge and expertise of geriatrics healthcare professionals to the public. We are committed to ensuring that people are empowered to advocate for high-quality care by providing them with trustworthy information and reliable resources. Last year, we reached nearly 1 million people with our resources through HealthinAging.org. We also help nurture current and future geriatrics leaders by supporting opportunities to attend educational events and increase exposure to principles of excellence on caring for older adults. For more information or to support the Foundation's work, visit http://www. HealthinAgingFoundation. org . About the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society Included in more than 9,000 library collections around the world, the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS) highlights emerging insights on principles of aging, approaches to older patients, geriatric syndromes, geriatric psychiatry, and geriatric diseases and disorders. First published in 1953, JAGS is now one of the oldest and most impactful publications on gerontology and geriatrics, according to ISI Journal Citation Reports. Visitwileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/JGS for more details. About the American Geriatrics Society Founded in 1942, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) is a nationwide, not-for-profit society of geriatrics healthcare professionals that has--for 75 years--worked to improve the health, independence, and quality of life of older people. Its nearly 6,000 members include geriatricians, geriatric nurses, social workers, family practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, and internists. The Society provides leadership to healthcare professionals, policymakers, and the public by implementing and advocating for programs in patient care, research, professional and public education, and public policy. For more information, visit AmericanGeriatrics.org. A new Tel Aviv University study finds that fibromyalgia syndrome -- a chronic condition characterized by widespread pain, fatigue and cognitive difficulties -- may be a consequence of post-traumatic physical and psychological distress associated with childhood sexual abuse. The research suggests that survivors of childhood sexual abuse who develop fibromyalgia may be effectively treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy, the application of hyperbaric pressure in conjunction with increased oxygen delivery to oxygen-deprived tissue. The new study is part of an ongoing collaboration between TAU, the University of Haifa and Assaf Harofeh Medical Center investigating new therapeutic strategies with which to treat survivors of childhood sexual abuse. It was conducted by Prof. Shai Efrati of TAU's Sackler School of Medicine and Sagol School of Neuroscience and Director of the Sagol Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Research at Assaf Harofeh Medical Center and published online in Frontiers in Psychology on December 14, 2018. "We now know that severe emotional stress, such as that caused by sexual abuse, can induce chronic brain injury," says Prof. Efrati. "These non-healing brain wounds may explain certain unremitting long-term physical and psychological disorders like fibromyalgia. "We also now know that fibromyalgia takes root in the part of the brain responsible for pain interpretation. Using novel brain imaging technologies, we have now, for the first time, identified the injured areas of the brain injured by traumatic abuse. "We believe our results serve as an explanation for the often limited results of psychological intervention, which do not provide physiologic repair of the damaged brain tissue," Prof. Efrati continues. "The study shows that when these brain wounds are treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy, neuroplasticity can be induced and the related clinical symptoms significantly improved." Over two years, 30 women suffering from fibromyalgia and bearing a history of childhood sexual abuse were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: 60 hyperbaric oxygen therapy sessions or psychotherapy. After the hyperbaric oxygen therapy sessions, the participants reported a significant improvement in all measures of quality of life, including symptoms of fibromyalgia and post-traumatic stress disorder. The clinical findings were accompanied by an improvement in brain functionality, observed in brain nuclear imaging scans (SPECT) and novel MRI scans (MRI-DTI). "Even though some of the areas of the brain have previously been associated with fibromyalgia and PTSD, the correlation we found also added new knowledge on brain function," says Dr. Amir Hadanny, of TAU, Bar-Ilan University and Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, a co-author of the study. "In the future, we hope to be able to diagnose the so-called 'psychological' disorders through objective brain imaging." According to the study, the ability to recall sexual abuse is by no means a prerequisite for effective treatment of fibromyalgia in cases of childhood sexual abuse. "Lately, we have witnessed women in the #MeToo movement who knew they were sexually harassed and abused but could not recall the details of the attack," says Prof. Rachel Lev-Wiesel of the University of Haifa, a co-author of the study. "Our new approach demonstrates that not being able to remember traumatic events is a biological rather than an emotional limitation. "Repeated exposure to traumatic events creates the need to suppress these events," Prof. Lev-Wiesel continues. "Biologically, that means that the areas of the brain responsible for those memories are actually being shut down in order to cope with reality. This may be the key for the reason why survivors are unable to recall the details or the traumatic event itself." The scientists are now researching novel early interventions for childhood sexual abuse survivors. ### American Friends of Tel Aviv University supports Israel's most influential, comprehensive and sought-after center of higher learning, Tel Aviv University (TAU). TAU is recognized and celebrated internationally for creating an innovative, entrepreneurial culture on campus that generates inventions, startups and economic development in Israel. TAU is ranked ninth in the world, and first in Israel, for producing start-up founders of billion-dollar companies, an achievement that surpassed several Ivy League universities. To date, 2,500 US patents have been filed by Tel Aviv University researchers -- ranking TAU #1 in Israel, #10 outside of the US and #43 in the world. About 8 million metric tons of plastic waste winds up in the oceans every year -- bottles, bags and doo-dads that eventually break down into tiny pieces, called microplastics. These inedible bits have now been found in human fecal samples, but do microplastics cause harm to people? That's the question many researchers are pondering, according to an article in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society. Senior Editor Alex Scott explains that seabirds and marine animals -- including some fish that humans eat -- often take up microplastics from the ocean. Humans also might ingest these small bits as they are shed from plastic packaging or from using products that contain them. A recent small-scale study recently identified microplastics in human feces, so people can have them in their bodies. But do they just get eliminated in the stool, or do they get into organs and cause damage? That's not such an easy question to answer. Not all microplastics are equal -- they can be made of different compounds and additives that could have different effects. In addition, contaminant compounds and bacteria can hitch a ride on microplastics, potentially complicating analyses. Despite these challenges, many organizations around the world are now trying to get a handle on this issue. Some are funding studies, and others are setting up task forces and holding symposia to figure out best practices and standards. Although much remains to be determined, one thing scientists all seem to agree on is that consumers should continue enjoying shellfish and other seafood until the evidence is in and the analyses are completed. ### The article, "The pervasiveness of microplastics," is freely available here. The American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society, is a not-for-profit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS is a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. ACS does not conduct research, but publishes and publicizes peer-reviewed scientific studies. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio. To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org. Follow us on Twitter | Facebook The services celebrating and honoring the life of Loretta Ball, 91, of Enid are pending under the direction of Brown-Cummings Funeral Home. Condolences and special memories may be shared with the family online at WWW.Brown-Cummings.com. ENID, Okla. Enid City Commission approved a number of Kaw Lake water pipeline related items, heard a proposal on an alternate delivery method for the project and extended the downtown art project deadline in its meetings Tuesday night. In study session prior to the regular meeting, commissioners heard a proposal on a construction-manager-at-risk (CMAR) alternate delivery method for the Kaw Lake water pipeline project during an update. Garver Senior Vice President Michael Graves, the program's management and lead design consultant, presented the method with Chris Gdanski, director of engineering for the city. They said the aim of a CMAR approach opposed to a traditional approach would be to reduce financial uncertainty and control costs related to the Kaw Lake project. As it stands now, the project's approach includes a process of a design, bid, build method with the hiring of multiple final design consultants. However, in the presentation, Graves and Gdanski said the CMAR method would provide an independent cost opinion at 30 percent of the design phase now, and also would allow for a contractor team to work with the design team and give a guaranteed maximum price at 60 percent. Overall with this approach, the total project cost would be estimated to increase by about one percent, but with the transfer of a bulk of the project cost risk to the CMAR with an ability to negotiate. +2 Story Collection: Kaw Lake pipeline On Aug. 23, 2016, voters approved a three-quarter percent sales tax, and the extension of an existing one-quarter percent sales tax, to fund a After discussion was had between commissioners on the idea of a CMAR, City Manager Jerald Gilbert authorized Gdanski to pursue putting out a request for qualifications for CMARs. Gilbert said the process will take several months at no financial cost to the city. After city officials review any submitted requests, the best qualified firm will be presented to Enid City Commission for consideration, Gilbert said. At that point, commissioners could decide to proceed with a CMAR approach, or stick with the traditional approach. If commissioners decided to proceed with a CMAR then, that firm's job will be to take the 30 percent design and come up with an independent cost opinion, and it could be compared to what city engineers have said so far, which is currently $315 million Gilbert said. Graves and Gdanski also provided a few other project updates for the project, which still is in its third phase. They said biological studies are 93 percent finished, cultural resource studies are 85 percent done and hazardous materials studies are 95 percent complete, resulting in the draft environmental assessment at 80 percent. A land acquisition update also was provided. The duo said all landowners anticipated to be impacted by the pipeline have been notified multiple times. There are 225 parcels of land involved in Garfield, Noble, Osage and Kay counties. Now, 3 percent of landowners have accepted offers, 17 percent have been made offers and are pending acceptance, 21 percent of property owners have been notified of a pending offer delivery and the remaining 59 percent remain to be notified. In regular session, Enid City Commission approved a number of related Kaw Lake items. The first, unanimously approved, was a resolution amending the 2018-19 water capital improvement fund by appropriating another $70,000. The money will be transferred from Enid Municipal Authority to the water capital improvement fund to provide funding for a contract with Anglin PR, of Oklahoma City, for the third phase of the Kaw Lake project. A companion item later in the meeting was unanimously approved by EMA to increase the EMA's 2018-19 fiscal financial plan by $70,000. Gilbert said the city wanted to bring on Anglin PR to "increase and focus" the city's communications on the Kaw Lake project. He said services will include social media, press releases, internal communications and more. The $70,000 contract was a part of the meeting's consent agenda, which was approved. EMA during the meeting also unanimously approved payment to the Bryan Kroeker Revocable Trust, of Enid, for real property to be used in the construction of a water treatment plant or the Kaw Lake project. The approved payment is $465,000 plus closing costs. The final Kaw Lake related business approved Tuesday night was unanimous approval by commissioners to reappoint Ward 1 representative Wade Patterson, Ward 3 representative Frank Baker and Ward 5 representative Jack Ramey to the Kaw Lake Funding Oversight Committee. The three's terms had expired Dec. 6, 2018 and now the trio will continue to serve on the committee through Dec. 6, 2021. Tuesday's consent agenda comprised of 10 business items, one of which was to approve an agreement between the city and artist Romy Owens to extend the installation deadline of the downtown art project "Under Her Wing was the Universe." Commissioners approved the consent agenda in a 5-2 vote, with Ward 2 Commissioner Derwin Norwood and Ward 4 Commissioner Jonathan Waddell voting against approving the agenda. Previously, if Owens was unable to complete the project by Jan. 1, the city had the right to remove the unfinished project and Owens would have to forfeit the city's second installment of $12,000 to her. Now, the project's deadline is extended through Aug. 1 this year. If finished by then, the city will give Owens the second $12,000 installment. Various delays have halted the project since its inception, but this week ground was broken on it and the steel finally went vertical. Owens said the additional time is more than sufficient to complete the project, according to the city. Commissioners also approved various board appointments, including Bryan Skaggs to the Park Board and Roy Bartnick to both the Public Access Television Advisory Board and the Enid Joint Recreation Triad. Enid City Commission is next scheduled to meet in study and regular sessions Feb. 21. Photo: The Canadian Press Pope Francis kisses the hand of a child during the weekly general audience at the Vatican, Wednesday. The Vatican on Wednesday clarified comments by Pope Francis about a case of what he called "sexual slavery" within a French congregation of nuns, saying he was referring to an abuse of power that was reflected in instances of sexual abuse. Francis cited the case when responding to a question about the sexual abuse of nuns by clergy during a press conference Tuesday returning home from the United Arab Emirates. It was the pope's first-ever public acknowledgment of the problem of priests and bishops sexually abusing nuns. He stressed that the Vatican had been confronting the issue for some time and vowed to do more. Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti said Wednesday Francis "spoke of 'sexual slavery' to mean 'manipulation' or a type of abuse of power that is reflected in a sexual abuse." The Community of St. Jean admitted in 2013 that its late founder had behaved "in ways that went against chastity" with women in the order, according to the French Catholic newspaper La Croix. The Vatican under Pope Benedict XVI ultimately dissolved an offshoot of the congregation. The issue has come to the fore amid the Catholic Church's overall reckoning with the sexual abuse of minors and the #MeToo-inspired acknowledgement that adults can be victims of abuse whenever there is an imbalance of power in a relationship. In the past year, The Associated Press and other media have reported on cases of abused nuns in India , Africa, Europe and South America evidence that the problem is by no means limited to a certain geographic area. In November, the organization representing all the world's female Catholic religious orders, the International Union of Superiors General, publicly denounced the "culture of silence and secrecy" that prevented nuns from speaking out and urged sisters to report abuse to their superiors and police. And just last week, the women's magazine of the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano identified the clerical culture of the all-powerful clergy as the culprit. The magazine, "Women Church World," noted that the scandal involves a corollary: nuns being forced to abort the priests' children or bear children that the priests refuse to recognize. Francis' acknowledgement of the problem comes as he prepares to decide the fate of the disgraced American ex-cardinal, Theodore McCarrick, who is accused of abusing minors as well as adult seminarians. Spain, Germany, France and Britain delivered diplomatic blows to Maduro's rule by publicly supporting Guaido after giving Maduro a Sunday deadline to call a presidential election, which he didn't heed. As domestic and global pressure mounts on Maduro to step down, a senior air force general disavowed him in a video that circulated earlier on Saturday, expressing his allegiance to parliament head and self-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaido. Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, center, who has declared himself the interim president of Venezuela, greets supporters as he arrives at a demonstration demanding the resignation of President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019. "You will leave the presidency stained with blood", Maduro said Sunday evening in an interview with the Spanish television station Sexta. Critics of Maduro blame the Venezuelan government's mismanagement for the lack of food and medical supplies. "We are working for the return of full democracy in Venezuela: human rights, elections and no more political prisoners", Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a televised announcement. "The oppression of the illegitimate, kleptocratic Maduro regime must end". He said Spain, which has a large Venezuelan community, is also working on a humanitarian aid program for Venezuela, where shortages of basic items are acute. "Therefore, Guaido is the person we are talking to and we expect him to begin an election process as soon as possible". Trump said Maduro requested a meeting months ago and he turned down the Venezuela leader. He has said he is only willing to call new elections to the opposition-held National Assembly. The UK takes this position alongside the Organisation of American States, the Lima Group, the United States and European partners. On Monday, oil prices rose to their highest level yet this year on European markets on the back of the crisis in Venezuela. The situation has always been denounced by the opposition and Guaido stunned the world on January 23 when he declared himself acting president at a rally, declaring Maduro's presidency "illegitimate" and founded on flawed elections. Guaido is expected to announce a date for the arrival of humanitarian aid from the United States - a path Maduro believes will lead to a US-led military intervention. Trump warned that military intervention remains "an option" for dealing with the crisis in Venezuela. All eyes are now on Venezuela's military, which has so far been Maduro's main pillar of support, but there have been signs of unrest in the ranks. On Sunday, Maduro addressed troops on military exercises, calling on them for "maximum cohesion". 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 Passed away Saturday, June 20, at Athens-Limestone Hospital. Visitation will be from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 22, with a chapel service to follow at McConnell Funeral Home. Burial will be in Roselawn Cemetery. Photo: Twitter European Union authorities on Wednesday blocked a deal to create a rail giant that could compete with China, angering France and Germany so much that they vowed to change the way the EU oversees such mergers. The decision raised thorny questions of how to stand up to the growing economic might of China, where the government has no qualms creating state-backed monopolies with the power to strike deals around the world. But EU Antitrust Commissioner Margrethe Vestager kept her focus squarely on European customers, saying the Franco-German merger would have created a near monopoly in the region, choking competition and leading to higher prices for travellers and companies. Vestager said that the merged company would have become, by far, the largest player in Europe and added that in the rail signalling market there would have been "no competition left" at all. Her office is tasked with making sure that competition is fair and consumers have enough choice. In this case, the decision clashed with France and Germany's desire to keep up with China, which controls and actively supports many of its biggest companies. French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe called it "a bad decision. It's a major setback for the European industry and I think it was a decision taken on wrong bases. I can't be any clearer." The office of German Chancellor Angela Merkel also expressed its displeasure. "A globally competitive rail industry is an important industrial policy concern for Germany and for Europe," Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert, said. Germany this week floated various ideas on how to support its industries in an age of increased global competition that has seen the U.S. and China hit each other with tariffs. The German government said it could take stakes in companies to head off foreign takeovers and protect the development of technologies. It noted the hostile takeover of German robotics maker Kuka by Chinese appliance manufacturer Midea in 2016 to illustrate its concerns. Seibert said Wednesday that regardless of the rail merger case, the German government supported the idea of revising the EU's antitrust laws "with a view to globalization." Philippe complained Vestager didn't sufficiently take global markets into account and called the EU law on the topic "incredibly outdated." "We must modernize it and take back control," Philippe said. Bernt Berger, head of the Asia program at the German Council on Foreign Relations, said that how to deal with rising Chinese competition is one of the big questions that Europeans haven't effectively confronted. "We helped build up the Chinese economy ... and now they are a full-blown competitor in some fields and there is no preparation on how to deal with that," he said. "It's an issue which has been overslept for many years." Berger said it was time for "a sober discussion among experts" to find a strategy rather than alarmist rhetoric. The Federation of German Industries this month called for a "coherent China strategy." That could include applying EU limits on state aid to subsidies outside the EU or allowing state aid in European countries in cases where state aid abroad distorts competition. Alstom is best known for making France's TGV and Siemens for Germany's ICE high-speed trains. They face growing competition from China's CRRC Corporation, which had sales of about $33 billion last year. Alstom had $9.4 billion and Siemens' rail unit about $10 billion. Ballakermeen Assault: Police will prosecute those involved Police investigating a violent assault on a teenager say those involved will be prosecuted. The disturbing video which has been circulated on Facebook and Snapchat shows one girl attacking another girl with force - including several punches and kicks. Officers say the juvenile who carried out the attack and a juvenile who filmed it will both be prosecuted at court. The victim is said to be recieving support from the police, school and other agencies. The teens involved attend Ballakermeen High School. In a statement, headteacher Adrienne Burnett said: "Many of our students, parents and friends will have seen a very disturbing video on social media which shows one of our students being assaulted by another in two, separate out of school locations." "Thanks to the many supportive members of our school community we were made aware of events very soon after they occurred and have taken immediate action." "I have imposed the strongest sanction on the perpetrator, which I will further discuss with my governors and officials at the Department of Education, Sport and Culture." Police investigate after violent assault posted on social media Police are investigating after a violent altercation between two young girls was posted on social media. The video which has been circulated on Facebook and Snapchat shows one girl attacking another girl with force - including several punches and kicks. The teens involved are both believed to be students at Ballakermeen High School. In a statement, the school said: "We are fully aware and already working with other agencies. Your support in making sure we were informed is greatly appreciated." Isle of Man Constabulary says it is aware of the video and it is being investigated by officers and partner agencies. Appeal after Chinese takeaway burgled Police are appealing for witnesses after a Chinese takeaway was burgled in Pulrose. Food Paradise Chinese takeaway was targeted at around 11.15pm on Tuesday 29th January. Officers are keen to speak with anyone who may have been in the area at the time in particular a female who was observed to get out of a vehicle in the location and pass Food Paradise on foot shortly before the offence took place. Anyone with information is urged to contact CID at Police Headquarters on 631212 Washington, Feb 6 (EFE).- Secretary of State Mike Pompeo began Wednesday's summit here of the international coalition fighting Islamic State with a speech aimed at calming allies, stating that the planned withdrawal of US troops from Syria does not mean the end of the struggle against the jihadists. In front of representatives of the 79 members of the coalition, Pompeo said that the decision of President Donald Trump to withdraw 2,000 US soldiers deployed in Syria "is not the end of America's fight" against the group, commonly referred to as ISIS. "The fight is one we will continue to wage alongside you," the secretary said. "The drawdown of American troops is essentially a tactical change. It is not a change in the mission. It does not change the structure, the design or authorities on which campaign has been based." "It simply represents a new stage in an old fight," he said, adding that the troops' departure would be well coordinated and that the US would remain engaged with its allies in Syria. Trump's announcement last month that he planned to withdraw US forces from Syria led to the resignation of Gen. James Mattis as secretary of defense. During his speech, Pompeo insisted that the coalition must adapt to the nature of the war against jihadism, which has become more "decentralized" with networks around the world. He also urged allies to strengthen their ability to share intelligence with each other. "In this new era, local law enforcement and information sharing will be crucial, and our fight will not necessarily always be military-led," he said. The anti-ISIS coalition consists of 75 countries and four international organizations, including the European Union, Interpol and NATO. Several other major participants in the fight against ISIS in Syria - the Syrian army, Russia, Hezbollah and Iran - are not included. For the summit, the members of the coalition were seated in alphabetical order with the exception of Iraq, whose foreign minister was placed just to the right of Pompeo. The Iraqi diplomat, Ibrahim Al-Jaafari, spoke after Pompeo and asked the members of the coalition to help his country bring ISIS terrorists to justice for their crimes, among which he cited genocide. Relacionados La consellera de Justicia dice que siempre ha rechazado los ataques de los CDR a los juzgados Havana, Feb 6 (efe-epa).- Roughly 9,920 Havana residents were forced from their homes by the tornado that hit the Cuban capital 10 days ago, killing six people, injuring 195 others and damaging more than 4,800 residences, Cuban official media reported Wednesday. Most of the displaced people are staying with relatives and friends, according to a briefing delivered during a Cabinet meeting chaired by President Miguel Diaz-Canel. The latest report on the effects of the tornado on the capital districts of Diez de Octubre, Regla, Guanabacoa, Habana del Este and San Miguel del Padron nearly quadruples the initial estimate of 1,238 homes either destroyed or significantly damaged by the twister. And the number continues to grow, with dire implications for Cuba's already acute housing shortage. The president told ministers to prioritize the repair of relatively minor damage to buildings that remained largely intact. The government is selling construction materials at half-price to the affected families who have registered at the help centers set up after the tornado, which have assisted more than 5,000 people so far, Finance Minister Meisi Bolanos said. For people whose homes were damaged beyond repair, the government has promised to set up sites to accommodate temporary quarters. Havana was surprised the night of Jan. 27 by a intense tornado that tore through five eastern districts with winds of 300 km/h (186 mph). It the first tornado to hit the Cuban capital since 1940. The storm toppled some 1,600 trees, which is complicating the cleanup in affected areas, though power and water service has been restored. Havana Mayor Reynaldo Garcia said authorities have set up 28 centers to receive donations of goods for the people displaced and described that process as becoming progressively better organized. Within hours of the disaster, Cubans both inside and outside the country mobilized to aid victims without waiting for the government to swing into action. Some would-be Good Samaritans posted on social media that they ran into problems with local officials who rejected private donations, though the government later attributed those incidents to "confusion" and said that all donations would be accepted. Photo: The Canadian Press Laurie Smith, whose husband Rich and son Tyler, 17, were killed, addresses court in Kalamazoo, Mich. A man who fatally shot six strangers in southwestern Michigan was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison with no chance of parole, and some loved ones of those he killed said they believe he'll face a greater, more permanent punishment. "Someday when you die and you face God, he will make the ultimate judgment for what you've done," Laurie Smith, who lost her husband and son in the February 2016 rampage, told Jason Dalton during the sentencing hearing. "All I can say is, I do not want to be you not now and not then." Dalton, 48, pleaded guilty to murder and attempted murder last month, just as jury selection was about to begin in his trial. Michigan has no death penalty, so he was guaranteed to receive the mandatory life sentence at Tuesday's hearing in a Kalamazoo County court. Dalton admitted shooting eight people in three locations in between picking up passengers for Uber. After his arrest , police quoted Dalton as saying a "devil figure" on Uber's app was controlling him on the day of the shootings. Four women were killed in the parking lot of a Cracker Barrel restaurant: Barbara Hawthorne, Dorothy "Judy" Brown, Mary Lou Nye and her sister-in-law, Mary Jo Nye. Rich Smith and his 17-year-old son, Tyler Smith, were fatally shot while looking at a pickup truck in a dealer's lot. "Living without (them) is impossible," said Emily Lemmer, the daughter of Rich Smith and sister of Tyler Smith, who months after their deaths carried their ashes in a box as she walked alone down the aisle at her wedding. Lemmer, who spoke during the hearing, said she's afraid she will "lose more people that I love," and she "can't understand" why Dalton went on a deadly rampage. She then warned Dalton sitting nearby with his hands clasped across his stomach with words similar to those of her mother. "I would not want to be you, ever, but especially when you meet our maker," she said. Abigail Kopf, who was 14 at the time, was shot in the head during the restaurant shooting and survived. Tiana Carruthers was shot and wounded in a residential area. "I see pain in your hatred," Carruthers said to Dalton during the hearing, as she tried to get him to look at her. "... I hate myself for hating you." Dalton was deemed competent to stand trial and had dropped an insanity defence just before his trial was scheduled to start. He hasn't explained why he randomly shot eight people. The father of two had worked as an insurance adjuster and had no criminal record before the shootings. Prosecutor Jeff Getting has said the question of a motive "haunts us." He estimated Tuesday that Dalton could live another 25 to 30 years, amounting to thousands of days. "Ten thousand days (in prison) doesn't come close to what you deserve," Getting said. "I wish somehow it could be more. You deserve more." A gun shop owner said Dalton bought a jacket with an inside pocket designed to hold a gun just hours before the rampage. Shop owner Jon Southwick recalled Dalton "laughing and joking," and giving a "one-armed hug" to the manager before making the purchase. 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. Sponsored By: St Anthony's Hospital For several months, conversations spoken in Swedish swirled around me wherever I went: song-like, fast-paced, foreign. Thanks to my blonde hair and blue eyes, I looked Swedish, too. Waiters, bus drivers, and cashiers talked to me before I sheepishly asked if they would switch to English instead. Despite that, I was determined to learn their language. I was living in Sweden for part of the past year, away from my 1st grade classroom in Minnesota. My husband was pursuing a career opportunity at Uppsala University and I was granted a short leave of absence to tag along. Over eight years, Ive taught a range of readers, from those who could not recognize the letters of the alphabet to those piecing together the symbolism in a book well above their grade level. I have a masters degree in childrens literature, co-chair my districts language arts committee, and even work at a local bookshop. Considering all of this, surely I could teach myself to read in a new language, right? I started with the basics. Wandering a Swedish grocery store, Id easily match words with meaning: mjolk is milk; ost is cheese; kyckling, chicken. Menus were slightly more complex, but I often could figure them out after a bit of trial and error (hello, context clues). I started noticing words that were similar to English (apple) and those that were like each other (lok is onion and vitlok is garlic). Finding patterns and looking for ways to remember these new words was a fun challenge. Id fill my days with Swedish andif Im being honestfelt pretty good about my progress. Eventually, I reached a point where I needed outside support for learning the language. Id read everything I could find on signs and posters but wanted more. I downloaded a program and got right to work. I was breezing through levelsplease, Id learned how to say hello and goodbye months ago!like it was a video game waiting to be mastered. Then, I hit a roadblock. The program introduced a few letters and pronounced their accompanying sounds. Then, the letters would move about the screen in a random order and I was asked to click the sound I heard. The problem? I couldnt hear a difference. To my untrained ear, the two sounds were almost identical. I turned up the volume, closed my eyes, replayed the tutorial. Nothing made a difference. And that is when I knew. I hadnt been learning the language well at all. I was stuck in the phonemic awareness stage of reading. Why We Need Literacy Guides As someone who teaches reading, I know that mastering literacy skills often follows a progression: phonemic awareness (hearing, manipulating, and replicating individual sounds) precedes understanding phonics (matching sounds with letters). Both skills must be solid before students can make strides in fluency, vocabulary, and, ultimately, comprehension. In a balanced literacy approach, we teach skills simultaneously but also understand that if one phase isnt mastered, the next stage will not have a solid foundation to build on. My heart sank as I realized I had jumped straight to learning vocabulary. How naive of me! Surely, I knew better. Yes, I could name and recognize foods from the grocery store, order off a menu, and read posters in the cathedral. But my reading would never progress if I couldnt hear, let alone replicate, basic differences in Swedish sounds. Realizing that I had to start back at square one, I felt disheartened. I suppose this is why we dont explicitly tell students when theyre stuck in a phase of literacy. It feels daunting, impossible. Instead, as teachers, we find new ways to reach our students. We dont give up. My mind returned to a student last year who was far behind his peers. Hardly able to hold a pencil, he too had difficulty distinguishing different sounds and matching those with their corresponding print. We worked together multiple times every single day. If I found a few spare minutes, Id pull out a book or alphabet chart and sit with him. With repeated, explicit instruction and practice, he slowly made progress. By the end of the year he was beginning to hear and clap syllables, identify letter names and sounds, and grasp one-to-one correspondence. He was still behind his peers, but on his way toward independent reading. I realized thats what I needed: a guide who wouldnt give up on me. Someone who would repeat the sounds over and over until I began to recognize them on my own. Someone who would make the connections and help me apply what I was learning. Unfortunately, I didnt have that someone. My time in Sweden has since come to a close. Soon, I will be back in my classroom facing 20 eager readers. Ill bring stories of living in a different country and a long list of books I cant wait to introduce. Ill also bring a new perspective and appreciation for the readers who are struggling, the ones who seem stuck in the phonemic awareness stage. I know how it feels, but I also have the skills and drive to keep pushing those readers forward. I may not be able to fully teach myself a language that is foreign and different, but I can and will teach a language I know well. I will be that literacy guidethat someonefor my own students. Lets get this out of the way first: Performance assessmentthe idea of measuring what students can do, not merely what they knowis not a new idea in K-12 education. Teachers have been told to engage students in projects at least since the days of John Dewey, and probably long before that. (The famous Socratic method, after all, requires students to advance and sustain their positions in an argument, not repeat back knowledge.) Nevertheless, performance assessment has a bit of a riddled history in the United States. In the 1990sthe last major period of experimentationit was tried at scale and then abandoned in Kentucky, Maryland, and Vermont. The challenges begin with a definitional problem: Does an essay test count as a performance assessment? What about a short response on an otherwise multiple-choice test? Experts disagree, and such quibbles have fueled confusion over how to measure authentic student performance. Education Weeks special report sets out to inject some clarity into the debate. In this report, youll find a glossary, examples of districts slowly expanding their use of capstone projects for graduation, states encouraging the use of tests that feel more like games, and colleges exploring whether demonstrations of competency can supplement traditional application credentials like seat time and transcripts. The landscape of performance assessment remains hard to parse. Although most testing experts agree that its trending again, its unclear how widespread performance assessment is. Just ask Jenny Poon, a fellow at the Center for Innovation in Education, which advises four states on the development and use of the tests. Shes worked to create a continuously updated, comprehensive map of state action. The problem is that, even in states that have policies supporting performance testing on paper, districts vary greatly in how rigorously they implement those ideas. Still, Poon said a few trends help to raise interest in measuring student performance in richer ways than multiple-choice questions. About 20 states now use the Next Generation Science Standards, she points out, which specifically require students to engage in scientific practices, such as generating hypotheses and recording data from experiments. A second thrust is states interest in better gauging what high school graduates know and can do, as evidenced by the spread of state and local adoptions of diploma seals and capstone projectspresumably a firmer indication of student ability than credit hours. Experts also know more about performance assessment after years of experimentation. So as you read the report, keep in mind some of the four big lessons theyve offered up, which are distilled here for you. 1. Decide on goals first. First and foremost, the experts say: Know why you want the assessment and what benefits you expect to achieve by investing in it. Theres no point in teaching someone to write an article for a newspaper and giving them a multiple-choice test to see if theyre able to do that, said Scott Marion, the executive director of the Center for Assessment, which advises states on testing. Performance assessment is made for those situations. But if youre filling in grammar rules, then maybe multiple choice is fine. A related issue concerns how the results will be used. Performance assessments are generally more difficult to standardize and less likely to produce comparable results for individual students. Thats probably OK if the test is being used mainly to supplement curriculum or for classroom grading. But its a bigger problem if you want to use it for making decisions about whether a student should graduate from high school or for school ratings. One well-known mishap occurred in Vermont in the early 1990s, when the states portfolio-assessment program rolled out. The program used teachers to score collections of students best math and writing work. Early results showed that the degree of agreement among teachers scores, known as rater reliability, was initially fairly low. In retrospect, RAND Corp. researcher Brian Stecher, who helped evaluate the program back then, wonders whether leaders there got the focus wrong. I think what was really beneficial in Vermont was the fact that this broadened to some extent how teachers were teaching mathematics, instead of a reductive I do, we do, you do, Stecher said, referring to a common teaching method taught during teacher preparation. That seems like a good thing to me and valuable in its own rightand might have been a better use of this unstructured portfolio than trying to have it be the basis for a standardized judgment. 2. Keep costs in mind. Coming up with good performance tasks can be expensive as well as time-consuming. In short, its hard to do performance on the fly or on the cheap. Thats especially the case if whats valued is the comparability and reliability of scores, which requires creating and field-testing many tasks. When you open up assessments to getting students a wide range of response possibilities in terms of format, length, and activities, then it just becomes very hard to manage the time, and materials, and scheduling. It becomes hard to incorporate it into a structured system of assessments, and it also becomes more expensive, Stecher said. Thats one reason so few states have done so at scale under federal annual-testing requirements. New Hampshire, the sole exception for now, is using some traditional exams in the years it doesnt administer its locally developed performance measures. Finally, even if a performance exam is only used locally or for classroom purposes, teachers must invest time and energy to familiarize themselves with its scoring frameworks to make sure theyre grading fairly. Many districts with expertise in performance assessment, in fact, use blind scoring or double reviews of student workand all that takes time. And while teachers are generally more knowledgeable about scoring frameworks, or rubrics as theyre called in the field, than they were 20 years ago, theres still often an expertise gap for teachers who are used to fill-in-the-blanks and true-false questions, said Steve Ferrara, who oversaw Marylands now-defunct performance-assessment program in the 1990s. (Hes now a senior adviser at Measured Progress, a testing company.) 3. Prioritize teaching and learningnot just testing. Performance assessment in education should be part and parcel of reforms to teaching and learning. Much of the criticism of multiple-choice tests is that they encourage teachers to focus on low-level, easily measured skills. The inverse should be true, too: Give students rich assessment tasks worth teaching to and help support educators to redesign their instruction to boost development of skills like analysis and inference. In fact, studies from the 1990s on the Maryland State Performance Assessment Program found that under it, teachers had higher expectations for the learning of their students, and principals had higher expectations on what they expected teachers to do. Schools with a high degree of curriculum alignment to the tests showed the most improvement, Ferrara said. In other words, performance assessment truly requires system change. If you dont include at least parallel reforms in teaching and learning, an assessment isnt enough, Marion warns. You have to improve the meaningfulness of the content, instructional quality, and improve student engagement, too. If youre not doing those three things, then youre just rearranging the deck chairs. There are also technical reasons why the mirroring of testing and instruction is desirable: Performance assessment hinges on students having had enough exposure to the content and skills needed to complete the task. Otherwise, the assessment might measure generic problem-solving intelligence, rather than how well students grasp and apply what theyve learned, noted Sean P. Jack Buckley, the head of the U.S. Department of Educations statistical wing from 2010 to 2013, during which he oversaw the development of the agencys first performance tasks for exams administered as part of the nations report card. This was always something we worried about, he said. It is way easier to make a hard test that smart people can do well on than one that shows growth tied to teaching and learning. 4. Plan for scaling up the examsand communicating the results. Parents and teachers can be a performance assessments biggest boosters or its toughest foes, which means its key to keep them apprised of the assessment program and the logic behind it as its piloted, rolled out, and scored. Teachers, the experts say, should especially be intimately involved in test design and communications. It takes time to build the capacity to build quality assessments; its almost an apprenticeship approach, said Paul Leather, who helped get New Hampshires performance-assessment system off the ground and now oversees state and local partnerships for the Center for Innovation and Education, a research and consulting group. As we built our common tasks, we selected content teacher-leaders who led development of the content and the common tasks, he said. Over time, they start to lead the entire system because assessment literacy has reached such a high level, and we believe that actually has to happen for this kind of system to scale. You essentially create a way in which expertise is not just shared as a product, but something that helps others to gain that expertise over time. Even when teachers are involved in task design, they can feel left behind without the right training and supports, Ferrara cautioned. It took so much effort in the first few years [of MSPAP] to get the program up and running that all the investment went into the assessment program and not into professional development, he said. In fact, he recalled, missing materials and a lack of training in the 1992 assessment administration raised teacher ire and got the test slammed in newspapers as the MSPAP Mishap. Finally, as performance assessments yield more-nuanced information on students abilities, theres a related challenge of communicating those results. For six years, Maine required high schools to prepare students to demonstrate competency in eight subjects to earn a diploma. But the experiment faltered in part because districts struggled to communicate what the new grades, often issued on a 1-to-4 scale, meantand how theyd affect students chances of getting into college, according to news reports on the system. By 2018, the pressure caused state lawmakers to roll back the requirements, giving districts the option to return to traditional diplomas. Denver teachers are set to strike on Monday over a dispute centered on the districts once-revolutionary performance-pay model. The tumultuous situation in Denver illustrates the national swing in education policy priorities. For years, efforts to link pay to teacher effectiveness were a focus for many legislators, education leaders, and advocacy groups. Now, amid the wave of teacher activism, the national conversation is focused on paying all teachers more, regardless of where they work, what they teach, or how their students perform on state tests. The fact that, Hey, lets pay good teachers more, is so rarely a prominent talking point [these days]much less a concrete part of the agendais really striking, said Frederick M. Hess, the director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute. (Hess also authors an opinion blog at edweek.org .) While the majority of teachers in Denver supported the school districts performance-pay model, known as ProComp, when it was put in place 15 years ago, now most teachers in the city have voted to strike over it. The districts revolving door of teacher turnover must stop, said Henry Roman, the president of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association, in a statement on Wednesday announcing the strike date. The district must improve teacher pay to keep quality, experienced teachers in Denver classrooms. The district, which had asked the state to intervene in the labor dispute to no avail, has pledged to keep schools open during the strike. Both sides have said they remain committed to bargaining. The ProComp system at the heart of the strike has been heralded by experts as a groundbreaking attempt at rewarding teachers not for their number of years in the classroom, but for their work raising student achievement and for teaching where they are needed most. The early hopes and aspirations were that it was going to revolutionize teacher pay, said Paul Teske, the dean of the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado Denver and one of the authors of a book on the history of ProComp . For the most part, the district, the teachers union, and taxpayers were all on board when the program was finalized in 2005. The experiment was at the forefront of connecting teachers compensation to their performance, which has since been attempted in other districts, including Dallas and the District of Columbia, and was the focus of the former Teacher Incentive Fund program. (That federal program, which aimed to improve student outcomes by increasing educators effectiveness through performance pay, has now morphed into the Teacher and School Leader Incentive Program.) I think [ProComp] has had an impact, Teske added. It just shows that its not easy to get it right, whatever right is. Since last spring, teachers in about a half-dozen states have walked out of their classrooms to protest low wages, most recently in Virginia last month . Since then, policymakers have mostly avoided making any recommendations that include teacher accountability, preferring across-the-board pay raises. Among the more than 15 governors who have proposed raising teacher pay so far this year, only Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, has suggested a merit-based model . Pay Confusion ProComp was borne out of a collaboration between the Denver school district, the Denver Classroom Teachers Association, and voters, who passed an annual property tax increase to fund the program. District officials have said they receive $33 million each year for ProComp. The model rewards teachers who work in hard-to-staff schools and positions, as well as those who have demonstrated effectiveness, which is partially measured through student test scores. Teachers who serve in a school that meets district performance goals in student growth are eligible for a bonus, and teachers can receive an annual pay raise for achieving positive scores on evaluations. In all, there are about 10 different incentives or bonuses that teachers can qualify for. Teachers have long said the system is confusing and makes it hard to predict what their annual salary will be. Both the district and the teachers union agree that ProComp needs to be simplifiedthey just differ on the details. The union favors larger base salaries for teachers across-the-board, coupled with smaller and fewer incentives. The district has pushed for bigger incentives for teachers working in the citys poorest schools. Roman, the teachers union president, said in an interview that its easy to look at the proposals and think, Why dont you want those incentives to help teachers in those schools? Its more than that, once you get into the details, he said. The incentives and bonuses, Roman said, can mask the reality that teachers base salaries are not keeping up with those of the surrounding areas. Still, Superintendent Susana Cordova said keeping good teachers in the neediest schools, which ProComp attempts to do through financial incentives, is key to closing the achievement gap between low-income students and their more-affluent peers: We dont have an issue with attracting teachers to go into low-poverty schools, she said. A Changing Landscape Denver, like all of Colorado, has seen high numbers of teachers leaving the classroom over the last decade, said Allison Atteberry, an assistant professor of research and evaluation methods at the University of Colorado Boulder School of Education. However, in the ProComp era, theres some evidence that more effective teachers stay longer, said Atteberry, who has studied the system. There is also some evidence that ProComp attracts slightly more effective teachers to Denver. Student outcomes have increased under ProComp, although Atteberry noted that it is difficult to disentangle the effect of the pay structure from other district policies. Still, these gains in student achievement did not occur in similar Colorado districts. Its remarkable that something that seemed centrist and collaborative 15 years ago is now being revisited as something controversial, said Hess, of the American Enterprise Institute. It says a lot about where the center of gravity is being moved, in terms of reforms. Indeed, between then and now, a lot has changed in Denver and in the education policy landscape more broadly. When ProComp was passed, there was a growing push across the country for teacher accountability tied to student test scores. With ProComp, we want to know how teachers are doing and reward them, Teske said. I think the teacher-evaluation focus [across the country] was, and became perceived as, much more negativelets find the bad teachers and fire them. When that got overlaid with ProComp, it was confusing. Over time, national attitudes have started to shift. States are beginning to back away from tying teacher evaluations to students standardized test scores, including most recently in New York state . Theres been a backlash against the focus on student testing. And public opinion has become more sympathetic to teachers in the last few years, which has emboldened unions to revisit some of the compromises they made, Hess said. The district has had trouble with communication, too, said William Slotnik, the founder and executive director of the Community Training and Assistance Center, which helped develop, implement, and assess ProComp. Surveys showed that many teachers didnt understand all the available incentives. Meanwhile, in Denver, housing prices have skyrocketed in the last few years, placing a greater burden on teachers. And the average teacher salary in the state$51,808, according to the National Education Associationis about $8,000 less than the national average. Because of these constraints, teachers are understandably focused on the financial issues, Slotnik said. But ProComp was meant to be a broader, systemic reform that supported teachers growth as professionals, he noted. If we want to take performance-based compensation seriously, we have to recognize that its not just about money, its also about support to educators, and thats where the broader focus needs to be, he said. If people move away from performance-based compensation done well, theyre going to be making a mistake. A Terrible Signal to Districts Denver cant back away entirely from ProCompvoters passed a ballot measure that clearly delineates what the tax increase revenue will fund. Cordova said the district is committed to maintaining the pay systems cutting-edge aspects, such as supporting teachers through individual bonuses as they become more expert at teaching. Even so, some analysts have expressed disappointment that the once-groundbreaking pay structure could now shift to look like a traditional salary schedule. The negotiations now look more like a typical fight between a union and a district, which is disappointing in the 15-year picture, Teske said. Kate Walsh, the president of the National Council on Teacher Quality, which advocates for strong teacher accountability, said she has long had qualms about ProComp, arguing that it didnt go far enough to restructure teacher compensation. Still, the current negotiations and the upcoming strike send a terrible signal to other districts which are considering a different kind of [pay] model that this isnt going to work, she said. If they want to get along with their unions, its not going to be worth it. Denver will be the second big-city school district to see labor unrest this year. Teachers in Los Angeles wrapped up a six-day strike late last month , claiming victories that included lower class sizes, more support staff, and a 6 percent pay raise. President Donald Trump delivered the State of the Union address Tuesday night, focusing on his signature issues like the economy and immigration and warning lawmakers that the ongoing investigation into his conduct posed a threat to national security, The New York Times reported. But there was one real major threat to the nation, and the world, that he declined to mention at all: climate change. This silence was not unexpected. As Ishaan Tharoor pointed out for The Washington Post, Trump is famously skeptical of climate science and came under fire in January for confusing weather and climate when he responded to a brutal cold snap by tweeting, "What the hell is going on with Global Waming? Please come back fast, we need you!" His failure to address the issue Tuesday night, however, still earned him criticism from environmental leaders. "For the third year in a row, President Trump has addressed Congress and failed to mention one of the biggest threats facing usclimate change. It was another squandered opportunity to show American leadership for the clean energy future," Environmental Defense Fund Senior Vice President Elizabeth Gore said in a statement. Gore pointed out that since the last State of the Union, the issue had only gotten more urgent. 2018 was a year of extreme weather events and saw the release of two major reports on the extent of the threat posed by a changing climate: the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report warning that we have 12 years to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and Volume II of the Fourth National Climate Assessment, a dire warning from Trump's own government that he nevertheless dismissed. Several Democratic lawmakers chose to respond to this sense of urgencyand the president's expected silence on the issueby inviting climate scientists and activists to join them for the speech, The Washington Post's The Energy 202 reported. Washington Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal explained her decision to invite University of Washington professor Lisa Graumlich, who uses tree rings to study climate. "Instead of tackling the problem head-on, President Trump is burying his head in the sand and handing out favors to his friends in the coal industry," Jayapal said, as The Washington Post reported. "In fact, it's unlikely that President Trump will mention climate change or the dire need to protect our environment in his State of the Union at all." Her Democratic colleagues Maryland Representative Jamie Raskin and Massachusetts Senator Edward J. Markey also invited both seasoned and up-and-coming climate activists. Raskin invited 350.org founder Bill McKibben, while Markey invited Varshini Prakash, co-founder of the Sunrise Movement that has led the push for a Green New Deal, an ambitious plan to transition the U.S. away from fossil fuels while promoting green jobs and economic equality. Markey is preparing to draft legislation for a specific Green New Deal proposal with newly elected New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Other environmental guests included League of Conservation Voters Executive Director Gene Karpinski, invited by New York Democratic Representative Paul Tonko and former Interior Department whistleblower Joel Clement , invited by Maine Democratic Representative Chellie Pingree. Photo: Contributed Dubh Glas Distillery's first signature release is a hand-crafted, small batch gin is made from 100% British Columbian grown barley and select botanicals. A south Okanagan distillery picked up some prestigious hardware in Canada's only national spirit competition. The Dubh Glas Distillery, from Oliver, was the only Okanagan distillery to receive a Gold Medal with Distinction for their New Western Dry Noteworthy Gin. Dubh Glas took home the award in the largest spirit category and the Canadian Artisan Spirit Competition judges described the gin, saying, "it comes in gently on the palate and opens up and truly blossoms towards a lovely spicy and floral finish. Great balance." Dubh Glas also received an award for their limited Christmas release, Barrel Rested Gin, which also picked up a gold medal. This competition is reserved for only micro-distilleries. A panel of eight independent spirit experts from across the country. Spirits are evaluated blind on a point based system in four categories; nose, palate, finish and quality. Maple Leaf Spirits, also received gold medals for their Canadian Kirsch and Lady of the Cask brandy. It was complimented with Silver medals for Pear Williams and both Cherry and Maple liqueurs. CASC now in its second year has increased its submissions by 50 per cent over its first year. This made the competition fierce in a growing spirits industry from across Canada. "This growth demonstrates that a competition like this is welcome among artisan distillers to help them spread the word about the great spirits their producing," stated Alex Hamer, the competitions founder. Silver medals were awarded to Old Order Distilling, which operates a cocktail lounge in downtown Penticton, for their Legacy Gin, Heritage Vodka and Black Goat Vodka. Further south in Osoyoos, Tumbleweed Spirits, the newest distillery to join the growing list received bronze medals for their gin, Cherry Moonshine, and Nine Mile Creek 'shine. Davin de Kergommeaux, author of the award-winning book, Canadian Whisky: The New Portable Expert, says, the importance of credible competitions in raising the profile of Canadas microdistillers cannot be overstated. The Canadian Artisan Spirit Competition highlights the best of the best. This, in turn, tells consumers where to start exploring them. Construction equipment has arrived to build a border wall through the National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas, a protected habitat for more than 200 species of wild butterflies and other unique wildlife. A planned 5.5 mile section of concrete and steel border wall that is already funded will cut off 70 percent of the 100-acre property. The barrier will be built on top of a levee of the Rio Grande that runs through the sanctuary. An excavator and eight law enforcement units arrived around the center on Sunday, the National Butterfly Center wrote in a Facebook post. "Effective Monday morning, it is all government land," a Mission police department officer said, according to the post. Bulldozing for the wall, which is expected to be about three stories tall, will commence any day now, the center wrote in another post on Tuesday. National Butterfly Center faces uncertainty as heavy equipment arrives www.youtube.com On Monday, as the construction equipment was off-loaded, roughly 35 local tribal members marched to the center in protest of the project, the San Antonio Express-News reported. Juan Mancias, the tribal chair of Carrizo Comecrudo, told the publication he did not expect construction to begin "this soon." "You come over here, you see the butterflies here, the animals here, and you also see gravesites that have been here since 1865," Mancias said. In federal documents seen by the publication, the barrier's construction includes a 150-foot-wide "enforcement zone" that could negatively impact gravesites of Mancias' ancestors buried at a nearby cemetery. The butterfly center's fate was sealed in December when the Supreme Court declined to hear a case brought by the Center for Biological Diversity, the Animal Legal Defense Fund and Defenders of Wildlife to appeal a federal court decision that the Trump administration can waive 28 environmental laws including the Endangered Species Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, in order to build 33 more miles of wall, including the section that runs through the refuge. The project was funded in the 2018 Omnibus spending bill in March. In a recent Facebook Live with EcoWatch, Marianna Wright, executive director of the National Butterfly Center said morale on the ground was "pretty bad." "The potential impacts are devastating," Wright continued. "Especially for animals like the ocelot where we have fewer than 80 known in existence." If you'd like to help, the center has started a Go Fund Me to protect the site. By Daisy Brickhill, Environmental Justice Foundation One of the key findings of the most recent UN report on the mounting perils of climate change is that rising temperatures pose a distinct risk to indigenous people, who are often small farmers, fishers or herders. The report noted that punishing storms, lasting drought and stifling heat threaten the lives and livelihoods of aboriginal groups from the Amazon rainforest to the Arctic Circle. The Sami people offer a case in point. The only recognized indigenous group in Europe has lived in the northernmost parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia since records began, primarily herding reindeer. But climate change now threatens their way of lifeand their basic rights. Temperatures in the Arctic are rising twice as fast as temperatures elsewhere. High temperatures have produced more rain, which freezes to form a thick barrier of ice on top of the snow. Unable to dig through it to reach the lichen below, the reindeer starve. The decline of reindeer has contributed to a mental health crisis among indigenous herders. The Sami have fought hard to protect their rights. February 6 marked the 102nd anniversary of the first Sami national assembly, which addressed encroaching threats to their land and culture. Today, more than a century later, the Sami are speaking out about the carbon crisis. The photos below offer a glimpse of the Sami people and their struggle with climate change. Environmental Justice Foundation Maxida Marak, a Sami activist and artist. "I am a Sami activist mainly because I have no choice. I feel a huge responsibility to use [my] voice for my people and the important issues that we struggle with," she said. "If we don't start to really take the climate issue seriously, the future is not bright for anyone. We will probably be the first ones that get really affected by it. But I do see hope, my generation is the first that is allowed to get into powerful positions [and can] speak for ourselves." Environmental Justice Foundation Lars-Ante Kuhmunen a Sami reindeer herder and community leader in northern Sweden, lost much of his herd last year, as unpredictable weather made grazing difficult for the reindeer. Environmental Justice Foundation Lars-Ante Kuhmunen finding a reindeer calf in the snow. "This one was starving to death," he said. "That's the climate change." Environmental Justice Foundation Kenneth Pittja lives in Jokkmokk in northern Sweden during the winter. Each spring and summer he takes his reindeer herd 60 miles north to Ruokto, Sweden to graze. "I live for the reindeer, and they mean everything to me," he said. "I don't need anything else. I am Sami. It's me, and I'm proud of it. It's hard for me to really know what the rest of the world should do. But if we all stop chasing something far away, and just start to be, I think it would be a good start." Environmental Justice Foundation To survive in the changing climate, Sami herders are purchasing supplementary feed to sustain reindeer through winter. The extra feed is costly, and the Sami have observed a higher rate of disease among reindeer fed with pellets. Environmental Justice Foundation Aslat Simma, a reindeer herder in Sweden, worries about losing his livelihood to climate change. "If I can't live like this, then what do I do?" he said. "I have to change my way of life, and if I change my way of life, the culture and the way of doing things is going to change. It's my job, but also my life. Now is the time to do something about climate change. It is not in the future. It is happening now." Environmental Justice Foundation A Sami reindeer herder. Reposted with permission from our media associate Nexus Media. By Julia Conley NASA scientists confirmed in a report Wednesday that 2018 was one of the hottest years on record, continuing what the New York Times called "an unmistakable warming trend." Last year was the fourth-warmest on record since scientists began recording such data 140 years ago, according to NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS). This finding makes the last five years the five hottest years ever, scientists said, slapping down any question that the planet is growing warmer. "2018 is yet again an extremely warm year on top of a long-term global warming trend," said GISS director Gavin Schmidt in a statement. "The five warmest years have, in fact, been the last five years," he told the Times. "We're no longer talking about a situation where global warming is something in the future. It's here. It's now." GISS also noted that the average temperature of the globe in 2018 was 1 Celsius (or 1.8 Fahrenheit) higher than the average temperature at the end of the 19th century, as human activities began emitting more and more carbon into the atmosphere following the Industrial Revolution. The report follows a year marked by wildfires which scorched more than 1.5 million acres in California and an extended drought across much of Europe, as well as news that glaciers at the North and South Poles are melting at far faster rates than previously believed. Of the top 20 hottest years on record, the agency said, 18 of them have been since 2001. "Kids graduating from high school have only known a world of record-breaking temperatures," said Brenda Ekwurzel, director of climate science at the Union for Concerned Scientists. "With global emissions rising for the second year in a row, this disastrous trend shows no signs of changing any time soon." As climate scientists have said for decades, the warming of the planet affects far more than the hotter temperatures that are observable by humans each year. Global warming has influenced shifts in oceans that have may cause increasingly destructive and deadly hurricanes, and changes in the jet stream which scientists say contribute to extreme cold snaps across whole regions of the U.S. just last week. These shifts have brought about a "new normal," Ekwurzel said, "with stronger hurricanes, polar vortex shifts, recurrent high tide flooding, life-threatening heat waves, longer wildfire seasons, and more rain during heavy downpours." "It also comes at a costwith both the loss of human lives and catastrophic economic impacts," she added. "According to NASA and NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration], there were a total of 14 billion-dollar weather and climate disaster events in the U.S. in 2018 alone, costing the nation $91 billion in direct economic damages and resulting in 247 deaths." Hoda Baraka, communications director for 350.org, called the report "a red screaming alarm bell that we must stop the fossil fuel industry." "Temperatures are rising year on year, breaking records everywhere, and causing untold damage across the worldmeanwhile coal, oil, and gas companies intend to continue profiting from spewing their pollution into the atmosphere. The science is clear, to have a realistic chance of limiting temperature rise to 1.5C we must end the fossil fuel industry, starting today," said Baraka. The report was released as two House committees convened for their first climate crisis-related hearings in a decade, leading to hope among green campaigners that the U.S. governmentled by a president who has denied the existence of the climate crisis and indicated he will exit the Paris climate agreement, refusing to take even minor steps to curb carbon emissionswill begin to take seriously its role in stemming the crisis. "For years, climate change has been grossly ignored by President Trump, as well as Congress writ large," said Ekwurzel, who testified at the House Energy and Commerce Committee's hearing Wednesday. "With roughly one decade left to tackle this problem head on, House Democrats have signaled that the climate crisis is at the top of their agenda by scheduling a slew of hearings on the subject this month." Reposted with permission from our media associate Common Dreams. In Mexico, a startup has found an innovative way to deal with the tons of avocado pits that producers discard every day. Michoacan-based Biofase, located in the heart of Mexico's avocado industry, is transforming the dense seeds into disposable drinking straws and cutlery that are said to be 100 percent biodegradable. The company was founded in 2013 by biochemical engineer Scott Munguia, who patented a process to turn discarded avocado pits into bioplastics that reportedly degrade after 240 days. As Mexico Daily News explained, Munguia figured out how to extract a molecular compound from a pit to obtain a biopolymer that could be molded into any shape. "Our family of biodegradable resins can be processed by all conventional methods of plastic molding," the company tweeted. Today, the operation goes through 15 metric tons of avocado seeds a day to make the items, according to Mexico Daily News. Munguia's technology is a win-win that tackles agricultural waste as well as the mounting volumes of plastic waste accumulating in landfills, oceans and other bodies of water. "The whole world is changingpeople are starting to ask for this," Munguia told Reuters, but noted that the main obstacle is the cost of producing bioplastics. Although bioplastics have some flaws (some varieties contain traditional fossil-fuel plastics), a growing number of municipal bans on single-use plastics have led to an increased demand for eco-friendlier alternatives. In 2017, Queretaro became the first municipality in Mexico to outlaw plastic bags. Tijuana also voted last year to phase out plastic bags. Across the country, "more than 15 initiatives, laws and regulations at the state and municipal levels, seek to reduce the consumption of disposable plastics," according to Dolores Barrientos, UN Environment representative in Mexico. Biofase is the only biopolymers producer company in Mexico, the company website states. It's now the leading producer of biopolymers in Latin America and its products are sent to more than 11 countries. Customers include chain restaurants such as Fiesta Americana, P. F. Chang's China Bistro and Chili's Grill & Bar, Mexico Daily News reported. Check out this video to learn more about the company: Acting Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) head Andrew Wheeler is one step closer to deregulating the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The former coal lobbyist, who critics say is even worse for the environment than his scandal-plagued predecessor Scott Pruitt, secured a key approval by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Tuesday, sending President Trump's nominee to the full Senate for approval. The committee voted 11-10 along party lines to advance the nomination. "Mr. Wheeler has done an outstanding job leading the Environmental Protection Agency these past six months," Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, remarked today. "I urge my colleagues to vote in support of his nomination to be the administrator." Wheeler has been at the post since Pruitt resigned amid a flurry of alleged ethical breaches in July. But unlike Pruitt, whose tenure was sullied by sketchy use of taxpayer money on 'round-the-clock security, a soundproof phone booth and premium flights, the consummate Washington insider has advanced the interests of the fossil fuel industry and other corporate polluters by quietly weakening or rolling back federal regulations. Civil fines charged to polluters under the Trump EPA fell 85 percent during the last fiscal year when compared to the average annual amount charged over the past two decades, The Washington Post recently reported. That makes last year the lowest average year for penalties since 1994. At his Senate Environment and Public Works Committee confirmation hearing last month, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) asked if Wheeler agreed with the scientific community's belief that climate change is "one of the great crises facing our planet." "I would not call it the greatest crisis, no sir," Wheeler responded. "I consider it a huge issue that has to be addressed globally." Wheeler previously worked as a lobbyist for the coal mining conglomerate Murray Energy Corporation. His other previous clients include natural gas firms Xcel Energy and Bear Head LNG, uranium mining company Energy Fuels Resources and the Nuclear Energy Institute, according to Bloomberg BNA. As acting EPA administrator, Wheeler has not grasped "that saving coal is not part of that mission and not his job," said Sen. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, as quoted by the Associated Press. Environmental groups are in vehement opposition the nomination. "Putting a coal lobbyist in charge of the EPA is about as Trumpian as it gets," Paulo Lopes, public lands policy specialist at the Center for Biological Diversity, told EcoWatch in a statement after the vote. "This isn't just the fox guarding the henhouse. This is unlocking the door, opening the cages and letting the fox waltz right in to have his way. It's going to be a disaster." A report from Reuters revealed that Wheeler has held nearly 20 times more meetings with companies or industry groups than with conservationists during his first two months on the job. The Sierra Club is urging the full Senate to reject Wheeler's nomination. "The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee should have voted unanimously to reject the nomination of a fossil fuel lobbyist who has spent his career undermining the vital safeguards that keep our air and water clean," Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune said in a press release. "As his nomination moves to the Senate floor, we urge Senators to consider the clean air and water protections their constituents rely on, among them safeguards from toxic mercury, PFAS pollution, and emissions from cars and trucks, and vote no on this dangerous nomination." Friedman | What if Trump could explain as well as he inflames? Reporter Claire Withycombe: cwithycombe@eomediagroup.com or 971-304-4148. Withycombe is a reporter for the East Oregonian working for the Oregon Capital Bureau, a collaboration of EO Media Group, Pamplin Media Group, and Salem Reporter. Photo: The Canadian Press House Speaker Nancy Pelosi greets Vice President Mike Pence before President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) UPDATE: 8:05 p.m. Facing a divided Congress for the first time, President Donald Trump on Tuesday called on Washington to reject "the politics of revenge, resistance and retribution." He warned emboldened Democrats that "ridiculous partisan investigations" into his administration and businesses could hamper a surging American economy. Trump's appeals for bipartisanship in his State of the Union address clashed with the rancorous atmosphere he has helped cultivate in the nation's capital as well as the desire of most Democrats to block his agenda during his next two years in office. Their opposition was on vivid display as Democratic congresswomen in the audience formed a sea of white in a nod to early 20th-century suffragettes. Trump spoke at a critical moment in his presidency, staring down a two-year stretch that will determine whether he is re-elected or leaves office in defeat. His speech sought to shore up Republican support that had eroded slightly during the recent government shutdown and previewed a fresh defence against Democrats as they ready a round of investigations into every aspect of his administration. "If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation," he declared. Lawmakers in the cavernous House chamber sat largely silent. Looming over the president's address was a fast-approaching Feb. 15 deadline to fund the government and avoid another shutdown. Democrats have refused to acquiesce to his demands for a border wall, and Republicans are increasingly unwilling to shut down the government to help him fulfil his signature campaign pledge. Nor does the GOP support the president's plan to declare a national emergency if Congress won't fund the wall. Wary of publicly highlighting those intraparty divisions, Trump made no mention of an emergency declaration in his remarks. He did offer a lengthy defence of his call for a border wall, declaring: "I will build it." But he delivered no ultimatums about what it would take for him to sign legislation to keep the government open. "I am asking you to defend our very dangerous southern border out of love and devotion to our fellow citizens and to our country," he said, painting a dark and foreboding picture of the risks posed to Americans by illegal immigration. Throughout his remarks, the 72-year-old Trump harkened back to moments of American greatness, celebrating the moon landing as astronaut Buzz Aldrin looked on from the audience and heralding the liberation of Europe from the Nazis. He led the House chamber in singing happy birthday to a Holocaust survivor sitting with first lady Melania Trump. The president ticked through a litany of issues with crossover appeal, including boosting infrastructure, lowering prescription drug costs and combating childhood cancer. But he also appealed to his political base, both with his harsh rhetoric on immigration and a call for Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the "late-term abortion of children." Trump devoted much of his speech to foreign policy, another area where Republicans have increasingly distanced themselves from the White House. He announced details of a second meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, outlining a Feb. 27-28 summit in Vietnam. The two met last summer in Singapore, though it garnered only a vaguely worded commitment by the North to denuclearize. As he condemned political turmoil in Venezuela, Trump declared that "America will never be a socialist country" a remark that may also have been targeted at high-profile Democrats who identify as socialists. The president was surrounded by symbols of his emboldened political opposition. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was praised by Democrats for her hard-line negotiating during the shutdown, sat behind Trump as he spoke. And several senators running for president were also in the audience, including Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey. Another Democratic star, Stacey Abrams, delivered the party's response to Trump. Abrams narrowly lost her bid in November to become America's first black female governor, and party leaders are aggressively recruiting her to run for U.S. Senate from Georgia. Speaking from Atlanta, Abrams calls the shutdown a political stunt that "defied every tenet of fairness and abandoned not just our people, but our values." Trump's address amounted to an opening argument for his re-election campaign. Polls show he has work to do, with his approval rating falling to just 34 per cent after the shutdown, according to a recent survey conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. One bright spot for the president has been the economy, which has added jobs for 100 straight months. "The only thing that can stop it," he said, "are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations" an apparent swipe at the special counsel investigation into ties between Russia and Trump's 2016 campaign, as well as the upcoming congressional investigations. The diverse Democratic caucus, which includes a bevy of women, sat silently for much of Trump's speech. But they leapt to their feet when he noted there are "more women in the workforce than ever before." The increase is due to population growth and not something Trump can credit to any of his policies. The president also defended his decisions to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria and Afghanistan over the opposition from national security officials and many Republican lawmakers. "Great nations do not fight endless wars," he said, adding that the U.S. is working with allies to "destroy the remnants" of the Islamic State group and that he has "accelerated" efforts to reach a settlement in Afghanistan. IS militants have lost territory since Trump's surprise announcement in December that he was pulling U.S. forces out, but military officials warn the fighters could regroup within six months to a year of the Americans leaving.Several leading GOP lawmakers have sharply criticized his plans to withdraw from Syria, as well as from Afghanistan. Trump's guests for the speech included Anna Marie Johnson, a woman whose life sentence for drug offences was commuted by the president, and Joshua Trump, a sixth-grade student from Wilmington, Delaware, who has been bullied over his last name. They sat with Mrs. Trump during the address. UPDATE: 7:25 p.m. U.S. President Donald Trump is using tonight's state of the union speech to urge members of Congress to approve the new trilateral trade deal between Canada, the United States and Mexico. Trump sang the praises of the new U.S.-Canada-Mexico Agreement and derided its predecessor, NAFTA, as a historic trade blunder. He described meeting men and women across Rust Belt states like Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania whose livelihoods were destroyed by the 1994 trilateral trade pact, and who for years heard promises of a new, modernized agreement that were never fulfilled. He says the USMCA will restore manufacturing jobs in the U.S., expand the country's agriculture sector, protect American intellectual property and produce more American-built automobiles. Whether Congress will ratify the new trade agreement remains an open question. Democrats, who won control of the House of Representatives in last year's midterm elections, have expressed misgivings about the deal in particular what they say is a lack of enforcement tools for the deal's labour and environmental protection provisions. Trump, who for the most part stuck to his prepared remarks throughout his hour-long speech, reprised his long-standing criticisms of NAFTA as a "catastrophe" and a "historic trade blunder." "I have met the men and women of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, New Hampshire, and many other states whose dreams were shattered by the signing of NAFTA. For years, politicians promised them they would renegotiate for a better deal. But no one ever tried until now," he said. "Our new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, will replace NAFTA and deliver for American workers, like they haven't had delivered to for a long time. I hope you can pass the USMCA into law so we can bring back our manufacturing jobs in even greater numbers, expand American agriculture, protect intellectual property, and ensure that more cars are proudly stamped with our four beautiful words: made in the U.S.A." ORIGINAL: 6:15 p.m. In his first State of the Union address to a divided Congress, President Donald Trump warned Democrats on Tuesday that "ridiculous partisan investigations" could derail the nation's economic progress. Trump peppered his speech with calls for bipartisanship, urging Washington to govern "not as two parties, but as one nation." But his message clashed with the rancorous atmosphere he has helped cultivate in the nation's capital, as well as the desire of most Democrats to block his path during his next two years in office. The president's remarks previewed how he planned to defend himself as Democrats launch a flurry of investigations into his administration and personal finances. "If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation," he declared. Trump's speech to lawmakers and the nation comes at a critical moment in his presidency. He pushed his party into a lengthy government shutdown over border security, only to cave to Democrats. With another shutdown deadline looming, the president has few options for getting Congress to fund a border wall, and he risks further alienating his party if he tries to circumvent lawmakers by declaring a national emergency instead. Trump made no mention of an emergency declaration his remarks. And though he offered a lengthy defence of his call for a border wall, declaring, "I will get it built." But he delivered no ultimatums about what it would take for him to sign legislation to keep the government open. "I am asking you to defend our very dangerous southern border out of love and devotion to our fellow citizens and to our country," he said. In his speech, Trump also planned to announce details of a second meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, outlining a summit on Feb. 27 and 28 in Vietnam, according to his prepared remarks. Trump has been teasing the meeting in recent weeks. The two met last summer in Singapore, though that meeting only led to a vaguely worded commitment by the North to denuclearize. As he stood before lawmakers, the president was surrounded by symbols of his emboldened political opposition. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was praised by Democrats for her hard-line negotiating during the shutdown, sat behind Trump as he spoke. Many House Democratic women wore white, the colourfavoured by early 20th-century suffragettes. And several senators running for president were also in the audience, including Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey. Another Democratic star, Stacey Abrams, will deliver the party's response to Trump. Abrams narrowly lost her bid in November to become America's first black female governor, and party leaders are aggressively recruiting her to run for U.S. Senate from Georgia. In excerpts released ahead of Abrams' remarks, she calls the shutdown a political stunt that "defied every tenet of fairness and abandoned not just our people, but our values." Trump's address amounted to an opening argument for his re-election campaign. Polls show he has work to do, with his approval rating falling to just 34 per cent after the shutdown, according to a recent survey conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. One bright spot for the president has been the economy, which has added jobs for 100 straight months. He said the U.S. has "the hottest economy anywhere in the world." He said, "The only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations" an apparent swipe at the special counsel investigation into ties between Russia and Trump's 2016 campaign. Turning to foreign policy, another area where Republicans have increasingly been willing to distance themselves from the president, Trump defended his decisions to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria and Afghanistan. "Great nations do not fight endless wars," he said, adding that the U.S. is working with allies to "destroy the remnants" of the Islamic State group and that he has "accelerated" efforts to reach a settlement in Afghanistan. IS militants have lost territory since Trump's surprise announcement in December that he was pulling U.S. forces out, but military officials warn the fighters could regroup within six months to a year after the Americans leave.Several leading GOP lawmakers have sharply criticized his plans to withdraw from Syria, as well as from Afghanistan. Trump's guests for the speech include Anna Marie Johnson, a woman whose life sentence for drug offences was commuted by the president, and Joshua Trump, a sixth-grade student from Wilmington, Delaware, who has been bullied over his last name. They will sit with first lady Melania Trump during the address. North Andover, MA (01845) Today Cloudy with rain developing this afternoon. Thunder possible. High 83F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Becoming partly cloudy after some evening rain. Low 52F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Photo: The Canadian Press Trekkers pass through a glacier at the Mount Everest base camp, in Nepal. One-third of Himalayan glaciers will melt by the end of the century due to climate change, threatening water sources for 1.9 billion people, even if current efforts to reduce climate change succeed, an assessment warns. If global efforts to curb climate change fail, the impact could be far worse: a loss of two-thirds of the region's glaciers by 2100, said the Hindu Kush Himalaya Assessment released Monday by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development. "Global warming is on track to transform the frigid, glacier-covered mountain peaks of the Hindu Kush Himalayas cutting across eight countries to bare rocks in a little less than a century," said Philippus Wester of the centre, who led the report. The five-year study looked at the effects of climate change on a region that cuts across Asia through Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, China, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar. The area, which includes the world's tallest mountain peaks, has glaciers that feed into river systems including the Indus, Ganges, Yangtze, Irrawaddy and Mekong. The assessment said that the impact of the melting could range from flooding from the increased runoff to increased air pollution from black carbon and dust deposited on the glaciers. Saleemul Huq, director of the International Center for Climate Change and Development, an environmental research centre in Dhaka, described the findings of the report as "very alarming," especially for downstream nations such as Bangladesh. "All the countries affected need to prioritize tackling this upcoming problem before it reaches crisis proportions," he said in an email. Huq was one of the study's external reviewers. The study said that even if the most ambitious Paris climate accord goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) by the end of the century were met, more than a third of the region's glaciers will be lost. If the global rise in temperature were 2 C (3.6 F), two-thirds of Himalayan glaciers will melt, it said. Claremont, NH (03743) Today Rain showers early becoming a steady light rain for the afternoon. Cooler. High 71F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Showers early, then partly cloudy overnight. Low around 45F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%. Readers Survey As our valued readers, we want to hear from you. Please take a moment to fill out the survey below. - Thank you, Eastern Arizona Courier Click Here Louth TD Gerry Adams and Cllr Ruairi O Murchu recently met with senior Gardai in Dundalk Garda Station. During this meeting which took place toward the end of January, the Sinn Fein representatives raised the issue of persistent intimidation of families by drug dealing criminals. Deputy Adams said: The scourge of drugs in our communities cannot be underestimated. Local Gardai are doing their best with inadequate resources to bring drug pushers to justice and they are having good success both in terms of drug seizures and in the arrest of many individuals who are involved in drug dealing and the associated criminality that goes with it. But if we are to really deal with this problem the Government and the Minister for Justice must properly resource An Garda Siochana as the lead agency against drugs and drug dealers. The people who use drugs recreationally are as much a part of the problem as those who are in active addiction. To feed their social habit a warren of criminal activity takes place. And at the hard end of all this are families who are being extorted out of thousands of euro by ruthless individuals in a protection racket or face their home being attacked. There is a need for a well-resourced, holistic multi-agency approach bringing together all of the stake-holders in the state, community and voluntary sectors to tackle the scourge of drugs and its associated health and criminal issues. "I have written to the Justice Minister to increase the current budget and resources available to An Garda Siochana for Louth. Councillor O Murchu added, I welcome the fact that there is now an operational drugs unit in Louth with three additional staff for Dundalk and five for Drogheda. I hope that people will work with local gardai to help remove criminal drug dealers from our community. The Irish Heart Foundation is calling on the people of Louth to Show Some Heart this Valentines Day and support their fight against heart disease. On Valentines Day, teams of people will be packing shopping bags in Dunnes Stores around the country and the Irish Heart Foundation is looking for volunteers who can give a few hours of their day to this effort. Teams of bag packers will be taking over two Dunnes Stores in Louth Drogheda and The Marshes, Dundalk. The Irish Heart Foundation wants you to get involved. Each bagpack will be managed by a local coordinator as a volunteer, all you need to do is commit to the time you can take part and turn up on the day. To find out more or to sign up to volunteer in your local Dunnes, visit www.irishheart.ie/volunteer or call the Irish Heart Foundation on 01 668 5001. Tim Collins, CEO of the Irish Heart Foundation said: Each year, nearly 10,000 people in Ireland die from heart disease, leaving behind devastated families and communities. 80% of these deaths could be prevented and thats what the Irish Heart Foundation is working to achieve. Were asking the people of Louth to Show Some Heart and support our national bagpack to raise vital funds for our work. The money raised through this campaign will help us deliver our life-saving programmes like free CPR training, free community heart health checks and support groups for people affected by heart disease. Photo: Contributed Genny Chippendale, owner of Iron Heart gym The first five recipients of the Top 20 under 40 have been named. The annual Top 20 Under 40 by KPMG, Community Futures, Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce and City of Vernon-Economic Development, recognizes the next generation of leaders in the North Okanagan, those under the age of 40 years of age who are making their mark through business success and community involvement. The first recipients were selected among more than 60 nominations. They are: Genny Chippendale Owner of Iron Heart gym. Genny says, Its a gift to get to do what I do as a job, as she helps individuals transform their health, their hearts and their minds. Along with growing Iron Hearts member base since opening, Genny supports the community through local initiatives including promoting other Vernon businesses and entrepreneurs. Owner of Iron Heart gym. Genny says, Its a gift to get to do what I do as a job, as she helps individuals transform their health, their hearts and their minds. Along with growing Iron Hearts member base since opening, Genny supports the community through local initiatives including promoting other Vernon businesses and entrepreneurs. Julia Payson - Executive director of the Canadian Mental Health Association (Vernon branch). Julia is a hopeless optimist, who believes more can be done to support communities through more housing, improved programs and strong relationships. Beyond CMHA, Julia is involved with the District Parent Advisory Council, the B.C. Non-Profit Housing Association and the B.C. SPCA. - Executive director of the Canadian Mental Health Association (Vernon branch). Julia is a hopeless optimist, who believes more can be done to support communities through more housing, improved programs and strong relationships. Beyond CMHA, Julia is involved with the District Parent Advisory Council, the B.C. Non-Profit Housing Association and the B.C. SPCA. Mitchal Derkson Founder and CEO of Numu Consulting. Mitchal has an ability to take complex information and translate it into meaningful results, and that has allowed him to assist businesses modernize their finance and information systems. He currently serves on the board of the Food Action Society and has been involved with Eagle Bay Camp and Habitat for Humanities. Founder and CEO of Numu Consulting. Mitchal has an ability to take complex information and translate it into meaningful results, and that has allowed him to assist businesses modernize their finance and information systems. He currently serves on the board of the Food Action Society and has been involved with Eagle Bay Camp and Habitat for Humanities. Linda Heng - Owner of the Beauty Bar. Lindas passion and hard work have led to her receiving the Young Entrepreneur Award in 2018 from the Greater Vernon Chamber while she was a finalist for New Business of the Year at the Thompson Okanagan Business Excellence Awards. Along with her staff, Linda has supported the community through Vernon Womens Transition house, NONA, teen junction, Star Fish Pack program and Hospice. - Owner of the Beauty Bar. Lindas passion and hard work have led to her receiving the Young Entrepreneur Award in 2018 from the Greater Vernon Chamber while she was a finalist for New Business of the Year at the Thompson Okanagan Business Excellence Awards. Along with her staff, Linda has supported the community through Vernon Womens Transition house, NONA, teen junction, Star Fish Pack program and Hospice. Jodi Cunningham - Pharmacist and owner of Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy. Jodi has strived to increase communication and collaboration between patients and health care providers, while embracing staff who share her vision of compassionate, relationship driven care. She is active in the community, including with HOPE Outreach, which assists marginalized women. The next five recipients will be announced next Monday and all recipients will be featured on the Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce website and they will also be honoured at a special recognition event on Tuesday, March 12 at Okanagan Spirits. Theres no question that the entrepreneurial spirit is thriving in Greater Vernon as we received more than 60 nominees. The judges had their work cut out for them as they considered the nominees and selected the Top 20 Under 40, said Dione Chambers, Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce general manager. As in previous years, this is an outstanding opportunity to recognize individuals who have pursued their dreams and are contributing to the community. For more info on the recipients, visit: www.vernonchamber.ca Dundalk entrepreneurs Karen and Frank Daly of The Academy Masterplan take centre stage as the first of six Irish companies being put through their paces on RTEs new business focused series Strictly Business, which follows the fortunes of small Irish businesses as they endeavour to make it big or even bigger on the local and ultimately global stage. Karen and Brian launched The Academy by Karen Daly in Dundalk in 2015 with a mission to educate, excite and empower. By 2018, a second branch opened in Newry with continued demand leading them to take their brand online. The inspiration for their business came to Karen after she decided to lose weight upon seeing herself in a hotel mirror at a friends wedding in 2008. I didnt like what I saw", says Karen. "I wasnt healthy. I didnt feel good. I didnt have energy. But I needed motivation and seeing myself that day was it. and so the mother-of-two lost four stone in eight months. Now 42, Karens weight loss has changed her life. The Queens University Economics and Finance graduate quit her job as a recruitment consultant to work with people trying to lose weight. I felt more fulfilled helping people get healthy than helping people to get jobs. Shortly after, she and her husband, fitness trainer, Frank started a food business - a range of healthy ready meals called Slender Choice, which was featured on Dragons Den in 2012 and sold in supermarkets across the Emerald Isle and was bought out by Karro Food Group, a UK company, in 2015. By then Karen had realised that a lot of overweight people had one thing in common: they couldnt cook. I know what feels like. I gained two stone in college because I thought that cooking pasta and throwing in a jar of sauce made me a chef, but I didnt understand food and I gained a lot of weight as a result. You can count calories all you want but enabling people to enjoy food, through cooking food, will help you be well and get healthy for good. Karen wanted to continue to learn so she returned to college to study Weight Management and graduated with an MSc from the University of Chester in 2017. Karen believes that there are no bad foods, only foods consumed badly. She also believes that Irish people are losing basic cooking skills everything from boiling an egg to knowing what a herb looks like. I want to teach people the basics that a generation has lost. The only way to maximise nutrition is to cook for yourself. I know because we were in the ready meal business. If a product is on the shelf for five days, there are nutrients being lost. In the past 50 years, we are eating more calories than ever, but getting few nutrients. Frank, a qualified fitness instructor, runs High-Intensity Impact Training (HIIT) sessions and ensures the app workouts are suitable for all levels of fitness. I want to help women like me, says Karen. I didnt really know what to do. I didnt know what advice to listen to. I wanted someone to help me understand food. Thats what The Academy Masterplan does. And were here to help you on the way. Fashion designer Sonya Lennon and Brian Lee of Freshly Chopped will help Dundalk-based Karen and Frank and their company find a path to their business ambition to be as big as OBriens. Each week Sonya takes on a different challenge and drafts in a host of industry experts including Tom Keogh (CEO, Keoghs Crisps), Colette Twomey (CEO, Clonakilty Black Pudding Company) and Fionn Davenport (Guide Book author Lonely Planet & Travel Journalist). Tune in tonight (Wednesday, February 6) at 7.30pm on RTE One to see how Karen and Franks Academy goes to plan! ADA [ndash] Wanda Lee Brewer, 91, of Ada, Oklahoma passed away Sunday, June 13, 2021, in Ada. Services for Wanda will be held Thursday, June 17, 2021, at 10 a.m. at the Estes-Phillips Funeral Home Chapel, with Bro. Roger Arter officiating. Interment will follow at New Bethel Cemetery. For up With the opening of an Ashford location, the clinic will be considered an extension of ACOM. We are very excited to have ACOM come to Ashford and we are excited about the benefits this will bring to Ashford and the surrounding areas, Barfield said. Once the facility is up and running, they will accept all health insurance and will even see individuals without insurance, and this is a huge plus for anyone needing healthcare. Barfield extended thanks to the residents who attended Monday nights meeting, along with Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce President Matt Parker, and representatives from the Ashford Chamber of Commerce and the Ashford Downtown Redevelopment Authority. We are very excited about Southeast Health and ACOM investing around one million dollars into their facility in our downtown area, Ashford Chamber of Commerce Kim Vann added. I believe by ACOM investing in our downtown area, other businesses will also see the need to invest in our downtown. Ashford has a lot to offer to not only its residents, but to our businesses as well. The initiative will potentially bring new jobs to the area, Vann said. From my understanding, ACOM will create 10 additional job openings, Vann said. I believe the employment opportunities will be in the office, but that brings the possibility of new jobs to our area, and job opportunities for our residents. 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. In Tuesdays annual legislative breakfast, an attendee asked the lawmaker in attendance to explain how a prison construction program would address many of the shortcomings in Alabama Corrections. The response from state Rep. Steve Clouse (R-Ozark), who serves as chairman of the House Ways and Means committee, was far sounder than the rationale employed by former Gov. Robert Bentley, who floated the idea four years ago. The proposal foundered; shortly thereafter, so did his administration. In a story in todays Eagle, staff writer Jeremy Wise reports Clouses explanation, which relies heavily on the assumption that state-of-the-art technology would allow a prison to be adequately staffed with far fewer corrections officers. Thats an attractive feature considering the trouble the prison system has had with staffing. A prison building program can be expected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars; Bentleys proposal included a bond issue in excess of $800 million, with an ultimate cost in the neighborhood of a billion dollars. Before lawmakers commit taxpayers to such a whopping debt, they must ensure that a revitalization program would address every deficiency that exists today in staffing, overcrowding, and woeful lack of mental health services and include contingencies to meet future challenges. Representatives from Mitchell Automotive delivered the food to the Christian Mission on Tuesday, unloading the goods and stocking the pantry. Though the Mitchell Automotive Group has conducted an annual food drive for approximately ten years now, this year, the drive went through some changes that seemed to work for the better, according to Mitchell. Generally we do it over a two month period of time, but this year we decided to do it over a month, Mitchell said of the collections. We felt like if we shortened the time and increased the effort, the guys would stay motivated longer to do it. Really and truly, they showed up and showed out -- they collected more food than we have in two months in the years prior. I was really proud of our employees efforts and the community that came out and supported us. Executive Director of the Christian Mission Reverend John Belcher said that this years food drive brought in the largest amount of food ever to restock the pantry -- an effort he is grateful for and hopes will grow in the coming years. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider subscribing to our ePaper and/or free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. Photo: Contributed The sound of sputtering engines, cranking starters, and crankier drivers has been a common refrain as frigid weather continues to grip the Okanagan. Cars with hoods up and jumper cables attached can mean only one thing it's bloody cold out. How cold? Well, it hit -20 C last night at Kelowna Airport, and Environment Canada is calling for the mercury to dip down to -18 C tonight, -25 C with the wind chill. The freezing weather is the kiss of death for a weak car battery, and automotive retailers report a moderate uptick in sales since Sunday. Pro tip: if your car has a block heater, plug the car in overnight. It will warm up much faster and start blowing that precious warm air from the heat vents. Of course, that's a moot point if your car won't start at all. John Gilbert, general manager at Canadian Tire in Kelowna, says he's seen a small uptick in sales at the parts counter. "Definitely, batteries are not uncommon this time of year," he said Tuesday. "Business is up, and the cold is part of it." Winter boots and gloves are also in demand. Tuesday morning was the coldest Metro Vancouver has seen so far this winter, at a relatively balmy -8 C. Things will warm up slightly in the Okanagan as the week goes on, with highs of -11 C on Wednesday, -6 C on Thursday, -5 C on Friday, and a positively tropical -3 C on Saturday. The good news spring is only six weeks away. There are celebrations in the town of Raphoe today with news that a local newsagents has sold a 500,000 EuroMillions winning ticket. The winning Quick Pick ticket was sold yesterday (Tuesday) at Barclays Newsagent in Raphoe. The winning EuroMillions Plus numbers were: 02, 12, 33, 42, 44. This is the third EuroMillions Plus winning ticket in Ireland so far this year. While there was no winner of Tuesdays 129 million EuroMillions jackpot, another lucky player from Co. Tipperary matched 5 numbers in the main draw to scoop a 17,535 prize. The EuroMillions jackpot now rolls to an incredible 140 million (estimated) for next Fridays draw. Jimmy Barclay, owner of Barclays Newsagents in Raphoe expressed his delight after learning that one of his customers had picked up such a life-changing prize in Tuesday nights EuroMillions draw. Were absolutely over the moon! We are a small community based shop in the heart of Raphoe Town with a very loyal customer base so were just thrilled that one of these people has won the half a million euro prize," Jimmy said. "Were just eight miles from the border of Northern Ireland but we get very little passing trade so we are confident that it could be a local customer. The whole town is absolutely buzzing this morning and no doubt that well have a lot of people in the store to check their tickets in the hope that they have won the half a million euro! Self-driving cars and geospatial data: Who holds the keys? As self-driving cars continue to develop, there will be plenty of data amassed through cars' navigational technologies. Questions regarding privacy, ownership, cybersecurity and public safety arise, as heavily guarded mapping data is collected and leveraged by companies. The geospatial data can be used to draw new maps identifying the spaces where we live and travel. That information is currently housed in technological and corporate black boxes. Given the social relevance and impacts of such information, these black boxes require greater transparency, according to a Dartmouth study posted in Cartographic Perspectives. As autonomous cars strive to make sense of the world around them, they collect massive amounts of data, including traffic and congestion patterns, where pedestrians cross the street, which houses and businesses have Wi-Fi, and other details, which could be monetised. While companies may have intellectual property and other economic interests in protecting geospatial data, local governments, private citizens and other actors also have a vested interest in using that data to inform decisions on managing traffic, urban planning, allocating public funds and other projects, all of which may be of public interest. "Self-driving cars have the potential to transform our transportation network and society at large. This carries enormous consequences given that the data and technology are likely to fundamentally reshape the way our cities and communities operate," explains study author, Luis F. Alvarez Leon, an assistant professor of geography at Dartmouth. "Right now, the geospatial data obtained by a self-driving car exists in technological and corporate black boxes. We don't know who can see the data, appropriate it or profit from it. With insufficient government regulation of data from self-driving cars, this raises significant concerns regarding privacy, security and public safety," Alvarez Leon adds. The author discusses how legislation, open source design and hacking are avenues that can be leveraged to help open the black box, enabling consumers and the government to gain access to this corporate collected information. While each of these three approaches has potential risks and rewards, they can help frame the public debate on the ownership and use of geospatial data from self-driving cars. Autonomous cars rely on computerised systems to run. User access to this data proves difficult when they are locked in closed networks controlled by automobile manufacturers. The study looks at how legislation could help make this data more accessible. Car manufacturers typically consider themselves the sole arbiters of the information pertaining to their vehicles, claiming that they "own the data" but legislation has provided pushback and the author cites examples, such as debates around the right to repair. When autonomous cars, including their components, assembly, operation and data, are designed through an open source framework, data might be more easily available to the public and inform greater understanding about its potential uses and implications, the author suggests. Companies such as Udacity, an online education company, offers a "Self-driving Car Engineer Nanodegree" program in which students learn, develop and refine code for autonomous systems. Although there may be economic and intellectual property tradeoffs for the manufacturers, open source design plays an important role in allowing for greater transparency, according to the study. In addition to legislation and open source design, hacking is both a systemic risk for autonomous vehicles and an approach that has been deployed to make car data and automated systems more transparent while holding self-driving car companies more accountable. In 2013 and 2015, two security experts remotely hacked into a 2014 Jeep Cherokee, and a Toyota Prius and Ford Escape, respectively, demonstrating the security flaws in vehicles that were not autonomous. Security vulnerabilities are likely to run much deeper with fully autonomous vehicles. Precisely because hacking is a generalised risk for autonomous vehicles, certain instances of hacking in the context of research and advocacy have shown the importance of building secure systems. Recent security breaches with Equifax and Facebook illustrate the many security risks relating to consumers' digital information. "If we're going to adopt self-driving cars, then we should really make absolutely sure that they are as secure as they can be. This requires input from parties outside of the corporations who are building those very systems, such as government, advocacy groups and civil society at large." says Alvarez Leon. In the US, Arizona, California and Michigan are currently some of the most hospitable states for self-driving vehicles, serving as testing areas for companies such as Waymo, which started as Google's Self-Driving Car Project. While there are local regulatory battles, and often pushback from citizens and advocacy groups, other states may open their doors to this new mode of transportation in the future. Two weeks ago, Waymo announced that it will be building a manufacturing facility in southeast Michigan, as it looks to grow its fleet. As the study points out, oversight of the self-driving car industry cannot be left to the manufacturers themselves. It is up to the public and government to help define how this new technology and subsequent mapping of our communities will affect our society. Qatar, EU set to sign open skies agreement Qatar and the European Union have agreed to terms for an open skies agreement that would open up the air travel markets of all European Union member countries for the Gulf nation. The two sides are expected to sign a formal agreement later this year. The open skies agreement is part of a broader air services agreement that includes provisions on fair competition, transparency, the environment and consumer protections. The agreement means all air carriers from the 28 European Union member states and Qatar now have unlimited and unrestricted access to their respective territories, Qatar Airways said in a statement. European Commission Director General for Mobility and Transport Henrik Hololei told a CAPA summit in Doha the deal would help ensure open and fair markets. He did not elaborate. An open skies agreement with the EU would give the over-subsidised Qatar Airways an advantage over other carriers. We have taken bold steps by agreeing to articles on fair competition, social aspects, business practices and transparency, Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar al-Baker said. Qatar on its part, would no longer force European carriers to have a local sales agent to operate flights to Doha, Baker added. Qatar has committed to offer a fair and friendly business environment and as a result European airlines will enjoy unrestricted commercial opportunities unlike ever before, said Baker. Hololei said talks with Oman on a similar deal would start in March. The United Arab Emirates had declined to engage in negotiations, he added. Qatars talks with the EU follow an agreement reached last year with the United States to disclose detailed financial information about Qatar Airways. Delhi Metro to take over the operations of Gurgaon Rapid Metro In an apparent rescue effort from the crisis-hit Infrastructure Leasing and Financing Services (IL&FS), Delhi Metro has decided to take over the operations of Gurgaon Rapid Metro. This is the second such move by Delhi Metro after its takeover of Airport Express Metro in 2013, after Reliance Infrastructure pulled out of the project citing violation of concession agreement. Gurgaon Rapid Metro is owned by IL&FS Transportation Network Ltd (ITNL), a subsidiary of the bankrupt IL&FS group. As per the minutes of the meeting held between the state government of Haryana and managing director of Delhi Metro, Mangu Singh, the project will be taken over by DMRC for a period of five years. From the start of the service on February 5, operations of Rapid Metro will be taken over by DMRC. The services will be run according to the existing timetable and fare, according to the minutes of the meeting. The staff of Rapid Metro will be absorbed by Delhi Metro and will get existing pay scale and position for the next three months. Existing staff of Rapid Metro will be taken over on an as is where is basis and some of the staff will be permanently taken over by DMRC as temporary contract employees. A screening process of every department will be done to assess the requirement of staff, a senior DMRC official said. Reports said the ministry of urban development had asked DMRC to take over the project after ITNLs parent company IL&FS went bankrupt defaulting on debts. In October 2018, the central government took control of the management of IL&FS. Qatar Petroleum, ExxonMobil in $10-bn LNG export project US oil giant ExxonMobil Corporation and partner Qatar Petroleum on Tuesday announced plans to proceed with joint development of the Golden Pass LNG export project located in Sabine Pass, Texas. The $10+ billion liquefaction project will have capacity to produce around 16 million tons of LNG per year. Construction will begin in the first quarter of 2019 and the facility is expected to start up in 2024. It is expected to create about 9,000 jobs over the five-year construction period and more than 200 permanent jobs during operations. Preliminary estimates by an independent study indicate the project could generate up to $31 billion in US economic gains and more than $4.6 billion in direct federal, state and local tax revenues over the life of the project. Golden Pass will provide an increased, reliable, long-term supply of liquefied natural gas to global gas markets, stimulate local growth and create thousands of jobs, said Darren Woods, chairman and chief executive officer of Exxon Mobil Corporation. Woods and Qatar Minister of State for Energy Affairs Saad al-Kaabi signed the deal at the Four Seasons hotel in Washington in the presence of US Energy Secretary Rick Perry. The deal is proof that two of the worlds top energy producers can work together and support rather than subvert an open energy marketplace, Perry said. Golden Pass is part of ExxonMobils plans to invest more than $50 billion over the next five years to build and expand manufacturing facilities in the US. This includes the `Growing the Gulf initiative, which will create about 45,000 jobs in America, Exxon Mobil stated in a release. The Trump administration is promoting gas drilling and LNG exports in part to offer European customers alternatives to piped natural gas from Russia, while also lifting Obama-era environmental regulations on energy operations. Qatar petroleum will have 70 per cent working interest in the Golden Pass LNG export project with ExxonMobil owning the remaining 30 per cent. ExxonMobil and Qatar Petroleum are already into joint exploration and development activities in Argentina, Brazil and Mozambique. Global LNG consumption is expected to more than double to 550 million tonnes a year (mtpa) by 2030 with more nations shifting to cleaner fuels. Qatar Petroleum had announced plans to invest about $20 billion in the United States as the company seeks to increase its overseas oil and gas business. Tiny Qatar is one of the most influential players in the LNG market with annual production of 77 million tonnes. It plans to boost capacity 43 per cent by 2023-2024. ExxonMobil, the largest publicly traded international oil and gas company, holds an industry-leading inventory of resources, and is one of the largest refiners and marketers of petroleum products, and its chemical company is one of the largest in the world. When you think of a property boom, lavish coastal towns and sprawling urban metropolises come to mind. But as the Australian property market slides, experts have identified 15 property hotspots, many of which youll never have heard of, as smart investment opportunities. And if this downtrend continues, whichaccording to property professionalsit will (at least for another two years), big-city property owners have reason to sweat and first-home buyers are justified in rubbing their shekels together with hope (if not glee). As for you? Youll be in Timbuktu watching your bank balance swell (if you play your cards right, and if said experts are correct). But where to buy? What suburbs are holding their value? How do you get maximum metres squared (and proximity to the city) per buck? Of course, you want something within your price range, but you dont want to buy a place that keeps on declining in value. This is where Effie Zahos comes in. Editor of Money Magazine, finance journalist and commentator, Effie recently dropped by Chanel 9s Today Show to reveal the best-value Australian suburbs to buy in 2019, state by state. New South Wales Queanbeyan With a median price of $530,000, Queanbeyan, as Effie explains, although its right on the ACT border is, Technically in NSW: so first home owners get the grant. Its also quite close (a 20 minute drive) to Canberras CBD, and is one of the more affordable options out there, so it is seeing an uptick in first home buyers. Rutherford Hotspot number two is Rutherford, where $400,000 will get you a pad just 35ks from Newcastle, whichaccording to Effiehad a great run last year (and which she expects to continue). Orange Although country towns have suffered in the property market decline, Orange, where you can buy a house for $395,000, is one of the areas in regional NSW that has recently done well. According to Effie, Sales over the last twelve months have been about 7.5%. Maybe its time to bite while orange is hot? Victoria Golden Square Golden Square has a median house price of $325,000. A suburb of Bendigo, Golden Square gives you easy access to one of the finest collections of Victorian buildings of any inland city in Australia, as well as majestic theatres, banks and shopfronts, (originally financed by the gold rush). Also its an hour and a halfs drive from Melbourne so if you work in the city it would be a long (but do-able) commute. Sebastopol Median price: $275,000. Seeing great sales. Wangaratta At $295, 000, Warangattas median house price undercuts Golden Squares by $30,000. In addition, as revealed by Effie on Channel 9, Its three year growth forecasts are ranging from about 15-20%; so theyre expecting good things to come out of that. Local economy good, regional area good, ripple effect good. Queensland Kirwan Median price: $300,000. South Mackay Median price: $295,000. Wavell Height Median price: $680,000. Although she didnt discuss each suburb in detail, Effie reckons thatdespite the floodsQueensland is a good place to buy a house. The good thing is, she explains, Theres a lot of infrastructure about to be dumped into Queenslandabout 25 billion dollarsand were hoping these ones (suburbs) will be the star performers. Western Australia Karrinyup Median price: $800,000. Spearwood Median price: $470,000. Joondalup Median price: $510,000. Although Effie warns you not to expect a lot from Perth as far as property growth is concerned, she still gave her top picks for the WA region, which are doing well thanks to their local economies: Again a lot of it is the local economy and sales growth is coming out (of that). Were coming from negative returns after three years, and were going to see some good returnssome of them up to 20% over (the next) three years, she predicted. South Australia Enfield According to Effie, Enfield is a beautiful little town, close to the port, which offers residents a double whammy of coastal lifestyle and jobs (or at least some kind of local economy). Median house price? $450,000. Port Augusta As Effie explains, Port Augusta could be a smart choice for investors. Why? Were looking at $5 billion in energy being thrown there over the next few years. And with a median house price just $140,000, and rental yields around 8%, Effie says, Thats a nice one to have a look into if youre thinking of buying for investment. Ascot Park Ascot Park has a higher median house price than Port Augusta, but even at $475,000, the theme remains the same: Think small (regional centres) for big returns. Effie also recommends you look at property as you would any other asset, because even though there are doom and gloom headlines there are also pockets of opportunityAscot Park being one of them. More generally, she said that when looking for a place to buy, Its a case of finding value and understanding what infrastructure is going there, what job growth, what sales figures have happened, and (going) hot-spotting (with) all that data. Its a case of have a look; start your research there. Daniel Walsh, director of a real estate investment consultancy, offered a similar point of view, telling The New Daily, Contrary to some peoples narrow viewpoint that Sydney and Melbourne are the only markets in Australia, there are myriad locations where investors can secure affordable property. So think outside the box (and your city), if you can. And it goes without saying (but for legal reasons we have to say it anyway): before buying any property, even if a region has made it onto a hot spot list, do your own research on the area, talk to consultants and your own network of experts, and make sure you weigh up your options (and the associated risks) carefully. RELATED: Everything You Need To Know Before Buying A House In A Falling Market Cabernet Sauvignon was, like many of us, a happy accident. However, instead of forcing your parents to get married and buy an SUV, Cabernet Sauvignons 17th century birth led to one of the most popular red wines the world has seen. In other words: we owe a great deal to the poor French farmers who unwittingly allowed the red Cabernet Franc grape plant to ignite the loins of a white Sauvignon Blanc, generating an offspring of thick durable skin, and an impressive resistance to the elements. After the birth of this new grape, Cabernet Sauvignon (literally) grew in popularity all across the south west of France, planted by winemakers seeking more durable plants that were relatively easy to grow. Cab Sav then found its champion in the region of Bordeaux, and the rest is history. Adding to Cabernet Sauvignons success was the grapes relatively high level of tannins, which meant the wine could evolve in the bottle for decades. It also responded well to oak, whichwinemakers quickly discoveredcreated flavours that added a whole new reverb to oh la laaa. The result, as the experts over at Vine Pair explain, Was a full-bodied (wine) with a medium level of acidity that was fantastic for drinking with food. Becoming one of the most lusted after wines on the planet, Cabernet Sauvignon wasuntil Merlot overtook it in the 90sthe most widely planted grape in the world. This took it to Australia in the mid 1880s. Although it took some time to seduce the antipodes, once it found its way to moderate climate regions like Coonawarra and Margaret River it became a staple ingredient in many classic Australian blends, as well as a successful standalone single varietal wine. It is a variety that can age gracefully for decades and is a feature in many of Australias most historic and successful wines, (Wine Australia). While its cousin, Sauvignon Blanc, is something you might drink with your conservative grandmother over an insipid flathead fillet, Cabernet Sauvignon is best drunk alongside a juicy steak and juicier company. However, to ensure your selection doesnt leave you and your guests mouths drier than the Sahara, youll want to choose wisely. Enter: the experts. From a premium Sydney Italian restaurant to a top notch Melbourne wine bar (and Australias largest independent wine auction house), we asked Australias leading sommeliers for their favourite Cabernet Sauvignons. So next time youre trying to impress the stony faced in-laws, a big-shot client or your long-suffering partner, these are the Cab Savs they recommend you get your mitts on. Yara Yering Carrodus Cabernet Sauvignon, Yarra Valley, VIC Vintage: 2016 Picked by: Chiara Danieli, head sommelier at Matteo Downtown. The lowdown: blueberry and blackberry fruits interweaved with cassis, and wafts of sage highlight this varietals characteristics; a cool climate cabernet sauvignon with floral vibrancy, the palate is rich and round where berry fruits dominate, some classic leafy herbs add a savoury note and the natural acidity gives the wine life and longevity. Buy @ Yarra Yering $275 Highbank Cabernet Sauvignon, Single Vineyard, Coonawarra, SA Vintage: 2015 Picked by: Sean McManus, bright-eyed sommelier at Sydney Italian restaurant Alberto, in Surrey Hills. The lowdown: from a seasonal point of view, a mild summer and long ripening period have produced an outstanding (and strong) Cabernet, hand pruned, hand picked and grown without chemicals. Blasts of blackcurrant leap from the glass whilst cool calm savoury waves crash against a generous palette that is conservative with fruit and hints of mint chocolate. This wine is wound up tight and is begging for a gasp of oxygen. Pure and luscious. Buy @ Highbank Wine $89 Juniper Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River, WA Vintage: 2013 Picked by: Mark Willoughby, head honcho at Esoterica Wine & Food, a wine bar in Fitzroy. The lowdown: Margaret River Cabernet is one of the great wines of Australia; so too unfortunately is the price. Juniper Estate Cabernet is at the bang for buck end of the spectrum where you get to experience the show without having to discuss it over with the bank manager first. Traditional and new wave at the same time; look at this for that special gift for the wine lover in your life. Buy @ Cracka Wines $70 Cullen The Vanya Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River, WA Vintage: 2015 Picked by: Nick Stamford, Managing Director of MW Wines in Collingwood, Australias largest independent wine auction house. The lowdown: This Cab Sav is bright and deep purple with beautifully integrated oak. Fine powdery tannins with lashings of cedar and mixed berries. Delicious and also one of the most serious cabernets to be made in this country. Cullens ambitious biodynamic winemaking has reached a whole new level here. Buy @ MW Wines $529 St Hugo Private Collection Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra, SA Vintage: 2012 Picked by: Chris Sheehy, Champagne Ambassador at Pernod Ricard. The lowdown: Classic Coonawarra. Far more balanced than distinctive. Dense and structured. Cant go wrong Buy @ Dan Murphys $129.99 Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon, SA Vintage: 2015 Picked by: Luc Wiesman, founder of DMarge and avid wine drinker. The lowdown: this is an epic Cab Sav that offers varietal definition and approachability, but still has depth of flavour (read: crowd pleaser). It also highlights the prodigious South Australia region from which it grew, featuring multi-vineyard blending and a core of ripe fruit supported by the gentle influence of French and American oak. Deep, bright red/purple colour, fresh and youthful, with a very clear-edged cabernet varietal nose featuring mulberry, crushed leaf and cassis, (Fairfax). Buy @ BWS $105 Bowen Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra, SA Vintage: 2016 Picked by: James Booth, writer at DMarge and sommelier wannabe The lowdown: If youre after something more affordable, but still get the classic Cab Sav delicacy of flavour and tannin-endowed backbone; Bowen Estates 2016 vintage is worth a squiz either to satisfy your thirst now, or be left to age until 2041, when it will be worth considerably more than $30. Think ripe blackberry, good oak, and a darkborderline purplered. Buy @ Langtons $30 Read Next Photo: The Canadian Press A Seaspan Vancouver Shipyards worker stands on a barge under construction. In a move likely to send shockwaves through Quebec and its shipbuilding industry, the federal government has decided to speed up construction of one of its permanent new naval support vessels. The government's multibillion-dollar shipbuilding plan has long called for Seaspan Marine in Vancouver to build an ocean-science vessel for the Canadian Coast Guard before turning to the navy's two new support ships. But the federal procurement department says the government will finish one of the support ships which carry food, ammunition and fuel for fleets at sea before moving onto the science vessel. The second joint support ship, as the permanent vessels are called, will be built last. The government last year approved a plan for Seaspan to start some advance work on one of the joint support ships as the shipyard waited for the coast guard to finish designing the science vessel. The decision to now go ahead and completely finish the first ship will "build on the good momentum underway," said Public Services and Procurement Canada spokesman Pierre-Alain Bujold. It will also ensure the shipyard stays busy so workers aren't sitting idle or laid off while they wait for the ocean-science vessel, he added, and allow time for lessons to be absorbed before construction of the second joint support ship. "This decision makes good sense and is a prime example of how the (national shipbuilding strategy) allows us to be flexible in meeting Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Coast Guard requirements while finding efficiencies at shipyards." While Bujold said further details on schedules will be provided in the coming months, sources say the decision is expected to see the first new support ship delivered earlier than its current 2023 timeline. That could be bad news for Seaspan's rival in Quebec, Davie Shipbuilding. The federal government awarded Davie a $700-million contract in 2015 to convert a civilian container ship into a temporary supply vessel and lease it to the navy for at least five years. The contract, which is at the heart of Vice-Admiral Mark Norman's breach-of-trust case, was intended to fill a gap that was created when the navy's two previous support ships were forced into early retirement in 2015 due to fire and rust. The Quebec government, Davie and federal opposition parties have been pressuring Ottawa to lease a second ship, at a cost of $500 million, which they say will serve the navy while supporting workers at the shipyard near Quebec City. Much of the basis for their argument about meeting the navy's needs has been Seaspan's constant struggle to meet deadlines and the fact design work on the coast guard's oceanographic science vessel still isn't finished. Those may now be moot points if the changed schedule does result in faster delivery of a permanent vessel, though a government source said some design work is still needed. Davie spokesman Frederik Boisvert wasted no time Tuesday blasting the decision to prioritize completion of the first joint support ship as going "against common sense" and as "an insult to Canadian taxpayers." He questioned the impact on the coast guard, whose existing oceanographic-science vessel is nearly 60 years old, and noted Seaspan has struggled to deliver the first of three fisheries-science vessels for the coast guard. All three were supposed to have been delivered by 2018. "The most basic principle of the national shipbuilding strategy was to start out with smaller projects and let the shipyard prove themselves before moving on to larger, more complex projects," Boisvert said Tuesday. "Seaspan has failed miserably on all fronts: cost, schedule and quality. They should be blacklisted by the government and (are) now rewarded for failure. ... It makes no sense at all and it will be another blow to the coast guard." In an apparent reference to Procurement Minister Carla Qualtrough and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, who represent Vancouver-area ridings, Boisvert went on to accuse "regional politicians in Vancouver who are thinking solely about winning seats in this year's election" for the decision. Subscriber content preview SEATTLE The Kenton apartments, at 303 16th Ave. E., sold for almost $4.6 million, according to King County records. The sellers were two local investors who had owned the property for decades. . . . Subscriber content preview BOISE (AP) Legislation to end years of litigation and help finalize a settlement agreement involving water rights in heavily populated southwestern Idaho is headed to the governor's desk following a unanimous Senate vote on Tuesday. The 35-0 vote sends to Gov. Brad Little the bill that involves water rights in the Boise River system. . . . Subscriber content preview HILO, Hawaii (AP) A public meeting has been scheduled for the satellite launch facility proposed by the Alaska-owned aerospace corporation for a site on the east side of the Big Island. The meeting Wednesday in Hilo is part of the ongoing environmental assessment process for the project by the Alaska Aerospace Corp, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported . . . . Subscriber content preview OLYMPIA (AP) Lawmakers heard a proposal to create a new mental health teaching hospital at the University of Washington Tuesday The bill, heard by the House College and Workforce Development Committee, would create a new facility within the University of Washington with room for 150 patients receiving inpatient care under the state's involuntary treatment act. It would also serve as a venue to train medical students in mental health care. . . . Photo: The Canadian Press Dennis Oland heads to the Law Courts in Saint John, N.B. Dennis Oland was deeply in debt on the day his multimillionaire father, Richard, was beaten to death, a Saint John court has been told. Oland, 50, had maxed out most of his personal accounts despite having raised credit limits by thousands of dollars in the months prior to Richard Oland's July 6, 2011, killing. John Travis, Dennis Oland's boss at CIBC Wood Gundy, and Eric Johnson, a forensic accountant, were on the stand at his second-degree murder trial Tuesday detailing Oland's cash "crunch" in the summer of 2011. The prosecution, now in the fourth week of its case against Oland, is trying to establish a financial motive for the killing. Prosecutors contend that Dennis Oland killed his dad "in a rage" and that his desperate financial situation was behind the violent attack that left 69-year-old Richard Oland lying dead in a pool of blood on his office floor. The businessman and former executive at Moosehead Breweries Ltd., had 45 blunt and sharp force injuries, most of them to his head. "It looks like I'm going to struggle with cash for the next few months and as a result I wanted to revisit your offer to assist me to get through this crunch period," Dennis Oland said in an email to Travis in June 2011, about a month before the killing. Oland said he was struggling to meet his commitments, which included $4,300 per month for child/spousal support and the more than $1,650 he had to pay his father every month for a $500,000 loan a couple of years earlier. Travis said CIBC agreed to extend him an extra $8,000 per month, or $16,000, for June and July. Oland figured things would pick up in his investment adviser job by August and September, so he only needed the cash for the short term. However, a glitch on the part of the bank meant he did not get the full amount he needed in June. In a note to Travis on June 15, 2011, asking for the mistake to be immediately fixed, Oland said he was "nervous" that he wouldn't be able to make his financial commitments. "It is essential that the correct funds be placed into my bank account today so that I can honor my commitments that are due today," Oland wrote. The next day, June 16, Oland emailed his wife, Lisa, telling her that although he was getting a good pay that month - $8,000 - "money is tight." "Would I be able to get $1,000 from you?" He didn't mention in his email that the $8,000 was the first instalment of the two-month loan he had obtained from his employer. Lisa Oland said her credit card also was maxed out. According to Johnson, Oland earned only about $34,000 from CIBC Wood Gundy in the first six months of 2011 but his combined spending for that period, ending on the day of the murder, July 6, 2011, was almost $121,000. Johnson showed the trial a series of slides detailing Dennis Oland's accounts, including his chequing account, a line of credit and an investment account. "The account was frequently overdrawn," Johnson told the court, referring to Oland's chequing account, with a $2,000 overdraft limit. "It rarely had a positive balance that lasted more than a month." Oland opened a Visa account with a $5,000 credit limit. But by February 2011, the limit had expanded to $27,000. In July 2011, he owed over $31,000 on the card, well beyond the limit. Oland's line of credit also significantly increased over two years from a limit of $15,000 in 2009 to $35,000 then to $75,000 and finally to $163,000 in 2011. By July 7, 2011, the day his father's body was found, Oland owed $163,939.68 on the line of credit. The defence position is that since Dennis Oland was used to being in debt, and always seemed to be able to get credit increases or advances at work, the financial issue does not work as a motive. Subscriber content preview Heavy-duty buyers will spend as much as $80,000 for a fully decked-out truck but they also do their homework. By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer DETROIT Nicole Foster-Beck asks a lot of the heavy-duty pickup truck she uses on her 43-acre horse farm east of Dallas. Aside from the daily hauling, her 2015 GMC Sierra has to be powerful enough to pull a heavy eight-horse trailer to competitions, yet cushy enough to keep people comfortable on trips as far away as Kentucky. . . . Sterling Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for Sterling National Bank that provides various banking products and services to commercial, consumer, and municipal clients in the United States. The company accepts deposit products, including interest and non-interest checking, savings, money market, time, and demand deposits, as well as certificates of deposit. Its loan products include commercial and industrial, asset-based, payroll finance, warehouse, factored receivables, equipment finance, public sector finance, and commercial real estate, such as multi-family loans; residential and commercial mortgage loans; consumer loans, such as homeowner loans, home equity lines of credit, new and used automobile loans, and personal unsecured loans; and acquisition, development, and construction loans. The company also engages in the third-party provider to sell mutual funds and annuities; and provision of annuity and wealth management products. As of December 31, 2020, it operated 76 full-service retail and commercial financial centers in the New York Metro Market and the New York Suburban Market. Sterling Bancorp was founded in 1888 and is headquartered in Pearl River, New York. Read More Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. distributes industrial products in North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. The company offers its products for maintenance, repair, and operational, as well as original equipment manufacturing customers. It operates in two segments, Service Center Based Distribution, and Fluid Power & Flow Control. The company distributes bearings, power transmission products, engineered fluid power components and systems, specialty flow control solutions, machinery and robotics automation products, industrial rubber products, linear motion components, tools, safety products, oilfield supplies, and other industrial and maintenance supplies; and offers motors, belting, drives, couplings, pumps, hydraulic and pneumatic components, filtration supplies, valves, fittings, process instrumentation, actuators, and hoses, as well as other related supplies for general operational needs of customers' machinery and equipment. It also operates fabricated rubber shops and service field crews that install, modify, and repair conveyor belts and rubber linings, as well as offer hose assemblies. In addition, the company offers equipment repair and technical support services. It offers industrial products through a network of service centers. The company serves various industries, including agriculture and food processing, cement, chemicals and petrochemicals, fabricated metals, forest products, industrial machinery and equipment, mining, oil and gas, primary metals, transportation, and utilities, as well as to government entities. Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. was founded in 1923 and is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. Read More Photo: Dale Boyd Penticton is going to prove it cares with an official week in February, with Summerland students leading the charge. Grade 8 students from Summerland Middle School presented their plans to institute random acts of caring into their community to council at the committee of the whole Feb. 5. Teacher Melissa Burdock brought the random act of caring idea from the Coquitlam school district where she previously worked. Seven students presented their plans for Random Acts of Caring week, Feb. 10 to 16, to head out in five different groups going around Summerland and Penticton and showing they care. Students plan to pay for coffees at Starbucks, put boonies in parking meters, visit seniors and read to young kids to name a few. They even brought a box of cookies for councillors to share at the meeting. Eight to 10 lucky students will soon head to Victoria to see Real Acts of Caring act passed in the B.C. legislature. Mayor John Vassilaki proclaimed Feb. 10 to 16 Random Acts of Caring week in the City of Penticton. By recognizing these daily acts of caring and kindness this week all citizens of Penticton will become more aware of care and kindness, Vassilaki said. Everyone will be encouraged to make Penticton a better and nicer place to live. While expecting nothing in return for their kindness, the Summerland students were treated by council to pins commemorating their service and free passes to the Penticton community pool. Boston's Unconstitutional Secret Policy Contact: Mat Staver, Liberty Counsel, 407-875-1776, Liberty@LC.org BOSTON, Mass., Feb. 5, 2019 /Christian Newswire/ -- Liberty Counsel has filed a brief regarding the city of Boston's censorship of a Christian flag which Camp Constitution requested to fly on a public forum, but the city denied the request. The city regularly extends to other civic and cultural organizations the freedom to raise their flags on the city hall flagpoles to commemorate whatever events are important to the organizations. The city's application policy refers to the flagpoles as a public forum. However, when Camp Constitution asked the city in 2017 for a permit to raise the Christian flag on Boston City Hall flagpoles to commemorate Constitution Day (September 17) and the civic and cultural contributions of the Christian community to the city of Boston, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, religious tolerance, the Rule of Law, and the U.S. Constitution, city officials denied the permit based on a secret, unwritten and unconstitutional "policy" of refusing religious flags. In the lawsuit, Shurtleff and Camp Constitution seek an injunction requiring the city to allow the Christian flag-raising event, that it denied in 2017 and 2018, to coincide with the observance of Constitution Day. Liberty Counsel's Assistant Vice President of Legal Affairs, Roger Gannam, previously showed the trial court that the city's denial and secret "policy" are unconstitutional because the permit guidelines promise "to accommodate all applicants seeking to take advantage of the city of Boston's public forums." The city admitted in a court filing that its official policy is to make permit decisions based on whether the city approves the "message" of the applicant. The case is now before the court of appeals. "The city's blatant discrimination against Camp Constitution's Christian viewpoint is an unconstitutional censorship and insult to the First Amendment," said Liberty Counsel's Founder and Chairman Mat Staver. "Boston's rich heritage has a focal point of liberty and free speech at America's founding, and that cannot be denied," said Staver. Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics. Liberty Counsel provides broadcast quality TV interviews via Hi-Def Skype and LTN at no cost. The following companies are subsidiares of Roche: 454 Life Sciences, Adheron Therapeutics, Adheron Therapeutics Inc., Anadys Pharmaceuticals, Anadys Pharmaceuticals Inc., Ariosa Diagnostics, Ariosa Diagnostics Inc., Arius Research, Ascur Versicherungsvermittlungs GmbH, BINA Technology, Bina Technologies Inc., BioImagene, BioVeris, BioVeris Corporation, Biopharm AG, Boehringer Mannheim, Borean Pharma, Chemical Manufacturing and Trading Company Limited, Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Disetronic Holding AG, Dutalys GmbH, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, F. 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Pharmaceutical Company, Roche farmacevtska druzba d.o.o., Roche mtm laboratories AG, Roche s.r.o., Santaris Pharma, Sapac Corporation Ltd., Seragon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Shanghai Roche Pharmaceuticals Limited, Signature Diagnostics GmbH, Spark Therapeutics, Spring Bioscience Corp., Stratos Genomics, Syntex Corporation, Syntex Pharm AG, Syntex Pharmaceuticals International Limited, Syntex Puerto Rico Inc., Tanox Inc., Tavero AG, Tensha Therapeutics, Tensha Therapeutics Inc., Therapeutic Human Polyclonals, Therapeutic Human Polyclonals Inc., Trophos, Trophos SA, Tusk Therapeutics, Tusk Therapeutics Limited, UAB Roche Lietuva, Ventana Medical Systems, Ventana Medical Systems Inc., Verum Diagnostica GmbH, Viewics, Viewics Inc., Viewics India Private Limited, mySugr, mySugr GmbH, and mySugr Inc.. Highlights: Google reportedly tricked online workers into developing AI for a controversial drone project. The drone project is undertaken by the Pentagon and is called Project Maven. The AI being built helps the system distinguish between objects on the ground. It appears Google has been using its services to assist more than just its end users. According to a recent report by TheIntercept, Google has been feeding the Pentagon data to help build a controversial drone that can distinguish between certain objects on the ground. The data fed is reportedly the combined effort of millions of workers that Google hired from a company called Figure Eight, which is a machine learning company that "transforms unstructured text, image, audio, and video data into customized high-quality training data" for AI. The workers had no idea they were indirectly contributing to the Pentagons drone project. The data collected by Google comes from a working model called human-in-the-loop, where workers online, who earn as little as $1 per hour, help machine learning algorithms distinguish between real-world objects and understand the environment better. The tasks for which Google hired these workers involved labelling objects in satellite images to help AI tell the difference between objects like trees, buildings, vehicles, etc. This data was then reportedly fed to the Pentagon and incorporated into Project Maven, the Department of Defense initiative involving the use of military drones. Project Maven has been at the centre of a controversy for a year now. In April last year, over 3,100 Google employees signed a petition demanding that Google stop assisting the Pentagon with the project. They presented it to the companys CEO, Sundar Pichai. A couple of months later, Google announced that it would not renew its contract with the government because of internal pressure, which meant the contract would end sometime in 2019. The real rub in all of this is that the workers who helped build the AI system were not informed of the Pentagons or Googles plans. They had no idea what they were helping build. Contributors to the Figure Eight platform are not given who the data will benefit. Usually, they are given a reason for why they are doing a task, like, Draw boxes around a certain product to help machines recognize it, but they are not given the company that receives the data, a former Figure Eight contributor had said in a statement to TechSpot. The online tech publication also reports that it has yet to receive a comment from Google or Figure Eight on the matter. In any case, it seems like a case of foul play by the US government and the American search engine giant. Related Read: Google outlines three actions for better internet safety of netizens The Director of the FBI reported that Russia continued to use social media to attack the 2018 midterm elections, and was gearing up to influence our 2020 elections. On the other hand, just last week, the Trump administration lifted sanctions on three Russian firms controlled by Oleg Deripaska, known as a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. This is interesting because, according to our intelligence agencies, Deripaska is associated with international organized crime and is not a friend of the United States. Everyone is wondering, then, why is Trump, once again, protecting Putin and his friends? Highlights: Password Checkup alerts users to change their passwords in case of a breach Google says it does not get users' account details through the extension Password Checkup was launched to mark Safer Internet Day Password security on the internet is crucial in todays world, where data breaches have become almost a daily occurance. When huge troves of personal user data from a website or an online database leaks, it is usually accompanied by unique combinations of usernames and passwords of millions of people. In many cases, these data leaks are found out by security researchers, who then make their discoveries public and inform affected users to change their credentials. Google is one such company that possesses information of over 4 billion credentials that have been compromised in various security breaches around the world. To address the issue, the company aptly announced its Password Checkup Chrome extension to mark Safer Internet Day on February 5. Password Checkup can be downloaded as an extension from the Chrome Web Store and it functions just like HaveIBeenPwned. The service basically matches your login credentials with its database of breached usernames and passwords and alerts you if it finds that your credentials were ever a part of a data leak. In case your credentials are a match, the extension will trigger an automatic warning and suggest that you change your password. Bear in mind that when the Password Checkup extension is up and running on your Chrome browser, Google will be reading your usernames and passwords every time you log into a website. However, the company says that this private information will never be revealed to Google. Stressing on how secure the Password Checkup tool is, Google says that it is designed to withstand hacks and that all statistics reported by the extension are anonymous. These metrics include the number of lookups that surface an unsafe credential, whether an alert leads to a password change, and the web domain involved for improving site compatibility, Google explains in a blogpost. Google further notes that Password Checkup will only send users alerts in case it finds a possible breach of their credentials and will not prompt users to change outdated or weak passwords like 123456. Coincidentally, 123456 topped the list of the weakest passwords of 2018 according to SplashData. Googles approach with Password Checkup is actually a genius way of bringing a HaveIBeenPwned-like service to the browser. The only difference being that HaveIBeenPwned also allows people to check if their email IDs have ever been part of a breach. Given that the website has been doing this a long time, its database of previous breaches is large. Just recently, a massive set of 773 million records were leaked in one of the biggest single data breaches ever to go public. The leak included 2.7 billion rows (2,692,818,238 rows to be exact) of emails and passwords, and the hack was first reported by security expert Troy Hunt who created and runs HaveIBeenPwned. How Password Checkup works To make Password Checkup a secure platform, Google says it uses multiple rounds of hashing, k-anonymity, private information retrieval, and a technique called blinding. When you log into a website, Google sends a strongly hashed and encrypted copy of your account details to its servers, ensuring the company cannot access it since the decryption key is stored on the user's machine. Google then uses blinding and private information retrieval techniques to search the database of unsafe usernames and passwords. The company says that the final check of whether username and password were part of a breach is completely local and on-machine. Since this is a first version of Password Checkup, Google says that it will continue refining the extension over the coming months. Highlights: Qin Qisheng was a programmer with the Huaxia Bank He reportedly stole over $1 million by exploiting a bug in the banks core system As per a report by The South China Morning Post, via The Verge, Qin Qisheng, a 43-year-old senior programmer with the Huaxia bank managed to siphon off $1 million from the financial institution over a period of two years by exploiting a bug in the companys core operating system. While the bank forgave the employee as he cited that he was simply testing the flaws in the system, he was still jailed. As per the report, because of the bug, cash withdrawals done around midnight were not recorded in the banks system. While this scenario should typically throw an error saying the transaction has failed, Qin inserted some scripts in the system so that there would be no such an alert. The bug has since been fixed. Qin reportedly proceeded to withdraw money from the bank in amounts ranging between 5,000 and 20,000 Yuan (Rs 53,052 approx - Rs 2,12,211 approx) using a dummy account that the bank uses for testing its systems. This resulted in the withdrawal of over seven million Yuan by January 2018 from the bank. Qin is said to have deposited the amount in his own bank account and invested some of it in the stock market. When the unauthorised activity from the dummy account was detected, it was reported to the bank, which in turn alerted the authorities. Qin was arrested, found guilty by the court and sentenced to 10 and a half years in jail with a fine of 11,000 Yuan (Rs 1,16,745 approx). When Qin said that he was simply testing the internal security of the system, the Huaxia bank accepted his explanation and asked the court to pardon him. However, the authorities disagreed and said that the institution itself previously stated that his activities were in violation of formal procedures. On the one hand, [the bank] said that the accuseds behaviour was in violation of the rules. On the other hand, he said that he could conduct relevant tests. This is self-contradictory, said the judge. Qin returned the entire amount before being arrested. Related Reads: ES File Explorer security flaw can aid hackers to leak data on Android devices: Researcher The level of financial inclusion in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (the DRC) stands at 26%. This presents a great opportunity for agent networks for digital financial services in the country to accelerate the access of low and middle-income populations to quality financial services. Despite the presence of several digital financial service providers in the market, both the access and use of these services remains weak. This makes it all the more critical to improve the management of agent networks. According to the World Bank statistics, mobile money accounts have increased from 9.2% in 2014 to 16.1% in 2017. In the DRC, the use of informal financial services remains strongly anchored among the population. In this context, a careful selection of agents appears to be a good alternative at a lower cost to the provision of financial services. Well-trained, they will be the ideal channels for financial inclusion to become a reality. The ELAN DRC program and the Fund for Financial Inclusion in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FPM) commissioned MSC to conduct a short-term study on the internal opportunities and constraints in managing the agent networks established and managed by digital financial service providers in the DRC. MSC conducted this six-month qualitative study from mid-May to late-November 2018. It focused on the five provinces of Kinshasa, Kongo Central, Kasai, Katanga, and Kivu, and involved 19 suppliers and 50 agents. This study had two main objectives: (1) To understand the internal factors in the management of DRC agent networks that promote or slow the success of DRC agents, and (2) to provide guidance on how operational management of agent networks can improve. The study makes a clear case for increasing financial inclusion through agentsbut for that, a long-term investment is essential. The stakeholders must increase customer awareness, invest in the training and motivation of trainers, improve the process of selection and hiring agents, invest in marketing tools, multiply the liquidity options alongside the management tools of the dual currency, and invest in infrastructure. In addition, it is necessary to develop appropriate products and services according to needs while ensuring the protection of customers. This would encourage Congolese customers to continue using digital financial products and services and even increase their level of service. The study is available to read in full here. Tinaa Dattaa: I dont At All Relate to My Character In Daayan Actor Tinaa Dattaa, who is currently seen in the show Daayan, is really enjoying playing a double role in the show. However, the actor agrees that it can get quite challenging at times. Indeed, its is taxing and challenging as there is a stark contrast between the two roles. And when there is a stark contrast, everything is different right from the makeup to the look and performance. So, it becomes really difficult. Work pressure also increases as at a certain point of time you have to completely portray both of the characters. It becomes really difficult to complete work at times. But its good to take up challenging roles and experiment with them, she says. Ask her if she can relate to either of her characters, and she says, I actually don't relate to the character as its a supernatural fiction series. Its all about Daayans and supernatural powers. So, I don't relate to it. Meanwhile, there was a buzz that the show, which is aired twice a week right now, might be coming three times a week. However, the actor refutes the rumors. Honestly, its a rumor. Nothing has been confirmed as of now. I am really happy with it being a biweekly show. I don't want it to go triweekly as the pressure will be too much then. Right now, we really have to put much effort to deliver episodes bi-weekly as there is so much of action and drama, she says. However, the audience will love to see more of the show. The feedback is really nice. I am getting a good response from family, friends and the audience. The supernatural drama is spreading its colors and the audience is enjoying it, she says. We at Desimartini.com hope that the series continues to get love from the audience as it already is. For more such Tellydom updates and scoops keep a close tab on Desimartini.com SOUTH JORDAN South Jordan police are investigating three brothers who have allegedly been buying older vehicles, rolling back the odometers, and then selling the cars for more than they're worth. As of Wednesday the brothers had not been formally charged. But at least two of them were recently arrested after an undercover South Jordan officer purchased one of the cars that had the odometer tampered with, according to jail records and newly unsealed search warrants. Police say they know of at least two cases in their city and the Utah Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division, which investigators are working with, may have more. On Dec. 15, a man purchased a 2007 Honda Odyssey from Steven Stone. "(The man) stated the car had 125,985 miles on it when he purchased it. When he obtained the Carfax it showed the miles were last reported as 238,654," according to a search warrant affidavit filed in 3rd District Court. On Dec. 31, another man bought a 2003 Honda Pilot in the same parking lot at The District a collection of shops, restaurants and a movie theater near 3800 West and 11500 South where the first victim had bought his car, the warrant states. The Honda's odometer showed the car had 134,000 miles, according to the warrant. But when the man "took the vehicle to Jiffy Lube for the emission and inspection they entered the miles and their system stated that vehicle should have at least 167,000 miles," according to the warrant. That vehicle was also sold by Stone, the warrant states. On Jan. 3, a South Jordan officer looking through the ads on KSL.com classifieds spotted a car for sale. "The wording and the grammar used was very similar to other known ads placed by the Stone brothers. I pretended to be an interested buyer and set up a time and place to purchase a 2006 Nissan Altima," the officer wrote in the warrant. The next day, Sammy Stone contacted the officer and said the Altima had already sold, but asked if he was interested in a 2003 Ford Taurus instead, according to the warrant. The officer said yes. "When we met in the South Jordan Costco parking lot I eventually arrested Sammy and Steven. Sammy did not have a business license and he did not change the title from the previous owner's name to his name before the sale. In Sammy's hand bag were five different vehicle titles and $3,500 cash," according to the warrant. Steven Stone, 23, and Sammy H. Stone, 24, of South Jordan, were each arrested for investigation of unlawful sale of a vehicle, deceptive business practice and driving on a suspended license. According to Salt Lake County Jail documents, Steven Stone was acting as a "lookout" nearby while Sammy tried to sell the car. Upon further investigation, the officer discovered that the Altima that had already sold had 123,000 miles on the odometer at the time of purchase, "but the last reported mileage was 225,000 by the previous owner," the warrant states. South Jordan police on Wednesday said the two Stone brothers, plus a third brother, were all part of an active investigation. Anyone who may have purchased a vehicle from the Stone brothers can call police at 801-254-4708 or 801-840-4000. SALT LAKE CITY I feel like my whole life was kind of a process of getting ready for Sterling Scholars, Addie Wray told the Deseret News. Wray was 2018s vocal performance Sterling Scholar. For her and the other students, the journey to become a Sterling Scholars, one of Utah's more rigorous scholarship programs, started long before their senior year. All the people in my high school and all the people that I met at the award ceremony had over 30 on the ACT and everyone had a 4.0, Natalie Tonks, last years social science scholar said, which is funny because I had a 3.97. Wray had a similar experience and said she had one of the lowest ACT scores of anyone she met at the competition, despite it being objectively high. While the academic expectations alone are rigorous, that is far from all it takes. Jolynn Wright, a Lone Peak High counselor who works with students applying to the program, wrote in an email interview with the Deseret News, "Sterling Scholars is a balance between academics, category expertise, leadership, and service. Kids have to be involved from the beginning. A student cannot start their senior year and accomplish all that is necessary to be successful, that is not what excellence is, that is not what a Sterling Scholar is." Sterling Scholars portfolios include work for the student's chosen category, whether that be mathematics, social science, music, English or any of the 14 categories. But Wray said it was important to also participate in things outside her category. Sterling Scholars have to show passion in their category while still excelling in other areas. There were a lot of days where I didn't see the sun. I had early-morning seminary because I had too many extracurricular classes and then I stayed at rehearsal until 10 o'clock at night, Wray said. Service is another big consideration in the competition, and these scholars dont disappoint. Tonks helped with food and clothing drives for hurricane victims, organized Christmas gifts for a developmental shelter, volunteered for Better Days 2020 and proved herself a prime candidate for social sciences by volunteering for political campaigns. Vikrant Ragula, 2018s General Sterling Scholar, went above and beyond in service. He volunteered with a food bank, worked on voter registration and helped pass a bond to rebuild Skyline High School. While those alone would be plenty, he still did more. The biggest one, I think, that helped me stand out was my project I conducted in Africa to help bring water to several villages, Ragula said, which also expanded to becoming trying to help set up a school and provide them the technology needed to provide a 21st-century education. After years of excelling, participating and serving the scholars compile it all into a hefty portfolio. For Wray it came out to a 45-page document. Ragula said creating his portfolio was the most difficult part of the competition. It was making me have to actually think about what I did for three years in high school and find all the information to help substantiate my claims, while at the same time finding what made me unique and what I was passionate about, he said. On top of showing all their accomplishments, they are required to write essays illustrating challenges they've overcome in their lives. At the competition the students are interviewed by a panel of judges, and these arent your easy interviews. After reading the portfolios the judges tailor the questions to each student. My judge just kind of pushed me a lot, which I liked, but he pressed me really hard on a single issue he got into some really esoteric, nitty-gritty, random things about politics, Tonks said. Each year, we are in awe of the accomplishments of these young people, Wright wrote. When we attend the awards ceremony, we hear of the candidates from other schools, and remind ourselves that there are kids all over this state that are actively engaged in excellence. The past winners had some words of advice for any future hopefuls. Ragula recommended finding things you are passionate about: It will make you more genuine and the people reading your portfolio and interviewing you will actually see your passion. That's the most important thing for them. Tonks advised making friends at the competition and being confident in your work. Wrays biggest pointer was also confidence something she found challenging in the competition. You got to push yourself to be able to get to places like that, so when I was actually reaching the finals or when I actually won it was kind of unbelievable, because I always felt like there was more that needed to be done, Wray said. Despite all the time, work and stress, the scholars agreed the experience was worth it. I cannot imagine going through high school without being so involved, Wray said. That's really what made memories that's what made it so, so enjoyable, So yes, these students really go above and beyond. Is it too much? Wright said she doesn't think engaging in stressful things is bad for these students. I personally believe that my students and my own children not only can do hard things, but they must do hard things, in order to be prepared for the world that awaits them. SALT LAKE CITY The Utah State Board of Education would reimagine how school counselors serve students under HB81, which was unanimously endorsed by the Senate Education Committee Tuesday. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Susan Pulsipher, R-South Jordan, calls on the state board to study duties of school counselors and adopt rules that prohibit school counselors from certain activities. School counselors are called on to assist in multiple ways, such as administering tests, changing students' schedules and helping them select classes as they work toward graduation and college. Increasingly, there is a need for counselors to help students experiencing anxiety and other challenges, she said. Students tell Pulsipher they are often frustrated they cannot access a counselor in timely manner. "Our counselors do an amazing job of helping our students. We ask a lot of them," she said. HB81 asks the board to examine counselor duties and determine if other school employees, such as aides, could change student schedules or if other employees could proctor tests. The bill also requires the State School Board to report to state lawmakers on its rule making during the Legislature's interim meetings. The bill moves to the Senate for further consideration. SALT LAKE CITY President Donald Trump delivered the State of the Union address Tuesday night, and there were multiple opinions on Trumps words, and the speech itself, in the immediate aftermath. Trump focused on a number of topics in his speech, drifting from discussions on illegal immigration, the U.S. military, and plans to combat HIV and AIDS. He also made pointed remarks about abortion and how the U.S. will never be a socialist country. Trump also made a case for unity in his speech. A number of columnists, opinion writers and editorial boards wrote about Trumps speech. Heres what they wrote. Mark Lander of The New York Times wrote in an analysis piece that Trump called for bipartisanship but still hit out at Democrats. Save for the majesty of the setting, the presidents adherence to his script, and a single unscripted moment when Mr. Trump tipped his hat to the scores of Democratic women elected to Congress last November, parts of this State of the Union speech could have been drawn from one of his Make America Great Again rallies. The New York Times opinion columnist Frank Bruni said Trump came out as a feminist in his speech. But most incongruous of all was his feminism, closeted until Tuesday night. He framed his concerns about illegal immigration in terms of migrant women being sexually assaulted on the way north to our border with Mexico or sold into prostitution by traffickers. And then there was the shout-out to women in the workforce. During it, female House members stood, and some pumped their fists in the air. He registered surprise at first, followed by satisfaction, as he seemed to realize that their moment could also be his moment; that he could, for this one instant, hallucinate mutual respect and pantomime common cause; that he could just slough off all his sins and latch on to a spurious grace. The New York Times editorial board said Trump delivered a message of unity from an agent of discord. However, the board remains skeptical about how long itll last. Mr. Trumps soothing message, in short, was wholly at odds with the acrid reality of how he has governed. In that way, the entire spectacle reflected in the vibrating hostility between the two sides trapped together in the House chamber evinced the true state of the union: fractured, fractious, painfully dysfunctional. Eric Levitz of The Intelligencer, which comes from New York Magazine, called the State of the Union delusion. There was nothing exceptional in the mendacity of Trumps State of the Union address. By now, we are quite used to the lies. But the spectacle of a shoddy con man stiltedly rehearsing a combination of his own willful delusions, and our nations while a chamber of respectables hooted and hollered proved that this president hasnt lost the power to unnerve. Washington Post opinion writer Ed Rogers said the State of the Union was good for Trump. Calling out Democrats on their previous support of a wall was effective. And Trump even got the angry resistance clapping for him when he talked about the unprecedented number of women serving in Congress. At about 50 minutes into the speech, the Democrats seemed to yield and acknowledge that this was the presidents forum and this was his night. Trumps presentation became more confident, and he seemed to lean in to the occasion. He knew that he had the room. Washington Post opinion writer Jennifer Rubin called the State of the Union boring. Most striking, his speech was shapeless and flabby, his delivery anemic. Non-memorable lines were uttered. Two years into his president, hes become predictable and boring. Sad. The Washington Post editorial board said the speech gave us the same old polarizing demagoguery at great length. Mr. Trumps inconsistent negotiating style, ignorance of detail, short attention span and maximalist demands make such compromise more difficult. If there is going to be bipartisan accomplishment in this Congress and, with Democrats now controlling the House, any accomplishment will have to be bipartisan lawmakers will have to take the lead. CNNs Chris Cillizza had five takeaways from the speech, including that Trump made it clear he will act on illegal immigration. To the extent there was any sort of unifying theme to this speech and you really have to dig hard for one it was Trump making the case that the country is under a grave threat from illegal immigration, and that if Congress won't act, he will. David N. Bossie wrote for Fox News that he feels optimistic that Trump will work with Democrats. Think of it. Even in the face of a permanent Democrat obstruction campaign and an onslaught of partisan investigations throughout his presidency, President Trump is choosing unity. President Trump made clear once again that he wants to work with Democrats on border security, health care and infrastructure. But it takes two to tango. This constitutional republic of ours cannot function if one side flat-out refuses to participate. USA Today's editorial board said Trump punted on the big issues. "If Trump could act presidential more than one night a year, and the two parties stood for something more than gaining partisan advantage, these would be some of the topics we would hear more about in a State of the Union address. Instead, we have the sounds of the nation's biggest challenges being kicked down the road." The editors at Bloomberg said Trump's speech was "almost good." WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he will hold a two-day summit with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un Feb. 27-28 in Vietnam to continue his efforts to persuade Kim to give up his nuclear weapons. Trump has said his outreach to Kim and their first meeting last June in Singapore opened a path to peace. But there is not yet a concrete plan for how denuclearization could be implemented. Denuclearizing North Korea is something that has eluded the U.S. for more than two decades, since it was first learned that North Korea was close to acquiring the means for nuclear weapons. "As part of a bold new diplomacy, we continue our historic push for peace on the Korean Peninsula," Trump said in his State of the Union address. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told Congress last week that U.S. intelligence officials do not believe Kim will eliminate his nuclear weapons or the capacity to build more because he believes they are key to the survival of the regime. Satellite video taken since the June summit has indicated North Korea is continuing to produce nuclear materials at its weapons factories. Last year, North Korea released American detainees, suspended nuclear and long-range missile tests and dismantled a nuclear test site and parts of a rocket launch facility without the presence of outside experts. It has repeatedly demanded that the United States reciprocate with measures such as sanctions relief, but Washington has called for North Korea to take steps such as providing a detailed account of its nuclear and missile facilities that would be inspected and dismantled under a potential deal. At the second Trump-Kim summit, some experts say North Korea is likely to seek to trade the destruction of its main Yongbyon nuclear complex for a U.S. promise to formally declare the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, open a liaison office in Pyongyang and allow the North to resume some lucrative economic projects with South Korea. "Our hostages have come home, nuclear testing has stopped, and there has not been a missile launch in more than 15 months," Trump said. "If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea. "Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong Un is a good one," he said in announcing their second meeting. Stephen Biegun, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's special representative for North Korea, is hopeful, but acknowledges that many issues make it especially complicated for the two countries to "embark on a diplomatic initiative of this magnitude." Biegun was in Pyongyang on Tuesday. The Vietnamese city where the two leaders will meet was not announced. The country, however, is keen to project itself on the world stage. It is a single-party communist state that boasts of tight political control and a tough security apparatus similar to Singapore's. Where Singapore leans West, generally appreciative of U.S. influence in Asia, Vietnam leans East. Even with its edgy relationship with China, it has a long fraternal history with Asia's communist states. This is friendly ground for Kim and closer than Singapore. On a related issue, the State Department said this week that the U.S. and South Korea have reached a tentative agreement on sharing the costs of keeping 28,500 American troops in South Korea, but no final deal has been signed to replace the existing agreement, which expired at the end of 2018. South Korea pays more than $800 million a year, but Trump has demanded that Seoul pay 50 percent more. News that a tentative agreement has been reached offers relief to those who worried Trump would use the lack of a deal as a reason to pull U.S. troops out of South Korea as part of negotiations with Kim. North Korea has claimed that the presence of American troops in the South is proof that the U.S. has hostile intentions in the region. Trump said after his first meeting with Kim in June that while he'd like to bring troops home, "that's not part of the equation right now." ___ Associated Press writer Grant Peck in Bangkok contributed to this report. President Donald Trumps second State of the Union address made it clear that beginnings can be inspiring and endings do matter, but only if the middle moves the nation forward. Trump delivered glimmers of a promising policy agenda and recounted inspiring details of the bipartisan work Congress accomplished in 2018. The middle, however, imparted gratuitous bombast and questionable statistics two things that muddy even the best-written speeches. The road ahead for America will be defined by how well the country executes the hard work in the middle. Trump began his speech strong with an anticipated call for unity, promising that there is a new opportunity in American politics, if only we have the courage to seize it. For a president generally disinclined to extend the olive branch during his first two years in office, Trumps sincere call for unity is welcome, but it will need more than a few applause lines to carry the weight it needs. Getting to a place of consensus will require strong unions of trust among congressional leaders, the president and the American people. Unfortunately, trust is running thin at the moment. Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., took to the Senate floor Tuesday to discount Trumps unifying message even before the president had delivered his address, calling his actions blatant hypocrisy. Such prebuttals are the opposite of humility and trust. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnells decision to withhold floor votes to fund the government until the president and Democrats had worked out a deal gave little reason to trust his leadership and likely prolonged what became the longest partial government shutdown in the countrys history. As a result, only 1 in 5 Americans trust the way Congress is running the country, according to Gallup, and the presidents approval ratings hover near historic lows. The country cant be unified without trust in each other and in the leaders chosen to represent the people. It is requisite for enacting what would otherwise be a bipartisan policy agenda. The country cant be unified without trust in each other and in the leaders chosen to represent the people. The reality is investing in infrastructure, keeping the economy strong, reducing health care costs and battling pharmaceutical prices, as outlined in the presidents speech, are the policy areas that would likely make the largest impact on the average American life. They are, to quote Trump, not a Republican agenda or a Democrat agenda but rather the agenda of the American people. Both parties have already shown their willingness to address these issues, and theres little reason to assume a divided Congress couldnt pass the appropriate bills under President Trumps tenure. But getting there would mean first getting past the next government funding deadline thats fast approaching, which could also mean another tussle over border wall funding and another trial of trust in American leadership. Congress, however, is capable of working together. Trump was right to highlight significant bipartisan achievements from the previous year, including criminal justice reforms, overdue veterans assistance and measures to tackle the opioid crisis. Continuing in that spirit calling votes, holding debates and quickly funding the government would put Congress on the right trajectory to tackle the legislative priorities that will improve the lives of each American. Congresses and administrations are not remembered by the way they begin a project or by how it's celebrated in the end. The work in the middle is what will move the country forward. While Trump's refusal to release his returns something every party nominee and president has done for the last half century has been controversial since 2016, once Democrats demand the returns it will become an intense controversy playing out on television and the front pages of newspapers. That means that Republican officeholders will be forced to take a position, which they haven't really had to do before. And they'll be expected to defend the president's refusal to allow the public to know where he's getting money from, who he owes money to, and how far his financial interests extend. SALT LAKE CITY A woman in Idaho is making headlines for breaking up a fight between her dog and a mountain lion. The woman from Mackay, Idaho, went outside to break up a fight between what she thought was her dog and another dog, according to the Twin Falls Times-News. However: When she pulled the animals away from each other, she saw that one of the animals was a juvenile male mountain lion weighing 35 pounds. The woman then yelled for her husband to grab his gun. He shot the mountain lion while the wife was holding it, according to a press release from the Idaho Fish and Game. Then, according to the Times-News, the couple called local authorities. The fish and game department arrived 30 minutes later. The woman and dog experienced scratches, according to the report. Idaho Fish and Game said this is the third attack on dogs by a mountain lion. SALT LAKE CITY President Donald Trump delivered the State of the Union address on Tuesday evening from the House Chamber before a joint session of Congress, and Twitter had some thoughts. Trump spent much of the night calling for both sides of the political aisle to work together on bipartisan legislation. After 24 months of rapid progress, our economy is the envy of the world, our military is the most powerful on earth, and America is winning each and every day. Members of Congress: the State of our Union is strong. Our country is vibrant and our economy is thriving like never before, he said. Trumps speech jumped from topic to topic as he opened up about illegal immigration, called for a better plan for paid family leave, and talked about economic progress for the U.S. Trump also announced he would meet with North Koreas Kim Jong Un on Feb. 27 and 28 in Vietnam. Weve broken down a few of the highlights from the night, as well as analysis from members of Congress, public figures and pundits about the speech. You can review a fact check of the speech here at The New York Times. The night began with multiple people pointing out Trumps tie, which was slightly askew. \ The state of the president's tie is askew. Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) February 6, 2019 Is someone going to tell Trump about his tie Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) February 6, 2019 I cant watch anymore because the crooked tie is giving me anxiety Seth Mandel (@SethAMandel) February 6, 2019 The word "tie" is about to be trending on Twitter Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) February 6, 2019 A photo by Doug Mills of The New York Times made the rounds on Twitter: .@dougmillsnyt with yet another iconic image defining history This photo is *everything* https://t.co/YgczCgP1xd Kasie Hunt (@kasie) February 6, 2019 no one captures moments like @dougmillsnyt. best in the business, bar none. pic.twitter.com/4Nz4CVAbUr Kate Bennett (@KateBennett_DC) February 6, 2019 Trump later celebrated Judah Samet, a survivor of the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh. Judah was celebrating his 81st birthday, which prompted Congress to sing "Happy Birthday" to Samet. \ WATCH: House chamber sings "Happy Birthday" to Judah Samet, a Holocaust survivor who also survived the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting last fall. https://t.co/F1nJRmGHi5 #SOTU pic.twitter.com/TC94tLuEm9 NBC News (@NBCNews) February 6, 2019 Multiple people reacted right after the speech. Vice President Mike Pence: .@POTUS' historic & powerful #SOTU address tonight cast an inspiring vision of AMERICAN GREATNESS! The state of our Union is STRONG, & @POTUS & our entire Admin will continue our work to keep the American people safe, fight for American workers, & protect our national security. Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) February 6, 2019 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi: .@StaceyAbramss message of hope, opportunity & determination has been taken to heart by Americans in communities nationwide. Tonight, she brings that message to her #SOTU response. #AbramsAddress https://t.co/pI4vgWLFy0 Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) February 6, 2019 https://twitter.com/desiderioDC/status/1093010162699378688Sen. Kamala Harris: Racism, homophobia, sexism, and anti-Semitism are real in this country. We have to deal with that. #SOTU Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) February 6, 2019 Utah Sen. Mike Lee: It was great seeing Matthew Charles, the first person to benefit from #TheFirstStepAct, as a guest of President Trump tonight. Criminal justice reform is just the beginning of what we can accomplish together on a bipartisan basis. (1/4) Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) February 6, 2019 There should be a commonsense solution to the migration crisis on our southern border. One that involves more beds, more judges, and yes, more wall. There is also much we can do on drug prices. (2/4) Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) February 6, 2019 Utah Rep. Ben McAdams: Utah Rep. John Curtis: My response to President Trump's State of the Union Address. #utpol pic.twitter.com/Zug3X2O5jJ Rep. John Curtis (@RepJohnCurtis) February 6, 2019 Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown: Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn: California Rep. Adam Schiff: Fear. Division. Falsehood. Not hope. Not unity. Not truth. Thats what Donald Trump offered the nation tonight during the State of the Union. America isnt buying what hes selling. #SOTU Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) February 6, 2019 New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: .@HardballChris asked @AOC about Trump tying the "notion of socialism" to the Maduro regime. "He feels like he feels himself losing on the issues. Every single policy proposal that we've adopted and presented to the American public has been overwhelmingly popular." @AOC pic.twitter.com/b8zdRuJZ6A Hardball (@hardball) February 6, 2019 Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise: Democrats in the resist movement must put aside their personal dislike of the President if we are going to work together towards a more secure and prosperous America. My full statement following @realDonaldTrumps #SOTU pic.twitter.com/5Ame8B0l0O Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) February 6, 2019 Author Christopher J. Scalia: Im really impressed by how good the last few minutes of that speech were. #SOTU Christopher J. Scalia (@cjscalia) February 6, 2019 CNNs Van Jones: USA Today editor Brad Heath: Some presidents have used the State of the Union to set the tone for what's to come. The question with this one is whether the tone it sets lasts through lunch tomorrow. Brad Heath (@bradheath) February 6, 2019 The Atlantic writer Conor Friedersdorf: Had Trump given this speech for his First Inaugural things mightve gone better for him, and us. Conor Friedersdorf (@conor64) February 6, 2019 The obvious implication is that its tenor and what followed would have an analogous relationship to the tenor of his actual Bannonite inaugural and the Bannonite actionsntjat followed. You easily triggered and uncharitable anti-Trumpists are absurd. Better doesnt mean good Conor Friedersdorf (@conor64) February 6, 2019 Eric Trump: We are all so incredibly proud of @realDonaldTrump! What an amazing night! #SOTU pic.twitter.com/rDxLVorlpf Eric Trump (@EricTrump) February 6, 2019 Donald Trump Jr.: Amazing speech by an amazing man. @realDonaldTrump making us all even more proud to be Americans this evening. pic.twitter.com/JQokEB30XS Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) February 6, 2019 People had mixed reactions to Stacey Abrams, the former Georgia governor candidate for the Democratic Party, for her response to the State of the Union. This is definitely best response I've ever seen. Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) February 6, 2019 .@staceyabrams is doing a better #SOTU response than most recent pols barrett marson (@barrettmarson) February 6, 2019 After Trump's soaring and inspirational speech, the Democratic response is petty and partisan. Terrible contrast for the Democrats. Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) February 6, 2019 FARMINGTON The Davis School District Board of Education voted Tuesday to close Washington Elementary School under a plan that consolidates six elementary schools in the Bountiful area to five. Some community members who addressed the board said they anticipated that the board would vote to close the school after a public process but they urged board members and district administrators to help students make smooth transitions to their next schools and to continue to offer a summer lunch program at the school. School Community Council Chairman Mitch Davis said many families rely on the food resources offered by the school such as school nutrition programs and food pantry. Some Washington families solely rely on food from the school. Somehow, those resources must continue, he said. "Nobody should go to bed starving, especially young children," he said. Another community member, Kelli Rapp, expressed concern that Washington students will not be accepted at other schools. She told the school board about one student who sometimes comes to school with his pants inside out. "Everyone's accepted at Washington. When he goes to his new school, I'm sure there will be jokes and people will make fun of him. He will be belittled. That's what Washington students are going to face when they go (to a) particular school," she said. Rapp said she was disappointed that all of the board members didn't visit Washington Elementary because they would have better understood the strengths of the diverse neighborhood school. The decision to consider closing Washington was based on an annual review of each school's enrollment and staffing needs, officials said. The school's enrollment is below 300, which means it is the smallest of any in Davis School District. According to information on the school's website prepared by the school district, Washington's student population has been shrinking for a decade. The board's vote was unanimous. Parents acknowledged the Title I school's enrollment was small, but said it was ideal for students because they received a lot of individual attention and had thrived educationally. Typically, Title I schools have large concentrations of low-income students.Those schools receive supplemental federal funds to help meet students' educational goals. Last year, the school earned a grade of B on the state report card, board member Cheryl Phipps noted. Shamory Kojima, whose daughter and nephew attend the school, said the school board's vote "changed my life." "I have to go home and tell them they're not going to that school any more," he said, fighting emotion. Kojima said he has no car so his children walk to school. It is unclear how they will get to their new school, he said. Superintendent Reid Newey gave his assurances that teachers and administrators at the schools that Washington Elementary students will attend next will help them make a smooth transition. "We care about every student we serve, every family we serve, and always will. It's our goal for all kids to succeed," Newey said. Board members, too, offered their assurances that the transition would go as smoothly as possible. Phipps said the issues raised by parents "are very real and personal to me as well." She vowed to ensure students' needs are met. "I also want you to know I will not stand silently by not seeing some of the concerns that have been expressed go without further notice," she said. Another Washington Elementary School parent, Vanner Johnson, said he is "cautiously optimistic" that the school district will deliver on its assurances, "but I fear it won't happen." Some kids are born on a mountain plateau with tools all around them that help them succeed, while others "are born hanging on the a cliff," he said. They desperately need the programs, assistance and acceptance that Washington offers, he said. The school district has promised support to help students succeed but "we don't feel like it's going to be the same as Washington. There's a synergy there we can't explain," Johnson said. WASHINGTON Jennie Taylor's emotions were mixed as she stood and applauded President Donald Trump's announcement in his State of the Union address Tuesday that he is negotiating an end to nearly two decades of war in Afghanistan. "My husband gave his life in Afghanistan and you never want to withdraw in a way that you are going to leave a vacuum and things fall apart and you question why we were there," she said following the speech. "But I liked how he said we were going to push for peace. Nobody prays for peace more than a soldier." Her husband, Maj. Brent Taylor, was helping train Afghan forces when he was killed Nov. 3 in an insider attack at the Kabul Military Training Center. Taylor, who would have returned early this year from his fourth tour of duty with the Utah Army National Guard, was also mayor of North Ogden and is believed to be the first Utah mayor ever deployed overseas. Jennie Taylor, who attended the speech Tuesday as the guest of Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, was among two Utahns sitting in the House gallery to hear Trump deliver his second State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress. Also attending as a guest of Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, was Betty Lou Workman, the mother of Blanding native and fallen Navy SEAL Jason Workman, who was among 30 Americans including Taylorsville native Jared Williams Day killed when a Taliban insurgent downed their Chinook helicopter on Aug. 6, 2011. Trump, who noted nearly 7,000 American troops have died in Afghanistan and Iraq, said Tuesday that "great nations do not fight endless wars," and that he had accelerated negotiations with Afghan groups, including the Taliban, to end the conflict in Afghanistan. "We do not know whether we will achieve an agreement but we do know that after two decades of war, the hour has come to at least try for peace," Trump said. "The other side would like to do the same thing. It's time." Taylor was seated on a back row of the House gallery along with dozens of guests invited by representatives and senators to attend the annual speech. Members of Congress are each given one ticket to invite a guest and many of in attendance Tuesday were there to make a political point on gun violence, equal rights, immigration or the recent government shutdown, among other issues. News releases announcing the attendance of Taylor and Workman said their invitations were to honor the sacrifices of Taylor's husband and Workman's son. Brent Taylor, 39, left behind his wife and seven children, and Workman, who was 32 when he died, was survived by a wife and child. Taylor said she was not only awed to be in the same room as a "who's who in American leadership," but with a "who's who of Americans" recognized by Trump. They included World War II veterans, Holocaust survivors, Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin and two survivors of the deadly attack last year on a Jewish synagogue in Pittsburgh. "At one point the president said the state of our union is strong. And I think the state of our union is strong because the American people are strong," said Taylor. "We have work to do in politics to be more bipartisan and compromise, but what makes America great is the American people." Workman said after the speech that she "thought it was wonderful. The president is doing his best to bring us together." In a statement issued following the speech, Romney said the president's remarks were "strong, well-delivered, and appealed to our patriotism and common values as Americans." "He highlighted several critical policy areas where there are opportunities for both parties to work together including lowering health care costs, reforming trade policies to better protect American workers, and strengthening border security and immigration enforcement. These are priorities that I share and will work to advance in the Senate," Romney said. Romney also said he has been "encouraged" by the administration's efforts to support democracy in Venezuela and that the administration "deserves credit" for its efforts to cut taxes and regulations. "While I welcome efforts by the administration to reach a political solution in Afghanistan and eliminate ISIS in Syria, I believe that based on conditions on the ground we must maintain a sufficient U.S. presence in both places to protect our national security interests," Romney said. Speaking with Deseret News Opinion Editor Boyd Matheson on KSL Newsradio following the president's address, Rep. Ben McAdams said, "I think he laid out a really good agenda, where we need bipartisan work, people to come together." However, McAdams, the Utah delegation's sole Democrat, said he believed there were "moments of divisiveness" in the speech. "I think the one thing that maybe was disappointing to me was some of this divisive rhetoric as it relates to immigrants again," he said. "The state of Utah was founded by refugees certainly we've got issues at the border but let's also recognize that immigrants who have come here for many generations, they make our country stronger," McAdams told Matheson. But he said, overall, he was "encouraged" by Trump's speech. "By and large, I felt a lot of olive branches were extended, and there's something to work with there. And I hope the Democratic leadership will recognize that," McAdams said on KSL Newsradio. Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, told Matheson on KSL Newsradio that he believes the speech was "a little bit of a preamble to the president's reelection campaign." He said it appeared Trump didn't want to be "confrontational." "I think he did a remarkable job of doing that, and frankly, I think he surprised a lot of people," Stewart said. Stewart expressed frustration at the reactions from some Democrats in the chamber who refused to stand up during some of Trump's words, including his statement against socialism. "What in the world are you thinking? How can you not show and express your support for this idea?" Stewart recalled thinking. "And that's something when you're there, you really get a sense for." Stewart said he thinks the American people are "exhausted by the controversy, exhausted by the anger." Speaking to Matheson on air, Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah, said, "I think what jumped out for me was that, truly, if we can work together, we can do some extraordinary things. And we've got to figure out how to get past this partisan aspect that is really hurting us." "I think we've got to figure out infrastructure, health care, reducing costs, we should all be able to agree on that and work together on that, on national security. So I think he clicked off a number of things that we should have broadside bipartisan support on," Curtis said on KSL Newsradio. Curtis said he believes if Trump and the Democratic party didn't have a history, "it would be hard to disagree with anything he said. But the history, of the symbolism built into the wall, and the divisiveness, I think makes it very hard for them to put that aside." Like Stewart, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, also told Matheson that he was shocked at some of Democrats' reactions to parts of the speech. "It was nothing short of stunning that nearly every Democrat in the entire chamber sat silent with their arms locked, many of them wearing white, refusing to applaud, much less stand, when the president said something as non-controversial as, 'Let's not kill babies after they're born,'" Lee said on KSL Newsradio. Lee called the speech "great" and added that Trump "did an outstanding job." He said he was thrilled by Trump's mention of the First Step Act, a criminal justice reform bill Lee has worked on during his time in the Senate. "It was a surreal moment, and it was very gratifying," Lee said. Bishop, on KSL Newsradio, also praised Trump's address, calling it "one of his better speeches." He said "even cynical members of Congress" were "moved to tears" by the people Trump introduced. "He threw a lot of stuff out there for which people can get together and, I hope, unify," Bishop said. Bishop added that he believes the most powerful moment of the evening was when Trump said the country will not accept socialism. "It appears that while many within the congressional audience were receptive, some remained entrenched. I hope the cooperative attitude of his speech spreads to all," Bishop said in a prepared statement. "Like every president before, President Trump has outlined his vision for the next year. Much of which is within our grasp if we simply work together to achieve. I am ready. Thank you." Contributing: Ashley Imlay SALT LAKE CITY Lawmakers on Tuesday narrowly shot down an attempt by a Utah Democrat to repeal provisions of state code that render local idle-free ordinances virtually toothless. Rep. Patrice Arent, D-Millcreek, sponsored HB148, a bill that would amend a law the Utah Legislature created in 2012 that targeted Salt Lake City's newly passed law that made it illegal to leave a car idling for more than two minutes. At the time, Arent opposed the bill saying the Legislature shouldn't micromanage cities. Tuesday, Arent made that case again with support from local mayors, city council members and other business organizations. But her efforts came up short when the House Government Operations Committee had a split vote, 5-5, on whether the bill would advance to the House floor, effectively killing it for now. Arent's bill would have repealed language in Utah's law that mandates certain requirements cities must follow if they pass anti-idle ordinances. Those requirements include that a person must be issued at least three warnings before getting fined. That provision, Arent said, renders idle-free ordinances "unenforceable" and acts as a roadblock to city governments that are serious about making an impact on the Wasatch Front's poor air quality. "Having this be enforceable will make a big difference," Arent said. She noted that warnings are currently "impossible" to track in law enforcement systems, and so the required three-warning rule makes any city's idle-free ordinance practically a joke to any citizen who knows the law. "A ticket you can track; a warning you can't track," she said. "That's the problem." Millcreek Mayor Jeff Silvestrini said his city, though he's supportive of an anti-idle ordinance, hasn't taken the steps to pass one yet because he knows it would be "just an impossible thing to enforce" because of the three-warning rule. "It's time to get a little tougher on that," he said. Salt Lake City, South Salt Lake, Holladay, Cottonwood Heights, Murray, Sandy, Park City and Logan have all passed anti-idle ordinances. Sandy City Councilman Zach Robinson said he and his community takes pride in the anti-idle ordinance but acknowledges its downsides. "People know they can't essentially get a ticket because of the way the law is written right now," Robinson said. Representatives from the Utah League of Cities and Towns, the Utah Restaurant Association and the Utah Bankers Association all spoke in support of the bill after working with Arent on its drafting. But still, lawmakers along Republican lines were reluctant to leave the law completely in the hands of cities. The committee's chairman, Rep. John Knotwell, R-Herriman, grilled Arent on the law, raising concerns about whether loosening the three-warning rule would be fair to motorists, whether signs would be required to inform residents of the law, and how motorists could expect uniformity across city lines. Arent argued it would be up to cities, like it already is with many local laws, to address those issues. Even though her arguments found favor with some lawmakers, including some Republicans, the vote fell short. SALT LAKE CITY Stepping outside of a classroom has a bigger impact than discussions inside, according to Emily Gonzalez, Latinos in Action adviser at Alta High School. "For students to be able to see where they can be is huge," Gonzalez said. High school students from around Utah gathered at the state Capitol on Tuesday for an event designed to help them develop leadership skills, be engaged in their communities and get higher education. Gov. Gary Herbert came to speak to the students. "It's important what we do here in this 45-day session, and it's equally important that you're here to be a part of it and for us to be able to recognize you and the contribution that you make to our great state," Herbert said. He also spoke about the importance of higher education and taking advantage of opportunities. "The odds of you moving up the economic ladder in Utah are the best in America," Herbert said. He encouraged the students to set goals and envision what they are going to do with their higher education. "When the governor comes they are excited to know that (he) took time out to be with our youth to let them know that they are valued and that they are important and they are respected. I think that is huge," said Jackie Thompson, a member of the Multicultural Commission. Anderson Da Silva Leguizamon received an award for excellence in education at the event. He said some of the efforts he was recognized for included participating in organizations at school including Latinos in Action, ballroom dance and groups designed to help other students. "I would definitely encourage (multicultural students) to get their grades up in school and get involved. The more you get involved the more opportunities will come," Leguizamon said. He said minorities may have a disadvantage at times, but there are many good programs available to help minimize it if they seek them out. Gonzalez agreed, saying she learned from the event that there are more ways she can involve and support her students. "I think there's always something that you can gain just from having that human-to-human connection and hearing about people's journeys, it's huge," Gonzalez said. Comparing it to getting "Hamilton" tickets, Thompson said the event is very popular and the 220 spots are taken quickly each year. However, she said it is important for the students to be at the Capitol. "Every year I don't think it can get better, but it does," Thompson said. CEDAR CITY The Iron County Board of Education voted Tuesday to change Cedar High School's controversial Redmen mascot. The change was approved with a 3-2 vote to "respectfully retire" the mascot at the end of this school year, according to a news release from the school district. School board officials said the change followed the recommendation of a community committee that reviewed the mascot. "This has been a challenging yet crucial process to evaluate an issue that the school district has been looking at for decades. Each board member spent a great deal of time reviewing the recommendations made by the committee and conducting our own research and follow up with groups and individuals," Iron County School Board President Stephen Allen said in the release. "In the end, the board was split, which shouldn't be surprising since the community has been split on this issue. An important consideration for the board was the safety and well-being of every student," Allen added. The school board will form a "transition team" made up of school alumni, students, faculty, tribal and community members, according to the release. That team will be involved in choosing a new name. The school has used the Redmen mascot since the early 1940s. SALT LAKE CITY Under the current Utah Constitution slavery is only almost illegal it is still allowed as a form of punishment for a crime. Now Rep. Sandra Hollins, D-Salt Lake City, has proposed a resolution to take the word "slavery" out of the state's constitution completely. The resolution, HJR8, was heard Tuesday in the House Judiciary Standing Committee. It received a unanimous favorable response from the committee, which prompted a standing ovation from many at the meeting. Pastor France Davis of Calvary Baptist Church was one of many present to speak in favor of the resolution. "Our constitution was designed to be a changing document and now is the time, it seems to me, that is right for us to make this change in the language and to remove slavery from a part of our constitution," Davis said. Hollins said the language was added to the U.S. Constitution, the Utah Constitution and constitutions for many other states because of a labor shortage. The clause allowed leasing convicts out to businesses to help fill the shortage. She said the change would not stop work programs in Utah's prisons. "My intent is not to stop prisoners from working I'm a social worker and I work with a lot of individuals who have been in and out of incarceration and I know that work requirements is a part of rehabilitation," Hollins said. Scott Howell, former minority leader in the Utah Senate, spoke in favor of the change. He said he wishes he had known about the issue and done something about it while he was in office. "Words do matter, the word slavery, the connotation that (the word) brings with it, it just doesn't fit what we try to project here," Howell said. Many of the representatives on the committee spoke in support of the resolution and commended Hollins for beginning the process of changing this part of Utah's Constitution. During public comment many people spoke and stood in favor of the resolution. "I'm a descendent of slaves. The word slavery belongs nowhere in any policy or law or document in the state of Utah it's time that we erase that and any other racist monument in the state," said Lex Scott, leader of the Black Lives Matter group in Utah. Rep. Lowry Snow, R-Santa Clara, said this is the start of a historical event for Utah. He challenged educators in the state to teach about this issue and urged Utah's congressional delegation to discuss the issue nationally. "It's time that we fix this in our United States Constitution as well and I would love for our Utah delegation to use your example to move forward on that," Snow said. SALT LAKE CITY The debate over whether to replace voter-approved Proposition 3 Medicaid expansion with a plan that at least initially costs more and covers fewer Utahns appears to be headed for changes in the House. A day after the Senate gave final passage to SB96, House Speaker Brad Wilson, R-Kaysville, met with the bill's House sponsor, Rep. Jim Dunnigan, R-Taylorsville, and the sponsor of an alternative proposal, Rep. Ray Ward, R-Bountiful. There was new talk Tuesday that the bills could be combined in the House, possibly allowing the Medicaid expansion passed by voters last November to take effect while waiting for federal approval for a more limited program. "All options are on the table," House Majority Whip Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, told the Deseret News. "We can argue different ways of how to get there, but most important is, lets find the bridge." Neither Dunnigan nor Ward were willing to discuss the meeting. "Some meetings are good. Some meetings are not good," Dunnigan said, deferring other questions about any potential changes to SB96 in the House to the Republican leadership. Ward said only that he did not expect a hearing on his bill, HB210. Last week, House Majority Leader Francis Gibson, R-Mapleton, told the Deseret News that Ward's bill would not advance and that he anticipated getting SB96 through the House and on Gov. Gary Herbert's desk by Friday. SB96 is set to be heard by the House Business and Labor Committee Wednesday at 2 p.m. House Republicans are expected to discuss Medicaid expansion during their Thursday caucus, which is likely to be closed to the press and the public. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Allen Christensen, R-North Ogden, replaces full Medicaid expansion that provides coverage to Utahns earning up to 138 percent of the approximately $12,000 federal poverty rate first with a "bridge" program. That program would limit Medicaid coverage to Utahns earning 100 percent of the poverty rate. Those earning 100 percent to 138 percent of that rate would have to purchase federally subsidized insurance policies. The bill anticipates permission to start that program April 1, at a 70 percent to 30 percent federal to state funding match, which approval is sought for long-term coverage at the same 90-to-10 match available for full Medicaid expansion. Ward's bill, HB210, basically puts in place Proposition 3 while going after federal waivers to receive the higher federal funding match to cover only Utahns earning up to 100 percent of poverty. "We have to pass something that forces the waivers with the federal government," Schultz said. "But we also have to have a fallback position because what if the federal government doesnt. Everything is talking about the bridge." The price tag to taxpayers for what could be up to an 18-month bridge program in SB96 was dropped from $72 million to $49 million in a last-minute adjustment to the fiscal note put together by legislative analysts. But that's still more than the cost of the full Medicaid expansion available under the Affordable Care Act, which also does not require waivers from the federal government to implement. Similar waivers requested by Utah and other states have not been granted. Schultz said while there's a high level of confidence this time will be different, the question is, "What happens if we dont get the waivers? That's where all the discussion is right now. You have Ray Wards bill. You have the Senates bill." Former Republican state Sen. Brian Shiozawa, who now works for the Trump administration as a regional director in the Denver office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is meeting with Utah officials this week and next. Shiozawa, who four years ago carried the governor's "Healthy Utah" alternative to Medicaid expansion that passed the Senate but failed in the House, is expected to attend the Senate GOP caucus on Feb. 14. He also has a meeting this Thursday with Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox. Senate Republicans are waiting to see what changes the House makes to SB96. "They gotta do what they gotta do to get the votes," Senate Majority Whip Dan Hemmert, R-Orem, said. He said he did not believe starting with full Medicaid expansion was as good as the bridge program in SB96. "Our fear is, you can't put someone on with full Medicaid expansion and pull them off," he said. "To have them come over and say, six months later, nine months later, 'Oh, by the way, you've' got to go back.' That's much more disruptive." Asked how such a proposal might fare in the Senate, Hemmert said the GOP supermajority "hasn't done any sort of vote-counting on this side for any new Medicaid ideas." Those ideas could also include removing a provision added to SB96 just before Monday's 22-7 vote in the Senate that would repeal all Medicaid expansion if the necessary federal waivers aren't granted. Dunnigan had no comment on that provision. "I've got to look at the version of that bill that passed the Senate," he said. Schultz said he couldn't speak to that provision "at this point in time." Hemmert said the repeal provision was put in the bill to pressure the federal government to act on the waivers. "That's important for our negotiation position," he said. "That's why I think it's important that it is the way it is." CLEARFIELD Ten years ago this week, 18-year-old Cesar Ramirez was shot and killed while driving on I-15 in Salt Lake City. Inside his green Jeep Cherokee that now sits as evidence in a storage warehouse at the Freeport Center, it's as if time has stood still. The vehicle looks just as it did a decade ago when Ramirez was killed while sitting in the driver's seat. His CDs still hang from the visor. Random paperwork, such as the vehicle registration, sits on the passenger seat. Old ads clipped out of newspapers lay in the center console. Shards of glass cover the floor mats from both the front and rear passenger windows on the driver's side that were shot out. Even the coverall presumably used by a first responder or a crime scene technician collecting DNA remains on the driver's seat. On Tuesday, the State Bureau of Investigation allowed the media to photograph Ramirez's car as well as the vehicle his alleged shooters were driving, while announcing a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrests of those involved. "We're just hoping now that someone will give us information they maybe didn't want to give us before. We're just trying to do anything we can to solve the case completely," said State Bureau of Investigation detective Scott Nesbitt. On Jan. 9, 2009, Ramirez and his passenger, his brother, got into a verbal altercation with people inside another car at the intersection of 900 South and West Temple. It was a chance meeting between rival gang members, Nesbitt said. "It started with an altercation on the west side of Salt Lake City earlier. Some gang signs were flashed, a beer bottle was thrown. Then the victims drove up onto the freeway with the suspects following them," he said. "Just based on the circumstances, we believe that it was a just a chance encounter. They saw each other wearing opposite colors." Fifteen minutes later, on the I-15 southbound collector near 2100 South, during rush hour traffic about 5:30 p.m., a Nissan Maxima with three people inside pulled up next to Ramirez's Jeep on the driver's side, and an unknown number of people shot at the Cherokee. Ramirez managed to pull over after being struck and was taken to a local hospital where he later died. Initially, those involved told investigators it was a case of road rage. But law enforcers later determined the shooting was the result of a gang dispute. Matthew James Day, 33, of West Point, the driver of the Nissan, was later arrested and convicted of manslaughter, a second-degree felony. Based on minimum-mandatory sentencing guidelines then, Day was sentenced to at least two and up to 20 years at the Utah State Prison. He is currently being housed in the Cache County Jail, according to prison records. Nesbitt said investigators don't know if Day fired any shots. But based on his statements, he is believed to be the driver. Two other people were believed to be in the Maxima with him that day. Today, a decade later, Nesbitt said Day still won't give up the names of his associates. Now, the state is hoping someone else who was afraid to speak before will come forward and talk. Anyone with information on the case can call the State Bureau of Investigation at 801-965-4747. Its unclear how the former Taneytown police chief obtained two machine guns he is charged with illegally possessing and transferring, but the fully automatic firearms in question are far easier for a law enforcement official to purchase for their department than they would be for a member of the public to legally obtain, a local machine gun dealer and former federal agent told the Times. SALT LAKE CITY After debate over a bill that would loosen requirements that legal notices be published in local newspapers turned into a debate about its impact on small-town newspapers, the bill was narrowly voted down in the Utah House Monday. Rep. Kim Coleman, R-West Jordan, sponsored the bill, HB69, arguing legal notices can be costly and ineffective, especially if legal parties can be individually notified rather than through a newspaper. She argued entities that are required to post legal notices shouldn't be required by law to pay for the advertising "real estate" in newspapers if they are able to notify impacted parties in person or by certified mail. The law would not impact public notices, only legal notices. But Rep. Merrill Nelson, R-Grantsville, spoke against the bill, arguing that "small-town" local newspapers rely on notice revenue. "This is an unnecessary provision that appears to do more harm than good, especially to the small rural communities who are affected by and really live by their local newspapers," Nelson said. He also said the bill appeared "to be a first step in an effort to remove all publication notices" something he said lawmakers should resist. "We look at the legal notice section because those are notices of public interest to everyone in the community, not just a handpicked few," he said. A narrow majority of House lawmakers didn't like Coleman's bill. It was shot down with a 35-39 vote. SALT LAKE CITY An effort by a Layton lawmaker to establish a demonstration project to upgrade a few of the dirtiest diesel railroad freight switchers gained preliminary approval Tuesday after a unanimous committee vote. The House Natural Resources, Agricultural and Environmental Committee unanimously gave a thumbs up to HB98, sponsored by Rep. Steve Handy, R-Utah. Handy's bill carries a one-time general fund appropriation of $2.1 million, covering 35 percent of the costs to upgrade or improve three of the six dirtiest diesel freight switchers, which move railroad cars around. About 63 of the freight switchers exist in a trio of railroad yards along the Wasatch Front, including Salt Lake City and Ogden both nonattainment areas for federal Clean Air standards for PM2.5. Union Pacific would pick up 25 percent of the costs of the project, while 45 percent of the costs are eligible for a federal grant reimbursement. Glade Sowards, with the Utah Division of Air Quality, said six of the those freight switchers are "Tier Zero" and are model years in a range from 1973 to 2001. Although there are newer standards, the equipment can be remanufactured to fall under that lower standard, which are governed strictly by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Sowards said what would help Utah is to get those older freight switchers phased out, with encouragement offered by states to the EPA. "We don't have authority to make new standards for these freight switchers." Such an evolution in standards would result in an 89 percent reduction per unit in nitrogen oxides and an 88 percent reduction in PM2.5, he said. With the demonstration project, the removal cost per ton of emissions is about $9,500, which Sowards says falls within feasible industry costs. The money would come from the $100 million in one-time money Utah Gov. Gary Herbert has recommended for pollution busting programs. Ashley Miller, policy director for Breathe Utah and vice chairwoman of the Utah Air Quality Board, said the board endorsed Handy's bill as well as a corresponding HCR03, encouraging EPA to put its weight behind stricter emission standards. Nathan Anderson with Union Pacific said the change out involves repowering the internal mechanisms of old freight switchers with new equipment, but with an old shell. Rep. Keven Stratton, R-Orem, wondered aloud at a company with record profits not pursuing upgrades on its own and said he disliked the idea of encouraging tougher regulations from the EPA. He voted for the demonstration project bill, but he and two other committee members voted against Handy's resolution. One woman who came to testify urged passage of the freight switcher measure, noting the state provides financial incentives to private companies frequently, including the film industry. WEST VALLEY CITY A 15-year-old boy suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head inside a West Valley home Tuesday morning and another boy was arrested in connection to the shooting. Police were called to a house, 1347 W. 2320 South, about 12:45 p.m. Marquez Grajeda, who did not live at the house, was shot in a bedroom inside the home, West Valley police spokeswoman Roxeanne Vainuku said. A 14-year-old boy was arrested Tuesday evening for investigation of criminal homicide, West Valley police said on Twitter. "It is suspected at this time that the shooting was not intentional," police said. Few details were released as police collected evidence. Vainuku said everyone believed to be involved in the incident were accounted for and said there were no outstanding suspects. "There were multiple people inside the room at the time of the shooting. We are interviewing them as well as authoring a search warrant for evidence at this time," according to police. Police did not initially know where the gun came from. There were several adults and juveniles in the house at the time of the shooting, Vainuku said. Police believe others may have witnessed the incident. Correction: In an earlier version, West Valley police said a 14-year-old boy was booked for investigation of negligent homicide in connection with the fatal shooting. The agency later clarified he is under investigation for criminal homicide. PROVO Its been called the show no one asked for and all of Utah deserves and a type of cringe I never knew I needed," and it all began as a joke between BYU students Colin Ross, Remington Butler and their friends last fall. Me and Colin were joking with some people in our complex, Butler told the Deseret News, and we were talking about how he kind of looks like one of the contestants from one of the old seasons of 'The Bachelorette.' The group talked about what it would be like to create their own parody of ABCs hit reality show The Bachelor and joked about filming 20-year-old Ross going on dates. Soon after, and without Rosss knowledge, Butler made a flyer with Rosss picture and instructions on how to apply to be on The Bachelor of Provo. He came home with a stack of like 500 flyers, and I was like, OK, this is real,' Ross said. Butler and his friends distributed the flyers at freshman dorms and a few other places across the Brigham Young University campus with the hopes that theyd get a handful of applicants. According to Butler, they received close to 200 responses. We were very surprised, Butler said. We were like, Alright, well, lets see where this goes, and I guess see if we can get Colin a girlfriend.' The Bachelor of Provo premiered on YouTube on Jan. 11 and follows Ross as he dates 22 young women living in the Utah County area in the hopes of finding the one or at least someone pretty close. Like ABCs The Bachelor, The Bachelor of Provo includes group dates, individual dates, rose ceremonies and eliminations, but unlike The Bachelor, theres less drama, no fantasy suite and no consistent release schedule for now, as producers have to juggle the schedules of nearly three dozen volunteers and participants to make the show happen. Its also not likely that there will be a proposal at the end. 'Its really exploded' The goal is to have fun and maybe get a girlfriend, Ross said. I dont think Ill get married because of this. There arent many rules for The Bachelor of Provo cast to follow for example, Ross and the girls can see each other off set and date other people if they want to and the show is not scripted. According to contestants McKenna Wright, 23, and Annali Crandall, 19, the female participants are instead given prompts by producers and come up with their own ideas of what to say to make each episode more interesting, including lighthearted taunts. Its like nice, playful drama, Crandall said. None of it is actually being rude at another girl. Since its premiere, the show has gotten over 130,000 views and become a bit of a cultural phenomenon at BYU and beyond, inspiring Bachelor of Provo recap videos, parodies and watch parties. Local businesses have also been quick to offer support and sponsor dates for the show. We never thought it would be this big, maybe 1,000 or 2,000 views, Ross said. Its really exploded. The creators of the show call it the cringe felt 'round the world, and most social media users agree: it is awkward. Ive seen a lot of cringey shows in my life, and The Bachelor of Provo is right up there with the worst of them. chipper (@chipcott) January 15, 2019 I refuse to believe that Bachelor of Provo is legit. It's just bad acting, right?? Tyler Staten (@tyler_staten) January 16, 2019 Bachelor of Provo is the most awkward thing Ive ever seen. I cant stop watching. Anyone else seen this?! #bachelorofprovo #Trainwreck Sean Moysh (@moysh13) January 16, 2019 The third worst part of Bachelor of Provo is that it exists, the second worst part is Collins RM open-mouth smile and speaking cadence, and the worst part is that Im watching it. Angles Landing (@sthmrrll) January 17, 2019 Ross admits that hes not very outgoing or comfortable on-screen, which sometimes comes across in the filming. Still, that awkwardness and discomfort are part of the charm for many viewers. Show fan Jared Hansen, a PhD student at the University of Oregon, said that for him and his wife the show is a fun to escape back to what it was like being in the Provo dating scene so many years ago. It's just so funny to us to witness their awkward flirting, made even more painful to watch because they're adjusting to the cameras, he said. Alli Kenck, another fan of the show, considers it a train wreck that she cant look away from. The BYU dating scene is mocked all the time, and I feel like this show is mocking it, but also doing something about it. I would love for it to be successful and become a typical thing, she said. Cringe-worthy Others arent so keen on The Bachelor of Provo. Common critiques of the show are that its too cringe-worthy to be good and reinforces negative stereotypes about the dating culture in Provo and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' young single adult wards. I dont really care for recreating a show based on the idea of a proposal at the end in a culture that is well-known for fast, ill-planned proposals and marriages," said show viewer Ashley Leiva, a student at Utah Valley University. "Not that I think Colin will actually get engaged at the end, but I think with this group of young people its dangerous to put them in that position and mindset. Although shes heard several comments similar to Leivas, Crandall said shes not ready to get married and the show isnt really about that anyway. Its just trying to get know someone, Crandall said. Were not looking for the eternal companion. Wright agrees, adding that the show was never meant to be commentary on dating but something fun to watch. For those people who are like, Oh, it could be more professional, or it could be done better, we know that. We went into it to explore and figure it out together, and its been really rewarding in terms of relationships and experiences. 'Its whatever you want it to be' The Bachelor of Provo team has largely embraced the shows reputation for being awkward, but the question still remains: How seriously should viewers take this show? According to Butler and Carson Bown, co-director and filmmaker for the show, their crew is serious about getting Ross a girlfriend and serious about putting the show together, but the show itself is mostly for fun. In my opinion, its whatever you want it to be, Bown said. If you want it to be serious, take it seriously. If you want to just laugh at it, then yeah. Were laughing it at it too. Crandall said that while some of the girls on the show are just there to have fun, others have real interest in Ross, including herself. I honestly think Im into him, Crandall said. At this point Im trying to stay on the show just because I want to get him know him better, and I want to see if hes actually interested. Ross thinks it could go somewhere with some of the contestants, too. Honestly, theyre all great girls, Ross said. There definitely are a few, though, that Ive had my eye on. The third episode of The Bachelor of Provo is set to release on Feb. 13. Due to the success of the The Bachelor of Provo, Butler and Bown have begun planning The Bachelorette of Provo, which will follow a format similar to the current show and is scheduled to start filming this summer. Information and updates can be found on the shows Instagram account. Dating isn't the only thing on the show's creators' minds. In addition to "The Bachelorette of Provo,'" Bowns team is also working on future projects, including work with a charity to raise money for a family in need. When we started, we didnt think (the show) was really going to take off," Bown said, "but we thought, Hey, it will hopefully open up other doors for us, other projects we want to work on.' And for the bachelor himself, the experience, while at times even more awkward for him than for the show's viewers, is one Ross is committed to. "Its definitely way bigger than I thought ever," he said. "Its just funny to see how people are responding to it lots of good stuff, lots of bad stuff. Were not getting bummed out by the mean comments. Were just going to keep going with it no matter what. Were kind of too far in right now to stop." SALT LAKE CITY Stephen Colbert gave Utahs Deer Valley Resort a shoutout this week on The Late Show. Colbert presented a news story about actress Gwyneth Paltrow and how she is being sued for $3.1 million by a fellow Utah skier, who claims she knocked him out while on the slopes, according to the Deseret News. Terry Sanderson announced a lawsuit against Paltrow, Deer Valley Resort and ski instructor Eric Christiansen. He's seeking $3.1 million from the actress, saying she plowed into him and caused a severe brain injury and then skied away without saying a word, according to the Deseret News. In the clip, which you can watch below, Colbert describes Deer Valley. "They have the best service of all the ski resorts," he said. "It's absolute paradise. Try the turkey chili." He mentions the different ski runs, calling them "tricky." He also mentions his recommendations for food and ski spots. Note: The clip contains mentions of alcohol and some mature language. Flashback: This reminds me of when Jimmy Fallon joked about a Utah news story about a 94-year-old Utah woman who still works at Arbys. SALT LAKE CITY A man arrested Tuesday in connection with a break-in at Salt Lake City Justice Court was cited for trespassing on the same day the court was vandalized, according to police. In fact, Salt Lake police believe that right after Benjamin Andrew Bandfield, 26, of Salt Lake City, was issued a citation for trespassing on Saturday, he walked around the corner and broke into the justice court building. How were detectives able to piece together the two incidents? Bandfield's citation that he was just issued was found inside the courthouse where the vandalism occurred, according to police. Bandfield was charged Monday with trespassing, a class B misdemeanor, in connection with the incident prior to the courthouse break-in. He is scheduled to be arraigned on that case on Feb. 19. Salt Lake police arrested Bandfield Tuesday and booked him into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of criminal mischief and burglary, in addition to failing to register as a sex offender and two counts of failing to maintain a sex offender ID card. Monday morning, employees at the Salt Lake City Justice Court, 333 S. 200 East, arrived at work to discover someone had broken into the building. Bandfield entered the courthouse "by force through the front door," a police affidavit states. Two lobby areas, one on the first floor and one on the second floor, were vandalized according to police. There was damage to furniture and ceiling tiles totaling about $5,000. The intruder did not make it to the area where sensitive court filings are held, police said. After reviewing video from security surveillance cameras, police announced they were looking for Bandfield. Bandfield was arrested Jan. 26 for investigation of assault and criminal mischief, according to a Salt Lake County Jail report. Utah Highway Patrol troopers in the area as part of Operation Rio Grande were called to the homeless shelter at 235 S. 500 West on a call of a man fighting security staff. Bandfield punched a guard in the nose, the report states. He was given a pre-file release from jail on Jan. 30. In 2009, Bandfield was convicted of attempted forcible sex abuse, a third-degree felony, according to court records. He was sentenced to up to five years in the Utah State Prison. In 2013, Bandfield was convicted of assault by a prisoner for kicking a corrections officer at the prison, knocking some of his teeth loose, according to charging documents. SALT LAKE CITY As the latest winter storm hit Utah Tuesday, icy and snowy conditions created dangerous conditions for travelers and first responders. The Utah Highway Patrol responded to 149 crashes as of 8:30 p.m. Among Tuesday's crashes was a fatal collision on state Route 91 in Richmond. The crash occurred when a Subaru Forester was northbound about 12:40 p.m. The driver lost control on the snow-covered road and was unable to stop at an intersection, UHP Sgt. Nick Street said. The car came into the path of a semitrailer, which T-boned it. Phyllis B. Belles, 70, of Logan, was ejected from the Subaru and died on scene, troopers said. The driver of the car, Belles' granddaughter, was taken to a hospital with critical injuries, Street said. Neither Belles nor her granddaughter, who was driving, were wearing seat belts at the time and the rear tires on the car were "smooth and showing cords," according to the UHP. In a separate crash Tuesday, a Rich County sheriff's deputy suffered injuries that weren't considered life-threatening after being hit by a semitractor-trailer that slid out of control in snowy conditions about 10:30 a.m. The deputy was at the scene because another semi had slid off state Route 30 when the second truck lost control and crashed into the deputy's vehicle, according to the UHP. "Due to slick roads and speeds too fast for those conditions, a semi rolled in Laketown Canyon. A UHP trooper responded and was investigating. A Rich County deputy was positioned just east of the crash location at a runaway truck ramp. Another westbound semi lost control coming down the grade and struck the deputy while outside of his patrol truck," according to a statement from the UHP. The semi crashed into nearby rocks. The deputy was taken to Logan Regional Hospital. The semitrailer driver suffered minor injuries, according to UHP. Troopers were forced to shut down various freeways Tuesday as the giant winter storm made its way through Utah, bringing heavy snow and blizzard conditions. Just after noon, southbound I-15 was closed through Box Elder County due to multiple crashes. "We've had to shut down I-15 at the Weber and Box Elder county line. Mile marker 351. Several semi-involved crashes in the area," the UHP tweeted at 12:45 p.m. Earlier in the day, northbound I-15 near Cedar City was closed due to 15 semitrailers that had slid off the road. SALT LAKE CITY Utah is home to more than 3,000 manufacturers that make everything from outdoor products to medical devices to food to clothing to equipment. But what is the coolest thing made in the Beehive State? Utahns will get a chance to weigh in during the Utah Manufacturers Associations Coolest Thing Made in Utah contest. Nominations will be accepted Monday, Feb. 11, through Thursday, Feb. 21. Products can be from any sector of the manufacturing industry. The company doesnt have to be headquartered in Utah, but the products must be made here. The coolest thing will be determined after four rounds of voting beginning Thursday, Feb. 28. The top 25 will be announced on Wednesday, March 6, the top 10 on Wednesday, March 13, and the final three on Wednesday, March 20. The winner will be announced at the associations expo on Wednesday, March 27. To submit a nomination, log on to coolestthingmadeinutah.com. A frog placed in an uncovered pot of water whose temperature gradually increases to boiling will remain in the pot until it dies. As our planet dangerously warms, I ask myself, Will we humans leap before we cook? I see promising signs that we will find our way out of the pot. Locally, Cottonwood Heights recently became the fourth city in Utah to commit to 100 percent clean electricity generation, joining Salt Lake City, Park City and Moab. Regionally, Idaho Gov. Brad Little announced that climate change is real and must be reversed. And on the national level, a group of economists, including the last four Federal Reserve chairmen, 15 former chairmen of the President's Council of Economic Advisors and 27 Nobel laureates, signed a statement supporting a carbon tax with dividends returned to the American people. Even Exxon Mobil is on board, offering $1 million to Americans for Carbon Dividends, an educational and advocacy group. So I take heart. We may be in hot water. But with minds like these, we just may take the leap we need. Marjorie McCloy Salt Lake City Trump asks for new tariff power in State of the Union. What do key Texans think? It was a packed house Saturday at the Delaware County Intermediate Unit for a discussion on education funding. Chris Freind is an independent columnist and commentator. His print column appears every Wednesday. He can be reached at CF@FFZMedia.com But I'm telling you: We do have a priority of our teachers being compensated, but we also see our teachers need to be compensated in the classroom, she said. We are dealing with a different type of child now and sometimes we are like a parent to them. Those teachers need help and I'm glad we put those [positions] in there because of the situation and the crisis in the elementary school system. We have cut for so many years; its time to step up, and we need to help those elementary teachers. featured crime Parents charged after toddler chewed on opioids in Upper Darby state of the union Scanlon invites victims of violence to State of Union County government Delco council to intervene in complaint against Mariner East 2 Editor of Town Talk, News & Press of Delaware County Call me wife, mom, daughter, granny, writer, neighbor, sister, aunt, editor, Godmother, niece, friend, acquaintance, co-worker, cousin, news junkie, diva, funmeister... call me them all, just call, text or e-mail me-- especially when there's "a scoop!" featured mariner east Delco moves to intervene in suit vs. Mariner East pipeline project Oxen said a lot of her job is working to teach the kids resilience and how to overcome obstacles in their life that are often there through no fault of their own. She runs a homework club twice a week, is in charge of the schools food pantry that is open on Thursdays and regularly is collecting clothes, shoes and jackets for students in need. The row over CBI has once again brought the Opposition together but it appears there is simmering tension within the grouping over how much it should go, prompting a section of the non-Congress parties to hold a meeting at NCP chief Sharad Pawar's residence. Soon after the joint Opposition meeting with the Election Commission on Monday, leaders like N Chandrababu Naidu of TDP, Arvind Kejriwal of AAP, Farooq Abdullah of National Conference and Trinamool Congress' Derek O'Brien drove to NCP chief Sharad Pawar's residence where they were also joined by Muslim League's P K Kunjalikutty and RSP's N K Premachandran. Parties like the RJD, BSP and Samajwadi Party were not part of this meeting. Sources said some of these parties felt that Congress and the Left were "not that enthusiastic" about supporting Trinamool Congress' fight against the CBI and that they needed to build the pressure. At the meeting, it was decided that they should convene a meeting again soon to take up the issue, as they were upset. A senior leader who participated in the meeting at Pawar's residence said he attended it with the impression that all parties, including Congress, would be there to brief the media about their interaction with the Election Commission over their demand on tallying 50% of the VVPATs with EVM count in the Lok Sabha elections. The briefing on the meeting with Election Commissioners was done outside the Election Commission office. The leaders also had a meeting before they drove to the Election Commission at senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad's office in Parliament where a section of the leaders, including Trinamool Congress' Derek O'Brien, wanted to discuss the West Bengal-CBI row. At one point, Pawar suggested that all Opposition Chief Ministers should hold a dharna in the national capital in solidarity with Banerjee but it was not received enthusiastically by Congress and CPI(M). But this did not find much traction in the meeting. CPI(M)'s T K Rangarajan made it clear that his party could not be part of such an initiative and he came with an understanding that the meeting was about EVMs. Azad also said it was a meeting of the floor leaders and not of party presidents, who are to take call on such issues. Sources said these developments had prompted a section of the parties to hold a separate meeting at Pawar's residence. For the Congress, its state unit's opposition to Trinamool Congress as well as taking it too far was not an option. They also wanted to wait for the Supreme Court's decision on Tuesday morning before escalating the issue while it also did not want to be seen as going against the victims of the scam, Moreover, the Bengal unit of the Congress also is organising a rally on Wednesday seeking justice for the victims of the chit-fund scams. The CPI(M), which is in direct contest with Trinamool Congress, was straight in attacking both the BJP and Mamata Banerjee-led party and its General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said "far from being isolated", they stood "vindicated" after the Supreme Court directed Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajiv Kumar to appear before CBI. He also said both BJP and Trinamool Congress stood exposed. Paris: France's yellow vest protest movement joined ranks with a major union, a first for both, in a day of nationwide protests over taxes and buying power that brought tens of thousands into the streets. Brief scuffles marked the mostly calm Paris demonstration on Tuesday. Police fired several rounds of tear gas, clearing troublemakers from the Place de la Concorde, which borders the US Embassy. Tear gas was also used in Lille and elsewhere. However, tension was minimal compared with the weekly protests held since mid-November by the yellow vest movement to demand fiscal and social justice in a major challenge to President Emmanuel Macron. As protesters marched, lawmakers in the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, voted 387-92 to pass a bill aimed at preventing violence during protests, and helping authorities maintain order. The bill would, for instance, authorize regional prefects to prevent people seen as a serious threat to public order from protesting, or force protesters involved in violence to pay for damage. The bill, which must go before the Senate, would also make it a crime for protesters to conceal their faces a common occurrence during Saturday protests by the yellow vest movement, by both those trying to offset the effects of tear gas and by troublemakers concealing their identities. Meanwhile, the Communist-backed CGT union marched from Paris City Hall to the Place de la Concorde side-by-side with protesters from the yellow vest movement, which takes its name from the safety vests they wear that are required in all cars. Union chief Philippe Martinez cheered the hand-in-hand protests with the yellow vests, promising daily initiatives and "something big" each Tuesday. He noted overlapping demands between his union and yellow vest protesters. "There's no reason why we shouldn't demonstrate next to each other or one behind another. What's important is that our first day together is a success, in the middle of the week," he said. "I find business leaders have it easy and it's time we hold big company bosses in this country accountable," Martinez said. The grassroots yellow vest movement has no anointed leader and an array of demands. However, increasing buying power and ending what they perceive as favoritism toward the powerful at the expense of the less fortunate are leading demands. The accused will be produced before the accountability court on January 7. (Representational Image) Islamabad: Pakistans National Accountability Bureau on Wednesday arrested ruling Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Aleem Khan a Punjab provincial minister in connection with offshore companies scandal. The anti-corruption watchdog had summoned Aleem Khan at Lahore office for interrogation. The investigation officials were reportedly not satisfied with the records provided by him. The accused will be produced before the accountability court on January 7. Abdul Aleem Khan has resigned as Punjab Minister for Local Governments and Community Develo-pment after his arrest. He has announced to face the case in the court. Washington: Kamala Harris, the first Indian-origin Senator and Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu lawmaker in the US Congress, the two 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, on Tuesday announced tour of four States which will hold the Democratic primaries early next year. Harris, 54, would travel to South Carolina, New Hampshire, Iowa and Nevada later this month, her campaign said. Daughter of an Indian-American from Tamil Nadu, Harris had formally launched her campaign late last month from her hometown of Oakland which was attended by an impressive 20,000 people. In less than an hour of her formal launch, she raised more than USD1.5 million. Tulsi Gabbard, 37, the Democratic colleague of Harris in the House of Representatives, who formally launched her campaign over the weekend would be in Iowa and Chicago this month, according to an announcement by her campaign. "In Chicago, Tulsi will be visiting faith and advocacy leaders from a spectrum of denominations and cultural backgrounds. In Iowa, Tulsi will be sitting down with community leaders including the Asian-American, Latino, and youth communities," a media release said. Both Gabbard and Harris have a wide support base in the Indian-American community, which constitutes just one per cent of the US population, but are known for their fund-raising capabilities. Indian-Americans can play a key role in some of the key early primary states if the contest is close. Harris, according to her campaign, would spend last two weeks in the four early primary States. Beginning with South Carolina, she will swing by New Hampshire (February 18-19), Iowa (February 23-24) and Nevada (February 28-March 1), according to an advisory released by her campaign. The 2020 presidential primaries would kick off on February 3 with Iowa Caucus. This would be followed by New Hampshire primary on February 11, Nevada Caucus on February 22 and South Carolina primary on February 29. The Super Tuesday is scheduled for March 3 which will have primaries in Alabama, California, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Virginia. Several of the other Democratic presidential candidates have also announced their intention to be in these early primary States this month. New Jersey Senator Cory Booker plans to be in Iowa, South Carolina and New Hampshire this month. New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has already made trips to Iowa and New Hampshire after announcing her presidential bid. She plans to be in South Carolina later this month. He will be produced before US Magistrate Judge Michael Hammer in Newark federal court (Representational Image) Washington: An Indian-American was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly submitting 11 fake H-1B visa applications and fraudulantly procuring his own citizenship, US Attorney Craig Carpenito said. Neeraj Sharma, 43, living in the Piscataway township of New Jersey, is charged by complaint with one count of visa fraud and one count of naturalization fraud, the attorney said. He will be produced before US Magistrate Judge Michael Hammer in Newark federal court. The visa and naturalisation fraud charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of USD 250,000. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, Sharma recruited foreign workers with purported IT expertise who sought work in the US. He is the owner and chief executive officer of Magnavision LLC, an information technology staffing and consulting company based in Somerset, New Jersey. When submitting the potential staffers' H-1B visa paperwork to US Citizenship and Immigrations Services, Sharma falsely represented that the foreign workers had full-time positions awaiting them at a national bank, a pre-requisite to securing their visas, federal prosecutors alleged. The H-1B program applies to employers seeking to hire non-immigrant aliens as workers in specialty occupations or as fashion models of distinguished merit and ability. In fact, Sharma had never secured work for the applicants and submitted phony letters to the USCIS on the bank's letterhead with forged signatures of bank executives, the complaint said, adding that he committed these crimes as an Indian citizen and as legal permanent resident. Boeing will be providing financial, engineering and industrial resources for the supersonic jets. Boeing announced a partnership with Aerion, a Reno, Nev.-based company pioneering next-generation supersonic aircraft. As part of the agreement, Boeing made a significant investment in Aerion to accelerate technology development and aircraft design, and unlock supersonic air travel for new markets. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Boeing will provide engineering, manufacturing and flight test resources, as well as strategic vertical content, to bring Aerion's AS2 supersonic business jet to market. The AS2 is designed to fly at speeds up to Mach 1.4 or approximately 1,000 miles per hour. With the ability to fly up to 70 percent faster than today's business jets, the AS2 will save approximately three hours on a transatlantic flight while meeting environmental performance requirements. The aircraft is slated for first flight in 2023. "Boeing is leading a mobility transformation that will safely and efficiently connect the world faster than ever before," said Steve Nordlund, vice president and general manager of Boeing NeXt. "This is a strategic and disciplined leading-edge investment in further maturing supersonic technology. Through this partnership that combines Aerion's supersonic expertise with Boeing's global industrial scale and commercial aviation experience, we have the right team to build the future of sustainable supersonic flight." Founded in 2003 to develop new, more efficient aerodynamic technologies for supersonic aircraft, Aerion introduced its AS2 12-passenger business jet design in 2014. The company unveiled the AS2's GE Affinity engine design in 2018. "Aerion is the industry leader mapping out a successful, sustainable return to supersonic flight," said Tom Vice, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Aerion. "The AS2 is the launch point for the future of regulatory-compliant and efficient supersonic flight. Together with Boeing, we're creating a faster, more connected future with tremendous possibilities for enhancing humanity's productivity and potential." Boeing NeXt works with industry partners and regulatory agencies to lead the responsible introduction of a new mobility ecosystem. The division's portfolio includes prototyping activities and programs that will shape the future of urban, regional and global mobility. These programs include autonomous air vehicles and passenger-carrying hypersonic aircraft. Boeing is the world's largest aerospace company, the leading manufacturer of commercial airplanes and defense, space and security systems, and a major provider of government and commercial aerospace services. America's top manufacturing exporter, Boeing supports airlines and US and allied government customers in more than 150 countries. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. WhatsApp has released a white-paper detailing the efforts they are taking to fight bulk messages and coordinated abuse. They state that in the run-up to the 2019 national election, they have made significant product changes and worked with partners across civil society to address the harmful consequences of misinformation. The effort involves three lines of efforts: Education and Empowerment of Users. The instant messaging behemoth starts off by talking about the forwarding label. They state that they have added a label that highlights when a user receives a message that has been forwarded to them. This helps people know when a message they have received was not created by the person who sent it. WhatsApp states that they always encourage users to think before sharing forwards. The next point touched upon is the education through its advertising campaigns. WhatsApp states that they launched a nationwide campaign called Share Joy, Not Rumors in over 10 languages across multiple formats including television, print, online, and radio to help prevent the spread of rumours and fake news. They will continue to expand the public education efforts leading up to the national elections in 2019. WhatsApp then speaks about improvements to its Groups feature. A number of changes to WhatsApp groups that empower users with new controls have been made. WhatsApp has launched a new setting that enables administrators to decide who can send messages within groups. This will help reduce the spread of unwanted messages, including hoaxes. They have also added protections so users cannot be repeatedly added to groups theyve left. WhatsApp highlights that option to exit a group with a single tap. They state that when a user is added to a group by someone who is not in their contact list, WhatsApp displays a notice asking if a user wants to report or exit the group. This helps people quickly report or leave a group they dont want to be in. An important feature that was first started in India and then rolled out globally was the forward limit. WhatsApp states that they set a limit on forwarding messages, making WhatsApp one of the few technology companies to intentionally constrain sharing. In India, that limit is currently just five chats at once. They have also removed the quick forward button next to media messages. This has had a significant impact on forwarding. Going forward WhatsApp will continue to explore new solutions to address the spread of viral information. WhatsApp has best-in-class spam detection technology that works around the clock to spot accounts engaging in abnormal behaviour so they cant be used to spread spam or misinformation. They also rely on user reports to take action against accounts sending automated unwanted messages. WhatsApp made several changes to its reporting functions within the app. Previously WhatsApp provided a function to Report Spam. Now, this function is called Report to encourage users to inform them about a range of potential issues they encounter on WhatsApp. In addition, WhatsApp now provides the option for people to keep reported messages on their phone if they want to share them with fact checkers or law enforcement officials. As part of establishing our operations in India, WhatsApp has identified a Grievance Officer who can be contacted directly if a user has a concern about their WhatsApp experience and is unable to report it through other channels. WhatsApp has awarded 20 independent research grants to help inform their product development and safety efforts going forward. WhatsApp is partnering with respected digital literacy NGOs and has developed a training curriculum that addresses safety and spotting rumours. They announced a partnership with the Digital Empowerment Foundation to train community leaders across 10 states in the lead up to the elections. WhatsApp provided the curriculum they developed to the Government of India, which in turn has made it available on their education portal. Users looking for help from fact-checking organizations can message Boom Live and Alt News, as well as the news consortium Ekta, which is piloting a fact-checking service for the Rajasthan election. WhatsApp is working with a number of fact-checking organizations to determine the best way to support this important work. In coordination with the Government of India, WhatsApp has provided training to law enforcement on how to use the platform as a resource in their community. Officials learned how to respond to citizens on WhatsApp and how to make legal requests of WhatsApp in the process of investigating a crime. WhatsApp facilitated political party training in the five Indian states with elections in 2018. They briefed them on our approach to safety and the importance of using WhatsApp responsibly. The training emphasizes that sending WhatsApp messages to users without their permission can lead to their accounts being banned. WhatsApp will expand this effort and work with the Election Commission of India in the lead up to the national election in 2019. WhatsApp has hired Abhijit Bose to lead WhatsApp India. Abhijit is the first country leader for WhatsApp and will grow a local team that can further develop relationships with civil society and respond to the Government of India on a timely basis. This team will include local legal, policy, and business teams that can work with Indian partners on common goals, such as increasing financial inclusion and digital literacy across India.by opening the Menu and choosing business settings to try all the newest features. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said on Tuesday that only secure technology could be installed to build Germanys 5G network, adding that clear rules applied to all providers. Chancellor Angela Merkel said earlier on Tuesday that Germany needed guarantees that Chinas Huawei Technologies would not hand over data to the Chinese state before the telecoms equipment supplier can participate in building its 5G network. Chinas Huawei Technologies faces international scrutiny over its ties with the Chinese government and suspicion that Beijing could use Huaweis technology for spying, which the company denies. The German government has yet to reach a common stance on whether to follow other countries in excluding Huawei from its market on national security grounds. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. In August 2015, the Modi government signalled the prospect of a settlement by initialling what it called a Framework Agreement with the Naga insurgents. (Photo: AP) For a while a Naga settlement seemed within the grasp of the Narendra Modi government. Had New Delhi and the Nagas seized the moment, the oldest insurgency in India would have come to a peaceful end with both sides satisfied with the outcome. There are several reasons why a settlement has not taken place despite a ceasefire agreement with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) lasting nearly 22 years. In August 2015, the Modi government signalled the prospect of a settlement by initialling what it called a Framework Agreement with the Naga insurgents. An ailing NSCN (I-M) chairman, Isak Chishi Swu, pulled himself out of his hospital bed to sign the agreement. Swu was a Sema, an important Naga tribe from Nagaland, while the general secretary of the NSCN (I-M), Thiungaleng Muivah, is a Thangkul Naga from adjoining Manipur. The framework agreement signed by both Swu and Muivah, therefore, demonstrated Naga unity across the Naga inhabited areas. Three broad parameters for detailed negotiations were set by this framework agreement One, that the Government of India recognises that the Naga situation and history is unique that is, the Naga settlement would not be predicated on what was done in other states or with other demands for autonomy. Two, that sovereignty would be defined by a clear sharing of powers between the Centre and the Naga people meaning that while the Naga people remained sovereign, the exercising of sovereignty demanded that the State, Union and Concurrent Lists of the Indian Constitution be redistributed. And three, that the two sides would seek a mutually acceptable and peacefully negotiated solution. From all accounts, these negotiations went off quite well and at no point did the dialogue break down. Essentially, the Naga settlement had two dimensions geographical and political. The former relates to a long-standing demand for the unification of all contiguous Naga areas across the Northeast. And the political dimension deals with defining the nature of the relationship that the Nagas wanted with India. The geographical issue seemed intractable because of its potential for upsetting the state boundaries of Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. However, the negotiators came up with a non-geographical solution keeping existing state boundaries intact. To address the Naga concern for preserving their identity and culture the final settlement is expected to propose the creation of elected Naga Autonomous Regional Territorial Councils in the states adjoining Nagaland which have a Naga population. They would have clearly defined financial powers and judicial powers over customary law. On the political front too, there was considerable progress. The sharing of competencies and the remit of the Nagaland government seems to have been clearly defined and expanded. These formulations included making the Nagaland Legislative Assembly bicameral and renaming it Tatar Hoho, delimiting the constituencies for the state and Central legislatures and enhancing the number of MPs from Nagaland and contiguous Naga areas in the Lok Sabha (seven seats) and the Rajya Sabha (five seats), creating a Naga cultural body called the Pan-Naga Hoho, setting up a high court in Nagaland and courts dealing with customary law, recognising the Naga identity in passports, and defining permanent residents of Nagaland as those resident in Nagaland on or before December 1, 1963 when the state was created and permitting only them to buy or sell property. Other concessions could include department of posts issuing stamps on Naga heroes, enforcing inner line permits to visit the Naga areas and granting the Nagas full ownership of all minerals on the ground and below where joint exploration and exploitation would require an agreement between the state and the Centre. Roads, teaching hospitals, universities, an IIT and an IIM are other items on the agenda that would make Indias peripheries strong. There may also be a proposal to rehabilitate the armed cadre of the NSCN (I-M) in creative ways. However, the symbolic issues remain intractable. The Nagas want to retain a separate flag and a separate Constitution. The latter would require a Constituent Assembly that would be a formidable task. A suggestion to resolve the issue is that the final negotiated agreement be incorporated as Special Naga Law in place of the Article 371A. Thus, the Naga Constitution would become part of the Indian Constitution. A positive approach on the flag question would be to allow a separate flag for the state or autonomous councils provided they flutter at a height lower than or equivalent to that of the national flag. These symbolic issues could perhaps be satisfactorily resolved in a larger meeting of all Naga groups. The Naga leadership the NSCN (I-M) and the Naga National Political Groups which have also been brought into the negotiations for a final settlement must clearly rethink politics as the art of the possible. Two decades is a long time in the life of a nation and a peaceful settlement cannot be left in a limbo for so long. They would do well to remember the Shakespearean adage: Striving to better, oft we mar whats well. But the BJP government at the Centre must also share some of the blame for the delay in the final settlement. Precious time was lost when it had the requisite legislative strength to convince Parliament of the need for a Naga settlement. The Opposition parties might well have supported the settlement if they were taken into confidence and the issue was not treated as partisan. Nor were the political leaders of the adjoining states, even when they had BJP governments in place, made aware of the broad contours of the Naga settlement. In the current short Budget Session of Parliament, nothing can be achieved even if the outstanding issues between the negotiators from both sides were to be sorted out. The time also does not seem propitious when the entire Northeast is on fire over the Citizenship Amendment Bill. At 84, Thuingaleng Muivah, general secretary of the NSCN (I-M), may have neither the energy nor the patience to take yet another master-class on the Naga quest for sovereignty with yet another set of negotiators appointed by a new government in New Delhi. I appreciate that we can talk about a child having anxiety and depression and not make it seem like it's a taboo thing or it's something that's wrong, she said. We can talk about them going to see a counselor the same as them going to see a doctor for a cold. That did not used to be that way, 14 years ago, for sure. Thoreau makes us think of people like St. Francis of Assisi, Gandhi, Florence Nightingale and Mother Teresa people who, through the nobility of their live and deep humanism, made an impact on their world. (Photo: AFP) To love is to recognise yourself in another. Eckhart Tolle Henry Thoreau, the 19th century writer, naturalist and philosopher, believed that great art is not restricted to painting, music, sculpture and writing; instead still greater is the art that affects the quality of life of people. There is an art of bringing hope to the world of despair. Thoreau makes us think of people like St. Francis of Assisi, Gandhi, Florence Nightingale and Mother Teresa people who, through the nobility of their live and deep humanism, made an impact on their world. There are countless people who contribute to improving others quality of life and whose small deeds of kindness instil courage and hope for those in anguish. To love someone says Fyodor Dostoevsky, means to see him as God intended him. There is no end to the number of such wonderful artists. There are countless obscure, good people who quietly affect the lives of those about them without even being aware they are doing it, winning no commendation, expecting none. They may say little, if anything. But the shining quality of goodness radiates from them, and where there was dark, there is now light, or the beginning of light; where there was cowardice there is courage; where there was listlessness there is love of life. These friends or wonderful strangers we may meet at a picnic, in a lifeboat, in a hospital waiting-room humble and unaware, they carry with them the kindness and generosity of their lives. These, according to Thoreau, are the greatest artists, for they practice the highest of the arts the art of life itself. We all have a wonderful gift which we alone can give. It may be a heartfelt smile to people around us, our family, our colleagues or showing just a little kindness to those who come our way. Dont we all want a reason for being born, and a way that is worthwhile to spend our time on this earth? There is no second chance. Now is the time. It may be kindness shown to a frustrated youth, help to a poor and hungry soul, consolation to an aggrieved man, love and affection to an orphan child, or medical aid to a serious patient. These small acts leave them refreshed, strengthened and comforted. One of the greatest tragedies of modern man is the alienation and abandonment that haunt him. This is an ailment which no hospital can treat, no medicine can heal, no surgery can cure; neither the ancient wisdom of the East nor the modern science of the West has an answer for this. Kindness and love are not about giving away money or buying expensive gifts, although it is necessary to do these things on certain occasions. When you give of your possessions, you give little. When you give of yourself, you give all. A sympathetic ear, a smile or helping hands in times of distress are all what most people need to receive and to give. To use the beautiful message of the United Nations high commissioner for refugees: All the state subsidies in the world will never be able to replace the warmth of assistance rendered by one individual, one human being to another Without the individual who offers bread to the hungry, who cares for the sick, who brings help to the refuges, all assistance is devoid of soul. Pakistans decision to hold its propagandistic Kashmir Day programme in London this year is a sign of desperation on the part of the Imran Khan government to do something, rather than do something that counts. In an empty ritual to rally the faithful, Pakistan observes February 5 as Kashmir Day every year. But no one now really bothers with it either in the Kashmir Valley or for that matter in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. There was a time in the late 1980s and early 1990s when Pakistan would try and hold a so-called peoples march to the Line of Control. Over the years, however, such stunts have lost steam, with New Delhi regaining the confidence of the people of Kashmir in considerable measure. Unfortunately, in recent times, the political situation in the Valley has turned fragile with the inept policies of the Central government, which have amounted to placing exclusive reliance on the security vector to the exclusion of political action. This has led to deep-going dissatisfaction among the ordinary people of Kashmir, allowing Islamabad to revert to its old ways of trying to meddle with public sentiment in the Valley. Thus, Pakistans foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has spoken telephonically with prominent Hurriyat leaders Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Syed Ali Shah Geelani in recent days, urging them to participate in the London conference on Kashmir on February 5, which was being organised with Islamabads encouragement. Of course, there was no question that the Hurriyat leaders would travel to Britain, and that could not have been Pakistans expectation either. Mr Qureshis sole purpose was to internationalise the Kashmir issue by holding the conference at a venue in Britains Parliament complex with the help of a clutch of British MPs, among them some of Pakistani origin. Expectedly, New Delhi lodged a strong protest with the British government about the convening of such a forum in the precincts of the Palace of Westminister. London came up with a stock response that no one from the British government was participating in the event, which was being conducted at private initiative. The Pakistan foreign minister was himself in the British capital in his private capacity and had no official engagements. New Delhi also issued a demarche to the Pakistan high commissioner in New Delhi, asking that Islamabad not interfere in Indias domestic affairs. All this is pretty much old hat. The only way to effectively tell Islamabad where it gets off is by winning over the people of Kashmir and bringing them into a dialogue process. Under the Shimla Agreement of 1972, the Kashmir question can only be addressed bilaterally between the two countries, with no third parties interfering. This found endorsement in the Lahore Accord signed between then Prime Ministers Atal Behari Vajpayee and Nawaz Sharif. When the late J. Jayalalithaa opened up the debate on conversions by passing an ordinance during her second tenure as chief minister of Tamil Nadu that made the choice of faith subject to the states approval, not surprisingly, the VHP, RSS and the BJP hailed it as a great achievement. Not surprisingly, their Muslim and Christian counterparts severely castigated it. To all these organisations, religion is not just a matter about heaven and hell and who gets to go where, but about power and profit. Modern religions are akin to great commercial enterprises like Coke and Pepsi constantly seeking greater marketshare while retaining the faith of existing customers. It is the consequent faith, mostly induced and sustained by these exertions, which sustain the huge uniformed bureaucracies and extravagantly titled organisations that are the edifices of our major religions. Witness the recent no-holds-barred struggle for the control of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee in Delhi, which was nothing if not about getting ones hands on the huge assets and cash flow of the gurdwaras. At least the Sikhs go about it democratically, in a manner of speaking. But all those of the great Hindu, Muslim and Christian institutions are beyond the grasp of even their most faithful. It is indeed unfortunate that debates on religion and faith are no longer about goodness and decency or even present day social concerns. But that is not for discussion now. At stake is something much more important. The acceptance of democracy as a way of life implies that we have accepted that we hold certain rights to be inalienable. The Indian Constitution therefore guarantees justice, liberty and equality. The rights emanating from these are considered fundamental to our being a free and democratic society. These fundamental rights, therefore, are inviolable in the sense that no law, ordinance, custom, usage or administrative order can ever abridge or take away any of them. The preamble elaborates liberty to be that of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship, leaving little room for ambiguity. Like Hinduisms eternal truths these are eternal rights. Without these rights we will be no different than a Saudi Arabia or North Korea! Consequently, Article 19 guarantees the people of India seven fundamental freedoms. These are (a) freedom of speech and expression; (b) freedom of assembly; (c) freedom of association; (d) freedom of movement; (e) freedom of residence and settlement; (f) freedom of property; and (g) freedom of profession, occupation, trade or business. Article 25 guarantees freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion. This very simply means that people are free to believe whatever they may want to, convert others to this belief and perform whatever rituals or ceremonies that are required by ones faith. In even more simple words, people are free to be Christians or Muslims or Hindus or whatever, free to preach and convert. Or that matter even Marxism, which now is no different than any faith with its own depleted philosophy and impossible mythology. So what is there to debate about conversion? This right is inviolable and is guaranteed by the Constitution, and so there is nothing to debate. It is another matter that religions as we know them to be practiced are usually premised on irrational and primitive ideas. The psychologist James E. Alcock writes: We are magical beings in a scientific age. Notwithstanding all the remarkable achievements of our species in terms of understanding and harnessing nature, we are born to magical thoughts and not to reason. Now this relative absence of reason in religion very clearly gives us cause for a debate. Very clearly the liberty of thought and conscience and the right to profess and practice ones religion is not the issue. What can be the issue is our reticence to criticise religions, and subject their basic premises to scrutiny? Perhaps our bloodied history and particularly the conflicts of the recent past have made us want to seek accommodation by mutual tolerance. This is understandable and perhaps even commendable. Nonetheless, given the propensity of militant religionists like the VHP and the Jamaats to apply their doctrines to the political process and their constant endeavour to impose their views on others, not to challenge orthodox religiosity and fundamentalism would be a gross dereliction of our responsibilities. What we are in need of is not a debate on conversion but a debate on the stuff our beliefs are made of. But this is not on our agenda and will not appear on it as long as we have the present dubious consensus on what has come to be called secularism. To be truly secular is to be a sceptic, and therefore rational and reasonable. Merely to be silent on the unreason wrapped in ritual and ceremony that passes off as religion, or even to be fearful of criticising these lest we provoke irrational rage and violence, is not secularism. It is the silence of the truly secular and rational that has allowed the religious fanatics of all hues to seize the high ground from which the battle for our minds is being directed. This distorted notion on what is secularism makes even the maddest mullah cry stridently for it. To start with, to be a mullah or even a shankaracharya or a bishop is proof of ones lack of secularism. To be secular is to consider organised religion little more than humbug. But now is not the time to discuss humbug, but the hullabaloo about conversion. It still leaves us with the rights and wrongs of converting by false inducements. Is the promise of life after life not a false inducement? Since all of us are inevitably sinners and since no religion promises a more comfortable hell, the inducements have to necessarily relate to the immediate, and more often than not, for material gain. For some reason hell in all religions is always a hot, dank and dark place and heaven with a surfeit of all the good things of life. Nobody seems to give a thought that it is just these good things that get us into trouble in the first place. Not just in terms of clogging our arteries, wrecking our livers and exposing us to HIV, but in terms of getting us into trouble with the authorities above! The criticism against Christian missionaries is that they dupe poor people into becoming Christians by giving them money. And ditto for Muslims preachers. If Hindus want to keep their flock the answer is staring them in the face. Put some money where your mouth is and the flock will not deplete? To be true, there is more than cash that goes with this. More often it is housing, clothes, education and the care and respect that comes with acceptance that are the inducements. The exchange of one set of primitive ideas with another set of not very different yet similarly primitive ideas is no big deal. Ordinary people can be very practical when it comes to matters pertaining to their well-being. Both the State and our predominantly Hindu society have failed to provide to the majority of this country the elementary essentials of living and quite often even the elementary decencies due to all human beings. Added to this, our society has systematically discriminated against the weak and the oppressed. Our former President, the late K.R. Narayanan, had a point when he wanted to know, from the then Atal Behari Vajpayee government, if no dalits or adivasis can be elevated to the Supreme Court? Why do they exist mostly below the poverty line? Why do more of them die younger? Now here are subjects worthy of a debate. The call for a debate on conversion lends itself to expansion to include these. Just as it lends itself to a discussion as to why people are so easily willing to give up their traditional faith. Clearly, the systematic exclusion of a majority from their rightful role in the community and the continuing discrimination against them is a great subject for a debate. If the Hindu upper castes were to be civilised in their treatment of the lower castes, would they now seek to escape from the social tyranny of the so-called Hindu society? Such an expanded debate could possibly shed light on why for most of the about to conclude millennium we were a conquered nation. It is over a thousand years since Mohammed bin Kasim conquered the Sind. Thus paving the way for a succession of Arabs, Persians, Turks, Uzbeks, Mongols, Portuguese, French and the English to invade and rule parts, if not all, of this country. In the process, we even became the only nation to be conquered by a private commercial enterprise the East India Company. How much lower than that can you get? Our thousand years of shame quite clearly calls for a debate we have never had. Such a debate will almost certainly focus on the failures of the Hindu elites to defend the nation, to unite the country and harness its great resources. It is not very different even now. The lessons of history are yet to be learnt. And so we will want to debate what we shouldnt be and not debate what we should be. The epicentre of the united Oppositions war to oust the Narendra Modi government, stop the BJPs juggernaut in its tracks and decimate its numbers has moved to West Bengal. The dramatic and spontaneous mobilisation through the dharna at Kolkatas Esplanade, a place that is associated with Mamata Banerjees do-or-die courage in the fight she led against the CPI(M), was the moment she became both the icon and force that has consolidated itself as the United India Alliance. The next Opposition leaders meeting in New Delhi in mid-February will confirm this. The Save India, Save Constitution, Save Democracy dharna succeeded in expanding the gatekeepers by provoking Naveen Patnaik and Telanganas KCR, known to have no enmity against the BJP, to join the defence against the Centres encroachment of state governments turf. In doing so, the regional parties have put a face on the fight against Mr Modi and it is Mamata Banerjee. This doesnt by any means make her the Oppositions unanimous prime ministerial choice, at least of the United India Alliance, but it does make her the principal campaigner and kingmaker. It also gives Ms Banerjee a stronger claim to the post than any other leader now. The BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have created a larger-than-life challenger in the shape of Ms Banerjee which may not have been the intended consequence of the CBIs well-advertised, through selective leaks to the media, secret operation/raid on the Kolkata police commissioners official residence on Sunday. Having jeered at the January 19 Brigade Parade Ground rally in Kolkata as a mahagathbandhan of the corrupt trying to save their own skins, and Mamata Banerjee of destroying democracy through violence and manipulation in elections, he now has to contend with her on the streets, where she is unmatched as a fighter. No other leader comes even close to Ms Banerjee when she hits the streets. She has over the years perfected the art of galvanising support to her cause whenever she has staged a dharna; be it a shortlived protest or the 26-day fast-unto-death in 2006 for farmers in Singur unwilling to give up their land for the Tata Nano car factory. She had won the fight even before the Supreme Court delivered its decision on Tuesday on how the CBI must proceed in its investigations into the Saradha and Rose Valley scams, which requires answers from the then head of the SIT set up by the West Bengal government, Rajeev Kumar. The fight was not about the raid or Shardha-Rose Valley; it was a confrontation by the Centre against a state government. The BJP, including home minister Rajnath Singh, fell over themselves trying to establish that Ms Banerjees move to prevent the CBI from raiding/arresting Rajeev Kumar was a breakdown of the Constitution and grounds for invoking Article 355 and 356 Presidents Rule. The Supreme Court certainly doesnt seem to think that stopping the CBI in its tracks was a breakdown at all. On the Monday after the dharna began, the idea of Presidents Rule may have been tempting; after the Supreme Courts ruling, it would be a disaster to even remember that it was part of the conversation. Concentration of powers in the hands of the Centre under a single party and leader versus decentralisation of power in the hands of states as part of federal structure, where both the Centre and states have the same authority in principle is the reality behind the confrontation that played out on Kolkatas streets. The Hindu rashtra as the overarching narrative of hegemonising India feeds the BJP-Sangh Parivars dreams of consolidating power and fulfilling its ambitions of one-party rule across India. The dharna, the January 19 rally, the coming meetings in New Delhi of the United India Alliance are events for the Opposition and regional parties in the war for saving the diversity of the political ecosystem and its future sustainability. Akhilesh Yadavs open letter after the dharna in English makes just this point unfriendly politicians in power are being attacked and their states set aflame using whatever sectarian methods are at the disposal of this government that dreams of staying (in) power for 50 years. For the BJP, which is being challenged, the mahagatbandhan is bound to lose in the war that is for the survival of the fittest, namely the BJP, with Mr Modi as its icon. The United India Alliance is as much a consolidation against centralisation of power in one party as it is about saving India, the Constitution and the dream of the founding fathers, as Akhilesh Yadav put it. The regional parties that have emerged over the past 40 years reflect one of the many possible ideas of what the federal structure should be in terms of sharing of powers, resources and responsibilities, including policymaking and planning. Ms Banerjee condensed it into a call to all Centrally-controlled services and security forces, the all-India cadres of the police and civil administration to steer clear of political manipulation. Akhilesh Yadav called on the CBI, IPS and IAS to prevail against the constant attacks on them and to fight back with integrity, noting the Modi government had weaponised officialdom and deployed them against the Opposition. In urging officialdom to strictly go by the book, Mamata Banerjee is signalling that the Opposition is offering a window for those who want to jump off the BJP ship and dance to a different tune, including widening the ponzi scam investigations to look into the antics of Mukul Roy and Hemanta Biswa Sarma, now with the BJP. It is a risky gambit, but one that worked very well in West Bengal in the run-up to the Trinamul Congress historic 2011 victory against the CPI(M)-led Left Front. As the embodiment of Sister Courage (she is universally known as Didi), Ms Banerjee has catapulted onto the national stage as a mass leader. It gives her a singular position, but doesnt make her the only leader of the Opposition. Ms Banerjee understands the difference, which is why she waited for the Opposition to ask her to end the dharna. The new dynamics that is growing and spreading across Indias political landscape as the Opposition parties forge an alliance through shared episodes of confrontation should alert the BJP to the dangers of its dreams of converging power in one party and one place, namely the Centre. The writer is a senior journalist based in Kolkata Javadekar said, 'It was a scam of Rs 40,000 crore, in which, 20,000 people were looted through a chit fund firm. Gradually, the investigation by the CBI is unearthing the names of the culprits indulged in the scam'. (Photo: File) Alwar: Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday hailed the Supreme Court's verdict in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) versus Kolkata Police commissioner stating that TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee hampered the investigation agency's probe as she wants to save herself. "Mamata was sitting on Dharna to save state police commissioner Rajiv Kumar, however, the truth is she wants to save herself from chit fund scam. It was a scam of Rs 40,000 crore, in which, 20,000 people were looted through a chit fund firm. Gradually, the investigation by the CBI is unearthing the names of the culprits indulged in the scam," said Javadekar while addressing BJP workers press conference at Alwar. "In Kolkata, the Mamta government is used to take law in its hand and the public has understood this," he added. A full-blown face-off between Chief Minister Banerjee-led TMC government and the Centre erupted after a CBI team moved to arrest Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar on Sunday. CBI officials were denied entry to the top cops residence and were also detained briefly. The Supreme Court on Tuesday, however, directed Rajeev Kumar to appear before the CBI in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam probe. Taking a dig at Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Javadekar said, "On one hand, Congress in-charge of West Bengal speaks of imposing President's rule in the state, on the other, the party president Rahul ignores his own party member and supports Mamata. Praising the Modi government for various welfare schemes, the Union Minister said: "Farmers got huge benefit under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We have provided 10 per cent reservation to the upper weaker section of the society. The traders, who come under GST slab of Rs 40 lakh, have been given a great relief. Those traders whose business profit estimates Rs 1.5 crore, will have to pay only one per cent tax." Union Minister Prakash Javadekar further said that if BJP has lost Ajmer and Alwar in the state assembly elections, it doesn't mean that the party will be defeated in the coming Lok Sabha elections. "BJP's target in Rajasthan for upcoming general elections is 25," he added. The BJP leaders in the Assembly claimed that the Kumaraswamy-led Congress-Janata Dal (United) coalition government lacked majority as four Congress lawmakers were missing in the House on Wednesday. (Photo: ANI) Bengaluru: The budget session of the Karnataka Assembly started off on a turbulent tone as BJP lawmakers marched to the well of the House and shouted slogans "Go back Governor...No Government in the state." The BJP leaders in the Assembly claimed that the Kumaraswamy-led Congress-Janata Dal (United) coalition government lacked majority as four Congress lawmakers were missing in the House on Wednesday. The coalition partners soon retaliated by saying that the BJP was trying to destabilize the government by luring the ruling party lawmakers. Amid this entire ruckus, Governor Vajubhai Vala read only two pages of his speech and left the House. Soon after, Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar tabled the Governor's speech as 'read' and copies of his address were circulated to the legislators. Demanding that HD Kumaraswamy needs to step down as Chief Minister of Karnataka, BJP legislator from Chitradurga, B Sriramulu, said that BJP was protesting against the coalition government's alleged failure to waive farm loans fully. "The coalition government has failed in supporting the farmers...We will continue our protests in the House to highlight the government's failures," Sriramulu told reporters outside the Assembly. Replying to BJPs demands asking Kumaraswamy to step down and BJP moving a no-confidence motion, Karnataka Congress leader DK Shivakumar on being asked about this, said, "Let them try." #Bengaluru: Karnataka Congress leader DK Shivakumar on being asked what if BJP moves a no-confidence motion, says, "Let them try." He also said that it is very shocking that BJP legislators are showing this attitude of frustration towards the Governor's speech. pic.twitter.com/TMCJOUKLkY ANI (@ANI) February 6, 2019 He also said that it is very shocking that BJP legislators are showing this attitude of frustration towards the Governor's speech. But on the other side, former Karnataka chief minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah has issued another notice to four dissenting party MLAs seeking an explanation before or after the Assembly Session. Last month, Siddaramaiah had served notices to the four legislators who did not turn up at a Congress legislature party meeting in Bengaluru. Speaking to the media at that time, Siddaramaiah said, "The situation is not like it is being portrayed in the media. Notice has been served to all four MLAs (Ramesh Jarakiholi, Mahesh Kamatihalli, B Nagendra and Umesh Jadhav). There is no problem to the government. Siddaramaiah also said three of the MLAs had responded to the notice with the exception of Umesh Jadhav, the MLA from Chincholi who has not replied yet. (With inputs from ANI) Vijayawada: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday told the state Assembly that his government would fight till the end to ensure the safe return of Telugu students who have been arrested in the US. Mr Naidu he said that Telugu students went for studies and not to carry out illegal activities in the US. He objected to the arrest of the Telugu students by the US officials and said that the Central government should take the responsibility of bringing back the students safely. The Chief Minister said that the students going abroad for studies should be alert about brokers who would cheat and deceive them in the name of higher education. He said that the arrest of Telugu students could damage the reputation of the state and appealed to parents and students not to fall into the trap of brokers. Mr Naidu stated that the TD government was helping students get higher education abroad by giving Rs 15 lakh per student and claimed that the foreign higher education scheme was helping them achieve success. Hyderabad: S. Naga Jhansi, 21, an actress from Andhra Pradesh who had acted in a serial, reportedly committed suicide in her flat in Srinagar Colony. Punjagutta police suspect that she was depressed due to alleged harassment and neglect by her lover and this led to the suicide. Jhansi, a native of Vadali in Mudinepalli of Krishna district, came to the city about two years ago. She acted in a serial named Pavitra Bandham telecast on MAA TV and suddenly stopped accepting offers. She stayed in Nagarjunanagar along with her mother Annapurna and elder brother S. Durga Prasad. Police said that while she was acting in the serial, Jhansi came in contact with Surya Teja, a Vijayawada native, and they fell in love. About a month ago, Jhansi went to her native place for Sankranti and stayed there till January 31. She had told her mother about her interest in marrying Surya, and the man had promised to marry her in two months and brought her to the city. On Tuesday, at about 8.30 pm, Durga Prasad reached home and found the door locked from the inside. He told police that his sister was not reachable on her mobile phone number. He broke open the door and entered the house to see Jhansis body hanging from the ceiling. He said that Jhansi was in love with Surya who had harassed her and pressurised her to quit acting. Jhansis mother Annapurna also claimed that Surya had harassed Jhansi by placing restrictions on her. He did not want Jhansi to meet people, and because of his pressure she stopped taking up offers in serials. She said that Jhansi had earlier complained about harassment by Surya. Punjagutta sub-inspector I. Chandra Shekar said a case of suspicious death has been registered. He said that police had found no evidence to support the allegations of Jhansis family. She did not leave a suicide note and her phone did not contain anything which could lead to police suspecting Suryas role. Investigations will proceed, he said. Bengaluru: In a significant move which could boost the chances of Sumalatha Ambareesh contesting from the Mandya Lok Sabha seat, several leading stars from Kollywood and Tollywood have reportedly extended their support to her. Sumalatha, wife of former minister and actor-politician late Ambarish is being encouraged by Congress leaders to contest the polls from Mandya, represented by her husband for two terms. Sources told Deccan Chronicle that Telugu mega stars Chiranjeevi and Mohan Babu, Tamil thespian Rajanikanth and leading Tamil actor Kamal Haasan have conveyed their willingness to campaign for her. Sumalatha has acted in several movies in Tamil and Telugu because of which she enjoys a good rapport with all leading stars. Leading stars from Kollywood and Tollywood are extending their full support to Ms Sumalatha Ambarish, wife of former minister late M.H. Ambarish, who is being encouraged by Mandya Congress leaders to contest the coming Lok Sabha polls from Mandya- represented by her husband for two terms. Besides, she belongs to Andhra Pradesh and knew most of the veteran actors and actresses. Her links with Kollywood and Tollywood became strong since Ambarish had acted with Rajanikanth, Kamal Haasan and Chiranjeevi in movies. In fact, Rajanikanth was amused to see the popularity of Ambarish when he attended the 60th birthday celebrations of the Mandyada Gandu held in Mandya a few years ago. Before this too, the Tamil Talaivar used to visit Ambarish's house during his visits to Bengaluru and had food with the family. Leading stars from the Tamil and Telugu film fields had arrived in Bengaluru to pay their last respects to late Ambarish in November last year. It was learnt that Ms Sumalatha was consulting her well-wishers to know their opinion on taking the plunge into politics through the Mandya seat. Chiranjeevi is learnt to have called and congratulated her for making her mind to contest the coming Lok Sabha polls. The sources said this unprecedented support from Kollywood and Tollywood for Ms Sumalatha has prompted the JD (S) to reconsider its decision to field Mr Nikhil Kumaraswamy from Mandya. The Congress is however yet to take a final decision on fielding Ms Sumalatha from Mandya. On Tuesday, Home Minister M.B. Patil had said in Hubballi that his party did not have any objection if she agrees to contest from Mandya. This shows that the Congress would like to retain the Mandya seat for itself. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra arrives at her office at AICC headquarters in New Delhi, on Wednesday. (PTI) New Delhi: Days after Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was inducted as the general secretary of the Congress, her husband, Robert Vadra, was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case for almost six hours. Surprising all and sending a clear and firm signal that she stands by her husband, Mrs Vadra dropped her husband at the EDs office for questioning on Wednesday. Mr Vadra was summoned in connection with alleged money laundering in the purchase of a London-based property located at 12, Bryanston Square worth 1.9 million. The property is allegedly owned by Mr Vadra. Virtually daring the saffron forces, who have been sharpening their knives to lunge at her through her husband, Ms Priyanka said, He is my husband, he is my family... I stand by him, I stand by my family. Asked if it was a political vendetta, she said everyone knows why this is being done. Mrs Vadra accompanied her husband, in a white Toyota Land Cruiser along with Special Personnel Group (SPG) personnel in tow, and dropped him outside the agencys office in Jamnagar House in central Delhi. She then drove straight to AICC and assumed charge as AICC general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh East. She was appointed to the post on January 23. Mr Vadra entered the ED office at around 3.45 pm even as a team of his lawyers had arrived minutes before him. He left the ED office at around 9.40 pm. This is the first time that Mr Vadra appeared before any probe agency in connection with alleged criminal charges of dubious financial dealings. Mr Vadra, who has denied the charges in the past, describe then as a political witch-hunt against him. He also claimed that the investigation was political vendetta and described the agencies investigating him as malicious, and their action unwarranted and unjustified. Mr Vadra, who had earlier sought an anticipatory bail, was asked by a Delhi court to cooperate with the investigation. The court had asked him to appear before the ED on Wednesday after returning from London. The ED reportedly questioned him on transactions, purchase and possession of certain immovable assets in London. His statements were recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The search will be done in a relatively short time compared with most superintendent searches, which begin in the late fall and must be completed in time for a new superintendent to be in place by July 1, as is required by state law. Also, while the encounter was underway intense clashes between surging crowds and security forces erupted in the area. SRINAGAR: A Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT) commander was killed in a brief fire fight with the security forces in Jammu and Kashmirs southern Pulwama district on Wednesday evening. The police sources said that the Armys 55 Rashtriya Rifles, J&K polices counterinsurgency Special Operations Group and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) laid siege to Chakoora village of Pulwamas Littar area on Wednesday evening to conduct searches after the militants opened fire at a security forces party without causing any casualties though. Soon a gunfight broke out between the militants and the security forces in which Irfan Ahmed Sheikh, a local commander of the LeT, was killed, the sources said. Also, while the encounter was underway intense clashes between surging crowds and security forces erupted in the area. The security forces fired dozens of teargas canisters to quell the protesters and stone pelting mobs, the witnesses said. New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notice to advocate Prashant Bhushan in a contempt petition moved by the Attorney General K.K. Venugopal and the Centre for his tweets in the case challenging appointment of M. Nageshwar Rao as interim Director of CBI. A Bench of Justices Arun Mishra and Navin Sinha issued notice after hearing Attorney General Venugopal and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the Centre and posted the matter for further hearing on March 7. Mr Bhushan, who was appearing for the petitioner Common Cause, tweeted that he spoke to Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, who denied any discussion having taken place in the High-Powered committee regarding the appointment of Nageswar Rao as interim Director. Thus, the government appeared to have misled the court, Mr Bhushan stated in his tweet. Mr Venugopal refer-red to the statements ma-de by Mr Bhushan on Twi-tter and said that Mr Bhu-shan chose to go online with the statements inste-ad of coming to the court. He said, An end has to be put. You are going public in a pending matter. I dont want any punishment against my friend, Mr Bhushan, but there has to be a decision on larger issues. While issuing notice Justice Arun Mishra observed, Earlier lawyers desisted from speaking publicly about matters they appeared in. Now everyday, we find that in pending matters, a lawyer who argues here goes out and criticises others. New Delhi: Senior counsel Jaideep Gupta, appearing for the Kerala government, said essential practice of an individual temple cannot be regarded as essential practice of a religion. Exclusion of women was not essential to Hindu religion, submitted the counsel. He said social tension or disturbance of peace cannot be a ground to overturn the judgment and Kerala is committed to implement it. The Travancore Devaswom Board, which earlier strongly opposed any interference with religious rights, changed its stand following the appointment of new Chairman for the Board. When Justice Indu Malhotra asked senior counsel Rakesh Diwedi whether there is any change of stand by the Board, Mr Diwedi said the Board has taken a decision to respect the judgement and follow it. He said the judgement of September 28, 2018 seeks to bring an important change in society. He said women could not be excluded from any walk of life, including entry into a public temple. Earlier senior counsel K. Parasaran appearing for Nair Service Society argued that unless the custom or religious right is so obnoxious, court cannot interfere with such rights. He said the character of the deity as an incarnation of God at the time of pratishta is a naisthik Brahmachari and this character cannot be changed. He said the deity will neither see women in the age group of 10 to 50, nor women will see the deity. He submitted that the judgment erroneously im-ported the concept of un-touchability under Art-icle 17 of the Constitution to the situation of Saba-rimala temple, without understanding its historical context Mr. Parasa-ran said the exclusion is a general one and women are not excluded because they belonged to SC. Robert Vadra was dropped off at the office by his wife Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: Robert Vadra, brother-in-law of Congress president Rahul Gandhi, reached the Enforcement Directorate office in Delhi on Wednesday after the agency summoned him in a money laundering case. Robert Vadra was dropped off at the office by his wife Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. In a big signal to BJP, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra after dropping off her husband said, I stand by my husband, adding that she wanted to send a clear message by her appearance. Robert Vadra has been directed by a Delhi court to cooperate with the ED investigation after he approached the court for anticipatory bail. A court has given him immunity from arrest till February 16, but also asked that he join the investigation. The case relates to allegations of money laundering in the purchase of a London-based property located at 12, Bryanston Square worth 1.9 million pounds. In the past, Robert Vadra has denied the allegations and termed them a political witch hunt. New Delhi: The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which runs the historic Sabarimala temple in Kerala, took a U-turn in the Supreme Court on Wednesday by supporting its verdict which had allowed women of all age groups to enter the shrine. The Board, which also comprise the state government nominees, told court that it is high time that a particular class not be discriminated on the ground of "biological attributes". "Article 25 (1) equally entitles all persons to practice religion," senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for TDB, told the bench. The Board had earlier vehemently opposed the PIL by Indian Young Lawyers Association saying that the celibate character of Lord Aiyappa at Sabarimala temple was a unique religious feature which was protected under the constitution. "Women cannot be excluded from any walk of life on biological attributes... equality is the dominant theme of the Constitution", said Dwivedi adding that people should gracefully accept the apex court verdict. In the forenoon, Kerala government vehemently opposed in the Supreme Court a batch of petitions seeking review of the verdict allowing the entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala shrine, even as several organisations argued that the judgement be reconsidered. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi was told by the counsel for the Kerala government that no ground was made out in any of the petitions seeking review of its September 28, 2018 verdict. Several organisations including the Nair Service Society (NSS) and the Thantri of the shrine, have advanced arguments before the bench and sought reconsideration of the verdict. Former attorney general and senior advocate K Parasaran, appearing for the NSS, assailed the majority verdict, saying Article 15 of the Constitution throws open for all public the secular institutions of the country but it doesn't deal with religious institutions. The article "throws open all public institutions of secular character for all classes of citizens but the article conspicuously omits religious institutions", he told the bench. Seeking reconsideration of the verdict, he said the article which deals with abolition of untouchability in society was wrongly used by the apex court in its judgment as exclusion of certain age groups of women was not based on caste. The advocate also referred to the celibate character of the deity at Sabarimala and said the court should have considered this aspect. Senior advocate Jaideep Gupta appearing for the Kerala government told the bench also comprising justices R F Nariman, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra that there was a consensus among the four judges who delivered the majority judgment on three aspects, i.e., Article 26, 25 (2) and rule 3 (b) of the Kerala Act. Gupta said in none of the review petitions questions have been raised regarding these three points and therefore other aspects "raised in the review petition will make no difference". The arguments by those who have filed the review petition that certain submissions were not considered in the judgment or were not advanced is not a ground for re-examining the verdict, the advocate. He said many of those who have sought a re-look of the judgment have not come out with valid legal points but have merely analysed the verdict by the way of a review petition and the court should not entertain them. Another senior advocate Vijay Hansaria, also appearing for the Kerala government said a case cannot be allowed to be reopened by way of review petition. The state government said there is a distinction between essential practice of a temple and the essential practice of the religion. If this essential practice test is applied temple wise then the purpose would be defeated, it said. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the Travancore Devaswom Board's ex-chairperson, favoured submissions seeking review of the judgment. "There is no exclusion of women. There is no exclusion of men. There is no exclusion of a class of men or women based on religion and caste. There is exclusion inside a class (women). Hence Article 17 (removal of untouchability) under the Constitution will not apply," Singhvi said. Dealing with the aspect of constitutional morality, the senior lawyer said that in a pluralistic diverse Hindu society this concept cannot be applied objectively by the court and it has to be subjective keeping in mind different kind of essential religious practices of Hindu religion. Senior lawyer Shekhar Naphade, also appearing for a party in the case, said in a matter of faith, the court cannot direct a community to practice the religion in a particular manner. "This is an internal affair of a religious community which worships a particular deity in a particular manner. This has never been in dispute that this practice is being followed for centuries. The court cannot issue a writ of mandamus against a community to practice its religion in a particular manner," Naphade said adding that this practice was an essential religious practice which cannot be scrutinised by the court. He said that any religious practice cannot be stopped unless it constituted a criminal offence. On September 28, a five-judge Constitution Bench, headed by the then CJI Dipak Misra, in a 4:1 verdict had paved the way for entry of women of all ages into the shrine, saying the ban amounted to gender discrimination. "No regrets. We have not committed any crime. We have used our Constitutional right, " says Pooja Pandey. (Photo: ANI) Aligarh: The Uttar Pradesh Police on Tuesday arrested Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha leader Puja Shakun Pandey and her husband Ashok Pandey from Tappal in Aligarh district for recreating the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi on his 71st death anniversary, ANI reported. They were produced before a local court on Wednesday. Pooja Pandey said, "No regrets. We have not committed any crime. We have used our Constitutional right." The police had registered a case against 13 people, including Puja Shakun Pandey, who is seen aiming at the effigy with a toy gun in a video. The accused have been booked under related sections of the Indian Penal Code. Last week, police had arrested five people related to the case. Puja Shakun Pandey and her husband had been underground since the event on January 30. Ashok Pandey had blamed Gandhi for the partition. We dont find anything wrong in it because the country celebrates Ravan Dahan as well by recreating the scene, he said. We have done the act inside our office premises. One-third of Himalayan glaciers will melt by the end of the century due to climate change, threatening water sources for 1.9 billion people. (Photo: AP) Kathmandu: One-third of Himalayan glaciers will melt by the end of the century due to climate change, threatening water sources for 1.9 billion people, even if current efforts to reduce climate change succeed, an assessment warns. If global efforts to curb climate change fail, the impact could be far worse a loss of two-thirds of the region's glaciers by 2100, said the Hindu Kush Himalaya Assessment released Monday by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development. "Global warming is on track to transform the frigid, glacier-covered mountain peaks of the Hindu Kush Himalayas cutting across eight countries to bare rocks in a little less than a century," said Philippus Wester from the Centre, who led the report. The five-year study looked at the effects of climate change on a region that cuts across Asia through Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, China, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar. The area, which includes the world's tallest mountain peaks, has glaciers that feed into river systems including the Indus, Ganges, Yangtze, Irrawaddy and Mekong. The assessment said that the impact of the melting could range from flooding from the increased run-off to increased air pollution from black carbon and dust deposited on the glaciers. Saleemul Huq, director of the International Center for Climate Change and Development, an environmental research centre in Dhaka, described the findings of the report as "very alarming," especially for downstream nations such as Bangladesh. "All the countries affected need to prioritise tackling this upcoming problem before it reaches crisis proportions," he said in an email. Huq was one of the study's external reviewers. The study said that even if the most ambitious Paris climate accord goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) by the end of the century were met, more than a third of the region's glaciers will be lost. If the global rise in temperature were 2 C (3.6 F), two-thirds of Himalayan glaciers will melt, it said. The 2015 Paris Agreement was a landmark moment in international diplomacy, bringing together governments with vastly different views to tackle global warming. It set a headline target of keeping average global temperatures from rising by more than 2 C, or 1.5 C if possible. The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development said the study included work by more than 350 researchers and policy experts from 22 countries. It said it had 210 authors and 125 external reviewers. The Kathmandu-based center said it receives donations from regional countries, non-regional countries such as Australia, Austria, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, and other international programmes such as USAID. National Award-winning actress Kangana Ranaut has been embroiled in controversies for the last couple of months, the latest row being about sharing the directors credit with Krish. The actress talks about her inspirational journey, where she recounted her childhood days, roadblocks and triumphs on the path to become the force to reckon with in the film industry. Recalling her childhood days, Kangana says, I remember being overprotected. I was very different from other children. While others would be playing, I would doze off under a tree. I was lost as a child and was always very quiet. The actress, who has a younger brother and elder sister was considered the rebellious child. At the age of 14, after tenth grade, I moved into a huge school with lots of people from a small school. For me, the campus was intimidating. I was a good student but I couldnt cope up in this setup, she admits. But her heart was not in academics and after telling her parents about her disinterest in studies, she left for Delhi to begin her modelling career. I couldnt stay in the hostel where my father sent me and he could never empathise with me as he couldnt understand that I was having trouble with studies. He became stern with me and during weekends, when children would call home, he wouldnt take my calls and told my mother that I need to be tough, she explains. Kangana also shared that for each modelling assignment, she was paid about Rs 7,000 to 8,000. But modelling didnt work out too well for Kangana and she then joined an acting workshop. That was a turning point in her life. If your intention is right, you will never fall flat on your face. I am a very straightforward person and say whatever I believe in. she said. Talking about her professional life that has seen a more than a fair share of ups and downs, she reveals, I feel my professional life is like walking on a thin rope. I feel I have faced a lot of challenges in the last few years. I felt cornered when I had my accident while fighting (in a scene of a film). I had 18 stitches on my forehead and six people attacking me simultaneously in media. But the feisty actress doesnt believe in lying low. I dont get depressed during a low phase. I keep myself happy and worry about my career but not too much. I have a closely-knit group of friends and family with whom I spend time. My heart and soul were in for Manikarnika as this story belongs to each one of us. It is not like Rani Laxmibai was my relative; she belongs to each one of us. Whatever we are today is because of those who fought and sacrificed their lives. Yes, crossing the Rs 100-crore mark does say that the film is a success. I didnt charge a single penny to direct the movie. I was completely devotional to it. People loved it and are overwhelmed after being connected to the legacy, though some people are being obnoxious and ganging up against me in the industry, she says. The company had 363,000 registered users, of which 92,000 have account balances owing to them in cash or cryptocurrencies. (Representational Image) New York: One of Canada's largest cryptocurrency exchanges has been granted bankruptcy protection after its 30-year old founder died unexpectedly in India, taking with him passwords of tens of thousands of customers who are unable to access USD 145 million in funds. Quadriga said it was unable to gain access to Canadian dollar 190 million (USD 145 million) of bitcoin and other digital assets after Gerald Cotten, its CEO and co-founder, died in December. He died of complications arising from Crohn's Disease, an inflammatory bowel ailment, while volunteering at an orphanage in India. Many of the digital currencies held by Quadriga are stored offline in accounts known as "cold wallets," a way of protecting them from hackers. Cotten is the only person with access to the wallets, according to the company. Cotten's sudden death has plunged Quadriga into crisis and left it struggling to figure out how to refund more than 100,000 of its users, CNN reported. On Tuesday, the Vancouver-based company said it was granted creditor protection in the Nova Scotia Supreme Court in British Columbia as it tries to sort out its financial mess. Cotten's widow, Jennifer Robertson, described people posting inaccurate speculation on social media about "whether he is really dead." "For the past weeks, we have worked extensively to address our liquidity issues, which include attempting to locate and secure our very significant cryptocurrency reserves held in cold wallets," Quadriga said in a statement. "Unfortunately, these efforts have not been successful." Robertson said that the laptop that Cotten used to run the currency exchange is encrypted, according to a copy of her affidavit posted online by cryptocurrency news site CoinDesk. "I do not know the password or recovery key," she said. "Despite repeated and diligent searches, I have not been able to find them written down anywhere," she said. The company has hired tech experts in an attempt to hack into Cotten's laptop and other devices to retrieve the missing cryptocurrencies, but Robertson warned that at least some of them "may be lost." Quadriga, which is based in Vancouver, also owes about 70 million Canadian dollars (USD 53 million) in cash that it is unable to pay back, she said, citing difficulties accessing funds through the traditional banking system. The Nova Scotia court appointed financial services firm Ernst & Young as an independent monitor that will oversee Quadriga's efforts to resolve its financial problems. The exchange, launched in December 2013, allowed users to deposit cash or cryptocurrency through its online trading platform, storing the digital coins on blockchain ledgers that are accessible only by an immutable alphanumeric code. The company had 363,000 registered users, of which 92,000 have account balances owing to them in cash or cryptocurrencies, Bloomberg reported, quoting court filings. Cotten was the sole officer and director. The Canadian High Commission in New Delhi told CNN that it was aware of Cotten's death on December 9 and had "provided consular assistance," but declined to reveal further details. Elvis Cavalic of Calgary said that he bought a few hundred dollars of bitcoin using Quadriga's platform. When he tried to withdraw 15,000 dollars in his account in October, he could not. "This is a tough lesson learned. I would probably avoid [cryptocurrency] in the future," Cavalic was quoted as saying by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). "They've left us completely in the dark. I'm kind of preparing for the worst," Cavalic said. The CBC reached out to lawyers for CIBC and Robertson for comment but did not receive a response by deadline. While the case is unusual, it is not the first time the cryptocurrency industry has been hit by security concerns. Hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of digital currencies have been stolen by hackers over the past few years. In India, the Reserve Bank of India had banned the use of virtual currencies and informed the Supreme Court that allowing dealings in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoins would encourage illegal transactions. The spectacular boom and bust in the prices of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have presented a quandary for governments around the world, which have taken differing approaches in trying to regulate their use. The WTO upheld Japans complaint in November but India is planning to appeal. Steel firms are putting pressure on the government to impose higher duties on imports as trade disputes and a global economic slowdown divert surplus Asian steel stocks to India, industry executives and government sources said. Local producers are suffering from the double whammy of a rise in cheap imports and low domestic steel prices, which threatens to wipeout the healthy profits made in the past couple of years. The steel companies have approached the ministry multiple times over the past few months, alleging China, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam are dumping various grades of low-cost steel into the market and stealing market shares as a result, three government sources said. Indias top four steelmakers - JSW Steel, Tata Steel, state-owned Steel Authority of India and Jindal Steel and Power - who together control over 45 per cent of countrys total steel production, are the key companies who have complained, the sources said. The ministry has given various indications that some measures might be taken, the sources added. However, they are more likely to be non-tariff measures as India has already suffered defeat in a dispute with Japan at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on charges that New Delhi unfairly imposed import duties in 2016 to safeguard its steel industry. The WTO upheld Japans complaint in November but India is planning to appeal. The steel ministry did not respond to a Reuters email seeking comment. Imports of various grades of steel rose by around 8 per cent in the April-December 2018 period, compared with a year earlier, government data showed. During the same period, exports fell by more than 17 per cent, making the country a net importer of steel, mainly because the US, one of Indias biggest markets, imposed additional duties last year on steel coming from some Asian countries, including India. As a result, the nations steel imports from countries su ch as Japan, South Korea and Indonesia surged. Chinese imports also climbed in the final quarter of 2018, Indian companies say. According to government figures, for the April-September 2018 period imports from South Korea rose 29 per cent from the year-earlier period, Japanese imports increased 35 per cent, and Indonesian imports by 106 per cent. The worry is imports, said Seshagiri Rao, joint managing director at JSW Steel. He said the government had to ensure that our borders are protected and goods will not come into India and hurt the domestic steel industry. The price of steel in India dropped by an average of more than 10 per cent between October and December. Mumbai: Indian steel firms are putting pressure on the government to impose higher duties on imports as trade disputes and a global economic slowdown divert surplus Asian steel stocks to India, industry executives and government sources said. Local producers are suffering from the double whammy of a rise in cheap imports and low domestic steel prices, which threatens to wipeout the healthy profits made in the past couple of years. The steel companies have approached the ministry multiple times over the past few months, alleging China, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam are dumping various grades of low-cost steel into the Indian market and stealing market share as a result, three government sources said. Indias top four steelmakers - JSW Steel Ltd, Tata Steel Ltd, state-owned Steel Authority of India Ltd and Jindal Steel and Power Ltd - who together control over 45 percent of Indias total steel production, are the key companies who have complained, the sources said. The ministry has given various indications that some measures might be taken, the sources added. However, they are more likely to be non-tariff measures as India has already suffered defeat in a dispute with Japan at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on charges that New Delhi unfairly imposed import duties in 2016 to safeguard its steel industry. The WTO upheld Japans complaint in November but India is planning to appeal. The steel ministry did not respond to a Reuters email seeking comment. RISING IMPORTS Imports of various grades of steel into India rose by around 8 per cent in the April-December 2018 period, compared with a year earlier, government data showed. During the same period, exports from India fell by more than 17 per cent, making the country a net importer of steel, mainly because the US, one of Indias biggest markets, imposed additional duties last year on steel coming from some Asian countries, including India. As a result, the nations steel imports from countries such as Japan, South Korea and Indonesia surged. Chinese imports also climbed in the final quarter of 2018, Indian companies say. According to government figures, for the April-September 2018 period imports from South Korea rose 29 per cent from the year-earlier period, Japanese imports increased 35 per cent, and Indonesian imports by 106 per cent. The worry is imports, said Seshagiri Rao, joint managing director at JSW Steel, Indias biggest steel company based on local production. He said the government had to ensure that our borders are protected and goods will not come into India and hurt the domestic steel industry. The price of steel in India dropped by an average of more than 10 per cent between October and December, according to government data. Domestic brokerage firm Edelweiss Securities said that they see earnings at metals companies going downhill after the third quarter. Anil Kumar Chaudhary, chairman of SAIL, and Rao from JSW Steel, told Reuters they have both told the government of their concerns about imports. Tata Steel and JSPL did not reply to an email seeking comment. EXISTING MEASURES India has been monitoring the impact of imported cheaper steel from China on domestic industry, the government said last month. In a bid to support use of locally made steel, the ministry has urged automakers to cut imports from Japan and Korea. That has led to a dispute between the government and automakers who claim local producers are unable to make the high-quality steel they need. India has already imposed stricter quality controls on more than 85 percent of steel products and it is expanding the list of locally made steel that must be used in government infrastructure projects, two government sources said. It is unclear if any low quality shipments have been turned back. Indias steel minister Chaudhary Birender Singh told Reuters earlier this month that the government wants to expand the quality control regime to all steel products very soon. The government is also considering imposing higher duties on the import of iron ore, a key raw material, to help state-owned miner NMDC Ltd, the sources said. While this could hurt JSW Steel, other steel majors have their own captive iron ore mines which shields them from price volatility. Abhyuday Jindal, managing director of Jindal Stainless, the countrys largest stainless steel producer, said the company had asked the government review import duty on raw materials, as well as the impact of free trade agreements with the likes of Japan, South Korea and southeast Asian countries. DPIIT said that the guidelines will allow states/UTs to understand requirements for implementation of reforms and help them in identifying the measures that should be taken to achieve the objectives of the action plan. (photo: File) New Delhi: The commerce and industry ministry has started the exercise of ranking states and union territories this year in terms of ease of doing business, and released guidelines and reform measures for them to be implemented before March 31. Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), under the ministry, has stated that this year they propose to undertake a 100 per cent feedback based assessment on 76 reform measures under Business Reform Action Plan (BRAP) 2019. The reforms suggested by the department for states and UTs are in 12 areas and that include online single window system for approval, maintenance of land records, central inspection framework, tax enablers, labour regulations and obtaining electricity connection. The department said that the guidelines will allow states/UTs to understand requirements for implementation of reforms and help them in identifying the measures that should be taken to achieve the objectives of the action plan. "It will also help in understanding the evidence that needs to be submitted for each reform. The last date for implementation of reforms is 31st March, 2019," it said. The department started this exercise, to rank all the states/UTs on the reforms undertaken by them on designated parameters, for the first time in 2014 . "The aim of this exercise is to create conducive business environment by streamlining regulatory structures and creating an investor-friendly business climate by cutting down red tape," it added. Last year, these rankings were announced in July. Andhra Pradesh topped the chart and it was followed by Telangana and Haryana. The revised policy on FDI in online retail, issued by the commerce and industry ministry, also said that these firms have to offer equal services or facilities to all its vendors without discrimination. New Delhi: US retail major Walmart, which invested USD 16 billion in Flipkart, on Wednesday said it is committed to the Indian market and is optimistic despite recent changes in the FDI policy for e-commerce firms in the country. The Bentonville-based retailing major's statement came after a recent report by global consultancy firm Morgan Stanley, which had hinted that Walmart may quit Flipkart as the new foreign direct investment (FDI) policy came into effect, which would lower its profitability in the long run. Morgan Stanley, in a report titled 'Assessing Flipkart Risk to Walmart EPS' dated February 4, claimed that "an exit is likely, not completely out of the question, with the Indian e-commerce market becoming more complicated." Walmart's and Flipkart's commitment to India is deep and long term. Despite the recent changes in regulations, we remain optimistic about the country, said Dirk Van den Berghe, Executive Vice President and Regional CEO Walmart Asia and Canada. He further added, "We will continue to focus on serving customers, creating sustained economic growth and bringing sustainable benefits to the country, including employment generation, supporting small businesses and farmers, and growing Indian exports to Walmart's global markets." Tightening norms for e-commerce firms having foreign investment, the government, from February 1, barred online marketplaces like Flipkart and Amazon from selling products of companies where they hold stakes and banned exclusive marketing arrangements that could influence product price. The revised policy on FDI in online retail, issued by the commerce and industry ministry, also said that these firms have to offer equal services or facilities to all its vendors without discrimination. Last year on August 18, Walmart had completed acquisition of 77 per cent stake in Flipkart for about USD 16 billion (Rs 1.05 lakh crore), a deal which gave the US retailer access to the Indian e-commerce market. 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. UPDATE: Missing New York woman identified as victim found in suitcase Original story: GREENWICH Police are working to identify a woman found dead in Glenville Tuesday, part of a homicide investigation that began in the morning with the grisly discovery of her body stuffed in a suitcase in a wooded area near Glenville Road. The victim had been bound at her hands and feet, Greenwich Police Capt. Robert Berry said at a Tuesday afternoon press conference. She was found about 10 to 15 feet off Glenville Road near Stillman Lane by town highway workers around 8:15 a.m. Tuesday. They alerted police. Berry said the woman appeared to be an adult female under the age of 30, possibly as young as 18. There was no doubt homicide was involved, said Berry, who heads the detective unit. We do not know the manner or cause of death at this time. Her body was clothed, Berry said at a noontime news conference. The spot where she was found is in a quiet residential area, not far from the Merritt Parkway. I can say it was not committed right there, the death was not right in that location. Where the death took place, we dont know at this time, Berry said. The captain said it also was not clear when the murder took place. He gave few details and would not reveal the victims race or ethnicity. The states chief medical examiner was on the scene into the late afternoon, checking the body and the immediate surroundings. An autopsy will be conducted by the medical examiners office. The Chief States Attorneys Office was assisting as well. Police officers were interviewing local residents, and seeking video footage from security systems for clues. Investigators were also examining tire prints and other forensic evidence, and checking missing persons reports. The area where the body was found is out of sight from nearby residences, in a small depression on the east side of Glenville Road. It is near a small area adjoining the road where a car could park. Residents and visitors to Glenville were shocked by the disturbing discovery, highly out of character for a town often tagged as one of the safest in the nation. A grandmother from Port Chester, N.Y., who came to town for a workout class, wiped away tears after hearing the news that quickly consumed the sleepy neighborhood Tuesday. Its tragic, she said. I have two granddaughters. I worry about this all the time. The killing, which involved the binding and constraining of a young woman, is an especially heinous example of violence against women, she said. Its a national (problem) and it always has been, she said. Its sickening. A 49-year-old Glenville woman, who took the same exercise class, was nearly speechless when she learned of the slaying. Oh my God, this feels surreal, she said. Its not unbelievable, but its shocking that it happened right here. Steve Schacter, who has an office in Glenville, said that even though the killing may be a shock, the high-profile murder of Martha Moxley in 1975 shows that murder is possible anywhere, even in prosperous communities. Greenwich is such a great place, including this neighborhood, that when a murder occurs, its so out of the ordinary that it sends reporters out to ask peoples reactions, he said outside of the neighborhoods Stop & Shop supermarket. Scott Chiappetta, who works at a preschool in the neighborhood, said, My gut is it probably happened somewhere else, but these days, you never know. Its very quiet. Nothing ever really happens around here, other than (traffic) from the firehouse. It feels safe. Berry said investigators had some information to work with. We have received some leads on a possible identification, the police captain said. One of our biggest concerns is trying to positively identify the victim, for notification of next of kin. He expressed condolences on behalf of the Police Department and said the investigation would be a thorough one. This is going to be a long methodical process, we want to make sure we do things correctly, Berry said. Its going to take time. Glenville Road was closed after 9 a.m. and remained closed until 4:40 p.m. for the investigation. Sawhorses were set up with police cars also blocking the roadway. Officers were on the scene near Glenville Center as traffic was diverted at the Shell station. The road was blocked at the other end near Eagle Hill School. Numerous residents and passersby expressed concern and curiosity about the police presence. Liza Scullin, walking her dog Fletcher, said the discovery of a body in the quiet neighborhood was troubling. I feel like this neighborhood is relatively safe, so its a surprise. Finding a body near where you live, its concerning, she said. News trucks were parked on Glenville Road, and a police officer was kept busy blocking traffic and talking to motorists. Due to the closure of the highly traveled road, the school district adjusted one bus route at the nearby Glenville School and one bus route for Greenwich High School. Three buses serving Brunswick, Greenwich Academy, Greenwich Country Day and Stanwich private schools also had routes change. The district communicated the changes directly to the affected families from Greenwich High and Glenville, and the private schools communicated the changes directly to their impacted families. Police asked anyone with information on the case to call 203-622-3333. The Community House, at 2173 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel, presents the following: Civil Rights in the Sunshine State The Sanibel Community Association and Circle of Community Leadership will present the Civil Rights in the Sunshine State exhibit now to Feb. 11. Developed by the Florida Museum of History in 2014 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, in collaboration with universities, organizations and individuals, it explores the history of the Civil Rights movement in Florida through pictures, graphs and narratives to educate visitors about the states contributions to the movement. Many of the photos are from the State Archives of Florida. There are also videos of civil rights leaders, like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Patricia Stephens Due, Theodore Gibson and the Rev. C. K. Steele. Colorful Sips Sissi Janku will host a beginners-to-advanced acrylic painting class today, Feb. 6, from 7 to 9 p.m. Bring your own snacks and beverages. Cost is $50 for members and $60 for non-members. Hands-on Cooking Resident Chef Jarred Harris will teach a hands-on cooking class on Feb. 11 from 10 a.m. to noon. The menu will feature: spiced eggplant caviar and crispy flat bread, chargrilled vegetable pithivier (French puff pastry cake), and chocolate Truffles and chocolate-covered strawberries. Cost is $50 for members and $60 for guests. Dine and Design Workshop A Dine and Design Workshop will take place on Feb. 18 from noon to 2 p.m. Resident Chef Jarred Harris will prepare lunch, followed by a workshop with the Sanibel design team of Decorating Den Interiors. The topic will be Down Sizing, Right Sizing Adventures in Life! Bring a photo of your design challenge and the staff will offer solutions. There will also be door prizes and studio sample displays. Cost is $30. Registration required by Feb. 11. Joyful Living Jenny Li Ciccone will host her series, Emotional Freedom Techniques Tapping, on Feb. 12 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Cost is $30 for members and $35 for guests. Cooking Demo Resident Chef Jarred Harris will host a cooking demonstration on Feb. 14 from 4 to 6 p.m. The menu will feature: pear and watercress salad with candied walnuts and sherry vinaigrette, grilled cauliflower and mushroom steaks with spinach leeks and roasted peppers, and coconut and lime creme brulee. Cost is $35 for members and $50 for guests. Community Interests Speaker Series The next program in the Community Interests Speaker Series, Climb Aboard the Holiday Train, will be held on Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. Presenter Danny Hussey, technology manager at the Sanibel Public Library, will talk about 3-D printing, virtual reality and creating eBooks. The presentation aims to promote 21st Century literacies and engage attendees with cutting-edge technologies. A $5 donation is suggested. Joyful Living Jenny Li Ciccone will host her series, Emotional Freedom Techniques Tapping, on Feb. 19 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Cost is $30 for members and $35 for guests. Fashion Show and Luncheon Featuring fashions from stores at Periwinkle Place, a Fashion Show and Luncheon will be held on Feb. 22 at noon. Resident Chef Jarred Harris will prepare the menu: carrot coriander soup, Mediterranean chicken salad, fresh baked bread with olive oil and Parmesan, and variety of desserts. There will also be a speciality cocktail. Cost is $45 for members and $50 for guests. Deadline for tickets is Feb. 19. Cooking Demo Resident Chef Jarred Harris will host a cooking demonstration on Feb. 21 from 4 to 6 p.m. The menu will feature: vichyssoise (chilled potato and leek soup), vegetable haggis, and hazelnut and honey pie. Cost is $35 for members and $50 for guests. Maksin/Gonzales The Gulf Coast Symphony and Sanibel Community Association will present celloist Ian Maskin and Miami-based guitarist Michael Gonzalez on Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. A fusion of music, the evening will span a variety of genres jazz, blues, flamenco, rock, R&B and world music blending many styles together using cello as the common denominator. Alcoholic beverages available for purchase. Tickets are $35. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company The Sanibel Captiva Trust Company will host speaker Craig Hersch on Why Selecting a Trustee Matters on Feb. 26 at 9:30 a.m. Reservations required by calling Frances Steger at 239-472-8300. Kids Cooking Kids Cooking is held on the first Monday of each month, except March, from October through May from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Resident Chief Jarred Harris will teach fundamental nutritional cooking skills and help students develop basic kitchen awareness and food preparation. The culturally-based menus will stress healthy and nutritious whole foods. Students will make the items, then sit down for a meal together. Cost is $50 per class; some scholarships will be available due to sponsorships by the Rotary and Kiwanis clubs and private citizens. Prepaid registration with required paperwork is encouraged. The following class menus are planned: March 1: Caribbean bean soup, curried chicken and roti, pineapple-glazed fish, coconut and vegetable stew, and banana fritters and honey April 1: Vegetable quesadillas, chicken tamales, fish tacos, homemade salsa and guacamole, and fried ice cream and churros May 6: Surprise menu Dine and Design Workshop A Dine and Design Workshop will take place on March 18 from noon to 2 p.m. Resident Chef Jarred Harris will prepare lunch, followed by a workshop with the Sanibel design team of Decorating Den Interiors. The topic will be Wonderful World of Window Treatments. Bring a photo of your design challenge and the staff will offer solutions. There will also be door prizes and studio sample displays. Cost is $30. Registration required by March 11. Colorful Sips Sissi Janku will host a beginners-to-advanced acrylic painting class on March 20 from 7 to 9 p.m. Bring your own snacks and beverages. Cost is $50 for members and $60 for non-members. Colorful Sips Sissi Janku will host a beginners-to-advanced acrylic painting class on April 3 from 7 to 9 p.m. Bring your own snacks and beverages. Cost is $50 for members and $60 for non-members. Dine and Design Workshop A Dine and Design Workshop will take place on April 15 from noon to 2 p.m. Resident Chef Jarred Harris will prepare lunch, followed by a workshop with the Sanibel design team of Decorating Den Interiors. The topic will be Suite Dreams. Bring a photo of your design challenge and the staff will offer solutions. There will also be door prizes and studio sample displays. Cost is $30. Registration required by April 8. The Community House is selling honey harvested from its hive, along with other products made by Resident Chef Jarred Harris. For more information about a program or activity, or to register or purchase tickets, visit www.sanibelcommunityhouse.net or contact info@sanibelcommunityhouse.net or 239-472-2155. To donate toward scholarships, call Executive Director Teresa Riska-Hall at 239-472-2155. TODAY, FEBRUARY 6 Family Storytime An all-ages program from 11 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. at the Sanibel Public Library, at 770 Dunlop Road, Sanibel, that encourages the development of pre-reading skills through songs, rhymes, fingerplays and stories. For information, call Deanna Evans at 239-472-2483. BIG ARTS Concert BIG ARTS will present the South West Florida Symphony with Appalachian Spring at 7:30 p.m. in Schein Hall, at 900 Dunlop Road, Sanibel. For information or tickets, call 239-395-0900 or visit http://www.bigarts.org>www.bigarts.org. Birds and Wildlife Tour Follow along on a car caravan tour of J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge from 9:30 to 11 a.m. The tour highlights the the mangrove ecosystem and the wildlife that live in the area; entrance fee to Wildlife Drive applies. Meet at the flagpole in front of the Visitor & Education Center, at 1 Wildlife Drive, Sanibel. For information, call 239-472-1110. Birds of the Refuge Program Learn interesting facts about birds and how to identify them in the estuary at the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge from 11 to 11:30 a.m. Meet at the Visitor & Education Center, at 1 Wildlife Drive, Sanibel. For information, call 239-472-1110. Florida Manatees Program Explore the Florida manatee as it faces a challenging future. Find out what you can do to help save the species from 1 to 1:30 p.m.; entrance fee to Wildlife Drive applies. Meet at the Crossdike Pavilion off Wildlife Drive at the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, at 1 Wildlife Drive, Sanibel. For information, call 239-472-1110. Bowmans Beach, Bayou Walk The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation provides a guided walk from 9 to 10 a.m. along the beach toward Blind Pass, then along the back dune/bayou trail. Meet at the foot of the bridge that crosses the bayou on the way to the beach, at 1700 Bowmans Beach Road, Sanibel. Walk is free; attendees must pay to park. For information, call 239-472-2329. Trail Walks: Explore Sanibels Interior Wetlands Join the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation from 11 a.m. to noon for a guided walk through the interior wetlands and mid-island ridges of the Center Tract with discussion of native habitats, natural and cultural history, and preservation efforts. Cost is $5 for non-members. Meet at the Nature Center, at 3333 Sanibel-Captiva Road, Sanibel, and proceed to the trails. For information, call 239-472-2329. New Moon Meditation A New Moon Meditation class will be held at 5:30 p.m. on South Beach on Captiva. Enjoy a guided meditation on the beach as the sun sets and the moon rises. Bring a towel or blanket to sit on. Meet at Alison Hagerup Beach Park, at 14790 Captiva Drive, Captiva. Cost is a suggested donation of $10-15, with proceeds to benefit the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundations sea turtle research program. For information, visit www.ambuyoga.com or call 239-314-9642. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7 Family Storytime An all-ages program from 11 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. at the Sanibel Public Library, at 770 Dunlop Road, Sanibel, that encourages the development of pre-reading skills through songs, rhymes, fingerplays and stories. For information, call Deanna Evans at 239-472-2483. After-school Crew Favorite books, new books and never-knew-existed books, plus puzzles, games, crafts and more from 3 to 4 p.m. at the Sanibel Public Library, at 770 Dunlop Rd, Sanibel. Geared toward kindergarten to third grade. Snack provided. For information, call Deanna Evans at 239-472-2483. R.E.A.D. with Bessie If you love dogs and books, then you might enjoy reading to Bessie, a bearded collie and Reading Education Assistance Dog, from 4 to 5 p.m. at the Sanibel Public Library, at 770 Dunlop Road, Sanibel. Sign-ups are on-the-spot. For information, call Deanna Evans at 239-472-2483. Island Yoga Island Yoga will be held from 8:30 to 9:15 a.m. at The Community House, at 2173 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel. Designed for all experience levels. Cost is $15 for members and $20 for guests. For information, call 239-472-2155 or visit sanibelcommunityhouse.net. Vinyasa Yoga Vinyasa Yoga will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. at The Community House, at 2173 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel. Instructor is Dr. Susan Pataky. Designed for all experience levels. Cost is $18 for members and $20 for guests. For information, call 239-472-2155 or visit sanibelcommunityhouse.net. Chi Yoga Chi Yoga will be held from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at The Community House, at 2173 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel. Instructor is Dr. Susan Pataky. Designed for all experience levels. Cost is $18 for members and $20 for guests. For information, call 239-472-2155 or visit sanibelcommunityhouse.net. Sanctioned Duplicate Bridge Sanctioned Duplicate Bridge will take place at 12:30 p.m. at The Community House, at 2173 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel. For information, call 239-472-2155 or visit sanibelcommunityhouse.net. Biking the Refuge Tour Learn about the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuges bird life and ecology in a tour with a naturalist from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on the Wildlife Drive/Indigo Trail loop; entrance fee for Wildlife Drive applies. Meet at the flagpole in front of the Visitor & Education Center, at 1 Wildlife Drive, Sanibel. For information, call 239-472-1110. Floridas Venomous Wildlife Program Learn about the venomous wildlife that lives in Southwest Florida from 11 to 11:30 p.m. in the Visitor & Education Center at the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, at 1 Wildlife Drive, Sanibel. Learn how to identify the animals and their habitats. For information, call 239-472-1110. Birds of the Refuge Program Learn interesting facts about birds and how to identify them in the estuary at the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge from 1 to 1:30 p.m.; entrance fee to Wildlife Drive applies. Meet at the Crossdike Pavilion off Wildlife Drive. For information, call 239-472-1110. Turtle Tracks Learn about the life cycles and habits of the sea turtles and shorebirds that nest on Sanibel beaches, the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundations monitoring activities and what it is doing to protect them from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Nature Center, at 3333 Sanibel-Captiva Road, Sanibel. Cost is $5 for non-members. For information, call 239-472-2329. Trail Walks: Explore Sanibels Interior Wetlands Join the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation from 11 a.m. to noon for a guided walk through the interior wetlands and mid-island ridges of the Center Tract with discussion of native habitats, natural and cultural history, and preservation efforts. Cost is $5 for non-members. Meet at the Nature Center, at 3333 Sanibel-Captiva Road, Sanibel, and proceed to the trails. For information, call 239-472-2329. Learn Qigong Learn Qigong will be held from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the Captiva Civic Center, at 11550 Chapin Lane, Captiva. Taught by tier I certified instructor Paul Lawrence, the classes will run through March 28. Cost is $30 at the door for all of the classes, or a $5 drop-in fee per class. Cash and check payments are accepted. Proceeds benefit the Captiva Civic Association. For information, call 239-472-2111 or visit www.ccacaptiva.org. Coffee, Tea and Trivia Coffee, Tea and Trivia at 7 p.m. in the Carpenters Caf & Bookstore at Sanibel Community Church, at 1740 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel. Family-friendly fun for all ages. Caf opens at 6:30 p.m.; all cafe proceeds go to missions. For information, call Beth Burns at 239-896-0058. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8 Beach Walk Join the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge for a guided exploration of Perry Tract from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.; parking fees apply. Learn about the vital beach ecosystem. Meet at the Gulfside City Park parking lot on Algiers Lane, off of West Gulf Drive. For information, call 239-472-1110. Indigo Trail Walk Naturalists lead a tour identifying and discussing the ecosystems plant and animal species from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge; entrance fee applies. Meet at the flagpole in front of the Visitor & Education Center, at 1 Wildlife Drive, Sanibel. For information, call 239-472-1100. Bailey Tract Tour Walk the trails of the Bailey Tract with a naturalist from 1 to 2:30 p.m. to learn about the inhabitants of the freshwater ecosystem of Southwest Florida. Meet at the Bailey Tract parking lot at the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, at 1 Wildlife Drive, Sanibel. For information, call 239-472-1110. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9 Family Storytime An all-ages program from 11 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. at the Sanibel Public Library, at 770 Dunlop Road, Sanibel, that encourages the development of pre-reading skills through songs, rhymes, fingerplays and stories. For information, call Deanna Evans at 239-472-2483. Story and Wildlife Wonders Program Join a naturalist for story time from 9:30 to 10 a.m. at J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuges Visitor & Education Center, at 1 Wildlife Drive, Sanibel. Learn about different wildlife that call the refuge home. For information, call 239-472-1110. Gators and Crocs Program Learn about crocodiles, gharials, alligators and caimans from 11 to 11:30 a.m. at J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, at 1 Wildlife Drive, Sanibel; entrance fee for Wildlife Drive applies. Learn how to identify families and local species. Meet at the Crossdike Pavilion on Wildlife Drive. For information, call 239-472-1110. Indigo Trail Walk Naturalists lead a tour identifying and discussing the ecosystems plant and animal species from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge; entrance fee applies. Meet at the flagpole in front of the Visitor & Education Center, at 1 Wildlife Drive, Sanibel. For information, call 239-472-1100. SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10 Sanibel Island Farmers Market Organized by Local Roots, the Sanibel Island Farmers Market from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Sanibel City Hall, at 800 Dunlop Road, Sanibel. For information, visit buylocallee.com. BIG ARTS Concert BIG ARTS will present guitarist Alfredo Muro with cellist Natasha Farny at 3:30 p.m. in Schein Hall, at 900 Dunlop Road, Sanibel. For information or tickets, call 239-395-0900 or visit www.bigarts.org. Beach Walk Join the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge for a guided exploration of Perry Tract from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.; parking fees apply. Learn about the vital beach ecosystem. Meet at the Gulfside City Park parking lot on Algiers Lane, off of West Gulf Drive. For information, call 239-472-1110. Endangered Species Program Discover endangered species of Southwest Florida and what you can do to help them from 11 to 11:30 a.m. in the Visitor & Education Center at J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, at 1 Wildlife Drive, Sanibel. For information, call 239-472-1110. Florida Manatees Program Explore the Florida manatee as it faces a challenging future. Find out what you can do to help save the species from 1 to 1:30 p.m.; entrance fee to Wildlife Drive applies. Meet at the Crossdike Pavilion off Wildlife Drive at the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, at 1 Wildlife Drive, Sanibel. For information, call 239-472-1110. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11 Current Events Current Events at 10 a.m. in the BIG ARTS Phillips Gallery, at 900 Dunlop Road, Sanibel. Enjoy lively discussion of the biggest headlines. For information, contact Malcolm Martini at 239-395-1362 or mlmartini@icloud.com. Monday Night Film BIG ARTS will host its Monday Night Film at 7 p.m. in Schein Hall, at 900 Dunlop Road, Sanibel. The scheduled film is Colette. For information or tickets, call 239-395-0900 or visit www.bigarts.org. Island Yoga Island Yoga will be held from 8:30 to 9:15 a.m. at The Community House, at 2173 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel. Designed for all experience levels. Cost is $15 for members and $20 for guests. For information, call 239-472-2155 or visit sanibelcommunityhouse.net. Shell Crafters Shell Crafting Class from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at The Community House, at 2173 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel. Make flower figures or animals. Limited class size; first come first served. Children must be accompanied by an adult due to the complexity/dexterity required. For information, call 239-472-2155 or visit sanibelcommunityhouse.net. Birds and Wildlife Tour Follow along on a car caravan tour of J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge from 9:30 to 11 a.m. The tour highlights the the mangrove ecosystem and the wildlife that live in the area; entrance fee to Wildlife Drive applies. Meet at the flagpole in front of the Visitor & Education Center, at 1 Wildlife Drive, Sanibel. For information, call 239-472-1110. Horseshoe Crabs Program Learn why the living fossil is not a true crab and its importance to migrating shorebirds and to the medical field from 11 to 11:30 a.m. in the Visitor & Education Center at the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, at 1 Wildlife Drive, Sanibel. For information, call 239-472-1110. Gators and Crocs Program Learn about crocodiles, gharials, alligators and caimans from 1 to 1:30 p.m. at J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, at 1 Wildlife Drive, Sanibel; entrance fee for Wildlife Drive applies. Learn how to identify families and local species. Meet at the Crossdike Pavilion on Wildlife Drive. For information, call 239-472-1110. Weeds and Seeds Join a group of amateur botanists for a walk starting at 8:45 a.m., visiting different locations on Sanibel, guided by a leader with a plant list. Meet on the porch of the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundations Nature Center, at 3333 Sanibel-Captiva Road, Sanibel. Walks are a minimum of two hours in length; bring a hat, water, sunblock and comfortable enclosed shoes with socks. Depending on the location visited, parking money may be needed; donations to SCCF are welcome. For information, call 239-472-2329. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12 Captiva Island Farmers Market Organized by Local Roots, the Captiva Island Farmers Market from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the South Seas Island Resort, at 5400 Plantation Road, Captiva. For information, visit buylocallee.com. After-school Clique Favorite books, new books and never-knew-existed books, plus puzzles, games, crafts and more from 3 to 4 p.m. at the Sanibel Public Library, at 770 Dunlop Road, Sanibel. Geared specifically for children in fourth grade through sixth grade. Snack provided. For information, call Deanna Evans at 239-472-2483. Talking Points BIG ARTS will host its Talking Points series at 10 a.m. in Schein Hall, at 900 Dunlop Road, Sanibel. The program is Planning for Y/Our Longevity, with Kathy Black, professor of aging studies and social work at the University of South Florida, Sarasota-Manatee. For information or tickets, call 239-395-0900 or visit www.bigarts.org. Vinyasa Yoga Vinyasa Yoga will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. at The Community House, at 2173 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel. Instructor is Dr. Susan Pataky. Designed for those with prior yoga experience. Cost is $18 for members and $20 for guests. For information, call 239-472-2155 or visit sanibelcommunityhouse.net. Chi Yoga Chi Yoga will be held from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at The Community House, at 2173 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel. Instructor is Dr. Susan Pataky. Designed for all experience levels. Cost is $18 for members and $20 for guests. For information, call 239-472-2155 or visit sanibelcommunityhouse.net. Sanctioned Duplicate Bridge Sanctioned Duplicate Bridge will take place at 12:30 p.m. at The Community House, at 2173 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel. For information, call 239-472-2155 or visit sanibelcommunityhouse.net. Birding Tour Follow a naturalist along Wildlife Drive in your car from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge; entrance fee to Wildlife Drive applies. Meet at the flagpole in front of the Visitor & Education Center, at 1 Wildlife Drive, Sanibel. For information, call 239-472-1110. Biking the Refuge Tour Learn about the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuges bird life and ecology in a tour with a naturalist from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on the Wildlife Drive/Indigo Trail loop; entrance fee for Wildlife Drive applies. Meet at the flagpole in front of the Visitor & Education Center, at 1 Wildlife Drive, Sanibel. For information, call 239-472-1110. Nature Photography Program Learn about the art of nature photography from 11 to 11:30 a.m. in the Visitor & Education Center at the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, at 1 Wildlife Drive, Sanibel. For information, call 239-472-1110. Calusa/Shell Mound Trail Tour Meet naturalists who will enthrall you with tales of the Calusa peoples history and teach you about native Florida plant life on the enchanting boardwalk trail from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, at 1 Wildlife Drive, Sanibel. Meet at the Shell Mound Trail parking lot on Wildlife Drive; entrance fee applies. For information, call 239-472-1110. Trail Walks: Explore Sanibels Interior Wetlands Join the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation from 11 a.m. to noon for a guided walk through the interior wetlands and mid-island ridges of the Center Tract with discussion of native habitats, natural and cultural history and preservation efforts. Cost is $5 for non-members. Meet at the Nature Center, at 3333 Sanibel-Captiva Road, Sanibel, and proceed to the trails. For information, call 239-472-2329. Friendly Faces Luncheon In partnership with George & Wendys Seafood Grille, F.I.S.H. of Sanibel-Captiva sponsors a Friendly Faces Luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the restaurant, at 2499 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel. The price includes an entre, side, non-alcoholic drink and dessert. Open to the public. For information, contact Kathy Y. Monroe at 239-472-4775. Learn Qigong Learn Qigong will be held from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the Captiva Civic Center, at 11550 Chapin Lane, Captiva. Taught by tier I certified instructor Paul Lawrence, the classes will run through March 28. Cost is $30 at the door for all of the classes, or a $5 drop-in fee per class. Cash and check payments are accepted. Proceeds benefit the Captiva Civic Association. For information, call 239-472-2111 or visit www.ccacaptiva.org. The Sanibel School, at 3840 Sanibel-Captiva Road, Sanibel, presents the following: Students take part in competition A total of 700 students presenting 650 STEM projects participated in the 62nd Annual Thomas Alva Edison Kiwanis Science and Engineering Fair and the 32nd Annual Thomas A. Edison Festival of Light Regional Inventors Fair on Jan. 19. Public, private and home-schooled students from around Southwest Florida competed at Alico Arena on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University. Students Bailey Drobnyk, J.J. Ignac and Milena Weigel represented The Sanibel School in the Science and Engineering Fair. The youth entered the following projects in the competition: Bailey Drobnyk, Will carrots grow better in the dark? J.J. Ignac, Will carrots grow better in the dark? Milena Weigel, Adding compost to sand to make it fertile. For more information, call 239-472-1617 or visit sbl.leeschools.net. Slavery was a terrible perversion of Americas found principles of freedom. The wound on the soul of our nation was almost terminal. It has been more than 150 years since the 13th Amendment was adopted, abolishing slavery, and healing is not yet complete. We must all work together for harmony and justice in America. Distorting history for political gain doesnt help. Historian Ed Ayers is quoted in The Daily Progress as saying, IF history teaches us one lesson, it is that change is constant (Dec. 16, 2018). We should all remember and understand both the good and the bad of our nations history as we change and grow. If we do not apply historys lessons, the path to solving todays problems will be dark and chaotic, as it seems to be in the city of Charlottesville now. The reasons for the choices of street names can help us understand the past and why things are the way they are now. City Councilor Wes Bellamy says that the Confederate-related name of Preston Avenue was chosen because the street ran through a black neighborhood, but he provides no evidence to support his claim. Thomas Preston lived nearby, so that might have been the reason. There might be another, even more important explanation for the citys decision to honor Thomas Preston. Eye on Annapolis, a local blog, broke the news about Wegmans interest in the area in September. Eye on Annapolis said then Wegmans was looking to buy the old AT&T building that has been vacant for years. This would put the store in direct competition with Whole Foods and Giant nearby. When the news of Kay Fryes death on Wednesday reached me, I was filled with sadness upon the passing of my friend and colleague. Two thoughts immediately filled my head: Hers was a life well lived and She made a difference. "I would like to encourage the media, my supporters, and others to treat both the woman who made this allegation and my family with respect for how painful this situation can be for everyone involved," Fairfax said. "I wish her no harm or humiliation, nor do I seek to denigrate her or diminish her voice. But I cannot agree with a description of events that I know is not true." In her statement, Tyson said she met Fairfax at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston and realized they had a mutual friend. On July 28 of that year, Tyson said, Fairfax asked her to accompany him to his hotel room to get some papers. He then began kissing her, she said, and she "kissed him back." "What began as consensual kissing quickly turned into a sexual assault," Tyson said. Tyson said Fairfax forced her to perform oral sex on him by grabbing her by the neck as she "cried and gagged." "I cannot believe, given my obvious distress, that Mr. Fairfax thought this forced sexual act was consensual," Tyson said. "To be very clear, I did not want to engage in oral sex with Mr. Fairfax and I never gave any form of consent. Quite the opposite. I consciously avoided Mr. Fairfax for the remainder of the Convention and I never spoke to him again." Virginia Capitol Police announced Wednesday it had placed a sergeant on leave after local activists published allegations that he "has an affinity" for symbols associated with white supremacists. In a press release, the Virginia Division of Capitol Police said Sgt. Robert A. Stamm is on paid administrative leave pending a review of possible violation of department policy. There is a review policy in place, and we will follow that policy, Col. Anthony S. Pike, the department's chief, said in the press release. On its blog Tuesday, Antifascists of the Seven Hills, a leftist self-described "militant" group, posted Stamms name, links to social media accounts in his name and a description of his tattoos and interests listed under those accounts. The Capitol Police press release says officials will not comment further on the matter. A division spokesman reached by email declined to say what policy may have been violated. Because it's a personnel matter, we're not commenting on any specific policies beyond the contents of the statement, spokesman Joe Macenka said in an email. Tracci said family members described Guevara as a hard worker who wanted a better life for himself and family. He said they had come to the United States to escape violence and were shocked that such a crime could happen here. Guevara was an El Salvadoran national and undocumented immigrant, but he was not associated with any gang, according to court records. According to court records and testimony in previous hearings, Guevara was targeted by the gang because he made a comment to a fellow employee at a Charlottesville restaurant that MS-13 did not make the rules in the U.S. The comment was interpreted as disrespect for the gang. According to court records, Guevara drove to Woolen Mills on July 3, 2017, with work colleague and MS-13 gang member Juan Carlos Argueta, 19, under the guise of meeting women. When they arrived at Woolen Mills, Guevara and Argueta were met by Walter Antonio Amaya, 21, who had traveled from Northern Virginia to Charlottesville to participate in the killing, along with Zelaya and fellow gang member Jose Luis Escobar-Umana, 23. City spokesman Brian Wheeler said the designation helps the city get ahead of any possible issues from follow-up events, such as occurred in 2018. We want to get out in front of it this year and the community felt like this was a good approach to take, he said. Each month of the summer would have a theme. The month of May would focus on the citys history of race relations. June would be centered on working toward economic and racial justice. July would be designated to honor community and neighborhood leaders. And four days in August would be set aside for remembrance. I think its wonderful, said Councilor Mike Signer, who was mayor during the white nationalist rallies. The events could include music, speakers and family activities, but their exact nature hasnt been finalized because they will be determined by community members. Star Peterson, who was injured in the car attack, spoke in favor of the proposal and urged council to make it an annual event. Walk The Walk Foundation was founded in 2005 by Severna Park residents Dave and Kim Mitchell to honor the memory of a child they lost during the holidays. It began with Kim wanting to buy a Christmas gift for a child the same age the son they lost wouldve been. She reached out to an aunt who was a school principal in a small, impoverished West Virginia town. Weatherford International plc, an oilfield service company, provides equipment and services for the drilling, evaluation, completion, production, and intervention of oil and natural gas wells worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Western Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere. It offers artificial lift systems, including reciprocating rod, progressing cavity pumping, gas, hydraulic, plunger, and hybrid lift systems, as well as related automation and control systems; pressure pumping and reservoir stimulation services, such as acidizing, fracturing and fluid systems, cementing, and coiled-tubing intervention; and drill stem test tools, and surface well testing and multiphase flow measurement services. The company also provides safety, downhole reservoir monitoring, flow control, and multistage fracturing systems, as well as sand-control technologies, and production and isolation packers; liner hangers to suspend a casing string in high-temperature and high-pressure wells; cementing products, including plugs, float and stage equipment, and torque-and-drag reduction technology for zonal isolation; and pre-job planning and installation services. In addition, it offers directional drilling services, and logging and measurement services while drilling; services related to rotary-steerable systems, high-temperature and high-pressure sensors, drilling reamers, and circulation subs; managed pressure drilling, conventional mud-logging, drilling instrumentation, gas analysis, wellsite consultancy, and open hole and cased-hole logging services; reservoir solutions and software products; and intervention and remediation services. Further, the company provides equipment and drilling tools; tubular handling, management, and connection services; equipment rental services; and onshore contract drilling and related services through a fleet of land drilling and workover rigs. Weatherford International plc was incorporated in 1972 and is headquartered in Baar, Switzerland. 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 McEwen Mining Inc. engages in the exploration, development, production, and sale of gold and silver. It also explores for copper deposits. The company owns 100% interests in the El Gallo and Fenix projects located in Mexico; and the Black Fox Mine and Stock Mill, Grey Fox, and Froome and Tamarack properties in Canada. It also owns interests in the Fuller, Davidson-Tisdale, Buffalo Ankerite, and Paymaster exploration properties located in Canada; and a 49% interest in the San Jose mine located in Argentina. In addition, the company owns 100% interests in the Gold Bar and Tonkin properties located in Eureka County, Nevada; and interests in the Los Azules copper project located in the cordilleran region in the province of San Juan, Argentina. The company was formerly known as US Gold Corporation and changed its name to McEwen Mining Inc. in January 2012. McEwen Mining Inc. was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Read More United Technologies Corporation provides technology products and services to building systems and aerospace industries worldwide. Its Otis segment designs, manufactures, sells, and installs passenger and freight elevators, escalators, and moving walkways; and offers modernization products to upgrade elevators and escalators, as well as maintenance and repair services. The company's Carrier segment provides heating, ventilating, air conditioning, refrigeration, fire, security, and building automation products, solutions, and services for commercial, government, infrastructure, residential, and refrigeration and transportation applications. This segment also offers building services, including audit, design, installation, system integration, repair, maintenance, and monitoring. Its Pratt & Whitney segment supplies aircraft engines for commercial, military, business jet, and general aviation markets; and provides aftermarket maintenance, repair, and overhaul, as well as fleet management services. The company's Collins Aerospace Systems segment provides electric power generation, power management, and distribution systems; air data and aircraft sensing systems; engine control, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems; engine components; environmental control systems; fire and ice detection, and protection systems; propeller systems; engine nacelle systems; aircraft lighting, seating, and cargo systems; actuation and landing systems; space products and subsystems; avionics systems; flight controls, communications, navigation, oxygen, and training systems; food and beverage preparation, and storage and galley systems; and lavatory and wastewater management systems. The company offers its services through manufacturers' representatives, distributors, wholesalers, dealers, retail outlets, and sales representatives, as well as directly to customers. United Technologies Corporation was founded in 1934 and is headquartered in Farmington, Connecticut. Read More Start with a celebration of the perfect couple: cheese and chocolate. Whole Foods Annapolis hosts a workshop with American Cheese Society certified professional Mia Jones on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Jones will pair cheese and chocolate along with specially selected beverage pairings from Bin 201. Registration is $25 at wholefoodsmarket.com. The store is at 200 Harker Place, Suite 100. Also at Whole Foods Annapolis, the Half Pint Kids Club makes Cupid Kabobs on Tuesday. Kids age 3-5 can enjoy the 45-minute craft and culinary workshop at 11 a.m. The class is $5 per child at wholefoodsmarket.com. For more information on either event, call 410-573-1800. SunTrust Banks, Inc. operates as the holding company for SunTrust Bank that provides various financial services for consumers, businesses, corporations, institutions, and not-for-profit entities in the United States. It operates in two segments, Consumer and Wholesale. The Consumer segment provides deposits and payments; home equity and personal credit lines; auto, student, and other lending products; credit cards; discount/online and full-service brokerage products; professional investment advisory products and services; and trust services, as well as family office solutions. This segment also offers residential mortgage products in the secondary market. The Wholesale segment provides capital markets solutions, including advisory, capital raising, and financial risk management; asset-based financing solutions, such as securitizations, asset-based lending, equipment financing, and structured real estate arrangements; cash management services and auto dealer financing solutions; investment banking solutions; and credit and deposit, fee-based product offering, multi-family agency lending, advisory, commercial mortgage brokerage, and tailored financing and equity investment solutions. This segment also offers treasury and payment solutions, such as operating various electronic and paper payment types, which comprise card, wire transfer, automated clearing house, check, and cash; and provides services clients to manage their accounts online. The company offers its products and services through a network of traditional and in-store branches, automated teller machines, Internet, mobile, and telephone banking channels. As of December 31, 2018, it operated 1,218 full-service banking offices located in Florida, Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, South Carolina, and the District of Columbia. SunTrust Banks, Inc. was founded in 1891 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Occidental Petroleum: 1PointFive Inc., 1PointFive P1 LLC, APC Aviation Inc., APC International Holdings LLC, APC Midstream Holdings LLC, APC Venezuela Srl, ARCO Long Beach, Altura Energy, Amarok Gathering LLC, Anadarko 20-25 Company, Anadarko 20-36 Company, Anadarko 20-47 Company, Anadarko 20-48 Company, Anadarko 20-49 Company, Anadarko Algeria Block 403 c/e Company, Anadarko Algeria Block 406B Company, Anadarko Algeria Company LLC, Anadarko Algeria Oil & Gas Company, Anadarko Brazil Investment I LLC, Anadarko Brazil Investment II LLC, Anadarko Canada E&P Limited, Anadarko China Holdings 2 Company, Anadarko Colombia Company, Anadarko Consolidated Holdings LLC, Anadarko Cote d'Ivoire Block 103 Company, Anadarko Cote d'Ivoire Company, Anadarko DBMOS Operator LLC, Anadarko Development Company, Anadarko Development Holding Limited, Anadarko E&P Onshore LLC, Anadarko Egypt Holdings Company, Anadarko Energy Holding Limited, Anadarko Energy Services Company, Anadarko Exploracao e Producao de Petroleo e Gas Natural Ltda., Anadarko Finance Company, Anadarko Gabon Company, Anadarko Ghana Mahogany-1 Company, Anadarko Global Energy S.a.r.l, Anadarko Global Funding 1 Company, Anadarko Global Funding II Ltd., Anadarko Guyana Company, Anadarko Holding Company, Anadarko International Development S.a.r.l, Anadarko International Energy Company, Anadarko International O&G Company, Anadarko International Trading Corporation, Anadarko Jordan Company, Anadarko Kenya Company, Anadarko LMM S.a.r.l, Anadarko Land Corp., Anadarko Mexico B.V., Anadarko Mexico S.a.r.l, Anadarko Midkiff/Chaney Dell BR Corp., Anadarko Midkiff/Chaney Dell LLC, Anadarko Natural Gas Company LLC, Anadarko New Zealand Company, Anadarko OGC Company, Anadarko Offshore Holding Company LLC, Anadarko Offshore Well Containment Company LLC, Anadarko Oil & Gas 5 LLC, Anadarko Peru B.V., Anadarko Petroleum, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, Anadarko Realty LLC, Anadarko Rockies LLC, Anadarko Royalty Holdings Company, Anadarko UK Corporate Limited, Anadarko US Offshore LLC, Anadarko USH1 Corporation, Anadarko Venezuela Company, Anadarko Venezuela LLC, Anadarko Venezuela Srl, Anadarko WCTP Company, Anadarko West Texas BR Corp., Anadarko West Texas LLC, Anadarko Worldwide Holdings C.V., Atlantic Rim Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Aventine LLC, Baseball Merger Sub 2 Inc., Bear Branch Exploration LLC, Big Island Trona Company, Bitter Creek Coal Company, Bravo Pipeline Company, Cain Chemical, Cain Chemical Inc., Carbon Finance Labs LLC, Concord Petroleum Corporation, Conn Creek Shale Company, D.S. Ventures LLC, DMM Financial LLC, Deerwood Exploration LLC, Downtown Plaza II, Elk Hills Field, FLAG Development LLC, FP Westport Commodities Limited, FP Westport GmbH, FP Westport LLC, FP Westport Limited, FP Westport Services LLC, FP Westport Trading LLC, Fosters Mill Exploration LLC, Glenn Springs Holdings Inc., Globrep Representaciones S.A., Grand Bassa Tankers Inc., Grupo OxyChem de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Headwater II LLC, Houndstooth Resources LLC, INDSPEC Chemical B.V., INDSPEC Chemical Corporation, INDSPEC Chemical Corporation, INDSPEC Chemical Export Sales LLC, INDSPEC Holding Corporation, Ingleside Cogeneration GP LLC, Ingleside Cogeneration Limited Partnership, Interore Trading Ltd., Joslyn Partnership, KERR-McGEE TT E&P LTD., KM BM-C-Seven Ltd., KM International Insurance Ltd., Kerr-McGee Corporation, Kerr-McGee Natural Gas Company Inc., Kerr-McGee Oil & Gas Onshore LP, Kerr-McGee Shared Services Company LLC, Kerr-McGee Stored Power Corporation, Kerr-McGee U.K. Energy Corporation, Kerr-McGee Worldwide Corporation, Kerr-McGee do Brasil Ltda., Kerr-McGee of Canada Northwest Ltd., Laguna Petroleum Corp., Laguna Petroleum LLC, Liwa Oil & Gas Ltd., MC2 Technologies LLC, Mariana Properties Inc., Marico Exploration Inc., Miller Springs Remediation Management Inc., Moncrief Minerals Partnership L.P., NGL Ventures LLC, Natural Gas Odorizing Inc., New OPL LLC, OEVC Energy LLC, OEVC Midstream Projects LLC, OIH LLC, OLCV CE Holdings ULC, OLCV CE US Holdings Inc., OLCV Net Power LLC, OLCV Services LLC, OOG Partner LLC, OOOI Chem Holdings LLC, OOOI Chem Sub LLC, OOOI Chemical International LLC, OOOI Chile Holder LLC, OOOI Ecuador Management LLC, OOOI Oil and Gas Sub LLC, OOOI South America Management LLC, OPM GP Inc., OPM Holdco LLC, OTCF LLC, OTH LLC, OXY CV Pipeline LLC, OXY Campus LLC, OXY Inc., OXY LPG LLC, OXY Libya E&P Area 103 BR4 B.V., OXY Libya E&P Area 35 Ltd., OXY Libya E&P Concession 103 Ltd., OXY Libya E&P EPSA 102 B.V., OXY Libya E&P EPSA 1981 Ltd., OXY Libya E&P EPSA 1985 Ltd., OXY Libya E&P NC 143 144 145 150 B.V., OXY Libya Exploration SPC, OXY Libya LLC, OXY Little Knife LLC, OXY Mexico Holdings I LLC, OXY Mexico Holdings II LLC, OXY Middle East Holdings Ltd., OXY Oil Partners Inc., OXY PBLP Manager LLC, OXY Support Services LLC, OXY Tulsa Inc., OXY USA Inc., OXY USA WTP LP, OXY VPP Investments LLC, OXY West LLC, OXY of Saudi Arabia Ltd., OXYCHEM (CANADA) INC., OXYMAR, Oakwood Exploration LLC, Occidental (Bermuda) Ltd., Occidental (East Shabwa) LLC, Occidental Advance Sale Finance Inc., Occidental Al Hosn LLC, Occidental Angola Holdings Ltd., Occidental CIS Services Inc., Occidental Canada Holdings Ltd., Occidental Chemical Asia Limited, Occidental Chemical Belgium B.V.B.A., Occidental Chemical Chile Limitada, Occidental Chemical Corporation, Occidental Chemical Export Sales LLC, Occidental Chemical Far East Limited, Occidental Chemical Holding Corporation, Occidental Chemical International LLC, Occidental Chemical Investment (Canada) 1 Inc., Occidental Chemical Receivables LLC, Occidental Chemical de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Occidental Chile Investments LLC, Occidental Chile Minority Holder LLC, Occidental Colombia (Series G) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series J) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series K) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series L) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series M) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series N) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series O) Ltd., Occidental Crude Sales Inc. (Canada), Occidental Crude Sales Inc. (International), Occidental Dolphin Holdings Ltd., Occidental Energy Marketing Inc., Occidental Energy Ventures LLC, Occidental Exploradora del Peru Ltd., Occidental Exploration and Production Company, Occidental Hafar LLC, Occidental International (Libya) Inc., Occidental International Corporation, Occidental International Exploration and Production Company, Occidental International Holdings Ltd., Occidental International Oil and Gas Ltd., Occidental International Services Inc., Occidental Joslyn GP 2 Co., Occidental LNG (Malaysia) Ltd., Occidental Latin America Holdings LLC, Occidental Libya Oil & Gas B.V., Occidental MENA Manager Ltd., Occidental Middle East Development Company, Occidental Midland Basin LLC, Occidental Mukhaizna LLC, Occidental Oil Asia Pte. Ltd., Occidental Oil Shale Inc., Occidental Oil and Gas (Oman) Ltd., Occidental Oil and Gas Corporation, Occidental Oil and Gas International Inc., Occidental Oil and Gas International LLC, Occidental Oil and Gas Pakistan LLC, Occidental Oil and Gas of Peru LLC, Occidental Oman (Block 27) Holdings Ltd., Occidental Oman Block 51 Holding Ltd., Occidental Oman Block 51 LLC, Occidental Oman Block 65 Holding Ltd., Occidental Oman Block 65 LLC, Occidental Oman Block 72 Holding Ltd., Occidental Oman Block 72 LLC, Occidental Oman Gas Company LLC, Occidental Oman Gas Holdings Ltd., Occidental Oman North Holdings Ltd., Occidental Oriente Exploration and Production Ltd., Occidental Overseas Holdings B.V., Occidental PVC LLC, Occidental Peninsula II Inc., Occidental Peninsula LLC, Occidental Permian Ltd., Occidental Permian Manager LLC, Occidental Permian Services Inc., Occidental Peruana Inc., Occidental Petrolera del Peru (Block 101) Inc., Occidental Petrolera del Peru (Block 103) Inc., Occidental Petroleum (Pakistan) Inc., Occidental Petroleum Corporation, Occidental Petroleum Corporation Political Action Committee, Occidental Petroleum de Venezuela S.A., Occidental Petroleum of Nigeria, Occidental Petroleum of Oman Ltd., Occidental Petroleum of Qatar Ltd., Occidental Power Marketing L.P., Occidental Power Services Inc., Occidental Qatar Energy Company LLC, Occidental Red Sea Development LLC, Occidental Research Corporation, Occidental Resource Recovery Systems Inc., Occidental Resources Company, Occidental Shah Gas Holdings Ltd., Occidental South America Finance LLC, Occidental Specialty Marketing Inc., Occidental Tower Corporation, Occidental Transportation Holding Corporation, Occidental West Texas Overthrust Inc., Occidental Yemen Ltd., Occidental Yemen Sabatain Inc., Occidental del Ecuador Inc., Occidental of Abu Dhabi (Bab) Ltd., Occidental of Abu Dhabi (Shah) Ltd., Occidental of Abu Dhabi Holdings Ltd., Occidental of Abu Dhabi LLC, Occidental of Abu Dhabi Ltd., Occidental of Bahrain Ltd., Occidental of Bangladesh Inc., Occidental of Colombia (Chipiron) Inc., Occidental of Colombia (Cosecha) Inc., Occidental of Colombia (Medina) Inc., Occidental of Colombia (Putumayo) Ltd., Occidental of Colombia (Teca) Ltd., Occidental of Colombia PUT-36 LLC, Occidental of Dubai Inc., Occidental of Iraq Holdings Ltd., Occidental of Iraq LLC, Occidental of Oman Inc., Occidental of Russia Ltd., Occidental of South Africa (Offshore) Inc., Occidental of Yemen (Block 75) LLC, Oceanic Marine Transport Ltd., Opcal Insurance Inc., Oryx Crude Trading & Transportation Inc., Oxy BridgeTex Limited Partnership, Oxy C & I Bulk Sales LLC, Oxy Canada Sales Inc., Oxy Carbon Solutions LLC, Oxy Carbon Storage LLC, Oxy Climate Ventures Inc., Oxy Cogeneration Holding Company LLC, Oxy Colombia Holdings LLC, Oxy Colombia TopCo Ltd., Oxy Delaware Basin LLC, Oxy Delaware Basin Plant LLC, Oxy Dolphin E&P LLC, Oxy Dolphin Pipeline LLC, Oxy Energy Canada Inc., Oxy Energy Services LLC, Oxy Expatriate Services Inc., Oxy FFT Holdings Inc., Oxy Holding Company (Pipeline) Inc., Oxy International Ventures Ltd., Oxy LPG Terminal LLC, Oxy Levelland Pipeline Company LLC, Oxy Levelland Terminal Company LLC, Oxy Low Carbon Ventures LLC, Oxy Midstream Strategic Development LLC, Oxy Oleoducto SOP LLC, Oxy Overseas Services Ltd., Oxy Permian Gathering LLC, Oxy Permian Plaza LLC, Oxy Petroleum de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Oxy Renewable Energy LLC, Oxy Salt Creek Pipeline LLC, Oxy TL LLC, Oxy Taft Hub LLC, Oxy Technology Ventures Inc., Oxy Transport I Company LLC, Oxy Vinyls Canada Co., Oxy Vinyls Export Sales LLC, Oxy Vinyls LP, Oxy Westwood Corporation, Oxy Y-1 Company, OxyChem Ingleside Ethylene Holdings Inc., OxyChem do Brasil Ltda., OxyChile Investments LLC, Oxychem Shipping Ltd., Permian Basin JV Tax Matters Member LLC, Permian Basin Limited Partnership, Permian VPP Holder LP, Permian VPP Manager LLC, Phibro, Placid Oil LLC, Ramlat Oxy Ltd., Rio de Viento Inc., Rodeo Midland Basin LLC, San Patricio Pipeline LLC, Scanports Shipping LLC, SequestCo LLC, Stetson Exploration LLC, Sun Offshore Gathering Company, Swiflite Aircraft Corporation, Transok Properties LLC, Troy Potter Inc., Turavent Oil GmbH [in liquidation], Tuscaloosa Holdings Inc., UP Petroleo III Ltd., Upland Industries Corporation, Venezuela US SRL, Vintage Gas Inc., Vintage Petroleum, Vintage Petroleum Argentina Ltd., Vintage Petroleum Boliviana Ltd., Vintage Petroleum International Finance B.V., Vintage Petroleum International Holdings LLC, Vintage Petroleum International LLC, Vintage Petroleum International Ventures Inc., Vintage Petroleum Italy Inc., Vintage Petroleum South America Holdings Inc., Vintage Petroleum South America LLC, Vintage Petroleum Turkey Inc., WGR Asset Holding Company LLC, WGR Canada Inc., Wardner Ranch Inc., Western Gas Resources Inc., Western Gas Resources-Westana Inc., Western Midstream Holdings LLC, Woodlands International Insurance Ltd., and YT Ranch LLC. The following companies are subsidiares of Sealed Air: AFP (Shanghai) Limited, AFP Inc. (Branch), AFPTOH LTD, Aconcagua Distribuciones SRL, Air Ride Pallets Hong Kong Limited, Austin Foam Plastics Inc., Auto-C LLC, Automated Packaging Systems, B+ Equipment, B+ Equipment SAS, Beacon Holdings LLC, Biosphere Industries, BluPack (New Zealand), Blue Dot Packaging Pty Ltd., CPI Packaging Inc., CPI Packaging Systems Inc., Cactus (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Cactus Shanghai Trading Co. Ltd., Ciras C.V., Ciras C.V. - Luxembourg Branch, Ciras C.V. Luxembourg Branch, Cleanwise Inc., Cryovac (Malaysia) SDN. BHD, Cryovac (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Cryovac Brasil Ltda., Cryovac Chile Holdings LLC, Cryovac Holdings II LLC, Cryovac Inc., Cryovac International Holdings Inc., Cryovac LLC, Cryovac Leasing Corporation, Cryovac Londrina Ltda., Cryovac Packaging Portugal - Embalagens Ltda., Cryovac Packaging Portugal Embalagens Ltda, Cryovac Sweden AB, Cryovac-Sealed Air de Costa Rica S.R.L., DELTAPLAM Embalagens Industria e Comercio, Deltaplam Embalagens Industria e Comercio Ltda, Diversey, Diversey Australia Pty. Ltd., Diversey Austria Trading GmbH, Diversey B.V., Diversey Belgium BVBA, Diversey Brasil Industria Quimica Ltda., Diversey Canada Inc., Diversey Centroamerica S.A., Diversey Danmark ApS, Diversey Hungary Acting Off-shore Capital Management Limited Liability Company, Diversey J Trustee Limited, Diversey Trustee Limited, Diversey Ceska republika s.r.o. clen koncernu Diversey, Entapack Pty. Ltd., Fagerdala (Chengdu) Packaging Co. Ltd., Fagerdala (Chengdu) Packing Co. Ltd. (Chongqing Branch), Fagerdala (Chongqing) Packaging Co. Ltd. (Branch), Fagerdala (Huiyang) Packaging Co. Ltd, Fagerdala (Huiyang) Packaging Co. Ltd. (Branch), Fagerdala (Shanghai) Foams Co. Ltd., Fagerdala (Shanghai) Polymer Co. Ltd., Fagerdala (Shenzhen) Packaging Co. Ltd., Fagerdala (Suzhou) Packaging Co. Ltd., Fagerdala (Suzhou) Packing Co. Ltd. (Hefei Branch), Fagerdala (Thailand) Limited, Fagerdala (Xiamen) Packaging Co. Ltd., Fagerdala Leamchabung Limited, Fagerdala Leamchabung Ltd., Fagerdala Malaysia Sdn Bhd., Fagerdala Mexico S.A. de C.V., Fagerdala Mexico S.A. de C.V. (Chihuahua Branch), Fagerdala Mexico Supply Chain S.A. de C.V., Fagerdala Packaging Inc. (Indiana), Fagerdala Shanghai Foams Co. Ltd., Fagerdala Singapore Pte Ltd, Fagerdala Singapore Pte Ltd (Branch), Fagerdala Singapore Pte. Limited, Fagerdala Singapore Pte. Limited (Taiwan Branch), Fagerdala Singapore Pte. Ltd., Fagerdala Suzhou Packaging Co. Ltd., Fagerdala Suzhou Packaging Co. Ltd. (Hefei Branch), Fagerdala Thailand Ltd., GEIE VES, Getpacking.com GmbH, Indonesian Rep Office of Sealed Air Hong Kong Limited, Invertol S. de R.L. de C.V., JCS Sealed Air Kaustik, JSC Sealed Air Kaustik, Kevothermal LLC, Kevothermal LLC, Kevothermal Limited, Nelipak Holdings, Pack-Tiger GmbH, Packaging C.V., ProAseptic Technologies S.L., Producembal - Producao de Embalagens Ltda., Proxy Biomedical Ltd., Reflectix Inc., SLD Air Packaging Paketleme Malzemeleri Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Saddle Brook Insurance Company, Sealed Air (Asia) Holdings B.V., Sealed Air (Barbados) S.R.L., Sealed Air (Canada) Co./CIE, Sealed Air (Canada) Holdings B.V., Sealed Air (China) Co. Ltd., Sealed Air (China) Co. Ltd., Sealed Air (China) Limited, Sealed Air (China) Ltd., Sealed Air (India) Limited, Sealed Air (Israel) Ltd., Sealed Air (Korea) Limited, Sealed Air (Latin America) Holdings II LLC, Sealed Air (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Sealed Air (New Zealand), Sealed Air (Philippines) Inc., Sealed Air (Singapore) Pte. Limited, Sealed Air (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Sealed Air (Thailand) Limited, Sealed Air (Ukraine) Limited, Sealed Air Africa (Proprietary) Limited, Sealed Air Africa (Pty.) Limited, Sealed Air Americas Manufacturing S. de R. L. de C. V., Sealed Air Argentina S.A., Sealed Air Australia (Holdings) Pty. Limited, Sealed Air Australia Pty Ltd., Sealed Air Australia Pty. Limited, Sealed Air B.V., Sealed Air Belgium N.V., Sealed Air Central America S.A., Sealed Air Chile S.P.A., Sealed Air Colombia Ltda., Sealed Air Corporation (US), Sealed Air Denmark A/S, Sealed Air Embalagens Ltda., Sealed Air Europe Holdings C.V., Sealed Air Europe Holdings LP, Sealed Air Finance B.V., Sealed Air Finance II LLC, Sealed Air Finance II LLC (Sucursal Mexico), Sealed Air Finance Ireland Unlimited Company, Sealed Air Finance Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Sealed Air Finance Luxembourg S.a.r.l. Luxembourg (L) Root Finance Branch, Sealed Air Finance Luxembourg S.a.r.l. US Finance Branch, Sealed Air Funding Corporation, Sealed Air Funding LLC, Sealed Air General Trading LLC, Sealed Air Global Holdings C.V., Sealed Air Global Holdings I C.V., Sealed Air Global Holdings I LLC, Sealed Air GmbH, Sealed Air Hellas S.A., Sealed Air Holding France S.A.S., Sealed Air Holding France SAS, Sealed Air HoldingS I LLC, Sealed Air Holdings (New Zealand) Pty. Ltd., Sealed Air Holdings I C.V., Sealed Air Holdings LLC, Sealed Air Holdings South Africa Proprietary Limited, Sealed Air Hong Kong (Jakarta Indonesia Branch), Sealed Air Hong Kong Limited, Sealed Air Hungary Ltd., Sealed Air International Holdings LLC, Sealed Air International Holdings LLC , Sealed Air Investment and Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Sealed Air Investment and Management Co. Ltd., Sealed Air Japan G.K., Sealed Air Korea Limited, Sealed Air LLC, Sealed Air Limited, Sealed Air Luxembourg (I) S.a.r.l., Sealed Air Luxembourg (II) S.a.r.l., Sealed Air Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Sealed Air Management Holding Verwaltungs GmbH, Sealed Air Multiflex GmbH, Sealed Air Netherlands (Holdings) I B.V., Sealed Air Netherlands (Holdings) II B.V., Sealed Air Netherlands (Holdings) II B.V. - Deutsche Zweigniederlassung, Sealed Air Netherlands (Holdings) II B.V. - Deutsche Zweigniederlassung, Sealed Air Netherlands (Holdings) III B.V., Sealed Air Netherlands (Holdings) III B.V., Sealed Air Netherlands Holdings V B.V., Sealed Air Nevada Holdings Limited, Sealed Air Norge AS, Sealed Air OY, Sealed Air Packaging (India) Private Limited, Sealed Air Packaging (Shanghai) Co. Limited, Sealed Air Packaging (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Sealed Air Packaging LLC, Sealed Air Packaging Materials (India) LLP, Sealed Air Packaging Materials (India) LLP, Sealed Air Packaging S.L.U., Sealed Air Paketleme Malzemeleri Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Sealed Air Peru S.A.C., Sealed Air Polska Sp. Zoo, Sealed Air Pty Limited, Sealed Air S.A S., Sealed Air S.A.S., Sealed Air S.r.l., Sealed Air South Africa (Pty.) Ltd., Sealed Air Svenska AB, Sealed Air Taiwan Limited, Sealed Air US Holdings (Thailand) LLC, Sealed Air Uruguay S.A., Sealed Air Venezuela Corporation, Sealed Air Verpackungen GmbH, Sealed Air de Mexico Operations S. de R.L. de C.V., Sealed Air de Venezuela S.A., Sealed Air s.r.o., Shanklin Corp, Shanklin Corporation, Soinpar Industrial Ltda., TART s.r.o., TART s.r.o. Joint Venture, TTS-Ciptec, TXAFP Asia Pacific Ltd., TXAFP GP LLC, TempTrip LLC, Trigon Industries, and Vietnamese Rep Office of Sealed Air Hong Kong Limited. Ad All Marijuana Stocks New this week - 218 interested One pot stock could skyrocket with looming interstate sales A new bill in Congress would decriminalize marijuana nationally by removing cannabis from the federal governments list of controlled substances. The law would also allow one established Seattle cannabis company to market across state lines for the first time potentially setting off a bidding war that could blast this stock into the stratosphere! Local school kids on Tuesday learned a lesson on what can happen when you make the wrong choices in life pertaining to drinking and driving. Students from Oasis Middle School and other schools throughout Lee County attended the annual Drug House Odyssey event at Lee Civic Center that addresses the evils of drinking and driving and how the decisions they make can have lifelong consequences. It is unusual for middle school students to attend this event, as the program is geared toward fifth-graders. However, as Oasis is starting a SADD program (Students Against Destructive Decisions), it was decided that those kids should attend. Drug House Odyssey is a play in which teenagers make terrible decisions that have tragic ramifications. Members of the Lee County Sheriffs Office, Cape Coral Police Department and the Florida Highway Patrol, as well as Lee County EMS (which brought its helicopter), Bayshore Fire Department and the Lee County District Attorneys Office, actually participate in the event. We want to show them the long-term ramifications of drinking and driving, possession of prescription pills and show them the process of us observing a violation where we effect their arrest and start the long-term consequence, said Sgt. James Lear of the CCPD, who arrests a drunk driver in the play. We want to impact children where they say they dont want that person to be them. Weve been volunteering for Drug House Odyssey for years. Its been great for us and impactful for the kids, said Jennifer Royal, assistant state attorney who played defense counsel to an accused drunk driver. We take DUIs very seriously and even juveniles get serious sanctions because we want them to learn from their actions and shouldnt be drinking to begin with. We deal with this on an almost daily basis where we run these accidents and people dont realize the dangers of drinking and driving, said Capt. Doug Underwood of the Bayshore Fire Department. All of us being involved puts a light in the eyes of these kids to realize the significance of saying no. Students from Fort Myers High School played the role of the teenagers making those terrible decisions. Students like Rolf Julmisse, who said he did this to help people out. I think this benefits the kids for them to see the effects of alcohol abuse. I go to people who mentor me and who I look up to like my parents and teachers and think about it, Julmisse said. Lisa DeWitt, health teacher at Oasis, said the school thought an after school program would get kids involved in realizing what drugs and alcohol can do. Pretty soon, theyll be in high school and theyll face all that peer pressure. Watching the scenes from this made it real for them. They got to see the repercussions to their health, scholarships gone, jail and your life is over, DeWitt said. Chris Reyes, sixth-grader, said he learned that drugs and alcohol can hurt you. They affect your body and how you live. It can affect how to drive and smoking can even give you cancer and kill you, Reyes said. From watching the play, I knew I really needed to avoid all that. Look away and say no. The public viewing of Drug House Odyssey is Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m. Tre Boston, defensive back of the Arizona Cardinals and a graduate of North Fort Myers High School, is expected to attend. The following companies are subsidiares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.: 2235158 Alberta Limited, A.J. Amer Agency, AHC Digital LLC, AIX Limited, AJG Coal LLC, AJG Financial Services LLC, AJG Meadows LLC, AJG North America ULC, AJG RCF LLC, AJGRMS of Louisiana LLC, ARM RE Ltda., AVIATION INSURANCE SERVICES, AVRECO, Ace IRM Insurance Broking Group, Acumus Holdings Limited, Acumus Interco Limited, Acumus Ltd, Adams & Associates International, Adaptive Marketing LLC, Adco General Corporation, Advanced Benefit Advisors, Aequus Trade Credit, Affinity Marketing Group, Ahrold Fay Rosenberg, Aires Consulting Group, Alesco Risk Management Services Limited, Alize Limited, Allied Claims Administration Inc., Alternative Market Specialists, Altman & Cronin Benefit Consultants, American Freedom Carriers Inc., American Security Services Corp., American Wholesalers Underwriting Ltd, Andrew-Anthony Insurance Agency, Anthony Hodges Consulting Limited, Antrobus Investments Limited, AquaSurance, Argentis, Argentis Financial Group Limited, Argentis Financial Management Limited, Argus Benefits, Armstrong/Robitaille/Riegle, Artex (SAC) Limited, Artex Cedar Hill, Artex Corporate Services (Malta) Limited, Artex Corporate Services Limited, Artex Holdings (Gibraltar) Limited, Artex Holdings (Malta) Limited, Artex Insurance (Guernsey) PCC Limited, Artex Insurance (Tennessee) PCCIC Inc., Artex Insurance Brokers (Malta) PCC Limited, Artex Insurance ICC Limited, Artex Intermediaries Ltd, Artex Risk Solutions (Bermuda) Ltd, Artex Risk Solutions (Cayman) Limited, Artex Risk Solutions (Gibraltar) Limited, Artex Risk Solutions (Guernsey) Limited, Artex Risk Solutions (International) Ltd, Artex Risk Solutions (Malta) Limited, Artex Risk Solutions (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Artex Risk Solutions (UK) Limited, Artex Risk Solutions Inc., Arthur J Gallagher (Norway) Holdings AS, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (AUS) Ltd, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (Bermuda) Limited, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (Illinois), Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Insurance Brokers of California Inc., Arthur J. Gallagher (Aus) Pty Ltd, Arthur J. Gallagher (Bermuda) Holding Partnership, Arthur J. Gallagher (Life Solutions) Ltd, Arthur J. Gallagher (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Arthur J. Gallagher (U.S.) LLC, Arthur J. Gallagher (UK) Limited, Arthur J. Gallagher Asesoria S.A.C., Arthur J. Gallagher Australasia Holdings Pty Ltd., Arthur J. Gallagher Brokerage & Risk Management Services LLC, Arthur J. Gallagher Broking (NZ) Limited, Arthur J. Gallagher Financial Services Professionals Risk Purchasing Group LLC, Arthur J. Gallagher Group Quebec ULC, Arthur J. Gallagher Holdings (UK) Limited, Arthur J. Gallagher Insurance Brokers Limited, Arthur J. Gallagher Latin America LLC, Arthur J. Gallagher Management (Bermuda) Limited, Arthur J. Gallagher Real Estate Risk Purchasing Group LLC, Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services (Hawaii) Inc., Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services Inc., Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services of Utah Inc., Arthur J. Gallagher School Risk Purchasing Group LLC, Arthur J. Gallagher Service Company LLC, Arthur J. Gallagher Services (UK) Ltd, Ashmore & Associates Insurance Agency, Atlantic Risk Management Corp., Atrex Insurance (Cayman) SPC Limited, Avantek Pty Ltd, Axe Insurance PCC Limited, BIS Insurance Services, Baker - Tillys employment benefits solutions, Ballard Benefit Works, Bankers Financial Benefits, Barmore Insurance Agency, Behnke & Co. Inc., Bellisle Pty Ltd, Belmont Associates Consultants, Belmont Insurance Holdings Limited, Belmont International, Belmont International Limited, Benefit Development Group, Benefit Management Group, BenefitLink Resource Group, Benefits Planning & Insurance Agency, Benefits Unlimited, Bennett & Shade Co., Bergvall Marine, Bergvall Marine A.S., Besselman & Little Agency, Big Savings Insurance Agency Inc., Blenheim Park Ltd, Blenheim Park Services Limited, Blue Holdings Pty Ltd, Blue Horizon Insurance Services, Blue Water Benefits, BluePeak Advisors, Blueleaf Consulting Pty Ltd., Bluewater Incorporated Cell Insurance Company, Bollinger Inc., Bollinger Insurance Services Inc., Bowen Miclette Britt & Merry of Arkansas Inc., Brendis & Brendis, Brim AB, Broker Benefit Services, Brokerage Professionals, Brown Hobbs & McMurray Insurance, Bultman/Bell Associates Inc., Burkwald & Associates, Burns-Fazzi Brock & Associates, Bushong Insurance Associates, C&B Consulting Group, CGM Gallagher Insruance Brokers (Trinidad & Tobago) Limited, CJM Solutions Inc., CMA Solutions LLC, Cairnstone Financial, California Insurance Center, Capital Bauer Insurance Agency, Capitol Benefits Group, Capsicum CRLA LLP, Capsicum Re Brasil Participacoes Ltda, Capsicum Re Latin America Corretora De Resseguros Ltda, Capsicum Reinsurance Brokers Bermuda Limited, Capsicum Reinsurance Brokers Miami Inc., Carefree Marketing Inc., Carpenter Cammack & Associates, Cashan & Co., Castle Insurance Associates, Centennial Insurance Agency, Charity First Insurance Services Inc., Charles Allen Agency, Charter Lakes Insurance Agency, Chris Schroeder Insurance, Christie-Phoenix, Cintran Claims Canada Limited, Classic Insurance Services, Cleaveland Insurance Group, Cohen & Lord Insurance Brokers, Cohn Financial Group, Coleman Group Holdings Limited, Coleman Holdings Limited, College and University Scholastic Excess Risk Purchasing Group LLC, Commercial Insurance Brokers, Complete Benefit Alliance, Complete Financial Balance, Complete Financial Balance Pty Ltd, Consolidated Casualty Specialties LLC, Construction Risk Solutions, Contego Underwriting Limited, Contego Underwriting Ltd, Continental Excess & Surplus, Convergence Risk Services Ltd, Copper Mountain Assurance Inc., Cornwall & Stevens Co., Corporate Benefit Advisors, Corporate Life Consultants, Countrywide Accident Assistance Limited, Coverdell & Company Inc., Coverdell Canada Corporation, Cowles and Connell, Craig M. Ferguson & Co., Crist Elliott Machette Insurance Services, Crombie Lockwood (NZ) Limited, Davis-Poston & Associates, Denman Consulting Services, Detlefs Johnson & Partners, DiBrina Group, Dickinson & Associates, Discount Development Services L.L.C., Discovery Benefit Solutions, Dodson-Bateman & Co., Donald P. Pipino Co. Ltd., E. S. Susanin Inc., EHE Holdings LLC, EHS Holdings Limited, Elantis Premium Funding (NZ) Limited, Elantis Premium Funding Limited, Elite Benefits Insurance Marketing Services, Employee Benefits Analysis Corp., Employee Benefits of The Carolinas, Encore Insurance & Bonding, Everett James, Evolution Risk Services Limited, Evolution Technology Services Limited, Evolution Underwriting Group, Evolution Underwriting Group Limited, Evolution Underwriting Limited, Excel Insurance Services, FYI Direct Canada Corporation, FYI Direct LLC, Farallone Pacific Insurance Services, Fenchurch Faris Limited, Fidelity Benefits & Insurance Services, Financial Profiles Inc., Finergy Solutions Pty Ltd, First Agency, First Iowa Insurance Agency, First Premium Inc., First Premium Insurance Group, Fish & Schulkamp, Fishermans Insurance Services, Foley Healthcare Limited, Fortress Financial Solutions Pty Ltd, Fortress Insurance LLC, Foundation Strategies, Fox Lawson & Associates, Franklin-Case Agency LLC, Fraser MacAndrew Ryan Limited, Friary Intermediate Limited, Fuller & O'Brien, G.S. Chapman & Associates Insurance Brokers, G.S. Levine Insurance Services, GBS (Australia) Holdings Pty Ltd, GBS Administrators Inc., GBS Insurance and Financial Services Inc., GBS Retirement Services Inc., GBS Specialty Markets LLC, GGB Finance 1 Limited, GGB Finance 2 Limited, GGB Finance 3 Limited, GGB Finance 4 Limited, GPL Assurance, GPL Assurance Inc., Gabor Insurance Services, Gale Smith & Co. Inc., Gallagher (Bermuda) Insurance Solutions Ltd., Gallagher - Grace/Mayer Insurance Agency, Gallagher Bassett Aires Inc., Gallagher Bassett Canada Inc., Gallagher Bassett Insurance Services Ltd., Gallagher Bassett International Ltd., Gallagher Bassett NZ Pty Ltd., Gallagher Bassett Services Inc. , Gallagher Bassett Services Pty Ltd., Gallagher Bassett Services Workers Compensation Victoria Pty Ltd., Gallagher Benefit Services (Canada) Group Inc., Gallagher Benefit Services (Holdings) Limited, Gallagher Benefit Services Inc., Gallagher Benefit Services Management Company Limited, Gallagher Benefit Services Pty Ltd, Gallagher Benefits Consulting Limited, Gallagher Bomford Couch Wilson, Gallagher Burgess, Gallagher Canada Acquisition Corporation, Gallagher Caribbean Group Limited, Gallagher Clean Energy LLC, Gallagher Communications Limited, Gallagher Community Clinic RPG LLC, Gallagher Consulting Ltda, Gallagher Corporate Services LLC, Gallagher Coyle, Gallagher CyberRisk, Gallagher Energy Risk Services Inc., Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors LLC, Gallagher Holdings (UK) Limited, Gallagher Holdings Bermuda Company Limited, Gallagher Holdings Four (UK) Limited, Gallagher Holdings Three (UK) Limited, Gallagher Insurance Brokers (Barbados) Limited, Gallagher Insurance Brokers (St. Kitts & Nevis) Limited, Gallagher Insurance Brokers (St. Lucia) Limited, Gallagher Insurance Brokers (St. Vincent) Limited, Gallagher Insurance Brokers Jamaica Limited, Gallagher International Cash Management s.r.l., Gallagher International Holdings (US) Inc., Gallagher Investment Advisors LLC, Gallagher Inwest Group, Gallagher Koster, Gallagher Lambert Group, Gallagher Madison Risk & Insurance Services, Gallagher Mauritius Holdings, Gallagher Mississippi Brokerage LLC, Gallagher RE Colombia Ltda Corredores de Reaseguros SA, Gallagher Risk & Reward Limited, Gallagher Risk Group LLC, Gallagher Risk Placements Pty Ltd, Gallagher SKS, Gallagher Service Center LLP, Gallagher-Tarantino, Galtney Group, Game Day Insurance Inc., Gardner & White Corp., Gardner Marine Agency, Garza Long Group, Gatehouse Consulting Limited, Gault Armstrong Kemble Pty Ltd, Gault Armstrong SARL, Giles Group, Giles Holdings Limited, Giles Insurance Brokers, Gillis Ellis & Baker Inc., Goodman Insurance Agency, Grandy Pratt Co., Greenseed Alternative Mangaers Platform Ltd, Grossman & Associates, Group Benefits of Arkansas, Group Insurance Associates, Gruppo Marcucci, HLG Holdings Limited, HMG-PCMS Limited, HPF Investments LLC, HR Owen Insurance Services Limited, Hagan Newkirk Financial Services, Hagedorn & Company, Hardman & Howell Benefits, Harlequin Insurance PCC Limited, Hartstein Associates Inc., Healthcare Professionals Purchasing Group LLC, Healthcare Risk Solutions, Heath Lambert Group Ltd., Heath Lambert Limited, Heath Lambert Overseas Limited, Heiser Insurance Agency, Henderson Phillips Fine Arts Insurance, Herbruck Alder & Co., Heritage Insurance Brokers (CI) Limited, Hesse & Partner AG, Hesse Consulting, Hexagon ICC Limited, Hexagon Insurance PCC Limited, Hill Chesson & Woody, Hogan Insurance Services, Home & Travel Limited, Honour Point Limited, Horseshoe Corporate Services Ltd, Horseshoe Fund Services (Cayman) Ltd, Horseshoe Fund Services Ltd, Horseshoe Fund Services USA Inc., Horseshoe ILS Services UK Ltd, Horseshoe Insurance Advisors US LLC, Horseshoe Insurance Advisory Ltd., Horseshoe Insurance Services Holdings Ltd, Horseshoe Insurance Services Holdings US Inc., Horseshoe Management (Gibraltar) Limited, Horseshoe Management (Ireland) Ltd, Horseshoe Management Ltd., Horseshoe PCC Limited, Horseshoe Re Limited, Horseshoe Services (Cayman) Ltd, Horseshoe Services (Pty) Ltd, Horton Insurance Agency, Housing Authorities Services Risk Purchasing Group LLC, Human Resource Management Systems, I-Protect Underwriting Pty Ltd, IBIS Advisors, IBS Reinsurance Singapore Pte Ltd, ILS Fund Services Ltd., ISG International, ITI Solutions, Igloo Insurance PCC Limited, Independent Benefit Services, Independent Fiduciary Services, Ink Underwriting Agencies Limited, InsSync Group Pty Ltd, Inspire Underwriting Limited, Instrat Insurance Brokers, Instrat Insurance Brokers Pty Ltd, Instrat Integration Holdco Pty Ltd, Insurance Acquisitions Holdings Limited, Insurance Associates Inc., Insurance Dialogue Limited, Insurance Dialogue Ltd., Insurance Plans Agency, Insurance Plus Risk Purchasing Group LLC, Insurance Point, Insurance Risk Managers of Missouri Inc., Insure My Villa Limited, Insure Pty Ltd, Integrated Healthcare Strategies, InterNational Insurance Group, InterPacific Underwriting Agencies, Intermountain Financial Benefits, Interstate Insurance Underwriters, JPGAC LLC, James F. Reda & Associates, James R. Weir Insurance Agency, Jenkins and Associates, Joe E. Martin Inc., John P. Woods Co. Inc., Jones Brown, Jones Brown Group Inc., Jones Brown Insurance Solutions Inc., Joseph Distel, Joseph James & Associates Insurance Agency, Just Landlords Insurance Services Ltd, KDC Associates, KRW Insurance Agency, Kahl Insurance Services, Kaler Carney Liffler & Co. Inc., Kane Group - Insurance Management Operations, Kelly Financial, Kent Kent & Tingle and RBS, Keyser Benefits Corp., Kingspark Enterprises Pty Ltd, L&R Benefits, LSG Insurance Partners, Learn About Money Limited, Lewis & Associates Insurance Brokers, Leystone Insurance & Financial, Life Plans Unlimited, Lincoln Financial Management, Longfellow Financial, Lucas Fettes Limited, Lucas Fettes and Partners Limited, Lutgert Insurance, MA Underwriting Pty Ltd, MDM Insurance Associates, MG Advanced Coal Technologies-1 LLC, MGA Insurance Services, MRS Holdings Ltd., Madison Scott & Associates, Managed Healthcare Solutions, Mannequin Insurance PCC Limited, Marchetti Robertson & Brickell Insurance, Marine Insurance Service, Martin Gordon & Jones Inc., McDowall Associates Human Resource Consultants, McIntyre Risk Management, McLean Insurance Agency, McNeary, McPherson Benefits Group, McRory & Co., Mecacem Insurance SPC Ltd, MedInsights Inc., Melton Insurance Associates, Memberworks Canada LLC, Merit Insurance, Metcom Excess, Metzler Bros. Insurance, Meyers-Reynolds & Associates, Mid America Group, Midwest Surety Services, Mike Henry Insurance Brokers, Mike Henry Insurance Brokers Limited, Mike Henry Insurance Funding Limited, Miller Buettner & Parrott, Miller-Harrison Insurance Services, Milne Alexander Pty Ltd, Minvielle & Chastanet Insurance Brokers, Monument Insurance (NZ) Limited, Monument Llc, Monument Premium Funding Limited, Mortgage Insurance Agency, Murphy Consultants, Mutual Insurance Services, NationAir Aviation Insurance, National Administration Co., National Ethics Association, National Transportation Adjusters, Nelson/Monarch Insurance Services, Nicoud Insurance Services, NiiS/Apex Group Holdings, Nonprofit Insurance Risk Purchasing Group LLC, Noraxis Capital Corp, Nordic Forsakring & Riskhantering AB, North Alabama Insurance, Nourse Insurance Brokers, O'Gorman & Young, OAMPS (UK) Limited, OAMPS Gault Armstrong Pty Ltd, OAMPS Limited, OAMPS Special Risks Ltd, Offshore Market Placements Limited, Optimum Talent, Orb Financial Services, Orb Financial Services Limited, Osprey Insurance Brokers Limited, Oval Group, Oval Healthcare Limited, Oval Insurance Broking Limited, Oval Limited, Oval Management Services Limited, Oxygen Insurance Managers, P2 Group, PEN Insurance Management Advisors Ltd, PT IBS Insurance Broking Service, Pacific Insurance Agency, Palmer Atlantic Insurance, Palmer Atlantic Insurance Ltd, Palmer Atlantic Risk Services Ltd., Park Row Associates, Parkstar Enterprises Pty Ltd, Parmia Pty Ltd, PartnerSource, Pastel Holding (NZ) Company, Pastel Holdings Pty Limited, Pastel Purchaser (NZ) Limited, Pastel Purchaser Pty Limited, Pavey Group Holdings (UK) Limited, Pavey Group Holdings Limited, Pavey Group Limited, Pearson Dunn Insurance Inc., Pen Underwriting Canada Limited, Pen Underwriting Group Pty. Ltd., Pen Underwriting Limited, Pen Underwriting Pty Ltd, Persing Dyckman & Toynbee Inc., Personal Advice Services Pty Ltd, Petty Burton Associates, Pointer Insurance Agency, Portmore Insurance Brokers (Wilshire) Limited, Portmore Insurance Brokers Limited, Potter-Holden & Co., Powell Insurance Agency, Premier Insurance Services Inc., Premier Risk Services, Premium Finance Corporation, Preston-Patterson, ProSource Financial, Professional Agents Risk Purchasing Group LLC, Professional Claims Managers, Proinova AB, Proinova Agency AB, Pronto California Agency LLC, Pronto California General Agency LLC, Pronto Florida Claims LLC, Pronto Florida General Agency LLC, Pronto Franchise LLC, Pronto General Agency Ltd, Pronto General Agency Management LLC, Pronto Holdco Inc., Pronto Holding California LLC, Pronto Holding Florida LLC, Pronto Insurance Agency of Laredo Inc., Pronto Premium Finance LLC, Property & Commercial Ltd., Property Insurance Initatives Limited, Property and Commercial Limited, Protected Insurance Company, Protection Plan Association Inc., Protek Group Limited, Providium Consulting Group, Ptarmigan Underwriting Agency Limited, Ptarmigan Underwriting UK Limited, Purple Bridge Claims Management Limited, Purple Bridge Finance Limited, Purple Bridge Group Limited, Purple Bridge Investments Limited, Purple Bridge Online Services Limited, Purple Bridge Publishing Limited, Quantum Underwriting Solutions Limited, Quillco 226 Limited, Quillco 227 Limited, R. L. Youngdahl & Associates, R.G. Speno Inc., R.W. Scobie, RA Rossborough (Guernsey) Ltd., RA Rossborough (Insurance Brokers) Ltd, REGENCY Group inc., RGA Referencing Limited, RGA Underwriting Limited, RIL Administrators (Guernsey) Ltd., RJ Dutton Inc., RSM Insurance Services Limited, Reassurance Holdings Inc., Rebholz Insurance Agency, Reid Manson Ltd., Reimbursement Services, Rentguard Limited, Reward Management Limited, Reynolds & Rodar Insurance Group, Riley & Associates, Rio 587 Limited, Rio 588 Limited, Risk & Reward Group, Risk Management Partners Limited, Risk Placement Services Inc., Risk Planners, Risk Services (NW) Limited, Risk Services (NW) Ltd., Risk Solutions Group Limited, Robert A. Schneider Agency, Robert Keith & Associates, Roberts & Roberts Insurance Service, Robinson-Adams Insurance, Rossborough Healthcare International Ltd, Rossborough Insurance (IOM) Ltd., Rossborough Insurance Services Ltd. (Jersey), S. A. Freerks & Associates, SEG Insurance Ltd, SGB-NIA Insurance Brokers, SHILLING Ltd, SKANCO International, SMERI AB, SRS Underwriting Pty Ltd, Secure Enterprises Pty Ltd, Securitas Re, Sellers Group, Sentinel Indemnity LLC, Septagon Insurance PCC Limited, Shuford Insurance Agency, Sigma II Insurance Agency, Sinclair Billard and Weld Limited, Sobieski & Bradley, Solid Benefit Guidance, Spanjers Insurance Agency, Spataro Insurance Agency, Specialised Broking Associates, Specialty Risk, Stackhouse Poland, Stackhouse Poland Bidco Limited, Stackhouse Poland Group Limited, Stackhouse Poland Holdings Limited, Stackhouse Poland Midco Limited, Stackouse Poland Limited, Stanton Group, Stark Johnson & Stinson Inc., Steel Agency, Strata Solicitors Ltd, Strategic Health Plans Corp., Strathearn Insurance Brokers, Strathearn Insurance Brokers (Qld) Trading Trust, Strathern Insurance Group Pty Ltd, Strathern Integration Holdco Pty Ltd, Strathern Unit Trust, Strong Financial Resources, Summit Insurance Group, Sunday and Associates, Sunderland Insurance Services, Super Advice Corporate Services Pty Ltd, Taylor Benefits, Texas Insurance Agency, Texas Insurance Managers, The BeneTex Group, The Buchholz Planning, The Chapman Group, The Commonwealth Consulting Group, The Daniels Group Inc., The EHE Group LLC, The EHE Insurance Agency LLC, The Eagle Insurance Agency LLC, The Eriksen Group, The Forker Company, The Gleason Agency, The Great Lakes Agency, The HR Group, The Hawk Agency, The Human Capital Group, The Lance Group, The Levitt/Kristan Co., The MW Bagnall Company, The Old Greenwich Consulting Group, The Parks Johnson Agency, The Plus Companies Inc., The Presidio Group, The Producers Choice, The Rains Group, The Splinter Group, The Titan Group, The Treiber Group, The Woodsmall Companies Inc., Title & Covenant Brokers Ltd., Title Investments Limited, Tom Sherwin Insurance Agency, Total Reward Group, Total Rewards Group (Holdings) Limited, Towle Agency, Transwestern, Tri-State General Insurance Agency, Triad Insurance Agency, Triad USA, Tribeca Strategic Advisors, Trinder & Norwood, Trip Mate, Trissel Graham & Toole, Tropp & Co., Tudor Risk Services, Tyloma Holdings Limited, Uni-Care Inc., Unison Inc., Universico Group, Unoccupied Direct Limited, V2V Holdings LLC, VEBA Service Group, Vasek Insurance Services Limited, Velo ACU LLC, Velo Holdings Inc., Verbag AG., Vertrue LLC, Victory Insurance Agency, Vincent L. Braband Insurance, Vital Benefits, Voluntary Benefits Solutions, W. E. Kingsley Co. Inc., WM. W. George & Associates, Walker Taylor Agency, Welling Associates, Wesfarmers Insurance - Insurance Brokerage Operations, Western Benefit Solutions, White & Company Insurance, Whitehaven Insurance Group, William Gallagher Associates Insurance Brokers, William H. Connolly & Co., Williams Insurance Agency Inc., Williams-Manny Insurance Group, Winn & Company Insurance Brokers, Wischmeyer Benefit Partners, Woodbrook Underwriting Agencies, Woods & Grooms, WorkCare Northwest, Worksite Communications, Y. S. Liedman & Associates, YOA Capsicum Reinsurance Broker Limited, Zenor Limited, Zuber Insurance Agency, and e3 Financial. EnerSys provides various stored energy solutions for industrial applications worldwide. It operates in three segments: Energy Systems, Motive Power, and Specialty. The company offers uninterruptible power systems applications for computer and computer-controlled systems, as well as telecommunications systems; switchgear and electrical control systems used in industrial facilities and electric utilities, large-scale energy storage, and energy pipelines; integrated power solutions and services to broadband, telecom, renewable, and industrial customers; and thermally managed cabinets and enclosures for electronic equipment and batteries. It also provides motive power products that are used to provide power for electric industrial forklifts used in manufacturing, warehousing, and other material handling applications, as well as mining equipment, diesel locomotive starting, and other rail equipment. In addition, the company offers specialty batteries for starting, lighting, and ignition applications in transportation; and energy solutions for satellites, military aircraft, submarines, ships, and other tactical vehicles, as well as medical and security systems. Further, it provides battery chargers, power equipment, battery accessories, and outdoor cabinet enclosures, as well as related after-market and customer-support services for industrial batteries. The company sells its products through a network of distributors, independent representatives, and internal sales forces. The company was formerly known as Yuasa, Inc. and changed its name to EnerSys in January 2001. EnerSys was incorporated in 2000 and is headquartered in Reading, Pennsylvania. Read More The Electric Vehicle boom is here! This upstart lithium developer is positioning to be a future supplier to Teslas Gigafactory in the Nevada desert. Best of all, its currently undiscovered by Wall Street below US$1 per share. MaxLinear, Inc. provides radiofrequency (RF), high-performance analog, and mixed-signal communications systems-on-chip solutions (SoCs) for the connected home, wired and wireless infrastructure, and industrial and multi-market applications worldwide. Its products integrate various portions of a high-speed communication system, including radiofrequency (RF), high-performance analog, mixed-signal, digital signal processing, security engines, data compression, networking layers, and power management. The company offers broadband radio transceiver front ends, data converters, embedded systems and software architecture, and architecture and system design for highly integrated end-to-end communication platform solutions. Its products are used in various electronic devices, such as cable data over cable service interface specifications (DOCSIS), fiber and DSL broadband modems and gateways; Wi-Fi and wireline routers for home networking; radio transceivers and modems for 4G/5G base-station and backhaul infrastructure; and fiber-optic modules for data center, metro, and long-haul transport networks, as well as power management and interface products. It serves electronics distributors, module makers, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and original design manufacturers (ODMs) through a direct sales force, third-party sales representatives, and a network of distributors. MaxLinear, Inc. has a collaboration with Facebook Connectivity to integrate silicon technologies and radio processing algorithms into Evenstar radio units. The company was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Carlsbad, California. Read More Lennox International Inc., through its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and markets a range of products for the heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration markets in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Residential Heating & Cooling, Commercial Heating & Cooling, and Refrigeration. The Residential Heating & Cooling segment provides furnaces, air conditioners, heat pumps, packaged heating and cooling systems, indoor air quality equipment and accessories, comfort control products, and replacement parts and supplies for residential replacement and new construction markets. The Commercial Heating & Cooling segment offers unitary heating and air conditioning equipment, applied systems, controls, installation and service of commercial heating and cooling equipment, and variable refrigerant flow commercial products for light commercial markets. The Refrigeration segment offers condensing units, unit coolers, fluid coolers, air cooled condensers, air handlers, and refrigeration rack systems for preserving food and other perishables in supermarkets, convenience stores, restaurants, warehouses, and distribution centers, as well as for data centers, machine tooling, and other cooling applications; and compressor racks and industrial process chillers. The company sells its products and services through direct sales, distributors, and company-owned parts and supplies stores. Lennox International Inc. was founded in 1895 and is headquartered in Richardson, Texas. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of InterContinental Hotels Group: 2250 Blake Street Hotel LLC, 24th Street Operator Sub LLC, 36th Street IHG Sub LLC, 426 Main Ave LLC, 46 Nevins Street Associates LLC, Allegro Management LLC, Alpha Kimball Hotel LLC, American Commonwealth Assurance Co. Ltd., Asia Pacific Holdings Limited, BHMC Canada Inc., BHR Holdings B.V., BHR Luxembourg SARL, BHR Pacific Holdings Inc., BHTC Canada Inc., BOC Barclay Sub LLC, Barclay Operating Corp., Bristol Oakbrook Tenant Company, Cafe Biarritz, Cambridge Lodging LLC, Capital Lodging LLC, Compania Inter-Continental De Hoteles El Salvador SA, Crowne Plaza Amsterdam (Management) B.V., Crowne Plaza LLC, Cumberland Akers Hotel LLC, Dunwoody Operations Inc., EVEN Real Estate Holding LLC, Edinburgh IC Limited, General Innkeeping Acceptance Corporation, Guangzhou SC Hotels Services Ltd., H.I. (Ireland) Limited, H.I. Soaltee Management Company Ltd, HC International Holdings Inc., HH France Holdings SAS, HH Hotels (EMEA) B.V., HH Hotels (Romania) SRL, HI Sugarloaf LLC, HIM (Aruba) NV, Hale International Ltd., Hoft Properties LLC, Holiday Hospitality Franchising LLC, Holiday Inn Mexicana S.A. de C.V., Holiday Inns (China) Ltd, Holiday Inns (Chongqing) Inc., Holiday Inns (Courtalin) Holdings SAS, Holiday Inns (Courtalin) SAS, Holiday Inns (England) Ltd., Holiday Inns (Germany) LLC, Holiday Inns (Guangzhou) Inc., Holiday Inns (Jamaica) Inc., Holiday Inns (Malaysia) Ltd., Holiday Inns (Middle East) Ltd., Holiday Inns (Philippines) Inc., Holiday Inns (Saudi Arabia) Inc., Holiday Inns (South East Asia) Inc., Holiday Inns (Thailand) Ltd., Holiday Inns (UK) Inc., Holiday Inns Crowne Plaza (Hong Kong) Inc., Holiday Inns Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd, Holiday Inns Inc., Holiday Inns Investment (Nepal) Ltd., Holiday Inns of America (UK) Ltd., Holiday Inns of Belgium N.V., Holiday Pacific Equity Corporation, Holiday Pacific LLC, Holiday Pacific Partners LP, Hotel Inter-Continental London Limited, Hotel InterContinental London (Holdings) Limited, Hoteles Y Turismo HIH SRL, IC Hotelbetriebsfuhrungs GmbH, IC Hotels Management (Portugal) Unipessoal Lda, IC International Hotels Limited Liability Company, IHC (Thailand) Limited, IHC Buckhead LLC, IHC Edinburgh (Holdings), IHC Hopkins (Holdings) Corp., IHC Hotel Limited, IHC Inter-Continental (Holdings) Corp., IHC London (Holdings), IHC M-H (Holdings) Corp., IHC May Fair (Holdings) Limited, IHC May Fair Hotel Limited, IHC Overseas (U.K.) Limited, IHC UK (Holdings) Limited, IHC United States (Holdings) Corp., IHC Willard (Holdings) Corp., IHG (Australasia) Limited, IHG (Marseille) SAS, IHG (Thailand) Limited, IHG ANA Hotels Group Japan LLC, IHG ANA Hotels Holdings Co. Ltd., IHG Bangkok Ltd, IHG Brasil Administracao de Hoteis e Servicos Ltda, IHG Commission Services SRL, IHG Community Development LLC, IHG Cyprus Limited, IHG ECS (Barbados) SRL, IHG Franchising Brasil Ltda, IHG Franchising DR Corporation, IHG Franchising LLC, IHG Hotels (New Zealand) Limited, IHG Hotels Limited, IHG Hotels Management (Australia) Pty Limited, IHG Hotels Nigeria Limited, IHG Hotels South Africa (Pty) Ltd, IHG International Partnership, IHG Istanbul Otel Yonetim Limited Sirketi, IHG Japan (Management) LLC, IHG Japan (Osaka) LLC, IHG Management (Maryland) LLC, IHG Management (Netherlands) B.V., IHG Management MD Barclay Sub LLC, IHG Management SL d.o.o, IHG Management d.o.o. Beograd, IHG Orchard Street Member LLC, IHG PS Nominees Limited, IHG Systems Pty Ltd, IHG Szalloda Budapest Szolgaltato Kft., IHG de Argentina SA, IND East Village SD Holdings LLC, Inter-Continental D.C. Operating Corp., Inter-Continental Florida Investment Corp., Inter-Continental Florida Partner Corp., Inter-Continental Hospitality Corporation, Inter-Continental Hoteleira Limitada, Inter-Continental Hotels (Montreal) Operating Corp., Inter-Continental Hotels (Montreal) Owning Corp., Inter-Continental Hotels (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Inter-Continental Hotels Corporation, Inter-Continental Hotels Corporation de Venezuela C.A., Inter-Continental Hotels of San Francisco Inc., Inter-Continental IOHC (Mauritius) Limited, Inter-Continental Management (Australia) Pty Limited, InterContinental (Branston) 1 Limited, InterContinental (PB) 1, InterContinental (PB) 2, InterContinental (PB) 3 Limited, InterContinental Berlin Service Company GmbH, InterContinental Brasil Administracao de Hoteis Ltda, InterContinental Gestion Hotelera S.L., InterContinental Hotel Berlin GmbH, InterContinental Hotel Dusseldorf GmbH (Germany), InterContinental Hotels (Puerto Rico) Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd, InterContinental Hotels Group (Australia) Pty Limited, InterContinental Hotels Group (Canada) Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group (Espana) SA, InterContinental Hotels Group (Greater China) Limited, InterContinental Hotels Group (India) Pvt. Ltd, InterContinental Hotels Group (Japan) Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group (New Zealand) Limited, InterContinental Hotels Group (Shanghai) Ltd., InterContinental Hotels Group Customer Services Ltd., InterContinental Hotels Group Healthcare Trustee Limited, InterContinental Hotels Group Operating Corp., InterContinental Hotels Group Resources Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group Services Company, InterContinental Hotels Group do Brasil Limitada, InterContinental Hotels Italia S.r.L., InterContinental Hotels Limited, InterContinental Hotels Management GmbH, InterContinental Hotels Nevada Corporation, InterContinental Management AM LLC, InterContinental Management Bulgaria EOOD, InterContinental Management France SAS, InterContinental Management Poland sp. z.o.o, InterContinental Overseas Holding Corporation, Intercontinental Hotels Corporation Limited, KG Benefits LLC, KG Gift Card Inc., KG Liability LLC, KG Technology LLC, KHP Washington Operator LLC, KHRG 11th Avenue Hotel LLC, KHRG 851 LLC, KHRG Aertson LLC, KHRG Alexandria LLC, KHRG Alexis LLC, KHRG Allegro LLC, KHRG Argyle LLC, KHRG Austin Beverage Company LLC, KHRG Baltimore LLC, KHRG Born LLC, KHRG Boston Hotel LLC, KHRG Canary LLC, KHRG Cayman Employer Ltd., KHRG Cayman LLC, KHRG DC 1731 LLC, KHRG DC 2505 LLC, KHRG Donovan LLC, KHRG Employer LLC, KHRG Goleta LLC, KHRG Gray LLC, KHRG Gray U2 LLC, KHRG Hillcrest LLC, KHRG Huntington Beach LLC, KHRG King Street LLC, KHRG La Peer LLC, KHRG Miami Beach LLC, KHRG Muse LLC, KHRG NPC LLC, KHRG Onyx LLC, KHRG Palladian LLC, KHRG Palomar Phoenix LLC, KHRG Philly Monaco LLC, KHRG Pittsburgh LLC, KHRG Reynolds LLC, KHRG Riverplace LLC, KHRG SFD LLC, KHRG Sacramento LLC, KHRG Savannah LLC, KHRG Schofield LLC, KHRG Sedona LLC, KHRG State Street LLC, KHRG Sutter LLC, KHRG Sutter Union LLC, KHRG Taconic LLC, KHRG Tariff LLC, KHRG Texas Hospitality LLC, KHRG Texas Operations LLC, KHRG Tryon LLC, KHRG VZ Austin LLC, KHRG Vero Beach LLC, KHRG Vintage Park LLC, KHRG WPB LLC, KHRG Wabash LLC, KHRG Westwood LLC, KHRG Wilshire LLC, KHRG Zamora LLC, Kimpton Hollywood Licenses LLC, Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group, Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group LLC, Kimpton Phoenix Licenses Holdings LLC, Kimpton Sedona Licenses LLC, Louisiana Acquisitions Corp., MH Lodging LLC, Mercer Fairview Holdings LLC, PML Services LLC, PT SC Hotels & Resorts Indonesia, Pollstrong Limited, Powell Pine Inc., Priscilla Holiday of Texas Inc., RM Lodging LLC, Regent Hotels and Resorts, Resort Services International (Cayo Largo) L.P., SBS Maryland Beverage Company LLC, SC Cellars Limited, SC Hotels International Services Inc., SC Leisure Group Limited, SC NAS 2 Limited, SC Quest Limited, SC Reservations (Philippines) Inc., SCH Insurance Company, SCIH Branston 3, SF MH Acquisition LLC, SPHC Group Pty Ltd., SPHC Management Ltd., Semiramis for training of Hotel Personnel and Hotel Management SAE, Six Continents Corporate Services, Six Continents Holdings Limited, Six Continents Hotels Inc., Six Continents Hotels International Limited, Six Continents Hotels de Colombia SA, Six Continents International Holdings B.V., Six Continents Investments Limited, Six Continents Limited, Six Continents Overseas Holdings Limited, Six Continents Restaurants Limited, SixCo North America Inc., Solamar Lodging LLC, Southern Pacific Hotel Corporation (BVI) Ltd., Southern Pacific Hotels Properties Limited, Universal de Hoteles SA, White Shield Insurance Company Limited, and World Trade Centre Montreal Hotel Corporation. Bryan Blackwell, a former U.S. Marine and Army National Guard sergeant, will enter the 2020 election for Florida House of Representatives, District 77. The seat is being vacated by term-limited Rep. Dane Eagle. Blackwell, a longtime resident of Cape Coral, will focus on supporting President Trump, safeguarding Florida from illegal aliens, working with Governor DeSantis on saving the Caloosahatchee River from toxic blue-green algae and investing in infrastructure and healthcare, according to a release issued Tuesday. My military career taught me the value of a life of service and giving back, and I want to continue giving back to the place that Ive called home for the last 28 years, Blackwell said in the prepared statement. We need leaders in Tallahassee wholl fight for what we believe in here, and I am ready to answer that call. Blackwell, a Republican, lives in the Cape with his wife and two daughters. He co-owns and operates Molloy Financial Group, a private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial that focuses on comprehensive financial planning, investment advice and estate planning. HFF, Inc. provides commercial real estate and capital market services to the consumers and providers of capital in the commercial real estate industry in the United States. The company offers debt placement services, such as construction and construction/mini-permanent loans, adjustable and fixed rate mortgages, bridge loans, entity level and mezzanine debts, forward delivery loans, and tax exempt and sale/leaseback financing to the owners of various properties comprising office, retail, industrial, hotel, multi-housing, student housing, self-storage, nursing homes, condominiums and condominium conversions, mixed-use properties, and land, as well as senior, independent, and assisted living facilities. It also provides investment advisory services to commercial real estate owners; and equity placement, as well as assists clients in the sale of their commercial real estate debt note portfolios. In addition, the company offers private equity, investment banking, and advisory services, including equity capital to establish joint ventures relating to identified properties or properties to be acquired by a fund sponsor; structured finance; institutional marketing and fund-raising services for public and private commercial real estate fund sponsors; advisory services for mergers and acquisitions, sales and divestitures, management buyouts, and recapitalizations and restructurings; and private placements of preferred securities. Further, it provides loan sales and commercial loan servicing to life insurance companies. The company was founded in 1982 and is based in Dallas, Texas. Read More Hannover RAck SE, together with its subsidiaries, provides reinsurance products and services worldwide. It operates through Property & Casualty Reinsurance, and Life & Health Reinsurance segments. The Property & Casualty Reinsurance segment offers specialty lines comprising marine, aviation, facultative and direct business, credit, surety, and political risks reinsurance products; and treaty, catastrophe XL, and structured reinsurance, as well as insurance-linked securities. This segment also provides risk solutions for agricultural, livestock, and bloodstock businesses; aviation and space business; and marine and offshore energy business. The Life & Health Reinsurance segment offers group and individual credit life, enhanced annuities, group life and health, and Sharia-compliant Takaful reinsurance products. This segment also provides risk solutions in the areas of critical illness, disability, health, longevity, long term care, and mortality and morbidity, as well as underwriting services. In addition, it offers various financial solutions, including new-business financing; monetization of embedded value; reserve and solvency relief; and divestiture of non-core businesses. The company was formerly known as Hannover RAckversicherung AG and changed its name to Hannover RAck SE in March 2013. The company was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Hanover, Germany. Hannover RAck SE is a subsidiary of Talanx AG. Read More Enbridge Inc. operates as an energy infrastructure company. The company operates through five segments: Liquids Pipelines, Gas Transmission and Midstream, Gas Distribution and Storage, Renewable Power Generation, and Energy Services. The Liquids Pipelines segment operates pipelines and related terminals to transport various grades of crude oil and other liquid hydrocarbons in Canada and the United States. The Gas Transmission and Midstream segment invests in natural gas pipelines, and gathering and processing facilities in Canada and the United States. The Gas Distribution and Storage segment is involved in natural gas utility operations serving residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Ontario, as well as natural gas distribution and energy transportation activities in Quebec. The Renewable Power Generation segment operates power generating assets, such as wind, solar, geothermal, and waste heat recovery facilities; and transmission assets in North America and Europe. The Energy Services segment provides energy marketing services to refiners, producers, and other customers; and physical commodity marketing and logistical services in Canada and the United States. The company was formerly known as IPL Energy Inc. and changed its name to Enbridge Inc. in October 1998. Enbridge Inc. was founded in 1949 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada. Read More 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. Crown Holdings, Inc. designs, manufactures, and sells packaging products and equipment for consumer goods and industrial products in the Americas, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. It offers products for consumer goods, including steel and aluminum cans for food, beverage, household, and other consumer products; glass bottles for beverage product; and metal vacuum closures and steel crowns through its sales organization to the soft drink, food, citrus, brewing, household products, personal care, and various other industries. The company also provides products for industrial products, such as steel and plastic strap consumables and equipment, paper-based protective packaging, and plastic film consumables and equipment to metals, food and beverage, construction, agricultural, corrugated, and general industries. In addition, it offers aerosol cans and ends; and promotional and specialty packaging containers with various lid and closure variations. Further, the company provides industrial film and other related products; transit protection products, such as airbags, edge protectors, and honeycombs; and equipment and tools, such as manual, semi-automatic, and automatic equipment and tools used in end of line manufacturing applications to apply consumables. Crown Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1892 and is headquartered in Yardley, Pennsylvania. Read More Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides fixed voice-related, mobile voice-related, IP/packet communications, and system integration services in Japan and internationally. The company's Mobile Communications Business segment offers mobile phone services and related services, including movie and music distribution, e-book, and finance and payment services, as well as smart life area and internet connection services. Its Regional Communications Business segment provides intra-prefectural communications services, and FTTH and other services. The company's Long Distance and International Communications Business segment offers inter-prefectural communications services, international communications services, and services related to the solutions business and related services. This segment primarily provides cloud, data center, migration and maintenance support, IT system building, professional security, ICT, network, managed, mobile connectivity, and other services, as well as teleconference, web conference, and video conference services. Its Data Communications Business segment offers network system and system integration services comprising ERP services, ICT outsourcing, consulting, system design and development, and other services. The company's Other Business segment engages in the acquisition, development, lease, and management of real estate; design, management, and maintenance of buildings, equipment, and electric power facilities; development of smart energy solutions and energy management systems; lease and sale of telecommunications-related devices; development, production, operation, and maintenance of information communications systems and software; finance; and technology transfer and technical consulting businesses. It also sells telecommunications equipment. Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation was founded in 1952 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Read More CoreLogic, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides property information, insight, analytics, and data-enabled solutions in North America, Western Europe, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates in two segments, Property Intelligence & Risk Management Solutions (PIRM) and Underwriting & Workflow Solutions (UWS). The PIRM segment combines property information, mortgage information, and consumer information to deliver housing market and property-level insights, predictive analytics, and risk management capabilities. It also offers proprietary technology and software platforms to access, automate, or track the information and assist its clients with decision-making and compliance tools in the real estate and insurance industries. This segment primarily serves commercial banks, mortgage lenders and brokers, investment banks, fixed-income investors, real estate agents, MLS companies, property and casualty insurance companies, title insurance companies, government agencies, and government-sponsored enterprises. The UWS segment combines property, mortgage, and consumer information to provide comprehensive mortgage origination and monitoring solutions, including underwriting-related solutions, and data-enabled valuations and appraisals. This segment also provides proprietary technology and software platforms to access, automate, or track the information and assist its clients with vetting and onboarding prospects, and meeting compliance regulations, as well as understanding, evaluating, monitoring property values. It primarily serves mortgage lenders and servicers, mortgage brokers, credit unions, commercial banks, fixed-income investors, government agencies, and property and casualty insurance companies. The company was formerly known as The First American Corporation and changed its name to CoreLogic, Inc. in June 2010. CoreLogic, Inc. was incorporated in 1894 and is headquartered in Irvine, California. Read More Chubb Limited provides insurance and reinsurance products worldwide. The company's North America Commercial P&C Insurance segment offers commercial property, casualty, workers' compensation, package policies, risk management, financial lines, marine, construction, environmental, medical, cyber risk, surety, and excess casualty; and group accident and health insurance to large, middle market, and small commercial businesses. Its North America Personal P&C Insurance segment provides affluent and high net worth individuals and families with homeowners, automobile and collector cars, valuable articles, personal and excess liability, travel insurance, and recreational marine insurance and services. The company's North America Agricultural Insurance segment offers multiple peril crop and crop-hail insurance; and coverage for farm and ranch property, and commercial agriculture products. Its Overseas General Insurance segment provides coverage for traditional commercial property and casualty; specialty categories, such as financial lines, marine, energy, aviation, political risk, and construction risk; and group accident and health, and traditional and specialty personal lines for corporations, middle markets, and small customers through retail brokers, agents, and other channels. The company's Global Reinsurance segment offers traditional and specialty reinsurance under the Chubb Tempest Re brand to property and casualty companies. Its Life Insurance segment provides protection and savings products comprising whole life, endowment plans, individual term life, group term life, medical and health, personal accident, credit life, universal life, and unit linked contracts. Chubb has collaboration with Marsh to secure insurance coverage for the COVAX no-fault compensation program. The company was formerly known as ACE Limited and changed its name to Chubb Limited in January 2016. Chubb Limited was incorporated in 1985 and is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. Read More 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. Centrica plc operates as an integrated energy company in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway, North America, and internationally. The company operates through British Gas, Energy Marketing & Trading, Centrica Business Solutions, Bord GAis Energy, and Upstream segments. It supplies gas and electricity to residential customers, as well as offers energy-related services; and generates power from combined cycle gas turbines and nuclear assets. The company also provides installation, repair, and maintenance services for domestic central heating, plumbing and drains, home electrical, and gas and kitchen appliances; and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment, as well as offers breakdown services. In addition, it is involved in the procurement, trading, and optimization of energy; procurement and sale of LNG; and supplies energy efficiency solutions and technologies to residential customers. Further, the company produces and processes gas and oil; develops new fields to maintain reserves; constructs, owns, and exploits infrastructure; and engages in the social enterprise investment fund activities. Additionally, it provides vehicle leasing, commercial, and insurance services, as well as energy management products and services; and operates a gas storage and franchise network. The company was formerly known as Yieldtop plc and changed its name to Centrica plc in December 1996. Centrica plc was incorporated in 1995 and is based in Windsor, the United Kingdom. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Centene: Absolute Total Care Inc., AcariaHealth Inc., AcariaHealth Pharmacy #11, AcariaHealth Pharmacy #12, AcariaHealth Pharmacy #13, AcariaHealth Pharmacy #14, AcariaHealth Pharmacy Inc., AcariaHealth Solutions Inc., Access Medical Acquisition Inc., Access Medical Group of Florida City Inc., Access Medical Group of Hialeah Inc., Access Medical Group of Lakeland LLC, Access Medical Group of Miami Inc., Access Medical Group of North Miami Beach Inc., Access Medical Group of Opa-Locka Inc., Access Medical Group of Perrine Inc., Access Medical Group of Tampa II Inc., Access Medical Group of Tampa III Inc., Access Medical Group of Tampa Inc., Access Medical Group of Westchester Inc., Agate Resources Inc., Ambetter of Magnolia Inc., Ambetter of North Carolina Inc., Ambetter of Peach State Inc., Arch Personalized Medicine Initiative LLC, Arkansas Health & Wellness Health Plan Inc., Arkansas Total Care Holding Company LLC, Arkansas Total Care Inc., B2B Gestion Integra S.L.U., B2B Lab S.L., B2B Salud S.L.U., Bankers Reserve Life Insurance Company of Wisconsin, Bridgeway Health Solutions LLC, Bridgeway Health Solutions of Arizona Inc., Buckeye Community Health Plan Inc., Buckeye Health Plan Community Solutions Inc., CBHSP Arizona Inc., CCTX Holdings LLC, CMC Hanley LLC, CMC Real Estate Company LLC, CT Poprad, Calibrate Acquisition Company, California Health and Wellness Plan, Cantina Laredo Clayton LP, Cardium Health Services, Carolina Complete Health Holding Company Partnership, Carolina Complete Health Inc., Casenet LLC, Casenet S.R.O., CeltiCare Health Plan Holdings LLC, CeltiCare Health Plan of Massachusetts Inc., Celtic Group Inc., Celtic Insurance Company, Cenpatico Behavioral Health LLC, Cenpatico Behavioral Health of Arizona LLC, Cenpatico of Arizona Inc., Centene Center I LLC, Centene Center II LLC, Centene Center III LLC, Centene Center LLC, Centene Company of New York LLC, Centene Company of Texas LP, Centene Europe Finance Company Limited, Centene Health Plan Holdings Inc., Centene International Ventures LLC, Centene Management Company LLC, Centene Venture Company Alabama Health Plan Inc., Centene Venture Company Florida Inc., Centene Venture Company Illinois Inc., Centene Venture Company Indiana Inc., Centene Venture Company Kansas Inc., Centene Venture Company Michigan Inc., Centene Venture Company Tennessee Inc., Centurion Correctional Healthcare of New Mexico LLC, Centurion Detention Health Services LLC, Centurion LLC, Centurion of Arizona LLC, Centurion of Delaware LLC, Centurion of Florida LLC, Centurion of Kansas LLC, Centurion of Minnesota LLC, Centurion of Mississippi LLC, Centurion of New Hampshire LLC, Centurion of Pennsylvania LLC, Centurion of Tennessee LLC, Centurion of Vermont LLC, Centurion of West Virginia LLC, Centurion of Wyoming LLC, Comfort Hospice of Missouri LLC, Comfort Hospice of Texas LLC, ComfortBrook Hospice LLC, Community Medical Group, Community Medical Holdings Corporation, Coordinated Care Corporation, Coordinated Care of Washington Inc., Country Style Health Care LLC, DR Magnet, District Community Care Inc., Elche-Crevillente Salud, Envolve - New York Inc., Envolve Benefits Options Inc., Envolve Captive Insurance Company Inc., Envolve Dental IPA of New York Inc., Envolve Dental Inc., Envolve Dental of Florida Inc., Envolve Dental of Texas Inc., Envolve Health, Envolve Holdings Inc., Envolve Inc., Envolve Optical Inc., Envolve PeopleCare Inc., Envolve Pharmacy IPA LLC, Envolve Pharmacy Solutions Inc., Envolve Total Vision Inc., Envolve Vision Benefits Inc., Envolve Vision IPA of New York Inc., Envolve Vision Inc., Envolve Vision of Florida Inc., Envolve Vision of Texas Inc., FH Assurance Company, Family Nurse Care II LLC, Family Nurse Care LLC, Family Nurse Care of Ohio LLC, Fidelis Care, Forensic Health Services LLC, Foundation Care LLC, GPT Acquisition LLC, Grace Hospice of Austin LLC, Grace Hospice of Grand Rapids LLC, Grace Hospice of Illinois LLC, Grace Hospice of Indiana LLC, Grace Hospice of San Antonio LLC, Grace Hospice of Virginia LLC, Grace Hospice of Wisconsin LLC, Granite State Health Plan Inc., Hallmark Life Insurance Company, Health Care Enterprises LLC, Health Net Access Inc., Health Net Community Solutions Inc., Health Net Community Solutions of Arizona Inc., Health Net Federal Services LLC, Health Net Health Plan of Oregon Inc., Health Net Inc., Health Net LLC, Health Net Life Insurance Company, Health Net Life Reinsurance Company, Health Net Pharmaceutical Services, Health Net Preferred Providers LLC, Health Net Services Inc., Health Net Veterans LLC, Health Net of Arizona Administrative Services Inc., Health Net of Arizona Inc., Health Net of California Inc., Health Net of California Real Estate Holdings Inc., Health Net of Pennsylvania LLC, Health Plan Real Estate Holdings Inc., HealthSmart Benefit Solutions Inc., HealthSmart Benefits Management LLC, HealthSmart Care Management Solutions LP, HealthSmart Information Systems Inc., HealthSmart Preferred Care II LP, HealthSmart Preferred Network II Inc., HealthSmart Primary Care Clinics LP, HealthSmart Rx Solutions Inc., Healthy Louisiana Holdings LLC, Healthy Missouri Holdings Inc., Healthy Washington Holdings Inc., Heritage Home Hospice LLC, Home State Health Plan Inc., HomeScripts.com LLC, Hospice DME Company LLC, Hospital Povisa S.A., Hudson Acquisition LLC, IAH of Florida LLC, IlliniCare Health Plan Inc., Illinois Health Practice Alliance LLC, Infraestructuras y Servicios de Alzira S. L., Integrated Care Network of Florida LLC, Integrated Mental Health Management LLC, Integrated Mental Health Services, Integrated Pharmacy Systems Inc., Interpreta Holdings Inc., Interpreta Inc., Iowa Total Care Inc., Kentucky Spirit Health Plan Inc., LBB Industries Inc., LSM Holdco Inc., LifeShare Management Group LLC, LiveHealthier Inc., Louisiana Healthcare Connections Inc. , MH Services International (UK) Limited, MH Services International Holdings (UK) Limited, MHM, MHM Correctional Services LLC, MHM Health Professionals LLC, MHM Maryland Inc., MHM Ohio Inc., MHM Services Inc., MHM Services of California LLC, MHM Solutions LLC, MHN Global Services Inc., MHN Government Services LLC, MHN Government Services-Guam Inc., MHN Government Services-International Inc., MHN Government Services-Puerto Rico Inc., MHN Services LLC, MHS Consulting International Inc., MHS Travel & Charter Inc., MR Poprad, MR Zilina, Magnolia Health Plan Inc., Managed Health Network, Managed Health Network LLC, Managed Health Services Insurance Corporation, Mauli Ola Health and Wellness Inc., Medicina Nove Zamky, Michigan Complete Health, National Pharmacy Services Inc., Nebraska Total Care Inc., Network Providers LLC, New York Quality Healthcare Corporation, Next Door Neighbors Inc., Next Door Neighbors LLC., North Florida Health Services Inc., Novasys Health Inc., OB Care, OB Klinika, Operose Health (Group) Ltd., Operose Health (Group) UK Ltd., Operose Health Ltd., Parker LP LLC, Peach State Health Plan Inc., Pennsylvania Health Care Plan Inc., Pennsylvania Health and Wellness Inc., Phoenix Home Health Care LLC, Pinnacle Home Care LLC, Pinnacle Senior Care of Illinois LLC, Pinnacle Senior Care of Indiana LLC, Pinnacle Senior Care of Kalamazoo LLC, Pinnacle Senior Care of Missouri LLC, Pinnacle Senior Care of Wisconsin LLC, PrimeroSalud S.L., Pro Diagnostic Group A.S. , Pro Magnet, Pro Magnet CZ, Pro RTG, Progress Medical A.S., QCA Healthplan Inc., QualMed Inc., QualMed Plans for Health of Pennsylvania Inc., QualMed Plans for Health of Western Pennsylvania Inc., Qualchoice Life and Health Insurance Company, R&C Healthcare LLC, RMED LLC, RX Direct Inc., Rapid Respiratory Services LLC, Ribera Salud II, Ribera Salud Proyectos S.L., Ribera Salud S.A., Ribera Salud Tecnologias S.L.U., Ribera Slaud Infraestructuras S.L.U., Ribera-Quilpro UTE, Salus Administrative Services Inc., Salus IPA LLC, Seniorcorps Peninsula LLC, SilverSummit Healthplan Inc., Social Health Bridge LLC, Social Health Bridge Trust, Specialty Therapeutic Care GP LLC, Specialty Therapeutic Care Holdings, Specialty Therapeutic Care LP, Sunflower State Health Plan Inc., Sunshine Health Community Solutions Inc., Sunshine Health Holding LLC, Sunshine State Health Plan Inc., Superior HealthPlan Community Solutions Inc., Superior HealthPlan Inc., The Practice Properties Limited, Torrejon Salud S.A., Torrevieja Salud S.L.U., Torrevieja Salud UTE, Traditional Home Health Services LLC, Trillium Community Health Plan Inc., U.S. Medical Management Holdings Inc., U.S. Medical Management LLC, USMM Accountable Care Network LLC, USMM Accountable Care Partners LLC, USMM Accountable Care Solutions LLC, WellCare Health Plans, Wellington Merger Sub I LLC, Wellington Merger Sub II LLC, Western Sky Community Care Inc., and nirvanaHealth LLC. Wednesday, February 6, 2019 at 7:44AM Marvel Studios After Captain Marvel hits theatres next month, you wont be able to re-watch it later on any other streaming service except for Disneys upcoming Disney+ service. The companys CEO Bob Iger announced at an investors call on February 5th that Captain Marvel will be the first film to exclusively stream on its service. Disney also plans to drop its US$140 million licensing program so all its content will be made exclusive on its service. Iger is also saying that many of its sub-brandswhich include Marvel, Pixar, and Lucasfilmare working on content specifically for Disney+. He even mentioned National Geographic, which Disney is in the process of acquiring as part of its purchase of 21st Century Fox. This move will not impact theatrical releases though, according to Iger. We also dont have that many details about the service right now. But its expected to cost less than Netflix and come out sometime at the end of the year. Source: Hypebeast 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. Ltd., Gillette Egypt S.A.E., Gillette Group UK Ltd, Gillette Gruppe Deutschland GmbH & Co. oHG, Gillette Holding Company LLC, Gillette Holding GmbH, Gillette India Limited, Gillette Industries Ltd., Gillette International B.V., Gillette Latin America Holding B.V., Gillette Management LLC, Gillette Nova Scotia Company, Gillette Pakistan Limited, Gillette Poland International Sp. z.o.o., Gillette Poland S.A., Gillette U.K. Limited, Gillette del Uruguay, Giorgio Beverly Hills Inc., Hyginett KFT, Industries Marocaines Modernes SA, LLC "Procter & Gamble Novomoskovsk", LLL "Procter & Gamble Distributorskaya Compania", Laboratorios Vicks, Liberty Street Music Publishing Company, Limited Liability Company 'Procter & Gamble Trading Ukraine', Limited Liability Company with foreign investments Procter & and Gamble Ukraine, MDVIP, MERCK KGAA NPV, Marcvenca Inversiones, Modern Industries Company - Dammam, Modern Products Company - Jeddah, New Chapter, New Chapter Canada Inc., Olay LLC, Oral-B Laboratories, P&G Distribution Morocco SAS, P&G Hair Care Holding, P&G Industrial Peru S.R.L., P&G Innovation Godo Kaisha, P&G Israel M.D.O. Ltd., P&G K.K., P&G Northeast Asia Pte. Ltd., P&G Prestige Godo Kaisha, P&G Prestige Service GmbH, P&G South African Trading (Pty.) Ltd., PGT Health Care (Zhejiang) Limited, PGT Healthcare LLP, PPI ZAO, PT Procter & Gamble Home Products Indonesia, PT Procter & Gamble Operations Indonesia, Phase II Holdings Corporation, Procter & Gamble (Chengdu) Ltd., Procter & Gamble (China) Ltd., Procter & Gamble (China) Sales Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble (East Africa) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Egypt) Manufacturing Company, Procter & Gamble (Enterprise Fund) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Guangzhou) Consumer Products Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble (Guangzhou) Enterprise Management Service Company Limited, Procter & Gamble (Guangzhou) Ltd., Procter & Gamble (Health & Beauty Care) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Jiangsu) Ltd. China, Procter & Gamble (L&CP) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Procter & Gamble (Manufacturing) Ireland Limited, Procter & Gamble (Shanghai) International Trade Company Ltd., Procter & Gamble (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Acquisition GmbH, Procter & Gamble Administration GmbH, Procter & Gamble Algeria EURL, Procter & Gamble Amazon Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Amiens S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Argentina SRL, Procter & Gamble Asia Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Australia Proprietary Limited, Procter & Gamble Azerbaijan Services LLC, Procter & Gamble Bangladesh Private Ltd., Procter & Gamble Blois S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Brazil Holdings B.V., Procter & Gamble Bulgaria EOOD, Procter & Gamble Business Services Canada Company, Procter & Gamble Canada Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Chile , Procter & Gamble Chile Limitada, Procter & Gamble Colombia Ltda., Procter & Gamble Commercial LLC, Procter & Gamble Commercial de Cuba S.A., Procter & Gamble Czech Republic s.r.o., Procter & Gamble DS Polska Sp. z o.o., Procter & Gamble Danmark ApS, Procter & Gamble Detergent (Beijing) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Deuttschland GmbH, Procter & Gamble Distributing (Philippines) Inc., Procter & Gamble Distributing New Zealand Limited, Procter & Gamble Distribution Company (Europe) BVBA, Procter & Gamble Distribution S.R.L., Procter & Gamble Eastern Europe, Procter & Gamble Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Procter & Gamble Egypt, Procter & Gamble Egypt Distribution, Procter & Gamble Egypt Holding, Procter & Gamble Egypt Supplies, Procter & Gamble Energy Company LLC, Procter & Gamble Espana, Procter & Gamble Europe SA, Procter & Gamble Export Operations SARL, Procter & Gamble Exportadora e Importadora Ltda., Procter & Gamble Exports, Procter & Gamble Fabricacao e Comercio Ltda., Procter & Gamble Far East, Procter & Gamble Finance (U.K.) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Finance Holding Ltd., Procter & Gamble Finance Management S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Financial Investments LLP, Procter & Gamble Financial Services Ltd., Procter & Gamble Financial Services S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Finland OY, Procter & Gamble France S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Germany GmbH, Procter & Gamble Germany GmbH & Co. Operations oHG, Procter & Gamble GmbH, Procter & Gamble Grundstucks-und Vermogensverwaltungs GmbH & Co. KG, Procter & Gamble Gulf FZE, Procter & Gamble Hair Care, Procter & Gamble Hellas Ltd., Procter & Gamble Holding (Thailand) Limited, Procter & Gamble Holding France S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Holding GmbH, Procter & Gamble Holding S.r.l., Procter & Gamble Holdings (UK) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Home Products Private Limited, Procter & Gamble Hong Kong Limited, Procter & Gamble Hungary Wholesale Trading Partnership (KKT), Procter & Gamble Hygiene & Health Care Limited, Procter & Gamble Inc., Procter & Gamble India Holdings, Procter & Gamble Indochina Limited Company, Procter & Gamble Industrial - 2012 C.A., Procter & Gamble Industrial Colombia Ltda., Procter & Gamble Industrial S.C.A., Procter & Gamble Industrial e Comercial Ltda., Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Costa Rica, Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Guatemala, Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Panama, Procter & Gamble International Operations Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble International Operations SA, Procter & Gamble International Operations SA-ROHQ, Procter & Gamble International S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Investment Company (UK) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Investment GmbH, Procter & Gamble Italia, Procter & Gamble Japan K.K., Procter & Gamble Kazakhstan Distribution LLP, Procter & Gamble Kazakhstan LLP, Procter & Gamble Korea, Procter & Gamble Korea S&D Co., Procter & Gamble Lanka Private Ltd. Sri Lanka, Procter & Gamble Leasing LLC, Procter & Gamble Levant S.A.L., Procter & Gamble Limited, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing (Thailand) Limited, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Belgium N.V., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Berlin GmbH, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing GmbH, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing SA (Pty) Ltd, Procter & Gamble Marketing Romania SRL, Procter & Gamble Marketing and Services doo, Procter & Gamble Maroc SA, Procter & Gamble Mataro, Procter & Gamble Mexico Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Mexico Inc., Procter & Gamble Middle East FZE, Procter & Gamble Nederland B.V., Procter & Gamble Netherlands Investments B.V., Procter & Gamble Netherlands Services B.V., Procter & Gamble Nigeria Limited, Procter & Gamble Nordic, Procter & Gamble Norge AS, Procter & Gamble Operations Polska Sp. z o.o., Procter & Gamble Overseas India B.V., Procter & Gamble Overseas Ltd., Procter & Gamble Pakistan (Private) Limited, Procter & Gamble Partnership LLP, Procter & Gamble Peru S.R.L., Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals France SAS, Procter & Gamble Philippines, Procter & Gamble Polska Sp. z o.o, Procter & Gamble Portugal - Produtos De Consumo, Procter & Gamble Product Supply (U.K.) Limited U.K., Procter & Gamble Production GmbH, Procter & Gamble Productions, Procter & Gamble Productos de Consumo, Procter & Gamble RHD, Procter & Gamble RSC Regional Service Company Ltd., Procter & Gamble Retail Services BVBA, Procter & Gamble S.r.l., Procter & Gamble SA (Pty) Ltd, Procter & Gamble Satis ve Dagitim Ltd. Sti., Procter & Gamble Seine S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Service GmbH, Procter & Gamble Services (Switzerland) SA, Procter & Gamble Services Company N.V., Procter & Gamble Services Ltd., Procter & Gamble Share Incentive Plan Trustee Ltd., Procter & Gamble South America Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Spol. s.r.o. (Ltd.), Procter & Gamble Sports and Social Club Ltd., Procter & Gamble Sverige AB, Procter & Gamble Switzerland SARL, Procter & Gamble Taiwan Limited, Procter & Gamble Taiwan Sales Company Limited, Procter & Gamble Technical Centres Limited, Procter & Gamble Technology (Beijing) Co., Procter & Gamble Trading (Thailand) Limited, Procter & Gamble Tuketim Mallari Sanayii A.S., Procter & Gamble UK, Procter & Gamble UK Group Holdings Ltd, Procter & Gamble UK Parent Company Ltd., Procter & Gamble Universal Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Verwaltungs GmbH, Procter & Gamble Vietnam, Procter & Gamble d.o.o. za trgovinu, Procter & Gamble de Venezuela S.C.A., Procter & Gamble de Venezuela S.R.L., Procter & Gamble do Brasil S/A, Procter & Gamble do Brazil, Procter & Gamble do Nordeste S/A, Procter & Gamble-Rakona s.r.o., Progam Realty & Development Corporation, Redmond Products, Richardson-Vicks Real Estate Inc., Richardson-Vicks do Brasil Quimica e Farmaceutica Ltda, Riverfront Music Publishing Co., Rosemount LLC, SPD Development Company Limited, SPD Swiss Precision Diagnostics GmbH, Scannon S.A.S., Series Acquisition B.V., Shulton, Surfac S.R.L., Sycamore Productions, TAOS - FL, TAOS Retail, Tambrands Inc., Temple Trees Impex & Investment Private Limited, The Art of Shaving - FL, The Dover Wipes Company, The Gillette Company, The Gillette Company LLC, The Gillette co., The Procter & Gamble Distributing LLC, The Procter & Gamble GBS Company, The Procter & Gamble Global Finance Company, The Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Company, The Procter & Gamble Paper Products Company, The Procter & Gamble U.S. Business Services Company, This is L., US CD LLC, Vidal Sassoon (Shanghai) Academy, Vidal Sassoon Co., WEBA Betriebsrenten-Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Walker & Company Brands, and iMFLUX Inc.. The following companies are subsidiares of HCA Healthcare: 2490 Church LLC, 360 Community Alliance LLC, 4600 Waters Avenue Professional Building Condominium Association Inc., 52 Alderley Road LLP, AC Med LLC, ACH Inc., ADC Surgicenter LLC, AOGN LLC, AOSC Sports Medicine Inc., AR Holding 1 LLC, AR Holding 10 LLC, AR Holding 11 LLC, AR Holding 12 LLC, AR Holding 13 LLC, AR Holding 14 LLC, AR Holding 15 LLC, AR Holding 16 LLC, AR Holding 17 LLC, AR Holding 18 LLC, AR Holding 19 LLC, AR Holding 2 LLC, AR Holding 20 LLC, AR Holding 21 LLC, AR Holding 22 LLC, AR Holding 23 LLC, AR Holding 24 LLC, AR Holding 25 LLC, AR Holding 26 LLC, AR Holding 27 LLC, AR Holding 28 LLC, AR Holding 29 LLC, AR Holding 30 LLC, AR Holding 31 LLC, AR Holding 4 LLC, AR Holding 5 LLC, AR Holding 6 LLC, AR Holding 7 LLC, AR Holding 8 LLC, AR Holding 9 LLC, ASD Shared Services LLC, Acadiana Care Center Inc., Acadiana Practice Management Inc., Acadiana Regional Pharmacy Inc., Access 2 Health Care Physicians LLC, Access Health Care Physicians LLC, Access Management Co. LLC, Ace Leasing II LLC, Acute Kids Urgent Care of Medical City Childrens Hospital PLLC, Acworth Immediate Care LLC, Administrative Physicians of North Texas PLLC, Advanced Bundle Convener LLC, Advanced Plastic Surgery Center of Terre Haute LLC, Advanced Practice Providers of Gulf Coast PLLC, Alaska Regional Medical Group LLC, Albany Family Practice LLC, Aligned Business Consortium Group L.P., All About Staffing (India) Ltd., All About Staffing Inc., All About Staffing Philippines Inc., Alleghany General and Bariatric Services LLC, Alleghany Hospitalists LLC, Alleghany Primary Care Inc., Alleghany Specialists LLC, Alliance Surgicare LLC, Alpine Surgicenter LLC, Alta Internal Medicine LLC, Alternaco LLC, Altitude Mid Level Providers LLC, Ambulatory Endoscopy Clinic of Dallas Ltd., Ambulatory Endoscopy Holdco LLC, Ambulatory Laser Associates GP, Ambulatory Services Management Corporation of Chesterfield County Inc., Ambulatory Surgery Center Group Ltd., American Medicorp Development Co., Anchorage Surgicenter LLC, AppleCare/Memorial Immediate Care Joint Venture LLC, Appledore Medical Group II Inc., Appledore Medical Group Inc., Appomattox Imaging LLC, Arapahoe Surgicenter LLC, Arlington Diagnostic South Inc., Arlington Neurosurgeons PLLC, Arlington Primary Care PLLC, Arlington Primary Medicine PLLC, Arlington Surgery Center L.P., Arlington Surgicare LLC, Arthritis Specialists of Nashville Inc., Ashburn ASC LLC, Ashburn Imaging LLC, Athens Community Hospital Inc., Atlanta Healthcare Management L.P., Atlanta Home Care L.P., Atlanta Market GP Inc., Atlanta Outpatient Surgery Center Inc., Atlanta Surgery Center Ltd., Atlantis Surgicare LLC, Atrium Surgery Center L.P., Atrium Surgicare LLC, Augusta CyberKnife LLC, Augusta Inpatient Services LLC, Augusta Management Services LLC, Augusta Multispecialty Services LLC, Augusta Primary Care Services LLC, Augusta Specialty Hospitalists LLC, Augusta Urgent Care Services LLC, Aurora Endoscopy Surgicenter LLC, Austin GI Surgicenter LLC, Austin Heart Cardiology MSO LLC, Austin Medical Center Inc., Austin Physicians Management LLC, Austin Urogynecology PLLC, Aventura Cancer Center Manager LLC, Aventura Comprehensive Cancer Research Group of Florida Inc., Aventura Healthcare Specialists LLC, Aventura Neurosurgery LLC, BAMI Property LLC, Backlogs Limited, Bailey Square Ambulatory Surgical Center Ltd., Bailey Square Outpatient Surgical Center Inc., Bannerman Family Care LLC, Barrow Medical Center CT Services Ltd., Basic American Medical Inc., Basil Street Practice Limited, Bay Area Healthcare Group Ltd., Bay Area Surgical Center Investors Ltd., Bay Area Surgicare Center Inc., Bay Area Surgicenter LLC, Bay Hospital Inc., Bayonet Point Surgery Center Ltd., Bayshore Family Practitioners PLLC, Bayshore Multi-Specialty Group PLLC, Bayshore Occupational and Family Medicine PLLC, Bayshore Partner LLC, Bayshore Radiation Oncology Services PLLC, Bayshore Surgery Center Ltd., Bayside Ambulatory Center LLC, Bedford-Northeast Community Hospital Inc., Behavioral Health Sciences of West Florida LLC, Behavioral Health Wellness Center LLC, Bellaire Imaging Inc., Belleair Surgery Center Ltd., Belton Family Practice Clinic LLC, Big Cypress Medical Center Inc., Blacksburg Family Care LLC, Blossoms Healthcare LLP, Blue Ridge-TKC LLC, Bone & Joint Specialists Physician Group LLC, Bonita Bay Surgery Center Inc., Bonita Bay Surgery Center Ltd., Bountiful Surgery Center LLC, Boynton Beach EFL Imaging Center LLC, Bradenton Cardiology Physician Network LLC, Bradenton Outpatient Services LLC, Brandon Imaging Manager LLC, Brandon Regional Cancer Center LLC, Brentwood ASC LLC, Brigham City Community Hospital Inc., Brigham City Community Hospital Physician Services LLC, Brigham City Health Plan Inc., Brighton Surgicenter LLC, Brookwood Medical Center of Gulfport Inc., Broward Cardiovascular Surgeons LLC, Broward Healthcare System Inc., Broward Neurosurgeons LLC, Brownsville Specialists of Texas PLLC, Brownsville Surgery PLLC, Brownsville Surgical Specialists PLLC, Brownsville Surgicenter LLC, Brownsville-Valley Regional Medical Center Inc., Buford Road Imaging L.L.C., Byron Family Practice LLC, C. Medrano M.D. PLLC, C/HCA Capital Inc., C/HCA Development Inc., C/HCA Inc., CAREOS Surgicenter LLC, CC Clinic PLLC, CCBH Psychiatric Hospitalists LLC, CCH-GP Inc., CFC Investments Inc., CH Systems, CHC Finance Co., CHC Holdings Inc., CHC Management Ltd., CHC Payroll Agent Inc., CHC Payroll Company, CHC Realty Company, CHC Venture Co., CHC-El Paso Corp., CHC-Miami Corp., CHCA Bayshore L.P., CHCA Clear Lake L.P., CHCA Conroe L.P., CHCA Mainland L.P., CHCA Pearland L.P., CHCA West Houston L.P., CHCA Womans Hospital L.P., CHCK Inc., CJW Infectious Disease LLC, CJW Wound Healing Center LLC, CLASC Manager LLC, COL-NAMC Holdings Inc., COSCORP LLC, CP Surgery Center LLC, CPS TN Processor 1 Inc., CRMC-M LLC, CUC PLLC, CVMC Property LLC, Calder Immediate Care PLLC, California Imaging Center Manager LLC, California Urgent Care LLC, Calloway Creek Surgery Center L.P., Calloway Creek Surgicare LLC, Cancer Centers of North Florida LLC, Cancer Services of Aventura LLC, Capital Anesthesia Services LLC, Capital Area Cardiology, Capital Area CareNow Physician Associates, Capital Area Multispecialty Providers, Capital Area Neurosurgeons, Capital Area Occupational Medicine PLLC, Capital Area Primary Care PLLC, Capital Area Primary Care Providers, Capital Area Providers, Capital Area Specialists PLLC, Capital Area Specialty Providers, Capital Area Surgeons PLLC, Capital Division - CCA Inc., Capital Division Inc., Capital Network Services Inc., Capital Professional Billing LLC, Capital Regional Healthcare LLC, Capital Regional Heart Associates LLC, Capital Regional Psychiatry Associates LLC, Cardiac Surgical Associates LLC, Cardio Vascular Surgeons of North Texas PLLC, Cardiology Associates Medical Group LLC, Cardiology Clinic of San Antonio PLLC, Cardiology Specialists of North Texas PLLC, Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons of Texas PLLC, Care for Women LLC, CareNow, CareOne Home Health Services Inc., CarePartners HHA Holdings LLLP, CarePartners HHA LLLP, CarePartners Rehabilitation Hospital LLLP, CareSpot Professional Services of Middle Tennessee LLC, CareSpot of Brentwood (210 Franklin Road) LLC, CareSpot of Cool Springs (100 International Drive) LLC, CareSpot of Donelson (2372 Lebanon Road) LLC, CareSpot of Hendersonville (280 Indian Lake Boulevard) LLC, CareSpot of Hermitage (5225 Old Hickory Boulevard) LLC, CareSpot of Lebanon (1705 West Main Street) LLC, CareSpot of Mt. Juliet (S. Mt. Juliet Road) LLC, CareSpot of Murfreesboro (1340 Broad Street) LLC, CareSpot of Nashville (2001 Glen Echo Road) LLC, CareSpot of Nashville (West End Avenue) LLC, Career Staffing USA Inc., Carlin Springs Urgent Care LLC, Carolina Forest Imaging Manager LLC, Carolina Regional Surgery Center Inc., Carolina Regional Surgery Center Ltd., Cartersville Medical Center LLC, Cartersville Occupational Medicine Center LLC, Cartersville Physician Practice I LLC, Catalog360 Limited, Cedar Creek Medical Group LLC, Cedars International Cardiology Consultants LLC, Cedars Medical Center Hospitalists LLC, Centennial Cardiovascular Consultants LLC, Centennial CyberKnife Center LLC, Centennial CyberKnife Manager LLC, Centennial Heart LLC, Centennial Hospitalists LLC, Centennial Neuroscience LLC, Centennial Psychiatric Associates LLC, Centennial Surgery Center L.P., Centennial Surgical Associates LLC, Centennial Surgical Clinic LLC, Centennial Womens Group LLC, Center for Advanced Diagnostics LLC, Center for Advanced Imaging LLC, Center for Digestive Diseases LLC, Center for Occupational Medicine LLC, Centerpoint Cardiology Services LLC, Centerpoint Clinic of Blue Springs LLC, Centerpoint Hospital Based Physicians LLC, Centerpoint Medical Center of Independence LLC, Centerpoint Medical Specialists LLC, Centerpoint Orthopedics LLC, Centerpoint Physicians Group LLC, Centerpoint Womens Services LLC, Central Florida Cardiology Interpretations LLC, Central Florida Division Practice Inc., Central Florida Health Services LLC, Central Florida Imaging Services LLC, Central Florida Management Services LLC, Central Florida Obstetrics & Gynecology Associates LLC, Central Florida Physician Network LLC, Central Florida Regional Hospital Inc., Central Health Holding Company Inc., Central Pasco LLC, Central San Antonio Surgical Center Investors Ltd., Central Shared Services LLC, Central Tennessee Hospital Corporation, Central Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Physicians PLLC, Centrum Surgery Center Ltd., Charleston CareNow Urgent Care LLC, Chatsworth Hospital Corp., Chattanooga ASC Acquisition Inc., Chattanooga Diagnostic Associates LLC, Chattanooga Healthcare Network L.P., Chattanooga Healthcare Network Partner Inc., Chelsea Outpatient Centre LLP, Chesterfield Imaging LLC, Chicago Grant Hospital Inc., Childrens Multi-Specialty Group LLC, Chino Community Hospital Corporation Inc., Chippenham & Johnston-Willis Hospitals Inc., Chippenham & Johnston-Willis Sports Medicine LLC, Chippenham Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Chippenham Pediatric Specialists LLC, Chiswick Outpatient Centre LLP, Christiansburg Family Medicine LLC, Christiansburg Internal Medicine LLC, Christina Cano-Gonzalez M.D. PLLC, Chugach PT Inc., Church Street Partners, Citrus Memorial Hospital Inc., Citrus Memorial Property Management Inc., Citrus Primary Care Inc., Citrus Specialty Group Inc., Citrus Surgicenter LLC, City of San Antonio H2U Employee Health and Wellness Center PLLC, Clarksville Surgicenter LLC, Clear Creek Surgery Center LLC, Clear Lake Cardiac Catheterization Center L.P., Clear Lake Cardiac GP LLC, Clear Lake Family Physicians PLLC, Clear Lake Medical Tower Owners Association Inc., Clear Lake Merger LLC, Clear Lake Multi-Specialty Group PLLC, Clear Lake Regional Medical Center Inc., Clear Lake Regional Partner LLC, Clear Lake Surgicare Ltd., ClinicServ LLC, Clinical Education Shared Services LLC, Clinishare Inc., Coastal Bend Hospital CT Services Ltd., Coastal Bend Hospital Inc., Coastal Carolina Home Care Inc., Coastal Carolina Multispecialty Associates LLC, Coastal Carolina Primary Care LLC, Coastal Healthcare Services Inc., Coastal Imaging Center L.P., Coastal Imaging Center of Gulfport Inc., Coastal Inpatient Physicians LLC, Coliseum Health Group Inc., Coliseum Health Group LLC, Coliseum Medical Center LLC, Coliseum Park Hospital Inc., Coliseum Primary Care Services LLC, Coliseum Primary Healthcare - Macon LLC, Coliseum Primary Healthcare - Riverside LLC, Coliseum Professional Associates LLC, Coliseum Same Day Surgery Center L.P., Coliseum Surgery Center L.L.C., College Park Ancillary LLC, College Park Endoscopy Center LLC, College Park Radiology LLC, Colleton Ambulatory Care LLC, Colleton Diagnostic Center LLC, Colleton Medical Anesthesia LLC, Colleton Medical Hospitalists LLC, Colleton Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery LLC, Collier County Home Health Agency Inc., Collin County Diagnostic Associates PLLC, Colorado Health Systems Inc., Columbia ASC Management L.P., Columbia Ambulatory Surgery Division Inc., Columbia Arlington Healthcare System L.L.C., Columbia Bay Area Realty Ltd., Columbia Behavioral Health Ltd., Columbia Behavioral Healthcare Inc., Columbia Behavioral Healthcare of South Florida Inc., Columbia Call Center Inc., Columbia Central Florida Division Inc., Columbia Central Group Inc., Columbia Champions Treatment Center Inc., Columbia Chicago Division Inc., Columbia Coliseum Same Day Surgery Center Inc., Columbia Development of Florida Inc., Columbia Doctors Hospital of Tulsa Inc., Columbia Eye and Specialty Surgery Center Ltd., Columbia Florida Group Inc., Columbia GP of Mesquite Inc., Columbia Good Samaritan Health System Limited Partnership, Columbia Greater Houston Division Healthcare Network Inc., Columbia Health System of Arkansas Inc., Columbia Healthcare System of Louisiana Inc., Columbia Healthcare of Central Virginia Inc., Columbia Hospital Corporation at the Medical Center, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Arlington, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Bay Area, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Central Miami, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Corpus Christi, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Fort Worth, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Houston, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Kendall, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Massachusetts Inc., Columbia Hospital Corporation of Miami, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Miami Beach, Columbia Hospital Corporation of North Miami Beach, Columbia Hospital Corporation of South Broward, Columbia Hospital Corporation of South Dade, Columbia Hospital Corporation of South Florida, Columbia Hospital Corporation of South Miami, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Tamarac, Columbia Hospital Corporation of West Houston, Columbia Hospital Corporation-Delaware, Columbia Hospital Corporation-SMM, Columbia Hospital at Medical City Dallas Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Hospital-El Paso Ltd., Columbia Integrated Health Systems Inc., Columbia Jacksonville Healthcare System Inc., Columbia LaGrange Hospital LLC, Columbia Lake Worth Surgical Center Limited Partnership, Columbia Medical Arts Hospital Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Medical Center Dallas Southwest Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Medical Center at Lancaster Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Medical Center of Arlington Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Medical Center of Denton Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Medical Center of Las Colinas Inc., Columbia Medical Center of Lewisville Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Medical Center of McKinney Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Medical Center of Plano Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Medical Group - Centennial Inc., Columbia Medical Group - Daystar Inc., Columbia Medical Group - Parkridge Inc., Columbia Medical Group - Southern Hills Inc., Columbia Medical Group - Southwest Virginia Inc., Columbia Medical Group - The Frist Clinic Inc., Columbia Midtown Joint Venture, Columbia North Alaska Healthcare Inc., Columbia North Central Florida Health System Limited Partnership, Columbia North Florida Regional Medical Center Limited Partnership, Columbia North Hills Hospital Subsidiary L.P., Columbia North Texas Healthcare System L.P., Columbia North Texas Subsidiary GP LLC, Columbia North Texas Surgery Center Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Northwest Medical Center Inc., Columbia Northwest Medical Center Partners Ltd., Columbia Ocala Regional Medical Center Physician Group Inc., Columbia Ogden Medical Center Inc., Columbia Oklahoma Division Inc., Columbia Palm Beach GP LLC, Columbia Palm Beach Healthcare System Limited Partnership, Columbia Park Healthcare System Inc., Columbia Park Medical Center Inc., Columbia Parkersburg Healthcare System LLC, Columbia Pentagon City Hospital L.L.C., Columbia Physician Services - Florida Group Inc., Columbia Plaza Medical Center of Fort Worth Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Primary Care LLC, Columbia Psychiatric Management Co., Columbia Resource Network Inc., Columbia Rio Grande Healthcare L.P., Columbia Riverside Inc., Columbia South Texas Division Inc., Columbia Specialty Hospital of Dallas Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Specialty Hospitals Inc., Columbia Surgery Group Inc., Columbia Surgicare of Augusta Ltd., Columbia Tampa Bay Division Inc., Columbia Valley Healthcare System L.P., Columbia West Bank Hospital Inc., Columbia Westbank Healthcare L.P., Columbia-CSA/HS Greater Canton Area Healthcare System L.P., Columbia-CSA/HS Greater Cleveland Area Healthcare System L.P., Columbia-Georgia PT Inc., Columbia-Osceola Imaging Center Inc., Columbia-Quantum Inc., Columbia-SDH Holdings Inc., Columbia/Alleghany Regional Hospital Incorporated, Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corporation of Central Texas, Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corporation of Northern Ohio, Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corporation of South Carolina, Columbia/HCA Heartcare of Corpus Christi Inc., Columbia/HCA International Group Inc., Columbia/HCA John Randolph Inc., Columbia/HCA Middle East Management Company, Columbia/HCA Physician Hospital Organization Medical Center Hospital, Columbia/HCA San Clemente Inc., Columbia/HCA of Baton Rouge Inc., Columbia/HCA of Houston Inc., Columbia/HCA of New Orleans Inc., Columbia/HCA of North Texas Inc., Columbine Psychiatric Center Inc., Columbus Cardiology Inc., Columbus Cath Lab Inc., Columbus Cath Lab LLC, Columbus Doctors Hospital Inc., Commonwealth Perinatal Services LLC, Commonwealth Specialists of Kentucky LLC, Community Hospital Family Practice LLC, Comprehensive Radiation Oncology LLC, Comprehensive Radiology Management Services Ltd., Concept EFL Imaging Center LLC, Concept West EFL Imaging Center LLC, Congenital Heart Surgery Center PLLC, Conroe Hospital Corporation, Conroe Montgomery Physicians Group PLLC, Conroe Orthopedic Specialists PLLC, Conroe Partner LLC, Conroe Specialists of Texas PLLC, Continental Division I Inc., Coral Springs Surgi-Center Ltd., CoralStone Management Inc., Corpus Christi Healthcare Group Ltd., Corpus Christi Heart Clinic PLLC, Corpus Christi Primary Care Associates PLLC, Corpus Christi Psychiatric Specialists PLLC, Corpus Christi Radiation Oncology PLLC, Corpus Christi Surgery Center L.P., Corpus Christi Surgery Ltd., Corpus Christi Surgicenter LLC, Corpus Surgicare Inc., Countryside Surgery Center Ltd., Crewe Outpatient Imaging LLC, Cumberland Medical Center Inc., Cy-Fair Medical Center Hospital LLC, DFW Physicians Group PLLC, DOMC Property LLC, DS Real Estate Holdings LLC, Daleville Imaging L.P., Daleville Imaging Manager LLC, Dallas CardioThoracic Surgery Consultants PLLC, Dallas Cardiology Specialists PLLC, Dallas Hand Surgery Center PLLC, Dallas Medical Specialists PLLC, Dallas Neuro-Stroke Affiliates PLLC, Dallas Pediatric Neurosurgery Specialists PLLC, Dallas/Ft. Worth Physician LLC, Davie Medical Center LLC, Daytona Medical Center Inc., Dean 4641 LLC, Deep Purple Investments LLC, Del Sol Bariatric Clinic PLLC, Delray EFL Imaging Center LLC, Denton Cancer Center PLLC, Denton County Hospitalist Program PLLC, Denton Pediatric Physicians PLLC, Denton Regional Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Denver Clinic Surgicenter LLC, Denver Mid-Town Surgery Center Ltd., Denver Surgicenter LLC, Derry ASC Inc., Diagnostic Breast Center Inc., Diagnostic Mammography Services G.P., Diagnostic Services G.P., Dickson Surgery Center L.P., Doctors Bay Area Physician Hospital Organization, Doctors Hospital (Conroe) Inc., Doctors Hospital Columbus GA-Joint Venture, Doctors Hospital Surgery Center L.P., Doctors Hospital of Augusta LLC, Doctors Hospital of Augusta Neurology LLC, Doctors Osteopathic Medical Center Inc., Doctors Same Day Surgery Center Inc., Doctors Same Day Surgery Center Ltd., Doctors-I Inc., Doctors-II Inc., Doctors-III Inc., Doctors-IV Inc., Doctors-IX Inc., Doctors-V Inc., Doctors-VI Inc., Doctors-VII Inc., Doctors-VIII Inc., Doctors-X Inc., Doctors Memorial Hospital of Spartanburg Limited Partnership, Dominion Hospital Physicians Group LLC, Dublin Community Hospital LLC, Dublin Heart Specialists LLC, Dublin Multispecialty LLC, Dura Medical Inc., E.P. Physical Therapy Centers Inc., EASTSIDE URGENT CARE LLC, EHCA Diagnostics LLC, EHCA Eastside Occupational Medicine Center LLC, EHCA LLC, EHCA Metropolitan LLC, EHCA Parkway LLC, EHCA Peachtree LLC, EHCA West Paces LLC, EIRMC Hospitalist Services LLC, EMMC LLC, EP Health LLC, EP Holdco LLC, EPIC Development Inc., EPIC Diagnostic Centers Inc., EPIC Healthcare Management Company, EPIC Properties Inc., EPIC Surgery Centers Inc., EPSC L.P., East Falls Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery LLC, East Falls Family Medicine LLC, East Falls Plastic Surgery LLC, East Florida - DMC Inc., East Florida Behavioral Health Network LLC, East Florida Cardiology Network LLC, East Florida CareNow Urgent Care LLC, East Florida Division Inc., East Florida Emergency Physician Group LLC, East Florida Healthcare LLC, East Florida Hospitalists LLC, East Florida Imaging Holdings LLC, East Florida Primary Care LLC, East Houston Primary Care PLLC, East Houston Specialists PLLC, East Layton Internal Medicine LLC, East Orthopedics PLLC, East Pointe Hospital Inc., Eastern Idaho Brachytherapy Equipment LLC, Eastern Idaho Brachytherapy Equipment Manager LLC, Eastern Idaho Care Partners ACO LLC, Eastern Idaho Care Partners Holdings LLC, Eastern Idaho Care Partners LLC, Eastern Idaho Health Services Inc., Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center Inpatient Services LLC, Eastside Behavioral Health Associates LLC, Eastside General Surgery LLC, Eastside Heart and Vascular LLC, Eastside Medical Center LLC, Eastside Surgery Center LLC, Edmond General Surgery LLC, Edmond Hospitalists LLC, Edmond Physician Hospital Organization Inc., Edward White Hospital Inc., El Paso CareNow Urgent Care PLLC, El Paso Healthcare Provider Network, El Paso Healthcare System Ltd., El Paso Healthcare System Physician Services LLC, El Paso Nurses Unlimited Inc., El Paso Primary Care PLLC, El Paso Surgery Centers L.P., El Paso Surgicenter Inc., Eldridge Family Practitioners PLLC, Elite Family Health of Plano PLLC, Elite OB-GYN Services of El Paso PLLC, Elite Orthopaedics of El Paso PLLC, Elite Orthopaedics of Irving PLLC, Elite Orthopaedics of Plano PLLC, Elstree Outpatient Centre LLP, Emergency Physicians at Wesley Medical Center LLC, Emergency Providers Group LLC, Emergency Psychiatric Medicine PLLC, Encino Hospital Corporation Inc., Endocrinology Associates of Lees Summit LLC, Endoscopy Surgicare of Plano LLC, Endoscopy of Plano L.P., Englewood Community Hospital Auxiliary Inc., Englewood Community Hospital Inc., Envision Stakes LLC, Eye Care Surgicare Ltd. a Missouri limited partnership, FHAL LLC, FMH Health Services LLC, Fairfax Surgical Center L.P., Fairview Medical Services LLC, Fairview Park GP LLC, Fairview Park Limited Partnership, Fairview Partner LLC, Family Care Partners LLC, Family Care of E. Jackson County LLC, Family First Medicine in Brownsville PLLC, Family Health Medical Group of Overland Park LLC, Family Health Specialists of Lees Summit LLC, Family Medicine of Blacksburg LLC, Family Practice at Forest Hill LLC, Family Practice at Retreat LLC, Family Practitioners of Montgomery PLLC, Family Practitioners of Pearland PLLC, Fannin MOB LLC, Fannin MOB Property Management LLC, Far West Division Inc., Fawcett Memorial Hospital Inc., Florida Care Partners LLC, Florida Care Partners Orlando LLC, Florida Home Health Services-Private Care Inc., Florida Outpatient Surgery Center Ltd., Flower Mound Surgery Center Ltd., Focus Hand Surgicenter LLC, Foot & Ankle Specialty Services LLC, Forest Park Surgery Pavilion Inc., Forest Park Surgery Pavilion L.P., Fort Bend Hospital Inc., Fort Chiswell Family Practice LLC, Fort Myers Market Inc., Fort Pierce Immediate Care Center Inc., Fort Pierce Orthopaedics LLC, Fort Pierce Surgery Center Ltd., Fort Walton Beach Medical Center Inc., Fort Worth Investments Inc., Forward Pathology Solutions LLC, Four Rivers Medical Center PHO Inc., Frankfort Hospital Inc., Frankfort Wound Care LLC, Freeport Family Medicine LLC, Fremont Womens Health LLC, Frisco Surgicare LLC, Frisco Warren Parkway 91 Inc., Frist Clinic Express LLC, Ft. Pierce Surgicare LLC, Ft. Walton Beach Anesthesia Services LLC, G. Rowe M.D. PLLC, G. Schnider M.D. PLLC, G. Voorhees M.D. PLLC, G.P. Martin Fletcher & Associates LLC, GA PHYSICIAN SERVICES LLC, GA Urgentcare Holding LLC, GHC-Galen Health Care LLC, GI Associates of Denton PLLC, GI Associates of Lewisville PLLC, GME Services of Osceola LLC, GPCH-GP Inc., GYN-Oncology of Southwest Virginia LLC, Gainesville GYN Oncology of North Florida Regional Medical Center LLC, Gainesville Physicians LLC, GalTex LLC, Galen (Kansas) Merger LLC, Galen BH Inc., Galen Center for Professional Development Inc., Galen College of Nursing, Galen Diagnostic Multicenter Ltd., Galen GOK LLC, Galen Global Finance Inc., Galen Health Institutes Inc., Galen Health Partners Limited, Galen Holdco LLC, Galen Hospital Alaska Inc., Galen Hospital of Baytown Inc., Galen Hospital-Pembroke Pines Inc., Galen International Holdings Inc., Galen KY LLC, Galen MCS LLC, Galen MRMC LLC, Galen Medical Corporation, Galen NMC LLC, Galen NSH LLC, Galen Property LLC, Galen SOM LLC, Galen SSH LLC, Galen Virginia Hospital Corporation, Galen of Aurora Inc., Galen of Florida Inc., Galen of Illinois Inc., Galen of Kentucky Inc., Galen of Mississippi Inc., Galen of Virginia Inc., Galen of West Virginia Inc., Galen-Soch Inc., Galencare Inc., Galendeco Inc., Galichia Anesthesia Services LLC, Galichia Emergency Physicians LLC, Garden Park Community Hospital Limited Partnership, Garden Park Hospitalist Program LLC, Garden Park Investments L.P., Garden Park Physician Group - Specialty Care LLC, Garden Park Physician Group Inc., Gardens EFL Imaging Center LLC, Gastroenterology Specialists of Middle Tennessee LLC, General Hospitals of Galen Inc., General Medical Clinics Limited, General Surgeons of Houston PLLC, General Surgeons of North Richland Hills PLLC, General Surgeons of Pasadena PLLC, General and Cardiovascular Surgeons of Conroe PLLC, Generations Family Practice Inc., GenoSpace LLC, Georgia Health Holdings Inc., Georgia L.P., Georgia Psychiatric Company Inc., Glemm SA, Good Samaritan Hospital L.P., Good Samaritan Hospital LLC, Good Samaritan Surgery Center L.P., Goppert-Trinity Family Care LLC, Grace Family Practice LLC, Gramercy Eye Surgicenter LLC, Gramercy Surgery Center Ltd., Grand Strand Regional Medical Center LLC, Grand Strand Senior Health Center LLC, Grand Strand Specialty Associates LLC, Grand Strand Surgical Specialists LLC, Grandview Health Care Clinic LLC, Grant Center Hospital of Ocala Inc., Grayson Primary Care LLC, Greater Gwinnett Internal Medicine Associates LLC, Greater Gwinnett Physician Corporation, Greater Houston Preferred Provider Option Inc., Greater Tampa Bay Physician Network LLC, Greater Tampa Bay Physician Specialists LLC, Greater Tampa Bay Physicians - Pinellas LLC, Green Oaks Hospital Subsidiary L.P., Greenview Hospital Inc., Greenview PrimeCare LLC, Greenview Specialty Associates LLC, Gulf Coast Division Inc., Gulf Coast Electrophysiology Associates PLLC, Gulf Coast Inpatient Specialists LLC, Gulf Coast Medical Center Primary Care LLC, Gulf Coast Medical Ventures Inc., Gulf Coast Multispecialty Services LLC, Gulf Coast Physician Administrators Inc., Gulf Coast Provider Network Inc., Gwinnett Community Hospital Inc., Gynecology Specialists of Utah LLC, H2U Wellness Centers - Del Sol Medical Center PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers - Las Palmas Medical Center PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers - Medical City Dallas PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers - St. Davids Medical Center PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers LLC, H2U Wellness Centers Clear Lake Regional Medical Center PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers Conroe ISD PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers Conroe Regional Medical Center PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers Corpus Christi PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers El Paso PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers PISD PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers San Benito CISD PLLC, HBP Lone Star Inc., HCA - IT&S Field Operations Inc., HCA - IT&S Inventory Management Inc., HCA - IT&S PBS Field Operations Inc., HCA - IT&S TN Field Operations Inc., HCA - Information Technology & Services Inc., HCA - Raleigh Community Hospital Inc., HCA - Viera ALF LLC, HCA - WHS Progressive LLC, HCA - WHS Services LLC, HCA ASD Financial Operations LLC, HCA ASD Sales Services LLC, HCA American Finance LLC, HCA Carenow Limited, HCA Central Group Inc., HCA Central/West Texas Physicians Management LLC, HCA Chattanooga Market Inc., HCA Development Company Inc., HCA Eastern Group Inc., HCA Global Capital LLP, HCA Gulf Coast GME PLLC, HCA Health Services of California Inc., HCA Health Services of Florida Inc., HCA Health Services of Georgia Inc., HCA Health Services of Louisiana Inc., HCA Health Services of Miami Inc., HCA Health Services of Midwest Inc., HCA Health Services of New Hampshire Inc., HCA Health Services of Tennessee Inc., HCA Health Services of Texas Inc., HCA Health Services of Virginia Inc., HCA Health Services of West Virginia Inc., HCA Healthcare Mission Fund LLC, HCA Healthcare UK Limited, HCA Holdco LLC, HCA Human Resources LLC, HCA Imaging Services of North Florida Inc., HCA Inc., HCA International Holdings Limited, HCA International Limited, HCA LewisGale Regional Cancer Centers Clinical Co-Management Company LLC, HCA Long Term Health Services of Miami Inc., HCA Luxembourg 1 Sarl, HCA Luxembourg 2 Sarl, HCA Luxembourg Equities Sarl, HCA Luxembourg Finance Limited, HCA Luxembourg Investments Sarl, HCA Management Services L.P., HCA Medical City Limited, HCA Medical Services Inc., HCA Midwest Comprehensive Care Inc., HCA Outpatient Clinic Services of Miami Inc., HCA Outpatient Imaging Services Group Inc., HCA Patient Safety Organization LLC, HCA Pearland GP Inc., HCA Physician Services Inc., HCA Plano Imaging Inc., HCA Property GP LLC, HCA Psychiatric Company, HCA Purchasing Limited, HCA Realty Inc., HCA Richmond Cardiac Clinical Co-Management Company LLC, HCA SF LLC, HCA SFB 1 LLC, HCA Sarasota Orthopedic and Spine Clinical Co-Management Company LLC, HCA Squared LLC, HCA Staffing Limited, HCA Swiss Capital 1 LLP, HCA Swiss Capital 2 LLP, HCA Switzerland Finance GmbH, HCA Switzerland Holding GmbH, HCA Switzerland Limited, HCA UK Capital Limited, HCA UK Holdings Limited, HCA UK Investments Limited, HCA UK Limited, HCA UK Services Limited, HCA Wesley Rehabilitation Hospital Inc., HCA Western Group Inc., HCA-Access Healthcare Holdings LLC, HCA-Access Healthcare Partner Inc., HCA-California Urgent Care Holdings LLC, HCA-EMS Holdings LLC, HCA-EmCare Holdings LLC, HCA-Georgia Urgent Care Holdings LLC, HCA-HBPS Holdings LLC, HCA-HealthONE LLC, HCA-Solis Holdings Inc., HCA-Solis Mammography Service Holdings of Continental LLC, HCA-Solis Mammography Service Holdings of Gulf Coast LLC, HCA-Solis Mammography Service Holdings of North Texas LLC, HCA-Solis Mammography Service Holdings of TriStar LLC, HCA-Solis Mammography Services LLC, HCA-Solis Master LLC, HCA-Urgent Care Holdings LLC, HCAPS Anesthesia Manager LLC, HCAPS Conroe Affiliation Inc., HCOL Inc., HD&S Corp. Successor Inc., HDH Thoracic Surgeons LLC, HHBY Holdings LLC, HHNC LLC, HICCH-SCL LLC, HM Acquisition LLC, HM OMCOS LLC, HMMG 1226 LLC, HPG Energy L.P., HPG Enterprises LLC, HPG GP LLC, HPG Solutions LLC, HSS Holdco LLC, HSS Systems LLC, HSS Virginia L.P., HTI Gulf Coast Inc., HTI Health Services of North Carolina Inc., HTI Hospital Holdings Inc., HTI MOB LLC, HTI MSO LLC, HTI Memorial Hospital Corporation, HTI Physician Services of Utah Inc., HWCA PLLC, Hamilton Memorial Hospital Inc., Hamsard 3160 Limited, Harley Street Clinic @ The Groves LLP, Hathor Chelsea Ltd., Healdsburg General Hospital Inc., Health Care Indemnity Inc., Health Insight Capital LLC, Health International Billing Partners Limited, Health Midwest Medical Group Inc., Health Midwest Office Facilities Corporation, Health Midwest Ventures Group Inc., Health Partners of Kansas Inc., Health Service Partners Inc., Health Services (Delaware) Inc., Health Services Merger Inc., Health to You LLC, HealthCoast Physician Group LLC, HealthONE Aurora Investment LLC, HealthONE Care Partners LLC, HealthONE CareNow Urgent Care LLC, HealthONE Clear Creek LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Bariatric Medicine LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Behavioral Health LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Cancer Care LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Cancer Specialties LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Cardiovascular LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Medical Specialties LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Neurosciences LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Obstetrics and Gynecology LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Occupational Medicine LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Oncology Hematology LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Orthopedic Specialists LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Otolaryngology Specialists LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgery LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Pediatric Specialties LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Primary Care LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Spine Specialists LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Spine Surgeons LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Surgery Neurological LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Surgical Specialties LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Transplant Services LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Womens Services LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Youth Rehabilitation LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services LLC, HealthONE High Street Primary Care Center LLC, HealthONE IRL Pathology Services LLC, HealthONE Institutes for Clinical Research LLC, HealthONE Lowry LLC, HealthONE Radiation Therapy at Red Rocks LLC, HealthONE Radiation Therapy at Thornton LLC, HealthONE Ridge View Endoscopy Center LLC, HealthONE Surgicare of Ridge View LLC, HealthONE Urologic LLC, HealthONE at Breckenridge LLC, HealthONE of Denver Inc., HealthOne Heart Care LLC, HealthOne Lincoln Investment LLC, HealthOne Westside Investment LLC, HealthTrust Europe Company Limited, HealthTrust Europe LLP, HealthTrust Locums Inc., HealthTrust Workforce Solutions LLC, Healthcare Oklahoma Inc., Healthcare Purchasing Alliance LLC, Healthcare Sales National Management Services Group LLC, Healthcare Technology Assessment Corporation, Healthco LLC, Healthnet of Kentucky LLC, Healthserv Acquisition LLC, Healthtrust Inc. - The Hospital Company, Healthtrust MOB Tennessee LLC, Healthtrust Purchasing Group L.P., Healthtrust Utah Management Services Inc., Healthy State Inc., Heart Specialist of North Texas PLLC, Heart of America ASC LLC, Heart of America Surgicenter LLC, Heartcare of Texas Ltd., Hearthstone Home Health Inc., Heartland Womens Group at Wesley LLC, Heathrow Imaging LLC, Heathrow Internal Medicine LLC, Hendersonville Hospital Corporation, Hendersonville Hospitalist Services Inc., Hendersonville OB/GYN LLC, Hendersonville ODC LLC, Hendersonville Primary Care LLC, Henrico Doctors Hospital - Forest Campus Property LLC, Henrico Doctors Neurology Associates LLC, Henrico Doctors OB GYN Specialists LLC, Henrico Surgical Specialists LLC, Heritage Family Care LLC, Heritage Hospital Inc., Heritage Medical Care LLC, Hermitage Primary Care LLC, Hidalgo County Family Practitioners PLLC, Hidden Lakes Health Center PLLC, Highlands Regional Medical Center, Hip & Joint Specialists of North Texas PLLC, Homecare North Inc., Hometrust Management Services Inc., Horizon Orthopedics LLC, Horizon Surgical LLC, Hospital Corp. LLC, Hospital Corporation of America, Hospital Corporation of Lake Worth, Hospital Corporation of Tennessee, Hospital Corporation of Utah, Hospital Development Properties Inc., Hospital Partners Merger LLC, Hospital Realty Corporation, Hospital-Based CRNA Services Inc., Hospitalists at Centennial Medical Center LLC, Hospitalists at Fairview Park LLC, Hospitalists at Greenview Regional Hospital LLC, Hospitalists at Horizon Medical Center LLC, Hospitalists at Parkridge LLC, Hospitalists at StoneCrest LLC, Hospitalists at Wesley Medical Center LLC, Hospitalists of the Wabash Valley LLC, Houston - PPH LLC, Houston CareNow Urgent Care PLLC, Houston Healthcare Holdings Inc., Houston NW Manager LLC, Houston Northwest Concessions L.L.C., Houston Northwest Operating Company L.L.C., Houston Northwest Surgical Partners Inc., Houston Obstetrics and Gynecology for Women PLLC, Houston Pediatric Specialty Group PLLC, Houston Urologic Surgicenter LLC, Houston Womans Hospital Partner LLC, ICU Associates of West Houston PLLC, IMX Holdings LLC, IRL Pathology Services MidAmerica LLC, Idaho Behavioral Health Services LLC, Idaho Physician Services Inc., Illinois Psychiatric Hospital Company Inc., Imaging Realty LLC, Imaging Services of Appomattox LLC, Imaging Services of Jacksonville LLC, Imaging Services of Louisiana LLC, Imaging Services of Louisiana Manager LLC, Imaging Services of Orlando LLC, Imaging Services of Richmond LLC, Imaging Services of Roanoke LLC, Imaging Services of West Boynton LLC, InVivoLink Inc., Independence Neurosurgery Services LLC, Independence Regional Medical Group LLC, Independence Surgicare Inc., Indian Path Hospital Inc., Indianapolis Hospital Partner LLC, Institute for Womens Health and Body LLC, Institute of Advanced ENT Surgery LLC, Integrated Regional Lab LLC, Integrated Regional Laboratories LLP, Integrated Regional Laboratories Pathology Services LLC, Intensive Care Consortium Inc., Internal Medicine Associates of Huntsville PLLC, Internal Medicine Associates of Southern Hills LLC, Internal Medicine of Blacksburg LLC, Internal Medicine of Pasadena PLLC, Internist Associates of Houston PLLC, Isleworth Partners Inc., J. M. Garcia M.D. PLLC, JCSH LLC, JDGC Management LLC, JFK Internal Medicine Faculty Practice LLC, JFK Medical Center Limited Partnership, JPM AA Housing LLC, Jackson County Medical Group LLC, Jackson County Pulmonary Medical Group LLC, Jacksonville CareNow Urgent Care LLC, Jacksonville Multispecialty Services LLC, Jacksonville Surgery Center Ltd., James River Internists LLC, John Randolph Family Practice LLC, John Randolph OB/GYN LLC, John Randolph Surgeons LLC, Johnson County Neurology LLC, Johnson County Surgery Center L.P., Johnson County Surgicenter L.L.C., Jordan Family Health L.L.C., Jupiter EFL Imaging Center LLC, KC Pain ASC LLC, KC Surgicare LLC, KPH-Consolidation Inc., Kansas CareNow Urgent Care LLC, Kansas City Cardiac Arrhythmia Research LLC, Kansas City Gastroenterology & Hepatology Physicians Group LLC, Kansas City Neurology Associates LLC, Kansas City Pulmonology Practice LLC, Kansas City Surgery Center Properties LLC, Kansas City Vascular & General Surgery Group LLC, Kansas City Womens Clinic Group LLC, Kansas Healthserv LLC, Kansas Pulmonary and Sleep Specialists LLC, Kansas Trauma and Critical Care Specialists LLC, Kathy L. Summers M.D. PLLC, Kendall Healthcare Group Ltd., Kendall Regional Medical Center LLC, Kendall Regional Urgent Care LLC, Kennedale Primary Care PLLC, Kingwood Multi-Specialty Group PLLC, Kingwood Surgery Center LLC, Kingwood Surgicenter LLC, Kissimmee Surgicare Ltd., Kyle Primary Care PLLC, L E Corporation, LAD Imaging LLC, LGMC Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, LOC @ The Christie LLP, LOC @ The London Bridge Hospital LLP, LOC Partnership LLP, LPN TeleBehavioral Health PLLC, Lafayette OB Hospitalists LLC, Lafayette Urogynecology & Urology Center LLC, Lake City Imaging LLC, Lake City Regional Medical Group LLC, Lake Forest Family Health PLLC, Lakeside Radiology LLC, Lakeside Womens Services LLC, Lakeview Cardiology Specialists LLC, Lakeview Hospital Physician Services LLC, Lakeview Internal Medicine LLC, Lakeview Medical Center LLC, Lakeview Regional Medical Center Inpatient Services LLC, Lakeview Regional Physician Group LLC, Lakeview Urology & General Surgery LLC, Lakewood Surgicare Inc., Laredo Medco LLC, Largo Medical Center Inc., Largo Physician Group LLC, Las Colinas Primary Care PLLC, Las Colinas Surgery Center Ltd., Las Encinas Hospital, Las Palmas Del Sol Cardiology PLLC, Las Palmas Del Sol Internal Medicine PLLC, Las Palmas Del Sol Urgent Care PLLC, Las Vegas ASC LLC, Las Vegas Surgicare Inc., Las Vegas Surgicare Ltd. a Nevada Limited Partnership, Lawnwood Cardiovascular Surgery LLC, Lawnwood Healthcare Specialists LLC, Lawnwood Medical Center Inc., Layton Family Practice LLC, Leaders in Oncology Care Limited, Leadership Healthcare Holdings II L.P. L.L.P., Leadership Healthcare Holdings L.P. L.L.P., Lees Summit Family Care LLC, Leslie Cohan M.D. PLLC, Lewis-Gale Hospital Incorporated, Lewis-Gale Medical Center LLC, Lewis-Gale Physicians LLC, Lewisville Primary Care PLLC, Lewisville Surgicare LLC, Lincoln Surgery Center LLC, Live Oak Immediate Care Center LLC, London Oncology Clinic LLP, London Pathology Limited, London Radiography & Radiotherapy Services Limited, Lone Peak Hospital Inc., Lone Star Intensivists at Gulf Coast PLLC, Lonestar Provider Network, Longview Regional Physician Hospital Organization Inc., Lorain County Surgery Center Ltd., Los Gatos Surgical Center a California Limited Partnership, Los Robles Regional Medical Center, Los Robles Regional Medical Center MOB LLC, Los Robles SurgiCenter LLC, Loudoun Surgery Center LLC, Louisiana Psychiatric Company Inc., Loveland Surgicenter LLC, Low Country Health Services Inc. of the Southeast, Lowry Surgicenter LLC, M. Jamshidi D.O. PLLC, MCA Investment Company, MCA-CTMC Holdings LLC, MEC Endoscopy LLC, MFA G.P. LLC, MFM Fact PLLC, MGH Medical Inc., MH Anesthesiology Physicians LLC, MH Angel Medical Center LLLP, MH Asheville Specialty Hospital LLC, MH Blue Ridge Medical Center LLLP, MH Eckerd Living Center LLLP, MH Highlands-Cashiers Medical Center LLLP, MH Hospital Holdings Inc., MH Hospital Manager LLC, MH Master Holdings LLLP, MH Master LLC, MH McDowell Imaging LLLP, MH Mission Hospital LLLP, MH Mission Hospital McDowell LLLP, MH Mission Imaging LLLP, MH Physician Services LLC, MH Transylvania Imaging LLLP, MH Transylvania Regional Hospital LLLP, MHS Partnership Holdings JSC Inc., MHS Partnership Holdings SDS Inc., MHS SC Partner L.L.C., MHS Surgery Centers L.P., MMC Sleep Lab Management LLC, MOSC Sports Medicine Inc., MOVCO Inc., MP Management LLC, MRT&C Inc., MSL Acquisition LLC, MVH Professional Services LLC, Macon Healthcare LLC, Macon Northside Health Group LLC, Macon Northside Hospital LLC, Macon Psychiatric Hospitalists LLC, Madison Behavioral Health LLC, Mainland Family Medicine PLLC, Mainland Multi-Specialty Group PLLC, Mainland Primary Care Physicians PLLC, Management Services Holdings Inc., Manatee Surgicare Ltd., Marietta Outpatient Medical Building Inc., Marietta Outpatient Surgery Ltd., Marietta Surgical Center Inc., Marion Community Hospital Inc., Mark Gottesman M.D. PLLC, Martin Fletcher & Associates L.P., Martin Fletcher Associates Holdings Inc., Mary Alice Cowan M.D. PLLC, Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialists of Corpus Christi PLLC, Maternal Fetal Services of Utah LLC, Maury County Behavioral Health LLC, Mayhill Cancer Center LLC, McAllen Comprehensive Upper Extremity Center PLLC, McKinney Surgeons PLLC, Mechanicsville Imaging LLC, Mecklenburg Surgical Land Development Ltd., Med City Dallas Outpatient Surgery Center L.P., Med Corp. Inc., Med Group - Southern Hills Hospitalists LLC, Med-Center Hosp./Houston Inc., Med-Point of New Hampshire Inc., Medi Flight of Oklahoma LLC, MediCredit Inc., MediPurchase Inc., MediStone Healthcare Ventures Inc., MediVision Inc., MediVision of Mecklenburg County Inc., MediVision of Tampa Inc., Medical Arts Hospital of Texarkana Inc., Medical Associates of Ocala LLC, Medical Care America Colorado LLC, Medical Care America LLC, Medical Care Financial Services Corp., Medical Care Real Estate Finance Inc., Medical Care Surgery Center Inc., Medical Center - West Inc., Medical Center Imaging Inc., Medical Center Surgery Associates L.P., Medical Center of Baton Rouge Inc., Medical Center of Plano Partner LLC, Medical Center of Port St. Lucie Inc., Medical Center of Santa Rosa Inc., Medical Center of Southwest Florida LLC, Medical Centers of Oklahoma LLC, Medical City Dallas Hospital Inc., Medical City Dallas Partner LLC, Medical City Dallas Primary Care PLLC, Medical City Frisco, Medical City OB-GYN PLLC, Medical City Pediatrics PLLC, Medical City Specialty Surgicenter of Dallas LLC, Medical City Surgery Center of Alliance LLC, Medical City Surgery Center of Frisco LLC, Medical City Surgery Center of Lewisville LLC, Medical City Transplant PLLC, Medical Corporation of America, Medical Group - Dickson Inc., Medical Group - Southern Hills of Brentwood LLC, Medical Group - Southern Hills of Nolensville LLC, Medical Group - StoneCrest FP Inc., Medical Group - StoneCrest Inc., Medical Group - Stonecrest Pulmonology LLC, Medical Group - Summit Inc., Medical Imaging Inc., Medical Imaging of Colorado LLC, Medical Office Buildings of Kansas LLC, Medical Oncology Associates LLC, Medical Partners of North Florida LLC, Medical Plaza Ambulatory Surgery Center Associates L.P., Medical Specialties Inc., Memorial Family Practice Associates LLC, Memorial Health Primary Care at St. Johns Bluff LLC, Memorial Healthcare Group Inc., Memorial Neurosurgery Group LLC, Memorial Satilla Specialists LLC, Memorial University Medical Center, Menorah Medical Group LLC, Menorah Urgent Care LLC, Mercy ASC LLC, Metairie Primary Care Associates LLC, Methodist Ambulatory Surgery Center of Boerne LLC, Methodist Ambulatory Surgery Center of Landmark LLC, Methodist Cardiology Physicians, Methodist CareNow Physician Associates, Methodist CareNow Urgent Care PLLC, Methodist Healthcare System of San Antonio Ltd. L.L.P., Methodist Inpatient Management Group, Methodist Medical Center ASC L.P., Methodist Physician Alliance, Methodist Physician Practice Services LLC, Methodist Physician Practices PLLC, Metroplex Surgicenters Inc., Metropolitan Multispecialty Physicians Group Inc., Miami Beach EFL Imaging Center LLC, Miami Beach Healthcare Group Ltd., Miami Dade Surgical Specialists LLC, Miami Lakes Surgery Center Ltd., Miami-Dade Cardiology Consultants LLC, Michael Mann M.D. PLLC, Mid-America Surgery Center LLC, Mid-America Surgery Institute LLC, Mid-Cities Surgi-Center Inc., Mid-Continent Health Services Inc., MidAmerica Division Inc., MidAmerica Oncology LLC, Middle Georgia Hospital LLC, Middle Georgia Urgent Care Services LLC, Middle Tennessee Neurology LLC, Midtown Diagnostics LLC, Midwest Cardiology Specialists LLC, Midwest Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery LLC, Midwest Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons of Kansas LLC, Midwest Division - ACH LLC, Midwest Division - CMC LLC, Midwest Division - LRHC LLC, Midwest Division - LSH LLC, Midwest Division - MCI LLC, Midwest Division - MMC LLC, Midwest Division - OPRMC LLC, Midwest Division - RBH LLC, Midwest Division - RMC LLC, Midwest Division Spine Care LLC, Midwest Doctors Group LLC, Midwest Heart & Vascular Specialists LLC, Midwest Holdings Inc., Midwest Infectious Disease Specialists LLC, Midwest Medicine Associates LLC, Midwest Metropolitan Physicians Group LLC, Midwest Oncology Associates LLC, Midwest Trauma Services LLC, Midwest Womens Healthcare Specialists LLC, Mikrod Services Inc., Mill Creek Outpatient Services LLC, Millenium Health Care of Oklahoma Inc., Mission Bay Memorial Hospital Inc., Mission Community Anesthesiology Specialists LLC, Mission Employer Solutions LLC, Mission Health, Mission Health Partners Inc., Missouri Healthcare System L.P., Mobile Corps. Inc., Mobile Heartbeat, Mobile Heartbeat LLC, Montgomery Cancer Center LLC, Montgomery Hospitalists LLC, Montgomery Regional Hospital Inc., Montgomery Surgery Associates LLC, Mountain Division - CVH LLC, Mountain Division Inc., Mountain View Hospital Inc., Mountain View MRI Associates Ltd., Mountain West Surgery Center LLC, MountainStar Behavioral Health LLC, MountainStar Brigham General Surgery LLC, MountainStar Canyon Surgical Clinic LLC, MountainStar Cardiology Ogden Regional LLC, MountainStar Cardiology St. Marks LLC, MountainStar Intensivist Services LLC, MountainStar Medical Group - Cache Valley LLC, MountainStar Medical Group - Ogden Regional Medical Center LLC, MountainStar Medical Group - St. Marks Hospital LLC, MountainStar Medical Group Neurosurgery-St. Marks LLC, MountainStar Medical Group Timpanogos Primary Care LLC, MountainStar Medical Group Timpanogos Specialty Care LLC, MountainStar Specialty Services LLC, MountainStar Urgent Care LLC, MountainView GME Primary Care LLC, Mountainstar Brigham OBGYN LLC, Mountainstar Cardiovascular Services LLC, Mountainstar Ogden Pediatrics LLC, Movement Disorders of North Texas PLLC, Mt. Ogden Utah Surgical Center LLC, NPAS Inc., NPAS Solutions LLC, NT Urgent Care PLLC, NTGP LLC, NTMC Management Company, NTMC Venture Inc., NTX Pathology Program PLLC, Nashville Psychiatric Company Inc., Nashville Shared Services General Partnership, Nashville Surgicenter LLC, Natchez Medical Associates LLC, Natchez Surgery Center LLC, National Association of Senior Friends, National Contact Center Management Group LLC, National Patient Account Services Inc., National Transfer Center Management Services LLC, Navarro Memorial Hospital Inc., NeighborMD Management LLC, Network MS of Florida Inc., Network Management Services Inc., Neuro Affiliates Company, Neuro-Hospitalist of Clear Lake PLLC, NeuroHospitalist of McAllen PLLC, Neurological Eye Specialists of North Texas PLLC, Neurological Specialists PLLC, Neurological Specialists of McKinney PLLC, Neurology Associates of Hendersonville LLC, Neurology Associates of Kansas LLC, Neurosurgery Atlanta LLC, Neurosurgery of Kingwood PLLC, Neurosurgical Associates of North Texas PLLC, Neurosurgical Specialists of El Paso PLLC, Neurosurgical Specialists of North Texas PLLC, Nevada Surgery Center of Southern Hills L.P., Nevada Surgicare of Southern Hills LLC, Nevada Urgent Care Holdings Inc., New Iberia Healthcare LLC, New Iberia Holdings Inc., New Port Richey Hospital Inc., New Port Richey Surgery Center Ltd., New Rose Holding Company Inc., Niceville Family Practice LLC, North Augusta Imaging Management LLC, North Augusta Imaging Services LLC, North Augusta Rehab Health Center LLC, North Austin Plastic Surgery Associates PLLC, North Austin Surgery Center L.P., North Brandon Imaging LLC, North Central Florida Health System Inc., North Central Methodist ASC L.P., North Charleston Diagnostic Imaging Center LLC, North Florida Cancer Center Lake City LLC, North Florida Cancer Center Live Oak LLC, North Florida Cancer Center Tallahassee LLC, North Florida Division I Inc., North Florida Division Practice Inc., North Florida GI Center GP Inc., North Florida GI Center Ltd., North Florida Immediate Care Center Inc., North Florida Neurosurgery LLC, North Florida Outpatient Imaging Center Ltd., North Florida Physician Services Inc., North Florida Physicians LLC, North Florida Radiation Oncology LLC, North Florida Regional Company Care LLC, North Florida Regional Freestanding Surgery Center L.P., North Florida Regional Investments Inc., North Florida Regional Medical Center Inc., North Florida Regional Psychiatry LLC, North Florida Regional Trauma LLC, North Florida Rehab Investments LLC, North Florida Surgical Associates LLC, North Georgia Primary Care Group LLC, North Hills Cardiac Catheterization Center L.P., North Hills Catheterization Lab LLC, North Hills Orthopaedic Surgeons PLLC, North Hills Surgicare L.P., North Houston - TRMC LLC, North Miami Beach Surgery Center Limited Partnership, North Miami Beach Surgical Center LLC, North Palm Beach County Surgery Center LLC, North River Physician Network LLC, North Shore Specialists of Texas PLLC, North Suburban Spine Center L.P., North Tampa Imaging LLC, North Texas - MCA LLC, North Texas Cardiology PLLC, North Texas Craniofacial Fellowship Program PLLC, North Texas Division Inc., North Texas General L.P., North Texas Geriatrics PLLC, North Texas Heart Surgery Center PLLC, North Texas Internal Medicine Specialists PLLC, North Texas Medical Center Inc., North Texas Neuro Stroke OP PLLC, North Texas Pulmonary Critical Care PLLC, North Texas Sports and Orthopedics Center PLLC, North Texas Stroke Center PLLC, North Texas of Hope PLLC, North Transfer Center LLC, Northeast Florida Cancer Services LLC, Northeast Methodist Surgicare Ltd., Northeast PHO Inc., Northern Utah Healthcare Corporation, Northern Utah Healthcare Imaging Holdco LLC, Northern Utah Imaging LLC, Northern Virginia CareNow Urgent Care LLC, Northern Virginia Community Hospital LLC, Northern Virginia Hospital Corporation, Northern Virginia Surgicenter LLC, Northlake Medical Center LLC, Northlake Physician Practice Network Inc., Northlake Surgical Center L.P., Northlake Surgicare Inc., Northside MRI Inc., Northwest Fla. Home Health Agency Inc., Northwest Florida Healthcare Systems Inc., Northwest Florida Multispecialty Physicians LLC, Northwest Florida Primary Care LLC, Northwest Medical Center Inc., Notami (Opelousas) Inc., Notami Hospitals LLC, Notami Hospitals of Florida Inc., Notami Hospitals of Louisiana Inc., Notami Hospitals of Missouri Inc., Notami LLC, Notco LLC, Nuclear Diagnosis Inc., OB Hospitalists of Womans Hospital PLLC, OB/GYN of Brownsville PLLC, OB/Gyn Associates of Denton PLLC, OBS Diagnostic and Treatment Centre LLP, ODP Holdings LLC, ODP Manager LLC, ODP Properties LLC, OHH Imaging Services LLC, OPRMC-HBP LLC, Oak Hill Acquisition Inc., Oak Hill Family Care LLC, Oak Hill Hospitalists LLC, Oakwood Surgery Center Ltd. LLP, Ocala Health Company Care LLC, Ocala Health Imaging Services LLC, Ocala Health Primary Care LLC, Ocala Health Surgical Group LLC, Ocala Health Trauma LLC, Ocala Regional Outpatient Services Inc., Ocala Stereotactic Radiosurgery LLC, Ocala Stereotactic Radiosurgery Partner LLC, Occupational Health Services of PRH LLC, Occupational and Family Medicine of South Texas, Ogden Imaging LLC, Ogden Internal Medicine & Urology LLC, Ogden Regional Health Plan Inc., Ogden Regional Medical Center Professional Billing LLC, Ogden Senior Center LLC, Ogden Tomotherapy LLC, Ogden Tomotherapy Manager LLC, Okaloosa Hospital Inc., Okeechobee Hospital Inc., Oklahoma Holding Company LLC, Oklahoma Outpatient Surgery Limited Partnership, Oklahoma Physicians - Medical Specialties LLC, Oklahoma Physicians - Obstetrics and Gynecology LLC, Oklahoma Physicians - Primary Care LLC, Oklahoma Physicians - Surgical Specialties LLC, Oklahoma Surgicare Inc., Old Fort Village LLC, On-Site Primary Care PLLC, Oncology Services of Corpus Christi LLC, Oncology Services of Corpus Christi Manager LLC, OneSourceMed Inc., Online Pathology Services Limited, Orange County Healthcare LLC, Orange Park Hospitalists LLC, Orange Park Medical Center Inc., Orlando CareNow Urgent Care LLC, Orlando Outpatient Surgical Center Inc., Orlando Outpatient Surgical Center Ltd., Orlando Surgicare Ltd., Orthopaedic Specialty Associates L.P., Orthopaedic Sports Specialty Associates Inc., Orthopedic Hospital Ltd., Orthopedics Specialists LLC, Osceola Neurological Associates LLC, Osceola Physician Network LLC, Osceola Regional Hospital Inc., Osceola Regional Hospitalists LLC, Osceola Surgical Associates LLC, Outpatient Cardiovascular Center of Central Florida LLC, Outpatient GP LLC, Outpatient Services - LAD LLC, Outpatient Services Holdings Inc., Outpatient Surgical Services Ltd., Outpatient Womens and Childrens Surgery Center Ltd., Overland Park Cardiovascular Inc., Overland Park Medical Specialists LLC, Overland Park Orthopedics LLC, Overland Park Surgical Specialties LLC, Oviedo Medical Center LLC, Ozarks Medical Services Inc., P&L Associates, P/SL Hyperbaric Partnership, PET CT LLP, PMM Inc., POH Holdings LLC, PSG Delegated Services LLC, PTS Solutions LLC, Pacific Partners Management Services Inc., Palm Beach EFL Imaging Center LLC, Palm Beach General Surgery LLC, Palm Beach Healthcare System Inc., Palm Beach Hospitalists Program LLC, Palmer Medical Center LLC, Palms West Gastroenterology LLC, Palms West Hospital Limited Partnership, Palms West Surgery Center Ltd., Paragon Physicians Hospital Organization of South Texas Inc., Paragon SDS Inc., Paragon Surgery Centers of Texas Inc., Paragon WSC Inc., Paragon of Texas Health Properties Inc., Parallon Business Solutions LLC, Parallon Enterprises LLC, Parallon Health Information Solutions LLC, Parallon Holdings LLC, Parallon Payroll Solutions LLC, Parallon Physician Services LLC, Parallon Revenue Cycle Services Inc., Park Central Surgical Center Ltd., Park Ridge Surgery Center LLC, Park South Imaging Center Ltd., Park View Insurance Company, Parkersburg SJ Holdings Inc., Parkland Hospitalists Program LLC, Parkland Oncology LLC, Parkland Physician Services Inc., Parkridge East Specialty Associates LLC, Parkridge Hospitalists Inc., Parkridge Medical Associates LLC, Parkridge Medical Center Inc., Parkridge Professionals Inc., Parkside Surgery Center Inc., Parkway Cardiac Center Ltd., Parkway Hospital Inc., Parkway Surgery Services Ltd., Parthenon Insurance Company Limited, Pasadena Bayshore Hospital Inc., PatientKeeper, PatientKeeper Inc., Patients First Neurology LLC, Pavilion 2 Condominium Property LLC, Pavilion 2 Medical Office Building Condominium Association Inc., Pavilion Surgicenter LLC, Peach State Anesthesia Partners LLC, Pearland Institute for Womens Health PLLC, Pearland Partner LLC, Pediatric Anesthesia Consultants of San Antonio PLLC, Pediatric Cardiac Intensivists of North Texas PLLC, Pediatric Critical Care of Clear Lake PLLC, Pediatric Hospitalists of Conroe PLLC, Pediatric Intensivist Group LLC, Pediatric Intensivists of El Paso PLLC, Pediatric Intensivists of North Texas PLLC, Pediatric Specialists of Clear Lake PLLC, Pediatric Specialty Clinic LLC, Pediatric Surgicare Inc., Pediatrics of Greater Houston PLLC, Pensacola Primary Care Inc., Physician Associates of Corporate Woods LLC, Physicians Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Physicians West Surgicenter LLC, Pinellas Medical LLC, Pinnacle Physician Network LLC, Pioneer Medical LLC, Plains Healthcare System Inc., Plano Ambulatory Surgery Associates L.P., Plano Heart Institute L.P., Plano Heart Management LLC, Plano Surgery Center - GP LLC, Plano Surgery Center Real Estate LLC, Plano Surgicenter Real Estate Manager LLC, Plano Urology PLLC, Plantation General Hospital L.P., Plaza Medical Specialists PLLC, Plaza Primary Care PLLC, Plaza Transplant Center PLLC, Podiatry of Clear Lake PLLC, Poinciana Medical Center Inc., Port St. Lucie Surgery Center Ltd., Portland Primary Care LLC, Portsmouth Regional Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Portsmouth Surgicenter LLC, Preferred Hospitals Inc., Preferred Works WC LLC, Premier ASC LLC, Premier Medical Management Ltd., Primary Care Medical Associates Inc., Primary Care Plano PLLC, Primary Care Services of Orlando LLC, Primary Care South PLLC, Primary Care West PLLC, Primary Care of West End LLC, Primary Health Asset Holdings Ltd., Primary Health Group Inc., Primary Health Inc., Primary Health Network of South Texas, Primary Health Physicians PLLC, Primary Medical Management Inc., Proaxis Therapy HealthOne LLC, Provident Professional Building Condominium Association Inc., Psychiatry Services of Osceola LLC, Pulaski Community Hospital Inc., Pulaski Urology LLC, Pulmonary Renal Intensivist Group LLC, Putnam Community Medical Center of North Florida LLC, Putnam Hospital Inc., Putnam Radiation Oncology LLC, Putnam Radiation Oncology Manager LLC, Putnam Surgical Group LLC, Quantum/Bellaire Imaging Ltd., Quick Care Centers LLC, Quivira Internal Medicine Inc., RCH LLC, RMC - Pulmonary LLC, RMC Transplant Physicians LLC, RMCA Professionals Mgmt LLC, ROi CPS LLC, Radford Family Medicine LLC, Radiation Oncology Center of Thornton LLC, Radiation Oncology Manager LLC, Raleigh Community Medical Office Building Ltd., Rapides After Hours Clinic L.L.C., Rapides Healthcare System L.L.C., Rapides Regional Physician Group LLC, Rapides Regional Physician Group Primary Care LLC, Rapides Regional Physician Group Specialty Care LLC, Rapides Surgery Center LLC, Raulerson GYN LLC, Raulerson Gastroenterology LLC, Raulerson Primary Care LLC, Raymore Medical Group LLC, Red Rock Holdco LLC, Red Rock at Smoke Ranch LLC, Red Rocks Surgery Center LLC, Redmond Anesthesia Services LLC, Redmond Hospital Services LLC, Redmond Neurosurgery LLC, Redmond Park Health Services Inc., Redmond Park Hospital LLC, Redmond Physician Practice Company, Redmond Specialty Services LLC, Regional Hospital Healthcare Partners LLC, Research Cardiology Associates LLC, Research Family Physicians LLC, Research Internal Medicine LLC, Research Neurology Associates LLC, Research Neuroscience Institute LLC, Resource Optimization & Innovation L.L.C., Reston Hospital Center LLC, Reston Hospitalists LLC, Reston Surgery Center L.P., Retreat Cardiology LLC, Retreat Hospital LLC, Retreat Internal Medicine LLC, Retreat Surgical Associates LLC, Rhodes Limited-Liability Company, Richmond Imaging Employer Corp., Richmond Multi-Specialty LLC, Richmond Pediatric Surgeons LLC, Ridgeline Surgicenter LLC, Rim Building Partners L.P., Rio Grande Healthcare MSO Inc., Rio Grande NP Inc., Rio Grande Regional Hospital Inc., Rio Grande Valley Cardiology PLLC, Rio Grande Valley CareNow Urgent Care PLLC, Rio Grande Valley Urology PLLC, Riverside CyberKnife Manager LLC, Riverside Healthcare System L.P., Riverside Holdings Inc., Riverside Hospital Inc., Riverside Imaging LLC, Riverwalk ASC LLC, Roanoke Imaging LLC, Roanoke Neurosurgery LLC, Roanoke Surgery Center L.P., Roanoke Valley Gynecology LLC, Robotic Radiosurgery LLP, Rocky Mountain Pediatric Hematology Oncology LLC, Rocky Mountain Surgery Center LLC, Rome Imaging Center Limited Partnership, Roodlane Medical Limited, Rose Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Rose Health Partners LLC, Rose Medical Plaza Ltd., Rose POB Inc., Rosewood Medical Center Inc., Rosewood Professional Building Ltd., Round Rock Hospital Inc., Round Rock Trauma Surgeons PLLC, Royal Oaks Surgery Center L.P., S.A. Medical Center Inc., SAPN LLC, SCRI Global Services Limited, SCRI Holdings LLC, SCRI Scientifics LLC, SJMC LLC, SSHR Holdco LLC, SSJ St. Petersburg Holdings Inc., STPN Manager LLC, SWMC Inc., Sahara Outpatient Surgery Center Ltd., Salem Hospitalists LLC, Salem Surgery Center Limited Partnership, Salt Lake City Surgicare Inc., Samaritan LLC, San Antonio Division Inc., San Antonio Regional Hospital Inc., San Antonio Surgicenter LLC, San Bernardino Imaging LLC, San Joaquin Surgical Center Inc., San Jose Healthcare System LP, San Jose Hospital L.P., San Jose LLC, San Jose Medical Center LLC, San Jose Pathology Outreach LLC, San Marcos ASC LLC, San Marcos Surgicenter LLC, Sante Fe Family Practitioners PLLC, Sarah Cannon Development Innovations LLC, Sarah Cannon Research Institute LLC, Sarah Cannon Research Institute UK Limited, Sarasota Doctors Hospital Inc., Savannah Behavioral Health Associates LLC, Savannah Health Network LLC, Savannah Health Services LLC, Savannah Inpatient Services LLC, Savannah Multispecialty Associates LLC, Savannah Pediatric Care LLC, Savannah Primary Care Associates LLC, Sebring Health Services LLC, Selma Medical Center Hospital Inc., Senior Health Associates LLC, Short Pump Imaging LLC, Silicon Valley Health Holdings LLC, Silicon Valley Surgery Center L.P., Silicon Valley Surgicenter LLC, Sky Ridge Spine Manager LLC, Sky Ridge Surgery Center L.P., Skyline Medical Group LLC, Skyline Neuroscience Associates LLC, Skyline Rehab Associates LLC, Skyline Specialty Associates LLC, Smith Laboratories Inc., Solis Mammography at Bayshore Medical Center LLC, Solis Mammography at Clear Lake Regional Medical Center LLC, Solis Mammography at Conroe Regional Medical Center LLC, Solis Mammography at Denton Regional Medical Center LLC, Solis Mammography at HCA Houston Tomball LLC, Solis Mammography at Kingwood Medical Center LLC, Solis Mammography at Las Colinas Medical Center LLC, Solis Mammography at Medical Center Alliance LLC, Solis Mammography at Medical Center Arlington LLC, Solis Mammography at Medical Center of Lewisville LLC, Solis Mammography at Medical Center of McKinney LLC, Solis Mammography at Medical Center of Plano LLC, Solis Mammography at Medical City Dallas LLC, Solis Mammography at Pearland Medical Center LLC, Solis Mammography at Rose Medical Center LLC, Solis Mammography at Skyline Medical Center LLC, Solis Mammography at StoneCrest Medical Center LLC, Solis Mammography at West Houston Medical Center LLC, Solis Mammography at Womans Hospital of Texas LLC, Solis Mammography of Cedar Hill LLC, Solis Mammography of CyFair LLC, Solis Mammography of Dallas LLC, Solis Mammography of Flower Mound LLC, Solis Mammography of Frisco LLC, Solis Mammography of Garland LLC, Solis Mammography of Grand Prairie LLC, Solis Mammography of Houston NW LLC, Solis Mammography of Katy LLC, Solis Mammography of Louetta/249 LLC, Solis Mammography of Mainland LLC, Solis Mammography of Mansfield LLC, Solis Mammography of Mesquite LLC, Solis Mammography of Montgomery LLC, Solis Mammography of North Cypress LLC, Solis Mammography of North Loop LLC, Solis Mammography of Sugar Land LLC, Solis Mammography of West Plano LLC, Solis Mammography of Womans Place LLC, South Atlantic Division Inc., South Austin Surgery Center Ltd., South Austin Surgical Management LLC, South Austin Surgicenter LLC, South Brandon Imaging LLC, South Florida Division Practice Inc., South Texas Surgicare Inc., South Transfer Center LLC, South Valley Hospital L.P., Southeast Georgia Health Services LLC, Southern Hills Medical Center LLC, Southern Hills Neurology Consultants LLC, Southern Kentucky Medicine Associates LLC, Southern Kentucky Surgicenter LLC, Southern Texas Physicians Network, Southpoint LLC, Southtown Womens Clinic LLC, Southwest Florida Health System Inc., Southwest Florida Regional Medical Center Inc., Southwest Medical Center Family Practice LLC, Southwest Medical Center Multi-Specialty Group LLC, Southwest Medical Center Surgical Group LLC, Southwest Medpro Ltd., Southwest Surgical Clinic Inc., Southwest Virginia Orthopedics and Spine LLC, Spalding Rehabilitation L.L.C., Specialists in Obstetrics and Gynecology PLLC, Specialty Associates of West Houston PLLC, Specialty Physicians of Northern Virginia LLC, Specialty Surgicare of Las Vegas LP, Spotsylvania Condominium Property LLC, Spotsylvania Medical Center Inc., Spotsylvania Multi-Specialty Group LLC, Spotsylvania Regional Surgery Center LLC, Spring Branch Family Practitioners PLLC, Spring Branch Medical Center Inc., Spring Hill Hospital Inc., Spring Hill Imaging LLC, Spring Hill Physicians LLC, Springview KY LLC, Spruce Pine Healthcare LLC, St. Davids Austin Area ASC LLC, St. Davids Cardiology PLLC, St. Davids CareNow Urgent Care PLLC, St. Davids Healthcare Partnership L.P. LLP, St. Davids Heart & Vascular PLLC, St. Davids Neurology PLLC, St. Davids OB Hospitalist PLLC, St. Davids Ortho Neuro and Rehab PLLC, St. Davids Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation PLLC, St. Davids Quality Alliance LLC, St. Davids Specialized Womens Services PLLC, St. Davids Trauma Surgeons PLLC, St. Lucie Hospitalists LLC, St. Lucie Medical Center Hyperbarics LLC, St. Lucie Medical Center Walk-In Clinic LLC, St. Lucie Medical Specialists LLC, St. Lucie West Primary Care LLC, St. Marks Ambulatory Surgery Associates L.P., St. Marks Gynecology Oncology Care LLC, St. Marks Investments Inc., St. Marks Physician Billing LLC, St. Marks Professional Services LLC, St. Marks South Jordan Family Practice LLC, St. Martins Healthcare Limited, St. Martins Ltd., St. Martins Medical Services Limited, St. Petersburg General Surgery LLC, Stafford Imaging LLC, Statland Medical Group LLC, Steamboat Springs Surgicenter LLC, Sterling Primary Care Associates LLC, Stiles Road Imaging LLC, StoneCrest Surgery Center LLC, StoneSprings Medical Office Building Property LLC, StoneSprings Surgicenter LLC, Stonecrest Medical Group - Family Practice of Murfreesboro LLC, Stonecrest Medical Group - SC Murfreesboro Family Practice LLC, Stones River Hospital LLC, Suburban Medical Center at Hoffman Estates Inc., Sugar Land Surgery Center Anesthesia LLC, Sugar Land Surgery Center Ltd., Sullins Surgical Center Inc., Summit Convenient Care at Lebanon LLC, Summit General Partner Inc., Summit Heart LLC, Summit Outpatient Diagnostic Center LLC, Summit Research Solutions LLC, Summit Surgery Center L.P., Summit Surgical Associates LLC, Summit Walk-in Clinic LLC, Sun Bay Medical Office Building Inc., Sun City Hospital Inc., Sun City Imaging LLC, Sun Towers/Vista Hills Holding Co., Sun-Med LLC, Sunrise Flamingo Holdings LLC, Sunrise Flamingo Surgery Center Limited Partnership, Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center LLC, Sunrise Mountainview Hospital Inc., Sunrise Mountainview Multi-Specialty Clinics LLC, Sunrise Outpatient Services Inc., Sunrise Physician Services LLC, Sunrise Trauma Services LLC, Surgery Associates of NTX PLLC, Surgery Center of Atlantis LLC, Surgery Center of Aventura Ltd., Surgery Center of Bay Area Houston LLC, Surgery Center of Greenview L.P., Surgery Center of Independence L.P., Surgery Center of Overland Park L.P., Surgery Center of Port Charlotte Ltd., Surgery Center of Rome L.P., Surgery Center of the Rockies LLC, Surgical Associates of Southwest Virginia LLC, Surgical Care Medical Group LLC, Surgical Center of Irving Inc., Surgical Facility of West Houston L.P., Surgical Park Center Ltd., Surgical Specialists of Clear Lake PLLC, Surgical Specialists of Conroe PLLC, Surgical Specialists of Corpus Christi PLLC, Surgicare America - Winter Park Inc., Surgicare Merger Company of Louisiana, Surgicare Outpatient Center of Baton Rouge Inc., Surgicare Outpatient Center of Jackson Inc., Surgicare of ADC LLC, Surgicare of AGI LLC, Surgicare of Alpine LLC, Surgicare of Altamonte Springs Inc., Surgicare of Anchorage LLC, Surgicare of Arapahoe LLC, Surgicare of Arlington LLC, Surgicare of Ashburn LLC, Surgicare of Augusta Inc., Surgicare of Aurora Endoscopy LLC, Surgicare of Aventura LLC, Surgicare of Bay Area Endoscopy LLC, Surgicare of Bay Area LLC, Surgicare of Bayonet Point Inc., Surgicare of Bayside LLC, Surgicare of Bountiful LLC, Surgicare of Brandon Inc., Surgicare of Brentwood LLC, Surgicare of Brighton LLC, Surgicare of Brooksville LLC, Surgicare of Brownsville LLC, Surgicare of Buckhead LLC, Surgicare of CAREOS LLC, Surgicare of Central Florida Inc., Surgicare of Central Park Surgery Center LLC, Surgicare of Central San Antonio Inc., Surgicare of Chattanooga LLC, Surgicare of Chippenham LLC, Surgicare of Citrus LLC, Surgicare of Clarksville LLC, Surgicare of Corpus Christi LLC, Surgicare of Countryside Inc., Surgicare of Dallas Specialty LLC, Surgicare of Denton Inc., Surgicare of Denver Clinic LLC, Surgicare of Denver LLC, Surgicare of Denver Mid-Town Inc., Surgicare of Dickson LLC, Surgicare of Eastside LLC, Surgicare of Evans Inc., Surgicare of Fairfax Inc., Surgicare of Florida Inc., Surgicare of Flower Mound Inc., Surgicare of Focus Hand LLC, Surgicare of Fort Worth Co-GP LLC, Surgicare of Fort Worth Inc., Surgicare of Ft. Pierce Inc., Surgicare of Good Samaritan LLC, Surgicare of Gramercy Inc., Surgicare of Greenview Inc., Surgicare of Hanover Inc., Surgicare of Houston Kingwood LLC, Surgicare of Houston LLC, Surgicare of Houston Womens Inc., Surgicare of Indianapolis Inc., Surgicare of Kansas City LLC, Surgicare of Kingwood LLC, Surgicare of Kissimmee Inc., Surgicare of Lakeview Inc., Surgicare of Las Vegas Inc., Surgicare of Laurel Grove LLC, Surgicare of Lorain County Inc., Surgicare of Los Gatos Inc., Surgicare of Los Robles LLC, Surgicare of Loveland LLC, Surgicare of Madison Inc., Surgicare of Manatee Inc., Surgicare of McKinney Inc., Surgicare of Medical City Dallas LLC, Surgicare of Memorial Endoscopy LLC, Surgicare of Merritt Island Inc., Surgicare of Miami Lakes LLC, Surgicare of Mountain West LLC, Surgicare of Mt. Ogden LLC, Surgicare of Nashville LLC, Surgicare of Natchez LLC, Surgicare of Newport Richey Inc., Surgicare of North Austin LLC, Surgicare of North San Antonio Inc., Surgicare of Northeast San Antonio Inc., Surgicare of Orange Park II LLC, Surgicare of Orange Park Inc., Surgicare of Orange Park Ltd., Surgicare of Orlando Inc., Surgicare of Overland Park LLC, Surgicare of Palms West LLC, Surgicare of Park Ridge LLC, Surgicare of Pasadena Inc., Surgicare of Pavilion LLC, Surgicare of Physicians West El Paso LLC, Surgicare of Pinellas Inc., Surgicare of Plano Inc., Surgicare of Plantation Inc., Surgicare of Port Charlotte LLC, Surgicare of Port St. Lucie Inc., Surgicare of Portsmouth LLC, Surgicare of Premier Orthopaedic LLC, Surgicare of Reston Inc., Surgicare of Ridgeline LLC, Surgicare of Riverside LLC, Surgicare of Riverwalk LLC, Surgicare of Roanoke LLC, Surgicare of Rome Inc., Surgicare of Rose LLC, Surgicare of Round Rock Inc., Surgicare of Royal Oaks LLC, Surgicare of Silicon Valley LLC, Surgicare of Sky Ridge LLC, Surgicare of Sky Ridge Womens Center LLC, Surgicare of South Austin Inc., Surgicare of Southeast Denver Inc., Surgicare of Southern Hills Inc., Surgicare of Southern Kentucky LLC, Surgicare of Southwest Houston LLC, Surgicare of Spotsylvania LLC, Surgicare of St. Andrews Inc., Surgicare of St. Andrews Ltd., Surgicare of St. Davids Austin LLC, Surgicare of Steamboat Springs LLC, Surgicare of StoneCrest LLC, Surgicare of StoneSprings LLC, Surgicare of Stuart Inc., Surgicare of Sugar Land Inc., Surgicare of Swedish LLC, Surgicare of Tallahassee Inc., Surgicare of Terre Haute LLC, Surgicare of Thornton LLC, Surgicare of Travis Center Inc., Surgicare of Tulsa Inc., Surgicare of Utah LLC, Surgicare of Wasatch Front LLC, Surgicare of West Hills Inc., Surgicare of Westlake Inc., Surgicare of Wichita Inc., Surgicare of Wichita LLC, Surgicare of Willis LLC, Surgicare of Wilson County LLC, Surgicare of Winchester LLC, Surgicenter of East Jefferson Inc., Surgicenter of Johnson County Ltd. a Kansas limited partnership, Surgicenter of Kansas City L.L.C., Surgico LLC, Swedish MOB Acquisition Inc., Swedish MOB I Ltd., Swedish MOB II Inc., Swedish MOB III Inc., Swedish MOB IV Inc., Swedish MOB LLC, Swedish Medpro Inc., TBHI Outpatient Services LLC, TCMC Madison-Portland Inc., THN Physicians Association Inc., TUHC Anesthesiology Group LLC, TUHC Hospitalist Group LLC, TUHC Physician Group LLC, TUHC Primary Care and Pediatrics Group LLC, TUHC Radiology Group LLC, Tallahassee Community Network Inc., Tallahassee Medical Center Inc., Tallahassee Orthopaedic Surgery Partners Ltd., Tampa Bay Health System Inc., Tampa Surgi-Centre Inc., Tarrant County Surgery Center L.P., Tchefuncte Cardiology Associates - Lakeview LLC, Teays Valley Health Services LLC, Telehealth Physician Services LLC, Tennessee Healthcare Management Inc., Tennessee Valley Outpatient Diagnostic Center LLC, Terre Haute Hospital GP Inc., Terre Haute Hospital Holdings Inc., Terre Haute MOB L.P., Terre Haute Obstetrics and Gynecology LLC, Terre Haute Regional Hospital L.P., Texas CareNow Physician Associates, Texas HSS LLC, Texas Institute of Medicine and Surgery, Texas Psychiatric Company Inc., The Austin Diagnostic Clinic PLLC, The Cancer Care Center of North Florida LLC, The Cardiovascular Partnership for Quality LLC, The Charter Cypress Behavioral Health System L.L.C., The Christie Clinic LLP, The Glynne Medical Practice Limited, The Harley Street Cancer Clinic Limited, The London Breast Institute UK Ltd, The Medical Group of Kansas City LLC, The Neurohealth Sciences Center LLC, The Physicians Clinic Limited, The Prostate Centre Limited, The Rankin Foundation, The Regional Health System of Acadiana LLC, The Wasatch Endoscopy Center Ltd., The West Texas Division of Columbia Inc., Timpanogos Pain Specialists LLC, Timpanogos Regional Medical Services Inc., Total Imaging - Hudson LLC, Total Imaging - North St. Petersburg LLC, Total Imaging - Parsons LLC, Town Plaza Family Practice LLC, Travel Medicine and Infections LLC, Travis Surgery Center L.P., Tri Cities Health Services Corp., Tri-City Multi-Specialty LLC, Tri-County Community Hospital Inc., Tri-County Surgical Specialists LLC, TriStar Bone Marrow Transplant LLC, TriStar Cardiovascular Surgery LLC, TriStar Family Care LLC, TriStar Gynecology Oncology LLC, TriStar Health System Inc., TriStar Joint Replacement Institute LLC, TriStar Maury Behavioral Healthcare LLC, TriStar Medical Group - Centennial Primary Care LLC, TriStar Medical Group - Legacy Health LLC, TriStar Medical Network LLC, TriStar OB/GYN LLC, TriStar Orthopedics LLC, TriStar Physicians LLC, TriStar Radiation Oncology LLC, Trident Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Trident Behavioral Health Services LLC, Trident Eye Surgery Center L.P., Trident Medical Center LLC, Trident Medical Services Inc., Trident Neonatology Services LLC, Tulane Clinic LLC, Tulane Professionals Management L.L.C., Tuscan Imaging Center at Las Colinas LLC, U.S. Collections Inc., Ultra Imaging Management Services LLC, Ultra Imaging of Tampa LLC, University Healthcare Specialists LLC, University Healthcare System L.C., University Hospital Ltd., Uptown Primary Care Associates LLC, Urgent Care Enterprise LLC, Urgent Care Extra - Ann & Simmons LLC, Urgent Care Extra - Cactus & Southern Highlands LLC, Urgent Care Extra - Charleston & Decatur LLC, Urgent Care Extra - Charleston/Sloan LLC, Urgent Care Extra - Craig & Clayton LLC, Urgent Care Extra - Craig & Decatur LLC, Urgent Care Extra - Durango & Cheyenne LLC, Urgent Care Extra - Durango & Flamingo LLC, Urgent Care Extra - Eastern & Horizon Ridge LLC, Urgent Care Extra - Rainbow/Mardon LLC, Urgent Care Extra - Warm Springs & Green Valley LLC, Urgent Care Extra Silverado & Maryland LLC, Urgent Care Extra-Tropicana & Jones LLC, Urgent Care Nevada LLC, Urological Specialists of Arlington PLLC, Urology Associates (London) Limited, Urology Center of North Georgia LLC, Urology Services of El Paso PLLC, Urology Specialists Devonshire LLP, Urology Specialists London LLP, Urology Specialists of Kingwood PLLC, Urology Specialists of Richmond LLC, Urology Surgery Center of Colorado LLC, Utah CareNow Urgent Care LLC, Utah Imaging GP LLC, Utah Medco LLC, Utah Surgery Center L.P., VH Holdco Inc., VH Holdings Inc., VHSC Plantation LLC, VIP Inc., Valify, Valify Inc., Value Health Holdings Inc., Value Health Management Inc., Vascular and Endovascular Specialists LLC, Venture Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Venture Medical Management LLC, Village Oaks Medical Center Inc., Virginia Care Partners ACO LLC, Virginia Gynecologic Oncology LLC, Virginia Hematology & Oncology Associates Inc., Virginia Hospitalists Inc., Virginia Psychiatric Company Inc., Virginia Quality Care Partners LLC, Vision Consulting Group LLC, Vision Holdings LLC, W & C Hospital Inc., WCP Properties LLC, WHG Medical LLC, WHMC Inc., WJHC LLC, Walterboro Community Hospital Inc., Warren County Ambulance Service LLC, Wasatch Front Surgery Center LLC, Washington Holdco LLC, Waterway Primary Care LLC, Weatherford Health Services LLC, Weatherford Mammography JV LLC, Weatherford Regional Medical Center, Welbeck Street Diagnostic Centre LLP, Wellington Diagnostic Services LLP, Wesley Cath Lab LLC, Wesley Manager LLC, Wesley Medical Center LLC, Wesley Physician Services LLC, Wesley Physicians - Anesthesiologist LLC, Wesley Physicians - Cardiovascular LLC, Wesley Physicians - Medical Specialties LLC, Wesley Physicians - Obstetrics and Gynecology LLC, Wesley Physicians - Primary Care LLC, Wesley Select Network LLC, Wesley Urgent Care LLC, West Boynton Beach Open Imaging Center LLC, West Creek Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, West Creek Medical Center Inc., West Florida - MHT LLC, West Florida - PPH LLC, West Florida Behavioral Health Inc., West Florida Cardiology Network LLC, West Florida Cardiology Physicians LLC, West Florida CareNow Urgent Care LLC, West Florida Division Inc., West Florida Gulf Coast Primary Care LLC, West Florida HealthWorks LLC, West Florida Imaging Services LLC, West Florida Internal Medicine LLC, West Florida PET Services LLC, West Florida Physician Network LLC, West Florida Professional Billing LLC, West Florida Regional Medical Center Inc., West Florida Specialty Physicians LLC, West Florida Trauma Network LLC, West Florida Urgent Care Network LLC, West Hills Hospital, West Hills Surgical Center Ltd., West Houston ASC Inc., West Houston Healthcare Group Ltd., West Houston Internal Specialists PLLC, West Houston LLC, West Houston Medical PLLC, West Houston Outpatient Medical Facility Inc., West Houston Surgicare Inc., West Jacksonville Medical Center Inc., West Jordan Hospital Corporation, West LPN Fort Worth Oncology PLLC, West LPN Inc., West Los Angeles Physicians Hospital Inc., West McKinney Imaging Services LLC, West Paces Services Inc., West Park Surgery Center L.P., West Valley Imaging LLC, West Valley Medical Center Inc., West Valley Medical Group LLC, West Valley Medical Group Specialty Services LLC, West Valley Therapy Services LLC, Westbury Hospital Inc., Western Plains Capital Inc., Westlake Surgicare L.P., Westminster Community Hospital, Westside Surgery Center Ltd., Wichita CareNow Urgent Care LLC, Wildwood Medical Center Inc., Willis Surgicenter LLC, Wilson County Outpatient Surgery Center L.P., Womans Health Group PLLC, Womans Hospital Merger LLC, Womans Hospital of Texas Incorporated, Women Practitioners of Houston PLLC, Women Specialists of Bayshore PLLC, Women Specialists of Clear Lake PLLC, Women Specialists of Mainland PLLC, Womens & Childrens Center LLC, Womens & Childrens Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Center LLC, Womens & Childrens Pulmonology Clinic LLC, Womens Center at Brookside LLC, Womens Health Center of Central Florida LLC, Womens Health Center of SWVA LLC, Womens Hospital Indianapolis GP Inc., Womens Hospital Indianapolis L.P., Womens Link Specialty Obstetrical Referral Clinic PLLC, Womens Multi-Specialty Group LLC, Womens Surgical Specialists of Texas PLLC, Womens and Childrens Professional Management L.L.C., Womens and Childrens Specialists LLC, hInsight-Airstrip Holdings LLC, hInsight-BMA Holdings LLC, hInsight-Customer Care Holdings LLC, hInsight-Digital Reasoning Holdings LLC, hInsight-Healthbox Holdings LLC, hInsight-I2 Holdings LLC, hInsight-InVivoLink Holdings LLC, hInsight-LS Holdings LLC, hInsight-Loyale Healthcare Holdings LLC, hInsight-Mobile Heartbeat Holdings LLC, hInsight-NX LLC, hInsight-PWS I Holdings LLC, hInsight-Procured Holdings LLC, and hInsight-VAI Holdings LLC. BNP Paribas SA provides a range of banking and financial services in France and internationally. It operates through two divisions, Retail Banking and Services, and Corporate and Institutional Banking. The company offers long-term corporate vehicle leasing, and rental and other financing solutions; and digital banking and investment services, cash management, and factoring services to corporate clients, as well as wealth management services. It also provides credit solutions for individuals under the Cetelem, Cofinoga, Findomestic, AlphaCredit, and Opel Vauxhall brands; savings and protection solutions, including insuring individuals, and their personal projects and assets; and asset management, private banking, and real estate services. In addition, the company offers global market services, including investment, hedging, financing, research, and market intellingence across asset classes; security services comprising clearing, custody, and asset and fund services, as well as corporate trust, and market and financing services; and corporate trade and treasury, debt financing, specialized financing, strategic advisory, mergers and acquisition, and equity capital market services for institutional and corporate clients. The company was formerly known as Banque Nationale de Paris and changed its name to BNP Paribas SA in May 2000. BNP Paribas SA was founded in 1848 and is headquartered in Paris, France. Read More Genuine Parts Company distributes automotive replacement parts, and industrial parts and materials. The company distributes automotive replacement parts for imported vehicles, hybrid and electric vehicles, trucks, SUVs, buses, motorcycles, recreational vehicles, farm vehicles, small engines, farm equipment, marine equipment, and heavy duty equipment; and accessory and supply items used by various automotive aftermarket customers, such as repair shops, service stations, fleet operators, automobile and truck dealers, leasing companies, bus and truck lines, mass merchandisers, farms, industrial concerns, and individuals. It also distributes industrial replacement parts and related supplies, such as bearings, mechanical and electrical power transmission products, industrial automation and robotics, hoses, hydraulic and pneumatic components, industrial and safety supplies, and material handling products for original equipment manufacturer, as well as maintenance, repair, and operation customers in equipment and machinery, food and beverage, forest product, primary metal, pulp and paper, mining, automotive, oil and gas, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, power generation, alternative energy, governments, transportation, ports, and other industries. In addition, the company provides various services and repairs comprising gearbox and fluid power and process pump assembly and repair, hydraulic drive shaft repair, electrical panel assembly and repair, hose and gasket manufacture and assembly, and other value-added services. It operates in in the United States, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Indonesia, and Singapore. The company was incorporated in 1928 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Read More Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, S. A. B. de C. V. holds concessions to operate, maintain, and develop airports in the southeast region of Mexico. The company operates nine airports that are located in the cities of CancAn, Cozumel, MArida, Huatulco, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Villahermosa, Tapachula, and Minatitlan. It provides aeronautical services, which include passenger, aircraft landing and parking, passenger walkway, and airport security services. The company also offers non-aeronautical services, such as leasing of space at its airports to retailers, restaurants, airlines, and other commercial tenants; catering, handling, and ground transportation services. In addition, it operates the Luis MuAoz MarAn International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico; and holds concessions to operate the various airports in Colombia, including the Enrique Olaya Herrera Airport in MedellAn and JosA MarAa CArdova International Airport in Rionegro, the Los Garzones Airport in MonterAa, the Antonio RoldAn Betancourt Airport in Carepa, the El CaraAo Airport in QuibdA, and the Las Brujas Airport in Corozal. The company was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Mexico City, Mexico. Read More Credit Suisse Group AG, together with its subsidiaries, provides various financial services in Switzerland, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, and Asia Pacific. The company offers private banking and wealth management solutions, including advisory, investment, financial planning, succession planning, and trust services; and financing and lending, and multi-shore platform solutions. It also provides traditional and structured lending, payment, foreign exchange, capital goods leasing, merger and acquisition, syndication, structured finance, commodity trade finance, trade finance, structured trade finance, export finance, factoring, fund management and administration, fund design, custody, ship and aviation finance, securities, cash, and treasury services. In addition, the company offers asset management products; equity and debt underwriting, and advisory services; cash equities, equity derivatives, and convertibles, as well as prime services; and fixed income products, such as credit, securitized, macro, emerging markets, financing, structured credit, and other products. Further, it provides HOLT, a framework for assessing the performance of approximately 20,000 companies; and equity and fixed income research services. The company serves private and institutional clients; ultra-high-net-worth individuals, high-net-worth individuals, and affluent and retail clients; corporate clients, small and medium-sized enterprises, external asset managers, financial institutions, and commodity traders; and pension funds, hedge funds, governments, foundations and endowments, corporations, entrepreneurs, private individuals, financial sponsors, and sovereign clients. As of December 31, 2020, it operated through a network of 338 offices and branches. The company was founded in 1856 and is based in Zurich, Switzerland. Read More 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 Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE:ARE), an S&P 500A 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 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 | BY Ricki Green | Sydney-based research and brand strategy consultancy Pollinate, which uses systems thinking to solve client problems, has opened its doors in Melbourne in response to client demand, appointing Allan Dib (left) as managing director. The opening of the Melbourne office was spurred by growing demand from Melbourne-based clients serviced out of Sydney. An award-winning strategist with 25 years experience in Australia and globally, Dib was the researcher and communications strategist behind Procter & Gambles #likeagirl campaign. His experience spans leading market research agencies (GfK, Ipsos, Sutherland Smith) and marketing services agencies (MediaCom, MSLGROUP, PPR). He returned to his hometown of Melbourne 18 months ago after more than 15 years in London and New York. As managing director of Pollinate Melbourne, Dib is charged with providing strategic counsel to Pollinate Melbourne clients and developing new business opportunities in the market. Says Howard Parry-Husbands, CEO, Pollinate: Our Melbourne clients have been asking to have a Pollinate team on the ground for some time. When we found Allan, we knew the time was right. Allan combines extensive research pedigree with genuine strategic planning to bring an evidence-based commercial lens to business problems across a wealth of categories. For current and prospective clients, the Melbourne team will be an extension of the Sydney team our way of working is collaborative and pooling resources across all offices to ensure all clients benefit from the full force of the Pollinate strategic thinking and institutional knowledge. Rogerio Pereira, consumer insights and planning leader at Lion, welcomed Pollinates move south: Lion has been working with the Pollinate team in Sydney for a few years now and we consider them a valuable partner. Thanks to Pollinates collaborative approach and wide-ranging expertise, we get more than just research we also benefit from deep strategic insights into our business. Having a Pollinate office in Melbourne will strengthen these insights and we look forward to working with Allan. Says Dib: I was drawn to Pollinates broad-ranging expertise across research, brand strategy, ideation, innovation and customer experience a killer combination of services, which allows us to provide invaluable support as a trusted partner to our clients. I look forward to building a strong competitive offer in the Melbourne market as we grow and hire more Pollinators over the coming months. The following companies are subsidiares of Barclays: Adler Toy Holding Sarl, Aequor Investments Limited, Alymere Investments Limited, Alynore Investments Limited Partnership, Analog Analytics, Analog Analytics Inc, Analytical Trade Holdings LLC, Analytical Trade Investments LLC, Analytical Trade UK Limited, Archstone Equity Holdings Inc, Ardencroft Investments Limited, B D & B Investments Limited, B.P.B. (Holdings) Limited, BB Client Nominees Limited, BBAIL SAS, BCAP LLC, BIFML PTC Limited, BMBF (No.24) Limited, BMI (No.9) Limited, BNC Brazil Consultoria Empresarial Ltda, BNRI ENG 2013 Limited Partnership, BNRI ENG 2014 Limited Partnership, BNRI ENG GP LLP, BNRI England 2010 Limited Partnership, BNRI England 2011 Limited Partnership, BNRI England 2012 Limited Partnership, BNRI Limehouse No.1 Sarl, BNRI PIA Scot GP Limited, BNRI Scots GP LLP, BPB Holdings SA, BVP Galvani Global S.A.U., Barafor Limited, Barclay Leasing Limited, Barclaycard Funding PLC, Barclaycard International Payments Limited, Barclays (Barley) Limited, Barclays Aldersgate Investments Limited, Barclays Alzin Investments S.a r.l., Barclays Asia Limited, Barclays Asset Management Limited, Barclays BR Investments S.a r.l., Barclays BWA Inc., Barclays Bank (Suisse) S.A., Barclays Bank Delaware, Barclays Bank Ireland PLC, Barclays Bank Ireland Public Limited Company, Barclays Bank Mexico S.A., Barclays Bank PLC, Barclays Bank UK PLC, Barclays Bayard Investments S.a r.l., Barclays Bedivere Investments S.a r.l., Barclays Bordang Investments S.a r.l., Barclays Brasil Assessoria Financeira Ltda., Barclays CCP Funding LLC, Barclays Cantal Investments S.a r.l., Barclays Capital (Cayman) Limited, Barclays Capital Asia Holdings Limited, Barclays Capital Asia Limited, Barclays Capital Canada Inc., Barclays Capital Casa de Bolsa S.A. de C.V., Barclays Capital Derivatives Funding LLC, Barclays Capital Effekten GmbH, Barclays Capital Energy Inc., Barclays Capital Equities Trading GP, Barclays Capital Finance Limited, Barclays Capital Futures (Singapore) Private Limited, Barclays Capital Holdings (Singapore) Private Limited, Barclays Capital Holdings Inc., Barclays Capital Inc., Barclays Capital Japan Securities Holdings Limited, Barclays Capital Luxembourg S.a r.l., Barclays Capital Mauritius Limited, Barclays Capital Nominees (No.2) Limited, Barclays Capital Nominees (No.3) Limited, Barclays Capital Nominees Limited, Barclays Capital Principal Investments Limited, Barclays Capital Real Estate Finance Inc., Barclays Capital Real Estate Holdings Inc., Barclays Capital Real Estate Inc., Barclays Capital Securities Client Nominee Limited, Barclays Capital Securities Limited, Barclays Capital Securities Mauritius Limited, Barclays Capital Trading Luxembourg S.a r.l., Barclays Claudas Investments Partnership, Barclays Claudas Investments S.a r.l., Barclays Commercial Mortgage Securities LLC, Barclays Converted Investments (No.2) Limited, Barclays Corporation Limited, Barclays Direct Investing Nominees Limited, Barclays Directors Limited, Barclays Dryrock Funding LLC, Barclays Electronic Commerce Holdings Inc., Barclays Equity Holdings Limited, Barclays Equity Index Investments S.a r.l., Barclays Europe Client Nominees Designated Activity Company, Barclays Europe Firm Nominees Designated Activity Company, Barclays Europe Nominees Designated Activity Company, Barclays Executive Schemes Trustees Limited, Barclays Financial LLC, Barclays Financial Planning Nominee Company Limited, Barclays Funds Investments Limited, Barclays Funds and Advisory Japan Limited, Barclays Global Service Centre Private Limited, Barclays Global Shareplans Nominee Limited, Barclays Group Holdings Limited, Barclays Group Operations Limited, Barclays Group US Inc., Barclays Index Finance Trust, Barclays Industrial Development Limited, Barclays Industrial Investments Limited, Barclays Insurance Guernsey PCC Limited, Barclays Insurance Services Company Limited, Barclays Insurance U.S. Inc., Barclays International Luxembourg Dollar Holdings S.a r.l., Barclays Investment Management Limited, Barclays Investment Solutions Limited, Barclays Investments & Loans (India) Limited, Barclays Korea GP Limited, Barclays Lamorak Investments S.a r.l., Barclays Leasing (No.9) Limited, Barclays Leto Investments S.a r.l., Barclays Long Island Limited, Barclays Luxembourg EUR Holdings S.a r.l, Barclays Luxembourg Finance S.a r.l., Barclays Luxembourg GBP Holdings S.a r.l., Barclays Luxembourg Global Funding S.a r.l., Barclays Luxembourg Holdings S.a r.l., Barclays Luxembourg Holdings SSC B, Barclays Marlist Limited, Barclays Mauritius Overseas Holdings Limited, Barclays Mercantile Business Finance Limited, Barclays Merchant Bank (Singapore) Ltd., Barclays Nominees (George Yard) Limited, Barclays Nominees (Guernsey) Limited, Barclays Nominees (Jersey) Limited, Barclays Nominees (Manx) Limited, Barclays Oversight Management Inc., Barclays Payment Solutions Inc., Barclays Pelleas Investments Limited Partnership, Barclays Pelleas Investments S.a r.l., Barclays Pension Funds Trustees Limited, Barclays Principal Investments Limited, Barclays Private Asset Management (Monaco) S.A.M, Barclays Private Bank, Barclays Private Clients International Limited, Barclays Receivables LLC, Barclays SAMS Limited, Barclays Securities (India) Private Limited, Barclays Securities Japan Limited, Barclays Security Trustee Limited, Barclays Services (Japan) Limited, Barclays Services Corporation, Barclays Services Jersey Limited, Barclays Services LLC, Barclays Services Limited, Barclays Shea Limited, Barclays Singapore Global Shareplans Nominee Limited, Barclays Switzerland Services SA, Barclays Tenedora De Immuebles SL., Barclays Term Funding Limited Liability Partnership, Barclays UK Investments Limited, Barclays US CCP Funding LLC, Barclays US Funding LLC, Barclays US GPF Inc., Barclays US Investments Inc., Barclays US LLC, Barclays Unquoted Investments Limited, Barclays Unquoted Property Investments Limited, Barclays Wealth Management Jersey Limited, Barclays Wealth Nominees Limited, Barclays Wealth Services Limited, Barclays Wealth Trustees (India) Private Limited, Barclayshare Nominees Limited, Barclaytrust Channel Islands Limited, Barcosec Limited, Barsec Nominees Limited, Blossom Finance General Partnership, Branchcall Computers (Pvt) Limited, Braven Investments No.1 Limited, CP Flower Guaranteeco (UK) Limited, CP Newco 1 Limited, CP Newco2 Limited, CP Newco3 Limited, CP Propco 1 Limited, CP Propco 2 Limited, CP Topco Limited, CPIA Canada Holdings, CPIA England 2008 Limited Partnership, CPIA England 2009 Limited Partnership, CPIA England No.2 Limited Partnership, CPIA Investments No.1 Limited, CPIA Investments No.2 Limited, CRE Diversified Holdings LLC, CREW Tahoe Holdings LLC, CREW Tahoe LLC, Calthorpe Investments Limited, Capton Investments Limited, Carnegie Holdings Limited, Central Platte Valley Management LLC, Chapelcrest Investments Limited, Charles Schwab Europe, Claudas Investments Limited, Claudas Investments Two Limited, Clydesdale Financial Services Limited, Cobalt Investments Limited, Compania Regional del Sur S.A., Compania Sudamerica S.A., Condor No.1 Limited Partnership, Cornwall Homes Loans Limited, Crescent Crown Land Holding SPV LLC, Crescent Legacy LLC, Crescent Plaza Residential L.P., Crescent Plaza Residential LLC, Crescent Plaza Residential LP LLC, Crescent Real Estate Member LLC, Crescent Resort Development LLC, Crescent TRS Holdings LLC, Crescent Tower Residences GP LLC, Crescent Tower Residences L.P., Curve Investments GP, DBL Texas Holdings LLC, DMW Realty Limited, Desert Mountain Development LLC, Desert Mountain Properties Limited Partnership, Develop Training Group Limited, Dorset Home Loans Limited, Durlacher Nominees Limited, EWRD Summit LLC, Eagle Financial and Leasing Services (UK) Limited, East West Resort Development V L.P. L.L.L.P., East West Resort Development VII LLC, Equity Limited Partnership, Equity Value Investments No.1 Limited, Equity Value Investments No.2 Limited, Erimon Home Loans Ireland Limited, Expobank, FIRSTPLUS Financial Group Limited, Finpart Nominees Limited, First Assurance, Foltus Investments Limited, Full House Holdings Limited, Gallen Investments Limited, Global Dynasty Natural Resource Private, Globe Nominees Limited, Gracechurch Services Corporation, Grays Station LLC, Grupo Financiero Barclays Mexico S.A. de C.V., Hawkins Funding Limited, Heraldglen Limited, Holding Stuttgarter Strae GmbH, Hurley Investments No.1 Limited, Imalivest Mineral Resources LP, Investors In Infrastructure Limited, J.V. Estates Limited, JV Assets Limited, Kirsche Investments Limited, LTDL Holdings LLC, La Torretta Beverages LLC, La Torretta Hospitality LLC, La Torretta Operations LLC, Lagalla Investments LLC, Leonis Investments LLP, Liability Partnership, Long Island Assets Limited, Long Island Holding A LLC, Long Island Holding B Limited, MK Opportunities GP Ltd, MK Opportunities LP, MVWP Investors LLC, Maloney Investments Limited, Marbury Holdings LLC, Menlo Investments Limited, Mercantile Credit Company Limited, Mercantile Leasing Company (No.132) Limited, Meridian (SPV-AMC) Corporation, Mintaka Investments No. 4 Limited, Mira Vista Development LLC, Mira Vista Golf Club L.C., Mountainside Partners LLC, Murray House Investment Management Limited, Naxos Investments Limited, Nile Bank, North Colonnade Investments Limited, Northstar Mountain Properties LLC, Northstar Trailside Townhomes LLC, Northstar Village Townhomes LLC, Northwharf Investments Limited, Northwharf Nominees Limited, OGP Leasing Limited, Oakes Millers Ltd, Ownership Trustee Limited, PIA England No.2 Limited Partnership, Palomino Limited, Pecan Aggregator LP, Pelleas Investments Limited, Pelleas Investments Two Limited, Pippin Island Investments Limited, Preferred Liquidity LLC, Preferred Liquidity Limited Partnership, Procella Investments LLC, Procella Investments No.1 LLC, Procella Investments No.2 LLC, Procella Investments No.3 LLC, Protium Finance I LLC, Protium Master Grantor Trust, Protium Master Mortgage LP, Protium REO I LP, R.C. Grieg Nominees Limited, RVH Limited, RVT CLO Investments LLP, Razzoli Investments Limited, Real Estate Participation Management Limited, Real Estate Participation Services Limited, Relative Value Holdings LLC, Relative Value Investments UK Limited, Relative Value Trading Limited, Roder Investments No. 1 Limited, Roder Investments No. 2 Limited, Ruthenium Investments Limited, SPM GP Limited, Securitized Asset Backed Receivables LLC, Servicios Barclays S.A. de C.V., Societe Civile Immobiliere 31 Avenue de la Costa, Solution Personal Finance Limited, Southern Peaks Mining LP, Standard Life Aberdeen, Surety Trust Limited, Surrey Funding Corporation, Sussex Purchasing Corporation, Sutton Funding LLC, Swan Lane Investments Limited, TPLL LLC, TPProperty LLC, Tahoe Club Company LLC, Tahoe Club Employee Company, The Logic Group Enterprises Limited, The Logic Group Holdings Limited, Third Energy Holdings Limited, US Real Estate Holdings No. 2 Limited, US Real Estate Holdings No.1 Limited, US Real Estate Holdings No.3 Limited, US Secured Investments LLC, Union Center LLC, United Counties Bank, Verain Investments LLC, Walbrook Group Ltd, Wedd Jefferson (Nominees) Limited, Wessex Investments Limited, Westferry Investments Limited, Wilmington Riverfront Receivables LLC, Woolwich Homes Limited, Woolwich Plan Managers Limited, Woolwich Qualifying Employee Share, Woolwich Surveying Services Limited, Woori BC Pegasus Securitization Specialty Co. Limited, and Zeban Nominees Limited. DHI Group, Inc. provides data, insights, and employment connections through specialized services for technology professionals in the United States, the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and internationally. The company operates Dice that offers job postings of technology and non-technology companies for industries, such as positions for software engineers, big data professionals, systems administrators, database specialists, project managers, and other technology and engineering professionals; and ClearanceJobs, an Internet-based career network, which matches security-cleared professionals with hiring companies searching for employees. It also provides eFinancialCareers, a financial services careers Website for financial services industry professionals from various sectors, including asset management, risk management, investment banking, and information technology. The company serves small, mid-sized, and large direct employers; staffing companies; recruiting agencies; consulting firms; and marketing departments of companies. The company was formerly known as Dice Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to DHI Group, Inc. in April 2015. DHI Group, Inc. was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Centennial, Colorado. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of General Dynamics: 42SIX LLC, ARMA Global Corporation, Advanced Technical Products, Aeromil (Australia) Pty Ltd, Aeromil Aircraft Engineering Pty Ltd, Aeromil Aviation Services Pty Ltd, Aeromil IT Services Pty Ltd, Aeromil Marine Pty Ltd, Aeromil Pacific Pty Ltd, American Overseas Marine Company LLC, Anteon International Corporation, Applied Physical Sciences, Applied Physical Sciences Corp., Ascend Intelligence, Australian Avionics Pty Ltd, Autonomic Resources LLC, Avion Logistics Limited, Avjet Corporation, AxleTech International, Axsys, BATH IRON WORKS CORPORATION, BP-HP Pte Limited, Bath Iron Works, Bath Iron Works Australia Corporation, Bath Iron Works Canada LLC, Bluefin Robotics Corporation, Blueprint Technologies Inc., Braintree I Maritime Corp., Braintree II Maritime Corp., Braintree III Maritime Corp., Braintree IV Maritime Corp., Braintree V Maritime Corp., Buccaneer Computer Systems & Service Inc., CSC Computer Sciences Venezuela S.A., CSRA, CSRA (Costa Rica) S.A., CSRA (Guyana) Inc., CSRA (Middle East) LLC, CSRA Argentina S.R.L., CSRA BH d.o.o., CSRA Bahamas Limited, CSRA Bahrain S.P.C., CSRA Belgium SPRL, CSRA Bolivia S.R.L., CSRA Brazil Servicos de Tecnologia Ltda., CSRA Canada Inc., CSRA Caribbean Inc., CSRA Chile SpA, CSRA Colombia SAS, CSRA Commerce 2010 LLC, CSRA Consular Services Holding Company LLC, CSRA Consular Services Inc., CSRA France SARL, CSRA Guatemala Solutions Sociedad Anonima, CSRA Honduras Sociedad Anonima, CSRA Inc., CSRA Information Systems LLC, CSRA Information Technology Spain SL, CSRA Ireland Limited, CSRA Italy S.R.L, CSRA Kosovo L.L.C., CSRA LATAM LLC, CSRA LLC, CSRA Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., CSRA Netherlands B.V., CSRA Nicaragua Sociedad Anonima, CSRA Panama Inc., CSRA Peru S.R.L., CSRA Senegal SARL, CSRA South Africa (Pty) Ltd, CSRA State and Local Solutions LLC, CSRA Systems & Solutions LLC, CSRA Trinidad & Tobago Limited, CSRA Turkey Bilisim Teknolojileri Limited Sirketi, CSRA Uruguay S.R.L, CSRA Visa Services Israel Ltd., CSRAIT - Information Services Portugal Unipessoal LDA, Centauri Solutions LLC, Command System, Computing Devices International, Concord I Maritime Corporation, Concord II Maritime Corporation, Concord III Maritime Corporation, Concord IV Maritime Corporation, Concord V Maritime Corporation, Convair Aircraft Corporation, Convair Corporation, Creative Technology, Customer Services Ecuador CSRA S.A., Devcor, Diamond Fortress Technologies, DynPort Vaccine Company LLC, EB Groton Engineering Inc., EBV Explosives Environmental, ELCS-CZ s.r.o., Eagle Enterprise Inc., Earl Industries - Ship Repair and Coatings Division, Ebv Explosives Environmental Company, Electric Boat - Australia LLC, Electric Boat - UK LLC, Electric Boat Canada LLC, Electric Boat Corporation, Electric Boat France LLC, Electrocom Inc., Engineering Technology, Expro Finance Inc., FBD Fahrzeug und Bremsendienst GmbH, FC Business Systems, Fidelis Cybersecurity, Force Protection, Force Protection Europe Limited, Force Protection Inc., ForeSight Technology Services LLC, Freeman United Coal Mining Company LLC, GD Brazil Holdings LLC, GD European Land Systems - Steyr GmbH, GD European Land Systems Holding GmbH, GDOTS Services Corporation, GM GDLS Defense Group L.L.C., GPS Source Inc., GTE Government Systems, GWA-Datatrac FAST LLC, Galaxy Aerospace Company, Gayston Corporation - Defense Operations, General Dynamics - OTS (Global) Inc., General Dynamics AIS Australia Pty Ltd, General Dynamics Canadian Finance Inc., General Dynamics Canadian Holdings Inc., General Dynamics Commercial Cyber Services LLC, General Dynamics European Finance Limited, General Dynamics European Land Systems - Austria GmbH, General Dynamics European Land Systems - Bridge Systems GmbH, General Dynamics European Land Systems - Czech s.r.o., General Dynamics European Land Systems - Denmark ApS, General Dynamics European Land Systems - Deutschland GmbH, General Dynamics European Land Systems - FWW GmbH, General Dynamics European Land Systems - Mowag GmbH, General Dynamics European Land Systems Romania S.R.L., General Dynamics European Land Systems S.L., General Dynamics Global Force LLC, General Dynamics Global Holdings Limited, General Dynamics Global Imaging Technologies Inc., General Dynamics Government Satellite Services LLC, General Dynamics Government Systems Corporation, General Dynamics Government Systems Overseas Corporation, General Dynamics Information Technology Canada Limited, General Dynamics Information Technology Inc., General Dynamics Information Technology Limited, General Dynamics Installation Services LLC, General Dynamics International Corporation, General Dynamics Itronix LLC, General Dynamics Land Systems - Australia Pty. Ltd., General Dynamics Land Systems - Canada Corporation, General Dynamics Land Systems - Canada Services Inc., General Dynamics Land Systems - Canadian Services Limited, General Dynamics Land Systems - Force Protection Inc., General Dynamics Land Systems Customer Service & Support Company, General Dynamics Land Systems Inc., General Dynamics Limited, General Dynamics Marine Systems Inc., General Dynamics Mission Systems Inc., General Dynamics Mission Systems International Limited, General Dynamics Mission Systems Overseas Company LLC, General Dynamics Motion Control LLC, General Dynamics OTS (Aerospace) Inc., General Dynamics OTS (California) Inc., General Dynamics OTS (DRI) Inc., General Dynamics OTS (Niceville) Inc., General Dynamics OTS (Pennsylvania) Inc., General Dynamics One Source LLC, General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems - Canada Inc., General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems - Canada Valleyfield Inc., General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems - Simunition Operations Inc., General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems Inc., General Dynamics Overseas Systems and Services Corporation, General Dynamics Properties Inc., General Dynamics Robotic Systems Inc., General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies Inc., General Dynamics Satcom Technologies Asia Private Limited, General Dynamics Satellite Communication Services LLC, General Dynamics Saudi Holdings S.L., General Dynamics Shared Resources LLC, General Dynamics Support Services Company, General Dynamics Swiss Financial Management Limited, General Dynamics United Kingdom Limited, General Dynamics Worldwide Holdings Inc., General Dynamics-OTS Inc., General Motors Defense, Gulfstream 100 Holdings LLC, Gulfstream Aerospace, Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (CA), Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (DE), Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (GA), Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (OK), Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation of Texas, Gulfstream Aerospace Hong Kong Limited, Gulfstream Aerospace LLC, Gulfstream Aerospace LP, Gulfstream Aerospace Ltd., Gulfstream Aerospace Services Corporation, Gulfstream Aerospace Sociedad de Responssabilidad Limitada de CapitalVariable (S. de R.L. de C.V.), Gulfstream Do Brasil Servicos De Suporte E Manutencao A Aeronaves Ltda., Gulfstream International Corporation, Gulfstream Leasing LLC, Gulfstream Product Support Corporation, Gulfstream Services Corporation, Gulfstream Tennessee Corporation, Gulfstream-California Inc., Hawker Pacific (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Hawker Pacific Aircraft Management Pte Ltd, Hawker Pacific Airservices Limited, Hawker Pacific Airservices Pvt Ltd, Hawker Pacific Asia Holdings Pte Ltd, Hawker Pacific Asia Pte Ltd, Hawker Pacific Australia Pty Ltd, Hawker Pacific Aviation Services Pty Ltd, Hawker Pacific NZ Limited, Hawker Pacific Pty Ltd, IPWireless, IPWireless PTE. Limited, Information Services Consulting Limited, Interiores Aereos S.A. de C.V., International Manufacturing Technologies Inc., Itronix, Janteq Australia PTY Limited, Janteq Corp., Jet Aviation, Jet Aviation (Asia Pacific) Pte. Ltd., Jet Aviation (Bermuda) Ltd., Jet Aviation (Hong Kong) Ltd., Jet Aviation (Malaysia) SDN BHD, Jet Aviation 125 Services LLC, Jet Aviation AG, Jet Aviation Brazil Holdings Inc., Jet Aviation Business Jets (Hong Kong) Limited, Jet Aviation Business Jets AG, Jet Aviation Business Jets FZCO, Jet Aviation California LLC, Jet Aviation Dulles LLC, Jet Aviation Flight Services Inc., Jet Aviation France SAS, Jet Aviation Holding GmbH, Jet Aviation Holdings USA Inc., Jet Aviation Houston Inc., Jet Aviation International Inc., Jet Aviation Malaga SA, Jet Aviation Management AG, Jet Aviation Netherlands B.V., Jet Aviation Savannah Holding LLC, Jet Aviation Services GmbH, Jet Aviation St. Louis Inc., Jet Aviation Teterboro LP, Jet Aviation Texas Inc., Jet Aviation of America Inc., Jet Aviation/Palm Beach Inc., Jet Professionals LLC, Kylmar, Longreach Energy LLC, MAYA Viz, Maricom Systems Incorporated, Material Service Resources Company LLC, Matthews Land Company, Mediaware International, Mediaware International Pty Ltd, Metro Machine, Metro Machine co, Midwest Properties Sales LLC, NASSCO, NASSCO Holdings Incorporated, NES Associates LLC, National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, Network Connectivity Solutions Corp., Newberry Holdings LLC, OOO Jet Aviation Vnukovo, Open Kernel Labs, Page Europa Srl, Patriot I Shipping Corp., Patriot II Shipping Corp., Patriot IV Shipping Corp., Plane 79 LLC, Praxis Engineering Technologies LLC, PrimeX Technologies, Prodelin India Private Limited, Proyectos Prohumane Mexico S.A. de C.V., Quincy Maritime Corporation III, Raven Acquisitions LLC, SENTECH INC., SRA International Inc., Saco Defense, Santa Barbara Sistemas S.A., Savannah Air Center LLC, Signal Solutions LLC, Southern Illinois Recovery Inc., Spectrum Astro, St. Marks Powder Inc., Stabilo Pty Ltd, Steyr-Daimler-Puch Spezialfahrzeug AG & Co KG, Sydney Jet Charter Pty Ltd, Tadpole Computer, Tecnologias Internacionales de Manufactura S.A. de C.V., Tenacity Solutions Incorporated, The Depth of Ideas for General Trading LLC, TriPoint Global Communications, Vangent, Vangent Servicios de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Veridian, Vertex Antennentechnik GmbH, ViPS, Vulnerability Research Labs LLC, and Weco LLC. | BY Ricki Green | The Brand Agency has announced that Perths current #1 ranked creative, Marketforce head of art Neil Martin (far left), is joining the agency. Martin, who has been at Marketforce since September 2011, will team up with #2 ranked Matt Wilson. Currently two of the states most exciting creative talents, Martin and Wilson have worked on some of Perths most effective and highly awarded campaigns for clients such as Lotterywest, Curtin University and Amazing South Coast. Wilsons former creative partner, Hayden Griffiths, has decided to leave the industry. Says Marcus Tesoriero (above right), ECD, The Brand Agency: Its a tight pool of creatives here in Perth so I was pleased that Neil was eager to join our team. Im extremely proud of what our creative team and wider agency have achieved over the last year and Neils appointment now takes us a step higher. Were looking forward to his impact over the coming months. Martin said he was looking forward to working with The Brand Agency and its talented team. 1 hour ago | June 22nd | 2021 6:10 AM Gold is Dead? Should You Opt for Gold (Over Crypto) in Your Portfolio? When meme coins surged earlier this year (remember Dogecoin mania?) it might've been easy to dump everything you owned stocks, bonds, gold for crypto. Then digital currencies took a nosedive again. Young retail investors might deem actual coins including precious metals all but dead. But you might not want to abandon Novartis AG researches, develops, manufactures, and markets healthcare products worldwide. The company operates through two segments, Innovative Medicines and Sandoz. The Innovative Medicines segment offers prescription medicines for patients and healthcare providers. It also provides ophthalmology, neuroscience, immunology, hepatology and dermatology, respiratory, established, and cardiovascular, renal and metabolism medicine products. The Sandoz segment provides active ingredients and finished dosage forms of small molecule pharmaceuticals to third parties across a range of therapeutic areas, as well as finished dosage form anti-infectives. It also provides active pharmaceutical ingredients and intermediates primarily antibiotics; protein- or other biotechnology-based products, including biosimilars; and biotechnology manufacturing services. Novartis AG has a license and collaboration agreement with Alnylam Pharmaceuticals to develop, manufacture, and commercialize inclisiran; an agreement with CureVac to manufacture COVID-19 vaccine candidate CVnCoV; and collaboration with Artios Pharma Limited to create next generation DDR cancer therapies. The company was incorporated in 1996 and is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland. Read More Mueller Water Products, Inc. manufactures and markets products and services for use in the transmission, distribution, and measurement of water in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It operates in two segments, Infrastructure and Technologies. The Infrastructure segment offers valves for water and gas systems, including butterfly, iron gate, tapping, check, knife, plug, automatic control, and ball valves; dry-barrel and wet-barrel fire hydrants; pipe repair products, such as clamps and couplings used to repair leaks; and machines and tools for tapping, drilling, extracting, installing, and stopping-off. This segment offers its products under Canada Valve, Centurion, Ez-Max, Hydro Gate, Hydro-Guard, HYMAX, HYMAX VERSA, Jones, Krausz, Milliken, Mueller, Pratt, Pratt Industrial, Repamax, Repaflex, and Singer brands. It sells its products primarily through waterworks distributors to various end user customers comprising municipalities, water and wastewater utilities, gas utilities, and fire protection and construction contractors. The Technologies segment provides residential and commercial water metering, water leak detection, and pipe condition assessment products, systems, and services directly to municipalities and waterworks distributors, as well as to end users. It offers products under Echologics, Echoshore, ePulse, Hersey, LeakFinderRT, LeakFinderST, LeakListener, LeakTuner, Mi.Echo, Mi.Data, Mi.Hydrant, Mi.Net, Mueller Systems, and Sentryx brands. The company was founded in 1857 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Read More American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2021. All rights reserved. 326 E 8th St #105, Sioux Falls, SD 57103 | U.S. Based Support Team at [email protected] | (844) 978-6257 MarketBeat does not provide personalized financial advice and does not issue recommendations or offers to buy stock or sell any security. Our Accessibility Statement | Terms of Service | Do Not Sell My Information 2021 Market data provided is at least 10-minutes delayed and hosted by Barchart Solutions. Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes, not for trading purposes or advice, and is delayed. To see all exchange delays and terms of use please see disclaimer. Fundamental company data provided by Zacks Investment Research. The following companies are subsidiares of Hyatt Hotels: CHANCELLOR STREET CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION INC., GLENDALE HOTEL PROPERTIES L.L.C., HT-SEATTLE HOLDINGS LLC, 1379919 ALBERTA INC., 319168 ONTARIO LIMITED, 3385434 CANADA INC., ADMINISTRACION DE PERSONAL ANDARES S. DE R.L. DE C.V., AIC HOLDING CO., AIRPORT PLAZA ASSOCIATES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, AIRPORT PLAZA HOTEL LLC, AIRPORT PLAZA OFFICE BUILDING LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, AMERISUITES FRANCHISING L.L.C., ARANCIA LIMITED, ARUBA BEACHFRONT RESORTS LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, ARUBA BEACHFRONT RESORTS N.V., ASIA HOSPITALITY INC., ASIA HOSPITALITY INVESTORS B.V., ASIAN HOTEL N.V., ATRIUM HOTEL L.L.C., AUSTIN RESORT BEVERAGE LLC, AmeriSuites Hotel, BAKU HOTEL COMPANY - AZERI, BAKU HOTEL COMPANY - CAYMAN, BASTROP MARKETING L.L.C., BAY II INVESTOR INC., BELLEVUE ASSOCIATES, BH PLAZA LLC, BRE/AMERISUITES PROPERTIES L.L.C., BRE/AMERISUITES TXNC GP L.L.C., BRE/AMERISUITES TXNC PROPERTIES L.P., BURVAN HOTEL ASSOCIATES, CAL-HARBOR SO. PIER URBAN RENEWAL ASSOCIATES L.P., CELAYA RESORTS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., CHESAPEAKE COMMUNITIES LLC, CHESAPEAKE RESORT LLC, CIUDAD DEL CARMEN DIAMANTE RESORT S. DE R.L. DE C.V, COAST BEACH L.L.C., COMPAGNIE HOTELIERE DE LAGON BLEU, CPM SEATTLE HOTELS L.L.C., CRW INVESTMENT LLC, CTR INTEREST HOLDCO INC., DALLAS REGENCY LLC, DENVER DOWNTOWN HOTEL PARTNERS LLC, DESARROLLADORA HOTELERA ACUEDUCTO S. DE R.L. DE C.V., DH BEVERAGE LLC, DIAMANTE RESORT LA PAZ S. DE R.L. DE C.V., DISTRICT HOTEL PARTNERS LLC, EXHALE ENTERPRISES GIFT SERVICES COMPANY, EXHALE ENTERPRISES II L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES III INC., EXHALE ENTERPRISES IV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES V L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES VIII INC., EXHALE ENTERPRISES X INC., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XIV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XIX L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XV TCI LTD., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XVI L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XVII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XVIII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XX L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXI INC., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXIV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXVI L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXVII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXVIII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXXI L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXXII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXXIII INC., FAN PIER L.L.C., FAR EAST HOTELS INC., G.E.H. PROPERTIES LIMITED, GAINEY DRIVE ASSOCIATES, GALAXY AEROSPACE COMPANY LLC, GHE HOLDINGS LIMITED, GRAND HYATT BERLIN GMBH, GRAND HYATT DFW BEVERAGE LLC, GRAND HYATT SAN ANTONIO L.L.C., GRAND HYATT SF L.L.C., GRAND RIVERWALK BEVERAGE LLC, GRAND TORONTO CORP., GRAND TORONTO VENTURE L.P., GREENWICH HOTEL LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, H.E. ATLANTA CENTENNIAL PARK HOLDINGS L.L.C., H.E. AUSTIN L.L.C., H.E. BERMUDA L.L.C., H.E. CAP CANA L.L.C., H.E. DRISKILL LLC, H.E. GRAND CYPRESS L.L.C., H.E. IRVINE L.L.C., H.E. KANSAS CITY L.L.C., H.E. LENOX L.L.C., H.E. NASHVILLE L.L.C., H.E. NEWPORT L.L.C., H.E. ORLANDO L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA HC HOLDINGS L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA HC HOTEL L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA HC PARKING L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA HC RETAIL L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA SANSOM L.L.C., H.E. PORTLAND HC L.L.C., H.E. PORTLAND L.L.C., H.E. PROPERTIES HOLDING L.L.C., H.E. PROPERTIES L.L.C., H.E. SAN ANTONIO I L.L.C., H.E. SAN ANTONIO L.L.C., H.E. TUCSON HOLDINGS L.L.C., H.E. TUCSON JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., H.E. TUCSON JV L.L.C., H.E. TUCSON OWNER L.L.C., HAPP INVESTOR LTD., HARBORSIDE HOTEL LLC, HARBORSIDE LAND LLC, HC PORTLAND JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HC ROYAL PALMS L.L.C., HCV CINCINNATI HOTEL L.L.C., HE ORLANDO HOTEL LLC, HGP (TRAVEL) LIMITED, HH NASHVILLE HOLDINGS L.L.C., HH NASHVILLE JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HH PORTLAND L.L.C., HHMA BURLINGTON BEVERAGE L.L.C., HI HOLDINGS (SWITZERLAND) GMBH, HI HOLDINGS BAJA B.V., HI HOLDINGS BRAZIL S.A.R.L., HI HOLDINGS CELAYA B.V., HI HOLDINGS CIUDAD DEL CARMEN B.V., HI HOLDINGS CYPRUS LIMITED, HI HOLDINGS CYPRUS-INDIA LIMITED, HI HOLDINGS GUADALAJARA B.V., HI HOLDINGS HP CABO B.V., HI HOLDINGS HP TIJUANA HOTEL B.V., HI HOLDINGS KYOTO CO., HI HOLDINGS LA PAZ B.V., HI HOLDINGS LATIN AMERICA B.V., HI HOLDINGS NETHERLANDS B.V., HI HOLDINGS PLAYA B.V., HI HOLDINGS RIO S.A.R.L., HI HOLDINGS RIVIERA MAYA B.V., HI HOLDINGS VIENNA S.A.R.L., HI HOLDINGS ZURICH S.A.R.L., HI HOTEL ADVISORY SERVICES GMBH, HI HOTEL INVESTORS CYPRUS LIMITED, HIHCL AMSTERDAM B.V., HIHCL HP AMSTERDAM AIRPORT B.V., HIHCL HR AMSTERDAM B.V., HILP HOTEL SERVICE PROVIDER LLC, HOTEL AM BELVEDERE HOLDING GMBH, HOTEL AM BELVEDERE HOLDING GMBH & CO KG, HOTEL INVESTMENTS HOLDING CO LLC, HOTEL INVESTMENTS L.L.C., HOTEL INVESTORS I INC., HOTEL INVESTORS II INC., HOTEL PROJECT SYSTEMS PTE LTD, HOTEL SERVICES CIUDAD DEL CARMEN S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HOTELS CS CELAYA S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HP ATLANTA CENTENNIAL PARK JV LLC, HP AUSTIN L.L.C., HP BEVERAGE DALLAS DFW AIRPORT LLC, HP BEVERAGE SUGAR LAND LLC, HP BOSTON HOLDINGS L.L.C., HP GLENDALE JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HP GLENDALE L.L.C., HP INDIA HOLDINGS LIMITED, HP LAS VEGAS BEVERAGE L.L.C., HP M STREET L.L.C., HP ROUTE 46 TEXAS LLC, HP SAN FRANCISCO L.L.C., HP SAN JUAN L.L.C., HP TEN TEXAS LLC, HPHH ATLANTA L.L.C., HPHH DENVER L.L.C., HPHH SAN JOSE JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HPHH SAN JOSE L.L.C., HQ CHESAPEAKE LLC, HR LOST PINES RESORT LLC, HR MC HOTEL COMPANY S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HR MC SERVICES II S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HR MC SERVICES S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HRHC LLC, HT- WAILEA LLC, HT-AVENDRA GROUP HOLDINGS L.L.C., HT-AVENDRA L.L.C., HT-CHESAPEAKE COMMUNITIES INC., HT-CHESAPEAKE RESORT INC., HT-HOTEL EQUITIES INC., HT-HUNTINGTON BEACH INC., HT-JERSEY PIER INC., HT-JERSEY PIER L.P., HT-JERSEY PIER LLC, HT-LONG BEACH L.L.C., HT-MIAMI BEACH L.L.C., HT-PARK 57 INC., HT-SEATTLE LLC, HT-SIERRA L.L.C., HT-VANCOUVER INC., HTLB L.L.C., HTS - NS L.L.C., HTS - NY L.L.C., HTS-ASPEN L.L.C., HTS-BC INC., HTS-INVESTMENT L L.C., HTSF L.L.C., HTW BEVERAGE LLC, HY LONG BEACH HOTEL LLC, HYATT (BARBADOS) CORPORATION, HYATT (JAPAN) CO. LTD., HYATT (THAILAND) LIMITED, HYATT ARUBA N.V., HYATT ASIA PACIFIC HOLDINGS LIMITED, HYATT AUSTRALIA HOTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LIMITED, HYATT AUSTRIA GMBH, HYATT BEACH FRONT N.V., HYATT BORNEO MANAGEMENT SERVICES LIMITED, HYATT BRITANNIA CORPORATION LTD., HYATT CC OFFICE CORP., HYATT CHAIN SERVICES LIMITED, HYATT CRYSTAL CITY LLC., HYATT CURACAO N.V., HYATT DISASTER RELIEF FUND, HYATT DO BRASIL PARTICIPACOES LTDA, HYATT EQUITIES L.L.C., HYATT FOREIGN EMPLOYMENT SERVICES INC., HYATT FRANCHISING CANADA CORP., HYATT FRANCHISING L.L.C., HYATT FRANCHISING LATIN AMERICA L.L.C., HYATT FULFILLMENT OF MARYLAND INC., HYATT GLOBAL SERVICES INC., HYATT GTLD L.L.C., HYATT HOC INC., HYATT HOLDINGS (UK) LIMITED, HYATT HOSPITALITY SERVICES L.L.C., HYATT HOTEL MANAGEMENT LIMITED, HYATT HOTELS CONSULTANCY SERVICES ASIA PACIFIC LIMITED, HYATT HOTELS CORPORATION OF KANSAS, HYATT HOTELS CORPORATION OF MARYLAND, HYATT HOTELS FOUNDATION, HYATT HOTELS MANAGEMENT CORPORATION, HYATT HOTELS OF CANADA INC., HYATT HOTELS OF FLORIDA INC., HYATT HOTELS OF PUERTO RICO INC., HYATT HOUSE CANADA INC., HYATT HOUSE FRANCHISING L.L.C., HYATT HOUSE HOTEL HOLDING COMPANY L.L.C., HYATT INDIA CONSULTANCY PRIVATE LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL (ASIA) LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL (EUROPE AFRICA MIDDLE EAST) LLC, HYATT INTERNATIONAL - JAPAN LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL - SOUTHWEST ASIA LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL -ASIA PACIFIC LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL -SEA (PTE) LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION, HYATT INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS CO., HYATT INTERNATIONAL HOTEL MANAGEMENT (BEIJING) CO. LTD., HYATT INTERNATIONAL MILAN L.L.C., HYATT INTERNATIONAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT (BEIJING) CO. LTD., HYATT INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL SERVICES INC., HYATT JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HYATT LACSA SERVICES INC., HYATT LOUISIANA L.L.C., HYATT MAINZ GMBH, HYATT MARKETING SERVICES INC., HYATT MARKETING SERVICES NIGERIA COMPANY LIMITED, HYATT MINNEAPOLIS LLC, HYATT MINORITY INVESTMENTS INC., HYATT MSS L.L.C., HYATT NORTH AMERICA MANAGEMENT SERVICES INC., HYATT OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, HYATT OF BAJA S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HYATT OF CHINA LIMITED, HYATT OF FRANCE S.A.R.L., HYATT OF GUAM LIMITED, HYATT OF ITALY S.R.L., HYATT OF LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN L.L.C., HYATT OF LATIN AMERICA S.A. DE C.V., HYATT OF MACAU LIMITED, HYATT OF MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., HYATT OF PHILIPPINES LIMITED, HYATT PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS L.L.C., HYATT PLACE ANNE ARUNDEL BEVERAGE INC., HYATT PLACE CANADA CORPORATION, HYATT PLACE FRANCHISING L.L.C., HYATT PLACE OF MARYLAND INC., HYATT REGENCY COLOGNE GMBH, HYATT REGENCY CORPORATION PTY. LIMITED, HYATT SERVICES AUSTRALIA PTY LIMITED, HYATT SERVICES CANADA INC., HYATT SERVICES CARIBBEAN L.L.C., HYATT SERVICES GMBH, HYATT SERVICES INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED, HYATT SHARED SERVICE CENTER L.L.C., HYATT TRINIDAD LIMITED, HYCANADA INC., HYCARD INC., HYSTAR L.L.C., Hyatt Corporation, INFORMATION SERVICES LIMITED, INTERNATIONAL RESERVATIONS LIMITED, JOINT VENTURE ITALKYR CLOSED JOINT STOCK COMPANY, JUNIPER HOTELS PRIVATE LIMITED, KSA MANAGEMENT INC., KYOTO HOLDING CO., LHR-PARTNERS LTD., LORING PARK ASSOCIATES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, LOST PINES BEVERAGE LLC, MACAE PARTNERS S.A.R.L., MAHIMA HOLDINGS PRIVATE LIMITED, MARION RESERVATION CENTER L.L.C., MEXICO CITY HOTEL INVESTMENTS B.V., MILAN HOTEL INVESTMENTS B.V., MIRAVAL ARIZONA GUARANTOR LLC, MIRAVAL GROUP LLC, MIRAVAL RESORT ARIZONA HOLDINGS LLC, MIRAVAL RESORT ARIZONA LLC, MIRAVAL RESORT ARIZONA OPERATING CO. INC., MIRAVAL RESORT TUCSON LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS I LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS II LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS III LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS TRUST, MRG ATX BEVERAGE HOLDINGS LLC, MRG ATX HOLDINGS II LLC, MRG ATX HOLDINGS LLC, MRG ATX INVESTMENT LLC, MRG ATX MANAGEMENT I LLC, MRG ATX MANAGEMENT II LLC, MRG ATX OPERATIONS LLC, MRG CRW HOLDINGS LLC, MRG CRW MANAGEMENT I LLC, MRG CRW MANAGEMENT II LLC, MRG CRW OPERATIONS LLC, MUNICH OPCO GMBH, Miraval Resort, OASIS LUXURY RENTALS INCORPORATED, PARIS HOTEL COMPANY B.V., PARK HYATT HAMBURG GMBH, PARK HYATT HOTEL GMBH, PARK HYATT WATER TOWER ASSOCIATES L.L.C., PH NEW YORK L.L.C., PHMC RESIDENCIAS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., POLK SMITH REGENCY LLC, PT HYATT INDONESIA, PVD INVESTMENT COMPANY S.A.R.L., Peabody Hotels & Resort, RCG PROPERTIES LLC, REGENCY BEVERAGE COMPANY LLC, REGENCY RIVERWALK BEVERAGE LLC, RESERVATIONS CENTER L.L.C., RIO JV PARTNERS PARTICIPACOES LTDA., RIO PRETO PARTNERS HOTEIS LTDA., RIO PRETO PARTNERS S.A.R.L., ROSEMONT PROJECT MANAGEMENT L.L.C., ROUTE 46 MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATES CORP., RUNWAY HOLDING L.L.C., RUNWAY L.L.C., SAO PAULO INVESTMENT COMPANY INC., SAO PAULO INVESTORS LIMITED, SASIH, SDI EQUITIES INVESTOR L.L.C., SDI INC., SDI SECURITIES 11 LLC, SDI SECURITIES 6 LLC, SELECT HOTELS GROUP L.L.C., SELECT JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., SEOUL MIRAMAR CORPORATION, SERVICIOS DE HOTELERIA SAN JOSE S. DE R.L. DE C.V., SERVICIOS HOTELEROS LA PAZ S. DE R.L. DE C.V., SETTLEMENT INVESTORS INC., SHG PUERTO RICO INC., SIERRA HEALTHSTYLES LLC, SJC DESARROLLOS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., SKS CORP. N.V., SMC HOTELS B.V., SOROCABA PARTNERS HOTEIS LTDA, SOROCABA PARTNERS S.A.R.L., STANHOPE L.L.C., STARHILL LORING PARK L.L.C., SUGAR LAND/HP LLC, THE GREAT EASTERN HOTEL COMPANY LIMITED, THE GREAT EASTERN HOTEL HOLDING COMPANY LIMITED, TIJUANA PARTNERS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., TR MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT LLC, TUCSON VILLAS HOLDINGS LLC, TUCSON VILLAS LLC, TWO SEAS HOLDINGS LIMITED, Two Roads Hospitality, WAILEA HOTEL & BEACH RESORT L.L.C., WAILEA HOTEL HOLDINGS L.L.C., WAILEA MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION L.L.C., WAILEA RESORT VILLAS HOLDINGS L.L.C., WAILEA RESORT VILLAS L.L.C., WEST END RESIDENCES L.L.C., XENIA ASSURANCE COMPANY INC., XENIA ASSURANCE COMPANY OF ILLINOIS, ZURICH ESCHERWIESE HOTEL GMBH, and ZURICH HOTEL INVESTMENTS B.V.. | BY Ricki Green | Pets are always confusing their ambition with their ability, yet 94% of Australian pet owners dont have cover. To help RACV launch its new pet insurance, CHE Proximity has created a campaign that shows how RACV covers pets for their overconfidence through a range of vet medical supplies. The integrated campaign sees RACV partner with one of Australias most trusted animal hospitals, Lort Smith, and four globally renowned artists and designers, to raise awareness of under-insured Victorian pets. Creating a limited-edition range of veterinary supplies, the artists designed a lion mane cone, a pet-cast that features a tattoo sleeve print, bandages with attitude, and an amped up wheelchair. The stars of the campaign, beloved pets Lady, Leo and Yasmina, now have the insurance they need and are the first to be kitted out with medical supplies worthy of their adventurous attitudes. The designers responsible for the range of supplies include: Tim Chappel, costumer designer on Priscilla, Queen of the Desert Dennis McCarthy, picture car coordinator for the Fast & Furious releases F3 (Tokyo Drift) to present Gareth Davies, tattoo artist from Bondi Ink James Jirat Patradoon, Heavy Metal Illustrator RACVs partnership with Lort Smith will see thousands of bold bandages and lion mane cones available to pets who come in for treatment with an RACV Pet Insurance Policy. Says Laura Wilson, GM marketing and membership, RACV: We understand the role pets play within the family and we really wanted to celebrate their unique personalities and their often overconfidence throughout our campaign. We saw a great brand alignment with Lort Smith who like us, want to encourage responsible pet ownership, which includes getting pets insured, so that they are covered when their cat or dog needs medical attention. RACV General Manager Marketing & Membership Laura Wilson Senior Marketing Manager Home Max Garrido Marketing Manager Home John Brunckhorst Marketing Consultant Courtney Dufty Social Media Specialist Celia Murray Media and Communications Advisor Stephanie McCormack Creative Agency CHE Proximity Chief Creative Officer Ant White Group Creative Director Glen Dickson Creative Director Garret Fitzgerald Senior Creatives Cameron Bell / Sam Dickson Snr Producer Jen Livingston Production Assistant Nina Weiss Sound Engineer Matt Thompson Online Editor Olivier Ledoux CEO Chris Howatson Client Partner Jamal Cassim Group Account Director Emily Gray Director, Brand & Culture Danish Chan Account Manager Sarah Cox Social Lead Sophie Doyle Social Creative Henry Clarke Snr Operations Manager Pravina Kumar Production Manager Avery Clark Retoucher David McNeil PR Director Georgia Wright Snr PR Account Manager Barton Zaia Production Company FINCH Director Alex Roberts Exec Producer Corey Esse Producer Jackie Adler DP- Matt Toll Editing Company ARC EDIT Editor Rodrigo Balart Photographer Garth Oriander Photography Assistant Maria Rixen Collaborators Wheelchair Designers Dennis McCarthy and Eric Shimp Cone Designer Tim Chappel Cast Tattoo Designer Gareth Davies Bandage Designer James Jirat Patradoon Media Agency OMD Business Director Gemma Lasenby Account Director Dervla McGivern Trading Manager Chris Androulidakis Fortis Inc. operates as an electric and gas utility company in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean countries. It generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to approximately 433,000 retail customers in southeastern Arizona; and 98,000 retail customers in Arizona's Mohave and Santa Cruz counties with an aggregate capacity of 3,233 megawatts (MW), including 59 MW of solar capacity. The company also sells wholesale electricity to other entities in the western United States; owns gas-fired and hydroelectric generating capacity totaling 65 MW; and distributes natural gas to approximately 1,048,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in British Columbia, Canada. In addition, it owns and operates the electricity distribution system that serves approximately 572,000 customers in southern and central Alberta; owns 4 hydroelectric generating facilities with a combined capacity of 225 MW; and provides operation, maintenance, and management services to five hydroelectric generating facilities. Further, the company distributes electricity in the island portion of Newfoundland and Labrador with an installed generating capacity of 143 MW; and on Prince Edward Island with a generating capacity of 130 MW. Additionally, it provides integrated electric utility service to approximately 67,000 customers in Ontario; approximately 270,000 customers in Newfoundland and Labrador; approximately 31,000 customers on Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; and approximately 15,000 customers on certain islands in Turks and Caicos. The company also holds long-term contracted generation assets in Belize consisting of 3 hydroelectric generating facilities with a combined capacity of 51 MW; and the Aitken Creek natural gas storage facility. It also owns and operates approximately 91,000 circuit Kilometers (km) of distribution lines; and approximately 49,500 km of natural gas pipelines. Fortis Inc. was founded in 1885 and is headquartered in St. John's, Canada. Read More 2 hours ago | June 22nd | 2021 6:10 AM Gold is Dead? Should You Opt for Gold (Over Crypto) in Your Portfolio? When meme coins surged earlier this year (remember Dogecoin mania?) it might've been easy to dump everything you owned stocks, bonds, gold for crypto. Then digital currencies took a nosedive again. Young retail investors might deem actual coins including precious metals all but dead. But you might not want to abandon Core Laboratories N.V. provides reservoir description and production enhancement services and products to the oil and gas industry in the United States, Canada, and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Reservoir Description and Production Enhancement. The Reservoir Description segment includes the characterization of petroleum reservoir rock, fluid, and gas samples to enhance production and improve recovery of oil and gas from its clients' reservoirs. It offers laboratory-based analytical and field services to characterize properties of crude oil and petroleum products; and proprietary and joint industry studies. The Production Enhancement segment offers services and products relating to reservoir well completions, perforations, stimulations, and production. It offers integrated diagnostic services to evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of well completions and to develop solutions to improve the effectiveness of enhanced oil recovery projects. The company markets and sells its products through a combination of sales representatives, technical seminars, trade shows, and print advertising, as well as through distributors. Core Laboratories N.V. was founded in 1936 and is based in Amstelveen, the Netherlands. Read More One pot stock could skyrocket with looming interstate sales (Ad) A new bill in Congress would decriminalize marijuana nationally by removing cannabis from the federal governments list of controlled substances. The law would also allow one established Seattle cannabis company to market across state lines for the first time potentially setting off a bidding war that could blast this stock into the stratosphere! Find Out Why This Could Be the #1 Pot Stock Revealed: A Real Solution for Depression? (Ad) Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide. For nearly 100 million people there's no known solution. That's right. Nearly one-third of the world's 322 million people suffering from depression have no existing treatment. But that's all about to change. Here's how you could capitalize off this The following companies are subsidiares of BP: 200 PS Overseas Holdings Inc., 563916 Alberta Ltd., ACP (Malaysia) Inc., AE Cedar Creek Holdings LLC, AE Goshen II Holdings LLC, AE Goshen II Wind Farm LLC, AE Power Services LLC, AE Wind PartsCo LLC, AM/PM International Inc., ARCO, ARCO British International, ARCO British Limited, ARCO Coal Australia Inc., ARCO El-Djazair Holdings Inc., ARCO Environmental Remediation L.L.C., ARCO Exploration Inc., ARCO Gaviota Company, ARCO International Investments Inc., ARCO International Services Inc., ARCO Midcon LLC, ARCO Oil Company Nigeria Unlimited, ARCO Oman Inc, ARCO Resources Limited, ARCO Trinidad Exploration and Production Company Limited, ARCO Unimar Holdings LLC, Actomat B.V., Advance Petroleum Holdings Pty Ltd, Advance Petroleum Pty Ltd, Air BP Albania SHA, Air BP Brasil Ltda., Air BP Canada LLC, Air BP Croatia d.o.o., Air BP Finland Oy, Air BP Iceland, Air BP Limited, Air BP Norway AS, Air BP Sales Romania S.R.L., Air BP Sweden AB, Air Refuel Pty Ltd, Allgreen Pty Ltd, AmProp Finance Company, American Oil Company, Amoco (Fiddich) Limited, Amoco (U.K.) Exploration Company LLC., Amoco Bolivia Petroleum Company, Amoco Bolivia Services Company Inc., Amoco Canada International Holdings B.V., Amoco Capline Pipeline Company, Amoco Chemical (Europe) S.A., Amoco Chemicals (FSC) B.V., Amoco Cypress Pipeline Company, Amoco Destin Pipeline Company, Amoco Environmental Services Company, Amoco Exploration Holdings B.V., Amoco Guatemala Petroleum Company, Amoco International Finance Corporation, Amoco International Petroleum Company, Amoco Leasing Corporation, Amoco Louisiana Fractionator Company, Amoco MB Fractionation Company, Amoco MBF Company, Amoco Main Pass Gathering Company, Amoco Marketing Environmental Services Company, Amoco Netherlands Petroleum Company, Amoco Nigeria Exploration Company Limited, Amoco Nigeria Oil Company Limited, Amoco Nigeria Petroleum Company, Amoco Nigeria Petroleum Company Limited, Amoco Norway Oil Company, Amoco Oil Holding Company, Amoco Olefins Corporation, Amoco Overseas Exploration Company, Amoco Pipeline Asset Company, Amoco Pipeline Holding Company, Amoco Properties Incorporated, Amoco Remediation Management Services Corporation, Amoco Research Operating Company, Amoco Rio Grande Pipeline Company, Amoco Somalia Petroleum Company, Amoco Sulfur Recovery Company, Amoco Tri-States NGL Pipeline Company, Amoco Trinidad Gas B.V., Amoco U.K. Petroleum Limited, Amprop Illinois I Limited, Amprop Inc., Anaconda Arizona Inc., Arabian Production And Marketing Lubricants, Aral Aktiengesellschaft, Aral Luxembourg S.A., Aral Services Luxembourg Sarl, Aral Tankstellen Services Sarl, Arco Mediterraneo Inversiones S.L., Areas Noriega S.L., Areas Singulares Reyes S.L., Aspac Lubricants (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Atlantic 2/3 UK Holdings Limited, Atlantic Richfield Company, Atlantic Richfield Companyd, Autino Holdings Limited, Autino Limited, Auwahi Wind Energy Holdings LLC, B2Mobility GmbH, BASS Management Pty Ltd, BP (Abu Dhabi) Limited, BP (Barbados) Holding SRL, BP (Barbican) Limited, BP (China) Holdings Limited, BP (China) Industrial Lubricants Limited, BP (GTA Mauritania) Finance Limited, BP (GTA Senegal) Finance Limited, BP (Gibraltar) Limited, BP (Guangzhou) Advanced Mobility Limited, BP (Hunan) Petroleum Company Limited, BP (Indian Agencies) Limited, BP (Shandong) Petroleum Co. Ltd, BP (Shanghai) Trading Limited, BP - Castrol (Thailand) Limited, BP AMI Leasing Inc., BP Absheron Limited, BP Advanced Mobility Limited, BP Africa Limited, BP Africa Oil Limited, BP Akaryakit Ortakligi, BP Alaska LNG LLC, BP Alternative Energy Holdings Limited, BP Alternative Energy Investments Limited, BP Alternative Energy North America Inc., BP Alternative Energy Trinidad and Tobago Limited, BP America Chembel Holding LLC, BP America Chemicals Company, BP America Foreign Investments Inc., BP America Inc, BP America Inc., BP America Limited, BP America Production Company, BP Amoco Chemical Company, BP Amoco Chemical Holding Company, BP Amoco Chemical Indonesia Limited, BP Amoco Chemical Malaysia Holding Company, BP Amoco Exploration (Faroes) Limited, BP Amoco Exploration (In Amenas) Limited, BP Andaman II Ltd, BP Angola (Block 18) B.V., BP Argentina Exploration Company, BP Argentina Holdings LLC, BP Aromatics Holdings Limited, BP Aromatics Limited, BP Asia Limited, BP Asia Pacific (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., BP Asia Pacific Holdings Limited, BP Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, BP Australia Capital Markets Limited, BP Australia Employee Share Plan Proprietary Limited, BP Australia Group Pty Ltde, BP Australia Investments Pty Ltd, BP Australia Nominees Proprietary Limited, BP Australia Pty Ltd, BP Australia Shipping Pty Ltd, BP Australia Swaps Management Limited, BP Aviation A/S, BP Benevolent Fund Trustees Limited, BP Berau Ltd., BP Biocombustiveis S.A., BP Bioenergia Campina Verde Ltda., BP Bioenergia Ituiutaba Ltda., BP Bioenergia Itumbiara S.A., BP Bioenergia Tropical S.A., BP Biofuels Advanced Technology Inc., BP Biofuels Brazil Investments Limited, BP Biofuels Louisiana LLC, BP Biofuels North America LLC, BP Biofuels Trading Comercio Exportacao Ltda., BP Bomberai Ltd., BP Brasil Ltda., BP Brazil Tracking L.L.C., BP Bulwer Island Pty Ltd, BP Business Service Centre Asia Sdn Bhd, BP Business Service Centre KFT, BP CIV Pty Ltd, BP Canada Energy Development Company, BP Canada Energy Group ULC, BP Canada Energy Marketing Corp., BP Canada International Holdings B.V., BP Canada Investments Inc., BP Capellen Sarl, BP Capital Markets, BP Capital Markets America, BP Capital Markets America Inc., BP Capital Markets p.l.c., BP Car Fleet Limited, BP Caribbean Company, BP Castrol KK, BP Castrol Lubricants (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., BP Central Pipelines LLC, BP Chembel, BP Chemicals (Korea) Limited, BP Chemicals East China Investments Limited, BP Chemicals Investments Limited, BP Chemicals Limited, BP China Exploration and Production Company, BP Comercializadora de Energia Ltda., BP Commodities Trading Limited, BP Commodity Supply B.V., BP Company North America, BP Company North America Inc., BP Containment Response Limited, BP Containment Response System Holdings LLC, BP Continental Holdings Limited, BP Corporate Holdings, BP Corporate Holdings Limited, BP Corporation North America, BP Corporation North America Inc., BP D-B Pipeline Company LLC, BP D230 Limited, BP Danmark A/S, BP Developments Australia Pty. Ltd., BP Dogal Gaz Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, BP East Kalimantan CBM Limited, BP Eastern Mediterranean Limited, BP Egypt Company, BP Egypt East Delta Marine Corporation, BP Egypt East Tanka B.V., BP Egypt Production B.V., BP Egypt Ras El Barr B.V., BP Egypt West Mediterranean (Block B) B.V., BP Energy Asia Pte. Limited, BP Energy Colombia Limited, BP Energy Company, BP Energy Europe Limited, BP Energy Solutions B.V., BP Energy do Brasil Ltda., BP Energia Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., BP Espana S.A. Unipersonal, BP Estaciones y Servicios Energeticos Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, BP Europa SE, BP Exploracion de Venezuela S.A., BP Exploration & Production Inc., BP Exploration (Absheron) Limited, BP Exploration (Alaska), BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc., BP Exploration (Algeria) Limited, BP Exploration (Alpha), BP Exploration (Alpha) Limited, BP Exploration (Angola), BP Exploration (Angola) Limited, BP Exploration (Azerbaijan), BP Exploration (Azerbaijan) Limited, BP Exploration (Canada) Limited, BP Exploration (Caspian Sea), BP Exploration (Caspian Sea) Limited, BP Exploration (D230) Limited, BP Exploration (Delta), BP Exploration (Delta) Limited, BP Exploration (El Djazair) Limited, BP Exploration (Epsilon) Limited, BP Exploration (Gambia) Limited, BP Exploration (Greenland) Limited, BP Exploration (Madagascar) Limited, BP Exploration (Morocco) Limited, BP Exploration (Namibia) Limited, BP Exploration (Nigeria Finance) Limited, BP Exploration (Nigeria) Limited, BP Exploration (Psi) Limited, BP Exploration (STP) Limited, BP Exploration (Shafag-Asiman) Limited, BP Exploration (Shah Deniz) Limited, BP Exploration (South Atlantic) Limited, BP Exploration (Xazar) Pte. Ltd., BP Exploration Angola (Kwanza Benguela) Limited, BP Exploration Argentina Limited, BP Exploration Australia Pty Ltd Level 15, BP Exploration Beta Limited, BP Exploration China Limited, BP Exploration Company (Middle East) Limited, BP Exploration Company Limited, BP Exploration Indonesia Limited, BP Exploration Libya Limited, BP Exploration Mexico Limited, BP Exploration Mexico S.A. De C.V., BP Exploration North Africa Limited, BP Exploration Operating Company, BP Exploration Operating Company Limited, BP Exploration Orinoco Limited, BP Exploration Personnel Company Limited, BP Exploration Peru Limited, BP Express Shopping Limited, BP Finance Australia Pty Ltd, BP Finance p.l.c., BP Foundation Incorporated, BP France, BP Fuels & Lubricants AS, BP Fuels Deutschland GmbH, BP GOM Logistics LLC, BP Gas & Power Investments Limited, BP Gas Europe S.A.U., BP Gas Marketing Limited, BP Gas Supply (Angola) LLC, BP Ghana Limited, BP Global Investments, BP Global Investments Limited, BP Global Investments Salalah & Co LLC, BP Global West Africa Limited, BP Greece Limited, BP Guangdong Limited, BP High Density Polyethylene - France, BP Holdings (Thailand) Limited, BP Holdings B.V., BP Holdings Canada, BP Holdings Canada Limited, BP Holdings International B.V., BP Holdings North America, BP Holdings North America Limited, BP Hong Kong Limited, BP India Private Limited, BP Indonesia Investment Limited, BP International, BP International Limited, BP International Services Company, BP Investment Management Limited, BP Investments Asia Limited, BP Iran Limited, BP Iraq N.V., BP Italia SpA, BP Japan K.K., BP Korea Limited, BP Kuwait Limited, BP LNG Shipping Limited, BP Latin America LLC, BP Latin America Upstream Services Inc., BP Lubricants KK, BP Lubricants USA Inc., BP Luxembourg S.A., BP Malaysia Holdings Sdn. Bhd., BP Management International B.V., BP Management Netherlands B.V., BP Marine Limited, BP Mariner Holding Company LLC, BP Maritime Services (Singapore) Pte. Limited, BP Marketing Egypt LLC, BP Mauritania Investments Limited, BP Mauritius Limited (in liquidation), BP Middle East Enterprises Corporation, BP Middle East LLC, BP Middle East Limited, BP Midstream Partners GP LLC, BP Midstream Partners Holdings LLC, BP Midstream Partners LP, BP Midwest Product Pipelines Holdings LLC, BP Mocambique Limitada, BP Mocambique Limited, BP Muturi Holdings B.V., BP Nederland Holdings BV, BP Netherlands Upstream B.V., BP New Ventures Middle East Limited, BP New Zealand Holdings Limited, BP New Zealand Share Scheme Limited, BP Nutrition Inc., BP Offshore Gathering Systems Inc., BP Offshore Pipelines Company LLC, BP Offshore Response Company LLC, BP Oil (Thailand) Limited, BP Oil Australia Pty Ltd, BP Oil Espana S.A., BP Oil Hellenic S.A., BP Oil International, BP Oil International Limited, BP Oil Kent Refinery Limited (in liquidation), BP Oil Llandarcy Refinery Limited, BP Oil Logistics UK Limited, BP Oil New Zealand Limited, BP Oil Pipeline Company, BP Oil Senegal S.A., BP Oil Shipping Company, BP Oil UK Limited, BP Oil Venezuela Limited, BP Oil Vietnam Limited, BP Oil Yemen Limited, BP Olex Fanal Mineralol GmbH, BP One Pipeline Company LLC, BP Pacific Investments Ltd, BP Pakistan (Badin) Inc., BP Pakistan Exploration and Production Inc., BP Pension Escrow Limited, BP Pension Trustees Limited, BP Pensions (Overseas) Limited, BP Pensions Limited, BP Petrochemicals India Investments Limited, BP Petroleo y Gas S.A., BP Petrolleri Anonim Sirketi, BP Pipelines (Alaska) Inc., BP Pipelines (BTC) Limited, BP Pipelines (North America) Inc., BP Pipelines (SCP) Limited, BP Pipelines (TANAP) Limited, BP Pipelines TAP Limited, BP Polska Services Sp. z o.o. Ul., BP Portugal -Comercio de Combustiveis e Lubrificantes SA, BP Poseidon Limited, BP Products North America, BP Products North America Inc., BP Properties Limited, BP Raffinaderij Rotterdam B.V., BP Refinery (Kwinana) Proprietary Limited, BP Regional Australasia Holdings Pty Ltd, BP River Rouge Pipeline Company LLC, BP Russian Investments Limited, BP Russian Ventures Limited, BP SC Holdings LLC, BP Scale Up Factory Limited, BP Senegal Investments Limited, BP Services International Limited, BP Servicios de Combustibles S.A. de C.V., BP Servicios territoriales S.A., BP Shafag-Asiman Limited, BP Shipping Limited, BP Singapore Pte. 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The company offers Thunder Application Delivery Controller (ADC) that provides advanced server load balancing; Lightning ADC, a cloud-native software-as-a-service platform to boost the delivery and security of applications and micro services; and Thunder Carrier Grade Networking product, which offers standards-compliant address and protocol translation services for service provider networks. It also provides Thunder Threat Protection System (TPS) for the protection of networks and server resources against massive distributed denial of service attacks; Thunder Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Insight solution that decrypts SSL-encrypted traffic and forwards it to a third-party security device for deep packet inspection; and Thunder Convergent Firewall, which addresses various critical security capabilities in one package by consolidating various security and networking functions in a single appliance. 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Read More | BY Ricki Green | Tomorrow night (Thursday Feb 7), photographer and former art director Jay Hynes will launch his new photography exhibition I saw a (series 2) at SUNSTUDIOS new South Melbourne digs. The exhibition starts from 6.00pm to 9.30pm at SUNSTUDIOS, 95 Buckhurst Street, South Melbourne. The exhibition is on until 6th March Monday to Friday 8.30 5.30pm, Saturdays 9.00am 5.30pm (Entry via the Canon Experience store). I saw a (series 2) promises to showcase Hyness skillful observances of life and light. The second series follows on from Hyness 2016 exhibition of the same name, which featured moments captured during a trip through Italy and Croatia. This time Hynes documents his most recent travels through Germany, Portugal and Spain. Says Hynes: I was in Europe last September for an ad shoot and decided to tack on a two-week holiday at the end after we wrapped. I figured it was the perfect opportunity to shoot another instalment of my I saw a series. The series features a mix of high contrast dramatic shots and quirky moments of humanity. Each image is accompanied by a simple caption starting with the words I saw a Says Hynes: When I worked as a creative, I was always thinking in terms of campaigns how campaignable an idea is. So thats what this series was about for me. Plus, I reckon it gives me a legitimate excuse to go on holidays every couple of years. Besides current commercial campaigns for realestate.com.au and Old Melbourne Gaol, Hynes was recently named a finalist in the prestigious National Photographic Portrait Prize 2019. Hes also a self-confessed fan of free beer, stinky cheese and cold meats all of which will be in abundance at the exhibition opening. Creatives, photography nuts and travel enthusiasts are all welcome to attend. Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena said on Wednesday that he will implement death penalty for drug dealers within three months, ending a 42-year moratorium on capital punishment in the country. Sirisena said that execution of drug convicts is a necessity in view of the fast spreading drug menace in the island nation. I will implement the death penalty during the next 2-3 months, he said while addressing the parliament. Sri Lankas last hanging took place in June 1976. Since then successive presidents have refused to sign death warrants to hang convicts. Sirisena took the decision despite Sri Lanka becoming party to a UN moratorium on death penalty in 2016. He said that his decision which was expressed last year could not be carried out due to bureaucratic lethargy and the links between officials and drug mafias. The Pakistan Governments decision to abolish the Haj subsidy will save Rs 450 crore to national exchequer, the countrys Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Minister Noorul Haq Qadri has said. The decision to abolish the Haj subsidy was taken during a federal Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad recently, sparking a debate whether Islam allows a subsidised Haj or not. The previous (PML-N) government was paying Rs 42,000 subsidy on each pilgrim which put an additional burden of Rs 450 crore on national exchequer. Keeping the current financial situation of the country, the Federal Cabinet has decided to withdraw this subsidy, Qadri was quoted as saying by The News on Tuesday. This year 184,000 Pakistanis will perform Haj out of which 107,000 will go on Government quota whereas the remaining will perform the pilgrimage on private quota, the minister said. The Government has withdrawn Rs 450 crore financial assistance which it was paying as subsidy for the pilgrims. Major chunk of Hajs inflated price is due to rupee devaluation and Value Added Tax (VAT) imposed by the Saudi Government, he said. Pakistans Haj expenditure are still the lowest in the region if you count it in US dollar as India, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Indonesia are charging more in term of US dollars. My Ministry had proposed that the subsidy should not be abolished but the Federal Cabinet decided against it, the Minister said. Kenya is expecting 15 percent growth in tourist arrivals from India in 2019, mainly driven by various promotional activities, easy visa process and good connectivity. In 2018, 1.25 lakh Indian tourists travelled to Kenya making the country the 5th largest source market, Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) director of market development Jacinta Nzioka told PTI here. United States of America (USA) is the biggest tourism source market for Kenya with 2.25 lakh travellers, accounting for 11.12 percent market share, followed by Tanzania with 10.48 percent market share, she said. Uganda and UK are at the third and fourth positions recording 2.04 lakh and 1.84 lakh arrivals, respectively, she adding that China is on sixth position with 81,709 visitors to Kenya. Indians, she said, are among the highest spenders in Kenya as well compared to other countries. Further, she said that 66 percent travellers from India, who travel to Kenya, are from Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmadabad. Going forward, KTB is planning to focus on promoting Kenya as 'Bleisure' the combination of leisure and business tourism for an Indian travellers in big cities including these three, she added. Talking about visa process, she said, it has been made easier and have online applications facilities which takes 48 hours to be approved. Alternatively, a traveller can get also visa upon arrival at the airport, this is manual application, she added. Further, she said, KTB is collaboration with the local travel agents for affordable packages, conducting roadshows and facilitating support and access for Bollywood film makers into Kenya, she said. Also good connectivity which provides ease of aces to Kenya through the national carrier, Kenya Airways, that flies twice daily from Mumbai to Nairobi will also help enhance the tourist footfalls. Airline carriers such as Ethiopian Airlines, Etihad Airways, Emirates Airlines, Air Arabia, Qatar Airways further support this with indirect connectivity to multiple cities of India to Kenya, she added. The State Government on Thursday claimed that Jharkhands roads are in better shape meeting all the guidelines of road safety manual. State Rural Development Minister, Neelkanth Singh Munda, while replying to a query made by BJP legislator from Garhwa, Satyendra Nath Tiwari, said, Around 90 per cent of roads in State are in good conditions, meeting the safety manuals in construction process. Munda admitted that some roads might have faulty constructions, but majority are in good shape. Earlier, the BJP MLA in question hour raised the issue that safety manuals have not been followed in construction of major roads including national highways. These roads have numerous and haphazardly constructed culverts, bridges and diversions. These culverts, bridges and diversions have not been constructed as per civil engineering manuals. Tiwari said, Faulty constructions of diversions leads to death of more than thousands of people in past few years in road accidents. Worse, many a times the family members of road accidents victim do not get compensation. Even the State government does not have the figure of such road accident victims. Tiwari demanded the State Government to take strict action against the construction companies and engineers for constructing such roads. Munda said, Road construction department does not have the figure of number of deaths in road accidents, also the State Disaster Management provides compensation to victim of road accidents. The minister also claimed death figure as quoted by concerned MLA due to faulty constructions of diversion, culvert and bridges is not correct and if Tiwari has an example of such roads where civil engineering guidelines has not been followed the department will take up the case. Tiwari on ministers remark posed a challenge to him, he said, I am ready to quit my membership from house if the statement given by me is incorrect. He also stated that the Ranchi-Daltonganj national highway 75 is an example. I request the minister to visit NH 75 for reality check. Speaker intervening on the issue asked the minister to look into the grievances raised by concerned lawmaker. The issue of delay in allotments of houses by Jharkhand State Housing Board was also raised by Bokaro MLA, Biranchi Narayan in the question hour. The legislator raising the issue stated that the Jharkhand State Housing Board in 2011 issued an advertisement for construction of houses in Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad, Hazaribagh and Daltonganj followed by which houses were allotted to 209 applicants. Out of 209 applicants, 39 applicants had deposited 100 per cent of total money, while 116 applicants had deposited 50 per cent of total money. Later, in 2015 the Housing Board in its 40th governing board meeting cancelled the allotment of houses in Ranchi. The victims later approached Jharkhand High Court with their pleas later the court intervening on the issue quashed the housing board directive. Biranchi urged the concerned minister to provide allotment of houses to concerned beneficiaries. State Urban Development and Housing minister, CP Singh replying to the lawmaker said that by end of March this year, the beneficiaries will get the houses as allotted. Hitting out at regional parties for joining hands and forging an alliance agains the BJP, party president Amit Shah said that those parties had a proven record in corruption and hence they came together because of the fear of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Corrupt and casteist parties have formed an alliance. These parties have only regional presence and have joined hands in fear of Modiji. In 2019 elections, the BJP will get a thumping majority in UP, get 74 seats and Modi will become PM again," Shah told booth level in-charges during separate meetings in Bulandshahr and Aligarh on Wednesday. "When Sonia Gandhi left Congress presidency, you knew that Rahul Gandhi would take up that post. But can you say who will become the president of BJP after me ? This is the BJP which believes in democracy," Shah said while adding that a tea sellers son becoming PM is the true reflection of a democracy. Shah said, "In 1982, I was a booth worker pasting BJPs posters in Gujarat. The BJP has made a booth worker like me as the national president of the party. A tea sellers son became PM. This is possible only in the BJP. In contrast, there is a party which believs only in dynasty. Talking about Ram temple, the BJP chief said that the BJP wanted the temple at that same spot in Ayodhya and there should not be any confusion. "Now, Ram Janam Bhoomi Nyas has asked for return of 42 acres of land near the disputed site. Do Congress, SP, BSP want the temple at that site ? They should make their stand clear. As the Ram temple case comes up for hearing in Supreme Court, Congress leaders try to push it back. They tried to threaten the judges too," he alleged. Hitting out at the Congress president, Shah said that Rahul baba was asking the BJP to give its report card. "I want to ask what Congress did in its rule of over 50 years. Modijis govt gave toilets, gas connection, Mudra bank loans, houses, electricity to crores of people who did not have it and brought respect to the poor and women. But what did Congress do in the past 70 years," he asked. Shah said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has brought 129 schemes for the welfare of the people but the biggest work was to ensure security of the country. "For 10 years, it was Rahul Babas govt. The aunt and nephew (referring to BSPs Mayawati and SPs Akhilesh Yadav) supported them. Alia, Mallya, Jamalya and such people used to enter this country through Pakistan and explode bombs and there was nobody to stop them or eliminate them. In fact, nobody was concerned about catching them or acting against them. The Pakistanis had a habit of attacking us in Mouni Babas (referring to former PM Manmohan SIngh) time. One day, Pakistani terrorists killed 12 jawans in Uri. But this time it was not Mouni Babas govt. It was the government formed by the firm beliefs of Bulandshahrs jawans. Modiji ordered surgical strikes within 10 days. What happened everyone knows, he said. In Aligarh, Shah raised questions about Mamatas protest saying that money of poor people was embezzelled in the name of Sharada Chit Fund scam. "Many leaders were arrested but Mamata never sat on dharna. Now she is sitting on a dharna to save a police officer. How long can this go on? TMC workers are killing BJP workers, he said. The BJP chief said, "Mamata Banerjee has stopped Yogis helicopter. Why is Didi stopping BJP workers ? We would win 23 seats in West Bengal." Hitting out at the SP-BSP, Shah said ,"Bua -bhatija might come together and can also rope in Rahul Baba butthat will not stop the BJP from getting 74 seats in UP." On the occasion, the BJP chief also gave pep talk to booth in-charges saying that they were responsible for the partys victory. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and UP Lok Sabha in-charge and Union Health minister J P Nadda also addressed the workers. Congress President Rahul Gandhi will take a brief halt at Jagdalpur airport on Wednesday during his visit to Bhawanipatna in Odisha. Gandhi had called state leadership to discuss strategy for Lok Sabha polls at Jagdalpur. Bhawanipatna is most backward area under Kalahandi region of Odisha where he would address a Kisan Rally. As per party sources, the Congress president is arriving at district headquarters, Jagdalpur in a chartered plane. He would take a brief halt of about half an hour here. Senior party leaders including Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel will be present at Jagdalpur. Baghel will brief him on state of affairs in the state as well as the preparations being undertaken by the organizations regarding Lok Sabha elections slated by April/May. Later, Baghel along with Industry Minister Kawasi Lakhma will also accompany Gandhi to Bhawanipatna through a chopper of air force. The Congress leaders would try to convince the Odisha farmers that they too could be benefitted like the farmers in states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, if they vote for Congress in upcoming polls in Odisha. After Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath Yogi, former State Chief Minister and senior tribal leader Arjun Munda was denied permission to hold meeting by the Mamata Bannerjee Government in West Bengal. The three times former Chief Minister and member of the 15-member BJP election manifesto committee, Arjun Munda, who was scheduled to attend a rally at Bishnupur in Bankura district of Bengal, around 170 km from Jamshedpur at around 2 pm today, had to return from Bandwan in Purulia district after being informed around 11:15 am by party members about decision of the Bankura district administration. I was scheduled to go to Bishnupur to attend a rally and also hold meeting with BJP supporters and had crossed Katin in Patamda block (in East Singhbhum) district and reached Bandwan when party leaders phoned me up and informed about denial of permission by the district administration, said Munda, while addressing a press meet at Dimna here. Attacking the Bengal CM, Munda said that Bengal Government working style is a threat for democracy in the country and a desperate attempt to curb the rising popularity of the BJP in Bengal. It is only creating tension and fear amongst the people and the electorate would give a befitting reply in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls. It is really surprising that leaders of political parties are being denied the right to hold meeting and rallies during election time. It is unprecedented and can be termed as an attempt to demean democracy and the worst scenario witnessed anywhere in the country. I will definitely go at a later date and attend party members, said Munda. The BJP leader said that he would be sending a detailed report to the party high command. Munda has served as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand for the maximum time and is one of the stalwart leaders of the BJP. He had turned star campaigner for the candidates in fray for Chhattisgarh elections. In his own style, he talks to the voters in their local language. His reach has expanded. "He is not only famous in our State but people especially Bengali speaking community in neighbouring states like West Bengal also reveres him. He has turned into a star campaigner. He has devoted his time for campaigning for the party," said a close aide. JVM supremo Babulal Marandi has intensified his pre poll exercise here for the Chatra Lok Sabha seat. The former CM of Jharkhand is making extensive pre poll tours in Palamu and Latehar districts where he has so far addressed nearly a dozen public gatherings drawing huge support for the lady Neelam Devi who is nursing the Chatra Lok Sabha segment over the last four years. Neelam Devi is accompanying Marandi everywhere as a day before his arrival here in Palamu she embarked upon her tour in villages asking people to be electorally with Marandi by way of sitting and tea taking with them in Lesliganj, Panki etc places. Chatra LS seat has parts of Palamu like Lesliganj, Panki, Tarhassi, Manatu and Latehar and Chatra as well. Marandi who is in this region over the last three days addressing gathering of people last leg at Latehars Manika on Wednesday today told this correspondent in Betla today people are too fed up with this BJP Government and are just waiting for polling to take place to root out this BJP Government. The mood and the pulse of the people are against this Government he said. However, much this veteran leader labours hard for a unified opposition to BJP in the LS election the RJD is throwing spanner in the scheme of unified opposition fight to the BJP. And the Congress too is not any behind. RJD chief Annapurna Devi, who was here in Daltonganj on Tuesday told media persons that RJD stakes its claim for Chatra, Palamu and Koderma seats. Sources said if RJD sticks to its demand then it is surer to cause chink in the armour of oppositions united fight to BJP. Sources said JVM has a strong pitch in Chatra, Koderma and Godda but everywhere either RJD or the Congress is up like Congress batting for Furqan Ansari from Godda while Annapurna Devi going for Chatra and Koderma. RJD has parachuted one Subhash Yadav from Bihar for Chatra LS seat but the man is yet to increase his winnability there. A RJD leader begging for anonymity said this man who has come from Bihar has no idea of poll chemistry or poll mathematics here. On the other hand Neelam Devi is from Chandwa of Chatra LS segment. Speaking to the Pioneer in Betla Marandi said, I have asked my fellow senior politicians to see the candidates winning chances than the symbol that they carry with them. Candidates ability to magnetize votes should be the only criterion and not his face at all. Marandi expressing hope said his party is set to sail most smoothly in these three seats Chatra, Koderma and Godda. He reiterated there will emerge a consensus of opinion among all likeminded parties fighting BJPs misrule in the State. Jharkhand is all set to co-host the 20th edition of international theatre festival of India Bharat Rang Mahotsav from February 9. The seven day event will be organised in Ranchi at Aryabhatta Auditorium from 6:30 PM onwards. The cultural event is hosted annually by the nodal theatre training institution of India National School of Drama (NSD) at New Delhi to showcase the vibrancy of rich theatre culture. For the first time, besides New Delhi, the international theater extravaganza is being hosted at the five cities in India which includes Dibrugarh (Assam), Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Mysuru (Karnataka), Rajkot (Gujarat) and Ranchi (Jharkhand). The event inaugurated at New Delhi on February 1 will continue till February 21 while the event here in Ranchi will conclude on February 15, said Assistant Professor NSD, Amitesh Grover during the press meet on Tuesday. According to the organisers, as many as seven plays including two international theater shows from Bangladesh and Nepal will be performed in Ranchi. The plays will be organised in three languages Hindi, Bengali and Nepali. Also, theatre enthusiasts and students can engage in interactive sessions with renowned theatre personalities. The themes of the theatre performances are mostly mythological and historical correlating it with a few socially-relevant issues, added Grover. Being organised in association with the Department of Art, Culture and Youth Affairs, GoJ, the event will be inaugurated by Minister, Amar Kumar Bauri. The communique released by the organising agency suggests, On the premier day, Hindi play Mahabrahaman written by Premanand Gajvi will be showed followed by Nagin Tera Vansh Bade, Agnipariksha, Macbeth, Rakta Kalyan written by Girish Karnad, Three Sisters, Mayamridanga. Performances of the local theater artists from Jharkhand will be also showcased during the event depicting the rich inheritance of the tribal land. Related activities such as Directors Meet, Living Legends and Master Class will be conducted at the 20th edition of Bharat Rang Baro Mahotsav every evening. The event responds to the need to facilitate a critical reflection of traditional and folk theatre forms, as well as emboldening performing artists from various countries to bring their work to the Indian audiences. It is an interactive space - fertile for practitioners, academicians, directors and actors to exchange ideas and debate, generate new understandings, besides developing new proclivities, Grover further added. All the cases filed against the Chit Fund companies agents will be withdrawn. A special court or officer will look into matter to expedite it including as how to return back the money to investors. A decision to this effect was taken on Tuesday at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel at Mantralaya (Mahanadi Bhawan). Several other important decisions were also taken. Briefing the media after cabinet meeting, Agriculture and Water Resources minister Ravindra Choubey said, Cabinet has decided to withdraw all the cases filed against the Chit Fund companies' agents. The government will make arrangements to return the money of the local investors at the earliest. He said, Around 286 agents had been arrested, 263 challans had been filed against the agents in different courts of state while 424 cases had been instituted against the chit fund companies. There are around 199 known Chift Fund Companies operating in Chhattisgarh. Minister said, As per the estimates, an amount of Rs 11.5 million had been deposited by around 2.70 lakh investors in the Chit Fund Companies. So, cabinet held discussion over constituting Special Courts or Special officers to look into the matter expeditiously. | BY Ricki Green | Who doesnt love a good storyteller? The Producers sure do, so naturally theyre thrilled to welcome aboard director and filmmaker Lou Quill to their eclectic mix of talent. Quill has established herself as one Australias leading performance directors with an unending passion for crafting compelling stories. Quill is fascinated by finding the beauty in the world around her and utilises her natural curiosity to find and create authentic moments. Admired for the way she explores performance in a raw, visual style, Quill enjoys working with actors, real people, kids, athletes and cars. She has directed commercials for Suzuki, Toyota, CommBank and Hyundai among many others and has recently won a Silver Lion in 2018 for her work with JWT Sydney on the Virtual Equality project. Beyond TVCs Quill is an accomplished film and documentary maker. Her first film Blood, Sweat & Sequins, an hour length feature documentary, was on Netflix globally. It was also a rating hit on SBS, National Geographic, Fox & Stan. Her short film Zoe. about a little girl who thinks big, has been playing all over the international film festival circuit and garnering massive success. Victoria Conners from The Producers is a long time fan: Ever since seeing Blood, Sweat & Sequins Ive admired her work so am very excited to now be working with her. Weve already done a few projects together and she is not just a fantastic performance director but an absolute delight to work with. Get in touch with The Producers to see what Lou can bring to your next script. Delhi Customs have arrested a man for smuggling gold at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport. The man had concealed two bricks of hold weighing two-kilogram in a toilet at airport premises. According to Dr Amandeep Singh, Additional Commissioner of Customs, the accused was intercepted after his arrival from Dubai on Monday. The man was stopped by customs officials and on detailed enquiry of the passenger resulted in the recovery of two gold bars, total weighing two-kilogram, which he had kept inside the false wall behind the flush of the toilet, said Dr Singh. The gold, valued at Rs 66.45 lakh, has been seized and the passenger arrested under section 104 of Customs Act, said Dr Singh. When Mamata Bannerjee expressed great jubilation over the Supreme Court ruling over the CBI row, she was only pretending! The court never ruled in her favour. Rather, it made the law clear that no matter how big the public functionary one is, one has to cooperate with the premier probe agency in the interest of the ordinary citizens. It was well-known from the beginning that there shall be no arrest, only interrogation. But the rattled police commissioner acted in a manner to boost public suspicion beyond limits. The BJP-led Central administration too has no reason to rejoice. Amit Shah is yet to get a clean chit in the Godhra massacre allegations. All said and done, the Mamata-CBI standoff shows India in poor light. Just two days before the drama culminated, there was big news that Rajeev Kumar, the Kolkata top cop, had gone missing to avoid arrest. A clean-slate top cop would not fear any investigating agency. Mamata Bannerjee had no lawful right to agitate against the Union Government for having dispatched the CBI, even if with a vindictive purpose. The CBI team was held back from entering the top cops office and, eventually, picked by the local police to be tossed into a police station. The media ignored every other job to remain focused on Mamatas agitation. And the whole world was amused to sight the top cop sitting smugly beside Mamata. As usual, the Supreme Court was poked at the middle of the night to respond responsibly saying the matter would be taken up on the morrow. The ruling came quite on time and the top cop was asked to cooperate with the CBI at an outside location to ensure neutrality. Mamata seems to have felt relieved that her top cop was not arrested. She says victory of democracy which is only a cowardly act. The Union Government rightly responds saying the CBI stand has been vindicated. Evidently, Mamata had feared her top cop was in trouble and needed protection. But what she did is not a respectable step by any executive head. The Modi administration is certainly sliding down on the popularity chart, but the Mamata move has proved foolish and unacceptable. Blind support by several anti-BJP parties to Mamata clearly demonstrates rabidly lopsided hatred for Modi. The anti-Modi gang is committing grave blunders by being technically wrong. Mamata claims everyone opposed to the BJP is with her, including Naveen Patnaik. But very interestingly, Naveen, despite being critical of the Modi-Shah's condemnation of the Odisha regime, is maintaining a stoic silence over the Didi-Modi matter as he strongly believes in the rule of law. He is enemy to none and is not inclined to extend support to any outfit or person unless it is legally correct and publicly decent. Now that the Supreme Court has made its stand clear, Mamata seems to have lost though Modi cannot be considered a victor. As per law, if the CBI receives information or complaints concerning a particular case with enough evidence to indicate misconduct of a public servant but not enough to justify registration under Section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, a preliminary enquiry has to be initiated. Even in cases under orders of the Supreme Court and the High Courts, a preliminary enquiry is to be initiated only after receiving the consent of the head office. The CBI, headed by a director, operates under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. It investigates economic and special crimes, cases of corruption and other high-profile cases not solved impartially or efficiently by the State police. The CBI was formed as a Special Police Establishment in 1941 by the British-Indian Government to investigate bribery and corruption cases in the War and Supply Department' of India with headquarters in Lahore. The Superintendent of the SPE was Qurban Ali Khan and who migrated to Pakistan after Partition. The bureau came under the Home Department in 1946 and its scope was expanded to cover all departments of the Central Government. It can investigate State cases only if the State Governments desire or when courts order to do so. The DSPE acquired its popular name CBI on April 1, 1963. Apart from economic corruption cases, the CBI has long been hailed as the most efficient agency to investigate crimes including murder, kidnapping and terrorism. For this perception only, the Supreme Court and the High Courts began assigning cases to the CBI when aggrieved parties filed petitions by way of appeals. By 1987, the CBI was divided into Anti-Corruption Division, Special Crimes Division, Economic Offences Division, Policy and International Police Cooperation Division, Administration Division, Directorate of Prosecution Division, Central Forensic Science Laboratory Division. CBI founding director DP Kohli had held the office from April 1963 to May 1968. He had turned the CBI into a respectable agency, for which he received the Padma Bhushan in 1967. The CBIs legal powers are derived from the DSPE Act of 1946. CBI officers above the rank of sub-inspector may be considered officers in charge of police stations. The agency can initiate investigation only after receiving a notification from the Central Government. Maintaining law and order through police is a State subject' and the jurisdiction to investigate any crime in States lies exclusively with the Dtate police. The CBI being a Union agent may investigate: (a) offences of Central Government employees or concerning affairs of the Central Government and employees of central public-sector undertakings and public-sector banks; (b) cases involving financial interests of the Central Government; (c) breaches of Central laws enforceable by the Government of India; (d) major fraud or embezzlement; multi-state organised crime; (e) multi-agency or international cases. The incumbent CBI authorities have invariably demanded sufficient financial and administrative powers and a minimum three-year tenure to ensure real functional autonomy' particularly by the director. It appears fair that the CBI Director is vested with ex-officio powers of the Secretary to the Government of India, reporting directly to the Minister without having to go through the DoPT. Lately, some form of autonomy has been granted by the Supreme Court to the CBI when it held that CBI can prosecute senior bureaucrats without Central Government's permission. The court also held that Section 6A of DSPE Act is thoroughly unconstitutional as different laws cannot be made for different categories of officers as it violates Article 14 of the Constitution which guarantees equality before law for all citizens alike. A Constitution Bench comprising Chief Justice RM Lodha and Justices AK Patnaik, SJ Mukhopadhaya, Dipak Misra and Ibrahim Kalifulla, while allowing the petitions filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy and the Centre for Public Interest Litigation, held that Section 6A of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, which granted protection to joint secretary and above officers from facing even a preliminary inquiry by the CBI in corruption cases, was violative of Article 14. Coming back to the Modi-Didi battle of wits, Modi timed the CBI act wrong as the sleuths appeared on the scene just around the election times to confuse the public. The CBI has done the same in Odisha too as if it has woken out of slumber all on a sudden. Naveen Patnaik is plain cool over whatever is happening in Odisha or around the country because his stand has remained crystal clear. Any member of his party, irrespective of his standing, has to step down in case the taint of misdemeanour shows. He never comes in the way of the Ventral investigating agencies at all, rather facilitates the process as a perfectly law-abiding statesman. Hence, so many top politicians including elected representatives have been put in jail. The ones perceived to have brought infamy to the party or Government have been shown the door or discarded without delay. Mamata is not as courageous because she certainly belongs to a weaker genre of politicians. If only Didi had welcomed the CBI with grace and civility, she would have emerged a hero' among the anti-BJP outfits across the country. She has lost the opportunity. Naveen is much saner; smarter too! (The writer is a core member of Transparency International, Odisha) Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday took charge as AICC general secretary at the party headquarters amid celebration and sloganeering. Priyanka was appointed as general secretary and incharge of Uttar Pradesh east on January 23 by her brother and Congress chief Rahul Gandhi. Along with Priyanka, senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia took charge as the AICC general secretary incharge for Uttar Pradesh west. Both Priyanka and Scindia have been appointed with Rahuls resolve to strengthen the party in the crucial State of Uttar Pradesh, which has 80 Lok Sabha seats. AICC leaders said Priyanka is likely to begin her Uttar Pradesh tour from February 11. She may hold a road show in Lucknow and then address a meeting of UPCC office-bearers. Party workers engaged in UP election related activities exuded confidence that Priyanka would go to Prayagraj also to take a dip in the Sangam on the occasion of Kumbh Mela. She, along with Rahul, may also address a rally later this month. While she met several party workers particularly those hailing from the eastern region of UP, Priyanka had a nearly two-hour long meeting with Rahul and Scindia to chalk out the Congress UP game plan. Priyankas entry into active politics signals the Congress intention to go all out in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh. Eastern UP accounts for around 40 Lok Sabha seats. The region is a BJP stronghold that includes the Varanasi constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Gorakhpur, the home turf of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Priyankas office is adjacent to the room of her brother at the party headquarters at Akbar Road here. She will attend her first official meeting on Thursday. Rahul has convened the meeting of all general secretaries and incharges of various States to plan the strategy for the Lok Sabha elections. Soon after assuming the new charge at the Congress headquarters, Scindia performed a Ganesh pooja. He later met some party workers, including those from western Uttar Pradesh. Scindia shared a video of the prayer ceremony on Twitter and said, Took over as Congress general secretary after doing Ganesh pooja at the AICC office, with the resolve of strengthening the party in the State. Scindia (48), an MP from Guna in Madhya Pradesh, is already the partys chief whip in the Lok Sabha. He said the Congress has a good opportunity to make a comeback in Uttar Pradesh by winning a number of Lok Sabha seats to form a Government at the Centre. The scion of the erstwhile royal family of Gwalior, Scindia has been entrusted with the onerous task of strengthening the Congress in western Uttar Pradesh, where the party did not win any seat in the last Lok Sabha elections. His skills will be put to test in the Hindi heartland State in uniting the party cadres. One of the main contenders for the chief ministers post in Madhya Pradesh after the Assembly elections last year, he has settled for a Central role. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will discuss the entire range of bilateral strategic and defence issues with Germany and Sweden respectively during her four-day two-nation tour starting February 11. Incidentally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had paid an official visit to the two countries in April last year to hold high level discussions especially focussing on strategic and defence relations. During her visit to Sweden, the defence minister will explore possibilities of industries from there participating in the Make In India programme especially in the field of defence manufacturing. Swedens fighter jet Gripen is in the race for the 110-fighter jet proposed deal for the IAF costing more than ten billion dollars for which the global tender was floated last year, sources said here on Wednesday. Sitharaman will hold wide ranging discussions with her Swedish counterparts and is also likely to visit some state of the art defence industries there, they added. In her talks with German leaders, the Defence Minister will discuss issues like terrorism, possibility of exchanges between officers at the military level and strategic matters. Though India and Germany do not have much defence trade, the two sides may hold discussion about possible tie-up for manufacturing submarines as Germany three decades ago had helped India in manufacturing HDW submarines here. While the free world might have heaved a sigh of relief at the final acquittal of Aasia Bibi, she was just one example of continued victimisation by Pakistans blasphemy laws Bibi Aasia Noreen, the Pakistani Christian woman who was on death row for blasphemy, is finally out of the woods. The Supreme Court of Pakistan recently rejected the final appeal against her acquittal. But she might still have to relocate to the West, as living in Pakistan could prove perilous for her. India could have set an example by inviting her to live in this country. Imagine if Aasia Bibi were a Christian woman in India, working in an agricultural field alongside Hindu women. Consider a hypothetical scenario. Thirsty after working under the hot sun, she fetches a pail of water for fellow workers, but first drinks some herself from the metal mug lying beside the well. The other women, suddenly realising that she is a Christian, wonder whether Aasia Bibi had polluted their well and diluted their religion. And then, angered and hurt, Aasia Bibi reacts by telling some horrible things about Hindu deities as though she had been reading BR Ambedkars Riddles in Hinduism: The Annotated Critical Selection the previous night. What options would Hindu women have against Aasia Bibi? First, a cat-fight to teach her a lesson on the spot. Second, tell the owner of the land to dismiss her from services. Third, to complain to their respective husbands about the defilement. Fourth, to tell the priest about a local temple. Fifth, go to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) karyakartas. Sixth, to go to the law enforcing authorities like police and court. The third and fourth options would have been treated as nothing more than gossip-mongering. Also, since Aasia Bibi is not a Bible-thumping Christian missionary, there would be little to excite the RSS and VHP karyakartas. The fifth option of approaching the law enforcing authorities would be positively dangerous for them as they would be hauled up under Section 3 of the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955, to enforce religious disabilities (denying access to water sources). Thus, rather than doing any harm to Aasia Bibi, they themselves would have ended up in prison for up to six months besides depositing a penalty. But on June 14, 2009, Aasia Bibi was unfortunately in an alternate universe called Pakistan. She was arrested on charges of making derogatory remarks about Prophet Mohammed, based on the evidence of Mafia Bibi and Asma Bibi. Qari Mohammed Salam, a local cleric, filed a case of blasphemy with the police, based on hearsay. The case spiralled in importance with a local court awarding death sentence to Aasia Bibi for denigrating Prophet Mohammed in 2010, and later a Lahore court upholding its judgement in 2016. The Pakistan Penal Code has several controversial sections (and sub sections thereof) ranging from 295 to 298-C under offences related to religion, commonly called blasphemy laws that are discriminatory against non-Muslims. The most dangerous of them are 295-C (use of derogatory remarks with respect to Prophet Mohammed) and 295-B (defiling the Holy Quran) which carry a punishment of mandatory death sentence and life imprisonment respectively. Some of these deadly provisions were inserted in Pakistans Penal Code not when the Islamic Republic was founded but in the 1980s, when the rest of the world was seized with the idea of progress. Pakistan had inherited some blasphemy laws from the British period but those were religion-neutral. Their basic purpose was not to defend religious principles but maintain communal peace. In three decades between 1947 and 1977, there were only 10 reported court judgements in Pakistan pertaining to offences against religion. The complaints were made mostly by Muslims against other Muslims, by non-Muslims against Muslims. No case was registered by a Muslim against non-Muslims for committing an act of blasphemy against Prophet Mohammed or defiling the Quran. But all these was about to change soon. In 1974, when Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was the Prime Minister, the first amendment in the Constitution of Pakistan, 1973, was carried out to exclude the Ahmediyas from the legal definition of being a Muslim. The language of the amendment had a theological overtone incompatible with modern constitutions. It says that a person, who does not believe in the absolute and unqualified finality of the prophethood of the Mohammed, is not a Muslim for the purpose of the Constitution or law. In 1977, General Zia-ul Haq came to power through a coup detat. The ensuing 11 years saw increased Islamisation of Pakistan in various spheres. These included insertion of five provisions relating to blasphemy in the Pakistan Penal Code between 1980 and 1986. Close to 1,500 people have been charged under those sections till date though none were actually hanged. A Federal Shariat Court (FSC) was established in 1980, with the power to examine and decide the question whether any law or provision of law is repugnant to the injunctions of Islam. The FSCs decisions are binding upon the Government unless the latter successfully appeals to the Shariat bench of the Supreme Court. When Section 295-C was introduced in 1986, it had a provision of life imprisonment as an alternative to capital punishment. But in 1990, the FSC recommended the removal of alternative provision of life imprisonment. Since the Pakistan Government did not appeal against this recommendation in the Supreme Court by the deadline of April 30, 1991, the capital punishment without an alternative attained finality. A judgement of Peshawar High Court in 2006 expressed serious concern that whenever a person was charged with such an offence, the media gave extensive coverage and the accused person was abused by the society/people at large. Even under Islamic injunctions, the court added, it is for the Qazi alone to decide the guilt or innocence of the accused and none could be allowed to forejudge and condemn any person accused of such offence without facing proper and fair trial. Right to fair trial is what the Supreme Court based its case upon in its judgements (dated October 7, 2015, and January, 28, 2019). But unfortunately, the court could not discard or challenge the atrocious rubric of blasphemy laws. This means there will be no end to this madness in Pakistan. The courts could not counteract blasphemy because they know it is an integral part of Islam. Its misuse though has been possibly as old as its application itself. Nicholas Mannucci (1638-1717), the Italian adventurer to India, relates in his Storia do Mogor how a rich Jew in Aleppo (Syria) outwitted a Muslim Governor, who wanted to deprive him of his wealth, life and religion by abetting blasphemy in the 16th century. The Governor asked the Jew, who was the greatest Prophet among Moses, Christ and Mohammed? Had the Jew said Mohammed, he would be asked to accept Islam. Had he mentioned the others, it would be considered a blasphemy and he would be put to death. The Jew, however, proved cleverer than expected. He narrated a story of how a rich man had a precious stone, which each of his three sons wanted to inherit on his death. So he got two exact replicas made from the lapidaire; and gave away those to each son so that one had the original and the other two had replicas. But he told each to keep it a secret that he had given him the original and the false one to others. But only the father knew who got the original. So God gave three Prophetic religions viz Judaism, Christianity and Islam to three races. While each thinks his religion is true, God alone knows the truth. The Muslim governor conceded defeat in his mission and even rewarded the Jew. (The writer is author of recently published book, The Microphone Men: How Orators created a Modern India. Views expressed are his personal) Japanese car giant Toyota on Wednesday slashed its full-year net profit forecast after profits tumbled nearly 30 percent in the first nine months. The maker of the Camry sedan and Prius hybrid now expects annual net profit of 1.87 trillion yen ($17 billion) instead of 2.3 trillion yen it projected three months ago. The new forecast represents a 25-percent plunge from the last year. Its net profit for the nine months to December came to 1.42 trillion yen, down 29.3 percent from the same period the previous year. Operating profit rose 9.5 percent to 1.94 trillion yen on sales of 22.5 trillion yen, an increase of 3.1 percent. Fellow Japanese automaker Honda last week logged a net-profit fall of 34.5 percent for the nine months to December but revised up its full-year forecasts thanks to strong motorcycle sales. Nissan is to announce results next week, the first since its former chief executive Carlos Ghosn was arrested on November 19 for financial misconduct. Theresa May faced competing demands to both purge and protect the controversial border backstop as she met Northern Irelands political leaders. The Prime Minister held talks with the five main Stormont parties in Belfast on Wednesday as she continued efforts to salvage her troubled Brexit deal. The backstop provision of the Withdrawal Agreement would see the UK tied to a customs union and Northern Ireland additionally bound to some single market regulatory rules if a wider trade deal fails to materialise by the end of the Brexit transition period. The Democratic Unionists and Ulster Unionists are vociferously opposed to the mechanism, insisting it would create an economic border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. Sinn Fein, the SDLP and the Alliance Party all Remain advocates argue the backstop is the only way to maintain a free-flowing Irish border post-Brexit. DUP leader Arlene Foster, whose 10 MPs prop up the Conservative Government at Westminster, led her partys delegation for the meeting with Mrs May at Stormont House. She again insisted the backstop was the main problem. Arlene Foster leaves Stormont (Brian Lawless/PA We want a deal which respects the Union and the referendum result, Mrs Foster said. Our message was very simple. The draft Withdrawal Agreement is flawed because the backstop would undermine the economic and constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom. It is welcome that the Prime Minister is travelling to Brussels to seek changes but she must stand strong and by the commitments she made to the House of Commons. We want a deal. One that works for us as well as our neighbours in the Republic of Ireland. But we must face reality. There is no agreement unless it is able to command the necessary support in Parliament. Mrs May heard a different message from Sinn Fein. Party president Mary Lou McDonald said the backstop remained the bottom line. Ireland will not be the collateral damage of the Tory Brexit @MaryLouMcDonald tells media after meeting with Theresa May pic.twitter.com/9LxE97Keyh Sinn Fein (@sinnfeinireland) February 6, 2019 That has consistently been our position, that is the position of everybody across Irish public and political life, with the exception of the DUP, she said. Mrs McDonald accused Mrs May of coming to Belfast with no plan, no credibility and no honour. We have told her that the British strategy of running down the clock and playing a game of chicken with Ireland and Irish interests is profoundly unacceptable and wrong, she said. We have told her that the days of Britain dictating to Ireland or Irish people, that those days are over and will not return. We have told her that the backstop is the bottom line, the bare minimum requirements to meet Irish interests, to protect the Good Friday Agreement, to prevent a hardening of the border, to in some way mitigate citizens rights. (PA Graphics) We have told her that pandering again to the DUP is wrong on every level and we have reminded her that the DUP do not represent the views of the people of the north of island, or indeed the island as a whole. Last week, MPs backed an amendment that advocated the negotiation of alternative arrangements to replace the backstop. On Tuesday, on the first day of her two-day visit to Belfast, Mrs May suggested she would be seeking to change the backstop perhaps with the insertion of a time limit rather than ditching it completely. SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said Mrs May needed to understand there was no alternative to the backstop. SDLP Leader @columeastwood made it very clear to the PM that Northern Ireland must stay in the Single Market and Customs Union to avoid a hard border. pic.twitter.com/4NWzRt6eOF Social Democratic and Labour Party (@SDLPlive) February 6, 2019 Last weeks vote the Brady amendment was a betrayal of everything that was said before that, of the people of Northern Ireland and of all the political progress that we have made, he said. It just doesnt add up. The last time Theresa May was here she was expounding the values of the backstop and now we are in a situation where apparently the alternatives to the backstop are being explored. We made it very clear that there are no alternatives to the backstop. The bottom line is this for the people of Northern Ireland, for our peace process, for all of our political progress, we need to remain within the customs union and single market in order to avoid a hard border. I think that will begin to be understood at all levels in the British Parliament because they dont have an alternative. They talk about vague alternatives but there arent any alternatives. The meetings at Stormont came amid the ongoing powersharing crisis at Stormont. The region has been without a properly functioning devolved government for two years. Senior civil servants are running public services, with the Westminster Government reluctant to introduce direct rule. UUP leader Robin Swann, who is also opposed to the terms of the backstop, said Mrs May must impose Westminster rule if there is a Brexit no deal. Prime Minister must stand up and defend the constitutional and economic integrity of the United Kingdom - Swann The Ulster Unionist Party Leader, Robin Swann MLA, has called on the Prime Minister to deliver on her... https://t.co/sUlEZ3889r Robin Swann MLA : #StopCovidNI (@RobinSwannMoH) February 6, 2019 She has to put direct rule in place come 30 March because Northern Ireland needs political leadership and it needs political direction, he said. Mr Swann claimed Mrs May appeared reluctant to talk about efforts to restore powersharing. The conversation we were having with the Prime Minister was initially about Brexit, we had to drag her to a place where we actually started to talk about how we get these institutions back up and running, he said. Alliance Party leader Naomi Long expressed her impatience at what she termed a lack of progress in the two years since the UK voted to leave the European Union. .@donaldtusk didn't show contempt for voters but for the reckless politicians who sold Brexit without any plan to deliver it. It's they who show contempt for the electorate with dark money, lies on the side of buses, barely concealed xenophobia & lack of any substantive answers. https://t.co/zprpdbhiUT Naomi Long MLA (@naomi_long) February 6, 2019 Its very clear from our perspective that the time for reiterating red lines and regurgitating reassurances has long gone, she said. What we need now, and the only lines we are interested in, are black and white on paper, an actual deal. That is the only thing that is actually going to reassure the public, it is the only thing that is going to reassure business, and it is the only thing that is going to reassure those of us in politics who are concerned about what is going to happen next. This is not about political philosophy, this is about people who live in Donegal and work in Derry, this is about people who live in Newry and work in Dundalk. This is about people being able to do their jobs, its about workforce planning in our health service, in our schools, its about all of those things. Its not about philosophical debates in Parliament. VATICAN CITY (AP) - The Vatican on Wednesday clarified comments by Pope Francis about a case of what he called "sexual slavery" within a French congregation of nuns, saying he was referring to an abuse of power that was reflected in instances of sexual abuse. Francis cited the case when responding to a question about the sexual abuse of nuns by clergy during a press conference Tuesday returning home from the United Arab Emirates. It was the pope's first-ever public acknowledgment of the problem of priests and bishops sexually abusing nuns. He stressed that the Vatican had been confronting the issue for some time and vowed to do more. Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti said Wednesday Francis "spoke of 'sexual slavery' to mean 'manipulation' or a type of abuse of power that is reflected in a sexual abuse." The Community of St. Jean admitted in 2013 that its late founder had behaved "in ways that went against chastity" with women in the order, according to the French Catholic newspaper La Croix. The Vatican under Pope Benedict XVI ultimately dissolved an offshoot of the congregation. The issue has come to the fore amid the Catholic Church's overall reckoning with the sexual abuse of minors and the #MeToo-inspired acknowledgement that adults can be victims of abuse whenever there is an imbalance of power in a relationship. In the past year, The Associated Press and other media have reported on cases of abused nuns in India , Africa, Europe and South America - evidence that the problem is by no means limited to a certain geographic area. In November, the organization representing all the world's female Catholic religious orders, the International Union of Superiors General, publicly denounced the "culture of silence and secrecy" that prevented nuns from speaking out and urged sisters to report abuse to their superiors and police. And just last week, the women's magazine of the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano identified the clerical culture of the all-powerful clergy as the culprit. Pope Francis delivers his message in the Paul VI hall on the occasion of his weekly general audience at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) The magazine, "Women Church World," noted that the scandal involves a corollary: nuns being forced to abort the priests' children or bear children that the priests refuse to recognize. Francis' acknowledgement of the problem comes as he prepares to decide the fate of the disgraced American ex-cardinal, Theodore McCarrick, who is accused of abusing minors as well as adult seminarians. Pope Francis arrives in the Paul VI hall on the occasion of his weekly general audience at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) Pope Francis smiles as he arrives in the Paul VI hall on the occasion of his weekly general audience at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - The halls of the former prison in the heart of Iran's capital now are hushed, befitting the sounds of the museum that it has become. Wax mannequins silently portray the horrific acts of torture that once were carried out within its walls. But the surviving inmates still remember the screams. Exhibits in the former Anti-Sabotage Joint Committee Prison that was run under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi include a frightened man trapped in a small metal cage as a cigarette-smoking interrogator shouts above him. In a circular courtyard, a snarling interrogator is depicted forcing a prisoner's head under water while another inmate above hangs from his wrists. As Iran this month marks the 40th anniversary of its Islamic Revolution and the overthrow of the shah, the surviving inmates who suffered torture at the hands of the country's police and dreaded SAVAK intelligence service still bear both visible and hidden scars. Even today, United Nations investigators and rights group say Iran tortures and arbitrarily detains prisoners. "We are far from where we must be as far as the justice is concerned," said Ahmad Sheikhi, a 63-year-old former revolutionary once tortured at the prison. "Justice has yet to be spread in the society, and we are definitely very far from the sacred goals of the martyrs and their imam," Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. In this Jan. 7, 2019 photo, an Iranian looks at an exhibition at a former prison run by the pre-revolution intelligence service, Savak, now a museum, where wax mannequins of interrogators and a prisoner are displayed, in downtown Tehran, Iran. As Iran marks the 40th anniversary of its Islamic Revolution and the overthrow of the shah, those who suffered torture at the hands of the police and dreaded SAVAK intelligence service still bear the scars. U.N. investigators and rights group say that even today, Iran tortures and arbitrarily detains prisoners. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) The SAVAK, a Farsi acronym for the Organization of Intelligence and Security of the Nation, was formed in 1957. The agency, created with the help of the CIA and Israel's Mossad, initially targeted communists and leftists in the wake of the 1953 CIA-backed coup that overthrew elected Prime Minister Mohammed Mosaddegh. Over time, however, its scope was widened drastically. Torture became widespread, as shown in the museum's exhibits. Interrogators all wear ties, a nod to their Western connections. Portraits of the shah, Queen Farah and his son, Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, who now lives in exile in the U.S., hang above one torture scene. "Following the coup, the shah's regime sank into a legitimacy crisis and it failed to get rid of the crisis until the end of its life," said Hashem Aghajari, who teaches history at Tehran's Tarbiat Modares University. "The coup mobilized all progressive political forces against the regime." Sheikhi walked with Associated Press journalists through the prison that once held him, built in the 1930s by German engineers. Black-and-white photographs of its 8,500 prisoners from over the years line the walls. They include current Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the late President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Sheikhi, then 19, spent about three months in the prison and 11 months in another after being detained for distributing anti-shah statements from Khomeini, then in exile. "Four times I was tortured in two consecutive days, every time about 10 minutes," he recounted. "They used electric cables and wires for flogging my (feet) while I was blindfolded. The first hit was very effective; you felt your heart and brain were exploding." Even more frightening was the torture device interrogators and prisoners referred to as the Apollo, named after the U.S. lunar program. Those tortured sat in a chair and had a metal bucket strapped over their head, like a space helmet, that intensified their screams. "They put my fingers and toes between the jaws of the vises firmly, whipped the soles of my feet with cables and put a metal bucket over head," Sheikhi said. "My own cries would twirl around inside the bucket and made me delirious and gave me headaches. They would hit the bucket with those cables as well." Ezzat Shahi, another former prisoner who planted bombs targeting state buildings, recounted having pins hammered under his nails that would be heated by candles. "Hanging from the wrists while your hands were handcuffed crossed behind was the most intolerable torture," Shahi said. The horror of the torture shocked 20-year-old museumgoer Ameneh Khavari. "I did not know that the torture might have been this agonizing, such as with the metal cage torture device," she said. "I had known that there was torture then from movies about the pre-revolution times, but would not have imagined that they looked like this." As the revolution took hold, protesters overran the prison. Then Iran's Islamic government began using it as a prison as well, calling it Tohid. Human Rights Watch has accused Iran of using both Tohid and Evin prisons for detaining political prisoners. Tohid, then run by Iran's Intelligence Ministry, closed in 2000 under reformist President Mohammad Khatami after lawmakers sought to close prisons not under the control of the judiciary. Today, Iran's government faces widespread international criticism from the U.N. and others over its detention of activists and those with ties to the West. "Iranian authorities use vaguely worded and overly broad national security-related charges to criminalize peaceful or legitimate activities in defense of human rights," according to a report released in March 2018 by the office of the U.N.'s special rapporteur on human rights in Iran. Iran has criticized the U.N.'s creation of the special rapporteur's position and called its findings "psychological and propagandist pressures." A series of Westerners, including Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian, were held at Evin Prison. Rezaian is suing Iran in U.S. federal court over his detention, alleging he faced such "physical mistreatment and severe psychological abuse in Evin Prison that he will never be the same." Since the revolution, several former prisons from the shah's time have closed, becoming museums and shopping malls, although new ones were built. A former mayor of Tehran even planned to make Evin Prison a park at one point. Funding never came through, however, and the site remains a prison today. ___ Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press television producer Mohammad Nasiri contributed. In this Monday, Jan. 7, 2019 photo, women look at an exhibition at a former prison run by the pre-revolution intelligence service, SAVAK, now a museum, where a wax mannequin of a tortured female prisoner is on display, in downtown Tehran, Iran. As Iran marks the 40th anniversary of its Islamic Revolution and the overthrow of the shah, those who suffered torture at the hands of the police and dreaded SAVAK still bear the scars. U.N. investigators and rights group say that even today, Iran tortures and arbitrarily detains prisoners. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) In this Monday, Jan. 7, 2019 photo, a Iranian Revolutionary Guard soldier looks at an exhibition at a former prison run by the pre-revolution intelligence service, SAVAK, now a museum, where a wax mannequin of a snarling interrogator is depicted forcing a prisoner's head under water, in downtown Tehran, Iran. As Iran marks the 40th anniversary of its Islamic Revolution and the overthrow of the shah, those who suffered torture at the hands of the police and dreaded SAVAK still bear the scars. U.N. investigators and rights group say that even today, Iran tortures and arbitrarily detains prisoners. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) In this Jan. 7, 2019 photo, Iranian schoolboys look at an exhibition at a former prison run by the pre-revolution intelligence service, SAVAK, now a museum, where a wax mannequin of a prisoner is tied to a bed, in downtown Tehran, Iran. As Iran marks the 40th anniversary of its Islamic Revolution and the overthrow of the shah, those who suffered torture at the hands of the police and dreaded SAVAK still bear the scars. U.N. investigators and rights group say that even today, Iran tortures and arbitrarily detains prisoners. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) In this Monday, Jan. 7, 2019 photo, mug shots of former prisoners hang on the wall at a former prison run by the pre-revolution intelligence service, Savak, now a museum, in downtown Tehran, Iran. Wax mannequins silently portray the horrific acts of torture that once were carried out within its walls. As Iran marks the 40th anniversary of its Islamic Revolution and the overthrow of the shah, those who suffered torture at the hands of the police and dreaded SAVAK intelligence service still bear the scars. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) In this Monday, Jan. 7, 2019 photo, women look at an exhibition at a former prison run by the pre-revolution intelligence service, SAVAK, now a museum, where a wax mannequin of a tortured female prisoner is on display, in downtown Tehran, Iran. As Iran marks the 40th anniversary of its Islamic Revolution and the overthrow of the shah, those who suffered torture at the hands of the police and dreaded SAVAK still bear the scars. U.N. investigators and rights group say that even today, Iran tortures and arbitrarily detains prisoners. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) - A Chinese student has been sentenced to a year in federal prison after pleading guilty to illegally taking photos of a U.S. military installation in the Florida Keys. A federal judge imposed the sentence Tuesday on 20-year-old Zhao Qianli. Authorities say he took photos in September of sensitive areas of the Key West Naval Air Station after walking around a fence into a well-marked restricted zone. Zhao's attorney insisted he was merely a tourist who got lost and wandered onto the base. But investigators say he had only base photos on his cellphone and camera, and none of familiar tourist locations in Key West. Zhao was in the U.S. to study musicology as part of a summer exchange program from North University of China. | BY Ricki Green | New York Festivals Advertising Awards has announced the first 19 members of the elite 2019 NYF Executive Jury. Aussie expat Matt Eastwood, global chief creative officer at McCann Health USA has been selected as executive jury president and Ben Welsh, chief creative offficer at DDB Sydney will represent Australia on the jury. These prominent chief creative officers and executive creative directors from the worlds foremost advertising agencies will gather together for five days of passionate and focused deliberations taking place in New York City April 29th May 3rd to select the Worlds Best Advertising. For the 9th consecutive year, entries into New York Festivals Advertising Awards will be judged by 22+ of some of the most awarded creative leaders from around the globe. The executive jury will review the finalist entries selected by the online NYF Grand Jury. Says Susan Glass Tuse, executive director, New York Festivals Advertising Awards: Were thrilled to bring together an international jury of this caliber. Their stellar reputations and commitment to creative work set the benchmark for innovation and excellence. This years award-winning panel will bring their unique perspectives to the jury room, ensuring that all entries are reviewed with the utmost attention and based on an international view of industry standards and trends. To date the 2019 executive jury includes: Executive Jury President Matt Eastwood, Global Chief Creative Officer, McCann Health, USA Cristiana Boccassini, Chief Creative Officer, Publicis Italy, Italy Nathalie Brown, VP, Executive Creative Director, VMLY&R, USA Lulo Calio, Chief Creative Officer, FCB&FiRe, Argentina Paul Chan, Chief Creative Officer, Cheil Hong Kong, Hong Kong Catalin Dobre, CEE Creative Director/Chief Creative Director, McCann Bucharest, Romania Icaro Doria, Chief Creative Officer, Arnold Worldwide, USA Chris Garbutt, Global Chief Creative Officer, TBWA/Worldwide, USA Magnus Jakobsson, Executive Creative Director, Akestam Holst NoA, Sweden Jung A Kim, Executive Creative Director, Innocean Worldwide, South Korea Fran Luckin, Chief Creative Officer, Grey Africa, South Africa Andres Ordonez, Chief Creative Officer, Energy BBDO, USA Erh Ray, Founder/Chief Executive Officer, Havas/BETC, Brazil Ruchi Sharma, Former Creative Chairperson, BBDO Lanka, Executive Creative Advisor, Splendor, Sri Lanka Jason Schragger, Chief Creative Officer, Saatchi & Saatchi, USA Chaka Sobhani, Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett London, United Kingdom Matthias Spaetgens, Partner/Chief Creative Officer, Scholz & Friends, Germany Dorte Spengler-Ahrens, Chief Creative Officer, Jung von Matt/SAGA, Germany Ben Welsh, Chief Creative Officer, DDB Sydney, Australia Fadi Yaish, Founder & Chief Creative Officer, NYFAand us, UAE Additional executive jury members will be announced in the coming weeks. Entries into the 2019 NYF Advertising Awards competition will be judged by 400+ members of NYFs executive jury and grand jury, a combined brain trust of global creative minds, who collectively cast over 400,000 votes to select the worlds best advertising. Making sure that people who are infected with HIV take antiretroviral medications is a major factor in eliminating the virus's spread US President Donald Trump's call for an all-hands-on-deck push to end the AIDS epidemic focuses on trouble areas and vulnerable populations as progress against HIV has stalled, officials said on Wednesday. Although no dollar figure has been announced yet, details began to emerge of the plan touted by Trump in his State of the Union address the previous night. "My budget will ask Democrats and Republicans to make the needed commitment to eliminate the HIV epidemic in the United States within 10 years," Trump said. "Together, we will defeat AIDS in America and beyond." The plan aims to reduce the number of new infections by 75 percent in five years, and by 90 percent in 10 years. Currently, about 40,000 new infections of HIV occur in the United States annually, according to Health and Human Services assistant secretary Brett Giroir. A total of 700,000 lives have been lost to AIDS in America since 1981, he told reporters on a conference call with experts from leading government health agencies. "Recent data has shown that our progress in reducing the numbers has plateaued," said Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Reducing new infections by 90 percent would bring the United States in line with global goals, including a program run by UNAIDS, to end the HIV epidemic. France also has proclaimed its aim of wiping out the epidemic by 2030. - A concentrated focus - The plan targets geographic areas including Miami, pictured, where HIV cases are concentrated What's new in Trump's announcement is a concentrated focus involving all the relevant government agencies, according to Anthony Fauci, a longtime leader in HIV research and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. "You can theoretically end the epidemic as we know it, and that is our goal," Fauci told reporters. "The question is implementing it." The plan involves targeting geographic areas where HIV cases are concentrated, including 48 of the US's 3,000 counties and areas like Miami, Florida; San Juan, Puerto Rico; the US capital, Washington; Atlanta, Georgia and certain rural areas in the south and midwest. Communities particularly at risk include African-American and Latino men who have sex with men, transgender people and women of color, said Redfield, who added he was "shocked" to see, on a map, how "very geographically focused" the epidemic is. Reckoning with that very issue is how the new plan differs, according to Fauci. "What is new about this is the laser focus of multi-agencies synergizing together on those areas. This is something that has not been done before," he said. - Getting treatment - Another major factor in eliminating the spread of HIV is making sure people who are infected are taking antiretroviral medications, which vastly reduces the likelihood of spreading the virus, a concept known as "treatment as prevention." Also, there is PrEP, medication someone who is not infected with HIV takes daily in order to prevent an infection that could be acquired from an infected partner. Better diagnosis is needed, too, since one quarter or more of people with HIV do not know it. "I believe it is possible, if we work together to do it," said Redfield. - Money talks - A woman gets her blood drawn in Los Angeles for HIV/AIDS and STD testing, as about 40,000 new HIV infections occur in the United States every year But cash is key, and just how much will be allocated in the 2020 budget remains to be seen. Giroir said the budget request is "substantial" and "there will be significant new resources." More than 20 patient advocacy groups, including AIDS United, called on Trump to honor the pledge, saying in a statement they were "cautiously encouraged." "However, this goal is achievable only with hard work and the appropriate investment of resources," they added. "We stand ready to work with him and his administration if they are serious. But to date, this administration's actions speak louder than words and have moved us in the wrong direction." In all, the US president devoted just five sentences to the issue in his hour-and-a-half-long speech. But according to Giroir, managing even that much was a big deal for the public health community and those affected by HIV. "Getting five lines in the State of the Union is a Herculean task," he said. Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated in 1948 by a Hindu fanatic angered in part by the partition of India after independence A right-wing Indian woman who shot an effigy of independence hero Mahatma Gandhi with an air pistol to mark his assassination some seven decades ago has been arrested, police said Wednesday. Pooja Shakun Pandey was filmed shooting the effigy at an event by a far-right Hindu group on Friday -- the 71st anniversary of Gandhi's death. The video sparked anger after going viral online. Gandhi was assassinated on January 30, 1948 by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu fanatic angered by what he saw as Gandhi's pandering to Muslims and by the partition of India after independence. Some present chanted Godse's name and people took turns firing at the effigy, which had a balloon inside that burst with red liquid resembling blood. It was then set on fire. The event took place in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh and was organised by right-wing group Hindu Mahasabha, the same organisation to which Gandhi's killer was linked. Pandey -- a senior figure in the group and a former lecturer -- was arrested on Tuesday on charges of stoking violence and rioting, a local police officer told AFP. She was taken before a court and a judge remanded her in custody, the officer said. Thirteen others from Hindu Mahasabha involved in the recreation of the killing, including her husband, have either been arrested or are on the run. The organisation observes the anniversary of Gandhi's assassination as "Bravery Day" and organises public events to glorify Godse, who was hanged with a co-conspirator in 1949. Gandhi's death led to nationwide outrage against the far-right group, pushing it to the fringes of Indian politics for many decades. But the election of Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014 has emboldened the organisation to celebrate Godse's ideology. Former Israeli army chief of staff Benny Gantz delivers his first electoral speech in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv on January 29, 2019 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's main rival in an April election has raised the possibility of pulling back from the occupied West Bank, in remarks published Wednesday that drew right-wing criticism but were welcomed by the Palestinians. Benny Gantz, the former armed forces chief of staff, spoke positively of Israel's pullout from the Gaza Strip in 2005, in his first interview since launching his election campaign last week. The Gaza withdrawal had been "approved by the Israeli government and implemented by the army and settlers in a painful but good way", he told the Yediot Aharonot newspaper. "(One should) learn from it and apply it to other places," he said. Gantz did not explicitly mention the West Bank in his remarks and refrained from outlining conditions for any pullback from the Palestinian territory. The 59-year-old launched his campaign on January 29 in a speech promising a conservative diplomatic and security policy. He pledged to keep the strategic Jordan Valley area of the occupied West Bank under Israeli rule, along with the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights and east Jerusalem. Although he did not say so in the interview, Gantz could support a withdrawal from wildcat outposts that are not approved by the Israeli authorities. All Israeli settlements are considered illegal under international law but Israel draws a distinction between those it sanctions and those it does not. Successive peace plans proposed by Israel in the past provided for a partial withdrawal from the West Bank and the maintenance of major settlement blocs in return for offering the Palestinians territory in the Negev desert between Gaza and the southern West Bank. Gantz's Israel Resilience party, which was formed in December, is expected to win between 21 and 24 seats in the 120-member parliament in the April 9 election, according to the latest opinion polls. That would put it second only to Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party. In a statement, Gantz's party said that, unlike the 2005 Gaza withdrawal, the former armed forces chief did not foresee any unilateral pullout from West Bank settlements. - 'Encouraging' - Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's spokesman welcomed Gantz's comments. "It is encouraging if he succeeds and he sticks to this opinion," Nabil Abu Rudeinah told journalists in Ramallah. But he said they needed more details about Gantz's policies. "We don't know him yet, we heard about him. As President Abbas keeps saying all that we need is an Israeli government who believes in peace." Gantz's comments drew criticism from right-wing Israeli parties. "We told you Benny Gantz would form a leftist government with the help of" MPs of the Arab-led Joint List who hold 13 seats in parliament, a Likud spokesman said. His remarks were also attacked by Education Minister Naftali Bennett, who heads a newly founded ultra-nationalist formation that favours the partial annexation of the West Bank. "Gantz has thrown off the mask and overtaken Avi Gabbay (of the centre-left Labour party)... and wants to expel Jews from their homes through a unilateral withdrawal from Judea and Samaria (the West Bank)," Bennett said. Since founding his party, Gantz has emerged as the most serious challenger to Netanyahu, who has been prime minister since 2009 as well as between 1996-1999. The US Senate has passed a measure that aims to combat the global BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) movement denouncing Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories The US Senate passed a controversial measure Tuesday designed to shield Israel from boycotts, but its adoption remains uncertain in the Democratically-controlled lower House, where liberal lawmakers warn the approach tramples free-speech rights. The Middle East security bill aims to combat the global BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) movement that denounces Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and pressures companies that do business with the Jewish state. Republican Senator Marco Rubio, the measure's sponsor, said he is pushing back against what he described as a "campaign of discriminatory economic warfare against Israel." It would allow a state or local government "to divest from entities that engage in" BDS activities targeting Israel or persons or companies doing business in Israel. The text also authorizes arms transfers to Israel, expands military cooperation with Jordan and slaps new sanctions on Syria. It was approved by 77 votes to 23, with all but one Republican voting yes. The Democrats were split, 25 for and 22 against, highlighting an internal party divide on the issue. Notably, all of the Senate's likely Democratic presidential contenders except Amy Klobuchar voted against the legislation. The bill now goes to the House of Representatives, where several members of the new Democratic majority have expressed opposition, warning it could suppress constitutionally protected free speech. They include the first two Muslim women to serve in the House, Palestinian-American Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, a former Somali refugee. Both were elected in November and are part of an ascendant wing of progressives shaking up the Democratic old guard. Some have used strident language in accusing the pair of supporting a movement critics say is aimed at destroying Israel. There are Democratic stalwarts who are allies of Israel, like Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, who defend Omar and Tlaib against accusations of anti-Semitism but support fighting the anti-Israel boycott. "My sister Rashida and I have been fighting against Anti-semitism, any effort to deny that is a smear," Omar tweeted Tuesday. "We are pro-peace and realize without justice there is no peace!" The American Civil Liberties Union supports the right to boycott, and came out against the measure. "Today, the Senate chose politics over the Constitution and trampled on the First Amendment rights of all Americans," ACLU senior legislative counsel Kathleen Ruane said in a statement. Mauritanian soldiers stood guard at a G5 Sahel task force command post in southeast Mauritania Five nations waging a battle against jihadi fighters in the Sahel asked the UN Tuesday for money and other aid to help tackle a scourge which claimed more lives even as officials met. Leaders of the so-called G5 Sahel -- Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger -- gathered in the Burkinabe capital Ouagadougou seeking to beef up the battle against jihadists who have killed hundreds of civilians and inflicted crippling economic damage. In the latest incident, five security personnel were killed Tuesday in a what the army called a "terrorist" attack in northern Burkina Faso. "A military detachment from forces ensuring security in the north at Oursi, in the Sahel were attacked by terrorists," the army said in a statement. "Five gendarmes were killed and three injured, including two seriously," it said, shortly after another similar attack Monday left 14 civilians dead. In a statement issued at the close of a one-day meeting, the G5 renewed their "concern" over the situation, and called for "closer cooperation between the G5 Sahel and the United Nations". This should include assistance to a joint G5 military force under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which can authorise measures to help a country "which finds itself confronted with special economic problems" arising from "prevention and enforcement measures" aimed at safeguarding peace, they said. The five countries are among the world's poorest. The radical Islamist revolt in the Sahel took off after chaos engulfed Libya in 2011. Jihadist attacks erupted in northern Mali as Boko Haram arose in northern Nigeria. As the toll spiked, a French-backed scheme was launched in 2014 with the goal of deploying a 5,000-man joint force among the five nations in the front line. But lack of funding and training, as well as poor equipment, have greatly undermined the initiative, and last June, the force's headquarters in Mali were hit by a devastating suicide attack claimed by an al-Qaeda-linked group. Lack of funding and training, as well as poor equipmen, have greatly undermined the initiative, and last June the force's headquarters in Mali were hit in a devastating suicide attack claimed by an al-Qaeda-linked group Mahamadou Issoufou, president of Niger, told reporters at Tuesday's meeting there was a need to find "a permanent mechanism to finance" an anti-jihadist force under the UN Charter's Chapter 7. The G5, he added, "reaffirmed its determination and its willingness to continue the fight against terrorism with all means necessary: militarily, economically -- because poverty is the fertile ground in which terrorism thrives -- and also ideologically". - Help us - The G5's problems have given rise to long periods of apparent inactivity, although on Sunday, its commander General Hanena Ould Sidi, a Mauritanian, said the force had carried out three operations since January 15. He gave no further details. In their joint statement, the heads of state said a military force can never be the only solution, and urged the international community "to support the G5 Sahel's efforts" to secure and develop the region. The president of summit host Burkina Faso, Roch Marc Christian Kabore, also asked for "redoubling efforts to accelerate the strengthening of the joint force". Nearly 300 people have been killed in Burkina Faso in four years of attacks committed by people whom Burundian ex-president Pierre Buyoya, the African Union's representative at the summit, described as "terrorists with regressive aims". The capital Ouagadougou has been hit three times, most recently in March 2018. Tight security was in place for Tuesday's meeting. A key highway linking the airport and the conference venue was closed off to non-summit traffic, and armed troops were deployed at regular intervals. Last month, President Kabore carried out a major reshuffle of the country's security apparatus, sacking the chief of the armed forces and replacing the ministers of defence and security. At the end of February, Burkina Faso will host the Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou, one of the biggest African film festivals, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary. It will also host the counter-terrorism military exercise "Flintlock", which draws in hundreds of American, African, and European soldiers. The G5 leaders also expressed concern Tuesday "at the resurgence of inter-communal conflict in some countries". In some of the nations, Fulani herders, accused by local communities of being accomplices of jihadist groups, are pitted against Dogon hunters in inter-tribe conflict that has claimed dozens of lives. Advertisement She recently called things off with her boyfriend of nearly two years, Richard Madden, as it was claimed the pair were 'worlds apart'. And Ellie Bamber appeared to put the split behind her as she attended a Pre-BAFTA Filmmakers Dinner, held at Mayfair's Dunhill Bourdon House in London on Wednesday evening. The Les Miserables actress, 22, turned heads on her arrival at the event as she slipped into a crimson Grecian-inspired dress, embellished with a gold chain halterneck detail - however her look was tarnished slightly when her stunning gown was soaked in the torrential weather. Looking good: Ellie Bamber commanded attention as she attended the Dunhill Pre-BAFTA Filmmakers Dinner in Mayfair, London, on Wednesday evening While the striking ensemble's featured a flowy tulle skirt, the screen star accentuated her slender physique with a thick waist belt. The Nocturnal Animals actress upped the fashion ante as she boosted her frame in a pair of silver strappy heels, and toted a cream cylinder clutch bag. She maintained the glamour with her stylish accessorises as she was decked out in a pair of pink gold dangle earrings and a Serpenti bracelet by Bvlgari. Blonde beauty Ellie wore her shoulder-length tresses in loose waves and complemented her porcelain complexion with heavy strokes of blush, lashings of mascara and a slick of vampy red lipgloss. Wet, wet, wet: Her stunning look was tarnished slightly by the weather, as the lengthy gown was left soaked Style savvy: The Les Miserables actress, 22, turned heads on her arrival at the event as she slipped into a crimson Grecian-inspired dress, embellished with a gold chain halterneck detail Oops! The dress was left wet by the rain as she emerged from the star-studded bash What a vision: While the striking ensemble's featured a flowy tulle skirt, the screen star accentuated her slender physique with a thick waist belt Standing tall: The Nocturnal Animals actress upped the fashion ante as she boosted her frame in a pair of silver strappy heels, and toted a cream cylinder clutch bag A vision: She was not only suffering a wardrobe malfunction with the wet dress but also unwittingly flashing her lingerie through the sheer gown Stunning: She complemented her porcelain complexion with heavy strokes of blush and a slick of vampy red lipgloss Break-up: Ellie recently called things off with her boyfriend of nearly two years, Bodyguard's Richard Madden, as it was claimed the pair were 'worlds apart'(pictured in September 2018) Wow-factor! The blonde beauty looked radiant as she styled her shoulder-length tresses in loose waves The talented star hit headlines recently when she split from her award-winning beau Richard, 32, as it was claimed the pair were 'worlds apart'. Ellie and the Bodyguard star are believed to have gone through a rocky patch where they 'argued every day' but have now split after deciding that their problems weren't fixable. The couple, who were once rarely seen without one another, have apparently become 'worlds apart' following Richard's acting success, an insider told the Sun. The source added that the split has come as a huge blow to Richard and Ellie, but they believe the decision is in their best interests. Off she goes: Ellie appeared in high spirits as she left the event after mingling with her pals On the town: Prince Harry's ex-girlfriend Cressida Bonas wore a slinky blue jumpsuit with a plunging mesh neckline as she made her way to the event Off she goes: The 29-year-old defied the chilly temperatures with a pair of open-toed platforms and a sparkly box clutch Off she goes: The stunner was looking sensational as she hit the town in her chic trousers while braving the weather in open-toe shoes Demure: Liv Tyler cut a sophisticated figure as she slipped into a black gown at the event Turning heads: The 41-year-old actress displayed her flair for fashion as she draped her longline jacket on her shoulders Having fun: Victoria star Lily Travers wowed in a flowy sleeveless dress as she twirled around the event Patterns galore: Dutch actress Carice van Houten caught the eye in a floral maxi dress with peplum-style sleeves They told the news outlet: They were arguing almost daily towards the end and, despite considering couples therapy, it became evident there were far too many issues that could not be fixed. Richard is the toast of Hollywood at the moment, and understandably wants to let his hair down. Ellie is a bit quieter, and wants to focus purely on her work. It felt like their day-to-day lives were increasingly becoming worlds apart.' Back on? Actor Taron Egerton and producer Emily Thomas put on a cosy display at the event, just three months after announcing their split Passion: The Robin Hood actor, 29, and the brunette beauty, 25, first started dating in November 2016 Stepping out: Tom Cruise's former assistant oozed glamour in her backless fishtail dress Close: The pair held hands as they enjoyed a midnight stroll in the English capital They continued that Richard and Ellie were never apart during the early days of their relationship, which meant that families became close too, therefore those close to them are also devastated by the break up. The pair are apparently trying to remain amicable following the split in a bid to stay friends. Ellie and Richard were notoriously tight-lipped about their romance, but confirmed they were dating in August 2017 when they were pictured locking lips on a beach in Ibiza. Stylish: Hayley Squires (L) stunned in a velvet ensemble while Noel Clarke (R) looked dapper in a suit United: Kick-Ass star Mark Strong appeared in great spirits as he was joined by his wife Liza Marshall Suave: Joe Dempsie (L) and Edward Bluemel (R) opted for full sophistication as they rocked sleek tuxedos Starry: Sir Patrick Stewart posed arm-in-arm with his stunning wife Sunny Ozell at the glitzy A-list bash Lads' night out: Jack Fox, Luke Pasqualino and Sean Teale (L-R) all headed to Mayfair eatery Sexy Fish for a spot of dinner, before heading off to the star-studded Dunhill bash Looking good: Games Of Thrones star Charles Dance teamed his classic tuxedo with a cosy white scarf Standing out: Producer Suzanne Mackie took a walk on the wild side as she rocked a feline print jumpsuit Here comes the boys: (L-R) Hugh Skinner, Taron, Edward Holcroft, Alfred Enoch, Arinze Kene, Jack O'Connell, Noel, Ncuti Gatwa, Joe, Anthony Welsh, Fady Elsayed and Gwilym Lee posed for a snap together A new layer of drama has been added to the bitter divorce between Jenni JWoww Farley and her estranged husband Roger Mathews. Mathews is asking for primary custody of the couple's two children as well as child support and alimony from the Jersey Shore star, according to new documents obtained by The Blast. Jenni filed for divorce from her husband of three years in September and their separation has been brutal with allegations of abuse being leveled by Farley. Drama: Roger Mathews is asking for primary custody of the two children he shares with Jenni JWoww Farley as well as child support and alimony from the Jersey Shore star, according to new documents obtained by The Blast In her original petition for divorce, Jenni requested primary custody of daughter Meilani, four, and two-year-old son Greyson. Mathews, 42, now also wants primary physical custody and joint legal custody of the two children. He is also asking the court to determine the visitation schedule based on 'the children's best interest,' according to The Blast. In addition, Roger wants monthly child support, which Jenni had earlier noted that she as willing to pay, and is now requesting alimony from his successful reality star wife. Demands: Roger asking the court to determine the visitation schedule based on 'the children's best interest' and for a judge to nullify the couple's prenup It is also being reported by The Blast that Roger is trying to challenge the pair's prenuptial agreement and is asking a judge to deem it 'invalid and unenforceable.' Roger submitted his response to the divorce at the end of January. Since the couple called it quits on their marriage at the end of 2018, they've publicly hurled accusations at each other. Divorce: When Jenni filed papers to dissolve their marriage in September, she also requested primary custody of daughter Meilani, four, and two-year-old son Greyson Recently Jenni accused her husband of being 'an abuser to the core' in a long essay titled A Message To Roger. Along with the chronicle of his alleged abuse and infidelity, the mother of two posted videos to bolster her claims. In one video taken in 2017, Mathews was seen throwing Jenni to the ground in their kitchen and walking away while Farley yells: 'F*** you!' Allegations: Recently Jenni accused her husband of being 'an abuser to the core' in a long essay titled A Message To Roger In others, their son can be heard crying while Farley yells in the background and his father boasts about having an affair with another woman. The statement on Farley's blog read in part: 'You have spit at me. You have pushed me. You have shoved me. You have aggressively thrown me to the ground.' Meanwhile, Roger insists he is not a 'monster' and denies many of the allegations while also calling for a truce with his estranged wife. Denials: Roger later accused Jenni of playing the victim in response to the allegations which also included videos of him boasting about an affair and shoving her to the ground In response to her essay, Mathews insisted he was 'saddened' by her claims. He wrote on his website in a post titled 'A Message to Jenni': 'I am extremely saddened. Saddened, as I lay here next to both of our children that we could not have found a better way to handle our differences. 'You and your post have made me a monster.' He's making sure to keep viewers tuned into The Wendy Williams Show while he guest hosts during her hiatus. And Nick Cannon divulged about his 'cougar conversations' with pal Pete Davidson in Brooklyn on Tuesday's show. The 38-year-old television personality was proud to see that the young comedian took his advice to date an older woman as Davidson was recently seen out and about with Kate Beckinsale, 45, following his highly-publicized split with Ariana Grande. Perplexed: Nick Cannon divulged about his 'cougar conversations' with pal Pete Davidson in Brooklyn on Tuesday's show 'We were having some good conversation,' he admitted. 'We was having cougar conversations. I said, "I taught that young boy well."' Cannon was referring to the recent claims that Pete has moved on from his former fiancee after the Saturday Night Live star was spotted holding hands with Beckinsale in Los Angeles. 'I'm gonna take credit for it. I'm the one that told him, 'Get you an older woman, man!' I said that,' he boasted to the crowd. 'Leave them little pop stars alone! An old woman know what she wants. She don't play no games! She's serious That's what I'm talking about. Get you somebody older.' Just friends? The 38-year-old television personality was proud to see that the young comedian took his advice to date an older woman as Davidson was recently seen out and about with Kate Beckinsale, 45, following his highly-publicized split with Ariana Grande; seen on Friday New love? Cannon was referring to the recent claims that Pete has moved on from his former fiancee after the Saturday Night Live star was spotted holding hands with Beckinsale in Los Angeles; seen on Friday The Wild 'n Out creator then joked that younger generations just don't know what's going on when it comes to relationships. 'They getting Japanese menus tattooed on their backs from the sushi rest ... I'm joking, but that is Ariana Grande's hand,' he said. 'And I think that's after she even tried to fix it. That's some young girl stuff.' Grande celebrated the release of her latest song 7 rings with a new tattoo on her palm, but soon found out the symbols meant a Japanese-style BBQ grill, which she tried to correct by adding another symbol only to be left with a 'fiery finger'. 'I'm gonna take credit for it,' Nick told the audience during The Wendy Williams Show. 'I'm the one that told him, 'Get you an older woman, man!' Whoops! Grande celebrated the release of her latest song 7 rings with a new tattoo on her palm, but soon found out the symbols meant a Japanese-style BBQ grill, which she tried to correct by adding another symbol only to be left with a 'fiery finger'; seen on Instagram Pete and Ariana began their hectic relationship in May and were engaged by June before calling off their romance in October. Kate shares 19-year-old daughter Lily Sheen with her former boyfriend and Underworld franchise co-star Michael Sheen. From 2004-2016, Kate was married to Len Wiseman, director of the first two Underworld movies and a producer on the whole series. She has a decade of experience walking the runway for some of the world's best designers. And Poppy Delevingne looked effortlessly stylish as she stepped out in New York on Wednesday, ahead of the city's fashion week. The model, 32, wrapped up in a cosy grey knit and navy pea coat as she left her hotel for a stroll around Manhattan. Sartorially-savvy: Poppy Delevingne looked effortlessly stylish as she stepped out in New York on Wednesday, ahead of the city's fashion week Poppy paired her casual look with black skinny jeans and faux-fur lined military boots, which accentuated her leggy frame. Styling her long blonde locks in a loose ponytail, the Burberry model complemented her chic ensemble with tortoise-shell heart-shaped sunglasses. Poppy, who is swapping the catwalk to try to make a name for herself as an actress, appeared in high spirits as she left her hotel with a male pal. Chic: The model, 32, wrapped up in a cosy grey knit and navy pea coat as she left her hotel for a stroll around Manhattan Stylish: Poppy paired her casual look with black skinny jeans and faux-fur lined military boots, which accentuated her leggy frame Speaking to the Evening Standard recently, Poppy revealed her younger famous sibling Cara Delevingne, 26, has been 'so supportive' of her move into film and has in fact taken on a 'big sister role' to aid her. She explained: 'In terms of the acting, she has taken a big sister role... we are lucky we are quite far apart in age - six years is quite a jump. 'We are very different. We have a different look. At least we are not a year apart and competing for the same roles.' Having followed similar paths, Poppy insisted that she isn't envious of Cara and the worldwide fame she has garnered over the years. 'I am not jealous of her, unfortunately for you,' Poppy said. 'I always knew she was going to be something special, since she was a child.' Henry Winkler is still in excellent shape, which he proved on Tuesday evening. After hugging Jimmy Fallon on the The Tonight Show set, the 73-year-old icon immediately went into his Fonz dance, which was made popular on his hit TV series Happy Days. Fallon was appropriately impressed by the veteran and commented, 'What an entrance - the audience certainly got their money's worth.' Scroll down for videos... He's still got it: Henry Winkler broke into his Fonz dance while on The Tonight Show, 45 years after he popularized the dance on Happy Days He loved it: Jimmy Fallon was absolutely delighted when his guest performed the steps Happy Days ran from 1974 until 1984 and was a massive prime-time hit with Ron Howard (now an Oscar-winning director), Marion Ross and Tom Bosley in lead roles. One of the main characters was The Fonz, who was a streetwise lady killer known for his black leather motorcycle jacket and slicked-back hair. The character, whose full name is Arthur Fonzarelli, brought a dash of bad boy to the series about an all-American family in the 1950s. And during the series Winkler often performed a quick dance that involved a lot of fancy footwork. Incredibly, 45 years after the show ended, Henry can still skillfully pull off the dance moves like kicks and jumps. The Tonight Show played the song Hava Nagila, an Israeli folk song traditionally sung at Jewish celebrations, as soon as Henry arrive for his chat. His show: Happy Days ran from 1974 until 1984 and was a massive prime-time hit with Ron Howard (now an Oscar-winning director), Marion Ross and Tom Bosley in lead roles He had the skills: One of the main characters was The Fonz, who was a streetwise lady killer known for his black leather motorcycle jacket and slicked-back hair Mr Cool: The character, whose full name is Arthur Fonzarelli, brought a dash of bad boy to the series about an all-American family in the 1950s One of the best things from the 70s: The Fonz was known for his two thumbs up Henry did not seem to break even a tiny sweat as he hopped around in his dark suit and dress shoes. During his interview, the actor talked about how he first met Jimmy at a party thrown by Andy Cohen. Winkler said the TV host was standing with his 'beautiful wife' Nancy Juvonen - who grew up in Marin County, California and has worked as a producing partner to Drew Barrymore - when they met. A 10: Incredibly, 45 years after the show ended, Henry can still skillfully pull off the dance moves like kicks and jumps So much energy: The Tonight Show played the song Hava Nagila, an Israeli folk song traditionally sung at Jewish celebrations, as soon as Henry arrive for his chat Courage: Henry did not seem to break even a tiny sweat as he hopped around in his dark suit and dress shoe Then the star said Jimmy was so happy to see him, he did a dance, then hugged him and 'his hand went down my back,' noted Winkler. Henry added, 'I thought, what a wonderful guy.' Fallon gushed he is a fan of Winkler's and was so happy to finally have him on the show. First encounter: During his interview, the actor talked about how he first met Jimmy at a party thrown by Andy Cohen. Winkler said the TV host was standing with his 'beautiful wife' Nancy Juvonen - who grew up in Marin County, California and has worked as a producing partner to Drew Barrymore - when they met Fan boy: Then the star said Jimmy was so happy to see him, he did a dance, then hugged him and 'his hand went down my back,' noted Winkler. Henry added, 'I thought, what a wonderful guy' A good time to be Henry: Henry's visit comes after winning an Emmy for his show Barry. 'I have been nominated many many times but I never left the chair,' said the icon Henry's visit comes after winning an Emmy for his show Barry. 'I have been nominated many many times but I never left the chair,' said Henry. He said when he walked up onto the Emmy stage he saw the two stars of the Crown and started talking to them about the show when he realized he had to make a speech. And then the clock started ticking, making him nervous. Henry said he leaves his Emmy not on the mantle but rather on his dining room table, which is opposite the front door. That way everyone can see it, even delivery men. 'Now I am having a chain made so I can wear my Emmy as a necklace, I have no pride,' he joked. | BY Ricki Green | City of Karratha has announced an uplifting new place branding campaign titled Karratha is Calling, created by 303 MullenLowe Perth and Sydney. The purpose of the campaign tackles the misconception that Karratha is simply a mining town, and encourages more people to live, visit and invest in the area, showcasing the breadth of what Karratha has to offer. Tapping into all aspects of 303 MullenLowes hyper-bundled offering design, integrated advertising, PR, social media, web development, as well as media planning and buying through MullenLowe Mediahub the suite of assets produced span cinema, website, OOH, digital/online, native as well as social media and PR activity that will continue to roll out in the first part of 2019 to spread the Karratha is Calling message and appeal to prospective visitors, residents and investors alike. Says Peter Long, mayor, City of Karratha: The Karratha is Calling campaign is part of the Councils broader vision to put Karratha on the map and to promote our region to visit either on holiday or as a permanent sea change. The Council hopes that via supporting the City of Karratha as an emerging tourist spot as well as a destination with an enviable lifestyle and boundless opportunities for business investment, it will attract more people to visit and live here. The campaign showcases some of the many reasons why we call Karratha home world-class boating, fishing and camping, a close-knit community and high standard facilities, services and career opportunities. Says John Linton, planning director, 303 MullenLowe: Were talking about a regional city with WAs best-amenities per capita, which is sitting at the heart of some of the states most spectacular natural attractions! This just isnt the story people are being told. The City has committed to a long-term communications strategy to shift the national mindset and the first step to achieve this is to showcase what Karratha really has to offer in a way that captures peoples attention and motivates them to take a second look. Says Richard Berney, executive creative director, 303 MullenLowe: When I used to hear Karratha I thought of mining. This campaign needed to radically change that, to invite everyone into the realities of this wild and magical place. Interestingly, it began with the language. Karratha is Calling softens vowels with a lyrical invitation. Ultimately this campaign is the call of a better life, and the locals who are ready to share their secret with the rest of us. Find out more at karrathaiscalling.com.au. City of Karratha Manager of Marketing & Communications: Matthew Jewkes Communications Officer: Lisa Morrison Communications Officer: Sara Renall 303 MullenLowe (Perth & Sydney Offices) Executive Creative Director: Richard Berney Creative Director: Chris Swift Creative Lead: Dean Hunt Senior Art Director: Steve Lorimer Senior Copywriter: Dave Wilson Digital Art Director: Andrew Allingham Design: Vinnay Chhana Producers: Rozanne Fretz and Eloise Cribb Strategist: John Linton Senior Account Director: Krista Song Business Manager: Eloise Cribb General Manager MediaHub: Rene Migliore Senior Media Manager: Kylie Macey Media Planner: Lucinda Kitney Technical Director: Alex Graham Digital Producer: Kevin Cyr PR Director: Catherine Sumner PR Account Executive: Shannon Peakman Production Company: Sandbox Photographer: Dan Proud Producer: Jenny Crabb Ant McPartlin and Amanda Holden proved that there was no bad blood as they arrived for the Britain's Got Talent auditions on Wednesday, a year after they were spotted having a heated exchange. The pair were seen alongside co-presenter Declan Donnelly and judges Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon and David Walliams as they arrived for the next round of auditions at the Lowry Theatre. It comes almost a year to the day after Ant and Amanda were spotted engaging in a heated exchange while backstage during the Manchester auditions, despite a source close to Amanda insisting they were 'just chatting.' Pals: Ant McPartlin and Amanda Holden proved that there was no bad blood as they arrived for the Britain's Got Talent auditions on Wednesday Amanda, 47, was a vision of beauty on the outing as she turned up the heat in a stunning scarlet midi dress that showcased her incredible figure. The garment was one-sleeved to show off her enviably toned arms, whilst caped detailing on one side upped the dramatic nature of the gown. She finished off the look by styling her glossy golden locks in loose waves that framed her pretty features, whilst she donned small diamond studs. As she joined her co-judges in posing for the group snap, Amanda happily appeared alongside Ant, 43, who has continued his triumphant return to the show following his drink-drive arrest in March last year. What's going on? The pair's appearance was almost a year to the day after they were spotted having a heated conversation (above) though a source insisted they were 'just chatting' The outing comes a year after the pair were seen engaging in a heated discussion backstage at the BGT auditions, speaking intensely before they were interrupted by a member of the show's crew to begin the photocall. While the reason for the apparent dispute was not known, a source close to Amanda told MailOnline: 'Amanda and Ant are just chatting. 'This picture was taken whilst they were posing in front of hundreds of fans and press. There simply wasnt any form of heated discussion whatsoever.' MailOnline contacted representatives for Ant McPartlin and Amanda Holden for comment at the time. Sensational: Amanda, 47, had her jaw-dropping physique on full display as she arrived for the next round of filming, sporting an orange one-shouldered midi dress with white heels Flawless: The stunning star had her blonde tresses styled into beachy waves, as the dress highlighted her toned physique It came just weeks after Ant announced that he was divorcing wife Lisa Armstrong after 11 years of marriage, confirming the news in a statement to MailOnline on January 13 2018. Just a month after filming for BGT Ant was arrested for drink-driving, and subsequently his presenting sidekick Dec was forced to host the live shows solo. However Ant has since made a triumphant return to BGT and was greeted by a standing ovation from the audience after he appeared at the London Palladium last month. Katie Price's son Harvey beamed with delight as he headed to London on his favourite train, Gatwick Express, shortly before their appearance on Wednesday's Victoria Derbyshire Show. In sweet Instagram clips posted to the 16-year-old's new Instagram account, the former glamour model, 40, documented his excitement during his journey into the English capital. Hours later, Katie appeared on the BBC show to reveal she's considering placing her son, who is partially blind, autistic and has Prader-Willi syndrome, in residential care as she's 'never had respite'. Sweet: Katie Price's son Harvey beamed with delight as he headed to London on his favourite train, Gatwick Express, shortly before their appearance on Wednesday's Victoria Derbyshire Show Ahead of their joint interview on Wednesday, the mother-of-five filmed the teen's experience at the train station. Harvey jumped for joy as he discovered he's set to board the Gatwick Express, which he previously revealed is his favourite train during an appearance on Loose Women. In another clip, Katie's eldest child ordered a sandwich and muffin from Caffe Nero, before buying a first class ticket to London. The final video ended with an 'excited' Harvey heading down the escalator to board his train. Endearing: In sweet Instagram clips posted to the 16-year-old's new Instagram account, the former glamour model, 40, documented his excitement during his journey into the English capital Praising her son for being 'responsible', Katie gushed: 'You are very responsible doing all of that aren't you? You ordered a sandwich and a muffin, and your ticket. And you've found where to go. You're so clever!' The doting parent went on to post a clip of an excited Harvey in a hotel room, with the star revealing she's staying nearby in an interconnecting room. She enthused: 'Wow, look at that big bed for you. Mummy is next door in the interconnecting room!' Their social media activity came after the Brighton native revealed she's considering placing Harvey in residential care as she can no longer cope full time with his needs. Candid: Hours later, Katie appeared on the BBC show to reveal she's considering placing son Harvey, who is partially blind, autistic and has Prader-Willi syndrome, in residential care as she's 'never had respite' Having fun: Harvey jumped for joy as he discovered he's set to board the Gatwick Express, which he revealed is his favourite train during a previous appearance on Loose Women On their way: The final video ended with an 'excited' Harvey heading down the escalator to board his train The TV personality and her son appeared on the Victoria Derbyshire to speak about her pursuit for Harvey's Law - a motion that would make online trolling a criminal offence. As talk turned to her own experience parenting a disabled child, Katie admitted she has to consider the safety of her four other children when it comes to Harvey staying at home, explaining they sometimes are scared of the teenager. Last month an inquiry into the online abuse of disabled people triggered by a petition started by Katie said self-regulation of social media has failed and current laws are not fit for purpose. Holding hands during the appearance, the brunette told Victoria of her campaign: 'I've had trolling myself a lot through the years, I've desensitised myself to it but Harvey doesnt understand, he's so innocent, sitting here, why would anyone want to troll him.' Rest time: The doting parent went on to post a clip of an excited Harvey in a hotel room, with the star revealing she's staying in an interconnecting room Speaking out: Their social media activity came after the Brighton native revealed she's considering placing Harvey in residential care as she can no longer cope full time with his needs 'If there's any trolls out there watching what do you get about it? Think, if theres someone you love and they commit suicide and left a note saying its because of trolling how would you feel?' The Loose Women star went onto explain that she's considering seeking help for Harvey, whose father Dwight Yorke is not involved in his upbringing. 'This year hes smashed eight iPads. For the first time ever I'm thinking he might have to go residential Monday to Friday.' she admitted. Katie explained that she has to consider the safety of her other four children Junior, 13, Princess, 11, Jet, five and Bunny, four: 'I'm really having to think about it but I hate it because he's my life. The kids can be scared as he's big so I have to think of them', she admitted. Important message: The TV personality and her son appeared on the Victoria Derbyshire to speak about her pursuit for Harvey's Law - a motion that would make online trolling a criminal offence Family: Katie explained that she has to consider the safety of her other four children Junior, 13, Princess, 11, Jet, five and Bunny, four as they can be 'scared as [Harvey] is big' 'Hes missing out on his education, he knows if he kicks off in the morning the driver won't take him to school. So he's sussed that out and he wants to spend all his time with me. I havent got a carer. I hate it because he's my life. I've never had respite.' Later that day, Katie defended decision to allow her son a social media account though, hitting back at those who have suggested it makes him more vulnerable to bullying. Harvey's account has a massive 58.4k followers already, despite only launching a week ago. A representative for Katie told MailOnline: 'Harvey is a 16-year-old boy who wants his own Instagram. Why should he be stopped by all the haters and trolls? This is exactly why Katie is battling for Harveys Law- to stop this!' He recently returned to television presenting after a year off following a conviction for drink driving and a stint in rehab. And Ant McPartlin looked over the moon as he joined his Britain's Got Talent co-stars in arriving by scooter to the show's auditions on Wednesday, held at the Lowry Theatre in Manchester. The presenter, 43, couldn't contain his delight as he sped along and led judges Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden, David Walliams and Declan Donnelly into the building. Whizz kid: Ant McPartlin looked over the moon as he joined his Britain's Got Talent co-stars in arriving by scooter to the show's auditions on Wednesday, held at the Lowry Theatre in Manchester Although the judges eagerly climbed onto the scooters, there was a look of trepidation on head judge Simon's face as he wobbled, while Amanda teetered on her heels. A cheery Ant took a break from fist-pumping as he reunited with his best pal and co-presenter Dec at the auditions, with the pair smiling and chatting as they prepared to get to work. Ant looked casually cool in a navy checked shirt paired with black jeans and matching trainers for the auditions. Oh dear: Simon looked animated as he attempted to ride along on the scooter Laugh out loud: Amanda looked glam as she wheeled her scooter out Wow: The judges took the unusual transport method in their stride as they were joined by BGMT host Stephen Mulhern Edgy: The stars were focused as they prepared to power off Giddy up: The stars were all smiles as they posed with the scooters Comeback kid: Ant looked over the moon as he joined his Britain's Got Talent co-stars Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon) Dec, 43, donned a silver shirt worn over a white tee, which he teamed with cream chinos and white trainers. The national treasures couldn't keep the smiles off their faces as they gave the thumbs up to the crowds before sharing a laugh with glamorous judges Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden. Reunited: Ant was joined by his best pal and co-presenter Dec Yay: The national treasures couldn't keep the smiles off their faces as they gave the thumbs up to the crowds Hip hip hooray: The presenter, 43, couldn't contain his delight as he arrived at the auditions and was met by screaming fans, and threw his arms into the air in jubilation Happy: Ant looked casually cool in a navy checked shirt paired with black jeans and matching trainers for the auditions Amanda, 47, was a vision of beauty on the outing as she turned up the heat in a stunning scarlet midi dress that showcased her incredible figure. The garment was one-sleeved to show off her enviably toned arms, whilst caped detailing on one side upped the dramatic nature of the gown. Amanda's tanned and toned pins were on display in the dress, whilst a pair of patent white stiletto heels boosted her petite frame further. She finished off the look by styling her glossy golden locks in loose waves that framed her pretty features, whilst she donned small diamond studs. Jubilant: The star showed his delight at his return to work as he gave the thumbs up Larking about: Ant and Dec were in a great mood as they chatted before the auditions Banter: The star looked happy to be catching up with his BGT family Alesha, 40, also looked phenomenal on the outing as she turned heads in a striped black and white duster coat layered over a sharp suit. The Mis-teeq star dazzled in a low-cut striped bustier top that she teamed with high waisted flared trousers. Alesha wore her glossy tresses swept back in a half up style, which exposed a pair of giant white hooped earrings. David Walliams, 47, was also spotted putting on a dapper display in a suit at the auditions, but head judge Simon Cowell, 59, was nowhere to be seen. Laugh out loud: Ant looked happy as Amanda regaled him and Dec with a story Cheers: The star smiled as he ran to greet a pal in the car Where's Simon? The group posed with David Walliams, but Simon Cowell was nowhere to be seen Close bond: Dec and David playfully held hands as they skipped into the audition Ant has spent much of the year focusing on his recovery, resulting in close friend Dec hosting the final episodes of Saturday Night Takeaway including a live finale shot on location in Florida alone. He returned to work at the show's London Palladium auditions on January 18, and admitted he was 'really really emotional' as he was given a standing ovation. The Geordie star was convicted of drink-driving, given an 86,000 fine and a 20 month driving ban following a three-car smash in March and later checked into rehab. In August last year, Ant revealed he was taking a break from presenting with co-host Dec to focus on recovering from his painkiller addiction, months after his drink-driving charge in April. Chic: Amanda and Alesha Dixon proved they're two of the most stylish stars in the land as they arrived at the auditions Sassy in scarlet: Amanda, 47, was a vision of beauty on the outing as she turned up the heat in a stunning scarlet midi dress that showcased her incredible figure Turning heads: The garment was one-sleeved to show off her enviably toned arms, whilst caped detailing on one side upped the dramatic nature of the gown Leggy lady! Amanda's tanned and toned pins were on display in the dress, whilst a pair of patent white stiletto heels boosted her petite frame further He also split from wife of 11 years, Lisa Armstrong, in January 2018. Ant is now dating his former personal assistant Anne-Marie Corbett. The presenter previously credited Anne-Marie as being 'his rock' over the past year as he battled with drug and alcohol addiction and took time away from the spotlight. Speaking to The Sun, he said: 'Anne-Marie honestly is the fundamental reason for the great change in my life. Dressed to impress: Alesha also looked phenomenal on the outing as she turned heads in a striped black and white duster coat layered over a sharp suit Leggy lady! The Mis-teeq star dazzled in a low-cut striped bustier top that she teamed with high waisted flared trousers 'She's been my rock. She's a beautiful soul. We're very happy.' His comments did not go down well with ex-wife Lisa, and it emerged last month that the make-up artist had been left 'disgusted and devastated' by the remarks. She took to Twitter following the interview where he gushed about 'his rock' Anne-Marie and how he disagreed with Lisa's decision to express her heartbreak on the social media platform. Stroll: The presenter looked happy as he prepared to film the show's auditions Despite his hiatus from the screen, Ant and Dec were awarded their 18th NTA for Best Presenter in a row, Despite their delight, viewers were divided by Ant and Dec's win as some claimed they did not deserve it due to Ant's recent presenting break. Enraged Twitter users took to the social media site to pen: 'Ant and Dec win an award when one of them hasn't worked for a year? Goes to show what a fix the #NTAs awards are! The height of ridiculousness... The A-Team: The judges sped to the auditions in a mock A-Team van In demand: Amanda smiled as she led the line-up into the auditions Kind-hearted: After the auditions, Ant stopped to sign autographs Jubilant: Despite the late night, Ant appeared in high spirits following another successful day of filming Personable: Dec also delighted fans by signing autographs Actress Melissa McCarthy was spotted looking chic out on a rainy day in Los Angeles on Tuesday. The 48-year-old star is gearing up for the 91st Annual Academy Awards later this month where she is a first time nominee. After the nominations were recently announced, McCarthy said she couldn't wrap her mind around the incredible honor. Chic! Melissa McCarthy stepped out on rainy day in Los Angeles looking sophisticated, ahead of the Oscars later this month On Tuesday, the star rocked a sophisticated khaki trench coat while out and about in Los Angeles. She bundled up in a printed olive green scarf and kept it simple on the bottom with black cropped leggings and a pair of brown leather booties. The Academy Award nominee swept her brunette tresses back in a loose ponytail and opted for some glam oversized sunglasses. In one hang she held on to a fabulous Gucci tote which featured the luxury label's signature print. Shocked: McCarthy, who is a first time Oscar nominee, said she couldn't wrap her mind around the incredible honor when she found out she was up for Best Actress The mother of two, who is in line for the Best Actress accolade for Can You Ever Forgive Me?, has admitted she could barely believe she'd been nominated when the news was first announced. She recalled: 'I got a call, and I immediately thought, "Oh my parents' alarm went off," and I was like, "What's the matter? Is everyone OK?" And they're like, "You've been nominated," and I'm like, "Is the alarm OK?" And they're like, "Oh for god's sake! What are you talking about?"' 'And then it gets kind of hazy and fuzzy and it takes a moment to process that.' Honored: Melissa, who is nominated for Can You Ever Forgive Me? said 'it gets kind of hazy and fuzzy and it takes a moment to process' the news of her nomination Melissa credits her parents, Sandra and Michael, for her tireless work ethic. The comedy star - who has daughters Vivian, 11, and Georgette, eight, with her husband Ben Falcone - explained that they played a crucial role in her realizing her dreams in the movie business. The Oscars, which will air for the first time in 30 years without a central host, will be presented on February 24. Kevin Hart was initially tapped to host this year's telecast but stepped down after some homophobic tweets resurfaced from nearly a decade ago. Teresa Giudice has an uncertain future, with husband Joe facing potential deportation after completing his current prison sentence for fraud. But The Real Housewives Of New Jersey alum's family attorney has strongly denied claims the reality star is planning to divorce Joe, should he be deported back to his native Italy. 'The only lawyers Teresa is talking to are her husbands immigration lawyers and those conversations are about bringing Joe home where he belongs. Nobody is talking about getting divorced,' insisted her family attorney, in an email to DailyMail.com Teresa Giudice's lawyer insists she IS NOT divorcing Joe and 'wants to bring him home where he belongs'; husband and wife are seen in a file picture from March 2016 'Joe Giudice is a fighter and he wants to come home. His lawyers are putting up a hell of a fight in an effort to make that happen.' The denial comes after Radaronline reported that Teresa, 46, was planning on making a new start as a single mom to the couple's four daughters, Gia, 18, Gabriella, 15, Milania, 14 and Audriana, 10. 'Teresa visited a divorce lawyer last week when she got back from Los Angeles,' a source close to the reality star told Radar. 'She is serious about divorcing Joe, and she wants to make sure she is taken care of when it happens.' Facing life as a single mom: Teresa is currently caring for the couple's four children; she is seen in February this year at an event Joe is serving 41-months in prison for mail, wire and bankruptcy fraud and is due to be released in March. Back in October it was revealed that a judge officially ruled that Joe, 46, must leave the U.S. once his sentence is complete. And earlier this month Teresa is said to have told Bravo host Andy Cohen at a season nine taping that the couple would 'go their separate ways' if Joe leaves the country. An insider told People: 'Teresa told Andy that if Joe gets deported, she's not going.' The source added: 'She said that she and Joe had talked about it over the phone, and that he understood.' They're touring the country looking for the most entertaining and unique acts the nation has to offer. And Amanda Holden, 47, and Alesha Dixon, 40, proved that they're two of the most stylish stars in the land as they lead the red carpet glamour at the Britains Got Talent auditions on Wednesday, held at the Lowry Theatre in Manchester. The glamorous judges ensured all eyes would be on them as they made their grand entrance alongside Simon Cowell and David Walliams as well as hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly. Chic: Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon proved that they're two of the most stylish stars in the land at the Britains Got Talent auditions on Wednesday, at the Lowry Theatre in Manchester Amanda was a vision of beauty on the outing as she turned up the heat in a stunning scarlet midi dress that showcased her incredible figure. The garment was one-sleeved to show off her enviably toned arms, whilst caped detailing on one side upped the dramatic nature of the gown. Amanda's tanned and toned pins were on display in the dress, whilst a pair of patent white stiletto heels boosted her petite frame further. Amanda finished off the look by styling her glossy golden locks in loose waves that framed her pretty features, whilst she donned small diamond studs. All in it together: The glamorous judges made their grand entrance alongside Simon Cowell and David Walliams as well as hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly and Stephen Mulhern Sassy in scarlet: Amanda was a vision of beauty on the outing as she turned up the heat in a stunning scarlet midi dress that showcased her incredible figure Turning heads: The garment was one-sleeved to show off her enviably toned arms, whilst caped detailing on one side upped the dramatic nature of the gown Leggy lady! Amanda's tanned and toned pins were on display in the dress, whilst a pair of patent white stiletto heels boosted her petite frame further Youthful: Amanda defied her 47 years as she strutted her stuff down the red carpet Terrific trio: Amanda seemed in high spirits as she chatted with Ant and Dec Glamorous: The duo looked sensational as they made their way into the theatre together Alesha also looked phenomenal on the outing as she turned heads in a striped black and white duster coat layered over a sharp suit. The Mis-teeq star dazzled in a low-cut striped bustier top that she teamed with high waisted flared trousers. Alesha wore her glossy tresses swept back in a half up style, which exposed a pair of giant white hooped earrings. Dressed to impress: Alesha also looked phenomenal on the outing as she turned heads in a striped black and white duster coat layered over a sharp suit Leggy lady! The Mis-teeq star dazzled in a low-cut striped bustier top that she teamed with high waisted flared trousers Brunette beauty: Alesha wore her glossy tresses swept back in a half up style, which exposed a pair of giant white hooped earrings The new series has marked Ant McPartlin's return to work after a ten-month break. The presenter took a hiatus from work following his drink-drive arrest in March. Following Ant's break, Dec presented last year's Britain's Got Talent live shows on his own, but this year the pair are back together, to the delight of fans. Ant admitted he was 'really really emotional' to the crowd as he embraced Dec last month, earning a standing ovation from the audience as they kicked off the auditions. Guess who's back: The new series has marked Ant McPartlin's return to work after a ten-month break. The presenter took a hiatus from work following his drink-drive arrest in March The gang's back together again: Following Ant's break, Dec presented last year's Britain's Got Talent live shows on his own, but this year the pair are back together, to the delight of fans Reunited: Ant admitted he was 'really really emotional' to the crowd as he embraced Dec last month, earning a standing ovation from the audience as they kicked off the auditions The presenter, 43, couldn't contain his delight on Wednesday as he arrived at the auditions and was met by screaming fans, throwing his arms into the air in jubilation. Ant looked casually cool in a navy checked shirt paired with black jeans and matching trainers for the auditions. Dec, 43, donned a silver shirt worn over a white tee, which he teamed with cream chinos and white trainers. The national treasures couldn't keep the smiles off their faces as they gave the thumbs up to the crowds before sharing a laugh with glamorous judges Alesha and Amanda. Delightful duo: David was seen striding past hand in hand with presenter Dec Loving life: Ant, 43, couldn't contain his delight on Wednesday as he arrived at the auditions and was met by screaming fans, throwing his arms into the air in jubilation Check him out! Ant looked casually cool in a navy checked shirt paired with black jeans and matching trainers for the auditions Low-key look: Dec, 43, donned a silver shirt worn over a white tee, which he teamed with cream chinos and white trainers Oh dear: Simon Cowell looked animated as he made his entrance on a scooter Laugh out loud: Amanda looked glam as she wheeled her scooter out Steady on! The whole group tried out the scooters at one point Meanwhile, the judges will no doubt be hoping for a smoother day of events at the Manchester auditions after Simon is said to have had a near miss with serious injury after he volunteered to let a contestant throw knives at him. The music mogul, 59, described the moment as 'the scariest thing ever' as he risked his life for the daredevil challenge last month. According to the Daily Star, Simon volunteered to be the target for Belarusian act Andrei Gomonov at the auditions earlier this week. Larking around: The group seemed in high spirits as they chatted away with one another All together now: The group were seen larking around and catching up outside the theatre Fantastic four: The group couldn't contain their excitement as they sprinted down the stairs Loving life: The group all seemed in high spirits as they chatted away with one another Far from being scared the act could go wrong, Simon reportedly told Andrei: 'I really want to know what it feels like to have an axe thrown at me.' The performance was certainly a close call for the head judge as the knives were said to have missed his body 'by inches'. It was so tense that fellow judge Amanda covered her eyes during the stunt. Simon later admitted: 'OK, so that was the scariest thing ever. I now realise how hard it is.' Fellow judge David Walliams jokingly hit out at the performer for not finishing off Simon while he had the chance. Tina The Tina Turner Musical is heading to Broadway with Adrienne Warren in the title role. The 31-year-old Tony-nominated actress is currently starring in the show in Londons West End through April 13 and she will reprise her role for New York audiences in the Fall, according to Playbill. 'Im so proud of everything that Adrienne has achieved over the last year in the West End,' Tina Turner, 79, herself said in a statement. Looks familiar: Adrienne Warren morphs into Tina in the famous wig and a little red dress in London's version of The Tina Turner Musical. She will reprise the role on Broadway in the fall 'Proud of everything Adrienne has achieved': Tina, 79, here seen at the musical's opening in Hamburg Germany in October, had high praise for the star she picked and helped to train 'She has given it everything shes got, she has poured her soul into it, and she deserves every success,' the icon continued. 'I am thrilled she will be reprising her role in New York, and I cannot wait to see her on that Broadway stage on Opening Night.' The theater, dates and further casting for New York will be announced in coming months. Adrienne, who previously starred on Broadway in the musicals Bring It On and Shuffle Along, revealed to UK's This Morning on ITV last April that she was handpicked and trained by Tina to tell her story. Long-time partners: Tina rose to fame singing with Ike Turner, whom she married in 1962 and divorced in 1978. Her first solo album, 1984s Private Dancer, made her a star in her own right A major star: Here the beauty is seen on stage in a skimpy white dress in September 1971 The first time she met the icon, who came out of retirement to be involved in the musical, was during rehearsals. 'I had to give myself a pep talk, I was shaking in my boots, I was so nervous,' Adrienne revealed. She also had the opportunity to perform with Tina, who gave her some invaluable tips. 'She told me always to have a hearty breakfast, and she taught me how to do the "pony" one of her signature moves,' Adrienne said. Tina, original name Anna Mae Bullock, was born to a sharecropping family in rural Tennessee in 1939. Looks familiar: Adrienne donned the familiar wig on stage in London as she belted out one of the star's famous songs She moved to St. Louis as a teen where she met partner Ike Turner at a performance by his band, the Kings of Rhythm, in 1956, and soon became part of the act. Tina and Ike's first pop hit came with A Fool in Love in 1960 and a string of hit singles followed. They married in 1962 and divorced in 1978. Her debut solo album, 1984's Private Dancer, was a critical and commercial triumph, selling more than 20 million copies worldwide and winning three Grammy Awards. The pop, rock and soul icon was given a Grammy Award for lifetime achievement in 2018. Blanca Blanco seems to have been somewhat dazzled by Brad Pitt when she met him at a party in January. On Tuesday the Mission: Possible actress was seen wearing a Fight Club shirt while picking up Valentine's Day chocolates in Beverly Hills. Fight Club is the 1999 movie starring Pitt as soap sales person Tyler Durden who serves as a mentor to Edward Norton's character. A BP fan: Blanca Blanco seems to have been somewhat dazzled by Brad Pitt when she met him at a party in January. On Tuesday the Mission: Possible actress was seen wearing a Fight Club shirt while picking up Valentine's Day chocolates in Beverly Hills The red top did not feature Pitt's face, as most Fight Club shirts do, but rather just had the name, a fist and the words 'this is your life.' The Washington native added pink leggings and beige UGG boots with a black leather jacket. The star carried a green-and-black umbrella and a heart-shaped box of chocolates. You have to fight: The red top did not feature Pitt's face, as most Fight Club shirts do, but rather just had the name, a fist and the words 'this is your life' She had on heavy eye makeup and her hair pinned up. The siren was at the Rite Aid store in Beverly Hills. The 37-year-old beauty - who has appeared in dozens of films like Betrayed and Torched - stopped by a massive bash in the hills of Hollywood in mid January. The event was a special screening of If Beale Street Could Talk. And the leggy wonder took a moment to pose with Pitt, who is in the process of divorcing Angelina Jolie. Pitt's Plan B production company made the film. Glam: She had on heavy eye makeup and her hair pinned up. The siren was at the Rite Aid store in Beverly Hills Good to know: Blanca stopped by a massive bash in the hills of Hollywood in January. And the leggy wonder took a moment to pose with Pitt Another Oscar winner: At a bash for the film Roma, which was held in the Chateau Marmont, the dark-haired looker was seen next to Charlize Theron who also had on black; Theron and Pitt have been linked this year Also there were Timothee Chalamet, writer/director Barry Jenkins and Stephan James. At another party, this one for the film Roma held at Chateau Marmont, the dark-haired looker was seen next to Charlize Theron who also had on black. Pitt and Theron have been linked romantically but there is no hard evidence that they are an item. More big names: Pitt with Timothee Chalamet, writer/director Barry Jenkins and Stephan James The 5ft 9in star was also seen in a fun Chaser shirt last week while getting ice cream. The top read, The Future Is Love. She added a cute mini skirt, also by Chaser, which had a fun print. Her shoes were cute ballet flats. Chaser is an LA based company. Last year the star lost her home in Malibu in the Woolsey Fire. 'I have been heart broken about losing my home but I am recovering and what gave me comfort is knowing that what happened was beyond my control,' she told DailyMail.com. Sugar rush: The 5ft 9in star was also seen in a fun Chaser shirt last week while getting ice cream. The top read, The Future Is Love She said she felt 'felt trapped and claustrophobic when [she] was trying to escape' the home, and that she and her boyfriend are 'considering living in Beverly Hills or Brentwood' moving forward. 'For me, I have been having a hard time sleeping and having nightmares,' she added. It's been a busy year in front of the camera for Blanca, who's appeared in films such as Woman on the Edge, Daddy Don't Marry Again and The Fabulous Christmas Holidays. And it was just announced that Blanca signed with Swedish fashion brand Chiquelle for a new fashion campaign. She recently confirmed her new budding romance with dashing restaurant owner Louis Levy. Yet Georgia May Jagger cut a solitary figure when she posed up a storm for her latest slew of bikini pictures from Mustique, in the Caribbean on Wednesday. Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall's daughter, 27, displayed her model-honed figure in a patterned blue bikini while she reclined on the sandy shores. She's sensational: Georgia May Jagger slipped into a blue patterned bikini as she hit the beach during Caribbean getaway shared on Instagram on Wednesday Going make-up free allowed Georgia to let her natural beauty shine through while she lapped up the sizzling rays in the sunny Caribbean. The neat bows tied at each hip ensured eyes were cast over her tiny waist as she posed in the blue and black patterned bikini for her last beach day. Seductively, the catwalk stunner run her fingers through her shoulder-length golden locks which hung in a loosely-tousled style. Geotagged Black Sand Beach, the golden-haired model shared in the caption: 'Casual last day at the beach.' Mane attraction: Seductively, the catwalk stunner run her fingers through her shoulder-length golden locks which hung in a loosely-tousled style The model's latest Instagram comes after she confirmed her romance with dashing restaurateur Louis by sharing her first snap of them together on social media. Besotted Georgia threw her arms around her new love's neck as she sat comfortably in his lap while Louis planted a kiss on her cheek for the snap. A very smitten Georgia captioned the post: The best birthday present I got this year. By herself: Georgia has broken out of her musician dad Mick and model mum Jerry's shadow by carving her own career in the limelight (pictured in London, November 2018) Parisian-born Louis, 29, paid a visit to the blonde beauty for her birthday in London after travelling from his home in New York City. The restaurateur part-owns the popular Mimi eatery in Greenwich Village. Georgia has broken out of her musician dad Mick and model mum Jerry's shadow by carving her own career in the limelight. She can often be found treading the hottest catwalks for the four Fashion weeks that sweep the globe as well as hitting the red carpet. Look at her go! She can be found treading the hottest catwalks for the four Fashion weeks that sweep the globe as well as hitting the red carpet (pictured in France, September 2018) Despite making a name for herself, Georgia stressed the importance of taking 'wisdom' from her parents in an interview with The Evening Standard. She told the publication in June 2016: I really look up to older people, and I like to take wisdom from my uncles, aunts, parents and grandparents. 'My grandma fell in love and married again later in life, so I always thought that was really inspirational; that it didnt always need to be that you settle down with one person and thats it. It can only be love: The model's latest Instagram comes after she confirmed her romance with dashing restaurateur Louis by sharing her first snap of them together on social media Jack Fincham flashed a beaming smile as he hit the gym on Wednesday. The much-loved Love Island star is no doubt doing his best to keep a positive mindset after what has been a difficult few days. Days before, the 27-year-old revealed he abused cocaine on a night out and its since been claimed his girlfriend Dani Dyer, 23, has moved out of their home. Getting back on track: Jack Fincham flashed a beaming smile as he hit the gym on Wednesday despite girlfriend Dani Dyer 'moving out of their home' amid his cocaine shame Dani has, however, showed her support for Jack publicly, saying that her family, including dad Danny, 'love and support' him. Just over a week ago, Jack caved in to temptation after an all-night 'blowout' that lead to him guzzling alcohol and cocaine. On Tuesday, Jack admitted to the drug binge in an interview with The Sun, and that same day Dani's parents were seen moving her belongings out of their shared flat. Bad decision: Just over a week ago, Jack caved in to temptation after an all-night 'blowout' that lead to him guzzling alcohol and cocaine There for him: Girlfriend Dani has said her family 'love and support' Jack no matter what has happened Whilst she has yet to address the scandal directly, Dani took to Instagram on Tuesday with school children in Tanzania captioned: 'Keep smiling girls, always keep smiling'. Sharing the same post on her grid, she wrote: 'See the things is with us girls. We are invincible we can change the world beautiful souls and beautiful faces. 'Thankyou for showing me so much love and so much kindness and how strong you girls are. Please keep going things are changing and things are getting better. [sic] Charity: Dani is currently in Tanzania ahead of her Mount Kilimanjaro climb for Comic Relief, yet it's reported her parents Danny Dyer and Joanne Mas urged to her to move back into their Essex home Troubles: Dani was said to be 'heartbroken' after Jack informed her of his drug abuse in a phone-call ahead of her charity climb on Mount Kilimanjaro Dani is currently in Tanzania ahead of her Mount Kilimanjaro climb for Comic Relief, yet it's reported her parents Danny Dyer and Joanne Mas urged to her to move back into their Essex home. In pictures obtained by the publication, Dani's mother was seen leaving the flat with a suitcase after reportedly packing for her daughter. She was said to be 'heartbroken' after Jack informed her of his drug abuse in a phone-call ahead of her charity climb on Mount Kilimanjaro. A source told The Sun: 'To say she and her family are furious is an understatement. Her mum Jo is particularly mad and has told Dani she needs to take a break from him as he isn't good for the family brand or Dani's future. 'She has agreed to see him to talk when she is back, but wants some space and her family have asked her to come back home. 'Jo has gone in to get some of her stuff and to take it back ready for when she lands later this week.' Moved out: Dani Dyer - who has vowed to 'keep smiling' despite moving out of their shared London flat Space: Love Island winner Dani is believed to have moved out of the luxury flat she shares with boyfriend Jack after he admitted to abusing Class A drugs | BY Ricki Green | Haystac, part of the BWM Dentsu Group, has appointed Simone Pipkorn to the role of managing director. Pipkorn was previously the managing partner of PR, social, content and influencer at Attention+Influence, part of CHE Proximity. Pipkorn has deep experience working in an integrated communications environment with strategy, creative, PR, social and content teams to achieve client objectives. Her PR experience covers a wide range of FMCG, retail, health and pharma, financial services, telco, travel, lifestyle and property clients. Tim Powell, managing director, BWM Dentsu Public Relations Group, said Pipkorns brief is to help drive Haystac through its next phase of growth. Says Powell: Haystac is a big agency with offices across Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane servicing major national brands, including Bunnings, Officeworks, BP and Nandos. In many ways, we have flown under the radar by being quiet achievers. Simone is a leader who will galvanise our national strength, raise the profile of the Haystac brand, and drive growth for Haystac and our clients. Pipkorn said it is an exciting time for Haystac: Haystac has a strong, proud history in the market and is working with some of Australias favourite brands. I am excited to be joining such a well-respected agency, and one that is doing great work for great clients by pushing the boundaries of our craft. I look forward to working with the incredible leaders in the Haystac senior leadership team to continue the agencys upwards trajectory. He's the younger brother of Hollywood starlet, Margot Robbie. And Cameron Robbie is certainly following in the footsteps of his superstar sister. On Wednesday, the 23-year-old led the celebrity arrivals at David Jones' Art Of Wellness event in Hobart, Tasmania, a day after making his debut as a model for the department store. Good genes run in the family! Margot Robbies brother Cameron, 23, joined Kate Waterhouse at a David Jones' Art Of Wellness in Hobart, Tasmania, on Wednesday The style set! VIP guests donned their trendiest active-wear ensembles for the wellness event For the low-key event, Cameron donned a grey hoodie and a pair of synthetic sweatpants as he mingled with other VIP guests. Cameron - who is an aspiring actor - stood out among the fashionable guests as they gathered for a group photo. The style set all donned their trendiest active-wear ensembles for the wellness event, which featured tables of organic food and a complimentary yoga session. Twice as nice! Also present at the event was Victoria's Secret Model Victoria Lee, 28, and heavily pregnant Hollywood actress, Teresa Palmer Glowing: Teresa's dainty dress allowed the Hacksaw Ridge star to flaunt her burgeoning baby bump. Cameron was seen mingling with media maven Kate Waterhouse during the get-together. Also present at the event was Victoria's Secret Model Victoria Lee, 28, and heavily pregnant Hollywood actress, Teresa Palmer. 33-year-old Teresa didn't don active-wear for the David Jones event, choosing instead to rock a loose-fitting floral flock. The dainty dress allowed the Hacksaw Ridge star to flaunt her burgeoning baby bump. Comfort AND style! Gemma Ward (left) also made an appearance, clad in a cosy beige sweater Zen models! Gemma and Cameron partook in a complimentary yoga session Trendy! Blogger Nadia Fairfax (right) was no doubt getting some style inspiration as she chatted with a pal Meanwhile, model Gemma Ward, 31, also made an appearance, clad in a cosy beige sweater. Fashion bloggers were similarly out in force for the festivities, with Nadia Faifax and Sarah Ellen pictured posing for photographers. Sarah, 22, was seen cosying up with male model Josh Heuston, both donning chunky sneakers and trendy trackpants. Millennial cool! Sarah Ellen was seen cosying up with male model Josh Heuston, both donning chunky sneakers and trendy trackpants She shared a touching tribute to the cast and crew of Poldark, as she took a picture with her co-star Aidan Turner to commemorate the last day of filming on season five. And Eleanor Tomlinson was in good spirits despite saying goodbye to the show, as she beamed while exiting the Connaught Hotel after attending the launch of Radley London, and their new Radley Spirit campaign in London on Wednesday. The actress, 26, is a brand ambassador for the luxury brand, and looked effortlessly chic in an all-black ensemble, which saw her pair a corduroy jacket with matching trousers and a plain T-shirt. Good spirits: Poldark's Eleanor Tomlinson beamed as she stepped out in a chic outfit on Wednesday... after marking the show's last day of filming with Aidan Turner in sweet snap Boosting her statuesque figure in a pair of lace-up heeled boots, Eleanor gave her look a professional flair with a black Radley's Painter Mews medium flapover cross body bag. The fiery-haired beauty styled her hair with a middle parting, and her locks fell over her shoulders in glamorous curls. Eleanor accentuated her pretty features with a natural palette of make-up, and kept her accessorises simple by wearing small earrings and a silver bracelet. Sweet: Eleanor shared a touching tribute to the cast and crew of Poldark, with a picture kissing her co-star Aidan on the cheek to commemorate the last day of filming on season five Stylish: Eleanor looked effortlessly chic in an all-black ensemble, which saw her pair a corduroy jacket with matching trousers and a plain T-shirt Chic: Boosting her statuesque figure in a pair of lace-up heeled boots, Eleanor gave her look a professional flair with a black handbag Stylish: The fiery-haired beauty styled her hair with a middle parting, and her locks fell over her shoulders in glamorous curls This comes after Eleanor shared a sweet snap with her Poldark co-star Aidan Turner, as filming on the series' fifth, and final, season came to an end in Bristol, on Sunday. The actress, 26, planted a kiss on the 35-year-old actor's cheek while holding his face, while he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and smiled. Wearing a red dress to transform into her character Demelza, Eleanor gushed about the cast and crew as she expressed her gratitude for working with them on the show. Eleanor wrote: 'Life is precious and should not be scorned. The thing is to find some purpose, to go on living. Goodbye Poldark. 'Thank you to the incredible cast and crew that have made this series over the last 5 years. What a family we are' Thankful: Another image saw Aidan kissing her on the cheek as she gushed about her gratitude for working with the cast and crew on the show Glamorous: Eleanor accentuated her pretty features with a natural palette of make-up, and kept her accessorises simple by wearing small earrings and a silver bracelet Happy: The actress couldn't help but smile as she made her way out The onscreen couple also looked sweet in a second image, which saw Aidan kissing his co-star on the cheek as he carried a clapperboard for the final scene in his hand, while Eleanor beamed beside him and hugged his hunky torso tightly. Although the pair are set to say goodbye to the characters for now, series writer Debbie Horsfield and producer Karen Thrussell revealed they are hoping to produce another series focusing on the life of a 40-year-old Ross Poldark. The duo behind the successful drama revealed the news at the Radio Times Covers Party on Thursday, admitting there is still some way to go before they exhaust the original source material. Stunning beauty: Eleanor looked glamorous in her Gothic look Windswept: The actress let her fiery locks fly in the wind as she walked through London 'There are five more books we could do in future possibly,' said Karen. 'If we did a Poldark six and a lot of us would like to do it it wouldn't be for a few years yet'. She added: 'Ross would be in his 40s [and] I think we would probably focus on Ross and Demelza because we love them so much. The books are really great. 'I think for me, it would be a real honour to finish them because the 1970s series didn't finish them, they stopped where we are stopping now. And as a reader of the books [who] loves the books I would love to get to the end.' They recently debuted their two new puppies together. Yet Ant McPartlin and Anne-Marie Corbett left their dogs at home as they headed to the Britain's Got Talent auditions in Manchester together on Wednesday. The duo looked smitten as they strolled through Euston station with their suitcases on tow ahead of the Northern leg of auditions. Two's company: Ant McPartlin and Anne-Marie Corbett left their dogs at home as they headed to the Britain's Got Talent auditions in Manchester together on Wednesday Ant seemed in high spirits as he cracked a smile whilst striding past in a fitted black coat and checkered shirt. Meanwhile, Anne-Marie turned heads in a vibrant pink padded jacket layered over a grey jumper and skinny jeans. The mother-of-two finished off the look by styling her glossy blonde locks into waves and wearing a slick of red lipstick. Cuddled up: The duo looked smitten as they strolled through Euston station with their suitcases on tow ahead of the Northern leg of auditions All over each other: Ant and Anne-Marie made for a handsome couple as they strolled past Ant and Anne-Marie are said to have started dating in March, following his divorce from ex-wife Lisa Armstrong in January. The presenter previously credited his former personal assistant as being 'his rock' over the past year as he battled with drug and alcohol addiction and took time away from the spotlight. Speaking to The Sun, he said: 'Anne-Marie honestly is the fundamental reason for the great change in my life. 'She's been my rock. She's a beautiful soul. We're very happy.' Dapper: Ant seemed in high spirits as he cracked a smile whilst striding past in a fitted black coat and checkered shirt That's a wrap: Meanwhile, Anne-Marie turned heads in a vibrant pink padded jacket layered over a grey jumper and skinny jeans Blonde beauty: The mother-of-two finished off the look by styling her glossy blonde locks into waves and wearing a slick of red lipstick His comments did not go down well with ex-wife Lisa, and it emerged last month that the make-up artist had been left 'disgusted and devastated' by the remarks. She took to Twitter following the interview where he gushed about 'his rock' Anne-Marie and how he disagreed with Lisa's decision to express her heartbreak on the social media platform. Meanwhile, Ant and Anne-Marie have taken the next step together by welcoming two fur babies - Maltipoo puppies Milo and Bumble. Strong couple: Ant and Anne-Marie are said to have started dating in March, following his divorce from ex-wife Lisa Armstrong in January Pet owners: Ant and Anne-Marie have taken the next step together by welcoming two fur babies - Maltipoo puppies Milo and Bumble The duo are said to have bought the pups - which are a cross between a Maltese terrier and a poodle and typically cost 1,000 each - a few weeks ago, but have been keeping them inside prior to their vaccinations. Ant's love of dogs has been well-documented in the past, with one of the main bones of contention in his split from wife Lisa Armstrong said to be about the custody of their five-year-old chocolate Labrador. Amid ongoing reports that the custody battle was becoming a drawn-out process, Ant told The Sun last month: 'We still share quite evenly. Hurley's welfare comes first and we both love him very much. That's the way it is really.' MAFS' Elizabeth Sobinoff was left heartbroken and alone when TV 'husband' Sam Ball ditched their honeymoon to attend his ex-girlfriend's funeral in New Zealand. And during Wednesday night's dinner party, MAFS bride Cyrell Paule didn't hold back when she slammed the 26-year-old tradie for his behaviour. After learning about Sam's swift departure shortly after his nuptials to Elizabeth, Cyrell fumed: 'He's a d**k already. I don't like him,' before adding, 'he's a piece of s**t.' 'You can do better!' On Wednesday night's episode of MAFS, Cyrell Paule slammed 'runaway groom' Sam Ball in an expletive-laden tirade while encouraging 'wife' Elizabeth Sobinoff to move on after he abandoned her Enraged by his actions, Cyrell encouraged the 27 year-old store manager to move on. The rant took place before Sam's shock dinner party arrival. But 'You know what, honey, I think you can do better,' she said. 'You can do better!' Enraged by his actions, Cyrell encouraged the 27-year-old store manager to move on and cut her losses And her fellow MAFS bride went so far to ask: 'Was there really a funeral? However, fireworks soon erupted when Sam suddenly strolled into the dinner party, taking the cast by complete surprise. 'Honey, I'm home!' he grinned as he walked up to a stunned Elizabeth. 'Was there really a funeral?' Cyrell hurled questions at baffled Sam before storming away to compose herself As the group reeled in shock, Sam and Elizabeth engaged in an intense conversation. 'I just feel like it wasn't handled in the right way. I feel like there should have been some more communication!' Elizabeth stated. Later in the evening, Elizabeth and Sam spoke privately, with the groom offering a half-hearted apology. The couple agreed to continue where they left off and stay together in the experiment. 'Honey, I'm home!' Fireworks soon erupted when Sam suddenly strolled into the dinner party, taking the cast by complete surprise She spent her honeymoon week alone after her 'husband' Sam Ball travelled to New Zealand to attend his ex-girlfriend's mother's funeral. But on Wednesday's episode of Married At First Sight, Elizabeth Sobinoff's runaway groom made a triumphant return to the show by attending the first dinner party. 'Honey, I'm home,' Sam declared as he walked into the dining room, greeting everyone. 'Honey, I'm Home!' Sam Ball returned for the first Married At First Sight dinner party after absconding from his honeymoon with Elizabeth Sobinoff Raising more than a few eyebrows, Sam confidently strode through the room and placed a kiss on the cheek of a very unimpressed-looking Elizabeth. It wasn't long before the ice-blonde bombshell grilled him on why he failed to keep in contact with her during his travels. 'I left a voicemail,' she grumbled. 'The kid said he doesn't have a voicemail!' Later, 'wife' Elizabeth called him out for pretending he doesn't have voicemail and ignoring her call 'On what?' Sam asked, prompting Elizabeth to fire back: 'Your mobile?' Sam defensively responded: 'I don't have a voicemail. There's no voicemail. I'll show you my phone. I'll prove it.' 'There was a voicemail,' she replied. Away from the dinner table, Elizabeth pulled out her phone and called Sam's number, which went straight to his voicemail. She triumphantly screeched: 'The kid said he doesn't have a voicemail!' The blonde tried again to push him on why he failed to contact her, to which he said: 'I couldn't, I didn't have your number and I need it to contact you.' Failure to communicate: The blonde tried again to push him on why he failed to contact her, to which he said: 'I couldn't, I didn't have your number and I need it to contact you' On Tuesday's episode, Elizabeth became emotional when she hadn't heard from her groom. She cried: 'I just wanted to be the princess for once,' after waking up without her husband next to her and was left to explore Sydney on her own instead of enjoying their honeymoon. Elizabeth tearfully continued: 'I'm getting a little bit emotional because this is too raw for me and I have risked everything. 'I'm in a hotel room and I don't even know... The situation is just sh** because I'm like...I'm meant to get to know him.' Married At First Sight returns on Sunday night from 7.00pm on Nine Andi Peters has weighed in on Liam Neeson's comments that he had a 'primal urge' to 'kill a black b*****d'. The TV presenter, 48, was speaking on Good Morning Britain to show anchors Susanna Reid and Piers Morgan, from a house in The Wirral, when he quipped: 'I'm the black man that everybody loves I hope... because I give away money and I give away loads of money. 'But I'm going to lock the front door in case Liam Neeson's in the area!' Tongue-in-cheek: Andi Peters has weighed in on Liam Neeson's comments that he had a 'primal urge' to 'kill a black b*****d' Although Piers and Susanna laughed along with Andi's tongue-in-cheek comment, they later came to blows while debating it on the show. Piers had been raging about ex-footballer John Barnes, who had defended the Hollywood actor. Susanna said: 'No one is defending what he did. I think the focus should be on the experience of people who are at risk of this racist idea of collective punishment. 'This is the first time my eye sight has been opened to that horrific racist experience.' Burn: The TV presenter quipped, 'I'm the black man that everybody loves I hope... because I give away money and I give away loads of money. 'But I'm going to lock the front door in case Liam Neeson's in the area' Laughs: Andi was speaking on Good Morning Britain to show anchors Susanna Reid and Piers Morgan Piers interrupted: 'What? That there might be racists who want to kill black people?' Susanna replied: 'In the media, not across my mind. That it's an every day experience.' Piers then asked: 'Why are you suddenly feeling that this has enlightened you? You don't think there have been racists out there who have had these thoughts?' Susanna said to him in a warning tone: 'Piers do not warp what I'm saying, I'm saying this is the first time we've discussed this openly on a programme like this.' The tense exchange lasted 10 minutes. Heated: Although Piers and Susanna laughed along with Andi's tongue-in-cheek comment, they later came to blows while debating it on the show 10 minute tiff! Susanna said to him in a warning tone - 'Piers do not warp what I'm saying, I'm saying this is the first time we've discussed this openly on a programme like this' During an interview with The Independent to promote his new film Cold Pursuit, Neeson described how he walked the streets looking for a 'black b*****d' to kill after a loved one was raped. 'But my immediate reaction was... I asked, did she know who it was? No. What color were they? She said it was a black person,' he said. 'I went up and down areas with a cosh [a heavy stick or bar], hoping I'd be approached by somebody I'm ashamed to say that and I did it for maybe a week, hoping some [making air quotes with his fingers] "black b*****d" would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know? So that I could kill him.' After the interview made headlines across the world, Neeson denied he was a racist but failed to apologise during an appearance on Good Morning America. U ok? During an interview with The Independent to promote his new film Cold Pursuit, Neeson described how he walked the streets looking for a 'black b*****d' to kill after a loved one was raped Cut? There have also been calls for Neeson to be edited out of Men In Black: International - his forthcoming summer blockbuster alongside Chris Hemsworth Neeson said he 'understood' the hurt his words had caused but insisted: 'I'm not racist, this was 40 years ago. I had a primal urge. I was trying to show honor for a friend I dearly loved, in a medieval fashion'. The red carpet at the premiere of Neesons newest film has since been abruptly cancelled amid fallout from the actors comments. Organizers of the New York premiere of Cold Pursuit informed journalists that interviews and photo opportunities had been nixed on Tuesday afternoon, just hours before the event was supposed to start. The Lionsgate films screening continued as planned however. However, there have also been calls for Neeson to be edited out of Men In Black: International - his forthcoming summer blockbuster alongside Chris Hemsworth. She's opened up her life on hit reality series First Time Mum. But Ferne McCann has admitted parenting in the public eye attracts 'nasty trolls' on social media, speaking about the online abuse she's suffered on Wednesday's Lorraine. The star is busy promoting the third series of her ITVBe series which follows her life as mum to daughter Sunday, one, who appeared alongside her mum on Lorraine. Speaking out: Ferne McCann has admitted parenting in the public eye attracts 'nasty trolls' on social media, speaking about the online abuse she's suffered on Wednesday's Lorraine While she admits she loves sharing her life with fans, the former TOWIE star told Lorraine that she can't help but be affected by hurtful comments from online trolls. 'I think some comments really hurt and you sit there and dwell,' she admitted. 'It can be so hurtful but you have to not worry yourself. They don't know anything about your life.' She added though that alongside the abuse she has had so much positive feedback, gushing: 'So many mums and particularly single parents get in touch on social media to say "you're great, a huge support" but you do get the nasty trolls. You have to grow a thick skin.' VIP guest: The star is busy promoting the third series of her ITVBe series which follows her life as mum to daughter Sunday, one, who appeared alongside her mum on Lorraine Candid: While she admits she loves sharing her life with fans, the former TOWIE star told Lorraine that she can't help but be affected by hurtful comments from online trolls Ferne said she's 'really excited about the cameras following my life,' quickly adding: 'They're not there all the time, like first thing in the morning and when I'm showering and going to the toilet! They follow what's going on and what is important.' 'I am quite honest, I think if you are going into a reality show you have to give up a lot and if youre holding back viewers can tell.' The star added that she's particularly grateful to the show for providing a memoir for her daughter when she's older. Honest: 'I think some comments really hurt and you sit there and dwell,' she admitted. 'It can be so hurtful but you have to not worry yourself. They don't know anything about your life' The new series of First Time Mum features such milestones as Sunday's first birthday, which sees the Essex beauty pull out all the stops for a lavish celebration. 'I always thought I wasn't going to be an over the top mum but I got to her first birthday party and I thought "I'm going to go big she's only one once!" admitted Ferne. Ferne also revealed that the series will see her exploring dating for the first time since Sunday was born. Celebrating: The new series of First Time Mum features such milestones as Sunday's first birthday, which sees the Essex beauty pull out all the stops for a lavish celebration Sweet: Ferne and her daughter looked gorgeous in their camera-ready outfits The star split from Sunday's dad Arthur Collins before the birth. Collins is currently serving a jail term for his involvement in an acid attack at a London nightclub in 2017. 'I am happy being single there's no time for dating,' explained Ferne before hinting that she has in fact gone on some dates recently. 'Dating has changed now I've had a baby. There's a lot of planning for a night out let alone a dating life. I explore my dating life on the show,' she said. Doting mum: Ferne also revealed that the series will see her exploring dating for the first time since Sunday was born BFF: Lorraine was also keen to catch up on Ferne's best pal Vicky Pattison, who has been navigating her own public break up recently, after her fiance John Noble was caught cheating Lorraine was also keen to catch up on Ferne's best pal Vicky Pattison, who has been navigating her own public break up recently, after her fiance John Noble was caught cheating. 'I'm not sure if she's seeing someone,' insisted Ferne of reports Vicky is dating TOWIE star Ercan Ramadanon. 'We have such a unique friendship we met on the jungle no one can understand what it's like she's been such an amazing friend and she's been so supportive. Going through heartbreak alone and doing it publicly was so tough for her.' First Time Mum returns to ITVBe on Wednesday at 9pm. Married At First Sight's Elizabeth Sobinoff appeared on the brink of mental breakdown on Wednesday night's episode of the program. The 27-year-old chowed down on chocolate and paced her hotel room in an erratic fashion, four days after her 'husband' Sam Ball dramatically fled the experiment. Clearly taking his absence personally, Elizabeth performed a bizarre rendition of Celine Dion's ballad All By Myself before stating: 'How can someone's mind not go into overdrive?' 'My mind is going into overdrive!' MAFS' Elizabeth Sobinoff appeared on the brink of a mental breakdown on Wednesday night's episode of the program, four days after 'husband' Sam Ball fled the experiment Elizabeth and Sam had been slated to honeymoon in Phuket, Thailand before Sam pulled out at the last minute. The tradesman, 26, instead flew to New Zealand to attend the funeral of his ex-girlfriend's mother, leaving Elizabeth high and dry. 'I haven't heard from Sam. It's like day four and I don't know what's going on. It's odd not to hear from him,' the jilted blonde explained. All dressed up and nowhere to go! The 27-year-old performed a bizarre rendition of Celine Dion's All By Myself A whole block of chocolate! Elizabeth chowed down on chocolate after trying in vain to contact her husband 'I want to believe him, but I called yesterday and left a voicemail and nothing. The fact that he's overseas with his ex-girlfriend is just like the cherry on top. So right now, it feels like I'm in solitary confinement. It's not pleasant at all'. Without her 'husband' by her side, Elizabeth was forced to attend the first group dinner party on her own. And it wasn't long before her 18 concerned co-stars were questioning whether Sam was telling the truth. Arriving solo: Without her 'husband' by her side, Elizabeth was forced to attend the first group dinner party on her own Where's Sam? It wasn't long before Elizabeth's concerned co-stars were questioning whether Sam was telling the truth 'Honey, you can do better!' Co-star Cyrell Paule (left) told Elizabeth that Sam was a 'd**k' Fellow MAFS bride Cyrell Paule was skeptical, asking: 'Was there really a funeral? He's a d**k already, I don't like him! Honey, you can do better!' However, fireworks soon erupted when Sam suddenly strolled into the dinner party, taking the cast by complete surprise. 'Honey, I'm home!' he grinned as he walked up to a stunned Elizabeth. 'Honey, I'm home!' Fireworks soon erupted when Sam suddenly strolled into the dinner party, taking the cast by complete surprise As the group reeled in shock, Sam and Elizabeth engaged in an intense conversation. 'I just feel like it wasn't handled in the right way. I feel like there should have been some more communication!' Elizabeth stated. Later in the evening, Elizabeth and Sam spoke privately, with the groom offering a half-hearted apology. Drama: As the group reeled in shock, Sam and Elizabeth engaged in an intense conversation 'I just feel like it wasn't handled in the right way. I feel like there should have been some more communication!' Elizabeth unleashed her fury on Sam The couple agreed to continue where they left off and stay together in the experiment. However, it appears seductive co-star Ines Basic has eyes for Sam, saying privately: 'Sam... In real life, he would never look at Elizabeth, right? You know, he's that hot, right? He's that hot and he's that charming.' 'If I was Elizabeth, I would have sex with him for as long as I could!' she enthused She has struggled to come to terms with the fact that her TV 'husband' Bronson Norrish previously worked as a stripper. And on Wednesday's episode of Married At First Sight, Ines Basic once again insulted her husband for his former employment in front of her fellow co-stars, asking them whether he looks like a 'full on porn star' during the series' first dinner party. The outspoken bride, 28, told fellow brides Martha and Ning: 'You can sort of tell my husband looks like a full porn star right?' 'Don't you reckon he looks like a porn star? He used to - like, four years ago, he was a stripper,' she told the women. Before walking into the sitting area, Ines told producers: 'I'm so bored. I'm not having a good time. Like, it sucks.' Ines then revealed: 'Bronson, like he never makes any effort to make me feel like I am a wife.' 'My husband looks like a full porn star right?' Married At First Sight's Ines Basic took another swipe at her husband Bronson Norrish on Wednesday night's dinner party episode Outrageous: The outspoken bride, 28, told fellow brides Martha and Ning: 'You can sort of tell my husband looks like a full porn star right?' After seeing the other couples in the sitting area, she said: 'I feel a bit jealous. If anyone is willing to donate me their husband.' 'I would definitely, you know, like to have a discussion with them about it. Yeah, it sounds like a really good plan. Yeah, I'm into it,' she hinting to producers of her husband swap plans. It comes after the fiery brunette berated her husband yet again on their honeymoon, but Bronson finally hit back with a few choice words of his own. 'Is it too late to get a divorce?' he said, after the Bosnian beauty swore at him, demanding that he 'shut the f**k up' and 'grow a f***ing balls**k'. Husband swap: After seeing the other couples in the sitting area, she said: 'I feel a bit jealous. If anyone is willing to donate me their husband' She's not happy: Ines hinted to producers of her plans to swap out her husband Bronson (pictured), saying: 'I would definitely, you know, like to have a discussion with them about it. Yeah, it sounds like a really good plan' The pair were on the water in Port Douglas for their honeymoon when the heated exchange began. Bronson turned to the tour operator to jokingly ask: 'So any ah deaths, due to parasailing?' Ines snapped at the Perth entrepreneur, saying: 'Are you f***ing serious? What sort of dumba** f***ing question is that? Jesus help me.' Married At First Sight returns on Sunday night from 7.00pm on Nine Their relationship has truly stood the test of time after 13 years together. And Jesse Metcalfe, 40, and Cara Santana enjoyed a romantic date on Tuesday night, as they headed to the My Little Dumpling restaurant in Los Angeles to celebrate their anniversary. The actress, 34, cut a stylish figure in flared orange trousers, while she showed off a glimpse of her abs in a white crop top. Sweet: Jesse Metcalfe looked smitten and wrapped his arm around wife Cara Santana's shoulder during a date night in Los Angeles on Tuesday to celebrate 13 years together Cara kept off the winter chill in a fluffy off-white jacket, while she boosted her statuesque figure in a pair of red peep-toe heels. The brunette beauty pulled her locks back into a tight bun, and added a touch of glitter to her look with a sparkling 'glam' hair clip. Meanwhile Jesse opted for a more casual chic look for their outing, as he donned a well-worn grey jumper over a black T-shirt. The Desperate Housewives star completed his look with a pair of black trousers and matching lace-up shoes. Glamorous: The actress, 34, cut a stylish figure in flared orange trousers, while she showed off a glimpse of her abs in a white crop top On Sunday, Cara paid tribute to her fiance while telling her Instagram followers the day marked 13 years since they first started dating. Posting a series of sweet pictures and humorous messages, Cara told her followers the couple have 'grown up together'. The pair got engaged in 2016 when the actor popped the question as the two sailed down the Hudson River in New York on a 50-foot sail boat. Chic: Cara kept off the winter chill in a fluffy off-white jacket, while she boosted her statuesque figure in a pair of red peep-toe heels Happy times: On Sunday, Cara paid tribute to her fiance while telling her Instagram followers the day marked 13 years since they first started dating Jesse also celebrated his 40th birthday last month, with Cara sharing a romantic post on Instagram saying she hoped 2019 was their best year yet. She wrote: '40 has never looked so good! Am I right people?!? Happiest of Birthdays @realjessemetcalfe! 'Spending life with you and watching you become this amazing man year after year is a total gift for me! Celebrating you is easy. Heres to many more. May this year be the best yet.' Cara and Jesse are also set to become co-workers as well as partners when they star in upcoming movie Steps together, which is written by Cara. 13 years strong: Posting a series of sweet pictures and humorous messages, Cara told her followers the couple have 'grown up together' Duluth, MN (55816) Today A mix of clouds and sun. High 71F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Some clouds. Low 54F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Claire Foy took center stage at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival's event for The Virtuosos Award on Tuesday at the Arlington Theatre. The English actress, 34, looked sensational in a plunging black lace dress paired with a diamond bracelet, earrings and sandals as she prepared to collect the honours - during which she looked worlds away from her The Crown best. The Golden Globe award-winning actress showed off her perky assets in the perilously plunging gown at the event, with the sexy look putting any thoughts of her prudish yet stunning Queen Elizabeth II period costumes out of mind. Stunning: Claire Foy, 34, took center stage at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival's event for The Virtuosos Award on Tuesday at the Arlington Theatre Oh my! The sexy look put any thoughts of her prudish yet stunning Queen Elizabeth II period costumes out of mind Claire made the most of her stunning figure at the bash as she displayed her extremely perky assets through the deeply plunging neck line. By sweeping her tresses into an elegant and simplistic chignon, she helped show off her cleavage and her incredible bone structure. Elegant and simple make-up created a striking look with the ensemble and her beauty regiment perfecting her sensational look. Boosting her height with bejewelled sandals helped ensure the clues were all in the details as she rubbed shoulders with the stars at the bash. Stylish: The English actress looked amazing in a plunging neckline black lace dress, along with a diamond bracelet and sandals Chilly: Foy kept warm with a black coat outside the historic theater Key role: The First Man actress played Janet Armstrong to Ryan Gosling's Neil Armstrong in the acclaimed motion picture The First Man actress, who played Janet Armstrong to Ryan Gosling's Neil Armstrong in the acclaimed motion picture, was among the many lauded stars who were present for the gathering. Award honorees included Burning's Steven Yeun with wife Joana Pak, A Star is Born's Sam Elliott, Leave No Trace's Thomasin McKenzie. Fellow nominees were BlacKkKlansman's John David Washington, Roma's Yalitza Aparicio, Can You Ever Forgive Me?'s Richard E. Grant and Eighth Grade's Elsie Fisher and Back to the Future icon Christopher Lloyd and his wife Jane Walker Wood. Last month, Foy was hailed at the Critics' Choice Awards with the #SeeHer honors, earmarked for actresses who play powerful roles that defy stereotypes, which she's done with roles including her First Man turn and her part as Queen Elizabeth II. Starry night: The performer looked stunning as she posed during red carpet entrances Focused: The actress continues to soar to new heights in her career Turner Classic Movies host Dave Karger moderated the evening. 'From talented teenagers starring in their first feature films to veteran actors shining in career-best performances, this years Virtuosos prove that you can have a breakout moment at any point in your career,' Karger told the Santa Ynez Valley News. 'Im so excited to join this phenomenal group of actors on stage in Santa Barbara.' The Santa Barbara International Film Festival continues Thursday with the Cinema Vanguard Award, which A-lister Michael B. Jordan is set to receive. Cute couple: Burning's Steven Yeun, 35, and his wife Joana Pak, 32, beamed in this shot Rising star: Eighth Grade's Elsie Fisher, 15, donned an all white leather ensemble to the event Veteran presence: Sam Elliott, 74, looked dapper in a black suit with black tie at the event Elegant: Leave No Trace's Thomasin McKenzie, 18, wore a floral ensemble to the gathering Tisha Campbell-Martin's estranged husband Duane did not address the jarring domestic violence allegations she made against him last month in his reply to court. The Martin actress, 50, told a Los Angeles court January 24 that Duane had 'been emotionally, mentally and physically' abusive to her over their 22-year marriage, and was granted a domestic violence restraining order forcing him to remain 100 yards away from her. The Oklahoma City-born star, who shares two sons with Duane - Xen Martin, 17, and Ezekiel, nine - also told the court that he was often verbally abusive to her in regards to how her weight impacted her career. Scroll below for video The latest: Tisha Campbell-Martin's estranged husband Duane did not address the jarring domestic violence allegations she made against him last month in his reply to court. The actress, 50, was snapped in NYC last year In his response, Duane struck back at Tisha's parenting skills, claiming she doesn't emphasize schoolwork to the children, and did not finish college - whereas he has an extensive background in education and emphasizes studying to the kids, TMZ reported Tuesday. 'I am a graduate of New York University,' he told the court, adding that 'schooling was very important to me.' In his response, Duane also petitioned the court to alter his present drop-off arrangement with Tisha. Duane also claimed Tisha had used the media to leverage the case, as she'd 'caused a number of defamatory articles to be posted about me in the last few months,' The Blast reported. He is asking the court to cease 'any future articles to be posted.' Better times: The couple looked to be happy in LA in June of 2007 Out and about: The couple attended Vivica A. Fox's 50th birthday celebration in LA in 2014 Currently, the two both pick up and drop-off at a nearby police station, but Duane thinks it's to the detriment of the kids and should be modified. Duane also petitioned the court to close off the court room for his next hearing in the case, which is slated for next week, the outlet reported. Tisha previously told the court that in a December incident, according to the outlet, that Duane 'grabbed me by my arm to try to get me in the bedroom;' and that she had reported a number of incidents to the police in January - including one in which she claimed he punched her in the chest amid an argument over her figure. In her affidavit to the court, Campbell-Martin said she documented Duane's alleged misdeeds 'to protect my family, the community and the publics persona of my spouse. 'I can no longer live in fear of retaliation, the need to press criminal charges for his acts overshadows the embarrassment of making his crimes against me public through this report,' she said. Campbell-Martin said that Martin has made false allegations of alcoholism and depression against her to distract from the domestic violence allegations. The two, who tied the knot in 1996, have been in a court battle closing in on a year since Campbell-Martin filed for divorce last February, listing her separation with Duane as December 24, 2016. 'After 27 years of being together and two amazing children, it pains me to announce that Ive filed for divorce,' she said in a February 23, 2018 statement. 'Its an emotional time and I graciously ask for privacy for me, our children and the rest of our family.' She the award-winning actress, best known for her roles on hit shows such as Offspring and Love My Way. But in real life Asher Keddie is just like us. The 44-year-old star swapped her usual red carpet glamour for a more relaxed look on Tuesday while doing household chores. Scroll down for video Keeping casual: Asher Keddie, 44, looked a little flustered while mowing the lawn outside her Melbourne home on Tuesday The blonde beauty wore tracksuit pants and a loose sweater as she mowed the lawn outside her Melbourne home. Asher looked rather flustered while carrying out the task. She appeared to go makeup free for the occasion, and styled her blonde hair into a simple, no-nonsense updo. It comes after the Logie-winning actress spoke about the possibility of an Offspring reboot sometime in the future. Laid-back: The blonde beauty wore tracksuit pants and a loose sweater as she mowed the lawn outside her Melbourne home 'Sun kissed': She appeared to go makeup free for the occasion, and styled her blonde hair into a simple, no-nonsense updo What a workout! Asher proved she is just like the rest of us, as she got stuck into her household chores 'I just honestly don't know the answer to that because in five years' time I don't know how I'll feel or whether it will be material that's relevant,' Asher told WHO magazine. 'So I think for me, Offspring was made at a time where we really, really wanted to enjoy a character that was so relatable.' Regardless of whether the show will make a comeback, the Asher said she was 'proud' to have reached seven seasons. 'I honestly don't know the answer to that': It comes after the Logie-winning actress spoke about the possibility of an Offspring reboot sometime in the future New project: Asher, who played obstetrician Nina Proudman on Channel 10's Offspring for seven seasons, most recently starred in BBC drama The Cry 'It feels like such a success to me that I'm so proud of,' she said. Asher, who played obstetrician Nina Proudman on Channel 10's Offspring, most recently starred in BBC drama The Cry. She plays a single mother in a bitter custody battle alongside fellow actors Jenna Coleman, Ewen Leslie and Stella Gonet. Eva Longoria Baston and Lake Bell have both managed to balance motherhood with their triple roles as producer, director, and actress of new ABC series, which they promoted Tuesday at the Winter TCA press tour in Pasadena. The 'Texican' beauty - turning 44 next month - showed a lot of leg in b&w-striped pants split way up the thigh and tied at the ankle, which were selected by stylist Charlene E Roxborough Konsker. The Golden Globe nominee paired her bizarre trousers with a simple long-sleeved black top and Mary Jane heels designed by her gal pal Victoria Beckham. Pisces pair! Eva Longoria Baston (L) and Lake Bell (R) have both managed to balance motherhood with their triple roles as producer, director, and actress of new ABC series, which they promoted Tuesday at the Winter TCA press tour in Pasadena Make-up artist Elan Bongiorno brought out Eva's brown eyes with long lashes and she applied her pink pout. Longoria's BFF/hairstylist Ken Paves coiffed her perky 'snatched' ponytail as she 'mama bird-style' fed bits of fruit to her seven-month-old son Santiago Enrique with third husband, Televisa president Jose 'Pepe' Baston. The Dog Days actress began filming ABC's Grand Hotel five months after giving birth to her first child. 'I was directing the show while I was breastfeeding. I was crazy,' the Black-ish director said onstage the Langham Huntington. Turning 44 next month! The 'Texican' beauty showed a lot of leg in b&w-striped pants split way up the thigh and tied at the ankle HBIC: The Golden Globe nominee paired her bizarre trousers with a simple long-sleeved black top and Mary Jane heels designed by her gal pal Victoria Beckham Santiago name plate necklace! Make-up artist Elan Bongiorno brought out Eva's brown eyes with long lashes and she applied her pink pout 'Mama bird!' Longoria's BFF/hairstylist Ken Paves coiffed her perky 'snatched' ponytail as she fed bits of fruit to her seven-month-old son Santiago Enrique 'Break time with this little one!' The Dog Days actress began filming ABC's Grand Hotel five months after giving birth to her first child 'The first time you see me I'm about 20lbs heavier than the last time you see me because five months had passed.' Even though half the writers are women and people of color, and they hired female DPs, ADs, and stunt coordinators on set, Eva noted: 'It's still not common enough to have women behind the camera.' Longoria also has a four-episode guest stint acting as the late matriarch Beatriz Mendoza in the Miami Beach-set drama series, which premieres June 17 on ABC. Meanwhile, Lake - turning the big 4-0 next month - wore a plunging teal-and-neon palm-print Cushnie jumpsuit over a black turtleneck selected by stylist Erica Cloud. The Black-ish director said onstage the Langham Huntington: 'I was directing the show while I was breastfeeding. I was crazy' (pictured January 6) Even though half the writers are women and people of color, and they hired female DPs, ADs, and stunt coordinators on set, Eva noted: 'It's still not common enough to have women behind the camera' 'The first time you see me I'm about 20lbs heavier than the last time you see me because five months had passed': Longoria also has a four-episode guest stint acting as the late matriarch Beatriz Mendoza in the Miami Beach-set drama series, which premieres June 17 on ABC Hairstylist Dean Roybal coiffed the Independent Spirit Award nominee's brunette waves while make-up artist Liz Lash applied her magenta pout. Bell was joined by her Bless This Mess leading man Dax Shepard - who plays Mike - sporting grey distressed denim overalls over a green-and-black striped sweater. The Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse actress posted a cozy b&w snap of herself embracing her poncho-clad castmate Pam Grier, who plays Nebraska native Constance Terry. Curiously, the I Do... Until I Don't director then changed into a black pantsuit over a cream knit sweater and reptilian booties for the Q&A portion promoting her Green Acres-inspired sitcom. Turning the big 4-0 next month! Lake wore a plunging teal-and-neon palm-print Cushnie jumpsuit over a black turtleneck selected by stylist Erica Cloud Hazel eyes: Hairstylist Dean Roybal coiffed the Independent Spirit Award nominee's brunette waves while make-up artist Liz Lash applied her magenta pout He plays Mike: Bell was joined by her Bless This Mess leading man Dax Shepard sporting grey distressed denim overalls over a green-and-black striped sweater 'I heart Pam!' The Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse actress posted a cozy b&w snap of herself embracing her poncho-clad castmate Pam Grier She raises chickens and he grows his own food: The 69-year-old Blaxploitation queen and Ed Begley Jr. play Constance Terry and Rudy in Bless This Mess When Lake quipped that cows are 'notoriously bad actors,' Dax joked that she could 'hardly hear her own dialogue, because the Emmy buzz was so loud' for their cattle co-star - according to Deadline. The BoJack Horseman star impressively co-created, directed, and starred as Rio in the midseason comedy series, which premieres April 16 on ABC. In it, Bell and Shepard play New York City newlyweds who move into a dilapidated house in rural Nebraska in an attempt to lead a 'simple life' as farmers. At home, Lake has two children - daughter Nova, 4; and son Ozgood, 21 months - with her husband of five years, tattoo artist Scott Campbell. Quick change! The I Do... Until I Don't director changed into a black pantsuit over a cream knit sweater and reptilian booties for the Q&A portion promoting her Green Acres-inspired sitcom When Lake quipped that cows are 'notoriously bad actors,' Dax joked that she could 'hardly hear her own dialogue, because the Emmy buzz was so loud' for their cattle co-star Boss! The BoJack Horseman star impressively co-created, directed, and starred as Rio in the midseason comedy series, which premieres April 16 on ABC (pictured August 15) Green Acres? In it, Bell and Shepard play New York City newlyweds who move into a dilapidated house in rural Nebraska in an attempt to lead a 'simple life' as farmers 2018 family portrait: At home, Lake has two children - daughter Nova, 4; and son Ozgood, 21 months - with her husband of five years, tattoo artist Scott Campbell The Craft alum Robin Tunney showcased her slim figure in a striking coral pencil dress and strappy black heels. The 46-year-old Independent Spirit Award nominee plays Maya Travis in ABC's legal drama The Fix, which premieres March 18. OJ Simpson lead prosecutor Marcia Clark co-created The Fix with producers Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain. The 65-year-old retired attorney sported a sleek bob with a sheer black floral top over a tank top and matching trousers. The Craft alum! Robin Tunney showcased her slim figure in a striking coral pencil dress and strappy black heels Small-screen gig: The 46-year-old Independent Spirit Award nominee plays Maya Travis in ABC's legal drama The Fix, which premieres March 18 Executive producer: OJ Simpson lead prosecutor Marcia Clark co-created The Fix with producers Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain Mesh: The 65-year-old retired attorney sported a sleek bob with a sheer black floral top over a tank top and matching trousers Gossip Girl alum Leighton Meester was promoting her role as single mother Angie D'Amato in ABC sitcom Single Parents, which resumes February 13. The 32-year-old actress wore a brown Vince dress, by FAR heels, and blue The Row purse selected by stylist Jamie Mizrahi. Hairstylist Dallin James coiffed the wife of Adam Brody's partial updo while make-up artist Kelsey Deenihan accentuated her big brows and applied her bold red lip. Shadowhunters hearthrob Harry Shum Jr. sported a plaid Stile Latino suit while The Bachelor 23 Colton Underwood looked dapper in a gunmetal suit with a blue tie. Gossip Girl alum! Leighton Meester was promoting her role as single mother Angie D'Amato in ABC sitcom Single Parents, which resumes February 13 Chic: The 32-year-old actress wore a brown Vince dress, by FAR heels, and blue The Row purse selected by stylist Jamie Mizrahi Bold red lip: Hairstylist Dallin James coiffed the wife of Adam Brody's partial updo while make-up artist Kelsey Deenihan accentuated her big brows Oscar nominee Laurence Fishburne wore an embroidered baseball cap to promote his role as Earl 'Pops' Johnson in the fifth season of ABC's Black-ish, which resumes February 12. Emmy nominee Tim Meadows also suited up in blue to promote his role as Principal Glascott in The Goldbergs spin-off Schooled, which resumes February 13 on ABC. Two ladies demonstrating differing ways to rock the nude shade were Grand Hotel's Anne Winters in a House Of CB mini-dress and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Chloe Bennet in a roomy pantsuit. Gentlemen: Shadowhunters hearthrob Harry Shum Jr. (L) sported a plaid Stile Latino suit while The Bachelor 23 Colton Underwood (R) looked dapper in a gunmetal suit with a blue tie Matrix alum: Oscar nominee Laurence Fishburne wore an embroidered cap to promote his role as Earl 'Pops' Johnson in the fifth season of ABC's Black-ish, which resumes February 12 GQ smooth: Emmy nominee Tim Meadows also suited up in blue to promote his role as Principal Glascott in The Goldbergs spin-off Schooled, which resumes February 13 on ABC Also suited in technicolor were For The People's Jasmin Savoy Brown in yellow Gretel Z., as well as Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists twosome Sasha Pieterse in red Alexander McQueen and Janel Parrish in white Laura Basci. Practically purring in leopard-print ensembles were Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists' Hayley Erin wearing Reformation and Grand Hotel's Feliz Ramirez wearing Karen Millen. Three ladies rocking not-so-basic black attire were The Kids Are Alright star Mary McCormack, Grand Hotel stunner Roselyn Sanchez, and Grey's Anatomy actress Camilla Luddington. Beige babes: Two ladies rocking the nude shade were Grand Hotel's Anne Winters (L) in a House Of CB mini-dress and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Chloe Bennet (R) in a roomy pantsuit Suited in technicolor! For The People's Jasmin Savoy Brown (L) wore yellow Gretel Z. and Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists' Sasha Pieterse (M) wore red Alexander McQueen and Janel Parrish (R) wore white Laura Basci Here kitty, kitty! Practically purring in leopard-print ensembles were Pretty Little Liars' Hayley Erin wearing Reformation and Grand Hotel's Feliz Ramirez wearing Karen Millen Months after an interracial reboot of the classic 1960s sitcom Bewitched was first announced, ABC has confirmed the series isn't moving forward, as of yet. The project has been rotated to, 'off-cycle' at ABC, according to a new report from Variety, but the project is still in active development. Though the project originally received a pilot production commitment back in August, it seems the script isn't quite ready yet according to ABC execs. No Bewitched reboot: ABC president Karey Burke confirmed they aren't currently moving forward on their Betwitched reboot, but it's still in development Black-ish creator Kenya Barris was slated to write the pilot script and executive produce alongside Yamara Taylor. ABC President Karey Burke revealed during the network's TCA Winter Press Tour panel that Barris delivered a strong take, but it's still not quite there. 'I thought it was an incredibly smart rethink and re-telling of that story,' Burke said during her executive session at the TCA Winter Press Tour. 'Kenya is peerless in the television business as far as Im concerned[Kenya and I] decided together that the script wasnt quite there,' she concluded. Original Bewitched: The original Bewitched series starred Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha Stephens, a seemingly normal housewife who is hiding a secret: that she's really a witch with magical powers The original Bewitched series starred Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha Stephens, a seemingly normal housewife who is hiding a secret: that she's really a witch with magical powers. Dick York starred as her husband Darren Stephens, while Agnes Moorehead played Samantha's magical mother Endora. Sony Pictures, which still holds the rights to the original series, adapted the property for the big screen with the 2005 Bewitched movie that starred Will Ferrell and Nicole Kidman. Sam and Endora: Dick York starred as her husband Darren Stephens, while Agnes Moorehead played Samantha's magical mother Endora The new reboot would put a new twist on the story, following a working-class single mother, who is also an immortal witch, who falls for a white mortal man. Just days before the pilot production deal was announced, Barris left his overall deal at ABC to sign a massive $100 million three-year overall deal with Netflix. The deal was comparable to enormous Netflix pacts signed by Shonda Rhimes (Grey's Anatomy) and Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story). Big deal: Just days before the pilot production deal was announced, Barris left his overall deal at ABC to sign a massive $100 million three-year overall deal with Netflix John Davis and John Fox also serve as executive producers for Bewitched, which hails from ABC Studios and Sony Pictures Television. Barris created both ABC's Black-ish and the Freeform spin-off Grown-Ish, and co-created The CW's long-running reality series America's Next Top Model with Tyra Banks and Ken Mok. He has also written the feature films Girls Trip, Barbershop: The Next Cut, the upcoming remakes of Shaft and Uptown Saturday Night, and the long-awaited sequel Coming 2 America. Reboot twist: The new reboot would put a new twist on the story, following a working-class single mother, who is also an immortal witch, who falls for a white mortal man A man who broke into Taylor Swift's townhouse in New York City and took a nap has been sentenced to six month in jail. The New York Post's Page Six reported that 22-year-old Roger Alvarado, of Homestead, Florida, was sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty to criminal contempt and attempted burglary. Alvarado plans to return to Florida after his jail stint, which is nearly finished, and serve five years' probation, according to The Post. Intruder sentenced: A man who broke into the New York City home of pop star Taylor Swift, shown last month in California, has been sentenced to six months in jail He must also complete a mental-health program. Officers found Alvarado asleep in the pop star's home in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan in April. Police said he had also used her shower. Swift, 29, was not home during the break-in. Second arrest: Swift, shown in May 2018 in Las Vegas, was not home at the time of the break-in Alvarado had been arrested at the same address last February on charges of breaking the front door with a shovel. Swift lately has been working on the movie musical version of the hit show Cats. She will play Bombalurina in the upcoming adaptation of musical stage production by Andrew Lloyd Webber that was based off a book called Old Possums Book Of Practical Cats by TS Eliot. Pop star: The pop star, shown performing in May 2018 in Arizona, has been working on the movie musical version of the hit show Cats Bombalurina in the musical was described as a 'flirtatious red adult female cat with a white chest and black spots and marks.' The cat was a leading role in the production and performed several solos and duets such as The Gumbie Cat. Cats is scheduled to be released in theaters on December 20 by Universal Pictures. She has become one of Hollywood's biggest stars, thanks to her critically-acclaimed reprisal of Mary Poppins and last week's SAG Award win for her role in The Quiet Place. And Emily Blunt looked every inch the leading lady as she attended the To Dust film premiere in New York, to support Emily Mortimer on Tuesday. Joined by her Mary Poppins Returns co-star, the British actress, 35, cut a sophisticated figure in a bold red power suit as she posed for photos ahead of the screening. Turning heads: Emily Blunt looked every inch the leading lady as she attended the To Dust film premiere in New York on Tuesday Emily paired the flared trouser suit with a silk navy poppy print shirt, which sheathed her slender physique. She complemented the look with a black satin bag and dazzling diamond earrings from Anita Ko. Styling her blonde locks in a sleek straight centre-parting, Emily accentuated her natural beauty with a bronzed eyeshadow, rosy cheeks and a pink lip-gloss. Stunning: The British actress, 35, cut a sophisticated figure in a bold red power suit as she posed for photos ahead of the screening Glam: Emily paired the flared trouser suit with a silk navy poppy print shirt, which sheathed her slender physique Girls night out: Emily was joined by her Mary Poppins Returns co-star Emily Mortimer Stylish ladies: The pair appeared in high spirits, giggling away as they posed for photos together Emily, who produced To Dust, looked equally as stylish as she slipped into a purple striped silk dress for the premiere. The pair appeared in high spirits, giggling away as they posed for photos together. To Dust is an American drama film directed by Shawn Snyder and starring Geza Rohrig and Matthew Broderick. It was produced by Emily M, Alessandro Nivola and Ron Perlman. Chic: Emily, who produced To Dust, looked equally as stylish as she slipped into a purple striped silk dress The grand unveiling: She was joined by her fellow producer Alessandro Nivola Drama: To Dust is an American drama film directed by Shawn Snyder and starring Geza Rohrig and Matthew Broderick Blunt was recently nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy for her portrayal as Mary Poppins, but lost to The Favorite star Olivia Colman. Blunt plays the title character, who returns to the Banks family she once cared for, the now-grown up Michael Banks (Ben Whishaw) and Jane Banks (Emily Mortimer). The story is set in 1935, decades after Poppins' original visit to the Banks family, with Emily also starring as a grown-up Jane. Star-studded: Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard were also in attendance Blunt is also expected to reprise her role of Evelyn Abbott in Paramount's A Quiet Place 2, which is currently in development. Last week, Emily left her husband John Krasinski, 39, in tears with her heartfelt speech after being handed the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role gong for her role in the film at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. 'I am going to share this completely with my husband, John Krasinski, because the entire experience of doing this with you has completely pierced my heart directly. You are a stunning filmmaker. I am so lucky to be with you and to have done this film with you.' Her husband Krasinski was visibly moved, remaining standing while his wife and co-star walked to the stage. She is known for promoting some of the fanciest couture on the planet. But Gigi Hadid opted to keep things casual while stepping out in New York City on Tuesday. The 23-year-old model donned an all-grey outfit while taking advantage of a rare warm winter day. Headed out: Gigi Hadid opted to keep things casual while stepping out in New York City on Tuesday Skintight grey leggings highlighted the model's long and lean legs as she sauntered out onto the sidewalk. She tucked a thin matching sweater into her pants and had a chic black-and-white purse over one shoulder. Gigi pulled her blonde tresses into a tight and simple ponytail, and shaded her eyes with dark sunglasses. On Monday, Gigi uploaded a flurry of Instagram photos relating her Rebook launch at DREAM Charter School in East Harlem. Matching: The 23-year-old model donned an all-grey outfit while taking advantage of a rare warm winter day She posed up a storm in the locker room before sitting down with several schoolchildren and signing some of her line's shoes for them. The well-exercised catwalk stomper was seen vigorously participating in a volleyball game in the school gymnasium, with students in the stands. One close-up shot taken during the volleyball game revealed that even the net was a product of the Reebok x GIGI HADID collaboration. A few black and white photos were included in Gigi's Instagram album, including one of her beaming with several of the students by the volleyball net. Volleyball: Skintight grey leggings highlighted the model's long and lean legs as she sauntered out onto the sidewalk Gigi has been working with the Reebok brand for over a year, including starring in a video for their Be More Human marketing campaign last July. 'I always try where I can to step out of my comfort zone,' she said, adding: 'I think being more human is realizing that no one wakes up feeling like a superhero.' She shared: 'You have to find things on a daily basis that inspire you, and that make you happy and feel creative, and feel like you wanna get out in the world and make a difference.' On Sunday, she layered up in a blue and white hoodie coat and a grey seersucker shirt she left open over a slightly sheer white top. The looker slipped into a faded pair of high-waisted jeans, cinching the outfit around her enviably trim waistline with a black leather belt. Malin Andersson has revealed that she will be burying her daughter on Wednesday after she passed away aged four weeks old. The Love Island star took to Twitter on Tuesday to state: 'So tomorrows the day I bury my daughter and lay her to rest free from pain. I love you unconditionally baby girl. None of this makes sense. CONSY-GLORIA.' Malin tragically announced she had lost her newborn daughter last month after she she had been hospitalised since her premature birth in December 'I love you unconditionally': Malin Andersson, 26, has revealed that she will be burying her daughter on Wednesday after she passed away aged four weeks old 'Lay her to rest free from pain': The Love Island star took to Twitter on Tuesday to announce the plans Shortly after the loss of her daughter, Malin shared a touching poem about baby loss after her baby Consy, passed away, aged just four weeks old. Malin posted the sweet words, written by Amy Farquhar on her Instagram stories on Wednesday evening as she paid tribute to her little girl. The lovely words included: 'I know how much that I am wanted/ I feel so very blessed/ Of all the mummy's in all the world/ I got the very best!' Tragedy: Shortly after the loss of her daughter, Malin shared a touching poem about baby loss after her baby Consy, passed away, aged just four weeks old Sweet: Malin shared these poignant words, originally written by Amy Farquhar Earlier in the day, Malin revealed the sad news about her daughter on Instagram. She had been hospitalised since her premature birth last month and passed away on Tuesday. The baby, who she shares with boyfriend Tom Kemp, had been treated at Great Ormond Street Hospital after suffering 'complications'. Heartbroken: Love Island star Malin sadly revealed her one-month-old daughter had passed away after being in intensive care since birth Malin wrote today: 'Completely in love with you.. and my Mum just wanted you to be with her. Your time wasnt ready yet. Mummy loves you. I stayed with you each day... 'You opened your eyes one last time for me and I saw those beautiful big brown eyes. Im so sorry I couldnt do anymore. Go be with grandma Consy. My angel. Rest in peace CONSY GLORIA EMMA ANDERSSON-KEMP 23/12/18-22/01/19.' After sharing the message on Instagram, she then shared the same image on Twitter with the simple message: 'RIP my angel', alongside a sad face Emoji. Heartache: She had been keeping her followers up to speed with her daughter's progress A host of reality stars responded to her on Twitter, with Love Island series one winner Jess Hayes writing: 'Im so sorry for your loss Malin my heart is broken for you I cant even begin to imagine what your going through sending love and prayers x'. The Valleys star Lateysha Grace wrote: 'Malin. My heart is broken for you. Im so so so sorry. Sending prayers and love to you and your family. Stay strong', as Nadia Essex penned: 'Omg darling my heart breaks for you!! I am sending you all the love!!'. Pain: Malin revealed in a tweet earlier this month that she was yet to hold her beloved daughter, as she wrote: '3 weeks and I still havent held her.. keep praying for my girl' She revealed in a tweet earlier this month that she was yet to hold her beloved daughter, as she wrote: '3 weeks and I still havent held her.. keep praying for my girl'. Malin, who appeared on series two of the reality show in 2016, gave birth seven weeks early on December 23, breaking the news to her fans on New Year's Day as she revealed the infant was being cared for at Great Ormond Street hospital. Saying the couple are 'totally in love' with their daughter, Malin also confirmed their name choice - Consy, after her late mother. She penned in the accompanying caption in her original announcement: 'Happy New Year.. Tom and I are so happy to let you all know that our baby girl CONSY arrived in this world 23rd December 2018, seven weeks early... Sharing her pain: A host of fellow reality stars shared tributes and sent compassionate notes to the heartbroken Love Island star Heartache: Malin is pictured with Consy's father Tom Kemp 'She is so beautiful, we are totally in love with her and feel so blessed that she is here but unfortunately due to complications, she is currently being cared for at Great Ormond Street... 'we have received a number of messages over the past week and there has been a lot of speculation and so we wanted to share our news with you so you could hear from us first hand.' Two weeks ago, Malin shared an image of the tot's hand with a caption reading: 'All your prayers, messages, healing.. it means the world to us. Baby Consy is still in intensive care, and fighting each day... Beloved: Consy's name is a tribute to Malin's mother with the name, following her sad passing in November 2017. The reality star's mum battled breast cancer twice since 2001 before the cancer spread for a third time 'This has been the most difficult time I have ever gone through. I just want to hold her.. Its different to my mum last year. My mum was ready to go.. my little girl isnt. She has given me the ultimate purpose in my life and Im not prepared to let her go.' Consy's name is a tribute to Malin's mother following her sad passing in November 2017. The reality star's mum battled breast cancer twice since 2001 before the cancer spread for a third time. Tragically, Malin's father died from skin cancer after battling the disease twice. Sharing a moving tribute to her mother at the time, wrote: '2am last night Heaven took you.. You didn't deserve the pain you were in, cancer 3 times.. It wasn't fair on you. I watched you take your final breath... Agony: Sharing a moving tribute to her mother at the time, wrote: '2am last night Heaven took you.. You didn't deserve the pain you were in, cancer 3 times.. It wasn't fair on you. I watched you take your final breath' 'I stayed with you right until the very end and you looked so peaceful. You're with Dad now.. just know I love you unconditionally. RIP.' Fans soon flooded her post announcing Consy's passing, users penned: 'Heartbreaking. I cant imagine what you are going through. I am so sorry for your loss... 'Xx RIP with Grandma Consy xx... im sorry to hear your devastating news, i cant imagine what your going through right now. sending my thoughts to you and your partner, rest in perfect peace precious girl... 'I am so sorry love to you and your family xx... So so so sorry to hear that Sending my love and prayers your way. Rest In Paradise Baby Consy... So sorry for your loss..cant even imagine what you are going thru right now!! Sending lots of love... Heartache: Malin documented her mother's painful cancer battle and subsequent passing on social media, and even chopped off her hair in solidarity of her battle EXPLAINED: PREMATURE BIRTH AND ITS RISKS TO BABIES Around 10 per cent of all pregnancies worldwide result in premature labour - defined as a delivery before 37 weeks. When this happens, not all of the baby's organs, including the heart and lungs, will have developed. They can also be underweight and smaller. Tommy's, a charity in the UK, says this can mean preemies 'are not ready for life outside the womb'. Premature birth is the largest cause of neonatal mortality in the US and the UK, according to figures. Babies born early account for around 1,500 deaths each year in the UK. In the US, premature birth and its complications account for 17 per cent of infant deaths. Babies born prematurely are often whisked away to neonatal intensive care units, where they are looked after around-the-clock. What are the chances of survival? Less than 22 weeks is close to zero chance of survival 22 weeks is around 10% 24 weeks is around 60% 27 weeks is around 89% 31 weeks is around 95% 34 weeks is equivalent to a baby born at full term Advertisement 'Im sooo sorry for your loss. Shes such an angel thinking of u... Rest in peace she will be watching over u everyday xx... I'm so sorry for your loss. I can't even begin to imagine how you must be feeling. Life can be so cruel... My heart is broken for u'. Malin has been a staunch campaigner for mental health awareness and uses her Twitter account to discuss grief and urge others to do the same. In June last year, Malin's Love Island co-star Sophie Gradon was found dead in her home, after which then-pregnant Malin took to Twitter to honour her while also discussing mental health awareness and the post-show assistance given to stars. Following the announcement of Sophie's death, social media was swarmed with messages raising awareness for mental health issues - leading to Malin's observation about the impact of appearing on a reality show. Heartbreak: Fans soon flooded her post with support, as users penned: 'Heartbreaking. I cant imagine what you are going through. I am so sorry for your loss' Following the news, a spokesman for ITV said: 'The whole ITV2 and Love Island team are profoundly saddened to hear the news about Sophie, and our deepest sympathies and thoughts go to her family and friends.' After remaining relatively removed from the spotlight, Sophie candidly discussed her mental health issues in September 2017, when she told her Twitter followers: 'Hi guys, no not dead just battling a little bit of depression. I'll come back I promise x'. After her death, Malin voiced concern over the aftercare provided to the stars of the show as she mentioned the impact of reality TV on mental health. In the midst of a string of Twitter messages, Malin beseeched bosses to pull the latest episode from schedules, as she honoured her friend by penning: NOT ENOUGH AFTERCARE TONIGHT SHOULD NOT AIR'. Further heartache: In June last year, Malin's Love Island co-star Sophie Gradon was found dead in her home, after which then-pregnant Malin took to Twitter to honour her while also discussing mental health awareness and the post-show assistance given to stars Malin posted an image of the pair together with the added caption: 'My beautiful girl. Rest in Heaven now. Nothing has sunk in, and I have no words to say Im speechless. 'I met you on Love Island and you brought such laughter into my life, up until now. Your smile is one of a kind and you have always been a beautiful soul inside and out. All I know is that youre an Angel up there and in a better place. 'This world is cruel. MENTAL HEALTH IS SERIOUS. TROLLING IS SERIOUS, DEPRESSION IS SERIOUS. THINK WHAT YOU SAY BEFORE YOU SAY IT. YOU DONT KNOW WHAT ANYONE IS BATTLING.' For support with child bereavement, contact The Lullaby Trust charity on 0808 802 6868, or email support@lullabytrust.org.uk For support with premature birth, contact Little Miracles charity on 01733 262226 Bohemian Rhapsody beauty Lucy Boynton was oozing gothic chic on Tuesday, as she attended the star-studded Rodarte Autumn/Winter 2019 Runway Show in Pasadena. The British actor, 25, looked sensational in a black lace and floral gown as she attended the event at the Huntington Library. Lucy went solo for the fashion event after being regularly seen alongside boyfriend and co-star Rami Malek, with the pair only going public with their relationship last month. Chic: Bohemian Rhapsody beauty Lucy Boynton was oozing gothic chic on Tuesday, as she attended the star-studded Rodarte Autumn/Winter 2019 Runway Show in Pasadena Highlighting her English rose complexion, Lucy made a bold statement in a black frilled dress with stunning lace layers, with the frock also boasting a dramatic baby pink floral underlay. The screen star had her platinum blonde bobbed tresses styled into beachy waves, and accentuated her flawless complexion with a pretty brown smoky eye. Lucy finished her ensemble with a gentle coral lip and black strapped heels, as she posed up a storm for the star-studded event. Jaw-dropping: The British actress, 25, stood out in an unusual black lace dress with delicate rose pink floral detailing Dressed to impress: The frock also sported dramatic layered black lace tulle, as she accessorised the ensemble with matching strapped heels Lucy - who plays Freddie Mercury's longtime love Mary Austin in Bohemian Rhapsody - was out solo for the fashion showcase ahead of the beginning of the Fashion Week season later this week. The star has been seen putting on a loved-up display with co-star Rami, after the pair finally confirmed their real-life romance last month. Their film is tipped as a hot contender at the Oscars later this month, having scooped nominations for Best Actor, Best Picture, Best Sound Editing, Best Film Editing and Best Sound Mixing. Flawless: Lucy had her ice blonde bobbed tresses styled into beachy waves, and accentuated her English rose complexion with a brown smoky eye and nude pink lip Happy couple: Lucy has been dating her Bohemian Rhapsody co-star Rami Malek after the pair met while filming the Freddie Mercury biopic, with him confirming the romance last month Rami confirmed his relationship with Lucy when he won the Breakthrough Artist Award at the 30th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival's Film Awards Gala. He thanked the festival before directly addressing the London-raised actress. 'Thank you, Lucy Boynton. You have been my ally, my confidante, my love. Thank you so much,' he said. Rami previously dated his Mr. Robot co-star Portia Doubleday, 30, before they split in 2017. Lake Assault Boats fireboats are born in a shipyard, designed for a mission, tested on Lake Superior, and custom engineered using technology and resources unmatched in the industry. Lake Assault offers a wide range of custom hull designs and configurations suitable for use on inland lakes and rivers, and inter-coastal and offshore waters, to meet the needs of first responders. She was recently enjoying the delights of her native Brazil. But Alessandra Ambrosio was back in New York City this Tuesday, flashing a bit of cleavage in a plunging fiery orange blouse. The 37-year-old model, who gave up her Victoria's Secret Angel title a little over a year ago, modeled a deep orange blazer and leather stiletto boots. City girl: Alessandra Ambrosio was back in New York City this Tuesday, flashing a bit of cleavage in a plunging fiery orange blouse She slung along a bulging brown leather handbag that matched her footwear, popping on sunglasses that featured an orange tint. The Brazilian bombshell swept her hair tightly back into a ponytail and played up her vertiginous legs in a pair of high-waisted skintight jeans. Alessandra spent the previous few days uploading sizzling snapshots of her trip to Florianopolis, the city where she gave birth to both her children. She was in the tourist trap town to work on her mysterious upcoming project GAL Floripa, which takes its title from a nickname for Florianopolis. Sleek and chic: The 37-year-old model, who gave up her Victoria's Secret Angel title a little over a year ago, modeled a deep orange blazer and leather stiletto boots On the move: She slung along a bulging brown leather handbag that matched her footwear, popping on sunglasses that featured an orange tint Based on the still somewhat sparse website for the brand, it appears to be fashion-related, as there are 'collections' forthcoming. Ale, as her fans affectionately call her, is currently in a relationship with Italian hunk Nicolo Oddi, who founded the fashion brand Alanui with his sister Carlotta. Last year, Alessandra broke her decade-long engagement to RE/DONE founder Jaime Mazur, with whom she shares two children - Anja, 10, and Noah, six. What a look: The Brazilian bombshell swept her hair tightly back into a ponytail and played up her vertiginous legs in a pair of high-waisted skintight jeans Globetrotter: Alessandra spent the previous few days uploading sizzling snapshots of her trip to Florianopolis, the city where she gave birth to both her children Neither Jamie nor Alessandra, who got engaged in 2008, publicly confirmed the breakup reports when they surfaced last March. A source had gossiped to Us Weekly that the pair were 'trying to keep their split on the down low, but Alessandra has been out and about ready to mingle and hasnt been taking Jamie to anything.' Alessandra, who walked a Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in Miami Beach roughly three months after delivering Anja, has been with Nicolo for months now. Paxman On The Queen's Children Rating: Martin Clunes: Islands of America Rating: Cancel the revolution. The Royal Family is saved. Her Majesty's clan has the ultimate seal of approval, from the Great Paxo. 'I used to believe that Britain should be a republic,' announced the country's quizmaster-general, at the start of his two-part documentary, Paxman On The Queen's Children (C5). 'Now I'm a monarchist.' Decades of cross-examining politicians have convinced him, Jeremy Paxman explained, that the role of Britain's figurehead 'should be kept out of the hands of those who want the job'. Decades of cross-examining politicians have convinced Jeremy Paxman that the role of Britain's figurehead 'should be kept out of the hands of those who want the job' There's no more self-confident performer on television. He makes Alan Yentob look bashful, and David Dimbleby appear racked with doubt He's right, of course. What better argument for preserving our centuries of royal tradition than the spectre of the alternative President Blair and First Lady Cherie? But the sheer assurance with which Paxman issues these edicts is breathtaking to see. There's no more self-confident performer on television. He makes Alan Yentob look bashful, and David Dimbleby appear racked with doubt. As he welcomed one royal historian for a chat, the man nervously commented how marvellous it was to be in the presence of the 'Grand Inquisitor'. Paxman left that comment in the edit. And as he cast his eye over Prince Charles's first attempt at journalism, a gauche piece in the Cambridge student newspaper, the presenter sneered: 'If I'd been editor, it wouldn't have been printed.' In fact, he was at the university at the same time as the Prince of Wales, though they didn't meet: 'You certainly never saw him in the pub.' Paxman revealed that the royal student's group of friends were approved and selected for him by the Master of Trinity College. Visiting the USA's most far-flung outposts in Islands Of America, the star of Doc Martin shook hands, smiled and bowed with all the grace of a minor royal on walkabout As he inspected bubbling volcanoes in Hawaii and watched grizzly bears sporting in Alaskan streams, he kept murmuring, 'Interesting!' Perhaps lured into the open by Paxman's reputation as an interviewer, one of those friends was happy to reminisce about college days. Brod Munro-Wilson recalled how they used to tease the poor prince that he was expected to marry some hairy-hoofed aristo daughter. 'He said to me: 'Brod, shall I go gay?' We all roared with laughter.' That set the tone for Paxman's discoveries. He learned that Princess Anne had a fling with Andrew Parker Bowles, later to be Camilla's first husband: none of them was married at the time. Anne, we heard, 'had a lot of fun. She wasn't a stuffy old thing.' Grim fascination of the night Grim fascination of the night: Why can't I take my eyes off Call The Cleaners (ITV)? The sight of kitchens knee-deep in mouldy veg and crawling with insects ought to be repellent... but I'm agog. This is the ultimate in 'guilty pleasure' telly. Advertisement Anne then wed Captain Mark Phillips, known to chums as Foggy, 'because he was thick and wet'. Paxman, who also played the official It's A Royal Knockout board game against punk princess Toyah Willcox, might approve of the royals... but he's no respecter of persons. Martin Clunes was on much better behaviour. Visiting the USA's most far-flung outposts in Islands Of America (ITV), the star of Doc Martin shook hands, smiled and bowed with all the grace of a minor royal on walkabout. As he inspected bubbling volcanoes in Hawaii and watched grizzly bears sporting in Alaskan streams, he kept murmuring, 'Interesting!' one of Prince Charles's favourite words, when he's not sure what else to say. Martin isn't fond of tourists: 'They disturb the tranquillity and wisdom of the place.' But he stuck mostly to the tourist trail, was treated to a Native American dance and greeted a Hawaiian elder by rubbing noses. He also thumbed through the world's biggest collection of vintage beach Aloha shirts, 15,000 of them, in a variety of colours so lurid they could give a hummingbird migraine. 'That's like my granny's wallpaper,' he said, holding one up approvingly. This was more holiday than travelogue. She's been a star since the 80s and is no stranger to a red carpet. And Marissa Tomei put her best foot forward during Rodarte's Fall/Winter 2019 fashion show held at the historic Huntington Library in San Marino, California on Tuesday. The Empire actress, 54, balanced the feminine flounces of her dress with a sharp velvet jacket. Dot's the ticket! Marissa Tomei teamed girly ruffles and delicate dots with a velvet tuxedo jacket for Rodarte's fashion show Tuesday Marissa exuded elegance in a polka dot number with a high-neck and cascading tiers of ruffles reaching about mid-calf. A delicate floral embellishment across the waist provided a bit of art deco glamour. Tomei topped things off with a touch of menswear, donning a velvet tuxedo jacket with a silhouette. Adornment: A delicate floral embellishment across the waist provided a bit of art deco glamour Purple reign: Tracee Ellis Ross went for maximalist glamour in a purple look from Rodarte's Spring 2019 Ready-To-Wear collection Inside the affair she posed with the one and only Tracee Ellis Ross, who was wearing an eye-catching look from the designer's Spring 2019 Ready-To-Wear collection. The Blackish beauty went for maximalist glamour in a striking violet dress with ruffled lace throughout. Going the extra mile, the daughter of Diana Ross donned shiny purple booties with bold bows on the front. Kick it up: Going the extra mile, the daughter of Diana Ross donned shiny purple booties with bold bows on the front Rodarte's Fall 2019 collection was part punchy update on 40s drama, full of romantic ruffles, voluminous organza, and bashful holiday hats. Lush neon ballgowns with extravagant floral head dresses proved a contemporary take on tropical glamour which swept through mid-century styles. But swaths of sequins and glittering jumpsuits made sure 70s decadence also played its part. Meanwhile, 2D bows and a logo-laden dress demonstrated how the typically dreamy fashion house could also offered a graphic bite. 40s, flirty, and fabulous: Rodarte's Fall 2019 collection was a punchy update on 40s drama, full of romantic ruffles, voluminous organza, and holiday hats Neon dream: Lush neon ballgowns with extravagant floral head dresses proved a contemporary take on tropical glamour which swept through mid-century styles Many of the most beautiful Hollywood stars were out in force Tuesday for the unveiling of Rodarte's Fall 2019 runway collection. Brie Larson, 29, turned heads while showcasing a plunging hot pink dress for the Los Angeles-based fashion house. The star-studded event was held at the Huntington Library in Pasadena, California. Pretty in pink: Brie Larson, 29, turned heads when she showcased a plunging hot pink dress at the Rodarte Fall 2019 runway collection show in Pasadena, California The Captain Marvel star looked resplendent in the pink dress, which was comprised of layers of flowing lace. Her outfit featured a creamy pink sash of silk tied loosely around her waist. Brie kept her elegantly wavy blonde hair to the side to show off a pair of large earrings shaped like strawberries. She avoided stealing attention from her eye-catching dress with a pair of flesh-colored open toe heels. Sheer beauty: The Captain Marvel star looked resplendent in the pink dress, which was comprised of layers of flowing chiffon Tying it together: Her outfit featured a creamy pink sash of silk tied loosely around her waist Strawberry blonde: Brie kept her elegantly wavy blonde hair to the side to show off a pair of large earrings shaped like strawberries Honing the focus: She avoided stealing attention from her eye-catching dress with a pair of flesh-colored open toe heels The Short Term 12 actress was photographed with her friend Shailene Woodley, 27. Brie has been friends with the Big Little Lies star since 2012, when they both appeared in the romantic drama The Spectacular Now. She also posed with Black-ish's Tracee Ellis Ross, 46. The two laughed and smiled as models strutted down the runway. Colleagues and co-stars: The Short Term 12 actress was photographed with her friend Shailene Woodley, 27. Brie has been friends with the Big Little Lies star since 2012, when they both appeared in the romantic drama The Spectacular Now Fast friends: She also posed with Black-ish's Tracee Ellis Ross, 46 All smiles: The two laughed and smiled as models strutted down the runway Brie has recently been on a publicity streak for her upcoming superhero film, Captain Marvel. On Friday, the Oscar-winning actress posted a short video clip of her super powered heroine fighting atop a speeding train. Recently, Brie opened up about her insecurities and difficulty accepting her newfound success. In the March issue of InStyle, the first woman to lead a superhero flick admitted she didn't feel like a 'good actress' after winning the Academy Award for Best Actress for 2015's Room. She is know for her incredible physique and her effortless sense of style. And Jenna Dewan put both on display Tuesday as she strutted through Los Angeles International Airport. The 38-year-old actress and dancer flaunted her toned abs while heading to her departing flight. Pretty in pink: Jenna Dewan put her incredible physique and her effortless sense of style on display Tuesday as she strutted through Los Angeles International Airport Mixing fun with comfort, the Step Up star opted for a pink sweatsuit that featured a cropped hoodie. Temperatures in Los Angeles were a bit chill as days of rain were finally pushing past the city, and Jenna opted to bundle up with a second layer made up of a long beige coat. She pulled her dark tresses back into a tight, yet easy bun and painted her lips a glossy pink. Accessories were kept to a minimum, as she sported a simple chain and tasteful earrings. White Adidas sneakers and a black purse, which she had thrown across her body, completed the look. Cropped: The 38-year-old actress and dancer flaunted her toned abs while heading to her departing flight Jenna appeared to be on a solo trip out of town, since she was not accompanied by new boyfriend Steve Kazee. The World of Dance personality is currently going through a divorce from her ex-husband Channing Tatum, 38. The couple shares daughter Everly, 5. Last month, the Magic Mike actor filed to change the former couple's child custody agreement. Trip time: Mixing fun with comfort, the Step Up star opted for a pink sweatsuit that featured a cropped hoodie Tatum is asking a Los Angeles judge to put an official custody schedule in place for him and his estranged wife Jenna Dewan, according to court documents published by The Blast. In the legal filings Tatum said he's hoping to give Everly 'structure and consistency' by locking down a schedule. 'In my opinion and experience,' Tatum writes, 'Everly has appeared to adjust to our separation and living in two homes exceptionally well. I believe that she will thrive even more with structure and consistency because she is happy and more relaxed when she knows a plan.' Moving forward: The World of Dance personality is currently going through a divorce from her ex-husband Channing Tatum, 38 She usually looks flawless and impeccably styled on the red carpet. And Naomi Watts proved you can look just as chic in a casual ensemble as she stepped out on Tuesday. The 50-year-old actress was spotted braving the cold while taking a walk through the streets of New York. Feeling the chill! Naomi Watts cut a casual chic figure in a stylish winter coat and jeans as she braved the cold in New York on Tuesday Clad in a beige winter coat and a pair of jeans, the mother-of-two looked effortlessly stylish as she strolled the trendy neighborhood of Tribeca. Completing her ensemble, the Orphelia actress added a pair of tan ankle boots and tortoise-shell sunglasses. She let her natural beauty shine through by opting to go makeup-free, showing off her age-defying complexion. Youthful: She let her natural beauty shine through by opting to go makeup-free, showing off her age-defying complexion Her blonde tresses were parted down the middle, and tumbled around her shoulders in wild waves. Naomi added a small black messenger bag to her outfit, wearing it across her body. It comes after it was announced in October that the actress will be part of the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel, called The Long Night. Confirmed: It was announced in October that the actress will be part of the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel, called The Long Night The series will feature 38-year-old Irish stage actress Denise Gough, Sweeney Todd and Twilight actor Jamie Campbell Bower, 30, and British actress Naomi Ackie, 27, in the prequel's cast among a handful of other stars. HBO's president Casey Bloys told EW that they hoped the project would be underway within the first half of 2019. The Long Night series is set to be released sometime in 2020. Whoopi Goldberg has revealed she was turned down by BBC bosses when she offered to take on the role of the first female Doctor Who. Speaking on David Tennant's podcast, the Oscar winner, 63, admitted she asked to play the first ever Time Lady before Jodie Whittaker landed the coveted role, but producers sadly declined. This comes after Jodie was praised by fans for her debut series as the first female Doctor last year, with many warming to her playful yet serious and sympathetic take on the character, a far cry from Peter Capaldi's darker incarnation. Choose me! Whoopi Goldberg has revealed she was turned down by BBC bosses when she offered to take on the role of the first female Doctor Who Whoopi told David: 'I wanted to be the first female Doctor.' before adding that she thought the series could show 'the American version of Doctor Who ends up in New York and it's me'. 'We don't have a Doctor Who. We don't have that character who is travelling through dimension and time, and being an observer sometimes a hindrance, sometimes a help. The idea of that just so made me happy.' Whoopi then went on to admit that her offer was declined by Who bosses, saying: 'But they were like, ''Um, no.'' So I was like, ''OK, I'm cool. I understand.'' Much loved: Whoopi made the revelation during an appearance on David Tennant's podcast, saying she offered to play the part before Jodie Whittaker (above) landed the role Much-loved: Of course the Ghost star is no stranger to appearing in a sci-fi cult favourite, as she previously played Guinan in Star Trek: The Next Generation Of course the Ghost star is no stranger to appearing in a sci-fi cult favourite, as she previously played Guinan in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Going on to explain her love for science fiction, Whoopi added: 'I always felt like science fiction movies predicted the future. 'They told you what was coming, and how to prepare for it. Whether it was climate change, hand computers or being able to move around in different dimensions.' Legendary: The Oscar Winner also admitted producers declined her offer, adding that she's always had an interest in sci-fi This is the second time Whoopi had shared her desire to land a role in Doctor Who, telling Radio Times in 2017: 'I always hope when I come to England the BBC will say, 'Hey we want you to do something [on Doctor Who]'. I would love that,' she said back in 2017. 'You have a different quality now on television. The way you guys have always done shows has always been the smartest and we've finally just figured it out. 'I like the idea of doing things the way y'all do them. You do some really fun stuff like Black Mirror or, you know, I'm still dying to do Doctor Who.' Jodie of course went on to land the role of the first female Doctor in 2017, and made her series debut in October last year. While a far cry from predecessor Peter Capaldi, the Broadchurch star has won over viewers with her playful yet sympathetic nature. Doctor Who: Series 12 will air in early 2020. She was left heartbroken and alone when her TV 'husband' Sam Ball ditched their honeymoon to attend a funeral in New Zealand. And while Elizabeth Sobinoff was left moping around in her hotel room on Tuesday's episode of Married At First Sight, she gained a legion of fans thanks to her 'genius' pizza hack. The 27-year-old blonde was seen 'emotionally eating', and at one point used a toaster to heat up a slice of pizza. 'She's the hero we all need but don't deserve': Married At First Sight's Elizabeth Sobinoff sent fans into meltdown on Tuesday night with her 'genius' pizza hack (pictured) Fans immediately flocked to the internet to praise the store manager. 'I did kind of think Elizabeth was the worst until I saw her reheating pizza in the toaster,' one wrote. 'It was at that moment I realised she's probably the hero we all need but don't deserve.' Another fan joked on Twitter: 'Tim Tams in her handbag, pizza in the toaster and spoons full of Nutella I live (sic) this b**ch Liz.' Shocker: She was left heartbroken and alone when her TV 'husband' Sam Ball ditched their honeymoon to attend a funeral in New Zealand They loved it: 'I did kind of think Elizabeth was the worst until I saw her reheating pizza in the toaster,' one fan Tweeted Relatable: One fan commented on Elizabeth's 'emotional eating,' saying they've 'totally been there' Elizabeth was saddened she hadn't heard from her 'husband' Sam as the fitness buff attended the funeral of his ex-girlfriend's mother, when he was supposed to be on their honeymoon. The blonde broke down in tears when Sam ditched her, crying: 'I just wanted to be the princess for once.' She woke up without her husband next to her and was left to explore Sydney on her own instead of enjoying their honeymoon. Emotions are high: Elizabeth was saddened she hadn't heard from her 'husband' Sam as the fitness buff attended the funeral of his ex-girlfriend's mother, when he was supposed to be on their honeymoon Tears: The blonde broke down in tears when Sam ditched her, crying: 'I just wanted to be the princess for once' Elizabeth then attempted to bring a sense of normalcy to her day by doing her makeup. 'I know it's probably not the situation that I've been in the past, I know it's probably not, but... where the hell do I stand in all this? Where do I stand in this?' she told producers about her situation. Viewers related to the blonde's 'emotional eating', with many saying 'we've all been there'. 'You enjoy that Nutella relationship because it's probably better than Sam anyway,' one mused. She's one of the most famous models in the world. And Jodie Kidd proved why she was such a success as she stunned while attending the launch of John Swannell's photography exhibition at Le Caprice, London on Tuesday. The beauty, 40, looked sensational in a glitter minidress which showed off her long legs to perfection. Wow: Jodie Kidd looked ravishing as she attended the launch of John Swannell's photography exhibition at Le Caprice, London on Tuesday She added a touch of height to her already towering frame with diamante encrusted heels while looking sensational at the event. The mother-of-one opted swept her locks back into a loose updo and sported gold star earrings and a bracelet as she smiled with pals. Jodie posed with photographer John, 72, who clad his frame in a blue suit, along with model Betty Bachz who showed off her sensational style. Pals: The beauty, 40, looked sensational in a glitter minidress which showed off her long legs to perfection while posing with John, 72, along with model Betty Bachz Style: The mother-of-one opted swept her locks back into a loose updo and sported gold star earrings and a bracelet as she caught up with friends Later in the evening the British-born model shared a laugh with former fashion journalist Hilary Alexander, 73, while accentuating her statuesque frame. Last year Jodie sparked rumours of an engagement to boyfriend Joseph Bates, after being spotted at Cheltenham Festival in March with a sparkling new ring on her finger. However a representative for the star told MailOnline it was the only finger her ring would fit on, and thus appeared to confirm the couple were not set to tie the knot. Happy: Later in the evening the British-born model shared a laugh with former fashion journalist Hilary Alexander, 73, while accentuating her statuesque frame Leggy display The star was in good spirits as she flashed her toned legs Wow factor: The star looked confident as she posed up a storm Blonde beauty: Jodie looked sensational for her night on the town Jodie had only confirmed her relationship with creative agency executive Joseph days earlier, telling The Mail On Sunday her new beau was wonderful and creative.' The beauty first married internet entrepreneur Aidan Butler in 2005 after a year of romance, but the pair split after 18 months. She then embarked on a relationship with Argentinian polo player Andrea Vianini, and the pair welcomed son Indio together in 2011, before parting ways two years later. The blonde went on to tie the knot with author David Blakeley in 2014, but the marriage was collapsed in just four months. She's enjoying the single life after separating from her husband Lee Henderson last year. And it looks like Jackie 'O' Henderson may be getting a helping hand in the dating world from her KIIS FM colleague Beau Ryan. On Friday, Beau revealed that Jackie's personal life was a topic of discussion during an interview with Hollywood star Chris Pratt earlier this week. Scroll down for video 'Have you got any hot friends?' On Friday, Jackie 'O' Henderson (right) blushed when Beau Ryan (left) awkwardly asked actor Chris Pratt to find her a date with another Hollywood star During an appearance on The Kyle and Jackie O Show, the former NRL star recalled how he asked Chris if he had any single friends during a recent press junket in LA. He actually showed the Jurassic World star a photo of Jackie O mid-interview and asked: 'She's recently single - do you have any hot, successful friends?' Chris replied that he has many single friends, and one in particular is determined 'to marry an Australian woman'. 'We'll get you set up, Jackie O!' During an appearance on The Kyle and Jackie O Show, Beau recalled how he asked Chris if he had any single friends during a recent press junket in LA It remains to be seen, however, if Jackie will take Chris up on his offer and meet his single friend. Jackie, 44, announced her separation from Lee in October last year. At the time, she told Daily Mail Australia that their focus going forward would be on their eight-year-old daughter, Kitty. Good news for Jackie! Chris replied that he has many single friends, and one in particular is determined 'to marry an Australian woman' 'After 18 years together, we have made the decision to separate. We do so amicably, sharing many incredible memories and remaining best friends,' Jackie and Lee said in a statement. 'Our focus for this next chapter is of course our wonderful daughter and continuing to provide her love and happiness, together.' Despite only confirming their split in October, it's understood they quietly parted ways several months beforehand. British Airways has announced it is moving to a new location in Terminal 8 at New York's JFK Airport. The airline is investing in a new, improved terminal alongside American Airlines as part of a significant reinvestment by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Over the next four years, more than 250 million ($344m) will be invested to recreate and customise the terminal, making it ready to offer British Airways' customers an 'exciting, world-class experience every time they fly to New York'. British Airways has announced it is moving to a new location in Terminal 8 at New York's JFK Airport, pictured Changes to the terminal will include additional stands, enhanced state-of the-art baggage systems, new lounges, premium check-in areas and upgraded concessions. British Airways, which celebrates its centenary this year, will remain in Terminal 7 until 2022. With thousands of customers flying between London and New York every week, the airline say it remains committed to improving its customer experience at JFK with an investment of 52 million ($65m). This includes creating brand new lounges for First and Club World customers and an upgraded experience for all customers in the main areas of the building. Alex Cruz, British Airways' chairman and CEO, said: 'We're excited to announce our move to Terminal 8, alongside American Airlines, our Atlantic joint-business partner. 'Offering the best customer experience at JFK now and in the future is a top priority. 'We look forward to working with the Port Authority and American Airlines to continue building a world-class transatlantic travel experience in our new home from 2022.' BA is investing in the new, improved JFK terminal alongside American Airlines as part of a significant reinvestment by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Pictured is an aerial view of JFK The investment forms part of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's announcement in October 2018 to reinvest in JFK terminals, among other city improvements. British Airways and American Airlines have a joint business partnership across the Atlantic, providing up to 70 flights a day from London to the USA. By bringing their network of flights together they say it gives customers convenient flight schedules at competitive fares from eight hubs throughout North America and three hubs in Europe. Overall, BA is investing 6.5 billion for customers over five years, including new aircraft, new cabins, new catering, new lounges, WiFi, and new routes. Advertisement American Airlines will be flying some of Hollywood's biggest stars from LA and New York to London for Sunday's Baftas. Here MailOnline Travel offers a tantalising behind-the-scenes look at the VIP travel service A-listers will be treated to during their journey. The airline claims it 'has Hollywood luxury all wrapped up'. Does it? Well, here's the evidence from being chauffeured across the tarmac from the plane to the terminal, to unlimited champagne and in-flight DIY ice cream sundae menus. Arriving at LAX American Airlines will be flying some of Hollywood's biggest stars from LA and New York to London for this Sunday's Baftas. The airline offers a range of premium services catering to celebrities, such as chauffeured cars to the plane As soon as Hollywood's elite arrive at LAX they will be treated to American Airline's exclusive Five Star Service. After an expedited check-in service they will be escorted to the comfort of a brand new lounge area called 'Flagship', which opened last year as part of a $200 million investment Luxury service from the get go American Airlines wouldn't reveal who will be boarding its planes this awards season due to privacy reasons. But potential customers are Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Emma Stone they're all Bafta nominees. As soon as Hollywood's elite arrive at LAX, whether they've bought a business or first class ticket, will be treated to American Airline's exclusive 'Five Star Service'. In the Flagship lounge customers can enjoy a range of food options including a 'robust' food buffet and a chef station with freshly made-to-order dishes. They can pair their meals with premium wines, champagne, and spirits, or concoct a refreshing drink at the 'build your own cocktail' station If flying in first class, travellers will be able to access a premium dining service with restaurant-worthy dishes rustled up They will be met curbside and taken to an exclusive check-in area, where they can avoid being hassled by media. Then they get to skip to the front of the security lines. The stars will then be escorted to the comfort of a brand new lounge area called 'Flagship', which opened last year as part of a $200 million investment at LAX. There customers can enjoy a range of food options including a robust food buffet and a chef station with freshly made-to-order dishes. They can pair their meals with premium wines, champagne, and spirits, or concoct a refreshing drink at the 'build your own cocktail' station. If flying in first class, travellers will be able to access a premium dining service with restaurant-worthy dishes rustled up. To get into the celebratory mood, they can also indulge in craft spirits and specially-designed cocktails - which aren't on offer to business passengers. Stars will be collected from the lounge by an attendant, shuttled to the plane across the tarmac in a luxury car and will board the aircraft before other passengers. A private jet-style aircraft Offering celebrities a private jet-style service from Los Angeles to New York, AA has reduced the number of seats on board its Airbus A321T (pictured). The plane offers plenty of room with just 102 seats, while other airlines flying the same model pack the space out with up to 230 seats AA says that many stars flying from Los Angeles choose to stop in New York on their way to meet with agents or take part in photo shoots. If they do this AA says the Bafta nominees will be treated to 'private jet-style service' on board an Airbus A321T. The airline has installed just 102 seats on the aircraft, while other airlines flying the same model pack the space out with up to 230 seats. For stars who have snagged first class tickets - these start from $1,993 (1,538) one way - AA says they can expect A-list treatment all the way. Lets begin with the seats - there are just ten, measuring 21 inches wide, and they all lay flat and have direct aisle access. Then there's the fodder, which is sure to make the stars salivate. AA says the first class menu features restaurant-worthy dishes, such as filet mignon, chicken cacciatore, braised Tuscan beef stew and native lobster with fennel salad. And, if they're not too worried about fitting into their Bafta outfits, the stars might want to check out AA's popular sundae service, which means they can design their own ice creams. The first class section on board AA's Airbus A321T is very private with ten 'all aisle access' seats. These extend to form lie-flat beds and plush bedding sets are provided so passengers can pack in a spot of beauty sleep In both business (above) and first class on the A321T there is WiFi and TV screens with power outlets, so celebrities can keep up to date with their Twitter accounts while they fly Those travelling in business class, where tickets start from $1,199 (925), will be pleased to note that they can also indulge in this novel dessert service. And they get a good sense of privacy, because there are just 20 seats in the cabin, measuring 19 inches across. These also extend to flat beds but they don't provide all-aisle access as in the first class area. Although there isn't lobster and filet mignon on the menu in business, the food offering is still pretty appetising and AA says current menu items include red snapper tagine and braised short ribs. In both business and first class on the A321T passengers get Bose noise cancelling headphones, WiFi access and TV screens with power outlets. For a spot of beautification there are amenity bags by luxury accessories brand Cole Haan stuffed with products from C.O. Bigelow. These lotions and potions vary slightly between business and first. Meanwhile, all passengers are provided with plush duvet and pillow sets by Casper, to aid that all-important beauty sleep. The flight across the Atlantic AA's Boeing 777-300 flies from Los Angeles and New York direct to London As with the Airbus A321T, mouth-watering meals are served in business and in first class and there is a dine-on-demand service so that passengers can eat when they please For the journey across the Atlantic, whether it's from LA or New York, our gong hopefuls will step on board a Boeing 777-300. If they've plumped for first class - which costs from $13,148 (10,143) Los Angeles to London and $9,693 (7,478) New York to London - they're in for the ultimate in sky high luxury. There are just eight seats in the first class compartment, measuring 21.5 inches wide and, as with the other aircraft, these extend to flat beds and have direct aisle access. Those paying the extra whack can indulge in a dine-on-demand service, meaning they can get meals curated by award-winning chef Sam Choy delivered whenever they please. A view of the bar area on board the Boeing 777-300 where passengers in business and first can help themselves to snacks and drinks throughout the flight In first class on AA's Boeing 777-300 passengers will get luxury bedding to optimise their comfort. These Casper sleep sets include a mattress pad, lumbar pillow, blanket, duvet, two pillows, eyemask, slippers and pyjamas Crossing the transatlantic like a star certainly requires deep pockets, as a return ticket from Los Angeles to London in business class starts at $10,156 (7,835) and runs up to $13,148 (10,143) for a spot in first class. Above, a picture of the first class cabin Those jet-setting in first class will also get luxury Casper bedding to optimise their comfort. These sleep sets include a mattress pad, lumbar pillow, blanket, duvet, two pillows, eye mask, slippers and pyjamas. Furthering the lure of first class, the seats on the AA Boeing 777-300 can swivel. This means passengers can turn the space into a work station, with the seat rotating towards a desk. Alternatively, the chairs can be swivelled 180 degrees allowing passengers to dine together. Business class isn't too shabby, either. The business class section on AA's Boeing 777-30 is bigger than average with 52 seats to ensure all stars (and their entourages) can be accommodated. Above, a view of the business class area On the comfort front, the stars can indulge in an array of lotions and potions from leading skincare brand C.O. Bigelow, with an assortment of products neatly packed into a smart Cole Haan amenity kit bag. Above, an amenity kit from first class IS THE AMERICAN AIRLINES FIVE STAR SERVICE REALLY THAT GOOD? YES IT IS, SAYS THIS EXPERT London-based Gilbert Ott, who runs the God Save The Points flight tips blog, on the top-tier American Airlines service. He told MailOnline Travel: 'You can always tell when a big celebrity is on your AA flight because everyone has boarded and settled in but the doors haven't closed. Like clockwork, a mega star is escorted onto the plane and the doors close behind them. American's flagship facilities in New York, LA and Dallas really are absurdly nice, with privacy and security from minute one. 'I've often seen the airline deploy their "five star" service, where a personal staff member is assigned to VIPs and walks them directly to the front of any security lines and through any bits of the terminal. With the Cadillac fleet, the airline will whisk a celeb connecting from say... Boston to New York and onto London directly from one plane to another. Basically, you'd hardly ever know a celebrity is on the flight unless you're seated next to them. 'And as someone who sleeps on a Casper mattress at home, I adore their first and business class bedding partnership with Casper. Those celebs need their beauty rest, some more than others!' Advertisement For the price of a ticket in this cabin - from $10,964 (8,458) for the journey from Los Angeles to London and from $8,900 (6,866) to fly from New York - the stars will get lie-flat beds measuring 20.5 inches wide and direct aisle service. But the space isn't quite as private, with a total of 52 business class seats on the Boeing 777-300. On the food front, there is no on-demand service as in first class and the ingredients are a little less indulgent - although AA's famous ice cream sundae service will still be available to all. In both first and business, passengers can graze at a snack-filled bar area and they get Bose noise cancelling headphones, access to WiFi and amenity bags (with slightly different C.O. Bigelow products to the Los Angeles to New York flight). The royal service at Heathrow On arrival at Heathrow Terminal 3, the stars will be met by someone from the Five Star Service team and escorted through immigration and the baggage claim area. They will then be whisked to the exclusive American Airlines Arrivals Lounge located on its own floor away from prying eyes. It includes spa-like showers and a lounge offering refreshments HOW THE OTHER HALF FLY: HOW AA'S FLAGSHIP FIRST AND BUSINESS CLASS OFFERINGS COMPARE AA's flagship first class on the A321T Fully lie-flat seat with direct aisle access Ten first class seats located at the front of the plane Chef curated meals and award-winning wines Famous ice cream sundae service where customers can design their own sundae Casper bedding including duvet and pillow Large TV screen with personal power points Priority boarding and exclusive lounge access Access to Flagship First Dining a restaurant experience on the ground Bose noise cancelling headphones AA's flagship business class on the A321T Fully lie-flat seats 20 business class seats Chef curated meals and award-winning wines Famous ice cream sundae service - where customers can design their own sundae Casper bedding including duvet and pillow Large TV screen with personal power points Priority boarding and exclusive lounge access Bose noise cancelling headphones AA's flagship first class on the 777-300 Fully lie-flat seat with direct aisle access Exclusive cabin with only eight seats Dine on demand service with chef curated meals and award-winning wines and champagne Famous ice cream sundae service Full Casper bedding experience with mattress pad, lumbar pillow, blanket, duvet, two pillows, eyemask, slippers and pyjamas Suite which can rotate to form a desk to work, or allow passengers to dine together Large TV screen with personal power points Priority boarding and exclusive lounge access Bose noise cancelling headphones AA's flagship business class on the 777-300 Fully lie-flat seat with direct aisle access 52 business class seats with exclusive mini-cabin located behind first class of just two rows (frequented by A listers) Chef curated meals and award winning wines Famous ice cream sundae service where customers can design their own sundae Casper bedding including duvet and pillow Large TV screen with personal power points Priority boarding and exclusive lounge access Bose noise cancelling headphones Advertisement On arrival at Heathrow Terminal 3, the stars will be met by someone from the 'Five Star Service' team and escorted through immigration and the baggage claim area. They will then be whisked to the exclusive American Airlines Arrivals Lounge located on its own floor away from prying eyes. Once inside, the stars can enjoy spa-like showers, C.O. Bigelow products, hairdryers, dental and shaving kits. They can also get outfits ironed so they can feel red-carpet ready. Once refreshed, they can forage healthy a la carte food items such as protein pancakes, fruit smoothies and superfood salads prepared by top-notch catering company Rhubarb. When they're ready to head into the city they can jump into a car that will have been waiting almost outside the lounge to escape unseen. Fancy the Five Star Service yourself? Prices start from 270. Note to Hollywood stars. Yes, AA does swank, but other airline services are available - and some may argue that they're even better. About 250,000 visitors a year make the pilgrimage to the Northland toilet block New Zealand has it all, from fjords to volcanoes to punchy sauvignon blancs but it is also attracting visitors for a completely different reason - to see, if not use, a less than convenient convenience, a five-hour drive north of Auckland on North Island. The toilet block in Kawakawa on the remote tip of Northland attracts 250,000 people each year. The visitors come to see something that is more gallery than outhouse - the work of the late eccentric Austrian architect and artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. Friedensreich Hundertwasser created the potty toilet block in 1999. He died a year later so he never got to see how popular the toilets were to become over the next 20 years The toilets are a multi-coloured mash-up of collage and mosaic A multi-coloured mash-up of collage and mosaic adorn the inside and outside of the facility providing the most photogenic of backdrops. But Hundertwasser never got to see how well his work was received. The artist moved to New Zealand in the 1970s and created the potty toilet block in 1999 in what was then something of a backwater. However, the architect died at the turn of the millennium, aged 71, so he never got to see how popular the toilets were to become over the next 20 years. Today, hordes of travellers take a ten-minute detour off the state highway to the Hundertwasser Toilets at 60, Gillies Street, to take photographs. The visitors who come to photograph the toilets now far exceed those that come to use the facilities They are struck by the variety and iridescence of materials that the artist incorporated into the interior and exterior of the structure. An environmentalist at heart, Hundertwasser recycled whatever materials he could lay his hands on. These included bricks from a demolished Bank of New Zealand building, tiles made by students at Bay of Islands College, empty bottles and scraps of concrete, steel and copper. The construction - epitomising the concept of 'build it and they will come' - is the main draw to Kawakawa and the most photographed toilet in New Zealand. Materials used to build the block include bricks from a demolished Bank of New Zealand building, tiles made by students at Bay of Islands College, empty bottles and scraps of concrete, steel and copper Hordes of travellers take a ten-minute detour off the state highway to the Hundertwasser Toilets at 60, Gillies Street, to take photographs The construction - epitomising the concept of 'build it and they will come' - is the main draw to Kawakawa The visitors who come to photograph the toilets now far exceed those that come to use the facilities. Hundertwasser, born Friedrich Stowasser in 1928, led a life as intricate as the artwork he created. Born into a Jewish family, Hundertwasser was baptised in the Catholic Church and joined the Hitler Youth to evade persecution during the Second World War. He is credited with assisting with a plan to help the Dalai Lama escape Tibet, campaigning for the environment and was a royalist opposed to the European Union. NASA has revealed that 2018 was officially the fourth hottest year on record. Figures reveal 2018 was 1.5F (0.83C) warmer than the average temperature measured between 1951 and 1980. It came in fourth hottest since records began in the 1880s, falling behind only 2015, 2016 and 2017. Scientists at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York say this makes the past five years the warmest half-decade period on record. Experts from the World Meteorological organisation (WMO) say the prolonged period of record temperatures is more important than ranking individual years. Based on Australia's scorching January and the extreme colds felt in the US in the past month, global warming looks set to continue to break records in 2019 and beyond, scientists claim. Eighteen of the hottest 19 years have occurred since 2001. '2018 is yet again an extremely warm year on top of a long-term global warming trend,' said GISS Director Gavin Schmidt. Since records began the average global temperature has increased by approximately 2F (1C). Experts have said that the prolonged period of time Earth has experienced the hottest years is more important than individually ranking each year itself. 'The long-term temperature trend is far more important than the ranking of individual years, and that trend is an upward one, ' said World Meteorological Organisation Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. 'The 20 warmest years on record have been in the past 22 years. The degree of warming during the past four years has been exceptional, both on land and in the ocean. 'Temperatures are only part of the story. Extreme and high impact weather affected many countries and millions of people, with devastating repercussions for economies and ecosystems in 2018. 'Many of the extreme weather events are consistent with what we expect from a changing climate. This is a reality we need to face up to. Greenhouse gas emission reduction and climate adaptation measures should be a top global priority.' The industrial revolution kickstarted a process of carbon dioxide emissions which has seen human activities pump greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This warms the atmosphere and, consequently, the planet's surface. HOTTEST YEARS ON RECORD RANKING YEAR 1 2016 2 2015 3 2017 4 2018 5 2014 6 2010 7 2013 8 2005 9 2009 10 1998 NASA has revealed that 2018 was officially the fourth hottest year on record. Figures from NASA and NOAA reveal 2018 was 1.5F (0.83C) warmer than the average temperature between 1951 and 1980 Last year came in fourth since records began in the 1880s, falling behind only 2015, 2016 and 2017. Scientists at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York say this makes the past five years the warmest years in the modern record Since records began the average global temperature has increased by approximately 2F (1C). The industrial revolution kickstarted a process of carbon dioxide emissions which has seen human activities pump greenhouse gases into the atmosphere Global weather patterns cause the planet to warm unevenly, and as a result, the contiguous US 48 states recorded only the 14th hottest year on record, according to the NOAA. 'The impacts of long-term global warming are already being felt in coastal flooding, heat waves, intense precipitation and ecosystem change,' said Dr Schmidt. NASA's temperature analyses incorporate surface temperature measurements from 6,300 weather stations, ship- and buoy-based observations of sea surface temperatures, and temperature measurements from Antarctic research stations. Global actions are in place to limit the surging temperatures. The most high-profile is the Paris Agreement, an international effort ratified in 2015 to limit climate change. It set out targets to restrict global warming to at least 2C (3.6F) above pre-industrial levels and, ideally, below 1.5C (2.7F). In June 2017, President Trump announced his intention for the US, the second largest producer of greenhouse gases in the world, to withdraw from the agreement. Millennials are more likely to recognise pop songs made before they were born than modern alternatives. Scientists tested a group of young adults on their ability to recognise hit records from different decades. The 643 participants, typically aged 18 to 25, maintained a steady memory of top tunes that came out between 1960 and 1999. It was when asked about songs from the 21st century that musical knowledge faded. Scroll down for video Examples of hits from yesteryear that younger adults are likely to recognise included Percy Sledge's (pictured, right) 1966 chart-topper When A Man Loves A Woman. Scientists found millennials are more likely to recognise pop songs made before they were born than modern alternatives Examples of hits from yesteryear that younger adults are likely to recognise included Percy Sledge's 1966 chart-topper When A Man Loves A Woman, and Blondie's The Tide Is High from 1980. Study senior author Dr Pascal Wallisch, at New York University, said: 'The 1960s to 1990s was a special time in music, reflected by a steady recognition of pieces of that era - even by today's millennials.' Researchers were unable to identify what explained the stable level of recognition for songs from the 1960s through to the 1990s. They noted that during that period there was a 'significantly greater diversity' of songs reaching the top of the charts compared to 2000 to 2015 and 1940 to 1950. They said the large number of popular songs during the latter part of the 20th Century may explain why so many are still recognisable decades later. The results, published in the journal PLOS One, underscore the popularity of certain songs from the 1960s through the end of the 20th Century. Dr Wallisch added: 'Spotify was launched in 2008, well after nearly 90 per cent of the songs we studied were released, which indicates millennials are aware of the music that, in general, preceded their lives and are nonetheless choosing to listen to it.' But Dr Wallisch and his colleagues emphasised that recognition of songs even from that period varies. Some were extremely well known, such as When A Man Loves A Woman, 1977 hit Baby Come Back by Player, and The Tide Is High. But others - such as 'Knock Three Times' by Dawn (1970), I'm Sorry by John Denver (1975), and Truly by Lionel Richie (1982) - are all but forgotten. In selecting songs for the study, the researchers included those that reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 'Top 100' between the years 1940 and 1957 and No. 1 on the Billboard 'Hot 100' from 1958 to 2015. Researchers were unable to identify what explained the stable level of recognition for songs from the 1960s through to the 1990s, such as Blondie's The Tide Is High from 1980 (left). Britney Spears (right) and other modern pop stars, are less recognisable to millenials The study's participants included NYU students as well as others from the greater New York metropolitan area. The sample was largely of young participants, with an average age of 21.3. The majority (88 per cent) were between the ages of 18 and 25. Each participant was presented with a random selection of seven out of the 152 songs in the sample, asked to listen to the selection, and report whether they recognised it. Participants were presented with five, 10 and 15-second excerpts deemed to be representative by a consensus panel of seven practising musicians and professors of music theory and composition. The excerpts often contained a highly recognisable 'lick' - a unique and often repeated pattern of notes played by a single instrument - of each song. In response to hearing each song, the participants were prompted to indicate whether they recognised it. The researchers then plotted the recognition proportion for each song as a function of the year during which it reached peak popularity. The results revealed three distinct phases in collective memory, according to the researchers. The first phase showed a steep linear drop-off in recognition for the music from this millennium, steadily declining, year by year, from 2015 to 2000; the second phase was marked by a stable plateau from the 1960s to the 1990s, with no notable decline during this 40-year period. The third phase, similar to the first phase, was characterised by a more gradual drop-off during the 1940s and 1950s. Some of the world's biggest animals are at risk of extinction because of the unquenchable thirst humans have for meat. A study found at least 200 of Earth's largest creatures are decreasing dramatically and more than 150 face being killed off completely, according to scientists. Of these large animals, known as megafauna, 70 per cent are in decline and 59 per cent are at risk of disappearing from the globe. Scroll down for video At least 200 of Earth's largest creatures are decreasing dramatically and more than 150 face being killed off completely, according to scientists. Nine megafauna species have either gone extinct overall - or in the wild - in the past 250 years. These include two species of giant tortoise (pictured) Corresponding author Professor William Ripple, of Oregon State University College of Forestry in the US, said: 'Our results suggest we're in the process of eating megafauna to extinction.' Nine megafauna species have either gone extinct overall - or in the wild - in the past 250 years. These include two species of giant tortoise - one of which disappeared in 2012 - and two of deer. Among those now threatened is the Chinese giant salamander, an Asian delicacy and anatomical marvel that can grow up to six feet long and is one of only three living species in an amphibian family that can be traced back 170 million years. This animal is now under siege by hunting, development and pollution and experts predict it to become extinct in the wild imminently. Professor Ripple said: 'Preserving the remaining megafauna is going to be difficult and complicated. 'There will be economic arguments against it - as well as cultural and social obstacles. 'But if we don't consider, critique and adjust our behaviours, our heightened abilities as hunters may lead us to consume much of the last of the Earth's megafauna.' Mammals and fish weighting at least 100 kilos (220 lbs) and amphibians, birds and reptiles tipping the scales at a minimum of 40 kgs (88 lbs) were considered to be megafauna. Larger animals tend to have longer lifespans, longer gestation periods, and longer before reaching sexual maturity and dependence on previous generations. This slows down the rate of reproduction and generations take decades, not days as with some insects. Among those now threatened is the Chinese giant salamander (pictured), an Asian delicacy and anatomical marvel that can grow up to six feet long and is one of only three living species in an amphibian family that can be traced back 170 million years This makes adaptation via evolution a slow and ill-fated process for species hoping to avoid extinction. Over the past 500 years humans' ability to kill these animals at a safe distance has become highly refined. This has coincided with two percent of megafauna species going extinct. The study, published in the journal Conservation Letters, analysed almost 300 species of 'megafauna' - big animals such as elephants, giraffes, whales, cows, deer and tigers. Professor Ripple said: 'Direct harvest for human consumption of meat or body parts is the biggest danger to nearly all of the large species with threat data available. 'Thus, minimising the direct killing of these vertebrate animals is an important conservation tactic that might save many of these iconic species as well as all of the contributions they make to their ecosystems.' Throughout our entire history, humans and other hominins have selectively killed off the largest mammals. Advertisement Scientists have found that involuntary sounds we make when we express shock, elation and fear reveal a lot more about what we feel than previously thought. An interactive audio map shows more than 2000 sounds for a range of 24 different emotions like fear, surprise (positive and negative), embarrassment, elation and ecstasy. The results are demonstrated in vivid sound and colour on the map allows you to move the cursor along it and hear the varying sounds. Spontaneous sounds like 'woohoo' to convey excitement and 'argh' to show anger say a lot more about what we're feeling than previously understood, according to new research by University of California, Berkeley. Scientists conducted a statistical analysis of responses to more than 2,000 nonverbal exclamations known as 'vocal bursts' to discover that there are thousands of different sounds for varying types of emotion. This is twice as many different human emotions than had previously been recorded. Other studies of vocal bursts set the number of recognisable emotions closer to 13. They analysed more than 2,000 different oohs, aahs, hahas from 56 actors to discover what they mean and how other emotions get mixed in. For example, the sound for ecstasy is a mix of 25% Contentment + 25% Ecstasy + 17% Disappointment + 8% Awe + 8% Desire + 8% Guilt + 8% Realisation. 'This study is the most extensive demonstration of our rich emotional vocal repertoire, involving brief signals of upwards of two dozen emotions as intriguing as awe, adoration, interest, sympathy and embarrassment,' said study senior author Professor Dacher Keltner, a psychology professor at UC Berkeley and faculty director of the Greater Good Science Center. Scientists have found that involuntary sounds we make when we express shock, elation and fear reveal a lot more about what we feel than previously thought. An interactive audio map shows more than 2000 sounds for a range of 24 different emotions like fear, surprise (positive and negative), embarrassment, elation and ecstasy Humans have been using such noises for millions of years because they are a fast and simple way to express emotion which can easily be understood by others, even those who do not speak the same language for instance. Researcher, Alan Cowen, who designed the audio map, said: 'Our findings show the voice is a much more powerful tool for expressing emotion than previously assumed.' The voices on the map were provided by 56 actors and volunteers from countries as wide ranging as Singapore to Kenya who were given scenarios and asked to react to them. This meant they would scream in fear, gasp in surprise, go 'huh' for confusion or 'ohhh' for realisation. The sounds were then used in a worldwide online survey asking 1,000 adults to say what emotion they attached to each noise. It is hoped the findings could be used to make Alexa or Siri style voice controlled devices and robots better able to recognise human emotions based on sounds. But it may also provide a way for health professionals working with dementia, autism and other disorders, Cowen added. He explained: 'It lays out the different vocal emotions that someone with a disorder might have difficulty understanding. 'For example, you might want to sample the sounds to see if the patient is recognising nuanced differences between, say, awe and confusion.' The results were published online in the American Psychologist journal. Scientists have discovered that bees are able to count and do basic arithmetic. A study has proved that they can add and subtract as well as being able to understand the concept of zero. Researchers say the discovery expands our understanding of the relationship between brain size and brain power. A study has proved that bees can add and subtract as well as being able to understand the concept of zero. Scientists made blue mean addition and yellow mean subtraction and a series of experiments proved they could complete basic arithmetic Australian and French researchers set out to test whether bees could perform basic arithmetic. Solving maths problems requires a sophisticated level of brain power, involving the complex mental management of numbers, rules and short term working memory. Scientists say the revelation that even the miniature brain of a honeybee can grasp basic mathematical operations has implications for the future development of Artificial Intelligence, particularly in improving rapid learning. Led by researchers from RMIT University in Australia, the study showed bees can be taught to recognise colours as symbolic representations for addition and subtraction. RMIT's Associate Professor Adrian Dyer said numerical operations like addition and subtraction are complex because they require two levels of processing. 'You need to be able to hold the rules around adding and subtracting in your long-term memory, while mentally manipulating a set of given numbers in your short-term memory,' Dyer said. 'On top of this, our bees also used their short-term memories to solve arithmetic problems, as they learned to recognise plus or minus as abstract concepts rather than being given visual aids. 'Our findings suggest that advanced numerical cognition may be found much more widely in nature among non-human animals than previously suspected. 'If maths doesn't require a massive brain, there might also be new ways for us to incorporate interactions of both long-term rules and working memory into designs to improve rapid AI learning of new problems.' Many species can understand the difference between quantities and use it to forage, make decisions and solve problems. Researchers say the discovery expands our understanding of the relationship between brain size and brain power. But numerical cognition, such as exact number and arithmetic operations, requires a more 'sophisticated' level of processing. Previous studies have shown some apes, birds, babies and even spiders can add or subtract. The experiment, conducted by PhD researcher Scarlett Howard in the lab at RMIT, involved training individual honeybees to visit a Y-shaped maze. The bees received a reward of sugar water when they made a correct choice in the maze, and received a bitter-tasting quinine solution if the choice was incorrect. Honeybees will go back to a place if the location provides a good source of food, so the bees returned repeatedly to the experimental set-up to collect nutrition and continue learning. When a bee flew into the entrance of the maze they would see a set of elements, between one to five shapes. The shapes were either blue, which meant the bee had to add, or yellow, which meant the bee had to subtract. After viewing the initial number, the bee would fly through a hole into a decision chamber where it could choose to fly to the left or right side of the maze. One side had an incorrect solution to the problem and the other side had the correct solution of either plus or minus one. The correct answer was changed randomly throughout the experiment to avoid bees learning to visit just one side of the maze. At the beginning of the experiment, bees made random choices until they could work out how to solve the problem. DECLINING BEE POPULATIONS Declines in recent months to honey bee numbers and health caused global concern due to the insects' critical role as a major pollinator. Bee health has been closely watched in recent years as nutritional sources available to honey bees have declined and contamination from pesticides has increased. In animal model studies, the researchers found that combined exposure to pesticide and poor nutrition decreased bee health. Bees use sugar to fuel flights and work inside the nest, but pesticides decrease their hemolymph ('bee blood') sugar levels and therefore cut their energy stores. When pesticides are combined with limited food supplies, bees lack the energy to function, causing survival rates to plummet. Advertisement Eventually, over 100 learning trials that took four to seven hours, bees learned that blue meant +1, while yellow meant -1. The bees could then apply the rules to new numbers. Ms Howard said the ability to do basic maths has been vital in the development of human societies historically, with evidence that the Egyptians and Babylonians used arithmetic around 2000BC. She said: 'These days, we learn as children that a plus symbol means you need to add two or more quantities, while a minus symbol means you subtract.' 'Our findings show that the complex understanding of maths symbols as a language is something that many brains can probably achieve, and helps explain how many human cultures independently developed numeracy skills..' Today Sunny skies. High 89F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Tonight Partly cloudy. Low 63F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Tomorrow Partly cloudy skies in the morning will give way to cloudy skies during the afternoon. High around 90F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph. The body of man recovered from the submerged wreckage of a plane which crashed while carrying Cardiff City striker Emiliano Sala has been brought back to land. A ship brought the remains of the man to Portland, Dorset as investigators wait to confirm if the body is that of the Argentinian footballer or the plane's pilot. The body was brought off ship, Geo Ocean III, on a stretcher and transferred to a private ambulance before being taken to Dorset Police and the local coroner. The plane was flying from Nantes, France, home of Sala's former team, to Cardiff on January 21, when it crashed into the sea with the new 15million signing and pilot David Ibbotson inside. Mr Ibbotson's wife said this morning that she had not been told whether her husband's body was that recovered. Sala's girlfriend Berenice Schkair yesterday posted a picture on Instagram of a rose stuck into the sand next to the sea. The body of a man recovered from the crashed plane which had been carrying footballer Emiliano Sala is brought from a ship to a private ambulance at a port in south-west England this morning. Authorities have yet to confirm whether the body is that of the footballer or the pilot of the plane A private ambulance was in Portland Dock to receive the body recovered from the plane A police car then accompanied the coroner's private ambulance to hand over the body The private ambulance carrying the body was seen leaving the port this morning Emiliano Sala was onboard the plane when it went missing off the French coast on January 21 It remains unclear whether the body is that of the Argentine forward or Mr Ibbotson but a full examination by a coroner in Portland, Dorset, is due to take place. The body was recovered from the aircraft wreckage using ROVs (remotely-operated vehicles) to pull it from the water in 'as dignified a way as possible'. The red and white vessel carrying the body docked at Portland, Dorset, at around 9:15 this morning (Thurs). The boat was met at the harbour by two police cars, including a 4x4, with a silver coroner's van arriving at the scene at around 9:45am. Several of the ship's crew could be seen leaving the 25ft vessel to introduce themselves to authorities before showing police and the coroner on board. The body will now be passed over to the Dorset coroner for examination. The Piper Malibu aircraft remained more than 200 feet below water and is 21 miles off the coast of Guernsey in the English Channel for more than two weeks as poor weather conditions stopped efforts to recover it. Experts have removed the body from the submerged Piper plane using specialist equipment The Piper Malibu aircraft remained more than 200 feet below water and is 21 miles off the coast of Guernsey in the English Channel for more than two weeks as poor weather conditions stopped efforts to recover it. A body was recovered yesterday, while the wreckage will give investigators more clues into the cause of the tragic crash The Geo Ocean III docks in Portland, Dorset carrying the wreckage of the Piper Malibu aircraft The Piper Malibu aircraft remained more than 200 feet below water and is 21 miles off the coast of Guernsey in the English Channel for more than two weeks as poor weather conditions stopped efforts to recover it Sala's former girlfriend Berenice Schkair, a French model, posted an image on Instagram of a rose in tribute to the footballer Timeline: How the Sala tragedy unfolded January 21, 2019: The single-turbine engine Piper PA-46 Malibu leaves Nantes at 7.15pm for Cardiff and is flying at an altitude of 5,000ft. At 8.50pm the plane disappears from radar in the English Channel. January 22: The French civil aviation authority confirms Argentinian footballer Emiliano Sala, 28, who had just signed for Cardiff City, was on board the light aircraft. Piloting the plane was David Ibbotson, from Crowle, near Scunthorpe. January 24: Guernsey's harbour master Captain David Barker says the chances Sala and Mr Ibbotson have survived is 'extremely remote'. January 26: It emerges that football agent Willie McKay arranged for the flight to take Sala to Cardiff but he says he had no involvement in selecting the plane or pilot. He also backs calls for the search to continue. January 27: Relatives and friends of Sala arrive in Guernsey, having enlisted the help of shipwreck hunting expert David Mearns. January 28: Sala's family, including his mother Mercedes and sister Romina, take a chartered flight in a plane operated by Guernsey airline Aurigny over the area where the plane disappeared. January 30: The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) says two seat cushions found washed up earlier in the week near Surtainville on the Cotentin Peninsula are likely to have come from the plane carrying Sala and his pilot. February 3: Wreckage of the plane is located in a fresh, privately funded search which was made possible after a fundraising campaign saw more than 260,000 donated. Feburary 4: A body is visible in seabed video footage of the wreckage of the plane. The AAIB says the footage was filmed using an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) which was surveying the area after the plane was located. February 6: A body seen in the wreckage of the plane is recovered. The AAIB says the body will be taken to Portland to be passed over to the Dorset coroner for examination. The aircraft remains 67 metres underwater 21 miles off the coast of Guernsey. The AAIB says attempts to recover the aircraft wreckage were unsuccessful and, due to continued poor weather forecast, 'the difficult decision was taken to bring the overall operation to a close'. February 7: The Geo Ocean III search boat returns to dock in Portland, Dorset, carrying the wreckage of the Piper Malibu aircraft. Investigators wait to confirm if the body inside the wreckage is that of the pilot or the Argentinian footballer. Advertisement The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said: 'Following extensive visual examination of the accident site using the remotely operated vehicle (ROV), it was decided to attempt recovery operations. 'In challenging conditions, the AAIB and its specialist contractors successfully recovered the body previously seen amidst the wreckage. The operation was carried out in as dignified a way as possible and the families were kept informed of progress.' The statement said it has not been possible to bring the wreckage to the surface and the operation has now ceased. It continued: 'Unfortunately, attempts to recover the aircraft wreckage were unsuccessful before poor weather conditions forced us to return the ROV to the ship. 'The weather forecast is poor for the foreseeable future and so the difficult decision was taken to bring the overall operation to a close. The body is currently being taken to Portland to be passed into the care of the Dorset Coroner. 'Although it was not possible to recover the aircraft, the extensive video record captured by the ROV is expected to provide valuable evidence for our safety investigation.' The official search was called off on January 24 after Guernsey's harbour master claimed the chances of survival for those on board was 'extremely remote'. Yet the remains of the aircraft were tracked down by a team co-ordinated by ocean scientist David Mearns, who has located some of the most elusive wrecks in the world. Mr Mearns - known as the 'Shipwreck Hunter' - and his team located the aircraft within two hours of commencing their search. He said he discovery had been so quick because the team had been looking for a static object rather than in a dynamic environment searching for survivors. The wreckage was found on Sunday after specialist robotic submarines were brought in. The sea search vessel FPV Morven picked up the wreckage using sonar and an unmanned Air Accident Investigation Branch submarine sent to the sea bed used an HD camera to identify the blue and white aircraft. 'No-one should walk away with the impression that the Coastguard and also the Channel Islands air search did anything other than a professional job,' he said. The AAIB said it expected to publish an interim report within the month. While it is not clear who the body was both families have grieved for the men. Mr Ibbotson's heartbroken daughter, sister and nephew were among loved ones paying respects to the 60-year-old gas engineer, part time pilot and devoted family man, earlier this week. His younger sister Helen Kapatysulias wrote: 'To David, my gentle brother. I have so many memories of you, mine is of you when you were coming home from school, you used to pick me up and carry me home. I will lock these memories in my heart forever. 'All I would like is to see your face, smiling, cheekily, again. I know you're safe wherever you are. I pray that one day I will see you again, my gentle Big Brother. 'I love you forever and always and will never forget you.' David Ibbotson pictured with his wife, Nora Ibbotson was flying the plane which went missing over the Channel One body from the wreckage of the plane has been recovered more than 20 miles off the coast of Guernsey Emiliano Sala's sister Romina (left) and mother Mercedes (centre) listen to Blue Water Recoveries director David Mearns talk about plans to find and recover the plane Poor weather and high seas could hamper the recovery operation with an approaching storm shown in red on the left of the image after the plane was seen underwater His daughter penned In loving memory of a dear Dad: 'Daddio, Words cannot describe how much I am going to miss you. You are the best dad anybody could wish for and I will love you always. I have (word illegible) memories and will pass these on to anybody I meet. All my love Vicki.' Pilot David Ibbotson and his wife, Nora Ibbotson. The frequent flyer went missing with his plane on January 21 In another tribute amongst dozens laid around a tree in the market square in his home village of Crowle, near Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, his nephew Tim wrote: 'To my uncle David. We hope that the angels are looking and guiding you home to us. I love you lots.' A verse on one condolence card reads: 'We're never really ready when it's time to say goodbye, but slowly we accept what has to be. Letting go on what we must but keeping those we love forever close to us in memory.' Mr Ibbotson decided to fly the plane at the eleventh hour. An experienced pilot chartered by football agent Willie McKay to fly Emiliano Sala drafted in a 'rusty' part-time replacement and covered the costs on his credit card causing confusion when the plane vanished, it was revealed. The 19-metre survey vessel FPV Morven returning into St Peter Port Harbour following the first day seabed search for the plane Messages were left around the base of a tree in Crowle for the pilot after a body was found at the bottom of the Channel Mr McKay wanted his usual pilot David Henderson, 60, to carry the Argentinian striker to Britain but he drafted in David Ibbotson, 59, after asking him: 'Do you want to spend a weekend in Nantes?' Mr Ibbotson, a boiler engineer and part-time pilot, told a friend he was 'a bit rusty' with the instruments of the 35-year-old aircraft and it did not have the licence to carry paying passengers. Describing the time period since, Mr McKay, a mega-agent renowned for his contacts in France, told l'Equipe sports newspaper that it has 'been an absolute nightmare for us.' The 19-metre survey vessel FPV Morven returning into St Peter Port Harbour following the first day seabed search for the plane He said that if he had not allowed Sala to return to his old club, Nantes, to say goodbye to his former teammates and put his beloved dog Nala in kennels 'he would still be with us'. Emiliano Sala's father Horacio (pictured last week) has told how he was 'desperate' and in a 'bad dream' after the plane's wreckage was found on the sea bed Cardiff had originally proposed funding a commercial flight for Sala but the McKay family instead funded a private plane. 'When you spend 17m on a footballer, you don't put him on an EasyJet flight,' McKay said. His mother Mercedes and his sister flew to Guernsey while the search operation got underway. Sala's bereft father Horacio, who has not joined his ex-wife, son and daughter in Britain, told reporters in the Argentinian town of Progreso: 'I cannot believe it .... this is a dream ... a bad dream ... I'm desperate'. French club Nantes launch legal bid to force Cardiff to pay 15m transfer fee for Emiliano Sala despite striker being feared dead in plane crash before he played a game for the Welsh side ADAM CRAFTON, MATT LAWTON and IAN HERBERT FOR THE DAILY MAIL Cardiff City have been left stunned after Nantes demanded payment for the 15million transfer of Emiliano Sala, who is missing and feared dead, after his flight went off-radar on a journey from France to Cardiff. The Premier League club were shocked to receive a formal letter from Nantes on Tuesday asking for payment within 10 days. The two clubs are now embroiled in a legal dispute. Nantes submitted a formal letter to Cardiff on Tuesday asking for payment within 10 days Cardiff's first payment would ordinarily be due within seven days of the player signing, but the club do not intend to make any payments until the conclusion of official investigations into the causes of his disappearance. However, Nantes made an email request last Thursday and then followed it up with a formal written request on Tuesday. On Wednesday night, Cardiff City chairman Mehmet Dalman confirmed Nantes' request in an interview with L'Equipe. He said: 'The only thing I can say because it is a sensitive subject is that I confirm that what you are saying is true. Vincent Tan's Cardiff will withhold payment until investigation over disappearance is complete 'And to be honest, I do not want to say anything more in the state. The first thing is that the body has not been recovered yet. We must show respect to the family. 'There is the process of recovering the plane. It's too early for us to comment. When we think it's the right time to do it (we will comment). I do not think the Cardiff club said it was not going to pay.' Sala's mother, sister and brother have this week been in the company of the Argentine consular in France as investigations continued after a private plane carrying Sala and pilot David Ibbotson went off-radar on January 21. Sala's mother (C) has been with the Argentine consular in France as investigations continue The situation has been made more complicated by Bordeaux having 50 per cent sell-on clause A body has been located in the aircraft but the two families were still to be informed of the identity as of Wednesday. The Sala family are currently in Nantes anxiously awaiting the fate of Emiliano and are still to learn whether it is even his body in the aircraft. There is understandable bewilderment from those close to Sala that distasteful financial discussions can even be taking place while the search for his body continues. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch have been searching the English channel for the wreckage. This map shows the position where the wreckage of the plane carrying Sala was discovered Marine scientist David Mearns has confirmed a body has been located still in the aircraft An official investigation into the crash, including the pilot's qualifications and the condition of the plane, is likely to follow. The situation is further complicated as French club Bordeaux are also due 50 per cent of the reported 15m transfer due to a clause inserted when Sala joined Nantes in 2015. Last week Bordeaux publicly denied that they had invoiced Nantes for their cut of the deal. When contacted by Sportsmail to establish whether they intend to pursue their fee, Bordeaux did not respond. Cardiff are understood to be insured up to 16m but the club may still incur excess when it comes to covering the salary for the duration of Sala's three-and-a-half-year contract and the lost revenue that was anticipated for their club-record signing. This would take the overall value of the transfer to around 25m. The Piper Malibu carrying Sala from Nantes to Cardiff vanished over Alderney on January 21 A picture of the type of plane which was supposed to deliver the striker to Cardiff safely Nantes are responsible for paying the intermediaries involved. In November, the club enlisted the services of Mercato Ltd, the business run by Mark McKay and his father Willie, who helped organise the doomed flight. Agents Bakari Sanogo and Baba Drame are also due cuts from the Nantes side of the deal. If the air investigation is followed by involvement from the police, it could therefore be years before the financial and legal disputes are resolved. In the fortnight following his disappearance, much of the support for the family has come from Sala's personal agent Meissa N'Diaye, who has worked with the French equivalent of the Professional Footballers' Association to fundraise for the private search that located part of the aircraft on the seabed. Willie McKay (pictured) and his son Mark helped organise Sala's doomed flight to Cardiff N'Diaye, who also represents Manchester City's Benjamin Mendy and Crystal Palace's Michy Batshuayi, had no involvement with the McKays and has pledged he will provide all the necessary support to the family in the months and years to come. The Sala family are currently staying in Nantes. When asked to detail what the French club are doing to support the family, the club did not respond. Sala is understood to have been unhappy at Nantes for much of the past 18 months. His contract was due to expire next year and, despite public suggestions he would be offered a renewal, no offer was forthcoming. Attempts were then made to sell Sala to Italy last summer and, in November, the mandate was granted to British intermediary Mark McKay to secure a transfer by the end of the January transfer window. Sala had previously turned down a move to China last February and a proposed transfer that would have seen him secure 4.5m per year (net) in salary. Fans laid flowers and tributes outside the Cardiff City stadium before their game last weekend Nantes fans display a banner of Sala last month in their first match since his disappearance When Sala, a fluent Spanish and French speaker, received an email from Willie McKay touting the Cardiff move in his personal inbox, he was baffled as he did not speak any English. Indeed, it is believed his initial response to the email was a firm 'no'. He was not keen on the transfer to Wales but feeling forced out at Nantes and, aware that Cardiff were the only serious bidders, the striker warmed to the move over the course of January. Indeed, on his first trip to Wales, he left the premises still undecided as to whether to make the move and insisted he took time to discuss things with friends and family. Ultimately, the transfer went through and the ramifications will endure for years to come. Advertisement Donald Tusk twisted the knife again during today's brutal Brussels face-off as he told Theresa May that Jeremy Corbyn's new plan for Brexit 'could be a way out of the current impasse' . A grim-faced Prime Minister returned to London tonight having achieved little beyond a new round of talks starting on Monday. Her demand the legally binding Withdrawal Agreement be reopened was blocked. And she faced a new blow as the EU Council President backed Mr Corbyn's new position. He sent a letter to No 10 last night to say Labour could back the divorce deal if there are changes to the political declaration on the future UK-EU relationship. He wants a customs union with the EU and close alignment with the single market. No 10 officials said the Government was studying the proposals in Mr Corbyn's letter but insisted leaving the customs union was necessary for Britain to strike new trade deals around the world. The letter has also sparked a bitter new round of Labour infighting amid warnings helping deliver Brexit would shatter ties with Remain-supporting activists and MPs. The EU has said the future partnership document could be changed if MPs would then vote for the divorce deal - despite it not being enough for Mrs May's rebellious Brexiteers. The chilly meeting between Mrs May and Mr Tusk saw the Premier take him to task over his claim the leaders of the Leave campaign will have a 'special place in Hell' for backing Brexit with no plan for the Irish border. The PM said she raised the 'unhelpful' barb with the EU council president as they met for crisis discussions in the Belgian capital this afternoon. The clash was revealed as Mrs May emerged from a fraught series of discussions, admitting that it would not be 'easy' to secure legally-binding changes to the Irish border backstop. But she insisted she would 'deliver Brexit and deliver it on time'. Earlier, Jean-Claude Juncker again insisted that the Withdrawal Agreement will not be reopened - saying the bloc had already made 'significant concessions'. In a small win for Mrs May, the EU commission chief agreed that formal negotiations can be reopened - but only on the future relationship and not the binding Withdrawal Agreement treaty. But they effectively kicked the can down the road once again by saying they would meet before the end of the month to 'take stock' of what progress had been made. Speculation is mounting that the premier is targeting an EU summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, on February 24 to seal tweaks to her package. It would only then be put to a Commons vote - raising the stakes as the UK is due to depart the bloc at the end of March. Downing Street sources said tonight Mrs May had not confirmed her attendance at the meeting, which is about future EU-Arab ties. After holding his own meeting with Mrs May this afternoon, European Parliament president Antonio Tajani warned of an 'economic and humanitarian catastrophe' if the negotiations failed. Theresa May said she confronted Donald Tusk (pictured together in Brussels today) about his 'unhelpful' barb about Brexiteers having a 'special place in Hell' The talks with Mr Tusk (pictured) appear to have been extremely tense as the Brexit pressure begins to fray tempers Earlier, the PM and the EU commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker - usually known for his exuberant touchy-feely style - stood grim-faced next to each other before disappearing for private talks The body language between Mrs May and Mr Juncker was distinctly frosty as they met before the crucial talks today Mrs May was careful not to smile as she greeted Mr Juncker at the European commission headquarters in Brussels today The two leaders went on from the grim-faced photo opportunity to have a 'robust' discussion - often seen as diplomatic code for a blazing row Mrs May said she raised with Mr Tusk 'the language that he used yesterday, which was not helpful and caused widespread dismay in the United Kingdom'. 'I've had a good series of meetings today. We've had robust discussions but they've been constructive,' she said. 'What I've set out is our clear position that we must secure legally binding changes to the Withdrawal Agreement to deal with the concerns that Parliament has over the backstop, and that changes to the backstop - together with the other work we're doing on workers' rights and other issues - will deliver a stable majority in Parliament. 'That's what I will continue to push for. It's not going to be easy but crucially President Juncker and I have agreed that talks will now start to find a way through this, to find a way to get this over the line and to deliver on the concerns that Parliament has, so we get a majority in Parliament.' Mrs May's trip this morning was immediately thrown into turmoil as a demonstrator with a placard saying 'don't crash out' jumped in front of her convoy. What happens next in the Brexit process? Today : Theresa May returned to Brussels to ask for changes to the Irish backstop, after MPs backed an amendment calling for 'alternative arrangements'. February 13: If no new deal has been reached, Mrs May will address MPs again on this date and her Government will put a further motion before the House of Commons. MPs would then be able to vote on further amendments, potentially on February 14. End of February: Potentially a vote on the revamped version of Mrs May's Brexit deal will be held. March 29: Brexit day. The European Union (Withdrawal) Act of 2018 fixed 11pm on March 29 as the time and date when Britain will leave the EU. If no agreement has been reached by then, the UK will leave without a deal. Advertisement After he was wrestled out of the way, Mrs May continued inside - posing grim-faced next to Mr Juncker before they went for their private discussions. Meanwhile, Jeremy Corbyn has heaped pressure on her by offering to back a deal in return for dropping her red line on joining a permanent customs union. The move is designed to appeal to Tory Remainers who favour a Norway-style arrangement with the bloc - although it has also infuriated Labour MPs who want a second referendum. In a joint statement issued after their talks, Mrs May and Mr Juncker said he had 'underlined that the EU27 will not reopen the Withdrawal Agreement, which represents a carefully balanced compromise between the European Union and the UK, in which both sides have made significant concessions to arrive at a deal'. Mr Juncker apparently 'expressed his openness to add wording to the Political Declaration' that would make it 'more ambitious in terms of content and speed when it comes to the future relationship between the European Union and the UK'. 'The discussion was robust but constructive,' the statement said. 'Despite the challenges, the two leaders agreed that their teams should hold talks as to whether a way through can be found that would gain the broadest possible support in the UK Parliament and respect the guidelines agreed by the European Council. 'The Prime Minister and the President will meet again before the end of February to take stock of these discussions.' The clashes make clear that Mrs May had a mountain to climb to get changes to the Brexit deal painstakingly thrashed out over two years - and resoundingly rejected by the Commons last month. Some Brexiteers have been demanding she gets the backstop - an insurance policy to ensure there is no hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic - dropped altogether. But Mrs May has made clear she is only seeking 'legally binding' changes to guarantee the UK will not be 'trapped' in the arrangements indefinitely. Downing Street said that Mrs May is 'open to different ways' of achieving her objectives on the backstop. One of the PM's key messages for EU leaders was that the Commons has now made it clear it could support the Withdrawal Agreement as long as concerns about the backstop are addressed. Mrs May also stressed that Labour leader Mr Corbyn also has concerns about the backstop, so it is not just an issue for the Tories and their DUP allies. After talks with Mrs May, Mr Tajani said: 'We are open to being more ambitious on our future relations, including looking at the Irish situation again if the UK's red lines change.' Following the talks with Mr Juncker, Mrs May went straight into another meeting with European Parliament president Antonio Tajani (pictured) A demonstrator with a placard saying 'don't crash out' jumped in front of the PM's convoy as it pulled up at the EU's HQ for a meeting with Jean-Claude Juncker He added in Twitter: 'We are weeks from an economic and human catastrophe.' The EU parliament's Brexit co-ordinator Guy Verhofstadt, who was in the same meeting, said Mrs May 'assured us that there will be a backstop'. He added: 'There is no question to remove the backstop because that is absolutely necessary for securing and safeguarding the Good Friday Agreement, safeguarding the internal market and safeguarding also the peace process.' The Labour leader made his move in a letter to the PM setting out his revised conditions for backing a deal - including a permanent customs union and close alignment to the single market. Tory former minister Nick Boles welcomed the overture as a 'big step to a cross-party compromise' based on an enhanced Norway model. But Mr Corbyn's terms - which crucially drop his previous call for her to secure the 'exact same benefits' as current membership - enraged Labour Remainers who accused him of 'enabling' Brexit. Fresh splits also emerged in Mr Corbyn's frontbench team as shadow Brexit minister Matthew Pennycook said the party 'must move to support a public vote' unless Mrs May accepts the conditions 'in full'. Theresa May left Downing Street early this morning heading to the Belgian capital for crunch talks to try to wring more concessions on the Irish border backstop In Mr Corbyn's letter to the PM, which follows their Brexit meeting last week, he insists that Labour's Brexit demands must be enshrined in the Political Declaration setting out future relations with the EU. Mr Corbyn said that securing in law the demands is the only way of achieving Labour support and uniting the country. He called for a 'permanent and comprehensive UK-wide customs union' that gives the UK a say over future trade deals, and close alignment with the single market, underpinned by 'shared institutions'. Corbyn pitches for Tory rebels to join him and force Norway-style deal Jeremy Corbyn mounted a bid to torpedo Theresa May's Brexit plan today by pitching for Tory rebels to help force a Norway-style relationship with the EU. The Labour leader made his move in a letter to the PM setting out his revised conditions for backing a deal - including a permanent customs union and close alignment to the single market. Tory former minister Nick Boles welcomed the overture as a 'big step to a cross-party compromise' based on an enhanced Norway model. But Mr Corbyn's terms - which crucially drop his previous call for her to secure the 'exact same benefits' as current membership - enraged Labour Remainers who accused him of 'enabling' Brexit. Fresh splits also emerged in Mr Corbyn's frontbench team as shadow Brexit minister Matthew Pennycook said the party 'must move to support a public vote' unless Mrs May accepts the conditions 'in full'. The intervention could further undermine Mrs May's negotiating position, by persuading the EU it does not need to give ground. In the letter to the PM, which follows their Brexit meeting last week, Mr Corbyn called for a 'permanent and comprehensive UK-wide customs union'. Advertisement Mr Corbyn also urged 'dynamic alignment on rights and protections' in order that UK standards do not fall behind those of the EU, as well as commitments on participation in EU agencies and funding programmes, and 'unambiguous agreements on the detail of future security arrangements, including access to the European Arrest Warrant and vital shared databases'. The letter drew fury from some pro-EU Labour figures who said it went against Labour's Brexit stance. Mr Tusk used a press conference with Irish PM Leo Varadkar yesterday to cause a storm with a jibe at Brexiteers. He said there was a 'special place in Hell' for those who campaigned for Leave but did not have a 'safe' plan for handling the Irish border issue. Mr Tusk then rubbed salt in the wound by chuckling when Mr Varadkar was caught on mic whispering that the British would give him 'trouble' over the attack. The remarks were immediately dismissed as 'arrogant' and 'inflammatory' by Eurosceptics, who demanded an apology. Mrs May's effective deputy David Lidington said this morning that Mr Tusk's comment 'wasn't the most brilliant diplomacy in the world'. He told BBC Radio 4's Today: 'I think Mr Tusk was venting yesterday, but I don't think that will detract from what I expect to be a courteous and sensible grown-up discussion between the different EU leaders and the Prime Minister.' Among the prominent EU figures Mrs May is set to meet is European Parliament Brexit coordinator Guy Verhofstadt who joined in with Mr Tusk's Brexit 'Hell' analogy. Mr Verhofstadt tweeted that Lucifer would not welcome such Brexiteers because 'after what they did to Britain they would even manage to divide Hell'. Meanwhile, the Daily Telegraph reported that Mrs May is seeking to delay another Commons 'meaningful vote' on the Government's Brexit stance until the end of February - just a month before the UK is scheduled to quit the EU on March 29. Mrs May will kick off a series of difficult meetings by holding talks with EU commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker - who yesterday showed Leo Varadkar (left) a Thank You card he had received from an Irish family Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (pictured last night) is trying to outflank Mrs May by making a pitch to join forces with Tory Remainers 'May squares up to Juncker like a prize fighter at a weigh-in before staring down Tusk like Dirty Harry': Body language expert reveals what frosty Brussels meetings REALLY reveal Theresa May has had another gruelling day in her quest to strike a Brexit deal with the EU that can win support from MPs. The PM travelled to Brussels for a brutal round of meetings with commission chief, Jean-Claude Juncker, European council president Donald Tusk, and EU Parliament president Antonio Tajani. The sessions were especially fraught in the wake of Mr Tusk's jibe that Brexiteers would have a 'special place in Hell'. Meanwhile, Mr Juncker has insisted there is no prospect of reopening the Withdrawal Agreement. Here, body language expert Judi James looks at how the encounters between the key players in Brussels went: May and Tusk Judging from Mays wintry facial expression and lack of eye contact or even recognition of Tusk here Id suggest she really did issue a Nebulous?-style roasting over his place in hell comments. The two leaders share some similarities in body language demeanour here but with some telling, intrinsic differences. Standing together side by side for their photo-call their cold, unsmiling expressions and the way they both stand to attention with their arms down at their sides suggest mutual frostiness. However Mays cold-eye stare involves a slightly heavier top lid that could make it look more measured and menacing (Think Dirty Harry). Its a reflective look of what could pass as steely anger, which is endorsed by the way she pulls her chin into her neck. Her lips are tight but not clamped and there appears to be a surprising lack of tension in her hands, which dangle loosely at her sides. Tusk is more openly in fight mode here and seemingly more in the moment. His shoulders are pulled back while his neck is stuck forward. His mouth is clamped shit and his chin juts. His cold stare is wide-eyed and focused with one brow raised. His arms mirror Mays pose but whereas his left hand hangs like hers his right is partly balled into a fist. Body language expert Judi James looked at how the encounters between Theresa May and Donald Tusk went today The talks with Mr Tusk (pictured) appear to have been extremely tense as the Brexit pressure begins to fray tempers Theresa May said she confronted Donald Tusk (pictured together in Brussels today) about his 'unhelpful' barb about Brexiteers having a 'special place in Hell' The difference in their poses suggest May might excel in intimidation while Tusks suggests more active battling. His right hand could hint at some fear but his eye expression and his signals of aggressive arousal suggest hell be spoiling for a fight and averse to any form of public climb-down. The body language signals were similar at the meeting. May is the only one not attempting to smile at the meeting and also the only one not showing their hands by placing them under rather than on the table. This could suggest a desire to show shes got something up her sleeve or that shes keeping her thoughts hidden or masked but it also creates a self-diminished look that might not be ideal for a tough meeting where the grim smiles of the others suggest theyre almost spoiling for a fight. May and Juncker It would be natural and appropriate at this stage of the negotiations for both sides to put in a performance of aggressive masking to imply a tough, recalcitrant stance. This would be the weigh-in moment for a prize-fighter and both Juncker and especially May will be keen to suggest toughness and resolve via their body language, not just to each other in a bid to intimidate, but in May's case it is also Parliament and the electorate who are expecting to see naked steel rather than any suggestion of a weak, polite and smiling cave-in. May previously began her transformation from nice guy to Terminator with the 'Nebulous?' photo-opportunity where she appeared to be giving the normally tactile and amenable-looking Juncker a prime roasting. Now she has turned up the heat or to be precise added further layers to the perma-frost, with this emphatic and deliberate display of coldness and possible anger at today's meetings in Brussels. May arrives walking at a fair lick, which is guaranteed to leave the less agile Juncker playing catch-up behind her. She also walks a pace away to the side from Juncker with what looks like an apparent desire to ignore his presence altogether. Her walk is purposeful, bordering on a march. Unlike some much fonder-looking displays from past meetings, May faces front for the photo-call, again with a large spatial gap. Body language expert Judi James looked at how the encounters between Theresa May and Jean Claude Juncker went in Brussels today Mrs May was careful not to smile as she greeted Mr Juncker at the European commission headquarters in Brussels today Earlier, the PM and the EU commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker - usually known for his exuberant touchy-feely style - stood grim-faced next to each other before disappearing for private talks The body language between Mrs May and Mr Juncker was distinctly frosty as they met before the crucial talks today The two leaders went on from the grim-faced photo opportunity to have a 'robust' discussion - often seen as diplomatic code for a blazing row Juncker offers no intentional gesture for his shake and May still holds her arms down by her sides as Juncker pokes his hand out quickly as though sticking it into the flames of an oven. There is a lack of eye contact to suggest any form or rapport or like-minded thinking. When their eyes do meet over the shake the prize-fighter theme continues with the exchange of a cold, hard stare. Juncker's feet are partially turned in towards May but hers remain resolutely pointing forward and when Juncker does pull his hand away she breaks from the eye contact with a skittish head-toss that could imply derision. May is normally polite with her body language signals but her side-eye stare and then her mouth clamp with her head raised and her chin pulled into her neck suggest open annoyance and exasperation. Juncker's pursed lips and the way he looks down as he offer his hand suggest a less dramatic form of stubbornness but overall he does look like a man who might not see what she is hoping to achieve by her meetings. In the end she stormed off stage leaving Juncker trailing behind but whereas he looked amused and even slightly apologetic during 'Nebulous-gate', here he looks more like a man who is just plain baffled. He did place one dominant, ushering hand on May's back as she turned to leave but after that he was just treated to a view of her heels as she set off at warp speed. A 17-year police veteran was shot and killed as he served a warrant on the Milwaukee's south side Wednesday, becoming the city's third officer killed in the line of duty in eight months, officials said. Assistant Milwaukee Police Chief Michael Brunson said at a news conference that the 35-year-old officer, whose name has not been released, was part of a Tactical Enforcement Unit. 'This is the third time in eight months that I've had to stand at a podium and talk about the loss of a life of a police officer,' Mayor Tom Barrett told reporters. 'We need all residents of this community, all residents of this state, to be thankful and appreciative of every single law enforcement official in this state.' A 26-year-old Milwaukee man was in custody, Brunson said. He provided no other details. A heavy police presence secured the scene after an officer was shot Wednesday in Milaukee Brunson didn't release details of the warrant being served when the officers made contact with two subjects 'and shots were fired.' One officer was struck and was rushed to Froedtert Hospital where he was pronounced dead. 'I am filled with sorrow over this needless loss and at the same time I am filled with anger at the individual who took the life of this police officer,' Barrett said. The mayor said the officer 'was doing his job' and 'working to make our city safe' when he was killed. Zablocki Elementary School and St. Joseph Academy were on lockdown due to the heavy police presence in the area, WTMJ-TV reported. Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said in a statement that he joins 'all of Wisconsin in mourning the loss of one of our brave law enforcement officers. Those who put on the uniform every day put their safety at risk to protect others and to save lives.' Kaul said the state Department of Justice is assisting in the investigation, and the Law Enforcement Death Response Team is supporting the Milwaukee Police Department. Numerous officers gathered at the hospital and Milwaukee police were planning a procession from the hospital to the medical examiner's office downtown. Investigators respond at the scene after an officer was shot in Milwaukee on Wedneday Mayor Barrett told reporters that the officer was the city's third killed in the line of duty in eight months. Six months ago, Officer Michael Michalski was fatally shot while trying to arrest a convicted felon wanted on drug and domestic violence offenses. Last June, 23-year-old Officer Charles Irvine Jr. was killed in a squad car crash during the high-speed pursuit of a suspect. Irvine was the first Milwaukee officer killed in the line of duty since 1996. Experts say serving warrants are dangerous operations for police, primarily because the officers are entering unknown territory. Last week, narcotics police officers serving a search warrant on a house in Houston came under fire as soon as they entered the home, and five were hurt. The suspects were killed. Jean-Claude Juncker revealed today he has received fan mail from Ireland in the form of a gigantic 'thank you' card. For 'standing up for' the Republic of Ireland during Brexit negotiations the President of the European Commission said he had been getting post. Although he did not say when he received it Mr Juncker took great pride in showing the large card off. He was posed for pictures with Ireland's Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in Brussels this morning as the pair met to firm up their position before the arrival of Theresa May. Inside the card it said: 'Your five words 'Ireland's borders are Europe's borders' made me want to jump for your, punch hands into the air and kiss you.' The commission said it was 'private' but images of the text show that it said 'for the first time ever Ireland is stronger than Britain'. 'That strength comes not from guns or bombs. 'It comes from your words and that of your colleagues. 'Britain does not care about peace in Northern Ireland. To them it's a nuisance.' Jean-Claude Juncker shows Leo Varadkar a card he had received - apparently from a family in Ireland thanking him The card said for the first time 'Ireland is stronger than Britain' as it thanked Mr Juncker, EU Commission president The British Prime Minister will try to renegotiate a deal rejected by Parliament. A major part of that will be the Irish border. The contents of the card, from a family in Dublin, reportedly thank Mr Juncker for his words of solidarity with the Irish. On Wednesday Mr Juncker spoke about the card at a press conference. He said: 'It was a thank-you message from a family in Dublin, it was really nice.' Robert Arnold Koester, 52, allegedly took nude photos of models and sexually assaulted a number of them, including some under 18 years of age, between 1994 and 2018 A professional photographer who has been described by police as a suspected serial sexual predator has been accused of sexually assaulting dozens of models across the United States over a 24-year stretch. Robert Arnold Koester, 52, allegedly took nude photos of models and sexually assaulted a number of them, including some under 18 years of age, between 1994 and 2018. The FBI believes he worked under a number of aliases over two decades, including Bert Kay, Rhake Winter and Qitooly. Federal agents started investigating after Koester was arrested in Carlsbad, California in November last year for sexually battery and possession of child pornography. In that case, he was accused of assaulting a 16-year-old girl during a modeling photo shoot. Investigators said they have since identified alleged victims in multiple cities across the U.S. Koester is currently facing 23 charges in California, two federal counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and 32 felony counts in Oregon. The charges in California relate to his November arrest and include child sexual abuse and production of child pornography. The FBI believes he worked under a number of aliases between 1994 and 2018, including Bert Kay, Rhake Winter and Qitooly Federal agents started investigating after Koester was arrested in Carlsbad, California in November last year (above) for sexually battery and possession of child pornography. Photo courtesy of NBC The two federal counts are for sexual exploitation of a minor in California based on an investigation by the San Diego FBI. He was charged in Yamhill County, Oregon on January 30 with the 32 felony counts involving four different victims. Those charges include first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy, first-degree unlawful sexual penetration, and causing another person to ingest a controlled substance. Koester's bail on the Yamhill County counts has been set at $2.5 million. He currently remains in custody in San Diego from his initial arrest. At the time of his arrest, Koester was living in Southern California and working as a photographer along the West Coast. Authorities said he also owns a farm in the rural Carlton area in Oregon. His homes were used as photography studios, according to investigators. Investigators believe there may be additional models who have been abused by Koester and are urging them to come forward. The FBI is asking that anyone who was victimized or who may know someone who was victimized by Koester to complete a secure, confidential online questionnaire. More information can be found at fbi.gov/ModelCase. President Donald Trump could tack on a trip to China to his Vietnam visit to shake on a trade deal with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, although the U.S. says a meeting is not currently planned. Trump said last week when a Chinese delegation visited Washington that it could take him sitting down with Xi in person for an accord to emerge. He announced a trip to the region on Tuesday to meet with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told reporters Wednesday that a meeting with Xi 'is not planned at this time' in Beijing during the Asia swing. He did not rule one out, though. And he told DailyMail.com in response to a question about a visit to China and a March 1 deadline for a deal: 'If there are remaining issues that we can't get closed, I think President Trump expects that he's going to sit down with President Xi and address those issues.' President Donald Trump could tack on a trip to China to his Vietnam visit to shake on a trade deal with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, although the U.S. says a meeting is not currently planned Mnuchin announced in a CNBC interview prior to the brief question and answer session with reporters at the White House that he and a U.S. delegation would be heading back to China next week. 'We are committed to continuing these talks. We are putting in an enormous amount of effort to try to hit this deadline and get a deal. So that's our objective,' Mnuchin said. The Trump administration official said he is seeking a 'comprehensive agreement on a large range of issues' included forced technological transfers and free and fair trade. 'These are very complicated issues. We're making progress but there's a lot of work to do. Ambassador Lighthizer and I are heading to Beijing next week with a large team, and we're looking forward to continuing to make more progress,' he told reporters at the White House later. President Trump has circled March 1 on the calendar as the date he will impose billions of dollars in new penalties on China, if an agreement has not been reached. 'We are now making it clear to China that after years of targeting our industries, and stealing our intellectual property, the theft of American jobs and wealth has come to an end,' he said Tuesday in his State of the Union address. 'Therefore, we recently imposed tariffs on $250 billion of Chinese goods and now our treasury is receiving billions of dollars a month from but I dont blame China for taking advantage of us. I blame our leaders and representatives for allowing this travesty to happen.' Complimenting his counterpart in Beijing, he explained, 'I have great respect for President Xi, and we are now working on a new trade deal with China. 'But it must include real, structural change to end unfair trade practices, reduce our chronic trade deficit, and protect American jobs.' A Chinese delegation is in Washington this week to discuss the broad strokes of an agreement to end the trade war the two countries have fighting for nearly a year Trump laid out the perimeters of a deal with China before a meeting with the vice premier on Thursday afternoon In his speech to Congress, the president confirmed that he'd traveling to Asia the last two days of this month to hold a second nuclear summit with Kim. His affirmation that he's going to Asia, immediately sparked speculation that he'll also be making a stop in Beijing. President Trump thoroughly enjoyed a red carpet ceremony that Xi threw for him during a 2017 visit to the country. And he suggested last week that he plans to go back. Trump said he looks forward to meeting with Xi at least once before a trade deal closes, and he believes the fine points of an agreement with China will ultimately be negotiated directly between himself and the foreign leader. 'We have a thing called the telephone and other means of talking. So I know you're spending a lot of time, and it's moving along well,' he noted. At the White House, talking to DailyMail.com and other reporters, Mnuchin suggested that a conversation between Trump and Xi, in person, would be dependent on the headway negotiators make during next weeks staff-level trip to Beijing. 'I can tell you there's nothing planned at this time for it, but the president has talked about potentially meeting with President Xi and we'll see what progress we make next week,' Mnuchin said. 'I can tell you one thing about this president. He works very hard. Wherever he is he calls me, so we're not worried about where he is at the end of the month.' Asked by DailyMail.com if Trump could push the March 1 deadline by a few days so he can appeal to Xi in person after his Kim summit, on Feb. 27 and 28 somewhere in Vietnam, Mnuchin said: 'I'm not going to comment on what he will or won't do. Right now the intent is that we meet this deadline. 'As you know the president is involved in a very detailed way in these negotiations. Ambassador Lighthizer, myself and the economic team update the president at least weekly, in many cases daily. He's involved in these issues. 'And if there are remaining issues that we can't get closed, I think President Trump expects that he's going to si tdown with president xi and address those issues,' Mnuchin added. The EU's Brexit co-ordinator Guy Verhofstadt fired further shots in a furious row between Brussels and Britain today as he joined another bloc boss to bash leave voters in comments labelled 'disgraceful'. Donald Tusk delivered the first scathing insult to British vote leavers on Wednesday when he said there was a 'special place in Hell' for Brexiteers, sparking a furious response across the Channel. Despite the backlash against the EU Council President, Verhofstadt from Belgium joined in, to further insult leavers in the UK, which is set to end its membership of the EU on March 29. After Mr Tusk's comments on Twitter, which followed a press conference, Verhofstadt who heads the assembly's Brexit Steering Group, taunted: 'I doubt Lucifer would welcome them, as after what they did to Britain, they would even manage to divide Hell.' Mr Tusk had said: 'I've been wondering what that special place in hell looks like, for those who promoted Brexit, without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely.' Some Britons were so outraged by the comments they said they had switched to being 'leavers' after reading them. Bob Seely MP for the Isle of Wight said: 'The utter stupidity and viciousness of these idiotic remarks is a timely reminder of why people voted for Brexit. Guy Verhofstadt and Donald Tusk represent a political elite out of touch with the people they claim to represent.' European Parliament Brexit chief Guy Verhofstadt took a shot at Brexiteers on Twitter In an incendiary claim that threatens to blow up Theresa May's hopes of a renegotiation of the Irish border, the EU Council President used a press conference with the Irish premier to say he 'wondered' what the place looks like The European Parliament's Brexit coordinator Guy Verhofstadt also waded in, saying Lucifer would turn the Brexiteers away as too divisive Firms 'will trigger Brexit plans within days', warns business minister Business Secretary Greg Clark has warned firms that export goods to countries such as Japan have days to decide on future trading arrangements rather than waiting for Brexit day on March 29. Mr Clark was pressed by MPs to give advice to firms about the impact of the UK leaving the EU without a deal as the clock ticks down to the end of next month. Rachel Reeves, who chairs the Business Select Committee, told the minister that for firms exporting to Japan, the real deadline is February 15 because it takes up to six weeks for goods to arrive. Mr Clark agreed that firms will need to make decisions about whether to send goods to Japan by sea in the 'next couple of weeks'. 'It is one of the reasons why I've been very outspoken in saying that we should not regard the 29th of March or the 28th of March as the time that we should be prepared to take to conclude a deal. 'People often say these things are done at the last minute - the last minute for important exporters is fast approaching over the next few days and weeks,' he told MPs. Advertisement The remarks were also raised in the House by Tory MP Peter Bone, who branded them an 'insult' to the British people. DUP MP Sammy Wilson said Mr Tusk and his 'arrogant EU negotiators' had 'fanned the flames of fear in an attempt to try to overturn the result of the referendum', while Nigel Farage said being free to 'run our own country' sounded 'more like heaven'. The PM's spokesman also swiped at Mr Tusk, saying: 'I think it's a question for Donald Tusk as to why he considers the use of that language to be helpful.' British Prime Minister Theresa May is due in Brussels on Thursday to seek concessions to the Brexit deal which are unlikely to be given. Verhofstadt says 'it is the U.K.'s obligation to now propose a positive and viable proposal on the way forward.' Referring to the backstop - a safeguard to keep trade moving freely between the U.K.'s Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland - Verhofstadt said 'political uncertainty in the U.K. has reinforced to us why this insurance policy is required.' However, MPs voted against the deal on the table, with hard line Brexiteers calling for the abolition of the backstop plan. Mr Tusk and Mr Varadkar met in Brussels to firm up the EU line before Mrs May arrives in town just 50 days before exit day. She will head for Dublin for talks with Mr Varadkar on Friday evening. Earlier in the day Irish premier Leo Varadkar was seen whispering to Tusk that the British would 'give you terrible trouble' over the words he wrote on Twitter. Meanwhile Mrs May has spent the day in Northern Ireland meeting all five main parties to find a way forward on the Irish border backstop. She missed PMQs for the talks, with Cabinet Office minister David Lidington deputising. Alliance leader Naomi Long was the first to emerge, complaining that Mrs May had given no details of what she would ask for in Brussels. MPs admit Brexit 'Plan C' could see divorce bill rise to 50billion MPs backing a Brexit 'Plan C' have conceded it could push the divorce bill up to 50billion. Supporters of the so-called Malthouse Compromise - which has brought MPs from the Tory Remain and Brexit wings together - denied their plan was dead. An extra year of transition could cost 10billion, on top of the existing 39billion settlement thrashed out with Brussels. Before meeting for a third day in the Cabinet Office, MPs in the group insisted they remain hopeful she will give serious consideration to the blueprint which they intend to complete by the end of Wednesday. The compromise offers the EU a choice between a Plan A, involving the existing Agreement with an alternative to the backstop and a transition period stretching to December 2021, or a Plan B under which the UK leaves without a deal on March 29 but remains in the single market and customs area to the end of 2021 while arrangements are made for final departure. Advertisement Ireland will not be left alone in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the European Commission president said. Jean-Claude Juncker said 'alternative arrangements' could 'never replace the backstop'. Mr Juncker made the comments alongside Irish premier Leo Varadkar following talks between the two leaders at the European Commission in Brussels. Mr Varadkar dismissed the UK Government's alternative arrangements concept as a potential solution to the current Brexit impasse. 'We need to bear in mind that this majority that did exist in the House of Commons for 'alternative arrangements' probably only exists because alternative arrangements can mean whatever you want them to mean,' Mr Varadkar said. 'I don't believe that would have passed if people had to actually get into the details of what alternative arrangement might mean or might not mean.' He said he had concerns about the idea of 'alternative arrangements' and that it could not result in the 'deletion' of the backstop, while Mr Juncker said the backstop was needed for 'obvious, vital reasons' and it could not be abandoned. A 32-year-old man has been rushed to hospital with facial fractures after a brawl erupted in a McDonald's car park. Police found the unconscious man with head injuries at the fast food store on Mulgoa Road, Penrith in Sydney's west just before 1.30am on Sunday. Four men aged between 19 and 22 were arrested and faced charges including grievous bodily harm after police carried out two search warrants in St Clair and Glenmore Park on Wednesday. Police found the unconscious man with head injuries at the fast food store on Mulgoa Road, Penrith in Sydney's west (pictured) Police believe the 32-year-old man was punched and kicked in the head during the brawl involving a group of men Police believe the man was punched and kicked in the head. He was airlifted to Westmead Hospital where he remains in a critical condition. A 34-year-old man was also attacked by the group of men and suffered minor facial injuries. He was also taken to the same hospital but has been released. The charged men fled the scene before officers arrived. The group of four were refused bail and are due to face Penrith Local Court on Thursday. In an unrelated incident, a male police sergeant was allegedly assaulted by two men close to the crime scene. Two officers were in an unmarked police vehicle and were about to leave the scene when a man, 22, allegedly ran towards the car and kicked the door panel at 2.20am. A fight broke out when the sergeant attempted to arrest the male. The group of four were refused bail and are due to face Penrith Local Court on Thursday A 26-year-old man got involved and headbutted the sergeant before the 22-year-old punched him in the face. The pair were arrested and taken to Penrith Police Station. They were granted strict bail to appear at Penrith Local Court on February 26. Hundreds of residents who were fined by a rogue police officer for parking in their street have successfully campaigned to have their fines revoked. Angry residents in Woy Woy and Umina, on the New South Wales Central Coast, say they have to park on nature strips because there is not enough room on their narrow roads. They were left furious when the officer gave them all $263 fines for leaving their cars on the disused strip. Labor state MP for Gosford, Liesl Tesch (centre), received numerous complaints after residents were slapped with fines from a Highway Patrol officer on January 21 (pictured: residents voice their anger) Labor state MP for Gosford, Liesl Tesch, received numerous complaints after residents were slapped with fines from a Highway Patrol officer on January 21. Labelling the incident a 'mess', Ms Tesch urged residents to come forward with their complaints in a bid to fight the infringements. 'Hundreds of Peninsula residents have been hit with unfair parking fines,' she wrote on Facebook. 'I am challenging these fines on your behalf, so contact my office with your details and we will try and make sure you aren't punished for parking outside your own home.' The residents had been forced to park on footpaths as the built-up area (pictured) provided them no other option for parking (right: Ms Tesch who helped fight the fines) On Wednesday, local residents gathered together with the support of Ms Tesch to voice their anger over the fines. 'Some families have had multiple generations hit costing them thousands of dollars in fines that's just not fair,' Ms Tesch wrote on Facebook. 'Let's make the Ministers hear the Peninsula and cancel these fines!' NSW Police responded on Wednesday and said they would waive the fines. 'The NSW Police Force acknowledges the issuing of fines for parking-related offences on the Central Coast in recent weeks is not in the public interest and will be withdrawing the infringements immediately,' the statement said. 'Whilst various offences have been committed, the NSW Police Force has identified road engineering concerns and will work with council and local stakeholders to find a solution. 'Local police and traffic and highway patrol officers will exercise discretion whilst a design solution is considered.' Residents who were issued infringements on December 28 and 31 last year are also not required to pay the fines. 'Infringements already paid will be refunded,' NSW Police confirmed. The NSW Police responded to the noise on Wednesday and said they would waive the fines Woy Woy resident Iain Russell told the ABC he was pleased with the victory but there were still questions for the future. 'They've realised the fines were excessive and over the top and it was probably done the wrong way,' he said. 'I think what people are asking themselves is why were the fines issued in the first place in such a way?' Mr Russell said the residents were now questioning the laws and where they could park in the future. He also praised the local police who were 'apologetic' following the infringements. 'On the day I got the fine I went down to the local police station and the local coppers were desperately upset that someone from out of the area had gone and done this and started to propagate this mistrust of the police force,' Mr Russell said. The real-life mafia turncoat immortalized in the film Goodfellas was a bigamist who married a Mormon beautician while in witness protection with his family, according to a new report. Henry Hill - depicted by Ray Liotta on the big screen in 1990 Scorsese movie - was moved into the program in 1980 after helping to jail his gangster friends. There he assumed the name Martin Lewis and along with long suffering wife Karen and their two children Gail and Michael moved to Redmond, Washington. But it didn't stop Hill, who plucked the name from Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, from dating other women and when he met Mormon hairdresser Sherry Anders he was instantly smitten. So smitten, in fact, that the pair moved in together at her home and got hitched after just seven weeks of dating, Sherry told writers Matthew Pearl and Greg Nichols of Truly*Adventurous. For Sherry, who was raised in a rural town in Washington as a Mormon, this was 'magic'. The two had met in a restaurant after 'Martin' overheard her talking about horses. He popped the question under two months later. 'It was magic,' according to Sherry, who is backed up by her roommate, Samantha Kellum, who said: 'The electricity during those months was just absolutely volatile, just screaming.' Henry Hill testified against his former associates to avoid a possible execution by his crew or going to prison for his crimes and went into the US Marshals Witness Protection Program Henry and Karen Hill, pictured on their wedding day in 1965, moved to Redmond, Washington. There Hill met Sherry Anders, right, and the pair got hitched after just seven weeks of dating Martin Lewis and, along with long suffering wife Karen and their two children, who assumed the alias' Gail and Michael when they moved into witness protection WHY DID HENRY HILL GO INTO WITNESS PROTECTION? Against his fathers wishes Hill got in with the mafia crowd aged 11 when he started hanging around with the infamous Lucchese family. Hills last major job with his gang was the Lufthansa heist at John F Kennedy airport in New York in December 1978, which netted them a then record 3.2million. Following his arrest for the robbery on April 27, 1980, detectives played him wire taps of other mob members threatening to kill him but he refused to talk, at least for a while. Eventually, Hill testified against his former associates to avoid a possible execution by his crew or going to prison for his crimes. The testimony led to 50 convictions and meant that Hill, his wife Karen, and their two children had to be put in the US Marshals Witness Protection Programme in 1980. Advertisement But Vivian Walsh, who owned the salon where Sherry, rented a chair, said: 'He kind of slinked in and didn't make good eye contact when I was introduced. I said, "You know, I hope that's not a red flag, but there's something kind of creepy about him".' The mobster, who died at the age of 69 in 2012, assumed varying cover stories during his time in witness protection. He told people he worked for the government, an insurance investigator and an author. When Hill met up with writer Nick Pileggi single mom Sherry did not know the book Wiseguys, which would inspire the 1990 Martin Scorsese crime classic Goodfellas in which he was played by Liotta alongside Robert de Niro and Joe Pesci, was being written in front of her. But their romance would be short lived after his first wife Karen, now known as Kaylen, discovered his affair and confronted Sherry. When Sherry asked her: 'Do you know Martin Lewis?' Kaylen replied: 'Yeah. He's my husband.' And when 'Martin' turned up later he found his two wives in the home he shared with Karen. Sherry would later throw him out of their home, screaming: 'Don't you ever f***ing come back here.' One night the two wives are even said to have walked arm in arm into the club Hill was in. Sherry said: 'Heres wife Number One and wife Number Two. Isnt that special?' At the same time Hill was being followed by a private investigator called Janet. She had been hired a New York law firm representing former mob boss, Jimmy Burke. They wanted dirt on the prosecution's star witness. When Hill and Sherry split Janet approached his second wife for help. Sherry told 'Kaylen', who decided his second marriage needed to be dissolved immediately. But Sherry who was now pregnant, refused. Henry Hill pictured in hiding in 1980s during which time he got married to his second wife Henry Hill went from small-time gangster to big-time celebrity when his life as a mobster-turned-FBI informant became the basis for the Martin Scorsese film Goodfellas Joe Pesci and Ray Liotta, who played Hill, in the movie Goodfellas Twice Kaylan is said to have attacked Sherry, who said: 'I was never so scared in my life.' Finally, through a religious loophole Kaylan was able to get the marriage annulled. But the family were still taken out of the witness protection program 'based upon continued arrests and breaches of security'. Martin was sent to prison again and his book Wiseguys was released. Sherry lost their baby. Hill had already been arrested for getting into a fight with a presumed mistress when they were hidden in Independence, Kentucky. So brazen was Hill that he even wore a 'Witness Protection Program' t-shirt while dating Sherry. In recent times however he ventured out in public more opening a restaurant called Wiseguys, launching his own brand of spaghetti sauce and appearing on US TV talking about gangster movies. Ten years after their wedding Hill called Sherry, who has now also changed her name to Scarlett. They met up and Hill told her: 'I'll love you forever.' As for Karen she divorced Hill in 1990 and it was finalized in 2002. It is not known where she is now. Hill died at a hospital in Los Angeles in June 2012 having suffered a heart attack brought on by years of smoking, a habit he blamed on his nerves. The Wyoming Legislature is considering a bill that would require voters to present a photo ID at polling places. While Johnson County Clerk Vicki Edelman said she doesnt oppose the bill, its likely to have little impact in Johnson County. A former Illinois state representative who resigned last year amid allegations that he posted explicit photos of an ex-girlfriend online has pleaded not guilty to 12 felony counts of disseminating private sexual images. Nick Sauer, 36, showed little emotion as a Lake County judge read the charges against him during his arraignment on Wednesday, the Daily Herald reported. Sauer announced his resignation last August after an ex-girlfriend, Katie Kelly, accused the Republican lawmaker of sharing her nude photos on an Instagram account he'd set up under her name. The 12 charges filed last month stemmed from an investigation that revealed two female victims, according to a statement from the Lake County State's Attorney's office. Melissa Kreithen identified herself as the second victim. At the arraignment Wednesday, Judge Patricia Fix said Sauer will face up to three years in prison if convicted. Probation also is possible. The 36-year-old's trial is scheduled to begin on August 19. He is currently out on bond. Former Illinois state representative Nick Sauer, 36, pleaded not guilty to 12 felony counts of disseminating private sexual images on Wednesday in Lake County Court. The Republican lawmaker (above in an earlier court appearance) resigned last August amid allegations that he posted explicit photos of an ex-girlfriend online According to Politico, Kelly filed complaints with Chicago police and the legislative inspector general against the first-term lawmaker from Lake Barrington. In the complaint, Kelly accused Sauer of using the Instagram account 'to catfish other men by using my privately shared naked photos'. 'Nick would use this account to direct message men with my photos to engage in graphic conversations of a sexual nature. The men believed they were communicating with me and Nick shared private details of my life,' the complaint read. Kelly told Politico that the two began a long-distance relationship in 2016 after meeting on the dating app Tinder. In June 2017, Kelly reportedly moved to Chicago to be closer to Sauer but they broke up in March 2018. She blames the breakup on him dating other women. After their breakup, Kelly claimed Sauer reached out to her and apologized. 'I quickly realized things wouldn't change and we stopped talking again. Then at the end of June, I told him he needed to reimburse me for flights and hotels, etc,' she told Politico. At an arraignment Wednesday, Judge Patricia Fix said Sauer will face up to three years in prison if convicted at his trial beginning on August 19. He is currently out on bond Kelly told the news site that Sauer transferred $2,000 into her bank account to pay for her travel expenses, but it was just a short time later that she discovered the Instagram account. She then claimed that Sauer admitted 'catfishing men with my photos for 2 years to at least 8 men'. 'He was unable to provide the names and begged that I let it go,' she alleged. The account was taken down by Instagram after Kelly reported the page. Nine of the counts against Sauer stem from Kelly's allegations. Authorities found evidence that he posted her explicit photos online between March 24 and July 18, 2018. The three additional counts stem from images of Kreithen, which were posted between September 8 and October 31, 2017, according to investigators. Kreithen said she met Sauer through social media and they began dating in mid-2016. She contacted police after seeing a news story about the initial allegations against Sauer made by Kelly. Sauer was a member of the House Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Task Force and was seeking re-election in November at the time of his resignation. In a letter filed to the House clerk's office on August 1, Sauer said his 'ability to fulfill my obligations as a state representative... will be affected by the distraction of addressing these allegations'. A gunman has been shot to death and a bystander has been injured during a shoot-out with Dutch police in Amsterdam. Dutch police shot and killed a man on a path behind the country's central bank in the city after he pulled a firearm on officers. Cops had been responding to reports of a man with a gun on an adjoining street when he 'came at the agents with the weapon', police said. He died of his injuries while a bystander was also wounded, police said in a statement. The gunman was shot in a street behind the Dutch central bank in Amsterdam this evening Police near the crime scene at De Nederlandse Bank after a shooting took place in Amsterdam Local television station AT5 published photos of ambulances at the scene and cited eyewitnesses as saying around 20 shots were fired. Other eyewitnesses reported hearing as many as 40 shots fired during the incident at around 7.15pm. Photographer Dennis Brandsma, who lives near the scene of the killing said he saw the gunman lying on the floor after he was shot dead by officers. He told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf: 'I heard a few bangs, together with my son. Then we immediately realised that it was not fireworks. 'I saw a man lying on the floor. There were agents around him.' Police intervene at the scene of a shooting outside the country's central bank 'De Nederlandse Bank' in Amsterdam Police at the scene in Amsterdam this evening after a gunman was shot and killed while a bystander was also injured Police shut down the road where a gunman was shot and killed after pulling a weapon at officers in Amsterdam Another resident said he heard 'a series of shots and then a moment later a series again'. He also said it was 'immediately clear that it was serious' when that many gun shots rang out. Amsterdam police spokesman said there were no signs the incident was terror related, but that angle of inquiry was still being investigated. Ruben Sprong confirmed the suspect was shot when he approached officers with the gun and another person passing by was also wounded. Sprong added: 'There is no big signal of terror or anything like that from what happened. Paramedics and police were seen alongside a stretcher at the scene of the shooting today He added: 'But of course, everything is unclear. We are still looking into things.' Photos published by the Dutch media showed local police and military police at the scene. A spokesperson for De Nederlandsche Bank, told Dutch media that the incident had nothing to do with the bank. Police said the area has been cordoned off and the incident while the killing was being investigated. No further details were immediately available. The bodies of a father and his baby may have been left undiscovered in a car for days after a suspected murder-suicide. A 46-year-old man from Brisbane and his six-month-old son were found in a red Holden Commodore on Wednesday morning parked on an isolated track in the Beerwah State Forest on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. Council workers discovered the bodies at 8am - but police now think they could have been sitting in the car for almost a week. A father and his baby son may have been left undiscovered in a car for days after a suspected murder-suicide (pictured) Council workers discovered the bodies at about 8am - but police now think they were sitting in the car for days A 46-year-old man from Brisbane and his six-month-old son were found on an isolated track in the Beerwah State Forest (pictured) on Queensland's Sunshine Coast Detective Inspector Dave Drinnen said council employees made the grisly discovery while they were working. 'It's extremely distressing, it's a very tragic incident. The mother was distraught, as you can imagine,' he said. Det Insp Drinnen said the baby was reported missing on Monday and that the mother and father had recently separated. The baby's father was due to hand the child over to his mother as part of a custody arrangement, but never arrived at the allocated time. Det Insp Drinnen also confirmed that no amber alert was issued, despite the fact the child was missing for more than 36 hours. Police are now investigating why the alert - which urgently broadcasts a photo of a missing child to media outlets - was never issued. Police (pictured at the scene) are investigating whether the man killed the child before taking his own life 'The father and the child failed to turn up as a result of some custody arrangements,' Det Insp Drinnen said. 'The mother was concerned... so [police did] welfare checks initially, before this was reported as a missing person investigation. 'This was treated as a high-risk missing person investigation ... to try and locate the missing person and child.' No weapons were found in the car and the cause of the deaths is yet to be established. Police said the bodies had been in the car for 'some time'. Daily Mail Australia understands a witness told investigators he saw a red Holden parked in the same spot on Tuesday. Lifeline - 13 11 14 A self-described 'MILF' porn star and her director boyfriend have been arrested in California for allegedly sexually abusing a young girl over a four-month period. Melinda Smith, 35, and Jason Whitney, 43, were each charged on Tuesday in Rancho Cucamonga with eight counts of sexual acts against a child under the age of 10. Smith has starred in a number of porn films under the stage name Mercedes Carrera. Her partner Whitney, who goes by the name Daemon Cins, has produced and directed a number of adult films, web shows and porn awards shows. Melinda Smith, 35, and Jason Whitney, 43, were each charged on Tuesday in Rancho Cucamonga, California with eight counts of sexual acts against a child under the age of 10 Police were notified of the sex abuse allegations on January 31 and interviewed the young girl. She told detectives that she had been abused by Smith and Whitney over four months. 'The sexual abuse consisted of inappropriate touching, oral copulation and digital penetration, which occurred over four months,' Rancho Cucamonga Police said in a statement. Police executed a search warrant on the couple's home on Friday and said they uncovered evidence that corroborated the victim's statement. They found Smith and Whitney's bedroom set-up so they could film and record various pornographic videos or web shows. Police also found methamphetamine and two loaded handguns in the home. Smith has starred in a number of porn films under the name Mercedes Carrera. Her boyfriend Whitney, who also goes by the name Daemon Cins, has produced and directed a number of adult films, web shows and porn awards shows Smith promotes herself as a 'lead MILF' on her porn star profiles and has touted herself as a free speech activist She recently hosted the red carpet event for the XBIZ Awards - an adult industry awards ceremony - and posed with the likes of Stormy Daniels Smith and Whitney have been charged with eight counts of sexual acts with a child under 10 years old and one count possess controlled substance while armed with a handgun. They were both denied bail and remain in custody. Both are due to be arraigned on Wednesday. Smith promotes herself as a 'lead MILF' on her porn star profiles and has touted herself as a free speech activist. She recently hosted the red carpet event for the XBIZ Awards - an adult industry awards ceremony. Smith posed there with the likes of adult entertainer Stormy Daniels. Both Smith and Whitney's social media pages under their stage names are filled with porn-related images and graphic video. Detectives believe the couple may have more victims. Anyone who has additional information is urged to contact Rancho Cucamonga Police Detective Bureau at 909 477 2800. Both Smith and Whitney's social media pages under their stage names are filled with porn-related images and graphic video A senior sergeant accused of having a 'Jekyll and Hyde' personality was demoted after repeatedly calling his colleague 'puss nuts'. Lucas Young is no longer in charge of the Gold Coast Water Police and was reduced to the rank of sergeant over his 'demeaning and demoralising' conduct. Mr Lucas appealed the 2017 decision to demote him, but the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal [QCAT] upheld all but one of the original findings last week. Senior Constable Jason McInnes told a detective inspector looking into the matter that Mr Lucas started calling him names at a multi-agency briefing in 2014. Lucas Young is no longer in charge of the Gold Coast Water Police and was reduced to the rank of sergeant over his 'demeaning and demoralising' conduct 'Long story short, we were doing an operation and I was about to hold the briefing... as I went into my desk to grab my notes... he's stuck his head out and said ''hey puss nuts are you coming into this briefing?"', Mr McInnes said, QCAT documents state. 'I'm not overly fond of the name puss nuts... under the environment we had a lot of people from other agencies around... I was very embarrassed.' Mr McInnes said the next time he arrived at work, he walked into the office and Mr Young's first greeting was 'hey puss nuts'. He said that he then asked Mr Young to stop calling him that name. 'I've told him asked him not to call me that, I said, ''my name is Jason you can call me Jason'',' he said, adding that Mr Young reacted 'angrily'. 'He got cranky, glared at me for a bit walked off in a bit of huff. I didn't say it with any venom in my voice or anything like that, I just made it very clear that I'm not happy with that name.' Senior Constable McInnes said the 'puss nuts' saga started 'to filter up the chain' and that his understanding was Mr Young was being asked about it and responded 'in a filthy mood'. The appeals tribunal was told Mr Young retaliated by ordering gym equipment in the office to be removed, a claim Mr Young denied. Senior Constable McInnes said the 'puss nuts' saga started 'to filter up the chain' and that his understanding was Mr Young (right) was being asked about it and responded 'in a filthy mood' The tribunal heard evidence from other senior constables who said Mr Young had spoken to staff in a threatening manner. Senior Constable Sacha Thomson described her time in the Water Police under Mr Young as the most 'negative workplace I've ever worked in'. 'And in 17 years it probably says a lot. It's just the constant intimidation or harassment that you see at the moment probably other staff going through,' Ms Thomson said, according to the QCAT documents. 'It's all just where the boss Lucas is like Jekyll and Hyde. So you walk in and you don't know what mood he's going to be in and if you're going to become a target. 'And then if you become a target he just rides you, just gives you, you know increases your workload, speaks down to you and just targets the person. Mr Young argued his demotion was a disproportionate response and 'placed undue weight on certain evidence' 'Like I said one minute he's nice as pie and the next minute he's abusive or you know he's got a tone that just um you know cuts through.' The tribunal found Mr Young engaged in negative workplace behaviour, retaliated to a challenge by having the gym dismantled and spoke with colleagues 'in a manner which was threatening, intimidating, demeaning and demoralising'. A matter regarding a dispute over a roster was not found to substantiate misconduct. Mr Young argued his demotion was a disproportionate response and 'placed undue weight on certain evidence', tribunal documents state. A directions hearing has been set to consider Mr Young's demotion. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Mr Young for comment. A Missouri school district says a substitute teacher was escorted out of a school and banned from working there after he was accused of making racist and threatening comments to two black students. Jean Hawkins, a parent of a student at Hickory Hills Middle School, says the substitute told her eighth-grade son and a classmate last month that 'black boys are nothing but trouble' and that he 'was told to shoot you black boys,' The Springfield News-Leader reports. Springfield Public Schools spokesman Stephen Hall described the comments as 'disturbing.' He said the substitute is banned from working in the district. The district also notified its contractor for substitute teachers, Penmac Education Staffing. Penmac said in a statement that there's 'no tolerance for such behavior.' The substitute is suspended pending an investigation. The substitute's name hasn't been released. 'Immediately upon learning of these allegations, our administrator notified Penmac of the situation and escorted the substitute from the building,' Hall said. 'There is zero tolerance for any comment like those described. SPS remains committed to ensuring that all of our students thrive in a learning environment where they feel safe, welcomed and respected.' Hickory Hills Middle School in Springfield, Missouri is seen in the above stock image 'The teacher tells them, "I was told to shoot you black boys. You black boys are nothing but trouble",' Hawkins said. 'He said, "I've been told to shoot you".' Hawkins said her son, 14, wasn't sure how to react. 'He just looked at him (the teacher) and he couldn't believe what he was saying. He was like "Wow",' she said. 'He didn't know if he should run.' Hawkins said the two boys took their seats and class started as it normally would. Another student waited until being excused from the class to go to the front office and report the teacher, though nobody knows which student did this. Hawkins said she asked her son if he or his friend did anything to upset the substitute teacher. 'They were just walking into class normal,' she said. 'They weren't late. That was my first question.' Hawkins was unhappy that she first heard about the incident from her son rather than a school official. 'I don't appreciate the school not calling me and telling me my son's life was threatened by a teacher,' she said. 'It's frustrating. I just want my son safe and other kids safe.' Penmac Education Staffing released a statement saying: 'We take these allegations seriously; there is absolutely no tolerance for such behavior. 'The substitute teacher in question is suspended from all new assignments pending a full investigation in partnership with Springfield Public Schools.' Jay-Z is throwing his support behind 21 Savage by decrying the fellow rapper's arrest by ICE and hiring a lawyer to assist in his case. The music mogul released a statement calling the arrest and detention of 21 Savage 'an absolute travesty' on Wednesday after it was revealed that the father-of-three's U Visa petition has been pending for four years. 'In addition to being a successful recording artist, 21 deserves to be reunited with his children immediately, #Free21Savage,' Jay-Z wrote in a statement. Though the rapper, whose legal name is Sha'Yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, isn't signed by Roc Nation, Jay-Z's record label responded to his arrest on Sunday morning in Atlanta by hiring attorney Alex Spiro on the case. In a statement to TMZ, Spiro said: 'We are not going to stop until he is released, bonded out or in front of a judge. 'What we have here is someone who overstayed their Visa with an application pending for four years - not a convicted criminal that needs to be detained and removed but, by all accounts a wonderful person, father, and entertainer who has a marijuana offense which was vacated and sealed.' Scroll down for video Rap mogul Jay-Z (left in January) has slammed the arrest and detention of 21 Savage by ICE as a 'travesty' and hired a lawyer to help assist in the father-of-three's immigration case. 21 Savage (right in December), whose legal name is Sha'Yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, admitted Tuesday that he was born in the United Kingdom but has been living in the US illegally while his visa application has been pending for four years Though Abraham-Joseph isn't signed by Roc Nation, Jay-Z's record label hired attorney Alex Spiro (above) to assist in the rapper's case. Spiro said in a statement to TMZ on Wednesday: 'We are not going to stop until [Abraham-Joseph] is released, bonded out or in front of a judge' Abraham-Joseph's legal team on Tuesday admitted that he was born in the United Kingdom and had moved to the United States when he was seven years old on an H-4 visa. The statement characterized Abraham-Joseph as a 'Dreamer' who has been the victim of a 'great deal of misreporting' that's led to 'false conclusions'. 'Mr Abraham-Joseph has been continuously physically present in the United States for almost 20 years, except for a brief visit abroad,' the statement said, referring to how he was deported for one month in 2005 at age 12 but returned on the H-4 visa. 'Unfortunately, in 2006 Mr Abraham-Joseph lost his legal status through no fault of his own. 'Mr Abraham-Joseph, like almost two million of his immigrant child peers, was left without immigration status as a young child with no way to fix his immigration status. These "Dreamers" come from all walks of life and every ethnicity.' Savage's team said that he plans 'seek relief from removal in immigration court' through the Cancellation of Removal from an Immigration Judge, stating that he has very permanent ties to the country. 'Mr Abraham-Joseph has three US Citizen children, a lawful permanent resident mother and four siblings that are either US Citizens or lawful permanent residents,' the release said. 'He has exceptionally strong ties in the United States, having lived here since he was in the first grade. Savage's team stated that the rapper was placed in deportation proceedings 'AFTER' his arrest, and that he wasn't on the run from DHS as he had been working towards obtaining a U Visa since 2017. 'This U visa was filed as a result of being the victim of a deadly shooting in 2013. That visa was filed in 2017 and remains pending,' the statement added. 'When granted, the U visa will afford him lawful status in the United States. Generally, ICE has recognized a pending facially valid U visa as a basis to delay removal proceedings and release individuals from custody.' They asserted that Savage wasn't a flight risk and should be eligible for bond, stating that he wasn't a 'danger' because of his 'acts of philanthropy and good will'. The statement included a communal speculation that ICE had 'ulterior motives' for the rapper's arrest. ICE officials have not disclosed where Abraham-Joseph is being held, but he's rumored to be in custody at the Atlanta Immigration Detention Facility seen above. The rapper is said to have lost his legal status in the US in 2006 Abraham-Joseph's arrest came as a shock to his fans, who believed he was born and bred in Atlanta. The rapper is pictured right with former girlfriend Amber Rose in 2017 Savage had recently appeared on Jimmy Fallon, where he performed his song 'A Lot.' In the song, he changed some of the lyrics appearing to condemn 'the behavior of immigration officials for their detention of children at the border.' It is unclear what facility the musician is being held in, and a search of the ICE detainee database under several variations of his name did not yield a result. However, it's rumored that he is being held at Atlanta Immigration Detention Facility. ICE has said that Savage is a British citizen who came to the United States from the United Kingdom in 2005, when he was 12, and is 'unlawfully present' in the US after illegally overstaying his visa. Abraham-Joseph is being held in federal custody pending removal proceedings. His manager, who goes by the name Stone Mound Meezy, said in a tweet on Tuesday that he had spoken with Abraham-Joseph in a phone call. 'He is in lockdown for 23hrs of the day no tv or any communication besides our 10 min phone calls,' Meezy wrote in the tweet, which has since been deleted. 'Everything I've told him that has been happening made him happy and makes this time fly by thank y'all for the support,' the manager added, alluding to high-profile efforts and petitions to secure Abraham-Joseph's release. Denise Williams, 49, was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday in Tallahassee, Florida A Florida woman convicted of helping mastermind the killing of her husband nearly two decades ago has been sentenced to life in prison. Denise Williams, 49, was sentenced on Wednesday morning in Tallahassee for her role in the December 2000 murder of her husband Mike Williams. Denise Williams was convicted in December of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder for her role in a case that recalled the plot of the Hollywood classic 'Double Indemnity.' Prosecutors argued that she plotted the killing of her husband in a scheme to get a $1.75 million life insurance payout. Brian Winchester testified he had an affair with Denise Williams and shot her husband in December 2000. Mike Williams, 31, was pushed from his boat, then shot point blank in the face by Winchester, his best friend, during a hunting trip on Lake Seminole 18 years ago. Denise Williams, center, sits with her defense attorney Ethan Way, right, before Williams' sentencing in Tallahassee on Wednesday Mike and Denise Williams were high school sweethearts who married in 1994. Denise convinced her husband's best friend Brian Winchester (above), who she was having an affair with, to murder her husband and hide the body, according to prosecutors It was speculated at the time that he drowned and his body was devoured by alligators. Winchester eventually married Denise Williams but the relationship later soured. Winchester helped authorities find Mike Williams' buried body in 2017. Attorneys for Denise Williams maintained Winchester lied to get revenge. At the sentencing, Mike Williams' mom, Cheryl Williams, gave a poignant victim impact statement during the hearing, her voice frequently breaking with tears, the Tallahassee Democrat reported. 'We are in this courtroom because of God not Cheryl Williams. I did what God told me to do,' she said, reading her letter aloud from a wheelchair. 'On the morning of December 16, 2000, the world as I know it changed forever. 'I am asking you to lock Denise Merrell Williams Winchester up for the rest of her life with no chance of parole,' Cheryl Williams told the judge. 'She has already lived 18 years longer than my son.' The victim's mother Cheryl Williams (seen in December) welled up with emotion as she delivered her victim impact statement in court on Wednesday A flood of emotions poured out into the courtroom as the verdicts were read in December. Mike Williams' family friends white-knuckle gripped each other Denise Williams stands expressionless and handcuffed in front of Judge James C. Hankinson in Tallahassee as he gives Williams her sentencing of life without parole The gallery was filled with crying as Cheryl Williams wrapped up her emotional statement. No one else offered a statement at the sentencing. Leon Circuit Judge James Hankinson had little discretion in sentencing as the murder conviction carries a mandatory penalty of life in prison. He added an additional 30 years to the sentence for the conspiracy conviction. The judge acknowledged the 'strong emotions' in the case. Denise Williams has claimed all along that she is innocent and that Winchester acted alone. She accused Winchester of implicating her only after he was sent to prison for kidnapping her at gunpoint in 2016. She plans to appeal. Love Triangle Murder Plot Unravels Chilling testimony during the trial revealed how the murder plot unfolded - and later unraveled. Mike and Denise were high school sweethearts and married in 1994, before welcoming a daughter five years later. The child was 18 months old when her father vanished and is now aged 18. He disappeared on what would have been the couple's six wedding anniversary. Florida prosecutors have said Denise planned the 2000 slaying of her husband Mike (pictured together on their wedding day) so she could get a $1.75million insurance payout Mike married his high school sweetheart Denise in 1994 and welcomed a daughter with her five years later. The child was 18 months old when her father vanished and is now aged 18 Winchester told the court that his friend Mike confided that his wife Denise had stopped having sex with him, and that he was growing suspicious about her activities. He said the growing suspicion and the fact that one of Mike's insurance policies was about to lapse led him and Denise to kill him. 'We knew our window of opportunity was closing,' Winchester testified. Winchester then tearfully described the plot to kill Williams. On December 16, 2000, Brian Winchester and Mike Williams went duck hunting at Lake Seminole. He had invited Mike duck hunting on a cold December morning and Winchester said he had intended to drown him by pushing him from his canoe. But he said he panicked when he saw Williams struggling in the water to get out of his jacket and duck waders, and shot him point blank in the face with a shotgun. 'He started to yell and I didn't know how to get out of that situation. I had my gun in the boat, and so I loaded my gun and I just made one or two circles around and I ended up circling closer towards him and he was in the water, and as I passed by, I shot him,' he said. 'When I shot him, it was dark and there was a bright flash,' Winchester testified, adding later, 'I had to make it happen, I had no choice.' Denise, 48, (left) conspired to kill her husband Mike Williams with the help of her married lover Brian Winchester (right) nearly two decades ago in Florida He then stuck his best friend's body into a dog crate and quickly traveled to Tallahassee to bury the body at a familiar hunting spot. Winchester tried to make it appear as if Williams went missing in a boating mishap - and the plan appeared to work. Authorities launches an exhaustive 44 day search for Mike's body after he vanished in 2000. Mike (pictured) disappeared in December 2000 while duck hunting near Tallahassee Six months after his disappearance, waders believed to belong to Mike were found floating in perfect condition in the search area. They reportedly showed no signs of an alligator attack. Without a body, Denise petitioned to have her husband declared dead due to accidental drowning and she collected his death benefits. Almost three weeks after he went missing, Denise Williams filed a $1.75 million insurance claim, which Winchester helped her fill out. 'That's a cold individual. That's a person who is involved in a homicide,' Assistant State Attorney Jon Fuchs said of Denise Williams. Kathy Thomas, who was married to Brian Winchester, testified that she began to suspect her husband was having an affair with Denise. She revealed in court how she suspected an affair between her husband and Denise, after Winchester suggested that they have a threesome together. The two couples had been close because they all attended North Florida Christian School together, but Thomas, also a longtime friend of Mike, testified on Thursday that Denise and Winchester's 'friendship' had begun to make her uncomfortable. Mike, Denise, Winchester and Winchester's ex-wife, Kathy Thomas, were all close friends and attended North Florida Christian School together. Mike, Denise, Winchester are seen in their yearbook photos Thomas confirmed that she went on a spring break trip to Panama City Beach with Denise and Winchester in 2001 after Mike's death. The court had earlier heard that photos were taken during the trip of the two women kissing at a strip club. 'Whenever it was just me with Brian and Denise it was uncomfortable,' Thomas said, speaking about her suspicions of an affair. 'I felt like the third wheel, I felt like I was on a date with the two of them.' Thomas said that in 2003, three years after Mike Williams' disappearance, her husband, Brian Winchester, told her what really happened. Thomas eventually split from Winchester, and he then later married Denise in 2005. Their relationship soured and they later divorced in 2015. The murder plot unraveled after Winchester kidnapped Denise at gunpoint and made her promise not to reveal their secret. While he was being sentenced to 20 years in prison for kidnapping, Winchester was offered immunity in the murder case if he led authorities to the body. After Mike's body was discovered, Winchester's ex-wife Thomas said she began working as an informant to record phone conversations with Denise. During one call, Thomas read from a script given to her by police where she asked Denise about the murder plot. 'Brian told me that ya'll planned it,' Thomas told Denise. Denise responded: 'Planned what? Oh my God.' Thomas later said: 'I know that you know something Denise'. Thomas and Winchester's cooperation led to Denise's arrest in May of 2018. She was found guilty in December. Denise Williams was sentenced to life in prison, without the possibility of parole. Video courtesy of WCTV Venture capitalist Imaad Zuberi was a longtime Democratic donor to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama who shifted his dollars to the right after the 2016 election and gave more than $1.1 million to Donald Trump's inauguration committee. His massive contribution put him under the lens of federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York - he and his Avenue Ventures company are the only donors listed by name in investigators' subpoena of records from the Trump inaugural committee. Zuberi, who is an American, defended his donations and told The New York Times they were 'more of a networking thing,' intended to help him meet people who could help him with a New York real estate investment fund. Venture capitalist Imaad Zuberi - a former Clinton and Obama donor - gave more than $1.1 million to Donald Trump's inauguration committee Zuberi, seen here with President Trump, and his Avenue Ventures company are the only donors listed by name in investigators' subpoena of records from the Trump inaugural committee 'To open doors, I have to donate,' he said. 'It's just a fact of life.' He added: 'Not only did it not yield any business, but it actually backfired,' because of the negative attention he's received in the wake of the subpoena. His spokesman Steve Rabinowitz told the newspaper the donations from Zuberi were 'all his money, his personal money, certainly not foreign money' and that Zuberi 'has no business with the U.S. government, and there is nothing that the U.S. government can be particularly helpful to him with.' The prosecutors' subpoena to the committee focused on foreign money and asked for records related to donations 'made by or on behalf of foreign nationals.' Foreign contributions to inaugural funds and PACs are prohibited under federal law. The special counsel's office is believed to be examining whether or not foreigners may have donated money through American intermediaries. Prosecutors are examining a breakfast event during the Trump inaugural festivities where Zuberi's name appears on a document that shows a potential guest list containing names of foreign officials, some of whom were from Qatar and Kazakhstan. Zuberi is listed as a 'source' for those officials, the Daily Beast reported. A spokesperson for Zuberi told the news website that the venture capitalist did not attend the breakfast but showed up at the end to chat with people. He also said Zuberi wanted to co-host the breakfast but was told 'no' by the organizers. Zuberi's activities and social media posts during the time of the Trump's inauguration show him attending black-tie dinners with luminaries such as Reince Priebus, Steve Mnuchin, Paul Ryan, James Mattis , and Trump himself. He also posted a photo with then-incoming National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who Zuberi's spokesperson said the businessman simply ran into and asked for a selfie. Flynn is cooperating with federal prosecutors and special counsel Robert Mueller said in Flynn's sentencing memo that the former Trump adviser has given them 'substantial assistance' in their investigation. Zuberi had business conversations with Michael Cohen, who was then Trump's attorney Zuberi posted photos with Trump officials like James Mattis (left) and Steven Mnuchin (right) Federal prosecutors' subpoena to the Trump inauguration committee focused on foreign money and asked for records related to donations 'made by or on behalf of foreign nationals' Zuberi told The New York Times he had brief conversations about business with then-Trump personal attorney Michael Cohen and Elliott Broidy, a California investor. Broidy, the former Republican National Committee deputy finance chair, hired Cohen to arrange a $1.6 million to former Playboy model Shera Bechard in exchange for her silence about a sexual encounter with him. Cohen, meanwhile, after he plead guilty to multiple charges, agreed to cooperate and spent more than 70 hours with prosecutors and was said to be asked about Zuberi among other topics. Rabinowitz told The Times that Zuberi 'has never been contacted by the special counsel's office or by any U.S. attorney's office and has no knowledge of any of them having ever inquired about him.' Zuberi posted several photos with political luminaries including then-Speaker Paul Ryan Federal prosecutors subpoenaed the Trump inauguration committee as part of the Russia probe Zuberi also donated to Barack Obama (left) and Hillary Clinton (right) Business executives told The Times that Zuberi's company Avenue Ventures has done business or sought investments in several Middle East kingdoms, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, as well as in Turkey. He also used his visible access to government officials as a tool for his business, the paper noted, as Avenue Ventures oversees investments involving infrastructure that require government contracts or approval in the United States. Cohen is reported to have told Zuberi during the transition time that Cohen would be involved in the Trump administration's federal infrastructure spending plans, two sources told the Daily Best. Proposals for federal infrastructure spending at the time ranged from $500 billion to $1 trillion. The New York Times reported late last year that federal prosecutors are examining whether anyone from Qatar, Saudi Arabia or other Middle Eastern countries made illegal payments to the inaugural committee. The head of the inaugural committee, Tom Barrack, confirmed to The Associated Press that he was questioned by Mueller in 2017. He told AP that that he was not a target of the Mueller investigation, which is looking into Russian interference in the 2016 elections. Zuberi also donated $615,000 to Clinton's campaign and he's also donated to Obama. A Polish migrant who hounded 999 call handlers with nuisance calls in which she branded them 'English idiots' has been jailed. Monika Osinka, 33, blamed the NHS for the death of her baby, who died from sudden death syndrome, and rang the emergency line hundreds of times to abuse operators after his death. During the calls, Osinska, from Eccles, Greater Manchester would scream down the phone saying: 'Stupid English lady, why did my son die?' and told another handler: 'you stupid English b***h'. Monika Osinka, 33, blamed the NHS for the death of her baby, who died from sudden death syndrome, and rang the emergency line hundreds of times to abuse operators after his death. She is pictured in her police mugshot following her arrest She was recorded saying 'English idiots, think you're important, f**k your God' and eventually her number was blocked due to the sheer volume of calls. Police tracked her down and gave her a warning for making more than 150 malicious 999 calls in less than a month. But Osinska persisted with the calls and became increasingly abusive. Last April she was given a suspended jail term because of her tragic background yet she continued with her campaign She made 339 malicious 999 calls between September and November 2018 - costing the taxpayer 1400 in wasted time dealing with her complaints. On just one day alone she called 23 separate time and when quizzed by police said: 'Well everyone calls 999. I read it in the paper.' She claimed she had been drinking after her son died in June 2017 but initially couldn't remember making the calls to the police. At Manchester magistrates court, Osinska pleaded guilty to persistently making use of public communication network to cause annoyance, inconvenience, anxiety and was jailed for 12 weeks. During the calls, Osinska, from Eccles, Greater Manchester would scream down the phone saying: 'Stupid English lady, why did my son die?' and told another handler: 'you stupid English b***h' After the case Greater Manchester Police said specialist officers were deployed to engage with Osinska during her campaign but said she remained uncooperative and continued to make malicious calls. Superintendent Mark Kenny said: 'Anyone who ties up a 999 line with inappropriate calls prevents genuine emergencies being dealt with, and potentially puts lives in danger. 'Osinska's deplorable behaviour has run this risk hundreds of times - not to mention causing gross offence to the hard-working call handlers who've had to deal with her frequent abuse, as well as wasting public money. 'The nature of Osinska's calls was frequently vile - and never once referred to a valid emergency situation. 'She has been given numerous chances to cease this behaviour, but has refused time after time to engage with officers. 'Quite why she continued; only she knows. She has brought this punishment upon herself and will now have a long time to think about her actions.' Osinka, pictured leaving Manchester Magistrates Court last year, made 339 malicious 999 calls between September and November 2018 - costing the taxpayer 1400 in wasted time dealing with her complaints. At an earlier hearing prosecuting Miss Tess Kenyon told JPs: 'This defendant was making numerous phone calls to the 999 network. A number of them were abusive and some were racially abusive. 'There is a background to this offending. Her baby died of sudden death syndrome. She was contacted by the police who then came to her address, took her baby away and the cot. She wasn't there to mourn that baby and turned to drink, subsequently. 'She blames the emergency services and made numerous calls to them. She was cautioned by the police for the accusations that had been made but she continued making those calls after that date despite the caution. Some occasions numerous calls were made per day. On some occasions she made reference to the son she lost. 'She repeatedly asked the call handler 'why did my son die?' On some occasion she called the call handler a 'stupid English lady' or a 'stupid English b***h'. On another occasion she said 'English idiots, think you're important, f**k your God!' 'She was offered numbers for family bereavement counsellors by police officers. She never tried to work with the services offered to assist her. 'An officer attended a local Polish church to see if any support was available to her. The officer also states that at one point she asked if they could pay for her to return to Poland so that she could receive support from her family. In a statement Osinska said: 'I was upset about my baby's death but they were trying to humiliate me. The police wouldn't listen to me. I am very sorry about making the phone calls, I won't do it again. 'I started drinking at first when my baby died and I had a breakdown. I accept I made those calls. I can't remember how many I made, I'm just sorry for making them.' Lansdale, PA (19446) Today Cloudy with periods of rain. Thunder possible. High 72F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Low 48F. Winds light and variable. University researchers have called for high school students to read more books with gay characters to better reflect sexual diversity. Researchers from the Queensland University of Technology found two of the 21 texts recommended for study during English classes by the national curriculum authority have gay characters or themes - The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. In an analysis of their research, the group behind the findings said teachers should 'challenge heterosexism' and 'give voice to a wider range of perspectives on love'. University researchers have called for high school students to read more books with gay characters to reflect sexual diversity (stock image) In an editorial published in English in Australia - the Australian Association for the Teaching of English's journal - the group made reference to the legalisation of same-sex marriage in 2017, calling it a 'watershed moment in Australian history'. 'English teachers surely need to respond to this endorsement of same-sex marriage on the part of an overwhelming majority of the population,' the editorial said. QUT researchers Kelli McGraw and Lisa van Leent have asked those who choose the texts used in school curriculums to better represent 'diverse sexual identities', The Australian reported. 'By queering the senior English sample text list in the Australian curriculum at the very least, LGBTIQ+ youth will see aspects of their lives reflected at school,' they wrote in the editorial. In their analysis, Dr McGraw and Dr van Leent said the texts on the current curriculum 'grossly represents that under-represented queer life'. In an editorial published in English in Australia, the group made reference to the legalisation of same-sex marriage in 2017 (pictured), calling it a 'watershed moment in Australian history' Jennifer Buckingham, a senior research fellow at the Centre for Independent Research Studies, said the selecting of books should be based on quality rather than 'fulfilling an arbitrary quota of LGBQIT characters'. Associate professor in social work at Flinders University Damien Riggs, supported the calls for more diverse sexual representation in texts studied at school. 'Children who are gender or sexually diverse get to see themselves reflected,' he said. President Trump blasted the House Intelligence Committee's Democratic chairman as a 'political hack' who's harassing him to get his name in the news, as both men stepped up their attacks on one another. 'It's called presidential harassment,' Trump charged, in response to Rep. Adam Schiff's announcement Wednesday that his committee would look 'beyond Russia' and into the president's finances. Schiff made the announcement not long before Trump invited reporters into the Roosevelt Room for the introduction of World Bank nominee David Malpass. Trump pretended not to be familiar with the politician he's slammed as Adam 'Schitt' before telling a reporter who asked about the probe, 'On what basis would he do that. He has no basis to do that. President Trump slammed the House Intelligence Committee chairman as a 'hack' who's harassing him to get his name in the news Schiff made the announcement not long before Trump invited reporters into the Roosevelt Room for an event. The House Democrat is seen here, talking to reporters, immediately beforehand 'Hes just a political hack, whos trying to build a name for himself. And I think thats fine, because thats what they do,' Trump said. 'But there would be no reason do that. No other politician has to go through that. Its called presidential harassment. And its unfortunate, it really does hurt our country.' An hour later, Schiff responded on Twitter. 'I can understand why the idea of meaningful oversight terrifies the President,' he said. 'Several of his close associates are going to jail, others await trial, and criminal investigations continue,' he noted. 'Were going to do our job and wont be distracted or intimidated by threats or attacks.' Trump angered congressional Democrats on Tuesday night when he complained in his State of the Union speech about 'ridiculous partisan investigations' that are diluting bipartisan sentiments. 'If there is going to be peace in legislation, there cannot be war and investigation. It just does not work that way,' he lectured. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi encouraged Trump on Wednesday afternoon to use a prodigious amount of caution when addressing lawmakers in that manner. 'The president should not bring threats to the floor of the House,' she said. Trump's words were taken as a warning to House Democrats from the president about investigations they're launching into his administration. 'He said he wasn't going to cooperate unless we didn't exercise our constitutional responsibility to oversight,' Pelosi said of Trump's remarks. The U.S. Senate's top Democrat also fired a warning shot at Trump on Wednesday, saying he only demanded d that House Democrats back off from 'partisan' investigations because 'he's afraid of them.' Chuck Schumer, the Senate's minority leader, mocked the president's call for bipartisan cooperation instead of 'foolish' opposition from the House majority now led by Pelosi. 'He's scared,' Schumer said hours later during an interview on CNN's 'New Day' program. 'He's got something to hide.' Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday morning that President Donald Trump only demanded an end to congressional investigations during his State of the Union address because he's 'scared' of them 'He's got something to hide,' Schumer said of the president, who faces a raft of new Capitol Hill probes led by the new Democratic House majority Schumer has been gleefully anticipating probes from the other end of the Capitol, focused on everything from White House securiy clerances to so-far unsubstantiated claims that his 2016 campaign aides colluded with Russian agents to help tilt the election. Schumer scoffed at the idea that Trump has any place asking for the soft-glove treatment. 'One of the functions of the Congress, the Article I section of government, from the days of the founding fathers, was oversight of the executive branch,' he told CNN host John Berman. 'And the president says, "If you investigate me, I'm not going to make progress." That's already doing what he did with the shutdown, holding the American people hostage. You know what I think it shows, John? He's scared. he's got something to hide.' Vice President Mike Pence said in a CBS interview while Schumer was talking on CNN that Trump was only complaining Tuesday night about 'partisan' investigations Trump began his speech with a call for bipartisan unity, but insisted on a my-way-or-the-highway approach to immigration and other contentious issues Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the 29-year-old socialist who has emerged as a Democratic Party leader, said on NBC that Trump's demand 'was, frankly, kind of bizarre' 'Because if he had nothing to hide,' Schumer concluded, 'he'd just shrug his shoulders and let these investigations go forward. He's afraid of them.' On 'CBS This Morning,' Vice President Mike Pence acknowledged that 'congressional oversight is a part of the checks and balances of our system.' Pence said that Trump was only referring to 'partisan investigations' that have been launched. 'You know his feelings about investigations on Capitol Hill,' said Pence, who served 12 years in Congress before becoming Indiana's governor. 'We don't object to oversight. That's the proper role of committees in the Congress. But when it takes on a partisan tint, when it seems more intent on becoming a forum for invective against the president and the administration, the American people expect better.' Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the 29-year-old democratic socialist who has emerged as a Democratic Party leader, said on NBC that Trump's demand 'was, frankly, kind of bizarre.' 'I don't think that investigations into federal misconduct have anything to do with our economy,' she said. Trump had begun the assault by talking about last month's jobs numbers. 'An economic miracle is taking place in the United States, and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics, or ridiculous, partisan investigations,' he'd said. Jeff Bezos is not the only person investigating how The National Enquirer learned of his affair with Lauren Sanchez. The Washington Post, which is owned by the billionaire, has done their own digging into who is behind the leak of steamy sexts and alleged nude photos sent by the pair, and have narrowed down the list a handful of suspects - including Michael Sanchez. Michael is the manager and publicist for his sister he claims, and has been aware of the affair since April. In June, he posted a photo of himself, his sister and his mom visiting Amazon headquarters. Michael was also with the couple when they were photographed dining in Los Angeles and jetting out of Boston. He denies leaking news of the affair however, and says Bezos' security consultant Gavin de Becker has made it his mission to keep his boss away from Sanchez. Flight records suggest however that this is not going to well, with Sanchez's helicopter spotted flying over El Paso, Texas on January 24. Bezos was in El Paso at that time as well ahead of the launch of his Blue Origin rocket, and has a massive ranch nearby. Sanchez and her company Black Ops have filmed most of Bezos' launches over the past year, both before and after the pair started having an affair. Scroll down for video Fam: Michael Sanchez is suspected of leaking details and texts of his sister's affair with Jeff Bezos to The National Enquirer (Lauren Sanchez with her mother and brother in June at Amazon headquarters) Longing embrace: Sanchez embraces Bezos after the two had dinner at Felix in Los Angles (above) last year De Becker made no secret about the fact that he and Bezos suspect Sanchez's brother could be involved with the leak. 'We are studying many people who might have been involved in this, and Michael Sanchez is one weve spoken with and been looking at,' said de Becker. He was allowed to speak with reporters from the Bezos-owned paper despite the billionaire's refusal to cooperate with stories about him and his personal life. Michael denies it all however, and says that the texts likely got to the Enquirer by 'spying by foreign governments, rival tech companies or "deep state" actors within the U.S. government.' He came to that conclusion after speaking with Carter Page and Roger Stone. And he has a few more ideas as well according to the Post's report, which reveals that Michael 'discussed with de Becker a theory in which Trump might have enlisted the help of British intelligence or the Israeli Mossad.' Michael hit back at that reporting however by sharing at least one text in which a man he purports to be de Becker brings up the idea of 'deep state' being involved in possibly hacking into Bezos' phone. There is no context given to that text however, or proof it did in fact come from de Becker. When asked to comment on de Becker's claims, Michael said: 'Since subjects of investigations often accuse their investigators, even the craziest litany of claims doesnt surprise me.' The Enquirer meanwhile suggests they came up with the story and did all the legwork on their own, a claim de Becker scoffs at. 'I would be blind if I didnt register the fact that Michael Sanchez is an associate of people like Roger Stone, Carter Page and Scottie Nell Hughes,' he told the Post. 'Learning that was a major surprise in our investigation. Naturally, that raised questions about whether [Enquirer publisher and Trump friend] David Pecker, the National Enquirer and others intended to do a hit piece on The Washington Post and Jeff Bezos.' Bezos and Sanchez have largely avoided each other since the news of their affair broke, with Bezos spending just one day in Los Angeles since that time. The world's richest man flew down from Seattle last month for the Living Legends of Aviation Awards Gala, where he was one of the evening's honorees. Photos from the event show Bezos posing with guests including John Travolta and Harrison Ford inside the Beverly Hilton ballroom. There was no sign however of Bezos' wedding ring or his chopper-chartering mistress, who were both on-hand two weeks prior when the Amazon CEO hosted a Golden Globe Awards after party at the same venue. The billionaire then jetted back to Seattle early the next day. Cheers: He is his sister's publicist and manager, pro-Trump and close with Roger Stone and Carter Page, but denies leaking to the Enquirer (Michael and Scottie Hughes in September) Bezos and his estranged wife MacKenzie are still living together in Seattle, where the couple have raised their three sons and daughter. There is certainly plenty of space for the couple, who purchased two adjoining properties just outside the city in Medina, where their neighbors include the likes of Bill Gates and Costco co-founder Jeffrey Brotman. Bezos first purchased two homes on 5.3 acres of land in 1998 for $10 million, then dropped an estimated $53 million to pick up the plot next door in 2010.. The couple also owns a $23 million townhouse in Washington DC, a $13 million apartment compound on Central Park West in Manhattan, a Beverly Hills villa that Bezos picked up in 2007 for $24.5 million and a 30,000-acre ranch in Texas. Sanchez and Bezos appeared to have spent a good deal of time together at that massive ranch in Texas over the holidays according to flight records obtained by DailyMail.com. An aircraft registered to Sanchez's company flew to the Van Horn area just before Thanksgiving, remaining there for five days before heading back to California. That same aircraft then returned to Van Horn just before Christmas on December 16, staying in the area for five days before returning to Santa Monica. Sanchez is still living with her husband Patrick Whitesell at their $15.8 million Beverly hills compound. The couple also own a $6.2 million home on Mercer Island in Washington, which is how they came to know Bezos. Larry Ray Richey, 21, of California, was found guilty of felony elder abuse and battery causing great bodily injury in the December 2016 death of Lawrence Windham A Northern California man has been convicted of fatally punching an 85-year-old man because the victim parked too close to his car at a gas station. A jury on Tuesday found 21-year-old Larry Ray Richey, of Rio Linda, guilty of felony elder abuse and battery causing great bodily injury for the December 12, 2016, attack on Lawrence Windham. Prosecutors said Windham was pumping gas in the 3900 block of Watt Avenue in Sacramento just before 1pm when the 5-foot-10, 175-pound Richey repeatedly struck him in the face, breaking his jaw in two places. Windham refused medical treatment, saying he was already on his way to a doctor's appointment. That evening, Windham was at his home when he complained of discomfort. He died a short time later. In an interview with Fox40 just days later, Windham's grieving college-age granddaughter spoke movingly about her love for her late grandfather, whom she described as caring and outgoing. 'I just loved him because he was so wise, and he would always give me so much advice on life and everything,' she said. Richey is pictured in surveillance video taken from a Sacramento gas station on the day of the fatal altercation More than a week after the attack, detectives with the Sheriffs Homicide Bureau arrested Richey. The Sacramento Bee reported that in court Tuesday, Richey broke down in tears and buried his face in his hands after the guilty verdict was read. The 21-year-old faces up to 10 years in state prison when he is sentenced on March 1. Theresa May is bracing to walk into 'Hell' in Brussels tomorrow as her Brexit plans threaten to slip into chaos. On the eve of the PM's latest crunch mission to the Belgian capital, Jean-Claude Juncker flatly dismissed the prospect of overhauling the Withdrawal Agreement. At a press conference with Irish PM Leo Varadkar this afternoon, Mr Juncker said he was looking forward to welcoming Mrs May but added: 'She knows that the commission is not prepared to reopen the issue.' The tough line came as EU council chief Donald Tusk sparked a vicious cross-Channel war of words by claiming there is a 'special place in Hell' for Brexiteers. Theresa May (pictured arriving at Stormont House today) has been meeting all five of the major Northern Ireland political parties as she scrambles to find a way through the Brexit deadlock Mr Varadkar also met Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels today as efforts to get a Brexit deal are stepped up with less than eight weeks to go As the deadlock with Brussels deepened dramatically, European council chief Mr Tusk lashed out at Leave campaigners who had no idea how to sever ties 'safely'. Rubbing salt into the wound, he was then caught chuckling on mic after a press conference when Irish premier Leo Varadkar whispered to him that the British would 'give you terrible trouble' over the jibe. And Mr Verhofstadt doubled down by taunting on Twitter: 'I doubt Lucifer would welcome them, as after what they did to Britain, they would even manage to divide Hell.' Incandescent Brexiteers immediately hit back at the 'inflammatory' intervention by Mr Tusk as the negotiations threatened to go into a tailspin - although some claimed it was a tactic to distract attention from crucial work going on behind the scenes. Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom, who backed Brexit in the referendum, branded Mr Tusk 'spiteful' and rude, and insisted he should say sorry. Home Secretary Sajid Javid said he was 'out of order'. The remarks were raised in the House by Tory MP Peter Bone, who branded them an 'insult' to the British people. DUP MP Sammy Wilson said Mr Tusk and his 'arrogant EU negotiators' had 'fanned the flames of fear in an attempt to try to overturn the result of the referendum', while Nigel Farage said being free to 'run our own country' sounded 'more like heaven'. The PM's spokesman also swiped at Mr Tusk, saying: 'I think it's a question for Donald Tusk as to why he considers the use of that language to be helpful.' Juncker's card boasting that Ireland is now 'stronger than Britain' Images of the text show that it said 'for the first time ever Ireland is stronger than Britain' Jean-Claude Juncker and Leo Varadkar were pictured today reading a 'Thank You' card the EU chief had received apparently from an Irish family. The commission said it was 'private' but images of the text show that it said 'for the first time ever Ireland is stronger than Britain'. 'For the 1st time ever, Ireland is stronger that Britain,' it said. 'That strength comes not from guns or bombs. 'It comes from your words and that of your colleagues. 'Britain does not care about peace in Northern Ireland. To them it's a nuisance.' Advertisement Mr Tusk and Mr Varadkar met in Brussels to firm up the EU line before Mrs May arrives in town tomorrow in a desperate hope of re-writing the divorce deal just 50 days before exit day. She will head for Dublin for talks with Mr Varadkar on Friday evening. At his own press conference with Mr Varadkar, Mr Juncker dismissed technological fixes to the Irish border being pushed by Brexiteers. He said such ideas were 'for the future, not for now'. 'Alternative arrangements can never replace the backstop,' Mr Juncker said. And he ruled out a unilateral exit clause from the Irish border mechanism, saying: 'A safety net is not a safety net if it can be destroyed by the unilateral actions of one of the parties.' Mr Juncker's aide tweeted a photograph of the two leaders reading a 'Thank You' card he had received apparently from an Irish family. The commission said it was 'private' but images of the text show that it said 'for the first time ever Ireland is stronger than Britain'. Mrs May has spent the day in Northern Ireland meeting all five main parties to find a way forward on the Irish border backstop. She missed PMQs for the talks, with Cabinet Office minister David Lidington deputising. But they have complained that Mrs May had given no details of what she would ask for in Brussels. In a glimmer of hope, it was claimed today Angela Merkel is preparing a last minute intervention to pressure Dublin to accept a hi-tech solution to the Irish border if Britain can offer one. Before delivering his brutal assault on Brexiteers, Mr Tusk said he 'strongly believes that a common solution is possible and I will do everything in my power to find it'. But he concluded: 'By the way, I have been wondering what that special place in Hell looks like for those who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan to carry it (through) safely.' In a pointed aside, Mr Tusk also attacked the 'pro-Brexit' stance taken by Jeremy Corbyn for undermining efforts to keep the UK in the bloc. 'I know that still there are in the UK, and on the continent, as well as in Ireland, wish for a reversal of this decision,' he said. As the deadlock with Brussels deepened dramatically, European council chief Donald Tusk (pictured right with Leo Varadkar today) lashed out at Leave campaigners who had no idea how to sever ties 'safely' In an incendiary claim that threatens to blow up Theresa May's hopes of a renegotiation of the Irish border, the EU Council President used a press conference with the Irish premier to say he 'wondered' what the place looks like The European Parliament's Brexit coordinator Guy Verhofstadt also waded in, saying Lucifer would turn the Brexiteers away as too divisive 'I have always been with you, with all my heart. But the facts are unmistakeable. At the moment the pro-Brexit stance of the UK Prime Minister, and the Leader of the Opposition, rules out this question. 'Today there is no political force and no effective leadership for Remain. I say this without satisfaction, but you cannot argue with facts.' Mr Varadkar added that while he was 'open to further discussions' with the UK Government, the Withdrawal Agreement remained 'the best deal possible'. Advertisement Gales of up to 70mph have caused power outages and widespread delays throughout the country with floods and even more severe winds on the way tomorrow. Homes were left without electricity in Cornwall, fallen trees have blocked several train lines and major roads throughout the south, while sandbags are being handed out to families in Devon. The Met Office issued a warning for wind this morning in southern and central parts of England and in Wales, as it advised the public there would be transport delays and possible short term power losses. Flood alerts have been put in place across Somerset, Cambridgeshire and Bristol as strong south-westerly winds push their way up the country. While winds will ease off into breezy weather mid-morning, gusts are due to pick up again by midday on Friday, with a warning from then covering most of the UK and remaining in place until Saturday evening. The Irish weather service have named the weather system responsible Storm Erik. Scroll down for video The wind made this scaffolding at the junction of Pont Street and Chesham Place in Chelsea, west London collapse as Britain was hit by winds approaching 80mph The fallen scaffolding has blocked the junction of Pont Street and Chesham Place in Chelsea, west London as work gets underway to clear the area A woman battles against the high winds and heavy rain in Liverpool this morning. Winds of 50mph hit the city today with Storm Erik set to batter the country over the coming days People struggle against the high winds and heavy rain in Liverpool this morning as the Met Office issues a warning for wind in southern and central parts of England and in Wales Commuters struggle against the high winds and heavy rain in Liverpool this morning. Winds reached up to 51mph this morning in the city The Met Office has put a warning for wind in place this morning in Wales and southern and central parts of England, as it advised the public there could be transport delays and possible short term power losses Wind warnings have been put in place across the entirety of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, while similar yellow warnings for rain have been issued in Scotland The severe weather has caused disruption throughout much of the UK, including; More than 100 homes in Fowey, Cornwall, blacked out as the 70mph winds sent trees crashing across power lines this morning Dozens more homes hit by a power cut in the Tintagel area in the early hours of this morning as the gales slammed in from the Atlantic Train services were suspended between Calstock and Gunnislake in Cornwall because of a fallen tree on the line In Kent, rail services between between Maidstone West and Strood were suspended after an early morning train struck a fallen tree on the line near Snodland Howling winds have led to massive delays at the Dartford Crossing after the QEII Bridge was shut The driver was able to clear the tree from the wheels and carried on cautiously to New Hythe where the train was examined. Following services were cancelled, while maintenance crews attended with chainsaws. The Met Office warns the worst is still to come, with even stronger winds forecast from 12pm on Friday until 6pm on Saturday. In Devon and Cornwall, families by the seaside were getting sandbags ready this morning after the Met Office warned there could be flooding. 'It's possible that some coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities could be affected by spray and large waves' the Met Office said. 'Be careful on your Thursday morning commute - it will be wet and windy for many, with severe gales likely in the south and west. 'A deep area of low pressure is expected to track across northern Britain later on Friday and through early Saturday. South-westerly winds will strengthen through Friday. In Liverpool (pictured today) the wet and windy weather is expected to continue tomorrow. With the Met Office predicting a 'very windy day with outbreaks of heavy rain at times'. It also noted that gales are possible around the coast It was brave to use a brolly this morning, with strong winds making it difficult to keep a grip of. This Liverpool residents struggle through the city centre today as a yellow weather warning is issued for tomorrow Historic magnolia defies winter's chill to blossom Winter's chills and howling storms haven't stopped an historic and beautiful bloom heralding the arrival of spring. A magnolia at Overbecks gardens perched high on the cliffs above Salcombe in Devon has burst into colour. The Overbecks magnolia is renowned for its very large flowers with a deep pink flush at the base. The mother tree planted in 1901 collapsed in 1999 but surprisingly formed regrowth and reshaped itself - while a daughter tree whose seed was taken from the mother tree first started flowering in January 1950. Alice Honeywill admiring the blooms at Overbecks in Devon Overbecks a National Trust property, receives enquiries from visitors every year from January as to the well-being of the trees with outings planned especially to enjoy their splendour and to take photographs. The plant is a Himalayan Magnolia campbellii and was awarded its own cultivar name of Overbecks to celebrate its distinctiveness - its early flowering, combined with the deep rose-pink flowers and dense habit. Overbecks is named after its last private owner Otto Overbeck - a scientist and inventor. Overbeck's enjoys a mild micro-climate that shelters many plants and flowers giving an early start to spring. The Overbecks magnolia is renowned for its very large flowers with a deep pink flush at the base Advertisement 'Gales will become widespread later on Friday, persisting well into Saturday whilst becoming more westerly. 'Whilst some places may miss the worst of the winds, inland gusts of 50mph are expected quite widely, with some places having gusts in excess of 60mph, more especially across the north of the warning area on Saturday. 'Gusts of up to 70mph are likely around some coasts exposed to the west or south-west. 'Winds will gradually ease on Saturday, with the strongest winds becoming confined to Scotland on Saturday afternoon. 'These winds will lead to large waves affecting coasts and the possibility of waves overtopping some coastal routes, especially in the west and south of the warning area. 'In addition, bands of heavy rain sweeping eastwards on Friday in particular will present an additional hazard'. 'With the jetstream to the west of the UK, we will see further unsettled conditions this week before it turns colder.' Terrifying 70mph howling winds have led to massive delays at the Dartford Crossing because the QEII Bridge has been shut. The gales are blasting the bridge and there were fears high-sided lorries and even cars could be blown sideways and crash. With the bridge shut, jams more than four miles long are building at the crossing's already-congested tunnels as the rush hour approaches. Traffic which would normally use the bridge is being funnelled to join the queues already waiting to use the east tunnel. Essex Police are warning motorists to 'expect long delays' with no sign of the gales subsiding - in fact they could get worse. Highways England say it will cause congestion on the M25 because until the bridge re-opens, traffic heading southbound will be diverted through one of the tunnels. The QEII Bridge has been closed 'because of strong winds' said the agency a short time ago. A yellow weather warning is in place until at least noon today as winds of 70mph-plus wreak havoc. Drivers are warned to expect long delays in both directions, and be aware of height restrictions on the northbound tunnel. A Highways England spokesman said 'The longer the bridge is shut, the more traffic is expected to build.' These hardy lads made their way through the wet and windy weather in Liverpool this morning as strong winds battered the city A British woman jailed in Bali for slapping an Indonesian immigration officer is being held in small cell and banned from having any visitors for a week as she starts her six month prison sentence, MailOnline can reveal. Auj-e Taqaddas, whose foul-mouthed rant and attack on the official was caught on camera and went viral, is being held at the Immigration Detention Centre on the island. Conditions are said to be worse than those at nearby Kerobokan prison where grandmother Lindsay Sandiford is on death row after she was caught smuggling 10 pounds of cocaine in 2012. Ms Taqaddas, 43, who assaulted the guard at Bali airport over a $4,000 (3,100) fine for overstaying her visa, will not be allowed visitors or access to other inmates for her first days. She will share her small, crowded cell with five or six other inmates. Warning: video contains offensive language British woman, Auj-e Taqaddas, gestures as she talks to journalist after attending sentencing at Denpasar court in the resort island of Bali, Indonesia, today Conditions are said to be worse than those at nearby Kerobokan prison where grandmother Lindsay Sandiford (pictured) is on death row after she was caught smuggling 10 pounds of cocaine in 2012 When she is allowed visitors, they will only be able to see her twice a week, for just two hours. It is understood that Ms Taqaddas is planning to appeal her sentence, a process that could take longer than her original six month sentence due to the notoriously slow Indonesian judicial system . As she was led away to the detention centre, fellow prisoners said Ms Taqaddas screamed that she would appeal, saying: Its not fair. I wasnt allowed a lawyer. Ms Taqaddas was arrested in a shopping mall in Bali and taken straight to court after repeatedly failing to answer bail. As she spends her first day in prison, her family in the UK said they were 'deeply ashamed' of her behaviour. In a video of her arrest earlier today - after she had failed to appear in court - she struggled against the men who were leading her away and appeared to strike at another officer as she was taken into a car. Her violent behaviour has caused her elderly father - a respected former doctor and brother, an IT consultant, huge embarrassment, a family friend said today. Grappling: Auj-e Taqaddas at Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport when she was arrested Another tantrum: The British medical researcher yells at an officer as she is arrested in a shopping mall before her trial in Indonesia Ms Taqaddas used to live in a flat above offices in South Norwood, south London, but moved out ten years ago. The friend said she had an 'aggressive streak' but was very intelligent. He said: 'She worked for the Royal Marsden Hospital about eight or nine years ago and was a specialist in Radiography. 'She actually wore a book about her work at the hospital, the methods in which radiography is used to treat cancer. 'The hospital were angry that she was doing this and ordered her to cease writing it but she refused and had the book published regardless. 'It caused a lot of friction so I was told and a short while later she left the Royal Marsden and travelled around the world. 'I think the falling-out with the hospital meant she struggled to get work in the U.K. 'She travelled to the Middle East and then on to Australia. 'She is very bright, very intelligent but like a lot of similar people she sometimes lacks balance and loses some of her rationale. Going down with a fight: The British medical researcher struggles against her arrest after she had allegedly failed to appear in court Kicking and screaming: Auj-e Taqaddas kicks out at the men trying to arrest her in a shopping mall, in another extraordinary tantrum before her court appearance today 'She has an aggressive streak and it can sometimes erupt to the surface. 'Her father is an eminent former doctor who is now quite frail and her brother has two masters degrees in IT. 'Her mother sadly passed away from cancer when she was younger. I think that spurred her on to learn more about treating the disease. 'The family have been in Britain for about 30 years after coming here from Pakistan and they are genuinely lovely people who work incredibly hard. 'They are deeply ashamed of her behaviour and have been left very embarrassed, particularly as the video is on YouTube and all over social media 'They've had very little contact with her over the last few years.' A huge row erupted at Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport last July when Ms Taqaddas was pulled aside during immigration checks. The 43-year-old had missed her Jetstar flight to Singapore after Indonesian officials accused her of overstaying her visa by 160 days. After receiving her boarding pass officers noticed her month-long visa had expired on February 18. Auj-e Taqaddas is led away by investigators today after her trial in Bali, where she was sentenced to six months in prison for attacking an immigration officer Court hearing: The woman continues her rant during her appearance in the Bali courtroom, shouting and pointing as she is flanked by the men who arrested her She was told she had to pay a $25 fine for everyday she overstayed her visa, adding up to $4,000. In a fit of rage the foul-mouthed traveller was caught on camera abusing the guard and striking him in the face. When she was arrested today and dragged to court she threw another tantrum. In a video of her arrest earlier today - after she had failed to appear in court - she struggled against the officials who were leading her away and appeared to strike at another officer as she was taken into a car. She was arrested before the trial in a shopping mall after failing to appear in court several times. In the video of her latest tantrum she can be heard swearing loudly at an officer, calling him a 'sick b******'. As two men try to handcuff her she tries to fight them off, kicking at one of them with her right foot before they finally chain her hands together. Guilty: Auj-e Taqaddas, pictured during the row at a Bali airport last year, has been jailed for six months for slapping an Indonesian immigration officer Accused: British tourist Auj-e Taqaddas looks at her mobile phone today before her trial at a court in Denpasar, where she was jailed for six months for the viral tantrum They escort her up an escalator and towards a car, where she fights back again as they try to lift her into the back seat. The woman's hands are not clearly visible but the man is seen flinching and apparently struggling with her as she tries to fight him off. During the hearing she is again heard shouting and gesticulating at officers sitting in the courtroom. During the trial, which began in December, Taqaddas - who denied the charges - said the video of the slap last year had been edited. After being sentenced in Denpasar District Court, Taqaddas said the court was corrupt and she had been tortured by police three times including on Wednesday. She was taken to an immigration detention centre in Denpasar after the hearing, according to Indonesian media. Row: The video, which went viral in the aftermath of the incident in Indonesia last year, shows Taqaddas pinning the blame on immigration for making her miss the flight 'This is a sham court who was only listening to the dirty prosecutor who did not bring me to the court for six months,' she said. As two officials escorted her from court, she shouted: 'Indonesia is a criminal country. Indonesian law is corrupt. Indonesian judges are corrupt. No lawyer was provided. Indonesian immigration is corrupt.' The row erupted at Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport last July when Taqaddas was pulled aside during immigration checks. The 43-year-old had missed her Jetstar flight to Singapore after Indonesian officials accused her of overstaying her visa by 160 days. After receiving her boarding pass officers noticed her month-long visa had expired on February 18. She was told she had to pay a $25 fine for everyday she overstayed her visa, adding up to $4,000. In a fit of rage the foul-mouthed traveller was caught on camera abusing the guard and striking him in the face. 'She pretended not know that she had overstayed. But people who visit a country to travel know they have a period of stay. She had overstayed since February,' said an immigration official at the time. 'She slapped the officer, who is a respected guard. 'She touched immigration, which means touching representatives of the nation. So we reported it to the police.' Children's shelter worker Edgar Campos, 23, has been charged with felony count of indecency with a child involving sexual contact An employee at a Texas shelter for immigrant children has been accused of repeatedly fondling a Guatemalan teen and offering other kids candy in exchange for sexual favors. Edgar Campos, 23, was arrested on Friday on a single felony count of indecency with a child involving sexual contact and ordered held on $30,000 bond. According to court documents, Campos was employed as a chaperone at St Michaels Home for Children in Houston, where he was in charge of 32 immigrant kids. One of the residents at the shelter, a 16-year-old Guatemalan national, claimed that in August 2018, Campos reached his hand down his pants and fondled his penis after the boy had asked to borrow the chaperones cellphone to call his parents back home. The same night, Campos allegedly entered the Guatemalan boy's bedroom and again touched his privates as he slept. When the teen woke up, Campos took off, but later apologized to him for the sexual contact, according to the filings cited by the Houston Chronicle. Police said between August and September 2018, the shelter employee was seen on surveillance video entering boys' bedrooms four times after dark, which is in violation of the shelter's policy. In an interview with police last November, Campos reportedly said that he was attracted to men and that he had been disciplined twice for entering childrens rooms at the shelter after hours. Campos, who worked as a chaperone at St Michaels Home for Children in Houston, allegedly fondled a 16-year-old Guatemalan boy's penis in August Multiple refugee children living at the house claimed that Campos would promise them sweets if they agreed to perform sexual acts. Campos was relieved of his job after allegations of misconduct against him came to light. St Michaels is operated by the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. According to the organizations website, the shelter takes in unaccompanied minors that are referred by the US Office of Refugee Resettlement. The objective of the facility is to care for the immigrant children while working to reunite them with relatives in the US or in their home countries. As we plan to reunite them with their family, we house them at St. Michaels Home in a safe, comfortable environment where they receive clothing, meals, mentoring, medical services, education and assistance in contacting family, the description on the site reads.. A Catholic Charities spokesperson said the Houston facility has fully complied with reporting requirements in Campos case. Catholic Charities' first priority is to provide a safe, secure environment for children entrusted to our care, the organization said in a statement. We have a 75 year history of helping the most vulnerable individuals of all ages through our comprehensive and caring network of social service programs. We have strict processes for our prospective employees involving background checks, references and more. An Iowa woman accused of helping her boyfriend torture his eight-year-old son allegedly filmed the abuse in the basement staircase where they kept him. Traci Lynn Tyler, 40, and her boyfriend Alex Craig Shadlow, 30, have been charged with first-degree kidnapping. Authorities claim the couple 'intentionally subjected' the boy to 'physical and mental torture' in a 6-foot-by-6-foot area under the basement stairs for at least nine hours a day from July to September 2017. The basement had no light, furniture, or bedding and the boy had to pee in a tin coffee can. He was also never given food while inside the basement, prosecutors said. Assistant Attorney General Tyler Buller revealed during Tyler's trial on Tuesday that the boy is seen on the seven-minute video desperately needing to use the bathroom. Traci Lynn Tyler, who is accused of helping her boyfriend torture his eight-year-old son, allegedly filmed the abuse in the basement staircase where they kept him Buller said the boy is in visible pain in the footage and eventually 'loses control of his bodily functions and urinates', according to the Des Moines Register. 'This part of the crime is on tape,' Buller told Judge James Ellefson. Tyler, 40, and her boyfriend Alex Craig Shadlow, 30, (pictured) have been charged with first-degree kidnapping Meanwhile, the defense claimed that prosecutors did not accurately depict what occurred in the video. Aaron Siebrecht, one of Tyler's attorneys, claimed she was following the advice of medical professionals who instructed her that the boy needed to ask for permission to use the bathroom. The couple has maintained that one of the reasons they kept the boy locked in the basement was because he was having 'accidents' in the house. 'She was desperate,' he said. 'She was trying to figure out what was wrong with this child.' 'At the end of the day there is no intent, there is no injury, there is no kidnapping.' The boy slept on the floor of the basement, where he also urinated, without any bedding. He was only allowed out of the basement to attend school across the street. Police said a makeshift door was locked from the outside and the kitchen door was also locked to prevent the boy from accessing any food. Ackley Police Chief Brian Shimon said the couple's case was one that 'just makes you sick' and described the basement as being 'locked in a dungeon'. Authorities said the boy was also assaulted by the couple, who urged their pet dog to bite him. Tyler allegedly frequently hit him with the handle of a flyswatter. Authorities claim the couple 'intentionally subjected' the boy (pictured with Shadlow) to 'physical and mental torture' in a basement under the stairs for at least nine hours a day The boy has permanent scarring on his back and limbs and now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, police added. Teachers become concerned about the boy when he returned to school in September 2017. He was so underweight that patches of his hair were falling out. 'He looked very pale, he looked very thin and I was very surprised by his appearance,' Susan Brandt, the boy's second-grade teacher, said on Tuesday. 'I couldn't believe that that was the little boy that I knew the year before.' Cam Schipper, the boy's third-grade teacher, said he 'looked like a skeleton' and often complained of being hungry. Schipper said the boy finally told her what was going on after she sat him down for trying to steal gum from another student's locker. 'He started talking about how he's hungry all the time, he doesn't get to eat food at home, and when he does try to get food at home he gets in trouble,' Schipper said in court, according to The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. 'He eventually started telling me about the place in the basement where he slept on the floor and it was dark.' The school reported Tyler and Shadlow to the Department of Human Services, and child protective worker Carol Allen paid the home a surprise visit in September 2017. Allen immediately asked Tyler about the dark basement the boy had told his teacher about, and she led her right to it. The basement in the home (pictured) had no light, furniture, or bedding and the boy had to pee in a tin coffee can, prosecutors said She saw a puddle in the basement, which Tyler informed her was the boy's urine. 'I asked, "Is there a light in there?" They said no. I said, "What does he sleep on? Pillow, blanket, anything?" Traci said, "He just ruins those things, so he doesn't get those things.'" 'I said, "This is unacceptable. This is abuse,"' Allen recalled. 'At one point, I asked Traci if she would sleep in there. She responded, "I would behave."' Tyler claimed that they locked up the boy because he was urinating and defecating all over the house. But none of the state's witnesses, including multiple school officials, said he exhibited any such behavior at school or in other people's homes. The boy was removed from the home following Allen's visit and has since been placed with a foster family. Penny Osborn, a physician's assistant who treated the boy after he was removed from the home, said he had been suffering alopecia due to malnutrition. Osborn also testified that the boy had six scars on his back that were each between three to six inches in length, as well as multiple bruises. The boy is expected to testify as the trial. Tyler could face life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted. She declined a plea deal from prosecutors that required her to plead guilty to child endangerment and third-degree kidnapping for a 50-year prison sentence. Shadlow has also pleaded not guilty to first-degree kidnapping. His trial is set to begin in June. A 10-year-old nicknamed the rubber boy has his sights set on a Guinness world record for his extreme yoga move. Ujjawal Vishwakarma, who started doing yoga at just six, is so flexible he can bend his body backwards. A video of him stretching out the incredible position has gone viral leading him to become known outside Sardhana, the Meerut district of North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. His jaw-dropping move which sees Ujjawal stretch backwards until his head touches the ground and manages to lay straight on the ground on his back before lifting his body back into the standing position. The boy shows off his amazing ability in completing the most difficult yoga positions, named Niralamaba Purna Chakrasana, 16 times in a minute. Every day the youngster practices yoga for three hours to hone his skills. But he is not the only youngster to master the back plank recline crunches as last year, a school girl from Mysuru set a world record for performing Niralamaba Purna Chakrasana 15 times in a minute. Ujjwal is now looking to smash that record. Yoga teacher Viskas Panchali, who teaches Ujjwal for free and covers the cost of his trips to competitions right across the country, said: 'The girl from Mysuru did 15 repetitions in one minute. Ujjwal can do 16-18 repetitions in the same time. 'We have sent our application to Guinness Book of World Records authorities to enlist his feat as a world record. I am hopeful that Ujjwal will make it to the coveted list.' Flexible: Ujjawal Vishwakarma shows off his incredible moves leading him to become an internet sensation The 10-year-old practices three hours a day to ensure he is able to complete his complicated moves World record bid: Ujjawal Vishwakarma can complete the yoga position called the Niralamaba Purna Chakrasana 16 times a minute Jaw-dropping: The youngster's yoga teacher hopes he will smash the current record and believes he has every chance Ujjwal's father Vishnudutt Vishwakarma, who makes around 200 rupee a day, said: 'I feel sorry for not being able to support my son's studies or his extracurricular activities with my paltry income. I somehow mange to make ends meet. 'Had it not been for the yoga teacher, nobody would ever know about the talent of my children. I hope that he makes us proud someday.' His yoga teacher Mr Panchali had high hopes for the youngster. 'But we won't settle for anything less than a Guinness world record,' he said. The 15-year-old girl managed to score her record after regularly performing the move 13 times a day but manged 15 times in a minute when she made the record attempt. Santhosh Agarwal, a representative of Golden Book of World Records organisation, awarded her with a certificate from the organisation. Austin Rogers (above) has been accused of suffocating his seven-month-old daughter to death on January 12. The 22-year-old was allegedly high on meth while caring for the infant at his home in Salem, South Carolina A South Carolina suffocated his seven-month-old daughter while he was high on meth by squeezing her against his chest, according to police. Austin Michael Rogers, 22, was charged with homicide by child abuse on Monday, three weeks after Bayleigh Rogers was killed on January 12, according to Oconee County police. An arrest warrant detailed how Rogers allegedly held Bayleigh against his chest until she got quiet and stopped breathing. He then placed her face-down on a bed and didn't return to check on her for 45 minutes, the warrant said. Deputies said Bayleigh had been dropped off at her father's home in Salem by her mother, who does not live with him, on the afternoon of January 12. Rogers was allegedly under the influence of meth while Bayleigh was in his custody. First responders were dispatched to the scene around 9pm after receiving a call about a juvenile cardiac arrest. Attempts to resuscitate Bayleigh were unsuccessful. Rogers was arrested and charged with homicide by child abuse on Monday, according to Oconee County authorities. He is pictured with the late infant, Bayleigh Marie Rogers Deputies said Bayleigh was dropped off at her father's home in Salem (above) by her mother, Angela Michelle Rowland, on January 12. Emergency responders were dispatched to the home at around 9pm that night after receiving a call about a juvenile cardiac arrest An autopsy determined that Bayleigh died of asphyxiation, prompting an investigation into her death. After several interviews, investigators established a timeline and were able to collect enough evidence to make an arrest. Rogers is now in custody at Oconee County Detention Center awaiting a bond hearing, according to jail records. It is unclear if he has a lawyer. He was arrested for drug possession charges in November 2015 and pleaded guilty to shoplifting charges in August 2017, court records indicate. Bayleigh is survived by her mother Angela Michelle Rowland and her older sister Hannah Rowland, as well as many other extended family members, according to her obituary. The family has asked that donations in Bayleigh's memory be made to the Hannah Rowland Scholarship Fund, C/O Sandifer Funeral Home, Po Box 69, Westminster, SC 29693. Bayleigh's heartbroken mother posted about her daughter's death on Facebook on Wednesday, two days after Rogers' arrest. Bayleigh's mother Angela Michelle Rowland (above) wrote on Facebook that she was not aware that Rogers' was under the influence of drugs when she left the infant in his custody She thanked 'everyone who's stood by my side] and wrote that it has been difficult to face people who think Bayleigh's death was her fault when 'I know it isn't'. 'It's very hard to deal with but Bayleigh showed me to smile through the toughest battles. And I'm gonna continue to do so,' she wrote. Addressing the reports that Rogers was high when Rowland left Bayleigh in his care, the mother wrote: 'At the end of the day, I was never in the wrong because I didn't know he was under the influence of anything or I wouldn't of left her. (sic) 'He didn't show no sign of being under the influence of anything. He was acting like his normal self. She continued: 'He only did it to hurt me but he hurt his self more then me. He's the one who has to live with what he did. And him being on meth and him sitting there and actually coming off of it he's gotta deal with the hurt and anger. 'I want him to sit in prison and suffer for how he made Bayleigh, a innocent baby, suffer all because he was out to hurt me and Hannah.' Rowland's post has been edited slightly for clarity, but can be seen in full below: A former police officer convicted of a rape committed while on duty four decades ago has had his jail sentence increased by more than three years. David Lomax, 84, from Waterlooville, Hampshire, was originally handed a prison term of four years and nine months at Leeds Crown Court in October. But, at the Court of Appeal in London on Wednesday, three judges ruled that his sentence for the rape of a 'vulnerable' young woman in 1978 and misconduct in a public office was 'unduly lenient' and upped it to eight years. Lomax, who suffers from ill health, watched via video link from prison as Lord Justice Holroyde said the court agreed with Solicitor General Robert Buckland that the total term imposed last year was too short for the seriousness of the offending. Former police officer David Lomax arrives at Leeds Crown Court where he was originally sentenced At the time of the offences, Lomax was a 43-year-old warrant officer with West Yorkshire Police when he raped a 21-year-old at her home in Leeds during a visit over her non-payment of a fine. Lord Justice Holroyde, giving the background to the case, said that when the woman said she could not pay, Lomax said he would have to arrest her. She 'begged' him not to do so and he told her that if they had sex he would not have to return for another two weeks. Lord Justice Holroyde said she 'felt she had no choice but to comply'. She reported what had happened and Lomax was arrested and interviewed. At the time, the quality of DNA science was 'insufficient' to enable evidence recovered from the scene to be matched to any particular individual. Lomax denied any wrongdoing and continued with his police service. But, in 2016, a semen sample which had been retained was subjected to further scientific examination as part of a cold case review. Lord Justice Holroyde said advances in science made it possible for a match to be made, and Lomax was arrested in 2017. He pleaded not guilty at his trial. Announcing the decision to increase the sentence, Lord Justice Holroyde said the former officer had abused his position of 'trust and power in the most cynical manner', giving his victim, referred to as J, a choice between immediate arrest and submitting to rape. Lomax was a warrant officer with West Yorkshire Police in the Seventies when the rape took place He said of the original sentence: 'We have no doubt that the sentence failed to impose just and proportionate punishment for this very serious offending which has substantially blighted J's life.' Lord Justice Holroyde said the court recognised that a lengthy sentence for a man of his age and poor health would make prison 'particularly difficult'. But, in making every allowance it could in his favour, the court had concluded that the total sentence should be eight years. Commenting on the increase, the Solicitor General said: 'Lomax abused his position of trust as a police officer, and got away with his crime for too long. 'Thanks to modern forensic science, he was brought to book. 'It is only right that it is now made clear to him that his actions have not been forgotten and will be met with the full force of the law.' Advertisement Dozens of people paid tribute to a WWII veteran today who was among the first to step onto Sword Beach on D-Day in 1944. Hero William Charles Garbett, who passed away at 93 on January 15, was given a Royal Navy guard of honour at his funeral service at St John's Church in Walsall today with nearly 100 people attending to pay their respects. Mr Garbett died just hours after he was awarded the Legion d'Honneur by Emmanuel Macron, though he was too ill to attend the ceremony as he suffered with pneumonia. The funeral procession of war hero, William Charles Garbett who died aged 93 arrives at Johns Church in Pleck, Walsall William, who died at 93, was recently awarded a commendation from the President of France for his role during the war, although he was too unwell to attend. Pictured right is William during the war as a 17-year-old member of the Navy He had joined the navy at 17 and saw his close friend killed when he stepped foot onto the beach in Normandy. Mr Garbett was 'much loved' by his friends and family and they put out an appeal to veterans and members of the Royal British Legion to attend his funeral. Paying tribute at the funeral, his wife Iris wrote on the order of service: 'Bill was a wonderful husband, uncle and friend. A Day veteran whose exploits will never be forgotten. Above all, he was my best friend and I will miss him forever. All my love, Iris xxx.' A personal reflection, read by Steve Jasper, Mr Garbett's niece's husband, revealed how the veteran was tasked with building a sandbag castle during D-Day to signal to other troops when they could land. Grief-stricken Iris Garbett (center), wife of war hero, William. The D-Day veteran was given a full guard of honour by HMS Forward which included two pipers and a ceremonial guard Dozens paid their respects to the war hero, who was one of the first soldiers to set foot on Sword Beach in Normandy in 1944 William pictured with his wife Iris. She paid tribute to him at the service, writing: 'Bill was a wonderful husband, uncle and friend. A Day veteran whose exploits will never be forgotten. Above all, he was my best friend and I will miss him forever. All my love, Iris' Almost 100 people attended the funeral, with poignant tributes made to the war hero, including this one from his nephew and nieces A personal reflection, read by Steve Jasper, Mr Garbett's niece's husband, revealed how the veteran was tasked with building a sandbag castle during D-Day to signal to other troops when they could land He was 'much loved' by his friends and family and they put out an appeal to veterans and members of the Royal British Legion to attend his funeral According to the account, Mr Garbett's close friend, Leo Maguire Rafferty, who looked after him, took the first step on French soil but was shot dead by a sniper, with his body floating out to sea. Mr Jasper told the Express and Star: 'We took Bill back to Normandy on two occasions, once in 2005 and once in 2014 a few weeks after the 70th anniversary celebrations. We took him to the exact spot on the beach where he landed. 'Bill made sure his friend Leo's life was not in vain. On the second occasion we visited Bill proudly wore his medals and it was like being with a celebrity. 'It goes without saying, the family are immensely proud of him. He was a wonderful husband, uncle, friend and a hero for what he did all those years ago.' Mr Garbett met his wife Iris in 1949 and they married two years later. His family revealed that his hobbies included growing flowers in his greenhouse, collecting stamps, model railways, reading and listening to music. He met his wife Iris (pictured) in 1949 and they married two years later. His family revealed that his hobbies included growing flowers in his greenhouse, collecting stamps, model railways, reading and listening to music According to Mr Jasper's account, Mr Garbett's close friend, Leo Maguire Rafferty, who looked after him, took the first step on French soil but was shot dead by a sniper, with his body floating out to sea Mr Jasper added that Mr Garbett made sure his friend Leo's life was not in vain, visiting Normandy twice. On the second occasion they visited, the war hero proudly wore his medals and 'it was like being with a celebrity' A fascinating new video has documented every bomb dropped on Islamic State by the US-led coalition forces. The animation shows the location of every single air strike in Iraq and Syria between August 2014 and December 2018. All 32,000 bombs dropped have been plotted and marked on a graphic, showing where the strikes targeted during the fiercest periods of aerial bombardment. The graphic shows that the first 185 air strikes, up until September 22, 2014, were dropped in Iraq, but by October 2, 84 strikes were made on Syrian land. After a year of aerial bombardment a total of 3,930 bombs were dropped in Iraq and 2,425 on Syria. In October 2016 the Battle for Mosul was about to begin and US-backed air strikes were concentrating on northern Iraq and Syria The nearly two-minute clip condenses all the US-led alliance strikes across both countries. It includes strikes during key battles of the offensive to clear ISIS from Iraq and Syria, such as the Battle of Mosul in October 2016 and in June the following year the bloody Battle for Raqqa - the de facto capital of ISIS-held territory. The battle for Mosul was a huge military operation to recapture Iraq's second largest city, which lasted from November 2016 to January 2017. By the time Iraqi government forces had recaptured the city, much of the historic city's buildings and infrastructure was destroyed, with ISIS sabotaging areas as its forces fled. The Battle for Raqqa was named the 'Great Battle' due to the strategic significance of city, with as many as 500 US special forces troops operating in support of the campaign. The Battle for Raqqa was in June 2017 and the animation shows the aerial bombardment focus on Raqqa, Mosul and border towns of Al-Bukamal in Syria and Al-Qa'im in Iraq The clip also shows the siege of Kobane in September 2014, which saw ISIS militants try to capture the city. The assaults led to a wave of some 500,000 displaced Kurds fleeing across the border to neighbouring Turkey. In January 2015 US-backed forced including the YPG, the Free Syrian Army and the Peshmerga, along with US air strikes began to recapture the city. Vladimir Putin declaring victory over ISIS in December 2017, although ISIS is still fighting in Syria, is also represented in the graphic as the bombing begins to die down. As the number of air strikes decreases, the location of the bombings also shifted from concentrating on northern Syria to nearer the border with Iraq and central areas of the country. Vladimir Putin declared victory against ISIS in December 2017. Air strikes shifted from northern Iraq and Syria and focused along the border as government forces retook key areas The mapping of air assaults only goes up to December 16 last year, when the US and their allied forces stopped announcing where and when bombs were dropped. Airwars, that put the graphic together and monitors civilian harm from international military actions in Iraq, Syria and Libya, is calling for the data to be released again to keep transparency in the military action. International Coalition for Operation Inherent Resolve - the name for U.S. military's operational against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria - used to publish the data on air strike locations on a monthly basis. A Tory MP was removed by police from a bar in Parliament after allegedly groping three men. Witnesses claimed Ross Thomson, 31, attempted to assault guests visiting Parliament as they drank. Police were called to the Strangers Bar on Tuesday at 11pm after receiving reports of sexual touching by the Aberdeen South MP involving men in their 20s and 30s. A witness told the Guido Fawkes political website: [Mr Thomson] was in Strangers last night drunk and was groping young men who had guest passes on grabbing their backside and genitals and trying to put his hands down peoples pants. Many people watched on in disgust. The Met Police confirmed they responded to reports in Strangers Bar, inside the Palace of Westminster, at 11pm on Tuesday night I saw someone pull him to one side to ask him to leave. He returned around four times after being chaperoned out and carried on groping people. It became so unpleasant that the police were called and eventually escorted him out of the bar after taking statements in the corridor. I believe the Serjeant-at-Arms is also aware of the incident. Mr Thomson did not respond to requests for comment last night. The Scottish Tories have not suspended him. A Scottish Tory source said no official complaint had been received by them or by the police. Parties can only take action if a police complaint is received. A Scottish Conservatives spokesman said: We are aware of reports of an incident last night and the matter is being looked into. We have no further comment to make at this stage. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: Police were called at approximately 23.00 on February 5 to a bar within the Palace of Westminster following a report of sexual touching. Officers attended and spoke to the parties involved three men in their 20s and 30s. However, no formal allegations were made to officers and no arrests were made. A spokesman for the Commons said officials were aware of the situation. It is unclear whether Mr Thomson currently has a partner. He previously told of receiving homophobic abuse. He wrote in the Times that he had been called every name under the sun and some have even called for me to be hanged because of his sexuality. He claimed he and LGBT colleagues such as Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Tory leader, had suffered homophobic abuse. He wrote: It is targeted at me and at my LGBT colleagues, for no other reason than our sexualities. Questions had previously been raised after Mr Thomson paid back expenses for a hotel room he shared with a male friend he later employed in his office. The former Debenhams store worker and bank customer adviser is a prominent Brexit supporter who was elected to Westminster in 2017 after previously serving as a member of the Scottish Parliament. The incident comes just over a year since the so-called Pestminster scandal that led to the resignation of Defence Secretary Michael Fallon. He was accused of lunging at a female journalist and kissing her on the lips after a boozy lunch. Ex-Tory aide Jo Tanner also revealed she had her drink spiked with a date rape drug in the MPs bar in Parliament. Last month, the Commons announced plans to clean up its image by banning alcohol in parts of Parliament. It followed a series of allegations by staff of abuse and harassment. Ross Thomson (pictured with Michael Gove), one of 12 Scottish Tories elected to the Commons in 2017, was spoken to by police along with two other men aged in their 20s and 30s The House of Commons Commission, chaired by Speaker John Bercow, stated that alcohol should be restricted to designated areas. It also stated: A communication should be sent to Members and staff on refraining from returning to offices to drink after bars shut. Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom led an investigation into the rules around alcohol consumption as part of a bid to clean up politics. The changes are a direct response to the report on bullying and harassment in Parliament by Dame Laura Cox. She found the abuse of staff may have been made worse by the ready access to alcohol. The House Intelligence Committee is putting off its long-sought hearing with longtime Donald Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, but the panel's new chairman is not saying why. Rep. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, said only in a brief statement Thursday that 'in the interests of the investigation, Michael Cohens testimony has been postponed until February 28th.' That meeting, if it occurs as scheduled, would come just days before Cohen goes to prison. Among the offenses he pleaded guilty to lying to the committee about a Trump Moscow tower project that he continued to explore into 2016. Longtime Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's closed testimony before the House Intelligence Committee has been postponed 'in the interests of the investigation,' said the panel chairman Cohen had been scheduled to give closed testimony on Friday. It was not clear if Schiff was referencing the Mueller probe or his panel's own stepped-up Russia investigation. Cohen's appearance was to have been among the first significant acts of the committee now that it has come under Democratic control. Cohen had originally been scheduled to make another Capitol appearance on Thursday, before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. But Cohen pulled out last month, citing threats against his family. Schiff's terse statement left the reasons for the postponement of Cohen's testimony open to speculation. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., wouldn't say why Cohen's testimony would be delayed until February 28 Cohen pulled out of scheduled testimony before the House Oversight Committee, chaired by Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, citing threats against his family Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to Congress in earlier testimony Stormy Daniels lawyer Michael Avenatti, who has gone after Cohen publicly for his role in facilitating a $130,000 payment to the porn star who claims she had an affair with Donald Trump, tore into Cohen again online Wednesday. 'Michael Cohen will likely face new charges. Which is why he did not fully cooperate with [the Southern District of New York] previously - he is still hiding info and crimes. This ties into the Cohen financial info we released last year,' Avenatti wrote Tuesday, after it was revealed that prosecutors subpoenaed documents and information related to the Trump inauguration. Asked to elaborate, Avenatti told DailyMail.com the 'further inquiry' into Cohen's conduct with the inauguration was the reason for the delay. He noted that prosecutors in southern district expressed their frustration during his sentencing about his unwillingness to cooperate fully in related probes. 'I believe there is a significant potential that he will be charged with other criminal conduct,' he added. Cohen was involved in raising funds for the event, which brought in a record total of more than $100 million. A teenager who was taken to hospital by air ambulance after being stabbed in east London is thought to be in a stable condition, Paramedics rushed to the scene to treat the boy, who was later taken in an air ambulance to hospital. Speaking to the MailOnline a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said the boy's condition was not life threatening. Earlier today the force said: 'Officers were called at 14:47hrs on Wednesday, 6 February to reports of a person stabbed on a bus at Clapton Common, E5. A teenager is fighting for his life after he was stabbed on a bus in east London. Paramedics rushed to the scene to treat the boy, who was later taken in an air ambulance to hospital 'A youth, believed to be in his mid-teens, was found at the location with stab wounds. He has been taken to an east London hospital; his condition awaits. 'A crime scene is in place. No arrests, enquiries continue. Pictures from the scene show a police cordon as well as numerous emergency service office gathered on Castlewood Road. The scene of the incident of Castlewood Road in Hackney (pictured above) Members of the public and emergency services treating the teenage victim who was left fighting for his life The A107 Clapton common at the junction of Stamford hill was closed due to the incident and traffic is reported to be congested in the surrounding areas. It comes after a teen was stabbed to death in Battersea last night just minutes from Prince George's school. Lejean Richards, 19, died after he was attacked last night just 500 yards from the 17,000-a-year Thomas's School, attended by the young royal. The killing brings London's murder toll to nine so far in 2019. Lejean Richards, pictured, was called a 'loving son and brother, a young man determined to turn his life around' by his grieving mother today Already this year at least nine people have been murdered in the capital On Sunday, two teenagers were stabbed in west London and police officers believe the two incidents are linked. One victim was found with stab injuries in the Harlington Road East area of Feltham at 2.27pm shortly before another teenager 'suffering from slash wounds' was found outside shops in Hounslow Road. Neither victim's injuries are believed to be life-threatening. Last Thursday a 16-year-old boy was stabbed near an Aldi supermarket in Brent, north-west London. Knife crime has been increasing over recent years and police and politicians have promised a crackdown Earlier that week Nedim Bilgin, 17, died in Caledonian Road, north London, after he was attacked with a knife. He was the eighth person to die as a result of violence in the capital so far this year and three teenagers aged 16, 17 and 18 have been arrested on suspicion of murder. Figures released in January showed police-recorded violent crime had risen by nearly a fifth in England and Wales. Forces also registered an eight per cent increase in offences involving a knife or sharp instrument. Last year more than 130 people were murdered in the capital. Rising gun and knife crime brought the total 2018 figure of homicides being investigated by Scotland Yard to 134 - the highest since 2008 when there were 154. Police are battling against 180 violent gangs across London dragging children into crime, amid more than 70 deaths this year involving a knife, and a dozen with a gun. A judge has dropped charges against a Florida woman after her older sister is said to have stolen her identity in order to beat a prostitution charge. Samantha Humienny, 24, was stopped by New Jersey police in November last year on a prostitution-related charge, authorities say. But when it came to identifying herself officers say she gave the name Jaclyn Humienny, who is actually her 20-year-old sister living in Florida and is studying to become a teacher. Samantha is said to have given the name Jaclyn twice when being charged. When she failed to show up to court warrants were sent to her sibling. Paterson municipal court Judge Giuseppe Randazzo has now dismissed the charges after Jaclyn said the criminal record could have ruined her career. Scroll down for video. Samantha Humienny, right, is accused of using her sister Jaclyn's name, pictured left, when she was stopped by police over a prostitution charge The family, pictured before their rift, say they have not seen Samantha 'for years' after she became addicted to heroin when she ran away to New Jersey Brian and his wife, Cynthia, pictured here with daughter Jaclyn who said the criminal record could have ruined her career as she trains to be a teacher She told ABC7 that 'having a potential criminal record for prostitution could literally ruin my future career as a teacher'. In a statement the court said: 'An expungement of the charges against Jaclyn Humienny will be expedited and related fees will be waived. Officials from Paterson Municipal Court will send Ms. Humienny a letter explaining the actions taken.' Jaclyn, who is training to work with children with disabilities, said she had sent her work time sheet to the judge to prove she was working in Florida at the time. A notice from Paterson Municipal Court had said she owed $533 in fines for prostitution and she was threatened with arrest if she failed to pay. The girls' father, Brian, said he has not seen Samantha 'for years' after she became addicted to heroin and ran back to New Jersey after the family moved to Florida. He told nj.com: 'We don't blame her for what she's done. She has warrants and she's trying to stay out of jail. We blame Paterson.' Brian and his wife, Cynthia, say Samantha also identified herself as Jaclyn in the emergency room at a Paterson hospital and they are now fighting a $4,000 bill. Samantha hit out at her family on Facebook in December last year saying 'no one will pick up the phone to support me'. She wrote her 'parents feel it's Facebook appropriate to plaster our business all over everyones (sic) news feed.' Police say Samantha, pictured, has at least two warrants out for her arrest, including one in Sussex County from an incident in 2017 Jaclyn, left, who is training to work with children with disabilities, said she had sent her work time sheet to the judge to prove she was working in Florida at the time Samantha, right, allegedly gave her name to police When Samantha reportedly failed to show up to court warrants were sent to her sibling Jaclyn after she is accused of giving her name Samantha hit out at her family in December last year saying 'no one will pick up the phone to support me' Paterson Police Director Jerry Speziale said: 'We only issue these citations when you have ID. She must be carrying around some sort of ID of the sister, whether it's something she had made up or something she stole.' Police say Samantha has at least two warrants out for her arrest, including one in Sussex County from an incident in 2017. MPs knocked off work four hours early tpday after they ran out of things to talk about - despite the deepening Brexit crisis. The House of Commons ended its business at 3.27pm - compared to the usual rising time of 7.30pm. The short day came after ministers announced a skeleton programme with uncertainty surround the plans for Brexit legislation. Proceedings began at 11.30am with Cabinet Office questions followed by Prime Minister's Questions. The House of Commons was sparsely attended and finished its business at 3.27pm - compared to the usual rising time of 7.30pm Ten minutes were then used up by the introduction of a backbench bill, before a debate on two social security motions. The adjournment debate focused on prostate cancer and started at 2.37pm rather than 7pm, as would normally be the case. Labour's Diana Johnson said the situation was "bang out of order". "Considering Brexit is just 51 days away this is totally irresponsible!" she wrote on Twitter. SNP chief whip Patrick Gray said: "Seemingly the Tory Government thinks there's nothing worth debating or discussing." Elsewhere in Parliament, MPs were involved in afternoon debates in Westminster Hall - their second debating chamber, Proceedings in the House of Lords chamber began at 3pm and were due to run until 9pm. The Government last week announced it was cancelling the February recess for MPs, and legislation connected to Brexit still has to be approved. Meanwhile, Mrs May has been continuing her frantic bid to get changes to her deal. Donald Tusk poured petrol on the Brexit negotiations today as he raged that there is a 'special place in hell' for those who fought to get the UK out of the EU. As the deadlock with Brussels deepened dramatically, the European council chief lashed out at Leave campaigners who had no idea how to sever ties 'safely'. Rubbing salt into the wound, Mr Tusk was then caught on mic chuckling at a press conference when Irish premier Leo Varadkar whispered to him that the British would 'give you terrible trouble' over the jibe. Theresa May (pictured arriving at Stormont House today) has been meeting all five of the major Northern Ireland political parties as she scrambles to find a way through the Brexit deadlock The Commons clock showed 3.27pm as MPs wound up their business this evening hours early Incandescent Brexiteers hit back at the 'inflammatory' intervention within moments as the negotiations threatened to go into a tailspin. Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom, who backed Brexit in the referendum, branded Mr Tusk 'spiteful' and demanded he apologise. Home Secretary Sajid Javid said he was 'out of order'. The remarks were raised in the House by Tory MP Peter Bone, who branded them an 'insult' to the British people. DUP MP Sammy Wilson said Mr Tusk and his 'arrogant EU negotiators' had 'fanned the flames of fear in an attempt to try to overturn the result of the referendum', while Nigel Farage said being free to 'run our own country' sounded 'more like heaven'. The PM's spokesman also swiped at Mr Tusk, saying: 'I think it's a question for Donald Tusk as to why he considers the use of that language to be helpful. 'I appreciate that was difficult this morning as he did not take any questions.' This is the horrifying moment an eight-storey building collapses in Istanbul, leaving at least one person dead and several others trapped under rubble. Footage shows terrified pedestrians running for their lives and escaping the cloud of smoke and dust as the building crumbles in Turkey's largest city. The residential block on the Asian side of the city was home to 43 people living in 14 apartments, with an illegal textile workshop on the ground floor. Emergency: Rescue workers working in the rubble after an eight-storey residential block came crashing to the ground in Istanbul Collapse: CCTV footage has revealed the horrific moment the eight-storey building came crashing down in a disaster in Istanbul which has killed at least one person The CCTV footage of the building's collapse begins with nothing apparently amiss as pedestrians stroll past it with cars parked in the street. But within seconds the building is toppling as the bottom storey gives way and the facade comes tumbling down. People immediately start to flee the scene as a cloud of smoke and dust obscures the front of the building. One person arrives at the scene and reacts in shock as they see what has happened, before covering their face to protect against the dust. More people are then seen emerging from the debris, visible only as silhouettes as they try to flee the wreckage. Obscured: People flee for their lives as the smoke and dust from the building hides the damage to the eight-storey block Saved from the rubble: Rescuers carry an injured woman on a stretcher from the site of a collapsed building in the Kartal district of Istanbul Urgent: Rescuers work together to carry a victim away from the scene on a stretcher Recovery: Turkish police and emergency services on the scene as rescue workers try to save people from underneath the rubble in Istanbul Turkish media reported that at least one person was dead and four others were trapped under the debris. It was not immediately clear why the building, in the Kartal district on the Asian side of the city, had collapsed. Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya told reporters at the site that 43 people were registered in 14 apartments at the address, but added that the top three floors of the building had been built illegally. Yerlikaya also said there was a textile workshop on the ground floor of the building that was operating without a license. He declined to comment on the number of casualties. Rescue work: Emergency crews wearing helmets take a victim away on a stretcher at the scene of the building collapse in Turkey Helping the helpers: Rescuers take care of an apparently exhausted emergency worker (sitting down, centre) at the site of a collapsed building in Kartal district of Istanbul Wreckage: Scores of firefighters, police officials, medical personnel as well as national Disaster and Emergency Management (AFAD) teams are currently at the scene Disaster: Another woman is carried away on a stretcher after the Istanbul building collapse The chairman for Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said search and rescue operations were underway. Additional personnel would be requested from neighbouring provinces if necessary, he said. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sent the interior and environment ministers to the site as the recovery gets underway. Television footage showed emergency teams pulling a woman out of the rubble as dozens of bystanders watched near the debris. Aerial views of the area showed roads leading to the building blocked by vehicles and crowds. Rescue: Emergency workers take an injured woman away on a stretcher after she was wounded by the eight-storey building's collapse in Istanbul A special constable and his Hungarian wife have been jailed for trafficking women from Hungary to a Chelsea apartment block dubbed '10 Floors of Whores'. Karl Ring and Ivett Szuda lived a luxury lifestyles on the cash they made from sex workers at Chelsea Cloisters - owned by Tory donor Christopher Moran. Szuda used the Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air to fly women into London from Budapest as they made more than 600,000 from the vice trade. Szuda, 32, was today jailed for six and a half years, while Ring, 34, was locked up for four years. Karl Ring and Ivett Szuda have been jailed for trafficking women to Britain to work as prostitutes in a Chelsea apartment block dubbed '10 Floors of Whores' The women were put to work in Chelsea Cloisters, with the couple taking half their earnings Judge Robin Johnson told Szuda: 'You, having practised as a prostitute in this country met, fell in love and eventually married a former client, Karl Ring. 'Having decided to stop earning your money this way you turned your attention to exploiting others, just as, no doubt, you felt that you had been exploited. 'You did so with considerable skill and energy, recruiting your husband into the business. Your account that you were merely caring for vulnerable women was rejected by the jury.' The judge told Ring: 'Those who answered your advertisements or indeed came into prostitution in the UK were often in a parlous state. 'They were desperate for money and had often fallen on hard times. You yourself knew what such a life was like. 'These were young vulnerable women who found themselves in a foreign country with little or no family support. The case precipitated a political scandal when it emerged Tory donor Christopher Moran (pictured with Prince Harry in 2017) has made millions in rent from the block unwitting to the prostitution The judge said Szuda exploited other women the way she had been exploited in the sex trade Isleworth Crown Court had heard how mother-of-two Szuda was the point of contact for Hungarian women who answered online adverts offering work for prostitutes. The couple paid more than 100,000 in rent for apartments for the girls to use in Chelsea - including a flat at 574 Chelsea Cloisters. They also ran a website called Kensington Angels that advertised more than 100 prostitutes. The women were told they could make up to 300 a day and would split half their earnings with the couple, Isleworth Crown Court heard. Szuda said shd did not believe there was anything wrong with what she was doing, since the sex workers were happy with the arrangement. But after a six week trial a jury convicted the couple of a string of prostitution and trafficking charges. Ring sat in the dock with his arm around Szuda, who sobbed as the judge passed the sentence. There is no suggestion that Dr Moran, who had no involvement in the day-to-day running of the building, knew the premises were being used for prostitution A top court has upheld a Massachusetts woman's conviction for involuntary manslaughter after she encouraged her boyfriend through dozens of text messages to kill himself. The Supreme Judicial Court agreed on Wednesday with a lower court judge who found that Michelle Carter caused Conrad Roy III's death when she told him to 'get back in' his truck that was filling with toxic gas after he told her he was scared. The judge said Carter, now 22, had a duty to call the police or Roy's family when she knew the 18-year-old intended to kill himself. 'Then after she convinced him to get back into the carbon monoxide filled truck, she did absolutely nothing to help him: she did not call for help or tell him to get out of the truck as she listened to him choke and die,' Justice Scott Kafker wrote in the Supreme Judicial Court's ruling. A Massachusetts court on Wednesday upheld the involuntary manslaughter conviction handed down Michelle Carter over the 2014 suicide death of her 18-year-old boyfriend Conrad Roy III. She is pictured above in 2017 during her sentencing Carter's lawyers noted the only evidence she instructed Roy to get back in the truck was a long, rambling text she sent to a friend two months later in which she called Roy's death her fault. Carter was 17 when Roy was found dead of carbon monoxide poisoning in July 2014. The young woman was sentenced to 15 months in jail but has remained free while she pursues her appeals. Prosecutors had argued Carter could have stopped Roy from killing himself, but instead bullied him into going through with his plan through text messages that became more insistent as he delayed. 'I thought you wanted to do this. The time is right and you're ready - just do it babe,' she wrote. 'You're finally going to be happy in heaven. No more pain. It's okay to be scared and it's normal. I mean, you're about to die,' Carter wrote in another. Carter was 17 when Conrad Roy III was found dead of carbon monoxide poisoning in July 2014. The judge said Carter had a duty to call the police or Roy's family when she knew the 18-year-old was killing himself Carter was sentenced (above) to 15 months in jail but has remained free while she pursues her appeals. Her 2017 trial highlighted the dangers of cyber bullying and drew national attention Carter's lawyers argued she can't be convicted because of her words alone, noting she wasn't with him when he killed himself and didn't provide him with the means to do it. Her attorney also told the court there was no evidence it would have made a difference if she had called for help, saying she didn't even know where his truck was parked. 'We can all see from the text messages that Michelle Carter did not force Conrad Roy to kill himself,' Attorney Daniel Marx told the court in October. Carter and Roy both lived in Massachusetts but met in Florida in 2012 while both were on vacation with their families. Their relationship consisted mainly of texting and other electronic communications. Both teens struggled with depression. Carter had also been treated for anorexia, while Roy had made earlier suicide attempts. Carter's 2017 trial highlighted the dangers of cyber bullying and drew national attention. The body of a missing New York mother has been found stuffed in a garbage bag at a a property in New Jersey. Paula Chin, 65, was reported missing on Monday night, last seen in her lower Manhattan apartment. Her body was found in a garbage bag at another home she owned on Bailey Hollow Road in Morristown, New Jersey on Tuesday. Three people - including her 22-year-old son Jared Eng and his girlfriend 21-year-old Caitlyn O'Rourke - have been charged with 'concealing a corpse', cops announced on Wednesday. The body of missing mother-of-two Paula Chin, 65, (left) was found on Tuesday in a garbage bag at her Morristown, New Jersey property. Her son Jared Eng, 22, (right) was one of the three arrested for concealing her corpse She was reported missing on Monday evening, last seen at her lower Manhattan apartment. She lived at her Manhattan and New Jersey residences with her two sons Jared (left) and Brandon (right) The third suspect was identified as 18-year-old Jennifer Lopez, of Manhattan. The connection among the three isn't immediately clear. They are in custody at the 1st Precinct. According to O'Rourke's brother, Eng and Caitlyn, of Patterson, New York, were romantically linked, as per the New York Daily News. Cops believe Chin was killed in a family dispute over money that turned deadly. Investigators are trying to put together a timeline of her murder. They believe she was killed by being slashed in the throat during an argument in her third-floor apartment on Vestry Street in Manhattan. An autopsy will determine the exact cause of death. Cops believe she was killed in a family dispute over money that turned deadly. She was found with her throat slashed She was last seen at her Manhattan apartment and found in a garbage bag left with the trash at her secluded New Jersey property Her Tribeca apartment, where she was last seen, pictured above She was found along with the trash at her Morristown, New Jersey home (above) Then authorities say her body was carried out of the building in a garbage bag and left with the trash in her New Jersey home. The car used to transport the body and cross the river was found parked near the Manhattan apartment, according to ABC. A neighbor told News 4 that Chin lived in the New York apartment and the Morristown home with her two sons. Photos from Chin's Facebook page show her proudly posing with her two sons. Family members last saw her on January 31. When they didn't hear from her since, they reported her missing on Monday. Murder charges could be filed in connection with the case later on Wednesday. The Morris County Prosecutors Office is assisting the NYPD in the case. Daniel Bennett, 19, has been charged with attempted burglary, just over a year after being accused of molesting a horse in Alabama An Alabama man who was charged last year with molesting a horse has now been arrested for allegedly trying to break into a home while carrying a sex toy and a Taser. Daniel Bennett, 19, has been charged with attempted burglary stemming from the incident in suburban Mobile on Monday, According to the Mobile County Sheriff's Department, deputies responded to a home in the 9000 block of Matlock Road in Irvington for a break-in report. Marylin Wilcox told WKRG she and her husband were enjoying a quiet evening at home when she heard a suspicious noise coming from the kitchen. She followed the sound and saw a stranger attempting to climb through her kitchen window. Wilcox screamed for her husband to get his gun, prompting the would-be intruder, later identified as Bennett, to flee. According to the sheriff's office, in the course of the investigation, they received multiple other reports about a man matching Bennetts description walking through neighbors yards and knocking on doors. Marylin Wilcox told a local station she caught Bennett trying to climb through her kitchen window on Monday evening As they were scouring the area in search of the culprit, deputies came upon the suspect riding a bicycle. Arresting deputies searched Bennett and found him to be in possession of a large rubber sex toy with a tube attached to it, a Taser, a pair of hair-styling scissors and a pack of razor blades. The 19-year-old man was booked into the Mobile County Metro Jail. In January 2018, Bennett was charged with misdemeanor bestiality for allegedly molesting a 20-year-old horse named Polly. A year ago, the then 18-year-old Bennett (left) was charged with bestiality for allegedly molesting a 20-year-old horse named Polly (right) The animals owner, Francine Janes, said she found the suspect in her barn in Irvington and then had her husband hold the intruder at gunpoint until police arrived to arrest him. Bennett allegedly claimed he just 'wanted to pet the horse.' The suspect was also charged with possession of burglar's tools and second-degree criminal trespassing. Court records did not indicate whether Bennett was convicted in the bestiality case, suggesting that he was possibly assigned a youthful offender status because he was 18 at the time, according to Lagniappe Weekly. A large batch of human blood plasma treatment produced by a Chinese pharmaceutical company was found to be contaminated with HIV, according to health authorities. The batch of 12,229 50ml bottles of intravenous immunoglobulin, a blood product produced from human plasma and contains antibodies to treat immune deficiencies, was manufactured by the Shanghai Xinxing Pharmaceutical Company, China's second-largest medical blood products manufacturer. Medical institutions have been ordered by the National Health Commission to suspend the use of the faulty batch on Tuesday after health authorities in east China's Jiangxi province detected traces of HIV in it, according to reports. So far, there are no reports of patients having contracted HIV, according to Beijing News citing a representative of the Jiangxi Provincial Disease Control Centre. The source of the contaminated serums is still under investigation. Cluster of HIV virus. A large batch of human blood plasma treatment produced by a Chinese pharmaceutical company in Shanghai was found to be contaminated with HIV A staff member of the health commission in north-west China's Shaanxi province said 10 hospitals had reported back saying they had yet to find any patients who had contracted HIV. Other hospitals in central China's Henan province and in Shanghai also said they are currently monitoring their patients. The contaminated bottles of plasma are due to expire in June 2021, according to Beijing News. They were originally cleared by the Shanghai Food and Drug Inspection Institute in October. The Shanghai Food and Drug Administration has ordered the company to suspend operations and launch an emergency recall of the immunoglobulin. Established in 2000, Shanghai Xinxing is a biotech company specialising in the manufacture and sale of medical blood products. The firm's products help treat patients with acute inflammation, Kawasaki disease, and post-chemotherapy infections Immunoglobulins are antibodies produced by white blood cells that are used to treat immune deficiencies caused by illnesses such as leukaemia, hepatitis and rabies. 'Experts believe that patients who had used the drug have a low risk of contracting HIV,' the National Health Commission said in its statement, adding that it has set up a task force to investigate the incident. 'The detection of HIV antibodies could mean that the products have been contaminated by the blood of HIV-infected people,' said Wang Yuedan, deputy director at the Peking University Health Science Center. 'In theory, the risk of HIV transmission exists, but the chances remain slim,' Dr Wang added. The NHC statement advised hospitals to report remaining stocks of the treatment and closely monitor the condition of patients who had already been administered with the defective batch. In July, it was revealed that at least 252,600 doses of substandard DPT vaccine - meant to prevent three infectious diseases - had been sold by Changchun Changsheng Bio-technology and administered to children as young as three months in eight cities (file photo) Established in 2000, Shanghai Xinxing is a biotech company specialising in the manufacture and sale of medical blood products. The firm's products help treat patients with acute inflammation, Kawasaki disease, and post-chemotherapy infections, according to its website. It is controlled by the listed China Meheco Group, one of China's biggest pharmaceutical firm. China is hit regularly by quality-control scandals, fuelling fear over the safety of food and medicines and anger at regulatory lapses. The incident came less than a month after it was revealed that 145 children in Jiangsu province were treated with expired polio vaccines, sparking widespread protests. In July, it was revealed that at least 252,600 doses of substandard DPT vaccine - meant to prevent three infectious diseases - had been sold by Changchun Changsheng Bio-technology and administered to children as young as three months in eight cities. Savannah Spurlock was last seen on January 4 leaving a bar in Lexington with three men she had just met before going back to their home in a rural area of Garrard County The four-year-old son of missing Kentucky woman Savannah Spurlock has celebrated his birthday without his mother, who vanished a month ago after giving birth to twins. Spurlock was last seen on January 4 leaving a bar in Lexington with three men she had just met before going back to their home in a rural area of Garrard County. Police have not confirmed if Spurlock, who turned 23 on Monday, ever left the home despite one of the men involved claiming she left 'later that morning'. Authorities started searching corn fields and a bridge near the rural home this week in their search for the mother-of-four. The search came as her son Noah celebrated his fourth birthday with his family on Sunday. Spurlock's ex-boyfriend and Noah's father, Shaquille Smith, shared photos of the boy's birthday birthday celebrations on Facebook. 'Happy Birthday to a real one. Noah Bleu #Big4,' he captioned the post. Newly unearthed photos of the twins Spurlock gave birth to just days before she disappeared have also been shared by her family. Her son Noah celebrated his fourth birthday with his family on Sunday. Spurlock's ex-boyfriend and Noah's father, Shaquille Smith, shared photos of the boy's birthday birthday celebrations on Facebook The boy's father also shared a video of the four-year-old (center) dancing during his birthday celebrations Newly unearthed photos of the twins Spurlock gave birth to just days before she disappeared have also been shared by her family The celebrations came as her loved ones anxiously waited for updates from search and rescue teams as they combed through deserted areas of Garrard County following the revelation that Spurlock was taken to the home by three men. The rescue crew has added volunteer K9 teams and three additional volunteers, two of whom are friends of Spurlock's family and former US Marines. Spurlock was last seen on surveillance video on January 4 after she left the Other Bar in Lexington with the three men who have not been publicly identified. Police do not believe that she knew the men prior to meeting them that night. Spurlock traveled to the home, located some 40 miles from the bar, in the back of a car with two of the men, while another vehicle driven by the third man followed behind. All three of the men were identified and questioned by police. Investigators confirmed they had forensically searched both of the vehicles but refused to release the findings of the searches. One of the men claimed that Spurlock left the home 'later that morning', though investigators have not been able to confirm that report. They said Spurlock's phone, which they have not located, was turned off around 8.30am on the day of her disappearance. The Cajun Coast Search and Rescue crew consists of volunteer K-9 teams and three additional volunteers, two of whom are friends of Spurlock's and former US Marines Officials on Tuesday confirmed that the search team is combing through corn fields and a bridge in Gabbard County. A search at the Kentucky River is scheduled to resume on Thursday In the meantime, loved ones who thought they'd be spending Tuesday celebrating Spurlock's 23rd birthday are instead anxiously awaiting updates from investigators. The photo above was posted on a Facebook page devoted to the missing person search Spurlock's mother has said she believes the three men are not telling authorities everything they know. 'I think the guys she was with know more than they are saying,' Ellen Spurlock, who lives with her daughter in Richmond, told the Lexington Herald-Leader. 'Their story doesn't make sense. She left with no money, no car, no coat, no phone in a different county than where she lives. It's not like her.' Ellen said Savannah, who gave birth to twins just days before her disappearance, had been looking forward to going out that night. 'I thought she needed a little break. She hadn't done anything for months since she just had the twins,' Ellen said. She said she suspects her daughter was taken against her will and urged the men to divulge any information they may have. 'I would say: 'Please, I'm begging you, tell everything to police you know. If you're hiding something, which I think you are, please come forth and think about if one of your loved ones was missing,'' she said. Ellen said the last time she spoke to her daughter was on FaceTime around 3am on the morning she vanished but that nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She said her daughter was in a car with other people when they spoke. Spurlock was last seen on surveillance video leaving The Other Bar in Lexington, Kentucky, with two men on the night of January 4. Investigators say she had never met the men before Spurlock traveled to the home located some 40 miles from the bar in the back of two of the men's car, with another vehicle driven by the third man following behind. All three of the men have been identified but none of them have been named as suspects No charges have been filed against the three men. Ellen has said that her daughter's disappearance has been especially hard on her toddler children, aged two and four. Her ex-boyfriend, Shaquille Smith, has previously said he believes the men know where she is. Authorities have said the believe the young mother is in danger. They said there is no indication that the mother-of-four ran away and police have not ruled out the possibility of foul play. Savannah is 5ft tall and weighs about 140lbs. She was last seen wearing a black top and a red skirt with heels. She has shoulder-length brown and blond hair and several tattoos, including one on the right side of her torso that reads, 'I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me,' and another on her back that reads, 'I'm her daughter'. Anyone with information about Spurlock's whereabouts is urged to contact Lt. Col. Rodney Richardson with Richmond police at 859-624-4776. A Kuwaiti couple got divorced after just three minutes of marriage after a bride tripped during their ceremony. The marriage is believed to have become the shortest ever in Kuwait's history after the couple received an annulment before they left the courthouse they got married in. According to Q8 News, they had just signed their marriage contract in front of a judge when the bride accidentally tripped on her way out. After being ridiculed, the woman flew into a rage and demanded the judge dissolve their marriage then and there. The bride was said to have flown into a rage after she tripped and her husband called her 'stupid' [file photo] They had been married for only three minutes. The incident provoked a wave of sympathy for the woman on social media, with netizens suggesting she was right to end it. 'If this is how he acts right at the beginning, it's better to leave him,' one Twitter user commented. 'A marriage with no respect, is a failed one right from the beginning,' another one added. Police have released new surveillance images of a man wanted over a violent face-slashing attack in Brooklyn, which left a woman scarred for life. The images show the man whom the NYPD believe slashed librarian Dana Sagona, 31, from Queens across the face at around 7.45am on Sunday in Williamsburg, before robbing her. The images released on Tuesday show the male Hispanic suspect in his 40s wearing glasses and all-black clothing, including a winter hat, and white sneakers. Sagona needed 44 stitches after was slashed across the face with a knife in the violent attack near the intersection of Boerum Street and White Street . Dana Sagona, 31, a librarian from Queens, said she was left needing 44 stitches after the attack The images released on Tuesday show the male Hispanic suspect in his 40s wearing glasses and all-black clothing, including a winter hat, and white sneakers The suspect in the slashing is seen in surveillance video released by the NYPD on Tuesday Sagona told the New York Daily News the man walked past her several times and 'checked her out' as he told someone over the phone 'I'm going to marry her'. The unnamed man then grabbed Sagona and held a knife to her face after she rejected his advances, she said. 'He said I was pretty, then asked me if I was scared,' she said. 'I said, 'No,' and then he grabbed me by the neck, maybe the shoulder,' she recalled. 'I felt like I was going to be raped.' Sagona said he then immediately pulled out the knife and slashed her across the face, leaving her with a severe cut down her cheek. 'When he took out the blade, he said he would kill me,' she said of the savage attack. The man then ran off with her phone and backpack, she said. He took her keys, $4, a MetroCard and a wallet worth $600. Ms Sagona said she saw the man walking past and 'checking her out' while telling someone on the phone he was 'going to marry her' Police reportedly said they have video footage of the incident although no arrests have been made yet Sagona said the incident left her needing 44 stitches running from the top of her cheek down to her jawbone. After the horrifying incident an Uber pulled up at the curb and the passenger soon called 911. Sagona was rushed to hospital, and immediately stitched up by doctors. They told her she will now be left with a lifelong scar after the attack. She said police told her the attack was captured on video, although there has not yet been an arrest. She admitted the weekend incident had chipped away at her sense of safety and willingness to walk down certain streets in the city. Anyone with information about the suspect is urged to call the NYPD tip line at 800-577-TIPS. A coven of Russian witches and seers formed a 'circle of power' on Tuesday to mobilize their supernatural energy in support of President Vladimir Putin. Dozens of self-proclaimed sorceresses stood side by side to perform the ritual, which they say is one of the coven's most powerful. Dressed entirely in hooded black robes, the group read aloud spells and chanted incantations in an effort to support the 66-year-old Russian leader and help him defeat his enemies. Dozens of witches dressed head-to-toe in hooded black robes formed the 'circle of power' on Tuesday The group met in the Russian capital Moscow to harness their supernatural energy to help President Putin Alyona Polyn, the head of the coven, said the purpose of the gathering was use the occult to improve Russians' quality of life which would in turn make the world a better place. This means protecting and guiding Vladimir Putin along the right path, Polyn said. 'We have gathered here to make the world better off through Russia,' she said. The coven gathered to cast spells in support of 66-year-old President Putin (pictured) The coven leader led the spell casting during the ceremony in Moscow yesterday. 'Breathe, Mother Earth embracing Russia on all sides,' she recited. 'Oh primordial power, return to the abyss those who wish to hate upon Russia. 'May Russia rise and step away from grief and poverty and may the coming days open the gates of happiness for Russia. All hail.' The occult is deeply embedded in Russian history, with the practice of spell-casting and witchcraft dating back to pagan times and its folklore containing various examples of people who posessed mystical powers. Russia's Health Ministry data shows that there were approximately 800,000 people in the country making a living through folk healing, practicing psychic mediums or other similar occupations in 2017. The session was led by Alyona Polyn, the head witch of the coven, who led the spell recitals Russian history and culture is full of examples of people believed to derive power from mystical sources A school bus driver was shot in the head during a road rage attack on a snowy interstate near downtown Minneapolis on Tuesday. Minneapolis Public Schools said in a statement that one student was on the small bus when the bus driver was shot. The child was not injured. Officers arrested suspect, Kenneth W. Lilly, who was driving a black sedan at the time of the incident. According to the Minneapolis Police Department, officers received calls of a crash around 2.21pm on Tuesday. A school bus driver was shot in the head during a road rage attack on a snowy interstate in Minneapolis on Tuesday. Officers arrested suspect, Kenneth W. Lilly, in connection to the shooting According to the Minneapolis Police Department, officers received calls of a crash around 2.21pm on Tuesday. Lilly was driving a black sedan (right) that appears to have been rear-ended by the bus When officers (pictured) arrived to the scene, they immediately arrested Lilly and removed a weapon from him 'Additional calls stated that a male was outside of a car pointing a gun at a school bus,' police said in a press statement. 'Subsequent callers advised that shots were being fired.' When officers arrived to the scene, they immediately arrested Lilly and removed a weapon from him. The bus driver suffered gunshot wounds and was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center. Minneapolis Public Schools said the child 'will be receiving follow-up support' from the school system Police spokesman John Elder said the driver's injuries were not life-threatening. In one scene photo, it appeared that the bullet went through the windshield of the Septran bus. Investigators said the road rage attack occurred after the two vehicles made contact with one another along Interstate 35. Police said the elementary school student was sitting in the back of the bus at the time and has been reunited with family members. In this scene photo, it appeared that the bullet went through the windshield of the Septran bus Investigators said the road rage attack occurred after the two vehicles made contact with one another along Interstate 35 Lilly was arrested for second-degree assault but he has not been formally charged. He was booked into the Hennepin County Adult Detention Center. The Minneapolis Police Department is still investigating what led up to the shooting Minneapolis Public Schools said the child 'will be receiving follow-up support' from the school system. 'We have resources on our website to support students and families in processing traumatic events. If you feel your child needs additional support, please reach out to your school, which has staff who will be happy to help,' the statement read. Lilly was arrested for second-degree assault but he has not been formally charged. He was booked into the Hennepin County Adult Detention Center. Minneapolis police are still investigating what led up to the shooting. Dutch scientists have been left baffled after 20,000 dead or dying seabirds washed up on North Sea beaches in a phenomenon not seen for decades. The fish-eating guillemots have been washing up between the northern Wadden Islands and southwestern Zeeland - all showing symptoms of severe starvation, a marine biologist said. However the bird deaths are confined only to Dutch shores, with nothing reported in Belgium or Germany. Scientists are now planning a mass autopsy of hundreds of dead birds next week, hoping to shed more light on the mystery. Suffering seabirds: Thousands of fish-eating guillemots (pictured, two of the birds which were caught are pictured in Ureterp) have been washing up dead or dying in the Netherlands in a phenomenon which has baffled Dutch scientists 'What's killing them is the million-dollar question,' Mardik Leopold, a maritime researcher for Wageningen University, told AFP. 'And we still don't know what the answer is. It's an alarming situation,' he added. 'The last time we saw high mortality rates like this was in the 1980s and 1990s.' High winds and stormy winter seas also could affect the birds' feeding patterns on herring and sprat as they become too fatigued to eat, Leopold said. 'But again, why are the deaths only localised to the Netherlands? Surely we're not the only place experiencing winter weather?' said Leopold. Dutch media have raised the question of whether the deaths may be linked to a recent container spill, littering the Dutch and German coast lines with debris, including plastic toys, polystyrene, shoes and at least one bag with a dangerous powder identified by authorities as 'organic peroxide.' Treatment: A medic attends to a sick guillemot in Ureterp. Scientists are planning a mass autopsy of the birds as they seek answers to the mysterious wave of guillemots washing up on beaches Mystery: Some of the sick birds which were caught on beaches are seen in Ureterp. The deaths have not been reported in Belgium or Germany But Leopold said an initial autopsy on a small number of birds showed 'no plastic' in their stomachs. Similarly, if the birds were affected by a chemical, other animals would also have shown symptoms, the marine biologist said. 'The birds were not covered in oil either,' he added. Dutch authorities said Wednesday they had been told by the MSC shipping company that at least 341 containers were lost off the MSC Zoe as it was battling a storm last month. However, the species is not threatened with extinction. Some two million guillemots live in the North Sea, the NOS public broadcaster said. Jake Patterson's father wept and told his son he loved him as he witnessed him waive his right to a preliminary hearing in Barron County Court today. The 21-year-old is charged with kidnapping Jayme Closs and gunning down her parents Denise and James in cold blood on October 15. He betrayed no emotion as he confidently answered the judge's questions, determining that he had made his decision to not have a preliminary hearing 'knowingly, intelligently and voluntarily.' By waiving his right to a preliminary hearing, Patterson's case will now go to trial. Emotion flickered across Patterson's face as he was escorted past the row in which his father, sister Katie and brother Erik sat. 'Love you Jake,' his father said quietly. Both Katie and Erik echoed him with the words, 'We love you' as the youngest of the three siblings shuffled past them in handcuffs and orange prison overalls. His face contorted with a half smile, half grimace. For a moment he appeared on the verge of tears and then he was gone. Jake Patterson waived his right to a preliminary hearing in Barron County Court on Wednesday and the case will now go to trial, as he'll be arraigned on March 27 Emotion flickered across Patterson's face as he was escorted past the row in which his father, sister Katie and brother Erik sat. 'Love you Jake,' his father said. His face contorted with a half smile, half grimace. For a moment he appeared on the verge of tears and then he was gone The 21-year-old kept Jayme at his remote cabin for 88 days, in Gordon, Wisconsin, until Jayme managed to escape in January. Pictured: Jayme tucking into a steak alongside her grandfather at his home This is the first time that Patterson has appeared in person and stood in the same room as the relatives of the couple he is accused of murdering and the 13-year-old girl he kidnapped. At 10.41am more than a dozen of Jayme's family members had filed silently into the courtroom. Earlier they had acknowledged it was 'going to be a hard day.' They filled three of the four rows of benches. Patterson's family presence was meager by comparison. Patterson's father quietly thanked the Sheriff's Deputy who had escorted them in, then placed a protective arm around his daughter's shoulder and held her close as they sat waiting for proceedings to start. Proceedings lasted barely three minutes and the case will now go to trial. As he left the room Patterson's sister stifled a sob and his brother broke down in tears. He will be arraigned on March 27. According to the criminal complaint released shortly after Jayme was found, Patterson told investigators he knew Jayme 'was the girl he was going to take' after he saw her getting on a school bus near her home. He made two aborted trips to the family's home before carrying out the attack in which he killed Jayme's mother in front of her. This is the first time that Patterson has appeared in person and stood in the same room as the relatives of the couple he is accused of murdering and the 13-year-old girl he kidnapped Patterson's father Patrick (left) thanked the Sheriff's Deputy who had escorted them in, placed a protective arm around his daughter's shoulder and held her close as they sat waiting for proceedings to start. Pictured right: Jake's older brother Erik At 10.41am more than a dozen of Jayme's family members had filed silently into the courtroom. Earlier they had acknowledged it was 'going to be a hard day.' They filled three of the four rows of benches. Patterson's family presence was meager by comparison Patterson's siblings Katie and Erik echoed their father with the words, 'We love you' as the youngest of the three siblings shuffled past them in handcuffs and orange prison overalls. Pictured: Patterson with his mother (center) and sister Katie (left) in 2015 In the days that followed, thousands of people volunteered to search for Jayme. Investigators believe Patterson hid Jayme in a remote cabin in Gordon, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) north of Barron, before she escaped and got help from a woman walking her dog. Jayme told police that on the night she was abducted, she awoke to her dog's barking, then woke her parents as a car came up the driveway. Her father went to the front door as Jayme and her mother hid in a bathtub, according to the complaint. Jayme told police she heard a gunshot and knew her dad had been killed. Patterson dressed in black and wearing a facemask broke down the bathroom door. He taped Jayme's mouth, hands and ankles before pulling her out of the bathtub and shooting her mother in the head, the complaint said. He dragged Jayme outside, threw her in the trunk of his car and drove off, according to the complaint. Patterson took her to a cabin and said no one could know she was there or 'bad things could happen to her,' the complaint said. When he left or had friends over, he sealed her under the bed with tote boxes and weights so she couldn't crawl out, sometimes for hours, according to the complaint. When his father visited, Patterson told investigators, he turned up the radio to conceal any noise she might make. Patterson is charged with murdering James (left) and Denise Closs (right) last October 15 Jennifer Smith, Jayme Closs's aunt leaves Barron County court today after witnessing Jake Patterson waive his right to a preliminary hearing Members of Jayme Closs's family leave Barron County court today Jayme was this week pictured smiling enjoying a steak dinner with her grandfather months after her terrifying kidnapping ordeal was brought to an end. The photo, shared to a Facebook group, showed Jayme tucking into a hearty meal alongside her grandfather at his home in Wisconsin - after he promised to buy the teenager 'a big steak' when she was found. 'Were so blessed!!! We had to share!!' A caption alongside the emotional Facebook post read. 'Grandpa said since day one he was gonna buy Jayme a big steak when she was found!! well here it is he bought her steak and they had lunch together at his house!!' Jayme is continuing to recover after being kidnapped and eventually escaping from a rural Wisconsin hideout to safety. Last month it was revealed Wisconsin investigators have examined call logs, photos and videos stored on Patterson's cellphone as investigations continue. Search warrant documents filed in Barron County Circuit Court said evidence on the phone could be used 'to determine the chronological context' of what happened. When Jayme escaped from a cabin in Douglas County she flagged down a woman for help. The documents said authorities were looking for a contact list, a log of incoming and outgoing calls and the dates and times of those calls, texts or other messages and social media communications. Investigators were trying to trace Patterson's (left) outgoing calls to pin him to murder scene. They were also scouring his phone for messages and images to 'get chronological context' of the time in which he held Jayme (right) The image above shows the filthy basement den where authorities believe Jayme Closs was held prisoner by her alleged abductor The den was filled with soft toys, a dirty mattress, women's clothing, and women's makeup The image above shows stuffed toys and other accessories on the mattress inside the den. The home is located in rural Gordon, Wisconsin The 13-year-old was held captive for 88 days in a rural cabin in Wisconsin (pictured) before her eventual escape Jayme was found at the Eau Claire Acres estate near the town of Gordon, which is about 70 miles away from her home in Barron where she was abducted They were also seeking emails that were sent to or from the cellphone, evidence that would tell them where the phone was during their months-long investigation, and any pictures or videos on the device. She was able to provide a description of the car Patterson was driving, and he was arrested minutes later. According to a search warrant affidavit, the red Ford Taurus Patterson was driving was taped up and taken to a secure evidence garage. The FBI's evidence response team searched the car the next day and found his cellphone on the front seat. The phone was released to the Wisconsin Department of Justice to be analyzed by someone trained in the forensic extraction of data. Jayme was forced to live in a squalid basement 'cell' strewn with soft toys, filthy bedding and women's clothes. The secret den complete with a scruffy mattress and cuddly stuffed pig is beneath alleged abductor Jake Thomas Patterson's tumbledown forest cabin in rural Gordon, Wisconsin. A stash of kids' backpacks, including one with panda ears, can be seen piled up in one corner of the 8ft by 8ft room in images obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com. The complaint said Patterson went to the Closs home October 15 with the intention of abducting Jayme and with plans to kill if necessary. He allegedly told authorities he shot Jayme's father, James Closs, through the front door, then went inside and found Jayme and her mother huddled together in a bathtub. He shot Denise Closs, then dragged Jayme to a car, the complaint said. He took her to his cabin near Gordon, a township of 645 people in thickly forested Douglas County, according to the complaint. Oldham town centre is on lockdown after a bomb squad was called to reports of a suspicious package in a set of bins. Police said a number of residents in the town in Greater Manchester, have been evacuated as a result of the scare this morning. Explosive ordnance experts have been called to the scene on Bow Street, where a cordon is in place. Police said a number of residents in the town in Greater Manchester, have been evacuated as a result of the scare this morning. Explosive ordnance experts have been called to the scene on Bow Street, where a cordon is in place A number of car parks are also understood to be affected. No further details have been revealed, but the package is currently being assessed A number of car parks are also understood to be affected. No further details have been revealed, but the package is currently being assessed. It is understood the contents of a bin were being x-rayed this afternoon A number of car parks are also understood to be affected. No further details have been revealed, but the package is currently being assessed. It is understood the contents of a bin were being x-rayed this afternoon. Officers tonight have lifted the cordon following fears earlier in the day. In a statement, Greater Manchester Police said: 'Shortly before 11am today, police were called to reports of a suspicious package on Bow Street in Oldham. 'An assessment is currently being made and EOD are attending the scene. 'Some residents have been evacuated as a precaution. A safety cordon is in place on Bow Street. At this stage the disruption caused is believed to be minimal.' Superintendent Danny Inglis, of GMP's Oldham district, tonight said: 'A device was found on Bow Street, which was safely removed by specialist officers. 'This investigation is being led by GMP's Organised Crime Team and it is not being treated as terrorism-related. 'I understand this may cause some concern but we do not believe there to be any wider threat to the public and the cordon has now been lifted. 'If you saw anything or anyone acting suspiciously in the area or have any information that could assist our enquiries, please get in touch with us as soon as you can.' Labour's splits over Venezuela were exposed today as Emily Thornberry called for new elections and backed sanctions against the regime. The shadow foreign secretary said the Foreign Office under Labour would not indulge abuses of human rights anywhere - regardless of the political stripe of its government. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn - a long-standing admirer of Nicholas Maduro's socialist predecessor Hugo Chavez - has strongly condemned outside interference in Venezuela 'whether from the US or anywhere else'. In a speech today Ms Thornberry said Britain was wrong to join other nations in recognising opposition leader Juain Guaido as interim president. But she condemned the Maduro regime and endorsed sanctions because 'doesn't involve killing people. Labour's splits over Venezuela were exposed today as Emily Thornberry (pictured today at PMQs) called for new elections and backed sanctions against the regime Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (pictured last week) - a long-standing admirer of Mr Maduro's socialist predecessor Hugo Chavez - has strongly condemned outside interference in Venezuela 'whether from the US or anywhere else' Maduro has shown no signs of bowing to the pressure, warning that he could not rule out civil war if the protests against his regime continued Spain, Germany, France, Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, the Netherlands and Lithuania have all joined in recognising Mr Guaido, who proclaimed himself interim president on January 23. In her speech today, Ms Thornberry said: 'Under a Labour Foreign Office, I can ... guarantee there will be no indulgence of human rights abuses because they are committed by less powerful countries, or by governments who call themselves 'socialist' but who, by their actions, betray every socialist ideal.' Ms Thornberry told an event at the Institute for Government in London on Wednesday: 'What I am saying is that we begin with dialogue. 'That offer has been made, internally and externally we need to ensure that happens.' She added: 'That's the best way to proceed rather than somebody saying 'that's it, we've had enough, we recognise X, we don't recognise Y any more'. 'That's not the way to treat another country, even a country in as desperate a situation as Venezuela.' Ms Thornberry said she was a 'great believer in sanctions' as a way of using foreign policy muscle 'that doesn't involve killing people'. Mr Maduro has shown no signs of bowing to the pressure, warning that he could not rule out civil war if the protests against his regime continued. 'I don't accept ultimatums from anybody. Why should the EU be giving ultimatums to a country?,' he said in an interview with Spanish television broadcast late on Sunday. In a speech today Ms Thornberry said Britain was wrong to join other nations in recognising opposition leader Juain Guaido as interim president Meanwhile the Government faces 'serious questions' over what it will do to ensure any Venezuelan money illegally tied up in the UK is returned to the country's people, a former head of the foreign affairs select committee has said. Crispin Blunt said Venezuela had been 'systematically looted' by the country's ruling class and warned it was the British government's responsibility to seize any ill-gotten gains within its jurisdiction. The Conservative MP made the comments after Britain and other European powers announced they were recognising opposition leader Juan Guaido as the interim president of the oil-rich country. The move follows the failure of the embattled incumbent Nicolas Maduro to call new presidential elections as demanded by the Europeans and other foreign countries. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the people of Venezuela had suffered enough and it was time for a 'new start', while he described the Maduro regime as 'kleptocratic'. Mr Blunt told the BBC's World Tonight that the UK Government had to take action beyond simply recognising Mr Guaido's legitimacy as leader. He said: 'With all the funds that the government of Venezuela has in the UK legally, and then the funds that are in the UK illegally having been stolen from the people of Venezuela by the people who are currently running it, there are serious questions to be asked about what our Government is going to do make sure those monies can be returned to the proper service of the people of Venezuela.' Donald Tusk today blamed Jeremy Corbyn's 'pro-Brexit' stance for killing off hopes of keeping Britain in the EU. The European council chief said the political 'facts' in the UK meant the historic decision to leave the bloc would not be reversed. The intervention - as Mr Tusk delivered a bitter swipe about Brexiteers deserving a 'special place in Hell' - will cause more misery for Remainers trying to force a second referendum. Mr Corbyn has been facing an angry backlash from his own MPs for refusing to endorse another national vote that could reverse the result from 2016. Donald Tusk today blamed the 'pro-Brexit' stance taken by Jeremy Corbyn (pictured in Derbyshire last week) for killing off hopes of keeping Britain in the EU As the deadlock with Brussels deepened dramatically, European council chief Donald Tusk (pictured right with Leo Varadkar today) lashed out at Leave campaigners who had no idea how to sever ties 'safely' Instead the Labour leader has only said the option should be 'on the table' if the Commons passes a deal. Cross-party politicians abandoned plans to force a vote on calling a referendum last month after admitting they would not win without support from the Opposition front bench. The tensions were inflamed this week when a video from 2009 emerged of Mr Corbyn, then an obscure backbencher, condemning the 'European empire' and slamming the idea of re-running referendums. In a pointed aside during a press conference with Irish premier Leo Varadkar in Brussels today, Mr Tusk attacked the 'pro-Brexit' stance taken by Mr Corbyn for undermining efforts to keep the UK in the bloc. 'I know that still there are in the UK, and on the continent, as well as in Ireland, wish for a reversal of this decision,' he said. 'I have always been with you, with all my heart. But the facts are unmistakeable. At the moment the pro-Brexit stance of the UK Prime Minister, and the Leader of the Opposition, rules out this question. 'Today there is no political force and no effective leadership for Remain. I say this without satisfaction, but you cannot argue with facts.' Mr Tusk also raged that there is a 'special place in hell' for those who fought to get the UK out of the EU. As the deadlock with Brussels deepened dramatically, the European council chief lashed out at Leave campaigners who had no idea how to sever ties 'safely'. Rubbing salt into the wound, Mr Tusk was then caught on mic chuckling at a press conference when Irish premier Leo Varadkar whispered to him that the British would 'give you terrible trouble' over the jibe. Incandescent Brexiteers hit back at the 'inflammatory' intervention within moments as the negotiations threatened to go into a tailspin. Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom, who backed Brexit in the referendum, branded Mr Tusk 'spiteful' and demanded he apologise. Labour tensions were inflamed this week when a video from 2009 emerged of Mr Corbyn, then an obscure backbencher, condemning the 'European empire' and slamming the idea of re-running referendums The remarks were raised in the House by Tory MP Peter Bone, who branded them an 'insult' to the British people. DUP MP Sammy Wilson said Mr Tusk and his 'arrogant EU negotiators' had 'fanned the flames of fear in an attempt to try to overturn the result of the referendum'. The PM's spokesman also swiped back at Mr Tusk, saying: 'I think it's a question for Donald Tusk as to why he considers the use of that language to be helpful. 'I appreciate that was difficult this morning as he did not take any questions.' Mr Tusk and Mr Varadkar met in Brussels today before Mrs May arrives tomorrow in a desperate hope of re-writing the divorce deal just 50 days before exit day. Mrs May has spent the day in Northern Ireland meeting all five main parties to find a way forward on the Irish border backstop. She missed PMQs for the talks, with Cabinet Office minister David Lidington deputising. Alliance leader Naomi Long was the first to emerge, complaining that Mrs May had given no details of what she would ask for in Brussels. Jayme Closs will 'no doubt' recover from the ordeal of being held captive for 88 days, according to a close family friend who called her a 'strong little fighter'. The 13-year-old is now back with loved ones after escaping from a rural Wisconsin hideout to safety last month. The teen is understood to be spending time with family and friends and in therapy to help her get over the horrors of being forced to live in a squalid basement 'cell' strewn with soft toys, filthy bedding and women's clothes. And close friend of the Closs family, Michelle Saffert, said she now feels like Jayme is healing. Michelle told CBS News: 'I don't think any of us can really know what she's going through but I think that if she has to be with a group of people that will love her and support her for the rest of her life, she's in the perfect family to do that. 'I have no doubt that she's going to make it. I have no doubt in my mind at all. The strong little fighter she is.' Jayme was this week pictured smiling enjoying a steak dinner with her grandfather. The photo, shared to a Facebook group, showed Jayme tucking into a hearty meal alongside her grandfather at his home in Wisconsin - after he promised to buy the teenager 'a big steak' when she was found. 'Were so blessed!!! We had to share!!' A caption alongside the emotional Facebook post read. A photo shared on Facebook showed a smiling Jayme tucking into a steak alongside her grandfather at his home Jayme, pictured with her aunt Sue Allard, is now recovering at home with loved ones Jayme Closs is seen with younger cousin Bailey Lynn Sikora (left) and another relative after escaping from squalid basement 'cell' TIMELINE OF JAYME'S DISAPPEARANCE Oct. 15, 2018 - James Closs, 56, and Denise Closs, 46, are found shot to death in their home in Barron, a town in western Wisconsin. Authorities issue an Amber Alert for 13-year-old Jayme Closs, and the search for her begins. Oct. 18, 2018 - About 100 people join a ground search for Jayme. Oct. 27, 2018 - Funerals are held for James and Denise Closs. Oct. 29, 2018 - Prosecutors announce they have charged a man with burglarizing the Closs home but say he's not a suspect in the case. Jan. 10, 2019 - Jayme is found alive in Gordon, a town about an hour's drive north of Barron. A man driving around the rural area is soon taken into custody. Jan. 11, 2019 - Investigators say the suspect, 21-year-old Jake Thomas Patterson, is jailed on homicide and kidnapping charges. Jan. 14, 2019 - Prosecutors formally charge Patterson with two counts of intentional homicide and one count each of kidnapping and armed burglary. Feb. 6, 2019 - Patterson is scheduled to appear in a Barron County courtroom for a preliminary hearing. Advertisement It comes as the man accused of kidnapping the schoolgirl and killing her parents is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday for a preliminary hearing. Jake Patterson, 21, is charged with murdering her parents James and Denise Closs last October 15 and keeping the 13-year-old in captivity. Michelle added: 'We've never talked about him or any of that kind of stuff, and I hope we never have to.' Some of Jayme's family are planning to attend the hearing where it will be determined whether there's grounds for a trial. Both sides can present evidence. Jayme told police that on the night she was abducted, she awoke to her dog's barking, then woke her parents as a car came up the driveway. Her father went to the front door as Jayme and her mother hid in a bathtub, according to the complaint. Jayme told police she heard a gunshot and knew her dad had been killed. Patterson allegedly dressed in black and wearing a facemask is accused of breaking down the bathroom door. He then taped Jayme's mouth, hands and ankles before pulling her out of the bathtub and shooting her mother in the head, the complaint said. He dragged Jayme outside, threw her in the trunk of his car and drove off, according to the complaint. Patterson then took her to a cabin and said no one could know she was there or 'bad things could happen to her,' the complaint said. When he left or had friends over, he sealed her under the bed with tote boxes and weights so she couldn't crawl out, sometimes for hours, according to the complaint. When his father visited, Patterson is said to have told investigators, he turned up the radio to conceal any noise she might make. Jayme escaped from a cabin in Douglas County on January 10 and flagged down a dogwalker for help. Jake Thomas Patterson, 21, seen on a video feed from the Barron County jail, right. Patterson is charged with murdering James and Denise Closs and keeping Jayme in captivity The image above shows the filthy basement den where authorities believe Jayme Closs was held prisoner by her alleged abductor The den was filled with soft toys, a dirty mattress, women's clothing, and women's makeup Patterson is charged with murdering James (left) and Denise Closs (right) last October 15 According to the criminal charges, Patterson told investigators he saw Jayme getting on a school bus near her home and decided to abduct her. The complaint said Patterson went to the Closs home October 15 with the intention of abducting Jayme and with plans to kill if necessary. He took her to his cabin near Gordon, a township of 645 people in thickly forested Douglas County, according to the complaint. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer ridiculed President Trump's assertion that his own election averted a 'major war' with North Korea. Trump issued the comment in his Tuesday night State of the Union address, repeating an impossible-to-verify claim he has made before, as he announced his second summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. Schumer, who was seated in the audience inside the House chamber, was unimpressed. 'Do you think anyone believes that if there was another president we'd be at war with North Korea? That was a real eye roller,' he told CNN. 'Do you think anyone believes that if there was another president we'd be at war with North Korea?' Sen. Charles Schumer said after President Trump said his own election prevented a 'major war' Schumer continued: 'The state of his administration is chaos and his foreign policy is inside out, patting dictators on the back like Putin and Kim Jong-un and attacking our allies.' 'The American people know this is a mess,' Schumer added. Trump declared in his speech: 'If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea. Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong-un is a good one. Chairman Kim and I will meet again on February 27th and 28th in Vietnam,' the president announced. Trump announced in his speech that he will head to Vietnam at the end of February to meet with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un Schumer also called out Trump's effort to cultivate closer relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin Trump's first summit with Kim Jong-un lead to a letter where the two sides agreed to 'work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula' Trump took heat for his previous summit with Kim in Singapore, where their historic June meeting resulted in a general statement about denuclearization. Their agreement called on the two sides to 'work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,' but without any specific language on verification or compliance. Trump has cited the north's year-long suspension of missile tests, which had been a provocation and had put diplomats on edge. The president pronounced after the meeting that North Korea was 'no longer a nuclear threat,' but that is not a statement his diplomats have made. Added Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland: 'The president's policy is baffling. North Korea has made virtually no progress towards denuclearizing their program. They haven't tested missiles because they have the capacity today.' He told CNN it was 'strange to me' that Trump would meet Kim without North Korea having made progress. 'Clearly it's been a win for the North Korean dictator,' he said. Dan Gasby has revealed that his wife, famed model and restaurateur Barbara 'B.' Smith, told him to move on with his life before her Alzheimer's disease worsened. Last month, Gasby faced a major backlash after revealing he has found love with another woman - Manhattan chef Alex Lerner - while still being married to Smith and caring for her in their Hamptons home. But he says people don't see the full picture and that he and his 69-year-old wife, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2013, had come to a special agreement. 'They say I am disrespecting her. B. told me to live, to go on, as Ive told her,' the 64-year-old said to People Magazine. Dan Gasby says his wife of 26 years B. Smith told him to get on with his life should she become incapacitated Gasby (center) says he and his wife B. Smith (right, girlfriend Alex Lerner left) agreed to move on romantically if anything happened to them He revealed that he and Smith discussed their futures while assembling their wills and what to do if either of them became incapacitated. 'B. asked me to go on with my life. Anyone who says B. didn't do that doesn't know B. We wanted each other to be happy,' Gasby said. 'What we would like people to know is that when somebody has Alzheimer's, how devastating it is, how 24/7 it is, how draining it is,' he added. Gasby refused to place Smith in a home and cares for her himself along with his 32-year-old daughter Dana. They feed her, bathe her, dress her, and tend to her daily needs. 'You can be a caregiver and be loving to the patient and your loved one but you can still find some joy. It doesnt need to be one or the other,' he says. 'B. asked me to go on with my life. We wanted each other to be happy,' Gasby said. He revealed he was dating Manhattan chef Alex Lerner in December (together above) Lerner helps out with Smith's care. The two pictured above and Smith's East Hampton home on January 9, 2018 B. Smith pictured in her Easy Hampton home passing a portrait of herself Gasby has even introduced his girlfriend Lerner, 53, to Smith and she helps out with Smith's care. Speaking to Third Hour of Today, Gasby says he's speaking publicly about his new relationship because that's what Smith wanted. The two have been together for over a year. 'Because that's what Barbara asked me to do, to talk about it. It spun out of control to "I'm having an affair. This woman, because of who she is, is taking B's money. We're abusing B. B wouldn't want this." These people have never even talked to B,' Gasby said. B. Smith rose to fame as a model and was the first black woman to grace the cover of Mademoiselle magazine. She opened three eponymous restaurants and launched a lifestyle and media brand over the course of 25 years. Gasby sparked controversy when he revealed he was dating chef Alex Lerner (together above) Her diagnosis rocked the couple's world and relationship. 'It was like chewing glass. She said to me one day, "Dan, I feel broken, like there's something not right." And then I started to notice things were becoming more repetitive. I had an inkling, but I wouldn't believe that it could be something as devastating, as catastrophic, as Alzheimer's,' Gasby said. Gasby revealed that following her diagnosis he grappled with depression and loneliness, but then met Lerner who had experience with Alzheimer's as she was caring for her father who had the disease. '(Lerner) was funny. The most important thing, she was kind. And we became friends, and that friendship got closer and closer,' he said. Lerner revealed that she had her reservations about the relationship, but in the end gave in. 'But after a while, I understood, or it seemed to me, as if I had met a man who has a child. In a sense that B. is now very child-like. And his responsibilities are almost those of a single father. Like, really being there 24/7. Taking care of every and all of her needs,' she said on Today. More than $110 million worth of Medicare rebates are waiting to be claimed by Australian residents. A large portion of the unclaimed cash is from customers not providing their bank details during doctor visits and other medical services. The Federal Government estimates more than 670,000 Australians could be owed money due to not providing or forgetting to update their details. More than $110 million worth of Medicare rebates are waiting to be claimed by Australian residents Medicare is currently in the process of attempting to contact by traditional mail those they believe are owed money. 'I couldn't see why anyone wouldn't put their bank account details in the system to get what they're owed,' Human Services Minister Micheal Keenan said, according to ABC. 'We have written to people asking them to do that, reminding them about this. People live busy lives, there's a lot going on, these sorts of things can slip through the cracks,' he said. The minister said he believes it is a case of people not being on top of the situation rather than refusing to hand over their details. He also noted the Australian Taxation Office has been issuing rebates directly into bank accounts for years. Medicare cannot simply contact the ATO to get information, however, as that would breach privacy laws. The best thing Australians could do for their chance to claim some of the rebate jackpot is to contact Medicare and make sure they have their current banking details on file. South Africa: $20bn investment shows SA has a lot to offer Since President Cyril Ramaphosa announced his massive investment drive for the country, at least US$20 billion has been amassed. Last year, the President announced an ambitious plan to attract investment to the country of $100 billion in the next five years. And, in the past few months, this drive has already seen investments pour in to the amount of $20 billion. The President said this when he addressed day two of the Investing in African Mining Indaba at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on Tuesday. The conference is being attended by Heads of State, investors and deal makers from around the world. We have recently returned from the World Economic Forum in Davos and a State visit to India, where we engaged with the investment community on, among other things, South Africas ambitious programme to mobilise far greater levels of investment. Our message to international investors is that we are taking practical measures to build an economy that is underpinned by inclusive growth, competitiveness and transformation. This message found practical expression in the inaugural South Africa Investment Conference, which we hosted in October last year. Several companies at the conference made announcements of investments, which amounted to around $20 billion in total, the President said. The investments, President Ramaphosa said, are a clear indication that the South African economy has a lot to offer, and that opportunities for growth are abundant if the country harnesses its areas of comparative advantage and creates an environment conducive to investment. The fact that three of these major investment announcements came from the mining sector gives credence to our view that mining in South Africa is a sunrise industry. We expect that they will make a valuable contribution to accelerated economic growth and greater job creation, he said. With South Africas mining industry having a long history that spans over 150 years, the President said the countrys mineral wealth has attracted large capital investments over the decades, resulting in the development of integrated industrial value chains that generate significant value for the economy. South Africa hosts the worlds largest reserves of platinum group metals and manganese, and some of the largest reserves of gold, diamonds, chromite ore and vanadium. As government, we regard the mining industry as a key player in the future growth and development of our economy, with huge potential for exploration, production and beneficiation. It is for this reason that we have prioritised the restoration of a policy and regulatory environment that is stable and predictable. Significant work has been done to remove the uncertainty that held back the development of the industry, he said. Steps being taken to address investor concerns The President said, meanwhile, that the country has emerged from a period of strained relations where the courts became the main platform of engagement between the industry and government. He said government undertook to hold engagements with the industry because it recognised the critically important role that mining can and must still play in shaping the future of the country. To this end, we moved to speed up the finalisation of the Mining Charter and to provide greater clarity on the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Amendment Bill. Because of their importance, these actions formed a critical component of the Economic Stimulus and Recovery Plan we announced in September 2018 after our economy went into a technical recession. As part of the package, government is reprioritising spending -- within the existing fiscal framework -- towards initiatives that are aimed at driving economic activity, including financial and non-financial measures to turn around the economy. The President said government further recognised the challenges raised by investors, including administered prices for ports, rail and electricity, as well as infrastructure bottlenecks. We welcome the interactions we have had with the private sector, representing both local and international, on a number of issues that are of concern to them and some matters of concern to us. We are working in earnest to address the constraints that were raised with us, as we implement the Stimulus and Economic Recovery Plan. We are addressing issues that are of concern to companies such as Visa Regulations, reducing the cost of doing business, eliminating many bureaucratic constrains and making it a lot easier to conduct business, he said. Government to unveil Eskom recovery plan The President assured that work is being done to address energy concerns in relation to Eskom. He said investors had raised a concern over an important infrastructure challenge - the security and affordability of energy supply. We have been giving detailed attention to the crisis at Eskom. Eskom is currently facing significant operational, financial and structural challenges. Eskoms contribution to the health of our economy is too great for it to be allowed to fail. It is too important and is too big to fail, and we will not allow it to fail. Restoring and securing energy security for the country is an absolute imperative. In the coming days, we will be announcing a package of measures to stabilise and improve Eskoms financial, operational and structural position and to ensure security of energy supply for the country, he said. Land expropriation to promote economic activity President Ramaphosa said government has used its engagements with investors to outline South Africas approach to land reform. He said investors raised a concern about the proposal for the expropriation without compensation to be among the mechanisms used to promote land reform. We must emphasise that our approach will enhance, rather than undermine, property rights as we seek to address what we have termed the original sin that was committed against black South Africans during colonial and apartheid days. The measure we are proposing will apply to land for the purposes of land reform only, and within a clearly defined set of circumstances. This measure will be undertaken in a way that promotes economic development and agricultural output, and that does not undermine the principles of our Constitution or the rule of law. Investors need not fear that their investments and assets will be taken away from them, President Ramaphosa said. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2019-02-06. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. The editor of the Vatican's women's magazine has accused the Catholic Church of ignoring complaints of rape and sexual abuse made against priests by nuns. Lucetta Scaraffia is now calling for a commission to be set up by the Vatican to investigate historical and contemporary allegations. This came after Pope Francis's public admission that priests have used nuns as 'sexual slaves' - and may still be doing so. Lucetta Scaraffia, editor of 'Women Church World, is calling for a commission to be set up by the Vatican to investigate complaints of sexual abuse made against Catholic priests by nuns 'It is the first time that the pope, but also the church as an institution, has publicly admitted this abuse is taking place, and that's hugely important,' Ms Scaraffia, editor of 'Women Church World', told AFP. 'Many complaints have been filed with the Vatican and have not been followed up. 'I very much hope that a commission will be set up to investigate, and that nuns expert in the issue will be called to take part,' she told AFP. 'They could move quickly with trials, and above all raise awareness because silence is what allows rapists to continue to rape,' she added. The pontiff on Tuesday said Catholic priests and bishops had been sexually abusing nuns, and that his predecessor Benedict XVI had dissolved a religious order of women because of 'sexual slavery on the part of priests and the founder'. Pope Francis publicly admitted that the church was aware that priests had been using nuns as 'sexual slaves' - and may still be doing so - on Tuesday The Church has 'suspended several clerics' and the Vatican has been 'working (on the issue) for a long time,' he said. The abuse was 'still going on, because it's not something that just goes away like that. On the contrary,' he added. The nuns scandal broke as the Catholic church has had to contend with a wave of cases involving paedophile priests in countries worldwide from Ireland and the United States to Australia. The papal admission followed a rare outcry last week from the Vatican's women's magazine, 'Women Church World', over the rape of nuns, leaving them feeling forced to have abortions or raise children not recognised by their priest fathers. Scaraffia said the clerical abuse of nuns was a global issue, but one particularly prevalent in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Reports of such abuse are known to have been made from Chile to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Italy, India, Kenya, Peru and the Ukraine. Those abused 'do not find it easy to speak out. They fear retaliation against them and their congregations,' Scaraffia said. Back to normal: Pope Francis blesses a child during his weekly general audience held in the Vatican on Wednesday She said the issue was abusive power relationships, with clerics controlling everything from nuns' vocations to their salaries. 'It's a very difficult situation which has its roots in the nuns' dependence within the church. They are not recognised as equals.' The congregation of nuns dissolved under Benedict was the Soeurs Contemplatives de Saint Jean, a spokesman for the parent order said. Francis said Benedict had attempted to look into the order before he become pope. As Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, he had headed the Vatican department that investigates sexual abuse, but his efforts had been 'blocked'. Francis did not say by whom. The Argentine pontiff also alluded to an ongoing investigation into another community, without naming it, but believed to be the Community of St. Jean in France. That community admitted in 2013 that the priest who founded it had behaved 'in ways that went against chastity' with several women in the order, according to French Catholic newspaper La Croix. Francis's admission of the problem was 'the umpteenth blow to the church's image, but also an occasion to show that change really is underway,' Scaraffia said. The key is 'to strip priests of their air of power, which is what allows them to behave this way'. She admitted there was 'great resistance' to investigating abuse claims within the church and uncovering predator priests, but added that there had initially been reluctance to address the clerical paedophilia crisis, 'but that was overcome'. Emma Davies, 41, is said to have suffered 'horrific' open sores after using the substance A woman has become the first named drug user in Britain to have fallen ill after taking Krokodil - dubbed the world's deadliest narcotic. Emma Davies, 41, is said to have suffered 'horrific' open sores after using the substance which is ten times stronger than heroin. The drug - chemical name desomorphine - has been branded 'the world's deadliest drug' after it first appeared in Russia. Experts say it can cause large amounts of flesh to rot away with just one small injection. It is highly addictive and can be 'cooked' using solvents like paint thinner, iodine, hydrochloric acid, and red phosphorus from matches. Those injecting the caustic drug can develop skin ulcerations, infections and gangrene, and grey, scaly skin which looks like crocodile scales, giving the drug its street name. Davies was unable to attend Cheltenham Magistrates Court last August because she had taken krokodil and was being treated in Gloucestershire Royal Hospital. She failed to attend court because 'a rather unpleasant blood infection caused large ulcers on her arms', the court heard. The addict, of Tredworth, Glos., has now finally appeared in the court on Monday and admitted theft. Horrifying pictures show the effects of a highly dangerous flesh-eating substance known as Krokodil Side affects of the drug include thrombosis, gangrene, abscesses and crocodile-like skin Her barrister Clare Buckley told the court of the defendant's severe health issues using various Class A drugs. The lawyer said after years of abuse she had two heart attacks last year, as well as a stroke, Hepatitis C and deep vein thrombosis. She also has scarred lungs, an enlarged spleen and recently recovered from MRSA. The barrister told the court yesterday: 'She wants to move forward with her life. She wants a script [a prescription for rehabilitation]. 'She is aware if she continues the way she is going she will meet an early demise, which would be very sad.' Krokodil originated in Russia, where it is known as the 'cannibal drug', and it may now be in the UK after deadly drug caused havoc in Colombia, Russia and Ukraine. The substance causes skin and flesh to rot away (pictured). From the point when an addict first takes the deadly drug, their life expectancy drops to just over two years, doctors estimate Davies was in court after she and another woman, Marsha Woodwart, were caught shoplifting more than 900 of goods from three Gloucester stores. Mrs Buckley said Woodwart had been 'bullying' Davies and forcing her to hand over her benefits. Woodwart stole the majority of the items and continued even after Davies told her to 'slow down', the barrister added. 'Miss Davies was going to swap the items for drugs and food,' she said. 'This was the first occasion she felt remorse for her actions as she was due to start a drug rehab programme the next day.' Davies was unable to attend Cheltenham Magistrates Court (pictured) last August because she had taken krokodil and was being treated in Gloucestershire Royal Hospital Mrs Buckley said the defendant was living with other drug users in unsuitable accommodation at the time of the offence. She added that Davies has since moved into a new home with 'a man of good character'. Presiding justice Peter Liver handed Davies a 12month community order including 30 rehab days. She was ordered to pay 220. Woodwart was put on a six-month rehab programme and given a fine at an earlier previous court date. Two walkers have died after falling 1000ft from a mountain in the Highlands. Concerns were raised for two men in difficulty on Ben Hope in Sutherland on Tuesday and a search operation was launched. A coastguard helicopter crew discovered the bodies on the north-west side of the mountain shortly after 2am this morning. The men's bodies were recovered by volunteers from the Assynt team and the Coastguard helicopter this afternoon. They are at least the sixth deaths on Scotland's mountains this year - all but one of them walking or climbing accidents. The pair were on 3041ft high Ben Hope, pictured, about six miles south west of Tongue No contact had been made with the pair after their initial call for help around 3.30pm when there was outbreaks of rain, sleet and snow in the area. At least one of the men fell around 1000 ft. The injured pair were on 3041ft high Ben Hope, about six miles south west of Tongue, when the alarm was raised at 3.46pm. The Stornoway-based search and rescue helicopter was sent to the scene together with Assynt Mountain Rescue Team. But the helicopter returned to base at around 7pm - with lightning hampering the operation - and rescuers battling the darkness and driving rain and snow. Police Scotland today confirmed that two men died. Inspector Kevin Macleod thanked the mountain rescue volunteers working 'in extremely challenging conditions'. He said: 'Our thoughts are with the family and friends of both of these men at this tragic time. 'I would also like to pass on our gratitude to the volunteers of Assynt Mountain Rescue Team for their efforts in extremely challenging conditions.' A spokeswoman for the Maritime Coastguard Agency said the initial reports were that at least one of the hikers had fallen between 200 to 300 metres (656ft to 984ft) and that they had raised the alarm by mobile phone. At least one of them had suffered back injuries. Conditions were dry in the Ben Hope area at the start of yesterday but during the afternoon there was outbreaks of rain, sleet and snow - which turned more persistent later in the day. There was also winds of up to around 40 miles per hour. Ben Hope is the most northerly of the Munros - Scottish mountains over 3000 ft - and its fine isolated peak is a magnificent viewpoint and a magnet for hikers, especially in summer. Among those to have tackled it in recent years is TV comedian Ed Byrne who linked up with Scottish Mountain Rescue to pass on life saving tips about being prepared for Scotland's mountains in winter. There have been six fatal falls from Scottish mountains already this year. Pictured: Ben Hope In winter Ben Hope can be particularly treacherous. There have been at least six deaths this winter on Scotland's peaks. Ten people died in Scotland's hills in the first three months of last year. A woman climber died after falling from Ben Nevis on New Year's Day. The 21-year-old from Germany was a student, who was studying at the University of Bristol. She climbing with three others on Ben Nevis when she plunged 500ft (152 metres) from the Carn Dearg Buttress. The woman and her friends had been climbing what is known as the 'ledge route.' It was the second recent death of a student on Britain's highest peak - Patrick Boothroyd, 21, from West Yorkshire, died in a fall on December 16. Cardiff University students Patrick Boothroyd and Leo Grabowski were scaling Tower Gully when a ledge of snow collapsed, causing them to fall 1,500ft. Mr Boothroyd suffered a serious head injury while Mr Grabowski survived the fall with only broken bones. Despite being dazed and disoriented, the 28-year-old immediately rang 999 and did his best to help his friend. He covered him with a survival bag and huddled next to him, shielding him from the snow and wind. They were rescued after an hour but Mr Boothroyd could not be saved. A Wisconsin man has been charged with sexual exploitation of a child for allegedly convincing a sexually abused 14-year-old girl from Tennessee to send him a video of her stepfather raping her. Bryan Rogers, 31, was charged in US District Court in Madison Monday with knowingly persuading a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct. According to his arrest affidavit, Rogers befriended the underage victim via the online game Roblox sometime in December. The two began exchanging messages around Christmas Eve, and soon after the teen confided in Rogers that she was being sexually assaulted at home. Scroll down for video Twisted: Bryan Rogers (left), 31, of Wisconsin, has been charged with sexual exploitation of a minor in connection to the rape case against Tennessee stepfather Randall Pruitt, 41 (right) The 14-year-old girl had been missing since January 13 when she vanished from her home in Madisonville, Tennessee. Pruitt, her mother's husband who adopted her, has been arrested on rape charges Over a series of messages, the home-schooled 14-year-old begged Rogers to help her and revealed that she was having suicidal thoughts because of the alleged sexual abuse. 'I can't just stay here,' she wrote to Rogers. 'If u don't help me somehow I might as well kill my [expletive] self like I've been planning to do.' But instead of contacting the authorities, according to court documents cited by The Washington Post, Rogers instructed the girl to secretly record her 41-year-old stepfather, Randall Pruitt, raping her as proof that she was telling the truth. When the girl tried to push back, Rogers expressed concern that without the video evidence, he would get in 'a hell of a lot of trouble' with the law for helping her escape from her family's home in Tennessee. He also pointed out that he was putting his freedom at risk for a virtual stranger whom he has not even met. 'If you can get that video I can get you out of there but without it you will just wind up back with your dad and I'll be in trouble,' the man told the teenager. Despite her initial misgivings, the girl agreed to videotape Pruitt allegedly assaulting her and sent the video to Rogers on January 10, according to the affidavit. On January 14, Rogers drove more than 700 miles to pick up the 14-year-old from her family's home in Madisonville, Tennessee, and took her to Madison, Wisconsin, where he lived with his mother. Last Thursday, law enforcement officials searched Rogers' home and found the missing Tennessee girl hiding in a basement closet, after Rogers previously claimed she was not there. Pruitt and the girl's mother, Christina, made emotional, televised appeals for her to come home earlier this week When questioned by investigators, the 31-year-old claimed he did not send the seven-minute video showing what he described as a 'full blown rape,' which was discovered on his phone, because it was 'blurry' and he thought it would not hold up in court. He admitted to driving through the night with the teen and staying away from tollways and gas stations equipped with surveillance cameras to avoid detection. He also smashed the girl's phone so they could not be tracked. If convicted, Rogers faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in federal prison. He remains in the Dane County Jail. Pruitt, who legally adopted the victim after marrying her mother, Christina, was arrested on Thursday and charged with rape. He made his initial court appearance on Tuesday and had his bond set at $2million. Pruitt is due back in court on May 13. Days before his arrest last week, Pruitt made an emotional television appearance where he said life had 'stopped' since his wife's daughter went missing. 'Life has just ceased for us since the day she left,' Pruitt said during a press conference. 'It's like having your soul ripped out of your body. You can't think, you can't eat, you can't sleep, you can't rest. 'She has never misbehaved or been a bad kid ever. This is way out in left field for her. 'Please come home, we do miss you terribly,' he said. The girl's mother has not been charged in connection to the rape, even though the victim claimed in her exchanges with Rogers that she had tried telling Christina about the sexual abuse. 'She was my sunshine, and now my sunshine is gone,' Christina told reporters during her and Pruitt's appeal to the public last week. 'Please help us find our baby, please. 'We're very heartbroken. I miss her. I don't understand...none of us understand,' she said. WATE 6 On Your Side has recently interviewed Christina, who insisted that she knew nothing about the alleged sexual abuse of her daughter, and said she was now focused on coping with the trauma and caring for her three other children. Police hunting for missing student Libby Squire are today combing undergrowth at a playing field near to where she was last seen as the search enters its sixth day. Officers were seen raking long grass in a wooded area in Oak Road Playing Fields in Hull, 500 yards from where the university student was last seen on CCTV. Humberside Police have carried out extensive searches since Miss Squire vanished after getting dropped off in a taxi near her home on Wellesley Avenue at 11.29pm on Thursday. She was spotted ten minutes later on a security camera near a bench on Beverley Road, where a motorist stopped to offer her help. Officers were seen raking long grass in a wooded area in Oak Road Playing Fields in Hull, 500 yards from where the university student was last seen on CCTV Humberside Police have carried out extensive searches (pictured: officers today) since Miss Squire vanished after getting dropped off in a taxi near her home on Wellesley Avenue at 11.29pm on Thursday Detectives said the force has received hundreds of calls since the 21-year-old University of Hull student (left and right) was reported missing in the early hours of Friday Sniffer dogs last night carried out a search of the property where Miss Squire lived, following a day of search activity with divers scouring waterways in the area. Officers waded through the waist-deep water, using sticks to break the ice and search beneath the surface. They also searched the River Hull, two miles from where Libby was last seen. It came as around 200 students from across Hull gathered at an event held in her honour, which was also attended by Libby's parents, Lisa and Russell Squire, who joined students and members of the local community. University staff and students braved the wet weather and walked more than 100m from the library to the Canham Turner building as part of a solidarity march. A map showing where Miss Squire was last seen and where police have been carrying out searches Dozens of people braved the wet weather tonight in honour of Libby Squire It was also confirmed that Libby's close friends has returned to their respective homes for personal reasons and they also didn't attend the event. Osaro Otabo, the president of Hull University's student union, and Professor Susan Lea, the vice-chancellor at the university, addressed students this evening after the 21-year-old went missing. Speaking to members of the press before the solidarity event, students union president Osaro Otabo admitted there was 'concern' amongst the student body following Libby's disappearance. She said: 'As you said it is still unexplained so we don't know what has happened so I would not want to speculate. 'From my personal perspective there is a concern but I want to do anything I can while in my position as president to help the police in the investigation. 'If that means sharing on social media that police put out or putting on an event like this tonight.' Posters with the hastag HelpFindLibby were spotted along the march which have been handed out by students on campus as the search entered its fifth day. Vice chancellor professor Susan Lea told those in attendance: 'We come together this evening to express our deep concern about Libby. 'Libby is a Philosphy student here at the university of Hull and one of our community. People brought their umbrellas as they gathered in solidity and support of Libby One woman was seen holding a piece of paper with Libby's face on it 'I have to say we have been deeply moved by the way in which both our students and local community have come together in support of one another and to help to try and find Libby. 'This event this evening is part of that support and solidarity to show support and solidarity for Libby, for Libby's parents, for Libby's friends, for Libby's family and indeed for one another. 'I just wanted to thank you very much for all that you have been doing to help to try and find Libby.' Students union president Miss Otabo added: 'It's amazing to see so many people here today to show support to help find Libby. Osaro Otabo, the president of Hull University's student union, and Professor Susan Lea, the vice-chancellor at the university, speak to students 'One of the amazing things I can see if the amount of studfenty support that hads come out. Students want to do something, they want to help the police in anyway they can with the investigation. 'You saw that this weekend with the search party. 'This real sense of community is something I think is quite special here in Hull and I hope everyone knows that support is always here.' Some older women were seen holding sheets of paper with Ms Squire's face on, urging for anyone with information on her whereabouts to come forward. Mother Lisa Squire wrote on Facebook: 'Our heartfelt thanks to everyone for their continued love and support' Professor Lea was seen holding a placard with the hashtag #HelpFindLibby as the campaign to drum up social media support to aid the search continues. It came after Miss Squire's mother yesterday shared a heartbreaking Facebook post thanking the public for trying to find her daughter. She wrote on Facebook: 'Our heartfelt thanks to everyone for their continued love and support. 'If love alone could bring our Libby Pie back she would be sat cuddling with us now.' As the search entered its fifth day, officers from the police regional marine unit searched a pond at Oak Road Playing Fields, near to Miss Squire's home Four officers wade through the waist-deep water, using sticks to break the ice and search beneath the surface in Oak Road Pond in Hull Staff and students from the University of Hull, where Libby is in her second year, are gathering this evening in 'solidarity' and 'support' of the missing student. Pictured: A police officer searches a bush in the hunt for missing Libby Squire A woman living in a street close to Miss Squire's home heard a scream which she said 'sounded like someone being attacked'. The woman said the 'nature' of the noise - heard in the early hours of Friday morning had shocked her as 'they don't normally get women screaming like that' on her street. The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said she was pleased with the police response since she gave the information and was expecting officers to begin searching houses on her street after they trawled the adjacent roads earlier in the week. She added: 'I am really happy they are being so thorough. They haven't been down this street yet to search the houses but I think they will. 'They were looking in drains on the street earlier this week.' Libby Squire (pictured with her friend Rachel) was last seen on Thursday, January 31, after leaving the Welly Club in Hull The woman said the area was filled with mainly students who were often loud at night. She said: 'Us being a family here is quite unusual. It has been taken over by students. 'They are very noisy when they are walking past. 'Noises happen all week not just on a Friday and Saturday so this going on on a Thursday is just the norm. 'It was the nature of it, because we don't normally get women screaming like that. 'But it could just have been a couple having a domestic or something and not connected to Libby at all. Police dive teams wade trough a pond on Oak Road Playing Fields, Hull, near to where Libby Squire was last seen 'My husband heard it as well so it is not just me, it is not my mind playing tricks. A police spokeswoman said: 'We have received hundreds of calls from members of the public offering information and their assistance, and we are extremely grateful for everyone's help. 'Our house-to-house inquiries are continuing and we are visiting residents to speak to people and take statements as part of the ongoing investigation.' The spokeswoman added: 'Our searches are ongoing again today for 21-year-old Libby, who's originally from High Wycombe, in Buckinghamshire. 'Hundreds of students, University of Hull staff, as well as members of the public, have been helping our officers since she was reported missing.' Police said they were supporting Miss Squire's parents who spoke on Monday of their heartbreak at not knowing where their daughter is. Police officers search drains near to the home of missing 21-year-old student Libby Squire Detectives said their searches of the area near Libby's home were 'ongoing' and they have received hundreds of calls In an emotional appeal, Mrs Squire called her daughter her 'darling pie' and said: 'It is breaking my heart not knowing where you are.' Both parents urged Miss Squire to contact them. Mrs Squire said: 'We just want to know that you are safe. Please get in touch with us any way you can.' Mr Squire added: 'We just want you home.' Russell and Lisa Squire, the parents of missing student Libby Squire, have made an emotional appeal for information in helping to find her The family had previously said that the student's disappearance is 'very out-of-character' and that she is a 'very thoughtful and caring young woman who puts others before herself'. Police revealed on Monday that they had found Miss Squire's mobile phone at her home but that it had not helped to provide any information about where she went on Thursday night. They said they had also obtained and viewed hundreds of hours of CCTV footage to try to trace the student's movements and identify anyone who may be of interest to the investigation. Police and Miss Squire's family urged anyone with information to come forward. Officials in Venezuela have accused the US of sending a cache of high-powered rifles and ammunition on a commercial cargo flight from Miami so they would get into the hands of President Nicolas Maduro's opponents. Members with the Venezuelan National Guard [GNB] and the National Integrated Service of Customs and Tax Administration [SENIAT] made the shocking discovery just two days after the plane arrived at Arturo Michelena International Airport in Valencia. Inspectors found 19 rifles, 118 magazines and 90 wireless radios while investigating the flight which they said arrived Sunday afternoon. Monday's bust also netted four rifle stands, three rifle scopes and six iPhones. The Deputy Minister of Public Security, Endes Palencia, told reporters during a Tuesday afternoon press conference that the weapons were destined to reach the hands of 'extreme right fascist' groups looking to destabilize Maduro's government. The Venezuelan leader has continuously accused President Donald Trump's administration of helping to organize a coup. Venezuela's Deputy Minister of Public Security, Endes Palencia (first from left), reveals the shocking discovery of a cache of weapons that was delivered on by a commercial cargo plane from Miami on Sunday. Without offering any evidence, the government has blamed the United States government of organizing a coup Venezuelan officials uncovered a hidden shipment at Arturo Michelena International Airport in Valencia which contained 19 rifles, 118 magazines and 90 wireless radios. President Nicolas Maduro's regime said the warlike artillery was destined to reach groups looking to topple the government In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, Trump reiterated the United States' support for opposition leader Juan Guaido. 'We stand with the Venezuelan people in their noble quest for freedom,' Trump said. Palencia, without any proof, claimed the weapons were to be used by factions looking to carry out terror activities bankrolled by the 'extreme right fascist' groups and the government of the United States. The Deputy Minister of Public Security stood behind a table flaked by two government officials while the seized weaponry was displayed during a press conference. 'Our revolutionary government, led by our commander Nicolas Maduro, is establishing all the security mechanisms to bring peace and tranquility to our people,' Palencia said. The announcement came on the same day the Venezuelan military tried to seal off a bridge by block humanitarian aid from entering the country at a border crossing with Colombia. According to Colombian officials, the GNB placed a fuel tanker, two cargo trailers and makeshift fencing near the border town of Cucuta in Colombia. 'It's a means of intimidation, but I don't think it will accomplish anything,' said Alba Pereira of nonprofit Entre Dos Tierras. 'It's convenient for them to let the country continue enduring this absurd crisis.' Embattled Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro is still holding on to the presidency despite mounting pressure from the international community asking him to step down. Maduro has repeatedly accused the United States government of plotting to stage a coup Opposition leader Juan Guaido, who has been recognized as the country's interim president by more than 40 countries, including the United States and European Union, argues that almost 300,000 people could possible die if the troops supporting Maduro don't allow the aid to come through. Venezuela has been ravished by a shortage of essential human needs such as food, water, medicine and medical supplies that has forced millions of families to abandon their homeland. 'You know there's a red line, you know well there's a limit, you know that medicines, food and medical supplies are that limit,' lawmaker Miguel Pizarro said in a message to the military. South West Water director of waste, Andrew Roantree, with the first piece of the Sidmouth fatberg today Work has begun today to remove a huge fatberg longer than six double-decker buses from under a British town. The 64-yard mound of hardened fat, oil and wet-wipes in Sidmouth, Devon, is thought to be one of the largest ever found in the UK. The revolting task of removing the colossal blockage is now underway - but it could take up to eight weeks to clear. Specially trained staff with gas masks will descend down the sewer to tackle the disgusting mess. Then, using high-pressure jets, they will break up the congealed mass and other waste until it can be sucked up to the surface. The fatberg was discovered in a sewer near a children's play area last month. On Monday, final preparations were made to pump out the water to clear the path for waste workers to go in and start tackling the berg today. The sewer workers have to approach the berg in full breathing apparatus to protect them from the potentially poisonous gases. Using special sewer jetting equipment and hard manual labour, they will hack away at the mass. The 64-yard mound of hardened fat, oil and wet-wipes in Sidmouth is thought to be one of the largest ever found in the UK. Pictured: Part of the horrible mess Specially trained staff with gas masks are descending down the town's sewers to fight the fatberg A spokesman for South West Water said the clearance would have to be carried out 'in exceptionally challenging conditions.' Charlie Ewart, 51, of Clear Flow Ltd, was the first man to go into the sewer and is managing the team tasked with removing the fatberg. Mr Ewart, from Plymouth, Devon, said: 'I went down there in December to measure it and all that. 'We can't get down there this morning because the water level is too high, it's too dangerous. 'Yesterday we went down, it's moved since Christmas further on down towards the manhole cover probably because of rainwater.' Describing the scene in the sewers, he said: 'It's quite dark and eerie in there. They're big tunnels where the fatberg is, it completely fills the tunnel. 'Some areas are watery, it's over the knee and below the waste. 'As you go further up the fatberg it gets sludgier and heavier, that tells me the fatberg is growing. 'It will grow, hopefully Sidmouth has stopped putting the wrong things down the sewer, but it will grow.' The sewer workers have to approach the berg in full breathing apparatus to protect them from the potentially poisonous gases A fatberg is a hardened lump formed by the combination of non-biodegradables being flushed down the toilet A spokesman for South West Water said the clearance would have to be carried out 'in exceptionally challenging conditions' South West Water used the discovery of the fatberg to drive home the message that pouring oils and fats down the sink came with significant hazards. A spokesperson said: 'Fortunately, the fatberg has had no impact on Sidmouth's excellent bathing water quality and has been discovered in good time. 'But it doesn't always end this way. Every time a wet wipe is flushed or oil poured down the drain, there is a risk these items could cause sewer blockages. 'This is extremely unpleasant and could happen in your own home. We tackle dozens of new sewer blockages every day, which adds 4.5million to bills every year.' A fatberg is a hardened lump formed by the combination of non-biodegradables being flushed down the toilet. This can include wet wipes, grease or cooking fat, and fatbergs have become a menace in Britain, as the aged Victorian plumbing systems of old meet modern flushable wipes. A close-up of one of the workers heading down a manhole into the sewers to tackle the menace The construction of President Donald Trump's US-Mexico border wall is threatening the sanctuary of more than 200 species of wild butterflies, Native American gravesites built in 1865 and the habitats of hundreds of animals. According to the nonprofit National Butterfly Center, located in Mission, Texas, construction crews are preparing to demolish the butterfly refuge. Heavy equipment started arriving in the Rio Grande Valley over the weekend. The center shared a photo that shows an excavator parked next to its property. The center said that eight law enforcement units were around the property on Sunday evening 'as the first excavator rolled in & parked on land immediately east of us'. 'Mission PD Officer Cabral was parked on our private property. He said effective tomorrow [February 4] we will have NO ACCESS to our own land south of the levee,' the post read. Cabral reportedly told the butterfly center that 'effective Monday morning, it is all government land'. According to the nonprofit National Butterfly Center, construction crews are preparing to demolish the butterfly refuge. Heavy equipment started arriving Monday, and the center shared a photo (above) showing an excavator parked next to its property Mission Police Department's Officer Cabral reportedly told the butterfly center (pictured) that 'effective Monday morning, it is all government land' 'The issue is not whether butterflies can fly over a wall, but whether private property should be seized and destroyed for a project that does not serve the greater good.' Pictured is the center's director, Marianna Trevino-Wright (left) during a protest on Monday 'They have orders to prohibit anyone from stepping foot on the levee, which sits on our private property. We know this is illegal and will be taking legal action tomorrow,' the post continued. The butterfly center also created a GoFundMe account that read: '70% of the land belonging to the nonprofit project of the North American Butterfly Center will be forfeited, to create a landing and staging area for illegal traffic on the shores of the United States.' So far, they've raised more than $42,000 toward their $100,000 goal. 'The issue is not whether butterflies can fly over a wall, but whether private property (farms, businesses, homes) should be seized and destroyed for a project that does not serve the greater good or enhance national security; rather, it pushes the boundaries of Mexico north of the Rio Grande and makes America smaller,' the center wrote on Facebook. On Monday, construction crews were met by about 35 tribal members marching in protest on the Rio Grande levee where the wall will be built. 'I didn't expect it this soon,' Juan Mancias, tribal chair of Carrizo Comecrudo, told Express News. Mancias said he feels a connection with the butterfly center, much like several tribal members. 'You come over here, you see the butterflies here, the animals here, and you also see gravesites that have been here since 1865,' Mancias added. 'We have an association with nature, we are a part of it.' Last March, Congress approved more than $600million for 33 miles of new barriers in the Rio Grande Valley. On Monday, construction crews were met by about 35 tribal members (pictured) marching in protest on the Rio Grande levee where the wall will be built 'I didn't expect it this soon,' Juan Mancias, tribal chair of Carrizo Comecrudo, said. Mancias said he feels a connection with the butterfly center, much like several tribal members (pictured on Monday) 'You come over here, you see the butterflies here, the animals here, and you also see gravesites that have been here since 1865,' Mancias added. Protesters are seen during a demonstration on Monday While Trump and top Democrats remain in a standoff over the president's demand for $5.7billion in border wall funding, US Customs and Border Protection has pushed ahead with building what's already funded. That construction was often described as fencing, and the government funding bill that included construction was supported by some Democrats in the House and Senate. CBP refers to what it plans to build as a 'border wall system'. According to designs it released in September, CBP intends to build 25 miles of concrete walls to the height of the existing flood-control levee in Hidalgo County next to the Rio Grande, the river that forms the US-Mexico border in Texas. On top of the concrete walls, CBP will install 18-foot steel posts and clear a 150-foot enforcement zone in front. Maps released by CBP show construction would cut through the butterfly center, a nearby state park, and a century-old Catholic chapel next to the river. Many landowners oppose a border wall and have vowed to fight the US government if it tries to seize their property through eminent domain. Court fights over condemning land could take weeks if not months. CBP said in its statement that it intends to start construction on federally owned land. Environmental advocates expect the government to use land that's part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge consists of dozens of parcels of land purchased over the last 40 years to create a corridor for endangered species and other wildlife. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) can waive environmental restrictions to construct a border wall and issued its waiver for Hidalgo County in October. A coalition of environmental groups has sued DHS over its use of waivers, arguing that wall construction would endanger ocelots, rare birds and other wildlife that rely on refuge land for habitat. That lawsuit is still pending. In March 2018, Congress required CBP not to build in the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge after a public outcry. But it didn't exempt the Lower Rio Grande Valley refuge. The US government is preparing to begin construction of more border walls and fencing in South Texas' Rio Grande Valley, likely on federally-owned land set aside as wildlife refuge property The National Butterfly Center released the text of an email sent by an attorney from the US Department of Justice (DOJ). The lawyer, Cliff Stevens, says in the email that construction will begin in mid-February 'on federally owned land east of Bentsen State Park' Directly east of Bentsen State Park is a refuge tract called El Morillo Banco, which is between the state park and the butterfly (file image of a red-bordered pixie butterfly) center 'Santa Ana was not a big enough refuge to sustain all the wildlife down here,' said Jim Chapman, a longtime resident of the Rio Grande Valley and member of the group Friends of the Wildlife Corridor. The National Butterfly Center released the text of an email sent by an attorney from the US Department of Justice (DOJ). The lawyer, Cliff Stevens, says in the email that construction will begin in mid-February 'on federally owned land east of Bentsen State Park'. Directly east of Bentsen State Park is a refuge tract called El Morillo Banco, which is between the state park and the butterfly center. DOJ declined to comment on the email, and CBP did not respond to several requests for comment. Land already in the hands of the government becomes an easier place to start construction quickly, said US Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo. Cuellar has introduced a proposal that would instruct CBP not to build border walls in several places that have environmental and cultural significance. 'The easiest way, historically, is to go to public lands, because who's going to fight them?' he said. Chapman said that despite months of protests and meetings, he hadn't seen 'any attempt' from the US government 'to acknowledge and to take the needs of wildlife into account'. 'If you were going to design a border wall with maximal impact, you would do exactly what they were doing,' Chapman said. 'You couldn't do it worse.' Robert Murgatroyd (pictured above) leaving Manchester Magistrates Court where he is facing charges of negligence after crashing his light aircraft A 'greedy' pilot 'overloaded his plane by 29 stones with three birdwatchers' in order to make 1,000 profit on a flight to the Scottish Island of Bara which ended in a crash when the plane 'fell out of the sky'. Robert Murgatroyd left three passengers injured in the light aircraft after he 'grossly overloaded' his plane in pursuit of making profit from the flight, a court heard. The 52-year-old had been hired to fly three birdwatchers on an 800 mile trip to Barra on the Outer Hebrides, but his single engine Piper Cherokee was 50 per cent above its maximum capacity of 55 stone as it had been overloaded by 29 stone, due to the size of the passengers, luggage and extra fuel. The 1972 four seater aircraft then 'fell out of the sky' as it tried to clear a row of 300 feet high pylons shortly after take-off in bad weather from a small airport in Greater Manchester. The aircraft, which had departed from City Airport, formerly known as Barton Aerodrome in Eccles, flew twice over the neighbouring M62 motorway before making a mid-air U turn in an attempt to fly back to the airport. However, it clipped a tree and crash landed in a potato field 160 yards from the motorway causing its left wing and undercarriage to be ripped away and its fuel tanks to become ruptured. The Piper Cherokee (pictured above) after the crash which injured three passengers Robert Murgatroyd (pictured above) had joked that Warner Brothers had called him to make a film One of the 'Twitchers' suffered a serious cut to his forehead and whilst another was left with fractured ribs. In the moments before the impact, Murgatroyd was overheard saying: 'There's not enough power - we're not going to make it,' it was said. Police arrested and quizzed Muragatroyd about the 9.30am accident near the Manchester Ship Canal on September 9 2017 but he claimed he was a 'hero' for avoiding any deaths. He also joked Warner Brothers film studios had contacted him about a 'remake' of a Tom Hanks movie about the 2009 landing of a US Airways passenger jet on the Hudson River in New York - and rename it 'Miracle on the Ship Canal.' The light aircraft (pictured above) was 50 per cent above its maximum capacity of 55 stone The wreckage of the plane (pictured above) which was over capacity by 29 stone The plane took off from City Airport in Greater Manchester (pictured above) Mugatroyd who operated a commercial airline, plus flying schools and clubs told police: 'Without blowing my own trumpet, if it hadn't been for me on that flight that day you have been collecting four dead people out of that field.' But Henry Blackshaw prosecuting told a jury: 'He grossly overloaded the plane so that it crashed shortly after take-off, endangering the lives of those on board and those on the ground, in that it narrowly missed the M62 motorway on its descent into the field where it crashed. 'He was operating a small, old, low powered plane which, like all aircraft, is designed to operate within specific weight limits. He grossly exceeded them when he filled the plane with four large men and also filled his fuel tanks 'to the brim.' The effect of this, Mr Blackshaw said and in combination with taking off from a short, wet grass runway was for the plane to have insufficient speed and performance to be able to climb safely away from the aerodrome and it fell out of the sky. Robert Murgatroyd tried to claim he was 'hero' and should be featured in a Hollywood movie, a court heard The plane took off from City Airport in Manchester (pictured) before having to make a U turn on the M62 'It was sheer luck that the plane did not catch fire on impact', he added. 'Had it done so there is a likelihood that the passengers would not have lived to tell the tale. Likewise, had it crashed onto that busy motorway there would have been a significant risk of death or serious injury to the road users on it. 'And why was he prepared to take such risk with all of those peoples' lives? Greed. The prospect of making 1000 from a day's work, which was only payable if he could get these men to Barra and back.' 'He painted a picture of himself as the hero of the moment for executing a 'forced landing under power' in difficult circumstances and he disputed that he had crashed, stating that his definition of 'crash' only extended to hitting 'an object.' Mr Blackshaw said that the defendant resented that he had been arrested when in fact he should have been given a commendation. 'Indeed, joking no doubt, he said Warner Brothers had been in touch with a view to remaking 'Miracle on the Hudson' as 'Miracle on the Ship Canal'. 'He accepted that he had not weighed the passengers or asked them for their weights. But he worked on the principle that if they fitted through the door then they could fly with you.' The accident occurred after Murgatroyd who obtained his pilot's licence in 1986 and who had 15,000 hours of flying experience was asked to fly the bird watchers to Scotland so they could join 110 other Twitchers to see the American Red Start which had been spotted on Barra - the first time it had seen in the UK since 1985. He quoted 500 per passenger for the Piper PA-28 aircraft which can carry a maximum weight of 55 stone including fuel but the court heard the three bird watchers Alan Whitehead, Adam Archer and Ray Harrington had a combined weight of 45 stone and arrived with luggage including cameras and binoculars which they had to keep on their knees. Murgatroyd who himself weighed 14 stone then filled the plane with 100 litres of highly flammable petrol-type fuel which was above the recommended level of a half-full tank for four passengers. He initially attempted a 'practice take-off' along the 641m grass runway which had puddles along it but despite the plane showing no signs of lifting off the ground during the acceleration test, he taxi-ed the aircraft into rough grass at the start of the runway and then went for actual take-off. Firefighters at the airport were so concerned they put on their protective clothing in anticipation of an emergency. One of the passengers Alan Whitehead who was sat in the front passenger seat said: 'The pilot pulled the throttle and off we went. He didn't say what to do in an emergency or in a crash, no life jackets or procedures were given. Visibility was very poor, it was raining heavily and it was a small tiny windscreen. 'We were in the air and all of a sudden the plan banked to the left, it tilted, I looked below and I could see the motorway. I few more seconds went in and then I heard the comment: 'not enough power'. It wasn't very reassuring. 'Then I heard it hit something which sounded like the top of a tree then we crashed in the field. I banged my head. At first I didn't know where the blood was coming from and I was panicking. I was covered in blood and I could then smell petrol. It was all a bit of a blur.' Adam Archer who was in the back said: 'When the plane was in the air, it wasn't too long before it sounded like when a car goes up a hill on a low gear and it's making a lot of noise, there seemed to be a loss of power on the aircraft - but there was no discussion or talking about it. 'We just seemed to lose power and I remember seeing pylons in the distance and I thought if we didn't get anymore power we're not going to make this. The plane banked sharply and we hit the top of the trees going over the motorway then we landed with a sudden jolt. There was a really strong smell of fuel and a lot of blood from Alan's injuries. 'As we hit the deck Alan and the pilot hit their heads on the dashboard of the plane. Alan was in quite a bad way and he was shouting: 'you have killed us! What have you done to us?!' When I smelt the fuel, I thought there was a chance it could burst into flames.' Murgatroyd claimed he had allowed the bird watchers on his aircraft under a 'cost sharing' scheme despite rules saying the pilot cannot own the plane and said the overloading of the aircraft was an 'oversight.' He denies endangering the safety of a person and an aircraft, flying without the relevant licence, failing to comply with insurance regulations plus three other charges under the Air Navigation Order 2016. The trial continues. A baby has died after allegedly being exposed to toxic levels of liquid nicotine from an e-cigarette the Victorian Coroner has found. The Victorian Coroner's office is investigating the death of the infant after it was alleged the child had been exposed to lethal levels of liquid nicotine used in an e-cigarette. Liquid nicotine is outlawed in Australia but can still be purchased from international retailers and mailed into the country undetected. As a result of the infant's death, leading anti-tobacco and nicotine experts have questioned the safety of electronic cigarettes. A baby has died after allegedly being exposed to toxic levels of of liquid nicotine from an e-cigarette the Victorian Coroner has found (stock photo) The Herald Sun reported that the coroner refused to release details around the incident but did confirm the death was a direct result of exposure to liquid nicotine. Just one millilitre of liquid nicotine concentrate is enough to be fatal to a child if ingested, inhaled or splashed in their eyes the coroner reported. Quit Victoria has demanded the Federal Government get serious of cracking down on liquid nicotine in Australia. 'The big concern with the poisonings is the significant increase over the last two or three years it is a real problem,' Quit Victoria director Dr Sarah White said. 'Leaving aside any argument or discussion about smoking cessation or harm reduction, what we really need to happen is some basic consumer safety standards around these liquids.' Dr White said child proof and bland packaging would go a long way to helping prevent further tragedies. Figures from the Poisons Information Centres found that there were 70 poisonings from e-cigarettes in 2016 which was more than double from the previous year. Quit Victoria has demanded the Federal Government get serious of cracking down on liquid nicotine in Australia (file photo) Research also found that of the 202 e-cigarette poisoning cases recorded in Australia 76 were children, including 62 infants. The Australian Government's Department of Health stated that the World Health Organisation was yet to find conclusive evidence supporting the safety of liquid nicotine. 'The rising popularity of e-cigarette use internationally has also corresponded with an increasing number of reported nicotine poisonings due to exposure to or ingestion of e-liquids,' a statement from National Health and Medical Research Council CEO Anne Kelso read. 'The effects of exposure range from relatively mild, including irritation of the eyes and skin, nausea and vomiting to severe life-threatening illness and in some cases, death.' A three-year-old boy stunned his parents when he revealed to them he had swallowed a bullet. Hunter Wood was sitting on the couch next to his dad Tim when he turned to him and said: 'oh, dad, I swallowed a bullet'. 'He had the bullet in his mouth, and then he had a drink,' Tim said of the terrifying incident. Hunter Wood, 3, was rushed to the emergency ward, where an X-ray revealed the bullet lodged in his colon Mr Wood runs an army experience business on the Gold Coast, offering rides on army vehicles used during the Vietnam War. He has a skill-testing machine on site, where replica bullets on keychains can be won - which was how Mr Wood expects Hunter got his hands on the bullet. 'We believe the keyring on the end of it actually broke, and so the bullet fell to the ground,' Mr Wood told 9news. The toddler was rushed to the emergency ward, where an X-ray revealed the bullet lodged in his colon. The cartridge was facing in a direction that allowed it to exit the boy's body without causing serious damage and meant he avoided surgery. His parents were relieved, however, his mother had the unfortunate task of ensuring the bullet was found. Police are desperately searching for a California father-of-four who has been missing for nearly a month. John Sturkie, 55, was last seen when he returned to his Oceanside home from work around 5pm on January 4 and had a quick dinner with his wife. Theresa Sturkie said her husband, an electrician, was in a rush to leave so that he could go to an 'event' with some of his friends on the beach. Police are desperately searching for California father-of-four John Sturkie, 55, who was last seen on January 4. He is pictured here with his wife Theresa Video courtesy KTLA 'They were going to do a bonfire and have some readings and stuff,' she told KSWB. 'I'm Catholic, so I said "Let me get your scapular and let me bless you". I said "Okay, now you bless me" and he did.' That was their last conversation before Sturkie vanished without a trace. Theresa became worried when she woke up the next morning and found that her husband still had not come home. He also wasn't answering his phone. Theresa then used an app to trace his cell phone, which pinged 45 miles away in El Cajon, but his silver 2015 Toyota Tundra was nowhere to be found. The next day, Sturkie's phone died. No money has been pulled from his bank accounts and his credit cards have not been used since he disappeared. Theresa Sturkie said her husband, an electrician, was in a rush to leave so that he could go to an 'event' with some of his friends on the beach on the night he disappeared Theresa (pictured) became worried when she woke up the next morning and found that her husband still had not come home Theresa then used an app to trace his cell phone, which pinged 45 miles away in El Cajon, but his silver 2015 Toyota Tundra was nowhere to be found 'I'm scared. I'm scared because this is so unlike him,' Theresa said. 'Never in a million years would I think when my husband walked out the door he wouldn't come home.' Theresa described her husband as a family man who was devoted to his children and involved in the church and Boy Scouts. 'He's such a family person,' she said. 'I've been married 20 years and he always comes back home.' Police and a private detective are now investigating Sturkie's disappearance. Theresa described her husband as a family man who was devoted to his children and involved in the church and Boy Scouts Theresa believes he could have possibly gone to one of his favorite outdoor spots like the Palomar Mountains or Arroyo Tapiado Mud Caves. 'My biggest hope is that he comes back alive and well,' she said. 'The kids need him. I need him. His mom needs him.' 'All of his family needs him and his friends need him.' Sturkie is described at 6ft 5in and 243 pounds. He has blue eyes, is bald, and has a salt-and-pepper goatee. He was last seen wearing a black knit hat, a gray fleece, and tan pants. He drives a silver 2015 Toyota Tundra with California license plate No 62517F2. Anyone with information should call Elizabeth Bunn of Oceanside Police Department at 760-435-4069 or email ebunn@ci.oceanside.ca.us. This is the terrifying moment a knife-wielding woman appears to launch a random pepper spray attack in a New Jersey Walmart, holding one worker hostage and slamming one shopper's head against a wall. Cell phone footage of the incident showed a suspect brandishing a six inch blade after allegedly attacking five people in the North Bergen store on Sunday. The woman was reportedly standing in the customer service line when she began pepper-spraying everyone around her, including shoppers and workers. Innocent bystanders are filmed shielding their eyes in the aftermath of the alleged attack as others appear to try and stop the woman from harming more people. She is then said to have threatened one employee at knife point, backing him into a room and barricading herself in by blocking the doors with boxes. In the clip one desperate shopper can be heard screaming 'my daughter' as the woman appears to continue her rampage, attacking customers. In the video the woman can then be seen standing the doorway of a the store room waving the knife around and shouting. A woman can be seen brandishing a knife in the terrifying footage filmed inside a Walmart Shoppers were filming shielding their eyes after the random attack using pepper spray The woman can then be seen standing the doorway of a the store room waving the knife The incident left Carolyn Cuellar with concussion after she says her head was slammed against the shop wall. Carolyn told NBC New York and News12 New Jersey: 'I tried to cover my face and I felt a pull, and she yanked me and started hitting my head against the wall. My mom is screaming. 'I felt my head hit the wall and all I remember feeling was panic, like Shes trying to kill me'. I couldnt move. She just pinned me after she kept hitting my head. And I felt her hand and just like (claw at my face). 'I couldn't believe I was so close to being fatally injured. I just keep thinking my kids wouldn't have their mom.' The incident began on Sunday afternoon after the woman was seen yelling and cursing at employees at the customer counter, according to police. Imani Jones, 39, of the Bronx, has been charged with five counts of aggravated assault, six counts of endangering another person and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose among other counts. Capt. William Lyons said she punched and scratched an employee on the face, injuring their left eye. He said five people were injured in the assault with two needing hospital treatment. Carolyn Cuellar said she was left with with concussion after she says her head was hit against the shop wall during the random attack Carolyn was left with scratch marks on her face after a woman was filmed brandishing a knife Police are said to have pepper sprayed Jones before taking her into custody. There were no security guards at the time of the attack, according to reports. A Walmart spokesman told nj.com: 'Customer and associate safety is a top priority for us, and were sorry for what these customers experienced. Were grateful for the swift action of the North Bergen Police Department and will refer additional questions to them.' DailyMail.com has contacted Walmart for comment. Ruth Bader Ginsburg-inspired merchandise is flying off the shelves and in some cases, has even sold out, outselling Trump, Obama, and even the Pope, DailyMail.com has learned. Vendors at trade shows in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and New York revealed RBG dolls, action figures, pillows, books, and mugs have become such a hot commodity they have sold over 100,000 units in the last seven months. 'We can't keep her in stock,' Lucas Hanna, the product manager of toy wholesaler FCTRY, told DailyMail.com at the Las Vegas Market Home and Gift show this week. 'Ruth outsells everyone, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, even the Pope. We are sold out of her until March.' A pop culture icon: The Ruth Bader Ginsberg action figure has become such a hot commodity it is currently sold out until March, DailyMail.com has learned Toy wholesaler FCTRY revealed the RBG figurine 'outsells everyone,' including Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, even the Pope Hanna revealed they now have plans to make toys modeled after California Senator and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris as well as New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. But for now, the most popular item seems to be the currently sold-out RBG action figure' showing the 85-year-old yielding a gavel and wearing her signature black robe. The figurine has been a hit among celebrities as well with filmmaker and political activist Michael Moore, 64, using it as a Christmas tree topper. Moore posted a photo of the doll for his almost 500,000 Instagram followers with a caption: 'Better than an angel or the star over Bethlehem. A nation of millions stands with you' Songwriter Diane Warren, 62, who has been nominated for an Oscar for her song, I'll Fight, featured in the 2018 documentary RBG, referred to the figurine as her 'date' in a photo from the nominee lunch. In another, she shared a photo of the doll next to a bottle of wine with the message, 'Congrats team RBG!!' RBG dolls, action figures, pillows, books, and mugs have become such a hot commodity vendors have sold over 100,000 units in the last seven months Illustrated books and even a 'dissent' car air freshener with the judge's famous face, are also among the popular sellers There's even a RBG Workout book by Bryant Johnson depicting the Supreme Court Justice using resistance bands on the cover with the sub-header that reads: 'How she stays strong and you can too!' Other products such as RBG books, dolls, pillows, 'judge mints,' as well as mugs, T-shirts, socks, and even a 'dissent' car air freshener with the judge's famous face, are also popular sellers. There's even a RBG Workout book by Bryant Johnson depicting the Supreme Court Justice using resistance bands on the cover with the sub-header: 'How she stays strong and you can too!' The Brooklyn native rose to fame in 1993 when she was appointed to the Supreme Court by then President Bill Clinton. Her forceful 'dissents' on the Supreme Court has her dubbed the 'Notorious R.B.G' a play on the nickname of rapper Biggie Smalls [aka Christopher Wallace], the Notorious B.I.G. who was gunned down in 1997. The figurine has been a hit among celebrities as well with filmmaker and political activist Michael Moore, 64, using it as a Christmas tree topper Songwriter Diane Warren, 62, who has been nominated for an Oscar for her song, I'll Fight, featured in the 2018 documentary RBG, shared a photo of the doll next to a bottle of wine with the message, 'Congrats team RBG!!' In November, Justice Ginsburg, 85, made headlines after falling down at her home and breaking three ribs. Shortly thereafter in December, she underwent surgery for early stage lung cancer, but has bounced back in trademark form. Her illness caused her to miss arguments at the court in January for the first time in more than 25 years as a justice. On Monday, Ginsberg made her first public appearance since undergoing surgery, at a concert at the The National Constitution Center near the White House. The venue did not permit photography but her attendance was confirmed by journalists on Twitter. Retail strategist and Kitson owner Fraser Ross told DailyMail.com RBG was one of the 'hottest commodities' this past Christmas. 'Customers were seeking out any products with her image, she appeals to a wide age range and has become a pop culture icon,' he said. Alice Marie Johnson, who was freed from prison after serving two decades time for nonviolent drug offenses last year thanks in part to efforts by Kim Kardashian West, has signed a book deal, publisher Harper announced Wednesday The great-grandmother whose life sentence was commuted by President Donald Trump last June thanks in part to efforts by Kim Kardashian West has accepted a book deal as well as deals for film and TV rights. Alice Marie Johnson's memoir titled 'After Life: My Journey From Incarceration to Freedom' is scheduled to be released on May 21, according to a Wednesday announcement from Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Harper called the book an 'honest, faith-driven memoir' that takes a 'deep look into the systemic issue of mass incarceration'. 'I feel humbled that the telling of my story gives hope and my years of pain were not in vain,' Johnson, 63, said in a statement. The foreword was written by Kardashian West, who released as statement after the book deal was announced. 'My life has forever changed because of Alice Marie Johnson,' the reality star wrote. 'Her story is a gift that will now reach so many millions more through her book and film. 'I hope Alice's case is just the beginning of a movement to help those left behind. I am invested in continuing to support Alice and this cause.' Film, television and 'life rights' were sold to Endeavor Content and One Community. Financial details for the deals were not disclosed. Scroll down for video Kardashian West lobbied President Donald Trump for Johnson's release at an Oval Office meeting last summer. The president ultimately commuted Johnson's life sentence. Johnson and Kardashian West are pictured during an interview after the 63-year-old's release in June The president invited Johnson to watch his State of the Union address alongside first lady Melania Trump and Trump family members including Jared Kushner (right) on Tuesday night Johnson was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 1996 for her involvement in a cocaine ring, despite the fact that she had no prior criminal history and violence was not a factor in the case. She spent more than 20 years in prison before Trump commuted her sentence last June after Kardashian West personally lobbied him in the Oval Office, a meeting which the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner helped arrange. In December Trump signed bipartisan legislation that gives judges more discretion when sentencing some drug offenders and boosts prisoner rehabilitation efforts. The president invited Johnson to attend his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, where she sat with first lady Melania Trump and Trump family members. Kardashian West retweeted a video of Johnson waving to the crowd and smiling as she wiped away tears, writing in the caption: 'So proud!!! @AliceMarieFree at the SOTU!!!!' During his SOTU address, Trump said of Johnson: 'In June, I commuted Alice's sentence - and she is here with us tonight. Alice, thank you for reminding us that we always have the power to shape our own destiny' Johnson is seen acknowledging the president as he told her story Johnson is seen acknowledging Trump as he praised her devotion to criminal justice reform Kardashian West retweeted a video of Johnson waving to the crowd at the SOTU Tuesday Kardashian West and President Trump are pictured together in the Oval Office during their meeting about Johnson's case last summer Johnson was sentenced to life without parole in 1996 for her involvement in a cocaine ring Trump didn't mention Kardashian or her husband Kanye West but told those in the audience Tuesday evening he heard about Johnson through 'friends'. He told the story as he shared how weeks ago, Democrats and Republicans united for 'groundbreaking criminal justice reform'. 'Last year, I heard through friends the story of Alice Johnson. I was deeply moved. In 1997, Alice was sentenced to life in prison as a first-time non-violent drug offender,' he said. 'Over the next two decades, she became a prison minister, inspiring others to choose a better path. She had a big impact on that prison population - and far beyond. 'Alice's story underscores the disparities and unfairness that can exist in criminal sentencing - and the need to remedy this injustice. She served almost 22 years and had expected to be in prison for the rest of her life. 'In June, I commuted Alice's sentence - and she is here with us tonight. Alice, thank you for reminding us that we always have the power to shape our own destiny. When I saw Alice's beautiful family greet her at the prison gates, hugging and kissing and crying and laughing, I knew I did the right thing.' A little boy who died after he was crushed beneath a car seat was referred to as 'little s***' by his mother's boyfriend, a court has heard. Stephen Waterson, 25, is accused of deliberately ramming his seat against Alfie Lamb because the boy would not stop crying after his mother Adrian Hoare allegedly forced him into the footwell. Hoare was today questioned about how Waterson would speak to Alfie, and claimed he called him 'Tarzan'. But her barrister Katy Thorne QC asked her: 'What about the name 'little s***''?.' Hoare insisted: 'It was just another name. It was not to be nasty or horrible it was just another name.' She also told jurors she was 'scared' of her boyfriend and felt 'little' when he bragged about his important family. Giving evidence at the Old Bailey, Hoare said she felt 'scared' when her partner was 'annoyed or angry', adding: 'You never knew how he was going to react to things.' Stephen Waterson is accused of deliberately pushing his Audi's seat back against Alfie Lamb - and said hours later: 'They know we're lying' after claiming the three-year-old was injured by a taxi Adrian Hoare and Stephen Waterson are on trial at the Old Bailey - but deny the manslaughter of the little boy Despite the nickname, Hoare insisted Waterson 'was good with' her son. Waterson, who is the adoptive son of former Tory cabinet minister Nigel Waterson, claims he has no idea how Alfie died, but insists it had nothing to do with the car seat. He told emergency operators he had been driving by and stopped to help try and revive Alfie - the couple then claimed the little boy had been injured in a taxi which had driven off. A message sent from Hoare to Waterson just hours after the incident at 8.07pm on February 2 of last year was read to the jury, which said: 'They know that we are lying.' Duncan Atkinson, prosecuting, asked him today: 'Was it that 'Plan A' the first lie, was not working that prompted you to go to the hospital? 'Even before you had reached the hospital you did not know what lies she had told the police, you were trying to get her alone and away from the police. Waterson answered: 'No-one was allowed in the room with Alfie, Alfie was with doctors. I did not know what lies she had told the police.' Mr Atkinson said: 'You were trying to get her alone' Waterson asked him: 'Is it a crime to be alone with your partner?' He added: 'I have already admitted lying in the beginning, I have pleaded guilty to it, lies were told, I did not want to get anyone in trouble.' His girlfriend Adrian Hoare, 23, was in the back seat with Alfie and Hoare said he looked upon the boy as his son. Adrian Hoare, 23, allegedly put Alfie in the footwell and did nothing to help him as he screamed out for her Waterson told jurors that he lied to police because he was worried that he would get in trouble because the driver of the car, Marcus Lamb, had been disqualified Waterson told the Old Bailey he lied to police after the incident because he was worried that he would get in trouble because the driver of the car, Marcus Lamb, had been disqualified. Two days after Alfie was injured Waterson went in search of a new car. Mr Atkinson asked him: 'Why did you start looking for a new car?' Waterson said: 'I buy and sell cars not just on that day on every day. 'If you are asking about the Audi, no, I was still driving it.' The prosecutor asked him: 'Is it a coincidence then is it that as Alfie was going from fit and well to unconscious and dying that you started trying to sell it?' Waterson answered: 'I sold it because I felt sick every time I got in the car. 'Why? Because the boy I looked on as a son had died in the backseat of it'. Waterson has also been accused of using the fact he is the son of former Tory minister Nigel Waterson (pictured together) to make him feel untouchable Who is ex-Tory minister Nigel Waterson? Nigel Waterson was born in Yorkshire and attended Leeds Grammar School. In the 1992 General Election, he took his seat from the Liberal Democrats, and went on to successfully defend it in 1997, 2001 and 2005. He served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Health Minister and to the Deputy Prime Minister (Michael Heseltine) during the Major government. Nigel entered the Whips' Office in 1997. He later became Shadow Minister for Local Government and then for Trade & Industry. In 2003, he was appointed Shadow Pensions Minister and also Shadow Minister for Older People. Throughout his time in Government he campaigned on issues affecting older people - including scrapping the pension age. He is currently a trustee of the International Longevity Centre, and a Council member of the Society of Pension Consultants. He also has a role as Patron of the Eastbourne branch of the Multiple Sclerosis Society, as well as Patron of the local Abbeyfield Society Advertisement Mr Atkinson asked Waterson how far back he moved his car seat when Alfie was behind him in the footwell. Waterson replied: 'I didn't move it very far.' The barrister asked:'How long did you have your finger on the button for? A quick press?' Waterson told the jury: 'Just a quick press, it didn't go back very far.' The prosecutor asked him: 'Could you feel anything behind you as you were moving it back?' 'Nothing was hitting the back of the chair.' 'That's not true is it,' said Mr Atkinson 'It is,' said Waterson. He was asked him when in relation to him moving the seat did he hear Alfie cough. Waterson said he could not remember but he thought it was after he moved the seat. He was asked if it was after he moved the seat that Adrian slapped Alfie. Waterson said: 'I don't know why she slapped him or why told him off that is something you would have to ask Adrian. 'He was pinching her as she said: 'Shut the f*ck up, stop pinching me.' Waterson is accused of ramming his seat back (pictured) into Alfie, crushing him against the back seat. The car was sold days later Mr Atkinson said: 'The reality is that during the car journey pressure was applied to Alfie that stopped him being able to breathe.' Waterson told the court that he could not see what was going on behind him. Mr Atkinson asked him if the chair met resistance. He replied: 'If the chair met resistance I would have stopped.' Waterson said the chair 'went, back then forward, then stayed there'. Waterson admitted the car was overloaded but said he could not remember how many times he had crammed too many people into the car. Dr Barbara Judge, mother of Stephen Waterson, outside the Old Bailey On February 5 last year Waterson received a text from his mother, Barbara Judge asking him what was going on and why he was with Emilie Williams. Waterson's reply was read out in court: 'I explain please don't be mad I wasn't planning on staying I was going home and please don't say my address to anyone please don't want anyone knowing where I live.' Mr Atkinson asked him: 'Was that you asking your mother to lie for you?' Waterson replied that he did not want anyone knowing his address and his parents did not like him having people there. At the time he was living there with Hoare. 'The deal was that if they were paying the deposit with me that no one would be around my flat.' Alfie died three days after suffering a cardiac arrest outside the home he shared with the couple in Croydon, south London. Hoare and Waterson deny manslaughter. Hoare also denies charges of child cruelty for placing Alfie in the footwell and common assault on Ms Williams on February 14. Waterson further denies intimidating Marcus Lamb, also known as Marcus Richardson, on 15 February. But Hoare and Waterson, have admitted perverting the course by submitting false statements to police. The trial continues. An upscale Connecticut neighborhood has been shaken by the discovery of a young woman's body inside a suitcase that was abandoned on the side of the road. The reddish-orange suitcase was found in a wooded area some 15 feet off of Glenville Road in Greenwich by highway workers around 8.15am Tuesday, according to Greenwich Police Captain Robert Berry. Inside, investigators found the woman fully clothed and bound at the hands and feet. A medical examiner will determine the official cause of death, which police say was undoubtedly a homicide. The victim has not yet been identified but she is believed to have been between 18 and 30 years old. No information about her race or ethnicity has been disclosed. Scroll down for video A suitcase containing the body of an unidentified young woman who had been bound at the hands and feet was discovered in a wooded area on the side of a road in Greenwich, Connecticut, on Tuesday morning. Investigators are pictured at the scene (above) The dark red suitcase was spotted about 15 feet off of Glenville Road by highway workers on Tuesday around 8.15am, according to Greenwich Police Police Captain Robert Berry (above) said in a press conference that investigators have a few leads on the identity of the victim, who is believed to be between 18 and 30 years old 'We have received some leads on some, I would say, possible identifications of the victim,' Capt Berry said at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon. 'But at this time, nothing is confirmed. So I have no information to release identifying the victim. We are following up on leads.' Berry added: 'Its always sensitive to us that every time we have a tragedy such as this, or there is a with a family connected to it, we always try to keep that forethought in our minds, and our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to that family.' Authorities say they will be conducting a long, thorough investigation into the murder, with the help of the Chief State's Attorney's Office. The state's chief medical examiner, which is performing the autopsy, was on the scene for several hours on Tuesday surveying the body and the immediate surroundings, as seen in footage from NBC News. Officers are interviewing local residents and have asked for video footage from nearby security systems that may have captured relevant information. Police are unsure of where the victim was killed but they have reason to believe that she was murdered elsewhere and dumped at the site about four miles from I-95. Berry said investigators are in communication with law enforcement agencies across state lines in New York and across the rest of Connecticut, which is standard procedure given Greenwich's proximity to the state's border. A source familiar with the investigation told the Hartford Courant early indications are that the victim was not from Greenwich. Investigators spent hours on the scene at Glenville Road (above). The murder is believed to have taken place out of town, according to authorities Local residents expressed shock at the unsettling discovery in the picturesque area Glenville Road runs through a quiet and somewhat isolated area of Glenville, a wealthy suburb of Greenwich with a population of just over 2,200 people Glenville Road runs through a quiet and somewhat isolated area in Greenwich's picturesque neighborhood of Glenville, which has been hailed as one of the safest - and richest - communities in the nation. Locals say they often use the road as a running path. Scott Chiappetta, who works at a local preschool, told Greenwich Time: 'My gut is [the murder] probably happened somewhere else, but these days, you never know. Its very quiet. 'Nothing ever really happens around here, other than [traffic] from the firehouse. It feels safe.' 'It was very upsetting when we originally heard about it,' resident Courtney King told ABC7. 'I'm still trying to take this in, because I just heard about a few minutes ago,' another resident, Joe Allegro, said of the gruesome discovery. 'I've got kids here. I didn't know if it is an adult or a child.' Glenville has a population of just over 2,200 people with an average household income of around $172,400, according to the US Census Bureau. The median property value in the area is $760,300. Authorities have asked anyone with information on the case to call 203-622-3333. The mother of an Indian man planning to sue her and her husband for giving birth to him 'without his consent' has said she admired his boldness. Kavita Karnad Samuel says she is happy to accept that she is at fault, if her son Raphael is able to come up with a rational explanation as to how they could have sought his consent prior to his birth. Raphael Samuel, 27, from Mumbai, believes it is wrong to put an unwilling child through the 'rigmarole' of life for the pleasure of its parents, and has compared having children to 'kidnapping and slavery'. Raphael Samuel in one of the posts on his Facebook page, Nihilanand, where he posts anti-natalist material suggesting that parents are 'hypocrites' His controversial opinions, presented by himself in a series of social media posts where he appears 'disguised' in a fake beards and sunglasses made headlines around the world. His mother has now addressed her adult son's threat of legal action in a Facebook post. She writes: 'I must admire my son's temerity to want to take his parents to court knowing both of us are lawyers. 'If Raphael could come up with a rational explanation as to how we could have sought his consent to be born, I will accept my fault. 'I'm very happy that my son has grown up into a fearless, independent thinking young man. He is sure to find his path to happiness. ' Mr Samuel is part of the 'anti-natalist movement' which is is gaining traction in India as younger people resist social pressure to have children. Another of the images on Samuel's Facebook page. He said he had a 'great relationship' with his parents but has compared having children to 'kidnapping and slavery' Speaking to The Print Samuel said: 'I love my parents, and we have a great relationship, but they had me for their joy and their pleasure. 'My life has been amazing, but I don't see why I should put another life through the rigamarole of school and finding a career, especially when they didn't ask to exist.' Samuel runs a Facebook page called Nihilanand, which has hundreds of followers, on which he regularly posts anti-natalist material. One image is captioned 'parents are hypocrites', with the text saying: 'A good parent puts the child above is wants and needs... but the child itself is a want of the parent'. A similar meme posted on the Facebook page reads: 'If parents truly know what is good for their children... why did they have them?' Another asks: 'Isn't forcing a child into this world and then forcing it to have a career kidnapping and slavery?' In yet another picture he writes: 'The only reason your children are facing problems is because you had them'. Some anti-natalist activists in India also argue that having children is a strain on Earth's resources and avoid procreation for environmental reasons. Another activist, Pratima Naik, said: 'We don't want to impose our beliefs on anyone, but more people need to consider why having a child in the world right now isn't right.' His page, entitled Childfree India, wrote last month: 'Should we continue to bring more children in this world and accelerate the process of environmental and social degradation? 'Do you think existence is pain, and not bringing a child into this world, is a guaranteed way to avoid unnecessary suffering to the child? 'We are a group of people who have decided not to reproduce. We are Childfree Indians!' The medals of a war hero who survived a suicidal raid on a German battleship and a notorious Nazi death march have emerged for sale for 50,000. Artificer Edmund Goddard was on a midget submarine that sneaked under the fearsome ship the Tirpitz in a Norwegian fjord to lay depth charges. The X6 sub was spotted by the Germans who attacked and the four-man crew were quickly captured. The men were on board the 43,000-tonne ship when it was lifted out of the water by the huge explosion they caused. Of the 12 men who took part in the raid in three midget submarines, six drowned and six were taken prisoner. Edmund Goddard, one of the heroes of the 1943 raid on the Tirpirtz, is pictured after the war at the Submarine Museum at Gosport before the only surviving X-craft Midget sub The survivors initially feared they would be summarily executed as at one point they were lined up in front of armed guards. But they were to be well treated by the enemy who admired their bravery. The Tirpitz, the sister ship to the Bismarck, was so badly damaged in the attack it was put out of action for six months, bringing relief to Allied convoys it had terrorised. Goddard was sent to a PoW camp in Germany but escaped captivity during a notorious death march in April 1945. He managed to avoid detection for over a week before swimming across a river to freedom. The 23-year-old old was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal for his part in Operation Source that took place in September 1943. The six surviving crewman were decorated for their role in a daring raid on the Tirpitz during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace His medals have now been put up for sale with London auctioneers Dix Noonan Webb. Nimrod Dix, deputy chairman of Dix Noonan Webb, said: 'We are delighted to be offering this prestigious Conspicuous Gallantry Medal that was awarded to 4th Class Edmund Goddard, helmsman of X6, for his heroic feats during the Second World War. 'The X6 was instrumental in the attack on the Tirpitz and its crew members were all taken prisoner and were being interrogated aboard the Tirpitz when their charges exploded underneath the battleship. 'This is the only Conspicuous Gallantry Medal for the attack on the Tirpitz and one of only two for X-craft.' Goddard worked as an apprentice tool maker in Coventry before enlisting in the Royal Navy in 1941 Goddard, from Oxford, worked as an apprentice tool maker in Coventry before enlisting in the Royal Navy in 1941. He volunteered for 'special and hazardous service', not knowing what that might entail, and found himself on the early X-craft submarine training programme. The 50ft long subs were small enough to penetrate the fjord defences yet large enough to carry a four tonne charge and operate unsupported for several days. Operation Source, regarded to this day as one of the courageous acts of the war, involved three midget submarines - X5, X6 and X7. On September 21, 1943, after being towed over 1,000 miles, the subs embarked on a dangerous 50 mile journey to Kaafjord, north Norway, where the Tirpitz was located. Goddard's submarine got within 80 yards of it when it broke the surface and was spotted. While the German sailors rushed to battle stations, the X6 dived beneath the last line of defence, a 50ft anti torpedo net, and positioned herself under Tirpitz's port bow before unleashing four depth charges. With a damaged periscope there was little possibility of reaching the open sea, so the X6 was scuttled and her crew gave themselves up. X7 also managed to deliver its depth charges before being sunk, with two out of the four man crew managing to get out in the nick of time. His medal group consists of the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal; 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; War Medal. The sale takes place on February 27 But the X5 was blown out of the water while approaching the Tirpitz, killing the whole crew. The survivors were taken on board the Tirpitz to be interrogated, not knowing whether or not they would be executed under Adolf Hitler's controversial 'Commando Order'. Reliving the ordeal years later, Goddard said: 'We were taken on board Tirpitz's quarter-deck and told to empty all our pockets, which we did. 'Then we were taken below, and put in a corridor, and I heard lots of clanging of chains and whatnot, and I thought, oh dear, they're going to move the ship before our charges go off. 'Eventually the charges did go off, which shook us a bit; all the lights went off, and a foam extinguisher started to pour forth on my German guard who didn't like it very much. 'He grabbed me by the neck, and we went up on deck, and I was very disturbed the ship didn't appear to be sinking. 'They lined us up before a group of guards with Tommy guns; they were all very hostile and murmured Schweinhund and other things. The Tirpitz (shown), the sister ship to the Bismarck, was so badly damaged in the attack it was put out of action for six months, bringing relief to Allied convoys it had terrorised 'Then an interpreter came along and asked us how many boats were there and so on, but we just gave them our names and numbers. 'He got very annoyed and said that if we didn't play, he'd have to shoot us. 'He pointed at (Commander John) Lorimer and said to me, if you don't give me the information, I shall have to shoot your comrade too. Oh, well, I said, you just go ahead and shoot him.' The survivors were transported to Marlag-Milag Nord POW camp, near Bremen, on November 28. Here, they were kept until March 1945, when the prisoners were marched from Marlag-Milag Nord to Lubeck on the Baltic coast, in the face of the Russian advance. Goddard and two friends took advantage of a bend in the road and a nearby wood to break away from the death march unseen. After surviving for more than a week on the run, they passed through the German lines, having swum the Wummer River, and were found by advancing British troops. Following the war, Goddard worked as an engineer at the Newbury Diesel Company in Berkshire. He died in Tilehurst, Berkshire, aged 71 in 1992. His medal group consists of the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal; 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; War Medal. The sale takes place on February 27. A man has been accused of possessing child pornography after tip-offs from Facebook and Instagram. Ernest Henry Yardley, 33, faced the ACT magistrates Court on Wednesday charged with five counts of possessing child exploitation material. Social media platforms alerted police to the explicit material allegedly being sent by Mr Yardley to other users, court documents showed. A man has been accused of possessing child pornography after tip-offs from Facebook and Instagram (stock image) The Australian Federal Police launched an investigation after it received a report from the US-based National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, ABC reported. Federal Police allegedly used Mr Yardleys social media accounts to track him down. Police allege when they searched a caravan in south Canberra they found items including a mobile phone, hard drive and a laptop with a storage card. Child exploitation material was allegedly found on five devices, including the mobile phone. Ernest Henry Yardley, 33, faced the ACT magistrates Court on Wednesday charged with five counts of possessing child exploitation material (stock image) Mr Yardley told police he had looked at pornography but did not know how the material featuring children got onto his phone. The court heard Mr Yardley suffered several mental health conditions and was socially isolated. He was granted bail and will reappear in court in late February. The U.S. Senate's top Democrat fired a warning shot at President Donald Trump on Wednesday, saying he only demanded during his State of the Union address that House Democrats back off from 'partisan' investigations because 'he's afraid of them.' Chuck Schumer, the Senate's minority leader, mocked the president's call for bipartisan cooperation instead of 'foolish' opposition from the House majority now led by Democrat Nancy Pelosi. 'An economic miracle is taking place in the United States,' Trump said Tuesday night, 'and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous, partisan investigations.' 'If there is going to be peace and legislation, there can't be war and investigation. It just doesn't work that way,' the president scolded. 'He's scared,' Schumer said hours later during an interview on CNN's 'New Day' program. 'He's got something to hide.' Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday morning that President Donald Trump only demanded an end to congressional investigations during his State of the Union address because he's 'scared' of them 'He's got something to hide,' Schumer said of the president, who faces a raft of new Capitol Hill probes led by the new Democratic House majority Schumer has been gleefully anticipating probes from the other end of the Capitol, focused on everything from White House securiy clerances to so-far unsubstantiated claims that his 2016 campaign aides colluded with Russian agents to help tilt the election. Schumer scoffed at the idea that Trump has any place asking for the soft-glove treatment. 'One of the functions of the Congress, the Article I section of government, from the days of the founding fathers, was oversight of the executive branch,' he told CNN host John Berman. 'And the president says, "If you investigate me, I'm not going to make progress." That's already doing what he did with the shutdown, holding the American people hostage. You know what I think it shows, John? He's scared. he's got something to hide.' Vice President Mike Pence said in a CBS interview while Schumer was talking on CNN that Trump was only complaining Tuesday night about 'partisan' investigations 'Because if he had nothing to hide,' Schumer concluded, 'he'd just shrug his shoulders and let these investigations go forward. He's afraid of them.' On 'CBS This Morning,' Vice President Mike Pence acknowledged that 'congressional oversight is a part of the checks and balances of our system.' Pence said that Trump was only referring to 'partisan investigations.' 'You know his feelings about investigations on Capitol Hill,' said Pence, who served 12 years in Congress before becoming Indiana's governor. 'We don't object to oversight. That's the proper role of committees in the Congress. But when it takes on a partisan tint, when it seems more intent on becoming a forum for invective against the president and the administration, the American people expect better.' Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the 29-year-old socialist who has emerged as a Democratic Party leader, said on NBC that Trump's demand 'was, frankly, kind of bizarre. I don't think that investigations into federal misconduct have anything to do with our economy.' A CBS News poll found 76 per cent of Americans who watched the State of the Union approved of it. Schumer drew Trump's ire Tuesday afternoon by offering a pre-buttal to a State of the Union speech he hadn't heard. Trump began his speech with a call for bipartisan unity, but insisted on a my-way-or-the-highway approach to immigration and other contentious issues Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the 29-year-old socialist who has emerged as a Democratic Party leader, said on NBC that Trump's demand 'was, frankly, kind of bizarre' 'Perhaps even more empty than his policy promises are President Trump's calls for unity each year. ... In the past he's called for unity and he's forgotten about it by the next morning,' he told reporters. 'Every year, the president wakes up and discovers that the desire for bipartisanship and unity is ephemeral. He doesn't really feel it. He's told he's supposed to say it at the State of the Union, and then it's gone.' During a lunchtime meeting with television anchors at the White House, an annual tradition, Trump dismissed Schumer as a 'nasty son of a b***h.' On Wednesday, Schumer said there was 'very little nice to say about' the State of the Union. 'Its sort of like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. And the excitement and enthusiasm was all in the Mr. Hyde part.' 'The president was political, divisive, calculating, even nasty at times. You know, you cant talk about comity and working together and give a speech that is so divisive. That just doesn't fly.' A brave police officer who was stabbed five times by the London Bridge terrorists has said he is wearing his uniform again and that it 'felt right'. PC Charlie Guenigault first returned to work last October and has now revealed that his next step is to get back to patrolling the streets following the atrocity in June 2017. On Monday PC Guenigault tweeted: 'First day back actually wearing my uniform again. Felt right. Next step working to get back out on the streets.' The 27-year-old from Dartford, Kent, was actually off duty at the time of the attack which devastated the capital. Charlie Guenigault (pictured above) received awards for his bravery after the London attack PC Charlie Guenigault tweeted that it 'felt right' to wear his uniform again following the attack in London PC Charlie Guenigault (left and right) returned to work last year and tweeted on Monday that it 'felt right' to be back in his uniform He was on his way home after watching the Champions League final when the three knife-wielding attackers used a van to mow down pedestrians, before going on to stab victims at random. Unarmed PC Guenigault ran towards the terrorists and fought them with his bare hands, protecting many of the innocent people around him. During the attack he was stabbed five times and spent 70 days in hospital, and underwent five operations. PC Guenigault suffers long-lasting health problems resulting from his clash with the London Bridge attackers and last year said he had to take penicillin twice daily since having his spleen removed. Constable Charles Guenigault is decorated with the George Medal by Queen Elizabeth II, during an Investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace Leon McLeod (left) was awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal and Charlie Guenigault (centre) and Wayne Marques (right) were both awarded the George Medal He had previously been honoured for his bravery and in 2017 he was awarded the Pride of Britain award for Outstanding Bravery. Last October he also received the George Medal from the Queen. Another officer who was also honored for his bravery with the George Medal was British Transport officer Wayne Marques, who fought off terrorists with his baton. He returned to work in August 2018 and had attended multiple rehabilitation programmes as he recovered from his injuries. The third officer who was also commended for his bravery was Leon McLeod. PC Guenigault had previously tweeted photos of himself with other officers that had been commended for their bravery including Leon McLeod and Wayne Marques The British Transport Police officer, aged 30 and from Blackheath, chased after the London Bridge attackers, helped the injured and remained on the scene through the night. He had been on patrol with his colleague PC Wayne Marques when the attackers targeted revellers on a busy Saturday night in the city. He was awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal. PC Guenigault had previously tweeted photos with the two other officers, one where they are wearing fancy dress costumes, and another after receiving their medals. Terry Adams has avoided jail after settling an 50,000 court bill at the eleventh hour The former boss of the notorious 'Adams Family' crime gang has avoided jail after suddenly handing over nearly 50,000 in court costs just hours after he insisted he was 'living on handouts' and could only afford 15-a-week. Terry Adams, whose Clerkenwell crime syndicate is notorious in London, was handed a 12-month jail term on Monday over his refusal to pay a court costs order. But hours after he was given the jail term, the 64-year-old paid the whole 46,258 he owed and will now avoid prison, it emerged today. Adams was jailed for seven years for money laundering in 2007 and was told to pay 750,000 in a confiscation order to avoid further time in prison. He was then hit with a court costs order, sparking years of legal wrangling and his eventual jailing on Monday. Adams lawyers had told Westminster Magistrates' Court on Monday that Adams was unemployed and lived in a council flat in Bloomsbury, London. But District Judge Michael Snow said he was satisfied Adams had assets which he did not wish to disclose to the court. The judge said Adams' offer to pay 15 a week would take 'many decades to settle' the sum. Adams (pictured, left, in 2014) said he and his wife Ruth (right, on Monday) are now living in a former council flat in central London His lawyers claimed the fact he was living in the one-bed flat (pictured) showed that attempting to ring more money out of him was like 'trying to get blood from a stone' Jailing Adams, District Judge Snow added: 'It seems to me I have no alternative in this case than to order him to serve the default term of 12 months. 'But he doesn't have to spend a single day in custody because if he settles the order in full he will be released immediately.' Adams was jailed for seven years for money laundering in 2007 and was told to pay 750,000 in a confiscation order to avoid further time in prison. The Crown Prosecution Service argued there was a strong case Adams had 'substantial undisclosed assets'. Previous court hearings were told he was using his family and associates to pay for a luxury lifestyle, including opera visits, meals at top restaurants and spa memberships. But after being threatened with being sent back to jail, a member of his extended family was said to have supplied the money to pay back the remainder of the confiscation order. Giving evidence on Monday, Adams branded the case a 'witch hunt', adding: 'It has never stopped and will never stop.' The Adams Family gang, also dubbed the A-team, was once described by police as 'worse than the Krays' while operating out of Islington, north London. A fugitive accused of child sex crimes was wearing a Father of the Year T-shirt when he was arrested in Florida on Monday. Clarence Sheese, 50, was wanted on charges in Columbus, Ohio, of two counts of rape and one count of gross sexual misconduct involving children. The Clay County Sheriffs Office apprehended Sheese on a fugitive from justice charge after a tip from the community of Fleming Island - where he lived. A fugitive accused of child sex crimes was wearing a Father of the Year T-shirt when he was arrested in Florida on Monday We thought it was pretty clear, our community wont tolerate criminal behavior. Especially concerning fugitives who flee from other states into Clay County, because they are wanted for child sex crimes, said the sheriffs office, which released the image of Sheese in his distinctive T-shirt. It added: With the great work of the United States Marshal Service, coupled with our agency and some community tips, Sheese is now incarcerated in our jail. Clarence Sheese (pictured), 50, was wanted on charges in Columbus, Ohio Fleming Island is said to be a quiet, peaceful area, with one unidentified resident saying it is home to many children, WJXT television station reported. She explained that she was surprised to learn about Sheeses arrested, adding: It's so tight knit, but it's also a remote area where not a lot of traffic comes and goes. The sheriffs office also offered a warning to other fugitives. It said: To those who target Clay County citizens, for those who flee here to avoid capture of crime and to those who harbor such criminals, we will come get you. U.S. marshals assisted in the arrest and Sheese will reportedly be extradited to Ohio with no bond per the terms of his active warrant. The billionaire ruler of Dubai has been given permission to expand his 63,000 acre Highlands estate to include a home and a 19-bed staff lodge. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum's architects said his family's trips to their sprawling holiday estate in Inverinate, Wester Ross, had been 'limited by lack of accommodation'. The racehorse owner, who has several wives and 23 children and is worth more than 13.7 billion, applied for planning permission to build nine-bed staff lodge and a 19-bed house. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and his wife, Princess Haya of Jordon The Derby at Epsom Downs The Sheikh's Inverinate estate in Wester Ross, Scotland. He has been granted permission to build on the estate An artist impression of the proposed 19-bedroom staff lodge to be located to the east of the recently completed estate lodge And despite objections the prince's entourage would wreak havoc on local roads, Highland Council planners gave the plans the green light this week. The sheikh's estate already has a triple helipad, a 14-bedroom holiday home and a 16-bed luxury hunting lodge with a swimming pool and gym. In a planning decision notice, Highland Council case officer Graham Sharp, said: 'All relevant matters have been taken into account when appraising this application. 'It is considered that the proposal is acceptable in terms of all other applicable material considerations.' Sheikh Mohammed brought the estate, on the shores of Loch Duich, around 20 years ago. But his development company Smech Properties Ltd applied to Highland Council this summer for two lodges and another house. This design shows the proposal for the nine-bed home, laid out over two stories in height with, at upper floors, bedrooms clustered around a central feature staircase. Public rooms and two further bedrooms will be located at ground floor level and 'take advantage of attractive views and the southerly aspect over Loch Duich' A birds-eye view of the staff lodge and 9-bed home on the Scottish estate Despite objections the prince's entourage would wreak havoc on local roads, Highland Council planners gave the plans the green light this week In a statement to planners, Colin Armstrong Architects said: 'The owners of Inverinate Estate typically travel in large groups of immediate and extended family and friends. 'In recent years their travel to Inverinate has been limited by the lack of accommodation.' Concerns were raised by Transport Scotland and local residents that it would add traffic to the roads, which are in a designated 'national scenic area.' Writing in October, Transport Scotland's Ken Aitken said he wanted to know how often and for how long people would be visiting the estate. The Church of Scotland also claimed the 'scale' of the development was not acceptable. Pope Francis with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum during a welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi on February 4 Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum at the Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol Premiere in 2011 Architects submitted the plans saying the Sheikh and his family were 'limited' by the lack of accommodation Resident Tina McLeod described the plans as 'utterly hideous'. She added: 'Is this traditional Highland estate set to become yet another playground resort for the rich with little or no benefit to the local community?' Neighbour Gerhard Lehner labelled it a 'monstrosity of a building', adding: 'The sheer size of the building is certainly not blending in with the surrounding landscape.' In December, the Shiekh withdraw plans for one of the two new proposed lodges. The plans for the nine-bed home and one lodge was approved by the council on Monday. The sheikh is best known in Britain for being a top racehorse owner, and is credited with turning Dubai into one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. He succeeded his brother in 2006 to become the ruler of Dubai and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates. His family reportedly use the Highland estate in summer to escape the 50c Dubai heat. Eileen Jolly, of Tilehurst (pictured outside her employment tribunal in November 2018) has successfully sued her former employers, the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, for unfair dismissal on grounds of age and disability and breach of contract An elderly hospital secretary has become the oldest person to win an age discrimination case at the age of 88. Eileen Jolly, of Tilehurst, has successfully sued her former employers, the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, for unfair dismissal on grounds of age and disability and breach of contract. She was frogmarched out of her office at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading by security staff in late 2016 and sacked four months later over concerns about her 'frailty'. But the grandmother told her employment tribunal she had not taken a sick day in 10 years, despite suffering a heart attack at work when she had to be resuscitated by a surgeon. The pensioner, who has a heart condition and walks with a stick, claimed she planned to work until she was at least 90. She said she was forced to lie to friends out of embarrassment, telling them she had 'retired' as opposed to being sacked. During her hearing, she told of how she was particularly hurt by one colleague who she quoted as saying: 'It was always a concern that you could walk in and find Eileen dead on the floor.' The medical secretary will have to wait until October to find out how much she will receive in compensation. Speaking from her Berkshire home today, she said: 'I have not read the judgment yet. I am seeing my solicitor either this week or next week.' The tribunal heard that after she was escorted out of the hospital by security staff in September 2016 she was prescribed antidepressants and felt too ashamed to tell anyone what had happened, saying instead that she had 'retired.' Her husband died two weeks before the tribunal hearing began in November without knowing what happened. She was told to collect her things and leave and overheard a colleague saying: 'Eileen won't be coming back.' Mrs Jolly is pictured with former Health Secretary Frank Dobson and orthopedic surgeon Dr James Scott in June 1998 at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital The medical secretary, who suffers from arthritis and a heart condition, was accused of allowing patients that needed breast surgery to wait more than 52-weeks for treatment. Mrs Jolly, who worked for the hospital trust from 1991 to her dismissal in 2017, was blamed for not uploading details of women awaiting non-urgent breast reconstruction surgery to a new database. The error was partially blamed for 14 women having to wait more than a year for surgery, putting the hospital trust at risk of a Government fine. But an employment judge ruled Mrs Jolly and her managers had different ideas about what her role entailed - and the trust failed to train her in how to manage patient waiting lists. The tribunal heard Mrs Jolly first started working for consultant Brendan Smith in 2005. Her work was described by Dr Smith as 'reliable and meticulous' and that she held a list of patients waiting for non-urgent surgery but it was managed by someone else. The Directorate Manager for Abdominal Surgery, who was not named in the hearing, was said to be responsible for informing Dr Smith when patients had been waiting 52-weeks since their initial referral. Dr Smith would then move any patients reaching that limit onto the patient waiting list, the employment court heard. Mrs Jolly worked at the Royal Berkshire Hospital near Reading until she was sacked in 2017 When the director left in 2015, the Trust is said to have redesigned its administration system and Mrs Jolly's role changed from medical secretary to a patient pathway co-ordinator. But a training session had to be re-scheduled after the trainer could not tell the class 'how patients go from one part of the system to another'. The hearing heard this was not re-scheduled and never took place. Employment judge Andrew Gumbiti-Zimuto said: 'The claimant did not understand her role the way that her managers understood her role. 'The role that the claimant understood she was performing, she was performing competently. 'There is a suspicion of the claimant being a scapegoat, the claimant was not offered training where it might be considered appropriate. 'There was evidence of the claimant's training having been inadequate, incomplete and 'on the job' training was ad hoc and not directed.' The tribunal heard that on September 8, 2016, Mrs Jolly went into work and was approached by a colleague who told her to see the Director of Operations. The Employment Judge said: 'The claimant was told that she was being investigated. 'The claimant describes the way this happened as humiliating, she describes feeling degraded and she recalls a colleague saying: 'Eileen won't be coming back.' 'The claimant was escorted off the premises and accompanied by a colleague while she waited for a taxi. 'The claimant describes how she felt that she was being escorted from premises in case she did something she should not. She described the incident as 'awful'.' In a letter later that month, Mrs Jolly was told there had been three serious incidents in two years in relation to breaching the 52-week limit on the waiting lists. Mrs Jolly told the tribunal she felt depressed, ashamed and couldn't sleep. She told friends and relatives that she had retired so that she did not have to 're-live the whole dreadful experience'. She was then asked to re-arrange a doctors appointment to come in for an interview, the tribunal heard, which the employment judge ruled was disability discrimination. During the investigation into her conduct, the tribunal ruled that 'discriminatory and inappropriate' comments were made about Mrs Jolly - including about her age and ability to walk the length of the building. It was also noted she was 'frail' because of her arthritis and heart conditions which the tribunal ruled were 'hurtful' to the 87-year-old. Manager Michael Eastwell who carried out the investigation was found to be 'unreasonable' in his treatment of Mrs Jolly because he was 'tainted with considerations about the claimant's age and also about the claimant's disability'. Employment judge Gumbiti-Zimuto said: 'Mr Eastwell took into account the comments by colleagues which included comments about the claimant's frailty. 'The comments made were inappropriate, hurtful and related to the claimant's age and perceived frailty because of her age and disability. 'When the Claimant read these comments, she considered them hurtful and saw that they were aimed at her age and her health as well as perceptions of her age and health. 'The nature of the comments once communicated to the Claimant, as they were in the course of the investigation, violated the Claimant's dignity in relation to her age and disability and created a hostile and intimidating environment for her.' The tribunal ruled that there was a 'symbiosis' between Mrs Jolly's age, disability and the way in which she was treated by the NHS Trust. A remedy hearing is due to take place in October. A Twitter account in Tokyo has chronicled the funniest footage of drunk and sleeping people in a fashionable part of the city. Compiled by the Twitter account Shibuya Meltdown, the images and video clips reveal the strangest places that struggling Tokyo residents - either intoxicated or exhausted from a hard day's work - have chosen for a rest. The footage gathered in the Shibuya neighbourhood show one man resting his head on the side of a travelator before collapsing to the floor when it reaches the end. In another image a man is lying dangerously on a pedestrian crossing, while a further picture shows someone napping on a pavement kerb next to a parked car. Some of the resting people chose to lie down in full view of public transport users, for instance on the floor of a subway train. Another unfortunate man found himself lying on a bed of waste, made up of more than a dozen bin bags. Slow progress: A man rests his head on a travelator in Shibuya, a fashionable neighbourhood in Tokyo, in one of the pictures of drunk and sleeping people compiled on Twitter Dangerous place for a nap: A man lies down on a pedestrian crossing in Tokyo in another of the bizarre pictures Subway sleep: Two men lie on the floor of a train in Tokyo, one with his head near an open door as the train stops at a platform and another while the doors are closed Not the best pillows: A man lies down on more than a dozen white bin bags, apparently falling asleep with his head resting on a pile of Tokyo's waste Cone sweet cone: A man wearing a face mask and a coat lies down next to a red traffic cone with a no smoking symbol at the top Uncomfortable: In this video shared on the Shibuya Twitter account two men lie on a wall with their backs arched and their heads almost upside down Collapsed: A woman poses for a picture in front of a man who has passed out next to a yellow vehicle in Shibuya Need a taxi? A man lies face down next to a flower bed with a vehicle for hire in the background Slumped: A man lies down with his earphones in, after seeming to slip below the table where he is sitting at a restaurant Too much: One man lies face down on piles of rubbish bags (left) while another woman holds her head in her hands (right) Festive rest: A man takes a break with his head down next to a display of Christmas decorations Spread out: A man lies on his back on a train in Tokyo in full view of travelling passengers Supermarket sleep: A man lies down next to refrigerated goods in a Tokyo shop In need of a rest: One man lies down holding a tablet device (left) while another exhausted person spreadeagles themselves on the side of a road (right) Bottom of the stairs: A man lies at the foot of a flight of steps, vulnerable to any Tokyo locals who might come down and trample on him by mistake Vending me to sleep: A man lies down on a deserted street next to a Coca-Cola machine Headrest: A man wearing a yellow jacket sits down on a pavement kerb next to a bollard In the way: A man wearing jeans and a dark coat lies across the entrance to a pedestrian crossing Sanjayan Nadarajah is pictured today as he leaves Highbury Corner Magistrates Court A father-of-two faces jail after he secretly recorded 'upskirt' clips of unsuspecting female commuters on the Tube and posted them to adult websites. Sanjayan Nadarajah, 43, followed young women wearing short skirts on the London Underground with his phone hidden in his laptop bag. He also recorded half-naked women trying on clothes in shop changing rooms and took further opportunities to film in airports and shopping centres. The pharmaceutical consultant, who has a chemistry degree and lives in a 775,000 home Tadworth, Surrey was hunted down by British Transport Police. Officers discovered the online clips and traced Nadarajah, known as 'MonkeyMan9', when the adult site shared his email address. At Highbury Corner Magistrates Court, he pleaded guilty to five counts of outraging public decency between May 17 and July 19. Nadarajah also pleaded guilty to two counts of voyeurism and was released on bail to be sentenced at Blackfriars Crown Court on a future date. Prosecutor Nikhil Khosla said: 'The BTP learned videos were appearing on an adult site of covert "upskirt" recordings in which the females involved were unaware. 'The person responsible seemed to be using a camera in a bag and on occasion filmed himself.' There were 57 clips uploaded by Nadarajah under his 'MonkeyMan9' username and all but nine, marked as only available to 'Friends of User', were viewable. 'Some of the clips were recorded in supermarkets and airports and under changing room curtains of females wearing only their underwear,' added Mr Khosla. Nadarajah, 43, followed young women wearing short skirts on the London Underground with his phone hidden in his laptop bag During the investigation, eleven more clips were uploaded after Nadarajah filmed up women's skirts on an escalator at Lakeside Shopping Centre. He was arrested on October 9 and police seized a Samsung phone and two memory cards containing more 'upskirt' recordings. 'These were filmed at close range and Nadarajah could be seen adjusting the camera. 'Examples include a young woman on the Underground wearing a short black and white skirt, who was filmed from behind on an escalator. 'Another was a female sitting opposite the defendant on a tube train, who was wearing a short skirt, who the defendant followed off the train and up stairs filming her buttocks and underwear. 'At a clothing shop in Wimbledon he twice filmed women in changing rooms, with one in full view in just her bra and knickers.' Nadarajah claimed it was 'a fascination for him to film female's and that 'if they knew they were being recorded they would have felt victimised'. The prosecution claim the offences fall into Category One for sentencing purposes with a starting point of six months imprisonment. Magistrate Liz Blake announced: 'These matters are very serious. They do cross the custody threshold. The powers of this court are not sufficient.' Advertisement The 'Stansted 15' who chained themselves together to block a plane deporting 60 people from Britain punched the air as they walked free today - and pledged to appeal their convictions. The militant protesters who laid across Stansted's Tarmac were convicted last year using an aviation law passed after the Lockerbie bombing in 1988 when a jury agreed their actions to stop the Boeing 767 could have caused catastrophe. The 'Stansted 15' cut through metal fencing and then held themselves together by using piping to create 'lock boxes' filled with expanding building foam to stop a deportation flight taking off for Africa in March 2017. The disruption cost Stansted 1million in delays - money they have no hope of getting back - and the 60 people due for deportation had to be removed from the plane. Four of the group have previous convictions for aggravated trespass and have been in court for similar offences after causing similar chaos airports including Stansted and Heathrow. But Judge Christopher Morgan, at Chelmsford Crown Court, said today he was not going to jail them after they received letters of support from the Bishop of Chelmsford, Stephen Cottrell, as well as the Labour and Green parties. Instead he gave three defendants suspended jail terms and the 12 others were given community orders - but the judge refused to give them lesser conditional discharges. Outside court hundreds of supporters, who spent the day dancing and singing protests songs while clutching banners and placards, mobbed the freed group who raised their fists in celebration. May McKeith, a member of the so-called 'Stansted 15' raises a fist as she leaves Chelmsford Crown Court after learning she will not be jailed - she was given a suspended sentence instead The gang of activists emerged with their fists raised as huge crowds of supporters swamped them today Two of the protesters hold hands as they make their way through the huge crowds outside the court One free woman laughs as it emerged that all 15 in the dock will appeal their convictions 14 of the Stansted 15 pose on the steps outside Chelmsford Crown Court today where they will walk free after a judge refused to jail them There celebrations today among the activists who insist they were saving lives not breaking the law by blocking the Home Office chartered 767 jet in March 2017 The activists insist they were not breaking the law when they stopped the jet - but a jury disagreed after a nine-week trial The protesters all smiled as they posed for pictures as they chained themselves together on in March 2017 The Boeing 767 was grounded and the 60 people on board were removed. Several were eventually not deported Edward Thaker and Alistair Tamlit were given nine months in prison suspended for 18 months plus 250 hours of unpaid work. Melanie Stickland had the same suspended sentence with 100 hours of unpaid work. May Mackeith was sentenced with a community order for 12 months plus a 20 days Rehabilitation Activity Requirement The remaining 11 have received a community order for 12 months and unpaid work of 100 hours. All 15 are appealing against their conviction. Lawyers for the activists said this law was passed in response to the 1988 Lockerbie bombing. Judge Christopher Morgan, sentencing at the same court on Wednesday, told the defendants: 'In normal circumstances only a normal custodial sentence would have been justified in this case, but in your case I accept that your intentions were to demonstrate.' He stressed they were still convicted of a 'serious offence' and while their intentions reduced their culpability the 'harm in this case is great'. 'You took objects onto that airport,' said Judge Morgan. 'You had no way of knowing if all had been recovered.' He said that 'even a small breach of regulations, the leaving of foreign object debris on a runway can have catastrophic effects'. By way of example, he said that in 2000 a small piece of metal that fell from one plane 'caused the destruction of a Concorde' at a Paris airport. He added that the activists moved a tripod near to the wing of a Boeing 767, where its fuel tank is located. 'That plane had been fuelled and the consequences of metal striking and going through that wing could have resulted in a catastrophic fire,' he said. Protesters in pink dance and sing in the street outside court where the Stansted 15 were allowed to walk free Supporters blocked the road outside Chelmsford Crown Court, singing songs and giving speeches Campaigners say that Britain should stop deporting anybody and claim that 11 people on the grounded plane have since won the right to stay in the UK The 15 protesters cut through Stansted Airport's perimeter fence and locked themselves together around a chartered deportation plane using pipes and expanding foam Hundreds of supporters spent the day outside the courthouse with speeches given and banners unfurled cheered as the news emerged. The activists were cheered as they arrived at court and posed on the steps before entering. They had cut through the airport's perimeter fence and locked themselves together around a Boeing 767 jet chartered by the Home Office to transport people from UK detention centres for repatriation to Africa. The so-called Stansted 15 were convicted in December 2018 following a nine-week trial at Chelmsford Crown Court. Edward Thacker, Melanie Evans, Alistair Tamlit were convicted on January 25, 2016 and given a year-long suspended sentence on February 24, 2016 for aggravated trespass at Heathrow on July 13 2015. May Mackeith was convicted for trespass at Stansted Airport in 2008. She pleaded guilty to the offence and received a community order. The defendants were found guilty of the intentional disruption of services at an aerodrome, contrary to section 1 (2) (b) of the Aviation and Maritime Security Act 1990. Lawyers for the activists said this law was passed in response to the 1988 Lockerbie bombing. In a statement released after their conviction, the defendants said they were 'guilty of nothing more than intervening to prevent harm'. Raj Chada, partner at Hodge Jones & Allen, which represents the activists, described their conviction as a 'travesty of justice that needs correcting in the appeal courts'. The Stansted 15 are: Helen Brewer, 29, Lyndsay Burtonshaw, 28, Nathan Clack, 30, Laura Clayson, 28, Melanie Evans, 35, Joseph McGahan, 35, Benjamin Smoke, 27, Jyotsna Ram, 33, Nicholas Sigsworth, 29, Melanie Strickland, 35, Alistair Tamlit, 30, Edward Thacker, 29, Emma Hughes, 38, May McKeith, 33, and Ruth Potts, 44. Twelve of the defendants' given addresses are in north London, Burtonshaw's is in Brighton, Potts's is in Bristol and McGahan's is in Reading. A one punch attack at a McDonald's restaurant left a man with a brain bleed and dislodged teeth but his attacker has walked free from court. Troy James Badger pleaded guilty to the assault in Cairns District Court on Wednesday and walked away with a wholly suspended sentence. The court heard that on July 15, 2017, Badger ran up to the 44-year-old victim as he was talking to a group at the entrance to a Brisbane McDonald's and kicked him in the leg before punching him in the face, according to The Cairns Post. A one punch attack at a McDonald's restaurant left a man with a brain bleed and dislodged teeth but his attacker has walked free from court The 27-year-old plead guilty to causing grievous bodily harm, although his defence barrister Josh Trevino argued it was a 'brain snap' under the influence of alcohol. 'There were a lot of stressors in his life at the time of the incident,' he told the court. He also said his client had enrolled in anger management courses. Prosecutor Tom Hancock said that the victim had spent over $5300 dollars on dental work and still needs another $1500 worth of treatment. Badger was ordered to pay $3000 compensation after initially offering $5000 that he had saved from working in Cairns. Mr Hancock also pushed for a strong sentence, labelling the attack 'gratuitous unprovoked street violence.' Judge Dean Morzone QC gave Badger a wholly suspended 20-month jail term after taking into account the defence's argument he was the sole provider for his wife and young child. A Jehovah's Witness has been sentenced to six years in a Russian prison after the religious group was banned for 'extremism'. Danish citizen Dennis Christensen was jailed at a court in the southern Russian city of Oryol today despite insisting he had 'never committed any criminal acts'. He was the first person arrested under a 2017 ruling which outlawed the religious group, deeming them an 'extremist organisation'. The verdict could lead to jail terms for dozens more Jehovah's Witnesses with another 90 cases waiting to come to trial across Russia. Jailed: Danish citizen Dennis Christensen is handcuffed and escorted into a court in Oryol today, where he was jailed for six years for 'extremism' Christensen, who moved to southern Russia as an adult and is married to a Russian woman, was arrested in Oryol in May 2017. In court today he said: 'I hope that today is the day that Russia defends freedom of religion,' but the court handed him a six-year jail term. The 46-year-old was led past a mass of supporters by police officers following the verdict. 'We deeply regret the conviction of Dennis Christensen - an innocent man who did not commit any real crime,' said Yaroslav Sivulskiy, a spokesman for the Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia. 'It is sad that reading the Bible, preaching, and living a moral way of life is again a criminal offence in Russia,' he added. Amnesty International said in a statement: 'The Russian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Dennis Christensen. 'Dennis Christensen has been arrested and prosecuted by the authorities simply for practicing his religion as Jehovah's Witness. His case is emblematic of the grave human rights violations including the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and religion in the country. Convicted: Christensen, a Danish Jehovah's Witness, is escorted into the courtroom to hear the verdict. He was the first person arrested after the group was banned in 2017 Accused: Christensen, who moved to southern Russia as an adult and is married to a Russian woman, was arrested in Oryol in May 2017, is escorted by police in Oryol today The Russian authorities must halt persecution of estimated 175,000 Jehovah's Witnesses who are simply peacefully exercising their right to freedom of religion.' Since 2017 there has been an intensifying crackdown on Jehovah's Witnesses, with around 90 criminal trials now pending in dozens of regions of Russia. More than 20 properties belonging to the organisation or its members have been confiscated by law enforcement, its U.S.-based office said. The 33-year-old leader of the Jehovah's Witness organisation in Ivanovo, a city northeast of Moscow, was arrested last week on extremism charges. The Jehovah's Witnesses say they number more than 170,000 in Russia, a country of 144 million people where most are Orthodox Christians. In a report last year, Human Rights Watch accused the Russian authorities of a 'sweeping campaign' of harassment and persecution against the movement. In 2010, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the dissolution six years earlier of the movement's Moscow branch had violated the right to freedom of religion and association. The powerful Russian Orthodox Church has spoken out against the group, with one church official branding it a 'destructive sect'. Macedonia has taken a big step towards joining Nato after allies signed a key document that could see the tiny Balkans country become the 30th member of the world's biggest military alliance. Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov led the 'accession protocol' signing ceremony on Wednesday at the alliance's Brussels headquarters. Greece had previously blocked Macedonia's Nato membership for a decade over a name dispute, but Macedonia has agreed to change its tittle to 'North Macedonia' to gain access to Nato and the EU. Scroll down for video Wednesday's agreement paves the way for Macedonia to join the other 30 countries within Nato NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, right, and Macedonia's Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov hold up the 'accession protocol' on Wednesday The historic announcement is likely to anger Vladimir Putin, as reports suggested in recent weeks Russian agents had been attempting to undermine Macedonia's accession to the organization. Russia was said to have flooded social media with fake news and subsidizing local extremists before citizens voted to join NATO on September 30 last year. 'No doubt that [the Russians] have transferred money and they are also conducting broader influence campaigns,' Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on a recent visit to Skopje. Facebook pages spread by fake news organizations urged people to boycott the NATO referendum and told people to burn their ballot papers. US policymakers have previously accused Russia of spreading discord throughout the Balkans and hindering sovereign nations' attempts to join the EU at any cost. The republic of just over two million people was formally invited to join the NATO alliance in 2008, but its membership was vetoed by Greece, where there is strong opposition to Macedonia's name. The accession protocol signed on Wednesday which will pave the way for Macedonia to join Nato The accession protocol has been hailed by Zoran Zaev as an end to the country's long-running dispute with Greece Athens sees the former Yugoslav republic's name as a threat to its own administrative region of Macedonia. The accession protocol must be ratified by all 29 Nato members. Greece is set to become the first to do so this week. Macedonia will then start calling itself North Macedonia and will join under that name, possibly later this year or in early 2020. Macedonia's Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov said the country would change its name 'in a matter of days' following the signing of the accession protocol. 'This wasn't inevitable - this wasn't even very likely to happen,' he said, praising the political leaders on both sides who proved 'the impossible is actually doable'. 'This is a family that strives to make our world more peaceful and a better place. This is a journey that has made us more mature... we have proven that we can assume our responsibility, face a problem, and resolve those problems,' he said. 'In a matter of days, we'll resolve the last remaining dispute we have with any of our neighbours.' A grief-stricken male goose refused to leave the lifeless body of its dead companion after she was run over by a car in south China. The heart-wrenching moment was caught on camera on Tuesday in a village in Longyan, Fujian province after the goose was hit along a dirt road. The male goose was filmed desperately trying to wake her up by prodding her head and lifting her neck up with his beak. A grief-stricken male goose refused to leave the lifeless body of its dead companion after she was run over by a car in south China on Tuesday The heart-wrenching moment was caught on camera on Tuesday in a village in Longyan, Fujian province after the goose was hit along a dirt road The goose belonged to a family living in the village in Changting county, according to video news site Pear. The male goose spent more than 20 minutes trying to revive his companion by honking at the motionless body of his dead partner. After sniffing and nudging her, he stood guard and watched over her before reluctantly giving up. The male goose spent more than 20 minutes trying to revive his companion, the video shows After sniffing and nudging her, he stood guard and watched over her before giving up He then walked away, hanging his head low and in despair. Net users, many of them animal lovers, were saddened by the incident. 'Sometimes animals show more devotion and commitment than humans do,' one user said on Chinese micro-blogging site Weibo. 'What a committed male goose. You can feel that it is devasated,' another user said. 'Please pay attention to the road when driving!' one user said. Downing Street today dismissed proposals for a state of the art 'drive through' border plan for Northern Ireland. Theresa May's spokesman said the plans drawn up by Japanese tech giant Fujitsu had been seen by ministers before and 'this is not one of the proposals under consideration'. The proposal involves GPS tagging vehicles and shipments so they trigger an invisible 'geo fence' when they cross the border to or from the Republic. The idea is to ensure all the necessary customs checks can be carried out where goods are made to ensure there is no need for physical policing at the border. But there are fears it would require surveillance systems to work so could fall foul of Theresa May's commitment to avoid infrastructure on the border. There are fears using cameras or drones would awaken memories of The Troubles while having different standards on either side of the border could fuel smuggling. Downing Street today dismissed proposals for a state of the art 'drive through' border plan for Northern Ireland. Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay was said to be studying the proposals amid a scramble to find a way of running the Irish border after Brexit but Downing Street said it was not under consideration today The proposal involved GPS tagging vehicles and shipments so they trigger an invisible 'geo fence' when they cross the border to or from the Republic Brexiteers have pinned their hopes on a technology based solution as an alternative to the 'backstop' in the current Brexit divorce deal. The backstop effectively keeps Britain in the EU customs union and obliges Northern Ireland to follow some single market rules - eliminating the need for border checks. It is designed to only come into force until a final trade deal is agreed but Brexit supporters fear it could become a permanent solution. The Fujitsu plan has been under development for around 10 months and is being looked at afresh by a working group of MPs and officials, the Sun revealed today. Fujitsu has reportedly said a test version of the system could be deployed on the border in time for exit day on March 29. A working prototype could be essential to proving to the EU it is a viable 'alternative arrangement' that could replace the existing backstop. A Tory minister involved in the talks told the paper: 'Given that we can land a probe the size of a fridge on Mars, it can't be beyond us to devise an imperceptible system for a 310 mile border'. An 11-page briefing marked 'Restricted Commercial in Confidence', reveals the plan suggests; Tariffs would be paid online in advance, by registered users who would be known as Authorised Economic Operators Police would take new measures to stamp out smuggling. Around 1bn a year is lost in duty every year and the new system would monitoring every goods vehicle that crosses the border Customs officials to carry out spot check on suspicious vehicles be ordering them to re-route to inspection depots away from the border Suspect vehicles to be identified and flagged by the Artificial Intelligence-driven analysis which looks at journeys as well as a wide array of other information, including social media posts. Theresa May is in Northern Ireland today (pictured) to hunt for a political solution to the Brexit impasse A DExEU spokesperson said: 'Throughout this process the Government has explored options with firms and experts for proposals to solve the issue of the Irish border. 'As the Political Declaration makes clear, the UK and the EU have committed to exploring what alternative arrangements to the backstop might look like. We are also clear that those solutions can not include new border infrastructures.' What is Plan C? Under Plan C, the UK would ask for the transition period to run for an extra year to the end of 2021 and EU citizens living in Britain would have their rights protected. There is then a two-pronged approach to the negotiations. First, the UK would demand the EU negotiates a new Irish border backstop that is acceptable to Brexiteers. They suggest a technology-based system for goods crossing the Irish border that has already been rejected by the EU. If this proves impossible, the group would then suggest a no deal exit based on keeping the transition period from the existing plan in return for paying some of the divorce bill. Both sides would then use the three year transition period to prepare for an exit on basic World Trade Organisation rules, while negotiating a final trade deal. If it went ahead, Brexiteers would get to remove the backstop they say is unacceptable while Remainers still get the transition period they say is essential. Advertisement As the countdown to exit day continues, Irish premier Leo Varadkar will be in Brussels today for his own talks on how to end the impasse. Mrs May will travel to the EU capital tomorrow for talks with EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and EU Council President Donald Tusk. Sources in Berlin revealed to The Times today German Chancellor Angela Merkel is pushing Brussels to make a deal and is 'very hopeful' of progress. The source said: 'She is waiting for London to come forward with concrete proposals about how it would work. Dublin will come under a lot of pressure over the coming weeks to work constructively with London.' The new round of whirlwind diplomacy comes as it emerged today Cabinet ministers have considered an eight-week delay to exit day to ensure the laws for a deal are in place. It would mean Brexit happens on May 24 instead of March 29. Rhere are several Bills on issues including immigration and trade which must pass, as well as hundreds of other pieces of minor legislation. Mrs May has insisted Brexit must happen on time and repeated her position at yesterday's Cabinet meeting. The Prime Minister yesterday vowed to ensure there is no return to the 'borders of the past' as she delivered a speech in Belfast with negotiations at a critical stage. She said the people of Northern Ireland and the Republic did not have to 'rely' on the EU to avoid a hard line being drawn between them. 'The UK government will not let that happen,' she said. 'I will not let that happen.' Advertisement This is the incredible moment a newborn impala licks and nuzzles a leopard, perhaps confusing it for its mother while unaware that the big cat had frightened her off just moments earlier. The baby antelope was still wet from the birth and amazingly, the male leopard appears to be so shocked by the calf's behaviour that he licks it back. Video footage shows the two getting acquainted for a moment or two, before the calf realises the danger and starts to run away - sealing its own fate. Hello there: The baby impala nuzzles up to the leopard, completely unaware that the predator just scared off its mother Moment of peace: Seemingly taken aback by the fact that the baby impala did not run, the leopard nuzzles and licks the calf The ranger who filmed these amazing scenes in South Africa believes the fact the impala did not try to run away suppressed the killer instinct of the mature male leopard. Darren Muller, 32, a Field Guide at Inyata Game Lodge said: 'I have read about rare incidents when a female big cat befriends a baby but never heard of a leopard doing this. 'Even more unusual is the fact this is a male leopard yet he was not posing any threat to the baby impala who was standing in front of it and they were both nuzzling'. The video, posted on the YouTube page of Capture the Wild, was filmed from a safari truck driving through the Sabi Sands Game Reserve which adjoins the world famous Kruger National Park in north-east South Africa. Mr Muller can be heard saying:'It is still alive, they are licking at each other. It is just born and the leopard is just licking at it'. All over: As soon as the baby impala realises the danger, it starts to run and the leopard gives chase No chance: The baby leopard effectively sealed its own fate when it tried to outrun the predator in the Sabi Sands Game Reserve in north-east South Africa Easy win: Video footage captured during a safari trip shows the leopard kicking the baby's legs out from under it However after a very long minute checking each other out the baby impala makes the fatal mistake of trying to run away which activates the leopards hunting instincts. The leopard immediately follows the baby impala and trips it up three times with its paw before the doomed antelope makes a brave but hopeless bolt for the bush. The leopard which can hit speeds of nearly 40mph is far too quick for the newly born and quickly pulls it down and grabs its neck in its jaws. The leopard then walks past their safari truck with the baby impala no more than an hour old hanging by its neck from his jaw to find a quiet place to feed. Mr Muller added: 'We were on an elephant drive when we stumbled on a female impala which had given birth in what I estimate to be the last hour and it was still wet. Done dinner: The leopard captures the baby impala and carried it off by the neck 'Female impalas generally leave the herd for the birth and the mother and new born were alone and we watched for five minutes as the new born clumsily begin to stand. 'Then all of a sudden there was a commotion and Dewane, an old dominant male leopard, who must have been stalking the mum and baby emerged towards them both. 'The mother instinctively ran leaving Dewane alone with the baby and I began filming. 'I think the way Dewane behaved towards the baby at first in not killing it was caused by the confusion of the impala not running away and it supressed the trigger instinct. 'The leopard simply became curious about the new born impala and nuzzled up to it. They were licking each other. It is extremely rare but you know it will not end well. 'When the impala ran you know that it is going to die and you have mixed emotions witnessing it but it is an inevitable part of nature even if it is pretty emotional. 'The leopard killed the impala quickly and the circle of life continues' he said. Crimestoppers has been forced to close due a funding storage - despite its tips helping to solve high profile cases. The Queensland organisation, which is an independently-run charity group, handles more than 1,000 calls a week and has led to the conviction of multiple killers through anonymous tip-offs. However, the organisation is short $250,000 to continue operating with anonymous volunteers. Scroll down for video Daniel Morcombe, 13, was abducted while waiting for a bus at Palmwoods on the Sunshine Coast in December 2003 Tiahleigh Palmer, 12, was killed by her foster father Rick Thorburn. An anonymous tip off to Crimestoppers in May 2016 helped police find her killer And from next week, the phones will be manned by police. Concerns have been raised that callers will be hesitant to call in once police step into the role. Bill Potts, the President of the Queensland Law Society told 9news informants would be nervous to share information directly to police. 'There will always be doubts if you're ringing a police line about that.' Queensland Crimestoppers has assisted in solving major crimes, including the murder cases of Daniel Morcombe and Tiahleigh Palmer. Daniel, 13, was abducted while waiting for a bus at Palmwoods on the Sunshine Coast in December 2003. Crimestoppers has been forced to close due a funding storage - despite its tips helping to solve high profile cases Many people phoned in information relating to the case, which eventually formed the 'jigsaw' needed to kind his killer. Brett Peter Cowan was sentenced to life in jail with a minimum non-parole period of 20 years, remained motionless in the prisoner's dock in the Brisbane Supreme Court when the verdict was announced in March 2014. An anonymous tip off to Crimestoppers in May 2016 helped police find Tiahleigh's killer - her foster father Rick Thorburn, who is currently serving a life sentence for her murder. He is eligible for parole in 2036. There will be 22 workers and 45 volunteers cut from Crime Stoppers next week. Deputy Commissioner Bob Gee said the changeover would be seamless. A British woman who slapped an Indonesian immigration officer during a row over her visa has been jailed for six months, after throwing another tantrum when she was arrested and dragged to court today. Auj-e Taqaddas launched a foul-mouthed rant and attacked an immigration officer after being hit with a $4,000 (3,100) fine at a Bali airport last year, in a clip which went viral online. The 43-year-old medical researcher has now been sentenced to six months in prison after she was charged with violent behaviour against a government official. In a video of her arrest earlier today - after she had failed to appear in court - she struggled against the men who were leading her away and appeared to strike at another officer as she was taken into a car. Warning: video contains offensive language Kicking and screaming: Auj-e Taqaddas kicks out at the men trying to arrest her in a shopping mall, in another extraordinary tantrum before her court appearance today Going down with a fight: The British medical researcher struggles against her arrest after she had allegedly failed to appear in court She was arrested before the trial in a shopping mall after failing to appear in court several times. In the video of her latest tantrum she can be heard swearing loudly at an officer, calling him a 'sick b******'. As two men try to handcuff her she tries to fight them off, kicking at one of them with her right foot before they finally chain her hands together. They escort her up an escalator and towards a car, where she fights back again as they try to lift her into the back seat. The woman's hands are not clearly visible but the man is seen flinching and apparently struggling with her as she tries to fight him off. During the hearing she is again heard shouting and gesticulating at officers sitting in the courtroom. During the trial, which began in December, Taqaddas - who denied the charges - said the video of the slap last year had been edited. After being sentenced in Denpasar District Court, Taqaddas said the court was corrupt and she had been tortured by police three times including on Wednesday. She was taken to an immigration detention centre in Denpasar after the hearing, according to Indonesian media. Auj-e Taqaddas is led away by investigators today after her trial in Bali, where she was sentenced to six months in prison for attacking an immigration officer Another tantrum: The British medical researcher yells at an officer as she is arrested in a shopping mall before her trial in Indonesia Court hearing: The woman continues her rant during her appearance in the Bali courtroom, shouting and pointing as she is flanked by the men who arrested her Accused: British tourist Auj-e Taqaddas looks at her mobile phone today before her trial at a court in Denpasar, where she was jailed for six months for the viral tantrum Guilty: Auj-e Taqaddas, pictured during the row at a Bali airport last year, has been jailed for six months for slapping an Indonesian immigration officer 'This is a sham court who was only listening to the dirty prosecutor who did not bring me to the court for six months,' she said. As two officials escorted her from court, she shouted: 'Indonesia is a criminal country. Indonesian law is corrupt. Indonesian judges are corrupt. No lawyer was provided. Indonesian immigration is corrupt.' The row erupted at Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport last July when Taqaddas was pulled aside during immigration checks. The 43-year-old had missed her Jetstar flight to Singapore after Indonesian officials accused her of overstaying her visa by 160 days. Row: The video, which went viral in the aftermath of the incident in Indonesia last year, shows Taqaddas pinning the blame on immigration for making her miss the flight After receiving her boarding pass officers noticed her month-long visa had expired on February 18. She was told she had to pay a $25 fine for everyday she overstayed her visa, adding up to $4,000. In a fit of rage the foul-mouthed traveller was caught on camera abusing the guard and striking him in the face. 'She pretended not know that she had overstayed. But people who visit a country to travel know they have a period of stay. She had overstayed since February,' said an immigration official at the time. 'She slapped the officer, who is a respected guard. 'She touched immigration, which means touching representatives of the nation. So we reported it to the police.' Frustrated passenger: Auj-e Taqaddas arrived at the Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, Indonesia and was travelling to Singapore Donna Ball, 53, (pictured arriving at the High Court) was seeking 400,000 from Coutts bank for alleged sexism but her case was thrown out today A female financier has lost her 400,000 sexism claim against the Queen's bank Coutts after claiming she deserved to be paid more than her bosses because she had a degree. Donna Ball, 53, alleged she was underpaid and repeatedly blocked from promotion to director level because of sexist male managers at the 300-year-old private bank based in London for the super-rich. She wept as she told the tribunal that she had been denied equal pay since 2013 in what she alleged was the latest case of 'sexism in the City'. And she branded her bosses 'liars' who she accused of driving forward 'unspoken sexism' at the bank. But a tribunal panel rejected her complaint that she hit a 'glass ceiling' in an 'exclusive gentlemen's club' and ruled that she over-estimated her performance at the bank. The panel said she had been put forward for promotion in 2016 but she flunked her selection interview. And in the following two years, her performance was not good enough to be nominated again, it found. It highlighted her startling assertion that she should be paid more even than her line manager and his manager because she is a law graduate and neither of them has a degree. And it found that associate director Ms Ball was, in fact, paid more than all but one of the male counterparts in her commercial banking team. The panel at Central London Employment tribunal rejected all Ms Ball's allegations of gender discrimination, equal pay and victimisation. She withdrew her claim of age discrimination. Judge Tina Elliott recalled Ms Ball's evidence that she thought she ought to earn more than her manager David Waters, executive director of commercial banking, and his boss Chris dos Santos, a managing director and head of commercial banking. She said: 'Her law degree was not the only reason why she thought she should be paid more than them but she did not say what those reasons were. Ms Ball's evidence that she thought she ought to earn more than her manager David Waters (pictured), executive director of commercial banking at Coutts, was rejected Coutts' owh figures show that women staff at its London HQ earn more than a quarter less than men on average - but Ms Ball earned more than all but one of her peers, a judge said 'The claimant has a higher perception of her performance as demonstrated by her evidence that she should be paid more than her line manager and the manager above him. We did not agree with this perception.' The panel rejected Ms Ball's claim that Mr Waters was a 'liar' who went out of his way to block her career path because of 'unspoken sexism' at the bank. Last year Harry Keogh, managing director of its private wealth department, pictured, had to quit after allegedly outraging women colleagues with lewd comments and groping Judge Elliott ruled that Coutts was 'engaging in routine managerial processes'. She said: 'It was not gender tainted. The claimant was mid-ranking against her peer group.' The tribunal heard how Ms Ball, of Stevenage, Herts, joined the bank in 2010. She has a basic salary of just over 60,000 plus a variable bonus of around 10,000. But the tribunal found that in 2016 Ms Ball, who has 31 years corporate banking experience with NatWest, Barclays and Coutts, was the highest paid associate director in her team bar one. Judge Elliott ruled: 'There were non-gender related factors to explain the differentials in pay between the claimant and the five other men in her team. 'Those men did like work to the claimant and were paid less. It supports our findings that the respondent applies a non-discriminatory pay scheme.' She added: 'They say they are slowly moving in the right direction towards gender equality. We noted the respondent's stated aim of improving equality and diversity and inclusion and their aim of seeking to promote more women into senior roles.' The bank's own gender pay gap figures show that in 2017 female staff were paid almost a third - 28 per cent - less than men on average, the tribunal heard. And their bonuses were typically more than 60 per cent less than the payouts to male colleagues. But giving evidence, Mr Waters denied that Coutts was an 'old boys' club' and said there were several factors for the apparent disparity. He said: 'The gap is large because there is a high number of women in clerical levels. These alignments feed into the gap. 'I have been aware that there are more men in senior positions. Senior members of staff earn more money at the company.' He went on: 'There are other female staff members who are senior. She is not the only one of her level within the company. 'There is a 37 per cent gender representation within the whole of Coutts. We have had diversity training in place for some time.' Mr Waters, who has worked at Coutts for 33 years, claimed he had a 'good relationship' with Ms Ball before her tribunal claim. Ms Ball interviewed for a director's role in a different department but the job was handed to a new male arrival from Australia in September last year. She has been off work on sick leave ever since. Coutts & Co, owned by taxpayer-backed Royal Bank of Scotland, has served the Queen and every member of the royal family since George IV. Last year, it was embroiled in a 'sex pest' scandal that saw Harry Keogh, managing director of the private wealth department, resign in disgrace after allegedly outraging female colleagues with heavy drinking, lewd comments and groping. A Coutts spokesman said today: 'We do not tolerate discrimination within the workplace and are committed to ensuring a continued focus on our conduct and culture, encouraging all employees to speak up where they experience or encounter any behaviour that falls below our standards. 'We have a bank-wide training module on sexual discrimination and harassment in the workplace which all staff are required to take annually. 'Separately, over the last two years all staff have been required to undertake unconscious bias training.' The Norfolk secondary school which infuriated parents by banning hairstyles and measuring girls' skirts has punished a schoolboy for having hair too short - just one day after he was instructed to cut it because it was too long. Baffled Jonathon Soares, 16, was told by staff at Great Yarmouth Academy last Monday that his haircut was too long. The boy's short sides and long floppy fringe has been his signature look for several months but he duly got a 10 trim that night, asking his barber to shave a 'fade' into the side, and cut the top and fringe shorter. However the following day he was stunned when a teacher at Great Yarmouth Charter Academy, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, told him off for his 'Meet Me at McDonalds' haircut. Jonathon Soares, 16, before he had his haircut (left) and afterwards (right). He was told by his school to get a haircut - he was then told the following day that it was too short Jonathon Soares, 16 before the haircut with mother Sophia Soares and father Mark Johnson Before: The Academy school told the young man to cut is hair The teenager, from Great Yarmouth, was punished for his new hairdo and was put in isolation for the rest of the week - where he was forced to work alone. Jonathan's mother was outraged by the school's decision to isolate her son and is worried this will now effect his GCSEs - which he is set to take at the end of the year. The youngster's hair is naturally curly and brown. The youngster's mother , Sophia Soares, 35, said: 'It's ridiculous. 'It seems to me like they are making an example out of Jonathan. 'I understand that they need to have the correct uniform and look smart but there are no patterns in it and it's not an outrageous colour - it's just a short back and sides. 'In my eyes how he chooses to have his hair cut is up to him.' The GY Charter Academy pupil now fears he may not get his place at East Norfolk Sixth Form College next year if he gets excluded in his final months at the school. Sophia added: 'You should not isolate a child for their haircut. A haircut does not stop you from learning. 'He is not the only child in that school with that haircut either - it's discrimination. 'He's not learning anything in isolation now so he might as well be at home.' Today a spokesman for the school told MailOnline he could not discuss individual pupils cases but stressed the school rules specifically forbade hair styles with extreme differences in length. A spokesman for the Inspiration Trust, who run a range of schools across Norfolk and Suffolk said pupils and parents are aware of the school's guidelines. The Trust said: 'Great Yarmouth Charter Academy's guidelines on uniform and appearance have been well publicised, and families and pupils are well aware of the school's requirements around haircuts. 'These are not difficult to follow, and if pupils choose to go against them they do so knowing the sanctions they are likely to face.' The school told the young man his hair (pictured here) was too long so he had it cut But Great Yarmouth Academy then punished the boy by putting him in isolation after his hair was cut 'too short' The Charter Academy in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, has proved controversial since it took over Great Yarmouth High School in September 2017. New headteacher Barry Smith hit the headlines after sending a letter home to parents banning the flamboyant 'meet me at McDonalds' haircut for male pupils. After the Inspiration academy trust took over last September, pupils were also banned from using mobile phones at school, ordered to walk in single file to lessons, be asleep by 9.30pm and up by 6.30am every day. Mr Smith also enlisted members of staff from nearby uniform retailer, Harrisons Schoolwear, to measure pupils' hems. The 'meet me at McDonalds' haircut sported by these boys was banned by the school Headteacher Barry Smith hit the headlines when he warned pupils to be in bed by 9pm and back up at 6.30am as he launched a crackdown after taking over in September 2017, and then banned six types of hairstyles for boys at the school including the 'meet me at McDonalds' and the 'Pompadour' The 800-pupil Norfolk secondary school said the women identified a handful of students flouting its rules by using hair bobbles and elastic bands to raise the hemline of their skirts. The Harrisons store manager explained that a handful of girls had raised their hemlines by pulling up their skirts, bunching the excess material at the side and then using a hair bobble or elastic band to tie it up and hold the garment in place. The grey skirts should be knee-length and sit on the hip, according to the academy's own uniform policy. An unannounced Ofsted inspection on February 21 has revealed a 'significant' improvement in pupil behaviour. Mr Smith introduced strict rules to encourage positive change after the school was rated inadequate by the schools regulator in October 2016. It had previously reported some of the worst GCSE results, but inspectors have now found a 'considerable decline of serious misconduct' since the measures were introduced. Ofsted inspector Jason Howard said staff and pupils attributed the improvements to the new behaviour policy introduced by new headteacher Mr Smith. Advertisement Fascinating images from the 1950s reveal how Britons queued up to give blood shortly after the National Blood Transfusion service began. The incredible photos offer a rare glimpse inside a blood drive in London in the 1950s and pictures show a doctor performing a prick test on a woman's finger to test her blood, in order to make sure she is in a fit state of health to donate. This is while another woman is pictured giving blood, while her son eats biscuits.Other shots show how the doctors and nurses kept the donation centres clean, as the images show bottles being steamed in the steriliser, before being used again for other blood donations. Nurses can also be seen assembling apparatus for hospital use and using special wrappers for sterilising the sets. The interesting photographs show the inner workings of a blood drive in North London in 1951 by the National Blood Transfusion Service. Nurses sit among filing cabinets and equipment while they sit at a table covered in a white table cloth and assemble apparatus for hospital use A worker can be seen in the cold room of the blood donation service where blood needs to be stored at 4-6 degrees centigrade. The bottles are all labelled with the different blood types of donors A nurse wearing a white overcoat and a jumper underneath can be seen carrying labelled blood donation bottles in a crate Mrs Sims, the administrator at the centre, is pictured lying on a bed as she gives blood. We can see the bottle pictured which has a specific label on detailing Mrs Sims' blood type of positive Three nurses can be seen assembling apparatus for hospital use while using special wrapper for sterilising the sets. The tables are covered in items such as tubes, cotton wool and blood bags. The women all wear white uniforms with a belt around the waist and are sat in the middle of a room containing filing cabinets and personal possessions A man can be seen using the sterilising the equipment as he puts the glass donation bottles in the sterilisers before they are used again on other blood donors. The equipment also has various pressure gauges and there is some writing on the wall which reads 'this autoclave back against the wall' Hard at work: the use of machines was no where near as prominent in the 1950s as it is today, and one man can be seen sat at a table while he sharpens an assortment of needles by hand A doctor and administrative assistant sit surrounded by glass bottles and paper work as the doctor performs a prick test on Mrs Lythgoe's finger to see whether or not she is healthy enough to give blood Mrs P Packham of Crouch Hill is led on the bed with her arm raised as she gives blood while her son Howard eats biscuits The images from the North London Transfusion Centre (pictured above) were taken from 1951 and offer a rare glimpse into the inner workings of a blood donation site The NHS' lifesaving service is required 365 days a year and they need around 200,000 new donors every year to ensure they have the right mix of blood types. Every day 6,000 donations are needed to meet the needs of patients across England. Blood is made up of a number of components, including red blood cells, platelets and plasma. Each of these can be used to treat many different conditions, such as anaemia, cancer, blood disorders, and those having surgery. There are 24 fixed blood donation centres and 88 mobile blood collection teams running 23,000 blood collection sessions a year in communities across England. The National Blood Transfusion Service was created 72 years ago and it has propelled in size since it was first established. A National Blood Transfusion Service vehicle parks up outside a property in Muswell Hill, London, and Mrs Sims (left) welcomes a doctor and two nurses to Grove Lodge where they are due to take blood The outside of the British Red Cross Society's Hornsey Divisional Headquarters, which offers a blood donor service along with a hospital car service. The sign also states that the Civil Defence service need men and women for the National Hospital Service Reserve A woman is seen led down on a bed while Doctor Young takes his time to find her vein in order to enable the blood to be taken Nurses can be seen wearing plastic aprons and cleaning the tubes and pipes in a sink. The pipes need to be thoroughly sterilised before use When the service first launched in 1946 there were around 270,000 donors blood donors, and in 2016 it was recorded that there were around 900,000. Blood banks were originally created in order to meet the needs of injured civilians and service personnel. The banks were then taken over by the Ministry of Health in September 1946 and the National Blood Transfusion Service was born, now part of NHS Blood and Transplant. This year NHS Blood and Transplant is running a new campaign in order to get people up and down the country to give blood, as the service says most of its donors are above the age of 45. The service is running 24 'What's Your Type' blood testing events in cities and towns through February during England, as it announced that it needs 4,900 new donors just for February alone. A man can be seen putting a small amount of Glucose citrate into each of the glass bottles which helps to preserve the blood. This then goes into the patient when the blood is transfused Unused blood is returned from the hospitals before three weeks expires, the plasma is siphoned off for dehydrating (pictured above). The man looks deep in concentration as he siphons off the plasma as he is surrounding by medical equipment These nurses are assembling apparatus for hospital use and are using special wrappers for sterilising the sets . They would assemble 15,000 blood taking sets a week A Doctor (right) has performed a prick test on this gentleman's finger to test his blood to see if it is in a fit state of health to give . He is now given a bottle and label and sent into the next room . The secretary, Mrs Sims (centre) records all the details New tests by the NHS see donors having their fingers pricked and their blood type revealed immediately. It has been created as there is a clear need for certain blood types across the UK. Between 2014 to 2018, there was a 13% increase in the proportion of O negative being issued to hospitals. O negative is the universal donor group which can be given to almost anyone. Figures from NHS Blood and Transplant suggest that only 44% of people know their blood type. 32% of these people knowing their blood type through becoming a blood donor, 21% through pregnancy, and 9% through hospital procedure. In 2018 NHS Blood and Transplant issued 1,391,322 units of red blood cells to hospitals all over England. Of which around 49% was O type blood, 11% was B type blood, 38% was A type blood, and 3% was AB type blood. Pipes used as part of the blood donation process are pulled out of a large steel can after being sterilised Two men laying on beds as they give blood, one attended by the doctor, the other by the nurse. The pair look relaxed as the tubes are placed into their arms An Afghan migrant has been jailed for life in Germany after murdering his ex-girlfriend because she ended their relationship. The asylum seeker, identified as Ahmad S. due to German privacy laws, was found guilty of stabbing 17-year-old Mireille 14 times at her flat in Schleswig-Holstein in March last year. The court heard how Ahmad S turned out to be 11 years older than he claimed, after he arrived in Germany seeking asylum as a minor in 2015 - arguing he was just 18. According to the court, the Afghan migrant was jealous that she found a new boyfriend and hated that he could no longer control every aspect of her life. Rejected Afghan asylum seeker Ahmad G. was jailed for life for murdering his girlfriend Mirielle Ahmad S. covering his face with a file as he appeared in the district court of Flensburg in the northernmost German state of Schleswig-Holstein Ahmad S. denied the murder in court and claimed that someone else must have committed the act. He was found guilty on murder charges by the district court of Flensburg in the northernmost German state of Schleswig-Holstein. He arrived in Germany in 2015 as unaccompanied minor refugee and filed for asylum - which was rejected. Ahmad S. claimed that he is currently 18 years old, but the court had doubts and ordered an age test. Forensic expert Sabine Gumpert testified at the start of the trial that Ahmad S. was at least 21 years old and that her examination strongly suggested he could even be 29 years old. He convicted of murdering 17-year-old girlfriend Mireille by stabbing her 14 times because she ended their relationship The apartment block in Flensburg where teenager Mireille was murdered in March last year As a result, the court sentenced Ahmad S. according to adult law instead of juvenile law, which in Germany is customary for those under the age of 21 and would have barred the judges from putting him away for life. In recent years, a growing number of Afghan migrants have been caught lying about their age when they first entered Germany in the hope of securing a better chance of asylum. The most high-profile case was Hussein Khavari who was jailed for life for the rape and murder of 19-year-old student Maria Ladenburger, the daughter of a high-ranking EU official. Khavari claimed that he was a minor but an expert found him to be 'at least' 22. His father later gave evidence testifying that his son was actually 33, allowing the courts to finally sentence him as an adult. The court sentenced Ahmad S. according to adult law instead of juvenile law, which in Germany is customary for those under the age of 21 A 15-year-old girl was punched, slammed into a table, and had her hair yanked while being restrained by school security officers in Pennsylvania. Shocking footage shows the chaotic scene at Hazleton Area High School in Hazle Township, Luzerne County, when a uniformed security officer appears to hit the students knee in order to force her head down onto a cafeteria table. But the restraining doesnt end there, with the officer then grabbing the teenagers hair and yanking her forward. Shocking footage shows the chaotic scene at Hazleton Area High School in Hazle Township, Luzerne County, when a uniformed security officer appears to hit the students knee in order to force her head down onto a cafeteria table The seemingly brutal act sparks uproar from the surrounding students who scream at the group of officers to stop. However, the districts superintendent Brian Uplinger told Newswatch 16 that the use of force was part of the officers' training to de-escalate the situation. He added that there were actually three separate fights which quickly escalated - with four students being suspended while the school investigates. But the restraining doesnt end there, with the officer then grabbing the teenagers hair and yanking her forward Mr Uplinger insisted: Its important to know there are always two sides to every story,' WYOU television station reported. He added: 'It's really important for parents and students and community members to get both sides of those stories before going to social media.' School District Police Chief Ed Harry said the officers acted properly to get [the situation] under control immediately. He explained: You can see from the snippet of video there were hundreds of kids in the cafeteria and they were cheering her on, yelling and cheering her on. They needed to deescalate that. More than 10 visitors had to be rescued after their overcrowded tour boat capsized at a tourist attraction in central China. The overloaded boat, which was carrying more than 10 adults and children, only had a five-passenger capacity, according to Chinese reports. Shocking video footage shows the boat overturning due to the excess weight on board, spilling the passengers into the 1.7 metre (5.5 feet) -deep pond at the Matiquan Tourist Resort in Luoyang, Henan province on Tuesday. Video shows the boat overturning due to the excess weight on board, spilling the passengers into the 1.7 metre (5.5 feet) -deep pond at the Matiquan Tourist Resort in Henan on Tuesday The overloaded boat, which was carrying more than 10 adults and children, only had a five-passenger capacity, according to Chinese reports citing an employee at the tourist attraction Several people among horrified visitors and other staff members immediately jumped into the water and started pulling people out, the video shows. One little girl started to drown in the water and was saved by a man, who was later hailed a hero. Others extended sticks and ropes for the passengers to grab on. Everyone on the boat was rescued and taken to hospital, according to newspaper Beijing Youth Daily. Everyone on the boat was rescued and taken to hospital, according to Beijing Youth Daily Several people among horrified visitors and other staff members immediately jumped into the water and started pulling people out, the video shows One girl started to drown in the water and was saved by a man, who was later hailed a hero 'The boat operator allowed too many people on board,' an employee told reporters. 'The tour boat was only supposed to carry four to five people at time, but there were more than 10 people on it when the accident happened.' Besides the excess weight, the boat could have overturned due to children rocking and jumping on it, the staff member added. Tuesday marks the first day of Chinese New Year and the start of the week-long holiday in China, where many families are expected to swarm tourist attractions across the country. Besides the excess weight, the boat could have overturned due to children rocking it The two weeks before and after the Lunar New Year is the busiest time on Chinese roads as millions of people leave cities to go back to their rural homes - then return to work afterwards. The travel rush, also known as 'chun yun' in Chinese, is the largest annual human migration in the world. This year, the epic holiday travel rush started on January 21 and is expected to last 40 days until March 1. A total of 2.99 billion trips would be made by the 1.4 billion Chinese citizens during the period by car, train, bus and air, according to China Central Television Station. Meghan McCain has called Donald Trump's 'obsession' with her father 'pathetic' after the president took a swipe at John McCain's book sales six months after his death. Trump ripped into the late senator during a private lunch for television anchors Tuesday afternoon ahead of his State of the Union speech. Referring to the Arizona Republican's bestselling memoir, The Restless Wave, the president said: 'He wrote a book and the book bombed,' according to the New York Times. Meghan McCain has called Donald Trump 'pathetic' and 'obsessed' with her father after the President claimed the late senator's bestselling book 'bombed' She fired back on Twitter, claiming the president was still haunted by her father's life and legacy Meghan McCain fired back on Twitter, telling Trump her father's legacy 'still haunts him'. She wrote: 'The president's obsession with my father 6 months after his death is pathetic and telling - even at a time when he should be focusing on his message to the American public and the state of our union - the greatness of my father's life and legacy haunts you.' During the private lunch, Trump brought up McCain' late-night thumbs-down vote in 2017 that blocked the repeal of Obamacare and called it a 'betrayal' to the party. He went on to claim the six-term senator's book - released in May 2018, three months before his death - bombed, despite the fact it debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times' best-seller list. Trump (at the State of the Union this morning) ripped into John McCain during a private lunch ahead of his State of the Union speech, calling the late Senator's memoir a failure Sales also surged after McCain's death on August 25. His daughter encouraged people to go out and buy the book to annoy Trump. Trump has a long history of taking swipes at John McCain. In 2015 he started a firestorm by carping that McCain wasn't a war hero because he was captured in North Vietnam. 'He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren't captured,' Trump said during a forum in Ames, Iowa. The average water bill in England and Wales will rise by 2 per cent later this year despite providers paying out million-pound dividends and criticism over leaky pipes. Today's announcement means that the bill for the average household in the country will go up by 8 to 415 from April 1. The Consumer Council for Water responded to the increase by calling on the industry to fund more financial assistance for low-income customers. The watchdog said any increase would be unwelcome for struggling households faced with other rising living costs, and more could be done to help them. CCWater chief executive Tony Smith said: 'Many customers will see their bills rise from April, largely due to inflation. Today's announcement means that the bill for the average household will go up by 8 to 415 from April 1 (stock image) 'Even just a small increase has the potential to hurt the three million households who tell us they struggle to afford their water bills. 'We'd like to see companies go further by dipping into their own pockets to help customers that are already feeling the pinch.' It comes after analysis by the Mail on Sunday showed Britain's biggest water companies had paid out 1 billion in dividends to shareholders in 2018. Last year the top nine water suppliers in the UK lavished shareholders with vast sums ahead of a crackdown by watchdog Ofwat later this year into the pay of executives. Firms have been criticised by both the Conservatives and Labour for overcharging customers and for wasting 840 million gallons of water a day through leaks. Water companies were also slammed for their poor response to the Beast from the East weather phenomenon that swept the country. Ofwat noted that between 2017-18 several firms were unable to meet their supply interruptions commitments during the Arctic chill. Cold weather resulted in more burst pipes and leakages as over 200,000 customers experienced supply interruptions of more than four hours. Water UK said more than 370 million litres of water a day would be prevented from leaking from pipes over the five years to 2020. It added that companies are 'on track' with a commitment over the same time-frame to help an extra 459,000 households who are struggling to pay. Water UK chief executive Michael Roberts said: 'We're on course to see extra investment and a decade of falling bills, showing a water industry that is dynamic and passionate about delivering real benefits for customers, the environment and the country as a whole. 'The water industry's record has been good over the past 30 years - cutting leakage, keeping bills affordable, improving water quality, and cleaning up rivers - but it's clear that water companies have higher ambitions for the future of water with customers right at the heart of everything that they do.' More than half a million low-income households receive subsidised water bills through customer-funded social tariffs. Last year the top nine water suppliers in the UK lavished shareholders with vast sums ahead of a crackdown by watchdog Ofwat later this year into the pay of executives (stock) But CCWater said the growth and impact of these schemes remains constrained by other customers' willingness to fund them, with assistance currently reaching only about a quarter of those saying they need help. In October, MPs called for tougher targets for cutting water leaks after figures showed a 'shocking' three billion litres are lost each day. The House of Commons Environment Committee said water industry targets to reduce leakage by 15% by 2025 are 'not ambitious enough'. The committee's report said pressure on companies to act should be increased by bringing forward from 2050 to 2040 the goal of halving the amount of water lost. In July, Ofwat called on water firms to explain how performance-based pay for their executives will be tied to delivery for customers. Ofwat said it will take into account firms's service and delivery when making decisions this year about the bills customers will pay between 2020 and 2025. A young model is in police custody in Indonesia after allegedly trying to steal a pair of $550 earrings from an up-market shop while on holiday. St Kilda woman Catherine Anne Hogg, 21, was holidaying in the Bali city of Seminyak when she allegedly entered an up-market Farah Khan store and asked to see a pair of $550 earrings that were in a display case. After letting Miss Hogg inspect the earrings staff said they started to tend to other customers before realising that both Hogg and the earrings were gone a short time later. Young model Catherine Anne Hogg, 21, (pictured) is in police custody in Indonesia after allegedly trying to steal a pair of $550 earrings from a up-market shop while on holiday The staff quickly gave chase and managed to find Hogg a short distance from the store. After reviewing the CCTV footage from the store Miss Hogg was arrested by police and taken to the Kuta Police station before being charged with stealing, The Herald Sun reported. Miss Hogg's lawyer, Made Bandem Danan Jaya, has argued that his client had not intended on stealing the earrings. 'Its just a misunderstanding. She has no intention to steal the earrings. She just tried it (on). Then someone called her (phone) and she went outside to hang up. But then she forgot about the earrings,' she told the publication. In 2017 Australian man Thomas William Harman, 31, was found guilty of stealing a pair of designer glasses in Bali and faced up to five years imprisonment but was sentenced to three months and 15 days jail. Miss Hogg was holidaying in the Bali city of Seminyak when she allegedly entered an up-market Farah Khan store (pictured) and asked to see a pair of $550 earrings that were in a display case. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt made a joke about his previous gaffe in describing his Chinese-born wife as Japanese during a message in Mandarin marking the Oriental New Year. In July 2018, Mr Hunt accidentally referred to his wife Lucia as Japanese during an official visit to China as Foreign Secretary. While meeting his counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing, he said: 'My wife is Japanese -- my wife is Chinese. Thats a terrible mistake to make. My wife is Chinese and my children are half-Chinese... they have Chinese grandparents in Xian. And strong family connections in China. In fact we came to China on holiday in April.' He immediately attempted to correct his mistake, and later that night tweeted: ''Rule #1 as a new Foreign Sec: when reflecting in English with the Chinese on a conversation you had with them in Japanese about your Chinese wife, dont get any of those mixed up! Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt delivered a new year's greeting from the heart of London's China Town yesterday to celebrate the start of the Year of the Pig Three weeks after replacing Boris Johnson as Foreign Secretary, Mr Hunt mistakenly described his wife as being born in Japan instead of China during a visit to Beijing Mr Hunt used the opportunity of his Chinese New Year's message to set the record straight 'Apologies to the long-suffering Mrs H...' Mr Hunt has been married to Lucia since 2009 and the couple have three children. Mrs Hunt was born in Xi'an, the capital of China's Shaanxi province. Welcoming in the Chinese New Year, from the heart of London's China Town, Mr Hunt said in Mandarin: 'Hello everyone, Im Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt.' Continuing in English he said: 'Chinese culture is one of the oldest and most important in the world. So in this year of the pig I want to say thank you for inventing paper, compasses, printing, rockets, spades, pottery and giving the world a most creative, hard-working and dynamic people including of course my wife who contrary to earlier misunderstandings is from China and not Japan. Mr Hunt, pictured with his wife Lucia arriving last year at a reception at Blenheim Palace during Donald Trump's visit to the UK. Mr Hunt admitted he made the mistake about his wife's place of birth during a diplomatic mission to Beijing in 2018 'Happy New Year to all those celebrating around the world.' He then added in Mandarin: 'Happy Year of the Pig.' The earlier diplomatic gaff happened just three weeks after he replaced Boris Johnson as foreign secretary. Patricia Reilly (pictured on February 1) allegedly ignored a message from bank security officials warning that internet con artists were trying to trick employee An office worker who lost almost 200,000 of her former employers money to an online fraudster is being sued by the company. Patricia Reilly allegedly ignored a message from bank security officials warning that internet con artists were trying to trick employees She went on to make payments totalling 193,250 to a fraudster who emailed her pretending to be her boss. The scam targeted publishers Peebles Media Group, which later received a refund of 85,268 from Clydesdale Bank. Yvonne Bremner, managing director of the Glasgow company, is suing Mrs Reilly for the outstanding sum of 107,984. She claims the office worker acted negligently in making the payments. Yesterday, Miss Bremner, 58, told the Court of Session that Mrs Reilly had not been authorised to make payments for the firm. And she claimed she did not know that the office worker was able to make payments as she did not have access to the companys current account. Miss Bremner added: If I had known she had been on the banking system, I would have gone apoplectic. Mrs Reilly, of Bishopbriggs, near Glasgow, is contesting the action, claiming that she had not received training from the company on how to spot online fraud. Her lawyers say it is not known and not admitted that she was presented with the fraud warning. The court heard Mrs Reilly worked as a credit controller at the company, which publishes magazines including Scottish Grocer, Home & Interiors Scotland and Tie the Knot Scotland. In October 2015, she received emails from Yvonne Bremner requesting that 24,800 be transferred to a company. Mrs Reilly, 64, liaised with her line manager who made an online payment for the amount requested. Yesterday, Miss Bremner, 58, told the Court of Session (pictured) that Mrs Reilly had not been authorised to make payments for the firm Three days later she received another email claiming to be from Miss Bremner and asking for another payment of 75,200 to be made online. Both Miss Bremner and Mrs Reillys line manager were on holiday when the payments, totalling 193,250, were made. Miss Bremner claimed that before she left on October 9, she told Mrs Reilly and her line manager that the company did not have to make payments to any companies. It is alleged that Mrs Reilly had been shown a warning from the bank giving the tell-tale signs of online fraud. Lawyers for Mrs Reilly claim that she had not received any training on how to identify online fraud and that the court should dismiss the action. The hearing, before judge Lord Summers, continues. A grandmother who beat a rare cancer died after medics failed to treat the side effects of chemotherapy, an inquest has heard. Linda Price had visited her GP with a watering left eye, but after a biopsy was informed that she had Nasopharyngeal cancer, a rare type of head and neck cancer which starts behind the nose. When the 68-year-old was believed to be in her second and third cycle of Cisplatin chemotherapy, she developed problems with her kidneys, which then progressed into a mild renal impairment after her third dose. Despite the kidney problems being a known side effect, the treatment she received was found to be 'inadequate' and she died on March 8 2017 at a hospital in Yorkshire. Linda Price (pictured above) would still be alive if she had received the correct treatment Linda Price pictured on a farm (left) with her daughter Jayne and grandson James A special report commissioned after her death at the Queen's Centre at Castle Hospital in Cottingham, revealed that if doctors would have treated her kidney problems correctly, such as administering regular blood tests, then she would have survived. Her family now say that they want 'lessons to be learnt from this avoidable tragedy'. An inquest held into Ms Price's death at Hull Coroner's Court heard evidence from pathologist Dr Carl Gray, who carried out the post mortem. He said that after the cancer treatment, Ms Price was actually clear from the tumour - but it was due to the complications of the chemotherapy that she died. The grandmother (right with daughter Jayne and grandson James) had not been given the correct treatment for her kidney problems Dr Caroline Hibbert, an anaesthetist and consultant in anaesthesia at the Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust and author of the serious incident report required for the inquest, said: 'There were a number of areas that were concerning including the treatment she received at the end of her life, following the build-up of the third cycle.' Dr Hibbert said chemotherapy's side effects can make it difficult for some people to cope and, after her second dose, Ms Price had a small deterioration in her kidney functions. She said that although the treatment and the dosage of the chemotherapy and radiotherapy was correct, the management of Ms Price's kidney injury was 'lacking,' particularly with intravenous fluid. HOW CAN CHEMOTHERAPY AFFECT YOUR KIDNEYS? Some chemotherapy drugs, such as cisplatin and ifosfamide, can affect the kidneys, charities warn. The potent drugs can cause renal dysfunction by damaging the blood vessels or structures of the kidneys. The bean-shaped organs, which are around 10cm long, filters waste from the blood and removes it from the body as urine. When the kidneys don't function as they should, harmful toxins build-up. Eventually, the organs can fail completely. Before undergoing chemotherapy, your kidneys will be checked through a blood test, according to Macmillan. The charity also states that you may be given fluid through a drip before and after treatment to help your kidneys. Cancer Research UK says the changes are usually temporary and stop when your treatment ends. In rare cases, damage can be permanent. Signs of kidney damage from chemotherapy include cloudy or strong-smelling urine, inability to urinate, and pain in the back. Advertisement The court heard how Ms Price became delirious because of the side effects and lack of 'adequate' treatment, and would pull at the intravenous line, feeding tubes and catheter, meaning intravenous fluids were not given in an adequate volume to treat the kidney and renal problems. Miss Hibbert said: 'Complications (with the chemotherapy) are accumulative. They don't go back to normal after the first and second dose and your level of risk of injury can be higher with each dose. 'If the renal problems were managed more she would have survived.' Dr Hibbert also said it was standard practice to take a blood test five days after a dose of chemotherapy but because Miss Price had other risk factors, in the fact that she had been losing weight and was struggling to eat, things like the kidney injury would be more likely. She said: 'She was struggling and had been losing weight and couldn't eat or drink naturally. She had been agitated, was confused and wasn't getting the nutrients and fluids that she should have had before the third cycle. 'She really needed her fluids and bloods monitoring prior to these five days. 'The standard monitoring was done but by this point she was already very ill and was unable to cooperate and she pulled things out, so the treatment was inadequate.' Ms Price's daughter, Jayne Price said her mother had been a fit and healthy person before her cancer diagnosis. She said her mother, from Grimsby, had retired from her housekeeping job at the age of 60 and lived an enjoyable life often attending the gym, taking her terrier Molly for walks and helping her daughter with her grandson, James. She said: 'She was fun-loving and a brilliant grandmother who helped me out enormously with the care of my son. She was a true friend and was very active while enjoying her retirement evidenced by the fact that she managed to beat an aggressive type of cancer. 'If she was still alive we would be planning our forthcoming trip to Disneyland in Easter 2019.' Dr Andrezej Wieczorek, a consultant clinical pathologist at the Queens Centre, said Ms Price's treatment plan was one to target and cure the extremely aggressive cancer she was battling. He said the treatment was established in the mid-1980's and it was based on 30 years' worth of evidence. He told Ms Price's type of cancer had been known to spread rapidly and, if not treated with the complete dose of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, could compromise survival. He said: 'If we work in a hospital we don't always do everything right and there were several things. Namely I say we had trouble treating Linda because she was pulling things out which made it not possible to take blood samples. 'We could have done better and made her more comfortable but that can be very difficult because I don't very often come across that situation - usually they are very cooperative.' An independent expert, Dr David Thompson, from The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, was called up to court and gave a report of the surroundings around Miss Price's death. He said that although blood tests were done, they should have been done earlier. He said: 'If the (renal and kidney impairment) is picked up earlier, you can intervene and give a large volume of intravenous to repair that and that didn't happen. If you pick the abnormalities up and you give them the fluids usually it will start to help and the patient will improve. 'There is the option of temporary dialysis but this is clearly a treatment for severe renal therapy on the ward. 'I agree she was at a high risk of complications and it would be advisable to check her bloods the day after the third dose to ensure the renal functions were satisfactory.' The post mortem examination and the independent expert both concluded that had treatment been given, Miss Price had a 70 per cent to 85 per cent chance of survival over five years. Dr Thompson said: 'There is no reason she shouldn't have lived to a natural age should her care have been correct.' Professor Paul Marks, HM senior coroner at Hull Coroner's Court delivered a narrative conclusion following the inquest. He said: 'Her renal function progressively deteriorated and inadequate and late treatment of her kidney problems resulted. 'But for the management of her kidney injury, she would have survived having received curative treatment for her aggressive cancer.' After the hearing, Chris Gresswell-Green, a senior solicitor at Bridge McFarland solicitors who represented the family at the inquest said: 'There were questions surrounding Linda's death which the family are grateful to the coroner for endeavouring to answer. 'The coroner concluded and the trust have admitted that there were failings in relation to the monitoring and management of Linda following the third cycle of chemotherapy and tragically she died as a result. 'The family sincerely hope that lessons can be learned from this avoidable tragedy.' A spokeswoman for Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust said: 'We would like to express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Ms Price. 'As this is the subject of on-going legal proceedings, we are unable to comment further at this stage.' Advertisement EU chief Donald Tusk was under intense pressure to apologise last night after saying leading Eurosceptics deserve a special place in Hell. The European Council president hurled a grenade into todays talks with Theresa May, saying the EU was not making any new offer to rescue her Brexit deal. Mr Tusk, who has previously called for a second referendum, then attacked senior Brexiteers, saying: Ive been wondering what that special place in Hell looks like for those who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely. Incredibly, he was then caught laughing on microphone after Irish premier Leo Varadkar whispered to him that the British would give him terrible trouble over the jibe. Last night, Cabinet ministers rounded on Mr Tusk, with Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom calling on him to apologise. The extraordinary row came as: Downing Street said Mrs May was still deliberating over what concessions to seek from Brussels on the controversial Irish backstop; Labour MPs in talks with Mrs May predicted she would bring forward a new Employment Bill to protect workers rights as part of a bid to win their support on Brexit; Whitehall sources said Parliament could be asked to sit around the clock if a deal is struck, to ensure the UK leaves on time on March 29; Hardline Brexiteers warned that even a time-limit on the Irish backstop would not be enough to persuade them to back the deal; Labour called on the Government to delay Brexit to prevent the mayhem and chaos of a No Deal departure next month; Mr Varadkar, who will hold talks with Mrs May in Dublin tomorrow, said the political chaos in London demonstrated why the backstop plan was needed. As the deadlock with Brussels deepened dramatically, European council chief Donald Tusk (pictured right with Leo Varadkar today) lashed out at Leave campaigners who had no idea how to sever ties 'safely' Donald Tusk (pictured today with Leo Varadkar) said there must be a 'special place in hell for those who promoted Brexit' without a plan for the Irish border today In an incendiary claim that threatens to blow up Theresa May's hopes of a renegotiation of the Irish border, the EU Council President used a press conference with the Irish premier to say he 'wondered' what the place looks like The European Parliament's Brexit coordinator Guy Verhofstadt also waded in, saying Lucifer would turn the Brexiteers away as too divisive Theresa May (pictured arriving at Stormont House today) has been meeting all five of the major Northern Ireland political parties as she scrambles to find a way through the Brexit deadlock Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom (left) was among the ministers who hit out at Mr Tusk. Mrs May's hopes of a deal might now rest with Angela Merkel (right), who is said to be preparing a last minute intervention to pressure Dublin to accept a hi-tech solution to the Irish border if Britain can offer one Government officials are scrutinising proposals for a new hi-tech border system designed by Fujitsu that could ease the link between Northern Ireland and the Republic Mr Juncker showed Mr Varadkar a card he had received apparently from a family in Ireland thanking the EU for its solidarity The DUP's Sammy Wilson tore into Mr Tusk, branding the EU chief a 'devilish, trident wielding euro maniac' Home Secretary Sajid Javid said Mr Tusk was 'out of order' for his barb about the 'special place in hell' for Brexiteers Who did the PM meet in Northern Ireland today? Mrs May has been at Stormont House for bilateral meetings with Northern Ireland's five biggest political parties: The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) - Supports Brexit but is opposed to the backstop on the Irish border. Sinn Fein - Opposed to Brexit but in favour of the backstop to get a deal. Warns it could mean a Border Poll on a united Ireland SDLP - Opposed to Brexit but in favour of the backstop to get a deal Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) - In favour of delivering Brexit despite campaigning for Remain but opposed to the backstop Alliance Party - Opposed to Brexit but supports keeping the backstop Advertisement Mrs Leadsom said Mr Tusks spiteful comment totally demeans him. She added: What he has said is pretty unacceptable and pretty disgraceful. Im sure that when he reflects on it, he may well wish he hadnt done it. This is a negotiation between friends, allies, neighbours. Its supposed to be collegiate and collaborative. Home Secretary Sajid Javid said Mr Tusks comments were out of order, while Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: Its this sort of arrogance that drives antipathy towards the EU. We are a country that upholds the result of democratic votes. Our EU partners need to respect that. Demands for apology also came from Jacob Rees-Mogg. He wrote in The Sun: 'Mr Tusks arrogant and high-handed approach assumes the public did not make an informed decision to Leave. He is saying that 17.4million people are stupid and got it wrong primarily because they are objecting to the system that he benefits from.' He continued: 'Considering all the problems going on elsewhere in the bloc - like the violence in France, and the devastation caused by the euro, you would expect them to have some appreciation for the discontent that many people feel with the EU. 'Instead, he makes lurid comments about people who want to look after their voters interests, and deliver on what they wanted. 'It just makes the EU look unreasonable and bad tempered.' Sammy Wilson, the DUPs Brexit spokesman, went further, branding Mr Tusk a devilish, trident-wielding, euro maniac. Mr Tusks incendiary outburst caused irritation in Downing Street as Mrs May prepared to travel to Brussels today for talks. Her official spokesman said: Its a question for Donald Tusk as to whether he considers the use of that sort of language to be helpful and I appreciate that was difficult this morning, because he didnt take any questions. Tory Brexiteers including Simon Clarke and Andrea Jenkyns reacted with fury to the intervention from Mr Tusk today Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage branded Mr Tusk an 'arrogant bully', while Tory MP Nick Boles said he had demonstrated why the UK could not stay in the EU Mr Varadkar also met Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels today as efforts to get a Brexit deal are stepped up with less than eight weeks to go Juncker's card boasting that Ireland is now 'stronger than Britain' Images of the text show that it said 'for the first time ever Ireland is stronger than Britain' Jean-Claude Juncker and Leo Varadkar were pictured today reading a 'Thank You' card the EU chief had received apparently from an Irish family. The commission said it was 'private' but images of the text show that it said 'for the first time ever Ireland is stronger than Britain'. 'For the 1st time ever, Ireland is stronger that Britain,' it said. 'That strength comes not from guns or bombs. 'It comes from your words and that of your colleagues. 'Britain does not care about peace in Northern Ireland. To them it's a nuisance.' Advertisement Mrs May will hold talks with European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker and the European Parliaments chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt today, as well as Mr Tusk. Downing Street sources played down the prospect of a breakthrough, saying todays meetings were part of a process. Mr Juncker attempted to laugh off Mr Tusks comments, saying: I am lot less Catholic than my good friend Donald... I believe in Heaven, before joking that working for the European Commission is hell. But Mr Verhofstadt backed Mr Tusk, saying: I doubt Lucifer would welcome them (Brexiteers), as after what they did to Britain, they would even manage to divide Hell. Mr Tusks undiplomatic outburst was welcomed by some diehard Remainers. Former Tory minister Anna Soubry said Mr Tusk was simply telling it like it is and suggested his comments applied to a string of prominent Brexiteers, including Boris Johnson, David Davis, Nigel Farage and Dominic Raab. Miriam Gonzalez Durantez, wife of Nick Clegg, also backed Mr Tusk. In a message on Instagram, she said: Well, that covers the Prime Minister Theresa May and the 494 MPs who voted in favour of giving the Article 50 notice. Hell is going to be really, really crowded. But it dismayed moderate Tory Remainers. Former Cabinet minister Stephen Crabb said Mr Tusks comments were extraordinary, adding: Especially given how smug some EU officials have been about how good they are at the diplomacy thing. Nick Boles, another former minister, said: Donald Tusk has just encapsulated perfectly why I do not believe the UK can remain a member of the EU. Mrs Mays bid to revive her Brexit deal is focused on reforming the Irish backstop, which critics fear could keep the UK in the customs union against its will. Whitehall sources said she would present a menu of options for reform, including plans for putting a time limit on the backstop and giving the UK a unilateral exit clause. She will also discuss backbench plans to use alternative arrangements to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland. Mrs May, who spent yesterday in Northern Ireland holding talks with local politicians, will restate her commitment to avoiding a hard border. But she will warn EU leaders that without legally-binding changes to the backstop, there is no prospect of the deal being approved by MPs. Her spokesman said: The fact is that the deal that was on the table has been rejected by 230 votes. So if, as they state, they wish for us to leave with a deal, there are going to have to be changes made. Party leader Robin Swann and other members of Northern Ireland's Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) arrive at Stormont House in Belfast today ahead of their meeting with May Conservative MP Nadine Dorries has warned the PM that her deal will not pass Parliament unless the backstop is removed Advertisement Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald (right) and Northern Ireland leader Michelle O'Neill (right) were in Stormont today for talks but accused Mrs May of failing to offer any alternative to the backstop Downing Street rules out state of the art 'drive through' border plan designed by Japanese tech giant Fujitsu to see if it could resolve the Irish border Downing Street has dashed the hopes of Brexiteers by ruling out a state of the art 'drive through' border plan for Northern Ireland designed by the Japanese tech-giant Fujitsu. The proposal involves GPS tagging vehicles and shipments so they trigger an invisible 'geo fence' when they cross the border to or from the Republic. The idea is to ensure all the necessary customs checks can be carried out where goods are made to ensure there is no need for physical policing at the border. But it would require surveillance systems to work so could fall foul of Theresa May's commitment to avoid infrastructure on the border. There are fears using cameras or drones would awaken memories of The Troubles while having different standards on either side of the border could fuel smuggling. A No10 spokesman said this afternoon that the government had seen the proposal before and 'it is not under consideration'. Ministers are set to study a state of the art 'drive through' border plan for Northern Ireland designed by the Japanese tech-giant Fujitsu, it emerged today Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay is said to be studying the proposals amid a scramble to find a way of running the Irish border after Brexit Brexiteers have pinned their hopes on a technology based solution as an alternative to the 'backstop' in the current Brexit divorce deal. The backstop effectively keeps Britain in the EU customs union and obliges Northern Ireland to follow some single market rules - eliminating the need for border checks. It is designed to only come into force until a final trade deal is agreed but Brexit supporters fear it could become a permanent solution. The Fujitsu plan has been under development for around 10 months and is being looked at afresh by a working group of MPs and officials, the Sun revealed today. Fujitsu has reportedly said a test version of the system could be deployed on the border in time for exit day on March 29. A working prototype could be essential to proving to the EU it is a viable 'alternative arrangement' that could replace the existing backstop. A Tory minister involved in the talks told the paper: 'Given that we can land a probe the size of a fridge on Mars, it can't be beyond us to devise an imperceptible system for a 310 mile border'. An 11-page briefing marked 'Restricted Commercial in Confidence', reveals the plan suggests; Tariffs would be paid online in advance, by registered users who would be known as Authorised Economic Operators Police would take new measures to stamp out smuggling. Around 1bn a year is lost in duty every year and the new system would monitoring every goods vehicle that crosses the border Customs officials to carry out spot check on suspicious vehicles be ordering them to re-route to inspection depots away from the border Suspect vehicles to be identified and flagged by the Artificial Intelligence-driven analysis which looks at journeys as well as a wide array of other information, including social media posts. May to insist UK is not 'trapped' by Irish backstop as she heads to Brussels after Corbyn reveals his five key Brexit demands but the vote on her deal 'is put off until the end of February' Theresa May is to use top level meetings in Brussels to insist the UK will not be 'trapped' in Brexit backstop arrangements, Downing Street said. The Prime Minister will stress during a round of talks on Thursday that changes to the Withdrawal Agreement will be needed to ensure legally binding guarantees regarding the backstop. At present the backstop, which is intended to prevent the return of a hard border in Ireland, would see the UK continue to obey EU customs rules after a transition period if no wider trade deal had been reached. Mrs May insists she has a clear mandate from Parliament to seek fresh, binding guarantees on the issue from Brussels. The PM will hold talks with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, European Council president Donald Tusk and other senior EU figures during her trip to Brussels. Downing Street said that Mrs May is 'open to different ways' of achieving her objectives on the backstop. The PM will use the meetings to state that Parliament has sent 'an unequivocal message that change is required'. However, it was revealed late last night the deal vote could be delayed. Prime Minster Theresa May arrives at Battersea Park in London for the annual Black and White Ball - before heading off to Brussels for tough talks Instead of going ahead as scheduled next week, Julian Smith indicated in the cabinet on Tuesday that the vote will not be held next week as May is not expected to have renegotiated her deal in time, the Telegraph revealed. One of the PM's key messages for EU leaders will be that the Commons has now made it clear it could support the Withdrawal Agreement as long as concerns about the backstop are addressed. Mrs May also intends to stress that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also has concerns about the backstop, so it is not just an issue for the Tories and their DUP allies. Meanwhile, Jeremy Corbyn has set to cause further problems for May after he wrote to the Prime Minister setting out five Labour Brexit demands which he says can bring the country together. Ahead of Theresa May's talks with EU leaders on Thursday, Mr Corbyn has insisted that the PM needs to get Labour's priorities enshrined in the Political Declaration setting out future relations with the EU. Mr Corbyn said that securing the demands in law is the only way of achieving Labour support and uniting the country. The Labour leader has told the PM that just seeking modifications to the Northern Irish backstop proposals is not enough to win widespread backing and that she must change tack on key red lines. In the letter to the PM, which follows their Brexit meeting last week, Mr Corbyn calls for a 'permanent and comprehensive UK-wide customs union'. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn signs a letter he has written to Prime Minister Theresa May laying out Labour's five Brexit demands Iain Duncan Smith arrived at the Black and White Ball, a fundraiser held by the Conservative Party. Brexiteers were slammed in Brussels today before Mrs May goes over renegotiate He states: 'This would include alignment with the union customs code, a common external tariff and an agreement on commercial policy that includes a UK say on future EU trade deals. 'We believe that a customs union is necessary to deliver the frictionless trade that our businesses, workers and consumers need, and is the only viable way to ensure there is no hard border on the island of Ireland.' In Brussels however the PM will be focusing on winning over the bloc. She will state that both sides must 'show determination' to get an exit deal 'over the line'. Downing Street said the EU meetings are part of a process leading to the Government bringing back a 'meaningful vote' on Brexit to the Commons as soon as possible. Mrs May travels to Brussels as a war of words between London and Brussels erupted after Mr Tusk said there was a 'special place in hell' for people who promoted Brexit without any plan for delivering it. When she returns to the UK, Theresa May will have to deal with Corbyn's letter. He said Labour wants close alignment with the single market 'underpinned by shared institutions and obligations, with clear arrangements for dispute resolution'. Mr Corbyn also called for 'dynamic alignment on rights and protections so that UK standards keep pace with evolving standards across Europe as a minimum'. EU Council President Donald Tusk earlier caused online chaos as he said there was a 'special place in hell for Brexiteers' Labour wants commitments on participation in EU agencies and funding programmes, as well as 'unambiguous agreements on the detail of future security arrangements, including access to the European Arrest Warrant and vital shared databases'. Mr Corbyn also calls for further talks with the PM 'with the aim of securing a sensible agreement that can win the support of parliament and bring the country together'. The Labour leader tells the PM that last month's rejection by MPs of her Withdrawal Agreement means a different approach is needed. He writes: 'Without changes to your negotiating red lines, we do not believe that simply seeking modifications to the existing backstop terms is a credible or sufficient response either to the scale of your defeat last month in Parliament, or the need for a deal with the EU that can bring the country together and protect jobs.' The Labour leader states: 'There is, as was demonstrated last week, a clear majority in Parliament that no deal must now be taken off the table and that there can be no return to a hard border in Northern Ireland in any circumstance. 'We recognise that any negotiation with the EU will require flexibility and compromise. 'Our first priority must be a deal that is best for jobs, living standards, our communities, in the context of increased and more equitable investment across all regions and nations of the UK.' A four-year-old girl explained to her stunned parents how she ended up coloured red by saying she was trying to paint her nails. Evan Antos, from Michigan in the US was filmed by her mother Brittany as she sought an explanation for the youngster. During the heartwarming footage, Ms Antos asks her daughter: 'What did you do?' Four-year-old Evan Antos from Michigan told her mother Brittany that she had only painted her nails with bright red polish despite clear evidence to the contrary Evan replied: 'I coloured by nails?' Mrs Antos responded: 'Just your nails, nothing else?' Despite being covered from head-to-toe in bright red nail varnish, the four year old, who has a younger brother, insisted she had only applied paint to her cuticles. A Virginia medical school has launched an internal investigation after students were allowed to pose in blackface and KKK robes for yearbook photos. The president of Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) said he has hired top attorneys to work with an internal board to review how the 'abhorrent' images made it into the 1984 yearbook. The school is at the centre of a race row after photos emerged on Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's yearbook page of a person in blackface and another person in a Ku Klux Klan outfit. The racist yearbook photo which could end Ralph Northam's career. Eastern Virginia Medical School has now launched an investigation into how it was allowed to be published This is the photograph which sparked the scandal. Governor Northam first apologized for it then claimed he was not in it but did not explain why else it would be used on his yearbook page President of EVMS Richard Homand said the images were shockingly abhorrent' and 'antithetical' to the values of the medical profession President Richard V. Homan apologized that the picture made it into the yearbook and described it as 'shockingly abhorrent' and 'antithetical' to the values of the medical profession. 'I want to express my sincere apologies' to African American students offended by the photo. 'We all recognize that racism has no place' in society, and especially in a medical school, he said as he announced the investigation Tuesday. Homan announced the school has hired Richard Cullen, a former Virginia attorney general, to probe the 'oversight or lack thereof' involved in the publication of yearbooks. Cullen will also conduct an 'environmental survey of the school's operations and culture of diversity today'. In his initial apology, Northam, a pediatric neurologist, said that the photo does not represent who he is now More shocking photos from Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's 1984 medical school yearbook have emerged showing multiple men dressed up in blackface Homan revealed that he discontinued the yearbooks in 2014 after he found some images 'unacceptable' in the previous year's edition. In his initial apology, Northam, a pediatric neurologist, said that the photo does not represent who he is now. A day later, he denied being in the photograph at all, while admitting to wearing blackface to imitate Michael Jackson at a dance contest. The Democrat now facing mounting pressure to resign. Traffic was brought to a standstill in Sydney on Wednesday when a driver sped across a roundabout to cut off another driver before the two got into a physical altercation. Footage of the incident from Auburn, in Sydney's west, shows a female driver in a small black hatchback cut across a roundabout to block a silver ute. The driver of the hatchback is then filmed getting out of her car as the man in the ute does the same before the two start to rain blows down onto each other. Traffic was brought to a standstill in Sydney on Wednesday when a driver cut across a roundabout to cut off another driver (pictured) before the two got into a physical altercation Traffic was momentarily halted as the two drivers fought against the silver ute before other motorists just drove around them. After the female driver pins the man against his steering wheel and continues to strike him her passenger climbs from the hatch back to try and help pin the man down. For the next few moments the two woman are seen against the door of the car as the man is pinned inside. Eventually another passing motorist gets out of his car and tries to calm the situation before the footage cuts out. The video was shared on the Only In Guildford... Facebook page on Wednesday afternoon and was viewed almost 500 times in just 15 minutes. Auburn resident Nena Sleiman witnessed the road rage incident. The driver of the hatchback is then filmed getting out of her car as the man in the ute does the same before the two start to rain blows down onto each other After the female driver pins the man against his steering wheel and continues to strike him her passenger climbs from the hatch back to try and help pin the man down 'I seen this happened right in front of me corner of Cumberland Road and Mona Street Auburn, the islander chick destroyed him,' he wrote. A New South Wales spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia that no reports had been made to police but they have been shown the footage. 'Police are aware but no reports have been made,' the spokeswoman said. 'But we will welcome any information whether to the Auburn Police or Crime Stoppers.' An outstanding English teacher hanged herself after she fought a battle with low self-esteem, an inquest has heard. Anna McLeod, 32, would inspire her pupils to 'believe in themselves' yet herself lacked self-worth and feared she was 'letting down' her school and its students in Lancaster. Last November 16, Mrs McLeod who was a head of year at Our Lady's Catholic College was found dead at her home in November last year. Her husband Robert McLeod, a design engineer from Lancaster said: 'She was beautiful and clever and she would dish out loads of compliments, but never take any for herself. 'She loved her job but she was always worried about whether she was letting down the school and her pupils and colleagues. She had a big lack of self-worth and that was the basis of her issues. 'Not only did she have friends, but she had a good family as well. We all supported each other'. Much-loved English teacher Anna McLeod, 32, was found hanged at home in November last year Anna's husband Robert said she had battled low self-esteem and felt she was letting people down Mrs McLeod had begun teaching English at Our Lady's in September 2010 and organised a boy's reading group, led World Book Day events and was also a leader of the Duke of Edinburgh expeditions. But the inquest into her death was told she was prescribed anti-depressants in June 2015 - but had never admitted to having suicidal thoughts. Mrs McLeod's death devastated her students at Our Lady's Catholic College in Lancaster At her Lancaster inquest coroner James Newman said her intention was 'not clear' and recorded a narrative conclusion. Family GP, Dr Joanna Smith said: 'She was prescribed anti-depressants in June 2015. In 2016, she was given Citalopram. In February 2017, she reported that she was feeling well. 'In February 2018, she was still taking Citalopram. In terms of her history, no previous recordings of self-harm or suicidal thought.' Police confirmed there was no third party involvement. Coroner James Newman said: 'There are three short form conclusions I have to consider. I have to consider whether her death was the result of a suicide. 'To come to this conclusion, I have to be sure that, on a balance of probabilities, she took her own life and did so with intent. I have no difficulty with the first part of that, but not the second. 'The other two short form conclusions I can give are one of misadventure, which is the unintended consequence of an intention act, or an open conclusion, which is where there is not enough evidence to come to a short form conclusion. 'Can I rule out a suicide? No. But I have to rely on the evidence and the intent is just not there. She has not talked about self-harm in the past, although she did lack self-esteem and she could not see herself for who she was. Her intention was not clear in the evidence.' The married couple (pictured) had loved walking together in the nearby Lake District but her passion was her students, her inquest heard At the time of the tragedy headteacher Helen Seddon said Mrs McLeod - known as Miss Brindle in school - was 'an excellent teacher' who had a passion for her job and inspired her students. 'She had grown to be an excellent classroom teacher who had a passion for enabling children of all abilities to achieve the very best, but more importantly inspired them so they enjoyed their learning and believed in themselves. 'During her time in school she not only taught English, but was a much-loved form teacher and an excellent, caring year head. She organised a boy's reading group, led World Book Day events, was a leader of the Duke of Edinburgh and ensured other students got out of the classroom and into the countryside that she loved so much. 'She filled our classrooms and staff room with sparkle, laughter and love. As a school we are heartbroken but we will make sure that she is remembered and that as staff we continue her example to inspire all students to believe in themselves and to know that they are loved so they can be the best that they can be. 'She was not just a talented teacher but a wonderful human being and our school community will be very sad over the coming weeks. I would ask you all to keep her and our community in your thoughts and prayers. Our faith gives us the confidence to know she is now at peace.' In a statement Mrs McLeod's family said: 'Anna's greatest achievement was the effect she had on the pupils at school, and the extra effort and personal time that was put into making sure the kids were happy. 'She helped pupils in numerous ways, including with Saturday morning revision and classroom makeovers, and also ensured she celebrated every child's birthday with cake. She was always incredibly self-motivated and hard-working, and would always have two part-time jobs or college and a job prior to teaching.' Two people have been killed after a small helicopter crashed on a popular beach in Western Australia. Emergency services rushed to Forrest Beach in the state's south-west, 200 kilometres south of Perth. The aircraft was travelling along the shoreline of the beach when it crashed into the water about 2.20pm. Emergency services rushed to Forrest Beach in the state's south-west, 200 kilometres south of Perth (pictured: Forrest Beach) Police believe the aircraft is believed to be a 'small helicopter' painted in camouflage, but the exact model is unknown. Western Australia Police spokesperson Samuel Dinnison said both police and other emergency services were at the scene. Two males were on board the aircraft at the time of the crash and died at the scene. 'Several police vehicles and other emergency responders were deployed the scene,' Mr Dinnison said. St John Ambulance received reports of the crash about 2.24pm but didn't take anyone to hospital. An investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing, and a report is being prepared for the coroner. A gyrocopter aircraft, also known as an autogyro or gyroplane, can only seat two people and are often homemade from kits, Perth Now reported. A woman who survived the 2015 Paris terror attack has spoken of her journey to recovery after she was shot in the face by the Islamist assailants. Gaelle Chevalier was at the Bataclan theatre on November 13, 2015, where 90 people died when terrorists smashed their way in to an Eagles of Death Metal concert and opened fire. The 37-year-old was shot in the arm and face, with bullets tearing apart her jaw on her left side, and she has since had some 25 surgeries to restore her looks. Recovering: Gaelle Chevalier, 37, was shot in the arm and face when terrorists smashed their way in to the Bataclan theatre in Paris in November 2015 Speaking to the Mirror, she said that 'a part of me disappeared but another part of me was born.' Ms Chevalier, who has a seven-year-old son, was attending the concert with a friend named Matthieu, who did not survive the attack. The pair had been standing by the bar, and Ms Chevalier was one of the few survivors in that part of the venue. When police arrived she was surrounded by bodies, her face and arm seriously injured. 'Then there was that moment when I finally took my courage in both hands and I got up holding my arm, and telling myself that to save my skin I really had to get out of there.' She reveals she sometimes has flashbacks of that horrific evening, noises and smells which come back to her 'usually during the night when I'm going to bed, or suddenly during the day'. Before: The 37-year-old, pictured before the attack, was hit on the left side of her face, and she says she has since had some 25 surgeries to restore her visage A commemorative plaque and flowers are pictured at the entrance of the Bataclan concert hall before a ceremony marking the third anniversary of the Paris attacks of November 2015 in which 130 people were killed Ms Chevalier has had some 25 surgeries since that day, including using a part of her calf bone to reconstruct her jaw, and is now on the board of directors of a Paris attack support organisation called 13/11/15 for survivors and families of victims. The terror attacks in Paris on November 13, 2015, were carried out by three separate teams of terrorists, some of whom had fought in Syria and were smuggled back into Europe among refugees. Among their targets was the Stade de France - where the French national team were playing a friendly match against Germany. A second team then targeted restaurants and bars along the Canal Saint-Martin, while a third carried out the massacre and hostage-taking at the Bataclan theatre. The Islamist terrorist attackers killed 130 people, including the 90 who died in the Bataclan, and injured more than 400. The attacks, which were the deadliest in France since the end of the Second World War, prompted a three-month state of emergency to tackle terrorism. The attacks also prompted France to increase its contributions to the war against ISIS in Syria and Iraq, including several large-scale bombing raids. A former top homicide detective has revealed how he cracked the cold case of six-year-old Bonnie Clarke who was raped and brutally murdered. Bonnie Melissa Clarke was sexually assaulted, asphyxiated and stabbed while she lay in her bed in her home in Melbourne's Northcote during the early hours on December 21, 1982. The horrific killing left investigators stumped and the case went unsolved for more than 20 years. That was until the man who has been dubbed 'Australia's Greatest Detective', Ron Iddles, reopened the case in 2011. Bonnie Melissa Clarke was sexually assaulted, asphyxiated and stabbed while she lay in her bed in her home in Melbourne's Northcote during the early hours on December 21, 1982 The man dubbed 'Australia's Greatest Detective', Ron Iddles, reopened the case in 2011 Bonnie's father Denis Clarke had been begging for his daughter's killer to be brought to justice while he was still alive. Mr Iddles, now retired, has shared how he found her killer in the latest episode of Ron Iddles: The Good Cop on Foxtel. He said the answer to solving the case lay within the original case file all he had to do was go back through the evidence. Bonnie's killer Malcolm Joseph Clarke, who is no relation to the victim, had lived as a boarder in the family's home. He hadn't been on the original suspect list and was first spoken to in 1983 when he was charged with a separate aggravate rape. 'When looking into it again, we found a card he (Malcolm Clarke) had sent to Bonnie. That's the bit that never got checked,' Mr Iddles told news.com.au. That piece of evidence eventually led to his downfall. Malcolm Clarke ended up confessing the killing to an undercover police officer who had befriended him. Bonnie's mother Marion Wishart was the prime suspect for years. Bonnie Melissa Clarke's mother was the main suspect for many years as there was no forced entry Malcolm Clarke (pictured) was sentenced to a minimum 25 years behind bars for Bonnie's rape and murder in 2005 'I still can't work out how they (original detectives) came to the conclusion that she was involved, other than the fact the dog didn't bark on the night and there was no forced entry,' Mr Iddles said. 'Originally investigators were sure it was her. She became very bitter and twisted because they accused her of killing her daughter, and so she gave up hope.' Malcolm Clarke was sentenced to a minimum 25 years behind bars for Bonnie's rape and murder in 2005. During his trial, the court heard how Malcom Clarke had known the backdoor to the home would be unlocked when he crept into the home. The small girl's body was discovered by her mother the next morning. Mr Iddles said cases involving the brutal killing of a child was one of the harder cases to investigate. 'When you go to a crime scene with young children, there's times you walk out of the house and sit in the car and end up in tears.' He said the older he and his children got, the easier the cases became to work. He said officers become emotionally involved when they too have a young family. Ron Iddles: The Good Cop is on Foxtel's Crime + Investigation channel on Thursdays at 7.30pm. A Sydney Zoo has launched a Valentine's Day competition that could see you name one of their brown snakes after your ex-girlfriend or boyfriend just in time for the lover's holiday. The Wild Life Sydney Zoo announced the competition on Sunday which is also designed to raise money for the Wild Life Conservation Fund by donating the $1 entry fee. 'Is your ex a snake? If so, now is your opportunity to cement their snaky status this Valentine's Day by naming a brown snake (one of the worlds most venomous snakes) after them at WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo!' the announcement read. A Sydney Zoo has launched a Valentines Day competition that could see you name one of their brown snakes after your ex-girlfriend or boyfriend just in time for the lover's holiday (file photo) To enter the competition all you have to do is visit the zoo's website and fill out the application form explaining why your ex deserves to have a snake named after them along with the $1 entry fee. The winner will have the satisfaction of a snake being named after their ex and will also receive a certificate and the opportunity to visit the snake for free every day for the next year. 'We hope that by providing someone unlucky in love the opportunity to name Wild Life Sydney Zoos very own brown snake after their ex, we can give them something else to celebrate on Valentines Day this year,' General Manager at WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo Mark Connolly said. 'Were also throwing in an annual pass to WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo, so that you can also visit the snake in Darling Harbour as many times as you want during the next year!' The competition will close at 11.59pm on February 3 and the winner will be drawn by the reptile team on Valentine's Day. In the panel's first act since Democrats took the majority, the House intelligence committee is expected to vote Wednesday to send more than 50 interview transcripts from its now-closed Russia investigation to special counsel Robert Mueller. The panel's new chairman, California Rep. Adam Schiff, has long said that sending Mueller the transcripts from the probe into Russian election interference would be one of his first actions. Among the transcripts that would be released would be interviews with Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., his son-in-law Jared Kushner, his longtime spokeswoman Hope Hicks and his former bodyguard Keith Schiller. There are dozens of other transcripts of interviews with former Obama administration officials and Trump associates. Two associates of President Donald Trump have already been charged with lying to the committee, and Schiff has said Mueller should consider whether additional perjury charges are warranted as part of the special counsel's investigation. California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, the new chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, is forcing a vote on sending at least 50 transcripts of committee interviews to Special Counsel Robert Mueller Mueller (left) is helming a nearly two-year-long probe into allegations of election interference by Russians in 2016, and former close associates of President Donald Trump (right) have already been charged with lying to the committee As is tradition, the committee will meet behind closed doors. A notice for the meeting says that one of the agenda items is 'transmission of certain committee transcripts to the Department of Justice.' A person familiar with the meeting said the vote is to send the transcripts to Mueller's office. The person asked not to be named because committee business is confidential. The vote comes the morning after Trump criticized 'ridiculous partisan investigations' in his State of the Union speech. Schiff has indicated that he will re-open parts of the committee probe that Republicans closed last March, concluding there was no evidence of conspiracy or collusion between Russia and Trump's presidential campaign. Democrats strongly objected at the time, saying that the Republicans prematurely closed the investigation. Donald Trump Jr. (center), the president's eldest son, gave an interview to the House Intelligence Committee last year Jared Kushner (left), pictured Tuesday night with his wife Ivanka Trump (right), will find that his closed-door grilling by Intelligence Committee members and aides is headed to Robert Mueller's office Hope Hicks, the enigmatic former Trump communications guru and full-time minder, also spoke to the House committee; Mueller's lawyers will be able to compare her answers with those she gave to his team Trump's former fixer and personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, and a longtime adviser, Roger Stone, have been charged with lying to the panel. Cohen pleaded guilty in November to lying to the House and Senate intelligence committees in a statement about his role in a Trump business proposal in Moscow, acknowledging that he misled lawmakers by saying he had abandoned the project in January 2016 when he actually continued pursuing it for months after that. Cohen, who is scheduled to begin serving a three-year prison sentence in March, will return to the House panel on Friday for another closed-door interview, this time with Democrats leading the questioning. Since he testified in 2017, Cohen has turned on the president, cooperating with Mueller's probe and a separate investigation in New York. He was charged with crimes that included arranging the payment of hush money to conceal his boss' alleged sexual affairs and told a judge that he agreed to cover up Trump's 'dirty deeds' out of 'blind loyalty.' Stone pleaded not guilty to charges last month that he lied to the House panel about his discussions during the 2016 election about WikiLeaks, the anti-secrecy group that released thousands of emails stolen from Democrats. Keith Schiller, Trump's decade-long bodyguard who served the White House early in the admininstration, spoke to the House Intelligence Committee and the office of Special Counsel will soon see what he said behind closed doors Stone is also charged with obstructing the House probe by encouraging one of his associates, New York radio host Randy Credico, to refuse to testify before the House panel in an effort to conceal Stone's false statements. Mueller requested Stone's interview transcript last year and the panel voted to release it in December, ahead of the January charges. Democrats had previously pushed the GOP-led committee to release all of the transcripts to Mueller, but Republicans said Mueller hadn't requested them. The committee did vote to release most of the transcripts to the public, but they are still being reviewed by the intelligence community for classified information. It is unclear if Mueller has since requested any other transcripts, or if he has already seen any of them. It is possible that Mueller could have gained access to the documents through the intelligence agencies that are reviewing them. The New York Police Department is accused of trying to shield an undocumented, MS-13 gang member charged with murder from public scrutiny ahead of the State of the Union address Tuesday. According to the New York Post, officers went out of their way to hide Ramiro Gutierrez from the public by refusing to disclose his immigration status and mislead reporters of his whereabouts before Trump gave the address where he emphasized his demand for a border wall. Gutierrez, 26, has been charged with murder, gang assault and criminal possession of a weapon over Sunday's fatal shooting of 20-year-old Abel Mosso at a Queens subway station. Officers hadn't announced Gutierrez was charged until 4am Tuesday and told reporters he would be walked out of the precinct at 4pm, when he was actually taken out a back door at 2pm. The NYPD is accused of trying to shield accused murderer Ramiro Gutierrez, 26, from public scrutiny ahead of Trump's State of the Union address Gutierrez appeared in court Tuesday on charges over the fatal shooting of a 20-year-old Sunday The 20-year-old victim, Abel Mosso, was a member of the rival 18th Street Gang. He was shot multiple times in the face and died on the 90th Street-Elmhurst Avenue subway platform Police said Gutierrez is a MS-13 member and was listed in the NYPD's criminal group database. The victim was a member of the rival 18th Street Gang. Gutierrez, who was taken into the custody on Monday after earlier fleeing the shooting scene, had been arrested 12 times previously in New York. In that incident, he was accused of planning to rob a Queens home believing $80,000 was stashed inside and beating two people with a pipe. He was among 12 MS-13 members arrested following an investigation into the gang. The NYPD ignored questions from The Post about why it appeared to be protecting Gutierrez. 'What is this nonsense?' an NYPD spokesman said when asked. Police also refused to say whether he was in the US legally. 'I do not have any information regarding immigration status it's not something we collect, 'NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea said at a press conference Tuesday. An ICE official confirmed Gutierrez was in the US illegally. His latest arrest comes after footage of the subway shooting went viral. Police are still looking for two suspects involved in the deadly shooting who fled the scene alongside Gutierrez. The fight spilled out onto the platform when the train pulled into the platform at the 90th Street-Elmhurst Avenue subway stop Ramiro Gutierrez, 26, (left in a prior mugshot and right fleeing the shooting) has been charged with murder, gang assault and criminal possession of a weapon over Sunday's fatal shooting of 20-year-old Abel Mosso in Queens The incident unfolded after the victim and at least three men because involved in a dispute on the Manhattan-bound 7 train on Sunday afternoon. The fight spilled out onto the platform when the train pulled into the platform at the 90th Street-Elmhurst Avenue subway stop. Graphic footage filmed by a passenger showed the victim being punched multiple times by two of the men. One of the men, since identified by police as Gutierrez, then stood up and pulled out a gun. He shot Mosso in the head multiple times before the men fled the scene. A total of six gunshots could be heard in the footage. Terrified commuters, who had tried to intervene to break the fight up, were filmed screaming as they ran away from the gunfire. Police said the train and platform were crowded when the gunfire rang out. The victim died at the scene after suffering multiple gunshot wounds to the face. Gutierrez was captured on surveillance cameras fleeing the subway station. Investigators released surveillance images on Tuesday of two other suspects they are still searching for in relation to the attack. 21 Savage's team released a statement saying that there has been a 'great deal of misreporting' that was only leading to 'false conclusions' Rapper 21 Savage called himself a 'Dreamer' before describing how he had 'three US Citizen children' and had been working on a U Visa before he was detained by ICE, in a statement released by his team on Tuesday. Savage, whose legal name is Sheyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, asserted that there had been a 'great deal of misreporting' that was only leading to 'false conclusions'. The rapper's team admitted to him being born in the United Kingdom, adding that he had moved to the United States under the H-4 when he was seven. The statement details that as a child, Savage only returned back to the U.K. for a month in 2005. He returned to the States in July, once again under a H-4 visa for minors. 'Mr Abraham-Joseph has been continuously physically present in the United States for almost 20 years, except for a brief visit abroad,' the statement read. 'Unfortunately, in 2006 Mr. Abraham-Joseph lost his legal status through no fault of his own. Scroll down for videos Savage, whose legal name is Sheyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, plans on filing for a Cancellation of Removal from an Immigration Judge 'Mr. Abraham-Joseph, like almost two million of his immigrant child peers, was left without immigration status as a young child with no way to fix his immigration status. These Dreamers come from all walks of life and every ethnicity.' Savage's team said that he plans 'seek relief from removal in immigration court' through the Cancellation of Removal from an Immigration Judge, stating that he has very permanent ties to the country. The statement mentioned that he had 3 US Citizen children and that most of his family members are permanent residents 'Mr. Abraham-Joseph has three US Citizen children, a lawful permanent resident mother and four siblings that are either US Citizens or lawful permanent residents,' the announcement said. 'He has exceptionally strong ties in the United States, having lived here since he was in the first grade. Savage's team stated that the rapper was placed in deportation proceedings 'AFTER' his arrest, and that he wasn't on the run from DHS as he had been working towards obtaining a U Visa since 2017. 'This U visa was filed as a result of being the victim of a deadly shooting in 2013. That visa was filed in 2017 and remains pending,' the statement added. 'When granted, the U visa will afford him lawful status in the United States. Generally, ICE has recognized a pending facially valid U visa as a basis to delay removal proceedings and release individuals from custody.' They asserted that Savage wasn't a flight risk and should be eligible for bond, stating that he wasn't a 'danger' because of his 'acts of philanthropy and good will.' Savage had recently appeared on The Jimmy Fallon, where he performed his song 'A Lot.' He changed some of the lyrics appearing to condemn 'the behavior of immigration officials for their detention of children at the border' The statement included a communal speculation that ICE had 'ulterior motives' for the rapper's arrest. Savage had recently appeared on Jimmy Fallon, where he performed his song 'A Lot.' In the song, he changed some of the lyrics appearing to condemn 'the behavior of immigration officials for their detention of children at the border.' It is unclear what facility the musician is being held in, and a search of the ICE detainee database under several variations of his name did not yield a result. ICE has said that Savage is a British citizen who came to the United States from the United Kingdom in 2005, when he was 12, and is 'unlawfully present' in the U.S. after illegally overstaying his visa. Abraham-Joseph is being held in federal custody pending removal proceedings. His manager, who goes by the name Stone Mound Meezy, said in a tweet on Tuesday that he had spoken with Abraham-Joseph in a phone call. 'He is in lockdown for 23hrs of the day no tv or any communication besides our 10 min phone calls,' Meezy wrote in the tweet, which has since been deleted. 'Everything I've told him that has been happening made him happy and makes this time fly by thank y'all for the support,' the manager added, alluding to high-profile efforts and petitions to secure Abraham-Joseph's release. His manager, who goes by the name Stone Mound Meezy (above), said in a tweet on Tuesday that he had spoken with Abraham-Joseph in a phone call Abraham-Joseph's manager described his jail conditions in this since-deleted tweet A man who lunged at his estranged father in a one-punch attack has had to face his victim's heartbroken fiance and step-daughter in court. Morgan Alexander Isles-English, 27, pleaded guilty at the Supreme Court in Brisbane for unlawful striking, causing the death of his father Mark English on July 4, 2016. The court heard Isles-English struck his father after leaving the Grand Central Hotel on Ann Street, Courier Mail reported. 'The defendant deliberately walked across the road in the direction his father was ... the deceased can be seen (on CCTV) falling backwards to the ground ... the period of interaction is less than 10 seconds,' prosecutor Judith Geary told the court. Morgan Alexander Isles-English, 27, pleaded guilty at the Supreme Court in Brisbane for unlawful striking, causing the death of his father Mark English (right, with partner Varri Telfer) on July 4, 2016 Ms English's fiance Varri Telfer (right, with daughter Jazlin Telfer-Chapman) said in a victim impact statement she and her partner had started to build a future together before it was brutally taken from her Ms English's fiance Varri Telfer said in a victim impact statement she and her partner had started to build a future together before it was brutally taken from her. 'He gave me strength when I needed it, he encouraged me though the tough times, we started building a future together,' she said, adding the pair planned to marry on their 10-year anniversary.' Despite her grievance, Ms Telfer said she believed the death was a 'tragic mistake' and that she didn't hate the man responsible for the death. Ms Telfer's oldest daughter Jazlin Telfer-Chapman provided a statement to court and said Isles-English's act was already a life sentence. 'I hope one day he (Isles-English) can forgive himself and never forget that he was, is, and forever will be, my brother.' The court heard Isles-English was out on parole for assaulting a police officer and had only been released from custody one week before the attack. He had also been sentenced to probation and community service for previous assaults. The court was told the relationship between Isles-English and his father had deteriorated as the pair had not seen each other for four years. The pair were so estranged that Isles-English's father did not even recognise his son when he was approached, the prosecution said. Mr English died in hospital following the attack. Isles-English spoke from the dock during the hearing and said he wished he could take back his actions. Defence barrister Callan Cassidy said Isles-English had suffered a terrible childhood and that the sight of his father had drawn up traumatic memories (pictured, woman seen kissing Isles-English while he was in the court box) He said he did not intend for the event to unfold the way it did. Defence barrister Callan Cassidy said Isles-English had suffered a terrible childhood and that the sight of his father had drawn up traumatic memories. Mr Cassidy told the court the son said 'get up, get up' to his father after he was struck down. Isles-English had also pleaded guilty to deprivation of liberty after an unrelated home invasion that happened years ago. He also pleaded guilty to assaulting two correctional officers after they tried to break up a prison fight while he was in pre-sentence custody. Justice Soraya Ryan will sentence Isles-English next Wednesday. The 'monster mother' who arranged for her teenage daughter to be raped by a predator made a $250,000 compensation claim after allegedly slipping over on a shopping centre escalator. Therese Joanne Butler, 48, walked free from prison after spending a year behind bars for organising the rape of her daughter Peta, 16, by her violent internet boyfriend 'Thommo' in 2005. While her daughter was grappling with the trauma of her mother's betrayal, in 2009 Butler sued shopping centre giant Westfield and a cleaning company for a six-figure sum, claiming that she had hurt herself on a rainy day because of their negligence. Details of the court case surfaced as Daily Mail Australia can reveal a woman has come forward to investigators claiming to have information about Peta's vile rapist, who has never been identified. Therese Butler (pictured) arranged for her daughter Peta, 16, to be raped by 'Thommo'. She pleaded guilty to procuring a child for carnal knowledge at the Ipswich District Court last year Butler attacked her daughter (right) when approached for comment outside her home recently, making false claims Butler claimed to have injured her shoulder, neck and ankle in her escalator fall, as well as suffered psychological injuries and headaches, court documents said (stock image) In a statement of claim tendered in court, Butler said she was coming down the escalator at Westfield's Strathpine Centre north of Brisbane when she fell over. Butler claimed she was making her way down the escalator 'slowly' with her partner when he slipped. Butler tried to grab him, but she slipped as well, twisted her left ankle, and fell, hurting herself. In court documents, Butler claimed she suffered shoulder, neck and ankle problems, plus experienced 'psychological injuries' and headaches. FRESH LEAD IN THE SEARCH FOR PREDATOR THOMMO WANTED: A computer-generated image of the vile rapist 'Thommo' that was released by police last year A woman who claims to have recognised a police image of 'Thommo' has come forward to investigators, Daily Mail Australia can reveal. The woman has told CrimeStoppers a local known as 'Thommo' would buy her friends alcohol when they were underage growing up in Toowoomba. It is the same south-eastern Queensland city where Peta Butler was raped in a motel by Thommo. The woman first posted her suspicions on Facebook after Daily Mail Australia published stories this past week. The woman has since contacted investigators and has named the street where she believes 'Thommo' lived. 'My friends and I were underage and he used to buy alcohol for us,' the woman said. She said she had a 'creepy feeling about him'. 'He was always a loner type, never saw him with any friends or anything'. A Queensland Police spokesman said: 'The investigation is continuing and police would like to thank the community for their continued support.' Advertisement In its defence to the court, Westfield admitted Butler had suffered physical injuries, but alleged her injuries 'were of a more limited, minimal and temporary nature' than she was making out. The shopping centre giant also told the court there was 'no medical evidence' to support her claims of headaches and psychological injuries caused by the fall. Both Westfield and the cleaning company denied her injuries were a result of their negligence. The cleaners told the court it had no evidence to show Therese was walking down the escalator 'slowly'. The company admitted Butler actually fell, but did not admit that she had actually hurt herself as a result of the fall. The case was expected to go to trial in 2010 but Butler withdrew the claim and discontinued the proceedings, court records said. Daily Mail Australia understands the parties reached a settlement. Butler would next return to court years later for a very serious criminal matter - procuring a child for sex. Butler was charged after her daughter elicited a taped confession out of Therese about her role in the rape. In a call recorded by detectives, Butler admitted: 'Yeah, it was still rape. 'I wouldn't have let him touch you if you weren't 16.' When a judge at the Ipswich District Court sent her to jail, Therese screamed for someone to 'take out' her daughter, witnesses alleged. It had taken Peta a decade to muster the courage to report her own mother to police at Wynnum station. Prior to her arrest, Therese Butler was acclaimed for her baking, deluged social media with updates about her family and sought sympathy from friends for medical issues. When Daily Mail Australia approached Therese for comment and her side of the story last week, she said: 'Do you believe a little sl- ...' She trailed of mid-sentence and corrected herself: 'a woman who was raped by her (relative)? 'She was raped by (a relative) when she was 14.' Peta said the claim was '100% untrue' and her mother was 'just making up lies'. Butler had nothing to say when asked if she knew Thommo's true identity. 'You want my side of the story, talk to my cop,' she said, clutching a bottle of cordial and demanding to be left alone. Family photo: Peta, when at about the age she was at the time of the rape incident, and her mother, Therese Butler Butler waived her right to anonymity in order to allow her horrifying story to be told Police confirmed at the weekend that they were inundated with calls after releasing an image of Thommo last year. But detectives are yet to establish his true identity. The investigation is continuing and police would like to thank the community for their continued support Peta Butler told Daily Mail Australia that the important thing now is bringing 'Thommo' to justice. She has waived her to right to anonymity as a victim of sexual assault to tell her story. 'His arrest would help close the door to an evil chapter, to bring justice to the disgusting and manipulative man who raped me', she said. Coles Express has revealed a brand new partnership with a major petrol supplier that promises to finally bring their petrol prices down. The supermarket giant on Wednesday announced to the Australian Securities Exchange it had handed over responsibility for its petrol prices to Viva Energy. Coles previously purchased fuel from the provider and sold it at Viva-owned sites, but from now on the supermarket will sell on behalf of Viva and collect commission. Coles Express has revealed a brand new partnership with a major petrol supplier that promises to finally bring their petrol prices 'down, down' The overhauled agreement essentially reduces persistently high fuel prices by cutting out the middle man and selling direct to customers. As part of the deal, Viva will make a one-off payment of $137million to Coles and will also start taking a bigger cut from its convenience store revenue. The 10-year agreement will extend until 2029, at which point Coles will receive a further payment for their convenience business unless it is cancelled early. Coles CEO Steven Cain said on Wednesday: 'We believe the benefits of the new agreement are compelling for all customers, team leaders and shareholders. 'We look forward to jointly working with Viva Energy to re-establishing the alliance as Australia's leading petrol and convenience retailer.' Coles Express chief executive Alister Jordan told news.com.au the revamped partnership means that Coles can just focus on food retailing and Viva fuel sales. 'We believe that as a result of this new alliance agreement we will be able to provide a more competitive customer offer going forward,' Mr Jordan said. He said the two companies had being trialling fuel strategies over the past two years. The supermarket giant on Wednesday announced to the Australian Securities Exchange it had handed over responsibility for its petrol prices to Viva Energy 'As time has gone on, the alliance structure became increasingly unsustainable as there wasn't clear alignment and incentives for both parties. 'I believe this is good for both parties because we will ultimately have a more competitive offer to our customers through our convenience stores and through our forecourts,' Mr Jordan said. Viva said it plans to improve competitiveness by reinvesting the margin into lower fuel prices with the goal of growing volumes to 75 million litres per week. Viva Energy CEO Scott Wyatt said the alliance signified a step forward in a long standing relationship between Coles Express and Viva. 'Today, we represent Australia's leading fuel and convenience offer and we look forward to growing the alliance with Coles Express in the years to come. 'I am excited by the benefits these new arrangements will enable us to deliver form both our customers and our shareholders,' he said. The Number Two House Democrat on Tuesday night blasted President Trump's State of the Union comments that trashed 'ridiculous' investigations of him and his administration and threatened to bottle up legislation while they are underway. 'I took it as a threat,' House Majority Leader Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland told DailyMail.com, minutes after Trump's controversial comment. 'And a threat that in effect said if you have oversight of my administration, I'm not going to cooperate with you that people have health care and making sure that wages are continuing to get better,' Hoyer continued. 'I took it as a threat,' House Majority Leader Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland told DailyMail.com, minutes after Trump's controversial comment about 'ridiculous' investigations He was responding to Trump's blast at special counsel Robert Mueller and congressional investigators a line dropped into a speech that in other passages called for unity and cooperation. 'We have an oversight responsibility and clearly Trump has demonstrated with his own people that if you're not with me 100 per cent, you're gone,' Hoyer continued. 'Congress has a responsibility to make sure that government is being run in an honest and effective fashion.' 'If he doesn't like that, his point was as I took it, 'You can't have peace and war at the same time.' Oversight is not war. Oversight is the responsibility of the congress of the united states, which the Const gives to us. Failing to do so would be an abdication of our responsibility,' he said. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi singled out Trump's 'investigations' line as the first point in her own statement blasting Trump's speech. 'It was a very well-crafted speech I thought well delivered,' said Sen. Mitt Romney of Trump's State of the Union Senator from Utah Mitt Romney (C) greets other lawmakers ahead of US President Donald Trump's State of the Union address at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 5, 2019 Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) takes a group photo with fellow lawmakers ahead of the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives on February 5, 2019 in Washington, DC. A group of female Democratic lawmakers chose to wear white to the speech in solidarity with women and a nod to the suffragette movement Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas said he was encouraged that Trump didn't threaten to shut down the government Asked if Trump's comments might have the reverse effect on chairmen who want to probe Trump's taxes and other matters, Hoyer responded: 'I think they're going to do their duty.' 'Tonight, the President spoke about the honor of being in the House Chamber, and all the progress that has been achieved here. But at the same time, he threatened the United States Congress not to exercise its constitutional responsibility of oversight,' Pelosi wrote. Trump told House and Senate members during his annual speech: 'If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation. It just doesn't work that way!' But new Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, who has called out Trump on occasion, talked up the speech. 'It was a very patriotic and a strong speech that drew a lot of support from people across the country I believe and I think a lot of support in the room,' Romney told DailyMail.com. 'It was a very well-crafted speech I thought well delivered.' But asked about Trump's threat to investigators, Romney responded: 'I'm sure there were things that people can pick that they're not wild about in the speech, but I think overall you'd have to say it was a very strong and solid delivery and had a strong message that laid out the president's agenda.' The president brought up the investigations that have bedeviled his administration in the first 10 minutes of his State of the Union speech, where he called for union, hailed veterans, and called for a new era of cooperation. Trump didn't mention the name of his nemesis, Mueller the former FBI director who has ensnared top Trump associations during his probe of more than one year, or mention any specific congressional probes, like the Russia probe or efforts to procure his tax returns. 'On Friday, it was announced that we added another 304,000 jobs last month alone almost double what was expected. An economic miracle is taking place in the United States and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics, or ridiculous partisan investigations,' Trump said after hailing economic progress. Trump referenced investigations that have dominated his presidency. Among those Trump associates heading to jail is longtime lawyer Michael Cohen Longtime Trump advisor Roger Stone was in court this week following his indictment New Rep. Katie Hill of California, the vice chair on the House Oversight Committee, was blunt in her response to Trump's warning. 'It's just so blatant. We were just like what?' she told MSNBC following the speech. Another key lawmaker, Rep. Henry Cueller of Texas, who is helping negotiate homeland security funds, took an optimistic take on something Trump didn't do threaten to shut down the federal government over his border wall. 'He never used the word shutdown. He never threatened us with shutdown. He never said that. He just said we need this and this and this,' Cueller told a small group of reporters. 'I talked to somebody at the White House before we got started,' he said. 'What they said leads me to believe that if we work out an agreement that I think this will eventually go through the White House and hopefully be signed. Also teeing off on Trump's comment was Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia. 'It was inappropriate. It was Nixonian,' he told DailyMail.com. Kim Kardashian tweeted her support as the woman she lobbied to free from prison appeared at the State of the Union address Tuesday. The business woman and reality star posted on Twitter that night after seeing a clip of Alison Marie Johnson stand alongside Jared Kushner, waving to the audience as President Donald Trump introduced her as his guest. Retweeting a video of the woman wiping away tears and smiling, Kardashian wrote on the microblogging website: 'So proud!!! @AliceMarieFree at the SOTU!!!!' Scroll down for videos Alice Johnson appeared at the State of the Union address in Washington DC on Tuesday Kim Kardashian tweeted her support for the woman she lobbied to free from prison Kim Kardashian and Alice Marie Johnson at Variety and Rolling Stone's Criminal Justice Summit at the Jeremy Hotel in West Hollywood on November 14, 2018 In was in response to a fan writing that Johnson was 'getting the recognition she deserves', adding 'You look beautiful Ms. Alice!!!!'. It prompted Kardashian to share the video of Johnson getting a standing ovation from the audience, including Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who were seated behind POTUS. It was a moment Kardashian, 38, was clearly waiting for as on Monday she drew attention to the fact Johnson would be making an appearance. 'I see Alice Johnson & Matthew Charles on the guest list,' she wrote, sharing a link of the White House website's announcement of special guests for the second event of its kind for Trump. But reality star Kardashian isn't mentioned on the website where the government states her story leading up to her release June 6, 2018. 'Alice had been serving a mandatory life sentence without parole for charges associated with a nonviolent drug case,' the article says about the decision to grant her clemency. 'During her nearly 22 years of incarceration, Alice accomplished what has been called an 'extraordinary rehabilitation.' Johnson reacted as the president acknowledged her attendance at the US Capitol Johnson was granted clemency by Trump in 2018 while serving a life sentence in a nonviolent drug case. Jared Kushner is pictured right Johnson was seen wiping tears from her eyes as she received attention on Tuesday night 'She has now dedicated her life to helping those who are in a similar position as she was and giving a voice to the criminal justice reform movement.' Trump didn't mention Kardashian or her husband Kanye West but told those in the audience Tuesday evening he heard about Johnson through 'friends'. He told the story as he shared how weeks ago, Democrats and Republicans united for 'groundbreaking criminal justice reform'. 'Last year, I heard through friends the story of Alice Johnson. I was deeply moved. In 1997, Alice was sentenced to life in prison as a first-time non-violent drug offender,' he said. 'Over the next two decades, she became a prison minister, inspiring others to choose a better path. She had a big impact on that prison population - and far beyond. 'Alice's story underscores the disparities and unfairness that can exist in criminal sentencing - and the need to remedy this injustice. She served almost 22 years and had expected to be in prison for the rest of her life. 'In June, I commuted Alice's sentence - and she is here with us tonight. Alice, thank you for reminding us that we always have the power to shape our own destiny. When I saw Alice's beautiful family greet her at the prison gates, hugging and kissing and crying and laughing, I knew I did the right thing.' President Donald J. Trump (center) delivers the State of the Union address, with Vice President Mike Pence (center left) and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (right) Kim Kardashian had tweeted about Alice Johnson's forthcoming appearance on Monday Kim's Monday tweet also highlighted the Matthew Charles who redeemed himself after in 1996, he was sentenced to 35 years in prison for selling crack cocaine and other related offenses. The website states that he found God while behind bars, 'completed more than 30 bible studies, became a law clerk, taught GED classes, and mentored fellow inmates'. On January 3 this year he was the first prisoner released as a result of the Formerly Incarcerated Reenter Society Transformed Safely Transitioning Every Person (FIRST STEP) Act. 'Inspired by stories like Alice's, my Administration worked closely with members of both parties to sign the First Step Act into law. This legislation reformed sentencing laws that have wrongly and disproportionately harmed the African-American community,' Trump continued before explaining Tennessee man Charles' story of being incarcerated aged 30. 'The First Step Act gives non-violent offenders the chance to re-enter society as productive, law-abiding citizens. Now, States across the country are following our lead. America is a Nation that believes in redemption... 'Now, Matthew is the very first person to be released from prison under the First Step Act. Matthew, on behalf of all Americans: welcome home.' An Oregon man has pleaded guilty to leaving his five-month-old nephew under a pile of debris in the woods of western Montana while he was high on drugs. Francis Carlton Crowley, 33, of Portland, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Missoula District Court to criminal endangerment and child criminal endangerment. He also pleaded no contest to an assault on a child charge. Francis Crowley, 33, pleaded guilty Tuesday to criminal endangerment and child criminal endangerment for abandoning his infant nephew in the Montana woods last summer The baby (pictured) was found buried alive under a pile of debris after a nine-hour search Prosecutors say Crowley was under the influence of methamphetamine and bath salts when he caused a disturbance in July 2018 at Lolo Hot Springs, reported The Missoulian. He told responding officers that the baby he had been caring for was buried, but he was unable to lead authorities to the boy because of his state. Based on some information from Crowley, officers eventually found his car in the Lolo National Forest. Later, a deputy and a Forest Service officer found the baby - cold, hungry and covered in debris - on July 8. It was estimated the boy had been left alone for at least nine hours. Court documents listed Crowley as the infant's uncle. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 12. Deputies were called to Lolo Hot Springs at 8pm on July 7, 2018, because Crowley was threatening to fire a gun, Missoula County prosecutors said last year. Crowley told police he had left the baby under a pile of sticks after a car crash because he was 'too heavy' Officers learned he and the baby had been in a crash earlier that day. Crowley told officers that he left the baby behind because he was 'too heavy.' Crowley was disoriented and unable to help officers find the baby or say how long ago the crash had occurred, charging documents said. 'Officers continued to search in the various areas where the defendant stated the baby was located, but they had difficulty given the defendant's numerous inconsistent statements about the baby's whereabouts,' court records said. Crowley variously said the baby was lying on the side of the road or had died and was buried in the woods. Federal, state and local agencies joined the search, and US Forest Service Officer Nick Scholz arrived with an off-highway vehicle. He and Missoula County Deputy Ross Jessop followed a forest road on which Crowley said he had travelled. They continued on a game trail where they spotted small-diameter trees that had been damaged. Eventually, they spotted Crowley's crashed car, but the baby was not inside, court records said. Officers followed a trail of personal items, including baby formula and a diaper bag, down the slope from the crash. Jessop and Scholz then searched up slope from the crash, following a game trail until they heard a faint noise about 2.30am. Jessop found the baby face down, covered in small sticks and dressed in only a wet and soiled onesie. The baby was taken via ambulance to the hospital. One the way, the baby coughed up small sticks, the charging document said. He was treated for dehydration, lack of food and scratches, cuts and bruises and was placed in the custody of the Department of Public Health and Human Services. Troubled boys were taken on 'excursions' from a juvenile home to Sydney restaurants in the late 1970s and sexually assaulted by paedophiles at the dining tables, New South Wales Police allege. An ongoing investigation into alleged historic abuse at the Daruk Training School near Windsor is now focusing on the so-called excursions. A 70-year-old man on Wednesday was ordered to face Penrith Local Court on March 19 on a charge of indecent assault as Strikeforce Eckersley continues to investigate the abuse. A 70-year-old man on Wednesday was ordered to face Penrith Local Court on March 19 on a charge of indecent assault Police say the man wasn't employed at Daruk but was rather a friend of staff who took the child to the lunch 'We will be alleging ... the arrested man indecently assaulted a boy at one of those (Sydney) lunches,' Detective Superintendent Brett McFadden said in a statement. Police say the man wasn't employed at Daruk but was rather a friend of staff who took the child to the lunch. Strikeforce detectives have been examining child sexual assaults perpetrated at the school between 1965 and 1985. The 70-year-old is the fifth man to be arrested so far. Following the first arrest in March 2018, NSW Police said they were circling dozens of offenders after victims came forward with harrowing tales of genital mutilation and sadistic punishments at the government-run Daruk Training School. Strikeforce Eckersley was established in late 2016 following a series of complaints made to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Strikeforce detectives have been examining child sexual assaults perpetrated at the school between 1965 and 1985 Furious residents at a popular Sydney beach have accused police of wasting taxpayers' money after handing out a series of hefty fines to jaywalkers. Andrew Greer was on his way to work in the CBD on Wednesday morning when he spotted a handful of officers standing outside the Westfield at Bondi Junction. 'I counted five police officers,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'Basically they were all just standing and waiting.' Furious residents at a popular Sydney beach have accused police of wasting taxpayers' money after handing out a series of hefty fines to jaywalkers (pictured, Mr Greer said a surfer was fined at Bondi Beach on January 25 for jaywalking) Andrew Greer was on his way to work in the CBD on Wednesday morning when he spotted a handful of officers standing outside the Westfield at Bondi Junction (pictured) Mr Greer said the officers were communicating back and forth on radio and nabbing anyone who jaywalked across the busy Grosvenor and Oxford streets intersection. But this isn't the only time Mr Greer has seen officers pulling over jaywalkers in the area. 'I noticed on the 25th of January they were doing the same thing at Bondi Beach,' he said. Mr Greer claimed officers fined a surfer after he jaywalked across the road as well as a woman. 'I went and spoke to the girl and asked her what happened. She said she had got a $75 fine.' Mr Greer was pushed to breaking point on Wednesday and said he decided to give his 'two cents worth' to the officers. 'I told them this a waste of taxpayers' money, which is what it is. Police should be chasing after people for more serious crimes.' What's more, Mr Greer said he was upset officers had decided to target jaywalkers on their way to work. 'I work in the city. If you're standing at the lights, you're waiting a long time for them to turn green to just cross the road.' Current NSW law states that it is illegal to cross while a pedestrian light is red and comes with a $72 fine, or $2,200 if contested in court and is unsuccessful. There has been a rise in offences in recent years since NSW Police unveiled a crack down on jaywalkers in 2012. A NSW Police spokesperson said operations were routinely conducted across the city over police concerns for the number of incidents involving pedestrians. 'NSW Police has been doing them for many years and the point [of the operations] is to raise awareness of pedestrian safety.' A group of Democratic women who wore white in honor of the suffragettes gave President Donald Trump an unexpected standing ovation at Tuesday evening's State of the Union address. They stood slowly at first, then clapped joyously, as Trump spoke about the economic gains that have been enjoyed in the United States by women since he took office. 'No one has benefited more from our thriving economy than women who have filled 58 percent of the newly created jobs last year,' Trump said, prompting loud cheering from the section of women. Taken aback, he laughed and told them: 'You weren't supposed to do that!' The most surprising of President Donald Trump 's standing ovations at Tuesday evening's State of the Union address came from a group of Democratic women who white to promote opportunity for women House Speaker Nancy Pelosi jumped out of her seat and encouraged her caucus to do the same when Trump praised women in Congress, most of whom are Democrats Pelosi's caucus cheered Trump on as spoke about economic gains that have been enjoyed in the United States by women since he took office Even Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stood and clapped as Trump praised women in Congress 'Wait a minute. Don't sit down. You are really going to like this next one,' the president had said As they started to take their seats, the president suggested they stay standing, because he had another line they'd like tee'd up. 'Wait a minute. Don't sit down. You are really going to like this next one,' he told them. 'We also have more women serving in Congress than at any time before.' The second applause line garnered an enthusiastic response from the women who chanted 'U.S.A' with their colleagues as Republicans had done during earlier on in the president's remarks. As soon as the comment landed, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was wearing a cream suit, jumped out of her seat and stood while raising her hands in a signal to her caucus that they should do the same. Soon the entire chamber was on its feet, applauding the women during the interlude from partisan bickering. Pelosi said afterward that was her favorite moment of the night. 'I liked when he acknowledged when it was the largest number of women,' she told reporters in the Capitol when asked the highlight - for her - of the president's remarks. It was a rare moment of support for the president from the opposing party during the speech that was not received well by Democratic women such as freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She stared grimly ahead during much of Trump's remarks and declined to join Pelosi when the House speaker gave Trump a standing ovation at another juncture. Sen. Kamala Harris, a 2020 presidential candidate, shook her head in disagreement as Trump spoke, as well. Colleague and fellow candidate Kirsten Gillibrand did the same. Ocasio-Cortez stayed seated as Trump took a slap at the resist movement and hit out at his political enemies. Pelosi rose for the line that was cast as a general denunciation of revenge politics. The women of the House were mostly unimpressed with Trump, although they stood several times when he spoke about unity and bipartisanship during his opening remarks. Even Pelosi, who could be seen trying to keep the peace throughout, shook her head in disagreement as Trump said the State of the Union is currently strong. Women from the Democratic Party in the lower chamber put on a unified front on Tuesday night with Pelosi by wearing all white for Trump's address. Florida Representative Lois Frankel, chairwoman of the Democratic Women's Working Group, led the tribute to women who won in last year's mid-term elections. 'By wearing suffragette white to #SOTU2019 tmrw we're sending a message to everyone that voted for @HouseDemocrats & delivered us the majority that we're working #ForThePeople, promoting the economic security of women & their families!' Frankel said in a Monday tweet. It was a rare moment of support for the president from the opposing party during the speech that was not received well by Democratic women such as Ocasio-Cortez, who's seen in her seat while her colleague Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, stands and claps Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota also wore a white suit and a navy tie that he accessorized with an 'Era Yes' pin as he promoted equal rights for women. A record number of women, 102, are serving in the House of Representatives, not counting territorial delegates. They make up nearly a quarter of the lower chamber. The House itself is now led by a woman, Pelosi, who took the gavel last month for the second time in her career. She is the first woman to hold the the job of Speaker of the House, which puts her in the presidential line of success. Women senators, of which there are now 25, also made history in the current Congress. For the first time they make up a quarter of their legislative body, too. The home-delivery midwife suspended after helping deliver premature twins to a mother who was only expecting one baby has handed in her resignation. Midwife Martina Gorner from Ten Moons Homebirth Services in Melbourne delivered Brooke's babies, who were born prematurely at 35 weeks, on October 19 last year. Brooke, surname withheld, decided against getting an ultrasound during the pregnancy and only learned she was having twins when she began giving birth. Months later, amid an ongoing investigation by he Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), Ms Gorner has surrendered her registration. Midwife Martina Gorner (pictured) has handed in her resignation amid an investigation into a controversial twin home delivery The midwife confirmed the surrender of her ability to legally deliver children in a post on social media - sharing a letter she had written to AHPRA. In the letter, Ms Gorner claimed that she had been unfairly targeted by the medical establishment for years. 'I have received nine AHPRA notifications over the last five years. None were made by clients, their partners or their family members,' she wrote. 'Over the last few years I have complied with every single request that AHPRA has put forward to me. I have passed the Private Practice Midwives Audit and even underwent a one day Performance Assessment in June 2018. 'The outcome of this assessment determined that I am safe to practice as an independent practitioner in the community. 'I support women's choices and I do not believe that abandoning women is ethical, responsible or respectful at such a vulnerable time in their lives.' Brooke (pictured), surname withheld, gave birth to twins on October 19 in Melbourne, and didn't realise she was pregnant with identical siblings as she did not have any ultrasound scans The twins were born premature at 35 weeks and had to be rushed to hospital by ambulance after one of them had breathing difficulties. The incident sparked a furious online debate between mothers. Some parents accused the birthing service of negligence for not detecting the multiple pregnancy, while others defended the midwife and mother for choosing a natural birth with limited medical assistance. A post announcing the birth in October last year on the Ten Moons Facebook page said it was 'full of unexpected surprises'. 'Mum gave birth to her sweet little baby boy in water and then we thought the placentra was about to come... but as it turned out there was another baby boy about to make his entrance into the world,' the post read. 'What a super hero mum Brooke is. What an amazing birth!' Midwife Martina Gorner (pictured) from Ten Moons Homebirth Services delivered the babies, and she has since been suspended while an investigation is carried out A post announcing the birth on the Ten Moons Facebook page said it was 'full of unexpected surprises' The post stirred up some strong debate among commenters. 'This is like advertising your own incompetence. Any decent provider would have noticed it was a multiple pregnancy and treated it like the high risk pregnancy it was. Mum and babies are very lucky,' one person said. Another asked how the mother did not know she was pregnant with twins to which Ten Moons said: 'Mum decided not to have any scans during this pregnancy'. Other people said having unexpected twins was not an emergency. 'Emergencies can happen with just one baby too, twins are not an automatic high risk factor,' another person said. 'Good for this mum and her babies.' The twins were born premature at 35 weeks and had to be rushed to hospital by ambulance after one of them had breathing difficulties A petition titled 'Mothers have the right to a safe natural birth of their choice' defending Ms Gorner has attracted more than 36,000 signatures, calling her suspension an 'outrageous tragedy'. 'This birth unfortunately had terrible implications for Martina, one of the attending midwives, because when mum brought her happy and healthy babies in for a check-up, a hospital staff member made a complaint and Martina was suspended,' the petition said. 'This, many of us feel, is an outrageous tragedy.' A Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia spokeswoman told Nine News the organisation could not comment on Ms Gorner's case but that suspensions are 'only taken in the most serious cases when the NBMA believes it is necessary to take action to protect the public'. 'Before a decision to take immediate action is made, a practitioner is given notice and an opportunity to show cause as to why the action is not necessary,' she said. Judah Semet cheated death by four minutes when a gunman opened fire on worshippers at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh on October 27, 2018 When he was just seven years old Samet and his family were rounded up in Hungary by the Nazi secret police, The Gestapo, in 1944 and put on a train to Auschwitz. But he was re-routed to Bergen-Belsen when Czechs blew up their train tracks. He spent 10 months in the camp before his family was released, just before the Allies liberated the camp. More than 70 years later, he arrived at what he thought was a safe haven, Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue, to see cops under attack from a man who had spewed anti-Semitic hate online just a few hours before. Some of Samet's relatives were tortured and murdered by Nazis during the Holocaust, and Samet's mother was an interpreter who 'saved hundreds of Jews'. 'My mother taught us never listen what they have to say,' Samet told Jewish news outlet Forward. 'Look at their hands. Because words cannot kill you'. Samet, who lives in the North Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, has spoken to thousands of people about his experiences during the Holocaust. The Samets ended up on a train bound for Auschwitz but were rerouted to Bergen-Belsen, in northern Germany, after Czech partisans blew up the railroad. Judah Samet pictured shortly after World War Two ended and he moved to Israel with his mother Samet was born in 1938 in Debrecen, the second-largest city in Hungary. The family of six lived in the Jewish section of town, across the street from the synagogue. In 1944, German Gestapo agents started rounding up Hungarian Jews for deportation to camps across central Europe. The Samets ended up on a train bound for Auschwitz but were rerouted to Bergen-Belsen, in northern Germany, after Czech partisans blew up the railroad, Samet said. Samet, then only 7, spent 10 and a half months at Bergen-Belsen, which started out as a prisoner-of-war camp and became a concentration camp for civilians. On a daily basis, he was given flavored water that was intended to pass as soup, and 'moldy, rock-hard bread'. A memorial of flowers and stars outside the synagogue where 11 people were killed An estimated 50,000 people, including Anne Frank and her sister, Margot, perished at the camp, according to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. Just before the arrival of the Allies, German officers announced that they needed 2,500 prisoners to leave Bergen-Belsen by train. At the insistence of his mother, Rachel, Samet and his family boarded a train with an unknown destination. 'Later, I asked her, "Why did you put us on the train?" and she said it was the difference between the sure thing and the maybe thing,' he told the Rochester Times. 'If we had stayed at Bergen-Belsen, we would all be dead. But on the train, you didn't know what would happen, so she chose the maybe'. Liberators arrived at the camp soon thereafter to find 13,000 unburied corpses and 34,000 'walking dead,' Samet said. Meanwhile, the Samets and their fellow travelers arrived in Berlin, where they were rescued by an American tank crew. Samet spent ten months in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp where 50,000 died 'We thought this was where we were finally going to be finished off. When the tank came out, the gun was not aimed at us. A soldier came out, and he did not have the Nazi uniform. My father, who was studying English, yelled "Americans!".' About a week after liberation, Samet's father, Yekutil, died of typhoid. The rest of the family was taken to Paris and then to Marseille, where they were put on a boat bound for Israel. Samet credits his mother with the family's survival. A 4-foot-10-inch dynamo, she became a translator for the Germans, looked out for fellow prisoners and devised ways to provide food for her children. 'My story shouldn't evoke any heroism, at least on my part. The hero in my story was my mother,' he said. She lived to the age of 82. Samet would later move to Israel and then New York City, where he met a woman from Pittsburgh who would later become his wife. 'People ask me sometimes, "Do you hate the Germans?" And I say hatred isn't in the Jewish DNA. 'They ask me also, "Can you forgive the Germans?" That I cannot do, because if I forgive, I am talking for six million Jews'. Twitter users have called for scenes starring Liam Neeson in the upcoming reboot Men in Black International be scrapped amid controversy over his 'racist' comments that date back four decades. The actor, 66, appeared Tuesday on Good Morning America where he revealed he sought help from a Catholic priest after spending a week prowling the streets with a cosh to murder a 'black b*****d' after a friend told him she had been raped by a man of the same race. Neeson said he 'understood' the hurt his words had caused but insisted: 'I'm not racist, this was 40 years ago... I had a primal urge. I was trying to show honor for a friend I dearly loved, in a medieval fashion.' The initial trailer for Men In Black International was released in late December. The new reboot stars Chris Hemsworth, 35, and Tessa Thompson, 35, reuniting after their collaboration in Thor: Ragnarok. Neeson also has a major role in the film. The trailer seems to promise a heavier focus on alien-hunting action, although plenty of the original film's comedy seems intact. Actor Liam Neeson is pictured in a scene from Men In Black International, set for release in June Twitter users have called for scenes starring Neeson to be scrapped amid controversy over his 'racist' comments The trailer opens with an establishing shot of Paris that seems to suggest Agent H (Chris Hemsworth) and the so far unnamed head of the UK branch of MIB (Liam Neeson) are searching for a creature in the Eiffel Tower The very first trailer for Men In Black: International was released in December. The new reboot stars Chris Hemsworth, 35, and Tessa Thompson, 35, reuniting after their collaboration in Thor: Ragnarok Finding answers: Next, the action shifts to New York, where the soon-to-be Agent M (Tessa Thompson) has just stumbled upon a secret MIB facility. 'It took me 20 year to find you,' she explains. 'How many people can say that?' Men In Black: International director F. Gary Gray has not confirmed whether scenes starring Neeson will be cut from the upcoming film. The trailer opens with an establishing shot of Paris that seems to suggest Agent H (Hemsworth) and the so far unnamed head of the UK branch of MIB (Neeson) are searching for a creature in the Eiffel Tower. Neeson's voice-over is heard on the soundtrack: 'Always remember: the universe has a way of leading you to where you're supposed to be at the moment you're supposed to be there.' The action then shifts to New York, where the soon-to-be Agent M (Tessa Thompson) has just stumbled upon a secret MIB facility. 'It took me 20 year to find you,' she explains. 'How many people can say that?' There's also a quick shot of a painting in the building depicting the exploits of Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones from the first film, though it's not clear if either will appear in this new installment. 'You really think a black suit is going to solve all your problems?' asks O archly. Then we see a montage of M's arming and training for her new job M gets her first exposure to aliens when she meets the foul-mouthed little worm creatures that appeared in the original series Liam assigns her to work with Agent H as a montage of his fighting skills is shown on screen, which then cuts to a humorous bit as M walks in on him asleep at his desk M's voice-over continues as Agent O (Emma Thompson) is introduced on screen. 'You are the bet kept secret in the universe,' M continues. 'Which makes me perfect for this job.' 'You really think a black suit is going to solve all your problems?' asks O archly. Next, a montage is shown of M's arming and training for her new job, followed by O announcing that there may be a problem in London. M gets her first exposure to aliens when she meets the foul-mouthed little worm creatures that appeared in the original series. Neeson assigns her to work with Agent H as a montage of his fighting skills is shown on screen, which then cuts to a humorous bit as M walks in on him asleep at his desk. 'Catching up on my daily meditation,' he mumbles once woken up. 'Time for lunch, I think. Are you hungry?' When she informs him that it's only 9:30, he replies, 'Perfect, Tuesday's taco day!' Over a montage of M and H rolling up to a club, Liam's voice-over announces that the agency has been compromised. He's shown staring out the window at a burning building The picture switches to the London streets, where M and H are confronted by two hostile aliens in human garb. They grab enormous futuristic weapons from an old, modified Jaguar car Next, we see the two on some kind of hover craft in a middle eastern boutique, where they're forced to wipe every bystanders memory Over a montage of M and H rolling up to a club, Neeson's voice-over announces that the agency has been compromised. He's shown staring out the window at a burning building. 'It puts every citizen of this planet at risk,' he warns. The picture switches to the London streets, where M and Hare confronted by two hostile aliens in human garb. They grab enormous futuristic weapons from an old, modified Jaguar car. The two are then seen on some kind of hover craft in a middle eastern boutique, where they're forced to wipe every bystanders memory. We get a short glance of a tiny alien creature, voiced by comedian Kumail Nanjiani The trailer ends with an action montage, first of M and Hfiring their weapons, then of the two converting their car into an aircraft We get a short glance of a tiny alien creature, voiced by comedian Kumail Nanjiani. The trailer ends with an action montage, first of M and Hfiring their weapons, then of the two converting their car into an aircraft. After the titles, there's a brief humorous ending in which H battles an alien creature. When he tries to throw a hammer at it's head, the alien catches the hammer. 'That was an incredible catch,' H replies, astounded. Men In Black: International will be released June 14, 2019. After the titles, there's a brief humorous ending in which H battles an alien creature. When he tries to throw a hammer at it's head, the alien catches the hammer Controversial Sydney businessman Salim Mehajer has abandoned the appeal of his jail term imposed for electoral fraud in 2012. The 32-year-old was jailed in June 2018 for 21 months, to be released after 11 months, after a magistrate found him guilty of 77 charges related to a joint criminal enterprise with his sister aimed at influencing the 2012 Auburn Council vote. At a hearing in Downing Centre District Court on Wednesday, Judge Helen Syme found the initial sentences 'were very moderate indeed for these serious offences' and Mehajer's legal team abandoned the severity appeal. The 32-year-old was jailed in June 2018 for 21 months, to be released after 11 months, after a magistrate found him guilty Judge Syme said the crimes 'strike at the heart of our democratic processes' and any action that might tend to undermine the independent electoral commission 'must of course be a serious offence'. Barrister Avni Djemal had argued Mehajer's sentence should be reduced so he could begin psychiatric treatment outside jail before his scheduled release, adding that an appointment had already been booked. He said the former Auburn Council deputy mayor is 'not well' and suffers from bipolar disorder. But crown prosecutor Jennifer Single said Mehajer has been monitored by mental health nurses while in Cooma Correctional Centre and 'constantly' assessed. Judge Syme said while Mehajer has requested psychiatric assistance six times while behind bars, he has been reviewed and in each case 'properly treated' by staff. 'The fact that Mr Mehajer is not receiving the psychological assistance or medication that he, in his own mind, thinks is appropriate is neither here nor there,' she said. Speaker Nancy Pelosi was visibly unamused during President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech Tuesday night, frowning, biting her cheeks, rolling her eyes and pursing her lips throughout the night when he mentioned ideas her party disagrees with. At other times she read along with the president's remarks, holding up her print out of his speech in view behind him as he spoke on the dais before her. She smiled at times as she read along but also kept her poker face firmly in place at others. Her jaw shift multiple times during the night as her eyes darted around the House chamber instead of focusing on the president before her. Speaker Nancy Pelosi was visibly unamused during President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech Tuesday night Speaker Pelosi offers Trump her applause The speaker drew almost more attention than the president for her reactions to his remarks And then there were times when she didn't hide her emotions. She visibly shook her head and sighed when the president spoke of 'ridiculous, partisan investigations' directed at him. Trump didn't mention any names but he was likely referring to the probes by House Democrats and special counsel Robert Mueller, which he refers to as a witch hunt. When President Trump mentioned his border wall, she sucked in her cheeks and pushed her lips together. She did not applaud. She did attempt to hold her Democrats in line. When some of them groaned loudly when Trump said the word 'wall,' she lifted her hand to shush them. Dressed in white, like the other women Democratic lawmakers to celebrate the suffragettes, the speaker drew almost more attention than the president for her reactions to his remarks. But one line got her to stand and cheer with the rest of her party, when the president started off his night by saying: 'Victory is not winning for our party. Victory is winning for our country,' she joined her party in applauding him. She also applauded him loudly, standing and raising her hands out to him, when he called for an end of 'revenge politics.' And she stood to cheer for three World War II veterans and Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin who were guests of the president and first lady's. She also joined in the women of the Democratic Party when he mentioned the high unemployment numbers among women. A record number of newly elected freshmen women Democrats leapt to their feet and high-fived each other. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a New York Democrat who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, flashed a thumbs-up with both hands. 'You weren't supposed to do that!' Trump joked, patting himself on the back for presiding over 'more women in the workforce than ever before.' As the Democratic women began to take their seats, Trump again went off-script. 'Don't sit yet. You're going to like this!' he said.'Exactly one century after the Congress passed the Constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote, we also have more women serving in the Congress than ever before.' Shouts of 'USA! USA!' rang out from both sides of the chamber. Pelosi told reporters in the Capitol afterward that she enjoyed that part of the evening. 'I liked when he acknowledged when it was the largest number of women,' she said of his speech. The night started off on the wrong foot when President Trump gave Pelosi, his official host for the annual speech, the cold shoulder. He shook her hand when he arrived at the dais on the floor of the House and handed her a copy of the speech. At other times she read along with the president's remarks, holding up her print out of his speech in view behind him as he spoke on the dais before her She did applaud some of his lines, particularly when he said the state of the union is strong The president and Pelosi shook hands at the beginning of the night But it's traditional for the speaker to introduce the president before an address to a Joint Session of Congress. Instead, Trump walked behind the podium and began speaking right away. A senior House Democratic aide told DailyMail.com that Pelosi had planned to introduce the president. President Trump 'blew through the customary introduction by the speaker,' the aide said. The president also did not congratulate Pelosi on her ascension to the speakership unlike how George W. Bush did during his presidency when she became the first female speaker in American history. The speaker had her remarks for the evening printed out and on the dais before her. She read off the paper when she ended the joint session of Congress convened for the speech. Pelosi and Trump have had a tense relationship since the government shutdown that kicked off her speakership. He famously walked out of their last face-to-face meeting when they tried to end the stalemate and reopen the government. She canceled his original invitation to give the annual address. He retaliated by canceling her trip to Afghanistan to visit U.S. troops. Pelosi emerged the winner when Trump reopened the government without funding for his border wall - meeting her demand to end the shutdown for negotiations on border security to continue. Tuesday night was their first face-to-face meeting since then. The Queen has delivered a touching message to victims of the Townsville flood as the community battles the ramifications of a one-in-100 year monsoon. The Governor of Queensland Paul de Jersey delivered the personalised message to the flood victims on behalf of Her Majesty on Wednesday. 'Prince Philip and I have been very saddened to hear of the severe floods impacting so many people in North and Far North Queensland,' The Queen said. The Queen has delivered a touching message to victims of the Townsville flood as the community battles the ramifications of a one-in-100 year monsoon The Governor of Queensland Paul de Jersey delivered the personalised message to the flood victims on behalf of Her Majesty on Wednesday 'With many extremes of weather being seen across Australia this year, it is clear that so many people, including Queenslanders, are required to show increased resilience and determination in the face of difficulty. 'I extend my sincere admiration to the emergency services, Defence personnel, local authorities and volunteers, who are working tirelessly to help those affected. 'My thoughts and prayers are with the Queensland community at this difficult time.' Townsville residents battled 12-days of near-nonstop rain that led to more than 2000 homes being affected by flash flooding. Hundreds of people remain holed up in evacuation centres waiting for the floodwaters to recede, with about 10,000 homes still without power. A further 160mm could fall on Townsville before the weekend, potentially exceeding two metres since the monsoon began 10 days ago. Townsville residents battled 12-days of near-nonstop rain that led to more than 2000 homes being affected by flash flooding A rural community has come together in an incredible display of generosity to help an elderly farmer after he collapsed while driving and was seriously injured. Peter Carey, 70, was driving his ute near Tambellup, 320km south-east of Perth, on December 2 when he smashed into the rear of a harvesting chaser bin. He suffered serious injuries and was flown to hospital in Perth. Tambellup resident Justin Taylor was the second person to arrive at the scene of the crash, and after Mr Carey was taken for treatment he was determined to help make sure his mate's harvest would go ahead as planned. Scroll down for video Peter Carey (pictured with wife Rose), 70, was driving his ute near Tambellup, 320km south-east of Perth, on December 2 when he smashed into the rear of a harvesting chaser bin Tambellup resident Justin Taylor was the second person to arrive at the scene of the crash, and after Mr Carey was taken for treatment he was determined to help make sure his mate's harvest would go ahead as planned 'The joy we got from it was just helping out,' Mr Taylor said. 'We rallied there to help Peter and [his wife] Rose [Duckett]. We had machinery and tools, and got the job done, and that was very satisfying.' Mr Taylor said the close-knit Tambellup community didn't think twice about pitching in to help Mr Carey and Ms Duckett in their time of need. 'It's symptomatic of all of regional Australia. By the time Peter had just arrived in hospital, my brother and a neigbour had already jumped on Peter's harvester and harvested his canola crop,' he said. 'For me personally, I get a bigger thrill out of helping someone than to be on the receiving end. 'We all got together on a morning in December, everyone turned up with their machines and we got it all done by the afternoon, that's the canola taken care of.' Mr Taylor said the close-knit Tambellup community didn't think twice about pitching in to help Mr Carey and Ms Duckett in their time of need The strong community spirit was summed up by the show of support for their injured mate, Mr Taylor said The strong community spirit was summed up by the show of support for their injured mate, Mr Taylor said. 'It was fantastic. The joy was in the giving. Our reward was him getting better,' he said. Mr Carey and Ms Duckett were blown away by their neighbours' generosity when they found out about the harvest. 'It gave him a big lift,' Mr Taylor said. 'Anyone who has looked death in the eye like he has . . . he's been pretty emotional about it. We're all pretty rapt to have helped out. 'You never know when the shoe will be on the other foot. It shows that basic human decency still exists in the country. 'This is nothing exceptional given what happens in the bush all the time, you see it with the floods in Queensland or the fires in Tassie [Tasmania].' Mr Taylor made a video showing the men at work to send to Mr Carey in order to keep his spirits up in hospital. Mr Taylor made a video showing the men at work to send to Mr Carey in order to keep his spirits up in hospital 'It was an uplifting thing . . . The first time he watched it he shed a tear,' Mr Taylor said. 'It was a way of uplifting Peter and Rose. I don't recognise that as an exceptional gesture, it's just what we needed to do.' The town of just 375 people has now banded together to keep their main general store after its elderly owners fell ill. The store provides school lunches, petrol and everyday items. 'We rallied to help Peter and Rose and now we're doing the same to keep the shop in the town,' he said. Mr Taylor said the community aims to buy the store and to then lease it to an operator. President Trump began a Tuesday night address pushing a bipartisan message that drew standing ovations from Democrats. He drew audible groans from lawmakers from the opposing party as he moved into the section of his speech on illegal immigration, however, and predictably pushed for a border wall. Trump declared that 'tolerance for illegal immigration is not compassionate, it is actually very cruel' as he put a spotlight on sex trafficking and drugs coming across the border. His solution of course was a 'physical barrier or wall,' which he said is a 'common sense' solution to the problem. 'But the proper wall never got built. I will get it built,' he said of past efforts to fund a border barrier. President Trump began a Tuesday night address pushing a bipartisan message that drew standing ovations from Democrats. He drew audible groans from lawmakers from the opposing party as he moved into the section of his speech on illegal immigration The line was let with loud applause from Republicans in his congressional audience. He added, 'This is a smart strategic see-through barrier.' Trump stressed that the barrier will be more than a concrete wall. 'Simply put, walls work and walls save lives,' he declared. Trump lectured wealthy liberals who live 'in gated communities' and behind walls of their own but won't fund his. 'So let's work together, compromise and reach a deal that will truly make America safe,' he said. He also took aim at some Democrats' calls for the federal government to get rid of immigration forces, saying, 'I will never abolish our heroes from ICE.' Trump did not formally declare a national emergency on the border, and instead characterized the situation as a 'urgent national crisis' that should concern legislators from both parties. He went on to note that Congress has 10 days left to come up with a plan to fund the federal government, including the Department of Homeland Security, before a Feb. 15 deadline. 'Now is the time for Congress to show the world that America is committed to ending illegal immigration,' he stated. Trump was met with grunts as he brought up a new group of migrants making their way through Mexico. He suggested a previous caravan was full of violent criminals, and maybe even terrorists, as he campaigned in last year's election. 'As we speak, large organized caravans are on the march to the United States,' he said on Tuesday night. Democrats could be heard sighing as he led into the topic -- and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi could be seen signaling to them from her seat behind Trump to settle down. Trump's solution was a 'physical barrier or wall,' which he said is a 'common sense' solution to the problem The president informed lawmakers that he had 'ordered another 3,750 troops to our southern border to prepare for this tremendous onslaught' as he described immigration reform as a 'moral' imperative for Congress to take on. 'I want people to come into our country in the largest numbers ever, but they have to come in legally,' the president insisted. Trump said that illegal immigration truly shows a divide between working class Americans and the political class as he took a dig at affluent Democrats sitting in the House chamber. 'Wealthy politicians and donors push for open borders while living their lives behind walls and gates and guards,' he charged. 'Meanwhile working class Americans are left to pay the pay the price.' GUILTY: MICHAEL FLYNN Pleaded guilty to making false statements in December 2017. Awaiting sentence Flynn was President Trump's former National Security Advisor and Robert Mueller's most senior scalp to date. He previously served when he was a three star general as President Obama's director of the Defense Intelligence Agency but was fired. He admitted to lying to special counsel investigators about his conversations with a Russian ambassador in December 2016. He has agreed to cooperate with the special counsel investigation. GUILTY AND JAILED: MICHAEL COHEN Pleaded guilty to eight counts including fraud and two campaign finance violations in August 2018. Pleaded guilty to further count of lying to Congress in November 2018. Sentenced to three years in prison and $2 million in fines and forfeitures in December 2018 Cohen was investigated by Mueller but the case was handed off to the Southern District of New York,leaving Manhattan's ferocious and fiercely independent federal prosecutors to run his case. Cohen was Trump's longtime personal attorney, starting working for him and the Trump Organization in 2007. He is the longest-serving member of Trump's inner circle to be implicated by Mueller. Cohen professed unswerving devotion to Trump - and organized payments to silence two women who alleged they had sex with the-then candidate: porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal. He admitted that payments to both women were felony campaign finance violations - and admitted that he acted at the 'direction' of 'Candidate-1': Donald Trump. He also admitted tax fraud by lying about his income from loans he made, money from taxi medallions he owned, and other sources of income, at a cost to the Treasury of $1.3 million. And he admitted lying to Congress in a rare use of the offense. The judge in his case let him report for prison on March 6 and recommended he serve it in a medium-security facility close to New York City. GUILTY AND JAILED: PAUL MANAFORT Found guilty of eight charges of bank and tax fraud in August 2018. Sentenced to 47 months in March 2019. Pleaded guilty to two further charges - witness tampering and conspiracy against the United States. Jailed for total of seven and a half years in two separate sentences. Additionally indicted for mortgage fraud by Manhattan District Attorney, using evidence previously presented by Mueller Manafort worked for Trump's campaign from March 2016 and chaired it from June to August 2016, overseeing Trump being adopted as Republican candidate at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. He is the most senior campaign official to be implicated by Mueller. Manafort was one of Washington D.C.'s longest-term and most influential lobbyists but in 2015, his money dried up and the next year he turned to Trump for help, offering to be his campaign chairman for free - in the hope of making more money afterwards. But Mueller unwound his previous finances and discovered years of tax and bank fraud as he coined in cash from pro-Russia political parties and oligarchs in Ukraine. Manafort pleaded not guilty to 18 charges of tax and bank fraud but was convicted of eight counts in August 2018. The jury was deadlocked on the other 10 charges. A second trial on charges of failing to register as a foreign agent due in September did not happen when he pleaded guilty to conspiracy against the United States and witness tampering in a plea bargain. He was supposed to co-operate with Mueller but failed to. Minutes after his second sentencing hearing in March 2019, he was indicted on 16 counts of fraud and conspiracy by the Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., using evidence which included documents previously presented at his first federal trial. The president has no pardon power over charges by district and state attorneys. GUILTY AND GOING TO WEEKEND JAIL: RICK GATES Pleaded guilty to conspiracy against the United States and making false statements in February 2018. Sentenced to 45 days weekend jail and three years probation, December 17, 2018 Gates was Manafort's former deputy at political consulting firm DMP International. He admitted to conspiring to defraud the U.S. government on financial activity, and to lying to investigators about a meeting Manafort had with a member of congress in 2013. As a result of his guilty plea and promise of cooperation, prosecutors vacated charges against Gates on bank fraud, bank fraud conspiracy, failure to disclose foreign bank accounts, filing false tax returns, helping prepare false tax filings, and falsely amending tax returns. GUILTY AND JAILED: GEORGE PAPADOPOLOUS Pleaded guilty to making false statements in October 2017. Sentenced to 14 days in September 2018, and reported to prison in November. Served 12 days and released on December 7, 2018 Papadopoulos was a member of Donald Trump's campaign foreign policy advisory committee. He admitted to lying to special counsel investigators about his contacts with London professor Josef Mifsud and Ivan Timofeev, the director of a Russian government-funded think tank. GUILTY AND JAILED: RICHARD PINEDO Pleaded guilty to identity fraud in February 2018. Sentenced to a year in prison Pinedo is a 28-year-old computer specialist from Santa Paula, California. He admitted to selling bank account numbers to Russian nationals over the internet that he had obtained using stolen identities. GUILTY AND JAILED: ALEX VAN DER ZWAAN Pleaded guilty to making false statements in February 2018. He served a 30-day prison sentence and was deported to the Netherlands on his release Van der Zwaan was a Dutch attorney for Skadden Arps who worked on a Ukrainian political analysis report for Paul Manafort in 2012. He admitted to lying to special counsel investigators about when he last spoke with Rick Gates and Konstantin Kilimnik. His law firm say he was fired. GUILTY: W. SAMUEL PATTEN Pleaded guilty in August 2018 to failing to register as a lobbyist while doing work for a Ukrainian political party. Sentenced to three years probation April 2019 Patten, a long-time D.C. lobbyist was a business partner of Paul Manafort. He pleaded guilty to admitting to arranging an illegal $50,000 donation to Trump's inauguration. He arranged for an American 'straw donor' to pay $50,000 to the inaugural committee, knowing that it was actually for a Ukrainian businessman. Neither the American or the Ukrainian have been named. CHARGED: KONSTANTIN KILIMNIK Indicted for obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice. At large, probably in Russia Kilimnik is a former employee of Manafort's political consulting firm and helped him with lobbying work in Ukraine. He is accused of witness tampering, after he allegedly contacted individuals who had worked with Manafort to remind them that Manafort only performed lobbying work for them outside of the U.S. He has been linked to Russian intelligence and is currently thought to be in Russia - effectively beyond the reach of extradition by Mueller's team. INDICTED: THE RUSSIANS Twenty-five Russian nationals and three Russian entities have been indicted for conspiracy to defraud the United States. They remain at large in Russia Two of these Russian nationals were also indicted for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 11 were indicted for conspiracy to launder money. Fifteen of them were also indicted for identity fraud. Vladimir Putin has ridiculed the charges. Russia effectively bars extradition of its nationals. The only prospect Mueller has of bringing any in front of a U.S. jury is if Interpol has their names on an international stop list - which is not made public - and they set foot in a territory which extradites to the U.S. INDICTED: MICHAEL FLYNN'S BUSINESS PARTNERS Bijan Kian (left), number two in now disgraced former national security adviser Mike Flynn's lobbying company, and the two's business partner Ekim Alptekin (right) were indicted for conspiracy to lobby illegally. Kian, an Iranian-American was arrested and appeared in court charged with a conspiracy to illegally lobby the U.S government without registering as a foreign agent. Their co-conspirator was Flynn, who is called 'Person A' in the indictment and is not charged, offering some insight into what charges he escaped with his plea deal. Kian, vice-president of Flynn's former lobbying firm, is alleged to have plotted with Alptekin to try to change U.S. policy on an exiled Turkish cleric, Fethullah Gulen, who lives in Pennsylvania and who is accused by Turkey's strongman president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, of trying to depose him. Erdogan's government wanted him extradited from the U.S. and paid Flynn's firm through Alptekin for lobbying, including an op-ed in The Hill calling for Gulen to be ejected. Flynn and Kian both lied that the op-ed was not paid for by the Turkish government. The indictment is a sign of how Mueller is taking an interest in more than just Russian involvement in the 2016 election. GUILTY AND AWAITING SENTENCE: ROGER STONE Roger Stone, a former Trump campaign official and longtime informal advisor to Trump, was indited on seven counts including obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and lying to Congress about his communications with WikiLeaks in January 2019. Convicted on all counts November 15, 2019, awaiting sentence Stone was a person of interest to Mueller's investigators long before his January indictment, thanks in part due to his public pronouncements as well as internal emails about his contacts with WikiLeks. In campaign texts and emails, many of which had already been publicly revealed before showing up in Mueller's indictment, Stone communicated with associates about WikiLeaks following reports the organization had obtained a cache of Clinton-related emails. Stone, a former Nixon campaign adviser who has the disgraced former president's face permanently tattooed on his back, has long been portrayed as a central figure in the election interference scandal. 'They got nothing,' he said of the special counsel's investigation. Stone gave 'false and misleading' testimony about his requests for information from WikiLeaks. He then pressured a witness, comedian Randy Credico, to take the Fifth Amendment rather than testify, and pressured him in a series of emails. Following a prolonged dispute over testimony, he called him a 'rat' and threatened to 'take that dog away from you', in reference to Credico's pet, Bianca. Stone warned him: 'Let's get it on. Prepare to die.' CLEARED: GREG CRAIG Greg Craig, President Barack Obama's White House counsel, was indicted for failing to register as a foreign agent. Mueller's investigators uncovered Craig's work on behalf the government of Ukraine while probing Manafort, who did business with Craig. Prosecutors released a grand jury indictment of Craig in April 2019, after Craig's law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP agreed to pay more than $4.6 million as part of a settlement. The prominent firm also acknowledged it had failed to register, and placed much of the blame on Craig, a senior partner there. Craig's lawyer blasted the decision as an abuse of prosecutorial discretion, and prepared to argue that omission of information during an interview is not tantamount to making false statements. The charges stem from a 2012 report Craig and the firm produced on behalf of the Ukrainian government on opposition figure and former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko. She was an opponent of Manafort's client , former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. Craig was cleared on September 9 2019. The world's biggest cannabis farm is on track to be built on the outskirts of a regional city two hours outside of Brisbane. Canadian-based company Asterion Cannabis has announced, via its wholly-owned Australian subsidiary, plans to invest at least $10 million into their new project in rural Queensland. The company has set itself ambitious goals and hopes their latest venture will have an annual cannabis production capacity in excess of 500,000 kg. The world's biggest cannabis farm is on track to be built on the outskirts of a regional city outside of Brisbane (stock) Canadian-based company Asterion Cannabis has announced, via its its wholly-owned Australian subsidiary, its plans to invest at least $10 million into their new project (stock) The company has set itself ambitious goals and hopes their latest venture will have an annual cannabis production capacity in excess of 500,000 kg (stock) The company said their latest venture will aim to be the largest greenhouse cannabis production facility the world has ever seen. The world's largest legal cannabis farm is currently considered to be located in British Columbia and run by Canadian company Canopy Growth. Asterion Cannabis plans to build the farm across approximately 75 hectares (185 acres) of land close to the city of Toowoomba in southern Queensland, with an option for Asterion to purchase up to an additional 15 hectares (37 acres). The land will largely be taken up by secure, purpose-built greenhouses within which the cannabis plants will grow. Asterion pledged the farm would be run on renewable energy and will include full extraction and processing equipment, as well as a research and development facility for the development of 'next generation cannabis products'. Speaking to the Courier Mail, Toowoomba Regional Council Mayor Paul Antonio declined to comment on whether negotiations had begun between the council and Asterion. The world's largest legal cannabis farm is currently considered to be located in British Columbia and run by Canadian company Canopy Growth (stock) Asterion is a Canadian cannabis company with operations in Australia, specialising in organic medical cannabis (stock) However he told the publication the project would 'employ a lot of people'. 'As far as labour is concerned this is going to require a lot of it. 'We support it and we think it is a big part of the future.' Asterion is a Canadian cannabis company with operations in Australia, specialising in organic medical cannabis. Remarks as prepared for delivery Madam Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, the First Lady of the United States, and my fellow Americans: We meet tonight at a moment of unlimited potential. As we begin a new Congress, I stand here ready to work with you to achieve historic breakthroughs for all Americans. Millions of our fellow citizens are watching us now, gathered in this great chamber, hoping that we will govern not as two parties but as one Nation. The agenda I will lay out this evening is not a Republican agenda or a Democrat agenda. It is the agenda of the American people. Many of us campaigned on the same core promises: to defend American jobs and demand fair trade for American workers; to rebuild and revitalize our Nation's infrastructure; to reduce the price of healthcare and prescription drugs; to create an immigration system that is safe, lawful, modern and secure; and to pursue a foreign policy that puts America's interests first. There is a new opportunity in American politics, if only we have the courage to seize it. Victory is not winning for our party. Victory is winning for our country. This year, America will recognize two important anniversaries that show us the majesty of America's mission, and the power of American pride. In June, we mark 75 years since the start of what General Dwight D. Eisenhower called the Great Crusade - the Allied liberation of Europe in World War II. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, 15,000 young American men jumped from the sky, and 60,000 more stormed in from the sea, to save our civilization from tyranny. Here with us tonight are three of those heroes: Private First Class Joseph Reilly, Staff Sergeant Irving Locker, and Sergeant Herman Zeitchik. Gentlemen, we salute you. In 2019, we also celebrate 50 years since brave young pilots flew a quarter of a million miles through space to plant the American flag on the face of the moon. Half a century later, we are joined by one of the Apollo 11 astronauts who planted that flag: Buzz Aldrin. This year, American astronauts will go back to space on American rockets. In the 20th century, America saved freedom, transformed science, and redefined the middle class standard of living for the entire world to see. Now, we must step boldly and bravely into the next chapter of this great American adventure, and we must create a new standard of living for the 21st century. An amazing quality of life for all of our citizens is within our reach. We can make our communities safer, our families stronger, our culture richer, our faith deeper, and our middle class bigger and more prosperous than ever before. But we must reject the politics of revenge, resistance, and retribution - and embrace the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise, and the common good. Together, we can break decades of political stalemate. We can bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions, forge new solutions, and unlock the extraordinary promise of America's future. The decision is ours to make. We must choose between greatness or gridlock, results or resistance, vision or vengeance, incredible progress or pointless destruction. Tonight, I ask you to choose greatness. Over the last 2 years, my Administration has moved with urgency and historic speed to confront problems neglected by leaders of both parties over many decades. In just over 2 years since the election, we have launched an unprecedented economic boom - a boom that has rarely been seen before. We have created 5.3 million new jobs and importantly added 600,000 new manufacturing jobs - something which almost everyone said was impossible to do, but the fact is, we are just getting started. Wages are rising at the fastest pace in decades, and growing for blue collar workers, who I promised to fight for, faster than anyone else. Nearly 5 million Americans have been lifted off food stamps. The United States economy is growing almost twice as fast today as when I took office, and we are considered far and away the hottest economy anywhere in the world. Unemployment has reached the lowest rate in half a century. African-American, Hispanic-American and Asian-American unemployment have all reached their lowest levels ever recorded. Unemployment for Americans with disabilities has also reached an all-time low. More people are working now than at any time in our history - 157 million. We passed a massive tax cut for working families and doubled the child tax credit. We virtually ended the estate, or death, tax on small businesses, ranches, and family farms. We eliminated the very unpopular Obamacare individual mandate penalty - and to give critically ill patients access to life-saving cures, we passed right to try. My Administration has cut more regulations in a short time than any other administration during its entire tenure. Companies are coming back to our country in large numbers thanks to historic reductions in taxes and regulations. We have unleashed a revolution in American energy - the United States is now the number one producer of oil and natural gas in the world. And now, for the first time in 65 years, we are a net exporter of energy. After 24 months of rapid progress, our economy is the envy of the world, our military is the most powerful on earth, and America is winning each and every day. Members of Congress: the State of our Union is strong. Our country is vibrant and our economy is thriving like never before. On Friday, it was announced that we added another 304,000 jobs last month alone - almost double what was expected. An economic miracle is taking place in the United States - and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics, or ridiculous partisan investigations. If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation. It just doesn't work that way! We must be united at home to defeat our adversaries abroad. This new era of cooperation can start with finally confirming the more than 300 highly qualified nominees who are still stuck in the Senate some after years of waiting. The Senate has failed to act on these nominations, which is unfair to the nominees and to our country. Now is the time for bipartisan action. Believe it or not, we have already proven that it is possible. In the last Congress, both parties came together to pass unprecedented legislation to confront the opioid crisis, a sweeping new Farm Bill, historic VA reforms, and after four decades of rejection, we passed VA Accountability so we can finally terminate those who mistreat our wonderful veterans. And just weeks ago, both parties united for groundbreaking criminal justice reform. Last year, I heard through friends the story of Alice Johnson. I was deeply moved. In 1997, Alice was sentenced to life in prison as a first-time non-violent drug offender. Over the next two decades, she became a prison minister, inspiring others to choose a better path. She had a big impact on that prison population - and far beyond. Alice's story underscores the disparities and unfairness that can exist in criminal sentencing and the need to remedy this injustice. She served almost 22 years and had expected to be in prison for the rest of her life. In June, I commuted Alice's sentence - and she is here with us tonight. Alice, thank you for reminding us that we always have the power to shape our own destiny. When I saw Alice's beautiful family greet her at the prison gates, hugging and kissing and crying and laughing, I knew I did the right thing. Inspired by stories like Alice's, my Administration worked closely with members of both parties to sign the First Step Act into law. This legislation reformed sentencing laws that have wrongly and disproportionately harmed the African-American community. The First Step Act gives non-violent offenders the chance to re-enter society as productive, law-abiding citizens. Now, States across the country are following our lead. America is a Nation that believes in redemption. We are also joined tonight by Matthew Charles from Tennessee. In 1996, at age 30, Matthew was sentenced to 35 years for selling drugs and related offenses. Over the next two decades, he completed more than 30 Bible studies, became a law clerk, and mentored fellow inmates. Now, Matthew is the very first person to be released from prison under the First Step Act. Matthew, on behalf of all Americans: welcome home. As we have seen, when we are united, we can make astonishing strides for our country. Now, Republicans and Democrats must join forces again to confront an urgent national crisis. The Congress has 10 days left to pass a bill that will fund our Government, protect our homeland, and secure our southern border. Now is the time for the Congress to show the world that America is committed to ending illegal immigration and putting the ruthless coyotes, cartels, drug dealers, and human traffickers out of business. As we speak, large, organized caravans are on the march to the United States. We have just heard that Mexican cities, in order to remove the illegal immigrants from their communities, are getting trucks and buses to bring them up to our country in areas where there is little border protection. I have ordered another 3,750 troops to our southern border to prepare for the tremendous onslaught. This is a moral issue. The lawless state of our southern border is a threat to the safety, security, and financial wellbeing of all Americans. We have a moral duty to create an immigration system that protects the lives and jobs of our citizens. This includes our obligation to the millions of immigrants living here today, who followed the rules and respected our laws. Legal immigrants enrich our Nation and strengthen our society in countless ways. I want people to come into our country, but they have to come in legally. Tonight, I am asking you to defend our very dangerous southern border out of love and devotion to our fellow citizens and to our country. No issue better illustrates the divide between America's working class and America's political class than illegal immigration. Wealthy politicians and donors push for open borders while living their lives behind walls and gates and guards. Meanwhile, working class Americans are left to pay the price for mass illegal migration - reduced jobs, lower wages, overburdened schools and hospitals, increased crime, and a depleted social safety net. Tolerance for illegal immigration is not compassionate - it is cruel. One in three women is sexually assaulted on the long journey north. Smugglers use migrant children as human pawns to exploit our laws and gain access to our country. Human traffickers and sex traffickers take advantage of the wide open areas between our ports of entry to smuggle thousands of young girls and women into the United States and to sell them into prostitution and modern-day slavery. Tens of thousands of innocent Americans are killed by lethal drugs that cross our border and flood into our cities - including meth, heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl. The savage gang, MS-13, now operates in 20 different American states, and they almost all come through our southern border. Just yesterday, an MS-13 gang member was taken into custody for a fatal shooting on a subway platform in New York City. We are removing these gang members by the thousands, but until we secure our border they're going to keep streaming back in. Year after year, countless Americans are murdered by criminal illegal aliens. I've gotten to know many wonderful Angel Moms, Dads, and families no one should ever have to suffer the horrible heartache they have endured. Here tonight is Debra Bissell. Just three weeks ago, Debra's parents, Gerald and Sharon, were burglarized and shot to death in their Reno, Nevada, home by an illegal alien. They were in their eighties and are survived by four children, 11 grandchildren, and 20 great-grandchildren. Also here tonight are Gerald and Sharon's granddaughter, Heather, and greatgranddaughter, Madison. To Debra, Heather, Madison, please stand: few can understand your pain. But I will never forget, and I will fight for the memory of Gerald and Sharon, that it should never happen again. Not one more American life should be lost because our Nation failed to control its very dangerous border. In the last 2 years, our brave ICE officers made 266,000 arrests of criminal aliens, including those charged or convicted of nearly 100,000 assaults, 30,000 sex crimes, and 4,000 killings. We are joined tonight by one of those law enforcement heroes: ICE Special Agent Elvin Hernandez. When Elvin was a boy, he and his family legally immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic. At the age of eight, Elvin told his dad he wanted to become a Special Agent. Today, he leads investigations into the scourge of international sex trafficking. Elvin says: 'If I can make sure these young girls get their justice, I've done my job.' Thanks to his work and that of his colleagues, more than 300 women and girls have been rescued from horror and more than 1,500 sadistic traffickers have been put behind bars in the last year. Special Agent Hernandez, please stand: We will always support the brave men and women of Law Enforcement - and I pledge to you tonight that we will never abolish our heroes from ICE. My Administration has sent to the Congress a commonsense proposal to end the crisis on our southern border. It includes humanitarian assistance, more law enforcement, drug detection at our ports, closing loopholes that enable child smuggling, and plans for a new physical barrier, or wall, to secure the vast areas between our ports of entry. In the past, most of the people in this room voted for a wall - but the proper wall never got built. I'll get it built. This is a smart, strategic, see-through steel barrier - not just a simple concrete wall. It will be deployed in the areas identified by border agents as having the greatest need, and as these agents will tell you, where walls go up, illegal crossings go way down. San Diego used to have the most illegal border crossings in the country. In response, and at the request of San Diego residents and political leaders, a strong security wall was put in place. This powerful barrier almost completely ended illegal crossings. The border city of El Paso, Texas, used to have extremely high rates of violent crime - one of the highest in the country, and considered one of our Nation's most dangerous cities. Now, with a powerful barrier in place, El Paso is one of our safest cities. Simply put, walls work and walls save lives. So let's work together, compromise, and reach a deal that will truly make America safe. As we work to defend our people's safety, we must also ensure our economic resurgence continues at a rapid pace. No one has benefited more from our thriving economy than women, who have filled 58 percent of the new jobs created in the last year. All Americans can be proud that we have more women in the workforce than ever before - and exactly one century after the Congress passed the Constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote, we also have more women serving in the Congress than ever before. As part of our commitment to improving opportunity for women everywhere, this Thursday we are launching the first ever Government-wide initiative focused on economic empowerment for women in developing countries. To build on our incredible economic success, one priority is paramount - reversing decades of calamitous trade policies. We are now making it clear to China that after years of targeting our industries, and stealing our intellectual property, the theft of American jobs and wealth has come to an end. Therefore, we recently imposed tariffs on $250 billion of Chinese goods - and now our Treasury is receiving billions of dollars a month from a country that never gave us a dime. But I don't blame China for taking advantage of us - I blame our leaders and representatives for allowing this travesty to happen. I have great respect for President Xi, and we are now working on a new trade deal with China. But it must include real, structural change to end unfair trade practices, reduce our chronic trade deficit, and protect American jobs. Another historic trade blunder was the catastrophe known as NAFTA. I have met the men and women of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, New Hampshire, and many other States whose dreams were shattered by NAFTA. For years, politicians promised them they would negotiate for a better deal. But no one ever tried - until now. Our new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement - or USMCA - will replace NAFTA and deliver for American workers: bringing back our manufacturing jobs, expanding American agriculture, protecting intellectual property, and ensuring that more cars are proudly stamped with four beautiful words: made in the USA. Tonight, I am also asking you to pass the United States Reciprocal Trade Act, so that if another country places an unfair tariff on an American product, we can charge them the exact same tariff on the same product that they sell to us. Both parties should be able to unite for a great rebuilding of America's crumbling infrastructure. I know that the Congress is eager to pass an infrastructure bill - and I am eager to work with you on legislation to deliver new and important infrastructure investment, including investments in the cutting edge industries of the future. This is not an option. This is a necessity. The next major priority for me, and for all of us, should be to lower the cost of healthcare and prescription drugs - and to protect patients with pre-existing conditions. Already, as a result of my Administration's efforts, in 2018 drug prices experienced their single largest decline in 46 years. But we must do more. It is unacceptable that Americans pay vastly more than people in other countries for the exact same drugs, often made in the exact same place. This is wrong, unfair, and together we can stop it. I am asking the Congress to pass legislation that finally takes on the problem of global freeloading and delivers fairness and price transparency for American patients. We should also require drug companies, insurance companies, and hospitals to disclose real prices to foster competition and bring costs down. No force in history has done more to advance the human condition than American freedom. In recent years we have made remarkable progress in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Scientific breakthroughs have brought a once-distant dream within reach. My budget will ask Democrats and Republicans to make the needed commitment to eliminate the HIV epidemic in the United States within 10 years. Together, we will defeat AIDS in America. Tonight, I am also asking you to join me in another fight that all Americans can get behind: the fight against childhood cancer. Joining Melania in the gallery this evening is a very brave 10-year-old girl, Grace Eline. Every birthday since she was 4, Grace asked her friends to donate to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. She did not know that one day she might be a patient herself. Last year, Grace was diagnosed with brain cancer. Immediately, she began radiation treatment. At the same time, she rallied her community and raised more than $40,000 for the fight against cancer. When Grace completed treatment last fall, her doctors and nurses cheered with tears in their eyes as she hung up a poster that read: 'Last Day of Chemo.' Grace - you are an inspiration to us all. Many childhood cancers have not seen new therapies in decades. My budget will ask the Congress for $500 million over the next 10 years to fund this critical life-saving research. To help support working parents, the time has come to pass school choice for America's children. I am also proud to be the first President to include in my budget a plan for nationwide paid family leave - so that every new parent has the chance to bond with their newborn child. There could be no greater contrast to the beautiful image of a mother holding her infant child than the chilling displays our Nation saw in recent days. Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother's womb moments before birth. These are living, feeling, beautiful babies who will never get the chance to share their love and dreams with the world. And then, we had the case of the Governor of Virginia where he basically stated he would execute a baby after birth. To defend the dignity of every person, I am asking the Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mother's womb. Let us work together to build a culture that cherishes innocent life. And let us reaffirm a fundamental truth: all children - born and unborn - are made in the holy image of God. The final part of my agenda is to protect America's National Security. Over the last 2 years, we have begun to fully rebuild the United States Military - with $700 billion last year and $716 billion this year. We are also getting other nations to pay their fair share. For years, the United States was being treated very unfairly by NATO - but now we have secured a $100 billion increase in defense spending from NATO allies. As part of our military build-up, the United States is developing a state-of-the-art Missile Defense System. Under my Administration, we will never apologize for advancing America's interests. For example, decades ago the United States entered into a treaty with Russia in which we agreed to limit and reduce our missile capabilities. While we followed the agreement to the letter, Russia repeatedly violated its terms. That is why I announced that the United States is officially withdrawing from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, or INF Treaty. Perhaps we can negotiate a different agreement, adding China and others, or perhaps we can't - in which case, we will outspend and out-innovate all others by far. As part of a bold new diplomacy, we continue our historic push for peace on the Korean Peninsula. Our hostages have come home, nuclear testing has stopped, and there has not been a missile launch in 15 months. If I had not been elected President of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea with potentially millions of people killed. Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong Un is a good one. And Chairman Kim and I will meet again on February 27 and 28 in Vietnam. Two weeks ago, the United States officially recognized the legitimate government of Venezuela, and its new interim President, Juan Guaido. We stand with the Venezuelan people in their noble quest for freedom - and we condemn the brutality of the Maduro regime, whose socialist policies have turned that nation from being the wealthiest in South America into a state of abject poverty and despair. Here, in the United States, we are alarmed by new calls to adopt socialism in our country. America was founded on liberty and independence - not government coercion, domination, and control. We are born free, and we will stay free. Tonight, we renew our resolve that America will never be a socialist country. One of the most complex set of challenges we face is in the Middle East. Our approach is based on principled realism - not discredited theories that have failed for decades to yield progress. For this reason, my Administration recognized the true capital of Israel - and proudly opened the American Embassy in Jerusalem. Our brave troops have now been fighting in the Middle East for almost 19 years. In Afghanistan and Iraq, nearly 7,000 American heroes have given their lives. More than 52,000 Americans have been badly wounded. We have spent more than $7 trillion in the Middle East. As a candidate for President, I pledged a new approach. Great nations do not fight endless wars. When I took office, ISIS controlled more than 20,000 square miles in Iraq and Syria. Today, we have liberated virtually all of that territory from the grip of these bloodthirsty killers. Now, as we work with our allies to destroy the remnants of ISIS, it is time to give our brave warriors in Syria a warm welcome home. I have also accelerated our negotiations to reach a political settlement in Afghanistan. Our troops have fought with unmatched valor - and thanks to their bravery, we are now able to pursue a political solution to this long and bloody conflict. In Afghanistan, my administration is holding constructive talks with a number of Afghan groups, including the Taliban. As we make progress in these negotiations, we will be able to reduce our troop presence and focus on counter-terrorism. We do not know whether we will achieve an agreement - but we do know that after two decades of war, the hour has come to at least try for peace. Above all, friend and foe alike must never doubt this Nation's power and will to defend our people. Eighteen years ago, terrorists attacked the USS Cole - and last month American forces killed one of the leaders of the attack. We are honored to be joined tonight by Tom Wibberley, whose son, Navy Seaman Craig Wibberley, was one of the 17 sailors we tragically lost. Tom: we vow to always remember the heroes of the USS Cole. My Administration has acted decisively to confront the world's leading state sponsor of terror: the radical regime in Iran. To ensure this corrupt dictatorship never acquires nuclear weapons, I withdrew the United States from the disastrous Iran nuclear deal. And last fall, we put in place the toughest sanctions ever imposed on a country. We will not avert our eyes from a regime that chants death to America and threatens genocide against the Jewish people. We must never ignore the vile poison of anti-Semitism, or those who spread its venomous creed. With one voice, we must confront this hatred anywhere and everywhere it occurs. Just months ago, 11 Jewish-Americans were viciously murdered in an anti-semitic attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. SWAT Officer Timothy Matson raced into the gunfire and was shot seven times chasing down the killer. Timothy has just had his 12th surgery - but he made the trip to be here with us tonight. Officer Matson: we are forever grateful for your courage in the face of evil. Tonight, we are also joined by Pittsburgh survivor Judah Samet. He arrived at the synagogue as the massacre began. But not only did Judah narrowly escape death last fall - more than seven decades ago, he narrowly survived the Nazi concentration camps. Today is Judah's 81st birthday. Judah says he can still remember the exact moment, nearly 75 years ago, after 10 months in a concentration camp, when he and his family were put on a train, and told they were going to another camp. Suddenly the train screeched to a halt. A soldier appeared. Judah's family braced for the worst. Then, his father cried out with joy: 'It's the Americans.' A second Holocaust survivor who is here tonight, Joshua Kaufman, was a prisoner at Dachau Concentration Camp. He remembers watching through a hole in the wall of a cattle car as American soldiers rolled in with tanks. 'To me,' Joshua recalls, 'the American soldiers were proof that God exists, and they came down from the sky.' I began this evening by honoring three soldiers who fought on D-Day in the Second World War. One of them was Herman Zeitchik. But there is more to Herman's story. A year after he stormed the beaches of Normandy, Herman was one of those American soldiers who helped liberate Dachau. He was one of the Americans who helped rescue Joshua from that hell on earth. Almost 75 years later, Herman and Joshua are both together in the gallery tonight - seated side-by-side, here in the home of American freedom. Herman and Joshua: your presence this evening honors and uplifts our entire Nation. When American soldiers set out beneath the dark skies over the English Channel in the early hours of D-Day, 1944, they were just young men of 18 and 19, hurtling on fragile landing craft toward the most momentous battle in the history of war. They did not know if they would survive the hour. They did not know if they would grow old. But they knew that America had to prevail. Their cause was this Nation, and generations yet unborn. Why did they do it? They did it for America - they did it for us. Everything that has come since - our triumph over communism, our giant leaps of science and discovery, our unrivaled progress toward equality and justice - all of it is possible thanks to the blood and tears and courage and vision of the Americans who came before. Think of this Capitol - think of this very chamber, where lawmakers before you voted to end slavery, to build the railroads and the highways, to defeat fascism, to secure civil rights, to face down an evil empire. Here tonight, we have legislators from across this magnificent republic. You have come from the rocky shores of Maine and the volcanic peaks of Hawaii; from the snowy woods of Wisconsin and the red deserts of Arizona; from the green farms of Kentucky and the golden beaches of California. Together, we represent the most extraordinary Nation in all of history. What will we do with this moment? How will we be remembered? I ask the men and women of this Congress: Look at the opportunities before us! Our most thrilling achievements are still ahead. Our most exciting journeys still await. Our biggest victories are still to come. We have not yet begun to dream. We must choose whether we are defined by our differences - or whether we dare to transcend them. We must choose whether we will squander our inheritance - or whether we will proudly declare that we are Americans. We do the incredible. We defy the impossible. We conquer the unknown. This is the time to re-ignite the American imagination. This is the time to search for the tallest summit, and set our sights on the brightest star. This is the time to rekindle the bonds of love and loyalty and memory that link us together as citizens, as neighbors, as patriots. This is our future - our fate - and our choice to make. I am asking you to choose greatness. No matter the trials we face, no matter the challenges to come, we must go forward together. We must keep America first in our hearts. We must keep freedom alive in our souls. And we must always keep faith in America's destiny - that one Nation, under God, must be the hope and the promise and the light and the glory among all the nations of the world! Thank you. God Bless You, God Bless America, and good night! A police force 'literally ran out of officers' and was unable to cover incidents after a spate of crime in the county, MPs heard. On Sunday September, 16 last year, three gangs armed with knives and bats clashed outside a takeaway shop in Luton, leaving one teenager with critical injuries. A 16-year-old was murdered in Bedford, only hours before the takeaway clash. A police force 'literally ran out of officers' and was unable to cover incidents after a spate of crime in the county, MPs heard. Chief Constable of Bedfordshire Police, Jon Boutcher (pictured) highlighted the demand on his force in a letter to Conservative MP for South West Bedfordshire Andrew Selous On the same day Bedfordshore Police officers were called out to HMP Bedford to deal with rioting at the jail and they were also investigating four rapes. Details about the day the force was so stretched were revealed in the House of Commons yesterday, as MPs agreed a 970million funding boost for the police. Chief Constable of Bedfordshire Police, Jon Boutcher told Conservative MP for South West Bedfordshire Andrew Selous about the demand on his force in a letter. Details about the day the force was so stretched were revealed in the House of Commons yesterday, as MPs agreed a 970million funding boost for the police. Stock picture shows a policeman Mr Selous told MPs before funding was approved: 'The chief constable wrote to me to say on one Sunday the 16th of September last year the force literally ran out of officers. 'They had to deal with seven teenagers stabbed in Luton, four rapes, five prison officers being assaulted at Bedford prison, a fatality in a road incident, a 16-year-old being murdered in Bedford, and gunshot wounds coming into Luton and Dunstable Hospital. 'That was a particularly demanding Sunday, but that level is not unusual as far as Bedfordshire is concerned.' Politicians last night approved Mr Javid's funding plan for England and Wales' police forces.' In the debate Home Secretary Sajid Javid played down links between rising violent crime and dwindling police numbers. Next year's funding increase for the police will be the biggest it has had since 2010. Mr Javid said the impact of the increase 'will be immense'. In the debate Home Secretary Sajid Javid played down links between rising violent crime and dwindling police numbers. He added that officers 'will be able to prevent more crimes and deliver better outcomes for victims'. The Home Secretary told the House of Commons: 'We have seen in recent years an increase in certain types of crime but I think it would be too lazy of any of us to attribute that just to one factor. I do recognise resources are an important issue and that's why we're giving this record settlement today. 'I vow to give police the powers and resources they need to keep our communities safe.' Many forces, which are finaliasing their budgets this week, are able to raise their council tax precepts by an average of 24 a year. And a lot of forces are expected to state how many officers that they wish to hire. Ministers expect this to raise around 509million. Central funds will also increase budgets by 161million. Another 153million is going to be allocated to tackle a growing pension crisis. Tory MP Richard Drax, who represents South Dorset, fears more frontline officers will be cut unless extra cash is found by ministers. He said during the debate in the House of Commons: 'The worrying fact is that unless [there is] more money for the police in Dorset in the mid-term, more frontline officers might have to go and this is unacceptable to me and my constituents. First lady Melania Trump entered the House chamber Tuesday night to a standing ovation from lawmakers wearing a black military-style suit with gold buttons and black leather gloves. She removed one glove to shake hands with guests in her box overlooking the House chamber. Her $2,390 black Burberry outfit was in sharp contrast to the white that women Democratic lawmakers wore to celebrate the suffragettes. Melania Trump entered the State of the Union address to a standing ovation Her $2,390 black Burberry outfit was in sharp contrast to the white that women Democratic lawmakers wore to celebrate the suffragettes Melania Trump greets lawmakers surrounded by Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, Lara Trump and Tiffany Trump Melania applauds special guest Grace Eline, who fought a brain tumor, and was sitting next to her as she is acknowledged during the State of the Union address The first lady watched President Donald Trump give his annual State of the Union address from the first lady's private box overlooking the House floor. It was her first official public appearance since she joined her husband on his visit to U.S. troops in Iraq on Christmas Day. She was seen this past weekend when she and the first family traveled to Mar-a-Lago. She joined lawmakers in applauding her husband as he arrived on the House floor and she removed both gloves for his remarks. Joining her as her guests were the children of a couple allegedly murdered by an illegal immigrant, a child bullied because he has the last name 'Trump', and a recovering opioid addict. Combating bullying is part of her 'Be Best' initiative. Melania Trump stopped to greet Joshua Trump, who is of no relation to the first family. He sat two spaces down from her during the president's address. But it was a late night for the sixth grader, who dozed off during the speech, only to be jerked away when the president was applauded for different lines. The evening's event began around 9 p.m. and ended around 10:30 p.m. Joshua Trump dozed off during the State of the Union speech It was a late night for the sixth grader with the speech not ending until 10:30 p.m. Grace Eline and Joshua Trump greet the first lady It was Melania Trump's first official public appearance since she joined the president to visit troops in Iraq on Christmas Day Democratic lawmakers wore white in celebration of the suffragettes Melania Trump sat next to 10-year-old Grace Eline, a cancer survivor, who was bright-eyed through the long night. She arrived alone for the second year in a row, a break in traditional protocol that was news when revealed last year. This year, the White House offered a preemptive strike and noted the first lady's separate departure on the president's public schedule for the day. Last year, the first lady was facing the public after porn star Stormy Daniels claimed an affair with her husband, which the president has denied. Melania Trump wore white in 2018 a marked contrast to the tough image she presented this year in her black ensemble. The White House on Monday posted a list of those invited by the President to sit in the gallery during the speech at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. They include the daughter, granddaughter, and great-granddaughter of Gerald and Sharon David, the Reno, Nevada couple whom authorities allege were killed by an undocumented immigrant who broke into their home last month. The first lady joined the applause as President Trump came into the room The White House announced that it has invited the family of Gerald and Sharon David, the Reno couple allegedly murdered by an illegal immigrant last month. The couple's daughter, Debra Bissell (center); their granddaughter, Heather Armstrong (left); and great-granddaughter, Madison Armstrong, will be guests of the President and First Lady Melania Trump Ashley Evans, a recovering opioid addict who relapsed after she gave birth to a daughter in 2017, will also be in attendance Illegal immigrant, 20, accused of murdering four in Nevada home invasion killing spree - including elderly couple who were rodeo enthusiasts U.S. immigration authorities say a man suspected of killing four people in Nevada last month is from El Salvador and entered the United States illegally. Murder suspect Wilbur Martinez-Guzman, 19, had no criminal record or history of previous immigration violations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement said. The agency did not have additional details on his alleged illegal entry to the U.S., including when and where it occurred. The case shot to national prominence last month after President Donald Trump tweeted about the killings to support his case for the proposed border wall with Mexico. Martinez-Guzman has been linked to the murders of four people in the Carson City area. On January 16, the bodies of 81-year-old Gerald David, and his 80-year-old wife, Sharon (together above in a family photo), were found in their home on the southern edge of Reno Wilbur Martinez-Guzman, 19, was arrested last month in Carson City, Nevada Investigators have not revealed a motive in the case. On the night of January 10, Connie Koontz, 56, was murdered in her home in Gardnerville Ranchos, about 15 miles south of Carson City. Her aging mother, who lived in the home, found her body the next morning. Three days later, 74-year-old Sophia Renken was found dead in her home about a mile from where Koontz lived. Police immediately suspected the two murders were committed by the same suspect due to similarities in the cases. Douglas County Sheriff Dan Coverley said that it was possible that the suspect targeted the women because of their age, gender and the fact that they appeared to live alone. Then on January 16, the bodies of 81-year-old Gerald David, and his 80-year-old wife, Sharon, were found in their home on the southern edge of Reno, about 20 miles north of Carson City. The couple were remembered as longstanding members of Reno's equestrian and rodeo scene. Former Reno Rodeo Association president Tom Cates says he met Gerald and Sharon three decades ago and spent 'many miles and many hours together' on horseback with them. Cates says Gerald David was previously the association's president and promoted a breast cancer awareness campaign by getting cowboys to show they were 'tough enough to wear pink shirts.' Cates also was a member of the local Elks Lodge when David was the group's leader. He says Sharon David was 'exuberant, bubbly, loved animals to the hills.' Cates says the two were also members of a horseback social organization called the Nevada White Hats. Martinez-Guzman has been jailed in Carson City since last month on possession of stolen property, burglary and immigration charges. News reports listed his age as both 19 and 20, but court records show that he will turn 20 on February 2. Authorities have said they expect to file murder charges against him shortly. Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong said at a news conference last month that federal immigration authorities told his office Martinez-Guzman had lived in Carson City for about a year and was in the country illegally. Advertisement Wilbur Ernesto Martinez-Guzman, 20, has been arrested in connection with the Davids' killing. He is also alleged to have killed two other people. The couple's daughter, Debra Bissell; their granddaughter, Heather Armstrong; and great-granddaughter, Madison Armstrong, will be guests of the President and First Lady Melania Trump. Matthew Charles, who was released from prison after he was sentenced to 35 years for selling crack cocaine and other drug-related offenses, will also be a guest of the White House. Charles 'found God' while incarcerated and also became a law clerk, according to the White House. The White House has also invited Joshua Trump, who is of no relation to the President. Joshua Trump is a sixth-grade student from Wilmington, Delaware. According to the White House, Joshua has been 'bullied in school due to his last name.' Delaware boy, 11, forced to drop out of school by bullies and change name because he's called Joshua TRUMP Joshua Trump, 11, has no connection to the president other than sharing his name but has been relentlessly bullied at school for it for more than two years In December, the parents of an 11-year-old boy whose last name is Trump first told how they had to pull him out of school and change his surname because he has been relentlessly bullied for it since the 2016 election. Joshua Trump from Delaware has always used his mother Megan's maiden name as his own. The family has no ties to the president but when he launched his presidential campaign, bullies seized on Joshua at elementary school. The bullying became so bad that his father, Robert Berto, pulled him out of school and home schooled him for a year. When Joshua became old enough to go to middle school, the family reentered him into the mainstream system but they say the bullying started again. They then took the unusual step of having his name changed from Trump to Berto in the school's database. It remains unclear if the family will change his name legally or if his younger sister will go by Trump or Berto. Megan and Robert are married and she uses her husband's surname. 'They curse at him, they call him an idiot, they call him stupid,' his mother, Megan, told ABC News. 'He said he hates himself, and he hates his last name, and he feels sad all the time, and he doesn't want to live feeling like that anymore, and as a parent that's scary.' The principal of Talley Middle School, Mark Mayers, said the school had changed Joshua's name in its systems and would help him address any other issues in the future. Five children who were responsible for some of the bullying have been disciplined for it. Advertisement Grace Eline, a young girl who was successfully treated for brain cancer, will also be in the gallery for the speech. As will Ashley Evans, a recovering opioid addict who relapsed after she gave birth to a daughter. Evans is set to mark 13 months of sobriety. Next week, she will be reunited with her daughter full-time, according to the White House. Elvin Hernandez, a special agent who works for the Department of Homeland Security, will be at the speech as well. The President will likely highlight Hernandez's experience in helping combat human trafficking by organized crime groups. Two of the guests are connected to the horrific October 2018 massacre at a Pittsburgh synagogue. Timothy Matson of the Pittsburgh Police Department was part of the SWAT team that responded to the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue, where 11 people were killed. Matson suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the leg. Matthew Charles, who was released from prison after he was sentenced to 35 years for selling crack cocaine and other drug-related offenses, will also be a guest of the White House Two of the guests are connected to the horrific October 2018 massacre at a Pittsburgh synagogue. Timothy Matson of the Pittsburgh Police Department was part of the SWAT team that responded to the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue, where 11 people were killed Judah Samet, a member of the Tree of Life congregation, will also be on hand at the State of the Union. Samet, a Holocaust survivor who immigrated to Israel after the Second World War and fought in that country's War of Independence, avoided death after arriving four minutes late to the synagogue Judah Samet, a member of the Tree of Life congregation, will also be attending the State of the Union. Samet, a Holocaust survivor who immigrated to Israel after the Second World War and fought in that country's War of Independence, avoided death after arriving four minutes late to the synagogue. He was stopped by police for parking in a handicapped spot. By the time he had arrived to the synagogue, the shooter, Robert Bowers, 46, had already opened fire. Holocaust survivor, 80, cheated death by FOUR minutes when he arrived late to Tree of Life synagogue - 74 years after his train to Auschwitz was diverted to Bergen Belsen where he was liberated by the allies aged 7 Judah Samet, 80, was heading to the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh on the morning of October 27 when he was stopped parking into a handicapped spot by police. He had arrived to pray at the same place he had for almost 50 years just after Robert Bowers, 46, opened fire on his friends inside. When he was just seven years old Samet and his family were rounded up in Hungary by the Nazi secret police, the Gestapo, in 1944 and put on a train to Auschwitz. But he was re-routed to Bergen-Belsen when Czechs blew up their train tracks. He spent 10 months in the camp before his family was released, just before the Allies liberated the camp. Judah Semet cheated death by four minutes as a gunman opened fire on worshippers at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh on Saturday, October 27 More than 70 years later, he arrived at what he thought was a safe haven to see cops under attack from a man who had spewed anti-Semitic hate online just a few hours before. 'There was this guy. Very calm and respectful. [He] told me, you better back up, there is an active shooting going on in your synagogue,' Samet told Jewish news outlet Forward. Samet said he knew the people who were killed during the attack, including 97-year old Rose Mallinger who typically sat behind him. Joyce Fienberg, 75, Richard Gottfried, 65, Jerry Rabinowitz, 66, Cecil Rosenthal, 59, David Rosenthal, 54, Bernice Simon, 84, Sylvan Simon, 86, Daniel Stein, 71, Melvin Wax, 88, Rose Mallinger, 97, and 69-year-old Irving Younger were identified as the 11 victims by Chief Medical Examiner Dr Karl Williams. Samet explained: 'If I was inside the synagogue, I would be in the line of fire,' he said. During the shooting, Samet said he was outside and roughly four feet away from a police officer who was under fire from the attacker's automatic weapon. Samet said a police officer near him opened fire on the attacker, who he could see from outside. He added: 'He was popping his head out from behind a wall and shooting,' Samet said. 'He was shooting towards the cop, who was about four feet away from me,' Samet said. He saw the men exchange fire. 'I saw smoking coming out of his muzzle. I was in the line of fire'. Some of Samet's relatives were tortured and murdered by Nazis during the Holocaust. He escaped when Slovakians blew up a railroad line transporting him and his family to Auschwitz. Samet's mother was an interpreter who 'saved hundreds of Jews'. He added: 'My mother taught us never listen what they have to say,' he told Forward. Look at their hands. Because words cannot kill you'. Judah Samet pictured shortly after World War Two ended and he moved to Israel with his mother, before later travelling to New York City and settling in Pittsburgh where he now lives He is seen holding a picture of his family around the time they were sent to the camps A memorial of flowers and stars outside the synagogue where 11 people were killed Samet, who lives in the North Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, has spoken to thousands of people about his experiences during the Holocaust. Samet was born in 1938 in Debrecen, the second-largest city in Hungary. The family of six lived in the Jewish section of town, across the street from the synagogue. In 1944, German Gestapo agents started rounding up Hungarian Jews for deportation to camps across central Europe. The Samets ended up on a train bound for Auschwitz but were rerouted to Bergen-Belsen, in northern Germany, after Czech partisans blew up the railroad, Samet said. Samet, then only 7, spent 10 and a half months at Bergen-Belsen, which started out as a prisoner-of-war camp and became a concentration camp for civilians. On a daily basis, he was given flavored water that was intended to pass as soup, and 'moldy, rock-hard bread'. 'Many people just laid down and died, he said. They knew they were eventually going to die, so why suffer?', Samet told the Rochester Times earlier this year. An estimated 50,000 people, including Anne Frank and her sister, Margot, perished there, according to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. Just before the arrival of the Allies, German officers announced that they needed 2,500 prisoners to leave Bergen-Belsen by train. At the insistence of his mother, Rachel, Samet and his family boarded a train with an unknown destination. 'Later, I asked her, 'Why did you put us on the train?' and she said it was the difference between the sure thing and the maybe thing,' he told the Rochester Times. Advertisement When he was just seven years old Samet and his family were rounded up in Hungary by the Nazi secret police, the Gestapo, in 1944 and put on a train to Auschwitz. But he was re-routed to Bergen-Belsen when Czechs blew up their train tracks. He spent 10 months in the camp before his family was released, just before the Allies liberated the camp. The White House has also invited Joshua Trump, who is of no relation to the President. Joshua Trump is a sixth-grade student from Wilmington, Delaware. According to the White House, Joshua has been 'bullied in school due to his last name.' Joshua's parents have told of how they had to pull him out of school and change his surname because he has been relentlessly bullied since the 2016 election. Grace Eline (left), a young girl who was successfully treated for brain cancer, will also be in the gallery for the speech. Elvin Hernandez (right), a special agent who works for the Department of Homeland Security, will be at the speech as well. The President will likely highlight Hernandez's experience in helping combat human trafficking by organized crime groups Tom Wibberley, the father of Craig Wibberley, the Navy Seaman who was one of 17 American military personnel killed in the bombing of the USS Cole His father, Robert Berto, home schooled him for a year. When Joshua became old enough to go to middle school, the family reentered him into the mainstream system but they say the bullying started again. Now they have taken the unusual step of having his name changed from Trump to Berto in the school's database. The Trumps have also invited Alice Johnson, a mother-of-five, grandmother-of-six and great-grandmother of one who was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being convicted of drug dealing in 1996. It was her first conviction and some of her co-conspirators testified against her in exchange for plea deals. At the urging of Kim Kardashian, President Trump commuted Johnson's sentence. She was freed from prison in June after serving 22 years behind bars. WHO IS ALICE JOHNSON AND WHY IS KIM KARDASHIAN INVOLVED? Inside time: Alice Johnson in federal prison Alice Marie Johnson, a mother-of-five, grandmother-of-six and great-grandmother of one, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being convicted of drug dealing in 1996. It was her first conviction and some of her co-conspirators testified her against in exchange for plea deals. The 63-year-old grew up in Olive Branch, Mississippi, and was married and pregnant by age 15. In 1989, she and her husband divorced. Her life started to crumble as she struggled, as a single mother, to try and be financially stable for her five children, reports Mic. However, in 1990, because of a gambling addition, she was sacked by FedEx Corporation. After filing for bankruptcy in 1991, Johnson lost her house. The next year, a scooter accident claimed the life of her youngest son, Cory. It was while she was at rock bottom that Johnson became involved in a drug syndicate that imported cocaine into Memphis, Tennessee, where she acted as a go-between and passed on messages to drug dealers, relaying coded messages like 'everything is straight' by telephone. While admitting to acting as a middle man for the drug traffickers, passing on the messages in code via telephone, Johnson claims she never directly sold drugs. She was arrested along with 15 others in 1993 on charges including conspiracy to possess cocaine, attempted possession of cocaine and money laundering. But ten of her alleged co-conspirators turned against her in exchange for reduced sentencing or dropped charges. During the trial, evidence showed an operation with Texas-based Colombian drug dealers and their Memphis connections trading tons of cocaine for millions of dollars in cash. At the time of Johnson's February 1997 sentencing the amount of drugs and money involved meant that federal laws mandated a life sentence, despite the fact Johnson was a first-time, nonviolent offender. US District Judge Julia Gibbons, who sentenced Johnson, called the then 42-year-old the 'quintessential entrepreneur' of the drug ring. Mom: Alice Johnson is now a great-grandmother as well 'And clearly the impact of 2,000 to 3,000 kilograms of cocaine in this community is very significant,' Gibbons said at the sentencing. The quantity of cocaine - up to three tons - would now be worth about $85 million. Johnson was 21 years into her life sentence at FCI Aliceville, in Aliceville, Alabama before it was commuted by President Donald Trump on May 6. Her eldest daughter Tretessa Johnson, told Mic several years ago, 'It's like a waking death; it's like the person is alive but they're not. There's never a point of closure, ever. It's heartbreaking for me.' Tretessa has organized an online petition, via change.org, calling for her to be released, explaining that her family's life 'changed forever' when she was sentenced to life in federal prison. She said her mother had explained that she became a telephone mule passing messages between her co-conspirators after losing her job at FedEx. Alice Johnson is quoted on Tretessa's petition: 'I couldn't find a job fast enough to take care of my family. I felt like a failure. 'I went to a complete panic and out of desperation I made one of the worst decisions in my life to make some quick money. I became involved in a drug conspiracy'. Tretessa said that her 'mom's desire upon release is to assist the community with the needs of ex-offenders to help reduce recidivism. 'It serves no purpose or benefit to society to have her locked up for life. Her large and loving immediate and extended family and friends would welcome her return.' During her time in prison, Johnson has displayed exemplary behavior, become an ordained minister, a published writer and a prison tutor, a biography from Can Do Clemency reports. She had gained a large following of people pushing for her to be granted clemency. Part of this push saw her story turned into a short video, which went viral on social media. Kim Kardashian saw the video and retweeted it to her millions of followers with the caption: 'This is so unfair' in October last year. Since then, she has been working to help Johnson receive clemency from Trump. The reality star had her personal lawyer begin working on Johnson's case, and has spent months in conversation with Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and adviser, on the topic. Kushner - whose father Charles is himself a federal felon - is pushing a criminal justice reform agenda. A grateful Johnson penned a moving letter to Kardashian, saying her efforts were 'literally helping to save my life'. 'I was drowning, and you have thrown me a life jacket and given me hope,' she wrote. On May 30, Kardashian went to the White House to secure Johnson's release. Johnson was released on June 6 after having her sentence commuted. Advertisement Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's guest for the State of the Union address is a woman who cornered Sen. Jeff Flake on live television to protest his support for Brett Kavanaugh. Ana Maria Archila, who lives in the star freshman Democrat's New York District, said she will wear white and a pin that the congresswoman gave her that says, 'Well-behaved women rarely make history.' 'I never thought I'd be excited about being in the same room with Donald Trump,' said Archila, co-executive director of the left-leaning Center for Popular Democracy. Ocasio-Cortez invited her a few weeks ago, she said, adding, 'We talked about making sure that we, with our presence, express the dignity of people who are under attack from this administration, the resilience. We will try to communicate that with the way we show up in the space.' Kavanaugh, now a Supreme Court justice, is also expected to attend Trump's address. Justices typically attend such speeches delivered by the president who appointed them. Ana Maria Archila confronted Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake during the saga over Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court Rep. Ocasio-Cortez tweeted a video of herself with Archila announcing she would accompany her to the Tuesday speech Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted an image of a pin she picked up that said 'Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History' During Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings in September, Archila and another woman confronted Flake in a Senate elevator and, live on CNN, yelled at the Arizona Republican for his intent to vote for the appellate court judge. Kavanaugh had been accused by Christine Blasey Ford of pinning her to a bed and groping her when the two were teenagers in the 1980s. Flake later said he wanted to delay the Senate vote to give the committee time to investigate. He ultimately voted to confirm Kavanaugh and is now retired from the Senate. Kavanaugh angrily denied the accusation and was confirmed to the high court. But Ford's and Kavanaugh's emotional appeals to the Judiciary Committee were a cultural watershed amid the #MeToo movement against sexual misconduct. Kavanaugh's patron was Trump, who also has been accused of groping more than a dozen women and denies it. A serial fraudster who was cleared of murdering her neighbour has been jailed for going on a wild spending spree with her money. Noeline Childs, 51, racked up nearly $20,000 at tobacco shops, KFC, Target, Big W and several other food and retail outlets in the days before Christmas in 2014. The bank card used for the transactions belonged to Kerry Bromley, a 57-year-old woman who lived in the same Western Sydney caravan park as Childs. Noeline Childs, 51, (pictured) racked up nearly $20,000 at tobacco shops, KFC, Target, Big W and several other food and retail outlets in the days before Christmas in 2014 Police facts seen by Nine News stated that Ms Bromley suffered from physical ailments and trusted Childs to do her regular shopping for her. But when Ms Bromley noticed her money was being spent without her knowledge, she reported the card missing on January 8, 2015. Less than two weeks later, Ms Bromley was found dead inside her caravan. The following day, Childs unsuccessfully tried to transfer more than $101,000 from Ms Bromley's account, using the descriptions including 'balance owing to Noelene'. She later managed to transfer $5,000. Childs was charged with murder in June, 2015, but police withdrew the charges despite and alleged phone recording between her and her partner. 'Did you f***ing kill somebody for the money? No. I did it right. Shut up, I'm the one under pressure waiting,' Childs was alleged to have said. The bank card used for the transactions belonged to Kerry Bromley, a 57-year-old woman who lived in the same Western Sydney caravan park (pictured) as Childs The court was told on Tuesday Ms Bromley's death remained under investigation. In sentencing her to 20 months jail, Magistrate Karl Milovanovich noted Childs' history of similar offences dating back to 1986. 'You would be well aware you have an appalling record for the matter of dishonesty,' he said, according to The Daily Telegraph. 'I'm not going to embarrass you by going through every item that appears on the record back to 1986 right up to February 2014.' Childs has been behind bars for the past 14 months and will be released in six months. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren has apologized for ever claiming Native American ethnicity, as she competes with a slew of Democrats in the presidential candidate field. The 69-year-old Democrat responded after the emergence of a State Bar of Texas registration card showing she identified as 'American Indian' on April 18, 1986. She left the 'National Origin' and 'Physical Handicap if any' parts of the form blank however, possibly supporting the notion of critics like President Donald Trump who have claimed she used the idea of being part of a minority group to advance her career. Scroll down for videos Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren has apologized for the second time in one week for claiming Native American ethnicity. Warren is pictured arriving for the State of the Union address at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on Tuesday Donald Trump Jr. tweeted suggesting a handwritten document showing she identified as 'American Indian' was leaked on the same day as the SOTU address so it would go under radar 'I can't go back,' Warren told The Washington Post Tuesday. 'But I am sorry for furthering confusion on tribal sovereignty and tribal citizenship and harm that resulted.' While other typed up evidence has been presented showing Warren did identify as Native American in various jobs as a law professor, she hadn't confirmed whether she personally used the labels or whether information was filled out on her behalf. But the unearthing of the yellow card that lists the address of the University of Texas law school in Austin, where she was working at the time, pinpoints that she did. It's not clear how the labeling benefited Warren if it did. A small typed note on the card reads: 'The following information is for statistical purposes only and will not be disclosed to any person or organization without the express written consent of the attorney.' Donald Trump Jr. used the revelation to suggest it was purposely revealed on the same day as the State of the Union in order for it to go under the radar. 'Suspicious timing for this to come out,' he tweeted. 'Its almost like Elizabeth Warren is trying to hide what Ive said all along about taking advantage of her fake Native American heritage at the expense of real Native Americans and minorities.' 'I can't go back,' Warren told The Washington Post Tuesday. 'But I am sorry for furthering confusion on tribal sovereignty and tribal citizenship and harm that resulted' Her race identification for the Bar exam came the same year she was recorded as a minority for the Association of American Law Schools. She listed herself as such annually until 1995, the year she started working at Harvard Law School. Several months after starting there she put herself down as Native American and was part of the school's federal affirmative action records until 2004. But it was noted in 1989 she switched from identifying as white at the University of Pennsylvania, bringing her race in line with the AALS record, two years after starting her Penn role. Warren told the Post the apology on Tuesday applied to her records for Harvard, Penn and AALS. 'She is sorry that she was not more mindful of this earlier in her career,' Warren campaign spokeswoman Kristen Orthman, said. Sen. Elizabeth Warren apologized for a DNA testing stunt that established the slimmest of Native American blood in her heritage On Monday it was revealed Warren apologized to the Cherokee Nation after releasing the results of a DNA test that showed a tiny sliver of her ancestry was Native American. The liberal senator who is exploring a run for president 'reached out to us and has apologized to the tribe', said Cherokee Nation communications director Julie Hubbard. 'We are encouraged by this dialogue and understanding that being a Cherokee Nation tribal citizen is rooted in centuries of culture and laws not through DNA tests,' said Hubbard. 'We are encouraged by her action and hope that the slurs and mockery of tribal citizens and Indian history and heritage will now come to an end.' In apologizing, Warren took a course of action that her advisers had counseled after her release of the DNA test results drew criticism and mockery from rivals rather than put to rest her long-running spat with President Trump over her claim of having some Native ancestry. Warren's DNA analysis, conducted by a privately hired scientist who is an expert on Native American genomics, showed that her Native American ancestry was between 0.09 percent and 1.5 percent. The low end of that scale equates to 1/1,024th. In addition to failing to silence Trump, Warren's release of the information drew complaints from some native groups, who stress cultural heritage rather than scientific testing for tribal affiliation. 'We are encouraged by this dialogue and understanding that being a Cherokee Nation tribal citizen is rooted in centuries of culture and laws not through DNA tests,' said Julie Hubbard, Communications Manager at Cherokee Nation At the time of the release, Cherokee Nation Secretary of State Chuck Hoskin Jr. blasted the move. 'Using a DNA test to lay claim to any connection to the Cherokee Nation or any tribal nation, even vaguely, is inappropriate and wrong,' he said at the time, CNN reported. 'It makes a mockery out of DNA tests and its legitimate uses while also dishonoring legitimate tribal governments and their citizens, whose ancestors are well documented and whose heritage is proven.' A Warren spokesperson didn't comment. In December, on the eve of her campaign launch, it was revealed that Warren's advisors were counseling her to issue a forceful apology for the bungled release. Democrats blasted Warren in October for drawing attention to her biggest political liability in the middle of a tense midterm election cycle where Democrats were desperate to retake control of the House and break the GOP's lock on government control an effort that succeded. A landmark study published in 2014 in the American Journal of Human Genetics found that, on average, European-Americans have 0.18 per cent Native American blood twice as much. President Donald Trump has long mocked Warren's claim of being part Cherokee, calling her 'Pocahontas' and licking his chops at the prospect of facing her in 2020 Pocahontas was an Algonqiuan Indian princess who lived from 1595 to 1617 The New York Times reported last month that Warren worries she damaged her standing with Native American groups and other liberal blocs, especially minority constituencies, by willingly releasing her DNA results. She now must compete among a slew of Democrats in an increasingly crowded presidential field. Just this week, Sen. Kamala Harris of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey launched presidential campaigns, and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders who ran in 2016 when Warren took a pass is considering a run. 'I put it out there. It's on the internet for anybody to see,' she told the Times of her DNA test findings. 'People can make of it what they will.' Warren is a leader on the Democratic Party's left edge and a fierce critic of Wall Street whose potential as a Trump-spearing 2020 White House contender forced the long-simmering issue of her family history to the surface. Warren (top right) is part of a growing field of potential Democratic presidential nominees that also includes (from top left) former Vice President Joe Biden, Senator Cory Booker, Senator Kamala Harris; and (from bottom left) Senator Sherrod Brown, Senator Bernie Sanders, Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg President Donald Trump began calling Warren 'Pocahontas' in the spring of 2016 in order to blunt her attacks as she threatened to become a key surrogate for his presidential rival Hillary Clinton. 'Goofy Elizabeth Warren, sometimes referred to as Pocahontas because she faked the fact she is native American, is a lowlife!' he tweeted as the Republican primary season wrapped up in May 2016. Her ultimate response in October 2018 as Trump continued to taunt her during public rallies made some Democrats raise questions about her political agility. Critics say Warren used a hint of Indian background to justify classifying herself as a minority during her law school teaching career, in order to gain preferential hiring treatment. Law schools at Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania have disputed that claim. Warren did, however, listed herself for 10 years as a minority in directories maintained by the Association of American Law Schools, beginning in 1986. That period of time stretched from the year before Penn hired her to the year after Harvard Law School lured her away. Trump said of Warren (left) during an October campaign rally in Montana: 'She has so little Indian blood well, she has none that I cannot call her Pocahontas anymore' She told reporters during her first Senate campaign in 2012 that, 'I listed myself in the directory in the hopes that might mean that I would be invited to a luncheon, a group, something that might happen with people who are like I am.' Still, Trump has mocked her for years, calling her 'Pocahontas' and a 'fake Indian.' The New England Historic Genealogical Society reported in 2012 that it had unearthed a 1894 document suggesting Warren's great-great-great-grandmother, O.C. Sarah Smith, was at least partially Native American. It turned out the society had found a family newsletter that described a marriage license application, but hadn't seen that document. The conservative Breitbart News website later tracked down the marriage license and certificate and found that a column on both marked 'race' was left blank. Warren had de-emphasized her Cherokee lineage since winning her Senate seat in 2012, but the president's use of the issue to marginalize her was always expected to become a flashpoint if the two were to go head-to-head in 2020. While Trump's rally crowds eagerly lap up his snarks about 'Pocahontas,' Trump has used the polarizing nickname in at least one cringe-worthy moment at the White House. In November 2017 he slipped it into a speech during an event honoring Navajo 'Code Talkers' who had used their native language as an unbreakable secret code to protect American military communications during World War II. Asked minutes later during a press briefing why the president would use 'offensive' language at such an event, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders shot back: 'I think what most people find offensive is Senator Warren lying about her heritage to advance her career.' An aquarium in Arizona has closed down after four of its dolphins died in the space of just 16 months. Officials with Dolphinaris Arizona said the voluntary closure will only be temporary and will start on Friday so experts can inspect their facilities. Four out of eight dolphins housed at the facility have died within the last 16 months, with the latest, a 22-year-old bottlenose dolphin named Kainalu, being euthanized on January 31. The four remaining dolphins will be relocated, with two going to other Dolphinaris locations and two returning to the company which provided them in the first place. 'We hope to find a long term solution for the welfare of our dolphins,' Dolphinaris general manager Christian Schaeffer de Leon said. PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman told DailyMail.com that for Dolphinaris to 'temporarily close' is not enough following this fourth 'premature death' at its facility. After the death of a fourth dolphin (22-year-old Kai'Nalu, pictured) within 16 months, the Dolphinaris Arizona aquatic facility announced on Tuesday that it will temporarily close for reevaluation by an outside panel of experts 'Dolphinaris Arizonaa desert death trap for dolphinsshould never have been built in the first place and must shut down permanently,' Reiman said. 'PETA urges the facility to do the only thing that's right for the surviving dolphins: Move them at breakneck speed to a seaside sanctuary, as the National Aquarium is doing, rather than flying them to yet another marine park for no life at all in a concrete tank.' More than 100 protesters demonstrated on Saturday outside the facility located on tribal land near Scottsdale. Also at the facility, an 11-year-old dolphin named Khloe died in December from a chronic illness due to a parasite called Sarcocystis that she had for six years. In May 2018, a 10-year-old dolphin at Dolphinaris died from a bacterial infection, and in September 2017, a seven-year-old dolphin died at the facility from a muscle disease. The deaths have taken out half of the population at the open-air aquatic facility, which offers both viewing and hands-on, swimming with dolphins experiences. The deaths have taken out half of the population at the open-air aquatic facility (pictured) that offers both viewing and hands-on, swimming with dolphins experiences Also at the facility, an 11-year-old dolphin named Khloe (pictured) died in December from a chronic illness due to a parasite called Sarcocystis that she had for six years. In May 2018, a 10-year-old dolphin at Dolphinaris died from a bacterial infection, and in September 2017, a seven-year-old dolphin died at the facility from a muscle disease At the time of Khloe's death in December, GM Schaeffer said, 'This is an extremely sad day for our team at Dolphinaris Arizona.' Schaeffer continued: 'Prior to her arrival at Dolphinaris, Khloe struggled with chronic illness due to a parasite called Sarcocystis, which can affect mammals, including dolphins. This infection usually causes severe central nervous system and muscle disease, as well as weakens the immune system to other pathogens. 'Her condition has been managed with exceptional veterinary care for nearly six years as we called on dolphin experts globally to determine treatments that extended her life.' The company added: 'When Khloes caregivers recently noticed her health again showing signs of decline, they took every action possible to try and save her. The mortality rate of Sarcocystis is very high, and very little is known by the veterinarian community about the disease process in dolphins, which can also affect dolphins living in the ocean. 'The other dolphins living at Dolphinaris are all doing well. The Dolphinaris staff appreciates the condolences and support from the community during this difficult time.' At the time of Khloe's death in December, GM Christian Schaeffer de Leon said, 'This is an extremely sad day for our team at Dolphinaris Arizona,' adding that Khloe was ill before she arrived at the location Unfortunately, that last statement didn't ring true for long, and one month later, Kainalu was euthanized. 'With four out of eight dolphins dying inside of 16 months, the situation has reached critical mass,' Lincoln O'Barry from the Dolphin Project, an anti-captivity activist group based out of Santa Monica, California, said. 'For the safety of the public and the remaining dolphins, all activities should cease at Dolphinaris Arizona until an independent investigation takes place.' The organization worked with local activist group DolphinFree AZ to fly a banner over the weekend that read, 'Dolphinaris: Why are 4 dolphins dead?' The Dolphin Project , an anti-captivity activist group based out of Santa Monica, California, worked with local activist group DolphinFree AZ to fly a banner over the weekend that read, 'Dolphinaris: Why are 4 dolphins dead?' Local demonstrators on Saturday showed up on site to call for the location's closure after Kainalu, who was on loan from Dolphin Quest to Dolphinaris Arizona died last week. Signs on display read, 'They're dying to entertain us,' 'Captivity kills' and 'Boycott Dolphinaris' A young girl wearing a Dolphin Project tee shirt holds a candle and a rose while protesting outside of Dolphinaris Arizona on Saturday Local demonstrators on Saturday showed up on site to call for the location's closure after Kainalu, who was on loan from Dolphin Quest to Dolphinaris Arizona died last week. Signs on display read, 'They're dying to entertain us,' 'Captivity kills' and 'Boycott Dolphinaris.' Dolphinaris hired an external pathologist to determine the cause of this latest death, which the company said came after the dolphin's condition began deteriorating to the point that he had difficulty swimming, eating and breathing. Dolphin Quest terminated its contract with Dolphinaris Arizona the day after Kainalu's death. Dolphin Quest terminated its contract with Dolphinaris Arizona the day after Kainalu's death. Two of the facility's four remaining dolphins are being returned to Dolphin Quest while the other two will be moved to another licensed facility while Dolphinaris Arizona is being evaluated. A trainer is shown feeding a dolphin a fish at Dolphinaris Arizona in Scottsdale on October 13, 2016 The facility said in a statement that an investigative panel that includes veterinarians, pathologists, water quality experts and animal behavior specialists will assess all aspects of the facility and operations and report their findings and any recommendations. Two of the facility's four remaining dolphins are being returned to Dolphin Quest while the other two will be moved to another licensed facility while Dolphinaris Arizona is being evaluated. Calls to the US Department of Agriculture's animal and plant health inspection service seeking comment on the Dolphinaris situation weren't immediately returned on Tuesday. Dolphinaris Arizona, which is part of the OdySea In The Desert complex on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community near Scottsdale, opened in October of 2016. Dolphinaris has additional sites in Mexico. Dolphin Quest operates its own locations in Hawaii and Bermuda. Advertisement A tiny Royal Navy ship warned off a 300ft Spanish patrol boat after a two-hour stand-off when the larger vessel gatecrashed a training drill near Gibraltar. The 50ft HMS Sabre was undergoing an exercise involving 'high speed manoeuvring and blank firing' when the Spanish Tornado sailed nearby yesterday. The 300ft vessel, which had sailed from Ceuta port before doubling back towards Gibraltar's Europa Point, stayed in territorial waters for two hours before it was 'politely requested' to leave by the captain of the HMS Sabre. The Spanish National Anthem, Marcha Real, could be heard over maritime communications Channel 16 by radio operators at the Royal Navy base in Gibraltar as the Tornado loitered nearby, the Sun reported. The tiny HMS Sabre was undergoing an exercise with a Royal Navy Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat when the Spanish Tornado sailed nearby The 300ft vessel, which had sailed from Ceuta port before doubling back towards Gibraltar's Europa Point, stayed in territorial waters for two hours before it was 'politely requested' to leave by the captain of the HMS Sabre Gibraltar authorities had asked boats to use this channel to contact the Royal Navy if necessary when warning that the drill would take place on February 5. An insider said: 'HMS Sabre politely requested the Spanish vessel, which is a good bit larger than she is, to leave Gibraltar's territorial waters with a sovereignty warning. They extend for three miles around Gibraltar and initially it ignored the request which was made several times but she did eventually sail away after a couple of hours.' The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said last night: 'We can confirm an incursion by the Spanish navy occurred this morning. 'As with all incursions, the Royal Navy challenged the vessel. When challenged, the Spanish navy vessel subsequently left British Gibraltar Territorial Waters. Incursions are a violation of sovereignty, not a threat to it.' A statement also said the office have 'no doubt' about British sovereignty over Gibraltar. The stand-off comes as the UK and the EU launched into a new war of words over the Rock last week as Gibraltar was branded a 'colony' in draft laws to give visa-free travel to Britons after Brexit. Downing Street swiftly moved to slap down the jibe which is the latest move by Spain to take advantage of Brexit to stake its claim on the Rock. The Spanish National Anthem, Marcha Real, could be heard over maritime communications channel 16 by radio operators at the Royal Navy base in Gibraltar as the Tornado loitered nearby Gibraltar authorities had asked boats to use Channel 16 to contact the Royal Navy if necessary when warning that the drill would take place on February 5 Gibraltar sits in an strategically crucial position on the western gateway to the Med and has been British for more than 300 years. Spain almost blocked the conclusion of a deal in November and repeatedly raised the issue of the Rock during two years of Brexit talks. In April 2017, there were even claims Mrs May would go to war to defend the Rock in the same way as Margaret Thatcher fought for the Falklands. This is far from the first time the Royal Navy has been forced to warn away Spanish vessels when they stray into Gibraltar's waters. Gibraltar sits in an strategically crucial position on the western gateway to the Med and has been British for more than 300 years In November, a Guardia Civil vessel was said to have entered Gibraltar's waters before being chased for an hour by a Royal Navy vessel. The boat eventually raced back to the Spanish port of Algeciras, the Express reported. In April 2016, the Royal Navy was forced to fire flares at a Spanish research vessel after it strayed into territorial waters. The HMS Sabre, which forms the core of the Royal Navy Gibraltar Squadron with her sister ship HMS Scimitar, gave the warning to the vessel, Angeles Alvarino, after initial attempts to contact it failed. The governor of New Mexico ordered the withdrawal of the majority of the state's National Guard troops from the U.S. border with Mexico on Tuesday, in a move that challenges President Trump's description of a security crisis. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced the partial withdrawal shortly before Trump's State of the Union address yesterday. In the speech, which was delayed by the 35-day partial federal government shutdown, the President claimed that there is still a 'crisis on our southern border'. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham ordered the withdrawal of the majority of the state's National Guard troops from the U.S. border with Mexico on Tuesday Grisham's Republican predecessor deployed National Guard troops to the border in April 2018 at Trump's suggestion, and 118 remained there before the reversal. 'New Mexico will not take part in the president's charade of border fear-mongering by misusing our diligent National Guard troops,' Lujan Grisham said in a statement. At the same time, the governor said a small contingent - around a dozen guardsmen - will remain in the southwestern corner of the state to assist with humanitarian needs in a remote corridor for cross-border immigration. She also mobilized state police to assist local law enforcement. 'I recognize and appreciate the legitimate concerns of residents and officials in southwestern New Mexico, particularly Hidalgo County, who have asked for our assistance, as migrants and asylum-seekers continue to appear at their doorstep,' the governor said. At remote stretches of New Mexico's border with Mexico, large numbers of Central American migrants have surrendered in recent months to U.S. authorities. The perils of the state's desert borderlands have been highlighted with the deaths of Guatemalan immigrant children Felipe Gomez Alonzo and Jakelin Caal while in U.S. custody in New Mexico. The international border between Mexico (left) and New Mexico of the U.S. The governor's move shortly before the State of the Union address on Feb. 5 2019 challenges President Donald Trump's description of a security crisis New Mexico's contingent of border troops is dwarfed by recent federal deployments of active duty troops. The Pentagon announced Sunday it would send 3,750 more troops to the U.S.-Mexico border to put up barbed wire and provide support for Customs and Border Protection, increasing the total number to 4,350. Lujan Grisham traveled last month to New Mexico's southern edge for briefings from the National Guard and Customs and Border Protection, explaining that she wanted to see the situation for herself. On Tuesday, she also directed 25 troops from other states - Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Wisconsin - to withdraw from the New Mexico border. A secret letter addressed to the Federal Government has revealed how the big four banks helped shape the banking royal commission. The letter, which was acquired by the Australian Council of Trade Unions under the freedom of information act, details how the banks thought the commission should be conducted. National Australia Bank chairman Ken Henry sent the 'draft' letter to then Treasurer Scott Morrison on behalf of the chief executives of big four banks in November 2017. Australian trade unionist and political activist Sally McManus (pictured left and right) voiced her concerns over the letter during a live broadcast on Periscope on Tuesday National Australia Bank chairman Ken Henry (pictured) sent the 'draft' letter to then Treasurer Scott Morrison on behalf of the chief executives of big four banks in November 2017 'Dear Treasurer. Further to our discussions, attached is a draft letter sent on behalf of the major banks. This remains subject to final approval,' Dr Henry wrote. A follow-up letter was then sent to Mr Morrison the next day, and the Turnbull government responded by calling for a royal commission, ABC News reported. Australian trade unionist and political activist Sally McManus voiced her concerns over the letter during a live broadcast on Periscope on Tuesday. Ms McManus said the letter basically described 'how good the banks are how they've been held up to scrutiny and that there's no problems.' The letter made reference to how long the royal commission should go for, the type of person the commissioner should be, the terms of reference, and the scope of the commission, she said. Ms McManus said the follow-up document from Mr Henry bared a striking resemblance to the 'draft' - with the exception of a few minor changes. She then questioned how the correspondence might have affected the integrity of the royal commission. 'How can it be that you call a royal commission and you consult the very people now found to have been engaged in a whole lot of criminal behaviour? Ms McManus (pictured) said the letter basically described 'how good the banks are how they've been held up to scrutiny and that there's no problems' Ms McManus questioned how the correspondence between the Federal Government and the big four banks might have affected the integrity of the royal commission 'How can you consult them about the commission and about how it's held, and about who the commissioner should be and about how long it should go for? 'It really goes to the heart of the problem, doesn't it?' she said. Ms McManus added the commission was set up in a way to limit the damage to the big four banks so there wouldn't be systematic changes to the heart of the problem. She added the key problem is been driven by profits and by greed. 'Scott Morrison has got a whole heap of questions he needs to answer about working hand in glove with the big four banks,' she said. Former Ivory Coast president who was cleared of crimes against humanity has been released 'under surveillance' while an appeal may be launched by prosecuters. Laurent Gbagbo was released in Belgium under conditions following his acquittal by the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the court said yesterday. Belgium said on Saturday that it had agreed in principle to host Gbagbo pending a possible prosecution appeal, after he was cleared of crimes against humanity on January 15. The conditions include that the 73-year-old will return to court if required for a possible prosecution appeal against his acquittal, and that he surrender his passport to Belgian authorities. Gbagbo was the first former head of state to stand trial at the ICC and had been held in the Netherlands since 2011. ICC judges acquitted Gbagbo and Ble Goude on charges stemming from a wave of violence after disputed elections in the west African nation in 2010. Laurent Gbagbo was released in Belgium but under conditions imposed by the International Criminal Court after he was cleared of crimes against humanity More than 3,000 people died on both sides of the Ivory Coast conflict after Gbagbo refused to concede defeat to his internationally backed-rival - and now-president - Alassane Ouattara. UN and French-backed forces eventually captured Gbagbo in a presidential palace bunker in 2011. Prosecutors said he had clung to power 'by all means' and charged him with four counts of crimes against humanity, murder, rape and other forms of sexual violence, persecution and 'other inhuman acts'. The former president denied the charges, which he said were politically motivated. ICC judges ruled last month that he had no case to answer and ordered his immediate release. 'Mr Gbagbo is now released under conditions in Belgium,' an ICC spokeswoman said, without giving further details. The former strongman and his aide Charles Ble Goude have been staying in an undisclosed location since their release from an official ICC detention centre late Friday. Belgian immigration office spokeswoman Dominique Ernould confirmed that Gbagbo had been granted a visa. 'We have given instructions to grant him a visa... which allows him to stay for 90 days,' she said. Former Ivory Coast President, Laurent Gbagbo, appearing before the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands last month The visa would allow him to register as a resident in Belgium. Such visas are only renewed in exceptional circumstances, Belgian sources said. Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders said on Saturday that there had been 'a request from the court to host Mr Gbagbo simply because he has family in Belgium: his second wife, a child in Brussels'. 'We have concluded that it is alright for him to stay in Belgium while on conditional release,' he said, adding: 'There will be surveillance.' The delay in Gbagbo's release was because prosecutors said that he should be kept in detention pending a possible appeal against his acquittal, arguing that he would not return to the court if there was a retrial. Appeals judges rejected the prosecution argument on Friday after Belgium said it was ready to host him. The release conditions include that Belgium will guarantee that Gbagbo would go back to the ICC if required. Relatives and friends of former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo talk to reporters outside the International Criminal Court in The Hague last Friday He must also surrender his travel documents, report to authorities weekly, avoid contacting witnesses in Ivory Coast, and refrain from making public statements about the case, court documents said on Friday. The ICC's unwillingness to let Gbagbo return to Ivory Coast could be linked to that country's refusal to surrender Gbagbo's first wife, Simone, despite an outstanding ICC warrant for her arrest for her role in the violence. She was convicted and jailed by the courts there in 2015, but Ouattara granted her an amnesty last year, to allow her release after seven years in detention. Gbagbo's release comes at a particularly tense time in Ivory Coast. With presidential elections due in 2020, Ouattara has not said whether he will seek a second term, and the coalition he formed with Henri Konan Bedie, his former ally against Gbagbo, has collapsed. Father-of-five Bill Mott and family lost their Queensland farm after a series of poor seasons and drought A farmer who lost it all to the National Australia Bank after a drought has slammed the royal commission report as 'way too soft' and its proposals as 'twenty years too late'. Father-of-five Bill Mott and his family lost their $22 million estate in Meanderra, in Queensland's Western Downs region, to the bank in 2014, following several poor seasons. The crop and cattle farmer attended all but one of royal commissioner Kenneth Hayne's hearings and this week scoured the report in detail to see what Mr Hayne had to offer farmers. He walked away disappointed. 'It was way too soft and no where near deep enough so I'm very disappointed with the outcome,' Mr Mott said. 'I think I'm going to be even more disappointed with the way the government's going to deal with it.' Criminal charges should have been laid and 'examples made', he said, calling for a 'wow, bang' approach rather than just 'bashing (bank executives) about the ears'. He argued the commissioner, a former High Court justice, was 'not the right man for the job', as his appointment gave the inquiry too much of a legal focus. Most importantly, he said the report was missing redress for victims of the financial services industry. Scroll down for video The family had to surrender their farm in Meanderra, Queensland, to the National Australia Bank in 2014 after a series of poor seasons Mr Mott - pictured here during an appearance on The Project - claims he was 'buggered' by default interest charged by the bank In his report, Mr Hayne made criminal and civil referrals for some financial entities, but they were not named, and no charges have been laid against executives. Mr Hayne recommended three major measures to help farmers: the banking code should change so banks do not charge default interest on agricultural land loans during droughts or national disasters that banks only call in receivers or administrators for a distressed loan for a last resort, and the establishment of a national farm debt mediation scheme WHAT IS DEFAULT INTEREST? Default interest is the interest payable on amounts which are not paid when they are due. Mr Mott said he was 'buggered' by default interest after poor seasons on his farm, prior to losing the farm to the National Australia Bank. Advertisement Mr Mott said while the measures were no doubt a 'good thing', they were a 'no brainer' and twenty years too late. The measures came after the commission was told stories of farmers who were hit with penalty interest for defaulting on their loans. Mr Mott was himself 'buggered up' by default interest, paying a total of $1.5 million to the bank during his ordeal. 'It should be a no brainer (not to charge default interest during drought),' he said. 'When somebody gets into trouble how the hell are they going to get out of trouble if they keep flogging them? 'With farming, almost every case of default is when there is a natural disaster of some kind. 'Farmers are quite conservative people. They don't put themselves out there, but when things get really bad, you've got to spend money to make it. He said the problem was, simply: 'Our banking system in this country does not adequately provide a service for rural farmers'. Mr Mott's biggest disappointments were that there was 'nothing' to protect victims from the bank, and there was 'no redress', or compensation, for victims. 'There's nothing there to protect the victims against the bank,' Mr Mott said. The National Australia Bank came in for particular criticism in Kenneth Hayne's royal commission report 'When you ultimately take out a bank loan, all the paperwork you sign, you sign away all your rights to that bank,' he said. When somebody gets in to trouble, how are they going to go out if they keep getting flogged? 'If you default, whether the bank has done the wrong thing or you have done the wrong thing, if that goes to court you've already signed away all your rights before you even go to court. More than 10,000 people made submissions to the commission. 'You can imagine the amount of compensation that would be in that. 'Really, the government's got no intention to do anything about it and the taxpayer shouldn't have to fund this, I might add. 'If anything's done it should be the banks forced to pay for it. 'Why should the people have to pay for it?' Royal Commissioner Kenneth Hayne during an awkward photo opportunity with Treasurer Josh Frydenberg last week. Mr Mott said Mr Hayne did a good job, but the commission should have been run by a panel of eminent of Australians, rather than just a former High Court judge The government has supported the commission's recommendation to scrap default interest charges for farmers. Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said this week: 'It's time that despicable practice ended full stop because I don't believe the rate the banks charge reflects the actual cost to them'. The government has also pledged to set up a national scheme to help farmers seek mediation to work out a way for them to repay their loans where possible. As for Mr Mott, he and his son live next to the farm they used to own. Perversely, it has thrived under new ownership, thanks to a few strong seasons, he said. His dispute with the National Australia Bank continues. The bank has previously commented on Mr Mott's matter in a statement to the ABC. Police will get tough new powers to clamp down on illegal traveller sites causing distress, Sajid Javid will announce today. The Home Secretary will unveil measures to make it easier and quicker for officers to evict those whose presence heaps misery on communities. Ministers want to criminalise unauthorised camps, rather than deal with them under civil law, amid concern it is too hard to prosecute for aggravated trespass. The aim is to give greater protection to residents whose lives are blighted by anti-social behaviour including fly-tipping, abusive conduct, criminal damage and noise. Home Secretary Sajid Javid (pictured leaving 10 Downing Street) says the illegal sites cause 'distress and misery to those who live nearby' There are also concerns some sites interfere with public access to playgrounds, car parks and playing fields. Mr Javid has acted after growing calls for robust measures to safeguard landowners and those living close to unofficial camps. He said: The vast majority of travellers are law-abiding citizens but illegal sites often give an unfair, negative image of their community and cause distress and misery to those who live nearby. There is a widespread perception that the law does not apply to travellers and that is deeply troubling. People want to see greater protection for local communities and for the police to be given greater power to crack down on trespassers. There are an estimated 3,100 caravans on unauthorised sites about 14 per cent of the total of 22,600 on all sites. The Home Office is launching a review into whether trespassing when setting up a camp should be criminalised, allowing the police to respond more swiftly and take tougher steps. The move would significantly lower the legal threshold for criminal action against illegally camped travellers. Ministers will also consult on proposals to change the law to close a string of loopholes, including cutting the number of vehicles needed to be involved in an illegal camp before police can act from six to two. Meanwhile powers for officers to order travellers on unauthorised sites to move on will be widened. Those ordered to leave will be barred from returning for at least a year up from the current three months. Officers would be permitted to direct travellers to an official site in a neighbouring local authority rather than in the same area. And they could, for the first time, remove trespassers camping on roadsides. Javid said he wanted to combat the perception that traveller communities operated outside the law A package of practical and financial support for local authorities to handle illegal camps will also be announced. One of the most notorious evictions was in 2011 at Dale Farm in Essex when the unauthorised traveller camp of 85 families was dismantled after violent confrontation with bailiffs and riot police following a ten-year dispute with Basildon Council on green belt land. The eviction cost taxpayers more than 7million. In 2015, the Government criticised police and council chiefs for routinely placing too much weight on human rights and equalities legislation when faced with the nuisance of illegal camps. Last year, Surrey Police sparked fury after telling villagers they should sympathise with travellers who set up an illegal camp outside their homes because it was upsetting to have to keep moving around. The Trump family were enthusiastic about their father's State of the Union address, giving him a standing ovation at the US Capitol. In attendance were son Eric Trump with wife Lara, daughter Ivanka and Jared Kushner, son Donald Trump Jr with girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle and daughter Tiffany Trump, who all posed for a group photo ahead of the address. Ivanka wore a $5,000 military-style Alexander McQueen ensemble - a stark contrast to the women of the Democratic party, who put on a united front by donning all white in a show of solidarity with other women, and to honor the suffragettes. Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, Lara Trump, Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Tiffany Trump gave the president a standing ovation at the State of the Union address Donald Trump's children posed for a photo with their partners ahead of the State of the Union address Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Kushner match in black and red for Tuesday night's State of the Union Ivanka Trump posed a video saying she's 'en route' to the State of the Union Ivanka was all smiles in a short video posted to her Instagram story on the way to the address. 'En route to State of the Union. Looking forward!' Ivanka said to the camera wearing bright red lipstick, pearl earrings and a black top with an American flag pin. After the address , Eric Trump posted another group shot of the family, writing: 'We are all so incredibly proud of @realDonaldTrump! What an amazing night! #SOTU'. Trump himself posted the photo of his children, writing: 'THANK YOU to my wonderful family for joining me tonight. I love you!' Kimberly Guilfoyle and Tiffany Trump wore white, appearing to blend in with the Democrats. The political tribute to wear white was initiated by Florida Representative Lois Frankel, chairwoman of the Democratic Women's Working Group, in an effort to honor those who voted in the midterm elections. Eric Tump, Donald Trump Jr and Tiffany Trump applaud as their father gives the presidential address Eric also posted another photo with his wife and siblings from outside the capitol building Son Eric Trump posted a photo to Twitter of him and his wife Lara, sister Ivanka and Jared Kusher, brother Donald Trump Jr with girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle and sister Tiffany Trump. 'By wearing suffragette white to #SOTU2019 tmrw we're sending a message to everyone that voted for @HouseDemocrats & delivered us the majority that we're working #ForThePeople, promoting the economic security of women & their families!' Frankel said in a Monday tweet. Ivanka's dark wardrobe would have been more in style for last year's address, as Frankel encouraged members of Congress to wear black to Trump's first SOTU to show their support with the #MeToo movement. 'By wearing black, members of Congress are showing solidarity with a movement that is demanding economic justice and a cultural shift that enables men and women to work side by side in safety and dignity, free of sexual harassment, and be paid equally for the value of their work,' Frankel said in a statement at the time, according to USA Today. The first daughter is wearing a black top with an American flag pin and red lipstick Women from the Democratic party wore all white to the State of the Union on Tuesday in an effort to support women's right Donald Trump In a speech designed to call for 'cooperation, compromise and the common good' instead of partisan bickering and 'the politics of revenge,' Trump struck an unlikely chord at a time when disunity holds Washington and the nation captive. Trump called on Congress, including the Democrats' new House majority, to 'break decades of political stalemate' and put country over party. He called for a law mandating nationwide paid family leave for new parents, a priority of his daughter Ivanka that drew cheers from both sides of the aisle. But he angered half of Congress by demanding an end to laws permitting late-term abortions, and stung the far left by condemning trendy socialism. Guests of the president included astronaut Buzz Aldrin, former inmate Alice Johnson, survivors of the Tree of Life synagogue mass shooting, and the family of a couple slain by an undocumented immigrant. Fire officials say nine workers were rescued from a construction site in midtown Manhattan after a report of carbon monoxide exposure. Firefighters were called to the scene at East 29th Street and Madison Avenue at about 4.30pm Tuesday. All of the victims were hospitalized in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries. Nine workers were rescued from a construction site in midtown Manhattan for carbon monoxide poisoning Tuesday Firefighters are seen transporting the men to the hospital following the rescue People stand near the scene after nine men were rescued for carbon monoxide exposure Fire officials said the apparent source of the carbon monoxide was a gas-powered generator Officials said the apparent source of the carbon monoxide was a gas-powered generator. The FDNY said they conducted air monitoring and readings of carbon monoxide totaled 700 parts per million. 'A normal reading in your house is zero ppm, if we have 10 ppm thats a dangerous condition,' the statement said. The FDNY said they conducted air monitoring and readings of carbon monoxide totaled 700 parts per million 'A normal reading in your house is zero ppm, if we have 10 ppm thats a dangerous condition,' the FDNY said in a statement 'Above where they were working we were still getting readings of 300 ppm. 'The source appears to be a gasoline-powered generator that they were using while they were powering their saws to build the formwork for the concrete that they were going to be pouring in. The department advised against using gas-powered generators indoors. 'Youre not supposed to be using gas-powered generators indoors, below grade... you should only use generators outside in a well-ventilated area.' A 'jigger' is a conducted electrical device - they are banned in horse racing 2015 Melbourne Cup-winning trainer banned from the sport for four years Australia's most successful horse trainer has been rubbed out of the sport for four years after taser-like devices known as 'jiggers' were found in the master bedroom of his home. Darren Weir fronted Victorias Racing and Disciplinary Board on Wednesday morning following dramatic raids on his Ballarat and Warrnambool stables last week. Weir, 48, offered a plea of 'no contest' to four charges, three of them relating to the possession of an electronic apparatus on his licensed premises. Leading horse trainer Darren Weir (pictured) has been sensationally banned from the sport for four years for using taser-like jiggers The other charge was for conduct prejudicial to the image of racing. A three man panel from the Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board reached their verdict after two and a half hours. They felt the fact that the jiggers were located in Weir's bedroom showed the trainer had a desire to deliberately conceal the items. When handing down the significant penalty, Judge John Bowman, on behalf of deputy chairman Brian Forrest, described the outcome as 'sad.' 'You are a 48-year-old man who has completed a rags to riches rise in the racing world,' he said. 'You rose from the depths to be Australias leading trainer. All of this makes your fall even sadder. 'Now you will be remembered for possessing instruments of cruelty and implements associated with a high level of cheating.' Weir exits the training ranks at the top of Melbourne's training premiership for the 2018/19 season with a table-topping 93 wins. He has won almost 250 races since the start of the season in August, comfortably the most wins by a trainer in Victoria. A 'jigger' is a conducted electrical device, similar to a taser. They are used in training to deliver a shock to a horse accompanied by a shout or other signal to run faster, so that when that same shout or signal is used in a race, the horse anticipates the shock and accelerates. DARREN WEIR'S DISCIPLINARY RECORD 2011-2019 February, 2019 Disqualified for four years after being issued with six charges over the discovery of jiggers. Also charged with failing to give evidence, failing to follow stewards directions September, 2018 Fined $5000 after pleading guilty to making false or misleading statements over the identity of seven horses at the Ballarat trials on October 3 January, 2018 Fined $500 over the late on-course arrival of Nights Watch at Doomben. The horse was scratched and missed the opportunity to qualify for the Magic Millions September, 2017 Fined $2500 after pleading guilty to taking Air Guitar to the Burrumbeet trials when the horse had non-steroidal anti-inflammatories in its system November, 2013 Fined $2000 after a security guard arrived at his Ballarat stable to monitor VRC sprint hopeful Platelet, only to find the horse had been transferred to Weirs Warrnambool base without stewards knowledge. It was the seventh time in five years Weir had been called in by stewards for failing to notify a change of stable for his horses May, 2013 Fined $7000 after Doing Our Best returned a positive swab to Frusemide after winning at Ballarat on February 16, 2013 March, 2011 Fined $500 for using abusive language towards a trackwork supervisor at Ballarat Source: The Herald Sun Advertisement Darren Weir (pictured) in happier times after winning the Ballarat Cup in November last year The two-bedroom townhouse is situated in Melbourne's suburb of Reservoir A small typo made for a hilarious blunder on the description of a property up for auction online. The Ray White real estate agent accidentally typed the word 'thieving' rather than 'thriving' while describing the neighbourhood in which a two-bedroom Melbourne house is situated. 'Situated in the thieving suburb of Reservoir this modern double story townhouse boasting relaxed, easy living is on offer to you,' the opening sentence of the property description read. A small typo made for a hilarious blunder on the description of a property up for auction online The Ray White real estate agent accidentally typed the word 'thieving' rather than 'thriving' while describing the neighbourhood in which a two-bedroom Melbourne house is situated The estate agent noticed their mistake and presumably hastily corrected the typo, before putting off any prospective buyers. The Ray White advert claims the two-bedroom townhouse is located in a 'quiet pocket' of Melbourne's northern suburb of Reservoir. The ad appeals to couples with young children, noting the property is situation close to local schools. 'Situated in the thieving suburb of Reservoir this modern double story townhouse boasting relaxed, easy living is on offer to you,' the opening sentence of the property description read 'Located in a quiet pocket of Reservoir, close to excellent local schools, Reservoir and Ruthven train station, Plenty Rd trams, Bundoora Park, the Darebin Creek Trail and Reservoir Village shops and cafes,' the advert reads. The house boasts two bedrooms with built-in wardrobes, an open-plan living area and a private courtyard. A Sydney hospital faces the possibility of losing their trainee doctors after a fatigued young plastic surgeon lifted the lid on the industry that 'broke' her. Dr Yumiko Kadota resigned from Bankstown Hospital after working 24 days straight, and spent the next six weeks in hospital being treated for sleep deprivation. She sparked outrage after exposing the poor working conditions endured by junior doctors, including shifts exceeding 20 hours without a break and allegations of rampant sexism. Following her exposure of the industry, New South Wales Minister for Health Brad Hazzard promised to dig deeper into the plight of ambitious trainee doctors. Dr Yumiko Kadota (pictured) recently lifted the lid on the 'toxic' environment of hospitals 'The starting point has to be people's wellbeing. People's lives shouldn't be compromised,' he told The Sydney Morning Herald. Mr Hazzard admitted there were 'financial and otherwise' factors that would need to be considered, but change was necessary. The call for an inquest was supported by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) Council, who could remove their trainees from Bankstown Hospital if an inquiry supported Dr Kadota's claims. President of RACS Council John Batten said he was 'appalled' by the inflammatory blog post. 'We are appalled by the case... firstly because that this sort of behaviour is still occurring, and secondly that someone who had aspirations for a surgical career may no longer continue because of her experience,' Dr Batten said. Dr Kadota had poured more than a decade of her life into studying medicine and surgery, but quickly fled the profession after experiencing the 'toxic' workplace culture. A plastic surgeon, Dr Kadota said she was 'broken' by the extensive working hours The young health and wellbeing enthusiast detailed her long journey in a blog post titled 'The ugly side of becoming a surgeon'. In it, she revealed how she transitioned from 'bright-eyed and bushy-tailed beginnings' into 'the worst working days of my life'. She described her career trajectory as a 'demise', but stressed that she didn't want to discourage people from entering the industry, only to raise awareness of the 'toxic surgical environment that still exists in Australia'. Dr Kadota said she was lauded as one of the top surgical interns her hospital had ever seen. Bankstown Hospital, where she ended her medical career, could now lose their trainees The encouragement made her the first to enter the hospital and the last to leave, soaking up all the information she could. 'I stayed back after hours to assist surgeries not because I had to, but because I wanted to spend more time in the operating theatre,' she wrote. Six years into her career, she began to see the 'dark side of surgery'. A senior neurosurgeon constantly overlooked her for assignments, instead choosing in 'favour of a pretty girl'. The same neurosurgeon would constantly taunt her, saying she was on a 'downward spiral' and telling her to take her clothes off in Japanese. Dr Kadota (pictured) spent eight years studying medicine and surgery at university The hospital became a home and a workplace all in one. Workdays spanning 20 hours meant there was no time to go home and sleep before her next shift started. She would just sleep in the 'recovery' room, where the clattering of the overnight staff made for a restless sleep. There was no such thing as a Monday-to-Friday schedule. Days and weeks were long. 'I was at the hospital for 120-140 hours a fortnight, and work would follow me home with phone calls whilst trying to park my car in the garage, whilst I took a shower, whilst I was trying to cook dinner, and whilst I was trying to fall asleep. 'Every fortnight I would only be guaranteed four nights of uninterrupted sleep. 'The other 10 nights were unpredictable. Maybe I'll get woken up, maybe I won't. 'This mental unrest for 10 days a fortnight was taking a toll on me. I couldn't go and exercise, I couldn't plan anything social 'I had to be on standby.' More than a decade later, unrelenting hours and lack of sympathy have driven her out She accrued more than 100 hours of overtime work in just her first month in her new role, and it took a toll. Dr Kadota was unwell, disheveled and burnt out with a combination of stress, dehydration, poor nutrition and sleep deprivation. Talk of her issues made its way through the halls until her head of department called her. ''We need to look after you. You're damn good, you're damn good,' said the voice on the other line with so much conviction that I believed it. 'I don't want you to burnout' but I already was.' Dr Kadota says she was told to stop being an 'emotional female' when she raised her concerns With hopes of a roster change, she arrived at work the next morning in a better mood. But, she wrote, that was the breaking point. A 12-hour Monday was followed by a 20-hour Tuesday. An operation had gone long into the night and her boss never answered her call for back-up. He jovially asked her the next morning if she had actually called him, or whether he was just dreaming. She would ask for breaks and be knocked back and told to toughen up. When she received a call at 3am, her frustration was met with an order to 'stop being an emotional female'. The plastic surgeon says she began her career hiding her smile as she attracted praise for her work but was quickly She resigned on June 1 last year, her 24th consecutive work day. With her resignation, she knew she would be blacklisted from ever getting another job in a Sydney plastic surgery, but enough was enough. 'I was physically alive, but spiritually broken,' she wrote. When word of her resignation got back to her head of department, he asked if she couldn't just 'hold on' for another couple of months. When she told him she couldn't, he replied: 'It's a shame. You have good hands. You're good at what you do but if you can't handle the hours, maybe this isn't for you.' Months on, she now describes herself as being able to 'waltz out of my ashes'. Dr Kadota says she hopes that by sharing her story, she can raise awareness about doctors' health, work-life balance and maybe bring about a change in culture. A sex shop worker was doused in petrol by a pair of violent armed robbers who told her she would be 'lit up' if she didn't empty the safe. Melbourne pair Jacob Hoban, 34, and Jordan Bennett, 27, were both under the effects of methylamphetamine when they decided to rob the Bayswater Club X in city's south-east in December 2017. Horrifying CCTV footage captured Hoban sprayed petrol over the female shop assistant as his mate stood watching like a 'stunned mullet'. Jacob Hoban, 34, and Jordan Bennett, 27, of Wonthaggi in Victoria terrorised a woman working in a sex shop The bumbling crime duo later attempted to steal the damning footage, but mistakenly stole a hard drive containing porn instead of the CCTV. In the County Court of Victoria on Wednesday, the court heard Hoban menaced his terrified victim after spraying petrol on her. 'Do what I say or I'm going to light you up,' he shouted. 'I've brought cable ties and I'll use them on you if you don't co-operate.' The woman's ordeal lasted for a little over 14 minutes as Hoban marched her into the back of the sex shop and demanded she open the safe, which was locked by a timer. After emptying the cash register, Hoban demanded the woman supply him with amyl nitrate - a drug usually inhaled to enhance sexual experience. The woman complied, handing over items similar to the drug Hoban sort. Riddled with fear, the court heard the woman struggled to move fast enough as she choked on the fumes from her petrol-soaked clothes. 'You'd better hurry up,' Hoban shouted. The woman begged Hoban for mercy. 'You promise you won't hurt me when I open the safe?,' she pleaded. CCTV footage shows Hoban become frustrated with his partner in crime, who refused to participate in the robbery even as orders were barked at him to steal items. He is eventually seen locking the front door after Hoban shoved and swore at him. Jordan Bennett did not wear a mask in the sex shop robbery. Instead he stood with his head down and did nothing The Bayswater Club X where Hoban and Bennett attacked a woman with petrol Jacob Bennett will spend at least four years in jail for his role in the Club X robbery Bennett later told police he did not think his boyfriend was serious when he said they were going to rob the shop. 'I stood like a stunned mullet,' he said. The pair had met on the gay dating app Grindr a month earlier. Club X offered a $10,000 reward to catch the men following the robbery. CCTV clearly identified the men and with help from Bennett's big mouth, the company needn't have bothered. County Court Judge Michael O'Connell sentenced Hoban to serve six years in jail with a non-parole period of four years. The court heard Hoban was not only the ring leader of the robbery, but had an atrocious criminal history that had previously seen him jailed for sex offences. Bennett was sentenced to a four year community corrections order with 400 hours of community work. The sniveling drug addict sobbed throughout his sentence. Judge O'Connell condemned Hoban for the way he terrorised his victim, even though he was not found with an actual lighter. 'What you did was calculated to instil fear in your victim to comply with your demands,' he said. Hoban has already spent 347 days behind bars on remand. Former outlaw motorcycle gang members are joining social clubs as a way of getting around anti-bikie laws. In the past few years, multiple new clubs have been established including the Australian Social Motorcycle Club and Viking Breed, all under the guise of being social motorcycle clubs. Members wear leather vests with club insignia on it, much like banned bikie colours. A OMCG member, who asked not to be named, told Daily Mail Australia former outlaw motorcycle club members, including a former Bandidos chapter president, were joining social groups en-masse. He said the men were using the cover of a legal social club to consort, using legitimate members to act as covers to allow them to run tattoo parlours, and in one case, a former outlaw member had set up a 'council' as a front for inducting members into a rival outlaw gang. One former outlaw, who joined the Australia Social Motorcycle Group, is still believed to have a full back tattoo linking him to the outlaw group. Former outlaw bikies are increasingly joining social motorcycle groups to avoid tough anti-consorting laws, but many of the groups are still found to have outlaw links A OMCG member told Daily Mail Australia a United Motorcycle Council included outlaw bikies in its membership, though many of the stronger groups had declined to join Members from the social group are alleged to have links to the Finks and Nomads, two outlaw groups who are in the midst of a brutal turf war. 'The outlaw members have boosted their numbers by having social feeder clubs who do not wear a back patch,' the source claimed. The senior outlaw member says members with a criminal history, who are subject to tough association laws, use members with a clean background to run businesses. 'If I were subject to the consorting laws, and I wanted to run a tattoo shop, I would get someone clean to open it under their name, because they would be given a license,' the man explained. 'I wouldn't be on the paperwork or the website, I wouldn't enter the store. But I'd have CCTV to monitor the comings and goings and I'd be monitoring the takings.' He said for the most part, outlaw members are asked to keep a low profile, especially when it comes to 'fun runs', which are often used to collect donations for charities. 'Some of the members of these groups don't even have bikes,' he said. 'What does that tell you?' Other groups, such as the United Motorcycle Council, are also allegedly run by bikies, specifically ex-Rebels MC members. The man claims all clubs, including outlaw clubs, are asked to attend meetings with the council, though many of the larger outlaw groups, such as the Bandidos and Comancheros have angrily declined. The source alleged the council was a front for the Red White and Blue, which is a feeder club for Rebels MC 'Most social and smaller clubs have been intimidated into joining their meetings and council,' he said. 'After I went to a meeting I saw the club was a puppet show for the Rebels MC and their feeder club, Red, White & Blue. 'They would strong arm people into taking off colours, changing patches or not wearing patches at all. 'The main club running the show is a club called Red, White & Blue, which is a feeder club for the Rebels. 'The people in power [at the council] are very charismatic and manipulative. 'They pick vulnerable people, who are looking for belonging, invite you over for a drink, a line of coke, and then suddenly it's "I've given you all these free drugs, can you do me a favour".' Another group alleged to only be posing as a social group are the Russian Night Wolves. The group, which have strong links to Russian President Vladimir Putin and are sanctioned in Canada and the US. Members have been denied entry in Poland and Germany. During the Crimea Crisis, members are said to have fought alongside pro-Russian militants, and participated in attacks on a natural gas facility and the naval headquarters in Sevastopol. Top level members allegedly moved to Australia from Russia to start the group a few years ago, and are said to be affiliating with other outlaw groups in private. The man says the group will arrive at motorcycle group events with 'custom Harley Davidsons, expensive GoPros, vests and jewellery'. A Russian-based group with chapters across the world, the Russian Night Wolves, are said to have started a chapter in Sydney The group have reportedly fashioned themselves as a cultural group in Australia, but the group historically has strong ties to the Russian government Members are said to have arrived at Australian motorcyclist meetups in customised Harley Davidsons, carrying wads of cash and wearing expensive jewellery 'I've seen them pull out a bundle of $50 notes with a rubber band to pay for a coffee - they never use cards,' he said. The group are thought to have about 100 members, and the source, who says he has met with multiple members of the group, claims they will try to make a name for themselves when they have reached a formidable size. Member Alexander Zaldostanov, nicknamed 'The Surgeon', is pictured speaking with President Putin in multiple news stories, and has even been awarded Russia's Order of Honour. In pictures provided to Daily Mail Australia, he is also seen with Alexander Duganov, the son of the Night Wolves president in Sydney. A spokeswoman for NSW Police told Daily Mail Australia: 'The NSW Police Force targets illicit activity and criminal behaviour regardless of the individuals memberships or associations'. Police are not believed to currently consider the Night Wolves an OMCG in Sydney. Member Alexander Zaldostanov, nicknamed 'The Surgeon', is pictured speaking with President Putin in multiple news stories, and in pictures provided to Daily Mail Australia, he is also seen with Alexander Duganov, the NightWolves vice president in Sydney. A chilling message has been issued to parents warning them about the dangers of their children using social media apps such as Instagram. Queensland Police shared a video to their Facebook page on Tuesday urging parents to keep a close eye on how their children use the internet. 'If you'd seen what I'd seen, you would never allow your child alone in their bedroom with an internet-capable device,' Detective Inspector Jon Rouse said in the video. A chilling message has been issued to parents warning them of the dangers of their children misusing digital devices (stock image) 'In the last 18 years, I've seen everything from images and videos of young babies sexually abused, through to teenagers crying and distraught as they're sex-torted on web cameras.' An anonymous detective said people would 'think twice about posting those pictures' if they had seen the same things she had. 'Once they're out there, you've lost control. It's really important for your kids to just always know that nothing is so bad that they can't talk to you about it,' she said. A police officer warned parents to make sure their children were only talking to people they already knew. 'Putting pictures up online of your children might be cute to you but it's attractive to others,' she said. Queensland Police Minister Mark Ryan said the department's Taskforce Argos team witnessed vile atrocities captured in photos and videos. 'Part of the role at Argos is to sort through images created by these monsters and to work to remove children who may face serious risk,' he said. 'If you'd seen what I'd seen, you would never allow your child alone in their bedroom with an internet-capable device,' Detective Inspector Jon Rouse (pictured) said in the video 'They have seen the pain, the trauma and the suffering. They have seen it all. 'It is because of their sheer hard work and dedication that so many children across the world have been removed from harm and saved from the hands of those who commit these most horrible acts.' Inspector Rouse said seemingly innocent friend requests can lead to sinister outcomes. 'Despite all that we are doing at the front line to investigate and stop the sexual exploitation of children we are encountering spiralling volumes of self-produced images and videos in our digital seizures,' he said. The Great British Spring Clean has won the overwhelming support of the public, with nine in ten backing the army of volunteers helping to clear the country of litter. A survey shows people believe cleaning up our countryside, towns and coasts is an ever-more important priority. It also found that 42 per cent are now prepared to pick up litter rather than just walk on by. The survey shows a rising awareness of the damage to animals and marine wildlife caused by carelessly discarded rubbish. Theresa May litter picking in her constituency of Maidenhead in Berkshire as part of the The Great British Spring Clean More than three-quarters say they are actively trying to cut down on their use of single-use plastics. Nearly 90 per cent say they are aware of the impact of the plastics and praise those who have volunteered to give up their time to join the spring clean between March 22 and April 23, saying they are vital for helping to protect the environment in the UK. The figures from Ipsos-Mori came as active support for Keep Britain Tidys anti-litter campaign soars. Just a week since the launch of the drive, more than 37,400 have pledged their precious time to help rid their communities of the scourge of waste. We hope many more of the Mails caring readers will join in events across the country with other volunteers, helping to push the overall figure above half a million and making it Britains biggest environmental campaign. The Great British Spring Clean has won the backing of Prince William, Prime Minister Theresa May, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and even the United Nations. Other public figures including TV chefs Mary Berry and Prue Leith, Bear Grylls and Jeremy Paxman have praised the initiative. Young volunteers clean up their patch in Cheshire. The Mail is proud to announce our national campaign to get Britain picking up plastic litter is back and bigger and better than ever Mrs Berry said: I think the Daily Mail has got it right and we must all support it. We really must get rid of all this litter. If you stop in a lay-by or you see litter, stop, put on a pair of Marigolds if you like and collect it, take it home and recycle it. The Daily Mail is proud to have spearheaded public awareness on this issue. This paper has campaigned against single-use plastic for more than a decade and successfully led campaigns to introduce a levy on plastic bags, and cut out the use of toxic plastic microbeads in cosmetics. The awareness of the litter problem received a huge boost from Sir David Attenboroughs Blue Planet II wildlife documentary series. Keep Britain Tidy chief executive Allison Ogden-Newton said: These findings are great news for the environment. As the UKs leading anti-litter charity seeing that nearly 90 per cent of people support our heroic volunteers is everything. We love our work, fighting litter and its causes everywhere people live, work and play and to know the public do too is a fantastic boost. The level of support for this years Great British Spring Clean from both our partners and the public has been astonishing. Together, we can realise our ambition to create a litter-free environment for everyone to enjoy. Ipsos-Mori chief executive and Keep Britain Tidy trustee Ben Page said: The British are now more worried about packaging than most other countries. Programmes like Blue Planet II and the debate in the media about single-use plastics seem to have been a catalyst for raising awareness and helping to change behaviour on littering. The Great British Spring Clean is the countrys biggest mass-action environmental campaign and was first run in 2017. Last year, despite the Beast from the East, more than 371,566 #LitterHeroes volunteers took part including more than 126,651 school children. Last year the Daily Mail helped to organise the Great Plastic Pick Up with Keep Britain Tidy, in which more than 20,000 volunteers cleared litter over a single weekend. Its so easy to join in the Great British Spring Clean so sign up today on the website below. You can take part in a pick-up any time during the month, either in a group or on your own. Dame Margaret Hodge hit out at Labour last night for ignoring a dossier of violent anti-Semitic abuse directed against her including a call for Hezbollah to murder her. The Labour MP, who is Jewish, revealed that she contacted the police after she was accused of being a NazIsrael apologist and a pro-Zionist Trojan horse by supporters of Jeremy Corbyn. The catalogue of abuse was also sent to Labour, but while the police responded by charging one of the perpetrators, Labour has not contacted the MP at all. Another online message out of almost 200 collected by Dame Margaret and sent to the police suggested she should be killed by Middle Eastern terrorists. Dame Margaret Hodge criticised Labour last night for ignoring a dossier of violent anti-Semitic abuse directed against her It said: Margaret Hodge is a Zionist pig... and hopefully Hezbollah will catch up with the bitch. Militant group Hezbollah was once described as friends by Mr Corbyn. MPs accuse the Labour leadership of failing to tackle anti-Semitism amid reports that dozens of former members suspended for offending Jews are now back in the party. Many of the abusers identified themselves online as supporters of Mr Corbyn or the hard Left. Last night, Dame Margaret asked why it was that the police had taken action when she contacted them last year, but none of the Labour members responsible had been expelled by her party. Labours general secretary told MPs yesterday that it was impossible to stamp out anti-Jewish racism from the party. Jennie Formby, a key ally of Mr Corbyn, refused to say how many cases of anti-Semitism the party was still dealing with. Hundreds or even thousands of complaints are thought to have been made. MPs said the leadership appeared to have given up on fighting the cancer of anti-Semitism. Labour MP John Mann also said he had received two threats of violence from Labour members. He has referred the matter to the police but received no response when he drew it to the partys attention. Jennie Formby, a key ally of Jeremy Corbyn, refused to say how many cases of anti-Semitism the party was still dealing with Dame Margaret has been sent abusive messages almost every day since she stood up to Mr Corbyn over anti-Semitism. One said: Margaret Hodge is an out and out NazIsrael apologist... The fascists in NazIsrael are getting scared. Another called Jewish MPs Ruth Smeeth, Luciana Berger and Dame Margaret dim-witted Zionist sluts, while a third referred to Israels prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, calling Dame Margaret a stupid Netanyahu loving ****. The MP was also told she should pack her bags and f*** off out of the Labour Party, while she was also called a foul-mouthed gobs***e. Dame Margaret said: The police are taking action. The only reaction Ive had from the party is from the person who wrote one of the emails I submitted, who contacted me to say how dare I complain. She said anti-Jewish trolls were causing offence with impunity, adding: Theres always been underlying anti-Semitism on the hard Left but it has never before been allowed to exist unchallenged. A Labour spokesman said: The party takes all complaints of anti-Semitism extremely seriously. We are committed to challenging and campaigning against it. All complaints about anti-Semitism are fully investigated and any appropriate disciplinary action is taken. In early 2001, Richard Sackler (above) learned about the fatal consequences befalling some users of the Purdue Pharma drug Oxycontin claims a court filing The heir to the Sackler billions worked to protect the company while profiting every step of the way according to a lawsuit that was unsealed just last week in the state of Massachusetts. A complaint filed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts accused the Sackler family of not only knowing about the growing opioid epidemic that was being fueled by the painkiller Oxycontin, but pushing their sales force at Purdue Pharma to get more doctors prescribing the drug. Once a patient had been prescribed the painkiller, executives urged staff to get those individuals on a higher dosage, thus generating more profit. And shortly after the opioid epidemic was declared a national emergency by the Trump administration in May of last year, Purdue Pharma secured a patent for a drug to treat addiction. 'The various Sackler family members, whom I have come to know since joining the Purdue Pharma Board last July, are good people and their commitment to giving back is truly admirable,' said Steve Miller, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Purdue Pharma in statement. 'The mischaracterizations of them in the litigation are worse than unfair and do not resemble the people whom I have come to know and admire.' The company also released a statement that said in part: Among the Attorney Generals most egregious characterizations are casting in a negative light Purdues due diligence on a potential acquisition of a drug for the treatment of addiction that was already on the market; even though the company never actually made the acquisition.' In early 2001, Richard Sackler learned about the fatal consequences befalling some users of the Purdue Pharma drug Oxycontin in a series of emails from staff and those directly effected by the building opioid epidemic claims the complaint. One sales representative contacted Sackler according to the filing - which names the company and eight of the Sackler heirs as defendants - detailing what was being said about the company's product in his sales region at a meeting of parents. Up it: He still encouraged an increase in patient doses per a complain from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 'Statements were made that OxyContin sales were at the expense of dead children and the only difference between heroin and OxyContin is that you can get OxyContin from a doctor,' read the email from January 2001. In February federal prosecutors reported 59 deaths from OxyContin in a single state, news which Sackler responded to by stating: 'This is not too bad. It could have been far worse.' A week after that email, a letter was sent to the company by a mother who had lost her son. 'My son was only 28 years old when he died from Oxycontin on New Years Day. We all miss him very much, his wife especially on Valentines Day,' she wrote. 'Why would a company make a product that strong (80 and 160 mg) when they know they will kill young people? My son had a bad back and could have taken Motrin but his Dr. started him on Vicodin, then Oxycontin then Oxycontin SR. Now he is dead! The complaint states that a staff member noted: 'I see a liability issue here.' Sackler opted to address this according to the filing by presenting those who had overdosed as removed from the norm, sending out one email in which he wrote: 'we have to hammer on the abusers in every way possible. They are the culprits and the problem. They are reckless criminals.' In the midst of all this, Sackler responded to a proposal that sought to get pharmacies to increase OxyContin inventory and allow for 2 or 3 bottles of the powerful pain pill by 'demand[ing] to know why they couldnt get up to 4 bottles or more.' He also told management to 'measure our performance by Rxs by strength, giving higher measures to higher strengths' in an email that was also sent to two other defendants in the case, Jonathan and Mortimer Sackler on the instruction. The complaint also states that Jonathan knew then that 'high doses of an opioid are used for long periods of time.' And for those looking for help with an addiction to opioids, the company managed to secure a patent back in September. 'One of the most glaring omissions in Massachusetts complaint continues to be that, in 2013, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Health and Human Services determined that Purdue had fulfilled its requirements under a 2007-2012 Corporate Integrity Agreement (CIA) relating to the marketing of its medications and released Purdue from the agreement,' the company said in that statement released last week. 'Furthermore, during the term of this five-year agreement, Purdue had submitted annual reports to a designated OIG monitor and had engaged an Independent Review Organization that evaluated specified elements of Purdues compliance program on a periodic basis to assess compliance with the terms of the CIA.' In closing, the compnay stated: 'Purdue and the individual defendants will continue to defend themselves against these misleading and deliberately inflammatory allegations. 'In the meantime, Purdue continues to fight for balance in the public discourse so that society can simultaneously help pain patients in need and create real solutions to the complex problem of addiction.' Brayden M. Berkshire, 18, was released on $15,000 bail following her arrest on Monday by the Miami County Sheriffs Office An Indiana high school varsity player has been arrested and charged with reckless homicide in connection with the fatal shooting of a former student. Brayden M. Berkshire, 18, was released on $15,000 bail following her arrest on Monday by the Miami County Sheriffs Office. Berkshire was charged with reckless homicide and obstruction of justice, the Pharos-Tribune reported. Investigators are looking into her alleged role in the shooting death of Nathan Joe Hopper. Hopper, 18, was found dead with a gunshot wound inside his home in Peru, Indiana, on Sunday morning. He graduated from Logansport High School in Logansport, Indiana, where Berkshire is a senior honor roll student and a member of the varsity volleyball team. Berkshire is a senior honor roll student and a member of the varsity volleyball team at Logansport High School in Indiana Investigators are looking into her alleged role in the shooting death of Nathan Joe Hopper. Hopper, 18, was found dead with a gunshot wound inside his home in Peru, Indiana on Sunday morning This is a tragic event, and we want to allow the authorities to do their investigation, the schools principal, Matt Jones, said on Tuesday. Police have yet to provide information shedding light on the circumstances of Hoppers death. The investigation is being handled by the Miami County Sheriffs Office, the Miami County Coroners Office, and the Indiana State Police. A city fire official from upstate New York allegedly used a firehouse to sell drugs as part of a conspiracy involving more than two dozen people linked to the trafficking of fentanyl and cocaine. Lt. Paul Smith, 48, of the Middletown Fire Department has been charged with being a major drug trafficker as the ringleader of a cocaine-dealing motorcycle club and another operation that sold pills containing fentanyl in upstate New York, state police said Tuesday. Smith was among 29 people charged in the culmination of a six-month drug investigation, police said. Most were arrested in early morning raids in Orange and Rockland counties. A city fire official from upstate New York allegedly used a firehouse to sell drugs and hold meetings to further a conspiracy involving more than two dozen people linked to the trafficking of fentanyl and cocaine A total of 29 people were arrested after a six-month investigation by New York State police Lt. Paul Smith, 48, of the Middletown Fire Department has been charged with being a major drug trafficker as the ringleader of a cocaine-dealing motorcycle club and another operation that sold pills containing fentanyl in upstate New York, state police said Tuesday Middletown Mayor Joseph DeStefano said Smith, a 19-year veteran with a prominent role as shift supervisor and training officer, was immediately suspended without pay. 'It's very disturbing that a man sworn to save lives is at the epicenter of a drug ring aimed at destroying lives,' DeStefano said, noting that some of the drug deals were allegedly made at the fire house. He said the city is conducting its own investigation. Officials did not have the name of Smith's lawyer to comment on his behalf. A former town police officer was also among those arrested. The raids recovered more than $200,000 in cash, 25 handguns, multiple rifles, ten vehicles, two motorcycles, more than 2.5 pounds of cocaine and 1,300 fentanyl pills, police said. State police said the investigation targeted two separate operations. One involved members and associates of self-described 'outlaw' motorcycle clubs trafficking cocaine and the other involved the sale of pills marketed as oxycodone but actually containing highly addictive and often lethal fentanyl. The FBI and Drug Enforcement Agency assisted in the investigation. The raids recovered more than $200,000 in cash, 25 handguns, multiple rifles, ten vehicles, two motorcycles, more than 2.5 pounds of cocaine and 1,300 fentanyl pills, police said The scheme operated as two separate drug rings connected by two men, according to authorities. Smith, a resident of Deerpark, and volunteer Mechanicstown firefighter Robert Dunham Jr, 46, of Middletown allegedly received the drugs from suppliers and distributed them to others, according to the Times Herald-Record. He allegedly used Middletowns Central Firehouse to conduct the affairs of the trafficking ring, though authorities say that no other local firefighters are suspects. 'Essentially, the firehouse was used at times by him to make sales and hold meetings,' Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler said. Smith and Dunham are alleged to have provided cocaine to members of two Middletown-based outlaw biker gangs, the Burnt Pistons and the Chingalings. The head of the Burnt Prisons, John Beltempo, 49, of New Windsor, was also arrested. Beltempto is a former police officer with Spring Valley, Town of Wallkill and the Orange County Sheriffs Office. George Thomas, 61, of Bloomingburg, is the president of Chingaling. He, too, is a former police officer, according to authorities. Authorities say one of the rings sold counterfeit oxycodone pills made from fentanyl, while the other sold cocaine. The police investigation was given the code name 'Operation: Bread, White and Blues.' Investigators said the defendants referred to money as 'bread'; cocaine was 'white'; and the pills were 'blues.' 'Many of the people buying these pills thought they were buying OxyContin,' Hoovler said. The defendants were arraigned over the course of Tuesday in Orange County Court. Bails ranged from $5,000 cash or $10,000 bond for a woman who turned herself in to police. The top defendants bail was set at $1million or $3million bond Smith and two others - Garry Michel, 48, of Wallkill, and Marquis Gamble, 34, of Nyack - have been charged with operating as a major trafficker, a felony whose maximum penalty is 25 years to life in prison. They are alleged to have sold more than $75,000 worth of illicit drugs in a six-month period. All 29 defendants have been charged with second-degree conspiracy, a felony. Michel is alleged to have supplied the pills to Smith and Dunham as well as to street-level dealers. Authorities say Michel used his girlfriends home in Chester as a stash house. Gamble is alleged to have supplied the cocaine to Smith, who then distributed it to Dunham and another co-conspirator, Joel Gamble, 44, of Cuddebackville. Smith is also alleged to have distributed cocaine to members of the two biker gangs. One of the street level pill dealers was Mechanicstown Fire Chief Dominic Guardino, 55, of Wallkill. Authorities allege Guardino used his official, department-issued car to obtain piills. Hoovler said the alleged conspiracies were very sophisticated because of the use of counter-surveillance and methods to avoid detection. He said that the investigation by State police was handled on a very clandestine level, because of the people involved, because of the possibility of leaks. The defendants were arraigned over the course of Tuesday in Orange County Court. Bails ranged from $5,000 cash or $10,000 bond for a woman who turned herself in to police. The top defendants bail was set at $1million or $3million bond. Smith was ordered held without bail. THE DEFENDANTS Paul Smith, 48, of Deerpark Robert Dunham, 46, of Middletown Marquis Gable, 34, of Nyack John Beltempo, 49, of New Windsor Kenneth Nunez, 39, of Spring Valley Garry Michel, 48, of Wallkill Joel Gamble, 44, of Cuddebackville Samuel Marino, 30, of Campbell Hall Arthur Mays, 30, of Middletown George Thomas, 61, of Bloomingburg David Lebel, 55, of Middletown Jennifer Peterson, 46, of Chester Vincenza Ferrante, 35, of New Windsor Shawn Daniels, 52, of Monroe Salvatore DiStefano, 36, of Westtown Melissa Delrosso, 35, of Middletown Raymond Chong, 49, of Middletown Tara Schoonmaker, 48, of Wurtsboro Crystal Crozier, 36, of Middletown Donald Johnston, 46, of Middletown Anthony Fields, 44, of Middletown Desmon Pierson, 36, of Middletown Dominick Guardino, 55, of Middletown Sunshine Wall, 40, of Cuddebackville Nicholas Ciccone, 47, of Port Jervis Charles Kavanaugh, 31, of Newburgh Gary Caldwell, 33, of Wappingers Justin Antona, 27, of Slate Hill Andrew Bendig, 23, of Middletown Advertisement Convicted paedophile Rolf Harris has been issued a warning by police after he was kicked off the grounds of a primary school for waving at young pupils. Harris, 88, was pictured standing and chatting to a wood sculptor and waving to youngsters at Oldfield Primary School in Maidenhead, Berkshire, yesterday. Headteacher Richard Jarrett said he ordered the disgraced Australian former TV star, who was released from HM Prison Stafford in 2017, to leave the school grounds. Today the Ministry of Justice confirmed they were investigating but refused to rule out whether Harris faces a recall to prison, when pressed by MailOnline. Sentencing Council guidelines state that a breach of licence by a sex offender carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a minimum of six months in custody or a fine. Thames Valley Police said: 'A report was made that a man was on the site of the school. 'An officer attended the scene but no offence was committed. No arrests were made and advice has been given to the man involved.' Rolf Harris leaving home this morning. Yesterday he was reported to police after approaching a wood sculptor on the outskirts of a primary school The Australian entertainer, pictured this morning, was seen waving at the children at the Berkshire school Police officers outside Oldfield Primary School in Bray, Maidenhead this morning An MoJ spokesman told MailOnline it will take 'appropriate action', adding: 'Sex offenders are subject to strict licence conditions upon release and enforcement action if they breach them'. In a statement outside the school this morning Mr Jarrett said: 'In line with our standard procedures, an uninvited individual was asked to leave the outer perimeter of the school site yesterday, which he did without delay. 'At no time did any of our pupils come into contact with the individual nor was the individual invited by us on to the school grounds. 'As a precaution, this incident has been reported to Thames Valley Police.' A force spokesman told MailOnline the MoJ was dealing with the probe. The school is located just a few hundred yards from the riverside home of the former entertainer which he shares with his wife Alwen. This morning neighbours defended the artist, saying he was an 'asset to the area'. Harris was seen leaving his multi-million riverside home in Bray breifly this morning but did not speak to reporters. One parent at the nearby school said he was unconcerned by the incident. The father who did not want to be named, said: 'Because of what he does and what he is, he's a sculptor. I think he just came in and asked for wood. 'I think he just asked for a bit of wood. I don't think there was anything major at the end of the day. Apparently he asked for some and the headmaster gave it to him and then he was asked to leave. 'The way I look at it, we can't condone what he's done, what he's done is awful, but he's done his time, and he's 88 years old. What harm can he do? If he was 40 or 50 years old, and capable of doing something I'd be concerned. 'In terms of where he was, it wasn't a clever move. He's a known convict. But he lives a few doors down from here, it's almost unavoidable.' Headteacher of Oldfield Primary School in Maidenhead Mr Jarrett told Harris to leave after chatting with him briefly Rolf Harris was jailed for five years for indecent assault on young girls - but was seen waving at primary school children today Yesterday heateacher Mr Jarrett said to the Daily Mirror: 'We have got a pick-up and drop-off point at the school, which is 20 metres from a main road, and we have got two forms of security. 'We've got a wood sculptor working close to the road at the moment and Rolf Harris lives about three doors down from the school. 'He must have seen him [the sculptor] and come into the school area. He had no access to the children whatsoever. 'I went over and shook his hand and introduced myself. 'He explained what he was doing that he was getting some wood from the sculptor. I said, 'You need to go'.' Harris was seen outside the school chatting to a sculptor and waving at the pupils in the window of the Berkshire premises Harris was ordered to serve five years and nine months in prison for 12 indecent assaults on teenage girls between 1968 and 1986. Although he lives nearby it was the first time he appeared at the school, Mr Jarrett said. The teacher also said he informed police. Disgraced entertainer's Neighboours say Rolf is an 'asset to the area' This morning neighbours and campaigners defended the disgraced celebrity. One elderly male neighbour said: 'He's an asset to the area, he's been a tremendous supporter of any charity we've been part of. 'He's very ill, he's not well. His wife is bed bound, she's not well. 'We know he had sex with a 15-year-old but we find it terribly sad that the end of his life has been marred by continual investigation into what happened 30 or 40 years ago.' Another male neighbour putting out rubbish described the outrage in the local community as 'nonsense'. He said: 'There is some wood work being done at the edge of the school. He went and asked for some wood from it. He's a sculptor. This is all silly stuff.' Lizzie Cornish, 63, who runs Support Justice for Rolf Harris, speculated he was 'merely waving' to children while discussing art with the wood sculptor. She went on: 'Headmaster goes out, shakes Rolf's hand, explains he can't be on school grounds, Rolf realizes his mistake immediately, leaves straight away.....Head feels he has to inform police, I'd imagine in case any child told their parents, thus putting him in awkward situation.' Advertisement Parents and relatives of children at the school were stunned by what they saw when a person who took images shared them. Grandad John Thirkell, 69, told the Daily Mirror: 'Why would he want to be waving at kids? He's already given himself a terrible name. 'I think the head teacher did the right thing telling him to go and if he's got any sense he won't come back.' Harris was convicted of 12 indecent assaults at London's Southwark Crown Court in June 2014, one on an eight-year-old autograph hunter, two on girls in their early teens, and a catalogue of abuse against his daughter's friend over 16 years. He was jailed for five years and nine months, but released from HMP Stafford in May 2017 after serving less than half the sentence. However while in prison his fortune grew thanks to his firm RHE Investments' holdings which has amassed nearly 4million. He and daughter Bindi stepped down as directors of the firm set up in 2012 but his wife of 60 years, Alwen, remains the secretary. Bindi Nicholls, 54, has revealed plans to pen a tell-all book about life with her father after sticking with him throughout his prison term and trial. In documents obtained by the Daily Star Sunday, Bindi defends her father's behaviour and argues he is simply from a different era. Ms Nicholls has already created several draft pages of the book in which she slams the courts and claims her father is 'no kiddy fiddler'. The Ministry of Justice said: 'When sex offenders are released they are subject to strict licence conditions and are liable to be returned to custody for breaching them. We are looking into these reports and will take appropriate action.' The young boy who was First Lady Melania Trumps guest at the State of the Union because he was bullied for having the same last name as the President is the new star of the resistance. Joshua Trump, 11, won over anti-Trump Twitter on Tuesday after he was photographed sleeping in the gallery during the Presidents speech. The late hour appeared to take its toll on the sixth-grader from Delaware, who was seated next to another guest, Grace Eline. Eline is a young girl who was successfully treated for brain cancer. Joshua Trump, 11, won over anti-Trump Twitter on Tuesday after he was photographed sleeping in the gallery while during the Presidents speech The sixth-grader from Delaware was seated in the gallery next to Grace Eline, another guest of the White House. Grace was successfully treated for brain cancer Earlier in the evening, there were signs that Joshua wasn't going to stay awake throughout the speech Sure enough, he was out cold - earning him celebrity status on social media To Elines right is the First Lady, who is seen applauding her husband during his speech. But the speech appeared to arouse little interest in young Joshua, who became an instant meme-worthy topic. 'Joshua Trump is a Trump I can get behind,' tweeted one Twitter user. Another Twitter user tweeted: 'Welcome to the resistance, Joshua Trump.' The 'resistance' is a popular term used to describe the opposition to President Trump and his policies. 'Is he the best person with the last name Trump? Very possibly,' tweeted author Molly Jong-Fast. One Twitter user opined: 'Kid's got that Trump attention span.' Another Twitter user replied: 'He's likely the smartest Trump.' 'Today Joshua Trump truly became President,' tweeted Oliver Willis. This hilarious photo shows other guests looking stunned while glancing at Joshua, who was out cold 'We are all Joshua Trump,' tweeted Steve Marmel. 'Seriously. I love this kid.' 'Joshua has already mastered "executive time",' tweeted Graham Geiselman. 'Executive time' is a reference to President Trump's blocs of leisure time at the White House during which it is assumed he is watching television. The President and First Lady invited young Joshua after hearing about his plight on the news. Forced to endure months of bullying for sharing the same surname as the President, Joshua Trump dropped out of school and told his mother he had lost the will to live. His story eventually caught the attention of the First Lady, who invited the 11-year-old to join her for her husband's address to Congress. But achieving national fame was never the goal for the sixth-grader from Wilmington, Delaware - who, like many his age - just wanted to fit in. 'Joshua Trump is a Trump I can get behind,' tweeted one Twitter user Another Twitter user tweeted: 'Welcome to the resistance, Joshua Trump.' The 'resistance' is a popular term used to describe the opposition to President Trump and his policies 'Is he the best person with the last name Trump? Very possibly,' tweeted author Molly Jong-Fast One Twitter user opined: 'Kid's got that Trump attention span.' Another Twitter user replied: 'He's likely the smartest Trump' 'Today Joshua Trump truly became President,' tweeted Oliver Willis 'We are all Joshua Trump,' tweeted Steve Marmel. 'Seriously. I love this kid' 'Joshua has already mastered "executive time",' tweeted Graham Geiselman. 'Executive time' is a reference to President Trump's blocs of leisure time at the White House during which it is assumed he is watching television 'I'm tired of the bullying,' the schoolboy told the news site Inside Edition in December. 'They say are you related to Donald Trump? And I say, "Would I be here if I'm related to him?"' The constant mockery became so bad that his parents eventually pulled him out of school in 2017 and taught him at home for a year, before re-enrolling him when he was due to start middle school. But the issues he was facing did not go away. His mother Megan Trump tried to sign him up for a different school bus to avoid certain students responsible for the constant teasing, but on the very first trip the driver asked him about his name. 'He said he hates himself and he hates his last name and he feels sad all the time and he doesn't want to live feeling like that anymore. And as a parent, that's scary,' his mother told a local television news station. His school instructed his teachers not to use his surname any more, and disciplined five students, who apologized to the boy. President Trump's State of the Union address on Tuesday lasted 82 minutes 'It went to the point where he and the school were going to change his last name' and instead go by 'Berto' - his father's surname, Claudio Cerullo, the founder of the site TeachAntiBullying.org, told AFP. 'But we encouraged him not to do that.' His organization awarded Joshua a national anti-bullying medal for courage late last year, which prompted the White House to reach out last month to invite him to the annual presidential speech. Melania Trump has made her anti-bullying campaign the centerpiece of her legacy as first lady, although there have been few concrete steps aside from public appearances and roundtable discussions. 'I hope that it brings greater awareness to this issue because it's not just about Joshua Trump,' said Cerullo. 'There's many, many other children who are victimized in the United States and around the world.' But he acknowledged the move puts the first lady in an awkward spot, since her husband is frequently slammed for his denigrating public attacks on political foes, critics and the media, and often resorts to petty name-calling. 'The first lady is in a very difficult position,' Cerullo said. 'I'm hopeful that she's very impactful upon on her husband.' Youths in flood-ravaged north Queensland have boasted on social media about looting homes left abandoned by owners as the water levels rose. As water flooded the city of Townsville and surrounding areas over the weekend, residents were forced to leave flee their homes for higher ground. While volunteers and the army have banded with locals in the wake of the floods that have devastated the area, others have showcased the dark side of a natural disaster. In one post to social media a young man advertised for friends to join him in robbing abandoned homes or businesses. Scroll down for video 'If you're up for looting me and some boys are in,' one man wrote on Facebook after homes and businesses were left abandoned following severe flooding in Townsville, far north Queensland The same man defended his behaviour saying he would 'rather sleep in a cell than out in the rain' Thousands of homes in the of Townsville (pictured) were left abandoned over the weekend after the gates of the Ross River Dam were opened, sending water down into the nearby city 'To whoever is stuck on the river have a safe night and if you're up for looting me and some boys are in,' the man wrote. After being criticised by others on Facebook the man then defended his actions. 'Some of us (have) got nothing... no food... no money... I'd rather sleep in a cell than out in the rain,' the man wrote. It comes as social media users have trolled two men who were swept to their deaths as they ran from police after allegedly looting a Dan Murphy's store. Hughie Morton, 21, and Troy Mathieson, 23, were reportedly seen looting the popular bottle shop about 3am on Sunday - when the floodwaters were at their worst. The bodies of the two men - who were both from Palm Island, an offshore area with a permanent alcohol restriction - were found in a storm water drain on Tuesday. But despite their deaths there was little sympathy online for the two men, with some calling their demise 'karma'. 'Well the two looters in Townsville got their just desserts. Karma is a wonderful thing,' one person posted. Hughie Morton (left), 21, and Troy Mathieson (right), 23, were last seen near floodwaters on Monday morning, sparking fears they've been washed away One of the two bodies (pictured) was found in an open drain in Townsville on February 5 Despite their deaths there was little sympathy online for the two men, with some calling their demise 'karma' 'Two bright young looters who had a whole life of crime ahead of them,' another man commented. Police are currently investigating the circumstances around Morton and Mathieson's deaths and the conduct of the officers who pursued them. Thousands of residents were able to return to their homes on Tuesday to assess the damage and begin the massive clean up now ahead of them. Townsville was overrun with scenes of total chaos this week, with many homes, car parks and shopping centres almost totally submerged. The city was turned into a floodplain on Sunday night when the Ross River Dam spillway gates automatically opened to ease pressure. This sent 2,000 cubic metres of water per second rocketing through already flooded suburbs as desperate residents scrambled for higher ground. Close to 400 people were rescued by the army with trucks and helicopters, and put up in evacuation centres until they could return to their homes. Andrew Hodgson cleans mud off his flood affected driveway in the suburb of Hermit Park in Townsville Dave Mitchell helps clean his brother's flood affected motel in Townsville on Tuesday Furniture and homewares were piled up outside Townsville homes on Tuesday as residents returned to clean up the deluge left behind Steve Knight was scraping thick grey silt from his driveway as his wife Rachel picked through what was left of their home. They had fled about 4am on Saturday when they lost power and returned on Tuesday for the first time. 'It's just devastating, we've been here 14 years and it's never flooded before. Even in Cyclone Yasi we stayed dry, but not this time,' Mr Knight said. 'For us to flood here shows you how devastating it really was. 'It's all material stuff, we can replace things, but to get in and open the door and see everything gone - it was just devastating.' Townsville resident David Mitchell had his entire home to clear on Tuesday following the devastating floods Heartbreaking images took over the city on Tuesday as families returned to view the damage and begin clearing what was left Mr Mitchell sweeps out his muddy garage after flood waters receded in the suburb of Rosslea on Ms Knight said the hardest part had been not knowing and waiting to see the damage. She had no idea where they will live while their home is repaired. 'I don't know what we are going to do - it will be six months before we can move back, at the earliest.' Outside, Mr Knight discovered two of his children's medals buried in the silt. He tossed them onto the pile of rubbish on the sodden front lawn to be taken to the dump - along with most of their possessions. Days of severe rainfall combined with unprecedented water released from the city's swollen dam, sent torrents of water down the Ross River and into, swamping roads, yards and homes. Townsville man Damien Kent was forced to smash his way into a neighbour's house with a hammer to seek refuge from raging floodwater for two families, six dogs and five cats. Days of severe rainfall combined with unprecedented water released from the city's swollen dam, sent torrents of water down the Ross River and into, swamping roads, yards and homes Bettina Murphy cleans mud after her house was flooded in the suburb of Hermit Park in Townsville The city was turned into a floodplain on Sunday night when the Ross River Dam spillway gates automatically opened to ease pressure Residents armed with mops and brooms took on the challenge of clearing their homes of the muddied waters that threatened to destroy their homes Forecasters have warned there may be more to come with the monsoon trough will remain active for days and with it the risk of more flash flooding Corbin Dale cleans the driveway of a friend's house in the suburb of Hermit Park in Townsville Mr Kent had ignored advice to seek shelter from the monsoon and had expected to ride out the storm in his Hermit Park home. However, as surging water rushed at knee-level over the weekend he knew he needed to act. He first tried SES but it was too late to be rescued. He turned to his neighbour who had an empty two-storey home. He was granted permission to seek refuge in the property, along with another nearby family. 'I wasn't panicking, I had to keep my calm - it must be the mullet. 'I carried the youngest kids on my back, they were pretty scared. 'We also carried six dogs and the five cats - we did a fair few trips but we are all ok.' Heartbreaking scenes filled the streets as residents returned to assess the damaged caused by the monsoon Townsville residents woke on this week to scenes of total chaos, with thousands of homes, car parks and shopping centres almost totally submerged Forecasters warned there may be more to come with the monsoon trough will remain active for days and with it the risk of more flash flooding. The Bureau of Meteorology predicted a 95 per cent chance of rain every day until at least Thursday, while there was a 90 per cent chance of rain on Friday. 'There is an end in sight but we're expecting further periods of heavy rainfall, some of it very heavy, about the north-east tropics for the next few days between about Cardwell and Mackay,' meteorologist Richard Wardle told ABC. The Bureau of Meteorology predicts a 95 per cent chance of rain every day until at least Thursday, while there's a 90 per cent chance of rain on Friday 'There is an end in sight but we're expecting further periods of heavy rainfall, some of it very heavy, about the north-east tropics for the next few days between about Cardwell and Mackay,' meteorologist Richard Wardle says Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren is worth as much as $10 million, her latest disclosure forms reveal as she prepares to announce her presidential campaign with a call to impose a 'wealth tax' on multi-million dollar households. Warren disclosed a book advance of $300,000 on 'This Fight is Our Fight,' her form reveals. She also retains her title of professor emeritus at Harvard. She previously taught law there before running the first consumer protection board and getting elected to the Senate. Her investment and retirement accounts are worth between $2.59 million and $8.38 million, CNN reported. Sen. Elizabeth Warren disclosed a book advance of $300,000 on 'This Fight is Our Fight' and has assets worth up to $10 million, she revealed Candidates for federal office must disclose their holdings only in broad ranges. Her savings account holds up to $250,000. She also draws a $174,000 salary as a senator. She also has an annuity worth up to $1 million. Her husband, Harvard Law professor Bruce Mann, draws a $913,000 income Warren has proposed a 'wealth tax' on households worth more than $50 million Her disclosure was obtained by the Center for Public Integrity. Her husband, Bruce Mann, draws a $913,000 income and is a Harvard Law professor. Her minimum net worth was estimated to be less than $5 million in 2017. As she moves ahead with her presidential campaign, Warren has proposed a 'wealth tax' of 2 per cent on households worth $50 million. Billionaires would face an additional 1 per cent tax. President Donald Trump's two Supreme Court picks were among four justices who attended the State of the Union. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was not among them. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Elena Kagan joined Trump nominees Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch in the House chamber on Tuesday. Justices typically attend State of the Union speeches given by the president who nominated them. Roberts and Kagan have never missed the State of the Union address since they've been on the court. The 85-year-old Ginsburg is recovering from cancer surgery in December. She made her first public appearance since the surgery on Monday at a concert given by her daughter-in-law in Washington, D.C. Ginsburg did not attend Trump's speech last year, either. Justtices at the speech: Four out of the nine Supreme Court justices attended Trump's State of the Union. From left: Chief Justice John Roberts; Elena Kagan; Neil Gorsuch; and Brett Kavanaugh Not all serious: Elena Kagan and John Roberts enjoy a joke before the beginning of the State of the Union Official picture: Ruth Bader Ginsburg was photographed in November shortly before being diagnosed as having cancerous nodes in her lung and then undergoing surgery Missed occasion: Ruth Bader Ginsburg was not present to watch Donald Trump deliver his second State of the Union address On Monday Ginsburg made her first public appearance since undergoing lung cancer surgery, attending a concert in her honor given by her daughter-in-law and other musicians. Ginsburg had surgery in New York on Dec. 21. She missed arguments at the court in January, her first illness-related absence in more than 25 years as a justice, and has been recuperating at her home in Washington. On Monday night, Ginsburg attended a concert at a museum a few blocks from the White House. It was given by Patrice Michaels, who is married to Ginsburg's son, James. Michaels is a soprano and composer. The concert was dedicated to Ginsburg's life in the law. The justice sat in the back of the darkened auditorium at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. The National Constitution Center, which sponsored the concert, did not permit photography. The performance concluded with a song set to Ginsburg's answers to questions. The way it was: Ruth Bader Ginsburg was present for all of Barack Obama's State of the Union addresses, and hugged him as he entered or left the chamber including at his final speech in 2016 Mostly staying away: Of the nine justices, those at the State of the Union are: Chief Justice John Roberts (center) and Justices Neil Gorsuch (back row, left); Elena Kagan (back row, second from right); Brett Kavanaugh (back row, right) In introducing the last song, Michaels said, "bring our show to a close, but not the epic and notorious story of RBG." Ginsburg had two previous bouts with cancer. She had colorectal cancer in 1999 and pancreatic cancer in 2009. James Ginsburg said before the concert that his mother is walking a mile a day and meeting with her personal trainer twice a week. Bader Ginsburg was present at all Barack Obama's State of the Union addresses and hugged him as he entered or left the chamber. She was not present at Trump's first Joint Address to Congress in 2017, which took the place of the State of the Union as is the tradition for new presidents, or for his 2018 State of the Union. Other Justices' attendance has been patchy at best. Justice Samuel Alito has not attended since mouthing 'not true' at Obama in Retired Justice John Paul Stevens never attended any in 35 years on the bench. Advertisement Women from the Democratic party put on a unified front by wearing all white for President Trump's State of the Union Address on Tuesday. The political tribute was initiated by Florida Representative Lois Frankel, chairwoman of the Democratic Women's Working Group, in an effort to honor those who voted in the midterm elections. 'By wearing suffragette white to #SOTU2019 tmrw we're sending a message to everyone that voted for @HouseDemocrats & delivered us the majority that we're working #ForThePeople, promoting the economic security of women & their families!' Frankel said in a Monday tweet. All in this together: Women from the Democratic party wore all white to the State of the Union on Tuesday in an effort to support women's right Florida Representative Lois Frankel, chairwoman of the Democratic Women's Working Group, called for the fashion action to take place Super girl! Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rocked a white cape as she posed for photos with various women before the presidential address Ocasio-Cortez arrives to the U.S. capitol building with guest Ana Maria Archilla, the woman who confronted Jeff Flake during the Kavanaugh hearing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rocked a white cape as she posed for photos with various women before the presidential address at the U.S. Capitol. The cape went for $100 on Zara before it was marked down and eventually sold out online. The politician had tweeted that people shouldn't watch the president's address, but clarified that she was only giving people warning about Trump's tendency to use harmful words impacting marginalized communities. 'I'm going in there to definitely listen to what the president has to say but I do represent many vulnerable communities,' she said to CNN. 'Many of whom have been traumatized and feel very vulnerable to the president's actions and the president's words from air traffic controllers whose paychecks were being with held for a month to immigrant who is aren't sure if their Visas will be renewed or if their applications will be approved. I think if it's going to be harmful for you, I wanted to give that permission to folks if they were feeling some type of way about it.' Ocasio-Cortez brought Ana Maria Archilla, the woman who confronted Jeff Flake during the Kavanaugh hearing, along as a guest for the president's remarks. Hillary Clinton took to her Twitter to salute the women in white Stacey Abrams shared a tweet offering her support of the Democratic women wearing right. She even wore a pin of a golden and white flower to accompany her look From opposite sides: Speaker Pelosi showed brightly in her white suit in contrast to Donald Trump's black suit Octavio-Cortez and other lawmakers listen to US President Donald Trump's State of the Union address Lawmakers react to US President Donald Trump's acknowledgement of an increased presence of women in the workforce and on Capitol HiLL 'I'm here as an invitation to everyone around the country to use their voices and tell their stories because our Democracy can not exist and can not work if we are not all in it,' Archilla said to CNN. 'Shaping it, making our demands, amking sure that the people representing us, understand our lives and our priorities. I feel so lucky that I have the best representative in congress, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. When asked about being in the room with Kavanaugh, Archilla noted that that she just realized she'll see him for the first time since he was confirmed. She added: 'It is still very painful for me and many women across the country to know that our elected officials failed to understand theopportunity that they had to signal to the country that they were not going to reaffirm a culture that enables sexual violence in the first place. They failed by putting Kavanaugh in the supreme court. I fell encouraged by the leadership of women like my congresswoman and the women that are presenting a new vision for the country.' The politician had tweeted that people shouldn't watch the president's address, but clarified that she was only giving people warning about Trump's tendency to use harmful words impacting marginalized communities Speaker Nancy Pelosi wore a white suit paired with a lavender blouse. The lavender was also a homage to the colors used in the Suffragist movement in the 20th century. She accessorized with a golden brooch that also was a salute to the suffragist colors. Massachusetts representative Ayanna Pressley also donned a white suit and wore her braids in a stylish up-do. But a few men also wore white in solidarity with the women. Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota also sported a white suit finished with black detail. He accessorized with a navy tie and a pin that said 'Era Yes,' a national organization for women that pushes for sex equality. 'Honored tonight to be wearing a token of white along with @HouseDemWomen and in support of womens representation, rights and freedoms #AbramsAddress,' said Stacey Abrams on Twitter. So classy! Nancy wore an elegant white suit and paired it effortlessly with a lavender blouse and a golden brooch Support: Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota dressed in solidarity with the women and accessorized with a pin that said 'Era Yes,' a national organization for women that pushes for sex equality The all-white action isn't the first that the Democratic party has participated in under the presidency of Donald Trump. Women from the party wore white to Trump's first speech before a joint session of Congress in 2017. 'We're wearing suffragette white at #JointSession as a pledge to fight for women's #reprorights, #equalpay, #paidleave & more #WomenWearWhite,' said Massachusetts representative Katherine Clark at the time on Twitter. Last year, Frankel encouraged members of Congress to wear black to Trump's first SOTU to show their support with the #MeToo movement. Unified: The all-white action isn't the first that the Democratic party has participated in under the presidency of Donald Trump AOC greets New York representative Nita Lowey at the U.S. Capitol before the president's remarks Rep. Brenda Lawrence (at the podium) of Michigan speaks at a women's right press conference before the State of the Union. Rosa DeLauro was also in attendance with her signature colored hair (center) 'By wearing black, members of Congress are showing solidarity with a movement that is demanding economic justice and a cultural shift that enables men and women to work side by side in safety and dignity, free of sexual harassment, and be paid equally for the value of their work,' she said in a statement at the time, according to USA Today. Suffragist chose purple and white when deciding the colors of their flag, Washington Post reports. The purple represents loyalty and stood in solidarity with those working for women's rights in England, White represented purity and gold represented Kansas, where Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton worked to secure the right to vote for women. Lawrence was joined by Pressley (left) at the press conference Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Karen Bass was also at the press conference for women's rights White clothing also allowed the women in the suffrage movement to come off as nonthreatening, downplaying any connection between women and aggression. The clothing also promoted the inclusion of those in the working class. In 1913, lawyer Inez Milholland Boissevain wore a white cape as she rode a white horse in a suffrage parade in Washington D.C. White has also been a symbol of first for many women in the Democratic Party. Shirley Chisholm wore white when she was sworn in as the first African American woman to be elected to Congress and again when she was the first woman running for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1972. Years later, Hillary Clinton would wear white at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Pelosi whole ensemble paid homage to the suffragist movement. She stands with the other women on the spiral staircase New Hampshire's Annie Kuster was all smiles as she greeted Lowey Kim Jong-un's still has nuclear missiles and the weapons' programme is being hidden using airports as a cover, UN experts have warned. North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes remain intact and Pyongyang is using airports and other facilities to shield its weapons from possible US military strikes, according to a UN panel of experts. The panel said in a report today that sanctions against North Korea were 'ineffective,' with Pyongyang still able to acquire illegal shipments of oil products, sell banned coal and violate an arms embargo. The confidential report was sent to the Security Council as President Donald Trump prepares for a second summit this month with leader Kim Jong Un that the United States hopes will yield concrete progress in dismantling Pyongyang's weapons programmes. Hide and seek: Kim Jong-un's nuclear missile programme remains intact despite the deal signed with Donald Trump 'The Democratic People's Republic of Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes remain intact,' said the report, using the official name for North Korea. 'The panel found that the DPRK is using civilian facilities, including airports for ballistic missile assembly and testing with the goal of effectively preventing 'decapitation' strikes.' The Trump administration has led the drive at the United Nations to impose a series of tough economic sanctions on North Korea in response to its nuclear tests and missile launches in 2017. But North Korea has resorted to illegal transfers of oil, fuel and coal using a network of ships at sea to circumvent the UN-imposed measures aimed at depriving Pyongyang of revenue to build up its weapons programmes. 'These violations render the latest United Nations sanctions ineffective by flouting the caps on the DPRK's import of petroleum products and crude oil as well as the coal ban imposed in 2017,' said the report. North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missiles have been hidden by airports and other facilities, UN experts have warned UN sanctions resolutions have set ceilings for North Korea of four million barrels of crude oil per year and 500,000 barrels of refined oil products. 'The panel found that DPRK ports and airports are used for rampant violations of the resolution ranging from illegal oil imports and coal exports to the smuggling of bulk cash by DPRK nationals,' said the report. North Korea continues to violate an arms embargo and attempted to supply light weapons to Syria, the Huthi rebels in Yemen, Libya and Sudan, it added. 'Financial sanctions remain some of the most poorly implemented and actively evaded measures of the sanctions regime,' said the panel. North Korean financial institutions operate in at least five countries, despite UN-imposed restrictions, while the country's diplomats help their country evade sanctions by controlling bank accounts in multiple countries. The UN panel found that Pyongyang is using civilian facilities, including airports, for the assembly of ballistic missiles, like the Hwasong-14 pictured at its launch in July 2017 The panel's findings were in line with US intelligence assessments that North Korea is unlikely to scrap its weapons programmes but may offer to scale back its activities to win sanctions relief. Last October dictator Kim Jong-un agreed to get rid of all the rogue state's nuclear weapons, according to a deal he signed at a summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. The hermit kingdom pledged to abolish all nuclear materials and facilities to achieve 'complete' denuclearisation, Moon Jae-in has claimed after the pair's meeting three months ago. Kim and US President Donald Trump pledged to work towards denuclearisation at their landmark summit in June last year in Singapore, but the agreement was short on specific details. After his third summit in Pyongyang, Moon said the North was ready to invite international experts to watch the dismantling of a key missile site and would close the main Yongbyon nuclear complex if Washington took reciprocal actions. Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un shake hands at the start of their historic summit at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island, Singapore, in June last year North Korea could have as many as 60 nuclear weapons, the South said after a summit earlier this month. According to South Korean government reports, North is believed to have produced 110 lbs of weaponised plutonium - enough for at least eight bombs. Last week, US Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said North Korea's leaders see nuclear weapons capability as 'critical to regime survival.' US special envoy for North Korea Stephen Biegun will hold talks in Pyongyang on Wednesday to press for progress and steps that could be touted as success during the upcoming summit, which is likely to take place in Vietnam. Just four of Donald Trump's trips to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida cost tax-payers nearly $14million. A report by the Government Accountability Office found that the trips taken between February and March 2017, including his summit with the Japanese Prime Minister, set the government back $13.6million with funds spent on transportation, lodging and feeding government personnel. The nonpartisan watchdog also found the government paid roughly $60,000 directly to Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, with $36,000 spent on the Secret Service for operational purposes and more than $24,000 spent on lodging. In addition to spending on the president, the GOA revealed nearly $400,000 was spent in Secret Service protection for Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump's during three international trips in 2017. Trump took four trips to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, between February and March 2017, pictured with Japanese prime minister and his wife during their meeting in April 2018 A nonpartisan watchdog found all four trips cost taxpayers $13.6million in transportation, lodging and feeding personnel Of the $13.6 million spend on Trump's four trips, $10.6 million went to government aircraft and boats, while another $3million was spent on transporting, lodging and feeding government personnel associated with the trips, according to the GAO. Breaking the spending down further, the Defense Department was given $8.5million and the Department of Homeland Security incurred approximately $5.1million, the report says. The GAO also found that the Secret Service and Defense Department did not submit spending reports to Congress though it is required under the President Protection Assistance Act of 1976. The GOA also examined three international business trips taken by Trump's son in the same time frame as the president's Mar-A-Lago trips. Eric traveled to Uruguay and the Dominican Republic on business for the Trump Organization, while both Eric, Donald Jr and their spouses traveled to the United Arab Emirates. According to the report, both the Trumps and their Secret Service details flew commercial on all three trips. The GOA conducted a similar investigation in 2016 on President Obama and estimated that a four-day trip to Chicago and Palm Beach cost about $3.6million. The report also shows nearly $400,000 of government money was spent on three trips taken by Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trumps for business (pictured in the United Arab Emirates) BREAKDOWN OF TRUMP'S $13.6MILLION TRIPS TO MAR-A-LAGO President Trump's first four trips to Mar-a-Lago cost federal taxpayers $13.6 million, including $60,000 paid directly to Mar-a-Lago. About $10.6 million of that amount was spent on operating costs for government aircraft and boats, and $3 million went to personnel costs for staff supporting the President's travel. Of that, $8.5million went to the Department of Defense, including more than $3million in operating Air Force One and Marine Corps One for transporting Trump. Three international trips made on behalf of the Trump Organization by Donald Trump, Jr. and Eric Trump - to Uruguay, the Dominican Republican, and the sons and thier spouses to the United Arab Emirates in January and February 2017 -cost taxpayers $396,000. Advertisement Democratic Sen Dianne Feinstein Gary Peters and Elijah Cummings released a joint statement Tuesday raising ethical questions about Trump's refusal to distance himself from his personal businesses. 'This alarming report captures a snapshot of the tens of millions of dollars President Trump spends to travel to his Palm Beach resort all at taxpayer expense including government funds that are paid directly to a business in which the president himself has a financial interest,' the statement read. 'This is part of a troubling pattern of wasteful spending and serious abuse of tax dollars by the administration,' they continued. 'We will keep investigating this issue to ensure taxpayer dollars are being used effectively and appropriately.' The White House has previously defended the cost of Trump's travel, arguing that he works on his weekend trips to his resorts. 'The bottom line is the president is the president no matter where he goes, and he doesn't get to control the level of costs and security that may come along with that,' White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters in May 2017 when asked about Trump's weekend travel. On Saturday President Trump arrived at Mar-a-Lago, returning to his Florida retreat for the first time since Thanksgiving. A horrified flood victim who had a close encounter with a crocodile that was taking a a break on her mother's front lawn has shared the shocking video online. The footage, which was captured on Sunday, shows the intruder on the woman's mother's lawn close to floodwaters in Townsville, North Queensland, Newsflare reported. 'The city is known for interesting wildlife including this "uninvited guest", a seven-foot freshwater crocodile, who escaped the flooding and had a rest on my mother's front lawn only a few feet from her back door,' the resident said. Another resident shared a similar video of a massive croc resting on the front lawn of a house close to floodwaters in Townsville, North Queensland Severe rainfall and flash flooding has continued to hit north Queensland over the last week, which has brought out plenty of intruders - specifically crocodiles and snakes. Many distressed locals have shared footage of the predatory visitors in areas where they aren't usually found. The images have since gone viral around the world. One tweet from ABC News in the US, which shows a massive croc escaping floodwaters by climbing a fallen tree, went viral on Wednesday. 'A crocodile is seen climbing a tree in Townsville, Queensland to escape raging floodwaters,' the accompanying caption stated. The post garnered plenty of reactions on social media, with many international followers sharing their thoughts online. 'Poor Croc. You know that it's bad when the Crocodiles are trying to get to dry land. Be safe my Australian friends,' one person wrote. 'Crocodiles in trees now.... That's about right,' another person said. A third person added: 'Time to evacuate Australia.' The ABC tweet also stated: 'Crocodile warnings have been issued in the Australian city amid "unprecedented" levels of flooding.' One tweet from ABC News in the US, which shows a massive croc (pictured) escaping floodwaters by climbing a fallen tree, went viral on Wednesday Justin Mills was on driving along the Bruce Highway through Ingham, three hours south of Cairns, when the 3.5metre croc (pictured) caused him to slam on his breaks Queensland authorities on Monday issued a warning, advising locals to stay out of the water and be wary of what could potentially lie beneath the surface. Minister for Environment Leeanne Enoch said crocodiles and snakes could turn up in unexpected places during flooding. 'Crocodiles prefer calmer waters and they may move around in search of a quiet place to wait for floodwaters to recede,' Ms Enoch said. 'Crocodiles may be seen crossing roads, and when flooding recedes, crocodiles can turn up in unusual places such as farm dams or waterholes where they have not been seen before.' One Queensland motorist who had a close encounter with a displaced croc on a highway shared a photo of the creature. One crocodile was this week spotted in the residential neighbourhood of Mundingburra shortly before 10pm Australia's biggest northern city remains under siege as once in a century monsoons continue to flood homes Justin Mills was on Januray 30 driving through Ingham, three hours south of Cairns, on the Bruce Highway when the 3.5metre croc caused him to slam on his breaks. Another local who discovered an unwelcome visitor on her family's driveway was Townsville local Erin Hahn, who posted a photo of the croc just metres from her front door. 'Croc out the front of my dads place in Mundingburra, O'Reilly Sreet, Ross River Road end. Cannot stress it enough to stay out of the water,' Ms Hahn wrote. The heavy rainfall has continued to ravage most of Queensland's northeast over thelast few days, prompting authorities to warn of further flash flooding. With water levels at waist and chest height in some suburban streets, local police chief and District Disaster Coordinator Steve Munro said the crisis was only half over Authorities went door-to-door to warn locals of the risks of staying as the 'unprecedented' once-in-a-century storm devastated some suburbs of the north Queensland area An Emergency Alert flood message was also issued for Bluewater, Bluewater Park, Toolakea and Saunders Beach - urging locals to move to higher ground. Prime Minister Scott Morrison visited the region where the 'once-in-a-century' floods had inundated thousands of homes and closed airports and schools. 'It's just going to be tough, going to be tough for a while,' Mr Morrison said. Queensland's Bureau of Meteorology spokesman Richard Wardle said their seems little prospect of an immediate respite from the 'Big Wet'. 'We expect this active monsoon to remain active for the coming days, potentially easing over the weekend, so there is an end in sight. 'But we are expecting further periods of heavy rainfall, some of it very heavy, about the northeast tropics for the next few days... with that there is the real elevated risk of flash flooding,' Mr Wardle said. A McDonald's worker who broke her leg 10 minutes before her shift and later scored a compensation win could set a benchmark for other businesses. Mandep Sarkaria was working at the fast food chain in the Brisbane suburb of Richlands when she suffered the life-changing injury, the ABC reported. After arriving early for her shift, she climbed a three-metre ladder to access the roof to smoke a cigarette. 'As she was coming down the ladder, she fell and had a quite serious break in her right leg,' lawyer Candice Heisler said of the 2016 accident. A McDonald's worker who broke her leg 10 minutes before her shift and later scored a compensation win could set a benchmark for other businesses (pictured, McDonald's Richlands in Brisbane) Mandep Sarkaria was on a 10-minute break at the fast food chain when she suffered the life-changing injury (stock picture) According to the lawyer, the single mother hasn't returned to work since and still struggles to walk. The Industrial Court of Queensland ruled Mandep Sarkaria was entitled to a payout because her employer's policy required her to arrive for work 10 minutes before her shift. 'She was effectively given a forced 10-minute break before her shift starts,' Ms Heisler said. The lawyer went on to praise the court's decision and said it had set a precedent for other employees who are required to turn up to work earlier than their shift start-time. Under Australian law, an employee's injury or disease must stem from their employment in order to make them eligible for compensation. As the case highlights, that can include workers who are required to be on the premises outside of shift hours. Justice Glenn Martin agreed in court that Ms Sarkaria was under the responsibility of the employer during that time. 'Although none of the employees at the restaurant would serve a customer, or cook food, or lift a mop from the time they arrived until their shift commenced they had, in my view, commenced work,' he said. Despite the outcome, the case proved to be anything but an easy win. The Queensland Industrial Relations Commission dismissed Ms Sarakaria's initial appeal after WorkCover rejected her first compensation claim. The Industrial Court of Queensland ruled Mandep Sarkaria was entitled to a payout because her employer's policy required her to arrive for work 10 minutes before her shift (stock picture) Her claim was dismissed because Ms Sarkaria had not established she had been 'temporarily absent from her place of employment' or that she was on an ordinary recess at the time of her injury, according to court documents. Ms Sarkaria's latest claim for compensation was accepted by the Industrial Court of Queensland. On the matter of why she was climbing the roof, Ms Heisler said it was common practice for staff to travel up the ladder for a smoke break. In that case, it fell on the onus of the employer to inform staff whether or not this behaviour was allowed. The compensation amount is yet to be determined. As Townsville's big wet rolled into its 12th day, locals took refuge at Alicia Populin's two-storey home. She is pictured with her family As Townsville's big wet rolled into its 10th day, dozens of locals took refuge at Alicia Populin's two-storey home - waiting to be rescued from rising floodwaters. The selfless mother-of-two took in 60 desperate people - as well as their pets - on Sunday night, in a touching moment amid a devastating crisis across North Queensland. 'We had dogs, we had cats, I think a guinea pig - I think we ended up with about 16 families here,' Ms Populin, who lives in Idalia in the city's south, told the ABC. Those who arrived at her home had called the SES for help as water inundated their homes, but there were simply too many to evacuate at one time. 'So they started walking in... Because we had generators I think people just realised, ''OK, they've got light'' and headed towards the light,' Ms Populin said. The mother-of-two took in 60 desperate people - as well as their pets - on Sunday night. One is pictured making their way to her home The children of the neighbourhood sat in the theatre room of Ms Populin's home, playing video games and watching movies 'We had a neighbour who had some sort of boat... and he was going out just around the street... Every time he'd say, ''I've got another family - is that OK?'' and I said: ''Of course, bring them in''.' The children of the neighbourhood sat in the theatre room of Ms Populin's home, playing video games and watching movies, while the adults waited nervously and did their best to 'ride it out'. The Army arrived at the property several hours later - taking the 60 or so people by boat to the Lavarack Barracks. Ms Populin has since returned to her home, which avoided any extensive damage. Her neighbours, who have dubbed Ms Populin and her family as 'true heroes', were not so lucky. Ms Populin (pictured) has since returned to her home, which avoided any extensive damage An aerial photo shows flood waters in Townsville, North Queensland, on Tuesday afternoon Hundreds of people remain holed up in evacuation centres across Townsville, waiting for floodwaters to recede. The monsoonal deluge is far from over, with the Bureau of Meteorology warning more heavy rain was likely on Wednesday, from Palm Island, north of Townsville, and south to Mackay. The ongoing severe weather warning followed the discovery of two men's bodies in a Townsville drain after floodwater receded. A local resident said the men may have been sucked into man-sized pipes that lead to the drain from a liquor store they were suspected of looting. Amelia Rankin checks on her neighbour Adam Hanson. The line on the wall at the right shows the water level reached overnight Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Katarina Carroll says it was impossible to know how many homes had gone under across north Queensland. 'It's easily hundreds, it could be thousands,' she said on Tuesday, but added audit teams were being hampered by the enduring risk of flash floods with each new deluge. The 12-day-old weather event had exhausted emergency service workers, who had carried out thousands of rescues since the crisis began. A resident sweeps out his muddy lounge room after floodwaters receded in the suburb of Rosslea on Tuesday Destroyed household goods are seen laying outside a home in the suburb of Rosslea More than 100 fresh police officers and nurses will begin flying into Townsville to relieve their local colleagues on Wednesday. Their arrival comes as schools in the region begin reopening as the monsoon trough slowly pushes south. The vigorous weather system had delivered disaster to Townsville and generated floods out west, with farmers around Cloncurry, McKinlay and Flinders shire reporting livestock losses. The rain isn't over yet, however, with the bureau saying six-hourly totals up to 200mm are likely into Wednesday in the warning area. Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Katarina Carroll says it is impossible to know how many homes have gone under across north Queensland A convoy of armoured vehicles drives down a road in a flood affected area in Townsville on Tuesday A severe weather warning has also been issued for the west coast of Cape York Peninsula where damaging winds and abnormally high tides are possible. Major flood warnings also remain in place for the Ross, Haughton, Upper Burdekin, Flinders, Cloncurry and Leichhardt rivers. An emergency alert was issued for Hughenden with the Flinders River expected to cause flooding on the north side. This photo shows a dalmatian being rescued from floodwaters by the army on Monday The frantic search for a missing nine-year-old girl in rural South Dakota has turned into a recovery mission, as its 'unlikely' the child survived the freezing winter conditions. Serenity Dennard went missing on Sunday morning after she ran away from the Black Hills Children's Home Society, a youth home she was staying at. She left the home in frigid temperatures and wasn't wearing a coat. The temperature in the area was about 29 degrees Fahrenheit earlier this week and dipped into the single digits. By Wednesday it dropped to 0. 'If Serenity was outside, its unlikely she survived. We have not ruled out the possibility that she found some place warm to shelter or that someone picked her up. We still have an active investigation and will follow up on all leads,' the Pennington County Sheriff's Office said in a press release on Tuesday. The Pennington County Sheriff's Office announced on Tuesday that the frantic search effort for missing girl Serenity Dennard has turned into a recovery mission as it's 'unlikely' the child survived outside in the freezing cold Serenity went missing on Sunday morning after she ran away from Children's Home Society (above), a residential youth home she was staying at She ran away from the Black Hills Children's home on Sunday without a coat While authorities haven't ruled out the possibility that she may still be alive, they are switching the search into an effort to find her body. More than 200 people assisted by six dogs and an airplane have scoured the area for the girl over the last three days. Search teams sifted through log piles and hay bales for a sign of the child but the cold temperatures made it difficult. A search party of 200 people, six canines, and an airplane has looked for Serenity over the past three days to no avail. Searchers pictured above on Monday near Rockerville, South Dakota Now the search mission has turned into a recovery effort has it's unlikely the little girl survived outside in the freezing temperatures Snow blanketed the area making the search effort a challenge Specialized canines from Eastern South Dakota and Colorado will also join the recovery efforts, according to KOTATV. An arrival date for the specialty search teams isn't known yet. Serenity is 4'9" tall, 90 pounds, with blue eyes and shoulder-length dark blonde hair. She was last seen wearing only a long-sleeved gray shirt with flowers, blue jeans and snow boots. The Sheriff's Office said that Serenity's disappearance did not warrant an Amber Alert, which needs credible evidence that a child under 18 years old has been abducted. If anyone has seen Serenity, they are asked to contact the Pennington County Sheriffs Office at 605-394-6135. 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. This is the astonishing moment a military plane falls from the sky and crushes an SUV in Lima, Peru. Amazingly the pilot and co-pilot were pulled to safety and survived. A surveillance camera shows a couple of residents walking next to a building before the Peruvian Air Force aircraft barreled through a row of wires dangling from street poles. Captains Julio Pinedo Centurion and Juan Carlos Valdivia Rodriguez were rescued from the wrecked plane by four firefighting units before the injured servicemen were taken to the Peruvian Air Force Central Hospital on Monday morning. A military instructional plane from the Peruvian Air Force crashed on a street in Lima, Peru Residents were shocked at the sight of a military aircraft falling from the sky According to Peruvian newspaper El Comercio, the pilot, Pinedo Centurion, suffered severe bruises. The sudden impact crushed an SUV on the quiet street in the coastal town of Surco, a district in the Peruvian capital city of Lima. A woman, who was standing just a couple feet away from were the plane finally rested on its belly, could be seen on the video running for safety while another man could just cover his head. Military officials said the military officers were conducting a routine instructional flight and were returning to the base when the accident happened Residents rushed out of nearby homes and businesses to help the injured pilots who were stuck inside the tiny plane. The accident occurred just eight blocks away from the Las Palmas Air Force Base. Military officials said the military officers were conducting a routine instructional flight and were returning to the base when the accident happened. Investigators are still determining what made the plane malfunction. The former premier of New South Wales could soon become the new CEO of one of Australia's largest banks. Mike Baird joined National Australia Bank in April 2017, earning a whopping $900,000 in his first five months with the bank before rising to the role of chief customer officer last year. Mr Baird and Angela Mentis, who runs NAB's New Zealand operations, were reported to be contenders for next CEO, Daily Telegraph reported. NAB's current CEO Andrew Thorburn, who took a $2.1million pay cut last year to earn $4.3million, had been singled out in the banking royal commission. Scroll down for video Mike Baird joined NAB in April 2017 as Chief Customer Officer - Corporate and Institutional Bank after his shock retirement announcement He then rose through the ranks and was appointed to the role of Chief Customer Officer - Consumer Banking in October 2018 (stock) Mr Thorburn was singled out in Kenneth Hayne's final report, which revealed greed and misconduct in the Australian financial sector at the expense of consumers and businesses. 'NAB also stands apart from the other three major banks,' Mr Hayne wrote. 'Having heard from both the CEO, Mr [Andrew] Thorburn, and the chair, Dr [Ken] Henry, I am not as confident as I would wish to be that the lessons of the past have been learned.' Mr Baird was approached at his home and asked about the possibility that he could be the next CEO of NAB. 'Let me just get up to speed on everything,' he responded after laughing at the suggestion. Mr Baird was approached at his home and asked about the possibility that he could be the next CEO Mr Thorburn was unable to confirm if he would still be employed by NAB this time next week. 'I can't confirm that,' Mr Thorburn told The Business. 'But I can tell you that I am more committed and more deeply determined than ever to be a strong leader for our company.' Prime Minister Scott Morrison told Mr Thorburn and chair Mr Henry that they should consider their futures at the bank after the commission's scathing review. In his current role, Mr Baird leads NAB's retail banking business, including more than 700 branches, 7000 bankers, broker partnerships, direct banking, and the digital bank, UBank. Ted Bundy was a killer who hid in plain sight. That is how one of Bundy's former girlfriends has today described the man with whom she had a relationship at the peak of the spree of violence that would see him become one of America's most notorious serial killers. Speaking for the first time, after more than 40 years of silence, she did not wish to be named but hoped that by speaking out she might loosen the hold of the memories that have haunted her down through the years. Now in an exclusive interview with DailyMailTV, she has recalled how she met the good-looking law student when he moved to Salt Lake City, Utah in the summer of 1974 and how he remained in contact, though their relationship had long since cooled, after he was in prison for the 1975 kidnapping of Utah teenager Carol DaRonch. In an extraordinary glimpse into Bundy's seemingly normal life, she tells of the dinners he would cook for her as they watched the nightly news report on the killings he had committed. A killer in plain sight: One of Ted Bundy's former girlfriends has opened up about her relationship with the serial killer, more than 40 years after they dated The woman (pictured) now 71, did not wish to be named but told DailyMailTV how she met the good-looking law student when he moved to Salt Lake City, Utah in the summer of 1974 She recalled how she rode alongside him in the passenger seat of his Volkswagen Beetle and how she wondered at the fact that it was never properly fixed in place and would rock forward when he braked. And, perhaps most chilling of all, she revealed that he stopped by her apartment on the very night that he committed one of his murders - Halloween 1974. Now, age 71, she doubts that she will ever be able to put Bundy firmly in her past. Her interview comes shortly after a new film on the killer starring Zac Efron premiered at Sundance and shortly after a Netflix documentary began streaming on the 30th anniversary of Bundy's execution. 'Who would have thought I'd be reading about Ted in the news again after all these years? All of a sudden I'll hear the name and it seems so weird to realize just how long ago it all was because it seems to have not gone away,' she told DailyMail.com. She has no desire to watch the documentary or movie about Bundy's life and admits it took her 'a couple of years' to get over learning the truth about the man she thought she knew. 'It had an impact. For a couple of years. I found it hard to trust people, if I was out I would be fearful, I'd have another drink to deal with it,' she said. When Bundy was unmasked nothing was ever the same for her again, she explained. 'I was very naive when I met him. But once you've lost that innocence, once it's gone, you can never get it back.' Though they shared a bed more than once and lived in the same building, she would not discuss how intimate she and Bundy ultimately were. Bundy is one of the world's most notorious serial killers having murdered more than 30 people between 1974 and 1978. His ex-girlfriend revealed he had been 'pleasant to be around' Bundy and the woman dated for several months in 1974, but unbeknownst to her, he had been conducting his killings and abductions during this time. He is pictured at Leon County jail in 1978 They dated for several months but she described herself as 'innocent' and at the time of his arrest in Utah any romantic relationship was over and they were, she said, just friends. One of the elements of his crimes that has long haunted her is, she admitted, the fact that he must have got a sexual 'thrill' out of killing. She said: 'It must have turned him on.' Looking back, she realized that Bundy actually shared very little of himself. She said: 'I never saw him cry. His laugh was forced. He never talked about his mother or his family or anything like that. He was very neat. He never hurt me. He was pleasant to be around.' She doesn't know what - if anything - she meant to Bundy. But she doubts that there was any sincere feeling or fondness. She reflected, 'He played the part really well. 'I think that I was a respectable front [for him]. As long as he was with me he was alright because I looked nice, my family was nice. 'I guess you can never know somebody for sure because who knows what's in somebody's head?' She added: 'He could hide in plain sight in any room. And these little innocent girls have no chance, no chance at all.' 'If he came into this room right now he would sit down and be interested in you and what you were doing. And it was always like that when he was with people [he thought to be on his level] he enjoyed discussing things.' On one such occasion she remembered Bundy telling her, 'there's no difference between right and wrong.' 'I said: "Ted you're in law school. How can you say that if you are in a profession that is always evaluating things for what's right and what's wrong?" He never really answered me but that just stuck out in my mind and that memory comes up year after year.' This is the Salt Lake City, Utah home in which Ted Bundy lived in 1974 - 1975 during which time police believe he killed as many as eight women More than 40 years later, Bundy's former lover is still haunted by the fact that she dated a notorious serial killer. She She and Bundy lived in the same building and, she recalled: 'We didn't go out because we didn't have a lot of money but he would make a nice hamburger and we would sit in his kitchen with a little TV on the table and he would like to make hamburgers and we would listen to the news about all of the girls that were being murdered and disappeared.' According to her, Bundy displayed no emotion when the stories aired. She said: 'He wouldn't make any reaction. 'I said to him one time, "If a man ever approached me, I wouldn't let him touch me." 'And he said, "You don't have to worry about that." And I did think about that later. As well as those low-key dinners she said: 'We would go play pool and I would sit as a passenger in his VW bug. 'I would sit in the seat that would rock forward when he would come to a stop sign or a stoplight. And I would think anything of it.' Bundy removed that seat to conceal the bodies of his victims. 'What was interesting to me [after],' she said, 'was that I never saw any blood. I don't know how he did it because the human body is full of blood.' One who knew Bundy at that time told police that he spent hours cleaning his car - a task that confused the witness given the vehicle's generally poor condition. But Bundy, according to his ex, was 'a clean freak.' She also remembered that he had a collection of sharp kitchen knives of which he was very proud. 'He would talk about his collection of knives and apparently that's what he would use [on the women],' she said. 'I'll never forget one night I stayed overnight and I woke up in the middle of the night and I said: "Ted, where are you? What are you doing?" And he was through in the kitchen and he said, "Oh just looking at my knives." 'I thought about that later and I thought, "Wow, I just escaped being killed. Except that he knew better than to do it in his own apartment."' Victims: In 1978, when Bundy arrived in Florida, he killed Florida State University students 20-year-old Lisa Levy (left) and 21-year-old Margaret Bowman (center) while they slept in their sorority house. Just weeks later, he murdered 12-year-old Kimberly Leach (right) Survivors: Kathy Kleiner (left) and Carol DaRonch (pictured right testifying in Bundy's pre-sentencing hearing in 1979) were two of Bundy's few survivors. By the time he was on trial for DaRonch's kidnapping, Bundy and his ex-girlfriend's relationship had fizzled Over the decades she has tried and failed to reconcile the pleasant facade that Ted presented to her with the murderous rage that saw him slaughter so many young women. She said: 'There was a girl who disappeared on Halloween night and was killed. And on Halloween night he came to my apartment when I was asleep because my door was partially opened because the rug was preventing it from closing. 'I was in bed and he came in and said, "I want to tell you that your door is opened and unlocked." He woke me up. And I said, "Oh thanks Ted," you know. 'He did a good deed and he also killed someone that night and I didn't notice a thing.' There was one occasion though that she believes she saw a flash of the real Bundy. She said: 'One night I parked my car in the driveway and if he had wanted to get out it would have stopped him so I told went to tell him I wasn't going to be there long. 'So I knocked on the door and he answered and he was holding a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other. 'And he had this grin that was plastered, I would say, across his face. He wasn't drunk. It was forced convivial. And I just wanted to get out of there. 'Later I wondered if that was how he looked when he worked himself into a murderous rage.' But as much as she could not detect anything sinister about Bundy at the time, she admitted, that when all of the hideous allegations tumbled out she knew in her heart that they were true. By this time, she said, she and Bundy were just friends. Bundy was arrested in May 1975 when a state trooper took a wrong turn and wound up in front of a neighbor's home. He knew they were away on vacation but that their three teenage daughters had stayed home. A VW bug was parked outside the house and when he went to approach it Bundy fled. The officer chased Bundy to a gas station where he finally stopped. Bundy claimed he got lost on the way home from watching Towering Inferno. But the movie wasn't playing that night and a search of his car turned up a ski mask, pantyhose, ice pick, crowbar and handcuffs. The woman admits that as much as she could not detect anything sinister about Bundy at the time, she knew the hideous allegations were true when they finally tumbled out Bundy's most well-known girlfriend is Elizabeth Kloepfer (pictured in a still from the Netflix series Conversations with A Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes) The police questioned his former girlfriend, she recalled, and bit-by-bit the awful truth fell into place. 'The officer sat me down and pointed out all these coincidences. He wanted to know if I heard anything because Ted could actually leave our house, jumping off the fire escape and driving out the driveway so I wouldn't even know it. 'I could hear him coming down the stairs which were old and creaky and so he could hide his movements a lot by coming out that way. 'Then the police would ask me if I knew he left town on certain weekends and I did because he would tell me when he went to Colorado.' Between January and April 1975 Bundy shifted much of his criminal activity eastwards to Colorado where he killed three women. Following his arrest, Utah cops could only gather enough evidence to charge him with the kidnapping of Carol DaRonch. By the time he went on trial for that crime, not even a friendship existed between him and his former girlfriend. She admitted she was afraid of the man with whom she had once enjoyed those cozy TV dinners. Bundy had been released on bail to await trial and, she said, that same week he came to visit her where she worked. She recalled that all the girls she worked with were taken by the handsome stranger who asked to speak to her in private. 'I just, you know [by then] I just couldn't relate to it. We went out into the hall to talk and while we were there he said to me, "Do you really think I could do all the things that they're saying I did?" And I said, '" can't believe any friend of mine could do that." 'And that was that. But he knew I think. And I knew [that I did].' After that, she said, she saw less and less of Bundy who immersed himself in the Mormon community that had embraced him and championed his innocence. Her interview comes shortly after a new film on the killer starring Zac Efron (pictured playing Bundy) premiered at Sundance. She expressed she has no desire to watch the movie She said: 'He gravitated towards his friends in the LDS church because they supported him one hundred percent and felt like he was innocent of all charges and he could not have done what they said he did. 'Whereas I felt that he was guilty of all charges.' And for the first time she was truly frightened of Bundy and of the thinly-veiled threats he made against her when he visited her at home during that same period. 'I had a chandelier that had some [sharp] points on it and Ted said to me, "Have you ever hit your head on that?" And I said, "No." That was when he became pretty hostile,' she said. 'I had a macrame rope hanger - this was the 70s - hanging over the door and in my dining room and [that same night] he said to me, "That looks like a strong rope." To her they were 'terrifying comments.' After Bundy left that night she called her parents, locked up her apartment and fled. 'I never saw him again really to talk to him or anything. I just followed his exploits around the country. You never knew if he might come back. 'Where I was I would just lock up and be watchful.' Bundy had been sentenced to a minimum of one year and a maximum of 15 for DaRonch's abduction. But cops in Colorado wanted him for three murders and so, in January 1977 he was transferred to Aspen to face the more serious charges. During his time in Colorado he managed to escape twice. The first time he lasted just six days before being caught. The second time he was on the run for two months during which his reign of terror escalated and culminated in Florida where he committed one of his most high profile homicidal rampages. In one night he killed three members of Chi Omega sorority - breaking into their home and killing them in their beds. He almost killed two others and that same night bludgeoned another victim almost to death. The following month, in February 1978 he claimed his final victim - 12-year-old Kimberly Leach. Today his ex admitted: 'I am opposed to the death penalty but I remember when I woke one morning to hear that Ted Bundy was in Florida and was facing the death penalty and that they had finally made the decision to kill him I was glad. 'I had never said that about the death penalty before. But Ted was such a menace to society and he could hide it. 'It was a relief to know that he was no longer on this earth.' Salim Mehajer will be forced to show his legs to police after officers won a court order forcing him to take off his trousers. Detectives claim the tattoos on Mehajer's right leg will link him to an alleged cash handover that was caught on CCTV footage. Mehajer, who is incarcerated at Cooma correctional facility in New South Wales, had opposed the photography of the 'private and personal' tattoos on his leg, news.com.au reported. It is understood that the tattoos include a face that resembles his former wife, Aysha, the initials 'SM,' and dollar signs and the word 'millionaire.' Scroll down for video Detectives have won a bid on Monday to photograph Salim Mehajer's legs in prison Detectives believe the tattoos on Mehajer's right leg will link him to the leg in an alleged cash handover that was caught on CCTV footage A tattoo of Mehajer's estranged wife, Aysha Learmonth, (pictured) on his leg Magistrate Robyn Denes granted the police application on Monday at the Burwood Local Court and ordered 'police to take photographs of both legs at Cooma Correctional Centre within (the) next seven days.' While detectives will photograph both legs, documents indicate they're only interested in the distinctive tattoos on Mehajer's right leg. 'This meeting is captured on CCTV cameras with the camera showing clear tattoos on Mehajer's legs,' police allege in an affidavit. The police affidavit also reveals that the meeting - where $1250 was exchanged - is connected to a staged car crash that Mehajer allegedly orchestrated to avoid a court hearing. Mehajer was charged with perverting the course of justice over the alleged fake crash which he denies. He was granted bail for the car crash allegations but has since been sentenced to a ten month prison sentence for unrelated election fraud. Police said they are only interested in the tattoos on Mehajer's right leg (pictured) Police claim that the 32-year-old didn't consent to the inspection and photography of his legs at Sliverwater prison in March due to the personal nature of the tattoos Police claim that the 32-year-old didn't consent to the inspection and photography of his legs at Sliverwater prison in March due to the personal nature of the tattoos. When Mehajer was arrested in January on the alleged car crash charges the police did not photograph his tattoos during the charging process, they said in the affidavit. However, the police allege there are images on social media with photos of Mehajer's tattoos which he denies. He also denied he was the owner of the tattooed legs when Bondi Ink tattoo shop released photos. Mehajer pictured with his estranged wife Ms Learmonth. Police did not take any photos of Mehajer's leg during the charging process Confirmation of whether or not the person is Mejaher is crucial for evidence, police said in the affidavit. Police also allege that the collision was a thought out previously so Mehajer would avoid attending a scheduled court hearing and to defraud an insurance company of $156,780. The court hearing was related to the charges against Mehajer for when he assaulted a taxi driver with an Eftpos machine in April last year at Sydney's Star Casino. He was convicted for those charges. Mehajer is expected to make a bail application at the NSW Supreme Court on Tuesday. Advertisement Eight heroes of the London Bridge terror attack, including two who died trying to save others, will be honoured by the Queen today for their bravery. Three jihadists wielding 12in kitchen knives launched their assault on June 3 last year leaving eight people dead and 48 injured. One of the brave civilians, Spanish banker Ignacio Echeverria, was killed while defending a woman by using a skateboard to confront the armed terrorists. Australian nurse Kirsty Boden, 28, was also killed as she tried to save someone's life. Among the others recognised for their courage is Hassan Zubier, who was wounded while trying to save a woman's life during a knife attack in Finland that left two women dead. Twenty people are honoured on this year's Civilian Gallantry List, which awards those who have shown bravery in saving or attempting to save someone's life. Here are this year's recipients... Eight heroes of the June 3 London Bridge terror attack, including two who died trying to save others, will be honoured by the Queen today for their bravery. Above, police rush to Borough Market after receiving reports of further attacks that night Spanish banker Ignacio Echeverria, 39, from As Pontes, was killed after trying to defend a woman with his skateboard Ignacio Echeverria The Spanish banker, aged 39, from As Pontes, was killed after trying to defend a woman with his skateboard. The HSBC analyst was knifed in the back on London Bridge during the terror attack last year. He is posthumously awarded the medal for confronting armed terrorists to protect others. The awarding committee said: 'Using his skateboard as a weapon, he was well aware that it was no match for the weapons that were being used by the assailants. 'Regardless, he ran towards them with the intention of stopping them from carrying out further attacks on innocent people who were in the vicinity. 'It is beyond doubt that he displayed great courage in choosing to try to tackle the attackers.' He is awarded the George Medal. Australian nurse Kirsty Boden had been on a night out when she went to help those injured in the London Bridge attack Kirsty Boden The Australian nurse had been on a night out when she went to help those injured in the London Bridge attack. The 28-year-old, who lived in Loxton, was killed as she tried to save someone's life. The committee said she showed 'courage and compassion' during the attack. It added: 'She could have taken cover to protect herself, as most people caught up in such a serious and life-threatening situation would have done. 'However, being a nurse she took her training to care for others to the highest level.' Ms Boden's family said: 'Kirsty's family would like to thank everyone involved in nominating Kirsty for this award. We are very proud of her.' She is posthumously awarded the Queen's commendation for bravery. Metropolitan police officer Charlie Guenigault rushed to the aid of the injured during the London Bridge attack despite being off-duty and without protective clothing Charlie Guenigault Metropolitan police officer Charlie Guenigault rushed to the aid of the injured during the London Bridge attack despite being off-duty and without protective clothing. He was out with friends when the terrorists smashed their van into a nearby restaurant. The 26-year-old, from Dartford in Kent, was stabbed multiple times after running towards the attackers and pushing one of them away from British Transport Police officer Wayne Marques. He lay still as the attackers fled the scene and was helped by passers-by Ellen Gauntlett and Justin Jones, who are also honoured in this year's list. The officer's award citation reads: 'Pc Guenigault was off-duty when he showed exemplary action in response to this terrorist attack. He tried to protect fellow police officers and members of the public by distracting and attempting to stop the terrorists. 'He placed himself in danger and was aware of the possibility of serious personal injury.' During his heroic actions, Pc Guenigault received stab wounds to his head, leg, back and stomach and had to undergo a three-hour operation to remove his spleen He is awarded the George Medal. British Transport Police Officer Wayne Marques fought off all three attackers armed with only his baton as he started his routine patrol on June 3 last year Wayne Marques The British Transport Police Officer fought off all three attackers armed with only his baton as he started his routine patrol on June 3 last year. He was stabbed multiple times as he took on the terror trio when they attacked at London Bridge and Borough Market. While the officer, now aged 39 and from south London, may not have known at that point they were terrorists, he 'knew the individuals were extremely dangerous and made a conscious decision to face that danger head on in an attempt to apprehend them and prevent further injury or loss of life', the committee said. They added: 'He demonstrated exceptional courage and resilience. He was subjected to a sustained attack involving extreme violence and faced overwhelming odds. Although seriously injured, he continued to try to protect the public without regard for his own personal safety.' The officer, also awarded the George Medal, fought despite being temporarily blinded and suffering head, leg and hand injuries. Florin Morariu When he was alerted to the terror attack at London Bridge, Mr Morariu armed himself with two bread crates from the bakery he was working in nearby and threw them at the terrorists as they stabbed someone. He also allowed 20 people to shelter in the bakery during the attack. Mr Morariu, who has since returned to his native Romania, had decided to engage the terrorists and was 'determined to stop the attackers from inflicting further wounds on others', the committee said. He is awarded the Queen's commendation for bravery. The aftermath of the London Bridge terror attack, which saw three jihadists wielding 12in kitchen knives launch their assault last year leaving eight people dead and 48 injured British Transport Police officer Leon McLeod chased after the London Bridge attackers, helped the injured and remained on the scene through the night Leon McLeod The British Transport Police officer, aged 30 and from Blackheath, chased after the London Bridge attackers, helped the injured and remained on the scene through the night. He had been on patrol with his colleague Pc Wayne Marques when the attackers targeted revellers on a busy Saturday night in the city. The committee said: 'With little regard for his own safety, he demonstrated exemplary bravery by running into what he quickly recognised as a terrorist attack to help the many innocent people who were caught up in it. 'His courage in the face of adversity as one of the first police officers on scene during this atrocity is highly commendable.' He is awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal. Left to right, Leon McLeod has been awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal, and BTP PC Wayne Marques and Metropolitan Police officer PC Charles Guenigault were awarded the George Medal Ellen Gauntlett and Justin Jones The pair, of Beckenham in south-east London, ran to the aid of PC Charles Guenigault when he was injured by the terror trio during the London Bridge attack. They remained with the police officer even as he was taken to hospital, and the committee said 'they may have saved his life by increasing opposition to the attackers and causing them to run off'. They are awarded the Queen's commendation for bravery. Twenty people are honoured on this year's Civilian Gallantry List, which awards those who have shown bravery in saving or attempting to save someone's life. Above, photographs of those killed in the London Bridge attack Recipients of the George Medal and Queen's Gallantry medal (or their representatives) will be given their awards at a future date. Investiture ceremonies can take place at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle or the Palace of Hollyroodhouse. For those awarded the Queen's commendation for bravery, local arrangements will be made. From hero who saved woman's life in knife attack in Finland to men who rescued a teenager at sea: Other recipients of gallantry awards Hassan Zubier was hailed a hero after he was wounded while trying to save a woman's life during a knife attack in Finland that left two women dead Hassan Zubier Mr Zubier was hailed a hero after he was wounded while trying to save a woman's life during a knife attack in Finland that left two women dead. The Kent-born paramedic who now lives in Sweden, was on holiday when he happened upon the attack in a square in Turku in August last year. He was injured after the knifeman, who he had managed to chase away, returned to the scene. One of the victims of the attack died in his arms. The committee said: 'Hassan Zubier was aware of the danger to others and to himself, as he knew the attacker was armed when he went to help. 'But he was determined to assist the victim, despite the attacker returning and attacking him several times.' In a statement Mr Zubier said: 'I am extremely honoured to be recognised with the George Medal. 'I receive the award with mixed feelings, remembering that two people lost their lives in this attack.' He is awarded the George Medal. Stephen Adams and Richard Guest Both men went into the sea to help when they heard screams at a beach in Tywyn, Gwynedd, north-west Wales in July 2015. They managed to save one teenage girl, who Mr Adams led to safety, but Mr Guest stayed behind in search of a second girl who had, unbeknown to them made her way to the shore. Mr Adams, from Oswestry in Shropshire, discovered the 74-year-old, a grandfather from Walsall, face down in the water, and he was later pronounced dead in hospital. Richard Guest (above) went into the sea, with Stephen Adams, after hearing screams, and saved a teenage girl. Mr Guest, 74, then went in search of another girl - but was later found dead, face down in the water. He was awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal The committee said: 'Both men demonstrated unselfish courage. Neither man knew the two girls yet were willing to risk their own lives to ensure the safety of two strangers.' Reacting to news of the medal, Mr Adams said: 'I am humbled and honoured to receive the Queen's Gallantry Medal. I would like to take this moment as an opportunity to remember that Mr Guest lost his life trying to help others and to reflect on how merciless the sea can be.' They are awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal. Thomas Jackson and Daniel Richards Both men tried to save the life of fellow Briton Mia Ayliffe-Chung at a backpacker hostel. Mr Jackson, from Congleton in Cheshire, was killed in the frenzied knife attack in Queensland in August 2016. His parents Leslie and Sandra Jackson said: 'Whilst this is clearly a bittersweet moment for our family - we so wish Tom was here to receive the Queen's Gallantry Medal himself - we are inestimably proud and grateful that his actions in trying to protect Mia on that awful day have been recognised in this way. He will always be our hero.' Thomas Jackson (left) and Daniel Richards (right) tried to save the life of fellow Briton Mia Ayliffe-Chung at a backpacker hostel. Mr Jackson, from Congleton in Cheshire, was killed in the frenzied knife attack in Queensland in August 2016 Mr Richards, who survived, risked his own safety to try to protect Ms Ayliffe-Chung, from Wirksworth in Derbyshire, who was killed in the attack. The committee said of Mr Jackson and Mr Richards, from Tonypandy in Rhondda, Mid Glamorgan: 'They were untrained, unprotected and unarmed during the attack. Their actions were to protect the victim.' They are awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal. John Moore and Theresa Cosgrove Mr Moore suffered burns to his hands and face as he saved a driver from a burning car. He put the woman's rescue above his own safety during the incident in June 2014, the committee said. He also shielded his partner Ms Cosgrove and a motorcyclist, who later died, when the car exploded. While the couple, both from Grantham in Lincolnshire, knew of a risk to life 'they did not hesitate to go to the assistance of the two injured motorists', the committee said. Mr Moore is awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal while Ms Cosgrove receives the Queen's commendation for bravery. John Moore and Theresa Cosgrove, from Grantham, Lincs, went to assist two injured motorists. Mr Moore suffered burns to his hands and face as he saved a driver from a burning car. He put the woman's rescue above his own safety during the incident in June 2014. He also shielded his partner Ms Cosgrove and a motorcyclist, who later died, when the car exploded Gareth Leadbetter The Border Force officer led a team that saved suspected migrants from a sinking vessel near Dungeness on the Kent coast in May 2016. He is credited with having helped save 20 lives by helping migrants to safety from a sinking vessel in bad weather. The officer 'displayed exceptional leadership' and showed 'outstanding composure and resilience', the committee said. He is awarded the Queen's commendation for bravery. Sean Moore The bouncer was stabbed in the hand with a broken bottle when he leapt to the defence of a man at a bar in Derby city centre. Despite his injury, Mr Moore continued to intervene, with the committee saying his 'first and foremost concern was to prevent further injury or even death to the victim'. Mr Moore, of Ilkeston in Derbyshire, is awarded the Queen's commendation for bravery. David Sant, Lee Townsend and Stuart Woodland The three Border Force officers sped to the aid of a fishing vessel after it hit rocks off the coast of the Greek island of Farmakonisi. Amid crashing waves in January of that year, the officers all helped to pull young people from the water, displaying 'exemplary acts of bravery, dedication and commitment', the committee said. They are awarded the Queen's commendation for bravery. Advertisement Paedophile Rolf Harris played his didgeridoo at a party to thank the friends who stood by him while he served a prison sentence for child sex abuse. Harris was freed from prison in May 2017 after he was jailed for more than five years following his conviction of 12 indecent assaults. He also preyed on two teenage girls and abused his daughter's friend. Now, it has emerged that the 88-year-old invited 70 friends over to his Berkshire home for a party just days before his birthday. Paedophile Rolf Harris played his didgeridoo at a party to thank the friends who stood by him while he served a prison sentence for child sex abuse (pictured left, in 1996 and right, in Jan) The Sun reports that during the shindig he performed Two Little Boys with the help of a backing band, with a source telling the paper: 'It was a very jovial night with lots of singing, dancing and joking. 'Rolf seemed in his element performing his old hits with the help of a band and with his trusty didgeridoo. 'There were huge cheers after his songs and everyone seemed to have a great time.' Harris's wife Alwen, 86,and daughter Bindi, 53, were also at the party. The party comes after the disgraced entertainer successfully appealed one conviction of indecent assault after it was overturned by the Court of Appeal. It has emerged that the 88-year-old invited 70 friends over to his Berkshire home for a party just days before his birthday He was cleared of groping an eight-year-old autograph hunter in the late 1960s after his lawyers presented fresh evidence about an alleged sex attack at a community centre in Portsmouth. Appeal judge Lord Justice Treacy said that a key witness in the trial, a man that had lived in the area of the community centre Harris was said to have visited, gave a statement that was 'a fantasy'. The disgraced former entertainer is rarely seen in public since his release from HMP Stafford after serving less than half of his sentence. Daniel Seggie, 31, stabbed his father, Geoff, 59, in the head, neck and chest A thug who brutally murdered his father by stabbing him more than 60 times and battering him with a hammer has been jailed for life. Daniel Seggie, 31, stabbed his father, Geoff, 59, in the head, neck and chest with a 12-inch kitchen knife before beating him with a hammer at his home in Mackworth, Derby. He then texted his girlfriend to say 'I have been a brave little soldier. LOL.' Over the course of the following week, Seggie withdrew money from his father's account before leading the police on a chase across three countries. He admitted murder and was jailed for life to serve a minimum of 20 years at Nottingham Crown Court. His mother, Cheryl Seggie, said she 'hated' what her son had done in 'mercilessly' attacking her husband in November last year. Seggie showed no emotion throughout his two-hour trial. Sentencing, Judge Dickinson told Seggie: 'It was a savage and merciless attack. 'You killed your father in his own bedroom in the house that you shared in Mackworth, Derby. 'You not just killed your father but deprived your brother of his father and you deprived your mother of a person she still cared about. 'In total, there were 60 knife wounds and, in addition, there were injuries inflicted by a hammer. 'What has to be recognised is that your father suffered, he had defence injuries that show he tried to fight or fend you off for some time. Geoff Seggie suffered 60 knife wounds during the brutal attack at his home in Derby 'You did nothing to raise the alarm but you did think about yourself, taking yourself to hospital to be treated for a cut to your hand. 'You even texted your girlfriend to say ''I have been a brave little soldier.. LOL.'' 'You remained living in the house that night and the next day. In terms of the motivation, you say you have no recollection of what you did. 'This was no spur of the moment event, there was at least some degree of planning.' Michael Evans QC, prosecuting, said: 'Due to the savagery of the attack, Geoffrey was unlikely to have survived. 'It was sustained and brutal and, after Daniel Seggie carried it out, he went to seek hospital assistance for his own injury to his hand. 'After that, he returned to the house where his father lay dead for two nights before making sustained attempts to cover his tracks.' Seggie drove his father's black Honda Civic to Wales where he dumped it in a Cardiff hotel car park. The former care worker then caught a train to Scotland where he was finally traced and arrested days after he killed his father. In a victim impact, which was read out in court, Mrs Seggie said: 'As a mum I never expected this ever. Geoff Seggie was described as an 'amazing dad' by his son Ben, during an impact statement 'I may never see Daniel leave prison ever but Ben has lost his dad and lost his brother and I cannot believe what Daniel has done. 'I feel very conflicted. Ben has had everything taken away from him but Daniel is still my son and I love him and Ben. I hate what he has done but I will always be his mum. 'I wish Daniel would tell us the reasons why he has done what he has done but I don't suspect he ever will.' In a statement Ben said: 'Geoff was an amazing dad. 'He was always there for his family and friends. Life will never be the same without him. We miss him so much.' Michael Auty QC, defending, said his client had been assessed by three separate psychiatrists and none of them were 'able to assist him in a trial'. He said: 'A major aggravating feature in this case is the nature of the attack. It is clear this was a frenzied attack but what brought it about really remains a mystery. 'It is hard to imagine the suffering Cheryl Seggie is going through. 'What she begs for in her victim personal statement I can't tell her - and that is why Daniel Seggie did this.' More than a quarter of UK current account customers will be able to view products from different banks on one screen thanks to a new app feature from a banking giant. Lloyds Banking Group - the country's largest current account provider - has become the latest high street name to utilise open banking, This is Money can reveal. It says that Lloyds Bank and Halifax customers will now be able to view their personal accounts at up to six rivals after an update to its mobile banking apps. Bank of Scotland introduced open banking functionality for its customers in December 2018, but this has now been rolled out across the rest of the group's banks. Open banking: Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland customers can now view accounts at six different banks in its app Customers can add an account in their online banking app using a secure open banking connection, by choosing an account provider, logging into the service and selecting the accounts they want to share. Lloyds insists that login details for other banks will never be shared. Once that security process is complete, customers will have access to accounts and transactions in one place. While the service is open only to Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland customers, those using the updated app can view accounts they hold with NatWest, RBS, HSBC, Barclays, Santander and Nationwide, and it more providers will be added in time. This means customers can view other current accounts they may hold, along with credit cards, personal loans and mortgages, that are with other firms. Lloyds has become another major UK banking firm to introduce open banking functionality. Banking giant HSBC also released its 'Connected Money' app last year, but that relies on screen scraping, rather than open banking functionality. Screen scraping instead works by copying available data to an external database, which can then be viewed outside the original financial institution. HSBC's app allows users to view, though not manage, current accounts, savings accounts and mortgages from up to 21 different banks on one screen. Barclays also allows its customers to view balances and transactions with seven other banks, including Lloyds and Halifax, while logged into its mobile app. Through open banking, customers of both Halifax and Lloyds can add multiple accounts and cards from different providers securely and view all of them on one screen It suggests that traditional high street banks are trying to keep pace with digital-only rivals, but it is still questionable how many customers will embrace open banking. Research from PwC estimated that more than 33million people will sign up to open banking services by 2022 - but a survey of 2,000 people last month found only one in four had heard of open banking, and only one in five knew what it meant. The Government-backed initiative celebrated its one-year anniversary last month, with the company overseeing its rollout - the not-so-catchy 'Open Banking Implementation Entity' - revealing then that more than 100 companies had enrolled so far and 100 more were waiting to join. Open banking rules require UK banks to share their current account customer data. This includes details on your income, spending habits and debts, with third-party internet companies. The idea is that the third party can save you money by helping you budget or shop around for cheap deals. Some of the new features added to Lloyds Bank and Halifax banking apps include a timeline of scheduled payments for regular bills and monthly direct debits, which the group says is designed to make budgeting easier. Google Maps functionality is also included for Android customers, enabling them to see the exact location and details of debit card transactions. Stephen Noakes, transformation director at Lloyds Banking Group, said: 'We're focusing on taking our industry-leading apps to the next level by offering customers a fuller view of their finances. 'Bringing open banking technology into our apps is the next step in a series of exciting new features designed to make it easier for customers to manage their money online. 'We recently launched a suite of features to help online banking customers keep track of spending and help protect against fraud, enhancing the safe, secure and seamless experience our customers are used to every day.' Leon Muis, the COO of Yolt, said: 'This is just another reminder that we are on the brink of an Open Banking revolution. 'Consumers are already benefiting from more personalised products and services that simply werent possible a year ago and, at Yolt, we are ready and waiting for more accounts to be available, such as savings, to offer the consumer an even stronger solution. 'Open Banking has the power to completely change the way all of us interact with our money. With Lloyds Banking Group helping to raise the profile of this relatively new regulation, I hope we will start to see more and more consumers seizing power and control of their data and finances.' Rent-to-own company Brighthouse will close 30 of its stores and cut 350 jobs, shrinking its size by around a tenth. The closures around Britain are due to take place over the next two months, with Brighthouse's 3,000 workforce already informed. Tough conditions on the High Street and a clampdown on rent-to-own retailers are likely to have contributed to the company making the changes. There is set to be a clampdown on rent-to-own companies this year after an FCA consultation A spokesman said: 'We have taken the very difficult decision to close 30 stores in the next two months. 'We are working to redeploy as many people as possible into alternative roles but redundancies will be inevitable.' 'We will be speaking to all customers affected by the store closures and either transferring them to another local store or serving them online. 'We're also introducing PayPoint, allowing customers to pay BrightHouse in cash at 28,000 locations across the UK.' The closures follow on from Brighthouse's most recent results for the six months to 29 September, where the company reported a rise in pre-tax losses to 22.1million from 19.9million in the comparable period. Rent-to-own companies allow customers to pay for items in weekly or monthly installments as opposed to a one-off payment but add on up to 99.9 per cent interest, leaving customers paying back large sums. The sector has received criticism before with many saying the companies take advantage of poor and vulnerable families as renting to own is often one of the only options available to those with lower incomes who cannot afford large one-off payments. The Financial Conduct Authority also announced plans last year to cap the amount of interest rent-to-own retailers charge customers. It ruled that from 1 April, the maximum interest paid cannot be any more than the cost of the product itself. Therefore, if an oven costs 200, customers will pay no more than 400. Companies will also need to benchmark the cost of the goods against the prices charged by three other mainstream retailers. The FCA said these changes should save customers up to 22.7million per year. The regulator is also introducing a two day cooling off period for the sale of extended warranties which will effectively ban firms from selling these warranties at the point of purchase. This will come into force on 22 February. BrightHouse has previously been in trouble over its payments and in October 2017, it was ordered to pay 249,000 customers 14.8million by the FCA after it said it didn't act as a 'responsible lender' and had treated its customers unfairly. It is not only politicians who cannot agree about the potential fallout from Brexit. Two of Britain's biggest housebuilders, Barratt Developments and Redrow have revealed different views on the impact of Britain's upcoming EU exit on their businesses. Shares in Barratt are up over 3 per cent this morning after the group shrugged off Brexit, reporting a 7.2 per cent rise in half-year sales. Barratt's revenue rose to 2.1billion, its pre-tax profit for the six months to 31 December surged by 19.1 per cent to 408million. Boost: Shares in Barratt are up over 3 per cent this morning after the group shrugged off fears over Brexit On Brexit, all Barratt said is that it's working with suppliers to ensure the 'continuity of supply of non-UK manufactured components'. Barratt's boss David Thomas added: 'Whilst we continue to monitor market conditions closely, current trading is in line with our expectations and we are confident of delivering a good financial and operational performance in full year 2019.' Barratt said demand continues to be bolstered by the Government's Help to Buy schemes for first-time buyers, as well as the wide availability of 'attractive' mortgage deals. Meanwhile, rival housebuilder Redrow played the Brexit card, saying 'uncertainty' has started to eat into its sales, but it still recorded a rise in half-year profits. The group reported a 9 per cent increase in sales to 970million in the six months to 31 December, while pre-tax profit rose 5 per cent to 185million. Half-year numbers: While Barratt's revenue rose to 2.1billion, its pre-tax profit for the six months to 31 December surged by 19.1 per cent to 408million But, Redrow said that sales were 'negatively affected' towards the end of the calendar year as a result of the 'political uncertainty surrounding Brexit' and the effect of high stamp duty tax. This, the firm added, has disrupted the normal 'trade-up/down-sizing market', with sales for the first five weeks of this year down from 166million to 156million. The housing market, particularly in London and the South East, has slowed markedly since the Brexit vote. Moving on: Redrow's chairman, Steve Morgan, is leaving the housebuilding firm Outgoing chairman Steve Morgan said: 'The market during the run-up to the festive period and the first two weeks of 2019 was subdued by macroeconomic and political uncertainty. 'However, sales over the last three weeks have bounced back with reservations running at similar levels to last year's strong market activity.' Mr Morgan, who founded the company, is to retire at the end of March and chief executive John Tutte will become executive chairman following his departure. Redrow saw its completion levels rise by 4.1 per cent to 7,622 homes in the first half, while average selling prices came in flat at around 282,000. Total forward sales were up 7.3 per cent at 3billion and the outlook for the full year remains in line with expectations. Shares in Redrow are up 0.68 per cent or 4p to 596p. David Madden, an analyst at CMC Markets UK, said: 'Some investors are cautious of the UK property market due to cooling prices and uncertainty surrounding Brexit, but Redrow and Barratt Developments have shown the market the industry is still strong.' Outsourcing group Interserve has secured a rescue deal with lenders that will see its debt levels slashed to around 275million through the placing of new shares with the business. The Reading-based group, which has 45,000 workers in the UK, saw its share price rise over 20 per cent in early morning trading. Battling against squeezed margins and struggling to get its waste-for-energy sector off the ground, the group has been doing all it can to avoid becoming the next Carillion, which collapsed last year. Under the deal, existing shareholders will be nearly completely wiped out and left with a stake of around 2.75 per cent in the company. In charge: Interserve's chief executive Debbie White One of the firm's existing shareholders, the New York hedge fund Coltrane, which owns around 15 per cent of the company, has reacted angrily to the deal and has called for several directors to be removed from the company's board and install David Frauman and Stuart Ross in their stead. As part of the deal, Interserve has agreed a debt-for-equity swap with its lenders as part of plans to cut its near-650million debt pile and put the company on a firmer financial footing. The Government contractor said the likes of RBS, HSBC and BNP Paribas, together with Emerald Asset Management and Davidson Kempner Capital, will seize control of the firm. Interserve, which holds contracts for a range of services in prisons, schools and hospitals, will also issue 480million worth of new equity as part of the deal. The group's lucrative building materials division, RMD Kwikform, will remain part of the business. Debbie White, Interserve's chief executive, said: 'The board believes that this agreement will secure a strong future for Interserve. 'This proposal has been achieved following a long period of intensive negotiation and has the support of our financial stakeholders and Government. 'Its successful implementation is critical to the Interserve group's future and all of its stakeholders. 'The deleveraging plan will, alongside our 'fit for growth' transformation programme, place us in a strong position to deliver our strategy, be competitive in the marketplace and provide a secure future for the Interserve group's employees, customers and suppliers.' Last night it was reported that the Cabinet Office had blocked a proposal to save the company. A source told the Financial Times: 'It's a bit like Brexit. No one wants No Deal on the table but no one can agree and [it] is running out of road and will hit overdraft limits soon.' Commenting on the deal, Stephen Rawlinson, an analyst at Applied Value, said there were 'many hurdles yet to cross' and there was 'insufficient detail in the release today to properly form a view'. Interserve's share price has plunged over the past year, currently trading at around 14p each. Just over a year ago, the shares were worth 100p each. Barratt Developments, the country's largest housebuilder, has revealed a rise in half-year sales and profits as it continues to shrug off the Brexit pressures hitting the wider property market. Outsourcing giant Interserve has agreed a debt for equity swap with its lenders as part of plans to cut its near-650million debt mountain. And hotel booking sites like Expedia, Booking.com, Hotels.com and trivago will be forced to change the way they operate, following a probe by the competition watchdog. A 73-year-old grandmother who had both her kidneys needlessly removed due to a misdiagnosis of cancer has died eight months later. Linda Woolley, of Englewood, Colorado, was on the transplant list when she suffered a fatal cardiac arrest on Friday, her family said. She was diagnosed with 'likely' kidney cancer at the University of Colorado Hospital in March 2018, and underwent surgery to remove both organs in May. But according to a report by FOX31, her biopsy was benign and showed 'no evidence of malignancy'. Doctors realized their error in a post-operative biopsy that found no evidence of cancer in either organ. But kidneys can't just be put back in. Linda had to sit through four hours of dialysis three days a week, which she says turned her life upside down. Tragic: Linda Woolley, 73, has died after she was misdiagnosed with 'likely' kidney cancer last year, leading to both organs being removed before doctors realized she was cancer-free Woolley was forced to endure four hours a day of dialysis - which she described as 'no picnic' 'I feel like they owe me a kidney, that's for sure,' Woolley said in an interview last year, having hired an attorney to sue the hospital. Kidneys are essential for removing waste and excess water from blood to produce urine. We can survive with just one, but that's as far as the body can go. With no kidneys, dialysis is required: patients are hooked up to an IV which essentially cleans and filters their blood. You can survive on it for about a decade, but it is an arduous process - as Linda attests. Woolley said she 'was not real happy' after discovering what went wrong. 'My life was totally changed. Dialysis is no picnic no matter how used to it you get, it robs you of your life,' she said. According to FOX31, Woolley was not immediately well enough to be put on the transplant waiting list. Transplant hopefuls need to be capable of withstanding the complex and life-threatening surgery, and then need to be on immunosuppressing drugs for life. For those that make it onto the list, the wait averages between seven and 10 years. Unfortunately, elderly people rarely make it to the top of the list. Sharing her story in November, Woolley said she hoped she can get a kidney - and she hopes her story can be a warning to others to double-check their diagnoses. 'It is terrifying because you have no choice when you go into a hospital. You trust that you're going to be taken care of,' she said. A cheap pill developed to treat HIV may prevent Alzheimer's disease, according to new research. Experiments on human cells and mice showed the drug dramatically reduces age-related inflammation and other signs of decline as people get older. It could combat many illnesses prevalent among the elderly such as type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's, arthritis and macular degeneration - the leading cause of blindness. Lamivudine, sold as Epivir or 3TC, is a drug produced by GlaxoSmithKline to combat HIV, either taken on its own or in combination with other drugs. Treating 26-month-old mice - roughly equivalent to a person of 75 - for as little as two weeks reduced inflammation. And six months of therapy for 20-month-old lab rodents - that simulate humans aged around 60 - also helped stop fat and muscle loss as well as kidney scarring. Lamivudine, sold as Epivir or 3TC, is a drug produced by GlaxoSmithKline to combat HIV. New tests show it may also fight dementia Dr John Sedivy, at Brown University in the United States, said: 'This holds promise for treating age-associated disorders including Alzheimer's. 'And not just Alzheimer's but many other diseases - type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's, macular degeneration, arthritis, all of these different things. That's our goal.' He is now eager to translate the findings to humans. He is already hoping to begin clinical trials of lamivudine for various age-associated conditions such as frailty, Alzheimer's and arthritis. Lamivudine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1995 and has been used to treat HIV for decades. Its pharmacological activity and safety are well established. Patient studies could be streamlined and focused on its effect on age-associated disorders, said Prof Sedivy. As humans age they become prone to systemic inflammation - a persistent activation of the immune system linked to chronic disorders as well as many cancers. Lamivudine targets the process by blocking genes called retrotransposons - responsible for tiny changes in DNA that trigger disease. It reduced inflammation in human cells grown in the lab. In tests on old mice just two weeks of treatment also reversed the damage, reports Nature. Corresponding author Dr Sedivy explained the HIV drug acts by halting retrotransposon activity in old cells. Dubbed 'jumping genes', retrotransposons make up a substantial fraction of the human genome and are related to ancient viruses up to 500,000 years old - including HIV. If left unchecked they can produce DNA copies of themselves that can insert in other parts of a cell's genome. Cells have evolved ways to keep them under wraps but as they age the retrotransposons can escape this control, says Dr Sedivy. His team showed a specific type called L1 managed this and began to replicate in old, or senescent, human cells that no longer divide - and ageing mice. The DNA copies of L1 are detected by an antiviral immune reaction known as the 'interferon response' - triggering inflammation in neighbouring cells, the study found. These retrotransposons are present in every type of tissue - making them a compelling suspect for a unified component of cellular ageing, said Dr Sedivy. Understanding this shed fresh light on the interferon response - the potential mechanism through which these jumping genes cause cellular inflammation. Dr Sedivy said: 'This interferon response was a complete game changer.' The interferon-stimulating copies of L1 DNA require a protein called reverse transcriptase - just like HIV and other ancient viruses, he said. In fact, AZT, the first AIDS drug, destroys it. Current multi-drug HIV cocktails still contain reverse transcriptase inhibitors. The researchers suspected this class of drugs may keep the viral-like L1 retrotransposon from replicating - preventing the inflammatory immune response. They tried six and lamivudine worked best - and also had hardly any side effects. It decreased the interferon response in the human cells by killing a chemical called SASP (senescence-associated secretory phenotype) that boosts inflammation. Dr Sedivy said: 'When we started giving this HIV drug to mice we noticed they had these amazing anti-inflammatory effects. 'Our explanation is although L1s are activated relatively late in senescence, the interferon response reinforces the SASP response and is responsible for age-associated inflammation.' Dr Sedivy, who wrote the first comprehensive book on gene targeting in 1992, said the results are encouraging but there's more work to be done. He said: 'If we treat with lamivudine, we make a tangible dent in the interferon response and inflammation. 'But it doesn't quite go back down to normal. We can fix part of the problem, but we don't actually understand the whole ageing problem yet. The L1 reverse transcripts are at least an important part of this mess.' Lamivudine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1995 and has been used to treat HIV for decades. Its pharmacological activity and safety are well established, said Dr Sedivy. The new clinical trials could be streamlined and focused on lamivudine's efficacy in treating age-associated disorders, he added. Dr Sedivy would also like to develop a new reverse transcriptase inhibitor specifically for L1. The molecular structure needs to be determined to protect against possible side effects. Researchers could also develop other types of drugs that target the L1 retrotransposons, he said. Lamivudine is also used to treat chronic hepatitis B when other options are not possible. Common side effects include nausea, diarrhoea, headaches, feeling tired and cough. Serious side effects include liver disease. It is on the World Health Organisation's List of Essential Medicines, the most effective and safe medicines needed in a health system. Experts described the study as 'interesting'. Dr Sara Imarisio, Head of Research, at Alzheimer's Research UK, said: 'Although dementia is not an inevitable part of ageing, getting older does increase our dementia risk. Understanding how the ageing process makes us more susceptible to dementia remains a key area of research and could provide insights for developing new treatments for diseases like Alzheimer's. 'In this study, the ageing of cells that happens as we get older was found to trigger higher levels of inflammation. While inflammation is thought to play an important role in the development of diseases that cause dementia, this study didn't directly explore whether their findings are relevant to these diseases. 'This is interesting and elegant early-stage research on age-associated inflammation, but we are a long way from being able to tell whether the HIV drug used in this study could be of any use in helping treat diseases like Alzheimer's. 'Better understanding of how harmful inflammation gets underway in the brain is key for developing drugs that could tackle this process in Alzheimer's. Inflammation in one of the key targets being explored by the Alzheimer's Research UK Drug Discovery Alliance, a unique initiative that is working to radically speed up the hunt for effective dementia treatments.' A life-threatening fungal illness is rapidly spreading throughout central California, health officials say. The number of Valley Fever cases rose eight percent in 2018 from the previous year - up to more than 8,100 from more than 7,500, according to a report released by the California Department of Public Health last week. The increase from 2016, when cases totaled around 5,700, was even more shocking - an sharp spike of 42 percent. Kern County, which is about 133 miles from Los Angeles, was hit the hardest by far, documenting a little more than 3.000 cases - up 23 percent from 2017 and 48 percent from 2016. Nine deaths were recorded in the county in 2017, which is the highest number in more than a decade, reported SFGATE. Valley Fever cases rose eight percent in 2018 from 2017 and 42 percent from 2016, a report from the California Department of Public Health revealed Counties that also saw a high number of cases include Los Angeles (1,036), Fresno (632), Tulare (425), and San Luis Obispo (353). 'We've seen a lot more cases recently,' Michelle Rivera, a health education specialist for Fresno County, told SFGATE. 'Not all providers are testing for it so there might be more cases out there.' Health officials suspect a few reasons for the rise in cases including rainfall affecting the way the fungus grows and spreads, more people moving to high-risk areas, and an increased level of detecting and diagnosing the illness. Valley Fever, also known as coccidioidomycosis, is an infection caused by a fungus found in soil. The fungus, called Coccidioides, flourishes in areas that are hot and dry, making California's climate the perfect area for outbreaks. Valley Fever is contracted by breathing in spores in the air and cannot be spread from person to person. Symptoms appear one to three weeks later and include a rash, fatigue, headache, fever, shortness of breath, coughing and muscle or joint pain. Because the symptoms resemble other illnesses, getting a correct diagnosis can be delayed. The illness generally goes away on its own after a few weeks or months without treatment, but some people may be given anti-fungal medication to reduce symptom severity. In a few cases, the infection can spread from the lungs to the brain, bones, skin or eyes, causing blindness, skin abscesses, lung failure and occasionally death. Approximately 10,000 cases are reported in the US annually, mainly in Arizona and California, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Last week, a US appeals court threw out a lawsuit from California prison inmates and ruled that the inmates cannot hold state officials liable for contracting Valley Fever. Ian Wallach, an attorney for some of the inmates, said the ruling was devastating. 'The families of over 40 inmates who died and 100 who got infected and require lifetime medical care are left to fend for themselves,' he told The Associated Press. Yoga could help millions of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, research suggests. A study found the ancient exercise slashes inflammation and reduces pain in the joints of sufferers after just eight weeks. And practicing downward dog, lotus and crab poses even protected the patients' from depression - a common side effect of the chronic condition. Yoga is thought to target the 'mind-body communications' that cause sufferers to experience mental-health problems, the researchers claim. Yoga could help millions of rheumatoid arthritis patients, research suggests (stock) The research was carried out by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, and led by Dr Rima Dada, from the department of anatomy. RA affects around one per cent - or 400,000 people - in the UK, National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society statistics show. And in the US, more than 1.3million adults have the condition, according to the Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Network. RA is an autoimmune disease that occurs when a person's immune system mistakenly attacks the lining of their healthy joints, leading to painful inflammation. The condition has long been associated with depression, with the mental-health disorder affecting a patient's ability to stick to their medication and worsening their disease severity. Although past studies have found a link between yoga and improved symptoms among RA sufferers, this is the first to investigate how the ancient exercise reduces inflammation. The researchers analysed 72 RA sufferers who were divided into two groups - those that practiced yoga while taking conventional medication and those who just took the drugs. Blood samples were collected from all the participants before and after the experiment to look for markers of inflammation. Disease severity was also assessed by monitoring how swollen and tender the patients' joints were. And yoga's impact on the patients' risk of depression was also measured every two weeks. Results - published in the journal Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience - revealed the RA sufferers who did yoga had significantly lower levels of inflammation markers in their blood than those who just relied on conventional treatment. They also reported less pain and reduced signs of depression. By boosting their mental health, yoga made the patients more likely to take their RA medication as prescribed and helped them perform day-to-day tasks with less discomfort. 'Our results provide evidence that yoga positively modifies the pathobiology of autoimmunity at cellular and molecular levels by targeting mind-body communications,' Dr Dada said. The researchers believe their study demonstrates yoga can be used as a 'complementary therapy' when treating RA. 'This study offers a new option,' Dr Dada said. 'Pharmacological treatments can be supplemented with alternative and complementary interventions like yoga to alleviate the symptoms at both physical and psychosomatic levels.' And seeing as many diseases affect a sufferer's mental health, the study gives hope that yoga could be used across numerous conditions, the researchers claim. But, Dr Dada added, further research is required to determine how yoga benefits RA patients. A woman with cystic fibrosis who is unable to have children has been left disappointed after being denied NHS funding for IVF and surrogacy. Sophie Gannon, 30, who has already had a double lung transplant, has been told by doctors she could die if she gets pregnant. Therefore, the school office data controller and her partner, Josh Thomas, 28, must use IVF and a surrogate mother. However, because the couples' fertility is not affected, they do not fall under the criteria for the NHS to pay for IVF. The desperate couple are now fundraising for the costs of their private treatment - at least 8,000 - before finding a surrogate. Sophie Gannon, 30, and her partner Josh Thomas, 28, must use IVF and a surrogate mother to have the child they have always dreamed of After a lung transplant due to cystic fibrosis, Ms Gannon has been told by doctors she cannot go through pregnancy, as there is a risk she 'could die' due to the pressure on her body Ms Gannon was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at birth. Pictured, using a nebuliser as a child Ms Gannon said: 'We need to raise between 7,000 to 8,000 for making the embryos and then up to 2,000 each time an embryo is transferred to a surrogate. 'We have to find our own surrogate but we won't give up, surrogacy is our only chance of having a baby.' Ms Gannon was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at birth, a life-shortening, inherited disease that causes the body to produce thick mucus. WHEN IS IVF OFFERED AND HOW CAN YOU GET A SURROGATE? IVF is only offered on the NHS if certain criteria are met. If you don't meet these criteria, you may need to pay for private treatment. In 2013, the NICE published new fertility guidelines that made recommendations about who should have access to the treatment on the NHS in England and Wales. However, individual NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups make the final decision about who can access it in their local area, and their criteria may be stricter. According to NICE, women aged under 40 should be offered three cycles of IVF treatment on the NHS if: They've been trying to get pregnant through regular unprotected sex for two years, or they've not been able to get pregnant after 12 cycles of artificial insemination. If you turn 40 during treatment, the current cycle will be completed, but further cycles should not be offered. If tests show that IVF is the only treatment likely to help you get pregnant, you should be referred for IVF straight away. Surrogacy is legal in the UK, however, it cannot be advertised. If conception is taking place at a fertility clinic, there will be a cost. No third parties are allowed to be involved and surrogates can only receive payments to cover expenses incurred as a result of being pregnant. Advertisement The condition, of which 30,000 people are living with in the US and 10,400 in the UK, affects the lungs and digestive and reproductive systems in particular. At the age of 23, in 2011, Ms Gannon underwent a life-saving double lung transplant. But it would crush her dreams of having a child - due to complications, her body would be under more strain during pregnancy. Lung transplant recipients have an increased risk of maternal and neonatal complications associated with pregnancy, with a risk of premature birth and rejection of the new lungs. Writing on a blog, Ms Gannon said she spoke to a consultant in June 2018: 'They strongly advised that I do not get pregnant. I know many CF patients who have had babies and this just depends on how well you are. 'However, becoming pregnant once you have had a lung transplant is a different issue. 'If you become pregnant after a transplant, no matter if you are in good health or not, your antibodies will raise which can cause your lungs to reject. 'This is something that both me and my family do not want me to even risk. It would also be unfair and selfish for me to get pregnant and risk dying basically after everything that both me, my family, friends and medical team have done to keep me alive.' Ms Gannon and Mr Thomas were told their best option was a gestational surrogacy, which would mean a surrogate carry their embryo through an IVF clinic. But they have been refused funding for IVF from the NHS on the basis that they do not fall under the criteria. NHS trusts across England and Wales work to provide the same levels of service. But the provision of IVF treatment varies across the country, and often depends on local clinical commissioning group (CCG) policies. The guidance from the National Institute for health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) said surrogacy, which is legal in the UK, lies outside the remit of the guidance. Ms Gannon said: 'They have sent me the criteria and it is because my medical condition and treatment doesn't affect my eggs or Josh's sperm. 'The surrogacy hospital basically said the council were we live don't fund surrogacy even though they agree that we need to take that route.' Ms Gannon and Mr Thomas, a breakdown recovery driver, were told their best option was a gestational surrogacy which would mean a surrogate carry their embryo through an IVF clinic Because Ms Gannon and Mr Thomas' fertility are not affected, they are not eligible for IVF treatment under their CCG's criteria Ms Gannon is still affected by cystic fibrosis despite her lung transplant The couple are fundraising to pay for the costs of their treatment - up to 10,000 The couple have said they are hoping to apply through another GP in a different borough after moving house to see if they have different criteria. Ms Gannon said: 'I really don't hold out much hope as I feel the criteria will still be the same but it is definitely worth a try of course. 'Surrogacy will give me the chance of becoming a mum and having a family of my own. 'It's not my right or expectation, all we're asking for is some help. It's completely devastating.' The couple have already begun the process to screen their eggs and sperm in the hope of becoming parents. Ms Gannon said: 'I've already begun screening my eggs and preparing as much as possible. 'I owe a lot to the NHS - I wouldn't be here without them. I just feel let down that they don't judge each case individually and that if there was something I could do to change my situation so that I could carry a child then I would.' Ms Gannon added that despite her condition and the current outlook, she's trying to keep as positive as she can. She said: 'My condition varies from day to day. I still have cystic fibrosis and I take 30-40 tablets a day. 'I still suffer with stomach and breathing issues, have CF related diabetes and still get more tired than "normal". But I'm stubborn and carry on.' A spokesperson for NHS Bexley Clinical Commissioning Group said: 'We are unable to comment on individual cases. 'But all clinical commissioning groups in south east London adhere to a common policy that sets eligibility criteria for a number of specific treatments. 'This... is designed to ensure that resources are used in an equitable and effective way for all patients and that clear, consistent and fair procedures are in place. 'The Policy states the implications of a number of legal points related to surrogate pregnancy mean fertility treatment involving a surrogate mother will not be funded.' The couple are raising money on GoFundMe to help pay for their IVF treatment. A re-invented stethoscope with artificial intelligence could diagnose pneumonia by listening to a patient's lungs. Scientists have invented the gadget to be able to spot warning signs - without the need for a doctor's trained ear. Using noise-filtering technology and an understanding of what lungs with pneumonia sound like, the stethoscope could save lives, its developers say. The Feelix and FeelixPro stethoscopes will be launched this year and scientists say it correctly identifies the disease almost nine times out of 10. Scientists at the Maryland-based Sonavi Labs have invented an AI stethoscope which used data on around 1,500 patients to learn to recognise signs of pneumonia Developed by experts from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, the stethoscope is believed to be 87 per cent accurate at diagnosing the lung disease. Pneumonia, which causes the lungs to fill with fluid, kills almost one million children under the age of five globally each year. Around 220,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with pneumonia annually, along with a million Americans. The developers a company called Sonavi Labs say its stethoscope has three major differences from other equipment on the market. 'Our digital stethoscope is less sensitive to precise placement on the body, it incorporates active noise control so that it can work in almost any environment, and it is able to detect abnormal lung sounds,' Professor James West told Digital Trends. The lungs of patients with pneumonia may make bubbling, crackling or rattling sounds when they breathe, and their breaths may be shallower than usual. WHAT IS PNEUMONIA? Pneumonia is a type of chest infection that affects the tiny air sacs in the lungs. The condition causes these sacs to be become inflammed and fill with fluid, making it harder to breathe. Pneumonia is caused by bacteria or viruses, with the most common being Streptococcus pneumoniae. It affects between five and 11 out of every 1,000 adults every year in the UK. Anyone can suffer from pneumonia, however, at-risk groups include: Babies and young children People over 65 Those with long-term heart, lung or kidney disease People with cancer, particularly those having chemotherapy Smokers Those on drugs that suppress their immune systems Antibiotics or mechanical ventilator use in hospitals also raise the risk. Symptoms include Coughing up mucus Fever Chest pain Loss of appetite Fatigue In severe cases, sufferers may cough up blood, vomit or have a rapid heart rate. Treatment is usually antibiotics, which may need to be given intravenously in hospital in severe cases. Source: British Lung Foundation Advertisement Other conditions like asthma, pleurisy and tumours can change how the lungs sound, and doctors have to make sure the stethoscope is in exactly the right place. The AI stethoscope is believed to get rid of this room for error it can remove other sounds, including background noise a patient's heartbeat, meaning placement doesn't have to be exact and it can be used in busy environments. It does this by having an external microphone recording other sounds, then adapts to remove those from the stethoscope's recording. And its artificial intelligence was trained using a database of recordings from around 1,500 patients in Africa and Asia. This means the technology can accurately distinguish the sounds of pneumonia without the need for a doctor. It sends readings to the doctor's computer which can clearly distinguish between the breathing of a normal lung and one with pneumonia. Sonavi Labs' chief executive, Ellington West said: 'Our goals are to save lives, to enable earlier detection of respiratory challenges, to reduce the number of emergency room visits and hospital admissions, and to improve the workflow of hospitals while giving patients the ability to engage with their providers from the comforts of their home.' Among children, pneumonia is most common in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, but experts warn pollution in the West could be making it a bigger risk here. A Unicef UK report today warned a third of British children are breathing in air so polluted it risks damaging their health. The children's charity said the UK is in the midst of a 'toxic air crisis' that risks booming into a full-scale public health emergency if it is not tackled. But parents are woefully ignorant of this 'invisible threat' and the damage it is doing to children's health, its report said. At least 4.5million children in the UK 30 per cent of all under-18s are growing up in areas with unsafe levels of particulate matter in the air, which increases their risk of developing pneumonia, asthma, and stunted growth in their lungs. 'This is a fundamental threat to their right to grow up in a clean, healthy environment,' Unicef's report warned. A three-year-old girl suffered a stroke after the chickenpox virus narrowed the blood vessels in her brain. Lottie Evans was staying at a caravan park in Abersoch, North Wales, with her family on July 26, 2016 when she became clumsy, irritable and unable to walk. After being rushed to Ysbyty Gwynedd hospital in Bangor, doctors initially diagnosed her with Bell's palsy - temporary facial paralysis - before tests revealed her blood supply had been cut off to part of her brain. Medics warned the youngster would unlikely ever walk or talk again, but further tests at Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool two weeks later revealed she was well on her way to recovery. Now five years old, Lottie - of Warrington - is like any other little girl despite enduring a second stroke. Lottie Evans suffered a stroke on holiday triggered by the chickenpox. Pictured at just three years old in hospital after the ordeal, this caused Lottie to develop paralysis down the right side of her face, with doctors fearing she would never walk or talk again Pictured in hospital, Lottie's parents assumed she was just tired when she became irritable and clumsy while at a caravan park in North Wales. She had chickenpox three months earlier While on holiday, Lottie's parents became concerned when they noticed their daughter was being unusually quiet and dropped four drinks. The youngster - who had chickenpox three months earlier - also refused to eat and kept sliding off chairs onto the floor. Thinking she was just tired, her parents put her in her buggy to sleep. But when she woke, Lottie kept falling over and could not even speak. CAN CHICKENPOX CAUSE STROKE? Stroke has been reported as a 'rare' side effect of chickenpox. Dr Tina Tan, professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University, told Today: 'Basically, the chickenpox virus infects the large blood vessels in the brain and causes inflammation in them. 'The blood vessels can scar and that can decrease blood supply to the brain, which can lead to stroke.' Studies have shown children are most at risk six months after they first become infected with the chickenpox virus. This can leave youngsters with permanent disabilities, including paralysis or seizures, depending on which blood vessels are involved, Dr Tan said. Other scary complications can include the blistering skin rash shingles, meningitis, pneumonia and dehydration if pox lesions develop around the mouth. Advertisement Despite her symptoms, Lottie's parents still did not think it was anything serious and only took her to hospital on the recommendation of a paramedic who was away with them. The couple made the hour journey to Bangor while their daughter was vomiting in the car. Once there, they were told Lottie likely had Bell's palsy, with the youngster then having two CT scans to confirm the diagnosis. But it was a student nurse who happened to be in the room that mentioned she may have suffered a stroke. Her parents worse fears were then realised when a scan confirmed the diagnosis. Lottie's mother Claire Marriott said: 'At the time we didn't think it was a stroke because most people don't think children can have strokes. 'We asked if she would recover and they told us that she probably wouldn't, which was devastating. 'Lottie could not walk or speak and had lost the use of the whole of her right side. 'We were told the doctors had only ever known about one case where the person fully recovered.' Now five years old, Lottie defied the doctors who said she would unlikely ever recover. Just two weeks after the ordeal, tests revealed the youngster was doing well. Although she still has slight facial paralysis and struggles to speak, her parents are confident her future is bright The following day, Lottie was transferred to Alder Hey Children's Hospital, where she stayed for two weeks. Against all the odds, her parents were then told the youngster was likely to make a full recovery in just another 14 days. 'At that point, we were given a ray of light,' Ms Marriott said. 'Doctors believe the stroke was caused by chickenpox, which had narrowed an artery in Lotties neck when she had the virus three months earlier.' Five out of every 100,000 children has a stroke in the UK every year. Research has shown chickenpox can increase the risk of the condition in youngsters. The virus behind chickenpox is thought to cause blood vessels in the head to narrow, according to the Stroke Association Several years on, Lottie has undergone physio, occupational therapy, and speech and language therapy. Despite all these efforts, she still suffers from facial paralysis and struggles to speak but is gradually improving. A routine MRI scan in January last year even revealed the youngster had suffered a second stroke but with no long-lasting effects. She now takes an aspirin every day to reduce the risk of another episode. Lottie was nominated for a Life After Stroke Award last month. She is pictured at the ceremony To raise awareness of the condition in children, Lottie's parents have set up their own charity - Lottie's Way. 'Despite everything we consider ourselves blessed, many parents don't get to take their children home from hospital after a paediatric stroke and tragically around the world stroke is one of the top ten causes of death in children,' Ms Marriott said. 'As a parent and being faced with uncertainty of what the future will hold and many questions I turned to Google for some support - what I found is there is no UK support groups for children and so I found myself with many questions unanswered. 'I would like to get Lottie's story out to give other parents the hope that although a child suffers a paediatric stroke, there is sometimes a positive outcome in the hope we can give another parent who goes through what we have a bit of support.' Last month, Lottie was commended for her courage after being nominated for a Life After Stroke Award. Chris Larkin, director of Stroke Support - North, said: 'A stroke happens in an instant and often changes lives forever. 'Our regional event highlights the tremendous courage people like Lottie have shown in rebuilding their lives after a stroke, or in helping others to do the same.' A mother had her ear amputated due to skin cancer which was misdiagnosed as a wart for five years. Anthea Smith, 43, visited her GP on a number of occasions, who she claims were 'reluctant' to refer her to a dermatologist. The small, red lump grew and eventually her whole ear was covered by the black and brown warty-growth. An emergency biopsy in 2015 in revealed Mrs Smith, from Winstanley, Greater Manchester, had stage 3C melanoma. After two long operations and 32 gruelling radiotherapy sessions, Mrs Smith now wears a prosthetic ear and lives with perpetual balance problems, facial numbness and tinnitus. Mrs Smith wants sunbeds banned, blaming her 'naive' use of them from the age of 14 for her devastating diagnosis. Andrea Smith, 43, from Winstanley, Greater Manchester had her ear amputated due to skin cancer which was misdiagnosed as a wart for five years The wart, pictured, concerned Mrs Smith and her hairdresser, but she was told not to worry The small red lump grew and eventually her whole ear was covered by the black and brown warty-growth which bled and became scabby Mrs Smith visited her GP on a number of occasions, the first time in 2010, who she claims were 'reluctant' to refer her to a dermatologist Mrs Smith, who is a community assessment worker at Bolton Council, said: 'I feel like the GP and the dermatologist let me down very much. At that point the lesion had been there for five years. It was a long time. 'My melanoma is not atypical and it's not textbook in any shape or form. It had just been a lesion, it was tiny - not even a mole. 'Initially a lump appeared on the tip of my left ear, inside the top part where it folds over. It itched a little bit. 'I spoke to my doctor and my doctor said it was nothing to worry about, it was just a wart.' Mrs Smith first noticed a strange red spot on the fold of her outer ear in 2010, but claims she was not worried when her GP at the Winstanley Medical Centre in Wigan, Greater Manchester, dismissed it. After comments from her hairdresser and having an itchy ear from wearing a headset at work, Mrs Smith claims she returned to the same GP only to be told it was a wart again. She became embarrassed about the visible red mark on her ear and had an asymmetrical haircut to cover it up. Mrs Smith said: 'It didn't change colour at that point. It was fleshy coloured but it did grow. Every time I got my hair done my hairdresser commented on it. 'I went back to my doctor and the doctor said again that it was nothing to worry about, that I was worrying about nothing. 'Although it was frustrating it was also reassuring at the same time because I thought if my GP isn't too concerned about it I shouldn't be either.' Mrs Smith became embarrassed about the visible red mark on her ear and had an asymmetrical haircut to cover it up Mrs Smith had two operations to remove her full outer and inner ear, lymph nodes, tragus, salivary glands and temporal bone Doctors used skin from Mrs Smith's right leg and hip to cover up the wound Mrs Smith had 32 rounds of head and neck radiotherapy which she described as 'brutal' WHAT IS STAGE 3C MELANOMA? Stage 3 is part of the number staging system. Stage 3 means that cancer cells have spread into skin, lymph vessels, or lymph glands close to the melanoma. It depends on a number of factors including ulceration. Ulceration is when the skin covering the melanoma is broken. Stage 3 can be divided into 3A, 3B and 3C. Stage 3C means one of the following: Your lymph nodes contain melanoma cells, and there are melanoma cells in the skin or lymph channels close to the main melanoma Your melanoma is ulcerated and has spread to between one and three lymph nodes nearby which are enlarged Your melanoma may or may not be ulcerated and has spread to four or more nearby lymph nodes Your melanoma may or may not be ulcerated and has spread to lymph nodes that have joined together Source: Cancer Research UK Advertisement It wasn't until a smear test in October 2014 when she showed a nurse the now ulcerated and mahogany and black marks on her left ear that she was booked in for another appointment with her GP the next morning. Mrs Smith claims the GP then 'reluctantly' referred her to a dermatologist in the St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals Trust for a different lesion on her shin. After four months, tests confirmed the lesion on her shin was non-cancerous. But the dermatologist referred her to a plastic surgeon for 'the warts' on her ear in April 2015. Mrs Smith said: 'By the time I was referred to the plastic surgeon, it had literally covered the whole of my outer ear. It was heading into what they call the conchal bowl into my ear drum. 'It [the growth] looked like it was a mahogany red. It had scabbed, it had ulcerated. Each time I put a phone to my ear it bled. If anything touched it, it bled. I couldn't use that ear. 'I would wake up and there would be blood on my pillow if I had rolled over and slept on my side.' The surgeon performed an emergency biopsy and diagnosed Mrs Smith with stage 3C melanoma in July 2015. Nearly half of patients diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma will be alive five years later, according to Melanoma UK. Mrs Smith said: 'If it hadn't been from the plastic surgeon moving so quickly then I probably wouldn't be alive today. It's scary. 'They were amazed that it hadn't spread to my brain... The lungs were clear.' Mrs Smith had two operations on August 5 and November 5, 2015 to remove her full outer and inner ear, lymph nodes, tragus, salivary glands and temporal bone. After the first operation, which removed her outer ear and tragus, Mrs Smith claims she felt like an 'alien' with the exposed hole in her head that lead to her eardrums. She said: 'It sounds crazy but I looked a bit like an alien with the hole at the side of my head.' After the first operation in August 2015, which removed her outer ear and tragus, Mrs Smith claims she felt like an 'alien' with the exposed hole in her head that lead to her eardrums Mrs Smith said: 'If it hadn't been from the plastic surgeon moving so quickly then I probably wouldn't be alive today. It's scary.' Pictured, Mrs Smith's hair loss during radiotherapy During the second operation, which was 13 hours, doctors removed the inner ear, middle ear, and used skin from Mrs Smith's right leg and hip to cover up the wound. Mrs Smith was left deaf in one ear and with constant balance issues from then on. She said: 'I recovered as best I could from that and then I had 32 sessions of head and neck radiotherapy in January 2016. 'It was absolutely brutal. I totally underestimated radiotherapy by thinking surgery would be the hardest part, but it kicked my ass and it kicked it hard. 'The surgery wiped out a lot of my sense of taste, but with the radiotherapy I lost all sense of taste. Everything tasted like soap or bleach. 'I had lesions and burns inside my mouth, throat, outside my head. I had a constant dry mouth. I lost two and a half stone during that treatment.' Mrs Smith said she rarely uses her prosthetic ear that the Aintree Prosthesis department gave her because she doesn't need to wear glasses. Despite being in a state of 'no evidence of active disease' (NEAD) since 2016, Mrs Smith lives with the terrifying possibility that the aggressive skin cancer could return and cost her life. She said: 'Nobody has a crystal ball with melanoma. Once you're diagnosed it never goes. 'Some people who do know what melanoma is think that it's a dark black mole and it's literally something you cut out and it's gone. 'They don't realise how deadly it is. It isn't what people think it is.' Mrs Smith is now calling for the UK to follow example of countries such as Australia and Brazil and ban sunbeds. Current UK law bans under 18s from using sunbeds - but Mrs Smith claims underage teenagers will still find a way around the law if they are desperate for a tan. Mrs Smith now wears a prosthetic ear and lives with perpetual balance problems, facial numbness and tinnitus but has been in a state of 'no evidence of active disease' since 2016 Mrs Smith said she doesn't wear her prosthetic ear much because she doesn't wear glasses She said: 'We were all naive and thought if we were going abroad we needed to prepare our skin. 'Sun beds were promoted for that purpose really. The sunbed would be delivered to your house and everyone in the house would use it. You would hire it for about a month at a time. 'You're brought up to believe that a tan is healthy whereas it's the total opposite to that really. It's very upsetting seeing it on social media. 'My main ambition and aim is to get sunbeds banned. It would be a celebration for me if we did get banned in the UK. There's no reason for sunbeds.' Mrs Smith is intent on making memories with her two teenage sons Harry, 18, and 17-year-old Robbie, and husband Ste. She said: 'I feel a level of guilt for my family because this was all for a tan that I am potentially not going to be around forever. 'I can't guarantee that I will see my sons married or become a grandmother, but worrying about it spoils the now. I try and focus on today. 'Someone told me it was my own fault for using sunbeds so what did I expect? 'I'm not a martyr. I don't preach. But I will preach to save lives.' Mrs Smith, pictured with her husband, Ste, is urging for the ban of sunbeds which she used since the age of 14 Around 42 people are diagnosed with melanoma every day, according to Cancer Research UK. Mrs Smith is supporting the petition by Melanoma UK calling for all sunbeds to be banned in the UK, which 1,347 people have signed. Gillian Nuttall, chief executive of Melanoma UK, said: 'We understand that there is evidence of a link between sunbed use and melanoma: studies have suggested that those who have used a sunbed at least once in their life have a 20 per cent higher risk of developing melanoma than those that haven't. 'Those with a first exposure to sunbeds before the age of 35 years have a 75% increased risk of melanoma.' Dr Tim Dalton, local GP and chair of NHS Wigan Borough CCG, said: 'Although we cannot comment on individual patients due to patient confidentiality, we are pleased to hear that Anthea has been told that there isn't any evidence of active disease. 'When patients have concerns about their treatment and diagnosis, they should talk it through with the GP or Practice Manager so that they can understand the concerns and potentially seek a second opinion. 'However, if patients don't feel comfortable with this, or they feel that they aren't being listened to, then they can contact ourselves or NHS England who can offer advice or look in to the matter. The St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals Trust declined to comment on behalf of the dermatologist. You can sign the petition here. In this eighth edition, Fauconnier and Mandimika have focused on the need for efficient infrastructure something they believe is key to unlocking opportunities and tapping into the growth that Africa has to offer. The publication highlights some key findings that Africas lack of efficient infrastructure shaves up to 2.6 percent off its average per-capita growth rate (The World Bank), placing significant strain on human development; that the annual infrastructure need is US$130bn-US$170bn annually (The African Development Bank); and that the continents available capital is insufficient to achieve this. In short, the lack of efficient infrastructure is one of the highest hurdles to business in Africa. But Where to Invest in Africa also shows that this obstacle represents an opportunity to businesses involved in the development or financing of infrastructure projects. Says Fauconnier, developing infrastructure is synonymous with developing Africa and unlocking her enormous growth potential. When Fauconnier and Mandimika talk infrastructure, theyre referring to hard or tangible infrastructure (transport, energy, ICT) or the physical structures connecting people, places or businesses to the economy; soft or intangible infrastructure or the development of services (education, health) or the policy environment; financing infrastructure, relating to whos financing Africas infrastructure gap, how theyre being funded and what theyre investing in; regional infrastructure or on-the-ground programmes; and technological infrastructure or how new technologies (e.g. digitalisation) are impacting Africas economic outlook. So, what are the challenges to infrastructure development? They are: weak legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks; weak infrastructure planning and project preparation; ineffective governance; and corruption, one of the consequences being limited private-sector involvement. The key to building well-targeted infrastructure connecting African economies to global value chains is governments dedicated to the task, adds Fauconnier. The Brookings Institution puts some numbers to that dedication, noting that to sustain 3-3.5 percent economic-growth rates in Africa, infrastructure spending as a proportion of GDP should be 5-6 percent annually. It is currently at 2 percent (average). Only a few countries globally have managed this allocation, continues Fauconnier, but execution of these funds hasnt necessarily been effective. Medium term, Africas fiscal imbalances will hinder increased spending. We see governments over the next decade emphasising implementing structural changes more so than ever. And how better than by developing infrastructure? she asks. Its vital that both public and private players have mechanisms to ensure that their investments provide the best returns possible. RMB has incorporated a ranking that encompasses both the hard- and soft-infrastructure qualities for 53 African countries. The top ten best-performing African economies are a mix between the island economies, southern Africa and North Africa. Where to Invest in Africa examines hard infrastructure in relation to its deficits, challenges and projects current and future. Over the last decade, weve seen infrastructure-development emphasis shifting from ICT to electricity generation and road-infrastructure improvements, says Fauconnier. This trend will continue over the medium term, as poor roads and unavailable or irregular electricity supply prove costly to operations. When assessing the overall quality of hard infrastructure in Africa, Seychelles dominated the rankings, with its high-quality tourism infrastructure and strong ICT capabilities. North and southern Africa also featured highly not surprising, since theyre home to some of Africas biggest, most diversified economies. According to the publication, common to the ten lowest-ranked countries is that theyre mostly fragile states, involved in conflict. Hard infrastructure, core to growth, is essential for boosting economic growth levels. But it is soft infrastructure thats key when it comes to the quality of economic growth or inclusive growth and therefore essential to overall growth. Sadly, infrastructure build hasnt catered sufficiently for soft-infrastructure development, implying that the economic-growth benefits havent filtered through to most Africans, says Fauconnier. Promises to improve soft infrastructure are used in election campaigning. But promises dont always translate into implementation. The politicised nature of soft infrastructure and insufficient financing are major challenges in this space. In Africa, the quality of services is difficult to measure. But taking specific human-development data (life expectancy, education, income) into consideration, one can, at least, see where theyre lacking. The North African, southern African and island economies dominate the higher rankings here, as theyre the most developed, with stronger institutions and policies in place than the rest of the continent. Closing the infrastructure gap in Africa is a mammoth task, states Fauconnier, But it must be taken on. And it must be addressed by both the public and private sectors. In Africa, 90 percent of the projects underway are financed by public revenue through central governments or municipalities, the remainder, privately. According to the data, construction accounts for 83 percent of all ongoing projects being funded by the private sector, while the same sector draws just 12 percent of public investment. Governments, on the other hand, lean towards transport and energy-related projects, which together account for 84 percent of public investment and 13 percent of private investment. Nigeria, Ethiopia and Egypt (in that order) stand out as the three countries with the most publicly-funded infrastructure developments in Africa. Private funders show similar country preferences as their public counterparts, the notable exception being South Africa, the third-highest country by number of projects. Top 10 investment attractiveness-ranked countries: Egypt: Africas largest economy GDP-wise, boasting the biggest consumer market in the Middle East and North Africa, its diversified economy receiving large FDIs. South Africa: Also still an FDI hot spot, with the countrys currency and capital markets a cut above the rest of Africas, according to Fauconnier. But she warns that subdued economic growth and this years upcoming elections have created political-party divisions, which hamper policymaking. Morocco: Africas fifth-largest market, which, with its medium-term growth-rate expectation at 4 percent, boasts an enhanced operating environment and investment appeal. Ethiopia: Set to be the fastest-growing economy in Africa, averaging 8.2 percent for the next six years a slight normalisation from the 10 percent average experienced over the past decade. The robust momentum is supported by improved macroeconomic policies and higher government investment in local industries and human capital. Kenya: Delivered a diverse economy and sustained expansion in consumer demand, urbanisation, EAC integration, structural reforms and infrastructure development, which include an oil pipeline, railways, ports and power generation. Rwanda: Another fast-growing economy, boasting the second-best business environment. Although a small market, the government is investing heavily into its domestic industries, with a significant increase of FDI recorded over the past decade. Tanzania: Expected to grow at 6.5 percent over the next five years. The economy is expected to overtake Kenyas, supported by its resource-based manufacturing, tax incentives and development of special economic zones. Nigeria: Jumped back into the Top 10 due to improved macroeconomics, supported by recovering oil prices and production and favourable demographics attracting FDI. Ghana: Has strong growth rates concentrated around the oil and gas sector, while the non-oil sector growth is supported by pro-business reforms. Cote dIvoire: Has strong growth rates, supported by large infrastructure investment, particularly in transport and energy. Additional information: In assessing Africas most attractive investment environments, RMB considered two important conditions for viable investment: economic activity and operating environment.Eleven countries are forecast to grow above 6 percent; Ethiopia set to be Africas fastest-growing economy. Certain sectors provide opportunities for long-term growth. Resources will continue to be key in attracting funds particularly in the hydrocarbon, base and precious metals spheres. The all-important demographic dividend especially the strong growth in population, urbanisation and GDP per capita also provides growth opportunities. RMB also identified other growth opportunities. From a fiscal perspective, Africa has low levels of revenue collection. The IMF estimates that SSA could potentially collect an extra 3-5 percent of GDP in tax revenues by improving collection systems and broadening the tax net. Says Fauconnier: Private-sector investment has also been lacking. This could change through more business-environment reforms, increased infrastructure and financial-market development and trade openness. The report found no real improvements in operating environments across Africa. Although findings reveal a slight improvement to the overall operating environment, access to financing, corruption, weak governance and inadequate efficient infrastructure remain problematic factors for doing business in Africa. The top five performers in terms of operating environments were Mauritius, Rwanda, Botswana, South Africa and the Seychelles. Mauritius is now in its 11th year of being the easiest business environment in Africa, and it keeps on improving. People who fall in love and settle down in their 20s sleep better in middle age and suffer less stress, according to a new study. Researchers say that their findings offer a possible explanation for how marriage reduces the risk of a premature death. It is already known that just cuddling a loved one improves the immune system by exposing it to more bacteria, protecting against infections. And regular sex works muscles you wouldn't otherwise use and increases blood flow. Now a research team at the University of Minnesota has found those who have positive, lasting relationships in their early adulthood experience less anxiety after the age of 32. Relationships boost long term health by getting 'under the skin' - literally That, in turn, predicts better quality of sleep by the time they are 37, according to the findings published in the journal Personal Relationships. Study lead author Chloe Huelsnitz, a PhD candidate at the University of Minnesota, said sleep is a shared behavior between couples. Relationships boost long term health by getting 'under the skin' - literally, she said. It adds to a growing body of literature showing one of the important ways partners impact us is by lowering levels of life stress. 'The current study is the first to demonstrate stress exposure as a mechanism linking relationship effectiveness to an important health outcome - sleep quality - over time,' Huelsnitz said. 'A large body of research has consistently found that romantic relationships are important predictors of long-term health and well-being. 'Although the behavioral processes linking relationships and health outcomes are not fully understood, sleep is a shared behavior in many romantic relationships, and it is a strong contender for how relationships 'get under the skin' to affect long-term health outcomes. 'The current research found support for a stress exposure reduction model of relationship effectiveness and sleep and added to a growing body of literature showing that one of the important ways in which relationships impact individuals is by reducing the occurrence and severity of life stress.' She said for decades research has showed people who have higher-quality relationships with their friends, family and romantic partners tend to have better health. But despite these well-established links, less is known about the behavioral mechanisms that account for these associations. 'Given adults typically share sleeping environments with their romantic partners and given the centrality of romantic relationships in most people's lives,' Huelsnitz said, 'the patterns of behavior and experiences that characterize one's current and past romantic relationships may affect the prevalence of conditions that undermine better sleep. 'Stress has been shown to be a precipitating factor of poor sleep quality and duration. 'In order to get sufficient sleep, people need the opportunity to sleep and must reduce vigilance to potential threats in their environment. 'Stress exposure affects both of these pre-conditions as it precedes and promotes stress responses and reduces opportunities for sleep. 'For example, someone who has to work an extra job to stay afloat financially is not only grappling with financial stress but also has fewer hours available to sleep.' Her team followed 267 participants born in Minnesota in 1975-76 who were all interviewed about their current and recent romantic relationships at 23 and 32. They described past conflicts, how their partners treated them and vice-versa, aspects of their relationship they did and did not like, perceptions of their partners' values and feelings, along with their general romantic experiences. At each time point trained coders rated the degree to which participants were competently engaged in romantic relationships on a five-point scale. High scores indicated mutual caring, trust, and emotional closeness; concern for, and sensitivity to, the other's needs and wishes; sharing of experiences and enjoyment of each other; and faithfulness, loyalty, and honesty. At 23, more than half participants (53.5 percent) reported on romantic relationships with more than one partner. Seven in 10 were currently involved with someone - and had lived with at least one partner. When relationship effectiveness was assessed at 32, almost eight in ten had lived with at least one of their romantic partners. Nearly three in ten (28.8 percent) were still in the same relationship as nine years earlier. Huelsnitz added: 'Although a large body of evidence shows relationships are important for health, we are just beginning to understand how the characteristics of people's close relationships affect health behaviors, such as sleep. 'The findings of our study suggest one way that relationships affect health behavior is through their effects on individuals' stress.' A history of smoking cannabis - even just once - has unexpectedly been linked to greater fertility in men, even if they don't still use the drug. The result came as a surprise to Harvard University scientists measuring the sperm counts of more than 600 men from couples attending a fertility clinic. They expected cannabis to have a detrimental effect on sperm count and fertility. Instead, those participants who admitted ever taking the drug turned out to have higher sperm counts than non-users. The finding does not necessarily mean that smoking cannabis increases the chances of fatherhood, the study authors and other experts were quick to point out. They suggest that the association may not show any cause-and effect relationship, but rather reflect the influence of the male hormone, testosterone, on both sperm count and risk-taking behavior, such as smoking cannabis. A new Harvard study suggests that a frequent marijuana smoker, like Seth Rogen's hapless character in Knocked Up, who impregnates Katherine Heigl's character in a one night stand, might really be more fertile than a man who has never used cannabis Lead researcher Dr Jorge Chavarro, from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in Boston, said: 'These unexpected findings highlight how little we know about the reproductive health effects of marijuana, and in fact of the health effects of marijuana in general. 'Our results need to be interpreted with caution and they highlight the need to further study the health effects of marijuana use.' Previous research involving animal experiments or men with histories of drug abuse has suggested that cannabis impairs male reproductive health. For the new study, investigators collected 1,143 semen samples from 662 men between 2000 and 2017. On average, the men were 36 years old, mostly white and college educated. All of them belonged to couples seeking help with conception from a fertility clinic. Participants were asked to fill in questionnaires detailing their history of cannabis use. More than half (55 percent) of the men reported having smoked cannabis at some point. Of those, 44 percent said they had taken the drug in the past, and 11 percent classified themselves as current users. Analysis of the semen samples showed that men who had smoked marijuana had average sperm concentrations of 62.7 million sperm per milliliter (million/mL). Those who had never smoked a joint had an average count of 45.4 million/mL. Only five percent of cannabis users had sperm counts below 15 million/mL, the World Health Organization's (WHO) threshold for 'normal' levels, compared with 12 percent of men who had never smoked cannabis. In addition, greater cannabis use was linked to higher levels of the male hormone testosterone among smokers. Writing in the journal Human Reproduction, the scientists said it was possible that low level exposure to cannabis might benefit sperm production in some way. The endocannabinoid chemical messenger system in the brain, which is targeted by the drug, is known to play a role regulating fertility. On the other hand the association could have nothing to do with the effects of cannabis. Dr Feiby Nassan, another member of the Harvard team, said: 'An equally plausible interpretation is that our findings could reflect the fact that men with higher testosterone levels are more likely to engage in risk-seeking behaviors, including smoking marijuana.' This view was echoed by leading British expert Allan Pacey, Professor of Andrology at the University of Sheffield. He said: 'As the authors point out, men with higher sperm concentrations are likely to have more testosterone in their bodies and thus may be more likely to smoke marijuana because simply they are willing to take more risks. 'In conclusion, I am not convinced that this paper moves us any further forward in this debate. 'Moreover, nor does it give support to any apparent fertility benefits of smoking marijuana. 'In my opinion, this should be avoided at all costs in any couples trying to start a family.' Professor Sheena Lewis from Queen's University Belfast said: 'In studies from our lab in Queens University, Belfast, we found exactly the opposite effects. In subjects, each taking the same moderate dose of marijuana daily over only several weeks, their sperm quality plummeted. Sperm motility decreased, acrosome reactions failed to occur and worst of all, sperm counts dropped' and the function of the Sertoli or 'support' cells that create key proteins to sperm production declinees, she explained. 'I would urge caution in accepting the findings of this study, without further information.' A Tennessee father-of-four has died just eight months after contracting the so-called 'human form of mad cow disease'. Tony Gibson, 33, passed away at a nursing home in Hendersonville on January 30, with his wife Danielle, 31, and two sets of twin girls, ages 11 and two, by his side. Last year, doctors told Tony he had developed a degenerative brain disease caused by the same infectious proteins that trigger the infamous 'mad cow disease' in animals and that he wouldn't survive more than a year. Danielle told DailyMail.com that in the final two months of her husband's life, he was struggling to walk, talk and even eat. Three days before her husband died, Danielle is seen singing Tony's favorite hymn Amazing Grace to him in Facebook video that has garnered more than 5,800 views. Tony Gibson, 33 (pictured, December 24), from Lebanon, Tennessee, died just eight months after contracting a the so-called human form of mad cow disease In December 2017, Tony noticed a decline in his cognitive skills. He and his wife Danielle visited Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville four months after symptoms appeared in hopes of learning answers. Pictured: Tony with his daughters, left and right 'He was having trouble swallowing in the last week. It got to where he would refuse anything and shake his head: "No",' Danielle said. 'The doctors told me it was just the process of the body shutting down. It was so hard to see because Tony is so strong; he's such a big guy.' Danielle told DailyMail.com last year that, in December 2017, Tony, an iron worker, started forgetting how to get around his home. 'He would say: "I'm going to the bathroom" and I would say: "That's not the bathroom",' she said. 'So I started labeling every room in the house. And that lasted about a month until he couldn't read anymore.' Tony's condition started to deteriorate even more. He would go to the neighbor's home to take care of the 'his dog' - even though he and Danielle don't have a dog. He would lie in bed with Danielle and tell her he wanted to have kids with her - even though they were raising four children together. It got so bad that he would get lost while running errands, so Danielle didn't let him drive anymore. The couple traveled to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville from their home in Lebanon four months after the symptoms started, and Danielle was convinced he was suffering from dementia. After a month of tests, Tony (pictured, with his wife, Danielle) was diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease CJD is a rare, degenerative brain disorder that is caused by coming into contact with tissue that has been infected, such as eating contaminated meat. Pictured: Tony and his wife Danielle Danielle says she doesn't know how her husband contracted CJD and doctors say he is one of the youngest patients they've ever seen. Pictured: Tony, left, and Danielle before his diagnosis WHAT IS CREUTZFELDT-JAKOB DISEASE? Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare, degenerative brain disorder. It is caused by abnormal proteins known as prions. Prions are normally harmless but, when misshapen, they become infectious and create lesions, Sufferers contract CJD by coming into contact with tissue that has been infected, such as eating contaminated meat. About one in a million people worldwide become infected, with just 350 annual cases occurring in the US. Symptoms, which worsen rapidly over time, include: Loss of intellect and memory Personality changes Loss of balance and coordination Slurred speech Vision problems and blindness Abnormal jerky movements Loss of mobility Most sufferers die within a year of symptom onset, usually due to an infection caused by immobility. There is no cure. Treatment focuses of relieving symptoms and making sufferers comfortable via painkillers and antidepressants. Source: CDC Advertisement In May 2018, after a month of tests, neurologists delivered a much different diagnosis: Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). CJD is a rare, degenerative brain disorder that is caused by coming into contact with tissue that has been infected, such as eating contaminated meat. Danielle says she doesn't know how her husband contracted CJD and doctors say he is one of the youngest patients they've ever seen. It is caused due to abnormal versions of a protein known as prion. Prions are normally harmless but, when misshapen, they become infectious and create lesions, according to the Mayo Clinic. CJD cannot be transmitted in the air or through sexual contact. Symptoms include depression, anxiety, memory loss, personality changes, impaired thinking, difficulty swallowing and difficulty speaking. The mental deterioration is rapid, usually occurring within a few months. Many sufferers lapse into coma. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CJD risk rapidly increases after age 50. Usually symptoms begin to appear around age 60 and approximately 70 percent of sufferers die within a year. There is no treatment or cure for CJD. Treatment plans currently involve lessening the severity of symptoms and making those affected comfortable. CJD occurs in three forms. One is sporadic with no known causes, which accounts for 85 percent of cases, according to the National Institutes of Health. This is the type that doctors believe Tony developed. Another form is hereditary. Those with a family history of the disease and have a genetic mutation account for 10 to 15 percent of US cases. The rarest form is acquired CJD, which is when the brain or nervous system tissue becomes infected through exposure - only causing one percent of cases. Danielle said in the final two months of Tony's life, he was struggling to walk, talk and even eat. Doctors explained to her it was the process of the body shutting down. Pictured: Tony with Danielle, left, and with his daughters, right After Tony passed, Danielle donated his brain to the CJD Foundation, which she hopes will help doctors find a cure or at least some form of treatment. Pictured: Tony with Danielle and their four daughters A type of CJD called variant CJD (vCJD) can occur from eating infected beef. First described in 1996 in the UK, this beef is already infected with a disease that is similar called bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or 'mad cow disease'. About one in a million people around the world become infected, with just 350 cases occurring annually in the US. Danielle said that when Tony was diagnosed, doctors told her that he had one year to live in the best case scenario. However, he required round-the-clock care so he was placed in a nursing home in Hendersonville where his condition rapidly deteriorated. Danielle said that despite knowing Tony did not have long to live, she is still struggling to accept the fact that he passed away. 'The hospice nurse tried to tell me it would get worse after he passed,' she said. 'I told her that I thought it wasn't the case because for the past year I felt he was already gone. But she was right; you can't prepare yourself for this. 'Everything reminds me of him, every time I look at our babies, it's so hard.' After Tony passed, Danielle donated his brain to the CJD Foundation, which she hopes will help doctors find a cure or at least some form of treatment. The family has created a GoFundMe page to cover the cost of Tony's medical bills and provide financial relief for his wife and children. So far, more than $7,700 has been raised out of a $10,000 goal. Donald Trump is expected to announce a plan to 'end the HIV epidemic by 2030' in his State of the Union address tonight, according to a Politico report. It sounds wildly ambitious, with more than one million Americans living with HIV and 40,000 new diagnoses a year. But it is not - depending on what he means by 'end'. There are three ways HIV could be halted, in theory: ending transmissions (no one that contracts HIV will be 'virus-free', but everyone's virus would be suppressed by medication, and therefore impossible to transmit) finding a 'functional cure' (the virus would still exist but the immune system could be trained to control it without regular medication - effectively putting people in remission) finding a 'sterilizing cure' (completely obliterating the virus, which was done once in the Berlin Patient in 2007, but could not be replicated). The head of the CDC, long time HIV researcher Dr Robert Redfield, believes we can end HIV transmissions by 2025. It's likely that is the kind of 'end' Trump is envisioning. But even getting there will require overcoming some stubborn hurdles, from funding healthcare services to tackling stigma in states where doctors feel uncomfortable about prescribing anti-HIV drugs - and more. Can we end the HIV epidemic in the US by 2030? Trump is expected to make that pledge HOW COULD WE END TRANSMISSIONS? 1. Get more HIV+ people on virus-suppressing medication In 1996, anti-retroviral therapy was discovered. The drug, a triple combination, turned HIV from a fatal diagnosis to a manageable chronic condition. It suppresses the virus, preventing it from developing into AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome), which makes the body unable to withstand infections. Now, 23 years on, it's become clear that ART is even more powerful than we initially thought: after six months of religiously taking the daily pill, it suppresses the virus to such an extent that it's undetectable. And once a person's viral load is undetectable, they cannot transmit HIV to anyone else, according to scores of studies including a decade-long study by the National Institutes of Health. The NIH, the CDC and public health bodies around the world now acknowledge that U=U (undetectable equals untransmittable). Virus-suppressing drugs (after 6 months) make a person's viral load undetectable, and therefore untransmittable The challenge is getting people to stay on ART (to remain undetectable), and getting undiagnosed HIV-positive people on ART (the CDC believes 15 percent of Americans living with HIV don't know it). These medications cannot cure HIV because the virus hides some of itself, lying dormant in reservoirs in the body. These 'latent cells' are not active, but they are there. If a person stops taking their medicine, these latent cells can mount a resurgence. Scientists have worked out a possible avenue for blitzing these cells - the 'shock and kill' approach: waking the latent cells up then attacking them. However, we have yet to work out exactly how to wake up the latent cells without fatal consequences. 2. Get more at-risk people to take drugs that prevent HIV infection PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) became available in 2012. This pill works like 'the pill' - it is taken daily and is 99 percent effective at preventing HIV infection (more effective than the contraceptive pill is at preventing pregnancy). Sold in the US under the brand name Truvada, the pill consists of two medicines (tenofovir dosproxil fumarate and emtricitabine). Those medicines can mount an immediate attack on any trace of HIV that enters the person's bloodstream, before it is able to spread throughout the body. It has proven incredibly effective. But not enough people take it. The CDC says around 1.1 million Americans are at-risk of HIV and should be taking PrEP. Currently, around 200,000 do take it. There is another similarity with the contraceptive pill (and IUD, implant, ring, patch -what have you): there is stigma around using PrEP. It has been branded the 'promiscuity pill,' even by some doctors and health officials who air fears that it will lead to more condomless sex. In terms of STD prevention, the heated debate is a difficult one. A condom is the only thing that protects against STDs like chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis. If more people see the pill, IUDs, PrEP etc as a replacement for condoms, there could be a drop in condom use, which threatens a rise in other STDs. Indeed: PrEP has been partly blamed for a rise in syphilis rates among gay men in the US. (Rates have also risen among heterosexual women and newborns). But championing condoms (or abstinence) is unrealistic, health officials warn. Chris Beyrer, MD, former chief of the International AIDS Society, says we need to accept that people do have, want and enjoy unprotected sex - whether it's for the feeling, or by accident. A stronger approach to preventing HIV transmission would be to get more people on PrEP, drastically boost STI screening, and put all our efforts into making healthcare, testing, doctors and information more accessible. 'Condom use rates have never been that great,' Dr Beyrer, MD, told DailyMail.com. 'And the next generation of younger people now are using them less than before. 'People have to be real and not stigmatizing about the fact. 'In a U=U era they are not going to use condoms. That requires honest discussion, and more regular STI screening.' As Demetre Daskalakis, deputy commissioner of HIV/AIDS at New York City's Department of Health, told STAT in an interview last year: 'We still have to sell this to [clinicians] who are like, "Why would I be offering people PrEP, if it's going to encourage them to have condomless sex?" 'And our answer tends to be: "They're already having condomless sex and this prevents HIV."' 3. Focus on the South New York City has had been held up as the poster child for success in boosting the use of PrEP and cutting rates of new HIV diagnoses. A report in 2017 showed 2,279 new diagnoses were recorded in 2016 - a nine percent drop from the 2,493 new cases in 2015. The biggest decrease in infections was seen among gay men, dropping 15 percent from 1,450 new cases in 2015 to 1,236 new cases a year later. Since 2007, PrEP use in New York City has increased ten-fold - a faster uptake than anywhere else. Nationally, rates of PrEP use have gone up, too - rising 30 percent from 2016 to 2017. But the progress is lopsided. The South accounts for half of new HIV diagnoses, concentrated in 46 counties (out of America's 3,000 counties). And yet, Southerners account for only 30 percent of PrEP users, according to AIDSVu. There are many factors that drive HIV risk up in the South. New HIV diagnoses: This map (of 2015 stats) shows how concentrated the HIV epidemic is. The South accounts for half of new HIV diagnoses, concentrated in 46 counties (out of America's 3,000 counties) Expanding Medicaid, particularly in southern states with high HIV rates and low PrEP use, could be a game changer THE ISSUES WE FACE IN THE SOUTH : AS TOLD BY AN ALABAMA STD CLINICIAN Edward W Hook III, MD, a professor at the University of Alabama, has worked in an STD clinic in Birmingham, Alabama for 27 years. He told DailyMail.com the barriers he sees to ending HIV transmissions in the region. 1. Access to care 'It's important to realize it's the South East US that didn't embrace Medicaid expansion and financial support for public health agencies. 'Things are probably more challenging here in the Southeastern United States than other parts of the nation [in terms of STDs]. 'The ability to have public health funds as well as insurance is critical.' 2. Stigma: People are afraid to even admit they have male sex partners 'There are general levels of stigma. 'Men who have male sexual partners -particularly minorities - are less likely to disclose the fact that to others. 'That inhibits the ability to take care of them and their sexual health care.' 3. Sex ed: Teaching abstinence-only doesn't work 'I do think that the US probably is a bit more uptight about sex and sexuality [compared to other places like Europe]. 'Our issues regarding teaching sexual health to young people are less than optimal. 'There are a number of solid scientific studies to show that abstinence-only teaching doesn't reduce sexually-transmitted infections. 'In fact people who are in abstinence-only settings are less likely to adopt protective sexual activity.' 4. Blame-game language 'I don't engage in the blame game. 'I'm afraid it's pretty common down here and it's obviously not productive. 'The entire 20th century that was the approach [to STD prevention in general] - that we were doing something wrong. 'Most sexually-transmitted diseases are transmitted by people who dont know that they are infected and they are not doing it on purpose. 'Here at our medical school we are trying to get people to change their vocabulary.' Advertisement The region is home to high rates of poverty, income inequality, poor health and less detailed sexual education than other parts of the US. Health insurance coverage is lowest in Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia and Florida. In each, fewer than 19 percent of people have coverage. What's more, it's the Bible Belt - a region where all sexuality, particularly homosexuality, has historically been stigmatized. A landmark study by the CDC in 2002 found that stigma against people at-risk of HIV - mainly men who have sex with men and transgender women - makes people less likely to seek care. 4. Focus on young people, particularly minorities Late last year, new CDC figures revealed new HIV diagnoses are rising among young people, as rates plummet or hold steady in older populations. The report, based on data collected between 2008 and 2016, indicated a growing generational divide. In that time, the rate of new infections for under 30s was four times the rate for gay men aged 30 to 50, who grew up in the harrowing AIDS epidemic of the 80s and 90s. The rate for over 50s remained unchanged. The sharpest rises were seen in African American and Latino men, particularly in the South, who the CDC warns are under-served with resources and information. 'We have known for at least a decade that this is a very concentrated epidemic, and that we have very powerful prevention techniques. And still, this is 2016 data showing a three percent a year increase,' Dr Beyrer told DailyMail.com, reflecting on the data. 'That's a very high infection rate by any standard. That's higher than communities you think about like Uganda. Yes, if you look at the population level it's low, but this is a very concentrated epidemic, and in this group rates are going up not down.' Dr Anthony Fauci, head of the HIV/AIDS division at the National Institutes of Health, told DailyMail.com when the report was published in September: 'It's just going in the wrong direction. I'm as disturbed as anybody to see an increase in any percent at this stage of where we are in this pandemic. 'And it's very disturbing that it's particularly young men who have sex with men. 'If we are going to achieve the goal which we are all striving for - turning it around to say we no longer have an epidemic; we have control - then we need to take this seriously. You're not going to have that if the dominant group, young men and in particular African American young men is seeing an increase like this. It's going to put you back, even when the other groups do better.' Access to care, stigma, and funding are clear barriers to young people as they try to get to grips with how to independently navigate America's confusing healthcare system. But there are also concerns of complacency, according to a recent report by the International AIDS Society. In July 2018, the society published a report warning that the excitement about possibly reaching an end to the epidemic 'has bred a dangerous complacency and may have hastened the weakening of global resolve to combat HIV.' The CDC figures months later - showing a rise in rates among young people, who do not have memory of the AIDS epidemic's devastation - added weight to those concerns. People who haven't lived through trauma do not build up an armor for it the same way. 'This is why we worry about the issue of complacency,' said Dr Beyrer, who co-authored the July report. In the last few years, he warns, 'people have been embracing this language of "getting to zero". In effect, that we would have zero new diagnoses.' That, he says, puts everyone at ease. And ease is not a state we can embrace just yet. 'When you have three percent a year new infections in a young group of people, you're not heading towards zero.' 5. Broaden access to care PrEP costs $1,500 a month (a figure that's rising) without insurance or subsidies. With insurance, it is largely free aside from co-pays. Expanding Medicaid, particularly in southern states with high HIV rates and low PrEP use, could be a game changer. For those without insurance, certain parts of the US provide funding - including New York City - and Gilead, which makes Truvada, runs an Advancing Access Co-pay Program. Across the US, low-income people without insurance can be subsidized for ART thanks to the Ryan White program, the federal grant that provides HIV/AIDS treatment for low-income Americans. However, PrEP is for people who do not have HIV. For them, there is no specific pot of money. Some of this could be helped by more funding to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the federal body tasked with rolling out disease prevention tools. We have plenty of tools and research, thanks in part to federal funding to the National Institutes of Health. Funneling funds to the zip codes with the highest rates of HIV transmission - to roll out both medication and awareness - would make an impact. But as with any medication: funding isn't the only obstacle to rolling it out. It's one thing making the medication available, it's another thing getting people to retrieve it. Everywhere except for New York City requires a follow-up appointment to get PrEP (after a negative test result) or ART (after a positive). Health officials warn that is a barrier to care. The more people are offered these crucial medicines on the spot, the more people will be protected from the virus or unable to transmit it. 6. Getting people to use that care: Build trust with at-risk groups 'Medical mistrust is real,' Dr Beyrer, who is also a professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told DailyMail.com. 'We don't study it but we did assess it [in a recent study] among [150] men who were living in HIV, and we were not overly surprised. 'Just from what participants and providers were telling us, it's very real and it appears also an important barrier to PrEP.' Persecuted populations recoil from their attackers. This graph from the CDC in 2014 shows the rate of new HIV diagnoses in the South, broken down into demographic categories. The highest rate was among black men who have sex with men, and the lowest was black female injection drug users The Tuskegee Experiment is an example of medical mistrust's legacy, new research suggests. Hundreds of black men with syphilis in Tuskegee, Alabama entered a treatment center between 1932 and 1972. They were given placebos instead of treatment so doctors could see how their disease developed. In the years after the scandal was exposed, the health of black men declined across the US. Marianne Wanamaker, an associate professor of economics at the University of Tennessee who has spent years researching the experiment, says we cannot definitively prove the link, but the correlation is striking. After the Tuskegee scandal broke, the rate of black men regularly visiting a doctor plummeted. So, too, did black men's life expectancy - a dip we're still struggling to recover from. Her co-researcher Marcella Alsan at Stanford took it a step further, showing that black men are more likely to follow a doctor's advice if their doctor is black. We can't say definitively that Tuskegee led to this - Tuskegee, Wanamaker points out, could simply symbolize a broader sense of mistrust with various roots. But it's there. In the absence of a clear link, she and Alsan have turned to looking at anti-AIDS campaigns, which did seem to have an impact. Slowly, HIV testing rates are going up - a sign, Wanamaker says, that 'somehow we overcame the mistrust.' Clinicians warn the impact is weaker than it should have been, largely because there was so much resistance from leaders to take the epidemic seriously in the 80s. That left a mark. The community was obliterated by a plague in recent memory, neglected by the powerful, and the subject of abusive hate campaigns. As thousands died, the community learned that they could not trust the information coming through official channels. Out of that fury was born Act Up, Dallas Buyer's Club, and more - groups that have since been lauded for leap-frogging officials and distributing medicines and information themselves, while getting onto the top tables with health chiefs to affect change and form policy. By the time ART was made available in 1995, more than 300,000 people had died of AIDS and it was the leading cause of death for people aged 25 to 44 in the United States. Speaking to people most at-risk of contracting HIV (men who have sex with men), Dr Beyrer sees a lack of clear understanding about what care involves, what prevention entails, and a lack of trust in doctors. Many feel nervous about what to expect, and reluctant to share the details they need to share. Dr Edward Hook III, MD, a clinician at an STD clinic in Birmingham, Alabama and a professor at the University of Alabama, observes the same. 'There is a general stigma,' he told DailyMail.com 'Men who have male sexual partners -particularly minorities - are less likely to disclose the fact that to others. 'That inhibits the ability to take care of them and their sexual health care.' Cameron Kinker, of the Prevention Access Campaign (PAC), which spearheaded the now globally recognized campaign to recognize that U=U, says stigma needs to be recognized as a concrete barrier to care. 'If a person is reluctant to face the reality that they may test positive or fear that they may face judgement from health care providers, they are much less likely to get tested,' Kinker told DailyMail.com. 'Encouraging regular testing and normalizing it as a regular part of medical check-ups would go a long way in fighting transmission. Stigmatizing language only serves to reinforce this fear and exacerbates STI transmission rates.' The U=U campaign has won legions of supporters - including the heads of the CDC and NIH - as a way to combat stigma on a national and international level. Since 2015, nearly 100 countries have put the phrase into their official literature in a bid to motivate people with HIV to get on medication and stick with it so their virus can be undetectable/untransmittable. In a clinic setting, Dr Hook said he has found patients incredibly responsive to just a slight shift in language - telling patients he is happy to be able to give a diagnosis, regardless of the outcome, and being understanding of their lifestyles. 'I don't engage in the blame game,' he told DailyMail.com. 'I'm afraid it's pretty common down here and it's obviously not productive. 'The entire 20th century that was the approach [to STD prevention in general] - that we were doing something wrong. 'Most sexually-transmitted diseases are transmitted by people who dont know that they are infected and they are not doing it on purpose. 'Here at our medical school we are trying to get people to change their vocabulary.' A CURE IS STILL OUT OF REACH - BUT WE ARE GETTING CLOSER Dr Robert Siliciano, a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins, was part of the team that discovered HIV's latent cells in 1995 - a sign that a cure would be incredibly hard to arrive at. It was incredibly demoralizing to discover, he says, the same year that viral-suppressing anti-retroviral therapy was discovered. ART, which became available in 1996, marked a turning point after a decade of agony, more than 300,000 deaths, more than 500,000 infections, and incredibly delayed responses from officials to respond to the epidemic. The discovery of the latent reservoirs dampened hopes that ART could mark a definitive end. Twenty-three years on, he is still pushing for ways to kill the lingering, latent cells and reach a 'functional' cure. THE BERLIN PATIENT: THE ONLY PERSON EVER CURED OF HIV - AND WHY IT NEVER WORKED AGAIN Timothy Brown, 'the Berlin patient' who was cured of HIV in Berlin in 2007 The only person ever cured of HIV is an American man called Timothy Brown, widely known as 'the Berlin patient' because he was cured in Berlin in 2007. Brown already had HIV when he was diagnosed with leukemia, a disease of the bone marrow which can be treated with a bone marrow transplant. Bone marrow transplants are usually the last resort because there is a significant risk of death, by triggering a war between the person's original immune system and the new implanted one. But Brown didn't have many other options. Once he agreed, his doctor suggested trying to select a donor who had genes known to be resistant to HIV. At the time it was more of an attempt to protect him, rather than cure him. Not only did Brown survive the operation, and survive free of leukemia, he also had no trace of the human immunodeficiency virus. The news rocked the medical community, with speculation that this could be the end of HIV/AIDS. However, attempts to replicate it were devastating. A report published by the New England Journal of Medicine in 2014 described six attempts to treat HIV patients with a stem cell donation, but none lived longer than a year. Advertisement The plan is to work out how to bring latent HIV cells out of hiding - shock them into an active state. Then, when they are active, kill them. It would not end HIV, but it would put patients into a state where they would be in remission - they could stop taking drugs and would not relapse. They may still have some viral cells but not enough to transmit, and not enough to harm them. The cells would be so vulnerable to attack that a relapse wouldn't take off. Essentially, the immune system would be able to naturally control the virus - as is the case for a small proportion of people in the world. Most of us are known as 'progressors' - if we become infected with HIV, and we don't take medication to suppress the virus, our T cells gradually deplete. Eventually, there are so few T cells that the disease develops into AIDS. Then you have 'elite controllers' who account for about one percent of the global population. They have the strongest natural suppression of HIV. Without medication, their T cell count drops but at a much slower rate, and rarely progresses to AIDS. Another, larger faction of the global population are 'viremic controllers', who have a detectable level of the virus but without medication, their disease progresses at a much slower rate than most. The aim, Dr Siliciano says, is to work out a way to make us all elite controllers. That would be a cure, of sorts. It is different to the Berlin patient (see box), whose virus was completely wiped out in 2007 by a bone marrow transplant to treat leukemia (attempts to replicate that in other people with HIV failed with fatal consequences). That would be a 'sterilizing cure' and Dr Siliciano is doubtful we can see that on the horizon. But Brown's cure gave researchers like Dr Siliciano - and others, particularly in the pioneering teams at UNC and UCSF - renewed motivation that this wasn't a lost cause. 'We could see, this actually can happen, even though the mechanism was different,' Dr Siliciano told DailyMail.com. In 2008, there was a push to try. 'For a long time it was just considered a hopeless problem and we were discouraged from using the "cure" word because you don't want to give patients false hope that this could be possible.' And now? Research has boomed. Findings by Dr Siliciano, David Margolis at UNC and Steve Deeks at UCSF in the early 2010s pushed the NIH to devote energy to the cause, launching big collaborative groups and federally-funded projects. In September, Dr Margolis's team proved an HIV immunotherapy drug - that would perform the 'shock and kill' approach - was safe in a phase 1 trial. 'We think that we will be able to replicate the results of the Berlin patient [the only person ever cured of HIV], but that will take a while, on a step-by-step trajectory,' Dr Margolis, co-senior author of the paper, told DailyMail.com at the time. And last week, Dr Siliciano published a paper that found, for the first time, how to accurately count the latent HIV cells in a person's reservoir - meaning that, as we start trying the shock-and-kill method, we can track how we're doing, and truly understand a person's total HIV count. These are all small steps, but significant nudges towards the ultimate goal. 'It's not hopeless,' Dr Siliciano said. 'We know what the target is basically, but the difficulty is how to turn on the latent virus in a way that's safe for the patient. And that's a really difficult thing. 'We need to at least try to do it.' A third of British children are breathing in air so polluted it risks damaging their health, according to a major report. Unicef UK said Britain is in the midst of a 'toxic air crisis' that risks booming into a full-scale public health emergency if it is not tackled. But parents are woefully ignorant of this 'invisible threat' and the damage it is doing to children's health, the report said. At least 4.5million children in the UK - 30 per cent of all under-18s - are growing up in areas with unsafe levels of particulate matter in the air. Unicef UK said Britain is in the midst of a 'toxic air crisis' that risks booming into a full-scale public health emergency if it is not tackled 'This is a fundamental threat to their right to grow up in a clean, healthy environment,' Unicef's report warns. 'It could leave them with lasting health problems, including stunted lung growth and an increased risk of asthma and pneumonia. 'Under existing plans, the Government admits that toxic levels of pollution are likely to persist for at least another ten years, meaning millions of children and young people in the UK could be at risk for many years to come.' Medical experts are increasingly alarmed at the impact of air pollution on human health - particularly the nitrogen dioxide and sooty particles emitted by diesel car fumes. More than 40,000 people are thought to die early every year in the UK because of air pollution. Children are at the greatest risk, being physiologically far more susceptible to air pollution because their lungs, brains and immune systems are still developing. They tend to receive higher doses of toxic air than adults as children breathe twice as fast, and because they are lower to the ground they are at greater exposure to traffic exhausts. POLLUTION LEVELS ILLEGAL IN MOST UK MONITORING ZONES The UKs air pollution was labelled a 'national embarrassment' in September. Figures for 2017 showed 37 out of 43 air quality zones across the UK had illegal levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution, the same number as the previous year. Annual average levels of the pollutant from exhaust fumes fell in most places, figures from the Government and environmental law charity ClientEarth revealed. But levels are still more than double the legal limit in Greater London and also well over the limit in areas including South Wales, West Midlands, Glasgow and Greater Manchester. Brighton, Worthing and Littlehampton in West Sussex an area declared as legal in the previous year crept up to just below the threshold again, the statistics show. The UK has been breaching EU pollution limits for nitrogen dioxide, much of which comes from diesel vehicles, since the rules came into effect in 2010. Air pollution causes an estimated 40,000 premature deaths a year in the UK and is linked to health problems from childhood illnesses to heart disease and even dementia. Advertisement Earlier this year scientists revealed they had found tiny particles of vehicle soot in the womb of pregnant women, suggesting even unborn babies are at risk. Polling by Unicef and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health found 92 per cent of child health experts believe the public are uninformed about the impact of air pollution on children. Some 88 per cent warn toxic air is already causing health problems for children in their region. Mike Penrose, executive director of Unicef UK, said: 'Children have a fundamental right to grow up in a clean and safe environment that gives them the best possible start in life. 'The persistent, illegal breaches of air pollution limits across the UK are an unacceptable violation of this. The impact of toxic air is undeniable. 'The UK is home to more children suffering from respiratory conditions than anywhere else in Europe. 'Every 20 minutes a child experiencing an asthma attack is admitted to hospital. 'Now child health professionals are warning of the seriousness of this growing health crisis.' Diesel cars - particularly the older models - produce far more nitrogen dioxide than petrol. Yet they have been promoted since the 1970s as an environmentally-friendly choice because they emit less carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas which causes global warming. Tony Blair's Labour government, in particular, used generous tax breaks to persuade drivers to buy diesel cars. The tactic - which aimed to help Britain hit EU carbon emissions targets - contributed to soaring numbers of diesel cars. But in recent years scientists have realised that diesel also produces more of the tiny particles and nitrogen oxides that are damaging to human health. More than 40,000 people are thought to die early every year in the UK because of air pollution (pictured: a dusk view of London) Professor Jonathan Grigg of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health added: 'One third of the UK's children are breathing in harmful levels of air pollution and that puts them at high risk of asthma and lung infections which can be fatal.' Unicef said 1.6million under-fives and 270,000 babies are living in areas that breach air pollution levels set by the World Health Organisation. The UK is notoriously bad at controlling air pollution, with 37 cities British cities persistently displaying 'illegal' levels of air pollution - which has seen the Government repeatedly hauled into court over the last few years. The Government's Clean Air Strategy, promising action to reduce emissions from a variety of sources, was published last month. However, the Unicef UK report said its targets 'fall short of international recommendations'. It said: 'The focus of government efforts has so far largely been on the delivery of major transport interventions, such as the design of clean air zones and the rollout of electric vehicle charging points. 'While these national interventions are essential to tackle the main source of the UK's toxic air crisis, they are insufficient to protect children and young people while emissions remain high.' A spokeswoman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: 'We are taking concerted action to improve air pollution. It shortens lives, harms our children and reduces quality of life. 'The World Health Organisation has praised our Clean Air Strategy as an example for the rest of the world to follow. 'It includes new targets, new powers for local government and confirms that our forthcoming Environment Bill will include new primary legislation on air quality. 'We are also the first major economy to adopt particulate matter goals based on World Health Organisation recommendations.' Cressida Bonas enjoyed a night on the town tonight as she joined A-listers at a glittering pre-BAFTA bash. Prince Harry's ex-girlfriend, 29, wore a slinky blue jumpsuit with a plunging mesh neckline as she made her way to the Pre-BAFTA Filmmakers Dinner in London's Mayfair. The actress, who recently wrapped up filming on a new ITV drama, defied the chilly temperatures with a pair of open-toed platforms and a sparkly box clutch. She was joined at the glitzy event, held at Dunhill Bourdon House, by the likes of Liv Tyler and Ellie Bamber. Cressida's night on the town: Prince Harry's ex-girlfriend, 29, wore a slinky blue jumpsuit with a plunging mesh neckline as she made her way to the Pre-BAFTA Filmmakers Dinner tonight Cressida dated Harry between 2012 and 2015, but has since found love with his namesake - old Harrovian Harry Wentworth-Stanley. Cressida is said to have struggled with the pressure of royal life during her ill-fated romance with the Queen's grandson. However the pair remain on good terms and Cressida even attended Harry's wedding to Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle last May, alongside fellow ex Chelsy Davy. Well-connected Cressida was back at Windsor Castle in October for the star-studded nuptials of close friend Eugenie to tequila ambassador Jack Brooksbank. Speaking to Woman's Hour about life as Prince Harry's girlfriend in August last year, she said: 'I think it's that thing of being pigeonholed. Cressida, who recently wrapped up filming on a new ITV drama, defied the chilly temperatures with a pair of open-toed platforms and a sparkly box clutch on Wednesday evening. She had her make-up donned by Charlotte Tilbury No hard feelings: Cressida and Harry remain on good terms and Cressida even attended Harry's wedding to Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle last May 2018 (pictured) Cressida was back at Windsor Castle in October for the star-studded nuptials of close friend Princess Eugenie to tequila ambassador Jack Brooksbank (pictured) 'Especially in this country, I find that people are very quick to put you in a box, or put you in a corner, and think "Oh, well you're that so you must be this". 'It's incredibly frustrating, especially in the industry that I'm in. But you know, it is the way it is. 'It's about making a stand and saying, "No, this is who I am and this is what I want to do."' After calling her royal romance off to focus on acting, Cressida's career has gone from strength to strength and in 2017 she appeared in the film Tulip Fever alongside Judi Dench. Last year, she played the rather unusual part of a dog in Auden and Isherwoods The Dog Beneath the Skin. Cressida gave fans an insight into her day-to-day life with a piece titled 'an actress's notebook in The Spectator last Christmas, which detailed wild dancing, 'hangovers from hell' and 'the brutal rat race of castings'. For her 30th birthday, Anna Brown was taken out for a special supper by her husband. Seizing the moment to have what she thought would be a wonderful watershed moment in their relationship, she said: 'Let's not wait any longer: I'm 30 now, we're happily married, let's start trying for a baby.' Her husband's response? 'Oh my God. What? No, no, no.' Bewildered and upset, Anna asked him if not now, when? To which he replied: 'I don't know. Maybe in a couple of years. But the more you talk about it the less I'm going to want to do it.' Anna told me in retrospect that she knew then the relationship was over. But it was some time before she came to terms with the bitter truth that she'd have to end the marriage and find a partner who actively wanted to be a father if she was ever to fulfil her dream of motherhood. By then in her mid-30s, with her fertility waning, Anna took the step of freezing her eggs to buy herself more time. The number of egg freezing cycles performed in the UK rose by more than 400 per cent between 2010 and 2016 - and 'social egg freezing' when a woman chooses to do this rather than because she is having a medical procedure such as chemotherapy which will make her infertile is linked to men and their behaviour She wanted to be able to get to know new prospective partners without the pressure on them, or herself, of having children immediately. I don't know how her story ended, but it's typical of so many I am told. As a senior lecturer in the Centre for Reproduction Research at De Montfort University, Leicester, I specialise in researching the growing trend of women who freeze their eggs for non-medical purposes. The number of egg freezing cycles performed in the UK rose by more than 400 per cent between 2010 and 2016. And although the most common age to freeze eggs is around 37, anecdotal evidence is beginning to suggest that women are engaging with this technology at an earlier age perhaps spurred on by sustained media and public interest in the procedure. But contrary to popular belief, the main reason for doing so is not because a woman's career comes first. When I hear that lazy assumption it makes me want to scream. The truth is, 'social egg freezing' when a woman chooses to do this rather than because she is having a medical procedure such as chemotherapy which will make her infertile is linked to men and their behaviour. Far from investing so heavily in their careers that they are egg freezing to postpone motherhood, single women are sensibly doing the maths in their early to mid-30s and working out that it takes at least a year to get to know if someone is the right partner and actively wants fatherhood, and then at least another year to enjoy life together, under no pressure, and another 18 months to get engaged and married. I froze my eggs because my partners weren't ready to be Dads, by TV Doctor Zoe Williams Towards the end of last year, aged 38, I paid thousands of pounds to freeze my eggs (storing seven in total). I wish I'd done it sooner; the difference in the quality of your eggs aged 30 as opposed to eight years later is significant. My late mother had suggested it when I was 34, but I felt I still had time so used my savings as a deposit for my first flat. Four years on, though, I feel there is nothing more important I could spend money on than the chance of having a child. Even though I've always been career-focused, qualifying as a GP in 2013 and appearing regularly on ITV's This Morning and BBC's Trust Me I'm A Doctor, I've never prioritised work over becoming a mother. This idea that women give precedence to education and career is a common misconception in society, which then tacitly blames them when they are unable to conceive later down the line. Research has found that for most women, the reason is the same as it is for me. I haven't yet found the right partner, making me a classic case of social infertility. In my last two serious relationships, neither man felt as sure as I did that they wanted children. I'm dating at the moment and when I do meet someone new, I'm pretty upfront about my desire to have kids. I don't see the point in pretending. I find people are often ill-informed when it comes to fertility. It's drilled into us at school how not to get pregnant. This will rile some, but as a GP I feel children should also be educated, in schools, about how to get pregnant and the importance of considering their fertility before it's too late. A woman is born with all the eggs she will ever have. As she ages her eggs age with her, and their number and quality reduces over time. Her chance of having a baby also reduces over time, especially for women older than 35. Men need to consider their fertility, too. They are often surprised to learn a significant proportion of miscarriages occur because of the sperm, and sperm quality is linked to age. They don't always feel the same time pressures women do, and so delay fatherhood. All of this can be exacerbated by advances in fertility treatment, but there are no guarantees, and IVF success rates decrease as we age. As a result of all of this, we're on the cusp of an infertility epidemic. Women in Britain are more likely to end up without children than almost anywhere else in the West. An international league table found a fifth of British women are childless in their early 40s. And the rate of childlessness among UK women is up by almost 50 per cent since the mid-1990s. I'm speaking out because it's time we looked the issue of infertility square in the eye, investigating why babies continue to elude many women of my generation. The process of egg freezing is an emotional and physical rollercoaster. First you must inject yourself with hormones for two weeks. You may experience sickness and abdominal pain. By the end, I felt like I had two cricket balls in my pelvis and my hormone levels were more than 100 times the normal level. Then there is the egg retrieval procedure, which requires sedation. Doctors were able to extract seven eggs that were good enough quality to freeze which I was told is average for my age. The eggs are then frozen and stored in liquid nitrogen until you wish to try to create an embryo, and conceive. There is a risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), a potentially serious complication that can arise from an excessive response to fertility drugs. Then there's the cost potentially up to 8,000 (including the egg freezing, scans and procedures). I'm now considering using donor sperm so I can freeze embryos as well as eggs. Egg freezing isn't for everybody, but I want women like me who can't imagine their lives without a baby to know it's out there. And to act sooner rather than later. Advertisement That's three years before even attempting to conceive. For many of the women I speak to who live in big cities, the large number of single and unmarried adults creates less of a sense of urgency among men to pursue parenthood. Women also tell me the men they meet simply aren't committing to fatherhood or are seeking relationships with younger women so that they are able to put off such decisions for longer. According to the Office of National Statistics, the average age of fathers at the birth of a child has risen by four years in four decades and according to the latest figures recorded in 2017 is now 33.4 years. Men's indecision about becoming a father seems to be acting as a drag on the fertility of some women around them. So the time and fertility equation just doesn't add up. All of the women I spoke to in my research had assumed they would one day become mothers. They'd either been in long-term relationships they thought would lead to motherhood which had then broken down or they had not met a man they loved who was prepared to commit to starting a family. They didn't want to use sperm donors to become single mothers or 'panic partner' with a man and regret it later. None of the women I have talked to wanted to freeze their eggs. Many had spent years thinking about it, putting it off in the hope they would find a partner and conceive naturally. But it was the lack of a suitable man who also wanted to become a father that was the problem. I recall one lovely woman who effectively used egg freezing as a last ditch wake-up call for her partner, who flatly refused to start a family with her. He was older than her and already had a teenage son from his previous relationship. He had told her he didn't want any more children but she hoped he would change his mind as time went on. When he didn't she decided, aged 34, to freeze her eggs and to tell him she was doing so. He was supportive, but ultimately her actions ended their relationship. He, correctly, took it as a sign that if he didn't change his mind she would leave him for a man who wanted children with her. But at least through her decisive actions she found out exactly what he wanted and had her eggs banked in time to have the option of becoming a mother in the future. Another woman, a film producer called Rosie, told me her decision to have her eggs frozen at 37 allowed her to be free of 'an intense and overwhelming anxiety about motherhood'. She'd always known she wanted to have children but the serious relationship she thought would lead to parenthood stalled when they discussed children and he said he 'wasn't ready'. She then found herself single in her mid 30s, aware that time was running out. So, at 37, she paid for egg freezing. 'It wasn't a guarantee but it felt comforting to know I had them banked,' she said. Not long after, Rosie met a man who wanted a family and conceived naturally so she didn't need to use those banked eggs. (Her path to motherhood wasn't easy though, as she had four miscarriages before finally having a child at 46). But I hear many variations of her story from the women I interview and not one of them has ever centred around a woman's desire to further her career at the expense of delaying motherhood. Of course freezing eggs as an insurance policy is not any guarantee of future motherhood. It is difficult to access high quality, reliable information about the chance of success with frozen eggs. Data from the US suggests that if a 35-year-old woman freezes 20 eggs she may have up to 75 per cent chance of one of those eggs resulting in a live birth in the future. However, a woman who undergoes the procedure when she is 39 will need 50 eggs to achieve the same likelihood of success. The ideal age for women to attempt childbearing, biologically speaking, is between her late teens and early 30s but there is data showing men consistently overestimate older women's ability to conceive and the success rates of IVF. Figures from the UK Fertility Regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), show that only 15 per cent of IVF cycles in women aged 40-42 result in a live birth. TV Doctor Zoe William (pictured) says she froze her eggs as her partners weren't ready to be Dads. Other women told me that having frozen their eggs they were then in a dilemma about whether or not to tell the men they dated they had done so. Some of them said their male friends had cautioned them, 'Don't tell any men you meet you've done it, they'll think you're mad'. Their own thoughts were often that the person they were dating needed to know their commitment to having a baby it was a kind of potential mate litmus test. One of the biggest problems faced by women who have undergone social egg freezing is that under current legislation their frozen eggs have to be used or destroyed after ten years. By contrast, women who freeze their eggs due to illnesses such as cancer can store eggs for up to 55 years. The ten-year time limit on the storage of eggs frozen for social reasons effectively works to discourage women from freezing their best quality eggs when they are in their 20s, as they would have to be destroyed before the time they may most want to use them. As a result, many fertility experts, academics and clinicians have been campaigning to extend the ten-year time limit on eggs frozen for social reasons to allow women the time they need to complete their families. At the moment egg freezing is only as good as the IVF it ultimately depends on for a successful outcome. When that improves and legislation catches up with need, I wonder if mothers will be giving daughters egg freezing as an 18th birthday present. Of course, what they would really be giving is the gift of avoiding panic partnering, of allowing motherhood with the right man at the right time. That said, until men rethink their priorities and start to see fatherhood in a different light, this gift may be redundant. Kylie Baldwin is senior lecturer at the Centre for Reproduction Research at De Montfort University NAMES HAVE BEEN CHANGED The Duchess of Cornwall looked far younger than her 71 years as she stepped out for a reception at Unicorn Theatre in London on Wednesday night. Camilla paired a deep maroon velvet dress with high-leg suede black boots in a display of understated glamour as she showed support for the theatre's launch of its Glorious Grandparents initiative. The Duchess, who rubbed shoulders with high profile guests including British actor Charles Dance, completed her look by accessorising with purple jewelled earrings embellished with silver. The Duchess of Cornwall, 71, (centre) met with the artistic director of Unicorn Theatre Justin Audibert (left) and actress Joanna David (right) tonight as she attended the launch of a new initiative at the playhouse in London on Wednesday evening Camilla who spent time speaking with actor Charles Dance and Michele Badenoch stunned in a deep maroon dress (pictured at the Unicorn Theatre on Wednesday night) The wife of Prince Charles appeared in good spirits as she spoke with the theatre's artistic director Justin Audibert in addition to iconic actors Joanna David and Phyllida Law. Camilla wore her hair in her signature loose wave style, also seen last night when she attended a dinner celebrating the British Asian Trust at Buckingham Palace. The Duchess is a patron of Unicorn Theatre which offers a wide range of programmes for children aged 18 and under in addition to putting on around 20 shows each year. Camilla previously met with young cast members of the theatre during a visit in 2006, a year after she became its ambassador. The Duchess of Cornwall wore minimal make-up with a burst of colour in the form of pink lipstick, teamed with her hair styled in the same loose waves as the night before Camilla who is a patron of Unicorn Theatre showed support of the new 'Glorious Grandparents' initiative which is set to launch as she met actor Charles Dance, right, and Michele Badenoch The Duchess of Cornwall, pictured at the Unicorn Theatre on Wednesday night, previously visited the venue in 2006 to meet with young cast members aged 18 and under Scottish actress Phyllida Law (right) who has starred in Nanny McPhee and Miss Potter took time to speak to Camilla at the Unicorn Theatre on Wednesday night The Duchess of Cornwall completed her outfit with the addition of black accessories including a black bag (pictured at the Unicorn Theatre on Wednesday night) The Unicorn theatre began as a touring company in 1947 and now continues to serve around 70,000 young people each year. Supporters of the theatre come together to raise the 500,000 needed each year to fund the production facility. The 'Glorious Grandparents' initiative aims to encourage the theatre's supporters to bring their grandchildren to special events and activities at the playhouse that they can enjoy together. Melania Trump has left Twitter users scratching their heads after she was seen wearing only one black leather glove at the State of the Union address on Tuesday. The 48-year-old first lady donned a $2,390 military-style coat with silver buttons by Burberry and a pair of black leather gloves to join her husband, President Donald Trump, at the U.S. Capitol, but the demure outfit ended up causing quite a stir. Melania removed one glove to shake hands with guests in her box, but her decision to not take off the other left some viewers baffled. Outfit of the day: Melania Trump, 48, donned a $2,390 military-style coat by Burberry and a pair of black leather gloves to attend the State of the Union on Tuesday Confusing choice: Melania removed one glove to shake hands with guests in her box, but her decision not to take off the other left some viewers baffled People took to Twitter to ask why she was wearing only one leather glove, with some joking that she must be impersonating Michael Jackson. 'Why is Melania wearing one black glove? Is it a symbol? Maybe a tribute to Michael Jackson? Warren Genaro asked, while someone else added: 'Melania sporting one glove, MJ tribute incoming?' Will Munny claimed there was symbolism to the look, tweeting: Melania's single glove was a statement..."Just Beat It."' Another person used Melania's unusual styling to take a jab at Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, who recently admitted to wearing blackface while dressing up like Michael Jackson at a dance contest in 1984. 'Melania with a respectful tribute to Michael Jackson, only wearing one glove, not blackface. Thats how its done @GovernorVA #SOTU,' the Twitter user wrote. Questions: People took to Twitter to ask why she was wearing only one leather glove Although the first lady was only wearing a single glove for a portion of the time, people couldn't help but question her motivation behind it. 'Melania, what are you hiding under your one glove?' one person asked, while Perri Konecky added: 'So, Melanias wearing one glove tonight? #SOTU19.' Plenty of people questioned why she only had one glove on, with Beverly Hallberg pondering the reason why the first lady didn't take both gloves at once. 'Melania is wearing one glove and holding one glove. No time to take the other off? she asked. Meanwhile, Twitter user Sheri Shannon questioned if Melania's solo glove was secretly a cry for help. Poking fun: While sporting just one glove, Melania was compared to everyone from Luke Skywalker to Michael Jackson 'Melania is wearing a black glove on her left hand. Blink twice if you need help girl. #SOTU,' she tweeted. Some people got creative with their comparisons while poking fun at Melania, with Amanda Burt saying she reminded her of the character Ronny who had a wooden prosthetic hand in the 1987 film Moonstruck. 'Melanias one-black-glove-look is *very* Nicolas Cage in Moonstruck,' she wrote. 'Who does Melania think she is stealing Luke Skywalkers one black glove look,' Smith Lord tweeted, while someone else noted: 'Melanias single glove look has only solidified her super villain image.' A few eagle-eyed viewers were quick to announce the moment that Melania removed her second glove. 'Critical breaking update: Melania appears to have ditched the single glove,' Judy Kurtz wrote, and she wasn't the only Twitter user happy to see the change. Back to normal: The first lady later removed her other glove and was only seen wearing one for a small portion of time Breaking news: Judy Kurtz was quick to announce that Melania had 'ditched the single glove' Finally! One Twitter user was relieved to see that the first lady had taken off her other glove Style? Melania was also seen wearing just one leather glove while on her way to watch Brett Kavanaugh formally take his seat as the 114th justice on the Supreme Court in November Just what she does: Melania also took off one of her gloves at the investiture ceremony to sign a guest book in the Supreme Court building 'Melania FINALLY took that second glove off. It was killing me,' one person tweeted with relief. Interestingly enough, this isn't the first time Melania has been photographed wearing only one black leather glove. The first lady donned a similar look to watch Brett Kavanaugh formally take his seat as the 114th justice on the Supreme Court in November. Melania joined her husband at the traditional investiture ceremony, wearing the same Dolce & Gabbana coat dress that she wore to Barbara Bush's funeral service in April. She accessorized the look with a pair of $625 black Manolo Blahnik pumps and elbow-length leather gloves, which she left on while posing for photos with the Supreme Court justices. However, the first lady was seen wearing only one glove and holding the other while on her way to the traditional investiture ceremony. Melania later took off one of her gloves for a second time, perhaps to give herself some added dexterity, to sign a guest book in the Supreme Court building. Bella Hadid, 22, and Carla Bruni, 51, were born three decades and over four thousand miles apart, but social media users are swearing they could be long lost twins. Side-by-side photo comparisons show the uncanny physical similarities between the two supermodels, particularly when the Carla is pictured back when she was in her 20s and 30s. Down to their noses, lips, and cheekbones, the two women certainly have much more in common than their chosen careers. Lookalikes! People are struck by how much Bella Hadid, 22, and Carla Bruni, 51, look alike Would you look at that! The Instagram account @celebface highlighted their similarities in a post today, picking a few choice images showing the models posed the same way Twins! Elle UK said the 'uncanny resemblance' is 'freaking us out' (Carla pictured top left and bottom right, Bella picture top right and bottom left) The Instagram account @celebface highlighted their similarities in a post today, picking a few choice images showing the models posed the same way. Of course, it's not too difficult to find pictures of any two celebrities posed in the same position and even wearing the same hairstyle and eye makeup, but Carla and Bella's likeness goes deeper. And @celebface isn't the first to notice. Harper's Bazaar Australia has called them 'twins,' Elle UK said the 'uncanny resemblance' is 'freaking us out,' and W magazine joked about potential conspiracy theories that they're actually the same person. Even Carla herself has acknowledged that the two appear to be related. In May of last year, the women both attended the Fashion For Relief show during Cannes Film Festival and met and naturally, the posed for pictures together. These are different - really! In December, Bella (bottom) posed for Love magazine, recreating a shoot Carla (top) did for Vogue Italia in 1996 The two supermodels have very similar facial structure and slim figures (pictured left: Carla for Versace in 1992, right: Bella for Moschino x H&M in 2018) Wow! Fans have remarked on their identical noses and cheekbones (Carla pictured left, Bella pictured right) Carla took her own selfie and posted it on Instagram with the caption, 'Do I have a hidden daughter?' 'Wow. I have always thought that Bella looks like you, but couldnt have imagined just how much until I saw this image of you two side by side,' wrote one commenter. 'Its absolutely unbelievable.' 'Don't forget to remember that fact the day someone wants to film your biopic!' wrote another. '[Bella] just went to her surgeon with a pic of Carla and asked for her face,' snarked a third a theory several other commenters echoed. And in December of 2018, Bella teased fans about the doppelganger status, too, sharing a photo of Carla taken by Javier Vallhonrat for Vogue Italia in 1996. And they meet! The women actually met at Fashion for Relief during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival on May 13, 2018 Model crew: They posed here for a picture with Naomi Campbell She sees it: Carla shared a selfie from the event and asked, 'Do I have a hidden daughter?' Connections: Carla and Bella's mom Yolanda Hadid appeared on the same episode of Watch What Happens Live in 2017 The post had some of her friends confused, with Hailey Bieber commenting: 'Stop being funny Bells this is u.' 'Actually you look much better than me my dear,' Carla herself replied. Bella even recreated the shot for a Love magazine shoot that same month. Though Carla and Bella's real mother, Yolanda Hadid, both had successful modeling careers at the same time, they may have only met recently. The two were both on the same episode of Bravo's Watch What Happens Live in October of 2017, though they didn't discuss how much Carla looked like Bella in the inrerview. Today marks a historic visit of Namibian President, Hage Geingob in Botswana on a one day tour of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) headquarters in his capacity as chairperson. The leading question as he enters the iconic building situated in the northern corner of the Central Business District (CBD) to meet and greet the Secretariat staff, is how ready is he to eliminate the longstanding allegations of corruption levelled against top management and cadres. His visit to the country was announced by President Dr. Mokgweetsi Masisi on Saturday when addressing the media at the Sir Seretse Khama Airport upon his arrival from Davos where he attended the World Economic Forum. Masisi said he had an occasion when he was about to leave to go to Davos and when he was there to talk to President Hage Geingob who is the chairman of SADC.I might as well let you know, he will be primarily visiting SADC headquarters as the chairman on February 1st (today) for a one day visit. A press release from SADC Secretariat circulated on Wednesday states that the key objectives of the visit are to enable the SADC Chairperson to appreciate the work done by the Secretariat in facilitating the SADC regional agenda and to provide guidance on the Secretariats implementation of SADC Programmes including the SADC Theme during the Chairpersons tenure of office. Geingob will also address the Secretariat staff, inform himself about the operation of the organisation and review the implementation of the decisions of the 38th Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government, held in Windhoek, Namibia in August 2018 Geingob, a sound administrator himself famous for intolerance of corruption is amongst the few regional leaders who spoke strongly against the alleged rampant corruption at SADC headquarters following the release of an audit report in 2011 which was first discussed in Gaborone in February 2012. By then, Geingob was Namibian Minister of Trade and Industry and chairperson of the SADC Council of Ministers. Handing over the baton to Angolan Minister of Planning Ana Dias Lourenco, Geingob catalogued the corruption allegations levelled against top management cadres of the SADC Secretariat. He said they included issues such as recruitment and contracts, financial management, travelling expenses and per diem, as well as how often staff members are required to submit mission reports. He further revealed that concerned staff members of the then SADC Secretariat requested the outgoing chairperson of SADC and Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba in 2011 to institute a forensic audit into operations at the Secretariat. Today, close to a decade later, though the allegations of corruption practices are still stated on annual audit reports and the perpetrators of the alleged white collar crime continue to walk scot free. After taking over as SADC chairperson in August, Geingob promised to promote the SADC Common Agenda to ensure sustainable and equitable economic growth and socio-economic development in the region and to promote common political values and maintain democracy, peace, security and stability in the region. Two royal apartments in a historic section of St James's Palace are to undergo much needed repairs after it was found the building was 'failing'. Although it's not clear which members of the royal family, if any, use the residences, aides have given the green light to tear down part of the roof after it was branded 'rusty' and with 'cracks' . The building plays a significant ceremonial role in royal life and is used when new monarchs are declared and for regal functions including Prince George's christening. Scroll down for video A historic section of St James's Palace, pictured, is to undergo much needed repairs after it was found the building was 'failing' it emerged this week St James's Palace contains the London residences of The Prince of Wales, The Princess Royal (Anne pictured in 2014) and the Queen's cousin Princess Alexandra Westminster Council has granted planning permission to replace the roof and give the 'dated' interior a revamp. A spokesperson has confirmed to MailOnline that royals will be 'potentially affected'. The flats - one an office and the other a home - are inside Friary Court, which is home to the Accession Council, a ceremonial body which assembles after the death of a monarch. St James's Palace contains the London residences of The Prince of Wales, The Princess Royal and the Queen's cousin Princess Alexandra. The council approved the plans late last year. The royal source said: 'These proposals are helping to restore St James's Palace which is in urgent need of TLC. 'Structural issues relating to the roof at Friary Court need to be addressed urgently. Other parts of the palace may also be starting to fail structurally. 'If maintenance on these parts is not carried out soon, there is an increased risk that the structures which are in place, could give way. The renovation costs for these projects will be significant.' St James's Palace has an important ceremonial function and the accession of a new Sovereign is announced from the Proclamation Gallery overlooking Friary Court (pictured) St James's Palace has an important ceremonial function and the accession of a new Sovereign is announced from the Proclamation Gallery overlooking Friary Court. Family occasions have also been held at St James's Palace over the years and The Queen's Guard mounts there daily. Royal planners submitted an application to the council in October, asking for permission to replace the 'failing' 20th-century roof with a new timber, steel and lead one. A heritage report submitted by Martin Ashley Architects as part of the application, said problems were first noticed in November 2017. The renovation costs for these projects will be significant The report said: 'The roof is constructed with a filler joist structure supporting a dense screed and two layers of asphalt to form a flat roof. 'Cracking is clearly visible to the soffite (beam). It is assumed that the roof structure dates from post-war bomb damage repairs. 'The section of (roof) joist exposed during the investigations was noted to be affected by moisture ingress and to be rusty. 'This will further reduce its structural effectiveness and may lead to a failure of the bond (arrangement of bricks) between steel and concrete. The building plays a significant ceremonial role in royal life and is used when new monarchs are declared and for regal functions including Prince George's christening (pictured with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in October 2013) 'Given the visible evidence of distress and the results of the analysis we feel that the roof structure is beginning to fail. 'It is not possible to identify the extent of the moisture attack on the joists with only a small section visible and a fuller inspection requiring the removal of large sections of clinker concrete to expose the joists. 'However, if the rust decay is extensive, the bond between concrete and joist may fail resulting in the possibility of a fall of roof material.' As part of the works, an apartment currently used as an office will be turned into a meeting room. Another flat, described as 'dated' will get a 'full refurbishment' - including new carpets, kitchen and bathroom. The royal workers were given the green light for the works in November. The same month saw Royal Household project supervisors get permission to install CCTV and new gates and bollards at St James's Palace. MailOnline has contacted St James's Palace for comment. Tiffany Trump shopped in half-sister Ivanka's closet ahead of the State of the Union address on Tuesday night as she wore an all-white ensemble previously worn by President Donald Trump's elder daughter. Ivanka, 37, first wore the white cloque top and skirt with matching neutral belt in October when rapper Kanye West, 41, visited with Trump in the Oval Office at the White House. The outfit must've left an impression on Tiffany, 25, as she took to Ivanka's closet before the State of the Union to don the same $955 white Roland Mouret skirt and matching $573 peplum blouse by the same designer. Inspired: Tiffany Trump, 25, borrowed the an all-white ensemble from Ivanka Trump's closet to wear to the State of the Union address on Tuesday Throwback: Ivanka, 37, first wore the all-white ensemble in October when Kanye West visited with President Donald Trump at the White House Matching: The women both wore the the $955 white Roland Mouret skirt and matching $573 peplum blouse for their respective events Smile! Tiffany paired the white outfit with nude heels and the same nude belt Ivanka previously wore. Pictured are the two daughters with the other Trump children Similar to when Ivanka wore the ensemble, Tiffany borrowed the same belt and paired it with matching nude heels. Tiffany kept her jewelry simple with a Cartier gold bangle around her wrist and dangling gold-and-black earrings. The first daughter was not the only one to wear white in 'Team Trump' ahead of the State of the Union. Kimberly Guilfoyle, 49, chose to wear a white fitted bodycon dress for the event. Both women stood out in stark contrast to the rest of Team Trump - which included Ivanka, Jared Kushner, Donald Trump Jr, Eric Trump, and Lara Trump - who all wore darker colors for the event. Whether Tiffany or Kimberly intended to or not, they both matched the women of the Democratic Party who chose to wear all-white to the US Capitol to honor the suffragettes. This collaborative effort from the Democratic women was to also show strength against President Trump. There is some suggestion that the two women may have chosen white in order to upstate the female Democrats - following on from last year's State of the Union, where Melania chose to wear an all-white pantsuit, after Hillary Clinton and the Democratic women had proudly worn the color at several political events. This year, Melania, 48, made a similar sartorial statement, wearing a black $2,390 coat from Burberry, as well as a pair of black leather gloves, which she removed before taking her seat. Keeping it in the family! The all-white ensemble worn by Tiffany, pictured with Eric and Donald Jr, was paired with a gold Cartier bangle and earrings Missed the memo? Kimberly Guilfoyle (left) and Tiffany stood out from the rest of the Trump family as the opted to wear white, similar to what the Democratic women wore Together: The Democratic Party women decided to wear all-white for the State of the Union in support of suffragettes Making a statement? Melania wore an all-black military-inspired look, in pointed contrast to the Democratic women's all-white outfits Interestingly, both the first lady and one first daughter chose British designers for the event; Ivanka, 37, followed in her step-mother's footsteps by wearing a black $5,000 blazer by Alexander McQueen, which she paired with a black skirt that had a flash of red down the sides in a patriotic nod. Lara Trump, 36, who is married to Ivanka's brother Eric, also chose a dark ensemble, and attended the State of the Union in a chic long-sleeved belted black dress that had a white geometric pattern across the fabric. Meanwhile the men of Team Trump - Don Jr, Eric, and Ivanka's husband Jared Kushner - all wore dark suits, with Don Jr and Jared looking like perfect patriots in navy suits with red ties, while Eric chose a dark gray number with a pale blue tie. Don Jr and Jared appear to have taken their style cues from the president himself, who chose a dark suit, white shirt, and a bold red tie for the evening. The Democrats' all-white dress code for this year's State of the Union was initially implemented by Florida Representative Lois Frankel who is the chairwoman of the House Democratic Womens Working Group. She told CNN: 'Wearing suffragette white is a respectful message of solidarity with women across the country, and a declaration that we will not go back on our hard-earned rights.' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi echoed that sentiment on Twitter, writing: 'Tonight, our Democratic #WomenWearWhite in support of of women's rights - in spite of [President Trump] who doesn't!' From designer handbags to chunky Dr Martens, the fashion world's biggest must-haves are revealed in a new report. Experts at global fashion search platform Lyst analysed online shopping behaviour of millions of shoppers who searched, browsed and bought fashion across 12,000 designers and stores online, in order to determine the most in-demand pieces. The report, which covers September-December 2018, also takes into account social media metrics, as platforms like Instagram continue to play and increasingly important role in the industry. The Duchess of Sussex's V10 sneakers from ethical fashion label Veja was the third most popular fashion item of September-December 2018. Searches for the shoe increased by 113 per cent after the royal wore them on the royal tour of Australia in October last year, pictured The most wanted wardrobe hero was the 805 Gucci Soho Disco Bag, which has been spotted on celebrities including Caroline Flack. In second place was another Gucci accessory: it's distinctive 320 Logo Belt. The two products were so popular that they drove twice as many orders as the other eight products combined. The retro Dr Martens Jadon boot, loved by stars including Gigi and Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner and Julia Roberts, come in eighth. Pictured, Bella Hadid in the boots in March last year Gucci was named the world's most popular brand in the report, released by Lyst today. The Gucci Soho Disco bag, left, and Gucci logo belt, right, were the two most popular products It is therefore of little surprise that the Italian design house was the most popular brand on the index, beating the likes of Fendi, Balenciaga and Valentino to take the top spot. 10 fashion must-haves Gucci Soho Disco bag Gucci logo belt Veja V10 sneakers Moncler Genius 3 Vonne ski jacket Versace Chain Reaction sneakers Ugg Fluff Yeah slides Balenciaga Speed sneakers Dr Martens Jadon boots Fila Ray sneakers Saint Laurent monogram wallet Advertisement The 'Meghan effect' also impacted the list with the Duchess of Sussex's favourite trainer brand, Veja, appearing at number three on the list. The royal mother-to-be, 37, made headlines when she sported the 115 white and black leather V-10 style from the ethical label during the royal tour of Australia in October last year. In the weeks afterwards searches for the brand spiked by 113 per cent. Footwear was big on the list overall, with trainers by Versace, Balenciaga and Fila, taking the fifth, seventh and ninth positions, respectively. Shoppers with a flair for fun pushed the 75 Ugg Fluff Yeah Slide into sixth. The 1,300 Moncler Genius 3 Grenoble Vonne Jacket, left, was the fourth most popular item. Balenciaga's 525 Speed sneakers, right, came in seventh place on the top 10 list Meanwhile the retro Dr Martens Jadon boot, loved by stars including Gigi and Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner and Julia Roberts, come in eighth. Rounding off the top 10 is the 1,300 Moncler Genius 3 Grenoble Vonne Jacket, which presumably enjoyed a boost thanks to ski season. The brand overall jumped 12 places to fourth in the overall list. A newly married couple's 'non-traditional' dress code for their wedding day required female guests to wear their old bridal gowns. Newlyweds Audrey Moore and Jesse Luman, who live in Los Angeles, California, wanted their guests to have the opportunity to re-wear their old wedding dresses - something most people only get to wear once. Some guests, who were single or had never gotten married, borrowed dresses off their parents or relatives, as the couple tied the knot in style in December 2018. Wedding fun: Los Angeles-based couple Audrey Moore and Jesse Luman asked all female guests to wear their old wedding dresses to their ceremony which was held in December 2018 Recycle! Audrey, pictured with guests, decided to put the quirky spin on the dress code, as they 'thought it was sad that most women only get to wear their wedding dress once' Center stage: Audrey said that some of her guests were worried about upstaging her, but she said there was no need for them to worry, as she stepped out in a showstopping blue dress After their wedding, the couple shared a photo of several guests sporting their old wedding gowns the big day to Reddit. They accompanied the photo with a caption that read: 'We thought it was sad that most women only get to wear their wedding dress once, so we invited all the women coming to our non-traditional wedding to wear their old wedding dresses again!' Audrey further explained her reasoning behind opting to have all female guests re-wear their wedding dresses, as she said she noticed how sad they were at the idea of never wearing them again after they got married. Newlyweds: The married couple also sported unusual wedding day ensembles, as Audrey wore a blue gown while Jesse donned a tuxedo sweatshirt She wrote: 'Our friends spent such incredible money on their dresses and never wear them again. 'I would hear them frequently say how sad they were that they dont get to wear it every year. 'My one friend and her husband wear their wedding outfits every year on their anniversary and go to dinner. We live in LA so walking into a restaurant in your wedding dress barely gets noticed,' she added. And although most were able to recycle their old wedding dresses, other guests who were single or had never gotten married had to think outside the box. Audrey explained: 'Some women borrowed wedding dresses from their mothers or other family members.' 'A couple people in the bridal party rented wedding dresses,' she added. And if someone didn't have any wedding dress to borrow, of if they simply didn't want to wear one, they were given the option of wearing a black and white outfit or a costume. And although Audrey, an actress, revealed that some of her friends were nervous about the possibility of upstaging her, the bride revealed her secret tactic to ensure she stood out. Lovers! The couple recently shared photos from their 'non-traditional' wedding day on Reddit, where they revealed details about the day, including that they had a costume change Jumping with joy! While women were asked to re-wear their old wedding dresses, Jesse and his groomsmen wore tuxedo sweatshirts with black pants and black sneakers Much to her guest's surprise, the newly married Albuquerque-native donned a floor-length, icy-blue gown on her big day. Writing about her friend's concern on the Reddit post, Audrey said: 'They were all VERY concerned about upstaging me. Motherly love: Audrey, pictured with her mother, is an actress, best-known for her role in the Netflix series Godless 'I knew I was wearing blue but kept it a secret from everyone except my dressmaker, and my hair and makeup artist. 'Id been to almost all their weddings and knew theyd be in white. 'Plus Im five-foot-ten. In heals I was six-foot-one. I told them, I DARE you to upstage me",' she added. And it wasn't just the women who had to abide by strict guidelines in terms of what they wore. The groom, who works as a writer and director, and his groomsmen opted to sport nontraditional tuxedo sweatshirts, which featured built in bow ties and buttons. And by the end of the evening, all of the guests, including the couple, were dressed in costume as some of their favorite characters, as they had an outfit change. Audrey tactfully used her blue dress to transform herself into Frozen's Elsa, while Jesse opted to dress as a gigantic green alien. Other fun elements included in the wedding included various arcade games and a skee ball. Costume change! The couple added another quirky element to their big day, by having a costume change, which saw them change into a green alien and Frozen's Elsa Say cheese! If the couple's guests didn't have a spare wedding dress, or simply didn't want to wear one, they were encouraged to wear either a costume or a black and white outfit Fun times: The newlyweds added various fun elements to their wedding, including several arcade games that proved fun for both adults and children The couple's post on the online forum received a 73 per cent 'up vote', as well as more than 2,000 comments from people interested learning more about the idea behind the quirky dress code. One Reddit user commented on the post, saying: 'Weddings should be like college graduations. If you have the regalia from a past ceremony then wear it.' Another added: 'These are the best wedding pictures Ive ever seen! Congrats!' 'I want to cry after reading this. I got coerced into throwing a wedding that I really didn't feel displayed my husband's and my personalities at all,' added a third user. 'You guys did it to the nines and stayed true to yourselves, I am so proud of you for sticking with it! Sounds like the best day ever, which it should be!' they added. However, although most comments praised their alternative approach, one user was concerned. They wrote: 'My worry would be this becoming all about who has the best/most expensive dress.' Audrey, from Albuquerque, New Mexico, is an actress best-known for starring in the Netflix series Godless. The actress has also starred in a number of productions, including Better Call Saul, Manhattan and the Riches. The coveted wardrobe of late Vogue Italia editor Franca Sozzani will go on sale next week, it has been revealed. Sozzani tragically died of lung cancer in December 2018 aged just 66, having spent a record-breaking 28 years at the helm of the fashion bible in Italy. Despite her tragic death, her fashion legacy lives on and will be resurrected when her vibrant collection of 397 ready-to-wear and haute couture pieces, and 190 accessories, goes on sale on online retail platform Yoox on February 11. Proceeds from the sale will go to the new Franca Sozzani Fund for Preventive Genomics at the Brigham and Womens Hospital at Harvard, which was founded by her son Francesco Carrozzini, 36. The coveted wardrobe of late Vogue Italia editor Franca Sozzani will go on sale next week, two years after she died from lung cancer in 2016. Pieces include the vibrant Valentino dress she wore at the amfAR Inspiration Gala New York 2014 (above) The collection will reflect Sozzani's career, which spanned almost three decades, in five categories: The Eclectic, The Black Tale, The Londoner, The Unconventional and The Dream Dimension. Pieces from her collection include a Miu Miu checked coat she wore during Paris Fashion Week in 2015, a personalised Louis Vuitton bag and a pair of velvet Manolo Blahnik pumps. As well as her contribution to the fashion world, Sozzani was an active campaigner in the charity world, raising awareness on AIDS, sustainable development initiatives and supporting the European Institute of Oncology. Despite her tragic death, her fashion legacy lives on and will be resurrected when her vibrant collection of 397 ready-to-wear and haute couture pieces and 190 accessories goes on sale on online retail platform Yoox on February 11. She is seen, left, in Valentino in 2014, which will go on sale next week Sozzani tragically died of lung cancer in December 2018 aged just 66, having spent a record-breaking 28 years at the helm of the fashion bible in Italy. A Miu Miu checked coat, which she wore during Paris Fashion Week in 2015, left, is among the items up for sale Her only son Francesco reportedly decided to donate the private collection towards cancer research after losing his mother to the disease, and speaking to Federico Marchetti, founder of Yoox. Sozzani's career began with Vogue Bambini in 1976 after graduating in literature and philosophy at Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan. She was appointed editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia in 1988, around the same time as Anna Wintour was appointed editor of US Vogue. Proceeds from the sale will go to the new Franca Sozzani Fund for Preventive Genomics at the Brigham and Womens Hospital at Harvard. One of the accessories up for sale is the Louis Vuitton bag seen above, which has been monogrammed with her initials The late Franca Sozzani seen attending the Versace show as part of Paris Fashion Week Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2015/2016, above. The Ermanno Scervino dress she wore is also up for sale Not afraid to touch on controversial issues, she released a 'makeover' issue in 2010, dedicating an entire issue to the boom in plastic surgery. Another memorable issues of the magazine under her helm included 'The Black Issue' in 2008 - focusing solely on celebrating black women's beauty. Just months before her death she was honoured by the British Fashion Awards this year, who gave the editor the Swarovski Fashion Award For Positive Change. Sozzani's 190 accessories will go on sale on online retail platform Yoox on February 11, with her velvet Manolo Blahnik shoes, seen above, among them A 14-year-old girl has revealed that she lived in such fear of her step-father's violent temper that she couldn't speak to police officers about her mother's disappearance at his hands. Kirstie's step-father Paul Hemming beat Natalie Hemming, 31, to death in 2016 and dumped her body in woodland; her younger brother witnessed the murder. It was three weeks before Natalie's body was found and Kirstie, then 12, was so fearful for her own safety she dared not reveal details of the family's ongoing abuse to officers. A harrowing new BBC Two documentary reveals the impact that domestic violence has on the children who witness it. Behind Closed Doors: Through the Eyes of the Child follows the stories of four British children affected by the impact of violence and coercive control. Scroll down for video Natalie Hemming died in 2016 at the hands of her then partner Paul Hemming. The 31-year-old mother-of-three suffered a fractured skull and broken arm in the savage attack as she tried to ward off blow after blow from Hemming, who eventually buried her body in nearby woodland Kirstie Hemming told the programme she felt 'really scared' of her step-father (pictured with her aunt and a photo of Natalie) Natalie's daughter Kirstie, now 14, awoke to find her step-father scrubbing the stairs after he'd concealed her mother's body in a rug The youngest of five children, Natalie was a 21-year-old single mum when she was swept off her feet by Paul Hemming (pictured), 11 years her senior After dumping Natalie's body in the boot of his car Hemming left her face down beneath trees Bereft: Kirstie reveals how she has been forced to make a new life for herself since her mother's death, leaving behind her friends and losing her dog. She now lives with her aunt, left, in West Yorkshire Shot over three years, the documentary, directed by Anna Hall, aims to give children who've been exposed to extreme domestic violence a voice. Some 75,000 children in the UK see domestic abuse or suffer it themselves. Kirstie and her younger brother witnessed their step-father scrubbing the floor with their mother's dead body concealed in a rug nearby. However, the now 14-year-old, speaking for the first time, reveals the impact her mother's murder has had on her. Hemming is serving a minimum of 20 years for the murder. The teenager says: 'I think I feel numb [towards him]. I trusted him for most of my childhood and then he killed my mum. 'I don't understand why he would do that.' She reveals she's had to start a new life, saying: 'I lost everything. I didn't get to say goodbye to friends. We lost our dog. I had to start again and I didn't really know how to do it.' The documentary shows police footage of Kirstie, in the aftermath of the murder, revealing how Hemming had once forced her to stand in a corner all night for 13 hours after she'd left a soggy apple in her bag. The show also follows the story of Ollie, whose mother suffered a serious injury to her ear at the hands of her ex-partner The show also features Ollie, seven, who lives with his mum Sophie and little brother Joey. I think I feel numb [towards him]. I trusted him for most of my childhood and then he killed my mum. 'I don't understand why he would do that... Kirstie Hemming Sophie reveals she split up with her partner James, not Ollie's dad, 18 months ago and Ollie tells researchers for the BBC2 show how he felt after watching his mother forced to go to hospital after being attacked. James was convicted of assault after splitting Sophie's ear in a rage, and given a 12-month suspended sentence. Another young girl, whose identity is concealed in the show, reveals that she and her mum and two little sisters have had to move house following domestic abuse. The show sees Ollie asking his mother questions about why she was hurt by his step-dad Another teen who features in the show but can't be named reveals how she saw her mother have boiling water poured onto her feet after she disturbed her father's sleep Suffering abuse first-hand, the youngster had her mouth cut and lost a molar tooth after an attack against her and fears she'll be snatched at any point by her father, despite social services reassuring her. She tells the show that when her father told her she'd never be able to pursue education and would have to get married and become a housewife, she decided to tell her mother about the abuse which including 'slapping, biting, punching and hitting'. The documentary is the handiwork of award-winning director Anna Hall and took nearly three years to film. Working with local charities in Oxfordshire, Oxfordshire County Council and Thames Valley Police, Hall was given unprecedented access to children who have witnessed or experienced domestic violence Behind Closed Doors: Through the Eyes of the Child airs Wednesday at 9pm on BBC2 A uniformed soldier fell from her horse moments before a 41-gun salute to commemorate the 67th anniversary of the Queen's accession. The rider took a tumble as the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery made its way into position for the ceremony in Green Park, London, on Wednesday morning. Despite the fall, the rider, whose identity has not been revealed, appeared to quickly right herself while fellow soldiers reached over to help keep her horse under control. The ceremony went ahead as planned. A uniformed soldier fell from her horse moments before a 41-gun salute to commemorate the anniversary of the Queen's accession in Green Park, London, on Wednesday morning The rider took a tumble, pictured, as the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery made its way into position for the ceremony, which marks 67 years since the Queen acceded to the throne Despite the fall, the rider appeared to quickly right herself, pictured, while fellow soldiers reached over to help keep her horse under control Hero soldier takes a leading role Leading the team for the Troop was Lance Bombardier Grace Gostelow, who broke her neck and risked her life in 2016 stopping a runaway six-horse gun team from ploughing into spectators in Charlton Park. She faced months of recovery and was sent to Headley Court in Epsom, Surrey, for rehabilitation. Speaking today, she said: 'My job's in the Army. I love the Army. I love the Troop and the horses - the horses are the biggest thing for me. 'To get back on board, it's a milestone, to crack on and forget that it happened really.' Lance Bombardier Grace Gostelow, left, who broke her neck and risked her life in 2016 by stopping a six-horse gun team, lead the team for the Troop in Green Park, right Lance Bombardier Gostelow, pictured today, faced months of rehabilitation following the act of bravery. She was back on horseback to lead the Troop on Wednesday Lance Bombardier Gostelow, front left, leading the Troop in Green Park today Advertisement Today marks 67 years since the Queen acceded to the throne following the death of her father King George VI on 6 February 1952. As is tradition, the Queen is marking the anniversary privately on the Sandringham estate, in Norfolk. Soldiers from the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery used six First World War-era 13-pounder field guns to perform the salute. The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery is responsible for carrying out the Royal Salutes to mark the grand occasions of State, including The Queen's Birthday Parade, Royal Birthdays and Births. Today they carried out a 41-gun salute in Green Park, pictured Crowds gathered to watch the salute in Green Park, just a stone's throw from Buckingham Palace. The Queen is marking the anniversary privately in Sandringham, Norfolk The 41-gun salute was fired in Green Park, pictured, on Wednesday. Gun salutes will also be fired by the Honourable Artillery Company at the Tower of London to mark the occasion The dramatic salute is held annually to mark the day the Queen acceded to the throne Leading the team for the Troop was Lance Bombardier Grace Gostelow, who broke her neck and risked her life in 2016 stopping a runaway six-horse gun team from ploughing into spectators in Charlton Park. She faced months of recovery and was sent to Headley Court in Epsom, Surrey, for rehabilitation. 'My job's in the Army. I love the Army. I love the Troop and the horses - the horses are the biggest thing for me,' she said. 'To get back on board, it's a milestone, to crack on and forget that it happened really.' Members of the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) fire a 62-round gun salute from the wharf at the Tower of London to mark the anniversary of the Queen's accession The dramatic site of the 62-gun salute being fired in front of the Tower of London to mark the anniversary of the Queen's accession The Green Park salute is among a number of commemorative events being held across the capital to mark Accession Day. A 62-gun salute was also delivered by the Honourable Artillery Company at the historic Tower of London in the annual display of British pageantry. The bells of Westminster Abbey, the gothic church where the Queen was married and crowned, also rang out to mark Accession Day. Princess Elizabeth became Queen on February 6 1952, when George VI died in his sleep from lung cancer at Sandringham House. She was just 25 and thousands of miles from home on a Commonwealth tour with the Duke of Edinburgh in Kenya. Crowds gathered to watch the spectacle from the wharf at the Tower of London today Being royal is a privileged life, but sometimes the job does have its less than glamorous moments, as the Countess of Wessex experienced today. Sophie, 54, found herself confronted with a huge mound of silage as she attended the Westmorland County Agricultural Society's Annual Silage Competition. However, she looked like she was enjoying her role as president of the society, as she felt and gamely smelled a handful of silage during the competition at the Westmorland County Show. Silage is a fermnented animal feed, used for cattle and sheep, made from grass crops such as maize and other cereals and hay or oats. It's either made in a pit where vegetation is compressed as much as possible to get rid of oxygen, or by wrapping bales in large plastic sheet. The produce sometimes has a strong, sweet smell or can even have an aroma of vinegar due to acetic acid formed during fermentation. The Countess of Wessex looked stylish today as she wrapped up warm in a chunky brown chunky polo neck to visit a coffee roasters and county show in Cumbria Sophie looked like she was enjoying her role as president of the society, as she felt and smelt the silage during the competition Sophie Countess of Wessex speaks to a competition entry as she attends the Westmorland County Agricultural Society's Annual Silage Competition The royal looked stylish today as she wrapped up warm in a chunky brown chunky polo neck, paired with a beige blazer to meet judges and exhibitors . Mother-of-two Sophie also wore her blonde locks up, twisted on top of her head and accessorised with pretty coloured earrings. The Countess is president of the society and she spent the afternoon looking at some of the 100 competition entries at Lords Plain Farm, while also meeting judges and exhibitors. The event also included educational workshops for secondary school pupils - which showed them the role of livestock, nutrition and animal welfare, in regards to the production of food. The Countess of Wessex made sure she smelt the silage at the Westmorland County Agricultural Society's Annual Silage Competition In a nod to this season's hottest hue Sophie, 54, paired her jumper with a beige blazer to meet judges and exhibitors at the Westmorland County Agricultural Society's Annual Silage Competition The Countess looked in good spirits as she wore her blonde locks up, twisted on top of her head and accessorised with pretty coloured earrings Sophie Countess of Wessex visits John Farrer & Co Ltd in Kendal and tries her hand at making one of their coffees. The royal wore beige in a nod to this season's hottest colour The Countess of Wessex looked stylish as she wrapped up warm in a dark brown chunky polo neck, to visit a coffee roaster in Cumbria, pairing it with a smart coat Earlier in the day Sophie was shown how to make coffee and was given a tour of one of the UK's oldest coffee roasters - John Farrer & Co in Kendal, Cumbria. Farrer's coffee roasters is one of the oldest blenders and roasters of teas and coffee in the UK, established in 1819 by John Farrer. The Countess looked in good spirits as she joked with staff members who taught her how to make a coffee using their machines. Sophie, who took off her beige coat and donned an apron to get involved, looked successful as she held up her cup of coffee at the end of her lesson. Later on she was shown around the factory, where they roast the beans. It was here where she showed off her other accessories including a brown snakeskin clutch and a gold bangle. Sophie Countess of Wessex visits John Farrer & Co today, which is a coffee roasters in Cumbria. The Countess looked in good spirits as she joked with staff members The Countess looked in good spirits as she joked with staff members who taught her how to make a coffee using their machines Sophie, who had taken off her beige coat and donned a pinny to get involved looked successful as she held up her cup of coffee at the end of her lesson After a tour of the factory, which she looked enthralled by, Sophie was even given some coffee beans to take away with her. She was also there to take the honour of unveiling a plaque to mark 200 years of the the company and celebrate its anniversary. The family business was started by John Farrer 200 years ago, with the aroma of roasting coffee spreading through the market town of Kendal. As she looked at the beans roasting she showed off her other accessories including a brown snakeskin clutch and a gold bangle. The business was started by John Farrer 200 years ago Sophie Countess of Wessex admiring the beans in the factory - The coffee roasters will be commemorating its anniversary throughout the year with a programme of events After a tour of the factory, which she looked thralled by, Sophie was even given some coffee beans to take away with her Later today the Countess will also make a visit to a agricultural event, as well as visiting a centre for people with disabilities The company supply their coffee beans and specialist teas throughout the Lake District and Cumbria. The coffee roasters will be commemorating its anniversary throughout the year with a programme of events. Later today the Countess will also visit a centre for people with disabilities. YSL's Touche Eclat radiance pen is arguably one of the most famous cult products on the beauty scene, loved by make-up artists and celebrities since its 1992 release. And almost three decades later, the French luxury fashion house has released a twist on the hit product- in the form of the higher coverage 'Touche Eclat High Cover' concealer and highlighter pen. The news has delighted beauty fans looking for targeted coverage around the under-eye area and blemishes, and has also surprised many who have been using the original pen- which was designed to 'highlight and illuminate shadows'- as a concealer for years. Retailing at 26, the same price as the original wand, it comes in 16 shades and is the first time the product has been reworked, and there is already a limited stock of less than 60 available on the designer's website. Almost three decades releasing hit highlighter Touche Eclat, French luxury fashion house YSL has released a twist on the cult product- in the form of the higher coverage Touche Eclat High Cover concealer pen (seen)- however there are already only 58 left on the website The campaign for the new product is spearheaded by Kaia Gerber, Staz Lindes and Zoe Kravitz, and the pen promises to deliver 'natural radiance, with soft focus fillers and a long-wear result, with a high concentration of makeup pigments'. While the original concealer is lighter coverage and was ideal for bringing light to shadows, the low pigment concentration meant it wasn't ideal for spots- something which the new pen now also targets. Additionally it contains an anti-fatigue complex of Vitamin E for antioxidant action, caffeine to boost microcirculation and Moroccan Calendula extract, with the light-generating pigments designed to reflect the light in one unique direction. The original YSL's Touche Eclat radiance pen (pictured) is arguably one of the most famous cult products on the beauty scene, loved by make-up artists and celebrities since its 1992 release Speaking about the product, Tom Pecheux, Global Beauty Director for YSL Beaute, said: 'When the skin is a little sad and grey or you need a good highlighter with a little camouflage, it is perfect. It is a very gentle way to highlight.' And revealing how he applied it to Cindy Crawford's 17-year-old model daughter, he added: 'Kaia has naturally very beautiful skin that is healthy and glowing, which epitomises the values of Touche Eclat. 'But like anyone, she can get tired, particularly during the runway season, so that's when the cover-up is good, when her schedule is intense.' The campaign for the new product is spearheaded by 17-year-old model Kaia Gerber, seen, who was announced as an ambassador last October and posed for pictures with the release Kaia was announced as the new YSL Beaute makeup ambassador in October. The teen has been following in her family's modelling footsteps after first landing a contract with Young Versace as a child, before going on to pose for Vogue Paris alongside Cindy aged 15 and landing an array of contracts. The genetically blessed beauty is daughter to Rande Gerber, a model-turned businessman, and sister to Presley, who is also signed to IMG models. A bride-to-be who tried to crowdfund 4,500 to pay for her wedding has insisted she and her fiance are not 'money grabbing people' after receiving a furious backlash online. Natalie Borg, 36, and her fiance Richard McMurray, 37, from Edinburgh, set up a GoFundMe page to help raise money to pay for their big day on April 27. The couple, who have been together for two years, claim they have taken on extra shifts at work and have sold their belongings to bridge the gap in their funds. They have also asked friends not to buy them gifts but instead to contribute cash to pay for the venue in Edinburgh, a professional photographer and dress alterations. But their appeal was met with derision on social media, with some people telling them to 'have a few drinks at home', and others asking 'what happened to having a sense of pride?' But despite the criticism, shop worker Natalie still stands by their fundraising appeal, saying: 'We've paid for the majority of our wedding but we just need a bit extra to help us get there.' Natalie Borg, 36, and fiance Richard McMurray, 37, from Edinburgh, set up a GoFundMe page to help raise money to pay for their big day on 27th April - but they have faced an online backlash 'We don't have a honeymoon booked, we've just booked two weeks off and will chill out and go out on walks to the beach,' she explained. 'We're not money grabbing people, we're people that have worked really hard for our big day.' 'I shouldn't need to hide anything, I'm just a normal person and not a money grabber.' Natalie was aware of another couple who had crowdfunded for their wedding and received criticism for it online, but claimed she believed GoFundMe had a specific section for weddings. The couple have raised 495 so far, and have received offers from a minister who has even offered to marry them for free. Many on social media were unimpressed with the couple's appeal, with some people telling them to 'have a few drinks at home', and others asking 'what happened to having a sense of pride?' Their bid to crowdfund to raise for their big day has been slammed online - with many calling them money grabbers, while others offered out advice on how to tie the knot on the cheap. 'Save enough for your marriage license that's all you need,' raged Callum Rowley, while Jean Thorburn advised: 'Just get married at registry. Then have a few drinks in the house.' Caroline Orr wrote on social media: 'Local bowling club for venue, get guests to take loads of photos, a family member/friend to make the cake and alter the dress yourself. Pretty cheeky to set up a fundraising page for that.' Meanwhile, others couldn't quite believe what was being asked of them. 'What happened to having a sense of pride? Omg! Get out the begging bowl,' said a frustrated Carol Wightman. In response to the backlash, Natalie has admitted the target was overambitious and reiterated the fact they were 'not forcing people to contribute.' 'I put 4,500 on the page, that's how much extra we needed at the time, but I never expected to raise that amount,' explained the bride-to-be. 'We just wanted a few extra hundred pounds from our close friends and family.' Justifying their reasoning behind the crowdfunding, the bride-to-be said: 'I think if people had done a media campaign to pay for their wedding I would think that's pretty cheeky. But if it's to pay for the day instead of presents, it's fine' She added: 'I've got friends coming up from London and they've asked what we want and I said 'nothing', we just need a bit of help with the costs. 'We're not forcing people to contribute to our wedding, it's just been a bit overwhelming.' The bride-to-be, who grew up in Twickenham, West London, first met her fiance when they were children, and Richard lived next door to Natalie's gran in Edinburgh. After attending a family funeral in April 2017, Natalie bumped into supermarket worker Richard and the pair agreed to meet up, sparking their romance after years spent living hundreds of miles apart. 'He looked exactly the same,' said Natalie. 'We agreed to go for a drink to catch up and it all went from then.' Liam Neeson claimed that we are all guilty of 'racial profiling', an unearthed interview has revealed. The actor, 66, is currently embroiled in a race row after he admitted that he once felt a 'primal urge' to 'murder a black b*****d' after a loved one was raped. But it has emerged that the actor has previously claimed everyone is racially prejudice and he has been a victim himself. Neeson, who was being interviewed by The Guardian in 2014 in association with his film Non-Stop, said that he was often 'pulled over' during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Actor Liam Neeson claimed that he was the victims of 'racial profiling' and was often 'pulled over' at airports as an Irishman in the 1970s. Pictured: Liam as a young man Speaking to the paper he said: 'We all racial profile, we all do. It's a horrible thing to admit to but we all do it. 'I know I do it because I'm a child from Northern Ireland from 1970 onwards any flights we made over to England, I'd be travelling on my own, hair down to here (shoulders) single Irish guy, always pulled over.' He went on to say that he didn't think he had been 'affected' by the experience but went on to lament the security measures that are now put in place. He said: 'I see long long lines of people and some poor lady in a wheelchair who has to be escorted off because they have to put it through the machines come on for f***s sake, come on. The actor (pictured on Tuesday) is currently embroiled in a race row after he admitted that he once felt a 'primal urge' to 'murder a black b*****d' after a loved one was raped He also claimed that we 'all racial profile' in the unearthed interview about his 2014 film Non-Stop. Pictured: In the movie with co-star Michelle Dockery 'A mother with a baby and a bottle of milk, come on use your brain cells you know. It's necessary I guess these are the times we live in.' The Taken actor has denied that he is racist following his remarks to The Independent earlier this week. During an interview with the paper to promote his new film Cold Pursuit, Neeson described how he walked the streets looking for a 'black b*****d' to kill after a loved one was raped. 'But my immediate reaction was... I asked, did she know who it was? No. What color were they? She said it was a black person,' he said. After his controversial remarks the actor denied he was a racist but failed to apologise during an appearance on Good Morning America (seen) 'I went up and down areas with a cosh [a heavy stick or bar], hoping I'd be approached by somebody I'm ashamed to say that and I did it for maybe a week, hoping some [making air quotes with his fingers] "black b*****d" would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know? So that I could kill him.' After the interview made headlines across the world, Neeson denied he was a racist but failed to apologise during an appearance on Good Morning America. Neeson said he 'understood' the hurt his words had caused but insisted: 'I'm not racist, this was 40 years ago. I had a primal urge. I was trying to show honor for a friend I dearly loved, in a medieval fashion'. The star, who was later hugged and kissed by black audience members on the Live with Kelly and Ryan show, said he had gone to church when he became 'scared' and realised he had wanted to 'unleash' murder on a stranger for his friend, who he said died five years ago. He said: 'I did seek help. I went to a priest, who heard my confession' and also later confided in two friends and would go out powerwalking for 'two hours a day to get this [anger] out of me'. He told Good Morning America that he went to a priest to confess after feeling the 'primal urge' to kill a black person The Hollywood star later hugged and kissed by black audience members on the Live with Kelly and Ryan show The 66-year-old went on to miss the premiere of his latest movie Cold Pursuit after the red carpet event was cancelled at the last minute on Tuesday. Pictured: Neeson in his latest role The UK premiere is set to take place on February 22, but it is not yet known if the star will attend GMA host Robins Roberts asked him if he 'understood the pain of a black person' hearing his words. He replied: 'Absolutely, you're absolutely right. And at the time, even though this was nearly 40 years ago, I didn't think about that. It was this primal hatred, I guess, that really shocked me, when I eventually came down to earth and saw what I was doing, looking for a fight'. The 66-year-old went on to miss the premiere of his latest film Cold Pursuit after the red carpet for the film was abruptly cancelled on Tuesday. Organizers of the New York premiere informed journalists that interviews and photo opportunities had been nixed yesterday afternoon, just hours before the event was supposed to start. The Lionsgate films screening continued as planned despite the star revealing he had an urge to murder a black person after his friend told him she'd been raped by a man of the same race. But there was none of the usual glitz and glamour associated with a big premiere. The movie is out in the US on Friday and will be released into UK cinemas on February 22, but it is not yet known if he will attend the UK premiere. Tiffany Trump and Kimberly Guilfoyle made rather an interesting - although likely unintentional - style statement at the State of the Union on Tuesday night. The two women, who attended the political event as part of 'Team Trump' alongside Ivanka, Donald Jr, and Eric, both wore all-white looks to the US Capitol - matching the women of the Democratic Party, who chose the same color to honor the suffragettes, and to unite in a show of strength against President Trump. While it is not known whether Tiffany, 25, and Kimberly, 49, chose the color to make a point, they certainly stood out dramatically from the rest of Team Trump, all of whom picked dark ensembles - including first lady Melania, who chose an all-black military-inspired outfit in stark contrast to the Democratic women. Tiffany Trump wore an all-white ensemble to the State of the Union on Tuesday night, inadvertently matching the Democrats, who donned the same color to honor the suffragettes Donald Trump Jr's girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle also wore an all-white look, while Don Jr opted for a more patriotic navy suit with a red tie Missed the memo? Kimberly and Tiffany certainly stood out from the group in their looks; Ivanka and Lara Trump both wore dark colors for the occasion, as did first lady Melania Smile! The Trump children and their partners proudly posed together after the event for an image posted on Eric Trump's Twitter account, as he labeled the group, 'Team Trump' Tiffany chose a $955 white Roland Mouret skirt and a $573 peplum blouse by the same designer, which her sister Ivanka has actually previously worn, while Kimberly chose a more fitted bodycon-style Tom Ford dress for the occasion, pairing it with heels from Manolo Blahnik - Melania's favorite footwear designer. There is some suggestion that the two women may have chosen white in order to upstate the female Democrats - following on from last year's State of the Union, where Melania chose to wear an all-white pantsuit, after Hillary Clinton and the Democratic women had proudly worn the color at several political events. However, much like last night, Melania's all-white ensemble served to set her apart from the women of the opposing party - who actually chose to wear all-black in 2018, to stand in solidarity with victims of sexual abuse, and to 'shout back at the president', who himself had at the time been accused of sexual misconduct by at least 17 women. This year, Melania, 48, made a similar sartorial statement, wearing a black $2,390 coat from Burberry, as well as a pair of black leather gloves, which she removed before taking her seat. Interestingly, while Kimberly chose to support an American designer by wearing Tom Ford, both the first lady and one first daughter chose British designers for the event; Ivanka, 37, followed in her step-mother's footsteps by wearing a black $5,000 blazer by Alexander McQueen, which she paired with a black skirt that had a flash of red down the sides in a patriotic nod. The women of the Democratic Party, as well as several men, purposefully wore white in support of women's rights, as the suffragettes are believed to have done in the 1900s Together: The sartorial statement was initiated by Florida Representative Lois Frankel, who is chairwoman of the Democratic Women's Working Group House speaker Nancy Pelosi said the choice in dress was also a stand against the president Lara Trump, 36, who is married to Ivanka's brother Eric, also chose a dark ensemble, and attended the State of the Union in a chic long-sleeved belted black dress that had a white geometric pattern across the fabric. Meanwhile the men of Team Trump - Don Jr, Eric, and Ivanka's husband Jared Kushner - all wore dark suits, with Don Jr and Jared looking like perfect patriots in navy suits with red ties, while Eric chose a dark gray number with a pale blue tie. Don Jr and Jared appear to have taken their style cues from the president himself, who chose a dark suit, white shirt, and a bold red tie for the evening. The Democrats' all-white dress code for this year's State of the Union was initially implemented by Florida Representative Lois Frankel who is the chairwoman of the House Democratic Womens Working Group. She told CNN: 'Wearing suffragette white is a respectful message of solidarity with women across the country, and a declaration that we will not go back on our hard-earned rights.' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi echoed that sentiment on Twitter, writing: 'Tonight, our Democratic #WomenWearWhite in support of of women's rights - in spite of [President Trump] who doesn't!' Making a statement? Melania wore an all-black military-inspired look, in pointed contrast to the Democratic women's all-white outfits Striking: Tiffany and her step-mother could not have looked more different as they stood alongside one another in the first lady's box at the event Pelosi also shared a photo of the Democratic women posing proudly together in their all-white looks. The concept of wearing white as a form of protest for women's rights is thought to stem back to the 1900s when suffragettes wore the color so that it could be seen in black and white photographs at the time. Trump called on Congress, including the Democrats' new House majority, to 'break decades of political stalemate' and put country over party They watched President Donald Trump give his annual State of the Union address from the first lady's private box overlooking the House floor. In a speech designed to call for 'cooperation, compromise and the common good' instead of partisan bickering and 'the politics of revenge,' Trump struck an unlikely chord at a time when disunity holds Washington and the nation captive. Trump called on Congress, including the Democrats' new House majority, to 'break decades of political stalemate' and put country over party. He called for a law mandating nationwide paid family leave for new parents, a priority of his daughter Ivanka that drew cheers from both sides of the aisle. But he angered half of Congress by demanding an end to laws permitting late-term abortions, and stung the far left by condemning trendy socialism. The Duchess of Cambridge has revealed how she's passed on a love of art to her children - and that eager Prince George even tried to use fireplace charcoal to draw a picture. During a visit to Lavender Primary School in Enfield, north London, yesterday, Kate shared her love of papier-mache and tie dye while talking to pupils. Wearing a bespoke version of a 2,100 Eponine dress and 295 L.K. Bennett boots, the mother of three spoke about using art to express her creativity at A Level. Asked about studying art at school, the duchess said: 'I loved it. It's something that I'm loving doing with the children. The papier-mache! I forgot how messy it was. It's so messy but it's great.' Kate, who went on to study history of art at St Andrew's university added: 'George found a piece of charcoal in the fireplace and said "Mummy I'm going to draw a picture". That's what's so nice, you can do it from all around you.' The Duchess of Cambridge revealed that she loves making art with her children during a visit to Lavender Primary School in Enfield, north London, yesterday Creative Kate, who studied art at A Level, shared a story about Prince George taking a piece of charcoal from the fireplace and saying he was going to draw a picture with it The duchess visited the school in her role as patron of the charity Place2Be, a leading UK children's mental health charity that provides in-school support and expert training to improve the emotional wellbeing. While there, she took part in a number of activities, before dropping in on an art class where she heard how the school uses art to enhance childrens confidence and creativity. As she met a group of students who were working with wax and fabric on their batik technique, she said: 'I'm desperate to go back to tie-dying! Do you remember tie-dying?' While at the school, which she was visiting in her role as patron of children's mental health charity Place2Be, she dropped in on an art class and looked at A Level coursework Speaking of the benefits of art, she said: 'It expresses your creativity and can help your confidence.' Kate wore a bespoke version of a 2,100 Eponine dress and 295 L.K. Bennett boots for the visit She also looked at A Level artwork produced by pupils at the school, and remarked that work by one student, Shaquille, 16, proved what you can do when you're not on social media. The duchess then encouraged young people to switch off from the online world and focus on their true talents. Speaking of the benefits of art, she added: 'It expresses your creativity and can help your confidence. I loved art when I was at school, and I did art A Level as well. 'I still look back on that time and still love the skills I learnt then, so I hope you'll feel the same. It will be a skill you'll have for life.' Napoleon Perdis has fired back at critics for slamming his 'lavish' lifestyle just days after his $125million beauty empire collapsed into voluntary administration. Before his business crumbled, the cosmetics mogul graced prestigious fashion runways, Hollywood red carpets and the pages of glossy magazines. When Mr Perdis appeared on The Morning Show on Wednesday, co-host Kylie Gillies pressed him about his 'larger than life' persona. 'Part of your personal brand has been this Napoleon we see, this larger than life we'd like to think maybe lavish lifestyle, homes, fashion... Can you see why the public may think that that was more your focus and not the business side of things?' Gillies asked. But the 48-year-old Australian entrepreneur defended his 'lavish lifestyle' - explaining his days at the helm of the business were far from glamorous. Scroll down for video Napoleon Perdis (pictured with his daughter Liana in the front row at the Australian Fashion Show in 2017) has fired back at critics for slamming his 'lavish' lifestyle just days after his $125million beauty empire collapsed into voluntary administration The cosmetics mogul was spotted for the first time since his company collapsed when he appeared on The Morning Show on Wednesday 'I don't know what they call 'lavish' because I worked until 3 in the morning - and everyone that knows me from a business perspective know that I'm up answering calls and emails from 7.30am,' he said. 'Was I going to turn up to major celebrities and major things looking like some sort of hobo? No! I'm proud, I was brought up in Greek family. 'The fact that I have some nice furniture and collections over 28 years of business, why's that wrong? The fact that I've got a home and a vacation home, why's that wrong? Which basically, I've sold the vacation home so why's that wrong? 'All these people who say that are just haters because there's been an overwhelming support. Haters can just say it behind closed doors on some sort of device, rather than to your face because to [my] face, I can answer everything. 'I like dressing nice and the more I became well-known, fashion brands would send me things to wear.' The 48-year-old Australian entrepreneur defended his 'lavish lifestyle' - explaining his glittering career was far from glamorous (pictured leaving the Seven studio on Wednesday) Before his business crumbled, the cosmetics mogul (pictured in 2007) graced the pages of high-gloss magazines, prestigious fashion runways and Hollywood red carpets During the segment, Mr Perdis also announced that 'all the gift vouchers will be honoured' from Wednesday During the segment, Mr Perdis also announced that 'all the gift vouchers will be honoured' from Wednesday. 'Our staff will be thrilled to start honouring gift cards from today,' Mr Perdis said in a statement shortly after appearing on the show. 'In working very closely with the administrators at every point in this process, I was quick to weigh in on the decision to represent our customers and ensure they are looked after. 'Given the brand's cachet of being an iconic Australian brand, means ensuring our Australian customers are a priority at every point. 'Today's decision reflects that the administrators are compelled by this passion to be a trusted and respected brand in Australia. And illustrates their confidence in our goals.' After 24 years of trading, the directors of Napoleon Perdis Group appointed administrators from Worrells Solvency and Forensic Accountants on January 31. Last week, Mr Perdis (pictured with his wife Soula Marie Perdis in 2007) announced his much-loved brand collapsed 'The brand is still in high demand... and is more innovative than ever, so by restructuring the business in this manner, we believe, puts it in a prime position to continue to evolve through continued trade or in a sale,' Mr Perdis said in a statement. 'My family and I are 100 per cent committed to achieving the best outcome for all stakeholders. 'We are fortunate that throughout our business, we have staff and teams who have not only underpinned the business success, but who are our extended family. 'As we work towards our goals, we ask customers, suppliers and other interested parties to continue with their valued support of the brand.' The first store was opened in 1995, before expanding overseas, predominantly in the US for more than a decade. 'The Napoleon Perdis directors have been trying to sell the business for several months,' Worrells Solvency said in a statement. 'The current plan for the administration process is to see whether the business can be restructured through the process or a buyer is found while the business continues to trade.' Anna Wintour is celebrating the birth of her second grandchild, a baby girl named Ella Shaffer. The Vogue editor-in-chief's son Charles Shaffer and his wife Lizzy welcomed their second child on Sunday, February 3. Lizzy took to Instagram Stories on Tuesday to share a photo of their baby girl sucking on a pacifier, writing: Ella Shaffer 2.3.19. Glamma! Anna Wintour is celebrating the birth of her second grandchild Newest edition: The Vogue editor-in-chief's son Charles Shaffer and his wife Lizzy welcomed their second child, a baby girl named Ella Shaffer, on Sunday, February 3 The sweet snapshot shows their newborn daughter fast asleep with a cozy white blanket and a small stuffed animal resting on her lap. The proud mom also posted an image of baby Ella swaddled in a hospital blanket with the caption: 'Watch out world...' It's unclear if Anna has met baby Ella yet, as the editor famously does not have an Instagram account. Charles and Lizzy are also parents to a daughter named Caroline, whom they affectionately call 'Caro.' The couple welcomed Caroline into the world on March 28, 2017, making Anna a grandmother for the first time. Parents: Lizzy, pictured with Charles at the Met Gala in May, took to Instagram Stories on Tuesday to share a photo of their baby girl sucking on a pacifier, writing: Ella Shaffer 2.3.19 Family: Charles and Lizzy are also parents to a one-year-old daughter named Caroline, whom they affectionately call 'Caro' 'Happy birthday to this dad': Lizzy paid tribute to Charles on his 34th birthday on January 19, sharing this sweet photo of him cuddling their daughter Caroline Charles celebrated his 34th birthday on January 19, and Lizzy paid tribute to her husband by sharing a sweet photo of him hugging their eldest daughter. 'Happy Birthday to this dad. You are loved @cwshaffer,' she wrote. In the spring, the parents celebrated their little girl's first birthday in Manhattan with a sprinkle-covered cake. Lizzy shared a sweet photo of Caroline peering at her birthday cake, writing: 'Today we celebrated Caros birthday. We found out that she loves a party, but isnt that into cake!' Anna also has a 31-year-old daughter, Bee Carrozzini nee Shaffer, who has become an aunt for the second time. Meet and greet: It's unclear if Anna has met her second granddaughter yet. She is pictured with Lizzy in 2017 Fashionistas: Anna also has a 31-year-old daughter, Bee Carrozzini nee Shaffer (left and right). Bee married film director Francesco Carrozzini (right) in July Look of love: Bee posted this snapshot of herself with baby Caroline a few days after her birth, but it's unclear if she has met her newest niece yet Although Bee met little Caroline a few days after her birth, she has yet to post a photo of her newest niece on social media. It's been a big year for the family, who celebrated Bee's wedding to film director Francesco Carrozzini with not one, but two ceremonies. The couple had tied the knot on the sprawling grounds of Anna's Long Island home, ahead of the second ceremony in Francesco's native Italy. Francesco is the son of the late Italian Vogue editor Franca Sozzani. His mother's sister Carla and businessman Lapo Elkann were among the guests at the wedding in Portofino. It's unclear if Bee's mother was present for the second ceremony; however, Anna did make a trip to Europe that weekend, when she attended the final few days of Wimbledon. Viewers were left in tears over the touching relationship between a nine-year-old boy and his twin brother with Down's syndrome on last night's episode of How The Other Kids Live. Billy and Tom Moxon were featured in the first episode of the new Channel 4 series, which brings together children from different backgrounds for playdates they would otherwise never have. Together they spent time with Brendan McMasters, nine, and seven-year-old Yasmin Kolawole, both of whom live just a stone's throw from the Moxons' five-bedroom family home in Birmingham but lead very different lives. When it came time for her sons to visit Brendan's, mother Sian Moxon was apprehensive as Tom's Down's syndrome means he is often left out when it comes to playdates and so is rarely away from home without her. But protective Billy promised to look out for his brother - whom he described as being 'kind to everyone' - and even took him to the toilet at Brendan's house. The affection was returned by Tom, who described Billy as the 'best man alive'. Billy and Tom Moxon were featured in the first episode of How The Other Kids Live, which brings together children from different backgrounds for playdates they would otherwise never have. At one point Billy took Tom, who has Down's syndrome, to the toilet during a playdate Viewers praised the touching bond between the twin brothers, pictured. Tom described Billy as 'the best man alive' and said he is 'really kind', in a moment that left fans feeling emotional Dozens tweeted messages of support to the brothers and praised how they were raised Billy's kindness and maturity, and their touching bond, was praised by viewers, who said the moment had left them emotional. One tweeted: 'Very touching, Billy is so mature for his age.. The way he looks after his brother heart melting. #HowTheOtherKidsLive.' Another wrote: 'Tom and Billy are the cutest brothers ever! How Billy cares for Tom just melts my heart #HowTheOtherKidsLive.' A third added: 'Awwww #tom #meltsmyheart #howtheotherkidslive watching this programme is a perfect example why I choose to work with children! They are so innocent, pure and real!! If only adults were the same.' Protective Billy promised to look out for his brother - whom he described as being 'kind to everyone'. The obvious affection between the brothers left viewers in tears Speaking on her sons, mother Sian told how they were born with the help of IVF. 'At the first scan we had, it was fairly brutally delivered actually, we were told "there's a problem with one of the babies, there's fluid on the brain, he's going to be severely brain damaged",' she recalled. 'It was just horrific. 'When the boys were born and Tom had Down's syndrome we were absolutely thrilled because it's a known condition. He was going to be able to walk, talk, have a great quality of life. It's never been an issue. We're delighted with our family.' She added 'thoughtful' and 'intuitive' Billy had taken on the responsibility of looking after a brother with Down's syndrome. Billy, left, came upstairs to speak to Tom and encourage him to go to the toilet, something that he is unable to do on his own. He sat down next to his twin and gently put an arm around him When Tom retreated to a bedroom Billy followed and pulled him off the bed, pictured, while offering words of encouragement. His thoughtfulness was praised by viewers Billy placed an arm around his brother's back as he gently led him down the stairs and towards the toilet. He explained simply that if Tom is feeling sad he 'looks after him' Billy put it simply by saying: 'I often have to look after Tom. Sometimes he tries to run away so I just have to stop him. I have to keep an eye on him.' He added: 'If he's feeling sad then I'll look after him.' With maturity and empathy beyond his years, Billy encouraged Tom to go to the toilet at Billy's house, following him into a bedroom and then slowly leading him down the stairs. Tom later told his brother: 'I love him. He's the best man in the world.' The playdates are between children who exist on different sides of not just a class but a cultural divide that is rarely breached. The brothers spent time playing with Brendan McMasters, nine, pictured, who is Catholic and lives with his single mother, a nurse, and three siblings, on the first episode of the show They also met Yasmin, pictured, a proud Muslim, who lives with stay-at-home mum Hafsat and care worker husband Kazhim in a two-bedroom rented home. Viewers were impressed with the little girl's intelligence and determination at such a young age Brendan is Catholic and lives with his single mother, a nurse, and three siblings. Meanwhile Yasmin, a proud Muslim, lives with stay-at-home mum Hafsat and care worker husband Kazhim in a two-bedroom rented home. Space is tight, and Yasmin shares a bedroom with her two younger brothers. Hafsat and Kazhim came to the UK from Nigeria ten years ago, and are trying to raise their children with what they see as the best of both cultures. Last night's episode saw Yasmin and Brendan visit the Moxons', before they returned the favour in turn. There was some comment on their differences - Yasmin, who shares a room with her two younger brothers, couldn't believe the Moxons had two spare bedrooms - the children largely overlooked these in favour of making pizza, playing hide-and-seek and tearing through the park together. The children spent time at each others' houses. Pictured, Brendan's mother (right) and sister (centre) lead the group in a game of musical statues in the living room The children are introduced to different cultures during the TV experiment and learn that eating on the floor is traditional for Yasmin's parents, who are originally from Nigeria While there were some differences, the children largely overlooked these in favour of making pizza, playing hide-and-seek and tearing through the park together They also asked honest, non-judgemental questions about each other's circumstances. At one point Brendan asked Yasmin and her family questions about why they pray as they do, while Yasmin quizzed Tom on what it was like to have a brother with Down's syndrome. 'His brain works differently,' he explained. 'It's called Down's syndrome.' He said: 'It's nice to have a different kind of person, he's not the same as us so it's interesting to see what he acts like.' Viewers were impressed with how the children overcame their differences on the show Yasmin decided she would like to have a brother with Down's Syndrome. Viewers were impressed with how the children overcame their differences on the show. One tweeted: '#HowTheOtherKidsLive goes to show it's not about where you live, how big your house is or how much money you have. In the end, it's all about how you're loved. These kids are ALL amazing & will grow up to be fantatsic adults because they are all being properly loved & cared for.' Another added: 'SO refreshing & uplifting to see kids ask questions & try to understand more about those that are different to them; their culture, language & religion. 'Amazing to watch, makes me so hopeful! Well done parents for teaching your kids acceptance.' A money blogger has slammed banking company Revolut for 'single-shaming' ahead of Valentine's Day. London-based Iona Bain, 30, took to Twitter to accuse the digital bank of patronising people in its latest underground advert, which reads: 'To the 12,750 people who ordered a single takeaway on Valentine's Day. You OK hun?' Iona accused the brand of using 'patronising' language and 'awful single-shaming more redolent of early 2000s Bridget Jones, not a modern and empowered fintech brand', as well as exploiting people's private spending habits. She received a divided response with some Twitter users praising her for calling the company out, while others felt her reaction was too sensitive. Speaking to Femail Iona revealed that many people have contacted her directly since the thread went viral, including those who are single, widowed, in couples and work in the media and marketing. 'They agree the ad explicitly encourages us to feel scorn, ridicule and pity when it comes to single people - and most likely, single women,' she said. Iona Bain, 30, from London sparked a heated debate over the language used in advertising after taking to Twitter to slam a campaign by Revolut Iona outlined in her post that Revolut used patronising language to 'single-shame' in addition to misusing their customer's date in order to make the advert She added: 'Note the highly feminine 'You okay, hun?' tone, now widely used as a faux-sincere form of mockery among young people and the pointed reference to 'takeaways for one' - as if we're all meant to be sat in overpriced restaurants on Valentines Day, just because Revolut decrees that's the thing to do? 'Revolut is falsely claiming that this ad was supposed to express 'solidarity with fellow singles'? What utter tosh.' And she accused the company of misusing customers' data, saying: 'Nothing about this advert says the company has any empathy, humour or care for ANY of customers - let alone singletons. 'If Revolut can think nothing of spying on your spending data on a private, potentially difficult night of the year, then using it later against you so strangers can have a bloody good laugh at your life choices - I want nothing to do with a brand that has those values.' How did the debate over Revolut's Valentine's Day advert begin? Money blogger Iona Bain posted on Twitter: 'How much does this ad infuriate me? Let me count the ways. Firstly, patronising language & awful single-shaming more redolent of early 2000s Bridget Jones, not a modern and empowered fintech brand (1) 'Secondly, the way it pries into people's private spending and exploits it so strangers can laugh at perfectly valid life choices that - we're all expected to agree - are sad and pathetic. Not exactly caring and progressive (2) 'Thirdly, using people's personal spending data for cheap advertising just gives open banking's critics more fuel and feeds the perception that brands use our private info for purposes not entirely in our interests. (3) 'Fourthly, it says NOTHING about Revolut and why you should use it, except that it's a business that's happy to spy on your spending, not to help you but to score cheap laughs from strangers on the London Underground (4) 'And to cap it all, it's not even original: exactly the same 'sad singles' motif was used by Spotify in 2016, and done at least with some wit. @RevolutApp, what possessed you? I've spoken to quite a few people who also find your advert bizarre and borderline offensive. 'And the gap between the '12' and '750' suggests it wasn't even proof-read! For shame! 'And is this even true? Your banking data doesn't show exactly what's being bought, only where you're buying from and the total amount, so either they know exactly what a takeaway for 1 costs from every possible outlet that's selling them...or they are completely making it up. 'Quite a few people are pointing out that it's meant to be a *parody* of the Spotify advert. If so, it really backfired.' Advertisement She added that she's received abuse since her original tweet went viral, proving why it's so important to tackle misogyny head on. 'Since the tweets went viral, a slew of misogynist trolls have confirmed that young women like me, speaking out about singledom and the right to make their own relationship choices, are still feared and reviled,' she said. 'But given rising rates of singledom and the very common breakdown of conventional relationships today, those trolls are very much stuck in the past. 'People have assumed I'm single, but the point is that my relationship status is nobody else's business but mine - it's certainly not my bank's right to snoop and make judgements.' Agreeing that the advert uses the wrong language, a number of Twitter users shared their initial reaction in response to the thread. One person wrote: 'Well said. Smug, judgemental and patronising. All it does is convince me never to go near this company.' Another added: 'I appreciate the intent was to be funny but, currently going through a surprise divorce after 10 years, I too found it all a bit painful - if only for the moment. Besides... why are you tracking what your people are spending on?' A number of responses to Iona's thread agreed that the advert was in bad taste and found it too patronizing for singletons A flood of other responses argued those offended by the advert including Iona who tweeted a snapshot of it to over 5,000 Twitter followers are being overly sensitive. A user speaking under the handle 'logical_tinker' claimed anyone who feels offended by the advert most likely has personal issues. He wrote: 'If somebody feels shame after seeing this ad, it means they probably have underlying issues that need to be addressed. 'If anything, alerting people to that face could be deemed a public service. I'm single. All my meals are for 1. This ad raised half a smile. Then I tucked in.' One person said: 'What is wrong with the world now? You can't say or do anything without offending someone because people must find something wrong with everything. 'Stop wrapping people in cotton wool and gets a sense of humour.' Another added: 'Sorry, single for 10 years, a new customer of Revolut... I didn't find the advert offensive or even worthy of comment. 'Just a crap ad. People are too quick to get offended these days over nothing.' The majority of responses to Iona's thread accused singles who were offended by the advert of being too sensitive A spokesperson for Revolut told Mail Online: ''The purpose of this ad was not to take the mickey out of anyone, but to show solidarity with our fellow singles - with a dash of humour. 'However, with the current copy, I can appreciate that a small number of people have interpreted it differently, but that was not our intention. 'Fortunately, having scanned thousands of social media mentions and comment sections in news articles, the overwhelming majority of people are clearly not offended by the ad, and that's encouraging. Nonetheless, we'll take a deep look at this and learn from this as we go forward.' A woman who sought out liposuction in Peru after being bullied for her weight has recalled the horror of waking up and realizing the plastic surgeon had given her nose job as well. Mariela, 41, shares her terrifying story on Wednesday night's episode of the E! reality series Botched, revealing the doctor claimed he had done her a 'favor' after he surgically altered her nose without her consent when she was just 19 years old. 'I went in for liposuction, and I woke up with a new nose. This is what I'm left with,' she says of her severely damaged nasal passages. Scroll down for video Say what? Mariela, 41, reveals on Wednesday night's episode of the E! reality series Botched that she sought out liposuction in Peru and ended up getting a nose job without her consent Then and now: She was just 19 years old when decided to get a 'little liposuction' and woke up with a cast on her nose. She admits she had no idea how bad the damage was at first Mariela says she turned to plastic surgery after struggling with her weight throughout her childhood. 'Growing up was hard. I was always a little chubby,' she explains. 'I was bullied in school for that.' She was just a teenager when she decided to have a 'little liposuction' on her stomach while visiting her family in Peru. Insecurities: Mariela says she turned to plastic surgery after struggling with her weight throughout her childhood 'I was p****d': Mariela says she never had any issues with her nose before the surgery 'I met with the doctor the day after I arrived and it was a very famous doctor,' she recounts. He was like the Beverly Hills doctor of Peru. 'When I talked to him and I explained what I wanted, he said it was really easy and he could do it the next day.' However, the routine surgery turned into a nightmare when Mariela woke up and realized that he had performed an unauthorized rhinoplasty as well. 'When I woke up, I had a cast over my nose,' she recalls. 'Right after the surgery, I saw the doctor and he said he did it as a "favor." I was p****d. Unbelievable: The doctor told Mariela that he gave her a nose job as a 'favor' to her Physical damage: Mariela says she was 'horrified' when the bandages came off 'I had absolutely no issues with my nose before the surgery,' she explains. 'It was the nose I was born with and I liked it.' Mariela says the cast she had on her nose prevented her from realizing 'how bad the damage was.' The doctor, however, assured her that 'it's swollen now, but it will look great.' 'When the bandages came off, what I saw horrified me,' she says. 'We never saw the doctor who operated on me again.' A talented sand animation artist who won Ukraine's Got Talent ten years ago wowed the judges and audience with an emotional performance on America's Got Talent: The Champions on Monday night. 33-year-old Kseniya Simonova, from Ukraine, told the story of a young boy who grew up to be an artist and forgot about his parents through a series of incredible sand paintings. The mother-of-two, who won Ukraine's Got Talent in 2009, said that growing up she had always loved drawing, but when she found sand, she described it as finding her 'second hand'. Talent: Kseniya Simonova (pictured), 33, a sand animation artist from Ukraine, wowed judges with her artistic skills on America's Got Talent: The Champions on Monday night Art: The mother-of-two began by using sand to draw an image of the universe, before adding a pregnant woman into the illustration Amazing: She then added a male figure to the picture, and drew him as he hugged the woman's stomach while the pair lay peacefully Wow! The final part of the first scene saw a baby being introduced to the animation 'This is my very first time in America,' Kseniya revealed in a promotional video ahead of her performance. 'I'm here representing Ukraine, and I want to show that it is a beautiful artistic place,' she added. Overseas: Before her performance, the sand artist revealed that this is her first ever time visiting the U.S. And as she stepped on stage on America's Got Talent: The Champions on Monday night, Kseniya spoke about the story behind the sand art she would be doing. She said: 'This is a story about a child who grew up and became a famous artist, and forgot his parents.' 'I wish that nobody forgets their parents,' she added before beginning her performance. Kseniya began her highly anticipated sand art performance by first creating an animation of what looked like the universe. She then revealed a gorgeous illustration of a mother, before introducing a husband and baby to the picture. The talented artist then illustrated the mother, father and baby in a photograph, and added an illustration of the grown-up child as he looked at the photo of himself and his parents. Fantastic! Kseniya then used the sand to make it look as though the illustration was a photograph, as she added a frame to the picture Talented: Next, she illustrated the growth of the baby, as he grew up into a little boy. The animation showed the boy looking at the 'photograph' of himself and his parents Impressive: The next phase of the sand art saw the little boy growing older, as the artist showed him as a teen before drawing him as a fully grown man, who is also an artist She then created an image of the little boy as he grew up and became an artist. The performance then took an emotional turn when she created illustrations of the, now elderly, mother and father. Thrilled! Kseniya was delighted to receive a standing ovation from the panel of judges and the audience after her performance Kseniya's illustration then revealed that one of the boy's parents had died, without him even realizing. The final scene shows the boy, now a fully-grown adult, mourning the loss of his parents. To complete the series of artworks, Kseniya wrote a message in the sand, which read: 'Don't be late'. When her performance came to an end, Kseniya received a round of applause and a standing ovation from both audience and judging panel, which consists of Simon Cowell, Mel B, Heidi Klum and Howie Mandel. Speaking first, Simon said: 'In my opinion, you are one of the best contestants we have had over the years around all the world. 'Genuinely, to see it unfold in front of our eyes and your use of music and storytelling, it was fantastic,' he added. Emotional: The art took an emotional turn, when Kseniya illustrated that the artist had forgotten about his parents, and wasn't present when one of his parents passed away Wow: In the subsequent scene, the remaining parent can be seen in their old age, using a walking stick to support themselves as they walk through a park Incredible: The final scene of the artwork revealed that the artist's last remaining parent passed away, as he can be seen mourning them by their grave Round of applause: The judges - Howie Mandel, Mel B, Heidi Klum and Simon Cowell (pictured left to right) - gave the sand artist a standing ovation when she concluded the performance Special moment: After the judges gave their feedback, host Terry Crews came down to the judges table and slammed down on the golden buzzer, which means Kseniya is into the finals 'That was just incredible,' Mel B said. 'Everything that you do is just brilliant.' Howie added: 'I agree. It's so emotional, what you do is beautiful, you are beautiful! Where else can you see sand art? 'In my mind tonight, right here, right now, you are the champion. I really, truly believe that,' he added. The judges feedback was interrupted when the talent show's host Terry Crews walked down to the judges table. When he arrived at the table, he said: 'I have never been more impressed by the ability to move people the way you did today!' Terry then slammed his hand on the golden buzzer, which automatically catapults Kseniya into the final round of the show. The mother-of-two was left open-mouthed in shock as the golden confetti fell onto the stage, and the audience cheered for her. Terry then ran back on stage and gave the sand artist a hug, as he said: 'You deserved it.' 'I never thought my sand art would leave my small town,' Kseniya, who is from a small city near the seaside in Ukraine, said in a preview video before she took to the stage on Monday night. Winner! Kseniya won the winning vote in the Ukraine's Got Talent finale in 2009, when she wowed the judges and audience with a tear-jerking performance Incredible: Her emotional performance told the story of human loss after the German invasion 1941, as the chaos of the war leaves one woman without her husband as he passes away The 33-year-old added that her husband secretly signed her up for Ukraine's Got Talent in 2009, and it was then that she realized that her art would take her further. Going on the talent show was Kseniya's very first time performing on a stage. Describing her first performance, she said: 'I put my heart on the stage that day.' After she made her debut on the show, Kseniya went viral as her videos circulated the internet. 'I couldn't believe the reaction of my performances,' she said. The mother-of-two revealed that winning the talent show completely changed her life, and she used her winnings to buy a new house for herself and her family. The final of the talent show is due to air on Monday, February 11 on NBC. A woman has shared a dilemma involving a man she says she hardly knows and who has revealed he's prepared to travel from another city in order to date her. She explained the man was someone who was a 'friend of a friend from uni', and someone she'd only met once after buying an item from him online. 'We haven't even lived in the same city for about six years. We've never chatted on social media,' the woman told Stuff. The woman said while there appeared to be no apparent connection, the man recently told a friend 'he was into her' and that he planned to ask her for a date when visiting her city. Scroll down for video A woman has revealed a dating dilemma involving a man she says she only knows in the vaguest way (stock image) Not entirely put off by the man's enthusiasm, the woman relayed a message to the man via her friend that she was open to the offer of a drink. Next, she said she was messaged by the man on Facebook who not only declared she 'was all kinds of wonderful' but revealed the sole purpose of his visit was to secure a date with her. While she felt the man's interest felt excessive, friends told her they'd found his candour charming. She noted others weren't so entralled, especially her male mates, who told her his behaviour was 'mortifying'. 'Should I be freaked out or flattered?' she asked a New Zealand dating columnist, Petra Quinn. The columnist assured from her perspective it seemed the man was coming on too strong and this could potentially be a problem. 'It sounds like until he messaged you recently the two of you hadn't spoken at all for a full six years. In those circumstances, his preparedness to travel intercity for the sole purpose of having a drink with you is nothing short of bizarre,' she said. The man's enthusiasm when the pair spoke was a little too much for the woman who said he was coming on too strong too soon (stock image) She advised the woman to take heed of her feelings and call off the date right away. The expert also said she considered the man's behaviour a red flag and one she should pay attention to. To help, the columnist suggested a 'straightforward but polite message' - one that allowed the woman to say she felt a little uncomfortable about the visit and that she'd reconsidered her decision to say yes. 'It may well be that you get a hurt-sounding response back-pedalling on the whole "you're the sole reason for my visit" thing and trying to manipulate you into agreeing to the date once more. Don't bite.' Danish fashion brand GANNI has come under fire from fashion watchers for using underprivileged women as 'props' in a 'tone deaf' Copenhagen Fashion Week show. The brand collaborated with National Geographic photographer Ami Vitale for the show, who provided images taken in countries such as Bangladesh during her travels around the developing world. Her photos, featuring women in headscarves and children wading through water on their way to school, were used as backdrops as models strutted down the catwalk during the brand's Life On Earth show. However, New York blogger Anaa Nadim Saber has since accused the brand of using underprivileged women as 'marketing props', writing on Instagram: 'These women were not treated as humans with agency and with stories of their own to tell. 'Instead, they are shown through the white gaze, reduced only to their aesthetic value. It looked cool in the background, right? It gelled well with the aesthetic of depicting the human spirit, right? Wrong. My people are not your aesthetic. A spokesperson for the brand told Femail: 'At GANNI it is always our mission to celebrate women around the world. For the GANNI FW19 show, we drew inspiration from the beauty of life on earth and wanted to portray the diversity and connectivity we share on this planet. Scroll down for video GANNI's Life On Earth fashion show has been accused of being 'tone deaf' for using images of women in developing countries as a backdrop New York fashion blogger Anaa Nadim Saber (pictured) has criticised trendy brand GANNI's Copenhagen Fashion Week show for using images of women in developing countries as a backdrop The images were taken by National Geographic photographer Ami Vitale, and the brand has now apologised for the 'insensitivity' of showing the collection alongside the photos 'To illustrate this, we collaborated with photographer Ami Vitale on our set design. Ami has dedicated her life to documenting and amplifying stories of all forms of life. 'While well intentioned, we now understand the sensitivities we've broached by showing our collection within the context of these images. 'We sincerely apologize for this, as it was never our intention. We will learn from this mistake and we promise to turn your invaluable insight into action so that we can do better in the future.' In her Instagram post, Anaa added that the show proved why more diversity is needed in the fashion industry. Anaa accused GANNI of fetishizing women from underprivileged backgrounds in developing countries as marketing tools by showcasing a selection of images taken by Ami Vitale She said: 'It's worrying how this got approved. From the photography, to the set design, did this pass any people of colour? Did nobody in management realize how this would be perceived by non-white audience members? 'This is why building diverse teams is critical. The fashion industry likes to throw around buzzwords like "diversity, inclusitivity and sustainability", without introspecting on how exactly they are promoting these causes. 'It is unlikely that the women in these photographs received any compensation for "participating" in this show, while the brand profits.' Award-winning photojournalist Ami Vitale, who is a photographer for National Geographic is known for her work in countries including India and Sri Lanka. One image showed schoolgirls wading through water, although it's not clear where the photo was taken The post received a flood of comments with many agreeing with Anaa and praising her for speaking up to highlight issues surrounding representation in the fashion industry. One person wrote: 'Unfortunately this kind of fetishisation and cultural appropriation happens ALL the time in Denmark. Because it has historically been a more homogeneous society, it does not have the discourse to dissect this (and is all too willing to dismiss criticism). I could go on and on. Thank you for speaking up.' Another added: 'Your post is eloquent and powerful. We see this kind of imagery so often we are desensitized to the impact. In European culture we are silenced implicitly and occasion explicitly, and when any female of colour dare to challenge this exploitation, we are seen as being over sensitive. 'We have the right to be seen as equal. In this show the models walking were most likely paid a premium. What did the girls in the photos get?' A flood of comments on Instagram agreed with Anaa that the photos were use to exploit women of colour and praised her for addressing the issue on her platform Another slammed the photos being featured in the show, saying: 'Women of colour from developing countries are not props that we should be using to juxtapose the models on the runway. 'They do not exist for our paradigms; they are individuals of their own, and if we celebrate them, it should be on a platform that doesn't exploit them.' However, a dissenting voice said: 'A person without a streak of racism and classicism in their blood would not see these lovely photos as props. YOU are the one claiming them to be props, not me. What sparked the criticism of GANNI's Fashion Week show? Anaa Nadim Saber posted on Instagram: 'I need to take a break from all this fashion week hype to talk about something that has made me feel extremely uncomfortable. Today, I attended The GANNI FW 19 show LIFE ON EARTH during Copenhagen Fashion Week, which was centered on sustainability and the global GANNI girl. Throughout the show, there was a slideshow of images taken by Ami Vitale in the background, depicting underprivileged women in developing countries, while models gallivanted across the runway. How were these pictures of poor brown women aligned with the theme of of sustainability? How did this show benefit these women? 'The brand fetishized these women and used them as props and marketing tools. This was not a platform for these marginalized women to get representation; they were not treated as humans with agency and with stories of their own to tell. Instead, they are shown through the white gaze, reduced only to their aesthetic value. It looked cool in the background, right? It gelled well with the aesthetic of depicting the human spirit, right? 'Wrong. My people are not your aesthetic. 'Its worrying how this got approved. From the photography to the set design, did this pass before any people of color? Did nobody in management realize how this would be perceived by non-white audience members? This is why building diverse teams is critical. The fashion industry likes to throw around buzzwords like diversity, inclusivity, and sustainability, without introspecting on how exactly they are promoting these causes. It is unlikely that the women in these photographs received any compensation for participating in this show, while the brand profits. 'This is not just meant to call out GANNI for being problematic. This is a larger pattern of exploitation in the fashion industry. It is exactly women like the ones in these pictures that are worst affected by our industry: poor wages and terrible working conditions in sweatshops that manufacture clothing for many western brands. This treatment of women of color is particularly painful given how progressive the fashion industry claims to be. 'Stop being tone deaf and blind to your own internalized colonial mentality. Do better.' Advertisement 'You see a prop, I see a lovely smiling young girl. And when I look at the runway models, it reminds me that beauty is universal. 'That a thin, gaunt white woman in a designer garment is not the epitome of beauty. 'That beauty comes in many shapes, colors, ethnicities, religions and backgrounds. It was quite brave of the organizers to include the photos of these women. Why are you not seeing what I see?' A spokesperson from GANNI revealed the brand always aims to celebrate women from all over the world and wanted to portray diversity A number of Instagram users began arguing among themselves over the assumption that the women photographed didn't receive compensation for their participation Back in October 2015, a few weeks after Jeremy Corbyn became leader of the Labour Party, his spin doctors released a video to introduce him to the masses. The tagline was Straight talking, honest politics, the same slogan Mr Corbyn had used during his leadership campaign. Ever since, his perceived honesty has been one of Mr Corbyns greatest political assets. As his adoring acolytes in Momentum never cease to remind us, he is supposedly the one straight man in a Parliament of crooks, the only politician who can always be relied upon to tell us the truth, the messiah who will lead Britain to the promised land. The JC: Jeremy Corbyn's adoring Momentum acolytes claim he is 'the messiah who will lead Britain to the promised land' (pictured with students in Nottingham last month) I have always had my doubts about that. And now Jeremy Corbyn has revealed just how honest he is. And although I hate to say I told you so well, you can guess the rest. Favour First, a bit of background. For the past two years, Mr Corbyn has consistently claimed that he voted Remain in the EU referendum. He has constantly decried Theresa Mays attempts to strike a deal with Brussels, insisting that he would do a better job. He has flirted with holding a second referendum, though, oddly, he has never quite committed himself despite immense recent pressure from his party. Above all, hes gone out of his way to curry favour with idealistic young voters, many of whom are passionately attached to the EU and believe that St Jeremy would give them a Peoples Vote. To anybody who knows anything about Mr Corbyns dogmatic hard-Left prejudices, all this has always smelled very fishy. After all, he inherited his much-trailed principles from his political hero, Tony Benn, an avowed opponent of Brussels who always regarded the EU as a capitalist conspiracy. A video emerged from 2009 of Jeremy Corbyn branding the EU a 'European empire of the 21st century' The film, dating from 2009, was seized on by Mr Corbyn's own mutinous MPs as evidence that he was always going to 'facilitate Brexit' For Benn, the EU was the Great Satan, because its rules prevented the wholesale nationalisations, state subsidies and capital controls (limiting the amount of money that can be brought into or out of a country) that would turn Britain into an Atlantic version of East Germany. Indeed, in the early Eighties, Benn and his allies a prominent example being one J. Corbyn of Islington insisted that a future Labour government must pull out of Europe immediately, paving the way for massive wealth taxes. Mr Corbyn has not changed his mind about a single thing in the past half-century, so it always struck me as very implausible that hed become a latter-day convert to the Gospel according to Brussels. Indeed, his efforts during the referendum campaign were so half-hearted that many of his own aides suspected he wanted Leave to win. And now, in a video filmed in 2009 and obtained by a Left-wing website, we have the proof. For what the video shows is what the Labour leader really believes. This is Jeremy Corbyn when he really was Jeremy Corbyn: not the darling of the Glastonbury-going classes, but the hard-Left backbencher for whom no tax was too high, no dictatorship too anti-Western. It was filmed in Ireland where Mr Corbyn was speaking during a referendum campaign on the Lisbon Treaty, which aimed to strengthen the unity and power of the European Union. The Irish had rejected it a year earlier, but were forced to vote again by Brussels and by their own political elite. In the video, Mr Corbyn urges the Irish to vote No again. If you succeed in getting a No vote here, he says passionately, that will be such a boost to people like us, all over Europe, who do not want to live in a European empire of the 21st century. Campaigners outside the Houses of Parliament in London as a crucial debate on Brexit got underway last month Entertainingly, and very satisfyingly for those of us who have long argued that Mr Corbyn is a 24-carat, ocean-going idiot, he goes on to explain that the EU is a military Frankenstein ... one massive great Frankenstein which will damage all of us in the long run. The EU, a military Frankenstein? I dont think so. (Evidently the Labour leader is not bright enough to realise that Frankenstein was the name of the scientist, not the monster.) To ultra-Remainers, the video is a devastating blow. Watching Mr Corbyns unvarnished comments, it is perfectly obvious that he loathes the EU, wishes Britain had never joined and will never support a second referendum in this country. Of course, there are plenty of Brexiters who would agree with all Mr Corbyns stuff about a European empire. The difference, though, is that they are honest about it. But it seems to me that Mr Corbyn has not always been honest. Indeed, has he in fact been positively dishonest since the referendum was called? The reason is obvious. To win an election, he would need to win the votes of millions of young, idealistic voters in well-heeled Remain-leaning university towns the kind who would run a mile from a Venezuela-adoring old Trotskyist who thinks the EU is just a bosses racket. Prejudices Thus, Mr Corbyn announced he had voted Remain, and blathered about a better deal and a second referendum, without ever quite committing himself and his followers lapped it up. Knowing nothing of his background, they cast him in their own image, fantasising that he was the walking embodiment of their own prejudices. At the Glastonbury music festival, they even sang Oh, Jeremy Corbyn! as though he were an adored rock star, turning this hitherto obscure hard-Left politician into a cult hero. In the video clip Mr Corbyn said the Lisbon Treaty made the EU 'subservient to the wishes of Nato' But with every month, Mr Corbyns pretence has worn thinner. And as the video shows, it seems to me Jeremy Corbyn may not be an entirely honest man. He claimed to youngsters during the 2017 election he planned to abolish university tuition fees, when everyone knew that it was logistically impossible. He has been less than clear about his record of supporting terrorism, being forced to deny that he had held a wreath laid at the graves of the butchers behind the Munich Olympics massacre, despite the photographs that suggested he had. He even claimed he was unable to find a seat on a train, posting a picture of himself squatting in the gangway only for CCTV footage to show him walking past empty seats. Fooled Now, on the single most urgent issue of our time, I believe his dishonesty has been laid bare. How can this duplicitous man expect anybody to believe him again, even starry-eyed millennials who are too naive to understand what has really driven him for so long? How many times, I wonder, can you be proved wrong by photos and videos before you lose your reputation for straight talking? How many times do you need to lie before you qualify as well, a liar? Still, every cloud and all that. For it is clear that even the most short-sighted Remainers are losing confidence in their tarnished idol. The video shows Mr Corbyn mocking the concept of holding repeated votes on the same issue A poll published last weekend showed the Tories with a seven-point lead their biggest since the election. Labours support dropped by six points in a month, while its support among former Remainers has dropped to less than 50 per cent. As for the crucial young generation, YouGov polls showed that in the year or so to last November, the number of 18 to 24-year-olds supporting him had declined by 12 percentage points. Nobody now talks of Corbynmania; nobody sings Oh, Jeremy Corbyn! To be fair to Mr Corbyn, he fooled his fans for longer than I thought possible. Indeed, when future historians compile a list of the great political conmen, his name will surely come near the top. But that is all he is. Not the messiah, not a saint, but a brazen, shameless liar. So much for straight talking and honest politics. Sunbury, PA (17801) Today Cloudy with rain ending for the afternoon. Cooler. High 67F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low around 45F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. President Donald Trump shakes hands with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as Vice President Mike Pence looks on, as he arrives in the House chamber before giving his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019 at the Capitol in Washington. (Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool) Glo Stidham Whitt of South Charleston, WV, formerly of Catlettsburg KY passed away on June 19, 2021. She is survived by her children, Judson Whitt, Lee Jones, Daniel Whitt, and Robin Whitt, five grandchildren and four grandsons. As requested there will not be a public service. POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. It will be up to a Dutchess County grand jury to bring any additional charges against a 15-year-old boy accused of shooti Diane Pineiro-Zucker has been a reporter at the Daily Freeman since April 2013. Pineiro-Zucker worked as a reporter in the Freemans Rhinebeck bureau in the early 1980s, left to become executive editor at Taconic Newspapers in Dutchess County. NEW YORK >> Starbucks will eliminate plastic straws from all of its locations within t TOWN OF ULSTER, N.Y. Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. says it will give a $125,000 grant to Ceres Technologies to help Ceres consolid Paul Kirby is a reporter for the Freeman, covering Kingston politics. He has been at the Freeman since August 1996. Spearfish, SD (57783) Today A mainly sunny sky. High 88F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight A few clouds overnight. Low 66F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Ethos is a nationally recognized, award-winning independent student publication. Our mission is to elevate the voices of marginalized people who are underrepresented in the media landscape, and to write in-depth, human-focused stories about the issues affecting them. We also strive to support our diverse student staff and to help them find future success. Ethos produces a quarterly free print magazine full of well-reported and powerful feature stories, innovative photography, creative illustrations and eye-catching design. On our website, we also produce compelling written and multimedia stories. Ethos is part of Emerald Media Group, a non-profit organization thats fully independent of the University of Oregon. Students maintain complete editorial control over Ethos, and work tirelessly to produce the magazine. Since our inception as Korean Ducks Magazine in 2005, weve worked hard to share a multicultural spirit with our readership. We embrace diversity in our stories, in our student staff and in our readers. We want every part of the magazine to reflect the diversity of our world. Mr. Donald Lee Brown, age 72, of Dalton, Georgia, departed this life Saturday, June 19, 2021, at Chatsworth Healthcare Center. He was born January 8, 1949 in Rutledge, GA a son of the late Herbert and Sadie Bell Brown. He was also preceded in death by his sister, Patricia Brown, brothers, Ed The Daily American Johnstowns Act 47 coordinator notes a budget shortfall, disorganization and lack of proper controls and procedures at City Hall in recent correspondence to the commonwealth. In a letter dated Jan. 21, Deborah Grass of Pittsburgh-based Grassroots Solutions outlines six specific reasons the budget was not entirely consistent with either the Act 47 plan or the citys Home Rule Charter. The letter was sent to city council members, City Manager George Hayfield, Finance Director Robert Ritter and representatives with the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development, which is tasked with the oversight of financially distressed cities. The City did not address the projected shortfall in the amount of $455,345 between estimated 2019 revenue and projected 2019 expenditures by increasing the tax rates for either real estate, earned income tax, or deed transfer tax as required by the Exit Plan, Grass writes for item No. 2. Instead of raising tax revenue to support operating expenses as required by the Exit Plan, the City is using $455,345 from the 2018 unrestricted fund balance to balance the budget. The Exit Plan states that beginning in 2019 and beyond, it is mandatory that the City begin to develop budgets with limited use of unrestricted reserve funds and, if necessary, increase tax levies or reduce expenses to address projected structural deficits, she adds on item No. 6. Other critiques from Grass included: Not adopting the budget on time as required by the Home Rule Charter. This was a point of contention in December, as Hayfield took a vacation during the budget process without notifying council as a whole. (The delay) was largely due to a budget process that is disorganized and without the proper controls and procedures in place, Grass wrote. Rejecting a proposed increase to the deed transfer tax. Grass had recommended raising this from 1 percent to 2.5 percent. The suggestion was defeated by a 4-3 count, with council members Richard Britt, Sylvia King, Charlene Stanton and Jack Williams opting against a tax increase, and Marie Mock, David Vitovich and Mayor Frank Janakovic voting in favor of a tax increase. Incorrectly labeling earned compensation as severance pay for police, fire and public works employees. The use of the term severance pay and the incorrect use of the chart of account codes for this purpose is misleading and incorrect, Grass wrote. The City should rely on the DCED chart of accounts to be in compliance with generally accepted governmental accounting standards. Budgeting just $115,000 for fire department overtime in 2019, despite the fact that this cost the city more than $300,000 last year. The City must monitor this account closely during fiscal year 2019 to ensure that overtime costs are contained in order to avoid significant overages in the fire department, she wrote. Michael Gerber, press secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development, told Our Town that the annual budget report is standard procedure required of Act 47 coordinators. The purpose of these letters is to identify areas of improvement, if any, for municipalities in Act 47. Rather than be cause for concern, this letter shows the areas in which the recovery coordinator and DCED will need to focus in order to secure Johnstowns financial future, Gerber said. The city, the Act 47 coordinator, and DCED share the same goal of putting Johnstown on a path to prosperity, and are working in coordination to do so. Gerber added that, generally speaking, municipalities such as Johnstown can enter a process of fiscal emergency and receivership if they dont implement their Act 47 plan within a mandated timeframe. Note that the time frames for exit that Johnstown is facing stem from Act 199 of 2014, which modified the Act 47 statute to encourage municipalities to exit Act 47 status more expediently, he said. Messages to Mayor Frank Janakovic and council members Richard Britt, Sylvia King, Marie Mock and David Vitovich who approved the budget were not returned. Williams and Stanton said the letter from Grass echoed some of their concerns in voting against the budget. They noted that the $455,345 being used to cover the budget shortfall in leftover funding from a refinancing move made in 2016 that saw council take out a new $6 million loan to pay off $3 million in debt. (Other council members) only further demonstrate their ignorance (by) simply . . . applying the rubber stamp approval to whatever is placed before them, Williams said in a written response to Grass and the DCED. Added Stanton: While Council majority proudly passed the budget, I think they are now eating crow. Grass did not respond to an email seeking comment. LOVINA EICHER The Daily American We are all home on this Wednesday. Our thermometer still shows -14 and the wind chill is -45. It is cold and windy with snow blowing. We are staying pretty warm here in the house. It is a little cooler in here than other days with that strong wind blowing outside. We hardly see any traffic go by. Joes RV factory shut down for the rest of the week and school was closed all week, so far. My surgery was rescheduled for next week because of the cold weather. Its so nice to not have to go outdoors today. Joe and the boys did the chores and the horses are in the barn for the day. It sure wouldnt take long to get frostbite in these temperatures. Sunday the temperature was mostly in the single digits. Our daughter Lovina stayed home from church with Kevin with his cast since it was cold and snowing. Church families all brought gifts to church for Kevin, and my sisters Verena and Susan brought them to him after church. He received many nice things to pass the time while hes in his cast. The kindness from everyone was greatly appreciated! Our church had five new babies born in December and January. Four boys and one girl. Grandson Timothy, and a little one named Caleb made their first appearance in church. The other babies that we still didnt get to see are Titus, Jayden and Velda. On Monday daughter Elizabeth had a doctor appointment. We had the joy of watching baby Timothy and 2-year-old Abigail while mommy went to her appointment. Timothy did really well for us; we had lots of fun holding him and of course spoiling Abigail. Last Friday Tim, Elizabeth and children, Mose, Susan and Jennifer came to cut up the beef quarters we gave to them. Lovina and Kevin went to school. Verena and Loretta watched the little ones here in the house while Joe, sons Benjamin and Joseph and I helped Tims and Moses with the beef. Hamburger was ground and packaged, steaks cut and sliced, beef chunks and hamburger processed. Mose also made some beef bologna to put in cans and process. We were all tired by evening but so glad to have it all done for them. I remember how hard it was to get things done with little ones to care for. We had a casserole for supper and I made rare beef for everyone after we were done. Tims left for home and Mose and Susan decided to spend the night here and wait to take their meat home in the morning. Susan and I put on a few more pressure cookers the next morning from the jars of meat that didnt get canned the day before. We had four pressure cookers going, so it went fast. It was so nice to do all this outside in the heated pole barn. I remember having to cut up beef in the house and what a mess it was to clean up. Now this is so much easier. The hot water pipe froze out there, so we had to heat some water, but the cold water worked and the bathroom still worked. We need to do some more insulating out there for colder winters. Kevin received a few puzzles among the gifts sent from church so we are going to start a 1,000 piece this week. I have some mending I need to do yet, but I enjoy putting together 1,000 piece puzzles. If we look only at the work waiting, we would never do anything else. I will share a recipe for rigatoni and cheese casserole I made for supper Sunday evening when Tims, Moses, and Dustin were here. I didnt have mozzarella cheese so I used Colby and it still tasted good. I used fresh hamburger that was ground on Friday. As I write here by the kitchen table, I cannot believe how cold that wind sounds outside. Stay warm and safe everyone! Gods blessings to all! Rigatoni and Cheese Casserole 1 16-ounce box rigatoni noodles, cooked 1 pound ground beef 2 26-ounce jars spaghetti sauce 11/2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning 16 ounces cottage cheese 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese 2 eggs 4 cups mozzarella cheese Preheat oven to 350 F. In saucepan over medium heat, brown beef. Then add pasta sauce and seasoning. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine cottage cheese with 1 cup mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, and eggs. Grease a 13x9-inch baking dish and spread 1 cup of the pasta sauce/beef mixture over the bottom. Top with half the noodles, cheese mixture and repeat in layers until everything is used up. Sprinkle remaining 3 cups of mozzarella cheese over top. Bake uncovered 45 minutes or until bubbly. Makes 1012 servings. (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.) Kankakee, IL (60901) Today Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High around 75F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to occasional showers overnight. Low 59F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. remaining of Thank you for supporting local, independent 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. Eugene Crow, age 91, of Cullman, went home to be with his Lord on Saturday, June 19, 2021. He was born June 13, 1930 to Felix and Pearl Stowe Crowe. He was preceded in death by his loving wife Irene, his parents, two brothers and a sister. Mr. Crow served his country and is a veteran of The Police shot and injured a woman after she allegedly robbed a South Carolina Federal Credit Union branch Tuesday morning. Police are also searching for her male accomplice who escaped through the branchs back door. South Carolina FCU closed the branch at 4503 Forest Drive in Columbia, S.C. as the robbery is under investigation. All employees are safe, South Carolina FCU said in a social media post. South Carolina Federal is currently working with local law enforcement and we appreciate your understanding in this difficult situation. Police arrived at the scene about 9 a.m. when they saw a man and woman armed with pistols robbing the branch in which there were about seven or eight staff employees, according to the Forest Arces Police Department. The world of marketing is ever evolving, especially with the rapid changes to social media algorithms and shifts to an emphasis on digital marketing. While the intent of capturing the attention of consumers has remained constant, marketers are now relying more and more on new tactics in the digital space to set themselves apart from the competition. To best position your credit union for success, consider incorporating these five digital tactics into your 2019 marketing strategy. Leverage Influencers Historically, if a company wanted a person of influence to represent its brand, it would hire a publicist and shell out a ton of money. Now, companies can instead utilize their own happy customers as brand influencers. Industries ranging from apparel to cosmetics to travel are all successfully leveraging influencers to impact followers purchasing decisions. Credit unions should consider implementing a new member influencer marketing referral program. When someone joins the credit union or applies for a new product or service, the existing member that recommended him or her would receive an incentive. Many companies keep track of referrals by using unique links or unique codes to quickly gauge success of the referral program. Humanize Your Content With the introduction of social media, advertising has shifted from companies telling consumers they need to purchase something to companies showing how their product or service can positively impact the consumers life. A growing skepticism in traditional advertising is driving brands and companies to use real customers to tell their stories. Credit unions can easily humanize their content by utilizing User Generated Content (UGC). UGC is free and more relatable when consumers are making purchasing decisions. Instead of using a stock photo to promote your credit unions mortgage program, share photos of your members standing in front of their new homes. Just be sure to get permission to use any UGC before you share it. Incorporate More Video Video marketing has been on the rise for years and will only continue to grow. By 2021, it is expected that 82 percent of internet traffic will be video, according to Cisco. With many social media channels offering a live video feature, it is simple to incorporate video content into your credit unions social media strategy. All video content does not need to be taken by a professional videographer. Look for opportunities to capture real-time video moments with a smartphone it is much more affordable to produce and is actually seen as more authentic by consumers. Use Artificial Intelligence Credit unions can incorporate AI into their marketing strategy in many ways. To target potential new members, source your member database to learn about existing members, where they live, their income levels and home ownership status, among other items. Then, target prospects that live in areas where the income level is similar to that of those members. Additionally, chatbots while not a new technology are a form of AI whose use has continued to increase from a marketing perspective. Credit unions can use chatbots for a variety of customer service-related issues to give members the information they need in real time. Deliver a Personalized Experience Use AI to deliver a personalized experience that leads to member loyalty. Research shows that 48 percent of consumers spend more when their experience is tailored specifically for them. Instead of spamming your members with a generic promotional email, look at email open rates to identify the specific types of content with which members are engaging. If a member recently purchased a new home with your credit union, send them information about your personal loans to help furnish the new house. Members are more likely to engage with your content if it is personalized for them and speaks to their needs. Police are investigating after a 6-month-old died unexpectedly Monday at a day care on San Antonio's Southwest Side. Mila Rose Wallace was pronounced dead at 5:21 p.m., according to the Bexar County medical examiner. Autopsy results will not be available for 12 weeks, and police declined to provide further information because Mila was a child. April Lozano, the operator of 5 Little Hearts in-home day care at 5578 Beech Valley Drive, did not immediately respond to multiple requests for comment. Mila's mother, Hope Wallace, said the baby was not sick and didn't appear to have any conditions or habits that would have made her more susceptible to early death. Wallace said she received a call from Lozano around 5:30 p.m. Monday. "Your child is not breathing," Wallace recalled Lozano telling her over the phone. The infant had been put down for a nap and had not woken up, Lozano told Wallace. As Wallace drove over, she angrily demanded to speak with someone from emergency management services to find out if Mila was still alive. "'I'm sorry, Ms. Wallace,'" she remembers hearing from EMS. "She was already gone when they called me." The day care was surrounded by police and medical vehicles when Wallace arrived, and she said police blocked her from seeing her daughter and speaking to Lozano. "They said they needed to take her and get cleaned up," Wallace said. "I don't know what 'cleaned up' means, because she's a clean baby." She will see Mila for the first time at a viewing Thursday. "(Mila) was happy, she was friendly. Just the day before, I took her to Chuck E. Cheese's and she rode in the car that they buckle up and it moves, and they snap the picture," Wallace said. "She was a really good baby, really good, really healthy." The day care was issued a permit in November 2013. It has a maximum capacity of 12 and is willing to accept child care subsidies, which is how Wallace discovered it. Wallace described the operation as unreliable with the caretaker sometimes taking hours to answer the door at drop-off and said she noticed odd behaviors at times. For instance, on the day Mila died, the child had spent nine hours at the day care, but her diaper bag was returned with all five new diapers still unused. State records show the child care facility had been cited by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission for 34 deficiencies in the past three years, 29 of which were weighted as high or medium-high risk. Citations included failing to submit a background check for a substitute caregiver, neglecting to clear the floor of infant choking hazards and multiple instances of caring for more children than the permit allowed. In 2017, the day care was cited for caring for 11 children despite the fact that a safety plan implemented earlier that year had required the provider to cease operating. It's unclear when the safety plan allowed the day care to resume normal operations. Typically, registered child care homes are inspected at least once every two years. When they have several, serious or repeat deficiencies or they fail to make corrections quickly, they're inspected more often. In three years, Lozano's operation had been inspected 13 times. The day care has also been issued three administrative penalties during its tenure. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission could not immediately be reached for comment. Mila was born July 13. At nearly 7 months old, she was 17 pounds and 27 inches tall. She was teething. Her mother finds it hard to believe she simply died in her sleep. "That's what she told me happened, but ... that doesn't seem right. My daughter always took naps with me and she always woke up," Wallace said. "She was just healthy, that's why I don't feel it was anything natural. She was too healthy." Beyond the funeral, Wallace hasn't decided what she'll do moving forward. "I'm just going to continue to pray that my daughter gets the justice that she deserves," she said. Rev. William Sangiovanni known as Father Bill to generations of students at Notre Dame High School in Fairfield died Monday morning after being in declining health for several years. Born in Brooklyn, Sangiovanni came to the Bridgeport diocese when he enrolled at Fairfield University, where he graduated in 1962 with a degree in history. He earned a master's from Fairfield University in education and arts. He went on to teach at Fairfields Assumption School. Then, from there, he went to Our Lady of Angels Seminary at Niagara University in New York. After four years or religious training, in 1969, he decided to leave. Instead, Sangiovanni served as special assistant to the Minority Leader of the Connecticut General Assembly, and as assistant to U.S. Congressman Steward McKinney from 1969 to 1975. Sangiovanni went to Hartford as a research assistant to Stewart McKinney in 1969. At the time, McKinney was the Minority Leader of the Connecticut House of Representatives. The following year, McKinney was elected to Congress and Sangiovanni became the district representative, running the Bridgeport and Fairfield offices. Sangiovanni continued to support McKinney through a difficult re-election in 1974. But shortly after, he left McKinneys staff. People in Fairfield started to call for Sangiovanni to run as a bipartisan candidate for the towns position of First Selectman, but he turned them down. In the spring of 1975, he became a deacon and left Fairfield for Kentucky. He soon became a full-time teacher and assistant chaplain in the Frenchburg State Prison. When he came back to Connecticut, he requested an assignment counseling prisoners at the Bridgeport Correctional Center. Beginning in 1980, Sangiovanni was a faculty member, chaplain, department chair, assistant principal, principal and president of the Fairfield school on Jefferson street. It is with heavy hearts that we make this post. The Notre Dame community is mourning the loss of Rev. William Father Bill' Sangiovanni, who passed away this morning, Notre Dame principal Christopher Cipriano announced Monday on the schools Facebook page. Father Bills passing is a tremendous loss to all of us who knew him so well, Cipriano said. Please try to keep happy memories of Father Bill at the front of your mind, Cipriano said. Whether they include cheering on a team from the sidelines, passionately teaching his AP Government class, shaking hands and greeting everyone by name at Open House since he seemingly knew everyone, wearing his GarlicFest hat so proudly or celebrating Mass with a tremendous homily for the ND community, he certainly left us with many, many fond memories. For several years during his time as school principal in the mid-90s, Sangiovanni coordinated a GarlicFest under a big tent adjacent to the school. A major fundraiser for the school, the event attracted thousands of garlic lovers and vendors from throughout the area. On the occasion of Notre Dames 60th anniversary Gala celebration in March 2017, the Diocese of Bridgeport mentioned Sangiovannis then 37 years with Notre Dame and his massive impact on the school. Sangiovanni was ordained in St. Patrick Church in Bridgeport on March 19, 1977. After serving first as parochial vicar at St. Patrick's, he was named to the faculty of Notre Dame in 1980 and became the school's spiritual director the following year. In 1991, he was appointed to the State of Connecticut's Ethics Commission, and later became vice chair. Father Sangiovanni also served as a part-time chaplain at the Bridgeport Correctional Center for 11 years. Father Sangiovanni was named president of Notre Dame in 2010. To the never-ending annoyance of various Democratic legislators, a post-Labor Day school start remains incredibly popular. We all know school calendars had gotten completely out of control. Take Anne Arundel County, for example. Prior to the executive order, they had 13 extra full days off in addition to the numerous state-mandated days off. Some of these days made sense, others like the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the day for the teachers union conference in Ocean City, made zero sense. Instead of being aligned with the best interest of students, the calendars were aligned with the demands of the teachers union political leadership. WASHINGTON President Donald Trump offered a mix of reconciliation and hyperpartisan red meat in his delayed State of the Union speech Tuesday night, but Connecticut Democratic lawmakers listening to the speech were on guard for the more divisive parts of it, especially immigration and Trumps long-sought U.S.-Mexico border wall. Trump shut a major portion of the government down after Democrats refused to concede any ground on the wall. Connecticuts entire Democratic congressional delegation opposed the wall. President Trumps calls for unity seem deeply hollow and empty when he appeals to policies that critically divide us, said Sen. Richard Blumenthal in a statement. He wants to build more walls not bridges. But in his speech Monday night, Trump showed he was in no mood to compromise. I will get it built, he said of the wall. Walls work and walls save lives. Trump also took an indirect swipe at special counsel Robert Mueller, whose investigation of Trump 2016 campaign connections to Russian intelligence a probe that already appears close to Trumps doorstep and threatens to cross the threshold. Trump did not mention Mueller by name, but he condemned ridiculous partisan investigations. If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation, he said. It just doesnt work that way! House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, sitting right behind Trump as he spoke, appeared to signal Democrats not to respond to Trumps partisan dig. His call for an end to the Russia investigation is yet another effort to derail and even obstruct or avoid any accountability for potential wrongdoing, Blumenthal said. That line shows all the more why the special counsel must do a report with all the facts and evidence and disclose it directly to the American people. Originally scheduled for Jan. 25, the State of the Union speech was cancelled by Pelosi because of the shutdown. Trump briefly toyed with the idea of delivering the speech outside of Capitol Hill, but backed off. After the shutdown ended, it was rescheduled for Tuesday night. As he has done in the past, Trump justified the need for a wall by highlighting criminal incidents involving illegal immigrants and the threat of MS-13 gang members. No issue better illustrates the divide between Americas working class and Americas political class than illegal immigration, Trump said. Wealthy politicians and donors push for open borders while living their lives behind walls and gates and guards. The remark about politicians living behind walls drew eye rolls from Democrats in Connecticut and elsewhere. In arguing for the controversial nearly-2,000-mile barrier, Trump had stated that former President Barack Obama lived in a house in Washington surrounded by a wall. Subsequent photos showed the claim was false. Although the wall remains a major unfulfilled promise, Trump highlighted what he sees as the achievements of his administration. After 24 months of rapid progress, our economy is the envy of the world, our military is the most powerful on earth, and America is winning each and every day, he said. As is customary in State of the Union speeches, Trump went through a laundry list of topics confronting the nation, from decaying infrastructure to trade to sentencing-guideline reform to rising drug prices. He shocked some listeners with a graphic account of late-term abortion that he said amounted to infanticide. It was a description that abortion-rights groups quickly disputed as little more than a ruse to restrict all abortion, not just late term. Trump doubled down on his view of Iran as a major threat in the Middle East that cannot be trusted to maintain the now-disrupted nuclear deal. We will not avert our eyes from a regime that chants Death to America and threatens genocide against the Jewish people, he said. At the same time, he defended his decision to scale back U.S. military presence in Syria and Afghanistan. As a candidate for president, I pledged a new approach, he said. Great nations do not fight endless wars. Although Democrats including Sen. Chris Murphy have criticized Trump for blindly believing North Korea dictator Kim Jong Un would agree to denuclearization, Trump asserted that the U.S. would be at war with North Korea if he hadnt been elected president. Even though Democrats from Connecticut and elsewhere have steadfastly refused to cede ground on the wall, Trump nevertheless offered them a few olive branches of sorts to Democratic opponents. Together, we can break decades of political stalemate, he said. We can bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions, forge new solutions, and unlock the extraordinary promise of Americas future. The decision is ours to make. And he even waxed poetic, with a riff on choosing greatness. We must choose between greatness or gridlock, results or resistance, vision or vengeance, incredible progress or pointless destruction, he said. Tonight, I ask you to choose greatness. Pro-Trump partisans punctuated the presidents statements with thunderous applause and chants of USA, USA, USA! Connecticut Democrats and others for the most part blame Trump for the toxic partisanship in Washington that brought on the shutdown, which could start up again Feb. 15 if Congress doesnt reach an agreement Trump will sign. As governor, its my job to work on behalf of everyone in Connecticut and to reach across the aisle to find commonsense, bipartisan solutions to the challenges confronting our state,said Gov. Ned Lamont. I was pleased to hear President Trump echo a similar sentiment at the beginning of his speech. But those words tonight must be followed up by actions tomorrow that show his administrations commitment to truly seek common ground and common purpose on behalf of all Americans. Murphy questioned the validity of the speech because of what he views as the presidents frequent misstatements, about-faces, denials and outright fabrications. Im going to speech because I have a level of respect for the office, Murphy said in an interview prior to the speech. But I dont know if what he says really matters. On Trumps long-sought wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, Murphy said Democrats have always sought the middle ground on border security. Democrats are willing to vote for border security money, but not a medieval wall, he said. I hope the president is willing to settle for border security money thats not a wall. Its up to him to take yes for an answer. Murphys guest was Regina Moller, the executive director of Noank Community Support Services in Groton, which provides housing and services for troubled youth, as well as immigrant minors mostly from Central America. A check from HUD for $327,000 was held up for 35 days during the shutdown, forcing the agency to take out a bank loan and depend on emergency donations. But in an interview before the speech, she said her thoughts would be less on the funding and more on the fate of the immigrant youth in her shelter. Whats going through my mind is the unaccompanied minors sitting back in the shelter who need a place to live, who need a life, and who need to be treated like human beings, she said. Stacey Abrams, who narrowly lost the race for governor of Georgia last year, gave the Democratic response to Trumps speech. Not surprisingly, she focused on the shutdown. The shutdown was a stunt engineered by the President of the United States, one that defied every tenet of fairness and abandoned not just our people but our values, she said. She recalled helping out with volunteers to distribute meals to furloughed federal workers. Making their livelihoods a pawn for political games is a disgrace, she said. dan@hearstdc.com STRATFORD About 50 people showed up Tuesday for the first meeting of the towns Shakespeare property task force. The committee, appointed last month by Mayor Laura Hoydick, has been charged with overseeing a community conversation about what will happen at the property since a Jan. 13 fire burned down the historic theater. To that end, the committees members on Tuesday tentatively scheduled another meeting for Feb. 19 at which they said theyll hash out the process more. "What our job is to do is to get the communitys input about what should happen now," Tom Dillon, one of the task forces co-chairs, said. Members of the task force listened to about 40 minutes of comments from residents offering their thoughts during Tuesdays meeting. None got louder applause than Elm Street resident Rachel Rusnak, who said the town should use the property to offer residents a chance to engage with the arts more. "Im tired of going to Milford and Im tired of going to Fairfield to do anything," Rusnak said. "Theres such an opportunity here. I hope the town doesnt let it go to waste." This story will be updated. BRIDGEPORT Three men were arrested with guns and drugs in their car following a chase with police near a homicide scene Tuesday night. But while the men were spotted near the William Street home where a woman was shot to death, Police Capt. Brian Fitzgerald said at this point it doesnt appear the chase and murder are related. They were driving in the same areas but at this point we have no evidence that they committed the homicide, Fitzgerald said. Sujata Lee Edwards, 36, was shot to death Tuesday night in her William Street home after police said the house was shot up by several men. There have been no arrests. On Wednesday afternoon, 25-year-old Domontae Waters, still coping with wounds from an earlier shooting, was arraigned before Superior Court Judge Tracy Lee Dayton. This is a very serious and dangerous case, the judge said, ordering Waters held in lieu of $150,000 bond. On Tuesday night Waters, of Bridgeport; Tyler Marriner, 28, of Bridgeport, and John Gotti Matthews, 23, of Ansonia, were all charged with possession of narcotics, stealing a firearm, criminal possession of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance, engaging police in a pursuit and reckless driving. Marriner and Matthews later each posted $100,000 bonds. Officers were patrolling the citys East Side Tuesday night when a police broadcast went out for a black two-door Audi sedan that had multiple firearms in it, according to police. A short time later, officers spotted the car on Washington Avenue. When they attempted to pull it over, police said, Matthews, later identified as the driver of the Audi, accelerated. Police said the pursuit led them onto Madison Avenue where Matthews struck the rear of another car at the intersection with Arlington Street. Police said the impact of the crash caused Matthews to veer onto the sidewalk and into a traffic light pole. All three of the men in the car Waters, Matthews and Marriner were taken into custody without incident. Inside the Audi, police said, they found a .38-caliber revolver and a 9mm semi-automatic handgun. Police said they also seized from the Audi numerous bags containing what they identified as marijuana and opiate pills. Last May, Waters was shot during an incident on Asylum Street in which Willie Chill Nance was shot to death. Police at the time said they believed Waters was with the man charged with killing Nance, Shardel Dolo Ragin, who is awaiting trial for allegedly killing Nance. Matthews was arrested in November by Trumbull police following a chase through the mall after an alleged heroin deal. BRIDGEPORT - An Ohio man awaiting trial in the death of a young Bethel woman near Bridgeports citys boat ramp pleaded not guilty Wednesday to an earlier shooting of a woman in the city. Dressed in a bright orange prison jump suit, Brandon Roberts entered his plea before Superior Court Judge Robert Devlin to attempted murder, first-degree assault and gun charges. He asked for a jury trial. The judge continued the case to Feb. 27. Roberts nodded at several women who waved to him from the gallery as he was led from the courtroom by judicial marshals. The 26-year-old is also awaiting trial charged with murder, felony murder, first-degree robbery and carrying a pistol without a permit for the Dec. 8 killing of 25-year-old Emily Todd. Todd, a therapist at a Danbury senior center, was found lying face down in the sand along the shore the next morning. Police said her mother later told detectives that Todd had met Roberts, who was staying with relatives at a Stratford hotel, on an online dating app. After several dates, police said, Todd called off the relationship. But they said Roberts convinced Todd to meet him one more time, luring her to the area of the boat ramp. On Dec. 14, police arrested Roberts at his fathers home in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and charged him with Todds murder. While being questioned at the Shaker Heights police station, police said, Roberts confessed to Bridgeport Lt. Chris LaMaine that he had killed Todd and shot another woman near Washington Park a year earlier. I dont know why I did it, I had a lot of hate in me man, police said Roberts told them. Of the earlier crime, police said that on June 9, 2017, officers were dispatched to the intersection of Kossuth and Maple streets, where a woman was lying in the street, screaming. The 43-year-old woman was taken to Bridgeport Hospital with a bullet wound in her right shoulder. Officers found a white Buick Regal with tinted window parked a short distance away. Police said there was a handgun on the rear floor of the car, which was registered to Roberts. Police said witnesses told them they saw the victim in the Buick with a man shortly before the shooting. And a nearby video camera recorded the woman getting out of the car, police said. When detectives later interviewed the victim, they said, she told them she had been standing on Barnum Avenue when the Buick pulled up and the driver offered her a ride. The man drove her to the intersection of Kossuth and Maple streets and parked, police said. The victim said the driver then told her he wanted to have sex with her, but she refused. Police said she got out of the car and was walking away when the driver came up behind her and shot her. BRIDGEPORT The citys Beardsley Zoo welcomed a pair of Mexican gray wolves back in December that recently came out of necessary quarantine to be viewed by the public, according to a news release Wednesday. The wolves were born on May 13, 2017, at the Endangered Wolf Center in Eureka, Missouri. They joined the Beardsley Zoo family on Dec. 6, 2018. The two were in quarantine, required for any new zoo arrival, until recently. The two males are brother and will remain unnamed. This serves to emphasize their wild status, and helps to prevent human/wolf interaction so that a re-introduction to the wild at some point may be possible, the news release said. The brother join the zoos remaining female to begin a small pack after the zoo lost a second female gray wolf to a medically untreatable condition last month. The female wolf the brother joins was born in 2007 at the California Wolf Center in Julian, California. There is no breeding currently planned for the new pack, the zoo said. Guests can see the three Mexican gray wolves at the Wolf Observation Learning Facility at the zoo daily between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Were pleased to add two new wolves to our Wolf Observation Learning Facility, and offer our guests an incredible opportunity to see these beautiful and fascinating animals up close, said Gregg Dancho, zoo director. The zoo is also home to two red wolves a male named Peanut and a female named Shy. The two wolf breeds are two of the rarest mammals in North America, according to the zoo. In the mid-1980s, hunting, trapping and poisoning caused the extinction of the Mexican gray wolves in the wild. At that time, only a handful remained in human care. Both species of wolves at Connecticuts Beardsley Zoo are imperiled. It is only through managed breeding and reintroduction that they survive in the wild today, Dancho said. In 1998, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released 11 Mexican gray wolves back into the wild in Arizona and New Mexico. Today, there is a population of 114 individual Mexican gray wolves in the wild. These plans are especially important for women and people of color. The persistent racial wealth gap during African-Americans and Latinos working years follows them into their retirements. An Urban Institute report found that, in 2013, the average white family had more than $130,000 in liquid retirement savings, compared with $19,000 for the average African-American family and $12,000 for the average Hispanic family. Women are much more likely than men to face poverty in retirement they generally live longer, have lower earnings and are more likely to outlive sources of retirement income. We must expand and strengthen Social Security, coupled with guaranteed retirement accounts, which can help break this cycle of economic struggle by ensuring that all Americans have the ability to save for retirement in a simple, cost-effective way. Since the European Unions General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into effect in May last year, EU organizations have reported almost 60,000 data breaches, but so far fewer than 100 fines have been issued by regulators. According to a new report by multinational law firm DLA Piper, the European Commission's official statistics show 41,502 data breach notifications between May 25, 2018, and January 28, 2019 (Data Protection Day). However, this only covered 21 of the 28 EU member states and didn't include countries like Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein, which are not EU members but are part of the European Economic Area (EEA) and are subject to the same regulation. DLA Piper's own analysis has counted 59,430 disclosed data breaches across Europe over the same period, with the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom leading by far in the number of reports. Together, these countries are responsible for nearly two-thirds of data breach notifications, with 15,400, 12,600 and 10,600 disclosures, respectively. GDPR requires organizations to report the exposure of personal data to national data protection regulators and to the affected individuals within 72 hours after they become aware of such breaches. It also mandates strict security measures for protecting data and fines for violations that can go up to of up to 10 million or 2 percent of the worldwide annual turnover. GDPR fines During the analyzed time period, regulators have imposed 91 fines for GDPR violations, but not all of them were related to exposure of personal data, according to DLA Piper's report. For example, the highest one was a recent 50 million fine imposed by the French data protection authority (CNIL) on Google for processing personal data for advertising purposes without obtaining the permission required under GDPR. In Germany, the regulators imposed a 20,000 fine on a company for failing to protect employee passwords with cryptographic hashes, while in Austria a 4,800 fine was issued for operating an unauthorized CCTV system that partially surveilled a public sidewalk. Backlog stretching GDPR regulator resources The number of fines and their value, excluding the one against Google, have been low so far compared to the number of disclosed breaches, but this might because regulators in some countries are still accommodating themselves to the increased supervision and coordination roles they now play. "Regulators are stretched and have a large backlog of notified breaches in their inboxes," the DLA Piper researchers said in their report. "Inevitably the larger headline grabbing breaches have taken priority when allocating resources, so many organizations are still waiting to hear from regulators whether any action will be taken against them in relation to the breaches they have notified." Data suggests that under the risk of high sanctions, many companies have prepared themselves to comply with GDPR's breach notification requirements. However, significant discrepancies can still be observed among different countries and cultures. For example, when correlating the number of data breach notifications to population size, the Netherlands, Ireland and Denmark come in top three positions, while Germany and the UK fall to tenth and eleventh. Romania, Italy and Greece have the smallest ratio of data breach notifications per 100,000 people, with 1.2, 0.9 and 0.6, respectively. "Sweeping data breaches under the carpet has become a very high-risk strategy under GDPR," the DLA Piper researchers concluded. This story, "Report: Over 59,000 GDPR data breach notifications, but only 91 fines" was originally published by CSO . Windstar Cruises has announced a new travel agency recognition program: Club 180, a riff on Windstars tagline that sailing with the small ship company is 180 Degrees from Ordinary, according to a press release. The multi-tier travel agency recognition program is designed to reward top-producing agencies with a top 10 Platinum distinction, a top 11-20 Gold award, and a 21+ Silver category, Windstar said. Recognition is in the form of a number of amenities travel advisors can offer their clients (such as complimentary Wi-Fi and shipboard credit); additional marketing and sales support from Windstar (including advance notice on promotions and new product launches); priority service (such as a dedicated phone line); and benefits for travel advisors themselves when sailing on Windstar (including complimentary Wi-Fi and laundry service), with varying levels of benefits for the three tiers. Inaugural members for the new Club 180 program have already been selected based upon 2018 sales production; however, membership will be renewed annually, with an opportunity to add new members in December 2019. Club 180 recognizes domestic North America travel sellers not consortium, explains Windstars Vice President of Sales Steve Simao, CTC. It is based primarily on top sales, though select travel agencies may be included in the program based on the history of our partnership and their overall support of the Windstar brand. Ernest Gierke, 77, holds two checks totaling $2,942, mailed to him by the Social Security Office at the end of January. Gierke usually receives a check for $63.40 at the end of each month, which he uses for living expenses. Gierke received one check for $1,856 on Friday and another for $1,077 on Monday. Gierke, sure that this was a mistake, went to the Litchfield Community Building to meet with a social security representative. When one wasn't available, he met with City Clerk Roy Ross, who agreed to call the St. Cloud Social Security office for Gierke. The social security office explained that occasionally, social security rules change, and an elderly recipient becomes eligible for a lump-sum payment. Unit Gierke can meet face-to-face with a social security representative, he said he will hold on to the checks. Our Gift To You! 2 Off $ 00 $20.00 or Special thanks to Sandy Johnson of the GAR Hall who helped locate Annas DOD. Bread and Roses refers to itself as socialistic, and our version of socialism isnt quite the same as that espoused by Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Both Mr. Sanders and Ms. Ocasio-Cortez have to some extent identified socialism with the New Deal, or, now, The Green New Deal. Our brand of socialism is somewhat different. We identify with the utopianism of the pre-Marxist socialists and with the early Marx, especially his economic and philosophic manuscripts on alienated labor, and the role of money in human interaction. Further, we embrace the Marxist social contract: From each according to their ability, to each according to their needs. At the same time, we are not in love with big government, and our roots are wider than merely the socialist tradition. Edward "Ed" G. Day, 76, of Fairfield Glade, passed away June 11, 2021, at Cumberland Medical Center in Crossville. He was born Aug. 29, 1944, in Detroit, MI, son of Marie (Stalski) Weber. Ed worked as a photocopy salesman and retired from Panasonic in 2001. He was a member of Shepherd of the That Governor Northam cant explain the bill or that the New York legislature cheers when it assures womens rights is immaterial. At the heart of this is a despicable effort to reap political gain by mistreating women already put in one of the most awful positions imaginable. And its really worse than that because various efforts to restrict access to abortion are pushing more women into delayed decisions. The day conservatives endorse health care for all including readily available contraception is the day they can claim to be pro-life, but we wont count on it. President Trump didnt just attack women in his State of the Union, he cynically used the reality that few of us ever have to contemplate of abortion in the second or third trimester (and that few of us know much about the complexities of state law) to once again scare Americans toward theocratic acquiescence. *Modified with permission from Archives of Dermatological Research, Springer Editors note: This column is the first in a series on the relationship between substantivity and skin care products. This first part provides background on the role of substantivity and its safety considerations. Future installments will discuss its use in personal care. Skin care and cosmetic formulators intuitively have a sense as to when a given product benefits from remaining on the skin, lips, nails and hair for prolonged periods. This series encapsules our knowledge on this aspect of formulationsubstantivity. A primary function of the skin barrier is attributed to the stratum corneum (SC), which protects us from mechanical insults, UV light, pathogenic microorganisms, chemical compounds and other percutaneous penetrants. While an effective barrier against percutaneous absorption of chemicals, the SC is also a major route by which chemicals may enter the body. Once absorbed into skin, penetrants may cause local reactions or enter the circulation to produce systemic therapeutic or toxic effects. Ngo, expanding on Wester, delineated 15 factors that influence the ability of chemicals to penetrate the skin, although there are presumably more, demonstrating the complexities of this process.1, 2 Drug-related factors include: vehicle, molecular weight, lipid and water solubility, and other chemicals that may serve as penetration enhancers. Exposure-related factors include: dose, formulation, duration, frequency, use of protective equipment and climate (heat and humidity). Finally, skin-related factors include: blood flow, pH, skin thickness, hair and pore density, and content and structure of proteins and lipids. Substantivity, a term adapted from the textile dye industry, is yet another factor; it allows penetrants to remain in the skin for many days. Although binding to viable epidermis and dermis has been noted, substantivity describes chemical adherence mainly to the stratum corneum.3 This SC adsorption allows for chemicals to enact their effects while overcoming abundant sweating, water immersion and abrasive rubbing. Therefore, substantivity is an especially important factor in the development of various drugs that target the SC. Since many skin pathologies involve the stratum corneum (e.g., fungal infections, acne vulgaris, rosacea, atopic dermatitis and irritant dermatitis) and require the multiple dosing of topicals, understanding substantivity mechanisms may provide insight for topical dosing strategies, as well as longer-acting topical medicationspossibly even a single dose of treatment agents that previously required multiple doses. Substantivity is also of importance in the development of other consumer products that necessitate adherence to skin, including sunscreens and insect repellents. While adsorption of chemicals to the SC may enable water and rub resistance, it may be the strength of the chemical bond between penetrants and molecules of the horny layerpresumably keratin proteinsthat dictates SC adherence. The ability of chemicals to partition from the SC and subsequently penetrate through skin, as well as cell turnover, hampers SC adherence (substantivity). Thus, highly substantive substances may induce delayed percutaneous penetration, reducing the risk of systemic toxicity. However, excessive substantivity may play a role in the adverse effects mentioned previously (irritation, allergic reactions and systemic toxicity), since substantive materials allow for the accumulation of harmful penetrants. Continued research in this area may offer insight into dermatotoxicology and dermatopharmacology; studies related to hexachlorophene provide insight. Hexachlorophene: A Case Study In the 1960s and early 1970s, hexachlorophene was estimated to be in thousands of American skin care and cosmetics. This section explains its rise and fall, as well as lessons learned from this human calamity. Retention of an antimicrobial agent in the SC is a desirable property for aversion of pathogen colonization. Substantive antiseptic agents, which interact with the horny layer to create a reservoir effect, exert antimicrobial activity for several days beyond the last application. Hexachlorophene is an example of such a substantive antimicrobial. This material was discovered and popularized by Gump when he found the compound was capable of retaining its antiseptic properties in soap.4 Subsequently, hexachlorophene became a standard component of innumerable kinds of consumer goods and medical formulations. Around the same time, Staphylococci replaced Streptococci as a chief cause of infections in newborn nurseries.5 Thus, when Farquharson et al. reported on the control of an outbreak of Staphylococcal skin infections in nurseries utilizing a hexachlorophene-based bath routine, other studies soon discerned the advantages of hexachlorophene bathing to control Staphylococcal skin outbreaks in nurseries, as well as in reducing the incidence of Staphylococcal skin colonization in newborns.6-8 Substantivity is important in the development of consumer products that necessitate adherence to skin, including sunscreens and insect repellents. Farquharson et al. also showed a drastic drop in cases of impetigo after the implementation of hexachlorophene-containing baths 24 hr after delivery and every other day thereafter.7 Due to a shortage of nursing staff in September 1950, though, the hexachlorophene bathing routine was amended to 24 hr after delivery and every third day thereafter instead of every second day. Within one week, five new cases of impetigo arose. When every-other-day bathing resumed, cases of impetigo ceased to recur. This suggests that the bacteriostatic film of hexachlorophene adheres to infants skin in clinically effective amounts for 48 hr. Baldwin et al. reported similar results: lower incidents of Staphylococcal skin colonization in infants bathed with a liquid detergent containing hexachlorophene, compared with infants who received dry skin care.6 The incidence of nasal colonization by Staphylococci was 30% with hexachlorophene washing, but rose as high as 100% when washing was discontinued. Gluck and Wood also found a lower incidence of nasal colonization by Staphylococci in infants washed with hexachlorophene-containing preparations twice after birth and every day thereafter, compared with control, unwashed infants.8 Altogether, 51% of 500 control unwashed infants were positive for Staphylococcal colonization, while only 3% of 965 washed infants were positive for Staphylococcal colonization. Gluck and Wood argued that the efficacy of hexachlorophene depended on continued contact with susceptible pathogenic microorganisms.8 Frequent application allowed for the substantive chemical to accumulate in adequate amounts on skin, thereby achieving adequate antibacterial activity. Studies on the efficacy of surgical hand-scrubbing supported this argument, as multiple washes with hexachlorophene proved far more effective in ridding skin of bacteria compared with a single wash.9 Furthermore, studies utilizing radioactive hexachlorophene showed just how substantive the compound wasa plateau in accumulation in skin was achieved within three or four washes.10 By the early 1970s, hexachlorophene had been used extensively for more than 20 years, and reviews of its toxicity began to surface.11, 12 The first report of hexachlorophene toxicity was in 1959 by Herter, who reported excoriations and convulsions in a newborn infant after four days of repeated application of 3% hexachlorophene lotion without subsequent rinsing.13 Later, Larson noted a correlation between hexachlorophene use and the encephalopathy observed in burn patients.14 He reported eight burn patients treated with topical hexachlorophene who developed seizures, diplopia, lower extremity weakness, nausea, vomiting and irritability. Incidence of convulsions in burn patients decreased upon cessation of hexachlorophene use.15 Chilcote et al. reported a similar finding in a 10-year-old boy who sustained a 25% partial-thickness burn and was treated with topical applications of diluted 3% hexachlorophene.16 The patient initially did well, but soon developed hyperthermia, lower extremity weakness and encephalopathy. Autopsy revealed cerebral edema and tissue with high hexachlorophene levels (see Table 1). According to Carroll et al., hexachlorophene is absorbed through intact and damaged skin. Burns increased hexachlorophene absorption by a factor of 2.5 in rats.17 It is now widely accepted that most methods of damage (mechanical, chemical, biocidal and clinical disease) result in some enhancement of absorption.18, 19 However, in the study of Carroll and associates, absorption returned to baseline after 24 hr, suggesting excessive skin exposure and substantive properties, rather than altered permeability, were likely the principle players in toxicity. Excessive substantivity may play a role in adverse effects, since substantive materials allow for the accumulation of harmful penetrants. Manowitz and Johnston also illustrated the substantive properties of hexachlorophene.20 They noted that hexachlorophene was found on skin after soaking in a bath containing low concentrations of the chemical, and although a shower rinsed off a great amount of hexachlorophene, a residue remained post-cleaning with alcohol after the shower. The most dramatic occurrence of hexachlorophene toxicity was in 1972 in France, where 18 children were accidentally exposed to 6% hexachlorophene in talc powder.21 The children (13 boys and 5 girls), between 3 months and 3 years of age, presented with neurological features including altered consciousness, encephalopathy, tremors, ocular jerks, mydriasis and sixth-nerve palsy. Twelve were under one year of age. Four patients died; eight developed spinal cord damage; and two became paraplegic. After such a devastating event, and with substantial research of hexachlorophene toxicity with animal studies, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned all nonprescription uses of the chemical in 1972, only allowing for use as a surgical scrub for health care workers and low concentrations as a preservative. Hexachlorophene was also largely removed from the U.S. cosmetics market while other countries followed suit. This calamity brought the percutaneous penetration of skin care and cosmetic products to the forefront. References Ngo, M. A., and Maibach, H. I. (2012). 15 Factors of Percutaneous Penetration of Pesticides. In Knaak, J. B., Timchalk, C., and Tornero-Velez, R. (eds): Parameters for Pesticide QSAR and PBPK/PD Models for Human Risk Assessment (67-86). Danvers, MA U.S.: Oxford Univ Press. Wester, R. C., and Maibach, H. I. (1983). Cutaneous pharmacokinetics: 10 steps to percutaneous absorption. Drug Metabolism Reviews, 14(2),169-205. Menczel, E., and Maibach, H. I. (1970). In vitro human percutaneous penetration of benzyl alcohol and testosterone: epidermal-dermal retention. J Invest Dermatol, 54(5), 386-394. Gump, W. S. (1945). Development of a germicidal soap. Soap and Sanitary Chemicals, 1, 36-39 and 50-85. Williams, R. E. O., Blowers, R., Garrod, L. P., Shooter, R. A. (1966). Hospital Infection: Causes and Prevention. London: Lloyd-Luke Ltd. Baldwin, J. N., Rheins, M. S., Sylvester, R. F., Jr., and Shaffer, T. E. (1957). Staphylococcal infections in newborn infants. AMA J Dis Child, 94(2), 107-116. Farquharson, C. D., Penny, S. F., Edwards, H. E., and Barr, E. (1952). The control of staphylococcal skin infections in the nursery. Can Med Assoc J, 67(3), 247-249. Gluck, L., and Wood, H. F. (1961). Effect of an antiseptic skin-care regimen in reducing in reducing staphylococcal colonization in newborn infants. N Engl J Med, 265(24), 1177-1181. Havens, I., Benham, R. S., and Clark, D. E. (1957). Hexachlorophene in the surgical scrub. Am J Med Technol, 23(2), 76-86. Shemano, I., and Nickerson, M. (1954). Cutaneous accumulation and retention of hexachlorophene-C14 (G-11). Fed Proc, 13, 404. Gump, W. S. (1969). Toxicological properties of hexachlorophene. J Soc Cosmet Chem, 20, 173-184. Kimbrough, R. D. (1971). Review of the toxicity of hexachlorophene. Arch Environ Health, 23(2), 119-122. Herter, W. B. (1959). Hexachlorophene poisoning. Kaiser Foundation M Bull, 7, 228 Larson, D. L. (1968) Studies show hexachlorophene causes burn syndrome. Hospitals J Amer Hosp Assoc, 42, 63-64. Larson, D. L., Abston, S., and Bachmann, R. C. (1971). Hexachlorophene absorption from the burn wound. In Research in Burns (619). Stuttgart, West Germany: Hans Huber Publishers. Chilcote, R., Curley, A., Loughlin, H. H., and Jupin, J. A. (1977). Hexachlorophene storage in a burn patient associated with encephalopathy. Pediatrics, 59(3), 457-459. Experts predicted it, and now it is confirmed: the sunny beaches of the Florida Keys will no longer allow the use of sunscreens containing oxybenzone and octinoxate. Does this mean California is next? According to a report by the Miami Herald, by a 6-1 vote, the Key West, Florida, City Commission banned the sale in the city limits of sunscreens that contain these ingredients. The ban will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2021. The report states the ban was instated based on studies showing these materials are harming the coral reef ecosystem in the Florida Keys. The regulatory effort aims to protect the only living coral reef in North America from alleged bleaching, DNA damage and death; notably, several industry experts have discounted the reported connections made between these sunscreens and coral reef damage, citing global warming as a more likely cause. In defense of these moves, Mayor Teri Johnston stated, "We have one reef, and we have to do one small thing to protect that. Its our obligation." "Oxybenzone is an oil and it floats on the surface," added Patrick Rice, chief science and research officer at Florida Keys Community College. "These items should be banned as they have no place in our waters in the Florida Keys." "Its not really not an emotional issue; its really just science," said Joe DiNardo, a toxicologist who worked on the Hawaiian ban. "Its hard to do something about global warming. We can do something about chemical pollution today and thats what the whole concept is about." Follow Cosmetics & Toiletries as we dig deeper into this issue and its larger implications in other regions. Daily skin moisturizers, introduced in the early 1900s, play a leading role in todays consumers beauty rituals. Following in the footsteps of this category, hair care has put forth formulas and products to counteract the feeling of dry, rough or brittle hair. In fact, 22% of the 200,000+ hair care products launched to date carry the claim moisturizing or hydrating, according to Mintels Global New Product Database;1 the proportions of moisturizing hair care products currently on the global market are shown in Figure 1. It is worth noting that 23% of shampoos, 29% of hair treatments and as many as 35% of hair conditioners, in particular, carry these claims. Key markets for these launches were Asia, for shampoo; and Latin America, for hair treatment products and conditioners. However, as much as leave-on cosmetics can protect, maintain or improve the skins hydration levels, the effects of water in hair are different. For one, with the exception of the follicle and bulb within the scalp, hair fibers are not living tissues whose well-being depends on water. Only low amounts of water are required to help maintain the right hydration levels for keratin in the hair cortex; any additional water compromises the fibers strength and aesthetics.2 Log in or Subscribe for FREE to read the full story. For example, as individuals who have travelled to hot and humid climates may have noticed, high humidity makes hair frizzy and unrulyso while the volume increases, so does the difficulty of maintaining any hairstyle. This effect is more visible in damaged hair, which is more permeable to environmental water. Specifically, the absorption of water by the hair disturbs the balance of hydrogen bonds, which are one of the main forces responsible for hair fiber shape and strength. As such, moisturizing hair care products should not add water to hair fibers. Instead, they should deliver the feeling of moisturization and associated sensory experiences during and after use. To better understand what this means to consumers, an online questionnaire was developed to find correlations between scientific descriptors and consumer language. Test subjects in the U.S., France and Brazil were asked what moisturized versus hydrated hair means to them; results indicated most did not differentiate between the two, and that both descriptors related to soft, repaired and smooth hairin other words, conditioned hair. Besides the widespread use of glycerin as a claim-based ingredient, most moisturizing hair care technologies essentially deliver good conditioning to dry (i.e., not wet) hair, and a few prevent water from entering the hair fibers while creating a humidity-impenetrable film/barrier. The benefits of one such material, lauryl/myristyl polyricinoleatea, are explored in the work described here. Form and Function Originating from a family of natural skin care moisturizers, lauryl/myristyl polyricinoleate is a long-chain nonionic polyester made from raw materials containing 100% renewable carbon: Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)-sourced palm kernel oil and castor oil. Furthermore, lauryl/myristyl polyricinoleate is produced via a process that involves no chemical modification other than condensation. As will be shown, this ingredient demonstrates the unique ability to deliver conditioning effects on hair that are superior to the industry-standard and commonly used quats cetrimonium and behentrimonium chloride. This is due to its molecular structure, whose symmetry allows it to form lamellar-structured liquids (see Figure 2), supporting good conditioning effects. Here, SEM shows the microstructures of a top-selling hair-conditioning brand (left) based on behentrimonium chloride and another conditioner based on lauryl/myristyl polyricinoleate (right); images are on a micrometer scale and clearly show lamellar layers (sheets) and occasional vesicles. Lamellar-structured liquids, when deposited onto wet hair, swell and produce parallel sheets of material on the hair fibers. When rinsed, the slip effect between the sheets generates detangling effects as well as a slippery feel on hair. In addition, any component of the lamellar liquid having a strong affinity to hair withstands rinsing and remains, generating benefits for dry hairmainly, improved lubrication, which translates as repair and moisturization effects. Lamellar-structured liquids deposited onto wet hair swell and produce parallel sheets. When rinsed, the slip effect between the sheets generates detangling effects. The density of the lamellar liquid not only ensures conditioning performance, but also is responsible for product stability. As self-suspending lamellar liquids, hair conditioners rarely contain rheology modifiers because well-designed lamellar structures keep the products stable. Until now, the optimal lamellar hair conditioners, typically rinse-off conditioners, were based on fatty alcoholse.g., cetyl and stearyland quaternary ammonium salts. This is because quats are not only able to act as emulsifiers in the product, but also provide good deposition on negatively charged hair due to their positive charge. Previously, no nonionic ingredients have been known to provide properties similar to quatsinsofar as their ability to remain stable as lamellar liquidsto detangle and impart a moisturized after feel to hair. Conventional vs. Lauryl/Myristyl Polyricinoleate To assess the efficacy of this nonionic ingredient, its conditioning effects were compared with typical ingredients in test shampoos and conditioners. A standard shampoo based on either quaternized guar/silicone or lauryl/myristyl polyricinoleate was developed (see Formula 1) and used as described below, and the detangling forces required during combing were measuredb. In addition, a simple and typical rinse-off conditioner chassis was tested, containing: 4% active cetearyl alcohol; 1.6% lauryl/myristyl polyricinoleate; and 0.4% cetrimonium chloride (CTAC) or behentrimonium chloride (BTAC) as the emulsifier. Test protocols: For shampoo testing, swatches of bleached hairc were prewashed with a 14% solution of sodium laureth sulfate, and washed and rinsed 2x with the shampoo. Combing-force measurements were taken on wet and dry hair after 12 hr of drying in a controlled atmosphere (22C, 45% RH). To test the conditioners, swatches of bleached hairc were prewashed with a 14% solution of sodium laureth sulfate, treated with the hair conditioner and rinsed. Combing forces were measured on wet and dry hair, also after 12 hr of drying in a controlled atmosphere (22C, 45% RH). Results: Results for dry combing are shown in Figure 3 for the shampoos (top) and conditioners (bottom). A significant reduction in the required combing force was observed in the formulas based on lauryl/myristyl polyricinoleate, in comparison with conventional quats and other chassis. Demand for products that counteract rough- and brittle-feeling hair drives the innovation of technologies to impart a hydrated, soft feel to hair. Benchmarks vs. Lauryl/Myristyl Polyricinoleate Based on these results, a fully renewable natural hair conditioner based on lauryl/myristyl polyricinoleate was formulated (see Formula 2) and its detangling efficacy was compared with current natural market benchmarks using the same protocol described. Comparisons were made with: Benchmark 4, a repair and care conditioner; and Benchmark 5, a nourishing hair conditionerboth leading natural brands in Germany (see Benchmark Ingredient Disclosures sidebar). Results: The results, shown in Figure 4, indicated that the ease of detangling for the simple and natural formulationwith lauryl/myristyl polyricinoleate and containing only 14 ingredientswas as good as (during wet combing) or better than (during dry combing) fully formulated natural consumer products containing 25-30 ingredients. Natural Nonionic Conditioning Assuming a nonionic material is hydrophobic enough, as in the case of lauryl/myristyl polyricinoleate, it can demonstrate good affinity to hair without requiring a positive charge. Further, contrary to other nonionic conditioning ingredients, such as oils or silicones, lauryl/myristyl polyricinoleate was not easily washed out during rinsing in the shampoo test; instead, it efficiently deposited onto hair to provide exceptional after feel. This effect fits the predefined market need identified for moisturizing hair care products. Beyond the demonstrated hair-conditioning effects, nonionic materials offer formulators added benefits. First, they are more compatible with other ingredients since they cannot form salts that would precipitate. As such, nonionics can be used in many formats, including both oil- and water-based shampoos or conditioners, rinse-off and leave-on conditioners, etc.; examples are provided in Formula 3 and Formula 4. (Editors note: see Bonus Hair Care Formulas 5, 6 and 7, exclusively in our digital edition.) This overcomes the current limitations of quats, which are rarely used in shampoos due to their risk of precipitating in the presence of anionic surfactants. Second, nonionics usually display much better consumer safety profiles in terms of skin irritation.3 Thus, in comparison with quats, which have regulated usage limits, lauryl/myristyl polyricinoleate can be used at higher concentrations, in leave-on hair care products and in products for children or individuals with sensitive skin. Lauryl/Myristyl Polyricinoleate in the Environment Compared with quats and silicones, lauryl/myristyl polyricinoleate also is safer for the environment (see Table 1). As a readily biodegradable material, it does not accumulate and has no effect on aquatic organisms including algae and crustaceans; in other words, it demonstrates no environmental toxicity. Furthermore, lauryl/myristyl polyricinoleate is made from raw materials containing 100% renewable carbon and using a process based on condensation. It therefore fits into Cosmos-certified cosmetics. Conclusions The market demand for products that counteract rough- and brittle-feeling hair drives the innovation of technologies to deliver a smooth and soft after feel to dry hair. In consumers language, this translates to moisturized or hydrated hair. In relation, the segment for natural cosmetics is growing and the industry continues to look for relevant sustainable, renewable and biocompatible ingredients, formulations and packaging without compromise; i.e., they expect eco-friendly products to deliver the same effects and claims as traditional mass brands. In response, lauryl/myristyl polyricinoleate was developed as a unique hair care conditioning ingredient that introduces new opportunities for nonionics and challenges conventional conditioning options. The ingredient is not only 100% renewable, biodegradable and nontoxic to aquatic life, it is also compatible with most hair care formatsand most importantly, is capable of delivering a moisturized, smooth and conditioned feel to hair. The material therefore combines the best of two worlds: safety and technical performance. References Mintels Global New Products Database (GNPD). Retrieved from www.gnpd.com Evans, T. (2012, July 10). Water Content and Moisturization. Retrieved from www.cosmeticsandtoiletries.com/research/chemistry/161976615.html Maibach, H. I., and Effendy, I. (1995). Surfactants and experimental irritant contact dermatitis. Contact Dermatitis, 33(4), 217-25. David Langham Horace, 44, passed away June 9, 2021 in Lufkin. Viewing will be held on Friday, June 18, 2021 at Emanuel Funeral Home of Crockett from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Funeral will be held on Saturday, June 19, 2021 at Antioch Baptist Church in Pennington at 12 p.m. with burial to follow in A 100% Website unicreditbank.sk uses latest and advanced technologies like: Boostrap. It supports HTTPS. The main html page has a size of 119695 bytes (116.89 kb uncompressed). This CoolSocial report was updated on 2020-06-21, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. We are analyzing the site. Please wait a few seconds.. 100% Website easeintomedicareil.com uses latest and advanced technologies like: Boostrap. It supports HTTPS and GZIP compression. The main html page has a size of 68636 bytes (67.03 kb uncompressed) and 9060 bytes (8.85 kb compressed). This CoolSocial report was updated on 2021-04-06, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. Barbera, who is Maryland's first female chief judge, last gave a State of the Judiciary Address in 2015. In that speech, she told lawmakers that the state was only a few months into deploying Maryland's Electronic Courts system. It is creating a single judiciary-wide integrated case management system that will be used by all the courts in the state system to collect, store and process records electronically. Emily Thornberry, who was standing in for Jeremy Corbyn, thinks we have a Government treading water in the Niagara River while the current is carrying us over the Falls. If that is true, she did not sound anything like desperate enough. Thornberry has the clear, upper-middle-class enunciation of an old-fashioned Radio Four announcer. There was not a trace of panic in her voice, because she does not actually believe we are being swept to our doom. David Lidington, deputising for the Prime Minister during her visit to Northern Ireland, sounded as if he too does not think we are all about to drown. Lidington wondered, in a calm tone, what part of the proposed Brexit deal does the Right Honourable Lady actually object to? She said she was the one who was supposed to be asking the questions, and accused the Government of sleepwalking the country towards leaving with no plan and no deal. Can one sleepwalk at the same time as one treads water in the Niagara River? For Thornberry to muddle her metaphors was, one felt, a confession of failure. The Father of the House, Kenneth Clarke, suggested that if it was left to Lidington and Thornberry, it would take them about five minutes to come up with a way of smoothly leaving the European Union. For they would between them be able to stop being so dominated by Corbynistas and the European Reform Group. This threat that each of the two main parties might split on Brexit is one reason why a new tone of moderation, even of compromise, has become apparent. Few MPs want to take the risk of taking the country over what could turn out to be, if not the Niagara Falls, at least some rather bumpy rapids where there is an outside risk of some of the passengers getting hurt. As Clarke said, Lidington and Thornberry both want to find a safer way through. Just as Donald Tusk gets over-excited, the House of Commons is calming down. Shanker Singham is CEO of Competere and author of Plan A+, A Better Deal and the proposed UK-EU Free Trade Agreement One thing everyone in Parliament and the country can agree on is that theres been a lot of talk about Brexit. Some of it constructive, some of it less so, but in terms of sheer quantity, a lot. But there hasnt been as much talk about what comes next. Some of us have tried to start a conversation about the country we want to be after we leave the European Union. I, for one, have talked about the role of free trade in creating economic growth in the global economy. But this isnt just about the United Kingdom or the developed world. The single most effective way to lift the poor out of poverty is through international trade. There is no denying the appetite from our trading partners around the world to strike meaningful trade agreements once we leave the EU. In Washington there is cross-party consensus for a comprehensive agreement which takes in both goods and services, something that would be a boon for our world-leading financial and professional services industries. Japan has asked us to apply for accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which numbers 11 countries including fast-growing economies like Vietnam and Singapore. But as concrete as these offers are, to many they can seem intangible, like some romantic ideal we may never grasp. Ironically, a trade agreement with the very bloc we are due to leave next month has received comparatively little attention. Thats why I, and a team of trade policy and customs experts, have today published a proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the EU. One of the mistakes we have made in our negotiations over the Withdrawal Agreement is not being clear about what we wanted. Another was not being proactive and putting text on the table. We seek to take these lessons on board as we publish todays draft FTA. We know the European Union wants to do a deal with us because theyve repeatedly told us so. We also know that unlike other trade agreements which can take years and years to negotiate, this one should be concluded more quickly. This is for three reasons. First, unlike all other trade agreements, we have the unique starting point of identical regulations and as well as zero tariffs and no quantitative restrictions. Secondly, the proposed FTA is a sound basis for future agreement as it is based, wherever possible, on existing EU agreements with other nations. These include the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), an FTA between Canada, the EU and its member states, the Japan EU Trade Agreement, the EU New Zealand Veterinary Agreement, the US EU Insurance Covered Agreement and EU commitments in the WTO, OECD and other international organisations. Third, the FTA approach also respects the integrity of the European Single Market and Customs Union and builds on the EUs original offer of a comprehensive FTA with the entirety of the United Kingdom. Key elements of the FTA include: deemed equivalence and regulatory recognition including of underlying product regulation to facilitate goods and services trade; customs and trade facilitation measures to improve customs clearance for just-in-time supply chains; regulatory coherence and good regulatory practice on both sides to ensure competitive markets; competition, state aids and subsidy disciplines to ensure a level playing field between the UK and EU; and commitments to honour treaties the UK has signed on labour and environmental standards. It worth bearing in mind that there are two approaches or operating systems for facilitating trade between countries the trade agreement approach which is focused on outcomes and the identical regulation approach which is focused on process. Under the free trade approach, the reduction of trade and regulatory barriers are consistent with WTO rules and more recent Free Trade Agreements which increasingly include regulatory recognition and deemed equivalence. The goal of this approach is to progressively lower border and behind the border barriers around the world. This approach began initially with basic tariff reductions and has developed into ever deeper and more comprehensive global liberalisation through the WTO and FTAs. Under identical regulation approach, regulatory recognition is only granted (and trade permitted) if regulatory systems are identical. The EU Single Market (ironically originally built on mutual recognition) has become an example of this approach. The effect of the regulation on trade and competition outside of the bloc is irrelevant in this approach as the goal is to reduce barriers within the bloc. But the regulatory system inside the bloc may be pro-competitive or anti-competitive, as long as there is a single regulatory system. GDPR is an example of regulation from within the EU Single Market which causes distortions outside the EU and makes the global economy less competitive. The trade agreement approach is not a second-best approach to the identical regulation approach of the Single Market and Customs Union. It is the approach relied on by most other WTO members and which is supported by WTO rules themselves. It can facilitate just-in-time supply chains and ensure continuity in trade between the UK and EU member states. It is focussed on barrier reduction, unlike the identical regulation approach which is agnostic about barriers. The trade agreement approach, epitomised by this proposed FTA with the EU, minimises disruption to trade with Europe while preserving the UKs ability to strike trade deals around the world and make changes to domestic regulation, should it wish. It has been written with the goal of minimising disruption to businesses and consumers across Europe and the UK as the UK leaves the European Union, while building a solid foundation for future trade and prosperity. Due to the unique starting point of the countries involved having identical regulations, this Free Trade Agreement promises to be the most advanced and liberalising ever developed. My hope is that this is the start of a renewed dialogue. A dialogue with the business community about what it needs from a Free Trade Agreement. A dialogue with the EU about the precise nature of our future trading relationship. A dialogue with the UK government about how to negotiate a good deal for the country. And a dialogue with ourselves about the kind of country we want to be. Richard Graham is a member of the Exiting the EU Select Committee, and is MP for Gloucester. While theres a slight pause in the Governments tortuous efforts eventually to get a Withdrawal Agreement Bill successfully through Parliament, l want all parliamentarian colleagues to stand back and consider lessons from an earlier argument about who had control: our own seventeen century civil war or Brexit with Muskets. Let me offer ten. The first is a general one. The arguments that led to the (wrongly called) English Civil Wars began in the 1630s with a few legally minded parliamentarians protesting about the King raising revenue through taxes without Parliaments approval. They were right to do so. But history shows that moderates advocating incremental constitutional reform are invariably swept aside for a more radical agenda, especially if the other side shows little flexibility in its response. Voters who wrote not long ago that they wanted to bring back control to Parliament now write that parliamentarians should be implementing No Deal because that was what they voted for. Second, events. When Parliament later seized control of the Navy and of Trained Bands, that triggered the King to raise his standard which led to war. Even though no-one explicitly advocated it, least of all voted for it. It just happened. No Deal could still just happen. The third lesson is about mission creep. The parliamentary campaign theme of 1643 was For King and Parliament. Not a single MP then advocated abolishing either the monarchy or the Lords, still less creating a republic let alone a dictatorship whose fiat was implemented by regional generals, with the Commons three times dismissed altogether. But so it came to be. Bringing back control to Parliament has already led to a request from one parliamentarian for the Queen to prorogue Parliament. Which leads to the fourth lesson. If initial campaign goals were forgotten in a blizzard of mission creep, with huge and unintended consequences, where were the men of reason to prevent that? Squeezed out, marginalised and above all polarised by events. When an army knocked on your city walls, any thoughts of a third way were quickly succeeded by the need to survive: to welcome or turn away which was least worst? Thereafter, you were labelled. If you voted Remain, but accept that the referendum was a non-negotiable result to be implemented, as I do, you will probably not be trusted by either side: you risk being labelled both a traitor and a disaster. There is polarisation and conflict in the fifth lesson: obscure strategy. Those who backed Parliament distrusted an overmighty King and wanted more control by Parliament. But they didnt know how to achieve that end if the King himself wouldnt concede. Once the goal was to defeat the King on the battlefield, the Parliamentarians lost control of events to military leaders, and to the army itself. Votes of no confidence are high risk. The sixth lesson is the failure of war (or of referenda) to solve closely contested issues. The long First Civil War solved nothing. And neither negotiations (1646-8), during which first the Scots and then the Army had possession of the King, nor the Second Civil War of 1648 even more divisive, even more bloody were any more successful. The precedents for a second referendum are not good at all. And, just to be clear (seventh lesson) calling something a Peoples Vote does not disguise the intention, which is for one side to win a replay where it failed the first time round. Most normal people by then believe (as they did in the Civil War): a plague on all your houses, we elect you politicians to sort these things out. Oh with what a perfect hatred I do detest this war without an enemy, wrote royalist commander Ralph Hopton to his friend (and parliamentarian) William Waller, before battle. How many of us and our constituents feel that way today? Eightth is knowing when not to overplay your hand. The King had a strong hand and overplayed it: so, at different times, did the Army, the Scots and the so-called Presbyterian faction in Parliament. The DUP, the Republic of Ireland, the ERG, the Leader of the Opposition and Cooper-Boles have all been there already: and one or two, perhaps all, will do so again. The EU may yet overplay their cards on the backstop. Yet the next lesson the ninth is also crucial. There is always a moment when a compromise is possible. In the winter of 1648, agreement between Army, Parliament and King was very possible, even likely, in the Newport Deal. Parliament resolved, after a 24 hour sitting on December 5th (the same date as the second day of the Withdrawal Agreement debate 2018) that they had the basis for a settlement. But as news spread rumour-laden news sheets multiplied in a 1640s-equivalent social media storm General Ireton decided (via Colonel Thomas Pride) to purge Parliament of some 270 (out of 470) MPs, who would probably have supported the deal. Too few in the Army were prepared to compromise. They wanted (if you like) a Proper Rexit and compromise was a dirty word. Which leads me to the last lesson, the tenth. After two civil wars, the execution of King Charles, the subsequent creation of the Commonwealth and the Lord Protector, as well another royalist attempt to recover the kingdom and the bloody Battle of Worcester, England and Wales went through a decade of further misery. We discovered that puritanism, closing pubs and Christmas festivals, and endlessly taxing ex-royalists was not, after all, the way to unite the kingdom: that ten years of a Republic delivered little happiness. Twenty per cent of the 14-45 year old male population died a higher percentage than either the First or Second World War. So what did those 20 years achieve? Two years after Charles IIs bloodless return in 1660, the Earl of Berkshire wrote: we shall never, any of us, be able to explain with satisfaction what it was we fought over all those long years. The Civil War is in aggregate the ultimate lesson of the hopelessness of revolution by accident of mission creep leading to dire and unintended consequences. No analogy is perfect. But as we in the Conservative Party argue ceaselessly among ourselves about how best to leave the EU, with those who want No Deal on March 29th arguing, against all the evidence, that its simply No Problem, its worth remembering the compromise missed in January 370 years ago and what happened next. Blair Worden (in his excellent paperback The English Civil Wars) wrote: The trial of the King was unimaginable at the beginning of the First Civil War and barely conceivable at its finish. Charles had continually told the parliamentarian factions that they could not manage without him. Now the army and its allies were about to meet that test. They could scarcely have been less well prepared for it. We have been here before, and it didnt end well then. Compromise matters. Phil Taylor is a Conservative activist in Ealing. There was good news for the government on Thursday that there has been a slight dip in the rough sleeping numbers. Overall numbers are down two per cent having risen relentlessly for the seven previous years since 2010. Not everyone was gracious in welcoming the news. For instance, you have to read down to the fourth paragraph of this Guardian piece, entitled Rough sleeping rises in nearly all Englands major cities, to find out that numbers have fallen. Of course, the numbers still make for grim reading. 4,677 souls sleeping rough up from 1,768 in 2010 when the counting system was comprehensively revised and improved, a rise of 165 per cent in eight years. The causes of this rise are not well understood and there are lots of voices out there trying to pin these numbers on poverty, homelessness and/or austerity. The details of the report do give some clues as to what the real drivers are. It is worth comparing the rough sleeping rate by region with regional disposable incomes. The rate of rough sleeping is pretty much inversely proportional to regional wealth. Is there not an argument that rough sleeping is as much about a wealth pull rather than just a poverty push? It is hard to argue that poverty drives rough sleeping when our poorest region, the North East, has the lowest rate of rough sleeping and the numbers have only grown 35 per cent in eight years. The high prevalence of non-UK nationals in these numbers is also considerable evidence of wealth pull. Only 64 per cent of rough sleepers in England self-identify as UK nationals. In London, this factor is much more important. Only 33 per cent self-identify as UK nationals. Across England last year the number of UK nationals sleeping rough dropped 11 per cent. In London, the number of UK nationals dropped nine per cent. In fact, if the number of non-UK EU nationals rough sleeping in London had not risen by a massive 87 per cent last year there would have been a huge drop in London. This year almost half (48 per cent) of rough sleepers in London were non-UK EU nationals (not even counting those who refused to give their nationality).There is no good reason why London should host hundreds of non-nationals sleeping rough on our streets. The 165 per cent rise in numbers overall across England is driven by rises in 150 or so boroughs, towns and cities. Yes, London and the big metropolitan centres, but also seaside towns such as Brighton, Hastings, Isle of Wight, Weymouth, Torbay, Blackpool, Worthing, Christchurch, Great Yarmouth and Scarborough. And university towns such as Oxford and Cambridge. Tourist centres such as Bath, York, Canterbury and Windsor. And many, many well to do towns like Luton, Bedford, Milton Keynes, Swindon, Southampton, Woking, St Albans, Sevenoaks, Wokingham, Stafford, Watford and Basingstoke. We should ask why people end up on the streets, often begging, and certainly, most have very difficult and chaotic lives. Windsor is an interesting case. It gained notoriety last year as a result of the royal wedding and reporting on the plight of rough sleepers who are very visible on Thames Street adjacent to Windsor Castle which is thronged with tourists all year round. The whole borough of Windsor and Maidenhead only has 11 rough sleepers in the count. Either the borough is failing to find people or practically every rough sleeper in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead is on Thames Street saying thank you to passers-by as they drop change in their cups. The annual rough sleeper count statistics we have are a good start but they do not explain rough sleeping behaviour. Clearly visible rough sleeping in wealthy areas is connected with income from begging as much as it is with housing issues. Last year for the first time ever we had some hard numbers on homeless deaths. These showed 32 per cent of deaths were due to drug poisoning and ten per cent due to alcohol-related causes 42 per cent down to substance misuse. Worryingly the numbers of drug deaths had increased by 52 per cent over the four years 2013 to 2017. Judging by the causes of death of homeless people substance misuse must be a large cause of the chaos that leads to rough sleeping. Of course, lack of cheap housing must be a factor in rough sleeping but it would not be wise to provide social housing for every non-national who ends up on our streets. Similarly it would probably be unwise to make substance misuse the fast track to social housing. Rough sleeping is a complex problem that didnt go away under New Labour, contrary to what some may claim. New factors are driving rough sleeping, people from poorer EU states and increasing drug use, and we need to find new answers. Singapore govt to strengthen childcare support for young families Singapore government will aim to strengthen support for young families, particularly in areas such as childcare provision, asserted Manpower Minister Josephine Teo, during a visit to healthcare workers and patients at KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) on the occasion of Chinese New Year. The Minister observed that the Singapore Government has been working on strengthening the availability of childcare, ensuring accessibility and quality, and keeping fees affordable. Josephine Teo, Manpower Minister of Singapore interacting with a patient during visit to KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) on the occasion of Chinese New Year. Photo courtesy: Facebook page of Josephine Teo It has been a tradition for Minister Josephine Teo to start the Chinese New Year with workers who keep Singapore going during the festive period. Speaking further, Teo said, Compared to 2012, childcare places have more than doubled. By 2023, the total number of places available will grow to 200,000. If you look at the rate at which the childcare sector has expanded, I think it has made a definite difference. The Minister applauded the role of young parents in bringing up the family. Through a Facebook post, she wrote, I applaud the young parents. They can be sure that the Government will continue to strengthen support as Singaporeans pursue their aspirations for parenthood. In particular, we have been expanding access to good and affordable childcare, which is much needed by working parents. Josephine Teo, Manpower Minister of Singapore along with health workers and patients at KK Women's and Children's Hospital. Photo courtesy: Facebook page of Josephine Teo I hope too that the community, including family, friends, employers and colleagues, will also chip in to make marriage and parenthood achievable, enjoyable and celebrated. Together, we can make Singapore a Great Place for Families, she added. Teo also reflected on Singapores fertility rate. It measures the average number of children per woman- which dropped to 1.16 in 2017, the second lowest ever recorded. She said that figures for 2018 were being finalised and would be discussed during the upcoming Committee of Supply Budget debate in Parliament. "But really, I think it goes beyond the numbers. What speaks loudly to us is that if you look at certain communities, actually the fertility rate has shown signs of improvement and so thats encouraging. At the same time, we also get consistent feedback that what is really needed is to strengthen some areas of support," said Teo. These include housing support, childcare and flexible work arrangements, said the minister, adding that these were other areas the Government will continue to work on. 3 people injured in e-scooter fire at Cashew Road flat in Singapore The Chinese New Year celebrations turned into a nightmare for residents of 132 Cashew Road in Singapore as three people sustained burn injuries after a fire broke out at a sixth-floor flat. Staff of Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) rushed to the spot and controlled the fire. Through a Facebook post, SCDF said, Three of the occupants sustained burn injuries and were conveyed to Singapore General Hospital. They are now healing from their injuries. The charred remains of the burnt e-scooter which caused a fire at the sixth-floor flat on 132 Cashew Road in Singapore. Photo courtesy: SCDF Preliminary fire investigation findings indicate that the fire started from an e-scooter placed in one of the bedrooms, SCDF said. SCDF firefighters wearing breathing apparatus sets, conducted fire-fighting and rescue operations in the smoke-logged unit. The fire involved the contents of a bedroom and was extinguished with one water jet and three Compressed Air Foam Backpacks. The fire was extinguished in about 15 minutes. Earlier, nine persons were evacuated from the affected unit prior to the arrival of SCDF SCDF reminded the public on the preventive measures of such fires with fire safety infographics. Photo courtesy: SCDF In addition to this, approximately 100 residents staying from 5th to 8th storeys were evacuated earlier by the Police. They were subsequently allowed to return to their homes. SCDF reminded the public on the preventive measures of such fires with some fire safety infographics in its Facebook post. At an event Wednesday in Annapolis, Hogan said Northam has lost the ability to govern. Theres no way to get the trust of the people of Virginia again after something like this. Robert Lee Alexander passed away in Florissant, Missouri on June 11, 2021, at the age of 90. He was a loving and devoted husband of 64 years to Jacqueline Lee (Blaine) Alexander, who preceded him in death in 2018, and a devoted and loving father to Cindy Sander, and Robert Alexander Jr., and President Donald Trump has made it a habit since he began campaigning for the presidency to attack the press. His attacks and cries of "fake news, or sentiment that the press are the enemy of the people, have only been amplified since he has taken office. What that has done as a result, is change the public perception of the media and planted seeds of doubt in the minds of the American people as to the necessity of a free press. Journalists and newspapers have tried to restore the public trust by various means, but often those attempts seem to fall on deaf ears. So the Washington Post, fully conscious of this, reserved $5.25 million to air a minute long commercial during the Super Bowl to try and rehabilitate the image of the media. The commercial doesn't call out Trump by name or address any of the specific attacks he's levied against the media. Instead, it uses buzzwords and phrases narrated by Tom Hanks like "knowing keeps us free" and shows pictures of dead journalists including Jamal Khashoggi to try to show people that when done well, journalists go on the front lines and risk their lives to report the news and tell the stories that need to be brought to light. That's an important message for many who may dislike the press because they feel it's too critical of the President and this shows that there are more dimensions to the reporting the news than just bashing the administration. Along similar lines though, this commercial seemed to try to get people to like journalists and appreciate them. While their craft should always be respected, journalists are going to be disliked for speaking truth to power and that's okay. While there's the argument to be made that the Washington Post's money could have been better spent paying current journalists better or using that money to hire more, the Post also does need to make money. If it felt the best way to do that is to air an expensive commercial that will get them subscribers to then better pay journalists, that's not an unreasonable demand. But, what is an unreasonable demand is what the CEO of McClatchy, a news conglomerate similar to Gannett or Advance, getting a $900,000 bonus while buying out close to 500 journalists across various papers across the country. Though it may be more complicated than meets the eye, McClatchy is a huge company that has seemingly prioritized profit over retention of journalists. And if they have enough money to give the CEO a huge bonus, then likely there was enough money to pay journalists better and to infuse more money back into the newsroom to focus on enterprise stories or to cover travel expenses as well. These companies are also pushing out local journalism because those papers cannot keep up with rising cost demands and the need to meet profits, so while McClatchy may not think twice about gutting the Miami Herald, a local paper like the Centre Daily Times might not be enough of a revenue stream and may be deemed expendable. It's also important to note that greedy executives aren't exclusive to journalism, and it runs rampant in other industries as well. Though a company like McClatchy might deem some of its reporters and papers expendable, Democrats in the state of Montana recently proposed a law standing in solidarity with journalists upping the penalty to a fine of up to $5,000 and a jail sentence of up to a year. Following the appointment of former Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke to his post, there was an election for Zinke's old job United States representative to for Montana's at-large district. In that race, Republican Greg Gianforte famously body slammed Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs and paid a fine of $385, that being an immense hardship on Gianforte, who's net worth totals over $315 million. Despite being convicted of misdemeanor assault of a journalist just days before his election, Gianforte won the race. Assaults of journalists are fairly rare in the United States, but any measure taken to strengthen protections for journalists should be commended. Whats more shocking is that they are necessary. Opinions Editor Jake Aferiat can be reached by email at jxa5415@psu.edu. Follow him on Twitter at @Jake_Aferiat51. Registration has opened for Capital Day on March 20 in Harrisburg. Capital Day is a Penn State advocacy rally where students, alumni and employees are encouraged to meet with elected officials at Pennsylvania's capitol. Supporters will be able to meet with legislators and discuss the impact Penn State has in Pennsylvania. They will also be able to enjoy Creamery ice cream and a performance by the Blue Band and the Nittany Lion will make an appearance. If a student who wants to attend has never spoken to a legislator before, the Advocate Penn State program, along with the Office of Government and Community Relations, will provide attendees with materials to guide them in conversation. The University Park Undergraduate Association, Lion Caucus and Council of Commonwealth of Student Governments will provide student transportation. Breakfast and lunch will be provided at the event. Students can register for advocacy day here. 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. Yelp, the review site for restaurants and local businesses, has hired Evercore to help defend the company against an activist investor, who recently called for a board shake-up and potential sale, according to people familiar with the matter. Hedge fund manager SQN, which owns 4 percent of Yelp shares, released a presentation on Jan. 16, about the company's "significant underperformance," and said that based on its own research "an immediate sale to a private equity firm could yield a $47 to $50 stock price." The shares are currently trading at $37.59. Yelp co-founder and CEO Jeremy Stoppelman and the board have now tapped Evercore to work with the company and explore the market, but the bank hasn't started running a sales process, said the people, who asked not to be named because the matter is confidential. At the current market valuation of over $3 billion, there are few, if any, "credible buyers," one of the people said. Representatives from Yelp and Evercore declined to comment. SQN's report suggests that the company is worth $4 billion or more. But SQN, a technology-focused hedge fund with more than $1.1 billion in assets, is a virtual unknown in the world of activist investing, where Carl Icahn, Bill Ackman and Daniel Loeb are among the most recognizable and influential players. Yelp is SQN's first activist investment. Franchot is both the states chief tax collector and the regulator of the alcohol, tobacco and fuel industries in Maryland. He considers himself a champion of the states growing craft beer industry, after jumping on its side two years ago when Guinness proposed changes to alcohol laws to accommodate its new brewery in Halethorpe. Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring speaks during the Virginia Democrats' campaign rally at the Prince William County fairgrounds in Manassas, Va., on Sunday, Nov. 4, 2018. "It sounds ridiculous even now writing it. But because of our ignorance and glib attitudes and because we did not have an appreciation for the experiences and perspectives of others we dressed up and put on wigs and brown makeup, Herring said. "This was a onetime occurrence and I accept full responsibility for my conduct." In a statement, he said that when he was an undergraduate at the University of Virginia "some friends suggested we attend a party dressed like rappers we listened to at the time, like Kurtis Blow, and perform a song." "Honest conversations and discussions will make it clear whether I can or should continue to serve as attorney general," Herring said on Wednesday, shortly after he met with members of Virginia's Legislative Black Caucus. Herring left his own future as AG up in the air after disclosing he wore blackface. Just four days ago, Herring had said "it is no longer possible" for Gov. Ralph Northam to remain in office because of revelations that Northam's 1984 medical school yearbook page contained a photo of a man in blackface and another man dressed as a member of the Ku Klux Klan. Northam on Saturday denied being either of those men in that photo but disclosed he had worn shoe polish on his face to dress up like Michael Jackson at a dance contest in 1984. Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring admitted Wednesday that he wore blackface to dress up like a rapper at a college party in 1980, throwing even more political chaos into a state whose governor is ensnared in his own blackface scandal and whose lieutenant governor is accused of sexual assault. Later Wednesday, Herring voluntarily stepped aside as co-chair of the Democratic Attorney Generals Association for an interim period. Northam, also Democrat, still faces widespread calls for his resignation after a conservative news site last week published his yearbook page photo. And Northam's would-be successor, Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, another Democrat, was accused earlier this week of sexually assaulting a woman at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. He denies her accusation. If Northam, Fairfax and Herring all resign, the state's speaker of the House of Delegates, Kirk Cox, would become governor. Cox is a Republican. The Republican majority in the House of Delegates was decided by a name being drawn from a bowl to break a tie in a race for one seat in that legislative body. A Democrat has been in Virginia's governor's mansion since 2014. Tweet Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said he was "shocked and disappointed" by Herring's disclosure. Warner said the week has been an "awful" one for Virginia. He refused to comment further when asked by NBC News if Herring should resign. On Thursday, after this article was first published, Warner's spokeswoman emailed CNBC to say that Warner had not called for Northam's resignation because of the possibility that he may have worn blackface, as NBC News's question to him had suggested he did. Instead, the spokeswoman pointed to the statement that Warner issued last Saturday with Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., in which they said: "After we watched his press conference today, we called Governor Northam to tell him that we no longer believe he can effectively serve as Governor of Virginia and that he must resign." "Governor Northam has served the people of the Commonwealth faithfully for many years, but the events of the past 24 hours have inflicted immense pain and irrevocably broken the trust Virginians must have in their leaders. He should step down and allow the Commonwealth to begin healing." In his full statement Wednesday, Herring said: The Eagle Ford crude oil tanker sails out of the the NuStar Energy dock at the Port of Corpus Christi in Corpus Christi, Texas. The shipments, which left ports in Texas in late December, are not a clear sign of U.S. victory, however. They are among a handful bound for China or points near it currently as a March negotiating deadline on a new trade deal draws near. And the amount of U.S. oil being shipped to China is well below what it was a year ago, when the trade war erupted. The first U.S. oil shipments to China in months will reach their destinations just days from now, punctuating a pledge by President Donald Trump in December that China would begin buying more American products despite an ongoing trade battle. The U.S. sent the equivalent of 500,000 barrels per day to China in 20 shipments during the months of February, March and April, according to data from Genscape, the world's largest vessel monitoring company. There was only one shipment from the U.S. to China last fall before the two that left in December. Those final two held an average shipment equivalent to 100,000 barrels a day, about one-fifth the size of the spring peak. "So while the oil deliveries are promising, the fact no subsequent ships are set to arrive after the tariff deadline shows you the pace of the trade discussions," said Hillary Stevenson, director of oil markets and business development at Genscape. "We just have to wait and see. China is buying U.S. crude again but not at its old pace." Two ships, The Manifa and The Jag Lakshya, are estimated to arrive in China in the middle of February. Genscape can track their movement across the ocean using marine radar technology that shippers use to avoid running into each other on the open water. The journey from Texas to Asia takes about a month and a half, and ships often mark their destination as Singapore when they are really only refueling there before traveling another five days to China. Source: Genscape According to the data for Manifa's voyage, the vessel was partially loaded with 2 million barrels of crude at the Seaway Texas City, Texas, dock and finished loading at the Galveston Offshore Lightering Area (GOLA) on Dec. 31, 2018. The vessel is expected to arrive in China around Feb. 17, though is still marked as headed for Singapore, according to Amir Bornaee, a market analyst at Genscape. The other vessel, the Jag Lakshya, was loaded with 500,000 barrels at an Energy Transfer dock in Nederland, Texas, and another 500,000 barrels in a ship-to-ship transfer in mid-December. The final destination was listed as Qingdao, China. It left Singapore Feb. 3 headed to China, Genscape said. Half of the oil aboard the Jag Lakshya is Canadian Borealis Heavy Blend and the rest is Access Western Blend, which was also shipped from Canada, according to a bill of lading seen by CNBC. Crude oil originating from another country but shipped from the U.S. is considered a U.S. export. Source: Genscape Stevenson tells CNBC that there are three additional vessels currently listing "Singapore" as their destinations, but that could later change to China. These ships are The Almi Atlas, the Farhah and the C. Freedom. The Almi Atlas was loaded with 2 million barrels at the Galveston offshore facility on Jan. 1 and is currently in the Indian Ocean. The Farhah was loaded with 2 million barrels at GOLA on Jan. 7 and rounded South Africa passing Capetown on Feb. 2 headed toward Asia. The C. Freedom was loaded with 2 million barrels at GOLA on Jan. 9 and was off the coast of Madagascar on Feb. 4 headed toward Asia. According to Stevenson, if the vessels did change their final destinations to China, the oil would arrive before the tariff talk deadline. Stevenson said while the shipments of oil are a promising sign China is starting to purchase U.S. products again, she noted it is not an all-out trade war victory for the U.S. For one thing, there aren't any ships currently leaving U.S. ports bound to China, where they would arrive after the March negotiating deadline. Peter Mabson, CEO of the satellite maritime tracking service exactEarth, told CNBC that having vessels in route to a country with no trade agreement settled and a looming tariff deadline is too risky to plan ahead. "The industry does not like uncertainty so it makes sense there are no additional vessels heading to China post tariff," he said. "It costs money to divert vessels. It's an expense the industry tries to avoid." Correction: This story has been corrected to show that half of the Jag Lakshya's oil was loaded in a ship-to-ship transfer and to clarify that the oil aboard that ship originated in Canada. Twitter was summoned on Tuesday before an Indian Parliament panel to present its views on "safeguarding citizens' rights on social/online news media platforms." The notice was tweeted by Anurag Thakur who heads the Parliamentary Committee on Information Technology and is a member of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Local news outlets reported the notice was issued after a volunteer group supposedly wrote to the committee, alleging that Twitter was biased against right-wing and pro-BJP accounts. Twitter was asked to appear before the committee on Feb. 11 at 3 p.m. local time along with representatives from India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. Anurag Thakur tweet: The Parliamentary Committee on Information Technology will examine the issue: Safeguarding citizens rights on social/online news media platforms. Meity & Twitter will present their views. You can tweet/email your views: comit@sansad.nic.in. When reached for comment, a Twitter spokesperson told CNBC the company has "nothing to share" on the summons. The panel would examine a "range of issues," which include the problem of fake news in the run up to India's parliamentary elections, The Times of India reported, citing committee sources. The panel also wants to know how Twitter India is dealing with complaints of bias and the technology it uses to detect and filter comments, the newspaper said. Facing low approval ratings, various probes and a failure to accomplish some of his key campaign goals ahead of his November 2020 re-election bid, the president appears intent on stirring fears about the political ideology. A Trump campaign spokesman said that the rhetoric about socialism "resonates with the vast majority of hard working Americans who recognize that Trump's patriotic capitalism is benefiting all Americans nationwide." In the Democratic-held House, more members have embraced largely popular policies such as Medicare for all , free public college and tax hikes on the wealthy . Trump and the GOP have tied the party to an economically ravaged Venezuela, despite the fact that lawmakers have not called for majority or full state ownership of companies like in the South American country. "Here, in the United States, we are alarmed by new calls to adopt socialism in our country. ... Tonight, we renew our resolve that America will never be a socialist country," the president said, prompting applause from congressional Republicans who stared toward the Democratic side of the House chamber. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, sitting behind Trump, also applauded. Trump's State of the Union address Tuesday night sounded a lot like a stump speech. He listed what he considers his accomplishments and repeated his campaign promise to build a border wall. Trump also derided what he cast as a drift toward "socialism" in the Democratic Party. U.S. President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives at the U.S. Capitol Building on February 5, 2019 in Washington, DC. Still, it is unclear whether Trump's attacks will work. Plus, the Democratic Party's left wing may have the public on its side with at least a few economic issues. A few lawmakers such as freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., identify as democratic socialists. They have become favorite targets for Republicans as the GOP tries to cast all Democrats as too radical for mainstream America. In Ocasio-Cortez's mind, Trump's criticism shows concern about the popularity of policies embraced by the left. "I think he's scared," the representative told reporters Tuesday night, according to The Hill. "He sees that everything is closing in on him and he knows that he's losing the battle on public opinion." Indeed, a Hill-HarrisX poll this month found 53 percent of registered voters would be more likely to back a presidential candidate who supports Medicare for all. Even Trump has called for universal health care in the past. Since taking the majority and speaker's gavel back last month, Pelosi has had to manage an ideologically diverse caucus. Her applause after Trump's socialism line reflects a push to portray a Democratic Party that has not drifted too far left, despite its focus on key issues for the liberal base. Democrats represent and aim to keep dozens of House seats either split ideologically or leaning Republican. For instance, Pelosi and other party leaders have tread lightly around Medicare for all. They have pushed to improve Obamacare, or the Affordable Care Act as it's formally known, and strengthen its popular provisions instead of calling for a more dramatic overhaul of the health-care system. Still, Trump's complaints about government power will not disappear as many of his potential 2020 opponents call to expand public health care. Just how effective the rhetoric is remains to be seen. Republicans have tied Democratic lawmakers to socialism for decades. Critics have cast expansions of state power, from the New Deal to the Affordable Care Act, as moves toward government control of just about everything. For decades, Russia was the socialist bogeyman. Now, it's Venezuela. Before the 2018 midterms, the White House issued a 72-page document warning that policies such as Medicare for all would turn the U.S. into "the next Venezuela." The House Republican campaign arm also rejected its foes as too radical for the U.S. public. Democrats went on to gain a net 40 House seats, largely focusing on protecting health-care coverage in an election marked largely by Trump's poor approval rating. Cole Leiter, a spokesman for the House Democratic campaign arm, said the party is "working to support and grow the middle class." "Let's face it Republicans in Washington have embraced name calling as a tactic before, and in 2018 it netted them a negative 40-seats in the United States House of Representatives," Leiter, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said in a statement. Strong dislike of the president threatens to sink him personally this time. He has only about a 41 percent approval rating, versus 55 percent disapproval, according to a RealClearPolitics average of recent polls. On Tuesday night, Trump touted his main electoral selling point to the American public: a strong U.S. economy. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin echoed his rhetoric in a CNBC interview on Wednesday. "The U.S. economy is doing terrific," the Treasury secretary said. "And as the president talked about last night, his economic plan is working. We're not going back to socialism." Mnuchin said that "we don't believe in a centralized planning economy where the government puts restraints on it." However, Trump has repeatedly used public pressure to try to bend companies to his will. Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. President Donald J. Trump, in front of Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) delivers his State of the Union address before members of Congress in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol February 5, 2019 in Washington, DC. Infrastructure-related companies were the big winners and drug stocks were the biggest losers after President Donald Trump's State of the Union address. Other winners from Tuesday night's speech include defense stocks and the broader stock market. Trump called for a bipartisan push for infrastructure projects and for lower drug prices. "Both parties should be able to unite for a great rebuilding of America's crumbling infrastructure," Trump said. "I know that Congress is eager to pass an infrastructure bill, and I am eager to work with you on legislation to deliver new and important infrastructure investment." "This is not an option. This is a necessity," Trump added. During his presidential campaign, Trump called for spending $1.5 trillion over a decade for infrastructure projects, but major funding has not been forthcoming. Wall Street strategists said ahead of the speech that stocks like Vulcan Materials, Jacobs Engineering and Fluor Corp could get a boost if Trump pushed for greater infrastructure spending. However, the odds of a big infrastructure-spending bill being approved by both chambers of Congress are still considered slim. Unless "President Trump specifically backs raising the gasoline or corporate tax rate, it is unlikely to see an agreement on a large deal," Dan Clifton, head of policy research at Strategas Research Partners, wrote in a note. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin expressed confidence on Wednesday in the progress of trade talks with China and said he and a U.S. delegation are heading to China next week with the intent to make a deal before a March deadline. "We are committed to continue these talks," Mnuchin said on CNBC's "Squawk Box." "We're putting in an enormous amount of effort to hit this deadline and get a deal. That's our objective." Mnuchin said the administration had "very productive meetings" with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He. The White House has set a March 2 deadline to iron out myriad issues with Chinese over trade. In particular, the administration is looking for concessions on the ability of U.S. companies to sell in China, to stop the theft of intellectual property and other structural issues. A tit-for-tat trade war last year saw the U.S. slap a barrage of tariffs on Chinese imports, prompting retaliation against a list of American goods. The sides suspended the tariffs in hopes of working out a long-range deal. President Donald Trump recently said he expects "a very big deal" to happen soon on trade. "We are trying to reach a comprehensive agreement on a long range of issues," Mnuchin told CNBC. "The good news is we have been talking about these issues over the last year." Mnuchin will be part of a delegation that heads to Beijing in hopes of resolving the remaining issues. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer is expected to lead the negotiations with help from Mnuchin and other administration officials. J.P. Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said at the World Economic Forum in Davos two weeks ago that he expects at the least an extension of the tariff deadline as negotiations progress. "I don't think it would be productive to speculate on the outlook, because we have a lot of work left to do," Mnuchin told CNBC. "There are a wide range of issue we're working on around the clock," he added. "If we can't get to the deadline, it's not because we haven't been working around the clock." Mnuchin also described the U.S. economy as "still very strong" and said a meeting this week between Trump and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell was "quite productive." New York City's health department has ordered restaurants to stop adding CBD to food and drinks, threatening to thwart the budding trend. Bars, cafes and restaurants across the city have been increasingly adding CBD, short for cannabidiol, to cocktails, coffee and food. The compound, which comes from the cannabis plant, promises to deliver the calming benefits of marijuana without the high that comes from THC. New York City's health department started cracking down on restaurants in the city last month, saying CBD wasn't approved as a safe product for consumers. It's now prohibiting businesses from adding the supplement to food or drink. "The Health Department takes seriously its responsibility to protect New Yorkers' health," a spokeswoman said in an email to CNBC. "Until cannabidiol (CBD) is deemed safe as a food additive, the Department is ordering restaurants not to offer products containing CBD." Most CBD was legalized in December when President Donald Trump signed the farm bill. Industry insiders and analysts expected this to fuel an already growing market. However, the Food and Drug Administration's ban on adding CBD to foods and drinks was seen as a possible hurdle. The FDA prohibits companies from adding active ingredients that are drug products in foods and drinks. CBD falls into this category because it's the main ingredient in Epidiolex, a drug the FDA approved last year to treat severe childhood epilepsy. When Trump signed the farm bill, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb released a statement saying the agency would continue enforcing a ban on adding CBD to food and drinks while it looked into creating a pathway for such products to legally enter the market. The New York City health department started embargoing CBD products in January. An embargo means officials ask restaurants not to use the products, but they don't remove them or ask restaurants to throw out or destroy CBD. So far, the city has ordered eight restaurants to stop using CBD. Eric Cahan said he has already started pulling CBD-based food and drinks from his Manhattan cafe. Cahan co-owns Mamacha, which specializes in CBD matcha tea. He said the store has already pulled CBD cookies, chocolates and bottled tea and seltzer from shelves. Cahan said he has also instructed his baristas to stop mixing CBD drinks. Customers normally can pay $4 to add 15 milligrams of CBD to their beverages. Now, Cahan said Mamacha is selling drinks and CBD oil separately. It's offering a two-day dose kit for $12 that people can use to mix into their drinks. "It's weird, because it feels like the health department is against small businesses," he said. "Don't they want us to do well and continue? Why would they not want us to? It feels arbitrary and ridiculous." Firefighters battle to save one of many homes burning in an early-morning Creek Fire that broke out in the Kagel Canyon area in the San Fernando Valley north of Los Angeles, in Sylmar, California, U.S., December 5, 2017. Natural disasters cost the country $91 billion in 2018, according to a new report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The report's findings are a sign that the changing climate and increasing numbers of extreme weather events are having a significant economic impact, even as the Trump administration continues to undo Obama-era climate regulations. The economic losses in 2018 were due to 14 different natural disasters, ranging from hurricanes to wildfires to winter storms. Eighty percent, or $73 billion, of the total loss was attributable to just three events: Hurricane Michael in Florida, Hurricane Florence in the Carolinas, and wildfires in the West, including California. According to the report, 2018 had the fourth-highest total costs from natural disasters since NOAA started tracking this data in 1980. It also marked the eighth consecutive year with eight or more natural disasters that cost at least $1 billion each. Last year set a new record for wildfire costs, with $24 billion in losses caused by several fires throughout the summer and fall. November's Camp Fire burned over 150,000 acres in northern California alone, destroying homes and businesses. Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif issued a familiar line against the U.S. on Wednesday, accusing Washington of backing "dictators, butchers and extremists." Zarif was responding to President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech Tuesday night, in which the latter reiterated his focus on containing the actions of Iran, a country the U.S. designates the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism. "My administration has acted decisively to confront the world's leading state sponsor of terror: the radical regime in Iran We will not avert our eyes from a regime that chants 'death to America' and threatens genocide against the Jewish people," Trump said, eliciting applause from many in the audience. Zarif responded on Twitter: "Iranians including our Jewish compatriots are commemorating 40 yrs of progress despite US pressure, just as realDonaldTrump again makes accusations against us @ #SOTU2019. US hostility has led it to support dictators, butchers & extremists, who've only brought ruin to our region." Tweet1 The back-and-forth is nothing new, but continues to highlight the opposing narratives of Tehran and Washington, whose diplomatic relations have been frozen since 1980. Iran points specifically to U.S. support for Saudi Arabia's monarchy, which it and others in the international community accuse of killing thousands of civilians in Yemen's civil war, a conflict the UN has deemed the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Tehran, meanwhile, backs Syria's authoritarian leader Bashar Assad, who's been charged with using chemical weapons against his own people and killing hundreds of thousands of Syrians in that country's eight-year-long war. The judge in the case would then decide whether to allow cameras. The judge could limit the number of cameras allowed and require the media outlets to share their footage. The judge also could set limits on what can be recorded and broadcast, such as not filming a victim impact statement at the victims request. A shopper for Instacart studies her smart phone as she shops for a customer at Whole Foods in Denver. On-demand delivery company Instacart announced on Wednesday that it plans to overhaul the way it pays its contracted workforce to ensure that tips do not subsidize its workers' pay. On Monday, NBC News reported that Instacart and other delivery companies including Doordash were using customer tips to subsidize the fees the company paid to drivers -- a practice that consumer protection groups criticized as deceptive to consumers and unfair to workers. Under the new payment structure announced on Wednesday, Instacart will separate tips from the company's compensation to drivers and pay drivers for the tips Instacart absorbed dating back to October 2018, when the previous payment system was rolled out. In a blog post addressed to the company's contracted workforce on Wednesday, Instacart founder and CEO Apoorva Mehta described drivers, referred to by the company as "shoppers", as "household heroes for millions of families across North America". "This past week, however, it's become clear that we've fallen short in delivering our promise to you," Mehta said. For every job, Instacart calculates a "batch payment," which varies according to the type and number of items the contracted worker had to pick from the shelves and deliver. The batch payment are generally higher if they have to carry five-gallon bottles of water versus a small bag of fresh produce, for example. Under the old model, If the batch payment was under $10, Instacart would make up the difference to ensure that drivers were paid a minimum of $10 per delivery. So if the batch payment was $6, Instacart would add $4. However, if the customer tipped the driver, Instacart would reduce its contribution. For example if the customer tipped $3, Instacart would only pay $1 to reach the guaranteed payment. "While our intention was to increase the guaranteed payment for small orders, we understand that the inclusion of tips as a part of this guarantee was misguided," Mehta said. "We apologize for taking this approach." Under the new model, which will be rolled out "in the coming days," Instacart will contact all drivers who lost out on tips on jobs below the $10 threshold. If a driver was paid $7 by Instacart, he or she will receive an additional $3 from the company in back pay. A source close to the company who was not authorized to speak publicly said the move would cost the company millions of dollars. Instacart said it will also raise the minimum batch payment from $3 to $5 for smaller delivery-only jobs and between $7 and $10 for jobs where the driver also picks and packs the orders. Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. Watch: Aldi expanding Instacart delivery to 35 states Schultz is the largest individual shareholder of Starbucks, holding approximately 37 million shares with a market value of $2.5 billion, according to the latest data compiled by FactSet. Schultz has a net worth of $3.5 billion, according to Forbes. "If Howard Schultz decides to run for president, he will take the steps necessary to create an appropriate level of separation from any financial interests," Schultz spokesman Tucker Warren said in a statement first given to CNBC. Billionaire former Starbucks chief Howard Schultz plans to distance himself from his financial interests if he makes a bid for the White House in 2020, CNBC has learned. Schultz's spokesman declined to give details on how he would step away from his assets. Analysts say the most efficient methods for Schultz to avoid a potential conflict of interest is to put his Starbucks stake into a trust or conduct an asset sale. "If he wants to get in this game and if he wants to be part of the game, I think the obvious thing is to deal with all of these issues, especially the stocks," said Christopher Whalen, an analyst and investment banker who runs his own firm, Whalen Global Advisors. "He will get a trustee and a lawyer to deal with it, and then he'll step away. You could also do an organized sale, but it's expensive and I don't think private equity firms would care." A trust would allow a person close to Schultz to manage his Starbucks assets while he runs for president. He has said he is exploring the possibility of running as an independent. A spokesman for Starbucks did not return a request for comment. The development comes as Democratic leaders and donors slam Schultz for potentially splitting the vote and giving President Donald Trump a second term. This outrage has led to Democratic opposition research groups scrutinizing Schultz's past, including how Starbucks fared under his leadership. Democratic super PAC American Bridge, for instance, gave CNBC a first look at early research on Starbucks, which focused on the coffee giant's history of settling lawsuits with its own employees during a period that included Schultz at the helm. After publication, Andrew Bates, a spokesman for the committee, slammed Schultz for what he described as "pretend steps" toward avoiding conflicts of interest. "Howard Schultz should spare us because we've heard all of this before. Donald Trump promised to distance himself from his countless conflicts of interest and look where that got us," Bates said. "No matter what pretend steps he takes, if he runs for president, the only American who comes out ahead is Donald Trump." Similar issues cropped up when Trump ran and was elected to office. After Trump became president-elect in 2016, ethics watchdogs called for the billionaire real estate tycoon to step down from leading the Trump Organization and put his stake into a trust. In January 2017, Trump transferred control of his business to his sons, Eric and Donald Jr., along with his chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg. "Together, Don, Eric, and Allen will have the authority to manage the Trump Organization and will make decisions for the duration of the presidency without any involvement whatsoever by President-elect Trump," Sheri Dillon, an attorney for Trump, said at the time. Still, even those efforts didn't appease the Office of Government Ethics, which advises against federal conflicts of interests. "This is not a blind trust, it's not even close," Walter Shaub, who was the organization's director when Trump took over the Oval Office, said at the time. "The only thing it has in common with a blind trust is the label 'trust.'" Shaub resigned nearly six months after Trump took office after repeatedly criticizing the president's ethics. French software company Dassault Systemes said on Wednesday fourth-quarter revenue topped its guidance, driven by a strong performance by the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. The company's fourth-quarter revenue came in at 1.04 billion euros ($1.19 billion), compared with its revenue outlook of between 982 million euros and 1 billion euros. "Many businesses are going through what I call an industry renaissance," Bernard Charles, CEO of Dassault Systemes, told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe" on Wednesday. Charles said digitization across a range of industries, and even some cities worldwide, was now considered "essential to save on reduced costs." "But also, more importantly, to do things right (the) first time," he added. The company also announced a contract with Airbus for the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. The planned testimony of Michael Cohen, former personal attorney and fixer for President Donald Trump, before the House Intelligence Committee was rescheduled Wednesday to Feb. 28 just days before he is slated to begin a federal prison sentence. Cohen was originally scheduled to testify before that committee this Friday in a closed-door session. But Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., in a terse, one-sentence statement said that Cohen's appearance would be delayed until Feb. 28 "in the interests of the investigation." Schiff did not elaborate. Trump is slated to be in Vietnam on Feb. 28 for his second summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. Cohen is still considering testifying in public at the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee before he begins serving a three-year prison sentence on March 6. Cohen's legal advisor, Lanny Davis, declined to comment Wednesday. He had originally been scheduled to testify before that committee on Thursday. But last month he postponed that appearance because of what Davis called "ongoing threats" by Trump and Trump's current lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, against Cohen's family. Trump had urged his Twitter followers to "watch" Cohen's father-in-law, who was placed on probation in the mid-1990s after pleading guilty in a case in which he was charged with conspiring to defraud the IRS. Giuliani, without offering any proof, had said Cohen's father-in-law may have ties to organized crime and was involved in criminal activity with Cohen. Cohen, 52, pleaded guilty last year to multiple federal crimes, several of them directly related to Trump, and has cooperated with prosecutors investigating the president, including special counsel Robert Mueller. The crimes included campaign finance violations related to Cohen facilitating hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal shortly before the 2016 presidential election in exchange for their silence about alleged affairs with Trump. The president denies having sex with either woman. Cohen also admitted to making false statements to Congress by lying about when an aborted effort to build a Trump Tower in Moscow actually ended, and about the extent of Trump's involvement in that project. Daniels' lawyer, Michael Avenatti, in a tweet Wednesday said Cohen's testimony before the Intelligence Committee should be in public. Tweet The European Union blocked the rail deal between Alstom and Siemens on Wednesday, citing competition concerns. The merger proposal between the French and the German companies planned to create a European rail champion with revenues of about 15 billion euros ($17 billion). However, both firms have a large presence in Europe and there were concerns that the deal could challenge EU competition rules. EU Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said in a statement: "Without sufficient remedies, this merger would have resulted in higher prices for the signaling systems that keep passengers safe and for the next generations of very high-speed trains." "The Commission prohibited the merger because the companies were not willing to address our serious competition concerns," she added. The merger proposal referred only to the companies' transport services and would have combined them into one new firm, solely controlled by Siemens. Speaking to CNBC after the announcement, Vestager said: "The huge part of this deal raised no problems whatsoever but we were still left with main line signalling which is very important, it's what keeps us safe on board of a train and very high speeds and here the companies couldn't propose remedies that could solve the competition concerns." 'Europe urgently needs structural reform' The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, said that it received a number of complaints during its investigation, including from customers and industry associations, as well as negative comments from several national competition authorities. The EU's competition authority specified that the proposed merger would have created an "undisputed" market leader in several mainline signaling markets, as well as reducing the number of suppliers by removing one of the two largest manufacturers of very high-speed rolling stock. Visitors inspect the Coradia iLint, a CO2-emission-free regional train developed by French transport giant Alstom. John MacDougall | AFP | Getty Images Siemens said in a statement that it regretted the decision, adding that "Europe urgently needs structural reform in the way it shapes its industrial future in a globally connected world." Vestager told CNBC's Willem Marx: "I understand the sense of urgency, because these are very important businesses, these are European champions they are also global championsand we need to fend for ourselves when it comes to unfair competition, because we see that. We see there is no reciprocityOf course we need to be more hard-nosed, I do agree on that, but it shouldn't be at the expense of the European customer." Political headache European Council President Donald Tusk stunned a Brussels press conference Wednesday by saying he wondered what the "special place in hell" looked like for those who "promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan of how to carry it safely." Tusk's Twitter account, which states it is managed by his media team, then repeated the comments for clarity. https://twitter.com/eucopresident/status/1093112742293266435 Tusk, whose role is to represent the leaders of the 28 EU member nations, was speaking after talks with Irish premier Leo Varadkar in Brussels. Varadkar was then caught saying to Tusk that "they will give you terrible trouble for this" in an apparent reference to the U.K. press. https://twitter.com/yourmeps/status/1093119102279974918 Tusk also reinforced the EU's stance that the Withdrawal Agreement was "not open for renegotiation" and hoped that U.K. leader Theresa May's visit to Brussels on Thursday had "a realistic suggestion on how to end the impasse." May is visiting Brussels in an attempt to seek further concessions from the rest of the EU over how Britain will exit the bloc next month. The main point of contention within the current plan is the "backstop agreement," currently in place as a safety net to avoid the return of a physical border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. A physical border is considered dangerous as it could the reignite sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland that was largely ended towards the close of the 20th century. But the backstop is seen as unacceptable to some U.K. lawmakers who worry it will be used to permanently attach Britain and Northern Ireland to the European Union. Tusk said keeping peace in Ireland was a priority. "We will not gamble with peace or put a sell-by date on reconciliation. This is why we insist on the backstop," he said. Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in Cambridge, MA in 2004. Epstein is connected with several prominent people including politicians, actors and academics. The Justice Department has opened an investigation into possible "professional misconduct" in the agency's handling of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's prosecution, which at one point was overseen by current Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta. The probe by the department's Office of Professional Responsibility comes in response to multiple letters sent by Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb. "Jeffrey Epstein is a child rapist and there's not a single mom or dad in America who shouldn't be horrified by the fact that he received a pathetically soft sentence," Sasse said in a press release announcing the probe. Sasse had raised "significant concerns" that the department's prosecutors "may have committed professional misconduct in a criminal matter involving" Epstein, according to a letter to Sasse from Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd. "OPR will thoroughly investigate the allegations of misconduct that have been raised and, consistent with its practice, will share its results with you at the conclusion of its investigation as appropriate," Boyd told Sasse in the letter. Sasse's requests were spurred by an in-depth investigation of Epstein an eccentric multimillionaire who claimed friends in politics, including Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump published by the Miami Herald in November. Epstein had been investigated in the early 2000s on suspicion of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls at his Palm Beach, Florida, mansion. The Herald's report found that Acosta, then a U.S. attorney for Miami, struck a plea deal in 2007 that concealed many of Epstein's alleged crimes. Federal prosecutors agreed not to pursue his case. Epstein pleaded guilty to a state charge of soliciting prostitution from underage girls. Sasse is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on oversight, agency action, federal rights and federal courts. The donation itself is expected to be used in a number of ways. More than three quarters of the money (79 million) will go to supporting postgraduate students and their work, with fully-funded PhD scholarships up for offer, while 21 million of the gift will be allotted to support students on undergraduate courses. Founder of investment management firm Winton Group , David Harding and his wife, Claudia Harding, have donated 100 million ($130 million) from their eponymous foundation to Cambridge University, in the hope of supporting student development and encouraging future generations to conduct research at the British institution. One of the world's leading educational institutes , Cambridge University, has just become the recipient of the largest single gift to a U.K.-based university by a British philanthropist and it came from one of its former students. In a statement accompanying the announcement, Cambridge University's Vice-Chancellor Stephen J Toope said Tuesday that the donation would be "invaluable in sustaining Cambridge's place" among the world's top educational institutions and help attract and support students. "We are determined that Cambridge should nurture the finest academic talent, whatever the background or means of our students, to help us fulfil our mission 'to contribute to society through the pursuit of education, learning and research at the highest international levels of excellence'," he added. David and Claudia Harding are considered "generous supporters" by the institution, with the pair having previously donated to a range of scientific and educational causes at the university, in addition to other initiatives around the U.K., including the Science Museum Group. Other philanthropists and alumni have been known to donate large sums of money to British universities, including Bill and Melinda Gates, whose foundation donated $210 million and set up a scholarship program at Cambridge University back in 2000. The Winton Group founder graduated from Cambridge in the 1980s, with a First Class Honours degree in natural sciences that specialized in theoretical physics. David went onto establish the investment management firm in 1997, while Claudia is the Managing Trustee of the David and Claudia Harding Foundation. The couple said that they hoped this donation would encourage future generations of students from around the globe to study at the leading university. "Cambridge and other British centres of learning have down the ages contributed greatly to improvements in the human condition and can continue in future to address humanity's great challenges," David Harding said in a statement. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has decided its generous 52-week paid parental leave policy is not working. Instead, the organization will offer half as much paid leave and a $20,000 stipend to new parents. In the United States, where there is no national paid family leave policy, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's year-long policy, enacted in 2015, has been written about, dissected and ogled over ("It's every working mom and dad's dream," Elle wrote at the time). But you know what they say about things that are too good to be true...they probably are. On Jan. 25, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced the 52-week policy will be halved. The new program will go into effect for full-time employees on April 17, spokesperson Jason Hunke tells CNBC Make It. "We saw and heard many good things, like wonderful stories of quality family time with a new child and career development opportunities for those who took on a challenging backfill opportunity," chief human resources office Steven Rice wrote on LinkedIn. "But we also learned the program had created some unintended consequences. We received feedback and saw in practice that a year away was more disruptive than we anticipated." While a new parent is out, someone else is hired to fill that person's roll called a "backfill position" and sometimes the high number of backfills make it unduly cumbersome to get work done. "For example, backfill positions had a ripple effect across the organization, in some cases extending two or three layers deep ... once we backfilled the role of an employee going on leave, we often needed to find a backfill for the backfill," Rice writes. "On one team, 50% of the staff was either on leave or staffed by those in backfill positions, making the regular work of the foundation far more difficult than expected." Male and female employees who have a child through birth, surrogacy or adoption will now get six months of paid leave and $20,000 when they return to work to help with child care costs and other family needs. "It is taxable income, but there are no conditions," Hunke tells CNBC Make It. Despite the cutback, Melinda Gates has been an advocate for family-friendly policies in corporate America. An employee inspects a tray of mosquito larvae in the mosquito factory at the Verily Life Sciences LLC lab in South San Francisco, California, U.S., on Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018. Verily, Alphabet's life science division, is building a tech-focused rehab campus in Dayton, Ohio to combat the opioid crisis. Verily will join two health networks, Kettering Health Network and Premier Health, to create a nonprofit named OneFifteen. Alexandria Real Estate Equities will design and develop the campus, which will offer both inpatient and outpatient services. There is no single solution to treating substance abuse, with strategies spanning from intensive rehabilitation programs to drop-in meetings. Verily hopes to get a better understanding of what works and what doesn't work in helping people get and stay sober. "We're really on this quest to fundamentally transform behavioral health," Danielle Schlosser, senior clinical scientist of behavioral health at Verily, said in an interview. "I think anybody working in this field should be excited because we're going to see change with the level of investment going into this initiative." Initially, Verily will focus on understanding what works in the clinic and then track patient behavior when they get out to see what sticks, Schlosser said. Verily will use a "variety of means" to track what works, she said, adding that patients would have to consent to being monitored. "You could imagine something as simple as people answering a survey or more sophisticated technology to gain insight of who that person is, what they're encountering in their environment," she said. Clinical care will be provided by an operating partner of OneFifteen, Samaritan Behavioral Health, Inc., a subsidiary of Premier Health. Verily will integrate its technology into the facility to analyze and measure how effective interventions are. OneFifteen will begin seeing individuals for inpatient and outpatient care in the spring of 2019. The full campus is expected to be completed in 2020. Over time, One Fifteen wants to change how addiction is treated and how providers are paid, OneFifteen CEO Marti Taylor said in an interview. Verily and its partners will fund OneFifteen. "Because we will have facilities, an entire ecosystem and data, we'll be able to take a more holistic understanding of a person's health both inside and outside as we follow them long-term," Taylor said. "It's pretty unique being able to understand their care and advance evidence-based treatment." Tyson also accused Fairfax of engaging in a "smear campaign" against her by his pointing reporters to a 2007 video in which she discussed being a victim of incest but did not mention an attack by Fairfax. "In that video I did not talk about being assaulted by Mr. Fairfax. This, of course, is not proof that he did not assault me," Tyson said. "His reliance on this video to say the opposite is despicable and an offense to sexual assault survivors everywhere." "Since October 2017 when I first began telling friends about the assault, I have never wavered in my account because I am telling the truth. I have no political motive. I am a proud Democrat," Tyson said. "My only motive in speaking now is to refute Mr. Fairfax's falsehoods and aspersions of my character, and to provide what I believe is important information for Virginians to have as they make critical decisions that involve Mr. Fairfax." Tyson's attorneys at the law firm of Katz, Marshall & Banks earlier represented Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who testified that Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a high school get-together in the early 1980s in Washington, D.C. Kavanaugh has denied Ford's allegations, which were aired in a dramatic Senate confirmation hearing last year. Fairfax has hired the law firm of Wilkinson Walsh & Eskovitz the same firm that represented Kavanaugh during his Senate confirmation hearings, attorney Rakesh Kilaru confirmed to CNBC on Wednesday. Kilaru said Fairfax had initially retained the firm in January 2018 when The Washington Post was conducting an inquiry into Tyson's allegations and has now retained the firm again. Responding to Tyson's statement, Fairfax said in his own statement Wednesday: I support the aims of the MeToo movement and I believe that people should always be heard and the truth should be sought. I wish Dr. Tyson the best as I do our Commonwealth. Any review of the circumstances would support my account, because it is the truth. I take this situation very seriously and continue to believe Dr. Tyson should be treated with respect. But, I cannot agree to a description of events that simply is not true. Also Wednesday, Democratic Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton of Virginia tweeted: "I believe Dr. Vanessa Tyson." Rep. Wexton tweet Tyson is currently on leave from Scripps College and is a visiting fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. Her biography page at Stanford says, "Tyson will use her fellowship year to research the politics and policies surrounding sexual violence against women and children in the United States." "More specifically, she will explore political discourse surrounding sexual assault, corresponding policies, and the unique identities of sexual assault survivors," the page says. Herring, the Virginia attorney general, revealed hours before on Wednesday that he and friends wore blackface at a college party in 1980 to dress up "like rappers we listened to at the time, like Kurtis Blow, and perform a song." Herring, who had called for Northam's resignation, did not say whether he will resign. Northam has denied being either the man in blackface or the man dressed like a Ku Klux Klan member in the photo on his yearbook page. But he has said he wore blackface to impersonate Michael Jackson in a dance contest in the 1980s. If Northam, Fairfax and Herring who are all Democrats resign, the state's Republican speaker of the House of Delegates, Kirk Cox, would become governor. Read Vanessa Tyson's statement in full below: On the night of Friday, February 1, 2019, I read multiple news accounts indicating that Virginia Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax would likely be elevated to Governor as an immediate result of a scandal involving Governor Ralph Northam. This news flooded me with painful memories, bringing back feelings of grief, shame, and anger that stemmed from an incident with Mr. Fairfax that occurred in July 2004 during the Democratic National Convention in Boston. I met Mr. Fairfax on July 26, 2004, when he and I were working at the Convention. We struck up a conversation on the first day of the Convention and soon realized we had a mutual friend. We crossed paths occasionally during the first two days and our interactions were cordial, but not flirtatious. We commiserated about our long work hours, and on the afternoon of the third day of the Convention, July 28, 2004, Mr. Fairfax suggested that I get some fresh air by accompanying him on a quick errand to retrieve documents from his room in a nearby hotel. Given our interactions up to that time, I had no reason to feel threatened and agreed to walk with him to his hotel. I stood in the entryway of the room and after he located the documents, he walked over and kissed me. Although surprised by his advance, it was not unwelcome and I kissed him back. He then took my hand and pulled me towards the bed. I was fully clothed in a pantsuit and had no intention of taking my clothes off or engaging in sexual activity. In the back of my mind, I also knew I needed to return to Convention headquarters. What began as consensual kissing quickly turned into a sexual assault. Mr. Fairfax put his hand behind my neck and forcefully pushed my head towards his crotch. Only then did I realize that he had unbuckled his belt, unzipped his pants, and taken out his penis. He then forced his penis into my mouth. Utterly shocked and terrified, I tried to move my head away, but could not because his hand was holding down my neck and he was much stronger than me. As I cried and gagged, Mr. Fairfax forced me to perform oral sex on him. I cannot believe, given my obvious distress, that Mr. Fairfax thought this forced sexual act was consensual. To be very clear, I did not want to engage in oral sex with Mr. Fairfax and I never gave any form of consent. Quite the opposite. I consciously avoided Mr. Fairfax for the remainder of the Convention and I never spoke to him again. After the assault, I suffered from both deep humiliation and shame. I did not speak about it for years, and I (like most survivors) suppressed those memories and emotions as a necessary means to continue my studies, and to pursue my goal of building a successful career as an academic. At the time, I found this horrific incident especially degrading given my regular volunteer work at a local rape crisis center. Over the next decade or so, I would go on to earn my PhD from the University of Chicago and become a tenured professor at Scripps College, a prestigious women's college in Claremont, California. Years later, in October of 2017, I saw a picture of Mr. Fairfax accompanying an article in The Root about his campaign for Lt. Governor in Virginia. The image hit me like a ton of bricks, triggering buried traumatic memories and the feelings of humiliation I'd felt so intensely back in 2004. Prior to reading the article, I had not followed Mr. Fairfax's career and did not know that he was seeking public office. Unsure of what to do, I felt it was crucial to tell close friends of mine in Virginia, who were voters, about the assault. That October, as the #MeToo movement intensified, women throughout the world began forcefully speaking out about the sexual violence they had experienced and the impact of those experiences on their lives. The courage of so many women coming forward to confront powerful men and systems that allow such abuse to occur are part of what inspired me to action. I felt a responsibility to myself, the beloved students I teach, and the brave women I've tried to help overcome their own trauma. The passion and resolve of so many survivors, coupled with the job security that tenure afforded me, gave me the strength I simply did not have in 2004. By December 2017, I not only told many friends that Mr. Fairfax had sexually assaulted me but I also reached out to a personal friend at The Washington Post and spoke to his colleague about the assault. After The Washington Post decided in March 2018 not to run my story, I felt powerless, frustrated, and completely drained. Again I tried to bury memories of this painful incident and focus on my work and my students. On Friday, February 1, 2019, as stories appeared in the media suggesting that Governor Northam would have to resign and that Mr. Fairfax would be sworn in as Governor, I felt a jarring sense of both outrage and despair. That night I vented my frustration on Facebook in a message that I wrote as a private post. I did not identify' Lt. Governor Fairfax by name but stated that it seemed inevitable that the campaign staffer who assaulted me during the Democratic Convention in 2004 was about to get a big promotion. It was not my intention in that moment to inject myself into what has become a much larger political battle. The following morning, I was inundated with messages of care and concern from friends including many I had told about the sexual assault and numerous inquiries from journalists who had become aware of my post. Over the weekend, I was undecided about whether to speak out publicly. I knew that if I did so, I would immediately face accusations about my motives and be branded a liar, as is routinely the case when women come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against prominent men. On Sunday night, before I had time to decide on a course of action, an online publication published a screenshot of my Facebook post, identified me by name, and posted pictures of me. In response, at 2:55 a.m. on February 4, 2019, Mr. Fairfax issued a statement further escalating this matter by calling me a liar and falsely characterizing the reasons The Washington Post decided not to run a story about my allegations. The Post was forced to repudiate Mr. Fairfax's statement that there were "significant red flags and inconsistencies within the allegations" which led it to decide not to publish a story about my account. Rather, as is often the case in situations where sexual assault by an acquaintance occurs behind closed doors years earlier, it is difficult to corroborate either the victim's allegations or the accused's denials. . Mr. Fairfax's suggestion that The Washington Post found me not to be credible was deceitful, offensive, and profoundly upsetting. He has continued a smear campaign by pointing reporters to a 2007 educational video in which I talked about being the victim of incest and molestation. In that video I did not talk about being assaulted by Mr. Fairfax. This, of course, is not proof that he did not assault me. His reliance on this video to say the opposite is despicable and an offense to sexual assault survivors everywhere. Since October 2017 when I first began telling friends about the assault, I have never wavered in my account because I am telling the truth. I have no political motive. I am a proud Democrat. My only motive in speaking now is to refute Mr. Fairfax's falsehoods and aspersions of my character, and to provide what I believe is important information for Virginians to have as they make critical decisions that involve Mr. Fairfax. With tremendous anguish, I am now sharing this information about my experience and setting the record straight. It has been extremely difficult to relive that traumatic experience from 2004. Mr. Fairfax has tried to brand me as a liar to a national audience, in service to his political ambitions, and has threatened litigation. Given his false assertions, I'm compelled to make clear what happened. I very much wish to resume my life as an academic and professor. I do not want to get further embroiled in this highly charged political environment. This is the only statement I and my legal team will be making. [The stream is set to start at 9:00 p.m. ET. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.] President Donald Trump will address the nation Tuesday night to deliver the State of the Union, his third address to a joint session of Congress while in office. Trump is expected to tout his economic record and make a plea for bipartisanship as he addresses lawmakers and their guests as well as several justices of the U.S. Supreme Court. Investors will be watching for any news on ongoing trade talks with China, as well as whether the president discusses drug pricing or plans for new infrastructure spending. The address comes shortly after the conclusion of the longest partial government shutdown on record, which ended with a stopgap spending measure and no resolution of the president's demands for billions of dollars in funding for his proposed border wall. The Democratic response to the president's address will be delivered by Stacey Abrams. Abrams lost her bid to become the first black female governor of Georgia last year and is being floated as a possible contender for the state's U.S. Senate seat held by David Perdue, a Republican. President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, as Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., watch, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. President Donald Trump, in his second State of the Union address, called for a bipartisan infrastructure push on Tuesday night. "Both parties should be able to unite for a great rebuilding of America's crumbling infrastructure," Trump told Congress and government leaders. "I know that Congress is eager to pass an infrastructure bill, and I am eager to work with you on legislation to deliver new and important infrastructure investment." "This is not an option. This is a necessity," Trump added. During his presidential campaign, Trump called for spending $1.5 trillion over a decade for infrastructure projects, but major funding has not been forthcoming. The bipartisan call comes more than a week after the longest government shutdown in U.S. history ended. After a 35-day partial shutdown, Trump and Democratic leaders in Congress on Jan. 25 agreed to reopen the government for three weeks. However, they have not been able to agree on funding for Trump's demand a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Vietnam at the end of February as part of his administration's efforts to roll back the country's nuclear program. Addressing Congress during his second State of the Union, Trump said his relationship with North Korea's leader is "good" and progress has made in his administration's efforts to achieve peace on the Korean peninsula. Trump, however, said much work remains to be done and gave an ominous warning about the risks of heightened tensions with North Korea, going so far as to claim that Washington and Pyongyang would be at war if he had not been elected president. US President Donald Trump (R) gestures as he meets with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (L) at the start of their historic US-North Korea summit, at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore on June 12, 2018. Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images "If I had not been elected President of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea," Trump said. Trump's second face-to-face meeting with Kim will take place on Feb. 27-28, though it is not clear where in Vietnam the summit will be held. Hanoi, the nation's capital, and Da Nang, a coastal resort town, have both been floated as possibilities. The lead U.S. negotiator with North Korea, Stephen Biegun, is set to meet with his North Korean counterpart on Wednesday in Pyongyang. He said that he hoped the meeting with Kim Hyok Chol would map out "a set of concrete deliverables," according to Reuters. The U.S. Department of State referred CNBC to the White House. The White House and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Kim and Trump met in Singapore last year, marking the first bilateral meeting between leaders of the two countries. The White House said last month that the summit was set for late February after Trump met for an hour-and-a-half with North Korean envoy Kim Yong Chol. The president "looks forward to meeting with Chairman Kim," the White House announced in a readout. After the summit last year, the president declared that North Korea's nuclear arsenal no longer posed a threat to the United States. Experts said at the time that it was not clear that such an optimistic claim was warranted. North Korea has said that it will not get rid of its nuclear capabilities unless the United States no longer poses a threat. That has included demands that the U.S. remove its troops from South Korea, which the U.S. has said is not negotiable. @realDonaldTrump: Just landed - a long trip, but everybody can now feel much safer than the day I took office. There is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea. Meeting with Kim Jong Un was an interesting and very positive experience. North Korea has great potential for the future! Limited progress President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives at the U.S. Capitol Building on February 5, 2019 in Washington, DC. President Donald Trump called for legislation that would lower the prices of pharmaceutical drugs in the U.S. in his State of the Union address on Tuesday night. "It is unacceptable that Americans pay vastly more than people in other countries for the exact same drugs, often made in the exact same place," Trump said. "This is wrong, unfair, and together we will stop it." "I am asking Congress to pass legislation that finally takes on the problem of global freeloading and delivers fairness and price transparency for American patients," Trump added. "We should also require drug companies, insurance companies, and hospitals to disclose real prices to foster competition and bring costs way down." President Donald Trump on Tuesday called for legislation that would prohibit late-term abortions, citing controversial comments recently made by the embattled Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat. "To defend the dignity of every person, I am asking the Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mother's womb," the president said during his State of the Union address. The president's call for Congress to take up new legislation comes nearly a week after Northam was accused of promoting infanticide by Republican critics. The accusations followed somewhat muddled remarks that the governor made on a radio show. Northam said the interpretation of his remarks by anti-abortion lawmakers and activists was "shameful and disgusting." Trump cited "the case of the Governor of Virginia where he basically stated he would execute a baby after birth." "Let us work together to build a culture that cherishes innocent life. And let us reaffirm a fundamental truth: all children born and unborn are made in the holy image of God," Trump said. The vast majority of states ban abortions after a certain point of a pregnancy, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organization. Seventeen states ban abortion after about 20 weeks post-fertilization on the grounds that the fetus can then begin to feel pain, according to the organization. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have found that virtually all U.S. abortions occur within 13 weeks of gestation and two-thirds of abortions occur within eight weeks. About 1 percent of abortions take place after 21 weeks. Northam landed in hot water last week while defending a Virginia law that would lower barriers for third term abortions in the state. The law would allow the procedures with the approval of one doctor, rather than the three that state law currently requires. "So in this particular example, if a mother's in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen," Northam said on WTOP's "Ask The Governor" program Wednesday. "The infant would be delivered, the infant would be kept comfortable, the infant would be resuscitated if that's what the mother and the family desired. And then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother." Northam's spokeswoman, Ofirah Yheskel, clarified that his comments referred only to a situation in which a woman with a "nonviable pregnancy or severe fetal abnormalities went into labor." She said the governor "has helped families through the worst times in their lives insinuating he would do anything but provide them best medical care is irresponsible and dangerous." Trump also cited a New York law signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo last month that permits abortions after 24 weeks if the health or life of the mother is at risk, or if the fetus is not viable. "Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother's womb moments before birth," Trump said. "These are living, feeling, beautiful babies who will never get the chance to share their love and dreams with the world." In a tweet posted moments after Trump's comments, the Planned Parenthood of New York City Action Fund called the president's claim "ridiculous." "Let's set the record straight: there is no such thing as an abortion up until birth," the group wrote. And Cuomo, a Democrat and frequent Trump antagonist, vowed to fight the president's plan, citing the landmark abortion ruling Roe v. Wade. He said that Trump "just proposed rolling back Roe the law of our nation for 46 years affirmed & reaffirmed by numerous Supreme Courts." "Never," the governor tweeted. Cuomo tweet The U.S. Supreme Court is currently weighing whether to grant an emergency stay of a Louisiana abortion law that activists have said would limit the state to a single doctor performing the procedure. Observers have said that if the court decides to allow the law to take effect it will signal a weakening of Roe's prohibitions on laws that restrict abortion access. In 2016, the high court struck down an identical Texas law. The Louisiana law, which requires abortion doctors to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of their clinic, was scheduled to go into effect on Monday, but Justice Samuel Alito temporarily halted it until Thursday, allowing the court more time to review the matter. Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch, two of the four justices present during the president's remarks on Tuesday, are expected to be the key votes in the case. Neither of the two men, both Trump nominees, were on the bench when the court struck down the Texas abortion law by a vote of 5-3. The justices, in line with tradition, sat stoically while Trump made his remarks on abortion, as Republicans in the chamber cheered and stood. Dozens of Democratic congresswomen, dressed in white as a symbol of women's rights, remained seated, as some shook their heads. President Donald Trump fired a warning shot to congressional Democrats on Tuesday night. As the president faces a slew of investigations from the new House Democratic majority, he warned the party against coming probes into his policies and personal finances. In his State of the Union address, he claimed the only things that can stop a strong U.S. economy "are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations." "If there is going to peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation. It just doesn't work that way!" Trump said as Democrats such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., looked on stone-faced. The remarks come as Trump continues to rage about special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 election, which the president has repeatedly called a "witch hunt." The investigation has increasingly closed in around the president, pulling in his ex-lawyer, former campaign chairman and longtime political confidant. Democrats have also promised to conduct oversight of policies from his travel ban to separation of migrant children from parents at the southern U.S. border. They have also taken their first major step to acquire the president's tax returns, which he has refused to release, breaking with presidential precedent. Both the House Democratic and Mueller probes threaten a president already weighed down by poor approval ratings ahead of his re-election bid next year. He has tried to cast Democrats as radicals who want to use their oversight power for partisan probes. Trump's warning to Democrats came during a speech in which he urged members of Congress to "govern not as two parties, but one nation." Trump, who reportedly called Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer a "nasty son of a bitch" during a private lunch earlier Tuesday, asked Congress to "reject the politics of revenge, resistance and retribution and embrace the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise and the common good." He pushed Republicans and Democrats to cooperate on issues such as immigration and trade. But at least on immigration, a bipartisan solution appears unlikely: Trump has demanded money to build his proposed border wall, which Democrats have repeatedly refused to provide. Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks after his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, October 18, 2018. Mitch McConnell wants Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to consider joining him in the Senate. "I'd sure like for him to think about" running for U.S. Senate in Kansas in 2020, McConnell, the Senate majority leader, told Fox News on Tuesday. Reports have said Republicans want Pompeo to replace GOP Sen. Pat Roberts, who will retire after next year. The secretary of State previously represented Kansas in the House. McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said he wanted Pompeo "to know that we'd all be behind him" if he sought a Senate seat. However, the majority leader added that "there's no urgency for him to make that decision." Pompeo, 55, was CIA director from January 2017 to April 2018, when he became secretary of State. He spent six years in Congress. President Donald Trump, for his part, does not think his top diplomat will leave. The president told CBS' "Face the Nation" that he asked Pompeo whether he would depart, and "he says he's absolutely not leaving." Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate. Twenty-two GOP-held seats are up for grabs next year, versus 12 seats represented by Democrats. Kansas has elected Republicans in recent statewide offices than Democrats. However, Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly defeated Republican Trump ally Kris Kobach in November's gubernatorial contest. Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. President Donald Trump addressed the nation Tuesday night to deliver the State of the Union, his third address to a joint session of Congress while in office. The speech came shortly after the conclusion of the longest partial government shutdown on record, which ended with a stopgap spending measure and no resolution of the president's demands for billions of dollars in funding for his proposed border wall. Below are the president's remarks as prepared for delivery: TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES: Madam Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, the First Lady of the United States, and my fellow Americans: We meet tonight at a moment of unlimited potential. As we begin a new Congress, I stand here ready to work with you to achieve historic breakthroughs for all Americans. Millions of our fellow citizens are watching us now, gathered in this great chamber, hoping that we will govern not as two parties but as one Nation. The agenda I will lay out this evening is not a Republican agenda or a Democrat agenda. It is the agenda of the American people. Many of us campaigned on the same core promises: to defend American jobs and demand fair trade for American workers; to rebuild and revitalize our Nation's infrastructure; to reduce the price of healthcare and prescription drugs; to create an immigration system that is safe, lawful, modern and secure; and to pursue a foreign policy that puts America's interests first. There is a new opportunity in American politics, if only we have the courage to seize it. Victory is not winning for our party. Victory is winning for our country. This year, America will recognize two important anniversaries that show us the majesty of America's mission, and the power of American pride. In June, we mark 75 years since the start of what General Dwight D. Eisenhower called the Great Crusade -- the Allied liberation of Europe in World War II. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, 15,000 young American men jumped from the sky, and 60,000 more stormed in from the sea, to save our civilization from tyranny. Here with us tonight are three of those heroes: Private First Class Joseph Reilly, Staff Sergeant Irving Locker, and Sergeant Herman Zeitchik. Gentlemen, we salute you. In 2019, we also celebrate 50 years since brave young pilots flew a quarter of a million miles through space to plant the American flag on the face of the moon. Half a century later, we are joined by one of the Apollo 11 astronauts who planted that flag: Buzz Aldrin. This year, American astronauts will go back to space on American rockets. In the 20th century, America saved freedom, transformed science, and redefined the middle class standard of living for the entire world to see. Now, we must step boldly and bravely into the next chapter of this great American adventure, and we must create a new standard of living for the 21st century. An amazing quality of life for all of our citizens is within our reach. We can make our communities safer, our families stronger, our culture richer, our faith deeper, and our middle class bigger and more prosperous than ever before. But we must reject the politics of revenge, resistance, and retribution -- and embrace the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise, and the common good. Together, we can break decades of political stalemate. We can bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions, forge new solutions, and unlock the extraordinary promise of America's future. The decision is ours to make. We must choose between greatness or gridlock, results or resistance, vision or vengeance, incredible progress or pointless destruction. Tonight, I ask you to choose greatness. Over the last 2 years, my Administration has moved with urgency and historic speed to confront problems neglected by leaders of both parties over many decades. In just over 2 years since the election, we have launched an unprecedented economic boom -- a boom that has rarely been seen before. We have created 5.3 million new jobs and importantly added 600,000 new manufacturing jobs -- something which almost everyone said was impossible to do, but the fact is, we are just getting started. Wages are rising at the fastest pace in decades, and growing for blue collar workers, who I promised to fight for, faster than anyone else. Nearly 5 million Americans have been lifted off food stamps. The United States economy is growing almost twice as fast today as when I took office, and we are considered far and away the hottest economy anywhere in the world. Unemployment has reached the lowest rate in half a century. African-American, Hispanic-American and Asian-American unemployment have all reached their lowest levels ever recorded. Unemployment for Americans with disabilities has also reached an all-time low. More people are working now than at any time in our history - 157 million. We passed a massive tax cut for working families and doubled the child tax credit. We virtually ended the estate, or death, tax on small businesses, ranches, and family farms. We eliminated the very unpopular Obamacare individual mandate penalty -- and to give critically ill patients access to life-saving cures, we passed right to try. My Administration has cut more regulations in a short time than any other administration during its entire tenure. Companies are coming back to our country in large numbers thanks to historic reductions in taxes and regulations. We have unleashed a revolution in American energy -- the United States is now the number one producer of oil and natural gas in the world. And now, for the first time in 65 years, we are a net exporter of energy. After 24 months of rapid progress, our economy is the envy of the world, our military is the most powerful on earth, and America is winning each and every day. Members of Congress: the State of our Union is strong. Our country is vibrant and our economy is thriving like never before. On Friday, it was announced that we added another 304,000 jobs last month alone -- almost double what was expected. An economic miracle is taking place in the United States -- and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics, or ridiculous partisan investigations. If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation. It just doesn't work that way! We must be united at home to defeat our adversaries abroad. This new era of cooperation can start with finally confirming the more than 300 highly qualified nominees who are still stuck in the Senate some after years of waiting. The Senate has failed to act on these nominations, which is unfair to the nominees and to our country. Now is the time for bipartisan action. Believe it or not, we have already proven that it is possible. In the last Congress, both parties came together to pass unprecedented legislation to confront the opioid crisis, a sweeping new Farm Bill, historic VA reforms, and after four decades of rejection, we passed VA Accountability so we can finally terminate those who mistreat our wonderful veterans. And just weeks ago, both parties united for groundbreaking criminal justice reform. Last year, I heard through friends the story of Alice Johnson. I was deeply moved. In 1997, Alice was sentenced to life in prison as a first-time non-violent drug offender. Over the next two decades, she became a prison minister, inspiring others to choose a better path. She had a big impact on that prison population -- and far beyond. Alice's story underscores the disparities and unfairness that can exist in criminal sentencing -- and the need to remedy this injustice. She served almost 22 years and had expected to be in prison for the rest of her life. In June, I commuted Alice's sentence -- and she is here with us tonight. Alice, thank you for reminding us that we always have the power to shape our own destiny. When I saw Alice's beautiful family greet her at the prison gates, hugging and kissing and crying and laughing, I knew I did the right thing. Inspired by stories like Alice's, my Administration worked closely with members of both parties to sign the First Step Act into law. This legislation reformed sentencing laws that have wrongly and disproportionately harmed the African-American community. The First Step Act gives non-violent offenders the chance to re-enter society as productive, law-abiding citizens. Now, States across the country are following our lead. America is a Nation that believes in redemption. We are also joined tonight by Matthew Charles from Tennessee. In 1996, at age 30, Matthew was sentenced to 35 years for selling drugs and related offenses. Over the next two decades, he completed more than 30 Bible studies, became a law clerk, and mentored fellow inmates. Now, Matthew is the very first person to be released from prison under the First Step Act. Matthew, on behalf of all Americans: welcome home. As we have seen, when we are united, we can make astonishing strides for our country. Now, Republicans and Democrats must join forces again to confront an urgent national crisis. The Congress has 10 days left to pass a bill that will fund our Government, protect our homeland, and secure our southern border. Now is the time for the Congress to show the world that America is committed to ending illegal immigration and putting the ruthless coyotes, cartels, drug dealers, and human traffickers out of business. As we speak, large, organized caravans are on the march to the United States. We have just heard that Mexican cities, in order to remove the illegal immigrants from their communities, are getting trucks and buses to bring them up to our country in areas where there is little border protection. I have ordered another 3,750 troops to our southern border to prepare for the tremendous onslaught. This is a moral issue. The lawless state of our southern border is a threat to the safety, security, and financial wellbeing of all Americans. We have a moral duty to create an immigration system that protects the lives and jobs of our citizens. This includes our obligation to the millions of immigrants living here today, who followed the rules and respected our laws. Legal immigrants enrich our Nation and strengthen our society in countless ways. I want people to come into our country, but they have to come in legally. Tonight, I am asking you to defend our very dangerous southern border out of love and devotion to our fellow citizens and to our country. No issue better illustrates the divide between America's working class and America's political class than illegal immigration. Wealthy politicians and donors push for open borders while living their lives behind walls and gates and guards. Meanwhile, working class Americans are left to pay the price for mass illegal migration -- reduced jobs, lower wages, overburdened schools and hospitals, increased crime, and a depleted social safety net. Tolerance for illegal immigration is not compassionate -- it is cruel. One in three women is sexually assaulted on the long journey north. Smugglers use migrant children as human pawns to exploit our laws and gain access to our country. Human traffickers and sex traffickers take advantage of the wide open areas between our ports of entry to smuggle thousands of young girls and women into the United States and to sell them into prostitution and modern-day slavery. Tens of thousands of innocent Americans are killed by lethal drugs that cross our border and flood into our cities -- including meth, heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl. The savage gang, MS-13, now operates in 20 different American States, and they almost all come through our southern border. Just yesterday, an MS-13 gang member was taken into custody for a fatal shooting on a subway platform in New York City. We are removing these gang members by the thousands, but until we secure our border they're going to keep streaming back in. Year after year, countless Americans are murdered by criminal illegal aliens. I've gotten to know many wonderful Angel Moms, Dads, and families no one should ever have to suffer the horrible heartache they have endured. Here tonight is Debra Bissell. Just three weeks ago, Debra's parents, Gerald and Sharon, were burglarized and shot to death in their Reno, Nevada, home by an illegal alien. They were in their eighties and are survived by four children, 11 grandchildren, and 20 great-grandchildren. Also here tonight are Gerald and Sharon's granddaughter, Heather, and greatgranddaughter, Madison. To Debra, Heather, Madison, please stand: few can understand your pain. But I will never forget, and I will fight for the memory of Gerald and Sharon, that it should never happen again. Not one more American life should be lost because our Nation failed to control its very dangerous border. In the last 2 years, our brave ICE officers made 266,000 arrests of criminal aliens, including those charged or convicted of nearly 100,000 assaults, 30,000 sex crimes, and 4,000 killings. We are joined tonight by one of those law enforcement heroes: ICE Special Agent Elvin Hernandez. When Elvin was a boy, he and his family legally immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic. At the age of eight, Elvin told his dad he wanted to become a Special Agent. Today, he leads investigations into the scourge of international sex trafficking. Elvin says: "If I can make sure these young girls get their justice, I've done my job." Thanks to his work and that of his colleagues, more than 300 women and girls have been rescued from horror and more than 1,500 sadistic traffickers have been put behind bars in the last year. Special Agent Hernandez, please stand: We will always support the brave men and women of Law Enforcement -- and I pledge to you tonight that we will never abolish our heroes from ICE. My Administration has sent to the Congress a commonsense proposal to end the crisis on our southern border. It includes humanitarian assistance, more law enforcement, drug detection at our ports, closing loopholes that enable child smuggling, and plans for a new physical barrier, or wall, to secure the vast areas between our ports of entry. In the past, most of the people in this room voted for a wall -- but the proper wall never got built. I'll get it built. This is a smart, strategic, see-through steel barrier -- not just a simple concrete wall. It will be deployed in the areas identified by border agents as having the greatest need, and as these agents will tell you, where walls go up, illegal crossings go way down. San Diego used to have the most illegal border crossings in the country. In response, and at the request of San Diego residents and political leaders, a strong security wall was put in place. This powerful barrier almost completely ended illegal crossings. The border city of El Paso, Texas, used to have extremely high rates of violent crime -- one of the highest in the country, and considered one of our Nation's most dangerous cities. Now, with a powerful barrier in place, El Paso is one of our safest cities. Simply put, walls work and walls save lives. So let's work together, compromise, and reach a deal that will truly make America safe. As we work to defend our people's safety, we must also ensure our economic resurgence continues at a rapid pace. No one has benefited more from our thriving economy than women, who have filled 58 percent of the new jobs created in the last year. All Americans can be proud that we have more women in the workforce than ever before -- and exactly one century after the Congress passed the Constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote, we also have more women serving in the Congress than ever before. As part of our commitment to improving opportunity for women everywhere, this Thursday we are launching the first ever Government-wide initiative focused on economic empowerment for women in developing countries. To build on our incredible economic success, one priority is paramount -- reversing decades of calamitous trade policies. We are now making it clear to China that after years of targeting our industries, and stealing our intellectual property, the theft of American jobs and wealth has come to an end. Therefore, we recently imposed tariffs on $250 billion of Chinese goods -- and now our Treasury is receiving billions of dollars a month from a country that never gave us a dime. But I don't blame China for taking advantage of us -- I blame our leaders and representatives for allowing this travesty to happen. I have great respect for President Xi, and we are now working on a new trade deal with China. But it must include real, structural change to end unfair trade practices, reduce our chronic trade deficit, and protect American jobs. Another historic trade blunder was the catastrophe known as NAFTA. I have met the men and women of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, New Hampshire, and many other States whose dreams were shattered by NAFTA. For years, politicians promised them they would negotiate for a better deal. But no one ever tried -- until now. Our new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement -- or USMCA -- will replace NAFTA and deliver for American workers: bringing back our manufacturing jobs, expanding American agriculture, protecting intellectual property, and ensuring that more cars are proudly stamped with four beautiful words: made in the USA. Tonight, I am also asking you to pass the United States Reciprocal Trade Act, so that if another country places an unfair tariff on an American product, we can charge them the exact same tariff on the same product that they sell to us. Both parties should be able to unite for a great rebuilding of America's crumbling infrastructure. I know that the Congress is eager to pass an infrastructure bill -- and I am eager to work with you on legislation to deliver new and important infrastructure investment, including investments in the cutting edge industries of the future. This is not an option. This is a necessity. The next major priority for me, and for all of us, should be to lower the cost of healthcare and prescription drugs -- and to protect patients with pre-existing conditions. Already, as a result of my Administration's efforts, in 2018 drug prices experienced their single largest decline in 46 years. But we must do more. It is unacceptable that Americans pay vastly more than people in other countries for the exact same drugs, often made in the exact same place. This is wrong, unfair, and together we can stop it. I am asking the Congress to pass legislation that finally takes on the problem of global freeloading and delivers fairness and price transparency for American patients. We should also require drug companies, insurance companies, and hospitals to disclose real prices to foster competition and bring costs down. No force in history has done more to advance the human condition than American freedom. In recent years we have made remarkable progress in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Scientific breakthroughs have brought a once-distant dream within reach. My budget will ask Democrats and Republicans to make the needed commitment to eliminate the HIV epidemic in the United States within 10 years. Together, we will defeat AIDS in America. Tonight, I am also asking you to join me in another fight that all Americans can get behind: the fight against childhood cancer. Joining Melania in the gallery this evening is a very brave 10-year-old girl, Grace Eline. Every birthday since she was 4, Grace asked her friends to donate to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. She did not know that one day she might be a patient herself. Last year, Grace was diagnosed with brain cancer. Immediately, she began radiation treatment. At the same time, she rallied her community and raised more than $40,000 for the fight against cancer. When Grace completed treatment last fall, her doctors and nurses cheered with tears in their eyes as she hung up a poster that read: "Last Day of Chemo." Grace -- you are an inspiration to us all. Many childhood cancers have not seen new therapies in decades. My budget will ask the Congress for $500 million over the next 10 years to fund this critical life-saving research. To help support working parents, the time has come to pass school choice for America's children. I am also proud to be the first President to include in my budget a plan for nationwide paid family leave -- so that every new parent has the chance to bond with their newborn child. There could be no greater contrast to the beautiful image of a mother holding her infant child than the chilling displays our Nation saw in recent days. Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother's womb moments before birth. These are living, feeling, beautiful babies who will never get the chance to share their love and dreams with the world. And then, we had the case of the Governor of Virginia where he basically stated he would execute a baby after birth. To defend the dignity of every person, I am asking the Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mother's womb. Let us work together to build a culture that cherishes innocent life. And let us reaffirm a fundamental truth: all children -- born and unborn -- are made in the holy image of God. The final part of my agenda is to protect America's National Security. Over the last 2 years, we have begun to fully rebuild the United States Military -- with $700 billion last year and $716 billion this year. We are also getting other nations to pay their fair share. For years, the United States was being treated very unfairly by NATO -- but now we have secured a $100 billion increase in defense spending from NATO allies. As part of our military build-up, the United States is developing a state-of-the-art Missile Defense System. Under my Administration, we will never apologize for advancing America's interests. For example, decades ago the United States entered into a treaty with Russia in which we agreed to limit and reduce our missile capabilities. While we followed the agreement to the letter, Russia repeatedly violated its terms. That is why I announced that the United States is officially withdrawing from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, or INF Treaty. Perhaps we can negotiate a different agreement, adding China and others, or perhaps we can't - in which case, we will outspend and out-innovate all others by far. As part of a bold new diplomacy, we continue our historic push for peace on the Korean Peninsula. Our hostages have come home, nuclear testing has stopped, and there has not been a missile launch in 15 months. If I had not been elected President of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea with potentially millions of people killed. Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong Un is a good one. And Chairman Kim and I will meet again on February 27 and 28 in Vietnam. Two weeks ago, the United States officially recognized the legitimate government of Venezuela, and its new interim President, Juan Guaido. We stand with the Venezuelan people in their noble quest for freedom -- and we condemn the brutality of the Maduro regime, whose socialist policies have turned that nation from being the wealthiest in South America into a state of abject poverty and despair. Here, in the United States, we are alarmed by new calls to adopt socialism in our country. America was founded on liberty and independence - not government coercion, domination, and control. We are born free, and we will stay free. Tonight, we renew our resolve that America will never be a socialist country. One of the most complex set of challenges we face is in the Middle East. Our approach is based on principled realism -- not discredited theories that have failed for decades to yield progress. For this reason, my Administration recognized the true capital of Israel -- and proudly opened the American Embassy in Jerusalem. Our brave troops have now been fighting in the Middle East for almost 19 years. In Afghanistan and Iraq, nearly 7,000 American heroes have given their lives. More than 52,000 Americans have been badly wounded. We have spent more than $7 trillion in the Middle East. As a candidate for President, I pledged a new approach. Great nations do not fight endless wars. When I took office, ISIS controlled more than 20,000 square miles in Iraq and Syria. Today, we have liberated virtually all of that territory from the grip of these bloodthirsty killers. Now, as we work with our allies to destroy the remnants of ISIS, it is time to give our brave warriors in Syria a warm welcome home. I have also accelerated our negotiations to reach a political settlement in Afghanistan. Our troops have fought with unmatched valor -- and thanks to their bravery, we are now able to pursue a political solution to this long and bloody conflict. In Afghanistan, my Administration is holding constructive talks with a number of Afghan groups, including the Taliban. As we make progress in these negotiations, we will be able to reduce our troop presence and focus on counter-terrorism. We do not know whether we will achieve an agreement -- but we do know that after two decades of war, the hour has come to at least try for peace. Above all, friend and foe alike must never doubt this Nation's power and will to defend our people. Eighteen years ago, terrorists attacked the USS Cole -- and last month American forces killed one of the leaders of the attack. We are honored to be joined tonight by Tom Wibberley, whose son, Navy Seaman Craig Wibberley, was one of the 17 sailors we tragically lost. Tom: we vow to always remember the heroes of the USS Cole. My Administration has acted decisively to confront the world's leading state sponsor of terror: the radical regime in Iran. To ensure this corrupt dictatorship never acquires nuclear weapons, I withdrew the United States from the disastrous Iran nuclear deal. And last fall, we put in place the toughest sanctions ever imposed on a country. We will not avert our eyes from a regime that chants death to America and threatens genocide against the Jewish people. We must never ignore the vile poison of anti-Semitism, or those who spread its venomous creed. With one voice, we must confront this hatred anywhere and everywhere it occurs. Just months ago, 11 Jewish-Americans were viciously murdered in an anti-semitic attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. SWAT Officer Timothy Matson raced into the gunfire and was shot seven times chasing down the killer. Timothy has just had his 12th surgery -- but he made the trip to be here with us tonight. Officer Matson: we are forever grateful for your courage in the face of evil. Tonight, we are also joined by Pittsburgh survivor Judah Samet. He arrived at the synagogue as the massacre began. But not only did Judah narrowly escape death last fall -- more than seven decades ago, he narrowly survived the Nazi concentration camps. Today is Judah's 81st birthday. Judah says he can still remember the exact moment, nearly 75 years ago, after 10 months in a concentration camp, when he and his family were put on a train, and told they were going to another camp. Suddenly the train screeched to a halt. A soldier appeared. Judah's family braced for the worst. Then, his father cried out with joy: "It's the Americans." A second Holocaust survivor who is here tonight, Joshua Kaufman, was a prisoner at Dachau Concentration Camp. He remembers watching through a hole in the wall of a cattle car as American soldiers rolled in with tanks. "To me," Joshua recalls, "the American soldiers were proof that God exists, and they came down from the sky." I began this evening by honoring three soldiers who fought on D-Day in the Second World War. One of them was Herman Zeitchik. But there is more to Herman's story. A year after he stormed the beaches of Normandy, Herman was one of those American soldiers who helped liberate Dachau. He was one of the Americans who helped rescue Joshua from that hell on earth. Almost 75 years later, Herman and Joshua are both together in the gallery tonight -- seated side-by-side, here in the home of American freedom. Herman and Joshua: your presence this evening honors and uplifts our entire Nation. When American soldiers set out beneath the dark skies over the English Channel in the early hours of D-Day, 1944, they were just young men of 18 and 19, hurtling on fragile landing craft toward the most momentous battle in the history of war. They did not know if they would survive the hour. They did not know if they would grow old. But they knew that America had to prevail. Their cause was this Nation, and generations yet unborn. Why did they do it? They did it for America -- they did it for us. Everything that has come since -- our triumph over communism, our giant leaps of science and discovery, our unrivaled progress toward equality and justice -- all of it is possible thanks to the blood and tears and courage and vision of the Americans who came before. Think of this Capitol -- think of this very chamber, where lawmakers before you voted to end slavery, to build the railroads and the highways, to defeat fascism, to secure civil rights, to face down an evil empire. Here tonight, we have legislators from across this magnificent republic. You have come from the rocky shores of Maine and the volcanic peaks of Hawaii; from the snowy woods of Wisconsin and the red deserts of Arizona; from the green farms of Kentucky and the golden beaches of California. Together, we represent the most extraordinary Nation in all of history. What will we do with this moment? How will we be remembered? I ask the men and women of this Congress: Look at the opportunities before us! Our most thrilling achievements are still ahead. Our most exciting journeys still await. Our biggest victories are still to come. We have not yet begun to dream. We must choose whether we are defined by our differences -- or whether we dare to transcend them. We must choose whether we will squander our inheritance -- or whether we will proudly declare that we are Americans. We do the incredible. We defy the impossible. We conquer the unknown. This is the time to re-ignite the American imagination. This is the time to search for the tallest summit, and set our sights on the brightest star. This is the time to rekindle the bonds of love and loyalty and memory that link us together as citizens, as neighbors, as patriots.nd our choice to make. I am asking you to choose greatness. No matter the trials we face, no matter the challenges to come, we must go forward together. We must keep America first in our hearts. We must keep freedom alive in our souls. And we must always keep faith in America's destiny -- that one Nation, under God, must be the hope and the promise and the light and the glory among all the nations of the world! Thank you. God Bless You, God Bless America, and good night! Stacey Abrams said that the hopes of American families are being "crushed" by Republican political leadership in the Democratic response to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address Tuesday night. The failed candidate for Georgia governor and possible 2020 Senate candidate touched on themes that were key to her bid last year, including economic and racial justice and voting rights. "In Georgia and around the country, people are striving for a middle class where a salary truly equals economic security," Abrams said, according to her prepared remarks. "But instead, families' hopes are being crushed by Republican leadership that ignores real life or just doesn't understand it." Abrams, who is the first black woman to deliver the formal response, also addressed the recently ended partial government shutdown, the longest in American history. In the audience Tuesday night were a number of federal government employees who missed paychecks as a result of the closure. "Just a few weeks ago, I joined volunteers to distribute meals to furloughed federal workers. They waited in line for a box of food and a sliver of hope since they hadn't received a paycheck in weeks," Abrams said. "Making their livelihoods a pawn for political games is a disgrace." The former activist and attorney called the shutdown a "stunt engineered by the president of the United States, one that defied every tenet of fairness and abandoned not just our people but our values." Abrams, formerly the Democratic leader in the Georgia House of Representatives, used her response as a plea for bipartisanship. She said that even as she opposed the president, she did not want him to fail. "We may come from different sides of the political aisle, but our joint commitment to the ideals of this nation cannot be negotiable," she said. Democrats have pushed Abrams to run for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Sen. David Perdue of Georgia. Abrams has said she is "thinking about" a bid for that office, or potentially another run for governor. The president called for bipartisanship in his State of the Union, even as he pushed for an end to "ridiculous partisan investigations." Vincenti touched on priorities for the next year including more open dialogue with the superintendent and school board on the HCPS budget and ensuring school safety, supporting local law enforcement and fire and EMS. He talked about working with health officials to tackle the ongoing opioid crisis and deter youths from making self-destructive decisions, working with Aberdeen Proving Ground and other public and private entities to promote economic development with an emphasis on the Route 40 corridor, while preserving rural areas at the same time. Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg arrives to testify following a break during a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee and Senate Judiciary Committee joint hearing about Facebook on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Facebook on Tuesday night announced it revamped its performance review system and will now tie employee bonuses to new criteria, such as "making progress on the major social issues facing the internet and our company." Other criteria upon which employees will be graded include building new experiences, supporting businesses that rely on Facebook and communicating more transparently about the work they are doing, a Facebook spokeswoman told CNBC in a statement. These goals were outlined by CEO Mark Zuckerberg during the company's earnings call with analysts and investors last week. "So in a nutshell: Facebook's moving from a focus on growth, to a focus on change," a Facebook spokeswoman told CNBC in an email. The new system comes one month after a CNBC report detailed Facebook's performance review system based on the accounts of more than a dozen former employees. The revamped performance review system was previously reported by Fortune. "Over the past two years, we've fundamentally changed how we run Facebook," the company said in a statement. "This particular change is designed to ensure that we are incentivizing people to keep making progress on the major social issues facing the internet and our company." The new criteria will be used to measure employee performance for the first half of 2019, the company told CNBC. Previously, Facebook employees earned bonus based primarily on how their performance drove user growth, user engagement and revenue growth, according to a company filing. The previous criteria also included improving the company's product quality, its brand and making progress toward the company's long-term investments. WATCH: A first look inside Facebook's epic headquarters expansion that includes a redwood forest and a botanical garden Clinton, IA (52732) Today Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 78F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 59F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near a half an inch. Submit a letter to the editor The CJN provides an open forum for reader feedback and comments. Letters to the editor can be submitted via the form linked below, e-mailed to editorial@cjn.org or mailed to Letters, CJN, 23880 Commerce Park, Beachwood, Ohio 44122 (please type and double space, or write legibly). All submissions must include your full name, town of residency and daytime phone number (phone number will not be printed). Submit a letter Maryland is in the beginning stages of the Lead Higher Initiative, which aims to close equity gaps for low-income students and students of color in advanced courses. The program did not have a significant impact on last years senior class, officials said, but its influence should become apparent over time. In our world of divisiveness, generally, most people can agree crime is bad. But what about hate crimes? We have all heard the loaded-phrase before, but many remain unclear about what elevates a seemingly regular crime into a hate crime? Two recent incidents reported on by the Clevel CLEVELAND, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, an Ohio Democrat, is taking a more direct approach to criticizing Republican President Donald Trump on the issue of race as he contemplates running for president in 2020. Democrats have been perfectly willing to attack Trump for a plethora of reasons, arguing his policies benefit the wealthy, criticizing him for attempting to roll back the Affordable Care Act and feeling that hes degrading the office. But Brown is doing something a little different from the rest of the serious presidential contenders: hes flatly calling the president a racist. Candidates thus far have generally eschewed directly attacking Trump as a racist. They decry his policies as racist, his actions as racist or his rhetoric as racist. But they never get around to saying that about the president himself (save for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders). Take New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker for instance. At his announcement, Booker was asked whether he thought Trump was a racist. I don't know that he, uh. I don't know the heart of anybody. I'll leave that to the Lord, Booker said, before criticizing Trumps actions and some of the openly white supremacist figures who support the president. Its a delicate dance that the Democratic Party has done over the past two years. On one side is the general avoidance of using the word racist at all in politics when describing a lawmaker. On the other side are the fervent Democrats who vehemently think Trump is a racist and are tired of politicians avoiding the word. Theres no debate here. Trumps racist. Period. Scott Dworkin (@funder) February 4, 2019 Thats left the presidential hopefuls caught between the two, trying to offer enough criticism of Trump to appeal to the base but not appear too partisan as if they are attacking the people who voted for Trump in 2016. Browns style is different. First, lets take a look at the exchange Brown had on Sunday with Meet the Press host Chuck Todd after a question about the scandal surrounding Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam: Brown: Well, I think this country hasn't dealt well with the issues of race. I mean, we have a president who's a racist. Todd: Let me pause you there. You believe, in his heart, he's a racist? Brown: Well, I don't know what, "in his heart," means. I know that he built his political career, knowing what he was doing on questioning the legitimacy and the birthplace of the President of the United States. I know, early, and we -- there have been all kinds of news reports about what he did early in his career on housing. We know, I mean, read The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander. Read The Color of Law, about housing discrimination and decades and decades and decades of housing discrimination. And we know that the Trump family, including the now-sitting president, played to that and deepened that. So these issues, this is not a recent Charlottesville was only a symptom and a more-public viewing and outing, if you will, of the president's views about race. I mean, there's just no question about that. We know the president doesn't tell the truth frequently. We know he lies frequently. And we know of his racial back racist comments and background. We saw how Trump built a political brand questioning Obamas legitimacy and birthplace. We know Trump committed housing discrimination. We see how he is dividing our country and deepening wounds. Trump is a racist. There is no question about that. https://t.co/h6KXACBolt Sherrod Brown (@SherrodBrown) February 4, 2019 How and why is Brown playing it differently than the other candidates? First and foremost, he believes it. He called Trump a bigot numerous times during his Senate re-election campaign. Brown got into a public spat with the White House in 2017 after saying senior administration advisers were white supremacists. In the run-up to his early-state tour exploring a presidential run, which he continues this week in New Hampshire, Brown a longtime populist took issue with Trumps phony populism, which he said was rooted in racism and anti-Semitism. Real populism is not racist. Real populism is not anti-Semitic. Real populists dont engage in hate speech and dont rip babies from families at the border," Brown said during the kickoff to his early-state listening tour. Its no surprise that he said it again, only this time in front of a national audience. Brown isnt exactly known for mincing words. He feels strongly about fighting for everyone no matter if youre black, white, Latino, Asian or otherwise, said Justin Barasky, Browns 2018 Senate campaign manager. Hes also cognizant of many of the hurdles that various races unfairly have to face in day-to-day life. Especially from this president. Secondly, whereas a lot of politicians will approach the subject of racism gingerly out of a fear of backlash, thats unlikely to happen to Brown, assuming he decides to run. Brown is trying to get his message and his name out to the public right now. Hes lesser-known than most of the other candidates, but the idea is that he can be the liberal version of the blunt-talking, blue-collar candidate that Trump was in 2016, sans the divisive rhetoric. Browns comments on Meet the Press are entirely in line with who Brown is and the message hes pushing. The focus of his campaigns have almost always been on economic issues, but hes been a staunch ally on civil rights during his four-decade political career. His dignity of work theme that hes testing right now comes from a speech by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The basis of Browns message on the trail is improving conditions for all workers, regardless of race, ethnicity or gender while rejecting the politics of division. Whether strategic or not, the efficacy of Browns comments showed. It became national news with numerous outlets running stories on it. It also helped solidify his liberal credentials while hes running a campaign that doesnt support a Medicare-for-all style health care system and takes campaign contributions from corporate PACs, two issues that are rapidly becoming litmus tests for Democratic candidates. And with almost zero blowback. Conservative media barely picked up on the story. Meanwhile, it endeared him to the liberal base on social media. Its such a blip in the grand scheme of things that it served as an introduction to many, but likely wont be an issue one year from now when the first votes are cast during the Iowa caucus. Its a loaded word in our society. You have to be careful when using it, said David Yepsen, retired Des Moines Register chief political reporter. But hes got a reputation for straight, blunt talk. It would surprise no one. The average caucus-goer who hes trying to reach is going to say, Yeah, hes right. By November 2020 or 2024 when Brown is up for re-election in the Senate, the interview will be moot. Brown is also coming at Trump from a point of privilege. As a white, Midwestern senator, he doesnt have to be worried about being labeled the angry, black candidate for discussing Trumps racial views. Because of that, hes free to make the criticism. Most importantly is what voters think. Depending on which national poll you look at, a lot of people say they think Trump is racist. In an Associated Press poll from February 2018, 57 percent of respondents said Trump was a racist, including 21 percent of Republicans. In a Quinnipiac University poll from July last year, 49 percent of voters said they thought Trump was racist, while 47 percent said he was not. Democrats made major gains during the 2018 midterm elections, and it wasnt through avoiding criticism of the president. Speaking softly about the subject of racism is not remotely what Democratic voters want to hear. And its easy to look at the white backlash that swept Trump into office as proof that candidates shouldnt be so blunt on their racial critiques of the president, but that ignores the growing coalition of Democratic voters made up of minorities, women and young people. In just about every poll, minority, women and young voters say the president is a racist at a much higher rate than other groups. And theres research to show that racism and racial justice were significant motivators in the midterms. Research from Mi Familia Vota, a national civic engagement organization focused on the Latino community, conducted just before the elections, found 77 percent of Latino voters thought the president had a negative impact on communities of color. Seventy percent said Republicans didnt care about or were hostile to their community and 90 percent said, We should stand up for Americans of all backgrounds. Another survey conducted by the Advancement Project, a civil rights organization focused on racial equality, also done before the midterms, found voters of color aged 18 to 24 view racial justice as a significant motivating factor. The results of the poll clearly indicate that the principal issue for these voters, including young African-American, Latinx, Asian-American, and Native American voters care most about is racism and racial justice, said Zerline Hughes, spokeswoman for the Advancement Project National Office. The enthusiasm for voting for these voters of color is not about presidential scandals, affronts, or gaffes. It is about the racism they feel and experience in America today. Voters of color, regardless of race and especially among younger voters, strongly reject the politics of division and hate, and are eager for racial solidarity and racial justice, not only in rhetoric but also in their day to day lives. Basically, a lot of voters want blunt talk about issues of racial equity and the effects policies have on minority communities. Its 2020. Its time to learn to be very candid about race in America, said Karina Martinez, communications director for Mi Familia Vota, in an interview with cleveland.com. I would say for our purposes as a civic engagement organization, we (want candidates to) point to the facts, the figures and the policies. Certain laws and policies may or may not work against certain communities. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Doug Nester of Spring Valley (W. Va.) High School committed to Ohio State in August of 2017. But after spending almost 18 months as a future Buckeye, the four-star recruit has decided to flip to Virginia Tech, according to a report by Grant Taylor of the Huntington (W. Va.) Herald-Dispatch. Nester will make the decision official at 5 p.m. today. Ohio State is always the best of the best and they continue to get great talent and great guys, but its a big city and I dont know if I would fit in well there, Nester told the Herald-Dispatch. Penn State is a great place -- a small kind of town that is a city built around its campus. The town life is great and the guys are great, but its a little too far. I feel like Virginia Tech is that happy medium. Its three hours away and only an hour away from my sisters. Nester who took an official visit to Columbus on Jan. 18 is the fifth player to decommit since Urban Meyer announced his retirement and the third from Ohio States 2019 recruiting class. Jordan Battle of St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) flipped to Alabama, and Dwan Mathis of Oak Park (Mich.) flipped to Georgia during the December early signing period. Losing out on Nester shifts the Buckeyes' focus to landing both Enokk Vimahi of Kahuku High School (Hawaii) and Dawand Jones of Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis. The Buckeyes currently have 11 scholarship players on their offensive line, making it a position of need. Vimahi is expected to announce his decision at 12:30 p.m while Jones will make his at 6:30 p.m. Ohio State will also be looking to add former Rutgers offensive lineman Jonah Jackson as a graduate transfer. Ohio's roads and bridges continue to crumble, but as the need to fix them remains acute, the money to do it has run out. The bond money underwritten by Ohio Turnpike dollars that former Gov. John Kasich used to pay for non-turnpike repairs and construction is gone, and now his successor, Mike DeWine, must find another source of funding for safety-related repairs, multimodal upgrades and improvements to roads, bridges, transit and other transportation needs. Fortunately, the solution is right under his nose every time he stops to fuel up: an increase in the state's gasoline tax. Gas-tax money could be used to underwrite infrastructure bonds, as in the past, but the tax revenue has sunk so low that there is not enough to provide the needed funding. A tax increase would fix that. Call it a user fee - as former U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci of Wadsworth did when pushing, unsuccessfully, for a federal gas-tax increase. In appointing an Advisory Committee on Transportation Infrastructure, DeWine has set the stage for this important discussion. Increasing the gas tax is critical for the state's future for two reasons. First, Ohio needs to protect the assets that make it an American crossroads, a leader nationally in freight traffic and as a transportation hub. According to Fix Our Roads Ohio (FOR Ohio), a nonpartisan group calling for transportation improvements, Ohio has the third-highest freight volume in the United States, the nation's second-largest inventory of bridges and the fourth-largest interstate road system. Second, to attract the creative workforce of the future and to make sure that people can get to where the jobs are, both Northeast Ohio and the state as a whole have a pressing economic interest in a modernized, fully multimodal transportation system. Greater Cleveland already "leads the state" in multimodal approaches through a combination of "roads, bikeways, walkways, buses, light rail and heavy rail," said Grace Gallucci, executive director of the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, in a recent statement. NOACA does transportation and environmental planning for the region. But Gallucci joined with FOR Ohio in warning that current state funding limits NOACA's -- and the state's -- ability to deploy new technologies and create more sustainable transportation systems while preserving existing assets. The reason is a widening funding gap. For the fiscal year that will begin July 1, the Ohio Department of Transportation is expected to spend $1.7 billion on road work. But five years ago, ODOT spent $2.4 billion - 40 percent more. That's because the state earlier in the decade had sold $1.5 billion in Ohio Turnpike bonds for off-turnpike road projects, and leveraged that cash to pool $3 billion for road work. That $3 billion is now spent. At the same time, Ohio's gas tax -- unchanged since 2005 at 28 cents per gallon -- is both buying less and providing less. Something that cost 28 cents in mid-2005 now costs 36 cents, according to federal data. And because of higher gas mileage, that gas tax netted $200 million less for Ohio last year than in the 2013-14 fiscal year. Meantime, Ohio lags in public transit funding. The FOR Ohio coalition cites a 2017 finding by Policy Matters Ohio that Ohio "spends less on public transit than 44 states." A big reason is a 1947 amendment to the Ohio Constitution that prohibits spending gas-tax revenue and vehicle and registration fees on anything besides highways and the State Highway Patrol. Legislators should ask voters to alter that amendment. The Ohio of 2019 isn't the Ohio of 1947. DeWine's advisory committee move is welcome. Also welcome would be constructive debate on the issue by the General Assembly -- debate that takes into account both new transportation modes and the needs of all Ohioans, whether urban, suburban or rural. But the discussions shouldn't go on too long. The needs are pressing. And the solution is clear, in an overdue increase in Ohio's gas tax. 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. COLUMBUS, Ohio - A proposed bill named after Aisha Fraser, the former wife of an ex-judge and ex-state lawmaker who is accused of stabbing her to death in Shaker Heights, seeks to better protect victims of domestic violence. Aishas Law has three parts: After a domestic violence incident, a victim would be provided a questionnaire through which police and domestic violence advocates could assess her level of danger for future intimate partner violence; the victim and perpetrator would be referred to a community committee made up of police and advocates who could connect them to resources, such as rehab or housing; and offenders would be prohibited from pleading down violent felonies to lesser charges when they have prior serious or violent felony convictions. Rep. Janine Boyd, a Cleveland Heights Democrat, is sponsoring the bill. She said Fraser lived in her district -- although she didnt personally know her. Other constituents have asked for more protections for domestic violence victims, she said. Fraser was fatally stabbed at Lance Masons home in November when she was dropping off their children. Mason is a former Cuyahoga County Common Pleas judge, state representative and state senator, who hit a police cruiser when he was leaving the house after the stabbing. He has pleaded not guilty to the murder. Its not the first time Mason was accused of domestic violence. In 2015, Mason pleaded guilty to attempted felonious assault and domestic violence for an incident the year before. Charging documents said that Mason punched Fraser 20 times and slammed her head against a car dashboard five times, breaking an orbital bone. She needed to get facial reconstructive surgery as a result of the incident. Their daughters, ages 6 and 4 at the time, were in the back seat. Mason was sentenced to two years in prison but was released nine months later. Ronald Williams, who this spring was to marry the sixth-grade teacher, said the bill could have helped his fiancee, especially the provision for victims to take assessments on their vulnerability for future violence. Frasers uncle, George Fraser, took the questionnaire after she was killed and concluded she would have answered yes to six of the 11 questions. Yes to four of the questions shows a risk for homicide. The assessment is used in a number of states. If Fraser would have taken the assessment in 2014, after Mason brutalized her, she may have been better protected against against him, Williams said. Perhaps the assessment would have carried more weight than the letters of support written on Masons behalf by prominent members of the community after his arrest, Williams said. It would have given her some support, some energy to be able to hold the system more accountable in supporting her, he said. Williams met Fraser -- whom he called the love of my life" -- 24 years ago when she was in college at Florida A&M University. They reconnected in 2016, he said. He moved to the Cleveland area in July before their marriage. Frasers murder came as a shock, but Williams was wary of Mason, he said. I felt like if he didnt get her, he was going to get us, based on 2014," he said. Even though Frasers husband was a lawmaker, Boyd doesnt think thats a hurdle to getting the bill passed. She said that its a reminder that people never know whats going on behind closed doors. For me, he was just a guy," she said. "His role or his titles are irrelevant to me. My responsibility is to my constituent who is no longer here and to her children and her parents. No Republicans have signed onto Boyds bill thus far, although Boyds in the process of collecting co-sponsors. Republicans hold a supermajority in the House. My hope is to have it passed and at least have it on the desk of the governor by the anniversary of Aishas transition," Boyd said. "I cant imagine opposition, although thats possible. CLEVELAND, Ohio Local business leaders, operating within a non-profit corporation, want to lease a mostly idle wing of West Side Markets produce arcade & turn the city-owned property into a showcase for local goods and foods. Advertising veteran and community developer Alan Glazen, known for his Shark Tank-like investor TV programs set in Cleveland, said he worked with Eric Diamond, who runs the swiftly expanding local foods production center, Cleveland Launch and Culinary Kitchen, on a proposal submitted to the city on Tuesday. The city has not yet responded to the offer. Two leaders of the United West Side Market Tenants Association say they want to know more and have invited Glazen to a board meeting next week. Architectural renderings (see below) for the proposed Makers and Farmers Hall would reconfigure or remove current vendor stands in the short aisle of the produce arcade to include movable seating, open and refrigerated displays of local food & goods for sale and sampling. Glazen said the area would be staffed by those who can introduce the products, including some farmers, chefs and artisans. He also said he has no plans to displace vendors already operating there. We want to make it more of a social experience, said Glazen. Whole Foods, Heinens and others are doing a good job trying to simulate the European market experience, but theyre not as iconic as West Side Market. They can emulate public markets but they cant be one. Why not retrofit what we have into something the suburbanites can flock to, and give them a place for their social purchases of the week? Glazen said hes worked on the proposal over the last few months, consulting with market manager Felicia Y. Hall, vendors, neighborhood business owners and Cleveland city councilman Kerry McCormack. McCormack did not respond to an interview request on Wednesday, and is still working with Ohio City Incorporated, the neighborhood development group around the market, on a proposal to explore new management ideas for the entire 106-year-old public market. Glazens did not include a financial plan in his proposal for the arcade, although he said it could likely require a $500,000 investment. We have the money, he said. And by being a nonprofit, we know we can have access to federal grants and foundation money. Still, he said, there are lots of negotiations ahead and that rental fees are among them. With nearly a third of the produce stands empty, Glazen called his idea a proposal in progress to help the merchant economy grow in a new way. We know a lot evolution is happening at the market. We take no sides, we want to work for however market evolves. Our only goal is to help set a new pathway. Don Whitaker, new president of the tenants association, said he didnt see the proposal until Tuesday afternoon, and wants to know more. The plan is a little on the vague side, he said, although I appreciate that [Glazen] wants to help the market. But I dont want any vendors to get hurt with this and I want to protect the integrity of the market. The plan left the impression that he wants full control of that area, and that could mean that other vendors could suffer. Whitaker said he and other vendors are concerned about goods being sold by a nonprofit group that could essentially subsidize products, enabling them to compete in price with current vendors. Or, compete by carrying some of the same locally made products already sold inside the market house. He also expressed concern about the fate of the five or so vendors who are in the short aisle. Vendor board member Jimmy Traynor, who co-owns West Side Market Cafe, said some vendors are also concerned whether Glazen would ask for a long-term lease to help guarantee investments. A lot of people here would like a long-term lease, he said. Many are on annual contracts. The secret of the markets longevity is having an even playing field, said Whitaker. Traynor said he is openly optimistic about Glazens plan. Ive known him for 40 years, he said. Hes a forward thinker. If he can fill a void in the arcade, we should at least listen. Whitaker became president this year and said his priority is to find solutions to many of the markets problems, such as identifying the best hours for customers, filling stand vacancies and doing more to promote the personal service provided by vendors there. Even if Glazens plan doesnt come to anything, its got everyone talking about change, he said. This might mean that the right solution will appear. (This story has been updated to include comments from the leadership of the United West Side Market Tenants Association.) CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A nine-member advisory board to the Ohio Department of Higher Education remains empty, and theres no answer on whether Gov. Mike DeWine will choose to fill it. The Ohio Board of Regents, created by the Ohio General Assembly in 1963, releases an annual report on the Condition of Higher Education in Ohio and reviews the chancellor of educations performance each year. The board has not met for more than two years, due to lack of a quorum. The board last met in November of 2016. No report was published on the Department of Higher Educations website from 2017 or 2018. The Department of Higher Education lists two state legislature representatives on the board: Rep. Andrew Brenner and Sen. Peggy Lehner. Former Gov. John Kasich last appointed members to the board in 2013, leaving seats open as regents' terms gradually expired. The last two regents' terms ended in September 2018. The board is written into the Ohio Revised Code, but there is no penalty included for failing to appoint replacements. The state legislature in 2007 took away one of the key responsibilities of the board, having the chancellor of higher education appointed by the governor instead of the regents. In Feb. 2018, Kasich spokesman Jon Keeling told the Columbus Dispatch since that vote, the board filled a less-formal advisory role." In light of that, weve advised talented people interested in higher education service to instead consider college and university boards of trustees, he told the Dispatch. University board of trustees members are also appointed by the governor. Kasichs proposed merging the Department of Education, Department of Higher Education and the Governors Office of Workforce Transformation. The idea would have abolished the Board of Regents, according to the Associated Press. Lawmakers shelved the proposal last year, and the Columbus Dispatch reported that then-gubernatorial candidate DeWine did not support it. Spokesman Dan Tierney said DeWines office is currently reviewing all boards and is aware of the board of regents vacancies. Regents are unpaid, except for expenses while conducting board business. Recently-appointed chancellor of higher education Randy Gardner has spent his first few weeks working on the budget and dealing with a faculty strike at Wright State University, Department of Higher Education spokesman Jeff Robinson wrote in an email. In an interview with cleveland.com, Gardner said there has been no discussion of merging departments like Kasich envisioned. I think the one thing youre going to see in this administration is laser-focused development on workforce development, he said. This story previously stated the last minutes posted online from a Board of Regents meeting were from January 2016. The board last met in November of 2016, and the last minutes posted on the Department of Higher Education website are from September. HONOLULU, Hawaii A state legislator is proposing legislation that wont ban smoking outright ... but residents would have to wait a long, long time to do it legally. The proposal by State Rep. Richard Creagan would raise the age requirement for smoking to 30 in 2020. Thats a significant jump over the current age of 21. But its only getting started. It would hit 40 in 2021, 50 in 2022 and 100 in 2024, USA Today reports. Creagan, who is a medical doctor, tells the Hawaii Tribune-Herald that previous increases in taxes and regulations on smoking dont go far enough. Basically, we essentially have a group who are heavily addicted in my view, enslaved by a ridiculously bad industry which has enslaved them by designing a cigarette that is highly addictive, knowing that it highly lethal. And, it is," Creagan says. The bill does not apply to cigars, chewing tobacco or e-cigarettes, the Washington Post reports. The timetable allows for the state to plan for losses in tax revenue from cigarette sales, the Post reports. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there are more than 480,000 smoking-related deaths each year in the United States. The popularity of smoking has declined over the past several years, according to the CDC: In 2016, 15.5 percent of adults smoked and less than 7 percent below the age of 18. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- This is definitely not what the promoters of Black History month had in mind. Racial skeletons are literally flying out of dusty closets and into disturbing headlines. At least two high profile public figures have been forced to perform racial perp walks and were not yet a week into the month used by some to reflect on the history of blacks in America. First, it was revealed late last week that Virginia Governor Ralph Northams 1984 medical school yearbook had pictures of a man in blackface and another in a KKK robe posted on his personal page. Initially, Northam acknowledged he was the man pictured in blackface and apologized. A day later, he changed his story and said the painted face wasnt his. The inexplicable about-face came as calls for his resignation were reaching a crescendo. As of Tuesday afternoon, the first-term Democratic governor had become a one-man crisis communicator. He acknowledged that not being remembered as a racist is what motivates him to fight for his legacy as an army officer, physician, and a respected politician. Unfortunately, for him forgiveness and reconciliation arent currently trending as cultural priorities. Few will cry him any tears. America is currently in a highly polarized and racially divisive climate. Sometimes, it feels that the mood of the nation is being reset to the 1960s or earlier. There is a dangerous shortage of unifying leadership. Northams past is disturbing. However, its the confession of award-winning actor Liam Neeson that personally troubles me even more. News broke Monday that Neeson had outed himself as a former violent racist in an interview with The Independent, a British newspaper. Neeson, 66, insisted that he no longer harbors racists views while acknowledging that several decades ago he randomly went in search of black men hoping to provoke and attack them. Neeson said his fury was stoked by a friend who allegedly told him that she had been sexually assaulted by a black male. The then-young actor said he took it upon himself to extract a pound of random black flesh as retribution. In a remarkable interview with Robin Roberts of ABCs Good Morning America, Neeson said he felt a primal urge to attack random black men as part of a revenge plan to settle for his friends alleged assault. He said he never attacked anyone but has continued to use the alleged assault for fuel in his acting career. Thats the part of his race confession that bothers me most. I have long enjoyed Neesons work. As the father of a daughter, Ive long cheered him in his Taken series, in which he uses his particular set of skills, to pursue and punish his daughters kidnappers. However, to learn that his convincing screen persona continues to be partially fueled by latent revenge rage that once spurred him to go in search of unsuspecting African-American males induces nausea. His confession undoubtedly will render many incapable of continued support of his work. When Roberts asked Neeson if he saw any teachable moments resulting from his shocking racial confession, he did offer something of use. At that point, he had nothing to lose given his unsolicited testimonial. We all pretend that we are politically correct. (But) sometimes you just scratch the surface and you discover this racism, and this bigotry, and its there, said Neeson. I give him credit for transparency. He knows the content of his own character. The transplanted Irishman also appears to have a pretty good read on America, his adopted country. February is far from over. One can only wonder what black or blackface history will emerge in what remains of a month loosely focused on African-Americans. Our specialized training and leadership programs with the U.S. Department of Homeland Securitys Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) have no relationship to the enforcement of immigration policies by the current or any other administration, university spokesperson Karen Lancaster said. We have been unequivocal in our public statements concerning the consequences of recent immigration policies that have a clear, direct and demonstrable impact on members of our university community. WICKLIFFE, Ohio -- In the middle of a shopping plaza bookended by a restaurant and tax services agency, Greater Clevelands first medical marijuana dispensary opened Wednesday. The Botanist, located at 30133 Euclid Avenue Suite C, opened its doors at noon to a line of patients and caregivers eager to get their hands on medical marijuana cultivated in Ohio. This marks the second Botanist location in Northeast Ohio. The Botanist in Canton was one of the first dispensaries to open in the state on Jan. 16. Three weeks later, and Greenleaf Apothecaries LLC has opened its Wickliffe location. Greenleaf has plans to operate a total of five dispensaries in Ohio, with stores in Akron, Cleveland and Columbus slated to open in the coming months, COO Kate Nelson said Wednesday on cleveland.coms Facebook Live. At first medical marijuana dispensary in Cleveland area, The Botanist in Wickliffe, opening today. Hannah Drown shows you inside. How do you feel about medical marijuana in Ohio? Posted by cleveland.com on Wednesday, February 6, 2019 Patients and caregivers will begin their visit to The Botanist at the front door, where they must present a government issued ID and their medical marijuana ID card to the receptionist, Nelson said. Anyone who does not have a medical marijuana card, but is interested in learning more, is welcome to come into the waiting room, providing they have a photo ID card. In the waiting room, members of the public can speak with a pharmacist and review their patient guide and brochure - they just cant come into the retail area, The Botanist spokeswoman Caroline Henry said. During their first visit, patients and caregivers will complete an initial intake form that is also available on The Botanists website and can be filled out beforehand. They can also sit down for a consultation with a trained representative to figure out which strain of marijuana might be best. Each patient must have been diagnosed with at least one of the 21 qualifying conditions and recommended to use medical marijuana by a certified physician. All of our locations are managed by licensed pharmacists, Henry said. These are individuals who have run retail pharmacies for many years and they have doctorates in pharmacy. They have a lot of experience consulting with patients about their medication. The entire staff is well-versed in cannabinoids, terpenes and other aspects of different strains and delivery methods. They also engage with empathy and compassion because everybody on our team has somebody - a loved one or somebody that theyve known - whose lives couldve been improved, or whose pain couldve been lessened, by having medical marijuana in the past, Greenleaf Apothecaries CEO David Neundorfer said previously. Thats why were here today. Patients will be brought back to the cozy retail area to make their purchase. The smallest quantity they can buy is 2.83 grams, which sells for $48 to $56. What weve seen in most of the new states [to legalize medical marijuana] is that prices start out a little higher and then they go down over time, so thats what were projecting to happen in Ohio, Henry said. Patients can buy up to a 90-day supply, which is tracked for each individual in the state system. A maximum 90-day supply for Tier I flower (less than 23% THC) is 8 ounces, or 226.8 grams, for regular patients, and 10 ounces for terminally ill patients. Patients can buy up to 5.3 ounces, or 187.1 grams, of Tier II flower with higher THC content. The maximum amounts will differ for processed materials such as oils, capsules and edibles, when those become available. Once patients have decided on how much of which strain and what accessories they want to buy, they will go over to the cash registers - emphasis on the cash. An ATM in the retail area is a reminder that all transactions at The Botanist are cash-only. Unfortunately, we cannot accept any insurance at this time, Nelson said. The best that we are able to do, per state regulations, is offer a discount to veterans and indigent patients. Thats a 25 percent discount and thats state-regulated. They will then receive their plant material in a plastic bottle marked with the logo of the Ohio cultivator where the marijuana was grown. Similar to prescription medications, a sticker with the patients name will be affixed to the bottle. State law requires patients keep the marijuana in that original bottle, and have their medical marijuana ID card on their person at all times, Nelson said. Patients who follow those guidelines should have no issues with law enforcement if they are pulled over with marijuana in their vehicle, for example. When a patient returns to The Botanist or any other dispensary, their profile in the state system will indicate how much product they are able to purchase. If they come to another Botanist location, their patient intake profile will also keep a record of what kind of product they bought before, so the staff can have an informed conversation about how the treatment is going. Neundorfer hopes The Botanist can be a warm and welcoming place for patients, caregivers and curious members of the public. We want patients to feel comfortable accessing treatment and gaining an understanding of the power and applications of cannabis by making the dispensary experience open, welcoming and informative, Neundorfer said. If you wish to contact The Botanist, a phone call is best, Henry said. All Ohio dispensaries are prohibited from responding to questions or comments on social media, even by direct message, she said. CLEVELAND, Ohio An employee of a Cleveland store shot one of two armed robbers in the neck before he suffered a gunshot wound to the head, police said. Mohammed Shahin, 33, of Rocky River, died in the shooting, according to police reports and the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner. The 18-year-old suspected armed robber Shahin shot was arrested a few blocks away and taken to University Hospitals in serious condition. He remains hospitalized Wednesday morning, police said. No formal charges have been filed in the case and police said they are searching for a second armed robber who escaped without injury. Two other employees in the store at the time ages 58 and 18 were not injured, police said. The shooting happened about 8:45 p.m. Tuesday at the In & Out Beverage & Deli on Lakeview Road near Durant Avenue. Both robbers had guns. Shahin pulled out a gun exchanged gunfire with the 18-year-old. The 18-year-old suspect ran about a half mile to Kimberly Avenue, where police arrested him and took him to the hospital, according to police reports. Officers found Shahin unconscious behind the counter, police reports say. The 18-year-old has prior criminal convictions in juvenile court for domestic violence, drug possession, assault and unlawful restraint. To comment on this story, visit Wednesdays crime and courts comments page. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Recently leaked schedules for President Trump showed 60% of his daily routine is set aside for "Executive time" essentially leisure time. Tuesday Trump took time out from his play-Fox News watching-tweeting time to deliver a lengthy State of the Union address. Trump gave the address before a joint session of Congress in the House chamber. But he could have given it in a Chuck E Cheese bouncy house because it bounced back and forth between unifying and divisive talking points. The President stood between what appeared to be dueling teleprompters. One rolling with soaring eloquence calling for unity, compromise and choosing greatness over gridlock. The other rolling with divisive rehashed rhetoric, fear-mongering and lies. One teleprompter speaking to the Trump base, the other teleprompter speaking to The United States. Trump echos Nixon's SOTU call to end Watergate investigation. Soon into his address, Trump was reading awkward segways that would continue throughout it, and channeling President Richard Nixon's SOTU call to end the Watergate investigation. "An economic miracle is taking place in the United States. The only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations. If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation. It just doesn't work that way" --Said the President who has demonstrated time and again he has no clue how legislative government works. Many thought that Trump was referring to the investigation of Special Counsel Robert Mueller. But Chris Christie made a good point that he thought Trump was actually referring to the upcoming Democrat-led House oversight investigations. Trump olive branch of bipartisan legislation, wall warning Trump extended an olive branch of issues that the Trump administration, Republicans and Democrats should be able to agree on, such as Infrastructure funding, prison sentencing reform, regulating medical/pharma pricing, family leave and child cancer research. But Trump's olive branches were far shorter than the time he spent talking about his border wall and immigration. Trump rehashed his fear-mongering talking points and falsehoods on the issue. "I will build it," Trump said of the wall, soon after he had said, "So let's work together, compromise and reach and deal that will truly make America safe." Trump effectively hits Dems on socialism and late-term abortion support. Thought Trump effectively hit Democrats when talking about socialism and their support for unpopular late-term abortion legislation. While Trump was directly addressing turmoil in Venezuela when extolling Democracy over Socialism, he was unmistakably indirectly targeting the far-left of the Democrat party. The camera immediately zoomed in on a grim-looking Bernie Sanders. Trump called for legislation to ban late-term abortions after New York and Virginia allowed late-late term abortion and post birth non-resuscitation, deftly noting discredited blackface-wearing Democrat Virginia Governor Ralph Northam's support for late-term abortion. Only 13% of Americans support late-term abortions. Democrats are tone deaf in thinking this is an election issue winner for them. It's a loser and plays right into Republicans hands Commentators were wrong when saying Trump's call for banning late-term abortions was just him playing to his base. It also plays well to more Democrats than progressives and pundits realize. I still remember hearing from several lifelong Democrats who said they wouldn't vote for Al Gore because of his support for late-term abortions, and Democrats who said they'd vote for Gore holding their nose over his support for late-term abortions. Democrat leaders, strategists, and office holders keep forgetting that Trump won because many Democrats voted for him. It's clear that Trump's re-election strategy is to portray Democrats as vearing too far to the left of mainstream America. There's too much evidence that's true in many respects. SOTU Highlights. For me, the highlights of the State of the Union was the saluting of Holocaust survivors and the acknowledgement of the advancement of women in the workplace, including Congress, symbolized by newly-elected Congresswomen and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wearing suffragette white. Trump saluted Pittsburgh synagogue shooting survivor Judah Samet, who had also survived Nazi concentrations camps. After Trump noted it was Samet's birthday, the chamber spontaneously began singing "Happy Birthday" to the 81 year-old. Trump began and ends on high notes. The President began and ended his address on soaring high notes calling for unity and choosing to be great. "Together, we can break decades of political stalemate. We can bridge old division, heal old wounds, build new coalitions, forge new solutions, and unlock the extraordinary promise of America's future." "Reject the politics of revenge, resistance and retribution-- and embrace the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise and the common good.." "The decision is ours to make. We must choose between greatness or gridlock... vision or vengeance, incredible progress or pointless destruction. Tonight, I ask you to choose greatness." Last night President Trump called on Congress to choose greatness. Today, tomorrow and the days after, will Trump continue to choose tweeting instead? CLEVELAND, Ohio The Global Center for Health Innovation, built alongside Clevelands convention center as a showroom for medical technology, continues to pivot toward its new focus a hub for healthcare innovation and a gathering place to debate big ideas. BioEnterprise, the Cleveland-based nonprofit, took over marketing and recruiting for the center a year ago. President and CEO Aram Nerpouni said the center is already showing signs of revival, with more employees at the site, new tenants, and a slate of meetings and programs planned for important topics of the day. Theres an opportunity, if we do this right, to make the Global Center one of the key assets of Cleveland, he said. Read more: No longer overlooked: Clevelands Huntington Convention Center sees continued growth But first, Nerpouni is working to shore up the number of businesses located inside the building. The occupancy rate has dropped to about 70 percent in recent months, as some longtime tenants, including Johnson Controls and Cisco Systems, let their leases expire. Nerpouni predicted an occupancy rate of about 85 percent by the end of this year. We have a nice healthy pipeline of companies that were working with to fill that up, he said. Among his priorities: working to bring in tenants who will maintain staff in the 235,000-square building, which he described as beautiful and very quiet when he moved in. The four-story building was built alongside Clevelands new convention center in 2013, both funded by a quarter-cent increase in the Cuyahoga County sales tax. Its original purpose was to serve as a showroom for medical companies and a lure to attract health-care related conferences and conventions to the city. In recent years, the centers focus has shifted to serve as a hub for healthcare conversations and innovation. A year ago, Nerpouni said, there were five employees working in the building. Today, there are nearly 70, including 20 from BioEnterprise, which has relocated from its former home in University Circle. His goal is to have 150 people working inside the center in a year or so. New tenants include Plug and Play, which funds and promotes biotech startups; TPA Stream, a health-care software company; G2G consulting; Convelo Therapeutics and others. Long-time tenants include the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, which takes up a majority of the buildings fourth floor; the Cleveland Clinic Foundation; University Hospitals; MetroHealth; Siemens; Steris; Gleeson; DHG Healthcare; and others. Nerpouni said all tenants are paying market-price rent. Rental income in 2018 was $1.15 million, and should increase to $1.16 million in 2019, according to Cuyahoga County figures. As for whether the facility will ever make a profit a stated goal, from the centers early years Nerpouni was noncommittal. As we increase occupancy, we will move in the direction of making money, he said. Ultimately, if you wanted to build a financially self-sustaining office building, it would look different than the Global Center looks. In addition to attracting new tenants, BioEnterprise is focused on putting together programs that bring together multiple parties, from across the region and around the world, for big-picture conversations. Among recent topics: private capital and the opioid crisis; physician burnout and caregiver stress; neonatal abstinence syndrome. These are problems that are too big for any one organization to solve on their own, said Nerpouni. Using the Global Center as a forum to bring these conversations together is a very powerful way to use the facility. The Global Center hosted 125 events in 2018, said Nerpouni, and were pushing hard to get that number over 200 this year. BioEnterprise, founded in 2002 to help fund and nurture the bioscience industry in Northeast Ohio, is midway through a two-year contract to fill the Global Center. Our intention is to renew that, he said. The company is not paid to manage the facility, although it does receive a break in rent and a budget of $482,000 to fund programming and marketing. SMG, the private company hired by the county to manage the convention center, oversees the operation of the Global Center, as well. Nerpouni said a name change for the Global Center for Health Innovation initially known as the Medical Mart or Med Mart -- is still possible, but is not imminent. While everyone has an opinion about it, the name doesnt seem to have any impact on the centers success, said Nerpouni. The focus is on programming, he said. When we consider a name change, you can take that as a sign that weve met our short-term goals. BROOKLYN, Ohio -- Nearly three years after Ikea announced it wouldn't be opening up a Tiedeman Road location, the Brooklyn Community Improvement Corporation (CIC) recently sold 6.8 acres of land for $335,000 to Premier Partners LLC. "That property -- which has a wetlands issue, in conjunction with the 12 acres that The Plain Dealer was providing to the south -- was designated as part of the Ikea location," Brooklyn Department of Economic Development Director Andi Udris said. "What this land had been used for in the past was to provide additional parking for Keystone Tailored Manufacturing. "Premier Partners LLC came to us saying they wanted to purchase it for parking purposes. I'm glad at least the property can be used by the adjacent property owners so they can attract new tenants." Earlier this year, Keystone Tailored Manufacturing announced it was closing its doors with Premier Partners LLC taking over. Premier Partners LLC Senior Vice President Kevin Callahan said the plan for the new property is to repave an existing parking lot for use by any future tenants of its 35,000-square-foot building. "We've cleaned up and done a lot of work to the building," Callahan said. "We're hoping to take it to the market. Overall, we try to reposition buildings and make them look a lot nicer. We're trying to bring in a quality tenant to Brooklyn. Right now it's vacant, but already we have some good bites." As for the Brooklyn CIC, the entity is authorized to sell or lease any lands or interests in lands owned by the city. The $335,000 sale was deposited into Brooklyn's general fund. The Brooklyn CIC Board includes Mayor Katherine A. Gallagher, City Council Pro Tem Andy Celcherts and City Councilwoman Kathy Pucci, as well as residents John Wittine and Deb Tomusko. In terms of other economic development opportunities, Udris said the next step regarding the city-owned 7.5-acre area located around the southwest corner of the Memphis Avenue and Tiedeman Road intersection involves $20,000 in grant money from the Cuyahoga County Land Bank to demolish two existing homes. "We've had interest from people who want a gas station and convenience store," Udris said. "That's not what the city is looking at right now. We'd like to see office and some more substantial development on that corner. "So we're kind of holding out to get the whole property cleared before we can actually promote it as a finished product." Brooklyn is asking $990,000 for the property, which is currently zoned two-thirds general business with the eastern one-third portion zoned retail business. It remains to be seen once the property is ready for development whether Brooklyn officials stick to their guns for lucrative office jobs or capitulate to market demand for retail. "That's up to the city to decide whether we change the zoning," Udris said. "Generally speaking, everybody has agreed the zoning currently is the highest and best use, but we also have the current planning process. "If through the planning process the committee decides there is some other use, we'll obviously consider that recommendation." BEACHWOOD, Ohio -- Theft, Fairmount Boulevard: At 6:25 p.m. Jan. 30, three shoplifting suspects, believed to have stolen items from Dillard's at Beachwood Place mall, 26300 Cedar Road, left the scene in a car. Police located the suspects' car and conducted a traffic stop on Fairmount Boulevard. A North Randall woman, 33, was arrested on charges of theft, receiving stolen property, obstruction of official business, and possession of drug paraphernalia. She was also arrested on an outstanding warrant. A Cleveland Heights man, 31, was arrested for driving with a suspended license and on multiple warrants, and a Cleveland man, also 31, was arrested and charged with marijuana possession. He was also the subject of multiple warrants. Warrant arrest, Cedar Road: At 11:55 p.m. Feb. 1, a Cleveland Heights woman, 21, called police from the Montefiore nursing facility, 27080 Cedar Road, and reported that her ex-boyfriend was harassing her. Police went on to arrest the woman, who was wanted on an outstanding police warrant. Theft, Cedar Road: At 1:20 p.m. Jan. 31, police arrested a Maple Heights boy, 17, for stealing merchandise worth $203 from Dillard's. OVI, I-271: At 2:50 a.m. Feb. 1, a Euclid woman, 34, was arrested for OVI and driving with a suspended license on I-271 northbound. The woman was additionally charged with driving with a prohibited blood-alcohol content and marijuana possession. Theft, Chagrin Boulevard: At 11:20 a.m. Feb. 1, a Cleveland man, 68, was arrested for theft, and on an active Shaker Heights Municipal Court warrant for failure to appear on a prior theft charge. The Feb. 1 theft incident occurred at True North Shell, 26100 Chagrin Blvd. Warrant arrest, Chagrin Boulevard: At 12:15 a.m. Feb. 2, a Cleveland man, 20, called police from The Vue apartments, 23220 Chagrin Blvd., to arrange for a ride and was arrested on a police warrant. Marijuana possession, Chagrin Boulevard: At 8:15 a.m. Feb. 2, police issued a citation to a Cleveland woman, 24, for showing expired plates. The woman was also cited for possession of drug paraphernalia. A passenger in the car, a 22-year-old Cleveland woman, was charged with marijuana possession. Theft, Cedar Road: At 4:05 p.m. Feb. 2, police arrested a Wickliffe boy, 17, for stealing merchandise worth $534 from Sephora at Beachwood Place. The boy was also charged with receiving stolen property. Theft, Cedar Road: At 4:25 p.m. Feb. 2, a Cleveland woman, 20, was arrested for stealing merchandise worth $934 from from Dillard's. Theft, Cedar Road: At 7:55 p.m. Feb. 2, an employee at Dillard's reported that a male suspect stole two bracelets worth a total of $4,500. The suspect was not apprehended. OVI, Chagrin Boulevard: At 2:40 a.m. Feb. 3, a Euclid woman, 30, was arrested for OVI and driving with a suspended license. The woman's car was stopped because its headlights were not activated. Marijuana possession, Harvard Road: At 12:05 a.m. Feb. 3, police stopped a car for speeding. It was subsequently found that the driver, a Cleveland woman, 19, was in possession of marijuana. The car contained two passengers, both girls. One was not wearing a seat belt, and the other girl possessed drug paraphernalia. If you would like to comment on the police blotter, please visit our crime and court comments page. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Vinay Parameswaran will be the assistant conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra at least two more years. On Wednesday, the orchestra announced that Parameswaran, assistant here since 2017, will continue to serve the group and music director Franz Welser-Most in his current capacity through the 2020-21 season. The same contract extension also retains Parameswaran for two additional seasons as music director of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, a large group of talented young musicians representing 11 counties in Northeast Ohio. [Parameswaran] has proven himself to be a valuable member of the Cleveland Orchestras conducting staff, said chief artistic officer Mark Williams, in a written statement. His collaborative spirit and commitment to musical excellence have been an assetand his dedication and commitment [to COYO] inspires young musicians and fosters their love of music. Parameswaran, a native of San Francisco, joined the Cleveland Orchestra in 2017, after serving three seasons as associate conductor of the Nashville Symphony. He also was a conducting fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center and studied at Brown University and the Curtis Institute of Music. Aptly, Parameswaran also spent six years as a percussionist in the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. Here in Cleveland, he is now in his second season as music director of COYO, and is making plans to lead the ensemble on its third international tour, details of which are slated to be announced this spring. For more information, visit clevelandorchestra.com. The Godley ISD board of trustees recognizes Godley High School junior Alexis White, center, for recently being named an ambassador in the Health Ambassadors for a Ready Texas initiative by the Texas Department of Agriculture. The TDA developed the initiative to provide high school students with an opportunity to champion healthy eating and overall wellness on their school campuses. LOUISVILLE, KY, February 1, 2019 Thursday evening, Schedule It received a FAST Innovation Award from EnterpriseCorp, the entrepreneurial arm of Greater Louisville Inc. Twelve of the regions most innovative up and coming companies were honored at The Loft at the Gillespie, presented by Hilliard Lyons and Dean Dorton. We are extremely honored to have received this award last night, says Schedule It CEO, Rebecca Wheeling. Kentuckys entrepreneurial community has shown such tremendous growth this past year and we are truly excited to be a part of it. Our mentors and organizations such as EnterpriseCorp and Greater Louisville Inc. have supported us every step of the way and helped us to achieve our success. Schedule Its automated and structured Schedule It Pro product, with immediate contact capabilities, eliminates time-consuming calls between insurance carriers, IA firms, adjusters and insureds about claim status, ensuring worry-free claims management for insurance carriers and their insureds with improved customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. The claim inspection process is also greatly improved with Schedule Its newly launched mobile app, Scope It , making initial home inspections quick and painless, enabling adjusters to have their inspection reports completed in the same day. These HOT and FAST companies exemplify high-potential, innovative work being done throughout the regions entrepreneurial community. Past winners include stand-outs such as Apellis Pharmaceuticals and MobileServe. The criteria used in this years selection of six HOT Companies included being a technology-based company that is using innovation to differentiate themselves in the marketplace and incorporating some level of intellectual property into their innovation. Each has already gained customer traction as an indication of early adoption and is currently in or has had successful equity raises. All six are clients of EnterpriseCorp. The criteria used in this years selection of six FAST Companies included being a high-growth company that is increasing their revenue by at least 20% annually for three years or more, starting from a revenue base of at least $1 million. This growth pace means that the companies have effectively doubled their revenues. EnterpriseCorp believes all 12 companies selected are positioned to continue growing and improving Greater Louisvilles economy. 2019s HOT & FAST Companies are: Hot Companies Autymate : Provides a revolutionary software platform for connecting every source of data, helping businesses automate their workflows and generate custom dashboards and reports. Autymate is focused on building relationships with resellers and channel partners to create software solutions that solve their clients pain points as well as generate new revenue opportunities for partners. BehaVR : Creates digital therapeutics for behavioral health using Virtual Reality. Their goal is to help people better cope with stress and adverse life events that manifest in chronic pain, addiction, anxiety, depression and higher medical costs due to chronic illness. Dry Baby : The exclusive manufacturer of liquid and stain repellent infant apparel. Dry Baby solves a problem all caregivers face messy babies. With their functional childrens apparel fighting against everyday messes, spills, and spit up, they keep babies clean, comfortable, and dry all day. Podchaser : The ultimate data source and discovery solution for podcasts. RCM Brain : Uses artificial intelligence (AI) and bot automation (RPA) to accurately manage claim and payment transactions between healthcare providers and insurance payers. Their technology is built from the ground up using AI capabilities to extract data from any source, self-learn advanced rules, and drive predictive workflow to front line billing staff. Xooker : A hyper-local mobile advertising suite of services that incorporates mobile games for local merchants and restaurants to attract, acquire, engage and reward consumers via their mobile devices. Xookers platform includes mobile coupons, deals, loyalty cards, rewards, charity fundraising and more. Fast Companies HANDLE : Professionalizes a fragmented, low integrity secondary market in healthcare. Whether clients need to buy or sell, HANDLE makes it easy to source supplies and equipment in one place and list any excess product or end-of-life equipment that are ready to be sold. An easy-to-use marketplace, a mobile tool, a personalized dashboard with matching algorithm based on purchasing history and dedicated buyers saves their clients both time and money. HMS Global Maritime : Founded and managed by maritime professionals, HMS Global Maritime is one of the industrys premiere passenger vessel and marine management firms, known and respected for its safe vessel operations, excellent customer service, financial profitability of its clients ventures and uncompromising business ethics based on personal relationships. Rabbit Hole Spirits : A Kentucky-based bourbon and whiskey distiller inspired by modern approaches to whiskey making. They offer guided tours and tastings in a contemporary, industrial-chic facility. Schedule It : Specializes in automating routing, mapping, scheduling, and file note completion for any property insurance adjuster, including those working for insurers, independent adjusting (IA) firms, and independently. The Schedule It Pro (SIP) automated scheduling solution, optimizes routing to ensure maximum productivity for highly-motivated, competitive adjusters, and speeds claim resolution time for affected policyholders. Venminder : The market leader in third party risk management solutions reducing the workload essential to meeting todays demanding regulatory requirements. Their software organizes all things vendor-related and guides users through contract management, risk assessments, due diligence requirements, questionnaires and more. They also assess cybersecurity, information security, business continuity/disaster recovery and financial health. Wicked Sheets: Offers moisture wicking and cooling sheets through their comfort sleep solutions for night sweats and hot flashes. Free of dyes, bleaching agents, and chemicals that can cause skin irritation, their advanced fabrics are hypoallergenic and have been independently tested and certified free of harmful substances. Sleep wicked! About Schedule ItSchedule It is a technology provider specializing in automating routing, mapping, scheduling, and file note completion for any property insurance adjuster, including those working for insurers, independent adjusting (IA) firms, and independently. The Schedule It Pro (SIP) automated scheduling solution reduces calls to insurance carrier call centers, optimizes routing to ensure maximum productivity for highly-motivated, competitive adjusters, and speeds claim resolution time for affected policyholders. Schedule It helps insurers close claims faster and reduce loss adjustment expenses (LAE), and adjusters spend less time scheduling and more time adjusting claims. Learn more at www.scheduleit.io or by calling (515) 442-5246. About EnterpriseCorp EnterpriseCorp is the entrepreneurial arm of Greater Louisville Inc. (GLI) the regions leading economic development organization. As an entrepreneurial support organization, EnterpriseCorp assists entrepreneurs with business assessment, customer discovery, capital access, talent acquisition, space selection, strategic introductions and peer-to-peer networking. We support the culture of the community through educational series and recognition events. We collect data and convene leaders to prepare the Louisville region for the next generation of innovators. For more information, visit www.EnterpriseCorp.com . About Greater Louisville Inc.Greater Louisville Inc. the Metro Chamber of Commerce is where regional business leaders come together to accelerate business competitiveness, economic growth and job creation in the Greater Louisville region. The regions largest business leadership organization, GLI leads economic and global outreach strategies focused on business attraction; nurtures the entrepreneurial eco-system and fast growth companies; and champions the development of the communitys talent base. As the voice of the business community, GLI advocates for a pro-business environment and facilitates business leadership engagement on issues that impact regional competitiveness. For more information, visit www.GreaterLouisville.com . The monkey was the second animal to die in Hopkins custody in the span of 18 months; a macaque was found dead in January 2016 with its head stuck in a ball that had a hole chewed into it, the rights group Stop Animal Exploitation Now said in its complaint. The group opposes all experimentation involving animals. Everest Re Group CEO Announces Retirement at Year End 2019 The Board of Directors of Everest Re Group, Ltd. has been informed by its President and Chief Executive Officer, Dominic J. Addesso, that he will retire at the end of his contract term on December 31, 2019. As a result, the Board is undertaking a search as part of its succession planning process which will include a review of internal and external candidates for the position effective in 2020. RLI Announces Claim Department Leadership Promotions Speciality insurer RLI Corp. announced it has promoted several leaders within its claim department. The following promotions are effective immediately. Nic Mesco, assistant vice president, claims has been promoted to vice president, claims with executive leadership responsibility for RLIs Casualty product claims. Mesco joined RLI in 2013 as claim director and was promoted to assistant vice president in 2016. Prior to joining RLI, he was an attorney at Tressler LLP. Mesco has more than 11 years of insurance industry experience. Matt Campen, assistant vice president, claims has been promoted to vice president, claims with executive leadership responsibility for RLIs Property, Marine and Surety product claims. Campen joined RLI in 2013 as claim director and was promoted to assistant vice president, claims in 2017. Prior to joining RLI, he was a commercial catastrophe claim manager at Zurich North America. Campen has 15 years of insurance industry experience. Will Irish, assistant vice president, claims has been promoted to vice president, claims with executive leadership responsibility for RLIs Transportation, Non-Transportation Auto and Personal Umbrella product claims. Irish joined RLI in 2016. Prior to joining RLI, he was zonal vice president, claims at AIG. Irish has 32 years of insurance industry experience. Franklin Insurance Adjusters Hires Mullin as New VP of Operations N.J.-based Franklin Insurance Adjusters, Inc., hired Melissa Mullin as vice president of Operations. Mullin brings with her over twenty years of experience in business development, branding, management and company revenue growth. She has worked in the insurance claims industry since 2002, with a focus on helping companies strengthen their brand for client growth. She also provides a unique advantage thanks to her background in cyber-technology, property damage claims and management. In her new role, she will oversee day-to-day operations of FIA as it continues to expand its national presence with a focus on strategic planning and goal-setting. Prior to joining FIA, Mullin was with ClaimsPages.com for 16 years where she held multiple positions, including associate VP of Sales, western branch manager and national trainer. This article is the second in a series focusing on notable forensic journalists for the Tow Center for Digital Journalism. The truth is its own goal, Emma Best says of the new journalist collective, Distributed Denial of Secrets. Think of DDoSecrets (a play on the name of a type of cyberattack called a distributed denial of service) as an alternative to Wikileaksindeed, in some cases it hosts the same materialthat devotes more attention to explaining its standards for the material it distributes and less to eye-catching press releases. It distributes caches of previously secret dataemails, government records, contractssome via direct download through the site linked above, some by carefully vetted request. We simply want to make the information available, and to prevent it from disappearing, Best, who is the only non-pseudonymous member, says. The site, which has existed since December of last year, publishes huge volumes of raw data through Tor Hidden Services, an encrypted amenity provided by the Tor Project. In January, for instance, DDoSecrets released a huge dump of emails and messages from Russian officials that Wikileaks had declined to host on the grounds that they were already public (many were not), detailing the deployment of Russian troops to Ukraine in 2014, which the Kremlin categorically denied was happening at the time. Reportage and opinion based on that data is left to traditional deadline journalists, but DDoSecretss archive, which includes dozens of document troves from around the world, is carefullyjournalistically, evendesigned. State-sponsored hacks are flagged, as are hacked materials that cannot be verified and may be adulterated. Independent journalists like Marcy Wheeler and major organizations like The New York Times have built stories on DDoSecretss publications. Wikileaks, too, has been the source for major news stories, but it has consistently earned criticism for not vetting its sources in the way that DDoSecrets claims to do. (Wikileaks did not respond to request for comment.) Best says she and another member, called The Architect, began the project last year. In 2018, The Architect came to me with their desire to see a new platform for leaked and hacked materials, along with other relevant datasets, she says. Weve known each other for some time, and they were willing to bring their technical expertise to the project. We pooled our resources, along with those of people who chose to not be directly acknowledged, and worked on the initial archive which publicly launched in early December 2018. Bests reputation as a national security journalist and dogged FOIA filer precedes her. Now, she is the public face of DDOSs otherwise anonymous or pseudonymous collective, both writing about the groups newest data cache releases and helping to acquire them. On her MuckRock page are both newsy investigations and several indexes of organizational recordkeeping manualsunglamorous to publish and arduous to acquire but priceless to fellow FOIA filers. Her most recent work to catch the broader public eye was about another nontraditional journalistic operation: Wikileakswhich, Best reported, had sent out a list of 140 things the organization considered false and defamatory when said about Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. (Hilarity ensued.) She had reported skeptically on the organization before, noting among other things the incomplete nature of its archive of John Podestas emails. The project has met with high praise from Bests peers. People are quick to call it the work of transparency activists, which really disappears a lot of labor, Wheeler, who covers national security from an outsider perspective at her blog Emptywheel, says. Sign up for CJR 's daily email Journalism is changing, and maybe its comfortable [for institutional journalists] to dismiss that. Some of DDoSecretss most scandalous Russian documents had already been made public, Wheeler saystwo Ukrainians brought them to the BBC. But DDoSs freely available download of the entire cache, which had been available only piecemeal and through dodgy websites hosted in Russia and Ukraine, got the attention of The New York Times, Foreign Policy, The Daily Beast, and other high-profile newsrooms. Like Wikileaks, DDoSecrets is cagey about the nature of its operationsalways a paradox for organizations that promote transparency. Best says there are fewer than 20 people working with the collective. And while Best knows who The Architect is, shes not sure whether its the same Architect who was a founding employee of Wikileaksand acrimoniously departed in 2010. I understand people would like that narrative. But an answer would need info I dont have, she tells CJR during an interview conducted using the secure messaging app Signal. She knows the identity of her Architect, but not Wikileakss. If I cant relay the info and dont have a need to know, I try not to even ask.. Some of Bests colleagues have backgrounds working for state authorities. Those experiences are a big part of what drove some of us to (sometimes radical) transparency work, as they did for Chelsea Manning and Ed Snowden (neither of whom are part of DDoSecrets, to be clear), she writes via Signal. Those associations all ended well prior to DDoSecrets coming together and were internally disclosed early on.. At the moment, the entire project is a labor of love for Best, Theor at least or at least anArchitect, and their undisclosed colleagues. Everything is out of pocket for the time being, she says. We havent setup any mechanisms for people to provide financial support, and weve rejected offers from people who were willing to pay for access to our LIMDIS [limited distributionavailable by request only, but listed on the site] data sets or for us to perform searches on them. The DDoSecrets website also includes a Wanted sectiona list of hacked documents the group is actively seeking. Best cautions CJR that the group does not steal or solicit theft. Our Wanted page lists only materials known to exist from preexisting breaches and leaks for this reason there are ethical (not to mention legal) lines that would be crossed in soliciting or committing the actual theft of data. No one in the group, she says, has even suggested stealing or copying information in a way that would break the law. With all this data-gathering firepower, why has DDoSecrets not simply set up a news site? There are, after all, only a few journalist teams capable of navigating the multilingual, technically complex tranches of information that DDoSecrets has made available, and DDoSecrets has one of them. Agendas creep into press releases, and biases, misrepresentations or misunderstandings get repeated, Best says. Weve seen this with releases from some other platforms. By simply saying, Heres the data, it should speak for itself, its easier to accept. Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Sam Thielman is the former Tow editor at the Columbia Journalism Review, and a reporter and critic based in New York. He is the creator, with film critic Alissa Wilkinson, of Young Adult Movie Ministry, a podcast about Christianity and movies, and his writing has been featured in The Guardian, Talking Points Memo, and Variety, among others. On Wednesday, 10 candidates will vie for voters attention in a special election to decide who gets to hold a largely ceremonial office for less than a year. So why does the first of two debates for New York City public advocate matter? In part, because it may have a major influence on who becomes second-in-line to be mayor. With so many candidates in the race, no primary to select a Democratic nominee who can cruise through the general election, and no clear frontrunner in name recognition, the field is wide open. When trying to stand out on such a crowded stage, the incentive may be for candidates to be aggressive and confrontational, to get voters take notice, as the unusually competitive election for citywide office edges toward its temporary conclusion. (Campaigning will restart only months later for a June primary and a November general election to serve through the remainder of what would have been now-state Attorney General Letitia James full term). The biggest loser in midtowns CUNY television studios tomorrow night may be Mayor Bill de Blasio, as candidates who mostly are competing for the same liberal voters will likely try to set themselves apart in the two-hour debate by being tough on the current mayoral administration. The public advocates power is actually fairly limited, so the race isnt really a big battle of ideas and policies. Basically the citys ombudsman, the public advocate churns out press releases attempting to hold City Hall and villains, such as the citys worst landlords, rhetorically accountable. It provides a useful platform for seeking higher office, which is why so many ambitious legislators and activists are now competing for it. The main qualification would seem to be who is best criticizing the mayor, hence why de Blasio is likely to be harshly critiqued throughout the evening. New York City Councilman Eric Ulrich, as the lone Republican debate participant, has perhaps the strongest claim to being independent of de Blasio politically but he is not well-positioned to convince New Yorks liberal-leaning voters that he is the best friend to the disempowered, such as the victims of police brutality or communities harmed by greedy developers. In terms of name recognition, the frontrunners are Melissa Mark-Viverito, the former council speaker, and Jumaane Williams, the Brooklyn city councilman whose political stock rose after winning New York City - but falling short statewide - in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor. As for the issues, drink every time you hear a candidate say Amazon or affordable housing you can expect to hear a lot of complaints about the deal to bring the former to Queens and about the lack of the latter. Theres a good chance that a cannabis tax will come up, too, as Mark-Viverito advocates using pot legalization to pay for subway repairs, even though the public advocate will have no say over that policy, which is decided at the state level. Heres the full list of contenders: Assemblyman Michael Blake City Councilman Rafael Espinal Jr. Assemblyman Ron Kim Activist Nomiki Konst Former City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez Attorney Dawn Smalls City Councilman Eric Ulrich City Councilman Jumaane Williams The first debate will air on Spectrum News NY1 on Wednesday, Feb. 6, at 7 p.m. NY1 will also livestream the debate on the NY1 website and Facebook page. When the new concert venue Brooklyn Steel opened its doors a couple years ago, it brought a state-of-the-art cultural amenity to north Brooklyn a place where people could see their favorite bands, enjoy local food and drinks and dance the night away. But hidden from view was something that truly set the new venue apart: a green roof. This wasnt just for aesthetic reasons. Green roofs, which are roofs that are partially or completely covered in some form of vegetation, are tremendous assets to neighborhoods and the environment. They can be used to sound-proof buildings by acting as a sound insulation barrier, as Brooklyn Steel did. They can also cut energy usage, reduce stormwater runoff, improve air quality and reduce the urban heat island effect, which refers to a phenomenon where cities have higher average temperatures than surrounding areas. In addition, they offer green space for urban farming, which is the model over at Brooklyn Grange, a network of commercial rooftop farms in New York City. Given their myriad benefits, its no surprise that several large buildings throughout New York City, such as the Javits Center, the Barclays Center and the VICE headquarters have installed green roofs. Still, these projects represent a small fraction of all rooftop space in New York City. According to a recent estimate by the Nature Conservancy, green roofs cover about 2.6 million square feet of rooftop space in New York, which accounts for about 0.15 percent of all rooftop space citywide. Compare that to Chicago, which boasts about 5.5 million square feet or Washington, D.C., which has committed to installing green roofs on 20 percent of all rooftops by 2020. Global cities are taking the plunge to incentivize green roofs or even to mandate them. In 2010, Toronto became the first city to require green roofs on new buildings, followed by San Francisco and Denver in 2017. New York City should join the ranks of these environmental trailblazers. Thats why I am sponsoring legislation in the City Council that would put our city at the forefront of the movement to green our rooftops and make our city more sustainable. My bill would require many new buildings throughout the five boroughs to cover 100 percent of available rooftop space in a green roof system, small wind turbines, solar panels, or all three. We cannot continue to sit on our hands. Inaction would be devastating, especially to our low-income and communities of color. My district has some of the highest asthma rates in the city due to the poor air quality that has persisted for decades. While green roofs would not undo the decades of environmental racism that created this public health crisis, they can mitigate air pollution, absorb climate change-causing carbon pollution and provide much-needed green space in these underserved communities. In a rapidly warming world, city residents especially the elderly and those with chronic illnesses will also suffer from higher temperatures. Last year, Quebec and Japan experienced devastating heat waves, leaving over 100 people dead. These kinds of heat waves will only become more common in the future, and they are exacerbated in cities due to the urban heat island effect, which occurs because dark surfaces such as asphalt absorb more heat, and less vegetation in urban areas means less shade. Fortunately, green roofs can turn down the thermostat by reducing heat islands, thereby reducing the risk to vulnerable residents. Studies have suggested that installing green roofs throughout a major city could reduce ambient temperatures by up to 12 degrees. Not surprisingly, the real estate lobby has expressed concerns about the legislation. They fret that a green roof requirement will drive up costs, making it harder to do business in the city. But counterintuitively, green roofs can actually help building owners savemoney over the lifespan of their building by providing better insulation and increasing property values. For example, the U.S. Postal Service has estimated that it saves about $30,000 in energy costs annually at the Morgan Processing and Distribution Plant in Manhattan since installing a green roof in 2008. In fact, the business community should be welcoming green roofs with open arms. They would be a huge boon to New York Citys job market, with the potential to create hundreds of middle-class jobs. Currently, there are green infrastructure job-training programs available for at-risk youth and formerly incarcerated individuals in the city, which could help us scale up this technology quickly. Expanding green roofs would be a win for our environment, our economy and our communities. At a time when the Trump administration has turned its back on our planet, it is up to cities like New York to lead the fight against climate change. To do that, we have to adopt policies that take advantage of our unique, untapped assets. For too long, New York has held the dubious distinction of being a concrete jungle. For a more sustainable future, we need to make it a green oasis. You will receive 5-day a week delivery of the Citizen Tribune newspaper to your home or business, plus full, ad-free access to CitizenTribune.com as well as full access to the Electronic Edition of the newspaper. ONLY $13.99 per month for the first 3 months! Only $16.00 per month after promotional period. Or ONLY $169.99 for a full year Only $198.95 per year after promotional period. Cal-Comp Philippines Expects IPO in Q3 Published: 06 February 2019 by Chelsey Drysdale by Chelsey Drysdale BATANGAS, PHILIPPINES Cal-Comp Technology (Philippines) expects an initial public offering (IPO) by the third quarter to finance expansion plans, according to reports. The local unit of New Kinpo Group initially planned to raise some $131.3 million but withdrew plans as a result of market conditions. Cal-Comp Philippines previously received approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission for fundraising. To proceed, the firm would have to get approval from the Philippine Stock Exchange. The company looked to sell more than 378 million shares, equal to nearly 27% of its total issued shares. The size of the IPO may be adjusted this year. Cal-Comp plans to open a new facility here, covering 24,000 sq. m., as well as develop phases two and four of its manufacturing site, adding 48,000 sq. m. of manufacturing space. On the eve of trial, prosecutors had offered plea bargains to all three. Only Gatling-Mouzon accepted a deal. In exchange for eight years in prison, he promised to testify against his mother and her boyfriend. The 21-year-old will be sentenced after they stand trial. WASHINGTON President Donald Trump is planning to hold a campaign rally in El Paso on Monday as negotiations continue to head off another partial government shutdown over border wall money. The rally, announced Wednesday, will involve Trump's second trip to Texas since last month, when he went to McAllen on an official presidential visit to support his push for a border wall, a central promise of his 2016 campaign. As in McAllen, a host of Democratic officials from El Paso assailed the move, saying Trump has inaccurately portrayed the border region as dangerous and crime-ridden. The rally at the El Paso County Coliseum will take place five days before a Feb. 15 deadline to break in impasse with Democratic leaders in Congress, who oppose his $5.7 billion request for border wall funding. ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Trumps border wall strategy aimed at Rio Grande Valley and Texas It also comes as a caravan of about 1,800 Central American immigrants arrived at the border with Texas in Eagle Pass, hoping to enter the United States. The Pentagon announced Wednesday that it is moving 250 active duty troops to the area from Arizona. Trump called out El Paso Tuesday night in his State of the Union Address, holding it up as a community that had benefited from border barriers. "Simply put, walls work and walls save lives," Trump said in his address to Congress, citing the example of El Paso. "So let's work together, compromise, and reach a deal that will truly make America safe." His campaign doubled down on the border crime narrative on Wednesday. "As the president continues his fight to secure our border, there's no better place to demonstrate that walls work than in El Paso," said Michael Glassner, chief operating officer of Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. "President Trump looks forward to visiting with the patriots of Texas who are on the front lines of the struggle against open border Democrats who allow drugs, crime, and sex trafficking all along our border every day." But local El Paso officials, including former congressman Beto O'Rourke, a potential 2020 presidential candidate, argue that the city was one of the safest in America both before and after border barriers were built. FBI uniform crime reports show El Paso, with a population of about 700,000, has experienced fewer violent crimes than similar-sized cities such as Tucson and Tulsa, Okla. Its crime rate is below the national average, the FBI reports. Violent crimes in the city have plunged since the 1990s, long before the wall was built in 2009. The number of murders peaked at 56 in 1993 and typically have been at 20 a year or below since 2000. Responding to Trump's mention of El Paso in his speech, U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, a Democrat from El Paso, tweeted, "El Paso is a safe border community." She cited reports ranking El Paso as the second or third safest city in America. State Rep. Cesar Blanco, a Democrat, called Trump's political rally in El Paso "a slap in the face to our community." "This was ground-zero for his family separation policies," Blanco added. "This is where migrant children have died in the custody of his administration. As demonstrated in his State of the Union, this President is out of touch with reality." IN CONGRESS: Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert likes the new 'Louie Gohmert rule' In a televised interview, El Paso Sheriff Richard Wiles also said Trump is promoting a false impression of the city. "It is sad to hear President Trump state falsehoods about El Paso, Texas, in an attempt to justify the building of a 2,000 mile wall," Wiles told NBC. "El Paso was a safe city long before a wall was built. President Trump continues to give a false narrative." In either case, El Paso is one of the few sites in Texas that could provide Trump with an impression of progress on his wall agenda. Current border barrier renovation contracts call for four new miles of steel bollard wall to replace existing fencing. Trump's campaign said the El Paso rally will be the seventh he has held in Texas since he began his race for president in June, 2015. His last Lone Star State rally was in Houston last October to campaign for Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. Pugh has included funding for the positions in her budget, and assigned the task of boosting recruitment and retention to a special Innovation Team funded by billionaire philanthropist Michael Bloomberg. The city renegotiated its contract with the police union to change officer schedules in a way they said would cut down on shortages and overtime pay, though the shift has just been implemented. State regulators in 2017 eased restrictions on past marijuana use by police applicants, something Baltimore officials said was disqualifying large numbers of applicants. And the citys consent decree with the Justice Department mandates a full review and restructuring of the recruitment process, after federal investigators found police districts were short-staffed and the recruitment process insufficient to reverse the trend. Central American migrant families continue to turn themselves in at the US-Mexico border, recent images show. This past weekend, families could be seen wading across the Rio Grande from Mexico into the United States at the El Paso border. They turned themselves into authorities shortly after crossing into domestic territory. FOR SUBSCRIBERS: Trump's wall strategy aimed at Rio Grande Valley, only on HoustonChronicle.com According to the Department of Homeland Security, more immigrants are expected to head to the border in days to come. Groups from Central America recently made their way to northern Mexico, said DHS. "Approximately 2,000 aliens have arrived in northern Mexico as part of a 'caravan' seeking to cross the border into Texas. Illegal entry will not be tolerated and we stand ready to prevent it," DHS Secretary Kirstjen M. Nielsen said in a prepared statement Tuesday. "DHS will take all steps to ensure the safety and security of law enforcement personnel on the frontlines." Meanwhile, President Trump is still calling for the construction of a wall along the border. In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Trump again asked for both parties to reach an agreement regarding the barricade, although he didn't repeat his threats to declare a national emergency in an effort to gain federal funding. A judge on Tuesday found federal agents had enough probable cause to arrest a San Antonio man allegedly associated with the Knights Templar cartel of Mexico on a charge of money-laundering conspiracy, but held off on deciding whether the suspect will be allowed out on bond. U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry Bemporad said he needed more information regarding the ties of Jose Luis Magallon Jr., 28, to San Antonio and whether a relative would be able to act as surety. Pretrial services had recommended bond for Magallon, but federal prosecutors argued that he should be kept in jail because he is a flight risk. The judge could rule this week. Magallon, a student at Northwest Lakeview Community College, is accused of laundering more than $200,000 in a sting operation by undercover agents with the Internal Revenue Services Criminal Investigations division and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. He and co-defendant Karen Mgerian were arrested last week in a case that drew publicity in part because more than 100 vehicles, many of them luxury, exotic or high-end vehicles, were seized in raids at locations that included Mgerians car lot on the Northeast Side, MGM Auto. On HoustonChronicle.com: Russian connection cited in Texas money laundering case Magallon owns his own car lot, Magallon Enterprises. IRS criminal investigations agent Jason Gamez alleged during a hearing Tuesday that Magallon used it as a front while laundering drug money. The IRS agent testified that Magallon, who is now a naturalized U.S. citizen, had been involved with cartels since the age of 11. Gamez testified that Magallon came onto federal agents radar in 2016 when he was stopped by police in Illinois with nearly $40,000. That money was forefeited to the government in a civil lawsuit filed there, records show. The IRS agent said Magallon told an associate who is now a confidential informant that before that seizure, he had picked up $60,000 in cash in Detroit for the Knights Templar, a now-splintered cartel based in the Mexican state of Michoacan, and sent part of it back to operatives in cashiers checks and money orders. He used his companies to launder money, Gamez told the judge, adding that Magallon also used a construction business in the illegal ventures. On the stand, Gamez said that Magallon used high-end cars in laundering money for drug traffickers. Some of the vehicles were kept at a hangar at the San Antonio International Airport, and others were stored at the Stone Oak homes of people associated with the cartel, Gamez testified. On HoustonChronicle.com: Federal agents, Bexar deputies seize luxury autos in raids Gamez also detailed how undercover agents approached Magallon and posed as drug traffickers looking to launder money. Using government money for sting operations, the agents conducted deals in which Magallon laundered amounts of $20,000 to $100,000 in cash. The deals were audio or video recorded, Gamez said. But Magallons lawyer, Stephen Redgate, argued that no drugs were seized from Magallon and that the money that forms the basis of the case against him was not drug money. There was never any cartel money involved, Redgate told the judge. All it is is statements made to undercover agents by a confidential informer who was his friend. The reasons for the confidential informer to set him up, I have no idea. Mgerian, charged with money-laundering conspiracy, is scheduled for hearings on bail and probable cause Feb. 13. Guillermo Contreras covers federal court and immigration news in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. | gcontreras@express-news.net | Twitter: @gmaninfedland Two passenger in a police squad car suffered minor injuries after a crash in northwest Houston, according to Metro Video. A Houston police squad car had been traveling southbound on the Highway 290 access road around 10 p.m. Tuesday when it was struck by a red sedan traveling westbound. Eight suspects have been arrested in connection with a drug bust Wednesday morning in southwest Houston, where authorities found more than $10,000 worth of illicit items after searching three apartments, police said. Around 5 a.m. Wednesday, Houston police and federal special agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives descended on the Sunset Crossing apartments in the 10600 block of Beechnut. They had been executing simultaneous search warrants at three separate apartments in the complex, according to an ATF news release. Eight men, including one juvenile, now face a charge of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. The seven adults were identified as Reginald Smith, 24; Felipe Ortuna, 17; Carlos Martinez, 17; Jose Majano, 20; Jojoan Brown, 20; Leo Gaston, 29; Julian Denham, 31. UNSOLVED: Few clues after Tomball Star Wars fan gunned down in her driveway The law enforcement agencies began investigating the complex several months ago, when they identified gang members responsible for violent crime and "illicit drug and firearm activities" in the apartments, ATF said in the release. Houston police spokesman Victor Senties said their charges had not been fully processed on Wednesday afternoon, and the suspects had not yet been booked into Harris County Jail. At the complex, law enforcement seized a total of 10 firearms, a large quantity of unspecified drugs, a vehicle and U.S. currency, all worth more than $10,000, the press release said. During the raid, authorities said one man tried to flee by jumping out of a second-floor bedroom. He ended up hitting an AC unit below, the release said. He was treated for his injuries before being taken into custody. Authorities also detained two women on the scene, but they were later released, the release said. Staff writer St. John Barned-Smith contributed to this report. 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. A 2017 report by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows that among major U.S. cities surveyed, Houston has the lowest rate of measles vaccination among young children. The study looked at vaccination rates among a large sample group of children between 19 and 35 months old in 2017, which was the most recent data available. Health authorities announced this week that five Houston-area people, including two infants, have contracted measles. Measles is a dangerous and highly contagious disease that can cause lasting damage in some cases. MEASLES EXPLAINED: Why is everyone freaking out over measles? In the 2017 study, the CDC claims 87.8 percent of Houston children in that age range were vaccinated against measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination, well below the statewide 90.3 percent. The report included eight major U.S. cities, although data was not available for many of them. Other Texas metro areas fared better. Bexar County lead the way with 96.1 percent of its children vaccinated. For Dallas County, 93.1 percent of children were vaccinated. Travis County had 92.1 percent and El Paso County had 89.3 percent. Nationally, Houston is listed as the fifth worst designated area for vaccine rates. It was beat out by the states of Colorado (87.2 percent), Indiana (87 percent) and Missouri (82.5 percent). Guam, a U.S. territory, had the worst rate with 82.5 percent. Massachusetts (98.3 percent) and Virginia (97.6 percent) took the top for designated areas in the study, followed by Bexar County. These numbers are set up against a standard called herd immunity. According to the Oxford Vaccine Group, by being vaccinated an individual is not only protected from being infected themselves but they then also cannot pass this infection onto other people, where it may cause severe disease. However, for herd immunity to work a large proportion of the population need to be vaccinated. It is achieved when 90 to 95 percent of any given population is vaccinated (specifically with the measles vaccine), according to the Oxford Vaccine Group. Herd immunity is important, the group says, because it helps protect those who are unable to receive the vaccine for any number of reasons. 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 I dont have the knowledge and experience of every one of those people that came together today, but was able to get them in a circle facing one another sharing all their knowledge, Bouchat said. I know its a long-term plan and this could come to fruition when I am out of office, but at least I can say I helped get it moving. Parkville High School closed at 10:45 a.m. Wednesday because of a water main break in the area, according to the Baltimore County Public Schools Twitter account. Reached through a phone number listed on the campaign site, Waga did not deny the Twitter account belonged to him. He said he did not want to discuss the situation if there was an ongoing investigation, then added he is not one to hate anybody, but I have my beliefs and Im going to stand up for them. AUSTIN Characterizing gun violence as one of the greatest public health epidemics facing the nation, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo pressed Congress on Wednesday to pass a red flag law and tighten background check requirements this year, adding that saving one life is enough to justify new restrictions. Acevedos appearance before the U.S. Houses Judiciary Committee was just a week after five Houston police officers were shot and injured during a drug raid. Acevedo testified along with a student from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School nearly a year after a shooter killed 17 students and staff members at the school Amid what he referred to as almost regular mass shootings in the United States, Acevedo asked lawmakers to use common sense to balance 2nd Amendment protections while addressing gun violence. He then implored lawmakers to act now to require universal background checks, expand mental health services and pass red flag provisions to temporarily take guns from people deemed by a judge to present a danger to themselves or others. Doing nothing is not acceptable, said Acevedo, president of the Major Cities Chiefs Association. Our sons, our daughters, our children, our family members, our police officers are being shot, killed and maimed and I would urge Congress to do something this term. Its our time to make a difference because our streets, our neighborhoods are truly drowning in the blood of our victims and the tears of their loved ones. Related: State Rep. Reynolds files legislation to close the notorious gun show loophole After shootings in Florida and Texas last year, Congress boosted school safety funds and improved compliance with the federal gun purchase background check system, but did not pursue major legislation sought by gun-control advocates. In 2017, under Republican controI, the House approved a bill making it easier for gun owners to legally carry concealed weapons across state lines. The measure, a top priority of the National Rifle Association, failed in the Senate. Democrats have promised swift action to tighten gun laws after the party regained the House majority following eight years of Republican rule Also testifying were a gun owner who says she was raped as a college student because she wasnt allowed to bring her gun on campus, a medical professional and experts on domestic and gun violence and the law. Associated Press contributed to this report Andrea.zelinski@chron.com A new childrens book may be making its way to bookshelves exclusively in The Woodlands soon. Goodnight serpent, Goodnight trolleyGoodnight vines, Goodnight rides, read the pages of Goodnight to The Woodlands, a 20-page hardcover childrens book authored and illustrated by community member Zach Merta. Merta, who moved to the area five years ago, was inspired to create a book that focused on the nature within and landmarks around The Woodlands such as the Waterway trolley, wild flowers and various fountains. He based his book off of the well-loved Goodnight Moon bedtime story concept of a main character saying goodnight to everything around. I thought it would be cool to have something hand-done for The Woodlands, where theres a fine balance between industrialism and natural scenery. I tried to accent the stuff that people enjoy, Merta said. The book begins with a metered rhyme accompanied by full-color fine-tip pen illustrations of recognizable aspects of The Woodlands. Then, it transitions into black and white illustrations that say goodnight to those same aspects. Merta said it took him two years to write, illustrate and publish the book. His goal is that the readers of the book would appreciate the natural beauty available to them in The Woodlands. Since he grew up spending a lot of time in nature, its something he said is important to him. I hope that it helps people appreciate all of the enjoyment that can be found in nature. I think that if you take care of nature, nature takes care of you, Merta said. Merta was able to embark on this venture with the help of a few friends of his. Theyre in an artist collective called Datura Metel, and the members helped approve the concept in addition to funding the publishing process. While Merta said it was a long road to get everything just right to publish, hes excited now that its done. It feels good now that I can hold it in my hands, Merta said. Now that the book has been published, Merta is working on finding vendors in The Woodlands to sell it. One of those vendors is The Woodlands Childrens Museum. Jan Streelman, the museums literacy specialist, said this book is perfect for their target age group of 7 years old and younger. Not only does the Goodnight Moon concept appeal to young children, she said, but the book opens the child up to the immediate world around them. We like to offer things in our gift shop that will spark imagination and interest. Kids are curious, and theyre curious about their community, Streelman said. The simplicity of the text and vibrant illustrations (in this book) are what we look for. Streelman said that while theyre working on getting copies of the book itself in stock, she also hopes to bring Merta in for an author meet-and-greet later this year. jane.stueckemann@chron.com A newly filed arrest affidavit provides more details in the Bell County murder case involving Cedric Marks, the MMA fighter and inmate who briefly escaped custody in Conroe earlier this week. Marks fled from authorities on Sunday when a private prisoner transport company taking him from Michigan to Bell County stopped for breakfast at a McDonald's at 801 N. Loop 366, prompting a massive law enforcement response and high tensions in the Conroe community. Marks, who was re-captured the same day, was previously held in Michigan on an outstanding warrant for burglary of a habitation with intent to commit a felony. He also had outstanding warrants for the murder of his ex girlfriend, Jenna Scott, and her friend, Michael Swearingin, stemming from an investigation that started in Bell County in January, police said. DANGEROUS INMATE: 'Extremely dangerous' inmate captured' after manhunt in Conroe Scott and Swearingin's body were found Jan. 15 in a shallow grave in rural Oklahoma about two weeks after they first went missing. The affidavit, filed Tuesday in Bell County, said detectives spoke with a woman who was present when Marks killed Scott and Swearingin. The woman, Maya Maxwell, said Scott and Swearingin were taken to a home in Killeen on Jan. 3. She said Marks killed them both inside the home, but the affidavit did not elaborate on any details about the incident. "Marks then entered the room where Michael Swearingin was located, and when Marks left the room, [Swearingin] was deceased," the affidavit said, adding an identical statement about Scott's death. Scott and Swearingin were reported missing the following day, and Maxwell led police to the burial site in Oklahoma, the affidavit said. She was also present during their transport and burial, the affidavit said. RELATED: 7 things to know about Cedric Marks: Murder suspect, MMA fighter and briefly escaped prisoner Maxwell's relationship to Marks is unclear. According to KWTX10, Maxwell, 26, was arrested on Jan. 11 in Michigan on a Bell County warrant charging tampering with evidence in the case. Marks faces a charge of capital murder of multiple persons in connection with their deaths. Police are also investigating the disappearance of another one of his former girlfriends, April Pease. Pease disappeared from Minnesota in 2009, when she and Marks had been going through a custody dispute over their child, according to earlier reports. Marks is currently being held in the Bell County Jail with a bail of $1.75 million, KWTX10 reported. 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 | 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. Several school board members questioned staff about the possibility of saving money by cutting back on the number of laptops, so that not every student is given a device, as is the case this year. School board member Lisa Mack said student achievement has not been increasing at a rate that would justify the expenditure of millions of dollars on laptops. You meet somebody and you might have a preconceived concept of what they might be like. Then we start talking about art and it becomes a fellowship and it brings you close together. This program has been one of the greatest gifts we had in our journey with this this disease of Alzheimers. (by Kate McLeod, Dec. 6, 2017, Americans for the Arts, on the success of a program called Musing Together a partnership between the Georgia Chapter of the Alzheimers Association and the High Museum of Art, in which art was used as a springboard for engaging people with Alzheimers disease, eliciting their reactions, opinions, memories and stories, when they viewed a work of art.) Similar to the Georgia program, the Glade Arts Foundation in The Woodlands, is partnering with the Houston and Southeast Texas chapter of the Alzheimers Association to offer Looking Together at Glade, a monthly art and culture program for individuals in the early stages of dementia to attend with their caretakers, families or friends. The program, in the form of a discussion, will be held on the third Monday of each month from 11 a.m. to noon at the Glade Arts Foundation, 2000 Woodlands Parkway, The Woodlands. Looking Together at Glade needs volunteers. On Monday Feb. 11, Glade will host a training session from 10 a.m. to noon for volunteers to lead the proposed monthly art discussions. Organizers are hoping to get six committed volunteers so each could lead the discussion twice a year. A background in art or education would be helpful, but a willingness to do a little research on the selected artworks will do as well. Those interested in volunteering and attending the Feb. 11 training should contact Sarah Winkler by telephone at 713-314-1335 or by email at swinkler@alz.org. Houston Area Oil Painters of America Inaugural Exhibit The group of five area artists who recently came together as the Houston Area Oil Painters of America, will come together for the first time in an exhibit set for Feb. 8-10 at the Conroe Art Leagues Gallery at the Madeley Building, 127 Simonton Street in downtown Conroe. The exhibit will kick off with a reception to meet the artists and view their work Feb. 8 from 5 to 8 p.m. The show will continue on Saturday, Feb. 9, from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Sunday, Feb. 10 from noon to 3 p.m. The five artists, Lois Blackburne (Conroe), Juan Cantavella (The Woodlands), Beau Crump (Conroe), Tom LaRock (The Woodlands) and Debra Riley (Montgomery) are all accomplished professional artists who describe themselves as representational painters with a passion for realism. All five artists have been juried into the national Oil Painters of America organization. The exhibit will include landscapes, portraits and still life paintings. (Note: This exhibit will hang for three days adjacent to the newly-installed exhibit of paintings being auctioned for the Conroe Art Leagues 12x12 fundraiser benefiting the Leagues upcoming area high school art scholarship competition. See more about the 12x12 art auction at www.32auctions.com/ConroeArtLeague12X12Gala.) Express Lane to Color A long-time area college professor, Denise Lorenz, will be teaching two courses at the Glade Arts Foundation, 2000 Woodlands Parkway, The Woodlands over the next few months. The first course, titled Express Lane to Color, will explore creating color harmonies. The course will be held on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., beginning Feb. 12 and running through March 5. This course will allow students to explore different approaches to using color successfully, via such media as collage, printmaking and acrylics. No previous art experience is necessary. Though exact dates and times are yet to be confirmed, Denise advises that she expects to be teaching another course with the Glade Arts Foundation titled, Printmaking Without a Press, during the month of April. For additional information and to register online, visit gladeartsfoundation.org/education. Originally from Michigan, Denise Lorenz has created art in Texas for the past 36 years. Lorenz focused on Printmaking and Art History for her undergraduate degree at Madonna College in Livonia, Michigan. She continued her studies in Texas and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in printmaking from Sam Houston State University. She has exhibited her artwork in more than 185 shows throughout the US and Canada, Mexico, India, and Japan. Though Lorenz has won many awards, locally, nationally and internationally, one of her most cherished is the National Association of Women Artists, Inc. (N.A.W.A.) Medal of Honor and Elizabeth Morse Genius Foundation Memorial Award for Works on Paper, received in 2014 for one of her photorealistic rock drawings in colored pencil. Lorenz taught classes in drawing, design and color theory at Lone Star College Montgomery for many years. She has also taught History of Mexican Art for the Sam Houston State University Field School in Puebla, Mexico. Lorenz now teaches as an adjunct art instructor since retiring from full-time teaching to maintain more time for her own artwork. Following a continuing series of hyperreal rock drawings, she returns to her earlier, more abstract impulses. The ethereal drawing Intricacies, shown in the 129th Annual NAWA Exhibition, is part of her Flights of Fancy series with imaginary pairings of various life forms. In her Conroe studio, Lorenz alternates between drawing, collage and printmaking. Art and Major League Fishing The Conroe Art League (CAL), in partnership with the Conroe Convention and Visitors Bureau, will host a special art exhibit and sale for the upcoming MLF (Major League Fishing) Bass Pro Tour segment on Lake Conroe Feb. 11-17. The themed art show, to be held in the lobby and upstairs lounge of La Torretta Lake Resort and Spa, 600 La Torretta Boulevard, Montgomery, (off of Walden Road) will feature more than 30 artworks by area artists. The artwork will include paintings, photography and sculpture inspired by the sport of fishing, lake scenes, lake wildlife, and related subjects. The art exhibit will be installed this week at La Torretta and will be on view until Feb. 17. A Taste of Italy at the Pearl Museum of Fine Arts Everyone is invited to a special evening of Italian jazz, wine, hors doeuvres, and sweet delicacies on Sunday, February 17 from 5 to 8 pm at the Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts, 6815 Cypresswood Drive, Spring, Texas. Titled Taste of Italy at the Pearl, this is a fundraising event that will feature a jazz concert by Francesco Attesti, Maurizio Bozzi and Maicol Cucchi, an internationally celebrated trio from Italy. The trio will present a Baroque in Jazz concert which promises to lead audiences on an exciting, artistic journey where jazz expression and improvisation meet Bach, Piazzolla and Mozart. The evening will also include a wine tasting hosted by the Hill Countrys Duchman Family Winery. One of the Duchman Winerys founders, Dr. Stan Duchman, and Houston Chronicle Wine Editor Dale Robertson, will be on hand as well. Tickets may be purchased online at https://www.pearlmfa.org/tasteofitaly.html. Wine Tasting The Duchman Family Winery: The Duchman Family Winery is a slice of Tuscan heaven in the Texas Hill Country. Join us at the Pearl for a tasting of wines perfectly paired with abundant hors doeuvres and sweet Italian delicacies, provided by Hasta la Pasta. Commentary by special guests: Dr. Stan Duchman Dale Robertson, Houston Chronicle Wine Editor This event is generously sponsored by: Rotary Club of Champions Sunrise *TICKETS* Preferred Concert Seating: Museum Members: $90 Non-Members: $100 General Concert Seating: Museum Members: $75 Non-Members: $85 Tickets can be purchased online at pearlmfa.org/tasteofitaly, https://bit.ly/2R6cgh9 or by calling the museum at 281-376-6322. Maggie Gutierrez may be reached at ggutmarina@aol.com. Houston City Councilman Dave Martin recently announced the City of Houston has launched is Homeowner Assistance Program to help residents rebuild and repair their homes after Hurricane Harvey. The City of Houston received the $1.17 billion for housing recovery through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the State of Texas General Land Office. The recovery funds include the Homeowner Assistance Program, which offers five options including reimbursement for completed repairs, homeowner-managed rehabilitation, city-managed rehabilitation and reconstruction, buyouts and interim mortgage assistance. There will be several meetings held this month for those interested for more information. RELATED: Hurricane Harvey homeowner aid program opens for applications for affected counties Residents that are interested in applying for this program are encouraged to take the Harvey Recovery Survey. The survey can also be taken through the phone at 832-393-0550 from Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or in person at any of the four new Housing Recovery Centers. City officials urge residents to take the survey before attending one of the public meetings. The survey a tool to direct residents to the appropriate recovery program and to help the city prioritize those with urgent needs. No documentation is required to take the survey, and it takes less than 15 minutes to complete, city officials said. More Information Meeting locations: Saturday, Feb. 9, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., at the Kingwood Branch Library, 4400 Bens View Lane, Houston, Texas 77339. Monday, Feb. 11, 9:00 to 12:00 p.m., at the Edgar A. Smith Family YMCA, 14560 Galveston Road, Webster, Texas 77598. Saturday, Feb. 23, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., at the Kingwood Community Center, 4102 Rustic Woods, Kingwood, Texas 77345. Wednesday, Feb. 27, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Kingwood Community Center, 4102 Rustic Woods, Kingwood, Texas 77345. See More Collapse While priority will be given to low and moderate income homeowners, assistance is available to homeowners of all income levels. An intake specialist will contact applicants after they have completed the survey regarding the next steps. kaila.contreras@chron.com Katy city officials are warning the public to listen to the local health authority regarding the recent spread of measles in the greater Houston area. In Katy ISD, district officials said it was closely monitoring events concerning communicable diseases, is "constantly vigilant concerning measles" and any other "which might emerge in our school.s" The district said it follows the Center for Disease Control (CDC) as well as our local health departments' protocols for such diseases and is compliant with the Immunization State Laws. "As of today, Katy ISD does not have any measles cases among our student and staff population," the district said in a statement. The district has a list of recommendations on its website its staff, students and nurses follow to ensure everyone stays healthy. According to its website, "campuses are routinely disinfected with QUAT 256 cleaner, which is affective against multiple disease-causing viruses and bacteria." The staff will also "monitor students for symptoms and refer students to the school nurse for assessments as appropriate," according to the district website. In Katy, Greg Goedecker, the city's new emergency management coordinator, said he wants Katy residents to practice "situational awareness" and follow the guidelines laid out by the Harris County Public Health agency, which confirmed in a news release Monday that three people who live in northwest Harris County had measles. Goedecker reposted a news release to the Katy's Office of Emergency Management's Facebook Page this week. The release by the Harris County Public Health recommends that people get vaccinated to prevent the spread of the disease. "My belief is that of situational awareness and that we should be able to share that information with our citizens," Goedecker said. "(Measles has) been in the news lately. I figured some people had some questions about (measles). I thought it was good information to share." Fives cases of measles have been confirmed in the greater Houston area, including three in Harris County, one in Galveston County and one in Montgomery County. They involve four children under 2 years of age, and a woman between the ages of 25 and 35, according to the Houston Chronicle. All are reportedly doing well. 'TEXAS WALKS DANGEROUS PATH:' Houston's current vaccination rate is appalling, editorial board says Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease, and is airborne, which means its spreads to others by coughing or sneezing, according the Harris County Public Health's news release. If one person has it, nine out 10 people around that person will also become infected if they're not vaccinated, the release said. Goedecker said the city was not under any sort of emergency preparedness preparation due to the five recent cases in the area but it was informing people about the situation. "If we had any preventative type of measures, we would follow the Harris County Public Health and just mirror them," he said. "They are the experts on that." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children get two doses of the combination measles, mumps and rubella vaccine to fully protected. The best way to protect yourself and your family against measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases is by immunization. For a list of recommended vaccines, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/ michelle.iracheta@chron.com Officials with the Friendswood Police Department have issued an apology after residents called a previous Facebook post regarding daycare center burglaries sexist and offensive to women. Women residents were specifically addressed in the Feb. 4 post, which called on them to stop leaving purses in cars outside of local daycares. "Ladies....take your purse and cell phone with you. Don't leave it in the car for crooks to steal," the post stated. "And guess what, that extra minute it would have taken to grab your purse now turns into four hours of calling credit card companies, banks and cell phone companies to cancel your stuff. Worse yet, you have to tell your spouse what you just did and I'm sure that won't be pleasant." Residents were quick to call out the department for "mansplaining" and called the post "rude and unprofessional." Some residents clapped back with a more sarcastic tone. "Husbands/Male Head of the Household, really if you are allowing your wives or women of your family to drive a motorized vehicle without male supervision this is your fault," one woman commented on the post. "Friendswood Police Department ought to suggest you just keep those females at home, where they belong. Besides, who is doing the cooking, cleaning and ironing if they're out irresponsibly gallivanting around?" PAY UP: City of Friendswood OKs 21 percent utility rate increase Others were more direct in their criticism. "What society doesn't need is a snarky, victim-shaming Facebook post, from the police department, no less. I grew up in Clear Lake and I'm absolutely repulsed by this post. The sexist and demeaning tone is a disgrace, and it is wholly inappropriate for a police department," another woman commented. Tuesday, the department posted an apology in response to the backlash, calling the post "a well-intentioned tip aimed at reducing a reoccurring crime." "It had a very casual tone with exaggerations; much different from the PD's usually serious tone. The message was not received by everyone in the spirit it was intended. This has given us an opportunity to work toward more effective communications," the post stated. Lisa Price of the Friendswood Police Department declined to provide the Chronicle with another statement. Price said as far as she knows, no action will be taken against the person who made the post. Rebecca Hennes covers community news. Read her on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | rebecca.hennes@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message Doane Gregory A beat-by-beat remake of the 2014 Norwegian thriller In Order of Disappearance, director Hans Petter Moland's Cold Pursuit puts Liam Neeson behind the wheel of a snowplow with vengeance on his mind. Had the film been made back in the 60s, with less gore and fewer corpses, the theoretical theme song would've included that lyric: Behind the wheel of a snowplow/With vengeance on his mind. Enough facetiousness. Cold Pursuit has enough of its own facetiousness for a dozen jokey Tarantino-knockoff carnage festivals. Shot in British Columbia, Cold Pursuit litters its bodies all around the fictional Colorado ski town of Kehoe, where taciturn Nels Coxman (Neeson) keeps the roads clear and earns the respect of his fellow townsfolk. Life is orderly and Nels' blandly supportive spouse (Laura Dern, barely given the time to talk) functions as a frontier wife, mutely in tune with her man's strong, silent persona. Government became a lot more interesting and modern for middle school students after they stepped on the 45-foot bus parked in front of Hildebrandt Intermediate School. The C-SPAN Bus visited the group of Klein ISD middle school students on Feb. 4, after its stop at Twin Creeks Middle School in Spring ISD earlier in the day. The vehicle was equipped with interactive quizzes, videos and a selfie station where students could use social media to express their thoughts on government. These visits were part of C-SPANs Southern Swing Tour during which the bus traveled to six schools in the greater Houston area. C-SPAN partnered with Comcast and Harris County Precinct 4 for the initiative to teach students about local government. Its really hard for kids, especially in middle school, to grasp what government is and how that relates to our history and why it would be important to them, said Evangeline Mitchell, teacher at Hildebrandt. Doug Hemmig, marketing representative for C-SPAN, said a goal of the tour is to share resources and provide thousands of teachers nationwide with content to use in the classroom. One of the neat things about the bus is it really brings together community officials and school districts to kind of see what politics are all about and what community service is all about from all different angles, Hemmig said. Kent Klingerman, representative with Harris County Precinct 4, discussed how local government works, how it is set up, and why it matters. He told students about the scope of work done by the county, emphasizing the level of responsibility placed on Harris County officials in particular. Everyone in Louisiana would fit inside Harris County and our population is actually a little bit bigger, Klingerman said. Regardless of size or population, he said all Texas counties are governed the same way: by four commissioners and one judge. If you go out to West Texas and theres more cactus and coyotes than there are people, they still have four commissioners and one judge, Klingerman said. Mitchell felt the event helped her students gain a better understanding of concepts they were studying in school. It enables the kids to make that connection and see how it would actually affect their world; what some careers are that would be interesting to them; and then interacting with the technology so that they have that real-world connection to the stuff that were just talking about in class, Mitchell said. As her students exited the bus, she noted their level of excitement. She said the C-SPAN Bus could be a catalyst for getting students involved in government early. Its about starting those citizenship qualities now instead of thinking that they have to wait until theyre of the age to vote, Mitchell said. What can you do now? How can they interact with their government now instead of waiting until theyre 18? What kind of career paths could this lead to? Do they like the media end of it? chevall.pryce@chron.com WASHINGTON - Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the powerful Republican chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, wants the federal government to eliminate incentives for the purchase of electric vehicles. In an op-ed published by Fox News Tuesday, Barrasso said electric car technology had reached a point manufacturers no longer need government assistance and eliminating federal incentives could save $20 billion a year. As congregants gathered for Friday Shabbat, they joyfully sang songs in Hebrew and celebrated inclusion of those with disabilities both in and outside of their synagogues walls. At Congregation Beth Yeshuruns Ninth Annual Inclusion Shabbat on Feb. 1, artists from Celebration Company an entrepreneurial program for adults living with disabilities lit candles and participated. The congregation sang a song that encouraged people to be themselves, and Maria Town, director of the Houston Mayors Office for People with Disabilities, shared about moments of inclusion that had changed her own life. The special service was the work of the synagogues inclusion committee, which was one of the first across the nation when it formed in spring of 2010. Our incredible inclusion committee has annually sponsored a Friday night Inclusion Shabbat in February during National Jewish Disability Month as a way to create awareness, respect and sensitivity within our community for the needs of those with disabilities, said Senior Rabbi Brian Strauss. Through the committees advances, Beth Yeshurun has become more accessible by adding accessible doors, assisted listening devices, more handicap accessible seating, wheelchairs available for use and more. Services are also captioned. In addition, the synagogue hosts a monthly activities program called The Gathering Place that serves those who are experiencing memory loss from conditions like Alzheimers and Parkinsons. Strauss said the committee is always looking for ways to make Beth Yeshurun a more inclusive environment. Maria Town worked in the White House on the nations disabilities programs under President Barack Obama before coming to Houston to work for Mayor Sylvester Turner. She said, Inclusion happens in moments. Born nearly three months premature, Town has dealt with physical disabilities all her life. Her mother knew from the beginning that she would be different. The doctors told her, Ms. Town, your daughter may never ever walk or talk, but dont worry about that because well have technology. Town said she will always be thankful they did not tell her mother that she would be different and to institutionalize her. From the moment I arrived, that was never an option with my family, Town said. That one moment with that doctor who made the comment that no matter how disabled I appeared, it was possible to live in the community, it was possible for me to be included. In the sixth grade, Town arrived late to her first day at a new school. As she walked in classroom, the other students went dead silent and stared, except for one girl that erupted in nervous laughter. Town later learned the schools principal had told all of them ahead of time what to expect and to not acknowledge that she had a disability. That girl eventually became Towns best friend, and the other students did grow to accept her and embrace her. But what happened that day was those leaders of the school did not trust enough in me nor my fellow students in our own humanity to embrace one another and tried to create an artificial inclusion that ultimately backfired, Town said. I was more different in that moment than if I had just come in on my own and said, Hi, Im Maria. Its really nice to meet you. Im so excited to be in this class with you, which is what I had done throughout every other moment in my life. Years later, Town invited a woman to the White House who had become disabled through physical violence as the president was planning to speak about a national campaign against violence. She was reluctant to come because she was not sure how she would be able to navigate the old building in her wheelchair, but Town said she would be there to guide her. Then she told Town she was worried about not being able to stand as the president entered the room. I had to speak with her candidly and say, Every time I interact with the president, Im afraid Im going to fall. And the thing is I know intellectually that even if I did fall, hed be OK with it because hes human too, Town said. And so whats most important is not that you rise to show him respect but that you show him respect and tell him how important it is that we reduce violence in the United States and tell him your story. Today, that woman is Arizona State Rep. Jennifer Longdon. She made up her mind then that she wanted to run. Since being elected, Longdon has worked worked to modify the Arizona state house for her wheelchair. Town said that moment of honest conversation has paved the way for others to be included. I still carry fear, and because I was so candid and admitted that to her and because we respected each others dignity, even in our frailty, she is creating moments of inclusion for so many people beyond her, Town said. She said, Facilitating inclusion means facilitating rest, and offering an Inclusion Sabbath at Congregation Beth Yeshurun is an important step. Being able to go into a classroom and know that youre accepted, being able to have a premature child and know that no matter how this child develops, they will be able to live and thrive in their community, being able to meet with anyone whether its the president of the United States, the leaders of your synagogue and know that no matter how you exist in your body or mind, you will be included means that you can rest fully and gracefully and peacefully, she said. Congregation Beth Yeshurun is located at 4525 Beechnut St. in southwest Houston. tracy.maness@hcnonline.com The ethics proposal includes a number of other provisions to bring the citys law into line with state requirements adopted in 2017. It would bar former lobbyists who take jobs working for the city from taking action on issues they had been involved in as lobbyists. It also would require public officials to disclose if their spouses are lobbyists. If you've never heard of Rienzi, don't feel bad. The peach-hued home built by Harris and Carroll Sterling Masterson in 1952 isn't exactly visible from Kirby Drive. And the sprawling River Oaks manse isn't the sort of venue for throwing wild parties - at least not anymore. "Back when Harris was still alive I'd stand barefoot on some of the furniture in this very room," confided one Rienzi Society Dinner-goer who wished to remain anonymous. "People would climb up the trees and jump into the pool!" FOR HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM SUBSCRIBERS: MFAH investigating claims it owns a painting looted by Nazis Sadly, no such riff-raff took place during Tuesday night's 20th anniversary banquet, a black-tie celebration of the two decades since Rienzi has been part of Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and open to the public. The hidden gem of a compound is worth a visit. Throughout the year there are ample opportunities for Masterson-style revelry. The al fresco and poolside Rienzi Spring Party, fall's Punch Party or libation-pairing dinners (Chef Hugo Ortega is preparing the next mezcal-inspired installment) are all relatively debaucherous in comparison. But on this milestone occasion - society members have raised more than $3 million since inception - chairs Courtnay and Mark Elias and Isla and Tommy Reckling planned decidedly old school evening. Servers greeted arrivals with dirty martinis and Kir Royales. Guests sipped the specialty cocktails - or visited the open bar - before beginning the scavenger hunt. It's become a fun tradition for members to vote on the house museum's next acquisition. With ballots and maps in hand, some 78 patrons visited the estate's library, Italian bedroom and drawing room to weigh their options. The first was an inkstand with bell, pen holder, powder sifter and inkwells attributed to Giuseppe Sarao valued at $158,000. Next, an Agostino Gerli cabinet for $150,000. And the finale item - the rumored result of an object damaged in transit - was a $150,000 gift to the Rienzi Accessions Endowment Fund. At HoustonChronicle.com: A change in leadership at MFAH could bring a more contemporary vibe Over a delectable meal prepared by Swift + Company Catering, diners conferred amongst themselves while votes were tallied. Rounds of wedge salads, assorted rolls with truffle butter and Steak Diane were placed on pink sequin tabletops before MFAH director Gary Tinterow shared the big news. Though voters overwhelmingly selected option 2, the cabinet, Tinterow announced that he would tap the discretionary fund to purchase the inkstand as well. "Because I can't imagine not having it, too," he told the overjoyed crowd."Now, where's that chocolate cake?" SHORT FILMS: Oscar shorts go for the long run at MFAH Moments later, a server pushed the multi-tier chocolate cake a la Masterson - a family dinner party favorite - around via rolling cart as diners clinked flutes filled with Mumm Napa brut rose. No one danced on furniture or dove for a midnight swim that evening, though the well-timed switcheroo proved equally satisfying. PREVIEW: Find fun things to do and see around Houston in our weekly Preview newsletter. Subscribe here. Houston-based petrochemical company TPC Group was hit with a $214,000 fine after its Houston plant released excessive amounts of pollutants and failed to report emissions incidents to state regulators. The fine from Texas Commission on Environmental Quality was approved last week along with a host of other emissions-related fines at Houston area plants owned by Valero and Eastman Chemical. TPC Group, formerly Texas Petrochemicals, was fined after a state audit found its Houston plant released excess nitrogen oxide, volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and other pollutants from a boiler and other units during incidents in 2015 and 2016. The site is required to self-report when it releases volatile organic compounds and pollutants that exceed state limits. The state audited 18 months of those reports and found the plant didn't notify the environmental commission for certain incidents when it exceeded those limits, although the amount release didn't significantly harm the environment or human health, the state said. The company was required to install new equipment on four wash towers and a boiler at the plant, submit a new report on its emissions of volatile organic compounds and workers underwent additional training, among other corrective actions. RELATED: Formosa's Texas plant fined $122,000 for plastic pellet spill - Houston Chronicle Beyond those steps, the company opted to pay half of its fine to a state program that brings old buses to current federal air emissions standards. "TPC Group has worked to establish effective relationships with state and local regulators, and be transparent in our actions, as part of the company's commitment to environmentally responsible operations. The company engages in ongoing dialogue in the community to understand and respond to the questions and concerns of all our stakeholders," said Sara Cronin, TPC Group, company spokeswoman in a statement. "TPC Group regards environmental compliance as a core value of our operating philosophy and rigorously works to meet or exceed all environmental regulations under which our facilities operate." TPC Group makes petrochemicals used in a wide range of performance, specialty and intermediate segments, including synthetic rubber, fuels, lubricant additives, plastics and surfactants. Valero, Eastman Chemical fined in separate incidents Separately, the state last week fined Valero $48,000 after the San Antonio refiner improperly operated a flare during a scheduled maintenance event at its Houston refinery in 2015. The improper flaring caused unauthorized emissions of 221 pounds of hydrogen sulfide, 8,327 pounds of volatile organic compounds, 5,230 ponds of sulfur dioxide, 2,448 pounds of highly reactive volatile organic compounds, according to the TCEQ fine. The company delayed reporting the incident for about four months, according to documents. Valero declined to comment on the fine. Also last week, TCEQ fined Eastman Chemical $43,000 for failing to perform quarterly visible emissions observations at stationary vents at 13 generators throughout its Texas City plant between July 2012 and June 2017. No excess pollutants were released. "Eastman has consistently completed weekly reliability tests on the generators to ensure they are operating properly if and when needed. During those weekly tests, the facility has not experienced any issues that would result in excess emissions. Since learning of the oversight in quarterly inspections, Eastman is now completing the inspections as required," a company spokesperson said in a statement. Dollar Tree announced tentative plans to build a 1.2 million-square-foot distribution center in Rosenberg. The company plans to invest approximately $130 million in the project, while creating more than 300 jobs. The distribution center would be located on Spur 10 near Klosterhoff Road in Fort Bend County. The deal is contingent on a number of factors, Dollar Tree said in an announcement. Those include the formal approvals from the City Council, the Rosenberg Development Corp. and the Fort Bend County Commissioners Court; the city of Rosenberg's annexation of the 140-acre site; the creation of the Reinvestment Zones by the city and county; and closing on the purchase of the site. RELATED: Costco buys Katy land for distribution center "Dollar Tree is a large and growing organization," Dollar Tree's President and Chief Executive Gary Philbin said in an announcement. "We currently operate more than 1,600 Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores in Texas and we are excited about our new distribution center project in Fort Bend County. We expect this new, state-of-the-art facility will enhance our supply chain efficiencies and provide convenient access to our network of stores through reduced stem miles, all while creating hundreds of new jobs." Rosenberg Development Corporation Executive Director Bret Gardella said the pending deal was part of a broader development push. "Rosenberg has positive momentum and we're seeing numerous businesses investing in the city, which creates more jobs and revenue," he said. "When you have a company like Dollar Tree seeing the opportunity that we offer, it just adds to our strengths and builds on our assets." The distribution center would serve Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores. Construction is planned to begin in April or May and finish by summer 2020. Based in Chesapeake, Va., Dollar Tree has 15,187 stores in the U.S. and Canada, and 23 distribution centers in the U.S. Change in my work happens not in revolutions its more evolutionary A guide to Wolfgang Tillmans, the German artist whose photographs, ranging from the elegiac to the everyday, reveal an endless curiosity with modern life. Illustrated with works offered at Christies Earliest photographs, a Contax SLR, and meeting Maureen Paley Born in Remscheid in Germany in 1968, Wolfgang Tillmans took his earliest photographs of the night sky. When he was 14 he was sent to London on an exchange programme, and quickly discovered Boy George, Silk Cut cigarettes and Kensington Market. His aim, he says of the time, was to go clubbing and meet outrageous people and break out and wear make-up. By the time he turned 18 Tillmans was back in Germany, producing his own fanzines and buying his first camera a Contax single-lens reflex. Two years later he moved to Hamburg where he began documenting the citys nightlife, sending the images to i-D magazine in London. This led to his first exhibition at a small gallery called Cafe Gnosa. The positive reception to his first show emboldened Tillmans to approach the gallerist Maureen Paley, who has been his gallerist ever since. Documenting club culture for i-D magazine Tillmans pictures first appeared in the pages of i-D magazine in 1989. The style and culture magazines appropriation of the zine format, its commitment to experimentation, and its promotion of sub-cultures made it a perfect vehicle for a teenage artist who was intent on exploring the meaning and context of his images. Soon, Tillmans was being asked to photograph musicians, actors and other cultural figures and he produced photo stories about club culture in Europe. The controversial Like Brother Like Sister photo story was published in i-D Magazine, The Sexuality Issue, No. 110, in November 1992. Credit: Wolfgang Tillmans & i-D magazine Notoriety for an explicit photo story, Like Brother Like Sister In 1992 Tillmans photographed his friends, the artist Alexandra Bircken and the fashion designer Lutz Huelle, naked or semi-clothed on the Dorset coast for i-Ds Sexuality Issue. The magazines UK distributors refused to stock the issue because of its explicit content. Wolfgang Tillmans (b. 1969), Lutz & Alex sitting in the trees, photographed in August 1992 and printed in 1999. Signed and dated 'photo Aug 92' (on the reverse). C-print. 20 x 14 in (50.8 x 37.5 cm). This work is number two from an edition of three. Estimate: 30,000-40,000. Offered in Masterpieces of Design and Photography on 6 March at Christies London One of the images, Lutz & Alex sitting in the trees, became a defining, if utopian vision of the free-spirited and open-minded generation the artist sought to portray. Tillmans experiments with still life, landscape and abstract imagery By the early 1990s, having graduated from Bournemouth and Poole College of Art, Tillmans was showing in galleries in London and Hamburg, using the white cube space to challenge perceived notions of what art could be. He exhibited faxes, postcards and printed-up darkroom mistakes, and worked across different artistic genres including still life, landscape and portraiture and abstract imagery. I found my signature in terms of showing my pictures in a non-hierarchical way, he said of the time. It was a very radical thing at the time, to show magazine pages alongside original photographs and to leave the photographs unframed. The Blushes, Mental Pictures and Freischwimmer works When asked about how he works and whats important to him, Tillmans has spoken of being open to whats there and working in this intersection, interplay of intention and chance, control and coincidence. Operating on the border between photography and painting has seen him frequently compared with Sigmar Polke and Gerhard Richter. Tillmans in-depth exploration of the abstract potential of photography began with a number of non-representational group of works, including the Blushes and Mental Pictures images, both from 2000, and the Freischwimmer pictures, inaugurated in 2001, as well as the Griefbar pictures inaugurated in 2014, examples of which can be found in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Tate, London; and the Stadel Museum, Frankfurt am Main. Produced entirely in the darkroom, the Freischwimmer works are created without camera or negative, and are the result of the manipulation of light sources by the artist over photosensitive paper. The title of these works refers to the first certificate awarded to children in Germany when they are learning to swim, but also translates as swimming freely, which speaks to the fluidity of these pieces. In May 2017 Freischwimmer 102 (above), executed in 2004, sold for $403,500 at Christies in New York. AIDS and Tillmans relationship with Jochen Klein Tillmans is often described as an artist who makes ordinary things look extraordinary, although he would argue the opposite. He believes that ordinary things are extraordinary, if only people would take the time to look at them. This hyper-awareness of the world around him is something he attributes to his own sense of mortality; he grew up in the 1980s with the threat of the spreading of the HIV virus, and his lover, the painter Jochen Klein, died from AIDS related complications in 1997. His pictures, however light and joyous, are always made with that reality in mind. The first non-Brit to win the Turner Prize in 2000 At the time of his win the press described Tillmans as a German-born artist living in Britain a bit of a mouthful, but one that hes used to now. He won the Turner Prize for an installation of photographs arranged on the gallery walls, an unpretentious aesthetic that has continued. His exhibition at Tate Britain three years later was titled if one thing matters, everything matters and reflected this egalitarian vision. In photography I like to assume exactly the unprivileged position, he said, the position everybody can take, who chooses to sit at an airplane window or chooses to climb a tower. From Bethnal Green to Berlin: Between Bridges Between Bridges began in 2006 as a not-for-profit exhibition space in Bethnal Green, East London, before relocating to Berlin in 2014. It is now a foundation devoted to the advancement of democracy, international understanding, the arts and LGBT rights. Sign up today Christie's Online Magazine delivers our best features, videos, and auction news to your inbox every week Subscribe Wealthy American church minister buys medieval Scottish castle A millionaire church minister from the US has bought a 15th century castle in the north-east of Scotland with plans to turn it from a luxury hotel into her private home. Ackergill Tower in Caithness was once a garrison for Oliver Cromwell's troops but had in recent years been a five-star hotel. Stars reported to have stayed at the tower in its time as a hotel include Hollywood stars Michael Douglas and Jack Nicholson. The stunning castle sits on the rugged coastline close to Wick and was a popular holiday and wedding destination until it closed in December, with the loss of 40 jobs. Now, after being bought by Episcopalian church minister Dr Betsee Parker, it will be turned into a private home. The Scotsman reports that Dr Parker, a widowed American philanthropist and the 17th Baroness of Lochiel, plans to use the historic building as a holiday home. The tower, which is believed to date back to 1475, sits in 30 acres of ground along the North Coast 500 route that is popular with motorists and cyclists. It has been in the possession of Clarenco since 2009, having been bought by one of its divisions, AmaZing Venues in 2009. In 2012, the 32-bedroom castle was given a 2m refurb after which it received a five-star rating. Clarenco put it on the market in 2015 and it was reportedly snapped up last year for 3.9 million, below the original asking price of 4.5 million. In addition to the tower, the property comes with a luxury treehouse, six cottages, a boathouse and a bothy. Highland Council last month approved Dr Parker's request to convert the hotel back into a private home. Dafydd Jones, planning manager at Highland Council, was quoted by The Scotsman as saying: 'Residential use is considered appropriate for the building because it re-establishes its original purpose and ensures its continued occupation.' Trump appeals to evangelicals with pledge on late-term abortions President Donald Trump vowed in his State of the Union speech on Tuesday to build a border wall, which is a source of a deep partisan divide, and said Democratic attempts at 'ridiculous partisan investigations' could damage US prosperity. Trump spoke to a joint session of the US Congress facing political discord over his demands that Democrats end their opposition to funding for a US-Mexico border wall he says is needed to stem illegal immigration and smuggled drugs. During his 82-minute speech, he outlined his political priorities without providing specific policy details. He appeared to be appealing to his evangelical base when he attacked the abortion legislation passed in New York recently and signalled his intention to halt late-term abortions, saying: 'There could be no greater contrast to the beautiful image of a mother holding her infant child than the chilling displays our nation saw in recent days. Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother's womb moments before birth.' Trump said: 'These are living, feeling, beautiful, babies who will never get the chance to share their love and dreams with the world.' He added: 'I am asking Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mother's womb. Let us work together to build a culture that cherishes innocent life. And let us reaffirm a fundamental truth: all children born and unborn are made in the holy image of God.' Trump called illegal immigration 'an urgent national crisis' but stopped short of declaring a border emergency that would allow him to bypass Congress for wall funding. Instead, he urged Democrats and Republicans to find a compromise by a February 15 deadline. 'In the past, most of the people in this room voted for a wall, but the proper wall never got built. I will get it built,' Trump said, with his main Democratic adversary, new House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, watching over his shoulder. Democrats call the wall a waste of money and ineffective. During the speech, Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal tweeted her opposition to the wall, saying: 'The border is more secure than ever. Enough.' Trump warned, without offering evidence, that Democratic efforts to investigate his administration, along with the possibility of US involvement in wars abroad, would endanger the economy. 'An economic miracle is taking place in the United States and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics, or ridiculous partisan investigations,' he said. His remarks came as Democrats who now control the House planned a series of probes into the Trump administration and his personal finances, while Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller investigates Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow. Russia denies meddling and Trump has said there was no collusion. Democratic Representative Val Demings called Trump's remarks shameful and said the investigations would proceed. 'We're not going to stop,' she said. Apart from lauding economic accomplishments unemployment near a five-decade low and manufacturing job growth among them Trump's speech was light on new initiatives to further stoke growth in an economy seen as losing momentum as it began 2019. Foreign policy focus Trump's speech unfolded largely in a civil fashion with Cabinet members, military commanders and several Supreme Court justices in attendance at the annual presidential address to Congress. Many Democratic women lawmakers wore white to celebrate 100 years of women having gained the right to vote. Republicans cheered on the president, while Democrats grimaced or shook their heads but held their fire and applauded at non-partisan moments, such as when two Holocaust survivors were recognised. Despite a lack of concrete progress in persuading North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons programme, Trump said his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would take place on February 27 and 28 in Vietnam. It is expected to be either in Hanoi or Da Nang. From China to Venezuela to Afghanistan, Trump devoted a large section of his speech to foreign policy, saying a trade deal was possible with China if Beijing agrees to 'real structural change'. The world's two largest economies are in talks to try to hammer out an agreement to end a trade war. Trump hailed peace efforts unfolding between his administration and Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan and said if a deal could be reached, it would allow him to bring some US troops home after 17 years of war spawned by the September 11, 2001, attacks. He also hailed allied gains against Islamic State militants in Syria and reiterated his plan to withdraw US troops from that war zone, despite comments earlier in the day from a top general, Joseph Votel, that a pullout could prompt a resurgence in the militancy. 'Great nations do not fight endless wars,' said Trump, whose withdrawal plans are opposed by many congressional Republicans. Trump also denounced Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who the United States and a number of Latin American and European countries accuse of being an illegitimate leader after last year's disputed election. Divided by the wall Trump used part of his speech to offer a spirit of compromise, particularly in areas such as lowering the price of prescription drugs and funding a $1 trillion upgrade in US roads, bridges and other infrastructure. But whether Trump and his opponents would follow through was far from clear, with both sides entrenched in long-held positions and girding for 2020 elections, reluctant to give the other side a political victory. Driving the two parties apart is Trump's insistence on funding for the border wall. Pelosi, who frequently sat stony-faced through Trump's address, has shown no sign of budging from her opposition to Trump's wall-funding demand. The Republican president appeared in the House chamber just weeks after his demand for $5.7 billion in funding for the US-Mexico wall triggered a historic 35-day partial government shutdown that more than half of Americans blamed him for, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling. 'Simply put, walls work and walls save lives. So let's work together, compromise, and reach a deal that will truly make America safe,' Trump said. In the Democratic response to Trump's speech, Stacey Abrams, who lost a race for governor of Georgia last November, said that while Democrats stood ready to secure the country's ports and borders, 'America is made stronger by the presence of immigrants not walls.' For all of Trump's talk about political unity, he could not resist denouncing liberal Democrats who have gained power in the House, best personified by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has proposed a 70 per cent tax on the richest Americans. 'We are born free, and we will stay free. Tonight, we renew our resolve that America will never be a socialist country,' Trump said. As Trump spoke, Ocasio-Cortez could be seen smiling broadly. Additional reporting by Reuters. Poor will 'pay the price' for a bad Brexit, warns Bishop of Leeds If Brexit turns out badly, it is poor people and British business that will suffer, the Bishop of Leeds has said. Writing on his blog, Bishop Nick Baines warned the prospects for the British economy were far worse than Nissan pulling out of manufacturing cars in Sunderland and that there were instead widespread concerns among corporate executives that the country was 'toxic' as far as investment was concerned. He said that those who were prominent in the Brexit process had shown 'that we are a people who are limited in our insight, still maintain dreams of empire, cannot face reality, like to hear what we want to hear (regardless of facts), and cannot be trusted to be competence [SIC]'. EU counterparts, he continued, had long got over their shock at Britain's decision to leave the EU and were 'now incredulous about our sheer incompetence as a parliamentary democracy'. While he said he could understand the ideological commitment to leaving the EU, including questions over sovereignty, EU values and the 'bureaucratic machine in Brussels and Strasbourg', he said that it was 'both ridiculous and dangerous' to want to leave the EU without paying attention to how to do it and the cost of doing so. 'So, we see rich and powerful people leading the charge, making promises to which they will not be held, and knowing that they will not suffer at all if it all goes wrong for the UK,' he said. 'Poor people in challenging communities will pay the price as they have been doing during the so-called 'austerity years' and the powerful will exercise their power by maximising and protecting their own benefits ... all while blaming everyone else for the ills that follow. We can't all take our businesses to Singapore or Ireland,' he said. He continued, 'Brexit will bring disillusionment probably on all sides. Brexit won't lead to economic or social nirvana for Leavers, and Remainers will continue to resist its consequences. 'Just as Faragistes never accepted the decision to join (what became) the EU, so many will immediately start the campaign to rejoin the EU one day. Brexit has not, could not and will not resolve the issue on these islands. 'But, it has exposed our deeper divisions (many of which have nothing whatsoever to do with Brexit or the EU), the poverty of our political culture (how can Labour still be six points behind the Tories in today's polling?), the weakness of our national character, and our willingness to tell, hear and believe lies.' Prime Minister Theresa May will be travelling to Brussels on Thursday in a bid to renegotiate her Brexit deal, including changes to the way the Irish backstop operates. Her return to Brussels is being made in spite of EU leaders insisting that there is no renegotiation to be had on the withdrawal agreement. May is to meet European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker in the morning, followed by a meeting with the president of the European Council Donald Tusk in the afternoon. European Council President Donald Tusk: there's a 'special place in hell' for Brexiters who pushed ahead without a plan The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, has blasted politicians who pushed for Brexit 'without even a sketch of a plan', saying there was a 'special place in hell' for them. Prime Minister Theresa May is due to meet Tusk on Thursday as she returns to Brussels in an attempt to renegotiate the withdrawal agreement. Tusk, however, has made clear that there are no more consessions to be made to the treaty, including the Irish backstop. He reiterated his desire to see the UK change its mind but admitted this was unlikely as the Remain camp lacked 'effective leadership'. 'I have always been with you with all my heart, but the facts are unmistakable. At the moment the pro-Brexit stance of the UK prime minister and the leader of the opposition rules out this question. Today there is no political force and no effective leadership for remain,' he said. He continued: 'There is no room for speculation here. The EU is first and foremost a peace project. We will not gamble with peace or put a sell-by date on reconciliation," he said, rejecting British demands for a time limit on the Irish backstop. 'I've been wondering what that special place in hell looks like, for those who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan [for] how to carry it out safely.' This week, the Bishop of Leeds, the Rt Rev Nick Baines issued a scathing critique of the current state of Brexit, saying it had shown the nation to be 'a people who are limited in our insight, still maintain dreams of empire, cannot face reality, like to hear what we want to hear (regardless of facts), and cannot be trusted to be competence [SIC]'. In a stinging rebuke to the 'rich and powerful people leading the charge', he said they were guilty of 'making promises to which they will not be held, and knowing that they will not suffer at all if it all goes wrong for the UK'. 'Poor people in challenging communities will pay the price as they have been doing during the so-called 'austerity years' and the powerful will exercise their power by maximising and protecting their own benefits ... all while blaming everyone else for the ills that follow. We can't all take our businesses to Singapore or Ireland,' he said. 'Brexit will bring disillusionment probably on all sides. Brexit won't lead to economic or social nirvana for Leavers, and Remainers will continue to resist its consequences. 'Just as Faragistes never accepted the decision to join (what became) the EU, so many will immediately start the campaign to rejoin the EU one day. Brexit has not, could not and will not resolve the issue on these islands. 'But, it has exposed our deeper divisions (many of which have nothing whatsoever to do with Brexit or the EU), the poverty of our political culture (how can Labour still be six points behind the Tories in today's polling?), the weakness of our national character, and our willingness to tell, hear and believe lies.' Bible believed to be 1,200 years old discovered in Turkey An extremely rare Bible has been discovered in Turkey by police as part of an anti-smuggling operation. The Bible is only 34 pages long and is believed to be 1,200 years old, reports Hurriyet Daily News. Although it is in frail condition, gold lettering and a cross decoration can still be made out on its pages. It was seized by an anti-smuggling team in the city of Kayapinar, the southeastern Diyarbakir governorship said in a statement. Six people have been detained by police in connection with the Bible, with three accused of trying to sell it. No additional information was given about the Bible. Last year, the discovery of a 2,000-year-old stamping ring caused much excitement among biblical archaeologists after it was found to bear the inscription of 'Pilatus' in Greek letters. It was just one of many artefacts discovered during excavations at Herod's burial tomb half a century ago but the inscription was only recently deciphered thanks to the use of new advanced photography technology. The inscription led to speculation that it might have belonged to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea who went down in history as the man who tried Jesus. Professor Danny Schwartz told Haaretz that the name 'Pilatus' was not common at the time. 'I don't know of any other Pilatus from the period and the ring shows he was a person of stature and wealth,' he said. Roi Porat, co-author of a report into the object published in the Israel Exploration Journal, told The Times of Israel, 'But in practice, we have a ring inscribed with the name Pilate and the personal connection just cries out.' Once again, someone has littered sidewalks on the South Baltimore Peninsula with racist propaganda, Costello tweeted. This is a cowardly act and the pathetic people behind this should be ashamed of themselves. Racism and hatred, and this trash, have no place in our City. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment President Trump delivered the 2019 State of the Union address last night before a joint session of the 116th Congress. I watched the address, then surveyed coverage of it this morning. It is as if there were two different speeches delivered. The Blaze headlines: An astounding number of viewers approved of Trumps State of the Union speechhere are the results. A Fox columnist claims that once again, America saw that Trump on the stump is very, very good. By contrast, the Washington Post is carrying a column titled More Trump fantasyland as the world fries. CNN has an article titled Critics laugh off Trumps mispronunciations once again. Van Jones claimed that the speech was psychotically incoherent. None of this should surprise us. Who is neutral about the president? The New Yorker interviewed a Georgetown University scholar this week who called President Trump an amateur in the White House and claimed that he looks hideously weak. By contrast, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders recently called Mr. Trump the most productive President in modern history and claimed, Its indisputable that our country has never been stronger than it is today under the leadership of President Trump. It seems difficult to find someone who is neutral about the president. The latest poll shows that 39.9 percent of Americans approve of the job he is doing, while 55.6 percent disapprove. Only 4.5 percent are undecided. Our divisions over the president reflect a growing partisan divide in our country. Pew Research Center asked more than five thousand people about several specific political issues and found that, on average, there was a thirty-six-point gap between Republicans and Democrats. This is up twenty-one points since Pew began tracking these questions twenty-three years earlier. A recent survey found that 80 percent of Americans say the country is mainly or totally divided. NBC News concluded that Americans are divided over everything except division. In 1992, 37 percent of states with Senate races elected a senator from a different party than the presidential candidate supported by that state. In 2016, for the first time in a century, not a single state did so. Issues larger than ratings There are many reasons for the political divisiveness of our day, from media bias to increasing diversity to polarizing leaders to cultural bubbles, in which we live near people like us and listen only to news sources with which we agree. But these issues, while real, reflect underlying divisions that have become foundational to our culture and are likely to persist for years to come. For instance, 73 percent of religiously unaffiliated Americans support abortion, compared with 33 percent of evangelicals. Seventy-eight percent of unaffiliated Americans support same-sex marriage, compared with 28 percent of evangelicals. Practicing Christians are far less likely than other groups to agree that every culture must determine what is acceptable morality for its people. For followers of Jesus, these are spiritual issues that transcend political acrimony and presidential approval ratings. How do we speak redemptively to such a divisive day? A and B doctrines In Center Church, Tim Keller distinguishes between A doctrines and B doctrines. A doctrines are biblical truths that many in the culture affirm. B doctrines are biblical truths that many in the culture reject. Keller suggests that our cultural engagement should typically begin with A doctrines as the foundation for introducing B doctrines. Pauls message to the Areopagus in Acts 17 illustrates the difference. He quotes their poets affirmation that in [God] we live and move and have our being and we are indeed his offspring (v. 28). Their belief that God exists and created us is an A doctrine Christians share with most of humanity. The apostle then moves to their need for repentance and faith in the one whom God confirmed by raising him from the dead (v. 31). This is a B doctrine. For Greek philosophers steeped in the Platonic bifurcation between soul (good) and body (evil), it is unsurprising that when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked (v. 32a). However, others said, We will hear you again about this' (v. 32b). And some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them (v. 34). Dionysius the Areopagite is believed by Greek Orthodox historians to have become the bishop of Athens and one of their most significant theologians. Of course, there are times when the Holy Spirit will call us to speak truth to power in confrontational ways. For instance, Peter began his defense before the Sanhedrin by stating, The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree (Acts 5:30). But Kellers point finds consistent biblical illustration, as when Jesus began his conversation with the woman at the well by asking for water, then led her to living water (John 4). When you live in the light of eternity In responding to the divisive issues of our day, this A-to-B strategy may prove helpful. What common ground can you find with someone with whom you disagree? What common cause can you advance together? How can you earn the right to speak hard truth in grace? Well discuss practical ways to build such relationships in tomorrows Daily Article. For today, lets decide that we want to. Unlike the president, our message will not be heard by millions. But the eternal souls we touch are worth the risk of sharing Gods truth with clarity and compassion. Rick Warren: When you live in the light of eternity, your values change. Will you live in the light of eternity today? Originally posted at Denison Forum. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment On election night 2018, while most of the nations attention was focused on the Democrats taking the House and the Republicans expanding their Senate majority, few noticed a funny smell wafting in from the Midwest. Michigan became the 10th, and the first midwestern, state to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. New York and New Jersey seem to be next in line, and more members of Congress now favor federal legalization. Legalized pot, it seems, is on a roll. All of this is, pun intended, stone-cold crazy. The recreational use of marijuana is dangerous to individuals and degrading to public health and safety. Recently, in a lead New York Times op-ed entitled What Advocates of Legalizing Pot Dont Want You to Know, Alex Berenson laid out the evidence for why this push toward legalization is exactly wrong. The article is sobering. Even frightening. Key to the growing support for legalized weedroughly 65 percent of Americans now favor itis that marijuana lobbyists and for-profit companies have been blowing smoke (figuratively and literally) for years about the drugs safety, and about the public benefits of legalization. Advocates say marijuana is a medicine, not an intoxicant, and that legalization can slow the opioid epidemic. Not true, Berenson argues, pointing to an American Journal of Psychiatry study that shows that people who use cannabis are more likely to start using opioids later. Pot advocates also downplay the mental health risks of using cannabis, but The National Academy of Medicine reports that using pot is likely to increase the risk of schizophrenia and other psychoses; the higher the use, the greater the risk. In fact, between 2006 and 2014, emergency room visits from marijuana-induced psychosis tripled to 90,000. And all those claims that legalizing marijuana would take the air out of the black market for weed? Its not happening, Berenson claims. Instead, it lower(s) prices, increase availability and acceptability, and drive(s) up use. And all the Boomers out there who fondly remember taking that toke at a concert with no harm caused, Berenson wants you to know: in the 1970s and 1980s, marijuana generally contained less than 5 percent THC. Today, the marijuana sold at legal dispensaries often contains 25 percent . . . As a comparison, Berenson writes, think of the difference between a beer and a martini. Of course, I see every day what Berenson is talking about here in Colorado. As my friend Jeff Hunt at Colorado Christian University wrote in USA Today, the woes brought upon our state by legalized weed are significant: an increase in drug related traffic deaths and poison control calls, a growing black market, and marijuana related arrests for minority youth. Not to mention, its proven impossible to regulate, and to keep in state and out of schools. For all the promises of tax revenues being generated for education, one school superintendent retorted bluntly, So far, the only thing that the legalization of marijuana has brought to our schools has been marijuana. Now two years ago, when I talked about marijuana on the air, our phone lines, emails, and social media accounts lit up. A lot of folks were not happy. So let me briefly address the concerns I heard then: Because I dont want pot legalized does that mean I want to lock up all pot users? Thats an odd question to ask a disciple of Chuck Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship. The answer of coursenoeven if, as Berenson points out, the problem of incarcerating people for possession is overblown. And what about cigarettes and booze? Arent they just as dangerousif not more? My quick response is: If they are, why would we legalize and unleash another health menace on the public? The legalization wave says a lot about the worldview of our cultureone in which the state wishes to aid and abet the inability of people to deny themselves any pleasure. Thats called state-sponsored hedonism. A biblical view says that government exists to preserve order and to promote justice, which means the state has every right to restrict the use of a dangerous substance, and every reason not to incentivize vice and aimlessness with the promise of free tax money. If Christians truly desire the good and human flourishing of our neighbors and communities, we cant remain silent on marijuana. So please, come to BreakPoint.org. Well link you to Berensons article as well as to other resources. And please, share Berensons article with your state legislators. Resources What Advocates of Legalizing Pot Dont Want You to Know, Alex Berenson | New York Times | January 4, 2019 Marijuana Madness: The Negative Effects of Weed, John Stonestreet | BreakPoint | October 26, 2015 More on Marijuana Madness: Taking the Debate Further, John Stonestreet | BreakPoint.org | November 5, 2015 John Stonestreet and Jeff Hunt: Christian Clarity on Marijuana, BreakPoint podcast | January 10,2019 Marijuana devastated Colorado, dont legalize it nationally, Jeff Hunt | USA Today | August 7, 2017 Marijuana, Mental Illness, and Violence, Alex Berenson | Imprimis.hillsdale.edu | January 2019 Originally posted at Breakpoint. Spiritual Formation in a Digital Age: Why Churches and Ministries Should Invest in Online Education Through the development of social networks and online learning communities, distance education programs can provide spiritual formation just as effectively as the traditional classroom, an expert in online Christian education has argued. Dr. Mary Lowe, Associate Dean of Liberty University Rawlings School of Divinity and co-author of Ecologies of Faith in a Digital Age: Spiritual Growth Through Online Education, said shes often asked to identify how online spiritual formation differs from an in-person spiritual formation. Her answer is simple: It doesnt. Formation is formation, she said. At the time of redemption and salvation, the entire person is transformed and redeemed. Its not just the spiritual component, its the social dimension, the intellectual, the moral, the emotional all of those dimensions of the person are being transformed. We believe that goes to the heart of what it means to be spiritually transformed. Persons who are studying online or at home and driving onto a campus, they are experiencing the kinds of things that would contribute to their formation. There really isnt a difference between in person or online. Lowe, who grew up in Haiti as the daughter of missionaries, has been working in the field of online Christian education for most of her career. In addition to authoring several books on the topic, she previously served as the Associate Dean of the Virtual Campus at Erskine Seminary and is today the Executive Director of ACCESS, the Association for Christian Distance Education. Based on her extensive experience, she believes college students would do well to take an online course in spiritual formation to develop a greater understanding of what it means to grow as a Christian in a digital age. Similarly, persons in ministry would benefit from learning how to expand their notion of spiritual formation to include online learning. Ministry is about engaging other people its about discipleship, she said. What were teaching them through this model is that spiritual formation really is about an ecosystem, engaging all of those parts of an ecosystem with persons you encounter, whether its in a classroom or whether its in a church ministry setting, pastors engaging other people. It's really about helping people understand what spiritual formation is and then how you can use that formation to help others grow, to help yourself grow, to understand how you engage and treat other people, Lowe said. You cant really measure and assess what you arent defining. The more we can define, the more we can come back and say, have we done this? Are we growing in this area? How can we change or benefit in terms of how our people are growing as whole persons, but in particular, spiritually? A key component to online spiritual formation, she contended, is the development of social networks and online communities. Its very much a way in which people are growing and developing because you are interacting with other persons you are connecting with other persons in those online classes and opportunities, she said. Youre bringing those networks... to an online classroom and its a bi-directional exchange, so the dynamics that are happening in your home are part of that online learning experience and vice-versa...We see spiritual formation across the board, in whatever setting you find yourself. Persons who are studying online or interacting online also have other lives, she continued. Theyre engaging in church ministry, theyre engaging with people in other sectors of their lives. Its an ecosystem. According to a report from Digital Learning Compass, more than 6 million students took at least one online course in 2015, representing more than a quarter (29.7 percent) of all higher education enrollments that year. Another study found that the number of students taking online courses has consistently grown over the last 13 years. As online learning becomes an increasingly popular choice for many students, the need to identify, define, and evaluate how it contributes to spiritual formation is evident, Lowe said. In a sense, theres really nothing Christian about online education; it involves many of the same kind of principles anywhere, she explained. What makes it unique and distinguishes it from other forms of education is the opportunity to have formative experiences, or opportunities to develop as spiritual or as whole persons in ways that may differ from programs that arent intentionally Christian in terms of how they come at online education. A distinctive of Christian education, she said, is in the integration of faith in every sphere of learning, whether online or residential. Here at Liberty, we really stress that spiritual formation component, and we try to weave it into everything, she said. At the end of this, students come away with a more holistic perspective on what it means to grow and develop and mature as Christians. It... impact[s] the way they treat others [and] the way they see self in relation to others and in terms of their relationship to Jesus Christ. It impacts moral decisions, it impacts how they conduct themselves emotionally or spiritually or even socially. She concluded, Thats one of the unique components of Christian distance education the opportunity to have that formative component that might not exist in other forms of online education. Related: Charting the Course How Liberty University Develops Degree Programs to Meet Future Workforce Demands Innovation in Education How Liberty University Uses Learning Science to Prepare Students for the Future Called to Counseling Do You Need a License to Make a Difference? >>>Request for Liberty University Online degree info now. Liberty University, also referred to as Liberty, is a private, non-profit Christian research university in Lynchburg, Virginia. Liberty is one of the largest Christian universities in the world and the largest private non-profit university in the United States, measured by student enrollment. Police-turned-Psychologist Reveals Bible-Based Insights on PTSD, How Veterans Can Find Healing A former police officer-turned-psychologist has revealed his Bible-based insights on how war veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other traumatic brain injuries (TBI) can find lasting hope and healing. Dr. Timothy Barclay, Associate Professor of Psychology at Liberty University and a licensed clinical psychologist at Wyndhurst Counseling Center in Lynchburg, Va., explained that many veterans today are falling through the gaps when it comes to mental health care. There are a lot of veterans with PTSD who are struggling, but many dont seek treatment for a variety of reasons, he said. Number one, they dont know where to go, because the only system that they know of is the VA [hospital], and they dont know any other sources where they can get treatment. Secondly, they believe they dont need treatment they believe its something that will pass on its own given time, and that they can just willpower their way through it, he continued. Those common mistakes can be fatal. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, more than 20 million U.S. military veterans are currently living in the U.S. After chronic exposure to life-threatening situations in a theater of war, many of them struggle with PTSD and various traumatic brain injuries. If left untreated, sufferers of such trauma can experience severe consequences and sometimes death. But nearly half of U.S. veterans who need mental health care don't get it, a recent study found. Veterans who seek help for PTSD and other issues are often discouraged by the VAs short-staffed clinics and hospitals, long wait times, and minimal social support. A former detective sergeant in the New Castle (Pennsylvania) Police Department, who also served in the U.S. Army, Barclay developed a passion for treating this underserved population while interacting with hundreds of individuals struggling with mental health issues. So, after earning his Ph.D. in Psychology and working for several years as a clinical psychologist, Barclay started a nonprofit organization the Collateral Damage Project (CDP) providing holistic, in-depth care to veterans experiencing symptoms of PTSD or TBI. We think thats aptly named because our vets are collateral damage to the system; were losing so many per day just for not having proper care, he said of CDP. In my practice, weve always treated vets and offered various levels of pro bono services, but youre only scratching the surface doing some free treatment here and there. Youre really not getting anywhere. What really needs to be done in treating those types of disorders is a very intense level of care. CDP is a 9-5 program offering psychotherapy, comprehensive treatment, and counseling to 8-10 veterans during eight 4-week cycles per year. Prior to treatment, all participants complete a full psychological, neurological, and behavioral evaluation to receive individualized care tailored to fit their personal needs. What makes our program unique and distinct from other organizations and treatment programs is its intense nature, Barclay said. We offer this level of care completely free; were even able to pay for the cost of transportation, lodging, meals, etc. The program is also faith-based a critical element missing from most traditional mental health programs. The research states thats one of the core components military members want in their treatments; they want a holistic view not just treating the person, but the soul as well, Barclay said. What CDP seeks to do is provide the best treatments known in research, but also providing that spiritual aspect, too, so we can truly treat the individual from a holistic point of view. Not just treat them as a number, but treat them as a human being, as a creation of God. As part of the program, Barclay employs a research-based method giving veterans the tools to live better lives and realize their full potential. The four traits that create a state of well-being and resilience, according to his research, are hope, commitment, accountability, and passion. Its the combination of those things that really give us the impact and the progress, he said. As a Christian, Barclay believes that these four traits embody the very nature of God: He provides hope through the sacrifice of His son; He embodies commitment through the laying down of His life; He demonstrates accountability through the unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; and displays harmonious passion in His relationship with His son. I find that the biblical aspects of hope, commitment, accountability, and passion match up with what is out there in the empirical literature, he said. So, I validated that model and have shown it to be empirically valid, assessing it with clinical populations and non-clinical populations, working with active duty and retired special operations military personnel. We use that model as part of our counseling with Collateral Damage Project. The abundance of those traits allows us to live at a higher capacity, he added. Thats exactly how God calls us to live. One issue in the VA system that CDP seeks to address, Barclay said, is the minimal support for veterans struggling to transition from military to civilian life. Theres a lack of that type of care, and I believe it comes from the way the military approaches it, Barclay said. Theres no training that takes place for them to mentally make that transition [to civilian life]; this fuels that gap and makes it exceptionally difficult for soldiers to cope in an environment where that hyper-vigilance is no longer needed So, they basically just end up wallowing in that frustration without getting that proper care, and unfortunately, its leading to a lot of suicide. As an associate professor of psychology at Liberty University, Barclay draws upon his research in behavioral science and real-life experience when teaching his students how to minister to those suffering from trauma. Hes also written a textbook based on his research, which he uses in teaching a Theories class. Im always directed toward 2 Peter 1:5, where Peter talks about adding to your faith goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, mutual affection, love, and if we possess these things in abundance, they will keep us from being ineffective, he said. If we possess those things in abundance goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, love they will keep us from living ineffective lives, and that will give us the ability to touch other lives and to make an impact on people for the cause of Christ. A PTSD or TBI diagnosis can be devastating, crushing the resilience of the sufferer and tearing families apart. But Barclay maintains that it doesnt have to be a death sentence. By treating both the mind and soul, he believes it is possible to heal from mental trauma and wants to impart hope to those who are suffering. A lot of people have this conception that PTSD is a chronic condition thats theres no cure for it, they just have to live with it, and the common method of treatment is medication, he said. Thats just not true. With the proper treatment, PTSD is curable and because of the level of care that were able to provide, were able to remove many, if not all of those medications that [veterans] are on. He added, Our tagline for CDP is, restoring what war has taken. Thats actually our mission. What were able to do with the level of intervention is to restore that individual to their level of functioning before they were exposed to trauma. Related: Charting the Course How Liberty University Develops Degree Programs to Meet Future Workforce Demands Innovation in Education How Liberty University Uses Learning Science to Prepare Students for the Future Called to Counseling Do You Need a License to Make a Difference? >>>Request for Liberty University Online degree info now. Liberty University, also referred to as Liberty, is a private, non-profit Christian research university in Lynchburg, Virginia. Liberty is one of the largest Christian universities in the world and the largest private non-profit university in the United States, measured by student enrollment. Charting the Course How Liberty University Develops Degree Programs to Meet Future Workforce Demands This year, Liberty University celebrated its 47th year of Training Champions for Christ. Few institutions of Libertys size have reached this mark with such a large and diverse set of academic programs to their names. The increase in degrees and specializations since Libertys early years as a Bible college is staggering. In the last 10 years alone, the number of residential programs of study has increased by more than 115 percent. Online programs have risen more than threefold, with over 280 currently available to students all over the world. Liberty certainly stands out as one of the fastest-growing universities to ever settle in the land of higher education, and its reputation for academic excellence continues to raise its national profile. But this hasnt occurred without a carefully orchestrated plan and dedicated navigators who constantly study the sea of opportunities for students. As the tide of debate rolls in on whether a college degree today is applicable to the workplace, Liberty is the proven model in developing relevant academic programs that match market demand and lead to student success after graduation. Setting Sail A common question posed by prospective students and their parents is how their chosen major could translate into a job. Some colleges launch programs without any gauge of outcome after graduation, adding them simply because a professor has a particular area of interest theyd like to devote their time to, or even because the college feels a need to keep up with other institutions offering similar degrees. But Liberty has been intentional about designing new programs and improving existing ones that prepare students for jobs that meet real needs in society. At Liberty, the path that an academic program must take from the proposal stage to a degree is stringent. The process is methodical. Ideas for new programs are generated by multiple sources within the university from academic departments to the provosts office, enrollment, the registrars office, and administration. Then a team from the University Research and Analysis Office starts exploring the higher education marketplace and student demand for the program, as well as labor data, and develops a competitive profile for the proposed program. According to Brian Soistmann, vice president of University Research and Analysis, the process includes a deep dive into current job postings from across the country to identify the most sought-after knowledge, skills, technological competencies, and credentials that employers are looking for in an applicant. Its a collective process. Our team does a lot of the initial research, then we engage other university offices, such as the Career Center and Enrollment Management, to ensure that the research is consistent with their experience with employers and students, he said. We want to build a product in the way that our students future employers want it delivered. The goal is to align the programs curriculum and outcomes with employers needs to meet the demands of the market. One recent example is the universitys cybersecurity programs in the new Center for Cyber Excellence. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that employment trends are rising steeply in the field; about 300,000 cybersecurity-related jobs were posted last year nationwide. Soistmanns team looked at the cybersecurity degrees being conferred by all colleges in 2016 about 66,000 (a 44 percent increase from 2012) then helped the School of Business to strengthen its six cybersecurity programs. Liberty offers three undergraduate cyber programs both residentially and online, as well as three masters-level online programs. (Learn more at Liberty.edu/Cyber). >>>Request for Liberty University Online degree info now. The team broke down the premium skills and certifications listed in job postings in the last 12 months (ranging from specific software skills to security clearance) and set to work building curriculum that would round out the resumes of future graduates. Liberty has developed or improved several programs where scores of alumni are already making an impact in high-demand fields, including nursing, health care, digital media, and aeronautics (where the industry is expecting a pilot shortage over the next 20 years). A concentrated effort has been made to add several online masters and doctoral programs to help professionals advance their careers. Two new Ph.D. programs in public policy and criminal justice are coming this fall. Since last fall, nearly 50 new online degrees, certifications, and specializations have launched across a number of disciplines. The Freedom Tower was lit in red, white, and blue for Celebrate America. Coming on Board The attention to workforce development is not done in a vacuum. When developing new programs, Libertys dedication to student success often means consulting with leaders in particular industries, bringing in guest speakers who are leading experts and building partnerships with like-minded organizations. Involving employers in the process well before graduates even knock on their door gives them a chance to not only share their real-world experience with students but also take an active part in building the skill sets of their future employees. The Center for Cyber Excellence, for example, operates with a board of advisors that includes representatives from local and national companies that employ cybersecurity professionals. The School of Aeronautics has developed a unique partnership with a leading unmanned aircraft (drone) company, Textron Systems, which has worked on several government projects. Students can earn the same operator certification that the company requires of its employees and can apply for a job before they graduate. >>>Request for Liberty University Online degree info now. In the School of Business, students are benefiting from a partnership with Hendrick Automotive Group, the nations largest privately held automotive retail organization, with more than 100 car dealerships. With the companys help, Liberty began offering the Automotive Dealership Management program last spring. Liberty worked directly with the Hendrick Group to develop curriculum, which includes practicums at Hendrick dealerships. There are many more examples. In the Helms School of Government, local, state, and national law enforcement personnel have helped criminal justice students with exercises held on campus. Partnerships with information technology giants such as Adobe, Microsoft, IBM, and Amazon are bringing students from many different disciplines in direct contact with industry professionals. Most universities view students as their consumers. But Liberty goes beyond that and defines the consumer as any business or organization who could benefit from hiring a Liberty graduate. We look at how we can meet the companys needs, wants, and desires not only where they are today but also where they will be five or 10 years from now, said Dr. Scott Hicks, interim provost. We need students to enter the marketplace at a fast walk instead of a slow crawl, and then the company will take them to a fast jog. When the employers help us define the skills they need, then we align them with the curriculum and have a more accomplished student going to market. Adventure Awaits Seeing the smiles under those graduation caps is rewarding. But it doesnt stop there. Graduation is just one stage of the student-employer satisfaction cycle. We aim to deliver the most value we can for each student where they are, anywhere in the world, and its a lifetime commitment we have with them a legacy experience, Hicks said. The cycle starts when academic programs are developed. Students gain proper training and experience, which leads to career readiness upon graduation. Then, as alumni, they succeed on the job, and employers benefit, contributing to the universitys high rankings and reputation. That influences prospective students, who meet with Libertys recruitment and enrollment team and are guided to the academic programs. Libertys Career Center plays an important role in the cycle. With the relevant data in hand, staff can tailor career fairs, resources, internships, and other practical career exploration opportunities to students in particular degree programs. They can also help the university strengthen partnerships with employers who are already engaged in the process. The Career Center aims to provide students with the skill sets to succeed in their jobs by offering a wide spectrum of career preparation and guidance, as well as job and internship offerings, said Sarah Falwell, executive director of Career Partnerships & Career Services. These skill sets are handcrafted by our staff members who are dedicated to student success. >>>Request for Liberty University Online degree info now. The process includes one-on-one resume and cover letter critiquing, mock interviews, and professional development meetings. This summer, the Career Center is launching its first New York City Fellowship, where students will gain priceless opportunities in professional and personal development through internships with some of the largest companies in the world. The center has already had success with its Washington Fellowship, a semester-long program that places students from different disciplines into internships in the nations capital. (Learn more at Liberty.edu/Career). Students are grateful for these opportunities. Recent biomedical sciences graduate Rachael Glavin interned at the National Institutes of Health last fall, where she contributed to research in skin cancer treatment. It was so amazing and such fulfilling work, Glavin said. Now, I can look back and say, These are all the things that I have done I did this. I accomplished this. And its so cool knowing that what I did could really help someone. Amazing. Fulfilling. Accomplished. Those are words that show Libertys mission is central to the academic experience. With every new program, Liberty remains committed to training tomorrows leaders, whose impact will extend beyond their professions to change the world around them. With more than 550 unique programs of study from the certificate to the doctoral level, including over 280 offered online, Liberty University is Training Champions for Christ to impact every corner of society. In addition to the universitys regional accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, many programs are accredited or otherwise recognized by specialized professional and accrediting agencies. >>>Request for Liberty University Online degree info now. Liberty University, also referred to as Liberty, is a private, non-profit Christian research university in Lynchburg, Virginia. Liberty is one of the largest Christian universities in the world and the largest private non-profit university in the United States, measured by student enrollment. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northams predominantly black church wants him to have another chance after blackface controversy Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment As prominent Democrats such as Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called on Virginias embattled Democrat Governor Ralph Northam to resign over a still swirling blackface controversy, the governors pastor and congregants at a predominantly black church where he is a member wants him to have another chance. The Rev. Kelvin Jones, who leads the First Baptist Church in Capeville, located in Virginias Northampton County, told Delmarva Now that he and his members are open to forgiving Northam for his 34-year old blackface performance because they believe in "giving people another chance." Thats what we preach and teach, Jones said. We say it all the time. But when it comes to put it in practice, if it doesnt fall in line with what we particularly feel or the political climate, then we step aside. "Somebody has to stand," the pastor said. Northam who just last week became the subject of national headlines for expressing support for a recent proposal in the Virginia legislature that would allow abortions up to 40 weeks of pregnancy, faced even more criticism after a 1984 yearbook photo on a page with Northam's name came to light. The photo taken from Northams time at Eastern Virginia Medical School shows two people, one in blackface and another masked under a Klu Klux Klan robe. After admitting he was in the photo and apologizing for it however, Northam said at a press conference Saturday that it wasnt him at all. He admitted however that he once used just a little bit of shoe polish to darken his face for a dance contest in San Antonio, Texas where he danced as Michael Jackson. "I had the shoes, I had a glove and I used just a little bit of shoe polish to put under, or on my cheeks," Northam told reporters. "The reason I used a very little bit is because, I don't know if anybody has ever tried that, but you cannot get shoe polish off." While Northams church and his pastor appear will to forgive him however, a bipartisan call for him to step down as governor has been growing. Northam must resign, and those who try to help him stumble past this deserve scrutiny, Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Saturday night. If you cant understand how painful + eroding this is to American society, let alone the state of Virginia, take some time to read up this weekend, she added, recommending Ta-Nehisi Coates Between the World and Me. This has gone on too long. There is nothing to debate. He must resign, Hillary Clinton also tweeted Saturday night. President Donald Trump also ripped into Northam with a tweet of his own on Saturday, in which he called him unforgivable. Democrat Governor Ralph Northam of Virginia just stated, I believe that I am not either of the people in that photo. This was 24 hours after apologizing for appearing in the picture and after making the most horrible statement on super late term abortion. Unforgivable! Trump tweeted Saturday. Several conservatives also shared photos of President Trump, who has been accused by some of racism, with civil rights icons such as Rosa Parks and Muhammad Ali, and compared them with Northams controversial photo. There was even a photo of Trump with Michael Jackson. Jones however insists that Northam, 59, who attended a predominantly black high school, doesnt appear to be the same man he was 34 years ago. "I think he has the right to prove himself," Jones told Delmarva Now. "I think that he has the right to serve until he feels hes no longer capable of doing the job. And he has to come up with those reasons as to why. Whether it be the lack of support, whether he just feels ineffective, or whatever." Jones further noted that Northam could use the blackface controversy to foster more constructive dialogue on enduring racism in the state. "He has now the opportunity to even be more effective in the sense that he knows what that hurt caused people," Jones said. "But sometimes, Ive come to learn that we arent afforded opportunities to make right on what are our wrongs. Because we live in a society that discards you once youre wrong." Jones, who gave the invocation at Northam's inauguration in 2018 and reportedly attended Saturday's press conference, told The New York Times that he advised Northam on Saturday that he needed to be in a place where you get loved on. At a church service on Sunday, the times said Jones called up Northam and his wife and church members prayed for them. We circle and pray for them, Jones said in the service where he challenged members with the words of Jesus from John 8 Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone. 3 myths about late-term abortion Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Late-term abortion has dominated news cycles in recent weeks with the signing of a bill loosening the few restrictions on abortion in New York, in addition to a legislative proposal permitting abortion until birth in Virginia. Amid massive outcry across the country, many claims about the practice are recirculating. Although President George W. Bush signed into federal law a ban on partial-birth abortion in 2003, which the Supreme Court upheld in 2007, late-term abortions are in fact still permitted in several states. New York has now joined seven other states and the District of Columbia that allow abortion until birth. Here are 3 myths about late-term abortion in the United States. Myth 1: They only occur when the fetus will die anyway or the mom's life is in danger. The idea that late-term abortions happen only when either the mother or the unborn child's life is in danger, or when it becomes known that the fetus has some kind of life-threatening genetic abnormality or disease, is contradicted by abortionists who have admitted performing them on healthy babies. Live Action noted last week that Colorado abortionist Warren Hern has done so for reasons beyond health. The documentary "After Tiller" a film about the work of late-term abortion providers following the murder of late-term abortionist George Tiller, notes that third-trimester abortions were committed on babies who were healthy, the pro-life news outlet explained. "Tiller would sign off on girls getting abortions for 'mental health reasons,' such as not being able to find a babysitter, or desiring to attend prom or a rock concert." Abby Johnson, who was once a Planned Parenthood clinic director and whose story of leaving the abortion industry is being told in the upcoming movie "Unplanned," has said that "it is false to say the women who choose late-term abortion do so because of medical reasons." "We referred hundreds of women to abort their babies after 24 weeks not one was for medical reasons." According to a 2013 study, "Most women seeking later abortion fit at least one of five profiles: They were raising children alone, were depressed or using illicit substances, were in conflict with a male partner or experiencing domestic violence, had trouble deciding and then had access problems, or were young and nulliparous." Myth 2: They are only allowed by law in extreme circumstances. What supporters of abortion rights sometimes assert is that the practice of abortion in the third trimester is only legally permitted in extreme cases. And such abortions are rare when compared to the majority of all abortions performed, they often note. While such procedures constitute only 1.3 percent of abortions, according to a 2015 CDC report, states with liberal abortion laws have Supreme Court precedent on their side. The standard set forth in the relevant high court rulings for when they are permitted is the "health" of the mother, not an "extreme" situation. Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark case that legalized abortion nationwide, is the most widely known court decision on the issue, but just as important is a companion case, Doe v. Bolton, that the justices said is to be read together with Roe. In the Doe ruling, the court said that abortions were permitted after the period where the baby could survive outside the womb. Medical judgment as to the mother's "health" was left to a single doctor and could mean "physical, emotional, psychological, familial, and the womans agerelevant to the well-being of the patient." With such a loose definition, the practice is thereby permitted under the law for any reason in states that allow it. Myth 3: The Democratic Party's position is mainstream. While pro-life Democrats do indeed exist two were featured speakers from the podium at the 2019 March for Life in Washington, D.C. the national party has lurched to the left on the issue, asserting that their view is mainstream. National party leaders have defended late-term abortion in recent years, and president Bill Clinton vetoed bills banning the practice during his tenure in office. Democratic opposition to federal legislation outlawing abortions at 20 weeks remains. "We will continue to oppose and seek to overturn federal and state laws and policies that impede a womans access to abortion, including by repealing the Hyde Amendment," the 2016 Democratic Party platform stated. The Hyde amendment is a provision barring the use of federal funds for abortions, a measure that has historically enjoyed bipartisan support, but no longer. The Democrat Party's position is extreme compared to the laws in other nations. The United States is one of only seven countries, a list which includes places like North Korea and China, that allows for abortion on demand through all nine months of pregnancy. Every few years since 1996, Gallup has polled Americans on whether they support abortion in the last three months of pregnancy. Opposition has ranged from 80 to 86 percent. The last poll to ask, May 2018, showed that 81 percent of Americans are opposed to abortion in the last three months of pregnancy. Vermont legislature looking to safeguard abortions up to birth Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Legislators in Vermont have proposed a bill that would strengthen legalized abortion up until the moment of birth, one of many new state-level pro-choice initiatives. Vermont is one of eight states that already has no gestational limits on abortion, the others being Alaska, Colorado, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, and Oregon, along with Washington, D.C. H. 57, which was introduced last month, would codify the existing law, to safeguard the right to abortion in Vermont by ensuring that right is not denied, restricted, or infringed by a governmental entity. A public entity shall not, in the regulation or provision of benefits, facilities, services, or information, deny or interfere with an individuals fundamental rights to choose or refuse contraception or sterilization or to choose to carry a pregnancy to term, to give birth to a child, or to obtain an abortion, stated the bill. No State or local law enforcement shall prosecute any individual for inducing, performing, or attempting to induce or perform the individuals own abortion. Groups like Vermont Right to Life are actively campaigning against H. 57, which is scheduled for a public hearing on Wednesday evening. We are doing everything we can to alert Vermonters, said the pro-life organization in a statement emailed to The Christian Post on Tuesday. Vermont RTL told CP that they considered the bill dangerous to both women and their unborn babies, adding that the chances of passage are high as there are 91 co-sponsors of the bill. Chloe White, policy director at the American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont, told CP on Tuesday that her organization was fully supportive of the legislation. It simply codifies current practice in Vermont, which is to leave the decision about whether to parent or not between a woman and her family and her doctor, said White, who believed that a lot of people recognize the need in this current climate to ensure that the right to make individual decisions about ones body is secured. The importance of codifying that personal decision-making process into law and ensuring it remains a decision that belongs to the person whose body it affects. Last month, New York passed a bill making it legal for doctors and other health care professionals to perform abortions up to birth for any reason. Known as the Reproductive Health Act, the bill codified federal abortion rights guaranteed under Roe v. Wade and removed abortion from the state's criminal code. an abortion May be performed by a licensed, certified, or authorized practitioner within 24 weeks from the commencement of pregnancy, or there is an absence of fetal viability, or at any time when necessary to protect a patient's life or health, read section 2 of New Yorks act. New York's Democrat Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the bill into law, prompting the Most Rev. Edward B. Scharfenberger, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Albany, to question the elected official's faith. Your advocacy of extreme abortion legislation is completely contrary to the teachings of our pope and our Church. Once truth is separated from fiction and people come to realize the impact of the bill, they will be shocked to their core, wrote Bishop Scharfenberger in an open letter to Cuomo. By that time, however, it may be too late to save the countless lives that will be lost or spare countless women lifelong regret. President Donald Trump criticized New York's law during his Tuesday State of the Union address, and asked Congress to ban late-term abortions. "Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother's womb moments before birth. These are living, feeling, beautiful babies who will never get the chance to share their love and dreams with the world. And then, we had the case of the Governor of Virginia where he basically stated he would execute a baby after birth. To defend the dignity of every person, I am asking the Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mother's womb. Let us work together to build a culture that cherishes innocent life. And let us reaffirm a fundamental truth: all children born and unborn are made in the holy image of God," he said. University accused of creating watch list for faith groups, denies clubs are on probation Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A conservative religious freedom law group claims that the University of Iowa has created a watch list highlighting religious student groups that have what the school claims are discriminatory leadership policies. Becket, a non-profit legal group that works to defend First Amendment rights, announced in a press release Tuesday that the University of Iowa admitted in court last Friday that it has a list in which over 30 religious student groups are singled out for leadership policies that are said to violate the schools human rights code and the Iowa Civil Rights Act. The universitys human rights policy bars discrimination on the basis of religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender among other identifiers. Becket explains that the schools disclosure was made in response to a federal courts demand that the university identifies all of the student groups that it de-registered last year because of their leadership policies. In the case of Christian groups that were de-registered, they hold policies that require leaders in the group to be Christian and affirm and live in accordance with the groups statements of faith. Student groups of other faiths and even some secular groups with certain leadership criteria were also impacted. The issue was driven to the forefront of the universitys attention when a gay student was denied a leadership position in the group Business Leaders in Christ after he failed to accept the groups statement of faith opposing homosexuality. After being de-recognized as an official student group, Business Leaders in Christ filed a lawsuit claiming that the policy had been unfairly applied and was not being applied evenly to other campus groups, including other religious student groups. After de-recognizing other student groups with similar policies, those students groups were temporarily reinstated last August after InterVarsity Graduate Christian Fellowship threatened to file its own lawsuit. The groups are temporarily reinstated until litigation involving these matters are settled. According to Becket, the religious groups listed on what it calls a watch list are placed on probationary status. However, the university denies that the groups are in probationary status and stresses that the groups are still granted full access as registered groups. The list in question technically lists all 579 registered student groups at the university, however, Becket objects to the fact that the only groups highlighted in blue on the list are Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Christian and other religious student clubs. The list also indicates whether or not such groups are in compliance with the university human rights policy. As in the case of the groups highlighted in blue, the list indicates that the university has stopped its review of those organizations policies pending litigation. Becket, which represents Business Leaders in Christ and InterVarsity, claims that the watch list is the latest evidence confirming that the university has been singling out religious groups and discriminating against them. For a public institution to single out religious student groups and threaten their expulsion is textbook Big Brother, Eric Baxter, vice president and senior counsel at Becket, said in a statement. The universitys blatant double-standard and its desire to target and track religious groups in the name of nondiscrimination, while ignoring dozens of other bigger groups who engage in more so-called discrimination, is doublethink that would make the Ministry of Truth blush. However, the university claims that Baxter has blatantly misrepresented the facts and documentation submitted to the court by the University of Iowa. All religious organizations remain in registered status while the court decides, and ultimately directs, the university on how it should address the conflict that currently exists between the First Amendment and the Iowa Civil Rights Act, the university's statement shared with The Christian Post reads. The university agreed with counsel for BLinC and InterVarsity to place the review of religious organization constitutions on hold once the InterVarsity lawsuit was filed against the university with the understanding that plaintiffs counsel would not file any further lawsuits pertaining to this issue pending the decision by the court in BLinC. The university maintains that the registered religious and faith-based student groups continue to have full access to all benefits, funding, facilities, and resources that are offered to all other student organizations on campus. Therefore, the university has not placed any religious student organization on probationary status as insinuated by BLinCs legal counsel, the statement assures. The universitys statement concluded that the University of Iowa does not tolerate discrimination of any kind in accordance with federal and state law. Becket Media Relations Manager Ryan Colby hit back at the universitys response. "The document filed by the university on Friday only underscores its discrimination," Colby told Fox News in a statement. "It shows that if the university wins, religious organizations will be subject to deregistration for requiring their leaders to be [adherents]. It also shows that all other organizations dozens of which screen their leaders based on sex or other categories [protected by] the Human Rights Policy are not being subjected to any review, and will not be even after the lawsuits are over. If that is not religious discrimination, we eagerly await for the university to tell us what it is. Indeed, two years already, and still waiting." The Least of These starring Stephen Baldwin is a message of love over fear (review) Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The story of missionary Graham Staines is the focus of the film "The Least of These" which is now showing in theaters nationwide. And while it doesn't have a happy ending that most moviegoers like to see in films, its message of sacrificial love is encouraging. The Least of These, tells the life story of Graham Staines who was martyred in India in 1999. The film details the events leading up to the murders of the Australian Christian missionary and his sons, Philip, 10, and Timothy, 6, who were in India helping a community of lepers. Featured in the film are Stephen Baldwin as Staines, Shari Rigby as his wife, and Sharman Joshi, who plays Sharman Joshi's Manav Banerjee, a journalist and skeptic who tries to make his big break in the press by proving that the missionarys motives in helping lepers was to forcibly convert them to Christianity. Cinematically stunning, The Least of These was shot in India and gives viewers a sense of the culture in the majority Hindu country and what a missionary's life there might be like. The film has subtitles to help the audience understand whats being said by some of the actors who have strong accents. At times the script is underwhelming. But if you stick with it, it picks up 40 minutes into the movie when Banerjee incites a Hindu mob to fight against Staines who they accuse of Christian proselytizing. The call to arms eventually leads to the murders of Staines and his two sons while they were on one of their ministry excursions. Banerjee changes his mind about Staines after watching him closely and seeing the sincerity of his work. Although the reporter tries to deescalate the conflict with the villagers, but he's too late. The film is a memorial to Staines and the work his family continued in India even after his death. In times of such uncertainty, Staines' message of love over fear is one that needs to be seen and heard. At the National Religious Broadcasters conference in Nashville, Tennessee, last year, Baldwin told The Christian Post that the film divinely came to him. "I know God called me to the 'Staines' movie," said Baldwin who described the film as an answer to prayer "empowered by the Holy Spirit." For more information on "The Least of These" visit the film's website. Rather, as a church school with a moral mission and a commitment to excellence in all that we do, we have an obligation to seek the fullest possible understanding of our past, to reckon honestly with both our successes and shortcomings, and to learn from our history for the benefit of current and future generations of St. Albans students, said the schools leaders in a statement. 'Sunrise in Heaven to tell true story about power of love in face of tragedy (first look) Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A new Corbin Bernsen film, Sunrise in Heaven, will tell the powerful story of one woman's relentless fight for love. In the premiere of the films trailer, viewers journey through the main character's forbidden love story which ultimately becomes an inspiring example of defying the odds, sacrifice and devotion. After a devastating car crash leaves her husband on life support, one woman must find strength in her faith as she faces the prospect of his passing. Recalling their courtship through flashbacks, she relives the early days of their relationship and how they fell in love, the films synopsis reads. Their journey wasnt easy as she faced resistance from her conservative father (Bernsen), who made it clear he didnt want his daughter dating anyone from the military. But their love was stronger than any obstacle encountered in this true story of family, faith and resilience. The Nasser Group Inc. and Cinedigm film, features Hollywood veteran Bernsen (Major League, My Daddy Is In Heaven), Caylee Cowan, Travis Burns (Neighbors), Jenn Gotzon Chandler (Gods Country, Gods Not Dead 2), Dee Wallace (E.T. The Extra-terrestrial) and Erin Bethea (Fireproof, This Is Our Time). Sunrise In Heaven is based on the novel, His Sunrise My Sunset, which shares Jan Hursts true story. In the book, Hurst, now a widow, mother, and retired executive, shares about her marriage of 44 years to Air Force soldier, Steve. She shares about her personal ministry in business and how she and her husband both passionately lived out what they believed. Hurst testifies in the book that she is a witness willing to share her faith, love of God, and story. The story, like the movie, shared how losing her husband did not diminish her faith, Written by Dan Benamor, Sunrise In Heaven was produced by Dureyshevar, Nat Mundel, Jack Nasser, Jacob Nasser and Joseph Nasser. It launches April 9, and will be available through Walmart, Amazon, Lifeway, iTunes, Google Play, VUDU and On Demand via local cable providers. Watch the trailer premiere below: Some black Christians who once supported Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam want him to resign Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Although embattled Virginia Gov. Ralph Northams predominantly black home church and pastor say they are willing to give him another chance to show he has repented for wearing blackface in the past, some black Christians who once supported him say the only path to redemption is to resign. Shortly after Northam became the subject of national headlines last week for expressing support for a now tabled proposal in the Virginia legislature that would allow abortions up to 40 weeks of pregnancy, he began facing a bipartisan call to resign. A 1984 yearbook page had surfaced bearing photos of Northam. The page also included a photo of a person wearing blackface next to another individual wearing a Ku Klux Klan hood and robe. Northam initially admitted he was in the racist photo and apologized for it. At a press conference on Saturday however, he said it wasnt him at all, but confessed to wearing blackface for a dance contest in San Antonio, Texas where he pretended to be Michael Jackson. "I had the shoes, I had a glove and I used just a little bit of shoe polish to put under, or on my cheeks," Northam told reporters. "The reason I used a very little bit is because, I don't know if anybody has ever tried that, but you cannot get shoe polish off." Attendees at Jerusalem Baptist, a predominantly black church in a small town outside Richmond, expressed shock over the photo and concern over Northams changing statements, in an NPR report. "Thirty-some years ago is a long time, but it was in '84," church member Wendy Hobbs said. "It was a post-civil rights era. No one should've been making fun [of] another race or trying to make a joke out of people's fears of the Ku Klux Klan or the blackface." Jeroline Harris, another churchgoer who voted for Northam, said she watched his press conference on Saturday and dismissed it as a big mess. "I think that he'd made a really big mess of the whole situation," she said. "He really should not have had that press conference. ... What he said Friday in his apology should have just stood," she said. "He admit it. So how can you rethink less than 24 hours later, 'Well, that wasn't me'? So how the people going to really accept this? "We all have a past, and we all can be forgiven for our past," he said. "But the question is, when it comes to leadership, is it your past or is it your present? And I think that's the question that we don't really know." The churchs pastor, Emanuel Harris, said while he believes Northam can be forgiven for his racist behavior, he is not certain he should be allowed to continue to lead. "We all have a past, and we all can be forgiven for our past," he said. "But the question is, when it comes to leadership, is it your past or is it your present? And I think that's the question that we don't really know." A press statement from the Social Action Commission of the African Methodist Episcopal Church on Tuesday called on Northam to step down if he is sorry for his past actions and allow Justin E. Fairfax, the lieutenant governor, to replace him. Fairfax, however, is facing allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman in 2004. He has characterized those allegations as a well-timed act of political skullduggery, according to The New York Times. There is no excuse for Governor Northam not releasing this information himself and then publicly repenting for this demeaning and offensive act. He should have done this before, during or immediately after the Democratic gubernatorial primary or the statewide election, the AME group argued. If Governor Northam is genuinely sorry and wants to move forward with integrity, it is time for him to step down as Governor of Virginia and allow the citizens of Virginia to begin the healing process under the leadership of the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, the group added. On Wednesday, Fairfax who is a descendant of a Virginia slave named Simon Fairfax, who was emancipated in 1798, posted a photo on Facebook of him praying and quoting Genesis 50:20. But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive, the Scripture says. President Trump rebukes late-term abortion in SOTU, draws praise from pro-life groups Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment President Donald Trump rebuked supporters of late term abortion and urged Congress to ban the practice in his State of the Union speech Tuesday night as conservatives and pro-life activists cheered the move. Calling out recent decisions by lawmakers in New York and a proposal in Virginia, supported by the states embattled Gov. Ralph Northam, to allow abortions up to birth, Trump stressed the importance of protecting the life of all children born and unborn who are expressions of the holy image of God. There could be no greater contrast to the beautiful image of a mother holding her infant child than the chilling displays our nation saw in recent days. Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother's womb moments before birth, the president said to much applause. These are living, feeling, beautiful babies who will never get the chance to share their love and dreams with the world. And then, we had the case of the governor of Virginia where he stated he would execute a baby after birth. To defend the dignity of every person, I am asking Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mother's womb, he continued. Let us work together to build a culture that cherishes innocent life. And let us reaffirm a fundamental truth all children born and unborn are made in the holy image of God. The presidents remarks came as Dr. Leana Wen, president of abortion giant Planned Parenthood, sat in the audience as a guest of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Responding to the president calling out his state, New Yorks Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo dismissed Trump as a liar, pointing to a report in The Washington Post arguing that New York legislation would not have allowed a baby to be ripped from the mothers womb moments before birth. The lies that we heard tonight are nothing new. The only thing new is that it is the President pushing these falsehoods, Cuomo tweeted. Pro-life organizations such as March for Life, which seeks to end abortion by uniting, educating, and mobilizing pro-life people in the public square, applauded the president for condemning extreme abortion. We applaud the President for condemning the extremist abortion propositions out of New York and Virginia and for calling on Congress to ban late-term abortion during his State of the Union Address. The American consensus opposes abortion after the first trimester, yet some politicians continue to embrace and perpetuate an unprecedentedly radical pro-abortion agenda, said March for Life Action President Tom McClusky. He then named Northam and Pelosi for her support of Planned Parenthood and said they were out of touch with Americas current view of abortion. While politicians like these are in step with a powerful abortion lobby, they are out of touch with the American people. We ask Congress to heed President Trumps call to pass legislation prohibiting late-term abortion as well for a quick floor vote in the Senate on the Born-Alive bill so that Governor Northams infanticide fantasy may never be reality. It is time for politicians, regardless of party, to stand up in favor of protecting innocent life, he added. On Monday, a bill meant to preserve the life of babies who survive an abortion attempt was rejected by Senate Democrats after Nebraska Republican Sen. Ben Sasse pleaded with them to unanimously pass the measure. The bill sought to require "any health care practitioner present" at the time of a birth to "exercise the same degree of professional skill, care, and diligence to preserve the life and health of the child as a reasonably diligent and conscientious health care practitioner would render to any other child born alive at the same gestational age." It exempted mothers involved from prosecution, and proposed requiring practitioners to "ensure that the child born alive is immediately transported and admitted to a hospital." A possible term of imprisonment of up to five years for violations, not including penalties for first-degree murder that could also apply was also proposed. The U.S. House passed a similar bill in January, 2018. A similar bill, the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act, was signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2002, but that legislation didn't contain any penalties or enforcement mechanisms. This isnt about Republicans or Democrats. We're way beyond that. Everyone in the Senate ought to be able to say unequivocally that the little baby deserves life. That she has rights, and that killing her is wrong, Sasse declared in remarks seeking unanimous consent on the rejected Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. Court finds Harper Collins Christian Publishing guilty of fraud Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment HarperCollins Christian Publishers, formerly Thomas Nelson, has been found guilty of fraud and breach of contract by a jury in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. A recent news release from EPAC Technologies, a leading high-technology manufacturer and printer based in California, announced that the Tennessee jury awarded them $12 million in punitive damages on top of more than $3 million in compensatory damages for fraud and breach of contract they suffered at the hands of HarperCollins Christian Publishers after a six-year battle. HarperCollins executives say they are innocent and will challenge the jury's verdict in court. We disagree with the jurys verdict and have already begun the process of challenging it in court, a Thomas Nelson spokesperson The Christian Post. Thomas Nelson believes that the so-called fraud claim (not disclosing to EPAC that it was also negotiating with a competitor) is wholly without merit, legally or factually, and that it acted properly in 2011 when it terminated the printing contract that EPAC admitted it could not fulfill. HarperCollins Christian Publishers, which is a subsidiary of HarperCollins Publishers and News Corp, produces religious-themed books and other literature. While the dispute between the Christian publisher and EPAC Technologies was initially argued as a communication failure, according to the Nashville Post, evidence presented by EPAC Technologies supported their case that HarperCollins officials not only fabricated claims in a bid to end their contract with EPAC, but they repeatedly purged evidence relating to the case even though they were asked by the court to preserve them. EPAC Technologies showed that HarperCollins' claims of defects and late deliveries were pre-textual fabrications designed to give HarperCollins an excuse to terminate the contract. Thomas Nelson was not able to show any orders were late, that even a single book was returned, not a single credit was requested or issued, not a single customer complained about the quality of book produced by EPAC, and EPAC showed that HarperCollins wanted to terminate the contract after it improperly disclosed EPAC's business information to a competitor, EPAC said. The California company said the jury awarded them punitive damages because they were able to present clear and convincing evidence showing that HarperCollins acted either intentionally, recklessly, maliciously or fraudulently. The company was able to prove that the Christian publisher allowed evidence of their conduct to be destroyed, amounting to nearly 1.5 million messages. The spoliation of emails that showed Thomas Nelson's fraud resulted in the court appointing a Special Master. The court found that HarperCollins had a duty to preserve no later than April 18, 2011, but failed to meet minimum standards of diligence and competence; spoliated all the physical evidence of the product in question; negligently destroyed nearly 1.5 million messages; did not stop the purging of key business records until 2015 (three years after the lawsuit was filed, and four years after the duty to preserve was issued). The court issued an adverse-inference charge against HarperCollins to the jury, the release said. Sasha Dobrovolsky, founder and chief executive officer of EPAC, praised the verdict. "We are thankful for the jury's service, and this case reaffirms the value of our jury system for civil cases. We believe that the jurors were able to see HarperCollins' fabricated defenses for what they were. These same jurors also sent a loud and clear message that such egregious behavior by companies and their executives cannot be tolerated, Dobrovolsky said. HarperCollins executives, however, are not backing down from their claim that they ended their contract with EPAC for cause despite the verdict from the jury. We disagree with the jurys verdict and have already begun the process of challenging it in court, a Thomas Nelson spokesperson said in a statement to The Christian Post Tuesday. Thomas Nelson believes that the so-called fraud claim is wholly without merit, legally or factually, and that it acted properly in 2011 when it terminated the printing contract that EPAC admitted it could not fulfill. Cory Booker asks Trump judicial nominee if she believes gay relationships are a 'sin' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Democrat 2020 presidential candidate and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker prodded a Trump judicial nominee Tuesday over her views on same-sex marriage and even asked if she thought gay relationships were a sin. The 49-year-old Booker didnt mince words during the confirmation hearing for judicial nominee Neomi Rao about his disapproval with the Trump administration's push to end Obama's practice of awarding contracts to employers and nonprofit organizations that have sexual orientation and gender identity anti-discrimination policies. The Obama-era policy likewise banned contracts from being awarded to companies that don't have LGBT policies. Booker asked Rao, who was nominated to fill the D.C. appellate court judgeship left vacant by the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh last year, whether she personally thinks gay relationships are immoral. Rao, who serves as the administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, pushed back, saying she didnt think that line of questioning was relevant. But Booker responded: I think that [it is] relevant, your opinion if you think that African-American relationships are immoral, do you think gay relationships are immoral? Do you personally believe that gay relationships are immoral? After reluctantly responding that she did not think gay relationships were immoral, Booker followed up by asking if Rao thought gay relationships were a sin. Senator, my personal views on any of these subjects are things that I would put to one side and I would faithfully follow [the precedence of the Supreme Court], Rao, the 45-year-old attorney, explained. Booker responded: So you are not willing to say here whether you believe it is sinful for two men to be married? You are not willing to comment on that? My response is that these personal views are ones that I would put to one side, whatever my personal views are on this subject, I would faithfully follow the precedence of the Supreme Court, Rao assured. Bookers line of questioning started when he asked Rao to elaborate on a 2008 piece she wrote in which she criticized the courts ruling in Lawrence v. Texas, which invalidated state laws that criminalized same-sex relationships. You said that the courts tradition eschews older traditions in favor of an emerging awareness of the meaning and the scope of liberty, Booker said. In your view, should the Supreme Court have been in the business of upholding older traditions, as you said, of laws that criminalize same-sex relationships? Rao reasoned that the comments were made in the course of an analysis about dignity and constitutional law. Of course, Lawrence is precedent of the Supreme Court, which I would faithfully follow, she said. Later on in his questioning, Booker asked Rao about a 2013 piece in which she criticized the Supreme Courts ruling in the case of United States v. Windsor, which struck down the Defense of Marriage Act that defined marriage as a union between one man and one woman. You said the court had found a novel constitutional right of two peoples freedom to marry to recognize same-sex marriages. And you said that the courts decision amounted to a political choice, not a judicial choice, Booker said. What do you believe the Supreme Courts decision to respect the status of a same-sex marriage, how is that a political choice and not a judicial one? In that particular article, what I was saying is that in the case in Windsor did not recognize same-sex marriage as a right, she explained. It only recognized the right to have your marriage recognized if the state provided such a marriage. Of course, that later step was taken in Obergefellbut Windsor, part of what I was explaining, was a rather empty right that was in that case. Booker wrapped up his line of questioning by asking Rao if she had ever had any LGBT law clerks. I have not been a judge so I dont have any law clerks, she said. He followed up by asking if she had ever had an LGBT people on her staff. To be honest, I dont know the sexual orientation of my staff, she explained. So I take people as they come irrespective of their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation. I treat people as individuals. Those are the values that I grew up with and those are the values I would confirm. Bookers questions did not sit well with fellow senator and 2012 Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz of Texas. Later on in the hearing, Cruz voiced his disapproval. The Senate Judiciary Committee should not be a theater for mischaracterizing or twisting nominees' records or views, nor should it be an avenue for persecution, Cruz asserted. We've seen a growing pattern among Senate Democrats of hostility to religious faith. I have to say, I was deeply troubled a few minutes ago to hear questioning of a nominee, asking your personal views on what is sinful. Cruz added that the U.S. Constitution states that there is to be no religious test for public office. We have also seen Senate Democrats attack what they have characterized as religious dogma, we've seen Senate Democrats attack nominees for their own personal views on salvation, he added. I don't believe this is a theological court of inquisition. I think the proper avenue of investigation is a nominee's record. So let's look at your record, which is what this committee should be looking at, not our own personal religious views, or your religious views, whatever they may be. Booker and fellow Senate Democrat Kamala Harris of California, who is also running for president in 2020, previously questioned Kavanaughs views about the legal precedent of same-sex marriage last year during his confirmation hearings. Last April, Booker asked Sec. of State Mike Pompeo during his confirmation hearing whether he thinks being gay is a "perversion." More recently, Senate Democrats Kamala Harris and Mazie K. Hirono of Hawaii questioned Trump judicial nominee Brian C. Buescher about his membership in the Catholic fraternal organization Knights of Columbus. Both senators oppose the organization, which spends millions of dollars every year in humanitarian aid, because of the organizations views on marriage and abortion. Specifically, Hirono brought up the organizations support for an initiative over 10 years ago in California to ban same-sex marriage. In 2017, liberal Sen. Bernie Sanders questioned a Trump nominee on his views of salvation. Sanders pointed to an old blog post the nominee wrote in which he argued that Muslims "stand condemned" for not believing in Jesus Christ. Are altar calls biblical? Pastor responds Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Pastors today continue to debate whether the modern phenomenon of altar calls is biblical and should be encouraged. Todd Wagner, senior pastor of Watermark Community Church in Dallas, Texas, believes altar calls are not unbiblical but theyre also not a required biblical act. Thus, he does not issue an altar call very often at his megachurch. One major problem with altar calls that many pastors and theologians have identified is that they have led to false conversions. Those who responded spontaneously by going forward and saying a prayer to receive Jesus Christ might have done so out of emotion rather than out of conviction. Im not telling you that youre screwing up if you have an altar call, Wagner said in a recent video. Im telling you that you might not be saved if you respond to an altar call and youre probably wrong as a pastural leader if you say weve got conversions just because people in a moment came forward. Jonathan Leeman, editorial director for 9Marks, doesnt believe altar calls are necessarily wrong but he doesnt support them because it has produced more bad than good for Christian churches in the West. The altar call relies on the powers of emotion, rhetorical persuasion, and social pressure to induce people to make a hasty and premature decision. And producing professions is not the same thing as making disciples, he argued earlier. Some, including Wagner, argue that altar calls originated with revivalism just over a century ago. Famous evangelists who have employed altar calls include Dwight Moody, Billy Sunday and Billy Graham. Generally, they invited people to come forward after a sermon to make a public confession of faith. Revivalist preacher Charles Finney, who contributed to the Second Great Awakening, was notorious for using what Wagner labeled as mostly manipulative tactics to evoke a response. He had an anxious bench put up front. If you felt like something was stirring in you, you can come to the bench and someone would pray with them until they crossed over, until you make a decision, Wagner explained. Im not sure thats a really great way to measure the success of your preaching. The way you should measure the success of your preaching is not whats the immediate emotional response of people. Arguing against emotional responses, the Dallas pastor contended that if he can convince someone of something, then somebody else can convince that same person differently. I dont want you to do something because I was persuasive in speech, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2, or that my words were impressive in any way, Wagner said. I want you to come because the Spirit of God has pricked your heart and Ive been faithful. Good preaching is faithful to the text (Bible) and tells people the truth about who they are and who Jesus is and the necessity to respond to Him. It might lead them to come to your altar. But if you say I can promise you I can emotionally manipulate people to close the deal, youre right, you might close the deal but it may not be Gods deal. For David Guzik, teaching pastor at Calvary Chapel of Santa Barbara, altar calls (a deliberate invitation to profess faith in Jesus Christ as one's Savior and Lord) are biblical and important and should be done without using manipulative tactics. At its core, the question of the altar call comes to this: Is it proper for the preacher to call his listeners to decide regarding Jesus Christ? From a New Testament perspective, the answer is an overwhelming yes it is proper to call for decision, said Guzik, while noting that an altar call does not require calling people to come up. Looking at the example of Jesus ministry, Wagner noted that while Jesus did call His disciples to follow Him, the word disciple means learner and not convert. Peters moment of conversion, many believe, came when he confessed that Jesus was the Christ (Matthew 16) as opposed to the moment he began following Jesus. Its not your job to convert; its the Spirits, Wagner maintained. When he, the Holy Spirit, comes, he will convict the world of sin and righteousness and judgment. What youre called to do is make disciples who then identify through baptism and then you teach them everything that He commanded. Looking at how Peter preached (Acts 2), Wagner noted that Peter simply laid out the Gospel message and taught the truth. When people asked him what they must do to be saved, he said to confess with their mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in their hearts that God raise Him from the dead. Were not saved because we come to an altar call. Were saved because of deep, heartfelt belief in who Jesus is and His provision for our sin, said Wagner. About half of millennial Christians think it's wrong to evangelize, Barna finds Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment New research from Barna reveals that a about half of millennial Christians believe it's "wrong" to evangelize. The new report, "Reviving Evangelism," commissioned by Alpha USA, examines the experiences of persons who share their faith and their attitudes toward evangelizing. Nearly every practicing Christian believes that part of their faith is being a witness about Jesus and that the best thing that could occur for someone is to receive Christ, survey results in the study show. Millennial Christians, those born between 1984 and 1998, say they feel equipped to share their faith with other people with nearly three quarters responding that they both know how to respond when someone asks faith-related questions and are gifted at sharing their faith. Such confidence is considerably higher than older generations, the survey found. However, millennials may not be doing that much evangelism. A significant percentage regard it as at least somewhat "wrong." This despite evangelism being a central aspect of what is known as the Great Commission, where Jesus charged his followers in Matthew 28 to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. " "Almost half of Millennials (47%) agree at least somewhat that it is wrong to share ones personal beliefs with someone of a different faith in hopes that they will one day share the same faith. This is compared to a little over one-quarter of Gen X (27%), and one in five Boomers (19%) and Elders (20%)," the report reads. "Younger Christians tend to be more personally aware of the cultural temperature around spiritual conversations. Among practicing Christians, Millennials report an average (median) of four close friends or family members who practice a faith other than Christianity; most of their Boomer parents and grandparents, by comparison, have just one." Increased cultural hostility to the gospel and conversations that bring people's differences into focus make evangelism more difficult today than in previous decades, the analysis shows, as many older Christians do not appreciate the negative forces in society that demean sharing ones faith. With regard to faith-sharing, 40 percent of millennial practicing Christians strongly or somewhat agreed with the statement, "If someone disagrees with you, it means they are judging you," which was the highest by far compared to the other generations studied. Only 22 percent of generation X, 9 percent of baby boomers, and 11 percent of "elders" agreed. The study was conducted in May of last year, surveying just under 1000 practicing Christians and 1,001 American adults who do not meet the criteria for "practicing Christians," including lapsed Christians and non-Christians. For the purposes of the research "practicing Christians" was defined as those who "identify as Christian, agree strongly that faith is very important in their lives and have attended church within the past month." To start, we must pass on resilient faith to Christian young people (this is also a form of evangelism), planning especially for the pivot point of the high school and college-age years, said David Kinnaman, president of Barna Group. The dropout problem is real, and it has a chilling effect on the overall evangelistic environment. It is impossible to exactly trace the impact of lapsed Christians on non-Christians, but sobering to consider the de-evangelistic clout of those who leave the faith." The data shows "enormous ambivalence" among millennials about sharing ones faith among millennials, he continued, emphasizing that Christians must persuade younger believers that evangelism is essential. Cultivating deep, steady, resilient Christian conviction, Kinnaman concluded, is difficult in a world of you do you and dont criticize anyones life choices and emotivism, the feelings-first priority that our culture makes a way of life. As much as ever, evangelism isnt just about saving the unsaved, but reminding ourselves that this stuff matters, that the Bible is trustworthy and that Jesus changes everything. 10 Christian reactions to Trump's State of the Union address Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment President Donald Trumps wide-ranging second State of the Union address Tuesday night, his first before a divided Congress, has drawn mixed responses from Christian leaders. Trumps remarks lasted nearly 90 minutes and touched on a range of political topics: reinforced his call for a border wall, defended his plans in the Middle East, honored various special guests, slammed what he called partisan investigations and provided an overview of the political accomplishments of the last year. Trump even announced that he would have another meeting with North Koreas Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un later this month in Vietnam. As a faction has emerged on the political left that has embraced the idea of democratic socialism, Trump boldly declared in his speech that the U.S. will never be a socialist nation. At times, the president praised bipartisan accomplishments such as the passage of the criminal justice reform bill FIRST STEP Act. In an appeal to the new Democrat-led House of Representatives, Trump even praised the fact that there are more women in the workplace (and in Congress) than ever before. While some conservative Christian leaders praised Trump for affirming the dignity of unborn children and calling for Congress to pass a ban on late-term abortions, left-leaning Christian leaders were not happy with the defense he provided of his administrations staunch immigration policies. As the government could be in danger of another government shutdown stemming from Trumps desire for a barrier on the U.S. southern border in the coming days, Trump asserted in his speech that walls work and walls save lives. In the following pages, are 10 Christian reactions to Trumps State of the Union address. Pope Francis must love creating cognitive dissonance. This week, he became the first Catholic pontiff to ever visit the Arabian Peninsula, the heart of Islam, where conversion to Christianity is illegal. Francis lauded his hosts in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), saying they strive to be a model for coexistence. The Gulf nations crown prince received him with a 21-gun salute. Francis then railed against the miserable crudeness of war. Human rights groups pressed him to address migrant worker issues. Francis rejoiced in a diversity that the Holy Spirit loves and wants to harmonize ever more, in order to make a symphony. The mere existence of a Christian community to visit in the Gulf states may surprise many. In 2015, CT visited the Emirates and reported on its thriving church, populated by more than a million Christiansprimarily economic migrants from Asian nations such as Indonesia and the Philippines. The Pew Research Center ... 1 Millennials used to be the group that churches and ministries were angling to evangelize. Now, all grown up and poised to overtake Baby Boomers as the largest generation, theyre the ones doing the evangelizing. At least they should be. But new research from Barna Group and the creators of the Alpha course offers some disappointing news regarding the 20-somethings and 30-somethings now on deck to carry on the faith: nearly half (47%) of practicing Christian millennialschurchgoers who consider religion an important part of their livesbelieve that evangelism is wrong. Theyre more than twice as likely as their parents and grandparentsBoomers and Elders, respectivelyto say that its wrong to share ones personal beliefs with someone of a different faith in hopes that they will one day share the same faith. While this statistic could easily bolster stereotypes of a lazy, distracted, and increasingly unaffiliated generation, the ... 1 As he does often in his toughest political moments, Trump tried to rally the Christian conservative voters who have proven to be some of his most loyal backers. He seized upon recent controversies surrounding "late-term abortions" and warned against legislation that he claimed "would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother's womb moments before birth." Evangelicals have lost a major partner and friend from the Jewish community, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, who died suddenly today at his home in Jerusalem. He was 67. Inspired by Gods promise in Genesis 12:3 to bless those who bless Israel, Ecksteins International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ) worked for decades to improve relationships between the two faiths and raise more than $1.4 billion for projects in the Holy Land, mostly from evangelical donors. His impact on the state of Israel and on bringing Jews and Christians together will be felt for generations, said John Hagee, founder of Christians United for Israel and one of the biggest voices for Christian Zionism in the US, in a statement to The Times of Israel. I pray God brings comfort to the Rabbis family during this very difficult time, and I know that his memory will be a blessing to us all. Eckstein engaged more than 6,600 US churches, with more than a half-million people, around ... 1 Im not trying to be argumentative, but there are obvious differences, says Jason Shelton, a sociologist at the University of Texas at Arlington. He repeats his concern: I dont want to be provocative. Shelton, 42, grew up in the black church in the 1980s and 90s. Now hes quickly becoming one of its most prominent researchers. In 2012 he wrote (with Michael O. Emerson) a widely praised book on how black and white American Christians differ from each other. Now hes reshaping the way American Christianity is studied and discussed by turning his attention to significant differences within the black church itself. As a kid who grew up in the black Methodist tradition and also went to a large Pentecostal church, I can say theres a lot of distinctiveness between these traditions, he says. At the same time, he says, shared experiences as black Christians in America unite black Methodists, black Pentecostals, and other black Christians in a special way. As he argued in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion last summer, For blacks, the legacy of racial discrimination and inequality in America overshadows consequences of contrasting denominational affiliations. In that journal article, Shelton (with his UTArlington colleague Ryon Cobb) proposed a coding scheme for dividing African Americans into nine religious streams. Half a decade ago, it might have been received as a helpful nuance to the dominant way that sociologists, political scientists, pollsters, and others study American religion. But questions of unity, diversity, and division in the American church are not merely academic at the moment. Asking whether black Christians ... 1 You have reached the end of this Article Preview You have reached the end of this Article Preview To continue reading, subscribe now. Subscribers have full digital access. Have something to add about this? See something we missed? Share your feedback here. It is rare these days for a theologian to write a full systematic theologya complete inventory of their theological understanding of all major areas of Christian doctrine and how they relate to one another. Rarer still is someone who incorporates disciplines outside theology into their thinking. Even rarer yet is an individual who can complete such an ambitious project relatively quickly. Veli-Matti Karkkainen, professor of systematic theology at Fuller Theological Seminary, has done just that, completing the final volume of his systematic theology in 2017, just five years after finishing the first volume. Unique to his five-volume work is its interdisciplinary focus and its intentional engagement with the pluralistic world of the 21st century. Christianity Today recently asked Karkkainen about his life, his ambitious systematic theology, and the future of evangelical theology. You are currently professor of systematic theology at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, and docent of ecumenics in the faculty of theology at the University of Helsinki in Finland. What led you here? I was hugely influenced by my mothers devoted Christian life in my early teenage years. She always has been a very pious person. By birth she was a Lutheran, but she found her primary spiritual home in Pentecostalism but without leaving behind Lutheranism. I think this is why I still consider myself a hybrid Christian or a Lutherocostal. Very early in my life, it seemed to me that my contribution to world missions would be in teaching and later in research. I taught theology in Thailand as a full-time college professor (I am fluent in Thai). I still consider this kind of missionary ... 1 Police Threaten to Arrest Mom for Transphobic Twitter Comments Share Tweet A British stay-at-home mom was threatened with arrest last year after she criticized another mother on Twitter about her stance on teenage sex-reassignment surgery. The British mom, Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, gave details of the incident in a new podcast interview with National Review. Keen-Minshull is well-known in British media for being a social liberal who opposes much of the transgender agenda. She is the founder of the organization Standing for Women and a mother of four. The controversy began when Keen-Minshull tweeted her thoughts about transgender activist Susie Green, who had taken her 16-year-old biological son to Thailand for a sex-reassignment surgery that is illegal at that age in the United Kingdom. Specifically, Keen-Minshull tweeted that Green had supported castration of her son. That led Green to report Keen-Minshull to the police, who contacted Keen-Minshull. Among the potential charges: malicious communication and transphobic hate speech. Keen-Minshull said she was shocked when first contacted by a policeman from West Yorkshire. They texted me, and I just ignored it. I assumed it was a scam, she told National Review. Police then called her on the phone. They wanted to interview her. And [the policeman] said, Mrs. Keen-Minshull, if you don't come to the interview, you'll be wanted. And I said, Actually, what does that mean? And he said., Well, it means if you try to leave the country, we'll arrest you. If you get pulled over for speeding, we'll arrest you. And then he said a couple things that I really don't remember. And he said, If that takes too long we'll come and arrest you at your house and then you'll sit in the cells and wait for me to come ... which could take a very long time because of the geographical distance between him and [me]. She agreed to allow the police to come to her town for the interview. [They] spent the night in my area in a hotel to interview me about six tweets, which basically criticized a woman who took her son to Thailand and had him castrated, Keen-Minshull told National Review. Police made Keen-Minshull listen to Greens statement and life story. They then asked Keen-Minshull if she understood the harm she had caused. Keen-Minshull replied, No comment. Keen-Minshull said police eventually told her the comments would not be considered a crime because there was no direct contact. Yet since then, shes had to conduct an interview with police for comments she made on YouTube. Meanwhile, Twitter has suspended Keen-Minshull. On her website, Keen-Minshull said she wont stop speaking out. I will not kowtow to an ideology that demands I cannot speak the truth, she wrote. I will not be compelled to say a man is a woman, or that sterilising children is okay, that encouraging kids who dont fit in or who struggle with their identity that a good solution is puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones and a lifetime of drugs. I will not pretend that a woman who circumvents UK law to give her son treatments not allowed in the UK is right or good. Michael Foust is a freelance writer. Visit his blog, MichaelFoust.com. Photo courtesy: Pixabay We the Born: Liberalized Abortion Laws Are Taking Aim at Our Posterity Share Tweet The settlers and the founders of this country spoke a lot about their posterity the generations that would follow them. For example, the Constitution begins, We the People of the United States, in Order tosecure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution (emphasis added). Long before the Constitution was written, Rev. John Winthrop, the founder of Boston and leader of the first major migration of the Puritans from England, told his followers in the famous City on a Hill speech (actually called, A Model of Christian Charity): Now the only way to avoid shipwreck and to provide for our posterity, is to follow the counsel of Micah, to do justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with our God. That was in 1630. When the Puritans founded Harvard in 1636 for the sake of ministerial training and later named it in honor of Rev. John Harvard because of his generous donations, they mentioned posterity as part of their raison detre. Their goal was to advance Learning and to perpetuate it to Posterity; dreading to leave an illiterate Ministry to the Churches, when our present Ministers shall lie in the Dust. The Massachusetts Congress in 1775 declared, Resistance to tyranny becomes the Christian and social duty of each individual. Fleets, troops, and every implement of war are sent into the province, to wrest from you that freedom which it is your duty, even at the risk of your lives, to hand inviolate to posterity. On December 16, 1796, President George Washington wrote to Congress about the need to secure to ourselves and to posterity that liberty which is to all of us so dear. Posterity. Posterity. Posterity. But now liberalized abortion laws are taking aim at our posterity. New York just passed a law that out-Roes Roe v. Wade. The 1973 abortion ruling from the Supreme Court stated explicitly that it was legalizing abortion for the first trimester. On the same day, the Court also issued the companion ruling, Doe v. Bolton, which allows for later term abortions if a doctor approves. The law New York recently passed will allow for abortion right up to the moment of birth. Lawmakers in Virginia tried to pass a similar law essentially sanctioning infanticide allowing for an abortion after birth. Cheryl Sullenger of Operation Rescue told me, The recent discussion on late-term abortions and even the killing of newborns is a tough discussion that Americans must have in order to help us face the brutal reality of what abortion does to an innocent and living baby. This discussion is waking up people and may help to finally bring this barbaric practice to an end. We could say that on January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court declared war on our posterity. And now, 60 million abortions later we are still suffering as a nation. No wonder we cannot keep up with our social security payments. We have killed off 60 million of our posterity, many of whom would be paying in by now. How will future generations judge this one? We now have 4D sonograms. We can see the humanity of the unborn. There, in color, is our posterity just waiting to come out but too often he or she (and its always a he or she, never an it) meets a violent, premature end. Future generations will look back at us and our barbarism toward our posterity in the way we today look back at slave-owners. One commentator noted, Whats the most dangerous place in America? Its in your mothers womb. It should be the safest place in America. Abortion clinics are often asked by scared women (the vast majority of whom feel that they are forced to abort), Is it a baby? The facility personnel tell them its just a clump of tissue, its just a bunch of cells. Its not really a baby. Then in many cases they carefully perform the abortions in such a way so they can save the kidneys, the liver, the lungs, the heart, the brains. Why? So they can sell these to laboratories for research for monetary profit. All of this is documented by David Daleiden and his undercover videos. Apparently, our posterity can fetch a good price in the marketplace. Posterity, declared John Adams in a letter to his wife (4/26/1777), "You will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent it in Heaven that I ever took half the pains to preserve it." Forget our posterity, say the modern humanists only we the born have value today. Our forefathers sacrificed for their posterity us. But we the born today sacrifice our posterity for our own (perceived) well-being, to our everlasting shame. ### Jerry Newcombe, D.Min., is an on-air host/senior producer for D. James Kennedy Ministries. He has written/co-written 31 books, e.g., The Unstoppable Jesus Christ, American Amnesia: Is American Paying the Price for Forgetting God?,What If Jesus Had Never Been Born?(w/ D. James Kennedy) & the bestseller, George Washington's Sacred Fire (w/ Peter Lillback) djkm.org @newcombejerry www.jerrynewcombe.com Photo courtesy: Pixabay Search for Undiscovered Dead Sea Scrolls Reveals Dispute over West Bank Artifacts Share Tweet JERUSALEM (RNS) When pieces of ancient pottery and never-before-seen scroll fragments began making their way to the antiquities black market a few years ago, archaeologists suspected that looters had found a new cache of Dead Sea Scrolls. Determined to discover and protect whatever scrolls might still be hidden in the parched Judean desert, a joint team of archaeologists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., began excavating some of the unexplored caves near Qumran, where all known Dead Sea Scrolls were found in the 1940s and 1950s. The concern was that the caves were being ransacked by locals who were illegally selling them, said Randall Price, a professor of biblical and Judaic studies at Liberty University and co-director of the excavation, which began three years ago. The Geneva Convention permits salvage excavations to try to recover items before theyre lost to history. If and when Prices team unearths additional Dead Sea Scrolls or other artifacts, both Palestinians and Israelis will be sure to claim ownership. The question of ownership comes at a particularly sensitive time in Israeli-Palestinian relations. Palestinian leaders have stepped up their bid for statehood by claiming that Jews are colonial invaders to the region and denying Jewish religious or historical ties to the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israeli leaders counter by arguing both territories were parts of the biblical land of Israel, according to the Hebrew Bible. On Dec. 31, Israel and the U.S. severed their membership in UNESCO, a world heritage preservation body, after it designated ancient Jewish holy sites such as the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron and Rachels Tomb in Bethlehem as Palestinian heritage sites. Qumran is in the West Bank territory Israel captured from Jordan during the 1967 Middle East War which Palestinians say will be part of their future state. Although international law assigns ownership of artifacts to the country where the excavation is taking place, the status of the disputed West Bank is not so clear-cut, some experts say. The Palestinians do not have an independent state, and Israel, which most countries consider an occupying force, has not annexed the territory. Legally, a conquering nation is prohibited from removing artifacts from anothers land, but with the West Bank, its not so simple, said Aren Maeir, a professor of archaeology at Bar-Ilan University. It can be argued that the territory wasnt conquered, he said, referring to the territorys history. In 1947, the United Nations voted to create a Jewish state alongside an Arab state in then-British Mandatory Palestine. The following year, Jordan and other Arab countries attacked Israel, hoping to destroy it. When that failed, Jordan seized control of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, but its rule was never recognized. Many of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which contain the ancient Hebrew and Aramaic texts that form the basis of the Hebrew Bibles canon, were discovered when Jordan ruled the territory from 1948 to 1967. Under the 1993 Oslo Peace Accord, the Palestinian Authority was given civil control over large swaths of the West Bank, but not the Qumran region, in what is called Area C. This isnt currently Palestinian territory, and I dont think there is any substantive claim that objects found in Area C would have to be returned to the Palestinians, Maeir said. A report by the International Humanitarian Law Resource disagrees. Israels archaeological activities in Area C of the West Bank are in violation of its customary obligations under IHL, IHRL and the UNESCO legal framework, the report states. This view is shared by Ahmed Rjoob, general director of the World Heritage unit at the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The Dead Sea Scrolls and other artifacts belong to the Palestinians because they were found on Palestinian land. That applies even before 1948 when there was the British Mandate and during the years when Jordan ruled, Rjoob said. Rjoob said that two or three months ago, the Palestinian Authority asked UNESCO to pressure Israel into returning the scrolls and other artifacts to a museum in East Jerusalem, which Palestinians hope will be the capital of their eventual state. Eugene Kontorovich, an international law professor at George Mason University in Arlington, Va., insists the Palestinians have no claims on the scrolls, the first of which were discovered by Bedouin shepherds who sold them to an antiquities dealer. The Palestinian government neither discovered them nor bought them. Indeed, a Palestinian Arab government did not even claim to exist at the time, he said. As a matter of cultural rights, these artifacts are part of the historical posterity of the Jewish people, and arguments to the contrary are attempts to erase Jewish history. The scrolls and other artifacts simply have nothing to do with the Palestinians, Kontorovich said. Price cannot envision Israel ever giving the items to the Palestinians. This has been a long-standing request by the Palestinians, but frankly, everyone I know in the Israeli government or antiquities administration rejects this outright, he said. They see the Palestinians trying to make a political statement. Because if Israel says the Palestinians have a right to the artifacts, you might as well say all the land is theirs as well. Palestinians, Price said, claim that the scrolls and related artifacts are part of their history and culture. But he argues that there was no known Palestinian people at the time the artifacts were created. The Dead Sea Scrolls, he said, help scholars understand Jewish texts, customs and laws. Many of them are copies of the Hebrew Bible and are written in Hebrew and Aramaic. As such, they should reside in Israel, he said. This isnt about politics and religion and ownership but saving the past from being lost to the people whose heritage this is, he said. READ THIS STORY AT RELIGIONNEWS.COM. Article originally published by Religion News Service. Used with permission. Photo courtesy: RNS/Lux Moundi/Creative Commons Grand Canyon University Re-Invites Ben Shapiro to Campus after Calling Him Divisive Share Tweet Grand Canyon University re-invited Ben Shapiro on Tuesday to speak on their campus. Earlier this week, the Christian college was under fire after news broke that they disinvited conservative speaker Ben Shapiro from speaking at the school. As Christian Headlines previously reported, the school issued a statement noting that they believed that Ben Shapiro was too divisive to speak on their campus. The statement read, We believe in many of the things that Ben Shapiro speaks about and stands for, including his support for ideals that grow out of traditional Judeo-Christian values and his belief in a free market economy. Our decision to cancel Shapiro's speaking engagement is not a reflection of his ideologies or the values he represents, but rather a desire to focus on opportunities that bring people together. On Tuesday, however, the college rescinded their decision to cancel his appearance. In a new statement by the Arizona-based Christian school shared that the invitation was initially rescinded because the national chapter of the student organization planning the speaking engagement, preemptively announced Shapiros appearance. According to the statement, the GCU chapter of Young Americas Foundation worked closely with their national chapter to secure Shapiro for a speaking gig at their school. The students submitted a proposal to the school, and before the school approved Shapiros appearance, the YAF national chapter announced that it was happening. After failing to come to an agreement with YAFs national chapter about how GCUs protocol with outside speakers work, the college shared that they chose to cancel the event. Now, the college says they are working with the students of the GCU chapter of YFA to invite Shapiro to come in the Spring. A statement from the college reads, The University is extending an official invitation directly to Mr. Shapiro and his organization in conjunction with the GCU YAF chapter students to organize an event where he would come to campus and present to interested students. It continued, It is important to note how this situation is different than most of the previous situations that have been high profile in our country. Grand Canyon University is an openly avowed conservative institution, which is expressed through its doctrinal statement, ethical positions statements, curriculum, weekly Chapel and other events held on its campus on a daily basis. Conservative talk goes on at GCUs campus every day, all day. Bringing conservative speakers helps students on its campus crystallize what they believe in and stand for. However, the University also welcomes students on its campus who do not share conservative, Christian views. They are free to express their worldview in and out of the classroom in a spirit of open discussion, the statement added. The school added that GCU aligns with Shapiros Judeo-Christian values and belief in a free market economy, noting they intend to honor the YAF GUC chapters desire to have the famous conservative speak. The statement concluded noting that GUC will no longer work with the YFA nation office as a result of its continued disparagement of the University, the false and misleading statements it has made, and its expressed strategy to use media pressure to achieve its goals. The claims by YAFs national office that GCU changed its approval protocols for Shapiros appearance are false. Photo courtesy: Getty Images/John Sciulli/Stringer Canadian Evangelical School Adapts LGBTQ Rules, Says Donations, Enrollment Are up Share Tweet (RNS) When the administration of Azusa Pacific University dropped the section of its student code of conduct that banned same-sex relationships last August, reaction was swift. American Christian media and church leaders were quick to accuse the evangelical school of caving to societal pressure and compromising its Christian identity. The response prompted the universitys board to reverse the change, affirming the definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman. About the same time, Trinity Western University Canadas premier evangelical university also made a change related to same-sex relationships, but in a different way and with different results. In TWUs case, the school kept its community covenant, which requires students to abstain from sexual intimacy that violates the sacredness of marriage between a man and a woman. But signing the covenant is now voluntary. Over the past year, reaction to the change has been mostly positive, said James Tweedy, TWUs director of marketing, and support for the university remains strong. We havent experienced a negative impact on donations, he said. In fact, both donations and enrolment continue to be stronger than in prior years. Overall, Tweedy added, the response has been largely positive and has been seen as a necessary step towards creating a true gospel-centric community. The change followed a ruling two months earlier by Canadas Supreme Court that the law societies of British Columbia and Ontario had the power to refuse to accredit a law school TWU wanted to create because of that covenant. The court ruled the covenant discriminated against LGBTQ students since they would be unable to sign it to gain admission to the law school. TWU President Bob Kuhn declined a request for an interview. But in a podcast interview with the evangelical magazine Faith Today, he noted the covenant still applies to faculty and staff, who have to sign it annually. By making the covenant voluntary for students, Kuhn said, TWU was clarifying it does not discriminate in terms of enrollment for any person from any belief or any LGBTQ or other group. He went on to say that LGBTQ students at TWU tell him they feel welcome and embraced and supported at the school. Kuhn told Faith Today that some LGBTQ students have told him TWU is a warmer and more welcoming place to come out than public universities. Two other major Canadian Christian universities have also become more accommodating when it comes to same-sex relationships. The Kings University in Edmonton, Alberta, a Christian Reformed Church school, doesnt have an official position on marriage or sexual orientation, said Nikolas Vander Kooy, manager of marketing and brand. Instead, the school developed a statement of inclusion that says Kings is a school where everyone is asked to consciously cultivate a safe, inclusive environment of mutual respect, where all may belong and flourish. At Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg, sexuality is seen as a gift from God, the school encourages healthy relationships in both dating and marriage, and marriage is seen as the proper context for sexuality, according to President Cheryl Pauls. Students are not required to sign a covenant, but they are expected to honor the communitys ethos and well-being in caring for the interests and dignity of each other, she said. Other schools have taken a different approach. Tyndale University College, an evangelical school in Toronto, requires students to affirm a statement of life and conduct that defines marriage as an exclusive, lifelong partnership of love and faithfulness between a man and a woman. For President Gary Nelson, the statement is aspirational. We want to express our values clearly, so students know what they are coming to, he told Religion News Service. Redeemer University in Ancaster, Ontario, also a Christian Reformed school, requires students to agree to its student life and conduct policy, which forbids, among other things, sexual intimacies which occur outside of a heterosexual marriage. According to Josh Sieders, who directs marketing and communications at the school, Redeemer expects students to abide by the code, which is under review. The school also has grace for students. The issues, he said, are complex. READ THIS STORY AT RELIGIONNEWS.COM Article originally published by Religion News Service. Used with permission. Photo courtesy: RNS/TWU Tickle My Tribalistic Ears Christian Examiner Contributor | 06 February, 2019 by Mark Klages If we can get past partisan politics, we will find compromise is the best approach. Why it takes us billions of dollars and months of arguments to figure that out is anyone's guess. I'm talking about the budget and "wall" debate. Here are the facts. President Trump has stated on numerous occasions, to include campaigning on the subject, that he wants to build a "Big, Beautiful Wall." According to numerous sources, the President's intention is to build a solid, concrete or steel (or combination) physical wall from the southeastern tip of Texas on the Gulf of Mexico to the southwestern corner of California where it meets the Pacific Ocean. This wall will be broken at necessary and authorized entry/exit ports for transportation and it will be monitored by an augmented Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) team as part of the overall U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) effort to prevent illegal entry, defend the homeland against known and unknown threats, and stem the flow of drugs across our southern border. On the other side of the coin, Democrats like Representative Jim Clyburn prefer a "smart wall" to a physical barrier. Clyburn's proposal includes "drones, scanners, and sensors 'to create a technological barrier too high to climb over, too wide to go around, and too deep to burrow under.'" Again, according to numerous sources, Clyburn's proposal has the same purpose, worded positively, to foster legal immigration, protect our sovereignty, and discourage illicit drug trafficking. Clyburn's proposal accounts for personal property rights as much as it does for aesthetics and obstruction. Let's look at some very basic math assuming a 10-year lifecycle for the wall as built. (Note: Nothing in this article constitutes an endorsement of any product. This article is informational and does not represent an actual border security solution.) We'll baseline the President's idea using a 40 foot high "T-Wall" along the full 1,954 miles of the border. One online calculator predicts the President's wall will cost $21.8 billion based on manufacturing, transportation, assembly, and operating costs. (Note: Omnicalculator by Mateusz Mucha was designed as an argument against a border wall, focusing rather on the justifiable social programs that could be provided in lieu of building a wall.) Based on a "T-Wall" design popular in US overseas contingency facilities, the calculator predicts the wall will cost $2,124 per linear foot to construct and maintain for the first 10 years. That seems pretty expensive, considering the time, labor and materials needed for construction and maintenance, and the inconvenience and obstruction created by a 40 foot wall. Let's look at alternatives using the Clyburn approach. Drones like the RQ-1/MQ-1 Predator are built by General Atomics and have an operating time exceeding 14-20 hours on station (depending on home base and transition to target) making it an effective surveillance system. At a cost of $4.03 million per vehicle and an hourly operating cost of $1,500 late-model drones are more cost effective than manned missions and high-technology state-of-the-art Remotely Piloted Vehicles (RPV), but still very costly. At an average operating altitude of 50,000 feet, the first Predators could monitor over 500 miles of U.S./Mexico border. (Note: different systems deliver additional capability at increased cost.) Over the 10-year lifecycle, each Predator costs $131 million. If we assume less than 1 percent downtime for maintenance, that's a measly $525.6 million to surveil the entire border for the first 10 years. Since our Predator system has limitations driven by line of sight, terrain, weather, we need to include other surveillance systems as part of our "smart wall." FLIR offers 360 degree coverage, 24/7 performance, and day/night capability with several stationary and mobile thermal and video imaging systems. One such system that could be considered for our border is the TacFLIR 380-HD. This particular system offers 120x zoom, extending range more than 15 miles to the horizon. Using the current Government Services Administration (GSA) schedule PS-0035 and incorporating $24 million to train one quarter of the 20,000 agents currently assigned to the U.S./Mexico border, and assuming we only use the systems in difficult terrain or to cover gaps in aerial surveillance (30 systems) our initial cost is roughly $37 million. Operating costs are difficult to identify, so we'll assume $100 per operating hour and minimal maintenance downtime based on standard security systems. That adds $263 million over the first 10 years for a total cost of $300 million. Add in the cost of existing border surveillance systems as reported by the Government Accounting Office (GAO) and we find $2.8 billion in initial cost to procure and install sensors, based on the Arizona-only figure of $288 million. Operating costs (Arizona: 65 systems; Texas/California/New Mexico: 486 systems) at our estimated $100 per hour equate to $4.8 billion. Totals for sensors comes to $7.6 billion over 10 years. So you see, Readers, a minimalist approach to a "Smart Wall" makes sense. The cost of our simple solution, albeit accounting for zero risk or unknown factors, and assuming no additional personnel needed to fill gaps or operate systems, comes to just over $8.4 billion over 10 years. In all honesty though, the Government never uses a minimalist approach. Replacing the $4 million legacy Predator with a Reaper ($16.9 million per unit) raises our drone cost by $52 million, and the maintenance cost also increases. We could game this all day, but in the end a "Smart Wall" still makes sense. However, the real solution is in the compromise using both plans. Start with a wall where sensors and drones are ineffective or where they can be defeated using mass violation strategies or underground systems. Make drones and sensors primary in low traffic areas or where history shows low incidence of violation like bare desert areas where climate prohibits incursion. Use scientific evidence, not politics, to identify which system works best at what location and with what terrain. Ok, but what does all this talk of a wall, whether smart or physical, have to do with God's love? I'm glad you asked. The Bible reminds us that we are not to just follow the herd, not to just do what everyone else is doing because everyone else is doing it. We are supposed to think for ourselves, test our leaders and laws to be sure they align with scripture, and act accordingly. Just because someone votes Republican doesn't mean he cannot see benefit in Rep. Clyburn's solution. Inversely, Democrats should identify the circumstances and benefits in which the President's plan makes sense. If that common sense doesn't lead to common ground, then just read the scriptures. "Do not treat prophecies with contempt, but test all things. Hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil." (1 Thes 5:20-22, Berean) "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear." (2 Tim 4:3, NIV) The question isn't whether to back the President's plan or the Representative's plan. The real question is, how much of each? Mark Klages is an influential contributor, a former US Marine and a lifelong teacher who focuses on applying a Christian worldview to everyday events. Mark blogs at https://maklagesl3.wixsite.com/website under the title "God Provides where Hate Divides," with a heart to heal social, political, relational, and intellectual wounds through God's divine love and grace. Mark can also be found on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-klages-04b42511/. About half of millennial Christians think it's wrong to evangelize, Barna finds Christian Post Reporter | 06 February, 2019 by Brandon Showalter New research from Barna reveals that a about half of millennial Christians believe it's "wrong" to evangelize. The new report, "Reviving Evangelism," commissioned by Alpha USA, examines the experiences of persons who share their faith and their attitudes toward evangelizing. Nearly every practicing Christian believes that part of their faith is being a witness about Jesus and that the best thing that could occur for someone is to receive Christ, survey results in the study show. Millennial Christians, those born between 1984 and 1998, say they feel equipped to share their faith with other people with nearly three quarters responding that they both know how to respond when someone asks faith-related questions and are gifted at sharing their faith. Such confidence is considerably higher than older generations, the survey found. However, millennials may not be doing that much evangelism. A significant percentage regard it as at least somewhat "wrong." This despite evangelism being a central aspect of what is known as the Great Commission, where Jesus charged his followers in Matthew 28 to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. " "Almost half of Millennials (47%) agree at least somewhat that it is wrong to share one's personal beliefs with someone of a different faith in hopes that they will one day share the same faith. This is compared to a little over one-quarter of Gen X (27%), and one in five Boomers (19%) and Elders (20%)," the report reads. "Younger Christians tend to be more personally aware of the cultural temperature around spiritual conversations. Among practicing Christians, Millennials report an average (median) of four close friends or family members who practice a faith other than Christianity; most of their Boomer parents and grandparents, by comparison, have just one." Increased cultural hostility to the gospel and conversations that bring people's differences into focus make evangelism more difficult today than in previous decades, the analysis shows, as many older Christians do not appreciate the negative forces in society that demean sharing ones faith. With regard to faith-sharing, 40 percent of millennial practicing Christians strongly or somewhat agreed with the statement, "If someone disagrees with you, it means they are judging you," which was the highest by far compared to the other generations studied. Only 22 percent of generation X, 9 percent of baby boomers, and 11 percent of "elders" agreed. Continue reading about evangelism on The Christian Post. The relationship between the United States and Mexico was tenuous in 1859. Mexicos nascent government was recently challenged by a military rebellion. The new Mexican president was driven from the capital and a competing government was established. President James Buchanan, not knowing which faction of power to recognize, sent a Marylander identified only as Mr. McLane in the State of the Union address that year to the new nation to suss out who was in charge. Nigerian military and security forces killed hundreds of mostly Christian ethnic Igbo civilians advocating for self-determination, in massacres that took place from 2015 to 2017, according to the most comprehensive report to date, which took three years to make. The NGO International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) released a new 85-page report this week that purports to highlight how Nigerian military and security forces are responsible for the deaths of 480 and the injuring of over 500 other "unarmed and defenseless" civilians in crackdowns targeting Igbo self-determination activists and members of the Igbo population. The crackdowns were carried out through various internal security operations in Southeast and other southern regions of Nigeria that have drawn criticism from those warning that the Nigerian military is being "deployed against unarmed civilians." The new Intersociety report, titled "Under Buhari & Osinbajo: Many Have Gone & Crippled For Life In Eastern Nigeria," is based on three years of research that includes interviews with survivors, relatives and victims. "Most, if not all the slain, wounded or abducted victims are members of the Nigerian Christian Faith and other non-Muslim religions," the report reads. "Hospitals, where the wounded were taken to for treatment, were also invaded by soldiers at night or late evening during which some of them were abducted to unknown locations where they must have been shot dead and remained untraced." The report lists 10 locations identified during the course of Intersociety's investigations where the killings and massacres occurred. The report also lists seven significant "graveyards or dumping sites" where "the slain were shallowly buried, or burnt to ashes, or lacerated with suspected raw acid substances." Other dead bodies were reportedly either dumped in the open, thrown off a bridge or left in secret or isolated places to decompose." The alleged killings highlighted in the report occurred as there has been a revival in the call for Biafra independence in the Igbo population in Southeast Nigeria, most of which are Christian in faith. The secession of Biafra in 1967, which represented the aspirations of the Igbo people concerned about ethnic, economic and religious tensions, is what led to the Nigerian Civil War and deaths of over 2 million people from 1967 to 1970. According to the report, the segment of the general Igbo and other non-Igbo Christian population affected by the massacres and killings were "exercising their rights to self-determination using nonviolence" through democratic assemblies such as street protests, picketing, prayers and worship, and religious processions. The massacres in question were said to be part of the Nigerian Army's "Operation Python Dance" and other internal security operations designed to stamp out "terrorist" activity, according to Intersociety. However, the report refutes the government's "terror" claim. "This is the first time in the world an unarmed and defenseless self-determination group is dubbed 'terror group,'" the report explains. "The intents and purposes for same were for intensification of the Government's racial profiling and attempts to cover the massacre and escape from being held to account." Intersociety Board Chairman Emeka Umeagbalasi told CP that the organization decided to launch an investigation into the killings because "it is our region and we are professed Christians." "[This is so we are] able to put this in a database and in a document because the law says when a crime is committed and there is no documentation, then no crime has been committed," Umeagbalasi, an Igbo criminologist, continued. "If a crime is committed by a perpetrator and they do not put it in writing or in black and white, then we [have no case] against the perpetrator. But when you put it in a database, the perpetrator can be tracked anytime or any day." Intersociety claims that some Igbo citizens were killed, wounded or abducted at their places of work, on their way home or while they slept "in the dead of the night." The report asserts that the massacre operations were the "crude and deadly" response of the federal government led by President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo "to renewed nonviolent campaigns by disenchanted people of the old Eastern Nigeria calling or agitating for the restructuring of Nigeria and end to their age-long political exclusion and persecution or total independent statehood for the 'Biafra People.'" However, John Campbell, the former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria during the George W. Bush, administration and a current senior fellow of Africa Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, told CP that he is skeptical of the claim that the president and vice president are complicit in the crimes. Campbell also contended that the fact many of those killed in the report are Christian is "irrelevant" because the crimes were committed more so in the context of stamping out a separatist movement. "There is a so-called Operation Python Dance that has been conducted by the security services, which seeks to root out those who are supporting a revival of the idea of Biafran independence," Campbell explained. "The government claims that the some of the secessionists advocate violence and even terrorism. The secessionists argue though that what they are arguing for is self-determination." "The Nigerian security services, including the Army, are quite rough, not to say brutal in terms of their tactics," Campbell continued. "In fact, security service human rights abuses are often said to be a primary driver of Boko Haram recruitment in eastern Nigeria so that I would view as credible claims that the security service had killed civilians in Southeastern Nigeria." Campbell also questions if the number of people killed highlighted by the report are completely accurate. "Frankly, everybody lies on one side and down the other about casualties," Campbell said. "You have to put this in the context of government response to a secessionist movement of which the government, in my view, is frightened because of the experience of the civil war, meaning the 2 million [dead]." Nina Shea, a prominent international human rights lawyer and director of the Center for Religious Freedom at the Washington-based think tank Hudson Institute, told CP that the scale and nature of the human rights violations alleged in the report are "shocking" considering they are alleged to have been carried out by security forces. "The report's accounts of mass murder, torture, abuse and unlawful imprisonment by Nigerian security forces are extensively detailed and documented apparently by legal and investigative professionals," she stated. "This report needs to be taken with utmost seriousness." Umeagbalasi defended his report stating that it was conducted by a team of researchers and also included contributions from a number of intellectuals, such as former U.S. Assistant Attorney Gen. Bruce Fine, and professors Adrienne LeBas at American University in Washington and Justin Akujieze at Chicago State University. The Departments of Criminology & Security Studies (CSS) and Peace Studies & Conflict Resolution at the National Open University of Nigeria were also listed as contributors. "The report is empirically and scientifically arranged. We have worked on the report for three years," he said. "It is a very comprehensive report and a lot of research. You will see the contributors. Some of them professors at the American University, Chicago State University, some of them are former assistant attorney generals of the United States. So you can imagine the caliber of the contributors." Shea believes that the reported extrajudicial killings and the maiming of hundreds of individuals should be investigated by independent authorities. "Those found culpable, both those who executed and those who gave orders must be held accountable," Shea wrote in an email. "That these allegations involve the targeting of victims of a particular ethnicity and religion a namely Igbo Christians and Jews a raises that possibility of hate crimes, or even an intent to commit genocide. The fact that the targeted victims included political dissidents and even separatists in no way justifies the violence that is alleged to have occurred, including the abduction and murder of persons while they were sleeping." Shea called for the continued imprisonment of victims to be investigated for violations of due process. "I call on the U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom to pursue this report in its bilateral relations with Nigeria and to undertake an independent review of its contents." CP submitted requests for comment with the Nigerian Army and the federal government of Nigeria. A response was not received by press time. Campbell said he is skeptical of claims of President Buhari's complicity in the reported killings, stating that the report was released just over a week before a presidential election. The former ambassador added that part of the issue is that the Nigerian Army is responsible for what most developed countries would consider being a police function. "[T]hey are not trained to do it, which means they tend to way overreact," Campbell stated. Campbell is also not optimistic that the perpetrators who carried out these killings and abductions can be held accountable, suggesting that the government oversight is not in place to hold the direct perpetrators accountable. "You are dealing with a state in which accountability, in general, is very limited," Campbell said. "All you have to do is look at what has been going on in the Northeast [Boko Haram] or the Middle Belt [farmer-herder conflict], both centers of violence. To say that the state should be holding perpetrators of massacres of any sort by anybody accountable is of course perfectly true. But in terms of reality, it is pretty naive." Umeagbalasi said part of the problem is that victim family members are "too afraid" to say they are advocating on behalf of their slain loved ones. The criminologist added that security forces took the bodies of those slain and buried them in undisclosed locations. "We have a kind of government and officials that appear to be incorrigible. They have this culture of impunity in place in their system and establishment," Umeagbalasi stressed. "They don't want to learn or have remorse. I think the most important task here is that we have the research fully concluded because tracking victims of this crime is not to easy to come by. It is the most difficult thing to track the victims and convince them to speak." Intersociety also plans in the future to release a photo album showing the dead bodies of victims as well as a perpetrators list that will outline the crimes that government actors may have directly or vicariously committed. Courtesy of The Christian Post Theres no denying that the Kardashians have built an empire and accomplished a lot in the business world since we were first introduced to them on Keeping Up with the Kardashians. The ladies went from working at a tiny Dash boutique in Calabasas to becoming some of the most recognizable faces in the world. These days, the family continues to share many aspects of their lives on their reality show but fans still have some questions about them before they became famous and one has to do with their education. Kardashian sisters | Ethan Miller/Getty Images Heres the answer to who went to and graduated from college plus which family member claimed they were going to law school but the university said otherwise. Which sister attended and graduated college? The answer is not Kim Kardashian. Mrs. West got her high school diploma from Marymount High School, which is an all-girls Catholic school in Los Angeles. In 2018, Kim went back to school for her 20-year reunion. Khloe Kardashian also attended Marymount until her older sisters graduated. The Revenge Body host previously explained that she struggled in school after her siblings left and soon enrolled in Alexandria Academy. When speaking about that particular school Khloe said, [It] is not at-home , you go to a school, and there are tutors that give you individual attention. I needed that. I really did not know one person there. I knew college wasnt for me, and I graduated from Alexandria with honors which I never wouldve done in a traditional school. The one sister who did go to and graduated from college is Kourtney Kardashian. After Marymount, the mother of three moved to Texas to pursue a bachelors degree. She attended Southern Methodist University before transferring to the University of Arizona where she earned a degree in Theatre Arts and a minor in Spanish. What about their brother, Rob? Rob Kardashian and Kris Jenner | E! Kourt isnt the only one in the family to do to college. Her brother, Rob Kardashian, did as well. Dreams father graduated from the University of Southern Californias Marshall School of Business in 2009. Three years later, he said that he would be returning to USC to pursue a law degree. Going to Law School very soon and so excited and cant wait! he tweeted. School just never ends for me! #UnivesityofSouthernCal #Trojans #FightOn. However, despite his claim the University of Southern California Gould School of Law denied this and stated that Rob never even applied there. How about Kendall and Kylie Jenner? Kendall and Kylie Jenner | John Fredricks /AFP/Getty Images As for the Jenner sisters. Neither Kendall or Kylie went past high school. They left Sierra Canyon School in 2012 and finished via homeschooling. Kylie told Interview Magazine that she had no plans to attend college but might change her mind in the future. Im not going to college, the makeup mogul said. I have done everything to prepare for college, so if I wanted to in the future, I could go at any time. But Im not planning on going anytime soon. Read more: How Old is Kris Jenner and What is Her Ethnicity? Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook If you were looking forward to settling in for a new episode of This Is Us tonight, get ready to be disappointed. The next installment of the popular NBC show has been delayed because of President Trumps State of the Union address. We'll be back next week, but in the meantime, there's this. pic.twitter.com/niDMRcMwoJ This Is Us (@NBCThisisUs) February 5, 2019 The episode of This Is Us originally scheduled to air tonight has been pushed back to February 12, which means fans eagerly anticipating the next installment of Pearson family drama will have to wait a little bit longer. And its not the only show thats dealing with a schedule change due to Trumps speech before Congress. The new episode of NCIS is also delayed The State of the Union broadcast starts at 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT) and will be followed on most channels by the Democratic response to the speech. In addition to pushing back This Is Us, NBC will also delaying a new episode of New Amsterdam. Fans of crime procedural NCIS will also have to wait until February 12 for a new episode. The show, which usually airs at 7 p.m., will be replaced with a rerun of the networks new competition show, The Worlds Best. NCIS: New Orleans and FBI have also been bumped. ABC is delaying new episodes of Black-ish, Splitting Up Together, and The Rookie. On Fox, Lethal Weapon and The Gifted have been bumped for Trump. New episodes of Ellens Game of Games and American Housewife will air A handful of shows will be airing new episodes on Tuesday in advance of the State of the Union. NBC has a new installment of Ellens Game of Games, while ABC has new episodes of American Housewife and The Kids Are Alright. The CW will air new episodes of The Flash and Roswell, New Mexico instead of the presidents address to Congress. On cable, you can catch a new episode of Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath on A&E, Lone Star Law on Animal Planet, Below Deck on Bravo, and American Soul on BET. Garage Rehab and Bad Chad Customs air on Discovery, Chopped is on the Food Network, Windy City Rehab is on HGTV, and Married at First Sight is on Lifetime. How to watch the State of the Union Donald Trump gives the 2018 State of the Union address | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Trumps State of the Union speech was originally scheduled for January 29 but was delayed because of the government shutdown. The rescheduled speech will air live on the major networks (NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox), PBS, C-SPAN, and cable news channels like CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Fusion, and BBC World. Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams will deliver the Democratic rebuttal after the speech. A Spanish broadcast will air on Univision, CNN en Espanol, and Telemundo. It will be followed by a Spanish-language rebuttal from California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. You can stream the State of the Union via the White Houses YouTube channel. PBS NewsHour will also be streaming the speech via YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook, and most other networks will also offer streaming via their apps and websites. Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook! Theres less than a month to go before the 2019 Academy Awards, and instead of talking about the movies and the performance, were all dumbfounded there wont be a host. The Academy tagged comedian Kevin Hart as host, but he backed out after some controversial tweets came to light. The 2019 Oscars are breaking tradition in another surprising way, but its one you might not have known about until now. Why no one wants to host the Oscars in 2019 Kevin Hart wont host the 2019 Oscars, and producers arent trying to find a replacement. | Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images Oscars producers could have scrambled to find a host to replace Kevin Hart, but they seemed more content to leave the gig vacant. That might not be such a good idea. When the 1989 Academy Awards didnt have a host, it was nothing short of a disaster. The show opened with a terrible musical number featuring Rob Lowe and Snow White, and things only got worse from there. Were surprised Hart agreed to host in the first place. It takes a lot of planning and practicing to host the show, and in the end, the hosts barely make five figures for their efforts. Without anyone hosting the show, plan on seeing various celebrities introduce segments throughout the night. The other way the 2019 Oscars are breaking from tradition It seems like Gary Oldman and 2018s other best actors wont present at the 2019 Oscars. | Kevin Winter/Getty Images So we know the Academy Awards wont have a host, but the 2019 Oscars are breaking another tradition. The 2018 winners in the acting categories Gary Oldman and Frances McDormand for best actor and actress, and Sam Rockwell and Allison Janney for their supporting roles wont present the 2019 winners of those awards. The Oscars usually has the previous years winner of each acting category present the current award in the opposite category. So Oldman, 2018s best actor, would be presenting the statue for best actress at the 2019 Oscars. None of those four have been officially announced as presenters, according to Variety. That could change in the end, but the closer to get to the show date, the less likely it seems that theyll walk the stage. Snubbing the 2018 acting winners might not be among the most shocking Oscars moments of all time, but its not far off. Allison Janneys reaction is exactly what youd expect Allison Janney is heartbroken about not being asked to present at the Oscars. | Kevin Winter/Getty Images When she found out she might not get to present at the 2019 Oscars, Janney didnt hesitate to let the Academy know what she thinks of the decision. Its looking like they are not going to honor the tradition this year, she wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post, according to Vanity Fair. It breaks my heart. Honestly, we dont blame Janney for her response. Most actresses dream of hoisting a nearly worthless Oscar statue, and for the Academy to revoke that tradition would get us upset, too. Which movie will win best picture? Alfonso Cuarons Roma has the inside track to win for best picture at the 2019 Academy Awards. | Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images Before we reveal the Oscar odds for best picture, we have to mention one thing you cant legally bet on the Academy Awards in Las Vegas. They have a thing where theyre very, very careful, Benjamin Eckstein, the creator and writer of Americas Line, tells A.V. Club. The Nevada Gaming Commission does not allow any bets or wagers on events for which the results are already known. PricewaterhouseCoopers, the people who come out every time with the briefcase, knows the results. Not that it ever leaks out, but it could. If it did, it could be a real black eye. However, you can place a wager online with any one of a dozen or more gambling sites. One film has the best Oscar odds for best picture. Roma remains the odds-on favorite to win, just like it was before awards season kicked into high gear. Its Alfonso Cuarons semi-autobiographical drama shot in black-and-white, and its Netflixs first best picture nominee. That means you can watch it at home anytime, provided you have a Netflix account. Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook! Chris Pratt is an actor best known for his roles as Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy and Owen Grady in the latest Jurassic World movies. He is also known to be a very outdoor-loving, laid back, down to earth kind of guy and sometimes a guy like that just needs to escape Hollywood for a while. But where does Chris Pratt go when he escapes, and what does he do? Heres what we know. Pratt has a hidden ranch on San Juan Island Chris Pratt on Parks and Recreation | NBC Not surprisingly, Pratt escapes the stress and lack of privacy of the Hollywood lifestyle by heading to the great outdoors. He owns a ranch on San Juan Island, which is located right off the coast of Washington state. But of all the places in the world he could have chosen, why did Pratt choose San Juan Island? San Juan Island is actually a chain of islands who all share the same name, and all of them are difficult to get to. This means that the paparazzi cannot reach ore than four of the islands (who have ferry services) and that even trying to get their requires a lot of travel and planning. Pratt isnt the only celebrity to have chosen these islands for his getaway. Bill Gates and Steve Miller also have estates on San Juan Island, and numerous others certainly do also but are (as of yet) unconfirmed. He raises sheep Chris Pratt raises sheep on his ranch, and it isnt just for their company or for show. Pratt lives the real ranchers life, by raising up his sheep to eat. He makes use of the wool, also. In several of his Instagram posts, Pratt describes his methods of farming. He chooses to go all organic, with as much natural food as possible. He avoids the use of antibiotics whenever possible, and he does everything on his own (although, certainly, not by himself). This includes cleaning out the sheeps hooves, feeding them, sheering them, and tending to the other animals he has on his farm which includes chickens. His sheep just won a prize Chris Pratt recently took to Instagram to share with his followers that one of his sheep won a prize. The image is of a bag of all-natural sheeps wool with a ribbon on top. The caption reads: I hate when celebrities brag on here but I have to. Our ewe (female sheep) named Cacao just took home a blue ribbon at Fiberpalooza!!!! Boom chic-Cacao cao! Controversy over his escape Unfortunately for Chris Pratt, his ranch lifestyle escape does not come without controversy. Since Pratt enjoys posting to social media so his followers are kept updated, people everywhere quickly learned that yes, Chris Pratt raises his lambs for slaughter. Of course, vegans and vegetarians went up in arms when he revealed this. This controversy comes despite Pratt apologizing if his lifestyle offends anyone. Thats right, fresh farm to table lamb, Chris Pratt posted to his Instagram account. They are the happiest lambs on the planet. They are so sweet and then one day they wake up dead and theyre in my freezer. I dont know how it even works but its amazing and if youre a vegetarian, I apologize, I dont mean to be insensitive but I did have a wonderful lamb lunch for my snack. This being said, farmers around the world understand Pratts endeavors and fully support him. Not to mention that, from a biological standpoint, his island would quickly be overrun in a matter of years if some of the sheep were not killed for food as each ewe will birth at least two lambs per year if not more. Prince George, Duchess Kate Middleton, and Prince Williams eldest son was born July 22, 2013, and from the moment he entered the world, it has been delightful to watch the pint-sized royal grow and learn. From the hilarious nickname that he calls himself to the adorable photos taken on his first day of school, its clear that Prince George is very much a normal kid. Although hes having an idyllic childhood, Prince George is still a member of the British Royal Family, and hes directly in line for the throne to be the King of England. Does Prince George already have royal duties? Prince George of Cambridge | Andrew Milligan Pool/Getty Images Does Prince George have any royal duties? Right now, Prince Georges only royal duties are attending school, playing with his siblings, Prince Louis, and Princess Charlotte and being adorable. He does attend some royal events like Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan Markles wedding and Queen Elizabeth IIs birthday celebrations. However, his nanny Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo is always on hand to whisk him and the other little ones away when it gets too overwhelming. So far, Prince George has been on a couple of official royal tours with his parents, which probably seemed like vacations to him. As he gets older, his duties will increase dramatically. He will be educated on all he needs to know to be the future King of England. As a pre-teen and then as a teen, the prince will be expected to attend more and more charitable events, engage in walkabouts, and eventually take up causes. Will Prince George be able to have a regular job? Prince George will likely follow in his father, Prince Williams footsteps. He will attend elite schools. Like his father and his uncle, Prince Harry, Prince George might also serve in the British military once he is of age. This could allow him to have some experience having a regular job. Prince William was a pilot before retired to become a full-time royal. When they reach adulthood, Prince George and his siblings royal duties will increase across the board. They will be expected to attend state events, greet foreign dignitaries, and have a slew of royal patronages. Since Prince George is directly in line for the throne, his duties will likely be more strict that Princess Charlotte or Prince Louis. Does Prince George know hes going to be king? Prince George is at the age where hes probably figuring out his life is little different than his schoolmates. However, he does not yet know hes going to be king. Prince William and Duchess Kate Middleton have decided to delay telling their son about his future. Prince William revealed, As far as we are concerned within our family unit, we are a normal family. I love my children in the same way any father does, and I hope George loves me the same way any son does to his father. We are very normal in that sense. Therell be a time and a place to bring George up and understand how he fits in, in the world. But right now its just a case of keeping a secure, stable environment around him and showing as much love as I can as a father. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have also banned iPads and tablets for their children, so Prince George wont likely stumble on his destiny by accident. Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook! Emily Warburton-Adams Instagram In a devastating Instagram post, Emily Warburton-Adams from Below Deck shared that her father has died. Warburton-Adams posted a touching image of clasped hands and a photo with her father. She wrote, This morning, my fathers suffering ended in his peaceful sleep. After a 6 month cancer battle, he has moved on to a more beautiful realm and will forever be in our hearts. We thank you for all of your support and love. Fans were pulling for Warburton-Adams and her family after she bravely posted about her fathers horrific battle with cancer only a few short months ago. Not only was her father suddenly ill with cancer, he became ill in a foreign country. The family desperately needed the funds to bring him home for further treatment. Everyone rallied and fans throughout the world responded. Sadly, Warburton-Adams father ultimately passed away. Her father left home seemingly healthy While away on a business trip to Malasia this summer, Warburton-Adams father fell ill. He was ultimately diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer. Unfortunately, the family learned the cancer had already spread to the lymph nodes, liver, lungs, skin, muscle, bones, and brain. Warburton-Adams wanted her father home in England for treatment. So she created a fundraising page to help pay for his complex trip home. With cancer this aggressive & advanced, he had to start Chemotherapy treatment immediately, she wrote on Just Giving. We were told he couldnt fly home to the UK until his condition had strengthened; it was just too risky. And so we flew out to Malaysia. The family spent several weeks and months in Malaysia to assist with treatment and find a way to make the transport possible. Warburton-Adams wanted her father home for Christmas and looked at two options. We discussed options with The British Consulate, his care team and EMS-247 (Emergency Medical Services), but his medical condition means that he is unable to be repatriated home via the normal EMS service, Warburton-Adams wrote. The options were a sectioned area of a commercial flight with medical assistance, where he can lie down the whole duration, or fly him via an Air Ambulance. The family continued to fight Warburton-Adams fundraiser produced about 35,565. And while she posted about working with individuals to fly her father home, he became too ill to make the journey. In mid-January, she shared an update on Instagram. Ill update you all again soon on my daddys situation, Im speaking with him daily when hes able to and hes undergoing palliative care in Malaysia. Were holding the funds that youve been so wonderful to help us raise with an aim to use them to fly him home when hes in a condition to fly. Instagram posts showed that Warburton-Adams split her time between England and Malasia. Unfortunately, it does not appear that her father ever made it home. Within minutes of posting of his passing, fans sent messages of love and condolences. Praying for you and your family, one person wrote. Oh darling Im so sorry for your loss. You girls have been unbelievable, I am so proud of you both. Look after each other until I get back, I know you will miss you guys, came from someone close to Warburton-Adams. Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook! The Polar Plunge on Saturday at the Chattanooga Green by the Aquarium will raise funds for the Special Olympics. Schedule: 10:00 registration/check-in opens 11:00 costume contest 11:30 plunging begins Lunch for Plungers and Volunteers. Every Plunger must raise a minimum of $75 ($50 for students) and will receive the official long-sleeved Plunge t-shirt, and a complimentary lunch. Officials said, "It's easy to participate. Just follow these three steps: Step 1. You need to register online or complete the registration form and mail to Special Olympics Tennessee. Step 2. Begin collecting donations to support your plunge. Use the donation form or create a Personal Online Fundraising page (just think your own personal webpage...you're famous). Each plunger must raise a minimum $75 to plunge ($50 for children & students). Step 3. Bring all offline collected donations to the Plunge on Saturday. Current online fundraising totals will be available at registration. For more information, go to http://polarplungetn.com/chattanooga The Clay County Chamber of Commerce presented Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital with the Community Engagement Award on Saturday, Jan. 19, in recognition for its investment in the western North Carolina community. We are honored to receive this award from the Clay County Chamber of Commerce, said Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital CEO Mark Kimball. It has been exciting to see the impact that Erlanger has made within the community thus far, and we look forward to watching that develop even more. Clay County Chamber of Commerce officials expressed their appreciation for the hospital. Erlanger has acknowledged and met a need in our community by acquiring the local hospital, said Chamber Executive Director Pam Roman. Its great that Erlanger is helping to enhance health care standards for the residents of this area. A construction company accidentally broke into a natural gas line Wednesday morning at the corner of Hixson Pike and Strawberry Lane. Chattanooga firefighters and patrol units with the Chattanooga Police Department responded to the scene and immediately blocked off Hixson Pike from Ely Road to Bagwell Street. Battalion Chief Carlos Hampton said the workers broke into a two-inch gas line, and the fumes could be seen bubbling up through cracks in the pavement on Hixson Pike. Chattanooga police diverted traffic until technicians with the Chattanooga Gas Company could shut off the gas. After about an hour, the gas was successfully shut off and traffic was re-opened on Hixson Pike. After about an hour, the gas was successfully shut off and traffic was re-opened on Hixson Pike. Red Bank Fire Chief Mark Matthews was recently notified that a grant for which he had applied has been awarded to the citys fire department. The grant from the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation is valued at $31,635 and will be used to purchase a Jaws-of-Life system. The commissioners voted on Tuesday night to give City Manager Tim Thornbury authority to apply to the Tennessee Department of Transportation for transportation improvements within Red Bank. These upgrades would be for paving, improvements relating to ADA compliance and to replace a bridge on Lullwater Road. Another upgrade approved was the purchase of LED light fixtures. Mr. Thornbury said for several years the city has been testing LED street lights along Dayton Boulevard. Red Bank will now spend $13,500 to replace old light fixtures with the LEDs at various locations around the city. The intersection of Ashland Terrace and Dayton Boulevard has recently reopened after construction was completed. Now there is a need for a new gas main along Ashland. To avoid the traffic problems that would be caused by closing that road again, Chattanooga Gas Company was given permission to install the line instead along an unopened road between Red Bank Street and Lawton Street. This city-owned right-of-way is 30 feet wide and the gas line can be put along one edge so it would not compromise other uses in the future. This is a wise use of public property, said City Attorney Arnold Stulce. Partners Eric Everett and Michael Haugh purchased a shopping center at 4707 Dayton Blvd. in 2015 with the intention of leasing out the space. Retail business has changed over the past several years, they told the commissioners, and, despite the attempt to find tenants, the 29,000-square-foot center is still vacant. And, Dollar General has a long term lease in the center that restricts the uses of the surrounding vacant spaces. The partners asked the commissioners to rezone the buildings from C-1 commercial to L-1 Light Manufacturing zone so the empty spaces can be converted to indoor, climate-controlled storage. Income from a storage facility would provide funds to make improvements to the property, they told the commission. If it is leased, the owners said the exterior would be improved to conform to the design review ordinance. The commission voted 4-1 to approve the zoning change with the condition that it can only be utilized for climate control, indoor storage and that if the new business is not up and running in one year, the property will revert back to C-1. A second vote of approval will be needed before the zoning change can actually be made. An amendment was made to the design review ordinance that will streamline the appeals process. The change will allow city staff to make approvals to appeals for property with less than 175 feet of road frontage. This is expected to speed up the process and cut down on the red tape. The commissioners also adopted on first reading an ordinance that will allow under certain limited circumstances and conditions, the utilization of public right-of-way for private or quasi-private purposes. Mr. Stulce said the user would be required to acknowledge their use is temporary and, if the city needs or desires the property, it would revert back to the city and any equipment would have to be removed in a time frame designated by the commissioners. Five appointments were made to the Red Bank Variance Board: Rick Causer, Rufus Smith, Sonya Miller, William Cannon and Greg Jones. The Red Bank Service Center was recognized by the commission for being in business for 55 years. The business started at the corner of Dayton Boulevard and Ashland Terrace in January 1964 and has now moved up the street. It is one of the last full service stations left in the Chattanooga area, said Commissioner Ruth Jeno. Area members of Congress reacted to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address. Congressman Chuck Fleischman said, In President Trumps State of the Union address, Americans heard that our nation will continue to choose greatness. Under the Trump Administration, Tennesseans have experienced pro-business policies and robust economic growth, benefited from unprecedented regulatory relief for workers and small business owners, observed the resurgence of our military forces, and witnessed a leader who prioritizes the safety and security of our nation. This evening, President Trump outlined the path forward as we to continue to rebuild America. While we complete the Presidents bold agenda, let us remember that more can be accomplished when we choose freedom over obstruction and unite in our vision for a greater and more prosperous nation. Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA-14) said, Tonight President Trump addressed one of the most pressing issues facing our country: the humanitarian and security crisis at our Southern border. The president again made a strong case for ending this crisis based on facts, evidence and expert advice. As a member of the bipartisan Conference Committee on border security, Im urging Democrats to begin negotiating in good faith. With Speaker Pelosi refusing to comprise, the negotiations cant succeed. But if Democrats are simply willing to put partisanship aside and begin negotiating based on facts and evidence and listen to the experts, I believe there is still time to find a solution before the February 15 deadline. I urge them to help us use this opportunity to secure our nation." Senator David Perdue (R-GA) said, Tonight, President Trump laid out a very powerful vision for our country that continues to build on the successes of the last two years. Many Americans are seeing increased paychecks, more opportunities, and brighter futures for their families. The economy is growing at twice the rate it did under President Obama, and more than 5.3 million new jobs have been created. Total unemployment is the lowest in 50 years, while African American, Hispanic, and Asian American unemployment is the lowest ever. While much work has been accomplished, we still need bipartisan solutions to address the rising costs of health care, fix our broken immigration system, rebuild and modernize our infrastructure, and negotiate fair trade deals with our partners around the world. While we heard a positive message from President Trump, Democrats sat on their hands. There is a stark contrast between the positive results weve seen under President Trump and Democrats radical policies that have been proven to fail. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said, President Trump provided a unifying, hopeful vision for the nation tonight, highlighting Administration accomplishments and the booming economy, but also expressing optimism that even greater achievements lie ahead. The Presidents policies have been beneficial to American agriculture in the short term, but also have laid the foundation for long-term prosperity. Our trade agreements with other nations are getting stronger, and the strategies the President has employed will lead to new and expanded markets for our products. This was a patriotic speech, reminding Americans of the greatness of this country, with even brighter hopes for the future. The owner of a dog training business in Cleveland who was arrested after four dog owners filed complaints against him has taken his own life. Cleveland Police said Stephen Kinder, owner of Kinder Dog Training in Cleveland, shot himself around 12:30 p.m. at James Ashbury Drive. He had been charged with four counts of animal cruelty. Friends said he had been despondent since the charges were filed and threatening messages posted on social media. An officer had gone to Kinder Dog Training at 3575 Adkisson Dr. early Monday morning. A woman from Atlanta said when she picked up the dog in Georgia seven weeks after leaving him at the center, the dog appeared malnourished, injured, and had sores on its body. Two other dog owners said they tried to pick up their dogs, but were told they would not be ready for another week. One who was later able to get her dog said it appeared malnourished with ribs and leg bones protruding through the skin. Cleveland Police said, "On 2-4-2018, Sasha Eastburn filed a report with the Cleveland Police Department in reference to her daughter's dog being neglected at a dog training facility in Cleveland. Mrs. Eastburn stated that her daughter, Abigail Eastburn, arranged a four week training session with Kinder Dog Training for basic obedience training. She stated the arrangement was to include boarding and caring for the dog for the duration of the training. The arrangement was made with Stephen Kinder, the owner of Kinder Dog Training. The dog was dropped off at Kinder Dog Training at 3575 Adkisson Drive on 12-17-2018. Mrs. Eastburn stated at the end of the four weeks, Abigail was contacted by Mr. Kinder stating that he was trying to work through some issues with the dog and would like to extend the training for an additional week at no charge. She stated the training was then continued for two more weeks making the training a total of seven weeks. She stated at the end of the seven weeks, Mr. Kinder tried to extend again, but they did not agree to the extension. She stated Mr. Kinder then agreed to meet her at his home in Dalton Georgia to return the dog to her. Mrs. Eastburn stated when the dog was returned, he appeared to be very malnourished. She also stated the fur on his feet and legs were stained from laying in feces and urine. She stated the dog also had several sores on his legs that had not been there before. She stated the dog was then taken to VCA RIVER in Chattanooga for veterinary treatment. While transporting the dog to the vet, Mrs. Eastburn stated he had episodes of vomiting and diarrhea. "During the vet assessment, the veterinarian noted concerns of poor nutrition, parasite infection, bacterial/viral infection, maldigestion, and inflammatory bowel disease. It was also noted that there was staining of the dogs feet and legs that appeared to be from feces and urine. The vet also listed the dogs weight at 64 lbs. Abigail advised me that when she dropped the dog off, he weighed approximately 95 lbs. She also provided me with photographs of her dog before and after being left in the care of Kinder Dog Training. In the photos, it is apparent that the dog has lost a great deal of weight. His bone structure is very pronounced through his skin. You can also see staining on his feet and legs as well as open sores. The dog has since been transferred to his regular vet in Atlanta Georgia. Due to the condition of the dog after being in the care of Stephen Kinder, Mr. Kinder is being charged with four counts of cruelty to animals, once for each time he extended the training." I am writing you about the new drivers license law that our TN government will soon be voting on. First of all, I will be 80 years of age in August 2019. I have to do a lot of driving because of my wife having doctor appointments and from myself having doctor appointments. We live on flattop mountain above Soddy Daisy. She has a perfect driving record and so do I. The law they are trying to get in is for older drivers over 75 years of age to have to take an eye test before they can get a license. Doing this is pure age discrimination. If the older people are shoved off the road, then they cannot get to their doctors, go buy their groceries and pick up their meds at the drug store. They also will not have the right to travel to the smokies and be free americans. It isnt the older people who are causing the problem, it is the younger ones who drive like madmen, run up behind each other and, in worst conditions, shoot at each other. My thoughts are that the police need to take people to jail for speeding. Take Highway 27 from Soddy Daisy to Chattannoga any weekday morning, you can set your cruise on the speed limit, then watch everyone pass you going at least 75 miles an hour, and some one will be about one foot behind you, which at this speed it is a wonder that anyone makes the trip at all alive. We have people on the mountain who are several years older than I am who drive regularly with excellent driving records. All this bill is for is to get the non-speeders off the highway. I have never seen the police (state or local) writing tickets on Highway 27 at that time of the morning. If anyone is killed on Highway 27, it will be because there is no attempt to slow the fast drivers down. Dont start taking it out on the older drivers, start taking people to jail for breaking the law, if you really care. They also should take them to jail for not keeping a safe distance back from vehicles in front of them. Anderson Mansel Soddy Daisy * * * Mr Mansel, Although you are correct in some aspects of your letter, (speeding, etc.) I would like to respond to some points you have left out. I believe Tennessee is one of only 10 states that does not require a vision screening when a driver's license is renewed. I have been a practicing optometrist for over 45 years and have seen mainly older drivers who have come in my office who are legally blind, (have me certify such so they can get an extra income tax deduction) and then get back in their car and drive home. Legally blind is when a person with their glasses can only see the big "E" on the eye chart or worse. This doesn't include drivers who can only see 20/80, 20/100 or worse with their glasses but still better than 20/200 (legally blind). Tennessee requires eyesight of 20/40 or better for a driver's license with some exceptions. I have been told that the reason this continues is that insurance companies have been opposed to changing the requirement of a vision screening at license renewal. I would recommend that if the law does not get changed, at the very minimum, each judge in City Court and Sessions Court have a simple eye chart in their courtroom and screen any driver who is in an accident. This vision screening would take at best 20-30 seconds. I'll be happy to furnish the eye chart at no cost and show them how to use it. Joseph M. Dzik, O.D. * * * It is discrimination to require vision screening only for older drivers. Poor vision can occur at any age. Why only require it at 75 or older? Gayle Barrett * * * From the joke book: I've sure gotten old! I've had two bypass surgeries, a hip replacement, new knees. Fought prostate cancer and diabetes. I'm half blind, can't hear anything quieter than a jet engine, take 40 different medications that make me dizzy, winded, and subject to blackouts. Have bouts with dementia. Have poor circulation; hardly feel my hands and feet anymore. Can't remember if I'm 85 or 92. Have lost all my friends. But, thank God, I still have my driver's license. Gus Bryan Kicking off this round of guest bloggers is Constance Lindsay, research associate at the Urban Institute. Constance previously served as a presidential management fellow at the U.S. Department of Education, and she was also responsible for implementing teacher evaluation and preparation legislation for DC Public Schools and the State of Delaware. Today shes joined by co-author James Ford, an independent consultant who serves on the North Carolina State Board of Education. All data tell a story, even if it is incomplete. And while most parents arent researchers interested in crunching numbers or doing analyses, they do want answers to the crucial question of Is this a quality school? No matter what ideological camp parents are in, you can be assured they all want to send their children to a good school. But what that means is not so simple. In a post-education reform, test-fatigued era, measuring school quality can be a complicated exercise reflecting community values and politics. Without hard metrics on school quality, parents and other stakeholders are left to make assumptions often informed by all kinds of biases. Who can blame a parent or guardian for wanting to secure the best educational experience for their child? Research has shown that a good education has far-reaching implications for quality of life and social mobility. However, the tools often used to assess schools are lacking and reinforce powerful stereotypes. Community perceptions about particular schools lead parents to make inferences about the children that attend, level of instruction, and climate of learning. Families in turn use this information to separate themselves in predictable ways that usually rely on already segregated housing patterns. As a result of these flawed measures, schools that are high poverty or serve a majority of students of color experience the most negative rankings. Most recently, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015 mandated that districts and schools produce report cards created for the purpose of rating school quality. But the factors that determine quality are still contested. When systems use test scores-based measures of accountability, the concern is that ratings may reflect the realities of demographic differences among children, rather than actual differences in school effectiveness. While this law certainly has the potential to paint a more accurate picture of schools, from an equity perspective, it also misses a lot of nuance. Everything cant be counted, and indeed parents value schools that improve outcomes not well measured by test scores, such as civic engagement and the ability to work with others. Student achievement can be captured by test scores, but student learning more broadly conceived has to be captured by multiple methods that might not show up on report cards. As such, many questions about the character of a school can go unanswered. Couple these concerns with the evolution of choice systemsparticularly in urban districtsand you find parents who are overwhelmed with information as they make high stakes decisions regarding where their students will attend school. Policymakers and stakeholders should make sure that parents can access holistic measures of school quality that dont reward schools for having traditionally advantaged populations. The current debates of socioemotional learning and how to deliver and capture students grasp of those skills reflect a desire to embrace learning beyond traditional subject matter. Information about school performance can be used for both decision making and accountability purposes. Each of these has their own unintended consequences that might serve to exacerbate equity gaps, rather than close them. School quality determination has equity implicationsif were not careful we will reinforce or even exacerbate existing inequities. In the rush to provide parents with information about school performance, we should take care to make sure were measuring what matters. Constance Lindsay and James Ford Uzbekistan Temir Yollari plans 1Mta plant ICR Newsroom By 06 February 2019 Uzbekistan Temir Yollari is currently exploring the potential of a new cement plant in Pakhtachinsky district of the countrys Samarkand region. It held a meeting with representatives of the French construction company Freyssine. The new cement plant would be built to meet the needs of JSC Uzbekistan Railways, according to Uzbekistan Daily. The parties considered new geological surveys for the area as well as modern technologies and equipment for the facility. The planned capacity would be around 1Mta. Published under WASHINGTON (AP) Facing a divided Congress for the first time, President Donald Trump on Tuesday called on Washington to reject "the politics of revenge, resistance and retribution." He warned emboldened Democrats that "ridiculous partisan investigations" into his administration and businesses could hamper a surging American economy. Trump's appeals for bipartisanship in his State of the Union address clashed with the rancorous atmosphere he has helped cultivate in the nation's capital as well as the desire of most Democrats to block his agenda during his next two years in office. Their opposition was on vivid display as Democratic congresswomen in the audience formed a sea of white in a nod to early 20th-century suffragettes. State of the Union 2019: Read the full transcript Trump spoke at a critical moment in his presidency, staring down a two-year stretch that will determine whether he is re-elected or leaves office in defeat. His speech sought to shore up Republican support that had eroded slightly during the recent government shutdown and previewed a fresh defense against Democrats as they ready a round of investigations into every aspect of his administration. "If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation," he declared. Lawmakers in the cavernous House chamber sat largely silent. Looming over the president's address was a fast-approaching Feb. 15 deadline to fund the government and avoid another shutdown. Democrats have refused to acquiesce to his demands for a border wall, and Republicans are increasingly unwilling to shut down the government to help him fulfill his signature campaign pledge. Nor does the GOP support the president's plan to declare a national emergency if Congress won't fund the wall. Wary of publicly highlighting those intraparty divisions, Trump made no mention of an emergency declaration in his remarks. He did offer a lengthy defense of his call for a border wall, declaring: "I will build it." But he delivered no ultimatums about what it would take for him to sign legislation to keep the government open. Read: Stacey Abrams' Democratic response to the SOTU "I am asking you to defend our very dangerous southern border out of love and devotion to our fellow citizens and to our country," he said, painting a dark and foreboding picture of the risks posed to Americans by illegal immigration. Throughout his remarks, the 72-year-old Trump harkened back to moments of American greatness, celebrating the moon landing as astronaut Buzz Aldrin looked on from the audience and heralding the liberation of Europe from the Nazis. He led the House chamber in singing happy birthday to a Holocaust survivor sitting with first lady Melania Trump. The president ticked through a litany of issues with crossover appeal, including boosting infrastructure, lowering prescription drug costs and combating childhood cancer. But he also appealed to his political base, both with his harsh rhetoric on immigration and a call for Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the "late-term abortion of children." Trump devoted much of his speech to foreign policy, another area where Republicans have increasingly distanced themselves from the White House. He announced details of a second meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, outlining a Feb. 27-28 summit in Vietnam. The two met last summer in Singapore, though it garnered only a vaguely worded commitment by the North to denuclearize. As he condemned political turmoil in Venezuela, Trump declared that "America will never be a socialist country" a remark that may also have been targeted at high-profile Democrats who identify as socialists. The president was surrounded by symbols of his emboldened political opposition. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was praised by Democrats for her hard-line negotiating during the shutdown, sat behind Trump as he spoke. And several senators running for president were also in the audience, including Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey. Another Democratic star, Stacey Abrams, delivered the party's response to Trump. Abrams narrowly lost her bid in November to become America's first black female governor, and party leaders are aggressively recruiting her to run for U.S. Senate from Georgia. Speaking from Atlanta, Abrams calls the shutdown a political stunt that "defied every tenet of fairness and abandoned not just our people, but our values." Trump announces second Kim summit will take place in Vietnam President Donald Trump announced during Tuesday's State of the Union address that his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will take place in Vietnam on February 27 and 28. Trump's address amounted to an opening argument for his re-election campaign. Polls show he has work to do, with his approval rating falling to just 34 percent after the shutdown, according to a recent survey conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. One bright spot for the president has been the economy, which has added jobs for 100 straight months. "The only thing that can stop it," he said, "are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations" an apparent swipe at the special counsel investigation into ties between Russia and Trump's 2016 campaign, as well as the upcoming congressional investigations. The diverse Democratic caucus, which includes a bevy of women, sat silently for much of Trump's speech. But they leapt to their feet when he noted there are "more women in the workforce than ever before." The increase is due to population growth and not something Trump can credit to any of his policies. The president also defended his decisions to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria and Afghanistan over the opposition from national security officials and many Republican lawmakers. "Great nations do not fight endless wars," he said, adding that the U.S. is working with allies to "destroy the remnants" of the Islamic State group and that he has "accelerated" efforts to reach a settlement in Afghanistan. IS militants have lost territory since Trump's surprise announcement in December that he was pulling U.S. forces out, but military officials warn the fighters could regroup within six months to a year of the Americans leaving. Several leading GOP lawmakers have sharply criticized his plans to withdraw from Syria, as well as from Afghanistan. Trump's guests for the speech included Anna Marie Johnson, a woman whose life sentence for drug offenses was commuted by the president, and Joshua Trump, a sixth-grade student from Wilmington, Delaware, who has been bullied over his last name. They sat with Mrs. Trump during the address. (CNN) -- Stacey Abrams delivered the Democratic response to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address on Tuesday. Her remarks are as prepared for delivery. Good evening, my fellow Americans. I'm Stacey Abrams, and I am honored to join the conversation about the state of our union. Growing up, my family went back and forth between lower middle class and working poor. Trump calls for end of resistance politics in State of Union Facing a divided Congress for the first time, President Donald Trump on Tuesday called on Washington to reject "the politics of revenge, resistance and retribution." Yet, even when they came home weary and bone-tired, my parents found a way to show us all who we could be. My librarian mother taught us to love learning. My father, a shipyard worker, put in overtime and extra shifts; and they made sure we volunteered to help others. Later, they both became United Methodist ministers, an expression of the faith that guides us. These were our family values -- faith, service, education and responsibility. Now, we only had one car, so sometimes my dad had to hitchhike and walk long stretches during the 30 mile trip home from the shipyards. One rainy night, Mom got worried. We piled in the car and went out looking for him - and eventually found Dad making his way along the road, soaked and shivering in his shirtsleeves. When he got in the car, Mom asked if he'd left his coat at work. He explained he'd given it to a homeless man he'd met on the highway. When we asked why he'd given away his only jacket, Dad turned to us and said, "I knew when I left that man, he'd still be alone. But I could give him my coat, because I knew you were coming for me." Our power and strength as Americans lives in our hard work and our belief in more. My family understood firsthand that while success is not guaranteed, we live in a nation where opportunity is possible. But we do not succeed alone -- in these United States, when times are tough, we can persevere because our friends and neighbors will come for us. Our first responders will come for us. State of the Union 2019: Read the full transcript President Donald Trump delivered his 2019 State of the Union address on Tuesday. Read the President's speech as prepared for delivery and released by the White House. It is this mantra - this uncommon grace of community - that has driven me to become an attorney, a small business owner, a writer, and most recently, the Democratic nominee for Governor of Georgia. My reason for running for governor was simple: I love our country and its promise of opportunity for all, and I stand here tonight because I hold fast to my father's credo -- together, we are coming for America, for a better America. Just a few weeks ago, I joined volunteers to distribute meals to furloughed federal workers. They waited in line for a box of food and a sliver of hope since they hadn't received a paycheck in weeks. Making their livelihoods a pawn for political games is a disgrace. The shutdown was a stunt engineered by the President of the United States, one that defied every tenet of fairness and abandoned not just our people - but our values. For seven years, I led the Democratic Party in the Georgia House of Representatives. I didn't always agree with the Republican Speaker or Governor, but I understood that our constituents didn't care about our political parties -- they cared about their lives. So, when we had to negotiate criminal justice reform or transportation or foster care improvements, the leaders of our state didn't shut down -- we came together. And we kept our word. Trump announces second Kim summit will take place in Vietnam President Donald Trump announced during Tuesday's State of the Union address that his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will take place in Vietnam on February 27 and 28. It should be no different in our nation's capital. We may come from different sides of the political aisle; but, our joint commitment to the ideals of this nation cannot be negotiable. Our most urgent work is to realize Americans' dreams of today and tomorrow. To carve a path to independence and prosperity that can last a lifetime. Children deserve an excellent education from cradle to career. We owe them safe schools and the highest standards, regardless of zip code. Yet this White House responds timidly while first graders practice active shooter drills and the price of higher education grows ever steeper. From now on, our leaders must be willing to tackle gun safety measures and the crippling effect of educational loans; to support educators and invest what is necessary to unleash the power of America's greatest minds. In Georgia and around the country, people are striving for a middle class where a salary truly equals economic security. But instead, families' hopes are being crushed by Republican leadership that ignores real life or just doesn't understand it. Under the current administration, far too many hard-working Americans are falling behind, living paycheck to paycheck, most without labor unions to protect them from even worse harm. The Republican tax bill rigged the system against working people. Rather than bringing back jobs, plants are closing, layoffs are looming and wages struggle to keep pace with the actual cost of living. We owe more to the millions of everyday folks who keep our economy running: like truck drivers forced to buy their own rigs, farmers caught in a trade war, small business owners in search of capital, and domestic workers serving without labor protections. Women and men who could thrive if only they had the support and freedom to do so. We know bi-partisanship could craft a 21st century immigration plan, but this administration chooses to cage children and tear families apart. Compassionate treatment at the border is not the same as open borders. President Reagan understood this. President Obama understood this. Americans understand this. And Democrats stand ready to effectively secure our ports and borders. But we must all embrace that from agriculture to healthcare to entrepreneurship, America is made stronger by the presence of immigrants - not walls. Rather than suing to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, as Republican Attorneys General have, our leaders must protect the progress we've made and commit to expanding health care and lowering costs for everyone. My father has battled prostate cancer for years. To help cover the costs, I found myself sinking deeper into debt -- because while you can defer some payments, you can't defer cancer treatment. In this great nation, Americans are skipping blood pressure pills, forced to choose between buying medicine or paying rent. Maternal mortality rates show that mothers, especially black mothers, risk death to give birth. And in 14 states, including my home state where a majority want it, our leaders refuse to expand Medicaid, which could save rural hospitals, economies, and lives. We can do so much more: Take action on climate change. Defend individual liberties with fair-minded judges. But none of these ambitions are possible without the bedrock guarantee of our right to vote. Let's be clear: voter suppression is real. From making it harder to register and stay on the rolls to moving and closing polling places to rejecting lawful ballots, we can no longer ignore these threats to democracy. While I acknowledged the results of the 2018 election here in Georgia -- I did not and we cannot accept efforts to undermine our right to vote. That's why I started a nonpartisan organization called Fair Fight to advocate for voting rights. This is the next battle for our democracy, one where all eligible citizens can have their say about the vision we want for our country. We must reject the cynicism that says allowing every eligible vote to be cast and counted is a "power grab." Americans understand that these are the values our brave men and women in uniform and our veterans risk their lives to defend. The foundation of our moral leadership around the globe is free and fair elections, where voters pick their leaders -- not where politicians pick their voters. In this time of division and crisis, we must come together and stand for, and with, one another. America has stumbled time and again on its quest towards justice and equality; but with each generation, we have revisited our fundamental truths, and where we falter, we make amends. We fought Jim Crow with the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, yet we continue to confront racism from our past and in our present -- which is why we must hold everyone from the very highest offices to our own families accountable for racist words and deeds -- and call racism what it is. Wrong. America achieved a measure of reproductive justice in Roe v. Wade, but we must never forget it is immoral to allow politicians to harm women and families to advance a political agenda. We affirmed marriage equality, and yet, the LGBTQ community remains under attack. So even as I am very disappointed by the President's approach to our problems -- I still don't want him to fail. But we need him to tell the truth, and to respect his duties and the extraordinary diversity that defines America. Our progress has always found refuge in the basic instinct of the American experiment -- to do right by our people. And with a renewed commitment to social and economic justice, we will create a stronger America, together. Because America wins by fighting for our shared values against all enemies: foreign and domestic. That is who we are -- and when we do so, never wavering - the state of our union will always be strong. Thank you, and may God bless the United States of America. The-CNN-Wire & 2019 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Rennie Sloan, rennie.sloan@cartercenter.org, 404-420-5129 ATLANTA... Applications from U.S. citizens and residents are now being accepted for eight one-year journalism fellowships with the Carter Center's Mental Health Program. These fellowships aim to enhance public understanding of mental health and substance use conditions and reduce stigma and discrimination against people living with these illnesses through balanced and accurate reporting. The deadline for applications is Wednesday, April 10, 2019, and the fellowship recipients will be announced Wednesday, July 17, 2019, on the Center's website. The 2019-2020 fellowship year begins in September 2019. "For more than two decades, Carter Center fellows have accurately and sensitively covered mental health issues around the world, helping communities better understand illnesses that affect so many people," said former U.S. First Lady Rosalynn Carter. "Too often we only hear about mental health in the news following a crisis or tragic event. Yet, every day, millions of Americans living with these illnesses go to work, care for their children, and contribute to their communities. They are valuable members of society, and their stories deserve to be told." Each U.S. fellow is awarded a $10,000 stipend and provided with a required expense-paid trip to The Carter Center in September 2019 and in fall 2020. During this trip, fellows will meet with program staff and advisers and the previous fellowship class. Fellows join a cadre of more than 200 current and former fellows awarded over the past two decades. Throughout the history of the program, fellows have produced a considerable amount of content, including books, television mini-or full-length documentaries, hundreds of newspaper, magazine, and online pieces, hundreds of minutes of radio and television airtime, as well as creative and innovative uses of multimedia. Shedding Light on Under-Reported Issues and Creating Policy Change Fellows are not required to leave their employment during the fellowship year and are encouraged to undertake timely projects that may educate the public and raise awareness about important mental health and substance use issues. A number of fellowship projects have impacted services provided and local and state public policies such as: investigating and uncovering problems with psychiatric boarding in hospitals that eventually led to a state Supreme Court ruling; inspiring policymakers in a major American city to allocate millions of dollars to address homelessness; and exposing the complex and devastating mental health challenges faced by returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. On several occasions, fellowship projects have been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Fellowship projects also have received regional Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, the Edward R. Murrow Award, and awards from the Association of Health Care Journalists and American Psychiatric Association. Other recognitions have been from mental health advocacy organizations such as Mental Health America and the National Alliance for Mental Illness. How to Apply The program is open to active professional journalists who are U.S. citizens or residents working in all media forms with a minimum of three years of media experience. Projects are tailored to the experience and interests of the fellows and should be relevant to the dynamic mental health and substance use landscape in the U.S. Fellows are not required to leave their current employment. Preference is given to journalists who are currently employed with a media outlet that provides support for or commitment to publishing or broadcasting fellowship projects. The full application must be completed and submitted online. The application for the 2019-2020 Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism is available at https://mhjapply.cartercenter.org. Interested applicants should submit the following: Resume: Resumes should include: current job status, a list of representative publications; membership in professional organizations; major journalism prizes; and/or awards and year awarded. Objectives for Fellowship and Project Description: An informal essay not to exceed 1,000 words describing the applicant's professional reasons for applying and how the fellowship would benefit the applicant's body of work. Samples of Professional Work: Up to three examples of the applicant's work may be submitted. At least one of the samples should be in the media form proposed. Letters of Recommendation: Two letters of recommendation from people familiar with the applicant's work should comment on the applicant's abilities and potential as a journalist. Recommenders will be asked to submit their letters online once the applicant has completed the application process, no later than April 24, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. EDT. Letter of Support: If the applicant has a full-time employer, one letter from the applicant's publisher, editor, producer, manager, or director, supporting the application is required. If the applicant is self-employed, the third letter must come from an individual familiar with his or her work. Preference will be given to those applicants with letters from editors or publishers that indicate a clear interest and strong likelihood to publish or broadcast the fellowship project. This individual will be asked to submit his or her letter online once the applicant has completed the application process, no later than April 24, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. EDT. All application materials, other than the letters of reference or support, must be submitted online by April 10, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. EDT. Resources The Carter Center Journalism Resource Guide on Behavioral Health (PDF) Video | Fellowship Takes Reporting to a New Level Read about previous fellowship projects in our archives section Learn about Rosalynn Carter's more than 40-year career in mental health leadership Direct all application inquiries to: carterfellows@cartercenter.org. ### "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. The Jharkhand Police Department has released a notification for the selection of 85 Special Auxiliary Police (SAP) in various capacities comprising Sipahi, Havildar, Cook, Nayab Subedar, Subedar and Subedar Major through a 'Walk-In-Interview' procedure scheduled on 18 February 2019 at the Jharkhand Armed Police Headquarter, Doranda in Ranchi. CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Posts Special Auxiliary Police (SAP) Organisation Jharkhand Police SAP Recruitment Board Educational Qualification Class 8th pass Experience As detailed in the notification Job Location Jharkhand, Ranchi Salary Scale Rs. 20,000/- to Rs. 25,000/- per month Industry Police Application Start Date February 4, 2019 Application End Date February 18, 2019 Age Criteria And Fees Candidates interested in joining the above posts under Special Auxiliary Police (SAP) through Jharkhand Police Recruitment 2019 must meet the age criteria as specified by the Jharkhand Police, with a relaxation in the upper age limit for reserved categories as per the set rules. For fee details, if any, refer to the official notification provided at the end of this write-up. Also Read: Kendriya Vidyalaya Recruitment For Teachers And Staff Posts; Apply Before 16 February 2019 Vacancy Details Post Name No. Of Vacancies Subedar Major 02 Subedar (Gen) 03 Nayab Subedar (Gen) 01 Nayab Subedar 03 Havildar (Gen) 17 Sipahi (Gen) 55 Sipahi (Driver) 03 Cook 01 Total 85 Educational Criteria And Experience Desirous candidates applying for the post of Sipahi, Havildar, Cook, Nayab Subedar, Subedar and Subedar Major through Jharkhand Police Recruitment 2019 must have passed 8th Class from a recognized Board. For other details refer to the notification given at the end of the article. Selection And Pay Scale The selection of candidates as Sipahi, Havildar, Cook, Nayab Subedar, Subedar and Subedar Major through Jharkhand Police Recruitment 2019 will be done through the candidate's performance in the 'Walk-in-Interview. Candidates selected as Sipahi, Havildar, Cook, Nayab Subedar, Subedar and Subedar Major will be paid an emolument in the scale of Rs. 20,000/- to Rs. 25,000/- per month. Also Read: KFDC Recruitment 2019 For Forest Watchers; Apply Before 06 March 2019 How To Apply Candidates applying for the post of Sipahi, Havildar, Cook, Nayab Subedar, Subedar and Subedar Major through Jharkhand Police Recruitment 2019 must fill the applications in a prescribe format and carry 4 stamp size photographs along with other supporting document/certifications to the Interview venue on 18 February 2019. Walk-in-Interview Details: The 'Walk-in-Interview' to the above posts will be held on 18 February 2019 at the Jharkhand Armed Police Headquarter - 01, Doranda in Ranchi at 10 am. For detailed notification about Jharkhand Police Recruitment 2019 for SAP click here The Delhi Home Department, under the Govt. of NCT of Delhi has invited applications in a prescribed proforma from eligible and qualified candidates for filling 47 Assistant Public Prosecutors vacancies on a contractual basis in the Directorate of Prosecution, Govt of Delhi. All applications must be submitted on or before 15 February 2019. CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Posts Assistant Public Prosecutors Organisation Delhi Home Department Educational Qualification Bachelor's Degree in Law Experience Desirable Job Responsibilities As detailed in the notification Job Location Delhi Salary Scale Level 8 pay matrix of the 7th CPC + DA. Industry Judiciary Application Start Date February 5, 2019 Application End Date February 15, 2019 Age Criteria And Fees Candidates interested in applying for the post of Assistant Public Prosecutors through Delhi Home Department Recruitment must not have exceeded 30 years of age as on 15 February 2019, with a relaxation in the upper age limit for SC/ST/PWD candidates and Central/UT/State government employees by 5 years and 3 years for OBC candidates. For details regarding application fee, if any, refer to the detailed notification given at the end of the article. Also Read: West Bengal Police Recruitment 2019 For 8,419 Constable Vacancies; Apply Before 05 March 2019 Educational Criteria And Experience Desirous candidates applying for the post of Assistant Public Prosecutors through Delhi Home Department Recruitment must possess a Bachelor's Degree in Law from a recognised School/University with at least 3 years experience at the Bar Council and must have experience as a government advocate, preferably. Selection And Pay Scale The selection of candidates as Assistant Public Prosecutors through Delhi Home Department Recruitment will be done through Written Examination of Objective type, Shortlisting and Personal Interview. Candidates selected as Assistant Public Prosecutors will be paid under Level 8 pay matrix of the 7th CPC + DA. Also Read: Kendriya Vidyalaya Recruitment For Teachers And Staff Posts; Apply Before 16 February 2019 How To Apply Candidates applying for the post of Assistant Public Prosecutors through Delhi Home Department Recruitment must submit the applications in a prescribed format as attached with the advertisement and submit the same along with other relevant and supporting documents/certificates on or before 15 February 2019. The envelope containing the Application form and supporting documents/certificates must be sent to "The Director, Directorate of Prosecution, Room No.172, Tis Hazari Court Complex, Delhi-110054" before 15 February 2019 by 5 pm. For detailed notification about Delhi Home Department Recruitment for Assistant Public Prosecutors (APP) and Application form click here OR http://delhi.gov.in/wps/wcm/connect/doit_home/Home+Department/Home Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact. Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here. Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing. You are our people. You Care. We Care2. Do you have an athlete in mind that contributes to the team or sport, holds sportsmanship and team spirit, has epic playmaker moments and/or in general makes the the sports fun? If yes, please make your nominations for our edition of Athlete Spotlight. CLICK TO NOMINATE * Username This is the name that will be used to identify you within the system. 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Upon request to Advertise@cmcHerald.com a link to the published article will be transmitted via email. Our website is directed to a U.S.-based audience; our content may not be accessible to some international audiences due to technology restrictions. By initiating this transaction, the submitter assumes any and all liability associated with publication of the submitted content (e.g., infringement, licensing) and agrees to defend and hold the Publisher harmless. Photographer Neal Maine wants you to reconsider the boundaries of your backyard. He wants you to think bigger, much bigger. In fact, Maine would have you look at the entire globe as your backyard, at least when it comes to birds. I met with Maine at the Seaside Public Library where his exhibit, "Celebrating 100 Years of the Migratory Bird Act of 1918," is on display through Feb. 26. news, latest-news Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year, begins with the first new moon and concludes on the first full moon of the lunar calendar, 15 days later. During this time, people from different Asian backgrounds honour their ancestors, feast on meals with symbolic and historical significance, gift money to their family members, all while sending off the year that was. Here's how families around Canberra are ringing in the Year of the Pig from February 5. For Yen Meng Kong, Lunar New Year is a "must do". It's crunch time. You need to get your affairs in order, to be ready. "Before Chinese New Year, we clean everything. So we're set for the year ahead. And during this time you can't swear! You must try to think of only good things. You also can't scold your children, you must be tolerant," said Kong. "And then on the second day of Chinese of year, then you can do what you want!" The Chinese-Malaysian restaurant owner has family throughout Malaysia and also in Canberra, Sydney and on the Gold Coast. "To celebrate, the family comes together for a reunion dinner. This get-together is very important. The parents and the elderly hide the red pockets of money, the gifts, under the pillows. "It's like what Christmas is like for other Australians. The celebration serves a similar purpose." Some years, she and her family make a pilgrimage through China to find out where their ancestors lived and to learn about their lifestyle. She admits that in China, Lunar New Year is hectic. It's the busiest time of year. "If you don't book your train ticket a month in advance, you'll miss out. The plane tickets too." If you've had an "orphan's Christmas" before, you'd know what it feels like for Hong Kong natives Andy Ho, John Chow, and Arthur Tsui during Lunar New Year. "If we were in Hong Kong, there would be a reunion dinner with relatives. Everyone sitting together with traditional delicious food," said Chairman and Yip restaurant manager John Chow. "In my family, I make Chinese cake - radish cake or taro cake - with my Grandma. That's my family tradition." While many of their colleagues take leave at this time of year, the three men - who all met during their university days - have remained at the restaurant to hold down the fort. And they definitely don't let being away from their families unsettle them. "When I was studying at ANU, and I couldn't return home for Chinese New Year, I would gather all my friends and some classmates to play mahjong and sing karaoke. No one wants to be alone for Chinese New Year," says Chow. "In the restaurant, we all stay together, chit-chat and have a staff dinner together. This includes special meals, and an even number of them. There must be an even number." This time of year is certainly about family and food, but it's part of deeper cultural symbolism. "At our Chinese New Year dinner, we ensure we have fish and chicken. Especially fish. Fish brings luck. In Chinese, the word 'fish' means 'extra'. It's the same pronunciation. So every year, we have fish, for luck," says consultant Arthur Tsui. Apart from food, the celebration centres on fun, he says. "During Chinese New Year, people want to play mahjong. Even if they don't usually, they do during this time of the year." Xiao Yi, 55, is welcoming the Year of the Pig with her children and parents, all of whom still live in Canberra - much to her delight. For Yi, family comes first. It's a value she shares with many other Chinese Australians. "During Chinese New Year, we come together for dinner, we buy new clothes, clean up the house and we write Chinese poetry," says Yi. Xiao Yi, who moved to Canberra in 1994, is also looking forward to February 5 because it connects her to her past, and that of her country. "It's special to us because it's traditional. It's a tradition that's thousands of years old. Historically, for the poor people, Lunar New Year was the only time of year to get new clothes and to eat nice food. "When I was young, we were limited to having only half a kilo of meat per month." At the Chinese Australian Early Childhood Centre in Mawson, kids from the ages of three months to five years will sing traditional songs, participate in activities and even make dumplings. Centre director Qin Bao says teaching the children about long-standing Chinese traditions from a young age is crucial. "Chinese New Year is part of our centre's culture. We teach the children about the origins story of the celebration and they learn to make the traditional dumplings, a recipe which is thousands of years old," said Bao. "This process is about family, and the parents come in to make the dumplings with them." It's an exciting time for Bao. Being family-focused, she loves to witness this at the centre every year. "In China, the new year is so important, even for people far away, and they must go home. They need to be together with their family for the reunion dinner on the first day of new year. "It's a big family gathering. As many of us live far from our families, or are busy with work, it's a great time for us to see people like grandma and grandpa. It's a time to say thank you our elders." /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/7040b6d7-ad07-456e-ae5a-123b91123512/r0_257_5000_3082_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg news, latest-news Justice Kenneth Haynes Royal Commission into misconduct in the financial sector has named, shamed and excoriated the performance of banks, insurance companies and other financial services businesses to the extent that you would think they are now extremely vulnerable and universally unloved. Such a conclusion would be mistaken. Neither their recent history of misconduct nor the Royal Commission report changes the fact that the big banks remain protected. Unlike many other major community institutions subject to Royal Commission enquiries recently, like trade unions, churches, and, currently, the aged care industry, they are insulated by their position from the most drastic government remedial action. That protection is not because their political position as such, strong though it is. Banks have a lot going for them as representatives of the big end of town in conventional terms, including, close connections with government, making large campaign donations to political parties, exercising elite-level lobbying and maintaining influential networks through their board members and the Australian Bankers Association; but that is ultimately not enough to protect them. Their power stems instead from the pivotal place they occupy in the economy. This makes them the best example there is of the disproportionate power of business in politics, described as privilege years ago by the American political scientist Charles Lindblom in his influential book, Politics and Markets. What is good for the big banks is reputedly good for the whole economy. That proposition is hard to disagree with, which is why they were protected by being accorded special status during the Global Financial Crisis and why it was so hard to bring them to account by calling this Royal Commission. It took several years of hard political struggle despite a crescendo of across-the-board criticism before the Royal Commission was eventually called by the Turnbull government against its wishes. The criticism had come across the spectrum from the Greens through to members of the Nationals. Labor will not stop reminding Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who was then Treasurer, that he voted against holding a Royal Commission 26 times. Even then the Royal Commission was specifically time limited to about a year, compared to the five years for the Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse RC, in a way which helped to restrict the time available to hear from those customer survivors damaged by bank mistreatment. There could have been even deeper emotion generated by the revelations of greed, ineptitude and fees for no service. This is the context in which the Hayne Report was released. Its content means that prior speculation that the banking industry is about to change forever was mistaken. There was too much talk of the industry bracing itself against the report. Even before it was issued there were warnings from economic commentators that this industry is so important that politics must be put aside in dealing with the report. That is code for go softly. The ball is now in the hands of the government and the opposition as an election looms. Several themes have emerged. One is the financial hardship that has already followed stricter bank lending to home buyers and small businesses. The reasons for this are debated, but in the context of falling house prices this issue is sensitive because it touches many Australians whose fortunes are invested in their homes. This theme also extends to the share prices of the big banks; any falls caused by proposed government regulation will impact on the superannuation policies held by millions of Australians. Another theme is the expressed desire by both sides of politics to be tough on the banks and superannuation businesses by implementing all of Haynes 76 recommendations. The government has been willing to wield the big stick by being tough on energy companies but does this willingness transfer to the banks? The Treasurer indicated the governments inclination to implement all the recommendations, but the Prime Minister has urged caution on wider economic grounds. If the governments response is too timid Morrison will have to defend that caution by arguing that, as the widely regarded better economic manager of the two parties, the government should be trusted to get the balance right on the issue. But Morrison risks a voter backlash if he misreads community sentiment given his governments vulnerability to the charge that it never wanted the Royal Commission anyway and also tried to water down best practice guidelines for the financial adviser industry. Bill Shorten will certainly adopt such a line of attack. Labor can afford to be bolder and tougher in terms of both the industry and the regulatory agencies in an attempt to capitalise on voter disquiet. But Shorten and the Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen still must be clear on how they would proceed in government. Whatever the immediate electoral consequences prove to be, it must be remembered that the diminished reputation within the Australian community of the banks and financial institutions will take many years to recover. Trust has been trashed. Where serious cultural deficiencies within organisations are involved, such as a reckless sales and incentives culture as revealed by the Royal Commission, the task of bank executives and board members will be to lead from the front. Yet their appearances before the RC showed that some of them just didnt get it. Hayne named the National Australia Banks two leaders, CEO Andrew Thorburn and Chairman Ken Henry, as prime examples of such apparent recalcitrance. Customers must be constantly vigilant against company misconduct and not rely on any government to solve their problems with financial institutions. As voters they will have their chance in May. John Warhurst is an Emeritus Professor of Political Science at the Australian National University. /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/b524dfed-7651-4a46-9ae7-d0d0ab14f297/r0_110_2000_1240_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg St. Johnsbury, VT (05819) Today A few showers this morning with overcast skies during the afternoon hours. Cooler. High 69F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Low 46F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Britain's department for exiting the European Union has been examining a secret new high-tech plan of keeping the Irish border open with the plan to be ready for a road test in March, the Sun newspaper reported late on Tuesday. Officials have been working on the plan, which has been drawn up by Japan's Fujitsu and involves a tracking system that monitors vehicles on designated routes, for 10 months, the report said, citing leaked documents. Brexit Minister Steve Barclay is closely examining the plan, the report said. However, it added that the plan has been "dusted down" in the last week in the aftermath of members of parliament voting to replace the present Irish backstop with a different one that could include "alternative arrangements." The plan aims at ensuring that there is no requirement for physical checks on the border, according to the report. It would involve a tracking system that will monitor vehicles on designated routes when they cross from Northern Ireland to Ireland through number plate recognition cameras and GPS technology. The Irish border is presently open and frictionless with no controls as both the United Kingdom and Ireland are EU members. Britain is due to leave EU on March 29. Britain, Ireland and the EU want to avoid physical checks on the border between Ireland and the British province of Northern Ireland that ceased with the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie Twitter India has been summoned by the standing committee on Information Technology to present its view on "safeguarding citizens' rights on social/online news media platform". The committee will be headed by BJP leader Anurag Thakur. The committee, having twenty-one members from the Lok Sabha and ten members from the Rajya Sabha, has also called representatives of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to appear before it on the issue during its meeting scheduled for February 11. Thakur tweeted the notice of the panel's meeting to be held next week, saying that both Twitter and MeitY will present their views. The notice was issued to Twitter India after a volunteer group reportedly wrote to the committee, claiming that the company was biased against right-wing Twitter accounts. Thakur's tweet, however, had not mentioned anything regarding the allegation. Anurag Thakur has sought suggestions from general public on the matter. The standing committee is expected to examine several issues ranging from fake news to complaints regarding bias in the run up to the General Elections 2019. The committee also plans to question Twitter on the steps it is taking to detect and filter hate speech and abusive comments. Also Read: Xiaomi to launch budget smartphones Redmi Note 7, Redmi Go in India soon Also Read: $145 million untraceable after cryptocurrency exchange CEO dies WhatsApp, the most popular messaging application in the country, has come up with measures to check misuse of its platform during the general elections slated to happen within a few months. The Facebook-owned online messaging client has warned political parties against using it as a bulk messaging or broadcasting platform, a senior WhatsApp official said. WhatsApp has engaged several political organisations to explain to them that it is a private messaging platform and should not be used for broadcasting messages to a wide audience, company's Head of Communications Carl Woong said during an interaction with the press here on Wednesday. He, however, did not disclose which political parties WhatsApp was in contact with, or the nature of misuse that they have come across. He did assure that improper usage, like bulk messaging or automated behaviour, are monitored very closely, and accounts engaging in such activities are banned almost instantly. ALSO READ:Draft Information Technology rules: Experts write to MeitY, highlight key concerns WhatsApp has an active global user base of 1.5 billion, and India is its biggest market. Woong revealed that around 2 million accounts are banned every month around the world, but he did not divulge the number of users that are banned in India. He did disclose that 25 per cent of Indians are not part of any WhatsApp group, and the average group size is 10 users. The goal is to reduce automated behaviour, Woong said. As users banned from the platform, they can apply for a review of their ouster. However, WhatsApp claims that 75 per cent of the banned accounts do not opt for a review. WhatsApp is also working on expanding its team in India. It is very important for WhatsApp to have a team in India which will have a wide mandate, Woong said, including keeping fake news at bay. He, however, refused to comment on the size of the team or probable candidates. ALSO READ:Govt directs WhatsApp to come out with effective solutions against spread of fake news Despite all the measures, WhatsApp will not look into messages sent by its users to protect their privacy. Woong mentioned that WhatsApp holds messages on its servers only for a short duration of time and does not possess the key to decrypt messages which are coded with end-to-end encryption. WhatsApp released a list of measures it will undertake to check the spread of misinformation during the 2019 elections, while keeping its users' data safe. Out of them are the recent changes made to the platform, such as labelling forwarded messages, limiting the number of messages an user can forward, and better controls over the WhatsApp groups. The company also ran a nationwide advertisement campaign to sensitise people about the spread of rumors and fake news. This initiative will be expanded in the run up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. To prevent abuse on its platform, WhatsApp has made several changes to its reporting functions. Now it also allows users to keep reported messages on their phones if they want to share them with fact checkers or law enforcement officials. A grievance officer has also been appointed in India to look after complaints in the country. ALSO READ:WhatsApp update for old, new iPhones: Now, messages can be kept private using Face, Touch IDs WhatsApp has been working with government bodies, law enforcement agenices, fact checkers and civil society organisations to identify and act upon reports of misue of the platform. It has already been working with political to sensitise them towards responsible use of the messaging application. In the days leading to the 2019 General Elections, WhatsApp has said that it will work with the Election Commission of India to further expand on this initiative. Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 could be the next budget smartphone to enter the Indian market. After Xiaomi came up with a teaser of the phone, a website has now leaked new details regarding its colour and storage variants of this upcoming smartphone. The details suggest out of the three storage configurations that were launched in China, only two will make it to the Indian shores. The company is planning to launch Redmi Go in India with three different colour variants. Redmi Note 7 will have 3GB RAM and 32GB storage version and 4GB RAM and 64GB storage model, reported MySmartPrice. The launch of Redmi Note 7's top-end 6GB RAM and 64GB variant hasn't been confirmed for India yet. However, rumours suggest Xiaomi might release this top-end variant in India in future. The Redmi Note 7 could come in Red, Black, and Blue colour options. With respect to Chinese pricing of the Redmi Note 7, the smartphone has been tipped to be priced starting Rs 9,999 in India. As far as hardware is concerned, the Redmi Note 7 will have dual-SIM (Nano) slots and is seen to sport a 6.3-inch full-HD+ (1080x2340 pixels) LTPS display with 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The phone is driven by the 2.2GHz Snapdragon 660 octa-core SoC paired with Adreno 512 graphics, and 3GB, 4GB, and 6GB RAM options. Internal storage is at 32GB and 64GB with the option to expand further using a microSD card slot. It measures at 159.21x75.21x8.1mm, and weighs 186 grams. Talking about the phone's optics, the biggest USP of Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 is its dual camera setup with one 48-megapixel sensor with f/1.8 aperture and another 5-megpapixel sensor. On the front, there is a 13-megapixel selfie camera with several AI features like face unlock, smart beauty, etc. As far as connectivity is concerned, Redmi Note 7 includes USB Type-C port, 3.5mm audio jack, 4G VoLTE, GPS, AGPS, GLONASS, Bluetooth v5, and Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac. Redmi Note 7 also gets a 4,000mAh battery with Quick Charge 4 support. In addition, the rumours also suggest that Xiaomi's Android Go smartphone, Redmi Go will also be released in India soon. Being an Android Go device, the Redmi Go will be sub-5K phone targeted at the people who are still using feature phones. At the moment, the cheapest Xiaomi phone in the Indian market is priced at Rs 5,999 (Redmi 6A). The Redmi Go phone would also allow Xiaomi to take on Jio Phone 2 which retails at Rs 2,999. The Redmi Go is arriving in India with a new red colour option, together with the blue and black variants that were seen at the time of the announcement. It will be available in 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage option. Also Read: $145 million untraceable after cryptocurrency exchange CEO dies Also Read: WhatsApp update for old, new iPhones: Now, messages can be kept private using Face, Touch IDs Modi govt keen to hand out up to Rs 4,000 to farmers before polls Loading the player... India's fiscal slippage for two consecutive years credit negative, says Moody's Moody's Investors Service on Tuesday said fiscal slippage from the budgeted targets for the past two consecutive years from tax cuts and spending ahead of the general election is credit negative for India. In the light of budget measures, the government announced a slippage from its original fiscal deficit targets to 3.4 per cent of the GDP. Lack of a formal capital support plan for the public sector banks (PSBs) was also credit negative Crazy Rich Asians maker partners with Netflix to create Nirbhaya-inspired web series Billionaire mining tycoon Robert Friedland, who ventured into the movie business and recently co-financed the hit romantic comedy Crazy Rich Asians, is coming up with new movies and web series for India. The Ivanhoe Mines founder revealed about his India investment plan during the World Economic Forum 2019 in Davos, Switzerland. He said his company had partnered with Netflix to launch a Nirbhaya-inspired series 'Delhi Crime'. Will Vijay Mallya be extradited before or after general elections? Bringing fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya to India before the upcoming General Elections can prove to be a big boost to the Modi-led BJP's poll campaign. However, Mallya's extradition is not likely to happen anytime soon, let alone the General Elections. Liquor baron Vijay Mallya's extradition to India was approved by the UK Home Secretary two years after the government sent in the request to the British High Commission in Delhi. However, judiciary constraints will delay the entire process. Modi govt keen to hand out up to Rs 4,000 to farmers before polls The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN), the Modi government's new programme promising Rs 6,000 per year in three instalments to small and marginal farmer families, is key to the ruling party's upcoming election campaign. The government has earmarked Rs 20,000 crore in the current year's budget itself for this programme and, as Business Today reported yesterday, the first instalment of Rs 2,000 is slated to reach the farmers' bank accounts before March 31. But the latest buzz is that the Centre may even push out the second instalment before the polls. Is PUBG a menace? Delhi child rights panel says game negatively impacts kids Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) has issued an advisory against games like PUBG, Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto and Pokemon Go. All these games have received a lot of flak in India recently owing to their violent and sexual content. DCPCR has also requested the directorate of education (DoE) to ask schools to spread awareness about the ill-effects of online gaming. WhatsApp introduces facial recognition, touch ID for iPhones Social media platform WhatsApp Tuesday said it has added facial recognition and touch ID features for iPhone users to enhance data privacy and security. This feature is available on iPhone 5s or later models and on iOS 9 and above. To enable the iPhone feature in WhatsApp, users can make changes in the app's settings section Safeguarding citizens' rights on social media: Par panel summons Twitter officials The parliamentary panel on information technology has summoned Twitter officials over the issue of safeguarding citizens' rights on social media platforms, its head Anurag Thakur said yesterday. The panel has also called representatives of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to appear before it during its meeting scheduled for February 11. The social media giant has been summoned days after the members of Youth for Social Media Democracy, a right wing group, protested outside its office alleging that Twitter has acquired an "anti-right-wing attitude" and has been blocking their accounts. Now, read magazines, newspapers at discount while travelling on trains as railways inks new pact Commuters travelling on trains will now be able to read magazines and newspapers from across the world at a discount on IRCTC's ticket booking website as railways has tied up with Magzter, a leading digital newsstand. Under the partnership, commuters can get unlimited access to more than 5,000 best-selling magazines and select newspapers on their phones and tablets at an exclusive offer. Even as the industry continues to raise concerns over the new FDI norms governing the e-commerce space, former Infosys chief financial officer Mohandas Pai on Wednesday said it is a move in the right direction. E-commerce firms are "using abusive, predatory pricing to drive out local businesses and we do not want global monopolies," Pai, who is also associated with the startups promotion body Isprit, told the ongoing Tiecon 2019 summit. "The regulations that we have introduced is somewhat reasonable even though the way it was done is wrong," he said. Addressing the same event, senior lawyer Nishith Desai wondered if the move was done for the benefit of a particular set of market-players as there are always lobbies at work. "The unfortunate part is that our mindset is shrinking," Desai said, hinting that the country is drifting away from the tenets of globalisation. Another lawyer dealing closely with the startup ecosystem, Karan Kalra, said, "This is not driven by the will to promote business but by the vote-bank politics. The government is changing its own position." KPMG India taxation head Hitesh Gajaria said that the decision has not come out of the blue as BJP talked against FDI in retail also in the last election manifesto. "They will let go off billions of dollars but they will focus on jobs and appeasement for a section of the society," he added. Tightening norms for e-commerce firms having foreign investment, the government on February 1 notified the new FDI norms debarring online marketplaces like Flipkart and Amazon from selling products of companies which are their subsidiaries. The rules also banned them from entering into exclusive marketing arrangements saying such pacts would influence prices. The revised FDI policy for online retail, issued by the commerce and industry ministry, also said these firms have to offer equal services/facilities to all its vendors without discrimination. Following this, media reports said many small sellers on Amazon have started quitting the platform in large numbers citing difficulty in managing logistics on their own. Prior to February 1, Amazon had as many as around 4 lakh small sellers on its platform but with the new rules in place its Cloudtail and Appario have become inactive. Many have criticised the new FDI norms in e-commerce space and attributed to BJP's bid to placate the small traders ahead of the polls as the mom-n-pop shopkeepers have been a strong vote bank for the ruling party. Many opinion polls have predicted BJP not securing a clear mandate in the summer elections. Brokerage company Morgan Stanley had hinted that Walmart Inc, which had pumped in the largest-ever FDI into the country last August by snapping up Flipkart for $16 billion, would lower its profitability in the long-run. However, following the report earlier in the week, the US retail major had on Wednesday said it was committed to the country as it was optimistic despite recent changes in policy. Morgan Stanley, in a report titled 'Assessing Flipkart risks to Walmart's EPS' dated February 4, claimed that "an exit is likely, not completely out of the question, with the Indian e-commerce market becoming more complicated." Meanwhile, on the issue of angel tax, Pai joined a wider section of industry leaders expressing concern but claimed that the PMO had hinted at a relook into the issue. Principal Chief Economic Advisor Sanjeev Sanyal has also assured a relook, Pai claimed, and termed the provision as a penalty or a tax for residentship in the country. Desai termed the angel tax proposal as a "demon tax" which reminds of the older days of tax terrorism. Also read: Banks yet to recognise Rs 3.5 lakh crore stressed corporate loans as NPAs: Report In a significant boost to Prasar Bharati, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a scheme under which the public broadcaster will be provided over Rs 1,054 crore for a three year period till 2020 for strengthening broadcast infrastructure and network development. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave its approval to the proposal of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting regarding Prasar Bharati's 'Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development' scheme at a cost of Rs 1,054.52 crore for 3 years from 2017-18 to 2019-20. Out of Rs 1,054.52 crore, an amount of Rs 435.04 crore has been approved for the continuing schemes of All India Radio, while an amount of Rs 619.48 crore approved for the schemes of Doordarshan, an official statement said. The continuing schemes of AIR and Doordarshan are at different stages of implementation and are scheduled to be completed in phases. Provisions have also been made for modernisation of existing equipment and facilities in studios which are essential to sustain the ongoing activities and also for High Definition Television (HDTV) transmitters at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. Setting up of Digital Terrestrial Transmitters (DTTs) at 19 locations and digitization of studios at 39 locations, DSNG (Digital Satellite News Gathering) Vans at 15 locations and upgradation of earth stations at 12 locations, have also been approved under the scheme. Also Read: Government defers plan to tax mobile touch panel imports: Sources The Cabinet also approved the launch of DD ArunPrabha Channel from Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, to fulfil the aspirations of people of North East Region. In addition to this, 1,50,000 DTH sets have been approved for distribution in different states in the country which will help people in the border, remote, tribal and Left Wing Extremism-affected areas to watch Doordarshan's DTH programmes. For AIR, the scheme provides for FM expansion at 206 places and digitalisation of studios at 127 places. FM expansion programme will benefit 13 per cent additional population of the country to listen the AIR programmes, the statement said. Besides, 10 KW FM transmitters would be set up along the Indo-Nepal border while 10KW FM transmitters would be set up along the Jammu and Kashmir border. These will significantly improve the Radio and TV coverage along the border areas, it said. Telecom operator Vodafone Idea on Wednesday reported a consolidated net loss of Rs 5,004.60 crore for the third quarter ended December 31, 2018. "The Mumbai-headquartered telecom company posted the consolidated net loss of Rs 1,284.50 crore in the same quarter last year," Vodafone Idea said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange. This is the first full quarter results for Vodafone Idea, post completion of the merger of Vodafone India and Idea Cellular on August 31, 2018. "Q2FY19 and Q3FY19 figures are not comparable to earlier period," Vodafone Idea said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange. The company clocked in total revenue of Rs 11,764.8 crore in October-December quarter. As on December 31, 2018, Gross debt stood at Rs 1,23,660 crore, including deferred spectrum payment obligations due to the Government of Rs. 91,480 crore. Cash and cash equivalents were Rs 8,900 crore, resulting in net debt of Rs 1,14,760 crore (vs Rs 1,12,510 crore in Q2FY19). The board of the company also approved a rights issue of up to Rs 25,000 crore. Also Read: Allahabad Bank Q3 net loss narrows to Rs 733 crore, gross NPA jumps to 17.81% Commenting on the earnings numbers, Vodafone Idea said, "Our headline tariffs remained stable during the quarter. However customers continued to migrate to lower Arpu plans. Within this context, the company has implemented various initiatives to improve its revenue, profitability and competitive standing in line with its stated strategy, which began to impact performance positively towards the end of the quarter." The company's average revenue per user (ARPU) for the December end quarter was Rs 89, slightly higher than the Rs 88 it reported in the previous quarter. As of December 31, 2018, the company had over 38.72 crore subscribers compared to 42.23 crore in the previous quarter and 43.54 crore in April-June period last year. In the quarter, depreciation and amortisation charges were Rs 4,770 crore and Interest and Finance charges were Rs 2,610 crore. Capex for the quarter was Rs 1,170 crore which is expected to rise in Q4 as contracts with suppliers were finalised during Q3. Shares of Vodafone Idea closed at Rs 29.80, down by 1.65% on the BSE on Wednesday. Edited by Chitranjan Kumar Power producer NTPC has agreed not to regulate electricity supply to Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka over pending dues after assurance by distribution companies to clear the arrears soon, sources said. The state-run entity issued notices to various discoms in the three states for not clearing bills of more than Rs 4,200 crore pending for over 60 days. Notices were issued that power supply would be regulated from February 6 until the dues for over 60 days are cleared. The dues from the three parties were Rs 5,838.04 crore and the amount overdue by 60 days was Rs 4,228.39 crore. However, the issue has been resolved after getting a satisfactory reply from discoms, the sources told PTI. Chairman and managing director of Transmission Corporation of Andhra Pradesh Limited K Vijayanand said they were in the process of raising some funds through bonds and once that is done pending bills would be cleared. Chairman and managing director of TS-Transco and Genco D Prabhakar Rao said they informed the NTPC that they would clear dues in two or three installments to which the PSU agreed and the notice was withdrawn. Also read: SpiceJet sale: Domestic tickets starts from Rs 899, international airfare at Rs 3,699 According to the notices issued by NTPC, the discoms in Telangana owe Rs 2152. 92 crore of which Rs 1,356.06 crore was overdue by 60 days. Andhra Pradesh power utilities have to pay Rs 2971.83 crore out of which Rs 2219.84 crore was due beyond 60 days while the Hubli Electricity Supply Company in Karnataka would have to pay Rs 713.29 crore of which Rs 562.49 crore exceeded 60 days. According to the terms of power purchase agreement (PPA) and bulk power supply agreement (BPSA) and other such pacts signed between Andhra Pradesh and the NTPC for various NTPC stations, payments for the energy bill are to be made within two months from the date of issue of the bill. In the event of default, the NTPC has the right to discontinue or regulate the power from its station. The proposed regulation would be implemented with effect from February 6, the NTPC had said in its notice to AP Transco. Also read: Government to make additional borrowing of Rs 36,000 crore in FY19 Kalyan Krishnamurthy, the CEO of Walmart-backed Flipkart yesterday shot down a recent Morgan Stanley report that suggested India's new FDI (foreign direct investment) norms for e-commerce might prompt the US retail behemoth to divest its stake in the homegrown e-tailer unless it found a long-term path to profitability. According to The Business Standard, the head honcho sent an internal email to Flipkart employees on Tuesday reiterating Walmart's confidence in India. "The report couldn't be further than the truth. Walmart remains extremely confident about the potential of the Indian market and in Flipkart's ability to lead the e-commerce space," read the email. "By partnering with Flipkart, Walmart has taken a long-term view of the opportunities and hence is unfazed by any short-term hurdles." The brokerage note dated February 4 reportedly said that "an exit is likely, not completely out of the question, with the Indian ecommerce market becoming more complicated". It had also pointed out that under the new norms that kicked in last Friday, Flipkart could face "meaningful disruption and top-line pressure in the near term" since it may need to remove approximately 25 per cent of its products from its site. Among them smartphones and electronics - which have historically driven Flipkart's gross sales and account for 50 per cent of total revenue - would feel the greatest immediate impact because of the necessary changes to supply chains and existing exclusivity deals. Also read: New FDI policy on e-commerce: Who likes it, who hates it That's because online marketplaces that have foreign investments are not barred from offering products of sellers in which they hold a stake and ban exclusive marketing arrangements. The new norms specify that the inventory of a vendor will be seen as controlled by a marketplace, if over 25 per cent of the vendor's purchases are from the marketplace entity, including the latter's wholesale unit. In order to comply with these rules, Flipkart has taken down its private labels in the grocery category. Similarly, Amazon has removed its Amazon Basics line of products, Amazon Pantry has gone offline, and products sold by Cloudtail and Appario Retail - that have equity investment from the Jeff Bezos behemoth - were taken down. The legal teams of both these companies are reportedly busy reviewing the business structure to comply with the new norms. Analysts also told the daily that while there will be a short term impact on the business, including sales, and complete compliance may take about three months, long-term impact appears to be minimal, apart from lower control on inventory and discounts. However, a draft analysis from global consultants PwC reportedly estimates that online sales will drop by $46 billion by 2022 courtesy the new restrictions. Edited by Sushmita Choudhury Agarwal Also read: Restrictions on foreign e-commerce companies to hit FDI in India: US industry body The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday told a special court in Mumbai that in "public interest" it had no objection to the liquidation of fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya's properties by a consortium of banks led by the State Bank of India (SBI), which had lent about Rs 9,000 crore to Mallya's now defunct Kingfisher Airlines. The central probe agency submitted its affidavit in response to an application filed by the consortium last month seeking the release of Mallya's assets under the amended Section 8 (8) of the PMLA Act. As per the amendment, a special court may allow restoration of properties even during the trial phase in certain cases. However, the affidavit also made it clear that "in case the court deems it fit to allow the application", the banks will have to give an undertaking to return the amount claimed by them to the court or to the complainant without delay "in the unlikely event" of Mallya winning the trial. According to The Economic Times, the lenders want to liquidate Mallya's assets to claim Rs 6,203.35 crore along with interest of 11.5 per cent per annum payable since 2013. The banks claimed a "legitimate interest" in all the properties belonging to Mallya, Kingfisher Airlines, United Breweries Holdings and Kingfisher Finvest India Ltd, including movable and immovable properties. In its affidavit filed before special PMLA Judge MS Azmi, the ED said it had left it to the best judgement of the court to grant the prayer made by the bank consortium. "In light of these facts and circumstances, it is prayed that the court may graciously be pleased to allow the instant application in the interest of justice and/or pass any such order that it deems fit in the interest of justice," the ED submitted. Also read: UK home secretary clears Vijay Mallya's extradition to India The agency further said that since all the applicants, except one, were public banks - "thus carry with themselves a sovereign guarantee" - and the money sought to be recovered was public money, restoration of assets in their favour was in public interest. The Mumbai special court has reportedly adjourned the matter till March 13. "The banks want to encash the assets at the earliest so as to bring the money back into the system. Recently, the DRT (Debt Recovery Tribunal) also allowed attachment and sale of the properties," senior counsel Nitin Pradhan, who represented the banks, told the daily. "The court has asked Mallya and other parties staking claim on the confiscated properties to file their say by then [March 13]." Also read: Vijay Mallya to appeal against UK Home Secretary's extradition order Significantly, the ED's nod comes a day after Mallya's extradition to India was approved by the UK Home Secretary. However, the liquor baron still has fourteen days from the date of the order to appeal against his extradition before the High Court, something he has decided to do. Furthermore, Mallya still has three more courts to appeal to before exhausting his options. The next court is the Crown Court from where it will lead to the Queen's Bench of High Court of Justice followed by the UK Supreme Court. So this is one extradition that is unlikely to happen in a hurry, if at all. No wonder the bank consortium wants to get a head start on the recovery drive. With PTI inputs Also read: Will Vijay Mallya be extradited before or after general elections? The BJP on Wednesday accused Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's husband Robert Vadra of routing kickbacks in petroleum and defence deals during the previous UPA government. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra, during a press conference on Wednesday, accused him of allegedly buying a number of properties, including assets in London, using these kickbacks. He said Vadra laundered money with the help of several middlemen, using a web of companies and purchased properties across India and Europe. In a scathing attack on the Gandhi family, he posed four questions to Congress President Rahul Gandhi. "Do you know CC Thampi? Is Syntax International related to Robert Vadra? Who received Petroleum deal kickbacks? How did you accumulate so many properties across the world despite the fact that you didn't have even Rs 1 lakh to start your business?" Referring to the Gandhi family, Patra said the 2019 General Elections was going to be a fight between the gang of corrupts and honesty. He also accused the Congress party of featuring Robert Vadra in its posters just a few hours before he was to be interrogated by the ED in the money laundering case. Notably, Patra was referring to a poster outside the Congress headquarters highlighting pictures of Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Robert Vadra. "Just before Robert Vadra is to surrender to ED for interrogation in money laundering case, posters featuring him are showcased outside the Congress Headquarters in Delhi! Congress in desperation shamelessly adoring the medallion of Corruption in the name of 'Yuva Josh'!" he tweeted. Just before Robert Vadra is to surrender to ED for interrogation in Money laundering case,posters featuring him are showcased outside the Congress Headquarters in Delhi! Congress in desperation Shamelessly adoring the medallion of Corruption in the name of "Yuva Josh"! pic.twitter.com/znFZjK6qjH - Sambit Patra (@sambitswaraj) February 6, 2019 Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra is expected to appear before the Enforcement Directorate about 4 pm on Wednesday in connection with a money laundering case relating to alleged possession of illegal foreign assets, official sources said on Tuesday. Vadra was directed by a Delhi court to cooperate with the investigation being carried out by the central probe agency after he knocked on its door seeking anticipatory bail in this case. Vadra is expected to be grilled about the transactions, purchase and possession of certain immovable assets in London and his statement will be recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. A Delhi court last week granted interim bail to him till February 16 and asked him to join the probe by appearing in person on February 6 in this case. The case relates to allegations of money laundering in the purchase of a London-based property located at 12, Bryanston Square worth 1.9 million pounds, which is allegedly owned by Vadra, brother-in-law of Congress president Rahul Gandhi. Also read: Robert Vadra gets bail till February 16; to appear before ED in relation to London properties worth Rs 112 crore The agency had told the court that it has received information about various new properties in London which belongs to Vadra including two houses of five and four million each, six other flats and more properties. The ED had carried out raids in this case in December last year at premises of a firm linked to Vadra in Delhi. It also grilled his associate Manoj Arora in connection with the case. Vadra had alleged he was being "hounded and harassed" to subserve political ends. Arora had also alleged before the court that the case was foisted on him by the NDA government out of "political vendetta". The agency had told the court that it filed the money laundering case against Arora after his role came up during the probe of another case by the Income Tax Department under the 2015 anti-blackmoney legislation against absconding arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari. It had alleged that the London-based property was bought by Bhandari for GBP 1.9 million and sold in 2010 for the same amount despite incurring additional expenses of approximately GBP 65,900 on its renovation. Arora, an employee of Vadra's Skylight Hospitality LLP, was a key person in the case and he was aware of the latter's overseas undeclared assets and was instrumental in arranging funds, ED had alleged. Manoj Sharma With PTI inputs Also read: ED says no objection to restoration of Mallya's properties to banks Artificial intelligence is revolutionary. Even though governments around the world have started budgeting for AI, homes are not getting smarter at a revolutionary pace. This is partly because the R&D cost of making home appliances smarter is still very high. The rest of the blame is on the tech giants for their snobbery against interoperability. So Siri only talks to Apple products, Google is strictly Home and Alexa is mediating Amazon partnerships with other brands. LG seems to have struck a deal with Google and its voice-assistant has found its way into the South ... Fancy a robot cooking your meal for you? That day may be nearer than you think. In fact, the next time you order a chicken biryani from internet restaurant company Rebel Foods, chances are that it would be made by a robot. The Mumbai-based firm, which is known for its brands like Faasos and Behrouz Biryani, is looking to use artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics to automate the processes at its network of cloud kitchens. The aim is not just to standardise food items and maintain the quality and taste of food across all its kitchens in the country, but also to deploy less manpower ... SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazilian mining company Vale SA plans to invest about 1.5 billion reais ($409 million) in so-called dry stacking tailing systems to reduce its reliance on tailings dams, it said late Tuesday, after a dam burst last month killing an estimated 300 people.The Brumadinho dam burst on Jan. 25, killing 142 people and leaving almost 200 still missing, according to the latest report from rescue workers.Vale said its plan to shift to dry tailings, which would start next year, was aimed at boosting the dry processing portion of its production to 70 percent by 2023, thus reducing ... By David LawderWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senior U.S. and Chinese officials are poised to start another round of trade talks in Beijing next week to push for a deal to protect American intellectual property and avert a March 2 increase in U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods, two people familiar with the plans said on Tuesday.The sources said that the U.S. delegation would begin arriving in Beijing over the weekend, following a break this week for Chinese New Year.U.S. President Donald Trump said in his State of the Union address on Tuesday that any new trade deal with China "must include real, ... By Josephine Mason and Allison LampertLONDON/MONTREAL (Reuters) - The European Commission's decision to block a tie-up between Alstom and Germany's Siemens is fuelling speculation over possible merger talks between the French rail business and Canada's Bombardier, lifting both companies' shares on Wednesday.EU anti-trust regulators rejected the Alstom-Siemens deal, saying that it would have hurt competition and led to higher prices for consumers, despite concessions offered by the companies.The deal's collapse helped Bombardier avoid the creation of the world's second largest rail company ... By Fabian Dawson SeaWestNews Pressure is mounting for a commercial seal harvest in British Columbia after the United States announced it will allow the killing of up to 920 sea lions a year in the Pacific North West to protect endangered wild fish stocks. The American lethal removal program, passed by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump last month, for the first time allows American native tribes to kill sea lions that are threatening endangered salmon and steelhead runs to extinction. Government authorities in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho are already allowed to lethally remove the predators after efforts are made to place captured animals in zoos or aquariums, said Michael Milstein, a spokesman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries. Milstein told SeaWestNews that the sea lion problem is especially acute at Willamette Falls and below Bonneville Dam where salmon and steelhead congregate before passing through the fish ladders to migrate and spawn upstream. The removal of specific sea lions from the Columbia River and specified tributaries will not impact the sustainability of the California sea lion population, he said. Since 1975, when the California sea lion population was estimated at 88,924 animals, their numbers have boomed, and it is estimated there are now approximately 257,631 animals, NOAA statistics show. The allowable lethal removal of sea lions under the new law is set at no more than 10 percent of the Potential Biological Removal (PBR) level. The PBR is the number of animals that can be removed each year without affecting the sustainability of the marine mammal population as a whole. Milstein said NOAA scientists have been working closely with Canadas Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) on the issue of controlling the exploding pinniped population which is decimating salmon runs and other wild fish stocks in the Pacific Northwest. Canada needs to act immediately to stop the disaster in the Salish Sea that is destroying our salmon and endangering our whales, said Roy Jones, an elder of the Haida Gwaii First Nations and chairman of the Pacific Balance Pinniped Society (PBPS). His society, which has the support of scores of First Nations across Canada and commercial and recreational fishing groups is calling for the controlled harvest of seals and sea lions, known as pinnipeds, for First Nations socio-economic and cultural prosperity. We are asking for a controlled, regulated and sustainable harvest and not a cull, Jones, told SeaWestNews, adding, we have harvested seals and sea lions since the dawn of our creation. Our plan will create 4,000 jobs for economically depressed First Nations communities by utilizing 100 percent of the pinniped harvestit will also protect wild salmon and other fish stocks and also ensure the vital food source for our endangered killer whales. In calling for a harvest, the society says demand is strong in Asia for seal products. Seal blubber is particularly valuable because it can be rendered down into an oil that's in demand because of its high Omega-3 fatty acid content, said Jones. Canadian seal harvesters, processors, artisans, and Inuit produce some of the finest quality seal products in the world and contribute to Canadas economy. In 2006, the total landed value of the seal harvest reached a historic high of $34.1 million. This historic high value had a trickle-down effect in other sectors of the economy. But the hunting of seals and sea lions has been banned on Canadas West Coast for more than 40 years. A spokesperson for DFO said the proposal from the Pacific Balance Pinnipeds Society to create a commercial fishery for pinnipeds under Canadas New and Emerging Fisheries Policy will be discussed at a meeting on February 7 in Vancouver. However, there are no plans to authorize a large-scale fishery or cull of seals or sea lions at this time, the spokesperson said in an email to SeaWestNews. Ken Pearce, a PBPS director said the society and its supporters acknowledge that their plan for commercial harvest of pinnipeds is a contentious issue and that emotions can run high. But people need to stay focused on the scientific data that shows the salmon and many shallow water finfish populations are in trouble because of the seals and sea lions, he said. Citing studies, Pearce pointed out that seals and sea lions are eating more than 600 metric tons of chinook salmon the preferred food source for Southern Resident Killer Whales every year in Washington state waters alone. The harbor seal population in the Salish Sea is estimated at about 80,000 today, up from 8,600 in 1975. We are producing 27 million chinook smolts a year in the Salish Sea (wild and hatchery) and the seals are consuming 24 million. Need I say more? Our first goal is to bring the exploding pinniped population back into balance. But not everyone thinks that a controlled harvest of seals and sea lions in B.C. is the way to go. The Coastal Ocean Research Institute believes that while a few localized populations of salmon might benefit from a commercial harvest, climate change, habitat destruction, and overfishing are all bigger factors in the overall decline of wild fish stocks. Others like the Conservancy Hornby Island is calling for a shutdown of the Pacific herring roe fishery scheduled to operate in the Strait of Georgia in March, to ensure there is enough food for whales and salmon. The group does not address the explosive rise in the numbers of seals and sea lions in local waters as a factor to the herring fishery, which it describes as worth little money and produces few jobs. Tom Sewid, a commercial fisherman and a member of the Kwakwakawakw group of Indigenous people described the isolated pockets of opposition to a sustainable seal harvest in B.C. as stemming from the willful ignorance of the reality in the Salish Sea. We need to educate those who do not know that a properly managed pinniped harvest is what needs to take place now, Sewid told SeaWestNews. Sewid said indigenous coastal tribes have always improvised and adapted to the ever-changing world they live in and the harvest of animals will always be an integral part of their way of life. We now see the forced protection of pinnipeds for many decades has allowed their populations to explode to alarming numbers creating an environmental disaster the likes never seen before. As we that know understand, the chinook, coho, sockeye, chum, pinks, steelhead and other finfish are more than just revenue to us all, it is life. By Stephanie KellyNEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose about 1 percent on Wednesday, boosted by signs of strong U.S. demand for distillate products and tightening global crude supply, but gains were capped by a rising U.S. dollar and ongoing concerns about a global economic slowdown.Brent crude futures gained 71 cents, or 1.15 percent, to settle at $62.69. The benchmark earlier fell to a session low of $61.05.U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures gained 35 cents, or 0.65 percent, to settle at $54.01 a barrel, up from a session low of $52.86.U.S. government data on Wednesday showed ... By Arnab Paul(Reuters) - Indian shares rose for a fifth straight session on Wednesday, with Tech Mahindra Ltd leading gains in IT stocks, while investors also await the outcome of a three-day central bank policy meeting that ends on Thursday.Tech Mahindra hit a life high in early trade after the software services exporter reported a nearly 28 percent rise in net profit on Tuesday, which beat analysts' estimates.The sentiment rubbed off on the IT index, which gained 1.75 percent. Tata Consultancy Services Ltd and Infosys Ltd rose 0.9 percent and 1.4 percent, respectively.The Reserve Bank of ... WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Wednesday that he and other U.S. officials will travel to Beijing next week for trade talks, aiming to clinch a deal to avert a March 2 increase in U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods.Mnuchin said in an interview with CNBC that the talks he and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer led in Washington last week with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He were "very productive.""Ambassador Lighthizer and myself and a large team are on our way to Beijing next week. We are committed to continue these talks," Mnuchin said."We're putting in ... (Reuters) - India's JSW Steel Ltd on Wednesday posted a 7.4 percent drop in third-quarter net profit, missing estimates, dented by a decline in steel prices.Net profit came in at 16.24 billion rupees ($226.75 million), for the three months ended Dec. 31, compared with a profit of 17.53 billion rupees a year ago, the company said.Analysts on average were expecting the Mumbai-headquartered company to report a profit of 17.40 billion rupees, according to Refinitiv data.Total revenue for the third quarter from all JSW operations jumped 11.2 percent to 203.18 billion rupees from the previous year. ... Executives from top Indian steel companies met with government officials on Wednesday and sought an increase in duties on imports of steel to check surging shipments from overseas, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said. Top Indian steel producer JSW Steel attended the meeting in which companies asked the government to implement higher duties or other short-term emergency measures to curb imports, the sources said. JSW Steel did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment. ALSO READ: Steel firms seek higher import duties amid trade ... (Reuters) - The United States imposed heavy sanctions on Venezuela's oil industry last week, looking to cut off President Nicolas Maduro's primary source of revenue.The sanctions limit transactions between U.S. companies that do business with Venezuela through purchases of crude oil and sales of refined products. Here are details on how the sanctions work: THE AIMThe United States is aiming to freeze sales proceeds from Venezuelan state-run oil firm PDVSA's exports of roughly 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude to the United States. There is also a prohibition on U.S firms exporting ... STOCKHOLM/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Swedish buyout firm EQT is planning a Stockholm listing as early as the second quarter, looking to raise about 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion), three sources told Reuters.A stake of about 25 percent could be sold in the initial public offering (IPO), potentially valuing EQT at about 4 billion euros (41.7 billion Swedish crowns), sources familiar with the matter said, declining to be named because the plans were private.EQT, which invests in public companies, real estate and venture capital, managing about 50 billion euros of raised capital under 27 funds, did ... By Johannes HellstromSTOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Activist investor Cevian Capital has built a stake in Ireland's CRH to become the heavy materials and building products group's second-largest owner, Cevian managing partner Christer Gardell told Reuters.CRH, which makes cement, aggregates and asphalt among a wide range of building products, is Cevian's second disclosed new investment since stock markets turned bearish in the second half of 2018, having announced a 2.3 percent holding in banking group Nordea in December. "We have actively taken advantage of the recent market turbulence to make a ... Apple Inc said on Tuesday that retail chief Angela Ahrendts will leave the company in April after five years on the job, the third departure of a retail head brought in from outside the company. The tech giant, which is known for its long-serving top executives, did not give a reason for the departure. It comes as Apple tries to reverse a slide in sales of its iPhones. Ahrendts, who is among Apple's highest-paid executives, came to the company in 2014 after being chief executive of fashion retailer Burberry Group Plc . During her tenure, the company redesigned its retail ... Two Kerala women -- Bindu and Kanakadurga -- who are facing social boycott and exclusion for entering the Sabarimala shrine, told the Supreme Court on Wednesday about their resolve to enter the temple again on its opening on February 12. "They are facing social exclusion as well as a social boycott for just entering the temple as allowed by the Supreme Court in its verdict," senior advocate Indira Jaising, appearing for the women, told a five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi. Jaisingh told the bench, also comprising Justices R F Nariman, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra, that a case for review of the September 28, 2018 judgement is not made out and there is no law which can stop women from entering the shrine. ALSO READ: Ideal worship "My right of practice and professing any religion is protected under the Constitution. Nothing can stop me from having a darshan of Lord Ayappa and entering the temple under the law," she said, adding that exclusion is derogatory to the dignity of women and hurts the core of the principles enshrined in the constitution. Bindu and Kanakadurga have also filed a contempt petition against the temple 'Thantri' and authorities. Jaising said that after the two women succeeded in entering the temple, a purification ritual was carried out in the temple which was in violation of the apex court order. "Menstruating women who entered the temple were considered as polluting and that's why not allowed to entry in the temple and this purification ritual violates Article 17 of the Constitution which deals with untouchability," she said. The senior lawyer said that untouchability word did not exist in English language until the 19th Century and therefore this word now needs legal interpretation. "Why the word untouchability is in the Constitution itself," she argued. She said in India there is concept of a private temple but Sabarimala temple is considered to be a public place and therefore to say that Article 15 (2) of the Constitution does not apply is incorrect. Referring to the dissenting views expressed by Justice Indu Malhotra in last year's September 28 verdict, Jaising said the judge has considered the devotees of Lord Ayyappa as religious denomination. Jaising questioned the judge relying on the minority verdict of the apex court to differ with the majority 4:1 verdict allowing entry of women of all age groups into the shrine. She said that a case of review of the last year verdict is not made out as it is in the nature of appeal. "Gender justice is one of the main features of the Constitution. The Sabarimala temple is opening on February 12 and the court should issue a writ of mandamus so that the petitioners who have applied to visit the temple through online system can be allowed the entry," she said. Jaising brought to the notice of the bench that Bindu, a dalit Hindu woman after entering the temple was facing social boycott and exclusion to the extent that even the shopkeepers are asking her to stop visiting their shops. Her mother also received a death threat because of her daughter making it to the Sabarimala shrine, she said. By Mata Press Service From India to the Philippines and across Asia a deeply rooted cultural notion that associates dark complexions with poverty and working in the sun is boosting the multi-billion-dollar skin-whitening cosmetic industry. In many countries across Asia, advertisements and billboards feature light-skinned models touting products such as whitening creams, tablets, sunscreens and other related products. Its a big business. A World Health Organisation survey found that nearly 40 per cent of women polled in nations including China, Malaysia, the Philippines and South Korea said they regularly used whitening products. In India, 60 per cent of the skincare market consisted of whitening products. The global skin-whitening market was valued at US$4.8 billion in 2017, according to Global Industry Analysts, and is anticipated to reach US$8.9 billion by 2027, with Asian countries making up a major segment. Euromonitor valued Chinas anti-ageing skin-whitening market at US$618.8 billion in 2014, while Thailands and Taiwans came in at US$432.2 billion and US$334 million that year. Western ideals of white skin sell, says Nathalie Africa-Verceles, director of the Manila-based University of Philippines Centre for Gender and Women Studies. Its a multibillion-dollar industry. It will continue for a very long time, and I dont think it will stop, she said, according to a report on SCMP.com. In the Philippines, most people have tanned or darker skin, yet society favours those with fairer skin. At supermarkets, there are entire aisles dedicated to whitening products, says Marvie Dela Torre, a university student in her 20s who lives in Quezon City in the Philippines. Weve already accepted being white is equivalent to being beautiful. In Malaysia, make-up artist Manmeet Kaur is wary of such unrealistic beauty ideals. Have you seen any Miss Malaysia who is hitam manis? she asks, referring to the Malay term for an attractive dark-brown complexion. This belief is still inherent in our social upbringing. As children, we are always told not to stay out under the sun, not because UV rays can be damaging but because you will get darker. Kosum Omphornuwat, a gender and sexuality studies lecturer at Thailands Thammasat University, says: Achieving white skin seems for some women to be a key to open a door of opportunity to achieve the highest purpose of their lives: acceptance, fame, men, money or class mobility. Some scholars have also pointed out that many Asian people dont necessarily aspire for a Caucasian whiteness, but a cosmopolitan whiteness that transcends race and signifies mobility across national borders. But do whitening products even work and are they safe? A high percentage of skin lighteners sold worldwide contain dangerous levels of mercury, according to test results contained in a new report by the Zero Mercury Working Group. In 2017 and 2018, 338 skin-lightening creams from 22 countries were collected and tested for mercury. Ten per cent of the creams (34 creams) had mercury concentrations vary many times higher than levels allowed under the international agreement to control mercury, the Minamata Convention. The levels found in the cosmetics ranged from just over 90 times to an incredible 16,000 times the allowed level post-2020. Mercury is a dangerous neurotoxin which builds up in the human body and cause serious damage to the skin, lungs, kidneys, digestive, immune and nervous systems. Elena Lymberidi-Settimo, Project Manager at the European Environmental Bureau and Zero Mercury Working Group International Coordinator said: The exposure and toxic trade in illegal high mercury skin lighteners is a global crisis which is expected to only worsen with skyrocketing global demand. To combat this, its important for governments to quickly enact and enforce regulations and effectively warn consumers. In a separate exercise, the Mercury Policy Project, the Sierra Club and the European Environmental Bureau purchased skin lighteners from eBay and Amazon websites. The brands purchased included many previously identified as high mercury by New York City, the state of Minnesota, the European Union, Singapore, UAE, the Philippines and many other national governments. Nineteen products had illegal mercury levels, typically more than 10,000 times higher than the legal threshold of 1ppm. Internet platforms Amazon and eBay must stop breaking the law with their toxic trade in illegal cosmetics, said Michael Bender, director of the Mercury Policy Project. They have the responsibility and resources to prevent exposing their customers to toxic products. Over 50 civil society groups from more than 20 countries sent letters today to Amazon and eBay, calling on them to stop marketing illegal mercury-based skin lightening creams. While the yearning for whiter skin remains strong, there has been some pushback too. A 2017 ad by health care and beauty chain Watsons in Malaysia featured a 15-minute short film, in which a merchant falls in love with a mysterious womans beautiful singing voice, only to be taken aback by her dark skin. In the climax, she washes off the dark make-up, and suddenly fair-skinned marries the man. The advertisement shocked Malaysians, with many criticising the use of blackface and the racially charged message of the film. In recent years, other advertising campaigns have attracted a backlash for promoting the whiter-is-better beauty ideal. In 2016, Thai company Seoul Secret advertised skin-lightening tablets with the slogan White makes you win, prompting a backlash that forced the company to apologise and abandon the campaign. Elsewhere, other grassroots movements are spreading the backlash against the idea of whiteness. In the Philippines, the viral social media campaign #magandangmorenx or beautiful brown skin headed by half-Filipina, half-black actress Asia Jackson saw young Filipina women take to Twitter calling for an end to colourism, and demanding more diversity in local media. Morena, which means tanned or brunette in Spanish, refers to darker-skinned women in the Philippines. Experts say change has been slow, but these fledgling movements have helped launch more discourse on the topic. As a society, we have to understand our past and how it affects our present. The colonial and imperial past affected how we think about ourselves now, says Brenda Alegre, a womens studies lecturer at Hong Kong University. Alegre adds the discussion in Asia is related to status and social structure, but society needs to challenge these expectations and experiences in media and education. The Supreme Court, hearing contempt pleas of the Centre and Attorney General against activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan on Wednesday, said it would examine if a person can criticise the court in a sub-judice matter to influence the public opinion which may interfere with the course of justice. The top court said now-a-days it has become a trend for the lawyers appearing in a sub-judice matter to make statements in the media and participate in TV debates. It said the court is not averse to media reporting of cases but lawyers appearing in sub-judice matters should restrain themselves from making public statements. The court said freedom comes with responsibility and judiciary needs to be protected from public opinion. The remarks were made by a bench comprising Justices Arun Mishra and Navin Sinha while hearing the contempt petitions filed by AG K K Venugopal and the Centre against Bhushan for his tweets in which he had said that government appeared to have misled the top court and perhaps submitted fabricated minutes of meeting of the high-powered Selection Committee headed by the Prime Minister. The bench sought reply from Bhushan, who was present in the court room and accepted the notice, within three weeks. "As the issue concerned is vitally important that whether in a matter, which is sub-judice, is it open for anyone to criticize the court to influence the public opinion which may tend to interfere with the course of justice. We deal it appropriate to hear at length," the bench said, posting the matter for further hearing on March 7. At the outset, Venugopal pointed that when the matter challenging the appointment of former interim CBI director M Nageswara Rao was pending, Bhushan had gone public and made a statement that government has allegedly misled the court by producing a fabricated document. "This affects me as I have produced the documents before the court. He (Bhushan) cannot go on in public saying that these were fabricated document," Venugopal said and referred to Bhushan's February 1 tweets. "All I am seeking is that an end has to be put to this. It is the pending matter. It is being done. No one can go on making statements in a sub-judice matter. This is the right time that court settle this issue. Although I am not seeking punishment for my learned friend (Bhushan) but I want an end to this," he said. He added senior advocate Dushyant Dave, who has appeared in the matter, has written an article that no contempt was made out. "Is that justified?" Venugopal referred to the 1968 verdict of the apex court in a suo motu contempt case of former West Bengal chief minister P C Sen who had made a speech in All India Radio justifying a legislation which was struck down by the Calcutta High Court. The bench after perusing the 1968 verdict observed, "In earlier times lawyers restrained themselves from going to the press in a sub-judice matter. Now-a- days it has become a trend to go to the press". "We are not averse to media reporting of cases or cameras. We have to deal with larger issue of interfering with the course of justice which may affect the people's mind," the bench said. It said that the court has to struck balance between the rights of public to know and reports of court proceedings which may interfere with the administration of course of justice. "Media reporting about what happened in the court is all right but a bar or barrier of some kind should be there at a level," Justice Mishra said and referred to a case where the apex court has said that media trial has taken place. "We have to see what should be the role of lawyers appearing in the case. They should resist themselves from making statements in public in a sub-judice matter. It is for the court to decide what is truth and what is false. Public opinion cannot be formed like this," the bench said. Justice Mishra referred to a recent verdict delivered by him and said that although he has upheld the independence of bar but responsible senior lawyers like Venugopal, Fali S Nariman and K Parasaran should look what is happening around. "Judiciary needs to be protected from public opinion. If bar is bent upon killing the judiciary then what can be done. No court can do anything even Supreme Court can't do anything. There are lot of issues which need to be settled and is affecting lot of people," the bench said, adding that freedom comes with responsibility. The bench said that cameras are very tempting for anyone and lawyers now a days cannot resist themselves. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, said the issue is not of medium of media and sense of responsibility should be on the lawyers about the statements they make. "Statements like black day in the history of judiciary. Injustice has been done. These are partisan, subjective and designed statements made with a purpose," he said, adding that media records the statements without knowing whether the person speaking is telling the truth or not. The bench said that media has the right to know but there should not be obstruction of justice. Terming Attorney General as 'Bhismapitama'--a character in Mahabharat, Mehta said that he is magnanimous and does not want punishment for Bhushan but Union of India wants punishment for him, so that there is a deterrence. "We have held in our recent verdict that contempt is 'Brahmastra' which should not be used frequently. Every thing cannot be restored. Once dignity is lost nothing remains. It will be a humiliating life," it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Assam Finance Minister and senior BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma Wednesday said he may contest the coming Lok Sabha polls from any of the 14 seats of the state if the party wished so. Speculations that Sarma may contest in Lok Sabha elections have been doing the rounds for sometime since veteran BJP Parliamentarian from Gauhati constituency, Bijoya Chakravarty, announced her intention not to be in the fray in 2019. Sarma is currently a member of Assam Assembly from Jalukbari constituency, which is a part of the Guwahati city. Asked if he is likely to be the BJP candidate from Gauhati seat, the minister said, "I can contest from any of the 14 constituencies in Assam. I will contest if ticket is given to me." Talking to reporters at the Assembly complex after presenting the state budget, the NEDA convenor said he cannot make a decision on himself. In 2016, the BJP floated a platform of non-Congress parties, North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), and Sarma was made its convenor. Out of four terms as an MLA, he was a Congress legislator for three times before switching over to the BJP, months before the Assembly polls in 2016. Sarma is currently holding portfolios of finance, transformation and development, health and family welfare and PWD. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vietnam Ambassador Pham Sanh Chau Wednesday called on Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and discussed various issues of mutual interest. According to an official release, Sonowal proposed an exchange programme for farmers, start-up entrepreneurs, scientists and students of both countries every year so that people from both sides benefit from the expertise and know-how in different fields. Chau responded favourably to this proposal and assured to take it up with his government on a priority basis. Sonowal also expressed satisfaction that the state's farmers who were sent to Vietnam on an exposure trip last year have been able to utilise their experiences gained on the trip and increase their production, the release said. "Your practice of adding value to the products supplied from our country like fish and making them suitable for European and other markets, thereby making substantial profit, is something that we must learn from and emulate," it said. Sonowal hoped that today's meeting should pave the way for a dynamic relationship between Assam and Vietnam and a robust exchange programme for increased people-to-people contact. The Ambassador also expressed his interest in developing deeper relation with the state and engaging in "rhino diplomacy" as one horned rhino is common to both Assam and Vietnam. The diplomat suggested the adoption of an export driven growth model for the state's economy as practiced by Vietnam for rapid economic development, the release added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) / -- Vidyasagar Preschool Hebbal has been recognized as one of the top 100 preschools in India by Brainfeed School Excellence Awards 2019. This award ceremony recognizes the best of learning institutes in the country. The award ceremony served as a platform to showcase the best practices and solutions on teaching, learning and leadership for influential academicians. Several well-known personalities from the industry attended the event. Vidyasagar Preschool Hebbal received the award from Mr. K.V. Brahmam, Publisher & Chief Editor of Brainfeed Magazine. Around 300 schools from the country participated in the event. Vidyasagar Preschool Hebbal was unanimously selected for transforming in young minds through a noteworthy spectrum of initiatives and efforts. The preschool was started in Bengaluru in 1982, across all Vidyasagar Preschool campuses, children receive exposure towards an inclusive learning platform, where they are encouraged to read, discover, participate, and work in teams. What really sets the preschools apart is the endeavor to imbibe a balance of healthy competitive spirit, teamwork, camaraderie and chivalry among all the pupils. Speaking on the occasion, Mrs. Shanthi Lokeshwaran, Principal of Vidyasagar Preschool, Hebbal said, "The school is very proud of this achievement and we congratulate everyone who has won laurels in this prestigious platform. Vidyasagar Preschool has always established quality benchmarks in imparting child-centric innovative igniting young minds with the spark of knowledge and lifelong learning." Brainfeed is a prestigious educational magazine that was launched in the month of April 2013. The research team of Brainfeed carried out an extensive and exhaustive survey to identify the top 100 preschools in India based on excellence in a school's pedagogic practice, culture, core values and management. About Vidyasagar Preschool Vidyasagar Preschool (VSP) is an assortment of happy preschool campuses spread across Hebbal, Koramangala, Indira Nagar and J P Nagar, designed to provide a wide spectrum of formative education for children in Bengaluru. Our trained and empathetic faculty members consider identity development to be a key tenet in the holistic progress of each child, as they begin to embrace their unique talents, and start forming an idea of who they aspire to be, as young adults and responsible citizens. The school was also recently chosen the top 10 preschool in Karnataka. For more information please https://www.vidyasagarpreschool.com. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A bipartisan group of eminent lawmakers led by Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi on Wednesday sought details of the sting operation carried out by the US Department of Homeland Security resulting in detention of at least 129 students from India. In multiple raids last month, federal authorities arrested 130 students, including 129 Indians, enrolled as students in an alleged fraudulent university in Metro Detroit area and working across the country. In a letter, the lawmakers urge the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to ensure students detained following the recent ICE sting in Michigan were treated properly and are afforded all rights provided to them under law, including access to an attorney and release on bond for those eligible. Written by Congressmen Thomas Souzzi, Rob Woodall and Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence, in addition to Krishnamoorthi, the letter also asks DHS and ICE to share full details and regular updates regarding the Indian students with the Embassy and Consulates of India, and to facilitate consular access for the detainees. The lawmakers express "concerns surrounding the recent undercover operation" conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, in which HSI special agents operated a fake university -- University of Farmington -- designed to target recruiters and foreign students believed to be engaged in immigration fraud. According to ICE, the investigation began in 2015, and HSI agents have been operating the fake school since 2017. As per the indictment unsealed last week, eight individuals served as recruiters for the school, enrolling hundreds of foreign nationals as students at the university. These eight recruiters have been indicted for conspiracy to commit visa fraud and harboring aliens for profit by the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan. "The Indian-American community and Indian Consulate have expressed concerns regarding the treatment of these detained foreign nationals," the lawmakers said. "We urge DHS and ICE to ensure the detained students are treated properly and afforded all rights provided to them under the law, including access to an attorney and release on bond, if they are eligible," the letter said. "We further urge DHS and ICE to share full details and regular updates regarding the Indian students with the Embassy and Consulates of India, and to facilitate consular access for the detainees, the lawmakers said in the letter. Noting that India is an important strategic partner and friend to the US, the lawmakers said in 2017, Indian students comprised 17.3 per cent of all international students in the country, numbering over 186,000. As such, these students are a vital pillar of the people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, and they come to the US on grounds of merit, they asserted. "In the spirit of continuing cooperation on educational exchange programs, which benefit both countries economically and culturally, we ask that you ensure the students involved in this case are treated fairly, humanely, and in accordance with due process, the Congressmen said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Flooded with phone calls from panic-stricken students, an eminent Indian American attorney on Tuesday alleged that Department of Homeland Security knowingly allowed the "fake university" to be set up and misled students sitting hundreds of miles away in another country. A day after the State Department blamed Indian students for the mass detention and possible deportation from the US for enrolling themselves in a fake university set up by the Department of Homeland Security, California-based immigration attorney Anu Peshawaria said that the undercover operation has devastating consequences for hundred of Indian students. "We are not saying that our students are not at fault. They should have done their due diligence before signing up. If they are perpetrating crime knowingly, they should be punished but if they are trapped or encouraged to commit the crime then we need to help them, Peshawaria said. As per last week's figures provided by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as many as 130 of the 600 students from the fake University of Farmington were detained last week. Of these 129 were Indians. Many of them since then have been released or put under restricted movement. Several of them have left the country. Peshawaria said that some students are worried that they will have arrest on their record for ever and have lost years of education to no avail. "They could be possible blackmail for the rest of their lives. What is surprising is that the university was registered with the education board that authorizes the issuance of I-20s to students, which in turn is approved by the Department of Homeland Security," she said. "Department of Homeland Security knowingly allowed the 'fake university' to be set up and misled students sitting hundreds of miles away in another country, she said noting that her office has been receiving numerous calls from panic-stricken friends and families of a large number of Indian students which could result in mass deportation. Worse, these students, based on their approved i-20s even got driver licenses from the US Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). This only added another stamp of authenticity to the credentials of the university, she asserted. Many students travelled to meet the Dean of the University, which has now been closed, many of them asked for classes curriculum, she said. "Given that authorities knew this was a set-up, they should have stopped the students there and then. If they wanted to catch the perpetrators what right do, they have to defraud innocent lives," Peshawaria said. "In fact, during this time the government also enjoyed taxes that these consultants paid. Now, they cannot suddenly wake up and decide to put all these people behind bars," Peshawaria added. Many students have huge loans to pay, she said based on her interaction with these students. They were saving up to send to their families in a small village in India, she said adding that they are devastated. "It is all easy to say that students knew what they were doing, did we all know all the laws when we moved to United States that they should get such harsh punishment, she asked. "We are all fighting to release the students immediately. The students are calling me that US govt is forcing them to self deport but they want back their degrees and lost time and compensation for pain and anguish," Peshawaria asserted. Pakistan's actions are often a source of "frustration" to US' regional efforts in Afghanistan, a top American general has said as he asked Islamabad to cease its behaviour undermining stability and play constructive role in achieving peace in South Asia. During a Congressional hearing, Commander of the US Central Command General Joseph Votel told the lawmakers on Tuesday that militants operating out of Pakistan and Afghanistan continue to threaten Afghan stability as well as stoke tensions between Pakistan and India. "We look to regional actors such as Pakistan to cease behaviour undermining regional stability and play constructive role in achieving peace in Afghanistan as well as the whole of South Asia," General Votel told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. In his testimony, General Votel said that Pakistan has taken positive steps to assist Special US Representative of Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad in support of Afghanistan reconciliation by facilitating talks with the Taliban. But Pakistan "has avoided taking any concrete or irreversible steps such as arresting or expelling Taliban leaders who do not cooperate with reconciliation efforts," he said. Since being appointed in September last, Khalilzad has met with all sides in an attempt to end America's longest war in which the US has lost over 2,400 soldiers in more than 17 years. The Taliban control nearly half of Afghanistan, and are more powerful than at any time since the 2001 US-led invasion after the 9/11 terror attacks. "With our strategic focus on reconciliation and regional security, Pakistan has a unique opportunity to make good on its promises of support to US efforts focused on finding a negotiated settlement to the Afghanistan conflict," the US Commander said. If Pakistan plays a positive role in achieving a settlement to the conflict in Afghanistan, the US will have opportunity and motive to help Islamabad fulfil that role, as peace in the region is the most important mutual priority for the US and Pakistan, he said. Pakistan, Votel said, presents the US with challenges and opportunities in the execution of its South Asia Strategy. As a state possessing nuclear weapons that sits at the nexus of Russian, Chinese, Indian, Iranian, and US geopolitical interests, Pakistan will always be a country of importance to the US, he noted. "However, Pakistan's actions are often a source of frustration to the US regional efforts in Afghanistan," Votel said. The Pentagon's posture with Pakistan involves supporting Department of State as they pursue a diplomatic solution with Islamabad to end the conflict in Afghanistan while ensuring that Pakistan's equities are acknowledged and addressed in any future agreement. Votel told lawmakers that Pakistan has not taken concrete actions against the safe havens of violent extremist organisations or VEOs inside its borders. "Similarly, VEOs located in Afghanistan conduct attacks inside Pakistan. This cross-border instability and violence generates tension along both sides of the border," he said. "The suspension of US security assistance funds to Pakistan remains in place. Meanwhile, some US Pakistan military cooperation activities have continued, demonstrating the importance of military cooperation, despite challenges in the bilateral relationship," the general said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The US Army said Wednesday it wants to purchase a pair of Iron Dome short-range air defense systems, an interceptor technology developed by Israel with US support. Army spokesman Colonel Patrick Seiber said the deal would meet a short-term need to protect troops from "indirect fire" such as rockets and mortars. No decisions have been made yet about where the two systems may be deployed. "The Iron Dome will be assessed and experimented as a system that is currently available to protect deployed US military service members against a wide variety of indirect fire threats and aerial threats," Seiber said in a statement. Iron Dome systems have been in operation by the Israeli air force since 2011 and have seen frequent use in thwarting rocket attacks from Gaza and elsewhere. Seiber said the US Army will "assess a variety of options" for a system that could be used in the long term. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who also serves as defense minister, called the deal further proof of Israel's alliance with the US. "Israel has an Iron Dome and an iron fist. Our systems know how to deal with any threat, both in defense and in attack. I would not recommend our enemies to try us," he said in a defense ministry statement. Seiber said the US Army proposes spending USD 1.6 billion through 2024 to field an "enduring capability" that may include portions of the Iron Dome system. The Iron Dome system was developed by Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems with the help of US funding. It is designed to intercept rockets and artillery shells fired from a range of four to 70 kilometres. Each battery comprises detection and tracking radar, state-of-the-art fire control software and three launchers, each with 20 interceptor missiles. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Samajwadi Party on Wednesday accused the Uttar Pradesh government of making a mockery of religion by holding a cabinet meeting at the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad. During the Zero Hour at the Legislative Council, Samajwadi member Shatarudra Prakash stressed that clicking photographs while taking a holy dip at the Sangam after the recent cabinet meeting during Kumbh was a clear violation of the 'United Provinces Melas Rule, 1940. The SP members also barged into the well of the House and raised slogans against the government for making a "mockery" of religion and culture. According to Prakash, Section 18 of the 'Uttar Pradesh Prayagraj Mela Pradhikaran Adhiniyam-2017' stated that collection of people for any purpose other than religious work was prohibited in the Kumbh area. "The holding of the cabinet meeting in the Kumbh Mela area is definitely a non-religious programme." The Samajwadi MLC said the photographs of the cabinet ministers taking a holy dip in the Sangam and getting clicked were widely published on the electronic media. "The entire cabinet should have desisted from such a derogatory and non-serious behaviour," Prakash said. Leader of the House and Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma said there was no ban on holding cabinet meeting anywhere. Sharma also demanded that the SP members should apologise for "hurting religious sentiments". The pictures were clicked at the 'selfie points' and the ones that have been published were taken by the media and they cannot be stopped from doing so, Sharma pointed out. Without taking names of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, Dinesh Sharma wondered if it was not wrong when senior Opposition leaders get clicked while taking the holy dip. The deputy chief minister said words used by Prakash had "hurt the religious beliefs" and were also not befitting for use in the House. Sharma's comments were objected by the SP, leading to a war of words with the treasury benches and prompting the party members to barge into the well of the house. Another minister, Mahendra Pratap Singh, was heard saying "astha par chot karna band karo (stop attacking faith)". Chairman Ramesh Yadav adjourned the house for 20 minutes. When the proceedings resumed, Leader of Opposition Ahmed Hasan alleged that the BJP government was only concerned with elections and "saffronising" all events and programmes. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Border Security Force (BSF) Wednesday apprehended two Pakistani fishermen and seized their boat in the creek area of Kutch district near the Indo-Pak border for allegedly entering the Indian territory, officials said. The apprehension was a result of a "special operation" by the BSF in Vainwari creek using speed boats, an official release said. The apprehended Pak fishermen have been identified as Suganjo Usman (35) and Rajan Laden (15), both residents of Chhach village of Sindh province of the neighboring country, the BSF release added. The duo allegedly entered the Indian territory in their boat to catch fish. A BSF patrol team had last month found an abandoned Pak fishing boat from the same creek. Several abandoned boats as well as Pakistani fishermen had been caught in the past while fishing in the Indian side of the the creek area. Given the sensitive nature of the area, even Indian fishermen are barred from catching fish in the creek. However, Pakistani fishermen often venture into Indian waters to catch fish, especially prawns, and then sail off to their side. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Pope appointed the Archbishop of Dhaka, Card D'Rozario, as his envoy. Card Turkson, Prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for integral development will be present. The three-day event includes studies, as well as visits to patients in health facilities. A solemn Mass will be celebrated at the tomb of Mother Teresa. Kolkata (AsiaNews) World Day of the Sick will be marked this year in the City of Joy, Kolkata (Calcutta), from 9 to 11 February. The announcement was made this afternoon at a press conference held in the main hall of the Archbishop House Annex in Kolkata, with Fr Dominic Gomes, the Vicar General of the Archdiocese, as moderator. Mother Prema, who succeeded Mother Teresa at the helm of the Missionaries of Charity, was present at the meeting. Stressing the importance of the dedicated day, she said that Mother Teresa is the shining symbol of the care to the afflicted in the City of Joy, in the nation and the world at Large". In his Message for the occasion, Pope Francis highlighted the example and testimony of the Mother of Kolkata. This years theme is taken from the Gospel of Matthew: "Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give." The Holy Father also appointed Card Patrick D'Rozario, archbishop of Dhaka, as his representative. Card Peter A. Turkson, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development will also be present. The Day, which marks the memory of Our Lady of Lourdes on 11 February, is at its 27th edition. But in Kolkata the event will take place over three days. The first day, 9 February, includes a conference on the theological foundations of health pastoral care, the new charter of health workers and the new frontiers of service to the marginalised poor. A Mass will be held in the evening at the tomb of Mother Teresa, at the Mother House of the Missionaries of Charity, led by the Archbishop of Kolkata, Mgr Thomas D'Souza. The second day involves a visit to three local Church health facilities Shanti Dam, Prem Dam and St Joseph's Home which are run by the Missionaries of Charity and the Little Sisters of the Poor. The latter provide health care to the poor and the abandoned, especially women suffering from mental disorders. In the afternoon, Card Turkson will officiate a Mass with the anointment of the sick at Kolkatas St Xavier's College. On 11 February, solemn celebrations will be held at the Basilica of the Holy Rosary in Bandel to mark the 27th World Day of the Sick, which is also celebrated in all the dioceses of the world. Card D'Rozario will lead the Holy Mass, which will be followed by the anointment of the sick. (Nirmala Carvalho contributed to this article) President Donald Trump used his second State of the Union address to call on Congress to enact new school choice legislationwithout offering any details on what it would look likeand fund paid family leave for new parents. To help support working parents, the time has come to pass school choice for Americas children, Trump said. I am also proud to be the first president to include in my budget a plan for nationwide paid family leaveso that every new parent has the chance to bond with their newborn child. The school choice pitch is likely to be a tough sell in a Democratically controlled House of Representatives. And while Trump called for an overhaul of the nations immigration laws and increased border security, he did so without mentioning the so-called Dreamers, who face an uncertain future since Trump rescinded President Barack Obamas Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program back in 2012. That program gave temporary legal status to 700,000 undocumented immigrants who came to the country as children. The fate of the Dreamers has big implications for K-12 schools. About 250,000 students have become DACA-eligible since 2012, and about 9,000 DACA recipients work as teachers in U.S. schools, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Federal judges have issued conflicting rulings on DACAs legality, and its future is currently tied up in the courts. Trump also asked lawmakers to get to work on a bipartisan infrastructure package. But its unclear if refurbishing schools is part of his vision, even though thats a priority for Democrats. School choice Its equally unclear if Trumps call for school choice will find a welcome reception in Congress. So far, the administrations efforts on choice have fallen flat, including a $1 billion competitive-grant program aimed at expanding vouchers and more. U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and her team also worked behind the scenes on a federal tax credit scholarship program, but that didnt come to fruition either. School choice fans did get a provision in the 2017 tax overhaul law allowing parents to use 529 college-savings accounts to cover the cost of private school tuition. DeVos called it a step in the right direction, but acknowledged that it wouldnt meet the needs of low-income families or empower them in significant ways. The nod to choice in the speech had at least one fan: DeVos. The President was exactly right tonight to remind the nation of his call to expand education freedom, DeVos said in a statement. l I look forward to continuing to work with Congress on ways to give students opportunities to pursue the education that engages their curiosity, unlocks their creativity and empowers them to reach their fullest potential. Its time to do whats best for kids and get to work. Paid Family Leave Trumps proposal for paid family leave doesnt come out of nowhere. Its something hes been talking about since the campaign trail. He brought it up in his first address to Congress in 2017, and it was in his budget request last year. Trump had called for six weeks paid family leave, for both mothers and fathers, including those who adopt children. But current federal law under the Family and Medical Leave Act allows some employees to take up to 12 weeks off. So far, the proposal hasnt been able to find much support in Congress. But lawmakers did double the child care tax credit, to $2,000 per dependent child. Infrastructure Trump made it clear that he sees infrastructure as one possible area of compromise with a Congress thats now partly controlled by Democrats. But so far, the two parties havent seen eye-to-eye on whether to include K-12 school renovations. Both parties should be able to unite for a great rebuilding of Americas crumbling infrastructure, Trump said. I know that the Congress is eager to pass an infrastructure billand I am eager to work with you on legislation to deliver new and important infrastructure investment, including investments in the cutting edge industries of the future. This is not an option. This is a necessity. Last year, Trump unveiled a $1.5 trillion infrastructure package, but it didnt include any resources directly dedicated to refurbishing, renovating, or constructing schools. There were some small pockets of flexible funding that could benefit schools. But last week, Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Rep. Donald Norcross, D-N.J., introduced sweeping school construction legislation that would provide $70 billion in direct funding for school repairs and rebuilding, along with $30 billion in tax-credit bonds. There may be at least some bipartisan interest in the Senate on school construction funding. Last year, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Reed along with 23 other senatorsall Democratsurged Trump to consider partnering with states to modernize and repair schools . School Safety One issue that didnt come up: School safety. That issue dominated education policy last year, beginning with the Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., and the student activism that followed. Trumps school safety commission, convened in the wake of Parkland issued its final report in December, which called for schools to take a hard look at arming specially selected and trained school staffa policy few educators appear to support. But even though Trump didnt hit on school safety in his remarks, the issue had big visibility at the speech, with a number of lawmakers inviting guests connected to recent school shootings. Rep. Ted Deutsch, D-Fla., brought along Manny Oliver, who started the organization Change the Ref after his son Joaquin was killed at Parkland. Pelosi brought along Fred Guttenberg, the father of Jaime Guttenberg, a Parkland victim. Fred Guttenberg has been outspoken about the need for increased gun control. She also invited Charlie Mirsky, the co-founder and political director of March for Our Lives, which helps students advocate for gun restrictions. House Democrats are currently pushing to beef up background checks in response to school shootings. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., choose to bring Andrew Pollack, the father of Meadow Pollack, another Parkland victim. Pollack has been largely supportive of the Trump administrations response to the tragedy. Reaction In giving the Democratic response, Stacey Abrams, who narrowly lost her bid to become governor of Georgia last year, called for bipartisanship on education and other issues. From now on, our leaders must be willing to tackle gun safety measures and the crippling effect of educational loans; to support educators and invest what is necessary to unleash the power of Americas greatest minds, she said. Lily Eskelsen Garcia, the president of the National Education Association and a Democratic ally, panned the proposal for a border wall and seemed to push back against his call for school choice. Trumps actions speak louder than his rhetoric as we have witnessed him push for the wrong priorities like building a border wall, arming teachers , giving tax cuts to the wealthy and pushing for vouchers that siphon off money from public schools , she said in a statement. The president should be investing in students, not walls. Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., the chairman of the House education committee, criticized the speech for ignoring the needs of students and others. He also sounded echoed Garcia about the prospect of a new U.S.-Mexico border barrier. Access to a quality education, a good-paying job, and affordable health care are fundamental issues for all Americans, Scott said in a statement. Rather than offering credible solutions, the president continued to spread misinformation about immigration and advocate for an ineffective and inefficient wall. But the American Federation for Children, the advocacy organization co-founded by DeVos, cheered the shout-out for choice. Just yesterday, a study by the Urban Institute found that lower-income students in the nations largest private school choice program were far more likely to attend four-year colleges and earn bachelors degrees than their public school peers, said John Schilling, president the AFC. Its our hope that Congress will act swiftly to give more families and children the freedom to pursue educational options that are best suited to their individual learning styles. Photo: President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill. --AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite/AP Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 . Two members of the Sadam Gauri gang were arrested for allegedly extorting money from bootleggers and gamblers on the pretext of providing them security, police said on Wednesday. The accused were identified as Pankaj (22) and Karan (21), both residents of Hastal in Uttam Nagar, they added. Acting on a tip-off that the accused would come near the Nawada metro station on the intervening night of February 4 and 5, the police nabbed the duo, Additional Commissioner of Police (crime) Rajiv Ranjan said. The accused were wanted in an attempt to murder case, wherein they, along with their associates, had attacked the houses of bootleggers in the Uttam Nagar area in order to extort money from them, the officer said, adding that the two had also fired gunshots at a fruit vendor. Investigations revealed that in August last year, the accused, along with their associates, had thrashed the residents of JJ Colony, Hastal Road and fired gunshots in order to terrorise the public, Ranjan said. The accused had joined the Sadam Gauri gang through their common friends -- Pittal, Faisal Khan and Nonu -- he added. The gang extorted money from bootleggers, illegal "satta" operators and gamblers in West, South-West and Dwarka districts of Delhi, the officer said. Pittal is wanted in another case lodged at the Uttam Nagar police station for allegedly killing an elderly woman outside her house at Hastal Road. Raids were being carried out to arrest the absconding accused, the police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Police arrested two men and seized illegal liquor worth Rs 50 lakh from their possession in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district on Wednesday, an official said. A truck was intercepted at Bidoli check post under Jhinjhana pplice station area and 1,000 cartons of illicit liquor were recovered during a search of the vehicle, Superintendent of Police Ajay Kumar Pandey said. The arrested persons were identified as Surender and Ashish. A third person, Narender, managed to flee from the spot, he said. During interrogation, the arrested duo told police that the liquor was being transported from Punjab to Lucknow for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Pandey said. A case has been registered against the three, the police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two men were detained on Wednesday in connection with an incident where a Belgian national was forced to leave India within a day after being allegedly harassed in Delhi, police said. They were identified as Bona alias Jitendra (47), a resident of Laxmi Nagar and Mohammad Ansar (42), a resident of Wazirabad village, they added. "We have detained two persons. They are being questioned in connection with the incident to ascertain their role," Madhur Verma, Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) said. The travel agent, Imran Latha (30), was arrested on Tuesday. Latha and his brother allegedly cheated her by selling a cheap hotel package and making her believe that her original booking was cancelled because of protests near the hotel, the officer had said. The Belgian national, who arrived in Delhi on December 6, was harassed by several people, including an auto-rickshaw driver and a travel agent, following which she left India the next day, the police had said. The tourist informed the Belgium Embassy about the incident, which got in touch with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). A staffer from the hotel, where she was supposed to stay, picked her up from the place where she was put up, police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two journalists were shot and killed when gunmen stormed their radio station in northeast Afghanistan, officials said Wednesday, underscoring the dangers faced by reporters in the war-torn country. The pair, both men in their 20s, were gunned down inside the studios of Radio Hamsada, a private broadcaster based in Taloqan, the capital of Takhar province. Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attack and an investigation was underway, provincial spokesman Jawad Hejri told AFP. "Two unidentified gunmen entered the radio station's office at around 6pm on Tuesday. They opened fire on two reporters who were behind their mics during a live programme. Both reporters died at the scene," he said. The attack is the second this year in Afghanistan targeting journalists, and comes as diplomatic efforts to end the 17-year war have intensified. Last month, Afghan citizen journalist Jawid Noori was snatched from his car and murdered by the Taliban in Farah province in the country's west. 2018 was the deadliest year on record for journalists in Afghanistan, according to Reporters Without Borders. Amnesty International described the latest attack as a "horrific crime" and urged Afghan authorities to ensure protection for journalists so they could work safely. "This attack once again highlights the risks journalists continue to face in Afghanistan for just doing their job," the group's South Asia researcher, Zaman Sultani, said in a statement. Afghanistan's Journalists Safety Committee issued a statement calling on the government to "identify the perpetrators and make sure that the justice is served." AFP's chief photographer in Afghanistan, Shah Marai, was among 25 people killed along with eight other journalists in a bomb attack in April 2018. Less than three months later, AFP driver Mohammad Akhtar was killed in another suicide attack on his way to work. According to RSF, 60 journalists and media workers have been killed in Afghanistan since the US-led invasion in 2001 that toppled the Taliban regime and enabled independent media to blossom in its wake -- an average of around three a year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhis Hindustani Awam Morcha plunged into turmoil on Wednesday when its state president Vrishan Patel and national spokesman Danish Rizwan resigned from the party launching vitriolic attacks against each other. Minutes after Rizwan tendered his resignation and shared its copies on the social media, accusing Patel of misusing party funds, the state president announced he too was quitting HAM as he was upset with Manjhi criticizing dharna by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, as it was against Mahagathbandhan line, and his failure to take action against the national spokesman, who was hobnobbing with the NDA. Rizwans resignation came three days after he had termed Rahul Gandhis Patna rally, wherein Manjhi had taken part, as a flop and urged the HAM leader to reconsider alliance with the Congress claiming that poor turnout and mismanagement reflected poorly on the state of affairs in that party. Manjhi, who has so far not commented on the latest developments inside his party, had expressed disapproval of the views expressed by Rizwan and similar comments by another HAM spokesman Vijay Yadav and said I would inquire and if my party workers have indeed made such a statement they may have to face disciplinary action. Patel had also come out with strong criticisms of Rizwans utterances on Gandhis rally and demanded action against him. In his resignation letter, addressed to Manjhi, Rizwan made no mention of the Congress rally episode but said I consider HAM as my home and cannot remain a mute spectator to the state president eating it up like termites. Vrishan Patel, who was voting in favor of Nitish Kumar while loyalists like myself stood beside you, is swindling party funds, Rizwan alleged referring to the crisis of 2015 when both Manjhi and Patel were in JD(U). Manjhi had to step down as Chief Minister to pave the way for return of Kumar. Patel, however, rubbished the allegations of Rizwan claiming he has resigned anticipating that axe may fall on him as Manjhi has taken a serious view of his indiscipline. He has also issued statements indicating that he was ready to join the NDA at its rally on March 03 which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to address. Rizwan scoffed in response saying Patel must have learnt about my decision to join NDA in his dreams. Patel added I, however, feel Manjhi has not been quick and firm in cracking down on those involved in anti-party activities. His unwanted criticism of Mamata Banerjee also goes against the line taken by Mahagathbandha. I have therefore resigned. Manjhi had on Tuesday said Banerjees dharna was unbecoming of a Chief Minister though he had added that he did not disagree with the TMC chiefs contention that the CBI was being misused to settle political scores. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Donald Trump on Wednesday hit out at what he called the "ridiculous partisan investigations" into his presidency, a reference to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe of Russian interference into the 2016 election. "We must be united at home to defeat our adversaries abroad," Trump said in his annual State of the Union address. Though Trump did not name the specific probes, his reference was seen pointed towards Mueller's probe to ascertain whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia ahead of the 2016 elections. The president has long branded the special counsel's probe a "witch hunt". "If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation. It just doesn't work that way! "An economic miracle is taking place in the United States and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, or ridiculous partisan investigations," Trump added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he will hold the second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Vietnam at the end of February. The summit would be held on February 27 and 28. Kim and Trump met in Singapore last year, marking the first bilateral meeting between leaders of the two countries. Addressing Congress during his annual second State of the Union, Trump said progress has been made in his administration's efforts to achieve peace on the Korean peninsula. The president said that although much work remains to be done, his relationship with North Korea's leader is "good." Trump, however, also gave an ominous warning about the risks of heightened tensions with Pyongyang. "If I had not been elected President of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea," Trump said. The two leaders would meet on February 27-28 for the second summit. The lead US negotiator with North Korea, Stephen Biegun, is set to meet with his North Korean counterpart on Wednesday in Pyongyang. He said that he hoped the meeting with Kim Hyok Chol would map out "a set of concrete deliverables," according to Reuters. It is not clear in which city the summit will take place. Hanoi, the nation's capital, and Da Nang, a coastal resort town, have both been floated as possibilities. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Making yet another strong pitch for people to come into the US based on merit, US said Wednesday that tolerance for illegal immigration is not compassionate -- it is cruel. Trump, in his annual State of the Union address, said: "We have a moral duty to create an immigration system that protects the lives and jobs of our citizens". The lawless state of the southern Mexico border is a threat to the safety, security and financial well-being of all Americans, he said. "This (moral duty) includes our obligation to the millions of immigrants living here today, who followed the rules and respected our laws. Legal immigrants enrich our nation and strengthen our society in countless ways. I want people to come into our country, but they have to come in legally," said the US President in his address to a joint session of the Trump said his administration has sent to Congress a commonsense proposal to end the crisis on the southern border. "It includes humanitarian assistance, more law enforcement, drug detection at our ports, closing loopholes that enable child smuggling, and plans for a new physical barrier, or wall, to secure the vast areas between our ports of entry. "In the past, most of the people in this room voted for a wall -- but the proper wall never got built. I'll get it built," Trump said. This is a smart, strategic, see-through steel barrier -- not just a simple concrete wall, he said. "It will be deployed in the areas identified by border agents as having the greatest need, and as these agents will tell you, where walls go up, illegal crossings go way down. "Simply put, walls work and walls save lives. So let's work together, compromise, and reach a deal that will truly make America safe," said the US President. Asking the Congress to defend the very dangerous southern border, Trump said no issue better illustrates the divide between America's working class and America's political class than illegal immigration. He said that wealthy politicians and donors push for open borders while living their lives behind walls and gates and guards. Meanwhile, working class Americans are left to pay the price for mass illegal migration -- reduced jobs, lower wages, overburdened schools and hospitals, increased crime, and a depleted social safety net, he told members of the "Tolerance for illegal immigration is not compassionate -- it is cruel. One in three women is sexually assaulted on the long journey north. Smugglers use migrant children as human pawns to exploit our laws and gain access to our country," he said. Urging Republicans and Democrats to join forces again to confront an urgent national crisis, Trump said the has 10 days left to pass a bill that will fund the government, protect homeland and secure the southern border. "Now is the time for Congress to show the world that America is committed to ending illegal immigration and putting the ruthless coyotes, cartels, drug dealers and human traffickers out of business," he said, adding that large, organised caravans are on the march to the United States. "We have just heard that Mexican cities, in order to remove the illegal immigrants from their communities, are getting trucks and buses to bring them up to our country in areas where there is little border protection. I have ordered another 3,750 troops to our southern border to prepare for the tremendous onslaught," he said. This is a moral issue, Trump asserted and indicated that he will not back down from the issue which he believes is necessary for the safety and security of the country. Human traffickers and sex traffickers take advantage of the wide open areas between the ports of entry to smuggle thousands of young girls and women into the United States and to sell them into prostitution and modern-day slavery, he alleged. Tens of thousands of innocent Americans are killed by lethal drugs that cross the US border and flood into cities -- including meth, heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl, Trump added. US President Donald Trump has nominated a senior Treasury official David Malpass as the next president of the World Bank. If voted by the Directors of the World Bank Group, he would replace Jim Yong Kim as the president of the world bank, a position which has traditionally been held by Americans. The position of Managing Director of International Monetary Fund has gone to Europe. Given the vote share of various countries inside World Bank, the confirmation of Malpass as its next president is now a mere formality. Announcing his nomination on Wednesday, Trump declared Malpass as a "special man", and as someone who was eminently qualified for the position. In his current capacity as the Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs, Malpass, 62, oversees the working of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. An internationally renowned economist, Malpass brings 40 years of experience in economics, finance, government, and foreign policy to his new assignment, Trump said. After receiving a degree in international economics from Georgetown University's prestigious School of Foreign Service, Malpass served as deputy assistant secretary of the treasury under President Ronald Reagan and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State under President George H W Bush. "The Wall Street Journal just said today in an editorial that David Malpass is an excellent choice, which is America is the largest contributor to the World Bank, giving it over USD 1 billion every year," Trump said. "My administration has made it a top priority to ensure that US taxpayers dollars are spent effectively and wisely, serve American interests and defend the American values," he added. "Malpass is a strong advocate for accountability at the World Bank for a long time," said the US president. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Trump had made an excellent choice by nominating Malpass to serve as President of the World Bank. "David has worked closely with me at the Treasury Department and understands the President's pro-growth economic agenda that has led to the strongest US economy and job market in generations," he said. "As Under Secretary, he successfully negotiated a capital increase and reform package to focus the World Bank on its core mission of lifting up the standard of living in lower-income countries," said Mnuchin who was assisted by Trump's daughter and senior presidential advisor Ivanka Trump in the selection process. "David's extensive knowledge of the World Bank's challenges and opportunities make him a uniquely qualified steward of a great institution that is operating below its full potential," Ivanka Trump said. "David's leadership was invaluable in the design and implementation of the World Bank's Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi) and I look forward to continuing our work together to realize the mission of the Bank, to eliminate poverty and build prosperity, by economically empowering women in the developing world," she said. Scott Morris, senior fellow at the Center for Global Development and former US Treasury deputy assistant secretary for development finance and debt, said as the US candidate, Malpass will have a lot of work to do to convince other shareholders that he was prepared to move beyond his past statements and track record when it comes to the World Bank's agenda. "That includes the bank's critical role in climate finance and the need for constructive engagement with China. The rest of the world holds 84% of the voting power at the World Bank. It's fully within their ability to block an unsuitable nominee," Morris, who played a leading role in Jim Kim's campaign for World Bank president said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Donald Trump Wednesday justified imposing tariffs on the Chinese imports, saying the US is receiving billions of dollars a month from a country that never gave it a dime. Trump, during his second annual State of the Union (SOTU) address, said that to build on America's incredible economic success, one priority is paramount reversing decades of calamitous trade policies. "We are now making it clear to China that after years of targeting our industries, and stealing our intellectual property, the theft of American jobs and wealth has come to an end. "Therefore, we recently imposed tariffs on USD 250 billion of Chinese goods and now our Treasury is receiving billions of dollars a month from a country that never gave us a dime," the President told a joint session of the US Congress. The SOTU address is a traditional annual speech of the US president to a joint session of Congress where he gives an account of the situation in the country. Imposing tariffs make US-made products cheaper than imported ones, and encourage consumers to buy American. The US and China are locked in a trade war since Trump imposed heavy tariffs on imported steel and aluminium items from China in March last year, a move that sparked fears of a global trade war. In response, China imposed tit-for-tat tariffs on billions of dollars worth of American imports. China's is the world's second largest economy after the US. Trump said he does not blame China for taking advantage of the US but "our leaders and representatives for allowing this travesty to happen". "I have great respect for (Chinese) President Xi (Jinping), and we are now working on a new trade deal with China. But it must include real, structural change to end unfair trade practices, reduce our chronic trade deficit, and protect American jobs," he said. Due to the ongoing trade war, USD 250 billion in Chinese exports that are subject to US tariffs while approximately USD 85 billion in US exports are subject to China's tariffs. In a bid to meet the US' demand of bringing down the USD 375 billion bilateral trade deficit, China has pledged to take measures to step-up American imports and investments. March 1, 2019 is the deadline for implementing the measures. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) by Stefano Caprio Sanremo (AsiaNews) - The Russian Orthodox parish of San Remo, whose priest Dionisij Bajkov had been suspended in recent days by the Greek metropolitan of Italy Ghennadios (Zervos), has left the jurisdiction of Constantinople to join the Russian Orthodox Church abroad, the so-called Zarubeznaja. The parish priest with the community members also invited the other parishes of the former Russian archdiocese of Europe to join the new destination. The decision by the Orthodox in San Remo comes ahead of deliberations due to take place February 23 in Paris, the seat of Archbishop Ioann of Charioupolis (Jeanne Rennetau), head of the historic community of European Russians. Following the suppression of the ecclesiastical structure, decided by Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople last November, all the parishes distributed in various countries of Western Europe should have submitted to the local Greek bishops. Not accepting the imposition of Constantinople, the options left to these communities and their priests have led almost all to the patriarchate of Moscow. Fr. Dionisijs choice is a compromise, because the Church abroad was in turn reunited with Moscow in 2004, but maintained an independent administration. The community of European Russians, moreover, had formed after the revolution, when another part of the Russian refugees from the Civil War gave life to the Zarubeznaja Church. The latter spread to various countries in the world, more in the Americas than in Europe, and has its operational center in the town of Jordanville, in the United States. In the letter that Fr. Bajkov published explaining his decision he writes that the decisive push was precisely the suspension by Ghennadios and "the claims of the Greeks on our church", and the consequent lack of official reactions from Archbishop Ioann of Paris by whom the community expected to be defended. "Our parish has an independent statute according to Italian law, and has all the rights to self-determination", he states in the letter, "no external force can influence our choice". The text recounts the pressures received from representatives of the former Russian archdiocese, which on 3 February presented themselves at the extraordinary parish assembly, trying to interrupt it as "non-canonical". The parishioners, however, voted unanimously for the transition to the Russian Church abroad. "We were very disappointed and struck by the hostile attitude of the archdiocese ... My parishioners and I sincerely hope that no one will advance more claims on our church, and that the Russian exarchate respect each person's freedom of choice", writes Bajkov . For these reasons, the Orthodox of San Remo hope to be followed by their brothers and sisters in the assembly of 23 February: "We will be able to preserve the rich spiritual culture and historical heritage of our archdiocese only by joining the Russian Church abroad". Even the parish of Florence, which had left Constantinople in recent months, has decided to join the Zarubeznaja structure. Fr. Dionisij believes that Archbishop Ioann of Paris is "subject to enormous pressure from the anti-Russian lobby existing within the same archdiocese", as he explained to journalists of the Nezavisimaja Gazeta, expressing the fear that the pressures on the community can continue. The Church of Christ the Savior in San Remo, built in 1913, until 1989 hosted the remains of Princess Elena of Montenegro, the Orthodox wife of King Vittorio Emanuele II, who were then brought back to their native homeland. US President Donald Trump, who has declared victory over the Islamic State group, has said that he expected the extremists to lose all their remaining territory in Syria in around a week. "The United States military, our coalition partners and the Syrian Democratic Forces have liberated virtually all of the territory previously held by ISIS in Syria and Iraq," Trump told an international conference about the fight taking place at the State Department on Wednesday. "It should be formally announced sometime next week that we will have 100 percent of the caliphate," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President Donald Trump gave himself credit for averting a "major war" with North Korea as he touted his achievements during the annual State of the Union address on Wednesday. Trump raised fears of war with North Korea in 2017 when he threatened to rain "fire and fury like the world has never seen" on the hermit nation because of the threat it posed to the US. But during his prime-time address, Trump said he would hold a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un later this month in Vietnam. "If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea," he said during the address that lasted for more than 80 minute. lans for a second summit have been in the works since the two leaders' historic talks last year. Trump and Kim's meeting last June in Singapore was the first ever between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader. While Pyongyang has not conducted any atomic or ballistic missile tests since last summer, it has yet to agree to dismantle its nuclear weapons programme. Since their Singapore summit, Trump and Kim have exchanged letters. Trump has repeatedly said in recent days that he has a "very good relationship" with the reclusive leader. The two leaders famously exchanged explosive words in the past, with Trump calling Kim "little rocket man" and saying that continued threats against the US would be "met with fire and fury like the world has never seen". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Iraq's most senior Shiite cleric has expressed his criticism of President Donald Trump's recent statement that US troops should stay in Iraq to keep an eye on neighboring Iran. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani is the latest Iraqi official to criticize Trump's remarks made to US media in which he said US troops are needed in Iraq so that America can "watch Iran.' Al-Sistani says Iraq rejects serving as a launching pad to harm any other country. He spoke on Wednesday, during a meeting with UN Iraq envoy Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert at the cleric's base in the city of Najaf. He says Iraq aspires to have good and balanced relations with all neighbouring countries, without interference in its internal affairs. Both Iraq's president and prime minister have hit back at Trump's statements. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a veiled attack on DMK president M K Stalin, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami Wednesday said some politicians were attempting to create problems and politicise everything, including the recently concluded Global Investors Meet (GIM), for their selfish ends. The state which has 234 assembly and 39 Lok Sabha constituencies was bound to face various problems, but some politicians were trying to create problems for "political advantage", he said. He was speaking after inaugurating an industrial park set up by the Coimbatore District Small Industries Association (CODISSIA), at nearby Mopperlpalayam. Stalin had been highly critical of the second edition of the GIM, held last month, and the first in 2015, disputing the claims of the government on the investments received. Palanisamy said the first edition of GIM organised in 2015 under the guidance of then chief minister Jayalalithaa had attracted an investment of Rs.2.42 lakh crore. In the GIM-2019, investments to the total tune of Rs 3.34 lakh crore had been committed by 304 companies which have signed agreements. Of this, Rs 34,206 crore was being invested in medium, small and micro enterprises sector. However, these "achievements" were being seen in a political angle by some, he said. All the ministries had been asked to provide necessary assistance for setting up of industries in the state, he said adding licence was being given within 30 days. Palaniswami also said the recently released startup policy will help create 5,000 new units. The chief minister said Tamil Nadu stood first in law and order front in a survey conducted by the "India Today" magazine and an award was given by Vice President Venkaiah Naidu. Lauding Codissia for setting up the industrial park in the sprawling 400 acres in Kannampalayam and Mopperipalayam,he said the 322 units coming up in the park will create direct employment for 10,000 people and 20,000 indirect jobs. Defence Minister Nirmala Seetharaman, who was scheduled to inaugurate the Industrial park, could not come due to some unavoidable circumstances, Palaniswami said. Earlier, the chief minister laid the foundation stone for an hospital to be built by the Perur Mutt here. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) / -- The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) Mumbai, has the pleasure of initiating a 'Hall of Fame' series that is aimed at recognizing outstanding Entrepreneurs, Investors, Investment Bankers, Corporates, Public Sector & Government change agents who have contributed tremendously to the development of the Economy and the Ecosystem in India and Globally. These recognitions are given to high achievers, impactful value creators, marquee individuals and institutions who have brought about positive change through innovation, disrupted the norms and are wealth creators. In its first year, the 'Hall of Fame' awardees were recognized at the 10th edition of TiECon Mumbai which was held today 5th February 2019 at NCPA, Nariman Point, Mumbai. The Chief Guest for this year's prestigious 'TiE Mumbai's Hall of Fame' was Shri Narayana Murthy, Founder Infosys who is a veteran ICT Industry leader and also a strong proponent of the Entrepreneurial landscape in India. Congratulating the winners, Atul Nishar, President, TiE Mumbai said, "Innovation is the biggest driver and differentiator today. The awardees of the Hall of fame have shown exemplary courage, passion and foresight in being disrupters who have created wealth and opportunities for thousands." Harish Mehta, Chair 'Hall of Fame 2019 committee', commented, "We at TiE Mumbai, want to recognize and reward the grit of these individuals, so it encourages others to follow." About the AwardeesThis year's Hall of Fame 2019 inductees includes the following illustrious Entrepreneurs, Investors and Achievers of the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem -1. Outstanding Global Entrepreneur - Bhavin Turakiya - Founder Flock & Zeta2. Outstanding Entrepreneur E-commerce - Falguni Nayar- Founder Nykaa.com3. Outstanding Entrepreneur Deep Tech - Sharad Sanghi, Netmagic Solutions4. Outstanding Entrepreneur HealthCare - Dr. Velumani, Thyrocare5. Outstanding Entrepreneur Fashion & Life Style - Manish Malhotra, Courtier and Fashion Designer6. Outstanding Investment Banker: Ranu Vohra, Gaurav Deepak, Kaushal Aggarwal - Avendus Capital7. Outstanding Social Entrepreneur- Roopa Purushothaman- Avasara Leadership Academy8. Outstanding Change Agent - Kaustubh Uday Dhavse Joint Sec & OSD to Hon' Chief Minister of Maharashtra9. Outstanding Value Creating Institution - Ashish Chauhan, BSE10. Outstanding Angel Investor- Sasha Mirchandani, Kae CapitalThe conference will focus on the unexplored charters of the Digital and Innovative worlds and challenge the preemptive assumptions of Technology and its Disruptions. The 2-day program is designed to contemplate on the future of ideas, entrepreneurship and the leadership needed to embrace and navigate through remarkable breakthroughs and journeys unseen. About TiE: TiECon Mumbai is the largest Entrepreneurial Leadership Conclave that takes place once a year in Mumbai. TiECon has been an integral part of TiE's efforts to bring the industry leaders and start-ups together for thought leadership, inspiration, experiences and stories, mentoring and potential path breaking innovative disruptions. In addition, myriad-networking opportunities created at this event make it a hot bed of ideators, potential leaders and influencers. Media Contact: Jacqueline Patel jacquelinepatel@yahoo. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Shiv Sena Wednesday backed police action against activist and academic Anand Teltumbde, drawing parallels between the tactics of those linked to the Elgar Parishad conclave and that of terror outfit al-Qaeda. Reacting to the diatribe, Teltumbde said he was at his wits' end as false allegations were levelled against him. In an editorial in the party mouthpiece 'Saamana', the Sena said attacking the credentials of police, administration and judiciary, raising doubts about the state government and demoralising people was a strategy adopted by al-Qaeda. "People supporting Elgar Parishad also have a similar strategy," the editorial said. Teltumbde, who the police claim has Maoist links, is an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Koregaon Bhima case. The case was filed after violent clashes at Koregaon-Bhima on January 1, 2018, a day after the Elgar Parishad conclave at Pune. Teltumbde was arrested last week but released soon afterwards following a sessions court order. According to Pune Police, inflammatory speeches at Elgar Parishad triggered the violence at Koregaon-Bhima, and the conclave was funded and supported by the Maoists. "The Koregaon-Bhima riots where Dalits were attacked has caused a vertical split in society. Sowing the seeds of rebellion, creating and spreading such literature and raising funds for it is the actual work of Maoist intellectuals. Al- Qaeda and intellectuals linked to Elgar have a similar style of functioning," the Sena said. Even those facing charges of murder, corruption and massacre get acquitted at times, which does not necessarily mean they are innocent, the Sena said. Teltumbde's supporters should know this, it added. It claimed some serious "anti-national activities" were being planned. Portraying police as criminals was the beginning of such a conspiracy, the party added. "Hence, this is the right time to stand firmly with police," the Uddhav Thackeray-led party said. It also objected to the term 'Dalit academic' used to refer to Teltumbde, saying it was an insult to tag caste with a person's intelligence. "People having a soft corner towards the Naxal movement cooked up the plan to spew venom of casteism in Maharashtra," the editorial alleged, adding that "bogus intellectuals" reacted to the action against Teltumbde and others including Varavara Rao, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves and Sudha Bharadwaj as if the "sky was falling". The court offered them, including Teltumbde, some respite, but does it mean police should not do anything, wondered the Sena, a BJP ally. "Police have presented proof of their speeches and venom-spewing literature. All these people were key to (the conspiracy to) destabilise the country," the Sena alleged. Their high academic qualifications have offered them some prestige and they created good contacts in the fields of administration, law and judiciary and education, it said. "These people have used this network to spread destructive thoughts of Naxalites and Maoism," the editorial said. In a way, these people are "sponsors or preachers of terrorism", it said, adding that intellectuals also need to abide by the law. These people despise 'Hindutva' and defame the country on international platforms, the editorial said. "(Dalit leader) Prakash Ambedkar calls RSS a terrorist organisation. Ambedkar's associates are AIMIM leader Owaisi and they support (former JNU student leader) Kanhaiya Kumar, Teltumbde and (Dalit activist and Gujarat MLA) Jignesh Mevani. RSS is a radical nationalist organisation," it said. Responding to the Sena's charge, Teltumbde said, "I am at my wits' end. They have levelled every possible charge that could be levelled against people like me. "Whatever is happening to people like us, it is beyond logic. They have levelled false charges. Whatever these people are doing to us is beyond tolerance," he said. Former Supreme Court justice P B Sawant, one of the organisers of Elgar Parishad, called the Sena's equating of the platform with al-Qaeda as "childish". "This is sheer childish. Those who have written it will get exposed on their own," Sawant said. "Such a comment also underscores their own low level of thinking. There is no need to even acknowledge them (by reacting)," Sawant added. Teltumbde has got interim protection from arrest from the High Court till February 12. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Over 20 prominent artists from across the country took part in a unique Art-in-Industry programme, organised by Tata Steel BSL in Odisha's Dhenkanal as part of an endeavour to promote art and culture. The two-day programme, which ended on Tuesday, was organised by Tata Steel BSL, formerly Bhushan Steel Ltd, to offer a platform for artistic expression to eminent artists and learning opportunities for budding painters from the locality, a Tata Steel release said. In this camp, the artists produced 20 beautiful pieces of art which were displayed at the venue. Besides 23 children from the schools around the steel major's plant, who were chosen from an art competition, also participated in the camp and honed their skill under the senior painters, it said. The camp-cum-exhibition was curated by noted artist Bikram Keshari Routray from Bhubaneswar. Lauding the initiative, an eminent painter from Amritsar, Balram Gambhir, said such camps are needed to bring national level discourse on the subject to interior areas so that art does not remain confined to big cities alone. Rajeev Singhal, Managing Director, Tata Steel BSL, said, "As a responsible corporate, Tata Steel BSL, along with extending support to the communities in education, health and livelihood, also promotes sports, literature, artistic expression in line with the philosophy of Tata Group. "We stay committed to create more such platforms in future," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two days of unprecedented talks with high-ranking Afghan politicians in Moscow were "very successful", the Taliban said Wednesday, despite disagreements over women's rights and demands for an Islamic constitution in the war-torn country. "It was very successful. We agreed on many points and I am hopeful that in future, we can succeed further, and finally we can reach a solution, we can find a complete peace in Afghanistan," Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, who headed the Taliban delegation, told reporters in the Russian capital. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Shares of Suzlon Energy bounced back Wednesday after a massive fall the previous day, surging nearly 7 per cent at close after the company clarified that it was regularly servicing its debt. The company's shares gained 5.23 per cent to close at Rs 3.82 on the BSE. During the day, it jumped 9.91 per cent to Rs 3.99. At the NSE, shares surged 6.94 per cent to end at Rs 3.85. Shares of Suzlon Energy dived over 24 per cent Tuesday amid concerns over its financial position. "In response to certain media queries, we wish to further clarify that none of the share of the promoters held in the company have been invoked," Suzlon said in a clarification to BSE Tuesday. "Further, the promoters' shareholding in the company has been pledged for collaterally securing the obligations of the lenders of the company and not towards securing promoters' personal borrowings. And the said pledge too is not mark-to-market," it said. In a separate clarification to BSE, Suzlon said, "we wish to clarify that the company is regular in servicing its debt obligations including servicing obligations towards banks and others for January 2019." The rumours about the company are baseless and "we appeal to all the investors and stakeholders to not to believe the same," it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sunny Deol has been approached to play a grey role in Amitabh Bachchan starrer "Aankhen" sequel, filmmaker Anees Bazmee has revealed. "We have met a lot of people. We are negotiating with actors regarding dates and finance. Once things are finalised we will make a formal announcement. "We did meet Sunny ji, we have known each other for a very long time. It is a grey character, it is a very nice role. Till the time formalities are not complete we can't say he is doing the film," Bazmee told PTI. At the grand launch event of the film in 2016, the makers had announced that Anil Kapoor, Arshad Warsi and Ileana D'Cruz will join megastar Amitabh Bachchan and Arjun Rampal in "Aankhen 2". The film is now produced by Eros International and Tarun Agarwal. The sequel goes on floor sometime this year and Bazmee says the delay is caused because of the then producer Gaurang Doshi. The director did not wish to share more details. "The delay was because of the producer. We will start work this year. Bachchan sahab is there in the film. It is going to be a multi-starrer so we need to finalise dates of all actors." The 2002 film, directed by Vipul Shah, narrated the story of Vijay Singh Rajput (Bachchan), a temperamental man, who is unceremoniously stripped of his duties as a bank manager and he decides to seek revenge by robbing the bank. He trains three blind men -- Arjun Rampal, Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal - to do the job for him. The director says the sequel revolves around a casino heist. "There are some changes, we can't talk about it in detail. The film revolves around a casino heist, we are shooting it abroad. There will be three blind men, two girls and one antagonist. There are some eight to ten main characters." Asked if Kapoor, Arshad and Ileana, who were roped in three years back, will still be part of the sequel, Bazmee said, "Some will be there some won't be there. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Invited to volunteer with the saint 27 years ago, she never left India. It is not poverty only [or] hunger for bread. There is hunger of love. You find that in well-to-do countries more. For her, it is easier to remove material poverty than to remove heart poverty." Calcutta (AsiaNews) Ritsuko Shibuya, 58, left everything behind in her native Japan for the alleys of Kolkata (Calcutta) to follow the teachings of Mother Teresa. For the past 27 years, she has been a volunteer at the Daya Dan, a health facility founded by the saint to help abandoned children with serious physical and mental disabilities. Ritsuko was born in Mie, a prefecture in central Japan. At 16 she moved to Vienna (Austria), where she studied piano for 12 years. After completing her musical studies, she decided to travel for a couple of years, before returning to Japan. Kolkata was just one stop but, by chance, she was invited to volunteer with Mother Teresa. "It was the first time I saw a dead person's face," she told NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation). "My impression on the first day was so shocking that I couldn't leave and just say 'Thank you for this experience.' I felt like I had to stay a little longer." The children that Ritsuko helps are unable to see, speak or walk. They were abandoned by their parents, too poor to take care of them. Ritsuko helps them use the bathroom and takes care of physical therapy. "The children are so alive even though they cannot talk or walk. And they always smile at me. They give me love that is precious to me. That's what keeps me here." "It's harder than anything to see a child I've taken care of for a long time die," she notes. "When I see the children in their final days, it's hard for me to think about losing them. Every child needs to feel the warmth of love until their final moments." "It's Mother Teresa's words that give me strength," she says. "If I eat well, wear nice clothes, and live in a good place, I can't serve the poor. I have to live like them to be able to help them." Mother Teresa had this to say when she visited Japan in 1981. "I think many people in Japan don't know the poor of the country. There are poverties - spiritual poverties also. It is not poverty only [or] hunger for bread. There is hunger of love. You find that in well-to-do countries more. And it is easier to remove material poverty than to remove heart poverty." West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Wednesday said the state government is yet to receive any notice from the Ministry of Home Affairs for taking disciplinary action against Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar for allegedly violating service conduct rules. The chief secretary or the home secretary will reply to the notice after it was received, she told reporters at the state secretariat. Banerjee was replying to a query about reports from New Delhi that the MHA has asked the state government to take steps against Kumar for his alleged violation of the All India Service (Conduct) Rules by attending the Trinamool Congress supremo's dharna here. "No such letter was received till this afternoon. At a meeting to discuss the business summit tomorrow, I asked the chief secretary and home secretary whether they had received any such letter. They said no," Banerjee said. On how contents of the purported letter found mention in a section of the media, she said, "I don't know." Banerjee had on Tuesday described as "blatant lie" the MHA's charge that the city police chief had participated in her dharna and said the officer never went up to the dais. Banerjee was on a sit-in protest for three days against the CBI's attempt to question the Kolkata Police Commissioner in connection with chit fund scams. She called off her dharna Tuesday evening after the Supreme Court forbade the CBI from taking any coercive action against Kumar, but vowed to wage a battle against the Narendra Modi government till it was ousted from power. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The bereaved parents of TV journalist Soumya Vishwanathan, who was shot dead more than 10 years ago, has knocked the door of the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for a speedy trial and justice for her. In a letter to the CM, Soumya's father wrote that he and his family were tired of the "hollow assurances" from authorities, and expressed hope from a "concrete response" from him. Five people were arrested in 2009 on the charges of murder and are presently in custody. The trial in the case is going on in the Delhi's Saket district court from last 10 years. "Over this period, there have been changes in courts, judges and public prosecutors more than once," M K Vishwanathan, Soumya's father, writes in the letter. "We are seriously concerned about both, the pace at which the trial is moving as well as the quality of efforts being put in the proceedings by the prosecution. Hollow assurances from authorities have tired us out and we sincerely hope for a concrete response from you at the earliest," the aged man says. He says the recent change in the "public prosecutor has raised our concerns as he, once again, was absent from the court on the date of the last hearing (Feb 2)". He said that unlike the first prosecutor on the case, the current and the previous public prosecutors have been "unresponsive" in giving any updates to his family on the progress in the case. He said that 10 years ago -- his daughter was shot dead when she was 25 -- the police and the authorities made huge efforts in making the arrests and putting together a strong case against the accused. "But with time as the media visibility of the case went down, so did the interest of the State in getting us justice." Soumya was shot dead on September 30, 2008, when she was returning home in her car from office in the wee hours. Seeking the CM's intervention, Soumya's father said a significantly higher level of commitment from the public prosecutor, both in presence and preparedness for each hearing is required. "We urge you to help us get the best possible prosecution talent appointed to this case. In case the current prosecutor is overloaded or unable to focus on this case for any reason, please appoint a special prosecutor to help move things along. "Request the public prosecutor to be responsive to us, in providing periodic updates on the case, since we are no longer based full time in Delhi," he said in the letter. The distressed parents said they were disheartened to see hearing-after-hearing, "a meandering sense of apathy" with which the proceedings are taking place. "The judge has been considerate of the delay in this trial and has been kind enough to allot hearing dates at frequent intervals. But these dates continue to get wasted because of no-show of either lawyers or witnesses or both," the letter to the CM reads. The police had in 2009 arrested Ravi Kapoor, Amit Shukla, Baljeet Malik, Ajay Kumar and Ajay Sethi under section 302 (murder) of the IPC and under the provisions of MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act). They five are in judicial custody since March 2009. Advocate Amit Kumar, who is representing two of the five accused in the case, said, "We all are looking for a speedy conclusion of the trial because delay is killing everybody. It is not in the interest of everybody and society at large. Accused are in custody for almost 10 years. The judge is trying to expedite the matter and we are hopeful it will be concluded in the next six months." The parents also wrote, "We wish you never have to go through what we have for the past ten years. While the court's verdict cannot bring our daughter back, the least we expect from our judicial system is to do what it's designed to do -- get her justice. We have stayed extremely patient and supportive of the system all this while, and sincerely hope the system would not let us down. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in his 2019-20 Budget Wednesday announced a series of proposals and relief packages for the benefit of Self Help Groups (SHGs) and economically weaker section of the society. Sarma said that during 2019-20, capital subsidy of Rs 50,000 on bank loans would be provided to 63,000 SHGs and they would also be incentivized to go for bank loans by providing an interest subvention of 3 per cent. "We will also bring another 63,000 new SHGs under the ambit of the Vistarita Kanaklata Mahila Sabalikaran Yojana. These newly adopted SHGs will be given the initial revolving fund of Rs 25,000 under this scheme. The total number of SHGs which shall come under the ambit of the scheme by 2019- 20 will be 1,95,000 which denotes the emerging women empowerment story of our state," he said. On healthcare, the minister proposed to expand the coverage of Atal Amrit Abhiyan to include ICU packages, trauma critical care, paediatrics and paediatric surgery, besides bone marrow transplantation benefitting a large chunk of poor and middle class. "During the financial year 2019-20, I would like to continue with two important schemes that were launched on 28th January 2019. The farmers will continue to get 25 per cent subsidy on their short term crop loans taken against Kisan Credit Cards up to a maximum limit of Rs 25,000. "The second scheme is to continue with zero interest on short term crop loans up to Rs 2 lakh," Sarma said. Under the Asom Darshan tourism development initiative, a huge positive socio-economic impact is expected to be achieved on the state by developing and publicising various places of tourist interest, he said. He said a list of around 316 destinations has been drawn up for upgrading of basic infrastructure and amenities. For restoration of Sri Sri Batadrava Than in Nagaon district, one of the oldest and best-known thans (sacred place) founded by 15-16th century Assamese saint-scholar, social-religious reformer, poet and playwright, Srimanta Sankaradeva, the minister proposed Rs 155 crore so that it gets its deserved place in the annals of spiritual destinations in India. For boatmen, restaurant owners, affected by the commissioning of the Dhola-Sadiya Bridge and Bogibeel Bridge affecting their livelihood, the finance minister said Rs 5 crore has been earmarked as relief package to rehabilitate such individuals with an alternate source of income through the enterprise of the Inland Water Transport Department. An amount of Rs 70 crore has also been earmarked to roll out 1,000 new buses in Assam over the next three years. Sarma on Wednesday presented a Rs 1,193 crore deficit budget for 2019-20 with no fresh taxes. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Over sixty Brahminy ducks were found dead under mysterious circumstances in Bharuch district of Gujarat, a forest official said Wednesday. The cause of their death was being investigated, said V Z Tadvi, a forest official based in Jhagadia. The birds were found dead in the riverbed of the Narmada across three villages Tuesday. After the local people noticed a large number of dead birds, they contacted the forest department. Another official said on the condition of anonymity that contaminated water may have caused the deaths, but reports of autopsy and forensic laboratory tests were awaited. He ruled out the possibility of the deaths being the result of any epidemic. Brahminy ducks, also called 'ruddy shelducks', are migratory birds which travel to Nalsarovar in Gujarat from Europe and Central Asia in winter. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Four sub-inspectors (PSIs) and two constables of Nagpur Police have been suspended for alleged connection with drug traffickers, a senior official said here Wednesday. The action followed the arrest of Firoz alias Abu Aziz Khan, a notorious criminal, in a drug seizure case, said Joint Commissioner of Police Ravindra Kadam. Kadam said the investigation revealed that these policemen were allegedly in touch with Khan. The suspended police personnels were identified as PSI Manoj Orke, Nilesh Purbe, Sajid Mowal and Sharad Shimpne, and police constables Jayanta Selot and Shyam Mishra. The Crime Branch is conducting further probe, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The West Bengal BJP Wednesday said it has cancelled the rally of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Murshidabad district as the district administration denied permission to land his chopper. Chouhan, a BJP national vice-president, was scheduled to attend two rallies Wednesday - one at Baharampur in Murshidabad district and the other at Kharagpur in West Midnapore district. "We have decided to cancel the rally today as we were not given permission to land the chopper at Baharampur in Murshidabad district. He will be attending the rally at Kharagpur today," BJP state general secretary Sayantan Basu said. It has been decided that Chouhan will now attend the rally at Kharagpur and will go there by road from the Kolkata airport, Basu said. Accusing the state administration of indulging in "vendetta politics", Basu said the TMC cannot stop the "march of the BJP by denying permission to land choppers." "Earlier also permission for landing of choppers had been denied for the rallies of (Uttar Pradesh CM) Yogi Adityanath, (Union minister) Smriti Irani and other leaders. This is not new to us. We will fight it out in our own way," he said. The TMC leadership termed the charges against the state government baseless and claimed the district administration may not have allowed the landing of chopper after looking into the security aspect. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Bombay High Court will begin final hearing from February 20 on petitions filed by three convicts in the Shakti Mills gang-rape case, challenging the constitutional validity of a legal provision under which they were sentenced to death in 2014. Vijay Jadhav, Kasim Bengali and Salim Ansari were convicted on April 5, 2014 for raping a city-based photo-journalist in the Shakti Mills complex on August 22, 2013. Noting that the petitions had been pending since 2014, a bench of Justices B P Dharmadhikari and Revati Mohite-Dere on Wednesday rejected the Centre and the Maharashtra government's request for further time. "These petitions have been pending since 2014. Therefore, you (the Union and the state) have had ample time to prepare," the bench said. The court also noted that hearing on confirmation of the death sentences was stayed before another bench of the high court since it depended upon the outcome of the above petitions. It, therefore, said the court will begin the final hearing on the three writ petitions without any further delay. Three of the five people who were convicted by the sessions court here in 2014 -- Jadhav, Bengali and Ansari -- had moved the high court soon after their conviction, challenging the constitutional validity of the law under which they were sentenced to death for a repeat offence. The petitioners challenged the sessions court order allowing the prosecution to invoke Indian Penal Code's (IPC) Section 376 (E) when the trial was already underway. They also challenged the constitutional validity of this section, brought in by the Union government after the Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case in Delhi in 2012. In March 2013, the Centre amended the rape laws and introduced several stringent provisions, including Section 376 (E). The section says that if a person, who has been previously convicted for an offence of rape under IPC Section 376, is subsequently convicted for a repeat offence of rape, the courts can sentence him to imprisonment for the rest of his life, or even award a death sentence. As the three petitioners were found to have raped another woman earlier, the prosecution invoked IPC Section 376 (E) and sought the death penalty. The sessions court found merit in the prosecution's submissions and awarded the maximum punishment of death to the three petitioners, noting that they were habitual offenders. Siraj Khan, another convict, was sentenced to life imprisonment since he wasn't involved in the earlier rape case, while the fifth accused, a minor, was sent to a correctional facility. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The services of Odisha Fire personnel engaged in the operation to dewater the flooded mines, to rescue miners trapped inside a 370-foot deep coal mine in Meghalayas East Jaintia Hills district since December 13, was not required anymore, an official said Wednesday. The 21-member Odisha Fire Services team had arrived at Ksnan area on December 28 along with 10 high powered pump to dewater the mines. During their operation they had pumped out over 80 lakh litres of water from the mines, the official said. "The services of Odhisa Fire Services are no longer required at present with the use of submersible pumps of other agencies," district deputy commissioner F M Dopth told PTI. He said their utility has been suspended for the last two days and the district authorities have given them a farewell function Tuesday evening. The pumps of the OFS were engaged in dewatering at least two nearby abandoned mine shafts, close to where the disaster struck on December 13 last year trapping at least 15 miners. Unlike other agencies that may charge for the services used in the rescue operation, Odhisa Fire Service, Divisional Fire Officer, S P Behera said the team has not charged anything. "Meghalaya government provided accommodation, fuel, transportation to the site. All manpower and equipments were airlifted by the Indian Air Force. The return journey for the second team along with pump and equipment has been arranged by the state government," Behera said. The OFS team managed to pump out over 80 lakh litres of water singlehandedly, operation spokesperson R Susngi said. At present the pumps from Coal India Ltd, Kirloskar Brothers and the KSB using their submersible pumps, he said. Pumping at the main shaft was, however, suspended during the night to allow smooth functioning of the underwater ROVs which is conducting search of the bodies inside the coal mine, he said. Only one body has been retrieved till date even as the operations to rescue the trapped miners entered its 55th day on Wednesday. The body of another miner detected by the Navys ROV could not be retrieved due to the turbidity of the water inside the mine and the presence of mining materials left over by the miners causing obstructions, Susngi said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Shiv Sena on Wednesday backed police action against activist and academician Anand Teltumbde, and sought to draw a parallel between those linked to the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune and terror outfit Al-Qaeda. It said constant attacks on police, administration and law, raising doubts over the state government and demoralising people is the strategy of militant organisation Al-Qaeda. "People supporting Elgar Parishad also have a similar strategy," the Sena said in hard-hitting comments in an editorial published in the party's mouthpiece 'Saamana'. Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar dubbed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) a terrorist body but it is a radical nationalist organisation, the Sena said. Teltumbde, who the police claim has Maoist links, is an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Koregaon Bhima case registered by Pune Police. The case was filed following violent clashes at Koregaon-Bhima village near Pune district in Maharashtra on January 1, 2018. The activist was arrested last week in the case and then released following a sessions court order. He was booked following the Elgar Parishad event on December 31, 2017, which, the police alleged, triggered violent clashes the next day at Koregaon-Bhima. According to police, the event was funded and supported by Maoists. "The Koregaon-Bhima riots where Dalits were attacked has caused a vertical split in society. Sowing the seeds of rebellion, creating and spreading such literature and raising funds for it is the actual work of Maoist intellectuals. Al-Qaeda and intellectuals linked to Elgar have a similar style of functioning," the Sena said. It said people facing criminal charges such as murder, corruption and massacre get acquitted at times, which does not necessarily mean they are innocent and Teltumbde's supporters should know this. The Sena claimed some serious "anti-national activities" were being planned, and portraying police as criminals was the beginning of such a conspiracy. "Hence, this is the right time to stand firmly with police," the Uddhav Thackeray-led party said. It also objected to the term 'Dalit academic' used to refer Teltumbde, saying it was an insult to tag caste with a person's intelligence. "People having a soft corner towards the Naxal movement cooked up the plan to spew venom of casteism in Maharashtra," the editorial said, adding that "bogus intellectuals" reacted to the action against Teltumbde and other intellectuals like Varavara Rao, Arun Perreira, Vernon Gonsalves and Sudha Bhardwaj as if the "sky was falling". The court offered them, including Teltumbde, some respite, but does it mean police should not do any thing, wondered the Sena, an ally of the BJP in Maharashtra and at the Centre. "Police have presented proof of their (activists) speeches and venom-spewing literature. All these people were key persons to destabilise the country," the Sena alleged. Their high academic qualifications have offered them some prestige and they created good contacts in fields of administration, law and judiciary and education sectors, it said. "These people have used such a network to spread the destructive thoughts of Naxalites and Maoism," the editorial alleged. In a way, these people are "sponsors or preachers of terrorism", it said, adding that intellectuals also need to abide by law. These people despise 'Hindutva' and defame the country on international platforms, the editorial said. "Prakash Ambedkar calls RSS a terrorist organisation. Ambedkar's associates are AIMIM leader Owaisi and they support (former JNU students' union head) Kanhaiya Kumar, Teltumbde and (Dalit activist and Gujarat MLA) Jignesh Mevani. RSS is a radical nationalist organisation," the Sena said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President Donald Trump will hold a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Vietnam on February 27 and 28 to jump-start a diplomatic effort to dismantle the reclusive nation's nuclear and missile programmes. The announcement about the meeting came during Trump's second State of the Union address. Kim and Trump met in Singapore last year, marking the first bilateral meeting between leaders of the two countries. While North Korea since then has refrained from overtly provocative actions like testing nuclear warheads or ballistic missiles, it has yet to agree to actually give up any piece of its atomic arsenal. Addressing Congress, Trump said progress has been made in his administration's efforts to achieve peace on the Korean peninsula. "We continue our historic push for peace on the Korean Peninsula. Our hostages have come home, nuclear testing has stopped and there has not been a missile launch in more than 15 months," Trump said during the address that lasted for more than 80 minutes. "Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong-un is a good one," Trump said. "Chairman Kim and I will meet again on February 27 and 28 in Vietnam," he said. Trump, however, also gave an ominous warning about the risks of heightened tensions with Pyongyang. "If I had not been elected President of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea," Trump said. It is not clear in which city the summit will take place. Hanoi, the nation's capital, and Da Nang, a coastal resort town, have both been floated as possibilities. A source familiar with the negotiations told CNN that North Korea favours Hanoi given that they have an embassy there. The US favours Da Nang given the fact that there was recently an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in the city which means the US has already conducted a full check. Vietnam, which has diplomatic ties with both Washington and Pyongyang, offers advantages for both leaders. Da Nang is an easy flight for Kim's shorter-range aircraft and, for Trump, the country offers a symbolic nod to a communist country that has improved relations with the US since the end of the Vietnam War. The lead US negotiator with North Korea, Stephen Biegun, is set to meet with his North Korean counterpart on Wednesday in Pyongyang. With the summit between Trump and Kim just three weeks away, follow-up meetings at a working level will be needed, especially as there was no progress on denuclearisation during the last visit by a North Korean delegation to Washington in January. The North Koreans have said that they would take steps on denuclearisation if the US takes corresponding measures, though Biegun said last week that one of his tasks will be to figure out exactly what that means. Trump and Kim signed a vaguely worded agreement at their first summit in Singapore pledging to work toward full denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Members of Trump's administration, meanwhile, acknowledge North Korea is still developing a nuclear weapons programme and US sanctions on the country remain in place. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told lawmakers last week that "North Korea will seek to retain its WMD capabilities, and is unlikely to completely give up its nuclear weapons and production capabilities." Coats said that the US intelligence has observed "some activity that is inconsistent with full denuclearisation." The last nuclear test North Korea conducted was in September 2017. The regime also launched an intercontinental ballistic missile in November 2017. Some experts say the regime no longer needs to conduct such tests because of advances in its nuclear weapons programme. Pointing to an end of nuclear missile tests, Trump has placed North Korea at the top of his foreign policy achievements. Trump and Kim have exchanged letters, and the president has repeatedly said he has a "very good relationship" with the reclusive leader. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At the general audience, Francis retraces his recent journey. In the Document on Human Fraternity, "together we affirm the common vocation of all men and women to be brothers and sisters as sons and daughters of God, condemn all forms of violence, especially those with religious motivation, and we commit ourselves to spreading authentic values and peace in the world ". Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Pope Francis journey of to the United Arab Emirates "has written a new page in the history of dialogue between Christianity and Islam and in the commitment to promote peace in the world on the basis of human fraternity". The Pope himself said in his speech for today's general audience. In the words addressed to the seven thousand people present in the Paul VI hall, Francis emphasized the value of fraternity founded on the common origin of God and the common visions of mankind and society contained in the document signed together with the Great Imam of Azhar. Francis also spoke of last Saturdays sinking of a boat off the archipelago of the Bahamas, with dozens of migrants coming from Haiti and looking for hope and a future of peace. My thoughts - he said - goes to the families suffering from the pain, as well as to the Haitian people struck by this new tragedy. I invite you to join my prayer for those who died dramatically and for the injured ". Francis dwelt on the "short but very important" trip linked to the 2017 meeting in Al-Azhar, Egypt. "For the first time - he continued - a Pope has traveled to the Arabian peninsula. And Providence wanted it to be a Pope by the name of Francis, 800 years after the visit of St. Francis of Assisi to the sultan al-Malik al-Kamil. I often thought of Saint Francis during this journey: he helped me to keep the Gospel, the love of Jesus Christ in my heart, while I was experiencing the various moments of the visit; in my heart there was the Gospel of Christ, prayer to the Father for all his children, especially for the poorest, for the victims of injustices, wars, misery ...; prayer so that the dialogue between Christianity and Islam is a decisive factor for peace in today's world ". Francis then thanked the Arab authorities for their welcome and Msgr. Paul Hinder, apostolic vicar of South Arabia, "who prepared and organized the event for the Catholic community". The Pope spoke of greeting the first priest who went to those lands; he is blind and in the wheelchair, but he has such a smile ...". The Pope then emphasized that in his address after talks with the authorities, speaking at the interreligious meeting in Abu Dhabi, "I focused attention on the value of fraternity founded on the common origin of God, from which the inviolable dignity of each person is derived. Therefore, it is impossible to justify any act of violence in the name of God; rather, it offends it gravely and contradicts the spirit of religion. But how can we really protect the human family as brothers and sisters? This is possible through the courage of otherness, dialogue and prayer. Only in this way can the dove of peace really take flight, with the two wings of education and justice ". "In addition to the speeches, in Abu Dhabi, one more step has been taken: The Great Imam of Al-Azhar and I have signed the document on the Human Fraternity, in which together we affirm the common vocation of all men and women to be brothers and sisters as children of God, we condemn all forms of violence, especially those with religious motivations, and we commit ourselves to spreading authentic values and peace in the world. This document will be studied in the schools and universities of many countries "It will be used to increase human fraternity. In an era like ours, in which the temptation to see a clash between Christian and Islamic civilizations is strong, and also to consider religions as sources of conflict, we wanted to give a further, clear and decisive sign, that instead it encounter is possible, respect and dialogue is possible, and that, despite the diversity of cultures and traditions, the Christian and Islamic world appreciate and protect common values: life, family, religious sense, honor for the elderly, the education of young people, and others". Francis also recalled that "about one million Christians live" in the United Arab Emirates, "even more: workers originally from various countries of Asia". At the celebration of Mass: there "were very many! They say the stadium has a capacity of 40 thousand and then they say there were 150 thousand following on the giant screens outside". "I concelebrated Mass with the patriarchs, the major archbishops and the bishops present, we prayed especially for peace and justice, with special intention for the Middle East and Yemen". "This journey - he concluded - belongs to the "surprises" of God. We therefore praise Him and His providence, and pray that the scattered seeds will bear fruit according to His holy will". Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) leader Attaullah Jokatte has been booked for allegedly inciting communal hatred by performing a skit on the Babri Masjid demolition during a party campaign, police said on Wednesday. The skit was performed near the Sayyid Madani dargah, near Ullal, on Monday as part of the SDPI's month-long programme "Babri Masjid Expo", demanding rebuilding of the Babri Masjid at its original site. Taking cognisance of the play staged, the Ullal police on Tuesday booked Jokatte, SDPI's Dakshina Kannada district president, under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot) as he was the organiser of the programme and had taken permission for conducting the month-long campaign on his party's behalf. The events that culminated in the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh were enacted in the 10-minute skit, which had the potential to incite communal hatred, city Police Commissioner T R Suresh said. SDPI activists took out a protest march to the Ullal police station against the action on Tuesday. Karnataka SDPI general secretary Riyaz Farangipet alleged that the case against Jokatte was foisted, adding that the party would seek legal remedy. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A plea was filed in the Supreme Court on Tuesday, seeking a direction that political parties should only field candidates who are graduates and below 75 years of age at the time of notification of an election. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi is seized of a PIL filed by BJP leader and lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay seeking various reliefs, including setting up of special courts to try criminal cases involving lawmakers. Upadhyay, in its fresh interim plea, said imposing a condition during elections to prevent parties from fielding illiterate candidates is a "reasonable restriction" keeping in mind the concessions and privileges enjoyed by MLAs, MLCs and MPs. The plea said the functions performed by legislators are vital to democracy and there is no reason why they should be held to lower standards than municipal councilors and gram pradhans. "In many states, candidates for municipal councilor and gram pradhan certainly would not be considered at all if they are illiterate," the plea said. If a person, who is going to make laws and amend the Constitution, is not educated enough to understand the "pros and cons of the laws", then it would be "disastrous", it stressed. "It is true that even if a person went through higher education, he can still be unsuitable to be a legislator, but to have a legislator who didn't even go to college or university in the 21st Century is unfathomable. Do we, as a country, wish to be represented by a dumbfounded persona that can't find the exit or well-spoken and expressed figure that can handle any situation that arise at the moment?" it said. Besides setting up of special criminal courts for lawmakers, the PIL has also sought a life-time ban on politicians convicted in cases. Earlier during a hearing of the PIL, the apex court had directed setting up of designated courts in each district of Bihar and Kerala to try pending criminal cases involving former and sitting lawmakers in the two states. The court was informed that there were 4,122 criminal cases pending, some for over three decades, against present and former members of Parliament and legislative assemblies. The court had fixed the sequence for cases to be tried in these designated courts and said that cases against sitting or former Member of Parliament (MP) or Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) involving offences punishable with life imprisonment or death sentence, shall be taken on a priority. Senior advocate Vijay Hansaria, appointed as amicus curiae to assist the court in the matter, had also pointed out in his report the 4,122 pending cases. The report said that out of the pending cases, 2,324 cases are against sitting lawmakers both MPs/MLAs and 1,675 number of cases against former legislators (both MPs/MLAs). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Robert Vadra was Wednesday questioned by Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering probe into alleged possession of illegal foreign assets, days after his wife Priyanka Gandhi was formally inducted into the Congress party. In a move seen as sending a political message ahead of Lok Sabha polls, Priyanka, sister of Congress president Rahul Gandhi, accompanied her husband in a white Toyota Land Cruiser along with SPG personnel in tow, and dropped him outside the agency's office in Jamnagar House in central Delhi. Shortly after, Priyanka assumed charge as AICC general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh East. "I stand by my family," said Priyanka in response to a query about her husband being questioned by the ED. It is for the the first time that Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Sonia Gandhi, is appearing before any probe agency in connection with alleged criminal charges of dubious financial dealings After jostling with a posse of assembled media persons, Robert Vadra entered the ED office at around 3:47 pm, minutes after a team of his lawyers reached the premises. He then signed the attendance register before being taken in for questioning. Vadra has denied allegations of possessing illegal foreign assets and termed them a political witch hunt against him. Vadra has alleged he was being "hounded and harassed" to subserve political ends. ? The BJP seized on the questioning of Vadra to attack the Congress and allege he got kickbacks from a petroleum and defence deals took place during the UPA regime. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged at a conference that Vadra bought 8 to 9 properties in London from the money he got as kickbacks from a petroleum and a defence deal which took place in 2008-09 when the UPA was in power. Patra did not provide any evidence to back up his claim. Vadra was directed by a Delhi court to cooperate with the investigation being carried out by the ED after he knocked at its door seeking anticipatory bail in the money laundering case. The court had asked him to appear before the ED on Wednesday on his return from London. Official sources said Vadra will be put through questions on transactions, purchase and possession of certain immovable assets in London and his statement will be recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The case relates to allegations of money laundering in the purchase of a London-based property located at 12, Bryanston Square worth 1.9 million GBP (British pounds), which is allegedly owned by Vadra. The agency had told the court that it has received information about various new properties in London which belongs to Vadra. A local Congress leader Jagdish Sharma, questioned by the ED in this case few weeks ago, was present outside the agency's office after Vadra went in. Talking to newsmen, Sharma alleged that Vadra was being "framed" in the case. The ED had also carried out raids in the case in December last year and grilled his aide Manoj Arora, an employee of a firm linked to Vadra, Skylight Hospitality LLP. The agency had told the court that it filed the money laundering case against Arora after his role cropped up during the probe of another case by the Income Tax Department under the 2015 anti-blackmoney legislation against absconding arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari. It had alleged that the London-based property was bought by Bhandari for 1.9 million GBP and sold in 2010 for the same amount despite incurring additional expenses of approximately 65,900 GBP on its renovation. "This gives credence to the fact that Bhandari was not the actual owner of the property but it was beneficially owned by Vadra who was incurring expenditure on the renovation of this property," the ED had told the court. Arora was a key person in the case and he was aware of the latter's overseas undeclared assets and was instrumental in arranging funds, ED had alleged. Vadra has also been directed by the Rajasthan High Court to appear before the ED again on February 12 in connection with another money laundering case being probed by the agency. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Robert Vadra, the brother-in-law of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, was Wednesday questioned by Enforcement Directorate here for about five-and-a half hours in its money laundering probe into alleged possession of illegal foreign assets, days after he was directed by a city court to appear before the central probe agency. Vadra's wife Priyanka Gandhi accompanied him in a white Toyota Land Cruiser and dropped him outside the ED's office in Jamnagar House, in a move seen as sending a political message to Congress' opponents ahead of Lok Sabha polls. Vadra left the office at about 9:40 PM alone in the same car in which Priyanka had dropped him. His lawyer said Vadra has replied to every question that was put to him. "All charges against him are wrong. We will cooperate with the agency 100 per cent," Suman Jyoti Khaitan, his lawyer told the mediapersons waiting outside the ED office. Vadra has been called again Thursday. Priyanka, shortly after dropping her husband, took charge as AICC general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh East, after her formal induction into the Congress party on January 23. "He is my husband, he is my family...I support my family," Priyanka said in a show of support to Vadra, who returned from London earlier in the day. Priyanka was asked by newsmen at the All India Congress Committee headquarters whether she was sending any message by dropping her husband at the ED office. Asked if it was a political vendetta, she said everyone knows why this is being done. On the day of Priyanka's appointment, Vadra had sent an emotional message to her. "Congratulations P... always by your side in every phase of your life. Give it your best, Vadra said in a Facebook post. It is for the the first time that Vadra, son-in-law of Sonia Gandhi, is appearing before any probe agency in connection with alleged criminal charges of dubious financial dealings. After jostling with a posse of assembled media persons, Vadra entered the ED office at around 3:47 pm, minutes after a team of his lawyers reached the premises. He then signed the attendance register before being taken in for questioning. Vadra has denied allegations of possessing illegal foreign assets and termed them a political witch hunt against him. He has alleged he was being "hounded and harassed" to subserve political ends. Ahead of the questioning by a team of 3 ED officials, official sources said Vadra will be put through a dozen questions on transactions, purchase and possession of certain immovable assets in London and his statement will be recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.? It is understood he was also grilled about his links with absconding and controversial defence dealer Sanjay Bhandari. Vadra was directed by a Delhi court on Feb. 2 to cooperate with the probe being carried out by ED after he knocked at its door seeking anticipatory bail in the money laundering case. The court directed him to appear before ED on Wednesday on his return from London. The BJP seized on the questioning of Vadra to attack the Congress and alleged he got kickbacks from a petroleum and defence deals took place during the UPA regime. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged at a conference that Vadra bought 8 to 9 properties in London from the money he got as kickbacks from a petroleum and a defence deal which took place in 2008-09. Patra did not provide any evidence to back up his claim. Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi claimed that the charges against Vadra are "fickle, superficial, non-existent, non-substantive". The BJP had full four and a half years to investigate but could not find anything, he claimed at a conference. The attempt is to mislead, confuse and to create and ambience before election, but people see through this, he said. The ED case against Vadra relates to allegations of money laundering in the purchase of a London-based property at 12, Bryanston Square worth 1.9 million GBP (British pounds), which is allegedly owned by him. A local Congress leader Jagdish Sharma, questioned by the ED in this case few weeks ago, was present outside the agency's office after Vadra went in. Talking to newsmen, Sharma alleged that Vadra was being "framed" in the case. The ED had also carried out raids in the case in December last year and grilled his aide Manoj Arora, an employee of a firm linked to Vadra, Skylight Hospitality LLP. The agency had told the court that it filed the money laundering case against Arora after his role cropped up during the probe of another case by the IT Department under the 2015 anti-blackmoney legislation against absconding arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari. It had alleged that the London-based property was bought by Bhandari for 1.9 million GBP and sold in 2010 for the same amount despite incurring additional expenses of approximately 65,900 GBP on its renovation. "This gives credence to the fact that Bhandari was not the actual owner of the property but it was beneficially owned by Vadra who was incurring expenditure on the renovation of this property," the ED had claimed before the court. Arora was a key person in the case and he was aware of Vadra's overseas undeclared assets, the ED had alleged. Vadra has also been directed by the Rajasthan High Court to appear before the ED again on February 12 in connection with another money laundering case. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Robert Vadra, the brother-in-law of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, was Wednesday questioned by Enforcement Directorate (ED) here for over four hours in its money laundering probe into alleged possession of illegal foreign assets, days after he was directed by a city court to appear before the central probe agency. Vadra's wife Priyanka Gandhi accompanied him in a white Toyota Land Cruiser and dropped him outside the ED's office in Jamnagar House, in a move seen as sending a political message to Congress' opponents ahead of Lok Sabha polls. Shortly after, Priyanka took charge as AICC general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh East, a fortnight after her formal induction into the Congress party on January 23. "He is my husband, he is my family...I support my family," Priyanka said in a show of support to Vadra, who returned from London earlier in the day. Priyanka was asked by newsmen at the All India Congress Committee(AICC) headquarters whether she was sending any message by dropping her husband at the ED office for questioning. Asked if it was a political vendetta, she said everyone knows why this is being done. On the day of Priyanka's appointment, Vadra had sent an emotional message to her. "Congratulations P... always by your side in every phase of your life. Give it your best, Vadra said in a Facebook post. It is for the the first time that Vadra, son-in-law of Sonia Gandhi, is appearing before any probe agency in connection with alleged criminal charges of dubious financial dealings. After jostling with a posse of assembled media persons, Vadra entered the ED office at around 3:47 pm, minutes after a team of his lawyers reached the premises. He then signed the attendance register before being taken in for questioning. Vadra has denied allegations of possessing illegal foreign assets and termed them a political witch hunt against him. Vadra has alleged he was being "hounded and harassed" to subserve political ends. Ahead of the questioning by a team of 3 ED officials, official sources said Vadra will be put through a dozen questions on transactions, purchase and possession of certain immovable assets in London and his statement will be recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). ? Vadra was directed by a Delhi court on February 2 to cooperate with the investigation being carried out by the ED after he knocked at its door seeking anticipatory bail in the money laundering case. The court directed him to appear before the ED on Wednesday on his return from London. The BJP seized on the questioning of Vadra to attack the Congress and allege he got kickbacks from a petroleum and defence deals took place during the UPA regime. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged at a conference that Vadra bought 8 to 9 properties in London from the money he got as kickbacks from a petroleum and a defence deal which took place in 2008-09 when the UPA was in power. Patra did not provide any evidence to back up his claim. Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi claimed that the charges against Vadra are "fickle, superficial, non-existent, non-substantive". The BJP had full four and a half years to investigate but could not find anything, he claimed at a conference. The attempt is to mislead, confuse and to create and ambience before election, but people see through this, he said. "The ED, Income-Tax Department, the CBI, and 10 other agencies could not do a thing against him, for so many years. It shows that this is nothing but an 'electoral jumla'". The ED case against Vadra relates to allegations of money laundering in the purchase of a London-based property located at 12, Bryanston Square worth 1.9 million GBP (British pounds), which is allegedly owned by him. The agency had told the court that it has received information about various new properties in London which allegedly belongs to Vadra. A local Congress leader Jagdish Sharma, questioned by the ED in this case few weeks ago, was present outside the agency's office after Vadra went in. Talking to newsmen, Sharma alleged that Vadra was being "framed" in the case. The ED had also carried out raids in the case in December last year and grilled his aide Manoj Arora, an employee of a firm linked to Vadra, Skylight Hospitality LLP. The agency had told the court that it filed the money laundering case against Arora after his role cropped up during the probe of another case by the Income Tax Department under the 2015 anti-blackmoney legislation against absconding arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari. It had alleged that the London-based property was bought by Bhandari for 1.9 million GBP and sold in 2010 for the same amount despite incurring additional expenses of approximately 65,900 GBP on its renovation. "This gives credence to the fact that Bhandari was not the actual owner of the property but it was beneficially owned by Vadra who was incurring expenditure on the renovation of this property," the ED had claimed before the court. Arora was a key person in the case and he was aware of Vadra's overseas undeclared assets and was instrumental in arranging funds, the ED had alleged. Vadra has also been directed by the Rajasthan High Court to appear before the ED again on February 12 in connection with another money laundering case being probed by the agency. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Robert Vadra, the brother-in-law of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, was Wednesday questioned by Enforcement Directorate (ED) here for about five-and-a half hours in its money laundering probe into alleged possession of illegal foreign assets, days after he was directed by a city court to appear before the central probe agency. Vadra's wife Priyanka Gandhi accompanied him in a white Toyota Land Cruiser and dropped him outside the ED's office in Jamnagar House, a move seen as sending a political message to Congress's opponents ahead of Lok Sabha polls. Vadra left the office at about 9:40 PM alone in the same car in which Priyanka had dropped him. His lawyer said Vadra has replied to every question that was put to him. "All charges against him are wrong. We will cooperate with the agency 100 per cent. He will come whenever he is called," Suman Jyoti Khaitan, his lawyer told the mediapersons waiting outside the ED office. Officials said Vadra has been called again Thursday. Priyanka, shortly after dropping her husband, took charge as AICC general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh East, after her formal induction into the Congress party on January 23. "He is my husband, he is my family...I support my family," Priyanka said in a show of support to Vadra, who returned from London earlier in the day. Priyanka was asked by newsmen at the All India Congress Committee headquarters whether she was sending any message by dropping her husband at the ED office. Asked if it was a political vendetta, she said everyone knows why this is being done. On the day of Priyanka's appointment, Vadra had sent an emotional message to her. "Congratulations P... always by your side in every phase of your life. Give it your best," Vadra said in a Facebook post. It is for the first time that Vadra, son-in-law of Sonia Gandhi, is appearing before any probe agency in connection with alleged criminal charges of dubious financial dealings. After wading through a posse of assembled mediapersons, Vadra entered the ED office at around 3:47 pm, minutes after a team of his lawyers reached the premises. He then signed the attendance register before being taken in for questioning. Vadra has denied allegations of possessing illegal foreign assets and termed them a political witch hunt against him. He has alleged he was being "hounded and harassed" to subserve political ends. Ahead of the questioning by a team of three ED officials, official sources said Vadra was put through a dozen questions on transactions, purchase and possession of certain immovable assets in London and his statement was recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.? It is understood he was also grilled about his links with absconding and controversial defence dealer Sanjay Bhandari and Bhandari's relative Sumit Chhadha in connection with certain emails recovered by agencies linked to the renovation of a London-based property. Vadra was directed by a Delhi court on February 2 to cooperate with the probe being carried out by ED after he knocked at its door seeking anticipatory bail in the money laundering case. The court directed him to appear before ED on Wednesday on his return from London. The BJP seized on the questioning of Vadra to attack the Congress and alleged he got kickbacks from a petroleum and defence deals took place during the UPA regime. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged at a conference that Vadra bought 8 to 9 properties in London from the money he got as kickbacks from a petroleum and a defence deal which took place in 2008-09. Patra did not provide any evidence to back his claim. Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi claimed the charges against Vadra are "fickle, superficial, non-existent, non-substantive". The BJP had full four and a half years to investigate but could not find anything, he claimed at a conference. The attempt is to mislead, confuse and to create and ambience before election, but people see through this, he said. The ED case against Vadra relates to allegations of money laundering in the purchase of a London-based property located at 12, Bryanston Square worth 1.9 million GBP (British pounds), which is allegedly owned by him. The agency had also told the court that it has received information about various new properties in London which belongs to Vadra, including two houses of five and four million each, six other flats and more properties. The ED had carried out raids in the case in December last year and grilled his aide Manoj Arora, an employee of a firm linked to Vadra, Skylight Hospitality LLP. The agency had told the court that it filed a PMLA case against Arora after his role cropped up during the probe of another case by the Income Tax Department under the 2015 anti-blackmoney legislation against absconding Bhandari. It had alleged that the London-based property was bought by Bhandari for 1.9 million GBP and sold in 2010 for the same amount despite incurring additional expenses of approximately 65,900 GBP on its renovation. "This gives credence to the fact that Bhandari was not the actual owner of the property but it was beneficially owned by Vadra who was incurring expenditure on the renovation of this property," the ED had claimed before the court. Arora was a key person in the case and he was aware of Vadra's overseas undeclared assets, ED had alleged. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Robert Vadra, the brother-in-law of chief Rahul Gandhi, was Wednesday questioned by Enforcement Directorate here for about five-and-a half hours in its money laundering probe into alleged possession of illegal foreign assets, days after he was directed by a city court to appear before the central probe agency. Vadra's wife accompanied him in a white Toyota Land Cruiser and dropped him outside the ED's office in Jamnagar House, in a move seen as sending a political message to Congress' opponents ahead of Lok Sabha polls. Vadra left the office at about 9:40 PM alone in the same car in which Priyanka had dropped him. His lawyer said Vadra has replied to every question that was put to him. "All charges against him are wrong. We will cooperate with the agency 100 per cent," Suman Jyoti Khaitan, his lawyer told the mediapersons waiting outside the ED office. Vadra has been called again Thursday. Priyanka, shortly after dropping her husband, took charge as AICC general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh East, after her formal induction into the party on January 23. "He is my husband, he is my family...I support my family," Priyanka said in a show of support to Vadra, who returned from London earlier in the day. Priyanka was asked by newsmen at the All India Committee headquarters whether she was sending any message by dropping her husband at the ED office. Asked if it was a political vendetta, she said everyone knows why this is being done. On the day of Priyanka's appointment, Vadra had sent an emotional message to her. "Congratulations P... always by your side in every phase of your life. Give it your best, Vadra said in a Facebook post. It is for the the first time that Vadra, son-in-law of Sonia Gandhi, is appearing before any probe agency in connection with alleged criminal charges of dubious financial dealings. After jostling with a posse of assembled media persons, Vadra entered the ED office at around 3:47 pm, minutes after a team of his lawyers reached the premises. He then signed the attendance register before being taken in for questioning. Vadra has denied allegations of possessing illegal foreign assets and termed them a political witch hunt against him. He has alleged he was being "hounded and harassed" to subserve political ends. Ahead of the questioning by a team of 3 ED officials, official sources said Vadra will be put through a dozen questions on transactions, purchase and possession of certain immovable assets in London and his statement will be recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.? It is understood he was also grilled about his links with absconding and controversial defence dealer Sanjay Bhandari. Vadra was directed by a Delhi court on Feb. 2 to cooperate with the probe being carried out by ED after he knocked at its door seeking anticipatory bail in the money laundering case. The court directed him to appear before ED on Wednesday on his return from London. The BJP seized on the questioning of Vadra to attack the Congress and alleged he got kickbacks from a petroleum and defence deals took place during the UPA regime. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged at a news conference that Vadra bought 8 to 9 properties in London from the money he got as kickbacks from a petroleum and a defence deal which took place in 2008-09. Patra did not provide any evidence to back up his claim. Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi claimed that the charges against Vadra are "fickle, superficial, non-existent, non-substantive". The BJP had full four and a half years to investigate but could not find anything, he claimed at a news conference. The attempt is to mislead, confuse and to create and ambience before election, but people see through this, he said. The ED case against Vadra relates to allegations of money laundering in the purchase of a London-based property at 12, Bryanston Square worth 1.9 million GBP (British pounds), which is allegedly owned by him. A local Congress leader Jagdish Sharma, questioned by the ED in this case few weeks ago, was present outside the agency's office after Vadra went in. Talking to newsmen, Sharma alleged that Vadra was being "framed" in the case. The ED had also carried out raids in the case in December last year and grilled his aide Manoj Arora, an employee of a firm linked to Vadra, Skylight Hospitality LLP. The agency had told the court that it filed the money laundering case against Arora after his role cropped up during the probe of another case by the IT US-based Prudential Financial Inc, which holds 49 per cent stake in DHFL Pramerica Life Insurance, said it remains committed to India and is scouting for a new local partner for the insurance company. Mortgage firm DHFL, which has 51 per cent in DHFL Pramerica Life Insurance, looks to exit the insurance JV. "Working together with DHFL, we will seek a new majority locally owned and controlled shareholder for DPLI to help facilitate the monetization of DHFL's equity stake," Prudential Financial Inc senior vice president (International Businesses) James Weakley said in a statement. While DHFL may reduce or exit its equity stake in DPLI, Prudential Financial's intention is to continue to play an active role in supporting the life insurance industry of India, he said. DHFL along with other NBFCs came under pressure following a series of default by group companies of IL&FS. Last week, Cobrapost alleged that Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Ltd (DHFL) through layers of shell companies allegedly siphoned off Rs 31,000 crore out of the total bank loans of Rs 97,000 crore. The expose alleged that the scam has been pulled off mainly by sanctioning and disbursing astronomical amounts in secured and unsecured loans to dubious shell or pass-through companies related to DHFL's primary stakeholders Kapil Wadhawan, Aruna Wadhawan and Dheeraj Wadhawan. It alleged that this was done through their proxies and associates, which have in turn passed the money on to the companies controlled by the Wadhawans. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Donald Trump on Wednesday called on a divided Congress to refrain from "the of revenge" and "partisan investigations" into his presidency as he appealed for unity at a time when the US is struggling to break a stalemate over the funding for his proposed wall along the border with Mexico that could trigger another shutdown. Trump in his second State of the Union address Trump touted economic gains during his first two years in office as well as legislative wins on issues like criminal justice reform. Trump warned that deepening partisan tensions undermine America's progress. His calls for reconciliation were met with mostly stone-faced silence from Democrats, who bitterly oppose his agenda and accuse him of hastening the decline in cross-party cooperation. The president had a record 35-day standoff with the Democrats led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over his proposed controversial wall along the US-Mexico border, which shut down the government and postponed the address which was earlier scheduled on January 29. Trump during his address presented himself as a leader who can work across party lines. "We must reject the of revenge, resistance and retribution and embrace the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise and the common good, the president said in his address that lasted for more than 80 minutes. "Together, we can break decades of political stalemate. We can bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions, forge new solutions and unlock the extraordinary promise of America's future." Trump also hit out at the "ridiculous partisan investigations" into his presidency, a reference to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe of Russian interference into the 2016 election. "We must be united at home to defeat our adversaries abroad," Trump said. Though Trump did not name the specific probes, his reference was seen pointed towards Mueller's probe to ascertain whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia ahead of the 2016 elections. The president has long branded the special counsel's probe a "witch hunt". "If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation. It just doesn't work that way! "An economic miracle is taking place in the United States and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, or ridiculous partisan investigations," Trump added. He said that illegal immigration was an urgent national crisis and he vowed to build the border wall with Mexico. The president wants USD 5.7 billion in funding for the wall. Democrats have offered funding for other border security measures, but nothing for the wall. Trump agreed to open the government until February 15 while lawmakers negotiate a border security funding package, but has threatened to shutter the government again or declare an emergency to secure wall funding if the deal is not to his liking. "Simply put, walls work and walls save lives," Trump said Tuesday. "So let's work together, compromise and reach a deal that will truly make America safe. "This is a smart, strategic, see-through steel barrier not just a simple concrete wall," he said. "We must choose between greatness or gridlock, results or resistance, vision or vengeance, incredible progress or pointless destruction. Tonight, I ask you to choose greatness," Trump said. Though Trump spent much of his address to Congress urging lawmakers to overcome partisan gridlock, he also devoted some portions to foreign policy. Trump vowed to right "calamitous" trade policies and sought to expand his power to impose tariffs which he said would empower him to respond faster during trade wars. Trump told Congress that Washington's aggressive trade negotiations with China would mean an end to its alleged "theft" of US jobs and wealth. He also asked Congress to pass the United States Reciprocal Trade Act. The United States Reciprocal Trade Act, if signed into law, could have consequences on bilateral trade with India. The proposed legislation would expand the White House's latitude to impose tariffs if other countries' tariffs or non-tariff barrier exceed US ones. The president reiterated his decision last week to withdraw from the Cold War-era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia. Trump alluded to negotiating a new agreement, which would include China. The treaty withdrawal sparked fears of a new arms race. Trump also reiterated the US opposition to embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Last month, Trump recognized opposition figure Juan Guaido as the legitimate leader of Venezuela amid the country's economic turmoil and political strife that has sparked a massive refugee crisis. Trump said that the US "will never become a socialist country". Trump celebrated the defeat of the Islamic State, adding it was time to bring US troops home from conflict zones in the Middle East. "Great nations do not fight endless wars," he said. Continuing the theme of withdrawal, Trump thanked US troops for their service in Afghanistan and said that the time had now come for a political solution to the problem. Trump described Iran as a "radical regime" and "the world's leading sponsor of state terror," adding: They do bad, bad things. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A defiant President Donald Trump Wednesday vowed to build a controversial wall along the US-Mexico border to stop illegal immigration and sought an end to the " of revenge", as he appealed to the divided Congress to bridge differences to avert another costly government shutdown. President Trump in his second State of the Union address demanded an end to "partisan investigations" into his presidency, touted economic gains during his first two years in office as well as legislative wins on issues like criminal justice reform. In his 82-minute address, the 72-year-old Republican president warned that deepening partisan tensions undermine America's progress. The annual State of the Union (SOTU) address is the keynote prime-time speech by the president to the Congress in which he sets out his legislative agenda and national priorities for the next year and highlights his achievements to the American people. Trump's calls for reconciliation were met with mostly stone-faced silence from Democrats, who bitterly oppose his demand for USD 5.7 billion for the border wall, his divisive political agenda and accuse him of hastening the decline in cross-party cooperation. The president had a record 35-day standoff with the Democrats led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over his proposed wall along the US-Mexico border, which shut down the federal government and postponed the address which was earlier scheduled on January 29. The government shutdown cost the economy a whopping USD 11 billion, including a permanent USD 3 billion loss, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office said last month. "In the past, most of the people in this room voted for a wall but the proper wall never got built." "I'll get it built," Trump vowed. The "smart, strategic, see-through steel barrier", he said, will bring down the illegal crossings from Mexico. Trump presented himself as a leader who can work across party lines. "We must reject the of revenge, resistance and retribution and embrace the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise and the common good," he said, earning a chant of 'USA, USA' from his supporters but a disapproving stare from Speaker Pelosi. "Together, we can break decades of political stalemate. We can bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions, forge new solutions and unlock the extraordinary promise of America's future." Trump also hit out at the "ridiculous partisan investigations" into his presidency, a reference to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe of Russian interference into the 2016 election which he won. Trump has long branded the special counsel's probe a "witch hunt". "We must be united at home to defeat our adversaries abroad," he said. "If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation. It just doesn't work that way! "An economic miracle is taking place in the United States and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, or ridiculous partisan investigations," Trump said, as Pelosi visibly scoffed behind him. "If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation. It just doesn't work that way!" Trump said that illegal immigration was an urgent national crisis and he vowed to build the border wall with Mexico. While the president wants USD 5.7 billion for the wall, the Democrats have offered funding for other border security measures. Trump agreed to open the government until February 15 while lawmakers negotiate a border security funding package, but has threatened to shutter the government again or declare an emergency to secure wall funding if the deal is not to his liking. "Simply put, walls work and walls save lives. So let's work together, compromise and reach a deal that will truly make America safe," he said. Trump also declared that the US "will never become a socialist country". Though Trump spent much of his address to Congress urging lawmakers to overcome partisan gridlock, he also devoted some time to foreign policy. He celebrated the defeat of the Islamic State, adding it was time to bring US troops home from conflict zones in the Middle East. "Great nations do not fight endless wars," he said that the time had now come for a political solution to the Afghanistan problem. Trump described Iran as a "radical regime" and "the world's leading sponsor of state terror," adding: "They do bad, bad things." Trump vowed to right "calamitous" trade policies and sought to expand his power to impose tariffs which he said would empower him to respond faster during trade wars. Trump told Congress that Washington's aggressive trade negotiations with China would mean an end to its alleged "theft" of US jobs and wealth. He also asked Congress to pass the United States Reciprocal Trade Act. The United States Reciprocal Trade Act, if signed into law, could have consequences on bilateral trade with countries like India. The proposed legislation would expand the White House's latitude to impose tariffs if other countries' tariffs or non-tariff barrier exceed US ones. Trump also reiterated the US opposition to embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Last month, Trump recognised opposition figure Juan Guaido as the legitimate leader of Venezuela amid the country's economic turmoil and political strife that has sparked a massive refugee crisis. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) by Wang Dan Washington (AsiaNews) On February 2, tens of thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets again, demanding change. This article by 1989 Tiananmen student leader Wang Dan () was published in Chinese by Radio Free Asia on January 25. After teaching in Taiwan for years, Wang Dan now lives in the Washington, DC area and heads the new Dialogue China think tank. The Editors On January 23, tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of the Venezuelan capital to protest the ruling party and President (Nicolas) Maduro. In front of a dense cheering crowd, waving their arms in support, the 35-year-old opposition leader (Juan Guaido) proclaimed himself interim President and immediately received recognition from Western countries led by the U.S. and Latin American neighbors. The current Venezuelan administration faces severe challenges, and an alternation in regime will very likely succeed peacefully. What happened in Venezuela once again tells us one thing: that is, it is only when people take to the streets that regime change is possible. Why, you might ask? Simply because in countries with authoritarian dictatorships like China and North Korea, theres no mechanism for people to change the regime through elections and other means within the system. Even in democratic countries, people taking to the streets is the most effective and direct way to effect a change in political power. Venezuela is not a completely authoritarian state. It has long possessed a constitutional democracy. But a democratic system cannot guarantee that a corrupt regime will, on its own accord, correct its own mistakes. During Chavezs four-term presidency and the tenure of his successor, Maduro, its not that the opposition did not try to overthrow their rule through elections, but they could not shake the entrenched power. This was in part due to the irrational choices of Venezuelan voters, and in part due to the fact that the opposition could not come together and jointly agree on a leader to put forward. But in recent years the Venezuelan opposition party has continued to explore ways to solve problems within the system, and the majority of public opinion supported the opposition. In the December 2015 parliamentary elections, the opposition won 112 seats of 167 seats and took control of the National Assembly. The outside world thought that this would effectively check the anti-democratic behavior of the current government. However, on August 18, 2017, Maduro also used a method from within the system to announce the establishment of the Constituent Assembly. This Constituent Assembly, with direct legislative power, meant that the National Assembly was deprived of its main powers, making it impossible for the will of the people to be expressed through the system. Through manipulation by the government, the judicial system another built-in check and balance mechanism was, likewise, unable to play its role. The Supreme Court opposed the National Assemblys exercise of its right to effect change in political power. It was only when all means within the system were exhausted and there were no other ways to force a regime that had lost popular support to step down, that the people took action. Heeding the call of the opposition party, tens of thousands of people took to the streets. And this led to the moving scene witnessed by the whole world: the self-proclamation of a takeover of the regime by the young opposition leader. It remains to be seen whether the alternation of political power in Venezuela will be realized smoothly. In addition to the crucial factor of whether the militarys support for the current government will change, the attitude of the United States and Latin American neighbors, such as whether or not to intervene militarily, and their influence, is also crucial. Regardless, at present we can already see there is hope for solving the political deadlock that has long troubled Venezuela. Losing the recognition of the international community and facing large-scale street protests, the future prospects for President Maduro dont look good. Even if he can manage to hold onto office, its unlikely that his rule will proceed smoothly. All that has happened is predicated on the people taking to the streets in large numbers, and peacefully displaying their desire for change. It is often said that street demonstrations are a radical form of protest, which can easily lead to large-scale violent conflicts and undermine the democratic process. But in fact, throughout the ages, the vast majority of regime change took place when people went to the streets. Without the pressure of people taking to the streets, few rulers will take the initiative to step down on their own. At the same time, we also have seen that, without the support of street demonstrations, mechanism from within the system can easily be defeated by all manners of political manipulation. Although people taking to the street may lead to large-scale violent conflicts, there are many examples of peaceful demonstrations that have forced a peaceful change in the regime. The resistance on the street, which occurs outside the system, will provide an opportunity for the opposition party within the system, and it is only such an opportunity that can lead to success for the opposition within the system. This is root cause for why street demonstrations are the only method to change a regime, and what happened in Venezuela proves this point again. Dalmia-OCL, a part of Dalmia Bharat Group, Wednesday announced acquisition of German specialty refractory maker GSB Group GmbH for 15 million euros (nearly Rs 122 crore), which would help the company to expand in Europe. With the acquisition, Dalmia-OCL will get access to the steel and refractory industry in Europe and technology to make cleaner steel. Refractory is a specialised heat-resistant material used in making cement, steel, copper, aluminium etc. GSB Group has two production sites -- at Bochum (Germany) and Bhilai (India). Dalmia-OCL is betting on the growing steel demand in India, which would stimulate the consumption of refractories here. "Dalmia-OCL's end-to-end refractory portfolio and GSB's access to European steel customers will make this combination a strong competitor in Europe," Dalmia-OCL CEO Sameer Nagpal said. According to him, Dalmia Bharat Group is putting around 15 million euros for the acquisition and this would be funded with a "mix of debt and internal accruals." Nagpal further said the acquisition will give the company newer resources and talents in Europe which will help strengthen "our capability in India, which is the fastest growing market for refractories in the world." Domestic steel industry is expected to produce 300 million tonne per annum (MTPA) of steel by 2030 from the exiting 100 MTPA and this would provide a good opportunity to the company. "Given the ambitious target, there is a huge demand for refractory and that is why we have started on this business aggressively," he said. The company is targeting the growing consumption of high grade steel in various sectors, including automobile and home appliances industry. Besides, Dalmia Bharat Group has plans to sell its products from India to Europe. Dalmia-OCL is India's second-largest refractory company with a production capacity of 250,000 tonne a year. The company expects a revenue of Rs 800 crore this year and 60 per cent of this would be contributed by the steel segment. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The red carpet event of Liam Neeson's new action movie, "Cold Pursuit", was cancelled after the veteran actor ignited a massive controversy with his "revenge" attack comments. The studio has declined to comment but a source told The Hollywood Reporter that it thought the "red carpet wouldn't be appropriate under the circumstances". The 66-year-old actor, who has starred in multiple revenge dramas over the years, recently said in an interview that he once wanted to kill a black man with a cosh after a friend of his was raped. He added that he feels ashamed of the thought now. Neeson had recalled his days wondering on the streets with a weapon hoping a black man would approach him and he would kill him. During the interview, the actor appeared remorseful as he looked back at his actions. "I went up and down areas with a cosh, hoping I'd be approached by somebody I'm ashamed to say that and I did it for maybe a week, hoping some (Neeson gestures air quotes with his fingers) 'black bastard' would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know? So that I could... kill him. "It took me a week, maybe a week and a half, to go through that. She would say, 'Where are you going?' and I would say, 'I'm just going out for a walk.' You know? 'What's wrong?' 'No no, nothing's wrong'," the actor had said. The actor's comments did not go down well on social media. He was slammed by many people, particulary by those from the black community. After backlash, Neeson on Tuesday appeared on ABC's Good Morning America and insisted that he is "not racist". "I was trying to show honour, to stand up for my dear friend in this terrible, medieval fashion. "I am a fairly intelligent guy and that's why it kind of shocked me when I came down to earth after having these horrible feelings," Neeson said. He said he would have acted the same had his friend's assailant been white but that he had also been "shocked" by his response. "It was horrible, horrible when I think back, that I did that. It's awful, but I did learn a lesson from it," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam Wednesday said he was ready to appear before a commission probing the death of late chief minister J Jayalalithaa and "explain the truth". The AIADMK Coordinator said he was earlier summoned by the one-man Justice Arumughaswamy Commission to appear before it on January 23. However, he could not appear on that date due to the Global Investors' Meet scheduled then and that he had informed the same in writing, he told reporters here. "I had informed (the panel) that I would appear later on a date mentioned by the commission," he said, responding to questions on the matter. However, the commission had later adjourned the proceedings, he said. "Whenever the Commission summons me, I will (appear before it and) explain the truth and my stand. The truth will be known there," he said. Following Jayalalithaa's death in December 2016, suspicion on the circumstances leading to her demise was raised by several people, including Panneerselvam and his followers. Panneerselvam who had turned a rebel leader after the death of Jayalalithaa had demanded either a judicial inquiry or a CBI probe into her death. A staunch loyalist of Jayalalithaa, he took over as chief minister immediately after her demise, but soon after resigned and later accused the late leader's close aide V K Sasikala of bringing pressure on him to quit. The demand for probe was a key precondition put forth by the erstwhile Panneerselvam-led faction for merger with the group led by Chief Minister K Palaniswami. After the unification of the factions in August 2017, the government notified constitution of the commission headed by retired Madras High Court judge A Arumughaswamy. The panel's terms of reference was to inquire into the circumstances and situation leading to the hospitalisation of Jayalalithaa on September 22, 2016 and treatment provided till her demise on December 5 that year. So far, it has examined a number of people, including state Health Minister C Vijayabaskar and representatives of Apollo Hospital, where Jayalalithaa was treated. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Describing Ram and 'Gau Mata' as the "basis of the Hindu culture", RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat Wednesday said every Indian "must feel" that the Ram temple in Ayodhya should be built at its original place. "We revere Ram. Gau mata and Ram form the basis of the Hindu culture. EveryIndian must feel that the Ram temple in Ayodhya should be built at its original place. If it comes up there, the identity of Hinduism will be established in the world," the RSS chief said during his interaction with retired officials in the course of his four-day stay here. On the final day of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad's conclave at the Kumbh Mela here, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said Friday the Ayodhya issue was at a decisive stage, suggesting that those campaigning for the construction of a Ram temple should wait it out for a few months. On Wednesday, he said madarsas "will have to be taught" the meaning of Indianness which believes in non-discrimination between religions and the language of peace. "Muslims are free to follow their method of worship but they must feel that we belong to the same country and culture and that our ancestors were the same," he said. This collective thinking alone can lead to the building of a strong society and nation, the RSS chief said. Bhagwat claimed that ancestors of all sections of the Indian population, apart from those of Afghanistan and Pakistan, were the same. They belong to the same culture, he said. Citing an example, he said, "Music is forbidden in Islam, but in Afghanistan and Pakistan qawwali is sung. Islam is against idolatry but people in these countries come close to it when they offer prayers at tombs." "It shows we are all Hindus by culture. Gautam Buddha, Guru Nanak and Mahavir may have spoken different languages but they were constituents of the same Hindu society," the RSS chief said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Wednesday hit out at the Modi government, accusing it of thrusting corruption and unemployment on people and vowed to safeguard the rights of tribals on "Jal, Jamin and Jungle" (water, land and forest). Gandhi also vowed to provide minimum income to the poor, if voted to power in the state, where it has remained in opposition for two decades. Citing BJD's support to NDA on measures such as demonetisation and Goods and Services Tax, he claimed Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was being "remote-controlled" by the BJP. "Chowkidar chor hai, Naveen Patnaik remote-controlled hai," Gandhi said. Kicking off the Congress campaign for Lok Sabha and assembly polls in Odisha, likely to be held simultaneously in April-May, he addressed rallies in the tribal-dominated Kalahandi and Sundargarh districts during his second visit to the state in a fortnight. Gandhi also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying, "Corruption is rampant at the Centre and in Odisha." "While the Modi government has gifted the country the Rafale scandal, chit-fund scam has grown in Odisha under Patnaik. Many ruling BJD leaders are involved in chit-fund scam." The Modi government, he claimed, waived Rs 3.5 lakh crore in loans of 15 industrialists, but both BJP and BJD have refused to waive farm loans. "The government has enough money to write off huge loans of industrialists, but when it comes to bring succour to poor farmers, it shows helplessness," he said. Accusing Modi and Patnaik of "snatching" lands from tribals and farmers, he said, "I promise that Congress will protect it. Tribals have the first right over Jal, Jamin and Jungle." "Earlier the slogan was 'Achhe Din', now it is 'Chowkidar Chor Hai'," Gandhi said. "Wherever Modi goes, he faces opposition from farmers, tribals, labourers and others. He looks visibly nervous because of this," he claimed. Seeking to strike an emotional chord with the people of tribal-dominated Kalahandi district, Gandhi said he is a "family member" of the poor. "I have come down from Delhi to protect the Niyamgiri Hills... They (the BJP) are working to finish MGNREGA, tribal rights and RTI," Gandhi said. He said the Congress has plans to develop Kalahandi-Bolangir-Koraput (KBK) region. The Congress chief said his party will ensure farmers get back their lands if they remain unused for five years after acquisition for setting up of industries. "We are working on this line in Chhattisgarh where land remained unutilised for more than five years after being acquired for an industry," he said. Attacking the Modi over the Rafale jet deal, he claimed had Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, which has a facility in Odisha, got the agreement to manufacture the aircraft, a large number of people would have gotten jobs. Criticising the BJD government in Odisha, Gandhi said Patnaik has failed to work for farmers during his four terms as chief minister. He promised MSP for paddy would be hiked to Rs 2,600 per quintal if Congress is voted to power in Odisha. "We will fulfil this promise within two hours," he said. Gandhi also recalled the plight of Dana Majhi, who had to walk over 12 km with his wife's body on his shoulder as he was unable to get a hearse. "When the incident drew global attention, the chief minister kept silent," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress president Rahul Gandhi will be in Ajmer on February 14 to address a state-level Sewa Dal convention, Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot said in a statement on Wednesday. He said the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee has also invited the party chief to speak at a gathering in Udaipur on March 1. A state election committee meeting was also held Wednesday, for selecting Lok Sabha poll nominees. As per the statement, a meeting chaired by Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot in the presence of party general secretary Avinash Pandey and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot unanimously decided to authorise Congress President Rahul Gandhi for selecting nominees for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. It was also decided to conduct a two-day training camp for Congress workers on February 11 and 12 in Bada Padampura of Jaipur. A training camp from February 15 to 25 will be held for booth management and other polls practices. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pope Francis says his pilgrimage this week to the United Arab Emirates wrote a "new page in history of the dialogue between Christianity and Islam" and in promoting world peace based on brotherhood. Telling pilgrims at the Vatican Wednesday about making the first-ever papal trip to the Arabian Peninsula, Francis described his encounter with leaders of Islam as a counterpoint to the "strong temptation" to contend there's a current clash between Christian and Islamic civilisations. While in Abu Dhabi, Francis signed a document with the grand imam of Al-Azhar, the ancient seat of learning in Sunni Islam, condemning religiously motivated and other violence. The pope said the two religious leaders wanted to give a "clear and decisive sign" that respect and dialogue is possible between the Christian and Islamic worlds. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani on the ongoing peace talks with the Taliban, his spokesperson said. The top US diplomat also emphasised the importance of an intra-Afghan dialogue and the role of a ceasefire in ending the violence and creating the conditions for his government, the official added. Reaffirming the US commitment to achieving a lasting peace in Afghanistan, Pompeo underscored Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad's role in facilitating an inclusive peace process, said the State Department Deputy Spokesperson Robert Palladino. "The secretary also emphasised the importance of an intra-Afghan dialogue and the role of a ceasefire in ending the violence and creating the conditions for the Afghan government, other Afghan leaders and the Taliban to sit together and negotiate a political settlement," Palladino said. Pompeo emphasised on the important gains made by the Afghan people since 2001 and US desire for a long-term partnership with Afghanistan, the State department Deputy Spokesperson said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) PDP president Mehbooba Mufti Wednesday said it was difficult to differentiate between the Congress and the BJP as the of both parties was driven by Hindutva. "The Yogi government (Uttar Pradesh) withdrew cases against accused in Muzaffarabad riots. The Madhya Pradesh government slapped PSA (NSA) against three accused of cow slaughter. From UP to MP, political lines are getting blurred and it is difficult to differentiate between the Congress and the BJP. Hindutva drives the real in modern India," Mehbooba said in a tweet. She was commenting on the decision of the Congress government in MP to invoke National Security Act against three persons accused in a cow slaughter case and the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh recommending withdrawal of 38 criminal cases against 100 accused in the Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The popular augmented reality game Pokemon GO may boost physical activity in players over the age of 40, a study claims. Researchers from University of Tokyo in Japan hope that the findings will inform urban planners and game designers to inspire people to be more active. Augmented reality is when apps and games overlay a real-time camera feed with images, characters and data to provide all kinds of interactive experiences. As a part of a health programme launched in 2014, about 2,580 participants were given pedometers which counted the steps they took in a day, and were surveyed on matters including usage of location-based augmented reality games. From this pool of participants, 230 subjects were chosen with as much in common as possible to avoid other factors contributing to results. Forty-six of them were players of Pokemon GO, and 184 were not. "Game-makers and urban planners could factor what we've learned into their respective activities," said Kimihiro Hino, from University of Tokyo. "I think Pokemon GO succeeds where physical activity games do not because it's a game first with potential added health benefits. It's possible such games could serve as a gateway to further people's enthusiasm for physical activity," said Hino. Another hope is these results inspire urban planners to build more pedestrian areas into urban centres. Hino would like to explore further the connections between augmented reality games and their impact, not just on physical activity itself but on attitudes towards exercise. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) by Mathias Hariyadi The two sides sign deal to regulate legal assistance to track down, freeze, seize and take assets resulting from criminal activities, tax fraud included, even retroactively. Jakarta (AsiaNews) - The governments of Indonesia and Switzerland have signed an important agreement on mutual legal assistance (MLA). Thanks to the deal, Jakarta will be able to trace more effectively illicit wealth deposited by Indonesian nationals in Swiss banks, the Embassy of Indonesia in Bern announced. The agreement follows two rounds of negotiations in Indonesia (Bali) in 2015 and Switzerland (Bern) in 2017. Indonesian Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly and Swiss Justice Minister Karin Keller-Sutter represented the two governments. The agreement will, among other things, regulate legal assistance how assets resulting from criminal acts can be trace, frozen, seized and taken. The MLA deal is a key part to the legal process in the requester country, and can be applied to tax fraud cases, Laoly said. "The agreement is part of the government`s efforts to ensure that citizens or institutions would adhere to tax regulations in Indonesia," he explained. However, Jakarta is not going to lodge any request to Bern to return secret Indonesian financial assets any time soon, said Indonesian General Attorney Agung M Prasetyo because more practical steps [need] to be prepared. For instance, according to Yusfifli Adhyaksana from the Indonesian Attorney General Office, one issue that must be dealt with is a legal ruling by a Swiss court citing tax law obstructions by certain individual or business entities. This is Indonesias tenth agreement of its kind following MLA deals with the ASEAN, Australia, Hong Kong, China, South Korea, India, Vietnam, the United Arab Emirates, and Iran. In the case of Switzerland, it is the fourteenth agreement with a non-European country. The Congress Wednesday termed the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and representatives of mining-dependent people of Goa as an election gimmick. Modi met leaders of the Goa Mining People's Front (GMPF) alongwith Union minister Shripad Naik and MPs Vinay Tendulkar and Narendra Sawaikar in Delhi earlier in the day. The prime minister assured them that he would look into the matter, said GPMF president Puti Gaonkar later. "All this is election gimmick. When thousands of people were sitting in protest in Delhi, PM had no time to meet them," Congress secretary A Chellakumar said here. He was referring to a protest held by the GMPF in Delhi in December. "Today's meeting was just a political gimmick ahead of Lok Sabha polls," he said. Chellakumar also alleged that the ruling BJP or the prime minister did not come up with any solution in today's meeting. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A passing out parade of newly recruited constables was held at the police training college in north Delhi's Jharoda Kalan area, an official statement stated Wednesday. According to the statement issued by police, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Gangaram Ahir took the salute of the marching contingents. It stated all these constables took the oath in a colourful ceremonial parade after successfully completing their basic training. The parade of the 112th (male and female) batch of recruit constables was attended by Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik and other senior officers of the force, it added. It also said that during the training, in addition to the knowledge of IPC, CrPC, Evidence Act, DP Act, computers and cybercrime, traffic Rules and human rights, the new recruits were given inputs of police investigation work to learn skills required in their profession. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Agri Sena Wednesday announced that it would block a section of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway in neighbouring Palghar district on February 8 in protest against the Bullet Train Project. The Agri Sena wields clout in some pockets in the coastal Thane, Raigad and Palghar districts of Maharashtra. The 'Agri' community members are mainly engaged in fishing and rice farming activities. The MumbaiAhmedabad high-speed rail corridor is an under-construction high-speed rail line connecting the country's commercial capital Mumbai with Ahmedabad in Gujarat. Sections of farmers in Thane and Palghar districts are opposing acquisition of their land by authorities for the project. "This project should be scrapped as it would adversely affect the landless and the project-affected farmers in the tribal belt," Agri Sena president Rajaram Salvi told reporters in a press conference. Listing out a number of "unfulfilled" demands, Salvi said thousands of people from villages in Palghar and Thane districts will participate in the 'rasta rokho' agitation at Shirsad on Friday. He said a motorcycle rally would also be taken out in which 10,000 people are expected to take part. Salvi also opposed the Maharashtra government's move to convert wet lands into residential zones. He also demanded that the state government declare the entire Palghar district drought-hit. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan's Wednesday prohibited members of the from engaging in political activities and directed state agencies like the to operate within the law as it ordered the government to act against those propagating "hatred, extremism and terrorism". The order by a two-member bench of the apex court came while delivering a verdict on the 2017 Faizabad sit-in by the hardline Tehreek-e-Labbaik (TLP) and other smaller groups. "We direct the federal and provincial governments to monitor those advocating hate, extremism and and prosecute the perpetrators in accordance with the law," the bench comprising Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Mushir Alam ruled. The court also directed all government agencies and departments, including those run by the army like Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), to operate within the limits defined by the law. The court also ordered that members of the were prohibited from engaging in any kind of political activity, which includes supporting a party, faction or individual. "The government of through the and the respective Chiefs of the Army, the and the Air Force are directed to initiate action against the personnel under their command who are found to have violated their oath," the court said. Several experts were of the view that Prime Minister was supported by the country's powerful army in the last year's general election. Pakistan's powerful military has ruled the country through various coups for nearly half of the country's history since independence in 1947. The military plays an important role in the country's decision making. The apex court also outlawed religious edicts called fatwas that aimed to harm "A person issuing an edict or fatwa, which harms another or puts another in harm's way, must be criminally prosecuted under the Penal Code, the Anti- Act, 1997 and/or the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016," the court ruled. The court upheld that subject to reasonable restrictions imposed by law, citizens have the right to form and to be members of political parties. They can also assemble for peaceful protest. It said the right to assemble and protest is circumscribed only to the extent that it infringes on the fundamental rights of others, including their right to free movement and to hold and enjoy property. The court ordered that those protesters who obstruct people's right to use roads and damage or destroy property must be proceeded against in accordance with the law and held accountable. The court initiated suo motu proceedings on November 21, 2017 after TLP blocked a main highway leading to Islamabad. During the 20-day long protest in 2017, daily life in Islamabad was disrupted when protesters belonging to the TLP, Tehreek-i-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLYRA), the Tehreek-i-Khatm-i-Nabuwwat and the Pakistan Sunni Tehreek occupied the Faizabad Interchange which connects Rawalpindi and Islamabad, the busiest roads in the twin cities. (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.) Pakistan's anti-graft body on Wednesday arrested Punjab government's powerful senior minister Abdul Aleem Khan for possessing assets beyond his known sources of income. The arrest has come as a jolt for Prime Minister Imran Khan who is already facing barrage of criticism for running the province of over 100 million people through his 'puppet' Chief Minister Usman Buzdar. "We have arrested Punjab senior minister Abdul Aleem Khan for possessing assets beyond his known sources of income and he will be presented before an accountability court in Lahore on Thursday," National Accountability Bureau spokesperson Nawazish Ali Asim said in a statement. The NAB has been probing Aleem Khan in multiple inquiries, including his offshore company Hexam Investment Overseas Ltd, owning assets beyond his known sources of income and his two housing societies - Park View housing society and River Age Housing Society in Lahore - for the last one year or so. Punjab Information Minister Fayazul Hasan Chohan said the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf party will not protest over the NAB's decision to arrest the minister. "Unlike the opposition we will not surround the NAB offices," he said. Opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has welcomed the arrest of the minister and said that there should be across the board possibility. "We want PM Khan to sack all those cabinet members who are facing NAB investigation on corruption charges," PML-N senior leader and former Sindh governor Muhammad Zubair said. PML-N president and opposition leader in the National Assembly, Shehbaz Sharif, the younger brother of former premier Nawaz Sharif, is also in jail in NAB's custody in a corruption case. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Over 50,000 cases are pending in various benches of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), around 4,100 of them for more than five years, Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh told Lok Sabha on Wednesday. The tribunal is entrusted with the responsibility of adjudicating dispute and complaints of central government employees. A total of 50,053 cases are pending before 17 benches of CAT situated across the country as on December 31, 2018, according to the written reply given by the minister. Of these, 4,141 are pending for more than five years, 10,263 for between three to five years, 9,006 between two to three years, 10,958 between 1-2 years and 15,685 for less than one year, he said. The highest (10,673) pending cases are with CAT's principal bench here, followed by 5,797 with the Allahabad bench, 4,345 Kolkata bench and 3,957 with the Hyderabad bench. The Central Administrative Tribunal was constituted in 1985 keeping in view the pendency of large number of cases relating to service matters before various courts. The CAT, with its 17 benches spread across country and having circuit benches at 21 places, caters to the need of the employees of government of India wherever they are posted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The spontaneous sounds that we make to express everything from elation to embarrassment, such as 'woohoo' and 'oops', convey at least 24 kinds of emotion, according to a study on people from four countries, including India. Scientists at the University of California (UC), Berkeley in the US conducted a statistical analysis of listener responses to more than 2,000 nonverbal exclamations known as "vocal bursts" and found they convey a lot more about what we are feeling than previously thought. Previous studies of vocal bursts set the number of recognisable emotions closer to 13. The results, published in the American Psychologist journal, are demonstrated in vivid sound and colour on the first-ever interactive audio map of nonverbal vocal communication developed by researchers. "This study is the most extensive demonstration of our rich emotional vocal repertoire, involving brief signals of upwards of two dozen emotions as intriguing as awe, adoration, interest, sympathy and embarrassment," said Dacher Keltner, a professor at UC Berkeley. For millions of years, humans have used wordless vocalisations to communicate feelings that can be decoded in a matter of seconds, researchers said. "Our findings show that the voice is a much more powerful tool for expressing emotion than previously assumed," said Alan Cowen, a PhD student at UC Berkeley. In the audio map, a user can slide one's cursor across the emotional topography and hover over fear (scream), then surprise (gasp), then awe (woah), realisation (ohhh), interest (ah?) and finally confusion (huh?). Among other applications, the map can be used to help teach voice-controlled digital assistants and other robotic devices to better recognise human emotions based on the sounds we make, he said. Though limited to US responses, the study suggests humans are so keenly attuned to nonverbal signals -- such as the bonding "coos" between parents and infants -- that we can pick up on the subtle differences between surprise and alarm, or an amused laugh versus an embarrassed laugh. Researchers recorded more than 2,000 vocal bursts from 56 male and female professional actors and non-actors from the US, India, Kenya and Singapore by asking them to respond to emotionally evocative scenarios. More than 1,000 adults recruited via Amazon's Mechanical Turk online marketplace listened to the vocal bursts and evaluated them based on the emotions and meaning they conveyed and whether the tone was positive or negative, among several other characteristics. A statistical analysis of their responses found that the vocal bursts fit into at least two dozen distinct categories including amusement, anger, awe, confusion, contempt, contentment, desire, disappointment and disgust. For the second part of the study, researchers sampled YouTube video clips that would evoke the 24 emotions established in the first part of the study, such as babies falling, puppies being hugged and spellbinding magic tricks. This time, 88 adults of all ages judged the vocal bursts extracted from YouTube videos, researchers said. Again, the researchers were able to categorise their responses into 24 shades of emotion. "These results show that emotional expressions colour our social interactions with spirited declarations of our inner feelings that are difficult to fake, and that our friends, co-workers, and loved ones rely on to decipher our true commitments," Cowen said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A confederation of Odisha police personnel Wednesday said its members would go on strike from Friday after its talks with the state government over demands on salary and others failed on Wednesday. In a statement, the Odisha Police Havildar, Constable and Sepoy Confederation said its members would boycott their respective duties from Friday. Members of the largest police body in the state will perform duties wearing black badges from Thursday morning and by the evening, they will return their arms and ammunition, the statement said. The confederation has been demanding that policemen's 13th month's salary be on a par with their regular monthly salary. The members of the state police force get a portion of their regular salary for an additional month as they work on holidays throughout the year. It was also learnt that other police bodies, the Odisha Police Association and the Odisha Police Service Association, would also extend moral support to the Confederation. Reactions from senior police officials or the state government were not immediately available. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : nVent Electric plc ('nVent'), a global leader in electrical connection and protection solutions, Wednesday announced an expansion of its business in India with thelaunch of its new equipment and electrical protection solutions facility here. With a plant curently in Bangalore, nVent's new facility has been set up forproduction of two major brands for enclosures, HOFFMAN and SCHROFF. "Thefacility has a large manufacturing space and a large office space for our support staff, and willbe occupied by over 100 nVent employees,"Joe Ruzynski, president of nVent Enclosuressaid. "India has emerged as one of our most important markets. Not only is it growing quickly,but growing in sectors such as Railway and Data Centers where nVent has strong product offerings. We have been operating in India since 2008 and are excited about our expansionhere, we are confident now is the right time. There has been a positive change in the industryand our new facility will allow us to serve the growing demand while supporting local customerneeds," he said. The products that will be manufactured at the facility include wall-mount, bayed and free-standing enclosures as well as shielded and ruggedized cabinets in mild steel and stainlesssteel, he said. Additionally, the facility will produce multi-purpose electronics cabinets as well as serverand colocation cabinets for data centers and IT infrastructure, including electromechanicalcomponents and accessories, Ruzynski said. ."We needed to expand our manufacturing base to enable us to build and design in India. Tosupport the governments 'MAKE IN INDIA' drive, we needed to transfer technology and skillsto India from our global facilities. This will help us to develop local talent and good supplier relationships for our long-term success. The facility at Bidadi will play a key role in this plan,"said Sandesh Saklani, managing director, India/regional sales director-Schroff. Helmi Srour, regional sales director-Hoffman said "India provides an important growthopportunity for our businesses, as well a significant global talent pool. The current businessclimate in the country is quite favorable and the launch of the facility is a testimony of our long-term plans for the country," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Wednesday dismissed PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti's demand for action against an Army officer, saying "she doesn't need to be taken seriously". Malik's remarks come a day after Mufti demanded action against one Major Shukla, who allegedly tortured a Pulwama resident, Tauseef Wani, at the Shadimarg camp of the Army and threatened to kill him in an encounter. The governor said he stood behind the security forces and would not allow the such statements to demoralise the security forces. "She doesn't need to be taken seriously. We will not allow the morale of the security forces to be affected by statements like that of Mehbooba Mufti," Mailk told reporters here. "I stand by our forces. Wherever there are atrocities, we take action. In some such cases with regard to the police force, we are taking action and are transferring all of them (erring police personnel). But we still stand with our forces," he added. Malik alleged that Mufti's demand was aimed at gaining public support ahead of the upcoming state assembly elections. "It is the time of elections. Her party is breaking. She is in a bad state. (Previously also) she had come to power through this sort of support," he said. Responding to Malik's remarks, Mufti said she was "saddened" to see constitutional authorities "take sides so brazenly". "Instead of taking cognizance of the brutality that the young boy has been subjected to, and ordering action against the culprits, it is sad that the honourable governor is talking instead. Saddened to see the constitutional authorities taking sides so brazenly," she said in a tweet. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The first phase of the project was launched, entitled "Sehat Insaf Card". Thanks to this new health card, the poor will have access to over 150 hospitals across the country. The insurance covers both medical expenses and hospital transport. Islamabad (AsiaNews) - For the first time in the history of Pakistan, the government has activated health coverage for the poorest sections of society. The ambitious program of free medical care was signed two days ago and takes the name of "Sehat Insaf Card", but is best known only as the "health card". For the first phase, it provides access to medical services for 15 million families, that is about 80 million people, mainly resident in the tribal districts. Dr. Mehdi Hasan, president of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, told AsiaNews: "We greatly appreciate the government's initiative. It guarantees access to treatment for those who cannot afford it. If it is applied properly, it will really be a revolution ". Health Minister Aamir Kiani said that the first areas where coverage will be extended are the Punjab, Gilgit Baltistan and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, where all the poor population will benefit; in addition to these, also 85 thousand destitute families of Islamabad. The health plan allows access to more than 150 hospitals throughout Pakistan, both public and private. In the facilities you can receive free treatment for a wide range of treatments, including angioplasty, surgery and cancer, up to a total of 720 thousand rupees (4,500 euro). In addition to medical expenses, the insurance also covers hospital transport for up to 1,000 rupees (6 euros) per trip. According to Prime Minister Imran Khan, "the cards will help to reduce poverty". "We want - he added - to help and safeguard the poor sectors of society through these health coverings". Dr. Mehdi Hasan emphasizes the value of the program introduced by Islamabad. "We must keep in that in Pakistan 40% of the population lives below the poverty line, that is with less than 1.5 dollars a day. For these people it is impossible to cure themselves because they cannot bear the high cost of operations ". In conclusion, the activist says: "We welcome the initiative. The health card represents a great opportunity for the poor, provided that it is adequately supported ". NMDC Wednesday said it has reached an agreement with worker unions over wage revision and other benefits for the next five years. "Today (Wednesday), the tripartite agreement for revision of pay scales and other benefits was arrived in a meeting in New Delhi. The 10th pay revision of NMDC unionised category workmen wage agreement signed today," NMDC said in a statement. However, the company did not provide the details of wage revision. In NMDC, pay scales and other benefits of workmen are revised every five years. Last time, the pay revision was effective from January 1 2012. Therefore, the pay revision was due with effect from January 1, 2017. The agreement was signed in the presence of leaders of the All India NMDC Workers Federation led by Vice-President R D Tripathi. The meeting was also attended by another Vice-President R D C P Rao, Director (Personnel) Sandeep Tula (NMDC management representative) and other senior government officers. NMDC Chairman and Managing Director N Baijendra Kumar said the revision would boost the morale of the employees and would also go a long way in improving production, productivity and profits of NMDC. The company is the country's largest iron ore producer, producing about 30 million tonne from three fully mechanised mines. It is involved in the exploration of wide range of minerals, including iron ore, copper, rock phosphate, lime stone, dolomite, and gypsum. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Scientists have analysed two recently discovered exoplanets that have similar sizes but very different densities, and may offer a unique insight into how worlds are formed. Kepler-107b and Kepler-107c have almost identical radii of 1.5 and 1.6 Earth radii, but their densities that are over twice as different, researchers said. Scientists from Italy's National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) and University of Bristol in the UK spent three years observing the exoplanetary system Kepler-107 via the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo in La Palma. They gathered more than a hundred spectroscopic measurements of all four sub-Neptune mass planets in Kepler-107 -- named after the NASA Kepler space telescope that discovered the exoplanetary system five years ago. Unlike Earth's relation to the Sun, the planets in the Kelper-107 system are much closer to each other and their host star (their equivalent of our sun). All of the planets have an orbital period of days as opposed to years. It is not uncommon for the planet that is closest to the host star to be the densest due to heating and interaction with the host star which can cause atmosphere loss. However, in the case of Kepler-107, the second planet, 107c, is denser than the first, 107b, according to a study published in the journal Nature Astronomy. So much so that 107c contains in its core an iron mass fraction at least twice as large as that of 107b, indicating that at some point, 107c had a head-on high-speed giant collision with a protoplanet of the same mass or more collisions with multiple planets of a lower mass. These impacts would have ripped off part of the rock and silicate mantle of Kepler-107c, suggesting that it is denser now than it was originally. "Giant impacts are thought to have had a fundamental role in shaping our current solar system," said Zoe Leinhardt, a computational astrophysicist at University of Bristol. "The moon is most likely the result of such an impact, Mercury's high density may be also, and Pluto's large satellite Charon was likely captured after a giant impact but until now, we hadn't found any evidence of giant impacts occurring in planetary systems outside of our own," said Leinhardt. "If our hypothesis is correct, it would connect the general model we have for the formation of our solar system with a planetary system that is very different from our own," he said. "With this discovery we have added another piece in the understanding of the origin of the extraordinary diversity in composition of small exoplanets," said Aldo Bonomo, researcher at INAF. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's chief internal rival has placed high in the ruling Likud's primary elections. Near final results published Wednesday show former Cabinet minister Gideon Saar finishing third after Netanyahu in the internal party vote for Likud's list for the April 9 elections. Netanyahu views Saar as a potential replacement and had lobbied party members hard to push him down the list. The Likud party has a strong lead in polls and is expected to win around 30 out of parliament's 120 seats. With Netanyahu facing a series of corruption charges, the primaries have taken on added significance as an indicator for his potential successor within the party. Transportation Minister Israel Katz and Knesset speaker Yuli Edelstein came in first and second after Netanyahu. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Tourism Minister K J Alphons said Wednesday rackets that fleece tourists have to be busted, two months after a Belgian tourist was forced to leave India within a day after being allegedly harassed in Delhi. "I have written to the police commissioner and an arrest has already been made in the case. India is a safe place and such isolated incidents happen once in a while. However, it's important that when they happen, we take immediate action. The important thing is to bust such rackets in the country in which tourists are fleeced and harassed," he told PTI. The Belgian national, who arrived in Delhi on December 6, was harassed by several people, including an auto-rickshaw driver and a travel agent, following which the victim left India the next day, the police had said. The travel agent, Imran Latha (30), was arrested on Tuesday. Latha and his brother allegedly cheated her by selling a cheap hotel package and making her believe that her original booking was cancelled because of protests near the hotel, the officer had said. The tourist informed the Belgium embassy about the incident, which got in touch with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). A staffer from the hotel, where she was supposed to stay, picked her up from the place where she was put up. As per a report by the Ministry of Tourism, there were 1.55 crore (10.55 million) foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) last year, a growth of 5.2 per cent from 1.03 crore (10.03 million) in 2017. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A US Muslim man on death row won a last-minute stay of execution when a federal court ruled that his constitutional rights had been violated because the state of Alabama refused to provide an imam to accompany him into the death chamber. The federal appeals court, headquartered in Atlanta, granted the stay of execution to 42-year-old Domineque Ray on Wednesday, who was scheduled to die on Thursday for the rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl in 1995. "The central constitutional problem here is that the state has regularly placed a Christian cleric in the execution room to minister to the needs of Christian inmates, but has refused to provide the same benefit to a devout Muslim and all other non-Christians," the judges said in their ruling. The First Amendment of the US Constitution forbids public authorities from favoring one religion over another, or from preventing the free practice of faith. As his execution date approached, Ray, who converted to Islam while in prison, demanded the right to be escorted to the death chamber by an imam. The conservative southern state allows a salaried prison chaplain into the execution chamber, but only allows unauthorised spiritual guides to accompany a condemned prisoner to the door of the room. Ray's lawyers filed an emergency challenge to the ruling last week, but it was denied by a lower court, which argued that Alabama could not allow "the risk posed by allowing another cleric into the execution chamber." But the appeals court said that Alabama had presented no evidence of any such security risk, nor why it would be a problem to train an imam in prison protocol in time for the execution. The state of Alabama announced after the ruling that it would take its case to the Supreme Court. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government of eroding federal autonomy and alleged that its claim of increased devolution of funds to states had turned out to be a "maha jumla". Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said the BJP's promise of ensuring fiscal autonomy of states had been trashed by the government. He said the states' share in the central taxes was only 33 percent and not 42 percent, what the Modi government had promised. The BJP used rosy terms like "Team India" and "cooperative federalism" ahead of the 2014 general elections, but five years down the line, it had "completely eroded" federal autonomy and independence of states, he said. "Time and again, the Modi government boasted that they are implementing the 14th Finance Commission, which increased the devolution of funds from 32 percent to 42 percent. But this has turned out to be a 'Maha Jumla'," the Congress spokesperson told reporters. "In 2014 manifesto, the BJP also promised to 'ensure fiscal autonomy of states,' but that has been thrown into the dustbin," Singhvi said. "The Modi government claimed 42 percent devolution towards states, but not even in one year of its term it has achieved that threshold. It has never breached the 35 percent mark," he claimed. Singhvi said Rathin Roy, a member of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council, had punctured the Centre's tall claims of "fiscal mismanagement" towards states. He said the Modi government's so called "increased devolution" turned out to be a "cruel joke". The Centre cut the number of centrally sponsored schemes (CSS) from 70 to just 27 and also cut contribution in many CSS from 75 percent to 50 percent, he alleged. "This effectively means states are getting less as their share of tax revenue and a pittance for the share of centrally sponsored schemes," Singhvi said. "To add insult to injury, the Modi government, which has exclusive usage of revenue collected from cess and surcharges, is sitting on a bounty of 3.04 trillion (last fiscal 2018-19) while states are reeling under the fiscal pressure of funding their own schemes as well as the ones the Modi government abandoned," he added. The Congress spokesperson said the "fraud on federalism" was a result of the Modi government's decision to raise cess and surcharges exponentially, especially on petroleum products, "while pretending to accept the Finance Commission recommendations and upholding federalism". "None of that bounty is to go to the states, even though there has been a constant demand from states to include cess and surcharges into the divisible pool," he said. Taking a dig at Modi, Singhvi said his government had no jobs and only pakoras to offer to the youth of the country. "People of India will never forgive and forget this fakery," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Minister of State for Agriculture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat Wednesday launched a mobile application developed by Australia-based agri-tech company MoooFarm to provide advisory services to dairy farmers. The minister said India has become a leading producer of foodgrains, cotton, sugarcane, milk, and fruit and vegetables with the help of technology and hardwork of farmers. He said there is a need to focus on quality to become a leading exporters of farm products. MoooFarm, founded by Param Singh, is a mobile application that provides end-to-end last-mile connectivity solution offering extension and technology to the smallholder dairy farmers. It has announced a tie-up with Prabhat Dairy to held farmers. Through this application, MoooFarm aims to build a self-sustained dairy farming community by leveraging information and communications technology (ICT) applications and creating employment opportunities for the youth and financial empowerment for women. As India is the world's largest milk producer and consumer of milk products, the dairy sector has huge growth potential. To harness the potential, MoooFarm offers smart learning solutions to farmers which enable them to tackle the challenges and achieve greater profitability along with improved quality standards. The application generates need-based alerts and allows farmers to map the entire life cycle of each cattle. Apart from that, it manages farmer's dairy accounts and encourages them with rewards and incentivise. With strong call centre support, it connects farmers to input suppliers, service providers and credit & insurance companies through an e-commerce platform. MoooFarm leverages data analytics and harnesses the power of big data to get real-time dashboard on the impact on the productivity and income of dairy farmers. Various types of analytics based on milk, herd, breeding method, health, productivity and extension can be derived from the data captured through both Apps, leading to informed decision making for all the stakeholders involved. The application is bolstered with a network of Village Level Entrepreneur (VLE), one each for every 2-3 villages covering about 100-150 farmers. The VLE's along with experts visit each farmer's doorstep for training on ICT and dairy best practices. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Nepal Embassy has told the Delhi Police that eight women and a minor who had disappeared from a Shahdara shelter home last year have not returned to their homes, police said Wednesday. The Delhi Police had sought the assistance of the Nepal Embassy and the NGOs of Nepalese origin in the case. "The Nepal Embassy reached out to the families of the women and the minor and it was found that they had not reached homes. We are in touch with the NGOs to trace the missing women and the minor," said a senior police officer, privy to the probe. The officer said the Nepal Embassy sent them a reply around a fortnight ago and are currently relying on NGOs to get a breakthrough in the case. Eight women and a minor were reported missing from the shelter home in Shahdara in the first week of December. The Delhi Commission For Women had alleged foul play in the incident and the Delhi government suspended two senior officials in the case. The case was transferred from the district police to the Crime Branch. The nine inmates were rescued last year in November, along with four other women, by the Crime Branch from a brothel on GB Road. After being rescued, they underwent counselling but had expressed a desire to stay in the GB Road area since they were earning a living and were also able to send money back to their families in Nepal. However, the Child Welfare Committee had sent them to a shelter home in Dwarka, from where four of the rescued women had fled earlier this year, sources said. The remaining women and the minor were then shifted to the shelter home in Shahdara, they added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad Wednesday described the questioning of Robert Vadra, the brother-in-law of Congress president Rahul Gandhi, by Enforcement Directorate as the "measure of success of the Indian democracy." "...It is the success of the will of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, when a gentleman hailing from a well-known family had to submit before the law," Prasad said when asked about questioning of Vadra by the ED. The minister was briefing the media about the Cabinet decisions taken on Wednesday. "It is a measure of success of Indian democracy," Prasad said. Hitting out at Vadra, the BJP alleged that he got "kickbacks" from petroleum and defence deals during the UPA dispensation. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged that Vadra "bought eight to nine properties in London" from the money he got as kickbacks in 2008-09 when the UPA was in power and said he would like to ask Vadra "the formula of becoming crorepati from roadpati." Alleging that "corruption" has been the "core agenda" of the Congress party, Patra said, "Everybody knows every member of the family is out on bail."Vadra was questioned by Enforcement Directorate here for five-and-a-half hours in its money laundering probe into alleged possession of illegal foreign assets, days after he was directed by a city court to appear before the central probe agency. Vadra's wife Priyanka Gandhi accompanied him in a white Toyota Land Cruiser and dropped him outside the ED's office in Jamnagar House, in a move seen as sending a political message to Congress' opponents ahead of Lok Sabha polls. This is the first time Vadra is appearing before any probe agency in connection with alleged criminal charges of dubious financial dealings. Vadra has denied these allegations in the past and termed them a political witch hunt against him. Rahul Gandhi's sister Priyanka is married to Vadra and was recently appointed party general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A man, who had concealed two-kilogram gold in a toilet at Delhi airport, has been arrested by the customs officials for smuggling of the yellow metal, according to an official statement issued Wednesday. The accused was intercepted after his arrival from Dubai on Monday. Detailed enquiry of the passenger resulted in the recovery of two gold bars, total weighing two-kilogram, which he had kept inside the false wall behind the flush of the toilet, the customs department said in the statement. The gold, valued at Rs 66.45 lakh, has been seized and the passenger arrested, it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The meeting will take place in Vietnam on February 27 and 28. The US president: "We continue our historic push for peace on the Korean peninsula". "If I had not been elected president of the United States, at this moment, in my opinion, we would be in a great war with North Korea." Washington (AsiaNews / Agencies) - US President Donald J. Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will meet for a second summit to be held in Vietnam between February 27 and 28. This was announced last night by Trump himself, during the State of the Union given before the US Congress. " As part of a bold new diplomacy, we continue our historic push for peace on the Korean Peninsula," Trump said. "There is still a lot of work to do, but my relationship with Kim Jong-un is good". The first meeting between Trump and Kim in Singapore last June was the first between a US president and a North Korean leader. The two Heads of State have expressed their support for denuclearization and the elimination of sanctions, which should go hand in hand. But no deadline had been established. "Our hostages have come home, nuclear testing has stopped, and there has not been a missile launch in 15 months," Trump said. "If I had not been elected President of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea. In the last year, North Korea has released US detainees, suspended long-range nuclear and missile tests and dismantled - without the presence of external experts - a site for nuclear tests and parts of a rocket launching plant. Pyongyang has repeatedly called on the United States to reciprocate efforts with measures such as the lifting of sanctions, but Washington has asked North Korea to provide a detailed account of its nuclear and missile facilities, which would be inspected and dismantled under a potential agreement. At the second Trump-Kim summit, some experts argue that North Korea will try to barter the destruction of its main Yongbyon nuclear plant for the US promise to declare the formal end of the Korean War; open a liaison office in Pyongyang; and allow the North to resume some lucrative economic projects with South Korea. The announcement of the second summit between Trump and Kim comes after US President and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with North Korean negotiator Kim Yong-chol in Washington last month. Immediately thereafter, Stephen Biegun, United States Special Representative for North Korea; Choe Son-hui, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Korea; and Lee Do-hoon, South Korea's special representative for peace and security affairs on the Korean peninsula, took part in trilateral talks in Stockholm. A 45-year-old man from Karnataka has been booked by city police for allegedly attempting to kill a relative in Thane district of Maharashtra, police said on Wednesday. The victim, Dundappa Katti Mani (60), lived along with his family at a construction site on Ghodbunder Road here. His niece was married to the accused, Ashok Harijan, a resident of Bijapur district in Karnataka, a police official said. However, since Harijan used to harass his wife, Mani brought his niece and her three children to Thane around six months back, he said. The accused also came to Mani's place a few days back and demanded that his wife return with him to Karnataka. However, the victim refused to allow his niece to go with the accused following which the two men had a quarrel over it on Tuesday night, he said. Harijan, in a fit of anger, allegedly attacked Mani with a knife, injuring him seriously, the official said. The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital and a case was registered against the accused under Indian Penal Code Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation). No arrest has been made so far, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nila Vikhe Patil, a person of Indian descent, has been named political advisor in the Swedish Prime Minister's Office. Patil, 32, daughter of leading educationist Ashok Vikhe Patil, would be working with Stefan Lofven, the Social Democrat leader who was last month elected as Swedish prime minister, leading a Social Democrat-Green Party coalition. "Nila has been appointed as the Political Advisor to the Prime Ministers Office in charge of Finance and will handle taxes, budgets, financial markets and housing," her father told PTI. She has also been elected to the City Council of the Stockholm Municipal Corporation. Also a Political Advisor in the PMO during the previous government, Nila has been active member of the Green Party and is a member of the Election Committee of the Stockholm Green Party, he said. Born in Sweden, Nila spent early years in Ahmednagar in Maharashtra and is the granddaughter of former Union Minister Balasaheb Vikhe Patil and niece of Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly. She holds a Bachelor's degree and MBA from Gothenburg School of Business, with Economics and Law and also studied MBA in University de Complutense in Madrid. Nila has been a member of the Board of the Green Party, Swedish Young Greens, Green Party Gothenburg, Green students of Sweden, and also a member of the executive committee of the Green Party Stockholm, her father said. Sweden has been on a charm offensive towards India, supporting PM Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' manufacturing summit with Lofven leading a delegation of the Swedish industry leaders to the launch event in 2016. India is also an increasingly important market for Sweden, with over 160 Swedish companies now established in the country, said Ashok Vikhe Patil, chairman of the Vikhe Patil Foundation, which runs 102 educational institutes across Maharashtra. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nila Vikhe Patil, a person of Indian descent, has been named political adviser in the Swedish Prime Minister's Office. Patil, 32, daughter of leading educationist Ashok Vikhe Patil, would be working with Stefan Lofven, the Social Democrat leader who was last month elected as Swedish prime minister, leading a Social Democrat-Green Party coalition. "Nila has been appointed as the Political Adviser to the Prime Ministers Office in charge of Finance and will handle taxes, budgets, financial markets and housing," her father told PTI. She has also been elected to the City Council of the Stockholm Municipal Corporation. Also a Political Adviser in the PMO during the previous government, Nila has been active member of the Green Party and is a member of the Election Committee of the Stockholm Green Party, he said. Born in Sweden, Nila spent early years in Ahmednagar in Maharashtra and is the granddaughter of former Union Minister Balasaheb Vikhe Patil and niece of Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly. She holds a Bachelor's degree and MBA from Gothenburg School of Business, with Economics and Law and also studied MBA in University de Complutense in Madrid. Nila has been a member of the Board of the Green Party, Swedish Young Greens, Green Party Gothenburg, Green students of Sweden, and also a member of the executive committee of the Green Party Stockholm, her father said. Sweden has been on a charm offensive towards India, supporting PM Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' manufacturing summit with Lofven leading a delegation of the Swedish industry leaders to the launch event in 2016. India is also an increasingly important market for Sweden, with over 160 Swedish companies now established in the country, said Ashok Vikhe Patil, chairman of the Vikhe Patil Foundation, which runs 102 educational institutes across Maharashtra. Speaking to PTI, Nila said, "I love India dearly and I feel very connected. I have lots of close Indian friends. "I miss my grandfather a lot. He used to call me almost weekly during his last years. "I also hope that India will make smart ecological choices as it develops to avoid all the environmental problems and further impact on climate change that will now be one of the world's greatest challenges to overcome," she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Maharashtra Congress Wednesday said it has decided to hold 50 Jan Sangharsh rallies across the state before the Lok Sabha election dates are announced. Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan said as part of the plan, the party will hold four rallies in Marathwada region on February 7 and 8. "The first of the 50 rallies planned in different cities will be held at Daulatabad (near Aurangabad) on Thursday, followed by another rally in Aurangabad city the same day. On Friday, rallies will be held in Paithan and Pune cities," he said. Chavan said he has covered 6,500 kms in the last few months and travelled across 120 assembly constituencies as part of the Jan Sangharsh Yatra to highlight the "failure" of the BJP-led central and state governments. "As second part of the campaign against the BJP, 50 rallies are being planned in different cities before the election code of conduct comes into force," the former chief minister added. "Congress has got a tremendous response to its campaign against the inefficient and anti- people governments in the state and the Centre," he said adding that party would cover the state before the announcement of elections. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Almost five years after a building in the city collapsed, leading to the death of 61 people and injury to 27, the Madras High Court prevented the builder's bid to avoid repaying Rs 1.1 crore incurred as expenditure by authorities to demolish an unsafe second tower at the site. Prime Shrusti Housing Pvt Ltd built 86 residential apartments in two 11-storied buildings at Moulivakkam here. On June 28, 2014, Block B collapsed, leading to the death of 61 workers. As Block A stood too close to the collapsed structure, it too had suffered instability and was later certified as unsafe for occupation. Pursuant to a Supreme Court order, Block A was demolished using implosion technology, and the company was slapped demolition charge of Rs 1.1 crore. Refusing to pay the sum, the company said it was liable to pay only Rs 49.9 lakh, and that the rest should be adjusted from open space reservation charges, premium FSI charges and infrastructure development charges. The first bench of Chief Justice VK Tahilramani and Justice M Duraiswamy trashed the claim and said: "Demolition of the building constructed by the petitioner was only due to the violation committed in constructing Block A and Block B. "For the fault of the petitioner, officials cannot be made to suffer. Because of the violation committed by the petitioner, 61 workers had died and 27 persons were injured." The court said the authorities had spent huge money for prosecuting and defending the case before the court as well as before the Supreme Court. The expenditure occurred only because of the petitioner's act, it said. "Therefore, the liability cannot be fastened on the authorities to bear the expenditure. Only the petitioner is liable to pay all the expenses incurred for the demolition of the building," the bench said. As for the firms demand that its deposit be adjusted against the demolition charges, the first bench said since the company violated the planning permission and put up the construction unauthorised, which resulted in the disaster, it was not entitled to claim any refund from the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA). That apart, the charges paid by the petitioner-company were not refundable, unless the planning permission was rejected by the CMDA. "In the case on hand, though the planning permission was given to the petitioner, they have violated the planning permission and put up construction unauthorised. Therefore, they are not entitled to get the refund of the charges paid by them as well as the security deposits made by them," the judges said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Drug major Lupin Wednesday posted a loss of Rs 151.75 crore for December quarter 2018, on account of one-time provisioning of Rs 342.22 crore related to a litigation over blood pressure lowering drug Perindopril in Europe. The Mumbai-based firm had posted a net profit of Rs 221.73 crore in the October-December period of previous fiscal. Income from operations rose to Rs 4,377.94 crore in the period under review as compared with Rs 3,900.36 crore in the year-ago quarter, Lupin said in a statement. On December 12, 2018, the General Court of the European Union delivered its judgment concerning Lupin's appeal against the European Commission's 2014 decision in a litigation related to Perindopril. The General Court upheld the EC's decision holding Lupin liable to pay a fine of 40 million euros. "Considering that the matter was not settled in favour of the company, provision of 42.8 million euros (Rs 342.22 crore) has been made including interest of 2.8 million euros (Rs 22.27 crore) which is disclosed as an exceptional item," Lupin said. The company intends to appeal against this decision before the European Court of Justice, it added. In 2014, Lupin and Unichem Laboratories were among six global drug makers on which the European regulator had imposed a collective fine of 427.7 million euros for striking deals to prevent entry of cheaper versions of Perindopril in the EU. The company's net profit before exceptional items for the third quarter stood at Rs 190.5 crore. Commenting on the results, Lupin Managing Director Nilesh Gupta said after witnessing a tough first half, the company is now starting to see growth in the US. "The growth momentum in the US will continue into the next quarter as we are on track with important launches like Levothyroxine and Ranolazine...We are also on track to deliver on our cost optimisation efforts and expect meaningful benefit next fiscal onwards," he added. Lupin said its North America sales for third quarter stood at Rs 1,417.4 crore as compared with Rs 1,432.1 crore during the same period of previous fiscal. In India, the company's formulation sales increased 11.4 per cent to Rs 1,190.2 crore as compared with Rs 1,068.8 crore in the October-December period of 2017-18. Shares of the company settled at Rs 841.95 apiece, up 0.56 per cent from the previous close, on BSE. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress is yet to take a call on whether to join hands with the TDP in Telangana for the coming Lok Sabha elections or fight alone, a key party functionary said Wednesday. Senior Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee leaders, along with newly-elected MLAs, met the party President Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi Tuesday and discussed with him reasons for the outfit's defeat in the December 7 Telangana Assembly polls. "Rahul discussed the performance of the party in Assembly election and how to work unitedly to get more Lok Sabha seats in Telangana," AICC in-charge of Telangana, R C Khuntia told PTI. On whether the Congress would have an alliance with TDP, the CPI and TJS for the Lok Sabha elections due by May, like it did in the Assembly poll, or go it alone, he said: "That has not been decided." Sources said a section in the Congress is opposed to a tie-up with the TDP (Telugu Desam Party) led by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. The ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) returned to power with 88 seats in the 119-member Assembly, pushing the Congress to a distant second with 19 seats. The TDP which was part of the Congress-led "Prajakutami" (People's Alliance) bagged a mere two seats, while the CPI (Communist Party of India) and TJS (Telangana Jana Samithi) drew a blank. Naidu and the TDP had come under sharp attack from TRS leaders in the campaign for the Assembly elections. Khuntia said: "Very soon we will have a meeting at the national level to take a decision about the strategy on how to go about in Telangana". "At this moment, we have a good working relationship with TDP at the national level but what would be strategy at the state level...that has not been decided," he said. Meanwhile, Khuntia said Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has been invited to campaign in Telangana. He also said some Congress leaders, in fact, had also requested Priyanka and Rahul to contest from Telangana. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Farm loans from co-operative banks and land development banks will be waived off in the first phase, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said Wednesday. Gehlot said camps would be held in the districts from Thursday to issue loan-waiver certificates. The government has also announced waiver of debt up to Rs 2 lakh -- for defaulter farmers -- from commercial banks. It is in discussion with bank officials for carrying out the loan-waiver for the eligible farmers and this will be taken up in the next phase, the chief minister said. "Congress president (Rahul Gandhi) had announced loan-waiver during election (campaign) and the state government is ready to fulfil the promise. The decision has already been taken and camps will being held from tomorrow," Gehlot told reporters at the party office here. Gehlot had on December 19 announced to waive off farmers' entire short-term crop loans from co-operative banks and agricultural loans up to Rs 2 lakh for defaulter farmers from nationalised and other banks. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Lokshahi Jagar Samiti (LJS), a newly-formed civil society group, Wednesday announced that it would hold a series of public meetings across Maharashtra against "growing cultural terrorism". Members of the Samiti alleged that the country and the state were heading towards "cultural terrorism" and maintainting the country's social fabric had become a challenging task. "The Samiti has decided to hold as many as 10 public meetings in different districts of the state in which our members, mostly stalwarts in their respective fields, will speak about the growing cultural terrorism in the society," its managing convener, Kishore Dhamale, said. Talking to reporters here, he said, "There are some forces, which are deciding what to eat and what not to; whom to love and whom to hate...undoubtedly these forces are increasingly becoming a threat to the social fabric. Hence, we want to make people aware of the pitfalls of emergence of such forces." Another member and social activist Dhananjay Shinde said, the "government-backed terrorism" has forced the people to come together on one platform and raise the voice. "Over 100 intellectuals across the state have come together and formed Lokshahi Jagar Samiti to uproot such elements," he said. Prominent personalities, including retired Supreme Court judge P B Sawant, historian Shrimant Kokate, former DGP Suresh Khopde, retired judges B G Kolse, Abhay Thipse, among others will address the meetings, Shinde added. The meetings will be held in the coming two months at different locations: Parbhani (February 13), Solapur (February 14), Pune (February 24) and in Mumbai (February 27), he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A self styled district commander of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terror outfit was killed in a brief encounter with security forces in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, police said. The encounter broke out when a joint patrolling party of army and police was fired upon by terrorists at Chakoora area of Pulwama district, a police spokesman said. "Consequently, one terrorist got killed in the exchange of fire. The killed terrorist has been identified as Irfan Ahmed Sheikh, a local resident," the spokesman said. Sheikh was affiliated with LeT and was known as district commander of the outfit for Pulwama. He was wanted by the law for his complicity in terror crimes, the spokesman said. "Irfan Sheikh had a long history of terror crimes for which several terror cases were registered against him. He was involved in conspiring and executing several terror attacks on security establishments in the area including grenade attacks," the spokesman said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) by Nirmala Carvalho Local bishops publish guidelines for priests and members of the clergy who are guilty of crimes against children and vulnerable adults. For the first time, the reduction to the lay state is foreseen for a guilty priest. Kochi (AsiaNews) - The Catholic Church in Kerala has issued safeguarding guidelines for the behavior of priests and ecclesiastical personnel in which it reiterates the policy of zero tolerance in cases of sexual abuse against children and vulnerable adults. The news was released by the national newspaper The Indian Express. The document is part of the initiatives implemented by Catholic hierarchies on the issue of child abuse, to which Pope Francis is also paying great attention. The guidelines of the local Indian Church were sent to presbyters, churches, schools and religious institutions, nursing homes throughout the Indian state. They are aimed in particular at mitigating the controversy that broke out in the case involving Msgr. Franco Mulakkal, former bishop of Jalandhar (in Punjab), who is being investigated in Kerala for rape of the former superior of the Missionaries of Jesus. Among the indications provided by the Council of Catholic bishops of Kerala (Kcbc), there are: report sexual harassment cases to the authorities concerned; cooperate in investigations; avoid inappropriate physical contact with minors. Speaking of minors, one of the points in the document specifically states: "Sexual exploitation and abuse of vulnerable children and adults are serious crimes and serious sins". For the first time ever, the guidelines provide for the reduction to the lay state for priests or members of the clergy found guilty of sexual harassment. The bishops stipulate that any incident must be reported obligatorily to the civil authorities. They also recommend "avoiding night trips in the company of children or taking photographs when they are undressed or getting dressed". Finally, the document states, "if the Bishop/Major Superior, after studying the results of the investigation by the Sexual Offences Committee, concludes that the alleged offender is guilty and constitutes a risk for minors, the offender is to be immediately relieved of all offices he had been holding and it should be examined whether he needs to be advised to request to be reduced to the lay state; he had the option of asking the Holy Father to dispense him from all obligation connected with the clerical state including celibacy; else a procedure may be initiated for his dismissal from the clerical state. Penal remedies may also be imposed". Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena said on Wednesday that the police recorded his statement over an alleged plot to assassinate him and the truth would be revealed in two weeks. "The CID recorded a statement from me a few days ago. The CID will hand over its report in two week's time to the Attorney General and then the people will get to know the truth regarding the plot to assassinate me," he said while addressing the Parliament. In mid-September, a senior policeman heading the police's counter-terrorism division was arrested along with an Indian national for the alleged assassination plot targeting Sirisena and former defence minister Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. Sirisena accused the police, then under the control of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, of going slow on the investigation. He cited the alleged plot as a reason for his decision to sack Wickremesinghe as prime minister in October last. Just weeks before his unconstitutional move to sack Wickremesinghe, the two leaders clashed over the issue. Since Sirisena reinstated Wickremesinghe as the prime minister after the top court termed his move illegal, the president has kept the ministry in charge of the police force under him. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Kerala government Wednesday vehemently opposed in the Supreme Court a batch of petitions seeking review of the verdict allowing the entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala shrine, even as several organisations argued that the judgement be reconsidered. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi was told by the counsel for the Kerala government that no ground was made out in any of the petitions seeking review of its September 28, 2018 verdict. Several organisations including the Nair Service Society (NSS) and the Thantri of the shrine, have advanced arguments before the bench and sought reconsideration of the verdict. Former attorney general and senior advocate K Parasaran, appearing for the NSS, assailed the majority verdict, saying Article 15 of the Constitution throws open for all public the secular institutions of the country but it doesn't deal with religious institutions. The article "throws open all public institutions of secular character for all classes of citizens but the article conspicuously omits religious institutions", he told the bench. Seeking reconsideration of the verdict, he said the article which deals with abolition of untouchability in society was wrongly used by the apex court in its judgment as exclusion of certain age groups of women was not based on caste. The advocate also referred to the celibate character of the deity at Sabarimala and said the court should have considered this aspect. Senior advocate Jaideep Gupta appearing for the Kerala government told the bench also comprising justices R F Nariman, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra that there was a consensus among the four judges who delivered the majority judgment on three aspects, i.e., Article 26, 25 (2) and rule 3 (b) of the Kerala Act. Gupta said in none of the review petitions questions have been raised regarding these three points and therefore other aspects "raised in the review petition will make no difference". The arguments by those who have filed the review petition that certain submissions were not considered in the judgment or were not advanced is not a ground for re-examining the verdict, the advocate. He said many of those who have sought a re-look of the judgment have not come out with valid legal points but have merely analysed the verdict by the way of a review petition and the court should not entertain them. Another senior advocate Vijay Hansaria, also appearing for the Kerala government said a case cannot be allowed to be reopened by way of review petition. The state government said there is a distinction between essential practice of a temple and the essential practice of the religion. If this essential practice test is applied temple wise then the purpose would be defeated, it said. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the Travancore Devaswom Board's ex-chairperson, favoured submissions seeking review of the judgment. "There is no exclusion of women. There is no exclusion of men. There is no exclusion of a class of men or women based on religion and caste. There is an exclusion inside a class (women). Hence Article 17 (removal of untouchability) under the Constitution will not apply," Singhvi said. Dealing with the aspect of constitutional morality, the senior lawyer said that in a pluralistic diverse Hindu society this concept cannot be applied objectively by the court and it has to be subjective keeping in mind different kind of essential religious practices of Hindu religion. Senior lawyer Shekhar Naphade, also appearing for a party in the case, said in a matter of faith, the court cannot direct a community to practice the religion in a particular manner. "This is an internal affair of a religious community which worships a particular deity in a particular manner. This has never been in dispute that this practice is being followed for centuries. "The court cannot issue a writ of mandamus against a community to practice its religion in a particular manner," Naphade said adding that this practice was an essential religious practice which cannot be scrutinised by the court. He said that any religious practice cannot be stopped unless it constituted a criminal offence. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Justice Department has opened an investigation into federal prosecutors' handling of a plea deal in which a billionaire financier avoided potentially severe penalties for sexually abusing teenage girls in favor of a relatively light state conviction. The department's Office of Professional Responsibility wrote in a letter Wednesday to US Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Nebraska, that it would examine whether there was professional misconduct in the highly publicized case of Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein reached a non-prosecution deal in 2008 with then-Miami US Attorney Alexander Acosta's office to secretly end the federal sex abuse probe involving at least 40 teenage girls. He instead pleaded guilty to state charges, did 13 months in jail, paid settlements to victims and is a registered sex offender. Acosta is now President Donald Trump's labor secretary. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Just 16 members of Parliament have shown interest in using their MPLAD funds to provide facilities at railway stations, under an ambitious scheme proposed by the railways, the ministry said Wednesday. In reply to a query in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain said the railways has also decided that whatever amount is contributed by MPs, an equal amount will be provided by the national transporter to develop facilities at railway stations. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal in 2017 had appealed to members of Parliament to sponsor benches on railway platforms using MPLADS (Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme) fund. "Many Members of Parliament have expressed their desire to provide public facilities/items like benches at railway stations out of their respective MPLAD Funds. Request for provision of steel benches, as per above scheme, on equal sharing basis, has been received from 16 MPs," he said. The railways, in fact, has also said that for every bench an MP sponsors at a station in their constituency, it will install another bench at the same station and display MP's name on it as the benefactor. There are a total 790 MPs in both the Houses of Parliament out of which 341 are from the BJP. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A city court on Wednesday asked the Delhi government to expedite the process of granting requisite sanction to prosecute former JNU Students Union President Kanhaiya Kumar and others in a 2016 sedition case, saying it can't sit on the file indefinitely. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Deepak Sherawat said that precious time of the court is being wasted as the decision with respect to the grant of sanction to prosecute hangs fire and gave the Delhi Police three weeks to get the permission needed to prosecute Kumar and other accused, including former Jawaharlal Nehru University students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, in the case. "Authorities can't sit on the file for indefinite period," the judge observed. The court posted the matter for February 28 after the Delhi Police sought more time to get the sanctions, saying the documents were pending with Delhi government and were expected in a matter of days. "The IO (investigating officer) has stated that so far sanction has not been granted...and the matter is pending with concerned department. IO has filed the present charge sheet for offence under section 124-A (sedition) IPC, without first obtaining the requisite sanction...and now adjournment is being sought on the grounds that process relating to obtaining of sanction is underway. "The precious time of the court is being wasted as the decision with respect to the grant of sanction hangs fire. After filing of the charge sheet, no department can sit on the file with regard to sanction. The department concerned would do well to speed up the matter regarding the sanction," the court said. It had during an earlier hearing questioned Delhi Police for filing a charge sheet against Kumar and others without procuring the sanctions. "Why did you file (the charge sheet) without approval? You don't have a legal department," the court had said. On January 14, the police filed the charge sheet at a city court against Kumar and others, saying he was leading a procession and supported seditious slogans raised on the campus during an event on February 9, 2016. Police also charged Khalid and Bhattacharya for allegedly shouting anti-India slogans during the event to mark the hanging of Parliament-attack mastermind Afzal Guru. Earlier, they had claimed before the court here that Kumar had raised anti-India slogans in 2016 "to incite hatred and disaffection towards the government". Police cited statements of various witnesses in its charge sheet to state that Kumar was walking along with the protesters where a number of unidentified persons were raising slogans during the event. The evidence listed by the agency include a report of JNU's high-level committee, statement of varsity's registrar Bhupinder Jutshi and the mobile phone recordings in which Kumar was seen arguing with him over cancellation of the programme. Police said a video shot by a channel and clips shot by students present at the spot show that Khalid, Bhattacharya and Ashutosh were raising slogans. It added, however, that the slogans raised by Ashutosh were not anti-national, unlike those by Khalid and Bhattacharya. Khalid raised slogans as shown in the videos and mobile clips, police said, citing a video which shows him saying, "The programme is against occupation of Kashmir by the Indian State. I am making it very apparent that I am not from Kashmir but I believe that what is happening in Kashmir is Indian occupation of Kashmir...." Regarding Rama Naga, whose name appears in column 12, the charge sheet said that he delivered speech with contents against the RSS. On 36 others listed in column 2 of the charge sheet, including Ashutosh, Rama Naga, Banojyotsana, Shehla Rashid and Aparajitha Raja, police said that they were not seen raising anti-India slogans. A case was registered on February 11, 2016 under sections 124A and 120B of the IPC against unidentified persons at Vasant Kunj (North) police station, following complaints from BJP lawmaker Maheish Girri and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. The event had taken place despite the university administration cancelling the permission, following a complaint from RSS student wing ABVP, which had termed it "anti-national". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A city court on Wednesday lashed out at the Delhi government over delay in granting requisite sanctions to prosecute former JNU Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar and others in a 2016 sedition case, saying they can't sit on file indefinitely. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Deepak Sherawat directed Delhi Police to ask the authorities concerned to expedite the process while grating it three weeks to procure the sanctions needed to prosecute Kumar and other accused, including former Jawaharlal Nehru University students, Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, in the case. The court posted the matter for February 28 after Delhi Police sought more time to get the sanctions, saying the documents were pending with Delhi government and were expected in a matter of days. "Ask the authorities concerned to expedite the matter. They can't sit on file for indefinite period," the court said. The court had earlier questioned Delhi Police for filing a charge sheet against Kumar and others without procuring the sanctions. "Why did you file (the charge sheet) without approval? You don't have a legal department," the court had said. On January 14, the police filed the charge sheet at a city court against Kumar and others, saying he was leading a procession and supported seditious slogans raised on the campus during an event on February 9, 2016. Police also charged Khalid and Bhattacharya for allegedly shouting anti-India slogans during the event to mark the hanging of Parliament-attack mastermind Afzal Guru. Earlier, they had claimed before the court here that Kumar had raised anti-India slogans in 2016 "to incite hatred and disaffection towards the government". Police cited statements of various witnesses in its charge sheet to state that Kumar was walking along with the protesters where a number of unidentified persons were raising slogans during the event. The evidence listed by the agency include report of JNU's high-level committee, statement of varsity's registrar Bhupinder Jutshi and the mobile phone recordings in which Kumar was seen arguing with him over cancellation of the programme. Police said a video shot by a channel and clips shot by students present at the spot show that Khalid, Bhattacharya and Ashutosh were raising slogans. It added however that the slogans raised by Ashutosh were not anti-national, unlike those by Khalid and Bhattacharya. Khalid raised slogans as shown in the videos and mobile clips, police said, citing a video which shows him saying, "The programme is against occupation of Kashmir by the Indian State. I am making it very apparent that I am not from Kashmir but I believe that what is happening in Kashmir is Indian occupation of Kashmir..." Regarding Rama Naga, whose name appears in column 12, the charge sheet said that he delivered speech with contents against the RSS. On 36 others listed in column 2 of the charge sheet, including Ashutosh, Rama Naga, Banojyotsana, Shehla Rashid and Aparajitha Raja, police said that they were not seen raising anti-India slogans. A case was registered on February 11, 2016 under sections 124A and 120B of the IPC against unidentified persons at Vasant Kunj (North) police station, following complaints from BJP lawmaker Maheish Girri and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. The event had taken place despite the university administration cancelling the permission, following a complaint from ABVP, which had termed it "anti-national". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen, which has been fighting for "liberation of Kashmir" and involved in a series of terror acts, has been banned by the government, the said Wednesday. In a notification, the ministry said the central government believes that the Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen (TuM) is involved in terrorism as it has committed and participated in various acts of terrorism in India and its members are getting financial as well as logistic support from their handlers based abroad. The Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen came into existence in 1990 with the objective of "liberation of Kashmir" and has been actively pursuing the same by way of acts of terror, the ministry said. "Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by clause (a) of sub-section (1) of section 35 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, the central government hereby makes the following further amendments in the First Schedule to the said Act, namely:- In the First Schedule to the said Act, after serial number 40 and the entries relating thereto, the following serial number and entries shall be inserted, namely:- '41. Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen (TuM) and all its manifestations'," it said. The TuM has carried out a number of terrorist attacks, besides subversive acts, such as grenade attacks, weapons snatching and supporting other terrorist outfits like the Hizb-Ul-Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba, in terms of financial and logistic support in the recent past, the notification said. The terror group has also committed acts of terrorism and promoting acts of terrorism. It has been engaged in radicalisation and recruitment of youth for terrorist activities in India. The notification said a number of cases have been registered by the Police in the recent past, in which it is found that the TuM has played a major role in commission of terrorist acts and a number of its cadre have been arrested. In the cases, it was also found that the group is running terrorist training centres for Kashmiri youth and is likely to recruit more youth from the Jammu and Kashmir, it said. Pilots of crisis-hit Jet Airways this week discussed the current situation and are likely to take a final call next month in case the airline fails to adhere to the timeline set for partial payment of salaries, according to a source. Grappling with acute financial woes, the full service carrier is looking to restructure debt and raise funds. Jet Airways has been making salary payments to many of its employees, including pilots, in a staggered manner, amid financial crunch. The current situation of the airline was discussed during an open house meeting, organised by the National Aviator's Guild (NAG), in Mumbai Monday, the source said. The NAG is a grouping of the airline's pilots. The source said, the main issue was regarding non-adherence to the salary payment schedule that was communicated to the pilots in December. According to the source, it was decided at the meeting that in case of a default in the salary payout committed for February, then the pilots would collectively take a final call next month. The airline will seek approval for conversion of loans into shares, among other proposals, at the meeting of shareholders to be held on February 21. Jet Airways would seek nod to "convert the whole or part of the outstanding under loans, extended/to be extended by the lenders, into shares, or convertible instruments or other securities, of the company...", as per a filing made last month. The conversion would be done as per the terms contained in the respective loan documents between the company and its lenders. It would also be subject to all requisite regulatory approvals. Besides, Jet Airways would seek shareholders' approval to negotiate and finalise the terms and conditions with the lenders for raising further loans from time to time as well as provide the lenders with a right to convert such loans into shares, or convertible instruments or other securities. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Japanese government has ordered a veteran freelance journalist to surrender his passport to prevent him from going on a reporting trip to Yemen. The decision came amid debate in Japan about whether journalists should be prevented from going to war zones after the capture and release of a Japanese reporter in Syria last year. Kosuke Tsuneoka, 49, told local media that immigration officers stopped him at Tokyo's Haneda airport on February 2, citing an order for him to surrender his passport. Foreign Minister Taro Kono said Tuesday the government issued the order to "a male Japanese national" at Haneda airport. When asked whether the action violated Tsuneoka's right to travel, Kono said the journalist had the right to legal recourse. "I wish to express my utmost respect to journalists who are reporting in dangerous places," Kono said, while declining to disclose other details. Tsuneoka was about to leave for the war-torn nation via Qatar and Sudan. The rare step came amid mixed views in Japan over people taking risks with their safety after shock killings and kidnappings of journalists and other Japanese nationals in Middle East. Tsuneoka was not available for immediate comment but has discussed his ordeal with Japanese media. He said he planned to cover humanitarian and relief programmes in Yemen, where rebels have been mired in a war with government forces backed since 2015 by a Saudi-led coalition. Tsuneoka attempted to visit the war-torn nation in January, but was stopped in Oman and deported, according to Japanese media. The latest decision came after the release in October of another freelance journalist, Jumpei Yasuda, who was held in Syria for more than three years. In 2015, Tokyo also confiscated the passport of photographer Yuichi Sugimoto, who planned to travel to Syria. That decision followed the execution of two Japanese citizens -- war correspondent Kenji Goto and his acquaintance Haruna Yukawa -- by Islamist extremists in Syria. Sugimoto later received a new passport, which specifically barred him from travel to Syria and Iraq. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Gunmen killed an Iranian policeman and wounded a police officer in a shootout Wednesday during which a stray bullet hit a fuel tanker, causing it to explode, Iran's state TV reported. Authorities later said five suspects were arrested. State TV quoted Gen. Mohammad Mahdia, police chief in western Lorestan province where the shootout took place, as saying the suspects belong to two different groups. He did not elaborate but said an investigation was ongoing. The report said the shootout occurred near a gas station and that the explosion of the tanker shattered the windows of a nearby building. The killed policeman was identified as Najmeddin Bavi. State TV said the wounded police officer, Lt. Jaber Beiranvand, was in ICU at a local hospital. The report said the gunmen initially opened fire on the tanker and then on the police who were patrolling the area. The assailants later fled in a stolen car. Heavily rural Lorestan has seen occasional tribal-related clashes and many people in the area have private firearms. In November, authorities confiscated some 150 guns from smugglers in the province. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs remain intact and Pyongyang is using airports to shield its weapons. The confidential report was sent to the Security Council as President Donald Trump prepares for a second summit this month with leader Kim Jong Un (AFP) United Nations: North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs remain intact and Pyongyang is using airports and other facilities to shield its weapons from possible US military strikes, according to a UN panel of experts. The panel said in a report seen by AFP on Tuesday that sanctions against North Korea were "ineffective," with Pyongyang still able to acquire illegal shipments of oil products, sell banned coal and violate an arms embargo. "The Democratic People's Republic of Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs remain intact," said the report, using the official name for North Korea. "The panel found that the DPRK is using civilian facilities, including airports for ballistic missile assembly and testing with the goal of effectively preventing 'decapitation' strikes." The confidential report was sent to the Security Council as President Donald Trump prepares for a second summit this month with leader Kim Jong Un that the United States hopes will yield concrete progress in dismantling Pyongyang's weapons programs. The Trump administration has led the drive at the United Nations to impose a series of tough economic sanctions on North Korea in response to its nuclear tests and missile launches in 2017. But North Korea has resorted to illegal transfers of oil, fuel and coal using a network of ships at sea to circumvent the UN-imposed measures aimed at depriving Pyongyang of revenue to build up its weapons programs. "These violations render the latest United Nations sanctions ineffective by flouting the caps on the DPRK's import of petroleum products and crude oil as well as the coal ban imposed in 2017," said the report. UN sanctions resolutions have set ceilings for North Korea of four million barrels of crude oil per year and 500,000 barrels of refined oil products. "The panel found that DPRK ports and airports are used for rampant violations of the resolution ranging from illegal oil imports and coal exports to the smuggling of bulk cash by DPRK nationals," said the report. North Korea continues to violate an arms embargo and attempted to supply light weapons to Syria, the Huthi rebels in Yemen, Libya and Sudan, it added. "Financial sanctions remain some of the most poorly implemented and actively evaded measures of the sanctions regime," said the panel. The Delhi High Court Wednesday allowed Congress leader P Chidambaram to place some additional documents on record in his pending anticipatory bail plea in the INX Media case lodged by the CBI. The former finance minister has sought to place on record the printouts of several articles published on February 3, which state that the Law Ministry has told the Centre that CBI can be granted sanction to prosecute Chidambaram in the case. Justice Sunil Gaur allowed the application and said the additional documents are taken on record. The court has on January 25, reserved the order on Chidambaram's anticipatory bail pleas in the corruption and money laundering cases relating to the INX Media scandal, lodged by the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED). In the application filed through advocate Arshdeep Singh and Pramod Dubey, Chidambaram said it was imperative to bring on record these facts to show that the CBI has completed its investigation in the case and has thereafter, sought sanction to prosecute him. "On February 3, it has been widely reported in the media that the Law Ministry has informed the central government that sanction can be granted to the CBI to prosecute the petitioner (Chidambaram) in the instant case. "It appears that the opinion of the Law Ministry was sought on the request for grant of sanction made by the CBI against the petitioner," the plea said. The Congress leader has sought anticipatory bail saying that he was called for questioning by CBI only once in June 2018 and he was not even named as an accused in the FIR. CBI and ED have opposed the anticipatory bail plea and asserted that his custodial interrogation was required in the case as he was evasive in giving answers during questioning and they required his custodial interrogation which will be qualitatively different. The two probe agencies contended that Chidambaram, during whose tenure as finance minister the FIPB clearance was granted to a media group for receiving overseas funds of Rs 305 crore in 2007, gave wrong answers and did not disclose the material which ought to be in his knowledge. A senior government functionary has said the law ministry's opinion was sought on whether the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) demand to prosecute Chidambaram was legally sound. The law ministry has now told the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) that there was "no legal infirmity" in the CBI request seeking prosecution sanction. The ministry gave its opinion based on evidence provided by the premier investigating agency, the official has said. CBI has been already granted approval by the Centre to prosecute Chidambaram in Aircel-Maxis case. The high court had on July 25, 2018 granted interim protection from arrest to Chidambaram from arrest in both the cases and it was extended from time to time. The senior Congress leader's role had come under the scanner of various investigating agencies in the Rs 3,500-crore Aircel-Maxis deal and the INX Media case involving Rs 305 crore. It was during his tenure as finance minister in the UPA-I government that clearances from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) were given to the two ventures. In the INX Media case, the CBI had registered an FIR on May 15, 2017 alleging irregularities in the FIPB clearance. Thereafter, the ED had last year lodged the money laundering case in this regard. A trial court here had also on May 30, 2018, directed the ED not to take coercive action against Chidambaram in the Aircel-Maxis money laundering case. He was also granted protection from arrest in the Aircel-Maxis case in which he and his son Karti are named in the charge sheet filed by the CBI. The interim protection has been extended from time to time. Chidambaram's petition had said that though no summons had ever been served on him by the ED in this case, he had an apprehension of arrest in view of the summons issued to him by the CBI, which was investigating the scheduled offence. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A leading Indian-origin trade expert on Wednesday joined hands with a former Brexit minister to launch new draft proposals for a future free trade agreement (FTA) between the UK and European Union (EU). Shanker Singham, CEO of free market consultancy Competere and Director of the International Trade and Competition Unit at the London-based Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) think tank, claims that unlike other trade agreements which could take many years to negotiate, the UK can conclude an FTA with the EU more quickly. "We know the EU wants to do a deal with us because they have repeatedly told us so. We also know that unlike other trade agreements which can take years and years to negotiate, this one should be concluded more quickly," said Singham, citing three main reasons. First, unlike all other trade agreements, we have the unique starting point of identical regulations and as well as zero tariffs and no quantitative restrictions, he said. "Secondly, the proposed FTA is a sound basis for future agreement as it is based, wherever possible, on existing EU agreements with other nations. Third, the FTA approach also respects the integrity of the European Single Market and Customs Union and builds on the EU's original offer of a comprehensive FTA with the entirety of the United Kingdom." Singham's proposals have found the backing of pro-Brexit Conservative Party MP David Davis, who had resigned as British Prime Minister Theresa May's Secretary of State for Exiting the EU last year in protest over her Brexit plan. Davis welcomed the approach as it shows the British public what a "comprehensive, advanced FTA" would look like and reflects what voters expect following the referendum in favour of Brexit in June 2016. "We have lived with the customs union and the single market for so long, but an FTA would be very different," says the ex-minister. "Our proposed FTA would lower barriers to trade and, through mutual recognition, would improve domestic regulation on both sides. And, of course, our draft FTA will enable the UK to seize the Brexit prize of our own independent trade and regulatory policy," he said. The draft proposals for a future FTA came as the think tank Singham is associated with was given an official warning by the UK's charity regulator for "misconduct and mismanagement" for campaigning for a hard Brexit without proper balance during an event in September 2018. The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) received the warning by Charity Commission on Wednesday over its 'Plan A+: Creating a prosperous post-Brexit UK' document, authored by Singham. The IEA, which is registered as an educational charity, removed the report from its website after receiving the warning but said it was "disappointed" with the watchdog's move. Neil Record, chair of the IEA's board of trustees, said the think tank was "considering a range of options, as we believe this warning has extremely widespread and worrying implications for the whole of the think tank and educational charity sector". The latest developments come 50 days before Britain is set to formally exit the 28-member economic bloc on March 29. European Council President Donald Tusk made a harsh intervention into the ongoing debate over a withdrawal agreement acceptable to all sides during a press conference in Brussels with Ireland's Indian-origin Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. "I've been wondering what that special place in hell looks like, for those who promoted Brexit, without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely," Tusk told reporters on Wednesday. He was immediately attacked for his "arrogance" by Brexit-backing British MPs, with Varadkar heard over the microphones warning him of "terrible trouble in the British press" for that remark. Downing Street said it was a question for Tusk "whether he considers the use of that kind of language helpful". Therea May is due to arrive in Brussels on Thursday to seek legal changes to the withdrawal deal she signed with the EU. She hopes these changes will help her get it through the UK Parliament, which had vehemently voted it down. The so-called Irish backstop remains the biggest stumbling block to a deal, which is aimed at avoiding a hard border between the UK and EU member-country Ireland post-Brexit. The EU has reiterated that the remaining 27 member countries have no plans to reopen the withdrawal agreement already struck in December last year. "The EU is first and foremost a peace project. We will not gamble with peace or put a sell-by date on reconciliation. This is why we insist on the backstop," said Tusk. Varadkar added that while he was "open to further discussions" with the UK government about post-Brexit relations, the legally-binding withdrawal agreement remained "the best deal possible". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India's latest communication satellite GSAT-31 was successfully launched by European launch services provider- Arianespace rocket from French Guiana in the early hours of Wednesday. Blasting off from Ariane Launch Complex at Kourou, a French territory located in northeastern coast of South America at at 02:31 am (IST), the Ariane-5 vehicle injected GSAT-31 into the orbit in a flawless flight lasting about 42 minutes. "It gives me great pleasure on the successful launch of GSAT-31 spacecraft on board Ariane-5, this is the third mission for ISRO in 2019," Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) Director S Pandian said at Kourou soon after the launch. "Congratulation to Arianespace on the successful launch and precise injection of satellite into the orbit," he added. Arianespace CEO Stphane Isral tweeted: "2019 is off to a roaring start for #Arianespace! Flight #VA247, carrying Saudi Geostationary Satellite 1/Hellas Sat 4 and GSAT-31, is a confirmed success that underscores our leadership position in the geostationary launch market. @KACST #HellasSat @ISRO @LockheedMartin." Weighing about 2,535 kg, the GSAT-31 will provide continuity to operational services on some of the in-orbit satellites. The satellite derives its heritage from ISROs earlier INSAT/GSAT satellite series, the space agency said, adding that it provides Indian mainland and island coverage. GSAT-31 is the country's 40th communication satellite which is configured on ISRO's enhanced 'I-2K Bus', utilising the maximum "bus capabilities" of this type. This satellite will augment the Ku-band transponder capacity in Geostationary Orbit, ISRO said. With a mission life of around 15 years, GSAT-31 will be used for supporting VSAT networks, Television uplinks, Digital Satellite Gathering, DTH-television services, cellular backhaul connectivity and many such applications. It also provides wide beam coverage to facilitate communication over large oceanic region, comprising large parts of Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean, using a wide band transponder. According to ISRO, two Ku-band beacon downlink signals are transmitted for ground tracking purpose. The Ariane-5 vehicle (Flight VA247) also carried Saudi Geostationary Satellite 1/Hellas Sat 4 along with GSAT-31. Riding in Ariane 5's upper position, HS-4/SGS-1 was released first in the flight sequence, with its separation occurring about 27 minutes after liftoff. Comprising two payloads, Saudi Geostationary Satellite 1/Hellas Sat 4, also called HS- 4/SGS-1, is a geostationary condosat for KACST (King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology Saudi Arabia) and Hellas Sat (Greece Cyprus). HS- 4/SGS-1 will provide telecommunication capabilities, including television, Internet, telephone and secure communications in the Middle East, South Africa and Europe, Arianespace said on its website. GSAT-30 is another geostationary satellite to be lofted soon by Arianespace. Since the launch of India's APPLE experimental satellite on Ariane Flight L03 in 1981, Arianespace has orbited 23 satellites and signed 24 launch contracts with the Indian space agency, the European launch services provider said . (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India and New Zealand have vowed to step up their political and economic ties after top officials of both countries held wide-ranging talks to strengthen the bilateral relationship. The second foreign office consultations between India and New Zealand were held here on Tuesday. At the talks, the Indian side was led by Vijay Thakur Singh, Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs, while the New Zealand side was led by Ben King, Deputy Secretary Americas and Asia Group, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, of that country. The dialogue provided an opportunity to review the entire range of bilateral relations, including political, trade and economic ties, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement. India reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with New Zealand in these areas, it added. The two sides also exchanged views on regional and multilateral issues, including cooperation at the UN and other international organisations. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The government has sought applications for chairman and members of anti- Lokpal, nearly five years after the Act came into force, officials said Wednesday. An advertisement seeking applications from desired and eligible candidates has been issued by the Personnel Ministry. For the appointment as the chairman, a person who is or has been of India or a judge is eligible to apply. Besides, individuals with "impeccable integrity and outstanding ability" having special knowledge and expertise of not less than 25 years in matters related to anti- policy, public administration, vigilance, finance including insurance and banking, and law and management are eligible to apply. Those with less than 45 years of age are not eligible to apply. According to rules, there is a provision for a chairperson and a maximum of eight members in the Of these, four need to be judicial members. "Not less than 50 per cent of the members of the shall be from amongst the persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, minorities and women," the advertisement seeking the applications reads. Upon selection, the chairperson and members shall hold office for a term of five years or till they attain 70 years of age. The salary and allowances of the chairman of the Lokpal will be same as that of the of India. The members will be paid salary and allowances same as that of a judge of the The last date to apply for the post is February 22. The advertisement was issued following a meeting of an eight-member search panel late last month. The search committee, mandated to form a panel of candidates who could be considered for the appointment as chief and the members of Lokpal, held its first meeting on January 29. The panel, headed by former judge Ranjana Prakash Desai, had then discussed modalities related to the appointments. The Supreme Court had recently set up a February-end deadline for the Lokpal search committee to send a panel of names who could be considered for the appointment as its chairman and members by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led selection committee. The apex court had on January 17 asked the search committee to complete its deliberations and recommend the names by the end of February. The Lokpal Act, which envisages establishment of the anti-graft body Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in states to look into cases of against certain categories of public servants, was passed in 2013. As per the advertisement, the chief and members of the Lokpal are not eligible for reappointments. They will also not be eligible for any diplomatic assignment, appointment as administrator of a Union territory and for further employment to any other office of profit under the government of India. The Act prevents the chief and members of the Lokpal from contesting any election of President or member of either house of Parliament or member of either house of a state legislature or municipality or panchayat within a period of five years from the date of relinquishing the post. The Lokpal selection committee is headed by the prime minister and has as its members the Lok Sabha Speaker, leader of the opposition in the lower house, the of India or a judge of the apex court nominated by him, and an eminent jurist who could be nominated by the President or any other member. Leader of in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge had been invited in the past meetings of the selection panel as "special invitee". President had nominated former Attorney General of India Mukul Rohatgi as "eminent jurist" as the member of the panel against the vacancy arising following the death of senior advocate P P Rao. The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) Wednesday organised a rally at Thakurnagar where Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a public meeting last week, and senior party leaders accused the BJP of trying to create "constitutional crisis" in West Bengal. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is following the orders of the Bharatiya Janata Party and has become the "BJP Bureau of Investigation" that has singled out opposition leaders, Kolkata Mayor and TMC leader Firhad Hakim alleged at the rally in Thakurnagar in North 24 Parganas district. Thakurnagar is known as the hub of Matua community. The Matuas, originally hailing from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), started migrating to West Bengal in the 1950s, mostly due to religious persecution there. The community, with an estimated population of three million in the state, exhorts influence in at least five Lok Sabha seats in North and South 24 Parganas districts. At his rally here on Saturday, Modi had made a strong pitch for the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, insisting that it would bring justice and respectability to those who faced religious persecution. Hakim alleged that BJP leaders remembered the Matuas just ahead of elections. "What have you (BJP) been doing for the past four-and -a half years? You have come here just for the sake of votes. But I can assure you that you will return empty handed from here," the senior TMC leader said. "The central government led by the BJP is trying to create a constitutional crisis in West Bengal. We will never let that happen. The people of this state will not a give a single seat to the BJP in Lok Sabha elections," Hakim said. "The CBI has become very active against the TMC and other opposition leaders but is mum on BJP leaders who are also accused in chit fund cases. The CBI has turned into a "BJP Bureau of Investigation," he said. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was on a sit-in protest for three days against the CBI's attempt to question the Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar in connection with chit fund scams. She called off her dharna Tuesday evening after the Supreme Court forbade the CBI from taking any coercive action against Kumar, but vowed to wage a battle against the Narendra Modi government till it was ousted from power. The TMC leadership has also filed an FIR against the BJP and the BJP-aligned faction of All India Matua Mahasangha for felling trees to make space for landing of Modi's chopper at Thakurnagar on February 2. "Felling trees is a crime under environmental laws. We have also forwarded a copy of the FIR to the state forest department for necessary action," senior minister and TMC leader Jyotipriyo Mullick said. Mullick, who is a member of the TMC's core committee, said the party will also organise a rally at Maynaguri in north Bengal after Modi's scheduled meeting there on Friday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Wednesday served notices to the Centre and state governments on a petition demanding that the name of the accused in cases of sexual assault should not be published. Section 228 (A) of the Indian Penal Code is "gender discriminatory" as it only protects the identity of the woman victim, the petition filed by P G Najpandey and Mumtaz Ahmed Khan said. The section prohibits disclosure of the identity of the victim of sexual assault and related offences. A division bench of Chief Justice S K Seth and Justice V K Shukla admitted the public interest litigation (PIL) for hearing, said Ajay Shankar Raizada, the petitioners' counsel. The petition contended that there was no bar on the publication of the name of male accused in such cases, though the law considers every person innocent till proved guilty. The government should show how only the victim woman is affected if the identity is disclosed, but not the male accused. Section 228 (A) violates the right to equality under Article 14 of the Constitution, Raizada said. The lawyer said the #MeToo movement on social media against sexual harassment could also be used to "tarnish" the image of an innocent man. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Minister Shripad Yesso Naik Wednesday asked all states and union territories to identify 12,500 health and wellness centres across the country to deliver AYUSH services at grass-root level. After inaugurating the fourth conference of AYUSH/health ministers of states/UTs, Naik said that research councils under the Ministry of AYUSH were conducting in states the national programme for prevention and control of cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke (NPCDCS). The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) is conducting the NPCDCS in three states -- Gujarat's Surendranagar district, Rajasthan's Bhilwara district and Bihar's Gaya. Similarly, the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH) is implementing the programme in West Bengal's Darjeeling district and Andhra Pradesh's Krishna district. The results are encouraging and would be scaled up, Naik said. He said that states and union territories are important partners in the journey of the Ministry of AYUSH for promotion of traditional systems of medicine to all mankind. "Public health delivery system has been of highest priority. We look forward to an effective integration in the national progress related to health," he said. The AYUSH minister further said that financial support is being extended to all states and UTs under the National AYUSH Mission Scheme for upgradation of infrastructure and manpower in AYUSH institutions. Addressing all the representatives from the state government, Naik said,"12,500 health and wellness centres need to be identified across the country for rendering AYUSH services to the people at grass-root level with special reference to preventive health care." On this occasion, NITI Aayog vice chairman Rajiv Kumar said that AYUSH deserves equal recognition and patronage as enjoyed by the modern system of medicine. He said that the holistic nature of AYUSH systems need to be recognised, nurtured and proliferated in the interest of the health of the mankind. Kumar suggested that Indian embassies can also play a role in spreading the message of AYUSH systems and converting it into a universal 'Jan Andolan'. An overview regarding the AYUSHMAN Bharat, a flagship initiative of the Government of India to extend healthcare facilities to the people at the grass-root level, was also shared in the conference. It was apprised that the Ministry of AYUSH has been given the responsibility to run 12,500 health and wellness centres across the country and contribute to preventive health aspects. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) said it has signed a pact with Invest India to promote foreign investments in the country and Indian investments abroad. Invest India is a government agency that promotes and facilitates investment in the country. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed here on Monday by ICAI President Naveen N D Gupta and Invest India MD and CEO Deepak Bagla, ICAI said in a release. The objective of the MoU is to provide necessary guidance and advice to the potential inbound and outbound investors and promote India as an investment-friendly destination, the release added. ICAI, after this initiative, will give necessary assistance to potential investors regarding accounting, taxation, legal, and advisory services and regulatory compliances for investments in India, through its members. Further, the move will help in promoting initiatives including Startup India. It also aims to facilitate investment across the globe and create job opportunities. Both the parties will organise investment promotion events, including road shows and investor outreach programmes, across the globe to promote investment and facilitate interactions between international investors and Indian business community. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday strongly came out in support of her husband Robert Vadra, whom she dropped off at by the Enforcement Directorate's office for questioning in a money laundering case. In an apparent political message, Priyanka Gandhi dropped off her husband before taking charge as the Congress general secretary at the AICC headquarters. "He is my husband, he is my family...I support my family," she said when asked whether she was sending a message by dropping off her husband. Asked if it was a political vendetta, she said that everyone knows why this is being done. The case pertains to money laundering and alleged possession of illegal foreign assets. Priyanka Gandhi's show of support to her husband came days after an emotional message from Vadra on her appointment AICC general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh east. "Congratulations P... always by your side in every phase of your life. Give it your best, Vadra had said in a Facebook post. Vadra appeared before the ED after being directed by a Delhi court to cooperate with the investigation being carried out by the central probe agency. He had knocked on the court's door seeking anticipatory bail in the case. A Delhi court last week granted interim bail to him till February 16 and asked him to join probe by appearing in person on February 6 in this case. Asked about Vadra's questioning by the ED, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said:"Election season is on and we expect that everyday when a summon is to be answered there will be a press conference." The attempt is to mislead, confuse and to create and ambience before election, but people see through this, he said at a press conference. The ED, Income Tax Department, the CBI, and 10 other agencies could not do a thing against him, for so many years. It shows that this is nothing but an 'electoral jumla', he alleged. Singhvi claimed that the charges against Vadra are "fickle, superficial, non-existent, non-substantive" nature of the charges. The BJP had full four and a half years to investigate but could not find anything, he claimed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The president said that although much work remains to be done, his relationship with North Korea's leader is 'good'. The summit would be held on February 27 and 28 (FIle Photo) Washington : US President Donald Trump will hold a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Vietnam on February 27 and 28 to jump-start a diplomatic effort to dismantle the reclusive nation's nuclear and missile programmes. The announcement about the meeting came during Trump's second State of the Union address. Kim and Trump met in Singapore last year, marking the first bilateral meeting between leaders of the two countries. While North Korea since then has refrained from overtly provocative actions like testing nuclear warheads or ballistic missiles, it has yet to agree to actually give up any piece of its atomic arsenal. Addressing Congress, Trump said progress has been made in his administration's efforts to achieve peace on the Korean peninsula. "We continue our historic push for peace on the Korean Peninsula . Our hostages have come home, nuclear testing has stopped and there has not been a missile launch in more than 15 months," Trump said during the address that lasted for more than 80 minutes. "Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong-un is a good one," Trump said. "Chairman Kim and I will meet again on February 27 and 28 in Vietnam ," he said. Trump, however, also gave an ominous warning about the risks of heightened tensions with Pyongyang . "If I had not been elected President of the United States , we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea ," Trump said. It is not clear in which city the summit will take place. Hanoi , the nation's capital, and Da Nang , a coastal resort town, have both been floated as possibilities. A source familiar with the negotiations told CNN that North Korea favours Hanoi given that they have an embassy there. The US favours Da Nang given the fact that there was recently an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in the city which means the US has already conducted a full check. Vietnam , which has diplomatic ties with both Washington and Pyongyang , offers advantages for both leaders. Da Nang is an easy flight for Kim's shorter-range aircraft and, for Trump, the country offers a symbolic nod to a communist country that has improved relations with the US since the end of the Vietnam War. The lead US negotiator with North Korea , Stephen Biegun, is set to meet with his North Korean counterpart on Wednesday in Pyongyang . With the summit between Trump and Kim just three weeks away, follow-up meetings at a working level will be needed, especially as there was no progress on denuclearisation during the last visit by a North Korean delegation to Washington in January. The North Koreans have said that they would take steps on denuclearisation if the US takes corresponding measures, though Biegun said last week that one of his tasks will be to figure out exactly what that means. Trump and Kim signed a vaguely worded agreement at their first summit in Singapore pledging to work toward full denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula . Members of Trump's administration, meanwhile, acknowledge North Korea is still developing a nuclear weapons programme and US sanctions on the country remain in place. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told lawmakers last week that " North Korea will seek to retain its WMD capabilities, and is unlikely to completely give up its nuclear weapons and production capabilities." Coats said that the US intelligence has observed "some activity that is inconsistent with full denuclearisation." The last nuclear test North Korea conducted was in September 2017. The regime also launched an intercontinental ballistic missile in November 2017. Some experts say the regime no longer needs to conduct such tests because of advances in its nuclear weapons programme. Travelogue IV: Philadelphia and New Jersey I knew Philadelphia was from a movie named Philadelphia. The story impressed me for decade. However, this time I indeed didnt find anything fun to enjoy due to the tightening trip time. We kept on driving through the city. From Mr. Whites notes, we know that Philadelphia is well known for its sandwich, called Philip cheese steaks. Seafood they seem proud of is crab cakes. They also take pride in their Italian foods. If you are looking for asthenic foods at the area, those are dishes to try. Going through Philadelphia, we arrived in New Jersey. The very first thing that we needed to do was to find a hotel near the Status of Liberty. We were going to visit there next day. The hotel there became much more expensive than in Baltimore. It took us four hours to find a decent hotel. Its price of $90/night was accepted. I couldnt tell you how old the building was exactly. But, from its old facilities, I guessed it was built one century ago. The main reason for us to choose it was the room was clean and warm. The negative sides were the blanket looked like a fishing net spreading with many holes. The queen size bed narrowed than the standard one. We both had no chance to turn over the bodies. Anyway, our purpose was not enjoying the living in the hotel instead of visiting the Statue of Liberty on the Liberty Island and Ellis Island. Liberty Island is the part of New Jersey and also the part of New York. The Island is an exclave of the New York City (Manhattan Island), surrounded by the waters of Jersey City, New Jersey [1]. The Statue of Liberty [1] is a copper statue, which situates on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York. It is a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States on October 28, 1886. The Statue of Liberty is a figure of Libertas. The statue became an icon of freedom of the United States, a national park tourism destination, and is a welcoming sight to immigrants arriving from abroad. Ellis Island is in Upper New York Bay, east of Liberty State Park and north of Liberty Island, in Jersey City, New Jersey, with a small section that is part of New York City. It was the gateway for over 12 million immigrants to the U.S. as the United States' busiest immigrant inspection station for over 60 years [2] from 1892 until 1954. Ellis Island was opened in January 1, 1892. The island was greatly expanded with land reclamation between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the site of Fort Gibson and later a naval magazine. The island was made part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument in 1965 and has hosted a museum of immigration. Visiting Liberty Island was one of the most impressed experiences of our entire trip to the east coast. Ferries provide transportation to both Liberty Island and Ellis Island. One ferry ticket provides access to both islands. The admission for transportation by ferry service was $18 /person. The parking fee was $7. The tickets include access to Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration and Statue of Liberty in one day. We took an early ferry departure. It was a sunny day, but chilly and windy. The temperature was too low to let us stay long. We only used three hours to finish the tour. References [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Liberty. [2] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellis_Island Huge potential exists in India-Africa trade, which currently stood at USD 63 billion, in areas including mining and goods and services, a top government official said Wednesday. Commerce Secretary Anup Wadhawan said the combined gross domestic product of India and Africa is 5 per cent of the global economy and 8 per cent of the world trade. "We need to work together to achieve the full potential, which is enormous," he said here at the India-Africa Strategic Economic Cooperation meet. He also said all ingredients -- natural resources, skilled manpower, technology, financing and entrepreneurship -- are there to increase economic cooperation between the two regions. India mainly exports pharmaceuticals, engineering and electronic products to Africa and imports natural resources and diamonds. There is a potential to go beyond these traditional products, Wadhawan said adding that much more scope is there in areas including engineering, electronics and mining. Services and investments are other areas where "we can increase cooperation," he said. The secretary said Indian and African companies can explore investments in sectors like IT, energy, and mining. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Himachal Pradesh government has decided to reduce from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 5 lakh the bond money for MBBS doctors who pursue higher medical courses, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said Wednesday. Resident doctors of state medical colleges have been protesting against the bank guarantee policy since long. Speaking in the state assembly on the third day of ongoing budget session, Thakur said the state cabinet decided to reduce bank guarantee by half in its Tuesday meeting. He was replying to a question asked by Asha Kumari of the Congress regarding chemotherapy facilities. Earlier, replying to Kumari's question, Health Minister Vipin Parmar said adequate steps were being taken to strengthen treatment facilities for cancer patients in the state. BJP MLA from Nurpur Rakesh Pathania also asked as to when chemotherapy facilities would be made available at RPG Medical College Tanda for the benefit of patients from Kangra district and nearby areas. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Seeking to bag more work, the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) Wednesday asked it officials across the country to hold meetings with chief ministers, chief secretaries and state ministers to get their projects executed through the agency. In a letter written to all the top officers, CPWD director general Prabhakar Singh said the agency is currently witnessing a new period of accelerated change in its functioning, be it addition to new clients and assignment of new works. Singh said he was frequently meeting with Union ministers, chief ministers and other ministers, secretaries and the department has succeeded in getting new works. CPWD, a premier central government authority in charge of public sector works, comes under the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry. "I would request you to have similar meetings with chief ministers, ministers of state governments, chief secretaries and other senior functionaries and make presentation on capabilities and achievements of the CPWD and convince them to get their works executed through it," the DG said in the letter. He also requested its officers to make rigorous efforts in this regard so as to continue the momentum of growth of department. The agency looks after maintenance of central government buildings and erecting of fences on the country's international borders, among others. It also carries out projects in foreign countries under friendship programmes with India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Hindu temple was vandalised in Pakistan's Sindh province by miscreants who set the holy books and idols on fire, drawing a strong reaction from Prime Minister who ordered swift and decisive action against the perpetrators. The incident happened last week in Kumb, a town in Khairpur district. The unidentified assailants fled the after vandalism. Khan Tuesday night took to Twitter to call upon the provincial authorities to take swift action against the culprits. "The govt of Sindh must take swift and decisive action against the perpetrators. This is against the teachings of the Quran," Khan said. The community has approached the police to register a case against unidentified persons. There was no caretaker at the temple because the community felt that it was safe enough, since it was surrounded by their houses. After the incident, the Hindus in the area held a protest in the city, Samaa TV reported. Rajesh Kumar Hardasani, the adviser of the Pakistan Hindu Council, has demanded the formation of a special task force for the security of Hindu temples. "This action has caused unrest among the Hindu community. These types of attacks are done in an attempt to disturb religious harmony across the country," he said. Police said that they were hunting for the attackers but so far no arrest was made. Nobody or group took responsibility of the attack. Hindus form almost two per cent of the 220 million population in Muslim-majority Pakistan. Most of the Hindus live in Sindh province. They often complain of harassment by the extremists. / -- Hubwords Media announces the launch of its new venture HerMoneyTalks, India's first financial services marketplace for women. The platform aims to connect women to financial institutions and experts, and become a financial services and credit facilitator for women in India. Financial inclusion is the key to women empowerment in India. Financial literacy and confidence can empower women to develop an identity with their household savings, and help them get access to formal credit for their business or future goals, thereby achieving economic freedom and power. "Our aim is to financially empower 1 lakh women by the end of 2019," says Nisary M, Founder of HerMoneyTalks.com and former banker at ICICI and HDFC. HerMoneyTalks conducted a survey in January 2019 among women in the age group of 20-60 years in different Indian cities. About 59% of women who participated in the survey opined that independently investing in something that provides good returns is most challenging for them, while 23% thought independently spending on things they wanted is the real challenge. Questioned on having a Savings Bank account, nearly 3 in 4 women prefer a singly operated account. Where access to finance is concerned, 1 in 2 women thought that while applying for a loan, their income is either not steady or too low for the loan amount requested. Interestingly, on the concept of money, 64% of women admitted that the concept was 'hard to understand'. Including women in the financial mainstream and making them confident money managers are among the most important focus areas of HerMoneyTalks. "We want to put women's money where it belongs - in their own hands. Our vision is to create a unique ecosystem for women in collaboration with financial institutions, personal finance experts, and related service providers," says HerMoneyTalks.com Co-Founder Hemanth Gorur, who is also an IIM Calcutta alumnus and published author. When it comes to independently investing, 45% of the participants said they lack confidence and 24% expressed their fear of being duped by people. Shalini Warrier, Chief Operating Officer, Federal Bank says: "It has been my observation that women are better at the art of managing money. However, historically, this aspect has not been given due importance by society and in fact, women themselves have not demonstrated self-confidence on this aspect. Economic independence is as important a step to women empowerment as education and societal changes. I commend the people behind the idea of HerMoneyTalks.com and am sure it will play a key role in powering women to greater economic independence." Health insurance is another area where the survey found that over 40% of women surveyed did not have health insurance, likely preventing them from accessing quality health care. Dr. B.S. Ajaikumar, Chairman of HCG Ltd. and Founder of HCG Foundation which runs the Pink Hope initiative for women, says: "The HerMoneyTalks.com initiative is very commendable where their financial empowerment model for women can really have a dramatic change and bring about financial independence to women as well as their families, particularly in lower socio-economic group. HerMoneyTalks.com is poised to be a game changer." Archana Chettiar, one of the women participants of the survey, had this to say: "Financial freedom offers me a chance to follow my dreams." Sharmila Shah, another participant reflects on this and says: "It's time to let women build a healthy relationship with their finances. A sense of abundance and joy while handling finances should be inculcated in young women." With a similar cause in mind and a pedigreed leadership team, HerMoneyTalks has set out to do just that. About Hubwords Media Hubwords Media is a leading content services, PR, and online branding firm based in Bangalore and Kerala. For more information, please visit: www.hubwords. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In view of soaring cases of swine flu and deaths due to the disease in 11 states, including Rajasthan, Gujarat and Punjab, the Union Health Ministry has deputed a public health team to Rajasthan to assess the situation and assist the state in strengthening its response. Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan also directed officials to send additional teams to Gujarat and Punjab. States have also been advised to involve district collectors in enhancing public awareness and outbreak response, a health ministry statement said. The death toll in the country this year due to swine flu has soared to 226 with the H1N1 virus claiming 31 more lives in a week till Monday, while the number of those affected crossed the 6,000 mark. Rajasthan has recorded 85 deaths and 2,263 cases while Gujarat reported 43 deaths and 898 people being infected with H1N1 virus. According to government data, Punjab reported 30 deaths and 250 cases of swine flu. The Union Ministry of Health on Wednesday recommended vaccination for healthcare workers and other priority groups. In a high-powered meeting with senior officers of the Health Ministry, Union health secretary Preeti Sudan reviewed the state of preparedness and action taken to deal with H1N1 influenza cases. The guidelines for influenza vaccination were shared with all states and the details of manufacturers of vaccine provided by Drug Controller General of India was shared with all states. Communication material for preventive measures has also been shared with all the states. "Majority of cases have been reported from 11 states (and majority of deaths have been reported from Rajasthan, Gujarat and Punjab. Deaths have been in seen more in persons having co morbidities like diabetes, hypertension etc," the ministry said in a statement. Regular video conferences are being held to monitor the situation. Advisory for preparedness to seasonal influenza A (H1N1) was issued and Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) and its State units have enhanced the surveillance for Influenza like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI), the statement stated. IDSP assisted lab network of 12 laboratories are providing laboratory support in terms of testing, quality assurance, guidance, providing viral transport mediums and diagnostic reagents. The laboratory network of ICMR (41 labs) has also been activated to test for H1N1 cases and beyond above laboratories support from MoHFW, states also have their identified state government and private laboratories for testing clinical samples of seasonal influenza A (H1N1). In addition, NCDC is providing diagnostic kits and viral transport medium kits to states to be used in laboratories/ hospitals identified by state governments. The states have been asked to follow the MoHFW guidelines of seasonal influenza A (H1N) available at NCDC website (https://ncdc.gov.in/ or https://mohfw.gov.in/media/disease-alerts/Seasonal-Influenza/technical-guidelines). According to the statement, Oseltamivir, the drug recommended by WHO is being made available through the Public Health System free of cost. Drug controller general of India has been asked to coordinate with drug manufacturers and monitor the drug availability in various states. The ministry has recommended vaccination for health care workers and other priority groups. The guidelines for influenza vaccination have been shared with al states. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi High Court on Wednesday declined to entertain a PIL seeking directions to the Centre to frame a policy for providing free legal aid services to Indians living abroad, saying foreign countries might have their own laws on the issue and the courts here could not interfere in that. "How can it be granted? They (foreign countries) will have their own laws. Whatever we say might not be binding on the courts there," a bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao said, while asking the NGO that had moved the plea to withdraw it. The Centre, represented by Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Maninder Acharya, told the court that there was a policy in place under which some kind of assistance was provided by the Indian government to its citizens living or working abroad. The ASG, however, did not give the details about the nature of assistance provided. Since the court made it clear that it would not entertain the matter, the NGO -- Pravasi Legal Cell -- withdrew the petition. The plea, filed through advocate Jose Abraham, had contended that semi and low-skilled Indian workers abroad were often unaware about the laws of those countries, leading to violation of their basic rights. The NGO had also said in its petition that the Union minister of state for external affairs, replying to a query in the Lok Sabha, had said around 7,850 Indians were lodged in jails abroad with over 2,000 in Saudi Arabia. "Most of them are undertrials or victims of fraud. Most of such cases against Indian workers abroad could have either been avoided or saved from prosecution had there been proper legal assistance at the right time," the plea had said. It had also said that under Article 39-A of the Constitution, the government had the duty to provide free legal aid services to its citizens, including those "who cannot access justice due to economic and other disabilities while living abroad". It had added that the objective could be achieved with the support and assistance of the Indian missions abroad. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Madras High Court bench Wednesday posed a series of questions to the Tamil Nadu government on a PIL, seeking to restrict timing in liquorshops from 2 PM to 8 PM and an interim injunction on selling liquor in state run TASMAC shops, pubs and bars to those aged below 21 years. Justices K N Kirubakran and S S Sundar said liquor had harmed a generation ofpeople and at least the younger generation should be protected. They also suggested that CCTV cameras be installed in TASMAC shops so that crimes could come down. "What is the use of fixing the timings for TASMAC shops? Is it not possible for theGrama sabhas to hold meetings and pass resolution seeking closure of liquor shops?, the court asked. Instead of advising drivers not to drive after drinking liquor..the shops are located in areas where the vehicles are parked, the court noted. The judges asked the Tamil Nadu government to file their view on the PIL on February 28. The judges said there were several ways to increase revenue of the government and it should not depend on liquor income. Petitioner B Ramkumar Adityan submitted that Rs 31,244 crore worth of liquor was sold by TASMAC last year. The government was fixing sales target during festival seasons, he alleged. He said statistics revealed that 46.7 per cent of people in Tamil Nadu drink liquor, well above the national average of 36 per cent The government should ban sale of liquor for youngsters below the age of 21 and TASMAC shops should be directed to provide receipt for liquor sold. Besides, the price of liquor should be displayed in boards and there should be a mobile number to file complaints if salesmen violated rules,he said. The petitioner attached photographs, purportedly showing school and college students drinking liquor. The government advocate submitted there were Government Orders and rules to sell liquorthrough retail shops and bars. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed a PIL seeking directions to the Election Commission of India (EC) to conduct and supervise the internal polls of regional and national political parties, saying it was a "frivolous" plea. "Don't come with such frivolous petitions," a bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao said to the petitioner who runs an NGO in Delhi. The plea for holding intra-party elections was filed by Arvind Kumar who claims to run an NGO -- Jan Chowkidar -- based in South Delhi's Kalkaji area. In his petition, filed through advocate Setu Sharma, Kumar has referred to various regional political parties where one family has dominated the leadership for years and said that such practices "breed nepotism and corruption". The bench, however, declined to entertain the plea, saying "how can you ask EC to control intra-party elections" and dismissed the petition. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Allahabad High Court Wednesday dismissed a plea against proposed shifting of the Uttar Pradesh police headquarters from here to Lucknow. A division bench of Chief JusticeGovind Mathur and Justice CD Singh dismissed the plea saying that shifting of the police headquarters to the state's capital was a policy decision, which courts cannot interfere into. The plea had been made by local advocate Devendra Vikram Singh, who sought to oppose the shifting, saying the step would expose the police department to "deeper political interference" in the functioning of the department. He also argued that the police headquarter was a "glorious landmark" of the city, which should not be divested of it. The advocate had moved the high court claiming that a decision to shift the UP police headquarters was taken on December 7, 2018 in a meeting chaired by the state police chief. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Kamala Harris and Tulsi Gabbard, the two Indian origin 2020 Democratic presidential candidates announced tour of four States. Washington: Kamala Harris, the first Indian-origin Senator and Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu lawmaker in the US Congress, the two 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, on Tuesday announced tour of four States which will hold the Democratic primaries early next year. Harris, 54, would travel to South Carolina, New Hampshire, Iowa and Nevada later this month, her campaign said. Daughter of an Indian-American from Tamil Nadu, Harris had formally launched her campaign late last month from her hometown of Oakland which was attended by an impressive 20,000 people. In less than an hour of her formal launch, she raised more than USD1.5 million. Tulsi Gabbard, 37, the Democratic colleague of Harris in the House of Representatives, who formally launched her campaign over the weekend would be in Iowa and Chicago this month, according to an announcement by her campaign. "In Chicago, Tulsi will be visiting faith and advocacy leaders from a spectrum of denominations and cultural backgrounds. In Iowa, Tulsi will be sitting down with community leaders including the Asian-American, Latino, and youth communities," a media release said. Both Gabbard and Harris have a wide support base in the Indian-American community, which constitutes just one per cent of the US population, but are known for their fund-raising capabilities. Indian-Americans can play a key role in some of the key early primary states if the contest is close. Harris, according to her campaign, would spend last two weeks in the four early primary States. Beginning with South Carolina, she will swing by New Hampshire (February 18-19), Iowa (February 23-24) and Nevada (February 28-March 1), according to an advisory released by her campaign. The 2020 presidential primaries would kick off on February 3 with Iowa Caucus. This would be followed by New Hampshire primary on February 11, Nevada Caucus on February 22 and South Carolina primary on February 29. The Super Tuesday is scheduled for March 3 which will have primaries in Alabama, California, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Virginia. Several of the other Democratic presidential candidates have also announced their intention to be in these early primary States this month. New Jersey Senator Cory Booker plans to be in Iowa, South Carolina and New Hampshire this month. New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has already made trips to Iowa and New Hampshire after announcing her presidential bid. She plans to be in South Carolina later this month. The Madras High Court Wednesday sought the response of the state and the central governments on a PIL seeking a direction to authorities to seize the mobile phones of those who speak on handsets while driving vehicles. Petitioner K K Ramesh submitted that speaking on mobile phones while driving or riding vehicles lead to accidents. The court should also direct the government to increase the fine for violation of rules from Rs 10,000 to Rs one lakh. A division bench of the court's Madurai bench, comprising justices Kirubakaran and S S Sundar, asked the government advocate to find out from the DGP if there was any exclusive number for lodging complaints regarding violation of traffic rules. The bench asked the government to reply why mobile phones of those who spoke while driving vehicles should not be seized. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Police have arrested a man in his twenties for allegedly trespassing into the house of Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar in suburban Juhu. Ankit Goswami, resident of Haryana, wanted to meet Kumar, his favourite Bollywood star, and had travelled to Mumbai only for this purpose, a senior police official said. He found the actor's address through Google search and tried to enter his house late Monday night but a security guard caught him. The Juhu Police questioned him and arrested him Tuesday, said Deputy Commissioner of Police Paramjit Singh Dahiya. He was booked under IPC for trespassing, he said, adding that Goswami is now in judicial custody. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Firebrand Patidar community leader Hardik Patel announced on Wednesday that he would contest the upcoming Lok Sabha election. Although Patel did not specify whether he would join any political party or contest as an Independent, sources in the Congress claimed that he is likely to join the party to fight the polls. "Bilkul, hum 2019 mein chunav ladenge (I will definitely contest the 2019 elections)," Patel told reporters in Lucknow when asked if would take a plunge into electoral On joining the Congress, the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader said he would take a decision about it later. Congress sources said negotiations were on with Patel about his joining the party to fight the elections. He might contest the elections from Mehsana or Amreli seat, which have a strong presence of the Patel community, party leaders said. But Patel has been barred from entering Mehsana by a court in a case of violence during the 2015 Patidar agitation, party sources said. He had filed a plea in the Gujarat high court against the lower court order. "If the HC vacates the ban on his entry into Mehsana district, he is most likely to contest from Mehsana (in north Gujarat).... Amreli (in Saurasthra) is another seat which has been offered to him," they said. Congress leaders, however, did not rule out the possibility of the PAAS leader contesting the election as an Independent candidate with the party's outside support. Patel's entry into electoral fray will have an impact in Gujarat, where the Bharatiya Janata Party has been winning assembly elections since 1995. In the 2014 general election, the BJP had won all the 26 Lok Sabha seats in the state. "After the Centre granted 10 per cent quota for the economically weaker sections (EWS), it was our wish that Hardik should contest the Lok Sabha polls and take ahead the cause of our community," PAAS leader Dharmik Malaviya said. Since Hardik has crossed the age of 25, he is eligible to contest elections now, he added. Patel came into limelight for leading strident protests in the state over his community's demand to get reservation in education and jobs. Clashes had broken out during the quota agitation led by Patel on August 25, 2015, leading to the death of 14 people and large-scale destruction of public property. The Patidar leader was slapped with sedition and other charges. He was in jail for nine months, before being released on bail in July 2016. Before the state Assembly election in December 2017, Patel had declared support to the Congress. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Iran's state TV says gunmen have killed a policeman and wounded a police officer in a shootout in which a stray bullet hit a fuel tanker, causing it to explode. It said Wednesday that the shootout erupted near a gas station in the western province of Lurestan. It says the explosion shattered the windows of a nearby building. State TV says the wounded police lieutenant is in "satisfactory" condition after being transferred to a local hospital. It says the assailants fled in a stolen car. It was unclear what sparked the shootout. Heavily rural Lurestan has seen occasional tribal-related armed clashes. Many people in the area keep private firearms. In November, authorities confiscated some 150 guns from smugglers in the province. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Union Cabinet Wednesday approved a Bill to set up a unified authority for regulating all financial services in international financial services centres (IFSCs) in the country. The first IFSC in India was set up at GIFT City in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Currently, banking, capital markets and insurance sectors in IFSCs are regulated by multiple regulators -- the RBI, Sebi and Irdai, respectively, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters after the Cabinet meeting. The dynamic nature of business in the IFSCs necessitates a high degree of inter-regulatory coordination, he said while explaining the rationale behind the International Financial Services Centres Authority Bill, 2019. An IFSC enables to bring back to India the financial services and transactions that are currently carried out in offshore financial centers by Indian corporate entities and overseas branches or subsidiaries of financial institutions (FIs). It provides business and regulatory environment that is comparable to other leading international financial centres in the world like London and Singapore. IFSC provides Indian companies easier access to global financial markets. "The establishment of a unified financial regulator for IFSCs will result in providing world-class regulatory environment to market participants from an ease of doing business perspective," said an official release. This will provide a stimulus for further development of IFSCs in India. This would also generate significant employment in the IFSCs in particular as well as financial sector in India as a whole, the release added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said Tuesday that the government will file a review petition in the Supreme Court after its Special Leave Petition on faculty reservation mechanism for universities was rejected by the apex court. The announcement comes in the wake of protests by teachers and students bodies after the SLP seeking restoration of earlier mechanism of faculty reservation, which is calculating total posts institution-wise rather than department-wise, was dismissed by the apex court last month. "We will file review petition soon and we will put our point strongly. We are confident there will be justice and reservation will continue as per the earlier system. The government will ensure that reservation for SC/ST/OBC is not hampered," Javadekar added. Earlier universities were treated as a unit for reservation which was the right thing and the SC/ST/OBC were treated in a just manner, he said. Initially the Allahabad High Court and then the Supreme Court decided that department wise reservation will happen which meant reduction in reservation for SC/ST/OBC, Javadekar said. "The Modi government filed an SLP against it and it was argued well but the Supreme Court did not accept the SLP," he said. The University Grants Commission (UGC) had issued a communication to all universities and higher institutions (HEIs) to "postpone the recruitment process" till the Supreme Court issued its verdict on the SLP and that decision has not been withdrawn yet, the minister said. The UGC had announced in March last year that an individual department should be considered as the base unit to calculate the number of teaching posts to be reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates following an order by the Allahabad High Court in April in 2017. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Atempts by nine passengers to smuggle gold in compound form by hiding it in their rectum in capsules were foiled by the customs personnel at the Kozhikode airport and the contraband totally weighing 7.2 kg seized, a senior official said Wednesday. The officials of the Air Intelligence unit seized 7.32 kg of gold in compound form from the passengers who had arrived from Dubai by different flights on Monday and Tuesday, Customs Commissioner Sumit Kumar said in a release. The gold in compound form, which is a complex mixture of the precious metal with chemicals, was recovered after a procedure at a hospital where the passengers were taken. The expected quantity of gold after segregation would be more than 5 kgs, Kumar said adding a thorough search of the passengers led to the seizures. The passengers attempted to smuggle the gold by putting the compound into small capsules and inserting them in their rectum, the official said. Some of them have been arrested, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A aircraft flying to Kolkata Wednesday experienced problems with engine and returned to Ahmedabad, according to a source. This is the latest incident of a P&W engine-powered plane facing problems. Such aircraft have been grappling with issues and aviation regulator has issued various directives to address them. The source said the plane, powered by P&W engines, suffered vibrations mid-air and the aircraft was forced to return to Ahmedabad airport in the morning. In a statement, P&W said it worked closely with to address the event with the Ahmedabad-Kolkata flight that operated this morning. "Post landing, investigations confirmed engine performance during the flight was good. The incident did not require an air turn back and the aircraft is back in service now," it said. A query sent to regarding the incident did not elicit any response. On January 8, the 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. Drug firm Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Wednesday said its Swiss arm has entered into an exclusive licensing pact with Grandpharma (China) Co for commercialising its novel nasal spray, Ryaltris in China. The company's Swiss arm Glenmark Specialty SA, has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Grandpharma (China) Co for commercialising its investigational seasonal allergic rhinitis nasal spray Ryaltris in China, Glenamrk Pharmaceuticals said in a statement. The agreement with Grandpharma is company's third regional licensing deal for Ryaltris. The firm has already signed licensing deals for commercialising Ryaltris in Australia, New Zealand and South Korea, it added. Under the terms of the pact, Glenmark will be responsible to manufacture and supply Ryaltris, while Grandpharma will be responsible for regulatory filing and commercialisation of Ryaltris in China, the company said. Glenmark will receive an upfront payment, regulatory filing, regulatory approval and commercial milestone payments as well as royalties from Grandpharma for Ryaltris, it added. Glenmark however did not provide any financial details of the agreement. "We are happy to partner with Grandpharma in China as its product portfolio complements well with Ryaltris and this partnership gives us an opportunity to tap into one of the largest pharmaceutical markets in the world," Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Chairman and MD Glenn Saldanha said. This step is aligned with company's vision to make Ryaltris the first global brand of Glenmark through launches in multiple markets across the globe, he added. "In May 2018, Glenmark filed a New Drug Application (NDA) for Ryaltris with the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), which is currently under review with the regulator," the company said. Glenmark plans to commercialise Ryaltris in various markets globally. The company will continue to explore commercial partnerships for Ryaltris in markets where it doesn't have direct presence, it added. Shares of Glenamrk Pharmaceuticals closed at Rs 642.20 per scrip on BSE, up 0.98 per cent from its previous close. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ganja worth Rs one crore was seized Wednesday when it was about to be smuggled to Sri Lankaat the Athiaman beach near here, police sources said. They said 196 kg of 'Kerala ganja' was seized in the area. The ganja was to be exchanged for gold. On Tuesday night, 10 kg ganja was seized near Uchipuli here. Police arrested a Sri Lankan national in connection with theseizure. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Huawei is facing international scrutiny over its ties with the Chinese government. The Czech government is due to launch a tender for new-generation 5G networks, possibly later this year. Huawei and ZTE will be left out of more state tenders after the tax authority excluded them, the head of the Czech cyber watchdog, which issued a recent security warning about the Chinese technology firms, said on Tuesday. The tax office became the first Czech authority to prevent the Chinese groups from taking part in a tender following the cyber watchdogs (NUKIB) warning in December. Asked whether there could be more cases of the Chinese firms being excluded from tenders, NUKIB director Dusan Navratil told newspaper Pravo: Yes, we expect it will work like this. However, respected technology website www.lupa.cz reported on Tuesday that the Interior Ministry had awarded a contract to Huawei last week for a delivery of essential equipment for an internal network of the police headquarters. The tender is subject to appeal, it said. The ministry was not immediately available for comment. Huawei is facing international scrutiny over its ties with the Chinese government and allegations that Beijing could use its technology for spying, which Huawei denies. The Czech watchdog had warned network operators at the end of 2018 against using software or hardware made by the two Chinese firms, saying they might pose a threat. Huawei denied it posed a threat, while ZTE could not be reached for comment following the NUKIB warning. NUKIBs warning does not constitute an outright ban but requires 160 public and private operators of critical infrastructure to conduct an analysis of risks and act accordingly. Navratil said NUKIB stood behind its warning, which he said was the result of the political-legal situation in China. We gathered a whole file of information, and when we looked at it, we found out there was nothing else to do but give a warning, he said. The Czech government is due to launch a tender for new-generation 5G networks, possibly later this year. The new 5G networks will likely replace also fixed networks because data transfer will be both cheap and quick, Navratil was quoted as saying by Pravo. In other words, who controls the 5G network will have a fundamental influence on the working of the state. If it is a foreign actor, which would act in the interests of its own state and not ours, it will be a major problem, he added. Father Franois Laborde, a 92-year-old priest, was Wednesday conferred the Lgion d'Honneur, the highest civilian award of France, in recognition of his work for specially-abled children. French Ambassador to India, Alexandre Ziegler, said the country was happy to confer the award on Father Laborde who had set up Howrah South Point, an organisation working for the development of specially-abled children, the destitute and the most deprived sections of the society. "He is working for these specially-abled and destitute children for 60 years. The way he still works even at this age, he is an inspiration for us," Ziegler said. Father Laborde said he was dedicating the award to the children for whom he works. Father Laborde is of French-origin but he has been given Indian citizenship. He is the third person from the state to have been awarded the Legion of Honor after film maestro Satyajit Ray and actor Soumitra Chatterjee. While Ray was awarded in 1987, his favourite actor got the honour last year. The French Ambassador also visited an exhibition on the works of Father Laborde, organised on the occasion. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The over 50 year dream of people to see the Athikadavu-Avinashi water scheme fructify would soon become a reality as the foundation stone for the project would be laid by this month end, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami said here Wednesday. The tender process for the Rs 1,652 crore project had already been issued, he said. "The foundation stone for the project, the over 50 year dream of the people and farmers, will be laid by end of February," he said. The chief Minister said some more areas like S S Kulam, Periyanaickenplayam and Annur West have been added under phase II of the project, following requests from local MLAs, MPs and also farmers. The Chief Minister was speaking after inaugurating a Rs 1.5 crore memorial to farmers icon, Narayanasamy Naidu at Vaiyampalayam about 40 Kms from here, The project is aimed at providing water for irrigation to drought prone areas in Coimbatore, Tirupur and Erode districts. Nearly 25,000 acres of agriculture stand to benefit from the scheme, which will also be a Palaniswamy said the government proposed to open a Rs 2,000 crore food park near Chennai, where cold storage facilities would be available for farmers' produce like vegetables and fruits for export, he said. Similarly, steps would be taken to prevent rain water going waste to the sea through the Godavari-Cauvery Linking project initiated by the Centre, by which the state would get 200 TMC of water, he said. Tamil Nadu is the major beneficiary under the Prime Minister's Crop Insurance scheme, Palanisamy said. A veterinary research centre, the largest in Asia, would be set up in Tamil Nadu, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Pakistan prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, who is facing corruption charges, was stopped from leaving the country by immigration officials at the Lahore airport after his name popped up in the no-fly list. According to the Federal Investigation Agency, 66-year-old Gilani reached the Allama Iqbal International Airport here Tuesday night to board a flight for South Korea via Bangkok to attend a conference. However, his name was on the no-fly list. "At the immigration counter, Mr Gilani was told that his name was placed on the black list therefore he could not leave the country," the FIA said, adding that it was following orders from the interior ministry. Reacting strongly, the senior Pakistan Peoples Party leader said he always appeared in courts in the different cases against him. "There was no point in placing my name on (the) no-fly list. I was not fleeing the country. Prime Minister Imran Khan's sole agenda seems to be targeting his political opponents," Gilani said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was stopped from leaving the country by security officials at the Lahore airport late Tuesday night. According to the Federal Investigation Agency, Gilani had reached the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore to catch his flight for South Korea via Bangkok to attend a conference. However, his name was on the no-fly list. "At the immigration counter, Mr Gilani was told that his name was placed on the black list therefore he could not leave the country," the FIA said, adding that it was following orders from the interior ministry. Reacting strongly, the senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader said he had always appeared in court in the different ongoing cases against him. "There was no point in placing my name on (the) no-fly list. I was not fleeing the country. Prime Minister Imran Khan's sole agenda seems to be targeting his political opponents," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Shares in UK online supermarket group Ocado slumped Wednesday after a fire ripped through a company warehouse operated by robots. Ocado said it faced "a reduction in sales growth" after a fire that started Tuesday damaged the facility in Andover, southern England, affecting about one-tenth of its warehousing operations. Shares in Ocado, which has no physical stores, dived 7.7 per cent to 954.80 pence in late morning deals. That made it the biggest faller on London's benchmark FTSE 100 index, which was down 0.1 per cent overall. "Unfortunately the fire which started yesterday... was not contained as we believed, and last night expanded," Ocado said in a statement. No staff or members of the public were injured as a result of the blaze which was now under control, it added. The Andover facility is designed to handle up to 1,100 robots, or moving containers collecting orders for its solely online customers, according to the company. The robots operate on a grid housing 250,000 locations. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Farmers seeking to attend a convention were engaged in scuffle with security personnel in different parts of Odisha on Wednesday, as the police blocked the entry of the Naba Nirman Krushak Sangathan (NNKS) activists to Bhubaneswar. TheKS, a leading farmers organisation, had planned to hold a mega convention before the state Assembly but it was not allowed. Police said they stopped the farmers at Tamando and Hansapal on the outskirts of the city besides Vani Vihar, Master Canteen and railway station within the city, and were taken into preventive custody. They were also detained in other places such as Cuttack, Badamba and Remuna. Commissioner of Police Satyajit Mohanty said, "The police took the farmers into preventive custody as they were secretly planning an economic blockade in the state capital." The police had also now allowed the farmers congregation near the Assembly, Mohanty said. Protesting the police action, several activists staged a dharna at the Master Canteen Square here disrupting vehicular traffic for sometime. However, some of the activists managed to reach the Lower PMG Square to attend the convention where they were picked up by the police. "Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has to pay a big price in next two months for the state government's anti-farmer attitude. The police cannot stop us from achieving our genuine rights,"KS national convenor Akshya Kumar told reporters. Agriculture Minister S B Behera said, "TheKS should take benefit from the state's KALIA Scheme. It appears that they (NNKS leaders) have a hidden agenda." The state government launched the Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme last month for the welfare of farmers. TheKS, a leading farmers organisation has been agitating since long demanding price, pension and prestige for the peasants. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Art experts have confirmed that a small still-life at a US museum once dismissed as a fake is in fact by Vincent van Gogh, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam said Wednesday. The painting, "Still Life with Fruit and Chestnuts", was donated by a couple to the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco in 1960 and suspected to be by the Dutch master. Several experts had previously said that the painting dated to 1886 was not a real Van Gogh, and it was not included in previous official catalogues of works by the painter, who committed suicide in 1890. "It is true that at the end of last year, experts from the Van Gogh Museum attributed a painting from the collection of the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco as a Vincent van Gogh painting," press officer Milou Bollen told AFP. "There was always a question whether the painting was or was not made by Van Gogh." In a further discovery, the experts found that there was a portrait of a woman hidden underneath the still life, the Van Gogh museum said. Van Gogh often reused his canvases as he found himself working in poverty, managing to sell only a few of his paintings during his troubled life. The Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco was not immediately available for comment. It already lists the painting as being by Van Gogh on its website. Van Gogh is better known for his vibrant renderings of sunflowers but he also painted a series of lesser, often darker still lifes including the one now officially attributed to him. "Still Life with Fruit and Chestnuts" is believed to have been painted in Paris in the autumn of 1886, the Dutch newspaper Volkskrant reported. It was at one point owned by the mother of French painter Emile Bernard, who was friends with Van Gogh. The Van Gogh Museum is asked to examine 200 works a year to see if they are really by the artist, but since 1988 it has only added 14 to the official oeuvre, Volkskrant said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Exclusion of women from temples is not essential to the Hindu religion, the Kerala government said Wednesday vehemently opposing in the Supreme Court a batch of petitions seeking review of its verdict allowing the entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala temple. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi was told by the counsel for the Kerala government that no ground was made out in any of the petitions seeking review of the apex court's September 28, 2018 verdict. Senior advocate Jaideep Gupta appearing for the Kerala government told the bench, also comprising justices R F Nariman, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra, that there was a consensus among the four judges who delivered the majority judgment on three aspects -- Article 26, 25 (2) and rule 3 (b) of the Kerala Act. Gupta said in none of the review petitions questions have been raised regarding these three points and therefore other aspects "raised in the review petition will make no difference". He also said the exclusion of women from temples is not essential to the Hindu religion and women are allowed in many other Ayyappa temples. The state government said there is a distinction between essential practice of a temple and the essential practice of the religion. If this essential practice test is applied temple wise then the purpose would be defeated. The review petitions argued that certain submissions were not considered in the judgment or were not advanced is not a ground for re-examining the verdict, he said. He said many of those who have sought a re-look of the judgment have not come out with valid legal points but have merely analysed the verdict by the way of a review petition and the court should not entertain them. "It was argued that on account of the judgment, Social peace has been destroyed. This is not something which should concern a constitutional court. Peace will prevail ultimately. But a constitutional breach cannot be allowed till that time," Gupta said. Another senior advocate Vijay Hansaria, also appearing for the Kerala government, said a case cannot be allowed to be reopened by way of review petition. Gupta said nothing has been placed before the court that justifies a review in the matter. "The overriding thing is that there was a consensus of Your Lordships in the majority judgment on three issues. Firstly, under Article 26, it is not a denominational temple. The devotees of Lord Ayyappa are not a denomination but a general body of Hindus. Anybody can go and visit the Temple. "Secondly, excluding a person till the age of 50 is an exclusion for a major portion of the life of the person. Finally, Rule 3(b) [of the Kerala Hindu Places of Worship (Authorisation of Entry) Rules] is violative of section 4 of the 1965 Act itself, besides article 25(2)(b)," he said. "A challenge on the ground that Articles 15 or 17 were not considered will not have an effect on the judgment so far as these three go. The mandamus will remain. Unless it is proved that a consideration of the same would affect the three points of consensus, there should be no review", Gupta said. "Non-consideration of the arguments is not a ground of review at all. It is for the court to decide which arguments are essential to be for the disposal of a matter. It can't be a complaint and definitely not an error apparent on the face of the matter," he said. Referring to a 1997 apex court judgement, the senior lawyer submitted that if a convoluted process of reasoning is required to challenge a finding, then it is not an error of law apparent on the face of it. "There is a tendency to confuse essential practices of a religion with the essential practices of a temple. Essential Practice of a temple is not the essential practice of religion. The constitutional issue is that whether it is protected under Article 25 and a essential practice of the Hindu religion," Gupta said. "The answer is no because there are any number of temples where the practice is not followed. In fact, We are only aware of one such temple.If Your Lordships are required to go into the essential practices of temples one by one, there is sufficient uniqueness in each of them. "The doctrine would be demolished. The Jagannath temple is extremely unique, so is the Kashi Vishwanath temple. Nobody can underestimate the importance of the Tirupati temple. But none of these have been held to be denominational. On the hand, the Shirur Mutt, as a group that organises a temple and possesses identifying characteristics, is a denomination.", he elaborated. The Kerala government referred to the submission of senior counsel Shekhar Naphade, who appeared for a party opposing the judgement saying that Sabarimala issue is a private law matter. However, Gupta differed and said the Sabarimala issue concerns a public temple and there is a Kerala law that deals with it by envisaging that the shrine has to be laid open to all classes of Hindus without exception. "Non-discrimination and non-exclusion are principles that override everything, " he said and refferred to a 1957 judgement of the apex court which dealt with the issue of harmonising Article 26 with Article 25(2)(b). He said judgement makes its clear that "every practice of the temple will be protected under Article 25 except that which affects the right of entry. Entry has been regarded as higher than anything else. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The EU's powerful anti-trust sheriff, Margrethe Vestager, is set to veto the merger of the Siemens-Alstom rail businesses on Wednesday, in defiance of France and Germany. The tie-up, announced to great fanfare last year, was hailed as the birth of a much needed European industrial champion, an Airbus for the railways to face down a formidable Chinese rival. But, after months of investigation, and a failed concession offer by the companies, the European Commission will turn down the proposal, sources close to the matter told AFP. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire Wednesday conceded the likelihood of a veto, terming the expected decision "an economic mistake". Such a decision "will serve the interests of China," he told France 2 television. The likely veto has infuriated Paris, where ministers lobbied hard for the tie-up, seeing it as a necessary defence to compete against China's state-backed CRRC. The red light by Brussels will also leave a scar on Vestager in the eyes of France and Germany after years of her being seen as an EU rising star, tipped to take an even more senior role in Brussels after elections in May. "Decisions cannot be taken in the 21st century on the basis of competition rules that were defined in the 20th century," Le Maire said last month before a meeting with Vestager. A merger "is today the best response to China's growing importance in the railway sector. And the only one," he added. The criticism came after Vestager, a Danish former finance minister, repeated her doubts about the merger, which was announced in September 2017. Brussels believes the alliance would crush smaller groups and hike prices for train companies, with the merged company in a commanding position for selling rail signalling and high-speed trains. Competition authorities in Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain have all firmly backed Vestager, afraid of increased costs for their national railways. Backers of the tie-up want Vestager to look beyond Europe to the rise of CRRC, itself born of a merger of Chinese companies, before it is too late. "This decision is symptomatic of a certain ideology of the commission that runs counter to European interests," said a French government source, regretting the EU's "extremely strict" interpretation of the rules. Caught in a political firestorm, commission head Jean-Claude Juncker defended the EU's competition policy on Tuesday, pointing a finger at those "who are saying that the commission is composed of blind, stupid, stubborn technocrats." Juncker appeared to be hitting back at Joe Kaeser, the Siemens chief executive who last week complained that "backwards-looking technocrats" were going to thwart a strategic tie up for Europe. "We will never play politics or play favourites when it comes to ensuring a level playing field," Juncker said. The merger proposal was to create a rail behemoth with operations in 60 countries and annual turnover of 15.6 billion euros (USD 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. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) European Union authorities on Wednesday blocked a deal to create a rail giant that could compete with China, angering France and Germany, which vowed to change the way the EU works. The decision raised thorny questions of how to stand up to the growing economic might of China, where the government has no qualms creating state-backed monopolies. But EU Antitrust Commissioner Margrethe Vestager kept her focus on European customers, saying the Franco-German merger would have created a near monopoly in the region, choking fair competition and leading to higher prices for travelers and companies. "The merged company would have become, by far, the largest player in Europe," Vestager said, adding that in the rail signaling market there would have be no competition left at all. Her office is tasked with making sure that competition is fair and consumers have enough choice. In this case, the decision clashed with France and Germany's desire to counterbalance the growing economic might of China, which controls and actively supports many of its biggest companies. Alstom is best known for making France's TGV and Siemens for Germany's ICE high-speed trains. They face growing competition from China's CRRC Corporation, which had sales of about USD33 billion last year. Alstom had USD9.4 billion and Siemens' rail unit about USD10 billion. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Vestager's decision "will serve the economic and industrial interests of China." Le Maire said the EU's move will "prevent Alstom and Siemens, the two champions of rail signaling and rail transport, to merge in order to have the same weight as the Chinese big industrial champion." He called it both a political and "an economic mistake."Vestager insisted CRRC was not an imminent threat, since more than 90 percent of its activities were still inside China. "It has had less success outside its home market.""No Chinese supplier has ever participated in a signaling tender in Europe or delivered a single very high-speed train outside China. And there is no prospect of Chinese entry in the European market in the foreseeable future," Vestager said. France and Germany vowed to make mergers of industrial giants less beholden to EU rules. "We must consider and decide on future changes to European competition law that make it possible for Europe to shape future developments in this area on an equal basis with its competitors in other regions," German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier told reporters in Berlin. Le Maire said that "we must look toward the future and revise the rules of European competition." Le Maire said there would be Franco-German proposals "in the coming weeks to revise the rules of competition and enable us to have an industrial policy much more ambitious compared to our big competitors, Americans or Chinese." In her decision, Vestager noted she had to also represent the interests of the 26 other EU nations, many of which stood to lose from the merger. "The Commission prohibited the merger because the companies were not willing to address our serious competition concerns," she said. Blocking mergers is rare for the EU antitrust office. In three decades, the EU approved more than 6,000 deals and banned less than 30. It blocked only 7 over the past decade. Competition authorities in Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain expressed concerns that the new company would be in a dominating position that would potentially overpower smaller rail manufacturers and increase prices in the market. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Apples French division confirmed the tax payment agreement, but did not disclose how much it had agreed to pay. French business magazine LExpress/LExpansion, which reported the tax payment figure, said the deal was reached in December after several months of negotiations between tax authorities and the company.French business magazine LExpress/LExpansion, which reported the tax payment figure, said the deal was reached in December after several months of negotiations between tax authorities and the company. Apples French division said it had reached a deal with France to pay an undeclared amount of back-dated tax, which French media estimated at around 500 million euros ($571 million). Apples French division confirmed the tax payment agreement, but did not disclose how much it had agreed to pay. As a multinational company, Apple is regularly audited by fiscal authorities around the world, Apple France said in a statement. The French tax administration recently concluded a multi-year audit on the companys French accounts, and those details will be published in our public accounts, it said. French business magazine LExpress/LExpansion, which reported the tax payment figure, said the deal was reached in December after several months of negotiations between tax authorities and the company. France is pushing for a European Union-wide tax on the worlds top digital and software companies such as Google, owned by Alphabet Inc, Amazon , Facebook and Apple that use complex intra-group arrangements to pay low single-digit tax rates on profits derived from European customers. The arrangements are not illegal. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said in January that he was confident European Union member states would reach an agreement by the end of March on an EU-wide tax on global digital companies. Online retail group Amazon settled a long-running dispute with French tax authorities in February last year. France had been seeking nearly 200 million euros ($228.20 million) from the company. Essar Oil UK Wednesday announced acquisition of BP's stake in a pipeline and oil terminals in the UK to get rights over infrastructure used by its Stanlow refinery for evacuation of petroleum products. Essar Oil will acquire 11 per cent stake of BP in the UK Oil Pipeline (UKOP), which transports products from Stanlow refinery, as well as its 45 per cent share in the Kingsbury terminal and a 100 per cent interest in the Northampton oil storage terminal, company CEO S Thangapandian said. Essar had bought Stanlow refinery from Royal Dutch Shell in 2011. But at that time Shell had not sold the stake in the pipeline and terminals. "We got an opportunity in BP deciding to exit from the projects," he said. Shell, US firm Valero and France's Total are other partners in the UK Oil Pipeline which transports 7.5 million tonnes of mixed products each year to major oil terminals at Buncefield and Kingsbury with spurs to Northampton and Nottingham. The 650-km UKOP system supplies fuel to Heathrow and Gatwick airports and stretches from the Stanlow oil refinery in the north west of England to the Coryton refinery on the Thames in Essex. The acquisition, he said, will fuel the growth of Essar Oil UK's business in the UK. "This latest expansion of its UK interests means Essar has now invested nearly USD 1 billion in building a profitable and sustainable UK business, since first acquiring the Stanlow Manufacturing Complex in July 2011," he said. He said the company has 67 petrol pumps across England and Wales and is on target to grow them to 400 over the next five years. Already a significant player in the wholesale supply of Jet A-1 to major UK airports, the company has successfully entered the market for the direct supply of aviation fuel, signing agreements with a number of leading international airlines and continuing to grow this sector of its business. "The company remains committed to further UK investment," he said. "Essar continues to have great faith in the UK market, which represents an important part of the group's strategic business growth ambitions. The acquisition of these BP assets further demonstrates the company's ongoing commitment to investing in and growing their businesses within the United Kingdom." The acquisition was financed from internal resources. "Essar will continue to play a key role in keeping Britain on the move. It currently supplies over 16 per cent of the UK's road transport fuel demand and this agreement will enable us to improve our competitiveness. In a rapidly changing landscape, it is critically important we stay competitive through constant business development and innovation. "The acquisition will allow Essar to maintain its presence in a very competitive UK Midlands region and grow that current footprint. In addition, we will continue to expand our retail offering with a number of the 12 new stations we recently branded through an agreement with MPK being supplied from the two terminals," he said. Essar will continue to look for opportunities to expand inorganically, provided the acquisitions are long term value accretive and complement Essar Oil UK's growth plans. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The National Commission For Women has written to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, urging prompt action in ensuring safety of two nuns who are witnesses in a rape case against Bishop Franco Mulakkal, and were issued transfer orders by their congregation. The complainants alleged that the transfer orders were aimed to split them and "to sabotage the case" against Bishop Franco Mulakkal, the NCW said in the letter. The letter said that the two nuns, who approached the women's panel, alleged the transfer orders issued last year were to pressurise and threaten them as they were prominent witnesses in the case. "The complainants also apprehend danger to their lives, if transferred to distant regions," the letter said. "As you are aware of the seriousness of the issue, the National Commission for Women urges your personal intervention into the matter to ensure safety of the complainants, victim (of the case under trial) and the fellow nuns," the letter added. The Commission requested the chief minister "to take prompt action to ensure prevention of sabotage of material evidence and witnesses in pending case against rape-accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal, so that justice may prevail". The nuns had been asked to report to the Missionaries of Jesus congregation's Jalandhar convent and meet its Superior General Sr Regina Kandamthottu on January 26. Earlier, four nuns were served notice by the superior general of the congregation, Regina Kadamthottu, urging them to take up their assigned responsibilities as befitting members of the Missionaries of Jesus congregation. The four nuns and the survivor nun had written to the Kerala chief minister, seeking his intervention to ensure that their transfer orders were not affected till the trial of the case was over. Bishop Mulakkal, a senior member of the Roman Catholic clergy in India, was arrested last year following allegations by the nun that he repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted her at the Kuravilangad convent between 2014 and 2016, a charge denied by him. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Human rights activist and lawyer Sudha Bhardwaj, arrested in connection with the Elgar Parishad case, has moved the Bombay High Court to seek bail. The plea was taken up for hearing on Wednesday by Justice N W Sambre. Bhardwaj, through her lawyer Yug Chaudhary, challenged the decision of a Pune court that had rejected her bail plea in October last year. Chaudhary told the bench that the Pune court, while denying the bail to Bhardwaj, had relied upon four letters produced as incriminating evidence by the Pune Police. However, Chaudhary said he wanted to show to the high court that the letters could not be accepted as admissible evidence under the Indian Evidence Act. The bench is likely to hear the plea in detail on February 18. Bhardwaj was arrested along with several other activists by the Pune Police last year. She and the others were booked following an Elgar Parishad event on December 31, 2017, which, the police alleged, triggered violent clashes the next day at Koregaon- Bhima village in Pune district of Maharashtra. According to police, the event was funded and supported by Maoists. At the event, some activists made inflammatory speeches and provocative statements that contributed to the January 1 violence, they had said. The Pune Police also alleged that Bhardwaj played a role in mobilising party cadres and funds for the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist). The police claimed it came to the conclusion after raiding the houses of several of these activists and chancing upon some letters that revealed, among other things, a conspiracy to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A suspected drug peddler was arrested in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district Wednesday after around 250 grams of cannabis was found in his possession, police said. The accused, Balveer Chand, was intercepted by a police party patrolling the Ramban market and its adjoining areas as he was found moving suspiciously, they said. Chand, a resident of Swani village in Chanderkote, was arrested after officials found the cannabis on him, police said, adding that a case was registered against him in this connection. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Disney has assured its fans that it will not stop making more "Deadpool" films. Disney subsidiary Marvel Studios is set to get back the cinematic rights of its character such as X-Men and Fantastic Four after the completion of the studio's merger with 20th Century Fox. Fans of Ryan Reynolds' "Deadpool" series were particularly worried about the impending merger as Disney and Marvel Studios films often fall in the PG-13 category. Whereas, "Deadpool" films, featuring Reynolds as the Merc With a Mouth, are rated R and feature explicit dialogues and gory action sequences. Disney CEO Bob Iger, however, confirmed during an earnings call on Tuesday that the studio has huge plans for "Deadpool", according to The Hollywood Reporter. "We will continue in that business. There's certainly popularity with those types of films," Iger told investors. He clarified that Disney would be "carefully branding them ('Deadpool' and other R-rated films)... so we're not in any way confusing the consumer". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi High Court Wednesday refused to stay the trial court order to frame charges against former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh for allegedly amassing disproportionate assets (DA) worth over Rs 10 crore. Justice Sunil Gaur also sought CBI's response on pleas of Singh and his wife Pratibha challenging the trial court order to frame charges against him. "Let the charges be framed in the trial court. I am not going to pass any interim order," the judge said and posted the matter for April 16. The 82-year-old Congress leader and his wife have sought quashing of the December 10, 2018 trial court order directing framing of charges against them and seven others in the case lodged by CBI. The high court was informed by senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Singh, that the matter is listed before the trial court on February 22 for formal framing of charges. During the hearing, CBI special public prosecutor Anil Grover told the court that the agency has already filed an appeal before the Supreme Court challenging a limited part of the high court's March 31, 2017 order in which it had said that the consent issue will be adjudicated by the trial court and notice was earlier issued to Singh. Before the apex court, the CBI has sought clarification on the nature of sanction needed from a government to probe any offence committed in the state. The CBI had contended before the high court that there was a general consent granted by the Himachal Pradesh government on August 24, 1990 to probe offences of central government employees in the territory of the state. Singh, on the other hand, had contended in the high court that the consent order does not take within its scope a central minister, who served as a public servant in Delhi under the central government. Singh has claimed in the plea that the offence of possessing disproportionate assets under the Prevention of Corruption Act, if any, is said to have been committed in Himachal Pradesh and the consent of the state government is necessary to initiate an investigation. The plea has contended that the trial court was only required to look into the effect of the investigation conducted without consent and not to look into the law as to whether consent was necessary. It has said the special judge has wrongly held that sanction for prosecution under Section 197 of the CrPC was not required to be taken as the charges are framed under the IPC and Singh was serving as the chief minister of Himachal Pradesh at the time of taking cognisance of the charge sheet. The trial court, in its December, 2018 order, had said that Singh intended to cause loss to tax authorities by presenting unaccounted money as sale proceeds of apples and had also ordered framing of charges against his wife and seven others for allegedly abetting in the offences. The other seven accused in the case are LIC agent Anand Chauhan, Chunni Lal Chauhan, Joginder Singh Ghalta, Prem Raj, Vakamulla Chandrasekhar, Lawan Kumar Roach and Ram Prakash Bhatia. The trial court had said that Virbhadra Singh and Anand Chauhan "fraudulently and dishonestly" signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) by ante-dating it to give an impression that it was signed on June 15, 2008 by them. It had added that since the document was made for showing unaccounted money as sale proceeds of apples, they were liable to be charged for the offence of forgery. The punishment for the offences of criminal misconduct and disproportionate assets under the PC Act ranges between one to seven years jail term, forgery under IPC entails a maximum of two years imprisonment and the offence of cheating could lead to a maximum sentence of seven years. On the role of his wife, the court had said there was "grave suspicion" that she committed the offence of abetment under the IPC. The CBI had registered the case against Singh and others for allegedly amassing assets worth around Rs 10 crore disproportionate to their known source of income when he was the Union minister in the UPA government. A charge sheet running into over 500 pages, filed in the trial court, claimed that Singh had amassed assets worth around Rs 10 crore which were disproportionate by 192 per cent of his total income during his tenure as a Union Minister. The final report, filed against nine people for alleged offences punishable under section 109 (abetment) and 465 (punishment for forgery) of IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act, arrayed around 225 witnesses and 442 documents. The matter was transferred by the Supreme Court from the Himachal Pradesh High Court to the Delhi High Court, which on April 6, 2016 had asked the CBI not to arrest Singh and had directed him to join the probe. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Delhi court Wednesday extended till February 16 the interim protection from arrest granted to Manoj Arora, a close aide of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra, in a money laundering case. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) requested Special Judge Arvind Kumar that as the next date of hearing in Vadra's case was fixed for February 16, this case too be posted for the same date. The case relates to allegations of money laundering in the purchase of a London-based property -- located at 12, Bryanston Square -- worth 1.9 million pounds, which is allegedly owned by Vadra, the brother-in-law of Congress president Rahul Gandhi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The CPI Wednesday criticised both the Centre and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the developments following CBI's attempt to question Kolkata Police commissioner in a chit fund scam and demanded a transparent inquiry into the Ponzi schemes. A day after Banerjee ended her three-day dharna in Kolkata protesting the CBI's action, CPI General Secretary S Sudhakar Reddy accused her of trying to convert the issue into a crisis involving Centre-state relations. He said both the action and reaction were not good for democracy. Hitting out at the NDA government, he alleged cases had been filed before the elections against leaders, including Samajwadi Partys Akhilesh Yadav, BSP chief Mayawati, former JNU student union leader Kanhaiya Kumar. The Central government should stop using CBI, the Enforcement Directorate against political opponents, he told reporters here. Reddy alleged BJP's political opponents, including Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi, were being made accused in some case or the other. On the other hand, there had been no progress in the investigation into cases involving BJP leaders, he claimed. Equally undemocratically, Mamata Banerjee reacted by arresting the CBI people, he said referring to the dharna staged by the Trinamool Congress chief protesting the central investigation agency's attempt to question Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar. We feel that this type of thing is not good for the Indian democracy. Action and reaction both, Reddy said, seeking a transparent inquiry into the Saradha and Rosevalley scams in which gullible investors had been allegedly duped. On the coming Lok Sabha elections, he said no formal discussion had taken place on a possible alliance between the Left parties and the Congress in West Bengal. The CPI leader sought to know why Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who has proposed a federal front, was 'silent' on the developments in West Bengal. He criticised the TRS government in Telangana for not having a full-fledged cabinet though the government assumed office on December 13. Along with Rao, only Mohd Mehmood Ali had been sworn in as minister. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Items worth several lakhs of rupees were gutted in a midnight fire at the Muloor branch of the Corporation bank near Kaup in Udupi district, police said Wednesday. Furniture and computers inside the branch, operating at the Panchami complex near Muloor bus stand on NH66, were destroyed in the fire Tuesday. The blaze was first noticed by local people who immediately informed the police. Fire service personnel contained the blaze An electric short circuit is suspected to be the cause of the fire. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress has lodged a complaint with the local police here on Wednesday against derogatory and indecent remarks made on party president Rahul Gandhi and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on social networking site Facebook. District unit general secretary of Congress Pankaj Gupta said the derogatory remarks have been posted from the Facebook profile of one Ram Surat Shukla, who claims to be an RSS leader. Gupta said the remarks have hurt the sentiments of Congress workers and a complaint has been lodged with the city Kotwali police in this connection. Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar said the matter was being probed and action will be taken against all those found responsibility. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The flaw allowed users to hear the audio of a person they were calling before that person answered the call. House Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone and Representative Jan Schakowsky, who chairs a subcommittee overseeing consumer issues said in a letter they were deeply troubled over how long it took Apple to address the security flaw. Two key US House of Representatives Democrats on Tuesday asked Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook, to answer questions about a privacy flaw in Apples group video chat software after a teenager and his mother tried for days to warn the iPhone maker of the bug. Apple said on Friday it had fixed the issue with FaceTime and said it planned to improve how it handles reports of software bugs. House Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone and Representative Jan Schakowsky, who chairs a subcommittee overseeing consumer issues said in a letter they were deeply troubled over how long it took Apple to address the security flaw. They want to know when Apple first learned of the issue, the extent to which the flaw may have compromised consumers privacy, and if there are other undisclosed bugs that currently exist and have not been addressed. Apple did not immediately comment to Reuters. Your company and others must proactively ensure devices and applications protect consumer privacy, immediately act when a vulnerability is identified and address any harm caused when you fail to meet your obligations to consumers, the Democrats wrote. We do not believe Apple has been as transparent as this serious issue requires. The flaw in the software allowed users to hear the audio of a person they were calling before that person answered the call. Apple turned off the FaceTime group chat feature last week as its engineers worked to fix the issue. We want to assure our customers that as soon as our engineering team became aware of the details necessary to reproduce the bug, they quickly disabled Group FaceTime and began work on the fix, Apple said in a statement last week. Questioning the probe ordered by the Congress government in Chhattisgarh into the incidents and alleged scams that took place during the Raman Singh-led dispensation, the BJP Wednesday staged a protest here. The opposition party said the ruling Congress was acting with vengeance. BJP leaders and workers staged a protest against the government at Budhatalab area here and asserted that they were not afraid of "Badlapur" (vindictive) of the Congress government. "The state government has been acting with the intention of taking revenge on several issues, including Antagarh by-poll (2014) row," state BJP chief and Leader of Opposition Dharamlal Kaushik said during the agitation. "The BJP is not afraid of 'Badlapur' The party will give a strong fight," he added. "Whenever a Congress government came into the state, an atmosphere of fear prevailed. The same situation is being experienced in the Bhupesh Baghel-led government in just 40 days in office," Kaushik said. BJP leaders led by Kaushik later submitted a memorandum to the Governor's office. In the memorandum, the BJP said the state government was crossing every limit to crush the opposition's voice. "The government is creating an Emergency-like situation in the state," it said. The saffron party said the government was engaged in taking a personal revenge instead of focusing on the functioning of the state. The law and order situation in the state has collapsed, they claimed in the memorandum, and demanded appropriate action against the government. Meanwhile, the Congress said the BJP leaders were raising a hue and cry as they were afraid of getting exposed in several scams. "What have the BJP leaders done in the alleged civil supplies scam that they are so much afraid of a probe into it. It seems they are afraid of being exposed," state Congress spokesperson Sushil Anand Shukla said. "People of the state are very well aware of the fact that how BJP had hatched a conspiracy along with its political associates in Antagarh bypoll held in 2014. Now when the investigation is being caried out, they are screaming as they are of afraid of facing action," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A minor girl was seriously injured when a 19-year-old college student attacked her with a knife here for spurning him, police sources said Wednesday. The accused has been taken into custody, they said. Relatives of the 17-year-old victim alleged that the student, Bharat, was harassing her and they had earlier lodged a complaint with police who counselled him. Bharat attacked the girl with a knife used for cutting open coconuts at a bus-stop while she was waiting for a bus to go to college, police said, adding she suffered injuries on her neck. A senior police official said the girl is being treated in an intensive care unit of a private hospital at Malakpet and her condition is said to be serious. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The commerce ministry Wednesday said it has identified six clusters in Maharashtra for grapes, mango, pomegranate, banana, oranges and onion to boost export of these commodities. These clusters are identified as part of the implementation of the agriculture export policy, announced by the ministry in December 2018. Officials are holding meetings of stakeholders and organising workshops with farmers on the implementation of the policy, it said in a statement. "More such workshops with farmers and meetings with state governments will be held to strategise the implementation of the policy," it said. For successful implementation, it said, farmer producer organisations and co-operatives should be linked with the farmers and exporters. "Required infrastructure needs to be provided in these clusters and the use of latest technology in agriculture has to be adopted," it said adding that the Indian Institute of Packaging has been roped in for working on packaging standards. Further, it said many countries in the Middle East region are ready to invest in facilities like cold chain and warehousing in India for import of agro and processed food products by them. In India, agriculture and horticulture production is around 600 million tonne per year. "About 30 per cent of fresh horticulture produce goes waste and there is an urgent need to strengthen the supply chain to avoid the losses," it said. As part of the policy, shrimps, meat, rice, grapes, bananas, pomegranate, vegetables, cashew, medicinal herbs in value-added form, food-based nutraceuticals, aromatics, spices, organic food have been identified as potential winning sectors, it added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Union cabinet on Wednesday approved the setting up of a circuit bench of the Calcutta High Court in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal. The proposed circuit bench will have jurisdiction over four districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri. The decision to set up the circuit bench in north Bengal was taken in a full court meeting of the high court in 1988. The Union cabinet had also approved the move in June 2006. A team of judges had visited the proposed site in Jalpaiguri last August to assess the progress in the infrastructure, a statement by the Law Ministry said. A circuit bench is for territories which are far flung, but do not have too many matters to justify a full-fledged permanent bench. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 'chopper politics' seems to be at play in growing acrimony between the BJP and the ruling TMC in West Bengal in run-up to general elections with the BJP leaders alleging Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of purposefully denying landing permission to helicopters of several saffron party leaders. Banerjee, however, has dismissed the charges and has put the blame on "eleventh hour" requests by the BJP leaders. She has also made a counter-allegation that helicopter companies were being forced to cancel bookings by her party for the Lok Sabha poll campaign. The BJP has alleged its president Amit Shah, Union Minister Smriti Irani, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and former chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand (Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Arjun Munda) are among those who have been denied permission to land their helicopters for addressing rallies in different locations in West Bengal. Some of them cancelled the scheduled rallies while others decided to travel by road to the venue of the public meetings. While, the BJP leaders decried the state administration's action, Banerjee dismissed the charge and instead put the blame on them for seeking permission from respective district adminstration late. She has also alleged that pressure is being mounted on companies to cancel agreements to provide helicopters to her party and that the advance money paid for booking choppers has been returned already in two cases. The latest round of slugfest started when BJP president Shah was allegedly denied permission to land his helicopter at an airstrip in Malda district on January 22. His chopper ultimately had to land on private property owned by a resort from where he made to the public meeting at Narayanpur by road. Next was Irani, who cancelled her rally at Suri in Birbhum district on January 23 after her chopper was allegedly not allowed to land at Jhargram. Adityanath had to call off his rallies at Raiganj and Balurghat on Sunday last following alleged denial of permission for landing of his chopper. He addressed the meetings at two places over phone. His public rally in Bankura scheduled for Tuesday was cancelled over alleged "dilly-dallying" by the district administration to give permission for the landing of his helicopter. However, Adityanath made to the second public meeting at Purulia on Tuesday after travelling by road after flying to Bokaro in neighbouring state Jharkhand. Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Chouhan also had to cancel his rally at Bahrampur in Murshidabad district due to alleged denial of permission for landing of his helicopter. He travelled by road for two and half hours to Kharagpur after alighting at Kolkata airport to address a "save democracy rally". Former Jharkhand CM Munda was also apparently denied permission by Bishnupur administration in West Bengal Wednesday to hold a meeting. Munda was scheduled to address a rally of BJP workers in Bishnupur town in Bankura district of southern West Bengal, close to his home state of Jharkhand. He said he had to return to Jamshedpur, about 161 km from Bishnupur, without addressing the rally as the district administration "did not give permission to hold it". "No reason was given (by the administration)," Munda told reporters after his return. But Bankura Superintendent of Police Koteswara Rao Nalavat said permission was not given for Munda's meeting as adequate security was not available in view of TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee's scheduled meeting at Onda, about 22km from Bankura town. While BJP leaders are fuming over the incidents, the TMC leaders have termed the charges baseless and asserted the permission may have been withheld by the respective district administration for various reasons, including security. Addressing mediapersons after calling off her three-day dharna on Tuesday evening over the CBI's bid to question Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar, Banerjee had dismissed the charges of denying BJP leaders permission to come to West Bengal for rallies. To drive home her point, she cited examples of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home minister Rajnath Singh and BJP president Amit Shah holding public meetings in the state without any hassles. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) China plans to build four nuclear-powered aircraft carriers by 2035 and develop new carrier-based fighter jets as Beijing tries to boost its naval prowess and catch up with the powerful US Navy, a media report Wednesday quoted Chinese military experts as saying. China currently has one aircraft carrier in service the Liaoning, commissioned in 2012 and the Type 001A, the first carrier built in the country, which is still being tested. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also the head of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has ordered the military to modernise by 2035 and become a top-ranked fighting force by 2050. Four of at least six aircraft battle groups China plans to have in the water by 2035 will be nuclear-powered, as the Asian giant tries to equal the US in naval strength, the South China Morning Post reported. The experts said that after decades of trying to close the gap, the PLA Navy's hardware might by then be closer to matching the world's leading superpower in aircraft carrier technology but it would still lag in real combat experience. All of China's new carriers were expected to be equipped with electromagnetic catapults similar to those used by the United States, the experts said. The US' electromagnetic aircraft launch system, known as EMALS, can launch more aircraft more rapidly than the older diesel systems. "China's nuclear-powered aircraft carriers with [EMALS-like systems] are expected to join the navy by 2035, bringing the total number of carriers to at least six although only four will work at the front line," Wang Yunfei, a naval expert and retired PLA destroyer naval officer, said. "The country needs to keep developing until it is at the same level as the United States," Wang was quoted as saying by the Hong Kong-based newspaper. The US seeks to keep its place as the dominant naval power across the Indo-Pacific, where Washington and its allies believe Beijing is trying to rewrite international rules and military alliances in place since World War II. But Beijing is keen to expand its aircraft carrier battle groups to fulfil its global naval ambitions and defend its growing overseas interests. Construction of its next conventional diesel-powered aircraft carrier, the Type 002 the first equipped with the electromagnetic launchers began last year. Wang said the budget for the carrier projects would not be cut despite an economic slowdown and a trade war with the US. "Even if the economic downturn has an effect, we can adjust proportions in total military expenditure to make sure naval modernisation keeps going," he said. Song Zhongping, a television military commentator in Hong Kong, said China's fleet of aircraft carriers would expand to reflect its global standing. With the PLA planning to have four nuclear-powered carrier battle groups on the front line by 2035, the Type 001A and its next-generation carrier Type 002 would become temporary battle ships, Song said. Both Wang and Song said the Liaoning would be replaced by the Type 001A by 2035, by which time the Liaoning would be obsolete. The Liaoning was refitted from a half-built Soviet hull bought from Ukraine in 1998 and is used to train carrier crews. The PLA Navy will develop one of its fighter jets for use on its aircraft carriers, with debate ongoing over whether that will be the FC-31 or J-20. China has just one type of carrier-based fighter jet, the J-15, whereas the US has two. Wang said Chinese engineers were developing a next-generation carrier-based fighter, describing it as a variant of the FC-31 stealth fighter, whose fighting capability may be "a little bit behind the US' F-35C". Song said China's overall strength would remain limited by a lack of combat experience. "China's aircraft carrier technology and its carrier-based fighter jets will be developed to match the same generation of their American counterparts, but hardware build-up is only part of the picture," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Describing China as an opportunistic nation, a top American commander on Tuesday told lawmakers that Beijing is going to look for places that they can step in where the US or others may create voids. "I think China is opportunistic and they are going to look for places that they can step in where we or others may create voids," US Central Command Commander Gen Joseph Votel told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee during a Congressional hearing. Cutting across party lines, members of the powerful Armed Services Committee expressed concern over the growing presence of China in the countries in the region and in particular they mentioned Pakistan which they said is falling under a Chinese debt trap. Votel said the United States and a number of its partners have long provided maritime security. "Frankly, I think China has been a free rider in this and taking advantage of that and now we see them beginning to develop their own infrastructure in here principally for their own purposes, not for the purposes of broader regional security in the region and I'm concerned about that," he said. When one looks at China, their motivations are principally driven by their economic objectives, Votel noted and added that through their one belt one road approach they are taking trade routes back to China. The United States, he said, continues to be watchful of China's developing relationships with other partners across the region, particularly in the maritime environment in the countries that are along the waterways in the region, whether they are some of the Gulf states or the African continent. "These are the areas I think that we will have to pay attention to in the future," Votel said in response to a question. Senator David Perdue expressed concern over the increasing burden of Chinese debt on Pakistan's economy. "This debt problem is up to I think it's USD23 billion now, could grow to USD62 billion and there's USD90 billion committed there in that effort. That's huge in terms of Pakistan," he said. "What I'm concerned about is what Pakistan also is representing to China with regard to what China has done with their BRI across that area," Perdue said. Referring to Gwadar and Hambantota ports, he said China has already foreclosed on their partner there. "It's a proprietary debt situation. They have done the same thing in Gwadar and 31 other places around the coast of Africa," he said. "As we look at great power competition, I think we have to recognise and I believe we do that the threat of Russia or that China poses to us isn't limited to a particular geographic area but in fact, it is global with these partners," Votel said in response to a question. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The CBI and the Maharashtra CID told the Bombay High Court on Wednesday that they would file their supplementary charge sheets in the killings of rationalists Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare by next week. The CBI and the state CID are probing the killings of Dabholkar and Pansare, respectively. CBI counsel Anil Singh told the bench that it had arrested and identified Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar as the two persons who shot at Dabholkar, leading to his death. Singh said the CBI will file the supplementary charge sheet against the two by February 13. Ashok Mundargi, the counsel for CID's Special Investigation Team (SIT) that is probing Pansare's killing, also told the court that the agency was going to file its supplementary charge sheet against three more persons arrested in the case by February 12. Mundargi said after the charge sheet, the CID will "concentrate" on arresting the absconding accused persons in the case. A bench of justices S C Dharamadhikari and M S Karnik accepted the submissions, but said the court expected much more from the "premiere" probe agencies. "By the next date, you must make some concrete efforts to arrest the absconding accused," the bench said. The court particularly told the CBI that it was a "premiere" probe agency and the court as well as the whole world expected much from it. "These are important cases and the whole world is interested in knowing the outcome of such cases. Today, because of the advent of the social media, the whole world is watching you. It wants to know what is happening in important incidents," it said. "Because of social media, the world is watching what you are doing in important cases, including the incident in West Bengal," the bench said, while making a passing reference to the recent face-off between the CBI and Kolkata Police in the Saradha chit fund scam case. Dabholkar was shot dead on August 20, 2013, in Pune while he was on his morning walk, while Pansare was shot at on February 16, 2015, in Kolhapur and he succumbed to his injuries on February 20. The high court has been hearing pleas filed by the family members of Dabholkar and Pansare seeking a court- monitored probe in both cases. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Union Cabinet Wednesday approved a proposal of the Power Ministry for higher allocation of electricity to the home state from under-construction projects of NTPC. The proposal seeks to allocate 85 per cent power to Telangana generated from Telangana Super Thermal Power Project (4000 MW) of NTPC and 85 per cent power from expansion project of Patratu Thermal Power Station (4000 MW) of Patratu Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (PVUNL) to Jharkhand. PVUNL is a subsidiary company of NTPC. Both the projects are being set up in two phases. Phase-I of both the projects are under construction. Telangana Super Thermal Power Project (TSTPP) will come up at Ramagundam in Peddapalli district while the Patratu Super Thermal Power Station will come at Patratu in Ramgarh district of Jharkhand. The first phase of TSTPP will comprise two units of 800 MW each and second phase for three units of 800 MW each. Patratu Thermal Power Station (PTPS) will comprise three units of 800 MW each in the first phase and two units 800 MW each in the second phase. As per an official release, higher allocation of power to Telangana from TSTPP will ensure that the Central government has taken the necessary measures as enumerated in the 13th Schedule of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. Higher allocation of power to Jharkhand from PTPS will also help in improving the power scenario of the state. The Cabinet also accorded ex-post facto approval to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Fisheries, Marine Resource and Agriculture, Maldives. The MoU was singed in December 2018 during the state visit of President of Maldives to India. Another official release said the Cabinet has approved signing of agreement between the India and Ukraine for cooperation in agriculture and food industry. The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister also gave its nod for signing of an MoU between India and Malaysia for mutual cooperation to raise the status and prestige of the practicing company secretary in both countries, and to facilitate the movement of company secretaries across borders in the Asia-Pacific region. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Centre and Attorney General K K Venugopal took differing stance in the Supreme Court in their contempt pleas against activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan on whether he be punished for his tweets which alleged that the government had misled the court in a matter related to the appointment of interim CBI director M Nageswara Rao. Calling Venugopal 'Bhismpitama' and magnanimous in not seeking punishment for Bhushan, the Centre said it wants that punishment should be awarded to Bhushan as deterrence. A bench of Justices Arun Mishra and Navin Sinha said however that punishment for a lawyer should be the last resort, and referred to its recent verdict in which it held that contempt is 'Brahmastra' which is to be used sparingly. The bench was hearing two contempt petitions filed separately by the Centre and the AG against Bhushan for the tweets. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, argued that "statements like black day in the history of judiciary. Injustice has been done. These are partisan, subjective and designed statements made with a purpose". Referring to Venugopal as 'Bhismapitama' -- a key character in the Mahabharat -- Mehta said he is magnanimous and does not want punishment for Bhushan, but the Union of India wants punishment for him so that there is a deterrence. At the outset, Venugopal, who has filed the plea in his personal capacity, said: "All I am seeking is that an end has to be put to this. It is the pending matter. It is being done. No one can go on making statements in a sub-judice matter. This is the right time that court settle this issue. Although I am not seeking punishment for my learned friend (Bhushan) but I want an end to this". Venugopal's plea referred to the extracts of the minutes of the meeting of the high-powered Selection Committee comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Justice A K Sikri (as nominee of CJI) and leader of the largest opposition party Mallikarjun Kharge. The Centre's plea also referred to the contents of Venugopal's petition and submitted that they be also read as part of its plea. Venugopal's petition referred to Bhushan's February 1 tweets in which he alleged that the government appeared to have misled the apex court and perhaps submitted fabricated minutes of the meeting of the high-powered selection committee. Through his tweets, Venugopal said, Bhushan appeared to have deliberately intended to cast aspersions on the "integrity and honesty" of the attorney general who had placed the minutes of the meeting before the apex court during the February 1 hearing. On February 1, a bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra was hearing a petition filed by NGO Common Cause challenging the Centre's decision to appoint Rao, an IPS officer, as interim CBI director. Venugopal said in his petition that Bhushan's tweets "scandalise or tend to scandalise and lower or tend to lower the authority of this court". He said during the hearing on February 1, he had handed over to the bench the minutes of meeting of the high-powered committee held on January 9 and January 10. According to the petition, signatures of all the three members of the committee -- were affixed in the decision taken by the panel. Venugopal said Bhushan, in one of his tweets on February 1, had said, "I have just confirmed personally from the leader of opposition Mr Kharge that no discussion or decision in HPC meet was taken re-appointment of Nageswara Rao as interim Director of CBI. The govt appears to have misled the court and perhaps submitted fabricated minutes of the HPC meeting." The attorney general said the statement/ confirmation attributed to Kharge could never have been made by him for the simple reason that he himself had signed the minutes of the meeting which also contained the final decisions of the high-powered committee. "If the minutes of the meeting were to be fabricated, the members of the high powered committee who constituted the majority would have to be parties to such fabrication as their signatures are contained on the very same page on which the decision is recorded in the minutes," the plea had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) There was a time in the late 1980s and early 1990s when Pakistan would try and hold a so-called peoples march to the Line of Control. Pakistans decision to hold its propagandistic Kashmir Day programme in London this year is a sign of desperation on the part of the Imran Khan government to do something, rather than do something that counts. In an empty ritual to rally the faithful, Pakistan observes February 5 as Kashmir Day every year. But no one now really bothers with it either in the Kashmir Valley or for that matter in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. There was a time in the late 1980s and early 1990s when Pakistan would try and hold a so-called peoples march to the Line of Control. Over the years, however, such stunts have lost steam, with New Delhi regaining the confidence of the people of Kashmir in considerable measure. Unfortunately, in recent times, the political situation in the Valley has turned fragile with the inept policies of the Central government, which have amounted to placing exclusive reliance on the security vector to the exclusion of political action. This has led to deep-going dissatisfaction among the ordinary people of Kashmir, allowing Islamabad to revert to its old ways of trying to meddle with public sentiment in the Valley. Thus, Pakistans foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has spoken telephonically with prominent Hurriyat leaders Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Syed Ali Shah Geelani in recent days, urging them to participate in the London conference on Kashmir on February 5, which was being organised with Islamabads encouragement. Of course, there was no question that the Hurriyat leaders would travel to Britain, and that could not have been Pakistans expectation either. Mr Qureshis sole purpose was to internationalise the Kashmir issue by holding the conference at a venue in Britains Parliament complex with the help of a clutch of British MPs, among them some of Pakistani origin. Expectedly, New Delhi lodged a strong protest with the British government about the convening of such a forum in the precincts of the Palace of Westminister. London came up with a stock response that no one from the British government was participating in the event, which was being conducted at private initiative. The Pakistan foreign minister was himself in the British capital in his private capacity and had no official engagements. New Delhi also issued a demarche to the Pakistan high commissioner in New Delhi, asking that Islamabad not interfere in Indias domestic affairs. All this is pretty much old hat. The only way to effectively tell Islamabad where it gets off is by winning over the people of Kashmir and bringing them into a dialogue process. Under the Shimla Agreement of 1972, the Kashmir question can only be addressed bilaterally between the two countries, with no third parties interfering. This found endorsement in the Lahore Accord signed between then Prime Ministers Atal Behari Vajpayee and Nawaz Sharif. One of Canada's largest cryptocurrency exchanges has been granted bankruptcy protection after its 30-year old founder died unexpectedly in India, taking with him passwords of tens of thousands of customers who are unable to access USD 145 million in funds. Quadriga said it was unable to gain access to Canadian dollar 190 million (USD 145 million) of bitcoin and other digital assets after Gerald Cotten, its CEO and co-founder, died in December. He died of complications arising from Crohn's Disease, an inflammatory bowel ailment, while volunteering at an orphanage in India. Many of the digital currencies held by Quadriga are stored offline in accounts known as "cold wallets," a way of protecting them from hackers. Cotten is the only person with access to the wallets, according to the company. Cotten's sudden death has plunged Quadriga into crisis and left it struggling to figure out how to refund more than 100,000 of its users, CNN reported. On Tuesday, the Vancouver-based company said it was granted creditor protection in the Nova Scotia Supreme Court in British Columbia as it tries to sort out its financial mess. Cotten's widow, Jennifer Robertson, described people posting inaccurate speculation on social media about "whether he is really dead." "For the past weeks, we have worked extensively to address our liquidity issues, which include attempting to locate and secure our very significant cryptocurrency reserves held in cold wallets," Quadriga said in a statement. "Unfortunately, these efforts have not been successful." Robertson said that the laptop that Cotten used to run the currency exchange is encrypted, according to a copy of her affidavit posted online by cryptocurrency site CoinDesk. "I do not know the password or recovery key," she said. "Despite repeated and diligent searches, I have not been able to find them written down anywhere," she said. The company has hired tech experts in an attempt to hack into Cotten's laptop and other devices to retrieve the missing cryptocurrencies, but Robertson warned that at least some of them "may be lost." Quadriga, which is based in Vancouver, also owes about 70 million Canadian dollars (USD 53 million) in cash that it is unable to pay back, she said, citing difficulties accessing funds through the traditional banking system. The Nova Scotia court appointed financial services firm Ernst & Young as an independent monitor that will oversee Quadriga's efforts to resolve its financial problems. The exchange, launched in December 2013, allowed users to deposit cash or cryptocurrency through its online trading platform, storing the digital coins on blockchain ledgers that are accessible only by an immutable alphanumeric code. The company had 363,000 registered users, of which 92,000 have account balances owing to them in cash or cryptocurrencies, Bloomberg reported, quoting court filings. Cotten was the sole officer and director. The Canadian High Commission in New Delhi told CNN that it was aware of Cotten's death on December 9 and had "provided consular assistance," but declined to reveal further details. Elvis Cavalic of Calgary said that he bought a few hundred dollars of bitcoin using Quadriga's platform. When he tried to withdraw 15,000 dollars in his account in October, he could not. "This is a tough lesson learned. I would probably avoid [cryptocurrency] in the future," Cavalic was quoted as saying by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). '"They've left us completely in the dark. I'm kind of preparing for the worst," Cavalic said. The CBC reached out to lawyers for CIBC and Robertson for comment but did not receive a response by deadline. While the case is unusual, it is not the first time the cryptocurrency industry has been hit by security concerns. Hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of digital currencies have been stolen by hackers over the past few years. In India, the Reserve Bank of India had banned the use of virtual currencies and informed the Supreme Court that allowing dealings in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoins would encourage illegal transactions. The spectacular boom and bust in the prices of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have presented a quandary for governments around the world, which have taken differing approaches in trying to regulate their use. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Union Cabinet Wednesday approved an array of agreements with different countries in the fields of biotechnology, innovation and medicine. The Cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between India and the United Arab Emirates on development cooperation in Africa. The MoU entails setting up of a framework of cooperation between the two countries for implementing development partnership projects and programmes in Africa. It also approved an MoU between India and Finland for collaboration based on mutual interest in the field of biotechnology. The Cabinet also gave its nod for an agreement between India and Brazil on cooperation in the field of traditional systems of medicine and homoeopathy. The MoU will enhance bilateral cooperation between India and Brazil in the areas of traditional systems of medicine. This will be of immense importance to both the countries considering their shared cultural heritage, a statement said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved amendments to the Cinematograph Act for imposing strict penalties to combat the menace of film piracy. To check piracy, particularly the release of pirated versions of films on the internet which causes huge losses to the film industry and the exchequer, the government has proposed to make film piracy offences punishable with imprisonment of up to three years and fines that may extend to Rs 10 lakh or both. The proposed amendment states that any person, who without the written authorisation of the copyright owner, uses any recording device to make or transmit a copy of a film, or attempts to do so, or abet the making or transmission of such a copy, will be liable for such a punishment. The Cabinet approved Ministry of Information and Broadcasting's proposal for introducing the Cinematograph Amendment Bill, 2019, which aims to tackle films piracy by including the penal provisions for unauthorised camcording and duplication of films. The proposed amendments would increase industry revenues, boost job creation, fulfil important objectives of India's National Intellectual Property policy and will give relief against piracy and infringing content online, an official statement said. The film industry has been demanding for a long time that the government should consider amendments to the law preventing camcording and piracy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made an announcement at the inaugural function of the National Museum of Indian Cinema at Mumbai on January 19, 2019, to tackle the menace of camcording and piracy. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Around 800 farmers, affected by the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet train project, held a protest march Wednesday at Navsari in Gujarat demanding better compensation for their land. The Gujarat High Court is expected to pronounce its judgment on petitions filed by farmers challenging the land acquisition process for the high-speed rail project Thursday. The march at Navsari, 280 km from here, was organized by the Gujarat Khedut Samaj which has been opposing the ambitious project, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2017. "We will give our lives, not our land" read banners at the rally, which saw a high number of women participants. Farmer leader Jayesh Patel said they wanted compensation as per the market value of the land and not the 'Jantri' (official) rate fixed by the government. "Land in southern districts of Gujarat is very fertile. Mangoes and other fruits grown in orchards of Navsari are exported across the country. Thousands of farmers and their families are dependent on the land," Patel said. The proposed compensation -- an amount four times the Jantri rate -- is too low, he said. "As per the Jantri rates, the value of one bigha of land is around Rs 4 to 5 lakh. But the actual market value is around Rs 40 to 50 lakh. The compensation must be based on the market price," he said. A woman participant at the march echoed him. "What would our next generation do once our fertile land is gone? If at all the government wants to take it, we must be paid four times the market value as compensation," she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BSP president Mayawati Wednesday claimed that the BSP-SP alliance has left the BJP's top leadership 'sleepless' and 'afraid', due to which the party curses the coalition in all its meetings. Mayawati's counter came hours after BJP president Amit Shah attacked the alliance at a meeting of booth-level workers in Aligarh. "The BSP-SP alliance has not only made the BJP's top leadership sleepless, but also afraid and they are out to curse it in all the big and small programmes," the BSP chief said in a party release. "We got to hear the same in the Aligarh programme, in which the alliance was termed a farce," Mayawati said. "This cursing only encourages the people of the 'sarv samaj' associated with the alliance to work hard, in turn adding to the frustration of the BJP," she added. Mayawati said the BJP could sense its defeat in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The BJP is sensing that it will face a drubbing in the upcoming elections and will lose power because of the BSP-SP alliance, and hence is out to defame it, she claimed. "It is most unfortunate that they are trying their best to entangle the leaders of opposition parties and conspiring to defame them among the people," she added. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said none of the BJP's plans would work as people were aware of the party's designs and unhappy about the prevailing situation. "Everyone is aware of how under the BJP-led central and Uttar Pradesh governments casteism, political vendetta and communalism have increased," Mayawati said. On the Ram temple, she said construction of the shrine is not an issue, but the real issue is whether the country will be run according to the Constitution or the narrow mindsets of the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh -- the ruling party's ideological parent. The actual problem is that BJP and company consider themselves to be above the Constitution and law of the land, which has led to serious problems in the country, she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) British Deputy High Commissioner to India Jeremy Pilmore Bedford Wednesday called on Lt Governor Kiran Bedi at her office here Wednesday. A release from the Lt Governor's Secretariat said the Deputy High Commissioner discussed with the Lt Governor possible areas of working together and the emerging opportunities. According to the release, the envoy said during his meeting with Bedi that he was impressed with the works going on in Puducherry and the improvement in infrastructure. Bedi requested the Deputy High Commissioner to arrange for a system to get regular feedback from the British tourists visiting Puducherry for further improvements in the city, the release stated. G Theva Needhi Dhas, officer on special duty to the Lt Governor, was also present during the meeting. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The black box of the Mirage-2000 trainer aircraft, which crashed in Bengaluru last week killing two pilots, has been sent to France's Dassault Aviation, the Original Equipment Manufacturer, for decoding of its data, a senior HAL official said Wednesday. A black box collects in-flight information and decrypting it gives insights about the aircraft's activities. Usually the decoding of the black box takes place in India, but this black box was sent to France because it was badly burnt in the crash on February 1, the official added. Squadron Leader Samir Abrol and Squadron Leader Siddhartha Negi, both from Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment, were killed in the crash at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Airport in Bengaluru. They were conducting an acceptance sortie of the newly upgraded Mirage-2000 trainer jet. Several reasons such as mechanical failure in the aircraft have been cited as possible reasons for the crash and the black box is a vital link to determine the exact cause. The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and the Indian Air Force are jointly investigating the reasons behind the crash. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan Wednesday lashed out at the TMC government in West Bengal calling it corrupt and said his party would not stop till the Trinamool regime was ousted from the state. Chouhan, who is the former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, made a scathing attack at the TMC government for denying permission to the BJP for landing helicopters, resulting in cancellation of a number of public meetings, referring to which Chouhan said, "The more you (Mamata) try and stop us, more often shall we come to Bengal." Chouhan mocked the 'mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance), calling it "Bina dhulhe ki barat" (marriage party without a groom). He also asked West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has been instrumental in bringing together opposition parties onto one platform, to name the PM candidate of the alliance. Chouhan, a BJP national vice-president, whose first meeting at Bahrampur in Murshidabad district was cancelled due to denial of permission for landing his helicopter by the Bengal government, addressed the second "Ganatantra bachao rally" at Kharagpur travelling by road after alighting at the Kolkata airport. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP would take up various mass contact programmes in Telangana in February as part of its preparations for the coming Lok Sabha elections, party's state president K Laxman said here Wednesday. The party would approach the beneficiaries of the NDA governments schemes under the 'Kamala Jyoti' programme and light 'deepams' in their homes on February 26, he told PTI here. Another exercise is 'Mera Parivar-BJP Parivar' (My family-BJP family) of hoisting party flags atop the houses of every BJP worker, he said. On February 11, the death anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay, the party would reach out to the people to download the Modi app. BJP would set up 'suggestion boxes' at various places in the state to seek opinions on preparation of its manifesto, Laxman said. There was also a plan to organise a motorbike rally, he said. The BJP would organise cluster-wise meetings of Lok Sabha constituencies, he said. The exercise began on Tuesday with Union Minister Nitin Gadkari attending a meeting of party functionaries from Hyderabad, Secunderabad and Malkajgiri seats. Union Minister Smriti Irani would participate in a meeting at Shadnagar (on February 11) and party Chief Amit Shah is expected to attend the meeting to be held at Nizamabad, he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also expected to visit the state before the end of February, he said. Laxman said the BJP would go it alone for the coming general elections and contest in all the 17 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Senior party leader Bandaru Dattatreya had earlier stated this on February 3. Saying that people in Telangana voted for TRS in the recent Assembly polls in the interests of the state, he hoped they would vote for BJP and the leadership of Modi in the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP won only one seat (out of the total 119 segments) in the December 7 assembly elections. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In the run-up to Lok Sabha elections, the BJP Wednesday launched a campaign here to seek suggestions from the public to prepare its "vision document" besides highlighting the achievements of the Narendra Modi-led government. State BJP president Ravinder Raina launched the campaign 'Bharat Ke Mann Ki Baat, Modi Ke Saath' from the party headquarters at Trikuta Nagar here. "This is a campaign to engage the people in crafting the agenda for the next five years and to collate their expectations and suggestions. This is a campaign to involve every citizen in moulding the future of India," Raina told reporters. He said the month-long campaign would cover nook and corner of Jammu region, highlighting the achievements of the Modi-led NDA government while at the same time seek suggestions from the public. "People can record their video suggestions or drop their suggestion in a box placed on the rath (vehicle)," he said, adding the suggestions would form the core of the party's 'Sankalp Patra' (vision document) for the 2019 elections. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) There can be no question the Afghan Taliban regime that began consolidating its power in the mid-1990s was atrocious in every sense of the word. In the light of the recent negotiations in Doha between the United States and the Taliban, there has been much talk about peace returning to Afghanistan after four decades of more or less continuous war. That is an extraordinarily long stretch by any measure, less than half of it taken up by the American invasion that began in October 2001 which alone makes it the longest war the US has waged. And, after all these years, Washington appears to be preparing to hand back the initiative to the very forces it dislodged almost 18 years ago. There can be no question the Afghan Taliban regime that began consolidating its power in the mid-1990s was atrocious in every sense of the word. And it did indeed harbour Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda outfit, after Sudan failed to interest Saudi Arabia in taking responsibility for an unwanted guest. But the Taliban had nothing to do with 9/11, and even senior Al Qaeda operatives were reportedly uncomfortable about what the aeroplanes plot would portend for their hosts. Since some form of revenge was inevitable after the September 11 terrorist attacks, a special forces policing operation targeting Tora Bora might have achieved its goal. But George W. Bush had dumbly declared that no distinction would be made between terrorists and those who harboured them, and Barbara Lee was the only member of Congress who warned against embarking on an open-ended war with neither an exit strategy nor a focused target. Of course, October 2001 was not the first time the US had intervened in Afghanistan. It was providing succour to the incipient mujahideen months before the misguided Soviet invasion of December 1979. The strategy was masterminded by Jimmy Carters national security adviser, Zbigniew Brzezinski, an incorrigibly bloody-minded cold warrior whose primary concern was to humiliate the Soviet Union by luring its forces into an unwinnable war. Challenged on this score by the French newspaper Le Nouvel Observateur 20 years later, he responded: The secret operation was an excellent idea. Its objective was to lead the Russians to the Afghan trap, and you want me to regret it? What is the most important thing when you look at world history, the Taliban or the fall of the Soviet empire? Some overexcited Islamists or the liberation of central Europe and the end of the Cold War? Some overexcited Islamists continue to occupy Americas attention decades after it provided them with the means to combat the foreign invaders it had helped lure into Afghanistan. The US also provided manuals that included advice on slitting the throats of, for instance, communist teachers who worked in coeducational schools. It was all for a great cause, naturally, but who can seriously deny that the Taliban are effectively the illegitimate offspring of a sordid menage a trois involving Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Uncle Sam? The aims of the Soviet invaders in 1979 and the American ones in 2001 overlapped in some ways, but both interventions were grievous follies and Afghans have paid the price ever since. The prospect of peace at last is inevitably exciting, but can it seriously be achieved if the Taliban are enabled to share power in Kabul? The government of Ashraf Ghani has not been involved in talks thus far, and the Presidents apparent desperation to persuade US/Nato troops to stay on for the time being no doubt feeds into the Taliban perception of him as a Western puppet. There is no saying what lies ahead, although many segments of society especially women would be horrified at the idea of the Taliban re-establishing their obscurantist rule. Afghanistan would have been ultimately better off without any foreign intervention. Sure, the Saur inqilab of 1978 might have proved to be short-lived, but then it never made much headway outside urban centres. If overtaken by a rural rebellion, it may have left behind seeds for a future transformation. What tomorrow might bring cannot be foretold, and it could be a long time before Afghanistan breathes the free air that its most optimistic sons and daughters can already smell. A likely precondition for that, though, is the complete cessation of foreign interference, whether by Pakistan and the Gulf states that help to prop up the Taliban, or by India and the West. In the short run, though, the prospect of a Taliban return to even partial power in Kabul is unlikely to bode well for Afghans. By arrangement with Dawn The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday attacked the Congress over the Enforcement Directorate's summons to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's husband Robert Vadra to appear before it in connection with a money laundering case. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged that Vadra benefited from a petroleum and a defence deal which took place in 2008-09 when the UPA was in power. Addressing a press conference here, he claimed that Vadra, brother-in-law of Congress president Rahul Gandhi, utilised the money to buy posh properties worth several crore rupees in London. Quoting an e-mail trail, he alleged that Vadra's company received "kickbacks" from a series of companies floated to "turn black money into white". "The 2019 Lok Sabha election is a fight between the gang of corrupt versus transparency of Narendra Modi government," he said. Vadra is expected to appear before the Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday in connection with the money laundering case relating to alleged possession of illegal foreign assets. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Donald Trump was to urge unity in his State of the Union speech Tuesday but the new spirit of bipartisanship risked withering before he even reached the podium. The White House said the annual speech to Congress would see an "optimistic" Trump seeking to heal the Republican-Democratic divide. "The president is calling for unity," senior advisor Kellyanne Conway told Fox However, the president got into a testy exchange with the senior Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, just hours before he was due to give the nationally televised address from the chamber of the House of Representatives. "The state of the Trump economy is failing America's middle class," Schumer tweeted. "The state of the Trump healthcare system is failing American families. The state of the Trump Administration is chaos." Trump ripped back at Schumer for "already criticizing my State of the Union speech, even though he hasn't seen it yet." Another tough preview was due a few minutes before the speech when Democratic Senator Kamala Harris, who has announced a challenge to Trump in the 2020 presidential election, planned a so-called "prebuttal."Once Trump finishes, the Democrats were to field another woman, Stacey Abrams, who almost upset the odds to win Georgia's governorship, to deliver the traditional rebuttal. At the heart of the rancor is Trump's single-minded drive -- and failure -- to get congressional funding for walls along the US-Mexican border. Trump says a wall or fence is needed to prevent an "invasion" of Central American migrants whom he repeatedly casts as a horde of killers and rapists. In his latest tweet on the subject Tuesday, Trump again resorted to hyperbole, warning of "tremendous numbers" of illegal immigrants approaching, stating "we will build a Human Wall if necessary." Democrats, who took control of the House of Representatives last year and therefore control half of Congress, accuse Trump of fearmongering and refuse to give their approval. The resulting standoff has turned a relatively minor funding debate into an existential test of political strength in the buildup to 2020 presidential elections. The row has seen an ever more frustrated Trump trigger a crippling five-week partial shutdown of government in revenge. Democratic House speaker Nancy Pelosi, who will be sitting a few feet behind Trump during the State of the Union, exacted her own reprisal by forcing the speech to be delayed by a week. Things could soon escalate, with Trump threatening to declare a national emergency so that he can bypass Congress and give himself power to take military funds for his project. Officials say the speech will tout the strength of the US economy, a key element in Trump's 2020 reelection hopes. The White House says he will also propose federal infrastructure spending, an area where Democrats could conceivably join forces with the government. More contentiously, Trump will claim foreign policy successes. That means defending his push -- criticized by some in the security services and many in his own Republican Party -- to withdraw US soldiers from Syria and Afghanistan as soon as possible. Trump is likewise expected to update Congress on China trade talks and on his intention to hold a second summit with reclusive North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, whom he is trying to persuade to give up nuclear weapons. Closer to home, he will likely dial up the pressure on Venezuela's leftist leader Nicolas Maduro. Opposition leader Juan Guaido's envoy to Washington is among the top guests invited to attend the speech. Among those watching Trump from the chamber will be members of Democrat-chaired House investigative committees determined to probe the president's personal finances and other sensitive areas. That's on top of the huge investigation by special prosecutor Robert Mueller, who is charged with examining alleged collusion between the Trump election campaign and the Kremlin. New trouble emerged late Monday with reports that New York federal prosecutors have issued subpoenas in a sweeping probe of suspected fraud and other crimes by Trump's lavish 2016 presidential inauguration committee. "This has nothing to do with the White House," Trump spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told CNN in an attempt to distance the president from the latest scandal. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hundreds of people mill around the Bhule Bhatke Camp', lost in the teeming crowds of the Kumbh Mela and hoping desperately to be found' a familiar trope of many a Hindi film but also an everyday reality in the largest gathering on earth underway here. The humble tin settlement that is the headquarters of the camp has already found' 20,000 people since the Kumbh Mela started on January 15, said Umesh Tiwari whose father started the lost and found' movement. Many writers of the 1960s and 1970s shot to fame by penning stories themed on separation in the Kumbh Mela and unification several celluloid hours later. But it was Raja Ram Tiwari, famously known as Bhule Bhatke Tiwari, who gave real life to their stories. He dedicated 70 years of his life to help reunite "12,50,000 adults" and over "20,000 children" lost in Kumbh with their families, said his proud son. Tiwari Senior's success rate was close to "100 per cent", he added. And unlike the movies, a child did not have to wait for 20 years to meet his or her parents or siblings. "Sometimes it could take days and sometime it was just matter of some hours. My father, in most cases, did manage to reunite lost people with their families. When he couldn't help the lost person, he would take the help of police," Umesh told PTI. The formula for success, devised way back in 1946, continues in this digital age with loudspeakers blaring out the names of those queuing up outside and inside the camp. The rudimentary camp, set up in Triveni Marg of the Mela grounds, is furnished with just a few chairs and tables. It's basic but effective, said Umesh, happy to back age-old methods of locating the 'bhule bhatke' in the mela rooted in tradition that goes back thousands of years. For Raja Ram, it all started when he attended the Magh Mela, an annual fair on the banks of the Sangam at Allahabad, in 1946 with his friends, recounted the son who carries on his father's work. "In that mela he saw an old woman crying. He asked why and learnt that she was lost. After three hours, he found her home. That incident made my father very happy. "The next day, he came again and started announcing the names of lost people with a handmade tin loudspeaker. He would move around the whole mela with a caravan of lost people following him. That year alone, he helped reunite 800 people," Umesh said. There has been no looking back since. Raja Ram participated in six Ardh Kumbh Melas, six Kumbh Melas and over 60 Magh Melas in Allahabad. When he died in August 2016, at the age of 88, he passed on the baton to his son Umesh, who now heads the Bhartiya Seva Dal -- the organisation running the Bhule Bhatke camp. The youngest among Raja Ram's four sons, Umesh has been helping his father since he completed his graduation in 1995 from Allahabad University. "Bhule Bhatke toh humare khoon mein hai bhai sahab (Bhule Bhatke runs in our blood, brother)," said Umesh, who when not re-uniting people in Melas works as a farmer. Cool as cucumber, 43-year-old Umesh is a genial fellow who welcomes everyone entering the tin shelter set up. There's a woman from Jammu and another from Jharkhand who have been separated from their groups. Umesh gave a patient hearing to both before making the announcements. "Mata ji aap parchi mein sab likhwa dijiye, aapka anouncement kar denge. Ganga maiya sab theek karegi (Please write your names on paper. Your announcements will be made. Mother Ganga will set everything right)," he told the visitors gently. The personal touch is perhaps why Bhule Bhatke still holds its own despite 15 digital lost-and-found centres. "Modi's ji slogan is 'Chalo Kumbh Chale', mine is 'Wapsi Ghar Surakshit'. Yes, we use traditional methods only and we plan to stick with it. However, I welcome the inclusion of the hi-tech lost-and found centres this time. Hope they get to help and serve the people better," he added. There's absolutely no money involved. In fact, even a cup of tea from their money is not acceptable, said Umesh. "They are our guests till the time we help them find their relatives. When it is done, we request them to leave and make way for our other guests. The only thing we ask from them when they leave is permission to take their smiling photo and one loud chant in the praise of 'Ganga Maiya'," he added. There's a trace of regret that the governments through the years have done little to recognise the contribution of his father. "People from different countries come here and talk highly about my father. They take interviews, make documentaries ... do so many things. But here, with due respect to everyone, I feel he didn't get the respect he deserved," Umesh said. But Bollywood recognition is nigh. According to reports, producer Siddharth Roy Kapur has already acquired the life story rights of Allahabad social worker and his family. When asked, Umesh said with a smile, "Will find you and tell you first as soon it is confirmed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Bar Council of India (BCI) has urged lawyers across the country to hold a nationwide protest on February 12 to press for their demands which include allocation of Rs 5,000 crore for the welfare of advocates and litigants. The decision was taken after a joint meeting of the BCI with the representatives of all state bar councils and high court bar associations and the coordination committee of bar associations of Delhi on February 2. It was decided in the meeting to give a call to the lawyers to come on roads in order to protect their rights and privileges, some of the lawyers said. BCI Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra said if the demands are not met even after the protest, they will appeal to the lawyers not to vote for the BJP. "The lawyers' bodies are meant to save the democracy and the independence of judiciary and all other institutions...No central government has ever given a thought to the welfare of the lawyers as if we are not citizens of the country," Mishra said. The demands put forth by the lawyers include that all the bar associations of the country should have chambers, adequate building, sitting facilities with well-equipped libraries, e-libraries, internet facilities, toilet etc and separate sitting and toilet facilities for lady advocates. "In about 80 percent of the court complexes, there are no proper facilities for the lawyers or the litigants," Mishra said. "Budgetary allocation of Rs 5000 crores for lawyers and litigants welfare in the Union Annual Budget in order to provide insurance cover of upto Rs 20 lakh for lawyers and their families (dependants), stipend for needy new entrants at the Bar up to five years of their practice (minimum Rs 10,000 per month) and financial protection to lawyers and their dependants in case of untimely death or incapacitation by reason of disease, accident etc," said a statement by the BCI. The BCI further demanded that the budgetary fund would be managed by the state bar councils and the ratio to be distributed to different state bar councils shall be decided by the apex bar body. It also demanded that the government should frame schemes to acquire lands at cheaper and necessary changes in the legal services authority act so that functions under the act could be discharged by the lawyers and not by the judges or judicial officers only. The BCI chairman will also meet leaders of all political parties including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union ministers to discuss the demands of advocates on February 12. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bangladesh has sealed off its border with Myanmar amid fresh influx of refugees fleeing troubled Rakhine state following reported military clampdown, this time against the ethnic majority Buddhists and Hindus being the victims, Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen said Wednesday. Over 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have taken refuge in Bangladesh after fleeing from Rakhine state in neighbouring Myanmar to evade atrocities, which the UN called "a textbook example of ethnic cleansing", following the action by the military in August 2017. "We can't take any more of them (Myanmar refugees). The border with Myanmar is almost sealed off," he told reporters before departing for New Delhi. Momen is visiting India on his maiden overseas tour since Prime Minster Sheikh Hasina formed the government for the third consecutive terms after winning the December 30 general elections. He said that Bangladesh has opened its border and allowed enough of the influx of refugees opening the border "now it is better if others (other countries) open their frontiers for them (refugees)". Meanwhile, paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) said they sent a detachment to enforce a vigil in its remote frontiers with Myanmar in bordering Bandndarban's Ruma area. Police said about 150 Myanmar nationals, including 38 Buddhist families, crossed the border. "We have sent a detachment to Ruma frontiers to enforce a stringent vigil against fresh influx. The borders with Myanmar remained sealed off while only legal movement is underway through the Ukhia and Teknaf frontiers," BGB's region commander Brigadier General Ainul Morshed Khan said. Police chief of the bordering Bandarban district Mohammad Kamruzzaman said 38, mostly Buddhist, families sneaked into Bangladesh overnight in view of the "internal conflict" in Myanmar's Rakhine state. Reports suggest fighting between the Myanmar military and the rebel Arakan Army forced hundreds to flee their home to take refuge in Bangladesh and India. Acknowledging the report, the foreign minister said, "We have heard that different ethnic and religious groups including Buddhists and Hindus, this time apart from (Rohingya) Muslims, are trying to enter Bangladesh amid fresh violence in Myanmar." Earlier in the day, Momen met with special UN envoy on Myanmar Christine Schraner Burgener and Hollywood superstar and a special UNHCR envoy Angelina Jolie who spent as a special UNHCR envoy two days in Bangladesh's southeastern Cox's Bazar where over a million Rohingya Muslims have been taking refuge after fleeing a brutal military crackdown at their homeland. The 43-year-old Hollywood actor arrived here yesterday and visited a refugee camp in Teknaf near the Myanmar border. Momen said he told the UN envoy that Bangladesh was upset seeing that instead of mounting pressures, some big countries still kept "all kinds of bilateral relations including trade with Myanmar". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal Wednesday hailed the Budget for 2019-20 while the industry welcomed it for being "development oriented". Sonowal said that the Budget will act as a catalyst for equal development and equal dignity of all sections of the people belonging to Barak, Brahmaputra, hills and plains. He said that the provisions in the Budget, which will give rice to 54 lakh family for just Re 1 a kg and free rice and sugar to four lakh tea workers, will provide social security to the people of the state. "Moreover, the Budget provisions like Arundhati, Gyan Deepika, Vistarita Atal Amrit Abhiyan, Vistarita Kanaklata Mahila Sabalikaran Yojana, Swahid Kushal Konwar Old Age Pension Scheme, Krishak Kalyan Achoni will lead to empowerment of all sections of the people of the state," he added. Meanwhile, he industry too welcomed the Budget, saying that the provisions are inclusive and growth-oriented. Industry chamber FICCI Assam State Council Chairman Ashish Phookan lauded the two decisions -- raising of the threshold limit for the GST registration to Rs 40 lakh and revision of the annual turnover limit for availing composition scheme under GST to Rs 1.5 crore. "This is a development-oriented budget. It will help many small businessmen," he added. Phookan also congratulated the government on the initiatives for infrastructure development and welcomed the attention given to the tea industry at a time when the segment is going through a difficult phase. Another industry body ASSOCHAM also welcomed the state Budget calling it "inclusive and development-oriented". In a joint statement, Assam Tea Planters Association (ATPA), North Eastern Tea Association (NETA) and Bharatiya Cha Parishad (BCP) have expressed satisfaction and expressed their gratitude for keeping green tea leaf cess in abeyance for a period of three years and also for initiating welfare measures for the tea tribe community. "The green leaf cess presently for big growers is 40 paisa per kg of green tea leaves. In Assam, out of the total green tea leaves production, 42 per cent is produced by the small growers and 58 per cent by the big growers," they added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vexed with the filing of numerous anticipatory bail pleas, the Madras High Court on Wednesday observed that the accused need not be arrested in all criminal cases at the stage of investigation and the probe can be carried out effectively without custodial interrogation. Justice Anand Venkatesh made the observation while granting anticipatory bail to an accused in a matrimonial dispute case and asked the police to pull up their socks and show more quality and maturity in investigations. The judge took note of the filing of anticipatory bail petitions by various people apprehending detention, especially against "Friday night arrests", a popular euphemism for arrests made on a Friday or a day prior to court holidays to ensure that the accused does not come out on bail immediately. "The police must be made to understand that all criminal cases need not necessarily involve arrest of accused persons during investigation and an effective investigation can be done even otherwise. A change in attitude will bring down unnecessary filing of anticipatory bail petitions," the judge said. He said it could effectively be implemented in matrimonial, commercial and property disputes and other such minor offences, adding that ultimately, the aim was to stop unnecessary and illegal arrests. "The Tamil Nadu police needs to pull up their socks and show more quality and maturity in investigation techniques," Justice Venkatesh said in his order. He further said it was not necessary that the police must take a decision about resorting to the procedure under section 41-A of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) only when an anticipatory bail petition was filed, adding that they could independently take a decision in accordance with the guidelines. Under section 41-A, CrPC, a police officer, in all cases where the arrest of a person is not required under section 41(1), shall issue a notice directing the person against whom a reasonable complaint has been made or credible information has been received to appear before him. The judge said henceforth, in all anticipatory bail petitions filed before the high court and where the offence concerned carried a punishment of up to seven years, the police should instruct the public prosecutor as to in which case they would invoke section 41-A. The court would pass the necessary orders after recording the decision of the police with regard to section 41-A, he added. Earlier, Justice Venkatesh granted anticipatory bail in a case in which the accused was alleged to be the instigator for the second marriage of a person when the first marriage was in force. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior BJP leader Arjun Munda said Wednesday he was denied permission by Bishnupur administration in West Bengal to hold a meeting there, amid claims from the saffron party the TMC government was restricting their leaders from addressing political rallies in the state. Munda was scheduled to address a rally of BJP workers in Bishnupur town in Bankura district of southern West Bengal, close to his home state of Jharkhand. He said he had to return to Jamshedpur, about 161 km from Bishnupur, without addressing the rally as the district administration "did not give permission to hold it". "No reason was given (by the administration)," Munda told reporters after his return. But Bankura Superintendent of Police Koteswara Rao Nalavat said permission was not given for Munda's meeting as adequate security was not available in view of TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee's scheduled meeting at Onda, about 22km from Bankura town, during the day. A bitter political tussle is raging between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal ahead of Lok Sabha polls, expected in April-May. The BJP has said its leaders, including party president Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, have been denied permission to land their choppers in the state. On Tuesday, Adityanath travelled by road from Jharkhand to enter West Bengal to address a rally in Purulia. A day before, the BJP said Adityanath's rally in Bankura district had to be cancelled as the TMC government was "dilly-dallying" on permitting his chopper to land. On Wednesday, it said it cancelled former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's rally in Murshidabad district for similar reasons. Chouhan travelled by road from Kolkata to Kharagpur to address another scheduled rally. TMC leaders have termed the charges baseless and asserted the permission may have been withheld by the respective district administration for various reasons, including security. Munda, a former Jharkhand chief minister, said he came to know about Bankura district administration's alleged denial of permission when he reached the Bishnupur BJP office. He described the Bengal government's stand as "autocratic" and "acts of goondaism". He said it was "ridiculous" that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who had staged a three-day dharna in Kolkata to "protect democracy", was herself violating it. Asked about the development, BJP's Bankura district president Bibekananda Patro said Munda returned to Jamshedpur from Bishnupur after speaking to party workers at its district office. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An international rights group has urged Western governments to stop supplying weapons to parties to the conflict in Yemen after reports that they were ending up in the hands of extremist groups. Amnesty International's arms control and human rights researcher Patrick Wilcken said in a statement Wednesday that "the proliferation of unaccountable, UAE-backed militias is worsening the humanitarian crisis and posing a growing threat to the civilian population." Wilcken says American and British weapons have ended up in the hands of al-Qaida and Islamic State militants, in reference to recent reports by the Amman-based Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism. The Saudi-led coalition, which includes the United Arab Emirates, has been at war in Yemen with Iran-aligned Houthi rebels since 2015. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Adani Power's consolidated net loss narrowed to Rs 1,180.78 crore for the quarter ended on December 31, 2018, from Rs 1,313.74 crore in the year-ago quarter, helped by a healthy growth in income, according to a company statement. Total income of the company rose to Rs 6,667.11 crore in the quarter ending December from Rs 4,916.34 crore in the year-ago quarter, the statement said. The average Plant Load Factor (PLF) or capacity utilisation of power generating plants was 73 per cent in the third quarter of 2018-19 compared to 58 per cent in the same quarter of last fiscal. Commenting on results, Gautam Adani, chairman, Adani Group, said, "We are witnessing rapid progress in the resolution of regulatory issues that have affected cash flows of our projects in the past. We hope to see timely approval of supplementary PPAs (power purchase agreement) by the (power regulator) CERC, which will help the Mundra power plant to operate sustainably." He further said, "We have also received a substantial amount of compensatory payments under Change in Law for Domestic Coal Shortfall, for the Tiroda and Kawai plants. We continue to see a long term growth potential in the thermal power sector, which is bolstered by robust economic growth and the Government's fruitful efforts in addressing the challenges faced by the sector." "The has established its end-to-end presence in the Indian power sector, and is firmly committed to playing a significant part in India's growth story". Adani Power, a part of diversified Adani Group, has an installed thermal power capacity of 10,440 Mw spread across four power plants in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Rajasthan. The next Opposition leaders meeting in New Delhi in mid-February will confirm this. The epicentre of the united Oppositions war to oust the Narendra Modi government, stop the BJPs juggernaut in its tracks and decimate its numbers has moved to West Bengal. The dramatic and spontaneous mobilisation through the dharna at Kolkatas Esplanade, a place that is associated with Mamata Banerjees do-or-die courage in the fight she led against the CPI(M), was the moment she became both the icon and force that has consolidated itself as the United India Alliance. The next Opposition leaders meeting in New Delhi in mid-February will confirm this. The Save India, Save Constitution, Save Democracy dharna succeeded in expanding the gatekeepers by provoking Naveen Patnaik and Telanganas KCR, known to have no enmity against the BJP, to join the defence against the Centres encroachment of state governments turf. In doing so, the regional parties have put a face on the fight against Mr Modi and it is Mamata Banerjee. This doesnt by any means make her the Oppositions unanimous prime ministerial choice, at least of the United India Alliance, but it does make her the principal campaigner and kingmaker. It also gives Ms Banerjee a stronger claim to the post than any other leader now. The BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have created a larger-than-life challenger in the shape of Ms Banerjee which may not have been the intended consequence of the CBIs well-advertised, through selective leaks to the media, secret operation/raid on the Kolkata police commissioners official residence on Sunday. Having jeered at the January 19 Brigade Parade Ground rally in Kolkata as a mahagathbandhan of the corrupt trying to save their own skins, and Mamata Banerjee of destroying democracy through violence and manipulation in elections, he now has to contend with her on the streets, where she is unmatched as a fighter. No other leader comes even close to Ms Banerjee when she hits the streets. She has over the years perfected the art of galvanising support to her cause whenever she has staged a dharna; be it a shortlived protest or the 26-day fast-unto-death in 2006 for farmers in Singur unwilling to give up their land for the Tata Nano car factory. She had won the fight even before the Supreme Court delivered its decision on Tuesday on how the CBI must proceed in its investigations into the Saradha and Rose Valley scams, which requires answers from the then head of the SIT set up by the West Bengal government, Rajeev Kumar. The fight was not about the raid or Shardha-Rose Valley; it was a confrontation by the Centre against a state government. The BJP, including home minister Rajnath Singh, fell over themselves trying to establish that Ms Banerjees move to prevent the CBI from raiding/arresting Rajeev Kumar was a breakdown of the Constitution and grounds for invoking Article 355 and 356 Presidents Rule. The Supreme Court certainly doesnt seem to think that stopping the CBI in its tracks was a breakdown at all. On the Monday after the dharna began, the idea of Presidents Rule may have been tempting; after the Supreme Courts ruling, it would be a disaster to even remember that it was part of the conversation. Concentration of powers in the hands of the Centre under a single party and leader versus decentralisation of power in the hands of states as part of federal structure, where both the Centre and states have the same authority in principle is the reality behind the confrontation that played out on Kolkatas streets. The Hindu rashtra as the overarching narrative of hegemonising India feeds the BJP-Sangh Parivars dreams of consolidating power and fulfilling its ambitions of one-party rule across India. The dharna, the January 19 rally, the coming meetings in New Delhi of the United India Alliance are events for the Opposition and regional parties in the war for saving the diversity of the political ecosystem and its future sustainability. Akhilesh Yadavs open letter after the dharna in English makes just this point unfriendly politicians in power are being attacked and their states set aflame using whatever sectarian methods are at the disposal of this government that dreams of staying (in) power for 50 years. For the BJP, which is being challenged, the mahagatbandhan is bound to lose in the war that is for the survival of the fittest, namely the BJP, with Mr Modi as its icon. The United India Alliance is as much a consolidation against centralisation of power in one party as it is about saving India, the Constitution and the dream of the founding fathers, as Akhilesh Yadav put it. The regional parties that have emerged over the past 40 years reflect one of the many possible ideas of what the federal structure should be in terms of sharing of powers, resources and responsibilities, including policymaking and planning. Ms Banerjee condensed it into a call to all Centrally-controlled services and security forces, the all-India cadres of the police and civil administration to steer clear of political manipulation. Akhilesh Yadav called on the CBI, IPS and IAS to prevail against the constant attacks on them and to fight back with integrity, noting the Modi government had weaponised officialdom and deployed them against the Opposition. In urging officialdom to strictly go by the book, Mamata Banerjee is signalling that the Opposition is offering a window for those who want to jump off the BJP ship and dance to a different tune, including widening the ponzi scam investigations to look into the antics of Mukul Roy and Hemanta Biswa Sarma, now with the BJP. It is a risky gambit, but one that worked very well in West Bengal in the run-up to the Trinamul Congress historic 2011 victory against the CPI(M)-led Left Front. As the embodiment of Sister Courage (she is universally known as Didi), Ms Banerjee has catapulted onto the national stage as a mass leader. It gives her a singular position, but doesnt make her the only leader of the Opposition. Ms Banerjee understands the difference, which is why she waited for the Opposition to ask her to end the dharna. The new dynamics that is growing and spreading across Indias political landscape as the Opposition parties forge an alliance through shared episodes of confrontation should alert the BJP to the dangers of its dreams of converging power in one party and one place, namely the Centre. A crowdfunding drive by the AAP's East Delhi parliamentary seat in-charge Atishi generated endorsements from Yashwant Sinha, Javed Jaffery and Jignesh Mewani among others, besides yielding a donation of Rs two lakh within a few hours Wednesday. The Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) has nominated in-charges on six of the seven Lok Sabha constituencies in Delhi, who are expected to be soon declared as the official candidates of the party in the coming elections. "The drive was launched by Atishi at 3 pm on Wednesday. Several senior political leaders, including former Union minister Yashwant Sinha, Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani, actor Javed Jaffery, lawyer-activist Karuna Nundy, among others endorsed the campaign," a party statement said. Party leaders said the campaign will continue online with a target to raise Rs 70 lakh, the permissible limit of expenditure in parliamentary polls as per the Election Commission. Yashwant Sinha tweeted a video endorsing Atishi's work. "Atishi's efforts have dramatically improved the condition of Delhi's government schools. Someone like her needs to have a voice in Parliament. I appeal to the people of East Delhi to vote for her and elect her to the Lok Sabha," Sinha said in the video. Supporting the campaign, actor Javed Jaafery said Atishi's presence in Parliament would ensure that public education becomes a part of the political discourse. Gujarat MLA Mewani said Atishi will be an impactful presence in the Parliament, which has "too few" women members. Within three hours of the launch of the campaign on crowdfunding platform www.OurDemocracy.in, over Rs two lakh was donated by supporters of the AAP leader, the party statement said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ignoring whip, nine Congress MLAs in Karnataka skipped the legislature sitting Wednesday, keeping the ruling coalition on tenterhooks on the opening day of the budget session. TheNine Congress MLAs included the four -- Ramesh Jarkiholi, Umesh G Jadhav, B Nagendra, Mahesh Kumathalli, who had skipped the January 18 Congress legislature party (CLP) meeting, official and party sources said. MLA J N Ganesh, who is declared absconding after an alleged brawl with a colleague lawmaker at a resort recently, was among the absentees. The whip asking all ruling coalition legislators to be present on all days of the budget session of the assembly was issued Tuesday amid allegations of renewed bid by BJP to destabilisethe Kumaraswamy ministry. The joint session of the legislature began on a stormy note with the opposition BJP questioning the legitimacy of the JDS-Congress government. Unruly BJP members created a ruckus disrupting the address of Governor Vajubhai Vala, forcing him to cut short his speech and read the last para. "We don't want a bundle of lies to be read. Down down... the government that has lost majority and trust," BJP members said shouting down Vala. Stung by the MLAs' absence, Congress Legislature Party leader and former chief minister Siddaramaiah issued another whip Wednesday to party MLAs asking them to "compulsorily" attend the session between Feb 6 and 15. Speculations are rife that the four MLAs are still in touch with the BJP and may jump ship, as they have not yet responded to the second notice issued by Siddaramaiah asking them to appear before him and explain their absence from the CLP meeting. The MLAs had, however, replied pledging their complete loyalty to the party, in response to the first notice. MLAs being absent from the House Wednesday despite the whip and warning of strict action has caused serious concern to the edgy ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition in the state. Four BJP lawmakers were also absent but the party sources said they had obtained prior permission. A JDS MLA also did not show up. Frontline Karnataka minister D K Shivakumar hit out at the BJP for showing disrespect to the Governor "out of frustration", on not being successful to come to power. "We are aware what three to four BJP MLAs are doing sitting in Mumbai, our party will take a call on it," he said. Minister K J George challenged the BJP to move a no- confidence motion and said all MLAs were with Congress party and were together. Amid allegations of renewed bid by BJP to destabilise the Kumaraswamy ministry, a whip was issued to all MLAs of ruling coalition Tuesday to be present in the assembly during all days of the budget session and support the government. Speaking to reporters, BJP state president and Leader of Opposition B S Yeddyurappa said the coalition has no moralright to stay. He said his party would not move a no-confidence motion and that "the true colours" of the government would come out during the budget session." "..Congress-JD(S) legislators are fighting against each other," he said. Alleging that the government tried to make the Governor'lie' in his customary address, he said, that was the reason for the BJP protest. Claiming that more than 20 Congress legislators had earlier openly said that they would not accept Kumaraswamy as their Chief Minister, he said, "leave aside people having trust in him, his own MLAs don't have trust in the CM. "According to numbers that I have gathered today, about10-11 Congress MLAs did not attend the House," Yeddyurappa claimed adding Kumaraswamy also didn't have trust in his MLAs. The former chief minister said the BJP's plan of actionin the assembly would be decided at the legislature partymeeting and "we will make it known on Thursday morning." Asked if the BJP would meet the Governor to seek trust vote, he said, "we will not meet the Governor, we will not move no confidence motion. The situation may arise where they themselves may lose power. We will work peacefully in opposition."According to BJP sources, the party would continue its agitation against the government in the assembly and during budget presentation on Friday. Kumaraswamy, who holds the Finance portfolio, is scheduled to present the coalition government's second budget. The saffron party has already expressed doubts about budget presentation, with senior leaders like R Ashoka claiming that 20 to 25 disgruntled MLAs of the alliance were out of reach of their leaders. This is the first session after the cabinet expansion in December that brought to fore dissidence in the Congress and political turmoil that engulfed the statefollowing BJP's alleged bid to poach disgruntled legislators of the ruling coalition. The crisis last month that saw return of resort was triggered by a few CongressMLAs reportedly camping in Mumbai along with BJP leaders, amid reports that they might switch sides to the saffron camp. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Over 500 Indian fishermen and more than 1,050 Indian fishing boats are believed to be in Pakistan's custody, the government said Wednesday. The government said it has sought their early release and repatriation from the neighbouring country. Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh, in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha, said the government's persistent efforts have succeeded in securing the release and repatriation of 1,749 Indian prisoners, including 1,725 fishermen, along with 57 boats from Pakistan's custody since 2014. This includes 179 Indian prisoners and fishermen who were repatriated from Pakistan in 2018, he said. According to the available information, 503 Indian fishermen are believed to be in Pakistan's custody, the minister said. Pakistan, through a list shared on January 1, 2019, has acknowledged the custody of 483 fishermen who are Indian or believed-to-be-Indian in their jails, Singh said. The 483 fishermen includes those who are in Pakistan for over 20 months. The government has asked Pakistan to provide consular access and early release and repatriation of the remaining Indian prisoners and fishermen along with their boats in Pakistan's custody, he said. More than 1,050 Indian fishing boats are believed to be in Pakistan's custody, Singh said. However, he said Pakistan has not acknowledged their custody so far. Responding to a question on whether the government has recently received any representations regarding alleged attacks by Sri Lankan Navy on Indian fishermen and capture of their properties, Singh said the government has received letters from the state governments of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry and also from fishermen associations on it. During the past three years, there have been occasions when the arrested Indian fishermen have complained of assault by Sri Lanka Navy, the minister said. The fishermen issues have been raised at the highest level, including by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Lankan counterpart Ranil Wickremesinghe during the latter's visit to India in October 2018. To another question, Singh also informed the Lower House that 4,705 Indian nationals are in prisons in Gulf countries, which also includes Indian origin labourers imprisoned due to accidents. Replying to another question, Singh said the total number of Indians who have completed their jail terms but are still lodged in prisons of foreign countries is 434, out of which 396 Indians are in Pakistan. To a question on complaints by NRI brides, he said the ministry has been receiving petitions from Indian women deserted or harassed by their NRI spouses. Between January, 2014, and December, 2018, the ministry has addressed 5,379 complaints of distressed Indian women deserted by their NRI spouses, he said. On another question, Singh said the number of emigration clearances granted to ECR passport holding Indian workers in the last three years was 5,20,938 in 2016, 3,91,024 in 2017, 3,40,157 in 2018. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Four people died in two villages of Kushinagar district after allegedly consuming spurious liquor, triggering a strong protest by local women on Wednesday. Three people died on Tuesday night in Jabhi Dyal village which comes under the jurisdiction of Tarya Sujan police station, while one death was reported from Kanhwalia village, said Kushinagar SP Hargovind Misra. Two other people of Jabhi Dyal village were admitted to the BRD medical college in Gorakhpur in serious condition, he said. The SP said the bodies were sent for postmortem Wednesday and the actual cause of death would be known only after getting the report. Police sent the bodies for postmortem after the women of the two villages started protesting against the liquor shop owners. According to locals, five labourers in Jabhi Dyal village went to consume liquor on Tuesday night and after returning home, they complained of vomiting and diarrhoea. The four deceased persons were identified as Deba Nishad (55), Heera Lal Nishad,(33), Awadh Kishore Nishad (55) and Chanchl Chauhan (45). Meanwhile, the women protesters raised slogans against liquor shop owners alleging that they are selling hazardous liquor to make huge profit. When SDM Pramod Kumar and Circle Officer R K Tiwari tried to pacify the agitators, the women protesters stopped police from taking away the bodies for postmortem. "The cause of deaths would be ascertained only after the postmortem. Law will take its own course," the SP said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Third Indo-German Working Group for cooperation on water and waste management concluded in New Delhi Wednesday after discussing potential cooperation areas in the two fields. Delegations from the Ministry of Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), and the Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety, Germany, met to strengthen bilateral cooperation, a statement issued by the government said. The Indian delegation was headed by Anil Kumar Jain, additional secretary, MoEFCC, and officials from Central Pollution Control Board and other organisations contributed to the discussion. Jain said the Indo-German Climate and Renewable Alliance and cooperation in field of need to be strengthened. The German delegation was headed by Regina Dube, director-general for Water Management and Resource Conservation, who said that India has been very supportive in taking the work ahead, the official statement said. Both sides decided to work on developing reference documents for the textile sector, air, water governance, marine litter, waste to energy (incineration), bio-methanation, landfill sites, water quality management, training and capacity building of local bodies, it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized nearly 20 kilograms of gold, smuggled into India from neighbouring Myanmar, worth Rs 6.73 crore, according to an official statement issued Wednesday. Two people have been arrested by the DRI in the case. A specific information was received by the DRI that a syndicate is actively engaged in smuggling of huge quantity of foreign-origin gold from Myanmar into India through Indo-Myanmar border in Manipur and sending it to West Bengal. "Accordingly, the DRI sleuths laid out an elaborate plan and in a skillfully executed operation successfully identified the carrier. The officers then intercepted the carrier as he was about to hand over the gold to the receiver on Tuesday," the statement said. Search of the persons and a residential flat in Howrah resulted in recovery and seizure of 120 biscuits of foreign-origin gold, totally weighing 19.92 kgs valued at Rs 6.73 crore well-concealed in sandals, bags and mattresses, it said. With this seizure, in the current financial year, in the region spread over West Bengal and the Northeastern states, the DRI has seized about 415 kgs of gold and gold jewellery valued close to Rs 130 crore. The seized gold are believed to be smuggled from India's land borders with Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan and China. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Army recorded 1,599 cases of ceasefire violations (CFV) along the Line of Control (LoC) and lost 20 personnel in 2018, the government said in the Lok Sabha Wednesday. In a written response to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State in the Defence Ministry Subhash Bhamre said February 2018 recorded 223 cases of ceasefire violations, the highest in the year. The first three months alone saw 633 cases of such violations, a quarter of the total instances in the year, he said. Of the 20, the Army lost 15 personnel in the first four months of 2018. "Appropriate retaliation to the ceasefire violations, as required, has been carried out by the Indian Army. Also, all violations of ceasefire and infiltration were taken up with the Pakistan authorities at the appropriate level through the established mechanism of hotlines, flag meetings, Directorate Generals of Military Operations talks as well as diplomatic channels between the two countries," the minister said. Responding to a separate question on terror attacks on Army camps in Jammu and Kashmir, he said terrorists carried out one suicide attack at Army Camp Sunjuwan, in Jammu, on February 10, 2018 in which the force sustained six fatal and six non-fatal casualties. The defence services, Bhamre said, have taken a number of actions, including risk categorisation of military bases, appraisal and upgradation of intelligence gathering capabilities, strengthening and streamlining of the response mechanism, acquiring Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), periodic security audit of all military installations etc. "The Army also carries out in-depth analysis of the terrorist incidents and security breaches that are identified with various incidents. Perimeter security projects of all the three armed forces have been sanctioned by the government and many works for strengthening of security infrastructure of defence establishments have been completed," he said. Replying to another question on the amendment to the Cantonment Act, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said an expert committee has been constituted on 'Working of Cantonment Boards' and one of the terms of reference of the panel is "to study the existing Cantonments Act and make specific recommendations for suitably amending the Act to impart modernisation and democratisation of the governance structure of Cantonment Boards". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Foreigners Tribunals in Assam have in the last three years sent 1,490 people in detention centres in the state, out of nearly 8,992 cases they received to determine citizenship, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday. Later on, 691 people were released from these detention centres after judicial process. Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said that as per the information made available by the Assam government, 2,764 people were referred to the foreigners tribunals in 2016, 4,223 people in 2017 and 2,005 people in 2018. These people were referred to the foreigners tribunals to ascertain whether they were Indians or foreigners in terms of the provisions contained in the Foreigners (Tribunal) Order 1964, he said in a written reply to a question. The foreigners tribunals have decided to send 236 people to the detention centres in 2016, 826 people in 2017 and 428 people in 2018. Rijiju said among the people who were ordered to be kept in detention centres in last three years, 111 people in 2016 were either released on the basis of the opinion given by the foreigners tribunals or by the higher courts or repatriated to their native country, 453 people in 2017 and 127 people in 2018. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Wednesday that Robert Vadra's appearance before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is a success of democracy and a reflection of Modi government's will that even a person hailing from a very well-known family had to submit to the might of law. "I would not like to make a comment on the specific matter of Robert Vadra except to highlight that it is a measure of success of Indian democracy, rule of law and the current ruling dispensation's will that a gentleman hailing from a very well known family had to submit to the might of law," Prasad said answering a query after a briefing of the Union Cabinet here. Vadra, the brother-in-law of Congress President Rahul Gandhi, appeared before the ED on Wednesday, four days after a Delhi court ordered him to do so. Vadra arrived at the ED's office located in central Delhi's Jamnagar House at 3.45 p.m and the questioning continued till late evening. --IANS ps/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Narthaki Nataraj became the first person from the trans community to receive a Padma Shri, the third highest civilian award in the country. Being a Bharatanatyam dancer, Narthaki specializes in the Thanjavar-based Nayaka Bhava tradition and has become a known face associated with this dance form in India and abroad. (Photo: narthakinataraj.com) Mumbai: On Republic Day 2019, Narthaki Nataraj became the first person from the trans community to receive a Padma Shri, the third highest civilian award in the country. Being a Bharatanatyam dancer, Narthaki specializes in the Thanjavar-based Nayaka Bhava tradition and has become a known face associated with this dance form in India and abroad. She has performed at all leading festivals in India, USA, UK and Europe. She was bestowed with a honorary doctorate by Periyar Maniammai University. In conversation with this correspondent, Narthaki Nataraj talks about her childhood experiences, journey as a dancer to winning the Padma Shri award. Correspondent: How did you begin your journey as dancer? Difficulties you faced as a dancer? Narthaki Nataraj: As far back as I can remember I was always interested in dance, wanted to dance to an appreciative audience and excel in my art. I used to get opportunities to do 3 to 5 minute dances for functions and small events. I did not know formal dance as such, my imagination helped shape my movements. So, unknown to my family, I used to give performances and wipe all traces of makeup for fear of punishment before coming home, but they always managed to find out. An elderly relative, who visited my house frequently and recognized my talent, could not bear to see me treated harshly and took responsibility to get me a good teacher. But she was stage drama actress. I requested her that I wanted to learn dance and not acting. She took me to Namanur Jeyaraman to teach me, but we had to travel from Madurai to Sivaganga to meet him. We had only limited funds. So, Shakti's ambitions took second place and she sacrificed everything for me from then on. Later on, we joined our Guru K.P. Kittappa Pillai. Initially my family were not supportive about this as they had no answer to give to the then conservative society but now we have understood each other. Correspondent: What did you feel when you got to know that you were being awarded Padma Shri? Narthaki Nataraj: I was half way through my show at the Nishagandhi dance festival when the host speaker came up on stage and announced that the Government of India has enlisted my name for Padmashri award. I was so surprised, elated and happy. Words could not express my happiness only dance can. So I danced the rest of the show with even more enthusiasm. But all this is because of the blessings of my Guru Shri. K.P.Kittappa Pillai. If not for him we would not be here today. I would also like to thank all my well wishers for their support till date. Correspondent: What message do you want to give the society and trans community? Narthaki Nataraj: I got this award not because I am a Transgender but because I am an artist. It is for my merit and talent and not for my physical differentiation. Gender, caste religion whatever it may be is only for the material being. You being male or female or a third gender is nature. You can't change it. You don't have to. It is your inner soul that you have to identify and determine. Only that matters. Correspondent: What all difficulties you faced in your childhood? Narthaki Nataraj: Both me and Shakthi were born into a well off family. We were "born with a silver spoon" but not meant to own it easily. We have come up the hard way, faced lot of humiliations and fear in our younger days. From the time I knew what life was, the only things I experienced were taunts and rebukes. I was about 7 unable to express myself the way I do now with courage and conviction. I could not understand why I was different from the other boys. I could not express my thoughts and remained silent. I used to dress up and dance in front of the mirror when no one is seeing. But there was always this search within me as to "Who am I and why am I like this?" Our grit and determination in getting the answer for this question has brought us where we are today. The desire to overcome the hurdles and shine was uppermost in our mind. Correspondent: What is your future plan as a dancer and as an activist? Narthaki Nataraj: My future plan is to take up the knowledge I have gained till date to the next generation. In this fast moving world even the art has become fast instant and fake. But I want to show them the real traditional Tanjore bani nayaki bhava form and make them realise that the real success is in preserving and holding on to the roots. But things are definitely improving. Recently my life story was added in a lesson to the 11th std students by Tamil Nadu educational board. I hope after reading my story parents and also the students will start being more friendly, understanding and supportive to their classmates and friends who are born like me. It is also very welcoming move by many social organisation, school and colleges that are inviting me more and more to conduct programs, lecture demonstration and performance for the students. Correspondent: What changes do you want from the government for your community? Narthaki Nataraj: Be it government or general public, the first thing we ask for is recognition. People should realise that we are as natural as other. We too have born out of a mother's womb. We too need family. You have quota for minority class based on caste and religion but there is no space for our community. If the government can give at least 1 per cent of quota for us in education and employment, we can definitely make a mark for ourselves and contribute for the upliftment of the society. We have the capability of both men and women physically and mentally. All we need is a chance to prove. Correspondent: Which is your favourite sari? Narthaki Nataraj: I love the traditional hand woven pure Kanchipuram Silk saree and my favourite colours are hot pink, maroon and turquoise. Correspondent: What was your inspiration to be a dancer? Narthaki Nataraj: I started dancing watching old Tamil film. I am a huge fan of Vijayanthimala Bali. In fact that's how I reached Kittappa Pillai. I wanted to learn from the same Guru from whom she learnt and I landed at the doorsteps of my Guru. Correspondent: Why did you choose Bharatanatyam and not any other form of dance? (What do you like the most of the dance form?) Narthaki Nataraj: I am a Tamizhian born at Madurai. Whatever I learn in my life I relate it to the culture and traditions of our soil. So it is natural that I took bharathanatyam as it the dance of our land. The Tamizh language has three main components Iyal i e. Literature, Isai i e. Music and Nadagam i e. Theatre. And dance is an important part of it. And I feel bharathanatyam had all three components in it. And I can relate to all other art through this art form. The Padma awards are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, the second, third and fourth highest civilian awards of the country respectively, only after Bharat Ratna. This year's awardees comprise four Padma Vibhushan, 14 Padma Bhushan and 94 Padma Shri recipients. US Senator and prospective Democratic candidate for President Elizabeth Warren listed her race as "American Indian" on a State Bar of Texas registration card in 1986, the media reported. The yellow registration card, which is dated April 1986, was filled out in blue ink and signed by Warren, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday. The card listed Warren's alma maters the University of Houston and Rutgers Law School but no other racial identifiers. A Warren aide did not dispute the card's authenticity and declined to comment on whether there might be other unreported examples of her having claimed American Indian heritage. The Senator has been trying to get past the lingering controversy over her past assertion that she is a Native American. In an interview with the Post, Warren said she was sorry for claiming American Indian heritage. According to the daily, Warren had previously declined to answer whether she or an assistant filled out forms in which her race was listed as Native American. Warren released a video last year that included a DNA test of her heritage. But this sparked a ferocious criticism from Native Americans about whether she was attempting to circumvent the tribal citizenship process. News of the card came following Warren's acknowledgment earlier this week that she had apologized to Cherokee leaders for causing "confusion" by her use of a DNA test to prove Native American ancestry. "I'm not a tribal citizen and I respect the difference," the Massachusetts Democrat had told CNN on Monday. "Tribes and only tribes determine tribal citizenship." The prospective 2020 Democratic presidential candidate is expected to formally announce her entrance into the race on Saturday. "I can't go back. But I am sorry for furthering confusion on tribal sovereignty and tribal citizenship and harm that resulted," she told the Post. "As Senator Warren has said she is not a citizen of any tribe and only tribes determine tribal citizenship. She is sorry that she was not more mindful of this earlier in her career," said her spokesperson Kristen Orthman in a statement. But Republican National Committee spokesman Mike Reed accused Warren of apologizing at a time that was politically convenient. "Now, four days before her formal presidential launch, she's issued a politically opportunistic apology that doesn't go nearly far enough. "Warren pretended to be a minority to climb the Ivy League ladder -- a lie that will continue to haunt her presidential ambitions." --IANS soni/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The US envoy for North Korea arrived in Pyongyang on Wednesday for talks with his North Korean counterpart Kim Hyok-chol, paving the way for a second leadership summit. US Special Representative Stephen Biegun arrived in the North Korean capital from Seoul just as US President Donald Trump announced that he will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Vietnam on February 27 and 28, Yonhap news agency reported. Biegun took a plane to Pyongyang from the US Air Base in Osan, south of Seoul, around 9 a.m., and arrived at the Sunan International Airport in North Korea at 10 a.m. In Seoul, Biegun held talks with officials and said he wanted to achieve some "concrete deliverables". The US State Department said that Biegun and Kim Hyok-chol will prepare for the second summit between Trump and Kim and will touch on issues regarding denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Biegun's visit came as a UN report warned that North Korea was committing "massive" breaches of sanctions and continuing its weapons programme, according to the BBC. The State Department said Biegun's visit will "advance further progress on the commitments the President and Kim made in Singapore". Trump and Kim earlier met in June 2018 generating significant coverage and optimism, but there were no concrete developments. The US wants North Korea to make a full declaration of all its nuclear weapons facilities and commit to destroying them, under international supervision -- something Pyongyang has never said it will do. --IANS soni/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In two separate cases of suspected honour killing in a week, two men were brutally lynched in Sriganganagar and Churu districts of Rajasthan. Harjit Singh was beaten with rods and sticks allegedly by family members of a girl whom he had an affair with, after being tied to a tree in Rawla area of Sriganganagar on Monday, police sources said. Rawla police have arrested the girl's grandfather Surmukh Singh, father Nanak Singh and her uncle Shrawan Singh in the case. Police confirmed that the deceased and the girl's family knew each other and the girl's family objected to their relationship. The village panchayat had ordered Harjit to stop visiting her place, which he refused. On Monday, the girl's family tied him to a tree and started thrashing him. Harjit's family reached the spot to find him hanging from a tree and rushed him to a hospital. He was revived and brought back home. However, on Tuesday morning, he again had to be taken to government hospital where he was declared brought dead. Station House Officer Amarjit Chawla, Rawla police station said, "We are investigating the case and have ordered for the phone call details of all those involved in the case. The girl had reportedly called up Harjit at midnight and all of her relatives were awake all night." Earlier on Sunday, Ranveer Meghwal was beaten to death in Churu by family members of a girl he was in a relationship with. The accused are absconding. Police sources said that Ranveer's brother Surendra Meghwal had registered a complaint with them that at around 2 am, his brother had been taken away by some villagers and beaten to death. Gopiram, sub-inspector, Rajgarh said that the deceased was married as a minor, but his wife never came to stay with him after her 'gauna'. --IANS arc/rtp/prs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Donald Trump has said that he wants immigrants to come to the US in "largest ever numbers" legally, as he declared during his State of the Union address his determination to build the controversial border wall to deter illegal immigrants and smugglers. Delivering the address to the joint session of Congress on Tuesday night, he said: "Legal immigrants enrich our nation and strengthen our society in countless ways. I want people to come into our country, but they have to come in legally. I want people to come into our country in the largest numbers ever, but they have to come in legally." His showdown with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, over funding for the border wall resulting in a 35-day government shutdown, delayed his speech by a week after she withdrew her initial invitation to speak. Trump ultimately backed down with a truce to allow the government to reopen temporarily to negotiate a deal with a February 15 deadline. He threatened to declare a State of Emergency if he did not get $5.7 billion funding for the barrier along the Mexico border and would use defence funds and the military to erect it. He did not announce an emergency in his speech, but without elaborating declared: "I'll get it built." Trump devoted a significant part of his 82-minute speech to illegal immigration and border security, pressing his demand for a wall and mocking "wealthy politicians and donors push for open borders, while living their lives behind walls and gates and guards". Democrats immediately turned down his demand, steadfastly standing by their rejection of the wall. Stacy Abrams, who gave the Democratic Party response to Trump's address, said: "America is made stronger by the presence of immigrants -- not walls." Calling for "compassionate treatment at the border", she said: "Democrats stand ready to effectively secure our ports and borders" but her party leaders were against a wall. An African American, Abrams narrowly lost the Governor's election in Georgia last year and her unusual choice was to reinforce the gulf between Trump and the Democrats. Speaking before a polarized chamber, the President made a plea for bipartisanship saying: "Together, we can break decades of political stalemate. We can bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions and forge new solutions." At the same time, he attacked the several inquiries directed against him and his presidential election campaign that Democrats say was tainted by Russian interference. He called them "ridiculous, partisan investigations" and added: "If there is going to be peace in legislation, there cannot be war and investigation." Trump hit out at the rising left in Democratic Party, declaring: "Tonight, we renew our resolve that America will never be a socialist country." While Republicans cheered him right through the speech, some Democrats joined in only sporadically. Democratic Party's women legislators, Pramila Jayapal among them, were dressed in white recalling the suffragettes -- the campaigners for women's right to vote -- and sat stonefaced through most of the speech, even when at times Pelosi stood up to applaud. But when Trump spoke of the rise of women in the workforce the women stood up, cheered and he joked, "You weren't supposed to do that." They cheered louder as he added: "And exactly one century after the Congress passed the constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote, we also have more women serving in the Congress than ever before." There are 131 women in both chambers of Congress, making up just under a quarter of the membership. Thirty-five of them were elected for the first time last November. Trump packed the speech with drama recognizing people present in the audience at appropriate points in his speech, such as astronaut Buzz Aldrin when he spoke of the 50th anniversary of the landing on the Moon this year, or family members of victims of illegal immigrants when he mentioned crime from unchecked borders, or a 10-year-old girl who raised money for a children's hospital as he spoke about funding cancer research for children. In an unprecedented moment of spontaneity, the entire audience erupted in singing "Happy birthday" to Holocaust survivor Judah Samet when Trump mentioned it was his birthday. Samet had also survived the attack on a synagogue in Pennsylvania last year that killed 11 people and Trump drew attention to him when he denounced anti-Semitism. Trump said that his budget would include a nationwide plan for paid family leave. Abortion is still a contentious issue in the US and Trump took aim at a recent law in New York and another pending in Virginia to allow late-term abortions. "The Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mother's womb." Trump announced a plan to end the spread of AIDS -- which he termed an epidemic -- in 2020 and a 10-year $500-million programme to fight childhood cancer. The President blamed US leaders and representatives for the deep trade imbalance with China and its theft of US intellectual property. But he said: "I have great respect for President Xi (Jinping of China) and we are now working on a new trade deal with China. But it must include real, structural change to end unfair trade practices, reduce our chronic trade deficit and protect American jobs." He said that his administration had brought down prices of medicines, saying: "It is unacceptable that Americans pay vastly more than people in other countries for the exact same drugs, often made in the exact same place. "I am asking the Congress to pass legislation that finally takes on the problem of global freeloading and delivers fairness and price transparency for American patients." Pharmaceutical companies follow a two-tiered pricing system that sets prices according to differing economic status of countries or local regulations. On defence, he said that he was increasing the budget from $700 billion to $716 billion and had secured an increase of $100 billion in the allocations of US allies "to pay their fair share". Trump took credit for stopping nuclear and missile tests by North Korea and asserted: "If I had not been elected President of the US, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea." He said he had a good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and will meet him in Vietnam on February 27 and 28. He defended his plans to withdraw troops from Syria claiming that the Islamic State terrorist group had been defanged thee and in Iraq. (Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed on Twitter @arulouis) --IANS al/soni/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President Donald Trump has proposed a new nuclear missiles treaty that has the potential to include India as he delivered the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress. Defending his decision to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with Russia, he said in the speech Tuesday night, "Perhaps we can negotiate a different agreement, adding China and others, or perhaps we can't" -- in which case, we will outspend and out-innovate all others by far. The INF treaty signed by President Ronald Reagan and Soviet Communist Party General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev banned land-based missiles of 1,000 to 5,000 kilometres. Some of the Prithvi and Agni class missiles in India's arsenal could fall under the ambit of such a treaty, as well as some of Pakistan's Babur, Shaheen and Ghauri missiles. Trump defended his decision to withdraw from the INF treaty saying, "Russia repeatedly violated its terms." His ceremonial speech which had been postponed last month in the middle of showdown over the funding in the budget for a border wall by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, had calls for unity across the political divide. It did not have any direct references to India or region, except for US negotiations with the Taliban in Afghanistan "to reach a political settlement in Afghanistan." "My Administration is holding constructive talks with a number of Afghan groups, including the Taliban," he said. "As we make progress in these negotiations, we will be able to reduce our troop presence and focus on counter-terrorism," he said. But he added, "We do not know whether we will achieve an agreement, but we do know that after two decades of war, the hour has come to at least try for peace." Another matter of relevance to India was on trade, when he asked for support for Reciprocal Trade Act. "If another country places an unfair tariff on an American product, we can charge them the exact same tariff on the same product that they sell to us," he said. (Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed on Twitter @arulouis) --IANS al/in (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The judicial wars returned to Washington on Tuesday as the Senate Judiciary Committee met to consider Neomi Rao, President Donald Trump's nominee for newest Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's now-vacant seat on a powerful appellate court in Washington. Indian-American woman, Rao, who serves as Trump's "czar" overseeing regulatory rollbacks, faced fierce questioning from Democrats not just for her work in the Trump administration but for commentary she wrote decades ago as a Yale University student suggesting women should change their behaviour to avoid date rape. "I cringe" at some of the language, Rao told the senators during her testimony on Tuesday. As most every Democratic senator on the dais mentioned her early writings, Rao stressed that they occurred nearly "two decades" ago at a "time of exploration" in college. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who recently publicly disclosed she had been a victim of sexual assault, said Rao's columns gave her "pause", CNN reported. In one piece for the Yale Herald written in 1994 titled "Shades of Gray," Rao responded to an alleged date rape incident on campus by writing: "It has always seemed self-evident to me that even if I drank a lot, I would still be responsible for my actions." She added: "A man who rapes a drunk girl should be prosecuted. At the same time, a good way to avoid a potential date rape is to stay reasonably sober." On Tuesday, Rao said that when she was writing about the incident she emphasised that rape is a crime and no one should "blame the victim" but that she had attempted to make a "common-sense observation" that there were some actions a woman could take so it would be less likely she would become a victim. Rao said she hoped she has "matured" as a writer and a person. Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont seized on her comments and said that as a former prosecutor, he had dealt with rape cases. He said he feared her sentiments might lead some women to be too ashamed to report rape. Rao responded that she had made it "very clear" that "rape is a terrible crime for which men should be held responsible." "I was trying to make in perhaps not the most elegant way the sort of common-sense observation... It's the advice my mother gave me; it's the advice that I give my children. And I certainly regret any implication of blaming the victim," she said. Other Republicans leaped to her defence, pointing out that the American Bar Association had given her a rating of "well qualified." The Senate committee is majority Republican. The top Democrat on the committee, Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, as well as Democratic presidential candidate Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, focused on Rao's work for the Trump administration and its goal to roll back agency regulations. --IANS vc (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.) US President Donald Trump announced the time and date for his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on February 27 and 28 in Vietnam. Addressing the Congress and the nation in his much awaited State of the Union on Tuesday, Trump said: "Our hostages have come home, nuclear testing has stopped, and there has not been a missile launch in 15 months. If I had not been elected President of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea. Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong-un is a good one." However, a US official said the Trump administration still have to finalise last points with the North Koreans. Stephen Biegun, the American envoy for North Korea talks, was in Pyongyang on Wednesday to hold talks ahead of the Vietnam summit. Biegun aimed to establish a roadmap for denuclearisation with North Korea. His visit comes as a UN report warned that North Korea was committing "massive" breaches of sanctions and continuing its weapons programme, the BBC said. Trump and Kim had met in Singapore in June generating significant coverage and optimism, but concrete developments were still awaited. Plans for the second summit have been in the works since the two leaders' historic talks last year. The June 2018 summit was the first ever meeting between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader. --IANS in (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.) US President Donald Trump kicked off his annual State of the Union address before Congress with a call for bipartisanship. He used the speech late on Tuesday to restate his case for a wall along the border with Mexico, and outlined his major achievements after two years in office. He called for collaboration on jobs, trade, infrastructure, healthcare, immigration, and foreign policy. "Victory is not winning for our party. Victory is winning for our country," Trump said. "Millions of our fellow citizens are watching us now, gathered in this great chamber, hoping that we will govern not as two parties but as one nation. "The agenda I will lay out this evening is not a Republican agenda or a Democrat agenda. It is the agenda of the American People," he said. Many of the Democratic lawmakers dressed in white stood to applaud, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "We must reject the of revenge, resistance and retribution - and embrace the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise and the common good," Trump said. Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence both stood to clap after that line. "Together, we can break decades of political stalemate," he added. But when he said "the state of our union is strong", Pelosi, sitting right behind Trump, did not clap. Some Republicans in the House stood and chanted "USA." Trump, who has warred with Democrats for months over his plan to build the wall along the nation's southwestern border, used the nationally televised speech to press lawmakers to give him money for the barrier. He signaled that he will not back off his hard-line immigration policies that have polarized the country. "No issue better illustrates the divide between America's working class and America's political class than illegal immigration," he added, Trump slammed "ridiculous partisan investigations" and called for an end to "war and investigation". His administration has been hampered with several probes, including multiple ones into the 2016 election, and now that Democrats hold the majority in the House things might get difficult. Dressed in all white, a group of Democratic women stood to cheer as he was discussing women in the workforce -- even Trump was surprised. "No one has benefited more from a thriving economy than women who have filled 58 per cent of the newly created jobs last year," he said. "You weren't supposed to do that," Trump joked. "Thank you very much. Thank you very much. All Americans can be proud that we have more women in the workforce than ever before." He then urged the women to keep standing. "Don't sit yet. You're going to like this. And exactly one century after Congress passed the constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote, we also have more women serving in congress than at any time," he said. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi stood up after that line, and gestured for others in the room to do the same. The President acknowledged Buzz Aldrin, who was in attendance on Tuesday night, thanking the Apollo 11 astronaut before saying in 2019, "American astronauts will go back to space on American rockets". --IANS in (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Fifteen candidates for election to the Thai Parliament have changed their first names to those of the former Prime Ministers Thaksin and Yingluck Shinawatra, to make them more recognizable for the election on March 24, a political party spokesperson said on Wednesday. All the candidates, 11 men called "Thaksin" and four women called "Yingluck", are membes of Pheu Chart Party, one of the political parties linked to the Shinawatras, who have won in all polls since 2001. The administrations headed by the bother and sister were removed from power by the military in separate coups, but the Shinawatras continue to exert a great influence on the country's political life. Pheu Chart spokeswoman Ketpreeya Kaewsanmuang told Efe news that the name changes did not comply with any strategy of the party, but were "personal decisions of the candidates, all of them from rural areas". "Candidates have the right to do so, because it is not against the law. I don't think it will benefit or harm us, but it helps voters identify the party when it comes to voting," Kaewsanmunang said. Six of the candidates changed their names on January 31 in Nakhon Ratchasima province, in the northeast of the country, the region where the Shinawatra group has always been more popular. "Our party is not well-known and we do not have many funds. When we started doing our campaign, people told us that they wanted the policies of Thaksin and Yingluck. Several candidates and I got together and decided to change our names to promote the party," the candidate Thaksin Koankoksong, formerly known as Sod Koankoksong, told Efe. Thaksin Shinawatra, Prime Minister between 2001 and 2006, maintains great support among the impoverished rural population due to his social policies, but his growing power generated hostility with the Army and the traditional elite in the capital. A military coup ousted Thaksin in 2006 and two years later he went into exile to avoid serving a jail sentence for corruption. In 2011, his sister Yingluck won the elections leading the Pheu Thai Party, one of whose slogans during her election campaign was "Thaksin thinks, Pheu Thai acts." Yingluck's government was overthrown three years later and she followed her brother into exile in 2017, avoiding a jail term for abuse of power and negligence. Around 6,400 people from some 60 parties have registered with the Electoral Commission to participate in the elections. Registration began on Monday and will end on Friday. --IANS soni/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Telugu television actress Naga Jhansi committed suicide at her house in Hyderabad on Wednesday, police said. Jhansi, 21, was found hanging in her flat in an apartment building in Sri Nagar colony. According to the police, the actress was alone in the flat. Her brother Durga Prasad alerted the neighbours when she did not respond to door knock. They broke open the door and found her hanging from ceiling fan. Her body was shifted to government-run Gandhi Hospital for autopsy and a case was registered in Punjagutta police station. Hailing from Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, Jhansi acted in different serials including "Pavitra Bandhan" on MAA TV. She was running a beauty parlour in Ameerpet area for last few months. According to Jhansi's relatives, she was in love with a youth, said to be a distant relative. She was reportedly in depression for last few days. They suspect that failure in love could have led to the suicide. Jhansi's mobile phone has been seized and police is examining the call data and chat records. --IANS ms/in (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Kishor called on Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday at his residence Matoshree, where he addressed all party MPs. Mumbai: In a curious move, Shiv Sena has roped in renowned poll strategist Prashant Kishor, who will be offering his expertise to the party for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Mr Kishor called on Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday at his residence Matoshree, where he addressed all party MPs. However, the issue of pre-poll alliance with BJP wasnt discussed at the meeting, said Sena sources. Mr Kishor, who is the vice-president of Nitish Kumars Janata Dal (United), is known in the political circles for his expertise and acumen in elections. Working as a political strategist, he had played a key role in helping Narendra Modi become a Prime Minister as BJP won an absolute majority in the 2014 LS polls. Later Mr Kishor helped Nitish Kumar and his alliance with the Lalu Prasad Yadav-led Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) win the 2015 Bihar elections. After becoming the JD(U) leader, he was also instrumental in his party snapping ties with Mr Yadav and joining the NDA. A Sena MP present at the meeting said that Mr Kishor has offered a strategic assistance to the party for the forthcoming LS polls. Mr Kishor said we should take up the local-level issues concerning Maharashtra during the campaign. He has assured Sena that he would provide strategic help in planning the campaign and managing the media, he said. Yuva Sena chief Aditya Thackeray tweeted to announce the tie-up with the political strategist. Today Uddhav Thackeray ji and I had a special visitor over lunch. Some great talks @PrashantKishor ji, he said. According to political analysts, Senas move to rope in Mr Kishor is a clear indication that the party is trying to contest the LS polls and hence it requires a prominent political strategist to devise its plans. Targetting 300 million kg of exports by 2020, tea planters have told the government that the key to this lies in incentivising production of orthodox (full leaf) tea and boosting the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS). "We are mainly focusing on exports and have given proposals to incentivising this by increasing the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) reward rate from 5 per cent to 11 per cent," Indian Tea Association (ITA) immediate past-Chairman Azam Monem told IANS. The central government was keen on planters producing tea suited for export markets instead of exporting that which is lying surplus, he said. "To do that, we have to target exportable produce like orthodox tea. We are only making 80-100 million tonnes of orthodox tea and have asked for incentivising its production," Monem said. After clocking the highest exports of 256.57 million kg in 2017-18, an ambitious target of 300 million kg by 2020 has been set in the short run. The trend towards a new record in exports was evident in 2017 (January-December) itself as this stood at 251.91 million kg in the year, an increase of 29.46 million kgs over 2016. ITA Chairman Vivek Goenka told IANS: "Enhancing the current MEIS rate of 5 per cent for bulk tea will be beneficial to become cost competitive in international markets. There are various commodities which have higher rate of MEIS. The orthodox incentive is currently at Rs 3 per kg which is low compared to higher cost of producing it." According to the latest data, India's tea exports during January-November 2018 were at par at 225.76 million kg against 226.04 million kg during same period of the previous year. Exports volumes are expected to be at similar level in the calendar year. According to a study by rating agency ICRA, global tea production increased 1.8 per cent during the first 10 months of 2018, primarily driven by an increase in the Kenyan crop. This has adversely impacted the Kenyan auction realisation, which corrected by around 12 per cent during January-October 2018. The Sri Lankan auction realisations, in spite of low production, witnessed a considerable decline of around 10 per cent during the same period, primarily because of the uncertainties arising from the impact of the impending sanctions on Iran. "We believe incentives would be the key to surpass the level of 250 million kg and otherwise it would be difficult even retaining this. All depends on how we will be able to cope with the international markets, which are a little suppressed. I do not expect Africa to repeat the higher production of over 60-70 million that they did last year. There should be higher penetration by Indian exporters," Monem said. Indian exporters are hopeful of gaining shipments to the UK, Russia, China, the UAE and also Iran, a large consumer of orthodox tea. "We need to tap new markets for orthodox. Chile and Iraq have been targeted though it is difficult to penetrate such markets in a big way as they were dominated by Sri Lanka," Monem pointed out. In spite of having a record export in 2017 and shipments being at a similar level during the 11 months of 2018 as against the previous year, "tea prices at the farm gate level remained stagnant", Bidyananda Barkakoty, Advisor to the North Eastern Tea Association, said, adding that either production needs to be brought down or domestic consumption increased and exports pushed up. "Cutting down production globally is practically not possible. Achieving 300 million kgs of exports become imperative to have any positive impact at farm gate level price," Barkakoty told IANS. (Bappaditya Chaterjee can be contacted at bappaditya.c@ians.in) --IANS bdc/ssp/vm/am/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages the Sabarimala temple, on Wednesday joined the Kerala government in supporting entry of women of all ages into the hilltop shrine, saying that any practice has to be consistent with the Constitution's dominant theme - "all persons are equally entitled". The TDB spelt out its changed position before the five-judge constitution bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice Indu Malhotra as it opposed a batch of petitions seeking the review of the court's September 28, 2018 judgment lifting the ban of entry of women of all age groups. Senior counsel Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the board, focused on constitutional morality, which he said was not subjective but founded on Articles 14, 15, 17, 21 and 25 of the Constitution and subject to other fundamental rights. The court on Wednesday reserved its order on a batch of 54 petitions seeking recall of its verdict which had opened the gates of the temple to Lord Ayyappa to the women in the 10-50 age group, holding that the exclusion based on "menstrual status is a form of untouchability which is an anathema to constitutional values". In a 4:1 judgment with Justice Malhotra dissenting, the court had also held that "notions of 'purity and pollution', which stigmatize individuals, have no place in a constitutional order". Citing human dignity, Dwivedi said: "Practices prevailing in our temples should be in conformity with the constitutional morality." At this, Justice Malhotra asked Dwivedi: "There's a change in stand of Devaswom Board. You had argued otherwise." "Now the Board has taken a decision to respect the judgment," he replied. Although the TDB on Wednesday stated, for the first time, its changed position before the court, it had sought an explanation from the temple tantri (head priest) for closing the temple to undertake its purification after two women aged below 50 had entered the temple and offered prayers. Contending that the times now are globally "inclusive", Dwivedi scoffed at the idea of citing the biological attributes of women to exclude them from anything, including temple entry. Earlier during Wednesday's hearing, the Kerala government opposed the review petitions, saying that there was no need to review the judgment as unconstitutional practices could not be allowed to go on. It also assured that "social peace would eventually prevail". Senior counsel Jaideep Gupta argued that Sabarimala temple is a public temple and its affairs are managed by a law, and that religious practices shadowing the fundamental rights can be over-ruled. Pointing out that that the trust of the constitution is that 'you will not discriminate', Gupta said that all the customs are subject to fundamental rights. Indira Jaising, appearing for Kanaka Durga and Bindu Ammini - the two women who entered Sabarimala to pray - said that what was being witnessed was not just a case of exclusion but of social boycott. She said that shopkeepers have been asked not to have any kind of dealings with the two women. The fact is that the menstruating woman are seen as polluting in this country, Jaising said. She also noted that worship also came under freedom of conscience. Advocate P.V.Dinesh, who appeared for a 10-year-old Hyderabad girl, contended that "if a 10-year-old girl can breach the naishtika brahmacharyam (eternal celibacy) of God, then a child is being portrayed as a sexual object". On the other hand, senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for one of the petitioners seeking recall of the September 28 judgment, said that Hinduism was one of the most diverse religions and the court is attempting to allow only those "essential religious practices" which are "universally ethical". This, he argued, was not a right approach". --IANS pk/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Taliban do not want to seize the entire Afghanistan by "military" power as it will not bring peace to the war-torn country, the militant group's key official who led the peace negotiations with the US has said. Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, who until recently was the head of the Taliban's political office in Qatar, spoke to the BBC while attending a meeting in Moscow with a number of senior Afghan opposition politicians. He said the group would not agree to a ceasefire until foreign forces were withdrawn from Afghanistan. The meeting in Moscow was separate from the US-Taliban peace talks. Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai was present, but the Afghan government was not part of the talks. Topics of discussion included how Afghanistan could be governed in the future if the Taliban were to become a mainstream political force, the BBC said on Wednesday. The Taliban official said that the group did not want "a monopoly of power", but that Afghanistan's Constitution had been "imported from the West" and was an "obstacle to peace". Stanikzai said that he believed the Donald Trump administration wanted to "bring peace to Afghanistan" as he has overseen several meetings with US Special Envoy for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad in recent months. In January, they reached what Khalilzad termed as a "draft framework" of an agreement. It was based on a commitment to withdraw US forces from the country and a guarantee by the Taliban not to allow international jihadist groups to use Afghanistan as a base in the future. Both sides that time indicated that a number of issues still needed to be resolved. However, Trump made clear his desire to bring an end to the 17-year conflict and withdraw the vast bulk of American forces. "Peace is more difficult than war," Stanikzai said, referring to the difficulties in reaching a settlement. The Taliban governed Afghanistan from 1996-2001 with an ultra-conservative and brutal interpretation of Islamic law. According to UN data, the group was responsible for more civilian casualties than any other warring party. It was also notorious for its treatment of women, banning most of them from working or going to school. However, Stanikzai said "women should not worry" about the prospect of increasing Taliban influence in the country as they would seek to grant women all their "rights according to Islamic rule and Afghan culture". "They can go to school, they can go to universities, they can work," he added. Fawzia Koofi, an Afghan MP and one of only two women present at the Moscow meeting, called it a "positive step that the Taliban who were using bullets against the people, especially women, were now... listening to women's voices". She, however, said "we need to make sure everything they say here, they mean it". Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani has repeatedly called on the Taliban to begin direct negotiations with his representatives, but so far the group has refused. US negotiators had tried to persuade the Taliban to meet Afghan officials, but Stanikzai remained vague when questioned about the circumstances under which they would ever agree to do so, the BBC said. He said that "when the American forces announce the withdrawal of their troops" there could be further "intra-Afghan dialogue". Officials in Kabul called the discussions in Russia "an attempt by political rivals to undermine the Afghan government", and explore a potential deal with the Taliban without their input. Despite the talks in Moscow and a further round of US-Taliban discussions being scheduled for February 25, violence in Afghanistan continues unabated. --IANS soni/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Marathi-origin 'mulgi' (girl) has been re-appointed as an Advisor in the Sweden Prime Minister's Office in-charge of the crucial departments of Finance, Housing and Financial Markets, her family members said here on Wednesday. Nila A. Vikhe-Patil, 32, will be working with the new Swedish Prime Minister, K. Stefan Lofven of the Social Democrat and Green Party coalition government that assumed office on January 18. She is the granddaughter of late Union minister Balasaheb Vikhe-Patil, who served under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Her father, Dr Ashok Vikhe-Patil said that housing and finance are crucial portfolios and she would be in-charge of the country's central budget and taxes. A member of the Green Party, Nila is also an elected member of the Stockholm Municipal Corporation's City Council. "This is her re-appointment to the post. In the previous government, Nila has handled departments like small and medium industries, social development, gender policy and the central budget for three years," her proud father told IANS on Nila's unique distinction. Born in Sweden, Nila was educated mostly in Europe, and holds a management degree from Gothenburg School of Business, and studied economics and law and also acquired a MBA from Madrid's University de Complutense, he said. Joining active from a young age, she has been associated with Swedish Young Greens, Green Party Gothenburg, Green Students of Sweden and on top executive positions of the Green Party, now part of the country's ruling coalition, Vikhe-Patil added. However, Nila has not severed links with the country of her origin and comes visiting often, the last trip being in June 2018. The niece of Maharashtra's Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, Nila's great-grandfather made history by setting up Asia's first cooperative sugar factory in Ahmednagar. --IANS qn/vm/am (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sending out a strong message to the political opponents, newly appointed Congress General Secretary, Priyanka Gandhi, on Wednesday backed her husband Robert Vadra and accompanied him to the office of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) here which quizzed the controversial businessman in a money laundering case. Making her first public appearance after being appointed as the Congress' General Secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, she accompanied her husband in a SUV to the agency office in Jamnagar House at the mouth of the India Gate circle. Both hugged and planted kisses on each other's cheek before Vadra came out of the car and headed for the ED office where he was grilled for several hours in connection with a case relating to the ownership of 1.9 million pounds of undisclosed assets abroad, allegedly belonging to him. From there, she drove straight to 10-Janpath residence of her mother Sonia Gandhi and then walked over to the neighbouring AICC headquarters where she spent some time inside her office and met party workers. "He is my husband, he is my family...I support my family," Priyanka replied as mediapersons piled questions asking if the ED action was a political vendetta by the Centre's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). "I stand by my family," she added while leaving the office. Vadra's aide Jagdish Sharma alleged that the BJP government was carrying out a political vendetta against the son-in-law of the Gandhi family. Besides the Congress accusing the Modi government of "political vendetta", Vadra had earlier alleged "unceasing political witch-hunt" over the probe by the central agency. The BJP has been attacking Vadra, Priyanka, the fifth generation member of the Nehru-Gandhi family, and the Congress over the cases allegedly involving him. The BJP is expected to step up attack on the "dynasty" of the Congress as campaign picks up in the coming Lok Sabha elections. Priyanka is also slated to attend a meeting of party's general secretaries chaired by Congress President and brother Rahul Gandhi on Thursday at the Congress headquarters where the roadmap and strategies for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections are expected to be discussed. After the Thursday's meeting, Rahul Gandhi will hold talks with state chiefs and other office-bearers on Saturday where plans and approach for the Lok Sabha polls for respective states will be chalked out. These will then be finalised at the at the Congress Working Committee meeting slated later in February. Meanwhile, the BJP continued to attack the Congress, with party spokesperson Sambit Patra calling the Gandhi family "bail parivar" whose foundation was "built on corruption". --IANS and/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The West Bengal BJP had to call off the rally of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Murshidabad district on Wednesday after his helicopter was denied permission to land. "We have decided to cancel the rally today (Wednesday) as we were not given permission to land the chopper at Baharampur in Murshidabad district. He will be attending the rally at Kharagpur today," BJP state General Secretary Sayantan Basu said. Chouhan, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Vice President, was slated to attend two rallies -- one at Baharampur in Murshidabad district and the other at Kharagpur in West Midnapore district. "He will now attend the rally only at Kharagpur where he will go by road from the Kolkata airport," Basu said. "Earlier also, permission for landing of choppers had been denied for the rallies of (Uttar Pradesh CM) Yogi Adityanath, (Union Minister) Smriti Irani and other leaders. This is not new to us. We will fight it out in our own way," he said, accusing the state administration of indulging in "vendetta politics". --IANS dm/pgh/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The ruling Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), which has been in power since 1994, has launched a new digital campaign targeting first-time voters and urging them to vote for Chief Minister Pawan Chamling. The campaign #MyFirstVote4Chamling was launched on Tuesday on the occasion of Losar or the Lunar New Year. People can pledge their support by signing up on the official website, www.myfirstvote4chamling.com or by giving a missed call on 9-8070-8070-9, a press release said. It said that more than 5,000 first-time voters pledged their support for Chamling on the first day of the launch. The key appeal of the campaign is that the youths can directly connect with the Chief Minister through the website and share their ideas for Sikkim's better future. Implementation of these ideas will be the key priority of the SDF government and will be included in the party manifesto, the release said. --IANS ssp/pg/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Four days after a Delhi court ordered Robert Vadra to join the Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigation, he appeared before the agency here on Wednesday. Vadra, the brother-in-law of Congress President Rahul Gandhi, arrived at the ED's office located in central Delhi's Jamnagar House at 3.45 p.m. He was accompanied by his wife and Congress general secretary for Uttar Pradesh East, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. However, after dropping Vadra at the ED office, Priyanka left the premises. The case relates to the ownership of 1.9 million pounds of undisclosed assets abroad, allegedly belonging to Vadra. The ED also lodged a money laundering case against Vadra's close aide Manoj Arora after his role surfaced during a probe by the Income Tax Department into another case under the new Black Money Act and tax law against absconding arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari. The London property was allegedly bought by Bhandari and sold in 2010 for the same amount despite incurring additional expenses on its renovation. On December 7, as part of the investigation, the ED conducted searches at a number of premises in Delhi-NCR and Bengaluru. The ED counsel told the court earlier that the London property was part of the kickbacks received in a petroleum deal. The money was transferred by Santech International, FZC, a UAE-based company controlled by Bhandari. There were a few more properties that needed to be probed, the counsel said. Vadra was not present in the court. Vadra's counsel informed the court that he was in London to take care of his ailing mother. A Delhi court had on Saturday granted interim bail to Vadra till February 16 while hearing an anticipatory bail plea filed by him. Special Judge Arvind Kumar directed Vadra to join the ED investigation on February 6. --IANS aks/arm/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress President on Wednesday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for failing to generate employment for the youth in the state. He assured that his party will give employment to youth once it comes to power in Odisha. "While the Chinese government creates employment opportunities for 50,000 youth in 24 hours, Narendra Modi and Naveen Patnaik combined could give employment to only 450 youths in 24 hours," Gandhi told his rally at Rourkela. He said youths were forced to migrate to different states in search of work as there were no job opportunities in Odisha. The Congress leader also criticised the Prime Minister for not fulfilling his promise of providing two crore jobs per year to the youth. "Narendra Modi and (BJP President) Amit Shah say selling pakoras is also a job. We know that selling pakoras is also a job. But the whole country can't sell pakoras," he said. "When we come to power, our Chief Minister will work towards giving employment to the people of Odisha. The government will be for the poor." Gandhi also alleged that many leaders of the ruling Biju Janata Dal were involved in chit fund scams in Odisha. "The Odisha government is not operating from the state, Narendra Modi is running it through remote (control) from Delhi," he said. Gandhi also hit out at Modi for failing to fulfil the election promise and upgrade the Ispat General Hospital in Rourkela to a super-speciality hospital and construct a second bridge over Brahmani river. "Did Modiji keep his promise of a second Brahmani bridge in Rourkela? Did he build a super-speciality hospital in Rourkela?" he asked. He said Congress workers from Odisha gave a message to Modi by raising Rs 20 lakh for the super-speciality hospital which had remained an unfulfilled promise. The public notice also failed to describe the number of trees that were going to be transplanted for the same. Green activists have highlighted that there are no proper details about the locations of trees, to verify the claims by the TMC that the trees are coming in the way of the work. Mumbai: With around 2,800 trees slated to be removed for the 11km-long road project connecting Airoli to Thane district, the Thane Municipal Corporation has not published any details about public hearing for the same in its public notice. Green activists have highlighted that there are no proper details about the locations of trees, to verify the claims by the TMC that the trees are coming in the way of the work. On Feb 1, a notice for cutting 2,874 trees was published by the civic body in a newspaper, stating that the Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra Limited had proposed removal of trees for construction of a road by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority. There are no details about the number of trees at a particular site, their positioning and the reasoning behind cutting such a large number of trees. Moreover, the TMC has not put up the notice on its official website as per the Bombay high courts directions, said Rohit Joshi, a Thane-based activist. However, the activists have been trying to create awareness about the proposal among the public, following which, around 400 objections have been sent to the proposal. The public notice also failed to describe the number of trees that were going to be transplanted for the same. Objecting to the notice, former member of the Thane Tree Authority and founder of the Foundation for Educational Rendezvous with Nature (FERN), Seema Hardikar, has also written to the TMC to prevent the haphazard cutting of trees. It is a huge number of trees and will make a huge impact on the surrounding environment. This requires a serious study and it is the duty of the tree authority and TMC to collect more data for the project and the trees that might get affected, she wrote. Ms Hardikar also stated that there had been no public notice for tree-cutting affixed on the trees in the areas of the project, which was required under the Trees Act, 1975. OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- City officials took time out of this week's aldermen meeting to honor longtime Municipal Court Judge Matthew Mestayer. Mayor Shea Dobson presented Mestayer with a proclamation declaring Feb. 5 as "Judge Matthew G. Mestayer Day" in the City of Ocean Springs. "He's done a great job, especially in the field of domestic violence, holding offenders accountable, so I really want to thank him for his work in that field," Dobson told The Mississippi Press. "He served the public well and I want to thank him for all his years of service to the community," said Dobson, who also presented Mestayer with a key to the city. Mestayer is a principal of the Biloxi-based law firm of Reeves & Mestayer and a regular participant in the local television show "Law Call," during which viewers can call in with legal questions. He served as the municipal court judge for 19 years, beginning in 1999. "He did an excellent job for the City," said John Gill, the only member of the board of aldermen to have been in office all 19 of Mestayer's years on the Ocean Springs bench. "He was cordial, he had respect for the law and he treated everybody fairly. When I would go to Jackson and have conversations with other judges and lawmakers, they always spoke highly of Judge Mestayer. They would say we had one of the best in the state. I hated to see him go." Mestayers' tenue as the Ocean Springs judge came to an end on Dec. 31, after aldermen voted in November to replace him with criminal defense attorney Calvin Taylor, even though Mestayer had applied for reappointment. Dobson admitted there was some irony in the board honoring a judge they had voted to replace. "Some could see it like that," he acknowledged. "I think he and Judge Taylor have a lot of respect for each other. It was a hard choice for the board. I do think it was one of those opportunities where it was a win either way, regardless of who was chosen. The board just ultimately decided to go in a new direction." For his part, Mestayer said he was appreciative of his time on the bench and of the City tribute to his service. "I'm very appreciative," he said. "I loved being the judge for the City of Ocean Springs and it was an honor to serve in that capacity and be able to serve the community. I love Jackson County, specifically Ocean Springs, my hometown. I just appreciate the opportunity to serve." The proclamation noted Mestayer had heard over 100,000 cases during his tenure and collected million of dollars for the City. He twice won the Gulf Coast Women's Center for Nonviolence Judicial Award, and started the Court Observer Program which allows young adults to do community service in lieu of fines. For his part, Mestayer said any accomplishments during his tenure as judge were a team effort. "Nothing went on down there these past years that was done alone," he said. "I had great team of folks. It's nice to be recognized and I'm thankful, but I can tell you it was done by me alone. Anything that was accomplished was done because we had a great team." Pakistan's Supreme Court on Wednesday warned the powerful military and intelligence agencies against interfering in political matters and curtailing media freedom in the country. The unusual criticism of the armed forces was part of a court verdict about a protest carried out by a hardline Islamist party which had blocked the main entrance to Islamabad in 2017 over a proposed change in the oath taken by public servants, which the Islamists considered blasphemous. "The Constitution emphatically prohibits members of the armed forces from engaging in any kind of political activity, which includes supporting a political party, faction or individual," the apex court said. The two-member bench also ordered the government and the Chief of Army Staff Qamar Javed Bajwa to take action against personnel who do not follow this directive, Efe news reported. The November 2017 protests by the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan party, which was in news recently for protesting against the acquittal of Christian woman Asia Bibi from blasphemy charges, ended after an agreement between the Islamist party and the military. After the protest, military personnel handed out money to the participants to help them return to their houses, an act which was captured on camera and went viral on social networks of the country. The Supreme Court said there was a perception that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the premier spy agency of the country, was involved in and urged it to stay within its constitutional mandate. "All intelligence agencies (...) must not exceed their respective mandates. They cannot curtail the freedom of speech and expression," the verdict stated. However, the court did not mention specific examples of interference in media or cases of armed forces personnel being involved in during the protest. The Pakistani military establishment has ruled the country for half of its history since its independence. Even during democratic periods, it controls the security and foreign policy decisions of the government, according to many analysts. Therefore, the criticism of the armed forces and intelligence agencies is rare and can have serious consequences. Last year, Islamabad High Court judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui was sacked for accusing the ISI of manipulating the judicial process about the corruption charges against former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during the general election. --IANS soni/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Over 20 lakh Uttar Pradesh government employees went on a strike on Wednesday to demand restoration of the old pension scheme. The employees are protesting against the state's new pension scheme under which the share of the government has been raised from 10 per cent to 14 per cent. This also means a four per cent increase in the employee contribution, which they are opposed to. The government, after failure of talks with various employees unions, invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) banning all protests but the strike has begin, a union leader said. Many government offices in the state capital wore a deserted look or remained locked as union leaders gathered outside to strategise and protest. More than 150 government employee unions are participating in the statewide strike. The Convener of the umbrella group of unions, Hari Kishore Tiwari, told reporters that the strike will go on till February 12 if their demands are not met. He, however, said that in the initial days of their protest, the health and power sectors would not be involved. "This is being done on compassionate grounds so that people are not affected, but at a later stage we will include health and power services," he added. Late on Tuesday, Chief Secretary Anoop Chandra Pandey directed all the district magistrates through video-conference to slap ESMA on the striking employees. Bracing up for the situation, the government has asked officials to ensure maximum attendance in offices. Shiv Baran Singh Yadav, Chairman of the striking employees union, said they will not be cowed down by threats of disciplinary and penal action. "We gave the government enough time to think over our demands but things have come to this stage only due to their lethargy," he said, adding that the government cannot rob the employees of their democratic right to strike against wrong policies. The Karmachari Shikshak Sanyukt Morcha, a teachers' union, has decided to stay away from the strike. Morcha President V.P. Mishra said: "We welcome the new pension scheme as it is in the interests of the employees." --IANS md/rtp/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A man killed his wife and her alleged lover with a spade in a village in Uttar Pradesh's Agra district. Police officer Om Prakash Singh said Rishi Tomar returned home from Delhi, from where he works, to find his wife Lakshmi, 28, and Deepak, 30, in a compromising position at his house in Badapura village on Tuesday. In sheer rage, Tomar picked up a spade and killed the two. He later surrendered to the police. Villagers told the police that Lakshmi and Deepak were having an affair for two years. --IANS bk/pg/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP President Amit Shah on Wednesday warned West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over her attempts to block the entry of BJP workers and leaders into the state and said she cannot escape the consequences of her actions. Addressing a gathering here, the BJP leader said that a jittery Mamata 'di' was trying all means to prevent Bharatiya Janata Party leaders from reaching West Bengal. "But she does not know that we are BJP workers and we will not rest until we ensure that the lotus blooms in 23 of the 42 seats in West Bengal," Shah said amid cheers. "Yesterday (Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister) Yogiji (Adityanath) was not allowed to enter by air, my chopper was not allowed to land. The same is happening with Shivraj Singh Chouhan who is there today. The Prime Minister was allotted a smaller ground and the permission was given late at night... "All this shows that she understands that her time is up and the BJP was going to win handsomely in the Lok Sabha election." Slamming Banerjee for staging a sit-in in Kolkata, Shah demanded to know who she was trying to protect and for what. "She is trying to protect an officer because she fears that he might spill the beans on some scams to the CBI," the BJP leader said. He added that so far 65 BJP workers had been killed by Trinamool "goons" in West Bengal. "But we will not sit quiet... But we don't subscribe to violence. We will avenge all this by ensuring that people press the lotus button when the time to vote comes." He also made a strong pitch for re-electing Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha battle. The country, he said, was "safest under the BJP government at the Centre". Addressing a rally of party activists, Shah said that the time when terrorists would cross over from Pakistan and kill Indian military personnel and civilians were now things of past. He also took up the issue of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and said that while the whole country wanted the immigrants to be sent back, opposition leaders like Mamata Banerjee, Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati were opposing the move. He slammed Congress President Rahul Gandhi for questioning the annual grant of Rs 6,000 to farmers. "All good schemes being rolled out by the Modi government are for the welfare of the poor, farmers, youth, women and the marginalised," he said. Daring the entire opposition to come together and take on the BJP, he said that this time the party's Lok Sabha tally in Uttar Pradesh will go up from 73 to 74. Detailing various public welfare schemes of the Modi government, Amit Shah said the BJP was clear that a grand Ram temple should come up in Ayodhya at the earliest. --IANS md/mr/pg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A top commander of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit was killed in a gunfight with security forces on Wednesday in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama District. Police sources said Irfan Ahmad Sheikh, the district commander of LeT, was killed in Chakoora village. "The slain militant belonged to Chakoora and was active for the last some years," an official source said. Police said following specific information about the presence of militants in Chakoora in Litter area, the security forces started a cordon and search operation. "As the cordon around the hidden militants was tightened, they fired at the security forces, triggering an encounter." Almost simultaneously, clashes between civilian protesters and the security personnel broke out some distance away from the site of the gunfight. Authorities suspended mobile Internet services in Pulwama as a precaution. --IANS sq/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A US judge earlier this week dismissed porn star Stormy Daniels' defamation claim against Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen, filed as part of her ongoing legal battle with the President. The defamation claim brought by Daniels against Cohen was dismissed by District Judge S. James Otero "with prejudice" -- meaning it cannot be brought again against him. It is just one of the lawsuits that Daniels filed that involve Cohen, CNN reported on Tuesday. In the case, Daniels had asserted that Cohen insinuated she was a liar in a public statement denying that she and Trump had an affair. Daniels' lawyer Michael Avenatti said the defamation case was resolved after the legal teams for Daniels and Cohen asked for the claim to be dismissed. "The court already stated we received everything we asked for because Cohen and Trump were forced to admit we were right all along," Avenatti said in a statement. But Cohen's lawyer Brent Blakely called the ruling a "clear win" for his client. "Rather than fighting in court, Daniels and her attorney instead chose to abandon the case -- the legal equivalent of running away," Blakely said. Daniels had previously filed a defamation lawsuit against Trump that was dismissed by the same judge. The case in question was separate from the initial lawsuit Daniels filed against Cohen and Trump. She was also suing Cohen and Trump over the $130,000 payment made to her to keep silent about the alleged affair in the weeks leading up to the 2016 presidential election. --IANS soni/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Predicting a hung Parliament, YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) President Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy on Wednesday announced that whichever alliance agrees to accord the special ctegory status to Andhra Pradesh will get his party's support. The leader of Opposition in Andhra Pradesh Assembly said this while addressing booth-level workers of the YSRCP in this temple town. Nearly 42,000 booth-level cadres from the Chittoor district attended the first meeting titled 'Samara Shankaravam' aimed at gearing up cadres for the upcoming simultaneous elections to the Andhra Pradesh Assembly and the Lok Sabha. The party claimed this was the first interaction between the leader and the party cadre on such a large scale in the state. During the interaction, Jagan promised to increase the old-age pension to Rs 3,000 per month. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government last month hiked the pension from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000. Jagan also promised that if voted to power, the YSRCP would provide financial assistance of Rs 12,500 to every farmer annually. Jagan said booth workers need to be alert in checking the voter list and ensuring that people come to polling booths and vote, as Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and his men were trying to delete sympathisers of the YSRCP and enlist bogus voters. Before addressing booth-level cadres, Jagan interacted with village-level influencers under a programme called 'Jagan Anna Pilupu' (Jagan Anna calling you). He shared with them his vision for Andhra Pradesh. The participants raised issues of their respective regions and suggested ways to address them. Similar interactions will be held in all 13 districts, with influencer meets happening in the first half of the day followed by Samara Shankaravam. The next set of interactions will be held at Kadapa, Anantapur and Prakasam on Februray 7, 11 and 13, respectively. Over the course of the Samara Shankaravam, Jagan will address 5,05,120 booth-level workers from across the state. The Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), the YSRCP's campaign vehicle, has designed and implemented the two special programmes across the state. --IANS Ms/oeb/pcj (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Iraqi security forces killed five Islamic State (IS) militants on Wednesday in the province of Kirkuk, 250 km north of Baghdad, a provincial security source said. "A joint force of Iraqi army, police and paramilitary Hashd Shaabi, backed by gunships, carried out a search operation on the edges of al-Multaqa sub-district, some 20 km southeast of Kirkuk," Ali al-Obaidi from Kirkuk police was quoted by Xinhua news agency as saying. Of the five IS militants killed, three were suicide bombers wearing explosive belts, he said. The joint force also confiscated ammunitions and different kinds of weapons during the operation, which is "still going on to trace IS remnants in the area," al-Obaidi added. In December 2017, Iraq declared full liberation from the IS after the security forces and the Hashd Shaabi units, backed by the anti-IS international coalition, recaptured all areas once seized by the extremist group, Xinhua reported. However, IS remnants have since melted in urban areas or resorted to deserts and rugged areas as safe havens, carrying out guerilla attacks from time to time against the security forces and civilians. --IANS vc (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India and New Zealand have reviewed the entire range of bilateral relations, including political, trade and economic ties, during the second Foreign Office Consultations. The consultations were held on Tuesday. An External Affairs Ministry release said on Wednesday that the Indian side was led by Vijay Thakur Singh, Secretary (East) in the Ministry, while the New Zealand side was represented by Ben King, Deputy Secretary, Americas and Asia Group, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. It said the two sides exchanged views on regional and multilateral issues, including cooperation at the UN and other international organisations. "The second Foreign Office Consultations between India and New Zealand provided an opportunity to review the entire range of bilateral relations, including political, trade and economic ties. India reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with New Zealand in these areas," the release said. --IANS ps/arm/soni/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India and Germany on Wednesday agreed that after their robust bilateral economic cooperation, they will focus on the and cooperate on water and waste management. "Just like Indo-German Climate and Renewables Alliance, cooperation in field of needs to be strengthened," Anil Kumar Jain, Additional Secretary in the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry said after the third Indo-German working group meeting ended here. Jain, who was heading the Indian delegation said: "The outcomes will be taken up to higher level of collaboration during the Third Indo-German Forum which is scheduled in New Delhi on February 13 where both the German and Indian Environment Ministers will meet to come up with some major announcements." At the working group meeting, delegations from the India's Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry, and the Germany's Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety discussed potential cooperation areas in the field of water and waste management. Regina Dube, Director-General for Water Management and Resource Conservation, who headed the German delegation, said that the Indian side have been very supportive in taking the work ahead. Both sides decided to work further on developing reference documents for textile sector, air and water governance, marine litter, waste to energy (incineration), bio-methanation, landfill sites, water quality management, training and capacity building of local bodies and circular economy. --IANS sd/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congs Sanjay made comments after posters came up outside AICC office featuring Rahul, Priyanka and Robert Vadra. The posters were later taken down by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). (Photo: ANI) New Delhi: Congress leader Sanjay Singh on Wednesday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that he, unfortunately, does not have a single poster of himself along with his wife Jashodaben Modi, despite being married. "It is unfortunate for Modi ji that despite being married, he does not have a single poster of himself along with his wife. Robert Vadra is Priyanka's husband, hope this relationship lasts for long. Their names have been dragged in various things but the BJP has not been able to prove it," Singh told reporters here. He made the comments after posters came up outside the AICC office featuring Congress president Rahul Gandhi along with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who has recently been inducted as the party's general secretary for Uttar Pradesh East, and her husband Robert Vadra late on Tuesday. The posters were later taken down by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). The posters came a day after Priyanka returned to the national capital following her trip abroad. Soon after her arrival, Priyanka conducted a meeting with Rahul and other prominent members of the party to review the ongoing preparations for the Lok Sabha polls. Further taking a swipe at the Prime Minister, Singh added: "Today, Robert Vadra is appearing before the ED, tomorrow Modi ji will appear before the ED." Vadra is slated to appear before the ED pertaining to a 2009 petroleum deal case later in the day. A Delhi court had given Vadra interim bail till February 16 in connection with a money laundering case. The Home Ministry on Wednesday said the government has banned Tahreek-ul-Mujahideen (TuM), a separatist group in Jammu and Kashmir. The organisation came into existence in 1990 with the objective of "liberating Kashmir" and has been actively pursuing its objective by way of acts of terror, a Ministry notification issued on Tuesday said. "The Central government believes that the TuM is involved in terrorism as it has committed and participated in various acts of terrorism in India," it added. TuM members were getting financial aid as well as logistic support from their handlers based abroad. So, the Centre has banned it and all its manifestations, it added. The group has carried out grenade attacks, snatched weapons and supported other terror outfits like Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Ministry said. It also committed and promoted acts of terrorism, engaged in radicalisation and recruitment of youth for terrorist activities in India. The Jammu and Kashmir Police has arrested several TuM members. --IANS aks/in/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A sitting or retired Chief Justice of India, any serving or retired justice of the Supreme Court or any person of impeccable integrity with at least 25 years of experience in issues relating to anti-corruption policy, public administration, vigilance, finance and law and management will be eligible to become Chairman, Lokpal. As the hunt has finally begun for the job of ombudsman after much delay just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the eligibility criteria has been put out by a search committee for Lokpal headed by Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai. For the judicial member of the Lokpal, the applicant can either be a present or former justice of the Supreme Court or current or past Chief Justice of any High Court. The non-judicial member could be anyone with 25 years of experience in anti-corruption related fields. The eligibility has been fixed as per the Lokpal Act. The applicant for the Chairperson cannot be an elected representative or anyone carrying any business or practising any profession. The candidate should also not be holding any office of trust or profit. The tenure for Chairman will be five years and the salary will be equivalent to that of the Chief Justice of India. After becoming Chairperson, no further employment will be allowed as a diplomat. The incumbent will not be allowed to hold any office of profit of the government. The Chairperson will also be barred from contesting elections to Parliament or state Assemblies for five years after relinquishing the post. The minimum age criteria is 45 years. The advertisement for Lokpal was issued after anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare had threatened to launch another round of agitation protesting against the delay. He was persuaded to call off the stir on the promise that Lokpal would be formed soon. The applications have been invited just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections amidst much criticism. The nine-member Lokpal search panel had its first meeting in January, nearly four months after it was formed. The committee has former State Bank of India chief Arundhati Bhattacharya, Prasar Bharati Chairperson A. Surya Prakash and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief A.S. Kiran Kumar as members. --IANS gd/am/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed a PIL petition which alleged that only a few families are dominating the political scene in the country, thus thwarting the basic mandate of the Constitution. The public interest litigation (PIL) petition was filed by one Arvind Kumar through his advocate Setu Sharma. The petition mentioned the names of political parties, including the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Samajwadi Party (SP), Biju Janata Dal (BJD), DMK and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD). The plea alleged inaction by the authorities concerned to formulate a legislation to regulate the process of holding intra-party elections to democratise the structure of political parties in India which "have become the fiefdom of a few families". "The present functioning of most political parties violate the basic structure of the Constitution of India and the principle of rule of law, democracy, equality and fraternity," the plea said. "That a few women/ men/ families that dominate the political scenario of the nation thwart the basic mandate of the Constitution." The petitioner had sought a direction to the Election Commission of India (EC) to supervise and manage the internal election of parties. He had also sought the court's direction to the Central government to work in tandem with the Law Commission of India for a review of the working of the Constitution and to bring about intra-party democracy within all political parties. The plea also prayed to direct the authorities to ensure that no person and family is be allowed to hold the main position in the party, whatever his/her name, for more than five years. --IANS akk/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi High Court on Wednesday allowed former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram to place some additional documents on record to support his pending anticipatory bail plea in the INX Media case. Justice Sunil Gaur allowed Chidambaram's application seeking to file additional documents. Chidambaram's move came after the Law Ministry informed the government that there was no legal infirmity in granting the CBI the sanction to prosecute the former Minister. The plea, filed through advocate Arshdeep Singh, said, "On February 3, it was widely reported that the Law Ministry has informed the Central government that sanction can be granted to the CBI to prosecute the petitioner (Chidambaram) in the instant case. "It appears that the opinion of the Law Ministry was sought on the request for grant of sanction made by the CBI against the petitioner." The counsel further said these facts on record show that the CBI has completed its investigation into the case. On January 25, the Delhi High Court reserved order on Chidambaram's bail plea in the INX Media case being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation. The investigating agencies had opposed Chidambaram's bail plea, saying that custodial interrogation of the former Finance Minister was necessary as he was evasive and had given false information during his questioning. Chidambaram is on interim protection from arrest granted by the Delhi High Court. The ED and the CBI are probing how his son Karti Chidambaram managed to get clearance from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) in 2007 when his father was the Finance Minister. Karti Chidambaram was arrested on February 28 by the CBI for allegedly accepting money to facilitate the FIPB clearance to INX Media. He was later granted bail. Karti's chartered accountant S. Bhaskararaman was also arrested and released on bail later. --IANS akk/arm/prs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a major revelation, firebrand Patidar leader has stated that he is satisfied with the 10 per cent reservation in government jobs and education for economically weaker sections in the general category announced by the Centre. Patel also said he may contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. "I am happy with the 10 per cent reservation for the non-backward classes but let the Supreme Court first approve it," Patel told IANS on Wednesday. "At the same time, the agitation of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) will continue till the reservation is implemented in letter and spirit and Patidar (Patel) youngsters actually benefit from it," he added. "My priority has been reserved for the Patidars in government jobs and educational institutions. We have succeeded in getting the Centre to announce reservation for the upper castes but we will wait till the Supreme Court approves it," Patel said over telephone from Lucknow. He said besides reservation, his other chief demand was a withdrawal of police cases against Patidars during their four-year-old agitation as well as "action against police officials who unleashed atrocities on our youngsters". Patel was referring to the 2015 police action against the Patidars during the massive rally at the sprawling GMDC grounds in Ahmedabad which left 14 people dead. Asked about his announcement to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections at a rally in Lucknow, Patel said: "Yes, I may contest the elections but nothing has been worked out so far." Asked from where in Gujarat he is likely to contest, Patel said: "Arrey boss, nothing is final. You mediapersons keep on asking whether I will contest. My reply is I may, but nothing is final yet." ALSO READ: BJP launches exercise to seek suggestions for its LS Election manifesto Patel added that earlier his age did not constitutionally permit him to contest polls but now he was eligible after turning 25 in July 2018. Will he contest the election from Amreli constituency in Saurashtra region? Patel replied: "Nothing is final, you are asking the same question." He also said that his fight against the BJP will continue. "Besides jobs for the youth, I have also taken up the cudgels for the cause of the farmers who are in severe distress because of this government's lopsided policies in favour of the corporate sector," Patel said. Hindustani Awam Morcha's (HAM) Bihar chief Birshen Patel quit the party on Wednesday following differences with party President Jitan Ram Manjhi but said he remained with the Grand Alliance. After resigning, Patel expressed his displeasure over Manjhi's stand over the Centre-West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee row. HAM is the only opposition party that did not support Banerjee's protest in Kolkata. "At a time when all parties have supported Mamata Banerjee, Manjhi stated that she should not have staged a dharna against the CBI. It was not the right statement," Patel said. Patel, a former Minister, also questioned Manjhi's reported statement that HAM would attend BJP-led NDA's rally in Patna on March 3 if the BJP accepted its demands. Patel, however, made it clear that he remained with the Grand Alliance. According to sources in HAM, the party is on the verge of a split with several leaders set to resign. HAM formally joined the Grand Alliance in February 2018, hours after its exit from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The Grand Alliance in Bihar includes the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, HAM, Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) and Vikassheel Insan Party (VIP) of Mukesh Shahni. It also has the backing of Sharad Yadav's Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD). --IANS ik/rtp/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As part of the "Safer Internet Day" celebrations, Google introduced two updates -- "Password Checkup" Chrome extension and a "Cross Account Protection" -- to protect apps, websites and user-accounts from possible third-party data breaches. "We're always working to make sure your data is protected, whether you're using Google products or checking out your favourite websites and apps," Kurt Thomas, Security and Anti-Abuse Research Scientist, Google, wrote in a blog-post on Tuesday. If Google detects a username and password on a site from over the 4 billion credentials that have already been compromised, the Chrome extension would trigger an automatic warning and suggest a password-change, the post mentioned. "We built 'Password Checkup' so that no one, including Google, can learn your account details. This is our first version of the 'Password Checkup', and we wll be refining in the coming months," Thomas said. The "Cross Account Protection" has been designed as a safety tool for the apps and websites require a Google sign-in. On implementing the tool, Google would be able to send information in case of an account hijacking attempt or other potential security and privacy threats to protect the users as well as the platform. "We've designed the security events to be extremely limited to protect your privacy. We only share the fact that the security event happened, basic information about the event and information with apps where you have logged in with Google," Thomas added. Google has developed these privacy-protecting techniques with the help of cryptography researchers at both Google and Stanford University along with other major technology companies like Adobe, and the standards community at the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). "With technologies like 'Password Checkup' and Cross Account Protection, we're continuing to improve the security of our users across the internet, not just on Google. We'll never stop improving our defences to keep you safe online," Thomas said. These new security updates from Google come as part of the "Safer Internet Day" celebrations. --IANS rp/pgh/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Friends of "Scrubs" actor Sam Lloyd have started a fundraising campaign to help him cover the costs of his fight against cancer. The 55-year-old actor, known for his portrayal of lawyer Ted Buckland in the medical comedy series, was diagnosed with cancer after doctors discovered a tumour in his brain last month, reports aceshowbiz.com. They subsequently discovered the tumour was too intertwined to be removed and that it had metastasised from his lungs. The cancer is also in his liver, spine and jaw. The new GoFundMe page has raised over $16,000 towards the $100,000 goal to help pay for "medical, childcare and other expenses". --IANS dc/nn/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Fresh snowfall in the Bannihal sector on Wednesday forced closure of the Jammu-Srinagar highway. The Traffic Department was set to allow one-way traffic from Srinagar to Jammu on Wednesday, but the decision was reviewed as weather deteriorated all along the- nearly 300 km long road. "Nightlong rains triggered shooting stones in some portions of the highway in Ramsoo-Ramban sector. "Right now, the highway is closed for traffic. The decision will be again be reviewed depending upon the weather," a traffic official said. The Met has forecast widespread rain and snow in Jammu and Kashmir during the next 48 hours till Friday. --IANS sq/in (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of "unending corruption and appeasement" and claimed she was the second leader to divide Bengal after Lord Curzon, the then Viceroy of British India. Curzon announced the decision split Bengal in 1905, which separated the largely Muslim eastern areas from the largely Hindu western areas, leading to mass migration and genocide. "After Lord Curzon, Mamata Banerjee is the second leader who has divided Bengal through her appeasement She is welcoming infiltrators and beating up our own brothers and sisters. Bengal will not tolerate this," Chouhan said at a public rally here. The BJP Vice-President, who came to the rally by road after the Bengal government denied permission for his chopper to land, ridiculed Banerjee, saying she is spending more time in trying to stop the BJP rallies in the state than running her government. "People in Bengal cannot be happy till Mamata didi remains the chief minister. She is now doing everything instead of running the government. She is busy impeding the meetings of BJP," Chouhan said. "Mamata didi -- how many leaders will you stop? How long would you be able to stop them? You did not allow my helicopter to land, I reached here by car. If you stop our cars, we will come to Bengal by foot," he said. Chouhan alleged that Bengal has become a pinnacle of corruption and wrongdoings, where there are attempts to throttle peoples' voices and attack those who support the saffron outfit. "The bloodshed by our brave activists will not go in vain. The entire nation stands in solidarity with the oppressed people in Bengal. Mamata di, we will not let your autocracy and hooliganism prevail here," he said. Launching an attack on Banerjee over her recent dharna (sit-in), following a stand-off between the CBI and the Kolkata Police, he said the nation wants to know why Banerjee is trying to save an IPS officer from the CBI probe in chit fund cases. "I haven't seen such a chief minister who sits on dharna to save a police officer. The entire nation wants to know why do you want to save Rajeev Kumar so badly? If he would have been interrogated, whose corruption would have come out in the open?" Chouhan asked. "Mamata is not concerned about the poor who lost their hard earned money in the chit fund scams. She is only concerned about the police officer," he remarked. --IANS mgr/oeb/pcj (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The girls family had earlier informed the police about the boy who was allegedly stalking the girl and he had been put through counselling. The girl was attacked with a sickle-like weapon on her stomach, neck and hands and fled the scene immediately. (Photo: Representational | Pixabay) Hyderabad: A 17-year-old girl is now hospitalized; battling for life in Hyderabad after a 19-year-old student mauled her using a sickle. This happened near a bus stop on the busy Barkatpura Road on Wednesday morning, the police said. The girl, student of a private college, was walking towards the bus stop to take a bus to her college at around 9am, when 19-year-old boy named Bharat attacked her with a sickle-like weapon on her stomach, neck and hands. Bharat, immediately after the deed fled the scene and the girl who was bleeding heavily from the various wounds all over her body was rushed to a private hospital. Her condition is said to be very critical. The Kachiguda police have registered a case against the boy and are investigating the matter. The family members of the girl told the police that Bharath was stalking the girl for last few days. He was taken to the BHAROSA centre for counselling but it had little effect on him. Two days ago, he threatened the mother of the girl over phone when she asked him to mend his ways. A Delhi court on Wednesday told the Delhi Government not to sit on the file seeking sanction to proceed in a case of sedition against former JNU student leaders Kanhaiya Kumar and nine others. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Deepak Sherawat listed the matter for further hearing on February 28. The court asked Delhi Police to inform the Delhi government to expedite the file movement. The court's remarks came after Delhi Police said that sanction to prosecute the accused was still awaited. In the last hearing, the court pulled up the police asking why had it filed a charge-sheet in the sedition case without the sanction of the competent authority. The Delhi Police on January 14 filed a charge-sheet naming former JNU student leaders Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya and seven Kashmiri students as accused in the case. The charges were slapped under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) dealing with sedition, voluntarily causing hurt, forgery, using as genuine a forged document, punishment for unlawful assembly, unlawful assembly with common object, rioting and criminal conspiracy. The case involves an event organised on the JNU campus in February 2016 against the hanging of Parliament-attack mastermind Afzal Guru. Both Kumar and Khalid have questioned the filing of the chargesheet, saying it was "politically motivated" and a "diversionary ploy" by the Modi government ahead of the general elections. --IANS akk/mr/soni (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Devaswom Board, managing the affairs of Lord Ayyappa's Sabarimala temple, on Wednesday joined Kerala government in supporting the entry of women of all ages in the temple, saying that any practice has to be consistent with the dominant theme of the Constitution -- "all persons are equally entitled". The Devaswom Board spelt out its new position before the five-judge constitution bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice Indu Malhotra as it opposed a batch of petitions seeking the review of the judgment permitting women of all age groups to enter the temple. Senior counsel Rakesh Dwivedi appearing for the Devaswom Board focused on constitutional morality, which he said was not subjective but founded on Article 14, 15, 17, 21 and Article 25, and subject to other fundamental rights. Pointing to human dignity, Dwivedi said: "Practices prevailing in our temples should be in conformity with the constitutional morality." At this, Justice Indu Malhotra, who had delivered a dissenting judgment favouring non-interference with the prevailing practice, asked Dwivedi: "There's a change in stand of Devaswom Board. You had argued otherwise." "Now the Board has taken a decision to respect the judgment," Dwivedi replied. Although the Devaswom Board on Wednesday stated for the first time its changed position before the court, earlier it had sought an explanation from the Tantri for closing the temple for a while to undertake its purification including the sanctum sanctorum after two women of the menstruating age had entered the temple and offered prayers. Earlier during the Wednesday's hearing, the Kerala government opposed the review petitions, saying that there was no need to review the judgment as unconstitutional practices could not be allowed to go on. The state government's stand came with an assurance that "social peace would eventually prevail". --IANS pk/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi government on Wednesday sought public opinion on the proposed implementation of the M.S. Swaminathan Committee report for the minimum support price (MSP). The central government has set a MSP of Rs 1,744 and Rs 1,778 per quintal for wheat and paddy, respectively. Based on the recommendations of a committee set up last month, the Delhi government recalculated MSP for farmers in the state. "The proposed MSP with 50 per cent margin at the cost of production is Rs 2,616 per quintal and Rs 2,667 quintal for wheat and paddy, respectively. The proposed MSP structure is higher than the central government's MSP by Rs 776 per quintal for wheat and Rs 897 per quintal for paddy. It is likely to incur an additional liability of Rs 96.38 crore if implemented. There will be a separate mechanism for vegetable growers," Delhi Development Minister Gopal Rai said. Rai had also sought an appointment with Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh to take up the issue with him. The meeting was to take place on Wednesday, but Singh cancelled the appointment on Tuesday evening, Rai told IANS. "The Agricultural Minister had given me the time for 2 p.m. today (on Wednesday). But last evening, he cancelled the appointment, saying he is travelling. No new time is given for the meeting," Rai said. Rai stressed the meeting was important as MSP is decided by the central government. "There are also certain issues faced by farmers for which we need the Centre's support. But MSP was the focus," Rai said. On Tuesday, Rai held a meeting with farmers in Narela for devising a mechanism to implement MSP for crops on the basis of recommendations of the Swaminathan Committee. He will hold a similar meeting in Najafgarh on Thursday. People can e-mail suggestions to the government at kisansuggestions@gmail.com or jdadev.delhi@nic.in till February 12. --IANS nks/rtp/pcj/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Vishwa Hindu Parishad said on Wednesday that it decided on not holding any agitational programme on the issue of Ram temple at Ayodhya for the next four months on the advice of Hindu religious leaders and also because it did not want the issue to be linked to elections. "The elections are there. And in elections, even the holiest of the objects get muddied. We don't want it to be reduced to an electoral issue. Therefore, the 'sants' have told us that they don't want to continue any agitation or programme for four months," VHP international working president Alok Kumar said. When told that the issue has been impacting elections, he said VHP does not treat it as an electoral issue. "The issue might be affecting the electoral process but we don't treat it as an issue to win or lose elections," he said. Asked about the future course of action, he said that the religious leaders will decide the future course of elections after four months. On the impact of decision, Kumar said he did not think that the decision will send any wrong message among the Hindu community. "The Hindu community would not like the Ramjanmabhoomi issue to be reduced to an issue of election," he said. The VHP said on Tuesday that it will not hold any agitation on the issue of building Ram temple at Ayodhya for the next four months till the Lok Sabha elections are over. --IANS bns/ps/vsc/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A CRPF trooper who was reportedly denied leave committed suicide by shooting himself in Jharkhand's Latehar district on Wednesday. Police said that Birendra Kumar Rawat, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, went to his room after duty hours and shot himself with a service weapon. He was taken to a hospital where he was declared dead. --IANS ns/pg/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday accused the Central government of "sending notices" to all the opposition party leaders and people connected to them, even in petty cases, ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. "All the opposition parties are united. They (the Centre) are doing it deliberately, now, at the time of elections. There is no serious case, nothing. Not even a case of cheating," Banerjee said when asked about interrogation of Congress President Rahul Gandhi's brother-in-law Robert Vadra by the Enforcement Directorate. "They sent a notice casually to everybody. This is a larger conspiracy. We stand together. We will complain to the Election Commission against such a trend," she said at the state secretariat. Vadra, on Wednesday, appeared before the ED four days after a Delhi court ordered him to join the investigation relating to the ownership of 1.9 million pounds of undisclosed assets abroad, allegedly belonging to him. He was accompanied by his wife and Congress general secretary for Uttar Pradesh East, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Banerjee also said she would be in Delhi next Wednesday and Thursday, where the Opposition parties would take a decision on their future course of action. --IANS dm/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two days after new CBI Director Rishi Kumar Shukla took charge, the government on Wednesday shunted out two Deputy Inspector General (DIG) rank officials from the agency, including one whose name surfaced during controversy between former Director Alok Verma and his then deputy Rakesh Asthana. The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet approved the curtailment of tenure of Abhay Singh, a 2002-batch Madhya Pradesh cadre officer and Anish Prasad, a 2003 batch Tripura cadre officer, whose name figured during the clash in the agency as in favour of Verma. The Committee also promoted CBI Joint Director Praveen Sinha, a 1988-batch Gujarat cadre Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, to the post of Additional Director in the agency and DIG Amit Kumar, a 1998-batch Chhattisgarh cadre officer, to the rank of Joint Director. Anish Prasad was the head of CBI's special unit, which taps phones and also keeps an eye on the activities of agency officers, when Verma ordered to registration of an FIR against Asthana on October 15, 2018. The special unit's conduct came under scrutiny after CBI's now Additional Director M. Nageswar Rao was given charge of interim Director of the agency when the government's October 23, 2018 order divested Verma and Asthana of their powers and sent them on forced leave. Soon after, Rao moved out Prasad from the special unit. Since, Prasad has been handling the charge of the administration division. Prasad will now have to go back to Tripura with immediate effect as the government order said it is the "premature repatriation" of the the officer who is being sent to his "parent cadre consequent on curtailment of the tenure in CBI". Abhay Singh was the in-charge of the CBI's Narda sting probe involving several Trinamool Congress leaders till June 2018 but there wasn't any movement in the case due to which he was shifted to Ranchi at that time. Singh has been placed at the disposal of the union Home Ministry, the Department of Personnel order said. --IANS rak/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved thee signing of agreement between India and Ukraine for cooperation in agriculture and the food industry. The proposed agreement, which provides for cooperation in various fields of agriculture and food industry, will remain in force for a period of five years. A Joint Working Group comprising of representatives from both countries would be set up to discuss and prepare plans of cooperation in identified sectors and to monitor the implementation of tasks determined by the two parties. The meetings of the Working Group will take place at least every two years, alternately in India and Ukraine. --IANS spk/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the setting up of a circuit bench of the Calcutta High Court at West Bengal's Jalpaiguri. The bench will have jurisdiction over four districts: Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar. According to an official release, the decision comes against the backdrop of the decision of the Calcutta High Court Full Court Meeting in 1988, the cabinet decision of June 2006 approving the setting up of high court circuit bench at Jalpaiguri and the visit by a team of judges led by Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court to the proposed site of the circuit bench on August 30, 2018 to assess the progress on infrastructure facilities there. --IANS ps/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Union Cabinet on Wednesday accorded ex post facto approval to the an agreement between the Agriculture Ministry and the Ministry of Fisheries, Marine Resource and Agriculture, Maldives. It was signed in December last year during the State visit of President of Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to India. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for establishing mutual cooperation to improve the ecosystem for agribusiness provides for cooperation in the fields of agriculture census, agribusiness, integrated farming system, irrigation, improved seeds, soil health management, research, capacity building of local agribusiness, enhancing knowledge of entrepreneurs in the areas of food security and nutrition, developing climate resilient agriculture system, establishing facilities to test pesticide residues. Under the MoU, a Joint Working Group will be constituted to prepare plans of cooperation, implement the tasks determined by the parties and to indicate the implementation of activities outlined. --IANS spk/prs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The governor added that Muftis remark will not affect the security forces morale. Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik on Wednesday triggered another controversy by saying that nobody should take former chief minister Mehbooba Muftis statements seriously as her Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was breaking up and she was trying to save the party with remarks directed against the security forces and Indias political system. Mr Malik, speaking on the sidelines of a function in Jammu, said: Elections are around the corner, her party is breaking up. Her party is in a bad shape. He added: She had come to power by stirring anti-India sentiments. Nobody should take her statements seriously. The governor added that Ms Muftis remark will not affect the security forces morale. The former chief minister had earlier tweeted, after visiting a Srin-agar hospital to meet a youth from Pulwama district who had been allegedly thrashed by an Army officer who also reportedly threatened to kill him in an encounter: Visited Tawseef Wani who was allegedly beaten up by an Army major so ruthlessly that he had to be hospitalised. The irony is that his brother serves in the Army. The father of the youth had allegedly been killed by militants earlier. In another tweet, Ms Mufti said: Kashmir is a political issue and cant be resolved through military power. Armymen hailed as heroes for their bravery also need to be held accountable if they commit human rights violations... So please lets call a spade a spade instead of accusing us of demonising the Army. I have also spoken to the corps commander to take note of this incident. Reacting sharply to the governors assertions, the PDP president tweeted: Instead of taking cognisance of the brutality that the young boy has been subjected to, and ordering action against the culprits, it is sad that the honourable governor is talking politics instead. Saddened to see the constitutional authorities taking sides so brazenly. Another former chief minister, National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah, also took exception to the governors statement. He tweeted: Governor Sahib this is an unacceptable statement & an unnecessary interference in politics. At this rate it wont be long before people stop taking Raj Bhavan seriously so please consider the office you occupy before you give statements. Ms Mufti had earlier on Wednesday said that it was difficult to differentiate between the Congress and the BJP as the politics of both parties was driven by Hindutva. She tweeted: The Yogi government (Uttar Pradesh) withdrew cases against accused in Muzaffarabad riots. The Madhya Pradesh government slapped PSA (NSA) against three accused of cow slaughter. From UP to MP, political lines are getting blurred and it is difficult to differentiate between the Congress and the BJP. Hindutva drives the real politics in modern India. She was reacting to the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh recommending the withdrawal of 38 criminal cases against 100 accused in the Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013 and the MP Congress government invoking the National Security Act against three accused in a cow slaughter case. Meanwhile, former MLA and Awami Itehad Party leader Engineer Rashid said the governors statement over Ms Muftis assertions was a confession that anti-India sentiment were deep-rooted and New Delhis own people cannot survive by openly supporting its aggression. Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday claimed that his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will emerge victorious in all 29 Lok Sabha seats in the state in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. "I can promise that BJP will emerge victorious in all 29 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh in the 2019 elections," he said while addressing a public meeting in West Bengal's Kharagpur. Referring to his close defeat in the hands of Congress in the November 2018 Assembly polls, Chouhan, who was subsequently elevated as party Vice President, claimed that in spite of defeat, his party's vote share was higher and that none of the parties could get an absolute majority in the election. "You will say that we have lost in Madhya Pradesh. But the truth is no one managed to win the state with an absolute majority. Our vote share was higher than them (Congress). We were ahead in 17 Lok Sabha seats while the Congress was ahead in 12 seats," he said. He also claimed that the Congress led government is Madhya Pradesh is unstable and can falter anytime. The Congress won in 114 of 230 assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh while the BJP, that ruled the state for three consecutive terms, managed 109 seats. Ridiculing the opposition alliance as "a marriage procession without the groom" , Chouhan said all the "corrupt leaders" have come together fearing the popularity and charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Earlier, the BJP had called off Chouhan's rally in West Bengal's Murshidabad district after his helicopter was denied permission to land. The former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister had been due to speak at two rallies -- at Baharampur in Murshidabad and then at Kharagpur in West Midnapore district. He reached the venue at the rally at Kharagpur by road from the Kolkata airport. --IANS mgr/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Bharartiya Janata Party, as part of its Lok Sabha poll strategy in Tamil Nadu, will send its activists to meet beneficiaries of various central government schemes, a party leader said on Wednesday. "The list of beneficiaries of various central government schemes is under preparation. Once it is ready, party members will explain to beneficiaries how they benefitted by the schemes of the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi," the party's state OBC Morcha chief S.K. Kharventhan told IANS. "Party members will also reach out OBC people who were benefitted under the central government schemes," he added. Kharventhan said the party members will light lamps on February 26 under the Kamal Jyoti programme, while on March 12, there will be a two-wheeler rally by party members under the Kamal Sankalp programme. --IANS vj/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ruckus by the BJP on Wednesday forced Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala to cut short his joint address to the state Assembly at the start of the 10-day Budget session. Even as Vala was reading out his speech in Hindi, Bharatiya Janata Party members walked towards the Chair and raised slogans against the JD-S-Congress coalition government, causing pandemonium in which his voice could not be heard. The address by the Governor ended in less than five minutes amid the ruckus. Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, who also holds the Finance portfolio, will present the state Budget for fiscal 2019-20 in the Assembly on Friday. --IANS bha-fb/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The 10-day budget session of the Karnataka legislature began on a stormy note on Wednesday with BJP legislators disrupting Governor Vajubhai Vala's address to its joint sitting. As soon as Vala began his address in Hindi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members walked towards the Chair and started raising slogans against the state's JD-S-Congress coalition government, drowning his voice. With the opposition members refusing to hear him out in the pandemonium, the Governor abruptly stopped his speech after reading only two pages and left the Assembly. Soon after, Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar tabled the Governor's speech as 'read' and copies of Vala's joint address were circulated in Kannada and English to the members of the Assembly and Council. The Speaker made obituary references to the state's iconic seer Shivakumara Swami, who passed away on January 21, and Mangaluru-born former Defence Minister George Fernandes, who died on January 29. Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, BJP leader in the Lower House B.S. Yeddyurappa and Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara also paid tributes to the seer and Fernandes. Kumaraswamy, who also holds the Finance portfolio, will present the state Budget for fiscal 2019-20 in the Assembly on Friday. --IANS bha-fb/rtp/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The 10-day Budget session of the Karnataka legislature began on a stormy note on Wednesday with BJP legislators disrupting Governor Vajubhai Vala's address to the joint sitting. As soon as Vala began his address in Hindi, Bharatiya Janata Party members walked towards the Chair and started raising slogans against the state's JD-S-Congress coalition government, drowning his voice. With the opposition members refusing to hear him out in the pandemonium, the Governor abruptly stopped his speech after reading only two pages and left the Assembly. Soon after, Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar tabled the Governor's speech as 'read' and copies of Vala's joint address were circulated in Kannada and English to the members of the Assembly and Council. The Speaker made obituary references to the State's iconic seer Shivakumara Swami, who passed away on January 21, and Mangaluru-born former Defence Minister George Fernandes, who died on January 29. Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, BJP leader in the Lower House B.S. Yeddyurappa, and Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara also paid tributes to the seer and Fernandes. Kumaraswamy, who also holds the Finance portfolio, will present the State Budget for fiscal 2019-20 in the Assembly on Friday. Speaking to the media outside the Assembly, BJP legislator from Chitradurga district, B. Sriramulu, said the party was protesting against the coalition government's alleged failure to waive farm loans fully. "The coalition government has failed in supporting the farmers and waiving their farm loans. We will continue our protests in the House to highlight the government's failures," Sriramulu told reporters. Stating that the coalition government did not have the support of all their legislators, he said, "Kumaraswamy must step down as the Chief Minister." Congress leader and State's Minister for Large and Medium Scale Industries K.J. George said that the BJP was free to move a 'no-confidence' motion. "There is no use of the BJP creating a ruckus in the Assembly. If they are uncertain that the coalition has the support of the majority, they are free to move a no-confidence motion," he retorted. The state unit Congress in a tweet in Kannada termed the disruption by the BJP as a "disrespect" to the Governor and the House. --IANS bha/oeb (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is seriously looking for allies in the southern states for the coming Lok Sabha elections to improve its tally from 21 to make up for possible losses in the Hindi heartland states where it had made almost a clean sweep in the last polls. The BJP has been making determined efforts to make inroads into the South, particularly after its victory in the last Lok Sabha polls, and is keen to improve its number of seats in the region where it has been perceived to be weak except in Karnataka. Party leaders IANS spoke to feel the party will need allies to even retain the 21 Lok Sabha seats it had won in the 2014 general elections. Of these 21 seats, the BJP won 17 in Karnataka alone, the state which still remains its gateway to the South. The five southern states -- Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Kerala besides Puducherry -- account for 130 Lok Sabha seats. A top BJP functionary, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, conceded that the southern states remain a challenge for the party. "Without alliance in southern states, we won't be able to even retain the existing seats. It remains a significant challenge for us," the functionary told IANS. "Besides strengthening the party and (Narendra) Modiji's charisma, we need to forge alliances with regional parties," he said. While Karnataka is the only southern state where the BJP has had a chief minister, challenges for the party have grown over the past year after it emerged as the single largest party in the last state assembly elections. The Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular are running a coalition government in the state and will contest the Lok Sabha elections together unlike the assembly polls, which they fought separately. The BJP has also lost a key state leader in Ananth Kumar, a six-time party MP, who passed away in November 2018. However, the BJP leadership is hopeful of meeting the challenge posed by the Congress-JD-S combine. Together they accounted for 56 per cent vote share in the last assembly polls (Congress 38 per cent and JD-S 18.4 per cent). But BJP leaders feel the Lok Sabha elections will be different as it will be a choice between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and "a disjointed opposition" that does not have a clear leader. There is also some evident unease in the ruling state alliance. "The alliance of the Congress and the JD-S in Karnataka would not make much difference to us. There are some constituencies where both parties are head to head and at worst we get one or two seats less than the last elections," a senior party leader associated with party affairs in Karnataka said. The BJP is also keenly looking for alliance in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. In Tamil Nadu, the BJP and the ruling AIADMK are inching to a formal alliance and the saffron party is also keen that actor-turned-politician Rajnikanth joins the alliance. The party had won one Lok Sabha seat in the state in 2014. "Efforts are on, but how it will take shape we can't say right now. Modiji has good relations with AIADMK leaders," another party leader said. He said Rajnikanth can fill the political space created by deaths of AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa and DMK leader M. Karunanidhi. "Neither (M. K.) Stalin nor any AIADMK leader has the kind of appeal which Jayalalithaa or Karunanidhi had," he said. In 2014, the AIADMK swept the general elections in Tamil Nadu and the BJP could win only one seat. In Andhra Pradesh, where the BJP had won two seats in 2014, the party appears keen on alliance either with the YSRC Party of Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy or with the JanaSena of Pawan Kalyan after the TDP quit the NDA last year over the issue of special category status to the state. However, none of the two regional parties appears keen to be seen close to the BJP because the ruling party at the Centre is being portrayed in the state as "anti-Andhra" over the demand of special category state. "But possibilities can never be ruled out in politics," BJP General Secretary Murlidhar Rao told IANS. In Telangana, where the BJP won one seat in 2014, the party has made up its mind to go alone as its leaders are of the view that possibility of alliance with the TRS has almost finished after the Assembly polls last year, which were swept by the ruling party. In Kerala, the BJP feels it would be in serious contention in at least five seats. Party leaders claim their stand of trying to protect the tradition of the Sabarimala temple will help the party electorally. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP had a vote share of 10.33 per cent, which went up to 15.10 in the 2016 Assembly elections. The BJP also opened its account in the state. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance has completed one round of seat distribution talks. The Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), NJP's ally, has sought eight seats and the Kerala Congress (Thomas) one. (Brajendra Nath Singh can be contacted at brajendra.n@ians.in) --IANS bns/ps/pcj (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The 10-day Budget session of the Karnataka legislature began on a stormy note on Wednesday with the opposition BJP legislators disrupting Governor Vajubhai Vala's address and 10 Congress lawmakers skipping the joint session. Though the session began cordially at 11 a.m. with the Governor reading his address in Hindi, 5 minutes later, about 30-40 BJP members trooped into well of the House, raising slogans against the JD-S-Congress coalition government and made the former's speech inaudible in the din. As the BJP sloganeering intensified, Vala abruptly cut short his speech and concluded by reading the last page of his address. Soon after the Governor left, Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar tabled his address as 'read' for adoption by the House after a motion of thanks during the budget session till February 15. Kumar adjourned the House after the House paid tributes to state's iconic seer Shivakumara Swami, who passed away at Tumakuru on January 21, and Mangaluru-born former Defence Minister George Fernandes, who died in New Delhi on January 29. The BJP's contention is that the coalition government had no moral right to continue as it has "lost" the majority in the lower House. The Congress state unit in a tweet in Kannada termed the disruption by the BJP as a "disrespect" to the Governor and the House. Defying the chief whip issued by Ganesh Prakash Hukkeri on Tuesday to the ruling Congress lawmakers for attending the session, party spokesman Rizawan Arshad told reporters 9 members, including the four arebels' were absent at the joint session. Besides the rebels -- Ramesh Jharkiholi, Mahesh Kumatalli, Umesh Jadhav and B. Nagendra, other five are Basanagouda Daddal (Raichur Rural), B C Patil (Hirekerur), Paratapgouda Patil (Maski), B. Ramalinga Reddy and his daughter Sowmay Reddy from Bengaluru assembly segments. Congress legislator from Kampli J N Ganesh, who is facing attempt to murder charge for attacking his party's Vijayanagar MLA Anand Singh at a resort near Bengaluru recently, was also not seen in the House during the session. Three BJP legislators were also conspicuously absent from the House. "Our three legislators -- Karunakara Reddy, Doddannagouda Patil and Chinnappa Nimbannavar -- had taken permission from party leaders for not being able to attend the session for personal reasons," BJP state unit spokesman Vamanacharya told IANS here. Two legislators, H. Nagesh of Karnataka Pragnavantha Janatha Party (KPJP) and Independent R. Shankar, who withdrew their support to the coalition government last month were also not present at the legislature session. Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) member Narayan Gowda (K R Pet) was also absent. In the 225-member Assembly, including one nominated from the Anglo-India community, the Congress has 80, including the Speaker, JD-S 37, BJP 104 and remaining are an Independent and one each from the BSP and the KPJP. Defending the protest against the ruling alliance partners, BSP's state unit president and opposition leader in the House B.S. Yeddyurappa said as the government was not stable due to arevolt in the Congress and serious differences with the JD-S, the government had no moral right to continue. Yeddyurappa, however, reiterated that the BJP would not move a no-confidence motion against the coalition government. "We will neither move the no-confidence motion nor approach the Governor. The government will collapse on its own, given the bickering among the MLAs. I have learnt that 10-12 Congress MLAs did not attended the session," Yeddyurappa told reporters outside the House. Congress Minister for Large and Medium Scale Industries K.J. George said the BJP was free to move a "no-confidence" motion. "There is no use of the BJP creating a ruckus in the Assembly. If they are uncertain that the coalition has the support of the majority, they are free to move a no-confidence motion," he retorted. Chief Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy of the JD-S, who also holds the Finance portfolio, is scheduled to present the state budget for ensuing fiscal (2019-20) in the Assembly on Friday afternoon, amidst growing uncertainty over the continuation of the 8-month-old coalition government. --IANS bha-fb/prs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) West Bengal Pradesh Congress President Somen Mitra on Wednesday demanded that a CBI probe into the Ponzi scam be accelerated and criticised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for not taking action against the "culprits". Taking a swipe at Banerjee's "Save Constitution" dharna on Sunday evening after a team of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials showed up at Kolkata Police Chief Rajeev Kumar's doorstep, Mitra said her sit-in cannot be compared with Mahatma Gandhi's satyagraha against the British rulers. "The inquiry should be done by the CBI. Those who are the culprits should be arrested immediately. Around 20,000 depositors are suffering. Today we are forced to hit the roads because we saw people being exploited by the Bengal Chief Minister who is not taking any steps," Mitra said at a public rally here. "Mahatma Gandhi sat on satyagraha to prove the truth. But here I am seeing that you are sitting on satyagraha in order to prove the injustice right. The Chief Minister has sat on satyagraha, let her do it, we have no objection but do not compare her satyagraha with that of Mahatma Gandhi's," he said. The veteran Congress leader also criticised top cop Rajeev Kumar for going to a "hideout" instead of cooperating with the CBI sleuths. "Why is he running away from the CBI? We run only when we have committed any crime. The CBI also called me. I told I will be present whenever they call me because I have a certain opinion about the agency," he said. "He (Kumar) could have challenged the identity of the CBI officials. The reason is that there is some kind of guilt in his heart and didi (Banerjee) is trying to guard someone who is guilty" he added. --IANS str/mgr/oeb/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A day after poll strategist and Janata Dal-U Vice President Prashant Kishore called on Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, BJP leaders were on Wednesday optimistic of an alliance materialising soon. This comes 15 months after the Sena had announced that it would contest all future elections on its own. Even Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut gave pointed indicators saying "things will be clear very soon" though he chose to describe Kishore's luncheon meeting with Thackeray and his son Aditya Thackeray as "a courtesy visit". Kishore's JD-U, which is part of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA like the Sena, was accorded a warm welcome by the Thackerays on Tuesday, sparking off intense speculation in political circles. "Today, we had a special visitor over lunch. Some great talks," said Aditya Thackeray on the development. Kishore reciprocated with a tweet: "As part of NDA, we look forward to joining forces with you in Maharashtra to help secure victory in upcoming Lok Sabha elections and beyond." Though Sena leaders continue to be in denial mode, Kishore's tweets hinted at the possibility of an alliance for both parliamentary and Assembly elections in the state this year. After the Sena's unilateral announcement in October 2017 that it would "go it alone in all future elections", the BJP's state and central leaders have been moving mountains to convince it for an alliance as elections loom ahead. Much to the ally's discomfiture, the Sena dismissed all overtures, continued targeting both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah and adopted a tough posture that the "next CM in Maharashtra will be from the Sena". However, after Kishore's sudden visit, the state BJP is feeling optimistic that the pre-poll partnership may finally be a reality, a party leader said. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP-Sena alliance won 41 out of 48 seats, but split barely six months later and contested the assembly elections separately. The Sena managed to scrape through and later joined the BJP-led state government. --IANS qn/vm/am/prs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Despite whips issued by various parties to their legislators to be present on the first day of the Budget session of Karnataka legislature, as many as nine MLAs from the Congress and three from the BJP on Wednesday were found absent from the House. The nine Congress legislators who were absent included the four rebel MLAs -- Ramesh Jharkiholi, Mahesh Kumatalli, Umesh Jadhav and B. Nagendra. One legislator from ruling alliance partner Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S), Narayana Gowda, also skipped the House proceedings. With some Congress legislators skipping the joint session, which was addressed by Governor Vajubhai Vala, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators disrupted the House claiming the JD-S-Congress coalition did not have the support of majority. The 10-day legislature session took off on a stormy note with anti-government sloganeering by the BJP legislators, forcing the Governor to end his speech within five minutes. "Our three legislators -- Karunakara Reddy, Doddannagouda Patil and Chinnappa Nimbannavar -- had taken permission from the party leaders for not being able to attend the session due to personal reasons," BJP state unit spokesman Vamanacharya told IANS here. The Governor "cannot be delivering" the Budget speech when the government is not in majority, the BJP spokesman alleged. Asserting that the coalition government did not have the support of all their legislators, BJP MLA from Chitradurga district B. Sriramulu said: "H.D. Kumaraswamy must step down as the Chief Minister." "CM has not waived off farmers' loans as promised in the previous Budget and now he is all set to present a new Budget. This anti-farmer government has no moral right to present a bogus Budget when they could not fulfil the promises they made in the last Budget," the BJP state unit later tweeted. Congress leader and state's Minister for Large and Medium Scale Industries K.J. George said the BJP was free to move a "no-confidence" motion. "There is no use of the BJP creating a ruckus in the Assembly. If they are uncertain that the coalition has the support of the majority, they are free to move a no-confidence motion," he retorted. Two legislators, H. Nagesh of Karnataka Pragnavantha Janatha Party (KPJP) and Independent R. Shankar, who withdrew their support to the coalition government last month were also not present at the legislature session. Kumaraswamy, who also holds the Finance portfolio, will present the state Budget for fiscal 2019-20 in the Assembly on Friday. In the 225-member Assembly, including one nominated from the Anglo-India community, the Congress has 80, including the Speaker, JD-S 37, BJP 104 and remaining are an Independent and one each from the BSP and the KPJP. Although the BJP has assured the coalition allies that it would not bring a no-confidence motion in the Assembly during the Budget session, the absence of Congress legislators in the House by defying the whip would defeat the money bill due to lack of strength. --IANS bha/nir (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Kerala government also asserted in the court that social tension or disturbance of peace is not a ground to review the judgment. The TDB, which runs the famous hilltop shrine of Lord Ayyappa in Kerala, also on Wednesday opposed a batch of pleas seeking review of the Supreme Court verdict, even as several organisations sought reconsideration of the judgment. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved its verdict on the 54 review petitions filed after its judgment of September 28, 2018, on entry of women into the Sabarimala shrine. After recording the submissions, the five-judge Constitution Bench, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, asked counsels for the parties to file their written submissions and did not specify any date for pronouncing the verdict. The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which had earlier opposed the verdict, on Wednesday took a U-turn and told the Bench that it was high time that a particular class not be discriminated on the ground of biological attributes. The TDB, which runs the famous hilltop shrine of Lord Ayyappa in Kerala, also on Wednesday opposed a batch of pleas seeking review of the Supreme Court verdict, even as several organisations sought reconsideration of the judgment. The Kerala government also asserted in the court that social tension or disturbance of peace is not a ground to review the judgment. As many as 65 petitions, including 56 review petitions and four fresh writ petitions and five transfer pleas, were filed in the court after its verdict had sparked violent protests in Kerala. The TDBs sudden change in stance surprised the bench, also comprising Justices R.F. Nariman, A.M. Khanwilkar, D.Y. Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra, as in earlier round of litigation, the TDB had opposed the PIL by Indian Young Lawyers Association seeking to throw open the shrine for all women. Although the TDB, for the first time, changed its position before the court, it had sought an explanation from the head priest for closing the temple to undertake its purification after two women aged below 50 had entered the temple and offered prayers. The TDB said its decision to back womens entry into the Ayyappa shrine was not due to any pressure following the Kerala governments sta-nd on the issue. TDB president A. Padmak-umar told reporters in Thiruvanathapuram: The board does not have to take a decision under pressure following the government stand on the verdict. Senior counsel Jaideep Gupta, appearing for the Kerala government, opposed the review petitions. He said that no grounds were made out for review. The essential practice of an individual temple cannot be regarded as essential practice of a religion. Exclusion of women was not essential to Hindu religion, submitted the counsel. He said social tension or disturbance of peace cannot be a ground to overturn the judgment and Kerala was committed to implement it. When Justice Indu Malhotra asked senior counsel Rakesh Diwedi whether there is any change of stand by TDB, Mr. Diwedi said the board has taken a decision to respect the judgment and follow it. He said the judgment of September 28, 2018 seeks to bring an important change in society. Women cannot be excluded from any walk of life on biological attributes... Equality is the dominant theme of the Constitution, Mr Diwedi said. Advocate Indira Jaising, appearing for Kanaka Durga and Bindu Ammini the two women who entered Sabarimala to pray said that what was being witnessed was not just a case of exclusion but of social boycott. She said that shopkeepers have been asked not to have any kind of dealings with the two women. The fact is that the menstruating women are seen as polluting in this country, Ms Jaising said. She also noted that worship also came under freedom of conscience. Advocate P.V.Dinesh, who appeared for a 10-year-old Hyderabad girl, contended that if a 10-year-old girl can breach the eternal celibacy of God, then a child is being portrayed as a sexual object. The Sensex and the Nifty trimmed gains after hitting fresh intraday high in mid-afternoon trade. At 14:22 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 332.20 points or 0.91% at 36,949.01. The Nifty 50 index was up 118.65 points or 1.09% at 11,053. The Nifty was currently trading above the psychologically important 11,000 mark after crossing that level in early trade. Indices opened higher and hit fresh intraday high in early trade. Benchmarks pared gains in morning trade. Barometers firmed up once again in mid-morning trade. Indices firmed up further in afternoon trade. Broader market witnessed selling. Among secondary barometers, the BSE Mid-Cap index was down 0.60%. The BSE Small-Cap index was down 0.28%. The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was weak. On BSE, 887 shares rose and 1578 shares fell. A total of 139 shares were unchanged. Most realty shares declined. Parsvnath Developers (down 13.86%), D B Realty (down 4.89%), Unitech (down 4.35%), Housing Development and Infrastructure (HDIL) (down 3.99%), Peninsula Land (down 3.88%), Anant Raj (down 2.38%), Indiabulls Real Estate (down 2.24%), Phoenix Mills (down 0.91%), DLF (down 0.78%), Mahindra Lifespace Developers (down 0.46%), Sunteck Realty (down 0.09%) and Omaxe (down 0.05%), edged lower. Sobha (up 0.16%), Prestige Estates Projects (up 0.6%), Oberoi Realty (up 0.62%) and Godrej Properties (up 1.48%), edged higher. Cement shares advanced. Ambuja Cements (up 2.22%), UltraTech Cement (up 1.77%) and ACC (up 0.67%), edged higher. Grasim Industries was up 3.24%. Grasim has exposure to cement sector through its holding in UltraTech Cement. Overseas, European stocks traded lower Wednesday, as market participants monitored another batch of earnings results. Market focus was largely attuned to President Donald Trump's state of the union address on Tuesday, after he vowed to build a wall that is a source of a deep partisan divide. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 ended higher. China and several other markets in the region are closed for the Lunar New Year holiday. US stocks closed higher Tuesday, as investors continued to sort through corporate earnings while awaiting President Donald Trump's State of the Union address in the evening. President Donald Trump called for unity in his opening remarks at his second State of the Union address, and promised to lay out the agenda of the American people. Trump added that he wants a US immigration system that is safe, lawful, modern and secure as he seeks funding for a border wall rejected by Democrats. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Reliance Industries Ltd is quoting at Rs 1311.1, up 1.51% on the day as on 12:44 IST on the NSE. The stock is up 46.59% in last one year as compared to a 5.31% spurt in NIFTY and a 12.2% spurt in the Nifty Energy. Reliance Industries Ltd is up for a fifth straight session in a row. The stock is quoting at Rs 1311.1, up 1.51% on the day as on 12:44 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 0.9% on the day, quoting at 11033.3. The Sensex is at 36886.04, up 0.74%. Reliance Industries Ltd has risen around 18.68% in last one month. Meanwhile, Nifty Energy index of which Reliance Industries Ltd is a constituent, has risen around 8.78% in last one month and is currently quoting at 15198.95, up 1.18% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 52.51 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 98.41 lakh shares in last one month. The benchmark February futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 1315, up 1.63% on the day. Reliance Industries Ltd is up 46.59% in last one year as compared to a 5.31% spurt in NIFTY and a 12.2% spurt in the Nifty Energy index. The PE of the stock is 23.17 based on TTM earnings ending December 18. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) GlaxoSmithkline Consumer Healthcare Ltd is quoting at Rs 7610, up 0.16% on the day as on 12:44 IST on the NSE. The stock is up 21.15% in last one year as compared to a 5.31% gain in NIFTY and a 11.87% gain in the Nifty FMCG. GlaxoSmithkline Consumer Healthcare Ltd rose for a fifth straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 7610, up 0.16% on the day as on 12:44 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 0.9% on the day, quoting at 11033.3. The Sensex is at 36886.04, up 0.74%. GlaxoSmithkline Consumer Healthcare Ltd has added around 1.63% in last one month. Meanwhile, Nifty FMCG index of which GlaxoSmithkline Consumer Healthcare Ltd is a constituent, has added around 1.24% in last one month and is currently quoting at 29759.85, up 0.5% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 4235 shares today, compared to the daily average of 18454 shares in last one month. The PE of the stock is 37.47 based on TTM earnings ending September 18. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nepal government has made it mandatory for Indian citizens who come to work in Nepal's industries and other institutions to possess necessary work permits. Nepal's department of labour and occupational safety on Wednesday has ordered all its labour offices throughout the country to finalise the actual number of Indian workers working in different sectors in the country. "While inspecting the institutions the number of Indian workers would be updated and if they don't have a work permit then inform the institution to take the work permit is directed hereby," the letter signed by Prashant Shah, department's Industry Inspector states. Untill now, as part of special ties between India and Nepal, no permit is required for Indian nationals working in Nepal and vice versa. The government's move could be considered as a part of its efforts to secure the open border that Nepal shares with India. Last month, the Nepal Rastra Bank banned the circulation of Indian currency notes of Rs 200, Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 in the country. So far, there has been no formal response from the Indian government on this development. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Launching a scathing attack over the tussle between the CBI and West Bengal Police, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra on Tuesday said that the Supreme Court's verdict is a "big slap" on the face of West Bengal government. Speaking to ANI over TMC supremo Dharna here, Patra said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday ended her 'Save the Constitution dharna,' which she had started on Sunday night after the CBI's attempt to arrest Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar. Addressing a gathering in Kolkata, Chief Minister Banerjee said: "This Save the Constitution dharna is a victory for the Constitution and democracy. So let us end it today. When we started this dharna only after consulting all political parties and after that, they extended their full support." She said that she would take her fight against the Central government to Delhi next week. "Next we will do a programme in Delhi. I can go on with the 'dharna' but now that we have got justice from one pillar of democracy, that is, judiciary I announce to end the 'dharna.' The Supreme Court gave a positive judgment today," she said. "This 'dharna' was to save our democracy, Constitution, IAS-IPS officers, agencies, civil servants. This 'dharna' is a victory for the people, democracy and the Constitution," added Banerjee. The Chief Minister also said that the Central government's claim that Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar had joined her in the protest was not true. "The truth is Rajeev Kumar never joined the protest. Is Rajeev Kumar their nightmare? Why are they so scared of? As per the protocol wherever PM, CM or any other minister or Governor goes, the police always has to be with them to give them security," she said. A full-blown face-off between Chief Minister Banerjee led TMC government and the Centre erupted after a CBI team moved to arrest Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar. CBI officials were denied entry to the top cop's residence and were detained briefly too. Escalating her confrontation with the Centre, Chief Minister Banerjee started a sit-in on Sunday night to protest against what the TMC called a 'coup' by Prime Minister Modi led NDA government at the Centre. The Supreme Court on Tuesday, however, directed Kumar to appear before the CBI in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam probe. But the bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said that no coercive step should be taken against Kumar, who will appear before the CBI in Shillong in Meghalaya. The Supreme Court, which posted further hearing in the case to February 20, also issued a contempt notice to West Bengal Chief Secretary, the DGP and the Kolkata Police Commissioner on a plea which said that a CBI team was detained when it went to question Kumar on Sunday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has put its campaign for bringing an ordinance for the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya on hold for four months in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. "If we look forward to conducting a protest, then people will say that we are doing so to influence the people ahead of the Lok Sabha elections and we are trying to support a particular party. Hence, the seers have decided that for the next four months, we are not going to hold any protest for construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya," VHP Joint General Secretary, Surendra Jain, said. However, Jain made it clear that the VHP will continue to demand the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya immediately after the 2019 general elections. "We have only stalled it. We have put it on hold for some time because of the Lok Sabha elections, but soon after that we will again come forward with the demand for an ordinance to build Ram temple," Jain added. The move comes a week after the central government approached the Supreme Court for permission to return 67 acres of land surrounding the disputed portion in Ayodhya to its original owners including Ram Janambhoomi Nyas. The government, in a petition, had sought a direction for releasing the land, which it had acquired about two-and-a-half decades back, leaving untouched 0.313 acres of the disputed area. The top court had earlier cancelled the hearing in the Ayodhya title suit, which was slated for January 29 by a five-judge bench due to the unavailability of Justice SA Bobde. In 2010, the Allahabad High Court had divided the disputed land in Ayodhya into three parts for each of the parties - Sunni Waqf Board, Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) United States Senate on Tuesday approved legislation which includes a provision warning US President Donald Trump not to precipitously withdraw troops from Afghanistan and Syria until terrorist groups in the regions are destroyed. The bill passed on a broad bipartisan vote, 77 to 23, reported CNN. Furthermore, the legislation imposes new sanctions on Syria and boosts the US' military alliances with neighbours of war-torn Syria including Israel and Jordan. This move will also make it easier for states and localities to approve laws to combat the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, or BDS, a movement against Israel. However, the Democrats are divided on the BDS element of the bill as some of them are saying it hinders the free-speech rights of the American citizens to support boycott efforts against Israel for its treatment of Palestinians and other concerns. Democrats also alleged that the Republicans purposefully added the BDS provision to a package that otherwise has bipartisan support to put political pressure on Democrats to vote against a bill that is viewed as pro-Israel. 22 of 47 Democrats voted against the bill. It is pertinent to note that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who is a Republican, authored the amendment urging Trump to keep troops in Syria and Afghanistan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US State Department Secretary Michael R. Pompeo on Tuesday spoke with Afghanistan's President Ghani and reaffirmed the US commitment to achieving a lasting peace in Afghanistan. "The Secretary underscored Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad's role in facilitating an inclusive peace process," states a press release from the US State Department. Pompeo also emphasised the importance of an intra-Afghan dialogue and the role of ceasefire in ending the violence and creating the conditions for the Afghan government, other Afghan leaders and the Taliban to sit together and negotiate a political settlement. The Secretary further stressed the important gains made by the Afghan people since 2001 and Washington's desire for a long-term partnership with Afghanistan. Meanwhile, US Senate on Tuesday approved legislation which includes a provision warning US President Donald Trump not to precipitously withdraw troops from Afghanistan and Syria until terrorist groups in the regions are destroyed. Trump, in December, had announced that army troops will be pulled out from Afghanistan as well as Syria. Last week, US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad had announced that the US and Taliban have agreed in principle to chalk out a framework for a deal that could end the 17-year old conflict in Afghanistan, during the six-day long talks in Doha. During a press briefing at the Oval Office in White House on Friday, US President Donald Trump stated that Afghanistan is seeking for "very serious negotiations for the first time" on peace efforts in the past 18 years while adding "there's a reason for that". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress leader Sanjay Singh on Wednesday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that he, unfortunately, does not have a single poster of himself along with his wife Jashodaben Modi, despite being married. "It is unfortunate for Modi ji that despite being married, he does not have a single poster of himself along with his wife. Robert Vadra is Priyanka's husband, hope this relationship lasts for long. Their names have been dragged in various things but the BJP has not been able to prove it," Singh told reporters here. He made the comments after posters came up outside the AICC office featuring Congress president Rahul Gandhi along with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who has recently been inducted as the party's general secretary for Uttar Pradesh East, and her husband Robert Vadra late on Tuesday. The posters were later taken down by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). The posters came a day after Priyanka returned to the capital following her trip abroad. Soon after her arrival, Priyanka conducted a meeting with Rahul and other prominent members of the party to review the ongoing preparations for the Lok Sabha polls. Further taking a swipe at the Prime Minister, Singh added: "Today, Robert Vadra is appearing before the ED, tomorrow Modi ji will appear before the ED." Vadra is slated to appear before the ED pertaining to a 2009 petroleum deal case later in the day. A Delhi court had given Vadra interim bail till February 16 in connection with a money laundering case. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Andhra Pradesh Police has arrested two persons accused in connection with the death of NRI entrepreneur Chigurupati Jayaram. The arrested duo - K Rakesh Reddy and D Srinivas have reportedly confessed to killing the businessman. Police said they used CCTV footage and cell phone signals to nab the accused. Krishna district Superintendent of Police, Sarvashresh Tripathy told ANI: "On February 1 we received information about a dead body lying in a car at Ithavaram area in the limits of Nandigama police station. Immediately the Nandigama police reached the spot and shifted the body to the local government hospital for post mortem examination." The SP said the two were nabbed after a chase and have been charged under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. According to police Reddy had loaned huge around Rs 4 crores to Jayaram, after the NRI entrepreneur approached him seeking financial help and was miffed as he did not get it back. Reddy reportedly lured Jayaram to his Bajara Hills residence and allegedly attacked him resulting in the industrialist's death. Reddy, with the help of his watchman, put the dead body in the car and brought it to Ithavaram, Krishna District and fled leaving the car behind. Earlier, Shika Chowdhary, daughter-in-law of Jayaram was questioned by police for her alleged involvement in the murder. Jayaram owned a TV news channel and is also the managing director of the Vijayawada Coastal Bank. Police said further investigation is underway in the case. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Consequently, they will not be allowed to carry out any business in the securities market. New Delhi: As the ministry of corporate affairs is all set to take action against fraudulent stockbrokers in the Rs 5,600-crore National Spot Exchange (NSEL) scam, the brokers body is upset about the ministrys move. Reacting the move, Uttam Bagri, chairman of the Bombay Stock Exchange Brokers Forum (BBF), said, Any across-the-board action on hundreds of intermediaries affects the entire financial ecosystem. The masterminds of the scam are attempting to divert the regulatory attention from them by targeting brokers who are the victims themselves." Brokers, however, feel that if the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) adjudicates, then the markets regulator will declare 300 brokers as not fit and proper. Consequently, they will not be allowed to carry out any business in the securities market. This will have serious repercussions on the capital markets. If Sebi stops 300 brokers from doing business, millions of retail investors will panic and lose their hard-earned money and foreign investors will flee India. It will be catastrophic, to say the least, said another senior official at an industry forum. The Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) has found that over 148 brokers are involved in the massive NSEL scam. Sources said that the SFIO has got nod from the ministry to prosecute them. The SFIO has also got instructions from the ministry to file winding up petition against at least 20 defaulting companies. It has also been asked to take action against the auditors of all the companies, the source added. As a part of the NSEL investigation, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has issued notices to 300 brokers after Sebi filed FIRs against 300 brokers. The notices allege that forward contracts on NSEL were illegal under the Forward Contracts Regulation Act (FCRA) 1952. The show-cause notice questions the fit and proper status of these brokers. The illegality of transaction is because NSEL was set up to trade in spot transactions, but was not authorised to allow trading in forward contracts. Spot transactions must be settled in 11 days. The paired contracts issued by NSEL and passed on by brokers to their clients went beyond the prescribed period of 11 days and therefore were illegal. A senior criminal lawyer on condition of anonymity said, A crime is a crime. For criminal law, nobody is big or small, nobody is rich or poor; the law applies to everybody the same way. For similar crime, punishment has to be similar and together. The Sebi has to take similar action against at least 300 brokers. At its peak, there were more than 600 brokers who issued such contract notes to their clients. These brokers together constitute a dominant part of the capital market with funds and securities of several million investors. It could possibly cause a system collapse, the lawyer added. US president Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) confirmed he will hold a second Summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on February 27 and 28 in Vietnam. Trump made the confirmation while addressing the House of Representatives during his annual State of the Union speech. He said the US would have been in a "major war" with North Korea had he not been elected president. "If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea. Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong-un is a good one. Chairman Kim and I will meet again on February 27th and 28th in Vietnam," Trump said. US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun is also slated to visit Pyongyang today to hold a meeting with his North Korean counterpart Kim Hyok Chol to discuss the second meeting between the leaders of the two countries. During the first Summit, held at Singapore's Sentosa Island, both Trump and Kim had agreed on a spectrum of issues, the most prominent being the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. However, the US and North Korea reached an impasse regarding sanctions relief for Pyongyang soon after the first Summit, leading to extremely slow progress on the denuclearisation front. North Korea has sought relief in sanctions in light of the steps taken by the country towards denuclearisation. The US has repeatedly stated that there would be no sanctions relief until complete denuclearisation is achieved by North Korea. While advocating bipartisanship in American during his State of the Union address, Trump maintained his stance on "illegal immigrants" and asserted he will build the proposed wall along the border with Mexico. Trump also touched upon a number of other issues, including withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and Syria, the tariffs imposed on China, rise of anti-Semitic sentiments, healthcare and infrastructure. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The commander of the United States Central Command, who monitors military operations in the Middle East, on Tuesday, divulged that he "was not consulted" before US President Donald Trump's December announcement about the withdrawal of troops from Syria. Denying Trump's claims that ISIS has been defeated, General Joseph Votel stated that the war against ISIS is "not over" and warned that the terror group could regroup after troops leave the country, reported CNN. In a hearing held by the Senate Armed Services Committee, Votel said, "I was not aware of the specific announcement. Certainly, we are aware that he had expressed a desire and intent in the past to depart Iraq, depart Syria." Stating that ISIS still controls about 20 square miles of territory in Syria where the terror group still commands approximately 1,000 to 1,500 fighters, Votel said, "The fight against ISIS and violent extremists is not over, and our mission has not changed." "The fact the President made a decision and we are going to execute his orders here to withdraw forces from Syria and as we do that we're going to do that in a very deliberate manner," Votel added. In December Trump had tweeted, "We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency." Later, he also released a video where he said US troops are "all coming back, and they're coming back now." Following the announcement, Secretary of Defense James Mattis and the Special Presidential Envoy to the Counter-ISIS campaign Brett McGurk resigned. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said that before becoming the US President, Donald Trump admired Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his governance. "When Trump was contesting the election in 2016, he said that the way the Indian government was working under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, the same way the US government will work," Adityanath said here while addressing a rally on Tuesday. The UP chief minister was scheduled to address two rallies in West Bengal - one in North Dinajpur district's Raiganj and the other in South Dinajpur district's Balurghat. However, the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government declined permission to Adityanath's chopper to land for both the rallies in the state. Attacking Banerjee, he said, "You have seen Mamata saving a corrupt officer in Saradha chit fund scam. There cannot be a more shameful and condemnable act (than this) in a democracy." Adityanath's reference was in connection with Banerjee sitting on dharna against a CBI team's attempt to arrest the Kolkata police commissioner in the Saradha scam case. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk mulled what a "special place in hell looks like" for those who promoted Brexit, "without even a sketch of a plan guiding, how to carry it out safely". Tusk made these remarks after meeting with Ireland's Prime Minister, or Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar on Wednesday. The stakes are high, as the UK is slated to leave the European Union on March 29, 2019, with no deal in sight due to the British Parliament rejecting the previously negotiated treaty with the European Union (EU) by a large margin. "Today our most important task is to prevent a no deal scenario," Tusk noted on February 6, adding that the EU would not be making any new offer. "Let me recall that the December European Council decided that the Withdrawal Agreement is not open for renegotiation," the President highlighted. He further said, "I hope that tomorrow we will hear from Prime Minister May a realistic suggestion on how to end the impasse, in which the process of the orderly withdrawal of the UK from the EU has found itself, following the latest votes in the House of Commons." The EU further insisted on the backstop for Northern Ireland, despite the fears put forth by British Members of Parliament regarding the same. "Give us a believable guarantee for peace in Northern Ireland, and the UK will leave the EU as a trusted friend," Tusk warned in a statement released after the meeting. Tusk further put forth, " I hope that the UK government will present ideas that will both respect this point of view and, at the same time, command a stable and clear majority in the House of Commons. I strongly believe that a common solution is possible, and I will do everything in my power to find it." He also outlined that talks were held between him and Varadkar over a no-deal "fiasco". Lastly, the President added, "By the way, I've been wondering what that special place in hell looks like, for those who promoted Brexit, without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely." In 2016, over 50 per cent of the UK electorate had voted to leave the EU, following which the British government had triggered Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, beginning the country's process of exiting from the bloc. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Coming from their ODI series win, a Mithali Raj-less India Women failed to maintain their winning streak as they lost the opening T20I by 23 runs to New Zealand's White Ferns at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington on Wednesday. India faced an early loss of wicket as debutant Priya Punia fell for four in the very first over of the run-chase. The touring side, however, retained their momentum with Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues in the middle. The duo displayed classy batting with some vintage shots, including 13 boundaries shared between them and three sixes by Mandhana. As the top order was doing their job and were halfway in the chase, New Zealand got a breakthrough in the name of Mandhana. On an Amelia Kerr delivery, the Indian opener, who smashed the fastest fifty off 24 balls, was dismissed for 58. The loss of Mandhana's wicket boosted the hosts, who then rattled the Indian batting line-up at different stages. Neither Rodrigues (39) nor skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (17) could stay longer on the crease and the hosts eventually bowled out the touring side for 136 in 19.1 overs. For New Zealand, their bowlers picked up wickets at regular interval. Lea Tahuhu, adjudged Player of the Match, took three wickets. Leigh Kasperek and Amelia Kerr picked two each. Joining the party, Sophie Devine, Amy Satterthwaite and Rosemary Mair chipped in with a piece each. Earlier, asking the hosts New Zealand to bat first, India resisted the temptation to play an extra seamer and continued to persist with spinners Radha Yadav, Poonam Yadav and Deepti Sharma. All three claimed a wicket each, while pacer Arundhati Reddy chipped in and took a piece. New Zealand were indebted to an innings of 62 from Sophie Devine and contributions from skipper Amy Satterthwaite (33) and Katey Martin (27*). The touring side managed an early breakthrough as Radha picked up the big wicket of former New Zealand skipper Suzie Bates for 7. To avoid more damage, Devine and debutant Katie Gurrey made some serious adjustments at the crease. However, Poonam Yadav gave a dent to the hosts as she cleaned up Gurrey for 15. Filling the place on the other end of the pitch, Satterthwaite came out to share the crease with an in-form Devine. A third-wicket stand between the duo laid the platform for New Zealand. Devine got into her much-needed smashing mode, scoring 62 off 48 balls, including six boundaries and two sixes before returning to the dugout off Arundhati's delivery. An aggressive New Zealand did not let their Devine loss affect them as Satterthwaite along with Frances Mackay kept ticking the scoreboard nicely before the skipper (33) gave away her wicket to Deepti. Mackay and Katey Martin played a handy cameo, scoring an unbeaten 10 and 27 to post a competitive target of 160. A 0-1 down India will meet New Zealand for the second T20I at the Eden Park in Auckland on February 8. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved the judgment on a batch of review petitions over the entry of women into Sabarimala temple even as the Kerala state-controlled temple board took an about turn and told the court that it supports the entry of all women into the hill shrine. The Travancore Devaswom Board had opposed any review of the apex court's September order that opened the temple doors to women between the ages of 10 and 50 and set off a huge backlash. After the day's proceeding in the apex court, Travancore Devaswom Board Counsel Rakesh Dwivedi said that the board has decided to honour the top court's judgment and has appealed the Supreme Court to dismiss the review petitions. TDB counsel Dwivedi told ANI, "The board has taken a conscious decision to support and respect the judgment of the Supreme Court and implement it. The board thinks that is right judgment in the right direction and it grants equality to women in the matters of worship." The Sabarimala Temple is under the control of the Travancore Devaswom Board. In November last year, the TDB had moved to Supreme Court seeking an extension for implementation of its verdict which lifted the age-old ban on entry of women of menstruating age inside Kerala's Sabarimala Temple. On September 28 last year, the apex court lifted the ban on the entry of women aged between 10 and 50 years into the Lord Ayyappa shrine in Sabarimala. Nearly four months after the top court's verdict allowing women of all ages to enter the temple, the two women aged below 50 entered the Lord Ayyappa temple to offer prayers. After their entry, a purification process took place in the temple, while violent protests broke out across the state with agitators pelting stones and blocking the highways. A few days ago on February 4, the Kerala Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran had informed the State Assembly that the government has confirmation about only two women in the age of 10-50, who offered prayers at the Sabarimala temple. Surendran also added that there was no confirmation yet on the age of a Sri Lankan woman who visited the temple in January this year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Robert Vadra, son-in-law of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, on Wednesday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case against him. To send out a message, Vadra's wife Priyanka Gandhi accompanied him to the ED office and left after dropping him there. "I stand by my husband," she told reporters later while assuming office as Congress' general secretary for East Uttar Pradesh region at the AICC headquarters. The Patiala House Court had granted interim bail to Vadra on February 2 till February 16 in connection with the money laundering case. During the course of the hearing, the ED had told the court that they had learnt about more overseas properties related to Vadra and hence, said he should join the probe. It also said Vadra and his associates got kickbacks in the petroleum deal inked in 2009. "There is a question of 1.9 million pounds of property involved in the case. Besides this, other cases of 4 and 5 million pounds of money laundering are also filed against him, and Vadra had 6 flats overseas in his possession," submitted ED's Counsel and Special Public Prosecutor DP Singh Countering the ED, Vadra's counsel and senior Congress leader KTS Tulsi had said the businessman would "join the investigation as directed." He had also told the court that Vadra was in London taking care of his ailing mother. A day ahead of the hearing, Vadra had filed an anticipatory bail plea in connection with the case and claimed that he was being targeted and subjected to false prosecution which has the colour of "political witch hunt." He had also stated in his petition that he is a law-abiding citizen. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday promised to apply the Land Acquisition Bill and bring a Tribal Bill in Odisha, if voted to power. Addressing a public rally here, the Congress president said: "We will apply the land acquisition bill in Odisha. We will also bring the Tribal bill and make it applicable in Odisha." "Tribal land acquired by Tata company, that was unused for more than five years, was returned to the Aadivasis by Chhattisgarh's newly formed Congress government, and we will do the same in Odisha," Rahul added. The land acquisition bill was drafted with an intention to discourage land acquisition. It was passed by the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government in 2013, and now the Narendra Modi government has introduced Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Bill, 2015 to make changes in the current Act. Referring to Dana Majhi's case, who shook the nation's conscience after being forced to walk back home with the body of his dead wife on his shoulder, the Congress president said that Odisha was promised a super speciality hospital but the promise was left unfulfilled. "Dana Majhi had to carry his wife's corpse for 10 days because there was no ambulance. Congress workers gave a message to Modiji by raising Rs 20 lakh for the promise of super speciality hospital that was left unfulfilled," he said. Gandhi said that Odisha has rich resources, but the people here are poor because the government steals from them. "Can Naveen Patnaik waive off the loans of farmers? He cannot. Did Modiji keep his promise of second Brahmani Bridge in Rourkela? Did he build a super-speciality hospital in Rourkela?" Rahul asked. Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Odisha Chief Minister Patnaik, he said: "Chowkidar chor hai (the watchman is a thief) and Naveen Patnaik is remotely controlled by chowkidar. Whatever chowkidar tells Naveen Patnaik to do, he just agrees to it." Reiterating his party's election promise, Rahul said: "Modi gave you Rafale scam, we will give you a minimum guaranteed incomeNo power in the world can prevent us from giving minimum income support to the poor peopleThis is not a promise like giving Rs 15 lakh or providing two crore jobs. We will fulfil our promises." Meanwhile, when some Congress workers started shouting "Murdabad" for Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the Congress president stopped them by saying that such terms are used by the RSS and BJP people. The Congress party does not support such words for someone, Rahul said. "Murdabad RSS ke log, BJP ke log kehte hain. Hum pyaar se kaam karte hai, hum jodne ka kaam karte hain aur hum in logo ko pyaar se harayenge. Murdabad hum nahi kehne wale (Terms like Murdabad is used by people of the RSS and the BJP. We work to love to unite people. We will defeat them (BJP) with love. We won't use words like murdabad.)" This was Rahul's second visit to Odisha this year. Earlier, he visited the state on January 25. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan's former Prime Minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani, was barred from leaving the country due to the ongoing National Accountability Bureau (NAB) case against him. He was stopped from departing for Seoul - to attend an international conference - despite claiming to have informed the judge about his participation in the summit. "My basic human rights have been violated by barring me from travelling, despite the fact that I had informed the NAB judge regarding my Summit departure," Gilani told The Express Tribune. "I have been appearing before the courts and facing the allegations against me," the former Prime Minister said, adding that the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government should give up the " of revenge". "If a former Prime Minister faces coercion, how would a common man get protection?" he put forth, referring to the incident. Gilani had just visited Nepal over a month back without being stopped by airport authorities. "I had visited Nepal one and a half months earlier to attend the Asia Pacific Conference," he mentioned. His name has been placed on a no-fly list, known as the Exit Control List (ECL), in relation to the trial in a multi-million dollar corruption case against him. He was indicted, along with 25 other government officials, last year by an anti-corruption court in Karachi for misuse of authority, amongst other charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday hailed the Supreme Court's verdict in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) versus West Bengal police commissioner case stating that TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee hampered the investigation agency's probe as she wants to save herself. "Mamata was sitting on Dharna to save state police commissioner Rajiv Kumar, however, the truth is she wants to save herself from chit fund scam. It was a scam of Rs 40,000 crore, in which, 20,000 people were looted through a chit fund firm. Gradually, the investigation by the CBI is unearthing the names of the culprits indulged in the scam," said Javadekar while addressing BJP workers press conference at Alwar. "In Kolkata, the Mamta government is used to take law in its hand and the public has understood this," he added. A full-blown face-off between Chief Minister Banerjee-led TMC government and the Centre erupted after a CBI team moved to arrest Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar on Sunday. CBI officials were denied entry to the top cop's residence and were also detained briefly. The Supreme Court on Tuesday, however, directed Rajeev Kumar to appear before the CBI in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam probe.Taking a dig at Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Javadekar said, "On one hand, Congress in-charge of West Bengal speaks of imposing President's rule in the state, on the other, the party president Rahul ignores his own party member and supports Mamata.Praising the Modi government for various welfare schemes, the Union Minister said: "Farmers got huge benefit under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We have provided 10 per cent reservation to the upper weaker section of the society. The traders, who come under GST slab of Rs 40 lakh, have been given a great relief. Those traders whose business profit estimates Rs 1.5 crore, will have to pay only one per cent tax."Union Minister Prakash Javadekar further said that if BJP has lost Ajmer and Alwar in the state assembly elections, it doesn't mean that the party will be defeated in the coming Lok Sabha elections. "BJP's target in Rajasthan for upcoming general elections is 25," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) We are expecting a growth between 12 per cent and 18 per cent this fiscal: CEO, director IDBI Federal Life, Vighnesh Shahane LIC completed the acquisition of 51 per cent stake in IDBI Bank following possible change in the name of the bank. (Photo: ) Kolkata: IBDI Federal Life Insurance, a three-way JV between IDBI, Federal Bank and Aegis, was expecting a flat growth in new business premium in the current financial year, a company official said. "Last fiscal, the growth was 15 per cent. We are expecting a growth between 12 per cent and 18 per cent this fiscal," CEO and whole-time director of IDBI Federal Life,Vighnesh Shahane, told PTI. This , he said, was mainly due to the fact that the organisation had been going through a bit of uncertainty at the moment. While IDBI holds 48 per cent, Federal Bank and Aegis hold 26 per cent each in the company. The insurance behemoth LIC completed the acquisition of 51 per cent stake in IDBI Bank following possible change in the name of the bank. With a market share of two per cent in new business income, Shahane said that 20 per cent to 25 per cent of the business was from individuals. Stating that eastern India was a good market for the insurance company, he said it was the highest in terms of premium income. Term policies constituted five per cent to six per cent of the overall sales, adding that the target was to take it to ten per cent by the end of the fiscal. Weeks after United States President Donald Trump suggested the creation of a "safe zone" in northeastern Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that no acceptable plan has been tabled for the same. In a parliamentary meeting on Tuesday, Erdogan said: "There is no satisfactory plan that is put before us concretely yet," reported Al Jazeera. "Of course, we are loyal to our agreements, our promise is a promise. But our patience is not limitless," he added. After Trump announced the withdrawal of all 2,000 US troops in northern Syria, he had proposed setting up a "safe zone" for Kurds. Turkish President had backed the move following a telephonic conversation with Trump in January. He said the 32 km-deep zone is to be created inside Syria along the length of the country's border with Turkey. Erdogan had said he expected the safe zones to be set up within a few months, otherwise, it would form a 'buffer zone' without the help of other countries. He said the zone will also help protect Turkey from "terrorists," referring to the Kurdish militia backed by the US, which controls the areas in northeastern Syria along the Turkish border. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hindu Mahasabha leader Pooja Pandey who was arrested on Tuesday for re-enacting the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi said she has no regrets and was merely exercising her constitutional rights. "We have not murdered anyone, we have used our constitution rights. I don't have any guilt. We don't have any complaint against the government, they are forced to do what they are doing" Pandey said. Her husband Ashok Pandey said, "We are doing our job, the police are doing their job. This is the unfortunate plight of independent India. People who are disrespecting the country are roaming free, while people like us are being arrested." On January 30, at an event in Aligarh, Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha secretary Pooja recreated Gandhi's assassination by shooting an effigy of Mahatma Gandhi and hailed the killer Nathuram Godse. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Nepali was arrested for allegedly carrying 39 grams of morphine by the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) near Indo-Nepal border in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh. The accused identified as 32-year-old Lal Bahadur Sonar, a resident of Banke district in Nepal. was arrested on Wednesday from Rupaidiha area, with morphine worth Rs. 39 lakh in the international market according to SSB. The accused along with the seized drug was handed over to Rupaidiha police station and a case registered against him. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Ministry of Home Affairs has asked the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Kolkata police commissioner, Rajeev Kumar for sitting on a dharna with Banerjee and some other police officers. The MHA's letter on Tuesday addressed to the state chief secretary says Kumar sat on a dharna along with some police officers with the Chief Minister West Bengal at the Metro channel in Kolkata, which is prima facie in contravention of the extant provisions of All India Service (Conduct) rules, 1968 and AIS (Discipline & Appear) rules 1969. Banerjee had on Tuesday ended her 'Save the Constitution' dharna, which she started on Sunday night after the CBI's attempt to arrest Rajeev Kumar. Addressing a gathering in Kolkata, Chief Minister Banerjee said: "This 'Save the Constitution' dharna is a victory for the Constitution and democracy. So let us end it today. We started this dharna only after consulting all political parties and after that, they extended their full support." A full-blown face-off between Chief Minister Banerjee led TMC government and the Centre erupted after a CBI team moved to arrest Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar. CBI officials were denied entry to the top cop's residence and were detained briefly too. The Supreme Court on Tuesday, however, directed Kumar to appear before the CBI in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam probe. But the bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said that no coercive step should be taken against Kumar, who will appear before the CBI in Shillong in Meghalaya. The Supreme Court, which posted further hearing in the case to February 20, also issued a contempt notice to West Bengal Chief Secretary, the DGP and the Kolkata Police Commissioner on a plea which said that a CBI team was detained when it went to question Kumar on Sunday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The New York red carpet opening for Hollywood actor Liam Neeson 's latest action flick 'Cold Pursuit,' has been cancelled after backlash over the actor's comments that he once considered a racist "revenge" attack after somebody close to him was raped. On Monday, in an interview with a leading British newspaper, the Neeson recalled a disturbing incident when he contemplated a racist revenge attack after somebody close to him was raped. "I went up and down areas with a cosh (a club), hoping I'd be approached by somebody, I'm ashamed to say that, and I did it for maybe a week, hoping some 'black bastard' would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know? So that I could kill him," he said. Shortly after the interview was released, the 'The Commuter' actor faced strong criticism on social media with people calling him racist. Following the backlash, the Irish actor, on Tuesday, featured on ABC's Good Morning America to address the issue and clarified that he is not a racist. "I was trying to show honor, to stand up for my dear friend in this terrible, medieval fashion. I am a fairly intelligent guy and that's why it kind of shocked me when I came down to earth after having these horrible feelings," he asserted. Neeson also mentioned that following the incident, he decided to seek the counsel of a priest and exercise helped him get rid of the anger. Neeson starrer 'Cold Pursuit' is all set to hit the big screens on February 8. In the film, Neeson's character will be seen seeking violent revenge after his son dies mysteriously. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Slamming Pakistan for organising so-called 'Kashmir Solidarity Day' on Tuesday, scores of expatriate Kashmiris staged a protest outside the British Prime Minister's office here to expose Islamabad's "frauds". The protesters held placards which read: "No Pakistan, We stand against foreign occupation of Kashmir', 'Abolish terrorist charges against human rights activists in Gilgit Baltistan' (part of Jammu and Kashmir which is under Pakistan occupation),' and 'Restore state subject in Gilgit-Baltistan'. Shabir Choudhry, who organised the protest on Tuesday, posted videos of the demonstration on Facebook with the caption: "Outside Downing Street protesting on 'Fraud Day'." "Fraud day and our response," he wrote in another caption, while referring to their protest against the 'Kashmir Solidarity Day' organised by Pakistan on Tuesday. Choudhry wrote that a "Kashmiri journalist highly praised our effort of exposing the fraud day in London today. He said, now the Pakistani establishment and their puppets know that they will be peacefully challenged at every level and in every country." He posted the message from the unidentified Kashmiri journalist: 'Dr Shabir Choudhry, you and all those who gathered outside the Downing Street to protest and expose the Pakistani drama are brave and true patriots. This drama is staged every year on 5 February by spending millions of pounds to fool people of Jammu and Kashmir. You people have proved that you are true sons of the soil, and have exposed those who have become collaborators or passive watchers." In his reply to the journalist, Choudhry wrote, 'Thank you for acknowledging our contribution....We have done, what we thought was our duty to protect and promote interests of people of Jammu and Kashmir.' Brussels-based leader of United Kashmir People's National Party (UKPNP) Jamil Maqsood appreciated the protest, saying, "Great Kashmiri expatriate and comrades who have come out to expose frauds of Pakistan since 1947. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Delhi court on Wednesday directed the Delhi Police to urge the Delhi government to expedite the sanction process to prosecute former JNU Student's Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar and others in a sedition case. The matter is related to anti- slogans allegedly raised during a February 2016 event on the campus of JNU. Subsequently, the case was filed against Kumar among others. During the hearing at the Patiala House Court today, the Delhi Police told the court that the sanction is still pending and was hoping to obtain the same very soon. The court also rapped the Delhi government, saying it cannot sit on a file for an indefinite time. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Deepak Sherawat adjourned the matter to February 28, granting more time to the Delhi Police for obtaining the sanction for prosecution. On January 24, Delhi Law Minister Kailash Gehlot sent a show-cause notice to Principal Law Secretary AK Mendiratta for clearing without his approval the sanction to prosecute former JNU students in the sedition case. Gehlot sought an explanation from the Law Secretary for sending the file directly to the Principal Home Secretary, stating that Mendiratta deliberately did to bypass him. On January 14, the Delhi Police had filed the charge sheet in the court stating the sanction for prosecution was pending before the government. Under the Criminal Procedure Code, the court cannot take cognisance of the police charge sheet without sanction from the home department of the state concerned. As per the 112-page charge sheet, Kumar was leading a procession and supported seditious slogans raised on the JNU campus during an event held in February 2016. Police also charged former JNU students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya for allegedly shouting anti- slogans during the event to mark the hanging of Parliament attack mastermind Afzal Guru. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) It is official, Jennifer Lawrence is engaged to boyfriend Cooke Maroney. The 28-year-old Oscar winner was spotted with a ring on her finger while enjoying what appeared to be a celebratory dinner with 34-year-old Maroney, at Raoul's, a French restaurant in New York City. The actress was seen wearing a cute black dress with white polka dots. A few days earlier, the happy couple was spotted on another date in the West Village, all bundled up to battle freezing temperatures. A source told People magazine in June that the actress was dating Maroney and the two have never shied away from going on dates in public together. In late June, the couple was photographed enjoying a romantic candlelit dinner in New York City. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Security forces on Wednesday killed a commander of proscribed terror outfit LeT in a gun battle in Pulwama district of Kashmir. Irfan Ahmed Sheikh, LeT's so-called Pulwama 'District Commander' was gunned down after a joint patrolling party was fired upon by terrorists at Chakoora area of the district on Wednesday evening. The firing was retaliated, leading to a brief gunfight. Sheikh was the resident of Chakoora, Pulwama and was wanted by the law for his complicity in terror crimes. Sheikh had a long history of terror crime records for which several terror cases were registered against him. He was involved in conspiring and executing several terror attacks on security establishments in the area including grenade attacks. Arms and ammunition were recovered from the site of gun-fight. All these materials have been taken in case records to further investigate their complicity in other terror cases. Citizens were advised not to venture inside the encounter zone since such an area can prove dangerous due to stray explosive materials. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) World number one Naomi Osaka pulled out of the Qatar Open due to a back injury. Making the announcement, the 21-year-old expressed disappointment over the development and hoped that she would participate in the next edition of the tournament. "I am sorry to have withdrawn from Doha this year as I was looking forward to playing and seeing my fans there," the Australian Open champion said in a statement," WTA quoted Osaka, as saying. "I wish everyone a great week and hope to see everyone next year," she added. The back pain had caused trouble to Osaka earlier also when she had to miss last year's Hong Kong Open. Meanwhile, Qatar Open is all set to see the participation of players like Simona Halep, Karolina Pliskova, Angelique Kerber, and Kiki Bertens. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) High-ranking government officials from Nepal and India are set to meet in Pokhara from February 8 to discuss various aspects of the bilateral trade issues between Kathmandu and New Delhi, mainly the huge trade deficit. "The meeting will explore the ways to reduce the huge trade deficit between the two countries, discussing whether to amend the bilateral treaties as per the need of the time or deal the issues through a new way," the state news agency RSS quoted Rabi Shanker Sainju, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, as saying. The meeting is expected to recommend amendments to the Nepal-India Trade Treaty 1990. Joint Secretary Sainju is leading a nine-member delegation to the meeting and his Indian counterpart Bhupinder Bhalla is heading the seven-member Indian team, the report has stated. The meeting assumes significance as Nepal is experiencing a ballooning trade deficit with its southern neighbour. Officials from the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Supplies, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Departments of Customs and Commerce will be taking part in the meeting. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday called for a collaborative global action against the female genital mutilation, an abhorrent human rights violation affecting women and girls around the Speaking on the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, observed each year on February 6, Guterres said, "On this Day of Zero Tolerance, I call for increased, concerted and global action to end female genital mutilation and fully uphold the human rights of all women and girls." Guterres added that the illegal practice denies women their dignity, endangers their health and causes needless pain and suffering, including death. Female genital mutilation is rooted in gender inequalities and power imbalances, and it sustains them by limiting opportunities for girls and women to realise their rights and full potential. An estimated 200 million women and girls alive today have been subject to this harmful practice. And every year, almost four million girls are at risk, Guteress stated. The UN Secretary-General went on to add that the Sustainable Development Goals call for the elimination of female genital mutilation by 2030. The United Nations joins hands with global, regional and national actors in supporting holistic and integrated initiatives to achieve this objective. "Tackling female genital mutilation is also a central part of our efforts in the Spotlight Initiative, launched in partnership with the European Union to end all forms of violence against women and girls," Guteress said. "With strong political commitment, we are seeing positive change in several countries. However, if current trends persist, these advances will continue to be outpaced by rapid population growth where the practice is concentrated," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday came out in support of Robert Vadra by terming the questioning of son-in-law of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) as an "attempt to stop the opposition parties to unite." "It is an attempt to not allow opposition parties to unite. Hence they are serving the ED notices to everyone and anyone. But all opposition parties are united," Banerjee said on being asked to comment on summons and questioning of Robert Vadra by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case registered against him. All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Banerjee last month organised a mega anti-BJP rally here to raise voices against the alleged oppressive policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre. Leaders from at least 20 Opposition parties were present at the United Opposition Rally. Robert Vadra on Wednesday appeared before the ED in connection with a money laundering case against him, where he was questioned for nearly five hours. To send out a message, Vadra's wife Priyanka Gandhi accompanied him to the ED office and left after dropping him there. The Patiala House Court had granted interim bail to Vadra on February 2 till February 16 in connection with the money laundering case. During the course of the hearing, the ED had told the court that they had learnt about more overseas properties related to Vadra and hence, said he should join the probe. It also said Vadra and his associates got kickbacks in the petroleum deal inked in 2009. A day ahead of the hearing, Vadra had filed an anticipatory bail plea in connection with the case and claimed that he was being targeted and subjected to false prosecution which has "the colour of political witch hunt." He had also stated in his petition that he is a law-abiding citizen. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) There was total pandemonium in the Karnataka Assembly on Wednesday as BJP shouted slogans and staged a walked out in the midst of Governor Vajubhai Vala's speech, claiming that the incumbent JD(S)-Congress alliance government is a minority government. Soon a commotion ensued, as opposition parties, led by the BJP, protested that the government does not have the requisite numbers as more than nine MLAs were absent on the first day of the Budget Session. "There is no government at all; there has been no development activity at all since the last five to six months which is why we boycotted the Governor's speech," BJP's Karnataka chief BS Yeddyurappa told media. The former chief minister claimed that there was unrest in the Congress ranks and files, saying: "More than 20 Congress MLAs openly told in the legislature party meeting that they are not going to accept Kumaraswamy as the chief minister of Karnataka". "We are not going to move a no-confidence motion. We are going to meet our MLAs now in a legislature party meeting; we will take an appropriate decision there. We're waiting and observing everything," Yeddyurappa added. BJP MLA B Sriramulu said that his party will continue its protest. "We will meet the Governor and submit a memorandum to dissolve this government as it is a minority government. There were 15 Congress MLAs absent today. We are also thinking to move no-confidence motion after discussing with our leaders. That is the reason we protested and we will protest tomorrow and day after tomorrow as well," he said. However, Karnataka Congress leader DK Shivakumar, in response to media query on the issue of no-confidence motion, brushed it aside and said: "Let them try". He expressed disapproval to the BJP legislators' attitude towards the Governor's speech. Kumaraswamy had last month accused the BJP of continuing its efforts to poach MLAs and claimed that one of his party's legislators was offered a huge sum of money under the saffron party's 'Operation Kamala'. Allegations and counter-allegations of poaching erupted on January 14 when Congress leaders alleged that three of their MLAs were taken to Mumbai by the BJP in an attempt to lure them to their fold. This was followed by two independent MLAs - R Shankar and H Nagesh - withdrawing their support from the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in the state. Meanwhile, the BJP had refuted all such allegations and asserted that legislators are trying to leave the JD(S)-Congress coalition due to internal fights. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Calling for Congress' victory in the upcoming general election, posters of party president Rahul Gandhi and her sister Priyanka Vadra Gandhi have been put outside the party headquarters in New Delhi's Akbar Road late on Tuesday. Along with Rahul and Priyanka, the hoardings feature Robert Vadra too with a slogan "Kattar Soch Nahi, Yuva Soch" (Not extremist ideology but young thinking). Another slogan on the posters states, "Jan-Jan Ki Hai, Yahi Pukaar, Rahul ji-Priyanka ji Ab Ki Baar" (People of the nation want Rahul and Priyanka this time). The newly inducted Congress General Secretary for UttarPradesh East Priyanka has been made in-charge of 43 out of 80 LokSabha seats in the state. Priyanka, who was abroad for some time, arrived in the capital on Monday. Soon after her arrival, Priyanka conducted meeting with Rahul and other prominent leaders of the party to review the ongoing preparations for the Lok Sabha polls. A Congress leader from Uttar Pradesh told ANI on Monday that many prominent party leaders of the state were telephoned during the meeting and were asked about the welfare measures and development works being carried out ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.Priyanka's cabin is located next to Rahul Gandhi's room at the party office. It has not been cleared yet that who has put those posters outside the Congress headquarters. However, the picture of Priyanka's husband Robert Vadra gives a political indication as the later will join Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigation in the 2009 petroleum deal case on Wednesday.The Patiala House Court had granted interim bail to Vadra on Saturday till February 16 in connection with a money laundering case against him. During the course of the hearing, the ED had told the court that they had learnt about more overseas properties related to Vadra and hence, said he should join the probe. It also said Vadra and his associates got kickbacks in the petroleum deal inked in 2009. Priyanka also held a meeting on Tuesday at Rahul's residence with other Congress leaders and discussed the strategy for Uttar Pradesh-East as she has been made the general secretary for the region. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking directions to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to conduct and supervise the internal polls of regional and political parties. The petition, filed by Arvind Kumar through his counsel Setu Sharma, alleged that a few families are dominating the political scenario of the country and is, in turn, thwarting the basic mandate of the Constitution. The plea mentions the names of some political parties like Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Samajwadi Party, Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD). It had further sought the court's action on the inaction of the authorities to formulate legislation to regulate the process of holding intra-party elections to democratise the structure of political parties in India, which have become a fiefdom of a few families. The plea also sought the court's direction to the respondents to ensure that no member of the family initiate action to the effect that no person and family should be allowed to behold the main position in the party by any name for more than five years. It also requested the court to direct the EC to supervise and manage the internal election of parties and direct the Centre to act in line with the Law Commission of India and the Commission for Review of Working of the Constitution. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Chinese Ambassador to India, Lou Zhaohui on Wednesday expressed happiness over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's greetings to the Chinese people on the occasion of the Chinese Lunar New Year. Zhaohui on Tuesday wrote on his twitter, "Delighted to see Prime Minister Modiji send congratulations for the Chinese Lunar New Year in Chinese language in his microblog! PM Modiji wrote: 'Happy Chinese New Year! Wish every Chinese happiness, wealth and health in the Year of Pig.'" Prime Minister Modi regularly interacts with the Chinese people through his account on Weibo, one of the most popular social media platform in China that integrates the features of Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Chinese all over bade goodbye to the 'Year of the Dog' and welcomed the 'Year of the Pig' on Tuesday, ushering in the Lunar New Year with prayers, family feasts and often with an extravaganza of lights and fireworks. On the eve of New Year, people exchange envelopes filled with money as a sign of good luck. The pig is considered a symbol of good fortune and wealth and those born in the year of the pig are thought of as hardworking and friendly. The last year of the pig fell in 2007. The years under the Chinese lunar calendar are divided into a 12-year cycle, with each year assigned an animal symbol: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. The date is also celebrated as Spring Festival, which remains for the Chinese their most significant and grandest annual event. Earlier, Indian Army and China's People's Liberation Army personnel celebrated the Chinese New Year by greeting each other at Nathu La Pass in Sikkim. Both delegations were led by colonel-level officers, who exchanged pleasantries and best wishes in an atmosphere of warmth and friendship. This is yet another step, aimed at enhancing mutual trust and promoting border peace and tranquillity, according to an official statement. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A special CBI court asked the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday to ensure that health-related needs of corporate lobbyist Deepak Talwar are taken care of in line with to procedural protocol. Considering that ED being the responsible institution, the court said, it is hopeful that all precautions are being taken during custodial interrogation. Talwar had moved the court seeking direction to sleep in the ED office instead of Tughlak Road Police Station owing to his health issues. Talwar, who is in ED custody, was deported from Dubai on January 30 and was arrested by the agency after reaching New Delhi. He is currently in the custody till February 7 as a main accused who allegedly facilitated dispersal of profit making routes of carrier Air India to private airlines using his contacts. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bangladesh will seek India's support for an early resolution to the Rohingya crisis during its Foreign Minister's maiden official visit to New Delhi. AK Abdul Momen is all set to leave for his three-day visit to India on Wednesday night. "Among other things, we want to consult with my counterpart about the early resolution of Rohingya crisis as it may affect regional stability," Momen told Bangladesh's state news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha. He was appointed as the Foreign Minister after Sheikh Hasina's Awami League came into power following a landslide victory after the 11th Parliamentary elections held on December 30 last year. "I am visiting India in my maiden foreign tour to honour our great neighbour, the world's greatest democracy," he said. The Foreign Minister highlighted that as many as five memoranda of understanding (MoU) could be signed between the two sides during the visit. Momen also highlighted that India and Bangladesh now share warm relations. "We have some other issues as neighbours, everywhere in the has issues. But by now, we have amicably resolved several of them -- like the major maritime boundary and the land boundary. We expect the others to be solved as well since we now enjoy the warmest-ever relations." Officials told the national broadcaster that one of the three MoUs is about cooperation between New Delhi and Dhaka about graft investigations, while the other two are regarding TV broadcasting and medicinal plants. Bangladesh's Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) and India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will sign the first MoU. Bangladesh TV and India's Prasar Bharti will sign the second one. The health ministries of both nations will sign the third MoU. Momen will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. He will attend the fifth India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Commission (JCC) on Friday. The last JCC meet held during October 2017 in Dhaka was attended by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. The visiting dignitary is also scheduled to meet former President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday before returning home the next day. . (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Uttar Police Police has arrested three persons from Chhatari town of Bulandshahr district for allegedly selling duplicate equipment in the name of the central government scheme Bharat Gramin Solar Mission "We receive information about a gang selling duplicate and fake solar equipment including solar panels, batteries and LED lights in the name of Bharat Gramin Solar Mission," said Rural Superintendent of Police, Kuldeep Kumar Misra. Acting on the tip-off, police arrested the three persons and recovered fake equipment and a banner displaying Bharat Gramin Solar Mission with a photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The accused said they were ignorant of their crime. "We were not informed by the people who told us to sell the equipment. We carried the equipment to the village and set up a camp and told people to buy a whole set of products at Rs 8,500." Police have registered a case and are probing the matter. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) This is a statement we often use in our regular usage. If markets are volatile get into defensive stocks. If markets are difficult to understand, then get into defensive stocks. If there are cyclical risks to the market, then get into defensive stocks. But, what exactly do we understand by the concept of defensive stocks? Intuitively, stocks like Hindustan Unilever, TCS and HDFC Bank appear to be defensive stocks. They dont get impacted or too volatile by cycles in the market. While that argument is broadly correct, we need to look at some specific characteristics that actually ... Every time Bangkok fruit seller Veerachai Roopsuwanakul tries to buy an air purifier, he gets the same response: "Out of stock." "We never imagined the air could get so bad," said Veerachai, who now wears a face mask to filter out dust. "We cant find a purifier in shops or online." The Thai capital is grappling with a second year of spiking seasonal air pollution, prompting people to snap up so many filters and masks that supplies are dwindling. Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor Deposit takers will now be banned from promoting, operating, or advertising an unregulated scheme, said Law and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad after the Cabinet meeting. This comes barely a day after the resolution of an imbroglio between the Centre and the West Bengal government over the process followed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in its probe into the Saradha ponzi scam. The principle is that ... Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor Sign up for our PoliticsNY newsletter for the latest coverage and to stay informed about the 2021 elections in your district and across NYC A judge sentenced a Greenpoint man and former cop to as many as 15 years behind bars for killing one person and injuring three others while driving drunk in Williamsburg three years ago, Brooklyns top prosecutor announced. The sentence is a small step toward delivering justice to the victims of the avoidable tragedy and their families, according to District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. This tragic case is another reminder of how dangerous drunk driving is, and the terrible toll it can exact. This defendant accepted responsibility for his reckless and criminal actions, which took a promising young mans life and irreparably harmed three additional victims, Gonzalez said following the Monday sentencing. I hope this will bring a small measure of solace to the victims and their families. Thirty-year-old Nicholas Batka, who worked as a probationary officer with the Manhattan Transit Task Force when the incident occurred, spent the night drinking with friends at Berry Street bar The Whiskey before hopping behind the wheel of his Dodge Durango around 3 am on July 16, 2016, according to prosecutors. Batka then jumped the curb near Bedford Avenue and N. Eighth Street, where he plowed into four pedestrians on the sidewalk, killing Andrew Esquivel, then 21, and injuring Sophia Tabchhouri and Divya Menezes, both then 20, as well as James Balchunas, then 24, Gonzalez said. The defendant also rammed his car through a wrought-iron fence in front of a Bedford Avenue building, according to authorities. The former cop smashed into the victims while driving with a blood-alcohol level of .23 nearly three times the legal limit and Police Department brass sacked him days after the fatal collision. Last November, Batka pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular manslaughter and aggravated vehicular assault, according to Gonzalez. The defendant could spend as few as five years in prison, however, if the parole board rules he is eligible for release after that time, but he must serve 350 hours of community service educating high-schoolers about the consequences of drunk driving following his stint behind bars, prosecutors said. Sign up for our PoliticsNY newsletter for the latest coverage and to stay informed about the 2021 elections in your district and across NYC 60th Precinct Coney IslandBrighton BeachSeagate Brutal bag snatcher A lout robbed an elderly lady on Brighton Third Street on Jan. 28 and caused her to break her shoulder in the attack. The victim told cops she was between Neptune and Ocean View avenues at 1:30 am when the brute approached her, pushed her to the ground, and snatched her handbag. The woman sustained a broken right shoulder and a laceration on her right hand from falling to the ground, cops said. The villain then fled towards Ocean View Avenue, according to the authorities. Double trouble Two bandits threatened a Neptune Avenue bodega worker at gunpoint and stole cash on Jan. 29. The villains walked in the store near Ocean Parkway at 4:40 am wearing bandanas and hopped the counter, according to police. The two told the employee not to move while one of the louts showed his silver gun, cops said. The nogoodniks then bagged $500 from the register and took the employees phone before fleeing towards Coney Island Avenue, according to the authorities. Police said they were able to recover the phone at Coney Island Avenue near Ocean View Avenue, but could not find the baddies. Sneak attack A worm stole a womans handbag at Corbin Place on Jan. 31. The victim was near Oriental Boulevard at 7:10 pm when the weasel came up from behind and grabbed her bag, pulling her to the ground, and causing pain to her right leg, cops said. Bruiser Police arrested a man for allegedly assaulting another man on Brighton Sixth Street on Feb. 1. Authorities say the suspect grabbed the victim by his arm and demanded money and beer at Brighton Beach Avenue at 12:15 am. He then started punching the victim in the face several times giving him a bloody nose and snatched his pack of cigarettes, according to cops. Unhelpful hands Two laborers stole tools from a man on Coney Island Avenue on Jan. 7. The victim hired the two men to do some demolition work in his basement near Brighton 10th Path using their own tools and gave them access to it for a few days at 11 am. The victim told the men, one of whom is known as Big Daddy, that the tools in the basement couldnt be removed, but he noticed a few days later that hammers were missing, according to cops. A witness told the victim that they saw Big Daddy and his partner in crime carrying the tools into a white truck, police said. Big money A filcher extorted tens of thousands of dollars from a man at W. Fifth Street on Jan. 30. The hoaxer called the victim near W. Brighton Avenue at 2:15 pm and told him he would be arrested if he didnt send money to a Manhattan-based company, according to police. The victim then wired the company $50,000, cops said. Kevin Duggan Sign up for our PoliticsNY newsletter for the latest coverage and to stay informed about the 2021 elections in your district and across NYC Officials at a federal Sunset Park prison violated the constitutional rights of more than 1,600 incarcerated men by forcing the inmates to endure freezing temperatures, and barring them from speaking with their lawyers, during a week-long power outage, according to a new lawsuit. Attorneys with the Federal Defenders of New York an independent group that defends vulnerable people accused of federal crimes on Monday filed the suit against Feds with the Bureau of Prisons, which operates the Metropolitan Detention Center, and its warden, Herman Quay. The suit claims conditions inside the prison are inhumane, and alleges that Quay and other brass at the 29th Street jail between Second and Third avenues did not move fast enough to restore heat and power after a Jan. 27 electrical fire that caused wide-ranging power outages resulting in little to no heating inside the building during some of the boroughs coldest days on record, when temperatures plunged to below 10 degrees Farenheit. There is a humanitarian crisis taking place at the main federal detention facility in this district, the lawsuit reads. They have been slow to acknowledge the problem and have not taken sufficient steps to obtain temporary supplies of electricity or heat, or to repair the damage. Following the fire, prison officials also cancelled legal and social visits until Feb. 4 without adequate explanations, according to the suit, which claims that Quay said the heat had never been impacted hours before the Federal Defenderss attorney-in-chief visited the facility and found the inmates wearing only short-sleeved shirts and light cotton pants while prison staffers sported multiple layers and scarves around their heads. Inmates also had no access to medical care, clean clothing, or hot food during the week-long outage, according to the suit and local pols who visited the facility amid the incident, including Councilman Jumaane Williams (DFlatbush) and Rep. Jerrold Nadler (DRed Hook). The Federal Defenders filed its lawsuit in the wake of several protests at the prison after the New York Times first reported on the conditions inside it on Feb. 1. Protesters, who included several local pols, communicated with inmates via signs and chants during the Feb. 2 and 3 rallies, and some attendees tried to force their way into the jail, only to be fended off by corrections officers shooting pepper spray, the Times reported. Prisons Bureau officials are now investigating the pepper-spray reports, according to an agency rep, who confirmed power was restored at the prison on Feb. 3, and claimed its heat was operational despite the electrical outage. Photo by Trey Pentecost But the rep did not respond to repeated inquiries about the bureaus definition of operational, only saying its leaders are conducting a complete and thorough review of the situation in coordination with the Department of Justice. The Federal Defenderss suit against the Feds came on the same day the Metropolitan Detention Center received a bomb threat from an unknown source just before 10:30 am, the Prisons Bureau rep confirmed, suspending the facilitys normal operations until around 2 pm, with legal and social visits to the prison resuming about three hours after that, the rep said. A small group of protesters continued their demonstrations outside the prison after it received the bomb threat, banging on pots to convey their support for inmates, and hanging signs declaring heat now and MDC is criminal on a wall opposite the facility. And the men inside the prison communicated their misery to the crowds outside it all weekend long by banging on their cell windows, and responding to questions about their conditions after activists shouted them from bullhorns, according to a protestor. They were saying that its not safe in there, and that its war inside, said Thalyha Gonzalez, who said her stepfather is serving time in the prison. Another advocate outside the prison on Feb.4 said no person should be exposed to the depraved conditions that officials allegedly forced the inmates to endure. Everybody looks at them as at the bottom, but at the end of the day, theyre human beings, said Jay Heemdowdy. Inhumane treatment should not be a form of punishment in America. Later that day, Sunset Parks congresswoman blasted the incident as a violation of the prisoners essential rights on a conference call organized by Councilman Carlos Menchaca (DSunset Park), vowing she and her colleagues in Washington, DC, will demand a federal investigation into the incident. Its a blatant disregard for human rights, said Rep. Nydia Velazquez (DSunset Park). The broken criminal justice system targets low-income people and people of color for disproportionate punishment and unfair treatment. Photo by Trey Pentecost As banks tighten their credit assessments and change their lending appetite, loan applications are taking longer to process and more borrowers are heading to specialist lenders. Craig Meale, from Bluestone, explains what that means for brokers. Latest News Teachers Mutual launches digital bank for essential workers New digital bank will focus on healthcare, emergency services and education employees Sydney auction unfazed by recent COVID-19 outbreak The city reported the highest level of activity among all capital cities A non-bank lender has called upon mortgage brokers to stop sending business to the big four banks in response to the Royal Commission. Firstmac, which manages approximately $10billion in mortgages, said the big banks had prompted the Royal Commissions through a series of scandals and then successful deflected blame onto mortgage brokers. Managing director Kim Cannon said, The big banks saved themselves by brazenly throwing mortgage brokers under the bus. The only reasonable response from mortgage brokers is to protect themselves by diversifying their businesses so they arent so reliant on the banks. Cannon said it was unfair that tens of thousands of mortgage brokers could suffer severe financial stress as a result of changes recommended by the Royal Commission while shares in the big banks had rallied nearly 5% in a day. Australians have nothing against mortgage brokers and it wasnt the brokers that provoked this Royal Commission yet they are the biggest losers from the commissions recommendations, Cannon said. We are very disappointed that mortgage brokers have been made into fall guys for the banks and we support them 100%. We will work with brokers to ensure that their businesses remain viable despite this very cruel and unfair blow. We have a long history of being more innovative than the banks so watch this space. Cannon said that the government must be careful to ensure that broking services remained affordable for the general public. It is very important that any changes to the commission structure for brokers dont put their services out of reach of ordinary Australians, Cannon said. Mortgage broking advice must remain a service that everyone can afford, not just the rich. New York: US President Donald Trump has called for an end to the politics of "revenge, resistance and retribution" in his second State of the Union address, warning Democrats they could damage the US economy if they launch too many investigations into his administration. Trump book-ended his speech, which was delayed by a week because of a 35-day federal government shutdown, with pleas for unity and requests for politicians of both parties to work together to solve the nation's most pressing problems. But he soon moved on to some of the issues that most divide Americans immigration and abortion in a speech that drew chants of "USA" from Republicans and audible jeers from Democrats. US President Donald Trump delivered his second State of the Union address in Washington on Tuesday local time. Credit:The New York Times Trump also confirmed he would meet later this month in Vietnam with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for a second summit on ending the country's nuclear weapons program. Washington: Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said House Democrats will not be cowed by US President Donald Trump's "all-out threat" during his State of the Union address to drop their investigations of his administration, as fellow Democrats pushed ahead with a raft of sensitive inquiries. "It was a threat; it was an all-out threat," Pelosi told reporters on Wednesday, Washington time, just hours after Trump's address and on the eve of a hearing that will launch Democratic efforts to secure his long-suppressed tax returns one of the inquiries likely to pique the President. "It's our congressional responsibility, and if we didn't do it, we would be delinquent in that," she said. All across the House on Wednesday, the gears of congressional oversight which were mostly still during Trump's first two years in office began to pick up steam. New York: Four years after a Russian supermarket owner was bashed to death in New York for a bag of cash, a NSW detective trailed a muscly amateur wrestler through the streets of Sydney's inner west and eastern suburbs. When Abakar Gadiyev threw out a can of Red Bull one day in April 2013, the detective pounced. It finally provided the break that police across two continents had been desperate for: DNA that matched a balaclava and a jumper discarded near the scene of the crime in Brooklyn in 2009. Vladislav Tolstykh was bashed to death, leaving behind a wife and four children. On Monday, nine years after Vladislav Tolstykh's death, Gadiyev, 37, appeared in a Brooklyn court, charged with the murder and robbery of the owner of the Brighton Bazaar supermarket. For some people watching the State of the Union address in the US Capitol on Tuesday night, the hero was the one speaking from the dais. For some, it was the Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose smirks, eye rolls, standing ovations and visible sighs became instant memes. And then, there was the true hero: a sixth grade boy, invited by the President, who slept his way through much of the 82-minute speech. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania invited several special guests to the address, which ran well past 10.30pm on a school night. Moscow: Russia has become a world-class saver. So much gold has piled up in its central bank that Russia surpassed China last year to become the world's fifth-largest holder of gold. The International Monetary Fund often has to badger developing nations to bulk up foreign currency reserves. Russia has $US472 billion ($658 billion) in reserves, more than the country's combined public and foreign debt of $US453 billion and nearly three times what the IMF recommends. The Kremlin stands illuminated on the banks of the Moskva River in Moscow. The Russian government is sitting on a lot of gold. Credit:Bloomberg Economists don't consider either of these eye-popping sums of savings a good thing. They reflect, in part, how investment has lagged in Russia and how Western sanctions have dulled its economy. But the lode is also making for an odd back-to-the-future moment of state-directed economic activity as Russia shifts policy and aims to spend about $100 billion on big infrastructure projects. While new to these Beijing residents, the facial recognition machines are pervasive at entrances and exits of train stations in the troubled western region of Xinjiang, part of a system to restrict the movements of the Uighur ethnic minority. As the technology is rolled out across China's major cities, state media is highlighting its convenience, promising shorter queues, and "safety" benefits. Passengers use the new facial recognition system at Beijing Railway Station. Credit:Sanghee Liu Missing people could be found during Spring Festival if a face matches a database, it has been reported. Yet missing children would be unable to use the machines they can't be used by anyone under 1.2 metres tall. On the high-speed train passengers are warned to behave, or else rule-breaking will be recorded in their social credit file. The Global Times, a nationalist newspaper, describes another type of face that could be matched to a database: "The technology can also help track those who break the law via a blacklist, and monitor and alert authorities ... the technology helps quickly deploy security to the scene." Passengers are warned over the railway station's PA system to behave or their behaviour will be recorded on their social credit file. Credit:Sanghee Liu Human Rights Watch's China director, Sophie Richardson, says "states always resort to public safety issues when they are collecting data", but China is embarking on a "pan-opticon hoovering up of all the data you can find", even though it does not have a big problem with violent crime. Instead, it appears the high-speed rail network that so many Chinese rely on to travel long distances for business or holidays has become the fulcrum of the Chinese state's experiment in harnessing digital technology to not only watch its citizens, but also to shape their behaviour. On the high-speed train from Beijing to Shanghai, passengers are warned over the public announcement system to behave, or else transport rule-breaking will be recorded in their social credit file. Passengers rush to Beijing Railway Station, many heading home for Spring Festival. Credit:Sanghee Liu Smoking in a no-smoking zone, disturbing public order or fare evasion could result in offenders being barred from future train travel, the announcement says. "In order to avoid affecting personal credit, please consciously abide by relevant regulations and maintain the station and train operational order," it warns. By the end of 2018, 5.4 million people had been banned from buying high-speed rail tickets, and 17 million people had been stopped from buying air tickets, because they were put on a black list by a court, the tax office or another government department. Another 12,920 people have had financial restrictions imposed. First conceived in 2014, the social credit system aims to harness data to reward good behaviour and punish rule breaking. Loading It is due to be unveiled nationally next year, but piecemeal trials to link data from 44 government departments have been expanding rapidly, with a focus on punishing tax evasion, fraud, fine defaulters and unpaid court debts. China's National Development and Reform Commission, which is overseeing the social credit project, said it had collected 30 billion pieces of information by December. Within a few months of airlines being added to the social credit system, more than 5000 people were banned from future air travel for their conduct on planes, most for carrying dangerous goods, a quarter for trying to use false ID, and some for their behaviour in the cabin. Only 1417 people managed to get off the blacklist in 2018 and have their travel rights restored, after paying the due tax, late fees or fines. Beijing's city government recently flagged it would expand its city social credit system so that "untrustworthiness in one area is met with restrictions everywhere, making it hard to move an inch". Richardson says: "It is very important for people to understand there are no privacy rights in China. Large amounts of data are being collected without people knowing it is collected, so the ability to give consent, which is vital, is never an option." She says it was "not clear to us just how integrated and functional the data collection strategies are ... but we should be concerned about the state's intent". In Guangzhou, subway commuters who sign up for a new facial recognition system and have a "good travel record" can avoid queues for luggage checks and use a special biometric gate. But what happens when the technology fails? The first trial of facial recognition at Beijing station in 2016 found the system couldn't recognise a person with a recently shaven head, plastic surgery or make-up that made them look 10 years younger. Smartphone makers and network carriers are doing their best to hype up 5G as the next big thing, with the first wave of 5G-enabled smartphones due to hit this year. 5G stands for "fifth generation mobile", and it utilises increased allocation of radio spectrum to deliver faster download speeds, ultra-low latency and more capacity; allowing more people to use higher speeds at the same time, limiting congestion. 5G has enormous implications for driverless cars, smart cities and the industrial sector but it will be hitting smartphones first. 5G smartphones are launching in 2019. Credit:Shutterstock.com Every major handset maker (except Apple) plans to release a 5G-capable smartphone in 2019. However the reality is that 5G hardware is going to be a decidedly first-generation affair, where early adopters of 5G smartphones will have to accept all manner of tradeoffs. Let's put aside the hype for a moment and look at what a 5G smartphone in 2019 really means for you. Queensland's mining expertise could be the ticket to opening up the next frontier in space: Mars. A paper published by a Queensland inquiry into job creation opportunities from the establishment of an Australian space industry said the sector needed skilled workers in manufacturing, technology, mining, aviation and defence. Australians can use skills and technology from operating in remote, harsh environments in the next international steps planned to Mars. Credit:NASA Queensland needed to develop and leverage the existing capabilities of Queensland industries, and demonstrate how new and existing businesses could insert themselves into a complex supply chain, the paper said. For example, autonomous systems developed for mining, such as control centres to manage trucks and robotics, could be adapted and used to manage space activities. Even before Luke Foleys spectacular fall from grace, the Liberals were fine-tuning their line of attack on NSW Labor leader-in-waiting Michael Daley. Their plan was to zero in on an incident in 2012 when Daley was allegedly drunk in the chamber after a late-night sitting of Parliament. Unless NSW Labor has vanquished the ghost of Eddie Obeid in voters' minds, it has real problems. Credit:Jon Reid Strategists were devising ways to access Hansard video footage to use in political advertising, hoping they could portray Daley to voters as being drunk on the job. Daley killed it off early by denying he was drunk but also saying he has sworn off alcohol while Parliament was sitting. Hitting a dead end, the Liberals turned to his maiden speech. Centrelink has expanded its spending on its "robo-debt" initiative facing a Federal Court challenge testing the legality of the program. New figures, released by the Department of Human Services in response to a Greens question on notice, reveal the growing scale of the maligned debt recovery program despite calls to abandon its automated calculations. Agency data shows in October it neared one million letters sent to welfare recipients since starting the online compliance intervention program in July 2016. It has raised 409,500 debts with a median size of $1028. Following reviews, the government has reduced 44,500 debts, including 14,621 where the full amount fell to zero. Centrelink has also waived or written off 26,100 debts in cases when it was not cost effective to pursue the amount, an administrative error occurred, or when the recipient had died or was declared bankrupt. After Victoria Legal Aid announced on Wednesday it had launched a Federal Court challenge to Centrelink's automated calculations detecting welfare overpayments, the agency faces calls to suspend its "robo-debt" program. Australians would be able to access up to 10 Medicare-funded sessions with a psychologist without being diagnosed with a mental disorder, under sweeping changes recommended by a federal government review. The Medicare Benefits Schedule Review's mental health reference group has recommended funding for people who are "at risk" of developing a mental disorder to be able to access rebates for psychological therapy services. Currently, patients need a mental health plan from a GP stating they have a diagnosed disorder. The GP will issue a diagnosis such as anxiety or depression after patients fill out a questionnaire. Professor Allan Fels says early access to psychological therapies will save the health system in the long run. Credit:Steven Siewert Professor Allan Fels, former chair of the National Mental Health Commission, welcomed the proposal, which aims to encourage people to see a therapist before they develop a diagnosed disorder - including those who might otherwise avoid seeking help due to stigma. A man caught on camera allegedly assaulting a journalist outside a Perth court will fight the charges. Mark Musa Bhatti was at Joondalup Magistrates Court on January 14 to support Dylan Leslie Griffin, who was sentenced to 11 months in jail for torturing a kangaroo. Mark Musa Bhatti (left) leaving court with his lawyer on Wednesday Credit:Heather McNeill Upon leaving court, Mr Bhatti, 29, allegedly smashed an ABC journalists camera into his face, causing him to suffer a black eye, and spat on him. Another man, Leslie Thomas Griffin, 56, punched a Seven News camera, shattering its protective lens. The family of a missing Chinese woman have raised concerns about her welfare after not hearing from their loved one for more than a week. WA Police are asking anyone who sees her or knows about her whereabouts to call them immediately on 131 444. Credit:WA Police 30-year-old Chen Dong contacted her family last on January 28. She indicated she was in Perth and had visited Fremantle. The family said they hadn't heard from her since, and considered it out of character. Ms Dong arrived in WA from China in November 2018. Our research shows that many Australians homeowners, urban planners, emergency services, local government, community organisations struggle to understand this threat. Why do we think an unprecedented bushfire wont happen again? Drive around the areas that were burnt out on Black Saturday. Among the still-recovering bush, what do you see? Brand-new houses, right in the footprints of the fires. Yes, our building codes have been strengthened based on what was learnt in 2009, but we are still building in the same risky locations. Is this wise? Our research shows that although people understand bad bushfire days, they dont think it will happen to them. It will be a bad bushfire day for someone else. The 2009 fires led to immense improvements in emergency warnings, but this remains a tricky task. If only we all understood words the same way, acted in a predictable way, and followed all the warnings from the emergency services. Then it would be easy. But we are human, and we are all different. It isnt easy to reach everyone at risk of a bushfire, and to get them to act in the right way. The psychology of how we understand and act on risk is a key area that we can get much better at. We have looked at many fires since Black Saturday, all around the country, and we know that many people are still not properly prepared for a bushfire. Despite the warnings, despite the media coverage, and despite knowing what happened on February 7, 2009, many people today still make hasty last-minute decisions, endangering their lives and the lives of emergency services. We see this time and time again. People do not personalise the fire risk. Our research shows that although people understand bad bushfire days, they dont think it will happen to them. It will be a bad bushfire day for someone else. Residents of the Neo200 tower will be locked out of their CBD apartments for another two weeks after a fast-moving fire, believed to have been fuelled by combustible cladding, tore through the notorious Spencer Street high-rise on Monday. But for those whose apartments were severely damaged in the fire, the delays could be even longer with authorities giving no firm indication of when they can return. Discarded cigarette butts found on the balcony where the blaze started. Credit:MFB Following the blaze, Melbourne City Council's building surveyor issued an emergency order that said the building could not be occupied for 48 hours, but this was extended for a second time on Wednesday with most residents unlikely to be able to return home until February 20. "Two additional Emergency Orders and a Show Cause Notice were issued by the Municipal Building Surveyor this afternoon to specify that the building should be vacant for up to a further 14 days," the council said in a statement on Wednesday. The policeman who tackled the Flinders Street attacker in 2017 was also one of the first on the scene to the Silk-Miller murders. Sergeant Francis Adams told an IBAC inquiry on Wednesday he hasnt worked since the Flinders Street incident, in which he tackled Saeed Noori after Noori mowed down pedestrians at the Flinders and Elizabeth Street intersection. Police drag Saeed Noori from his car after the Flinders Street incident in December 2017. Credit:Seven News In one of Nooris court hearings, Sergeant Adams said he had feared for his life, but tackled Noori anyway. It wasnt the first time Sergeant Adams had fears for his safety. Two decades earlier, the inquiry heard, he was on patrol when a call came over the police radio in the early hours of August 16, 1998. Geoffrey Conaghan from St Kilda had this to say on reports that up to 10 beds were crammed into a CBD apartment. Reports of up to 10 beds in flats should alarm regulators but it is not unique to the Neo200 complex in the CBD (The Age, 6/2). Overcrowding is common in suburbs that are popular with international backpackers and students. Accommodation agencies rent by the bed, offering cheap deals to young foreigners and huge rental returns to owners and agents. This is slum-like overcrowding. They operate like youth hostels, but without regulation. They do not fall within the Residential Tenancies Act nor are they covered by boarding and rooming house regulations which apply only when there are more than 12 residents. Landlords and agencies involved in this overcrowding are operating without regulation because none exists. It is timely for the residential rules to be reviewed to deliver minimum space and amenity standards for residents, reduce the problems with noisy flats and ensure we do not see a human disaster when the next fire in a high-rise occurs. Read more of today's letters here. An aerial view of the crash scene with the Southern Aurora and freight train surrounded by rescue vehicles. Credit:The Age Archives Four men and three women were admitted to Wangaratta hospital, five men and 10 women to Mooroopna, three men and seven women to Benalla and one man and 11 women to Euroa. Rescue operations were under way within an hour of the crash. The State Disaster Plan was put into action and within two hours police, the army, ambulance officers, the Red Cross, and doctors were on the scene. The deputy chairman of the Victorian Railways Commissioners (Mr. E. P. Rogan) said last night human error was probably the cause of the smash. State Cabinet will hear a report on Monday from the Minister for Transport (Mr. Wilcox) on the train crash. And the Chief Secretary (Sir Arthur Rylah) said yesterday an inquest would be held as soon as possible. The two trains collided at 7.10a.m. as most of the passengers were preparing to eat breakfast. Rescue workers clamber over the remains of the train in their frenzied search for survivors. Credit:The Age Archives The impact crushed the first two sleeping carriages, pinning most of the passengers in the wreckage. The third sleeping carriage and the dining and lounge cars were thrown from the track and finished on top of the express engine. As screaming passengers in the first two carriages fought to free themselves an explosion rocked the trains power van. Within minutes fire swept through seven carriages. Police said some of the bodies might never be positively identified because they were so badly burned. Broke Windows When the fire swept through the carriages, passengers broke windows and jumped from the train. Others tried to free those who were trapped but were forced to leap for their lives when the heat became too intense. The sound of the crash was heard three miles away and woke most of the people at Violet Town. Rescuers use ladders, stretchers and man power to bring casualties down from the piled wreckage of the sleeping cars. Credit:The Age Archives A railway ganger a few hundred yards from the crash scene said the train seemed to explode on impact. At first I thought shed exploded, he said. But then I heard the people screaming. I yelled to my mate to come and help me. We ran along the carriages breaking windows to let the people out. When she caught fire there was nothing we could do, he added. The fireman on the goods train, Armfried Bendeke, 27 of Wodonga, jumped from the guards van seconds before the crash. The train was travelling at more than 50mph when he jumped. Mr. Bendeke, who broke his arm and was severely bruised, said he had looked up and saw the Aurora bearing down on his train. Rescue work continues through the night. The bulldozer was used to push the wreckage off the rail tracks. Credit:The Age Archives When I hit the ground, the first thing I did was to run to the Aurora and smash windows, he said. It was not until I started to pull one of the passengers clear that I realized my arm was broken, he said. Passengers who escaped from the leading sleeping cars told of a slow motion ride as the carriages were thrown from the track. One of the survivors from the wrecked carriages, Mr. Alan Etherington, 42, of Emarald, said he was aware of vicious breaking and then a shattering jolt as the trains hit. It all seemed so unreal at first. I braced myself and then we seemed to stop in time. The carriage seemed to turn slowly and then crashed with a roar on its side. I found myself standing naked in the corridor. The conductor was nearby. There were people screaming. I could hear children crying. Then the carriages caught fire. There seemed to be no way out. God knows how the conductor and I pulled ourselves from the wreckage. Two lesser damaged carriages of the Aurora straddle the ruin of a third carriage and part of the goods train. Credit:The Age Archives The Prime Minister (Mr. Gorton), in a special message last night, extended his sympathy to the injured and to the relatives of those killed in the crash. I am sure all Australians are shocked at this terrible accid3ent and join me in an expression of sympathy, he added. The Governor-General (Lord Casey) sent a message to the Governor of Victoria (Sir Rohan Delacombe) saying both he and Lady Casey were appalled by the tragedy. And the Minister for Shipping and Transport (Mr. Sinclair) last night offered, on behalf of the Commonwealth Railways, to lend the NSW railways 14 cars to resume Southern Aurora services. Mr. Rogan said last night the locomotive of the Southern Aurora had run through and damaged points at the Melbourne end of a siding half a mile from the crash scene. Signaling equipment was later tested and found to be in order, he said. Mr. Rogan stressed that a Board of Inquiry was inquiring into the accident. He did not want to anticipate its findings. Senior police talk with Mr. Vernon Wilcox, Victorian Minister for Transport (centre) and Mr. E. H. Brownbill, Chairman of the Victorian Railway Commission (right) at the accident. Credit:The Age Archives He spoke after conferring by telephone with the Chairman of Commissioners (Mr. G. F. Brown) who flew to the scene early in the morning and spent all day there. He said the Victorian Railways signaling system was equal to the best in the world. Without anticipating the findings of the inquiry a human error probably was the cause of the accident, he said. He described as magnificent the response by the rescuers. Horror in survivors stories A woman who moaned gently, Im dying Oh God, Im dying. A little girl who started to cry because she saw some blood on her mother. A trapped nun crying for help. Three busloads of people who know now the anatomy of horror arrived in Melbourne late yesterday from the Southern Aurora. Many were dirty, some were blood-stained. Most blurted out their own special impression of the disaster. A Red Cross nurse helps a woman with a baby away from the emergency buses. Credit:The Age Archives One of them, Carl Amer just 10 weeks old and unhurt will one day be told about his place in the disaster. This is how newly-wed Jeff Culnane, 26, of South Yarra, will remember it: My wife just broke down and cried. The flames were everywhere. The carriage was filled with smoke. All I could see was two carriages piled up like a steeple; the rest were bent like a banana. We were reading in bed when the crash came. Ours was the second carriage from the front. A severe jolt sent my wife flying off the bed on to the floor. The carriage started to fill with smoke. People were running everywhere. The noise was fantastic. Someone smashed a window. We climbed out and we could see other cars in flames. Mrs. Tom Watson and her family searched the wrecked carriages for survivors, We got the children clear and no one appeared to be hurt. One woman did have a broken toe and she had to be helped down, she said. My husband heard a nun crying for help. She must have been in tremendous pain. The confusion was frightening. A guard came along and asked if everyone was all right. Kevin (left) and David Rogers of Mildura greet their mother, Maisie Rogers at Benella Hospital after the crash. Credit:The Age Archives Coral Keane from New South Wales wandered around the crash scene in a daze. My husband was taken from the spot by ambulance. I was so worried. I didnt know how badly he was hurt, although he kept saying he was all right, she said. Eighteen-year-old Allan Pembshaw, of Enfield, SA, was one of those who brought blankets out to injured people lying around inside and outside of the wreck. He had been travelling to Melbourne with his friend Phillipa Burges, also 18, of Asquith, NSW. We were all thrown out about like tiny puppets. There was a rending, screeching sort of noise; people didnt even have time to cry out. It was all so quick. The carriages up ahead were a mess, a smoking, horrible mess. We got out and the sight of it was sickening. There were people lying in smashed up carriages. I even saw one man pinned under a huge heap of smoking metal. Phillipa took up the story: I was dazed. Frightened out of my wits. I saw this bloke walk up and collapse in front of me. He came to when, afterwards, wed got him a blanket, and he started shaking like he had an advanced case of DTs. I could only see smoke and carriages piled up around us, she said. Survivors fall into each others arms in relief. Credit:The Age Archives One man, who would only give his name as Peter, said he had watched helplessly as an elderly woman was thrown on to a pile of bouncing, jagged metal as the carriage shuddered under the impact. There were a number of shuddering jerks after the initial impact, he said. I just caught a glimpse of an old woman opening a door, then there was another jerk and she fell out. It is all sort of hazy now, but I do remember that large chunks of metal were bouncing on the ground outside and she fell straight towards them. I never saw her again, although I spent at least two or three hours hunting around for her afterwards. Mrs. Clifford Harris, in her sixties, from Woombye, Queensland, had been sitting up in bed reading, but escaped with only shock. Her 65-year-old husband did not know for several hours what had happened to her. Snowy-haired Mrs. L. Hollingworth, 79, of Sydney, said she normally travelled by plane But I decided to go by train instead because of so many plane accidents recently. Mr. Frank Shank, of Hawthorn, had his arm slightly burnt when he stayed behind in a burning carriage long enough to help three people out. Maria Pickett, 19, a nurse at a psychiatric hospital at Orange, NSW, said she had just left carriage six to go to the dining car when the smash came. An elderly survivor comforts his shocked wife at the Spencer Street meeting point. Credit:The Age Archives Carriage six was sent right up into the air by the impact and all my luggage must have been burnt. I helped as many people out of the train as possible, including a woman with a broken pelvis. Then I collapsed myself. The young people did not seem to be doing enough to help the injured, but they were probably suffering from shock. There was no slamming on of breaks just a crash, said Mr. Frank Muldready, 66, of Sydney, I was with my wife in the dining car. We were badly jolted, but not injured. A woman clung to a tree to save herself after her partner and child narrowly escaped being swept away moments before their family car flipped in the torrent of a swollen central Queensland creek overnight. The family of three tried to drive through the flooded creek in Netherdale the Mackay region about 8pm on Tuesday, according to the Queensland Ambulance Service. The car carrying a man and woman, both aged in their 40s, and a primary-school-aged girl overturned because of the force of the water. The Queensland Ambulance Service said all three got out of the stricken vehicle and the man and child got to safety but the woman was swept off her feet. I dont feel safe on the train after dark. I never listen to my iPod at night-time because I am always terrified someone is going to come up and grab me, she said. I always have my car keys in between my fingers, sticking out, so if someone does come up behind me I have something I can stab them with just to get a few seconds to escape. If I am the only female in my carriage, I walk to find one somewhere else in the train. It might sound dramatic but you always have to be alert. Ms Ferguson, whose commute to work takes an hour, avoids catching public transport past 8pm. To feel safe, she drives and parks in the CBD about twice a week at a cost of at least $120 a month. Ms Ferguson said she felt frustrated she and other women needed to take extra measures to ensure their safety. It sucks that we have to do that and it is unfair that we have to be taking these extra precautions but what else can we do? she said. Sometimes there are security guards on the train, which is really good, but the issue is the walk from the train to your car, or from the bus to your house, even the walk from your work to the train. That is the hard part. You cannot hire a personal security guard to follow you around everywhere. Recent alleged attacks by strangers in Brisbane have made some women more aware of their personal safety but women are actually much more likely to be assaulted by someone they know at a private residence, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Men are also more likely to be attacked by a stranger in public than women, but those assaults are usually brawls that take place on a street or in a cafe, hotel or restaurant, according to data released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. We need to focus on how there is a massive issue in the way that men perceive women in our society. Crispin Scott A Queensland police spokeswoman said while assaults of this nature are uncommon in Queensland, police encourage everyone to be mindful of their personal safety when in public spaces. Queensland police were hesitant to weigh in on the issue of womens safety in public places. Victorian police were criticised for their public safety warning in the days after the murder of Eurydice Dixon at Melbourne in June. Loading Following Ms Dixons rape and murder, police advised people to be aware of their own personal security and have situational awareness, which sparked outcry from many about victim blaming. Brisbane commuter Crispin Scott, 25, agreed the focus should be on men and how toxic attitudes could manifest into violent assaults. I am all for female empowerment but that does not help when a woman is alone on a street being attacked, he said. There is only so much you can do to protect yourself from a random attacking you, instead we need to focus on how there is a massive issue in the way that men perceive women in our society. He said it was nuts how he and Ms Fergusons experiences travelling to and from the same place were so drastically different. Men read about these attacks and think of them as random events and often dont understand that it can be an everyday reality for a woman to feel afraid, Mr Scott said. They dont think about how their actions can affect women, like walking behind a woman, looking at her on the bus or sitting down next to her." Mr Scott said once he started to put himself in womens shoes, he began to change his behaviour. Queensland farmers will use Google Maps pins to tell defence aircraft where to drop hay to hungry cattle cut off suddenly by floodwater after years of drought. Fodder will be brought in from the Northern Territory and NSW as soon as Wednesday to feed thousands of cattle that have spent days standing in cold winds and ankle-deep water. An army vehicle pushes through floodwater in Townsville. Credit:Andrew Rankin/AAP "Whilst the logistics are still to be worked out, the Australian Defence Force will use its aircraft to help our farmers," Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said on Wednesday. Bales will be donated by farmers in other states but who will pay for much of the fodder is yet to be decided, AgForce chief executive Michael Guerin said. CityCat crews will again strike for 24 hours from Friday morning as unions argue the company running the CityCats for Brisbane City Council is replacing permanent staff with casual staff. The company, Transdev, insists this is incorrect and the core issue is the scale of the wage increase. CityCat crews will strike again on Friday morning CityCats will not operate from 4am Friday until 4am on Saturday, unsettling tens of thousands of CityCat passengers. Transdev has the contract to run Brisbane City Councils fleet of CityCats for the council. Brisbane City Council asked commuters to take buses and not ferries and CityCats on Friday. It is the third strike by CityCat crews against Transdev since December 2018 as the unions continue their 12-month struggle to renegotiate the enterprise bargaining agreement with the company. Passengers are getting frustrated by the frequent strikes. Hawthorne passenger Peter Molenkamp said he was told by a crew member as he left the CityCat on Wednesday they would strike on Friday. I use the CityCat everyday and this is about the fourth time this has happened, Mr Molenkamp said. He called on lord mayor Graham Quirk to question Transdev about their contract. I know it is between Transdev and their staff, but the lord mayor contracts that service to Transdev, he said. He should be standing in and doing something. The major sticking point in the 18-month disagreement is wages. The current agreement expired in May 2018. Transdev originally offered a wage increase of 13.3 per cent for CityCat masters and between 8.3 per cent and 9.3 per cent over three years for other crew. They recently increased to 19.7 per cent over three years for CityCat masters and between 8.3 per cent and 19.7 per cent for other CityCat crew. The Maritime Workers Union was asking for wage increases of between 20 per cent and 30 per cent over three years. The CityCat terminal at Sydney Street, New Farm. Credit:Tony Moore Transdevs Managing Director Tilly Loughborough said CityCat services will be running at a reduced frequency on Friday, and are therefore expected to be busier than usual. The Unions decision to take further industrial action and unnecessarily impact our customers is regrettable, particularly because our Enterprise Agreement negotiations have been moving in the right direction with assistance from the Fair Work Commission, Ms Loughborough said. Fridays strike was confirmed by Maritime Workers Union Queensland branch secretary Bob Carnegie. He said crews were taking protected industrial action. The core issue is that Transdev is being unreasonable and attacking the staff roster system, Mr Carnegie said. They are manipulating the roster system to cut workers wages, he said. Mr Carnegie said Transdev was reducing the number of permanent staff and replacing them with casual staff. The company is trying to casualise the workforce as much as it can, he said. Mr Carnegie said the MWU estimated about 30 per cent of Transdevs CityCat staff in Brisbane were employed on casual terms. Weve got workers now who are earning less than they were four years ago, he said. Theres a lot of them and quite substantially less. Mr Carnegie said the Maritime Workers Union was trying to have more staff employed as permanent part-time by Transdev. CityCat crews took strike action on December 5 for 48 hours, then a further 24 hours on December 19. In December, Transdev said the MWU pay request was not sustainable. Transdevs managing director Tilly Loughborough said all Brisbane ferry and CityCat crew were now paid at or above the national award rate. She said Transdev had met more than 20 times with union enterprise bargaining staff to try to settle the issue. The discovery of the bodies of two men in a Townsville stormwater drain is being treated as deaths in custody while the Ethical Standards Command investigates for the State Coroner. Police were searching for the two men, aged 21 and 23, reported missing in Townsville in a flooded area after they had not been seen since Monday morning, prompting a water and land search. The pair were found lifeless near Aitkenvale Park about noon on Tuesday. Police search the scene where two bodies were found in a drain running behind the Aitkenvale Library in Townsville. Credit:AAP Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service chief executive officer Shane Duffy said the tragic loss of the young men was being treated as deaths in custody but the status could change. A man employed at a care facility in Sydney's south-west has been charged with indecently assaulting a teenage girl in his care. Detectives from the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad commenced investigations after police received a report that a girl with a cognitive impairment had been indecently assaulted by a carer last year. The man was charged on Wednesday at Liverpool police station. Credit:Simon Bennett Following their inquiries, a 61-year-old man was arrested at Liverpool police station about 10am on Wednesday. He was charged with aggravated indecent assault against a victim with a cognitive impairment. A grassroots community group has won the right to have its last-minute case against the NSW government's looming demolition of Sydney's Allianz Stadium heard in court. With early demolition works under way, Local Democracy Matters have secured an expedited hearing in the NSW Land and Environment Court this month over the controversial stadium plan. Minor works have begun towards the demolition of Aussie Stadium. But a local community group is desperately fighting in court to stop the knock-down. Credit:Janie Barrett The decision sets the stage for a courtroom showdown over part of the government's $730 million ambition to knock down and rebuild the stadium, as local councils consider joining the legal fight. Local Democracy Matters, which successfully campaigned against the merger of Waverley and Randwick councils, says the government "rushed" its application process for the demolition. And in a development which shows not even Hayne is perfect, it turns out that he was not only a Commonwealth Bank shareholder, as revealed by this column on Tuesday, but held a stake in NAB until several days after his appointment to the royal commission. Still, hes saved himself a $5 per share loss by offloading that holding. Baillieu family fights on Has Melbournes Baillieu family chalked up a win in its summer stoush with the century-old stockbroking firm that members accused of making off with the family name? Not yet, members say. To recap, the well-heeled dynasty was infuriated when century-old stockbroker Baillieu Holst rebranded on New Years Day to Baillieu. Readers of this column will be familiar with what happened next, and the way the powerful family applied the proverbial heel to the stockbrokers neck to force it to drop the rebrand. This week, the stockbroking firms directors announced they would revert to an older name, EL&C Baillieu. The official line? The firm took the decision following discussions with members of the Baillieu family. Is the family happy? Not exactly. They want the Baillieu name gone from the firm, and wont accept anything short of a total rebrand. The have employed Freehills litigators Ken Adams and Ruth Overington to represent them. The stockbrokers have tapped Arnold Bloch Leiblers Zaven Mardirossian. Baillieu boss Gavin Powell was in meetings on Wednesday and wasnt able to respond to CBD. In his place, FTI spinner Steve Murphy said the stockbroker has the legal rights to use the name, and they reckon the solution theyve offered is as good a compromise as any. This saga has a way to run yet. In his place, FTI spinner Steve Murphy said the stockbroker has the legal rights to use the name, and they reckon the solution theyve offered is as good a compromise as any. This saga has a way to run yet. Another war of the roses Were still picking our jaws up off the floor after learning on Tuesday that Melbourne silk Peter Collins, QC, claims to have been stiffed of about $200,000 by Macpherson Kelley lawyers. As we revealed yesterday, the prominent firm is alleged to have not paid him for work he did in representing its clients, the Auswild family, in a dispute between family-owned company Finance and Guarantee Pty Ltd and director James Auswild. What we find more puzzling, however, is why the family dispute was back in court again last year after an earlier, equally vicious battle less than a year earlier. The 2016 statement of claim includes allegations of dishonesty, unauthorised use of company funds, and creative accounting, with claims that personal expenses were being treated as company expenses. At the time, a visibly exasperated Supreme Court judge, Michael Sifris , offered the following advice: This is a huge family dispute that goes back decades and is best resolved out of court. Just a flesh wound! And some more election news. We were pleased during the week to hear that a long-running battle between former Moreland mayor Oscar Yildiz and one of Daniel Andrews' most-trusted advisers of yore, John-Paul Blandthorn, has been put to bed. Yildiz, and former adviser turned Hawker Britton spinner Blandthorn, made headlines after a supposed run-in at a Pascoe Vale polling booth. Yildiz alleged Blandthorn, who is the brother of state Labor MP for Pascoe Vale and Yildiz opponent Lizzie Blandthorn, directed a throat-slitting gesture to Yildiz's wife, used abusive language and goaded Yildiz into a fight. Blandthorn rejected the allegations and launched defamation proceedings. But a message posted during the week to Yildiz's candidate page indicated the pair have made up. An independent review into the "health" of Canberra's prison, the first of its type for any Australian correctional centre, is inviting public submissions and commentary as part of an extensive report to be tabled in the ACT Assembly mid-year. Independent prison review invites submissions from the Canberra public Credit:Jay Cronan Submissions are now open, and close on May 1. The ACT Inspector of Correctional Services said that the "healthy prison review" welcomes input from all interested parties including corrections staff, community organisations, unions and the academic community. Detainees at the prison are also invited to submit, anonymously if wished, with a stated preference by the inspectorate for all submissions to directly address one or more of the four "pillars" of the review framework. A small fire was extinguished inside an inmate's cell at Canberra prison on Wednesday afternoon. ACT Fire & Rescue were called to the Hume complex about 4pm after a fire started by the inmate triggered the building's alarm. A spokeswoman for the territory's justice and community safety directorate said corrections officers attended the cell and extinguished the fire before emergency services arrived on scene. No one was injured in the incident, the spokeswoman said. In November, two Canberra prison officers were taken to hospital after an altercation involving an inmate who started a fire in his cell. It was the expectation, then, that the building would be sold or demolished after most students were told to move out in December. The university residence is the only one not on campus, and relies on a short-term lease from the Commonwealth government, which owns the land. "My impression from living there [for two years] was that the building was old and there was a lot of money that needed to be spent on fixing it. A lot of the ovens didn't work," Mr Harvey said. "Realistically, it wouldn't be used for anything other than student accommodation. It's sort of on its last legs as a building." Most of Fenner's residents were shocked that they had been told they would need to evacuate the building but postgraduate students had been invited to live there, Mr Harvey said. The old residents of Northbourne Avenue's Fenner Hall have been relocated to the new Fenner Hall building in the middle of the campus' Kambri precinct. Students from the old Fenner Hall building, who moved into the new building on Wednesday, will be charged a special "returner's rate" of $260 a week in 2019. This is compared to the $230 they were paying previously. An artist's impression of the new Fenner Hall building (left), which will be located on the university's campus in the Kambri precinct. Credit:Australian National University In 2020, it's expected the returner's rate won't apply to old Fenner residents, and they will be charged $290 a week, Mr Harvey said. He anticipates most people will seek alternative, less-expensive accommodation by then. "I think the consensus is that people will be looking for share houses at the end of this year. For $300 a week [share housing], you could find a lot more than 10 square metres," Mr Harvey said. "We're going from being two kilometres away from [the university], to right in the middle of campus. The feeling is that we're losing that independence." The old Fenner Hall building was scheduled to close at the end of 2018, a spokesperson for the Australian National University said. But the Postgraduate and Research Students' Association lobbied for its consideration as postgraduate accommodation. The university has an accommodation guarantee for first year undergraduate students but a guarantee for postgraduates is not expected until 2021, when new postgraduate accommodation will be finished. "ANU recognised that with some renovations, the old Fenner Hall on Northbourne Avenue could be used temporarily as postgraduate accommodation until new dedicated postgraduate accommodation could be built on campus," the university spokesperson said. The university did not respond to questions about whether any of the necessary $12 million worth of renovations had been completed in the building, or what renovations will be done. Students began moving in on Wednesday, the university spokesperson said. It was stated that the building would undergo a "mild makeover" in an initial announcement. "The extension of the use of the old Fenner Hall (renamed Gowrie Hall) is expected to be two years," the university spokesperson said. "Gowrie Hall will not be part of the universitys long-term accommodation mix." It was the understanding of the postgraduate students' association that some work had been done in the building's right wing and further renovations would be completed in the coming months. "We think it's a really good move for the university to recognise the challenges faced by [postgraduate students]," association president Zyl Hovenga-Wauchope said. I heard this a lot when I was growing up: You can do anything. We just want you to be happy. It was the 1980s, and the self-esteem movement had taken hold, imploring parents to tell kids they were special and destined for greatness. Are we raising 'generation anxiety'? Credit:Stocksy My parents meant well. But, as a chronically anxious child who worried about everything from the threat of nuclear war to the width of my hips, the message felt like a straitjacket. Fast forward 40 years and were still teaching children to deny their feelings and pursue happiness as the holy grail. "Did you get the memo?" is a common quip when one turns up to work wearing the same outfit or colour as a co-worker. And the Democrat women of Washington seemingly did, because there was only one colour for the group to wear to work today: white. From Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to hot shot New York congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, the US Capitol was a sea of oppositional ivory for President Donald Trump's address on Tuesday, local time. White has been one of three colours associated with the Suffragette movement for more than a century, representing purity. The other colours are green for hope and purple for pride. Its been a busy five months for Tom Moth and his team. As principal of brand-new North Kellyville Public School, Moth had a lot to oversee in the countdown to January 30, when the school opened its doors to students for the first time. With the help of foundation assistant principal Kasey-Lea McGill, there were school procedures to draft, a P&C Association to establish, canteen licensing to take care of and a before/after-school care service to set up. They had to develop a uniform, create a website, visit local preschools, and interview every new student and family. Everything from computers to books and soccer balls had to be procured, while significant marketing was conducted to inform parents about the opening. Principal Tom Moth and assistant principal Kasey-Lea McGill (right) welcome a kindergarten student and her mother to North Kellyville Public School. A community meeting in late September drew more than 200 parents to discuss the selection of a school name, logo, colours, motto and uniform. From a shortlist of 200 mottos, the overwhelming favourite was Dream Believe Succeed. Moth says community members have high aspirations for their children. Together we aim for students to develop independence, understand social justice, be confident and competent communicators and active members of society, he says. Our social media hashtag, #IBelongAtNK, has been well-received as it highlights our mission to create a school with which students, parents, staff members and the community can identify. Moth and his team have also worked closely with parents of students entering the three classes for students with disabilities, to establish a shared vision for inclusive education. With an initial enrolment of 300 students from Kindergarten to year 6, the school has capacity for 1000 students. One of Moths toughest challenges was predicting how many staff members would need to be recruited, as it depended on the number of students who might enrol. It has been necessary to be flexible and devise multiple plans for any eventuality, he says. In all, we have read over 300 applications throughout the last term. North Kellyville Public School is an attractive place to work for teachers and support staff due to its incredible facilities and strong vision for future-focused learning. Michael Sanchez, whose Twitter feed colourfully defends Trump and slams reporting critical of the President as "fake news", said in an interview that he has launched his own investigation into the origin of the Enquirer's story and has sought advice from Stone and Page about the security of text and phone communications. TV anchor Lauren Sanchez was outed by the National Enquirer as the woman Jeff Bezos was having an affair with. Credit:WENN Stone, a longtime Republican operative and Trump adviser, has pleaded not guilty to charges of lying to Congress and witness tampering. Page is a former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser whose trips to Moscow have drawn scrutiny from congressional investigators. Sanchez firmly denies playing any role in the revelation of his sister's affair. He said in interviews with The Post that his priorities are to protect his sister's relationship with Bezos and "to clear my name by telling the truth". Sanchez said he was told by multiple people at American Media, the Enquirer's parent company, that the Enquirer set out to do "a takedown to make Trump happy". Through a spokesman, the company declined to comment on how the tabloid obtained the text messages but said that "American Media emphatically rejects any assertion that its reporting was instigated, dictated or influenced in any manner by external forces, political or otherwise. End of speculation - and story". Loading Sanchez, who said he is his sister's manager and publicist, said he learned of the affair last year and first met Bezos on April 20 at a dinner with Lauren Sanchez, Bezos and others at a Hollywood restaurant, the Hearth and Hound. Michael Sanchez said he has socialised with Bezos and his sister multiple times during their relationship. In the aftermath of the Enquirer story, Sanchez offered a variety of theories to explain how texts between Bezos and his sister made their way to the tabloid, including spying by foreign governments, rival tech companies or "deep state" actors within the US government, according to a compilation of emails between Sanchez and de Becker that were provided to The Post. In a January 21 email to de Becker, Sanchez offered a "brief summary of the info I gathered from Carter [Page] and Roger [Stone]" and included links to news articles that outlined the National Security Agency's ability to collect metadata on phone calls. Both de Becker and Sanchez at various points theorised that government or foreign hacking could have been behind the leak of Bezos' texts, according to email and text exchanges between the two. Sanchez discussed with de Becker a theory in which Trump might have enlisted the help of British intelligence or the Israeli Mossad. Lauren Sanchez with ex-husband Patrick Whitesell. Credit:Charley Gallay Now, as de Becker has cast suspicion on Sanchez, Sanchez is hitting back. In a written statement, Sanchez accused de Becker of "lies, half-truths, sloppy tabloid leaks, [and] crazy conspiracy theories". Sanchez said de Becker sought to finger him as the source of leaks because de Becker wanted to deflect attention from his own failure to protect Bezos. Sanchez said he believed de Becker, Bezos' security chief for two decades, was involved in the leaks to the Enquirer "to sabotage Mr Bezos and Ms Sanchez's love affair". The brother argued that de Becker was trying to keep Bezos and his wife of 25 years, MacKenzie Bezos, together. Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Bezos at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party in 2018. Credit:AP Michael Sanchez said de Becker has asserted a "strange control" over Bezos and Lauren Sanchez and has "forced" the two to stay physically apart from each other since the Enquirer's article appeared. De Becker declined to address Michael Sanchez's allegations individually, saying only: "Since subjects of investigations often accuse their investigators, even the craziest litany of claims doesn't surprise me." Jay Carney, Amazon's senior vice president for global corporate affairs, declined requests for an interview with Bezos. Lauren Sanchez also declined to comment, according to her representative. Loading Bezos and Trump - two wealthy businessmen who became famous as billionaire disrupters upending the worlds of retail and politics - have traded Twitter barbs in the past. And Trump often lumps Bezos' separate ventures, Amazon and The Post, together in an effort to discredit the newspaper's reporting. Bezos' ownership of The Post was highlighted on the cover of the unusual, 12-page spread on the Bezos-Sanchez affair that the Enquirer published last month. The Enquirer reported that it spent four months on what it called the "largest investigation" in its history, following Bezos and Lauren Sanchez "across five states and 40,000 miles ... in private jets, swanky limos, helicopter rides, romantic hikes, [and] five-star hotel hideaways". Last July, Dylan Howard, American Media's chief content officer, saw a photo of Lauren Sanchez standing next to Bezos on the VIP viewing platform for a rocket launch by Bezos' space exploration company, Blue Origin, and decided to look into a relationship between Bezos and Sanchez, according to a person who spoke to Howard at the time. Howard declined to comment. Howard's byline appears with that of other Enquirer reporters atop the paper's articles about the Bezos affair. The salacious report came as prosecutors have examined the Enquirer's role in helping Trump. In September, federal prosecutors reached an agreement with American Media in which the company, chief executive David Pecker and Howard, his top deputy, would cooperate with authorities and acknowledge that the Enquirer worked with the Trump campaign to kill stories "about the presidential candidate's relationships with women". Loading According to three people familiar with the tabloid's discussions, the Enquirer was ready to publish a story on Bezos and Lauren Sanchez mid-way through last year but held off because Pecker, a longtime associate and supporter of the President, wanted to wait until after the midterm elections and did not want to feed the public impression that he was a tool for Trump. One of those people said the Enquirer published only when it was confident in its reporting. During the 2016 campaign, Enquirer executives sent pre-publication digital copies of articles and pictures related to Trump to the candidate's attorney, Michael Cohen. Cohen has said part of his job was trying to head off negative reporting about Trump. The Enquirer denied ever sharing such material ahead of publication. In 2016, American Media bought former Playboy model Karen McDougal's account about her alleged affair with Trump for $US150,000 - not to publish the story but to kill it. De Becker said his investigation ended up focusing on political motives for the Enquirer report because "I would be blind if I didn't register the fact that Michael Sanchez is an associate of people like Roger Stone, Carter Page and Scottie Nell Hughes", a frequent TV surrogate for Trump during the campaign. Trump ally Roger Stone became an unusual participant in the hunt for the Bezos leaker. Credit:AP "Learning that was a major surprise in our investigation," de Becker said. "Naturally, that raised questions about whether [Enquirer publisher] David Pecker, the National Enquirer and others intended to do a hit piece on The Washington Post and Jeff Bezos." Stone, Page and Hughes denied that they had any role in exposing Bezos' affair. The Post also has a business relationship with de Becker; one of the security consultant's employees serves as the newspaper's director of security at its Washington headquarters, according to Kristine Coratti Kelly, The Post's vice president for communications. The Post's relationship with de Becker's company "allows us to utilise their vast resources and training programs rather than trying to build them in-house", Kelly said. Carter Page emerged as an associate of Lauren Sanchez' brother, Michael. Credit:AP Michael Sanchez said he spoke to Stone and Page about his sister's relationship with Bezos only after the tabloid published its expose. Early last fall, Michael Sanchez told a political acquaintance that his sister and Bezos were travelling together, according to a person familiar with the conversation. Over the past month, a behind-the-scenes PR battle has raged as each side has sought to push back against critical media accounts and to promote reporting that favours its version of how the Enquirer story came to be. On January 7, Bezos and Lauren Sanchez received almost identical emails from the Enquirer, Howard and his deputy, James Robertson, American Media's news director, according to copies of the emails obtained by The Post. Loading "I write to request an interview with you about your love affair," the messages read. The Enquirer asked Bezos and Sanchez to respond to dozens of questions. Michael Sanchez said that, acting as his sister's representative, he agreed to meet with Howard at American Media's offices in New York to review the Enquirer's reporting. On the evening of January 9, Bezos tweeted an announcement that he and wife MacKenzie Bezos "have decided to divorce and continue our shared lives as friends". The announcement surprised Michael Sanchez and enraged Howard, who felt, according to two people who spoke to him at the time, that Bezos had preempted his scoop. After the Bezos tweet, the Enquirer, which was not due to publish its next edition until January 16, rushed its report about the affair into print a week early, allowing it to appear on newsstands on January 10, according to a person familiar with the Enquirer's work on the report. The Enquirer article led quickly to duelling investigations and lawsuit threats. Documents obtained by The Post show that attorneys for American Media sought to persuade the Daily Beast not to publish its initial report suggesting that Trump's allies may have been involved in the effort to expose the Bezos affair. According to a draft legal complaint, Enquirer attorneys threatened to sue the Daily Beast if it used any information provided by a former Enquirer executive who had been hired by the website. The Daily Beast published two articles about the affair last week. Its editor did not respond to a request for comment. Loading Stone, whose campaign trickery has been the stuff of movies, books and political folklore since Richard Nixon's 1972 presidential campaign, had sought to preempt the Beast's stories. On January 29, the day of his arraignment in the Mueller probe, Stone appeared on Infowars, the conspiracy-minded Internet talk show run by Alex Jones. "Breaking news here," Stone said. He claimed, incorrectly, that the Beast would report that "I, working with President Trump and the NSA, hacked the cellphone of Lauren Sanchez, the paramour of Jeff Bezos - or that we hacked Bezos' cellphone and that we gave the information to the National Enquirer. This is a conspiracy that allegedly involves Michael Sanchez - Lauren Sanchez's brother, a very hot Hollywood manager, [who] happens to be a friend of mine." Meanwhile, de Becker's attorneys have discouraged tabloids such as the New York Post and the Sun in London from reporting Michael Sanchez's assertion that the leak to the Enquirer resulted from de Becker's failure to protect Bezos' privacy. An attorney for de Becker also threatened legal action against American Media over the same issue, the documents show. The complex web of purported explanations for the Enquirer's focus on Bezos' love life was, Stone asserted, an example of "the insanity of the left". As Stone tells it, he got involved with the Bezos story only last month, just days before his arrest, when he got a phone call from the West Coast. A National Enquirer editor reportedly started investigating after he saw a photo of Lauren Sanchez standing next to Bezos at a launch by Bezos' space exploration company, Blue Origin. Credit:New York Times On the line was John Phillips, a talk-show host at KABC radio in Los Angeles. Phillips had interviewed Stone numerous times, and they had become friends, getting together periodically for dinners, Stone said, speaking in detail about the Bezos matter for the first time. Phillips, who declined to commen, was not calling to arrange a meal but to see whether Stone would talk with his manager and friend, Michael Sanchez. Suspecting that his sister had been under surveillance, he wanted to talk to people he thought of as experts on how that is done, such as Stone and Page, according to Stone. Michael Sanchez helped Page land a gig speaking in October at Politicon, a nonpartisan political convention, in a discussion titled "Sex, Spies and Videotape: Russian Hysteria in Context". Page and Sanchez spoke about business opportunities and developed a friendly relationship, Page said on Monday. But Page said he did not learn that his new friend had a sister who was involved with the world's richest man until the Enquirer report appeared. Loading When reports began appearing suggesting that Sanchez might be responsible for the leaks, Page said he saw a parallel to his own experience. "I think there are a lot of similar lessons learned," he said. Page contended to Sanchez that he became embroiled in the Russia investigation because someone was out to get Trump. Page told Sanchez that something similar might be happening to him. "Realise that people have agendas," Page recalled telling Sanchez. "There are bigger fish whose reputations they are trying to fry in the media." Meanwhile, the Enquirer report led de Becker and Sanchez to conduct a lengthy text exchange, and de Becker appeared incredulous that Sanchez was consulting with Stone. "Do you really know Roger Stone?" de Becker asked. Not long afterward, Sanchez told Stone about de Becker's theory of what happened. In this telling, de Becker posited that since there was no evidence that Bezos' or Lauren Sanchez's phones had been hacked, the information could only have been extracted by the government. Sanchez claimed that de Becker believed Trump had a vendetta against Bezos because of his ownership of The Post and because Bezos is a "big opponent of Donald Trump", Stone said. Stone said he thought the scenario Sanchez spelled out was "crazy. Just crazy." Stone's theory about the leak to the Enquirer was one that Michael Sanchez also offered - that de Becker hadn't protected Bezos' communications, so he needed someone to blame and came up with the notion of a political hit job. De Becker stood by his theory. "This inquiry has been about crime, not journalism," he said. "Again and again, political motives became evident." Want to praise someone or get something off your chest? Darts and Pats is the place to do it. ISTANBUL - Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, on the second and final day of his official visit to Turkey, appealed to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to reopen the prestigious Halki orthodox seminary on the island of Heybeliada in the Sea of Marmara south of Istanbul. The seminary, which is on the site of a regularly functioning monastery, has been closed since 1971 as part of a dispute between Athens and Ankara. "I want to believe that we are close to the day in which these rooms will go back to ringing with the laughter of students," said Tsipras, the first Greek prime minister to visit the building. In the past, Erdogan had talked about reopening the seminary in exchange for an improvement in rights for the Muslim minority of Turkish origin in Greece. Two men in their 20s are due in court this morning charged with a number of burglaries in Wexford and Wicklow. Cigarettes and cash were taken after shops in Gorey, Co. Wexford and Redcross and Rathnew in Co. Wicklow were broken into in the early hours of yesterday morning. The British Prime Minister Theresa May will visit Dublin on Friday evening for Brexit talks, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said. Mr Varadkar was speaking after his meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels this afternoon. Mrs May will be travelling to Brussels tomorrow to meet EU leaders in a bid to break the Brexit impasse. "I'll be meeting Prime Minister May; she'll be coming to Dublin on Friday evening, and we'll have dinner together," the Taoiseach said. "It's an opportunity as well to discuss the situation and work together to chart a way forward." Speaking at a press conference in Brussels, Mr Juncker said the Withdrawal Agreement was not open for renegotiation and that the backstop is needed for "obvious, vital reasons". "The backstop is a guarantee for Ireland and it is a guarantee for the European Union because the Irish border is a European border," he said. Mr Juncker said the EU "could not accept the idea which has been circulated around that the Withdrawal Agreement could be reopened". .@EU_Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker says the EU "cannot reopen" the #Brexit withdrawal agreement or reopen discussion on the Irish "backstop"https://t.co/2WbaZE4u14 pic.twitter.com/7GwTlVhVGT BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) February 6, 2019 He said alternative arrangements "can never replace the backstop" and also rejected giving the UK a way to unilaterally pull out of the backstop. "A safety net is not a safety net if it can be destroyed by the unilateral actions of one of the parties," he said. Speaking alongside the European Commission president, the Taoiseach concurred that they continue to stand by the Withdrawal Agreement, including the backstop. "The Withdrawal Agreement let's not forget is already compromise. It was co-designed with the British Government, contains large elements that they designed and requested," he said. "Of course we will always listen to suggestions that the UK Government has to make, particularly in relation to the joint Political Declaration on the future relationship, but that is very much in the context of the future relationship." I'm confident that a solution can be found, but we should bear in mind that the threat of no deal is not a threat that the European Union is making, it is not a threat that Ireland is making. "This March 29 deadline is a deadline set in Britain by Britain and it is open to the UK to request an extension to Article 50, provided there's a purpose to that, or to revoke Article 50 if that's their wish." He dismissed the Commons vote for "alternative arrangements" to replace the backstop, claiming the Westminster majority for it "probably only exists because alternative arrangements can mean whatever you want them to mean". Irish PM Leo Varadkar: MPs only backed Theresa May's latest plan to replace the Irish backstop with "alternative arrangements" because the phrase "can mean whatever they want [it] to mean" https://t.co/TFSUX1akr8 pic.twitter.com/JDGI0E98Iy BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) February 6, 2019 "I don't believe that would have passed if people actually had to get into the detail of what alternative arrangements might mean or might not mean," he said. Any work on finding alternative arrangements "cannot be done in such a way that deletes the backstop", he added. In response to their comments, Downing Street insisted the EU would have to give ground in order for a deal to be agreed. "Leo Varadkar said that they want the UK to leave with a deal, Donald Tusk said earlier today their priority is avoiding no deal," Theresa May's official spokesman said. "The fact is that the deal that was on the table has been rejected by 230 votes. "So if, as they state, they wish for us to leave with a deal there are going to have to be changes made in order to address concerns which MPs have on the backstop." In a further joint statement issued earlier following their meeting today, Mr Juncker and the Taoiseach reiterated that the Withdrawal Agreement is not open for renegotiation and is "the best and only deal possible". They said the backstop "is a necessary legal guarantee to protect peace and to ensure there will be no return to a hard border on the island of Ireland", as well as protecting the single market and customs union. "The Withdrawal Agreement, including the backstop, is a balanced compromise, representing a good outcome for citizens and businesses on all sides, including in Northern Ireland," the statement said, The backstop is not a bilateral issue, but a European one. Ireland's border is also the border of the European Union and its market is part of the Single Market. We will stay united on this matter. The said that they would be "stepping up" their preparation for a no-deal scenario while continuing to seek an agreement on the "orderly withdrawal" of the UK. "The Commission stands ready to support Ireland in finding solutions answering the specific challenges that Ireland and Irish citizens, farmers and businesses will face. We will work closely together to this end over the coming weeks. "We will continue to remind the Government of the United Kingdom of its responsibilities under the Good Friday Agreement, with or without a deal," they concluded. Earlier: Varadkar: Brexit agreement remains best deal possible The EU is open to further discussion with the UK Government on Brexit but the Withdrawal Agreement remains the best deal possible, the Taoiseach has said. Leo Varadkar was speaking in Brussels on Wednesday as he discussed preparations for a possible no-deal Brexit with EU leaders. Speaking alongside EU Council president Donald Tusk, Mr Varadkar said: While were open to further discussions with the UK, the Withdrawal Agreement which was negotiated in good faith, over many months and agreed by 28 governments including that of the UK, stands. Speaking alongside @campaignforleo EU Council President @eucopresident has said theres a special place in hell for those who promoted #Brexit without even a sketch of a plan of how to carry it out safely @PA pic.twitter.com/w7AGskWUOS Michelle Devane (@michelledevane) February 6, 2019 It remains the best deal possible. In relation to the Irish backstop, he added: While we expect that the backstop will never be used, we agreed again today that it is needed as a legal guarantee to ensure that there is no return to a hard border on the island of Ireland while protecting the integrity of our European single market and customs union. I think the events in London and the instability in British politics in recent weeks demonstrates exactly why we need a legal guarantee and a solution that is operable, that we know will work and will last. The EU27 is not making any new offer. The Taoiseach thanked Mr Tusk for protecting the hard won peace and stability on the island of Ireland. He said that if the UKs intentions for the future relationship were to evolve, the EU would be prepared to adapt the content and level of ambition in the Political Declaration while respecting its established principles. He added he had agreed with Mr Tusk that in light of the ongoing uncertainty in London and the fast-approaching deadline, preparations for a no-deal Brexit must intensify. The Taoiseach made the comments at a press conference following his talks with Mr Tusk, the first of a series of meetings with senior EU representatives. Donald Tusk: 'Special place in hell' for Brexit leaders without a plan By Fiachra O Cionnaith European Council president Donald Tusk has told Brexiteers to tell him "what that special place in hell looks like for people who promoted Brexit without a sketch of an idea" of the consequences. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, left, shakes hands with European Council President Donald Tusk before their talks at the Europa building in Brussels, Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) Mr Tusk dropped the bombshell attack on Brexiteers as he separately ruled out any hope of the Brexit referendum being re-run and urged British prime minister Theresa May to explain what she will do. Speaking during a short press conference in Brussels alongside Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Mr Tusk said while he is "always" with Remainers "in my heart, the facts are unavoidable" Saying the lack of a majority for a referendum re-run in Britain and "no leadership" seeking it from Ms May or Labour's Jeremy Corbyn "rules out the option" of a second vote, Mr Tusk said while he "wishes" for the move he cannot ignore the facts. Mr Tusk said specifically "the EU27 is not making a new offer" and piled pressure on Ms May before her visit to Brussels on Thursday by saying he wants her to bring coherent suggestions on how to end the impasse. I've been wondering what that special place in hell looks like, for those who promoted #Brexit, without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely. Charles Michel (@eucopresident) February 6, 2019 Describing the Irish border as the "top priority" for the EU, Mr Tusk said Brussels "will not gamble" on destroying the peace process and will do "everything in my power" to find a solution. However, in an explosive final comment which appeared to surprise Mr Varadkar, Mr Tusk added: "By the way, I was wondering what that special place in hell looks like for people who promoted Brexit without a sketch of an idea of what it would look like." The pointed remark is certain to provoke an angry response from hardline Brexiteers just 24 hours before Ms May's crunch Brussels meetings on Thursday. It is also likely to have been designed to push middle-ground politicians in Britain into realising there is unlikely to be any movement from the EU and that they must choose between "hell" or the already on offer withdrawal deal. Speaking during the same press conference, Mr Varadkar said the current drama in British politics shows why Ireland needs the backstop insurance policy. .@eucopresident Donald Tusk reiterates that the #brexit Withdrawal Agreement is not up for renegotiation, and says he hopes to hear a realistic proposal from @theresa_may tomorrow https://t.co/ENxCNcQOgu RTE News (@rtenews) February 6, 2019 The Taoiseach said after meeting with Mr Tusk he has been assured "the EU will remain united" on backing Ireland. In an apparent reference to ongoing Brexiteer calls to alter the backstop, Mr Varadkar added that while he "hopes" the withdrawal agreement will eventually be ratified by Westminster it is essential to realise it must also be backed by the European Parliament. Mr Varadkar will meet European Parliament Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt and EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier later this afternoon, before a further no deal Brexit planning meeting with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker. Microphone picks up @campaignforleo warning @eucopresident: "they'll give you terrible trouble". Tusk nods and laughs pic.twitter.com/20xlTzqelM Georg von Harrach (@georgvh) February 6, 2019 Taoiseach in Brussels to intensify Brexit plans in case of no deal By Fiachra O Cionnaith Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will hold a series of key meetings in Brussels today with 51 days to go before a potential no deal crash out Brexit. Mr Varadkar is expected to meet with European Council president Donald Tusk this morning, after which both politicians are due to publicly re-commit to the EU's no hard border stance and backstop support. The Taoiseach will then hold high-level talks with Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier and European Parliament Brexit steering group chair Guy Verhofstadt alongside EU commissioner Phil Hogan. He will follow this with a further behind-closed-doors meeting with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker on no deal emergency plans this afternoon. In a statement before leaving for Brussels, Mr Varadkar said: "The withdrawal agreement is the best way to ensure an orderly withdrawal by the UK. Back in Brussels today for a series of key #Brexit meetings, starting with @eucopresident Donald Tusk. Ill be thanking him for the ongoing @EUCouncil support for #Ireland and discussing current situation pic.twitter.com/TO2FUlA2Qk Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) February 6, 2019 "We want the future relationship between the EU and the UK to be as close, comprehensive and ambitious as possible so that the backstop will never be needed. "However, given the ongoing uncertainty in London, we are intensifying our planning for all scenarios, including a no-deal exit. "My visit is an opportunity to exchange views on the detailed contingency planning underway at both domestic and EU level, and to explore what supports might be needed." It is understood Mr Varadkar will press home the need for ongoing EU support during the meetings, alongside long-flagged calls for Brussels to relax state aid rules for companies to help Ireland cope with a no deal Brexit crisis. A Romanian man who lived here for three and appeal over being refused disability allowance here. The man is now seriously ill with MS, needs 24-hour care, is physically unresponsive and has been cared for by his mother in Romania for some six years now. He came here in April 2008 and worked here from May 2008 until July 2011 after which he enrolled in a college course from which he was withdrawn in October 2011. He travelled to Romania the following month for medical treatment and was diagnosed with MS while there. He came back to Ireland but, because he was unable to access medical treatment here, again returned to Romania in April 2012. His condition deteriorated and he remains seriously ill there. His mother was appointed his legal guardian in October 2015 and an application for disability allowance was made to the authorities here in September 2016 but was refused on grounds the man was not habitually resident here. The man sought a review by the Minister for Social Protection but the review upheld the refusal. During that review, he argued he had not transferred his habitual residence to Romania and his absences from the State were for medical treatment which, he argued, was permitted under the relevant regulations. He also argued that disability allowance is incorrectly categorised here under a 2004 regulation as a special non-contributory cash benefit rather than a sickness benefit. The significance of that distinction is that, if classified as a sickness benefit, it would be exportable and payable to the man in Romania. Through his mother, the man then sought judicial review of the Ministers refusal. He lost in the High Court which found he had not exhausted alternative remedies as provided for under the appeals mechanism set out in the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005. Mr Justice Max Barrett said, in the context of that appeals process, the man had an adequate alternative remedy that could properly consider all of the issues raised by him, including a facility for referral of issues to the High Court. Todday, the mans appeal over that decision was rejected by a three judge Court of Appeal. Giving that courts judgment, Ms Justice Caroline Costello dismissed arguments that judicial review is the appropriate remedy in cases involving complex issues of European law and that they constitute exceptions to a litigants obligation to exhaust a statutory appeals mechanism before seeking judicial review. She also rejected arguments the case raised such complex matters of European law that it was appropriate to seek judicial review before exhausting the social welfare appeals procedure. She did not accept the superior courts here have generally accepted that complex matters pertaining to interaction of European and national law are more appropriately dealt with by the court than by the social welfare appeals office. The latter scheme is capable of dealing with the legal issues the man sought to raise, if necessary by references to the High Court or, thereafter, by a reference to the Court of Justice of the EU, she said. There was no error in how the High Court exercised its discretion in this case, she concluded. Five prison officers who claimed a selection process for certain promotional positions was flawed have lost an appeal against the Irish Prison Service. The Court of Appeal ruled the five - Aisling Dunne, Damian Kelly, Aoife Quinlivan, Peter Onyemekeihia and Ronan Moran - had not established a legitimate expectation the appointments would be made on merit as a result of fair and transparent processes, in accordance with the public service appointments code of practice. Ms Justice Caroline Costello, on behalf of the appeal court, said the High Court had not erred in making such a finding. She also granted a cross-appeal by the Irish Prison Service seeking dismissal of the proceedings on grounds they had not been brought within the time limits prescribed by court rules. In May 2013, the Irish Prison Service ran a competition to enable officers to apply for the newly created positions of "work training officers" dealing with skill sets in areas including crafts, catering, physical education and computers/printing. It involved the selection of people for placement on panels in each of these areas and from which vacancies which arose over an 18-month period would be filled. Ms Justice Costello said marks were awarded on the basis of a certain score for qualifications from Junior Cert level up to Higher Doctorate. However, difficulties arose in relation to the fact that in 2006, the Irish Prison Service introduced a requirement that all new recruits had to undergo a two-year course called a Higher Certificate in Custodial Care (HCCC). This meant those employed before 2006 did not automatically have that qualification. The Prison Officers Association had negotiated an agreement with the Irish Prison Service in 2007 to avoid disadvantage from this to pre-2006 entrants. As a result, the interview boards for the promotional positions were advised the HCCC should not be considered as relevant to the role. However, following the interview process, the Prison Officers Association raised an issue to the effect the interview boards had accepted the HCCC as a relevant qualification. After consulting the Commissioner for Public Service Appointments, the Irish Prison Service withdrew the selection panels which had been established and then decided, in agreement with the Prison Officers Association that all candidates would be awarded a minimum 25 marks irrespective of whether or not they held the HCCC. However, the five prison officers said as a result of this they were disadvantaged by either not being placed on the selection panel or their place on the panel dropping to a lower position. Following appeals to the public service commission, a report was issued which stated the management of the selection process fell short of the standards required by the code of practice. In their High Court proceedings, they initially sought orders quashing the results of the selection process but later limited their case to breach of legitimate expectation. When the High Court rejected that case, they appealed. Today, the three-judge Court of Appeal also rejected their case. The mother of Shane O'Farrell, who died in a hit and run incident in county Monaghan in 2011, believes a public inquiry into his death is required. Yesterday, the Government announced a scoping inquiry, which will be led by Judge Gerard Haughton. A retired surgeon accused of groping a number of boys in his care has told a jury that it was unfair and unjust to put events which allegedly occurred decades ago to him at this stage in his life. Michael Shine, 86, of Ballsbridge, Dublin has pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to 13 charges of indecent assault allegedly committed during medical examinations at Our Lady of Lourdes hospital in Drogheda, Co Louth and at two private clinics in Drogheda. On the 15th day of the trial, Cathleen Noctor SC, prosecuting, put it to Mr Shine that a man gave evidence that in 1971 when he was aged 13 during examinations following surgery on his appendix Mr Shine fondled and stroked his genitals. Mr Shine said that there were no medical records of the examinations occurring and said that putting alleged events from so many years ago to him at this stage in his life is unfair, is unjust, is wrong. He said that the reality was that if someone had surgery on their appendix, a surgeon would see them briefly to determine that they were fully recovered and you weren't concerned with them after that. Mr Shine said that the allegation he masturbated a different 13-year-old patient following surgery for testicular torsion and that he only stopped when the teenager said he was unlikely to ejaculate as he had previously masturbated the night before was unbelievable and shocking. He said the incident had absolutely never happened and said he had never discussed masturbation with a patient in his whole life. He agreed that doing as the complainant described would have been medically inappropriate. It is impossible, because it never occurred, he said. In her closing speech to the jury, Ms Noctor said that the accounts of all complainants in the case were similar. She said that the evidence was that each alleged assault happened to a male child while they were alone with their doctor and that the nature of the assaults themselves were similar. Ms Noctor asked the jury to consider the dynamics regarding persons coming forward and making allegations such as these in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. She said that every person in the country was entitled to undertake both civil and criminal cases regarding events they say occurred. In his closing speech to the jury, Hugh Hartnett SC, defending, said that this was a very unusual case due to the length of time between the alleged offences and the trial. He suggested that memories fail and that people can be open to suggestion and false memory. Mr Hartnett said that all seven complainants in the case went to the support group Dignity 4 Patients and that all of them had brought civil proceedings. He said it was the burden of the prosecution to prove that there was no contamination of the complainants by Dignity 4 Patients. The trial continues tomorrow before Judge Martin Nolan and a jury. A man who was arrested in connection with criminal damage and assaults following an eviction in Co Roscommon in December has been released without charge The incident took place at a house in Falsk, Strokestown after security guards were hired to protect the property. Terrorism: EU-Maghreb seminar in Tunis on joint fight Sinergy between Med researchers in fight against terrorism (ANSAmed) - TUNIS, FEBRUARY 6 - Tunisia is financing four research projects (Fsp) focusing on the fight against terrorism that involve 28 structures, six research centers and 250 researchers in various sectors, said the minister for higher education and research, Slim Khalbous, in Tunis-Gammarth. He was opening a seminar on the role played by scientific research in the fight against terrorism in Maghreb and Europe, with the support of European program Ct Mena. The policy of the department of higher education and research in this sector focuses on two key issues, the minister said. He spoke in particular about prevention through dialogue and cultural programs fighting radicalization and the free exchange of students' ideas and opinions. Theater plays, film screenings and debates will be organized at universities across the country. Four multi-disciplinary projects will also focus on explaining the phenomenon of radicalization from the standpoint of social sciences and to contribute to the fight against terrorism through the sciences and new technologies. The seminar in Tunis, which wraps up on Wednesday, gathers experts and researchers in various fields from 12 countries and vies to promote the exchange of experiences and scientific knowledge for the prevention and fight against terrorism. The event was organized by the ministry of higher education and scientific research and the defense ministry. (ANSAmed). A 31-year-old Irish woman has been found dead at a ski resort in Austria. The woman was from Co Mayo. According to reports she was staying with some family members at Hotel Park in the town of St Johann in Tirol. Police say they were alerted after the group she was with could not get in contact with her after spending Sunday evening socialising with friends. Authorities found her in her hotel room. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says it's aware of the case and stands ready to provide consular assistance. By Digital Desk staff The Health Minister said he believes the new National Children's Hospital does represent good value for money. Simon Harris said the decision to go ahead with the project despite massive overruns is the best choice for the taxpayer. He's faced more than four hours of questions at an Oireachtas committee this morning. Fianna Fail's Stephen Donnelly pressed Simon Harris on the issue of costs. He asked the health minister: "Do you believe at the 1.4bn, do you believe that represents a reasonable price for the children's hospital?" "I do," replied Minister Harris. I wish it could be cheaper but I do. "If I didn't the Government wouldn't have pressed go to proceed with the construction costs. "We can't have a situation where I'm a member of a Government and we go and we make a collective decision to go with a hospital that we didn't think was a good decision to make." Live: Children's hospital scandal akin to 'Fr Ted territory', says Alan Kelly Labour's Alan Kelly has said the children's hospital cost debacle is akin to Fr Ted territory. It beggared belief, he said, that officials in health were not able to get a meeting with their counterparts in public expenditure in the lead up to the Budget last year when serious concerns about the build were known. Department of Health officials have confirmed that in October last they were trying to sound the alarm bells about overruns with the project, amounting to potentially hundreds of millions of euro, with the Department of Public Expenditure. But both sides were unable to meet until early November. This was after the Budget process. Speaking at the Oireachtas Health Committee this morning, Mr Kelly criticised this delay, comparing the situation to Fr Ted territory". He also said it was complete and utter garbage that an official with the Department of Public Expenditure, who was on a board for the hospital, was not required to report concerns to Minister Paschal Donohoe. Revised terms for a review into the hospital build were agreed yesterday, which include allocating blame and recommendations on how to reduce down the costs. Speaking about the PwC probe, Health Minister Simon Harris said: "When we know who got what wrong, we are going to act." Harris says he was unaware of children's hospital cost implications before last year's Budget Health Minister Simon Harris has said he did not know about cost implications for the children's hospital during the lead up to the Budget process last year. He has confirmed to the Health Committee this morning that there was a request for an extra 60m back in August 2017. But he said there was no other information given to him about excessive costs for almost a year after that. This comes after leaked meetings of a hospital board this morning, which include a suggestion among members that concerns should be flagged with Government, particularly ahead of the budget last year. Mr Harris maintains that the first time he became aware of an overrun of huge money for the national children's hospital was in August last year. However, he was not aware of the board meetings where HSE and health officials among others were being told of cost concerns. He said the government did not know about the impact of costs for spending and government until November 9, after the Budget process last year. The government ultimately signed off on the project in December last. It is now estimated that it will cost at least 1.5bn and potentially as much as 1.7b. Sinn Fein TD Louise O'Reilly said this morning that the minister was acting like he wished he could have gone "back in a time machine" and made corrections. Health Minister 'frustrated' by coverage of rising costs of National Children's Hospital Latest: The Health Minister has said he is frustrated at some of the coverage of the National Children's Hospital scandal. Reports have shown the increasing cost of the hospital was talked about at meetings in 2017 - almost a year before Minister Simon Harris found out. However, he says those overruns were a different situation that did not require government action or extra funds. Minister Harris also said this was made clear to Oireachtas committees last week. The Minister has hit back at some of the coverage of the story. He said: "I am somewhat frustrated at the characterisation that I've heard of this because I've heard a characterisation that 'the minister knew in August and nothing happened until November' and nothing could be further from the truth. "The paper trail that you have and testimony that you have from my officials, from members of the National Pediatric Hospital Development board, from the HSE and indeed from my own mouth at this committee last week show that not to be the case." Fianna Fail: 'Not believable' that health minister didn't know about children's hospital cost over-runs Latest: Fianna Fail says it is "not believable" that the Health Minister would not have been made aware of cost over-runs at the National Children's Hospital for up to a year. It is reported officials at the Department of Health discussed the issue as early as October 2017 - but Simon Harris says he was not made aware of the rising costs until August last year. Fianna Fail's finance spokesperson Michael McGrath said Minister Harris has "serious questions" to answer when he appears before an Oireachtas committee later. He said: "I find it absolutely extraordinary and not believable that senior officials from the department of health would be sitting on a steering committee managing the largest capital project in the history of that department, that they would be aware for up to a year that the cost of the children's hospital was spiralling and they did not bring that to the minister." Harris faces further questioning amid spiraling costs of National Children's Hospital The Health Minister will face more questions today about the rising cost of the National Children's Hospital. Simon Harris is due to appear before the Oireachtas Health Committee later to explain why it has risen to over 1.7bn. The new terms of reference for the investigation say the review of the spiralling costs should be completed by March 29. It will also aim to find accountability from key parties involved in managing the finances of the project. It is after the initial investigation was told not to find individuals culpable. A Garda operation has been mounted in parts of Corks northside after tyres were slashed on cars displaying pro-choice stickers. Gardai have confirmed that they are investigating seven incidents of criminal damage to vehicles in the north inner city over the last nine days. They declined to comment on claims from pro-choice activists that the incidents are linked. However, the owners of two cars targeted on Sunday said they have no doubt there is a connection. A plan has already been put in to combat any further incidents, said a Garda spokesman. Since January 27, tyres have been slashed, and wing mirrors and windscreen wipers have been snapped off several vehicles parked outside homes in the Wellington Rd, St Lukes, Dillons Cross, Old Youghal Road, and Ballyhooly Road areas of the city. All were displaying pro-choice stickers. In one incident, a vehicle was targeted two nights in a row. Aoibhin Sheehys car was one of 20 parked on a terrace on Wellington Road on Sunday night. It was the only one with a Together for Yes sticker and was the only one attacked. All four tyres were slashed, and a wing-mirror and windscreen wiper were damaged. Repairs could cost up to 300. Ms Sheehy said: Its scary and quite terrifying that someone would specifically target someone who supported women in a campaign the country voted on. Jools Gilson parked her car alongside seven others in a nearby area. It was the only one displaying a Repeal the Eighth sticker and again it was the only one targeted. All four tyres were slashed, costing an estimated 220 to replace. Details of the incidents have emerged as the HSE and the data protection commissioner investigate possible breaches of patient data after an incident in Dublin. A woman who availed of an abortion at a Dublin maternity hospital last week says she was contacted afterwards for a follow-up scan. She phoned the person who sent her the text and was verbally abused and called disgusting for having an abortion. The phone number is linked to a rogue abortion counselling service and an anonymous Twitter account. Gardai are appealing for the public's assistance in locating a 15-year-old girl who is missing from Ballymun in Dublin. Sophie Mercer was last seen on February 1st. A judge who was reflecting on the many challenges facing rural publicans has suggested that publicans have the Health Board down their neck when they try to sell a sandwich. Judge Durcan made his comment at Killaloe District Court where he imposed a 100 fine on publican and former Clare hurling boss, Michael McNamara for unlawfully permitting a person to be on his licensed premises, McNamaras bar in Scariff in the early hours of May 13th 2018. Mr McNamara served on the three strong management team with Ger Loughnane and Tony Considinewhich brought All-Ireland hurling glory to Clare in 1995 and 1997 and he later served as manager to Offaly between 2002 and 2004 and to Clare between 2007 to 2009. In evidence, Garda Darren McLoughlin confirmed that Gardai detected a female getting served at 2.30am on the McNamara premises. However, Gardai only detected the after-hours serving after the pub provided CCTV footage concerning a separate incident the Gardai were investigating at the pub. In court, Garda McLoughlin said that neither Michael McNamara or his son who manages the pub were on the premises at the time. The Garda said that the pub is the biggest in Scariff and also operates as a nightclub on Saturdays. After Garda McLoughlin said that it is a very well run establishment, Judge Durcan said that Garda McLoughlin should be in the diplomatic service. Mr McNamara has been operating the licensed premises for the past 25 years and Judge Durcan said: It is a crushing time for small pubs in small towns. They are paying very heavy rates and insurance." He added: They have the health board down their neck when they try to sell a sandwich. Solicitor for Mr McNamara, Jennifer Donovan said: It is extremely difficult to keep these small pubs open and to employ people locally. Judge Durcan said: They are not making any money out of it at all. I appreciate the difficulties of small bars but the law has to be adhered to. 100 and three months to pay. Senior DUP MP Sammy Wilson has branded Donald Tusk a "devilish, trident-wielding, euro maniac". Mr Wilson, the party's Brexit spokesman, was robust in his response to Mr Tusk's suggestion there will be a "special place in hell" for those who promoted Brexit without any plan for how to safely deliver it. East Antrim MP Mr Wilson accused the European Council president of showing "contempt" for Brexit voters. "This devilish euro maniac is doing his best to keep the United Kingdom bound by the chains of EU bureaucracy and control," he said. "It is Tusk and his arrogant EU negotiators who have fanned the flames of fear in an attempt to try and overturn the result of the referendum. "All he will succeed in doing is stiffening the resistance of those who have exercised their choice to be clear of Tusk and his trident-wielding cabal." His party leader Arlene Foster accused Mr Tusk of being "deliberately provocative" and "disrespectful". "Clearly the pressure is beginning to mount in Brussels," she said. "I think it was deliberately provocative I have to say, very disrespectful to those of us who voted to leave the European Union. He should reflect on what he had to say. As I said to the Prime Minister this morning, this is a time for cool heads, it is a time to have focus and it is a time to try and find solutions, not to be disrespectful to those of us who voted in a democratic way to leave the European Union. I hope when the Prime Minister does go out to Brussels that she will be met with respect when she goes there. However, Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald backed Mr Tusk's use of language. "You are not going to convince me that anything Donald Tusk says could further harden the position of the Boris Johnsons' or the Rees-Moggs' of this world," she said. "They are people who have acted with absolute contempt for this country, utter disregard for the experiences of Irish people north and south, with utter disregard for the peace process that has been collectively built over decades. "Their position is the most hardline of hardline, it is their language that is intemperate and it is their position that is untenable." Ulster Unionist leader Robin Swann called for cool heads all round, accusing both Mr Tusk and Mr Wilson of trading "harsh words". "Leo Varadkar and Donald Tusk may find Mr Tusk's uncouth words amusing, but they are no laughing matter," he said. "They may feel they are flexing some EU muscle, but the increasingly arrogant and confrontational approach they have adopted could ultimately lead to disaster socially and economically. It's time for cool heads instead of harsh words." PA A court has heard how the boss of charities fundraising platform, Pembroke Dynamic, Peter Conlon is in France and is too ill to travel to Dublin but is willing to meet the liquidators of the firm to see if High Court proceedings can be resolved. Mr Conlon's firm is at the centre of an investigation into the alleged misappropriation of some 3.8m in donations. Last year, the High Court granted liquidator Myles Kirby an injunction freezing Mr Conlon's assets, including his bank accounts, below a value of 3.8m. Those orders remain in place Following his investigation into the firm's affairs, Mr Kirby is also seeking various orders against Mr Conlon, including an order that he be made personally liable for the company's debts. It is claimed that Mr Conlon returned to Ireland in December following his release from prison in Switzerland, where he was convicted of embezzlement. The liquidator was unable to proceed with the application late last month because he did not know Mr Conlon's exact whereabouts, if he was aware of the proceedings, or if he had been served with the documents in the case. Today, Gerard Meehan BL for the liquidator told Ms Justice Leonie Reynolds that contact had been established with Mr Conlon since the matter had last been before the court. The Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement, which is also probing Pembroke Dynamics affairs, had furnished Mr Kirby with Mr Conlon's contact details, counsel said. Counsel said that the third party in an e-mail had informed Mr Kirby's lawyers that Mr Conlon is currently in France, but was "too ill to return to Dublin" for Wednesday's hearing. Counsel said the email also stated that his illness had been certified by a doctor in Ireland, and that proof of his condition could be provided to the court if required. Counsel said the email also stated that subject to his health Mr Conlon was prepared to meet with Mr Kirby in France later this month to see if matters between the parties could be resolved without any further costs being incurred. Counsel said that Mr Conlon's offer to meet his client has neither been agreed nor rejected by Mr Kirby and was considering the offer. Ms Justice Reynolds, who deemed that Mr Conlon has been served with the relevant documents in the case, agreed to the adjourn the matter for three weeks. The Judge said that on the next date evidence concerning Mr Conlon's health should be put before the court. In January 2018, Mr Kirby was appointed as liquidator of Pembroke Dynamic over a 400,000 debt owed to Revenue. Pembroke, which previously traded as Ammado Internet Services, was an online donation platform through which people could give money to various charities - with the company taking 5%. Mr Kirby sought freezing orders after he commenced an investigation into the firm's affairs. He claims various charities have not received some 3.8m donated to them via the platform. Mr Kirby claims Mr Conlon, 64, with an address at St Marys Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin is "guilty of very serious misconduct" as company funds were used for personal expenditure. Mideast: media, Trump peace plan unveiled after Israel vote Kushner expected to provide details next week (ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, FEBRUARY 6 - US President Donald Trump's peace plan for the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians could be announced right after national elections scheduled on April 9 in Israel. However, the president's special envoy, Jared Kushner, is expected to announce some of its details at an upcoming conference on the Middle East scheduled on February 13-14 in Warsaw. According to unconfirmed reports, the plan provides for a Palestinian state stretching over 90% of the West Bank with at least part of East Jerusalem as its capital. The plan and its political stance, however, have already been rejected by Palestinian President Abu Mazen and the PLO when Trump last year recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital and moved the US embassy there from Tel Aviv. Abu Mazen said at the time that the US could not be considered as ''peace mediators'' anymore. An anonymous source with the Trump administration was quoted as saying by the Times of Israel on Wednesday that the Palestinian position was a ''vestige of talking points from decades ago''. (ANSAmed). British MP and former foreign secretary Boris Johnson was paid more than 58,000 for a speech at a conference in Dublin last month. Mr Johnson made an address which lasted less than an hour to attendees at the Pendulum Business and Self Empowerment Summit at the Convention Centre. The fee of 51,250 was paid by Pendulum Events & Training and was declared in this week's register of members interests of Westminster politicians. According to the documenet, the firm paid Mr Johnson for a speaking engagement for two hours on January 10, with transport also provided. However, his appearance, which included an interview with RTEs Bryan Dobson, lasted for less than an hour. This would mean that Mr Johnson received approximately 1,000 per minute for attending the event. During his speech, the prominent Brexiteer focused on Britain's withdrawal from the EU, saying there was no need for a hard border in Ireland if no deal is reached. He said that while he was a member of Cabinet, he "believed the backstop was just a form of words, a convenient fiction that had to be endured until such time as we could sort it out". The Pendulum Summit usually attracts around 7,000 visitors, and the company behind the event was founded by the former Munster and Ireland rugby star Frankie Sheahan. Tourism Ireland has released a new video to highlight the best of what Ireland's Ancient East has to offer. Ireland's Ancient East encompasses over 5,000 years of history in just fifteen counties. Microsoft Ireland Operations has been given the go-ahead to pursue an $829,000 (728,000) judgment against a firm which had a retail agreement for distribution of Microsoft products in Saudi Arabia. The High Court today lifted a stay on the judgment Microsoft obtained against Saudi-based Moneer Omar Thabit Trading Establishment in July 2015. The stay had been granted because the defendant issued a counterclaim for $6m against Microsoft claiming it had failed to honour its promises to in relation to the retail agreement. This included an agreement the defendant would become the sole distributor of certain Microsoft products in Saudi Arabia but this did not happen. The stay on the judgment was to remain in place pending the outcome of the counterclaim. Mr Justice Seamus Noonan said he was satisfied to grant Microsoft's application to lift the stay because of what he previously described as "heel dragging" by the Thabit Trading Establishment side. The defendant opposed the lifting of the stay arguing, among other things, a delay in exchanging expert reports from its side was due to the fact it is located in Saudi Arabia. Mr Justice Noonan said the defendant's report comes from a Dublin based accountancy firm and it was difficult to see, in the modern era of instantaneous electronic communication, how geographical location can have any bearing on delay. Since July last, when the judge wanted to see no further heel-dragging, the defendant's counterclaim had "not advanced to any significant degree but if anything, it might be said that it has reversed", he said. Given the timeline of the rate at which the defendant's case had advanced since its inception five years ago, it seemed to the judge there was very little cause for optimism that the trial can take place anytime soon. None of the delays were the fault of Microsoft, he said. It would be quite unjust to Microsoft to continue the stay. He noted that because of the laws of Saudi Arabia, Microsoft could not recover interest on the judgment sum. There was also no suggestion that if the defendant's counterclaim succeeds that it will not recover damages from Microsoft which is a long-established multinational conglomerate. A financial services company has claimed before the High Court that its agreement to operate three branches of the Educational Building Society (EBS) was terminated over a refusal to engage in the alleged mis-selling of financial products. The claims, which EBS denies and says are without foundation, were made on behalf of Betty Martin Financial Services Ltd (BMFS,) which for many years has operated EBS branches in Athlone, Lucan and Longford under an arrangement known as a "Tied Branch Agency Agreement.' It has brought proceedings over EBS's decision to terminate their agreement, which the Court heard will result in another financial services entity taking over the operation of the EBS branches next month. BMFS, represented by Declan McGrath SC and Keith Farry Bl, claims the purported termination, which it claims is invalid and done for no good reason, will result in the collapse of its business. The decision will also impact negatively on BMFS's staff and damage its the reputations of its directors. BMFS also claims it was informed that agreements would only be terminated by EBS in cases of gross misconduct. In proceedings before Mr Justice John Jodan BMFS is seeking an injunction preventing EBS DAC from terminating the agency agreement between the parties that allows the plaintiff to operate the three branches. BMFS wants the injunction to be put in place until the full hearing of the dispute has been determined. EBS, represented in court by Ciaran Lewis SC and Mark Dunne Bl, denies all of BMFS's claims, says it entitled to terminate the agreement, and opposes BMFS's application for an injunction. It claims the complaints of alleged misselling was only made by BMFS after EBS decided in 2017 to terminate the agreement with the firm. In a sworn statement to the court BMFS director Mr Declan Martin, whose late mother Betty set up the company during the 1980s, said the firm started having difficulties from 2010 onwards with EBS Regional Manager Tim Gleeson. He said Mr Gleeson, who denies the claims, asked BMFS to allegedly undertake commercial activities that were unprofessional, unethical and against Central Bank Rules and guidelines. " He said that Mr Gleeson allegedly pressurised BMFS to get customers to answer a Central Bank approved questionnaire to new or potential customers. The questionnaire is designed to ensure customers are put into the correct products, guided by their risk appropriateness and appetite. Customers who achieve a low score on the questionnaire are categorised as low risk and should only invest in deposit accounts, a product which a bank makes little or no profit from. Customers with a higher score, indicating they have a greater risk appetite and understanding of the risks of investing, are allowed to open other accounts and invest in more risky products which Mr Martin said EBS would have increased earnings from. Mr Martin said BMFS refused to sell high-risk products to unsuitable customers. In May 2017 he said a termination notice was served on BMFS for no reason. Mr Martin said this was served because he would not bow to demands to mis-sell products. He said he disclosed his concerns concerning Mr Gleeson to EBS's MD Des Fitzgerald, who withdrew the termination notice and directed the matter be investigated. An investigation was conducted by EBS parent AIB which found in February last that Mr Martin's allegations were not substantiated. Mr Martin claims the investigation was not done in accordance with fair procedures and the outcome predetermined. Following the investigation, another termination notice was issued by EBS to BMFS. Mr Martin claims the notice unlawful on grounds including it was done without a bona fides commercial reason. In a replying affidavit, Mr Fitzgerald said Mr Martin's allegations are without foundation and said Mr Martin made no complaints about the alleged misselling until after the 2017 termination notice was issued. The agreement with BMFS was lawfully terminated and in accordance with the agency agreement the parties had entered into, he added. An independent investigation of Mr Martin's claims was conducted and concluded there was no evidence to support the mis-selling allegations, he said. Mr Fitzgerald said Mr Martin's complaints were "taken seriously" by him and were "fully considered" by the investigation team. He also said the application should be dismissed on the grounds it is an abuse of process, and the applicant had delayed in bringing its proceedings. Mr Tim Gleeson in his affidavit also rejected all of Mr Martin's "untoward allegations" against him and he never encouraged the misselling of financial products to customers. The hearing continues. One of the many remarkable outcomes of the Brexit debacle is the disdain displayed towards the business community by the UK political establishment, writes Joe Gill. It seems as if every warning from significant employers and their representatives is treated with contempt in the populist rush to leave the European Union. This animosity is odd in a society built, over the past 100 years, primarily on investment from the private sector. Britains industry forged companies that could innovate, compete, and expand across international markets. They committed significant sums of capital and engaged in large-scale job creation to support their strategies. Over time, however, the ownership of the private sector in the UK has changed dramatically. Whereas UK shareholders owned the vast bulk of private companies a century ago, today, enterprise on the ground in Britain is dominated by companies owned outside of it. It now seems as if the voices representing that enterprise are unwelcome more because of who they are than what they are communicating. It looks like a case of shooting the messenger rather than hearing the message. Hence, a German chief executive of Europes largest aerospace company, Airbus, issuing reasonable warnings about his level of investment in the UK, is met with Second World War quips. Japanese comments about car-making are responded to with references to whaling. God love any Irish man or woman having the temerity to comment on British industry. This risible behaviour is occurring at a time when long-term strategic investment in the UK is being weighed up. If you are deciding on investments worth hundreds of millions of pounds, which rely on long-term confidence in UK support for business, how should you consider the current situation? The commitment to be at the heart of the EU marketplace has been shredded. A hard-negotiated agreement between the sovereign UK government and 27 others has been unilaterally binned by the British. Against this backdrop, why should corporations like Airbus and Nissan not be reconsidering their long-term investments in the UK? What the headline-grabbing Brexiteers are responding to are only those few business chiefs who have had the stomach to put their heads above the parapet. There are many more who think the same, but say little in public. Moreover, a huge number of companies are growing and developing around the world that are determined to establish a presence in Europe. Can you imagine how these are thinking about the circus in London? All of this will be compared and contrasted with how the Irish establishment engages with business. Too many times over the decades, Ireland has aped what goes on in the UK. We are doing that with health, currently, and labour unions, too, have often adopted the practices that were more at home in early 20th century Britain than in 2019. Hopefully, a more constructive engagement is now underway. That contract should exchange the creation of well-paid, long-term employment for an environment that welcomes investment and which provides a stable set of rules and regulations that are not subject to extreme political volatility. The latter is what now defines politics in the UK and elements of it have broken out, too, in continental Europe and the US. Those voices are too often attached to a narrative that contains large dollops of racism, nativism, and jingoism. Is it possible, amid all this, that Ireland could provide a beacon of rationality that rejects a worldview anchored in a misty-eyed nostalgia for the 19th century, when gunboats and white people felt entitled to control everything? - Joe Gill is director of origination and corporate broking with Goodbody Stockbrokers. His views are personal. Europe's largest activist investor is likely to keep building a stake in CRH with the aim of taking a seat on the building materials group's board. It was revealed that Cevian Capital acquired a stake of just under 3% in Ireland's largest multinational. CRH shares rose as much as 4% to close 2.3% higher. Cevian is one of a number of high-profile activist shareholders which invest with the purpose of driving corporate changes to boost the stock market value of the firms in which they invest. The track record of Stockholm-based Cevian suggests it makes investments in companies for between one and seven years. In most cases, it secures a seat on the board. And it portrays its approach as working with amenable managers without screaming and shouting. Cevian appears to see CRH as being undervalued by the stock market, with its margins trailing its peers and with little organic revenue growth and a strategy based on making acquisitions. While the Swedish investor may look for some asset sales and cost efficiencies to improve margins, it is understood to be unlikely to seek a large-scale break-up of CRH's international businesses. CRH is valued at almost 22bn, but its shares - down 18% over the past two years - have fared worse than the combined European index for construction and building materials stocks. Its profitability is also below that of rival companies LafargeHolcim and HeidelbergCement. CRH is, however, in the midst of a 1bn share buyback programme and is conducting a review of its European distribution business in a bid to improve shareholder returns. The company has spent big in the last few years, buying US cement maker Ash Grove for around 3bn and paying 6.5bn for some assets following the merger of Lafarge and Holcim. Last year CRH said it has 650m to 700m a year to spend on acquisitions. It is hoping to generate 7bn in cash, before asset disposals, over the coming four years and to use the money to fund acquisitions, increase dividends and possibly buy back more shares. Cevian is best known for its shareholding in Volvo which earned it a huge profit of over 2bn when it sold its stake in the automaker to Chinas Geely, in late 2017. Along with well-known US activist shareholder Elliott Management, Cevian has been active in Thyssenkrupp, the lifts to car parts conglomerate. It has a stake in engineering giant ABB and owns a shareholding of over 12% in air freight firm Panalpina, where it insisted its chairman should step down. It is also the single largest shareholder in Ericsson. In an interview last month on Bloomberg Television, co-founder Lars Forberg portrayed Cevian as an activist shareholder that went about its business in a quiet and non-aggressive way. He said Cevian was a constructive activist that works with the right management and will have a long term strategy of three, five, seven years that tackles all aspects of the company it has invested in. At Thyssenkrupp, Mr Forberg said the conglomerate needed simplifying, and the process would take time. At ABB which also makes power grids its involvement ensured the company created four divisions. It bought a 2.3% stake in Scandinavias largest bank, Nordea, before Christmas. WASHINGTON - The U.S. will continue to lead the fight against Islamic State militants in the Middle East, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo insisted Wednesday notwithstanding President Donald Trump's apparent impatience to get American soldiers out of Syria. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 6/2/2019 (866 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland stands during question period in the House of Commons in the West Block of Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019. Weather in Toronto has thrown a wrench in the foreign affairs minister's itinerary at an international gathering in Washington where world leaders are talking about the fight against Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick WASHINGTON - The U.S. will continue to lead the fight against Islamic State militants in the Middle East, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo insisted Wednesday notwithstanding President Donald Trump's apparent impatience to get American soldiers out of Syria. Pompeo made the commitment as he kicked off the annual gathering of ministers, dignitaries and officials at the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, a 79-member group that includes Canada. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland was late to the party, missing the morning session and the midday group photo thanks to weather delays in Toronto. "The drawdown of troops is essentially a tactical change it is not a change in the mission," Pompeo said in his opening remarks. "It does not change the structure, design, or authorities on which the campaign has been based. It simply represents a new stage in an old fight. The drawdown will be well-co-ordinated, and our policy priorities in Syria remain unchanged." Trump, fresh from a state of the union speech in which he doubled down on pulling out of "endless wars," addressed the group later in the day a change in the schedule that appeared aimed at placating coalition members fearful that a U.S. withdrawal would spark a resurgence in the Islamic State, a group also variously known as ISIS, ISIL and Daesh. Trump did not directly address the issue of troops coming home, but did claim the coalition has retaken virtually all of the territory once claimed by the Islamic State group to be part of its self-proclaimed caliphate. "It should be formally announced sometime, probably next week, that we will have 100 per cent of the caliphate, but I want to wait for the official word," he said, later warning that it would be impossible to completely scrub the Middle East free of extremism. "You're always going to have people; they'll be around they're sick; they're demented," Trump said. "But you're going to have them, no matter how well we do militarily. You can't do better than we've done militarily, but you'll have people that will be around. And we'll search 'em out, and you'll search 'em out, and we'll find 'em, and hopefully they won't be around very long." Freeland, who met later Wednesday on Capitol Hill with Sen. Jim Risch, an Idaho Republican, dodged a question about Trump's claim of near-total success, but did acknowledge the fact that the coalition's efforts are paying dividends. "We, the coalition, are succeeding, and that is really good news," she said. "Daesh has wreaked incredible havoc and pain on the people of Iraq and Syria ... (but) as we all discussed today, including the president in his public remarks, the struggle is not over; there is a lot more to be done." Freeland was scheduled to meet separately Thursday with Lighthizer and with Sen. Chuck Grassley, the head of the Senate finance committee, to talk tariffs and trade in particular the importance of ratifying the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, and the economic imperative of convincing the Trump administration to lift its tariffs on steel and aluminum. She continued to resist the notion that there is a link between the trade deal and the tariffs a link some members of Congress have been actively trying to draw, despite the fact that the Trump administration has justified the so-called 232 tariffs on the grounds of national security. "The point that we have made all along, and that we continue to make this week, is that that national security justification is absurd," said Freeland. "Canada is a very close ally and security partner of the United States, as we saw in our participation in the anti-Daesh coalition today." Trump didn't mention the metals tariffs Tuesday night, but he did urge the joint session of Congress to approve the agreement, which he billed as a vast improvement over the "historic trade blunder" of NAFTA. "I hope you can pass the USMCA into law so we can bring back our manufacturing jobs in even greater numbers, expand American agriculture, protect intellectual property, and ensure that more cars are proudly stamped with our four beautiful words: 'Made in the U.S.A.'" A number of Democrats, as well as some Republicans, have expressed misgivings about the new agreement, in particular what Democrats say is a lack of enforcement tools for the deal's labour and environment provisions. While some issues could be dealt with in the implementation bill on which members would vote, ratification is far from certain. Some on Capitol Hill, including Texas Republican Kevin Brady, the ranking member on the House Ways and Means Committee, have suggested Congress may resist bringing the agreement to a vote unless and until the tariffs are lifted. "Canadians have a strong and very reasonable view that these tariffs should not be in place," Freeland said. "They have never been justified, and they have never been legal." Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version said Sen. Jim Risch represents Indiana. WASHINGTON - The NAFTA-bashing president of the United States used his state of the union speech Tuesday to urge a divided, combative Congress to come together to ratify a continental trade pact he's convinced will breathe new life into America's moribund manufacturing sector. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 5/2/2019 (867 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) WASHINGTON - The NAFTA-bashing president of the United States used his state of the union speech Tuesday to urge a divided, combative Congress to come together to ratify a continental trade pact he's convinced will breathe new life into America's moribund manufacturing sector. In the same breath as he derided NAFTA as a "catastrophe" and a "historic trade blunder," Donald Trump sang the praises of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement as a recipe for resurrecting his country's farm sector, creating blue-collar jobs and restoring the lustre of the once-mighty American auto industry. Speaking to a joint session of Congress one week later than originally planned, Trump described meeting struggling workers in Rust Belt states who lost their jobs and livelihoods to 25 years of trilateral free trade that caused manufacturing work to migrate south, lured by low labour costs. "For years, politicians promised them they would renegotiate for a better deal. But no one ever tried until now," he said. "Our new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, will replace NAFTA and deliver for American workers, like they haven't had delivered to for a long time. I hope you can pass the USMCA into law so we can bring back our manufacturing jobs in even greater numbers, expand American agriculture, protect intellectual property, and ensure that more cars are proudly stamped with our four beautiful words: made in the U.S.A." Trump's trade czar, Robert Lighthizer, issued a statement after the speech that described the USMCA as "a model for all future trade deals" a harbinger of what might be U.S. thinking on its ongoing trade efforts with China, which the president promised would deliver "real, structural change to end unfair trade practices, reduce our chronic trade deficit and protect American jobs." Whether Congress will indeed ratify the new trade agreement remains an open question. Democrats, who won control of the House of Representatives in last year's midterm elections, have expressed misgivings about the deal in particular what they say is a lack of enforcement tools for the deal's labour and environmental protection provisions. And in the current political climate, with the 2020 election machine throttling up to full roar, few are feeling inclined to give the president even a single political victory. "If the president truly wants to support American farm families, he will begin to restore our reputation around the world as a reliable trading partner," National Farmers Union spokesman Rob Larew said in a statement. "He will reassert American leadership in the international trade arena, rather than straining relationships with our top trading partners. "To tout progress with China or USMCA is misleading you can't dig a ten-foot hole, fill it up with a foot of dirt and call it a win." Stacey Abrams, the Democrat who rose to prominence last year with her unsuccessful bid to become governor of Georgia, delivered the Democratic response to Trump's speech, savaging the president's insistence on a U.S.-Mexico border wall and lack of action on gun control, among other things. And though she didn't mention USMCA by name, his approach to trade is proving counterproductive, she said. "We owe more to the millions of everyday folks who keep our economy running, like truck drivers forced to buy their own rigs, farmers caught in a trade war, small business owners in search of capital and domestic workers serving without labour protections," Abrams said. "Women and men who could thrive if only they had the support and freedom to do so." Trump also used Tuesday's speech to urge an end to what he called the politics of "revenge, resistance and retribution," warning his critics away from zealous investigative pursuit of his presidency and his 2016 campaign for fear of hamstringing a humming U.S. economy. In taking credit for that economic strength, Trump inadvertently delivered one of the night's most memorable moments when he noted that 58 per cent of the new jobs created in the last year went to women. That prompted several of the 36 new female members of Congress, many clad in white in a show of solidarity with the suffrage movement, to pretend the president was talking about them as they got up and celebrated their electoral success. Trump did not appear overly amused, but he rolled with the punch "Don't sit down yet; you're gonna love this," he urged them as he continued with his prepared remarks, which acknowledged their achievement. "Exactly one century after the Congress passed the constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote, we also have more women serving in the Congress than ever before." Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version of the story moved Tuesday misspelled the word 'savaged.' OTTAWA - The Vancouver shipyard building the navy's new support ships says the decision to push one of those vessels to the front of the construction queue will shave months, rather than years, off its expected delivery date. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 6/2/2019 (866 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A Seaspan Vancouver Shipyards worker stands on a barge under construction during a party in celebration of the company being awarded an $8-billion federal shipbuilding contract in North Vancouver, B.C., on Wednesday November 2, 2011. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck OTTAWA - The Vancouver shipyard building the navy's new support ships says the decision to push one of those vessels to the front of the construction queue will shave months, rather than years, off its expected delivery date. The federal government revealed this week that Seaspan Marine will finish work on the first of two support ships before turning to a new oceanographic-science vessel for the coast guard, which was originally slated to be built first. That design work on the coast guard ship is taking longer than expected and changing the schedule will save money and time in the long run, Seaspan's vice-president of government relations Tim Page said Wednesday. But anyone expecting the support ship to be delivered overnight will be disappointed as Page says the shipyard's new schedule has it hitting the water in 2022, and it will still need to undergo testing at sea. Prior to the new schedule, the Defence Department's head of procurement said he expected the vessel, which is based on a German design, to be delivered and ready for naval operations by mid-2023. "We have in our schedule a 2022 launch, and then the question is: How long will we be in tests and trials before delivery of that first ship?" Page told The Canadian Press. "And that depends on how well the testing-trial period goes, which in part depends on how the ship has been built and how it's performing. And the navy's appetite to receive that vessel." Asked why it will take so long to finish the support ship, particularly since preliminary work started last June, Page noted that some design work still needs to be done and that the assessment is based on the experiences of other shipyards. As for the coast guard's new science ship, Page says the time gained by pushing it back in the queue will be used to perfect its design while the new schedule will mean lessons learned from the first support ship will be applied to the second. That vessel will be built after the oceanographic science ship, which will eventually replace the 56-year-old CCGS Hudson. The support ships are expected to cost a combined $3.4 billion. The two naval support ships and Canadian Coast Guard's oceanographic science vessel are among seven ships the government has asked Seaspan to build through a multibillion-dollar national shipbuilding plan. Yet the shipyard has struggled to stay on schedule and keep costs under control; for example, it is still working on three fisheries-science vessels for the coast guard that were supposed to have been delivered by 2018. Internal briefing notes for Procurement Minister Carla Qualtrough obtained by through the access-to-information law indicated last year that Seaspan was facing a loss on those three fisheries vessels, which Page confirmed. Asked why Canadians should have any confidence in the new timeline for the support ships, the first of which was supposed to have been delivered this year, Page said Seaspan had made several changes at the shipyard. That included bringing in a new management team the previous leadership was swept out last year and hiring the main engineer who designed the original German version of the support ships. At the same time, Page said Seaspan has invested $200 million of its own money into the Vancouver shipyard and is now looking for assurances that the government will provide it more work after the first seven vessels are finished. "We didn't invest $200 million in order to build seven vessels, four of which are prototypes," he said. "We invested for the promise of 20 to 30 years of shipbuilding work, which is the principle on which the national shipbuilding strategy was founded. So we're in this for the long-term." Seaspan's numerous struggles have opened it up to attacks from Quebec rival Davie Shipbuilding, which is currently leasing a converted civilian container ship to the navy as a temporary support vessel, for $700 million over five years. Davie, which was left out of the shipbuilding strategy, says Ottawa needs to lease a second temporary support ship for $500 million because Seaspan's record means the government can't rely on it to deliver on time. Davie, with backing from the Quebec government and others, also wants the government to re-open the shipbuilding strategy and parcel out some of the work that was originally directed at Seaspan. Page noted Seaspan has been asked to build four different types of ships under the strategy, each of which has its own challenges and complexities. Those include the three fisheries-science vessels, the oceanographic-science vessel, a heavy icebreaker for the coast guard and the two naval support ships. By way of comparison, Halifax-based Irving Shipbuilding is building two types of vessels, albeit more of them: six Arctic patrol vessels and 15 warships that will eventually replace the navy's 12 frigates and three retired destroyers. Follow @leeberthiaume on Twitter. OTTAWA - More than a year after the United Nations asked countries to take in refugees living in slavery in Libya, Canada has begun resettling hundreds of them, the UN and the federal government said Wednesday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 6/2/2019 (866 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA - More than a year after the United Nations asked countries to take in refugees living in slavery in Libya, Canada has begun resettling hundreds of them, the UN and the federal government said Wednesday. Canada was one of the few countries to respond to a request from the United Nations refugee agency in December 2017 to take the refugees who were living in detention centres in Libya, said Michael Casasola, the head of resettlement for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Ottawa. Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Ahmed Hussen responds to a question during Question Period in the House of Commons, Monday, February 4, 2019 in Ottawa. Hussen says Canada has begun resettling hundreds of people rescued from slavery in Libya. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld "It can take some time for the countries to do their selection because it was a voluntary act. So they want to screen. They go through their usual selection processes," said Casasola. "That can take time." More than 150 people have been resettled and another 600 more are expected over the next two years through the regular refugee settlement program, Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen said Wednesday. Canada is also planning to take in 100 refugees from Niger who were rescued from Libyan migrant detention centres, including victims of human smuggling, he added. Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Ahmed Hussen speaks at the Black History Month reception in Ottawa on Monday, Feb. 4, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang That was also helpful because Niger has been pressuring the UN to find new homes for the refugees it has taken in, said Casasola. "What Canada has done in addition to being part of the pool of cases in Libya, they're actually taking refugees out of Niger directly, which is something that helps us get some space with the local government too," he said. Libya is a major stopping point for asylum-seekers from Africa who intend to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe. A video of what appeared to be smugglers selling imprisoned migrants near Tripoli became public in 2017, prompting world leaders to start talking about freeing migrants detained in Libyan camps. Hussen revealed the resettlement plan on Monday night at an event in Ottawa to celebrate Black History Month, but provided few details. The minister told the gathering that Canada was asked by the UN to "rescue" people who have "endured unimaginable trauma." The Mediterranean Sea crossing from north Africa to Europe's southern coast has been a perilous one for migrants fleeing violence and instability. Last month, the United Nations Migration Agency reported that 5,757 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea through the first 27 days of 2019, an increase over the 5,502 who arrived during the same period last year. The death toll dropped slightly, to 207 this year compared with 242 deaths in the same period of 2018. The influx of migrants into Europe has sparked a backlash. Italy's populist government does not allow ships to bring migrants to its shores, as part of an effort to force other European Union countries to share the burden of dealing with arrivals. "As Canada takes more refugees, including Libyan refugees, it is important to remind other countries of their own commitments under the 1951 Refugee Convention and the need to respect the principle of responsibility sharing, which is one of the new norms of the refugee compact which Canada and other countries have just signed," said Fen Hampson, the executive director of the Canadian-led World Refugee Council. The council, a coalition of international experts and former politicians, was formed to provide solutions to the global migration crisis, which was recently addressed by the United Nations Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. Last week, a coalition of aid organizations from several European countries condemned the politicking in Europe around migrants. "Since January 2018, at least 2,500 women, children and men have drowned in the Mediterranean. Meanwhile, EU leaders have allowed themselves to become complicit in the tragedy unfolding before their eyes," their open letter said. "Every time a ship brings people who have just been rescued to a European port, EU governments engage in painful, drawn-out debates about where the ship can disembark and which countries can host the survivors and process their asylum applications." The Canadian initiative with the Libyans follows recent resettlements of about 1,000 Yazidi refugees from Iraq and 40,000 Syrians, threatened by Islamic State militants and Syrian forces. Syria: NGO, 100 fleeing ISIS in South-East Last Syrian area still held by 'Islamic State' (ANSAmed) - BEIRUT, FEBRUARY 6 - An estimated 100 people, including women and children, on Wednesday morning fled the last Syrian area still held by the so-called 'Islamic State' in south-eastern Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports. The UK-based monitoring group said that they included a few Turkish women believed to be married to jihadists. People who fled the area of Baghuz handed themselves over to Kurdish-Syrian forces and American soldiers on the ground. Other sources said that US soldiers separated men from women and are looking for ISIS militants. (ANSAmed). NAPLES - An exhibition opening Thursday in the Dali Room of the Cervantes Institute in Rome will display 109 works of painting, sculpture, photography, video and installations by 14 Spanish artists. The show, titled "Shapes of the Soul", contains works created between 2010 and 2016 and will run through March 30. The show's curator, Susana Blas, gathered works by the Spanish artists Chechu lava, Maria Bueno, Soledad Cordoba, Antonio Fernandez Alvira, Santiago Lara, Mireya Martin Larumbe, Vicky Mendiz, Mapi Rivera, Jose Luis Serzo, Paula Noya, Yolanda Tabanera, SUSO33, Marina Vargas and Juan Zamora. The unifying theme of the collective is spirituality and the various ways of showing it in relation to nature, man, and daily life. The exhibition came from the show "The Interior Forest", which was created as a collective and timeless conversation with mystical writer Teresa de vila (1515-1582). It was previously shown in 2015 at the Sala Juana Frances in Zaragoza and has been expanded for its current run. "Shapes of the Soul" is divided into three areas: daily spirituality (light, calm, poetry of movement); rituals of initiation (dark, action, rebirth); and dreamlike visions (dreams, spirals, fantasies). These areas are aimed at generating an emotional experience in the visitor that imposes itself on intellectual responses. The function of this collective interweaving is that of a tour guide, during which each work and every detail contain the totality of the exhibition. "Every work of art should be understood not only as something that was delivered but also as a certain manipulation of the ineffable". At the show's opening on Thursday, February 7 at 19:30, Spanish Ambassador to Italy Alfonso Dastis will speak, as well as Cervantes Institute Director Juan Carlos Reche, show curator Susana Blas Brunel, and artists Juan Zamora and Vicky Mendiz. A lecture series with Spanish and Italian artists and authors will also take place in the Dali Room, starting Thursday at 18:00 with a dialogue between Juan Zamora and Pietro Ruffo on the topic "The Ethics of Details". 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 RTHK: Venezuelan forces block humanitarian aid shipment Venezuelan military officers blocked a bridge on the border with Colombia ahead of an anticipated humanitarian aid shipment, as opposition leader Juan Guaido stepped up his challenge to President Nicolas Maduro's authority. Earlier, the opposition-dominated National Assembly had warned the armed forces, which make up much of Maduro's power base, not to cross a "red line" by blocking aid. Guaido, who proclaimed himself acting president on January 23 sparking an international crisis claims that up to 300,000 people face death if the aid is not delivered. "You know there's a red line, you know well there's a limit, you know that medicines, food and medical supplies are that limit," lawmaker Miguel Pizarro said in a message to the military. Maduro, though, said humanitarian aid would be the forerunner of a US-led invasion, insisting that "no one will enter, not one invading soldier." Venezuelan military officers used a tanker truck and huge shipping container to block access to the Tienditas bridge, which links Cucuta, Colombia to Urena, Venezuela. The aid delivery was being coordinated by Guaido, who has declared himself interim president of the oil-rich country and now enjoys the backing of some 40 countries as Venezuela's legitimate leader. Maduro, 56, has repeatedly accused the United States of fomenting a coup. The US, which has not ruled out a military intervention in crisis-wracked Venezuela, was the first to recognise him as acting president, followed by a dozen Latin American countries. In his State of the Union address, President Donald Trump reaffirmed US support for Guaido, saying "we stand with the Venezuelan people in their noble quest for freedom." Britain, France, Germany and Spain were among 20 EU nations to side with Guaido this week after Maduro ignored their demands that he announce new presidential elections by February 3 But key Maduro ally Russia slammed what it called interference in the oil-rich but now poor Latin American country, saying it was an attempt to "legitimise usurped power." Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the EU of trying to "topple the government by violence and ruse," while berating the US for treating Venezuela like "one of your states." (AFP) This story has been published on: 2019-02-06. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. She left work each day, she said, feeling really charged up about seeing my work in action, but feeling like I was on the front line. Following these intense situations, DeAndrade returned to the office to write grant proposals. I had to learn how to shift from being out in the field to being in the office learning how to keep the organization sustainable, she said. The process was jarring for DeAndrade, who valued the intensity of the front lines, but also encouraged her to learn, quickly and thoroughly, how to be successful in all aspects of nonprofit work. DeAndrade drew from her multifaceted experiences to offer students advice on the skills they would need to succeed in the nonprofit field. She advised students to speak clearly and without jargon, to shore up basic math skills, and to be entrepreneurial. She stressed the need for having a strong sense of fairness and good listening to skills to serve the needs of a community. Whose voice is at the table? DeAndrade asked of the audience. Are you making room for people so that they can be heard? Amanda Cassano 22, who attended the symposium and is interested in nonprofit marketing, said she appreciated DeAndrade's insights, specifically the importance of speaking to your audience. It was a great experience, and Im glad I got the opportunity to attend. Yuxuan "James" Wang 20 said he attended the symposium out of curiosity. I wanted to know how nonprofit workers could sacrifice potential income to serve others, he explained. I found that it is a matter of value. For [nonprofit workers], recovering the dignity of suffering people is more important than a BMW, and I think thats a perspective worthy of consideration. The exhibition features objects from a collection recently donated by Dorothy Hassfeld, a former Peace Corps worker who lives in Brunswick, Maine. Hassfeld was one of the first Peace Corps workers in Nigeria. She began her volunteering stint there in 1961, a year after the nation achieved independence from Great Britain. This collection had not been exhibited in the Museum of Art until professor Allison Martino and her fall-semester class African Art and Visual Culture got to work learning about the collection's objects to assemble into a show. The new exhibition relates to some of the research interests of Martino, who is Bowdoin's Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Africana Studies. She studies the production, use, and meanings of Ghanaian textiles. When she learned of Hassfeld's collection this summer, she seized the chance to give her students a hands-on museum experience. "All the students were involved in the curatorial process, deciding how we wanted to develop the show, and what theme and structure and narrative we wanted to tell," Martino said. "We discussed how that would be expressed visually and how it would look as visitors experienced the space." Two students from the classart history major Kinaya Hassane 19 and Africana studies and sociology major Harrison Dunne-Polite 19gave a tour of the show last week. Fashioning Modernity opened January 17 and runs through March 17. Before making important curatorial decisions, Hassane and Dunne-Polite explained that as a class, they studied the problematic history of Western museums displaying African art. They also evaluated the common misconception that strong cultural traditions are static and unchanging, when in fact they're highly mutable and responsive to evolving trends and ideas. "So we were interested in thinking about how these objects relate to this theme and how Africa is not a place stuck in the past but is constantly evolving and coming up with innovative art forms," Hassane said. Tsipras wants Halki seminary to reopen in Turkey Greek Premier visits the school with Patriarch Bartholomew (ANSAmed) - ISTANBUL, FEBRUARY 6 - Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, on the second and final day of his official visit to Turkey, appealed to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to reopen the prestigious Halki orthodox seminary on the island of Heybeliada in the Sea of Marmara south of Istanbul. The seminary, which is on the site of a regularly functioning monastery, has been closed since 1971 as part of a dispute between Athens and Ankara. "I want to believe that we are close to the day in which these rooms will go back to ringing with the laughter of students," said Tsipras, the first Greek prime minister to visit the building. In the past, Erdogan had talked about reopening the seminary in exchange for an improvement in rights for the Muslim minority of Turkish origin in Greece.(ANSAmed). L-r: Anu Asaolu '19 and Michael Covell '21, learning how to administer naloxone at the Portland Needle Exchange project A total of ten students, including two student leaders, worked with government and grassroots organizations that serve Mainers experiencing addiction and recovery. Student leaders Annie Rose 20 and Nina Alvarado- Silverman 19 proposed the trip last April and planned the itinerary during the fall semester. They organized five seminars to help students prepare for the trip. Students worked with a total of nine groups during the week, including Portland Needle Exchange Project, Amistad, Portland Recovery Community Center, and a couple of programs run by Mid Coast Hospital, including the Addiction Resource Center. A number of these community organizations were partnering with Bowdoin for the first time, said Rose. Many students here spend their four years mainly inside the Bowdoin Bubble, she commented. But, as students living in Maine for four years, its our privilege and responsibility to understand whats happening in our local community. Alec Goffin 21 said the experience showed him how substance abuse disorder can affect anyone, regardless of background. Anu Asaolu 19 said it would be an understatement to describe the trip as eye-opening. This immersive week helped me fully understand the complexities of substance use and recovery. Sophie Wilson 22 was impressed with the model of care offered by one community organization in particular. Whats unique about the Portland Recovery Community Center is that all their volunteers are in long-term recovery. Each persons story is unique, but everyones is the same, said Elizabeth Sweeney 21. As a group and privileged community, we have had the opportunity to immerse ourselves in a serious social issue that can only be fully addressed with cohesive community efforts and individual connection. Sweeney said the trip taught her that the opioid epidemic is not just about drugs, but also poverty, trauma, mental suffering, isolation, and lack of human connection. Tam Phan 21 wants to work in the public policy sector and said shes grateful for the perspectives encountered throughout the AWB trip. Hearing the personal stories of people whove experienced addiction and homelessness made me realize that the solutions to these issues require mental health, medical, and societal attention, she said. Also taking part in the trip were Audrey Reuman and Michael Covell from the Class of 2021, and first-year Patrycja Pekala. With additional reporting by Clayton Starr '19. (ANSA) - Rome, February 6 - Rome prosecutors on Wednesday asked to shelve an investigation into the arrival at the capital's Ciampino airport of ex-terrorist Cesare Battisti in which Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini and Justice Minister Alfonso Bonafede were accused of failing to protect the dignity of a detained person. The ministers were accused of exploiting for political purposes the arrival on January 15 of Battisti, who was extradited from Brazil. One of the issues at the center of the investigation, which was denounced by the Chamber representing criminal attorneys in Rome, was a controversial video posted to Facebook by the justice minister showing police taking mug shots of Battisti and his fingerprints. (ANSA) - Rome, February 6 - Self-proclaimed Interim Venezuelan President Juan Guaido has written to Italian Deputy Premiers Matteo Salvini and Luigi Di Maio asking them to meet an official delegation from the South American country's parliament "as soon as possible", sources said on Wednesday. Guaido said the aim was for an "exchange of opinions on the decisive transition that Venezuela is experiencing". "We would like to present the need for free democratic elections in Venezuela in a short period of time thanks to the support of the international community," he added. Unlike the United States and other EU countries, Italy has not recognised Guaido as interim president. Salvini on Tuesday said Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was an outlaw and fresh elections should be held as soon as possible after last July's allegedly rigged ballot. (ANSA) - Rome, February 6 - Self-proclaimed interim Venezuelan president Juan Guaido has written to Italian Premier Giueppe Conte and Deputy Premiers Matteo Salvini and Luigi Di Maio asking them to meet an official delegation from the South American country's parliament "as soon as possible", sources said on Wednesday. Guaido said the aim was for an "exchange of opinions on the decisive transition that Venezuela is experiencing". "We would like to present the need for free democratic elections in Venezuela in a short period of time thanks to the support of the international community," he added. Unlike the United States and other EU countries, Italy has not recognised Guaido as interim president. Salvini on Tuesday said Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was an outlaw and fresh elections should be held as soon as possible after last July's allegedly rigged ballot. In asking for the delegation's meeting with Conte, Guaido said he could take part by phone. (ANSA) - Vatican City, February 6 - Dialogue between Christianity and Islam is crucial to promote peace worldwide, Pope Francis said during his weekly general audience in the Vatican on Wednesday following a landmark visit to the United Arab Emirates. "Dialogue between Christianity and Islam needs to be a key factor for peace in the world today", the pontiff said. The pope said the trip was "brief but very important", linking it to his 2017 visit to Al-Azhar, Egypt, the highest seat of learning in Sunni Islam, and wrote "a new page in the dialogue between Christianity and Islam and in efforts to promote peace in the world based on human brotherhood". Francis noted that it was the "first time that a pope visited the Arabian peninsula" and that "providence wanted it to be a pope called Francis, 800 years after the visit of St Francis of Assisi to Sultan al-Malik al-Kamil. The pontiff said the UAE has grown a lot over the past few decades becoming a "crossroads between East and West, a multi-ethnic and multi-religious 'oasis' and thus the right place to promote the culture of encounter". "In an era like ours, when there is a strong temptation to see an ongoing clash between the Christian and Islamic civilization, and also to consider religions as sources of conflict, we have wanted to give a further clear and decided sign that it instead possible to meet, it is possible to respect one another and dialogue and that, despite the diversity of cultures and traditions, the Christian and Islamic worlds appreciate and preserve common values", the pope went on to say, citing life, family, a sense of religion, honoring the elderly and educating the young, among others. The pontiff in particular recalled the he has signed with the grand imam of al-Azhar in Abu Dhabi a historic declaration of fraternity, calling for peace between nations, religions and races in which "we condemn all forms of violence, especially when it is motivated by religion and we pledge to promote authentic values and peace worldwide". He recalled that over one million Christians live in the UAE, mainly workers from Asian countries, and that he met with representatives of the Catholic community at Abu Dhabi's St Josepth Cathedral, celebrating a mass with patriarchs, archbishops and bishops in which they "prayed in particular for peace and justice, with special intention for the Middle East and Yemen". Borsa Italiana non ha responsabilita per il contenuto del sito a cui sta per accedere e non ha responsabilita per le informazioni contenute. Accedendo a questo link, Borsa Italiana non intende sollecitare acquisti o offerte in alcun paese da parte di nessuno. Sarai automaticamente diretto al link in cinque secondi. (ANSA) - Beirut, February 6 - Daesh (ISIS) remains a serious threat and merits serious attention, Premier Giuseppe Conte said in Baghdad Wednesday. "The Iraqi efforts to defeat Daesh have been fundamental but we must be conscious that the Daesh insurgency still represents a serious threat that requires vigilant attention and a collective effort," he told a press conference. "Italy is one of the main contributors: we are trying to give a hand above all in military and police training and web are also working to boost cooperation in the economic, social and cultural fields". Conte was speaking after meeting President Barham Salih, con Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi and parliament Speaker Mohamed Al-Halbousi. He will now travel to Erbil where he will meet the prime minister of the Kurdistan regional government, Nechirvan Idris Barzani. Following that Conte will visit the Italian contingent working in the Prima Parthica Mission, at the Camp Singara base. Reciba en su email: noticias de ultima hora, analisis tecnicos o el cierre de mercado Email no valido Nombre requerido Recibira las informaciones mas relevantes del dia en tiempo real Que informacion desea recibir? Noticias de Ultima hora Boletin Cierre de Mercado Boletin analisis tecnico Boletin Fundsnews Debe seleccionar un tipo de boletin Acepto la Politica de privacidad Debe aceptar la politica de privacidad Responsable EMPRESAS DEL GRUPO WEB FINANCIAL GROUP Finalidad La remision de informacion, novedades y promociones Establecimiento o mantenimiento de Relaciones Comerciales. Legitimacion Consentimiento del interesado. Interes legitimo en el desarrollo de la relacion comercial Destinatario Empresas del Grupo WEB FINANCIAL GROUP Derechos Acceso, rectificacion, supresion, limitacion, oposicion y portabilidad Informacion adicional Politica de Privacidad de nuestra pagina Web + INFORMACION Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members pending proper verification of the death. Submit (ANSA) - Rome, February 6 - Deputy Premier and Labour and Industry Minister Luigi Di Maio said Wednesday that Italy's Civil Protection department will get two million euros raised from lawmakers for his 5-Star Movement all 'giving back' a chunk of their salaries. "Today we are keeping another promise to the Italian people," Di Maio told a press conference in the Lower House. "The slogan of our campaign is 'if we say it, we do it'. We raised two million euros by taking away money from the salaries of all the M5S parliamentarians in just a few months and we are making it available to the Civil Protection department". He said Liguria, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Sicily will get the money for reconstruction after floods hit those regions. "It is necessary to being back a little confidence among citizens in the institutions," Di Maio said. "In total 100 million euros have been given back to the State by (M5S) parliamentarians and local councillors. And no one obliges our members to give back the money". SIGN UP TO GET BLACKLISTED NEWS DELIVERED RIGHT TO YOUR INBOX Enter your email address: 365 Digital, supported by Google, are hosting a series of Ad Tech Masterclasses during 2019 aimed at fostering a greater unified online advertising ecosystem. Adserver Infrastructure & Architecture and How to Build For The Future A Holistic View on Monetisation Data and Audience Building, Segmentation and Monetisation Ad Blockers and The Affects on Consumers and Publishers The Ad Tech Masterclass Series, geared toward online publishers and advertisers aims to build trust between the buy-side and sell-side by bringing them together in an intimate forum for learning around the subjects of technology, data, strategy, programmatic monetisation and a host of other relevant topics.Julian Jordaan, Commercial Director at 365 Digital, explains, "Events where both sides get together (outside of awards ceremonies) is a much needed element in today's fragmented online ad world. If adding value to brands and consumers is the goal, then we owe it to them to engage often, debate topics, ask the hard questions and collaborate more. Just do better work!"The first in the workshop series is taking place on the 19th February and will see some of South Africa's top publishers come together at Google's Johannesburg office in Ballyclare Dr., Bryanston. Topics being addressed among others include:365 Digital is also hosting similar events in Lagos, Nigeria, in March 2019, as well as in Nairobi, Kenya, later in the year.For more information contact email Jethro: az.oc.latigid563@orhteJ Although South African consumers' move towards healthier lifestyles, as well as the introduction of sugar tax, may have slightly tarnished the positive feelings once associated with 'Enjoy the feeling' and other refreshing moments, the carbonated soft drinks industry remains relatively optimistic, and many industry professionals believe that the category will continue to grow over the coming years. Source: WorldAtlas; Graphics by Insight Survey Some key questions the report will help you to answer: What are the key factors that are driving and restraining the growth of the local and global markets? What are the latest South African carbonated soft drinks industry trends, drivers and challenges? What are the current market dynamics (key brands, market size, market value, market volumes: 2012-2023) of the SA carbonated soft drinks industry? Who are the key manufacturing and retail players in the SA carbonated doft drinks industry? What are the prices of popular carbonated soft drink brands across South African retail outlets? About Insight Survey: latestcarefully unfolds the global and local carbonated soft drinks markets based on the latest information and research. It examines the market drivers and restraints as well as global and local market trends to present an objective insight into the South African carbonated soft drinks industry environment, market dynamics and its future.Globally, the carbonated soft drinks market was worth US$379.6 billion in April 2018. The market was also expected to increase at a CAGR of 2.8% to reach US$435.8 billion by 2023. Worldwide there are numerous countries that still show a strong preference for carbonated soft drinks.The graph below illustrates the top 10 soda-consuming countries in terms of per-capita consumption. In 2017 the top three countries globally were Argentina, the United States and Chile, with per capita consumptions of 155 litres, 154 litres and 141 litres, respectively.Manufacturers are investing heavily in advertising and this could be one of the key reasons why carbonated soft drink markets continue to show growth. Soft drink manufacturers are strategically using mass media, billboards, sport stadia and public events to promote their products.In South Africa,has partnered with Primedia Outdoor to brand a large fleet of taxis and raise awareness for its "Summer Fo Sho" competition. The campaign commenced in November 2018 and focused on the key commuter routes in four of South Africas provinces the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Free State and North West.Furthermore, with their recentcampaign, Coca-Cola has once again proven that it is one of the most innovative brands around. The campaign features a number of unique South African names on the actual Coke cans and encourages South Africans to learn how to pronounce each others names correctly.The South African carbonated soft drinks market experienced value growth of 4.2% and volume growth of 4.7% between 2017 and 2018 - and is expected to continue to show positive growth over the next five years. Although the implementation of the 2018 Sugar Tax will more than likely have some influence on the industry, manufacturers have used various strategies to reduce the number of calories in their products and, thereby, ensure they remain relevant. Some of these strategies will include the reformulation of existing products, revising pack sizes, and introducing low-calorie products.Low-calorie alternatives will probably be one of the most important strategies to ensure that soft drink manufacturers in South Africa remain relevant. Although low-calorie carbonates currently comprise only 12.2% of the South African cola carbonates market, this segment is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.7% between 2019 and 2023. Most manufacturers have introduced some form of a low-calorie alternative to the market. Coca-Cola, for example, offers Coke Zero, Coke Light, as well Coke Life, which is a beverage with 37% less sugar that contains stevia leaf extract. Refreshhh also offers five sugar-free alternatives in a number of flavours, such as apple, ginger beer, cola, orange, and lemon.Although the South Africa carbonated soft drinks industry will continue to face numerous challenges in the future, consumers infatuation with fizzy drinks will more than likely continue to drive sales. It will, however, be key for manufacturers to understand changes within the industry, as well as the dynamic needs of consumers, to develop innovative South African products.The(140 pages) provides a dynamic synthesis of industry research, examining the local and global carbonated soft drinks industry from a uniquely holistic perspective, with detailed insights into the entire value chain from manufacturing and importing to retailing, consumption, pricing analysis, and purchasing trends.Please note that the 140-page report is available for purchase for R30,000 (excluding VAT). Alternatively, individual sections can be purchased for R10,000 (excluding VAT). For additional information simply contact us at az.oc.yevrusthgisni@ofni or directly on (0)21 045-0202.For a full brochure please go to:Insight Survey is a South African B2B market research company with almost 10 years of heritage, focusing on business-to-business (B2B) market research to ensure smarter, more-profitable business decisions are made with reduced investment risk.We offer B2B market research solutions to help you to successfully improve or expand your business, enter new markets, launch new products or better understand your internal or external environment.Our bespoke Competitive Business Intelligence Research can help give you the edge in a global marketplace, empowering your business to overcome industry challenges quickly and effectively, and enabling you to realise your potential and achieve your vision.From strategic overviews of your businesss competitive environment through to specific competitor profiles, our customised Competitive Intelligence Research is designed to meet your unique needs.For more information, go to www.insightsurvey.co.za Cancer is growing rapidly all over the world at an alarming pace and is the major cause of morbidity and mortality Kudos CM 9 the first ever ayurvedic invention in the World for Cancer treatment researched & developed by Ministry of Science & Technology, CSIR-IICB (Council of Scientific & Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology) was recently launched. This is the worlds first non-chemical, non-synthetic Ayurvedic Drug to combat the deadly menace of cancer. Cancer is growing rapidly all over the world at an alarming pace and is the major cause of morbidity and mortality. It may be noted that nearly 2900 death per day and approximately 10,60,000 death per year takes place in India alone, due to cancer. Prof. Chitra Mandal, Senior Scientist, Cancer Biology & Inflammatory Disorder Division, CSIR- IICB said, Kudos CM9 is the result of 30 years of extensive research by Ministry of Science & Technology, CSIR-IICB to find the first ever ayurvedic cancer cure drug which has no side effects and has been proven to be the most effective and the safest medicine for the dreadful disease Cancer. Kudos CM 9 is beneficial in both benign and malignant tumour treatment. It is very highly useful in curing early stage / early diagnosed cancer patients and in controlling further spread of cancer growth in patients undergoing chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone therapy also prevents relapse of cancer. Dr. Priyanka CEO, Kudos Ayurveda said, Kudos CM9 is the worlds first Ayurvedic cancer cure drug which works on programmed cell death concept i.e it kills only cancer cells and protects healthy cells. Thus boosting the immunity power of the patients. Kudos CM 9 is a gold shield to provide immuno-therapy to cancer patients and is a well-known immunomodulator. Kudos CM9 helps to fight cancer by blocking certain cancer promoting enzymes & hormones. Kudos CM9 helps to prevent cancer in high risk individuals. Also, possesses antimutagenic, chemoprotective and radioprotective properties. Kudos CM9 helps to prevent, fight and cure cancer at every stage, i.e. genesis, growth and spread of cancer. Kudos CM9 is equally effective in those patients who have become resistant to chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone therapy. Kudos CM9 is also highly useful for those patients, who are not fit for surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy due to old age, marked weakness or any other factor, she added. The standard treatment of cancer includes radiationtherapy, chemotherapy and surgery. The cancer drugs currently available in market are synthetic and treatment is very costly, as the cost of these drugs are beyond the reach of common people. Drug resistance is another problem which is one of the causes for relapse. Many of the clinically approved targeted cancer drugs quickly acquire drug resistance. Majority of cancer drugs show severe side effects. Dr Priyanka further added. Prof. Samit Chattopadhyay, Director of CSIR-IICB & CSIR-NEIST said, CSIR-IICB (Council of Scientific & Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology) has transferred this unique Anti-Cancer Technology to Kudos Laboratories India - Kudos Ayurveda a trusted company for Ayurvedic medicine in India with over 100 years of experience in Ayurveda to manufacture and market this wonder drug Kudos CM9 in India & globally for the benefit of masses at large. Kudos CM 9 will go a long way in the treatment of millions of Cancer patients all over the world. The agreement with Grandpharma is Glenmarks third regional licensing deal for Ryaltris Glenmark Pharmaceuticals has announced that its Swiss subsidiary, Glenmark Specialty S.A., has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Grandpharma (China) Co. Ltd. for commercializing its novel nasal spray Ryaltris in China. The agreement with Grandpharma is Glenmarks third regional licensing deal for Ryaltris. Glenmark has already signed licensing deals for commercializing Ryaltris in Australia, New Zealand and South Korea. Ryaltris [olopatadine hydrochloride (665 mcg) and mometasone furoate (25 mcg)], developed by Glenmark, is a novel, investigational, fixed-dose combination nasal spray of an anti-histamine and a steroid, indicated for treatment of symptoms associated with seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) in patients over 12 years of age. Under the terms of the agreement, Glenmark will be responsible to manufacture and supply Ryaltris, while Grandpharma will be responsible for regulatory filing and commercialization of Ryaltris in China. Glenmark will receive an upfront payment, regulatory filing, regulatory approval and commercial milestone payments as well as royalties from Grandpharma for Ryaltris. Glenn Saldanha, Chairman and Managing Director of Glenmark Pharmaceuticals said, We are happy to partner with Grandpharma in China as its product portfolio complements well with Ryaltris and this partnership gives us an opportunity to tap into one of the largest pharmaceutical markets in the world. This step is aligned with our vision to make Ryaltris the first global brand of Glenmark through launches in multiple markets across the globe. In May 2018, Glenmark filed a New Drug Application (NDA) for Ryaltris with the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA), which is currently under review with the regulator. Glenmark plans to commercialize Ryaltris in various markets globally. For Immediate Release, February 5, 2019 Contacts: Amy Van Saun, Center for Food Safety, (585) 747-0151, avansaun@centerforfoodsafety.org Andrew Hawley, Western Environmental Law Center, (206) 487-7250, hawley@westernlaw.org Laura Hendricks, Coalition to Protect Puget Sound Habitat, (253) 509-4987, LauraLHendricks@gmail.com Nathan Donley, Center for Biological Diversity, (971) 717-6406, ndonley@biologicaldiversity.org Legal Action Defends Washington's Decision to Keep Neurotoxins Out of Willapa Bay, Grays Harbor OLYMPIA, Wash. Four environmental and public health groups took legal action today to uphold the state of Washingtons prohibition on spraying the neurotoxic pesticide imidacloprid on up to 500 acres of oyster and clam beds in Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor annually. The Center for Food Safety, Western Environmental Law Center, Coalition to Protect Puget Sound Habitat and Center for Biological Diversity are seeking to intervene in the state Pollution Control Hearings Boards proceedings on whether to overturn the decision. The hearings, scheduled for September, were triggered by the Willapa-Grays Harbor Oyster Growers Associations appeal of last years decision by the Washington Department of Ecology to forbid use of the pesticide. Healthy shellfish need healthy waters, as do the iconic and numerous wildlife species that rely on Willapa Bay for food and shelter, so spraying highly toxic chemicals to kill an important part of the food web is a dangerous idea, said Amy van Saun, a staff attorney with Center for Food Safety. We applauded Ecologys denial of this spray permit. We will fight to defend that decision, the health of Willapa Bay, and the health of people who eat its shellfish. Imidacloprid is a neonicotinoid insecticide. Neonicotinoids are a leading cause of pollinator declines, and are also linked to large-scale declines of birds, fish and bats because of their harmful impacts on aquatic invertebrates. Washington researchers risk assessment determined that spraying the pesticide on oyster beds has immediate adverse, unavoidable impacts to juvenile worms, crustaceans, and shellfish to the areas treated and the nearby areas covered by incoming tides This includes the commercially important Dungeness crab, which is also killed by imidacloprid, as are the native burrowing shrimp targeted by the shellfish growers association. Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor are unique and fragile places, and the scientists who study the effects of imidacloprid on food chains are telling us its a bad idea to use the neurotoxin here, said Andrew Hawley with the Western Environmental Law Center. Oyster growers have every right to do business in these areas, but risking public health by demanding to cover the area with toxic chemicals is over the line. Despite compelling research detailing imidacloprids environmental dangers, already this year three bills have been introduced in the Washington legislature to overturn the states science-based decision to forbid use of the neurotoxin on oyster beds. Senate Bill 5626 and House Bills 1611 and 1037, which are currently in committee, seek to legislatively overturn the decision to prevent imidacloprid use in Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor. Salmon, forage fish and migratory bird populations in Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor are in dramatic decline after decades of pesticide spraying by the shellfish industry, said Laura Hendricks, director of the Coalition to Protect Puget Sound Habitat. Coastal Grays Harbor Chinook are primary prey for imperiled orcas searching for food along the Washington coast, so this harm is not limited to Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor. Although some oyster and clam growers have successfully achieved a balance between the shrimp and their farmed shellfish without use of dangerous pesticides, the members of the growers association insist that they cannot change their style of shellfish cultivation or use these nontoxic methods. In 2015 the state granted a request by shellfish growers to spray imidacloprid, but the permit was withdrawn after public outcry. In 2016 the growers association again applied to spray imidacloprid never previously approved for aquatic use onto shellfish beds to kill burrowing or ghost shrimp, a native species that growers say harms their bottom line. Based on more public input and an enormous new body of science showing the significant harms caused by neonicotinoids the state denied that application, prompting growers to initiate the current challenge. Theres absolutely no question that this dangerous neurotoxin will harm crustaceans and shellfish, said Nathan Donley, a senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity. Washingtonians dont want our beloved coast treated like a hazardous-waste dump. Its important to find sustainable answers to challenges facing Washington oyster farmers that help balance, rather than poison, the environment we all share. Media Advisory, February 6, 2019 Contacts: Sarah Baillie, (520) 345-5708, sbaillie@biologicaldiversity.org Saturday: 2,400 Endangered Species Condoms to Be Given Away in Portland Program Highlights Effect of Human Population Growth on Wildlife PORTLAND, Ore. More than 2,000 free Endangered Species Condoms will be given away by the Center for Biological Diversity on Saturday, Feb. 9 as part of the Oregon Museum of Science and Industrys OMSI After Dark: PrOMSI event. Distributed in time for Valentines Day, the colorful condom packages feature species threatened by population growth and slogans like Wrap with care, save the polar bear and When youre feeling tender, think about the hellbender. The condom distribution is a part of the Centers Pillow Talk program, which gets people who are interested in science and the natural world talking about human population growths effects on wildlife. The OMSI event will also feature games, aerialists and a prom dance room. Press passes and photographs are available upon request. What: More than 2,000 condoms at the OMSI After Dark: PrOMSI Where: The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, 1945 SE Water Ave., Portland, OR When: Saturday, Feb. 9 from 6 to 10 p.m. A lot of couples will get lucky this Valentine's Day, but wildlife will be far less fortunate in our increasingly crowded world, said Sarah Baillie, Endangered Species Condoms coordinator at the Center. As our population grows and urban sprawl destroys wild spaces, species we know and love pay the price. Pillow Talk helps people understand how conscientious family planning can protect wildlife. We think it is an important message that Pillow Talk is putting out there, said Sonali Shivdasani, Event Planner at OMSI. We support spreading information on how to save wild spaces and the animals that reside there. People who attend our event are looking for science and educational information, as well as to have a good time. President Trump gave the longest State of the Union speech since Bill Clinton in 2000 but he did himself some good. His tone was mostly conciliatory towards the democrats, only becoming confrontational on the border wall and late term abortion. Americans watching the speech saw a fact-based presentation that left little room for snarky attacks. Yes, you can disagree and/or dislike Mr. Trump but he has accomplished some positive things especially with the economy. But Stacey Abrams doesnt think so. In her response on behalf of the Democratic Party she told the nation the economy was essentially bad, that voter suppression is a major problem, and that reproductive justice is a winning issue for democrats in the face of the infanticide controversy. To be kind, Ms. Abrams speech was mystifying. Its all politics of course. But Trump won last night and Nancy and her crew lost even though the Dems dont think so. Well have much more on this tonight on the No Spin News beginning at 7 eastern time. Hope to see you then. Rebel Danielle Mone' Truitt as Rebel Knight. REBEL is an Oakland detective who's solved more homicides in the last three years than any detective on the force. Elverson Elverson United Methodist Church hosts speaker from Casino Free Pa at Feb. 17 meeting Public invited to learn more about the project and how to make their voices heard Moncks Corner, SC (29461) Today Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 78F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Variably cloudy with scattered thunderstorms. Low 68F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Southeast Asia joined millions of people worldwide in celebrating the Chinese New Year on Tuesday, initiating the Year of the Pig with lion dances, the lighting of firecrackers and doling out of money in red paper envelopes in the hope of striking good luck. China refers to the lunar event as a Spring Festival. People of Chinese ancestry in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines sprang up to welcome the new year by decorating their homes with red banners. The celebration marks the beginning of a new year on the traditional Chinese calendar. The first day of the festivity begins on the new moon that appears between Jan. 21 and Feb. 20. The event, the biggest holiday for Chinese communities, is associated with several myths and customs and was traditionally a time to honor deities, as well as ancestors. But in Southeast Asia, the Chinese tradition is intertwined with regional customs that include family gatherings, during which gourmet food are prepared for families and friends. Dumplings are featured prominently in Chinese meals, but New Year pot stickers are special, often shaped to resemble gold ingots to bring wealth in the year ahead. In the Philippines, it is traditional for Chinese families to thoroughly clean their house, believing that the cleaning will sweep away the bad luck of the preceding year and make their homes ready for good luck. Red symbolizes good fortune in Chinese tradition, and in Southeast Asia red packets that almost always contain money are distributed during family reunion dinners. Custom dictates that the amount should be of even numbers, with the number 8 considered lucky. A police officer checks a long line of vehicles in the town of Bacolod in the southern Philippine province of Lanao del Norte as thousands cast their vote for inclusion in a Muslim autonomous region in the south. Three bomb explosions rocked the southern Philippines as it prepared to hold a second round of voting for an autonomous Muslim region, though no one was wounded, officials said Wednesday. The blasts likely meant to cause chaos and panic occurred more than a week after suspected militants launched twin bomb attacks that killed 22 people at a Catholic cathedral in the southern town of Jolo. Two explosions occurred Monday in the towns of Kauswagan and Lala in Lanao del Norte province, but there were no reports of injuries, local police spokesman Superintendent Surki Serenes said. A third homemade bomb exploded in nearby Sultan Naga Dimaporo town, officials said. This is simply scare tactics and are the handiwork of those who want to sow fear and panic among the people of Lanao del Norte and derail the conduct of a peaceful and orderly plebiscite, Serenes said. Serenes said the improvised explosive device in Kauswagan was placed beside a dump truck parked behind the towns multi-purpose gym. While the bomb in Lala was left inside a bag near the town market. The plebiscite on Wednesday will decide whether six towns in North Cotabato province and Lanao del Norte would become part of a Muslim autonomous region. The law establishing the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has been ratified in an earlier vote in other areas of the Muslim south. The explosions on Monday came eight days after twin bombings at the church in Jolo, which voted against inclusion into the autonomous area. The cathedral attack has been blamed on suicide bombers, possibly foreigners, working in concert with the Abu Sayyaf group, five of whose members have been arrested. BARMM is the centerpiece of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) that President Rodrigo Duterte signed in 2018, four years after Manila agreed to a peace deal with the former separatist group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). A woman casts her vote during the plebiscite in the southern province of Lanao del Norte, Feb. 6, 2019. [Froilan Gallardo/BenarNews] Bombs blamed on opponents of BOL Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said the bomb explosions Wednesday were carried out by personalities who resist change and want to perpetuate the climate of fear and hopelessness in the south. No amount of bombing or terroristic act will scare, intimidate nor threaten the voters from participating in today's plebiscite, he said. We assure the electorate in that part of Mindanao that the Armed Forces of the Philippines has provided safeguards for their safety and will be in full alert to thwart any attempt from any armed group or terrorist to derail the present democratic process. He said those who want to foment disunity were clearly behind the attacks. We shall not be waylaid by the twin forces of obstruction and destruction, he said. Lanao Gov. Imelda Dimaporo said she strongly opposed the inclusion of several towns into the autonomous region. She accused MILF commander Abdullah Macapaar, also known as Commander Bravo, of being behind the explosions as part of the groups scare tactics. She noted that authorities in 2008 accused Macapaars MILF faction of attacking communities in Lanao del Norte, displacing thousands after the Supreme Court ruled to junk what would have been an initial pact with the MILF. That agreement would have been the basis for the creation of a new Bangsamoro entity to replace the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, which has been largely considered a failure by the Duterte government. Its meant to sow fear to the people just like what they did in Cotabato City so that the people will not come out and vote, Dimaporo told reporters. She was referring to a bomb explosion that killed two people at a mall in Cotabato city on New Years Eve. The governor said some of the MILF men were in Kauswagan on Monday to campaign for the vote. They stayed behind to carry out the bombing, she alleged, without offering any proof. Kauswagan is a Christian municipality they were attacked by the MILF in 2000, she said. But Murad Ebrahim, chairman of the MILF, denied the governors accusation, saying she had no basis for blaming the explosions to Commander Bravo. Murad said the personalities behind the bombings could be those who wanted to sabotage the sabotage. We cannot accept that accusation without any proof. We have been campaigning very hard not to disturb the plebiscite because we know the people need to vote. If there are disturbances, that will discourage voters to go to voting places, Murad said. I think those who would do that are those against the plebiscite, he said. An army tank and an armored jeep patrol a highway near the town of Kauwagan in the southern Philippine province of Lanao del Norte, Feb. 6, 2019. [Froilan Gallardo/BenarNews] Troops scramble to battle Abu Sayyaf The bomb attacks came amid tight security across the south, as troops and police scrambled to go after the Abu Sayyaf for the Jolo bombings. This week, the police announced that it had arrested five people for the blast, although officials said Indonesian bombers could possibly be involved. But that assertion of foreign involvement has received various reactions, largely from Jolo residents who noted inconsistencies with the official story line. If the bombers were the Indonesian couple, why is there no news in Indonesia confirming that they are Indonesians? asked Julkipli Wadi, a professor at the Institute of Islamic Studies at the University of the Philippines. He said that it might be possible that the police may have mistakenly arrested the wrong suspects. Suicide bombing involving an alleged couple is a shock for Tausugs, so too for Indonesians, he said, referring to the ethnic tribe that populate Jolo. Such news, if true, would immediately spread in any village in Jakarta or elsewhere in Indonesia. Yet, until now, we hear nothing. Jeoffrey Maitem in Cotabato and Dennis Jay Santos in Davao contributed to this report. The grisly discovery of three rape suspects in Bangladesh who were killed in apparent vigilante attacks since mid-January is spurring a debate and drawing attention to a dismal record by law enforcers to bring victims of sexual crimes to justice. In all three separate slayings, the killer or killers left notes tied to the dead mens necks. Theyd all been named as suspects in rape complaints filed with police. But in the case of the latest extrajudicial killing, the message carried a warning and identified the vigilante by the name of a mythical Greek hero. I am Rakib. I am the rapist of a madrassa girl ... of Bhandaria. This is the consequence of a rapist. Be wary, rapists: Hercules, read the note attached to the body found in southern Jhalakathi district on Feb. 1. The corpse, which belonged to Rakib Mollah, was found near a brick kiln in Rajapur. The mysterious killings first came to light when police recovered the body of a garment worker identified as Ripon, in Savar, near the capital city, Dhaka, on Jan. 17. Savar is about 260 km (161 miles) from Jhalakathi. The note tied around Ripons neck read I am the prime accused in a rape case. Ten days earlier, an 18-year-old garment worker was found dead inside her house, hours after she had filed a rape complaint against Ripon and three other co-workers. On Jan. 26, the body of Sajal Jamaddar, who was accused with Rakib of raping a 13-year-old two weeks before, was found in a paddy field in Jhalakathi. I met this fate for raping a madrassa student, said the note tied around Sajals neck. A madrassa is an Islamic boarding school. Law enforcement agencies have not identified the vigilante or determined if just one person is responsible. It is not clear to police, who are involved behind this kind of secret killings. We are trying to identify them, Assistant Police Inspector-General Shohel Rana told BenarNews. Meanwhile, the families of the dead men said they were picked up or pursued by police investigating the rape allegations. Rana denied the families allegations. Cases have been filed after each of the incidents. Police have been investigating the cases, but we cannot say anything before the investigation is complete, Rana said. At least 79 rape incidents including 22 gang rapes occurred in January, the Bangladesh Mahila Parishad (Bangladesh Womens Council), a local NGO, told reporters. A fifth-grader was raped in Rajbari, in Dhaka district, on Jan. 18, the day after Rakibs body was discovered, and an 8-year-old was raped the next day, according to police. The January figures are on target with the number for 2018 732 as reported by Dhaka-based human rights group Ain O Salish Kendra. In contrast, Bangladeshi police report that 19,000 rape cases, many involving children, were filed in the last five years. Justice, however, has been hard to come by for rape victims in Bangladesh because only 3 percent of those accused were found guilty in court and sentenced, according to Dhaka newspaper Prothom Alo. You are to die for raping The killings have created a buzz among human rights advocates and on social media as supporters and opponents of the vigilantes are speaking out. There is nothing to be delighted with the emergence of Hercules. This kind of secret killing cannot make anything better. It is a cunning tactic to get support from a section of people, said Mizanur Rahman, the former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). There are fears from two sides. Firstly, the judicial process is being totally evaded in this way. Secondly, the body of a person is saying, I am rapist, though he was not proved guilty in any court, Rahman told BenarNews. But film producer Afzal Hossain Munna, who started a Facebook campaign I stand for women, last year, supported the vigilantism on behalf of rape victims. Whether it may be in a uniform or a plain-clothed Hercules, it is urgent to spread the message: You are to die for raping, he posted on Feb. 1. Women said they want to see people accused of rape arrested and prosecuted in a court of law. A feminist writer who had to flee her home over threats from Islamic fundamentalists was among those calling for proper justice. I was against extrajudicial killing and will continue to say no to extrajudicial killing. Rapists must be produced before courts of justice, Chaity Ahmed said. Salma Ali agreed, telling BenarNews that killing rapists and tying notes around their necks would not contribute to curbing rapes. Do these incidents show that the rape suspects are committing suicide, leaving behind notes of confession? These are simply murders. I want all these incidents to be investigated properly, said Ali, executive director of the Bangladesh Women Lawyers Association. If it continues, innocents may be made victims to hide the real rapists. Fearing fresh violence in Myanmars Rakhine state, at least 160 citizens many of them Buddhists have fled into Bangladesh over the last three days, government officials said Wednesday, while announcing that the South Asian nation was sealing its southeastern border. The Myanmar citizens, members of 35 families, entered Bangladesh through a remote border area in Bandarban district, local official Jira Bawm told BenarNews. They are the first Buddhists to flee Myanmar since fighting broke out recently between the rebel Arakan Army and the Myanmar military. Those who are now trying to get into Bangladesh are mostly Buddhists and different ethnic groups, Foreign Affairs Minister A.K. Abdul Momen said, adding, but this time we have sealed our border and we will not allow any fresh entry. News of the exodus came on the same day that Christine Schraner Burgener, the United Nations Secretary-Generals special envoy to Myanmar, and American actress Angelina Jolie, who also serves as a U.N. envoy, met with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and other senior government officials in Dhaka to discuss the Rohingya refugee situation in the southeast. Momen, who met with the two U.N. ambassadors, sought Burgeners support in efforts to convince Myanmar to create safe zones in the countrys Rakhine state for Rohingya to return to their home villages there. More than 700,000 Rohingya fled to refugee camps in southeastern Bangladesh following a brutal military crackdown launched by the Myanmar military on the minority Muslim group in August 2017. We kept our border open for a long time. This time we will not open it, but will let others open their door, the Bangladeshi foreign minister said. In Bandarban, Bawm said many of the new arrivals took shelter at different houses and had not received any assistance from the government or NGOs. They can hardly afford their own food. The 160 are a burden, Bawm told Benar. On Tuesday, the foreign ministry summoned Myanmars ambassador to Dhaka, Lwin Oo, to lodge a formal protest over the exodus. Bangladesh officials said Myanmar refused to take back a single Rohingya in the last year and a half, and now they are again trying to push Buddhists and other ethnic groups out. This is unacceptable, a senior ministry official who requested anonymity told BenarNews. Hostilities between the Arakan Army rebel force and the Myanmar military escalated in northern Rakhine in the wake of deadly coordinated attacks by Arakan fighters on police outposts in Buthidaung township in early January. Safe zones Momen said Bangladesh would like to establish safe zones in Rakhine state so Rohingya could repatriate to Rakhine under the supervision of China and representatives of member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). After the meeting, Momen said Bangladesh wanted a peaceful resolution to the Rohingya crisis, but was not getting any support from Myanmar. He said Burgener confirmed that she had contacts with the Myanmar military. We told her our prime minister made the proposal and it can be effective, he told reporters. We proposed a safe zone in Rakhine and if Myanmar wants, ASEAN members will look after that zone and China might even join the process, he said, adding that the countries were friendly to Myanmar. So Myanmar might agree to this proposal. Why not try to initiate it? In Coxs Bazar district, where most of the Rohingya refugee camps are concentrated, a Rohingya leader said refugees would be interested in a safe zone but only if the U.N. supervised it. We dont believe anybody, but the U.N., Kutupalong camp leader Md Malek told BenarNews. "China is Myanmars friend. They wont save us." Following his meeting with Angelina Jolie, Momen said extremism could take hold if the Rohingya did not return to Myanmar soon. In November 2017, Bangladesh and Myanmar agreed to a repatriation process that was to begin in January 2018 but has remained stalled for 13 months. I told her we cant afford keeping them for a long time. We are the most densely populated country in the world, he said. We have limited resources, but we have a lions heart. He said that Jolie, who addressed Rohingya refugees at the Kutupalong camp on Tuesday, responded that it was time to solve the repatriation issue. Jolie and Burgener finished their day in a meeting with Hasina. Watching the Prime Minister speak in Belfast, a song came into my head which seems to sum up her position on Brexit. 'We're busy doing nothing, working the whole day through. Trying to find lots of things not to do. We are busy going nowhere, isn't it just a crime'. This seems to be the Government's strategy - filling time, finding lots of things not to do, then doing nothing and going nowhere. Of course, Arlene Foster doesn't help. She talks about removing the toxicity of the backstop though her party introduced the toxicity about the backstop. It's a simple truism, the Tory Right can never be placated. The ERG are the most cannibalistic political grouping in modern British politics. It didn't matter so much when they were tearing their own party apart but it matters now because Mrs May is sacrificing the economic fate of the United Kingdom to satisfy their insatiable appetite. The Prime Minister can't be faulted for trying to sell her deal. She is to blame for the prevarication and getting impaled on the DUP hook. According to the DUP, Mrs May needs to respect 'unionism' but in reality it's they who are showing contempt for people across the political spectrum. David Trimble won a lot of respect for understanding that the time had come for compromise when he signed the Good Friday Agreement. He should understand the same need for compromise now. The principle of consent is unaffected by the backstop and as May now confirms the backstop won't be removed. Arch-conservatives love to 'Paddy' bash. They seem incapable of seeing the Irish Republic as others do - as pluralist, modern, diverse and confident. A no-deal scenario is unthinkable and, yes, it would do huge damage to the Irish economy. But it will also damage the British economy - the Nissan decision proves that. Britain says it want to take back control but its own customs officials, fearful of unmanageable queues at ports and airports are already signalling that all EU goods could enter the UK unchecked for up to a year. The infrastructure simply doesn't exist to deal with a whole-scale no-deal scenario. That's why remaining in a customs union, having close regulatory alignment and access to the single market remains the best option for the whole of the UK. The DUP ruled out the EU-approved option of Northern Ireland having the best of both worlds - unfettered access to markets in the EU and UK. It didn't matter that this was just as bespoke a deal as the Good Friday Agreement was for the governance of Northern Ireland. The DUP also ruled out part of an ERG proposal that could have protected some Northern Ireland agri-businesses. They also rule out the idea of a mini referendum on the backstop within Northern Ireland. The joint letter from the late Martin McGuinness and Arlene Foster in August 2016 spelt out in detail why Northern Ireland needed a bespoke arrangement post Brexit - an arrangement that looked like what the EU actually offered. An arrangement to protect the status quo - which is what the backstop is about. Sinn Fein abnegated their political responsibility for Brexit saying Westminster has nothing to do with them. Mary Lou McDonald, by her own words, labours under the misunderstanding that Ireland has two parliaments to justify her MPs not taking their seats. But Ireland doesn't have two parliaments - it has one. The other is a non-functioning devolved UK regional assembly. Northern Ireland citizens, trade bodies, businesses and farmers who supported the Withdrawal Deal have been hung out to dry by the Prime Minister and she offered has nothing new. Mrs May knows the real threat to the Good Friday Agreement posed by Brexit has been the poison of identity politics - shoving more and more people into sectarian silos of green and orange. She has contributed to this by fawning over the DUP. None of this puts a penny in the purse or a loaf on the table of any household in Northern Ireland. As demonstrated by Theresa May, British political interests are using Irish divisions for their own ends. Meanwhile we are busy going nowhere and it's a crime. Tom Kelly is a political commentator As Prime Minister Theresa May comes and goes on yet another visit to Northern Ireland, her warm words do little to offer reassurance. What are her "alternative arrangements to avoid a hard border"? Does she know herself? Does anybody have a viable idea in London, Belfast, Dublin or Brussels? Or is it that the island of Ireland is sleepwalking towards an economic and social disaster if Mrs May or someone, somewhere cannot find an answer by March 29? Not for the first time on this island are we all in danger of staring one another out - not giving an inch, refusing to go that extra mile, and generally heading blindly towards a political precipice. As ever with our divisions, the arguments are clear and seemingly intractable. The backstop, like some 11th commandment, is sacrosanct, inscribed indelibly, never to be altered in the annals of European law. That is one side's view. The backstop is intolerable, unacceptable, an offence to the constitutional rights of Northern Ireland, says the other side. No one, but no one, seems capable of finding any middle ground, any willingness to find an escape route that would avoid the precipice and get us out of the terrible mess that is Brexit. Something has to give, but not even Mrs May appears to know what. And yet everyone, on all sides, knows that unless something does give, we could all be shipwrecked. North and south. East and west. Unionist and nationalist. Protestants and Catholics. People everywhere from one end of this island to the other. The rhetoric needs to change. As the deadline day draws ever closer harsh reality is starting to dawn on those who have taken opposing positions. Without some compromise there will be no winners, only losers. The really regrettable aspect of this whole debacle is that the dawning of Brexit reality has arrived so perilously late. Mrs May should have been making the speech she gave yesterday many months ago. The politicians on this island should have stopped long ago scoring points off of one another. This is not a pan-European problem at all. It is a uniquely Anglo-Irish issue requiring a uniquely Anglo-Irish solution, just as a former Taoiseach Charles Haughey once spoke of finding "an Irish solution to an Irish problem". Perhaps some form of new bilateral agreement is needed urgently between London and Dublin, with input from political parties and approval by Brussels. Today the Prime Minister will meet local political leaders and she will hear the usual pro- and anti-backstop views from the respective factions who opposed or supported Brexit. In the absence of a Stormont Executive and Assembly, the politicians have sat on their hands with little or no evidence of dialogue. Equally, the rhetoric between Dublin and Belfast has hardly been conducive to finding answers. If a solution is to be found before March 29 the atmosphere of mistrust across all these political leaders needs to change, just as it did two decades ago when the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement was achieved against far greater odds than those of today. The other evening on RTE's Claire Byrne Live, DUP MP Sir Jeffrey Donaldson was in surprisingly conciliatory mood in the eyes of a Dublin studio audience. He spoke of respecting the integrity of the Irish Government and suggested cross-border discussions rather than the unconstructive harsh exchanges which have marked DUP relations with Dublin until now. Many of the majority of people here who voted Remain in the referendum will say that the DUP has been its own worst enemy over Brexit. That the party enthused over leaving the EU with little apparent influence over the withdrawal agreement nor a viable and convincing plan to ensure an open border on this island. With March 29 looming, the arguments must move on, and if the DUP can open a better relationship and dialogue with Dublin, so much the better. The true spirit of the Belfast Agreement was the breaking down of borders between people across the UK, Northern Ireland and the Republic. Everyone says the agreement cannot be cherrypicked, yet no less than one of the architects of Good Friday, Lord Trimble, has challenged the open-ended nature of the backstop on the grounds that it contravenes the principle of consent. It is in no one's interests to let the Brexit divisions fester any more. Even Mrs May and Jeremy Corbyn have buried some of their differences and agreed to meet. The question now for the politicians on this side of the Irish Sea, north and south, is whether they can do the same and salvage this island from the madness of a no-deal Brexit. Are they really saying no alternative arrangements can be found to avoid a hard border? There is still time and solutions can be found, if the will and the way can be found - as was the case on Good Friday 1998. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gives opening remarks during the Global Coalition to Defeat Isis meeting (Alex Brandon/AP) America will not shirk the responsibilities of leadership in the fight against the Islamic State group, Mike Pompeo has said. The US Secretary of State was trying to allay fears that President Donald Trumps decision to withdraw forces from Syria could jeopardise gains against the militants there and neighbouring Iraq. President Trumps announcement in December shocked US allies and led to the resignations of Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and the top US envoy to the anti-IS coalition, Brett McGurk. Expand Close Secretary of State Mike Pompeo addresses the Global Coalition to Defeat Isis meeting (Alex Brandon/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Secretary of State Mike Pompeo addresses the Global Coalition to Defeat Isis meeting (Alex Brandon/AP) While the withdrawal would fulfil a Trump goal, US military leaders have pushed back for months, arguing IS remains a threat and could regroup. US policy had been to keep troops in place until the extremists are completely eradicated. Fears that IS fighters are making a strategic manoeuvre to lay low ahead of the US pullout has fuelled criticism that President Trump telegraphed his military plans the same thing he accused President Barack Obama of doing in Afghanistan. Mr Pompeo told foreign ministers and senior officials from the 79-member, US-led coalition that the planned withdrawal is not a change in the mission but a change in tactics against a group that should still be considered a menace. IS has lost more than 99% of the territory it once held in the two countries. America will continue to lead in giving those who would destroy us no quarter, Mr Pompeo said. Mr Pompeo called on the coalition to increase intelligence-sharing, repatriate and prosecute captured foreign fighters and accelerate stabilisation efforts so IS remnants cannot reconstitute in Iraq, Syria or elsewhere. He said the fight is entering a new stage where those allied against IS must confront a decentralised jihad with more than military force. US president Donald Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong Un will meet in Vietnam later this month (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) US president Donald Trump has announced he will hold a two-day summit with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un in Vietnam later this month. Mr Trump has said his outreach to Mr Kim and their first meeting last June in Singapore opened a path to peace. But there is not yet a concrete plan for how denuclearisation could be implemented. Denuclearising North Korea is something that has eluded the US for more than two decades, since it was first learned that North Korea was close to acquiring the means for nuclear weapons. As part of a bold new diplomacy, we continue our historic push for peace on the Korean Peninsula, Mr Trump said in his State of the Union address. President @realDonaldTrump and Chairman Kim will meet again on February 27 and 28 in Vietnam. The White House 45 Archived (@WhiteHouse45) February 6, 2019 Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told Congress last week that US intelligence officials do not believe Mr Kim will eliminate his nuclear weapons or the capacity to build more because he believes they are key to the survival of the regime. Satellite video taken since the June summit has indicated North Korea is continuing to produce nuclear materials at its weapons factories. Last year, North Korea released American detainees, suspended nuclear and long-range missile tests and dismantled a nuclear test site and parts of a rocket launch facility without the presence of outside experts. It has repeatedly demanded that the United States reciprocate with measures such as sanctions relief, but Washington has called for North Korea to take steps such as providing a detailed account of its nuclear and missile facilities that would be inspected and dismantled under a potential deal. At the second Trump-Kim summit, some experts say North Korea is likely to seek to trade the destruction of its main Yongbyon nuclear complex for a US promise to formally declare the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, open a liaison office in Pyongyang and allow the North to resume some lucrative economic projects with South Korea. As part of a bold new diplomacy, we continue our historic push for peace on the Korean PeninsulaDonald Trump Our hostages have come home, nuclear testing has stopped, and there has not been a missile launch in 15 months, Mr Trump said. If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea. Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong Un is a good one, he said in announcing their second meeting on February 27 and 28. Stephen Biegun, Secretary of State Mike Pompeos special representative for North Korea, is hopeful, but acknowledges that many issues make it especially complicated for the two countries to embark on a diplomatic initiative of this magnitude. The Vietnamese city where the two leaders will meet was not announced. US president Donald Trump called on Washington to reject the politics of revenge, resistance and retribution as he faced a divided Congress for the first time. Mr Trump, who has spent two years levelling fiercely personal attacks on his Democratic rivals, declared that it was time to bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions, forge new solutions and unlock the extraordinary promise of Americas future. He warned emboldened Democrats that ridiculous partisan investigations into his administration and businesses could hamper a surging American economy. The presidents appeals for bipartisanship in his State of the Union address clashed with the rancorous atmosphere he has helped cultivate in the nations capital as well as the desire of most Democrats to block his agenda during his next two years in office. Their opposition was on vivid display as Democratic congresswomen in the audience formed a sea of white in a nod to early 20th-century suffragettes. Speaking at a critical moment in his presidency, Mr Trump sought to shore up Republican support and previewed a fresh defence against Democrats as they ready a round of investigations into every aspect of his administration. If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation, he declared. Looming over the presidents address was a fast-approaching February 15 deadline to fund the government and avoid another shutdown. Democrats have refused to acquiesce to his demands for a border wall, and Republicans are increasingly unwilling to shut down the government to help him fulfil his signature campaign pledge. Expand Close Donald Trump addressed issues such as immigration and the economy (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Donald Trump addressed issues such as immigration and the economy (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Wary of publicly highlighting those intra-party divisions, Mr Trump made no mention of an emergency declaration in his remarks, though he did offer a lengthy defence of his call for a border wall. But he delivered no ultimatums about what it would take for him to sign legislation to keep the government open. I am asking you to defend our very dangerous southern border out of love and devotion to our fellow citizens and to our country, he said. Mr Trump devoted much of his speech to foreign policy, another area where Republicans have increasingly distanced themselves from the White House. He announced details of a second meeting with North Koreas Kim Jong Un, outlining a summit on February 27 and 28 in Vietnam. The two met last summer in Singapore, though that meeting only led to a vaguely worded commitment by the North to denuclearise. Expand Close Female members of Congress cheer after Mr Trump acknowledges more women in Congress (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Female members of Congress cheer after Mr Trump acknowledges more women in Congress (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Mr Trumps address amounted to an opening argument for his re-election campaign. Polls show he has work to do, with his approval rating falling to just 34% after the shutdown, according to a recent survey conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. One bright spot for the president has been the economy, which has added jobs for 100 straight months. Describing it as the hottest economy anywhere in the world, he said: The only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations an apparent swipe at the special counsel investigation into ties between Russia and Trumps 2016 campaign, as well as the upcoming congressional investigations. The diverse Democratic caucus, which includes a bevy of women, sat silently for much of Mr Trumps speech. But they leaped to their feet when he noted there are more women in the workforce than ever before. The increase is due to population growth and not something Mr Trump can credit to any of his policies. Mr Trump also defended his decisions to withdraw US troops from Syria and Afghanistan. Expand Close First lady Melania Trump arrives the State of the Union address (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp First lady Melania Trump arrives the State of the Union address (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Great nations do not fight endless wars, he said, adding that the US was working with allies to destroy the remnants of the Islamic State group and that he had accelerated efforts to reach a settlement in Afghanistan. Democratic members of Congress, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, wore white at the State of the Union address (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Democratic women put on a stunning display of solidarity during the State of the Union address on Tuesday wearing the white colour of the suffragettes. Paying tribute to the women who came before them, they also gave a nod to their own achievement, as more women than ever are now representatives in the House. They wore white trouser suits and power dresses, as well as hats, shawls and scarves. In the chamber, there has long been a growing gender divide as Democrats elect far more women than Republicans. The House now has more than 100 women in office, but the vast majority of them, about 90, are Democrats. House Republican women number just over a dozen. During his speech, president Donald Trump noted the number of women in newly created jobs last year, touching off a remarkable moment. Expand Close Members of Congress cheer after Donald Trump acknowledges more women in Congress (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Members of Congress cheer after Donald Trump acknowledges more women in Congress (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) The women in white leaped to their feet and high-fived, pointing at themselves and each other. Mr Trump, surprised, said: You werent supposed to do that. Then, because he knew the part of his speech that was coming next, told them not to sit quite yet, promising: Youre going to like this. The president recounted that a century after the Congress passed the Constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote, we also have more women serving in the Congress than ever before. More high-fives followed and the women in white, re-purposing a favourite outburst of the men in suits on the other side of the aisle, chanted: U-S-A! Thats great, Mr Trump said. Very great. A few of the Democrats male colleagues joined the women in white. Many other men wore white ribbons of support. Jason Dalton was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole (Joel Bissel/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP) A man who killed six strangers between picking up rides for Uber has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole. Jason Dalton, 48, pleaded guilty to murder and attempted murder last month, just as jury selection was about to begin in his trial. He admitted shooting eight people in three locations in between picking up passengers in Michigan. After his arrest, police quoted Dalton as saying a devil figure on Ubers app was controlling him on the day of the shootings. Expand Close Emily Lemmer, whose father Rich Smith and brother Tyler, 17, were killed, addresses Dalton (Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Emily Lemmer, whose father Rich Smith and brother Tyler, 17, were killed, addresses Dalton (Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP) Four women Barbara Hawthorne, Dorothy Judy Brown, Mary Lou Nye and her sister-in-law Mary Jo Nye were killed in the car park of a Cracker Barrel restaurant. Rich Smith and his 17-year-old son, Tyler Smith, were fatally shot while looking at a pickup truck at a car dealer. Living without (them) is impossible, said Emily Lemmer, the daughter of Mr Smith and sister of Tyler. Ms Lemmer, who spoke during the hearing, said she was afraid she would lose more people that I love, and said she cant understand why Dalton went on a deadly rampage. She then warned Dalton sitting nearby with his hands clasped across his stomach: I would not want to be you, ever, but especially when you meet our maker. Abigail Kopf, who was 14 at the time, was shot in the head during the restaurant shooting and survived. Tiana Carruthers was shot and wounded in a residential area. Expand Close Shooting survivor Tiana Carruthers cries after addressing Dalton (Joel Bissel/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Shooting survivor Tiana Carruthers cries after addressing Dalton (Joel Bissel/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP) I see pain in your hatred, Ms Carruthers said to Dalton during the hearing, as she tried to get him to look at her. I hate myself for hating you, she added. Dalton was deemed competent to stand trial and had dropped an insanity defence just before his trial was scheduled to start. He has not explained why he randomly shot eight people. The father-of-two had worked as an insurance adjuster and had no criminal record before the shootings. Prosecutor Jeff Getting said the question of a motive haunts us. A British woman has been sentenced to six months in prison for slapping an immigration officer on the Indonesian tourist island of Bali after missing her flight due to an expired visa. Video showing Auj-e Taqaddas purportedly cursing and hitting an officer at Balis international airport went viral last year. She was sentenced on Wednesday and has decided to appeal. The footage appears to show the 43-year-old throwing a lengthy tantrum after being asked to pay a fine of about 3,500 for overstaying her visa and missing her flight. She was charged with violent behaviour against a government official. Expand Close Auj-e Taqaddas is escorted by investigators (AP) AP / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Auj-e Taqaddas is escorted by investigators (AP) During the trial that began in December, Taqaddas, who pleaded not guilty, said the video had been edited. After being sentenced in Denpasar District Court, Taqaddas said the court was corrupt and she had been tortured by police three times including on Wednesday. She was arrested before the trial in a shopping mall after failing to appear in court several times. This is a sham court who was only listening to the dirty prosecutor who did not bring me to the court for six months, said Taqaddas. As two officials escorted her from court, she shouted: Indonesia is a criminal country. Indonesian law is corrupt. Indonesian judges are corrupt. No lawyer was provided. Indonesian immigration is corrupt. President Donald Trump speaks at the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS meeting at the US State Department (Susan Walsh/AP) President Donald Trump has said he expects to be able to announce next week that the US and coalition partners have reclaimed 100% of the Islamic State caliphate. Mr Trump said on Wednesday that the US military will be giving him official notice very soon that 100% of the territory once held by the IS group has been retaken in Iraq and Syria. Mr Trump gave remarks at the State Department to foreign ministers and senior officials from a 79-member US-led coalition battling the IS group. It should be formally announced sometime, probably next week, that we will have 100% of the caliphate, said the president. In December, Mr Trump announced the withdrawal of 2,000-plus US troops from Syria. Expand Close The Islamic State operative known as Jihadi John (PA) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Islamic State operative known as Jihadi John (PA) US officials say IS has lost 99.5% of its territory and is holding on to fewer than two square miles in Syria in the villages of the Middle Euphrates River Valley, where the bulk of the fighters are concentrated. But there are fears the impending US pullout will imperil those gains. Mr Trump told coalition members meeting at the State Department that while remnants of the group were still dangerous, he was determined to bring US troops home. He called on coalition members to step up and do their fair share in the fight against terrorism. Even as Mr Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defended the withdrawal decision, which shocked US allies and led to the resignations of Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and the US envoy to the anti-IS coalition, Brett McGurk, some military leaders, renewed their concerns. While the withdrawal would fulfil a Trump goal, top military officials have pushed back for months, arguing IS remains a threat and could regroup. US policy had been to keep troops in place until the extremists are completely eradicated. Fears that IS fighters are making a strategic manoeuvre to lay low ahead of the US pullout has fuelled criticism that Mr Trump telegraphed his military plans the same thing he accused President Barack Obama of doing in Afghanistan. A United Nations report circulated on Wednesday said Islamic State extremists continue to pose the main and best-resourced international terrorist threat. It said IS fighters remain under intense military pressure in their stronghold in eastern Syria, but they have shown a determination to resist and the capability to counter-attack. Defence officials believe many fighters have fled to ungoverned spaces and other pockets in the north and west. Police are appealing for information about the crash (Joe Giddens/PA) A woman who died after a car left the road and hit a tree has been named by police. Anne Marie MacDonald, 62, was the front-seat passenger in a black BMW 320d which was travelling west on the A87 when the crash happened on Monday. Emergency services were called to the scene after the car left the road near Kyle of Lochalsh and hit a tree shortly before 5.20pm. Mrs MacDonald, from Portree on the Isle of Skye, died at the scene. Our investigation into the collision is ongoing and I would like to pass on our gratitude to everyone who has already assisted with our inquiriesPolice Sergeant Alasdair Mackay The 64-year-old male driver suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries. No other vehicles were involved in the collision. Road Policing Sergeant Alasdair Mackay said: Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Mrs MacDonald at this difficult time. Our investigation into the collision is ongoing and I would like to pass on our gratitude to everyone who has already assisted with our inquiries. I would ask anyone who has information of value but has not yet spoken to an officer to come forward as soon as possible. Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland by calling 101 and quoting incident 2735 of February 4, 2019. Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London after he won 30,000 in libel damages in a High Court action against The Sun over claims that a heavy metal band he performed with used Nazi imagery. A member of the shadow cabinet has said he is delighted to have won 30,000 damages in a High Court libel action against The Sun over claims a heavy metal band he performed with used Nazi imagery. Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon sued the newspaper over an April 2017 online article which said he had joined a Leeds band that delights in Nazi symbols. The Labour MP for Leeds East said an image tweeted by the band Dream Troll, which appears to use the S from the logo of the notorious Nazi paramilitary organisation the SS, was a spoof of Black Sabbaths 1975 album We Sold Our Soul for Rock n Roll. But The Suns publisher, News Group Newspapers, and its political editor Tom Newton Dunn argued that the image was strongly reminiscent of Nazi iconography and that Mr Burgon demonstrated terrible misjudgment and exposed himself to ridicule. Giving judgment at the High Court in London on Wednesday, Mr Justice Dingemans ruled in Mr Burgons favour on his claim for libel, awarding him damages and an injunction to prevent further publication of the article. But the judge dismissed Mr Burgons claim for malicious falsehood, finding that Mr Newton Dunn was acting honestly when he wrote the story. Following the ruling, Mr Burgon tweeted: Delighted to have won my High Court case against The Sun. Delighted to have won my High Court case against The Sun. Their slur attempting to link me to aNazi symbols" was held to be false and defamatory. The Judge ordered The Sun to pay A30,000 in damages. With that I'll fund a paid justice internship for a young person from Leeds. pic.twitter.com/uWlsdhSUoR Richard Burgon MP (@RichardBurgon) February 6, 2019 Their slur attempting to link me to Nazi symbols was held to be false and defamatory. The judge ordered The Sun to pay 30,000 in damages. With that Ill fund a paid justice internship for a young person from Leeds. In a statement after the ruling, a spokesman for The Sun said the newspaper would be appealing against the ruling. They said: We are deeply disappointed by this judgment and we will be appealing. We fundamentally disagree with the judges conclusions and, furthermore, fear they may act as a brake on the ability of the free press to hold those in power to account and to scrutinise the judgment of those who aspire to the highest offices in the land. The spokesman said it did not feel that this ruling pays adequate attention to the need to hold politicians to a higher standard than private citizens, adding that it does not agree with the judges conclusions on the substance of the image at the heart of the case. At a hearing in January, Mr Burgons barrister Adam Speker said the article involved a deliberate misrepresentation. He submitted that The Sun had manufactured a knowingly false and misleading story by doctoring the image published by the band by removing the hashtag #blacksabbath which accompanied the tweet. Mr Speker said the article was as far removed from responsible journalism as one could possibly imagine, adding: Quite simply, they were just out to get him. But Adam Wolanski, for the defendants, pointed out that Mr Burgon aspires to be secretary of state for Justice, to occupy the office of lord chancellor and to be a senior member of Her Majestys cabinet. He said: For this reason, the question of whether he demonstrates good judgment is a matter, not just of legitimate comment, but a matter of vital public debate. Mr Wolanski added that the article was published at the time of speculation that Labour had a tin ear for anti-Semitism within its midst, which he said had already generated enormous controversy. He concluded: The fact that Black Sabbath used the double-S insignia in the 1970s (and that the image was) a parody or homage to that Black Sabbath album is absolutely no answer to the charge of misjudgment on the part of Mr Burgon. Mr Wolanski said: Neither Black Sabbath or Dream Troll aspire to run the country. Mr Burgon does. In his ruling, Mr Justice Dingemans noted that the online article continued to be published for more than six months and that there has been no apology, adding that an award of damages of 30,000 was appropriate. The Prime Minister has denied stabbing Northern Ireland's business community in the back over Brexit and has suggested that instead of binning the backstop, she is seeking changes to it. In a keynote address to business leaders in Belfast yesterday, she pledged her "unshakeable" commitment to avoiding a hard border. "The UK Government will not let that happen. I will not let that happen," she vowed. But asked by the Belfast Telegraph why the business community should trust her given that some felt she "shafted" them with her U-turn on the backstop, Mrs May suggested the controversial mechanism would remain. "Let's be very clear about this. You've used the phrase U-turn in your question," she said. "There is no suggestion that we are not going to ensure that in the future there is provision for this. It's been called an insurance policy, the backstop - that ensures if the future relationship is not in place by the end of the implementation period, there will be arrangements in place to ensure that we deliver no hard border. Our commitment to that remains." Sources in the European Research Group (ERG) of Tory MPs expressed concern that the Prime Minister's line appeared to have softened. Mrs May is due to travel to Brussels tomorrow for her first face-to-face talks with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker since the withdrawal agreement was rejected by Parliament. MPs voted last week for an amendment tabled by Tory grandee Sir Graham Brady requiring that the backstop is replaced with "alternative arrangements" to avoid a hard border. Asked how she could convince people here to accept a Brexit deal stripped of the backstop, the Prime Minister said: "I'm not proposing to persuade people to accept a deal that doesn't contain that insurance policy for the future. "What Parliament has said is that they believe there should be changes made to the backstop." She said it was in that context that she was working with MPs, the Irish Government and Brussels to find a way for the UK to leave the EU on March 29 with a deal that avoided a hard border. Dublin accused Mrs May of harbouring unrealistic expectations over the backstop. "We welcome the Prime Minister's restatement of the commitment to having no hard border," it said. "Her statement about the need to recognise shared identities in Northern Ireland was especially welcome. "However, we still have concerns about unrealistic expectations regarding what can be achieved regarding the backstop. "The EU position is clear and not for changing. There is scope to adjust the political declaration but not the withdrawal agreement." In her speech, the Prime Minister acknowledged the importance of a seamless border and that current arrangements had helped "deliver peace and propserity". She told the gathering: "While I have said that technology could play a part and that we will look at alternative arrangements, there must be ones that can be made to work for the particular circumstances of Northern Ireland. "Northern Irleand does not have to rely on the Irish Government or the EU to prevent a return to the borders of the past. The UK Government will not let that happen. I will not let that happen." Mrs May pledged to work with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar after Brexit to "continue to maintain - and indeed enhance - the strongest possible bilateral partnership between the UK and Ireland". She said: "As we leave the EU, we will need to establish new ways of coming together to develop our unique relationship. "For example, the Irish Government has suggested annual meetings where the Prime Minister and Taoiseach, together with senior ministerial colleagues, come together to discuss the big issues of the day. "We will also want to strengthen our economic relationship and have already together identified areas like construction and smart cities as ripe for enhanced collaboration." She announced a review by Home Secretary Sajid Javid of issues surrounding difficulties faced by residents of Irish nationality in bringing family members into Northern Ireland. In terms of a way forward on a Brexit compromise, Downing Street yesterday said the Government was looking at a series of "work streams" - including putting in place alternative arrangements to the backstop, or changing it to include a time limit or an exit mechanism. An imaginary royal banquet with a guest list featuring some of the worlds biggest celebrities from the Duchess of Sussex to Lady Gaga forms part of a new exhibition of famous hats. The latest display by milliner to the stars Stephen Jones launches at the Royal Pavilion in Brighton on Thursday, and it also features hats worn by Rihanna, Kylie Minogue, Kate Moss and Mick Jagger. Exhibiting work spanning his 40-year career, Stephen Jones Hats at the Royal Pavilion centres around a mock dinner party of A-list proportions in which stars are represented by the hats at the table in the banqueting room of King George IVs 200-year-old seaside pleasure palace. Expand Close A hat designed for the Duchess of Sussex takes pride of place in the exhibition (Victoria Jones/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A hat designed for the Duchess of Sussex takes pride of place in the exhibition (Victoria Jones/PA) At a press preview on Wednesday, the 61-year-old designer told reporters he had to think long and hard about the seating plan to ensure the stars would get along. As well as the white beret worn by Meghan at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in March last year, visitors will see a large fuchsia headdress worn by Lady Gaga displayed at one head of the table. A golden design sported by Kylie when she headlined the 2012 Sydney Mardi Gras is at the other end. Jones hosts the make-believe feast in his grandfathers 1920s top hat, also worn by his father at his wedding in 1946, and sits opposite a replica of a felt hat worn by King George IV as he posed for a portrait in 1782. Expand Close A hat designed for Lady Gaga sits at one head of the table (Victoria Jones/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A hat designed for Lady Gaga sits at one head of the table (Victoria Jones/PA) A replica of a 1980 creation for Diana, Princess of Wales then Lady Diana Spencer also features alongside a party hat for Rihanna and a Pearly King-inspired cap worn by designer John Galliano. Designs for Princess Eugenie, Dame Joan Collins, Cindy Crawford and Missy Elliot, and the yellow hat worn by Amal Clooney for Harry and Meghans wedding last year, also feature. A plume of white feathers sported by Boy George and a rabbit headdress worn by Kate Moss in 2014 are also on show. Jones said: Trying to name one favourite hat is a little like naming a favourite child, youre not supposed to do that. But there are certain favourites. Probably the most notable hat in here has been very kindly lent by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. Im very, very honoured to have that displayed. It was wonderful doing the table placement and seeing who would get on with who. In fact, it made me very nervous. Expand Close Other parts of the exhibition feature food-themed headwear (Victoria Jones/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Other parts of the exhibition feature food-themed headwear (Victoria Jones/PA) The curator told me Dont worry Stephen, theyre hats not real people. But in a funny way for me they are real people. He described Kylie, someone he has worked with since she came to Britain, as such a professional, adding: The great thing about her, yes she is a client, but when I create a hat for her we really work on the same project together. She knows how its going to feel, she knows the pressure on the neck, she knows the choreography. Born in Cheshire before bursting on to the London fashion scene in the late 70s and soon attracting celebrity clientele, Jones said the exhibition feels almost like a homecoming. He added: I have never had the opportunity to display hats in the environment which inspired them. The display of some 160 pieces begins in the entrance hall with his collection Chinoiserie-on-Sea, which was inspired by Brighton and the opulent decor and glamorous history of the East Sussex landmark the walls of which are adorned with Indian, Chinese and Regency-style interiors. Expand Close A hat designed for Marc Jacobs and worn by Victoria Beckham takes its place at the table (Victoria Jones/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A hat designed for Marc Jacobs and worn by Victoria Beckham takes its place at the table (Victoria Jones/PA) Past the banqueting hall, visitors can see where the food is prepared in the Great Kitchen, where they are greeted by a giant swan headdress and knitted English breakfast hat among copper pots in a nod to creations inspired by food. In the music room they come across a gold bust of Jones and gowns designed by Dior. He said everything from the paintings to the party atmosphere in the extraordinary Pavilion inspired him, adding: For me the Pavilion is about extravagance, freedom about the unknown. I think this is the most impressive building in Britain. Martin Pel, costume and textiles curator at the museum, said it is one of the first fashion exhibitions hosted by the now council-owned former royal residence, adding: Stephens craftmanship absolutely works in here. It looks beautiful, its perfectly made, its a perfect match. Jones is set to design a spring 2019 collection inspired by the exhibition for Harvey Nichols, which financed the project. A committee looking into the overspend of the National Childrens Hospital has heard the Governments lack of awareness has reached Father Ted territory, with the Minister for Health compared to an unravelling jumper. The Government has come under fire for the spiralling costs of the project in recent weeks. The estimated cost for the new unit on the campus of St Jamess Hospital in Dublin has risen from an original estimate of 650 million euro to more than 1.7 billion euro. Minister Simon Harris told the health committee on Wednesday that an early warning system would have helped significantly with costs, but insisted there was intensive work going on from when the Department of Health was first made aware of the overspend, and denied misleading parliament in September when he cited a costing of 987 million euro. NEW: The cost of all independent and internal reports and audits into the National Children's Hospital is an estimated 653,466 euro, according to a document provided to the Public Accounts Committee. aoife moore. (@aoifegracemoore) February 4, 2019 Mr Harris said he was somewhat frustrated at the characterisation that Ive heard of this, that the minister knew in August and nothing happened until November, and nothing could be further from the truth. The paper trail that you have and testimony that you have from my officials, from members of the National Paediatric Hospital Development board, from the HSE and indeed from my own mouth at this committee last week, show that not to be the case. Labours Alan Kelly, who has been highly critical of the overspend, said no one believed the Governments line. This is getting even more confused, to be honest, he said, adding that it was complete and utter garbage that an official from the Department of Public Expenditure was not obliged to report to a minister about the cost overruns, as claimed by the Taoiseach. In late August youve told us before, you were shocked, and looked for someone in the Department of Public Expenditure and couldnt get a meeting. To the public watching, this is Father Ted territory, the idea they would not sit down, that there wasnt awareness across two departments and you couldnt have a meeting. Its beggars belief, the idea it took that length of time to have a meeting. Fianna Fails health spokesman Stephen Donnelly asked the minister why he did not bring up the overspend during budget negotiations. He asked: Did you tell him why? Did you tell him part of the reason is theres a pretty good chance I would need more money for hospital? Did you tell any cabinet colleagues? Did you tell anyone that you were looking at a massive overrun and that was the reason? Expand Close Simon Harris (Niall Carson/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Simon Harris (Niall Carson/PA) Mr Harris said he neither knew nor could have known at the time. There was an awareness that the process was ongoing to finalise costs, it was not a secret I was retaining, all of Government wouldve known. I didnt negotiate specifically on additional funding for the NCH but it was always apparent that the Government would have to award the contract for Phase B. Asked if he would reappoint the same board to the project again, Mr Harris said he would wait for a PwC review, ordered by the Government, to establish the underlying root causes for the spiralling costs. Ill wait for the PwC, however if I hadnt reappointed the board it wouldve left a vacuum, he said. When we know who got what wrong, we are going to act. Fianna Fails Margaret Murphy OMahoney compared him to an unravelling knitted jumper with the sleeve with the wool coming away. Committee chairman Michael Harty says members want to speak to Department of Public Expenditure officials about excessive costs for the hospital. Speaking during leaders questions, Michael McGrath, Fianna Fails spokesman on finance, said: We are told that the minister (Harris) became aware of the significance of the issue, if not the final figure, in late August 2018, yet this information was not passed to the Minister for Finance (Paschal Donohoe) until November 9 2018. This is a scenario that I just cannot get my head around. We had the Minister for Finance, the person in charge of the purse strings of the State, who, as part of a collective Cabinet decision, signed off in April 2017 on a project at a cost of 983 million euro. We are being led to believe that the next he heard of any change was in November 2018, over a year and a half later, when he was given the news that the direct build cost of this hospital had increased by 450 million euro on top of the other costs involved, bringing the overall bill to 1.7 billion euro. The National Audit Office (NAO) is carrying out an "unprecedented" investigation into BBC Northern Ireland over how contracts for programmes are awarded and financed, a DUP MP has said. Gregory Campbell made the claim during a Westminster Hall debate on the lack of independent accountability surrounding the BBC's commissioning process. Mr Campbell alleged that he had been approached by a number of independent media companies who feel they "don't get a fair deal with the BBC due to the lack of transparency". He said there were "major concerns about BBC NI's use of public money". The MP said: "I first raised concerns about the BBC NI commissioning process in November 2016 with senior management around how contracts were awarded and how some BBC presenters had benefited from contracts. Answers were not forthcoming." Mr Campbell also claimed that a 2014 contract was awarded to media firm Third Street Studios, which he said didn't exist at the time of broadcast. "This particular company has repeatedly received contracts worth hundreds of thousands of pounds," he said. The MP said one of the company's directors, Stephen Nolan, "quite regularly advertises" his independent productions on his BBC radio show. "This is a clear and unfair advantage over other independent production companies who cannot promote their programmes in the same way," he added. Mr Campbell raised the matter with the NAO last year, which he says is now investigating and due to respond within weeks. He said: "While the NAO do not normally investigate this type of contractual expenditure, they said an investigation would be opened up into a number of areas concerning the BBC NI commissioning process. "This is the first time to my knowledge that the NAO has found grounds to investigate BBC NI on a contract of this nature - unprecedented would be the appropriate word to describe this." A BBC spokesperson said: We have met and corresponded with Gregory Campbell MP several times in relation to his queries about BBC commissioning arrangements. "We have routine contact with the National Audit Office about a range of issues relating to the BBCs work and consistent with its role as the BBCs auditor. We remain confident in the robustness, integrity and fairness of the BBCs commissioning processes in Northern Ireland. Police have issued a warning after two men in Northern Ireland lost a total of nearly 40,000 in separate telephone scams. One victim, from Belfast, received a voicemail on Wednesday January 30 asking him to get in touch with the same internet provider he is with. The victim called back the next day and was told there was issues with his broadband and he needed to download a program so the matter could be resolved. The man downloaded the programme which gave the fraudster access to his computer. The man was told by the fraudster he would be compensated for the problem and was asked to log onto his online banking, which he did. As the scammer had access to the man's computer, he was then able to access his online banking and stole 19,800. Chief Superintendent Simon Walls said: "This has been an awful ordeal for this man who believed he was communicating with a legitimate representative from his internet provider, but who in turn was swindled out of thousands of pounds." A second victim, from the Omagh area, received a call from a person claiming to be from his telecoms provider, who told him he had issues with his internet, and to resolve the problem, he would have to install an app on his mobile device, which the man did. This allowed the scammer to take control of the man's phone and gain access to his bank account, taking just over 19,700. CS Walls said: "While this may have sounded like a completely legitimate call, it illustrates how convincing scammers can be. "I want to take this opportunity to appeal to members of the public to always err on the side of caution with any text, call, email or letter asking for payment or personal details in order to release money, refund fees, pay lottery wins or supply a holiday, giveaway or service. Tricksters know all the scams and will often communicate with victims in a convincing manner. Our advice is that if you are at all suspicious about a call you receive, hang up and phone the organisation the person is purporting to represent to check their authenticity. "Ideally, make the call from another telephone so you can be sure the original caller has not remained on the line. Never be pressured into a transaction over the phone. Guarding your personal and banking details is essential. Never ever disclose them to any unauthorised person or allow anyone access to them via your computer. If you have received a call of this kind or if youre concerned by the intent of unsolicited calls, emails or letters then please report it to Action Fraud via their website www.actionfraud.police.uk or by phoning 0300 123 2040, or call police on the non-emergency number 101. Further advice and information can also be obtained by visiting www.nidirect.gov.uk/scamwiseni or the ScamwiseNI Facebook page @scamwiseni And remember if you can spot a scam, you can stop a scam. There will be a special place in hell for those who promoted Brexit without any plan for how to deliver it safely, European Council president Donald Tusk has said. Mr Tusks comments came as he repeated the EUs insistence that the Withdrawal Agreement reached with Theresa May last year cannot be reopened to remove the backstop arrangement for the Irish border. He was speaking alongside Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar following talks in Brussels in which they discussed preparations for what Mr Tusk described as the fiasco of a no-deal Brexit on March 29. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister began a round of meetings with Northern Irelands political leaders in her hunt for a breakthrough on the Irish backstop impasse. She is due to meet Mr Tusk as well as European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier on a visit to Brussels on Thursday. Mr Varadkar later announced that he would be meeting Mrs May for further talks in Dublin on Friday. Mr Tusk said the EU was not making any new offer and was hoping to hear from Mrs May a realistic suggestion on how to end the impasse in which the process of the orderly withdrawal of the UK from the EU has found itself following the latest votes in the House of Commons. I've been wondering what that special place in hell looks like, for those who promoted #Brexit, without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely. Charles Michel (@eucopresident) February 6, 2019 He said the Irish border issue and the need to preserve the peace process remained the EUs top priority, adding: We will not gamble with peace or put a sell-by date on reconciliation. This is why we insist on the backstop. In a message to Mrs May, Mr Tusk said: Give us a deliverable guarantee for peace in Northern Ireland and the UK will leave the EU as a trusted friend. Expand Close Taoiseach Leo Varadkar met president of the European Council Donald Tusk for talks in Brussels (Michelle Devane/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Taoiseach Leo Varadkar met president of the European Council Donald Tusk for talks in Brussels (Michelle Devane/PA) I hope that the UK Government will present ideas that will both respect this point of view and at the same time command a stable and clear majority in the House of Commons. I strongly believe that a common solution is possible and I will do everything in my power to find it. But he concluded: By the way, I have been wondering what that special place in hell looks like for those who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan to carry it (out) safely. Mr Tusk also made clear that he had lost hope that the UKs decision to leave may be reversed in a second referendum. The facts are unmistakable, he said. At the moment, the pro-Brexit stance of the UK Prime Minister, and the leader of the opposition, rules out this question. Today, there is no political force and no effective leadership for Remain. I say this without satisfaction, but you cant argue with the facts. Mr Tusks comments were labelled a completely outrageous insult by leading Tory Brexiteer Peter Bone, who said: I dont recall any president insulting members of this House, members of the Government and the British people in such a way. Asked whether the comments would contribute towards a positive atmosphere for the Prime Ministers visit to Brussels on Thursday, Mrs Mays official spokesman told reporters: I think it is a question for Donald Tusk as to whether he considers the use of that kind of language to be helpful. I appreciate that was difficult this morning as he didnt take any questions. Mr Varadkar said that while he was open to further discussions with the UK Government, the Withdrawal Agreement emphatically rejected by the House of Commons last month remained the best deal possible. The Taoiseach said: I think the events in London and the instability in British politics in recent weeks demonstrates exactly why we need a legal guarantee and a solution that is operable, that we know will work and will last. Expand Close Theresa May, centre, is greeted as she arrives at Stormont on Wednesday morning (Brian Lawless/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Theresa May, centre, is greeted as she arrives at Stormont on Wednesday morning (Brian Lawless/PA) On the final day of a two-day visit to Belfast, Mrs May held meetings with all five of the main Northern Irish parties at Stormont House. Alliance Party leader Naomi Long said she told the PM that the time for reiterating red lines and regurgitating reassurances has long gone and SDLP leader Colum Eastwood told the PM that there were no alternatives to the backstop. Expand Close (PA Graphics) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (PA Graphics) Mrs May suggested on Tuesday that she is seeking changes to the controversial backstop in her Brexit deal, rather than its total removal from the Withdrawal Agreement. In a speech in Belfast, she restated her unshakeable commitment to avoiding a hard border in Ireland after Brexit, pledging: I will not let that happen. But asked how she could convince the people of Northern Ireland to accept a Brexit deal which was stripped of the backstop, Mrs May said: Im not proposing to persuade people to accept a deal that doesnt contain that insurance policy for the future. Expand Close UUP leader Robin Swann arrives to meet the Prime Minister at Stormont (Brian Lawless/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp UUP leader Robin Swann arrives to meet the Prime Minister at Stormont (Brian Lawless/PA) Supporters of the so-called Malthouse Compromise which has brought MPs from the Remain and Brexit wings of the Conservative Party together behind a plan requiring the backstop to be ditched denied the PMs comments had killed off their initiative. As they prepared to meet for a third day in the Cabinet Office, MPs in the group insisted they remain hopeful she will give serious consideration to the blueprint which they intend to complete by the end of Wednesday. The compromise offers the EU a choice between a Plan A, involving the existing Agreement with an alternative to the backstop and a transition period stretching to December 2021, or a Plan B under which the UK leaves without a deal on March 29 but remains in the single market and customs area to the end of 2021 while arrangements are made for final departure. MPs in the group said their compromise has a good chance of securing a majority in the Commons, making it a more serious proposition for EU leaders than amendments to the backstop which would be rejected by a wide margin. But they accepted their proposals will not be ready in time to be presented as a Government position when Mrs May goes to Brussels on Thursday. Speaking under condition of anonymity, one MP said the Commons votes scheduled for February 14 are likely to be a re-run of last weeks divisions on a series of backbench amendments, with the long-awaited meaningful vote on a proposed final deal coming later in the month. Although this would leave insufficient time to pass the necessary legislation in the normal way by Brexit day on March 29, MPs in the group insisted it could be rushed through, saying: If Parliament has the will to get the legislation passed, it will. European Council President Donald Tusk says there is a special place in hell for Brexiteers who advocated to leave the EU without even a "sketch of a plan". The DUP's Sammy Wilson described it as a "disgraceful attack" on the millions that voted to leave the EU accusing the EU chief of attempting to overturn the referendum result. "All he will succeed in doing is stiffening the resistance of those who have exercised their choice to be clear of Tusk and his trident wielding cabal," he added. Microphone picks up @campaignforleo warning @eucopresident: "they'll give you terrible trouble". Tusk nods and laughs pic.twitter.com/20xlTzqelM Georg von Harrach (@georgvh) February 6, 2019 A No10 spokesman on said it was "a question for Donald Tusk whether he considers the use of that kind of language helpful, and I understand that was difficult this morning as he didnt take any questions". Mr Tusk made his remarks during a press conference alongside Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and a day before Prime Minister Theresa May is to fly to Brussels for talks. Mr Tusk said the Prime Minister had to offer a guarantee of peace in Northern Ireland. He said the Irish border was their "top priority" adding the EU27 had decided in December that the Withdrawal Agreement was "not open for renegotiation". "I hope that tomorrow we will hear from Prime Minister May a realistic suggestion on how to end the impasse in which the process of the orderly withdrawal of the UK from the EU has found itself following the latest votes in the House of Commons." He added: "The EU is first and foremost a peace project," he said. "We will not gamble with peace or put a sell-by date on reconciliation. This is why we insist on the backstop." In a message to Mrs May, Mr Tusk said: "Give us a deliverable guarantee for peace in Northern Ireland and the UK will leave the EU as a trusted friend. "I hope that the UK Government will present ideas that will both respect this point of view and at the same time command a stable and clear majority in the House of Commons. "I strongly believe that a common solution is possible and I will do everything in my power to find it." Mr Tusk confirmed that the EU continues to prepare for a possible no-deal outcome. He concluded: "By the way, I have been wondering what that special place in Hell looks like for those who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan to carry it (through) safely." Leo Varadkar said the solidarity shown by the EU for a small country "resonated not just in Ireland but in other small countries". He said the actions of the Prime Minister and the British government outlined the need for the backstop and said Ireland was continuing to ramp up preparations for a no-deal Brexit. The Withdrawal Agreement, he said remained "the best deal possible" but they were "open to further discussions" with the UK Government. He said: "While we expect that the backstop will never be used, we agreed again today that it is needed as a legal guarantee to ensure that there is no return to a hard border on the island of Ireland while protecting the integrity of our European single market and customs union. "I think the events in London and the instability in British politics in recent weeks demonstrates exactly why we need a legal guarantee and a solution that is operable, that we know will work and will last." Mr Varadkar said that if the UK's intentions for the future relationship "were to evolve", the EU would be "prepared to adapt the content and level of ambition in the Political Declaration while respecting its established principles". He added that he had agreed with Mr Tusk that "in light of the ongoing uncertainty in London and the fast-approaching deadline" preparations for a no-deal Brexit must intensify. Police officers in Northern Ireland are to receive a delayed 2% pay rise. The PSNI award mirrors that made to officers in England and Wales and will be backdated to the start of September last year. It was revealed in a letter from Stormonts Justice Department to DUP South Belfast MP Emma Little-Pengelly. An officer in the PSNI must be treated the same as an officer in Scotland or EnglandEmma Little-Pengelly Officers had to wait for the extra pay since it had required ministerial approval and no ministers are in place at Stormont. Department of Justice permanent secretary Peter May said: I am pleased to advise that approval has now been secured for the award of a 2% consolidated increase to the existing pay scales for the federated and superintending ranks of the PSNI. It will include ranks below assistant chief constable. The increase will also be applied to the Northern Ireland transitional allowance, which recognises the security situation, and the dog handlers allowance, the Justice Department said. The pay award to officers at other ranks within the PSNI will be confirmed upon receipt of the requisite approvals. Expand Close Northern Irelands chief constable, George Hamilton, has expressed frustration over the delay (Brian Lawless/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Northern Irelands chief constable, George Hamilton, has expressed frustration over the delay (Brian Lawless/PA) Mark Lindsay, chairman of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland (PFNI), said considerable work has been done behind the scenes to get the increase across the line, and thanked all those who were involved. This increase should have been implemented from September 1 but because we are in a political and legislative no-mans land, where regular business is stalled, it has taken this length of time to get full implementation of the pay award, he said. This 2% is not what we asked for or, indeed, what the Pay Review Body (PRB) recommended, and I deeply regret and resent the Governments refusal to accede to our properly researched and justified claim. The Pay Review Body is an independent body. For the Government to dismiss the PRBs pay recommendation calls into serious question both the independence and purpose of the body. Northern Irelands chief constable, George Hamilton, has previously expressed frustration over the delay. Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley legislated late last year to give civil servants greater decision-making powers in the absence of ministers. Ms Little-Pengelly said: Last month I reiterated the call from the Police Federation that there must be parity for all police officers across the United Kingdom. An officer in the PSNI must be treated the same as an officer in Scotland or England. I am delighted that this has now been agreed. Mr Hamilton said: We welcome the 2% pay increase made by the Department of Finance to PSNI officers from the rank of constable through to chief superintendent. Prison chiefs have pledged to ensure the safety of a teenager believed to be under threat while in custody on a murder charge, the High Court heard today. Michael Dunlop is the youngest of three to be accused of killing father-of-five Karol Kelly in Derry. Mr Kelly was stabbed to death at Grafton Street in the Rosemount area on March 4 last year. Dunlop, of Fern Park in the city, can now be named after he turned 18 a week ago. He is now due to be transferred from Woodlands Juvenile Justice Centre to Hydebank Young Offenders' Centre. Defence lawyers mounted a fresh application for bail amid claims he is under a "live threat" from two others currently being held at the Hydebank facilities. But Crown lawyer Conor Maguire told the court staff at the detention centre have indicated Dunlop will be "managed appropriately" to ensure no harm comes to him. Consideration is also being given to potentially moving the other two inmates to an adult establishment. "If the applicant moves to Hydebank, not only does the Governor have an obligation to care for the applicant and his safety, but assurances have been given in that regard," Mr Maguire said. The barrister also claimed Dunlop and his co-accused remain at risk within the Derry area. Plunkett Nugent, defending, argued that threats on gable walls in the city relate to the other two murder suspects. He insisted that Dunlop has been charged with murder on the basis of joint enterprise. No forensic evidence or eye witness accounts link the teenager to actually carrying out the fatal attack, the court was told. Mr Nugent added that Dunlop would seek to get back onto a college bricklaying course if released on bail. But adjourning the application for two weeks, Mr Justice McAlinden said he will review the case again following Dunlop's transfer to Hydebank. The judge said: "It would be very difficult for any court to release an applicant on bail to an address in any environment in the community where he is, or could be potentially, under serious threat." Police in Northern Ireland have released a man they were questioning over the murder of German backpacker Inga Maria Hauser. The 59-year-old was originally arrested in connection with Inga Maria s death last May and later released on bail pending further inquiries. He has been released pending a report to the Public Prosecution Service. The body of the Munich teenager was found dumped in a remote part of Ballypatrick Forest, outside Ballycastle, Co Antrim, 14 days after she was last seen alive on a ferry from Scotland. The 18-year-olds death in April 1988 remains one of the regions most high-profile unsolved murders. Expand Close The scene at Ballypatrick Forest in Co Antrim where the body of 18-year-old Inga Maria Hauser was found (PSNI/PA) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The scene at Ballypatrick Forest in Co Antrim where the body of 18-year-old Inga Maria Hauser was found (PSNI/PA) Another man was arrested last May for questioning about the murder. He was also later released on bail pending further enquiries. Detectives changed the terms of his release to unconditional in December. Last year, on the 30th anniversary of the crime, detectives said they believed a number of people may have been involved either directly in the murder or in the subsequent cover-up, and said they only need fractional pieces of evidence to bring the chief suspects to justice. Police have a male genetic profile found at the murder scene. A number of years ago, in one of the largest DNA screenings ever undertaken in the UK, 2,000 samples failed to produce a definitive match. Prior to her death, Ms Hauser had travelled through England and Scotland and, according to diary entries, intended to travel south to Dublin after her ferry docked at Larne, Co Antrim. But for reasons as yet unexplained, she ended up going in the opposite direction and was found dead in remote woodland two weeks later. It is understood the IRA carried out its own investigation into the killing 30 years ago. It is believed republican paramilitaries had considered passing information about the alleged murderer to the RUC (Royal Ulster Constabulary) at the height of the Troubles, but did not follow through. A man arrested on suspicion of the murder of a German backpacker in Northern Ireland 30 years ago has been released pending a report to prosecutors. Detectives investigating the killing of Inga Maria Hauser are to pass an evidence file on the 59-year-old suspect to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS). The PPS will decide whether there are grounds to prosecute the man. He was originally arrested in connection with the murder last May and later released on bail pending further inquiries. Following detectives being granted an additional 14 hours to question a 59 year old man yesterday on suspicion of the murder of Inga Maria Hauser 30 years ago, the 59 year old has now been released pending a report to the PPS. Police Service NI (@PoliceServiceNI) February 6, 2019 On Tuesday police were granted another 14 hours to ask him further questions. He was released on Wednesday. The body of the Munich teenager was found dumped in a remote part of Ballypatrick Forest, outside Ballycastle, Co Antrim, 14 days after she was last seen alive on a ferry from Scotland. The 18-year-olds death in April 1988 remains one of the regions most high-profile unsolved murders. Another man was arrested last May for questioning. He was also later released on bail pending further inquiries. Detectives changed the terms of his release to unconditional in December. Expand Close Inga Maria Hauser (PSNI/PA) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Inga Maria Hauser (PSNI/PA) Last year, on the 30th anniversary of the crime, detectives said they believed a number of people may have been involved either directly in the murder or in the subsequent cover-up, and said they only need fractional pieces of evidence to bring the chief suspects to justice. Police have a male genetic profile found at the murder scene. A number of years ago, in one of the largest DNA screenings undertaken in the UK, 2,000 samples failed to produce a definitive match. Ms Hauser had travelled through England and Scotland and, according to diary entries, intended to travel south to Dublin after her ferry docked at Larne, Co Antrim. For reasons as yet unexplained, she ended up going in the opposite direction and was found dead in remote woodland two weeks later. It is understood the IRA carried out its own investigation into the killing 30 years ago. It is believed republican paramilitaries had considered passing information about the alleged murderer to the Royal Ulster Constabulary at the height of the Troubles, but did not follow through. The Prime Minister will meet the main Northern Irish parties later as she steps up her bid for a breakthrough on the backstop (Liam McBurney/PA). The Prime Minister will meet the main Northern Irish parties later as she steps up her bid for a breakthrough on the backstop. Theresa May has already had conversations with business and community leaders during her two-day trip to Belfast. She is expected to meet the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Fein among others on Wednesday. The premier has suggested that she is seeking changes to the controversial backstop in her Brexit deal, rather than its total removal from the UKs EU Withdrawal Agreement. In a speech in Belfast, the Prime Minister restated her unshakeable commitment to avoiding a hard border in Ireland after Brexit, pledging: The UK Government will not let that happen. I will not let that happen. Expand Close The Prime Minister is expected to meet the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Fein among others on Wednesday during Stormont talks (Steve Parsons/PA). PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Prime Minister is expected to meet the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Fein among others on Wednesday during Stormont talks (Steve Parsons/PA). But asked how she could convince the people of Northern Ireland to accept a Brexit deal which was stripped of the backstop, Mrs May said: Im not proposing to persuade people to accept a deal that doesnt contain that insurance policy for the future. What Parliament has said is that they believe there should be changes made to the backstop. It was in that light that she was working with MPs, the Irish government and the EU to find a way to meet the commitment to take Britain out of the EU on March 29 with a deal which avoided a hard Irish border, she said. The Irish Government accused the Prime Minister of harbouring unrealistic expectations over the backstop. The mechanism has polarised nationalists and unionists. Many unionists believe the insurance policy to preserve a frictionless frontier on the island of Ireland could threaten the integrity of the UK if Northern Irelands customs regulations varied from Great Britain after Brexit. Nationalists and many business leaders fear major disruption to trade and a hard border threatening peace process gains if no deal is struck and the backstop is not triggered. Meanwhile, Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will travel to Brussels for meetings with European Council president Donald Tusk and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker. Mrs May is due to visit the Belgian capital on Thursday, where she will hold a series of talks with key figures including Mr Tusk, Mr Juncker, European Parliament president Antonio Tajani and the European Parliaments chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt. It will be the Prime Ministers first chance to hold first face-to-face talks in Brussels since the Withdrawal Agreement reached last November was rejected by the House of Commons. Expand Close (PA Graphics) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (PA Graphics) And it comes a week after MPs voted for an amendment tabled by Conservative grandee Sir Graham Brady and backed by the Prime Minister which requires the Northern Ireland backstop to be replaced with alternative arrangements to avoid a hard border. Mrs May will seek to secure changes which can persuade MPs to support her deal in a series of votes expected on February 14. In Westminster, the working group bringing together senior Eurosceptic and former Remain-supporting Tories will continue efforts to agree alternatives to the backstop along the lines of the Malthouse Compromise. Talks involving Conservatives including Brexiteers Iain Duncan Smith, Theresa Villiers, Steve Baker and Owen Paterson along with former Remainers Nicky Morgan and Damian Green will continue in Whitehall, chaired by Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay. The first meeting on Monday was described as detailed and constructive by the Brexit department. UUP leader Robin Swann, left, and party colleagues John Stewart and Doug Beattie arrive at Stormont for talks with Theresa May (Brian Lawless/PA) The Prime Minister must introduce direct rule government for Northern Ireland if no Brexit deal can be agreed, the Ulster Unionist Party has said. UUP leader Robin Swann made the call as he arrived to meet Theresa May at Stormont House on Wednesday morning. The Prime Minister is meeting all the major political parties in Northern Ireland on the second day of her visit to the region. With just 50 days to go until the UKs scheduled exit date from the European Union, Mr Swann said if Mrs May cannot negotiate an extension and no deal is reached, then she must introduce direct rule for Northern Ireland. Powersharing government in Northern Ireland collapsed in January 2017 following a breakdown in relations between the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Fein. She has to put direct rule in place come March 30 because Northern Ireland needs political leadership and it needs political directionRobin Swann, Ulster Unionist Party leader Numerous attempts to revive it have so far been unsuccessful. The UK Government has so far appeared reluctant to introduce direct rule for Northern Ireland. We are not far from March 29, we as a party dont see a no deal as a positive situation or something that suits Northern Ireland or the UK, Mr Swann said. We have asked her to look for an extension of Article 50. If she is not prepared to do that, and we are at a situation where the executive and the Assembly isnt up and running again, she has to put something in place. She has to put direct rule in place come March 30 because Northern Ireland needs political leadership and it needs political direction. So by March 29, if we are coming out with no deal with no executive, we need direct rule for Northern Ireland. The manufacturing industry needs direction, our agri-food industry needs direction, we need some sort of political leadership in Northern Ireland. If the place behind me isnt fit to deliver that, then it has to be direct rule ministers. Alliance leader Naomi Long said the subject of devolution in Northern Ireland was touched on during her meeting with Mrs May. She said she would like to see Secretary of State Karen Bradley working to restore devolution. We made it very clear that while it was lovely to see the Secretary of State today with the Prime Minister, we would like to see her more frequently here dealing with the chaos in this building which has added to the difficulties we have had around Brexit and certainly isnt helping how people view politics as a problem-solving mechanism outside this building, Mrs Long said. Alliance Party leader Naomi Long, centre, speaking to the media at Stormont after talks with Prime Minister Theresa May (David Young/PA) Reports that a technology company has proposed a solution to the Irish border after Brexit have been greeted with scepticism in Northern Ireland. Alliance Party leader Naomi Long was asked about the report that the Government was considering technological solutions to the border impasse drawn up by Japanese tech giant Fujitsu. According to a leaked document obtained by The Sun, the system would involve a vehicle-tracking system that used GPS and number plate recognition cameras. Expand Close The Irish border between Newry in Northern Ireland and Dundalk in the Republic of Ireland (PA) PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Irish border between Newry in Northern Ireland and Dundalk in the Republic of Ireland (PA) Mrs Long was highly sceptical of the idea and said the suggestion it could be rolled out in time for Brexit was absolutely nonsense. SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said sceptical would be an understatement about his views on the matter. The idea that we are going to put cameras up across the 300-mile border and that they are going to stay up, I think is pretty fanciful, he said. Expand Close SDLP leader Colum Eastwood, centre, speaking to the media at Stormont after talks with Prime Minister Theresa May (David Young/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp SDLP leader Colum Eastwood, centre, speaking to the media at Stormont after talks with Prime Minister Theresa May (David Young/PA) Mrs Long described the idea as chasing unicorns. I sympathise with the person in Fujitsu who wasted an hour on drawing up those plans, because that pretty much looks like how much effort went into it, she said. It isnt practical, it adds additional cost to business in Northern Ireland which it can ill afford, it doesnt deal with regulatory checks and health checks on animals and other farm goods. It doesnt answer any of the questions and we are back to where we were two-and-a-half years ago where people said there was a technological solution and none has emerged. I am tired of people chasing unicorns, it has to stop, we don't have timeNaomi Long What we now have is a kind of back of an envelope diagram that suggests that there is some sort of miraculous technical solution, lets be honest, anyone who works in the IT sector, who has ever been involved in any IT project involving government, will know that a 30-day test period is optimistic to be polite. And the idea that after 30 days it would be ready to go live on an international border, and that we would be able to rely on it for future trade arrangements, is absolutely nonsense. We have to start to deal with reality. I am tired of people chasing unicorns, it has to stop, we dont have time. Appeal judges also set out how two different partners claimed he tried to "corrupt" them so that he could molest young children. A Northern Ireland man jailed for sexually assaulting his two-year-old son admitted "normal sex did nothing for him", a court has heard. Appeal judges also set out how two different partners claimed he tried to "corrupt" them so that he could molest young children. Details emerged as the man, who cannot be identified, lost his challenge to being found guilty of abusing the boy. In September last year he was convicted at Newry Crown Court on one count of sexually assaulting a child and sentenced to five months in prison. The offence was said to have been committed in 2011 while he babysat his son, given the pseudonym of 'Jack'. At the time the man, referred to as QD, was living apart from the boy's mother. She claimed that when she returned home Jack described being sexually assaulted by his father. When she challenged QD he allegedly stated: "You knew who I was, it was not going to change, and if you accept that we would be together." According to Jack's mother this was a reference to discovering child pornography on QD's computer. The Court of Appeal heard he "admitted that he had been watching the images, explaining that normal sex did nothing for him". No report was made to police at the time, with the boy's mother claiming she was frightened of QD. But in 2015 another woman who was living with him in England alleged to police that he had used her laptop to show her pornography involving young children. In her statement she described how he had told her "these are your choices" and asked if she would have a child with him so they could have an "open" family. The woman said she understood this to mean starting a family where he would be able to sexually abuse their child. He also allegedly told her he had had sex with his son, the court heard. Although a charge of rape of a child was withdrawn, QD was found guilty of sexual assault. He maintained that no offence had been committed and launched a bid to have his conviction overturned. Defence lawyers centred grounds of appeal on the admission of hearsay evidence from Jack's mother. They also claimed there were flaws in the directions to the jury about the evidence of the second woman who lived with their client in England. But dismissing the appeal, Lord Justice Stephens held that jurors were aware they had to assess the reliability of statements made by Jack, as well as his mother's account. He also said there appeared strong grounds for the prosecution to have made a bad character application to have evidence from the woman in England support claims by Jack's mother. "(They) were not known to each other and yet there were striking similarities between their evidence with, if their accounts were accepted, attempts by QD to corrupt both of them so that he could indulge a propensity not only for possessing child pornography involving visualising children's involvement in sex but also for committing sexual acts involving young children," Lord Justice Stephens added. "No explanation was given to us as to why that application was not moved." The nurse returned to her car to find all four wheels had been stolen. Credit: PSNI A Northern Ireland health trust is to spend 100,000 upgrading CCTV across its sites following a number of recent incidents of damage to and theft from vehicles. The Southern Trust will use the funding in a bid to improve car park security, accessibility and traffic flow. In September last year a nurse returned to her car outside Craigavon Area Hospital after finishing a shift only to find the wheels of her vehicle had been stolen. Helen O'Neill, Southern Trust director of finance, procurement and estates said: Regrettably there have been a number of recent incidents of damage to and theft from vehicles on our sites, causing great distress to patients, visitors and our own staff. We hope that increased CCTV coverage will help to deter thieves, encourage more people to report accidental damage and help to make everyone feel more secure when using our services or coming to work. We are always working to improve traffic flow and car parking within the limited space and resource available to us. However, we also appeal to drivers to please take the same care as you would on any other public road or car park when driving within Trust grounds. The Trust asked drivers to: Drive slowly. Respect disabled parking spaces, red hatched zones and emergency access. Park responsibly within the white lines to allow best use of spaces. If your vehicle is damaged or you accidently cause damage to another vehicle report as an incident and if necessary contact the PSNI. Northern Ireland is braced for strong winds after a yellow weather warning was issued by the Met Office. A spell of very strong winds is expected to affect Northern Ireland between 12pm on Friday and 6pm on Saturday. Gales will become widespread later on Friday and will persist well into Saturday, with gusts up to 60mph. Delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport are likely and there maybe some short term loss of power. Some coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities could be affected by spray and large waves. Prime Minister Theresa May arrives at Stormont for talks on Brexit with party leaders on the second day of her visit to Belfast. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday February 6, 2019. See PA story POLITICS Brexit. Photo credit should read: Brian Lawless/PA Wire Theresa May has been told Northern Ireland power-sharing must be restored or direct rule imposed the day after Brexit - and if parties are against restoring the Stormont institutions they should be excluded. The Prime Minister is meeting with the five main political parties at Stormont on Wednesday to discuss Brexit and the Irish border backstop. It comes after she met business leaders on Tuesday and reiterated her "unshakeable" commitment to avoiding a hard border. She also denied "shafting" those who had supported her on her backstop plan instead saying she would be seeking changes to the so-called insurance measure. Read More Expand Close Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader Robin Swann (left) and his party colleagues John Stewart (centre) and Doug Beattie arrive at Stormont for talks with the Prime Minister. Pic: Brian Lawless/PA Wire PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader Robin Swann (left) and his party colleagues John Stewart (centre) and Doug Beattie arrive at Stormont for talks with the Prime Minister. Pic: Brian Lawless/PA Wire The UUP was the first to meet with Theresa May. Leader Robin Swann said the Conservative leader was reluctant to talk about the ongoing power-sharing impasse and they "had to drag her to a place were we actually started to talk about how we get these institutions back up and running". Before the meeting he told waiting press if there was a no-deal Brexit on the UK's departure from the UK in 50 days time, direct rule had to be implemented. "Come the 30th of March Northern Ireland needs political guidance and political leadership and that's what me made clear to the Prime Minister," he said. "And what we made clear to her as well. If there are parties who do not want to engage in the restoration of power sharing then let them stay outside. "Let them stay away from the table but open up talks to the parties who are interested or who are willing." He added: "If we are coming out with no deal with no Executive, we need direct rule for Northern Ireland, the manufacturing industry needs direction, our agrifood industry needs direction, we need some sort of political leadership in Northern Ireland. Ahead of their meeting Sinn Fein said the would be setting out that the backstop was the bottom line. "Mrs May will be left in no doubt there can be no hard border in Ireland and we will set all of that out to her very, very clearly," said Mary Lou McDonald. The family of a 24-year-old man killed by a falling tree say they believe he was watching over them during a mountain hike that helped raise more than 12,000 for the Air Ambulance in his memory. Electrician Matthew Campbell died last September in Slieve Gullion Forest Park as Storm Ali battered Ireland. On Saturday his sister Ashley Campbell (26) and fiancee Robyn Newberry (24), who he had been due to wed this August, were among two teams that hiked a total of 22 miles as part of the Mourne Mountain challenge. Some carried 24kg backpacks symbolising Matthew's age when he died. "The first team set off at 4.45am from Slieve Binnian and arrived at Slieve Meelmore at 1pm, while the second team set off from Meelmore at 10.30am and arrived at Carrick Little car park at 4pm," said Ashley. "It felt great to complete it. When we set out it was quite windy, and near the top of Binnian there was a blizzard of snow. After Binnian there was wall-to-wall sunshine. "We felt that Matthew was watching over us, as it was the best day of the year so far. I think he definitely gave us the strength to finish the challenge." Ashley said her brother would have been "proud" of the fundraisers and those who donated. Just over 12,000 was raised through the hike and coffee mornings at local Nationwide Building Society branches. Robyn said she felt Matthew had been with her the whole time during the walk. "I had my wedding ring up there with me, and when I got to the top of Slieve Donard I burst into tears remembering why I was doing it," she said. "Matthew would have been amazed at the support for the fundraising, and it is some comfort that the money is going towards the Air Ambulance." Head of fundraising at AANI Kerry Anderson thanked the family for their support. Donations can still be made at mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/robertmatthewcampbell. A Co Down driver has admitted causing a car crash that claimed the life of a 52-year-old man. At Downpatrick Crown Court, 20-year-old Charles Hugh Macartney was charged with causing the death of Dean Weir by dangerous driving on the Dunover Road in Ballywalter on March 17, 2017. Macartney denied the charge yesterday but admitted the lesser offence of causing death by careless driving. He was also accused of causing the death of Sandra Weir, also by dangerous driving. Macartney again denied the charge but entered a guilty plea to causing her "grievous bodily injury by careless driving". Following the short arraignment, prosecuting counsel Laura Ievers told the court she "is not in a position to accept those pleas", so a trial may still be necessary. None of the facts were opened in court but it is understood that Mr Weir was a driver in a two-car collision on the Dunover Road shortly before 9am on the day in question. It is understood that Mr Weir was living in Portavogie, but was originally from Bangor. Sandra Weir is understood to have been a passenger in Mr Weir's car. She was taken to hospital but later died. Macartney, from Manse Court in Newtownards, was freed on continuing bail. Judge Piers Grant said the case will be reviewed on February 13 and a listed a trial will start on March 13. Irish premier Leo Varadkar will travel to Brussels today to meet with EU leaders to intensify plans for a no-deal Brexit. The Taoiseach will meet with senior EU representatives including the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk and President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker. The leaders will discuss the detailed contingency planning under way for a no-deal Brexit. Mr Varadkar will also meet with the chair of the European Parliament steering group on Brexit, Guy Verhofstadt, commissioner Phil Hogan and the EU chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier. Expand Close Mr Varadkar will meet the EUs chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier (Niall Carson/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Mr Varadkar will meet the EUs chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier (Niall Carson/PA) Speaking before he left Ireland, the Taoiseach said: I look forward to meeting presidents Tusk and Juncker, as well as Guy Verhofstadt, Michel Barnier and commissioner Hogan in Brussels. I will thank them for their unwavering solidarity with Ireland, and their ongoing support for the backstop as an integral part of the Withdrawal Agreement. The Withdrawal Agreement is the best way to ensure an orderly withdrawal by the UK. We want the future relationship between the EU and the UK to be as close, comprehensive and ambitious as possible, so that the backstop will never be needed. However, given the ongoing uncertainty in London, we are intensifying our planning for all scenarios, including a no-deal exit. My visit is an opportunity to exchange views on the detailed contingency planning under way at both domestic and EU level, and to explore what supports might be needed. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is in Brussels for talks on Brexit (Brian Lawless/PA) Irish premier Leo Varadkar has arrived in Brussels for talks with EU leaders to discuss preparations for a no-deal Brexit. Mr Varadkar has a series of engagements lined up with senior representatives including EU Council president Donald Tusk and EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker on Wednesday. He is also due to meet with the chair of the European Parliament steering group on Brexit, Guy Verhofstadt, EU Commissioner Phil Hogan and EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier. The leaders will discuss the detailed contingency planning under way in the event of the UK crashing out of the EU without a deal. British Prime Minister Theresa May is due to travel to the Belgian capital on Thursday to meet EU leaders for the first time since the Withdrawal Agreement was overwhelmingly rejected in the House of Commons. Back in Brussels today for a series of key #Brexit meetings, starting with a@eucopresident Donald Tuska. Iall be thanking him for the ongoing a@EUCouncila support for #Ireland and discussing current situation pic.twitter.com/TO2FUlA2Qk Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) February 6, 2019 It also comes a week after MPs voted for Mrs May to replace the Irish backstop with alternative arrangements. In a speech in Belfast on Tuesday, Mrs May restated her unshakeable commitment to avoiding a hard border in Ireland after Brexit. She has scheduled meetings with all five of the main parties at Stormont House on Wednesday. Speaking before he left Ireland, Mr Varadkar said he would be thanking the EU leaders for their unwavering solidarity with the country and their ongoing support for the backstop. He reiterated the Withdrawal Agreement is the best way to ensure an orderly exit from the EU, adding that he wants the future relationship between the EU and the UK to be as close as possible so the backstop is never needed. But he said given the ongoing uncertainty in London, the Irish Government is intensifying its planning for all scenarios, including a no-deal exit. Detailed contingency planning is under way at both domestic and EU level to explore what supports might be needed. Ireland will not be left alone in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the European Commission president has said. Jean-Claude Juncker said alternative arrangements could never replace the backstop. Mr Juncker made the comments alongside Irish premier Leo Varadkar following talks between the two leaders at the European Commission in Brussels. Mr Varadkar dismissed the UK Governments alternative arrangements concept as a potential solution to the current Brexit impasse. Now the Irish and a@EU_Commissiona delegations are getting down to business pic.twitter.com/PSzlx4PRuF Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) February 6, 2019 We need to bear in mind that this majority that did exist in the House of Commons for alternative arrangements probably only exists because alternative arrangements can mean whatever you want them to mean, Mr Varadkar said. I dont believe that would have passed if people had to actually get into the details of what alternative arrangement might mean or might not mean. He said he had concerns about the idea of alternative arrangements and that it could not result in the deletion of the backstop, while Mr Juncker said the backstop was needed for obvious, vital reasons and it could not be abandoned. The backstop is a guarantee for Ireland and it is a guarantee for the European Union because the Irish border is a European border, Mr Juncker said. He also said the EU could not accept the idea which has been circulated around that the Withdrawal Agreement could be reopened. President a@JunckerEUa welcomes Taoiseach a@campaignforleoa. Nobody should underestimate our unity and our solidarity with #Ireland. pic.twitter.com/zGdcPfChmi Margaritis Schinas (@MargSchinas) February 6, 2019 Mr Juncker rejected giving the UK a way to unilaterally pull out of the backstop. A safety net is not a safety net if it can be destroyed by the unilateral actions of one of the parties, he said. The Taoiseach was in the Belgian capital for talks with senior EU representatives to discuss preparations for what EU Council president Donald Tusk described as the fiasco of a no-deal Brexit on March 29. Mr Varadkar said he was confident that a solution could be found to the current situation. He also said the Irish government was not making preparations for any border infrastructure, but added that it was important to remember that the border was not just a border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, it was also going to be the new EU and UK frontier. Their comments came after a press conference earlier in the day where Mr Tusk said he had been wondering what that special place in hell looks like, for those who promoted Brexit, without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely. Mr Tusk added that the EU was not making any new offer to the UK Government on the Brexit deal and he repeated the EUs insistence that the Withdrawal Agreement reached with Theresa May last year could not be reopened. Speaking alongside Mr Tusk, Mr Varadkar said the EU was open to further discussion with the UK Government on Brexit but the Withdrawal Agreement remained the best deal possible. In relation to the backstop, he added: While we expect that the backstop will never be used, we agreed again today that it is needed as a legal guarantee to ensure that there is no return to a hard border on the island of Ireland while protecting the integrity of our European single market and customs union. I think the events in London and the instability in British politics in recent weeks demonstrates exactly why we need a legal guarantee and a solution that is operable, that we know will work and will last. During his visit, Mr Varadkar also met with the chairman of the European Parliament steering group on Brexit Guy Verhofstadt, EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, and EU Commissioner Phil Hogan. Successful meeting with @campaignforleo. I assured the Taoiseach that his Govt & the Irish people have the unequivocal support of @Europarl_EN. We will never abandon Ireland. We will never prioritise the wishes of a minority from a departing Member State over an EU Member State. pic.twitter.com/SoDJeWu0p6 Guy Verhofstadt (@guyverhofstadt) February 6, 2019 The leaders discussed the detailed contingency planning under way in the event of the UK crashing out of the EU without a deal. The British PM is due to hold meetings with Mr Tusk, Mr Juncker and Mr Barnier in Brussels on Thursday before visiting Dublin late on Friday to discuss Brexit with her Irish counterpart. It will be the first time Mrs May meets EU leaders and Mr Varadkar since the Withdrawal Agreement was overwhelmingly rejected in the House of Commons last month. Expand Close Prime Minister Theresa May arrives at Stormont (Brian Lawless/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Prime Minister Theresa May arrives at Stormont (Brian Lawless/PA) During a two-day visit to Northern Ireland on Tuesday, Mrs May restated her unshakeable commitment to avoiding a hard border in Ireland after Brexit. The final day of her trip culminated with meetings on Wednesday with all five of the main parties at Stormont House. A spokesman for Mr Varadkar said Mrs May was coming to Dublin to discuss the ongoing efforts to restore the Northern Ireland executive and protect the Good Friday Agreement in light of the current Brexit situation. DUP Leader Arlene Foster speaks to a protester as the DUP met with PM Theresa May during her visit to Northern Ireland. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press Prime Minister visits Stormont as part of her two days in Northern Ireland. DUP leader Arlene Foster pictured leaving Stormont House after holding a meeting with t he Prime Minister Theresa May. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye DUP Leader Arlene Foster speaks to the media as the DUP met with PM Theresa May during her visit to Northern Ireland. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press The DUP described its meeting with the Prime Minister at Stormont as another useful opportunity to press for a Brexit deal to avoid the UK crashing out of the EU. Sinn Fein, however was scathing saying Theresa May came to Belfast with "no plan, no credibility and no honour". The Prime Minister met with the five main parties at Stormont to discuss Brexit and the ongoing political vacuum in Northern Ireland. Although she came round to the latter "reluctantly" according to the UUP. The Prime Minister travels to Brussels on Thursday to meet with EU officials after she pledged to get changes to the withdrawal agreement - something the EU has rejected. A protest was held outside the building by campaigners calling for MLAs to restore power sharing and "get back to work". They held placards saying "build bridges not walls" describing Brexit as the "emperor's new clothes". Expand Close DUP Leader Arlene Foster speaks to a protester as the DUP met with PM Theresa May during her visit to Northern Ireland. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp DUP Leader Arlene Foster speaks to a protester as the DUP met with PM Theresa May during her visit to Northern Ireland. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press Read More Following their meeting, Arlene Foster said they reiterated their issues with the current deal, saying the Brady amendment was the way forward. It called for "alternative arrangements" to be found to the Irish backstop. "The backstop would undermine the economic and constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom... it is the main problem" the DUP leader said. Expand Close Sinn Fein leaders Mary Lou McDonald and Michelle O'Neill speak to the media as they meet with PM Theresa May during her visit to Northern Ireland. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sinn Fein leaders Mary Lou McDonald and Michelle O'Neill speak to the media as they meet with PM Theresa May during her visit to Northern Ireland. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press "The Prime Minister made commitments that there would be legally binding changes to the withdrawal agreement. That is what is needed. "It is welcome that the Prime Minister is travelling to Brussels to seek changes but she must stand strong and by the commitments she made to the House of Commons. "We want a deal. One that works for us as well as our neighbours in the Republic of Ireland. But we must face reality. There is no 'agreement' unless it is able to command the necessary support in Parliament. Playing chicken unacceptable. Mary Lou McDonald Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald described their meeting as "very direct". "We are now 51 days from the Brexit deadline and the British Prime Minister has come here empty handed with the same old rhetoric with no plan, no credibility and frankly no honour," she said. "We have told her that the British strategy of running down the clock and playing a game of chicken with Ireland and Irish interests is profoundly unacceptable and wrong. "We have told her that the days of Britain dictating to Ireland or Irish people, that those days are over and will not return. "We have told her that the backstop is the bottom line, the bare minimum requirements to meet Irish interests, to protect the Good Friday Agreement, to prevent a hardening of the border, to in some way mitigate citizens' rights. Mrs McDonald added: "We reminded her that when we last met before Christmas, she in fact understood that case, in fact she went to some lengths to articulate that position to us, and therefore she has acted with her eyes wide open in absolute bad faith. "We regard the position adopted by Mrs May and her government as one of hostility to Irish interests, we have told her that Irish public and political opinion is united on the matter of protecting Ireland north and south, and we have told her that certainly we will not blink. "We have advised her that if her strategy is to continue to play a long ball, to brazen this scenario out in the hope that she will get her way, then she is much mistaken. "We have told her that pandering again to the DUP is wrong on every level and we have reminded her that the DUP do not represent the views of the people of the north of island, or indeed the island as a whole." LIVE: Sinn Fein statement after Brexit talks with PM Posted by Belfast Telegraph on Wednesday, February 6, 2019 Alliance Party leader Naomi Long said she told the PM that the time for reiterating red lines and regurgitating reassurances has long gone. What we need now, and the only lines we are interested in, are black and white on paper, an actual deal, said Ms Long. SDLP leader Colum Eastwood told the PM that there were no alternatives to the backstop. "Last week's vote - the Brady amendment - was a betrayal of everything that was said before that, of the people of Northern Ireland and of all the political progress that we have made," he said. "The bottom line is this - for the people of Northern Ireland, for our peace process, for all of our political progress, we need to remain within the customs union and single market in order to avoid a hard border. "I think that will begin to be understood at all levels in the British parliament because they don't have an alternative. They talk about vague alternatives but there aren't any alternatives." A senior DUP MP has branded Donald Tusk a devilish, trident wielding, euro maniac. Sammy Wilson, the partys Brexit spokesman, was robust in his response to Mr Tusks suggestion there will be a special place in hell for those who promoted Brexit without any plan for how to safely deliver it. Read More East Antrim MP Mr Wilson accused the European Council president of showing contempt for Brexit voters. My response to the devilish, trident wielding, euro maniac, Donald Tusk ai pic.twitter.com/wguBeW6mn9 Sammy Wilson MP (@eastantrimmp) February 6, 2019 This devilish euro maniac is doing his best to keep the United Kingdom bound by the chains of EU bureaucracy and control, he said. It is Tusk and his arrogant EU negotiators who have fanned the flames of fear in an attempt to try and overturn the result of the referendum. All he will succeed in doing is stiffening the resistance of those who have exercised their choice to be clear of Tusk and his trident wielding cabal. His party leader Arlene Foster accused Mr Tusk of being deliberately provocative and disrespectful. Expand Close DUP Leader Arlene Foster speaking to the media at Stormont PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp DUP Leader Arlene Foster speaking to the media at Stormont Clearly the pressure is beginning to mount in Brussels, she said. I think it was deliberately provocative I have to say, very disrespectful to those of us who voted to leave the European Union. He should reflect on what he had to say. As I said to the Prime Minister this morning, this is a time for cool heads, it is a time to have focus and it is a time to try and find solutions, not to be disrespectful to those of us who voted in a democratic way to leave the European Union. I hope when the Prime Minister does go out to Brussels that she will be met with respect when she goes there. However, Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald backed Mr Tusks use of language. Expand Close Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald You are not going to convince me that anything Donald Tusk says could further harden the position of the Boris Johnsons or the Rees-Moggs of this world, she said. They are people who have acted with absolute contempt for this country, utter disregard for the experiences of Irish people north and south, with utter disregard for the peace process that has been collectively built over decades. Their position is the most hardline of hardline, it is their language that is intemperate and it is their position that is untenable. Ulster Unionist leader Robin Swann called for cool heads all round, accusing both Mr Tusk and Mr Wilson of trading harsh words. Leo Varadkar and Donald Tusk may find Mr Tusk`s uncouth words amusing, but they are no laughing matter, he said. They may feel they are flexing some EU muscle, but the increasingly arrogant and confrontational approach they have adopted could ultimately lead to disaster socially and economically. Its time for cool heads instead of harsh words. Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey Paul Michael outside the premises The scene of the suspected arson attack on Antrim Turkish Barbers An Antrim barber shop which was gutted in a suspected arson attack had opened only a week ago after thousands of pounds were invested in kitting out the premises, a neighbouring business owner has said. The PSNI is not currently treating the incident, which caused substantial damage to the interior of Antrim Turkish Barbers on High Street, as a hate crime. The incident occurred between 7.30pm and 8pm on Monday. Police have said it is being treated as deliberate. Michael Johnston, who has owned neighbouring business Pizza Time for almost 30 years, said that his premises had sustained smoke and water damage, but he hoped to reopen last night. He told the Belfast Telegraph that the owner of the barber shop had spent about a month fitting out the unit at a cost of several thousand pounds. All that effort has gone up in smoke, he said. The business opened last Monday and it had its first full week of trading. It seemed to have a good few customers. Im here 30 years this year and its the first time anything like this has happened in the area. There were three tyres set alight to the front of the building and they put a tyre underneath a pool table in the customer area which didnt light. They also ripped the pool table in two places. The owner has said that he will reopen. I think the people who did this had no regard for other businesses in the area. It has affected so many people. Thirty years ago we heard of businesses being attacked it didnt work then and its not going to work now. Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey Paul Michael said he had encountered a scene of devastation when he visited the shop yesterday. I have spoken with the owner and hes clearly distraught, he said. The owner took me through and showed me the devastation of it. Its completely gutted. I saw pictures of it before and it was a barber shop like no other, finished to a very high standard with a games room and a family room. It was really upmarket. Its so sad. I could imagine its several thousand pounds worth of investment into that property. The UUP councillor said he believed the owners intentions are to rebuild and go back into trade. He felt that business was good and he was being welcomed by the local community, and he is shocked that this could have happened. This attack took place on a busy main street. Staff were sent home and the town centre was closed a number of businesses were affected. Mr Michael said that when he was in the building, he had noticed a car tyre lying underneath the pool table. Its his (the owners) understanding that a number of tyres were taken into the shop and used to ignite the fire, he added. Its so sad that someone entered those premises and set out to destroy a business. We dont want to see this happening in the town. UUP councillor Jim Montgomery, who visited the scene on Monday night, condemned the attack as reckless. Fortunately nobody was hurt, but damage has been caused to both the barbers and neighbouring businesses, he said. It goes without saying that this sort of attack is not welcome. The last thing we need is reckless arson attacks on any business premises, which could have serious consequences for passers-by or the emergency services. Alliances Neil Kelly said it was extremely distressing that a local business has been targeted in such a way. He said: Antrim is a welcoming place for all and we must stand together to ensure it stays that way. DUP MP Paul Girvan also slammed the heinous act. Arson is not a controllable action, those who committed this crime had no way to preventing the fire spreading to other properties, he said. They not only showed contempt to Antrim Turkish Barbers, but also utter contempt for all the businesses on High Street. At a time when Antrim is losing a bank and a major retailer, it is incredibly frustrating that a coward has decided to put this barber out of business. DUP MLA Trevor Clarke called the attack devastating and appealed for anyone with information to contact police. The PSNI can be contacted on 101 quoting 1282 04/02/19. Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111. The EU is open to further discussion with the UK Government on Brexit but the Withdrawal Agreement remains the best deal possible, the Irish premier has said. Leo Varadkar was speaking in Brussels on Wednesday as he discussed preparations for a possible no-deal Brexit with EU leaders. Speaking alongside EU Council president Donald Tusk, Mr Varadkar said: While were open to further discussions with the UK, the Withdrawal Agreement which was negotiated in good faith, over many months and agreed by 28 governments including that of the UK, stands. It remains the best deal possible. Speaking alongside @campaignforleo EU Council President @eucopresident has said thereas a aspecial place in hella for those who promoted #Brexit without even a sketch of a plan of how to carry it out safely @PA pic.twitter.com/w7AGskWUOS Michelle Devane (@michelledevane) February 6, 2019 In relation to the Irish backstop, he added: While we expect that the backstop will never be used, we agreed again today that it is needed as a legal guarantee to ensure that there is no return to a hard border on the island of Ireland while protecting the integrity of our European single market and customs union. I think the events in London and the instability in British politics in recent weeks demonstrates exactly why we need a legal guarantee and a solution that is operable, that we know will work and will last. The EU27 is not making any new offer.Donald Tusk The Taoiseach thanked Mr Tusk for protecting the hard won peace and stability on the island of Ireland. He said that if the UKs intentions for the future relationship were to evolve, the EU would be prepared to adapt the content and level of ambition in the Political Declaration while respecting its established principles. He added he had agreed with Mr Tusk that in light of the ongoing uncertainty in London and the fast-approaching deadline, preparations for a no-deal Brexit must intensify. The Taoiseach made the comments at a press conference following his talks with Mr Tusk, the first of a series of meetings with senior EU representatives. Mr Tusk said the EU is not making any new offer to British PM Theresa May on the Brexit deal. The position of the EU27 is clear, as expressed in the documents agreed with the UK Government that is the Withdrawal Agreement and the Political Declaration, Mr Tusk said. The EU27 is not making any new offer. He added: Ive been wondering what that special place in hell looks like, for those who promoted Brexit, without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely. Mr Varadkar is also due to meet with EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, chair of the European Parliament steering group on Brexit Guy Verhofstadt, EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, and EU Commissioner Phil Hogan. Expand Close Mr Varadkar speaking alongside European Council president Donald Tusk in Brussels (Michelle Devane/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Mr Varadkar speaking alongside European Council president Donald Tusk in Brussels (Michelle Devane/PA) The leaders will discuss the detailed contingency planning under way in the event of the UK crashing out of the EU without a deal. Mrs May is due to travel to the Belgian capital on Thursday to meet EU leaders for the first time since the Withdrawal Agreement was overwhelmingly rejected in the House of Commons. In a speech in Belfast on Tuesday, Mrs May restated her unshakeable commitment to avoiding a hard border in Ireland after Brexit. She is meetings all five of the main parties at Stormont House on Wednesday. Bafta-nominated film director Stephen Fingleton at Isleworth Crown Court where he is accused of sexual assault on an actress at her London flat (Jonathan Brady/PA) An actress got upset when a Bafta-nominated film director she has accused of sexually assaulting her did not appear to like a film she had written, directed and appeared in, a court heard. The woman had thought having Stephen Fingleton round for lunch and showing him her film would be her big break, jurors were told. But Orla Daly, defending Fingleton, said the woman had got upset when her client was a bit tactless and not very complimentary about it. Quizzing the woman at Isleworth Crown Court on Wednesday Ms Daly said she had thought meeting Fingleton could be her lucky break and that she had insisted he watch the film. She added: I suggest you wanted to hear his opinion. You came back into the room and said to him did you love it? He was a bit tactless about your film, he wasnt very complimentary about it. You started to get a bit upset and you said that your dreams never worked out. But the woman denied she had insisted putting on the film, asked Fingleton if he had loved it or said her dreams never worked out. Fingleton had met the woman at an industry party and when he told her he was looking for an actress for one of his films the pair exchanged numbers and eventually arranged to have lunch at her Fulham flat, jurors were told. The jury of six women and six men heard that after lunch on the afternoon of October 27, 2017 Fingleton had grabbed her head and pushed it towards his crotch and said you get down there, you get down there. The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she had then told Fingleton she had thought it was a business meeting but he told her I dont separate the two. But Ms Daly said Fingleton had not grabbed the womans head and pulled it towards his crotch. Ms Daly added: There was no point at all where he tried to touch your head to move it towards his crotch, was there? The woman, who is in her 20s and who sobbed during her evidence, said: He did that. The jury heard that when she told Fingleton she was not interested he had held her hands and tried to kiss her. Giving evidence on Tuesday she added: As he was holding my hands I remember thinking he is much stronger than me and he could rape me if he wanted to and I remember just shouting you have to leave now. Fingleton, 35 from Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, denies one count of sexual assault. Previously the woman told jurors she had started crying and told him to leave, but Fingleton had then hugged her, stroked her hair and put his hand under her t-shirt. She said the director then told her that when he first saw her he thought she was a submissive and looked like a woman who could please. She continued: I said thats not right, thats not me. I said I wish I was ugly, and he still held me and he said I would not be here if you were ugly. After Fingleton left she texted her friend and said: I met a director and he was totally Harvey Weinstein, the jury heard. Prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward told the court that during the lunch Fingleton had began to bring up sexual topics out of blue such as whether the actress had done nudity. She said the woman, who is in her 20s, began to feel uncomfortable when Fingleton touched her shoulder quite unexpectedly and seemingly unnecessarily as he went past her, the prosecutor added. Ms Ledward said the woman did not say anything because she did not want to offend and ruin a possible work opportunity if she had gotten the wrong end of the stick. The trial continues. An ambitious scheme to give Belfast a green makeover began yesterday with the planting of the first of a million trees across the city. The Belfast Metropolitan Residents Group (BMRG) aims to complete the challenge in 15 years. Read More Yesterday, four oak trees were planted to start the 'Million Trees for Belfast' endeavour in the Mount Eagles play area in Lagmore Glen. Peter Carr is the chairman for BMRG - an umbrella group for community panels in the metropolitan area - and said he hoped the project would capture the public's imagination. "We think it's the perfect compliment to the increased densification of the city," he said. A motion in support of the plan will be put to Belfast City Council next month. It's hoped it can run in tandem with the council's new city development plan. "This will make Belfast a lusher and more beautiful city, it will reduce flood risk and extend natural habitats. "It will also improve our physical and mental health by producing cleaner, more breathable air." He added: "It's also about sending out a signal that Belfast is reinventing itself as a city to be proud of." SDLP councillor Brian Heading helped to plant the first four trees yesterday and is bringing the motion to council next month. "It's an excellent environmental project," he said. "It sets a goal for different organisations and I'm asking the council to take a lead. "We already plant trees in our public parks, so I want to find out how quickly we can reach that target." A Northern Ireland woman at the centre of a citizenship dispute with the Home Office has cautiously welcomed Prime Minister Theresa May's "urgent review" of immigration laws. The Government rejected Emma DeSouza's American husband's application for a visa over her refusal to call herself British. The couple were told after their wedding in 2015 that Jake's application for a family member residence card to remain here had been rejected because Ms DeSouza applied for the visa as an Irish national. She was told that, under British nationality laws, she was a British citizen because she was born in Northern Ireland. During her visit to Northern Ireland yesterday, Mrs May said she has ordered the review to ensure equal treatment for people in Northern Ireland who hold Irish citizenship. Under the Good Friday Agreement, people from Northern Ireland have the right to hold UK or Irish citizenship, or both. Ms DeSouza and others have claimed they were being forced to declare as British, or formally renounce British citizenship they insist they never held, to engage with the residency application process. The Home Office has appealed against a ruling in favour of the DeSouzas in November 2017. Ms DeSouza, from Londonderry, said she was "shocked and surprised" that the Prime Minister publicly addressed the issue but added she was sceptical whether it would become a reality. "This is not a small thing, it's been happening for a long time and I am not the only case. There are countless other families affected and families who have had to go through court cases or forced and renounce British citizenship or have went through all different kinds of processes," she added. "The only reason we ended up in this situation is because of the lack of legislative protections for citizens in Northern Ireland because the Good Friday Agreement has not been fully implemented. "Even if Theresa May goes back to the Home Office and the Secretary of State and they resolve this issue with immigration, that won't take away from the wider issue that there is still a legislative gap that will only widen after Brexit. "Here we are 20 years after the Good Friday Agreement and we don't have any of these promises that were made to us and now we have Brexit coming which is the greatest threat to the Agreement." The year is 1989. At the 12th hour of the first day of October, 43 women around the world suddenly find themselves nine months pregnant and immediately give birth. Piquing the interest of an eccentric billionaire, seven of the babies are adopted. But this isn't your regular family portrait. Each harbouring extraordinary abilities, the children form a superhero gang, destined to fight evil. An inexplicable phenomenon, maybe. But it's this turn of events that sets the scene for Netflix's latest original series, the highly anticipated Umbrella Academy. Power-charged with action, the family drama - based on the Eisner Award-winning graphic novel series created and written by Gerard Way and illustrated by Gabriel Ba - will take in 10 episodes, each adapted by Fargo producer Steve Blackman. The project first came to the Canadian-American around the time he was finishing up with sci-fi hit Altered Carbon. "I really wanted to stay with Netflix," says Blackman, who went on to serve as a showrunner on the epic new show. "They talked to me about a couple of projects and this was one of them. "I got really excited about it. I want to tell relatable, human stories. And with The Umbrella Academy, I wanted to do that away from any trope of superheroes. "To me, these are very grounded characters, they're a family," he adds. "The fact that they have some abilities is, to me, secondary. It's a dysfunctional family show with a body count." THE EARLY DAYS Once adopted, the children soon come to realise they pose more of a scientific interest to entrepreneur Hargreeves (played by House Of Cards' Colm Feore). Assigned numbers and later names by Grace, the robot they call mom, the super-dysfunctional superheroes become known as Number 1/Luther; Number 2/Diego; Number 3/Allison; Number 4/Klaus; Number 6/Ben; Number 7/Vanya. The fifth child is known as simply "Number 5''. While numbers 1-6 spend their time training in order to form the academy, and their skills range from performing mind tricks to jumping through space and time, Number 7/Vanya finds herself excluded from the action. "Hargreeves' goal was to create a special force of children that could one day save the world," explains Blackman. "And it worked for a while. They were very successful when they were 12, as a force against evil." However, tragedy strikes when in their teens, one of the children finds themselves stuck in the future and another dies during a mission. Shrouded in sadness, The Umbrella Academy disbands - and the siblings split. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT Fast forward 17 years, and with Hargreeves dead (and a question mark over whether it was due to natural causes), the estranged siblings reunite at their childhood home. But can they put tensions aside and work as a family again? Because they need each other. And more importantly, the world needs them. "One of my favourite scenes from the pilot is early on, when they're just sitting in a room together and no one's saying a word," Blackman says of their homecoming. "It's just that relatable, awkward moment when you're estranged from a family member. I didn't want them to come together and say, 'okay, now we're a family, let's go fight bad guys'. That's not what this show is. "The struggle for them is just to co-exist as a family member and be in the same room together - and, by the way, save the world at the same time." "These children didn't get to have a childhood," adds Robert Sheehan, who plays Number 4, Klaus. "They got to be superheroes and be on the front of magazines and newspapers the world over, but it screwed them up in the head. "So when you meet us all at the age we are now, we all have different manifestations of our dysfunction." MEET THE 'FAMILY' Number 1/Luther, played by Tom Hopper, has had superhuman strength since birth and has been living on the moon for several years. Number 2/Diego (David Castaneda) is an after-dark vigilante and quite the dab hand at throwing knives and breaking the laws of physics. "He has a chip on his shoulder that he can't be Number 1," admits Castaneda. Number 3/Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman) is a recently divorced movie star, who having lost custody of her daughter, has come to realise her superpower - to bend anyone to her way of thinking - isn't always what it's cut out to be. Number 4/Klaus (Sheehan) can communicate with the afterlife - but only when he's sober, which is a rarity. "He's this tortured character who tries to keep the party going 24 hours a day, seven days a week," Sheehan explains. Number 5/Five, played by Aidan Gallagher, returns to the fold after 17 years in the body of his 13-year-old self, but with the mind of a 58-year-old man. He's terrified by what he saw in the future: a world in which humanity is wiped out. Number 6/Ben (Justin Min) could unleash monsters from other dimensions when he was alive. Now Klaus is the "emissary for Ben on earth", Min explains. Not that his siblings know it. Number 7/Vanya is portrayed by Ellen Page as the black sheep of the family. "Vanya has grown up in the household feeling very ostracised and left out," says Page. Two other key characters to look out for are Hazel and Cha-Cha, played by Cameron Britton and Mary J Blige respectively. BEHIND THE SCENES From day one, it was a given that Way - the former frontman of My Chemical Romance - and Ba would be involved in the creative decisions. And according to Way, the adaptation is true to what he dreamed up all those years ago - but it is not a carbon copy. "For fans of the comic, there are things that are different. This is definitely Steve's vision," Way says. "But he's been very respectful to the source material, especially in terms of what happens in the story. "One of the cool things about the show is that the ideas are still very weird. But it's a bit more accessible in terms of the look and feel of things," he says. The Umbrella Academy premieres on Netflix on Friday February 15 Alyson Magee began her career as a designer just as glasses were on the cusp of becoming a cool fashion accessory that actually flattered the face. A native of Londonderry who lives in Paris, Alyson has pushed the boundaries on design to create statement spectacles which are renowned worldwide. The 58-year-old honed her craft with the best in the business, Alain Mikli, who was a pioneer of fashionable glasses. French-born Mikli, who is Armenian-Lebanese by descent, has 27 own-brand stores and his shades have been seen on everyone from Elton John to Kanye West and Catherine Deneuve. Alyson credits her mentor with "changing the world of eyewear" and, learning from the master himself, she has gone on to leave her own indelible signature on luxury eyewear. Her designer glasses, which are all handmade, are now sold worldwide, which is why there is much excitement in Belfast about the fact that she is due to launch her latest collection here next week. Speaking down the line from her home in Paris, Alyson is equally thrilled to be coming home to share her latest range with customers of EK Eyewear on Belfast's Lisburn Road. "I can't wait. Obviously I love coming back to Northern Ireland and I am very honoured and thrilled to be asked to attend the event," she says. "It's so weird because since I got the invitation, I have had so many people sending me messages and asking can they meet me when I am over. Some of them I haven't seen for years, so I am very excited to be coming home." Married to French industrial designer, Laurent, she has two children, Robyn (23), a marketing student, and Alex (21), who is studying to be an architect. Alyson's journey to the top of her field is fascinating. She grew up in Londonderry, one of three girls, initially wanting to be an architect. Her mum persuaded her to do a foundation art degree before making up her mind - which she did, and then opted to study jewellery design. "I always wanted to do architecture. Mum thought the course was so long that I should do a foundation course first, which I did in Jordanstown," she says. Expand Close Good look: a number of the impressive frames designed by Londonderry native Alyson / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Good look: a number of the impressive frames designed by Londonderry native Alyson "I had an uncle who was a jeweller in Derry and I grew up fascinated by his workshop and spent a lot of time there. "I ended up doing jewellery, which to me is small-scale architecture really. I went to university in Loughborough to do a BA in jewellery design for three years and after that, I really wanted to go to the Royal College of Art. That was my big dream, but I wasn't sure if I would get in and I did get one of just four places that year." Alyson spent another three years at the Royal College of Art studying for her master's degree in jewellery and silversmithing. It was here that she first challenged the status quo when she chose eyewear for a design project as part of her degree. She recalls: "It was 1984 and there wasn't a lot happening in the eyewear industry and my tutors actually said to me, 'Do you realise eyewear is not jewellery', and said I couldn't do it as part of my MA. "I argued that it was like jewellery as it involved the same product technique and was something to enhance the body. "They didn't really know how to teach me or help me as no-one specialised in that area, but they said if I insisted, they would support me. I continued to work on the project and thankfully got my MA in the end." Her choice of designing glasses for her degree project was a surprise to Alyson, who began to consider it as a career after realising that the industry did lack a fashionable edge at that time. "I didn't wear glasses myself, but my parents both wore glasses and my sisters and I grew up surrounded by people wearing glasses," she says. "At that time, there was not a lot of thought put into the product, even though it is something you wear every day and your eyes say so much about who you are. To me, it is such an important part of the body and I just thought more attention should be put into it. "Alain Mikli was my hero at that time. He was only starting to become known in London and he really did change the world of eyewear with his designs. "Back then, the big fashion houses didn't have an eyewear collection at all. When I graduated, I thought, as no-one was designing eyewear in London, it would be a challenge for me." Alyson contacted Anglo American Eyewear, which was the only factory making glasses at that time. The owner, who became a friend, encouraged her to go to Europe, where designer glasses were starting to take off. Alyson wrote to a number of companies and was thrilled to get a reply back from her hero, Alain Mikli. "He invited me to come to Paris and show him my portfolio and he offered me a job. I failed my French O-level and so I moved there with very limited French and stayed with Alain for five years," she says. "He really was the person who changed the whole of the eyewear industry. He started designing frames for the big fashion houses back in the Eighties and was breaking all the rules. Expand Close Good look: a number of the impressive frames designed by Londonderry native Alyson / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Good look: a number of the impressive frames designed by Londonderry native Alyson "He did everything against tradition and was very creative, and for me, it was really exciting working for him. I spent seven years at university studying it and you come out thinking you know everything, but for me, my education started when I worked with him." Alyson left to come back to England to see "if I was missing anything" and soon discovered little was happening there - so she returned to Paris. She then helped set up the iconic eyewear brand, Face a Face, with two business partners, taking on the role of creative director. As creative director, she not only designed frames, but all the packaging and promotion material to go with them. In 2004, she was approached by her old mentor, Mikli, inviting her back to his company to design and launch her own collection. She says: "I felt it was the right time in my career to do it and it was a big step, but I think a natural step in my career. "As a designer, it is always a bit of a dream to have your own collection and I spent a lot of time putting it together. I spent about 18 months and even designed a new plastic and it was very well thought-out and a good success." When Alain Mikli sold his company, Alyson started to work as a freelance designer, teaming up with high-end product distribution company Brando. Her collections are now iconic in their own right. Alyson brings drama to eyewear, in the shapes, depth, colour and texture, and her upmarket range is all handmade by the finest craftsmen in France and Italy. She herself says it would take someone with confidence and a strong sense of self to wear her distinct designs. "I think it would take someone with a strong character to wear them. I always think they are quite architectural, with elements that are executed like jewellery, with finesse," she says. "The detail is really important to me, and the mix of fashion as well. I've always been interested in challenging the traditional way of making things, which I do by adding these architectural ideas. "With some of my frames, I have mixed metal with plastic in a way that is not traditional. I want to make them unique and individual." Her own design collection sells throughout the UK, Canada, the US, the Philippines, Greece and Ireland. Alyson has a holiday home in Donegal, which she and her family use frequently. Her parents have passed away, but her two sisters still live at home and she visits often. She met her husband in Paris and in an amazing coincidence on their first date, they discovered that they had actually stood beside each other a year previously without realising it. "On our first date, he was showing me photos taken at the Royal College of Art degree show held the year before, and right in the middle of one of the pictures were my glasses and we worked out that I must have been standing beside him when he took the picture," she explains. "He is a designer, too, and can design anything - except for glasses. I asked him once and he couldn't do it - and yet he has designed everything from mobile phones to electrical goods and lighting. "He mostly works on designing everyday products." In what will be a rare treat for local people, Alyson will be using her skills to style customers at the EK Eyewear launch of her latest collection next Friday, February 15, Owner of the store, Eavan Kennedy, says: "We are passionate about our eyewear and love stocking frames which have unique style and are beautifully crafted. "Alyson Magee is our local hero and when I heard she was launching a new collection, I was sure it would be a winner. We are really excited to have Alyson coming to our practice for our Be Styled by Alyson Magee event. "Its a great opportunity to see the complete range which encompasses men's, women's and sunglasses and its going to be a great day." Former Barclays boss Bob Diamond, who is to step down as chairman of Atlas Mara (Nick Potts/PA) Former Barclays boss Bob Diamond has stepped back from his role at Atlas Mara as the pan-African financial firm launches a strategic review of its operations. Mr Diamond, who founded Atlas Mara six years ago, is to step down as chairman as part of a shake-up at the group and will stay on as non-executive director. Atlas Mara, which invests in financial services companies across sub-Saharan Africa, is to weigh up which markets it will continue to operate in and which to leave. As part of a review of its operations the company will aim to ensure that top five market leadership is practicably achievable in the near term, or to explore transactions that will reduce risk exposure where such leadership is unlikely on a standalone basis. It is also considering buying a 35% stake in South African financial services provider GroCapital Holdings from Fairfax Africa, Atlas Maras largest shareholder. My belief in our ambition - to create a premier sub-Saharan African financial institution to better serve continental and global customers - remains as strong as the day we founded the companyBob Diamond Mr Diamond has been chairman of Atlas Mara for two years and initially assumed the role on an interim basis as the company struggled to control costs. Atlas Mara shares have plunged about 86% since the company floated in 2013. The company said Mr Diamonds return as a non-executive director of the group will allow him to increase his focus on his other executive roles while continuing to contribute actively to Atlas Maras growth and strategic direction. Mr Diamond will be succeeded by Fairfax Africa boss Michael Wilkerson as executive chairman of Atlas Mara. The company has also appointed Muhammad Omar Khan as chief financial officer, effective from April. Mr Diamond said: I am excited to return to my original role on the board and to continue to partner with Michael to accelerate the execution of our strategy. My belief in our ambition to create a premier sub-Saharan African financial institution to better serve continental and global customers remains as strong as the day we founded the company. Veteran banker Mr Diamond served as chief executive at Barclays between 2011 and 2012 before resigning amid the Libor scandal. Lisburn's Bow Street Mall was sold for around a third less than its 18m asking price, according to a survey of the commercial property market. The report on investment deals by agents Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH) also shows a dip of nearly 50% in the proceeds of big investment property sales in 2018 compared to 2017. LSH said that investors were being put off by political uncertainty with few deals anticipated for the first quarter of this year. Its report reveals that Bow Street Mall was sold for 12.3m - well below its 18m asking price. Bow Street Mall has a 32% vacancy rate, leaving the shopping destination one-third empty. Former tenant TK Maxx relocated out of the centre in 2017. But its former unit is not classified as vacant as it is let to Tesco under a long-term lease, even though Tesco does not use the space. The Belfast Telegraph revealed last week that the billionaire Comer brothers Luke and Brian from the Republic bought the site, along with Downe Retail Park in Downpatrick, marking their first investments in Northern Ireland. LSH said high quality retail, office and alternative commercial property assets in Northern Ireland remain in demand despite investment volume in 2018 falling to its lowest level since 2013. Its investment transactions bulletin for quarter four showed that at 176.6m, the annual total for big sales was 48% lower than 2017 and 12% lower than the 10-year average. However, 2017's figures had been inflated by the sale of CastleCourt shopping centre for 123m. But after a slow first quarter in 2018, quarterly activity had consistently exceeded 50m for the remainder of the year, LSH said. Despite challenges in the retail sector, it accounted for almost half of 2018 activity. As well as the sale of Bow Street Mall, the home of newsagent Eason in Belfast city centre was sold for 16.4m to French investor Corum Asset Management, while Castlebawn Retail Park in Newtownards was sold for 7.2m. Martin McCloy, LSH director of capital markets, said: "The challenging political environment has undoubtedly had a negative effect on investment activity in the past two years, with 2017 boosted by the 123m sale of CastleCourt shopping centre. "While overall the market has demonstrated a level of resilience, there is a lack of supply of good quality assets and investor caution is evident. "The usual trend of a quiet first quarter is likely to be exacerbated in 2019 by Theresa May's plans to re-open negotiations on the Irish backstop and the fast approaching deadline for the UK to leave the EU in March. "Both buyers and sellers are delaying decisions until there is clarity on the withdrawal agreement or on no agreement, as the case may be." But he said investment was expected to pick up when the terms of a future relationship between the EU and UK becomes clearer. Local featured Sheetz in Bedford Township being rebuilt, proposed Rutters advances Will DeShong / Gazette Photo/Will DeShong Pictured is the Sheetz at 4354 Business 220 in Bedford Township, which will be torn down and rebuilt to accommodate the sale of beer and wine. Will DeShong / Gazette Photo/Will DeShong Crews work to begin tearing down the Sheetz at 4354 Business 220 on Tuesday. The store will be rebuilt with the capability of selling beer and wine. The Sheetz convenience store and gas station in Bedford Township is being torn down and rebuilt to make it capable of selling beer and wine. The store at 4354 Business 220 currently is fenced off and crews have started demolition. Township officials said the Altoona-based company will build a redesigned store that will include a refrigerated room to stock beer, similar to many Sheetz locations around the state. Sheetz has a pending restaurant liquor license for the Bedford Township location, according to state Liquor Control Board records. Township Secretary Janie McMillen said during the townships meeting on Tuesday she was not aware if the company was acquiring a license from another establishment or applying for a new one from the state. The company has the same liquor license at its stores in Breezewood and downtown Everett. Both licenses include extended hours food permits, Sunday sales permits and expanded wine permits. McMillen said the new Sheetz building on Business 220 is projected to be constructed by April. There was no timetable of when the liquor license could be approved by the state and the township. McMillen said Sheetz also will be installing electric car charging stations at the store. Employees at the Sheetz are temporarily working at other Sheetz locations in Everett, Breezewood and Claysburg. A spokesman for Sheetz did not return a message left on Tuesday. Sheetz isnt the only convenience store making moves in the township. Representatives from Rutters on Tuesday submitted preliminary plans for their proposed store along the Route 30 bypass. But the York-based company needs point of access approval by the state Department of Transportation to connect to the bypass at the Sunnyside Road Connector. The intersection is currently limited access. Tim Bieber, a representative for Rutters, attended the townships meeting on Tuesday, requesting that the township submit the point of access application to PennDOT on behalf of the company. Bieber said PennDOT informed the company the township had to submit the application. Solicitor Brad Allison said he would like to review the application before the township signs off on it, citing concerns about liability and future maintenance at the intersection. Bieber said its the companys intention to make any required improvements at the intersection, and said it typically enters into agreements with municipalities to cover future maintenance. Allison said he has concerns about PennDOT attempting to have the township enter in on the agreement, but said the overall project was good for the township. Its an important one for Bedford Township and its citizens, he said. Bieber said the company is confident it will prevail through the point of access process at the state level. Rutters last year proposed building a more than 10,000 square-foot store on about 14 acres available along the northern side of the Raystown Branch of the Juniata River, directly across from the Sunnyside Connector. Rutters estimates about 2,600 trucks and 15,000 cars use the bypass in both directions each day. Bieber said the company was hopeful the Rutters could open by the end of 2019, but said delays with the state could set that back. Thats slowly becoming in jeopardy, he said. Roughly four months after announcing their intent to merge, Dallas-based Baylor Scott & White Health and Houston-based Memorial Hermann Health System decided to end discussions on the planned combination Feb. 5. "After months of thoughtful exploration, we have decided to discontinue talks of a merger between our two systems. Ultimately, we have concluded that as strong, successful organizations, we are capable of achieving our visions for the future without merging at this time," the health systems said in joint statement. It is unclear what factors led to the breakup, which would have created a 68-hospital behemoth with a combined revenue of nearly $15 billion per year. However, several industry experts told The Dallas Morning News business columnist Mitchell Schnurman the breakup may prove to be better for the industry in the long run. When they announced their decision to merge in October 2018, the systems said they aimed to lower healthcare costs for patients. But some experts suggest the opposite would have been true if the merger had been successful. "I'm surprised the deal fell apart, but I'm glad it did," Vivian Ho, PhD, an economics professor at Rice University in Houston, told the publication. "I thought it would be too much money for the companies to walk away from, but I was concerned it would hurt patients." "The track record of these large mergers is they don't provide savings or higher quality. More often, they're about raising prices and improving profits. The benefits usually don't go to patients and employers," healthcare analyst Allan Baumgarten told The Dallas Morning News. However, Britt Berrett, PhD, a professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, told the publication large-scale mergers like the proposed Baylor-Memorial Hermann combination are necessary to make the industry "more efficient, lower costs, improve quality and increase access. There will be many more of these combinations in healthcare." To access the full report, click here. A patient was tested for Ebola at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia Feb. 6, according to NBC News. The patient was cleared of the virus later on Feb. 6, according to an update from NBC News. Preliminary testing initially ruled out Ebola, but the hospital, part of Philadelphia-based Penn Medicine, said the evaluation was done out of "an abundance of caution." P.J. Brennan, MD, Penn Medicine's CMO, said preliminary testing found the patient has another condition. "Proper protocols and precautions will remain in place to ensure the safety of all of our patients and staff," Dr. Brennan said. The hospital did not give more information about the patient or the circumstances for their treatment, but said testing is required when symptoms "suggest a serious disease, particularly involving patients who have traveled overseas." The Penn Medicine patient's testing follows another case in December when clinicians at Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha monitored a U.S. physician who may have been exposed to Ebola while treating patients in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The physician was released after the required 21-day monitoring period when the hospital found he did not have symptoms. The Congo has been gripped by an Ebola outbreak that started in August, with more than 734 confirmed cases and over 432 confirmed deaths as of Feb. 4, according to the World Health Organization. Editor's note: This article was updated Feb. 6 at 2:45 p.m. CST. More articles on clinical leadership & infection control: Dignity Health's academic joint venture to offer nurse leadership certificate Pennsylvania medical center may face probe over biological waste storage Texas hospitals harness 'teletrauma' technology to care for rural patients Chicago-based Lurie Children's Hospital is making phone calls to local residents reminding them to get vaccinated as flu activity heightens across the country, NBC Chicago reports. "I might not be telling you anything new here, but anyone over 6 months old needs the flu vaccine," a voicemail from the hospital announces. This is the second round of phone calls the hospital has made this flu season. Nine children died in Illinois during the 2017-18 flu season. As of Jan. 26, the CDC has reported 24 U.S. pediatric flu deaths for this season. Lurie's officials said they want patients to know it isn't too late to get the vaccine. "Getting the vaccine helps protect your health and the health of those around you, especially kids," the voicemail states. An updated lawsuit in the death of a patient who received too much pain medication at Mount Carmel West in Columbus, Ohio, says the nurse who administered the medication later became the wife of the physician who ordered it, according to The Columbus Dispatch. In the lawsuit, Mariah Baird is accused of administering a lethal dose of fentanyl to 65-year-old Jan Thomas on March 1, 2015, "knowing that such dose was grossly inappropriate." The updated complaint naming Ms. Baird was filed Feb. 5 in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, according to the attorney representing Ms. Thomas' son. Ms. Baird has been married to William Husel, MD, since October 2017. Dr. Husel, a former physician at Mount Carmel Health System, is at the center of an investigation into 34 near-death patients who were given excessive painkiller doses. The doses were all ordered by Dr. Husel and were likely fatal in 28 of those cases, hospital officials said. Dr. Husel, whom Mount Carmel fired Dec. 5, was suspended from the Ohio Medicaid program, and the State Medical Board of Ohio suspended his license in January. Twenty-three Mount Carmel employees have been placed on leave amid the investigations, including pharmacists and nurses. CMS has notified Mount Carmel that the two hospitals involved in the investigation of patient deaths Mount Carmel West and Mount Carmel St. Ann's in Westerville could lose Medicare funding due to serious pharmaceutical services deficiencies. A 2018 incident at one of Cleveland-based University Hospitals' fertility clinics that left thousands of eggs and embryos nonviable has led to improvements in the the fertility industry locally and nationally, according to Cleveland.com. Seventy lawsuits were initially filed against University Hospitals. On Jan. 24, eight more lawsuits were filed targeting the hospitals and DataLoggers, the company that was supposed to monitor the alarms on the embryo storage tanks. After the incident, the hospital said it purchased four new liquid nitrogen tanks for egg and embryo storage and implemented new procedures for preventive maintenance of the fertility freezers. Additionally, the facility's liquid nitrogen storage tanks now have a remote alarm that alerts up to five people, hospital officials said. National oversight organizations have updated regulations for fertility clinics since the incident, including the College of American Pathologists and the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology. The College of American Pathologists offers voluntary accreditation programs for embryology labs. The Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology publishes guidelines for its members, submits lab data to the CDC and ensures member labs adhere to ethics and practice guidelines and accreditation standards. William West, MD, a pathologist who serves as an adviser to the College of American Pathologists' checklist committee, said several changes have been made to the reproductive lab checklist in direct response to the Cleveland incident and at a lab in San Francisco that had a storage tank malfunction around the same time. The checklist changes include new rules on maintaining adequate temperatures and levels of liquid nitrogen in storage tanks, keeping backup liquid nitrogen on site and ensuring a written procedure exists for responding to alarm systems. More articles on clinical leadership & infection control: New York hospital mishandled complaints about physician, CMS finds Texas hospitals harness 'teletrauma' technology to care for rural patients Trump vows to eliminate HIV epidemic in 10 years: 4 things to know Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic's planned $8 million pharmacy will primarily focus on mail-order prescriptions and will not be used for public use, according to the Post Bulletin. Four things to know: 1. Mayo Clinic announced plans to build an $8 million pharmacy in "existing shell space" in South Rochester. It is expected to open this summer. 2. Once the new location opens, the health system will move its pharmacy operations from the Brackenridge Building in downtown Rochester, bringing along 100 to 125 employees. 3. The pharmacy will not be open for public use. It will be used for the Mayo Clinic health system. 4. "This location will provide central, high-volume mail-order prescription-filling services and is not a patient pharmacy for prescriptions to be dropped off or picked up," Mayo Clinic spokesperson Kelley Luckstein told the Post Bulletin. "The new location offers more space for future growth opportunities and will accommodate updated technology needs." BronxCare Health System in New York has agreed to pay restitution to rape survivors and revise billing procedures as part of a legal settlement, state Attorney General Letitia James announced. The settlement comes after an investigation revealed that the hospital illegally billed sexual assault survivors for forensic rape exams between Jan. 10, 2016 and Dec. 26, 2017, according to the attorney general's office. Ms. James said in a news release that the investigation found BronxCare improperly billed 17 patients, billed the insurers of 10 of these patients, and sent 12 of the bills to collection. Separately, emergency room physicians sent bills to 13 of these patients and sent 12 of the bills to collection, according to the office. Bills ranged from $35 to $1,957. Ms. James said the investigation also showed BronxCare violated the law when it did not advise patients of their billing options. To resolve the issue, BronxCare has agreed to implement a written policy to ensure the improper billing does not occur again and provide full restitution to any improperly billed rape survivors. New York is conducting a statewide investigation of improper billing for rape exams. More articles on legal and regulatory issues: Specialty pharmacy pays $17M to settle Medicare billing fraud lawsuit Ex-California hospital employee charged with grand theft for allegedly stealing supplies CHS reaches settlement with 4.5M patients affected by data breach A former employee of Riverside (Calif.) Community Hospital was charged Feb. 4 with seven counts of grand theft for allegedly stealing surgical equipment from the hospital, according to NBC4. Hospital administrators contacted police in May about the possible theft of medical supplies. Administrators said an audit revealed $2.9 million worth of surgical staples that had been ordered over a three-year period could not be found at the hospital, according to the report. After a six-month investigation, police arrested a former hospital worker, Oscar Orlando Bernal. Police said they found "stolen medical supplies and additional evidence" when they searched Mr. Bernal's home. Mr. Bernal pleaded not guilty at an arraignment hearing. More articles on legal and regulatory issues: CHS reaches settlement with 4.5M patients affected by data breach California attorney general requests emergency order to halt sale of 2 hospitals Pathology lab strikes $63M deal in physician kickback case A newly formed nonprofit run by Bloomfield, N.J.-based Community Healthcare Associates completed its purchase of Salem, N.J.-based Memorial Hospital of Salem County from Community Health Systems, according NJBiz.com. Franklin, Tenn.-based CHS acquired the 126-bed hospital in 2002 for $35 million. After operating the hospital for more than a decade, CHS entered an agreement to sell the hospital to Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare Foundation for $15 million. That deal fell through in May 2017. In late 2018, CHS agreed to sell the hospital to Salem County Hospital Corp. The deal closed Jan. 31. "Our plan to retain and expand the delivery of quality healthcare services in Salem County has been carefully crafted, presented, reviewed and updated by key stakeholders, including current medical staff, current hospital leadership, community advocates, and others, all of whom are integral to the hospital's success," Bill Colgan, CHA's managing partner, said in a statement to NJBiz. Mr. Colgan said CHA would also try to expand the hospital's existing partnerships with other healthcare providers, including Camden, N.J.-based Cooper University Health Care. More articles on healthcare industry transactions: Baylor Scott & White, Memorial Hermann end merger talks Dignity Health, CHI merge into $29B system HCA completes $1.5B acquisition of Mission Health Roughly 1 in 4 Florida healthcare practitioners failed to attend a mandatory two-hour continuing education course discussing proper opioid prescribing practices by the Jan. 31 deadline, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Three things to know: 1. A 2018 state law requires all medical practitioners who can legally prescribe controlled substances for pain treatment to take continuing education courses on controlled substances as part of their license requirements. The law reportedly affects an estimated 114,000 providers statewide. 2. The state health department plans to send noncompliance letters advising providers they have 15 days to take the mandated course or face disciplinary action, the report states. State health officials sent at least 13 email reminders about the course to affected providers, with nine of those messages sent during December and January. 3. While state officials could not provide compliance rates for each medical profession, they said overall compliance among all professions was 74.2 percent, the report states. To access the full report, click here. In his State of the Union address Feb. 5, President Donald Trump touched on several health policy issues and reiterated his desire to lower healthcare costs. Three takeaways: 1. Price transparency. During the State of the Union address, President Trump said more transparency in the healthcare industry would increase competition and bring costs down. He called on hospitals, drug companies and insurers to "disclose real prices." "I am asking the Congress to pass legislation that finally takes on the problem of global freeloading and delivers fairness and price transparency for American patients," he said. "We should also require drug companies, insurance companies and hospitals to disclose real prices to foster competition and bring costs down." 2. Drug costs. President Trump said he wanted Congress to take action to lower drug costs. "It is unacceptable that Americans pay vastly more than people in other countries for the exact same drugs, often made in the exact same place," he said. "This is wrong, unfair, and together we will stop it. We will stop it fast." President Trump didn't say how he wanted to achieve this goal, but his administration recently released a proposal to lower drug prices for Medicare beneficiaries. Under the proposed rule, drug manufacturers would no longer be able to give rebates to pharmacy benefit managers, but they would be allowed to offer discounted prices directly to consumers. 3. Plan to curb HIV. During the State of the Union, President Trump pledged to end the HIV epidemic in the U.S. "In recent years we have made remarkable progress in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Scientific breakthroughs have brought a once-distant dream within reach," he said. "My budget will ask Democrats and Republicans to make the needed commitment to eliminate the HIV epidemic in the United States within 10 years." HHS Secretary Alex Azar provided more details on the plan, saying the goal is to reduce new infections by 75 percent over a five-year period and to "end the HIV epidemic in America" by 2030, according to The New York Times. Mr. Azar said the funds requested by top health officials to achieve this goal will be in President Trump's budget next month, according to The Washington Post. More articles on leadership and management: HHS' Office for Civil Rights seeks regional managers for investigations 19 challenges to rural healthcare access Ascension SVP Tim Adams: The shift to 'everywhere' care and the future of American healthcare The American Hospital Association is expressing concerns about a recent study published in Health Affairs on hospital and physician prices. Tom Nickels, executive vice president of the American Hospital Association, said in an online statement that the authors use "limited data to draw broad conclusions." The study suggests that hospital prices are a bigger driver of healthcare spending growth for the privately insured than physician prices. Mr. Nickels notes that the study uses data from the Health Care Cost Institute that solely includes privately insured Americans under age 65 with coverage from Aetna, Humana and UnitedHealthcare. He said this represents only 27.6 percent of individuals with employer-sponsored insurance coverage. He said the analysis also does not include data from Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, although BCBS plans often have the biggest share of local markets. Additionally, Mr. Nickels noted that hospitals and health systems are responsible for managing significant costs that don't apply to the physicians included in the study published in Health Affairs. Read the AHA's full response to the study here. More articles on healthcare finance: South Carolina healthcare providers alert patients about 'split billing' RCM tip of the day: Use media to boost consumer price confidence State of the Union guests to highlight surprise medical bills U.S. senators of both parties are seeking information from the healthcare industry on surprise medical billing, according to The Hill. Lawmakers sent letters Feb. 5 to insurers and medical providers with specific questions about billing, premiums, payments, state efforts to address surprise medical bills and other related issues. Responses are requested by Feb. 18. Questions for health plans include: What do you currently pay for out-of-network care on average, broken down by plan type, market type and provider type? What percentage of your plans' premiums are currently attributable to emergency care physicians, radiologists, anesthesiologists, pathologists, ambulance services and laboratory services? Do you have a process for identifying when providers send balance bills? Questions for providers include: What is the average out-of-network payment that your providers receive for emergency services? Can you identify specific states where providers have a lower-than-average contracting rate? What role do you think that hospitals should play in combating surprise medical billing? The letter was signed by Sens. Bill Cassidy, MD, R-La.; Michael Bennet, D-Colo.; Todd Young, R-Ind.; Tom Carper, D-Del.; Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; and Maggie Hassan, D-N.H.. Lawmakers are trying to reach a consensus on addressing surprise medical bills that leave patients with high, unexpected out-of-pocket costs. More articles on healthcare finance: Study on hospital, physician prices uses 'limited data to draw broad conclusions,' hospital association says South Carolina healthcare providers alert patients about 'split billing' RCM tip of the day: Use media to boost consumer price confidence The Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing found that expansions in health insurance coverage did not result in hospitals shifting less cost to commercial payers. For the report, department officials analyzed data from the Colorado Health Institute, the Center for Improving Value in Health Care, the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Colorado Hospital Association. The department concluded that increased Medicaid payments to hospitals, less bad debt, less charity care write-offs and lower uninsured rates didn't lead to hospitals to shift less cost to other payers. This came as hospital costs grew 58.7 percent from 2009-17, while adjusted discharges only grew 14.2 percent, according to the report. "The impact of the Colorado hospital trends on consumers suggests that rising hospital costs and margins have contributed to rising insurance premiums," according to the report. "Actual hospital cost growth trends and actual hospital margins contribute to commercial cost shift and hospital overcompensation, more so than Medicaid or Medicare under-compensation." The report identified "rapid cost growth" as a major factor contributing to the cost shift. The department argues hospitals could have passed a significant amount of savings, approximately $7.9 billion, to commercial consumers from 2009-17. More articles on healthcare finance: Tennessee hospital to close, lay off 146 Partners posts $463M loss in Q1 Maine hospital files for bankruptcy Myra Eleby-Hankerson, RN, MSN, is administrator of Midtown Surgery Center in New York City. Here, she discusses her biggest staffing roadblocks and key thoughts to build a positive culture. Question: What has been your biggest staffing challenge and how do you overcome it? Myra Eleby-Hankerson: Hiring experience registered nurses. We have not overcome it yet, but I have tasked my physicians to assist in recruiting. Q: What is your philosophy on building and maintaining a positive culture at the ASC? MEH: You must be trustworthy. Even in a toxic environment, the staff must know that you are available, judgment free and fair across the board. Q: What tips do you have for new administrators managing an ASC team for the first time? MEH: Do not make changes to any of your departments immediately, unless it jeopardizes patient safety. Just observe and follow your staff around. Ask plenty of questions in particular 'why.' Remember be judgment free. Q: How have you challenged your team to grow in 2019? MEH: To watch each other's back. Question everything. Be that patient's advocate! Speak up! To participate in future Becker's Q&As, contact Laura Dyrda at ldyrda@beckershealthcare.com. For a deeper dive into ASC industry trends, attend the Becker's 17th Annual Future of Spine + Spine, Orthopedic & Pain Management-Driven ASC in Chicago, June 13-5, 2019. Click here to learn more and register. Michelle Fischer, FACHE, administrator of San Antonio-based Christus Santa Rosa Physicians Ambulatory Surgery Center-Stone Oak, discusses the big challenges and opportunities in ASC staffing. Question: What has been your biggest staffing challenge and how do you overcome it? Michelle Fisher: The biggest staffing challenge we have is finding the right fit for the organization. To help with this challenge we utilize a behavioral-based interview approach during the leader and peer interviews to help determine fit. I also meet with every single prospective candidate as the facility administrator to share my philosophy and expectations of team members. Q: What is your philosophy on building and maintaining a positive culture at the ASC? MF: I believe in being visible and supportive for the staff and in always setting the example by my behavior and actions, and I expect the same from my leaders within the ASC. I see my role as the resource for the staff and physicians to ensure they have what they need to take the best care of our patients. As the leader, and to maintain our positive culture, I have an open-door policy and enjoy showing our associates how much we appreciate them by having associate appreciation events at the facility to include monthly birthday celebrations, potluck lunches, games and drawings during special events throughout the year, etc. When the associates are happy to come to work and feel supported and appreciated, the patients, families and physicians also feel the warmth and positive culture, leading to better outcomes. Q: What tips do you have for new administrators managing an ASC team for the first time? MF: Listen to your associates and shadow them in all areas of operations to learn what challenges they face and what additional support they may need. Don't be afraid to 'get your hands dirty' and ask questions! The staff love to show their boss what they know and how well they take care of patients, you'll learn more spending time in the 'trenches' than in meetings. Learn all areas to include scheduling, admitting, collections, preoperative, intraoperative, SPD and postoperative care. New administrators should learn all aspects of operations at the ASC to better understand the full spectrum of operations, which makes us all better leaders. Q: How have you challenged your team to grow in 2019? MF: Great question. I've challenged my teams to come up with quarterly community service projects that we can participate in as an organization to grow our teamwork and better support our local community. I have also asked my leaders to meet with staff in their departments in small groups to engage them in discussions surrounding challenges they may have or opportunities they see in their areas such as clinical quality, patient satisfaction, etc. I've asked the leaders to spend time mentoring the staff, especially those who may be seeking to improve their skills in a particular area or who may be interested in moving up to a charge nurse position or other areas of additional responsibility within the organization. To participate in future Becker's Q&As, contact Laura Dyrda at ldyrda@beckershealthcare.com. For a deeper dive into ASC industry trends, attend the Becker's 17th Annual Future of Spine + Spine, Orthopedic & Pain Management-Driven ASC in Chicago, June 13-5, 2019. Click here to learn more and register. Democrats are nervous and short-tempered at the thought of an independent presidential run by billionaire Howard Schultz and not because they have been consuming too much of his delicious but overpriced Starbucks fare. They are not worried that he will succeed (well, not too much) and take the oath of office. They are terrified that he will fail but siphon off enough votes to provide a second term for Donald J. Trump. Its a legitimate concern, but fortunately for them, theres a way to avoid this fate. Unfortunately for you, you have to read to the end of the column to discover it. (No peeking.) Democrats rightly believe that the odds of a Schultz victory are about the same as finding something at your neighborhood Starbucks that costs less than $2. (Hey, the guy didnt get to be a billionaire for nothing.) Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, another billionaire who has flirted with an independent presidential bid, said he has run the numbers and found the task to be daunting, bordering on the undoable. You would need 270 electoral votes, which is just about impossible with Democrats and Republicans having dependable states that would vote for virtually any nominee their party put forth. (Like Trump or Hillary Clinton, a cynic might suggest.) If no candidate reaches the magic 270, the House of Representatives gets to pick the next prez. But each state gets only one vote, with 26 needed to win, regardless of how many congressional seats it holds within that state. Under that scenario, Republicans usually win because they control more individual states even if they dont have a majority in the House. Democratic strategists dont think it will get that far. They are more concerned that Schultz will simply split the anti-Trump vote and allow the bombastic New Yorker to slide into a second term with a bare majority in the Electoral College. As the 2016 election showed, the popular vote totals are irrelevant. Democrats also know that this is how the country elected George W. Bush in 2000 and Trump last year. In 2000, gadfly Ralph Nader attracted a small but significant number of votes that mostly would have gone to Democratic nominee Al Gore. Bush famously won Florida by just 537 votes, while the Green Partys Nader got 97,488 ballots in the Sunshine State. Ditto for New Hampshire, which Bush barely won and where Nader got 4 percent of the vote. Had Gore taken Florida or New Hampshire, hed have won. Lesser known is the impact of Green Party candidate Jill Stein in 2016. Her vote total in three key states Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin was greater than Trumps margin of victory in those states. If those Stein voters had pulled the trigger for Clinton instead, Trump would be back in his tower hurling insults on Twitter. (OK, hes still doing the insult thing, but his work desk is in the Oval Office.) Having seen this movie twice, Democrats dread a sequel. They know that Trumps approval rating has rarely gone above 45 percent. Thats a low ceiling, but it could provide a majority in the Electoral College if Trumpers live in the right states. As in 2016. The flip side to this chatter is that large numbers of Americans are disgusted with both parties. They see Democrats edging toward socialism while Republicans drift toward nationalism. Somebody like Schultz could actually appeal to the vast majority of voters in the middle of the spectrum and squeeze out a win. As Trump has shown, we live at a time where the impossible can become possible. So what should the Democratic Party do to stop Schultz? Try this: Nominate a non-extremist whom people actually like. A center-left coalition of voters could indeed win just as a center-right mix could, too, if Republicans are interested. Instead of giving voters a choice between the lesser of two evils, give them a choice they can enthusiastically get behind. Hmmm. Thats an interesting concept. I wonder why neither party has thought of it before? Thomas Taschinger, TTaschinger@BeaumontEnterprise.com, is the editorial page editor of The Beaumont Enterprise. Follow him on Twitter at @PoliticalTom Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Chongqing Changan Automobile Co., Ltd. (Changan Automobile) saw its full-year sales in 2018 slid 25.6% from the previous year to 2,137,785 units, according to the automaker's sales report. It said the annual sales of its self-owned Changan brand amounted to 1,499,747 units, exceeding 1 million units for the fourth year in a row. However, speaking of the full-year sales of each subsidiary, the negative growth happened to all of them. Particularly, Changan Ford, the major force among joint ventures, should see its sales in 2018 nearly halved over the previous year. Gasgoo hereby summarized Changan Automobile's significant events that happened in 2018, helping you review how the automaker developed itself during the past year. Changan Automobile, Huawei, China Mobile cooperate in connected vehicles On January 11, Changan Automobile signed a strategic cooperation agreement in Chongqing with China Mobile, China Mobile IoT Company Limited and Huwei Technologies to conduct joint development and study on LTE-V and 5G technology for connected vehicles. In accordance with the agreement, the companies would build V2X testing fields together and co-develop telematics terminal. Besides, they would have in-depth cooperation in 4G internet of vehicles and explore the development of 5G technology for connected vehicles. The building of V2X testing field was expected to promote the marketization of V2X technology. The further development and exploration would help to improve the connectivity efficiency and accelerate the development of internet of vehicles. Changan Automobile to recall 252,087 CS75 models Changan Automobile planned to recall a total of 252,087 vehicles from March 2, according to the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China. The recall involved part of new CS75 models manufactured between July 26, 2016 and February 24, 2018, with a total volume of 252,087 units. The model went on sale in April, 2014. It is the defect in the electronic control unit (ECU) that triggered the recall. Under extreme conditions, ECU of recalled vehicles lakes control over the engine's fuel injection strategy adjustment. When the vehicle is in a low temperature environment or at a low speed for a long time, the liquid gasoline in the engine oil cannot evaporate in time. Consequently, the engine oil would increase with the passage of time. If the owner overlooks the engine oil alarm, the engine would be damaged and cause safety hazard after continuous running. Tencent, Changan Automobile to build ICV joint venture, co-develop IoV solution On April 12, Tencent and Changan Automobile officially signed a cooperation agreement to establish an ICV (intelligent-connected vehicle) joint venture. Both parties would focus on developing IoV integration solutions as well as relevant operational businesses and services, Pony Ma, Tencent's chairman, and Zhu Huarong, Chongqing Changan's president, revealed at the signing ceremony. According to local media, the cooperation might involve two major parts. One is to develop basic ICV solutions, namely, taking advantage of Tencent's existing in-vehicle products to enhance the automaker's vehicle power. For instance, Tencent (including Wechat)'s IoV services, such as social communication, mobility payment and account systems, can be applied into the models of Chongqing Changan. The other major part is to explore a deep cooperative development in resource integration and advantage complementation. To be specific, Tencent's abilities in content ecology, Internet security, AI, big data and cloud computing will help promote its partner's product competitiveness. BYD teams up with Changan Automobile on new energy vehicles On Apr. 17, BYD and Changan Automobile signed a cooperation framework agreement to deepen their cooperation in new energy vehicles (NEV) and work together to empower the development of Chinese NEVs. BYD and Changan Automobile would jointly focus on the designing, matching, testing and manufacturing of NEV's electric drive products, which integrate electric control, electric motor and reducer into one. They targeted to finish the development of electric drive products and achieve mass production of the products. It was expected that some Changan models would carry the new high-tech product next year. Changan Automobile to build four independent brands Changan Automobile planned to build four independent brands and promote 21 BEVs (battery electric vehicle) and 12 HEVs (hybrid electric vehicles) in total by 2025, the company released its new strategies on April 23. Apart from the existing Changan Passenger Vehicle (PV), the company would still promote an all-new mid-to-high-end brand. Besides, the automaker officially renamed Changan commercial vehicle unit as Oushang Cars and its light vehicle unit as Kaicheng Cars which is positioned as a smart logistics CV brand working on improving the urban logistics efficiency. Changan Russia receives RMB 250 million of investment from Changan Changan Automobile planned to add RMB 250 million of investment in its wholly-owned subsidiary, Changan Russia to meet the subsidiary's liabilities and supplement its operating funds, according to the automaker's statement released on May 7. Due to the deficiency of Changan Russia's cash flow, Changan Automobile aimed to solve the fund shortage, which was resulted from the expansion of business, via the added investments. As planned, Changan Russia was slated to be a pioneer to march into the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries and Eastern European markets. Changan PSA sets up exclusive marketing department for DS Changan PSA would continue to position the DS as luxury vehicle brand, and would launch one new DS model per year over the next five years to complete the product lineup of its SUVs, according to Shen Mingjun, executive vice president of Changan PSA. He also added that Changan PSA would set up a new exclusive department to manage the relationship with customers. Lack of SUV models made DS suffer sales depression with the SUV market growing increasingly popular nowadays. But things went better as they launched their SUV models. At Auto China 2018, DS released its flagship SUV model, the DS7, which was sold more than 3,000 units during Mar. 20 and the period of Auto China 2018. Changan Automobile loses three vice presidents at the same time Changan Automobile announced on May 28 that Gong Bin, Huang Zhongqiang and Luo Minggang would no longer serve as the company's vice president. According to the personnel change statement, Gong Bin would not work in Changan Automobile after he stepped down as vice president. He was officially hired as the company's vice president on April 14, 2011 and had been in charge of the production and marketing of sedan businesses. Previously, he assumed the responsibility of chairman, general manager in Chongqing Jialing Special Equipment Co.,Ltd, chairman and general manager in China Jialing Industrial Co.,Ltd (Group) and vice president in China South Industries Group Corporation (CSGC)'s motorcycle unit, etc. CCAG transfers 21.56% of Changan Automobile's total shares gratis to China South Industries Group Corporation Changan Automobile released an announcement on May 31, saying that the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council had approved China South Industries Group Co., Ltd. (CSGC) to take 1,035,312,673 A-shares, or 21.56% of Changan Auto's total shares gratis, which previously were held by China Changan Automobile Group (CCAG). According to the announcement, Changan Automobile stated as early as on March 16 that the company's free stakes transfer aimed to enhance and optimize its automobile businesses, helping promote the development of Changan Automobile. Meanwhile, CSGC was willing to accept the 21.56% of Changan's total shares. However, the stakes transfer should be reported to and be approved by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council. Ford, Changan Automobile name president for new sales service division Changan Automobile and Ford Motor announced on June 7 that Li Hongpeng and Cao Zhenyu were named as president and executive vice president of Changan Ford's new national sales service division. The appointment would become effective after being approved by Changan Ford's board of directors. Meanwhile, the new sales service division, as the replacement of the Changan Ford's existing sales company, would officially come into effect on July 1, 2018 and would directly report to the board of directors. Changan Automobile's RMB 20 billion NEV project starts construction Changan Automobile's new energy vehicle (NEV) project located in Jiangning District, Nanjing started construction on June 19, according to the notice released by Nanjing Municipal Commission of Economy & Information Technology. Involving RMB 20 billion, the project was planned to reach a production capacity of 240,000 units annually, including a range of pure electric vehicle models, such as high-performance crossover SUV and coupe. The Nanjing-based NEV plant is expected to be put into operation in June, 2020. It was said that the project, positioned as Changan Automobile's self-owned NEV manufacturing base, would introduce a high-speed, flexible and wholly-closed autonomous production line, together with an efficient energy-saving concept. The new plant was expected to realize an annual production value of RMB 100 billion. Changan Automobile, Huawei join forces to develop IoV platform Changan Automobile and Huawei, a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices, inked a strategic cooperation agreement on July 4 to build a joint innovation center focusing on building an IoV (Internet of Vehicles) platform. Under the agreement, both parties would jointly build an innovation center to create a R&D platform boasting intelligentization, connectivity, electrification and sharing features. Both parties would make use of Huawei's advantages in information communication and new energy control technology and conduct deep research on advanced technical application scenarios and carriers provided by Changan Automobile. BYD, Changan announce establishment of vehicle-battery JV BYD and Changan Automobile singed a strategic cooperation agreement on July 5 in Shenzhen, aiming to establish a joint venture, which specializes in the manufacturing and marketing of new-energy vehicle (NEV) batteries. By virtue of both parties' advantageous resources in such areas as traditional fuel-powered vehicles, NEVs, intelligent internet, sharing mobility and overseas market, BYD and Changan would deepen their cooperation comprehensively with focuses on electrified and intelligent vehicles as well as sharing mobility. Under their cooperation, Changan and BYD showed their willingness of capital cooperation in both the upstream and downstream of new energy industrial chain. They would jointly develop battery business for NEVs and plan to set up an independent vehicle-battery JV. FAW, Dongfeng, Changan co-establish T3 mobility joint venture FAW Group, Dongfeng Motor Corporation and Changan Automobile officially signed a letter of intent in July 13 to jointly establish a T3 mobility service company, marking another significant cooperative step since three companies formed partnership on December 1, 2017. According to the statement released by Dongfeng Motor Corporation, the three state-owned automakers would make full use of their resources in vehicle manufacturing and marketing channels and invite partners from other industries to promote the thorough marketization of their joint mobility services from such aspects as talent pool, technologies, personnel structure, investment, etc. The intensified partnership among the three traditional automakers would help them to survive the complex and changeable market climate and strengthen their respective competitiveness in the nascent mobility market. NIO, Changan Automobile to hold 45% stake in their JV sited in Nanjing Changan NIO New Energy Vehicle Technology Co., Ltd., a joint venture co-built by Changan Automobile and NIO, rolled in Jiangning Development Zone, Nanjing on Aug. 17. It was said that the new JV planned to have an investment of RMB 5 billion and would start construction within this year. The new JV was expected to research and develop three new models and the first one will be put into production in 2020. The new company would name William Li, founder of NIO, as chairman, and Li Wei, executive vice president of Changan Automobile, as vice chairman. The JV's CEO would be Yang Fang, who is a veteran in auto industry in such areas as sales, market, R&D and strategy. Changan Automobile and NIO would take a 45% stake in the JV respectively. The rest 10% stake would be held by senior executives and also would be used to attract talents. Changan Automobile, Baidu bolster cooperation in autonomous driving Changan Automobile and Baidu signed a strategic cooperation agreement on August 23 to jointly develop autonomous vehicles and IoV (Internet of Vehicles) businesses, according to local media. Under the newly-signed agreement, both parties would carry out cooperation to gradually realize the application of autonomous vehicles and integrate IoV businesses. To be specific, the cooperation, focusing on the whole technology chain of autonomous driving, cybersecurity and functional security as well as IoV, would allow two companies to implement pre-research projects, develop technologies for mass production and determine the concrete technical solutions in relevant cooperative domains. Changan Automobile transfers NEV business, assets to wholly-owned subsidiary In order to boost the development of new energy vehicle (NEV) business, Changan Automobile announced on Aug. 28 that it planned to reorganize internal assets, arming to transfer part of NEV-related assets, business and staff members to its wholly-owned subsidiary, Chongqing Changan NEV Science and Technology Co., Ltd. It was said that Changan planned to take May 31 as base date to audit the fixed assets, inventory, other account receivable as well as patents, patent application rights, software copyrights and technology secrets, and would transfer the audited book value to its wholly-owned subsidiary. The asset and liability changes happened between base date of audit and delivery date would be adjusted and transferred according to actual changes. Changan Automobile wholly controls Changan Suzuki with cost of RMB1 Changan Automobile announced on September 4 that it would acquire the other 50% stake in Changan Suzuki, which was previously owned by Suzuki Motor and Suzuki (China) Investment Co.,Ltd, with RMB 1. After the acquisition completes, Changan Suzuki would be wholly possessed by Changan Automobile and be incorporated into the consolidated statements of the Chinese parent company. Changan Automobile invests RMB 4.79 billion to set up NEV production base in Jiangsu Local media learned from the Environmental Protection Department of Jiangsu Province that Changan Auto would set up a manufacturing base in the province to build new energy vehicles. The total annual capacity of the new base would be 240,000 units and the output of the first phase would be 120,000 per year. The automaker's subsidiary in Nanjing would cover an area of 1.46 million square meters and the total investment is up to RMB 4.79 billion, of which RMB 3.47 billion is designated for the first phase. The base is slated to start production from 2020. Changan Automobile NEV subsidiary to introduce new investors for Mission Shangri-La Changan Automobile announced on October 19 that its wholly-owned subsidiary Chongqing Changan New Energy Vehicle Technology Co., Ltd. (Changan NEV Technology) planned to introduce no less than 3 new strategy investors to accelerate the deployment of the Mission Shangri-La new energy strategy. According to the announcement, the transaction would be put on the public market and achieved by means of enlarging the shares by increasing capital in cash. After the capital increase, the equity held by new investors should account for no less than 51% of the company's total registered capital, thus Changan Automobile's equity proportion would be no more than 49%. BENTELER, Changan Automobile inaugurate new JV plant in Chongqing On November 28th, BENTELER Automotive, the automotive arm of the Germany-based BENTELER International AG, opened a new joint venture (JV) plant in Chongqing, China, along with Jian'an, a subsidiary of Changan Automobile, one of the major car manufacturers in China. The new plant is operated by BENTELER Jian'an Automotive (Chongqing) Co.,Ltd, a 50-50 JV between BENTELER and Changan Automobile, which focuses on the design, testing, development, manufacturing and sales of automotive chassis modules and component. It also provides relevant services including consultation and support over technology issues. A new restaurant could become the second addition to Port Neches' riverfront, increasing potential for development. The Port Neches City Council approved a letter of intent in January, formalizing talks with developer Victor Ybarra who has proposed bringing a new location of his Tex-Mex chain Iguana Joe's to the riverfront. "At this point, they will begin the process of designing their facility as well as a proposed site plan," City Manager Andre' Wimer said. "We will then have further conversations in context of identifying an area for the development." > > RELATED: New Port Neches cafe brings fresh, innovative taste There are currently four Iguana Joe's locations: Atascocita, Beltway, Crosby and Mont Belvieu. Victor Ybarra is the son of Eugene Ybarra, a figurehead of the Tex-Mex scene in Houston. Eugene Ybarra, who's El Toro restaurants expanded across the city and supplied dozens of restaurants with his El Matador supply company, died in 2017. >>RELATED: Eugene Ybarra, one of Houston's first Tex-Mex pioneers, has died Wimer said city staff will work with Ybarra to create a development plan and provide enough information for the city council to make a decision before construction begins. The city used a similar process five years ago when it sold land to developers to create the Wheelhouse restaurant, currently the sole destination for the riverfront. Wimer said there are also coming infrastructure work at the riverfront that will help support future businesses. "The initial infrastructure the city has under design right now with construction expected in late May is a road way to provide access into the property, as well as water and sewer," Wimer said. https://www.aish.com/ci/s/Erasing-Henry-Fords-Anti-Semitism.html The mayor of Dearborn is hiding Fords Jew-hatred; its important the world learns from it instead. Henry Ford, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, is remembered for many accomplishments: he invented the Model T Ford and pioneered industrial innovations including large-scale industrial plants, standardized interchangeable car parts, and the first moving industrial line for cars. According to a 1999 Gallup Poll, Ford was the 16th most admired person in the 20th century, Yet Ford has a darker legacy, too. He was a virulent anti-Semite and his odious writings about Jews inspired Hitler and continue to inspire Jew-haters to this day. When a small Michigan magazine, the Dearborn Historian, recently wrote about this, the mayor of Dearborn, Michigan, where the Ford Motor Company is headquartered, banned the distribution of the magazine and then fired its editor. (The magazine was published by a Dearborn historical society whose members are appointed by the mayor.) Mayor John Jack OReilly explained by saying that the magazine article could become a distraction from our continuing messages of inclusion and respect that he wants Dearborn to be known for today. The mayors logic flawed. Fords legacy of hatred continues to provoke anti-Jewish hatred around the world. Instead of sweeping it under the carpet its vital that we shine a light on it and forcefully condemn not suppress Fords anti-Semitism today. A hundred years ago, Ford was a beloved American figure. Model Ts had been in production for a decade, bringing motor travel within the grasp of ordinary middle-class Americans. His famous $5 a day production line wage represented a step forward for working conditions at the time. Reporters routinely covered his every move. Popular and beloved, Ford ran for Senate in 1918 and was only narrowly defeated. The following year Ford formed a publishing company and bought the small weekly newspaper the Dearborn Independent. With no news experience, Ford started to lose money on the paper. Find an evil to attack one of Fords new hires, an experienced journalist named Joseph J. ONeil urged. Lets find some sensationalism. Ford knew just whom to attack: Jews. He marked his newspapers new emphasis with the headline The International Jew: The Worlds Problem in 1920. Soon, the Dearborn Independent was insulting and slandering Jews with every issue. There is no other racial or national type which puts forth this kind of person Fords newspaper asserted, slanderously writing that Jews were untrustworthy, greedy, treacherous and controlled global politics and financial systems. The relentless attacks proved popular and the Dearborn Independent started making a profit and gaining readers. Soon, the sleepy little local newspaper had a circulation approaching a million subscribers and was one of the biggest publications in the country. Ford wanted to spread his nefarious lies about Jews to an even wider audience. Between 1920 and 1923, he wrote four books attacking Jews and describing them as uniquely evil and dangerous. The International Jew came out in 1920 and was followed by three sequels. All four volumes falsely accused Jews of controlling the world, being single-mindedly malevolent and dangerous, seeking to harm Christians, and of manufacturing claims of the deadly pogroms that were then sweeping Europe. They freely borrowed material from a famous Russian anti-Semitic forgery, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, which falsely purported to be the minutes of a meeting of Jews gathering to plot their evil control of the world. Fords books were immediate successes, translated into twelve languages and distributed world-wide. In in its first two years, The International Jew sold over 2 million copies. The fact that it bore Henry Fords name only added to its appeal and sense of respectability among people who admired the world-famous businessman. Ford was so intent on his hateful message reaching a wide audience that he refused to copywrite the books so that anyone was free to publish them without permission. Even today, the books remain in circulation, with no copywrite limiting their dissemination. One early fan of Fords books was Adolf Hitler. In 1931, a reporter travelling from Detroit to Munich to interview Hitler and was startled to see a large picture of Henry Ford hanging on the wall above Hitlers desk. I regard Henry Ford as my inspiration Hitler explained. Back home in the United States, some outraged Jews and others were boycotting Ford products. Faced with the prospect of damage to his profits, Ford stopped the Dearborn Independents weekly anti-Jewish slanders, and in 1927 Ford made what was widely regarded at the time as a half-hearted apology for his relentless attacks on Jews. But his books continued to flourish, finding readers around the globe. Henry Ford died in 1947, and in the decades since, his family and the Ford Motor Company have repudiated his anti-Semitism. Fords grandson, Henry Ford II, in particular, supported many Jewish organizations and charities. When the Holocaust movie Schindlers List came out in 1997, the Ford Motor Company sponsored a nation-wide commercial-free screening on American television. Yet the anti-Semitism of Henry Ford in the 1920s continues to affect the world today. The International Jew and his other anti-Semitic books remain widely available. Dozens of editions are listed on Amazon alone, with many boasting hundreds of glowing five-star reviews. Extremists use Ford as a source of inspiration and validation of their odious hatred. This hatred has real world consequences. Anti-Semitic incidents have been rising globally; in the United States, the number of anti-Semitic attacks rose 37% between 2016 and 2017. In Britain, they rose 34%. A major 2014 study by the Anti-Defamation League found that over a quarter of the worlds population harbors anti-Semitic feelings. At the same time, the number of people doubting figures about anti-Jewish attacks and violence is growing as well. A 2019 poll found that about a third of Britons know little or nothing about the Holocaust, while 5% had never heard of it. In France, 20% of people aged 18-34 have never heard of the Holocaust. In the United States, 9% of millennials have never heard of the Holocaust, and over 40% of people do not know what Auschwitz was. This situation cries out for more education, not less. Instead of hiding Henry Fords anti-Semitism and whitewashing his legacy, we need to use it to educate our children about the disastrous consequences of Fords writings and how to counter them. Its a terrible mistake to deliberately forget the past. We need to confront Henry Fords legacy head-on, exposing and debunking the anti-Semitism he espoused. Click here to read the banned article in the Dearborn Historian, 100 Years Later, Dearborn Confronts the Hate of Hometown Hero Henry Ford. National Weather The National Weather Service in Lake Charles issued a flash flood warning this morning for the areas of the Angelina River below Sam Rayburn Dam. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced on Monday that they have increased the flow out of Sam Rayburn Dam from approximately 9,550 cubic feet of water per second (cfs) to approximately 16,500 cfs. The Sam Rayburn Dam and Reservoir spillway discharge of 15,500 cfs is continuing down the Angelina River. The warning states that low- lying areas will be flooded by the spillway releases. Additional increases are likely this week. Floodwaters will be moving down the Angelina River from Sam Rayburn Dam to B A Steinhagen Lake. Those in low lying areas below the Sam Rayburn Dam and Reservoir are urged to follow all instructions provided by local emergency officials. Do not attempt to drive across flooded roadways. The U.S. Corps of Engineers issued the following release on Monday, February 4: FORT WORTH, Texas - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' representatives at Sam Rayburn Reservoir announce that the reservoir continues to function as designed and releases of flood water will increase through the flood gates in addition to those through the Powerhouse. Recent rainfalls have completely filled the flood storage within Sam Rayburn and the project is currently in surcharge operations. This means that higher than normal releases are necessary. Capacity downstream has been regained allowing use of the floodgates in addition to hydropower releases. Current lake elevation as of 8 a.m. today is 174.61 and falling, the pool of record for Sam Rayburn is elevation 175.15 recorded on March 10, 1992. Lake conditions and downstream releases may impact properties and roadways in the vicinity of the reservoir and the Angelina River downstream of the project; therefore visitors, as well as local residents, should stay apprised of current local road conditions. Release amounts will continue in accordance with the Water Control Plan through the Powerhouse and now will also include releases through the floodgates. At this time, combined releases are scheduled to increase over the remainder of this week but are not expected to exceed 16,500 cubic feet per second. The current, short-range forecast does not indicate engaging the labyrinth weir spillway at lake elevation 176; however, continued and unprecedented rainfall will increase the likelihood of higher pool elevations, potentially initiating spillway flow. At that level, impacts are anticipated both immediately around and downstream of the Sam Rayburn Reservoir. All water safety measures must be adhered to when on or near the water. Life vests are a must! Large water discharges and changing lake levels will present new hazards at or just below the water line and may inundate low lying roads. Be vigilant and constantly aware of changing conditions and hazards. Newly submerged hazards and flooded roadways can cause serious damage or injury. Personnel have been and continue to monitor lake levels and the associated impact to recreational facilities. Recreational areas will be opened as soon as conditions allow. Multiple U.S. Army Corps of Engineer's managed campgrounds and boat ramps are currently closed. Additional camping and/or boat launching opportunities may be found at Cassels-Boykin Park, Powell Park Marina, Jackson Hill Park and Marina, Shirley Creek Park and Marina, and the Sam Rayburn Resort and Marina. Please contact each facility prior to visiting to ensure availability. Not all additionally listed locations provide boat launching opportunities at this time. Recreational areas are open and available at the B.A. Steinhagen/Town Bluff/Dam B project. Current closure lists for Sam Rayburn Reservoir and Town Bluff/Dam B/B.A. Steinhagen are athttp://www.swf-wc.usace.army.mil/lake/lakefacilities.htm or by calling the Sam Rayburn Project Office at 409-384-5716 or Town Bluff/Dam B/B.A. Steinhagen at 409-429-3491 (M-F, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.). Gayle Duane Shumaker went home to his Lord and Savior on Sunday, June 20, 2021 at the age of 82. Gayle was born July 7, 1938 in Princeton, WV to the late Charles and Flossie (French) Shumaker. He is survived by his loving wife of 60 years, Ruth A. (Rathbun) Shumaker; children Mark, Todd, Sus Elli Quark Bakersfield native Preya Patel Bhakta founded P.S. Let's Eat Inc. in 2011 after working in marketing for 10 years. Her husband, Sachin Bhakta, a former executive at a health-care startup, serves as vice president of operations. The Irvine-based company does business as Elli Quark. Elli Quark's flagship product, a type of fresh cheese popular in Germany, is manufactured in Los Angeles using ingredients sourced almost entirely in California. High in protein with no added sugar, it competes with Greek yogurt, capitalizing on the consumer trends of convenience and high nutritional value. The company's cheese is sold at natural and specialty stores, conventional grocers and club stores. Its top accounts include Target, Publix and Whole Foods. Elli Quark hopes to triple its revenue in 2019. The company impressed a group of partner-members at Kern Venture Group during a presentation in late January. Consequently, KVG's managing partners plan to do additional research before attempting to negotiate an investment in P.S. Let's Eat. Meanwhile, the company hopes to raise money from other sources to boost its national presence. "To grow, they need funds to get a bigger distribution, a bigger market share," said KVG general partner Sheryl Barbich, a Bakersfield business consultant. She said the company's success to date reflects shoppers' interest in products with no sugar added. Another of the group's general partners, Jacob Panero, CEO of locally based waste hauler Varner Bros., said the Bhaktas' business model seems to be doing well, in that it has shelf space with big retail companies and is based on a healthy product that has done well overseas. "I think Elli Quark shows a lot of promise," Panero said. Crews are homing in on the completion of the light rail lines extension to Gilbert Road, which is expected to open in May and which Valley Metro officials hope will bump up ridership after the lines first rider decline last year since it opened in 2008. Golden Queen Mining Co. Ltd. by the numbers A gold mine just outside Mojave is run by Canadian company Golden Queen Mining Co. Ltd. Here's a short profile of the company: Headquarters: Vancouver, British Columbia Employees: 218 (as of Sept. 30, 2018) Primary asset: A 50 percent stake in the Soledad Mountain mine just outside Mojave CEO: Thomas M. Clay, a board member since 2009 who also serves as chairman. Clay is also manager of the company that owns about 50 percent of the mine and has proposed to buy Golden Queen's 50 percent share. Production: Golden Queen began heap-leach mining at Soledad Mountain in 2016. It reported producing 12,255 ounces of gold and 100,408 ounces of silver at the mine during 2018's third quarter. Earnings: The company lost $2.4 million in the three months ended Sept. 30, 2018. That was 27 percent more than Golden Queen reported losing a year earlier. Stock: Golden Queen's shares trade on the OTCQX market under the symbol "GQMNF". Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Jason Barry is best known for his Dirty Dining Report which airs Fridays at 6:30 p.m. on CBS 5. He is also the storyteller behind CBS 5's Pay It Forward which airs every Thursday at 6:30 p.m. Girl reached out to stranger online for help, feds say. Now he's accused of sexually exploiting her By Abdul Kerimkhanov A delegation of Uzbekistan headed by Eler Tashpulatov, chairman of the Association of Potato Producers, visited U.S. state of Wisconsin on February 3. The delegation plans to study best practices in potato growing, discuss prospects for cooperation with seed companies and U.S. farms, and also participate in the annual exhibition of the Association of Potato Producers of the State of Wisconsin, meet with representatives of the University of Wisconsin and the U.S. Potato Seed Bank. The Uzbek specialists' trip was organized as part of the agreements' implementation reached during the official visit of the Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the United States in May 2018. The United States annually produces more than 20 million tons of high-quality potatoes and is famous not only for its chips and french fries, but also for the innovativeness of the whole process of growing and processing this type of vegetables. The state of Wisconsin ranks second in terms of annual yield, has the largest data bank of potato genetic codes. On the first day of the visit, the delegation was received by the Minister of Agriculture of the Wisconsin State Brad Pfaff. The American side, having highly appreciated the reforms undertaken in Uzbekistan, expressed full readiness to intensify cooperation between two countries. Parties agreed that the Wisconsin delegation will visit Uzbekistan to familiarize themselves with the development of potato growing. In addition, the Uzbek delegation met with the head of the company "Wysocki Farms" Russel Wysocki. Organized a tour of the companys production capacity, shows the entire cycle of processing and packaging of potatoes. Established as a family farm in 1953, Wysocki Farms is the leader in the category of producers and suppliers of year-round potatoes and onions throughout the country, occupying 10 percent of the total U.S. market. The second object of the visit was the innovative company Heartland Farms. This potato and vegetable farm, founded in 1873, currently owns about 4,000 hectares of sown fields, is a direct supplier of potato chips for Lays. Heartland Farms is distinguished by its modern center for electronic control of the entire process from planting to packaging. The implemented system allows online data from fields, warehouses and processing facilities, as well as to respond quickly to the full cycle of ongoing processes associated with the production of potato products. Potatoes - one of the main ingredients of almost any dish of Uzbek cuisine. Roast potatoes, home-style potatoes, kazan-kabob and many national potato dishes from our regions are the most popular dishes made from potatoes. According to the results of the study, more than 540 tons of french fries and about 880 tons of mashed potatoes are used in catering services in Tashkent per month. Of the 540 tons of used fries, 132 tons (24 percent) come from establishments that buy ready-made frozen french fries. Basically, the semi-finished product is used in the network of fast food cafes and in cafe-restaurants of medium and high level, as well as in traditional cuisine. Diplomatic relations between the United States and Uzbekistan were established on February 19, 1992. Thanks to active cooperation with American companies, two countries managed to increase the bilateral trade by almost two times and bring it to $332 million in January-September 2018. Currently, more than 200 enterprises with the participation of U.S. companies are successfully operating in Uzbekistan. American capital took part in the creation of 25 enterprises since the beginning of 2018. --- Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Abdul Kerimkhanov Uzbekistan in 2022 will conduct a census of the population, according to a presidential decree. The document approved the concept of conducting a census in Uzbekistan in 2022. The need to hold this event is justified by the fact that over the independence years, the population census has not been conducted in Uzbekistan. Note that the last time the population census was held in 1989. The document notes that the changes have radically affected the population size, gender and age structure, features of settlement in Uzbekistan and other socio-demographic characteristics. They significantly limit the use of existing data from the current population registration. At the same time, the decree emphasizes that reliable information about the Uzbek population and its welfare is the most important basis for the long-term forecasts development and the state's target programs for socio-economic development, programs for creating new jobs and providing employment for the population. The census will provide an accurate count of the population, individual registration and its detailed description by sex, age, marital status, level of education, life, employment, nationality, citizenship and other demographic and socio-economic characteristics. Shavkat Mirziyoyev created a Republican commission to assist in conducting a census in 2022. The Commission will coordinate the interaction between the authorized census body and other state and economic management bodies, local executive authorities, monitor the preparation and conduct of the census, organize the attraction of forces for a census, process materials and publish its results. . The president ordered to draft a law on the population census before July 1. The document will establish the procedure, period and dates for the census. According to the State Statistics Committee of Uzbekistan, the number of the resident population of Uzbekistan as of October 1, 2018, was about 33 million people, having increased from the beginning of the year by 428.500, or 1.3 percent. Urban population was 16.7 million people (50.6 percent), rural - 16,4 million (49.4 percent). The number of arrivals in January-September 2018 was 121.700 people (internal - 119.800, external - 1961 people, including 31 percent from Kazakhstan, 28.3 percent from Tajikistan, and 25.3 percent from Russia) , The number of retired - 134,000 (internal - 119.800, external - 14.200, including 48.1 percent - in Kazakhstan, 46 percent - in Russia, 1.3 percent - in the U.S.). The balance of migration was minus 12.300 people against 14.900 in the same period of 2017. The high level of migration balance falls in Tashkent (minus 4.100 people), Kashkadarya (minus 2.100) regions and Karakalpakstan (minus 3.100). The population density of the republic on October 1 was 73.7 people per 1 square km, the highest density - in Tashkent (7478.8 people), the lowest - in the Navoi region (8.7). --- Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Abdul Kerimkhanov Uzbekistan plans to rise to 20th place in the Doing Business ranking of the World Bank (WB) and the International Finance Corporation by 2022. This is stipulated by the Presidential Decree "On additional measures to improve the rating of Uzbekistan in the annual report of the World Bank and the Doing Business International Finance Corporation". The document approved the "roadmap" to improve the rating, developed with the World Bank and other international financial institutions participation. The head of Uzbekistan approved amendments to legislation that will come into force on March 1, 2019. According to the new procedure, banks can remotely open bank accounts for legal entities whose founders are Uzbek residents and individual entrepreneurs in the process of their state registration if the necessary conditions exist for remote identification of applicants as required by the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF). The procedure for determining the exclusive purpose of land plots is canceled when they are issued through an auction on the electronic trading platform E-IJRO AUKSION with the obligatory indication of an exhaustive list of the types of objects whose construction is prohibited or permitted on a specific land plot. The construction authorities are given the functions of architectural and town planning councils for coordinating design estimates, preserving only advice for coordinating design estimates for objects erected in historical zones, including in protected zones of cultural heritage monuments, as well as state objects. The cost of updating the topographic and special surveys carried out after the construction object is put into operation on land plots sold through an auction on the electronic trading platform E-IJRO AUKSION is paid within the funds received from the sale of the land plot without interference with the activities or any burden of land and real estate owners. The act of acceptance into operation of completed buildings and structures is issued simultaneously with an extract from the certificate of state registration of rights to the property. Shareholders are granted the right to hold the interested member of the supervisory board liable for damages caused to the company as a result of a major transaction and a transaction with affiliates, the amount of which is 10 percent or more of the company's net assets. The conflict situation that has arisen due to failure to reach an agreement on any issue of a limited or additional liability company due to the lack of a sufficient number of votes to make a decision is resolved in a court of law, the resolution says. The mechanism of payment of accrued dividends on shares through the Central Securities Depository or investment intermediaries is being introduced. From March 1, an order is introduced allowing for a pre-trial hearing at the economic court as a method for resolving disputes. A unified electronic system of accounting and payment by the population of all payments in criminal and civil courts, administrative and economic courts, including the state duty, is also being introduced. The Doing Business project provides objective measures of business regulations and their enforcement across 190 economies and selected cities at the subnational and regional level. The Doing Business project, launched in 2002, looks at domestic small and medium-size companies and measures the regulations applying to them through their life cycle. Doing Business encourages economies to compete towards more efficient regulation; offers measurable benchmarks for reform; and serves as a resource for academics, journalists, private sector researchers and others interested in the business climate of each economy. In addition, Doing Business offers detailed subnational reports, which exhaustively cover business regulation and reform in different cities and regions within a nation. The first Doing Business report, published in 2003, covered five indicator sets and 133 economies. Report of 2019 covers 11 indicator sets and 190 economies. Most indicator sets refer to a case scenario in the largest business city of each economy, except for 11 economies that have a population of more than 100 million as of 2013 (Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Russian Federation and the United States) where Doing Business, also collected data for the second largest business city. The data for these 11 economies are a population-weighted average for the two largest business cities. The project has benefited from feedback from governments, academics, practitioners and reviewers. The initial goal remains to provide an objective basis for understanding and improving the regulatory environment for business around the world. --- Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Abdul Kerimkhanov The CASA-1000 Project is an important step in building a functioning, efficient electricity system across Central Asia and South Asia. By facilitating clean power export revenues for the Central Asian countries and by alleviating electricity shortages in the South Asian countries, this project will enhance growth prospects across both regions. CASA-1000 project involves the supply of electricity from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Tajikistan has made an advance payment and foreign ordinal organizations have begun preliminary work on the construction project of the CASA-1000 Tajik section, Tajik media reports. As part of the project, the Indian Kalpataru Power Transmission Ltd will build a Tajik section of an AC power line of 500 kV and the Swedish ABB will build a converter substation in Sangtud region, according to the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan. The Indian company has already received an advance payment and has begun preliminary construction work. The Ministry of Energy noted that work on the project has also begun in the territory of other countries participating in the project - Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Presumably, 70 percent of electricity will come from Tajikistan, the remaining 30 percent - from Kyrgyzstan. In total, CASA plans to send up to five billion kW of electricity per hour to Afghanistan and Pakistan. If the CASA-1000 energy project is successfully implemented, Tajikistans annual income may exceed $ 150 million. The total cost of the project is over $ 1 billion. Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia is ready to join the energy project CASA-1000. Although the Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan both generate a surplus of electricity from hydropower during the summer, these countries suffer from electricity shortages during their cold winters. Because part of the summer electricity cannot be stored, this surplus cannot be used during their cold winters and the toll on their citizens is enormous. The export of electricity into the CASA-1000 transmission system from existing Kyrgyz and Tajik hydropower plants would create significant revenues for both countries. The sale of electricity would only be from surplus summer generation, which is otherwise wasted, and would not impact winter generation or make shortages worse. In fact, the revenues from these exports could be invested to prevent winter electricity shortages. By building new transmission facilities, the CASA-1000 Project would give a much-needed boost to Pakistans electricity situation. Given the sweltering heat in Pakistan, its peak demand for electricity occurs in the summer when its neighbors to the north have more than enough electricity to share in the system. The imported energy would increase supply when it is needed most. A functioning, affordable electricity system is critical to Afghanistans stability. Transformative projects like CASA-1000 can enable improved transportation, telecommunications, industry, and social servicesall aspects of a functioning economy that depend on electricity. The reliable supply of imported energy from the CASA-1000 transmission lines will allow for continued economic development based on existing, clean hydropower resources. Given its location in the transmission system, imported electricity that is not used in Afghanistan could be re-exported to Pakistan. This would generate valuable revenue for Afghanistan that could be re-invested into the countrys continued development. ASA-1000 project demonstrates landmark cooperation among the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. The modern and efficient CASA-1000 electricity transmission system will help transform the region and signify an important step toward realizing the planned Central Asia-South Asia Regional Electricity Market (CASAREM). The CASAREM initiative will help not only these four countries but also improve the electricity systems and develop inter-regional cooperation between Central Asia and South Asia. The Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Pakistan, and Afghanistan have put an important framework in place for making CASA-1000 a realitythe Inter-Governmental Council. In addition to the commitment of these four countries, CASA-1000 has the support of the World Bank Group, Islamic Development Bank, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), U.S. State Department, UK Department for International Development (DFID), Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), and other donor communities. By facilitating clean power export revenues for the Central Asian countries and by alleviating electricity shortages in the South Asian countries, this project will enhance growth prospects across both regions. --- Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend In January 2019, 1,000 Azerbaijani tourists visited the Turkish resort province of Antalya, which is 39 percent more compared to January 2018, Trend reports via Turkish media. In January, 37,300 tourists from Russia visited Antalya, which is 75 percent more compared to the same month of 2018. In January 2019, Antalya was visited by 7,200 tourists from Israel, which is 18 percent more than in January 2018. The number of Iranian tourists who visited Antalya in January 2019 increased by 98 percent compared to the same month in 2018 and amounted to 1,600 people. In January, there was also an increase in the number of incoming tourists from Kazakhstan. So 1,200 Kazakh tourists arrived in Antalya, which is 258 percent more compared to January 2018. Moreover, tourists from 135 countries visited Antalya and their number reached 142,300, which is 53.8 percent more compared to January 2018. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend India, eyeing a bigger role in Eurasia and Afghanistan amid prevailing geopolitics, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Russia for fast-tracking International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC) that will enable a smoother connectivity to the region via Iran, Trend reports citing The Economic Times. Russian Railways Logistics Joint Stock Company (RZD) and Container Corporation of India (CONCOR), the largest rail container transport operator in India, last week signed the MoU for providing logistics services on INTSC, the implementation of which has been delayed for years despite a dry run on the corridor in recent years. The MoU involves study of possibilities for developing joint logistics projects in Russia and India using international transport corridors, including INSTC, EThas learnt. India and Russia have been in dialogue to jointly implement connectivity projects or corridors within the Eurasian region as well initiatives that connect Eurasia with the Indian Ocean Region. The two countries, as part of the MoU, intend to organise joint workshop to improve Indo-Russian logistics cooperation, develop joint projects in the field of container transportation between countries, and also develop high-quality logistics services, including those aimed at further improving the efficiency of INSTC. INSTC is the shortest multimodal transportation route linking the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf via Iran to Russia and Europe. India could take benefit of this route. Cargo from India can be taken to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, and from there to Bandar-e Anzali on the Caspian Sea by land. The goods can then be shipped to the Russian port of Astrakhan and from there to the rest of Europe by rail. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Iran's oil minister has denied the reports on Iran-Russia oil swap deal, saying that Iran never had an oil swap with Russia. "Iran's oil industry and oil revenues are the main targets of US sanctions. I don't have to spill out the information on how Iran circumvents these sanctions, Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said at a press conference on Thursday, Trend reports. Referring to the amount of oil exported from Iran during the sanctions, he refused to say anything, claiming the information was sensitive. I experienced the Iran-Iraq war. But this war (the sanctions) is harder. But we are resisting. We use all the possible means to pass this phase. Several people are sitting in OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control) to combat Iran, we must resist, he said. Sanctions Referring to the exemption of 8 countries including Italy, Greece and Turkey from US sanctions regarding Iranian oil imports, Zanganeh announced that except Turkey, Europeans have not bought any oil. "Greece and Italy are exempted from the sanctions but do not buy any oil. I do not know why," he said. No one will sacrifice itself for Iran. Some expect us to export all oil products to neighbors, while the capacity of export is limited. In this regard, we have increased the consumption of domestic refineries," he said, answering a question related to criticism about the inability of the oil ministry to export oil products to neighbors. He went on to say that the Europeans, except for Turkey, haven't yet bought any oil from Iran. He reminded that Iran's oil production has increased by 1 million barrels a day in the course of four months and Iran's oil exports in May 2012 reached 2.78 million barrels. Business with Iraq The official then spoke about Iran's dealings with Iraq. He said that Iran was swapping 11,000 barrels of oil with Kirkuk. "After sanctions were imposed on Iran, Iraq has cut the swap. This is while Iraq has $2 billion worth of debts to Iran for gas and electricity, said Zanganeh. A crude oil swap deal between Iran and Iraq, which was supposed to begin in mid-April 2018, has started in June. Under the deal, Iraq is supposed to send oil from the Kirkuk fields to Iran by truck, to be refined in Iran, and Iran had to send the same amount of crude it receives to Iraqs southern ports for export. Zanganeh further said that plans for development of the Ab Teymour and Mansouri oil fields in western Iran have been delayed. He said both fields were at the stage of signing the contract and reached the final results with the Indonesia's state oil company PT Pertamina, but the company announced that they could not cooperate because of the sanctions. Achievements in gas, petrochemical industries Speaking of Iran's achievements in the gas industry, he said the gas storage capacity that was recovered till 1979 was 9 trillion cubic feet, which has reached 33 trillion cubic feet today. He stated that the gas injection rate from 2.7 million cubic meters in 1979 (Islamic Revolution) reached more than 77 million cubic meters today. Referring to the achievements of the country in the petrochemical industry, he said that in 1979, the total net sales of the country stood at one million tons, and this year this figure has reached more than 30 million tons worth about $17 billion. Domestic gasoline prices Zangeneh also spoke about the possibility of fuel prices in Iran being increased, saying that if people don't accept it, the government shouldn't increase them. The minister went on to say that Iran has certain exemptions for exporting crude oil, but doesn't have it in case with oil products. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend According to the requirements of the Electoral Code of Azerbaijan, the process of determining voter lists throughout the country has been launched in January 2019. As told by the public relations department of the secretariat of the Central Election Commission (CEC) to Trend, more than 30,000 members of all lower election commissions in the country were involved in this large-scale work. The process is conducted in close cooperation with the relevant bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Justice, as well as local executive structures and municipal bodies. As per the legislation, the compilation of a single electoral list at the first stage was carried out by district election commissions. Based on the data submitted by local executive bodies and municipal structures, members of the district election commissions determined the voter lists of their polling stations, and by February 5 submitted the electoral lists compiled from the polling stations to the appropriate district election commissions. District election commissions should check the voter lists, reanalyze information and statistical data received from the relevant authorities, and, after specifying the provisional lists for the respective constituencies within their authority, submit them to the CEC by April 5. In turn, the CEC will compile a list of voters across the country. The process is planned to be completed no later than the end of May, after which the newly compiled single national list of voters will be posted on the official CEC website and made public. Citizens who have not found their names in the electoral lists can call the CEC hotline at 115, or contact the Commission by filling out an application form on their website. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend President Ilham Aliyev has signed an order on the 27th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide. Under the order, the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration will develop a plan of events on the 27th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide and ensure its implementation. On February 25-26, 1992, the Armenian armed forces committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly. As a result of the genocide, 613 people were killed, including 106 women, 63 children and 70 elderly, 487 people became disabled, and 1275 residents were taken hostage. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Elnur Huseynzade, an Azerbaijani citizen who was detained Feb. 1, 2017 by Armenian servicemen in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan and imprisoned by a decision of the illegal court of the separatist regime, was transferred from Shusha, where he was kept, to Armenia on Feb. 2, Trend reports with reference to Azerbaijans State Commission for Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons. The information about this was received from the corresponding international organizations. From the moment of Huseynzade's detention, the issue of his release was raised before the relevant international organizations and the necessary work is underway in this direction. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Laman Ismayilova The memory of the legendary composer Gara Garayev was commemorated in Baku. The event timed to the 101st anniversary of composer was held at his House-Museum, Trend Life reported. The evening was organized by the State Museum of Azerbaijan Musical Culture. The book entitled "Gara Garayev`s ballet Seven beauties. History of scenic life" was also presented. A photo exhibition dedicated to composer was held as well. Deputy Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan Sevda Mammadaliyeva, Chairman of the Azerbaijan Union of Composers of, Peoples Artist Firangiz Alizade, famous cultural and art workers attended the event. In her speech, the director of the State Museum of Azerbaijan Musical Culture, Honored Worker of Culture Alla Bayramova stressed the composers contribution to the Azerbaijani music. She underlined that in 2018, President Ilham Aliyev signed an order on October 17 to mark the 100th jubilee of the legendary Azerbaijani composer. The birthday of composer was marked with a series of events both in Azerbaijan and abroad. The daughter of the great Azerbaijani composer, famous pianist Zuleikha Garayeva, secretary of Azerbaijan Union of Composers of Azerbaijan, professor Zemfira Gafarova told about the book, the author of which is Ph.D. in art history Natalia Dadasheva. The book tells about the history of the ballet "Seven beauties". It provides information about the famous ballet masters, conductors, artists, as well as photos of ballet dancers, posters and programs of performances staged over the years. In her speech, Natalya Dadasheva informed the guests about the book. Seven Beauties is a ballet composed by Gara Garayev in 1952. The libretto by I. Hidayetzade, Yuri Slonimsky and Sabit Rahman is based on motifs from Ganjavis Seven beauties poem, written in 1197. In 1949, Gara Garayev wrote the symphonic suite of the same name. It was performed the same year by the Azerbaijan Symphony Orchestra under the direction of maestro Niyazi. The idea of creating a ballet was suggested to the composer by the chief director of the Azerbaijan Opera and Ballet Theater Ismayil Idayatzade. The libretto was originally written by him and playwright Sabit Rahman. In 1951, music was added and a new work was discussed at the Azerbaijan Union of Composers. However, Idayatzade did not see the ballet on stage. Unfortunately, he died in November 1951. The first staging of the ballet was held on November 7, 1952, in the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater in Baku. National instruments were used in orchestration of the ballet. The ballet was staged by the outstanding Russian ballet master Pyotr Andreyevich Gusev. Fascinating ballet music was the key to a happy and long scenic life of the work. The great Soviet composer Dmitry Shostakovich highly appreciated the music of his pupil. After the premiere in Baku, Shostakovich wrote: "The strength of this ballet is in its music.". On November 24, 1953, the premiere took place on the stage of the Leningrad Maly Opera and Ballet Theater. The ballet was staged by P. A. Gusev. Ballet immediately won the hearts of the audience. The new, second edition of the ballet was made by Gara Garayev with the participation of Yuri Slonimsky and Peter Gusev in 1959 and was presented in the same year during the Decade of Azerbaijani art in Moscow. In 1970, the Azerbaijani ballet was enthusiastically received in France. Over the years, ballet has been successfully presented on many stages of the world. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Laman Ismayilova Russian capital Moscow will host the 10th International Mstislav Rostropovich Festival from March 27 to April 3. The festival's opening ceremony will take place in the Great Hall of Moscow Conservatoire, Trend Life reported. Concerts as part of the festival will be also held in Zaryadye Concert Hall and Tchaikovsky Concert Hall. The International Mstislav Rostropovich Festival was established by the Foundation of Cultural and Humanitarian programs named after him in memory of the legendary cellist, conductor, whose creative and social activities had no boundaries. Born in Baku, Mstislav Rostropovich was internationally recognized as a staunch advocate of human rights, and he was awarded the 1974 Award of the International League of Human Rights. Rostropovich was a huge influence on the younger generation of cellists. Many have openly acknowledged their debt to his example. In the Daily Telegraph, Julian Lloyd Webber called him "probably the greatest cellist of all time." He inspired and premiered over 100 pieces and formed long-standing artistic partnerships with such prominent composers asDmitri Shostakovich, Sergei Prokofiev, Henri Dutilleux, Witold Lutosawski, Olivier Messiaen, Luciano Berio, Krzysztof Penderecki, Alfred Schnittke, Norbert Moret, Andreas Makris and Benjamin Britten. A five-time Grammy Award winner, he has become one of the West leading conductors. He was married to the soprano Galina Vishnevskaya, who was named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1966.They performed together regularly. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend From February 15, agricultural machinery in Azerbaijan will be sold under new regulations, the Ministry of Agriculture told Trend. The ministry noted that the preferential sale of agricultural machinery will be carried out not only by OJSC "Agroleasing". "About 20 percent of the customs cost of equipment will be paid by the farmer, and 40 percent by the State Agency for the Agricultural Credits as a subsidy," the ministry said. The ministry also noted that the remaining part of the amount will be issued in the form of a loan for a maximum of five years, with the bulk of the loan being paid by the farmer, and the interests by the state. "Previously, benefits were applied only to equipment purchased from Agroleasing, and now they will also apply to equipment acquired in any other company," the ministry said. The ministry noted that the paperwork was also carried out at Agroleasing; from now on, however, after acquiring the equipment from any company, the clearance will be carried out at authorized banks, not Agroleasing. "The farmer will be responsible not to Agroleasing, but the bank," the ministry said. The possession of loan tracking mechanisms by the banks, and lack thereof by Agroleasing, was named by the ministry as the primary reason for such changes. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Leman Mammadova The European Union (EU) will spend about two billion euros on the expansion of the railway network in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. This is an integral part of the expansion plan for the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) project, Report informs citing foreign media. It was stated that Azerbaijan and Georgia, located between the Caspian and Black Seas, are important as transit regions in the Middle Corridor. The cargo arriving from the European Union on this multimodal route passes through the Black Sea or Turkey, and travels across the Caspian Sea to Kazakhstan, and then by rail to China The total investment in railway and road projects linking these countries is estimated at 2.120 billion euros. At least 328 million euros has been allocated to work on signalling, telecommunications and electrification on the section passing through the territory of Azerbaijan from the border of Georgia to the Baku port. The European Commission (EC) and the World Bank have already submitted an Indicative Investment Action Plan in accordance with the priorities set out for these countries. Together, the projects in the Eastern Partnership countries will require an estimated investment of almost 13 billion euros and foresee a total of 4,800 kilometers of road and rail, 6 ports and 11 logistics centers. The priority investments include both short-term projects to be completed by 2020 and long-term projects aiming to improve transport links on the TEN-T by 2030. The projects in Azerbaijan, worth 1.1 billion euros, include creating five logistics centers (369 million euros) and a free trade zone in Alat (410 million euros) and modernization of the East-West Railway (328 million euros). The first two projects are proposed to be financed via public-private partnership and the third project by the international financial organizations. The projects will make possible the construction and rehabilitation of new and existing roads, rail, ports, airports, as well as logistics centers and border crossing points. The free economic zone 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. The Baku International Sea Trade Port in Azerbaijans Alat settlement is expected to become one of the leading trade and logistics hubs of Eurasia.The New Port in Alat is a transportation hub linking the west (Turkey & EU), south (Iran & India) and north (Russia). Situated in the vicinity of the regions of Azerbaijan, it will also increase its connectivity as an efficient hub and so increase the volume of cargo being handled. In addition, new port location is linked to existing highways and railways, connecting the port to the inland regions of the country. Presently, several routes from the East to Europe pass through the territory of Azerbaijan. International North-South Transport Corridor, which is designed to transport goods from India and the Persian Gulf countries to Russia, Western Europe, the Baltic and Scandinavian countries. In addition, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway built at the initiative of Azerbaijan, which is part of the East-West Corridor, also allows supplying cargo to Europe. Another example is the Lapis Lazuli route, which runs from Afghanistan to Turkey and further to Europe. Azerbaijan and EU successfully cooperate in various fields, and these partnership relations are constantly developing. To date, important documents such as Partnership and Cooperation, Visa and Readmission Agreements, Action Plan under the European Neighborhood Policy and the Eastern Partnership Initiative that raised relations to a higher level have already been signed. The EU is the largest investor in Azerbaijan. There are more than 1,500 European companies in Azerbaijan. Over the past 11 years, EU member states have invested more than $ 20 billion in Azerbaijan, accounting for 46 percent of the total foreign direct investment in the country. Today, the EU is the largest foreign investor in the country's oil sector as well as in the non-oil sector. In 2012-2017, the EU invested $ 15.3 billion in Azerbaijan, accounting for 38.2 percent of the total investment in Azerbaijan's economy. The EU and Azerbaijan intend to agree on a draft strategic partnership agreement on cooperation until May 2019. The political and trade components of the agreement were discussed in early December 2018. The next round on the new agreement as a whole will be held in Brussels in late January 2019. Currently, bilateral relations between the EU and Azerbaijan are regulated on the basis of an agreement on partnership and cooperation that was signed in 1996 and entered into force in 1999. The new agreement should replace the 1996 partnership and cooperation agreement and should better take account of the shared objectives and challenges the EU and Azerbaijan face today. The new agreement envisages the compliance of Azerbaijans legislation and procedures with the EUs most important international trade norms and standards, which should lead to the improvement of Azerbaijani goods access to the EU markets. Azerbaijan and the EU will hold a high-level transport dialogue this month in Baku to discuss the cooperation issues in the field of transport. Azerbaijan, as the initiator and active participant of such large projects as Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and the Southern Gas Corridor, is a strategic energy partner of the EU. The Southern Gas Corridor provides for the transportation of 10 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas from the Shah Deniz field of Caspian region through Georgia and Turkey to Europe. The EU strongly supports the Southern Gas Corridor project, which is jointly implemented by Azerbaijan and its foreign partners, and interested in supplying Caspian hydrocarbon resources to Europe, as it comprehends diversification of the energy sources necessary to ensure Europe's energy security. --- Leman Mammadova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @leman_888 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend The Azerbaijan Standardization Institute and the countrys Export Support Center have signed a memorandum of cooperation, Trend reports. The memorandum was signed by the centers manager Nijat Hajizade and Director General of the Azerbaijan Standardization Institute Namig Tagiyev. The signed memorandum will allow issuing a certificate of conformity in a short time using the single window system. Hajizade said that the signed memorandum will make great contribution to the expansion of exports of Azerbaijani products. The presence of high standard requirements regarding Azerbaijani products will have a positive impact on exports, the manager said. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Mirsaid Ibrahimzade January saw a growth in the import of Georgian wines. Azerbaijan imported 5,790 bottles of wine from Georgia in early 2019, the National Wine Agency of Georgia told Report. This is a two-fold increase compared to January 2018. Last month, Georgia exported 6.25 million bottles of wine to 24 countries, which is 22 percent more than a year earlier. During the reporting period, the neighboring countries' income from wine exports grew by 33 percent and reached $15.2 million. In January, Russia (4,602,218 bottles), Ukraine (553,164 bottles), China (281,229 bottles), Poland (268,724 bottles) and Kazakhstan (156,120 bottles) were the largest importers of Georgian wine. In 2018, Georgia exported 86.2 million bottles of wine to 53 countries, which is 13 percent more than in 2017 and a record figure for the last 30 years. Azerbaijan ranks fourth among Georgia's biggest trade partners, after Turkey, Russia and China. Georgian exports to Azerbaijan include cement, locomotives and other railway vehicles, mineral and chemical fertilizers, mineral waters, strong drinks, glass and glass wares, and pharmaceuticals, among other things. Azerbaijani mainly exports to Georgia oil and petroleum products, natural gas, plastic wares, furniture and building constructions. Azerbaijan is on the first place in terms of the volume of investments in Georgia, which indicates a high level of interstate relations between the two countries. According to the National Statistics Office of Georgia , the trade turnover between Georgia and Azerbaijan made up over $835 million in January-October 2018. Georgia is one of the oldest wine regions in the world. UNESCO included the ancient traditional Georgian winemaking method using the Kvevri clay jars to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists. Georgia ranks second (in terms of volume) in grape production in the former Soviet Union and is behind Moldova in this indicator. Georgian wines have always been the most highly prized and sought in the Soviet space. Currently, the wine is produced by thousands of small farmers (using primarily traditional techniques of wine-making), as well as certain monasteries and modern wineries. Georgia territorial and climate conditions are optimal for wine-making. Extremes of weather are unusual: summers tend to be short-sleeve sunny, and winters mild and frost-free. Natural springs abound, and the Caucasian Mountain streams drain mineral-rich water into the valleys. Georgia's moderate climate and moist air, influenced by the Black Sea, provide the best conditions for vine cultivating. The soil in vineyards is so intensively cultivated that the grape vines grow up the trunks of fruit trees eventually hanging down along the fruit when they ripen. This method of cultivation is called maglari. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend The State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ) sold $634.9 million at currency auctions organized by the Central Bank in January 2019, Trend reports citing the Fund Feb. 6. SOFAZ sold to banks $677.1 million in December 2018. Azerbaijani banks bought in total over $5.8 billion from the Fund in 2018. The sale of currency is carried out as part of SOFAZ transfers to the state budget of Azerbaijan, which are planned at 11.6 billion manats in 2019. The official rate of manat for the next day is determined on the basis of the weighted average rate under transactions concluded with commercial banks in the interbank currency market and auctions. Auctions are held in the format of one-sided currency sale. (1.7 manats = $1 on Feb. 6) --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Azerbaijani banks' capital adequacy is the highest among CIS systems, Trend reports referring to Moodys report. Azerbaijani banks have strongest capital adequacy as a result of government capital support for the International Bank of Azerbaijan (IBA), Moodys said. The Azerbaijani Financial Market Supervision Authority (FIMSA) has approved a schedule for raising the minimum requirements for the ratio of the adequacy of total capital and the ratio of the adequacy of capital of the Tier I system banks. The new Rules for the calculation of bank capital and its adequacy, to come into effect on May 24, 2019, envisage this schedule. The new rules envisage the concept of a backbone (system) bank, the criteria for determining such banks are set by FIMSA. In particular, the minimum value of the coefficient of adequacy of the total capital of system banks from June 1, 2019 must reach 11 percent, while from January 1, 2020 - 12 percent (the adequacy ratio will remain at 10 percent for other banks). The minimum value of the capital adequacy ratio of Tier I of system banks from June 1, 2019 must reach 5.5 percent, while from January 1, 2020 six percent (it will remain at five percent for other banks). According to FIMSA, capitalization of the Azerbaijani banking sector in 2018 amounted to 4.071 billion manats, total assets of Azerbaijani banks reached 29.502 billion manats, total liabilities - up to 25.43 billion manats. Net profit of the banking sector in 2018 amounted to 883.6 million manats. There are 30 banks in Azerbaijan, including two state banks. (1.7 AZN = 1 USD on Feb. 5) -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Leman Mammadova Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, two Turkic-speaking countries located on the historical Silk Road, hold a similar position on many issues, both regional and international. Close cooperation has been established between the two countries. Azerbaijani delegation led by Minister of Economy Shahin Mustafayev in on a visit to Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan's trade with Azerbaijan could increase to $1 billion in the future, Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Elyor Ganiyev said at a meeting with Shahin Mustafayev. The turnover increased in 2018, we are pleased, but numbers remain very modest. I am absolutely sure that we have no limits for the development of trade relations to $0.5 billion, and even maybe to $1 billion in the future, noted Ganiyev. The prime minister noted that Uzbekistan today is a different country: open, transparent and accessible. We hope the cooperation with Azerbaijan in these new conditions will create good opportunities for Azerbaijani businesses in Uzbekistan, as we have taken very important steps to liberalize the economy and improve the investment climate, he said. Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan Shahin Mustafayev, in turn, noted that there is unrealized potential in relations between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. Unfortunately, we have not taken the advantage of the potential that exists. There was a huge progress over the past years; our governments have created a solid legal framework, said Mustafayev. It should be noted that the delegation of Azerbaijan headed by Shahin Mustafayev is in Uzbekistan to discuss joint projects, in particular the expansion of cooperation in the field of transit of goods along the East-West transport corridor. The delegation includes Minister of Agriculture Inam Karimov, Chairman of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC Javid Gurbanov, Chairman of Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping CJSC Rauf Valiyev, Director-General of the Baku International Sea Trade Port Taleh Ziyadov and other officials. Diplomatic relations between Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan were established in 1995. The Embassy of Azerbaijan in Uzbekistan has been operating since August, 1996. In July 1998, the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Azerbaijan was opened. The intergovernmental commission established in 1997 plays a major role in the development of bilateral economic relations. It should be noted that a declaration on further strengthening of strategic partnership between the two countries was signed in 2004 and a solid legal base for the development of the Azerbaijani-Uzbek cooperation was established. In 2011-2015 bilateral agreements have been reached in various spheres, in particular, in promotion and mutual protection of investments, exemption from double taxation, economic cooperation, free trade, customs cooperation and etc. At present, over 30 companies with Uzbek capital operate in transit, trade, industry and service sectors in Azerbaijan. Today, Uzbekistan supplies vehicles to Azerbaijan, non-ferrous metals, pharmaceuticals, fertilizers, electrical and mechanical appliances, agricultural products. It also provides transportation, tourism and other services. Azerbaijan exports mechanical equipment, confectionery, various organic and chemical compounds, tanning and coloring extracts to Uzbekistan. Transportation projects implemented in the South Caucasus are of great importance for Uzbekistan in Central Asia-Europe trade routes. --- Leman Mammadova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @leman_888 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have 21 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said Feb. 6, 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. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz The chief of the Armenian police, Valeri Osipian, on Wednesday spoke out against pardoning members of a radical group who stormed a police base in Yerevan and held him and several other officers hostage in 2016. The three dozen gunmen demanded that then President Serzh Sarkisian free the jailed leader of their Founding Parliament movement, Zhirayr Sefilian, and step down. They laid down their weapons after a two-week standoff with security forces which left three police officers dead. Shortly after Sarkisian resigned in April 2018 amid peaceful mass protests, all but two members of the group calling itself Sasna Tsrer were set free pending the outcome of their trials. The two defendants remaining behind bars stand accused of murdering Colonel Artur Vanoyan and Warrant Officers Gagik Mkrtchian and Yuri Tepanosian. Last fall the new Armenian authorities declared a general amnesty applying to hundreds of convicts and criminal suspects, including the Sasna Tsrer members. A relevant law passed by the Armenian parliament made clear, however, that the latter can be pardoned only with the consent of their former hostages and other victims of the deadly attack. Osipian made clear that he is not giving his consent to the amnesty for Sasna Tsrer as he testified at an ongoing trial of the groups members. I lost comrades, he told the presiding judge. Had I not lost comrades my position may have been different. I think that everyone must be subjected to a punishment defined by the law. There was a crime and everyone involved in it must bear responsibility, Osipian insisted when he spoke to reporters in the courtroom. Osipian was a deputy chief of Yerevans police department when the police base located in the citys southern Erebuni district was seized by Sasna Tsrer in July 2016. He went into the sprawling compound shortly after the pre-dawn attack. He and the other policemen taken hostage there were released a few days later. In his court testimony, Osipian said that he was beaten up by several gunmen while being captured by them. He claimed that they also threatened to kill him if he refused to tell police forces to join Sasna Tsrer. Together with Sefilian, the freed leaders and members of the armed formed last year a political party also called Sasna Tsrer. It was one of the 11 groups that ran in parliamentary elections held in Armenia on December 9. According to the official election results, Sasna Tsrer won only 1.8 percent of the vote and thus failed to win any seats in the new parliament. President Trump used last night's State of the Union address to lay out themes, policies and symbols for his 2020 re-election race, winning over no Democrats in the chamber but giving new hope to supporters who were turning pessimistic. He softened some edges for his largest audience of the year, but made it clear that he's going to try to re-run many of his 2016 plays in 2020. A notable new twist that we'll hear a lot more about on the campaign trail: "Tonight, we renew our resolve that America will never be a socialist country." Jason Miller, a top official in Trump's 2016 campaign, told me the president "elevated the wedge issue of 'socialism' in a way nobody else could." a top official in Trump's 2016 campaign, told me the president "elevated the wedge issue of 'socialism' in a way nobody else could." Republicans love the freeze frame of Democrats sitting emotionlessly when Trump railed against late-term abortions. And they loved even more the endorsement-by-sitting-in-silence when he hammered socialism. the freeze frame of Democrats sitting emotionlessly when Trump railed against late-term abortions. And they loved even more the endorsement-by-sitting-in-silence when he hammered socialism. A veteran of the last campaign told me Trump is "trying to frame 2020 as a another big, directional election ... betting that [his] people are going to actually like the direction the country is going." Trump mixed a hard line on immigration with applause lines on D-Day and criminal justice reform. The WashPost's Dan Balz called it "two speeches in one." The first half, giving Trump-the-showman a warm response in the chamber, included new pushes for nationwide paid family leave and lower drug prices, funding for research into childhood cancer, and a pledge to "defeat AIDS." giving Trump-the-showman a warm response in the chamber, included new pushes for nationwide paid family leave and lower drug prices, funding for research into childhood cancer, and a pledge to "defeat AIDS." The second half gave Trump-the-campaigner a 2020 battle plan calling for a ban on late-term abortion, touting his talks with North Korea and, of course, promising a wall: "I will get it built." Be smart: One of Trump's most loyal D.C. supporters texted me about the president's effort to cloak hard-nosed policies in softer rhetoric: "[T]he Trump we saw tonight ain't the real Trump and he's not capable of pretending to be someone else for 2 years." Go deeper: President Trump jumped in his State of the Union address from the "socialist policies" of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro which he said had plunged the South American country into "abject poverty and despair" to "new calls to adopt socialism in our country." Why it matters: Trump's point is a simple one: When you hear calls for socialism from the likes of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or Sen. Bernie Sanders, think of the disaster in Venezuela. He added: "Tonight, we renew our resolve that America will never be a socialist country." However, the causes of Venezuela's economic collapse go beyond "socialist policies" they include corruption, criminality and economic mismanagement at the highest levels of government. Go deeper: Exclusive poll... young Americans view socialism favorably. Billionaire activist Tom Steyer added $100,000 worth of digital ads to his local impeachment campaign against President Trump today in Democratic Rep. Richard Neal's district in Massachusetts, Axios has learned. This is in addition to the six-figure TV ad campaign targeting Neal. Details: The TV and digital ads focus on Neal's ability, as chair of the House Ways and Means committee, to subpoena Trump's tax returns and they pressure him to move forward on impeachment. "It's time to release Trump's tax returns. Demand Rep. Neal investigate Trump," reads one ad obtained by Axios. The digital ads will run for several weeks across various social platforms, a Need to Impeach spokesman said. The TV ads will run for two weeks in Springfield, Massachusetts. Steyer's impeachment petition currently has more than 7.2 million supporters. Why it matters: The additional investment shows how Steyer's Need to Impeach team is trying to compel as many voters as possible to push their local leaders to start the impeachment process. It also comes the day after the State of the Union, in which Trump suggested lawmakers abandon their investigations of the administration. Go deeper: Tom Steyer's impeachment campaign is going local A tension has surfaced in Europe between a fear of China effectively buying up whole industries and local companies becoming too large: Public officials are uncertain which dynamic is more pernicious. Driving the news: In a decision tomorrow, the European Commission is expected to veto the railroad merger of Germany's giant Siemens and France's Alstom. The merger's advocates say the blockbuster combination is needed to meet the threat of China's state-owned CRCC rail gargantuan. But critics say that CRCC shows no sign of operating anytime soon in Europe and the Siemens-Alstom combination will be so big that it will be able to force up prices almost at will. In this case, the latter fear appears to have prevailed. "The merger decision has broader political significance because it can either vindicate or try to stop the more statist interests in the economy that have been brewing for many years," says Jacob Kirkegaard, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. The bottom line: There has been a profound shift in European sentiment about big and growing private companies, which until recently have been championed by the U.K. and Germany against more state-led impulses of France, Kirkegaard tells Axios. President Trump set up the controversial issue of "late-term abortion" as a potential 2020 flashpoint on Tuesday, using his State of the Union address to graphically denounce Democrats for permitting "a baby to be ripped from the mother's womb moments from birth." Driving the news: A pair of state measures that loosened, or sought to loosen, abortion restrictions in New York and Virginia were met with widespread condemnation from Republicans that reached a fever pitch after a radio interview on the topic by Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam last week before his administration pitched into chaos over a racist medical school yearbook photo. The legislation: New York's newly passed law allows abortion when there is "an absence of fetal viability, or the abortion is necessary to protect the patients life or health" after the 24th week of pregnancy. And Virginia's proposed law, which failed to make it out of committee in the statehouse, would have eliminated some of the state's restrictions on late-term abortion, including reducing the numbers of doctors needed to sign off on such a procedure from three to one. The controversy: Virginia Del. Kathy Tran, a sponsor of her state's bill, answered affirmatively during a state legislative session when she was asked by a Republican lawmaker if it would allow an abortion while a woman was in labor. When asked by radio station WTOP last week about Tran's statement, Northam, who is a trained pediatric neurologist, said abortions may be "done in cases where there may be severe deformities. There may be a fetus thats not viable. So in this particular example, if a mothers in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen. The infant would be delivered, the infant would be kept comfortable, the infant would be resuscitated if thats what the mother and the family desired. And then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother." What they're saying: Both Tran and Northam's comments were condemned by Republicans as "infanticide," prompting backlash from top Republicans, including Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, and clarifications from the Virginia lawmakers. Northam, via his spokesperson: "Attempts to extrapolate these comments otherwise is in bad faith and underscores exactly why the governor believes physicians and women, not legislators, should make these difficult and deeply personal medical decisions." via his spokesperson: "Attempts to extrapolate these comments otherwise is in bad faith and underscores exactly why the governor believes physicians and women, not legislators, should make these difficult and deeply personal medical decisions." Tran: "I should have said: 'Clearly, no, because infanticide is not allowed in Virginia, and what would have happened in that moment would be a live birth.'" "I should have said: 'Clearly, no, because infanticide is not allowed in Virginia, and what would have happened in that moment would be a live birth.'" Trump: "Democrats are becoming the Party of late term abortion, high taxes, Open Borders and Crime!" "Democrats are becoming the Party of late term abortion, high taxes, Open Borders and Crime!" Pence: "This shameless embrace of a culture of death is startling to every American who cherishes life." "This shameless embrace of a culture of death is startling to every American who cherishes life." Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.): "In just a few years pro-abortion zealots went from 'safe, legal, and rare' to 'keep the newborns comfortable while the doctor debates infanticide.'" The facts: According to the CDC, only about 1% of abortions take place after 21 weeks. Abortion rates among U.S. women in all age groups dropped sharply to a decade low from 2006 to 2015 and nearly 90% of abortions performed in 2015 were within a woman's first 13 weeks of pregnancy. In an interview with CNN, Barbara Levy, the vice president of health policy at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said, "The phrase 'late-term abortion,' is medically inaccurate and has no clinical meaning." Jennifer Conti, a fellow with the advocacy group Physicians for Reproductive Health, also told CNN: "In obstetrics, we don't divide pregnancies into terms. 'Late term' is an invention of anti-abortion extremists to confuse, mislead and increase stigma." The bottom line, via the New York Times: "[A]mong conservatives, the White House's outrage was also greeted as a clear and shrewd political strategy to rally Republicans with an eye toward the 2020 presidential election, and to close ranks around Mr. Trump, embattled though he may be, as their unequivocal leader." "It's going to come into play, quite frankly, in the elections next year. We're not going to let it go away," Carol Tobias, the president of the National Right to Life Committee, told the Times. Go deeper: U.S. abortion rates dropped to record low between 2006 and 2015 Invasive species could hitch a ride along Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), according to a new study. The BRI is intended to accelerate trade and transportation among more than 80 countries, including some of the worlds most biodiverse areas. Examining those areas, researchers identified invasion hotspots, which are especially vulnerable to non-native species, and found that a majority of them are within the BRIs six proposed economic corridors. The Colombo Port City, built on land reclaimed from the Indian Ocean and funded with $1.4 billion in Chinese investment, in Sri Lanka. Photo: Paula Bronstein via Getty Images Why it matters: Its a reminder that greater connectivity comes with unintended consequences. The ancient Silk Road, after all, carried not only goods and ideas, but also the plague. If the BRI succeeds in supercharging global connectivity, it will almost certainly increase the risk of pandemics, drug and wildlife trafficking, and other dangerous flows. Yes, but: The good news is that the BRI is still in its early stages. Its six corridors were easy to announce as concepts, but they have been incredibly difficult to build and coordinate in practice. Many BRI maps are more fiction than reality at this point. The upside is that China and countries participating in the BRI can still make prevention and early detection of unwanted flows, especially health threats, a bigger priority. They could share more information about where projects are being planned, more deeply integrate health and environmental experts in the planning process, and work with the World Health Organization to improve early detection systems. The bottom line: The economic benefits of greater connectivity are well-documented: Countries that have more connections to global flows grow by up to 40% more than less-connected countries. While theres no question the world needs more infrastructure, it would be a mistake to ignore the risks that new connections might bring. Jonathan Hillman is director of the Reconnecting Asia Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Go deeper: The invasive species threat from the BRI Palmdale, CA (93550) Today Mostly sunny. Hot. High 97F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy. Low 66F. SW winds at 15 to 25 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Copyright 2020 by Mountain Times Publications. Digital or printed dissemination of this content without prior written consent is a violation of federal law and may be subject to legal action. It was a tough year for the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance in 2018, mainly because of the arrest of its CEO, Carlos Ghosn. But despite that, the Alliance was still able to keep its lead at the top of the global sales race, beating out Toyota and Volkswagen Auto Group. The Alliance contributes their sales success to several key vehicles. Some of these include the Nissan Terra and Navara, along with the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross and Strada, as well as Renault Clio and Captur. With the three brands combined, Renault, Nissan, and Mitsubishi shifted 10,756,875 cars, trucks, SUVs, trucks, and buses worldwide. Nissan continues to the biggest seller of the three, selling 5,653,683 vehicles last year. While a significant figure, accumulated Nissan sales are actually down worldwide by 2.8 percent. Renault, on the other hand, saw steady growth in 2018 with 3,884,295 units sold, up by 3.2 percent. But the biggest gain was seen by Mitsubishi, posting double-digit growth. Mitsubishi sold 1,218,897 vehicles last year, marking an 18.3 percent increase over 2017. The total of 10,756,875 units also includes other sub-brands such as Infiniti, Datsun, Dacia, and Alpine. China is still Nissan's biggest market, selling 1,563,986 units in that country alone; this includes a domestic sub-brand called Venucia. Our close neighbor, Thailand, made the top ten with 72,394 sold. Over at Renault, their top market is still their home, France. 689,788 new Renaults made their way to French homes last year. Last but not least is Mitsubishi and their largest market is Indonesia with 146,805 sold. The Philippines also continues to be a strong market for Mitsubishi as we rank 7th in global sales for the brand. By the looks of things, Nissan and Mitsubishi will continue their momentum gained from 2018 with their all-new models now entering their first full year of production. With Toyota just a little over 100,000 cars behind, the Alliance will have to keep the ball rolling if they want to keep the lead. The owner of the Snowmass Conoco gas station, pictured here, alleges that the town of Snowmass Village prevented business by assisting an August 2018 road race. Please enter your Account number. This number is located on the address label of your print copy, immediately above your name. ISXPay - Australian Card Processing Facilities Melbourne, Feb 6, 2019 AEST (ABN Newswire) - iSignthis Ltd ( ASX:ISX ), on behalf of its various Australian subsidiaries trading as ISXPay(R), is pleased to announce it has entered into a number of agreements with card schemes (Tier 1) and other parties Tier 2 & 3) to allow it to continue to provide and ramp up its payment processing, clearing and settlement ("card acquiring services") in Australia for all major card schemes, including Visa and Mastercard, as an alternative to its NAB arrangements.Highlights- ISXPay(TM) now accepting new merchants across multiple categories, including MCC 6211 and 7995- Includes best of class multicurrency options to complement CFD, FX & Equity brokers- Incorporates full Paydentity(R) platform, with electronic verification, DVS and our patented payment instrument verification (PIV), for rapid KYC onboarding to AUSTRAC safe-harbour requirements- First merchants expected to be processing by mid-March 2019The Company's card processing arrangements are independent of iSignthis eMoney (AU) Pty Ltd.'s APRA ADI application, and services are expected to commence with processing of Australian merchants by Mid-March 2019.The Company advises its current Visa and Mastercard payment facility ("PayFac") agreement with the National Australia Bank ( ASX: NAB ) will terminate effective 30th April 2019. The basis for the termination of the agreement with NAB is the NAB's revised "High Risk MCC Update" policy. The NAB will discontinue the processing of CFD's, FX, Equities, Remittance and Binary traders ("AML regulated sector merchants") under the policy as it has adopted a "no appetite' position for these sectors.In support of the Company's own strategy to deliver to the AML regulated sector merchants, the Company has entered into direct (Tier 1) licensing agreements as a Principal acquirer with the following major card schemes;- Mastercard- Diners / Discover (anticipated go live late April 2019)- China Union Pay (anticipated go live late July 2019)- American Express (anticipated go live late April 2019)The entire suite of card schemes will be available to qualified merchants (subject to ISXPay terms & card scheme rules) over the course of H1 2019. ISXPay also offers some 15 plus non-Australian dollar currencies for card settlement and acceptance.The Company's focus is on AFSL regulated merchants and market makers including CFD, FX, Binary and equities traders, where Paydentity(TM) and multicurrency operations provide a competitive advantage to the Company and our merchants. The technology behind Paydentity(TM) is patented and has now onboarded more than 1.5m persons to a KYC standard.Qualified Australian merchants may also open EURO (EUR) denominated eMoney (EMA) IBAN accounts, with eMoney accounts available in other currency denominations, including USD$, GBP, HKD$, SGD$, CAD$, AUD$ and CHF, by Q2 2019. Australian dollar denominated accounts will follow post successful APRA ADI licensing.The Company will report on the size of its Australian book and contracted Gross Processed Turnover Value progressively and separately to its EU GPTV book. As contracted GPTV converts to actual processed GPTV, the Company will then report on processed GPTV volume. The Company's Sydney and Melbourne sales teams will also be seeking out other merchant categories as opportunity arises.About iSignthis Ltd iSignthis Ltd (ASX:ISX) (FRA:TA8) is a hybrid monetary financial institution and also a RegTech leader in remote identity verification, payment authentication with deposit taking, transactional banking and payment processing capability. iSignthis provides an end-to-end on-boarding service for merchants, with a unified payment, electronic money and identity service via our Paydentity(TM) and ISXPay(R) solutions. By converging payments and identity, iSignthis delivers regulatory compliance to an enhanced customer due diligence standard, offering global reach to any of the world's 4.2Bn 'bank verified' card or account holders, that can be remotely on-boarded to meet the Customer Due Diligence requirements of AML regulated merchants in as little as 3 to 5 minutes. Paydentity(TM) has now onboarded and verified more than 1.5m persons to an AML KYC standard. iSignthis Paydentity(TM) service is the trusted back office solution for regulated entities, allowing merchants to stay ahead of the regulatory curve, and focus on growing their core business. iSignthis' subsidiary, iSignthis eMoney Ltd, trades as ISXPay(R), and is an EEA authorised eMoney Monetary Financial Institution, offering card acquiring in the EEA, and Australia. ISXPay(R) is a principal member of Mastercard Inc, Diners, Discover, (China) Union Pay International and JCB International, an American Express aggregator, and provides merchants with access to payments via alternative methods including SEPA, Poli Payments, Sofort, PRZ24 and others. Probanx Solutions Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of iSignthis Ltd, provides API based access to CORE Banking solutions, SEPA Core, SEPA Instant and SEPA business scheme, for neobanks, banks, credit unions and emoney institutions, and provides a bridge to the Eurosystem's Central Bank of Lithuania's CENTROLink service. Strategically located between China, India and Thailand, Myanmar is surrounded by some of the fastest growing economies in the world. A large and cheap workforce, natural resources and generally low production costs make Myanmar a perfect destination for foreign investment. Growth rates of over 6 percent over the last few years and the need of the government to attract more FDI for development signal increasing opportunities. Economic Performance in 2018 In 2018, the countrys GDP growth slowed down slightly from 6.4 percent to 5.9 percent. The slowdown can be explained by reduced FDI inflows due to the countrys political climate. However, the prospects and opportunities the country offers still motivate investors. In the fiscal year from mid-2017 to 2018, US$5.7 billion in FDI inflows were generated, which marked a strong increase in relation to the previous years. Especially the manufacturing sector has witnessed significant growth rates. Reforms in 2018 The garment sector, in particular, has reached new heights in production. Cheap wages and the favorable external trade environment have led to this development. Preferential access to the EU and the US market mainly accelerates the growth of the manufacturing sector. The EU initiative Everything but Arms gives Myanmar tariff- and quota-free market access to the EU common market. In 2018, Myanmar enforced a new Companies Law to ease local investment opportunities. Foreign investors can now hold up to 35 percent of shares in a local company. Liberalization of the education sector, and wholesale and retail trade for foreign companies and joint venture companies have been implemented with the new legislation. The new law especially aims at generating new investments for infrastructural projects. The Central Bank has opened the local credit market in 2018. In the upcoming months, several foreign insurance companies and banks can access the local market and provide their services. Since the third quarter of 2018, Myanmar Companies Online (MyCO) an online company registration system has been established. Several corporation related functions are already implemented, and all companies are obliged to register with MyCO. The system provides easily accessible information on registered companies in the country. The reforms are likely to continue into 2019 as there has been a lot of effort done in 2018 but several crucial issues related to FDI attraction remain to be addressed. The low rank on the World Banks Ease of Doing Business index is one area where large improvements are needed. Outlook for 2019 Myanmars investment outlook for 2019 is overall positive. In 2019, an average GDP growth of around 6.4 percent is expected. Myanmars economic development is largely based on the National Export Strategy. The governmental framework indicates the sectors that are in the center of development for boosting export competitiveness. The key areas are the garment sector , natural resources, agricultural products and tourism. In 2018, among others, handicraft and Information Communications Technology products were added. The banking sector opens up large opportunities especially because of rising internet connectivity. The opening of the sector to foreign banks opens up opportunities for a population, that is largely yet to access banking services. The resources sector and oil and gas, in particular, also offer further opportunities. More than 20 on and offshore blocks are opened to exploratory drillings. 31 additional gas and oil blocks were opened for bids in early 2019. With the newly introduced reforms, the retail sector is another area of interest for foreign investors. Shopping malls are expanding not only in Yangon but in secondary cities as well. The e-commerce market is largely underdeveloped but presents new opportunities in view of increasing internet penetration. Lincoln Center, which has been buffeted by leadership churn in recent years, has looked to Broadway and academia for its last two presidents. They didnt take. Now it is looking to the East Side of Manhattan, and to someone with a background running a large nonprofit cultural and community center. The New York Times We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Submit Cardinal al-Rahi praised the United Arab Emirates for hosting the Pope and sponsoring a joint Christian-Muslim declaration. During Mass, he highlighted anti-war warning in a region marked by conflicts. Yesterday, he spoke at the interfaith meeting. Abu Dhabi (AsiaNews/Agencies) Maronite Patriarch Card Beshara al-Rahi praised the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for hosting Pope Francis in the first, historic visit by a pontiff to the Arabian Peninsula and for sponsoring a joint Christian-Muslim declaration that will serve as the basis for future relations between the two religions. Speaking at todays final Mass, the prelate praised the UAE for its message of openness and for the honour of being the first in the Gulf region to welcome a pope. "This is an event of enormous importance and significance in the Middle East, deemed a region of war and conflicts between religions," al-Rahi explained. "Today, the United Arab Emirates told the world loud and clear that we are brothers, that religions are a source of brotherhood and that wars do not derive their origin in religions." "Christians must show the true image of Islam within their communities. At the same time, Muslims must strive to highlight the true face of Christianity" among their fellow believers. Yesterday, the prelate took part in the interfaith meeting in Abu Dhabi with about 700 other representatives of various religions. In his address, the primate of the Maronite Church called for an end to all wars and conflicts. "Humans, said the prelate, are created to live in peace and tranquility, not war as suggested by the theme of the papal visit to the UAE: Make me an instrument of your peace. 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! Conception of the Project This project is conceived with the premise of minimizing its impact on the environment, looking for the house to be perceived smaller than it really is. For this, the lower level of the house (which contains the social and service areas) is semi-buried and it is given a rustic and organic treatment, since it is the level that physically relates to nature, while in contrast, the upper level, the one that contains the bedrooms, is considered as a pure block (completely covered in wood) apparently simply resting on the ground. The first level (level of income to the project), which contains the bedrooms, is presented as a large wooden box resting on the ground. Taking advantage of the height from this level you have, the bedrooms become a sort of viewpoint from which you can see both the lagoon and the stream. The lower level contains the areas, social indoor, social terrace and service. While in the first level is the sleeping area. The project has the following spaces: 1. LOWER LEVEL FLOOR: Terrace, pool, living room, kitchen, hallway, staircase that goes up to the second level, guest bathroom, service hall, patio, tendal laundry, service bedroom with closet and bathroom. 2. FIRST LEVEL FLOOR: Staircase that comes from the lower level, master bedroom with closet and the main bathroom 1 and the main bathroom 2, bedroom 2 with closet and bathroom 2, bedroom 3 with closet and bathroom 3 built-in. A guest bedroom with closet and bathroom 4 built-in, living room and storage. Technical Information Architect: Martin Dulanto Sangalli Project manager: Miguel Gutierrez. Collaborators: Raul Montesinos, Jose Cepero, Gabriel Tanaka, Dora Gonzalez. Location: La Quebrada Condominium, Cieneguilla, Lima - Peru. Land area: 1871.34m2 Covered area on the first level: 171.95m2 Covered area in the second level: 200.18m2 Structural Engineer: Jorge Avendano Year of design: 2016 Photography: Renzo Rebagliati MadridRoger Torrent, the Speaker of the Catalan parliament, has denounced the State's "sick obsession" with "persecuting a political movement" after the Soto del Real prison authorities seized the prisoners yellow garments and any family photos showing yellow ribbons [a symbol of solidarity with the Catalan prisoners]. He also explained that some copies of El Jueves, a satyrical weekly, were confiscated."When we get to this sick obsession, the problem is not just for independence supporters, but for all democrats," he said in a statement to the media after visiting the seven male defendants. Purchase an online subscription to our website for $7.99 a month with automatic renewal. Each online subscription gives you full access to all of our newspaper websites and mobile applications. To cancel you may contact Customer Service @ 256-235-9253 or email JPAYNE@ANNISTONSTAR.COM For a limited time, for NEW SUBSCRIBERS ONLY a NEW ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION is just $59.99 for the first year. Existing customers do not qualify for the specials! After the first year, well automatically renew your subscription to continue your access at the regular price of $69.99 per year. Please note *Your Subscription will Automatically Renew unless you contact Customer Service To Cancel* The Samsung Galaxy S10e moniker has just been confirmed thanks to the Galaxy S10 series certification in Thailand. The Galaxy S10, S10+, and S10e got certified in Thailand, and while we knew that the first two devices are going to be named the S10 and S10+, the Galaxy S10es name has not been confirmed, until now. The Galaxy S10e is basically the rumored Lite model of the Galaxy S10 series, and it will be the most affordable Galaxy S10-branded smartphone that Samsung will announce on February 20. The Galaxy S10e will still ship with a flagship processor, but it will be a bit different than the rest of the Galaxy S10 series, but well talk about that in a minute. As far as the certification itself is concerned, were looking at certification by Thailands NBTC certification agency, and the Galaxy S10e has been certified under the SM-G970F/DS model number. The Galaxy S10 and S10+ have been certified under the SM-G973F/DS and SM-G975F/DS model numbers, and as you have probably already guessed, these are all dual SIM models (DS stands for Dual SIM). Advertisement Now, certification agencies do not usually release the name of the device that has been certified, just its model number, but in case of the NBTC, we got proper names as well, including the Galaxy S10e moniker, which is why it is clear now that Samsung opted for that name instead of the Galaxy S10 Lite. That makes sense, to a degree, as the Lite naming would suggest that the S10 is a mid-range phone, at least it did in the past for the S series, so Samsung wanted to implement a different approach. Galaxy S10e Info Thus Far The Galaxy S10e will be the most affordable Galaxy S10-branded smartphone, as already mentioned, and unlike the rest of the Galaxy S10 family, it will sport a flat display, at least based on rumors. In addition to its flat display, the phone will likely ship with a fullHD+ display, instead of a QHD+ one, though that part has not been confirmed. Advertisement The Galaxy S10e will include an OLED panel, though, and it will sport a display camera hole on the front, just like the regular Galaxy S10, as its camera hole will be included in the top-right corner of the display. The Galaxy S10e will include two cameras on the back, and it is rumored to sport a side-facing fingerprint scanner. This is also different from the rest of the Galaxy S10 series, as all other phones will ship with in-display fingerprint scanners. The Galaxy S10e will be fueled by either the Exynos 9820 or Snapdragon 855, depending on where you purchase the device. European and Indian variants of the phone will ship with the Exynos 9820, while the US and China models will include the Snapdragon 855 SoC. Android 9 Pie will come pre-installed on the device, along with Samsungs One UI. The Galaxy S10e is rumored to cost 749 in Europe, and the device will include 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage on the inside, if rumors are to be believed. It is also worth noting that it will include a 5.8-inch display, which will be smaller than the Galaxy S10s 6.1-inch and Galaxy S10+s 6.4-inch panels. The distinct rise of online share trading platforms in Australia has made it possible to buy and sell shares, as well as forex and various other commodities, down under. Today, there are more than 2,000 listed companies on the Australian stock market. This gives retail traders multiple opportunities to invest, not just on a yearly basis but on a daily basis too. One of the main reasons why financial trading in Australia has become so accessible is the proliferation of smartphones. As of 2017, almost a third of the global population owned a smartphone, up from 21% in 2014, according to data published by Ofcom. This rapid take-up of smartphone technology in recent years has helped encourage the development of native mobile trading apps. The upshot is that the number of retail traders worldwide not just in Australia has risen immeasurably since 2014. Advertisement In recent years, some of Australias biggest forex trading brokers can generate daily turnover that exceeds the total cash equities volume of the Australian Securities Exchange. The retail forex broking industry has reportedly doubled in size since 2007 and is now worth upwards of $380 billion. The reason why turnover among Australias largest brokers is so high is that the developers that work for these platforms have been beavering away to develop native software and applications that allow retail traders to research, execute and manage trades via smartphone and tablet devices. Spread betting and contracts for difference (CFD) provider IG created an Android app for Australia-based retail traders to help them trade thousands of markets on the go. This particular native app incorporates secure 256-bit SSL encryption technology to keep sensitive data safe from the prying eyes of cyber-criminals. SSL encryption ensures that lines of communication between online trading platforms and the retail traders themselves are encrypted at all times. The functionality potential of apps over other types of software means increased usability for traders. Native trading apps allow for setting up push notifications to avoid missing trading opportunities. Trading alerts can be created within these native apps to pinpoint strong market moves day and night. It doesnt matter whether youre out doing the weekly grocery shop, or youre sat at home making a cup of tea; within a few taps of your Android device youll be able to react fast and execute trades with just as much precision as the leading conventional trading software, such as MetaTrader 4 and 5. Advertisement Traditionally, retail traders relied on software such as MetaTrader 4 to provide them with candlestick graphs and various other forms of technical analyses to make an informed opinion on a markets short or long-term trend. However, these native apps for Android users have since made it possible to view such technical data on mobile devices too. Furthermore, they allow retail traders to keep track of fundamental analysis too based on live business news and key economic events. What will the future of financial trading technology look like? Advertisement Whichever technology you look to use to trade the financial markets in Australia, investors look like theyll have plenty to smile about if they purchase stocks on the ASX at the start of 2019. Returns are predicted to be at around the 7% mark over the next 12 months, having generated returns of around 15% during a bumper 2018. Google is now warning users that depend on the notification button found on nearly all of its sites that the button will be disappearing on March 7. The recently reported message appears in the drop-down shade hidden behind the button, relaying that fact along with a link to the features support page. After the impending date, users will need to depend on the page or service-specific notifications instead. More directly, users will need to navigate to the settings page for Hangouts Chat or Google Photos, in either the app or web version, to choose what notifications they want to receive. Those simply wont be provided browser-wide for Google account holders who are signed in after March 7. G Suite users still accessing Google+ will need to follow a similar process. The death of G+, Hangouts, and notifications Advertisement The timing of Googles decision to bring its notification widget to an end is most likely linked to the imminent death of two associated products. Google+ and Hangouts are each currently on the way out, so the feature would really only continue working as advertised for Google Photos. Google+ will cease to function for the average user as of April 2, just 26 days after the notifications button is removed. Hangouts will have a longer death and users will be transitioned to a new app, with the close-out expected to start in October. The latter app could continue working in some capacity until 2020, according to some reports but that hasnt been confirmed just yet. Interestingly, although the end of Googles social network is approaching, the apps usage increased in January. Thats in spite of the massive breach the services APIs suffered, reported last year more than a year after the vulnerability was discovered. Google+ suffered a second vulnerability in November that ultimately pushed its shutdown forward. Advertisement Hangouts is a more complicated shutdown since it wasnt necessarily subject to the same low user-count as Google+ or the same bugs. It is effectively still in use by general consumers but being relegated to G Suite users only. In fact, both Google+ and Hangouts will remain available to G Suite users following the shutdown, keeping the services live for business and enterprise customers. Business users will need to transition to Hangouts Chat and Meet from the classic version by some point in 2020. For the general user base, the app initially intended to replace Hangouts namely, Allo is being sunsetted as well. Its a mess anyway Advertisement Although it makes sense to eliminate a notification feature that only serves a single application that isnt a messaging application, it is still an indicator of how big of a mess Googles messaging platform has become. The search giant has continuously launched and removed applications serving that purpose, in addition to working toward better SMS messaging via new RCS standards that will help text messages function more similarly to a traditional chat app. Google has also worked to ensure wider cross-compatibility between text messaging and its Chrome browser. That includes efforts to allow text messaging between a smartphone and its Chrome operating system. None of the companys efforts automatically makes things easier for consumers who just want a chat service they can rely on. Germany wont allow Huawei to participate in its buildout of the fifth generation of mobile networks unless its provided with guarantees that the firm will vehemently guard its data. While speaking to reporters at Tokyo Keio University as part of her official visit to Japan, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the Chinese companys 5G ambitions wont go anywhere in Europes strongest economy unless Huawei is able to convince Berlin it wont simply hand the data to the [Chinese] state. The German leader did not elaborate on the matter in any meaningful way, though the wording of her remarks appears to imply her cabinet is currently considering a move similar to the one Australia made last summer telling Huawei it wont be considered a spying risk if it provides assurances it cannot deliver in any remotely feasible scenario. Advertisement An exercise in finger-pointing Huawei often described the very notion of such a scenario being possible as frivolous but the ruling communist party in the Far Eastern country established a regulatory framework that essentially forces domestic firms to participate in Beijings intelligence gathering or face crippling consequences. Huawei officials often argued the companys track record with cybersecurity is spotless as far as allegations of state-forced backdoors being present in its software are concerned, though the idea of such vulnerabilities potentially existing is alone enough for the firms telecommunications solutions to be blocked, according to numerous members of the Western intelligence community. Advertisement Proponents of the Chinese firm occasionally claim that the United States government is equally proactive in its efforts to gather user data from private companies, yet such attempts often end up in the court of law and are dismissed, as evidenced by numerous cases involving the likes of Google, Apple, and Microsoft. The Chinese court system gives no comparable examples so if Beijing is compelling private entities to surrender various information on their foreign customers, its doing so in complete silence. Chinas government and Huawei itself repeatedly argued the distrust faced by the latter in the West is a result of American propaganda trying to stifle competition and disbalance an otherwise level playing field. The other side of the argument never entertained those claims in a serious manner, ironically asserting China should open its wireless market to firms such as Nokia and Ericsson if its truly concerned about safekeeping the overall level of global competitiveness in the industry. From bad to worse Advertisement Huawei had a rough year in terms of international relations; following numerous (in)direct clashes with Washington, it entered a minor leadership crisis after its CFO Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada on December 1 after the DOJ requested for her to be detained due to allegations of financial fraud and embargo-related conspiracies. Late last month, the U.S. government publicized a 13-count indictment against Huawei which names Ms. Meng and two of the companys alleged satellites as defendants. At the same time, yet another wave of accusations concerning trade secret theft are being made against Huawei, adding to its already heavily troubled history of legal issues in the U.S. and a number of other Western countries. Cisco, Motorola, and T-Mobile are just some of the high-profile firms that previously filed IP lawsuits against Huawei. One such case recently even resulted in an unconventional sting operation helmed by the FBI and new litigation appears to be on the horizon. Advertisement With Ms. Meng the daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei currently fighting a U.S. extradition request meant to expose her to the possibility of receiving up to 30 years in federal prison, Huawei is in a rough spot despite its recent successes in the consumer electronics segment. Yet another piece of legislation proposed by the United States Congress is rather specifically aiming in the direction of ZTE, a state-owned company from China. Proudly and publicly sponsored by Republican Senators Susan Collins, Jerry Moran, and Marco Rubio, the bill also received support from Democratic Senators Mark Warner, Doug Jones, Chris Van Hollen, and Elizabeth Warren. While it lacks an actual name, the majority of the proposal appears to be based on another legislative initiative shot down by U.S. lawmakers last summer. Both drafts suggest swift and unconditional actions against ZTE should the firm find itself in any kind of trouble with the Commerce Department moving forward. Problems with the said agency are precisely what marked most of ZTEs last year, with the firm ending up on the verge of bankruptcy after its officials reportedly refused to cooperate with federal investigators probing their non-compliance with a 2017 settlement over the Chinese manufacturers violations of stateside trade sanctions placed on Iran and North Korea. Advertisement When at first you dont succeed, threaten again The original bill was introduced by a similar ideological mix of legislators in September but never reached the voting floor, almost certainly by design. President Trump made his position on the matter clear by then, directly ordering for ZTE to be cut some slack in exchange for a larger number of less crippling sanctions so as to gain some goodwill during Washingtons negotiations with Beijing over trade, the very same ones that continue to this date. The Shenzen-based electronics maker jumped at the opportunity and agreed to a broad range of concessions, including a fine amounting to about a billion dollars. Some high-ranking U.S. officials still threatened ZTE but were largely satisfied with the development. Regardless, the firm found it difficult to return to the U.S. market on an identical scale to the one employed before, especially given how its main foothold in the country was the incredibly competitive segment of entry-level Android handsets. Advertisement Just under a year later, ZTEs future is looking grimmer than it did in recent years; the company already appears to have lost a significant foothold in the entry-level market across the U.S. and things werent looking great even before last summers bill seeking to put an end to its was reintroduced on Capitol Hill; several weeks back, the firm was hit by another wave of scrutiny over allegations that it (once again) violated U.S. export regulations pertaining to Venezuela. Relationship status: waging a tariff war, so you could say its complicated Shortly thereafter, the U.S. brought charges against Chinese Huawei and is currently trying to have its CFO extradited from Canada for similar reasons, alleging violations of the Commerce Departments export control regulations. Coupled with the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China, the current state of affairs doesnt appear to be anywhere near conducive to ZTEs speedy return to the American mobile market. Advertisement That isnt to say the bill re-introduced in the Senate earlier this week is likely to go anywhere; the Trump administration appears to be done with using ZTE as leverage and is now more focused on Huawei as far as its plans for the ongoing trade talks with Chinas communist government are concerned. Trump's SOTU reveals the angry ladies of the left Trump's SOTU speech was wonderful, factual and optimistic. It was a celebration of America and the successes of the last two years. No one would know it by the visible response of the ladies in white (allegedly an homage to women's suffrage), the mostly newly elected Democrat congresswomen. The only part of the speech they sincerely applauded was themselves more women in Congress. For most of the rest of the speech, they sat on their hands, looking mad (Mazie Hirono), glum (all of them), petulant and dismissive (Kamala Harris), bored and studiously disinterested (Nancy Pelosi). Pelosi, along with Schumer, the rudest person in Congress ever, seemed to be masticating something throughout the entire speech. Her bizarre mouth movements are as annoying as they are distracting. These angry women could not have better demonstrated who and what the Democratic Party is today. As many have observed, this is not the party of JFK. It is the party of Lenin, Stalin, and Hitler. Those women could not even stand to oppose late-term, post-birth abortion. As Planned Parenthood has been for years, these Democrat women are now in Hitler territory. Next they will be supporting the euthanasia of the elderly. Obamacare tried to do exactly that. That is the slippery slope they have willingly created for themselves. Trump's speech forced them to reveal their callous, murderous agenda for all to see. It was a pathetic, un-American spectacle, those women. In the end, they are about one thing, one thing only: rage. Rage at whom and what? Who knows? But it cannot be the country. Look at where they are, the success they've attained. Each of them is an example of the opportunity, freedom, and equality that only this nation provides, and still they are angry. They still want to abort fully formed infants, tax the rich into oblivion, and impose Venezuelan-style socialism on us all. Is their fury because they want the full legal right to kill full-term infants if convenient for the mother? Can that be true? Can they not accept legal abortion up to twelve weeks? Apparently not. Trump's reference to Virginia's attempted legalization of post-birth abortion and that state's governor's willingness to let a full-term born infant die was revelatory. The ladies in white sat on their hands. The Democratic Party supports infanticide; there is no longer any doubt about that. If Democrats' agenda were to be legalized across the nation, we would be sliding toward the policies that Hitler introduced in 1930s Germany. How can these women not see this? Or do they see it and agree with it? The magic moment, among many in the speech, was when Trump said, "This will never be a socialist country." The applause was the loudest of the evening, which was a relief. The socialists in Congress are a noisy bunch, but they are a decided minority who will never win the rest of us over. But the ladies in white could not stand. Nor could they stand for the people whose families have been murdered by illegal aliens. There can be no doubt that the left values illegal aliens over American citizens. They know they need dependent voters to stay in power. They are completely without shame, and yet they have power over us all. This SOTU may be a tipping point. It should be a tipping point. It was that good. Trump is a fearless man and a great President. Tonight, he put the Democrats on their back foot. It is where they belong; they do not have America's best interest at heart. Everyone who watched now knows that for sure. Three reasons why we need a EuroAmerican male month First, simply for equal time. February is Black History Month. March is Women's History Month. April is Black Women's History Month. May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. June is LGBT Pride Month. September is Hispanic Heritage Month. October is LGBT History Month. November is Native American Heritage Month. Most or all of these history-heritage months have been celebrated by American presidents, including President Trump, with annual presidential proclamations for decades. The one group conspicuously missing? EuroAmerican men, who as a group have made foundational contributions to Western and global civilization. It's fitting that the many achievements and contributions of EuroAmerican men be similarly recognized and celebrated with a dedicated month and a corresponding proclamation. Which month? Black History Month grounds itself in the February birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, author of the Emancipation Proclamation. Women's History Month developed from International Women's Day, first celebrated in March 1911. Hispanic Heritage Month derives from the September independence days of nine Latin American countries. And so on for other history-heritage months and their founding touchstones. By analogy, July would be the perfect month to dedicate as EuroAmerican Male Celebration Month. Not only is July unclaimed (a plus) as a history-heritage month, but it also commemorates two notable achievements of EuroAmerican men: the United States' birth on July 4 and Bastille Day on July 14. On July 4, 1776, fifty-six delegates to the Second Continental Congress all EuroAmerican men now remembered as the Founders ratified the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. Ever since, Americans have celebrated July 4 as our nation's birthday. Thirteen years later, on July 14, 1789, Parisian republicans stoked the French Revolution and its ideals of liberte, egalite, fraternite by overthrowing King Louis XVI's Bastille fortress. The French celebrate July 14 as their nation's birthday. Both events commend July as the ideal month to dedicate to celebrating the myriad contributions of EuroAmerican men to Western and global history, culture, knowledge, science, and technology. Second, the nation needs a EuroAmerican Male Celebration Month to counter the clear monopoly the left holds on establishing and commemorating history-heritage months. These months are not gratuitous, as the left knows. They appear every year with calendrical certainty throughout the nation in workplaces and schools, K-12 through college, where they're used for training and instruction. They generate presidential proclamations. They're influential cultural and political vehicles. Conservative citizens and parents, especially of school-age boys from EuroAmerican backgrounds, merit a EuroAmerican Male Celebration Month to offset the left's pedagogical monopoly and to fill a glaring gap: there is no comparable month for celebrating the valuable contributions of EuroAmerican men. Third, the nation needs a EuroAmerican Male Celebration Month to highlight, celebrate, and defend the distinctive achievements of Western civilization as contributed by EuroAmerican men from the left's resolve to tear them down as "white patriarchal oppression." America's established heroes (Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, many others), its founding documents (the Declaration, the Constitution), Christianity as the West's religious heritage these are a few of our cultural hallmarks the left vows to jettison and replace. Likewise, the Western canon of enduring art, literature, and music is repudiated as "white male oppression," as are the STEM skills and methods that enable scientific and technological progress. A EuroAmerican Male Celebration Month would in its way oppose the left's cultural razing and uphold the estimable hallmarks of Western civilization. As with other history-heritage months, a presidential proclamation would be the appropriate action for marking EuroAmerican Male Celebration Month as a national observance and for honoring the substantial contributions of an omitted, though significant American heritage. EuroAmerican men and their allies everywhere can work from this moment forward to achieve a celebratory month equal to those celebrating the heritages of other Americans. In the absence of a presidential proclamation this July, proponents can still dedicate the month to celebrating the extraordinary achievements and contributions of EuroAmerican men to U.S., Western, and global civilization. At the same time, they can continue to work for a formal proclamation in the future if not this year, perhaps next. Dr. James Young is an independent conservative commentator. His academic affiliations include Wisconsin and Yale. The complex flows of ions and electrons inside the Sun produce sunspots that average about ten times the size of the Earth and have magnetic fields that are ten thousand times stronger than the Earth's magnetic field. Sunspots were first observed by Galileo in the early 1600s and have been scientifically tracked as 11-year cycles since 1755. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center, using NASA's Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics satellite, conducts Sunspot Number Progression counts, measuring F10.7cm Radio Flux and the A p Index geomagnetic activity, and its SABER carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitric oxide (NO) instruments gage infrared solar output in Earth's top atmospheric level. As the Earth was completing Solar Cycle 24, sunspot counts and magnetic activity were expected cyclically to fall from a high of over 100 in 2014 to a low of zero in 2022. But the sunspot count plunged to zero in mid-2018 and has remained substantially lower than forecast for Solar Cycle 25. The data could indicate onset of a super-cycle "Maunder Minimum." The last Maunder Minimum period from 1645 to 1715 was a period with 7 percent less sunspots and global cooling, referred to as the "Little Ice Age." The Little Ice Age altered atmospheric circulation patterns across northern Europe, resulting in widespread crop failures, famine, disease, and increased child mortality. London's Thames River froze over most years during the period. Martin Mlynczak of NASA's Langley Research Center reported in September: "High above Earth's surface, near the edge of space, our atmosphere is losing heat energy. If current trends continue, it could soon set a Space Age record for cold." The Swiss National Science Foundation also published in early 2017 a research paper by the Physical Meteorological Observatory Davos, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, ETH Zurich, and the University of Bern that warned that particle and electromagnetic "radiative forcing" could cause Maunder Minimum low temperatures in "in 50 to 100 years' time." The United Nations' International Panel on Climate Change has been the major "denier" of cyclical solar activity "forcing" climate change, because it directly challenges the supposedly settled science that "anthropogenic" releases of fossil fuel CO2 is the exclusive cause of global warming that threatens destruction of all living creatures. As the evidence of solar forcing has mounted, the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change argues that climate model simulations of the period suggest that multiple factors, "particularly volcanic activity in the northern hemisphere," caused the Little Ice Age. But the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction issued an October warning that the Ring of Fire's 452 volcanoes along the edge the Pacific Ocean edge that cause 90 percent of earthquakes and tsunamis had entered their 100-year active phase. The Polar Vortex is a center of low pressure that typically spins near the North Pole. But in January, it dipped down to cause 22 hypothermia deaths in the U.S. and at least ten in Poland. Eleven U.S. states and Poland recorded temperatures lower than minus 14 degrees Fahrenheit. Chicago reported frostbite cases after just 60 seconds' exposure. Winter Storm Lucien that brought freezing rainfall and flooding across California, then dumped three feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, is forecast to dump another 12 to 18 inches of freezing rain and sleet across the Midwest over the next three days. Dr. Robert Hartwig, president of the International Insurance Institute, said, "Severe winter weather is the third-largest cause of insured catastrophe losses, after hurricanes and tornadoes." Based on a similar Polar Vortex experience, he warns that U.S. insured losses from severe 2018-2019 winter will likely exceed $2.5 billion by year's end. We have an answer, at least for the moment: they aren't. I had planned to write about the strikingly impressive strategy of the U.S. and its allies to send large shipments of aid to starving Venezuelans instead of Marines, all in a bid to persuade Venezuela's military to finally come over to support President Juan Guaido and effectively boot the detested socialist dictatorship. The idea was to get the Venezuelan military to allow U.S. and other neighborly aid shipments through to help the starving people, which would in fact require defying the Maduro dictatorship. Here's a report from AFP: Venezuelan military officers blocked a bridge on the border with Colombia ahead of an anticipated humanitarian aid shipment, as opposition leader Juan Guaido stepped up his challenge to President Nicolas Maduro's authority. Earlier Tuesday the opposition-dominated National Assembly had warned the armed forces, which make up much of Maduro's power base, not to cross a 'red line' by blocking aid. Guaido, who proclaimed himself acting president on January 23 sparking an international crisis claims that up to 300,000 people face death if the aid is not delivered. 'You know there's a red line, you know well there's a limit, you know that medicines, food and medical supplies are that limit,' lawmaker Miguel Pizarro said in a message to the military. Maduro, though, said humanitarian aid would be the forerunner of a US-led invasion, insisting that 'no one will enter, not one invading soldier.' Venezuelan military officers used a tanker truck and huge shipping container to block access to the Tienditas bridge, which links Cucuta, Colombia to Urena, Venezuela. See it on Twitter: The Bolivarian National Guard have blocked the Puente Binacional Tienditas bridge between Venezuela and Colombia. This is the bridge that Colombia planned to send aid into Venezuela over. A Water Tank has been placed across the bridge #Venezuela #Colombia pic.twitter.com/lpV9MVZlCO CNW (@ConflictsW) February 5, 2019 The dictatorship's military leadership has actually blockaded entry of aid of which the U.S. is sending a gargantuan shipload, with other nations pitching in as well. Canada, for instance, has pledged $53 million. It's strange stuff, given that many dictatorships keep themselves afloat through the vehicle of aid. Maduro sees a threat to his own power and has justified his disgusting move by claiming that Venezuela is not a "country of beggars," a false statement if there ever was one, given the presence of Venezuelan beggars in every large city of Latin America. It's fine with Maduro that it's a nation of starvers. Venezuelans on average have lost an average of 24 pounds a year per person, and the poverty rate under this socialism has soared to 90%. The poor who are protesting Maduro in Venezuela's cities are largely motivated by hunger. At least 3 million Venezuelans have fled for their lives, with many estimates much higher Yet, in its socialism, the Venezuelan regime make a big virtue-signaling claim to be all in for providing for the poor at the expense of the "rich." What a hollow claim that is as aid is turned away. It shows one thing about socialism, and one thing alone: That socialism is, and always has been, all about retaining power. Now we see the first move crude and hamfisted, with bridges blocked by tankers. Sounds like a regime doing its darnedest to hold together. Maduro can claim that his military has obeyed him by blocking the aid, but other news reports tell a different story - that soldiers are deserting him in droves. This stunt may not be the last we hear of this. War crimes or human rights charges are now a distinct possibility for Venezuela's military loyalists once the regime falls. And a story like this is a propaganda victory for the U.S. and its allies of the most significant sort, making Maduro's defenders appear to be even more indifferent to the plight of the poor than they already are. Where's Ilhan Omar on this one? Where's Vladimir Putin? Funny how they get silent on stuff like this. The pressure is still on, and soldiers are still deserting. If this doesn't work, the Venezuelans and their allies in the West are going to try something else. Is it now illegal to be Republican? Around six o'clock in the morning on January 25, FBI agents armed with police-grade M-16 rifles arrested a senior man in his pajamas. The arrest was part of an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, except Roger Stone's arrest had nothing to do with Russian interference. If an investigation that has yet to serve its purpose had never begun, Stone would not have been arrested. There are six indictments of former Trump advisers over the last two-year period, and not a single one stems from the purpose the investigation was formed. Is the purpose of the investigation Russia's meddling at all, or are the investigators acting on behalf of the Democratic Party? At this point, are the FBI and DOJ just paramilitary crusaders fighting political opposition? Democrats may not have a candidate able to beat Trump, but they have government agencies assisting DNC campaigning, and who needs grassroots when you have badges, gunpowder, and brass? Making the arrest of Roger Stone with terrorizing force was one thing, but tipping off CNN so the network could film it in all of its Minister of Propaganda-esque theater sends an even clearer message. "If you're thinking about supporting Trump's reelection in 2020, you could appear in the next filming of The Eternal GOP." Between the makeshift FISA warrants and digging up dirt on President Donald Trump for the last four years, Democrats cannot hope to uncover anything new about the man that they can use against him when they pit their favorite DNC celebrity against him in 2020. Everything they had, they tried, and none was enough to beat him in 2016, but by enacting their own Nuremberg Laws that portray Republicans as criminals, they can scare off potential powerful supporters and advisers from Trump's reelection campaign. With this modus operandi, it's no wonder that the average Democratic voter sees these indictments as a justification to continue irrationally hating everything the president does. Democrats get to point to them and say, "Republicans are so corrupt that they are arrested by the trainload!" They're unable to recognize the redefined role of the FBI and DOJ, which is giving them the broad powers and ability to be their own judicial review. Democrats celebrated the rifle-drawn arrest of a political adversary, and that should terrify you. When fired FBI director James Comey exonerated Hillary Clinton of her direct criminal activity, Democratic voters no doubt felt as if they and the FBI were on the same winning team, even if the agency is supposed to remain apolitical. So when a GOP member is in audience with any Russian, it is much easier to proclaim the meeting as "influencing politics." Yet when the DNC singlehandedly funds the Russian dossier that began an investigation into a democratically elected president, it can just be called opposition research. Michael Flynn, George Papadopoulos, Paul Manafort, Rick Gates, Michael Cohen, and Roger Stone may be guilty of lying to the FBI or "obstructing investigations," but no person related to President Trump has been accused of meddling with Russians in the 2016 election. Their interference with Mueller's investigation led to indictments and guilty pleas in much the same way that undesirables were always found guilty in the basement of Buchenwald. The Nazi Party came into power in Germany in January of 1933. By the following summer, it was illegal to belong to any other political party. If someone was in violation of these laws, Kripo and Gestapo police would show up just before dawn and raid their home and arrest them, perhaps while they were still in their pajamas. Connect with Taylor Day on Twitter @TABYTCHI. Freezing out the climate charlatans As I started writing this on the balmy, increasingly socialist left coast on January 27th, the U.S. media were full of dire predictions of a catastrophic cold snap in the Midwest and New England. The same day, in Brussels, 70,000 people (35,000 of them clueless schoolchildren) demonstrated with slogans like Winter is not coming anymore, Nature grows, capitalism blows and Stop denying the earth is dying. Alas, Winter did come to both the Midwest and Europe and did so with a vengeance. At least 21 people have died of hypothermia in the U.S. so far, and at least 10 in Poland. Temperatures dipped to a hellish minus 23 degrees Fahrenheit (-30.5 Celsius) in Chicago, and minus 14 degrees Celsius (7 F) in Poland. Eleven U.S. states recorded temperatures lower than 14 F, or below those measured north of the Arctic Circle in Barrow, Alaska. More to the point, as Powerlineblogs John Hinderaker tells us in a perceptive piece, the deep freeze affecting his home state of Minnesota has much to tell us about the futility of green energy as the putative panacea of global warming doom. It turns out that as Minnesotans were freezing, renewable energy was nowhere to be found. The wind wasnt blowing and in the entire MISO area (15 states in the Midwest and the South) it generated a measly 4% of the energy and operated at a miserable 24% of installed capacity, prompting Hinderaker to ask pointedly why do we need wind farms? Why indeed? To answer this question, it is worth delving into some of the other figures Hinderaker provides. The MISO area energy is supplied by coal (45%), natural gas (26%), nuclear power (13%), and imports from Canada. Imagine for a minute how many would have died if coal was no longer in use, as the left wants, and people had to rely on renewable energy for 50% of their needs as the state authorities are planning by 2030? As it was, 66% of the homes in Minnesota were heated by natural gas. These suffered brownouts, forcing the Xcel Energy utility to advise customers to set their thermostats at 60 degrees and not to use hot water. And last I looked, Minnesota was not in some Godforsaken corner of Siberia but in the United States of America. While all this was going on, global warming zealots, petrified that people might start doubting their propaganda, immediately jumped in to assure us that extreme cold is a natural part of global warming. There is no way to disprove something that has never been proven to begin with, but there are nonetheless some valuable lessons to draw from the cold snap. There is, for starters, the ever more persuasive evidence that global warming and the various insinuations of the IPCC are little more than a deliberate, orchestrated deception. A recent research paper provides detailed evidence of the ridiculous efforts by scientists to decide something as simple as whether a new ice age was coming or we were all going to die because of global warming. Nor are the American people told of the potential cost of the proposed solutions. Signing the Kyoto Treaty alone would have cost the American taxpayer several hundred billion dollars per annum. This paper does not even include the absurd claims of the environmental stars, such as Paul Ehrlich, Obamas science advisor John Holdren, and the Club of Rome, who have been completely wrong about everything they have ever predicted. There is a good English word for people like that. They are called charlatans. Alex Alexiev is chairman of the Center for Balkan and Black Sea Studies (cbbss.org). He could be reached at alexievalex4@gmail.com. The Washington Post has revealed that Warren, who said in the past that she never used her fake Indian heritage to further her career, used a registration card for the Texas bar in 1986 where she described herself as "American Indian." Howie Carr of the Boston Herald has got it exactly right: "Stick a fork in cold crab omelette the fake Indian is all done now." This, along with a DNA test showing a minuscule amount of Indian blood, should be enough to sink her candidacy for the Democratic nomination for president before it even starts. She speak-um with forked tongue one time too many, and now The Washington Post, of all places, has scalped her. The smoke signals went out last night as early as 1986 she was lying on a Texas bar application that she was "American Indian." Lieawatha admit-um she talk with forked tongue, only she use white-eye language, calling it "furthering confusion." No confusion anywhere. You are an utter fraud. Fake Indian, you will have many moons to reflect on your serial lies. Never will you be great white father. Never live-um in white tee-pee. Heap big fraud since buffalo roam the plain, blue-eyed squaw lie about DNA, to make-um more wampum. So the Boston Globe story last fall claiming she'd never tried to pass as an honest injun, was as phony as a Kevin Cullen column. But hey, it's the Globe right, Mike Barnicle? Jason Blair? Patricia X. Smith? Why do you think the fake Indian went to a fake news rag to print her buffalo excrement? Elizabeth Warren cannot credibly go to the voters and make a case for "justice" or "fairness" with these allegations. And justice and fairness are going to be the buzzwords of the Democratic primary race. At institutions where affirmative action is a god to be worshiped, she used her "Native American" fake heritage to advance her career. Washington Examiner: "The date coincided with her first listing as a "minority" by the Association of American Law Schools. Warren reported herself as minority in the directory every year starting in 1986 when AALS first included a list of minority law professors to 1995, when her name dropped off the list. Warren also had her ethnicity changed from white to Native American in December 1989 while working at the University of Pennsylvania. The change came two years after she was hired there." In 1995, just a few months after Warren began working at Harvard Law School, she gave the go-ahead for the school to list her ethnicity as Native American. "Harvard listed Warren as Native American in its federal affirmative action forms from 1995 to 2004," the Post reported. The euphemisms by Democratic operatives in the media to describe her fraud are amazing: The registration card is also notable because knowledge of its existence comes after the senator released a stash of documents last summer that she said proved she didn't try to use ethnicity as a means for professional advancement. Oddly enough, Warren's stash didn't include the registration card, which NBC News host Willie Geist characterized Tuesday as the "definition of cultural appropriation." Um, no it's the definition of fraud. Warren perpetrated a fraud upon institutions she worked for, as well as the American people. If a direct link could be found to her getting a job, or a promotion as a result of her "minority" status, at the very least, she would be exposed to civil suits from Harvard and any other entity where she was employed. Warren defends herself by claiming that her family had told her all her life she was part Indian. So because her grammy told her those high cheekbones she has come from some distant Indian ancestor, we're supposed to excuse her defrauding Harvard and the Texas bar? Not going to happen. "I can't go back," she told the Post. "But I am sorry for furthering confusion on tribal sovereignty and tribal citizenship and harm that resulted." There are many Democrats who may wish to ignore the fraud a mindset we've seen dozens of times over the years. Ted Kennedy was the "Lion of the Senate." The fact that he was a serial abuser and rapist never quite seemed to matter much. "Yes, but her heart is in the right place" will be a refrain from what remains of Warren's campaign until the reality of her diminished position hits her and she drops out. 'Russian Interference' Didn't Happen It is important to repeat that there was no Russian interference in the 2016 elections. It was invented by the DNC, Hillarys campaign, and the Obama administration. The so-called Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA), a declassified version of which was published on Jan. 6, 2017, was cooked under the control of James Clapper with the collaboration of John Brennan and James Comey. The alleged interference contained two internet components. The big one was hacking. Podestas email account and the DNC and DCCC networks were indeed hacked. The DNC network was hacked many times. In April 2016, when Trump emerged as the expected Republican nominee, the DNC and the Obama administration started a joint attempt to spy on his campaign. In late April, the DNC suddenly discovered the hacking of its network, which it had been denying for at least nine months in response to the FBIs warnings. Instead of fixing it using its own network administrators or hiring a reputable cybersecurity contractor, they hired CrowdStrike, known for making unsubstantiated claims attributing network breaches to Russian and Chinese intelligence, and CrowdStrike incorrectly attributed the hack to Russian intelligence. For more than a month, the DNC then allowed what they thought was Russian intelligence to collect data from its network, while simultaneously rebuffing the FBIs requests to help or to collect forensic evidence. The DNC probably intended to leak some of the collected data to the Trump campaign and then accuse Trump of colluding with Russia. The Democrats' thinking and internal activities were accidentally revealed in recent books by their allies. The DNC also asked the Ukrainian government to "investigate" Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. The FBI apparently took part in that investigation. In June 2016, the FBI signed an evidence-sharing agreement with the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, and within two months a NY Times headlines announced that Secret Ledger in Ukraine Lists Cash for Donald Trumps Campaign Chief. (Later, that ledger was called a forgery. And a couple of months ago, a Ukrainian court ruled that those NACB activities were meddling in the U.S. elections.) But the hacking/leaking part of the scheme failed. The DNC's dirty laundry was published by WikiLeaks without the participation of either the Russian government or the Trump campaign. The DNC decided to blame Russia and Trump anyway. Through CrowdStrike, the DNC gave the FBI whatever data and information supported its false attribution, and then it destroyed the remaining forensic evidence on June 10-11 (CrowdStrike called that expelling the intruder, but a third-party description of the results of that activity is more consistent with the destruction of evidence hypothesis). Then the DNC had Steele insert the allegation of Russian intel hacking in collusion with Trump into his report: "TRUMP associate admits Kremlin behind recent appearance of DNC e-mails on WikiLeaks, as means of maintaining plausible deniability". The FBI was receiving Steele reports from July 5. The second and smaller component of the alleged Russian interference was purported IRA (a St. Petersburg troll farm) activity on social media. It mostly consisted of a purchase of $100k of Facebook ads. Sounds like chump change for Russian intelligence. Worse, about half these ads ran after the elections. Almost all the other ads ran more than four months before the elections and not in the battleground states. But the biggest mistake that Ivan made was paying for the ads in rubles! Can any sane person believe that this was part of a Russian intelligence operation? The congressional Democrats believe it. The MSM believes it. All this is nonsense, but Democrats use this nonsense to pressure Google, Facebook, and Twitter to deplatform conservatives, and analysis of Russian social media activity became a cottage industry. Many people who dont believe in any Trump/Russia collusion still believe in the Russian interference from which Trump benefitted. Because this position is only half-true, it is hard to defend. Trump correctly rejected the DNC allegations that it had been hacked by the Russian state. Since July 2016, Trump has been correctly saying that the hacker might be a 400-pound person and pointing out the FBIs failure to visit the crime scene -- the DNC -- or to collect forensic evidence from its network (more than one server). After the Trump-Putin summit, sabotaged by Muellers indictment of the alleged GRU, the bloodthirsty MSM whipped up a frenzy in which Democrats and RINOs forced Trump to backpedal on the alleged Russian interference. Eppur si muove. Putin didnt have reason to aid Trump or to harm Hillary. Any Democrat was better for Putin than any Republican. Putin didnt have any grudge against Hillary for anything that happened in 2010-2011. On the other hand, there was no sympathy between Putin and Trump. Hillary was expected to win anyway, and she is vengeful. Any attempt to harm Hillary would have cost Putin and Russia a lot. So if one believes that Putin interfered in the 2016 elections to aid Trump and to harm Hillary, as the ICA claims, collusion is the most natural explanation. There is no evidence of collusion. To a believer, that suggests that the collusion was sophisticated, making it more sinister. The explanation that the alleged Russian interference was aimed to sow division is not convincing, and it still undermines Trump because the Left have projected onto Trump their own actions. National cybersecurity is the biggest casualty of the Russian interference conspiracy theory. To support the Russian interference hoax, the FBI, CIA, DHS, and ODNI had to accept false CrowdStrike-style attribution of hacking incidents to imaginary state-sponsored threat groups. The tech industry, having embraced the resistance and seeing more money in misattributing hacking incidents performed by individuals to powerful state actors, used the ICA as justification for that. Since 2015, Google Capital led or participated in three investment rounds, providing CrowdStrike $400M. Microsoft has its Defending Democracy program, which both raises alarm about the Russian interference myth and rates fake news media as credible. Obviously, the incorrect attribution of network breaches leads to incorrect solutions, just as an incorrect medical diagnosis leads to the wrong treatment. All that leaves U.S. cyberspace defenseless. Even discussing how to protect it is hard, in part because any practical measures for protection would interfere with Big Techs open borders business model. The real technical cybersecurity community, to which I once belonged, concurs that there is no evidence that the DNC hacking was done by Russia, but those people must keep their mouths shut. Google, Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft, and Apple have created a totalitarian dystopia : they know everything about everybody in the tech industry, and they can put any software or internet company out of business faster than one spells InfoWars. The Russian interference narrative is also used to suppress and smear conservatives speaking through social media, sometimes by labeling us Russian bots. Democratic leadership encourages that behavior. Leo Goldstein is a veteran of the computer software and internet industry. His website has more original information and analysis on cyber-security, the DNC leaks, and Mueller investigation. Northams endorsement of infanticide is another matter. That gesture demands not just an apology but also a full-throated confession, self-flagellation, resignation, and a life long begging of Gods forgiveness. Ralph Northam, governor, at least for the moment, of the Commonwealth of Virginia, should stop apologizing. To clarify, he should at least stop apologizing for the photo in his 1984 medical school yearbook photo showing one person in blackface standing next to another in Ku Klux Klan regalia. For the moment, though, lets stick to the offending photo. For those who are young and snowflaky, let us put the photo in perspective. It was taken near the tail end of what we might nostalgically call the Age of Irreverence. We might trace the beginning of that age to the release of Stanley Kubricks spoof on nuclear war Dr. Strangelove, a film released and much praised in 1964. Other highlights of the era include the Mel Brookss 1967 Nazi-spoof, the Producers, Tom Wolfes flaming 1970 satire, Radical Chic & Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers, Brookss 1974 classic Blazing Saddles, the emergence of the crypto-conservative National Lampoon in 1970 and its stepchild, Saturday Night Live in 1975. The era continued at least until the publication of Tom Wolfes scathing take on urban politics in 1987, Bonfire of the Vanities. Brooks has admitted that he could not have made Blazing Saddles today. Characters freely use the n-word, tell rape jokes and punch horses. Audiences at the time realized Brooks was making case against racism. Young audiences today would be storming out of the theater even before Slim Pickens told his workers to stop jumping around like a bunch of Kansas City f-----s!. (As a resident of Kansas City, I resemble that remark.) The other cultural products of that age -- Pat, anyone? -- would face similar resistance. During the Age of Irreverence, young people like Northam used the occasion of Halloween to tweak, to shock, to step out of oneself for an evening and be mischievous. I know this from experience. Married to a university professor, we traveled in circles at the time that were overwhelming liberal, racially diverse, and precociously gay, even trans. Halloween parties in this era, among this crowd, were highly competitive. I recall one year my wife and I attended a Halloween party with our theater friends in which we would have been counted as underdogs in the best costume contest. Several of these people were professional costumers. A few arrived in extravagant drag, including one fellow who came as the rare 69 (in heels) bride, in full bridal regalia to be sure. That year my wife had an inspiration. She came as Jackie Kennedy on the day of the assassination. She found a perfect pink suit and pillbox hat and covered it with red dye and dyed sponge chunks. Offensive? Yes, that was the point. Mixing metaphors, I came as the then new Polish Pope, John Paul II. No Polish joke was left unturned. I wore a bowling shirt over an actual bishops regalia, covered my bowling ball with glitter, and carried a cassette playing Polka music. I should add, by the way, that I am Catholic, was and remain a huge fan of John Paul II, and headed up my blocks childrens crusade for JFK in 1960. Even today, I still get a little verklempt when I see images of John Kennedy. Despite the competition, we thought we had a chance to win. Our hearts sank when we saw the opposition. A young gay friend of ours came as Ugandas murderous despot Idi Amin, in blackface of course, wearing an outfit that appeared to have been robbed from Amins wardrobe. His friend came as a perfectly turned-out Adolf Hitler. He was goose-stepping all over the place, stealing votes from us with every Sieg Heil. We somehow won by a nose and are still congratulating ourselves. I cannot say I am innocent of blackface myself. As a child, I dressed one Halloween as Aunt Jemima. No one took offense. I did not have to use shoe polish as Northam claimed. Five and Dimes sold blackface makeup. In the mid-80s, I made my second appearance in blackface. A Nigerian friend had given me a full-length dashiki. My wife crocheted a near perfect set of dangling cornrows, and I applied the blackface bought at my neighborhood Five and Dime. With sunglasses and a tape playing, Superstition, I won best of show at every party I attended. Stevie Wonder was a hit! I suspect I was the only Reagan voter at many of these parties. That said, I am confident that if a couple had come to one such party with one partner in blackface and the other in a Ku Klux Klan outfit, that duo would have given me a run for my money. The partygoers would have appreciated the outrageous irony of it all. Yes, of course, Idi Amin, Adolf Hitler, and the Ku Klux Klan are bad. That was the point. In 1967, Mel Brooks understood that the best way to defeat the evil that was Nazi Germany was with humor. In 2019, the left has no sense of humor. Comedians, such as they are, have become fawning court jesters in the corridors of power. Irreverent humor lives on in South Park, Colorado, but almost no place else. The right makes a major strategic error by honoring the lefts rules. Progressives demand Northams resignation only to preserve race as a weapon to be used against the right. As much as Northam deserves a public burning for his racial hypocrisy, conservatives should not be the ones lighting the matches. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) presents itself as a Muslim civil liberties organization and has been careful to condemn domestic terror incidents like these. The Ohio branches of CAIR (Protecting Civil Rights. Fighting Bigotry. Promoting Tolerance.) have dutifully followed CAIR-Nationals example , working hard to sanitize their image. But CAIR-Columbuss choice of speakers at its annual fundraiser this past Saturday, February 2, shows that CAIR-Ohio is no more serious about fighting bigotry and promoting tolerance than the national branch -- which has been identified by an FBI agent testified in federal court as a front for the terrorist group Hamas . Of all 50 states, Ohio has been one of the national hotspots for Islamist terrorism since 9/11. In 2016, Ohio State University was the site of an ISIS-inspired terror attack, and in January, investigators arrested a Muslim convert who was planning a synagogue shooting in Toledo. Keynoting the CAIR-Columbus banquet was prominent imam, Johari Abdul-Malik -- who, though he has been featured in a 2009 State Department video on Eid in America, and asked to deliver the opening prayer for the Virginia House of Delegates, has openly expressed support for radical Islamist ideas. Abdul-Maliks involvement in both the State Department video and the Virginia House opening prayer were both met with controversy. In addition, not only have Imam Abdul-Maliks longtime association with highly questionable organizations come under fire, but there has been publicity surrounding his own extremist statements. Remarkably, in a 2001 speech to the Islamic Association of Palestine (IAP), a now-defunct sister organization of CAIR, he reportedly passed off his support for these terror attacks as a sign of moderation: I am gonna teach you now. You can blow up bridges, but you cannot kill people who are innocent on their way to work. You can blow up power supplies the water supply, you can do all forms of sabotage and let the world know that we are doing it like this because they have a respect for the lives of innocent people. It should be noted that sharing the platform with Imam Abdul-Malik at the CAIR-Columbus fundraiser was former IAP official and now CAIR executive director Nihad Awad, who was personally named unindicted co-conspirator in the largest terrorism financing trial in American history. Equally problematic have been Abdul-Maliks predictions of Islamic supremacy in America: Alhamdullilah [Praise to Allah] and we will live, will see the day when Islam, by the grace of Allah, will become the dominant way of life I'm telling you don't take it for granted because Allah is increasing this din [religion] in your lifetime. Alhamdullilah [Praise to Allah] that soon, soon before Allah closes our eyes for the last time, you will see Islam move from being the second largest religion in America that's where we are now to being the first religion in America. These comments were delivered during a November 2004 sermon at the Dar al-Hijrah mosque in the Washington D.C. area where Abdul-Malik served as the longtime director of outreach. To say that Dar al-Hijrahs reputation is problematic would be an understatement. As Ive written previously, Dar al-Hijrah has seen a long line of convicted terrorists come through its doors over the past two decades, including several of the 9/11 hijackers. Also among the former attendees at the mosque was Fort Hood killer, Major Nidal Hasan. For that and among other reasons, the Obama administration came under fire when it was reported that the U.S. Census Bureau was renting office space from the mosque to the tune of $500,000 annually. One of Abdul-Maliks predecessors at the mosque was Anwar al-Awlaki, an al-Qaeda cleric who was killed in a September 2011 CIA drone strike in Yemen. At the time of his death, Dar al-Hijrah issued a press release recalling Awlakis interfaith outreach, civic engagement and tolerance. But even prior to Awlakis death, Imam Abdul-Malik had been at the forefront of rewriting Awlakis history by publicly misrepresenting the extremism of the mosques former imam when he had served at Dar al-Hijrah. More recently, he was again embroiled in controversy following comments made by one of his fellow imams advocating female genital mutilation (FGM) to prevent women from becoming sexually promiscuous during a sermon at Dar al-Hijrah. After considerable public criticism and media scrutiny, Imam Abdul-Malik attempted to distance himself from the mosque by resigning his position. And yet he still continues to deliver sermons and attend banquets at Dar al-Hijrah. Imam Abdul-Maliks troubling associations dont end there. He is still listed as a member of the executive committee and the governing shura council of the Muslim Alliance in North America. One of his fellow shura members, Luqman Amin Abdullah, was killed in a December 2009 shootout with the FBI, and another MANA official Jamil Abdullah al-Amin is currently serving a life sentence for the ambush killing of a Georgia sheriffs deputy and the wounding of another. Notwithstanding the extremist statements and associations of Imam Johari Abdul-Malik, dont expect the local Columbus media to get too worked up over concerns about CAIR-Columbus upcoming fundraising event. Former Ohio State Treasurer Josh Mandel was repeatedly attacked by the local media for calling out CAIRs terror-supporting past and expressing concerns about the rise of Islamic extremism in the Buckeye State. But the Central Ohio medias incurious attitude with respect to CAIR and parroting their talking points doesnt make the ongoing problem of terror attacks and arrests in the community go away. Yet when the next terror-related incident occurs in the area, the evidence for the source of the extremism that fuels the problem will have been staring them in the face all along. Patrick Poole is a writer for Islamist Watch, a project of the Middle East Forum. The last year has been one of the most trying in the history of the city of Lake Charles. Two hurricanes, including a Category 4, a major flood and a winter storm put the city on its heels. But local high school athletes dug in to win 11 state championships this school year. Images Sorry, there are no recent results for popular images. Its average price over the last 50 days has fallen below that of its 200-day moving average, a sign of impending losses. Doctors and nurses, among the first to bear witness to the horrors of the pandemic, are also the first to be inoculated. On January 28, following six consecutive days of talks in Qatars capital Doha, Washingtons main negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad announced that the US and the Taliban finally have a draft framework in place for a deal which could pave the way for peace talks with the Afghan government. Khalilzads comments undoubtedly ignited hopes of a breakthrough in the grinding 17-year conflict, but neither the US nor the Taliban officials offered any details on the specifics of the framework. Historically, due to its strategic location, Afghanistan often served as a battleground on which global and regional powers settled their rivalries. Series of invasions, interventions, wars and long-term confrontations caused major devastation and loss for all involved parties, with the highest price inevitably being paid by the Afghan nation. Over the years, the warring parties participated in countless rounds of talks and negotiations, at times creating cautious optimism. However, due to decision-makers short-sightedness, overconfidence and refusal to learn from past mistakes, peace always proved evasive and the suffering of millions continued. Today, we seem to be facing yet another opportunity to break this cycle of violence and start a peace process that could finally allow the people of Afghanistan to unite, heal and prosper. However, as has been proven many times over in the past, sustainable peace cannot be achieved unless all parties learn from past mistakes, understand their enemys needs and motivations, and come up with a settlement that satisfies the local population as well as all regional and global stakeholders. This is why it is crucial at this historic juncture to examine the factors that led to the rise of the Taliban in the 1990s and the motivations that guide the group to this day. What does the Taliban want? The Taliban was formed in the early 1990s by a faction of mujahideen, Muslim Afghan fighters who had resisted the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan (1979-1989). Taking advantage of the power vacuum created by the withdrawal of Soviet troops, the group easily expanded its sphere of influence in the years following its formation and seized control of Afghanistan in 1996. It held control of most of the country until being overthrown after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in December 2001 following the September 11 attacks. After the toppling of the Taliban regime, the groups members were ready and willing to accept a peace deal that would allow them a modest but dignified existence in the country. Yet, politicians and decision-makers both inside and outside Afghanistan, intoxicated by their decisive victory, refused to entertain this option and swiftly kicked the Taliban off the negotiating table. At the Bonn Conference, which determined the countrys destiny, they completely ignored the groups most basic demands and facilitated the formation of a strictly anti-Taliban government. This was the fundamental mistake that triggered the latest round of bloodshed in Afghanistan and brought us to where we are today. Today, we are dealing with a group whose members view themselves as holy warriors who managed to defeat an unjust foreign invasion. In the past 17 years, countless Taliban leaders were killed, humiliated and forced into exile by US forces. The ones that were not so lucky ended up in cages at Guantanamo or Bagram, where they were subjected to unspeakable torture and degradation. All this caused members of the group to view their fight against US forces as inevitable, necessary and even sacred. Moreover, the governing powers forced members of the Taliban to live in conditions so grave as fugitives always on the run that entering the battleground became an easy, even natural, choice for them. Perhaps more significantly, over the years the Taliban continued to expand its zone of influence in Afghanistan and came to think of itself as the victor in the conflict. The group also managed to win the hearts and minds of a portion of the disenchanted rural population that views the central government as ineffective in providing them with basic services and is overwhelmingly drowned in endemic corruption. Now, as an influential political and military entity recognised by all involved parties, the Taliban wants to achieve two long-term goals: The complete withdrawal of all foreign troops from Afghanistan and the establishment of an inclusive Islamic government. Of course, the group, which believes it has the upper hand in negotiations, also has multiple short-term demands aimed at building confidence. The Taliban wants its leaders to be taken off international sanctions lists, its prisoners to be released and its political office in Doha to be recognised internationally. Unlike the period following its defeat in 2001, the Taliban now believes it has earned the right to remain a substantial political force in Afghanistan following a settlement. It has a clear political vision and wants to set some parameters for its future international relations. This is why it is also keen to sign bilateral non-aggression treaties with regional and international powers. The ongoing negotiations can only succeed if all involved parties acknowledge the Talibans position and avoid underestimating the group. Afghan people are ready for peace Last years successful three-day Eid ceasefire between the Taliban and the Afghan government the first of its kind since the start of the US-led invasion in 2001 was a clear indication that ordinary Afghans are ready to make peace with the Taliban. Indeed, my people are desperate for a return to normalcy after four decades of war. However, this does not mean they are willing to accept any peace settlement with the group. Many Afghan women think a peace deal with the Taliban will limit their rights. Members of the Hazara minority, who are Shia Muslims, also believe a poorly configured peace settlement may put their future in the country at risk. To achieve sustainable peace, the Afghan government, with the help of the US, will need to strike a balance between acknowledging the needs and expectations of the Taliban and providing the necessary protections for segments of the Afghan population that feel threatened by the group. Moreover, all local stakeholders government officials, opposition leaders and tribal elders will need to reach a consensus among themselves on what they want from the peace settlement. For now, they all appear to be more focused on holding on to their seats after the next election than reaching a deal with the Taliban. If they continue to be more concerned about maintaining their grip on power than bringing stability to their country, and refuse to negotiate a power-sharing deal, any peace efforts will be doomed for failure. Further complicating matters, regional and international powers have not yet reached a consensus on the specifics of a peace settlement in Afghanistan. An inclusive regional consensus is imperative; the US wont be able to do this alone if it wants sustainable peace in Afghanistan. Moscow, Beijing, Islamabad, Tehran, New Delhi and Ankara would all want a say in the final settlement. Nevertheless, as an Afghan citizen, I am more cautiously optimistic than I have ever been before about prospects for peace in Afghanistan. The Taliban is still refusing to talk directly to the Afghan government, but this time the US is highly motivated to get the two sides together. President Donald Trump made it clear that he is eager to get his country out of dumb wars abroad and the only realistic way for him to achieve this goal is to bring both the Taliban and Kabul to the negotiating table. There is no doubt that ultimately it is us, the Afghans, who are responsible for and should own and lead the peace process, but to reach this goal we need the assistance and goodwill of all our neighbours and partners. We only hope this time they will not repeat past mistakes and will help us find a way out of this conflict by taking into consideration the expectations and needs of all involved parties as they push the negotiations forward. Its high time for Afghanistan to stop being a battleground for foreign powers and fulfil its true potential and become a central hub of connectivity in the heart of Asia. And today, this dream is within our reach. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. Stacker presents the 100 best movies of all time, as determined by weighted IMDb ratings and Metascores. Only English-language movies released in the U.S. were considered for the list, and each movie needed both a Metascore and at least 20,000 votes on IMDb to qualify. Click for more. An Alabama Death Row inmate scheduled to be executed Thursday night has been granted an emergency stay, and the Alabama Attorney Generals Office is appealing to the nations highest court. Domineque Rays execution is set for 6 p.m. Thursday at Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, nearly 20 years after he was convicted of killing 15-year-old Tiffany Harville in Selma. On Wednesday afternoon, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals granted Rays request for an emergency stay regarding an appeal centering on Rays religious freedom. Wednesday evening, the AGs Office asked the U.S. Supreme Court to vacate the stay and allow the execution to go on as planned. Rays lawyers filed a lawsuit last month claiming Rays religious freedom was being violated because the Alabama Department of Corrections would not allow his Muslim spiritual adviser to be in the execution chamber. Officials told the inmate he would be allowed to meet with his imam up until being prepared for execution, the lawsuit claims, but the imam would have to watch the execution in a witness room with two-way glass. The appeals courts ruling states, We do not doubt that Alabama has a powerful interest in the secure and orderly administration of the death penalty And the prisons concerns may be at their apex during the most consequential act of carrying out an execution. As a general matter and at least at first blush, this seems as obvious to us as it did to the district court. Moreover, we can imagine many practical reasons as well why Alabama may wish to provide religious support and pastoral comfort of this kind to a condemned prisoner. Last week, a federal court in the Middle District of Alabama denied Rays request for a stay of execution and also denied his request to have his Muslim spiritual adviser, or imam, in the execution chamber during the lethal injection procedure. The court did order the ADOC to remove the Christian chaplain, who is typically in the execution chamber, from the room and ensure Ray cannot see the chaplain. Bob Horton, spokesperson for the ADOC, said the department follows protocol regardless of the chaplains spiritual belief or that of the inmate. Horton said the ADOC protocol only allows approved correctional officials, that includes the prisons chaplain, to be inside the chamber where executions are lawfully carried out. The inmates spiritual advisor may visit the inmate beforehand and witness the execution from a designated witness room that has a two-way window. The appeals court said, Notably, Alabama did not provide the Court with any affidavit from the Warden or from any other prison official addressing in any way why there were not lesser measures available to protect its interests and provide the same faith-based benefits to Christians and non-Christians alike. Nor did Alabama offer anything from its Chaplain or from anyone else about the perceived risks or the things that a cleric might need to learn in order to undertake this solemn and sensitive task. Alabama has presented us with nothing in support of its claims. The appeals court noted in its order that the clerk should expedite the appeal so that we may promptly resolve these claims. According to a spokesperson for the AGs Office, the office is disappointed in the appeals court decision and plans to ask the [U.S] Supreme Court to lift the stay. The AGs filing to the U.S. Supreme Court states the appeals court missed the mark. The filing said, While Rays only claim under the Establishment Clause was that the State could not place Holmans chaplain in the execution chamber with Ray because the chaplain was Christian and Ray is Muslim, the court expanded that claim into one that would grant every condemned inmate a right under the Establishment Clause to have a religious adviser of his or her choice present for an execution. It was bad enough that the court amended Rays pleadings for him. But worse still is that the courts Establishment Clause analysis and proposed remedy make no sense. The Eleventh Circuits holding that the State had favored one denomination over another might make sense if the State allowed only Christians to bring their preferred spiritual advisors into the execution chamber, but the State forbids anyone who is not employed by ADOC into the execution chamber. The AGs Office also said the ADOC has amended its execution protocol to prohibit all religious leaders from entering the execution chamber. To accommodate Rays stated beliefs... the ADOC has amended its protocol and will no longer allow the prison chaplain, or any other spiritual advisor, in the execution chamber. Like any other inmate, Ray has been and will be given opportunities to speak to his spiritual advisor, including up the moment that he is taken to the chamber. His imam will be allowed to be present, if Ray wishes, albeit in the adjacent viewing room. In no way does this substantially burden Rays freedom of religion or the Establishment Clause. Another set of attorneys for Ray, who are litigating his state case, filed to the U.S. Supreme Court around 5 p.m. Wednesday asking for a stay for of execution and for the nations highest court to review Rays case. The appeals court ruling continues, Nevertheless, in the face of this limited record, it looks substantially likely to us that Alabama has run afoul of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, the appeals court said. What is central to Establishment Clause jurisprudence is the fundamental principle that at a minimum neither the states nor the federal government may pass laws or adopt policies that aid one religion or prefer one religion over another. And that, it appears to us, is what the Alabama Department of Corrections has done here. Alabamas policy facially furthers a denominational preference. Harville was fatally stabbed in 1995 and her body was found by a farmer off a country road in Selma. Ray was convicted of raping the teen and robbing her of approximately $6 she had in her purse. The Alabama chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Americas largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization, said in a press release they are pleased with the appeals courts decision. We welcome this decision and hope Mr. Ray will ultimately be provided equal access to spiritual guidance, said Ali Massoud, government affairs coordinator for CAIR-Alabama. This post will be updated. I read all 24 pages. Read every single word. I read all the laws cited and digested every morsel of evidence laid out in Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshalls long-awaited and much-anticipated report on the fatal police shooting of Emantic Fitzgerald EJ Bradford, Jr. last Thanksgiving Eve at the Riverchase Galleria Mall And Im still mad. Not surprised at all that Marshall decided not to charge the Hoover policemanOfficer 1 in the reportwith a crime. (Marshall took the the case from Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr last December after determining a conflict of interest could be perceived, though Carr made it clear he could be fair and objective.) But still mad. I watched the two grainy videos of what happened on that fateful night so many times I lost count. Still mad. For full coverage of the E.J. Bradford shooting: Click here. Im mad Bradford is dead. Mad he was killed by an officer standing 75 feet away when shots were fired, who had to make a lives-altering decision in seconds, in the midst of maddening chaos. Mad the officer fired his Glock 19X four times, not knowing (and with no real way of knowing; the law does not afford hindsight) Bradford was most likely running to help his friend, Brian Wilson, who was laying in his own blood nearby, rather than to harm the man who shot him. Mad, too, that Bradford carried a Glock 19 Gen 4, according to the report, into the mall that night, and mad at the conditions, circumstances, and events that led him to make that deadly decision. Mad that in our open-carry state, it was highly unlikely Bradford was the only person with a gun in the mall that night. For whatever reasons. Yet he was the only one who is dead. Im mad Wilson was shot by Erron Brown (he claims self-defense), but grateful Officer 2, so says the report, put his hands into the wounds and may have saved his life. Im mad, even after reading the report, that I still dont know whether Officer 1 identified himself and called for Bradford to stop. He told investigators he didnt have time to do so, yet, according to the report, Eyewitness 1 and Eyewitness 2, both across the way closing the gate to Claires where they worked, each said they heard an officer shout to Bradford three times. Drop your weapon, drop your weapon, Sir, put your weapon on the ground, is what Eyewitness 1 said she heard. Eyewitness 2 said she heard an officer shout at least three times. Im mad I dont know whom to believe. Im mad officers recovered Bradfords gun, which flew to the ground and scooted across the floor as he fell from a fatal wound to the back of his head, with 14 rounds in the clip and one in the chamberall 15 bullets the gun could contain. Yet Hoover officials still brazenly called him the shooter not long after he died. Im mad at the word reasonable, which appears, in some variation, 48 times in the AGs report, because reasonable is so ambiguous, so personal, so fuzzy. Marshall cited Section 13A-3-22 of the Code of Alabama (1975): conduct which would otherwise constitute an offense is justifiable and not criminal (his emphasis) when it is performed by a public servant in the reasonable (my emphasis) exercise of his official powers, duties, or functions. Reasonable. I was in reasonable fear for the lives of the shoppers, my partner, and myself. Thats what Officer 1 told investigators. Reasonable. Im mad Marshall did not choose to allow 18 citizens to decide whether Officer 1s actions were reasonable; instead he cited Rule 3.8(1)(a) of the Alabama Rules for Professional Conductthe prosecutor in a criminal case shall refrain from prosecuting a charge that the prosecutor knows (my emphasis) is not supportable by probable causeand subjectively made the prosecutorial call himself: not guilty. Im mad that while the criminal case is ostensibly closed the report by no means offers closurenot for a family that will forever mourn their son, brother, uncle and more; not even for an officer who must live with having killed a young man, justifiable or not. And not at all for citizens in our community who feel their lives dont matter, and who, in our open-carry state, must still wonderreasonably, of course: Open for whom? 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/ Authorities have released the name of a man found dead on a sidewalk at Birminghams Railroad Park. The Jefferson County Coroners Office identified the victim as Ricardo Phillip Watkins. He was 21 and listed an eastern Birmingham address. Watkins body was discovered at 5:45 a.m. Tuesday in the 1600 block of First Avenue South. He was found by a passerby on the sidewalk of First Avenue South. He was pronounced dead on the scene at 6:22 a.m. An autopsy showed Watkins had been shot. It wasnt immediately clear whether the man was killed there or killed somewhere else and dropped of there. Police have not yet released any additional information about the ongoing investigation. The homicide is Birminghams 11th so far in 2019. Of those, one has been ruled justifiable. In all of Jefferson County there have been 16 homicides including the 11 in Birmingham. Anyone with information is asked to call Birmingham homicide detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. Birmingham police say a woman missing from an assisted living facility in Birmingham has been found and returned to her home. Gilda Elmore, 62, was last seen at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Faith House, an assisted living facility at 600 Eight Avenue North, police said. She was last seen wearing a yellow shirt and black pants. At 10:22, police said she had been found. Police say she has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. North precinct officers have searched the area, but have not been able to find Elmore, police said. If there is anyone who has information pertaining to the whereabouts of Gilda Elmore, please contact Birmingham Police at 205-297-8413 or 911. If you have additional information on this investigation, contact Crime Stoppers 205-254-7777. UPDATE 11:38 a.m.: Marco Perez plead not guilty in federal court to gun charges. His bond was also revoked by Judge P. Bradley Murray. Original Story The last time accused cop killer Marco Perez appeared in front of a federal judge it was Dec. 17. He was facing gun charges. Mobile police officer Sean Tuder was alive, and Perez appeared to be trying to put a long history of criminal troubles behind him. A lot has changed since then. Mobile has since buried officer Tuder, who was shot and killed Jan. 20, and Perez, the 19-year-old accused of killing him, faces capital murder charges and the bleak possibility of the death penalty. When Perez goes before the same federal judge this morning, his bail on possession of a stolen firearm charge will almost certainly be revoked. Given the grave charges he faces, he will likely remain incarcerated until he goes to trial, regardless of what happens today. That could take years. But the federal hearing also raises questions about why Perez was freed after admitting to the federal charges against him and why that charge wasnt enough to have his probation for a previous 2018 hit and run conviction revoked. The latest federal and state documents indicate Perez was deeply tangled in the legal system at the time of the hearing and was already four months into state-ordered probation. While Judge P. Bradley Murray, the U.S. Magistrate who allowed Perez out on bail, was aware that he was already on probation, it appears he wasnt aware of all the facts. Perez arrived in court Dec. 17 having been indicted on federal charges Nov. 28, according to federal court documents. He was accused of knowingly obtaining two stolen guns on July 26. Records also indicated the guns had been shipped and transported in interstate commerce. Perez was brought directly from Mobiles metro jail where he had been since being arrested by U.S. Marshals Dec. 14. Also buried deep within state court filings is as many as 15 youthful offender charges relating to the July 26 incident and nine warrants for his arrest that date from Feb. 6, 2017 to July 31, 2018. Multiple warrants and arrests were added to Perez record after officer Tuder was shot Jan. 20. Mobile Police Chief Lawrence Battiste revealed in a press conference last month that most of the youthful offender arrests and warrants against Perez related to breaking and entering charges. Court documents show that the charges relating to the youthful offender status are now closed. Michele OBrien, the Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama, filed a motion ahead of the Dec. 17 federal hearing noting that Perez was eligible to be detained because the crime he was accused of involved a firearm. She also said that he was a flight risk and a possible danger to the community, and that there was a serious risk he could obstruct justice. Perez did later flee from law enforcement in an effort to beat a warrant that was put out on him for accusations he was breaking and entering vehicles and buildings, one of the reasons officer Tuder was out looking for him, according to Chief Battiste. Perez is also accused of making false reports to his probation officer, something that is dated as Jan. 9 in court filings, a full 11 days before Tuder was gunned down. In addition, his mother also allegedly made false reports to officers claiming her son had been kidnapped, orchestrated so he wouldnt be arrested on outstanding warrants. And lastly, OBriens biggest fear was realized when Perez was alleged to have killed officer Tuder. 52 Remembering Mobile Police Officer Sean Tuder But OBrien also said during her opening comments that Perez admitted in a recorded statement to investigators that he knew the guns were stolen and also admitted to stealing other guns from vehicles he had broken in to. Thats the facts and circumstances, OBrien told the judge. Thats a recorded statement of admissions of his possession and other criminal activity. Perezs parents, who wanted to help their young son put his life back together, were also in court that day. In order to meet Judge Bradley Murrays bail conditions Perezs mother, Tiffany Perez, agreed to act as a third-party custodian to help ensure her son stayed out of trouble until he could go to trial. His father, Francisco Perez, had made arrangements for a shotgun they kept at their house in Theodore to be removed that same day, records state. Perezs public defender, Fred Tiemann, told the judge that Perez was employed as a dishwasher at A Time To Eat, a popular cafe in Theodore. The judge was particularly pleased that Perez had gotten a job because it was paying for his probation costs relating to a hit and run conviction from Sept. 11. In that case, Perez pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and was sentenced to a six months suspended sentence and six months probation, according to court documents. You will maintain your employment and the court views employment as a good thing, said Judge Bradley Murray. The Time To Eat job is good and your earning an hourly wage and thats a good thing so keep that up. The decision to release Perez was based on a number of factors that judges often have to weigh against one another. In this case, Perezs lengthy juvenile record, his shorter record as an adult, and the details of the accusations against him were, among other things, weighted against his legal right to make bail. Jenny Carroll, a professor of law at the University of Alabama, wrote in an email to AL.com that the general default of courts is to release defendants unless there is a compelling reason not to. "The court inevitably must weigh questions about the safety of the community and the likelihood that the defendant will return to court for future hearings," Carroll said. "The default is that the defendant should be released. In this case, assuming the allegation is true that the defendant shot a Mobile police officer, the judge engaged in a tragic miscalculation when he released Perez on bail. In his Dec. 17 ruling, the judge said that he would be applying whats known as the Bail Reform Act in allowing Perez out on bail. He said that he would apply the act in a fair manner and follow the law as I always endeavor to do. The Bail Reform Act is a federal law that requires judges to make certain considerations when deciding if a defendant should be released or not. The judge must take into account the a number of issues, including the seriousness of the charge and public safety. Before releasing Perez on bail, Judge Bradley Murray warned him that a breach of even one of the conditions could result in your incarceration pending the resolution of your case. The employment element to Perezs release was one of about 10 conditions, which included not getting in any more legal trouble, maintaining a residence, not taking drugs, and several others. However, not included in court documents are any details of what lengths court officials, probation officers or the public defender went to in ensuring that Perez was already meeting those conditions. A court official representing the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama said that the court could not comment on pending cases. However, the owner of the A Time to Eat cafe, where Perez claimed to work, told AL.com that not only did Perez rarely turn up for work, he quit working at the cafe just a week after his federal hearing. His last shift was Dec. 24, according to his latest time sheet obtained by AL.com. Perez worked a total of eight shifts at the cafe. Having quit the job Perez would have run afoul of the bail conditions set by Judge Bradley Murray and, at most, the judge could have had Perez locked up until the conclusion of his trial. There is no record in the federal court database of the court being informed that Perez had quit his job. During the detainment hearing, Tiemann made no comment of Perezs unstable work life, however its often the case that public defenders have very little time with a defendant before facing a judge. It is possible the lawyer was only appointed to represent the defendant right before the hearing or even at the hearing (which makes due diligence hard), Carroll also noted in her email. Kenneth Clark, the owner of the cafe, said he was aware Perez had a troubled past but wanted to give him a chance. I think everyone deserves a second chance and I thought I could really help this kid get his life back together, he said to AL.com. There was nothing about him that would make me think he would be involved in what happened to the police officer. Clark also said no one from state probation services ever visited or called his cafe to check if Perez was an employee there. State probation services did not respond to AL.com attempts to get information on how Perez was tracked and if he was meeting his probation conditions from his Sept. 11 conviction or the bail conditions from the federal gun charges. Tiemann said in an email he was unable to comment about whether he had checked on Perezs employment status and added that he is no longer representing Perez. A representative from the court also said judges do not comment on active cases. Its unclear if Perezs state probation officers were aware of the federal indictment. Attempts to reach state probation officials were not successful. Mobile District Attorney Ashley Rich told AL.com after Perezs capital murder arraignment hearing Wednesday that it was concerning that he violated his federal bail conditions but added that Perez being granted bail in the first instance appeared a normal course of action. That was a standard disposition because it was a misdemeanor charge, said Rich. While for many it might be difficult to comprehend that Perez was able to make bail having already been on state probation at the time of admitting to federal gun charges, Carroll said it was merely an accepted truth that the U.S. justice system was not only bloated but complicated. The criminal justice system, like all things, is imperfect, said Carroll. As much as I would like to tell you that these are rare occurrence, my sense is this happens in a system that operates on the sheer volume that our criminal justice does especially when you are talking about cases that have an added complication of different systems (state vs. federal). This doesnt make it ideal, it is just the reality. President Trumps State of the Union took an unexpected turn when the president and attendees joined together to sing Happy Birthday to a survivor of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting and the Holocaust. Judah Samet was among the presidents guests at Tuesdays State of the Union. He is a member of the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh and was among the survivors of the October 2018 shooting that killed 11 members of his community. Samet is also a survivor of the Holocaust, spending 10 months in a concentration camp. The State of the Union address occurred on Samets 81st birthday and attendees spontaneously began to honor him with the Happy Birthday song, with President Trump directing. Samet smiled and waved at the crowd and then said thank you. They wouldnt do that for me, Judah, Trump quipped. During President Trumps State of the Union address, the House chamber sings Happy Birthday to Judah Samet, a Holocaust survivor and a survivor of last years Pittsburgh synagogue attack. Today is Judahs 81st birthday. #SOTU https://t.co/OTAqkas3x8 pic.twitter.com/Zvq3q1vfGL CNN (@CNN) February 6, 2019 According to the White House, Samet immigrated to Israel after the war and was present for the declaration of the Israeli State in 1948. He served as a paratrooper and radio man in the Israeli Defense Forces and moved to the United States in the 1960s. Other guests of the president and the first lady included Alice Johnson, an Alabama prisoner whose sentence was commuted by Trump and Joshua Trump, a Delaware sixth grader who was teased for his last name. Protesters enraged by Attorney General Steve Marshalls decision to clear the officer who fatally shot Emantic EJ Bradford Jr. at the Riverchase Galleria in Hoover on Thanksgiving night burned two American flags in front of Hoover City Hall Tuesday night. Activists and Bradfords family members gathered in front of Hoover City Hall to respond to Marshalls decision, vowing they would resume protests immediately. He did not deserve what you did to him. You shoot my first born son three times, three kill shots and you call this justice. How dare you. If this happened to your child, would you still call it justice? Because I dont see any justice in this, said Bradfords mother, April Pipkins. Organizer Carlos Chaverst then spray painted Black lives dont matter on two American flags before setting them on fire in the parking lot in front of city hall. This is what its like to be black in America, he said as flames licked up from a bottom corner of the flag. How could you pledge allegiance to something that doesnt care about your life? This flag means nothing to me. Protesters then chanted no justice, no peace as the flag burned. Hoover police officers on scene then poured water on the hot ashes of the flags after they stopped burning. Vigil for Trayvon Martins 24th birthday Protesters and activists continued to Kelly Ingram Park to hold a vigil to pay tribute to Trayvon Martins 24th birthday. Tuesday would be Martins 24th birthday. Martin was shot dead by George Zimmerman in Florida on Feb. 26, 2012. About 50 people gathered for the vigil. They said happy birthday to Martin 24 times and released two balloons, a number two and a number four, before chanting hands up, dont shoot and say his name, EJ, the two rallying cries of protesters in Martins case and in Bradfords case. During the vigil, Pipkins spoke over the phone with Sybrina Fulton, Martins mother. You still have to live. Its going to hurt. Its not going to get better each day, so dont listen to people tell you that its going to get better, its not," Fulton told Martin over the phone. "The pain is always going to be there. Its been seven years for me and the pain is still there. I try to live during my good days and when Im down Im down. Bradfords mom, April Pipkins, spoke with Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, over the phone. She told Pipkins it wont get any easier. pic.twitter.com/z5bCH9EKpy Anna Beahm (@_AnnaBeahm) February 6, 2019 Pipkins said she understands, saying her sons death has not gotten any easier. Its been two months and its worse. Its not going away or even calming down," she told Fulton. Cynthia Bradford, Bradfords step mother, thanked protesters for their protests and demonstrations. We want to thank yall protesters so much. You have our heart and our consent to go on and do what youve got to do, she said. They plan to protest at Attorney General Steve Marshalls office Wednesday morning. The Hoover police officer who shot and killed an armed Emantic Fitzgerald EJ Bradford Jr. inside the Riverchase Galleria has the citys full support and is expected to return back to work on the force, city officials said today. Hoover officials on Wednesday held a press conference to respond to Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshalls release of a 24-page report clearing the officer of any criminal wrongdoing in Bradfords death on Thanksgiving night. Mayor Frank Brocato said city and police officials stand behind the officer, whose name has not been released by the department nor in Marshalls report. That support includes funding for any legal defense should a civil suit be filed in connection with the case. We will defend our city and we will defend our police officers, Brocato said. Marshalls report detailed what investigators believe happened the night Bradford was killed. The AGs Office came to this conclusion: After an extensive investigation and review, the Attorney General has determined Officer 1 did not commit a crime under Alabama law when he shot and killed E.J. Bradford and thus the Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct preclude presentation of this case to a grand jury, Marshalls report states. Both Marshall and Brocato said there are no plans to release the officers name. The officer has some rights as well and just as any other private citizen that is investigated and found not to have committee a crime, their name is not released and that is the same procedure we will follow with the officer, the mayor said. The officer joined the Hoover force in August 2017, and previously worked at the Montevallo and UAB police departments. Brocato said when the officer, who has been on paid leave since the Nov. 22 shooting, will return to work is up to Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis. The officer will go through a process of returning to work, Brocato said. The State Bureau of Investigation interviewed the officer, his partner who was also on scene when the shooting happened, three additional officers and 47 witnesses who were at the Galleria at the time of the shootings. They reviewed surveillance footage from two Galleria stores, and body camera footage from shortly after the deadly shooting. The officer explained that, consistent with department policy, his body camera was in standby mode when he heard the initial gunshots. The officer stated that he did not activate his body camera before he engaged and shot Bradford because there was no time due to the quickness and urgency of the event. The officer did activate his body camera once he and the other officer began attending to Wilson and his friend, Marshall wrote. Brocato said an internal police investigation is ongoing into whether the officer violated departmental policy. That typically takes 30 days, he said, noting they had to wait for the attorney generals report before they could conclude their own investigation. They mayor said he has not spoken directly with the officer, but instead with police administrators. Certainly they are relieved, he said. Its been a long process and its caused a lot of anxiety through the city, so were relieved to have this report in front of us. Protesters have claimed that there is body camera footage of two Hoover police officers fist bumping each other in the moments after the fatal shooting. The mayor said that was an unsubstantiated rumor. I was there that night and what I saw was police officers acting professionally. There was grave concern on their faces, he said. I saw a real emotion there, so I dont have anything to substantiate rumors like that. What I saw was true concern and care and hearts that were broken over the entire situation. City officials said all body camera footage was turned over to state officials, and it would be up to them to release that footage. Brocato asked that the Hoover community continue to pray for everyone affected by the tragic incident. That includes the families of Emantic Fitzgerald EJ Bradford Jr., Molly Davis, and Brian Wilson, he said. It also includes the hundreds of people who were in the mall that evening and faced the trauma of witnessing that situation in person. We also ask for continued prayers for the police officers involved in this situation and the Hoover citizens who have felt the tensions and highly emotional moments that transpired in the time since them, Brocato said. We realize strong emotions exist and will continue to be expressed from many viewpoints. Its our strong desire to have reconciliation and understanding as we approach the future. Protesters have said they will continue demonstrations in Hoover and beyond. Brocato said just as they will defend the city and its officers, they also will defend anybodys right to protest. We certainly have a plan and wont be surprised by anything, he said. I think that we have show good faith in making sure that when it comes to our city and protest that they are safe and well continue to do that. Theres a First Amendment right there and its our job to protect that right. Working on tips from locals, archaeologists announced the discovery of an ancient canal cut through the sandy soil of the Fort Morgan peninsula 1,400 years ago. The canal, dug in 600 A.D., once ran south from Oyster Bay to the northern shore of Little Lagoon in Gulf Shores. It would have served as a sort of prehistoric super highway, facilitating travel by dugout canoe from Mobile Bay to the Gulf of Mexico. The canal is six tenths of a mile, making it one of the longest pre-Columbian canals discovered in North America said Greg Waselkov, head of the archaeology department at the University of South Alabama. Waselkov led the recent excavation of the canal in a forested area near Little Lagoon. There are other similar ancient canals, but they are very rare. All of the other long canals, and there are only six known examples of this type, are all in Florida, Waselkov said. The Gulf Shores canal is one of the best preserved ancient canals. There are many short canals found at coastal sites, but long ones like the Gulf Shores example, which ran for a kilometer or more are quite rare. Waselkov said that one of the Florida canals was in the panhandle area, but the others were in the Everglades and south Florida, making the Gulf Shores canal an important find for the northern Gulf Coast. The only other ancient canals I know of in North America are the Hohokam irrigation canals in Arizona, which are similar in appearance and scale and very extensive, but very different in terms of function and hydrology, Waselkov said. The Gulf Shores canal was certainly not created for irrigation, given that it sits in the middle of one of the rainiest spots in the United States. Instead, it was created as a conveyance, during an era known as the Middle Woodland period. It appears the canal was about 30 feet wide and six feet deep. The two bodies of water it connected, Oyster Bay and Little Lagoon, would both have been rich fishing grounds in 600 A.D., full of oysters, crabs, shrimp and fish. We've radiocarbon dated the canal to right around AD 600, which in south Alabama corresponds to the end of the Middle Woodland period. The Bottle Creek site on Mound Island dates to around AD 1250 and later, during the MIssissippian period, Waselkov said, referring to an island in the Mobile-Tensaw Delta that features 18 large earthen mounds. The tallest mound stands 81 feet tall today, 800 years after it was built. With our current knowledge, we can't make a straight-line connection between the Native Americans here in AD 600 and later Native American peoples, Waselkov said. The Middle Woodland period saw a lot of earthwork and mound construction all over eastern North America. The famous Hopewell mounds of the Midwest are best known, but there were similar large earth structures built all over Alabama and elsewhere in the South. The Middle Woodland period featured extensive trade networks that connected tribes spread across the United States. Tribes in the Midwest, for instance, traded metals such as copper and silver. Tribes near massive obsidian deposits in Oregon traded shards of the volcanic glass, while Gulf Coast tribes traded large shells and animal teeth, such as from alligators and sharks. In that era, one of the easiest ways to travel was by water. That was especially true along the Gulf Coast, where our forests often form dense jungles. Study a map of the Fort Morgan peninsula and the benefits of this particular canal are quickly apparent. As you look at the map, remember that the Intracoastal Canal did not exist. Getting from the eastern shore of Mobile Bay to the Gulf without the newly discovered canal would mean an arduous trip, requiring hours of paddle across the open and often rough waters of the bay. From the mouth of Weeks Bay to the tip of Fort Morgan, for instance, would require a 14-mile paddle across the bay, where two-foot waves are common. Then imagine making that trip in a hollowed-out log with paddles carved from trees. Connecting Oyster Bay with Little Lagoon, which had an outlet to the Gulf even in prehistoric times, was a brilliant idea. Travelling via the canal would cut the amount of paddling from Weeks Bay to the Gulf by more than 10 miles. And much of the journey would occur in calm and protected water, where paddling is both safer and much easier. Waselkov said that the Middle Woodland era was believed to be relatively peaceful compared to later times, when tribes frequently enslaved those they conquered. While slave labor was sometimes used for various purposes in those later periods, Waselkov said he did not think that was the case with the canal. We have no reason to think any of them were built with slave labor, Waselkov said. People seem to have contributed labor for short periods during the year to build mounds and earthen enclosures. While the benefits of the canal for travel are obvious, it was clearly abandoned at some point and allowed to fill in. Only a few sections of the canal are apparent today, one where it dumps in to Little Lagoon. I am still trying to pin down the approximate date when the canal fell out of use. Dating a canal, it turns out, is really quite difficult, because during its use it would have been cleaned out occasionally, which removed dateable material for us to find, Waselkov said. And hurricane tidal surges dumped massive amounts of sand onto the abandoned canal, which contains all sorts of dateable material from elsewhere that has nothing to do with the canal. So it's a challenge. The archaeologist said that he has been unable to map the route of the entire canal because only two sections remain visible, both near Little Lagoon. The City of Gulf Shores owns the southern terminus and is developing plans for long-term preservation and public interpretation, which is a wonderful outcome of our project, Waselkov said. Locating the northern half of the canal, where it entered Oyster Bay will probably require some remote sensing survey, such as the use of ground penetrating radar, which we haven't tried yet. That's part of our long-range plan. Moving through the dense forest that the canal once traversed, trying to escape the tangling vines and various thorny shrubs of south Alabama, the benefits of such a canal are obvious. Those benefits are doubled when you imagine trying to carry a days harvest of oysters, crabs or fish back to your family. Standing on the edge of the canal this week, gazing over the remnants of one of the oldest manmade objects on the Gulf Coast, it was easy to understand why those ancient people would have come together for a communal project like this. Simply put, it would have made life much easier, and much more pleasant. What better reason to do anything? This project is unusual in its origins, Waselkov said. Harry King, a resident of Gulf Shores, organized the effort to learn more about the canal and nearby ancient archaeological sites. The entire project has been a volunteer effort, with some crucial funding provided by the city to pay for radiocarbon dating and the expertise of a geoarchaeologist, Howard Cyr from the University of Tennessee. But the bulk of the work has been done by volunteers. It's a great example of a public archaeology project that has made a valuable contribution to our knowledge of the ancient cultural landscape of coastal Alabama. The ancient canal will be the subject of a lecture by Greg Waselkov at 6 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 7, at the University of South Alabamas Marx Library in Mobile. Investigative reporter Connor Sheets of Alabama Media Group has been named a finalist for the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting for his stories on Alabamas Beach House Sheriff. Sheets revealed how an Alabama sheriff personally benefited from public funds intended to feed the inmates in the county jail he ran, how that sheriff used pistol permit fees for ads during his campaign, benefited from federal funds and cut corners on the quality of food served in the local jail. Were honored and delighted to be a finalist for this award, said Kelly Ann Scott, vice president of content for Alabama Media Group. As journalists, we strive to report and tell the stories that change lives, laws and minds. Connors work here did all of that. The annual Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting honors investigative reporting that best promotes more effective and ethical conduct of government and has an impact on public policy. The winner receives $25,000, and the remaining six finalists will receive $10,000. The winner will be announced at Harvard Universitys Kennedy School of Government on March 12. "I want to thank the Shorenstein Center for this incredible honor and for its commitment to recognizing the work of journalists at local news organizations as well as larger outlets, Sheets said. I also want to thank Alabama Media Group, my editors and my family for supporting my reporting efforts over the course of 2018." Sheets investigation resulted in widespread impact. Etowah County Sheriff Todd Entrekin lost his re-election bid in a landslide and specifically blamed the loss on Sheets reporting. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General and Alabama Ethics Commission launched separate investigations into Entrekins use of public jail food funds for personal gain. Gov. Kay Ivey changed state policy to ensure that Alabama sheriffs can no longer pocket the state portion of funds intended for feeding inmates. State Sen. Arthur Orr has drafted legislation to end the decades-old practice of sheriffs keeping leftover jail food funds. Orr said in December that he will introduce the legislation during the 2019 legislative session. The first story involved a tip by a teenager who said Etowah County Sheriff Todd Entrekin paid him to mow his lawn with a check linked to a public jail food funds account. Sheets spent nine months digging. In March, Sheets discovered that Entrekin had purchased a $740,000 beach house on the Gulf Coast and that Entrekin had kept more than $750,000 over three years in excess jail food money. He built his stories by establishing professional relationships with dozens of law enforcement sources and private citizens, while combing through thousands of pages of documents obtained via records requests and leaks. Financial support for the Goldsmith Awards Program is provided by an annual grant from the Goldsmith Fund of the Greenfield Foundation. The program is administered by the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard Universitys Kennedy School of Government. Sheets reporting for the Alabama Media Group was published on its web site, AL.com, and in its three Alabama newspapers, The Birmingham News, The Huntsville Times and Mobile Press-Register. Sheets work was also shared through Alabama Media Groups social media brand, Reckon by AL.com, which emphasizes investigative reporting. Sheets was named in December to ProPublicas Local Reporting Network, a funding initiative for the non-profit that supports local investigative journalism. During 2019, ProPublicas senior editors will collaborate with Sheets and other local reporters around the country on investigative projects. Here are the other finalists for the Goldsmith Prize: The Dallas Morning News J. David McSwane and Andrew Chavez, for Pain and Profit, which reported that thousands of sick and disabled Texans were being denied life-sustaining drugs and treatments by the private health insurance companies hired by the state to manage their care. The Investigative Reporting Program (IRP) at UC Berkeleys Graduate School of Journalism and FRONTLINE, PBS Daffodil Altan, Andres Cediel, Abbie VanSickle, for Trafficked in America, an investigation that explored labor trafficking happening today on U.S. soil. The Philadelphia Inquirer Barbara Laker, Wendy Ruderman, Dylan Purcell, Jessica Griffin, Garland Potts, for Toxic City: Sick Schools, which revealed unsafe conditions in Philadelphias rundown public schools, with children forced to learn in buildings rife with mold, asbestos and flaking and peeling lead paint. ProPublica Ginger Thompson, Michael Grabell, Topher Sanders, and ProPublica Staff, for Zero Tolerance, which revealed a secret recording from inside a border patrol detention center that captured the sounds of children, recently separated from their families at the Mexican border, sobbing and begging for their parents. South Bend Tribune and ProPublica Christian Sheckler, Ken Armstrong, for Criminal Justice in Elkhart, Indiana, which revealed flaws and abuses of power in the criminal justice system in Elkhart, Indiana from new revelations in the wrongful convictions of two men, to the promotions of police supervisors with serious disciplinary records, to the mishandling of police misconduct cases. The Wall Street Journal Michael Rothfeld, Joe Palazzolo, Nicole Hong, Rebecca Davis OBrien, Rebecca Ballhaus, Alexandra Berzon, Lukas I. Alpert, Michael Siconolfi, Carmel Lobello, Shelby Holliday, Jarrard Cole, Anthony Galloway, Joel Eastwood, for Trumps Hush Money, which uncovered evidence that Donald Trump personally orchestrated a criminal scheme to suppress damaging sexual allegation An Alabama state senator is again proposing a bill to identify and ban the practice of racial profiling by police. Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, first introduced a racial profiling bill 15 years ago. He said the issue is probably more important now because of tensions between law enforcement and citizens. Smitherman has filed his latest bill in advance of the legislative session, which starts March 5. The senator said one key change it would require is that police would document every traffic stop, including the race of the driver and the reason for the stop. The senator said traffic stops should be documented even if there is no ticket issued or arrest. You want to make sure that when you stop someone you have a justifiable reason and you are able to substantiate that reason, Smitherman said. An attorney who is serving his sixth term in the Senate, Smitherman said he speaks from personal experience when he says its not unusual for police to stop African-Americans just because of their race. He said its happened to him multiple times in different cities, including several times in Birmingham. Smitherman said white drivers can be profiled, too. If youre in a predominantly African-American community, you can be non-African-American and get stopped because youre there as well, Smitherman said. Last year, Smithermans bill passed the Senate 27-0 but died in the House of Representatives in the final days of the session. It drew opposition from law enforcement, in part, because of concerns over the requirement for more record-keeping by police. The senator said he believes the traffic stop documentation can be set up in a way thats not burdensome to police. He said the information gathered will have value. What were trying to do also is identify where the problems exist and give them the flexibility to provide the necessary training and whatever they need to do to correct that problem, Smitherman said. Smitherman said he expects House members to be willing to work with him on the legislation this year. Smitherman said he hears from constituents about their experiences with racial profiling on a regular basis. He said one benefit of reducing racial profiling would be stronger cooperation between citizens and police. I think that thats one of the things that it will help to do, that by eliminating that situation that happens to a lot of our citizens, but in particular a large proportion of our minority citizens who are being stopped and being profiled just simply because of their race, Smitherman said. Alabama Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston, wants to add a line to Alabama state income tax forms allowing people to designate a portion of their tax refunds to President Trumps initiative to build a wall on the border with Mexico. Marsh has introduced a bill that would allow taxpayers to donate to We Build the Wall Inc. Air Force veteran Brian Kolfage started the We Build the Wall campaign in December through the website GoFundMe. State law already allows taxpayers to designate portions of their return to other organizations and causes. There are 20 listed on state tax forms. Examples include the Senior Services Trust Fund, the Alabama Veterans Program, the Cancer Research Institute, and the Children First Trust Fund. In a news release, Marsh said people in his district and around the state tell him that border security is their number one issue. It is obvious that many people in the Federal government have little desire to address border security, so this is an easy way for people in Alabama, if they choose, to check a box and make a donation in support of building a border wall, Marsh said. Congress opposes Trumps request to fund the wall. Trump made the wall a key issue in his 2016 campaign, when he said Mexico would pay for it. The state law authorizing tax refund donations says they are charitable and nonpolitical. Alabamas legislative session starts March 5. Owned by Auburn alumni in the Poirier and Carruthers families, The Hound was destined to become an Auburn tradition. Designed to be reminiscent of a hunting lodge, with reclaimed wood from the entry doors to the bar to the tables, the restaurant is known for its cozy, familiar atmosphere. And while the menu feels familiar, too, it always offers unexpected twists on tradition, courtesy of Executive Chef Robbie Nicolaisen. Take the number-one seller on the dinner menu, for example. The Hounds version of the classic meatloaf is made with a blend of beef, pork, bacon cured in-house and country ham, giving it its unique flavor. Its topped with a sweet chile-tomato glaze and served with bacon-braised collards, mashed potatoes and bone gravy. Even the Caesar salad is unusual due to the fact that the homemade croutons are tossed in reserved bacon fat before theyre baked. And then theres the popular appetizer Robbie created a year or so ago: Bacon and Bourbon Caramel Popcorn. In partnership with another local business, The Auburn Popcorn Co., the chef takes their already-delicious caramel popcorn and tosses it with a bourbon-caramel sauce, adding chopped house bacon and salted peanuts to give it extra crunch. Everybody loves it, says Robbie, adding that guests like to eat it while they wait for a table at the bar, or order it for dessert along with a couple of scoops of ice cream. Im kind of surprised how popular it became after he added it to the menu, he says. The shareable, somewhat sticky and absolutely addictive popcorn costs $6 and offers a lot of bang for the buck. Its sweet, salty and savory all at once. Robbie has been at The Hound for almost two years. Originally from North Carolina, he attended Johnson & Wales University in Charleston, S.C., where he met his wife, Rachel. They have two children, Paisley, 7, and Charlie, 4. The family moved to Alabama to be closer to Rachels parents. Robbie had never been to Auburn before moving there. But the college town has been the best of both worlds, he says, with great schools and a small-town vibe, as well as close proximity to Atlanta for when he needs a big-city fix, he says. The Hound, which opened six years ago, prominently features bacon and bourbon on the menu and at the bar. Theres nothing pretentious about it, Robbie says of the restaurant. The chef describes his culinary style as new American, but a revision of classic dishes brought up to date. The menu includes a bacon flight, giving diners a chance to sample some unusual types of bacon such as beef, duck or lamb. And The Hounds weekend brunch is probably one of the most popular brunches in town, Robbie says. I try to keep everything recognizable, relatable, yet let it be a surprise when the dish hits the table, he says. The surprise of bacon and bourbon brings popcorn to a new level. Be sure to try some next time youre at The Hound. The Hound is located at 124 Tichenor Ave. in downtown Auburn. Visit www.thehound-auburn for more information. UPDATE 9 p.m. The Mississippi Department of Public Safety reports the child is safe and the suspect is in custody. CANCELED: Genesis McCord has been found and is safe. All inquiries may be directed to the @pascagoulapd. https://t.co/gBUgn9EQHy MS DPS (@MissDPS) February 6, 2019 The original article continues below and will be updated: A Prichard man is accused of killing his wife and abducting their child, according to police. Just after 8 p.m., the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency issued an Amber Alert in the abduction of 2-year-old Genisis McCord, believed to be in the custody of her father, 27-year-old Joe Quincy McCord. According to Capt. Doug Adams with the Pascagoula Police Department, Joe fled Pascagoula, Miss., after he allegedly shot and killed his estranged wife just after 5 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. Genisis is described as a black female, 2 feet tall, with brown eyes and black hair. Joe is described as being 59, 220 lbs, with brown eyes and black hair. Police are asking if anyone has any information regarding this missing child, you are asked to please contact the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation at (855) 642-5378 or call 911. Tuscaloosa this afternoon will see the grand opening of a new workspace for businesses and entrepreneurs. A ceremony will be held at The Edge, an $11.7 million high-tech facility designed to support entrepreneurial collaboration and innovation. Located at 2627 10th Ave., The Edge is about 1.5 miles from the University of Alabama campus. The center is a collaboration between the Culverhouse College of Business Alabama Entrepreneurship Institute at the University, the City of Tuscaloosa and the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama. It is planned to function as both a workspace and a business networking center to host regular workshops, forums and informal gatherings. If you have an idea for a business and need help getting it off the ground, or youre a freelancer looking for a place to work that isnt a home office, The Edge will have the resources you need to get things done, Theresa Welbourne, executive director of the Alabama Entrepreneurship Institute and The EDGE said. The 26,000-square-foot building is located in an enterprise area designated for development in the aftermath of the April 27, 2011 tornado that struck Tuscaloosa. The Edge includes 20 offices, 100 workstations and several conference rooms. Its outreach programs include mentoring, workshops on business development and marketing and open collaboration space. The Edge was previously located in a downtown Tuscaloosa space owned by Regions Bank. Organizers say The Edge will work for students looking to get expert business advice, and firms looking to tap into student talent. This project is the culmination of seven years of hard work, Jim Page, president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama, said. Memberships are offered on an annual or monthly basis. A daily drop-in program is also available for those with short-term or intermittent needs. For more information on The EDGE and leasing space, visit its website. Like most guys, Shannon Zeigler never spent hours dreaming about what his wedding day would be like. He did, however, have one rule about his eventual nuptials. He wouldnt marry a girl from his hometown of Trussville, Alabama. He broke that rule when he got down on one knee and asked Christina French if she would spend the rest of her life with him. Both from Trussville, Shannon and Christinas paths ran parallel for yearsnever crossing until just the right moment. They both attended Hewitt-Trussville High School and later studied at the University of Alabama. It wasnt until Christina started working for Church of the Highlands that Shannon noticed her as more than just a girl from his hometown. Its kind of funny how it all works out, Christina says. Once Christina began working for the churchs student ministry, she and Shannon developed a deeper friendship that eventually grew into a courtship. After their first date at Fancys on Fifth (followed by dessert at Big Spoon Creamery), Shannon knew there might be something more than friendship in their future. Only a few months into dating, the pair began talking about sharing their lives together. Because their college town of Tuscaloosa was meaningful to both of them, Shannon knew he wanted to propose to Christina there. In order to make the proposal extra special, he enlisted help from some of Christinas closest friends. Any man who has any type of brain knows that they need to go to the best friends for help, he says with a smile. Shannon surprised Christina with a picture-perfect proposal along Tuscaloosas Riverwalk. Even though it rained during much of the day, the skies cleared just in time for Shannon to drop down on one knee and propose. She bobbed her head up and down, signaling yes and smiling really big, Shannon says. Surrounded by a few close friends (and with an Alabama sunset as the backdrop), the couples engagement was rivaled in beauty only by their wedding daywhich Christina wasted no time planning. Picking a venue for the ceremony was a no-brainer, Christina says. Because she and Shannon both worked for Church of the Highlands, they knew they wanted to say I do at the churchs Grants Mill chapel. With the wedding planned for November, Christina wanted to work in as much fall foliage as possible. Thanks to the couples chosen photographer, Blair Blackmon, the pictures turned out to be exactly what Shannon and Christina envisioned when they set out to plan their autumn Alabama wedding. I felt like Gods hand was on every part of it, Christina says. From the sunset at the proposal to the landscape on the day of the wedding, it almost didnt look real, Shannon adds. Looking back on the hours leading up to the ceremony on November 10, Shannon points to one moment as the most memorableseeing his bride for the first time, donned in white. Her dress, custom-made by Heidi Elnora, featured ornate sleeves with lace overlay that were the perfect blend of classic design and modern charm. It was everything Christina wanted in a wedding gown. She was the cutest thing, Shannon says. With her dimple and her dress and everything, I just couldnt stop smiling. Surrounded by friends and family, the pairs wedding overflowed with intimate joy. The reception, hosted at BridgeStreet Gallery & Loft, boasted a taco bar (provided by The Happy Catering Co.) and plenty of greenery interspersed with pops of burgundy and dusty rose florals. Months after the wedding, Christina says she wouldnt have done anything differently. What really made the day special, though, was getting to marry a man who had always been a part of her journeyeven if it was unbeknownst to her, she says VENDORS Dress: Heidi Elenora Flowers: Brooke Kearbey of BKWed Events Hair & Make Up: Brittany Massey Photography: Blaire Blackmon Ceremony: The Highlands Chapel Reception: Bridgestreet Gallery & Loft Food: Happy Catering Co. This story appears in Birmingham magazines February 2019 issue. Subscribe today! A US-backed Kurdish group fighting to stop the US withdrawal from Syria has scored an unlikely invite to tonights State of the Union address from a congresswoman well known for her stance against American interventionism. In a statement this afternoon, longshot 2020 presidential contender Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, announced that she had invited Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) co-president Ilham Ahmed to President Donald Trumps address. Gabbard called Ahmed a leader in the battle against ISIS in Syria. ISIS is an abbreviation for the Islamic State. The two women could make for awkward seatmates in the House chamber. The Kurdish leader has used a two-week tour of Washington to push the United States to stand by the Pentagon-backed Syrian Democratic Forces and continue its military involvement in Syria. Gabbard, an Iraq War veteran who stirred controversy two years ago by visiting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, tweeted last month that she wanted US troops to leave the war-torn country ASAP. We must bring our troops home from Syria, quickly and responsibly, Gabbard said in a statement today announcing that she had invited Ahmed to the speech. President Trumps announced hasty withdrawal from Syria could leave the Kurds vulnerable to slaughter by Turkeys President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan who has repeatedly threatened to attack them, and invade Syrian territory long-held by Syrian Kurds. Its not clear how Gabbard became aware of Ahmeds visit, which generated buzz on social media when the Kurdish leader had an impromptu run-in with the president at Trump International Hotel in Washington last week. When asked about the invitation, a spokesperson for Gabbard referred Al-Monitor back to her official statement. The invitation immediately earned scorn on social media from the congresswomans critics. Her fledgling presidential campaign has been beset by staffing woes, an unwanted endorsement from white supremacist David Duke and an apparent boost from Russian websites that interfered in the 2016 election. But the Kurds are happy for the opportunity to attend Trump's address. Bassam Ishak, the SDCs representative in Washington, said Gabbard called him last week with the invitation after his business card circulated during meetings on Capitol Hill. Ishak said Ahmed wasnt aware that Gabbard was seeking a quick pullout from Syria when they received the invitation. When I told Ilham she told me right then that she would go, Ishak told Al-Monitor. There wasnt much analysis to it. She wanted to be there and she was honored that she received an invitation from a congresswoman who represents part of the American people. The invite, Ishak said, whether its [from] Tulsi or any other congressman or senator, shows that the Kurdish message [has] support among the American people. While sitting alongside Gabbard would not appear to advance the SDCs message to Washington policymakers, allies of the group say its an opportunity for Ahmed to show the impact of her trip to Middle East audiences. This is not for Americans, said Diliman Abdulkader, the director of the pro-Israel Kurdistan Project at the Endowment for Middle East Truth in Washington. This is for Kurds back home and a message to Erdogan and Assad. They will take this home and blast it all over the place. The move comes as the Kurdish delegation has openly discussed their willingness to court the Assad regime if talks with the United States to ensure their protection fall through. And despite Gabbards controversial stance on Syria, other Kurdish allies said she has proven respectful of their right to self-determination. The Kurds are talking, and will talk, to all forces on the ground (Syria, Turkey, Iran, Russia, US) as long as these forces respect their right to exist as a people, Giran Ozcan, the US representative for the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party of Turkey wrote in a tweet. The fact that she engages Assad is also her prerogative. If Assad engages the Kurds respectful of their demands they too will negotiate with him. On Feb. 5, Likud members picked the party candidates for the April 9 Knesset elections, providing a sneak preview of the Netanyahu future war of succession. Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan and former Minister Gideon Saar took the top four slots in the primary. One member of this quartet will likely emerge as the partys next chair once Netanyahu steps down as a candidate for prime minister. Netanyahu did his best in recent months to undermine the prospects of his nemesis Saar, a popular Likud figure whose name comes up often as Netanyahu's likely successor. Netanyahu knew he would not be able to shun Saar aside, given his great popularity among the Likud rank and file. His explicit call urging party members not to vote for Saar in the primary appears to have had no impact either way, but it did taint Saar as a subversive a result Netanyahu sought to ensure. Netanyahu easily scored the No. 1 post, so he is not fighting for the party leadership. He has complete hold of the Likud, and no one not even Saar is challenging it at this stage. The same goes for the April 9 elections, with all polls placing the Likud well ahead of its rivals and indicating its assured victory. Netanyahu will wage his wars in the public and legal arenas and launch them once Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit decides whether to indict him on criminal charges. Mandelblit appears likely to announce an indictment of Netanyahu on charges of bribery stemming from an influence-peddling scheme known as Case 4000. His announcement is expected before the elections, but the hearing he is required to grant Netanyahu prior to an actual indictment will probably take place after the voting. The prime minister is preparing himself on three fronts for just such a scenario. On the legal front, he has retained the services of a battery of leading attorneys. In the public media arena, he has mounted a social media blitz and launched a dedicated online Likud TV platform. His political preparations included the party primary. In fact, Netanyahu is setting up a political safety net, seeking to form a coalition before the elections with those who would be willing to join his next government even if he is indicted (pending a hearing). Within the Likud, he is working to quell any sign of a post-election rebellion. His target, of course, is Saar an ally of President Reuven Rivlin and another of Netanyahus bitter enemies. Netanyahu, who sees mountains where there are molehills, is worried that Saar and Rivlin are plotting to steal the elections. How would that work? By law, the president hands the task of forming a government after elections based on the recommendations of all the other parties in the Knesset to the person who has the most chances to compose a majority-backed coalition. In this plot scenario, Rivlin and Saar would enlist the support of other parties to ensure they do not recommend Netanyahu to Rivlin and would instead unite around Saar. That was the point of the so-called Saar Law that Netanyahu failed in his efforts to enact, which would have stipulated that only party heads are eligible to form a government. Either way, Netanyahu got what he wanted: marking Saar as a plotter so that even if the unspeakable happens and Rivlin tasks Saar with forming the next government, Netanyahu will have grounds to oppose it as a plot. Saar had hoped to come in first in the Likud primary, a spot that would have placed him as a clear successor to Netanyahu, who has held power for the past decade. Nonetheless, his results are still good, propelling him to the partys top league after an absence of four years from the Knesset. Saar is expected to toe the line and support Netanyahu in the upcoming elections even if a pending indictment is announced, as he declared publicly numerous times in recent days. Some 70,000 party members shaped the Likuds Knesset candidates slate this week, picking a strong, worthy team. They kicked out several embarrassing troublemakers, chief among them Knesset member Oren Hazan who has been detrimental to the party image and Deputy Minister Yaron Mazuz. They catapulted new, senior figures to the Likuds top 10. Among them is former Minister Maj. Gen. (res.) Yoav Galant, who deserted the center-right Kulanu Party to be embraced by the Likud members. Another is high-tech millionaire and former Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, a prominent media figure. Also among the top 10 are two women Culture Minister Miri Regev and Social Equality Minister Gila Gamliel, both of Mizrahi (Middle Eastern) origin balancing out the largely male Ashkenazi (European origin) league. This is an excellent slate for the Likud and Netanyahu, positioning at the head of a group of experienced, popular figures with a record of tangible achievements. The list also reflects a distinct, right-wing ideology in the absence of more moderate former lawmakers such as Dan Meridor and Michael Eitan. Just as importantly, it reflects a conservative legal-judicial line with almost all 10, even the most nonpartisan figures, determined to curtail the power of the Supreme Court vis-a-vis the Knesset. Tourism Minister Yariv Levin is one of the most zealous adherents of this philosophy along with Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and sees himself as a candidate to replace her. At the same time, the dominance of the settlers and the radical right in the party slate has shrunk. While everyone elected to the top 10 did so with the help of Likud members from the West Bank, their votes were not decisive. Minister Zeev Elkin and Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely, for example both staunch settlement advocates garnered the same support in the primary as they did last time. With tens of thousands of party members taking part in the primary and the waning power of special interest groups, nonaligned party members are as influential as the traditional wheeler-dealers (lobbyists) are. The ruling party came through its primary with flying colors, becoming the first of the major parties to present its top team and be ready to launch its campaign. Unlike previous elections, the top Likud figures will not play an active role in the 2019 campaign unless they can serve Netanyahus survival needs (Netanyahu prefers to handle the election campaign himself). In this sense, Netanyahu can present wall-to-wall unity under his unchallenged leadership. No one will rise against him because the Likud never unseats incumbent leaders, and because everyone knows that while the battle of succession has begun, Netanyahu is more than likely the one who will decide which of the Knesset members will serve in his next government. If Netanyahu decides to name Katz, Erdan or Edelstein to top positions, such as that of foreign minister, he will have an opportunity to build them up against Saar. A US-sponsored conference that is scheduled to kick off in Warsaw on Feb. 13 to promote peace and security in the Middle East has attracted controversy ever since Secretary of State Mike Pompeo first launched the idea during a recent trip to the region. Critics say the two-day event is a thinly veiled stab at creating an anti-Iran club orchestrated to showcase support for President Donald Trumps hawkish stance on the Islamic Republic most notably his decision to pull out of the 2015 nuclear deal. Iran was kept off the guest list, but dozens of other countries have been invited. A good few desperately wish they had not been. Washingtons European allies, who are defiantly struggling to salvage the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, as the deal is called, are among the most squeamish despite Washingtons fevered assurances that its merits will not be discussed. The Financial Times reported today that the European Unions foreign affairs chief, Federica Mogherini, is giving the event a pass, leaving it to more junior figures from the so-called E3 composed of Britain, France and Germany all signatories of the nuclear accord to wave the flag. Russia, another signatory, has said nyet as well. Ironically, the people who most want to be there Irans constellation of opposition groups have reportedly all been overlooked, leaving many wondering what precisely the point of the exercise is. What is the logic of seeking to contain Iran when you dont engage with the countrys opposition? asked Asso Hassan Zadeh, the deputy secretary-general of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (Iran), one of the main Kurdish opposition groups based in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq. Hassan Zahdeh said his organization had approached the US consul general in Erbil on behalf of a coalition of the most important Iranian Kurdish political organizations for an invitation this week but had not heard back from him. In a letter to the consul shared with Al-Monitor, Hassan Zadeh wrote, In spite of the broad character of the title and the program of the said conference, no one doubts that the Islamic Republic and the future of Iran is the main stake of the conference. It is unfortunate that the main interested party, namely the Iranian people, is not somehow associated with the international discussions on Iran. Hassan Zadeh said opposition figures did not expect to be at the table but could have been granted observer status. This would have allowed them to mingle with the international players at hand. Israels prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is expected to show up. Trumps close adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and his Middle East envoy, Jason Greenblatt, will be also be present at the conference, which Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has labeled a desperate circus that would disgrace its participants. Another opposition group contacted by Al-Monitor confirmed it had not been approached either. Karim Abdian, who heads the Ahwaz Human rights group, a Washington-based outfit lobbying on behalf of Irans Arab minority and advocating the nonviolent overthrow of Irans clerical regime, told Al-Monitor, As far as I know, none of the opposition groups have been invited. There are 7.8 million Ahwazi Arabs in Iran, shouldnt they should be given a say? Abdian said that administration officials, when pressed in private, told him the reason the opposition was left off the guest list was because the meeting isnt for nonstate actors. Analysts say this is a bogus excuse. Trita Parsi, a prominent Iranian American commentator and author of several books on Iran, believes the opposition groups, a useless bunch, anyway, are being shunned because their presence would make the gathering seem like a regime-change fest. This, in turn, would make it even less likely that ministerial guests would turn up. This is doomed to fail, Parsi told Al-Monitor, just as previous attempts to isolate and weaken Iran such as the dual containment policy of the 1990s had. Iran is too big to be contained forever. If the US could not succeed when it was at the apex of its power, how is it going to succeed when it's much weaker and increasingly seen as a problem in the West? The Financial Times speculated that one of the few potential benefits of the conference may be that it will allow Netanyahu and Gulf state leaders, who have no diplomatic relations but share a common hatred for Iran, to join together in a public forum. Meanwhile, Hassan Zadehs group, which he insists has determinedly shunned Saudi advances, finds some solace in the US militarys decision to share intelligence on the type and provenance of Iranian missiles that struck its headquarters Sept. 8, killing 11 people and wounding 30. Irans Revolutionary Guards claimed responsibility. An American general in Erbil attached to the US-led coalition [against the Islamic State] provided us with highly technical details. The missiles were launched from Irans Ourumiyeh [West Azerbaijan] province and were Iranian Fateh [110] II missiles, Hassan Zadeh said. An unarmed surveillance drone sent ahead of the attack originated from an area within Iraqs Kirkuk province that is controlled by Shiite militias, he added. His assertions could not be independently confirmed. One of the reasons I want to keep [US forces in Iraq] is because I want to be looking a little bit at Iran because Iran is a real problem," said US President Donald Trump in an interview aired by CBS News Feb. 3. Two days later, Trump's Iranian counterpart responded with sarcasm. "So nice that the Americans expressed their heart," said Hassan Rouhani during a speech addressing a cultural event in Tehran. "They want to watch Iran. Is there any logic behind that?" Rouhani also accused the US government of lying about the Afghan war, noting that the real intention behind it was to counter Russia, China and Iran. Earlier, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman downplayed Trump's comments. "One need not take his remarks very seriously, be it about the pullout from Syria or its presence somewhere," Bahram Ghassemi told semi-official conservative Fars News. He pointed to "good neighborly ties" between Tehran and Baghdad as a reason Iraqis will not let their soil be used as an American base for anti-Iran purposes. Meanwhile, Iranian news outlets have been busy covering the categorical rejection of Trumps remarks by politicians from across Iraqs political spectrum. A joint statement by the Iraqi Parliament's Fatah and Sairoon factions was warmly received in Iran, as was the reaction by Iraqi President Barham Salih, who stated that Washington had not sought Baghdad's permission to use it as a base for monitoring Iran. Moderate newspaper Jomhouri-Eslami reported a backlash of harsh responses from Iraqi politicians who consider Trump's plan a security alert. Hamdeli, a daily with Reformist affiliations, ran an article by Salaheddin Harsani on the US-Iran rivalry over Iraq. The piece referred to Trump's plan as part of the US battle to curtail Iranian influence and Tehran's rise as a new regional "hegemon." The article predicted a fresh stage of Iraqi chaos as a result of the intensifying proxy conflict between Iran and the United States. "Given the clash of the two players' interests, the main loser of such rivalry will be the worn out and crisis-hit Iraqi nation, for whom peace and stability is more like a dream than reality," Hamdeli's piece concluded. The war of words between Tehran and Washington over Iraq has been escalating since the 2003 US-led invasion of the country. Iran has been pursuing a geopolitical agenda by backing Shiite-led governments in Baghdad. The rise of the Islamic State in 2014 opened a new front in the proxy confrontation. Now, with IS largely flushed out of Iraq, both players equally boast about eliminating the militants. But in the meantime, Iran has repeatedly cast doubt on American intentions in the war on IS and has accused the US military of secretly assisting the extremist group. Most recently, Yahya Rahim Safavi, a former top Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander who currently advises Iran's supreme leader on military affairs, said Iran had gained "precise intelligence" about an ongoing "transfer of Daesh [IS] terrorists by the United States into Afghanistan." To maintain public support at home for its activities in the region, the Islamic Republic has described the policy within the context of as a wider distant war against terror aimed at threats from beyond its borders. This official line was reaffirmed earlier this week by Hassan Firouzabadi, a former chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces. He said, "The Iranian nation should understand the fact that if it were not for the 'defenders of the shrine' in Syria and Iraq, we would now have had to be engaged with IS inside Yazd," referring to Iran's centermost province. Geopolitical power projection could be, at first sight, the logic underlying Iran's policy of expanding ties with and playing a role in Iraq. But in recent years, and with the growing necessity arising from the reimposition of US sanctions, Tehran has chosen to also focus on geo-economic interests in Iraq. It has tried, therefore, to augment its share of the Iraqi market and major economic projects, helping develop Iraqs soft and hard infrastructure. The vacuum created by the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq provided significant room for Iran's strategic interactions with Iraq. And now the Trump administration's sanctions have paradoxically helped Iran concentrate on pursuing geo-economic interests in Iraq. Accompanied by a large delegation of Iranian business leaders, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif recently visited Iraq, with economic diplomacy topping the agenda, an example of Iran's geo-economic ambitions. An upcoming trip to Iraq by President Hassan Rouhani is also expected to revolve around the same economic interactions. During the period stretching from March 21, 2018, to Dec. 20, 2018, Iraq absorbed 20.7% of Iran's non-oil exports, surpassing China, which had long stood head and shoulder above other destinations for Iran's non-oil products. During the same period, Iraqi imports from Iran witnessed a 48% jump compared to the same period in 2017. Between the figures, one can read an important growing trend in Iran's foreign trade as a whole, and in its geo-economic ties with Iraq in particular. According to statistics from the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration, the country exported non-oil commodities worth $580 million to Iraq in 2003. Fourteen years later, the value rose to a staggering $6.5 billion, marking a ten-fold rise in the post-Saddam era. Following the UAE, China and Turkey, Iran is now Iraq's fourth top import partner. It holds 6.4% of the country's total imports. Iranian authorities have even spoken of raising the bar with the ambitious target of increasing the trade volume to $20 billion. And that's not where things end. Tehran has also presented the idea of a free trade agreement with Baghdad. Both Iran and Iraq are among the very few countries that have yet to join the World Trade Organization. However, domestic regulations on international trade in both countries are complicated, opaque and highly dependent on government policies. This has posed a key challenge to the Iran-Iraq bilateral trade. By pursuing the idea of the free trade agreement, Iran is seeking to liberalize and then consolidate its trade with Iraq. To do so, it has already launched the Arvand Free Zone on the Iraqi border. An Iranian government bill on two other trade zones, Mehran and Baneh-Marivan, is also an inch away from parliamentary approval. Once set up, the three areas will turn much of the strip between the two countries into one enormous free trade zone. Trade between Iran and Iraq is, however, extremely uneven. In 2017, Iranian imports from Iraq stood at around $89 million, marking a plunge compared to the pre-invasion era. This very imbalance is likely to adversely affect the Iraqi side's willingness to sign the free trade deal with Iran. Iraq is also serving as a key destination for Iranian technical and engineering services. There are currently 49 such projects undertaken by Iranian contractors in Iraq, 26 of which are being conducted in the autonomous Kurdistan region, while the rest is shared by Baghdad and Basra. Those projects are mainly focused on such sectors as agriculture, energy infrastructure, housing and transport. On another front, Iran is pushing to play a role in Iraq's transportation infrastructure, most notably with a railroad project connecting the Iranian border town of Khorramshahr to the Iraqi port of Basra. Although Iran has lived up to its obligations in the project and has even assumed the financial procurement, the Iraqi side has demonstrated little interest in the implementation. The railway could eventually connect Iran to Syria via Iraq. During Zarif's January visit to Iraq, the two sides agreed to set up a joint committee tasked with dredging the shared Arvand River and operating it for maritime transfer of commodities. Again, the Iranian side has fulfilled its commitments and is trying to encourage the Iraqi side to take steps toward implementing the project. Further, Tehran is closely following up on tourism cooperation, particularly in the pilgrimage and health subsectors. For its geo-economic presence in Iraq, nevertheless, Iran is facing numerous challenges and relentless resistance. The two countries' hard and soft infrastructure for economic cooperation remain undeveloped. On both ends, customs-related problems, countless bureaucratic hurdles, complex regulations, poor transport infrastructure and particularly banking issues are obstacles to bilateral trade. Due to reimposed US sanctions on Iran, banking transactions are now the biggest challenge, slowing down the pace of economic cooperation. The problem has worsened to the extent that transactions are being conducted on national currencies. Now, a total of $1.5 billion claimed by Iranian companies remains unpaid by Iraqi debtors due to the same US banking restrictions. At the regional level, Iran's geo-economic presence in Iraq is also challenged by rivals, the toughest one being Turkey. Iranian media have repeatedly sounded the alarm on Iran's inability to compete with the Turkish presence in Iraq. Meanwhile, Iran considers Saudi Arabia another threat, which, as part of its geopolitical agenda in Iraq, seeks to tighten any Iranian economic presence there. At the broader, global level, pressure from the United States has, in recent months, negatively impacted Iran-Iraq economic relations. As part of that, Iranian engineering contractors in Iraq have been coping with a multitude of new headaches. Washington has been trying to offer Iraq fresh alternatives to sabotage Iran-Iraq cooperation in the energy sector. US sanctions have indeed significantly hindered Iran's ambitious geo-economic pursuit in Iraq. Yet those measures have prompted Iran to further concentrate on the Iraqi market. The depreciation of the Iranian national currency due to sanctions has enlarged Iran's exports to Iraq while attracting more Iraqi tourists, who find an Iran visit more affordable than ever. In addition, the US measures have reduced the costs of economic diplomacy in Iraq, encouraging Tehran to prioritize Baghdad in its geo-economic strategies. During the past decade, Baghdad has never ceased to remain on Iran's geopolitical agenda. With US sanctions reimposed and the economic pressure mounting, a geo-economic agenda in Iraq is an increasingly necessary choice to be made in Iran's economic diplomacy. Despite its persistent pressure and multiple sanctions, the United States could thus, in practice, be serving its arch foe by facilitating an already growing Iranian geo-economic presence in Iraq. As Iran could soon pass four controversial bills that would remove it from the Financial Action Task Forces (FATF) blacklist, the so-called E3 (Britain, France and Germany) joint statement on the unveiling of a new trade mechanism has provided Iranian hard-liners with a pretext to firmly proceed with their plans. Iran's government has submitted four FATF-related bills to parliament, which has passed them after extensive, fierce debates and fervent opposition of hard-line parliament members. However, the destiny of two of the bills is set to be determined by the Expediency Council given that the conservative-dominated Guardian Council has rejected them while parliament has not accepted a number of the Guardian Council's pointing out of issues. Of note, the FATF is an international, intergovernmental organization created in 1989 to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. Iran's presence on the FATF blacklist was suspended in 2016. At its latest meeting in October, the FATF gave Iran until later this month to undertake reforms that will bring it in line with global banking norms. When a motion is passed in parliament in Iran, the bill must then be approved by the Guardian Council, which is tasked to see whether the bills are in accordance with the constitution and Sharia. If the Guardian Council and parliament don't reach a consensus over a bill, the Expediency Council enters the fray to make the final decision. In the past few months, Iran's political circles and news outlets have been full of whispers and reports about the destiny of the FATF bills, as they have turned into a political struggle with hard-liners accusing supporters of the bills of helping the West to cut Irans ties with the Axis of Resistance, namely Lebanons Hezbollah movement, Palestinian Hamas and Syria. Besides this, the conservatives are also seemingly concerned about the blockade of Iran's means of bypassing US sanctions. In response, Reformists and moderates are arguing that the FATF only recognizes as terrorists the organizations and groups that are put on the UN blacklist. Meanwhile, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has repeatedly called for the passing of the bills, saying that "Iran's friends" are waiting for the bills to be passed and this will help facilitate Iran's trade with the world. In his first appearance as the new chairman of the Expediency Council, Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani and other members of the council passed the other long-awaited bill known as "the bill for countering money laundering." In the next two meetings, council members couldnt reach a consensus over the Palermo Convention bill, which is the third FATF-related bill. It should be noted that the next bill on the agenda of the Expedia Council is the Combating the Financing of Terrorism bill. Apparently, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who had attended the council's meetings, hasn't been able to convince opponents. Plus, pressures are rising on Expediency Council members as a large number of threatening text messages are reportedly being sent to them, urging them not to vote for the bills. Amid these circumstances, Germany, France and Britain issued a joint statement announcing the registration of the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX), a financial mechanism designed to support "legitimate" trade with Iran, which has faced US sanctions since US President Donald Trump exited the 2015 nuclear deal. It was written in the joint statement that they "expect Iran to swiftly implement all elements of its FATF action plan." This sentence enraged Iranian conservatives and opponents of FATF bills, providing them with a strong argument while simultaneously making the atmosphere more difficult for the government to defend the bills. In this vein, influential Kayhan newspaper, known as the mouthpiece of hard-liners, wrote Feb. 2, "Basically, the method of exchanging oil in return for food and medicine didnt need the INSTEX and the [Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV)], but the Europeans have started a new game, [going back] on their commitment to buy [Iranian] oil by [using the] SPV." The hard-line daily then addressed the Expediency Council members, saying, "The Expediency Council's duty is clear. The council must decisively reject the harmful FATF bills." The daily added, "America and Europe have reached this determination that Irans government has made itself hostage to the [nuclear deal]. This is why they not only do not take the smallest steps to honor their commitments but are [intensifying] their audacity every day." Meanwhile, council members who oppose the bills are stating their positions. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, chairman of the security and defense subcommittee of the Expediency Council, noted Feb. 1, "Launching the [INSTEX] by Europeans won't affect the [council] members' votes on the Palermo bill." While describing the FATF as a "mechanism for spying," Vahidi added, "The [Palermo] Convention has a lot of ambiguities, and joining it can have many consequences." It should be noted that the security and legal subcommittees have advised against joining the Palermo Convention. The harshest reaction so far has come from council chairman Amoli Larijani. He has seemingly been in favor of passing the FATF bills, but after facing pressure and backlash following the E3 statement, he remarked Feb. 4, "[The Europeans] have reportedly set two strange conditions. One is that Iran must join the FATF, and the other is that it should enter negotiations over the missile [program of Iran]. It is necessary for these countries to know that the Islamic Republic of Iran will not accept these humiliating conditions." Amoli Larijani's comments come after hard-liners claimed the E3 has tied turning the INSTEX operational to the passing of the FATF bills and negotiations over the missile issue. However, government officials like Ambassador to Britain Hamid Baeidinejad have denied that the E3 is setting "passing the bills" as a condition for launching INSTEX, while stating that "Europe has no right to put forward a condition for the [operation of the] new financial channel." While council members such as Amoli Larijani are stating their strong opposition to the Europeans seeming demands, they may be sending a message to their hard-line peers and also to Europe that the possible passing of the two remaining FATF bills is not relevant to the West. However, the possibility of rejecting the bills is likely, as any bill going to the Expediency Council needs two-thirds of the vote. Perhaps such concerns have prompted Reformist council member Majid Ansari to say on Jan. 28, "If we hit a dead-end, we can [hold a referendum]." Of note, the final decision regarding Palermo will be taken in the next one or two weeks. In recent months, the pressures on moderates and Reformists concerning the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action issue and ties with Europe have risen, but they have managed to get along with it. Europe should know that while they haven't been able to fulfill their promises to Tehran fully and on time, they at least shouldn't increase the burden on the shoulders of moderates and Reformists. Meanwhile, Europeans are well aware that their warnings on issues like the missile program and FATF bills are basically fruitless and will only worsen the situation for the Rouhani government. President Donald Trump appears set to blow off a congressionally imposed deadline requiring him to determine whether Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is responsible for the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The Trump administration has given no indication that it will complete the Khashoggi probe, which Congress launched last year, by its Thursday deadline. And a Senate aide told Al-Monitor that lawmakers arent holding their breath. Instead, both chambers are doubling down on measures to hold Saudi Arabia to account for Khashoggis death and the war in Yemen. Just today, newly empowered Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee advanced a resolution directing the administration to end US support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen in a 25-17 party-line vote. The vote came immediately after Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., held the panels first hearing in the new Congress, which was dedicated entirely to the Arabian peninsula. The heinous murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi shocked the world, and the administration seemed content to sweep it under the rug and move on, Engel said during the hearing. In addition, new reporting [from CNN] suggests that weapons the United States sold the Saudis and the Emiratis are now ending up in the hands of al-Qaeda terrorists, Houthi rebels and Iranian intelligence officials. After Congress launched a probe into Khashoggis murder last year, the Trump administration sanctioned 17 Saudi officials for their involvement in the assassination. But Riyadh had already arrested all of them while denying the crown princes involvement. That prompted the former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee, Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and the ranking Democrat on the panel, Bob Menendez, D-N.J., to instruct Trump to investigate Prince Mohammeds alleged role as part of the probe. Asked for an update on the investigation into the crown prince, the State Department simply pointed to the sanctioned officials. The department continues to seek all relevant facts, consult with Congress and work to promote accountability for those responsible for Mr. Khashoggis death, a State Department spokesperson told Al-Monitor. Khashoggis murder last year capped off months of mounting bipartisan backlash against the Saudi coalitions humanitarian conduct in its campaign against Yemens Iran-backed Houthi rebels, ultimately leading to todays hearing and vote in the House. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., reintroduced his resolution to end US support for the Saudi coalition last week after Republican leadership forestalled a floor vote last year in spite of expedited procedures laid out under the 1973 War Powers Act. But the Senate voted 56-41 to pass the same resolution in December. While some Republican hawks joined their Democratic colleagues to pass the Senate bill last year, most of their House counterparts still arent on board, resulting in an unusual partisan fissure on the historically bipartisan Foreign Affairs Committee. The panels top Republican, Rep. Mike McCaul of Texas, argued that using a war powers resolution to address the Yemen conflict would allow any member to second-guess US security cooperation agreements throughout the world, including Israel. This first markup is a departure from the strongly bipartisan cooperation that weve enjoyed on this committee, McCaul said ahead of the vote. Even our aerial refueling of Saudi jets which does not constitute hostilities as traditionally understood ended last November. Like McCaul, the Trump administration opposes the resolution and argues that US military support for the Saudis does not amount to US participation in hostilities. Still, Yahoo News reported last year that the Defense Department is conducting a classified operation to assist the Saudis against the Houthis, which may involve US ground troops. And The New York Times has reported that US soldiers are stationed on the Saudi side of the Yemen border. While the resolution likely has enough votes to pass both chambers, it does not have enough support to withstand a possible veto from Trump. But lawmakers are still teeing up numerous other anti-Saudi bills. In the Senate, Menendez plans to reintroduce his bipartisan Saudi Arabia Accountability and Yemen Act. The bill would sanction Saudi royals involved in the Khashoggi murder, permanently ban US refueling of Saudi coalition planes and suspend offensive weapon sales to Riyadh. International backing for [Prince Mohammeds] military campaign in Yemen is essential to his credibility as a future ruler of Saudi Arabia, said Kate Kizer, the policy director of Win Without War, a coalition of activist groups backing the anti-Saudi bills. If the US cuts off weapons sales, other international backers of the campaign are likely to follow suit. Menendez had sought to attach his bill as an amendment to a broad Middle East legislative package, which the Senate passed 77-23 Tuesday, but Republican leaders did not put it on the floor. Additionally, Rep. James McGovern, D-Mass., who controls the House floor as chairman of the Rules Committee, has introduced a resolution banning arms sales, training, defense and intelligence cooperation with Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, appropriators in both chambers have agreed to cut Saudi Arabia off from the State Departments International Military Education and Training Program, which they estimate could cause Riyadh to lose up to $30 million per year in savings on other military training programs. The US, along with other NATO allies, has quite literally built the Saudi military from the ground up, so the Saudis are essentially locked in the US hardware ecosystem, said Kizer. It would take decades for the Saudi military to transition to new aircraft and weapons systems. GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip Israel has tentatively agreed with the Palestinian Authority (PA) to revisit the Protocol on Economic Relations they signed in Paris in April 1994. PA President Mahmoud Abbas revealed the news Jan. 27 at the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics in Ramallah, the West Bank. We tell the Israelis that multiple agreements were signed between us, starting with the 1993 Oslo Accord, to date, and it is up to [Israel] for these relations to continue based on just and legal foundations or else we will relinquish them, starting with the Paris Protocol," he said. "They gave preliminary consent for us to sit and discuss it, after [they had] initially refused to add any amendments." The Times of Israel reported Jan. 28 that spokespeople for the Israeli prime minister and Foreign Ministry refused to comment on Abbas' remarks. The PA in December had formally requested that Israel revisit the protocol, and Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said Dec. 8 that French authorities agreed to participate. The Paris Protocol regulates the two sides economic relations, and applies to the West Bank and Gaza Strip regarding a five-year transitional period set forth under the Oslo Accord for the two sides to settle matters such as borders, refugees and the status of Jerusalem. The protocol provided for formation of an economic committee to follow up on the protocol's implementation every six months, or upon either party's request. Yet, since 2000, the committee has been convened only once, in 2009. Speaking to Al-Monitor, Mohammad Mustafa, Abbas' economic affairs adviser, said the protocol needs to be revised or annulled to liberate the Palestinian economy from Israel's and improve the trade imbalance. He said Israel has failed to comply with the agreement's basic provisions, which include free movement of goods and people. The Palestinian government is developing a comprehensive economic program designed to expand vital sectors such as energy, agriculture and health; to create job opportunities; and to shrink the trade deficit with Israel by cutting back on imports from Israel and diversifying import sources, he added. Mohsen Abu Ramadan, a PLO Central Council member, told Al-Monitor Israel has violated multiple agreements with the PA, including the Oslo Accord. He also cited Israel's constant military incursions into Palestinian areas and its withholding of tax and customs revenues collected on behalf of the PA, which has caused the PA to lose 70% of its financial resources. Just last year, Israel cut and withheld clearance revenues of hundreds of millions of dollars to compensate the families of Israelis who were killed or wounded during Palestinian armed operations. The Paris Protocol states Israel must allocate all relevant import tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority within six working days from the day of collection. Ramadan said the protocol has deepened Palestinian economic subordination to the Israeli economy and sapped the possibility of building a strong Palestinian economic structure based on production. Revisiting the protocol is a step toward implementing decisions by the PLO Central Council and Palestinian National Council to move toward statehood and subsequent economic disengagement from Israel. Nabeel Kassis, finance minister and director general of the Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute (MAS), told Al-Monitor the ultimate goal is to end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory. This doesn't mean that Palestinians cant benefit from some of the protocols provisions in case the two sides decide to add amendments on it instead of annulling it, he said. Israel is the source of 59% ($2.93 billion annually) of PA revenues. This is while 81% of PA products are exported to Israel ($770 million per year), according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity statistics for 2016. Speaking to Al-Monitor, Mouin Rajab, an economics professor at Al-Azhar University in Gaza, ruled out the possibility that the PA will find an alternative to the Paris Protocol. Palestinians cant invest in their natural resources due to Israels control over them, the crossings, and gas fields facing the Mediterranean Sea, he added. Rajab blamed Palestinian government institutions for keeping the economy almost entirely subordinated to the Israeli economy. He added that the government hasn't developed serious studies that could result in economic disengagement from Israel. The government only insinuates, occasionally, that it will do so, he said. Among all of the PA's agreements, the Paris Protocol has drawn the most criticism from Palestinians, who have been insisting on its annulment, not amendment, as it has cost Palestinians dearly for example, $9.46 billion in 2015, as per the last published figures. For the Chaldean primate, persecution in the region is one of the pontiffs main concerns. Francis will try to turn the page in Christian-Muslim relations and renew the journey of peace. The visit could also help Iraqi Christians and give them new confidence in the future. Baghdad (AsiaNews) Anti-Christian persecution in the Middle East is a major concern, said Pope Francis in yesterdays Angelus before leaving for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where he will remain until tomorrow, something Chaldean Patriarch Card Louis Raphael Sako stressed as he spoke about the first papal visit to a Gulf state. With persecution in Iraq, Syria and Yemen in his mind, the Pope will try to turn a page in Christian-Muslim relations in order to renew the journey of peace. The 70-year-old cardinal, originally from Zakho in northern Iraq, plays a leading role in interfaith dialogue in his country. "Pope Francis is saying that this is enough. Let us live in peace, love, tolerance and renounce violence and hatred," Card Sako noted, adding that in the UAE, the Pope will promote Christian-Muslim outreach, trying to oppose any fanatical, violent or hateful discourse. According to the prelate, the pontiff will raise awareness among the believers of various religions of the situation of Christians in the region and will refer to the values found in various sacred texts and scriptures, which call for human coexistence. "The UAE has become a role model for other countries with a flourishing economy, Mgr Sako noted. Our message to the Christians in the UAE is to hold on to that country, its traditions and to connect with Muslims. "People, he insisted, should live and develop a personal, deep and spiritual bond with God away from hatred, separation and threats, which are not related to faith in any way". The cardinal also pointed out that some 500,000 Christians still live in Iraq. "At one point, Christians represented 20 per cent of the Iraqi population, but the number dropped first to 10 per cent and it now stands at 2 per cent". For him, what happened in Iraq is a breach in international law, and the papal visit to the UAE could help Iraqi Christians by giving them new confidence in the future. In the recent past, "Christian homes were threatened, kidnappings took place," he said. Now, although the security is improving and a new government was formed, the status of Christians remains uncertain. "We have co-existed in peace with each other for 14 centuries. I wonder why people's mentality has changed driving Christians to believe that there's no future for them. DHL Global Forwarding has opened its Global Competence Center for Humanitarian Logistics in order to consolidate its logistics services within the sector. The centre will co-ordinate humanitarian efforts across all DHL business divisions to provide all related services and products. Fatima Ait Bendawad, a DHL manager with 15 years of experience in humanitarian operations, has been appointed to lead the centre. The centre offers non-governmental organisations, aid agencies, and their suppliers and manufacturers a broad range of services including air and ocean freight, customs clearance, warehousing and local distribution of humanitarian shipments. These services will be backed by control tower and data analytics services in order to increase visibility of operations. The impact of conflicts and natural disasters on the world is evident and at DHL Global Forwarding, we have the capability, expertise and global network to render resilient logistics support to organizsations who are highly committed to ensure that critical resources are delivered, to meet the needs of those who require them, said Amadou Diallo, chief executive, DHL Global Forwarding, Middle East and Africa. The centre can also be used to access services offered by the wider DHL Global Forwarding business. The forwarder said it had selected Dubai as the location of the centre because of its geographical location and "longstanding reputation as a cluster for global aid and relief organisations". Dubai currently plays host to several major logistics hubs including the International Humanitarian City, the largest humanitarian hub worldwide from which nine United Nations (UN) agencies and 48 NGOs currently run logistics operations. Humanitarian logistics requires dedication and coordination with different stakeholders to get critical goods to those in need, gaining trust and working with numerous partners to coordinate shipments in situations which often require short turnaround times, said Massar Diop, director of humanitarian logistics, DHL Global Forwarding. Share this story Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was welcomed in Turkmenistan by the republic's President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov. "Dear Gurbanguly Myalikgulyevich, Our president warmly recalls the talks with you. About a year ago he was paying a visit here. Many documents have been signed then, but the main thing is that they are being implemented. Strategic partnership opens up broader perspectives. We are interested in developing the existing reserve and potential to the full. We want the Intergovernmental Commission planned for the first quarter of this year to be substantive with specific decisions," the Russian top diplomat said. There are positive developments between our countries in the energy sector. We support them. We are in favor of making the Eurasian Economic Union understandable for all our partners who are not part of this structure. There are plans to link the Central Asian electric power system, in which Turkmenistan plays a very important role, and the general electric power market, which is expected to formed in the Eurasian Economic Union by 2025. This is quite an interesting and large-scale project. "Yesterday, we held useful talks with head of the Turkmen Foreign Ministry Rashid Meredov. We have outlined new plans," the Russian foreign minister stressed. Then Sergey Lavrov and Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov held talks during which, on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Lavrov conveyed to the Turkmen leader the warmest greetings and wishes of success in his activities as head of Turkmenistan and confirmed that Russia is strictly guided by all agreements reached at the highest level including during the Russian President's visit to Turkmenistan, which took place a little over a year ago. The Russian Foreign Minister said following the meeting with the Turkmen President that the oil and gas issues will be assigned to representatives of the intergovernmental commission on trade-economic cooperation. Its terms are being coordinated. "During the conversation, Turkmenistans president Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov expressed satisfaction with the way the gas issue is being treated in our dialogue now, with a focus on a search for new far-reaching major agreements. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova earlier said that Lavrov will discuss international and regional issues concerning the interests of the Caspian countries with Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov and Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov in Turkmenistan. According to her, special attention will be paid to the topic of cooperation within the CIS, taking into account the priorities of Turkmenistans chairmanship in this organization in 2019. Would you like to receive breaking news notifications from The Post and Courier? Sign up to receive news and updates from this site directly to your desktop. Breaking News Columbia Breaking News Greenville Breaking News Myrtle Beach Breaking News Aiken Breaking News Click on the bell icon to manage your notifications at any time. Success! Please click the 'Allow' button in the 'Show Notifcations' alert in your browser if one is available. Thank you for signing up! Please enable notifications in your browser and reload the page. When the snow is flying outside, too many farmers especially those without livestock may be spending too much time sitting in front of the computer. Others may have decided that the time is right to do a bit of exercise or rehabilitation before spring arrives. Thats a good thing, says Tony Gallo, a physical therapist with Unity Point in Grinnell, Iowa. Think of it (the body) like getting the machinery ready for planting. Now is a time to take it into the shop and get it ready to go. But getting the body ready to go isnt going to be the same for everyone. And it involves more than just doing the same cardio or weightlifting exercises day after day. A lot of farmers I know are generally pretty stout, pretty strong, Gallo says. They probably arent lacking strength as much as range of motion. One of the keys of repairing and improving things physically over the winter is to understand your goals and your strengths and weaknesses, Gallo says. Be honest with yourself, he says. Talk to a medical professional if you have a specific health issue or havent worked out in a long time. Tracy Keninger, who works with farmers through the Iowa AgrAbility program with Easter Seals, says farmers with and without handicaps need to be honest about how much exercise they are actually doing and about what exercise needs they have. What often happens, she says, is that a farmer sits in a cab for 10 or more hours during planting or harvest and either gets little exercise or suddenly switches to hard exercise, like lifting seed bags or caring for livestock. That is a recipe for injury, she says. Several positive signs have emerged in recent months that are pointing to a tightening milk supply-demand balance and improving milk prices. Y Note: Thank you to author James Grundvig, who is a contributor to Epoch Times and the author of Master Manipulator: The Explosive True Story of Fraud, Embezzlement and Government Betrayal at the CDC. He lives and works in New York City. What are we doing to ourselves as technology races ahead of ethical and medical review? Not that medical review is ethical, as industry buys whatever study results they need to profit. The irony of disguising cell towers as trees - which give us the oxygen we need to live - is as thick as a forest. ### The Threat 5G Poses to Human Health The crime scene was straight out of an Alfred Hitchcock movie. One hundred and fifty dead birds lay sprawled on the ground, fallen out of trees in a park in The Hague, Netherlands. The second such occurrence last autumn made Dutch citizens look up and wonder. With robust starlings turned upside-down at their feet, the usual suspects of disease, pollution, and foul play were dismissed. The culprit stood atop a nearby train stationa mast with new 5G network antennas. The test of the telecom system failed in more ways than imagined. As a result, the Dutch ministry postponed its 5G-spectrum auction until 2020. For decades, the telecommunications industry and governments havent invested enough money on safety studies of electromagnetic field (EMF), and radiofrequency (RF), and their effects on human health. This neglect is despite that the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), in a joint 2011 press release, said they found EMF radiation possibly carcinogenic to humans. Radiofrequency pollution has been overlooked for its potential health effects on people. Its not just the rollout of 5G networks that are a cause for concern. Extremely low frequencies of WiFi routers, hotspots, and cellphones also pose a serious threat, particularly to children. READ MORE HERE. Vodafone Idea Ltd., Indias leading telecom service provider, today announced the successful consolidation of nearly 25% of its pan-India radio network integration within a short span of just five months. Worlds largest network integration underway in India Full Radio Network Consolidation achieved in 8 circles within 5 months of merger completion 4G services enhanced in key metros of Kolkata, Mumbai and Bangalore Multi-level war rooms set-up to ensure Customers Enjoy Uninterrupted Service With this integration of network, customers of both Vodafone and Idea brands are able to enjoy a unified network experience on 2G, 3G & 4G, in the service areas of West Bengal, Haryana, HP, Assam, North East, AP & Telangana (excl. Hyderabad), J&K and MP & Chhattisgarh. In addition to the full radio network consolidation of the above 8 service areas, 4G radio network consolidation has been completed in the city of Bangalore, and high speed 4G services have now been made available to both Vodafone and Idea customers in Kolkata metro. The company has also re-farmed 10 MHz of 4G spectrum of Vodafone in Mumbai to enable its customers in the metro get better data experience. In other circles, network integration is taking place on a cluster-by-cluster basis and the subscribers of both brands are gradually moving to a much larger and better network. Speaking about this mammoth network integration and consolidation project, Mr. Vishant Vora, Chief Technology Officer, Vodafone Idea Ltd. said, With meticulous pre-merger planning and rigorous post-merger execution, we have ensured that our customers remain confidently connected and enjoy uninterrupted services even as we integrate and optimize our network in a phased manner across circles. We have partnered the best of global vendors and equipment suppliers to deploy new age technologies, with in-built customizations and novel innovations to ensure a rich customer experience while building a robust, future ready network. A focused, 3-pronged strategy is driving this consolidation of two individually strong and overlapping networks: Make the better and dominant of the two networks in each circle as the anchor network. Complement anchor network with required support from the other network, and Further enhance network capabilities and capacity with the introduction of new technologies such as Dynamic Spectrum Refarming (DSR), Spectrum Re-farming, M-MIMO and Small Cells. This core strategy is being rigorously executed across all circles with meticulous planning and smart use of advances in technology by a team of experts from Vodafone Idea along with global vendors. Further, war rooms have been set-up at national and circle levels to monitor and manage network performance on a real time basis led by Vodafone Ideas 24/7 functioning world class SNOC in Pune. The company has undertaken special measures to avoid customer inconvenience with shifting, movement and deployment of equipment during the integration process. Update on Network Integration: Key Facts Over the last 5 months nearly 25% of the radio network has been successfully consolidated. Radio network consolidation completed in 8 circles - West Bengal, Haryana, HP, Assam, North East, AP & Telangana (excl. Hyderabad), J&K and MP & Chhattisgarh, resulting in good improvement in 4G data throughput and coverage. 4G coverage extended to over 750 mn population on a pan-India level With joint spectrum firing, 4G throughput has shown quick improvement of 1X to 2X in many of these service areas. 4G ICR is now available in over 60K sites across all circles. Enhanced the capabilities of more than 4.7K sites through dynamic spectrum re-farming. By end of Jan 2019, nearly 45K co-located and low utilisation sites have been switched off. The formation of Vodafone Idea Ltd on August 31, 2018, following the successful merger of Vodafone India and Idea Cellular, set the stage for the world's biggest telecom network integration in India. Vodafone Idea is the telecom service provider of choice for nearly 422 million customers, and we remain fully committed to offering all our customers the best of experience. Toshiba Corporation (TOKYO: 6502) launched a worldwide corporate advertising campaign to promote its rebranding under a new global identity. Inspired by the "Essence of Toshiba", the July 2018 restatement of its purpose and values, and driven by the slogan For a new day, the video-based campaign will be rolled out in TV commercials, internet media and Toshibas own websites. The ads will be released mainly in Japan and Asia, including India, China and the ASEAN countries, and will spotlight how the revitalized Toshiba turns on the promise of a new day. Mr. Abhishek Mehta, Head PR & Advertising, Toshiba India Pvt. Ltd. commented, "The 'Essence of Toshiba' harmonizes and integrates Toshiba Groups diverse businesses and operations around the world. It comprises three parts, 'Basic Commitment of The Toshiba Group', 'Our Purpose', and 'Our Values'. 'Our Purpose' expresses Toshibas unwavering drive to make and do things that lead to a better worldto combine the power of invention with time-tested expertise, and thereby turn on the promise of a brilliant new day. 'For a new day', the advertising campaign slogan, is aligned with 'Our Purpose'. It encapsulates Toshibas commitment to building a sustainable future by focusing on business domains that support modern life and society, and creating value with reliable technologies." Toshiba has positioned this fiscal year, to March 31, 2019, as the first year of its transformation into an excellent company able to secure profitability comparable to that of the best global companies. The new advertising campaign expresses the Essence of Toshiba that is guiding the transformation and rebuilding the global Toshiba brand, and delivers the message to a global audience on a range of media. In India, the 360-degree integrated advertising campaign that encompasses digital, television, and print will be rolled out from December 3. The first phase of the campaign that will run up till the end of the current financial year, would cover both infotainment and news genres in English and Hindi languages. Digital medium will also be a major component of Toshibas new advertising campaign in India. The mega legal battle between Republic Bharat and India TV that ensued ahead of Arnab Goswamis Hindi channel launch has ended and the result is a big blow to Rajat Sharmas organisation in ways more than one. Not only did the Delhi High Court dismiss India TVs injunction application against former anchor Sucherita Kukreti but also crushed the perception being parroted by Rajat Sharmas team to muzzle the rights of anchors in the industry. While Rajat Sharmas team put all its might behind trying to block Kukreti from anchoring on Republic Bharat, the Delhi High Court did not look at this move positively and shut down all attempts to intimidate a former employee by legal threats and litigation. India TV was left on the backfoot with the court refusing to acknowledge any validity in their attempts to stall Kukreti from anchoring on now, key competitor, Arnab Goswamis Republic Bharat. Republic Bharat which stood by Kukreti throughout her legal battle against India TV lawyers stands tall with pride as the Delhi High Court came down heavily on Rajat Sharmas organisation which dragged the journalist to court for perpetual injunction and damages in a long 56-page plaint. Rajat Sharmas organisation vehemently argued that the senior anchor should be barred from working with Republic Bharat for a significant period. However, in an embarrassing turn of events for India TV and serving as a hammerblow to the argument made by them, the Delhi High Court refused to do so. The Judge said, I have considered the controversy and am of the view that no case for grant of interim injunction is made out and laid down a multiple reasons to establish that India TVs attempts to prevent former employees from joining Republic Bharat hold no credence. ANY RESTRAINED WOULD INTERFERE WITH AUTONY, RIGHT TO MAKE A CHOICE & FREEDOM Speaking unequivocally on the rights of journalists and citizens to make their own professional choices, the Court said, Personal choices governing a way of life were held to be intrinsic to privacy and realisation of full value of life and liberty. Any restraint as sought would interfere with the autonomy, right to make a choice and freedom of the defendant and impinge on the dignity of the defendant . Refusing to grant an injunction, the Court stressed on the rights of the Anchor vis-a-vis professional choice. Rejecting the arguments put forth by Rajat Sharmas India TV, the Court said,T he defendant, as a citizen of India, cannot be restrained from striving towards individual excellence in the profession/vocation of her choice. The individual interest of each individual serves the collective interest and correspondingly the collective interest enhances individual excellence. EXCELLENCE IS A SKILL WHICH IS PERSONAL Countering Rajat Sharmas India TV, the Court said, Prima facie it appears that the skill and excellence acquired by the defendant and owing whereto the plaintiff [India TV] does not want to let go of the defendant [Sucherita Kukreti] is the personal acquisition of the defendant and the plaintiff cannot have proprietary rights or interest in such acquisition of excellence by the defendant, even if with the contribution from the plaintiff . Excellence is a skill which is personal to the defendant. Standing for Kukreti and for the rights of journalists, the Court came down heavily saying that Kukreti had been working for the last 14 years doing what she is best known to do and therefore any injunction on the matter was not in question. The defendant has been presenting news for the last 14 years and dissemination of news is of public importance and the patrons of the defendant cannot be deprived of the skill and expertise acquired by the defendant over the years in disseminating news, the Court said. Dismissing any proposal to not allow Kukreti to appear on-air on Republic Bharat, the Court said, The defendant cannot be asked to engage herself in other, behind the scene activities as is suggested, even if besides being in front of the camera for the last 14 years has also been incidentally involved in behind the scene activities . The averments in the plaint itself are guided by the acumen, training and skill of the defendant in front of rather than behind the camera. BENCHING CAN BE DEVASTATING Rajat Sharmas India TVs argument was based on Kukretis contract with the channel which was to terminate in end-November 2019. As per the argument made by her ex-employers, in their view, the anchor should not be allowed to work with anyone until and unless her contract with India TV expires which not only robs the right of a journalist to freely choose his/her place of work but also could be seen as a suppression of any profession to work. However, countering the lopsided India TV contract which bars its journalists, despite their resignation from the organisation, from joining other channels for a stipulated time frame, the Court said Benching a professional for as long as 10 to 11 months can be devastating, capable of inflicting permanent damage affecting mental and physical health and future prospects of a professional. T his is more so in the case of Newscasters / News Presenter to whom the adage out of sight out of mind would also apply. Siding with Kukretis decision to join and anchor on Republic Bharat, the Court also said, . It was/is always open to the defendant to not renew the said agreement and to walk across to any other TV Channel including that competing with the plaintiff. FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS CITED BY DELHI HIGH COURT Stressing on Fundamental Rights of every Citizen, the Court cited Article 21 of the Indian constitution and based itself on previous judgements which elaborate on the tenet of personal liberty which applies in this case to counter India TV. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE DECISION OF THE COURT The 10 page judgement authored by Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw is crucial because it reiterates the rights of journalists at a time when their employers have used their contractual paperwork to intimidate and legally threaten talent in the industry. After Arnab Goswamis exit from Times Now, several journalists who joined Republic TV from his former employer were legally threatened by the Times Group which essentially corroborates the narrative of bitter employers using the fine-print of contracts to intimidate and threaten their ex-employees. With this judgement basing itself on fundamental rights, the right to free choice and personal liberty, young journalists can take solace in the fact that their career paths will not be impeded and suppressed by intimidation tactics from corporate giants in the media industry. That is the biggest win for independent journalists and the industry as a whole. Turkey's security forces seized a Bible said to be 1,200 years old in Diyarbakr province. According to the Diyarbakr governor's office, local gendarmerie received intel that someone was looking to sell an ancient Bible manuscript written on leather with gold-encrusted motifs. Suspects were caught red-handed while trying to sell the 34-page manuscript, Daily Sabah reported. Security forces said six people were detained in connection with the incident. SISKIYOU COUNTY, Calif. - A man is behind bars for trying to hijack a moving train in Siskiyou County. The Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office says Dylan Baldini jumped on board an Amtrack train going from Mount Shasta to Dunsmuir. Deputies say Baldini was drunk, hostile and shirtless. The train crew kept their distance, fearing for their safety. They say Baldini repeatedly activated the train whistle and tried to put the train in emergency stop mode. Crews said the situation put everyone on board in danger. WENN/C.Smith Celebrity The first time collaboration of the former supermodel and Sailor Brinkley Cook on the catwalk will be the highlight of designer Elie Tahari's 45th anniversary show on February 7. Feb 6, 2019 AceShowbiz - Ageless Christie Brinkley will hit the New York Fashion Week catwalk with her daughter, Sailor Brinkley Cook. Mother and daughter are set to star in designer Elie Tahari's show on Thursday, February 07, marking the first time they have hit the runway together. The historic fashion moment will be the highlight of Tahari's 45th anniversary show, and he is so excited to see the IMG Models pair in his latest creations. The designer, who is credited with popularising disco wear in the 1970s and women's suits in the 1980s, tells Page Six, "The Elie Tahari brand has always been for every woman, and that is why I'm so excited about having Christie and Sailor walk in our show because Christie is timeless, and Sailor represents the cool, on-the-go woman, who also wears our clothes." "It is important for me to make clothes for women of all types, inclusive of any age." Fashion Week brings 20-year-old Sailor back home to the U.S. from Australia, where she has been modelling for months. Christie recently opened up about her concerns for her daughter, revealing she witnessed a home invasion within days of arriving in Australia. "The first call I get from her (Sailor says): 'Mum, Mum, there's two guys in my door, one is shirtless with a ski mask over his head and they're banging on the neighbour's door!'" the worried mum told "Extra". Christie's mothering instincts kicked in to protect her daughter and she told Sailor to keep her doors locked - and then took immediate action by finding her kid a new place. "(I jumped to) get her out of that building," the 64-year-old shared. But things continued to go downhill for Sailor with Christie revealing: "The next call was she got the flu, and I was like, 'We are off to a bumpy start'." WENN/Ivan Nikolov Celebrity The former 'Sex and the City' actress shared the sad news of Christopher Cattrall's passing in 2018 just hours after pleading to fans for help to locate the 55-year-old who has gone missing for days. Feb 6, 2019 AceShowbiz - Actress Kim Cattrall has marked the one year anniversary of her brother's death by sharing a touching tribute. The former "Sex and the City" star took to Instagram on Monday, February 04 to honour Christopher Cattrall, who died at the age of 55 near his home in Alberta, Canada last year (2018). The actress shared an image of herself, Christopher and his widow Morgan Cattrall and added the caption: "Thinking of Chris today and everyday. We miss you." A day before his death was confirmed, Cattrall took to social media to ask fans for help in locating her "one of a kind brother". She subsequently confirmed news of his passing in an update to followers. "It is with great sadness that myself and my family announce the unexpected passing of our son and brother, Chris Cattrall," she tweeted. "At this time we ask for privacy. We want to thank you all on social media for your outpouring of love and support in this trying time." Although the circumstances of his death are not entirely clear, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have noted his death does not appear to be suspicious. WENN/ATP/FayesVision Celebrity In a heartfelt tribute to his late co-star, 'The Young and the Restless' actor describes the 52-year-old as 'the closest thing to a brother and a brother's love' that he has ever known. Feb 6, 2019 AceShowbiz - Shemar Moore has paid tribute to his "brother" Kristoff St. John following the actor's death on Sunday, February 03. The two stars played siblings on U.S. soap "The Young and the Restless", and Shemar insists Kristoff was the closest thing he had to a real-life brother. In a statement to People, Moore writes, "I'm raised an only child, but Kristoff is truly the closest thing to a brother and a brother's love and a brother's mentorship that I've ever known." "He didn't have to embrace me the way he did. When I came in and was trying to find my way and he saw how scared I was, he saw how nervous I was. He saw my six pack and all that, but he just saw me and he embraced me like a brother. If he hadn't embraced me, I would have never got my sure footing in the beginning days." He adds, "Without Kristoff St. John, there's no Neil Winters. Without Neil Winters, there's no opportunity for Malcolm Winters. And without Malcolm Winters, there's no Shemar Moore. And if Shemar Moore didn't get my chance to try on 'The Young & the Restless', then I don't sit here today with let alone this career or this life (sic). Not in this way...." "I told him in the beginning because he embraced me the way he embraced me is the only reason that I have the life and career that I have. I would have life, but it would have been on a very different tangent and a very different lane. I will always give Kristoff that credit... Kristoff, day to day to day, he rooted for me. He didn't have to.... but he rooted for me; he helped me; he held my hand; he said, 'Stick with me, bruh, I'm going to show you the way and then you do what you're doing (sic).' " St. John was found dead at his home in the San Fernando Valley, California on Sunday. A cause of death has been deferred following an autopsy. Instagram Celebrity Spilling details of the rare moment that took place in New Orleans' Audubon Park, photographer Jen Menard says it was the 'Trainwreck' actress who asked if she can photobomb the session. Feb 6, 2019 AceShowbiz - Amy Schumer gave a newly-engaged couple something to smile about by crashing their romantic photoshoot. James Matthews and Katherine Salisbury were posing for images on a bench in New Orleans' Audubon Park , Lousiana when the pregnant comedienne appeared behind them, holding her arms up high and making funny faces as she walked by with her dog, Tati. Photographer Jen Menard shared the photos via Instagram, and Schumer followed suit, along with the caption: "If you get engaged, Tati and I will be there." Menard later spoke with the Huffington Post, and confessed she didn't realise who the photo crasher was at first. "She ran back over and said, 'Hey! Is this an engagement session...? Can I photobomb'." the photographer explained. Schumer, who will celebrate her first wedding anniversary with husband Chris Fischer later this month (February 2019), has now been invited to Matthews and Salisbury's wedding. The bride-to-be regrets not pinning the "Trainwreck" star to a date. "I was thinking, 'Holy s**t, that is Amy Schumer!' but I didn't want to say that out loud because I figured she would just want to go on her way after she photobombed us, as opposed to staying to chat," Katherine tells the outlet. "I'm kind of kicking myself that we only have the one picture." "I have official approval from my mom and mother-in-law to add her to the guest list. We'll give her plus-three guests... husband, baby and of course Tati." .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... SANTA FE Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams decision to withdraw most New Mexico National Guard troops deployed on the states border with Mexico drew widespread national media coverage Wednesday. And the Democratic governor did not mince words in defending her decision, announced just hours before President Donald Trumps State of the Union address Tuesday evening. We will not militarize the border, Lujan Grisham told local reporters during a briefing in the Governors Office. We will not use our assets, including the National Guard, in an inappropriate way. However, she also said her administration would not turn a blind eye to ranchers in southwestern New Mexicos remote Bootheel region who have asked for help amid a recent influx of migrants from Central America. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ In the past four months, more than 26 groups of 100 people or more, mostly parents with children and unaccompanied minors, have turned themselves in to agents at Antelope Wells, according to the Border Patrol. To address residents concerns, Lujan Grisham called for road improvements, new vehicle barriers and better fencing in the Bootheel. I dont believe that we should not be investing in border security, Lujan Grisham said. But the governor also accused the White House of stoking fears of some residents along the border. This isnt new that those remote ranchers have some risk they do, they absolutely do, she said. So where has Border Patrol been over the last two decades? She described the situation in Hidalgo County as a humanitarian crisis and said asylum-seekers have had their constitutional rights breached by the Trump administration at official ports of entry. She said that has led to more migrant groups crossing in remote areas. In announcing her decision to withdraw most of the 118 National Guard members stationed on the border, Lujan Grisham said that 11 to 15 Guardsmen will remain in Hidalgo and Luna counties. At the governors instruction, six New Mexico State Police officers will also be temporarily dispatched to help local law enforcement officers in Hidalgo County. The National Guard troops were deployed to the border by former Gov. Susana Martinez last year at Trumps request. Meanwhile, Lujan Grisham also created waves by posting a new political ad Tuesday evening on social media that shows her running through several walls, including one she described as Trumps border wall. The ad was filmed during last years gubernatorial campaign but never aired. Why are we debating things that dont work? Lujan Grisham asked, referring to the border wall, in response to a question about the ad. Why arent we having a fair, productive debate about the things that should and can and would work. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... HEWITT, Texas Authorities in Central Texas say a police officer was shot after exchanging gunfire with a 25-year-old man who had robbed a bank. Dallas Scott Bohanan of Waco was being held Wednesday in the McLennan County jail on charges that include aggravated assault against a public servant. Officials say Bohanan exchanged gunfire with Hewitt police officer Clint Brandon as Bohanan exited the bank Tuesday. The suspect fled in a pickup with Brandon in pursuit and the two later exchanged gunfire again, with shotgun pellets striking Brandon in the arm. Bohanan later crashed his pickup and was taken into custody. The officer was taken to a hospital for treatment and was released. Online jail records dont indicate whether Bohanan has an attorney to speak on his behalf. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... PORTALES Daycare workers who admitted to leaving two toddlers in a hot car in July 2017 were found guilty Tuesday of charges that could send them to prison for up to 36 years. Mary and Sandi Taylor were immediately remanded into custody following the Roosevelt County jurys guilty verdict, which came about four hours after it began deliberating. The courtroom filled with tears on both sides when the verdict was announced. (Im) very glad to see were taking child abuse in this community very seriously, even if its reckless rather than intentional, prosecutor Andrea Reeb said. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Defense attorney Tye Harmon said he intends to appeal the verdict, arguing We do not believe they (jurors) were properly instructed. He said he and his clients were extremely disappointed. Sentencing is scheduled to take place within 30 days. The mother-daughter pair who operated Taylors Tots were charged with abuse of a child (results in death) and abuse of a child (results in great bodily harm). Both were found guilty on all charges. Prosecutors said Maliyah Jones and Aubriauna Loya, both under the age of 2, were left inside the vehicle for about two hours and 40 minutes with no air conditioning. Temperatures outside exceeded 90 degrees, testimony showed. Maliyah was dead on arrival at the Portales hospital. Aubriauna survived, but was seriously injured and continues to receive treatment. Erika Tafoya, Maliyahs mother, said she was so happy with the jurys verdict. We know itll never bring her back, but at least she deserves (accountability from the Taylors). Attorneys presented opening arguments on Jan. 30 and wrapped up with closing arguments on Tuesday morning. Neither Taylor took the stand. Courtroom observers listened attentively first as state District Judge Donna Mowrer read the jury their instructions and then as attorneys spent almost three hours with concluding arguments, retreading testimony and evidence. Reeb, district attorney in the 9th Judicial District, earlier emphasized a perfect storm of careless behavior leading to the death of 20-month old Maliyah and prolonged hospitalization of Aubriauna, a month from her second birthday at the time of the July 25, 2017, incident at the Taylors now-shuttered residential daycare in Portales. She outlined the ingredients of that recipe for disaster in a slideshow for the jury, arguing the Taylors were cutting corners on regulations from the states Children, Youth and Families Department: they were skimping on car seats, taking field trips without thorough clearance, failing to observe the strict ratio limits of daycare provider to children. This was not an accident, she said, because a true accident is not foreseeable. Reckless disregard is foreseeable. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... WASHINGTON There are 8.5 million Virginians. Surely the commonwealth can find someone to serve as governor whose yearbook page does not prominently feature a picture of a broadly grinning young white man in blackface and another wearing Ku Klux Klan robes. Surely the commonwealth can find someone who, when confronted with said yearbook picture, does not say at a surreal news conference that its taken time for me to be sure that its not me in blackface. Someone who does not reach this conclusion because he so vividly remembers wearing blackface on another occasion, when he was moonwalking to victory in a Michael Jackson dance contest. Someone who, for heavens sake, does not appear ready to demonstrate the moonwalk right then and there, before his wife tells him these are inappropriate circumstances. Lets dispense with the question of whether Democrat Ralph Northam is being treated unfairly. His grievous political wounds virtually all Democratic Party luminaries in the state and most Democratic presidential hopefuls had called on him to resign are self-inflicted. When the photograph from Northams Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook surfaced, his first reaction was to issue a statement of abject apology. Tactically, in terms of crisis management, that was the right move own the transgression and say unambiguously that youre sorry. By Saturday, though, he was convinced that is not my picture and had decided not to resign, at least not yet. But in his tragicomic session with reporters he could offer no explanation of how a shockingly racist picture of someone else might have ended up on a page headlined Ralph Shearer Northam. He also said that at the Michael Jackson dance contest, he applied just a little bit of shoe polish because he knew how hard it was to wash off perhaps suggesting prior experience. Even if it isnt Northam, his attempts to explain himself Saturday made things worse and worse. He attempted to draw a contrast between the yearbook blackface, which he says was bad, and the dance contest blackface, which he says was also bad, but perhaps not as bad. It was cringeworthy to hear him talk about how this has been a tremendous learning experience and I have a lot of African-American friends and Ive had as much exposure to people of color as anybody. He kept digging himself deeper into the hole. Throughout his press conference, he seemed to imply that blackface was just something people did at the time. That would have perhaps been a contextual explanation if it were 1884, when blackface was widely used by whites in Virginia and elsewhere to ridicule and denigrate African-Americans as inferior, Id at least understand the nobody knew better defense. But the yearbook and the dance party were in 1984 two full decades after passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ In 1984, anyone smart enough to graduate from medical school was smart enough to know that blackface was racist to say nothing of wearing Klan regalia. And in 2019, anyone smart enough to be governor should know not to refer to blackface as face painting, as Northam did Saturday. Northams immediate and, I believe, insurmountable problem is he has lost the confidence of his party and many constituents. Northam was scheduled to go to Williamsburg for the inauguration of the College of William and Marys new president, but the school announced he will not attend because his presence would fundamentally disrupt the sense of campus unity we aspire to and hope for. More disinvitations surely will follow. Another of his problems is intellectual laziness. For any public official, such ignorance of basic American history is unforgivable. Four hundred years ago, in 1619 a year before the Mayflower the first African slaves in British North America landed at Hampton Roads. Without that, there is no landed Virginia gentry: no Washington, Jefferson or Madison. There is no Confederacy to be memorialized in Richmond. There is no Jim Crow, no massive resistance to school desegregation, no Doug Wilder as the nations first black governor since Reconstruction. Northam will learn history is the cruelest judge of all. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... (Editors note: Senate Memorial 11 and House Memorial 6 address concerns of a 2020 Census undercount) Regardless of party affiliation, we can all agree every New Mexican family deserves access to every opportunity and resource necessary to make their family and children thrive. Yet, the ability to drive our state forward now hangs by a thread as the 2020 Census lurks right around the corner. Currently, NM receives almost $8 billion in federal aid each year based on the decennial Census. This figure makes New Mexico rank No. 1 in our dependence on federal aid, according to online publication WalletHub. (More than) $4 billion alone is spent in maintaining our Medicaid program, which allows children across our state access to their inalienable right to health and wellbeing as they develop into our leaders of tomorrow. Unfortunately, New Mexico ranks No. 1 for Hard-To-Count (HTC) for Census purposes. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 43 percent of NMs population, or over 800,000 people, live in hard-to-count neighborhoods meaning places that are highly rural with poor road accessibility, lack of reliable internet access and where people are wary of the confidentiality of the information they share. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ The high dependency on federal aid, combined with the data gathering challenges in a hard-to-count state like ours, make for a perfect formula for disaster if New Mexicos 2020 Census results in an inaccurate count or undercount. Our state loses approximately $3,000 for each person who is not counted in our communities. Thus, an undercount multiplied over the 10-year period until the 2030 Census will result in $30,000 loss for each person missed. With an estimated undercount of just 1 percent, that would translate into a total loss of $600 million for the next decade a loss we all agree our families and children cant afford. And this is not merely hypothetical, because an undercount of this magnitude has already happened in our history. According to PriceWaterhouseCoopers in a report prepared for U.S. Congress on the effect of Census 2000 undercount on federal funding to states, New Mexico experienced a total undercount of 1.94 percent, resulting in billions lost in federal funding for 10 years! Having learned from this experience, in 2010, the undercount in New Mexico was reduced to under 0.3 percent due to a collaborative effort between the Department of Finance and Administration, Geospatial and Population Studies, Bureau of Business and Economic Research, the Earth Data Analysis Center and local governments that identified 30,000 housing units missing from the Census Bureau Master Address File. Despite the recent gains in accurate counting, the U.S. Census Bureau is likely to be underfunded for the 2020 Census and its move toward the use of an online survey also proves to be a challenge in New Mexico where nearly 30 percent of our population does not have a reliable connection to internet, greatly increasing the chance for a significant population undercount. It is up to our state government to fill the gaps and ensure we continue preparation for an accurate count come 2020. We can begin investing now to: Support a robust outreach effort to New Mexico community members through direct, in-person outreach in multiple languages. Support efforts of the state demographer to identify hard-to-count communities in New Mexico and develop a system to prioritize efforts to ensure all New Mexicans are counted. Ensure additional funds for computers and navigators to assist community members in filling out the census, improving access to places with public access to computers. Ensuring every New Mexican is properly counted in the 2020 Census is the first step to building a stronger New Mexico, guaranteeing every family receives their fair share of representation and federal funding they need to build thriving communities. U.S. President Donald Trump will make an appearance at the meeting of the coalition to defeat the ISIS today, his administration said. Diplomats and foreign ministers from around the world are scheduled to meet in Washington on February 6 for high-level talks on the fight against ISIS militants. The meeting, hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, follows Trump's controversial decision to pull U.S. troops out of Syria, RFE/RL reported. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... The first legislative session of 2019 began with new state leadership at every level. This session promises to bring forth a variety of ideas, challenges and changes. A variety of educational bills has been introduced in the new Legislature that proposes to increase education spending by millions, redesign our accountability systems and develop support programs for our students. This is a real opportunity for fresh ideas to support our students and empower our educators. Will New Mexico take advantage of this opportunity for growth with an eye on our students and their future? I recently visited a community school in New Mexico and was amazed by the positive culture and the various supports available to students. If a student was in need of health care, clothing, food items or emotional support, the school served as a resource to meet the needs. After the tour I only had one question: Why arent we talking about their academics? Many students at this school did not begin high school on grade level. I was left wondering about intervention programs, tutoring and incentives for high-quality teachers. I believe we MUST ensure our children have their basic needs met. A child cannot fully commit to the expectations of the classroom if he or she is hungry or cold. However, if we provide a child a meal or give them a jacket, it will enhance their day, but will it change their life? I dont want to choose between providing basic needs and social/emotional support or a rigorous education. We must provide both at the same time. As a student at Chisum Elementary School, I had very little. One day I was called to the principals office and given a coat. It was a long pink jacket with a yellow zipper and blue buttons. I didnt understand what I did to be so lucky to be given the coat. The jacket kept me warm all winter. But it wasnt this coat that allowed me to break the cycle of poverty in my family. It was my education. I continued my education after high school and became the first in my family to graduate from college. I didnt get a job; I started a career. As legislators debate new educational dollars, accountability systems and support programs, I call upon our state leaders to not lower the standards for our students, our teachers or our schools. We can do great things together. Rather than debating the high bar we have set to ensure we help our children break the cycle of poverty, let us debate the ways to meet the bar. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ We must understand and meet the basic and social/emotional needs of our students at not just at a few schools throughout our state, but in the many districts that need this additional support. And until New Mexico ranks at the top of education, where we belong, lets ensure that we have the accountability systems to both measure effectiveness and provide support for our teachers. The true measure of success will be once that child, whom we have educated for the majority of his or her life, is able to be successful at a career or college. If they later have a family who requires the same basic needs and support services as they did in school, we have failed them. Lets empower them to break the cycle of poverty. Lets make sure to support their social, emotional and educational needs, all at the same time. Hope Morales was a teacher on special assignment at Military Heights Elementary School in Roswell and is a Teach Plus Teaching Policy Fellowship alumna. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has ordered the withdrawal of most of the 118 National Guard troops deployed on the states border, but is leaving a small group in the Hidalgo County area. I reject the federal contention that there exists an overwhelming national security crisis at the southern border, along which are some of the safest communities in the country, Lujan Grisham said in a news release Tuesday evening. However, I recognize and appreciate the legitimate concerns of residents and officials in southwestern New Mexico, particularly Hidalgo County, who have asked for our assistance, as migrants and asylum-seekers continue to appear at their doorstep, she said. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ New Mexicos Bootheel has become a busy spot with large groups of Central Americans crossing the border asking for asylum. According to Border Patrol, since October more than 26 groups of 100 or more people have turned themselves in to agents in Antelope Wells. Most are parents with children and unaccompanied minors. According to Border Patrol, some drug traffickers have used the large groups to time their smuggling operations to when Border Patrol agents are busy taking the families and kids into custody. Between 11 and 15 National Guard troops will remain in Hidalgo and Luna counties. The Governors Office said more could be added depending on an assessment from Gen. Kenneth Nava. Under the governors direction, the Department of Public Safety will temporarily add six New Mexico State Police officers to assist local law enforcement in Hidalgo County. The beefed up patrols are in response to a request from the county manager. The 118 men and women assigned to the border in New Mexico include 94 from the New Mexico National Guard with the rest from other states. In all, about 2,100 National Guard troops are stationed along the entire United States-Mexico border serving in a support role at the request of President Donald Trump last April. They do not apprehend people illegally crossing the border or stop drug smugglers. Border Patrol is responsible for law enforcement. The guard members in New Mexico help CBP officers at the Santa Teresa port of entry with cargo inspections by unloading trucks and help do maintenance on Border Patrol vehicles. The guard also provides air support. The enhanced mobility serves as a force multiplier, according to officials with the Border Patrols El Paso sector, which includes all of New Mexico. Together with units from Arkansas and Kentucky, New Mexico National Guard helicopter crews have been patrolling vast areas of the border from Santa Teresa to Lordsburg, the Border Patrol noted in a statement provided to the Journal last month. This expands our situational awareness and allows us to cover much more ground than we would be able to using our own assets. On Tuesday, Lujan Grisham directed that the troops from Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Wisconsin who are working with the New Mexico National Guard on the border return to their home states immediately. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... SANTA FE A proposal in the Senate would allow government agencies to charge more for the release of public records. Senate Bill 442, sponsored by Sen. John Sapien, D-Corrales, would allow fees of up to $1 a page for electronic records. The law now limits such charges to the actual cost of putting information on a disk or storage device. The agency, for example, may charge for the cost of the disk or device. Transparency advocates said the Senate proposal could make it more difficult for people to obtain records theyre entitled to, even when the information is easy to share. If a requestor were to ask for a 100-page PDF record, the governmental entity could provide that with a few clicks of a mouse, Melanie J. Majors, executive director of the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government, said in a written statement. Under this bill, the entity could charge up to $100 for that service. This bill would make it much more difficult for New Mexicans to hold their government accountable. ADVERTISEMENTSkip ................................................................ Art Marmorstein Aberdeen A couple of weeks ago, U.S. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., introduced a bill that would expand the number of guest workers coming into this country through the H2-B visa program. Under this bill, states with an unemployment rate below 3.5 percent could bring in another 2,500 guest workers to take on seasonal jobs in fields like hospitality and construction. In some ways, this is a step in the right direction. One of the best ways to reduce the problems related to illegal immigration is to streamline and expand the ways in-demand workers can enter the country legally. The H2-B program screens out those likely to end up on public assistance, makes background checks and drug-screening available to potential employers, and includes provisions that make sure guest workers arent exploited in the way illegals often are. Finally, it tries to make sure guest workers arent taking jobs away from unemployed Americans. But by taking into account only unemployment rates, Thunes bill misses something important in terms of protecting American jobs. A better bill would also take into account labor force participation rates. Unlike the unemployment rate which includes only those who have actively looked for work in the preceding four weeks the labor force participation rate includes all those who might be in the workforce, including groups like discouraged workers. They are people who would like jobs but have given up looking for employment. While South Dakotas current unemployment rate is less than 3 percent, the states labor participation rate is about 70 percent. The available workforce is really a lot higher than the low unemployment rate suggests. One underutilized pool of workers is the states young people. The percentage of 16-to 19-year-olds in the workforce has dropped significantly in the last decade, and the number of 20 to 24-year-olds in the workforce is also lower than it used to be. One of the reasons for this is that the school year starts too early. Late summer is prime time for tourism and construction, the fields Thunes bill targets for support. College-age and high school students would be more likely to be offered and take jobs in these areas if they could work through the peak season instead of being back behind their desks so early. Want students to be career ready? A post-Labor day school start would get a lot more students back into the summer labor force learning the job basics all employers want. Another underutilized labor resource is the states Native American population. South Dakotas Native American workforce participation rate is less than 50 percent, and the employment gap between Native Americans and whites is greater in South Dakota than in any other state. Including more Native Americans in the workforce involves some sometimes-complicated problems. Its not easy to overcome potential difficulties in transportation, training and easing the transition away from home communities. Likewise, its an uphill fight to get school districts to return to a post-Labor Day start to the school year. Still, when it comes to unmet workforce needs, policymakers would do well to remember the Wizard of Oz lesson: theres no place like home. Katherine
Grandstrand kgrandstrand
@aberdeennews.com
At the beginning of the year, South Dakota State University sophomore April Hamilton got to go on the trip of a lifetime.
The Hitchcock- Tulare High School graduate was one of 83 FFA members nationwide who took a 12-day trip to South Africa to learn about the country, its unique crops and livestock, and its agricultural practices.
As the name implies, the International Leadership Seminar for State Officers was only for current and past state FFA officers. Hamilton served as state secretary in the 2017-18 school year. The competition was stiff to be part of the trip.
I heard through the grapevine that it fills up really fast, you have to be able to fill out your application within less than five minutes, said Hamilton, who is from Hitchcock.
The trip generally goes to a different country each year, but this was the last of a string of excursions to South Africa, she said.
It wasnt Hamiltons first international excursion. She said she had the opportunity to spend a month in Norway during summer 2016 as part of an exchange.
Hamilton had to miss the first week or so of classes this semester, but said her professors were very understanding, and it helped that she gave them advanced warning.
They were all very open to it. I offered to do some homework before I left, too, not that I really wanted to just to make it a little easier on myself when I got back, she said.
There was eight weeks of online coursework before the trip, which started in earnest with everyone gathering in New York for a couple of days of orientation, Hamilton said. Then it was off on a 14-hour flight to Johannesburg.
The first outing after landing was to the Apartheid Museum and to the Nelson Mandela monument.
There we kinda got to just learn about this history a little better have a better understanding, Hamilton said. I think that definitely set the mood for the rest of the trip.
Then travelers made the trek to Pretoria, where they visited a farm where cattle, goats and crops were raised, Hamilton said.
That was interesting to see how its so similar, for me, for my agricultural background, its so similar, but yet completely different in how they do things, just because of their weather and how the plants and the crops grow over there, she said.
They got to visit two game reserves where they saw animals like sables, elephants, giraffes, zebras, water buffalo, cheetahs, lions, leopards, warthogs and ostriches, Hamilton said.
They got to visit an ostrich ranch, and check out the giant bird in all phases of life.
We got to sit on an ostrich, we got to hold a baby ostrich as well, so that was really exciting, Hamilton said. One egg can hold 130 pounds.
One thing that impressed Hamilton about South African agriculture is the drive for constant improvement. Its common for agriculture students to spend time abroad to learn new techniques and strategies.
They keep up to date with everything because theyre bringing all of these resources and input from other countries back to where they live, she said.
The FFA group got back to the States in mid-January after 12 days in South Africa.
Hamilton said she would love to do a longer exchange, if possible.
I feel like you learn a lot more being able to be in depth with a few individuals, Hamilton said.
While shes not sure what she wants to do for a career, she said she wants to work with youth in agriculture.
I would love to be something in Extension or 4-H or FFA helping out kids being able to find their passion, Hamilton said. But I dont necessarily want to be inside the classroom.
Seat belts are known to save lives. So lawmakers across the country and right here in Montana have proposed bills to require seatbelts in all new buses.
Right here in Montana a bill has been proposed to do just that by 2020.
According to Big Sky Buslines here in Great Falls, they agree that seatbelts are safe and will probably reduce injuries in bus accidents. But there is another side to the story. No matter what, this will cost someone more money.
I think it's a very complex debate. At the end of the day it should be about safety but there is going to be a cost for that. But whatever happens in Helena we are going to comply with what they do, said Darnell Stucker.
Another issue is if seatbelts are required, how will seatbelts be enforced on the bus? What we do know is if a student isnt wearing a belt when there is a rule requiring it and the bus is in an accident, the student is held liable, not the bus company or the school district.
This bill is scheduled for its committee hearing tomorrow in the capital.
12 years ago on February 6th, 2007, a plane crashed while on a medical mission near Belgrade, killing three first responders on board, including Paul Erickson, Darcy Dengel, and Vince Kirol.
The trio were staples in Central Montana communities, thanks to their respective positions as a firefighter/paramedic, nurse, and Mercy Flight pilot.
Though they may be gone, their spirits continue to live on.
Wednesday, organizations and community members from around Great Falls paid respects on social media.
Benefis Health System: "Their memory lives on with every Mercy Flight mission we complete."
Mercy Flight. Great Falls, Montana: "Its (sic) been 12 years since we lost you, it never gets easier. Fly with the Angel's (sic). Paul, Darcy and Vince."
Great Falls Fire Fighters: "12 years ago today we lost one of our finest.. Brother Paul erickson.... we thank you, Darcy Dangel and Vince Kirol for your service... we miss you all."
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree abolishing some special economic measures against Turkey.
The document has been published on the official online portal of legal information.
Under the decree, a larger number of Turkish citizens have been released from the restrictive measures imposed on their country in November 2015.
The restrictions are no longer applied to the following groups of Turkish citizens traveling to Russia: drivers involved in international road haulage, holders of valid special passports, who go to Russia for short-term business trips, including workers of the Turkish diplomatic mission in Russia.
BOZEMAN - Gallatin County sheriff's deputies and search and rescuers are being hailed as heroes after they rescued a father and son who were lost in the wilderness in the bitter cold Tuesday.
With no cell service, a Utah man and his 12-year-old son found themselves trapped in subzero temperatures and a snow storm on Tuesday night.
Gallatin County officials say that both the father and son had laid down for what rescuers call "the long sleep," and were minutes away from death.
The search started around 6:30 PM, when a Utah woman called to report her husband and 12-year-old son were overdue from a hiking trip in the Spanish Peaks area between Big Sky and Gallatin Gateway. A team of 20 snowmobilers and skiers headed out a few miles off of I-191, with even more volunteers offsite attempting to track the father's cellphone.
Just over three hours into the search, the boy, disoriented and hypothermic, was located by rescuers.
His father was found a couple of hours later, after midnight, by rescuers on skis. He was conscious but also suffering from hypothermia.
The two had apparently become separated after walking in deep snow.
Both were taken to a nearby hospital and later transported to the University of Utah Burn Center to be treated for frostbite. The father is suffering from a frostbitten foot, while the boy has frostbite on his toes.
Gallatin County Sheriff Brian Gootkin said if rescue crews hadn't located the man and his son, there's no way they would have survived.
"I don't care if you're a search and rescue volunteer, or deputy sheriff, law enforcement person. You do this for one reason and that was yesterday," he said Wednesday. "That was to help people and to save lives. And we did. And I can't tell you how awesome that is."
Gootkin also warns anyone against going out into wild areas.
"As a father, my main message to people out there is just they should have never been out there," he said. "It's not safe when it's below zero, you have snow, you have a storm coming in, not prepared. They are so lucky to be alive."
Sheriff Gootkin thanked all those who responded to the incident last night. One of those people, a Search and Rescue volunteer, was struck in a hit-and-run while driving in the search area. Bozeman Police are asking for information on the suspect.
En espanol | President Trump told the nation Tuesday night that he doesnt believe Americans should pay more than patients in other countries for the same prescription drugs and urged lawmakers to pass legislation that delivers fairness and price transparency.
I am asking the Congress to pass legislation that finally takes on the problem of global freeloading and delivers fairness and price transparency for American patients, finally, Trump said. We should also require drug companies, insurance companies and hospitals to disclose real prices to foster competition and bring costs way down.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), prices for drugs administered by doctors under Medicare Part B are 1.8 times as high in the United States as in other countries. HHS is expected to issue a rule in the coming months that would tie U.S. prices for Medicare Part B drugs to the prices of those medications in other developed countries. HHS officials have estimated that such a proposal would lower the cost of Part B medications by about 30 percent.
In her Democratic response to the presidents speech, Stacey Abrams, former Georgia State House minority leader and gubernatorial candidate, also talked about the importance of lowering prescription drug prices. In this great nation, Americans are skipping blood pressure pills, forced to choose between buying medicine or paying rent, Abrams said.
In a statement issued Tuesday night, AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins said she was heartened that the president highlighted the growing crisis of skyrocketing prescription drug prices. Many Americans, particularly older adults and seniors, are struggling financially to afford their medications."
AARP calls for policy solutions that actually lower drug prices instead of simply shifting costs around within the health care system, Jenkins also said. To do that, we must deal directly with the root cause of high drug prices: the prices set by drug companies.
According to a fact sheet the White House issued after the State of the Union speech, the prescription drug legislation Trump wants Congress to pass should include policies that put a hard cap on out-of-pocket payments for seniors. The statement did not include any details about such a proposal.
Creating the perfect wine bar is essentially like making the idyllic bottle of wineit can't really exist because there are too many factors (not to mention personal preference) going into both.
But we can all agree that wine bars need to be fun, a little romantic, full of great cheese and charcuterie and at least dinner-ish food, and, of course, have a focus on wines that are fantastic, unusual, and perhaps even rare.
Too many wine bars, though, traffic in cheesy-named flights, and too many sway toward that candlelight/love sofa situation that makes non-intimate couples feel awkward and the wine feel irrelevant.
So in search of our dream San Francisco wine bar, we've plucked the strongest attributes from nine of the city's best. And this being the city of start-ups, we'll happily accept Sand Hill funding to make it happen.
Ungrafted: Srsly Legit Wine At some point, a strict definition for "wine bar" is going to be written. For now, we can embrace a generous overlap between a bona fide restaurant and a wine bar. Nobody ties together that overlap better than Dogpatch newcomer Ungrafted, from husband and wife couple Chris Gaither and Rebecca Fineman, who met at a wine exam (how romantic) and have worked at many of SF's top spots (think Gary Danko, Spruce, and Octavia). What they've managed to create is a fantastic destination that has plenty of appeal for being a three-course dinner type of restaurantcaviar with mini arepas; Creole-spiced fried chicken; octopus adoboor a come-as-you-are chill bar to nerd out on grower Champagne or some as-yet-unknown rising star Burgundy. And trust us, the all-somm staff here knows it alland they'll be nice enough to guide you. In startup speak, it's ultra user-friendly for however you choose to make an evening of food and crazy great wine from all over the world. Heck, the chocolate chip cookie dessert plate here actually comes with a glass of Pedro Ximenez as part of the dish. To Ungrafted, they're just meant to be together. Is that a move that a wine bar would do or a restaurant would do? Who even cares about genre labels at a great restaurant-ish wine bar like this? // Ungrafted, 2419 Third St. (SoMa), ungraftedsf.com
The Riddler: All the Charm (Photo by @tiffwang_, via @theriddlersf) This is what we want our dream wine bar to look like. The Riddler, the year-and-a-half-old Parisian-style bubbles hangout in Hayes Valley, feels so iconic that it's hard to remember the neighborhood without it. With all sorts of gold and black accents and a grand portrait of Jacqueline Bisset in Casino Royale, the oh-so-charming space feels like a set where Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron could have sipped a little Veuve in An American in Paris. In present day SF, it's where Salesforce workers and Tinder second dates sip Veuve or, more likely, a chambong and a Joan (a glass of cheap wine filled to the brim). We'd like to see a little more breadth in the by-the-glass Champagne offering, but there's definitely no complaining about the tater tot waffles or the perfectly Frenchified atmosphere. // 528 Laguna St. (Hayes Valley), theriddlersf.com
20 Spot: Dinner Cheese is only the beginning of the food possibilities here. (Courtesy of 20 Spot) Do you want substantial snacks with your wine? Or perhaps dinner? Or the kind of snacks that make you even hungrier so then you have to go out for dinner afterward? Ugh, the wine bar food dilemma. When it comes to the wine bar-restaurant hybrid, the Mission's 20 Spot is our winner: It's a flexible place for grabbing a glass at a counter that seems more civilized than a bar, or for a sit-down with food without feeling quite like a restaurant. It's neither overly romantic or overly casual; 20 Spot can be what you want it to beit's here for you. Plus, there's no going hungry when you have one of the city's best avocado toastsgloriously topped with halibut cevicheat your fingertips. Oysters, tartare, and octopus paella round out the culinary offering. // 3565 20th St. (Mission), 20spot.com
Terroir: Natural Wines Whether or not you've even tasted an all-natural winecurrently trending in New York and Parischances are high you're aware of the debate about them: Are they pure, clean, chemical-free delights, or spoiled, off-balance travesties of wine thanks to the lack of sulfites? While some are good and some are not (as is the case with any style of wine), in our experience natural wine tends to be just lovely; the SoMa wine bar Terroir is our city's casual champion of the stuff. Our dream wine bar will definitely let you sample some funky natural orange wines and some whites, reds, and roses that don't taste bizarre at all. Terroir offers all of this on its constantly changing chalkboard menu. // 1116 Folsom St. (SoMa), terroirsf.com
Tofino Wines: Buy a Bottle At the hectic intersection of Geary and Masonic, Tofino Wines is the opposite of a dark, make-out-on-the-sofa wine bar. With soaring ceilings, potted palms, marble-clad pillars, and tons of natural light, it feels more like a grand cafe. But don't let let all the airy open space fool you: This is really an exceptionally curated wine boutique with a bar and a handful of cozy tables. And while S has dozens of terrific wine shops, Tofino is tops in terms of enjoying a glass of powerfully mineral-driven white Burgundy before buying a great bottle of Massican chardonnay to take home. The recent addition of chef Josh Eventhe Tosca Cafe head chef who flew the coop in the wake of restaurant owner Ken Friedman's recent #MeToo scandaland his menu of seasonal snacks and sandwiches may be reason enough to pop into Tofino even if you don't care about wine (but how is that possible?). // 2696 Geary Blvd. (Laurel Heights), tofinowines.com
Indian Paradox: Global Pairings Even if this Divisadero Street spot served only cheese and charcuterie, it would still be one of SF's best bars for enjoying a thoughtful glass by virtue of its super-strong wine program. But Indian Paradox is really like nothing else, thanks to its fabulously atypical food pairings. There are slider-like minced lamb pavs and various crunchy and fried chaat snacks that give new wonder to that cremant d'Alsace or new-wave Australian shiraz. Whether it's Sri Lankan or Japanese or Moroccan flavors next, hopefully more enterprising chefs will follow the lead of this creative concept. Our dream wine bar certainly wouldn't shy away from global thinking. // 258 Divisadero St. (Lower Haight), indianparadoxsf.com
High Treason: The Fries + Conserva Drink like the Spaniards with a selection of seafood conservas including razor clams, sardines, and octopus. (Courtesy of @hightreasonsf) The French know that fries and Champagne are a match made in wine bar heaven. But when they're as special as the crunchy, shoestring-style duck fat fries at the Inner Richmond's perennially hip High Treason, who really cares what you pair the fries with? At this ode to good wine and vinyl records, those fries, along with the impressive assortment of high quality imported seafood and tinned fish conservas from Spain, will make grazers forget all about the whole notion of wine with cheese. The list of Californian and European wines from mostly young, forward-thinking producers is intenseyou could call it epiceven including several fortified wines that are tempting to taste. High Treason also emphasizes by-the-glass options in the $9 to $15 sweet spot that is sadly going out of fashion in SF these days. // 443 Clement St. (Inner Richmond), hightreasonsf.com
Union Larder: The Three CsCalifornia, Cheese, Charcuterie By looking around, we'd wager that Union Larder could easily be among the city's top five venues for dating app rendezvous, never mind that there's nothing intimate about it: The atmosphere is industrial and the volume easily surpasses 100 decibels. Nevertheless, the crowds are here for the selection of greatest hits of what former Chronicle wine critic Jon Bonne termed "The New California Wine." Tatomer, Liquid Farm, Broc, Bedrockthey're all here, and they're all fantastic compared to the state's big oaky chardonnays and giant tannin-rich cabs of the past. The strong cheese and charcuterie program is the ideal pairing for Santa Barbara County rieslings or Mendocino Ridge pinot noirs. // 1945 Hyde St. (Russian Hill), unionlarder.com
Birba: Poulsard, Furmint, and Hondarribi Zuri Waitwhat? Those are just three of the lesser known but fascinating varietals sometimes offered at this tiny Hayes Valley wine bar. Our dream wine bar will certainly follow the lead of this quaint spot and offer the likes of Hungarian furmint, a brash, mineral-driven white; poulsard, a soothing, soft red from the Jura in France; and hondarribi zuri, a light, effervescent txakoli white from Spain's Basque Country. Birba's owner, Angie Valgiusti, a former sommelier at The Slanted Door and wine director at the much-missed Bar Jules, is succeeding at spreading the attention of obscure European wines here in the heart of California. It isn't easy, but we think it matters. // 458 Grove St. (Hayes Valley), birbawine.com
This article has been updated since it was originally published on Aug. 23, 2018.
More than 200 Yerevan State University employees are staging protests against the Armenian government's decision to finance scientific projects through a tendering process.
About 450 researchers may lose their jobs due to the Armenian Cabinet's decision.
Earlier, the Yerevan State University Scientific Council has addressed Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan with an appeal to review the government's decision, TASS recalls.
The writer, journalist, Vesti FM radio station host Armen Gasparyan, speaking with Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that as a result of the 'velvet revolution', public protest has become the driving force of Armenian politics to some extent. "I suspect that for many people the events of last spring are still if not the fundamental model for social and political activities, then at least one of the possible ones," he said.
"If Pashinyan is a consistent person, he should listen to the protesters at the university and try to resolve difficult issues. I would like there was a serious dialogue between the society and the authorities in Armenia," Armen Gasparyan stressed.
Speaking about the problems of education in Armenia, in the first place the expert named the task of keeping young people in the republic after their graduation. "The government needs to decide how to ensure that young graduates continue to work on the territory of the republic. There are also a number of issues regarding the modernization of educational programs. But these are common problems for the CIS and many Western countries," he concluded.
Then he [Jesus] began to say to them, Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.
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All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, Is not this Josephs son?
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He said to them, Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, Doctor, cure yourself! And you will say, Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.
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And he said, Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophets hometown.
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But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land;
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yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon.
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[ d ] in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian. There were also many lepersin Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.
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When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage.
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They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff.
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Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has appointed Tigran Petrosyan as Shirak province governor and Hayk Chobanyan as Tavush province governor.
At todays regular Cabinet meeting, the PM wished success to the new-appointed governors and outlined their priorities in office. "Your top priority objective is to attract new investments create jobs to improve social and economic things in the provinces," ARKA cited him as saying.
The newly appointed governors' predecessors, Karen Sarukhanyan and Vahe Galumyan, resigned on January 17 for parliamentary activity they are now MPs from My Step bloc.
Need to act
CEDAR FALLS On Feb. 6, people around the world recognize the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). There is added urgency this year after a November 2018 ruling by a Detroit federal judge overturned a 1996 federal law criminalizing FGM, declaring that states, not the federal government, should pass laws related to this practice.
All of the states around us, except for Nebraska, have laws banning FGM, but Iowa does not. There is rarely a medical reason for the procedure in which infants and girls up to 14 or 15 years old have part of the exterior female genitalia cut out, usually without their consent, and often under non-medical conditions. The mutilation leads to lifelong consequences, including incontinence, fistulas, menstrual problems, urinary problems, chronic pain, urinary tract infections, depression or complications during childbirth.
The United Nations and World Health Organization recognize FGM as a violation of basic human rights. Many Iowans have never heard of it, even though it impacts millions of girls and women worldwide. Our organizations ask Iowa legislators to act on HF 63, which would prohibit this practice.
MAUREEN WHITE
president, Iowa United
Agents discovered the group after they crawled over and under the crude vehicle barrier separating the United States from Mexico, the Border Patrol said in a press release.
Just a week earlier, a group of 84 migrants arrived nearby in a tour bus and then crawled under the fence into the United States, where they were taken into custody by Border Patrol agents.
On Dec. 19-20, in nearly the same place, the Border Patrol apprehended 306 Central American migrants crossing illegally into the U.S.
Clearly, the fencing in that part of the Tucson Sector is not working.
The border is 1,954 miles long. Everyone agrees that big parts of it do not require any fencing because the terrain is so rough that it makes crossing very difficult.
On the other hand, a significant part of the border does need barriers. Right now, there are about 705 miles of fencing about 405 miles of pedestrian fencing and about 300 of vehicle fencing, which blocks vehicles but allows people on foot to cross easily.
CEDAR FALLS After 30 years of operation on Main Street, St. Vincent de Paul is closing its Cedar Falls retail thrift operation at 203 Main St. due to a change in ownership of the building.
St. Vincent de Paul first established a business presence in Cedar Falls in the late 1980s, opening a thrift store on the northeast corner of University Avenue and Main Street. Through a partnership with the Cedar Falls Municipal Band the store was moved to 203 Main St.
Regular store hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and will be maintained until Saturday, Feb. 16. Thereafter, store hours will be reduced to 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily Monday through Saturday with a volunteer staff. Donations will continue to be accepted during hours of operation. The store will close permanently Feb. 28.
Meanwhile, normal operations will continue at St. Vincent de Pauls Waterloo location at 320 E. Broadway in Waterloo. The public is encouraged to visit the Waterloo store and to continue its donations of used household goods and clothing to the Waterloo location. These donations are given to those in need or sold as thrift. Proceeds are applied to operating expenses or used to support the services the Society provides to the poor.
There are several ways the community can contribute to St. Vincent during this transitional time. Donations of household goods, furniture and clothing are welcome at the Waterloo store at 320 Broadway or its warehouse located at 522 Bratnober St. Financial contributions are always needed and can be mailed to P.O. Box 2727, Waterloo 50704 with checks made out to Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
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WATERLOO The Black Hawk County Assessors Office is a tiny piece of the overall property tax pie.
But that piece is getting smaller next year under a budget and tax rate adopted Tuesday by the county conference board.
The budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 lowers the assessors property tax rate from 25 cents to 22 cents per $1,000 of taxable value, which equates to a 9.6 percent cut in the assessors share of the overall tax bill.
The owner of a home with an assessed value of $100,000, for example, would see the assessors portion of their bill slide from $13.91 to $12.57 next fall under the proposed budget.
City, school and county governments collected the lions share of annual property tax bills.
Assessor T.J. Koenigsfeld noted the decrease was largely based on the use of $218,000 in cash reserves to pay for a tax administration software project. His office collected those funds in previous budgets, but the software purchase was put on hold for several years.
The budget includes 3 percent pay raises for the staff.
Defense attorney Ted Fisher painted Tyler as a woman who had tried everything else to curb her boyfriends sons behavior.
The enclosure theyre showing you is after months of escalating behavior when theyre at their wits end, correct? he asked Allen. So theyre kind of saying this is a last resort.
Fisher noted that even after seeing the enclosure on a Friday, Allen allowed the boy to stay at the home over the weekend and have Tyler drive him to a foster home Monday after a safety plan was agreed upon.
So this was not an emergency removal? Fisher asked.
Based on what I knew at the moment I was still trying to work with this family, so I did not make that decision, no, Allen said.
As far back as 2015, Tyler told a co-worker at Caseys General Store in Ackley her then-first-grade son had behavioral issues, including attention deficit disorder and oppositional defiance disorder, and would urinate and defecate all over the house.
But of the dozens of times when Laura Robinson baby-sat the child, including five or six times overnight, the boy didnt exhibit any of the behaviors of a child with those diagnoses. She knew because her son was diagnosed with both.
OELWEIN -- The conviction of a Hazleton man's whose girlfriend's son was injured while he was babysitting in 2016 has been upheld on appeal.
Justin Cole Moore, 29, was convicted of child endangerment causing serious injury during a 2017 trial.
Prosecutors said Moore was looking after the 23-month-old child on Aug. 30, 2016, in Oelwein while the mother was at work when the boy was found with injuries to internal organs, subdural bleeding in his head and extensive bruising.
Moore said he had been playing video games and heard a noise in the bathroom and found the child on the floor. He said the boy had been using a stool to use the bathroom and slipped.
When the mother returned home, the boy's eyes were rolled back into his head and he was struggling to breathe. Doctors said the injuries couldn't have happened as described in the bathroom fall.
On appeal, Moore argued the jury was given improper instructions regarding his out-of-court statements and about the term "reasonable degree of medical certainty."
The Iowa Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction in a ruling filed on Wednesday.
Moore is serving up to 10 years in prison.
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GRUNDY CENTER -- The Iowa Court of Appeals has upheld the conviction of an Ankeny man charged with luring girls to his car during the summer of 2016.
A jury found Jeff Lee Altmayer, 59, guilty of first-degree kidnapping, sex abuse and enticing a minor following a January 2018 trial.
Authorities said he approached two 11-year-old girls while driving through Colfax in August 2016 and asked if they wanted to earn $100 doing lawn work. When one of the girls took him up on his offer, he began groping her until she resisted and fled his vehicle.
Altmayer remained at large until November 2016 when he allegedly approached children in Onawa, and a neighbor followed his vehicle. He was also charged with soliciting children in Dike and a mobile home park in rural Grundy County and suspected in a similar incident in Cedar Falls.
On appeal, Altmayer argued the jury in the Colfax case shouldn't have heard information about the Onawa incident.
In a ruling handed down Wednesday, the Iowa Court of Appeals sided with the prosecution, which argued the evidence was needed to establish his identity regarding involvement in the Colfax case.
Georgian Police Vice Colonel Vladimer Bortsvadze has been appointed as a Deputy Internal Affairs Minister of Georgia, - InterPressNews reported citing the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Vladimer Bortsvadze served as a Director of the Central Criminal Police Department. Earlier, Bortsvadze worked on different positions in Chief Prosecutors Office.
About Me
I am an urban/commercial district revitalization and transportation/mobility advocate and consultant and a principal in BicyclePASS, a bicycle facilities systems integration firm, based in Washington, DC. Urban economic competitiveness is dependent on efficient transit and mixed use, compact places. Therefore, I end up writing mostly about mobility and urban design. While I am based in and write about Washington, DC issues, I try to write so that "universal lessons" are evident in the entries.
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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.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that business plays an crucial role in solving Russia's strategic tasks. According to him, business initiative creates jobs, thus increasing salaries and incomes of millions of our citizens.
Speaking at a business forum in Moscow, the head of state noted that the more dynamic and strong companies, both in traditional and emerging industries, we have, the more stable economic growth would be. "And first of all we need it to make the country richer,to improve the quality of life in our country," he said.
In addition, Putin stressed that national projects are designed to provide a breakthrough in Russia's development. "They should encourage Russian business as well," RIA Novosti cited the president as saying.
The professor at the department of the stock market and investments at the Higher School of Economics, Alexander Abramov, speaking to Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that the president's statement made at the Business Russia forum, which is a lobbying organization for medium and small-size businesses, first of all stresses the need for medium business to take part in national projects, not just for large corporations.
"At the same time, it should be understood that the statement is not directly related to the projects, there are only 13 of them, but if we consider the 'Infrastructure' project, then infrastructure projects require private investment and contractors. Medium business can participate trough contracts and co-investment in such projects as 'Healthcare', 'Demography' and 'Education'. The presidents statement also reflect the fact that, judging by the discussions at this years Gaidar Forum, the low level of private business participation in national projects worry their developers, but there is still no radical change in a situation," he explained.
The vice-rector of the Academy of Labour and Social Relations Alexander Safonov told about the most interesting for business national projects. "First of all, this is the 'Digital Economy' national project. As we know, most of the startups which are large, global companies now started with small IT groups (Google, Facebook, Apple), therefore, indeed, creating an intellectual base to improve various kind of technological processes is a big interest for small and medium businesses," he noted in the first place.
"In addition, human capital plays an important role in 'Healthcare' - which means it will have a room for small businesses. In general, national projects are designed in such a way that some are more conducive to the development of small business and others - of large. In this context, there is a need to create a favorable environment for the cultivation of small and medium-sized companies. Without such a platform for launching a large business, we will not develop our economy. The whole world business history shows the impossibility of serious innovative development without the participation of small and medium-sized businesses," Alexander Safonov concluded.
By Corina Pons and Mayela Armas
CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government last year sold 73 tonnes of gold to Turkey and the United Arab Emirates without the required approval of the opposition-led National Assembly, an opposition legislator said on Wednesday.
Of that total, Abu Dhabi investment firm Noor Capital bought the largest amount, 27.3 tonnes of gold, opposition legislator Carlos Paparoni told a news conference, without providing evidence. Paparoni also said a Turkish firm bought 23.9 tonnes of gold last year.
Venezuela's opposition, led by National Assembly leader Juan Guaido, has sought to prevent the gold sales, believing Maduro's government is using the proceeds to try to stay solvent as U.S.-imposed sanctions cut off other revenue streams. The United States and numerous other countries have recognised Guaido as Venezuela's interim leader in the aftermath of Maduro's re-election last year in a vote critics have called a sham.
Venezuela had gold reserves of 132 tonnes between the central bank's vaults and the Bank of England at the end of November, according to central bank data.
Venezuela's Information Ministry did not immediately respond to requests to comment.
Noor Capital last Friday said it had bought 3 tonnes of gold on Jan. 21 from the Venezuelan central bank and would not buy more until Venezuela's situation stabilized. Its purchase was in accordance with "international standards and laws in place" as of that date, it said.
"We will keep working so that not one more gram of gold can be sold," Paparoni said.
In response to a request to comment, Noor Capital issued the same statement as last week saying it "does not engage in any illegal or prohibited transactions."
Paparoni also said Maduro's administration had transferred 127 million euros to bank accounts in Russia, without providing a date. Since Monday, the Venezuelan government has not been able to move money between its accounts in banks in the European Union, Paparoni said.
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Turkey and Russia have been key supporters of Maduro.
Maduro's government began selling gold about a year ago after falling oil production, economic collapse and mounting U.S. sanctions hit public income in the OPEC-member nation and made it hard for it access credit.
(Reporting by Corina Pons and Mayela Armas; Writing by Angus Berwick; Editing by Will Dunham)
By Elizabeth Piper
LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May will call on the European Union on Thursday to work with her to change a divorce deal and help her win the support of a divided parliament to smooth Britain's departure from the bloc.
Before arriving in Brussels for talks with EU leaders, May acknowledged that her task - to force change to a deal agreed almost three months ago - would not be easy, and a government source said a breakthrough on Thursday was not expected.
But she will tell European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, European Council President Donald Tusk and the European parliament's Antonio Tajani she wants to work "urgently" with them to secure changes that she argues can win over not only her fractious Conservative Party but lawmakers across parliament.
Just weeks after parliament resoundingly rejected her Brexit deal, May needs to persuade a reluctant EU to change the Withdrawal Agreement to help her get lawmakers' approval before Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29.
If she cannot, Britain, and May, face an uncertain future, opening the door to several scenarios - leaving without a deal which some businesses say might cripple the economy, another referendum, an early election or never leaving the EU at all.
Acknowledging that the agreement "was the product of much hard work and was negotiated in good faith", May will tell the leaders that parliament had sent "an unequivocal message that change is required", according to her office.
"The government now wants urgently to work with the EU to secure such changes ... We must show determination and do what it takes to now get the deal over the line."
The main stumbling block to winning approval is the so-called Northern Irish backstop, an insurance policy that there will be no return of the checks at the border with EU member Ireland that in the past were a focus for sectarian violence.
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Some lawmakers want her to remove the provision entirely, while others say they will accept legally-binding assurances that it would not lead to Britain being trapped in the EU's sphere indefinitely or a way for London to end it unilaterally.
But the EU, and particularly Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, say they will not re-open the agreement, underlining that the political instability in Britain only further proved the need for the backstop.
Frustration with Britain boiled over on Wednesday when Tusk openly wondered what "that special place in hell looks like, for those who promoted Brexit, without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely".
But even though both sides say they do not want Britain to leave without a deal, any breakthrough on Thursday is unlikely. May described the meetings in Brussels "as part of a process leading to the government bringing back" a new vote on a Brexit deal as soon as possible.
(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Toby Chopra)
ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Tuesday he had found "good will" to start peace processes to end the conflict in Yemen, during private meetings with leaders of the United Arab Emirates, which is playing a leading role in a Saudi-led coalition against Houthis in Yemen.
Francis, who in the past has condemned the war in Yemen several times, made the comment in response to a question on the plane returning from Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
"I spoke about it, but just with just a few people," Francis said when asked if he had discussed Yemen during his meeting with Crown Prince Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan and other leaders.
"I will say that I found good will to start peace processes," he said, without elaborating.
The nearly four-year-old war in Yemen, the poorest Arabian Peninsula nation, has killed tens of thousands of people and left almost 16 million people facing severe hunger. The conflict pits the Saudi-led coalition loyal to ousted President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi against the Iran-aligned Houthi group.
The United Nations is trying to implement a fragile ceasefire deal in the country's main Hodeidah port, a lifeline for millions and the site of some of the war's fiercest battles. It hopes the deal will pave the way for talks to end the war.
(Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Frances Kerry)
Ireland will not be left alone in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the European Commission president has said.
Jean-Claude Juncker said alternative arrangements could never replace the backstop.
Mr Juncker made the comments alongside Irish premier Leo Varadkar following talks between the two leaders at the European Commission in Brussels.
Mr Varadkar dismissed the UK Governments alternative arrangements concept as a potential solution to the current Brexit impasse.
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We need to bear in mind that this majority that did exist in the House of Commons for alternative arrangements probably only exists because alternative arrangements can mean whatever you want them to mean, Mr Varadkar said.
I dont believe that would have passed if people had to actually get into the details of what alternative arrangement might mean or might not mean.
He said he had concerns about the idea of alternative arrangements and that it could not result in the deletion of the backstop, while Mr Juncker said the backstop was needed for obvious, vital reasons and it could not be abandoned.
The backstop is a guarantee for Ireland and it is a guarantee for the European Union because the Irish border is a European border, Mr Juncker said.
He also said the EU could not accept the idea which has been circulated around that the Withdrawal Agreement could be reopened.
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Mr Juncker rejected giving the UK a way to unilaterally pull out of the backstop.
A safety net is not a safety net if it can be destroyed by the unilateral actions of one of the parties, he said.
The Taoiseach was in the Belgian capital for talks with senior EU representatives to discuss preparations for what EU Council president Donald Tusk described as the fiasco of a no-deal Brexit on March 29.
Mr Varadkar said he was confident that a solution could be found to the current situation.
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He also said the Irish government was not making preparations for any border infrastructure, but added that it was important to remember that the border was not just a border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, it was also going to be the new EU and UK frontier.
Their comments came after a press conference earlier in the day where Mr Tusk said he had been wondering what that special place in hell looks like, for those who promoted Brexit, without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely.
Mr Tusk added that the EU was not making any new offer to the UK Government on the Brexit deal and he repeated the EUs insistence that the Withdrawal Agreement reached with Theresa May last year could not be reopened.
Speaking alongside Mr Tusk, Mr Varadkar said the EU was open to further discussion with the UK Government on Brexit but the Withdrawal Agreement remained the best deal possible.
In relation to the backstop, he added: While we expect that the backstop will never be used, we agreed again today that it is needed as a legal guarantee to ensure that there is no return to a hard border on the island of Ireland while protecting the integrity of our European single market and customs union.
I think the events in London and the instability in British politics in recent weeks demonstrates exactly why we need a legal guarantee and a solution that is operable, that we know will work and will last.
During his visit, Mr Varadkar also met with the chairman of the European Parliament steering group on Brexit Guy Verhofstadt, EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, and EU Commissioner Phil Hogan.
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The leaders discussed the detailed contingency planning under way in the event of the UK crashing out of the EU without a deal.
The British PM is due to hold meetings with Mr Tusk, Mr Juncker and Mr Barnier in Brussels on Thursday before visiting Dublin late on Friday to discuss Brexit with her Irish counterpart.
It will be the first time Mrs May meets EU leaders and Mr Varadkar since the Withdrawal Agreement was overwhelmingly rejected in the House of Commons last month.
Prime Minister Theresa May arrives at Stormont (Brian Lawless/PA)
During a two-day visit to Northern Ireland on Tuesday, Mrs May restated her unshakeable commitment to avoiding a hard border in Ireland after Brexit.
The final day of her trip culminated with meetings on Wednesday with all five of the main parties at Stormont House.
A spokesman for Mr Varadkar said Mrs May was coming to Dublin to discuss the ongoing efforts to restore the Northern Ireland executive and protect the Good Friday Agreement in light of the current Brexit situation.
Politi, pictured in social media images, set up a profile for Matthew Mode where he posed as a plastic surgeon. (CEN)
An Italian fraudster who posed as a British plastic surgeon and even performed operations has been seized by police.
Matteo Politi faked his identity as a UK surgeon named Matthew Mode and gave lectures to trainees, despite having no medical background.
Politi, 38, who was reportedly convicted of identity theft in 2011 before moving to Romania, operated at four private hospitals in Bucharest before being caught out.
He created a social media profile for Mode where he posted videos of himself performing operations.
Politi faked his CV and was even allowed to give lectures to trainee surgeons. (CEN)
Politi promoted himself on social media as Matthew Mode, a surgeon who specialised in cosmetic procedures. (CEN)
The Italian conman even used a fake CV to convince a centre for trainee surgeons in Verona to let him give lectures.
Romanian police detained Politi onWednesday, on a train on the border with Hungary.
Plastic surgeon Adina Alberts, who reported him Politi to authorities after he fooled her while working at her clinic, said he was brilliant at talking.
She had doubts about his surgical credentials, however, when she noticed the way he held a syringe.
Alberts added that one patient suffered complications after breast implant surgery conducted by Politi.
Conman: Politi was said to be brilliant at talking by a surgeon fooled into believing his scam. (CEN)
Romanian health authorities, who must also issue a separate permit to doctors, say he was given one in March 2018 after submitting a fake diploma claiming hed qualified as a doctor in Kosovo.
Politi forged documents and created a CV which said he had studied at the UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside Hospital and the prestigious Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in United States.
He also claimed he had worked as a plastic surgeon in the UK, Italy and Spain despite not even graduating from secondary school.
Politi is now being investigated for fraud and is expected to be held in Bucharest this week.
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US immigration officials may be targeting rapper 21 Savage because he condemned their behaviour in a new song, his lawyers have suggested.
The British-born, Grammy-nominated musician was arrested in Atlanta, Georgia, by US Immigration And Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Sunday for overstaying his visa.
ICE says 21 Savage, whose real name is Sha Yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, is a British national who moved to the States aged 12 in 2005.
Rapper 21 Savage is being held in custody by US immigration officials (Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)
21 Savages legal team has now suggested ICE arrested him after he rapped about them in his new song A Lot. Lyrics for the track reference migrant children being separated from their parents at the US-Mexico border.
A statement released on Tuesday and signed by his six-strong legal team states: There continues to be no legal reason to detain Mr Abraham-Joseph for a civil law violation that occurred when he was a minor, especially when people in his exact situation are routinely released by ICE.
Many have speculated as to possible ulterior motives for his arrest and detention, including that he released music five days prior to his arrest by ICE, which included new lyrics condemning the behaviour of immigration officials for their detention of children at the border.
We are unaware of why ICE apparently targeted Mr Abraham-Joseph, but we will do everything possible to legally seek his release and pursue his available relief in immigration court.
21 Savage, pictured with model and actress Amber Rose, criticised US immigration authorities in a recent song (PA)
London-born 21 Savages lawyers say he first arrived in the US aged seven and remained there until June 2005, when he returned to the UK for about a month.
He arrived back in the US in July 2005, they said. His lawyers say he lost his legal immigrant status in 2006 through no fault of his own and should be eligible to fight his removal from the country in court.
21 Savage, 26, has three children who are US citizens, his legal team say, as well as his mother being a lawful resident and four siblings who are either permanent residents or citizens.
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The rapper, who is still in detention in Georgia, has exceptionally strong ties to his adopted country, they argue.
And he is in the process of obtaining a U visa a visa for victims of crime because he was the victim of a deadly shooting in 2013, the statement adds.
ICE should release 21 Savage from custody and delay his removal from the country while he awaits to hear back on the visa, they said.
They also dispute ICEs claim that the rapper has a criminal conviction.
ICE has been contacted for comment. 21 Savage is nominated for two Grammy Awards at this weekends ceremony, including record of the year for the chart-topping track Rockstar with fellow rapper Post Malone.
The delegation led by Minister of Economic Development Maxim Oreshkin of Russia will arrive in Baku on 8 February.
The Ministry of Economy of Azerbaijan informs that during the visit the delegation will get acquainted with the reconstruction works at border checkpoint Yarag-Gazmalar, as well as to visit border checkpoint Samur and get acquainted with construction of the road across the Samur River.
"On 9 February the possibilities of economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Russia will be discussed in the Hajigabul Industrial Town," abc.az reports citing the Ministry.
Frances government said Wednesday that the European Union's veto of a plan to merge French and German rail companies Alstom and Siemens into one industry giant was a mistake that would ... When it was announced last year, the merger was hailed as the birth of an industry giant analogous to European plane manufacturer Airbus that would compete with a formidable Chinese rival. But following months of investigation and a failed concession offer by the companies, European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager rejected the merger, saying it would have created a near monopoly in the European market. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire acknowledged a veto in the hours leading up to its announcement, calling it an economic mistake that will serve the interests of China. Frances government had lobbied for the merger as a way to compete against Chinas state-backed CRRC, with Le Maire saying before a meeting with Vestager last month that a merger was the best response to Chinas growing importance in the railway sector. Alstom builds Frances high speed TGV trains and Siemens builds the German counterparts, the ICE trains. Both companies also make rail signalling systems. Vestager said the companies failed to address concerns of what the merged company would mean for the competetiveness of smaller groups. Competition authorities in Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain had all backed Vestager, out of concern for increased costs for their national railways. France and Germany had urged Brussels to look beyond the EU and its member states and consider the rise of CRRC, which was itself born of a merger of Chinese companies, and said they would seek changes to EU competition policy. European competition rules need to be revised, Le Maire said. In the weeks to come, my German counterpart Peter Altmaier and I are going to make proposals aiming towards a much more ambitious industry policy. I hope we will consider that the pertinent market for analysing competition is the world market and not the European market. The proposed company was to create an industry giant with operations in 60 countries and an annual turnover estimated at 15.6 billion euros. CRRCs annual revenues of 26 billion euros outweigh Frances Alstom and Germanys Seimens, as well as Canadian firm Bombardier, each of which brings in about eight billion euros a year.
Frances government said Wednesday that the European Union's veto of a plan to merge French and German rail companies Alstom and Siemens into one industry giant was a mistake that would ...
When it was announced last year, the merger was hailed as the birth of an industry giant analogous to European plane manufacturer Airbus that would compete with a formidable Chinese rival.
But following months of investigation and a failed concession offer by the companies, European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager rejected the merger, saying it would have created a near monopoly in the European market.
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire acknowledged a veto in the hours leading up to its announcement, calling it an economic mistake that will serve the interests of China.
Frances government had lobbied for the merger as a way to compete against Chinas state-backed CRRC, with Le Maire saying before a meeting with Vestager last month that a merger was the best response to Chinas growing importance in the railway sector.
Alstom builds Frances high speed TGV trains and Siemens builds the German counterparts, the ICE trains. Both companies also make rail signalling systems.
Vestager said the companies failed to address concerns of what the merged company would mean for the competetiveness of smaller groups. Competition authorities in Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain had all backed Vestager, out of concern for increased costs for their national railways.
France and Germany had urged Brussels to look beyond the EU and its member states and consider the rise of CRRC, which was itself born of a merger of Chinese companies, and said they would seek changes to EU competition policy.
European competition rules need to be revised, Le Maire said. In the weeks to come, my German counterpart Peter Altmaier and I are going to make proposals aiming towards a much more ambitious industry policy.
I hope we will consider that the pertinent market for analysing competition is the world market and not the European market.
The proposed company was to create an industry giant with operations in 60 countries and an annual turnover estimated at 15.6 billion euros.
CRRCs annual revenues of 26 billion euros outweigh Frances Alstom and Germanys Seimens, as well as Canadian firm Bombardier, each of which brings in about eight billion euros a year.
Chinese communities around the world welcome the Year of the Pig beginning Tuesday, ushering in the Lunar New Year with family feasts and shopping sprees. In mainland China over the past week, hundreds of millions of people have been cramming into trains, buses, cars and planes to reach family and friends in the world's largest annual migration, emptying the country's megacities of much of the migrant workforce. The New Year is the most important holiday of the Chinese calendar and its marked with a fortnight of festivities and the exchange of gifts and red envelopes stuffed with money. Streets were uncharacteristically empty in Beijing on Monday, with many shops and restaurants closed until next week but a growing number of Chinese are also choosing to travel abroad during the holiday period. An estimated seven million Chinese tourists will head overseas over the Spring Festival this year, according to the official news agency Xinhua, citing numbers from Chinese travel agency Ctrip. Chinese communities living in cities around the world are also welcoming the year of the Pig, though in Malaysia, where 60 percent of the population is Muslim and a quarter ethnic Chinese, some shopping centres chose not to display pig decorations. Next door in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country which also has a sizeable ethnic Chinese population, the Lunar New Year is a public holiday. It is also the most important holiday in Vietnam, where it is celebrated as Tet.
Chinese communities around the world welcome the Year of the Pig beginning Tuesday, ushering in the Lunar New Year with family feasts and shopping sprees.
In mainland China over the past week, hundreds of millions of people have been cramming into trains, buses, cars and planes to reach family and friends in the world's largest annual migration, emptying the country's megacities of much of the migrant workforce.
The New Year is the most important holiday of the Chinese calendar and its marked with a fortnight of festivities and the exchange of gifts and red envelopes stuffed with money.
Streets were uncharacteristically empty in Beijing on Monday, with many shops and restaurants closed until next week but a growing number of Chinese are also choosing to travel abroad during the holiday period.
An estimated seven million Chinese tourists will head overseas over the Spring Festival this year, according to the official news agency Xinhua, citing numbers from Chinese travel agency Ctrip.
Chinese communities living in cities around the world are also welcoming the year of the Pig, though in Malaysia, where 60 percent of the population is Muslim and a quarter ethnic Chinese, some shopping centres chose not to display pig decorations.
Next door in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country which also has a sizeable ethnic Chinese population, the Lunar New Year is a public holiday.
It is also the most important holiday in Vietnam, where it is celebrated as Tet.
Chinese importers have claimed their government is delaying shipments of Canadian rapeseed for oil in retaliation over the arrest of a Huawei executive.
Beijing has so far been taking revenge for the arrest of the Chinese telecoms giant's chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver by detaining Canadian citizens.
After she was arrested in December for extradition to the United States on suspicion of violating Iran trade sanctions, China arrested two Canadians and escalated a drug smuggling sentence of another Canadian to death.
Chinese importers have now said shipments of Canadian canola - a type of rapeseed used for oil or animal feed that Canada is the world's largest exporter of - are taking longer to clear customs.
Permits needed to import genetically modified (GM) crops, including canola - which stands for Canadian Oil - are also becoming more difficult to obtain, traders said.
China buys about $2.5bn (1.5bn) of the Canadian seed a year, more than 90% of its canola imports, and if those sales slowed down it would hit the industry in Canada hard.
Canola seeds are crushed into oil for cooking or used as pig and fish feed.
James Watson, a Canadian government spokesman, said it is not aware of any decision by Beijing to stop Chinese companies from buying Canadian crops.
However, traders in both countries have said they have been experiencing delays, and blame it on the Chinese government fighting back against Ms Meng's arrest.
Importers in China said several shipments have cleared customs since Ms Meng was arrested on 1 December, but many have been unusually delayed.
A dozen companies, some with direct knowledge of sales in the two countries, and others in the US who monitor sales, said the shipping pace has noticeably slowed since the Huawei CFO's arrest.
One importer said it took more than 20 days for his shipment of canola seeds to clear customs - about twice the usual time - and customs officers carried out more thorough inspections of GM crop imports.
Story continues
Another shipment that arrived in mid-January had still not cleared by the end of the month.
He said the increased checks are the Chinese government wanting to "pressure Canada" over Ms Meng's arrest and said it has made him "more cautious" about future purchases.
A source at a Chinese company that imports canola said it stopped buying from Canada shortly after Ms Meng's arrest.
"We are not buying now as the current situation is quite tense and sensitive," he said.
A Canadian exporter said their canola seed shipments have faced additional inspections and tests at Chinese ports.
"There's no doubt that they are retaliating specifically against canola seed itself," the exporter said.
Some Chinese importers have said they are avoiding Canadian purchases as they fear the canola delays are just the start of added import hurdles.
Although there has been no acknowledgement by either government of a slowdown, total exports of Canadian canola are down 7% year on year from August to 27 January, according to the Canadian Grain Commission.
Canola futures prices have remained the same since Ms Meng's arrest, but brokers say concern over a Chinese backlash has caused canola prices to miss out in competition with another highly utilised oil, soybean.
Canada has until 1 March to decide whether to authorise an extradition hearing after the US formally requested her extradition on 28 January.
The Tyler Civic Theatre is bringing the classic "On Golden Pond" to the stage. The story of hope, humor and drama proves that love and the abi
Government Reporter
Erin came to Tyler from Vermont, where she worked for VTDigger.org and previously the Rutland Herald. She received her B.A. in Economics and Spanish from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, where she also attended journalism school.
A 27-year-old Georgian national has been arrested in Belgium in connection with a bank robbery in central Antwerp on February 3.
The robbery took place in the safe-deposit room of the branch of BNP Paribas Fortis on the Belgielei, while the branch was closed. The thieves had clearly been planning the robbery well in advance.
The approach to the bank involved entering the sewers via a manhole, digging a tunnel underground equipped with wooden supports and electric lighting, then coming through a wall into the safe-deposit room where clients rent boxes to store their valuables and documents for safe-keeping. They escaped through another tunnel to an apartment in a nearby street, rented for the purpose.
The man arrested yesterday is said to be a Georgian by origin with Belgian nationality. He will appear in court on Friday, the Brussels Times reported.
It was classic 1960s-70s drama Homicide that struck a chord with a young Ron Iddles and spurred him on to a real-life career as a homicide detective.
I used to love watching Crawfords Homicide and thought I would love to be Leonard Teale or John Fegan. I joined at 18 and had my heart set on becoming a detective. I joined the Homicide squad in 1980 and spent 25 years of my career there.
He rose to the ranks of Detective Senior Sergeant and would later head up the Cold Case Division and receive an OAM. Incredibly, Iddles has solved 99% of the over 320 murder investigations he has investigated, spanned across 25 years in the homicide squad. No wonder they call him Australias Greatest Detective.
Ive been fortunate enough to travel to America, London, Spain, France following up leads and investigations. Ive been to New York to see their FBI course. I did a course in Albany, New York, in relation to cold case investigations and then set up the first cold case unit in Australia in 2001, he recalls.
Homicides fascinated me because they are a big jigsaw puzzle. Sometimes you start with nothing and you put it all together.
I wanted to make sure the families of those involved knew about it.
His biography The Good Cop became the basis for a true crime series produced by CJZ for Foxtel. Despite being retired from the force, he was coaxed into stepping back into the public spotlight as the shows storyteller.
I wasnt reluctant but I had to think about it. I wanted to make sure the families of those involved knew about it. In the end most of them wanted to participate in it, he continues.
Ive done a lot of stand-ups at crime scenes but nothing like a documentary. Its easy to stand up at a crime scene and say someone was stabbed, but to go to a production like this is totally different.
Reuniting with families was good but I didnt like repeating everything, but you have to understand they know what they are doing and thy have to piece it together. Theyre doing it to make you look good.
There are 6 cases featured in the series revisited through Iddles eyes, with re-enactments and family participants. Tonight he looks back on solving the 1982 murder of six-year old, Bonnie Clarke.
For Foxtel its the first time an original investigator has narrated a story and been part of it, he says.
I think the way it has come together is good. It isnt over-dramatised, some parts are confronting but thats the reality of true crime.
In every homicide I have done the killer has always told someone
The secret, if such exists, to his success is his belief that someone in the community always has the answer to a crime.
In every homicide I have done the killer has always told someone. So its about finding who theyve told.
Even in contract killings people tell someone, he explains.
Its a big burden to carry if you dont. They feel release when they share the story.
An interview is really just a conversation where you try to tap in and understand why theyve done it.
If the series proves successful, there is plenty of scope for more filming, with over another 300 solved cases.
Well see how this goes. I wont say no and I wont say yes, he admits.
Ron Iddles: The Good Cop airs 7:30pm Thursdays on Crime + Investigation.
Related
Read whats in the news today, February 6, as Vietnam entered the second day of the new lunar year.
Society
-- The health ministry of Vietnam has issued a new regulation allowing single women to seek surrogacy and artificial insemination using sperm from an anonymous male donor, medical procedures that have been legally available only for married couples.
-- Fifteen people died and 13 were injured in 21 road traffic accident in Vietnam on Tuesday, the first day of the new lunar year, according to the National Traffic Safety Committee.
-- Nguyen Thien Nhan, Party chief of Ho Chi Minh City, on Tuesday paid a visit to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper and other media agencies based in the southern metropolis to extend his new year greetings and discuss ways to develop the media in the future.
-- Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Tuesday sent his best wishes to armed forces and residents in Da Nang as he visited the central city on the first day of the Year of the Pig.
-- Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong on Tuesday visited police officers, staff of the National Load Dispatch Centre (NLDC) and environmental workers in Hanoi who were on duty on the last night of the Year of the Dog on Monday to thank them for their devotion and wish them well in the new lunar year.
Business
-- There has been an increasing number of Vietnamese people who prefer to traveling instead of staying in their hometown for the Tet holiday, according to statistics revealed by hotel booking sites, as local tour operators said they are sending tens of thousands of tourists on domestic and outbound trips this Lunar New Year.
-- Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue has highlighted remarkable results of Vietnam's economic development in 2018 and made positive forecasts for the national economic growth in 2019 in a recent interview with Vietnam News Agency.
-- State-owned Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Agribank) has for the first time been assigned Ba3 deposit and issuer ratings by Moodys, one of worlds leading credit rating agencies.
-- The National Power Transmission Corporation (EVNNPT) has said it plans to launch 33 new power transmission projects and put into operation 47 projects that are already under construction in 2019, with a total capital investment of VND19.5 trillion (US$839 million).
Sports
-- Dang Van Lam, the first-choice goalkeeper of the national mens football team of Vietnam, has passed a medical examination to officially play for Thai football club Muangthong United and will be presented at a press conference on Thursday.
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U.S President Donald Trump confirmed the place and date of his second summit with North Korea leader Kim Jong-un, as he delivered his State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday night (local time).
The speech, themed choosing greatness, was delayed two weeks amid the longest government shutdown in history.
Trump vowed in his State of the Union address to build a border wall and said Democratic attempts at ridiculous partisan investigations could damage U.S. prosperity.
Speaking in the chamber of the House of Representatives, the U.S. president called illegal immigration an urgent national crisis and urged Democrats and Republicans to find a compromise by February 15.
He also mentioned his diplomacy with North Korea, including the plan for his second meeting with the countrys leader Kim Jong-un.
Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong-un is a good one, he said.
Chairman Kim and I will meet again on February 27 and 28 in Vietnam.
The U.S leader did not name a precise venue.
Trump and Kim met in a historic first summit in Singapore in June 2018.
If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea, Trump said in his State of the Union speech.
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In the deep sea off the coast of Cu Lao Cham, a set of islets near the central Vietnamese province of Quang Nam, two young female engineers are doing whatever they can to protect the local marine environment.
Tran Thi Phuong Thao and Nguyen Thi Hong Thuy arent shy about admitting that marine preservation is their passion.
These two young women are making waves in the countrys environmental community, not just for their passion, but because of the barriers they are breaking as two of the very few women working in the marine preservation sector, particularly scuba-diving, in Vietnam.
A female engineer is seen at work under the sea. Photo: Le Xuan Ai
Half the day in the sea
Cu Lao Cham, or the Cham Islets, is an island cluster administrated by Tan Hiep Commune, Hoi An in Quang Nam Province. It is located 18 km from the citys Cua Dai coast and recognized as a world biosphere reserve by UNESCO.
Cu Lao Cham is the best-preserved Vietnams many islands, according to scientists.
Recently, the islets have become popular amongst tourists for its exciting walking under the sea tour.
The waters off Cu Lao Cham are full of marine species for tourists to observe, thanks to the contributions of conservationists such as Thao and Thuy, both preservation engineers under the payroll of the Management Board of Cu Lao Cham Marine Protected Area (MPA).
Thao, 30, works at the research center and Thuy, 25, belongs to the patrol unit. Their work stretches across 15 areas surrounding the main island of Cu Lao Cham and its seven sub-islands.
Thaos primary job is to record, observe, and digitalize data of everything happening under the sea. These tasks might sound simple, but in reality they involve scuba diving missions that can last several hours.
Though most scuba divers can barely manage 15 minutes under the water or dive deeper than five, Thao and Thuy spend roughly 12 hours a day under the water.
Difficulty breathing and fears of unknown risks often keep divers from functioning normally, but the scene of two young girls rising to the surface surrounded by an aura of calm and optimism is a perfect illustration of why passion is the key to overcome obstacles.
The colorful world underwater is beautiful, but diving into it is a different story, Thao said.
If you dont have the courage and specific skills, you can run into problems.
Phuong Thao (right) is seen at work under the sea. Photo: Le Xuan Ai
Keep the sea clean
Thao has been dedicated to marine preservation since she was a student at the Da Nang University of Technology where she earned her masters degree in ecology.
When asked about her relationships, she giggled and confirmed that her busy work schedule hasnt left much time for relationships.
She also shared that she has always enjoyed her life by the sea.
Shes been offshore fishing since she was a kid and always knew she wanted a life involving the water.
After graduation it was an easy choice for her to apply for a job at the Management Board of Cham Island MPA. Now, shes been there five years.
Thuy has a similar story and confessed she shares the same passion for the ocean and its preservation.
Ocean conservation requires direct interaction with the environment, so diving is obligatory.
Besides observation, they also transplant coral and work to restore the ecosystem and the local marine flora. They also take coral samples to grow elsewhere.
Each scuba-diving trip last about one hour. The world beneath is completely silent, said Thao.
A female engineer is seen at work under the sea. Photo: Le Xuan Ai
Clean the garbage undersea
Cu Lao Cham island is concentrating on developing tourism. Each day, this island welcomes about 3,000 4,000 tourists, which leads to negative environmental consequences for the island.
Despite a ban issued by the management board, tourist boats anchor on prohibited beaches which belong to conservation projects, according to Engineer Nguyen Van Vu - deputy director of Cu Lao Cham MPA.
Tourists eat on the boat and throw the garbage into the sea, flooding the area with plastic bags, beer cans, and plastic bottles.
To keep the coral safe from garbage, officers, divers in Cu Lao Cham, including two female engineers Thao and Thuy, dive into the water to clean up.
From 2015-18, were over 500 square meters of artificial coral were successfully implanted and transferred by engineers and conservation officers in Cu Lao Cham. Hard coral restoration has also reached 2,000 square meters and two nurseries were built boasting a total of 2,403 coral groups and a survival rate of over 75 percent in rehabilitated areas and over 95 percent of nursery areas.
A soft nursery with 1,200 species of coral and a 96 percent survival rate was also built by marine engineers.
Thao and Thuy have made a significant contribution to these numbers with their hundreds of hours of scuba-diving under the sea.
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Pham Nhat Vuong discussed Vingroups ambition in the tech and education sectors, as well as a little about his private life in this second instalment of a three-part interview with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.
Vuong is Vietnams richest man and chairman of multifaceted conglomerate Vingroup, which operates in the fields of realty development, retail, tourism, and auto manufacturing, and smartphone development.
Read the first part of his interview with Tuoi Tre here.
In Vietnam we say a farmer who sows seeds knows when the harvest season comes. If Vingroups foray into technology and industry are your seeds when do you expect your harvest?
Well, some of our companies have already started producing software and we expect them to roll out the first programs within the next six months. We also have programs in our pipeline that will take much longer. For example, [director of Vingroups Big Data Institute, Professor Vu Ha] Van told me that we can expect our first AI products in two years.
Each of our companies has a planning group and we expect them to use their own initiative to provide an outline of what they hope to achieve over a certain period.
One of the companies is trying to write a program for Vinpearl [Vingroups hotel and resort brand]. The hotel system now has nearly 60 software programs to manage its operations. Each minor task in the system needs a program. Its very complicated. Weve even purchased the worlds-best hotel management software but it still needs to be supplemented with over a dozen other programs.
Right now we have a firm working on a program that will combine the dozens of other programs we use into one. An advantage that Vingroup offers to software enterprises is its ecosystem of services. Suppose a company writes a program for a hotel. The first step is for the company to learn how the hotel works and understand its procedures. But if the hotel belongs to our conglomerate, the company doesnt need to learn anything. They just need to send teams to the hotel. The software and operation teams can interact every day to sort out the inputs, procedures, and outputs. Things run really smoothly that way. We want to build a piece of hotel management software that works effectively for both Vingroup and other hotel chains across the world. We believe our companies will achieve actual outcomes in a maximum of five years.
Vincom is also making waves in the education sector. Can you tell us more about your VinUni?
This is the undertaking that weve planned for a long time. Its evolved in lockstep with Vingroups changes in vision and growth. While we originally intended to build a good university in Vietnam, its now become our mission to ensure it meets international standards. We hope to make it among the worlds top 30 to 50 prestigious higher-education institutions 20 to 30 years from now.
Pham Nhat Vuong. Photo: Nam Long / Tuoi Tre
Colleges typically have their own particular strong points, for example exellence in fundamental research, technology, medicine, or business study. What strong points do you expect VinUni to possess?
We want to focus on science, technology, medicine, and business administration.
Is it true that VinUni will be non-profit?
Thats right. If we want to build a prestigious university, we need to take a non-profit approach. Our own money will be the sole investment. If we want to build prestige on an international scale, our investment in research should be very large so that the school isnt disqualified by ranking organizations for not meeting certain criteria.
Where will Vingroup source the capital for this?
To be honest, Vingroup doesnt have enough money to fund so many large projects. Weve had to apply for loans and focus on using profits from certain businesses to offset losses in others. The fact that were able to take out loans of VND50-70 trillion [$2.15-3.01 billion] speaks to the potential of our projects.
Weve been talking about big issues. Lets move on to something more personal. Weve heard youre an avid reader. Are there any particular books you can recommend to our readers and what important lessons have they taught you?
Its true that I read a lot, but my way of reading is very different. I usually take a look at the index to find interesting topics and then only read the corresponding content. Sometimes I read an article two or three times until Im sure Ive understood it.
I loved learning history and reading history books when I was young. My father was very proud of me because I knew the Dinh, early-Le, Ly, Tran and later-Le dynasties [Vietnamese dynasties] very well. But when I grew older, my interest shifted. I loved reading fiction novels during my college years but right now my favorite books are related to business administration and technology. I dont look for technical details in technology books. Instead, I try to find trends and reviews on current technologies.
With your position at the helm of such a large business, how do you find the time to read?
It depends [smiling]. If I get home and am not very tired, I read or just watch TV with my daughter before going to bed. My way of working is like this: once Ive started doing something, I concentrate on it as intensely as possible. I hold a lot of meetings but they last a very short time, typically just 10 to 15 minutes. The maximum length is half an hour. My workload and intensity wears me out by the end of the day.
Do you think reading can turn someone from a good person to a great person?
[Smiling] Your question is similar to the name of a book [Jim C. Collins Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Dont] that I gave my employees. Ive included part of its ideas in training sessions because it discusses Vingroup cultural features: disciplined spirit and disciplined thought. It says clearly that success requires disciplined action and thought. The Vingroup culture is built with three values: patriotism, discipline, and civility. These three words are enough.
Chinese billionaire Jack Ma recently visited Vietnam. The admiration many young Vietnamese people have for him made us wonder why they dont seem to show a similar admiration for you.
Im only a person who likes to do. Im a man of few words, even in my corporate meetings. Im not talkative. I also dont like making public appearances. I let my work speak for itself.
Theres an urban legend that youve used the same belt for 29 years. Is it true?
Oh no it isnt. I think it couldnt last me 29 years because its too old [smile]. But it may be true that I used it for around ten years [Vuong looked down to his belt while saying this.] Its brand name is blurred now. I have the habit of wearing simple clothes since my youth.
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Thousands of Vietnamese departed for Tet vacation on Tuesday, the first day of the lunar Year of the Pig, reflecting a growing trend among locals to travel instead of staying at home for the traditional festival.
Ho Chi Minh City-based tour operator Vietravel said it accommodated nearly 4,000 tourists on its domestic and outbound tours that departed on Tuesday.
Tourists were given red envelopes containing lucky money worth up to US$100 each, as well as bodhi leaves obtained from India believed to bring good luck to the bearer.
Overall, Vietravel said it has set up tours for nearly 40,000 customers over the course of the nine-day Tet holiday, which lasts until Sunday.
Saigontourist, another travel agency based in Ho Chi Minh City, said it also organized tours for 23 groups of travelers on the first day of the new lunar year, including seven domestic tours and 16 outbound tours.
As Vietnamese people prefer to departing on the second day of a lunar year, we expect the number of tours to rise to 210 on Wednesday, said a Saigontourist representative.
The company estimates it will serve 24,000 tourists during the Tet holiday.
Southeast Asia, Northeast Asa and Europe remain popular international destinations for Vietnamese tourists, while some travelers are also willing to spend money on chartered tours to emerging tourist spots such as Japan, Bhutan or India, according to tour operators.
Most tours involve a stop at a local pagoda to allow tourists to offer new year prayers, a long-standing tradition in Vietnamese culture.
There is a growing number of Vietnamese people who prefer to traveling instead of staying in their hometown for the Tet holiday, according to statistics revealed by hotel booking sites.
Agoda, for example, compared the number of bookings made on its site by Vietnamese users during Tet in the last three years and found that this number has risen significantly over the period.
These independent travelers prefer destinations that also celebrate the Lunar New Year such as Taiwan, Singapore and China.
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Those working for PetroVietnam, fully known as the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group, can be referred to as the 'people who search for fire,' thanks to their main activity of oil and gas exploration. The fire seekers at PetroVietnam, with their bravery and intelligence that were fortified by supports from the Party and the State, enabled the state-run company to overcome a tough 2018 and made many new achievements that year.
With everyone at PetroVietnam, from its leaders to those working at its subsidiaries and affiliates, taking action with full determination in 2018, the organizational structure of PetroVietnam has been perfected, paving the way for the company to achieve its production and business goals earlier than expected.
Below are the five highlights of PetroVietnam in 2018, which are the results of efforts made by those who 'search for fire' in the oil and gas sector. They weathered all storms and continued to light up faith.
1. The year 2018 marked a significant transformation of PetroVietnam as it almost completed the restructuring and simplification processes for the parent company. The restructuring in terms of organization and personnel is an essential step to strengthen and enhance the management effectiveness of PetroVietnam, enabling the company to respond to new challenges and meet its development goals.
PetroVietnam completed and issued the Book on Oil and Gas Culture, and for the first time released and enacted a code of conduct for its leaders and managers. The fire of the oil and gas sector has been passed from generation to generation of employees, creating the identity for the Oil and Gas Culture, values that anyone in the sector has to treasure and help develop.
2. The next remarkable achievement of PetroVietnam in 2018 is that it met its targets, including production, business and reserves and exploration increases, before the deadlines.
Almost all targets PetroVietnam was tasked with achieving in 2018 by the government were met before schedule. Total exploration topped 23.98 million tonne of oil equivalent, exceeding the full-year target by 5 percent. Urea production was estimated at 1.63 million metric tons, overshooting target by 5.7 percent.
PetroVietnams total revenue topped VND626.8 trillion (US$26.9 billion), exceeding target by VND96 trillion or 18.1 percent. The figure was also up 25.9 percent from 2017. PetroVietnams contribution to the state budget was estimated at VND121.3 trillion, some VND47.5 trillion or 64.3 percent higher than target, and up 24.3 percent from 2017.
3. In 2018 Petrovietnam also successfully completed the privatization for three of its units, the Petrovietnam Power Corporation (PV Power), Petrovietnam Oil Corporation (PVOIL) and Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Joint Stock Company (BSR).
These are three large companies with a total states holding worth VND89 trillion ($3.83 billion), according to audited results. After launching the Initial Public Offerings for these companies, PetroVietnam raked in VND16.5 trillion, with the states holding increased by VND7.5 trillion. If the money raked from the withdrawal of the states holding in these companies are counted, PetroVietnam raked in VND18.6 trillion from the privatization.After going public, all of the three enterprises reported improved business results.
4. Putting the Nghi Son oil refinery and petrochemical complex into commercial operation. The $9 billion facility capable of treating 200,000 barrels a day, or ten million metric tons of crude oil a yearm is one of Vietnams key national oil and gas projects.
The commercial launch of the Nghi Son plant is significant to national development in terms of politics, economics, society, security and defense. Nghi Son, together with the Dung Quat oil refinery in the central province of Quang Ngai, will collectively meet about 80 percent of the domestic fuel demand.
5. Positive changes recorded from weak projects (Petrochemical & Fiber Petroleum JSC- PVTEX, Dung Quat Bio-ethanol Plant, and Binh Phuoc Biofuel Plant).
After more than half a year resuming to operation, PVTEX produced 2,200 metric tons of draw texturised yarn (DTY) to the market, winning trust from customers for the quality of its product. In the meantime, the Dung Quat Bio-ethanol Plant was also in stable operation after it was resumed operations, whereas maintenance for the Binh Phuoc Biofuel Plant was complete and the facility is ready to resume production.
Arizona hasn't been in this position in several years under Sean Miller.
The Wildcats are playing Chase Jeter who hasn't been 100 percent healthy since dealing with a back injury from the Oregon State game three weeks ago and didn't appear in Arizona's trip to Los Angeles while competing at "40 percent" against ASU last week.
Recently, freshman guard Brandon Williams missed the ASU game with a right knee injury, the same one he had surgery on in January 2017 to correct a congenital issue in which bone beneath the cartilage of a joint dies due to lack of blood flow, known as osteochondritis dissecans.
According to Miller on his radio show Monday night, Williams will miss this week as the Wildcats prepare to battle Washington and Washington State.
OPINION: "I am disheartened by our current administrations pattern of blanket giveaways, as opposed to judiciously allocating the funds to where they are most needed," writes Tucsonan John Newport.
President Pyotr Poroshenko is personally responsible for huge economic and financial losses of the Ukrainian people, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday, TASS reports.
"All this time, Poroshenko has been personally supervising the severance of Russian-Ukrainian economic ties, which has resulted in tremendous economic and financial losses of the Ukrainian people," Zakharova was quoted on the Facebook page of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The diplomat blasted a statement made in Ukrainian presidents interview with ICTV television in which he blamed Ukraines economic collapse on Russia. "Pyotr Alekseyevich must have got frenzied, as one in his right mind will fail lying like this," she stressed.
"Poroshenko is on a daily basis devising something to ruin all economic ties between Ukraine and Russia," she noted, pointing out to the severance of a number of interstate, intergovernmental and inter-departmental agreements, and also recalling the breach of the economic agreement On cooperation in foreign economic activity of May 15, 1992.
According to her, Ukraine is following the same policy in its withdrawal from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). "The same policy - Kievs withdrawal to its own detriment from the Commonwealths economic programs," the senior diplomat said.
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SAN JOSE Former President Oscar Arias, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was enveloped in scandal Tuesday after a sexual assault complaint was brought against him by a nuclear disarmament activist.
Arias denied the allegation, saying he has never acted against the will of any woman and has fought for gender equality during his career.
According to the publication Semanario Universidad, the woman said the incident took place Dec. 1, 2014, at the ex-presidents home in the capital, San Jose, where she had come for a meeting related to her cause.
She told the publication that Arias grabbed her from behind, touched her breasts, began to kiss her and penetrated her with his fingers, while she reminded him that he was a married man.
Egypt
Parliament may extend presidents tenure
CAIRO Egypts parliament advanced a proposal Tuesday to amend the constitution in a way that could allow President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to stay in office well beyond the end of his current term in 2022.
Police said the 55-year-old woman was alone in a car when she was shot around 10 p.m. Monday on northbound Interstate 57.
About six hours earlier, a 38-year-old man was critically wounded in a shooting along the same interstate a few miles away, near Calumet Park. A 12-year-old boy and a 15-year-old boy also were shot and wounded but were hospitalized in stable condition. An 8-year-old girl in the vehicle wasnt shot but was also taken to a hospital, according to police.
Michigan
Uber driver gets life in six shooting deaths
KALAMAZOO A man who fatally shot six strangers in southwestern Michigan was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison with no chance of parole, and some loved ones of those he killed said they believe he will face a greater, more permanent punishment.
Someday when you die and you face God, he will make the ultimate judgment for what youve done, Laurie Smith, who lost her husband and son in the February 2016 rampage, told Jason Dalton during the sentencing hearing. All I can say is, I do not want to be you not now and not then.
Editor's note: This story was originally published on Sept. 12, 2018 following a "Walls of Honor" event, where the public was invited to sign the bare walls of the Brewer family's home while it was still under construction. Additional photos (below) were taken on Feb. 6, 2019 when the home was completed and the family received keys.
Caleb Brewer was wounded in combat on his 31st birthday.
While deployed in Afghanistan, he lost both of his legs, sustained severe infections, blood clots, and a traumatic brain injury.
After sustaining his injuries in late 2015 and retiring in 2016, the Gary Sinise Foundation caught wind of Brewers story and urged him to apply for its RISE program, which provides mortgage-free, specially built smart homes to severely wounded veterans and first responders.
That application became a reality for Brewer, his wife, Ashley, and their two daughters, Evelyn and Emily.
His east Tucson home is currently under construction and is expected to be complete in early 2019.
Its incredibly overwhelming in a good way, said Brewer, a Tucson native. It doesnt feel real. I never wouldve expected it in a million years.
My concern is the citizens of Nogales, Arizona, Garino told me. The wire is in the business area downtown. Its in a residential area where children can play next to the fence.
To be clear, in some areas where the concertina wire has been attached to the fence at ground level, there are new, metal-rod fences that symbolically block off the areas of low concertina wire with warning signs that say Danger, do not enter in Spanish and English. But any child could duck easily through that fence, and a dog or cat could walk under its lowest bar.
Up the hill east of downtown Nogales, there are no such protective fences. There are houses, then the border road, then the border fence, with six rolls of concertina wire on it as low as the ground.
With President Trumps newest deployment of troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, they now have a goal of adding 150 miles of concertina wire to the fence. This is, of course, something soldiers can do, though it has nothing to do with the only arguable crisis on the border thousands of Central Americans either waiting at the ports of entry to claim asylum or turning themselves in to Border Patrol agents and then seeking asylum.
Two earthquakes hit Azerbaijan yesterday, the Republican Seismological Survey Center (RSSC) of the Azerbaijani National Academy of Sciences reported.
An earthquake of magnitude 4.4 was recorded at 23:19 local time, eight kilometers south of Pirgulu station in the Agsu district. The seismic center was located at a depth of 10 kilometers. The tremors in the epicenter were felt up to 5, and in the adjacent districts up to 3.4.
The epicenter of the second quake of magnitude 5.3 was recorded at 23:31 local time, 11 kilometers south-west of Pirgulu station in Ismayilli district. The seismic center was located at a depth of 8 kilometers. The tremors in the epicenter were felt up to 6, and in the adjacent districts up to 5.3.
After the earthquake, 30 people appealed to the Shamakhi central hospital, Azerbaijans Healthcare Ministry said.
"Thirty people appealed to the hospital, three of them were taken to the department of traumatology. One person was diagnosed with dislocation of the arm and the other two were diagnosed with leg injuries. The injured were provided with necessary assistance," the statement says.
"The hospital worked in an emergency mode, six ambulance crews were on duty, the ministry added.
The recovery effort for the 82-year-old hiker who got lost while hiking in Madera Canyon last week was suspended Monday evening, officials said.
Joe Smallwood called around 4 p.m. on Feb. 5 and reported he was lost. Shortly after, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office sent out a search-and-rescue team.
After a week of searching, Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Lieutenant Gerardo Castillo said search crews, who came from all over the state, needed to recover and regroup before planing future recovery efforts.
Castillo said as many as 120 people from 17 or 18 different organizations helped in the search, including agencies from Pima, Santa Cruz, Cochise, Pinal, Maricopa, Gila, Yuma, Yavapai and Coconino counties, as well as personnel from Fort Huachuca and with U.S. Border Patrol and volunteers with the Southern Arizona Rescue Association.
Carter essentially said its a marriage of convenience. At one time, the Arizona Board of Regents gave out scholarships to any student who graduated in the top quarter of his or her class, she said. That was later curbed to the top 10 percent.
Then, when the state started to use the AIMS test as a graduation requirement, students whose scores were at or near the top were given partial scholarships. The test, Arizonas Instrument to Measure Standards, is no longer linked to graduation and Carter said those funds, too, have dried up.
Put simply, Carter said she was looking for a dedicated source of dollars to devote to scholarships at the states three universities. And this levy would raise an extra $85 million a year.
What Im trying to do is put two ideas that have merit together, she said.
Her measure would earmark the cash for the Board of Regents to award a scholarship to Arizona residents who have obtained grades of A or B in each academic course required for graduation.
Carter conceded that still leaves a question of whether it is fair to tax smokers and only smokers to help put students through college, rather than using a broader tax.
Learn about a hidden corner of Tucsons past at the 39th annual Fort Lowell Day/La Reunion de El Fuerte Celebration.
People of many cultures have lived in the neighborhood for well over 1,000 years. During that time, it has served as a prehistoric Hohokam farming community, a U.S. Army post during the Apache Wars, a Mexican immigrant farming community, and a Mormon immigrant farming community.
After the Fort was decommissioned in 1891 and abandoned, Mexican farmers and ranchers began moving into the area, forming a community known as El Fuerte or The Fort. Examples of their Sonoran-style adobe homes can be seen today.
The ruins of Fort Lowell are now in a city park.
The event, on Feb. 9, features a variety of free activities, including adobe brick making for children, and displays.
Most events will take place from noon until 4 p.m. at Fort Lowell Park, 2900 N. Craycroft Road.
Arizona environmentalists say they have filed a notice of intent to sue and compel the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to expand critical habitat for Arizona's highly endangered Mount Graham red squirrel.
The Center for Biological Diversity and Maricopa Audubon said in a Tuesday news release that only 75 of the squirrels are still alive.
The federal wildlife agency did not immediately respond Tuesday evening to a request for comment.
The center says the animal's critical habitat, including spruce-fir forests above 9,200 feet in a remote part of southeastern Arizona, has been destroyed by construction of mountaintop telescopes, wild fires and fires set intentionally to protect the telescopes.
The squirrels have been forced to live at lower elevations.
The Arizona Supreme Court will consider if judges can allow evidence on whether defendants have brain damage making it more than likely a crime was committed impulsively rather than with premeditation.
The court agreed Tuesday to consider the appeal of Stephen Jay Malone Jr., a Tucson man convicted of first-degree murder and other crimes in the 2013 killing of his wife, 25-year-old Augustina Soto. Her sister was wounded in the same shooting.
A state Court of Appeals July 2018 decision on Malone's appeal upheld his convictions and said past Supreme Court decisions on admission of impulsivity are "nuanced."
According to the decision, courts can't consider evidence that a defendant's mental disorder short of insanity negates criminal intent but can consider evidence that a character trait for impulsivity didn't indicate premeditation.
PHOENIX The state Court of Appeals says the Legislature cant block local governments from mandating that private employers provide more fringe benefits to workers than required by state law.
In a unanimous ruling Tuesday, the judges said it is clear that when voters adopted the states first wage law in 2006, they wanted to give local governments the power to go above and beyond bare minimums.
They said that includes not just wages but also any requirement for benefits, whether thats time off or health insurance.
Tuesdays ruling is a setback for the Arizona Restaurant Association and its Republican allies in the Legislature, who approved a 2016 law the appellate judges found illegal.
Restaurant association lobbyists, unable to block the minimum wage law in the first place, got the GOP-controlled Legislature to at least trim the ability of cities and counties to impose more requirements on them.
In turn, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union and 32 Democratic lawmakers sued, saying the law illegally overruled the 2006 voter initiative.
Appellate Judge Jennifer Campbell said the Voter Protection Act in the Arizona Constitution precludes lawmakers from tinkering with what has been approved at the ballot.
Dear Cathy,
My 3-year-old medium size Sheepadoodle (Old English sheepdog/poodle mix) gets excited when anybody comes through the door. It takes five or 10 minutes before she calms down. When shes in this hyper state, she wont stay in a sit (position). When we picked her up from the breeder, we met Abbys father, and he was a jumper, too.
Shes a very affectionate, loving dog who loves everyone people, dogs and cats. I tried clicker/reward with a trainer, but it didnt work. Im considering sending her to this trainers boot camp for a week. Any ideas? My grandchildren are visiting next spring, and my 5-year-old granddaughter is small for her age. Cindy, Green Valley, Arizona
Dear Cindy,
Asking a happy dog to sit is no easy feat. You can send her to boot camp, but its the same person you have been training with, so he or she will use clicker training to train her. Clicker training works, but it requires consistent commitment on your part. You would need to always carry a clicker and treats with you during the initial training phase.
The Home Depot is preparing for a busy spring season in Tucson by hiring 250 local workers.
The company is hosting hiring events at several Tucson-area stores from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9. Candidates are encouraged to apply online prior to attending the event, but walk-ins are also welcome during select times.
To apply, go to www.homedepotretailjobs.com, or text HOMEDEPOT to 52270 and receive a link to apply to hourly positions in their area (message and data rates may apply).
Home Depot is looking to fill jobs in sales, operations and online order fulfillment, including both permanent part-time and seasonal positions.
Available positions vary by location, and college students, retirees and veterans are encouraged to apply, the company said.
MOOSE (AP) A Wyoming man who illegally killed a wolf in Grand Teton National Park has been fined and will lose the right to hunt for a year.
In an announcement Wednesday, park officials said the 56-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman were charged with an illegal take of wildlife in the park a young female without a collar as the result of an investigation into signs of illegal hunting discovered on Jan. 1. The charge against the woman was later dropped.
Chief Ranger Michael Nash said they were both cooperative in the investigation and there wasn't any indication that they intended to hunt in the park.
The man's name has not been released. He was fined $5,040 and will also be on unsupervised probation for a year.
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Three people were rescued and at least one person died after an eight-story apartment building in the Kartal district on Istanbul's Asian side collapsed on Wednesday, Daily Sabah reportts.
Rescue teams are searching for at least four others believed to be trapped under the rubble. One woman has been rescued. She was reportedly rushed to the hospital to receive treatment.
Scores of Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) personnel, fire crews, police and emergency medical teams were on the scene in Cevizli neighborhood. Additional rescue teams were on their way from Sakarya and Bursa provinces to provide additional support.
The apartment building had 14 flats. The local headman of Orhantepe neighborhood, Zeki Dag, told CNN Turk that about 27 to 30 people were living in the building. He said about 15 people are believed to be trapped under the rubble, and that the textile workshop on the lower floor of the building was empty at the time of the incident.
Cevizli local headman Memis Dikilitas told Turkish broadcaster NTV that there was no explosion preceding the collapse, but that the building, which was very old, collapsed on its own.
A few passersby were lightly injured in the collapse.
This is why were asking the Legislature to vote against these bills and any similar bills out of respect for a voters decision to change his or her party affiliation whenever he or she wants to. And were asking lawmakers to reject arguments that seek, with broad strokes and anecdotes, to impugn the motives of voters.
Our current system respects voters. It protects our rights as citizens to make up our own minds and sometimes even change our minds when and how we see fit.
This is liberty and a representative form of government at its best. While it might be inconvenient at times for political parties, its good for the people of this state and their government.
Marguerite Herman is a spokeswoman for the League of Women Voters of Wyoming, a nonpartisan, volunteer, member-directed organization of women and men encouraging informed and active participation in government.
Chris Merrill is the executive director of the Equality State Policy Center, a broad-based, nonpartisan coalition of Wyoming groups working to improve the lives of all Wyoming people through transparent government, fair elections and thriving communities.
Here are all the arts and culture events you need to know about for the upcoming week in Casper and beyond.
The petitioners argued their stance of reducing plastic packaging in the Grand Duchy in the Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday morning.
The petition, which had been signed by more than 5,000 people, was finally debated in parliament. The petitioners predominantly called for a different system entirely and gave an impassioned plea for Luxembourg to actively reduce its amount of plastic packaging. The petitioners called for society, producers, and businesses to react to this challenge.
The petition on the Chamber of Deputies' website was preceded by another on a different platform. The earlier petition on change.org was signed by more than 14,000 people.
The Minister of the Environment, Carole Dieschbourg, conceded to the young activists that there is a sense of urgency in dealing with this issue and acknowledged that more must be done. She explained that Luxembourg is giving itself ambitious goals and she has also been calling for changes within the system.
One example highlighted by Dieschbourg as requiring change is the use of biodegradable plastic, which is not a long-term solution. Instead, Dieschbourg is adamant that consistent alternatives are required.
Dieschbourg went into detail on measures she hopes to introduce, outlining her ambition of presenting the 'Zero-Waste-Luxembourg' strategy by the summer. Speaking for the government, the minister explained that political will is insufficient and the strategy requires the collaboration of all actors involved in plastic production.
In the summer, the government will launch a pilot project of cloth bags to weigh fruit and vegetables, which is already optional in some supermarkets. The Ecobox initiative, which allows customers to request a reusable takeaway box at partner establishments, will be extended. At the beginning, six restaurants took part. Now, 64 are participating.
As the debate ended, the petitioners expressed their satisfaction. The minister invited them to work in task forces to ensure progress.
MPs at large appeared to agree that more must be done to tackle excessive plastic packaging, as the president of the parliamentary commission on petitions, Nancy Arendt, explained. A larger commission will be formed under the direction of the environment commission, including delegates from the Ministries of the Economy, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, and Home Affairs. The commission will then work on a report and request a further debate in parliament.
Finally, MPs hope to vote on a resolution or motion to comply with the petition's reason for being.
Currently, about 29 municipalities are involved in managing the 58 houses run by the Luxembourg reception and integration office OLAI. Politicians are now appealing for other municipalities to also step up to the plate.
About 29 out of all 102 municipalities in Luxembourg are currently involved in managing OLAI properties. Towards the end of January, 73% of beds were already filled.
After a foreign policy committee meeting at Luxembourg's Chamber of Deputies on Monday, Christian Social People's Party (CSV) politician Claude Wiseler appealed to other municipalities to stand in solidarity with the 29 communes that are already working with OLAI. On this topic, the government clearly has the support of the largest opposition party in parliament.
Jean Asselborn is expected to make another appearance in front of the responsible parliamentary commission to present more figures regarding reception facilities this spring. The foreign minister and minister for immigration also plans to start a dialogue with municipalities.
49.2% of the refugees that are currently still at reception facilities should have been rehoused by now since they were given the right of residence. However, this is proving difficult in a country where housing is one of the main issues.
Asselborn is looking to find potential reception facilities and housing for refugees that have obtained their right of residence and now want to settle down in Luxembourg.
Two cars crashed collided on Route de Thionville in Luxembourg City at around 7pm on Tuesday. Two people were injured in the incident.
Ambulances from Luxembourg City and from Bettembourg rushed to the scene, as well as Luxembourg City emergency services.
At around the same time, a car caught fire on Rue de Luxembourg in Sandweiler. No one was injured in the incident and the Sandweiler fire department was on hand to put the blaze out.
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Greece and Turkey have agreed to de-escalate any tensions in the Aegean Sea, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said after the talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Tsipras said their dialogue with Turkey is sincere and special and stressed that they managed to build a positive agenda in Turkish-Greek relations.
We agreed with Turkey to boost cooperation on security issues," he said.
"I am glad to have open communication channels with President Erdogan. We can thus take more constructive steps," Hurriyet Daily cited Tsipras as saying.
Erdogan pointed out that some agreements would be signed during the fifth high-level meeting that will be held in Thessaloniki, as it will be attended by entrepreneurs.
Issues of concern to people who live in the west: property rights, water rights, endangered species, livestock grazing, energy production, wilderness and western agriculture. Plus a few items on western history, western literature and the sport of rodeo... Frank DuBois served as the NM Secretary of Agriculture from 1988 to 2003. DuBois is a former legislative assistant to a U.S. Senator, a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Interior, and is the founder of the DuBois Rodeo Scholarship.
Though President Donald Trumps populist stands cannot always be called conservative, he is more closely aligned with the right than the left. Couple that with a vehement hatred of the president politically and seemingly personally by liberals and Democrats and you have a recipe for polarization like the country has not seen in modern times.
Never will the divide be more front and center than in the election of 2020. Trump has broad support from Republicans and is headed for renomination by the GOP. His perceived weakness among the broader electorate has a slew of Democrats lining up for the opportunity to challenge the president.
Not only are these Democrats stating opposition to Trump policies from immigration and health care to foreign policy and climate change, they are staking out positions far to the left. The 2018 midterm elections made clear the party of the left is very far to the left with many of its up-and-comers espousing Sen. Bernie Sanders socialist views.
Enter former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, who came under intense criticism among Democrats recently when he said he was considering an independent run for the presidency. Though he has long been a Democrat and is a Trump critic, Schultz said he cannot align himself with the partys increasing extremism.
A state legislator is hoping a town hall meeting will give a national perspective on building a "world-class" educational system in Orangeburg County.
A community education forum titled Envisioning the Future of Education in Orangeburg County hosted by Rep. Jerry Govan Jr., D-Orangeburg, and other community organizations is planned for Feb. 7.
The forum will be held from 5:30-8 p.m. at Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical Colleges Roquemore Auditorium. A question-and-answer period will follow.
Govan will moderate a panel of experts to discuss recent trends and challenges in the realm of education, including the reform effort currently being considered by members of the South Carolina General Assembly.
Addressing the unique challenges of students in poverty, including figuring out the best use of federal funding, is among the target areas for the forum, Govan said.
"We need to have an idea or sense of not what's going on necessarily just in Columbia or Orangeburg, but to be able to basically think out of the box," he said.
July 1 is the first official day of operation for a new, consolidated school district combining Orangeburg Consolidated School Districts 3, 4 and 5.
The airfield has also been used as a staging location for supplies following a natural disaster. The Federal Emergency Management Agency used the airfield during Hurricane Florence in 2018 as an incident support base for supply distribution.
At one time, NASA considered the airfield an alternate landing site for the space shuttle.
In the 1990s, the airfield was on the list of landing sites that could be used in the event of an emergency landing. This was at a time when the airfield's main runway was 500 feet wide instead of 150 feet wide.
Established during World War II as a dispersal site for Air Force personnel, the land for the then-North Army Airfield was purchased between 1942 and 1945. The field was built by the U.S. Army Air Force.
The original dirt runway was constructed in April 1943 and used by Hughes Aircraft Co. for testing. It was also a satellite airfield of the Columbia Army Air base, supporting B-25 Mitchell medium bomber training for Air Force III Air Support Command.
After World War II, a 12,000-foot runway and a 3,000-foot assault runway were built.
North Airfield (later North Auxiliary Airfield, Northfield Air Base) has been under the jurisdiction of Fort Jackson, Shaw AFB and the Department of Energy.
Diaz said the state hopes to get a million more accounts in the programs. And while a recent economic bear market prompted a Bright Start newsletter urging members to focus on the long term, neither the skyrocketing costs of college expenses nor the states poor financial situation have not stopped people from signing up.
We didnt see an impact [of the state budget impasse] from a savings standpoint, Diaz said. Most of the impact was on school selection.
Bright Start and Bright Directions contrast with Illinois other college savings program, College Illinois, which has $302 million of unfunded liability and only the backing of a moral obligation to meet those payments, according to Eric Zarnikow, executive director of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.
College Illinois is different from Bright Start and Bright Directions in that it sets payments guaranteed to cover the future cost of tuition at various state schools, based on a locked-in rate of todays tuition levels.
But with rising college costs and falling contracts with universities, the program hasnt opened to new investors for two years, and will likely need $81 million from the state by 2026 to meet its payments, according to Zarnikow.
We are very fortunate that one of our volunteers takes dogs who are not adoptable home to her farm. We pay for medical care and the dogs needs, and they go to live out their lives on the farm. We are so blessed that we have that, Daugherty said.
She said they are also blessed to have 18 employees and hundreds of volunteers.
For some of the dogs that we get, we are upgrades from where they have been. We pray that every animal gets a forever home, but we are a pretty good intermediate stop, Daugherty said.
Animals at St. Francis get medical care, love, walks, time to socialize with other dogs and a warm, dry bed. Plus, staff and volunteers try everything possible to help them find homes.
On Jan. 29, 2015, the shelter operation moved into new, spacious buildings after outgrowing their previous white house and promptly filled it with pets. Daugherty said the building could have been five times larger and it still would not hold all the homeless pets in the area.
Lot of shelters in Chicago and other cities dont have unwanted pet problem that we have, she added.
What can you do?
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Who Should I Start First - A Cat Or Dog Many are convinced that contain a cat is easier than a puppy because the dog, the more social animals, need to communicate, and an independent animal cat - in this case does not have needs. Most of the dogs at heart - born hunters certain ages were selected based on the best hunting skills, and therefore inherent in the genes of dogs to bite and catch up with all sorts of 'game'. Cats are also within the hunters, as their predecessors - formidable predators of the feline species, and Modern cats have not lost the desire to track down and catch small prey. Still advised to visit a clothing store for dogs, there will always have the answers to your questions. As usual, the cat takes the role of primacy in relationship with the dog, but when the hierarchy is obtained feedback, the big dogs without a problem can do harm - is the getaway cat involuntary impulse to hunt. So many ask the question: who should start first - cat or dog? Difficult to answer directly. In addition, rarely a free choice, as is customary, most owners already have a cat or a dog, and they wanted to have another 'pet'. When is it best to acquaint these tetrapods? Easier to adapt to each other in childhood. If you have a cat and you want to have a dog, then take the puppy. Delicious can be called an option when you already have a grown dog that is good or at least indifferent to cats. Get a kitten and let it often occurs with the dog. The first meeting must be held under your supervision. Let the newcomer and sniffed a bit to learn, and the dog feels its smell. Do not force pupils to communicate, pushing each other, usually at the beginning they learn each other at short distance. And the first time, feed the cat and dog in the same room but at different angles to become accustomed to smell each other and connected it with something pleasant. But even if you later your dog and the cat will eat from one bowl, you should still feed them separately. If the dog wags his tail and a variety of poses to invite the cat to play, then can be sure that she feels for her liking. Cheer up a cat, perhaps these 'signals' from the dog may not understand it, but eventually she will learn to go on contact. And for special families still have trendy clothes for dogs, they also love warmth. I wish you success and good day!
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How long is this going to last? Ever since the twin political upheavals of 2016 Britains vote for Brexit and Americas election of Donald Trump analysts have argued about whether this a temporary aberration, or the beginning of a new era. Financial Times reports in its article The Trump era could last 30 years that it already seems likely that future historians will look upon the events of 2016 as marking the beginning of a new cycle in international history. The bad news for anguished liberals is that these cycles can last quite a long time 30 years seems to be about average.
In the years since Brexit-and-Trump, a global populist movement has gathered momentum. The fact that Mr Trump is despised by much of the western establishment and media can obscure this point. But the US president has many admirers, some of them running governments around the world.
Jair Bolsonaro, the new president of Brazil, Latin Americas largest country, is an avowed Trump fan. In the Middle East, the Saudi and Israeli governments much prefer Mr Trump to Barack Obama, his predecessor. His fan club also extends into Europe. The governments of Poland and Hungary are closer ideologically to the Trump White House than to the European Commission in Brussels. Matteo Salvini, the deputy prime minister of Italy (and the countrys most powerful man), also sees Mr Trump as a role model.
The horror show of Brexit means that there are few other European populist parties currently campaigning to leave the EU. But the anti-establishment impulse that gave rise to the Brexit vote is still gathering strength in Europe. It has found expression in diverse forms, from the gilets jaunes movement in France to the rise of the Alternative for Germany party, which is now the official opposition in the German parliament.
Past precedent suggests that if a populist era takes hold, it might last as long as three decades. All efforts at historical periodisation are slightly artificial. But it is possible to identify two distinct eras in postwar western politics, both of which lasted roughly 30 years. The period from 1945-1975, known as les trente glorieuses in France, was identified with a period of strong economic growth across the west, alongside the construction of welfare states and Keynesian demand-management all played out against the international backdrop of the cold war.
By the mid-1970s, this model had run into trouble in the Anglo-American world, with Britain suffering from stagflation and President Jimmy Carter diagnosing a national malaise in the US. A new era (often termed neoliberal by its critics) began in 1979 with the election of Margaret Thatcher in Britain, followed by Ronald Reagan in the US in 1980.
In retrospect, this was also part of a global shift. In 1978, Deng Xiaoping came to power in China and initiated a policy of market-based reform and opening-up. The communist bloc in Europe also began to crack with the formation of the Solidarity trade union in Poland in September 1980. The foundations of a globalised capitalist economy were emerging.
This neoliberal era also lasted roughly 30 years until it was discredited by the global financial crisis of 2008. As with the end of the trente glorieuses, it took a few years of uncertainty before a new ideological movement emerged. But that happened in 2016, with Mr Trumps election and Brexit.
But why should cycles in modern history last for roughly 30 years? One possible explanation is that the successful ideologies and the political movements they spawn go through a cycle of emulation followed by overshoot.
If new movements or politicians develop an aura of success, they find imitators around the world. That sense of ideological momentum then creates a demand for the original ideas behind the movement to be pushed further and faster. And that leads to the over-reach phase of the cycle. An example of ideological over-reach is the way in which the Reaganite demand for lower taxes and less red tape eventually led to the excessive deregulation of finance, culminating in the financial crisis.
The fact that populist and nationalist parties around the world are already taking their cue from Mr Trump suggests that the cycle of emulation is already well under way. It is now standard practice for politicians, such as Viktor Orban in Hungary, as well as Messrs Salvini and Bolsonaro, to imitate the Trump playbook condemning globalism, accusing the media of spreading fake news, mocking the politically correct, and scorning international organisations that attempt to deal with problems such as climate change or the resettlement of refugees.
The rapid spread of this new political style could be just the beginning of a new era that lasts decades. But there is one major qualification to this idea, that distressed liberals should hang on to. If the period of emulation and intensification is to last, the populist movement needs more than electoral success. It also needs to point to results in the real world. The trente glorieuses were deemed glorious because living standards were visibly rising across the west. In the same way, the Reagan-Thatcher era was solidified by renewed economic growth and victory in the cold war.
By contrast, Brexit is in deep trouble and the Trump administration is floundering. Unless populists can deliver tangible results, their new era could yet die in its infancy.
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Keep calm and carry on is the message to those speculating again about his possible imminent resignation. Those were the closing words of a February 5 video message issued by Kazakhstans president as he rushed to quash a swell of speculation about his departure from office. Eurasianet reports in its article Kazakhstan: President says he is going nowhere that it was Nursultan Nazarbayev himself that instigated the whirlwind of chatter a day earlier, when he addressed the Constitutional Council for guidance on what powers he would retain were he to step down.
The former Communist Party boss has been running Kazakhstan since before it gained independence in 1991, so the slightest talk of his relinquishing the presidency is always seized with gusto by a public starved of political excitement. In truth, however, even if Nazarbayev were to stop being head of state, he would retain a wide-ranging degree of authority under his bespoke title of Leader of the Nation. In his brief video address, Nazarbayev evinced transparent irritation at his permanence in office being called into question. Between the adoption of the constitution in 1995 and the current day, 220 appeals have been submitted to the Constitutional Council, including 22 on behalf of the president, he harrumphed.
Under the terms of the constitution, the president of Kazakhstan is deemed to have relinquished his powers upon inauguration of a new head of state or in the event of them being physically unable to do the job. Nazarbayev expressed concern that some of the mechanics of this process are vague, however. But he did so in way that will only further convince many people that he is giving serious consideration to retirement. The constitution does not define the conditions whereby a president is replaced and does not provide for situations wherein [the president] retires voluntarily. In constitutions all over the world there are such provisions. Due to the great relevance of these points, I asked the Constitutional Council for clarification, he said.
What is particularly bizarre about this episode is that the monolithic nature of the top tier of government in Kazakhstan is such that these types of fiddly legalisms are of no real significance. In simpler terms, the Constitutional Council will simply rule as it is told. Writing on his Facebook page, Andrei Chebotarev, director of the Almaty Center for Contemporary Research, speculated that the Constitutional Council will likely offer guidance that permits Nazarbayev to leave office when and how he pleases. As suggested earlier, this is, in theory, not entirely unambiguous as the constitution only specifically allows for the head of state to leave office in the event of debilitating illness or if he or she has been removed from office for committing high treason.
In short, Nazarbayevs preference will be to avoid the precedent set by his Uzbek counterpart Islam Karimov, who died in the saddle in 2016, and instead to step aside and allow a successor to establish their authority in good order. Nazarbayev will, in any event, retain significant powers for as long as he lives.
In May, parliament passed a law enabling Nazarbayev to remain head of the Security Council for life. This provision was quickly approved by the constitutional court, enabling Nazarbayev to ease into the perpetual role on July 12, just days after his 78th birthday. In a parallel development, the Security Council was transformed from a purely consultative body into one with a certain degree of coordinating power over all state structures, including security agencies, ministries and local administrations.
This sort of rearrangement of the furniture and some of the presidents recent populist messaging has sparked some speculation that a snap election might even be in the offing. Nazarbayev has been fighting a rearguard action to put paid to that rumor as well. In a press conference on December 27, he insisted the next presidential vote would happen on schedule, at the end of 2020. He has now doubled down on that message. Under the constitution, the president has the right to call early elections, but this is not expected, he said.
46 minutes ago
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The VB 10,000 crane vessel is expected to move back into position over the remains of the shipwrecked Golden Ray in the St. Simons Sound within the next day or two, resuming cutting operations that stopped more than a week ago for maintenance, said U.S. Coast Guardsman Michael Himes, spokesm
Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed Ali al-Hakim paid a formal visit to Moscow on Jan. 29 and 30. The foreign minister and his delegation met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, Vice Prime Minister Yuri Borisov, members of the Senate and other officials in various meetings. Obviously, security and economic cooperation in the oil and gas industry in particular are the foundation of the relations between the countries.
Al Monitor reports in its article In Moscow, Iraqi foreign minister talks 'strategic cooperation' with Russia that during his press conference with Lavrov, Hakim expressed his gratitude for Russias help in the fight against the Islamic State and called the relations between the nations as a strategic partnership. Hakim said this year will mark the 75th anniversary of the countries' bilateral ties. He invited Lavrov to Baghdad; the top Russian diplomat accepted.
In addition, a session of a Russian-Iraqi intergovernmental commission is penciled in for the Iraqi capital in March, and a high-level meeting is likely to take place in Moscow though decisions needed to actually organize the events are not yet set in stone.
The ministers emphasized the importance of an information and coordination center in Baghdad that involves Russian, Iranian, Iraqi and Syrian specialists.
Moreover, Lavrov said the sides have common views on regional issues, particularly on the Palestinian question and the peace process in Syria as set forth in UN Security Council Resolution 2254. Hakim also spoke about Iraqs support for Syrias return to the Arab League a crucial point for Moscow these days. This issue is likely to be discussed during the league's March summit in Tunisia.
A number of Russian foreign policy structures are working to encourage the Arab world to accept Syria back. While Hakim was visiting Moscow, Mikhail Bogdanov, who is President Vladimir Putin's special envoy for the Middle East and North Africa, went to Cairo to meet with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit.
A few days earlier, during his Maghreb tour, Lavrov had repeatedly asked Arab nations to accept Syria back into their family. Around the same time, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, a highly influential politician, visited Egypt and the United Arab Emirates; the latter recently reopened its embassy in Damascus and maintains flights to Syria. Another Gulf country that has reached out to Syria is Bahrain. This could indicate that Saudi Arabia would also take a more flexible stance on the Syrian settlement.
It is possible, however, that the Arab League will refuse to reinstate Syrias membership; at the same time, the movement toward re-engagement with Damascus will have been set. The Gulf nations' approach would seek to balance out Irans influence and would generally improve the humanitarian situation once the reconstruction process actually starts in Syria. This would clear the way for Syria development. Iraq, in this setting, seeks to become a venue for dialogue between various regional and global actors. Baghdad obviously has its own interests mostly the need for security along the border with Syria. As the prospects of the US withdrawal remain uncertain, this issue is becoming much more urgent for the Iraqi government. Russia, for its part, seeks to continue supporting the Iraqi security apparatus and working on bilateral military-technical contracts. Maintaining coordination between the two countries security services to quell remaining terrorist structures is also a priority.
The trade and economic partnership between the nations was one of the essential topics in Hakims talks in Moscow. During his meeting with Yuri Borisov, the vice prime minister and co-chair of the joint Russian-Iraqi commission for trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation, Hakim discussed the opportunities to construct industrial facilities in Iraq as a measure to create new employment possibilities. The countries previously conducted joint projects in this field: In the 1960s and 1970s, the Soviet Union supported the industrialization of the Middle Eastern nation. More details on the project are to be disclosed during the intergovernmental commission session in Baghdad planned for March. The Hakim-Borisov meeting was attended by specialists from the Russian Energy Ministry as well as from other structures working in this field, showing that oil and gas exploitation is a priority in Russian-Iraqi economic relations. Both countries are major oil exporters; they rely on each other in the crucial issue of price regulation and cooperation in this area offers some promising prospects.
As far as the work on investments and energy issues is concerned, we can clearly see great results. Such corporations as Lukoil, Gazpromneft and Soyuzneftegaz have already started to function in Iraq. Rosneft is interested in launching a project there, Lavrov said.
He expressed his gratitude to Iraq for its attention to Russian companies and said, The gross volume of the investments in this industry has already exceeded $10 billion. The new possibilities will be assessed during the summit of the intergovernmental commission, which may also be accompanied by a business forum.
Hakim also met with a group of Russian senators led by Konstantin Kosachev, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian Senate (Council of the Federation). Having confirmed their willingness to develop contacts between the national parliaments, the legislators brought up another important issue, suggesting an exchange of ideas on the functioning of the upper houses. Here it should be noted that although the Iraqi Constitution provides for the existence of an upper house of parliament, one has not been formed.
By the end of the year, a number of cultural events dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the bilateral Russia-Iraq relations are supposed to take place. In terms of education programs, 4,000 Iraqis study in Russian universities and more than 100 diplomats have taken special training at the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry. In general, Hakims visit to Moscow shows both internal and foreign audiences that Iraq aims to balance its international policy and serve as a venue for dialogue between various actors, both regional and global.
Multimedia Reporter
Staff writer Harry Funk, a professional journalist for three-plus decades, has been on the staff of The Almanac since 2015. He has a bachelors degree in journalism and master of business administration, both from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
South Hills (15301)
Today
Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy this afternoon. Cooler. High 66F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph..
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Mainly clear skies. Low 44F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
An Oregon man who as a teenager killed his mother is now headed to prison as one of the leaders of an international fraud ring that used stolen debit and credit card numbers from foreign banks to buy high-end merchandise in three states.
The fraud involved up to 10 people, more than 1,160 stolen card numbers from banks in Australia and Canada and over $500,0000 in merchandise purchased from hundreds of merchants in Oregon, Washington and Idaho with the fake cards, investigators said.
Coons, who pleaded guilty to his role, said he and his co-defendants sold the merchandise online and used the cash to feed their drug and gambling addictions. When they werent crashing at a flophouse in Vancouver, they used the fraudulent cards to rent hotel rooms on their regionwide shopping trips, prosecutors said.
I pretty much lived day to day to get high, Coons, now 40, said at his sentencing in U.S. District Court in Portland late last month.
Its been that way, he said, since his release from Oregons youth prison after serving time for the 1994 murder of his mother. Hes used methamphetamine daily since then, he and his lawyer said.
Soumas said NEXT would produce 37,500 barrels of biodiesel a day, mainly transporting it on ships. Railroad use would be minimal, Soumas said, and most of the rail traffic to the site would involve carrying construction supplies. He also said there wont be use of any long unit trains, meaning the rail cars would be attached to existing trains instead of increasing the number of trains to Port Westward.
Next hasnt signed a lease with the port, but it already is paying the port $15,000 a month until a lease is signed, Hayes said. Hayes said he expects the lease to be signed within a year.
In addition to the lease, the project depends on the Port of Columbia County rezoning the land from agriculture to industrial use. The Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals is hearing an appeal from Columbia Riverkeeper about rezoning the land; the rezoning has attracted opposition from the area and area conservationists.
Police Tuesday arrested two more suspects in connection with the Jan. 22 shooting death of Kayla Chapman, including the suspected getaway driver, Kelso Police announced.
According to a press release, Vancouver police at about 3 p.m. located and arrested 21-year-old Nenemeny W. Ekiek. Police say he was a passenger in the getaway car.
At about 7:30 p.m., Vancouver officers attempted to stop a vehicle containing the suspected getaway driver in the Chapman case.
The vehicle was finally stopped in Oregon and there was "an exchange of gunfire" between the vehicle and a Vancouver police officer, according to a Portland Police Bureau release. An officer was treated for minor injuries at an area hospital. Police arrested two individuals from the truck, including 23-year-old Erkinson K. Bossy, who is believed to be the original getaway driver. Further details of the officer-involved shooting or the other suspect were unavailable.
One suspect sustained life-threatening injuries from the shootout and is being treated at a local hospital, Portland police said, although the injuries are not gunshot wounds.
Kelso City council members objected to the West Kelso location, but they did not say much about the Longview site.
My opinion is no way. Not inside city limits. Not by houses with children. To have a homeless shelter with tents in the backyard, I dont feel thats a very good idea. I would vote no, no how, said typically reserved Councilwoman Kimberly Lefebvre.
Councilman Jim Hill said quick fixes like tent cities dont solve the underlying problem of homelessness. And the city had many problems with Love Overwhelmings former shelter when it was located in downtown Kelso near the County Administration Building, he said.
It was an awful circumstance for the folks who lived around that particular facility, Hill said. Every community is struggling with this and theres no quick fix, but this sort of facility would put our people at risk.
Councilman Larry Alexander said he was concerned about the impact on what the city has already invested, and plans to invest, in that part of West Kelso.
And Councilman Mike Karnofski said tent cities could become unregulated areas that take additional law enforcement.
Govednik said hed like to use the event on Friday to spark some more interest and further research on the Japanese American experience in Cowlitz County.
This is a lesson about the complete violation of the civil liberties of American citizens and the unjust confiscation of property. We must bear this in mind when people talk about various ethnic groups in our country today when there are suggestions of detaining and monitoring them, Govednik said.
Moriwaki said the national outrage to the detention of migrant children at the U.S.-Mexico border last year was heartening.
Its become the bar of what you should not do, Moriwaki said. I think people are realizing we may fall into that trap when fear is brought up. (And its) often manufactured fear.
In times of fear, its easy to scapegoat and make others seem less than human, he said, but communities can also stand together.
The Bainbridge Island community responded by standing unanimously by friends and neighbors. They stood up in a tide of racial prejudice and fear. They said we wouldnt be a part of this. The majority of these people were U.S. citizens by birthright, and it was a clear violation of the Constitution. That took true courage. It was going against the tide of history.
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Wednesday, February 6, 2019
Pepperdine University School of Law is seeking to hire one or more visiting professors for the fall 2019 semester and/or the spring 2020 semester. Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis depending on curricular needs. Possible areas of need include Civil Procedure, Contracts, Criminal Law, Property, Torts, Community Property, Copyright. Corporations, Evidence, Federal Income Tax, and Wills & Trusts.
The School of Law is an ABA accredited, AALS member law school located in Malibu, California. Pepperdine is a Christian university committed to the highest standards of academic excellence and Christian values, where students are strengthened for lives of purpose, service, and leadership.
The School of Law welcomes applications from people of all faiths and is particularly interested in receiving applications from candidates who may bring greater racial, ethnic, and gender diversity to the faculty.
To apply, send the following documents to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at victoria.schwartz@ pepperdine.edu: current curriculum vitae; a cover letter that addresses your teaching philosophy, support for the mission and Christian values of the University and the law school, the area(s) in which you would like to teach; and a list of references. Applicants are also encouraged to include an optional statement addressing potential contributions to diversity. Successful candidates will teach courses mutually agreed upon during the fall or spring semester.
https://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2019/02/pepperdine-seeks-to-hire-visiting-professors-for-2019-20.html
The upcoming tripartite meeting, which will be held in Sochi, will discuss the constitution committee, but there are concerns that progress cannot be achieved writes Al-Modon.
Sources in the Syrian opposition have told the Italian AKI agency that the issue of the constitutional committee, which will be discussed by the three guarantor countriesRussia, Iran and Turkeyin Sochi on Feb. 14, 2019, is still plagued by differences and has not yet been decided. It added that it is expected that the announcement of the committees formation will be delayed at the end of the meeting, unless Moscow changes the principles to which it is sticking and which conflict with those set out by the United Nations.
The sources said, There is progress in the matter of the constitutional committee, which the United Nations has stressed must be formed, and which Russia has proposed be adopted. But this progress has not reached a point that allows for the approval of the United Nations and the United States. There are still fundamental disputes, including that Russia is insisting that two thirds of the committee go to the regime and figures close to them, which conflicts with the United Nations determinants, which say that just a third should be allocated to the regime.
The sources also said that, the details, mechanisms, the presidency of the constitutional committee, and the guarantees are all issues which have not been agreed upon between Russia and the other guarantor countries, nor between Russia and the United Nations. This makes it likely that the announcement of the committee will not occur soon.
The sources added, According to information weve received from the Turks, Russia will try, through the UN envoy, to offer the disputed third to those close to the regime, or at least those who are not calling for its overthrow or its change. This third will be discussed in meetings on Feb. 14, 2019, and it is not known whether or not this method will pass or not, especially on Turkeys side.
Syrian media quoted Russian attempts to change six to seven names from that third of the constitutional committee, which is the third that should include a list of independents and civil society representatives selected by the international envoy to Syria.
On Sunday, Ankara issued a statement after the Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister, Sedat Onal, met with the Russian Presidents Envoy to Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, and the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Sergey Vershinin, in which it said that they had discussed the constitutional committee and the matter of starting it as soon as possible. It suggested that the constitutional committee could be announced within days, following Russian-Turkish talks in Ankara and Moscow, as well as Iranian-Russian talks in Tehran. Sources predicted that the announcement would not come until after the February summit in Sochi.
On Sunday, Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, said in a speech that Ankara was trying to focus on establishing a committee to draft a new constitution for Syria and to revive the Geneva conference as well as maintain the Astana and Sochi processes.
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.
Best Western Hotels & Resorts has launched its exciting new SureStay Hotel Group concept in Japan with the opening of a new hotel in Osaka.
SureStay Plus by Best Western Shin-Osaka is a stylish upper-economy hotel developed by Fino Hotels. Located in downtown Osakas Yodogawa district, this modern hotel is perfectly positioned close to Shin-Osaka Station, with bullet train services to and from major cities including Tokyo, Nagoya, Hiroshima and Fukuoka. Meanwhile, the Osaka Metro network makes it quick and easy to travel around Japans second largest city, with regular connections to the Shinsaibashi, Namba and Umeda districts.
This newly-constructed hotel features 108 contemporary guestrooms, all equipped with comfortable beds and convenient amenities, including complimentary wi-fi. Every morning, guests can start their day with a buffet breakfast.
SureStay Plus is an excellent fit for Osaka, and for Japan, said Olivier Berrivin, Best Western Hotels & Resorts managing director of International Operations - Asia. Comfortable, convenient and affordable, this is an ideal concept for guests seeking centrally located, international quality accommodation at a reasonable price point. We are delighted to continue our strong relationship with Fino Hotels in Japan, and look forward to welcoming more guests to this exceptional new hotel in future.
SureStay Hotel Group has expanded rapidly since its launch in late 2016, with notable growth in North America and Europe. The concept made its Asia Pacific debut in October 2017 with the opening of SureStay Plus Hotel by Best Western Sukhumvit 2 in Bangkok.
SureStay Hotel Groups three brands - SureStay Hotel by Best Western, SureStay Plus Hotel by Best Western, and SureStay Collection by Best Western - provide hotel owners with the opportunity to harness Best Westerns extensive global network, in terms of sales, distribution, technology and support, while giving guests the reassurance of staying with a globally recognised hotel group. In addition, members of Best Western Rewards, the award-winning guest loyalty program, will be able to earn points on their stays.
The launch of SureStay Plus by Best Western Shin-Osaka marks the continuation of Best Westerns expansion strategy in Japan, which has been identified as a key focus market. The company now operates 19 properties in Japan, including four in Osaka. - TradeArabia News Service
The rehabilitated schools will provide educational needs for over 100,000 students in Deir ez-Zor province reports SANA.
The educational sector in Deir ez-Zor province is witnessing notable progress with regards to the number of rehabilitated schools and the supply of practical equipment, which is part of the framework of efforts exerted by the Government for improving the situation in the educational sector in the province.
About 268 schools have been put into service and they have been supplied with the required teaching staff and the needs of the educational process.
Touring a number of schools in Deir ez-Zor to inspect the process of rehabilitation, Education Minister Imad al-Azib was briefed on the progress of the educational process of the schools in the town of of al-Jafra town in the Deir ez-Zor countryside, which started to receive students after the buildings rehabilitation and after being supplied with the educational tools and teaching cadres.
Minister Azib also visited al-Mutafawiqin Secondary School in Deir ez-Zor and al-Furat Secondary School, which is considered the oldest school in the province and he inspected the process of rehabilitating Sati al-Husary Secondary school in the liberated neighborhood of al-Hamidyia.
The Minister said that the visit comes within the framework of the directives and plans of the Government, which considers the educational process one of its priorities.
The head of the Deir ez-Zor Education Directorate said that, The educational process in Deir ez-Zor is going well, with the number of the opened schools reaching up to 268 across the province and they accommodate 100,500 students. This number is continually increasing as the locals are returning to their cities and villages that have been liberated from terrorism.
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
The Nasib Border Crossing reopened last October, and since then, thousands of civilians have used the crossing to return home reports The Syria Times.
A number of displaced Syrians returned from camps in Jordan using the Nasib Border Crossing, in the southeastern countryside of the southern province of Daraa.
After arriving via the crossing on Tuesday, the families were transported to their homes in the areas liberated from terrorism.
The reporter noted that the authorities in the Governorate provided the returnees with buses to transport them to their towns and villages after they registered at the Immigration and Passports Department at the crossing, and that medical services were provided to those who were in need.
Since its reopening last October, thousands of displaced Syrians have returned, including hundreds of young people who had their legal status settled.
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
The US Senate has been highly critical of the decision to withdraw American forces from Syria, and the latest vote is a blow for the President's plans reports Al-Araby al-Jadeed.
On Monday, the US Senate approved by a large majority an amendment critical of President Donald Trumps decision to withdraw troops from Syria and Afghanistan, in a sign of the deep discontent, caused by the policies, within his own Republican ranks.
The resolution was sponsored by the Republican leader of the Senate Mitch McConnell, who said last week the measure, would acknowledge the plain fact that al-Qaeda, the Islamic State (ISIS) and their affiliates in Syria and Afghanistan continue to pose a serious threat to our nation.
It passed by a majority of 70 to 26 opposed by only three of the 53 Senate Republicans.
The amendment will eventually be incorporated into a broader security law on the Middle East.
According to the text, the precipitous withdrawal of United States forces from either country could put at risk hard-won gains and the national security of the United States.
In December, Trump tweeted plans to remove Americas 2,000 troops from Syria, arguing that ISIS had been defeated, even though his intelligence chiefs testified last week that the jihadis remain a potent threat and are seeking a comeback.
The President has also vowed to pull half of the 14,000-strong American force from Afghanistan, where the US has had a military presence since 2001, citing the high cost in blood and treasure.
Senators, including prominent Republicans, inflicted a resounding rebuke to the president in December, holding the Saudi Crown Prince responsible for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi after the Trump administration had been largely supportive of Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
The two diplomats meet in Tehran to discuss the constitutional committee and the upcoming summit that will be held in Russia writes Al-Watan.
Amid intensified consultations among the guarantors of the Astana track with regards to forming the constitutional committee, Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem and the UN Special Envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, arrived in Tehran on Tuesday.
Muallems trip comes ahead of a summit with the heads of the countries overseeing Astana (Russia, Iran and Turkey) on Feb. 14, 2019, and after the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, announced that work to form the committee was nearly complete. Meanwhile, the head of the National Reconciliation agency, Ali Haider, said that the most important conditions for the committees success were for it to, carry out its role far from any foreign pressure or political conditions. According to the Iranian Fars News Agency, Muallem and the UN Special Envoy are visiting the Iranian capital to hold discussions with the Iranian Foreign Minister Mohamed Javad Zarif.
The formation of the constitutional committee is one of the recommendations of the Syrian National Dialogue conference, which was hosted in the Russian city of Sochi in January 2018, but the former envoy Staffan de Mistura failed to form it.
The UN has previously described Pedersens meeting with Muallem in Damascus last month as constructive, quoting the new UN envoy as stressing, the need for a political solution based on UN Resolution 2254, which emphasizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria and calls for a political solution with Syrian ownership and leadership and facilitated by the United Nations. Pedersen said that the discussions regarding various aspects of the Geneva peace process would continue, and that he agreed with Muallem to visit Damascus regularly to discuss points of agreement and achieve progress in addressing disputed issues.
According to Fars, it is expected that Muallem will meet his counterpart Zarif in the capital Tehran to discuss with him the latest developments in Syria, with Zarif to later receive the UN Special Envoy. Russia Today said that Muallem will meet President Hassan Rouhani as well.
Fars noted that during his visit to Tehran, Pedersen would meet Senior Adviser to the Iranian Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, Hossein Jaberi Ansari.
The agency said that Muallem and Pedersens trip to Tehran came as the Russian resort town of Sochi was set to convene a tripartite summit for the heads of the guarantor countries of the Astana process. Lavrov announced this yesterday, saying that the scope for a settlement in Syria would be considered at the February summit with the presidents of Russia, Turkey and Iran in Sochi.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov previously said that the presidents of the guarantor countries would hold a meeting in Sochi, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin would hold bilateral talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the same day.
Eleven meetings, based on the Astana track, have been held regarding the crisis in Syria, one in Sochi at the end of last July. All of them have stressed strict adherence to maintaining Syrias sovereignty, independence and territorial unity, as well as continuing the war against terrorist organizations until they are finally defeated.
According to the SANA news agency, Lavrov said in a speech delivered to students at the KyrgyzRussian Slavic University in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, In parallel with the war against terrorism, there is a political process underway in which Russia, Turkey and Iran have adopted an initiative based on the decisions of the Syrian National Dialogue Conference, which was held a year ago in Sochi to form a committee to discuss the constitution. He added that, Work on this initiative is finishing now. The Russia Today website quoted Lavrov as saying that, work to form the committee is nearly complete.
Putin had said, after the summit he held with Erdogan on Jan. 23, 2019, that France, Britain and Germany were holding up the formation of the committee, and said, We have heard from our Western partners that this work is incomplete and has not yet finished.
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.
Ever wondered whats bubbling below us in Rotorua?
GNS Science and Bay of Plenty Regional Council have been investigating volcanic hazards and deep geothermal energy resources in the Taupo Volcanic Zone for the last decade and can how share the latest findings to interested members of the public, at a meeting to be held February 12.
Since 2009, GNS Science has been collecting magnetotelluric or MT measurements to further understand volcanic hazards and the deep geothermal engery resources in the Taupo Volcanic Zone, including Rotorua.
Magentotelluric measurements help to build a picture of where geothermal fluid may be present deep within the earth in the case of the Taupo Volcanic Zone, three seven kilometres underground, and the underlying magmatic heat sources of the geothermal systems.
Along with GNS Science government research funding, the Bay of Plenty Regional Council contributed to the MT data collection exercise which focused on the area east of Lake Rotorua.
The most recent results from this research will be presented at a meeting, open to the public, at the Bay of Plenty Regional Council Rotorua office, 1125 Arawa Street, Rotorua, on February 12, from 5.30pm.
GNS geophysicists Ted Bertrand says the results of the research were proving to be extremely interesting.
Over the last few years, we have started to see the connection between the shallow parks of geothermal fields and the underlying magmatic systems which provide the heat.
Results from the Rotorua lakes region and similar research north of Taupo, have enabled us to start to understand how geothermal systems like Rotorua work from tip to toe from the surface features down to their volcanic roots.
GNS geophysicists Grant Caldwell says as a Crown Research Institute, one of their aims was to provide information that would encourage future exploration and research into sustainable geothermal resources at depths greater than currently explored.
Its been a tremendous help for us to have the additional support from the Regional Council for this research.
Bay of Plenty Regional Council Geothermal Programme Leader Penny Doorman says as managers of the resource, it was important that this type of work was undertaken.
For the Regional Council, our aim is to increase our understanding of the wider geothermal resource and volcanic hazard in the region surrounding Rotorua.
Geothermal is recognised as an important asset for the Bay of Plenty region but also as a natural hazard. Having good information on which to base our decisions assists council in managing the resource as effectively and efficiently as possible for its long-term sustainability, as well as knowing how to address associated risks.
From left, Chansamorn Pokai and Stephen Brockway are charged with capital murder in the Feb. 27 death of Pokai's late husband, Richard Moore. Ronald Rosser, right, was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison in March.
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Post Time with Mike and Mike is excited to announce the line-up for Thursday morning (Feb. 7) at 10:30 a.m.
The duo will be joined by Mike Tanner, Louis Philippe-Roy, Garnet Barnsdale and Scott Lecain.
Tanner, CEO of the USTA, will join to talk about a multitude of items, including the upcoming Board of Directors meeting in March. Tanner will also discuss some of the advocacy efforts going on in Washington, DC and will discuss the happenings of the Standardbred Transition Alliance.
Roy, the regular driver of Jimmy Freight, will join Post Time to discuss the champion three-year-olds most recent victory in the OBrien Awards in Canada. Roy, who had a big season himself, will also discuss the Super Bowl-winning New England Patriots.
Regular contributor Garnet Barnsdale will stop by to discuss his reaction from the 2019 OBrien Awards that were held this past weekend. Barnsdale covered many events for Mike & Mike and will highlight some of the nights most distinguished stars.
Lecain, a groom for trainer Mark Steacy, will discuss how he felt going into the burning First Line Training Centre to help rescue horses that were trapped. Lecain was one of the first people in the barn following the start of the fire, in which 35 out of the 40 horses were rescued.
Post Time can be heard live every Thursday at 10:30 a.m. via posttimewithmikeandmike.com or on the archive at betamerica.com/BARN.
(With files from Post Time)
The UAEs Khalifa Fund has signed a $25 million agreement aimed at providing support for micro, small- and medium-sized enterprises in Niger.
Mahamadou Issoufou, President of Niger, recently met with Hussain Jasim Al Nowais, chairman of Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development in Nigers capital Niamey and lauded the growing relations and strong cooperation with the UAE in various fields.
The President also extended his thanks and appreciation to His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, for his keenness to support the cooperation between both countries.
During the visit, Al Nowais and Saadou Sidou, Nigerien Minister of Trade and Private Sector Development, signed the aid agreement.
The Nigerien President said that the agreement will positively impact his governments sustainable development and economic diversification, which are vital to the countrys economic stability.
On behalf of Sheikh Mohamed, Al Nowais wished continued progress and prosperity for Niger and its people.
Al Nowais further stated that the agreement will help Niger in its economic development efforts towards promoting a culture of entrepreneurship and supporting SME. He stressed that the agreement will provide creative and innovative young people in Niger with an opportunity to use their skills and talents to improve their lives and contribute to the countrys economic growth.
The Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, established in 2007 in Abu Dhabi, has become one of the leading institutions aimed at instilling a culture of entrepreneurship and supporting SMEs in the UAE. The fund has financed more than 1,400 projects within the country. Its successful experience has been transferred to Egypt, Chechnya, Jordan and, Belarus, Mali and Mauritania through pioneering financing and technical support programmes directed towards strengthening government efforts in these countries to achieve sustainable development and build a diversified and stable economy. TradeArabia News Service
Standardbred Canada would like to inform its members that the main office in Mississauga, Ont. is closed today (Wednesday, February 6) due to inclement weather conditions.
A weather system has blanketed most of southwestern Ontario with ice as a freezing rain warning is under effect and expected to last the majority of the day.
For SC members needing to contact SC staff, the best method of communication would be email. Please use the staff directory or general feedback form to contact us. Members can also use eShop (available in the menu bar at the top of the page) for online transactions.
Notices for the SC website can be sent to the news team through the Send Us Your News form submission page.
Standardbred Canada would like to apologize for any inconvenience that the closure has caused.
Our goal is to be part of the fabric of the Arts District.
That's the word of Kyle Glanville, co-founder and co-entrepreneur at Go Get Em Tiger, an independent Los Angeles roaster-retail cafe brand. I'm speaking to him today from inside GGET's newest cafe, a 400-square-foot space in the heart of LA's teeming Arts District. We're just a few blocks from where, all the way back in 2011, Handsome Coffee (RIP) planted a flag for specialty coffee in this neighborhood at 582 Mateo. (It is now a Blue Bottle.)
The vibe here at Go Get Em feels industrial and hipthere is a Shinola retail store next door, natchbut shot through with an approach to clean space and line art that evokes the company's first cafe space in LA, over on Larchmont. The two cafes are about six miles apart, but the aesthetic difference between neighborhoods cannot be overstated. There is also another new GGET in Highland Park, east of the Los Angeles River, in the same building as Highland Park Natural Wine. The brand plans to open several new cafes (plural) across the Los Angeles region in 2019 and 2020.
But here on E. 3rd, the bar is outfitted with GGETs favorite La Marzocco PB, in deep tiger orange, paired with Mazzer grinders. There is house-made almond milk, freshly turned. Watching over the baristas stands a female boxer with her fists raised. The simple line art stands out thanks to her red gloves, drawing your eyes to the corner where she waits. The art evokes a classic, knowingly retro Pee-Chee folders style, which Glanville describes as a fundamental part of the brand. We want characters who are doing something remarkable, he tells me.
An in-house design team handled the spaces slight expansion and outfitting. This is the first time GGET has handled all the design work themselves, a sure sign the company is growing. The centerpiece of the industrial architecture is a floor-to-ceiling garage-style door with windows to let in light and framed by reinforced steel beams. Floating shelves on a wall across from the bar display all their retail coffee, the pastel bright packages serving as both tempting retail and cheery candy-colored decor. A rack of GGET shirts hangs in the window, and against the wall next to the bar are other shelves of home-brewing retail, as well as more swag. Like Larchmont, GGET Arts District has a long bar where customers can stand and order from anywhere. There are a couple of two-tops outside for soaking up the sun, and people watching the busy neighborhood.
The food menu here is more compact than say, at the brand's Los Feliz spot, where food is a major focus. We want to focus on the hits, says Glanville, but we're walking a perilous line. He means to make sure that GGET remains a coffee shop in the public eye, instead of being perceived as a restaurant. Food here should orbit the gravitational pull of the coffee, Glanville explains, which means you can get stuff like waffles, granola, or a frittata here in the Arts District. It's food that wants to live with coffee.
This Arts District location opened in late 2018, and it marks just the latest growth iteration for a part of Los Angeles that's become synonymous with generational change. In the last 15 years, this neighborhood has experienced a renaissance, moving from abandoned buildings, through artist lofts, to a more bourgeois crowd with the money for luxury lofts and curated boutiques. But the undercurrent remains friendly and a little bohemianthere's a reason why Hollywood films so many New York City scenes on these blocksand the staff reflects back the same vibe. Though by no means the only coffee shop in the area (there are three other shops serving coffee within spitting distance), GGET has already drawn their regulars and is consistently busy.
The most gratifying experience is when you can be early to a neighborhood that is coming into itself, Glanville says, and you can see it happening before your very eyes through the cafe's windows onto 3rd. The block is bustling, and streams naturally into part of the SCI-Arc campus, the gallery Hauser & Wirth, and the half-dozen boutiques and dozen restaurants nearby. The Arts District chews up and spits out coffee shops, he laughs, the implication beingbut not this one. Only time will tell, but a strong set of opening months seems to portend well for the future of Go Get Em in the Arts District. They seem ready to sink their claws in and stick around for the long haul.
Valorie Clark (@TheValorieClark) is a freelance journalist based in Los Angeles. Read more Valorie Clark on Sprudge.
Photos courtesy of Go Get Em Tiger.
Will Slovakia recognise Venezuela's interim president?
The ruling Smer sides with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
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"As for now, we do not have a political stand to adopt a definite position of the Slovak Republic on the situation in Venezuela," said Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajcak (Smer nominee), as quoted by the TASR newswire.
Lajcak opines that Slovakia should join the EU in its stance and support interim president Juan Guaido. Nonetheless, the coalition parties Smer and the Slovak National Party (SNS) do not share the view, despite their determination to become more pro-European and pro-Atlantic.
"Slovakia cannot back either one or the other side of the internal political battle in this country only to be caressed on our head by Washington, Brussels or Moscow," said Smer chair Robert Fico in a video published on Facebook. He went on to compare the situation in Venezuela to Iraq.
All in all, it seems there is no consensus about Venezuela at this point.
"It turns out that the schism in Smer's foreign policy is getting worse," claimed MP Martin Klus of Freedom and Solidarity (SaS), as quoted by the Dennik N daily.
Read also: Lajcaks resignation raises concerns about Slovakias future political orientation Read more
The change in opinion
The Foreign Affairs Ministry declared last week that it considered Guaido and the Venezuelan parliament the only legitimate power in the country, from where millions of people are fleeing or starving because of the political and economic crisis.
"We believe that the presidential office of Venezuela is unoccupied from January 10,2019, and Guaido as a legitimately elected leader in the democratic process is exercising his powers within the limits given by the constitution," the ministry wrote in its statement.
It sees new democratic elections as the only peaceful and democratic solution.
However, the stance has changed after the parliamentary European affairs committee's session, chaired by Lubos Blaha (Smer), who defended Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Blaha supports autocratic regimes, considers himself a Marxist and supports Maduro, Dennik N wrote.
Schism of the Slovak foreign policy
Read also: Diplomat Lajcak was respected abroad and among the opposition Read more
While the opposition and Most-Hid, the last of the coalition parties, support Lajcak and consider the latest presidential elections in Venezuela unfree, SNS and Smer said Slovakia should comply with international law.
"I have pointed out for some time the political consensus in foreign policy questions ceased to exist," said Katarina Csefalvayova (Most-Hid), as quoted by Dennik N.
Slovakia's foreign policy has been put into the centre of a political battlefield between parties, she added.
"We are the last in the V4 region not to adopt a position on this matter, even though our allies have spoken out unambiguously," Csefalvayova said, as quoted by Dennik N.
6. Feb 2019 at 21:19 | Compiled by Spectator staff
Government tried to lure Slovaks back from the UK. But the promotion was weak
The Slovak Spectator talked to the participants of the event focused on IT and shared service sector workers and motivating them to come back.
British Union flags fly in front of The Houses of Parliament in London, January 22, 2019. (Source: AP/SITA)
More than 100 Slovaks living and working in the UK gathered on the grounds of the Slovak Embassy in London on January 24. Traditional Slovak cabbage soup, kapustnica, was just one of the lures. Another one was the prospect of a return to Slovakia.
Organised by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for Investments and Informatisation, the Work in Slovakia Good Idea event focused on Slovaks working in the ICT and shared service sectors in the UK to motivate them to come back home. The insecurity brought about by the upcoming Brexit was one of the issues that they addressed, and one of the possible motives for them to return to the continent.
The idea of luring people working in the UK back to Slovakia is great and I support it, Marcel Krajca, a trading applications developer at JPMorgan who has been living in the UK for about 12 years, told The Slovak Spectator. However, due to the weak promotion in social and interpersonal media it looked forced.
Marian Rusnak, software engineer at Verizon Media, also pointed to the promotions downsides. He received an invitation directly from the Slovak Embassy, but his friend had problems finding the event on the internet.
Deputy PM for Investments and Informatisation Richard Rasi (Smer) described the event as a pilot project, without trying to assess how successful it would be.
We will try to evaluate all the pros and cons and what needs to be changed, Rasi said, as quoted by the TASR newswire.
Companies interested in the return of Slovaks
6. Feb 2019 at 20:13 | Radka Minarechova
Merkel will arrive in Bratislava, along with traffic restrictions
Several roads will be paralysed between 10:30 and 16:00.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will arrive in Bratislava on February 7 to meet with political representatives of the Visegrad Group (V4) countries.
People working and living in the capital, particularly in the Old Town borough, will have to prepare for several restrictions during the day.
"Germany is our biggest economic partner, and the talks at the highest level are thus extremely important," said PM Peter Pellegrini (Smer), who invited Merkel to Slovakia last May, as quoted by the TASR newswire.
The German chancellor will also meet with President Andrej Kiska and other political leaders from the V4 region will hold talks with her throughout the day.
Traffic restrictions
Read also: Message to Angela Merkel: Europe can save the world Read more
"We ask the drivers planning to arrive to Bratislava via the D1 highway to use it before 10:00 at the latest," said Police Corps spokesperson Michal Szeiff, as quoted by the SITA newswire.
The highway will be then be accessible from 12:00 until 14:45. It will be reopened after 16:00.
"We recommend using the highway after 17:00," Szeiff added, as quoted by SITA.
Here is a complete list of closures and traffic restrictions:
ROAD RESTRICTIONS & HOURS 10:30 12:00 Palisady (in both directions), Hodzovo Square, Staromestska St, Einsteinova St & the D1 highway bypass between Zlate Piesky and SNP Bridge 14:00 14:15 Palisady (in both directions), Hodzovo Square 14:45 16:00 Palisady, Hodzovo Square, Staromestska St, Ursulinska St, SNP Square, Suche Myto, SNP Bridge, Einsteinova St & bypass (on the way to Trnava)
European Labour Authority to be discussed
Merkel and Pellegrini will discuss integration within the European Union. In addition, the prime minister wants to ask the chancellor to support Slovakia's effort in gaining the seat of the European Labour Authority, the TASR newswire reported.
"I believe we can fully participate in decision-making when it comes to the most important European questions," said Pellegrini, as quoted by TASR.
Responding to the question on the different stance towards the EU among V4 countries, he answered that "the EU is our indisputable living space", as reported by TASR.
The German chancellor will also meet with other V4 top officials. They will talk about migration, the eurozone, internal market, the EU's budget and the European Parliament elections.
"Of course, Brexit and preparations for all scenarios of Britain leaving the EU will be a particular topic," Pellegrini said, as quoted by TASR.
6. Feb 2019 at 21:13 | Compiled by Spectator staff
Free buses to moderate impact of traffic restrictions in Bratislava
The Bratislava bypass and the new bus station will bring traffic restrictions, increasing traffic jams by 20 percent.
Some buses will be fare-free to alleviate the complicated traffic situation Bratislava will experience as of mid February. Buses and trolley buses 201, 202, 212, 75 and X72, i.e. those passing Gagarinova Street, which is expected to be the most affected street during the reconstruction of Mlynske Nivy Street and building of the D4/R7 ring, will be free for passengers from February 18 until the end of March. This way, Bratislava city council wants to motivate people to switch from passenger cars to public transport during the extensive closures.
Thanks to the bus lanes we can guarantee fast transfer by public transport and simultaneously we need to reduce individual transport on these streets as much as possible, said the city council, as cited by the TASR newswire. Each passenger, who uses this bus route will exchange a car for public transport, which will help solve the difficult transport situation.
Simultaneously, Bratislava Integrated Transport (BID), the coordinator of integrated transport in Bratislava and its vicinity, will offer 50-percent discounts on a weekly ticket bought via its mobile app IDS BK for the same time period.
Read also:
Read also: Bratislava is preparing for the most complicated traffic restrictions in its history Read more
The citys public transport company Dopravny Podnik Bratislavy (DPB) has not been planning any additional buses or trolley buses to run on the affected routes. It will monitor usage of public transport in affected areas and it will add vehicles or reduce intervals only if demand is too high.
DPB as well as the city council hope that those who start to travel by public transport will not return to their cars after this discount period ends.
Mlynske Nivy Street and Pristavny Most bridge
Two big construction projects will complicate traffic in the capital concurrently. Continuing construction of the new Mlynske Nivy bus station will close Mlynske Nivy Street and work on the Bratislava ring road D4/R7 will restrict traffic close to the Pristavny Most (Port Bridge).
Both related closures will start the same day February 15. Mlynske Nivy Street will be closed for six months to all traffic. Public transport buses and trolley buses will bypass the closed street via Parickova Street while other traffic will go via Landererova Street. During the following six months public transport will be allowed to return to Mlynske Nivy Street.
The closure will affect the bus routes Nr 50, 70, 88, X72, trolley buses Nr 205 and the night bus N61 in the affected areas.
The city is also launching parking zones on the outskirts of the city with good connections to public transport. These will be at the cemetery in Vrakuna and on Bebravska Street. Their capacity will be more than 500 cars. Here, a driver arriving in the city can park his or her car and continue by public transport.
Traffic experts estimate that traffic restrictions in the city will increase traffic jams in Bratislava by about 20 percent.
Web site only in Slovak
Bratislava city council has launched a website, www.zvladneme.to, which in English means We will manage it, with information about the traffic restrictions, proposed solutions and maps and advice for travelers. However, the website is only in Slovak. Even though there is an icon for an English version, instead of the latest traffic information, visitors are re-directed to information about tourist attractions and cultural events in Bratislava from the website www.visitbratislava.com.
6. Feb 2019 at 8:15 | Compiled by Spectator staff
Is it just me or this constant and cloying profession of romantic love by some celebrity couples is getting a bit much? Be it Priyanka Chopra asserting the joys of her improbably cutesy new married life with Nick Jonas or Ranveer Singh slathering us with his relentless love for Deepika Padukone the media needs to create some distance now. It is as if it is not enough that both love their spouses so much, they have to coopt the rest of the world into their syrupy romance as well. There is so much residual love here that the world does not how to handle it.
Yaar, yeh pyar na hua gulab jamun ho gaya, has been my private reaction to all the gushing stories in Indian newspapers about the two latest couples. By the way, that Hindi line means, Is it love or Gulab Jamun? Gulab jamun is a popular Indian dessert prepared with balls of milk solids called khoya and soaked in rose-scented syrup. At its best, gulab jamuns are irresistibly delicious, albeit cloyingly sweet. Hence my somewhat peeved response, Yaar yeh pyar na hua gulab jamun ho gaya.
Both these couples have extracted every ounce out of their recent headline-grabbing weddings. Chopra and Singh miss no opportunity at all to talk about it and create one where one may not exist. Chopra appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and talked about it again. One particularly hard decision that confronted her was whether to get married on a private island away from the hoi polloi. This is how she summed it up: "We were like really stressed about it because we've got Seychelles, Maldives, Mauritiuswhatever..." That was until Jonas suggested India and she was like, of course.
So they are now, like, married and stuff.
And I am, like, can we now not talk about it?
And the world is, like, whatever.
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.
The opportunities for growth in the international space economy will form a key focus area for the second Global Space Congress, which will be hosted by the UAE Space Agency in Abu Dhabi.
The congress, taking place at St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort between March 19 and 21, is a significant global platform for emerging space entities to connect, collaborate and engage with the international commercial space industry.
International space agencies and organisations are increasingly looking towards cooperation and partnership and the UAE is leading the Middle East region in terms of driving space exploration and the commercial space industry, said a statement.
The congress will highlight opportunities for UAE entities to contribute to and benefit from space technologies and identify ways for the UAE to demonstrate its own contribution to the space industry through transferable technology in areas such as energy, sustainability and water.
The UAE has invested an estimated more than Dh22 billion in space projects, successfully establishing a strong and diversified space sector. The UAE is also home to several pioneering and competitive institutions in the field of satellite communications and satellite broadcasting as well as four research and development centres specialising in space science and technology.
Globally, the space economy is estimated to be worth more than $350 billion, with commercial activities accounting for more than 76 per cent of this sum. International space industry players are increasingly interested in cooperating and partnering with the companies and organisations who make up the Middle Easts rapidly developing space and aerospace sector.
The Global Space Congress brings together heads of space agencies, C-level executives from leading space and aerospace companies, government ministries, top researchers and academics to foster international collaboration and address both upstream and downstream challenges. The congress is one of the few international space forums held in the Middle East, and provides attendees with unique opportunities to interface with regional businesses and government entities involved in the space and aerospace sectors.
Dr Mohammed Al Ahbabi, director general of the UAE Space Agency, said: Our presence in the global space industry is maintaining significant growth, as we continue placing an emphasis on international collaboration and cooperation. As such, we are committed to engaging with our high-level counterparts on a continuous basis. The Global Space Congress is central to the development of the local space industry, and will be responsible for facilitating significant levels of foreign direct investment into the sector.
Nicholas Webb, managing partner of Streamline Marketing Group, the event organisers, commented: After its incredibly successful inaugural edition, the Global Space Congress has quickly established itself as an ideal platform for space sector thought leaders from all across the world. Returning for its second edition, we look forward to welcoming global space leaders to Abu Dhabi once again, to discuss the ever-expanding applications of space technologies, as well as establish new ways of meeting the demands of this rapidly expanding industry.
The Congress will identify ways to promote the UAEs collective programs and projects to a global audience, communicating as one voice with current and potential partners to demonstrate the importance of space to the UAEs Economic Development Program, and drive awareness of UAE space activities and space capabilities among key UAE sectors. - TradeArabia News Service
Robert Gilpin, R.I.P. - The Washington Post : His greatest book was written in 1981, but the main theory in it is perhaps more trenchant now...
The Rise of the Surveillance State
China has figured out how to entwine surveillance with digital governance. Understanding this dynamic has become even more critical as surveillance technology used in China begins to be adopted elsewhere in the worldin at least 80 different countries as of 2019.
Check out this month's issue of Security Technology.
When I showed my husband the racist photos from Virginia Gov. Ralph Northams medical school, he responded with a question, his voice filled with disgust.
Can you imagine being the Black classmate of this guy, or one of his patients?
I can do more than imagine.
I attended medical school in the 1980s. I was one of 10 Black people in a class of well over 100 students. My alma mater was founded in 1810. To date, it has awarded 350 Black people with a medical degree.
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Seeing the photo of a pair of students in blackface and a KKK outfit flooded me with emotions: anger, shame, hurt, and pain. The image wasnt what hurt the most. The silence from organized medicine and our nations medical schools is what has been jarring. I, along with many Americans, wonder how Eastern Virginia Medical School allowed this type of behavior to go largely unchallenged and unpunished. (To its credit, EVMS banned yearbooks in 2014 and recently announced the formation of a Community Advisory Board.)
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As a medical student, I didnt experience this specific type of bizarre harassment-via-costume, but almost daily there were slights. I was invited to few parties by my classmates. Much of my time was spent studying. I worried a lot about paying for school. I worked part-time in the medical school library until I got into a verbal fight with a White boy, who refused to pay his overdue book fine and told me I didnt know what a dissertation was.
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One of my professors made a wisecrack equating Bridgeport, Connecticut, with a Third World country; with a wide grin he minimized, marginalized, and diminished an entire city. He made no mention of the substandard housing, high asthma rates, or the substantial health care disparities affecting Bridgeport. My White classmates laughed. I was a daughter of 1970s Brooklyn, and although my education made me a part of the privileged poor, I felt an allegiance to Black and Brown communities. In college, I had been a student activist. But medical school was a different beastit was harder, the stakes were higher, the connections were essential. I put my head down. He was my teacher, and these were my future colleagues.
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I spent the third and fourth year of medical school, the clinical training years, at one of the premier teaching hospitals in the country, in one of the poorest cities in the United States. I was eager to learn, but my enthusiasm was trampled when the staff mistook me for the ward clerk or housekeeper. I was fastidious about my attire and grooming. Still, one doctor told me my braids were unprofessional.
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I learned how to draw blood, thread IV catheter lines, and deliver babies by practicing on impoverished Black and Brown clinic patients. Unlike my peers, I referred to my patients by their last name. I wasnt going to be caught dead calling a woman who could be my grandmother by her first name. The nature of this practiceof having predominantly White, privileged students learning how to perform medical exams and procedures on Black and Brown bodiesproved fertile ground for the unleashing of deeply held biases.
The crack epidemic was in full force. There was little sympathy for the victims of this disease.
My chief residents called them dirtbags and made seemingly arbitrary decisions to withhold pain medication. One doctor referred to Black nurses as dirty Haitians.
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My OB-GYN rotation was particularly cruel. Many of my patients were teens. Some spoke no English. Most were in pain. One woman would be admonished for birthing yet another baby while a woman in the adjacent bed was scolded for having had several abortions. I thought of my own mother, an uneducated West Indian immigrant, who had told me her story of having to fend off White doctors eager to perform a hysterectomy, a common mode of sterilization used in communities of color during the late 60s and early 70s.
This is not about a photo, it is about the profound impact these actions have on the public, who depends on us to heal and serve.
To complicate matters, I was being evaluated by a medical hierarchy that was composed of these very same colleaguesinterns, residents, attendingswho either held Black people in quiet disregard or openly despised us. Despite our fears, a group of Black students, with the support of one of our deans, met with the heads of every clinical department. We described our experiences on the hospital wards, and our worries that Black patients were not only being misdiagnosed but were potentially being harmed by the racist attitudes and behavior of the medical staff. We raised concerns about the lack of Black faculty and mentoring opportunities. One chairman turned and waved his hands dismissively, telling us that even though he and his colleagues were all White men, they were still a diverse group. Another doctor asked, Are you concerned about all patients or only Black patients?
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The institutionalized racism in medical education has created a medical system in which only 6 percent of practicing physicians in the United States are Black. This, in turn, has exacerbated the shortage of primary care physicians and specialists who are willing and able to serve in high-need communities. We desperately need Black physicians to combat addiction, maternal/fetal mortality, diabetes, and hypertension in the Black community.
I believe that the vast majority of my clinic patients were not privy to the comments and jokes my superiors were making about them. Ralph Northams patients may have never experienced anything untoward from him, either. Does that mean it doesnt matter? I dont think so. The doctor/patient relationship is built on a foundation of trust and mutual respect. Northam has shown his violation of that trust. This is not about a photo, it is about the profound impact these actions have on the public, one that depends on us to heal and serve.
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It is this distrust of the medical establishment that perpetuates the fears many Blacks feel about going to the doctor. Many of us who believe in health care equity still practice medicine in the shadows of these jokes and racist behaviors. We watch these communities suffer worse health care outcomes. And then we watch as blatant racism is uncovered in the yearbook of an institution meant to teach the next generation of doctors, and we wonder why so many people are surprised.
Northam should resign. But we still need to realize the change that must happen within these institutions that are tasked with providing health care for all of our people.
We must demand policies and programs that reduce health disparities, promote disease prevention, and foster inclusive work environments for underrepresented racial minorities in medicine. We dont need empty apologies. We need measurable and meaningful change.
Greetings, Future Tensers,
Backstreets back, all right. And, as geneticist Karen James noticed, the promos for DNA, the boy bands first No. 1 album in nearly two decades, feature some decidedly old-school renderings of genetic sequencing. She explains why the dated depictions continue to endure in pop culture and catches a few other tropes and misconceptions about genetics that the boys had to offer.
While listening to the Backstreet Boys latest bops, we at Future Tense have also been covering the control of data and information. Tamara Evdokimova explains why Russias considering a bill that would ban fake news. Shannon Palus, who recently quit Facebook, writes about the people who let the platform pay them to get access to all (and we mean all) of their phone and web activity data. And Aaron Mak looks at San Franciscos proposed bill to ban law enforcement from using facial recognition software.
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Other things we read between taking our smartphones in from the cold:
Starship Troopers: What should we call members of the Space Force? Col. Dennis Wille weighs the options for naming the service members of the militarys newest proposed branch.
Outbreak: David Ropeik explains how a recent study examining the motivations behind vaccine-hesitant and anti-vaccine parents shows theres more to the anti-vaxxer movement than just fear of inoculations.
Higgs hitches: Though the lack of big news in particle physics has led some to question whether continued investment in the field is worth the cost, physics professors Chanda Prescod-Weinstein and Tim M.P. Tait explain why lack of discovery can be just as instructive.
Flickr-ing away: Flickrs announcement that it will begin mass-deleting photos from free users as it transitions to being a paid storage service serves as a reminder that we shouldnt put too much trust in cloud-based storage, argues April Glaser.
To less-rubbery chicken nuggets,
Anthony Nguyen
For Future Tense
Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University.
Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
The mess for Democrats in Virginia is getting messier, fast. Currently Virginias governor and the next two men in line to replace him are each facing their own scandals and varying levels of pressure to resign. Its not clear how this mess will shake out or who will be left standing. Heres a rundown of what has happened and what we know so far:
Gov. Ralph Northam was the first figure to be disgraced, when on Friday the right-wing blog Big League Politics published a photo of two menone in blackface and the other in a Ku Klux Klan hood and robeon what appeared to be Northams 1984 medical school yearbook page. Northam came forward and apologized, confirming he had appeared in a clearly racist and offensive costume, without specifying which of the two men he was.
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BREAKING: Gov. Ralph Northam yearbook page shows blackface and Klan photohttps://t.co/6A89ejp5Ho The Virginian-Pilot (@virginianpilot) February 1, 2019
In the statement, Gov. Northam gives no indication that he will resign over the photo, and does not clarify if he is the person seen in blackface vs. the person seen in the KKK costume, or provide other context for the circumstances of the photo. pic.twitter.com/eb4Qx2WhQw NBC News (@NBCNews) February 1, 2019
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Northam quickly changed his story one day later. As a notable number of Democrats both in Virginia and nationally joined Republicans in calling for his resignation, Northam walked back his comments while simultaneously incriminating himself. In a bizarre press conference Saturday, he said that he was not actually one of the two men in the photo. (Its technically possible, but still unlikely, the photo was placed on his page by mistake and without his knowledge.) But he admitted that he had used shoe polish that same year to darken his face when he dressed up as Michael Jackson for a dance contest. A reporter asked him if he could still moonwalk, and Northams wife, Pamela, had to step in to stop him from demonstrating the dance move for the gathered press.
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The governor has repeatedly said he does not plan to resign. His staff helped arrange a letter from nine med school classmates to say they believed Northam was not in the racist photo and that he never engaged in, promoted, tolerated, or condoned racism. An old Eastern Virginia Medical School roommate of Northams said he was at the party in question and that Northam went dressed as a lawyer and not in a racist costume, but that one memory from 35 years ago did little to persuade anyone of Northams innocence. It appears Northam cant easily be impeached or otherwise forced out of office, and he still seems determined to stay.
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If Northams resignation initially seemed an easy way to end Virginias drama, that quickly evaporated. The man who would replace him, Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, has been facing his own scandal this week. It, too, began with a post from Big League Politics, which on Sunday published a screenshot of a private social media post by a woman who accused a state-level politician of sexually assaulting her at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, all but naming Fairfax. In a statement Monday, Fairfax confirmed he was the target of the allegation but denied the allegation itself.
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According to Fairfax, the Washington Post had essentially cleared his name when the paper looked into the allegation more than a year ago and found significant red flags and inconsistencies within the allegation. The Post pushed back against that characterization Monday and explained that it sat on the story only because reporters had not found corroborating evidence of the womans account or similar complaints against Fairfax from anyone else.
In the Posts telling, Fairfax and the woman described the same start to the encounter: a visit to Fairfaxs hotel room that led to consensual kissing. Its after that, the woman alleges, that Fairfax guided her to bed and physically forced her to perform oral sex on him. Fairfax maintains the entire encounter was consensual and said that the woman later told him she wanted him to meet her mother but that ultimately the two never saw each other again.
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Also on Monday, Fairfax made the bold suggestion that Northams supporters were behind the allegation in an effort to stop the governor from being pressured out of office. Later that day, Fairfax retracted that charge and said he had no indication in that regard.
Then, the accuser came forward. Vanessa Tyson, an associate professor of politics at Scripps College in California, hired Katz, Marshall & Banksthe law firm that represented Christine Blasey Ford after she accused Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault. A colleague of hers told the San Jose Mercury News on Tuesday that she remembered Tyson telling her and a couple other colleagues about the alleged assault last fall.
Fairfax issued a more sensitively worded statement Wednesday, but it was immediately followed by the shocking news, via NBC News, that he had said of Tyson during a Monday night meeting, Fuck that bitch. (Fairfaxs chief of staff denied the report.)
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Then Tyson issued a formal statement Wednesday afternoon describing the 2004 encounter in more detail and saying that it had left her grappling with grief, shame, and anger. She described herself as crying and gagging as he forced her into the sex act, and she emphasized that she had never given any form of consent. Tyson said she came forward the first time in 2017, after being inspired by the #MeToo movement, and the second time after learning of the possibility that he could become governor. And she alleged that Fairfax had been waging a smear campaign by telling reporters to watch a video from 2007 in which she talked about being the victim of incest and molestation. Mr. Fairfax has tried to brand me as a liar to a national audience, in service to his political ambitions, and has threatened litigation, she said.
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"I suffered deep humiliation and shame" Vanessa Tyson, accuser of Virg LG @FairfaxJustin tells her side of what she says was a sexual assault of her in 2004 pic.twitter.com/lyX9EDucvF Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) February 6, 2019
If Virginians were hoping for a saving grace in the next elected leader down the ladder, they were probably disappointed Wednesday morning to learn that state Attorney General Mark Herring, who is second in line for the governorship, admitted that he also dressed in blackface at a party in the 1980s. Herring said that when he was a 19-year-old student at the University of Virginia in 1980, he and his friends dressed up as rappers and performed a song. [B]ecause of our ignorance and glib attitudesand because we did not have an appreciation for the experiences and perspectives of otherswe dressed up and put on wigs and brown makeup.
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Please see my statement below. pic.twitter.com/FBDcgxHOq9 Mark Herring (@MarkHerringVA) February 6, 2019
Herring, its worth noting, had originally called on Northam to resign in reaction to the first blackface scandal.
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In addition to the disgrace and outrage the scandals have ignited, the political crisis potentially imperils the Democratic Partys control of the states executive branch. After Herring, the next person in line is the speaker of the House of Delegates, a Republican. (Another fateful twist to the saga: The speakership is held by a Republican only because House control was determined by literally drawing a name from a bowl.) Virginia Democrats would probably not allow a Republican to take over, so it seems possible, as Ben Mathis-Lilley noted, that Democrats would orchestrate some unusual movessuch as forcing Fairfax to resign, then having Northam appoint a replacement for Fairfax, who would then take over for Northam upon his own resignation.
Alternatively, its possible that Northams colleagues problems will make him more comfortable staying put: As one Slate staffer put it, It probably helps his prospects if its just a garbage fire all the way down.
In the days since a racist photo from his 1984 medical school yearbook was published, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has resisted calls for resignation from all corners of his party. The Democratic caucuses of both branches of the Virginia state legislature have asked Northam to step down, as have Northams predecessor, Terry McAuliffe, and multiple Democrats whove announced 2020 presidential runs. Yet Northam has refused to do so, arguing that he shouldnt have to because he is neither the person in the photo in blackface nor the one in KKK garb. He did, however, improbably volunteer that he wore blackface for a Michael Jackson costume that same year.
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Northam is the second prominent Democrat in the past few years to be asked to resign following revelations of past bad behavior. In late 2017, Democrats urged thenU.S. Sen. Al Franken to step down after he was accused of groping several women and kissing women without their consent. (Franken, who contested some of the allegations, resigned after the eighth woman came forward.) Both cases come on the heels of a broader cultural movement to hold people accountableor, more colloquially, to cancel peoplefor past racist, sexist, or predatory misbehavior. In the short term, this amounts to bouts of humiliating chaos. To wit, the current situation in Virginia is that the blackface-wearing governor would be succeeded by Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, who said of a woman who accused him of sexual assault, Fuck that bitch. Were Fairfax to resign, he would be succeeded by another guy who wore blackface. (Thats what they call a Virginia sandwich!) So, yes, chaos. But in the long term, a commitment among Democrats to cancel politicians with a history of cruel behavior is essential to rebuilding a strong, sustainable party.
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There should be no room in American politics for Northams apparent comfort with racist lampoonery, including his old nickname Coonman, which appeared in another yearbook. Neither should there be room for a senator who jokingly mimes grabbing a sleeping womans breasts, as Franken did. And yet, when considering the current discrepancy between how the two major political parties handle this problemRepublicans defended Roy Moore, for example, and Steve King is still in Congressthe double standard can rankle some Democrats who dont feel ready to take a hard line. When Franken left the Senate, his supporters protested that Dems couldnt afford to lose a strong progressive leader in the Senate. Even now, Democratic donors are boycotting Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a 2020 presidential contender, for leading the successful charge for Frankens resignation. Likewise, some believe an apology for a 30-year-old dalliance with blackface should be enough to keep Northam in office, a position that is only likely to be more strongly argued now that the misbehavior of his two successors has come to light. (If all three resigned, a Republican would get to take the governors seat.) In a poll taken in the two days after the blackface photo was made public, 50 percent of Virginia Democrats still said they approved of the governor.
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In the long term, a commitment among Democrats to cancel politicians with a history of cruel behavior is essential to rebuilding a strong, sustainable party.
Its easy to explain why the Northam revelations are grounds for immediate expulsion from public service: Holding political office is a privilege that should be reserved for those who, at the very least, do not show blatant contempt for wide, race-specific swaths of the American population. Keeping racist peopleor people with racist historiesin office is demoralizing and insulting to communities of color that already suffer the bulk of state-sponsored violence, voter suppression, and mass incarceration. When these racist people do hold positions of power, its easy for their racial biases to bleed into policy, even in the political party less committed to stoking white racialized fear and anger than the other.
By turning against men like Northam and Franken, Democrats accomplish far more than any single left-leaning politician with a tarnished reputation could. They decline to tacitly condone actions that evoke long, painful histories of racist and gender-based violence. They set a precedent for whats expected of leaders in their own party, and they possibly even make it more difficult for members of the other party to shrug at similar instances of racism and sexual misconduct. They also help shore up the Democratic Partys reputation among the young voters, women, and voters of color that make up the partys base and future.
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Even though ousting a politician is undoubtedly the right move, its a remarkably new phenomenon. Democrats are getting marginally better at taking action in response to public disclosures of disgusting behavior, but the party is certainly exercising a new muscle (remember the ranks that closed around Bill Clinton?). Republicans, meanwhile, seem to be getting worse. Across the country, the party has been running candidates flaunting increasingly blunt and unabashed brands of racism. Candidates who style themselves in the Trump mold are winning. Federal judges appointed by Presidents Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump are arguingin literal opinions and dissentsthat calling a public official or government entity racist is worse than actually being racist. When multiple women accused thenSupreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault and harassment last year, Republican leaders led a defense of the judge that ramped up from accusing Ford of misremembering (or lying) to reasoning that sexual assault is a normal, unobjectionable rite of passage for teenage boys. More recently, conservative bigwigs are pulling out all the stops to convince the Senates one black Republican, Tim Scott, that he is contributing to racial polarization and precluding racial healing by refusing to vote in favor of a federal judicial nominee who worked to disenfranchise black voters in North Carolina.
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Against this backdrop, removing a few gropers and blackface-wearers from public office feels like ridding an overflowing septic tank of one single turd. Plus, the new commitment to accountability seems like its hurting the one party that is at least trying to do the right thing. Republicans demanding Northams resignationlike those who called for Franken to step down in 2017seem to be using these occasions to score political points. Northams history of racist mockery was revealed by conservatives motivated by his support for abortion rights. That doesnt make it any less racist, but it does suggest that some Virginians see racism as a tool for discrediting political opponentsdepending on the party of the perpetratorrather than an urgent social ill. Last year, Virginia Republicans nominated literal neo-Confederate Corey Stewart as their Senate candidate in the 2018 midterm election, and 41 percent of voters in the state cast their ballots for him. While one party wrings its hands over propriety, ethics, and injustice, the other is essentially arguing that since everyones racist and sexist, accusations of racism and sexism are nothing more than disingenuous political cudgels. Look no further than Trump, accused of sexual assault, deciding to bring Bill Clintons accusers to a presidential debate to see this dynamic in action.
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Against this backdrop, removing a few gropers and blackface-wearers from public office feels like ridding an overflowing septic tank of one single turd.
This doesnt mean the Democratic Party will be perpetually forced to sacrifice as Republicans continue to behave with despicable impunity. But its a necessary catalyst of the partys current period of change. As my former colleague Jamelle Bouie wrote in December, the 2016 presidential election pitted a racist white man against a white woman who had to vocally disavow racismin a way Barack Obama never didin order to win the voters of color that made up her partys base. This brought white Democrats with conservative racial views who voted for quiet-on-race Obama over to Trumps side, leaving the Democratic voting contingent less white and male than before. This could help explain why Democrats made the recently sworn-in Congress the most racially and gender-diverse one ever, even as the number of female and nonwhite Republicans in the legislature fell. And in a single election cycle, it seems, the slate of Democratic presidential candidates went from being mostly white and male to mostly not.
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There are lots of reasons to want to elect more women and people of color, from getting the best-qualified people into office to having legislative bodies that fully represent the constituent communities they serve. Avoiding the shame of realizing your Democratic governor dressed in blackface and spent the next 30 years ignoring it could be another. The pre-nomination vetting process for Democratic candidates should become stricter in response to the meltdown we are currently witnessing in Virginia. But this shouldnt be taken as an insurmountable obstacle: As luck would have it, the party has a diverse surge of new would-be candidates ready to fill the vacuum left by sexual abusers and minstrel performers. Of the potential political stars out there who havent groped women, a disproportionate number are women. Of those who havent engaged in racist mockery, a disproportionate number are people of color. You know who didnt think dressing up as a KKK member was funny in 1984, or ever? Black people. An increasingly nonwhite and female Democratic Party will eventually tire of electing people who claim theyve repented for a former ignorant worldview. Theyll want leaders who never had the privilege of such ignorance in the first place.
Donald Trump turned to the most lethal of oratorical tools in Tuesday nights State of the Union address: the rhyme. To summarize his argument that Democratic investigations into his administration could imperil Americas economic gains, he said: If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation. And thencopying directly from the prepared text herethe follow-up: It just doesnt work that way!
In political speechwriting, flat attempts at cleverness are often made to paper over a total lack of substance, and this little rhyming number was no exception. Democrats in the chamber laughed at the line, just as they did when President Trump said, If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinionin my opinion!be in a major war with North Korea with potentially millions of people killed.
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The Democrats laughter wasnt the over-the-top, fake guffaw that parties might prepare ahead of time for risible talking points. It was the sort of chuckling you do when youre scrolling through your phone and only casually paying attentionexactly what many Democrats were doing throughout the speechand hear something truly out of left field. Its the way you might respond to someone who has nothing much to say, and no new tricks to force you to take him seriously.
Trump didnt move Congress any closer to a deal on immigration, the most pressing matter currently facing Congress. (The expectations were so low, though, that negotiators were just happy he didnt blow everything up.) If he was trying to get a border wall agreementand he really didnt seem like he was trying that hardit wasnt by putting something new on the table, a real concession that Democrats might consider. He resorted to the same scary warnings about the tremendous onslaught of caravans approaching the border (another chuckle line for Democrats) and once again used grieving families whod lost loved ones as pawns in his insinuation that undocumented immigrants are naturally inclined to violence. In an ad-lib to satisfy his itch for hyperbole, he stated that he wanted legal immigrants in the largest numbers ever to come to the country, when in reality his administration turned down an offer in the last Congress to fund his entire wall because it didnt cut legal immigration enough.
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Anyway, it was all just words. They dont mean anything, they havent worked in the past, they wont work in the next 10 days. And everyone in the room knew it.
Trump seemed to think that he was skewering the Democrats by boldly declaring that he is prepared to stop socialism in its tracks, as if it had gotten particularly far along. We are born free, and we will stay free, he said. Tonight, we renew our resolve that America will never be a socialist country.
Was this supposed to be a dig at New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez? Judging from the look on her face and the chatter she was making with members around her, she was asking the same question. So she laughed. Whatever. It wasnt worth the effort to get particularly mad at anything this guy said.
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The only break from this yawning rendition of the Same Old Thing was when Democrats decided to hold a dance party in the middle of the speech. When Trump, in the prelude to a short section introducing the first-ever government-wide initiative focused on economic empowerment for women in developing countries, mentioned that we have more women in the workforce than ever before, Democrats decided to take over the room. The 89 House Democratic women, all dressed in white, and their male counterparts started cheering, high-fiving, and in the case of one New Hampshire Rep. Annie Kuster, raising the roof.
Trump played along, telling them not to sit down just yet, and then delivered a line about how we also have more women serving in the Congress than ever before. The celebration continued, eventually transitioning into a bipartisan chant of U-S-A!
During the extended cheering, no one seemed to be thinking about Trump at all. They were celebrating amongst themselves. Trump was just a piece of furniture along the wall of a room, a fact of life that didnt need their gratification or their outrage. He was just there.
President Trump began and ended his long State of the Union address Tuesday night with tributes to heroes of Americas pastthose who stormed Normandy and liberated Dachau, who saved freedom and transformed science, who built the railroads and passed the Civil Rights Act. Our most thrilling achievements are still ahead, he exclaimed, before asking, What will we do with this moment? How will we be remembered? Yet the only big thing that Trump asked this Congress to do was to build a wall.
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It was a speech of pretentious grandeursuch dreadful writing (You have come from the rocky shores of Maine the volcanic peaks of Hawaii the snowy woods of Wisconsin the red deserts of Arizona) and such soulless vision. He trotted out two survivors of the Nazi concentration camps purely as a transition between condemning Iran (which threatens genocide against the Jewish people) and rah-rah-ing for the USA (the father of one of the survivors had praised the American soldiers who rescued his family as messengers from God).
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But what did this have to do with what America is doing now under Trump? The most shameful episode of U.S. foreign policy in the years just before and during World War II was President Franklin D. Roosevelts failure to help the Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany or to bomb the campsa move that might have allowed hundreds of condemned prisoners to escape. Yet Trump has all but barred refugees from our country, painting them in broad brushstrokes as terrorists or criminals. And whatever one thinks of his desire to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria and Afghanistan, he is doing so with not a shred of concern for human rights. (I am not likening any of these situations to the horror of Nazi Germany; hes the one who invoked the distasteful comparison.)
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He talked of foolish wars, and many of them are foolish, but then why did he boast of spending $716 billion this year on the military? What smart wars, against what vile enemies, is this massive pile of money supposed to fight? The only foes he mentioned were China and Iranand the mismatch between the threats he portrayed and the solutions he offered was, in both cases, profound.
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Once again, he denounced the disastrous Iran nuclear deal, which he abrogated in order to ensure that this corrupt regime never acquire nuclear weapons. Leaving aside the merits of the deal (which have been lauded by the vast majority of U.S., European, and Israeli military, diplomatic, and intelligence officials), it is sheer nonsense to claim that withdrawing from the deal makes Iran less likely to go nuclear. His own CIA director suggested last week that it is now more likely to do so.
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He attacked China for its unfair trade practicesor rather, he denounced his predecessors for allowing China to engage in those practices. Trump certainly has a point when it comes to Chinas theft of intellectual property and its demands that foreign firms transfer their technology as a condition of gaining access to its markets. But it has never been clear how Trumps responseslapping tariffs on $250 billion of Chinese goodsaddresses those problems. And his claim that the U.S. Treasury has recovered billions of dollars as a result of these tariffs is yet another sign that he has no understanding of how tariffs work.
He touted his recent withdrawal from the Reagan-era Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which barred the U.S. and Russia from testing missiles having a range between 500 and 5,000 kilometers. It is true that Russia is violating this treaty. But the Russian military has disliked the treaty ever since it was signed. When George W. Bush was president, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov asked Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld several times to make a deal allowing both sides out of the accord. Rumsfeld ignored the request, knowing that there was no appetite in the U.S. or NATO to bring back the class of missiles that the treaty outlawed. In other words, Trump is only doing the Russians a favor.
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Finally, Trump swelled with pride at his good relations with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, claiming, Had I not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea. This has no basis in reality whatever. It was Trump who pumped up tensions in the summer of 2017 with taunts at Kim as little rocket man and his threats to engulf the Korean Peninsula in fire and fury. In response, Kim accelerated his missile and nuclear tests, to the point where he acquired a sort-of reliable, small arsenal of atomic bombsand, after that, went on a charm offensive that Trump fell for, to the point where he exclaimed at a rally, soon after their summit in Singapore, that he and Kim, upon meeting, fell in love. It is true that Kim has conducted no more tests, and that is an accomplishment; but U.S. intelligence agencies unanimously claim that his nuclear program continues and that there is virtually no chance hell denuclearize, as Trump sometimes seems to believe has already happened.
At the end of the speech, Trump proclaimedin another line of spectacularly bad writingthat America must remain true to its destiny as the hope and the promise and the life and the glory among all the nations of the world. But the speech contained not a glimmer of hope or promise or gloryand not a whit of concern for any other nation in the world.
Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams concluded the Democratic Party response to Donald Trumps State of the Union address Tuesday night by saying, America wins by fighting for our shared values against all enemies, foreign and domestic. But when it comes to the foreign part, it wasnt at all clear from her speech who those enemies were, or what those values are. The line was virtually the only reference to the rest of the world in her speech.
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Abrams, one of the partys rising stars, did cover a wide range of topics, including many that Trump neglected. It would have been surprising for Abrams, most of whose career has been in state-level politics, to focus heavily on foreign policy, an area that most voters care about far less than the pocketbook issues she emphasized. Still, the complete absence of foreign policy from the response contributes to a sense that the party doesnt have much to say about Americas place in the world. And despite Trumps numerous questionable claims about his record on North Korea and fighting ISIS, and defense of controversial policies on Israel and nuclear diplomacy, the Democrats apparently had no interest in arguing with him.
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This is unfortunate. While Americans have historically trusted Republicans more on issues of national security, the margin has shrunk with Trump in office. And a strong majority of American disapprove of Trumps handling of relations with other countries.
Granted, Trumps very unpredictability and the degree to which his own views sometimes diverge sharply from those of his own officialsparticularly on questions of military force and U.S. alliancescan make it difficult to argue with him. And the Democrats themselves are divided on a number of key issues, including the deployment of U.S. troops in the Middle East and American support for Israel.
But as leading figures in the party, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, have recently demonstrated, it is possible to craft a foreign policy message that ties alarm about the rising tide of authoritarianism abroad with traditional Democratic domestic concerns about inequality and the role of money in politics, as well as the ongoing investigation into Russian interference in the U.S. election. Abrams hinted at, but didnt quite develop, this idea by saying in a section on voting rights that the foundation of our moral leadership around the globe is free and fair elections, where voters pick their leaders, not where politicians pick their voters.
Trumps speech indicated that his re-election campaign will rely heavily on his supposed determination to destroy ISIS, cut a deal with North Korea, defend Israel, confront Iran, and stand up to China when no one else was willing to. Democrats cant let these claims go unchallenged and, in the next two years, need to craft a strong message of their own.
The private banking arm of Emirates NBD, a leading bank in the region, recently introduced The LaunchPad, a homegrown concept that identifies the region's brightest start-up ideas and connects them with world-class angel and early-stage investors.
The LaunchPad is the first bank-facilitated deals platform of its kind in the region, offering entrepreneurs the opportunity to showcase their businesses and pitch for seed or growth capital to a panel of international investors and venture capitalists.
Held under the theme of Inspiring Whats Next, the initiative aims to introduce Emirates NBD Private Banking clients to alternative options of diversifying their investment portfolios.
Suvo Sarkar, senior executive vice president, head of retail banking and wealth management, Emirates NBD, said: Setting up of The LaunchPad platform highlights our commitment to nurturing budding entrepreneurs in the region by facilitating access to world-class investors, as well as showcasing exciting new avenues for investment to our clients.
The inaugural edition of The LaunchPad saw a challenging race between 25 start-ups and early stage companies, with five businesses shortlisted to pitch their ideas to three international investors at an event in Dubai, attended by Emirates NBD Private Banking clients.
The investors included:
Virginia Cha, a professor of innovation and entrepreneurship with multiple appointments across leading universities in Singapore as well as an active angel investor in early-stage start-ups. In her 37-year career, she founded, co-founded and ran several venture-funded hi-tech companies in Singapore and China.
Bill Reichert, managing director and co-founder of Garage Technology Ventures, a Silicon Valley-based seed and early stage venture capital firm. He brings with him 30+ years of experience as investor, entrepreneur and operating executive.
Matt Penneycard, a venture capitalist for 16 years. Until recently he ran one of the UKs most active seed-stage tech funds and he is now a co-managing partner of Ada Ventures, a pre-seed fund focused on tech ventures.
The five shortlisted business included:
Seez, a mobile app aimed at using AI tech to fully automate car search and buying;
StreetLifeDXB, an on-demand travel assistant app;
Sippy, a prepaid subscription service to coffee drinkers from a network of independent coffee shops in the UAE;
Wavenote, a vocal social networking app that lets you record, listen and share audio;
Jaib, a payment method that provides unbanked online shoppers with instant credit facility. TradeArabia News Service
The State of the Union address Donald Trump gave on Tuesday night was full of forced, awkward transitions. The weirdest had to do with babies. Trump boasted of being the first president to propose a national paid family leave plan in his budget, so that every new parent has the chance to bond with their newborn child. Then, speaking of newborns: There could be no greater contrast to the beautiful image of a mother holding her infant child than the chilling displays our nation saw in recent days.
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Trump was referring to a recently passed New York law that removed restrictions on certain second- and third-trimester abortions and a similar Virginia bill that blew up in right-wing media last week. In Tuesdays speech, Trump said these pieces of legislation would allow a baby to be ripped from the mothers womb moments before birth.
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This isnt the first time the president has used these words to conjure up this nonexistent medical procedure. In the final debate before the 2016 election, Trump said Hillary Clinton wanted abortion providers to be able to rip the baby out of the womb in the ninth month on the final day. This is not an accurate rendering of any abortion procedure; what Trump is describing is a cesarean section. The fiction that a woman would carry a fetus for 40 weeks only to decide moments before birth to terminate her pregnancy has persisted because its a narrative that features conservatives favorite anti-abortion talking points: fetuses that look like newborn babies, irresponsible women making rash decisions, and scary, violent surgeries that are worlds away from the nearly half of all abortions that are performed via oral medication.
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On Tuesday night, Trump used this vivid imagery to ask Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mothers womb. Watching the address on television, I saw the camera pan over congressional Republicans, who were all standing and clapping, a sea of men applauding another man for making women out to be unworthy stewards of their own bodies. The Handmaids Tale analogies have become trite in this era of sexual assault apologia and eroding protections for womens rights. But in this instance, the government Republicans wantan authoritarian white man leading a tribunal of other white men in the diminishment of female autonomywas made visible on the House floor, and it was straight out of Atwood.
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Compare that to the vision presented by Georgias Stacey Abrams, the first black woman nominated by a major party for governor, who gave the Democratic response to the State of the Union. In her speech, Abrams centered her talk of reproductive justice issues on women. She decried the despicable maternal mortality rate of a nation where mothers, especially black mothers, risk death to give birth. And she framed abortion rights as a moral issue with progressives on the right side of history. America achieved a measure of reproductive justice in Roe v. Wade, but we must never forget it is immoral to allow politicians to harm women and families to advance a political agenda, Abrams said.
Though reproductive rights got just a few lines in Abrams speech, she cut to the heart of the issue with a winning argument. It is unethical to deprive women of the freedom and access to make informed decisions about their bodies. It is cruel to force women to carry to term a fetus that will only live a brief, painful life or perish upon birth. (As I wrote last week in response to the hubbub around the Virginia bill, third-trimester abortions are performed most often in cases of severe fetal deformities undetectable until later in pregnancy.) And it is a moral disgrace that the party that calls itself pro-life looks the other way as black mothers and infants die from a toxic brew of inadequate health care and racism-related stress. To win on abortion rights, Democrats would do well to follow the Abrams playbook: Dont take the Republican bait on imaginary moments before birth abortions. Keep the focus on womens lives.
Rhymes with fearmongering: President Donald Trumps State of the Union address was long, a little weird, and full of farce as well as falsehood. Fred Kaplan called the speech, with its meandering foreign policy angles, one of pretentious grandeur and such soulless vision, while Will Saletan pointed out all the alarming flavors of authoritarianism in Trumps rhetoric. Jordan Weissmann demolished the presidents deluded and patently false or misleading economic claims. Meanwhile, Christina Cauterucci homed in on why Stacey Abrams response could help Democrats in the fight for abortion rights, and Jim Newell identified cheap rhymes as, perhaps, the lowest form of wit. Read more of our Tuesday night coverage here.
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Go home, Virginia: As calls mount for resignations from Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, and Attorney General Mark Herring, some Democrats wonder whether its worth potentially losing the governorship to the GOP, a party seemingly disinterested in its own problematic politicians. It all feels a bit like ridding an overflowing septic tank of one single turd, writes Christina Cauterucci. But the short-term losses are worth it, she argues. Dr. Ann Arthur-Andrew, a Black physician, also weighs in on how the news exposes a larger, systemic problem in the world of medicine. And Lili Loofbourow looks at what a white, male medical student would be trying to convey with that yearbook photo: Northam was making a gamble he assumed hed never lose on.
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You and what army: Over the past few weeks, Amazon Fulfillment Center employees designated as FC Ambassadors have been sending multiple tweets saying that they are satisfied with the companys working conditions and do not feel the need for union protections. Curious about the prevalence of these tweets, Aaron Mak sought to figure out whether this could be a coordinated effort from top brass. The answers he uncovered show something even weirder.
Rock boxin: In an excerpt from his new book, Walk This Way, Washington Post arts reporter Geoff Edgers recalls the making of the music video for Run-D.M.C. and Aerosmiths Walk This Way, the song that placed rap firmly in the mainstream and changed popular music forever. Among the fun tidbits behind the scenes: fake members of Aerosmith, a director who once played drums for Billy Joel, a broken wall, and a literal teenage riot.
For fun: We should all wear nametags.
Complete with pronunciation symbols, please,
Dawnthea (Dawn-tay-uh)
Three years ago, when Donald Trump emerged as the Republican presidential front-runner, critics decried his ruthlessness. Since then, theyve grown numb to it. They think his State of the Union address on Tuesday night was long, trite, and boring. In reality, the speech was laced with authoritarianism. Heres what Trump said and why its dangerous.
1. I am the savior of the nation. Two and a half years ago, when he won the Republican nomination for president, Trump said of our political system, I alone can fix it. On Tuesday, he extended that conceit to foreign affairs. He cast himself as the man who single-handedly defeated ISIS and saved us from war with North Korea. When I took office, ISIS controlled more than 20,000 square miles in Iraq and Syria, Trump declared. Today, we have liberated virtually all of that territory from the grip of these bloodthirsty killers. This is hype: 20,000 square miles is one-twelfth of Iraq and Syria, and Trump has largely stood by as our military and our allies finished a job that was well underway.
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Trump also took credit for averting a nuclear war with Asia. If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea, he proclaimed. This is rich. When Trump first spoke to President Barack Obama after winning the 2016 election, he was surprised to learn from Obama that North Korea was a serious problem. Trumps policy on this issue is a joke: He holds summit meetings with Kim Jong-un at which Trump pretends North Korea is dismantling its nuclear programs, while in fact no such thing is happening. Thats because Trumps goal isnt to protect us. Its to convince us that he, our dear leader, is the only thing standing between us and Armageddon.
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One common myth about authoritarians is that they view leaders of other countries as their enemies. In reality, as the Trump-Kim bromance illustrates, authoritarians are more interested in crushing domestic opposition, and they use conflicts with foreign adversaries to enhance their status at home. Thats why Trump, in his remarks about trade policy on Tuesday, stipulated, I dont blame China for taking advantage of us. I blame our leaders and representatives for allowing this travesty to happen. Trump doesnt want to humiliate Chinese President Xi Jinping. He wants to belittle Obama and Democrats.
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2. Do as I say, because we are under attack. To silence his opponents and expand his power, the authoritarian needs a crisis. Trump has concocted a fake emergency, which he described in his speech as the urgent national crisis on our very dangerous southern border. Trumps alarmism is bogus and insincere: After hyping a caravan of Central Americans just before the midterms, he dropped the subject as soon as the polls closed. But the crisis served its purpose: rallying Americans behind him.
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Now Trump is reviving the scare campaign because he wants a monument to himselfa great wall on the Mexican borderand Congress is refusing to pay for it. He wants to build the wall by diverting military assets or, more brazenly, declaring a national emergency to bypass the legislature. So he depicts undocumented immigrants as a foreign invasion. As we speak, large, organized caravans are on the march to the United States, Trump grimly intoned. The lawless state of our southern border is a threat to the safety, security, and financial well-being of all Americans.
The invading caravan army is a farce. But Trumps use of it as a basis for seizing extraordinary powers is no joke. For weeks, he has talked openly about declaring an emergency that would void congressional opposition. In his speech, he announced that because of the oncoming caravans, I have ordered another 3,750 troops to our southern border to prepare for the tremendous onslaught. Deploying the military on American soil for partisan advantage is bluntly authoritarian. So is bypassing Congress.
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3. I will protect you from the socialists. In his remarks, Trump drew a straight line from Venezuelas socialist policies, which have bankrupted that country, to leftists in the United States. We are alarmed by new calls to adopt socialism in our country, said the president. America was founded on liberty and independencenot government coercion, domination, and control. Tonight we renew our resolve that America will never be a socialist country.
That sounds like a defense of freedom. But its straight out of the authoritarian playbook. In Latin America and other parts of the world, right-wing politicians typically hype domestic socialism as a menace, often by smearing social democrats as totalitarians. By doing so, these politicians divert scrutiny from their own power grabs. Thats exactly what Trump is doing. Twice in his speech, he denounced the resistance, accusing it of undermining national unity.
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4. Any threat to me is a threat to our country. Trumps defenders laugh off comparisons between him and dictators abroad. But the only difference between our country and those dictatorships is that weve constrained our tyrant. Every day, he claws at the boundaries of his power. On Tuesday, he warned that partisan investigations would imperil Americas economic miracle. Then he added ominously: If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation.
Thats a thuggish ultimatum. For more than a month, Trump took millions of federal workers and contractors hostage, choking them financially in order to demand his wall. Now hes threatening to shut down Congress if it investigates his corruption. Hes claiming emergency powers, appropriating the armed forces, and blackmailing those who would hold him accountable. Our union is in peril.
Donald Trumps appalling negligence toward Puerto Rico is one of the most deadly, disturbing, and overlooked tragedies of his presidency. After Hurricane Maria ravaged the U.S. territory in 2017, the Trump administration botched disaster relief, contributing to a humanitarian crisis that, according to researchers from George Washington University, cost nearly 3,000 lives. (Trump rejected this death toll as Democratic propaganda.) Residents had to beg for food, water, and medical care while emergency relief goods sat undistributed at ports. Five months after the storm, half a million Puerto Ricans still lacked electricity. Trump initially tried to deny the island any federal aid, then attempted to cut off funding by claiming, falsely, that officials were misusing the money. He insisted that the hurricane was not a real catastrophe like Katrina. Today, the White House is still working to block supplemental funds for the territorys recovery.
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Trumps approach to the Puerto Rico catastrophe was unprecedented in its malice. But it is only the latest chapter in the federal governments long-standing discrimination against the island, abuse that enabled the White House to ignore its suffering without fear of political consequence. Because Puerto Rico is a territory rather than a state, federal law treats its residents as second-class citizens, depriving them of full voting rights and representation in Washington, as well as equal access to health care and disability benefits. This arrangement is enabled by century-old precedents that permitted mistreatment of territories like Puerto Rico because they are inhabited by alien races.
On Monday, however, U.S. District Judge Gustavo Gelpia George W. Bush appointeeissued a shot across the bow that throws the legality of this federal abuse into question. In a fiery ruling, Gelpi accused the federal government of unconstitutionally discriminating against Puerto Ricans, violating their equal protection rights by withholding disability benefits owed to mainland residents who are from the island. Gelpi concluded that the Supreme Courts recent marriage equality decision eroded the old, racist precedents, guaranteeing Puerto Ricans the full privileges of citizenship. His decision could mark the beginning of an earthquake in federal lawone that could finally limit the federal governments ability to abuse the territories.
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Although residents of Puerto Rico are American citizens, Congress has refused to extend the full social safety net to the island. Medicaid reimbursement, for instance, has long been capped at about $300 million a year. In the states, funds are distributed based on average per capita income. So the federal government pays a much smaller percentage of Puerto Ricos Medicaid costs than it would if it were a state. This disparity has contributed to the islands financial crisis, as have statutes restricting its ability to restructure debt. There are no health care exchanges in the territory, and thus no subsidies for individuals who buy insurance. And residents of the island are ineligible for Supplemental Security Income, which provides cash to indigent people who are elderly or disabled.
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This last exclusion was at issue in U.S. v. Vaello-Madero. The defendant, Jose Luis Vaello-Madero, lived in New York from 1985 to 2013, receiving SSI benefits because of a disability. In 2013, he moved to Puerto Ricowhich disqualified him from the program. Under a federal statute, only residents of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Northern Mariana Islands (a territory) may receive SSI benefits. But the Social Security Administration did not learn of Vaello-Maderos relocation until 2016, at which point it halted his SSI payments. It did not demand a return of the 201316 payments at the time.
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Then, following the change in presidential administration, the agency came calling, demanding its money back. In August 2017, the federal government sued Vaello-Madero for $28,081, the money he received while living in Puerto Rico. Instead of paying, Vaello-Madero argued that the law stripping him of this money is unconstitutional. After the case landed on Gelpis docket, the government panicked and tried to dismiss the caseusing a maneuver that would permit it to file a new suit in a different court. Gelpi rejected its request in a remarkable order questioning several precedents that permit economic discrimination against Puerto Ricans.
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Gelpi wrote, There is increased national awareness of [Puerto Ricos] existence and political consensus against its disparate treatment. And as a result, federal courts could now conclude that federal discrimination against territorial residents is constitutionally suspect. Earlier rulings rooted in imperialist and outdated premises must be revisited in light of recent, more enlightened decisions.
Gelpi made good on that promise Monday, concluding that United States v. Windsorin which the Supreme Court invalidated DOMA, the federal ban on same-sex marriageprotected Vaello-Maderos access to disability benefits. The connection between marital and territorial equality might seem tenuous. But, as Gelpi illustrates, it is quite straightforward. While the Constitution gives Congress the power to make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting [territories], the Supreme Court clarified in Windsor that it may never deny Americans the equal protection of the laws protected by the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment. And, under Windsor, a bare congressional desire to harm a politically unpopular group cannot justify disparate treatment of that group.
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Although residents of Puerto Rico are American citizens, Congress has refused to extend the full social safety net to the island.
Just as Congress cannot disfavor gay Americans because of their sexual orientation, Gelpi wrote, it cannot single out Puerto Ricans because they live in a territory. Classifying a group of the Nations poor and medically neediest United States citizens as second tier simply because they reside in Puerto Rico, he explained, is by no means rational. To the contrary, it is discriminatory animus against a politically powerless group. It imposes an injury and indignity that infringes upon an essential part of the liberty protected by the Fifth Amendment. This injury is not justified by the fact that most Puerto Ricans do not pay federal income tax; taxation status cannot excuse a citizenship apartheid based on historical and social ethnicity within United States soil.
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Allowing a United States citizen in Puerto Rico that is poor and disabled to be denied SSI disability payments, Gelpi concluded, creates an impermissible second rate citizenship akin to that premised on race and amounts to Congress switching off the Constitution.
These are, in short, fighting words. Gelpi is essentially challenging the judiciary to consider the possibility that federal discrimination against Puerto Ricans is neither benign nor permissible, but rather a result of racist callousness that the Constitution generally prohibits. If more courts agreed, more unjust lawslike those that entrench substandard health care for the islands residentswould be imperiled. The federal government could no longer freely single out Puerto Ricans for poor treatment.
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Gelpis decision will be appealed, and a higher court may yet order Vaello-Madero to turn over the $28,081. A similar case is also pending in Guam; if appeals courts eventually disagree, the Supreme Court could hear this issue. It is unlikely, though not impossible, that a majority of the justices will agree with Gelpi given the Supreme Courts imperialist view of Puerto Rico. But at a minimum, Gelpis ruling will force mainland judges to reckon with the citizenship apartheid that the federal government has created and maintained with the help of the courts. Puerto Ricans deserve better than Trumps malevolence and Congress neglect. They deserve a judiciary that safeguards the rights afforded to them as American citizens.
Senators on Tuesday pressed Neomi Rao, President Trumps nominee to replace Brett Kavanaugh on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, over comments she made decades ago about date rape and the equal rights of women, forcing her to defend her stance on sexual assault months after her predecessor was accused of sexually assaulting a former classmate.
During her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Rao said she cringed to think about comments she made when she was younger. In 1994, she wrote in a Yale student publication about date rape:
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It has always seemed self evident to me that even if I drank a lot, I would still be responsible for my actions. A man who rapes a drunk girl should be prosecuted. At the same time, a good way to avoid a potential date rape is to stay reasonably sober. And if she drinks to the point where she can no longer choose, well, getting to that point was part of her choice.
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Republican Sen. Joni Ernst, who has recently said she was a victim of sexual assault in college, told Rao that her comments and other writings from the time give me pause, not just from my personal experience, but regarding a message we are sending young women everywhere.
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Rao emphasized that nobody should blame the victim but stood by the advice about staying sober as a common sense observation to help women avoid the risk.
In other writings from that time, she observed that trendy political movements have only recently added sexuality to the standard checklist of traits requiring tolerance and complained that homosexuals wanted to redefine marriage and parenthood. In the hearing Tuesday, she dodged a question from Sen. Cory Booker about her beliefs regarding gay marriage, saying that these personal views are ones I would put to the side.
About feminism, she wrote that just as women want to control their education and then choose their career, similarly, they must learn to understand and accept responsibility for their sexuality. She also wrote that an anti-feminist writer accurately describes the dangerous feminist idealism which teaches women that they are equal.
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On Tuesday, Rao distanced herself from that description of feminism. I very much regret that statement, Rao said. Im honestly not sure why I wrote that in college.
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Although Rao has never served on the bench, she has worked as a law professor and clerked for Justice Clarence Thomas before joining the Trump administration. As Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern wrote for Slate in 2017, Raos beliefs appear to have aligned with Thomas and likely define her vision for the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, the White House office that oversees agency regulations, now under her leadership:
Rao has devoted her academic career to criticizing the administrative statethe web of agencies and committees that promulgate federal regulations. Her attacks on the government sit at the intersection of two quintessential Thomas principles: an aversion to regulations (especially labor and environmental rules) and a hostility toward limits on executive authority.
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On Tuesday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein voiced concerns over Raos involvement in the administrations efforts to reverse Obama-era environmental regulations as well as protections against wage discrimination.
As the Intercept reported Tuesday, her role at the office has also come under scrutiny because the OIRA has stalled a guidance policy on workplace sexual harassment for more than a year. The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission delivered the guidelinesthe work of a bipartisan task force and the first workplace guidance update since the 1990sto OIRA in November 2017, according to the Intercept. The guidelines would clarify what the EEOC considers workplace harassment, but the policy has been buried while at OIRA.
According to the Washington Post, more than a dozen people in T-shirts that quoted Raos college writing on date rape lined up outside the committee room during the hearing to protest her nomination.
Elizabeth Warren, who is on the verge of formally announcing a presidential bid, apologized on Tuesday for ever having identified as American Indian.
I cant go back, Warren said in an interview with the Washington Post. But I am sorry for furthering confusion on tribal sovereignty and tribal citizenship and harm that resulted.
At the same time, the Post discovered unequivocal proof that the senator had formally identified as Native American in paperwork decades ago, as she had written, by hand, American Indian in the Race field in a 1986 form for the State Bar of Texas. The form reads: The following information is for statistical purposes only and will not be disclosed to any person or organization without the express written consent of the attorney.
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Here is the form Elizabeth Warren filled out for the State Bar of Texas claiming American Indian heritage. pic.twitter.com/VwHifS7BCL Amy Gardner (@AmyEGardner) February 6, 2019
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Conservative critics have long accused Warren of lying about her race to take advantage of affirmative action opportunities. While it has been confirmed that Warren, over two decades, identified at times in paperwork as American Indian, theres no clear indication she ever benefited from it. Around the time she filled out the Texas bar registration, she was first listed as a minority by the Association of American Law Schools. Between 1986 and 1995, she reported herself as a minority law professor for the groups directory. In 1989, she began to be listed as Native American while working at the University of Pennsylvania, and in 1995 she approved her listing as Native American at Harvard Law School, which included her in its federal affirmative action forms until 2004. An investigation by the Boston Globe found that Warren was considered white when hired at the two universities, and she has in the past refused to say whether she or an assistant filled out the forms.
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Warren had long claimed a Cherokee ancestor, based on family lore. (She once listed herself as Cherokee in a local Oklahoma cookbook titled Pow Wow Chow.) In October, after a number of racist taunts by President Trump (who mocked her with the slur Pocahontas) and years of scornful jokes by allies of former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, Warren released the results of a DNA test showing she did have a Native American ancestor.
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Rather than appease her critics, the move angered Native Americans and other social justice advocates, who said she gave credence to the dangerous notion that tribal affiliation could be determined by genetics (it cannot) and disrespected the long tradition of tribes determining their own membership based on record-keeping.
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Warren weathered the backlash for a few months, but last week, she formally apologized to Bill John Baker, the principal chief of the Cherokee Nation. Reports at the time suggested she was apologizing for taking and publicizing the DNA test. She clarified Monday on CNN that she had apologized more broadly for the confusion she may have caused over issues of tribal citizenship and tribal sovereignty and also for not being more mindful of that decades ago. On Tuesday, she told the Post she intended the apology to include not just the DNA test but her decision in the first place to label herself as American Indian decades ago. It was the first time she had said she was sorry for claiming Cherokee heritage.
Domineque Ray will soon be executed by the state of Alabama, and he wants his imam to be in the death chamber when he is killed. Its not an absurd request: Alabama provides death row inmates with a Christian chaplain to pray with them just before they are given a lethal injection. But Ray is a devout Muslim, and he asked that a spiritual adviser of his own faith accompany him in the chamber. Alabama refused. The state insisted that Ray either accept the Christian chaplain or be killed alone. It scheduled his execution for Thursday evening.
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On Wednesday afternoon, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked Alabama from killing Ray, ruling that the states refusal to let his imam attend the execution likely violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The courts remarkable decision correctly accuses the state of engaging in flagrant religious discrimination, favoring Christianity over Islam and prioritizing a swift death over constitutional rights. It also potentially tees up a Supreme Court battle that will test the conservative majoritys ostensible commitment to religious freedom. If the Republican-appointed justices reverse the 11th Circuit, it will be hard to avoid the conclusion that their zeal for capital punishment outweighs their commitment to religious liberty.
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Perhaps the most galling aspect of Rays case is how hard he must fight to obtain so little. Ray has exhausted his death sentence appeals and now only seeks to die with a measure of spiritual comfort. Alabama automatically gives Christian inmates this benefit: Since 1997, the Rev. Chris Summers has witnessed nearly every execution in the state, kneeling and praying with prisoners just before they are killed. Ray only seeks to substitute Summers with his imam, Yusef Maisonet of Mobiles Masjid As Salaam, who has provided religious ministry to the prisons Muslim inmates since 2015. But Alabama will not let Maisonet into the execution chamberbecause, it asserts, he is unfamiliar with the execution process and with the practices and safety concerns of the prison.
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In an opinion by Judge Stanley Marcus, the 11th Circuit spurned this explanation. Maisonet, after all, has already been screened by the prison and permitted to regularly visit Muslim inmates for years. Alabama could not explain why, exactly, it did not think Maisonet could be trusted to attend the execution. To Marcus, its hazy excuse looks a lot like religious discrimination. What is central to Establishment Clause jurisprudence, he wrote, is the fundamental principle that the government may not pass laws or adopt policies that aid one religion or prefer one religion over another. And that, it appears to us, is what the Alabama Department of Corrections has done here. He continued:
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The central constitutional problem here is that the state has regularly placed a Christian cleric in the execution room to minister to the needs of Christian inmates, but has refused to provide the same benefit to a devout Muslim and all other non-Christians. Alabama appears to have set up precisely the sort of denominational preference that the Framers of the First Amendment forbade.
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To survive constitutional scrutiny, then, Alabamas policy must be narrowly tailored to support a compelling government interest. And, according to Marcus, there appear to be other less restrictive means to accomplish a secure executionlike ensuring Maisonet learns how to undertake this solemn and sensitive task. Alabama may not simply declare that it is unable to provide the same faith-based benefits to Christians and non-Christians alike. It must provide evidence that the perceived risks of Maisonets attendance have some basis in reality. And because it has not, the Establishment Clause forbids Rays execution.
Alabama will almost certainly appeal Wednesdays order to the Supreme Court, where the conservative bloc will face a conundrum. These justices vigorously support capital punishment and typically vote against stays of execution. But they also purport to champion religious libertyprimarily for Christians, but also (sometimes) for Muslims. If the Supreme Courts conservatives recognize that Alabama is engaging in flagrant religious discrimination and vote to keep the execution on hold, they will deserve credit for consistency. If they vote to let Ray be killed without the presence of his imam, however, their paeans to religious freedom will be difficult to take seriously. The First Amendment protects people of all faithseven in their final moments on the gurney, before the state extinguishes their lives for good.
After being delayed due to the longest government shutdown in United States history over a failed attempt at getting funding for a wall on the countrys southern border, Trump finally gave his State of the Union Address last night. The president spoke about threats to the border, condemned socialism, celebrated the newly elected women in Congress, and tried out some new rhymes. Naturally, every late-night host was ready to go with their commentary on the longwinded speech.
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As he often does with Trumps antics, Seth Meyers took a Closer Look at the address, making hilarious observations about Trumps tie, pointing out the difference in reaction between Mike Pence and Nancy Pelosi and joking about Trumps border wall.
Before Trumps speech even started, we already had a big oops momentTrumps weirdly crooked tie. Trump is so unpopular, even his tie has moved to the left, Meyers joked, referencing the accusations of the Presidents collusion with Russia.
Speaking of the left, Meyers also commented on reactions of Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, both of whom sat behind the president during the address.
Coming into tonight, everyone was very eager to see the dynamic between Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who would be sitting behind Trump for the first time, Meyers reminded us. Remember, for the last two State of the Union speeches, Trump had Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Paul Ryan standing behind him cheering for everything he said like Southern pageant moms.
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The recent conflicts between Trump and Pelosi meant that more eyes were focused on the president and the speaker than ever before, allowing for a vantage point the American people have not yet had.
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This the first time we got to see in real time, the two different reactions of Pence on the one hand, and Pelosi on the other and it was very revealing, Meyers commented. Pence is like a dad whos proud his kid keyed the principals car and Pelosis thinking to herself, I wish I had a daughter.
As Trump doubled down on his intentions to build a wall, Meyers also reminded viewers that Trump equated the modern-day use of the wheel to the efficiency of a wall, and has recently tweeted that if he cant get a real wall, he will form a human wall.
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This led Meyers to, perhaps, the most logical conclusion, Walls work and so do wheels. Thats why the wall will be built out of wheels.
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In his breakdown of the address, Trevor Noah decided to focus on how the well-reported divisiveness of the government played out as the government came together in the House Chamber.
Theres a tradition at the State of the Union for the president and for members of Congress to invite some special guests to sit in the chamber. Usually the guests are chosen to help make a political point of some kind, and this year was no different.
They say its the State of the Union, but its really just an excuse for people to troll each other. Democrats invited undocumented immigrants who worked for Trump, and along the other side, to try to show how intolerant the radical left is, Trump invites an 11-year-old boy who gets bullied just because his last name is Trump. Both sides are trolling each other so hard, Im surprised that the Democrats didnt invite the kids bully.
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Stephen Colbert gave a live Restate of our Union monologue following the address, and he started it by saying what many viewers at home (and probably Pelosi) were thinking.
This was not a particularly good speech, but what it lacked in quality, it made up for in length, Colbert said. This speech was like watching paint lie.
Colbert was able to find one part of the speech that both sides could agree on: no one liked the presidents rhyme, if there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation.
Even the Republicans are like, did hewhat? joked Colbert.
Hmmm. We're not sure a "total idiot" is capable of producing the body of business, financial and philanthropic accomplishments built by Schultz. And we do not believe it's idiocy to question, as Schultz has done, such proposals from Democrats as a wealth tax, single-payer health care and free college tuition.
Frankly, at this time of deep partisan divide, we believe value exists for Americans in hearing more voices from the middle who challenge both Democrats and Republicans.
If nothing else, in our view, an independent candidacy would add an interesting twist to the 2020 presidential election.
We aren't saying Schultz is our candidate, we're simply saying no one should slam the door in his face and attempt to silence him because he isn't toeing a line. America's election for president doesn't, or shouldn't, belong only to the two dominant political parties.
Schultz should be as welcome as anyone else to test the waters in Iowa this year.
Copyright 2019 The Sioux City Journal. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Yet there is common ground between Trump and the spy chiefs.
Coats and Haspel are correct that the U.S. faces a Russia and China that are closer and more collaborative than they have been since the 1950s, before the Cuban missile crisis, which Mao saw as a Moscow capitulation.
And as we have more in common with Russia, with its historic ties to the West, and Russia appears by far the lesser long-term threat, how do we split Russia off from China? Here, Trump's instincts are right and the Beltway Russophobes are wrong.
As for Iran, the intelligence community is consistent.
In 2007 and 2011, the CIA declared "with high confidence" that Iran had no nuclear weapons program. Now, with U.N. inspectors crawling all over Tehran's nuclear facilities under the treaty, the CIA and DNI are still saying the same thing.
What of the contention that Iran is seeking hegemony in the Middle East?
Really? How? Would a nuclear-armed Israel, which has launched 200 strikes on Iran's allies in Syria, accept that? What would Turkey, with the second-largest army in NATO, Egypt, the largest Arab nation, and Saudi Arabia have to say about that?
BonelliErede, a leading Italian law firm, with a total deal value of 24.7 billion ($28.2 billion), has topped the global list of legal advisors active in the infrastructure sector compiled by infrastructure and renewable energy data provider inspiratia.
The company also ranked fourth for the total number of deals inked for infrastructure projects.
On the achievement, Mario Roli, the head of Energy & Infrastructure Focus team at BonelliErede, said: "We are pleased to be recognised as a leading legal advisor in the infrastructure and renewable energy sectors. This position represents the strength of our team and our global reach."
"This is a significant acknowledgement for both the law firm and our team comprising 16 professionals with multidisciplinary legal and tax competences and deep knowledge of the industry working across the firms offices in Europe, Africa and the Middle East," stated Roli.
Rindala Beydoun, managing partner of BonelliErede Middle East, commented: The UAE is among the worlds top locations in which to invest in infrastructure. The value of infrastructure projects in the UAE is expected to reach $89.93 billion by 2026 according to a report by BMI Research and, particularly, investment related to the countrys preparation to host the Expo 2020 Dubai will support the outlook.
"Furthermore, recent business-friendly reforms and a new investment law introduced in the last quarter of 2018 are poised to boost investor confidence, support higher inflows of foreign direct investment and push also the market for construction equipment and heavy machinery. Our firm is well positioned to assist in such projects and our ranking as 1st will boost our position, added Beydoun. -TradeArabia News Service
OHara said the post-traumatic stress came from sexual abuse when she was younger.
He noted she had been prescribed Lexapro following her daughters birth about two years prior, but quit taking the medicine after about two weeks. He said the earlier diagnosis made it likely she began suffering from depression again when Sterling came. He said depression can start anywhere from during pregnancy until weeks after giving birth.
These episodes can last for a very, very long period of time without treatment, OHara said.
Harris also had used marijuana in the past and methamphetamine during Sterlings life. Chronic meth use impacts cognitive abilities, the ability to be a parent and the ability to focus on tasks, OHara testified.
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He said many of his findings also had been documented earlier by others who examined Harris.
On cross-examination by the state, Assistant Iowa Attorney General Denise Timmins noted Harris had told OHara she didnt want to change Sterlings diapers, was tired of hearing him cry and their daughter would become upset if she was paying attention to him.
During your interview with the defendant, she admitted to you that she did not want anything to do with Sterling, Timmins said.
Trump urged members of Congress to come together on an agenda of shared legislative interests, while seeking to move Democrats differently from their positions on immigration, abortion and investigations of his administration.
Other tri-state Republicans said they also supported the content of Trump's speech. House members Dusty Johnson, of South Dakota, plus Jeff Fortenberry and Adrian Smith, of Nebraska weighed in positively in press releases.
Johnson is a freshman congressman, after winning election in November.
"Last year, Congress passed several bipartisan bills, including criminal justice reform and legislation combating the opioid crisis in our communities. Americans are reaping those benefits today, and I hope we can use the momentum from the previous year to continue producing results for the American people. We should start with border security, which is past due," Johnson said.
The Iowa Democratic Party found little to like in the Trump speech.
"Donald Trump delivered a winding State of the Union filled with mistruths, blatant fear-mongering and hyper-partisan talking points," state party Chairman Troy Price said in a release.
SIOUX CITY -- Prosecutors have formally charged a Sioux City man with murder for the death of a Hinton, Iowa, woman whose body was found in a burned Sioux City hotel room.
First Assistant Woodbury County Attorney Mark Campbell on Wednesday filed a trial information document charging Jordan Henry with first-degree murder and first-degree arson. Henry's arraignment was scheduled for Feb. 13 in Woodbury County District Court.
Henry, 29, is accused of strangling Elizabeth Bockholt in a hotel room at the Wingate by Wyndham on Jan. 24, then setting the room on fire. Firefighters and police officers responding to the fire found Bockholt's body. An autopsy determined her death was homicide by strangulation.
If found guilty of first-degree murder, Henry would face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. First-degree arson carries a 25-year prison sentence.
Henry remains in the Woodbury County Jail on a $502,000 bond.
Wednesday's filing contained no new details in the case. Quoting state code, Campbell said that Henry "with malice aforethought, willfully, deliberately and with premeditation" killed Bockholt.
SIOUX CENTER, Iowa -- Voters in the Sioux Center Community School District on Tuesday approved a $24.9 million bond referendum that would ease overcrowding in the district's three schools in addition to financing construction of a new high school.
According to unofficial results from the Sioux County Auditor's Office, 1,312 votes (76.37 percent) were cast to approve to bond referendum while 404 votes (23.63%) were cast against it.
There needed to be a 60 percent affirmative vote to pass the measure.
Unlike other Iowa school districts, superintendent Gary McEldowney said Sioux Center student population has been steadily increasing.
For a number of years, the schools have been adding 50 new students per year. If this growth continued, Sioux Center would go from a school district of 1,300 students to a school district of 1,800 students in 10 years.
That would mean overcrowding will only increase over time.
The district had been reaching out to parents, business owners, community members, educators and students for possible solutions.
SIOUX CITY -- Missouri River Historical Development, Inc. (MRHD) awarded a total of $300,000 in scholarship funds to four Woodbury County colleges Wednesday at the Betty Strong Encounter Center.
MRHD awarded $75,000 each to Briar Cliff University; Morningside College; and Western Iowa Tech Community College (WITCC); and St. Lukes College of Nursing.
MRHD scholarships encourage students to study, work and live in Woodbury County. However, remaining in the county after graduation is not a scholarship requirement. The colleges will administer the scholarships.
Students who attended Woodbury County high schools are eligible for the scholarships which will be awarded in amounts up to $2,500 a semester for a total of $5,000 for one year.
MRHD awarded $250,000 in scholarship funding to the four colleges in 2018 and 2017; $150,000 in 2016; and $100,000 in 2015. This years college scholarships bring MRHDs total contributions to Woodbury County non-profit organizations and projects to almost $35 million since 1994. An additional $2.25 million has been pledged to recreational, cultural and fine arts projects.
Copyright 2019 The Sioux City Journal. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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The worlds most famous robot Sophia will be visiting Bahrain to attend the third Middle East and Africa FinTech Forum, which will be held on February 21 under the patronage of the Central Bank of Bahrain and hosted by Bank ABC and Arab Financial Services.
At the MEA FinTech Forum Sophia will talk about the future of AI and how it will affect financial services. Sophia is particularly well-placed to offer insight into the future of artificial intelligence, and she will be joined at the forum by her creator David Hanson, founder of Hanson Robotics, said a statement.
Sael Al Waary, deputy group CEO of Bank ABC and chairman of AFS, said: When I look to the future of financial services, I know that artificial intelligence and other forms of innovation are going to fundamntally change how we work and live. Many applications of these technologies are already appearing in finance, even if consumers are not aware. I want us as an industry to be ready for these changes, and be ready to take advantage of the opportunities they present.
AI is increasingly important to banking, but how it will affect the industry in the future is uncertain. According to recent research, financial services firms are the largest investors in AI and will have spent close to $10 billion by 2020. More than 75% of global finance managers believe that AI will be key to making their businesses successful in future, but only around 25% of banking employees are ready to engage fully with AI in the workplace.
Since her activation in 2016, Sophia has become an international celebrity. She has travelled the world and engaged in conversations about artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and the future of the relationship between humanity and robots. Last year she has received her first pair of working legs and learned to sing and play the piano.
This is the first time that Sophia will visit Bahrain, which is the latest in a series of firsts for Sophia. She was the first robot to receive citizenship of a country (Saudi Arabia), and the first robot to receive an official appointment from the United Nations.
Sophia has been described as a cultural icon and has appeared on television programmes including 60 Minutes (USA), Good Morning Britain (UK), and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon (USA), as well as in publications including The Guardian, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Elle. She has also appeared in music videos and a feature film. - TradeArabia News Service
The forum is an invitation- only event, exclusively for business leaders, FinTech experts, policymakers, regulators, representatives of the investor community and those in the finance and technology fields to discuss a wide range of issues related to the future of banking. It will take place at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Manama. - TradeArabia News Service
SIOUX CITY -- A legendary social justice advocate will be the keynote speaker of Sioux City's NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner at 7 p.m. Feb. 16, at the Sioux City Convention Center, 801 Fourth St.
A.P. Tureaud, who integrated Louisiana State University in 1953, will discuss the theme "Defeat Hate," through the lens of his own history as well as that of his father. A.P. Tureaud Sr. was the Louisiana NAACP legal counsel in the Civil Rights Era, who worked with future U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, among others, on historically significant civil rights initiative.
In addition, winning art exhibits from the annual Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. art contest, open to all Siouxland K - 12 students, will be on display.
The local NAACP chapter's major fundraiser of the year, the Freedom Fund Dinner provides scholarships, underwrites Martin Luther King Day and Juneteenth activities as well as other activities throughout the year.
Tickets for the dinner are $50 per person.
Prior to the dinner, Tureaud will be addressing students at all three Sioux City high schools on Feb. 15. In addition, he will be a part of a program with Sioux City human rights advocate Richard Hayes at 3 p.m. Feb. 17 at the Sioux City Public Museum, 607 Fourth St.
For ticket information or people wanting to become a member of Sioux City's NAACP can call 712-258-6344.
Copyright 2019 The Sioux City Journal. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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In a story on page A9 in Tuesdays edition of the Journal, about the magnetic north pole, The Associated Press erroneously described the pole's change in speed. Its speed jumped from about 9 miles per year to 34 miles per year since 2000.
DES MOINES -- An Iowa Workforce Development plan to delay paying unemployment benefits which was endorsed Tuesday by an Iowa House Labor Subcommittee drew fire from union advocates, especially those representing construction trades workers.
The measure, House Study Bill 42, would delay paying the first week of benefits until an employee had used up all 26 weeks a year of unemployment benefits. The out-of-work employee still would get payments, but only starting with what now is the second payment. The first week of payments would come only at the end.
For most, though, that would mean not at all. Only 25 percent of all unemployment insurance claimants exhaust their full 26 weeks of benefits, according to Workforce Development. The changes would cause a hardship for unemployed workers who live paycheck to paycheck, said Felicia Hilton of the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters.
Many construction workers typically are unemployed for four or five weeks a year far short of the 26 weeks of unemployment necessary to collect that first weeks worth of benefits. Over their careers, the loss of benefits would amount to thousands of dollars, she told the subcommittee.
Even if they are out of work for 26 weeks in a year, when they get their money matters, Hilton said.
The world's most sustainable travel organizations include off-the-grid resort and EV rental firm The Brando resort at Tetiaroa, French Polynesia
The Caribbean's only certified carbon-neutral resort and a car and RV rental company making the switch to electric-powered holiday vehicles are among some of the finalists in a tourism and sustainability awards.
The World Travel and Tourism Council announced the finalists in its annual Tourism for Tomorrow awards, which aim to recognize businesses and organizations that "balance the needs of people, planet and profits" in the tourism industry.
Because while travel may inspire a deeper appreciation for the planet, its carbon footprint can also contribute to the planet's very demise.
So how do you reconcile a lust for travel with the earth's welfare? You choose your holiday destination wisely, like the Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort in Aruba which is the only certified carbon-neutral resort in the Caribbean. To achieve this milestone, the adults-only boutique resort didn't fall back on carbon offsets but aimed to become self-sufficient by going off-grid. The resort's 618 solar panels help power 40 percent of the property's energy needs.
The largest holiday vehicle rental company in New Zealand and Australia and the largest RV operator in the world Tourism Holdings Limited is also a finalist for working to green a traditionally dirty industry. The company has set out a goal to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 with the addition of electric vehicles in their fleet.
And Marlon Brando's legacy, The Brando, at the Tetiaroa Private Island in Tahiti is also being recognized for prioritizing environmentally-friendly practices across the luxury resort. The entire island is LEED Platinum certified thanks to solar panels that power 70 percent of the resort's energy and 100 percent of its heated water. The property was also the first in the world to implement an innovative air-conditioning system powered by sea water which reduced its energy consumption by 80 percent.
The Tourism for Tomorrow Awards is divided into categories like climate action, investing in people, destination stewardship, social impact and changemakers.
Finalists will be evaluated onsite before winners are announced at the WTTC Global Summit in Seville, Spain April 2-4.
For the full list of finalists visit wttc.org.
US President Donald Trump to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Vietnam for second summit
United States President Donald Trump said he plans to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for a two-day summit in Vietnam on February 27 and 28.
As part of a bold new diplomacy, we continue our historic push for peace on the Korean peninsula, Trump said in his State of the Union address in Washington on Tuesday.
Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong-un is a good one. And Chairman Kim and I will meet again on February 27 and 28 in Vietnam.
Trump confirmed the talks would take place after North Korea released American hostages, halted nuclear testing and did not launch a missile in over 15 months.
The meeting would be Trumps second summit with Kim over the last year and the first time a US president has twice met the leader of the authoritarian regime.
The two men held their first meeting in Singapore in June, during which they agreed on a framework for future negotiations, including that North Korea would begin to work towards complete denuclearisation.
South Koreas Presidential Office welcomed Trumps announcement.
The US and North Korea have already taken their first steps towards ending 70 years of hostility in Singapore last year. [Seoul] hopes the two sides will make concrete and practical progress in Vietnam, Kim Eui-kyeom, a spokesman for the Blue House said.
A spokesman for the Vietnamese foreign ministry said the country welcomed the Trump-Kim summit and strongly supported dialogues to maintain peace, security and stability on the Korean peninsula.
The Vietnam summit between Trump and Kim comes after the US president and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met North Koreas nuclear envoy Kim Yong-chol in Washington last month.
On Wednesday the US envoy for North Korea Stephen Biegan went to Pyongyang to finalise the agenda of the meeting with his North Korean counterpart Kim Hyok-chol paving the way for the second landmark summit.
Cheong Seong-chang, a senior analyst at the Sejong Institute in Seoul, said the chances of the two sides reaching a practical deal in Vietnam was higher than it was in Singapore.
Story continues
Cheong said the two main negotiators for the Singapore meeting Sung Kim, the US ambassador to the Philippines, and North Koreas foreign vice-minister Choe Son-hui, are not seen as being among their leaders most trusted advisers.
In contrast, Biegan has significant authorisation from Trump and Pompeo in the North Korean negotiations. Besides, Kim Hyok-chol is also known to be much more flexible than Choe Specific details on North Korean denuclearisation and the corresponding US measures may be agreed at this work-level meeting, Cheong said.
Cheong noted that if the US shows a more flexible approach on the North Korean issue, more practical measures to enhance their relationship could be agreed at the upcoming summit.
He said the talks may cover topics such as the establishment of a US-DPRK liaison office, talks on declaring the official end of the Korean war and a peace process involving the two Koreas, the US and China, the resumption of inter-Korean projects including Kaesong Industrial Complex, rail links and a tourist site at Mount Kumgang open to visitors from the South.
Harry Kazianis, the director of Korea studies at Washington-based think tank the Centre for the National Interest, said one possible outcome of a second summit could be North Korea dismantling its Yongbyon nuclear facility in exchange for some form of sanctions relief.
While Washington may balk at weakening its maximum-pressure campaign before full denuclearisation occurs, an action-for-action approach would seem the most realistic path forward for both sides, he said.
Last month after talks between the US and the two Koreas in Stockholm, the South released a report listing what it saw as the possible outcomes of a second Trump-Kim summit.
These include, on Pyongyangs part, the closure under international observation of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, Tongchang-ri missile launch site and Yongbyon, and the discontinuation of all nuclear activities.
As compensation, the US might take steps aimed at, improving US-North Korea relations, building a peace process and implementing trust-building measures, the report said.
Relations could be improved with the opening of a US-North Korea liaison office, the commencement of talks on the normalisation of relations, and the promotion of social, cultural and human exchange programmes, it said.
Declaring an end to the Korean war and starting multilateral negotiations would aid the creation of a peace process, while promoting humanitarian assistance and repatriating the remains of US soldiers killed in the Korean war would aid trust building, it said.
Lim Eul-chul, a North Korea expert at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies in Seoul, emphasised that North Korean denuclearisation is rather a long-term process because building trust after seven decades of hostility could not be achieved overnight.
A small deal, where the US and North swap the shutdown of the Yongbyon facility for the partial lifting of economic sanctions, will also be beneficial for the denuclearisation process as it guides Pyongyang in the right direction on denuclearisation, Lim said.
We must note that we are still at the early stages of denuclearisation. Even a small deal will be seen as a step forward. These small deals will be combined together to make a big deal in the future.
This article US President Donald Trump to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Vietnam for second summit first appeared on South China Morning Post
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US President Donald Trump will host his Colombian counterpart Ivan Duque next week for talks on efforts to oust leftist strongman Nicolas Maduro from power in Venezuela, the White House said Wednesday. The visit by Duque and his wife to the White House on February 13 "will build upon the strong partnership that exists between their nations in pursuit of a more prosperous, secure, and democratic Western Hemisphere," Trump's press office said in a statement. "Efforts to restore democracy in Venezuela" will be under discussion, along with economic, regional security, counter-narcotics and terrorism issues, the statement said. Colombia has borne the brunt of a refugee exodus from Venezuela, which is in chaos as Maduro struggles to hold onto power and the oil-rich country's once prosperous economy slides into ruin. Washington has recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president and, backed by Colombia, Brazil and other major regional players, is attempting to pressure Maduro to step down. For his part, Maduro accuses the United States of fomenting a coup and says that military deserters who fled to Colombia have become mercenaries intent on bringing his government down. The Trump administration has repeatedly said that "all options" are possible. Last month, Trump's national security advisor John Bolton created a stir when he appeared at a press conference carrying a notepad on which the phrase "5,000 troops to Colombia" had been written. This prompted speculation that Washington was either preparing to deploy troops against Venezuela or just dropping hints in order to pressure Maduro.
The Taliban on Wednesday hailed unprecedented talks with Afghan politicians as "very successful", despite disagreements over women's rights and the group's demand for an Islamic constitution in the war-torn country. The extraordinary two-day gathering in Moscow saw Taliban leaders stand shoulder-to-shoulder with former president Hamid Karzai, who called the insurgents his "brothers" as both sides agreed to seek lasting peace. No government official was invited to the roundtable, which saw heavyweight Afghan politicians and other sworn enemies of the Taliban praying and dining with the militants. It was the second time President Ashraf Ghani was frozen out of such talks in recent weeks, after the US held entirely separate discussions with the insurgents in Doha without Kabul. Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, who headed the Taliban delegation, made a rare appearance in front of international media besides a smiling Karzai. "This meeting was very successful," the black-turbaned Taliban official told reporters, flanked by the former president who was appointed after US-led forces routed the Taliban in 2001. "We agreed on many points and I am hopeful that in future, we can succeed more further, and finally we can reach a solution. We can find a complete peace in Afghanistan." All parties agreed to support the Doha peace talks with American negotiators that President Donald Trump described on Tuesday as "constructive". The nine-point statement issued on behalf of all parties also agreed on the complete withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan. A timetable for that exit was "not fixed so far... but we are negotiating this", Stanikzai said. Earlier Wednesday, a senior Taliban official told reporters the US had agreed to withdraw half its ground troops by the end of April -- a claim refuted by NATO and the US State Department. - Thaw with Kabul - Delegates at the Moscow meet also crucially opened the door for the government to attend future talks -- despite the Taliban's steadfast refusal to engage with Kabul. "The process should be all inclusive, which means the government can also be invited, and would be part of this," said Mohammad Hanif Atmar, one of Ghani's chief rivals, who was present in Moscow. The Taliban consider the Kabul administration a US puppet but Ghani's allies in Washington insist Afghans should lead the peace process. The months-long push by the US to engage the Taliban has ostensibly been aimed at convincing them to negotiate with Kabul. "Ultimately, we need to get to a Taliban-Afghanistan discussion," General Joseph Votel, the head of US Central Command, told US lawmakers. "Only they will be able to resolve the key issues involved in the dispute." Ghani said he had spoken late on Tuesday with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who had stressed the importance of "ensuring the centrality of the Afghan government in the peace process". The Afghan president -- who has vented frustration as his friends and enemies have negotiated the future of his country -- describing the Moscow talks as "nothing more than fantasy". - Striking scenes - Karzai, who was president from 2001 to 2014, said he was "happy" to sit down with his former foes. "We always wanted to speak to our brothers, the Taliban," he said. He said delegates agreed on "almost" everything -- but consensus was not reached over the Taliban's demand for an Islamic constitution, and the group's views on women. Fawzia Koofi, one of two female delegates among the dozens of men at the table, questioned the militants' insistence that women's rights be upheld "in accordance with Islamic values". "I... (lived) in Afghanistan during (the) Taliban time, and I know their interpretation of Islamic rights of (a) woman is different," Koofi, head of Afghanistan's parliamentary Committee on Women and Human Rights, told reporters. She voted against the joint statement -- but said delegates had promised her concerns would be taken up at future negotiations. Under their rule, the Taliban severely curtailed women's liberties, barring them from work and school, and confined women to their homes -- only allowing them outside with a male escort and hidden beneath a burqa. In the Russian capital, in scenes unthinkable under their regime, the Taliban sat and listened as women defended their hard-earned freedoms in a modern Afghanistan. The Moscow conference was the Taliban's most significant engagement with Afghan leaders in years. But it was also striking because the Taliban -- who banned television, cinemas and photography when they ruled Afghanistan -- are rarely so visible. Their leadership is seldom seen in public and scenes of Taliban officials outlining their manifesto for live television is virtually unheard of. Speaking to the Afghan envoys, they promised not to seek a monopoly on power but an "inclusive Islamic system" of governance for Afghanistan.
Japan's SoftBank Group said on Wednesday its net profit jumped more than 50 percent for the nine months to December thanks to strong returns from its high-tech investment fund. Net profit rose 51.6 percent from a year earlier to 1.5 trillion yen ($13.7 billion), the mobile giant and IT investor said. The rise was largely driven by gains of more than 800 billion yen from its investment funds, led by SoftBank Vision Fund whose partners include Saudi Arabia. The company's ties with the Middle Eastern kingdom were put into sharp relief following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by a Saudi hit team at its Istanbul consulate. SoftBank Corp, the mobile carrier arm of the technology conglomerate, said Tuesday its net profit jumped nearly 19 percent for the nine months to December, buoyed by a gain in subscribers. It was the first earnings announcement since its disappointing stock market debut in December. Under tycoon CEO Masayoshi Son, SoftBank, which started as a software firm, has increasingly been seen as an investment firm, ploughing funds into a broad range of companies and projects outside its core business. In recent years, it has completed deals with the likes of French robotics firm Aldebaran and Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba. It has also made high-profile investments in the autonomous vehicles sector, announcing a tie-up with car giant Toyota for "new mobility services" such as meal deliveries.
A quarter (24 per cent) of investors in the UAE expect returns exceeding 10 per cent and just 7 per cent expect returns to be under 2 per cent or negative, said Old Mutual International and Quilter Investors, a top investment management firm.
Global financial markets suffered in 2018. Through the latter half of the year, stock market indices in the US gave up gains made earlier in the year and finished in negative territory. This was echoed in the survey as 69 per cent of respondents blamed market volatility as the reason why their investment returns fell below expectations.
Meanwhile, almost all other asset classes suffered a challenging year as a range of fears over a global trade war, economic slowdown and fluctuating oil prices concerned investment markets.
While peoples expectations are still very positive, they have lowered since 2017 when 28 per cent of respondents expected to achieve over 10 per cent in returns for 2018. Despite this drop, over 10 per cent returns was still the most popular category among respondents.
Paul Evans, head of Region, Middle East & Africa, Old Mutual International, said: A positive outlook is typically a positive trait to have. However, in the world of investment, it should be tempered with a realistic outlook, especially considering how volatile the market place is at present.
Some people might see a sharp drop in the value of their investments and decide that they want to cut and run because their positive outlook has been shattered. However, if they have taken financial advice, their adviser should explain that staying locked in for the long-term can ultimately get better returns.
Danny Knight, investment director at Quilter Investors, said: We know from experience that patient investors can expect to realise capital growth as a reward for time in the market and long-term investment. However, investors still need to be prepared for the fact that over the course of their investment journey, there will be ups and downs. This research suggests that many investors hold optimistic expectations for investment returns in the near-term.
This can place them at risk of losing sight of their long-term objectives if their near-term expectations are not met. The volatility we saw in 2018 is normal and even slightly below the historical average, but it is much more pronounced than investors have become used to since the financial crash. We caution that investors may be at risk of recency bias, whereby a ten year bull run has clouded expectation and left investors with unrealistic expectations.
An important tool for managing expectations and helping investors stay true to their long-term goals through all market conditions can be the use of risk targeting in investment portfolios. This gives investors confidence and reassurance about how their portfolio can be expected to behave under various market conditions, and what level of volatility they can expect to experience during their investment journey. Now more than ever, it is crucial that investors have realistic risk and return expectations and choose a portfolio which is carefully managed according to their own expectations.
While global markets remain fundamentally sound and we believe there are still growth opportunities available for skilled managers, it would be fair to take a measured view on expected returns for this year. The important thing to remember in these moments is that investing is a long-term game. Rallies often follow periods of volatility or decline, and even if markets underwhelm in the near-term, the only way to capture the corresponding upturn is to remain invested, Knight concluded. TradeArabia News Service
What is it like setting up co-working hub in touristy city of Siem Reap: AngkorHub story
From the scarcity of furnitures, to the limited governments support, Jeff Laflamme has seen it all and still run AngkorHub for almost six years now
Back when it was cool to be a digital nomad, Jeff Laflamme, like the rest of us, sure had been intrigued by the lifestyle that it offers. Ditching his-9 to-5 job at that time, he landed in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, when he bumped into a friend who told him about Siem Reap, south of Cambodia.
This friend introduced him to the idea of co-working space, at that time was one of the firsts in Vietnam, and Laflamme stumbled upon an AHA moment that became the preconception of AngkorHub, the first tech hub in the heart of the touristy city of Cambodia, Siem Reap.
Selling romanticised lifestyle
It was really like the classic story of a digital nomad. I just got tired of the 9-to-5 routine, said Laflamme.
Even so, Laflamme admitted that he realised how romanticised the nomadic lifestyle really was. It sells the idea of working on your laptop with the beach view, remotely in an island with espresso on your table, but it was really interesting and people bought into the idea, said Laflamme.
The reality, he added, was really trying to find a stable internet connection to be able to work for only a few hours at once. However, this seemed ideal.
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So Laflamme thought to himself, why not setting up one in Siem Reap, where tourists are flocking for the beach. At that time I was really intrigued with co-working space industry and I fell in love with Siem Reap, he explained.
Quickly he got to work. I start comparing the situation, numbers, and average wages in Cambodia, especially in IT sector compared to other countries, said Laflamme.
Challenging feat
He decided that the co-working space he was going to build should be approached with social enterprise concept. I told myself that we can reuse the same space for training businesses that come to the place. So immediately I worked on a business plan and joined force with someone, Laflamme added.
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Laflamme proceeded to meet with a local who showed him buildings, something that he recalled was like a countryside project.
There was no stable internet connection at that time, so that was my first challenge in setting up a tech hub, aside from how limited the buildings that are decent enough and being leased to be a place for a co-working space, said Laflamme.
In addition to that, Laflamme remembered that it was exactly on August 2013 and Siem Reap was still the second poorest province in Cambodia at that time.
He mentioned other challenges like sourcing materials like furnitures to really create a comfortable and inviting co-working space. You cant find anything that fits. Sourcing it from Thailand was the closest you could get to a nice interior at that time, he added.
I remembered visiting the capital just recently and I was shocked seeing all the infrastructure and materials like furnitures to fill up co-working space that to me doesnt look like it is in Cambodia, he recalled.
Next comes the administration.
Registering business, going to Ministry of Commerce, only to find that they didnt speak English and they dont have forms. I remember the guy that was there brought me to another city just to do the paperwork. It was all complicated and there was zero information online, Laflamme told e27.
After what seemed like endless hurdles, Laflamme settled in the ex-building of a bank.
The socialisation part
Laflamme might have finished all the administration and the location necessity to build the co-working space in Siem Reap, but he wasnt really prepared for what came next.
I thought It will be obvious that its a co-working place with all the tables and facilities like a power generator. I just assumed people will jump over the idea. I was wrong, said Laflamme.
AngkorHub was set in a tourist city, with the main attraction of the place being the leisure experience it offers. So it made sense when the firsts of their customers, the people who would need the place to work are expats, more so than the locals.
The small network that we did have and would be a customers wouldnt be our customers within a few months because they came during their vacation, said Laflamme.
People around Laflamme was telling him that he needed to build a community first before starting the coworking space. I get that, but that couldnt be the case for every co-working space, especially not in a touristy area, he said.
Laflamme added that AngkorHub is still struggling to date to make people understand the concept, even people that are well-traveled and professionals.
Pioneering the tech industry
We used to be the only one, and in our first months we tried to connect with similar initiatives. It took me several months to get peoples awareness, and soon enough, like two months after opening, there were some expats starting another co-working space, he recalled.
Now there are around six co-working spaces, and this year local group will open one thats going to be a big one, he added.
Laflamme mentioned that when AngkorHub was first launched, the first idea was to be a social innovation center and become an incubation hub for young talents. It was in 2013 to 2014.
The challenge with making it an incubation center was that people barely understood what co-working was. It was simply not ready for it. We could only plant seeds and shift focus until its ready. Thats what we worked on, said Laflamme.
Theres a limited startups and investors in Siem Reap for AngkorHub to become an incubation center. To do that, wed definitely need the guidance. I myself have been playing an advisor role for some time, providing consult for people about their startup business, said Laflamme.
However, Laflamme prided the fact that AngkorHub is well-positioned in Google search and reviews. But even thats still not enough for people to com. Startups are really limited here, said Laflamme.
As the longest running co-working hub in the city, startup events that looked for spaces in the area would reach out to them. Mostly are event organizers from outside of the country. The local ecosystem itself didnt really connect and reach out to organize event with us, said Laflamme.
Co-living in Siem Reap
Now that its been almost 6 years into operation, the hub has been operating from its second building, abandoning the ex-bank building. It also provides a co-living option now.
Our business model is really working based on the co-living space. Its creating community through renting the room, aiming at digital nomad who work online and need a good connection, explained Laflamme.
Right now, the place is divided into two big areas: one is the common area downstairs, and the other is the upstair for co-living space.
Now we have 20 spots, all in open space with no private offices. But were actually working on it because there are demands for it, said Laflamme.
Right now, the hub provides one meeting room, a small one where people get their calls done there.
The hub offers monthly membership and options of Day pass and Weekly pass for the co-working space.
Also Read: Microinsurance is key to Southeast Asian financial inclusion
20 per cent of our visitors are expats who will come living for a month or so. They are either a travelling professionals or digital nomads, who also stay in our co-living facility. We have more co-living members than the co-working members, actually, said Laflamme.
The plan for 2019 is to work on having a private office, and we will change the existing concept now, although I cant get into details with the public yet, said Laflamme.
Whats next
For AngkorHub, which Laflamme said has received an investment from an Angel VC based in Singapore, its still hard to keep the business afloat.
However, with the undisclosed number of investment they have received, the hub has begun their search for new location.
This person helped us by investing in the project, enabling us to look for other locations with adjustment in concept, said Laflamme.
For this year, since Laflamme has found that coworking space in the area is not valued properly if its not paired with incubation, AngkorHub will need to adjust business model.
After all, the hub itself exists also to support the locals. The goal is to make people see Siem Reap and Cambodia past the temples, because its about the people, said Laflamme.
Towards the end of the conversation, Laflamme shared his opinion on how Siem Reap has been overlooked by the government, especially in the tech sector.
I would say Siem Reap is nowhere near ready to be the tech hub of the country. The government pays more attention to the capital, and the only time they were involved was a few years back, doing a business incubation 101 here. The government doesnt connect with the existing players in both Phnom Penh and other provinces, and instead, they went out of their ways and created other programs and chose the same winners over and over again, said Laflamme.
Laflamme believed that the only way Cambodia, and eventually Siem Reap, will be at par with other countries in terms of tech innovation and facility is for government and community to take it one step at a time. Walk before we can run. The government should work their way from grassroots and collaborate with local universities. I believe doing it this way would create more lasting impact, closed Laflamme.
The post What is it like setting up co-working hub in touristy city of Siem Reap: AngkorHub story appeared first on e27.
FILE PHOTO: Death chamber
QUEZON CITY, Philippines Two days after it was approved on Monday (February 4), the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs recommitted the proposed reinstatement of death penalty to the committee level on Wednesday (February 6).
House Bill 8909 seeks to penalize any person found in possession of illegal drugs during a social gathering or party to face the death penalty and a fine of P500,000 up to P10 million.
A proposed amendment to Republic Act No. 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, the bill also seeks to punish owners of leased property turned into illegal drug dens or establishments where illegal drug operations take place as well as persons caught in possession of precursors and essential chemicals.
The bill also defines who is considered a financer and protector of illegal drugs.
It also specifies conditions for drug trafficking which include exportation in addition to importation.
Meanwhile, as the premier law enforcer of the land, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said it supports all initiatives by Congress to further strengthen the governments anti-illegal drugs campaign to eradicate the illegal drugs menace in the country.
We will enforce whatever law that may be passed and approved, PNP Spokesperson PSSupt. Bernard Banac concluded. Marje Pelayo (with reports from Miguel Moldez)
The post House recommits death penalty bill days after approval appeared first on UNTV News.
(L-R) Former President Benigno Aquino III; former health Secretary Janette Garin; former Budget Secretary Florencio Butch Abad
QUEZON CITY, Philippines The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability on Wednesday (February 6) recommended the filing of graft charges, technical malversation and grave misconduct against former president Benigno Aquino III for allowing the use of Dengvaxia in government immunization programs that allegedly caused the death of several children.
Also implicated were former Budget Secretary Florencio Butch Abad and former health Secretary Janette Garin.
Based on the approved committee report, the three were among other government officials who conspired to procure the controversial anti-dengue vaccine despite lack of certificate of product registration and safety assurance from authorizing bodies.
House committee chair Rep. Xavier Romualdez argued that Aquino violated the law when he allowed the use of P3.5 billion in public funds to procure Dengvaxia vaccines in 2015.
Meanwhile, Dinagat Island Rep. Kaka Bag-Ao questioned the committees recommendation arguing that the House inquiry has not established proof that the said officials actions indeed violated the law.
But Romualdez stood by the House committees report.
Several congressmen proposed charges against the executives of Dengvaxia manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur as well as former health Secretary Paulyn Ubial.
The UNTV News Team has sought the statement of those involved such as Aquino, Garin and Abad but to no avail.
The Department of Justice (DOJ), meanwhile, is now probing the complaints filed by the Public Attorneys Office (PAO) in relation to the deaths of 30 children being linked to the Dengvaxia immunization. Marje Pelayo (with reports from Grace Casin)
The post Graft charges sought vs. Noynoy, former officials over Dengvaxia fiasco appeared first on UNTV News.
Journalist Rodrigo Jiggy Manicad Jr. on the program Get It Straight with Daniel Razon
QUEZON CITY, Philippines His decades of exposure to the recurring problems in the society prompted Rodrigo Defeo Manicad Jr. to gamble in Philippine politics.
Known simply as Jiggy Manicad , the broadcast journalist said he knows very well the root causes of these problems, but the opportunity for him to contribute change is limited as a media person than being a statesman. This is why he wants to take his chances in the 2019 midterm elections.
On the program Get It Straight with Daniel Razon, Manicad said he wants to widen his avenue to better serve the people.
Siguro iyong issue lang nang pagtutok. Parang sa dami ng ng issue natin bilang bansa, hindi masyadong natututukan, Manicad said when asked why he decided to go against the so-called big names in politics.
Like the previous senatorial aspirants who graced the program, Manicad wants to focus on providing solutions to the countrys problems in agriculture.
He suggests giving key agriculture positions in government to experts in the field than entrust its management to traditional politicians.
He wants to push measures that would improve the local farmers production to empower them and for their yields to compete with imported products.
Ano ba nakikita natin ngayon? Mahal ang farm inputspesticide, abono. Lagyan natin ng ceiling yan sa presyuhan kasi yan ang mahal, the senatorial hopeful argued.
Manicad added that he wants to establish policies that would strengthen the countrys disaster preparedness and capabilities in times of calamities where the government, he believes, is still lacking despite its high-level of accuracy in terms of weather and disaster forecasting.
Being a media personality, Manicad aims to address labor issues in media networks in the country.
Likewise, he wants to encourage these networks to promote good values and the richness of Filipino culture in television programs.
Being a rookie politician, the veteran journalist wants reform in the countrys electoral system hopefully by imposing stricter guidelines for election to give candidates equal opportunities even those who are budding politicians as himself. Marje Pelayo (with reports from Rey Pelayo)
The post GIS EXCLUSIVE: Journalist Jiggy Manicad to gamble in politics to help local farmers appeared first on UNTV News.
France's communist daily L'Humanite has long enjoyed a moral authority that far exceeds its dwindling number of readers, but the clock may be ticking for the 115-year-old paper of record of die-hard leftists. After years of operating at a loss despite millions of euros of public aid, a court outside Paris will decide Thursday if L'Humanite can keep printing while being placed in receivership. Even if this best-case scenario gives the paper some breathing room, its journalists face working under a court-appointed manager who will be watching every euro -- an ignominious turn of events for a paper that has spent more than a century railing against bosses. "The paper's business model is based only on defending the poorest," said Gregory Marin, a politics reporter and head of L'Humantite's journalist committee. "The advantage is that we can look ourselves in the mirror without shame," he noted, "but the disadvantage is that these people don't have a lot of money to support us." L'Huma, as it's widely called, has already appealed for donations, the latest in a string of fundraising campaigns that periodically bring in much-needed millions to keep the presses rolling. But with daily circulation down to around 40,000 copies -- analysts say around 30,000 are actually sold -- the paper now faces the daunting prospect of finding a viable business model. "I think they'll find a way of getting on a little longer, but it's like an artificial coma," said Patrick Eveno, a French media historian. "It's obvious that it's impossible to keep going like this forever," he said. - State support - This year marks the 115th anniversary of L'Huma's founding by Jean Jaures, the revered socialist stalwart whose assassination on the eve of World War I helped cement L'Huma's place in the media landscape. Its heyday came after World War II, when circulation soared to nearly 400,000 as French communists basked in the glory of their role in the resistance against the Nazi occupiers. All self-respecting French leftist are still expected to make the annual pilgrimage to the Fete de l'Humanite, a daylong party of events and concerts which in recent years has attracted artists from Lauryn Hill and Joan Baez to Iggy Pop. And this month the paper is hosting a Paris fundraiser that will include star chef Thierry Marx and the mathematician and pro-Macron lawmaker Cedric Villani. "We carry a unique and long history, longer even than that of the French communist party," Marin said. "Our ambitions... are to relay the news accurately while also interpreting it and defending the social advancement of workers and the poorest." But analysts say taxpayers have propped up the paper and its 200 employees for years, even as fewer people were buying it. Along with annual subsidies for all French papers -- L'Huma got nearly 4.2 million euros ($4.8 million) in 2017 -- presidents from Francois Mitterrand to Francois Hollande have traditionally stepped in to erase debts or inject cash. So far Emmanuel Macron hasn't kept up the custom, and the paper has already sold its last major asset: the Oscar Niemeyer-designed headquarters in the Saint-Denis suburb of Paris, bought by the government for 12 million euros in 2010. And last week France's Communist Party, facing its own financing squeeze after dismal 2017 election results, announced it would no longer print its weekly four-page supplement in the paper. - The right questions? - L'Humanite has already outlasted most other European dailies which functioned as communist mouthpieces, such as Italy's Unita, which folded in 2014. Britain's Morning Star, formerly the Daily Worker, is another rare survivor after the USSR's demise, though it too is currently appealing for donations to its "Fighting Fund". But critics say L'Huma's ideological bent often cause its coverage to appear naively out of touch. Reports of the opposition uprising in Venezuela, for example, mentioned the country's dire economic straits but did not ascribe them, as most economists do, to President Nicolas Maduro's policies. "L'Humanite is not a normal business undertaking, it's a political undertaking," Eveno said. "They're not asking themselves the right questions: Why isn't my paper selling, Why isn't anyone reading it?" The paper says subscriber numbers belie its outsize role as a principled counterpoint to mainstream media outlets in an era of "fake news". Even some right wing politicians have answered the recent call to subscribe, saying L'Huma is vital for ensuring France's media pluralism. Macron hasn't moved to help the paper yet, but Marin believes the French leader's efforts to gauge national feeling in the face of anti-government "yellow vest" protests could lead him to value its input. "I can't imagine, as he promotes his 'great national debate', that he would let a voice actively participating in this debate go silent," Marin said.
China will build 4 nuclear aircraft carriers in drive to catch US Navy, experts say
Four of at least six aircraft battle groups China plans to have in the water by 2035 will be nuclear-powered, as the Asian giant tries to equal the US in naval strength, according to Chinese military experts.
The specialists said that after decades of trying to close the gap, the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Navys hardware might by then be closer to matching the worlds leading superpower in aircraft carrier technology but it would still lag in real combat experience.
All of Chinas new carriers were expected to be equipped with electromagnetic catapults similar to those used by the United States, the experts said. The US electromagnetic aircraft launch system, known as EMALS, can launch more aircraft more rapidly than the older diesel systems.
China has one aircraft carrier in service the Liaoning, commissioned in 2012 and the Type 001A, the first carrier built in the country, which is still being tested.
Chinese navy veteran warns training, not hardware is key to military preparedness
Chinas nuclear-powered aircraft carriers with [EMALS-like systems] are expected to join the navy by 2035, bringing the total number of carriers to at least six although only four will work at the front line, Wang Yunfei, a naval expert and retired PLA destroyer naval officer, said.
The country needs to keep developing until it is at the same level as the United States.
Beijing is keen to expand its aircraft carrier battle groups to fulfil its global naval ambitions and defend its growing overseas interests. Construction of its next conventional diesel-powered aircraft carrier, the Type 002 the first equipped with the electromagnetic launchers began last year.
Wang said the budget for the carrier projects would not be cut despite an economic slowdown and a trade war with the US.
Even if the economic downturn has an effect, we can adjust proportions in total military expenditure to make sure naval modernisation keeps going, he said. For example, we can cut the number of new tanks.
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The budget for military modernisation will not be cut, even if [Beijing] decided to [use force to] reunify Taiwan. In a war scenario, [Beijing] may reduce spending on things like infrastructure, but it would increase military expenditure.
President Xi Jinping has ordered the PLA to modernise by 2035 and become a top-ranked fighting force by 2050. Song Zhongping, a television military commentator in Hong Kong, said Chinas fleet of aircraft carriers would expand to reflect its global standing.
With the PLA planning to have four nuclear-powered carrier battle groups on the front line by 2035, the Type 001A and its next-generation carrier Type 002 would become temporary battle ships, Song said.
The Type 002 a conventionally powered carrier with an EMALS-like system may become the only one of that kind of aircraft carrier, because China will next build multiple nuclear-powered aircraft battle platforms, Song said.
Both Wang and Song said the Liaoning would be replaced by the Type 001A by 2035, by which time the Liaoning would be obsolete. The Liaoning was refitted from a half-built Soviet hull bought from Ukraine in 1998 and is used to train carrier crews.
The PLA Navy will develop one of its fighter jets for use on its aircraft carriers, with debate ongoing over whether that will be the FC-31 or J-20. China has just one type of carrier-based fighter jet, the J-15, whereas the US has two.
Wang said Chinese engineers were developing a next-generation carrier-based fighter, describing it as a variant of the FC-31 stealth fighter, whose fighting capability may be a little bit behind the US F-35C.
Song said Chinas overall strength would remain limited by a lack of combat experience.
Chinas aircraft carrier technology and its carrier-based fighter jets will be developed to match the same generation of their American counterparts, but hardware build-up is only part of the picture, he said.
The standard of warships crew training and damage control have remained key shortcomings of the PLA Navy, because they has not had as much real combat experience as the Americans.
This article China will build 4 nuclear aircraft carriers in drive to catch US Navy, experts say first appeared on South China Morning Post
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(Adds comment from Australian prime minister)
SYDNEY, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Australia has revoked the visa of a prominent Chinese businessman and political donor who has in the past been linked to a row about the promotion of Chinese interests, the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reported on Wednesday.
Huang Xiangmo is unable to return to his Sydney home after the government rejected his application for citizenship and revoked his residence visa while he was overseas, the newspaper reported.
The newspaper did not report a reason for the decision but it cited the Ministry for Home Affairs, which oversees visa applications, as saying Huang was "unfit" for residency.
A ministry representative and a spokeswoman for Minister for Immigration David Coleman both declined to comment.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison, asked about Huang, who had in recent years emerged as one of Australia's biggest political donors, said he would not comment on a "sensitive matter".
"The government has always acted consistent with the advice that we receive and that's what has happened on this occasion," he told reporters.
Huang, who founded the Chinese property developer Yuhu, was not available for comment. The newspaper said he went to Thailand last month and it was not clear where he was on Wednesday.
The case comes as Australia and China seek to repair ties that have been strained since 2017, when Australia accused China of meddling in its domestic affairs. China denied doing so.
Despite the denials, Australia passed a series of tough laws designed to limit offshore influence, legislation widely seen as aimed at China.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), citing unidentified sources, said Huang would not be allowed to re-enter Australia.
Huang rose to prominence after an influential opposition lawmaker was in 2017 forced to resign after allegations emerged that he was linked to Chinese-aligned interests.
The opposition member, Sam Dastyari, sought to encourage a senior politician not to meet a Chinese pro-democracy activist opposed to Beijing's rule in Hong Kong in 2015.
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Dastyari was also recorded as warning Huang that his phone may be tapped.
Dastyari also appeared on a video tape, standing next to Huang, appearing to endorse China's contentious expansion in disputed areas of the South China Sea, against his partys platform.
Morrison, asked later about money that Huang had donated, referred to the law introduced to ban foreign donations.
"The actions we've been taking in relation to this gentleman, that's based on information that exists today," Morrison said. He did not elaborate.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne declined to comment on the details of Huang's case.
"I don't expect it to be the subject of a bilateral discussion," Payne told the ABC when asked if she feared the issue would have an impact on relations with China.
"We have a good relationship with mutual respect."
In 2018, Huang's Yuhu announced the purchase for nearly A$1 billion ($715 million) for two Australian projects owned by Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group. (Reporting by Colin Packham, Tom Westbrook Editing by Robert Birsel)
Europe's stock markets struggled to find direction Wednesday as investors digested downbeat German economic data following an uneventful speech by US President Donald Trump. Frankfurt dropped 0.3 percent as official figures showed that industrial orders in Germany fell back in December, the latest sign of a slowdown in Europe's largest economy. The news also sent the European single currency down to $1.1377. London stocks slipped by 0.1 percent meanwhile, with online supermarket Ocado hit by a warehouse fire, and lingering concerns over Britain leaving the European Union without a deal next month. The odds of British Prime Minister Theresa May's getting concessions from EU leaders at a Thursday meeting in Brussels seemed to shrink further after comments by EU leader Donald Tusk. He said there was a "special place in Hell" waiting for those "who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely". The comment roused British politicians, but markets were less impressed. Meanwhile Asian trading was calm owing to the Lunar New Year, and Trump's address provided little clarity, analysts said. "Market participants closely examined President Donald Trump's State of the Union address with mixed perceptions," analysts at the Charles Schwab brokerage firm noted. German statistics office Destatis said that factory orders were down by 1.6 percent in December from the previous month. "European equities are on the back foot after a surprise drop in German factory orders this morning added to signs that the region's strongest economy is struggling," Oanda analyst Dean Popplewell commented. "December saw German factory orders decline at the fastest rate in six months, helping pile further misery on a eurozone which is clearly struggling amid global trade woes," IG analyst Joshua Mahony said. Mercedes-Benz maker Daimler added to the bad news, reporting its worst year since 2015. In Paris, the CAC 40 index was down by 0.1 percent with French banking group BNP Paribas reporting a dip in profits. - Wall Street treads water - Wall Street also lacked direction in midday trading, a day after Trump's annual address. Trump touched upon a number of issues including the China trade war, North Korea, the Russia investigation and healthcare. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said both sides in the US-China trade negotiations were working "around the clock" to reach an agreement by a March 1 deadline. He also said that "the US economy continues to perform extremely well." - Key figures around 1700 GMT - London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.1 percent at 7,173.09 points (close) Frankfurt - DAX 30: DOWN 0.4 percent at 11,324.72 (close) Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.1 percent at 5,079.05 (close) EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 0.1 percent at 3,212.75 Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.1 percent at 20,874.06 (close) Sydney - S&P/ASX 200: UP 0.3 percent at 6,026.10 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng: Closed for a public holiday New York - Dow: DOWN 0.1 percent at 25,398.24 Shanghai - Composite: Closed for a public holiday Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1377 from $1.1406 Dollar/yen: DOWN at 109.76 yen from 109.96 Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2954 from $1.2945 at 2200 GMT Tuesday Euro/pound: DOWN at 87.84 pence from 88.09 pence Oil - Brent Crude: UP 78 cents at $62.76 per barrel Oil - West Texas Intermediate: UP 61 cents at $54.27 burs-wai/gd
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines The Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Mindanao Command (WESTMINCOM) beefed up its troops on the second day of plebiscite for the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).
The second round of plebiscite on Wednesday (February 6) will cover the province of Lanao del Norte except Iligan City and in 67 barangays in North Cotabato.
Westmincom Commander Lt. Gen. Arnel dela Vega directed all ground commanders to remain on guard to maintain peace and order on the duration of the referendum.
Meanwhile, AFP Spokesperson Gerry Besana said the military is making sure to avoid a repeat of the violence that happened on the first day of plebiscite on January 21.
Napag-usapan doon ang deployment ng tropa (and) how we can address ang katulad ng situation kung saka-sakali man para ang nangyari noong January 21 (maiwasan at) mas maganda (ito) ngayong February 6, Besana said.
The Police Regional Office in Region 10 (PRO-10) deployed a total of 2,000 cops to augment the military.
Meanwhile, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) urged the residents of the concerned municipalities to go and vote despite the blasts in three towns on Monday (February 4) as they were intended to scare the people.
Authorities assured to protect the security of the voting public in areas where the plebiscite is taking place.
The Comelec is expecting some 300,000 voters in Lanao del Norte who will decide if they want the six municipalities in the province to join the proposed Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
These are the municipalities of Baloi, Pantar, Tagoloan, Munai, Tangkal, and Nunungan. Marje Pelayo (with reports from Dante Amento)
The post AFP, PNP strengthen forces for BOL plebiscite appeared first on UNTV News.
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February 6, 2019
Eleventh Circuit panel grants stay of execution in Alabama for Muslim death row prisoner
I highlighted in recent posts here and here the notable religious claims being made by Domineque Ray, who is scheduled to be executed by Alabama on Thursday. A helpful reader alerted me to this new unanimous 28-page panel ruling from the Eleventh Circuit which grants a stay. Here is how the opinion starts and a few key paragraph within:
Petitioner Domineque Ray has moved this Court for an emergency stay of his execution, scheduled to take place at 6:00 p.m. (CST) on February 7, 2019 at the Holman Correctional Facility (Holman) in Atmore, Alabama, for the 1995 rape, robbery, and murder of fifteen-year-old Tiffany Harville. He also appeals from the determination of the district court denying his emergency motion for a stay and dismissing two of his claims under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA), 42 U.S.C. 2000cc et seq., and under 1983 and the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.... During the January 23 meeting with the Warden, Ray made three requests for the accommodation of his religious beliefs: first, that his Imam be present in order to provide spiritual guidance for him at the time of his death; second, that the institutional Christian Chaplain be excluded from the chamber; and, finally, that he not be required to undergo an autopsy because it conflicted with his religious beliefs. The Warden denied the first two requests and explained that she had no decisional authority over the autopsy.... After review of this exceedingly limited record, we reject the district courts analysis, and its refusal to grant an emergency stay in the face of what we see as a powerful Establishment Clause claim. Because Ray has demonstrated a substantial likelihood of success on the Establishment Clause and because the other equitable factors tip in his favor, Rays emergency motion for stay is granted. We direct the Clerk of Court to expedite the appeal of Rays case so that we may promptly address and resolve these claims.
It will be interesting to see if and how Alabama pursues further appeal of this ruling either to the full Eleventh Circuit or to the US Supreme Court. Stay tuned.
Prior related posts:
UPDATE : As reported in this AP article, Alabama completed this execution following the vacating of the stay: "Dominique Ray, 42, was pronounced dead at 10:12 p.m. of a lethal injection at the state prison in Atmore."
February 6, 2019 at 02:06 PM | Permalink
Comments
How burdensome could it possibly be for Alabama to accommodate these modest requests?
Posted by: John | Feb 6, 2019 2:45:05 PM
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e-STEM or e-STEAM - STEM or STEAM curriculum with an environmental focus.
FACMAC - Facilities and Capacity Management Advisory Committee. A district committee comprises of an all-volunteer citizen group created in 2012 to help bring research and ideas to capacity management issues in the district.
FERPA - Family Education Rights and Privacy Act. A federal law that protects students' privacy
FRL - Free and reduced lunch.
FTE - Full Time Equivalent
FY - Fiscal Year
Highly Capable Services - NEW name (as of 2014) as umbrella name for these programs: Highly Capable Cohort (formerly APP), Spectrum and ALO (Advanced Learning Opportunities).
HSPE - High School Proficiency Exam, state assessment that replaced the WASL for 10th graders, required for graduation
HQT - Highly Qualified Teacher, a standard set by federal law
IA - Instructional Assistant
IB - International Baccalaureate program. An international program of advanced classes that can either be taken as stand alone or as part of an overall IB program.
IDEA - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The federal law that governs special education
IEP - Individual Educational Plan, a federal requirement for students with disabilities (special education)
JSCEE - John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence (see headquarters)
MAP - Measures of Academic Progress. A computer-based adaptive assessment made by NWEA and originally purchased by the district for use as a district-wide formative assessment but now used for a wide variety of purposes.
MSP - Measurement of Student Progress, the state proficiency assessment that replaced the WASL for students in grades 1-8
NCLB - No Child Left Behind, a provision of the federal education law, ESEA, introduced during the George W. Bush administration
OSPI - Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction
PCP - Planning, Conference and Preparation
PD - Professional Development
PG & E - Professional Growth and Evaluation, the teacher (and principal) evaluation procedure
RIF - Reduction in Force
RttT - Race to the Top, see Arne Duncan
RIT - Rasch Unit - scoring used in MAP testing
RTI - Response to Intervention, the old name for MTSS
SBE - State Board of Education (or BOE)
SEA - Seattle Education Association (Seattle Teachers' union)
SEAC - Special Education Advisory Committee
SIT - School Intervention Team
STEAM - Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math
STEM - Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.
TIF - Teacher Incentive Fund
WASL - Washington Assessment of Student Learning (former state test)
WSF - Weighted Student Formula, the old method of determining school funding
WSS - Weighted Staffing Standards, the current method of determining school funding
MTSS - Multi-Tiered Systems of Support- No Child Left Behind, a provision of the federal education law, ESEA, introduced during the George W. Bush administration- Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction- Planning, Conference and Preparation- Professional Development - Facilities and Capacity Management Advisory Committee. A district committee comprises of an all-volunteer citizen group created in 2012 to help bring research and ideas to capacity management issues in the district.- Family Education Rights and Privacy Act. A federal law that protects students' privacy- Free and reduced lunch.- Full Time Equivalent- Fiscal YearHighly Capable Services - NEW name (as of 2014) as umbrella name for these programs: Highly Capable Cohort (formerly APP), Spectrum and ALO (Advanced Learning Opportunities).- High School Proficiency Exam, state assessment that replaced the WASL for 10th graders, required for graduation- Highly Qualified Teacher, a standard set by federal law- Instructional Assistant- International Baccalaureate program. An international program of advanced classes that can either be taken as stand alone or as part of an overall IB program.- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The federal law that governs special education- Individual Educational Plan, a federal requirement for students with disabilities (special education)- John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence (see headquarters)- Measures of Academic Progress. A computer-based adaptive assessment made by NWEA and originally purchased by the district for use as a district-wide formative assessment but now used for a wide variety of purposes.- Measurement of Student Progress, the state proficiency assessment that replaced the WASL for students in grades 1-8
Note: not a complete list. Here's a link to the district's list. - SPS' three-tier program for advanced learners. Made up of APP, Spectrum and ALOs. (Note: the name of the district program is "Advanced Learning Services and Programs" but these three programs fall under "Highly Capable Services" of AL Services and Programs.- Advanced Learning Opportunity, the third tier of SPS' Advanced Learning program- Advanced Placement. A national program of college-level classes given in high schools.- Accelerated Progress Program. One of the levels of the Advanced Learning Program. NOTE: the name of this program is now "HIGHLY CAPABLE COHORT." This change occurred in 2014.- Associated Student Body. High school leadership groups.Adequate Yearly Progress. Part of NCLB.- Building Excellence. SPS' capital renovation/rebuilding program that is funded via the BEX levy. Every 3 years there is the Operations levy and either the BEX or BTA levies as those two levies rotate in six year cycles).- Building Leadership Team. Staff members at a school who meet regularly to discuss building issues.Buildings, Technology, Academics. The major maintenance/other capital fund for SPS. Originally BTA was to cover major maintenance like HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning), roofs, waterlines, etc.) but now covers wide swaths of items like athletic fields, technology and funding academic needs.- Community Advisory Committee for Investing in Educational Excellence. Created by former Superintendent Manhas in 2008, to issue a report about reform recommendations for SPS.- Continuous School Improvement Plan, the plan for improvement for each school as required by state law.- Career and Technical Education (formerly Voc Ed)- Essential Academic Learning Requirement- Everyday Math, the board-adopted instructional materials for elementary math- English Language Learners- End of Course Assessments, given in math and science, required for high school graduation
Education Reporter
Mathew Burciaga is a Santa Maria Times reporter who covers education, agriculture and public safety. Prior to joining the Times, Mathew ran a 114-year-old community newspaper in Wyoming. He owns more than 40 pairs of crazy socks from across the globe.
At the bare minimum, well over $1 billion was at stake this weekend when authorities seized almost 10 tons of cocaine from the cargo hold of a Panama-registered ship and arrested 11 Russian sailors.
Authorities in Cape Verde, a group of islands off the west coast of Africa, said the vessel was travelling to Morocco from South America.
The bust only materialized because one of the crew members died on board the vessels and it was forced to dock at the port of Praia, where the police were tipped off about the ships cargo by the EU-funded Maritime Analysis and Operation Centre (MAOC)and anti-drug group, which had been tracking the ship across the Atlantic.
According to MAOC, said the shipment this size the product would be broken into much smaller consignments very quickly after reaching Europe, so the crew members death was a timely one for the authorities. While that amount of cocaine sold straight up from the boat would have a market value of around $1.1 billion, by the time it was cut and distributed it would have generated many times more.
And it was only one of two big drug busts in the same week. Italian authorities also seized 2.1 tons of drugs off a boat heading from South America to Spain. According to Italian authorities, the drugs had a street value of around 500 million euros and belonged to several drug-trafficking organizations associated with the armed group known as the Gulf Clan. Related: Italys $1.7 Trillion Debt Could Threaten The EU
But the Cape Verde haul was a record, according to MAOC, which claims the biggest haul by the authorities to date has been five tons.
A year ago, the Portuguese navy seized 2.5 tons of cocaine in another MAOC-related operation. That same year, authorities in the Netherlands at the Port of Rotterdam and in Belgium at the Port of Antwerp seized more than 73 metric tons of cocaine.
Nor is it the first haul in Cape Verdea well-known drug-trafficking venue favored by gangs bring Latin American drugs into Europe via West Africa. In 2011, authorities seized 1.5 tons of uncut cocaine heading for the European market.
This is a massive money-making business. Every year, according to the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), at least 50 tons of South American cocaine is trafficking through West Africa every year, most of it destined for Europe. Since 2005, authorities drug interceptions have been increasing year on year.
But as with anything, when the authorities step up activities, the traffickers do, too, and Colombiathe worlds largest producer of cocaineis going for record high production.
According to the UNODC report from last September, Colombia was growing enough coca to produce 1,400 tons of cocaine for a more than 30-percent production increase year-on-year. At the same time, the total acreage under coca cultivation was around 17 percent higher in 2017 compared to 2016, and the potential production was valued at $2.7 billion in the local market.
In 2015, global cocaine production reached 1,125 tons, according to the UNODC, and 864 tons were seized.
By Fred Dunkley for Safehaven.com
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Slack Inc.s IPO is nigh, and eager investors are already eyeing another potentially juicy payday. The popular New Jersey-based workplace communication platform has filed confidential paperwork to go public in the current year--but dont expect this one to be much of an IPO.
Slack, an acronym for "Searchable Log of All Conversation and Knowledge," may not have killed off email as the founders promised but hopes to make a killing for existing investors. The company plans to forego a traditional IPO and instead borrow a leaf from music streaming giant Spotify Inc.s (NYSE:SPOT) playbook and list its shares directly in a Direct Public Offering, or DPO.
Unusual listing
Generally speaking, companies that want to do an IPO enlist the services of one or multiple underwriters to facilitate things like dealing with regulatory issues, determining the IPO price, selling shares to initial investors and so on. With a direct listing, however, a companys existing shareholders sell their shares directly to the public without the company trying to raise extra capital by selling secondary shares to the market.
At first glance, taking this route might seem counterintuitive given that startups and young companies like Slack are growth machines that tend to prioritize growing customer bases and revenue over anything else. Most startups prefer traditional IPOs because they provide a hefty injection of extra cash that they can use to expand their operations. But in some cases, young companies with powerful brands and models find that they simply dont need this extra cash. Related: The Key Reasons Gold Could Be Poised For A Breakout
Such is Slacks case, given its already enviable asset base including plenty of cash (undisclosed amount); 8 million active users, 3 million paying users and a $7.1 billion valuation, according to private equity research firm, Pitchbook.
A DPO is an attractive proposition for Slack for several reasons, including lower listing costs and no lock-up period. Sure, the company will work with bankers like Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and Allen & Co. to facilitate the DPO. The costs, however, will be significantly lower compared to what a typical IPO demands.
Having been around for a decade, Slack has become a well-established brand and managed to overtake apps like Skype, HipChat and Google Hangouts so theres less need for underwriters to market the shares.
Further, existing shareholders will be able to sell their shares immediately with no lock-up period. Lock-up periods typically last 90-180 days and are mainly designed to discourage insiders from dumping their shares for a quick buck. Given that Slack is seeking a $10 billion valuation for its IPO (or roughly 30 percent premium), some existing investors will no doubt want to cash out as quickly as possiblewhich is a good thing for the rest of us.
Lessons from Spotify
A direct listing might sound like a convenient route for a cash-rich company like Slack to go public. For outsiders looking to purchase the shares though, DPOs come with quite a number of challenges as we can learn from Spotifys 2018 listing. As you might imagine with no secondary shares available, poor liquidity tends to be the most obvious problem with DPOs.
Related: U.S. Stocks See Strongest January In Decades
In Spotifys case, far fewer-than-expected existing shareholders sold their shares at the DPO thus contributing to an initial shortage that drove prices up before tanking. SPOT stock opened at $165.90 at around 12.40 pm New York Time before jumping to an intra-day high of $169 a couple of minutes later with a mere 5.6 percent of the available shares to trade changing hands. SPOT managed to make strong gains to hit an all-time high of nearly $200 in July before crashing spectacularly.
(Click to enlarge)
Source: CNN Money
The big risk with popular brands like Spotify and Slack is that they can become victims of their own success.
Demand can far outstrip supply which in turn can artificially drive prices up. But eventually the honeymoon period is over and fundamentals kick in. Kicking the tires a little before buying might, therefore, be a good strategy.
By Alex Kimani for Safehaven.com
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The selection criteria looked at student attitudes toward learning, their self-perceptions as lifelong learners, the scope and quality of educational experiences and the dedication and enthusiasm of the principal.
We have great kids, great teachers, supportive parents and administrators, Lewis said. We have a very supportive school board, Mr. Korst, our Superintendent, and community that believes in strong schools. Its a great place to be an administrator and Im thankful for the opportunity.
HMS sixth grade students shared some thoughts about their principal.
Lauren Nelson said, Mr. Lewis is one of the most caring, understanding, helpful people I know.
He always strives to make the school a better place for the teachers and students, Nelson said. He deserves this award 100 percent.
Liam Griffin said of Lewis, He deserves it more than anyone, I feel safe and secure when I am around him.
Reagan Burrows said, Mr. Lewis is definitely someone I can look up to.
He is nice and he knows how to make school fun, Burrows said. He absolutely deserves this award and I think pretty much everyone agrees that he is actually the best in the state.
African birds are so amazing and so special, Fulton said. I havent been there, but Im anxious to live vicariously through Skips extensive knowledge of the area. As a guide, he knows the ins and outs of where he goes.
We have some great birds around here, but those birds of the tropics are something totally different, Fulton said.
The Bitterroot Audubon organization hosts a free program on the third Monday of the month from September to May. The programs are held at different locations in Stevensville and Hamilton.
Weve been having really good turnouts at our programs this year, she said. People seem to be really interested in the topics that weve had recently. Last month, we had a presentation on peregrine falcons in the Bitterroot that had a great crowd.
Horner hopes that his talk will encourage people to pack their bags and get the traveling bug.
Im really excited about doing this, he said. Most people in the audience will not have been to East Africa. It will be fun to tell them about my experiences and the weird and funny stuff that goes on when you travel to different places.
Is Dusty Johnson starting to sound like a Washington politician? Bragging about South Dakota fiscal responsibility when a good chunk of that "fiscal responsibility" comes from the federal government.
Thank you, Mayor Allender, for your strong visionary leadership for our community. You have my support and that of thousands of other Rapid Citians as you stay the course and endure the criticism of the detractors and negative naysayers who try to discourage you.
Kudos to Ron Jeffries and his great crew for another outstanding BH Stock Show and Rodeo. You made the show go on despite the very inclement weather in late January.
I saw a miracle early this morning on Cambell Street the Rapid City Police were allowed to stop a car for a traffic violation.
Yesterday we had -4 degrees with -23 windchill, and we saw a boy from grade school walking home in shorts and light jacket, probably had P.E. the last class of the day, but parents need to enforce their kids on days like this to dress accordingly (winter coat, pants, etc.). If my kid came home like that I would be furious, and the teacher should have said something to that student as well before letting him walk out that door.
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Dennard and three other children were being supervised by two staff members when one of the other children ran away, Colson said. As a staffer ran after that child, Dennard then took off herself. Because the remaining staffer was still supervising two other children, the staffer stayed put and called for help rather than follow Dennard.
Other staff soon arrived to find her, but to no avail, Colson said. Staff then called 911.
The Children's Home Society is a private nonprofit that provides residential treatment and programs for children with emotional or behavioral needs, and victims of domestic violence, abuse and neglect, or other trauma. Colson said due to privacy concerns, he can't say how Dennard arrived at the organization's Black Hills residential home or which program she is in.
Dennard is 47, 90 pounds, with blue eyes and shoulder length dark blonde hair. She was last seen wearing a long-sleeved grey shirt with flowers, blue jeans and snow boots. She is from Sturgis and may have been trying to return to her family.
Because there is no evidence that Dennard was abducted, an Amber Alert was never sent out. However, because of the low temperatures, an Endangered Missing Advisory was issued by the state of South Dakota.
Anyone who lives in the Rockerville, Foster Gulch and Highway 16 area should search their property and outbuildings. People with game cameras in the area should check their footage and let authorities know if they see anything. The sheriff's office continues to investigate Dennard's disappearance and asks anyone who has seen or heard her to call 394-6115 and share that information on social media.
Contact Arielle Zionts at arielle.zionts@rapidcityjournal.com.
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Baran argued that the proper course for the NRC, instead of deciding to leave the Powertech license in place, would have been to conduct an evidentiary hearing first.
Azarga, the parent company of Powertech, praised the NRCs decision to uphold the companys license.
The NRC Commission decision not only reaffirms the standing of the NRC License, but also allows the Company to move beyond this decision and continue to work with the NRC Staff and other stakeholders to resolve the only remaining NRC License contention, said a quote from Azarga President and CEO Blake Steele in a company news release issued Tuesday.
Jeff Parsons, a Colorado-based attorney for the Oglala Sioux Tribe, did not immediately return a message from the Journal.
Powertech plans to mine by a method known as in situ, which does not include traditional open pits or tunnels but instead uses well fields to inject a water-based solution underground, dissolve the uranium, and bring it to the surface for eventual processing into fuel for nuclear power plants.
A Mitchell High School student was arrested Wednesday, Jan. 30, and charged with fourth-degree rape for the second time in six months.
According to court documents, 18-year-old Gage Schaub had sex with a 15-year-old girl in December and again on Jan. 24, two days after he was convicted of fourth-degree rape in a separate Davison County case.
Schaub reportedly also admitted to exchanging nude photos with the same girl and was additionally charged with misdemeanor sexual exploitation of a minor.
Schaub is charged with two counts of fourth-degree rape and one count of sexual exploitation of a minor. Fourth-degree rape, a Class 3 felony, is defined under South Dakota law as the rape of a victim between 13 and 16 years old by someone at least three years older than the victim. If convicted on all three counts, Schaub could be incarcerated for up to 31 years and ordered to pay up to $62,000 in fines.
This show has been one of my absolute favorites to work on. Its been a fun group of people, and as an audience member you can see that when were on stage we have a lot of fun with each other, so I think it will be a joy to watch, Smith said. Its not really a funny situation at all. Its just how the people react in the situation that is quite funny.
Another search warrant was served at a storage unit used by the couple, where police seized additional suspected controlled substances. The investigation also led police to the discovery of suspected stolen property and suspected controlled substances on the Oglala National Grasslands, said a press release from the Chadron Police Department.
Mandi Hardy, who was arrested the same day the search warrants were served, has been formally charged with one count of possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver and two counts of possession of a controlled substance, all felony counts in connection with suspected keta-mine, methamphetamine and Tramadol found during the searches. She is also facing felony charges of child abuse, according to court documents. The two remaining felony counts, the misdemeanor and the infraction on which she was suspected of upon her arrest do not appear on the complaint filed with the court.
She is currently in the Scotts Bluff County Jail and is expected to appear in Dawes County Court today, Feb. 6.
Unfortunately you cant legislate morality (and) giving people respect, Reynolds said. But what you can do is say that you have a zero-tolerance policy, you do everything you can to change the culture, you make sure that employees know that the expectation is for them to come to work and have every expectation of working in a safe environment, that they know what the process is if they see or experience sexual harassment, they know who they report that to, and they know that those allegations will be heard, and if theyre substantiated, action will be taken. And I did that.
Lemon said the county was going to get sued and the taxpayers were going to pay for the defense. He said trading the deed back to the county was just trading paper back and forth.
"Don't lose hope now," Lemon said. "Now is the time for you to do what the other side is doing; dig in your heels, take a principled position and lobby the people on your board to have the wisdom you have about this issue."
Simmer said the idea of doing something with the buildings was shot down six years ago when he first joined the board. He said Judge Braud had been a thorn in the side but he was "done" with the courthouse issue.
"If they want to do this and fight us and we lose, it's still coming down," Simmer said. "If they want to do this and they win, it's going to cost you, what did they say, $12 (million), $15 million, $21 million I have heard one time, whatever it's going to cost to fix it? After that it's going to cost another $10 million, whatever you want to spend on it, it's going to cost you, you decide as a group what you want to spend."
Simmer said the county was trying to be responsible, and the board was talking a lot more across the aisle and not as much of the "do as we damn well please" as in the past. However, he said that both sides concede that the county does not have the money to fix it.
"They decided to stop spending money on it back in 1958," Simmer said. "We are strung out we are strung out far and you know we are broke."
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Kaiser said many youth could not pay total restitution so the plan could include "going old school" and having the youth work it off by doing yard work or other tasks for the victim. He even suggested involving a body shop to expose juveniles to the work it takes to repair what they've done.
"We're trying to find a way to engage the juvenile and get them to have empathy for what they did," he said.
"All court proceedings would be put on hold" while the juvenile has three months to complete the agreed-upon plan.
By successfully completing the plan, "the youth can avoid court and being adjudicated," he added. "If they fail to progress, they go back to original court proceedings and are adjudicated."
The program is modeled after similar programs in New Zealand and Oakland, Calif., that have been effective in lowering recidivism and providing satisfaction to the victims and promoting accountability.
"I think a lot of victims will jump at the chance to sit down with the juvenile who stole their car and tell them all the harm that came from this," Kaiser said. But he also anticipates some victims will choose not to participate.
"We really want those engaged Quad-Citizens to come back together, and if they have an idea to tackle a certain issue, we're encouraging them to do that," Cullen said. "We really want them to make it their own."
The Big Table groups also may contribute to the ongoing work of the Q2030 Workgroups or tackle new issues on their own. Q2030 Workgroups are addressing these areas: Interstate 74 Gateway Corridor; Welcoming & Inclusive; Talent Development; Mississippi River; Community Collaboration; Cultural Amenities; Neighborhoods; Regional Branding; Healthy People; and Entrepreneurial Ecosystem.
Unlike last year, no registration is required to participate in the Big Tables.
"Without registration, we also will not be collecting and processing feedback from every discussion," he said.
More than 1,700 people were surveyed last year, providing feedback used to create a community report. Those findings are guiding the efforts of Q2030, including the all-volunteer workgroups, Cullen added.
"Now we have the recipe and we've seen some successful outcomes," he said. At least two neighborhood-based groups emerged out of Big Table, North Scott Community Enhancement Project in Eldridge and Glen Oaks Neighborhood Association in Moline.
WASHINGTON, D.C. Rep. Steve King invited half of pro-Donald Trump video bloggers Diamond and Silk to Tuesday night's State of the Union speech.
"Having only one ticket, I invited one of two guests for the State of the Union tonight, #sotu, Lynnette Hardaay & Rochelle Richardson, otherwise known as Diamond & Silk," King tweeted. "Diamond won the coin toss."
The Iowa 4th District congressman said Hardaay and Richardson will be guest speakers at a Wednesday morning meeting of the Conservative Opportunity Society, a Republican House caucus.
The invitation comes in the wake of King receiving widespread condemnation of his recent quote in the New York Times in which he asked "White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization how did that language become offensive?"
King, known for his outspoken views on immigration and race, has denied accusations that he is a white supremacist or white nationalist, saying he considers himself a Nationalist fighting to preserve Western Civilization.
The backlash over that interview prompted GOP House leaders to strip him of his committee assignments for the next two years. The full House later overwhelmingly approved a resolution intended to rebuke King for the comments, with King voting for it.
The majority party and the minority party would be placing folks on this commission, he said. Were trying to create a process where the people who are elected and accountable to the people have that say as opposed to a group of lawyers putting other lawyers on these commissions with no oversight whatsoever.
Currently, according to Justice Not Politics, the percentage of Republicans on nominating commissions is about twice their percentage among registered voters. About 32 percent of voters are Republicans while 62 percent of nominating commission members are affiliated with the party, according to information from the Secretary of States Office and state voter file.
So the changes Republicans are proposing would lessen the impact of politics because both the majority and minority parties would appoint members, House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, R-Clear Lake, said.
There still is a merit-based system that at least half of the members would be members of the bar so we would have the same kind of expertise at the table, Upmeyer said, adding, Well have a big discussion about this.
Under the present system, Ryan said, the nominating commissions consistently finds fair-minded, quality nominees.
Longtime Alderman Mike Matson announced his decision to run for mayor of Davenport on Tuesday night, becoming the first candidate to publicly declare candidacy for an open seat that will likely draw more challengers in the months to come.
As the citys mayor, Matson said he would focus on ways to spend tax dollars efficiently and expand educational opportunities for area residents. He said his career in the U.S. Army makes him uniquely qualified to be a leader and strong voice for the Rock Island Arsenal, the regions largest employer. And if elected, he said he wants to create a safer Davenport by reducing crime, saying public safety would be his No. 1 priority.
As your mayor, I will be a voice for everyone, Matson said, speaking to a small gathering of supporters from a short stage inside Modern Woodmen Park. We must invest in our people and our community. I see Davenport as a place where businesses want to grow and where every citizen is able to enjoy that prosperity. I see Davenport as a place to come and live the American dream.
Two Davenport man were arrested Tuesday after a vehicle pursuit that ended in a crash at an on-ramp to the Interstate 74 Bridge.
Quinton Sentle Howard, 34, is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, intimidation with a dangerous weapon, and first-degree harassment.
Paul Kenneth Howard, 33, of 929 E. 15th St., is charged with felon in possession of a firearm, trafficking in stolen weapons-first offense, and felony eluding. He also is facing traffic charges including driving while barred, driving while license is suspended, reckless driving and failure to provide proof of insurance.
Around 11 a.m. Tuesday, Davenport Police officers tried to stop a 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan near Spruce Hills Drive and Utica Ridge Road. Police said in a news release its occupants were wanted on gun charges.
Paul Howard, the driver, fled but the chase ended at the Grant Street on-ramp when a Davenport cruiser used a technique to force the fleeing vehicle to turn sideways abruptly, causing the driver to lose control.
The van landed on its side and the three adults in the van, both of the Howard men and an older woman, were treated for minor injuries at a local hospital and released.
Police had arrest warrants for both Howard men.
A member of the Clinton Fire Department had a balcony seat at Tuesday's State of the Union address and a tour of Washington D.C. sites by Congressional aids.
U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa, gave his single guest ticket for the speech to Battalion Chief Jeff Chapman. Though the firefighter's wife also made the trip, Loebsack said, members of Congress are limited to one ticket each, so Linda Chapman was not able to attend the address.
However, members of the Congressman's staff took the couple on a tour, he said.
Loebsack said he thought of the Clinton Fire Department because of its recent struggles. A Jan. 5 grain-bin explosion at the ADM plant in Clinton killed Lt. Eric Hosette and seriously injured firefighter Adam Cain.
During a visit to University Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City last month, Loebsack said, he met Cain.
"We got to see him at the burn unit," he said.
He asked the firefighter's permission to take a photo with him, which Loebsack's staff posted to Facebook. The photo prompted considerable response, he said.
"That was what inspired us to do this," Loebsack said of the public's obvious interest in the fire department's loss.
A former Galesburg foster parent is facing multiple charges after police say he sexually abused a foster child younger than 13 in the mid-1980s.
The Illinois State Police said in a news release Wednesday that Dennis K. Donnelly, 70, was arrested in Phoenix, Arizona, Oct. 15 on a Knox County warrant for aggravated criminal sexual assault, criminal sexual assault, and aggravated criminal sexual abuse.
The Knox County Sheriff's Office has arranged for Donnellys extradition from Arizona to the county jail. He is expected to arrive this week, according to the release.
Bond on the warrant is set at $100,000.
State police received a complaint about Donnelly in May.
Investigators learned he was a licensed foster parent in Knox County from the 1980s to early 2000s, and had numerous children under his care.
The investigation led investigators to Phoenix, Arizona where Donnelly was interviewed and subsequently arrested on the Knox County warrant.
I want to thank all the Congress members who ended the shutdown. I especially want to thank my Congress people I called, Rep. Cheri Bustos, Sen. Dick Durbin, as well as state Rep. Tony McCombie. They knew government workers shouldnt be pawns for a wall.
It was so very sad that it took 35 days. Thirty-five days that government workers had to work at stressful jobs that protect us. At the same time they had to worry about feeding and keeping a roof over their heads. Not to mention the people shut out of their jobs.
This was all done for a vanity wall that a majority of us never wanted; a wall that tells people they are not wanted. This reminded me of immigrants of the past, who were welcomed to America by the Statue of Liberty. They didnt have to be separated from their children before going through Ellis Island.
My own grandmother came from Sweden for a better job as a maid in a home in Chicago. That was where my grandfather met her (thank God). I cannot forget, if it hadnt happened, I wouldnt be here today.
The one good thing that came out of the shutdown was the helpfulness of America -- charities, businesses and private citizens. Whether it was money, food, or shelter, they showed the heart of America. We take care of our own.
Well, that didn't last long.
The weather gods teased us with a tiny taste of (relatively) balmy weather over the weekend. But it didn't take long for Monday's dropping temperatures and ice storm alerts to remind us that there is a lot of winter left.
In addition to creating travel hazards like the dangerous snow, wind and frigid temperatures we saw in January, continued weather warnings like the ones issued for last night and this morning also threaten those in need of blood products when they impact our community's blood supply.
Currently, for example, there is an urgent need for donors to help thaw the Q-C's frozen lifesaving inventory.
Last week, the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center (MVRBC) warned that it had missed out on at least 600 donations because dangerous weather canceled blood drives and forced donors to skip appointments. By Monday, the sole supplier of blood to Quad-Cities area hospitals was issuing a second, more urgent call to donors to help recoup the loss of more than 1,200 donations due to bad weather.
The leader of the bi-state chamber, president and CEO Paul Rumler said raising Illinois' statewide minimum wage would hurt regions like the Quad-Cities that share state borders. He argued Illinois businesses could be enticed to move to the Iowa side to avoid high payroll costs. Employees in Iowa where the minimum wage remains at $7.25 may cross state lines to earn higher wages.
There are very few areas throughout the state that would feel the impact of this like we would because were a bi-state region, Power said. Its going to have a huge impact on the Iowa side. We could see businesses close Illinois locations and move directly to Iowa. Or they could move outside of the entire region and take those jobs and revenue with them due to the disparity of minimum wage between the two states.
Rumler argued the "shift of corporate income, property and sales tax dollars could undercut the Illinois Quad-Cities economy."
"As the regional business voice serving the entire bi-state Quad-Cities region, the Chamber is committed to working with our local elected officials and leaders across the state to finding a solution that is equitable for both businesses and the workforce they employ without forever changing the underpinnings of our regional economy," Rumler said in a news release.
SPRINGFIELD (AP) Nearly 100 people attended a public hearing Tuesday at the Illinois Department of Agriculture on proposed regulations for industrial hemp cultivation and processing.
Theres a tremendous amount of interest from farmers across the state for this new industry," said John M. Sullivan, acting director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture. "We welcome all the comments made today and will now go back and review our proposed rules for possible adjustments as needed."
IDOA staff drafted proposed rules after the Industrial Hemp Act was signed into law in August 2018. The law allows individuals or corporations licensed through the IDOA to cultivate industrial hemp. IDOA also will register individuals or corporations that will process industrial hemp.
The proposed rules were published Dec. 28, opening the 45-day First Notice public comment period which will end Feb. 11. Written comments may be emailed to AGR.hemp@illinois.gov, faxed to 217-785-4505 or mailed to IDOA Hemp Comments, P.O. Box 19281, Springfield, IL 62794-9281.
As soon as the rules are finalized and approved by the legislatures Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, the IDOA plans to begin accepting applications for industrial hemp licenses and registrations.
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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
Father Alfred Kunz had a special affinity for mothers, whether living or dead, married or single. With one in particular, he grew especially close.
Kunz met Mora Smith, who had served in the Marines and was raising two boys on her own, in 1997.
She was waiting tables at Brians Diner in Waunakee, less than 10 miles from St. Michael in Dane.
Kunz came in most mornings for a breakfast of poached eggs, orange juice and straight black coffee. One morning, Smith told him she liked his hat, which was square with peaks on top. Known as a biretta, such caps were often worn by clergymen before Vatican II.
Are you Catholic? he inquired.
She was. He invited her to his church, and on Sunday, she went.
A couple of days after Kunzs body was found, Dane County Sheriffs Detective Dawn Johnson came in to Brians Diner. Smith took her order and poured her coffee. In between, she told Johnson that Kunz had become like family to her over the past several months.
She loved him, Smith told the detective, like a father.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel archives Mora Smith
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel archives Mora Smith
Smith remembers their meeting as something of a coincidence, but Johnson says it was more calculated than that. Someone had called the sheriffs department after Kunzs body was found, describing Smiths reaction to his death as pretty over-the-top. Johnson had gone to the restaurant specifically to talk with her.
Not long after that conversation, the cops showed up at Smiths door. She left her two young boys with a neighbor and went to the station to answer their questions.
Detectives had spoken with at least two women who disclosed theyd had sexual contact with Kunz. The cops wanted to know if they should add Smith to that list.
She was outraged at the suggestion.
Kunz never, ever propositioned her, Smith told police, and she couldnt believe they would sully his good name by implying that he would.
To Smith, Kunz was an old-school gentleman. He took women out to eat sometimes. He opened doors for them. When he walked with a woman, he offered his arm.
As he did for others, men and women alike, Kunz sometimes gave Smith money to help feed and clothe her boys, no matter how much she protested she didnt need it.
He protected her, she said.
When she started dating another frequent customer at the diner a tattoo artist who wanted her to run away with him Kunz warned her about the mans criminal past, she said.
She had told the man repeatedly there were three reasons she could never leave Wisconsin: her church, her priest and her sons.
But the would-be suitor refused to back off, she said. So Kunz told him, in no uncertain terms, to leave her alone.
Rick Wood / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel St. Michael Church in Dane was once known for its Latin Masses, which were regularly celebrated by Father Alfred Kunz.
As one set of investigators questioned Smith, another went to the babysitters apartment, she says, offering her children treats if they would draw pictures of their mothers knives.
Her 6-year-old refused. His brother, a year younger, imagined a combat-style knife, sketched it, then happily licked the ice cream cone they gave him, Smith said.
That may well have happened, according to the sheriffs department. Its not illegal for police to question children without their parents present. It doesnt happen often, though, because its difficult for police to get access to children without their parents around.
Johnson gave a different account of a picture of a knife, an account Smith denies.
The detective says when she went to Smiths apartment, she saw a childs drawing of a knife on the refrigerator. It couldnt have been the one police had asked for earlier, Johnson said, because that would have been put into the sheriffs file.
When Johnson asked about the picture, she says Smith snatched it away.
Its nothing, Smith told her. Just something I used to have.
Johnson asked about the camouflage outfit Smith had reportedly been wearing when she dropped off her kids at daycare the morning before the murder.
Oh, thats gone, Smith replied. I got rid of that a long time ago.
Johnson says when she wrote an affidavit for a search warrant of Smiths apartment, the judge who signed it asked, So, when are you going to arrest her?
No arrest was imminent.
Smith provided police with blood and hair samples, from which they generated a DNA profile to compare with the crime scene.
It didnt match.
Journal Sentinel reporter Meg Jones talks about her interview with Mora Smith in 2000. Smith was angry that police said Kunz had broken his vow of chastity.
Detective Wayne Honer gained Smiths trust because he also had served in the Marine Corps. He questioned her several times.
When he asked if shed killed Father Kunz, she said: Not directly.
Smith insisted she was nowhere near St. Michael on the night Kunz was murdered, but she felt responsible for his death because shed done nothing to stop it.
Read the documents
Read the documents
She told Honer shed almost gone to the church that night, about six hours before the priests body was found.
Like her mother and others in her family, Smith said, shed always had a sixth sense, known in her familys Puerto Rican culture as la presciencia.
The feeling of dread initially fell over Smith during Mass the Sunday before the murder. As she prayed, she heard a sinister voice saying: He will be silenced.
Kunz tried to convince Smith to stay and socialize with the other parishioners after the service, going so far as to offer her a loaf of bread from his own pantry when she made up an excuse about grocery shopping.
She demurred again, so he shook her hand. At his touch, a feeling of foreboding overwhelmed her, and Smith rushed out of the church crying.
Late on Tuesday night, March 3, 1998, she woke with a start. La presciencia told her Kunz was in danger. She needed to go to him. Immediately.
Smith roused her sleeping sons and worked them into their coats, planning to carry them to the car. Then it hit her: If she left the house, she could be putting her boys at risk.
Her next instinct was to call the police, but what would she tell them? She had a vision her priest was in danger? They would think she was crazy, and if something actually did happen, they would think she did it.
So Smith did the only other thing she knew to do: Got down on her knees and prayed.
Later, Smith told Honer shed seen Kunzs murder in a vision.
Some of the details she conveyed had not been released to the public.
She said the TV was blaring at the time of the killing. That was almost right, and it was easy to see how someone could mistake the sound of Kunzs talk radio station for a television. Smith also mentioned a red light shining from a closet. There was such a light, an indication the furnace was running, in a room off the hallway where the body was found.
Honer wasnt sure if he believed in psychic powers, but after everything Smith said, detectives were left with three possibilities: Either she really was clairvoyant, shed talked to the killer or she was there.
View key locations
Click on a point to learn more about key locations in this chapter
How we reported this story
In reporting this story, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Gina Barton conducted dozens of interviews with those involved in the case. She attended the 20th anniversary Requiem Mass for Father Alfred Kunz and visited the Queen of the Holy Rosary Mediatrix of Peace shrine in Necedah, Wis.
The Dane County Sheriffs Department declined to release its case file to the Journal Sentinel, citing an exemption to the states public records law for open cases. Barton reviewed 50 pages of department reports that had been released to the Journal Sentinel in 1998 and remained on file in the newsroom. Those reports document the initial police response to the 911 call and several interrogations of Brian Jackson and people who knew him.
Barton read court records, archival records detailing events at the shrine and portions of Malachi Martins book on exorcism, Hostage to the Devil. She also reviewed dozens of print and television news reports about the Kunz homicide and investigation.
In addition, Barton listened to seven and a half hours of the Our Catholic Family and Our Apostolic Church radio programs. Recordings of the programs were provided to the news organization by Peter Kelly, who produced them. Descriptions of Kunzs feelings, beliefs, experiences and teachings were taken from statements he made on the show in 1997 and early 1998. Father Charles Fiore also spoke on some of the recordings.
Details and quotes in scenes were obtained through interviews with those present or from police reports, court records, transcripts, archived news reports, video recordings or audio recordings.
Brian Jackson spoke briefly in person to Journal Sentinel reporter Ashley Luthern. He said he is innocent and believes the investigation was waylaid by the fact detectives spent so much time on him. He declined a detailed interview, saying his lawyer had advised against it. Jacksons thoughts, feelings and interactions with Kunz, as conveyed in the story, come from police reports in which he described them to detectives.
In all other instances in which peoples thoughts are described, they conveyed those thoughts to a reporter.
Throughout the series, quotation marks indicate a subjects exact words as written in a transcript, as recalled by a party to the conversation or as stated to a reporter, either now or at the time of the incident. Italics indicate statements recalled or summarized by a third party in an interview, a news story or an investigative document, such as a police report.
People who provided information for this chapter include Mora Smith, retired detective Dawn Johnson, retired detective Wayne Honer, retired detective Linda Pederson Honer and Sheriff David Mahoney.
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PLATTSBURGH Rep. Elise Stefanik joined her colleagues on the House Intelligence Committee to make all transcripts of witnesses available to the Special Counsels office.
The committee, which is now controlled by Democrats, voted in a closed hearing Wednesday to send testimony regarding the Russia inquiry to special counsel Robert Mueller.
The vote was unanimous.
In September 2018, Congresswoman Stefanik voted with her colleagues on the Intelligence Committee to make all transcripts available to the executive branch, including the Special Counsels office, as part of the process of publishing them for the American people to see, Stefanik spokesperson Maddie Anderson said in a statement.
Today, Congresswoman Stefanik joined her colleagues to unanimously vote to release the transcripts to the Mueller Investigation.
The statement provided no further explanation for her vote.
GLENS FALLS Michael was the embodiment of sacrifice and commitment throughout his life. He was committed to his family, his friends, his faith and to his work. No sacrifice was too big when any of the commitments he made needed him.
Michael was born in 1934 in Athens, Greece, the son of Petros and Vasiliki Fidopiastis. His early life growing up in war-torn Europe was difficult and demonstrated how important sacrifice and commitment were to him. His father was disabled in the war, so Michael, at the age of 13, became the family breadwinner by fixing trucks for the American Red Cross, while still attending school. He loved to tell stories about this time in his life, which included funny memories like having to tie blocks to his shoes to reach the peddles of the trucks he worked on. Later, he attended technical school, focusing on steam and diesel engineering. After graduating, he joined the Greek Navy. He left the Navy in 1958 with the rank of chief petty officer.
Michael married Mary Magriplis (Fidopiastis), the girl next door, in 1959. The couple moved to Glens Falls in 1961. In 1962, Michael completed the naturalization process to become an American citizen. He was immensely proud of the personal letter of congratulations he received from President John F. Kennedy. Ever since Mary died in 2008, he was devoted to tending to her grave and cherishing her memory.
The best bang for your buck! This option enables you to purchase online 24/7 access and receive the Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday print edition at no additional cost * Print edition only available in our carrier delivery area. Allow up to 72 hours for delivery of your print edition to begin. Print edition not available for Day Pass option.
I cannot imagine why Eastern Virginia Medical School allowed such a racist and divisive photo to even appear in the 1984 EVMS Yearbook. There is a time for each of us to make amends. Northam's time has arrived. It is time for him to say "farewell" to the African American community that strongly supported him and to all Virginians.
The ships were able to operate safely and will be assessed in port. The incident was first reported by the U.S. Naval Institute News, which described damage to the cargo ship as an 8-inch gap above the waterline. The Leyte Gulf had minor damage to flight-deck netting.
In the earlier statement, Fairfax said: "At no time did she express to me any discomfort or concern about our interactions, neither during that encounter, nor during the months following it, when she stayed in touch with me, nor the past fifteen years. The first indication I had that she felt anything that had happened between us fifteen years ago made her uncomfortable was when I was contacted by a national media organization shortly before my inauguration in 2018."
"None of us want to see Virginia on CNN like this," she said. "Do we want to be the state that's doing awesome things, or do we want to be the state that's known for more racism because we just had Charlottesville not that long ago?"
"The nation, frankly, saw your character in high relief in recent weeks when the president took a strong stand for border security during the government shutdown that lasted some 35 days," Pence said. "Let me say to each and every one of you: the president and I couldn't be more grateful or couldn't be more proud of all of our federal employees and their families who rose to the challenge. ... You stood tall, you stood your watch, you did not relent and you have our thanks for your commitment to your mission and your duty. Thank you for standing your post."
"She actually had her birthday party there one year, too. She's a huge fan," Rafal said. "Hilarie has a great way with the kids and a knack for coming up with the most clever projects. She has a way of finding things that the kids are capable of doing and they end up with really cute projects."
Elephant. Credit: Picture by Yathin S Krishnappa. Licensed under CCBY-SA3.0
Zoos and safari parks in the UK are using a special new tool to help them more successfully monitor the wellbeing of elephants in their care, thanks to a study led by The University of Nottingham.
The new elephant behavioural welfare assessment tool, the result of research which has been published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE, allows keepers to quickly and easily track the welfare of individual elephants over time based on their demeanour and behaviour.
Regular use by captive elephant facilities is helping them to assess the impact of any changes in animal husbandry and develop facilities which are specifically designed to enhance elephant welfare.
The research was led by Dr. Lisa Yon, a Lecturer in Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, in the University's School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, with assistance from Dr. Naomi Harvey also from the University Nottingham Vet School, and in collaboration with Dr. Lucy Asher at the University of Newcastle and Ellen Williams, a Ph.D. researcher from Nottingham Trent University.
Dr. Yon has extensive experience of studying elephant behaviour, both in the wild and captivity and, heads the Behaviour Subgroup of the multi-stakeholder UK Elephant Welfare Group.
Dr. Yon, said: "Our new tool provides, for the first time, a reliable way for people looking after captive elephants to use the elephants' behaviours to monitor their welfare over time."
Concern has previously been raised about the standard of care for elephants across North America and Europe and a report to DEFRA by academics at the University of Bristol in 2008 specifically identified some concerns about the welfare of elephants in UK zoos.
A review of this report by the government advisory committee, the Zoos Forum, suggested that evidence of welfare improvements was needed and a period of ten years was set for these to be implemented.
The research team began work to develop a questionnaire-style assessment tool that would take keepers no more than an hour to complete and without the need for specialist training or facilities.
This project built on two previous studies which examined previous evidence from peer-reviewed literature on welfare indicators for captive elephants (Williams et al, 2018) and used focus groups of UK zoo personnel and other stakeholders to capture their valuable knowledge of elephant behaviour (Chadwick et al, 2018).
From this work, they pulled together a list of behaviours which offer an indication of the animal's welfare, and this was used to develop a prototype tool to measure elephant welfare.
The tool, to be completed by the keepers consists of:
Four one-minute live observational assessments: asking keepers to record their elephant's demeanour in relation to a range of terms including: content, depressed, fearful, agitated, playful, relaxed and distressed.
Daytime behaviour questions: keepers are asked to observe their elephants for five minutes, four times a day over the course of three days and then score questions on a range of observed behaviours, which have been identified as being important measures of animal welfare.
Night time observations: keepers use overnight video footage to record a range of behaviours including social behaviour and sleep behaviour.
The prototype tool was tested at five elephant-holding facilities in the UKincluding Twycross Zoo, Knowsley Safari Park, Colchester Zoo, Chester Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zooon a total of 29 elephants, representing almost half (46 per cent) of the total UK captive elephant population at the time.
A finalised Elephant Behavioural Welfare Assessment Tool was developed, based on the results from the testing of the prototype tool; this tool has now been included in the Secretary of State's Standards of Modern Zoo Practice Guidelines as a routine part of the welfare assessment of captive elephants in UK zoos.
The researchers have suggested that similar methods could also be used to develop assessment tools for a wide range of other species in zoos and aquariums.
Explore further New measures to improve the welfare of captive elephants in UK
These specimens, from Cambridge University's Museum of Zoology, were collected and labelled on the second voyage of the HMS Beagle (1831-1836) that carried Darwin to the Galapagos Islands. Researchers say these famously diverse finches are an iconic example of rapid speciation in a tropical hotspot. Credit: University of Cambridge / Chris Green.
Some corners of the world teem with an extraordinary variety of life. Charles Darwin noted that: "The same spot will support more life if occupied by very diverse forms."
The question of how these 'hotspots' of biodiversityfrom California to the Galapagosacquired such a wealth of species has long puzzled naturalists.
Now, scientists at the University of Cambridge have conducted a 'big data' study of almost all the world's mammal and bird species to reveal the answerand it's very different depending on climate.
According to the study, tropical hotspots close to the equator have generated new species at a much faster rate than their surrounding areas during the last 25 million years of evolution.
However, biodiversity hotspots in more temperate northerly regions, such as the Mediterranean basin and Caucasus Mountains, are mainly populated with immigrant species that originated elsewhere.
Scientists say these migrants may well have been escaping the effects of long-term "geological processes" such as vast encroaching glaciers. Warmer climes, as well as peninsulas and mountain ranges, could have offered shelter.
The researchers argue that their new study, published today in the journal Science Advances, shows how these "contrasting macroevolutionary routes" have shaped the uneven distribution of species across the planet.
"We've known for decades that just a subset of places on Earth, no more than 20%, contain about half of all vertebrate species. However, we lacked the tools and data to understand why these patterns exist," said senior author Dr. Andrew Tanentzap, from Cambridge's Department of Plant Sciences.
"Large-scale initiatives to map species across the planet and in the Tree of Life, as well as advances in computing, are expanding our understanding of evolution in exciting ways. This study can now provide an answer to the old question of why diversity varies so much across the world."
Cambridge scientists used new computational techniques to combine several giant datasets. These included the global distribution of 11,093 bird species and 5,302 mammals, and detailed evolutionary trees that track the origin of thousands of organisms through deep time.
In this way, the researchers were able to analyse the development of particularly species-rich areas within each of the Earth's great "biogeographical regionsfrom Australasia to the Nearctic.
They found that biodiversity hotspots in the tropics, such as South American forests and Indonesian islands, had higher rates of "speciationthe formation of new and distinct speciesover the last 25 million years.
For example, speciation rates for birds in hotspots of the Indo-Malay region were, on average, 36% higher than that region's non-hotspot areas. Hotspots in the Neotropics had almost 28% greater bird speciation compared to non-hotspots.
"Species generation is faster in the tropics, but we can now see it is extra-quick in these hotspots of biodiversity," said study lead author Dr. Javier Igea, also from Cambridge's Department of Plant Sciences.
"More rainfall and hotter temperatures bolster the ecosystems of tropical hotspots, producing more plants, more animals that feed on those plants, and so on," he said.
"The greater available energy and range of habitats within these hotspots supported the acceleration of species diversification."
The tropical hotspot of Madagascar, for example, holds 12 species of true lemur that diversified in the last ten million years. All of the 17 species of earthworm mice endemic to the Philippines were generated in the last six million years.
The famously diverse finches Darwin found in the Galapagos Islands, as featured in his revolutionary book On the Origin of Species, are an iconic example of rapid speciation in a tropical hotspot.
However, when it came to the more temperate regions of the Nearctic (North America) and Palearctic (Eurasia and North Africa), the researchers discovered a different story.
While the hotspots of these regions also had a wider range of resource and habitat than neighbouring areas, the data from the evolutionaryor phylogenetictrees revealed that most of their animals "speciated" somewhere else.
"Biodiversity hotspots in temperate zones have been shaped mainly by migration that occurred during the last 25 million years," said Igea.
"We suspect that this influx of immigrant species resulted from climate fluctuations across millions of years, particularly cooling. Biodiversity hotspots may have acted as a refuge where more species could survive in harsh climatic conditions," he said.
Igea points to species such as the Iberian lynx, now a native of the Mediterranean Basin hotspot, but found in central Europe during the Pleistoceneprior to the last Ice Age.
Or the yellow-billed magpie, which became isolated in California after becoming separated from its ancestral speciesmost likely due to glaciationsover three million years ago.
"We found that hotspots across the world all have a greater complexity of habitats and more environmental energy, but the processes that drive the biodiversity are very different for tropical and temperate zones," Igea said.
For Tanentzap, the importance of species migration in temperate regions suggests that maintaining connectivity between hotspots should be a priority for future conservation efforts.
"Many of these hotspot regions have species found nowhere else on Earth, yet face devastating levels of habitat loss. Protecting these areas is vital to conserving the natural world's diversity," he said.
Explore further New biodiversity hotspots questioned
More information: "Multiple macroevolutionary routes to becoming a biodiversity hot spot" Science Advances (2019). advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/2/eaau8067 Journal information: Science Advances "Multiple macroevolutionary routes to becoming a biodiversity hot spot"(2019). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aau8067
Under CEO Masayoshi Son, SoftBank has embarked on an investment drive pumping cash into a range of sectors outside its core software business
Japan's SoftBank Group said on Wednesday its net profit jumped more than 50 percent for the nine months to December thanks to strong returns from its high-tech investment fund.
Net profit rose 51.6 percent from a year earlier to 1.5 trillion yen ($13.7 billion), the mobile giant and IT investor said.
The rise was largely driven by gains of more than 800 billion yen from its investment funds, led by SoftBank Vision Fund whose partners include Saudi Arabia.
The company's ties with the Middle Eastern kingdom were put into sharp relief following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by a Saudi hit team at its Istanbul consulate.
SoftBank Corp, the mobile carrier arm of the technology conglomerate, said Tuesday its net profit jumped nearly 19 percent for the nine months to December, buoyed by a gain in subscribers.
It was the first earnings announcement since its disappointing stock market debut in December.
Under tycoon CEO Masayoshi Son, SoftBank, which started as a software firm, has increasingly been seen as an investment firm, ploughing funds into a broad range of companies and projects outside its core business.
In recent years, it has completed deals with the likes of French robotics firm Aldebaran and Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba.
It has also made high-profile investments in the autonomous vehicles sector, announcing a tie-up with car giant Toyota for "new mobility services" such as meal deliveries.
2019 AFP
A small-scale project in Horsham, Victoria, is a rare Australian example of social housing investment in support of energy sustainability. Credit: Trivess Moore/RMIT University
We know that safe, adequate, affordable and appropriate housing is essential for our health, well-being and social and economic security. However, even as house prices subside from recent record highs, many Australians struggle to obtain the housing they need to be as healthy, well and secure as they could be. An unacceptable number of Australians have no home at all.
How Australian governments meet such housing challenges has changed over time. Decades ago, direct investment in publicly owned housing was the core of their response. In the 1950s, state housing authorities built more than 100,000 dwellingsone in eight of all new homesat the time.
Over time, however, social housing has been recast as a welfare service. Political support has dwindled. Social housing is starved of funds, stigmatised and residualised.
Could changing how we think about social housing serve as a starting point for a renaissance? Policy advocates like the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) argue that social housing is actually a form of essential infrastructure. This is because it supports economic productivity and a range of other non-shelter outcomes.
Our research has examined whether changing how we think about social housing to see it as infrastructure might provide a pathway to increased investment.
What's the evidence for this approach?
Conceptually, we found a link between social housing and infrastructure: both operate as forms of spatially fixed, durable capital that enable economies and societies to work better. Governments need to be involved in providing infrastructure to realise its full benefitsbecause of the scale of investment needed and because effects are spread across the community. In the same way, realising all the benefits of social housing requires government involvement.
When we look at history, there is compelling evidence for this. For example, during Australia's post-war public housing construction boom, governments recognised their investment as necessary to enhance economic productivity, improve public health, and support families to thrive.
Across [Europe], especially in Finland, Austria and Scotland, we see social housing investment today undertaken in support of energy sustainability, economic stability, and social cohesion.
However, if social housing is to be considered as infrastructure, then proponents need to be more conversant with the practices and policies that sustain infrastructure investment. This includes developing credible, costed arguments to demonstrate the benefits of social housing relative to its cost. This isn't easymuch that is relevant to the purpose of social housing and the people who live in it cannot be quantified or monetised.
Public infrastructure and private finance
An even more fundamental challenge arises from prevailing ideas about how infrastructure should be financed and funded.
In infrastructure-speak, "financing" is the provision of money to build and maintain an infrastructure asset, and "funding" is the means of paying the costs of finance. Even as governments pay more attention to infrastructure policy, the prevailing view is that it should be privately financed by institutional investors like banks or super funds. The role of governments, according to this view, should be limited to funding investments where user charges won't deliver enough return to the investor.
This prevailing view comes from a deep-seated belief within Australian governments and the wider community that governments are always fiscally constrained and that the mark of a "good" government is a budget surplus.
These are not just surface beliefsthe norms and practices associated with them are embedded in the way bureaucracies and governments prepare and manage their budgets.
When there is not enough government money to go around, even with a rigorous, costed business case establishing beyond doubt the value of investment in social housing, it might not be recognised as high enough priority for any meaningful level of funding to result.
To change this belief, we need to do more than make a case for social housing as infrastructure. We need to make the case for social housing.
A vision for social housing
To make the case, we must confront the politics of housing. The prevailing narratives have benefited powerful interest groups and produced mounting debt and inequality.
But we can draw on the historical precedents of policies that created public wealth through public investment in rental housing and expanded opportunities for ownership. We need to make the case for government to take a stronger, more direct role in infrastructure investment by embracing its role as a patient investor and a deliberate co-creator and shaper of markets for specified public purposes.
Direct public investment is also the cheapest, most effective way to generate affordable housing supply that meets community needs and delivers vital economic and social benefits.
Engaging with this vision, and what it implies about the role of government in Australia today, offers us the chance to think differently enough about social housing to make not properly investing in it unthinkable.
Explore further Negative perception of social housing is outdated, say researchers
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
From right to left are: David C. Hooper, Ventsislav K. Valev, Joel T. Collins and Kristina R. Rusimova. Credit: University of Bath
A new physical effect has been demonstrated at the University of Bath after 40 years of pursuit by physicists around the world, which could lead to advancements in chemical manufacturing efficiency, miniaturisation and quality control in personalised pharmaceuticals.
For the first time ever the research team in the Department of Physics was able to use a physical effectspecifically the colour-changing of light scattered from chiral moleculesto measure the chirality present, confirming predictions of theoretical work from the 1970s.
The technique is 100,000 times more sensitive than standard methods used today.
Chirality describes the orientation of molecules, which can exist in left or right 'handed' forms depending on how they twist in three dimensions. Many molecules essential to life, including DNA, amino acids and proteins, exhibit chirality and the handedness can totally change their function or properties. Therefore knowing the chirality of a substance is often critically important.
For decades scientists had sought to prove that you could accurately determine the chirality of molecules by measuring a colour-changing (nonlinear) effect upon illumination with twisted (circularly polarised) light. In theory, twisted light could change colour and then scatter differently from differently handed moleculesbut this had never been demonstrated experimentally.
Dr. Ventsislav Valev, who leads the research group in the Department of Physics at the University of Bath, said: "We've demonstrated a new physical effectyou don't get to say that every day. This is exactly why I got into science.
"We began thinking about the problem 13 years ago, together with Prof Thierry Verbiest, at KU Leuven, Belgium. Because the effect was so elusive, I knew half of the solution would be to develop a very sensitive experimental setup. This is what I did for many years. The other half was finding the right samples and I was really excited to discover the nanoscopic silver springs (nano-helices) fabricated by Prof Peer Fischer's group, at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, in Stuttgart, Germany."
Ph.D. student Joel Collins had an incredible moment when running a series of tests on these springs.
He said: "To be honest my attitude was almost 'OK let's get this out the way to make sure it doesn't work and we can move onto something else'. Then, together with my colleague Dr. Kristina Rusimova, we noticed that there did actually seem to be an effect, and I thought 'Hmmmm, that's interesting.'
"We kept repeating the experiment to make sure it was actually a real effect and we saw that not only it's there but it's hugewe were only using really low concentrations of our nano-helices.
"For my part, I didn't really recognise how important it is, and was expecting someone to come along and rip it to shreds, to say - 'you haven't thought of that' or 'you've missed this'. But over time it has dawned on methat this is actually a fantastic result."
Joel Collins working in the lab. Credit: University of Bath
The experimental geometry is in fact quite simple; the nano-springs are dispersed in water within a glass container where they spread randomly. Then a laser is aimed at them. The twist (circular polarisation) of the laser is switched periodically and light scattered from the container at 90 is analysed to determine the chirality of the springs present. The research is published in Physical Review X.
Dr. Valev added: "It's taken 40 years, people have been looking for this without success, and not for lack of trying. It's amazing. The theory was quite controversial, people thought that maybe the effect was impossible to observe, maybe something else was there, blocking it.
"For 200 years, scientists have been using the same method to measure chirality. It's not very sensitive, but it's robust and simple, however precise measurements of chirality have become a major hurdle for human-made chiral nanotechnology because of false positives.
"Now we have a method 100,000 times more sensitive, free from false positives. There's a new kind of manufacturing process currently emerging. It is called 'lab-on-a-chip' and our effect fits very well with it.
"A more sensitive test means you can use lower quantities in quality control and reduce waste, there are applications in chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing, as well as in microfluidics, in miniaturisation and for developing personal pharmaceutical technologies."
Advanced laser sources, sensitive detection equipment and state-of-the-art nanofabrication techniques have all come together to enable the experimental observation of the new effect.
Professor David Andrews, from the University of East Anglia, theorised the effect 40 years ago. He said: "Dr. Valev's pioneering work is a clever and highly significant achievement, for he has realised a kind of application that could never have been imagined when the theory was first laid, forty years ago.
"His results serve as an encouragement to all pure theorists!"
Next, the researchers will be using their findings to characterise chiral molecules and to develop its technological applications.
The paper "First observation of optical activity in hyper-Rayleigh scattering" is published in Physical Review X.
Explore further Twisted meta-molecules as they really are
More information: "First observation of optical activity in hyper-Rayleigh scattering", Physical Review X (2019). Journal information: Physical Review X "First observation of optical activity in hyper-Rayleigh scattering",(2019). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevX.9.011024
DNA files can easily be transferred. Credit: Angellodeco/Shutterstock
Your DNA has become a valuable commodity. Companies such as 23andMe may charge you for an analysis of your genetic profile, but they make their real money from selling that data on to other companies.
Now healthcare providers are following suit by encouraging patients to take genetic tests that will create databases ostensibly for medical research. Britain's National Health Service (NHS) recently announced that it was launching such a scheme in an attempt to build a database of anonymised genetic data for researchers.
But recent reports that Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin in Dublin Ireland's largest children's hospital allegedly shared patient DNA data with a private firm without appropriate consent highlights the potential risk that comes with giving up your genetic records. Your DNA contains sensitive information that can be used to make important personal decisions about you and your family members. When you hand over these details to a large database whoever is building it you are ultimately risking it being used in ways you can't foresee and which aren't always to your benefit.
The first questions are where your data will end up and who will have access to it. The NHS is attempting to keep control of the genetic data it gathers by sharing it with researchers at its own company, Genomics England. But there has been no indication of what purposes the data can be used for, or what limits will be placed on its use or transfer to other research centres or companies. In the past, Genomics England met with Google to discuss how the tech firm might help analyse genetic data gathered under a previous scheme, the 100,000 Genomes Project.
A spokesperson for Genomics England told The Conversation that it had "no formal contractual relationship between Genomics England and Google". However, it said: "We have a mutual interest in secure data storage and we have meetings from time to time. As part of our mandate to stimulate the UK genomics industry, we are in touch with Google Ventures. They invest in life sciences companies which may be interested in working with us."
The recent Irish example of data transfer apparently without appropriate consent also reminds us that agreements and rules over who can access data can be broken. In January 2019, an investigation was launched into the alleged supply of 1,500 DNA samples from the Crumlin children's hospital to Genomics Medicine Ireland (GMI) without proper authorisation from patients.
If these allegations are true, it would represent a breach of European data protection law, which requires explicit consent for the processing of DNA data. What is perhaps more of a problem is that even when people are told what will happen with their data, they may not understand those uses or its potential consequences.
Initiatives such as the NHS project are justified by claims that they offer an efficient way to diagnose rare or undiscovered illnesses, speeding up treatment and improving patient outcomes. More broadly, proponents argue, sharing DNA data can allow researchers to spot patterns that would otherwise go unidentified, increasing scientific understanding and aiding in the development of treatments.
But having your DNA sequenced isn't just a way of finding out if you are at risk of a disease or making an altruistic contribution to an abstract research project. DNA data exposes our most inherent characteristics, revealing ethnic or racial groupings, as well as outlining current and future health issues. Some people have even tried to link DNA tests to intelligence.
Concerns about linking individuals to the characteristics revealed by their DNA are usually countered by claims that the data is anonymised. But both practical experience and academic work have shown that anonymised data can often be reassociated with the people it was collected from.
So sharing your genetic information could expose you to potential discrimination if it ends up with the wrong people or is used for the wrong purposes. Being offered different health insurance coverage and at different prices is the most obvious risk. But depending on who buys the data, pharmaceutical companies, employers and even government authorities could access your DNA and make decisions based on it.
Democratic governments can't typically gather DNA evidence without the permission of a judge or via another legal procedure. But in the case of the "Golden State Killer", US law enforcement agencies used DNA data from a public genealogy database to obtain evidence they wouldn't otherwise have been able to collect. This raises concerns about the willingness of governments to use genetic records originally made to explore people's ancestry for a very different purpose.
Giving away family secrets
The Golden State Killer case is all the more important because it highlights the most fundamental issue with DNA-sharing initiatives. When you share your DNA, you're also sharing data about your entire family, who haven't necessarily consented. The Golden State Killer didn't get a DNA test but one of his relatives did. When enough people share their DNA, the genetic profile of entire communities becomes available.
A study of the database that was used to catch the killer estimated that it contained the profiles of 0.5% of the US population, yet this represented family members (third cousin or closer) of 60% of white Americans. With 2% of the population, that figure would increase to 90%.
GMI currently plans to build the world's largest whole-genome database of some 400,000 participants roughly a tenth of Ireland's population from a presence in all the country's major hospitals. This would likely give the firm information on almost every family group in Ireland and a huge proportion of the Irish diaspora (estimated at 70m), enabling it to identify the most private characteristics of a global population.
This shows how, when some people allow their DNA data to be shared, it could expose both them and their families to risk and erode the rights of everyone else, meaning we all have a stake in how genetic records are shared. Organisations must be required to be clearer about who will use the DNA data they collect, and for what to prevent risk of misuse.
Explore further Dramatic advances in forensics expose the need for genetic data legislation
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain
A team of researchers with the Swedish Natural History Museum and Uppsala University has found evidence of hopping by a 20-million-year-old kangaroo relative. In their paper published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, the group describes their study of fossils unearthed in northwest Queensland, Australia, and what they found.
Scientists have been puzzling over the history of kangaroo hopping for many yearsbecause of the lack of kangaroo fossils older than 2 million years, though, it has been difficult to pinpoint when they evolved from walking or climbing creatures to animals that stand upright and get around by hopping. Prior research has suggested that the development of hopping was the result of a changing climateAustralia was once a lot wetter than it is today, with forests covering land that is now overrun with grasses. Standing upright in grasslands is advantageous, as can be seen in prairie dog behavior in parts of the U.S.; hopping is a way to move very quickly in such an environment, as observed with rabbits, most of which are also native to grasslands. In this new effort, the researchers have found evidence that suggests hopping might have started long before grasslands took over large parts of Australia, casting doubt on current theories about the evolutionary timeline of kangaroo hopping.
The work by the researchers involved studying the fossil remains of an ancient marsupial species called balbaridsthey were distant cousins of kangaroos and went extinct approximately 10 to 15 million years ago. Recently, one of the most complete balbarid skeletons ever found was unearthed, providing the opportunity to learn more about both the species and the origin of hopping in Australian creatures. The fossils were dated to approximately 20 million years ago. To better understand how the balbarid and other close relatives likely moved around, the team built models of them based on leg, ankle and other bone shapes. In so doing, they discovered that some of the creatures were likely climbers, others crawlers, and some walked upright and hopped around like modern kangaroos. The researchers suggest these findings mean that the history of kangaroo hopping will have to be revisited, because if ancient ancestors were hopping around 20 million years ago, it seems possible that kangaroos were, too.
Phylogenetic timescale of Macropodoidea (white square) depicting the convergent appearance of arboreal/ scansorial locomotion (green) in balbarids and crown Macropodidae (black square). Background colour gradient infers the hypothesized locomotory transition from predominantly terrestrial quadrupedal progression (tan), as characterized by the extant quadruped Hypsiprymnodon moschatus (top right body-form silhouette), to increasingly bipedal saltating gaits (yellow) in crown potoroines and macropodines (bottom right body-form silhouette); this is correlated against a schematic of changing palaeohabitats through time (modified from Kear et al.). Dashed outline indicates uncertain taxonomic assignment of QM F59022 QM F59025. Graphics produced with Adobe CC2016 by B.P.K. Credit: Royal Society Open Science (2019). doi/10.1098/rsos.181617
Explore further A new take on kangaroo evolution
More information: Climbing adaptations, locomotory disparity, and ecological convergence in ancient stem 'kangaroos' , Royal Society Open Science (2019). Journal information: Royal Society Open Science Climbing adaptations, locomotory disparity, and ecological convergence in ancient stem 'kangaroos' ,(2019). rsos.royalsocietypublishing.or /10.1098/rsos.181617
2019 Science X Network
Credit: CC0 Public Domain
About 8 million metric tons of plastic waste winds up in the oceans every yearbottles, bags and doo-dads that eventually break down into tiny pieces, called microplastics. These inedible bits have now been found in human fecal samples, but do microplastics cause harm to people? That's the question many researchers are pondering, according to an article in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society.
Senior Editor Alex Scott explains that seabirds and marine animalsincluding some fish that humans eatoften take up microplastics from the ocean. Humans also might ingest these small bits as they are shed from plastic packaging or from using products that contain them. A recent small-scale study recently identified microplastics in human feces, so people can have them in their bodies. But do they just get eliminated in the stool, or do they get into organs and cause damage?
That's not such an easy question to answer. Not all microplastics are equalthey can be made of different compounds and additives that could have different effects. In addition, contaminant compounds and bacteria can hitch a ride on microplastics, potentially complicating analyses. Despite these challenges, many organizations around the world are now trying to get a handle on this issue. Some are funding studies, and others are setting up task forces and holding symposia to figure out best practices and standards. Although much remains to be determined, one thing scientists all seem to agree on is that consumers should continue enjoying shellfish and other seafood until the evidence is in and the analyses are completed.
Explore further Japan passes anti-plastic law but with no sanctions for polluters
Cuckoo rays have returned to Whiting Bay, part of the South Arran Marine Protected Area, in which scallop dredging is strictly prohibited. Credit: Howard Wood/COAST
A recent paper on the effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in northern Europe ("Elevated trawling inside protected areas undermines conservation outcomes in a global fishing hot spot") reveals that industrial-scale fishing primarily the use of bottom-trawl fishing is widespread in so-called protected areas that were established specifically to safeguard highly biodiverse marine and coastal habitats across the North Sea. We welcome this important and timely piece of research. Unfortunately, a number of the press reports that covered this paper's findings included sensationalist and misleading headlines that are potentially very damaging to the cause of marine conservation.
Through looking at levels of destructive trawling and the presence of sharks and rays in North Sea MPAs, the paper concludes that these sites are failing to restrict damaging fishing and, therefore, to help in the recovery of threatened species. A similar situation exists in Scotland where of the 31 MPAs designated for nature conservation only six wholly restrict bottom-trawl and dredge fishing. This paper raises an important issue that Fauna & Flora International (FFI) has grappled with across the areas where we work. It is clear that MPAs as a tool for conserving marine biodiversity will be effective only if they are well implemented and offer genuine, unambiguous protection for marine life.
If MPAs are to live up to their name, they need to be the right size and in the right place to protect marine biodiversity, be built on a foundation of collaboration and local support, and have the human, technical and financial resources in place to achieve lasting recovery of species and habitats. All of these things add up to real protection, resulting in MPAs that can stand the test of time, will restrict activities that damage or harm marine life, and can be replicated and extended across communities, coastlines and countries.
Local fishing boats in Koh Rong Archipelago, Cambodia. Credit: Jeremy Holden/FFI
However, some newspaper headlines covering the paper's findings (for example, describing nature as "worse off" inside MPAs) have done this research and the whole MPA concept a disservice, and provided unwarranted ammunition to those who would oppose ocean protection by misinterpreting the point being made. The authors are not saying that MPAs don't work, but that these MPAs are not being managed so they don't have the chance to work. The idea that MPAs are a waste of time, finances and resources makes for a compelling headline, but in reality there is a wealth of evidence that well-managed MPAs can work for people and for biodiversity and the paper, in a sense, confirms this finding.
Since 2010, FFI has worked across 55 sites to secure better protection and management for marine biodiversity and we have amassed a strong evidence base (complementing the vast amount of global evidence) on the effectiveness of MPAs when set up to deliver lasting impact. In Turkey, for example, the Gokova Bay Special Environmental Protected Area is managed to restrict damaging trawling and purse-seining, provides even stricter ("no-take zone") protection for highly sensitive inshore bays and caves and has strong local and national support across civil society and government organisations. As the site continues to witness long-term change for the better including a dramatic recovery in apex predatory fish (such as groupers) and increased income from low-impact fishing it is no surprise this model of MPA is now being replicated across a much wider Turkish seascape.
Across Southeast Asia, effective MPAs are driving the revitalisation of globally significant marine habitats, from coral reefs to seagrass. In Cambodia's Koh Rong archipelago, a unique patchwork of protection encompassing fully protected zones and areas exclusively for fishing community use has led to early signs of ecosystem recovery, especially in terms of abundance of reef fish and size and health of seagrass beds. In the Indonesian province of Aceh, decades of MPA planning, local capacity building and financial support have led to a growing network of marine sites that blend protection based on traditional beliefs and fishing heritage with more formal restrictions based on biological research and monitoring.
Acehs spectacular coastal riches are benefiting from a combination of traditional and formal protection measures. Credit: Rakhmat Dirgantara/FFI
We urgently need to protect marine life and must look carefully and critically at how we do this to ensure that time is not wasted. It is important that misinterpretation of evidence is not used to discredit MPAs. But equally we shouldn't tolerate the development of MPAs that aren't going to be effective either because they haven't been designed or purposed for conservation or because they lack effective management (in terms of either restrictions or enforcement). Nor should we ever see imposition of MPAs in ways that are socially unfair and unsupported, and thus unenforceable. Paper parks won't save our oceans, but effective MPAs will.
If we want to protect our changing ocean from climate breakdown, destructive fishing, escalating pollution and other growing threats, we need to prioritise what works. At FFI, we strongly believe (and can prove) that Marine Protected Areas if well designed, well supported and well managed are a fundamental part of the global movement to reverse the decline in marine life.
Explore further Industrial fishing in marine protected areas poses significant threats to endangered sharks and other species
The weather these days is wild and will be wilder still within a century. In part, because the water from melting ice sheets off Greenland and in the Antarctic will cause extreme weather and unpredictable temperatures around the globe. Credit: Natalya Gomez, McGill University
The weather these days is wild and will be wilder still within a century. In part, because the water from melting ice sheets off Greenland and in the Antarctic will cause extreme weather and unpredictable temperatures around the globe. A study published today in Nature is the first to simulate the effects, under current climate policies, that the two melting ice sheets will have on ocean temperatures and circulation patterns as well as on air temperatures by the year 2100.
Consequences for ocean circulation and water and air temperatures
"Under current global government policies, we are heading towards 3 or 4 degrees of warming above pre-industrial levels, causing a significant amount of melt water from the Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets to enter Earth's oceans. According to our models, this melt water will cause significant disruptions to ocean currents and change levels of warming around the world," says Associate Professor Nick Golledge from Victoria University of Wellington's Antarctic Research Centre in New Zealand. He led the international research team made up of scientists from Canada, New Zealand, the UK, Germany and the USA.
The research team combined highly detailed simulations of the complex climate effects of the melting with satellite observations of recent changes to the ice sheets. As a result, the researchers have been able to create more reliable and accurate predictions of what will occur under current climate policies.
Warming in Eastern Canada and cooling in Northwestern Europe
Professor Natalya Gomez, from the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at McGill contributed to the study by modelling projected changes to water levels around the globe as ice melts into the ocean. The ice sheet simulations suggest that the fastest increase in the rise of sea levels is likely to occur between 2065 and 2075. Melting ice sheets will affect water temperatures and circulation patterns in the world's oceans, which will in turn affect air temperaturesin a complex ice-ocean-atmosphere feedback loop.
The researchers believe that the melting ice sheets off Greenland and in the Antarctic will result in changes to ocean temperatures and circulation patterns as well as changes to air temperature in various parts of the globe within a century. Credit: Natalya Gomez
"Water levels would not simply rise like a bathtub," says Gomez. "Some areas in the world, such as the island nations in the Pacific, would experience a large rise in sea level, while close to the ice sheets the sea level would actually fall."
However, the effects of ice sheet melt are far more widespread than simply leading to changes in sea levels. As warmer melt water enters the oceans, for example in the North Atlantic Ocean, major ocean currents such as the Gulf Stream will be significantly weakened. This will lead to warmer air temperatures in the high Arctic, Eastern Canada and Central America, and cooler temperatures over northwestern Europe on the other side of the Atlantic.
According to the researchers, current global climate policies set in place under the Paris Agreement do not take into account the full effects of ice sheet melt likely to be seen in the future. Credit: Natalya Gomez
New information to help shape future climate policies
According to the researchers, current global climate policies set in place under the Paris Agreement do not take into account the full effects of ice sheet melt likely to be seen in future.
"Sea level rise from ice sheet melt is already happening and has been accelerating in recent years. Our new experiments show that this will continue to some extent even if Earth's climate is stabilized. But they also show that if we drastically reduce emissions, we can limit future impacts," says Golledge.
More information: Global environmental consequences of twenty-first-century ice-sheet melt, Nature (2019). www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-0889-9 Journal information: Nature Global environmental consequences of twenty-first-century ice-sheet melt,(2019). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-0889-9
Credit: Oregon State University
At least 200 species of large animals are decreasing in number and more than 150 are under threat of extinction, according to new research that suggests humans' meat consumption habits are primarily to blame.
Findings published today in Conservation Letters involved a study of nearly 300 species of "megafauna."
Of those species' populations, 70 percent are in decline, and 59 percent of the species are threatened with disappearing from the globe, said the study's corresponding author, William Ripple, distinguished professor of ecology in the Oregon State University College of Forestry.
"Direct harvest for human consumption of meat or body parts is the biggest danger to nearly all of the large species with threat data available," Ripple said. "Thus, minimizing the direct killing of these vertebrate animals is an important conservation tactic that might save many of these iconic species as well as all of the contributions they make to their ecosystems."
Ripple and colleagues in the College of Forestry were part of an international collaboration that built a list of megafauna based on body size and taxonomyqualifying for the list were species unusually large in comparison to other species in the same class.
The mass thresholds the researchers decided on were 100 kilograms (220 pounds) for mammals, ray-finned fish and cartilaginous fish and 40 kilograms (88 pounds) for amphibians, birds and reptiles since species within these classes are generally smaller.
"Those new thresholds extended the number and diversity of species included as megafauna, allowing for a broader analysis of the status and ecological effects of the world's largest vertebrate animals," Ripple said. "Megafauna species are more threatened and have a higher percentage of decreasing populations than all the rest of the vertebrate species together."
Over the past 500 years, as humans' ability to kill wildlife at a safe distance has become highly refined, 2 percent of megafauna species have gone extinct. For all sizes of vertebrates, the figure is 0.8 percent.
"Our results suggest we're in the process of eating megafauna to extinction," Ripple said. "Through the consumption of various body parts, users of Asian traditional medicine also exert heavy tolls on the largest species. In the future, 70 percent will experience further population declines and 60 percent of the species could become extinct or very rare."
Nine megafauna species have either gone extinct overall, or gone extinct in all wild habitats, in the past 250 years, including two species of giant tortoise, one of which disappeared in 2012, and two species of deer.
"In addition to intentional harvesting, a lot of land animals get accidentally caught in snares and traps, and the same is true of gillnets, trawls and longlines in aquatic systems," Ripple said. "And there's also habitat degradation to contend with. When taken together, these threats can have major negative cumulative effects on vertebrate species."
Among those threatened is the Chinese giant salamander, which can grow up to 6 feet long and is one of only three living species in an amphibian family that traces back 170 million years. Considered a delicacy in Asia, it's under siege by hunting, development and pollution, and its extinction in the wild is now imminent.
"Preserving the remaining megafauna is going to be difficult and complicated," Ripple said. "There will be economic arguments against it, as well as cultural and social obstacles. But if we don't consider, critique and adjust our behaviors, our heightened abilities as hunters may lead us to consume much of the last of the Earth's megafauna."
Explore further When it comes to the threat of extinction, size matters
More information: William J. Ripple et al, Are we eating the world's megafauna to extinction?, Conservation Letters (2019). Journal information: Conservation Letters William J. Ripple et al, Are we eating the world's megafauna to extinction?,(2019). DOI: 10.1111/conl.12627
Satellite immages Petermann glacier . Credit: ASTER; Sentinel-2
Cracks in the floating ice tongue of Petermann Glacier in the far northwest reaches of Greenland indicate the pending loss of another large iceberg. As glaciologists from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) report in a new study, the glacier's flow rate has increased by an average of 10 percent since the calving event in 2012, during which time new cracks have also formeda quite natural process. However, the experts' model simulations also show that, if these ice masses truly break off, Petermann Glacier's flow rate will likely accelerate further and transport more ice out to sea, with corresponding effects on the global sea level. The study was recently released in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface and is freely available.
Located in the outermost northwest corner of Greenland, Petermann Glacier is one of the most prominent glaciers in the region: partly because its catchment encompasses four percent of the Greenland Ice Sheet, and partly because it is one of only three glaciers in Greenland with a floating ice tongue. That tongue currently extends roughly 70 kilometres into Petermann Fjord. Cracks 12 kilometres above the previous glacier edge indicate that, in the near future, another major iceberg could calve from Petermann Glacier.
Glaciologists at the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) in Bremerhaven came to this conclusion after analysing satellite imagery of the glacier from the past ten years. "The satellite data shows that Petermann Glacier had a flow speed of roughly 1135 metres per year in the winter of 2016. That equates to an acceleration of about 10 percent in comparison to the winter of 2011, and we asked ourselves what was responsible for the increased speed," explains AWI glaciologist and co-author Niklas Neckel.
Fjord sidewalls serve as stabilizing effect to the glacier
The researchers subsequently simulated the glacier's observed ice transport in a computer model and were able to confirm that the loss of a large iceberg in August 2012 is what triggered the acceleration. "On their way to the sea, the glacier's ice masses rub along the rock walls that enclose the fjord to the left and right. If a major iceberg breaks away from the end of the glacier's tongue, it will reduce the tongue's overall length, and with it, the route along which the ice masses scrape against the stone. This in turn limits the walls' braking effect, so that the glacier begins flowing faster," explains AWI ice modeller and first author Martin Ruckamp.
The computer model predicts that a new calving event would produce a similar acceleration. "We can't predict when Petermann Glacier will calve again, or whether a calving event would actually calve along the cracks we identified in the ice tongue," says Ruckamp. "But we can safely assume that, if it does come to a new calving event, the tongue will retreat considerably, and the rock's stabilizing effect will further decline."
An effect of climate change?
To what extent Petermann Glacier's accelerated ice transport is due to various global warming impacts is a question that the experts haven't yet investigated in depth. "We now know that the loss of icebergs increases the glacier's flow rate. In addition, we've observed that calving events on Petermann Glacier are happening more frequently. But the question of whether these changes are due to the warming atmosphere over Greenland, or to warmer seawater, isn't an aspect that we could investigate using the satellite data," says Niklas Neckel. Nevertheless, the experts consider the acceleration of Petermann Glacier to be an important signal. Unlike the glaciers in southeast and southwest Greenland, those in the island's northern reaches have remained largely stable; now that appears to have changed.
Since 2002, the Greenland Ice Sheet and the island's glaciers have lost an average of 286 billion tonnes of ice per year. This loss of mass is above all due to intensified surface melting in the summer. Iceberg calving has also increased: Greenland's glaciers are now losing a forth more ice in the form of calving events than in the comparison period (1960 to 1990). Potential causes include warmer ocean currents, which melt the glaciers' floating tongues from below; and meltwater, which percolate into cracks and crevasses until it reaches the glacier bed, where it acts like a lubricant, causing ice flows to accelerate. The total annual global sea-level rise is ca. 3.3 millimetres, of which the loss of ice on Greenland is currently contributing ca. 0.7 millimetres.
More information: Martin Ruckamp et al, Calving Induced Speedup of Petermann Glacier, Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface (2019). Martin Ruckamp et al, Calving Induced Speedup of Petermann Glacier,(2019). DOI: 10.1029/2018JF004775
Jack Boyle (left), Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow of Environmental Science and Policy at W&M, is the lead author on a paper recently published in the journal PNAS. Assistant Professor of Biology Josh Puzey (right) is a co-author along with Associate Professor of Biology Harmony Dalgleish (not pictured). Credit: Stephen Salpukas
To get a better understanding of the monarch butterfly's future, Jack Boyle built a time machine.
Boyle, a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow of Environmental Science and Policy at William & Mary, has been using the web to mine millions of century-old botany records to track abundance patterns of milkweed in America. Contrary to claims made by scientists and activists for decades, he's learned that genetically modified crops are not the main culprit for the decline of milkweed, the principal host plant for monarchs.
"We're attacking, in a very mild way, the received wisdom that the big thing we need to worry about with monarchs is genetically modified crops, that all this spraying of herbicide has devastated the milkweeds," Boyle said. "Of course, we can't rule out that that's been what's happening in the past 20 or so years, but that's only the tail end of milkweed decline. They've been dying off since the middle of the 20th century, long before genetically modified crops."
Boyle is the lead author on a paper detailing his findings, which was recently published in the journal PNAS. His co-authors are Assistant Professor of Biology Josh Puzey and Associate Professor of Biology Harmony Dalgleish.
Using digitized records from museums and herbaria throughout North America, the researchers were able to track the relative abundance of both monarchs and milkweeds for more than a century, from 1900 to 2016. They found that both monarchs and milkweeds increased during the early 20th century and recent declines are actually part of a much longer trend beginning around 1950.
"Herbicide resistant crops are clearly not the only culprit, and likely not even the primary culprit," the paper states. "Not only did monarch and milkweed declines begin decades before GM crops were introduced, but other variables, particularly a decline in the number of farms, predict common milkweed trends more strongly over the period studied."
Common milkweedor Asclepias syriacais best known for its relationship with the monarch. The plant serves as the insect's primary breeding habitat. The butterflies lay eggs on milkweed, they hatch on milkweed, eat milkweed leaves and spend the next two stages of their lives on milkweed.
Historically, milkweed has made its home in corn and soy fields, growing just between the rows or on the edges of farmland. The conventional wisdom for the past two decades has been that the largest contributor to the loss of milkweed in America was the advent of genetically modified organisms (or GMOs) that were designed to resist herbicides, Boyle said.
"The butterfly's dramatic decline has been driven in large part by the widespread planting of genetically engineered crops," read a 2017 report by the Center for Biological Diversity. "The dramatic surge in the use of Roundup and other herbicides ... has virtually wiped out milkweed plants in the Midwest's corn and soybean fields."
The conventional wisdom for the past two decades has been that the largest contributor to the loss of milkweed in America was the advent of genetically modified organisms (or GMOs) that were designed to resist herbicides. Credit: Stephen Salpukas
Boyle says the decline in family farms in favor of industrial agriculture has made more of an impact on the habitat for milkweed. The timing of monarch and milkweed declines roughly correspond to the mid-century agricultural revolution, the paper states, which led to increased mechanization and chemical inputs to farmland.
Since then, the United States has seen rapid growth in average farm size, accompanied by an equally rapid decline in the number of farms. Since 1900, the number of American farms has fallen by 63 percent, while the average farm size has risen 67 percent, according to the USDA.
Still, the team's findings indicate there are a lot of unknowns.
"We tested the role of farm size, herbicide use and fertilizer use," Puzey said. "Collectively, the model explained less than 20 percent of the variation in milkweed abundance. In other words, there's a lot of variation in milkweed abundance that's not explained by farm size, herbicide use or fertilizer use."
The team extracted digitized collection information for 1,191 specimens of monarchs and 39,510 specimens of milkweed, collected over a 116-year period. The researchers knew that taxonomists would vary in their collection efforts over that period, so they accounted for variability by calculating "relative abundance" for both butterflies and milkweed.
They divided the number of milkweed and monarch specimens collected each year by the total number of vascular plant and moth and butterfly specimens collected within the same geographic range. If total collection was down for all specimens, as it was during World War II, then the number of milkweed and monarchs specimens would still reflect their abundance, not a lull in collection.
"There's not a lot of cookie cutter methodology to use with these kinds of data," Boyle said. "I think that's mostly just because they're new. As the scientific community starts playing with these datasets more, I think we're going to be able to do more and more compelling kinds of research."
Boyle explained that the team's key finding is there is still much more research to do. While GMOs may not be the main culprit, monarchs are still dying off at a disturbing rate. Over the past 25 years, the migratory population of the monarch has experienced a drastic decline, as much as 80 percent, the paper states.
"I think the main takeaway from this paper is if we really want to understand why milkweed is declining and why the monarch is declining, we need to figure out what is going on with that other 80 percent not explained by our model," Puzey said. "What is causing this massive variation is simply not explained by these agricultural parameters."
Explore further Century-old botany records may hold key to monarch butterfly survival
More information: J. H. Boyle et al. Monarch butterfly and milkweed declines substantially predate the use of genetically modified crops, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2019). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences J. H. Boyle et al. Monarch butterfly and milkweed declines substantially predate the use of genetically modified crops,(2019). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1811437116
In February, Texans experienced forced rolling and extended blackouts ordered by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas as demand for electricity spiked during a winter storm. On Monday, ERCOT took precaution to avoid blackouts by urging Texans to conserve power through Friday as summer temperatures continue to rise. Approximately 12,000 megawatts of generation were offline Monday, and ERCOT officials said the outages were unexpected. Are you satisfied with ERCOTs oversight of the states electric grid?
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Stickleback make their home in lakes across Canada, including British Columbia's Kennedy Lake, where Rudman collected fish for his study. The lake has stable populations of stickleback with both high and low amounts of bony plating on their bodies. Credit: Seth Rudman
In a remote area of British Columbia's Vancouver Island, Kennedy Lake's deep blue waters stretch over 25 square miles. The lake is home to the threespine stickleback, a diminutive fish species that has provided rich fodder for evolutionary study.
These sticklebacks thrive in both marine and freshwater habitats and exist in most of the inland waters that dot the northern coasts of North America, Europe, and Asia. Significant to scientists, the species has a conspicuously variable trait governed by a single gene: the amount of bony plating, or "armoring," on their bodies.
Variations in this gene in this tiny fish species have the potential to alter the broader aquatic ecosystem, according to new research led by University of Pennsylvania postdoctoral researcher Seth Rudman. Fish with more armoring released more phosphorous into the water around them, the researchers found. Because phosphorous is such a key element in aquatic ecosystems, such a difference may have trickle-down effects on microbes, plants, and algae in freshwater or marine area.
"Genomics has played such a large role in advancing biological research in many, many disciplines and subdisciplines," says Rudman, the lead author on the work, who completed the investigations with colleagues during his doctoral studies at the University of British Columbia (UBC). "But the thing that I think about most and is the motivation for this study is how do we apply genomics to help us better understand ecosystems? In a way I view this work as a proof-of-concept that there are scenarios in which changes in individual genes can have effects on ecology."
The team used novel methods to assess how evolution influences the elemental make-up of individual fish, essentially viewing the organisms as a sack of atomscarbon, calcium, strontium, and the like. What they found indicated that evolution has acted not only to differentiate the elemental composition of marine fish compared to their freshwater counterparts but has also influenced their ability to take up elements from the environment.
"I think the fact that evolution really did affect ion movement for these fish is surprising," Rudman says of the work, which appears in the journal Ecology Letters.
Generally, sticklebacks in marine waters have more plating, while sticklebacks in freshwater have less. But Kennedy Lake's stickleback population is unusual in having stable populations of both "low-plated" and "high-plated" fish, traits governed by the Eda gene, making it an ideal site for study.
When Rudman and colleagues collected both types of fish from the lake and placed them in filtered water, they found the high-plated fish excreted more phosphorous compared to low-plated fish. Using methods more often associated with toxicology studies to track radio isotopes, they also found the high-plated fish took up more calcium.
The finding suggests that the version of the Eda gene a fish possesses influences how it interacts with its surrounding environment, potentially triggering ecosystem-wide effects.
Threespine stickleback, which occupy lakes across the northern latitudes, are a tiny fish with an outsize impact on evolutionary research. A Penn biologist has found that a single gene affects the way they interact with their environment. Credit: Seth Rudman
In a second part of the study, Rudman and coauthors looked at fish in other areas of British Columbia, collecting them from either marine environments, where fish tend to be more plated, or freshwater ones associated with low-plating, to look for signs the populations had adapted to their local environment and the ecological implications of those changes. To do so, the researchers examined what the fish were made of chemically.
"I think one of the newer components of this paper is we're able to think about these organisms as a chemical cocktail," Rudman says, "and when we do that we're able to explicitly link changes in them to changes in the way they're interacting with the environment."
Wild-caught marine and freshwater fish differed considerably in their so-called "ionome," the composition of elements they contained, the team discovered. These differences persisted even when marine fish were rasied in freshwater and freshwater fish were raised in saltwater.
However the fish also showed signs of adapting to their new environments.
"We found that when marine fish were placed in freshwater, their ability to assimilate phosphorous increased," says Rudman. "This makes a lot of sense because phosphorous is really a limiting element in freshwater systems."
Taken together, the study points to a rare case where scientists have been able to link a genetic difference to a physical trait and then link that trait to a potential ecosystem effect, since other organisms could make use of the elements the fish extrude or take up. Rudman also notes that the findings underscore how quickly evolutionary changes that influence these ecological effects can occur.
"Darwin said that evolution is slow, happening over eons, and ecology is happening today in our backyards," Rudman says. "But that is not true. Evolution is happening fast in many systems, within a summer for a fruit fly or across a decade for sticklebacks."
Rapid evolution, a feature of changing conditions like those we see today, will have ecological consequences, he adds, and may one day help scientists predict how species will respond to challenges to come.
"This presents a way in which evolution and ecology could be very tightly coupled in determining the fate of populations and species under future conditions," Rudman says.
Explore further Humans speeding up evolution by causing extinction of 'younger' species
More information: Seth M. Rudman et al, Ionome and elemental transport kinetics shaped by parallel evolution in threespine stickleback, Ecology Letters (2019). Journal information: Ecology Letters Seth M. Rudman et al, Ionome and elemental transport kinetics shaped by parallel evolution in threespine stickleback,(2019). DOI: 10.1111/ele.13225
Credit: CC0 Public Domain
Canadian households that rely on publicly funded income supports are much more likely to face food insecurity than those reliant on employment income, according to new research from the University of Toronto.
The study is one of the most comprehensive to elucidate the socio-demographics of food insecurity in Canada, and it shows wide disparities in risk by province and territory, age and Indigeneity, among other factors.
Food insecurity is the inadequate or uncertain access to food due to financial constraint, and a growing body of evidence shows it has major effects on physical and mental health, and health-care costs.
Income supports associated with a high risk of food insecurity included social assistance, employment insurance and workers' compensation, the researchers found even after controlling for education, household composition and many other factors. Households reliant on social assistance were almost three times more likely to be food-insecure, and 16 times more likely when the researchers did not control for other factors.
"This study shows loud and clear that if you happen to be unfortunate enough to require income support, your probability of food insecurity is quite high, unless you're a senior," said Valerie Tarasuk, a professor of nutritional sciences in the Faculty of Medicine and principal investigator on the study. "It really calls into question the adequacy of the income supports provided by Canada's hallmark social programs, while highlighting the protective effect of public pensions for seniors."
The research was published in the journal BMC Public Health, and included data from 2011-12 on 120,000 households.
The study is the first to examine food insecurity by location of residence while accounting for a wide range of demographics, and it offers new insights on comparative risk among provinces and territories. Living in Nova Scotia or Alberta was associated with higher odds of marginal, moderate and severe food insecurity compared to Ontario, for example. And in Nunavut, the risk for severe food insecurity was more than six times higher than in Ontario.
Another novel finding was that households in Quebec had a lower risk of food insecurity than those in Ontario, despite a higher prevalence of the problem.
"We only see the protection associated with Quebec when we take into account socio-demographic differences of households in Quebec versus Ontario," said Tarasuk, who is also a member of the Joannah & Brian Lawson Centre for Child Nutrition and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at U of T. "If Quebec didn't confer such protection on its residents, its prevalence would be way higher, given the population demographics."
Tarasuk said the evidence does not show why living in Quebec limits risk for food insecurity, but that it raises questions about the province's lower cost of living and household debt-to-asset ratio, its child-care program and other social and family supports, and higher rates of unionization, which all warrant more study. Quebecers' risk for severe food insecurity in particular was much lower 41 per cent less than for Ontarians.
Households with Indigenous respondents were more likely to be food insecure than non-Indigenous Canadians, as other studies have found. But the researchers showed that even after controlling for other demographics, households with Indigenous respondents still had a 54 per cent higher risk.
"Our study excludes people living on reserve, and so by design it doesn't capture the worst of this problem," said Tarasuk. "Yet these numbers are still picking up a bad story."
Explore further Household food insecurity at record high in the North, researchers say
More information: Faraz V Shahidi et al. The impact of social assistance programs on population health: a systematic review of research in high-income countries, BMC Public Health (2019). Journal information: BMC Public Health Faraz V Shahidi et al. The impact of social assistance programs on population health: a systematic review of research in high-income countries,(2019). DOI: 10.1186/s12889-018-6337-1
Credit: CC0 Public Domain
In the wake of Australia sweltering through its hottest two months on record December and January University of South Australia academics are calling for urgent changes to the country's building codes.
Poorly designed homes are ill-equipped to handle sustained heat and lead not only to soaring energy bills, but also contribute to global warming, says UniSA Professor of Environmental Mathematics, John Boland.
"Our increasing reliance on air conditioning is causing untold damage to the environment, emitting greenhouse gases and warming the globe even more," Prof Boland says.
"What's needed are brand new building codes which make things like wall insulation, double glazing and restrictions on window placement mandatory for all new homes.
"Simply complying with a 6-star rating (the current requirement) is useless because not only is that energy rating rarely checked; it does not consider climate change.
"Moreover, since the star rating is done on total energy use over the year, a design can be highly rated based on its energy use in winter. The house can still cause a lot of heat stress in summer.
"We need to get away from this idea that everything is voluntary in relation to building codes. Alternative energy sources like solar are great, but nothing beats a good design. We should be designing homes which use the least amount of energy rather than desperately searching for options which allow us to use more energy for less money."
Prof Boland says building energy efficient homes from scratch does not cost a lot more than a standard home, contrary to popular belief.
"Getting the aspect and materials right should be the first priorities. Simple things like ensuring houses have less than a quarter of their windows on the west-facing side; installing wall as well as roof insulation; and double or even triple glazing windows should be considered. The energy savings will more than offset any upfront costs," he says.
UniSA geospatial scientist Associate Professor David Bruce says even solar panels need to be properly designed and located to get the most out of them. A recently published paper which he and others co-authored with recent Ph.D. graduate Humaid Al Badi shows that power output from solar panels is 15-30 per cent less effective in very humid environments when significant dust is present in the atmosphere.
"Dust and humidity are enemies of solar. When water molecules bind with dust particles, they stick to the solar panels. If there is dust or water on the surface, radiation from the sun cannot penetrate effectively."
Development of self-cleaning solar panels will hopefully overcome this problem in future, Prof Bruce says.
Explore further Overreliance on air conditioning is driving up power prices in Australia
A crucial fact is that President Trump cannot withdraw from the Paris Agreement until the day after the next presidential election, said Kelly Sims Gallagher. Credit: Ingimage
The United States and China together account for nearly 45 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels, so their decisions have a major impact on the pace and magnitude of climate change.
That's why their bilateral agreement to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, announced in 2014, was game-changing. The action was widely credited with paving the way for the 2015 Paris climate accord, a historic pact that involved 196 countries pledging to limit the rise of global temperatures.
But the path to saving the planet has not been easy since then. U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to withdraw from the Paris accord, and mistrust imperils the relationship between the United States and China.
"Paris isn't the end; we're going to need subsequent international agreements over time," said Kelly Sims Gallagher, F00, F03, professor of energy and environmental policy and director of the Climate Policy Lab and the Center for International Environment and Resource Policy at The Fletcher School. "The U.S. and China are going to have to come together and demonstrate leadership. But there's a lack of understanding between the two countries."
To combat these misunderstandings, Gallagher has published a new book that explains how the two nations develop and implement their climate policies. She co-authored the book Titans of the Climate: Explaining Policy Process in the United States and China (MIT Press) with Xiaowei Xuan, a senior research fellow at the Development Research Center of the State Council of the People's Republic of China.
Tufts Now recently talked with Gallagher about how the world's two largest carbon emitters are addressing climate changeand what they could do better.
Tufts Now: President Trump has declared that he will withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement. How does that change the leadership role of the United States in combatting climate change?
A crucial fact is that President Trump cannot withdraw from the Paris Agreement until the day after the next presidential election. Even if he loses, he'll still be president on that day, so he still could do it, but if he lost, one would hope he wouldn't be vindictive and withdraw. If he did, the next president could rejoin. The whole rest of the world knows that and they're hoping that the U.S. will not withdraw and will get back on track to achieve its commitment. The U.S. is still actively engaged in climate negotiations.
I think that the U.S. and China demonstrated their potential at being able to initiate this virtuous cycle on climate change. By taking leadership and saying we are going to tackle this problem, they created this positive feedback effect, where all these other countries jumped on the bandwagon and said, "If they can do it, we can do it." That was one of the reasons why Paris wasn't as difficult as all the other previous climate negotiations.
But I think it's equally possible that either the U.S. or China, or the two together, could initiate a vicious cycle. If the U.S. really does withdraw, then other countries will be emboldened to withdraw themselves. I give a lot of credit to the Chinese who, even being provoked strongly by this and the trade war, have not said they will withdraw, but to the contrary have said, "We plan to fully honor our commitments under the Paris Agreement."
Why is China motivated to continue reducing its carbon dioxide emissions, even while the United States is threatening to pull out of its commitment?
China never would have done this in the first place if they didn't think it was in their self-interest. I think they still believe the Paris Agreement is in their self-interest, because of the potential impacts of climate change to China and because they are trying to engineer their economy to be positioned well for the low-carbon future.
They have invested a lot in low-carbon industries like the wind and solar sectors, they're progressing in electric vehiclesand had more electric vehicle sales last year than any other country on Earthso they are moving strongly in this direction. They believe this is a long-term problem, and they are acting quite aggressively to be part of the solution.
But I imagine they're going to get internal pressure the longer this goes on"why should we be doing this if the U.S. isn't?" For those industries that are painful to close downcoal plants, coal mines, steel mills, and cement factoriesthat's a harder argument for Xi Jinping to make internally.
Are China and the United States on track to meet the targets they agreed to in 2014?
China is ahead of schedule on its carbon intensity target and non-fossil fuel energy target. Many people thought their carbon emissions might have already peakedmore than a decade earlier than promisedbut they had an increase of about 3 percent last year, just as we did. Their emissions had plateaued for the prior three years, though, so it seems that China is very much on track. The fact that they have been able to bend the curve is very promising.
The U.S. is not on track. There was a prior target announced by President Obama in Copenhagen of reducing emissions to 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. It seems like that will be challenging for us to achieve. The Paris Agreement would have required us to double our rate of emissions reductions between 2020 and 2025. Right now that doesn't seem likely. I think the biggest reason is that the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan, which was supposed to address our power sector, never went into operation because the Trump administration halted it.
If big players like the United States don't fulfill their commitments, how will that affect other countries and their efforts to meet their goals?
People are aware that the U.S. isn't on track. It's outrageous and frustrating, but what can they do? Climate change is a collective action problem, and if you can't induce everyone to join you in that virtuous cycle, what else are you going to do? It's difficult to imagine a sanctions regime at this time. I think eventually more rigorous measures for non-compliance are necessary because the imperative for reducing emissions is so strong, but right now we have no effective compliance procedures.
One misconception you address in the book is the Chinese idea that the United States is "too democratic" and therefore can't get anything done. How does that connect with the reality of what you call "deliberative incrementalism" in U.S. policy?
We have a lot of forward and backward movement in our policy that results primarily from shifts in party power. For example, the Clinton administration negotiated the Kyoto Agreement and then the Bush administration refused to ratify and implement it.
President Obama issued all of these regulations using his authority under the Clean Air Actthe Clean Power Plan, fuel economy standards for motor vehicles, the methane rulebecause he couldn't get Congress to pass a climate law. But that approach made these policies very vulnerable to change once the Trump administration took power. They're now busy trying to undo all those regulations.
You could probably argue that on the regulatory front, there has been progress. One area that the Trump administration hasn't touched at all is efficiency standards for appliances and industrial equipment. They are trying to stop the advancement of stronger efficiency standards for cars and trucks, but these other efficiency standards have continued to progress. All of the rule-makings that the Obama administration implemented are being contested in the courts, so they still may stand. Already the Trump administration has lost a couple of the court cases.
What could the United States learn from the way that China makes its climate policies?
China has the ability to take a really long view, because there's a one-party system and the ruling party thinks it will be in power forever. They have an ability to do long-term planning that we don't have in practice here. That struck me as a big difference between the two countries and something we might want to work on more in the U.S. context. How can we do a better job of planning for big transitions like going from a high-carbon infrastructure to a lower-carbon infrastructure?
How hopeful are you that the United States and China will continue to cooperate in the fight against climate change?
We have definitely breached the trust between the U.S. and China that I think was starting to emerge at the end of the Obama-Xi era. The 2014 U.S.-China agreement became this bright spot in the U.S.-China bilateral relationship. This was one area where we decided we could cooperate and shoulder responsibility for a global challenge together. Right now, I don't see any cooperative initiatives between the two countries. The relationship feels very fragile.
I'm hopeful because I think neither country can afford to go into an equivalent of a Cold War with each other. They will need to look for areas where they can cooperate again, whenever the U.S. decides it wants to have a more constructive relationship with China, and climate has already been proven to be an area where the two countries can cooperate. So I feel reasonably optimistic that this could be an area where we reset.
Will it be soon enough to prevent cataclysmic impacts on the planet?
It all depends on the next presidential election in the U.S. If Trump wins, I feel very pessimistic, both about the U.S.-China relationship and about our ability to deal with climate change. You just don't know how much longer countries will put up with this kind of behavior. That vicious cycle is more likely to ensue.
Explore further US should stay in Paris climate accord: energy secretary
After being shown thousands of images, the computer starts to recognize the patterns, edges, and parts of the animal, like this elephant trunk. Credit: Snapshot Serengeti
For more than a decade, citizen science projects have helped researchers use the power of thousands of volunteers who help sort through datasets that are too large for a small research team. Previously, this data generally couldn't be processed by computers because the work required skills that only humans could accomplish.
Now, computer machine learning techniques that teach the computer specific image recognition skills can be used in crowdsourcing projects to deal with massively increasing amounts of datamaking computers a surprising new partner in citizen science projects.
The research, led by the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, was chosen as the cover story for the most recent issue of the British Ecological Society's scientific journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution.
In this study, data scientists and citizen science experts partnered with ecologists who often study wildlife populations by deploying camera traps. These camera traps are remote, independent devices, triggered by motion and infrared sensors that provide researchers with images of passing animals. After collection, these images have to be classified according to the study's goals to produce useful ecological data for analysis.
"In the past, researchers asked citizen scientists to help them process and classify the images within a reasonable time-frame," said the study's lead author Marco Willi, a recent graduate of the University of Minnesota master's program in data science and researcher in the University's School of Physics and Astronomy. "Now, some of these recent camera trap projects have collected millions of images. Even with the help of citizen scientists, it could take years to classify all of the images. This new study is a proof of concept that machine learning techniques can help significantly reduce the time of classification."
Recent camera trap projects have collected millions of images like this image of a giraffe. Without the help of computers, it could take researchers years to classify all of the images, even with the help of citizen scientists. Credit: Snapshot Serengeti
Researchers used three datasets of images collected from AfricaSnapshot Serengeti, Camera CATalogue, and Elephant Expeditionand one dataset from Snapshot Wisconsin with images collected in North America. The datasets each featured between nine and 55 species and exhibited significant differences in how often various species were photographed. These datasets also differed in aspects such as dataset size, camera placement, camera configuration, and species coverage which allows for drawing more general conclusions.
The researchers used machine learning techniques that teach the computer how to classify the images by showing the computer datasets of images already classified by humans. For example, the machine would be shown full and partial images that are known to be images of zebras from various angles. The computer then would start to recognize the patterns, edges, and parts of the animal, and learn how to identify the image as a zebra. The researchers can also build upon some of these skills to help computers identify other animals, such as a deer or squirrel, with even fewer images.
The computer also learns to identify empty images, which are images without animals where the cameras were usually set off by vegetation blowing in the wind. In some cases, these empty images make up about 80 percent of all camera trap images. Eliminating all the empty images can greatly speed the classification process.
The computer's accuracy rates for identifying empty images across projects range between 91.2 percent and 98.0 percent, while accuracies for identifying specific species are between 88.7 percent and 92.7 percent. While the computer's classification accuracy is low for rare species, the computer can also tell researchers how confident it is in its predictions. Removing low-confidence predictions increases the computer's accuracies to the level of citizen scientists.
"Our machine learning techniques allow ecology researchers to speed up the image classification process and pave the way for even larger citizen science projects in the future," Willi said. "Instead of every image having to be classified by multiple volunteers, one or two volunteers could confirm the computer's classification."
The datasets used by researchers each featured between nine and 55 species and exhibited significant differences in how often various species were photographed. Credit: Panthera
While this study focused on ecology camera trap programs, Willi said the same techniques can also be used in other citizen science projects such as classifying images from space.
"Data in a wide range of science areas is growing much faster than the number of citizen science project volunteers," said study co-author Lucy Fortson, a University of Minnesota physics and astronomy professor and co-founder of Zooniverse, the largest citizen science online platform that hosted the projects in the study. "While there will always be a need for human effort in these projects, combining these efforts with the help of Big Data techniques can help researchers process more data even faster and allows the volunteers to focus on the harder, rarer classifications."
Led by Fortson, the Zooniverse team at the University of Minnesota, including Willi, is working to integrate machine learning techniques into the platform so the hundreds of researchers from astronomy to zoology using the platform can take advantage of them.
In addition to researchers at the University of Minnesota, the international team on this study included researchers from the University of Oxford, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, Adler Planetarium, and the conservation organization Panthera.
To read the full research study entitled "Identifying Animal Species in Camera Trap Images using Deep Learning and Citizen Science," visit the Methods in Ecology and Evolution website.
Explore further Researchers successfully train computers to identify animals in photos
More information: Marco Willi et al. Identifying animal species in camera trap images using deep learning and citizen science, Methods in Ecology and Evolution (2018). Journal information: Methods in Ecology and Evolution Marco Willi et al. Identifying animal species in camera trap images using deep learning and citizen science,(2018). DOI: 10.1111/2041-210X.13099
When it gets hot inside the nest, bees use their wings as fans to draw hot air out and allow cooler air to move in. Credit: Jacob Peters/Harvard SEAS
If you've ever walked past a bees nest on a hot summer day, you've probably been too focused on avoiding getting stung, rather than stopping to wonder how all those bees stay cool. Don't worry, Harvard scientists have braved the stingers to ask and answer that question for you.
Honey bees live in large, congested nest cavities, often in tree hollows with narrow openings. When it gets hot inside the nest, a group of bees crawl to the entrance and use their wings as fans to draw hot air out and allow cooler air to move in. The question is, how do bees self-organize into these living ventilating units?
Researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology (OEB) have developed a framework that explains how bees use environmental signals to collectively cluster and continuously ventilate the hive.
"Over millennia, social insects such as bees have evolved to harness and exploit flows and forces and collectively solve physiological problems such as mechanical stabilization, thermoregulation and ventilation on scales much larger than the individual," said L Mahadevan, de Valpine Professor of Applied Mathematics, Physics, and Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, and senior author of the study. "A combination of measurements and computational models quantify and explain how fanning bees create an emergent large-scale flow pattern to ventilate their nests."
"We have demonstrated that bees don't need a sophisticated recruitment or communications scheme to keep their nests cool," said Jacob Peters, a postdoctoral fellow in SEAS and OEB, and first author of the paper. "Instead the fanning response of individual bees to temperature variations, and the physics of fluid flow leads to their collective spatial organization, which happens to lead to an efficient cooling solution."
The paper is published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface.
To determine how bees organize to cool their nests, researchers measured temperature, air flow into and out of the nest, and the position and density of bees fanning at the nest entrance. Credit: Jacob Peters/Harvard SEAS
Experiments began in the dog days of the summer of 2017. Over the course of several weeks, Peters, Mahadevan and former postdoctoral fellow at SEAS Orit Peleg monitored a group of man-made beehives in Harvard University's Concord Field Station.
The research team measured temperature, air flow into and out of the nest, and the position and density of bees fanning at the nest entrance. They observed that rather than spreading out across the entirety of the nest entrance, the bees clustered at the hottest areas and kept those areas, which had the highest air outflow, separate from the cooler areas with the highest air inflow. Importantly, they found that different bees had different temperature thresholds above which they would begin fanning, so that collectively they were better at responding to temperature variations.
In modeling the system, the researchers found that all these behaviors linked to the environmental physics of the nest. Fanning outward allows the bees to sense the upstream nest temperature; different thresholds of temperature allows for more continuous ventilation and more stable hive temperatures; and, because of the physics of friction and flow, clustering to separate inflow from outflow allows more cool air to enter the nest because of the physics of friction and flow.
"Our study demonstrates how harnessing the dynamics of the physical environment allows for large-scale organization of a physiological process," said Peleg, who co-authored the paper and is now an Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder.
"Although this is a physics-focused story, biological variation with roots in genetics and evolution likely plays a big role in order for this system to work," said Peters. "Our theory suggests that not only does individual variability in temperature threshold lead to a more stable hive temperature but also this diversity is critical to the stability of the patterning of fanning behavior which is required for efficient ventilation."
"In everything from large HVAC systems to the fans that cool our computers, bioinspired, self-organizing systems may be able to adapt and respond to specific demands better than current systems," said Peters.
"More broadly, our study highlights, yet again, the need to consider both biological organisms and their physical environments to understand the richness of collective eco-physiology, a hallmark of life itself," said Mahadevan.
Explore further Shaking the swarmresearchers explore how bees collaborate to stabilize swarm clusters
Researchers have found bees can do basic mathematics, in a discovery that expands our understanding of the relationship between brain size and brain power. Credit: RMIT University
Researchers have found bees can do basic mathematics, in a discovery that expands our understanding of the relationship between brain size and brain power.
Building on their finding that honeybees can understand the concept of zero, Australian and French researchers set out to test whether bees could perform arithmetic operations like addition and subtraction.
Solving maths problems requires a sophisticated level of cognition, involving the complex mental management of numbers, long-term rules and short term working memory.
The revelation that even the miniature brain of a honeybee can grasp basic mathematical operations has implications for the future development of Artificial Intelligence, particularly in improving rapid learning.
Led by researchers from RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, the new study showed bees can be taught to recognise colours as symbolic representations for addition and subtraction, and that they can use this information to solve arithmetic problems.
RMIT's Associate Professor Adrian Dyer said numerical operations like addition and subtraction are complex because they require two levels of processing.
"You need to be able to hold the rules around adding and subtracting in your long-term memory, while mentally manipulating a set of given numbers in your short-term memory," Dyer said.
"On top of this, our bees also used their short-term memories to solve arithmetic problems, as they learned to recognise plus or minus as abstract concepts rather than being given visual aids.
"Our findings suggest that advanced numerical cognition may be found much more widely in nature among non-human animals than previously suspected.
"If maths doesn't require a massive brain, there might also be new ways for us to incorporate interactions of both long-term rules and working memory into designs to improve rapid AI learning of new problems."
There is considerable debate around whether animals know or can learn complex number skills.
Many species can understand the difference between quantities and use this to forage, make decisions and solve problems. But numerical cognition, such as exact number and arithmetic operations, requires a more sophisticated level of processing.
Researchers have found bees can do basic mathematics, in a discovery that expands our understanding of the relationship between brain size and brain power.The revelation that even the miniature brain of a honeybee can grasp basic mathematical operations has implications for the future development of Artificial Intelligence, particularly in improving rapid learning. Credit: RMIT University
Previous studies have shown some primates, birds, babies and even spiders can add and/or subtract. The new research, published in Science Advances, adds bees to that list.
A school for bees? How the honeybees were trained
The experiment, conducted by Ph.D. researcher Scarlett Howard in the Bio Inspired Digital Sensing-Lab (BIDS-Lab) at RMIT, involved training individual honeybees to visit a Y-shaped maze.
The bees received a reward of sugar water when they made a correct choice in the maze, and received a bitter-tasting quinine solution if the choice was incorrect.
Honeybees will go back to a place if the location provides a good source of food, so the bees returned repeatedly to the experimental set-up to collect nutrition and continue learning.
When a bee flew into the entrance of the maze they would see a set of elements, between 1 to 5 shapes.
The shapes were either blue, which meant the bee had to add, or yellow, which meant the bee had to subtract.
After viewing the initial number, the bee would fly through a hole into a decision chamber where it could choose to fly to the left or right side of the maze.
One side had an incorrect solution to the problem and the other side had the correct solution of either plus or minus one. The correct answer was changed randomly throughout the experiment to avoid bees learning to visit just one side of the maze.
At the beginning of the experiment, bees made random choices until they could work out how to solve the problem. Eventually, over 100 learning trials that took 4 to 7 hours, bees learned that blue meant +1, while yellow meant -1. The bees could then apply the rules to new numbers.
Scarlett Howard said the ability to do basic maths has been vital in the flourishing of human societies historically, with evidence that the Egyptians and Babylonians used arithmetic around 2000BC.
"These days, we learn as children that a plus symbol means you need to add two or more quantities, while a minus symbol means you subtract," she said.
"Our findings show that the complex understanding of maths symbols as a language is something that many brains can probably achieve, and helps explain how many human cultures independently developed numeracy skills."
Explore further Scientists discover bees understand the concept of zero
More information: S.R. Howard el al., "Numerical cognition in honeybees enables addition and subtraction," Science Advances (2019). advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/2/eaav0961 Journal information: Science Advances S.R. Howard el al., "Numerical cognition in honeybees enables addition and subtraction,"(2019). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aav0961
Phuket, Thailand 5 February 2019: JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa welcomed the year of the Pig as well as joined the world to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year in style by hosting the numerous festive activities during 4 5 February. The programs included The Chinese New Year games, buffet dinner which the authentic dishes served on the festive night. The hotel guests enjoyed the theatrical lion dance performance, firecrackers, colorful processions, traditional Chinese New Year dance shows and more. These symbols are meant to bring prosperity for the coming year.
When news broke in December that Singapores High Court had allowed a gay couple to adopt their son conceived through a surrogate in the United States, it was not met with cheers by all of the city states LGBT community.
Public opinion over same-sex relationships is deeply divided in Singapore, where gay sex is still technically illegal under a colonial-era law and government policies promote the formation of two-parent, heterosexual families.
So Joanna, a 38-year-old who works in sales and is married to a woman, was worried the landmark ruling could fuel a backlash from conservative Singaporeans.
We feel that the louder you are, the more attention youre drawing to [LGBT rights] and that actually prompts the public to be a little more aggressive in shooting it down, she said.
Joanna, whose wife Casey is a 33-year-old civil servant, said she was not convinced shining the spotlight on LGBT issues was the best way to ensure equal rights. She referred to last years debate on repealing Section 377A of the Penal Code, which criminalises sex between men but is not actively enforced. She said she believed the government, which is now conducting a review of the Penal Code, would have found it easier to scrap the law if activists had not drawn the attention of conservatives and religious groups to it.
The couple who asked that their names be changed and personal details kept to a minimum for this article know their view is not likely to be shared by many among Singapores LGBT community.
In the last decade, LGBT issues have had a bigger airing as countries around the world move to legalise gay marriages and local gay pride rally Pink Dot attracts more people each year. In 2007 and last year, there were calls to repeal Section 377A but each time such nationwide discussions happen, the government says it is neutral and will only move forward when society is ready for it.
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The government has also reinforced its pro-family stance. Since the adoption ruling, which the court explained as a bid to prioritise the childs welfare and increase his prospects of acquiring Singapore citizenship, the Ministry of Social and Family Development has announced its desire to tighten adoption and surrogacy rules.
Casey, who holds a foreign passport and an employment permit in Singapore, said she doesnt feel trapped there.
I can choose to move, I can leave and go to a different place so I dont feel so oppressed, she said.
She said neither her nor Joanna had encountered mean comments about their sexuality like they had when they travelled overseas. While they are not legally recognised as a married couple in Singapore, they had circumvented this by drafting wills and registering lasting powers of attorney, to grant each other the right to make medical and financial decisions for the other party.
According to former teacher Joseph Chong, public attitudes have changed to the point where you can hold hands in Singapore and nobody would care or be bothered by it.
But when it comes to equal rights for LGBT individuals, a culture of dont ask, dont tell still prevails. The 44-year-old said that while he never hid his sexuality from his colleagues at the elite school where he worked, he also never felt comfortable advertising it publicly, such as by attending the Pink Dot rally that has been allowed to take place in the city since 2009.
I did not want to put my school in any sort of position where they will be questioned. I think Ive to respect certain boundaries, he said.
For Kerry Sieh, a leading geologist who was wooed to the Lion City from the United States in 2008 to set up and head the Earth Observatory of Singapore, Singapore has gotten worse.
A decade ago, his employers helped his partner secure a job and residency in the country. He cited the barring of foreigners from 2017s Pink Dot rally as evidence of changing attitudes.
They had barricades put around the park and all the foreigners had to stay out, he said.
Sieh has said that he only took the job initially because Lee Kuan Yew, known as the founding father of modern Singapore, had said publicly in 2007 that the government would not interfere in homosexual peoples private lives.
In September, Education Minister Ong Ye Kung said that when it came to work, housing [and] education there is no discrimination against the LGBT community in Singapore.
While that might be true, there is still public opinion to worry about, according to Thomas, an educator in his 40s who did not want to be named for fear of repercussions.
If youre asking if we want to stand up and be counted, we really cannot, he said.
Lets say a student or parent files a complaint, will that be used against us? Theres no clear stand [from the education ministry] on what happens if a complaint was made against you because youre LGBT.
Chong, the former teacher, shared similar concerns: the general public will question, Oh whats the schools stand? Do you allow teachers like that in the school? What is the education ministrys stand?
This pressure to present a public persona in spite of who you are in private is something that Amanda Wee, a transgender Singaporean now living in New Zealand, knows all too well.
As a Catholic, the 34-year-old said she feels the weight of both societal and religious expectations. Yet her LGBT friends will still pressure her to support everything in every way.
I do feel torn in that while I want to support my gay friends, from a religious perspective I am constrained in how much I can support gay activism, and frankly I have not yet found a good middle ground, she said.
Social worker and executive director of LGBT counselling group Oogachaga, Leow Yangfa, said that given the pragmatic reality of Singapores situation, a subtle combination of action and inaction was probably the best approach.
What is more important is that as a community, we do not descend into having divisive views about what is right and best, the 43-year-old said.
This article Why some members of Singapores LGBT community prefer life in the shadows first appeared on South China Morning Post
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US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he expected the Islamic State group to lose all remaining territory in Syria in a week as he pledged to stay focused on fighting the extremists. Trump spoke to an international conference in Washington on the future of the battle against the group, also known as ISIS, after the US leader's sudden decision in December to order the pullout of all 2,000 US troops as he declared victory. "The United States military, our coalition partners and the Syrian Democratic Forces have liberated virtually all of the territory previously held by ISIS in Syria and Iraq," Trump told senior officials from more than 70 countries meeting at the State Department. "It should be formally announced sometime next week that we will have 100 percent of the caliphate," he said. Trump said that the United States would remain "very, very tough" and encouraged efforts, including financial support, from other countries. "Remnants -- that's all they have, remnants -- but remnants can be very dangerous," he said. "Rest assured, we'll do what it takes to defeat every ounce and every last person within the ISIS madness and defend our people from radical Islamic terrorism," he said.
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Big jump in mainland Chinese tourists visiting Hong Kong over Lunar New Year, but congestion causes delays
Mainland Chinese tourists have flocked to Hong Kong in the first two days of the Lunar New Year holiday, with their number up a third on last year.
But their journeys have not been without delays despite a new sea bridge that connects the city with Zhuhai and Macau.
For the second day in a row there was congestion and long queues for buses running across the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, especially for services from Hong Kong to Macau, and from Zhuhai to Hong Kong.
On Wednesday morning the waiting time for both was longer than 45 minutes. Meanwhile, the number of Hong Kong residents leaving was expected to reach its peak.
According to the Immigration Department, more than 240,500 mainland visitors entered Hong Kong on the first two days of the Lunar New Year holiday, a rise of 35 per cent on the 178,000 that arrived over the same period a year earlier.
Some people complained that on Tuesday it took hours to travel from Hong Kong to Macau via the bridge, but others said they had expected there to be crowds.
Ferry tickets to Macau were sold out days before, so [travellers] decided to make use of the mega link, a man surnamed Leung said. Theres no point being worried about the wait at this point because were already here, plus its Lunar New Year so that is expected, but hopefully it will not be too crazy.
However, others opted for the bus because they thought the journey would be faster than by ferry.
I live in Kwai Chung, so its closer for me to come to Tung Chung and switch to a shuttle bus to get to the bridge port, as the commute would take around 1 hours all together to get to Zhuhai, a woman in her 60s said.
Another traveller, Ms Ng, decided to travel to Zhuhai for the day via the bridge because she wanted to experience the journey.
This costs less than half the price if I took the ferry, and it should be quicker, around an hour or so, so my friend and I are going to try out the bridge this time, she said.
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Meanwhile, those who got to Hong Kong by land said the wait at the Zhuhai border was acceptable.
The Tong family from Zhuhai said they had a pleasant experience coming to the city and would choose the bridge over the ferry from now on.
It took us around 20 to 30 minutes even with a line of about 200 people. This way was more convenient, they said.
Others were not so lucky.
A man from Zhuhai said he had waited for more than two hours at the border to Hong Kong.
In Tung Chung, a town close to the bridge checkpoint, visitors were seen lining up in front of stores in the Citygate Outlets complex even before they had opened for business.
Among them were Mr Cheng and his family of three, who arrived in Hong Kong on Tuesday from Shenzhen.
The family plan to visit Disneyland, Ocean Park and the Big Buddha during their five-day stay.
The sales are great during this time of the year, and one of the reasons we came to the city is to shop. I think we will spend about six to seven thousand dollars here, Cheng said.
The Lai family, meanwhile, said Wednesday would be their last day in Hong Kong, and the five of them had decided to spend it shopping before heading back to the mainland.
While the influx of tourists brought more business to the retail sector, it caused further disruption for local residents.
Mr Tse said there had been a significant increase in the number of tourists in the past couple of days, and his family had decided not to go near the shopping centre.
We also steered clear of Taste [supermarket] there, he said. We stocked up on groceries before last week so we did not have to go to the markets during this time.
But other Tung Chung residents appeared to have become used to the increase in visitors since the bridge opened in October.
The Immigration Department last week estimated the number of people leaving the city would be at its highest on Wednesday with more than 454,000 passengers departing Hong Kong, while the number of arrivals over land was expected to peak on Thursday, with about 506,000 passengers entering the city.
The border crossing at the bridge was one of the most popular checkpoints, with 40,035 passing into Hong Kong and 57,430 going the other way.
This article Big jump in mainland Chinese tourists visiting Hong Kong over Lunar New Year, but congestion causes delays first appeared on South China Morning Post
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FILE PHOTO: Senate President Vicente Sotto III
PASAY CITY, Philippines Lawmakers are racing against time to finally pass the P3.7 trillion proposed 2019 national budget as they have until Friday (February 8) to extend session and to finalize the provisions of the bill.
House Committee on Appropriations Chair Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. said the proposed budget may possibly reach the table of President Rodrigo Duterte for signature by next week.
The senators will hold a caucus on Wednesday night to discuss the outcome of discussions at the ongoing bicameral conference committee especially on matters involving the alleged pork insertions in the proposed budget.
Once everything is clear, the bill will likely proceed to ratification.
For his part, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said he is likely to support the position of Senator Panfilo Lacson who is calling on President Duterte to veto the alleged pork insertions in the bill, if necessary.
Kung nararapat at kung talagang maliwanag na pork, bakit hindi? Dapat i-veto, Sotto said.
Senator Sonny Angara, meanwhile, said the passage of the proposed national budget remains their top priority at this point.
Angara argued that unless the proposed budget is passed, the government will have no choice but to operate with a reenacted budget until July.
Walang defined item for 2019. Maybe if there are savings in agencies, then they will use that, or there are funds na, unprogrammed funds, hindi natuloy ang project, doon nila kukunin ang pondo, Angara explained.
Under a reenacted budget, all pending projects of the government for this year will definitely be affected.
Among them is the preparation for the upcoming 2019 midterm elections, specifically the lack of funds for honoraria for teachers who will serve as election officers in the polls. Marje Pelayo (with reports from Nel Maribojoc)
The post Senate leadership supports call for Duterte to veto pork insertions appeared first on UNTV News.
THE National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) has removed over 650,000 campaign materials all over Metro Manila.NCRPO Director Major General Guillermo Eleazar urged the candidates to also do their
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has signed Executive Order (EO) 74, transferring the control and supervision of the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) to his office from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
Under EO 74 inked February 1, the President also gave back to the PRA Governing Board the power to approve all reclamation projects.
"Such delegation, however, shall not be construed as diminishing the President's authority to modify, amend or nullify the action of the PRA Governing Board," EO 74 read.
Duterte issued the EO in a bid to "rationalize the approval process for reclamation projects towards an economically and environmentally sustainable resource development."
The PRA, formerly known as the Public Estates Authority, is mandated to develop, improve, administer, deal in, subdivide, dispose, lease, and sell all kinds of lands, buildings, estates and other forms of real property owned, managed, controlled, and operated by the government.
In 2006, EO 146 delegated power to approve reclamation projects to the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda).
EO 146, however, still allowed the PRA to continue processing, evaluating, and recommending the approval of all proposed reclamation projects to the Neda Board.
EO 798 was signed in 2009, granting the DENR the authority to have supervision and control over the PRA.
Pursuant to its mandate to integrate, direct and coordinate all reclamation projects for and on behalf of the National Government, the PRA is mandated to seek the advisory opinions of the Neda, the DENR, and the Department of Finance, according to Duterte's EO 74.
The Neda is tasked to give opinion on the consistency of the project with national and regional development planning and programming, and established national priorities of the government.
The EO also instructed the DENR to give advice on the environmental sustainability of the project and compliance with environmental laws, rules and regulations.
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The DOF, meantime, should give opinion on the economic and fiscal viability of the project based on the feasibility study submitted by the project proponent and consistency of component joint venture agreements or other incidental agreements with applicable laws.
"The above agency advisory opinions must be conveyed to the PRA within 30 days from their receipt from the PRA of all documents reasonably necessary for their respective evaluation," EO 74 said.
The PRA cannot approve reclamation projects without the required area clearance and environmental compliance certificate to be issued by the DENR.
It should also ensure that all reclamation projects undergo competitive public bidding, consistent with the government's thrust to promote transparency and competitiveness.
All proposals for reclamation projects would be evaluated by the PRA based on their cumulative impacts rather than on a specific project basis.
The PRA, in coordination with the DENR, Neda and affected local government units, should craft a national and regional reclamation and development plans, which take into consideration the environmental, social and economic impacts of proposed reclamation projects.
EO 74 noted that the PRA Governing Board is enjoined to allot at least five percent of its net earnings to develop its capability and expertise to reclaim land, including the modernization of its dredging and reclamation technologies, subject to relevant budgetary and accounting laws, rules and regulations.
EO 74, which was released by Palace on Monday, February 4, took effect "immediately."
Within 30 days from the effectivity of EO 74, the PRA should submit to Duterte's office for approval the necessary rules and regulation for the implementation of this order. (Ruth Abbey Gita/SunStar Philippines)
A screenshot from the CCTV footage released by the PNP showing the persons of interest in the killing of
NDF) Consultant Felix Randy Malayao Jr.
QUEZON CITY, Philippines The Police Regional Office Region 2 (PRO-2) released on Wednesday (February 6) the CCTV footage of the killing of National Democratic Front (NDF) Consultant Felix Randy Malayao Jr. aboard a bus in Aritao, Nueva Vizcaya on January 30.
In the first video recovered from a bus terminal in Quezon City, Malayao was seen on the evening of January 29 boarding a bus en route to Isabela City.
Minutes later, a man was seen approaching the bus where Malayao was on, took a picture of the bus and left.
Five hours later, another footage captured the bus parking for a short stop over at a terminal in Aritao.
Two suspicious men were seen outside the bus smoking cigarettes who authorities considered as persons of interest in the case.
PRO2 Dir. PCSupt. Jose Mario Espino said about 20 minutes after the bus parked, a man in a jacket and a cap got on the bus and approached Malayao, who was sitting in the back, and shot the NDF consultant at close range.
Two gunshots were heard that stunned other passengers.
Sabi po ng mga imbestigador natin at base din sa analysis nila, talaga pong pinagplanuhan siya. Sinundan siya. Sinigurado na siya ay nakasakay sa bus at sa mga succeeding review namin talagang meron din siyang kasabay doon sa loob ng bus mismo, Espino said.
Espino assured that the Special Investigation Task Force (SITG) is now completing the information needed regarding the suspects for the filing of charges.
The police earlier charged several personalities of obstruction of justice and grave threat particularly Karapatan Legal Consultant Atty. Edu Balgos; Rina Balgos and Perla Malayao-Upano, an official at the DILG- NCR for threatening the authorities and for unauthorized retrieval of six of Malayaos cellular phones and his laptop right after the shooting.
Those items, Espino said, are vital evidence that will help in the speedy resolution of the case.
Kung hindi po sana nakialam ang mga tao na sinasabi namin na kumuha noong laptop niya, anim na cellphone nya, mga documents doon ay magkakaroon po ng lawak ang ating motibo at anggulo kung sino po ang nag carry out ng pagpatay kay Malayao, the regional director said.
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The PNP is still eyeing the New Peoples Army (NPA) as the group behind Malayaos killing.
Meanwhile, the bus company involved Victory Liner- issued on Wednesday its official statement in relation to the crime.
The bus firm said it is in constant coordination with the authorities in the investigation and vows to improve security of its facilities.
We denounce the dastardly killing of NDF Consultant Malayao who is known in the community as a peace maker. Like the rest of the Nation, we want the truth to come out, the firms statement read.
We wait for our regulators to further instruct us on what initiatives are necessary to undertake moving forward, it concluded. Marje Pelayo (with reports from Lea Ylagan)
The post PNP releases CCTV footage of NDF Consultant Randy Malayaos killing appeared first on UNTV News.
MANILA, Philippines Authorities have installed orange barriers at the baywalk area along Roxas Boulevard to bar people from swimming in Manila Bay.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) together with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) have assigned a no swimming zone as recreational swimming remains harmful to humans due to the high coliform content in Manila Bays waters.
The orange barriers where placed three meters away from the concrete breakwater at the seaside as directed by the Manila Bay Inter-Agency Task Force during a site inspection on Wednesday (February 6).
Several members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) take rounds in monitoring the area to make sure that no one would go beyond the barricade and attempt to swim in the bay.
Aside from health risks of contact with the contaminated waters, authorities decided to strictly ban recreational swimming in Manila Bay because of an incident involving an 11-year-old girl nearly who drowned in the bay on Tuesday (February 5).
Rhianne Janiel Soriano was swimming with her friends when she accidentally drank water from the bay which endangered her life.
MMDA personnel was able to rescue the girl and immediately rushed her to the nearest hospital.
Rhianne remains in critical condition due to the large volume of dark, dirty water deposits in her lungs.
Marami. Kapag nakita ninyo po, ang itim nang nainom niya. Itim. Para siyanghindi ko alam kung burak iyon o nainom niya lang iyon sa tubig. Madumi po siya, described Rhiannes mother Marivic Mabilas.
Rhianne remains inside the pediatric intensive care unit (ICU) of Ospital ng Maynila for treatment. Marje Pelayo (with reports from Asher Cadapan Jr.)
The post No swimming zone strictly enforced in Manila Bay appeared first on UNTV News.
THE Cagayan Valley police released Wednesday, February 6, a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera footage that captured the killing of National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) consultant Randy
THE Cagayan Valley police released Wednesday, February 6, a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera footage that captured the killing of National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) consultant Randy Malayao.
Malayao was killed on January 30 while sleeping on board an Isabela-bound bus in Nueva Vizcaya around 2 a.m.
In the CCTV footage, a man was caught taking a picture of the bus where Malayao boarded as it left its terminal in Quezon City around 9 p.m. of January 29.
When the bus made a stop-over in Aritao, two men were caught smoking outside the bus and one of them boarded the bus minutes later and shot Malayao to death.
The police said the two men are considered persons of interest. (Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo/SunStar Philippines)
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Algun dia Colombia volvera a la ideologia de Bolivar
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LOS REVOLUCIONARIOS NO TOMAN CACA-COLA No se trata solamente de un capricho, sino de una sana actitud en todos los sentidos. Desde la solidaridad con el pueblo colombiano donde la empresa Caca-Cola ha cometido los mas grandes abusos contra sus trabajadores incluyendo el presunto secuestro y asesinato de los dirigentes del sindicato, hasta la proteccion de la salud de nuestros hijos, enviciados por ese jarabe de cola y azucar, que les produce obesidad prematura. Pensemos tambien los revolucionarios, que ese dinero que gastamos en los refrescos es utilizado por esas empresas para financiar el terrorismo en nuestro pais. Es cierto, no se trata solo de la Caca-Cola, sino tambien de la cerveza, de los cigarrillos y todos esos articulos innecesarios y mas que eso, daninos para nuestra salud. Podriamos incluso pensar en un dia de parada para cada uno de ellos. Es cuestion de irnos organizando. Pero para empezar, que tal si dejamos de comprar Caca-Cola y sus similares?
Cuando lo extraordinario se vuelve cotidiano...
Discurso del Acto de Grado en Barinas en 12 de Febrero del 2005 Queridos Graduandos:
Mas que un discurso, quiero dirigirles algunas palabras que escribi anoche, despues de visitar en las clinicas, a los estudiantes heridos, a consecuencia de los enfrentamientos con la policia de hace apenas dos dias.
Me ha tocado por razones del destino, ser la persona que les otorgue el titulo que bien merecieron con sus estudios. Y me siento sumamente orgulloso de serlo. Me consta que la Universidad de Los Llanos Occidentales Ezequiel Zamora, a pesar de lo dicho por los enemigos de esta universidad, es una universidad de primera.
No tendremos la mejor planta fisica, en los salones hace calor. En el comedor hace calor. Pero no es en lo material que las cosas deben valorarse. El mayor capital es el ser humano. Y en eso, nuestra UNELLEZ, lo digo con conocimiento de causa, esta sobrada. Los llaneros venezolanos son nobles, valientes, de coraje.
En la UNELLEZ hacen vida, en este momento, aproximadamente 67000 personas. El 97% de ellas son estudiantes. Jovenes que, como Ustedes hasta el dia de hoy, buscan ese titulo, que constata los anos de dedicacion y de estudio.
Los jovenes son el rio de la vida, ustedes graduados deben ser los capitanes de esos barcos que naveguen por el rio de la vida.
Nuestra Patria atraviesa momentos muy dificiles porque decidio dejar de ser esa matrona de edad vetusta y complaciente, para ser joven, rebelde y altanera. Nuestra imagen ya no es la de una acaudalada ricachona mayamera. En nuestro rostro brilla ahora la sonrisa del Che Guevara, con su diente delantero torcido, su pelo largo y su boina con la estrella.
Entender esto, a mi me ha tomado practicamente toda la vida. Tengo 53 anos, y ya perdi mi oportunidad de derramar sangre joven a causa de un ideal.
Ustedes son jovenes, estan en la flor de la vida. No cometan por favor el error de renunciar a su instinto de rebelion. El Che Guevara fue Ministro de a Economia en Cuba. Los billetes y las monedas se adornaban con su rostro. Nada de eso le importo. Primero fue a Angola donde paso un penoso ano de combate. Despues se fue a Bolivia, donde encontro la muerte. El Che era el ultimo que comia, el que cargaba la mochila mas pesada. Siempre se sacrificaba por los demas en un estoicismo que mas parecia fervor religioso que ideologia marxista.
Si quieren un modelo de vida. Ahi lo tienen.
Dije hace unos momentos que el 97% de la poblacion de la UNELLEZ es estudiante. Se imaginan Ustedes la Universidad que podriamos tener si todos los estudiantes tuvieran la abnegacion, la combatividad del Che?
Los momentos que se avecinan van a requerir de una gran unidad del pueblo venezolano. La alternativa de continuar siendo libres o regresar a la pobreza se nos planteara en los proximos dias de forma enmascarada, o quizas peor, desenmascarada, vestida con uniforme de soldado del Imperio.
Por nuestra parte podemos esperar lo mejor. La macroeconomia no podria ir mejor, la justicia social ha mejorado notablemente. Las misiones ocupan un papel muy importante en el pago de dicha justicia social. Aqui en Barinas ya hemos cumplido con dos de las misiones, la mision Robinson y la mision Sucre. No hay analfabetismo y no hay exclusion en la educacion superior, en estas tierras de Zamora.
Pero ay malhaya! Son precisamente estos exitos los que nos hacen mas antipaticos al Imperio. Para ellos, somos inclusive un mal ejemplo que se esta contagiando al resto del continente y cuidado sino al resto del mundo.
Nunca venceremos al Imperio. Estara siempre ahi, acechando. Por lo menos hasta que el mismo no se autodestruya. Porque, sepanlo senores, el neoliberalismo es canibal. Cuando le ataque el hambre, se devorara a si mismo.
Ustedes, queridos graduandos, a partir de hoy pasan a conformar la elite profesional que debe sostener este pais en los proximos cuarenta o cincuenta anos. Anos decisivos para el logro de nuestra libertad y del rescate de nuestra Soberania.
No se dejen comprar. No se dejen corromper. No se dejen gritar. No se dejen pisar. Que nadie les diga que comer, o que vestirse, o que leer. Sean siempre autenticos, rebeldes, contestatarios. Pero eso si, profundamente patriotas, dignos de ser hijos de Bolivar.
Muchas gracias y que Dios los bendiga.
Alguna duda?
Medio siglo de Holocausto Palestino
Oscar Zanartu Nacio en Caracas en 1960. Ha realizado exposiciones individuales en las galerias Minotauro, Clave y San Francisco, y en salas de Coro, estado Falcon, y Puerto Ordaz, estado Bolivar. En Paris su obra ha sido exhibida en el Centro Cultural Tanagra, en la Exposicion Cite Internationale des Arts, en las galerias De Mars y Arver Space, al igual que en la Galeria Municipal Levallois, en Levallois Perret (Francia). En muestras colectivas, su obra se ha expuesto en Belgica, Francia, Estados Unidos y Venezuela; en Caracas intervino en la exposicion "Del genesis a la memoria", 1995, organizada por la Fundacion La Previsora. En 1982 obtuvo el Premio Nacional Critven y en 1990 la Mencion de Honor Jose Antonio Paez, en la Embajada de Venezuela en Paris. En 1991 se le concedio el primer premio de Pintura Itinerante, en Levallois Perret, Francia.
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Homenaje a Jason Galarraga
La Victoria de Samotracia
Odalisca
Mas fotos de la nevada del pasado agosto 2008
La Sierra Nevada de Merida
Nuestro precioso Churum Meru
Homenaje a Picasso
Autoretrato
Sabes lo que bebes en una Coca-Cola?
La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.
Mi profesion?
Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.
Sal en la Coca Cola?
A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.
De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:
Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gusto
Acido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)
azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)
Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantas
Mucha Cafeina
Conservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o Potasio
Dioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebe
Sal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracion
El uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.
Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.
Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.
En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).
Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.
La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.
Bebidas Light?
Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el
Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.
Publicado por loretahur
En realidad, la formula secreta de la Coca-Cola se puede detallar en 18 segundos en cualquier espectrometro optico, y basicamente la conocen hasta los perros. Lo que ocurre es que no se puede fabricar igual, a no ser que uno disponga de unos cuantos millones de dolares para ganarle la demanda que te metera la Coca-Cola ante la justicia (ellos no perderian).La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gustoAcido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantasMucha CafeinaConservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o PotasioDioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebeSal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracionEl uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el aspartamo , despues de tres semanas mojado, pasa a tener gusto de trapo viejo sucio.Para evitar eso, se agregan una infinidad de otros productos quimicos, uno para alargar la vida del aspartamo, otro para neutralizar el color, otro para mantener el tercer quimico en suspension porque sino el fondo de la gaseosa quedaria oscuro, otro para evitar la cristalizacion del aspartamo, otro para realzar el sabor, dar mas intensidad al acido citrico o fosforito que perderia su sabor por el efecto de los cuatro productos quimicos iniciales... y asi sucesivamente.Un consejo final !!Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.Publicado por loretahur
MARGARINA o MANTEQUILLA La margarina fue producida originalmente para engordar a los pavos; cuandolo que hizo en realidad fue matarlos.Las personas que habian puesto el dinero para la investigacion quisieronrecobrarlo asi que empezaron a pensar en una forma de hacerlo.Tenian una sustancia blanca, que no tenia ningun atractivo como comestible,asi que le anadieron el color amarillo, para venderselo a lagente en lugar de la mantequilla.Que tal esa?... Ahora han sacado algunos nuevos sabores para vender mas alos incautos como usted y yo.CONOCE USTED la diferencia entre la margarina y la mantequilla?Siga leyendo hasta el final... porque se pone bastante interesante!Comparacion entre mantequilla y margarina:
1.- Ambas tienen la misma cantidad de calorias.
2.- La mantequilla es ligeramente mas alta en grasas saturadas: 8 gramos,comparada con los 5 gramos que tiene la margarina.
3.- Comer margarina en vez de mantequilla puede aumentar en 53% el riesgo deenfermedades coronarias en las mujeres, de acuerdo con un estudiomedico reciente de la Universidad de Harvard.
4.- Comer mantequilla aumenta la absorcion de gran cantidad de nutrientesque se encuentran en otros alimentos.
5.- La mantequilla provee beneficios nutricionales propios mientras lamargarina tiene solo los que le hayan sido anadidos al fabricarla.
6.- La mantequilla sabe mucho mejor que la margarina y mejora el sabor deotros alimentos.7.- La mantequilla ha existido durante siglos mientras que la margarinatiene menos de 100 anos.
Ahora... sobre la margarina:
1.- Es muy alta en acidos grasos trans. (Si, esos que recien ahora loscientificos descubrieron que son malisimos y los gobiernoscomenzaron a prohibirlos) .
2.- Triple riesgo de enfermedades coronarias.
3.- Aumenta el colesterol total y el LDL (el colesterol malo) y disminuye elHDL (el colesterol bueno).
4.- Aumenta en cinco veces el riesgo de cancer.
5.- Disminuye la calidad de la leche materna.
6.- Disminuye la reaccion inmunologica del organismo.
7.- Disminuye la reaccion a la insulina.
Y he aqui el factor mas inquietante (AQUI ESTA LA PARTE MAS INTERESANTE! ):A la margarina le falta UNA MOLECULA para ser PLASTICO...!!Solo este hecho es suficiente para evitar el uso de la margarina de porvida, y de cualquier otra cosa que sea hidrogenada (esto significaque se le anade hidrogeno, lo cual cambia la estructura molecular de lassubstancias).Usted puede ensayar lo siguiente:Compre un poco de margarina y dejela en el garaje o en un sitio sombreado.Dentro de unos dias notara dos cosas:
* No habra moscas; ni siquiera esos molestos bichos se le acercaran (esto yale debe decir a usted algo).
* No se pudre ni huele mal o diferente porque no tiene valor nutritivo; nadacrece en ella. Ni siquiera los diminutos microorganismos puedencrecer en ella.Por que? Porque es casi plastico!!
No a la guerra, Si a la Paz
Misterios de la ciencia...
Los costos de la guerra
medicos y capitalismo...
medicos (2)
Quien educa a nuestros hijos?
Los Medios...
Sin Palabras...
Chistes feministas
- Cual es el problema, Eva?
- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz...
- Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.
- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...
- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.
- Que es un hombre?
- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.
- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.
- Cual es el truco?.
- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.
- Cual?
- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.
Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas? Porque todos son unos cerdos
Un dia, en el Paraiso, Eva llamo a Dios: Tengo un problema.- Cual es el problema, Eva?- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz... - Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.- Que es un hombre?- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.- Cual es el truco?.- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.- Cual?- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas? Porque todos son unos cerdos
Ellas (2)...
Tres venganzas femeninas VENGANZA NUMERO 1
Hoy mi hija cumple 21 anos y estoy muy contento porque es el ultimo pago de pension alimenticia que le doy, asi que llame a mi hijita para que viniera a mi casa y cuando llego le dije:
-Hijita, quiero que lleves este cheque a casa de tu mama y que le digas que: Este es el ultimo maldito cheque que va recibir de mi en todo lo que le queda de su puta vida!!! Quiero que me digas la expresion que pone en su rostro.
Asi que mi hija fue a entregar el cheque. Yo estaba ansioso por saber lo que la bruja tenia que decir y que cara pondria.
Cuando mi hijita entro, le pregunte inmediatamente: -Que fue lo que te dijo tu madre?
-Me dijo que justamente estaba esperando este dia para decirte que no eres mi papa!
VENGANZA NUMERO 2
Un hombre que siempre molestaba a su mujer, paso un dia por la casa de unos amigos para que lo acompanaran al aeropuerto a dejar a su esposa que viajaba a Paris.
A la salida de inmigracion, frente a todo el mundo, el le desea buen viaje y en tono burlon le grita:
- Amor, no te olvides de traerme una hermosa francesita Ja ja ja!!
Ella bajo la cabeza y se embarco muy molesta.
La mujer paso quince dias en Francia.
El marido otra vez pidio a sus amigos que lo acompanasen al aeropuerto a recibirla.
Al verla llegar, lo primero que le grita a toda voz es:
- Y amor me trajiste mi francesita??
- Hice todo lo posible, - contesta ella - ahora solo tenemos que rezar para que nazca nina.
VENGANZA NUMERO 3
El marido, en su lecho de muerte, llama a su mujer. Con voz ronca y ya debil, le dice: - Muy bien, llego mi hora, pero antes quiero hacerte una confesion.
- No, no, tranquilo, tu no debes hacer ningun esfuerzo.
- Pero, mujer, es preciso - insiste el marido - Es preciso morir en paz.
Te quiero confesar algo.
- Esta bien, esta bien. Habla!
- He tenido relaciones con tu hermana, tu mama y tu mejor amiga.
- Lo se, lo se Por eso te envenene, hijo de puta!!!
machismo y cibernetica
Chiste machista La NASA ha enviado al espacio una mision experimental tripulada por dos monos y una mujer.Apenas abandona la atmosfera, se establece comunicacion con Houston.
-Atencion, simio 1, verifique sistemas hidraulicos, controle adecuada presion de los propulsores de arranque. A 60.000 pies disminuya un 25% la velocidad.
El simio hace la sena de OK.
-Atencion, simio 2, nivele al cruzar la estratosfera y active sistemas anticongelantes. No olvide monitorear sistemas de comunicacion e indicadores de presion. Comprendido?.
El simio hace la sena de OK.
-Atencion, Houston llamando a mujer: no se olvide.
-Mujer: Si, si, ya se! -interrumpe enojada- que no me olvide darles de comer a estos monos de mierda y que no se me vaya a ocurrir tocar nada!.
.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti.
Un abogado mantiene un romance con su secretaria.Al poco tiempo, esta queda embarazada y el abogado, que no quiere que su esposa se entere, le da a la secretaria una buena suma de dinero y le pide que se vaya a parir a Italia.Esta pregunta: Y como voy a hacerte saber cuando nazca el bebe ? El abogado responde: Para que mi mujer no se entere, tan solo enviame una postal y escribe por detras: Spaghetti. Y no te preocupes mas, que yo me encargare de todos los gastos.
Pasan los meses y una manana la esposa del abogado lo llama al bufete, algo exaltada: Querido, acabo de recibir el correo y hay una postal muy extrana viene desde Italia. La verdad, no entiendo que significa.El abogado, tratando de ocultar sus nervios, contesta:Espera a que llegue a casa, a ver si yo entiendoCuando el hombre llega a casa y lee la postal, cae al suelo fulminado por un infarto.Llega una ambulancia y se lo lleva. Ya en el hospital, el jefe de cardiologia se queda consolando a la esposa y le pregunta cual ha sido el evento que precipito tan masivo ataque cardiaco.
Entonces la esposa saca la postal y se la muestra diciendole: No me explico, doctor; el solamente leyo esta postal. Vea usted mismo lo que trae escrito.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti."Tres con salchicha y albondigas y dos con almejas
Gol !!!!
Chistes de Borrachos Entra un borracho a su casa todo manchado con lapiz labial por todos lados hecho un desastre, y la mujer le pregunta:-Hombre que te paso?Y el borracho le responde:-No me vas a creer, me pelee con un payaso!
Este es un borracho que entra en un bar y le dice al camarero:-Me da cinco copas de whisky?Al rato:-Me da cuatro?Al rato:-Me da tres copas?Despues:-Me da dos copas?Luego le dice:-Me da una copa?Y le dice al camarero:-Ves? Cuanto menos bebo, mas borracho estoy!
From Greg Swank, 12-4-2 You are about to read a list of 45 goals that found their way down the halls of our great Capitol back in 1963. As...
Venezuelas state oil firm PDVSA is looking to sell more of its oil to customers in Europe and Asia as the U.S. sanctions are cutting off U.S. buyers of its crude, a senior Venezuelan oil official loyal to Nicolas Maduro told Russian news outlet Sputnik in an interview published on Wednesday.
Yes, we are facing new illegal sanctions from the US. We were exporting about 500,000 bpd to the US. PDVSA will redirect exports to other customers in Europe and Asia, Ronny Romero, a technical adviser to PDVSA and to Venezuelas Petroleum Ministry, as well as Venezuelas National Representative at OPEC, told the news outlet of Russia, which supports Maduro in the Venezuelan political standoff.
U.S. sanctions currently apply to U.S. entities, and anyway, Russia and China dont care about US sanctions, Romero told Sputnik, when asked how PDVSA would convince more European and Asian countries to buy its oil.
Last week, the U.S. imposed sanctions on PDVSA to help prevent further diverting of Venezuelas assets by Maduro and preserve these assets for the people of Venezuela. The path to sanctions relief for PdVSA is through the expeditious transfer of control to the Interim President or a subsequent, democratically elected government, Secretary of the Treasury Steven T. Mnuchin said.
The sanctions block all payments to PDVSA accounts, and buyers of Venezuelan crude are directed to deposit payments in a separate account, to which PDVSA doesnt have access.
Related: BP Beats Estimates, Posts Highest Profit In Five Years
The sanctions have created uncertainty over payments for crude cargoes contracted before the sanctions were imposed. Reports have it that tankers carrying as much as 7 million barrels of Venezuelan heavy crude are sitting in the Gulf of Mexico awaiting clarity.
Meanwhile, Juan Guaido, the Venezuelan opposition leader recognized as the countrys interim president by the U.S. and several major European countries, has ordered Venezuelas congress to appoint new boards at PDVSA and its U.S. refining unit Citgo, Reuters reports.
Guaido also plans to drop the requirement that PDVSA hold a majority stake in all joint projects, as the leader looks to boost oil production as soon as possible, Guaidos envoy to the U.S., Carlos Vecchio, said earlier this week.
By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com
More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Qatar and Exxon have officially announced a US$10-billion joint investment in their Golden Pass LNG project in Texas, which will turn the LNG import terminal into an export terminal as well, as shale gas production in the United States continues to increase steadily.
Last month, Reuters reported that Qatar Petroleum is looking to invest as much as US$20 billion in LNG projects in the United States over the next few years, citing the companys chief executive. The investment is separate, apparently, from Qatars plans to boost its production capacity at home.
Yet, the US$20 billion wont be spent just on LNG, Saad al-Kaabi told Reuters in December. Qatar Petroleum will also look into oil production in the United States.
The small Gulf nation, which has been under a blockade from its neighbors led by Saudi Arabia for more than a year now, was until November the worlds largest LNG exporter. In November, Australia took the number-one spot, however, likely motivating Qatar to double down on its production capacity expansion bet.
Spurred by the intensifying competition, Qatar last year announced plans to boost its domestic liquefied natural gas production capacity to 110 million tons annually, all from the deposit it shares with neighbor Iran and calls the North Field, and Iran calls South Pars. Qatar can currently produce 77 million tons of LNG from the North Field and since it looks serious about keeping its top spot in LNG exports, an international expansion would make the most sense.
Related: BP Beats Estimates, Posts Highest Profit In Five Years
U.S. natural gas production, on the other hand, is rising so fast, analysts last year estimated that new LNG projects will result in between 1 and 2.5 million tons of LNG flowing into the spot market in the first quarter of this year alone.
We see somewhere between 2.0 to 2.5 million tonnes of additional U.S. supplies in the first quarter. We think probably, most of the 2.5 million will be put into the spot market, Trevor Sikorski from Energy Aspects told Reuters last September.
The Golden Pass expansion will take a while longer, however, with launch of the export facility scheduled for 2024.
By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com
More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
A unit of forces loyal to Libyas UN-backed government in Tripoli has been sent south to secure the countrys largest oil field, Sharara, which has been shut in for nearly two months after it was occupied by an armed group, in what could turn out to be another clash for a major oil asset in Libya between forces loyal to the government in the west and those pledging allegiance to a strongman in the east.
A unit of the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) of the Libyan government of national accord, supported by the United Nations, is heading to Sharara, which has the capacity to pump 340,000 bpd, but which has been under force majeure since December 9, 2018, Qatar-based Al Jazeera TV reported on Wednesday.
Sharara has been under force majeure after armed militia claiming attachment to the local PFG seized control and demanded ransom to re-open it.
Nearly two months later, Sharara remains offline, and Libyas National Oil Corporation (NOC), which refuses to yield to ransom demands, said in December that Oil production will now only restart at Sharara after alternative security arrangements are put in place.
Last month, forces loyal to eastern strongman General Khalifa Haftar and his self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) said that they had started a military operation to secure oil sites and facilities in Libyas south, where Sharara is located.
LNA has already seized the main city in the southwest, Sebha, and a spokesman for LNA, Ahmed al-Mismari, has told Bloomberg that after seizing the city, the forces would move on to Sharara and other oil facilities in the area.
Related: Platts Survey: OPEC Production Drops To Lowest Since March 2015
At a speech in London last week, NOCs chairman Mustafa Sanalla said that With some reluctance we have concluded that the preferred solution is a professional PFG force managed by NOC.
A mixed force might provide a solution within a negotiated security framework. With a robust security framework in place, managed by NOC, Libya will be a much more reliable supplier to the global market and a much more attractive destination for oil and gas investment, Sanalla said.
Yet, according to Bloomberg, the rival forces havent shown they are willing to cooperate to keep the Sharara oil field safely operating.
By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com
More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Tokyo Gas Co, Japans largest gas utility and a major LNG player, and British energy supplier Centrica agreed on Tuesday to jointly purchase 2.6 million tonnes of LNG per year from Mozambique LNG Company Pte Ltd. The two companies said that LNG will be delivered ex-ship from Mozambique LNG from the start-up of production until the early 2040s.
Mozambique LNG1 is owned by U.S. oil and gas producer Anadarko Petroleum Corporation and partners in a consortium which is developing the project aimed at serving both the Asia-Pacific and European markets. Currently, the Asia-Pacific region makes up around 72 percent of global LNG demand with that amount forecasted to increase to around 75 percent amid ramped up LNG demand in China.
The project will consist of two liquefaction trains (production units) with the capacity to produce 12.88 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) in its initial phase and is expected to be completed by 2023-2024. An all-importance final investment decision (FID) is expected this year. An FID must be reached before financing and then construction can begin.
Tokyo Gas expands
There are several takeaways from this disclosure. For starters, it shows how Tokyo Gas is becoming a growing force in global LNG development and markets. Just last week, the Tokyo-based firm said it planned to leverage its links with foreign partners or team up with other Japanese companies to chase deals. We want to make an aggressive investment in Southeast Asia and North America this year to expand our LNG value chain, he told Reuters in an interview. Related: Bank Of America: Oil Demand Growth To Hit Zero Within A Decade
Under a three-year business plan that was implemented last April, Tokyo Gas has earmarked some 260 billion yen ($2.4 billion) for investment to boost its earnings overseas to 20 percent of its targeted operating profit of 130 billion yen in the year to March 2021. In the year to March 2018, earnings outside of Japan accounted for approximately 5.8 percent of its group operating profit of 116.3 billion yen.
This is showing a continued bullish growth approach for the giant gas utility that has pivoted itself from being overly reliant on restrictive long-term off-take agreements with traditional LNG producers, like Qatar, to become a trader of the super-cooled fuel in the spot market and for short term deals. It also shows how far the firm will venture from its core business to not only lock in security of supply but to also increase its global footprint as LNG is poised to be traded more like a true commodity, albeit in time, like the top two global commodities, crude oil and iron ore. Last year, Tokyo Gas said it was keen to invest in LNG infrastructure in Southeast Asia, a region that is also poised for growth, particularly in Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand.
Mozambique poised to be a global LNG player
The disclosure also shows how Mozambique is positioning itself to become a major LNG player, even as the country still struggles with financial and political headwinds. At the start of January, U.S. oil major Exxon Mobil said that it, along with project partners in Mozambique's Area 4 concession, had secured LNG off-take commitments for the Rovuma LNG project.
Related: Could This Material Kill Lithium-Ion Batteries?
Yet, as a pointed out in my January 2 OilPrice.com post, the challenges for Mozambique are manifold. Mozambique will have to navigate dangerous waters as it becomes a global LNG producer, including the so-called oil or natural resources curse that has plagued major oil and energy producing nations that otherwise are poor, have large amounts of national debt, weak institutions in place and a history of political corruption.
Mozambique is facing down a huge amount of debt that puts it at a disadvantage from the start. Mozambique's debt quandary came about a decade after international creditors wrote off more than $6 billion worth of bad loans. Just two-and-a-half years ago the Mozambique government disclosed previously hidden government debt of another $1 billion.
A DW report said in August that as Mozambiques hidden debt scandal continues, groups are pushing for the secret loans triggered by the financial crisis, to be declared illegal. The report added that Mozambiques economic woes were brought on by secret loans that were backed by the county's finance minister without parliamentary approval, which is required by the constitution.
By Tim Daiss for Oilprice.com
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I think everyones grandma watches Y&R! I dont a single grandma that isnt obsessed with that show. My grandma watched it religiously for decades, until her dementia got too bad last year. I tried to tell her Neil died but I dont think she remembers him.
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This is so freaking sad. Ive watched Y&R since forever with my mom and Ive always liked him.
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So sad. I remember how depressed and devastated he was after his son committed suicide. My heart broke for him. I hate that he's gone so soon!
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They didn't release his cause of death. His autopsy results were deferred due to more toxicology tests needed.
He was treated for depression a week before so he probably took his own life. It's sad.
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This is so sad. I hope his daughters are okay.
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I remember him winning a bunch of Daytime Emmys when I was younger. I'm shocked by this.
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Heartbreaking! Y&R is my mom's favorite show so I grew up watching it. She bawled when I told her the news.
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I havent watched it in years but I loved Neil and his family. I wonder how they will explain his absence on the show?
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Aw james reynolds, I loved Abe on days. This is all so sad RIP to Kristoff.
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I was so confused by his post at first because I couldn't remember Kristoff ever being on Days. Then my reading comprehension skills kicked in. But yes, loved Abe!
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I can see how you thought that I worded it confusing lol. Abe and Lexy were goals but lexy was a mess sometimes lol
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This has upset me so much. I grew up watching him.
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Im not sure how to embed IG posts but the post that Christel Khalil (@christeladnana), who played his daughter Lily for 17 years on the show, posted was heartbreaking. OP this is a beautiful post regardless but I really think you should add hers since she has such a special role to him on the show. Or if someone could embed it under my comment or tell me how to <3
I still cant believe hes gone. I have watched Y&R continuously since I was born and I have grown up with him on my TV. He was so young and its crazy to me that he wont be here. I wonder what they will do with his character. I really do not want them to recast but at the same time I dont think I could handle a storyline of Neils death.
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https://instagram.com/p/BteupJyDadX Added it! Thank you
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thank you for adding it! <3
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this is so sad. i grew up watching y&r with my grandmother and i recently watched roots: the next gen. i hope his family is ok.
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Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in Hello! Your entry got to top-25 of the most popular entries in LiveJournal!Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in FAQ
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This is just heartbreaking. RIP, Kristoff.
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Thank you for this post, OP. This is heartbreaking.
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A lawyer has single-handedly shut down an entire courthouse after his clothes were found to be crawling with bed bugs.
Rogers County Courthouse, in Oklahoma in the US, was forced to close early on Monday, KMTV reported, after the attorney arrived at a courtroom on the third floor with the insects falling out of his clothes.
Local sheriff Scott Walton told local news outlet KMTV that the man didnt seem to notice the bugs.
The courthouse had to be shut down until the bed bugs were exterminated. Source: Google Maps
The bed bugs were apparently falling from the lawyers clothes. Source: Getty/Stock
Hard to imagine someone doesnt know, you know, that some bed bugs are crawling all over them certainly in abundance, he said.
I was told the individual that had them also shook his jacket over the prosecutors files.
After the courthouse was closed, exterminators worked through the night to rid the building of the pests.
Employees and other court attendees were advised to treat themselves as a precaution.
Rogers County Courthouse was open for business on Tuesday morning, but it is unclear who will pay for the extermination.
As part of Viacom's First Quarter 2019 Results article on viacom.com/news , Viacom has revealed that Nickelodeon has launched a new Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) service namedon Amazon channels which is aimed towards older kids!Apple today announced that they'll be adding Nick Hits to their revamped Apple TV app in May 2019! Additionally, the new Apple TV app with continue to support Nickelodeon's NOGGIN preschool app!The fourth beta of Apple's iOS 12.3 has recently been released to developers, and its TV app is the most talked about feature of the update. Acting as an aggregating application for hundreds of different TV channels, the feature provides an easier way to watch and subscribe to different platforms offering varying shows.Just seven weeks after rolling out iOS 12.2, Apple has released iOS 12.3. The biggest update this time around is a major refresh of the TV app ahead of the Apple TV+ streaming service debuting later this year.The previous version of the iOS 12.3 was only limited to subscriptions on Starz, Smithsonian, Showtime and Tastemade. Now, its options have been vastly expanded to include Viacom's Nickelodeon, MTV Hits and Comedy Central Now, as well as CBS All Access, HBO, and more!The news follows Viacom adding Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. channels to Pluto TV and FuboTV in recent days.In the article, Viacom talks about its plan to acquire Pluto TV , the leading free streaming television service in U.S., and how the media company hopes that the platform will act as a powerful marketing engine for Viacoms SVOD products - Noggin, Comedy Central Now,Robert Bakish, the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Viacom, revealed during Viacom's 1Q19 financial results earnings call, that Nick Hits launched last week on Amazon channels, and is aimed towards older kids!NickHits features a wide selection of programming from Nickelodeon's vast content library, including show's such as SpongeBob SquarePants, iCarly, Bella and the Bulldogs, Avatar The Last Airbender, Henry Danger, Victorious, The Legend of Korra, Fairly OddParents, Game Shakers, Big Time Rush, Sam & Cat, House of Anubis (SIBUNA!), Kenan & Kel, All Grown Up!, TMNT Half Shell Heroes: Blast to the Past, Dora and Friends: Into the City, The Other Kingdom, Monsters Vs. Aliens, The Mighty B!, All That, Clarissa Explains it All, Doug, How to Rock, Every Witch Way, The Amanda Show, My Life As A Teenage Robot, Fanboy & Chum Chum, The Troop, Ride, 100 Things To Do Before High School, Crashletes, Robot and Monster, Pig Goat Banana Cricket, Fresh Beat Band of Spies, and Rank the Prank, and original movies such as Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library, Albert, A Fairly Odd Christmas, The Boy Who Cried Werewolf, Splitting Adam, Swindle, Rufus, Rufus 2, Big Time Movie, and Jinxed.NickHits is available as part of Prime Video Channels, however, non-Prime members can subscribe for $7.99/month (with a 7-day free trial). For more information and to subscribe, visit https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/storefront/ref=atv_hm_hom_5_c_MiuPXS_8?contentType=subscription&contentId=nickhits&benefitId=nickhits However, no other information about what kind of SVOD service Nick Hits could be. The name could indicate it could be dedicated to the most loved Nickelodeon content from the 1990s and beyond. Nickelodeon already has a NickSplat channel on VRV featuring a selection of retro Nick programming, however, this could be the next step for the NickSplat brand.The name Nick Hits could also refer to a Nickelodeon-branded SVOD music channel, similar to Nickelodeon's Nick Music linear channel There is a third option, however, which could be that Nick Hits was a typo and the publisher meant to type NickSplat.Nickelodeon has already established the Nick Hits brand name internationally, as a programming block airing older Nickelodeon programming on Nickelodeon Latin America (Latinoamerica) between July 4, 2009 and ended on April 4, 2010, and as a Nickelodeon music channel in the Netherlands (Nederland) and Flanders between 2007-2017 (it rebranded as Nick Music in 2017).
Dear Newsie Readers,
Newsie has now permanently ceased it's services as of Friday 20th December 2019.
Newsie has been an owner-funded operation since day one.
Coming up to three years old, while we still firmly believe Newsie has a place in the New Zealand media landscape, the cost in both time and money has become too burdensome for the owners to continue alongside other ventures.
With the current government looking to restructure public broadcasting, and seemingly supporting NZME buying a ring-fenced Stuff, the time seems right to call it a day.
Should it happen, the combination of NZME and Stuff will ensure New Zealands national media will die a death by a thousand opinion-based articles.
Newsie has always tried to stick to balanced news, to inform readers of the facts of a situation, amid being largely ignored by government. Hopefully, one day someone else will take up the challenge to fight the good fight.
The good news, however, is that there were no job losses as a result of Newsie closing. Thanks to careful structuring, everyone involved in Newsie will retain their current positions.
We hope you all have a happy Christmas and new year. Stay safe, and stay out of the news.
The team at Newsie
WASHINGTON House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sat behind him, wearing suffragette white and an occasional smirk.
Several of those hoping to challenge President Donald Trump in 2020 were in the audience, having already begun their pushback in pre-speech tweets or Facebook feeds.
Scattered throughout the House chamber were Americans invited by Democrats to send silent messages: Federal employees hurt by the recent government shutdown. Immigrants who had worked at Trump properties despite being undocumented. Transgender soldiers. A mother who was separated from her daughter when she sought asylum from domestic violence in Guatemala.
Trump had his own guests.
Looking down on the president from the spectators gallery was 11-year-old Joshua Trump, a guest of the first lady because he has been bullied at school for the mere offense of having Trumps name.
The annual State of the Union address is one of the longest and most prominent speeches a president gives.
But the words themselves can get less attention than what's going on in the House chamber.
The optics of this years address were highly anticipated and not just because it was Trumps first joint address to Congress since Democrats took the House last fall, giving Pelosi, his rival, the gavel.
He hasnt figured out how to deal with that situation at all, California Rep. Karen Bass taunted before the speech when she and other women wearing white to honor the suffragette movement vowed we will be seen by the Trump administration.
But the dynamics were also significant because the address delayed a week by the shutdown was delivered after Trump gave in to Democrats demands that he reopen the government without a funding commitment for a border wall.
"This IS a moral issue," Trump said, countering Pelosi's claim that border walls are immoral.
And Trump is facing multiple investigations from not just special counsel Robert Mueller, state and federal prosecutors but also from the House Democrats he warned Tuesday.
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"If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation," he said, eliciting some "boos" from Democrats. "It just doesn't work that way!"
The White House had billed the speech as a message of bipartisan unity.
But the Feb. 15 deadline looms for another shutdown unless Congress and the White House can reach a deal on border security.
No Democrat stood when the president began to talk about illegal immigration. When Trump warned of caravans of immigrants marching toward the United States, some Democrats sighed.
But in one of the few moments of unity Trump seemed taken aback when Democratic women stood and cheered as he talked about improving opportunities for women.
"You weren't supposed to do that," he ad-libbed.
"Don't sit yet, you're going to like this," he added, before recognizing that women earned the right to vote 100 years ago and a record number of women are serving in Congress.
Democratic women jumped up and high-fived each other. One yelled, "Thank you, Nancy!" Others started chanting "USA! USA!" and were eventually joined by Republicans.
There was also some bipartisanship before the speech. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and his wife, Gayle, said Republicans and Democrats dined together on chicken potpie and bread pudding. He said it's tradition. And for those who wanted something healthy, there was asparagus.
But Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer one of the handful of Democrats who boycotted the event said hed had enough of the damage, division and confusion Trump has inflicted on the country.
I refuse to be witness to his continued antics, Blumenauer tweeted.
Democrats' were clearly still celebrating their victory in November and the mood on their side of the chamber was much more energetic than it was during the previous year's State of the Union address.
When Trump entered the chamber to Republican cheers and sustained applause, reaction among Democrats was mixed. Some clapped, including new members from districts the president won, such as Rep. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia. Others, including freshman phenom Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., stood with her arms clasped. And a small group didn't stand at all.
The entire chamber stood when the president recognized first lady Melania Trump, dressed in black.
The historic number of women in the Democratic class was highlighted by the sea of white on one side of the chamber. To Trump's left, the seats were filled with men in blue and black suits with about a half-dozen Republican women wearing red.
Four of the nine Supreme Court justices attended, sitting side-by-side in the front row in their black robes. The small group included Justice Brett Kavanaugh, confirmed last year after a divisive hearing in which he defended himself against sexual assault charges.
In the chamber as a guest of Ocasio-Cortez was Ana Maria Archila, a sexual assault survivor who had confronted then-Sen. Jeff Flake about his support for Kavanaugh.
It is still painful for me, Archila told CNN before going into the House chamber. They failed by putting Kavanaugh in the Supreme Court.
Chef Jose Andres, an immigration activist who most recently fed furloughed workers in Washington, D.C., during the 35-day government shutdown, entered wearing a shirt that said "Immigrants Feed America" underneath a suit jacket. Andres was the guest of Pelosi.
Democrats preparing for potential 2020 challenges to Trump didnt wait for him to start talking before having their say.
When you hear claims that our problems would all be solved if we just built a wall on our southern border, dont forget the babies ripped from their parents arms and the refugees fleeing violence and abuse who are being turned away, California Sen. Kamala Harris said in a live Facebook feed about an hour before the speech started.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who planned on delivering a response on multiple social media platforms, took notes on a manila envelope as Trump spoke.
In a show of unity hours before the speech, scores of Democratic women gathered on the spiral steps of the Capitol Visitors Center to take photos in their white suits, hold hands and pin on "ERA YES" buttons, a reference to the Equal Rights Amendment.
"Girls Rock!" yelled Michigan Rep. Brenda Lawrence, a member of the Democratic Women's Working Group.
A few male members of Congress stood nearby, including Minnesota Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips, who sported a white tux jacket. Phillips said he went everywhere Monday looking for one.
"I think I earned a little bit more love," he joked
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Yes, President Trump gave Democratic women a reason to cheer and other inside-the-chamber moments
Aden (AFP) - Forces loyal to the Yemen government -- backed by the Saudi-led coalition -- are made up of different groups, some of which have been accused of being "largely unaccountable" by Amnesty International.
The London-based rights group on Wednesday accused the United Arab Emirates, a key partner in the coalition fighting the Iran-aligned Huthi rebels, of giving "billions of dollars worth of arms" to militias that "answer to no-one and are known to be committing war crimes" in Yemen.
Meanwhile, General Joseph Votel, who heads US Central Command covering the Middle East, also expressed concern Tuesday about a CNN investigation that found weaponry and equipment provided by the United States to Saudi Arabia and the UAE have ended up in the hands of militias across war-torn Yemen.
"We have to look more closely at the allegations in this particular situation to find out what happened," Votel told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Some 10,000 people -- mostly civilians -- have been killed since 2015 when the coalition intervened in the Yemen war, according to the World Health Organization, although rights groups say the death toll could be five times higher.
In the south and west of Yemen, there is a number of active armed groups that seized land from the Huthi rebels, who control the capital Sanaa and much of the north.
- Giants Brigade -
The Giants Brigade, known as Al-Amaliqa in Arabic, was established in 2015 and is made up of about 15,000 men -- some from the former Yemeni army while others are volunteers.
It is headed by Abdulrahman Abou Zaraa, who was a honey trader but was promoted to a general by UN-recognised Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.
The group, backed by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, took part in fighting the Huthis along a 300-kilometre (185-mile) western coastal line between the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea port city of Hodeida.
- Security Belt -
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The UAE-backed Security Belt was formed in three southern provinces -- including Aden, Lahij and Abyan -- from where they pushed out the Huthi rebels in 2015.
The armed group also played a key role in fighting Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), seen by the United States as the jihadist network's most dangerous franchise.
The Security Belt recruits from the country's southern separatist movement that has long campaigned for the secession of southern Yemen, which was an independent country before unification in 1990.
Southern Yemen is now home to both the Hadi government and separatists, whose alliance against the Huthis has become increasingly fraught.
The Security Belt has clashed with Hadi supporters for allegedly allowing Islamists into their ranks and of being Muslim Brotherhood sympathisers.
The UAE has blacklisted the Muslim Brotherhood as a "terrorist" organisation and works to limit their influence in Yemen, especially in the south which is under the control of Abu Dhabi-backed troops.
- Elite Forces -
The Elite Forces are made up of two armed groups, one based in the Shabwa province and the other in Hadramawt.
It was established in 2016 with the support of the UAE.
The Elite Forces in Shabwa has more than 5,600 fighters, who succeeded in flushing out AQAP from the province.
The Shabwa forces control most of the province except three districts which remain under the control of the Hadi government.
In Hadramawt, the troops were key in driving AQAP out of the strategic Mukalla port in April 2016.
- National Army -
In the central province of Marib, east of the capital Sanaa, there is another battlefront against the Huthi rebels but it is inactive.
The National Army is loyal to vice president Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, a former army general, who is believed to be close to the Muslim Brotherhood but nevertheless remains an ally of Saudi Arabia -- which also has listed the Brotherhood as a "terrorist" organisation.
Xavier Becerra, California's top law enforcement official, struck an optimistic tone Tuesday night in his Spanish-language rebuttal to President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech, leaning heavily on his familys immigration story as he urged U.S. Latinos to turn out to vote in 2020.
"Your vote in November changed the votes in Congress, said Becerra, the former 12-term U.S. House member who is also the state's first Latino attorney general. Now that you see your power, are you ready to open new doors? Doesnt it seem to you that its now time that we and our government build schools, not walls?
Becerra in his brief address gave Democrats credit for blocking Trumps proposed border wall, which led in December to a 35-day partial government shutdown, the longest such closure in U.S. history. Becerra said the Trump administration has sowed confusion, hostility and disorder.
Becerra, 61, has quickly emerged as a top Trump administration adversary since being appointed in 2017. His office has filed at least 45 lawsuits against Trump policies related to immigration, energy policy and the controversial immigration-status question proposed for the 2020 U.S. Census.
Trumps State of the Union address came after a bitter showdown with congressional Democrats, which ended after Trump eventually relented as the costs of the government shutdown cascaded. He has threatened another shutdown, however, if Congress does not provide funding ahead of his Feb. 15 deadline.
Trump on Tuesday again urged Congress to approve funding for the border wall, painting an ominous picture of the impact of illegal immigration. He warned that another migrant caravan is once again making the trek through Mexico to the U.S. border, calling it a tremendous onslaught.
He also claimed illegal immigration was disproportionately affecting working-class Americans who are left to pay the price while wealthy politicians and donors push for open borders while living their lives behind gates and walls and guards.
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Becerra, who spoke from his alma mater, C.K. McClatchy High School in Sacramento, said Democrats are willing to debate comprehensive immigration reform, but he vowed that Democrats would fight any effort by the president to issue an emergency declaration to fund his wall, as Trump has threatened.
Not only is it immoral, its illegal, Becerra said. We are prepared to reject this foolish proposal.
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer tapped Becerra to give the Spanish-language response. The Democratic leaders also chose former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams to give the English-language response to Trump's national address.
In a statement, Schumer said Becerra "embodies the promise of America," while Pelosi praised him as "a towering champion of equal justice and a tireless fighter for every Americans right to quality, affordable health care."
Becerra, who once was the highest-ranking Latino in Congress, left Congress to become the states attorney general after Kamala Harris was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016. Becerra often touts his biography in explaining why he has made it his mission to defend the rights of immigrants. His mother is an immigrant from Guadalajara, Mexico, who married his father, a U.S. citizen, who often traveled between the U.S. and Mexico.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra discusses various issues during an interview with The Associated Press, in Sacramento, California, Oct. 10, 2018. Becerra, Californias top prosecutor, has been among the most aggressive of the Democratic state attorneys general who have fought President Donald Trump in court.
I am the son of working-class immigrants, Becerra said Tuesday. My parents started their lives here for the same reason many people come to this country.
In Congress, Becerra served as chair of the House Democratic Caucus and was also the first Latino to serve on the powerful Ways and Means Committee. He also served one term in the California Assembly from 1990 to 1992.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Xavier Becerra? California Attorney General Responds to Trump in Spanish
By Joey Peters
BARRON, Wis. (Reuters) - The Wisconsin man charged with kidnapping a 13-year-old girl and killing her parents will face a criminal trial after he waived his right to a probable cause hearing on Wednesday.
Jake Patterson, 21, handcuffed and wearing an orange jumpsuit, appeared in Barron County Circuit Court on Wednesday. He told the judge he understood the charges and waived his right to a preliminary hearing of the evidence against him. The proceeding lasted less than three minutes.
Patterson is charged with murder for shooting Jayme Closs' parents to death with a shotgun and kidnapping the girl he had targeted seemingly at random after spotting her boarding a school bus. He held her for three months until she escaped.
Patterson will enter a plea during an arraignment set for March 27.
Police say Patterson admitted to dragging Closs into the trunk of his car and driving to his tiny cabin in Gordon, Wisconsin, about 112 miles (180 km) northeast of Minneapolis, where he held her hostage for months, sometimes under his bed.
The October discovery of the parents' bodies in their home in Barron, Wisconsin, with the door blasted open and their daughter gone, sparked a search by hundreds of police officers and thousands of volunteers.
After 88 days, Closs escaped on Jan. 10 and sought help from a woman walking her dog, according to court papers. Soon after, police arrested Patterson, who told investigators he had been looking for Closs.
Patterson is charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the killings of James and Denise Closs, as well as kidnapping and burglary counts. If convicted, he could face a sentence of life in prison.
More than a dozen relatives and friends of the Closs family entered the courtroom in somber silence, escorted by security. The girl was not among them.
After the hearing, Patterson turned to his family and said, "I love you," according to media reports. Followed into the parking lot by a horde of television cameras, Jake's father, Patrick, stared at the ground and did not comment.
(Writing by Katharine Jackson; editing by Scott Malone and Cynthia Osterman)
Hanoi (AFP) - Communist-run but with capitalist leanings, and a friend to both the United States and North Korea, Vietnam will host the next summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un from February 27-28.
Like North Korea, Vietnam was once locked in a bloody and bitter war with the US.
But unlike Pyongyang, Hanoi now counts Washington among its closest allies, emerging from the ravages of war to become one of the fastest growing economies in Asia -- and one of the most diplomatically savvy.
Here are a few reasons why it was chosen to host the second Trump-Kim summit:
Does it make logistical sense?
Vietnam ticks a lot of boxes. It is a short enough flight from Pyongyang for Kim, who otherwise travels by armoured train.
It is also home to both US and North Korean embassies to help with pre-summit arrangements.
Hanoi enjoys friendly ties with both countries and is considered "neutral" territory, unlike, say, the US state of Hawaii, which was also rumoured as an option.
Security in the communist country is tight even during normal times. Authorities will carefully control media access and crowds for an event where the choreography between the leaders will be closely watched across the world.
Why is Kim on board with Vietnam?
Vietnam is one of a handful of countries with which North Korea has good relations.
Diplomatic ties between Hanoi and Pyongyang date back to 1950, and North Korea sent air force personnel to the communist North during the Vietnam War.
The last top North Korean leader to visit Vietnam was Kim Jong Un's grandfather Kim Il Sung in 1958, though several senior officials have visited since then.
While trade has dipped in the wake of UN sanctions against Pyongyang, it reached $7 million (6.1 million euros) in 2017.
Kim's trip to Vietnam -- it will be his first -- could also be a chance for him to learn from Vietnam's post-war economic transformation.
"(Kim) would be interested in seeing the Vietnam story for himself, that can be a good source of inspiration and reflection for him to think about the way he should take North Korea forward," Le Hong Hiep, a Vietnam expert at Singapore's ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, told AFP.
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What about Washington?
Vietnam might also be a strategically important location for the US, which is currently locked in a trade war with China -- one of North Korea's closest allies.
Trump could use Vietnam to "signal to Beijing that North Korea is not in your hands, we have a counterbalance to Chinese influence in this area", said Cheon Seong Whun, a visiting research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul.
Washington is also keen to show off Vietnam's economic success story, touted by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during a visit to the country last year.
"Your country can replicate this path. It's yours if you'll seize the moment," Pompeo said in remarks aimed at Kim.
"It can be your miracle in North Korea as well."
Why is Vietnam keen to host?
Vietnam is eager to showcase its diplomatic gravitas on a global stage, following on from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in 2017 and a regional World Economic Forum meeting last year.
The Trump-Kim meet could pay off in more ways than one.
Hosting the box-office summit could boost "Vietnam's status in the international community, which helps the country attract tourism and foreign investment", said Vu Minh Khuong, a policy analyst at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore.
If you are looking for a stock that has a solid history of beating earnings estimates and is in a good position to maintain the trend in its next quarterly report, you should consider Inter Parfums (IPAR). This company, which is in the Zacks Cosmetics industry, shows potential for another earnings beat.
This perfume maker has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. The average surprise for the last two quarters was 19.03%.
For the last reported quarter, Inter Parfums came out with earnings of $0.60 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.58 per share, representing a surprise of 3.45%. For the previous quarter, the company was expected to post earnings of $0.26 per share and it actually produced earnings of $0.35 per share, delivering a surprise of 34.62%.
Price and EPS Surprise
For Inter Parfums, estimates have been trending higher, thanks in part to this earnings surprise history. And when you look at the stock's positive Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction), it's a great indicator of a future earnings beat, especially when combined with its solid Zacks Rank.
Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven.
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 related 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.
Inter Parfums currently has an Earnings ESP of +33.33%, which suggests that analysts have recently become bullish on the company's earnings prospects. This positive Earnings ESP when combined with the stock's Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) indicates that another beat is possibly around the corner. We expect the company's next earnings report to be released on March 4, 2019.
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Investors should note, however, that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss, but a negative value does reduce the predictive power of this metric.
Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, though this is not the only reason why their shares gain. Additionally, some stocks may remain stable even if they end up missing the consensus estimate.
Because of this, it's really important to check a company's Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.
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
Inter Parfums, Inc. (IPAR) : Free Stock Analysis Report
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Zacks Investment Research
Interserve investors have been wiped out in a bid to rescue the company from collapse. Photo: Peter Nicholls/Reuters
Here are some of the top business, market and economic stories you should be watching today in the UK, Europe and abroad:
Interserve investors wiped out
Interserve (IRV.L) has saved itself but thrown its shareholders under the bus.
The outsourcing giant, which holds crucial government contracts for services in prisons, schools and hospitals, has essentially wiped out its shareholders in a bid to reduce its high debt levels and avoid the fate of the collapsed firm, Carillion.
Interserves net debt will be reduced to 275m from about 650m by allowing debt holders to take control of the vast majority of the firm.
This so-called debt-for-equity swap has drawn outrage from one large shareholder, New York hedge fund Coltrane, which has called for several directors to be removed from the companys board.
Carillions collapse in a mass of debt and pensions last year forced the government to step in to guarantee services ranging from roadworks to school meals and led to a parliamentary inquiry into the extent to which private companies should be running essential services.
Shares in Interserve have crashed since their peak in 2014 and are now worth just 2% of their former value. The company employs about 75,000 people globally.
Market movers: Ocado, Barratt and Equinor
Shares in online retailer Ocado (OCDO.L) shed about 8% after saying operations at its flagship automated distribution centre in Andover were suspended after a fire broke out in part of the site.
Shares in Britains biggest housebuilder, Barratt (BDEV.L), rose 2.6% in morning trading after it posted higher first-half volumes. It also said it was working with suppliers to ensure continuity of supply of components in the face of Brexit.
Additionally, Norways oil giant Equinor (EQNR, EQNR.OL) formerly known as Statoil released its latest quarterly results and is hosting an investor conference in London. The firm raised its quarterly dividend and plans to boost capital spending in 2019. Shares in the firm are down about 3% in Oslo in morning trading.
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Unilever buys UK snacks firm Graze
Unilever (ULVR.L) said it has acquired British snack brand Graze for an undisclosed price, boosting the groups presence in food.
Graze snacks are available at large grocery giants and via home delivery. The company has been around since 2007 and expanded into the US market in 2013.
Stock market overview
The winning streak in European stock markets has come to an end on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump dented global sentiment by offering little sign of progress in trade talks with China in his State of the Union address.
Britains FTSE 100 (^FTSE), Germanys DAX (^GDAXI) and Frances CAC 40 (^FCHI) were all slipping a bit in morning trading.
US stock futures were also slipping ahead of the opening bell.
On the flip side, Asian markets were mostly higher on Wednesday.
With files from Reuters and PA
RICHMOND, Va., Feb 5 (Reuters) - Embattled Virginia Governor Ralph Northam on Tuesday resisted calls to step down over a racist photo on his 1984 medical school yearbook page, with the state's main Democratic Latino organization joining the chorus urging his resignation.
The first-term Democrat came under fire on Friday when a conservative media website released the photo, showing one person in blackface standing beside a masked person in the white robes of the white supremacist group the Ku Klux Klan.
Northam, who has avoided the public since Saturday, has faced nearly universal calls to step down from within his own party in Virginia - seen as a key swing state for the 2020 presidential election - as well as from at least five Democratic presidential candidates.
Monique Alcala, the president of the Virginia Democratic Latino Caucus, became the latest to urge Northam to quit. In a telephone interview she said she believed Northam's political record showed he was not racist but that he should resign because he had lost the moral authority to lead.
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"On matters of equity and justice you really have to have trust with the community, and this has really violated that trust," she said.
Northam, 59, who is white, initially apologized on Friday and said he was one of the two people in the photo. He changed his story a day later, saying he did not appear in the picture but had dressed in blackface at a dance competition that year to portray pop star Michael Jackson.
The origins of blackface date to 19th-century "minstrel" shows in which white performers covered their faces in black grease paint to caricature slaves.
Northam, who took office a year ago, has vowed to finish his four-year term. Without public fanfare on Tuesday, he quietly signed legislation to provide $750 million in cash incentives to Amazon.com Inc in return for the online giant's promise to create 38,000 new jobs in Virginia.
Northam has otherwise huddled with advisers and cabinet officers while his political heir apparent, Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax, 39, confronted a potential scandal of his own.
Story continues
Fairfax on Monday denied a sexual assault allegation that was reported against him on the same website that first disclosed the Northam yearbook photo.
The Big League Politics site posted a private Facebook message on Sunday purportedly obtained from the accuser with her permission by a friend suggesting that Fairfax had assaulted her during the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston. While the Facebook post did not explicitly name Fairfax, the website's story linked him to the allegation.
Fairfax on Monday acknowledged having had a consensual encounter with the woman in 2004 but said the story of an assault was "totally fabricated."
At least two media outlets, including the Washington Post, said a woman had approached them more than a year ago with the same allegation, but that they had been unable to substantiate her account.
Fairfax has been non-committal on Northam's future, saying it was up to the governor to decide his next move but that he would be ready to step up if needed.
Should Northam resign, Fairfax would succeed him to become the second African-American governor in the history of Virginia, where his great-great-great grandfather was a slave. The first was Douglas Wilder, a Democrat elected in 1989.
If Fairfax were also to step aside, state Attorney General Mark Herring, a Democrat, is next in line to become governor. Herring, who has declared his intention to run for the state's top elected office in the next gubernatorial race in 2021, called on Saturday for Northam to resign and pledged his "complete support" for Fairfax. (Reporting by Gary Robertson in Richmond; Additional reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York; Editing by Scott Malone, Bill Trott and Cynthia Osterman)
Although February is not even a week old, its already been a terrible month for Virginia Democrats as they attempt to assess the crises afflicting their top three state officials.
The trouble began on Friday when multiple news outlets reported that Gov. Ralph Northams 1984 medical yearbook included a photo on his page of two people, one in blackface and one wearing a Ku Klux Klan hood and robe. Northam, who said he didnt recall the incident and didnt know which of the two unidentifiable people in the photo was him, nevertheless apologized, saying in a public statement, I am deeply sorry for the decision I made to appear as I did in this photo and for the hurt that decision caused then and now.
From left, Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, Attorney General Mark Herring and Gov. Ralph Northam. (Photo: Bob Brown/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)
But at a press conference the next day he changed his response, saying that after reflection he was sure neither of the figures was him, although it was his page and he appeared in the other images on the page. He then admitted he once darkened his face with shoe polish to dress as Michael Jackson for a costume party. (When a reporter asked if Northam could still moonwalk, the governor appeared to be preparing a demonstration before his wife suggested it was an inappropriate time.) The image on Northams page was apparently not an outlier, as the Eastern Virginia Medical School said it discontinued its yearbooks in 2013 because of a series of shockingly abhorrent photos.
There have been calls for Northams resignation from across the party, including those of 2020 presidential hopefuls like Sen. Kamala Harris and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, both U.S. senators from Virginia (Democrats Tim Kaine and Mark Warner), Hillary Clinton, former Vice President Joe Biden and the NAACP. Northam has so far refused to resign, and the Washington Post is reporting that he is considering finishing out his term as an independent. Northam was elected in 2017, and Virginia governors are not permitted to serve consecutive terms.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam with his wife, Pam. (Photo: Steve Helber/AP)
If Northam were to resign, Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax would take over. Fairfax, 39, is African-American and considered a rising star in Virginia state politics. But on Sunday, the same right-wing website that publicized Northams photos reported about an accusation against Fairfax of sexual assault on a woman he met at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. He denied the charge in a statement on Monday.
Story continues
Lt. Governor Fairfax has an outstanding and well-earned reputation for treating people with dignity and respect, read a statement from his office. He has never assaulted anyone ever in any way, shape, or form.
The Washington Post said it had investigated the claim when the accuser contacted them after Fairfaxs election in 2017, but that they were unable to corroborate it, or to find similar allegations against him. But NBC News reported Wednesday morning that Fairfax had profanely dismissed his accuser in a private meeting on Monday, saying F*** that b****. Democrats have yet to call on Fairfax to step down.
On Wednesday afternoon, Fairfaxs accuser, Vanessa Tyson, issued a statement detailing her allegations and saying that she has no political motive, is a proud Democrat and that her only motive in speaking now is to refute Mr. Fairfax's falsehoods and aspersions of my character.
If both Northam and Fairfax were to resign, next in line for succession would be two-term Attorney General Mark Herring, who was first elected in 2013. On Wednesday morning, Herring met with the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus and revealed that he had worn blackface at a college party.
In 1980, when I was a 19-year-old undergraduate in college, some friends suggested we attend a party dressed like rappers we listened to at the time, like Kurtis Blow, and perform a song, wrote Herring in a statement released after the meeting. It sounds ridiculous even now writing it. But because of our ignorance and glib attitudes and because we did not have an appreciation for the experience and perspectives of others we dressed up and put on wigs and brown makeup."
"I had a callous and inexcusable lack of awareness and insensitivity to the pain my behavior could inflict on others. It was really a minimization of both people of color, and a minimization of a horrific history I knew well even then."
Herring added that it was a one-time occurrence for which he had felt shame for decades and in no way reflective of his current person. Herring had issued a statement on Saturday saying it was no longer possible for Northam to serve and that he should step down. February is also Black History Month.
However, if Northam, Fairfax and Herring were all to resign simultaneously an unlikely occurrence, but were covering our bases here next in line for the governorship of Virginia is Republican Speaker of the House Kirk Cox. Cox became speaker after Republicans took control of the chamber by a single delegate, and won the race after a tied election led to drawing a name out of a bowl. Republicans also benefited from a map that was struck down in 2018 for being a racist gerrymander. A new map is expected for this Novembers state legislative elections.
Cox was a member of the James Madison University class of 1979. His yearbook has not yet been the subject of a public examination.
Washington (AFP) - A political crisis deepened in Virginia on Wednesday after the attorney general of the eastern US state admitted he wore blackface to a 1980 college party to impersonate a rapper.
Attorney general Mark Herring is second in line for the governorship of the state, where the Democratic governor and lieutenant governor are already embroiled in scandal.
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam has been facing calls for his resignation since a 1984 yearbook surfaced last week that features a racist photo on a page dedicated to him.
Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax has been accused by a woman of sexual assault -- an allegation he denies, saying it had been a "100 percent consensual" encounter.
His troubles worsened on Wednesday as the woman went public with a detailed version of the 2004 encounter at a Boston hotel.
Like Northam and Fairfax, Herring is a Democrat. The next in line for the governorship is the Republican speaker of the state House of Delegates.
Herring, 57, who has served as attorney general since 2014, apologized for what he described as "callous and inexcusable lack of awareness."
"I am deeply, deeply sorry for the pain that I cause with this revelation," he said.
"In 1980, when I was a 19-year-old undergraduate in college, some friends suggested we attend a party dressed like rappers we listened to at the time, like Kurtis Blow, and perform a song.
"But because of our ignorance and glib attitudes -- and because we did not have an appreciation for the experiences and perspective of others -- we dressed up and put on wigs and brown makeup," he said.
Herring described his actions as a "minimization" of people of color, and of America's fraught racial history, which he says he was well aware of at the time.
"This conduct is in no way reflective of the man I have become in the nearly 40 years since," he said.
"In the days ahead, honest conversations and discussions will make it clear whether I can or should continue to serve as attorney general."
Story continues
- 'Shocking and horrific' -
Northam, the governor, has been fighting for his political survival since the emergence of the university yearbook photo featuring two figures standing together -- one in blackface, the other dressed in a Ku Klux Klan robe and hood.
Blackface is makeup traditionally used by non-black performers to mock African Americans and was prevalent in minstrel shows in the 19th century.
Northam, 59, described the picture as "shocking and horrific" and while initially suggesting he was depicted later denied that he was either of the people in the photo.
But the governor did admit that he had once applied shoe polish on his face -- to imitate Michael Jackson during a 1984 dance contest.
Meanwhile, the woman who accused Fairfax, the lieutenant governor, of sexual assault publicly identified herself for the first time on Wednesday and released a statement about the encounter.
Vanessa Tyson, an associate professor at Scripps College in California, said Fairfax forced her to perform oral sex on him in July 2004 at the Democratic National Convention.
"What began as consensual kissing quickly turned into a sexual assault," she said. "After the assault, I suffered from both deep humiliation and shame."
Tyson said she did not speak about it for years but was inspired to come forward now by the courage of women involved in the #MeToo movement. She has no political motivations, she added, and is a "proud Democrat."
Fairfax reiterated his denial Wednesday that he had done anything inappropriate.
"Fifteen years ago, when I was an unmarried law student, I had a consensual encounter with the woman who made the allegation," the 39-year-old lieutenant governor said.
"At no time did she express to me any discomfort or concern about our interactions, neither during that encounter, nor during the months following it, when she stayed in touch with me, nor the past 15 years," he said.
Washington (AFP) - A political crisis deepened in Virginia on Wednesday after the attorney general of the eastern US state admitted he wore blackface to a 1980 college party to impersonate a rapper.
Attorney general Mark Herring is second in line for the governorship of the state, where the Democratic governor and lieutenant governor are already embroiled in scandal.
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam has been facing calls for his resignation since a 1984 yearbook surfaced last week that features a racist photo on a page dedicated to him.
Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax has been accused by a woman of sexual misconduct -- an allegation he denies saying it had been a "100 percent consensual encounter."
Like Northam and Fairfax, Herring is a Democrat. The next in line for the governorship is the Republican speaker of the state House of Delegates.
Herring, 57, who has served as attorney general since 2014, apologized for what he described as "callous and inexcusable lack of awareness."
"I am deeply, deeply sorry for the pain that I cause with this revelation," he said.
"In 1980, when I was a 19-year-old undergraduate in college, some friends suggested we attend a party dressed like rappers we listened to at the time, like Kurtis Blow, and perform a song.
"But because of our ignorance and glib attitudes -- and because we did not have an appreciation for the experiences and perspective of others -- we dressed up and put on wigs and brown makeup," he said.
"It was really a minimization of both people of color, and a minimization of a horrific history I knew well even then," he said.
"This conduct is in no way reflective of the man I have become in the nearly 40 years since," Herring said. "In the days ahead, honest conversations and discussions will make it clear whether I can or should continue to serve as attorney general."
- 'Shocking and horrific' -
Story continues
Northam, the governor, has been fighting for his political survival since the emergence of the university yearbook photo which features two men standing together -- one in blackface, the other dressed in a Ku Klux Klan robe and hood.
Blackface is makeup traditionally used by non-black performers to mock African Americans and was prevalent in minstrel shows in the 19th century.
Northam, 59, described the picture as "shocking and horrific" and while initially suggesting he was depicted later denied that he was either of the men in the photo.
But the governor did admit that he had once applied shoe polish on his face -- to imitate Michael Jackson during a 1984 dance contest.
Fairfax, meanwhile, reiterated his denial Wednesday that he had done anything inappropriate with the woman who has accused him of sexual misconduct.
"Fifteen years ago, when I was an unmarried law student, I had a consensual encounter with the woman who made the allegation," the 39-year-old lieutenant governor said.
"At no time did she express to me any discomfort or concern about our interactions, neither during that encounter, nor during the months following it, when she stayed in touch with me, nor the past 15 years," he said.
Virginia attorney general Mark Herring, who would assume the governorship should Governor Ralph Northam and Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax resign due to their own scandals, admitted Wednesday that he wore blackface at a college party in 1980.
In 1980, when I was a 19-year-old undergraduate in college, some friends suggested we attend a party dressed like rappers we listened to at the time, like Kurtis Blow and perform a song, Herring wrote in a statement. It sounds ridiculous even now writing it. But because of our ignorance and glib attitudes and because we did not have an appreciation for the experience and perspective of others we dressed up and put on wigs and brown makeup.
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Herrings revelation is the latest in a string of scandals that have embroiled Virginia Democrats in recent days.
Prominent national and Virginia Democrats began calling for Governor Northams resignation on Friday, after the emergence of a photo, featured on his 1984 medical-school-yearbook page, that depicts two men, one wearing a Ku Klux Klan costume and the other in blackface.
After initially apologizing and conceding that he did appear in the picture, Northam reversed himself during a Saturday afternoon press conference in which he denied appearing in the photo but admitted to donning blackface on a separate occasion while in college. He has refused to step down despite a near-unanimous consensus among his fellow Democrats that his continued service would harm the commonwealth.
Lieutenant Governor Fairfax, who appeared poised to succeed Northam, was then accused of sexual assault in a Sunday night blog post on Big League Politics, the same outlet that first published Northams yearbook photo. Vanessa Tyson, a California politics professor, claims Fairfax forced her to perform oral sex on him while the pair were in a Boston hotel room during the 2004 Democratic National Convention.
In a statement responding to the allegations, Fairfax claimed the interaction was consensual and cited the Washington Postsrefusal to publish Tysons account as evidence of his innocence.
Story continues
The Virginia Democratic party said in a Tuesday statement that the allegations deserve to be treated with profound gravity and vowed to continue to look into Tysons claims.
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The majority of Democratic lawmakers, however, refused to comment when asked about the allegations on Capitol Hill this week.
More from National Review
BANGKOK (AP) Vietnam's selection as the venue for the second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is largely a matter of convenience and security, but not without bigger stakes.
Washington's goal for the Feb. 27-28 talks is for North Korea to agree give up its nuclear weapons. North Korea frames the issue more broadly, seeking a removal of the "nuclear threat" from U.S. military forces in South Korea.
Host Vietnam hopes to boost its diplomatic leverage against its powerful neighbor, China, which contests waters in the South China Sea claimed by Vietnam.
But Vietnam's history as a U.S. adversary that transitioned on its own terms to a dynamic free-market economy under a communist political system suggests a larger meaning for the summit.
"By choosing Vietnam, the two leaders send a strong strategic message to the world that they are willing to make a breakthrough decision to turn an enemy into a friend and together make the world a better place, following the example of the U.S.-Vietnam relationship," said Vu Minh Khuong, an associate professor at Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
___
A FRESH, SECURE STAGE
America's past military involvement in Vietnam, whether it's seen as tragic or noble, provides a historically dramatic stage for Trump to again draw attention to his foreign policy accomplishments.
As a single-party communist state, Vietnam boasts tight political control and an efficient security apparatus, and successfully hosted the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings in the central coastal city of Da Nang and the regional edition of the World Economic Forum last year in the capital, Hanoi.
"Like Singapore, where they met last time, Vietnam is a very secure place," said Murray Hiebert, senior associate of the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "Vietnam's security police are able to keep away crowds of the curious and keep journalists in designated areas."
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Trump's attendance at the 2017 APEC meeting means "he's familiar with the country and has good rapport with its leaders," Hiebert said.
___
COMMUNIST TIES
This is friendly turf for Kim. Even though North Korea has remained mired in Cold War isolation while Vietnam's postwar path led toward integration with the globalized economy, the two communist countries share a history of anti-imperialist struggle and ambivalent relations with common neighbor China.
"Vietnam and North Korea have long had fraternal communist ties, so North Korea is familiar with the country and its officials. North Korea would also feel confident that Vietnam's security apparatus could secure Kim's protection," Hiebert said.
There's also the bonus that a flight from Pyongyang to a meeting in Vietnam is roughly two-thirds of the six-hour flying time to Singapore, and none of it over hostile territory.
A forward-looking North Korea might learn something from Vietnam's impressive economic growth due to "bold economic reforms, proactive integration into the world economy, and excellent partnerships with strategic partners, with the U.S. and South Korea among the most important ones," Khuong said.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a similar point when he visited Hanoi last July after two days of talks in North Korea.
"The leaders of Vietnam realized their country could reform, it could open up and build relationships without threatening the country's sovereignty, its independence, and its form of government," he said in a speech to Hanoi's business community. "I have a message for Chairman Kim Jong Un: President Trump believes your country can replicate this path. It's yours if you'll seize the moment."
___
WHAT VIETNAM GAINS
"Vietnam is locked in a pretty intense rivalry with China in the South China Sea, so Hanoi is looking for regional and international diplomatic support as a hedge against Beijing, and hosting a summit like this would certainly strengthen its international profile," said CSIS scholar Hiebert.
In particular, helping Washington achieve its Korean policy goals could help fulfill Vietnam's desire for closer relations with the U.S., both to encourage trade and investment and serve as a strategic counterweight to China.
Trump's abandonment of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade group dampened hopes for a takeoff in trade, and Vietnam's poor human rights record, especially its harsh repression of political dissidents, has hurt chances for closer security links.
"The country may attract significant international attention, especially from tourists and investors, through the intense media coverage of the summit," said Le Hong Hiep, a research fellow at the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore. "It can also be a chance for Vietnam to showcase its active foreign policy, through which Vietnam would like to contribute more to the international community, as well as to regional peace and security."
___
Associated Press writer Annabelle Liang in Singapore contributed to this report.
___
This story has been corrected to say that the 2017 APEC meetings were held in Da Nang, and the 2018 regional World Economic Forum in Hanoi, not Da Nang. It also corrects attribution of quote "By choosing Vietnam..." to Vu Minh Khuong instead of Le Hong Hiep.
The Daily Beast
GettyWhat could have been an inspiring lesson in Catholic faith but has become just another tale of hypocrisy began on Dec. 17, 1948, after a porter slashed the throat of assistant manager Fred Naumann at 905 Liquor Store in St. Louis, Missouri.He had told me to help unload a liquor truck, the porter, V.O. Willams, said in a written confession following his arrest. I refused because I was mopping the floor. He told me two or three times to go out, but I said I would go out after I dried the f
San Cristobal (Venezuela) (AFP) - Venezuelan military officers blocked Tuesday a bridge on the border with Colombia ahead of an anticipated international humanitarian aid shipment to alleviate major shortages of food and medicine, the opposition said.
A tanker truck and a huge cargo container barred access to the Tienditas bridge, which links Cucuta, Colombia to Urena, Venezuela.
Franklyn Duarte, an opposition lawmaker from the border state of Tachira, told AFP that "troops from the armed forces are blocking the pass."
The aid delivery was being coordinated by Juan Guaido, the head of the National Assembly who has declared himself interim president of the oil-rich country. Some 40 countries have recognized him as Venezuela's legitimate leader.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has refused to accept international aid, terming it an "excuse" to initiate a military intervention led by the United States.
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The United States on Wednesday blocked a proposed UN Security Council statement expressing regret over Israel's decision to end an international observer force in the West Bank city of Hebron, diplomats said.
Kuwait and Indonesia had circulated the draft statement following a closed-door council meeting during which many countries expressed concern about the Israeli move.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced last week that he would not renew the mandate of the Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH), accusing the mission led by Norway of bias.
The 64-member team of unarmed observers was established in Hebron following a massacre of Palestinians in 1994.
The proposed statement was to express the Security Council's "regret" about Israel's "unilateral decision" and call for "calm and restraint" in Hebron, according to the text seen by AFP.
It stressed "the importance of the mandate of the TIPH and its efforts to foster calm in a highly sensitive area and fragile situation on the ground, which risks further deteriorating, as reflected in the escalating cycle of violence."
The text warned Israel that it has an obligation under international law "to protect the Palestinian civilian population in Hebron" as well as the rest of the occupied territories.
The United States, which has firmly defended Israel's policies at the United Nations, moved quickly to block the proposed response, diplomats said.
Council statements require unanimous approval.
Kuwait's Ambassador Mansour al-Otaibi said the council would discuss a proposed visit to the Israeli occupied territories for a close-up look at the situation on the ground.
The Hebron mission is tasked with promoting a sense of security for Palestinians in Hebron, the largest city in the West Bank.
Hebron is holy to both Muslims and Jews and has been a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
At least 600 Jewish settlers live under heavy military guard in the city, which is home to around 200,000 Palestinians.
Israeli settlements are seen as illegal under international law and a major obstacle to peace, as they are built on land the Palestinians see as part of their future state.
U.S. manufacturing sector has been witnessing resurgence under the Trump administration since 2017, shrugging off its lengthy spell of weak productivity and sluggish growth. The manufacturing sector has continued to gain traction in January 2019, after a successful 2018.
Manufacturers have increased capital spending and hiring driven by massive tax overhaul, deregulatory measures and strong domestic economy. Notably, manufacturing sector constitutes nearly 12% of the U.S. GDP. Consequently, investment in manufacturing stocks with a favorable Zacks Rank and strong growth potential will be a prudent decision.
U.S. Manufacturing Remains Strong
On Feb 1, the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) reported that the U.S. manufacturing expanded in January for the 117th consecutive month. The January index came in at 56.6 compared with 54.3 in December 2018 and also surpassed the consensus estimate of 54.3. Out of a total of 18 manufacturing industries, 14 reported growth in January.
New orders index came in at 58.2, significantly higher than 51.3 registered in December. This marks the indexs expansion for the 37th successive month. Notably, any reading above 50 indicates expansion of the manufacturing sector and a reading above 55 highlights robust manufacturing growth.
Solid Hiring in Manufacturing Sector
According to the Department of Labor, the manufacturing sector generated 284,000 jobs in 2018, highest since 1997. This sector generated 207,000 jobs in 2017. On Feb 1, the Department of Labor reported that the manufacturing sector continued to gain traction with 13,000 new jobs in January.
Consequently, job creations by this sector in the past one year (January 2018 to January 2019) stood at 261,000, of which durable goods industries, producing industrial intermediaries, generated more than 80% of job additions.
In its latest outlook survey in October 2018, the National Association of Manufacturers reported that about 500,000 manufacturing jobs are available in the United States. On November 2018, a study by the Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte had projected that by the end of 2028, the U.S. manufacturing sector will witness shortages of around 2.4 million skilled workers.
Story continues
Positive Developments on Trade War Front
On Jan 31, President Donald Trump told reporters that he is hopeful of forging a deal with China before the March deadline. Notably, the two countries are currently observing a trade truce which will come to end on Mar 1. Moreover, CNBC reported that officials of the two countries are trying for a meeting between President Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in late February.
This will be the second meeting between the two leaders in less than three months. Any positive development on the United States China trade war front will be highly beneficial for this sector.
Our Picks
At this stage, investing in manufacturing stocks with strong growth potential will be lucrative. However, picking winning stocks may be difficult.
This is where our VGM Score comes in handy. Here V stands for Value, G for Growth and M for Momentum and the score is a weighted combination of these three scores. Such a score allows you to eliminate the negative aspects of stocks and select winners. However, it is important to keep in mind that each Style Score will carry a different weight while arriving at a VGM Score.
We have narrowed our search on five such stocks each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and VGM Score of either A or B. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (strong Buy) stocks here.
The chart below shows price performance of our five picks in the last three months.
Pioneer Power Solutions Inc. PPSI is a specialty manufacturer of electrical transmission and distribution equipment. It has a VGM Score of A. The company has expected earnings growth of 54.3% for current year.
Titan International Inc. TWI is a leading global manufacturer of off-highway wheels, tires, assemblies, and undercarriage products. It has a VGM Score of B. The company has expected earnings growth of 130% for current year.
Colfax Corp. CFX is a global provider of fluid handling products, including pumps, fluid handling systems and specialty valves. It has a VGM Score of B. The company has expected earnings growth of 14.9% for current year.
Dover Corp. DOV provides equipment and components, specialty systems, consumable supplies, software and digital solutions, and support services worldwide. It has a VGM Score of B. The company has expected earnings growth of 15.7% for current year.
EnerSys ENS is the global leader in stored energy solutions for industrial applications. It has a VGM Score of B. The company has expected earnings growth of 26.5% for current year.
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Chicago (AFP) - Four environmental activists were in jail Tuesday in the US state of Minnesota for attempting to shut down a Canadian company's oil pipeline to protest climate change.
Four Necessity Valve Turners said its members cut through a fence Monday to enter an Enbridge Energy facility in Grand Rapids, a city about 130 miles (210 kilometers) from the US-Canada border.
The group, which recorded its activities on social media, said it warned Enbridge that it was attempting to shut off an emergency valve on one of its lines to stop the flow of oil.
The company remotely turned off the flow, according to a spokeswoman for the activists, Diane Leutgeb Munson, who said the goal was to address "the irreversible damage being done to the climate by Enbridge Energy and the fossil fuel industry."
The trespassers were arrested and jailed awaiting arraignment Wednesday, Four Necessity Valve Turners said on its website.
Enbridge confirmed a "tampering incident," which it called "reckless and dangerous," but did not provide details of what exactly the activists had managed to do.
The industry trade group American Petroleum Institute (API), which in 2017 warned of increased threats to oil and gas facilities, condemned the incident as "sabotage."
"Pipelines meet a critical need for Minnesotans as temperatures drop and demand increases over the winter, and our industry takes acts of sabotage very seriously," API's chief Erin Roth said.
Enbridge moves more than half of US-bound Canadian crude oil and a fifth of all natural gas used in the US.
UNITED NATIONS (AP) Kuwait and Indonesia urged the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday to call for protection of Palestinians following Israel's decision to suspend an international observer mission in Hebron, where hundreds of hard-line Jewish settlers live alongside more than 200,000 Palestinians, but diplomats said the United States objected.
The two predominantly Muslim nations on the council called closed-door discussions on the Israeli announcement and then circulated a draft press statement that would recognize the mission's "efforts to foster calm in a highly sensitive area and fragile situation on the ground." But the U.S., Israel's closest ally, rejected the proposed statement, diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity because consultations were private.
The Temporary International Presence in Hebron was established in 1994 following Israeli settler Baruch Goldstein's massacre of 29 worshippers at the Ibrahimi Mosque in the West Bank city that triggered riots across Palestinian areas. The mosque is located at the site that is also revered by Jews as the Tomb of the Patriarchs.
Indonesia's U.N. ambassador, Dian Djani, told reporters that he and Kuwaiti Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi brought up Israel's action because they don't want to see a repetition of the 1994 incident and want "to make sure the situation that is already fragile and tense ... is not going to worsen."
A Security Council resolution adopted in March 1994 strongly condemned the Hebron massacre and called for measures to be taken to guarantee the safety and protection of Palestinian civilians, which led to the monitoring mission. In its latest form, Norway, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey provided unarmed observers and funded the mission in Hebron.
Al-Otaibi said there was "overwhelming support" for an expression of concern that Israel's action might exacerbate the situation on the ground, saying the mission "was like a preventative tool."
Story continues
Ambassador Anatolio Ndong Mba of Equatorial Guinea, the current council president, signaled differences among council members immediately after the meeting, where the U.S. reportedly said Israel had a right not to renew the temporary mission.
Ndong Mba said he had been authorized to inform the Israeli and Palestinian ambassadors about Wednesday's meeting and to discuss a proposed Security Council visit to the territory that the Palestinians claim for a future independent state.
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador at the U.N., stressed that "it is the duty of the Security Council on the basis of the resolutions" to ensure the protection of Palestinian civilians and said he looked forward to meeting with Ndong Mba "as quickly as possible."
He said the Palestinians will react to a Security Council visit "in the most positive way."
But Al-Otaibi told reporters that council visits require approval by all 15 members as well as the countries involved, so the U.S. and Israel would have to give a green light.
Mansour said it was premature to say whether the trip would go ahead.
"The positive thing is that there is an agreement, an authorization to the president of the Security Council to begin the process of consultation on that issue," he said. "Let us give it time, with a positive expectation that it might happen."
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday called on countries to back a peace deal signed between the government of the Central African Republic and armed groups that control most the country's territory.
The United Nations supported the talks led by the African Union that yielded the agreement reached in Sudan to end years of fighting in the strife-scarred country.
This pact between the government and 14 armed militias is the eighth since 2012 in the mineral-rich country that is one of the world's poorest and has suffered years of conflict. All the previous pacts broke down.
Congratulating the signatories, Guterres called "on neighboring countries, regional organizations and all international partners to support the courageous steps that Central Africans have made to bring lasting peace and stability" to their country, said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
The United Nations will assist the country "at this critical stage" and "encourages all stakeholders to live up to their commitments in the implementation period," he added.
The Central African Republic (CAR) has been struggling to recover from the bloodletting that erupted when President Francois Bozize, a Christian, was overthrown in 2013 by mainly Muslim Seleka rebels.
Former colonial ruler France intervened militarily under a UN mandate, pushing the Seleka from power, and a 12,000-strong UN peacekeeping mission, known as MINUSCA, was established to help restore stability.
The armed groups control about 80 percent of the CAR.
At a signing ceremony in Bangui on Wednesday, African Union Commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat said implementation of the deal would be challenging and warned that "this must not be the umpteenth agreement" that fails to bring peace to CAR.
Guterres also announced the appointment of Mankeur Ndiaye of Senegal to be his new envoy to CAR, replacing Parfait Onanga-Anyanga who held the post since August 2015.
The conflict has left thousands dead and forced a quarter of the population of 4.5 million from their homes. The rural exodus, the UN warned last year, could drive the country into famine.
(Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May is preparing to delay the second parliament vote on her Brexit deal until the end of February, the Telegraph newspaper reported late on Wednesday. The prime minister's chief enforcer, or whip, indicated at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday that the vote would not be held next week as expected because May will not have renegotiated her deal in time, the report said, without citing its sources. Last month, British lawmakers rejected May's original deal that set out the terms by which Britain would exit the European Union. They voted to demand May seek changes to the treaty. But the EU has will make no new offer, European Council President Donald Tusk said on Wednesday. The vote on a new deal is now being planned for the week beginning Feb. 25, just over a month before Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29, according to the report. May is set to travel to Brussels on Thursday to tell EU leaders they must accept legally binding changes to the Irish border arrangements of the divorce deal or face the prospect of a disorderly no-deal Brexit. London and Brussels are arguing over whether the Brexit deal clinched in November can be changed, raising the possibility of a delay to Brexit, a last-minute deal or a no-deal exit. On Tuesday, the Telegraph reported that ministers had discussed delaying Brexit by eight weeks. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Phil Berlowitz and Rosalba O'Brien)
(Reuters) - UK cabinet ministers have secretly held talks on plans to delay Brexit by eight weeks, the Telegraph newspaper reported late on Tuesday. The delay would postpone Brexit to May 24. Currently, Britain is due to leave the European Union on March 29. Ministers are hoping EU will agree to a two-month "grace period" after March 29 in case Prime Minister Theresa May's deal passes through parliament to provide the additional time for necessary legislation, the report said. May will travel to Brussels on Thursday to tell EU leaders they must accept legally binding changes to the Irish border arrangements of Britain's divorce deal or face the prospect of a disorderly no-deal Brexit. London and Brussels are arguing over whether the present Brexit deal clinched in November can be changed, raising the possibility of a delay to Brexit, a last-minute deal or a no-deal exit. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Dan Grebler and Matthew Lewis)
(Reuters) - Britain's department for exiting the European Union has been examining a secret new high-tech plan of keeping the Irish border open with the plan to be ready for a road test in March, the Sun newspaper reported late on Tuesday. Officials have been working on the plan, which has been drawn up by Japan's Fujitsu and involves a tracking system that monitors vehicles on designated routes, for 10 months, the report said, citing leaked documents. Brexit Minister Steve Barclay is closely examining the plan, the report said. However, it added that the plan has been "dusted down" in the last week in the aftermath of members of parliament voting to replace the present Irish backstop with a different one that could include "alternative arrangements". The plan aims at ensuring that there is no requirement for physical checks on the border, according to the report. It would involve a tracking system that will monitor vehicles on designated routes when they cross from Northern Ireland to Ireland through number plate recognition cameras and GPS technology. The Irish border is presently open and frictionless with no controls as both the United Kingdom and Ireland are EU members. Britain is due to leave EU on March 29. Britain, Ireland and the EU want to avoid physical checks on the border between Ireland and the British province of Northern Ireland that ceased with the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Aishwarya Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Leslie Adler and Grant McCool)
Kampala (AFP) - Uganda's communications regulator on Wednesday ordered the country's main independent newspaper the Daily Monitor to shut down its website.
In a letter to the newspaper's managing director, the head of the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), Godfrey Mutabazi, said the Daily Monitor had failed to register under data communications regulations introduced in 2018.
It accused the newspaper's parent company, Monitor Publications Limited, of providing an online news service illegally.
UCC spokesman Ibrahim Bbossa told AFP the registration issue came to light during an investigation into a complaint over an article which was lodged by parliamentary speaker Rebecca Kadaga.
The Daily Monitor website had on Monday reported on a legal case launched last month by a "witch doctor" who alleged that almost 30 years ago, Kadaga had used the traditional healer's services to boost her political career, but had never paid him the agreed fee.
According to Bbossa, Kadaga's office filed a complaint alleging that the Daily Monitor had published "fake news" about her with the matter being investigated under a colonial-era defamation statute.
In his letter, Mutabazi said that a preliminary investigation had shown that Monitor Publications "actively runs an online newspaper platform, which falls within the scope of the data communications services, provision of which requires one to obtain an authorisation... which Monitor Publications has never applied for."
As a result, the letter ordered the paper to "immediately suspend any further provision of online data communications services (online newspaper services) until Monitor Publications has applied for and obtained the requisite authorisation."
Bbossa said the media registration regulations were necessary because the government needed to know "who was operating and where they were operating in case of a complaint against them."
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But he denied the move against the Daily Monitors website was an attempt to silence undesirable coverage of the Speaker who is a prominent member of the ruling party of longtime President Yoweri Museveni.
The Ugandan government has previously targeted the Daily Monitor for publishing articles seen as critical of the authorities.
In 2013 the newspaper was closed for 11 days in an incident known as the "Monitor siege" after it published details of an alleged plan for Museveni's son to inherit the presidency.
GENEVA (Reuters) - The United States supports "dictators, butchers and extremists" in the Middle East, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a Twitter post Wednesday in a response to U.S. President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech. Tensions have ramped up between Iran and the United States since Trump pulled out of a multilateral nuclear deal last May and reimposed sanctions on the Islamic Republic. "US hostility has led it to support dictators, butchers & extremists, who've only brought ruin to our region," Zarif wrote in the Twitter post. Trump called Iran "the world's leading state sponsor of terror" during his speech and said his administration had acted decisively to confront it, according to a video of the speech posted on the official White House website. "It is a radical regime. They do bad, bad things," Trump said. "We will not avert our eyes from a regime that chants 'death to America' and threatens genocide against the Jewish people." Zarif responded by saying that Iran, including its Jewish community, was commemorating progress as it prepares to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Islamic revolution on Monday. "Iraniansincluding our Jewish compatriotsare commemorating 40 yrs of progress despite US pressure, just as @realDonaldTrump again makes accusations against us @ #SOTU2019" Zarif wrote on Twitter, referring to the State of the Union address. Top Iranian officials, including President Hassan Rouhani, have said that the Islamic Republic is facing its toughest economic situation in 40 years, at least partially due to the U.S. sanctions. (Reporting By Babak Dehghanpisheh; Editing by Nick Macfie)
By David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senior U.S. and Chinese officials are poised to start another round of trade talks in Beijing next week to push for a deal to protect American intellectual property and avert a March 2 increase in U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods, two people familiar with the plans said on Tuesday. The sources said that the U.S. delegation would begin arriving in Beijing over the weekend, following a break this week for Chinese New Year. U.S. President Donald Trump said in his State of the Union address on Tuesday that any new trade deal with China "must include real, structural change to end unfair trade practices, reduce our chronic trade deficit and protect American jobs." The new round of talks in Beijing, to be led by U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, was earlier reported by the Wall Street Journal, citing an unidentified senior administration official. A USTR spokeswoman said the agency had no new announcements to make on the issue. A Treasury Department spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment. The U.S. president has vowed to increase U.S. tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports to 25 percent from 10 percent currently if the two sides cannot reach a deal by 12:01 a.m. (0501 GMT) on March 2. Bilateral talks have centered on addressing U.S. demands for deep structural changes to China's economic and trade policies, including new protections for U.S. intellectual property, ending forced technology transfers, reining in China's subsidies for state industries and increasing Chinese purchases of U.S. farm, energy and manufactured products. The Journal said that China has agreed to widen the trade discussions to include cyber hacking. "We are now making it clear to China that after years of targeting our industries, and stealing our intellectual property, the theft of American jobs and wealth has come to an end," Trump said in his speech. Trump said last week in Washington that he would meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in coming weeks to try to seal a comprehensive deal, possibly as part of a trip to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. That summit will take place Feb. 27 and 28 in Vietnam, Trump said on Tuesday. (Reporting by Chris Prentice in New York, Michael Hirtzer in Chicago and David Lawder and Doina Chiacu and in Washington; Editing by Grant McCool and Sonya Hepinstall)
By Lesley Wroughton
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Wednesday it was halting some military assistance to Cameroon over allegations of gross human rights violations by its security forces in the northwest, southwest and far north regions.
A State Department official said the United States had terminated a C-130 aircraft training programme, and halted deliveries of four defender boats, nine armoured vehicles and an upgrade of a Cessna aircraft for Cameroon's rapid intervention battalion.
Furthermore, the United States had withdrawn its offer for Cameroon to be part of the State Partnership Programme, a military cooperation programme, the official said.
"We do not take these measures lightly, but we will not shirk from reducing assistance further if evolving conditions require it," the official said. "For the time being, other programs will continue."
Cameroon has cooperated closely with the United States in the fight against Islamist militant group Boko Haram in West and central Africa. But rights groups have accused authorities of using the fight against Boko Haram to crack down on political opponents, and make arbitrary arrests and torture people.
Authorities arrested opposition leader Maurice Kamto in January, accusing him of mobilizing dissent against President Paul Biya, who has ruled the country since 1982.
Biya has been accused by the opposition and rights groups of cracking down in the Anglophone Southwest region to root out armed separatists trying to end his grip on power.
Tens of thousands of people have been displaced in Nigeria and neighbouring Chad, Niger and Cameroon during Boko Harams campaign to carve out an Islamic caliphate in northeast Nigeria.
"We emphasise that it is in Cameroon's interest to show greater transparency in investigating credible allegations of gross violations of human rights security forces," the State Department official said.
(Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall and Tom Brown)
Seoul (AFP) - Donald Trump's much-trailed announcement of a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this month in Vietnam sets up another box-office summit between the two mercurial leaders who were once bitter verbal enemies.
As Trump and Kim prepare for their second date, here are some key quotes from their relationship, from brinkmanship to one of the world's most unlikely bromances.
- 'A madman with nuclear weapons' -
"We can't let a madman with nuclear weapons let on the loose like that," Trump told Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte during a phone call in April 2017, shortly after taking up residency in the White House.
"We have a lot of firepower, more than he has, times 20 -- but we don't want to use it."
- 'Rocket man' versus 'US dotard' -
In September that year, in his debut speech at the United Nations, Trump dubbed Kim a "rocket man" on a "suicide mission."
"The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea," he said.
"Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime," Trump added. "The United States is ready, willing and able."
Kim shot back, vowing to "surely and definitely tame the mentally deranged US dotard with fire. A frightened dog barks louder."
- 'Sick puppy' -
On the heels of an intercontinental ballistic missile test by Pyongyang in November 2017, Trump derided Kim as a "sick puppy," drawing cheers from a crowd of supporters at a campaign-style rally.
A few weeks later, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) warned while accepting the Nobel Peace Prize that the bellicose rhetoric could trigger nuclear war.
- Whose button is bigger? -
Kim welcomed in 2018 with a New Year address in which he warned he had a "nuclear button" on his table.
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Trump jumped on Twitter to declare that his was superior.
"Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!"
The North's official party newspaper dismissed Trump's "swaggering" as nothing but the "spasm of a lunatic" frightened by North Korea's power, and the "bark of a rabid dog."
- Singapore fling -
The tone between the two men changed markedly over the next few months.
In May, Kim released three American citizens detained in North Korea, which Trump hailed as a "positive gesture of goodwill".
Trump later said that "everyone thinks" he deserved a Nobel Peace Prize for his contributions to warming US-North Korea relations.
Following their Singapore rendezvous a month later -- which the pair's matchmaker, South Korea's President Moon Jae-in, dubbed a "miracle" -- the US president said that he and the North's leader had fallen "in love".
- 'Unwavering faith' -
Even as the two sides sparred over the exact meaning of the vaguely-worded Singapore declaration, with Pyongyang accusing Washington of "gangster-like" behaviour, Trump boasted of his rapport with Kim, who he said had proclaimed his "unwavering faith" in the US president.
"We will get it done together!" Trump wrote on Twitter in September.
- 'Fantastic chemistry' -
In his State of the Union address Tuesday, Trump boasted of his diplomatic prowess, saying if he had not been elected the US "would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea."
Just a few days earlier, he said Kim had the chance to turn his impoverished state into "a tremendous economic behemoth."
"I like him. I get along with him great," the president said. "We have a fantastic chemistry."
Ankara (AFP) - Turkey on Wednesday hit out at President Emmanuel Macron's announcement that France would make April 24 a "national day of commemoration of the Armenian genocide".
"We condemn and reject attempts by Macron, who is afflicted by political problems in his own country, to try and save the day by turning historical events into a political matter," said a statement by presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin.
His remarks came a day after the French president said France would set aside the date to remember the bloodshed during a dinner with the Armenian community in Paris.
Turkey and Armenia have long been at odds over the treatment of Armenians during World War I.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their people were killed during the war.
But Turkey -- the Ottoman Empire's successor state -- denies that the massacres, imprisonment and forced deportation of Armenians from 1915 amounted to a genocide.
"The claims of a so-called Armenian genocide have no legal basis at all, and go against historical realities. It is a political lie," Kalin added.
"No one can sully our history."
Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy accused Macron of trying to win votes from the Armenian community in France.
"It is regrettable... to adopt such a unilateral position on an extremely sensitive subject in order to serve personal political interests," he said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AKP party also condemned the plan, with a spokesman accusing Macron of "harming Franco-Turkish relations" at a time when both countries were facing "sensitive regional issues such as the migrant crisis and terrorism".
The French president said he had previously informed Erdogan of his decision.
France was one of the first major European nations to recognise the mass killings as "genocide". More than 20 other countries have followed suit.
Armenians commemorate the massacres on April 24 -- the day in 1915 when thousands of Armenian intellectuals suspected of harbouring nationalist sentiment and being hostile to Ottoman rule were rounded up.
Washington (AFP) - President Donald Trump vowed Tuesday that the United States would outspend Russia on missiles without a fresh international accord after he ditched a landmark Cold War treaty.
Trump's warning during his annual State of the Union address cemented fears of an emerging arms race, with Russia hours earlier pledging to design new missiles over the next two years.
The United States last week started the process of exiting the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, saying that Russia has been violating the pact through a new missile system and ignored repeated complaints.
"Under my administration, we will never apologize for advancing America's interests," Trump told US lawmakers assembled in the House chamber.
"Perhaps we can negotiate a different agreement, adding China and others. Or perhaps we can't - in which case, we will outspend and out-innovate all others by far," Trump said.
While pointing the finger at Russia, US officials have voiced concern that the 1987 treaty does not constrain China, whose rapidly growing military relies on medium-range missiles as a core part of its defense strategy.
The INF treaty banned all missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers (310 to 3,400 miles), a legacy of the end of the Cold War as last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and US president Ronald Reagan sought to ease European fears of an arms race that would destroy their cities.
Russian President Vladimir Putin -- who has sought a warm relationship with Trump but is widely reviled by the US establishment -- responded Saturday by saying Moscow would also leave the INF treaty.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said earlier Tuesday that Putin had approved plans for new missiles.
"During 2019-2020 we have to develop a land-based version of the seaborne Kalibr system equipped with a long-range cruise missile which showed good results in Syria," Shoigu told defense officials.
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"Over the same period we will also have to create a land-based missile system with a long-range hypersonic missile," he said.
- Latvia urges international pact -
Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics of Latvia -- for which former ruler Russia looms large as a threat -- voiced hope that Washington and Moscow would work with other powers on a new agreement.
"I would advocate -- even if it is going to take a very long period of time, even if it may be a very, sometimes, complex and disappointing, from time to time, process -- it would be good to try to find a way forward on a multilateral arms control agreement in this area," Rinkevics told AFP.
"It needs to be more than the United States and Russia because there are more countries that can produce such weapons than 30 years ago," he said in an interview in Washington, where he is taking part in a 79-member conference Wednesday on the fight against the Islamic State group.
Latvia, like other members of the NATO alliance, has backed the United States which has charged since the administration of former president Barack Obama that Russia is infringing on the INF treaty with the range of its new 9M729 missile system.
But Rinkevics played down the immediate impact of the INF treaty's demise, saying that Russia had already been stepping up military movements since Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea.
He acknowledged that a future pact was unlikely to be as sweeping as the INF treaty.
"The difficult answer is that I don't see currently much appetite to do anything in this direction, almost from everyone," Rinkevics said.
A former congressman who supports Donald Trump has been scolded for branding Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a 29-year-old coffee barista.
MSNBC host Ari Melber hit back at Jack Kingston, an ex-Republican congressman from Georgia, on Tuesday night after he dismissed the congresswoman as a coffeemaker.
Mr Melber was hosting a panel about Mr Trumps recently leaked private schedules which reveal the US president has spent nearly 60 per cent of his scheduled time in the White House over the last three months enjoying unstructured executive time.
The daily schedule, leaked by a White House source, showed clear discrepancies in what the president was said to be doing with his time on paper compared to his reported reality.
Mr Melber said: Surely you cant say this is normal presidential scheduling. Your response?
Mr Kingston replied: Ari, let me say, No. 1, here we have a 29-year-old coffee barista telling a man whos made billions of dollars running management and enterprises and investments and real estate all over the globe, and she is going to tell him how to manage the world.
But Mr Melber interrupted immediately rebuking him for referring to the rising political stars background.
She is not being quoted today based on the fact that she worked on retail or in service, Mr Melber said.
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She is quoted as a member of congress, the same title as yours. Do you not give her the same respect of the title you held?
But Mr Kingston, a former Republican congressman from Georgia who was a CNN contributor, appeared to ignore his input and simply applauded Mr Trump.
On Monday, the Hollywood Reporter reported Mr Kingston no longer worked with CNN as the news network had not renewed his contract.
Star Wars actor Mark Hammill voiced anger that Mr Kingston who is known for stoking controversy and was a senior advisor and spokesperson for the Trump campaign was on MSNBC a day after leaving CNN.
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Ms Ocasio-Cortez, who was dressed in white in an act of solidarity with other women, declined to join a standing ovation for Mr Trump at his State of the Union on Tuesday night despite his purported call for unity.
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Ms Ocasio-Cortez, who represents New Yorks 14th congressional district, worked as a bartender before thrashing Democrat stalwart Joe Crowley the 10-term representative and then-fourth-ranking Democrat in the House.
The self-avowed socialist, from the South Bronx, has worked as a waitress, childrens book publisher, community activist, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and volunteered for Bernie Sanders during his 2016 presidential campaign.
She supports abolishing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and the creation of a universal healthcare system.
Already this year, she has asserted that Mr Trump is no question a racist, and beaten back a manufactured controversy over a video of her dancing while in university.
In the same chamber that wields vast oversight power over his office, President Donald Trump decried "ridiculous partisan investigations," during his second State of the Union address on Tuesday night.
Speaking to a joint session of a divided Congress, Trump called for an end to any investigations into his administration.
"An economic miracle is taking place in the United States," Trump said. "And the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics, or ridiculous partisan investigations."
Democrats retook a majority in the House of Representatives during last year's midterms and could present a significant risk to Trump's presidency as they take control of committees with sweeping investigative power. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., has vowed to use the full power of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence to fully investigate Trump's past financial ties.
Trump's remarks come just a day after his inaugural committee was subpoenaed by federal prosecutors for financial documents.
Since taking office, the Trump administration has been under scrutiny for the president's past financial dealings, including his charity foundation, which was dissolved after prosecutors found the organizations had been self-dealing for years.
The specter of the ongoing special counsel investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential also hangs over the White House. Last year, Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort, his personal lawyer Michael Cohen and former adviser Michael Flynn have all pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the special counsel's investigation.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump at State of the Union: Stop 'ridiculous partisan investigations'
Washington (AFP) - President Donald Trump used his State of the Union address on Tuesday to call for a bipartisan commitment to eradicate AIDS in the United States within a decade.
"Scientific breakthroughs have brought a once-distant dream within reach," Trump said in his annual address to Congress.
"My budget will ask Democrats and Republicans to make the needed commitment to eliminate the HIV epidemic in the United States within 10 years," he said.
"Together, we will defeat AIDS in America and beyond."
Some 38,000 people were infected with HIV in the United States in 2017, according to government statistics.
This number has shrunk over the years, but in some communities there has been no let-up, especially among gays, blacks and Hispanics.
The Trump administration proposed last year to cut the budget for AIDS prevention, but Congress refused.
"No force in history has done more to advance the human condition than American freedom," Trump said.
"In recent years we have made remarkable progress in the fight against HIV and AIDS."
Trump's mastery of the issue has been called into question, however, most notably by Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who said last year that at two meetings, Trump needed help distinguishing HIV from HPV, another sexually transmitted disease.
"Both times, he wanted to know if there was a difference between HIV and HPV so I was able to explain that those are rarely confused with each other," Gates said.
Washington (AFP) - President Donald Trump plans to ramp up the pressure on Venezuela's embattled leader Nicolas Maduro in his State of the Union address on Tuesday, doubling down on US support for his challenger Juan Guaido.
"We stand with the Venezuelan people in their noble quest for freedom," Trump is set to say, according to excerpts from his annual speech to Congress -- where the opposition leader's envoy to Washington was among the top guests.
Trump swiftly recognized Guaido after he proclaimed himself acting president of Venezuela last month, and has not ruled out a military intervention in the crisis-wracked country.
In contrast to Trump's isolation on many international issues, his recognition of Guaido has been followed by major Latin American powers such as Brazil and Colombia with key European states including Britain, France, Germany and Spain following suit on Monday.
Venezuela also marks an unusually forceful intervention in another country by Trump, who has promised to pull US troops from Syria and Afghanistan and has held back on reprimanding US allies over human rights.
But Trump has appeared to relish the fight against President Nicolas Maduro, a leftist firebrand fond of criticizing US foreign policy who presides over a crumbling economy in which food and basic supplies are scarce and millions have fled to neighboring countries.
The United States has sought to squeeze Maduro both economically and diplomatically, imposing sanctions that target his inner circle and ruling that Venezuelan assets in the US banking system belong to the National Assembly, which Guaido's opposition forces control.
The latest front has been aid, with Guaido warning the opposition not to block humanitarian assistance that he says is being stockpiled in Brazil, Colombia and an unnamed Colombian island.
Trump's national security adviser, John Bolton, met Tuesday in Washington with Brazilian Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo and promised coordination on aid.
"We discussed mutual support for Venezuela's Interim President Guaido, including logistics for providing humanitarian assistance for the Venezuelan people," Bolton tweeted.
Many observers believe the key to Maduro's survival is the military, whose leadership still backs the government despite US appeals.
By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump told Americans on Tuesday his administration had accelerated talks for a political settlement in Afghanistan and would be able to reduce U.S. troops there as negotiations advance to end America's longest war. "Great nations do not fight endless wars," Trump said in his annual State of the Union address to Congress, in which he also said U.S. troops had nearly defeated Islamic State militants in Syria and it was time to bring them home. After 17 years of war in Afghanistan, Trump praised "the unmatched valor" of U.S. forces. "Thanks to their bravery, we are now able to pursue a possible political solution to this long and bloody conflict," Trump said. He said his administration was holding constructive talks with a number of groups, including Taliban militants. "As we make progress in these negotiations, we will be able to reduce our troop presence and focus on counter-terrorism. And we will indeed focus on counter-terrorism," Trump said. Trump offered no specifics about when he would bring home the 14,000 U.S. troops now in Afghanistan. U.S.-led forces in 2001 toppled the hardline Taliban for harboring the al Qaeda militants responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks. "We do not know whether we will achieve an agreement - but we do know that after two decades of war, the hour has come to at least try for peace," Trump said. 'END MILITARY PRESENCE' The Taliban, responding to Trump's speech, rejected any suggestion of a lingering U.S. focus on counter-terrorism after troops are drawn down, reiterating their long-held demand that all foreign troops get out. "At the first step, we want all the foreign forces to leave and end the military presence in our country," Sohail Shahin, a spokesman for a Taliban office in Qatar, said by telephone. "But after ending their military presence, their non-military teams can come and ... take part in the reconstruction and development process." In December, a U.S. official said Trump was planning to withdraw more than 5,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, triggering worries about whether a smaller force would be able to fulfill missions under way and stabilize the country. When he campaigned for president in 2016, Trump said he wanted to focus more on domestic issues than foreign conflicts. However, Trump's sudden announcement in December that he would withdraw U.S. forces from Syria alarmed allies and many current and former U.S. officials, who worry that Islamic State militants remain a threat. After the speech, Democratic Representative Eliot Engel, chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, said Trump's Syria plans did not seem well thought out and could put U.S. allies like the Kurds and Israel at risk, while empowering Iran. "We'll probably come back at a future date, with much more danger to our troops," Engel told Reuters. Earlier on Tuesday, General Joseph Votel, head of the military's Central Command, warned that Islamic State would pose an enduring threat. In his address, Trump said Islamic State controlled more than 20,000 square miles of territory in Iraq and Syria. "Today, we have liberated virtually all of that territory from the grip of these bloodthirsty monsters," he said. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle, additional reporting by Abdul Qadir Sediqi in KABUL; Editing by Mary Milliken, Sonya Hepinstall and Nick Macfie)
By Steve Holland and Jeff Mason
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump vowed in his State of the Union speech on Tuesday to build a border wall, which is a source of a deep partisan divide, and said Democratic attempts at "ridiculous partisan investigations" could damage U.S. prosperity.
Trump spoke to a joint session of the U.S. Congress facing political discord over his demands that Democrats end their opposition to funding for a U.S.-Mexico border wall he says is needed to stem illegal immigration and smuggled drugs.
During his 82-minute speech, he outlined his political priorities without providing specific policy details.
Trump called illegal immigration "an urgent national crisis," but stopped short of declaring a border emergency that would allow him to bypass Congress for wall funding. Instead, he urged Democrats and Republicans to find a compromise by a Feb. 15 deadline.
"In the past, most of the people in this room voted for a wall, but the proper wall never got built. I will get it built," Trump said in the House of Representatives chamber, with his main Democratic adversary, new House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, watching over his shoulder.
Democrats call the wall a waste of money and ineffective.
During the speech, Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal tweeted her opposition to the wall, saying: "The border is more secure than ever. Enough."
Trump warned, without offering evidence, that Democratic efforts to investigate his administration, along with the possibility of U.S. involvement in wars abroad, would endanger the U.S. economy.
"An economic miracle is taking place in the United States and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics, or ridiculous partisan investigations," he said.
His remarks came as Democrats who now control the House planned a series of probes into the Trump administration and his personal finances, while Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller investigates Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow. Russia denies meddling and Trump has said there was no collusion.
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Democratic Representative Val Demings called Trump's remarks shameful and said the investigations would proceed.
"We're not going to stop," she said.
Apart from lauding economic accomplishments - unemployment near a five-decade low and manufacturing job growth among them - Trump's speech was light on new initiatives to further stoke growth in an economy seen as losing momentum as it began 2019.
Financial markets were largely subdued as Trump delivered his speech. It was pablum, without specifics, said Tim Ghriskey, chief investment strategist at Inverness Counsel in New York.
FOREIGN POLICY FOCUS
Trump's speech unfolded largely in a civil fashion with Cabinet members, military commanders and several Supreme Court justices in attendance at the annual presidential address to Congress.
Many Democratic women lawmakers wore white to celebrate 100 years of women having gained the right to vote. Republicans cheered on the president, while Democrats grimaced or shook their heads but held their fire and applauded at non-partisan moments, such as when two Holocaust survivors were recognized.
Despite a lack of concrete progress in persuading North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program, Trump said his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would take place on Feb. 27 and 28 in Vietnam. It is expected to be either in Hanoi or Da Nang.
From China to Venezuela to Afghanistan, Trump devoted a large section of his speech to foreign policy, saying a trade deal was possible with China if Beijing agrees to "real structural change." The world's two largest economies are in talks to try to hammer out an agreement to end a trade war.
Trump hailed peace efforts unfolding between his administration and Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan and said if a deal could be reached, it would allow him to bring some U.S. troops home after 17 years of war spawned by the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
"As we make progress in these negotiations, we will be able to reduce our troop presence and focus on counterterrorism," he said.
He also hailed allied gains against Islamic State militants in Syria and reiterated his plan to withdraw U.S. troops from that war zone, despite comments earlier in the day from a top U.S. general, Joseph Votel, that a U.S. pullout could prompt a resurgence in the militancy.
"Great nations do not fight endless wars," said Trump, whose withdrawal plans are opposed by many congressional Republicans.
Trump also denounced Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who the United States and a number of Latin American and European countries accuse of being an illegitimate leader after last year's disputed election.
DIVIDED BY THE WALL
Trump used part of his speech to offer a spirit of compromise, particularly in areas such as lowering the price of prescription drugs and funding a $1 trillion upgrade in U.S. roads, bridges and other infrastructure.
But whether Trump and his opponents would follow through was far from clear, with both sides entrenched in long-held positions and girding for 2020 elections, reluctant to give the other side a political victory.
Driving the two parties apart is Trump's insistence on funding for the border wall.
Pelosi, who frequently sat stony-faced through Trump's address, has shown no sign of budging from her opposition to Trump's wall-funding demand.
The Republican president appeared in the House chamber just weeks after his demand for $5.7 billion in funding for the U.S.-Mexico wall triggered a historic 35-day partial government shutdown that more than half of Americans blamed him for, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling.
"Simply put, walls work and walls save lives. So let's work together, compromise, and reach a deal that will truly make America safe," Trump said.
In the Democratic response to Trump's speech, Stacey Abrams, who lost a race for governor of Georgia last November, said that while Democrats stood ready to secure the country's ports and borders, "America is made stronger by the presence of immigrants not walls."
For all of Trump's talk about political unity, he could not resist denouncing liberal Democrats who have gained power in the House, best personified by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has proposed a 70 percent tax on the richest Americans.
"We are born free, and we will stay free. Tonight, we renew our resolve that America will never be a socialist country," Trump said.
As Trump spoke, Ocasio-Cortez could be seen smiling broadly.
(Reporting by Steve Holland; Additional reporting by Jeff Mason, Susan Cornwell, Roberta Rampton, Susan Heavey and Noel Randewich; Editing by Peter Cooney)
In his second State of the Union address, President Trump pledged to defeat AIDS in America and fight against childhood cancer.
In recent years, we have made remarkable progress in the fight against HIV and AIDS, said Trump. My budget will ask Democrats and Republicans to make the needed commitment to eliminate the HIV epidemic in the United States within 10 years.
There are currently over 1.1 million people living in with HIV in the U.S. According to HIV.gov, 1 in 7 Americans carrying the virus dont know they are infected. People living in Southern states made up over half of new HIV diagnoses in 2016.
Federal funding for AIDS rose from a few hundred thousand in 1982 to more than $32 billion in 2017, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a national health nonprofit, although its fallen slightly in the last few years.
President Trump acknowledges women in Congress as he delivers his State of the Union address. (Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP)
New members of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS were sworn in last week. Trump fired the previous 16 advisers in January 2018. He has yet to appoint a director of the Office of National AIDS Policy.
No force in history has done more to advance the human condition than American freedom, said Trump, who included another public health issue in his 10-year strategy.
Tonight, he continued, I am also asking you to join me in another fight that all Americans can get behind: the fight against childhood cancer.
Trump introduced 10-year-old Grace Eline who joined first lady Melania Trump in the gallery.
Every birthday since she was 4, Grace asked her friends to donate to St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital, said Trump. She did not know that one day she might be a patient herself.
First lady Melania Trump with cancer survivor Grace Eline at the State of the Union address Tuesday night. (Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
He continued: Last year, Grace was diagnosed with brain cancer. Immediately, she began radiation treatment. At the same time, she rallied her community and raised more than $40,000 dollars for the fight against cancer.
Cancer is rare in children but is the leading cause of death accidents being the first by disease among children. It was estimated that over 10,000 children younger than 15 would be diagnosed in 2018, with more than 1,000 deaths.
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Many childhood cancers have not seen new therapies in decades, said Trump. But major advancements in cancer treatment account for an 80 percent survival rate.
In his final State of the Union address, President Barack Obama also charged the nation to combat cancer. For the loved ones weve all lost, he said, for the families that we can still save, lets make America the country that cures cancer once and for all.
The current federal budget for cancer research is $5.74 billion for the National Cancer Institute , a $79 million increase from 2018. Funds would go to conduct clinical trials and address disparities in access to health care.
My budget will ask Congress for $500 million over the next 10 years to fund this critical life-saving research, said Trump.
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Read more from Yahoo News:
Washington (AFP) - President Donald Trump on Wednesday tapped a well-known World Bank critic to lead one of the world's primary development lending institutions.
David Malpass, a senior official in the Treasury Department, is a controversial choice but if Trump wins the support of a majority the bank's shareholders, especially European nations, he will have the opportunity to reshape the bank.
Trump called Malpass "an extraordinary man" who and "the right person to take this incredibly important job."
"America is the largest contributor to the World Bank," he said. "My administration has made it a top priority to insure that US taxpayer's dollars are spent effectively and wisely."
Trump and his team have attacked multilateral institutions in the two years he has been in office, and Malpass has led the charge against the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
Malpass has called the international financial institutions' lending practices "corrupt" and complained about financing to China and other relatively more well-off countries that he says should have graduated from the institutions.
Speaking at the White House, Malpass said he would seek to implement reforms approved last year after negotiations to increase the bank's lending capital by $13 billion, such as curbing loans to and charging higher interest to higher income countries like China.
"I'm very optimistic that we can achieve breakthroughs to create growth abroad that will help us combat extreme poverty and increase economic opportunities in the developing world," Malpass said.
Asked about his attacks on the lender, he said his concerns were addressed in last year's reforms, and he hopes to be able to oversee implementation of those changes.
"It doesn't make too much sense for the higher income countries to be drawing so many resources from the bank when there are poorer countries that could make use of these resources," he told reporters.
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- European support? -
The surprise early departure of World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, effective February 1, not even halfway through his second five-year term, gives Trump the opportunity to put his stamp on the organization.
Beginning Thursday, the bank's board will accept nominations until March 14 and plans to name a new president prior the IMF and World Bank Spring meetings, set for April 12-14 in Washington.
Any of the 189 members can propose a candidate.
The Washington-based lending institution has been led by an American since the bank's founding in the aftermath of World War II, while its sister institution, the International Monetary Fund, has always been led by a European.
In recent years, the growing emerging market countries have challenged this unwritten arrangement, demanding a more open, merit-based selection process.
Experts had thought it unlikely those countries would join forces against the US candidate but the choice of Malpass could unite them behind a rival.
Many, including former Treasury officials from both political parties, have sharply criticized Malpass and his qualifications, pointing to his failure to foresee the global financial crisis and opposition, which later proved unjustified, to Federal Reserve policies.
"David Malpass would be a disastrous, toxic choice for World Bank president," said Tony Fratto, former Treasury assistant secretary in the George W. Bush administration.
The United States is the biggest World Bank shareholder but it does not have a veto and needs the backing of European nations in a simple majority vote by the board.
Senior administration officials said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had already been reaching out to other World Bank shareholders to make the case for Trump's candidate.
Malpass will travel next week to Beijing to participate in trade negotiations and then will go to Japan, the World Bank's second largest shareholder.
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Vietnam on Feb. 27 and 28, the latest sign of thawing tensions between two leaders who had once publicly traded insults and threats of military confrontation.
Trump announced the meeting during the State of the Union, saying it was part of "a bold new diplomacy" that he said has already yielded tangible results.
"Our hostages have come home, nuclear testing has stopped, and there has not been a missile launch in 15 months," Trump said in Tuesday's speech. "If I had not been elected President of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea."
That claim drew skepticism from Democrats in the House chamber and from North Korea experts on Twitter.
"Ok lets be clear that North Koreas successful acquisition of a nuclear ICBM is why there was no war with North Korea," tweeted Vipin Narang, an associate professor of political science at MIT who studies North Korea and nuclear proliferation.
The last nuclear test North Korea conducted was in September 2017. The regime also launched an intercontinental ballistic missile in November 2017. Some experts say the regime no longer needs to conduct such tests because of advances in its nuclear weapons program.
The summit comes less than a year after the two held a historic meeting in Singapore. Since then, Trump has claimed the country is no longer a nuclear threat, but independent analysts have sharply questioned that assessment.
Trump announces second summit
Vietnam, which has diplomatic ties with both Washington and Pyongyang, offers advantages for both leaders. Danang is an easy flight for Kim's shorter-range aircraft and, for Trump, the country offers a symbolic nod to a communist country that has improved relations with the U.S. since the end of the Vietnam War.
Trump said last week that he may meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping as part of the summit as the U.S. and China are working to head off an escalating trade war.
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Pointing to an end of nuclear missile tests, Trump has placed North Korea at the top of his foreign policy achievements. Trump and Kim have traded letters, and the president has repeatedly said he has a "very good relationship" with the reclusive leader.
"Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong Un is a good one," Trump said Tuesday night.
More: Read President Trump's full State of the Union address
Analysts have questioned the decision to hold a second summit, arguing Trump should demand concrete steps toward denuclearization from North Korea the original U.S. goal before agreeing to another meeting. Trump unexpectedly announced at the first summit that the U.S. would suspend joint U.S. military exercises with South Korea.
Trumps special representative for North Korea, Stephen Biegun, said last week the U.S. and North Korea would hold working-level negotiations in advance of the summit aimed at agreeing on concrete deliverables for that meeting.
But in remarks at Stanford University, Biegun conceded North Korea has not yet provided the U.S. with an inventory of its nuclear arsenal, a step that many experts see as a vital first move toward any denuclearization agreement.
Biegun also conceded the U.S. and North Korea have no detailed definition or shared agreement on what denuclearization entails.
Trump and Kim signed a vaguely worded agreement at their first summit in Singapore pledging to work toward full denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Members of Trump's administration, meanwhile, acknowledge North Korea is still developing a nuclear weapons program and U.S. sanctions on the country remain in place.
Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told lawmakers last week that "North Korea will seek to retain its WMD capabilities, and is unlikely to completely give up its nuclear weapons and production capabilities." Coats said that the U.S. intelligence has observed "some activity that is inconsistent with full denuclearization."
Coats also said that North Korea "has halted its provocative behavior" by refraining from missile tests and nuclear tests for more than a year.
Biegun said Trump is ready to declare an end to the Korean War.
Its over. Its done. We are not going to invade North Korea, Biegun said. We are not seeking to topple the North Korean regime.
He described the U.S approach as moving away from the question of whos going to act first and toward ways to move in tandem. Biegun said there was no contradiction between the U.S. intelligence assessment of North Korea and Trumps statements about denuclearization negotiations.
North Korea has given us little indication that they have yet made the decision to completely dismantle and destroy that capability. We all know that, he said.
The negotiations between Trump and Kim, he said, are designed to see if Kim can be persuaded to make a different set of choices.
Biegun is scheduled to travel to Pyongyang on Wednesday to meet with his North Korean counterpart and prepare for the second summit.
Contributing: Deirdre Shesgreen
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump to meet North Korea's Kim Jong Un in Vietnam in two weeks for the pair's second summit
WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump will hold a two-day summit with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un Feb. 27-28 in Vietnam to continue his efforts to persuade Kim to give up his nuclear weapons.
Trump has said his outreach to Kim and their first meeting last June in Singapore opened a path to peace. But there is not yet a concrete plan for how denuclearization could be implemented.
Denuclearizing North Korea is something that has eluded the U.S. for more than two decades, since it was first learned that North Korea was close to acquiring the means for nuclear weapons.
"As part of a bold new diplomacy, we continue our historic push for peace on the Korean Peninsula," Trump said Tuesday in his State of the Union address.
Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told Congress last week that U.S. intelligence officials do not believe Kim will eliminate his nuclear weapons or the capacity to build more because he believes they are key to the survival of the regime. Satellite video taken since the June summit has indicated North Korea is continuing to produce nuclear materials at its weapons factories.
Last year, North Korea released American detainees, suspended nuclear and long-range missile tests and dismantled a nuclear test site and parts of a rocket launch facility without the presence of outside experts.
It has repeatedly demanded that the United States reciprocate with measures such as sanctions relief, but Washington has called for North Korea to take steps such as providing a detailed account of its nuclear and missile facilities that would be inspected and dismantled under a potential deal.
At the second Trump-Kim summit, some experts say North Korea is likely to seek to trade the destruction of its main Yongbyon nuclear complex for a U.S. promise to formally declare the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, open a liaison office in Pyongyang and allow the North to resume some lucrative economic projects with South Korea.
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"Our hostages have come home, nuclear testing has stopped, and there has not been a missile launch in more than 15 months," Trump said. "If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea.
"Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong Un is a good one," he said in announcing their second meeting.
Trump also asserted that, "If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea."
"That was real eye-roller," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer told CNN Wednesday. He criticized Trump's foreign policy as engaged in "patting dictators on the back."
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told FOX Business Network the U.S. is "very hopeful" Kim "will fulfill his commitment, the one that he made back in June in Singapore, to denuclearize his country."
Stephen Biegun, Pompeo's special representative for North Korea, acknowledged that many issues make it especially complicated for the two countries to "embark on a diplomatic initiative of this magnitude." Biegun was in Pyongyang on Tuesday.
The Vietnamese city where the two leaders will meet was not announced. The country, however, is keen to project itself on the world stage. It is a single-party communist state that boasts of tight political control and a tough security apparatus similar to Singapore's.
Where Singapore leans West, generally appreciative of U.S. influence in Asia, Vietnam leans East. Even with its edgy relationship with China, it has a long fraternal history with Asia's communist states. This is friendly ground for Kim and closer than Singapore.
On a related issue, the State Department said this week that the U.S. and South Korea have reached a tentative agreement on sharing the costs of keeping 28,500 American troops in South Korea, but no final deal has been signed to replace the existing agreement, which expired at the end of 2018. South Korea pays more than $800 million a year, but Trump has demanded that Seoul pay 50 percent more.
News that a tentative agreement has been reached offers relief to those who worried Trump would use the lack of a deal as a reason to pull U.S. troops out of South Korea as part of negotiations with Kim. North Korea has claimed that the presence of American troops in the South is proof that the U.S. has hostile intentions in the region.
Trump said after his first meeting with Kim in June that while he'd like to bring troops home, "that's not part of the equation right now."
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Associated Press writer Grant Peck in Bangkok contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON (AP) A woman freed from federal prison after President Donald Trump cut short her life sentence for drug offenses and a Delaware boy allegedly bullied because his last name is Trump headline a varied group of 13 guests who will sit with first lady Melania Trump for the State of the Union address.
Alice Marie Johnson, 63, served more than two decades of a life sentence without parole before Trump commuted her sentence last year. Johnson's case had been championed by reality TV star Kim Kardashian West, who personally lobbied Trump in the Oval Office.
Delaware's Brandywine School District said last year that steps had been taken to support Joshua Trump, a middle-school student who reportedly had been bullied for years because he shares the president's last name.
Guests the White House invites to the State of the Union typically serve to help put a face on policies the president will promote in the nationally televised address.
Johnson's case spotlights legislation Trump signed into law last year to address concerns about the criminal justice system, including giving judges more discretion in sentencing some drug offenders. Bullying prevention is a key element of an initiative Mrs. Trump named "Be Best."
Other guests will represent Trump's opposition to illegal immigration, his push to halt human trafficking across the U.S.-Mexico border, efforts to stem the deadly opioid addiction epidemic and his economic policies.
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The remaining guests are:
Debra Bissell, Heather Armstrong and Madison Armstrong, the daughter, granddaughter and great-granddaughter, respectively, of a Reno, Nevada, couple allegedly killed in their home last month by a person illegally in the U.S.
Matthew Charles, a Tennessee man who was among the first prisoners released under the First Step criminal justice legislation Trump signed in December.
Grace Eline, a 9-year-old brain cancer survivor.
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Ashley Evans, a former opioid addict nearing one year and one month of sobriety who hopes to be reunited with her daughter full-time.
Elvin Hernandez, a special agent with the Homeland Security Department's human trafficking unit.
Roy James, plant manager of a lumber facility in Vicksburg, Mississippi, that the White House says was reopened under provisions in Trump's tax cut legislation.
Timothy Matson, a Pittsburgh police officer and SWAT team member who was shot multiple times while responding to the deadly October 2018 shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue. Eleven people were killed.
Judah Samet, a Holocaust survivor and member of the Tree of Life Synagogue.
Tom Wibberley, father of Navy seaman Craig Wibberley, who was killed in the October 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen.
Johnson was convicted in 1996 on eight criminal counts related to a Memphis-based cocaine trafficking ring. Federal courts, including the Supreme Court, rejected her appeals. Her requests for clemency had been rejected by President Barack Obama, who during eight years in office commuted the sentences of hundreds of federal inmates convicted of drug crimes.
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Follow Darlene Superville on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dsupervilleap
President Donald Trump at NATO headquarters in Brussels on July 11, 2018.
LONDON NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced Wednesday that the military alliance will hold a leaders' summit in London in December, a gathering that following NATO protocol would be expected to include President Donald Trump.
The White House has not confirmed Trump's attendance.
It falls during NATOs 70th anniversary year. No exact date for the meeting was given.
Stoltenberg said the leaders will "address the security challenges we face now and in the future, and to ensure that NATO continues to adapt in order to keep its population of almost one billion people safe."
When Trump attended a NATO summit in July last year he threatened to pull the U.S. out of the organization it helped found if allies did not increase spending on defense. He also accused Germany of being "a captive of Russia" in a series of tense interactions with allies that helped underscore how Trump intends to transform U.S. foreign policy.
More: What is NATO and why is President Trump slamming it?
NATO was founded in 1949 to help bring stability, and ensure peace, in a Europe that was reeling from the aftermath of World War II. A centerpiece of NATO is Article 5, a mutual security guarantee among its 29 members that requires each member-nation to come to the aid of their allies in the event of an attack. The provision has been invoked only once: on 9/11 when the U.S. was the target of terrorist attacks.
Trump has consistently railed against NATO allies for what he alleges are their failure to live up to spending commitments which amount to 2 per cent of GDP.
The U.S. spends about 3.5 percent of GDP on defense, the highest NATO share.
"Many countries owe us a tremendous amount of money from many years back, where they're delinquent as far as I'm concerned, because the United States has had to pay for them. So if you go back 10 or 20 years, you'll just add it all up, it's massive amounts of money is owed," he said in July ahead the summit in Brussels, NATO's headquarters.
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There is some justification for Trump's claim.
At a NATO summit in 2014, the alliance's members committed to spending at least 2 percent of their GDP on defense by 2024. At the time, only three countries could claim they were doing that. Stoltenberg said that eight members met this level in 2018: the US.., Greece, the United Kingdom, Estonia, Romania and Poland.
Earlier this year it emerged in a report in The New York Times that Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to withdraw from NATO to senior White House aides because he did not see the point of the alliance that has been viewed as a critical bedrock against Soviet and Russian aggression for decades.
A weakened NATO is one of Putin's major geopolitical goals and fears of its eastward expansion is one of the reasons often cited for Russia's seizure of Ukraine's Crimea. In response to the report, the White House said that while Trump has publicly raised complaints about NATO, he seems satisfied with the way things stand now. It also pointed to statements that he made in July in Brussels in which he said NATO was "very important."
Trump's visits to the U.K. have sparked mass protests, with hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets of London to express disapproval over his personal behavior and divisive rhetoric on immigration, climate change and other geopolitical concerns.
When he last visited Britain, protesters unveiled a giant diaper-wearing blimp depicting an orange-colored Trump as a big baby. "Trump baby" flew outside Parliament. It has also shown up at the U.S.-Mexico border and at a G-20 summit in Argentina.
More: 'Trump having impact': NATO head credits president's tough talk for $100B boost
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump expected to attend NATO summit in London
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WASHINGTON President Donald Trump used his State of the Union address Tuesday to push for a border wall and other priorities in a new era of divided government in Washington.
Here's what's happening now:
9:54 p.m. Trump said a border wall immediately changed El Paso, Texas, from one of the most dangerous in the country to one of the safest. The citys crime rate actually plummeted before the wall was built there, with violent crime dropping 62 percent from 1993 to 2007 a year before construction of the fence began.
Trump also said that Congress approved a border wall, but claimed it never got built.
The Secure Fence Act of 2006 called for 700 miles of fencing and more than 650 miles of that was erected, according to the Government Accountability Office.
More: Follow live fact checks of the State of the Union
9:45 p.m. One of the more dramatic moments in the speech came when Trump mentioned women getting the right to vote a century ago and the fact that currently the United States has "more women serving in the Congress than ever before."
Democratic women lawmakers stood up and gave high fives to one another. Both sides chanted: "USA, USA!" while one Democrat yelled, "Thank you, Nancy!"
9:43 p.m. "It will get built," Trump said as he turned for the first time to the issue at the heart of the biggest battle in Washington: His proposed border wall. Trump described the wall as "a smart, strategic, see-through steel barrier not just a simple concrete wall."
Trump repeated his claims that a wall would sharply reduce the flow of migrants and drugs over the border. But outside experts have questioned many of Trump's assertions about the effectiveness of a wall.
Follow live fact checks of the State of the Union.
9:34 p.m. Trump is describing the situation on the border as a "crisis" but stopped short of declaring a national emergency as a way of freeing up funds to pay for a border wall.
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"Now, Republicans and Democrats must join forces again to confront an urgent national crisis," Trump said.
No Democrats stood when the president began to talk about immigration but there was some scattered applause from a few seated Democrats. When the president brought up what he described as a threat from caravans arriving from Central America, Democrats sighed.
When Trump said there would be a "tremendous onslaught" from the caravan, there was laughter from someone on the Democratic side of the chamber.
The Pentagon announced over the weekend it would deploy approximately 3,750 additional U.S. forces to the southwest border. The deployment raised the total active duty forces supporting U.S. Customs and Border Protection to about 4,350.
The additional units are being deployed for 90 days.
9:30 p.m. Trump's reference to the investigations was intended to suggest that the Mueller probe and other investigations could stymie the health of the economy.
9:25 p.m.: Trump made a veiled reference to Russia special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into possible Russian collusion the presidential election, suggesting that they as well as probes by congressional committees. Trump frequently discusses the investigations, which he describes as a "witch hunt," but the State of the Union was an unexpected venue for that issue to come up.
An economic miracle is taking place in the United States and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics, or ridiculous partisan investigations, he said.
9:23 p.m. "Members of Congress, the state of our union is strong," Trump said to chants of "USA USA."
"That sounds good," Trump said in response.
9:20 p.m. Trump touts the economy in every speech, and the State of the Union was no exception. Trump said the country had seen "unprecedented economic boom" since his election. "But the fact is, we are just getting started."
Despite swings in the stock market, driven at least in part by Trumps confrontational trade policies, unemployment has remained low. The U.S. unemployment rate edged up slightly to 4 percent in January, matching several months last year. Before that, the unemployment rate last hovered around 4 percent in July 2000.
Much of that economic progress began before Trump became president, but it has continued under his tenure.
9:18 p.m. In a reference to the partisan rancor that dominated Washington during the recent government shutdown and debate over border security, Trump said that lawmakers could embrace vision or vengeance and "greatness or gridlock" in their politics.
9:15 p.m. Citing the moon landing, World War II, and other American achievements, Trump said that, "Now, we must step boldly and bravely into the next chapter of this great American adventure, and we must create a new standard of living for the 21st century. An amazing quality of life for all of our citizens is within our reach."
9:09 p.m. Trump has begun his speech. His early remarks offered a nod toward bipartisanship at a time of deep division. "The agenda I will lay out this evening is not a Republican agenda or a Democratic agenda, it's the agenda of the American people," he said.
9:06 p.m.: Energy secretary and former Texas governor Rick Perry the designated survivor for Tuesday's State of the Union address, according to a White House official. Presidents have long selected a Cabinet member to skip the State of the Union in case disaster strikes and wipes out the government during the speech.
9:03 p.m. President Trump has entered the the House chamber. Per tradition, the House sergeant at introduced Trump with a booming, "Madam Speaker, the president of the United States." Trump is making his way through a throng of lawmakers eager to shake his hand.
9:01 p.m.: Inside the House chamber, Chef Jose Andres, an immigration activist who most recently fed furloughed workers in Washington D.C. during the 35 day government shutdown, was in the front row gallery. He was wearing a shirt that said "Immigrants Feed America" underneath a suit jacket. Andres was the guest of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The seats near the aisle are swarmed with folks saying hello to the senators from both sides.Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., a former House member known for working across the aisles hugged nearly every House Republican she walked past as she entered. Sinema won a competitive Senate seat in Arizona.
8:50 p.m. Trump has recently taken an increasingly hawkish stance against Iran, and he will use his speech to underscore that message. We will not avert our eyes from a regime that chants Death to America and threatens genocide against the Jewish People, Trump will say, according to excerpts of the speech.
Trump railed against the 2015 Iran nuclear deal throughout his presidential campaign. But the European countries who signed on to that agreement have tried to salvage it, including by finding ways around sanctions. Members of Trumps own intelligence apparatus have said that Iran continues to adhere to the terms of the agreement. CIA chief Gina Haspel told the Senate Intelligence Committee last week that Iran remained in technical compliance with the deal.
8:44 p.m. Trump has left the White House for the roughly five-minute ride up Pennsylvania Avenue to the U.S. Capitol, where he will deliver his second State of the Union (his third address to a joint session of Congress). He did not speak to reporters as he departed. Per the White House schedule, first lady Melania Trump had planned to leave ahead of the president. Trump's speech is set to begin at 9 p.m. EST.
8:28 p.m. Trump has repeatedly and inaccurately accused Democrats of supporting "open borders." Democrats initially offered more than $1 billion in border security money. But Democrats have consistently opposed a border wall. Trump will raise the claim again on Tuesday, according to excerpts released by the White House. "No issue better illustrates the divide between Americas WORKING CLASS and Americas POLITICAL CLASS than illegal immigration," Trump will say, according to the excerpts. "Wealthy politicians and donors push for open borders while living their lives behind walls and gates and guards."
8:20 p.m. Just hours after Senate Republicans voted to rebuke the president's plan to withdraw troops from Syria and Afghanistan, Trump will defend his position, noting that he frequently discussed pulling U.S. troops out of overseas conflicts during the 2016 presidential election. "As a candidate for president, I pledged a new approach," Trump will say, according to White House excerpts. "Great nations do not fight endless wars."
8:14 p.m. "Together, we can break decades of political stalemate," Trump will say, according to excerpts of the speech released by the White House. "We can bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions, forge new solutions, and unlock the extraordinary promise of Americas future. The decision is ours to make."
The president will also discuss immigration, according to the excerpts.
"We have a moral duty to create an immigration system that protects the lives and jobs of our citizens," Trump will say.
Politically wounded by the 35-day government shutdown, Trump will lay out a vision for the second half of his term even as his domestic agenda risks being swallowed by the looming 2020 election, a growing number of investigations and a chaotic turnover of top officials in his administration.
After two years of working with a Republican-controlled Congress, Trump must contend with a new Democratic House majority vehemently opposed to much of his agenda, including his proposal for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
White House aides said Trump's speech would call for bipartisan cooperation but its very timing has laid bare the conflicts that have already arisen with newly empowered House Democrats. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pressed Trump to reschedule the address, originally set for Jan. 29, because of the federal shutdown.
The president initially refused, and then ultimately relented.
More: When is the State of the Union address
Trump is delivering the speech as a bipartisan group of lawmakers works against a Feb. 15 deadline to hammer out a compromise on agency funding or risk another government shutdown.
The president has described that effort as a "waste of time" and has held out the possibility of declaring a national emergency to free up funding for the wall if the congressional panel does not deliver on his demand for the barrier.
Adding another element of drama to the speech: The chamber where Trump is speaking includes a bevy of Democratic lawmakers in the audience who are seeking to unseat him in 2020.
The State of the Union address gives presidents the chance to try to build public support for their legislative priorities, tout past achievements and roll out lofty policy goals. But this year's speech is complicated by Trump's ongoing battle over the border, which has overshadowed other issues on his domestic agenda.
If Trump were to declare a national emergency on the border, the move could allow him redirect billions of dollars in military construction projects. But it would also likely trigger a legal battle that could drag on in court for years.
Fifty-seven percent of Americans oppose another government shutdown if Congress fails to provide additional money for the wall, according to a CNN poll released Monday. But many Republicans strongly back Trump's insistence on funding for a border wall, with more than seven in 10 saying they would support another shutdown without such funding.
Trump, meanwhile, is facing resistance from within his own party over his foreign policy. Hours before he arrived at the Capitol, the Republican-controlled Senate easily passed legislation rebuking the president's plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria and Afghanistan. Some Republicans have expressed an uneasiness with Trump's trade war with China and the isolationist agenda he has pursued with NATO and the UN.
The divisions demonstrate the difficulty Trump will have convincing members of Congress to embrace his agenda for the next two years. Partisan sniping was already underway before the president delivered a single word of his address.
"The president will say the state of our union is strong, but the American people know the state of the Trump administration is in chaos," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor earlier Tuesday.
Trump fired back.
"I see Schumer is already criticizing my State of the Union speech, even though he hasnt seen it yet," the president posted on Twitter. "Hes just upset that he didnt win the Senate, after spending a fortune, like he thought he would."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump calls border security an 'urgent national crisis' in State of the Union speech
Washington (AFP) - Just a day after preaching an end to division in his State of the Union speech, President Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at "harassment" by Democrats probing his links to Russia.
"There would be no reason to do that. No other politician has to go through that. It's called presidential harassment. And it's unfortunate. And it really does hurt our country," Trump said at the White House.
He branded Adam Schiff, the chairman of the intelligence committee in the House of Representatives and leader of an expanding probe, "a political hack who's trying to build a name for himself."
It was back to business as usual for Trump, who faces multiple investigations into allegations of improper dealings with Russia and other suspicious financial activities.
The main investigation, run by special prosecutor Robert Mueller, is looking into explosive allegations that Russian agents colluded with Trump in his 2016 election campaign. Trump says he only had legitimate links with Russian partners and calls Mueller's effort a "witch hunt."
In his speech late Tuesday, Trump vowed to help Washington "reject the politics of revenge" and "embrace the boundless potential of cooperation."
But his nationally televised State of the Union address, lasting 82 minutes, also warned Democrats controlling the lower house of Congress not to step up their own probes.
Claiming that his legal troubles put the strong US economy at risk, Trump lambasted "ridiculous partisan investigations."
But on Wednesday, Schiff made clear that his committee was expanding its planned probe into suspected illegal links between foreign entities and Trump's circle.
"The Committee must fulfill its responsibility to provide the American people with a comprehensive accounting of what happened, and what the United States must do to protect itself from future interference and malign influence operations," Schiff said.
In Tuesday's State of the Union address, Donald Trump made a rare reference to issues affecting LGBT people in the United States. "In recent years, we have made remarkable progress in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Scientific breakthroughs have brought a once-distant dream within reach." He added, "My budget will ask Democrats and Republicans to make a needed commitment to eliminate the HIV epidemic in the United States within ten years. We have made incredible strides, incredible. Together we will defeat AIDS in America and beyond."
It's an extremely admirable goal, one that the government should have taken seriously decades agoand it's all the more ambitious considering Trump regularly confuses HIV and HPV. The annual number of new HIV infections crept below 40,000 in 2012, but since then it's hovered pretty consistently around 38,000. And since taking office, Trump has done little to fight the epidemic. In some cases, Trump has been entirely disinterested in HIV/AIDS as a national crisis. Most of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS resigned in 2017 because the body had been completely sidelined, and Trump dismissed the remaining members with little explanation a few months later.
In other cases, his administration has actively worked to worsen the epidemic. As the Daily Beast reports, the most recent Trump-engineered setback consists of changes to Medicare Part D that are "almost zeroed in" on restricting access to retroviral drugs for people living with HIV. And in December 2018, in order to please anti-abortion activists, the White House shut down extensive HIV research that relied on fetal tissue.
Even Trump's primary policy goals have wreaked havoc on HIV/AIDS-related services. The Affordable Care Act, which Trump wants smothered with a pillow, made health care more accessible since insurance companies couldn't blacklist the disease as a pre-existing condition. And he and congressional Republicans have repeatedly tried to strip funding from Planned Parenthood, which provides affordable HIV testing.
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Craig Washington, a Georgia-based writer and activist, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he found Trump's SOTU comments "offensive and embarrassing."
He presented it as a scripted nod to an epidemic that has had such a horrific impact on our communities. Smoke and mirrors. He talked about ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic in 10 years. Where is the investment in the plan? What has he done to support federal efforts ensuring that there are enough resources for a national effort, not to mention community-based organizations?
Of course, there's only so much substance you can expect from the State of the Union. Alex Azar, the head of Health and Human Services, told The New York Times that the agency planned to target nearly 50 "hot spots" across the country, including many urban areas in the south, the region where the bulk of new infections takes place. Azar said that Trump would be asking Congress for money but refused to give an amount or even a ballpark figure.
But diverting money to HIV/AIDS relief would certainly be a new approach for the White House. Reports from late 2018 show that the Trump administration planned to take nearly $10 million in funding from HIV-related programs to cover the cost of its draconian children's detention centers. More than $5 million of that was from the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Fund, which provides support to low-income people living with HIV/AIDS. And as Sarah Jones writes at New York magazine, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has been allowing state Medicaid waivers that "amount to massive funding cuts for the program." An estimated 40 percent of people living with the disease are on Medicaid, making it the "single largest source of coverage for people with HIV in the U.S.," according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
If Trump is serious about tackling the spread of HIV/AIDS and reversing his administration's animosity to programs dedicated to helping people with the disease, that would be a welcome and extremely necessary about-face. But Trump has consistently shown that he is not interested in doing the serious work of governing, much less helping anyone who doesn't share his last name. It's entirely possible that this morning, he doesn't remember mentioning HIV and AIDS in his speech at all.
FORT COLLINS, Colo. Horsetooth Mountain Park will remain closed through Friday following an attack on a trail runner by a mountain lion, wildlife officials say. The runner, who has been released from a local hospital, choked the cougar to death.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials said Tuesday the mountain lion was less than a year old and weighed less than 100 pounds.
The runner, who has not yet been publicly identified, had puncture wounds and lacerations but is doing well and recovering from his wounds. According to Larimer County Natural Resources, he has been released from the hospital.
The mountain lion tested negative for rabies, but other diseases have not yet been ruled out because CPW has not yet completed its investigation.
Larimer County issued a release Tuesday that said the park will be closed until rangers can reassess the situation Friday along with CPW officers.
"We want to allow for a cooling off period before reopening Horsetooth Mountain Open Space," said Ken Brink Jr., visitor services manager for Larimer County Department of Natural Resources. "We are approaching this situation with an abundance of caution for the safety of our visitors."
The park had reopened Monday evening after the scene was evaluated by state wildlife experts and Larimer County rangers and the mountain lion was found dead. But county rangers encountered additional mountain lion activity in the area after stepping up patrols Tuesday and decided to shut down the park later that afternoon.
"We'll reopen Horsetooth Mountain when weve had more time to assess mountain lion activity in the area with our partners at CPW,'' Brinks said.
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Tara Radcliffe, who lives near the park and runs in the park regularly, said she ran in the park Monday after the incident took place and when she was finishing her run, she noticed the trails were closed. She ran Tuesday morning and said the parking lot and trails were open.
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I passed several people (Tuesday) on the run down, and everyone I saw asked if I saw anything,'' she said. "People are probably a little paranoid. ... Its a little more eerie than usual up here."
Ty Petersburg, CPW wildlife manager, told KUSA-TV in Denver the man did everything the agency asks people to: He put his hands in the air, made a lot of noise and stood his ground.
"At that point, it was kind of a fight for survival between him and lion," Petersburg told the station. "The lion was upon his upper body and the man was able to fight the animal off and kill it at the end of it in self-defense, and then get himself off the trail into a car.
"(The man) didn't have any weapons ... He was really creative. He used his hands, feet things that were around him, and really it was just a fight for survival."
CPW officials confirmed the man's account of the attack through their investigation and examining the juvenile mountain lion.
The runner told officials he heard something behind him on the trail and as he turned, he was attacked. He said he was bitten on his face and wrist but was able to fight and break free from the lion.
Wildlife officers found the mountain lion dead near where the incident took place while looking for items the runner asked them to look for along on the trail.
"In the event of a lion attack, you need to do anything in your power to fight back just as this gentleman did,'' said Mark Leslie, CPW's Northeast Region manager.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Trail runner who choked Colorado cougar to death 'used hands, feet,' wildlife official tells TV station
(Photo: Getty Creative)
Most Americans got a tax cut thanks to the new Republican tax law, but its possible that millions of households will get a surprise bill from the IRS in the coming weeks.
Ben Williams, a lawyer in New York City, said he earned the same amount of money last year as he had the year before, but wound up with a totally different tax situation.
Last year I got a $750 refund, Williams said. And this year I owe $4,600.
There are two reasons for Williams predicament. The 35-year-old lost his refund both because Republicans targeted wealthy (and heavily Democratic) metropolitan areas for tax hikes and also because of how President Donald Trumps administration implemented the law.
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act cut rates for taxpayers at every income level and simplified the tax code for most filers. Part of that simplification meant getting rid of a lot of deductions, which people use to reduce the amount of their taxable earnings.
One of the most controversial changes limited the amount of state and local tax payments that could be deducted. Previously, a tax filer could reduce their federal taxable income by subtracting the income taxes they paid to their state and local governments. The law capped such deductions at $10,000. Williams said he usually pays more than three times that amount in state and local levies.
While preparing to file his taxes through the H&R Block website this week, Williams said the blood drained from his face when he realized how much he would owe. He had anticipated getting another refund that he would put toward a vacation.
I guess that my assumption was that the IRS withholding tables would have been updated to some degree or my company would have done something, he said.
There is probably no way Williams could have avoided paying higher taxes, given his circumstances. But if the government had administered the tax law more carefully, he could have been spared the February surprise. Employers are supposed to withhold federal income tax from their workers paychecks, and the vast majority of taxpayers typically withhold more than necessary, resulting in a refund in the early part of the year. The average refund is worth nearly $3,000.
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But Republicans rushed their tax cuts through Congress at the end of 2017, making huge changes to the tax code without so much as a hearing, and gave the IRS hardly any time to implement the law, which took effect less than two weeks after Trump signed it.
The IRS had to scramble to figure how it should change the way tax would be withheld from paychecks for 2018. Officials with the Treasury Department told the Government Accountability Office, a congressional watchdog, that they felt they had to work with the same basic W-4 forms that employers were already using to determine withholding amounts. A trade group for payroll providers told the GAO that substantially different forms would necessitate changes to withholding software that would have taken at least half a year.
The IRS knew from its simulations which assumed that people would not adjust their withholding amounts that just plugging new numbers into its old withholding tables would probably reduce the number of tax filers getting a refund from 76 percent to 73 percent, according to the July GAO report. The number that owed money would increase by a proportional amount.
That means millions more households getting a bill from the IRS. In Treasurys simulations, households that itemized deductions, such as New Yorkers with higher local taxes, were likelier to withhold less tax as a percentage of their total liability.
That is the group that ends up paying more tax under the new law, said Nathan Rigney, lead tax research analyst at The Tax Institute at H&R Block. Its the people in New York who are losing such a large amount of the [state and local tax] deduction they can end up owing more tax because their taxable income goes up by so much.
Tax filing season opened at the end of January, and the government shutdown may have hampered the IRS ability to process returns as quickly as in previous years. Around this time in 2018, the IRS said it had processed 30 million returns and dished out 13 million refunds. (The total for the year was 150 million returns and 111 million refunds.) Similar data is not yet available for this year.
The new law cut taxes for 80 percent of households, with the biggest benefit accruing to the wealthier ones, according to the Tax Policy Center, while roughly 5 percent saw a tax increase. The changes should have been evident in paychecks last year, though incorrect withholding may have obscured the policy until now.
Republicans knew in advance that the households negatively affected by their tax changes just so happen to be clustered in states where people tend to vote for Democrats. And according to the GAO, the Trump administration may have been more worried about people withholding too much instead of too little, even though the latter can stick people with surprise tax bills and penalties, and reduces overall compliance. Withholding too little, on the other hand, makes peoples paychecks bigger immediately and the Trump administration wanted to make sure to help the people it intended to help.
Treasury officials stated that withholding more from paychecks than in past years for taxpayers whose tax liability is expected to decrease would be inconsistent with the intent of the law as they understood it, the GAO said.
HuffPost readers: Tax bill surprise? Tell us about it! Email arthur@huffpost.com. Please include your phone number if youre willing to be interviewed.
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Washington (AFP) - Closed-door congressional testimony planned this week by President Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen will be postponed until February 28, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said on Wednesday.
Cohen was expected to provide details of his work for Trump -- including crimes that Cohen has been convicted for -- to the committee on Friday.
But Schiff said in a statement that the testimony has been put off "in the interest of the investigation."
It was not clear which investigation his comment referred to. Special Counsel Robert Mueller is examining Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, and whether the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow, a probe that increasingly menaces the White House.
The House Intelligence Committee is conducting its own examination of Trump's links to Russia.
Cohen, the president's former right-hand man and "fixer" at the Trump Organization, the Trump umbrella company, pleaded guilty in December to multiple charges related to work he performed for the president, and pledged to cooperate with investigators.
He was sentenced on charges of fraud, tax evasion, illegal campaign contributions, and lying to Congress in previous testimony.
Cohen told prosecutors that Trump directed him to arrange illegal hush payments to two alleged former lovers ahead of the 2016 election.
He also admitted lying to Congress over pursuing a Moscow real estate deal in Trump's name during the election, even after Trump secured the Republican nomination.
Democrats in Congress want him to testify before he reports to prison on March 6.
Cohen has already put off planned open-door testimony this week to the House Oversight Committee after what he alleged were public threats against him and his family from Trump and Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani.
Cohen has also been subpoenaed by the Senate Intelligence Committee, which means a likely second February appearance on Capitol Hill.
A Tennessee father of four has died less than a year after being diagnosed with what doctors call the human form of mad cow disease.
Tony Gibson, 33, died at an assisted living facility near his familys Nashville home on January 30. Over the last year, Gibsons health rapidly declined after he was diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) last March.
In his final days, he was unable to walk, talk or communicate. On the day that he died, he was unable to eat and doctors struggled to find his weak pulse. His wife, Danielle Gibson, 31, and his family were by his side.
He held out the whole day up until almost midnight. He is the strongest, Danielle tells PEOPLE. When he was struggling for his last breath, I was so heartbroken. I feel an empty hole. Everything reminds me of him. Every time I look at our babies I think about how theyll never know him.
Just one day before Tonys death, Danielle sang him a sweet song in a Facebook video that has been viewed more than 3,000 times.
Life was normal for the Gibsons and their four children two sets of twins aged 11 and 2 up until the end of 2017. Almost abruptly, Tony began to lose his memory and would get lost doing normal tasks like going to the grocery store or doctors check-ups.
I wondered, What is causing this man to be like this? I took care of him, but his decline was so rapid, Danielle previously told PEOPLE. Each week it would get dramatically worse. I had to label our bedrooms, bathrooms in our home. It got to a point where it was like a psychosis. It was unreal. It was scary.
RELATED STORY: Doctors Say Father of 4 Has Just Months to Live After Contracting Human Form of Mad Cow Disease
The Tennessee couple consulted local doctors who thought Tony may have dementia. But when he developed paranoia and began hallucinating, Danielle knew she needed to do more. She took him to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where, after about a month of testing, doctors diagnosed Tony with the CJD which doctors have called the human form of mad cow disease.
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They do not know how he contracted it.
I have never been so devastated, Danielle told PEOPLE just weeks before Tonys death. I couldnt believe it. I never expected something like this, never even heard of it. They gave him a maximum of six months to a year.
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) is a rare, fatal brain disorder that affects about 320 people in the United States each year. Although certain treatments can help support patients with CJD), nothing has been proven to stop its progression, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The disease is rapidly progressive and always fatal, according to the CDC.
Danielle said doctors gave Tony steroids as part of his treatment, but his condition has only gotten worse. He was moved into an assisted living facility. With that, Danielle and the couples children were left to visit him at the facility several times a week.
Now, the mom of four says that although she knew Tony would die, she is still struggling to come to terms with the death.
Its all sinking in. He loved our kids so much. Its terrible. I feel such a lump in my throat, and its surreal, him not being here anymore. Im gonna miss him playing with our babies. He was a great dad. He was our protector. I never felt scared. Im gonna miss hearing him say, I love you.
Danielle has set up a GoFundMe page to help cover medical expenses.
By Maria Tsvetkova MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Taliban official said on Wednesday that no timetable had been agreed with the U.S. government for the partial withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, and that negotiations were still underway. Earlier, Russia's RIA news agency had quoted a Taliban official at peace talks in Moscow as saying that Washington had promised to pull out half of its troops from Afghanistan by the end of April. But that report was contradicted at the end of the talks in Moscow, with the Taliban official previously quoted by RIA, Abdul Salam Hanafi, denying that he had made the comment. He said there was no detailed agreement with the U.S. chief negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad who has been meeting separately with Taliban negotiators. "Until now we did not agree," the Taliban official said. On an April withdrawal, he said: Its our desire. It is our demand ... Our demand is withdrawing of foreign forces as soon as possible. Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai, among the Afghan opposition politicians attending the talks, said the principle issue under discussion was that Afghanistan should be free of foreign forces. He said there was a near-consensus in the talks on this subject. "It was very satisfactory," said Karzai. Afghanistan's government was absent from the talks, because the Taliban does not recognize its legitimacy and refuses to sit down with it at the negotiating table. The government in Kabul said the talks were not in Afghanistan's best interest. But the presence of prominent opposition politicians will add to pressure on the government to talk to the Taliban in the search for a deal to end years of fighting. The push for peace comes as the Taliban, ousted by U.S.-led forces in 2001, have staged near daily attacks and are in control of or contesting districts across nearly half the country. The venue of the talks indicates an expanding role in Afghanistan for Moscow. It was embroiled in the conflict there in the 1980s after sending in the Red Army, but has since allowed Washington to take the lead role. That may now change after U.S. President Donald Trump said he wanted to eventually pull American troops out of the country and end nearly two decades of U.S. military involvement there. Trump said on Tuesday his administration had accelerated talks for a political settlement in Afghanistan and would be able to reduce U.S. troops there as negotiations advanced to end America's longest war. (Addiitonal reporting by Hamid Shalizi Greg Torode in Kabul and Susan Heavey in Washington; Writing by Christian Lowe, Editing by William Maclean)
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - The leader of Sweden's Liberals will step down in November, he said on Wednesday, less than a month after backing Social Democrat leader Stefan Lofven as prime minister in a deal that split his own party. Jan Bjorklund said he would not stand for re-election when his mandate ended, but that the deal to support Lofven was not at risk. "The party stands behind the January Agreement," Bjorklund told reporters. "There is criticism from some people, but there is broad support in the party." The Liberals' executive committee voted to abandon the center-right Alliance 17-8 the party had been a member of to back the deal in support of Lofven. He was voted in for a second term as premier on Jan 18, more than four months after a national election that left parliament deadlocked. Lofven does not need the Liberals' 20 votes to govern, but if they were to pull out of the deal, the Centre party - with 31 lawmakers - might also reconsider its position. "What could happen is that the Centre party would not want to be the only center-right party with Stefan Lofven and would also pull out and the agreement would capsize," Magnus Hagevi, political scientist at Linneaus University, said. "That's the risk." (Reporting by Simon Johnson; editing by John Stonestreet)
Kinshasa (AFP) - Felix Tshisekedi is facing his maiden test as president of DR Congo -- not from rivals in the political arena, as many have expected, but from striking workers.
Since the December 30 elections, labour unrest in the public sector has exploded as unions, eyeing a new regime headed by a former opposition leader, demand back payment of wages and a crackdown on cronyism.
Stoppages have hit transport, a key port, television, insurance and the fire service and were continuing on Wednesday as Tshisekedi was in Kenya on his first foreign tour.
Although the public sector is only a small part of the national economy -- most Congolese work in small- or medium-sized private businesses -- the strikes are providing an early trial of Tshisekedi's political smarts.
"Baptism of fire," the daily Le Potential said, wondering whether Tshisekedi had the power to match his electoral rhetoric with deeds.
Head of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), the country's oldest and largest opposition party, Tshisekedi vowed on the campaign trail to combat poverty and root out graft.
After a ballot marked by repeated delays and a bitterly-disputed result, he succeeded President Laurent Kabila, whose 18-year tenure was marked by authoritarian rule, patronage and crackdowns.
It was the first peaceful transition in the history of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) -- a state that traces its origins back to independence from Belgium in 1960.
- Multiple strikes -
Tshisekedi had to weigh into a dispute on January 28, just three days after his inauguration.
He ordered "urgent" payment of backdated wages to workers at the Congo Transport Company (Transco), which runs the bus services for the sprawling capital, Kinshasa.
The government also suspended Transco's boss for "poor management."
But on Monday, Kinshasa firefighters went on strike, saying they were owed 38 months' salary and urging Tshisekedi's new government to put pressure on city governor Andre Kimbuta.
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The same day, dozens of workers on temporary contracts at RTNC demonstrated outside Tshisekedi's temporary residence, demanding job security and the firing of their boss, Ernest Kabila, for alleged cronyism.
At the Atlantic port of Matadi, workers began a strike on February 1 to demand back-payment of four months' wages and the ousting of their boss, "who is suspected of having siphoned off $30 million," said Mazime Nzinga, head of the DR Congo Custom Officers Association. The boss, Mukoko Samba, denied the accusations.
In Boma, in the same region, maritime transport workers are also on strike, demanding 20 months' back pay, and state firms involved in telecoms and insurance have also been hit by unrest.
Tshisekedi faces familiar problems of budget constraints when seeking to defuse these problems, as well as a daunting political tightrope act.
Pushing out Kabila-era appointees could endanger the delicate sharing of power that he has had to forge with supporters of his predecessor, who wield a huge majority in parliament.
But he also has to ensure presidential credibility in the light of the disputed election result.
Another opposition candidate, Martin Fayulu, contends the result was cooked up between Kabila and Tshisekedi, denying him a victory after he says he won 61 percent of the vote.
"I know that there have been some imperfections, some irregularities in these elections, but overall it went well because this change of leadership was done peacefully," Tshisekedi said on Tuesday.
By Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - He didn't count on the women in white. President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech on Tuesday was billed as his attempt to unify the country. But Democratic women lawmakers from the House of Representatives, many of them dressed elegantly in white to celebrate 100 years of women having the right to vote, projected a picture of calm displeasure during Trump's speech that made clear his version of unity was not one they could accept. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the most powerful Democrat in the country, sat behind the president on the stage, wearing a white pantsuit. She shook her head or looked on disapprovingly when he challenged Democrats or laid out a dark vision of illegal immigrants assailing America. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a young social media star, looked down or away when Trump delivered comments she viewed as egregious and stared daggers at colleagues who stood and clapped. Then the president spoke about women in the workforce, and the dynamic changed. Briefly. As he lauded the growing number of women finding jobs in the economy, the women lawmakers in white rose and cheered, apparently for themselves, for filling many of the open jobs in Congress during the congressional elections in November. "You weren't supposed to do that," Trump said with a smile, pointing at them and drawing laughter. Telling them not to sit down yet because there was more good news to come, Trump went on to recognize the record number of women serving in the Capitol. They cheered some more and chanted: "USA, USA!" Republicans joined in. It was a rare moment during the long speech, which otherwise drew mixed reactions from the audience, divided with Republicans on one side of the chamber and Democrats on the other, in a reflection of the deep partisan chasm that has characterized the country before and after Trump's 2016 election victory. When Trump said the United States would be at war with North Korea had he not won the presidency, Democrats groaned. When he declared the state of the union "strong," they disagreed and most stayed in their seats. When he warned against "ridiculous partisan investigations," the sound of hissing could be heard. Proclaiming that the United States would never be a socialist country, Trump drew an ovation from Republicans and even some Democrats. Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democratic presidential hopeful, hesitated but eventually stood up and clapped. Ocasio-Cortez, a self-described Democratic Socialist, smiled broadly. BIPARTISAN MOMENTS There were some moments of bipartisanship. When the president called for embracing the principles of compromise, Pelosi stood up and applauded heartily. Trump turned around and nodded to her in acknowledgement. Lawmakers applauded an elderly American who helped liberate the Dachau concentration camp in Germany during World War Two and erupted in cheers for former astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon. But those moments were more a rarity than a rule. At the beginning of the evening, as Trump entered the chamber, Republicans clapped, while some Democrats stood and kept their hands folded. The image-conscious president's signature red tie hung slightly to the left in his jacket as he walked in, and stayed that way while he spoke. In the chamber's balcony, first lady Melania Trump, dressed in black, sat with specially invited guests. They included Debra Bissell, whose parents Trump said were killed by an illegal immigrant; Matthew Charles, a former drug dealer who was released from prison as part of bipartisan prison reform efforts; and Joshua Trump, a sixth-grade student from Delaware who has been bullied because of his last name. Pelosi's guests included two active-duty transgender members of the U.S. Army, Captain Jennifer Peace and Major Ian Brown, in a critique of Trump's efforts to ban transgender men and women from serving in the military. During the 35-day government shutdown that ended on Jan. 25, Pelosi essentially rescinded Trump's invitation to deliver his address in the House chamber. The White House considered choosing another location for the president's speech, perhaps at a venue near the U.S.-Mexico border to emphasize his call for a wall to keep out illegal immigrants. But Trump decided to delay, wanting the pageantry and spotlight that only come with the annual address to Congress inside the Capitol's walls. He got the pageantry. He got the decorum. But unity was scarce. (Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Peter Cooney)
Donald Trump has reached out to his base of supporters with a State of the Union address that seemed more designed to bolster his chances in 2020 than act as the unifying occasion some in the White House suggested it would be.
Over the course of 65-minutes, the president doubled down stubbornly on some of his controversial policies and threw in some new suggestions one of them in particular designed to appeal to evangelical Christians and conservatives. He offered just a handful of crumbs to those looking for something to pull the nation together at a time of uncertainty.
The president began with language that suggested he may indeed be seeking to appeal across party lines.
The agenda I will lay out this evening is not a Republican agenda or a Democrat agenda. It is the agenda of the American People, he declared.
In the 20th century, America saved freedom, transformed science, and redefined the middle class standard of living for the entire world to see. Now, we must step boldly and bravely into the next chapter of this great American adventure, and we must create a new standard of living for the 21st century.
But his address very quickly turned into a defence of his administrations most divisive policies, including his demand to build a border wall and to crack down on immigration.
Democrats, who now control the House of Representatives, have repeatedly refuse to provide him the $5.7bn he has demanded for a wall, and his refusal to compromise on the issue led to the biggest government shutdown in history, and another one is potentially just days away.
Despite this, while he stopped short of declaring a national emergency one possible tactic that would secure him the money for a wall without funding from Congress - he termed illegal immigration an urgent national crisis. One commentator calculated he spent 17 minutes talking about immigration.
In the past, most of the people in this room voted for a wall, but the proper wall never got built. I will get it built, Mr Trump said. So lets work together, compromise, and reach a deal that will truly make America safe.
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He added: My administration has sent to Congress a commonsense proposal to end the crisis on our southern Border. It includes humanitarian assistance, more law enforcement, drug detection at our ports, closing loopholes that enable child smuggling, and plans for a new physical barrier, or wall, to secure the vast areas between our ports of entry. This is a smart, strategic, see-through steel barrier not just a simple concrete wall.
The president, who revealed he will meet again with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un later this month in Vietnam, boasted of the strength of the economy, and the record low unemployment. He used that issue to attack the investigation being carried out by special counsel Robert Mueller into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia in the 2016 election.
An economic miracle is taking place in the United States and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations. If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation. It just doesnt work that way, he said.
In comments that appeared directed at evangelical Christians who have been such an important part of his base of supporters, he also said he would would push for legislation to end late-term abortions and protect babies who can feel pain in the mothers womb.
There could be no greater contrast to the beautiful image of a mother holding her infant child than the chilling displays our nation saw in recent days. Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mothers womb moments before birth, said Mr Trump. These are living, feeling, beautiful, babies who will never get the chance to share their love and dreams with the world.
He added: I am asking Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mothers womb. Let us work together to build a culture that cherishes innocent life. And let us reaffirm a fundamental truth: all children born and unborn are made in the holy image of God.
The Democratic response was delivered by Stacey Abrams, who last November narrowly lost winning her attempt to become governor of Georgia. Had she done so, she would have been the first African American woman to hold such a position. As it was, on Tuesday night, she became the first black woman to deliver an official response to the State of the Union address.
In her remarks, she accused Mr Trump and other Republicans of abandoning working Americans and fomenting partisan discord.
Speaking from a union hall in Atlanta, Ms Abrams combined her partys vision of a more unified society with her personal story as a black daughter of the Deep South.
These were our family values: faith, service, education and responsibility, she said, arguing for this uncommon grace of community, she said.
We do not succeed alone. In these United States, when times are tough, we can persevere because our friends and neighbours will come for us.
WASHINGTON As President Donald Trump highlighted the number of women who now have jobs thanks to his administration, the record number of Democratic women elected to Congress last year rose to their feet and cheered.
The moment during Trump's State of the Union address on Tuesday night allowed for a rare bipartisan moment, and the president then acknowledged the historic number of women who now serve in Congress, many of whom are Democrats pressing for investigations into his presidency.
Trump noted the state of the economy, detailing that "no one has benefited more from a thriving economy than women who have filled 58 percent of the newly created jobs last year."
Many of the freshman Democrats, who were elected to the House during the midterm elections in November, rose to their feet.
The women, many wearing white, cheered and raised their arms in the air, drawing all eyes in the House chamber.
"You werent supposed to do that," Trump said, stopping his speech.
Then, Trump told the group of women lawmakers to keep standing: "Dont sit yet. Youre going to like this."
"We also have more women serving in Congress than in any time before," the president noted, highlighting the new group of female lawmakers who have challenged him, one even calling for his impeachment.
The women rose to their feet again, many waving their hands in the air and giving high-fives to one another.
The rest of crowd, which included members of Trump's Cabinet and Republicans in both chambers of Congress, also started cheering and chanting "USA! USA!"
"That's great," Trump said. "Congratulations."
The moment allowed for everyone on both sides of the aisle to share in applauding the work of women in a political atmosphere that has grown increasingly divided.
This year, a total of 127 women are serving in Congress, including 106 Democrats. The midterm elections also allowed for a record number of minorities to be elected.
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More: Fact check: What Trump said (and didn't) during his State of the Union address
More: Read President Trump's full State of the Union address
The chairwoman of the Democratic Womens Working Group, Florida Rep. Lois Frankel, encouraged members to wear white to this year's State of the Union address as a shoutout to voters who handed Democrats a majority in the House in the midterm elections. It was also meant to serve as a reminder that they plan to make women's economic security a priority.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: State of the Union: Trump applauds record number of women in Congress, leading to bipartisan moment
President Trump will visit the UK in December as part of a Nato meeting of alliance leaders. (PA)
Donald Trump will return to the UK in December for a Nato summit.
The US president, who has repeatedly criticised the military alliance, will meet with heads of state in London, Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg announced on Wednesday.
It will be Mr Trumps second visit to Britain since his election, having jetted in amid swathes of protest last July.
Confirming the meeting, Mr Stoltenberg said: I am pleased to announce that allies have agreed that the next meeting of Nato heads of state and government will take place in London in December 2019.
Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Theresa May and President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, at a Nato summit in Brussels in may 2017. (PA)
The meeting in London will be an opportunity for allied heads of state and government to address the security challenges we face now and in the future, and to ensure that Nato continues to adapt in order to keep its population of almost one billion people safe.
The news came hours after President Trump used his State of the Union address to announce a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un later this month.
The two leaders first met in June 2018 for a historic summit, and will now meet for more talks in Vietnam on February 27 and 28.
The President said his outreach to Kim and their first meeting in Singapore had now opened a path to peace.
Donald Trump used his State of the Union address to announce a second North Korea Summit
Trump met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in June 2018 (Getty)
However, Trump warned that there is not yet a concrete plan for how denuclearisation could be implemented something that has eluded the US for more than two decades.
The pairs first meeting only led to a vaguely worded commitment by the North to denuclearise.
Trump, who was speaking to a divided Congress, said: As part of a bold new diplomacy, we continue our historic push for peace on the Korean Peninsula.
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Boasting of his previous meeting with Kim, Trump said: Our hostages have come home, nuclear testing has stopped, and there has not been a missile launch in 15 months.
If I had not been elected President of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea.
Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong-un is a good one.
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Trump devoted much of his speech to foreign policy (Getty)
Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told Congress last week that US intelligence officials do not believe Kim will eliminate his nuclear weapons or the capacity to build more because he believes they are key to the survival of the regime.
Satellite video taken since the June summit has indicated North Korea is continuing to produce nuclear materials at its weapons factories.
Trumps speech to Congress saw him call on officials to reject the politics of revenge, resistance and retribution.
The President called on Congress to end the political stalemate (Getty)
IN PICTURES: DONALD TRUMP MEETS KIM JONG-UN IN HISTORIC SUMMIT
The President, who has spent two years levelling fiercely personal attacks on his Democratic rivals, declared that it was time to bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions, forge new solutions and unlock the extraordinary promise of Americas future.
He warned emboldened Democrats that ridiculous partisan investigations into his administration and businesses could hamper a surging American economy.
Trump added: If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation.
Despite his appeals for a truce, Democratic women sat silently for much of Trumps speech, but leapt to their feet when he noted there are more women in the workforce than ever before.
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WASHINGTON President Donald Trump used his State of the Union address to continue his push for a border wall and outline his agenda for the second half of his term, including a handful of specific proposals he asked Congress to consider.
Trump called for bipartisanship in broad terms but also blasted the multiple investigations that have loomed over his presidency and pressed hard for immigration changes including a border wall that Democrats flatly rejected.
Here are six key takeaways from his speech Trump's second State of the Union and third address to a joint session of Congress and whether his proposals have any chance of passing in a new era of divided government:
Bipartisanship
In a nation deeply divided over politics, Trump flicked at unity but offered few specific policies that would mend those divisions.
The opening lines of the president's speech noted the "unlimited potential" to advance an agenda that is not partisan.
"As we begin a new Congress, I stand here ready to work with you to achieve historic breakthroughs for all Americans," Trump said. "Millions of our fellow citizens are watching us now, gathered in this great chamber, hoping that we will govern not as two parties but as one Nation."
Trump managed to draw bipartisan applause during a handful of moments in his speech by mentioning the record number of women in Congress and paying tribute to an 81-year-old Holocaust survivor.
But his tone quickly shifted. He noted issues that divide the country, including abortion, immigration and the various investigations that have clouded his presidency.
"No issue better illustrates the divide between America's working class and America's political class than illegal immigration," Trump said. "Wealthy politicians and donors push for open borders while living their lives behind walls and gates and guards."
The calls for bipartisanship met with skepticism from Democrats who described Trump's words as "deeply hollow."
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Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said Trump's speech was a "tale of two countries" and that he wants to build more wallsnot bridges."
He said "actions speak louder than words."
Border wall, government shutdown
A large portion of Trump's remarks highlighted the ongoing fight over immigration and his request for a wall along the southern U.S. border.
Trump's demands for border wall funding was central to the recent 35-day government shutdown, the longest in U.S. history. The speech was set in the middle of a three-week reprieve from the shutdown after Trump agreed to reopen the government without wall funding.
Lawmakers are now negotiating to avoid another shutdown on Feb. 15.
Just a week before the government might shut down once again, Trump made a plea to Democrats: "Tonight, I am asking you to defend our very dangerous southern border out of love and devotion to our fellow citizens and to our country."
He also made a vow.
"I'll get it built," Trump said of his border wall.
Democrats have so far held steady in their opposition.
Meanwhile, the president has continued to threaten to declare a national emergency to free up funding for the wall if the congressional panel does not deliver on his demand for the barrier.
If Trump were to declare an emergency, the move could allow him to redirect billions of dollars in military construction projects. But it would also likely trigger a legal battle that could drag on in court for years.
'Ridiculous' investigations
During his 82-minute speech, the president called for an end to the investigations that have clouded his first two years in office.
Trump said the investigations, led by special counsel Robert Mueller and several congressional committees, were preventing the nation from coming together.
"An economic miracle is taking place in the United States and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics, or ridiculous partisan investigations," the president said. "If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation. It just doesn't work that way!"
Trump continued: "We must be united at home to defeat our adversaries abroad."
The new Democratic majority in the House has called for transparency and has already started probing the president. The president's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, is set to testify before Congress later this week about his role in the Russia investigation and a number of payments made to women who made allegations about Trump before the 2016 election.
While Mueller is nearing the end of his two-year probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election, federal prosecutors in New York have opened another inquiry into the president and election.
On Monday, Trumps inaugural committee confirmed that it had received a subpoena, seeking documents linked to the committees fundraising activities, including donors and those who provided services to the organization. The subpoena could mean more legal trouble for the president.
Infrastructure proposal
For months, both Republicans have Democrats have said they agree on one issue: infrastructure.
Trump highlighted it as an agenda item that could draw bipartisan support in Congress but it might not be that easy.
"Both parties should be able to unite for a great rebuilding of America's crumbling infrastructure," the president said. "I know that the Congress is eager to pass an infrastructure bill and I am eager to work with you on legislation to deliver new and important infrastructure investment, including investments in the cutting edge industries of the future.
He added: "This is not an option. This is a necessity."
Congress hasn't agreed on how to fund such a proposal.
Trump has called for infrastructure spending before with little to show for it. During last years State of the Union, he asked lawmakers to set aside $1.5 trillion to rebuild crumbling roads, bridges and airports.
Early in his presidency there was hope that Democrats and Republicans could work together on an infrastructure spending package. But those prospects dimmed when the White House offered mixed signals about how to pay for the proposed investments. The White House has indicated that it wants the bulk of the spending to come from public-private partnerships.
Lowering the cost of prescription drugs
Trump and congressional Democrats have circled each other for the past two years over the issue of prescription drugs prices, a potentially fertile ground for a compromise that has never quite materialized. Trump, as expected, raised the issue again Tuesday, calling on lawmakers to take on the issue with legislation.
The next major priority for me, and for all of us, should be to lower the cost of healthcare and prescription drugs and to protect patients with pre-existing conditions, Trump said during the address. It is unacceptable that Americans pay vastly more than people in other countries for the exact same drugs, often made in the exact same place.
Republicans and Democrats mostly agree on those broad talking points, but the breakdown occurs in how each party wants to address the problem.
Trump told lawmakers he wants them to pass a bill that finally takes on the problem of global freeloading. That is a reference to the fact that patients in Europe and other countries that have stricter controls on the price of drugs often pay far less than Americans for the same medicine.
The Trump administration launched a pilot program last year that would tie the cost of certain drugs to the prices paid overseas an idea that has faced stiff resistance from the pharmaceutical industry.
While prescription drug prices have traditionally been viewed as a potentially bipartisan issue, its not yet clear whether the president and House Democrats will have enough in common to achieve substantive reform. Many Democrats are wary of working with Republicans on health care following the GOPs years-long push to repeal Obamacare.
The president said that he wanted to work to lower prescription drug prices and build Americas infrastructure, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in response to the speech. Thus far, the president has not put forward any real proposals.
Law to ban late-term abortions
Trump criticized a recently approved New York law that guarantees a womans right to an abortion and he called on Congress to prohibit the late-term abortion of children, a term that has drawn criticism from abortion rights groups. It was the first time Trump had mentioned the issue in an address to Congress.
The line drew hearty applause from Republican lawmakers in the chamber who view abortion as a salient issue in the 2020 elections, but it has no chance of advancing in Congress, where Democrats now control the House and have enough votes in the Senate to block controversial legislation.
Let us work together to build a culture that cherishes innocent life, Trump said. And let us reaffirm a fundamental truth: All children -- born and unborn -- are made in the holy image of God.
Trump who once described himself as very pro-choice attacked the law approved in New York. That legislation guaranteed a womans right to an abortion, consistent with the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, and allows abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy it the fetus isn't viable or the women's health is threatened.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: State of the Union: The chance of Trump's agenda getting through Congress and other takeaways
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dressed in white in an act of solidarity with other women declined to join a standing ovation for Donald Trump despite his purported call for unity.
Mr Trump began his State of the Union address by claiming he wanted to work with the new Congress, including the Democratically-controlled House, in remarks that saw many members of the two chambers stand and applause among them a number of Democrats, including speaker Nancy Pelosi.
I stand here ready to work with you to achieve historic breakthroughs for all Americans. Millions of our fellow citizens are watching us now, gathered in this great chamber, hoping that we will govern not as two parties but as one nation, said Mr Trump.
The agenda I will lay out this evening is not a Republican agenda or a Democrat agenda. It is the agenda of the American people.
But commentators were quick to spot that a number of Democrats, especially a group of women politicians wearing white, did not join in the standing ovation. Among them were Ms Ocasio-Cortez, Eleanor Holmes Norton and Pramila Jayapal.
Some Dems like AOC did not stand for Melania Trump as others gave her a standing ovation, tweeted CNNs congressional reporter, Manu Raju.
Ahead of Mr Trumps speech, the 29-year-old Democrat, one of the most progressive new members of the new congress, told the network she was wearing white because theres so much more that we have to fight for.
2019 is the 100th anniversary of the womens right to vote....and theres so much more that we have to fight for, she said.
From wage equality, to paycheck fairness, to protecting ourselves and believing survivors.
The Hill reported that last week, the House Democratic womens working group urged female members from both parties to wear white to the event in homage to the suffragette movement.
Among those who accepted the invitation was Mr Trumps 25-year-old daughter, Tiffany, who also wore all white for the event.
In the Democratic response to President Trumps State of the Union, Stacey Abrams spoke out in favor of voting rights and against the government shutdown.
Speaking from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) headquarters in downtown Atlanta, Abrams defended HR 1, a Democratic bill that would make Election Day a federal holiday, among other voting rights and anti-corruption measures, and rebutted Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnells claim that the legislation was a power grab.
We must reject the cynicism that says allowing every eligible vote to be cast and counted is a power grab, said Abrams. Americans understand that these are the values our brave men and women in uniform and our veterans risk their lives to defend. The foundation of our moral leadership around the globe is free and fair elections, where voters pick their leaders not where politicians pick their voters.
Abrams was the Democratic leader in the Georgia state legislature for seven years and lost a close 2018 race for governor in a campaign marred by accusations of voter suppression. Her opponent, Republican Secretary of State Brian Kemp, purged voter rolls and essentially served as referee and participant. Abramss name has been floated as a potential 2020 U.S. Senate candidate against Republican incumbent David Perdue.
Although Trump did not mention the record-setting 35-day government shutdown that ended in late January, Abrams discussed working with Republican leaders in Georgia to help furloughed workers.
Stacey Abrams delivers the Democratic party's response to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019 from Atlanta. (Photo: Pool video image via AP)
Just a few weeks ago, I joined volunteers to distribute meals to furloughed federal workers, said Abrams. They waited in line for a box of food and a sliver of hope since they hadn't received a paycheck in weeks. Making their livelihoods a pawn for political games is a disgrace. The shutdown was a stunt engineered by the president of the United States, one that defied every tenet of fairness and abandoned not just our people, but our values.
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In addition to the shutdown, Abrams touched on a number of topics not discussed by Trump, including gun safety regulations, student loan debt, labor protections, Medicaid expansion and climate change.
Abrams was the first African-American woman to deliver the formal response to a State of the Union, and her appearance marked a stark change for Democrats after the last two Trump speeches. Two years ago, following Trumps address to Congress, the party turned to former Kentucky governor Steve Beshear, who spoke from a diner filled with white people. Last year the response was delivered by Rep. Joe Kennedy III, who gave it from a school auto shop.
Responses to joint addresses to Congress are considered a thankless job with little upside regardless of the party out of power. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., was mocked for pausing his speech to drink water while the 2017 Beshear response was roasted for its lack of energy and stiff setting.
When Stacey Abrams delivers the rebuttal to President Trumps State of the Union address on Tuesday night, she will both continue and buck tradition in terms of the fairly recent history of these kinds of speeches.
And recent history is all the history there is. While the origins of the State of the Union address date back to the very founding of the nation the third section of Article II in the U.S. Constitution states that the President shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the union the origins of the televised rebuttal are much newer.
Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen (R-IL) and House Minority Leader Gerald Ford (R-MI) delivered the first such opposition response (dubbed State of the UnionA Republican Appraisal) on Jan. 17, 1966, five days after that years State of the Union address from President Lyndon B. Johnson. It wasnt live the way this years will be; it was recorded during the day and broadcast later in the evening. The Presidents annual address had been broadcast on network television for nearly two decades by that point, and deliberate steps had been taken in the intervening years such as moving the speech to an evening time slot to increase the viewing audience, which was a win for the networks as well as the White House.
But when it came to some of the days most important issues, that first rebuttal didnt do much to actually oppose the President.
Their comments on the [Vietnam] war amounted to an endorsement of Johnsons policy, TIME reported back then. Let the peace efforts continue, pealed Dirksen. Let the military effort continue. It demonstrates our determination to keep our word. While Ford had opinions on how to raise money for the Vietnam War that didnt have to do with increasing taxes, he did not criticize the U.S. role in Vietnam. However, he did get a jab in at the Great Societys anti-poverty programs, arguing that they could be run better by liberating the war on poverty from waste, controversy and the bad odor of political bossism.
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It wasnt the duos first time speaking together; they were famous for holding regular news conferences that became known as The Ev and Jerry Show.
GOP congressional leaders Representative Gerald Ford, (L), and Senator Everett M. Dirksen, at a newsconference on June 2, 1966.
Rebuttals which have happened most years since then, though not every single time continued to be a team effort throughout the 1970s and 1980s. At some points, groups of up to a dozen Democrats from both chambers of Congress delivered it, though just one or two people have taken the mic at a time since the late 80s.
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Perhaps not surprisingly, some of politicians tapped by their parties for this role have become even more famous after rebutting the State of the Union, so much so that some have leveraged the prime-time spotlight to run for President.
Colorado Senator Gary Hart was part of a group that delivered the opposition response in 1982, and went on to be considered the Democratic front-runner of the 1988 presidential race, until extramarital indiscretions forced him to drop out. Al Gore was in that 1982 group too, back when he represented Tennessee in the House, and he went on to be Vice President to Bill Clinton who was himself one of three politicians who participated in a televised discussion among randomly selected Democratic voters in 1985, that years version of the rebuttal. Joe Biden was part of a group of 12 Democrats who delivered the opposition response in 1983 and 1984, and he went on to be Barack Obamas Vice President. Responders have also gone on to Cabinet positions; a year after Kathleen Sebelius delivered the opposition response to Presidents Bushs speech in 2008, she was Obamas Secretary of Health and Human Services.
But for others, the opposition response has been considered a curse.
In 1989, four months after responding to George H.W. Bushs State of the Union response, Texas Democrat Jim Wright became the first House Speaker to resign because of an ethics scandal. Kansas Republican Bob Dole, once the longest serving GOP Senate leader, lost the 1996 presidential election shortly after delivering the 1994 and 1996 rebuttals to Clintons State of the Union addresses, while in 2004, Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) didnt get re-elected just months after he and Nancy Pelosi delivered the rebuttal to George W. Bushs address. Social media users mocked Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) for reaching awkwardly far off-camera for a water bottle mid-way through his 2013 rebuttal to Obamas speech, while Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-MA) applied so much chapstick that Twitter users thought he looked as if he were drooling. And Bobby Jindals rebuttal to Obamas 2009 address, which was described by TIME as wooden, has been seen as a missed opportunity to make a good impression on voters, which could have helped his later hopes of cinching the GOP nomination for President.
Abrams, the former Minority Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives and the first black female gubernatorial nominee of a major political party, represents the latest up-and-comer selected by leaders of the opposition party to take on the task.
The speech will be a chance for her to shine and bolster her national recognition in prime-time, which is itself nothing new, but Democrats will also hope it serves the function of, well, rebutting the President. Political scientists observe that those chosen to deliver the opposition response often personally represent populations to whom the party wants to speak. Republicans have tended in the past to pick more women to do the job, arguably to clap back at criticism that they dont support policies friendly to women. This years choice of Abrams has been described as an effort by Democrats to encourage minority groups to stay positive, and the party wants to keep up the momentum that led to unprecedented turnout of black women generated by her gubernatorial campaign.
An analysis of rebuttals to the State of the Union from 1966 to 2006 by political scientist Costas Panagopoulos also found that the party that doesnt control the White House has increasingly been choosing rebutters who are more and more ideologically extreme in their policy positions based on roll call votes on average compared to the President delivering the State of the Union and that Democrats did this more than Republicans. The more ideologically extreme they are compared to the President, the more effective the rebuttal appears to be too, he concludes, based on presidential approval ratings before and after the speech.
That said, as the U.S. has grown increasingly polarized, the State of the Union and its rebuttal are both less likely to change hearts and minds.
Its been even harder to observe dramatic shifts in public opinion in a more polarized political climate in which both sides are entrenched and settled in their positions, Panagopoulos tells TIME. People are going into the State of the Union with fixed views on the President. Whatever they hear will be perceived selectively.
Brussels (AFP) - Britain and the EU agreed Thursday to hold more talks to try to avoid a no-deal Brexit after a "robust" meeting between Prime Minister Theresa May and European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker.
Juncker reiterated in a joint statement that the EU-UK divorce agreement struck in November cannot be renegotiated, rebuffing May's attempts to change arrangements for the Irish border.
But Juncker expressed "openness to add wording" to a parallel political declaration laying out plans for future EU-UK ties, with hopes this could break the deadlock.
After his own talks with May, EU President Donald Tusk warned there was "no breakthrough in sight", although the British leader said she had seen willingness from Brussels to find a deal.
May has been desperately trying to salvage the withdrawal agreement she spent months negotiating with Brussels, after it was rejected by the British parliament last month.
She has been working with her own MPs to find a way through, but an EU official said that in Thursday's meeting with Tusk, she "did not offer any new concrete proposals".
Instead, Tusk apparently suggested to May that she study a plan laid out by British opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
May has already rejected the proposal for an EU-UK customs union, but the EU leader said it "might be a promising way out of the impasse", the official told AFP.
Talk has been growing that even if MPs finally back the deal, Britain may have to delay Brexit, scheduled for March 29, to get the necessary legislation through parliament.
But May vowed: "I'm going to deliver Brexit, I'm going to deliver it on time."
- Legally-binding changes -
The impasse has deepened fears that Britain could crash out of the EU without a deal in 50 days time, disrupting trade and supplies to manufacturing.
In a sharp reminder of the urgency of finding a solution, Bank of England governor Mark Carney warned that Britain's economy was "not yet prepared" for a no-deal departure.
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Speaking to reporters as she left Brussels, May said she had spelled out Britain's "clear position" that legally-binding changes are needed to the so-called backstop plan for the Irish border.
Her MPs fear the arrangement, which would keep Britain tied to EU trade rules if and until another way was found to keep the frontier open, is a "trap".
Such changes to the Irish question were not forthcoming, but instead May got a fresh round of talks.
EU negotiator Michel Barnier will now meet British Brexit Minister Stephen Barclay in Strasbourg on Monday for what an EU official described as "exploratory" negotiations.
May herself will meet Juncker again before the end of February.
She is also sending her top lawyer, Geoffrey Cox, who has been looking at a possible time limit or exit mechanism on the backstop, to Dublin ahead of her own dinner on Friday night with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.
Varadkar, whose government has stressed the importance of maintaining an open border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, said recent "instability in British politics" showed why a backstop was essential.
- 'Special place in hell' -
Expectations for Thursday's visit were already modest when, a day earlier, Tusk and Juncker torched May's prospects of winning changes to the withdrawal agreement.
Tusk, who represents EU member leaders as head of the European Council, also triggered outrage across the Channel by damning pro-Brexit politicians.
"I've been wondering what that special place in hell looks like, for those who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely," he said.
May said she had raised the incendiary remarks in their meeting, calling them "not helpful" and saying they had caused "widespread dismay" in Britain.
She insists that without changes to the backstop, her deal will never pass the British parliament.
But May has exasperated EU leaders by repeatedly coming to Brussels without detailed proposals.
Labour leader Corbyn wrote to May ahead of his visit suggesting that he would accept the backstop, but saying he wanted changes to the declaration on future ties.
These include a customs union, which May opposes because it would not allow Britain to have its own trade policy.
burs-pdw-ar/arp/har
New York (AFP) - Forced to endure months of bullying for sharing the same surname as the US president, Joshua Trump dropped out of school and told his mother he had lost the will to live.
His story eventually caught the attention of First Lady Melania Trump, who has invited the 11-year-old to join her for Donald Trump's annual State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday.
But achieving national fame was never the goal for the sixth-grader from Wilmington, Delaware -- who, like many his age -- just wanted to fit in.
"I'm tired of the bullying," the schoolboy told the news site Inside Edition in December.
"They say are you related to Donald Trump? And I say, 'Would I be here if I'm related to him?'"
The constant mockery became so bad that his parents eventually pulled him out of school in 2017 and taught him at home for a year, before re-enrolling him when he was due to start middle school.
But the issues he was facing did not go away.
His mother Megan Trump tried to sign him up for a different school bus to avoid certain students responsible for the constant teasing, but on the very first trip the driver asked him about his name.
- Name change -
"He said he hates himself and he hates his last name and he feels sad all the time and he doesn't want to live feeling like that anymore. And as a parent, that's scary," his mother told a local television news station.
His school instructed his teachers not to use his surname any more, and disciplined five students, who apologized to the boy.
"It went to the point where he and the school were going to change his last name" and instead go by "Berto" -- his father's surname, Claudio Cerullo, the founder of the site TeachAntiBullying.org, told AFP. "But we encouraged him not to do that."
His organization awarded Joshua a national anti-bullying medal for courage late last year, which prompted the White House to reach out last month to invite him to the annual presidential speech.
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Melania Trump has made her anti-bullying campaign the centerpiece of her legacy as first lady, although there have been few concrete steps aside from public appearances and roundtable discussions.
"I hope that it brings greater awareness to this issue because it's not just about Joshua Trump," said Cerullo. "There's many, many other children who are victimized in the United States and around the world."
But he acknowledged the move puts the first lady in an awkward spot, since her husband is frequently slammed for his denigrating public attacks on political foes, critics and the media, and often resorts to petty name-calling.
"The first lady is in a very difficult position," Cerullo said. "I'm hopeful that she's very impactful upon on her husband."
The Senate on Tuesday approved a Middle East-policy bill including a rebuke of President Trumps decision to withdraw all U.S. troops currently stationed in Syria and about half of those in Afghanistan.
In a bipartisan 77 to 23 vote, the upper chamber passed and sent to the House the Strengthening Americas Security in the Middle East Act, which includes a provision from Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell warning against a precipitous withdrawal of troops from the area.
It would recognize the dangers of a precipitous withdrawal from either conflict and highlight the need for diplomatic engagement and political solutions to the underlying conflicts in Syria and Afghanistan, McConnell said of his provision to the bill on the Senate floor last week.
The rest of the bill, sponsored by Florida Republican Marco Rubio, would impose new sanctions on Syrias bank and those supporting Syrias government while increasing military aid to Israel and Jordan. It also includes a controversial measure that divided Democrats, which would allow states and local governments to refuse contracts to entities involved in the Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions movement that seeks to punish Israel.
On December 19, President Trump promised to withdraw the approximately 2,000 troops currently stationed in Syria and about half of the U.S. troops in Afghanistan, announcing that the Islamic State had been defeated in the region. The move drew bipartisan criticism, including from usually staunch allies of the president such as Senator Lindsey Graham, who called the decision an Obama-like mistake.
U.S. intelligence chiefs, the Department of Defense inspector general, and the top U.S. general in charge of military operations in the Middle East have all warned over the last week that ISIS is likely to be encouraged by the absence of U.S. troops in Syria and regain control over territory.
More from National Review
By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican-led U.S. Senate backed largely symbolic legislation on Monday that broke with President Donald Trump by opposing plans for any abrupt withdrawal of troops from Syria and Afghanistan. The Senate voted 70-26 in favor of a non-binding amendment, drafted by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, saying it was the sense of the Senate that Islamist militant groups in both countries still pose a "serious threat" to the United States. The amendment acknowledged progress against Islamic State and al Qaeda in Syria and Afghanistan but warned that "a precipitous withdrawal" could destabilize the region and create a vacuum that could be filled by Iran or Russia. It called on the Trump administration to certify conditions had been met for the groups' "enduring defeat" before any significant withdrawal from Syria or Afghanistan. Before the vote, McConnell said he introduced the bill so the Senate could "speak clearly and directly about the importance of the" missions in Afghanistan and Syria. Passage was expected, after the Senate voted to advance it in a procedural vote last week. After concerns from some Democrats, the Senate approved a change to the bill making it clear the amendment was not intended to be a declaration of war or authorization to use military force. The vote added the amendment to a broader Middle East security bill making its way through Congress. The Senate voted 72-24 to advance the broader bill in a procedural vote on Monday after the amendment vote. To become law, however, the bill would need to pass the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives, where it is unlikely to move without significant changes because of concerns about a provision addressing the "Boycott, Divest and Sanction" movement concerned with Israel's treatment of the Palestinians. The votes marked the second time in two months that the Senate supported a measure contradicting Trump's foreign policy, although legislation to change his policies has yet to become law. Several of Trump's fellow Republicans strongly disagreed with his plans to withdraw 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria on the grounds that militants no longer pose a threat. Senator Jim Risch, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, disputed before Monday's vote that the amendment rebuked or insulted Trump. "As I read it, it recognizes ... his effort for us to examine exactly what we are doing in these places," Risch said. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Peter Cooney)
President Donald Trump wants $5.7 billion for border security.
Trump has made it clear that the centerpiece of this funding would be for "the wall." Homeland Security officials have been more specific on how they would use the money: to replace 115 miles of border fence and build an additional 100 miles of new barriers.
Trump's battle with House Democrats over the best way to secure the border remains at a stalemate and led to the recent five-week partial shutdown of federal government. With no agreement in sight, another potential shutdown looms.
What would 100 miles of new barriers look like on a 2,000-mile border that is a mix of public land and private property, rugged terrain and city streets?
Imagine, first, what it would look like if a 100-mile barrier were built south of Massachusetts. It would almost wall off Rhode Island and Connecticut.
The U.S. currently has 654 miles of fencing on the 2,000-mile border. 300 miles of this fencing is designed only to stop vehicles. People on foot can easily breach it.
The remaining 354 miles are designed to stop people from crossing on foot. These are the tall fences you see around urban areas and other strategic areas.
Trumps proposal would fix 115 miles of existing fence and add 100 miles of new fencing designed to stop people a 28 percent increase.
If these new barriers are constructed, about two-thirds of the 2,000-mile border would remain unfenced.
Many other miles along the border cant be easily crossed because of difficult terrain. Many more miles would remain unfenced.
Remember that 100 miles of border wall south of Massachusetts? Here's what 100 miles would look like along the U.S.-Mexican border.
The 100 miles of proposed barriers would more than likely be segments constructed in strategic locations along border cities very similar to the existing fences.
map of the Southern U.S. border
An interactive map of the entire border in the USA TODAY Network's "The Wall" project.
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A properly designed system could force smugglers and undocumented migrants to find other places to cross, or the fencing would slow them enough for Border Patrol agents to respond and arrest them.
Border fencing along with sensors, surveillance cameras, lights, aircraft and other technology have helped deter illegal border crossings especially in urban areas. Though the number of Border Patrol agents has more than doubled (9,212 to 19,437) since 2000, Border Patrol apprehensions are a quarter of what they were then.
A fence or wall designed to keep people from evading the Border Patrol might help with one kind of border crossing, but there's a newer phenomenon.
A rising number of families and unaccompanied minors aren't trying to evade Border Patrol. They simply cross illegally and turn themselves over to agents in hopes of asking for asylum. Those apprehensions jumped from fiscal year 2017 to fiscal year 2018:
Two out of five people living illegally in the USA didnt cross illegally at a border, according to a Center for Migration Studies report in 2017. As of 2014, about 42 percent of the 10.9 million undocumented people overstayed their visas. Here's what the picture looked like:
Trump pressed again for the wall, as he put it, in his State of the Union speech. But can he and House Democrats reach common ground on border security? Or will the dispute continue to be as tough to navigate as, say, a 100-mile wall cutting straight through Washington?
READ MORE FROM "THE WALL," THE USA TODAY NETWORK'S PULITZER-PRIZE WINNING PROJECT:
Border vigilantes and the wall they might be watching
A border tribe and the wall that will divide it
Border agents and the risks at the edge of the line
A human smuggler and the wall that will make him rich
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: See what the fight over the wall boils down to: 200 miles on a 2,000-mile border
White Plains, NY - A bid for Sears that has pitted the company's controversial former CEO against its creditors and employees, will head back to court Wednesday where a judge will move closer to a final decision on the beleaguered retailer's fate.
This will be the second day of a hearing on whether a hedge fund owned by Sears chairman Eddie Lampert can purchase a shrunken version of the business, and it promises to be yet another face off with the federal government, mall owners and other unsecured creditors who say Lampert's offer is yet another attempt to drain Sears dry and enrich himself.
That criticism was echoed by some current and former Sears employees who wrote a letter to U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain asking for a meeting and for him to take steps to protect them, including making sure a worker's representative gets a place on the board of any new company.
"For the sake of our jobs, our coworkers, our communities, and our families, we want Sears Holdings to succeed, not be a pawn in Lamperts game," the employees wrote. "The reality, as we know from our lived experience, is that Lampert has been putting the company through the longest liquidation in retail history. If he regains control of Sears, he will merely continue that slow burn."
In roughly the last 15 years, Sears closed more than 3,500 stores and eliminated about 250,000 jobs as the company struggled to stay afloat amid flagging sales and more nimble competition. It finally filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October.
The offer by Lampert's ESL Investments would preserve 425 stores and roughly 45,000 jobs, and is likely to be the only deal that can keep the company, which also owns the Kmart chain, from going out of business.
But the final court hearing on whether the sale should be approved has revealed numerous stumbling blocks, from the push back by creditors, to a dispute over $166 million in accounts payable that Sears bankruptcy attorney Ray Schrock said Monday that ESL does not want to assume.
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More Money: Sears, Kmart employees to bankruptcy judge: Don't let Sears 'be a pawn in Lampert's game'
More Money: Dispute between Sears and Eddie Lampert's hedge fund could jeopardize bid to save retailer
More Money: Is Eddie Lampert set to 'steal' Kenmore brand? Courtroom clash will decide fate of Sears
Even the U.S. government's pension insurer, PBGC, has criticized ESL's offer saying it allows Lampert to grab hold of assets that should go toward pension payments that the federal entity will have to help pay. Those retirement benefits will be protected no matter the outcome of the pending sale.
Despite the objections, Sears board member William Transier testified Monday that Drain had previously conveyed his desire to see a sale rather than liquidation so that jobs could be saved.
But even if ESL assumes ownership of the retailer, Transier testified that more stores could close, and more jobs could be eliminated.
The demise of Sears has been years in the making as a company that was once the nation's biggest retailer and a ubiquitous fixture in American life became increasingly irrelevant amid the rise of Walmart and Amazon.
Now, a final decision on whether it's storied history comes to an end or it continues in a drastically shrunken form could come quickly.
The hearing may continue into Thursday, but if a sale gets the green light, Schrock says the company would like to close the deal on Friday.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sears will be back in court as fight over whether to sell to its former CEO rages on
The year 2019 is off to a rough start for Sam Lloyd, who played a hospital lawyer on NBCs Scrubs starring Zach Braff.
Lloyd, 55, was diagnosed with lung cancer in January just weeks after his wife Vanessa gave birth to their first child together, a boy named Weston, according to his GoFundMe.
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Sam Lloyd and family
Halfway through January, Lloyd began experiencing regular headaches and he quickly lost 10 lbs. Initially he attributed the symptoms to his busy, sleepless schedule, which revolved around caring for Weston as well as his ailing mother. But eventually things got bad enough that his doctor ordered a CT scan that revealed a brain tumor, according to GoFundMe.
RELATED VIDEO: Baby Graduates from the NICU at UPMCs Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh
Sam Lloyd and son Weston
Within 24 hours, surgeons were attempting to remove the mass, but they soon discovered it was too intertwined with the rest of his brain to safely extract. A few days later, Lloyd and his wife learned the cancer, which started in his lungs, had already spread to his spine, jaw and liver, in addition to his brain.
Sam Lloyd and his wife and son
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Still, according to the GoFundMe, the Lloyds have stayed positive. The actor even got a slap on the wrist from a nurse for cheering too loudly for the Patriots in his hospital room a few weeks ago. When the nurse left, he supposedly joked to his family and friends, What are they gonna do? Kill me?
Lloyds GoFundMe is asking for $100,000 for medical and childcare expenses. Its raised more than $26,000 in just 21 hours.
Scientists just discovered a gigantic subterranean hole in the worlds most important glacier, causing them to worry the ice sheet is melting faster than expected and could cause a dangerous rise in global sea levels.
NASA scientists found the enormous cavern beneath Thwaites Glacier, the largest outflow channel of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. The hole is 1,000 feet deep and about two-thirds the size of Manhattan, big enough to have once held 14 billion tons of now-melted ice, according to a study published Jan. 30 in the journal Science Advances.
The Thwaites Glacier has a subterranean hole about two-thirds the size of Manhattan. (Photo: NASA/Reuters)
The Antarctic Ice Sheet is changing rapidly and contributing notably to global sea level rise, the study said. The Amundsen Sea Embayment (ASE) sector of West Antarctica is a dominant contributor to sea level rise at present and for decades to come. Thwaites Glacier accounts for one-third of the mass loss from the ASE.
Scientists discovered the hole thanks to Italian and German satellites, as well as NASAs Operation IceBridge, a program that since 2010 has used ice-penetrating radar aboard aircraft flying over Antarctica to study connections between polar regions and global climate. Researchers believe most of the ice that once sat in the cavity melted within just the last three years.
We have suspected for years that Thwaites was not tightly attached to the bedrock beneath it, said Eric Rignot, one of the studys authors and a scientist at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Thanks to a new generation of satellites, we can finally see the detail.
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The above graph provided by NASA shows the changes in surface height between 2011 and 2017 at Thwaites grounding line, where the glacier lifts off its bed and starts floating on seawater. The sinking areas are shown in red and rising areas in blue. NASAs study found that the ice shelf in that area melted at an alarming rate of more than 650 feet per year between 2014 and 2017.
Thwaites, about the size of Florida, is currently responsible for about 4 percent of global sea level rise, making it one of the most dangerous glaciers in the world, according to scientists. NASA said sea levels could rise by 2 additional feet if the glacier collapses, which studies predict could happen in 50 to 100 years. The Thwaites Glacier also slows the melting of other glaciers, which could raise sea levels an additional 8 feet if they melted. Such increases threaten flooding in coastal cities around the world, including the East Coast of the United States.
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A separate study published last summer in the journal Nature said at the time that the ice sheet was losing more than 240 billion tons of ice every year, a rate faster than any previously recorded time. But the new NASA-led study reveals that previous numerical models of ice sheets that used a fixed shape to represent a cavity likely underestimated how fast Thwaites is losing ice.
[The size of] a cavity under a glacier plays an important role in melting, said Pietro Milillo, the studys lead author. As more heat and water get under the glacier, it melts faster.
The cavity discovery comes as scientists across the world prepare for the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration, a five-year research initiative that will use robots and ocean weather stations to collect data about glacial ice and surrounding water. Fieldwork for the initiative will begin this summer.
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has approved a 38 million euro ($43.27 million) loan for Cuba's defense sector, a senior Russian defense official was quoted as saying on Wednesday. The deal was first announced in November after Russian President Vladimir Putin met Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel in Moscow. It has now been finalised by Russia, Dmitry Shugayev, head of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, said in an interview published in Russia's Kommersant newspaper. Kommersant had previously reported Moscow planned to grant Cuba a loan to buy Russian hardware such as tanks, armored vehicles and possibly helicopters. Communist-ruled Cuba is a close ally of Venezuela, where Moscow-backed President Nicolas Maduro is facing pressure from the opposition and Western governments to step down. Private Russian military contractors who carry out secret missions for the state flew into Venezuela last month, Reuters reported, citing two people close to the contractors. One of the sources said they flew there via Cuba. In the newspaper interview, Shugayev said Russia has concerns about the Venezuelan crisis and was not considering scaling back defense cooperation with Caracas. According to Shugayev, cooperation with Venezuela is limited to maintaining previously supplied arms and helping build military facilities. (Reporting by Maria Vasilyeva; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
By Babak Dehghanpisheh GENEVA (Reuters) - Senior Iranian figures said on Wednesday that Syria was a top foreign policy priority and American troops should withdraw, as planned by U.S. President Donald Trump. "Whether they want to or not, the Americans must leave Syria," Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was reported as saying. There are fears in the West that Trump's plan to extricate about 2,000 soldiers from Syria will cede influence to Tehran, which has backed President Bashar al-Assad in the nearly eight-year war, and also allow Islamic State militants to regroup. "Now 90 percent of Syrian soil is under the control of the government and the rest will soon be freed by the Syrian army," Velayati added during a meeting with Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem in Tehran, according to the Tasnim news agency. President Hassan Rouhani told Moualem that peace in Syria was a priority. "One of the important regional and foreign policy goals of the Islamic Republic is the stability and complete security of Syria," Tasnim quoted him as saying. "And establishing normal conditions in Syria and the return of the people of this country to their normal lives." Moualem was in Tehran for negotiations before the meeting of leaders of Russia, Turkey and Iran in the Russian Black Sea resort town Sochi on Feb. 14 over Syria. Separately, Rear-Admiral Mahmoud Mousavi, a deputy commander of the regular armed forces, said on Wednesday that Iran plans to extend the range of its land-to-sea missiles beyond 300 kilometers (186 miles), according to the Fars news agency. Iran has expanded its missile program, particularly its ballistic missiles, in defiance of opposition from the United States and expressions of concern by European countries. Tehran says the program is purely defensive. The European Union said on Monday it was gravely concerned by Iran's ballistic missile launches and tests, and urged it to stop activity that deepens mistrust and destabilizes the region. (Reporting by Babak Dehghanpisheh; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
Tehran (AFP) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday his country would be ready to establish "friendly relations" with the United States if it apologised for past wrongs.
"Our slogan is friendly relations with the whole world," he said.
That would even include "America, if it repents... and apologises for its previous interferences in Iran, and is prepared to accept the greatness and dignity of the nation of Iran and the great Islamic Revolution," he said.
"We are still ready to accept America's... repentance despite the fact that for years it has done injustice to us," he told foreign diplomats in Tehran during a ceremony to mark the 40th anniversary of Iran's Islamic Revolution.
During the hostage crisis at Washington's US embassy in 1979, Iranian students had famously demanded that the US should repent in return for the release of diplomats.
The following year, the two countries cut diplomatic ties, and they have remained estranged ever since.
In a message marking Persian New Year in March 2009, then-US president Barack Obama reached out to the Islamic Republic, declaring: "we know that you are a great civilisation, and your accomplishments have earned the respect of the United States and the world."
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei responded the next day, saying "change and our attitude will change".
In June the same year, Obama became the first serving American president to recognise that the US played a role in the 1953 coup that toppled Iran's elected government -- but he stopped short of apologising.
He also insisted that Iran had wronged the US, including over the hostage crisis.
The Obama administration was one of six world powers that signed a 2015 deal with Iran, easing sanctions in exchange for restrictions on Tehran's nuclear programme.
But the detente was scuppered by Obama's successor Donald Trump, who in May last year unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear accord and re-imposed sanctions.
Rouhani last week accused the US of being an "oath-breaker", and his hardline opponents have repeatedly hammered the 2015 deal.
By Madeline Chambers BERLIN (Reuters) - Politicians and campaigners are urging Germany to use the lessons of its own reunification to help bring North and South Korea together, but Berlin is in no rush to take up the challenge. A second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un planned for later this month has raised hopes for lasting peace on a peninsula divided since war there ended in a truce more than 65 years ago. Reflecting that optimism, diplomats, politicians and foreign policy experts say Germany, which has an embassy in Pyongyang, should be exploring back channels for talks, offering advice on treaty negotiations, and promoting dialogue. But instead, in their opinion, it is falling short. "Germany has a special role to play. Germany and the city of Berlin are for most Koreans symbols of reunification," said South Korea's ambassador to Germany, Jong Bum Goo. "Our government wants to integrate North Korea into the international community but in my view the German government is still rather passive on this," Jong told Reuters. Despite this, some former leaders of Communist East Germany, Berlin's Free University, some parliamentarians, and civil society groups are engaging with North Korea to share the lessons of German reunification nearly 30 years ago. While nobody is seriously talking about a German-style reunification in Korea, a thaw could lead to a peace deal that would usher in stability in North East Asia. A senior South Korean diplomat in Seoul told Reuters that the government had not made any specific request of Berlin and was "grateful for Germany's ongoing support for inter-Korean reconciliation". However, many experts agree that Germany, one of the few countries with diplomatic relations with North and South Korea and also with personal contacts in Pyongyang dating back to Communist East German times, is being stubborn. Hans Modrow, the last Communist leader of East Germany, who took the late North Korean leader Kim Il Sung on a boat trip down the Elbe in 1984, maintains an active interest, and visited both Koreas in September to discuss reunification. The spritely 91-year-old was scathing about Chancellor Angela Merkel's Korea policy. "The U.S. president can have talks with the top man in North Korea but the Germans can't even have their foreign minister have direct contact," Modrow told Reuters. "To achieve peace and security in Korea, we need more engagement," said Modrow. Others agree. "I would like a bit more courage from the German foreign ministry so that Germany, as a reunited country, claims a special status and supports dialogue and exchange," said Nataly Jung-Hwa Han, head of the Berlin-based Korea Association, which promotes understanding of North Korea. Nobody was available at North Korea's embassy in Berlin Germany's stance reflects its reluctance to assume a global role since the end of World War Two. Foreign policy, which Merkel stresses is based on multilateralism, is embedded in that of the European Union and tends to follow the U.S. line. On North Korea, this means joining sanctions aimed at getting it to end its nuclear program. INSPIRATION The criticism of Germany comes 18 months after South Korean President Moon Jai-in came to Berlin to appeal for support. "The end of the Cold War that started in Berlin will be completed in Pyongyang and Seoul, the new peace vision for North East Asia and worldwide will be implemented," he said in 2017. Last October, Moon visited Europe again, seeking support for possibly easing sanctions against North Korea once it makes progress on denuclearization. But his summit with the EU, in which Germany holds sway, failed to reach agreement. "Our position was there's a need for sanctions relief under the premise that denuclearization is realized," the South Korean diplomat in Seoul said, adding the EU agreed in principle but insisted sanctions stay until North Korea takes concrete action. Merkel has pledged to promote a peaceful solution of North Korean nuclear issues, but no action has followed. "Deeds must follow words," said a German-Korean youth forum which met in Daejeon in South Korea in October, adding there was big potential for Germany, and the EU, to play a consultative and mediatory role. So far, moves toward Korean reconciliation have brought three summits, a military agreement to defuse tensions and more family reunions. Joint North-South participation in last year's Winter Olympics in the South has been followed by economic, cultural and personal exchanges. This resonates among Germans whose reunification followed two decades of rapprochement, initiated by West German Chancellor Willy Brandt. "You would think it would be a long-term German policy to support a Korean solution," said Bernt Berger, head of the Asia program at the DGAP think-tank in Berlin. "It's tragic because South Korea really wants German support as they think it would understand the situation and be able to help find solutions," said Berger. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas visited South Korea in July, stopping at the Demilitarized Zone that divides the two Koreas to underline German support for reconciliation. The foreign ministry said it was ready in principle to look at possible support for reconciliation but stressed this must be driven by the two Koreas. "The top priority on North Korea is the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization," said a ministry official, adding that while Germany does have a special role, EU coordination was important. NO MODEL Regardless of what their government does, interest is growing among Germans who recall East Germans pouring through the Berlin Wall and destroying the most potent symbol of the Cold War without a shot being fired. Academic institutions see potential for cooperation. Berlin's Free University and the Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang signed a letter of intent to cooperate in social sciences in September. The Berlin Wall Foundation, the Goethe Institute and South Korean game developer Nolgong unveiled an interactive game in January to encourage players to learn about Germany's split and reunification and about Korea's war and division. But the main recommendation from Berlin is that Korea should not to copy Germany where after three decades, and transfers of about 2 trillion euros from West to East, inequalities persist. "I stress Germany should not be a model," Modrow said, adding it was essential to help North Korea catch up economically to avoid consequences similar to the rise of the far-right in Germany. The South Korean ambassador sees two lessons from Germany for Korea: change will come via reconciliation, and reunification is complicated but worth pursuing. "We think of the words of Brandt - what belongs together will grow together. We still believe that," he said. (Additional reporting by Hyonhee Shin and Josh Smith in Seoul; Writing by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Giles Elgood)
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump used his State of the Union address on Tuesday to both detail his agenda and highlight his accomplishments over his first two years in office.
The speech was Trump's first before a divided government with Democrats now in control of the House of Representatives. And that division was on full display during his address as Democrats stayed seated and refrained from clapping at various points during his remarks.
Trump used much of his speech to highlight his plans for immigration reform, along with boasting about the economy and low unemployment rate. He also took on the various investigations revolved around his presidency, including both the special counsel investigation into Russian meddling and the probes that Democrats have started in the House.
Here's the full text of Trump's speech released from the White House:
Madam Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, the First Lady of the United States, and my fellow Americans:
We meet tonight at a moment of unlimited potential. As we begin a new Congress, I stand here ready to work with you to achieve historic breakthroughs for all Americans.
Millions of our fellow citizens are watching us now, gathered in this great chamber, hoping that we will govern not as two parties but as one Nation.
The agenda I will lay out this evening is not a Republican agenda or a Democrat agenda. It is the agenda of the American people.
Many of us campaigned on the same core promises: to defend American jobs and demand fair trade for American workers; to rebuild and revitalize our Nation's infrastructure; to reduce the price of healthcare and prescription drugs; to create an immigration system that is safe, lawful, modern and secure; and to pursue a foreign policy that puts America's interests first.
There is a new opportunity in American politics, if only we have the courage to seize it. Victory is not winning for our party. Victory is winning for our country.
This year, America will recognize two important anniversaries that show us the majesty of America's mission, and the power of American pride.
In June, we mark 75 years since the start of what General Dwight D. Eisenhower called the Great Crusade the Allied liberation of Europe in World War II. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, 15,000 young American men jumped from the sky, and 60,000 more stormed in from the sea, to save our civilization from tyranny. Here with us tonight are three of those heroes: Private First Class Joseph Reilly, Staff Sergeant Irving Locker, and Sergeant Herman Zeitchik. Gentlemen, we salute you.
In 2019, we also celebrate 50 years since brave young pilots flew a quarter of a million miles through space to plant the American flag on the face of the moon. Half a century later, we are joined by one of the Apollo 11 astronauts who planted that flag: Buzz Aldrin. This year, American astronauts will go back to space on American rockets.
In the 20th century, America saved freedom, transformed science, and redefined the middle class standard of living for the entire world to see. Now, we must step boldly and bravely into the next chapter of this great American adventure, and we must create a new standard of living for the 21st century. An amazing quality of life for all of our citizens is within our reach.
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We can make our communities safer, our families stronger, our culture richer, our faith deeper, and our middle class bigger and more prosperous than ever before.
But we must reject the politics of revenge, resistance, and retribution and embrace the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise, and the common good.
Together, we can break decades of political stalemate. We can bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions, forge new solutions, and unlock the extraordinary promise of America's future. The decision is ours to make.
We must choose between greatness or gridlock, results or resistance, vision or vengeance, incredible progress or pointless destruction.
Tonight, I ask you to choose greatness.
Over the last 2 years, my Administration has moved with urgency and historic speed to confront problems neglected by leaders of both parties over many decades.
In just over 2 years since the election, we have launched an unprecedented economic boom a boom that has rarely been seen before. We have created 5.3 million new jobs and importantly added 600,000 new manufacturing jobs something which almost everyone said was impossible to do, but the fact is, we are just getting started.
Wages are rising at the fastest pace in decades, and growing for blue collar workers, who I promised to fight for, faster than anyone else. Nearly 5 million Americans have been lifted off food stamps. The United States economy is growing almost twice as fast today as when I took office, and we are considered far and away the hottest economy anywhere in the world. Unemployment has reached the lowest rate in half a century. African-American, Hispanic-American and Asian-American unemployment have all reached their lowest levels ever recorded. Unemployment for Americans with disabilities has also reached an all-time low. More people are working now than at any time in our history 157 million.
We passed a massive tax cut for working families and doubled the child tax credit.
We virtually ended the estate, or death, tax on small businesses, ranches, and family farms.
We eliminated the very unpopular Obamacare individual mandate penalty and to give critically ill patients access to life-saving cures, we passed right to try.
My Administration has cut more regulations in a short time than any other administration during its entire tenure. Companies are coming back to our country in large numbers thanks to historic reductions in taxes and regulations.
We have unleashed a revolution in American energy the United States is now the number one producer of oil and natural gas in the world. And now, for the first time in 65 years, we are a net exporter of energy.
After 24 months of rapid progress, our economy is the envy of the world, our military is the most powerful on earth, and America is winning each and every day. Members of Congress: the State of our Union is strong. Our country is vibrant and our economy is thriving like never before.
On Friday, it was announced that we added another 304,000 jobs last month alone almost double what was expected. An economic miracle is taking place in the United States and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics, or ridiculous partisan investigations.
If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation. It just doesn't work that way!
We must be united at home to defeat our adversaries abroad.
This new era of cooperation can start with finally confirming the more than 300 highly qualified nominees who are still stuck in the Senate some after years of waiting. The Senate has failed to act on these nominations, which is unfair to the nominees and to our country.
Now is the time for bipartisan action. Believe it or not, we have already proven that it is possible.
In the last Congress, both parties came together to pass unprecedented legislation to confront the opioid crisis, a sweeping new Farm Bill, historic VA reforms, and after four decades of rejection, we passed VA Accountability so we can finally terminate those who mistreat our wonderful veterans.
And just weeks ago, both parties united for groundbreaking criminal justice reform. Last year, I heard through friends the story of Alice Johnson. I was deeply moved. In 1997, Alice was sentenced to life in prison as a first-time non-violent drug offender. Over the next two decades, she became a prison minister, inspiring others to choose a better path. She had a big impact on that prison population and far beyond.
Alice's story underscores the disparities and unfairness that can exist in criminal sentencing and the need to remedy this injustice. She served almost 22 years and had expected to be in prison for the rest of her life.
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In June, I commuted Alice's sentence and she is here with us tonight. Alice, thank you for reminding us that we always have the power to shape our own destiny.
When I saw Alice's beautiful family greet her at the prison gates, hugging and kissing and crying and laughing, I knew I did the right thing.
Inspired by stories like Alice's, my Administration worked closely with members of both parties to sign the First Step Act into law. This legislation reformed sentencing laws that have wrongly and disproportionately harmed the African-American community. The First Step Act gives non-violent offenders the chance to re-enter society as productive, law-abiding citizens. Now, States across the country are following our lead. America is a Nation that believes in redemption.
We are also joined tonight by Matthew Charles from Tennessee. In 1996, at age 30, Matthew was sentenced to 35 years for selling drugs and related offenses. Over the next two decades, he completed more than 30 Bible studies, became a law clerk, and mentored fellow inmates. Now, Matthew is the very first person to be released from prison under the First Step Act. Matthew, on behalf of all Americans: welcome home.
As we have seen, when we are united, we can make astonishing strides for our country.
Now, Republicans and Democrats must join forces again to confront an urgent national crisis.
The Congress has 10 days left to pass a bill that will fund our Government, protect our homeland, and secure our southern border.
Now is the time for the Congress to show the world that America is committed to ending illegal immigration and putting the ruthless coyotes, cartels, drug dealers, and human traffickers out of business.
As we speak, large, organized caravans are on the march to the United States. We have just heard that Mexican cities, in order to remove the illegal immigrants from their communities, are getting trucks and buses to bring them up to our country in areas where there is little border protection. I have ordered another 3,750 troops to our southern border to prepare for the tremendous onslaught.
This is a moral issue. The lawless state of our southern border is a threat to the safety, security, and financial wellbeing of all Americans. We have a moral duty to create an immigration system that protects the lives and jobs of our citizens. This includes our obligation to the millions of immigrants living here today, who followed the rules and respected our laws. Legal immigrants enrich our Nation and strengthen our society in countless ways. I want people to come into our country, but they have to come in legally.
Tonight, I am asking you to defend our very dangerous southern border out of love and devotion to our fellow citizens and to our country.
No issue better illustrates the divide between America's working class and America's political class than illegal immigration. Wealthy politicians and donors push for open borders while living their lives behind walls and gates and guards.
Meanwhile, working class Americans are left to pay the price for mass illegal migration reduced jobs, lower wages, overburdened schools and hospitals, increased crime, and a depleted social safety net.
Tolerance for illegal immigration is not compassionate it is cruel. One in three women is sexually assaulted on the long journey north. Smugglers use migrant children as human pawns to exploit our laws and gain access to our country.
Human traffickers and sex traffickers take advantage of the wide open areas between our ports of entry to smuggle thousands of young girls and women into the United States and to sell them into prostitution and modern-day slavery.
Tens of thousands of innocent Americans are killed by lethal drugs that cross our border and flood into our cities including meth, heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl.
The savage gang, MS-13, now operates in 20 different American States, and they almost all come through our southern border. Just yesterday, an MS-13 gang member was taken into custody for a fatal shooting on a subway platform in New York City. We are removing these gang members by the thousands, but until we secure our border they're going to keep streaming back in.
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Year after year, countless Americans are murdered by criminal illegal aliens.
President Donald Trump, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence applaud during the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives at the U.S. Capitol .
I've gotten to know many wonderful Angel Moms, Dads, and families no one should ever have to suffer the horrible heartache they have endured.
Here tonight is Debra Bissell. Just three weeks ago, Debra's parents, Gerald and Sharon, were burglarized and shot to death in their Reno, Nevada, home by an illegal alien. They were in their eighties and are survived by four children, 11 grandchildren, and 20 great-grandchildren. Also here tonight are Gerald and Sharon's granddaughter, Heather, and greatgranddaughter, Madison.
To Debra, Heather, Madison, please stand: few can understand your pain. But I will never forget, and I will fight for the memory of Gerald and Sharon, that it should never happen again.
Not one more American life should be lost because our Nation failed to control its very dangerous border.
In the last 2 years, our brave ICE officers made 266,000 arrests of criminal aliens, including those charged or convicted of nearly 100,000 assaults, 30,000 sex crimes, and 4,000 killings.
We are joined tonight by one of those law enforcement heroes: ICE Special Agent Elvin Hernandez. When Elvin was a boy, he and his family legally immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic. At the age of eight, Elvin told his dad he wanted to become a Special Agent. Today, he leads investigations into the scourge of international sex trafficking. Elvin says: "If I can make sure these young girls get their justice, I've done my job." Thanks to his work and that of his colleagues, more than 300 women and girls have been rescued from horror and more than 1,500 sadistic traffickers have been put behind bars in the last year.
Special Agent Hernandez, please stand: We will always support the brave men and women of Law Enforcement and I pledge to you tonight that we will never abolish our heroes from ICE.
My Administration has sent to the Congress a commonsense proposal to end the crisis on our southern border.
It includes humanitarian assistance, more law enforcement, drug detection at our ports, closing loopholes that enable child smuggling, and plans for a new physical barrier, or wall, to secure the vast areas between our ports of entry. In the past, most of the people in this room voted for a wall but the proper wall never got built. I'll get it built.
This is a smart, strategic, see-through steel barrier not just a simple concrete wall. It will be deployed in the areas identified by border agents as having the greatest need, and as these agents will tell you, where walls go up, illegal crossings go way down.
San Diego used to have the most illegal border crossings in the country. In response, and at the request of San Diego residents and political leaders, a strong security wall was put in place. This powerful barrier almost completely ended illegal crossings.
The border city of El Paso, Texas, used to have extremely high rates of violent crime one of the highest in the country, and considered one of our Nation's most dangerous cities. Now, with a powerful barrier in place, El Paso is one of our safest cities.
Simply put, walls work and walls save lives. So let's work together, compromise, and reach a deal that will truly make America safe.
As we work to defend our people's safety, we must also ensure our economic resurgence continues at a rapid pace.
No one has benefitted more from our thriving economy than women, who have filled 58 percent of the new jobs created in the last year. All Americans can be proud that we have more women in the workforce than ever before and exactly one century after the Congress passed the Constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote, we also have more women serving in the Congress than ever before.
As part of our commitment to improving opportunity for women everywhere, this Thursday we are launching the first ever Government-wide initiative focused on economic empowerment for women in developing countries.
To build on our incredible economic success, one priority is paramount reversing decades of calamitous trade policies.
We are now making it clear to China that after years of targeting our industries, and stealing our intellectual property, the theft of American jobs and wealth has come to an end.
Therefore, we recently imposed tariffs on $250 billion of Chinese goods and now our Treasury is receiving billions of dollars a month from a country that never gave us a dime. But I don't blame China for taking advantage of us I blame our leaders and representatives for allowing this travesty to happen. I have great respect for President Xi, and we are now working on a new trade deal with China. But it must include real, structural change to end unfair trade practices, reduce our chronic trade deficit, and protect American jobs.
Another historic trade blunder was the catastrophe known as NAFTA.
I have met the men and women of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, New Hampshire, and many other States whose dreams were shattered by NAFTA. For years, politicians promised them they would negotiate for a better deal. But no one ever tried until now.
Our new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement or USMCA will replace NAFTA and deliver for American workers: bringing back our manufacturing jobs, expanding American agriculture, protecting intellectual property, and ensuring that more cars are proudly stamped with four beautiful words: made in the USA.
Tonight, I am also asking you to pass the United States Reciprocal Trade Act, so that if another country places an unfair tariff on an American product, we can charge them the exact same tariff on the same product that they sell to us.
Both parties should be able to unite for a great rebuilding of America's crumbling infrastructure.
I know that the Congress is eager to pass an infrastructure bill and I am eager to work with you on legislation to deliver new and important infrastructure investment, including investments in the cutting edge industries of the future. This is not an option. This is a necessity.
The next major priority for me, and for all of us, should be to lower the cost of healthcare and prescription drugs and to protect patients with pre-existing conditions.
Already, as a result of my Administration's efforts, in 2018 drug prices experienced their single largest decline in 46 years.
But we must do more. It is unacceptable that Americans pay vastly more than people in other countries for the exact same drugs, often made in the exact same place. This is wrong, unfair, and together we can stop it.
I am asking the Congress to pass legislation that finally takes on the problem of global freeloading and delivers fairness and price transparency for American patients. We should also require drug companies, insurance companies, and hospitals to disclose real prices to foster competition and bring costs down.
No force in history has done more to advance the human condition than American freedom. In recent years we have made remarkable progress in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Scientific breakthroughs have brought a once-distant dream within reach. My budget will ask Democrats and Republicans to make the needed commitment to eliminate the HIV epidemic in the United States within 10 years. Together, we will defeat AIDS in America.
Tonight, I am also asking you to join me in another fight that all Americans can get behind: the fight against childhood cancer.
Joining Melania in the gallery this evening is a very brave 10-year-old girl, Grace Eline. Every birthday since she was 4, Grace asked her friends to donate to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. She did not know that one day she might be a patient herself. Last year, Grace was diagnosed with brain cancer. Immediately, she began radiation treatment. At the same time, she rallied her community and raised more than $40,000 for the fight against cancer. When Grace completed treatment last fall, her doctors and nurses cheered with tears in their eyes as she hung up a poster that read: "Last Day of Chemo." Grace you are an inspiration to us all.
Many childhood cancers have not seen new therapies in decades. My budget will ask the Congress for $500 million over the next 10 years to fund this critical life-saving research.
To help support working parents, the time has come to pass school choice for America's children. I am also proud to be the first President to include in my budget a plan for nationwide paid family leave so that every new parent has the chance to bond with their newborn child.
There could be no greater contrast to the beautiful image of a mother holding her infant child than the chilling displays our Nation saw in recent days. Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother's womb moments before birth. These are living, feeling, beautiful babies who will never get the chance to share their love and dreams with the world. And then, we had the case of the Governor of Virginia where he basically stated he would execute a baby after birth.
To defend the dignity of every person, I am asking the Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mother's womb.
Let us work together to build a culture that cherishes innocent life. And let us reaffirm a fundamental truth: all children born and unborn are made in the holy image of God.
The final part of my agenda is to protect America's National Security.
Over the last 2 years, we have begun to fully rebuild the United States Military with $700 billion last year and $716 billion this year. We are also getting other nations to pay their fair share. For years, the United States was being treated very unfairly by NATO but now we have secured a $100 billion increase in defense spending from NATO allies.
As part of our military build-up, the United States is developing a state-of-the-art Missile Defense System.
Under my Administration, we will never apologize for advancing America's interests.
For example, decades ago the United States entered into a treaty with Russia in which we agreed to limit and reduce our missile capabilities. While we followed the agreement to the letter, Russia repeatedly violated its terms. That is why I announced that the United States is officially withdrawing from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, or INF Treaty.
Perhaps we can negotiate a different agreement, adding China and others, or perhaps we can't in which case, we will outspend and out-innovate all others by far.
As part of a bold new diplomacy, we continue our historic push for peace on the Korean Peninsula. Our hostages have come home, nuclear testing has stopped, and there has not been a missile launch in 15 months. If I had not been elected President of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea with potentially millions of people killed. Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong Un is a good one. And Chairman Kim and I will meet again on February 27 and 28 in Vietnam.
Two weeks ago, the United States officially recognized the legitimate government of Venezuela, and its new interim President, Juan Guaido.
We stand with the Venezuelan people in their noble quest for freedom and we condemn the brutality of the Maduro regime, whose socialist policies have turned that nation from being the wealthiest in South America into a state of abject poverty and despair.
Here, in the United States, we are alarmed by new calls to adopt socialism in our country. America was founded on liberty and independence not government coercion, domination, and control. We are born free, and we will stay free. Tonight, we renew our resolve that America will never be a socialist country.
One of the most complex set of challenges we face is in the Middle East.
Our approach is based on principled realism not discredited theories that have failed for decades to yield progress. For this reason, my Administration recognized the true capital of Israel and proudly opened the American Embassy in Jerusalem.
Our brave troops have now been fighting in the Middle East for almost 19 years. In Afghanistan and Iraq, nearly 7,000 American heroes have given their lives. More than 52,000 Americans have been badly wounded. We have spent more than $7 trillion in the Middle East.
As a candidate for President, I pledged a new approach. Great nations do not fight endless wars.
When I took office, ISIS controlled more than 20,000 square miles in Iraq and Syria. Today, we have liberated virtually all of that territory from the grip of these bloodthirsty killers.
Now, as we work with our allies to destroy the remnants of ISIS, it is time to give our brave warriors in Syria a warm welcome home.
I have also accelerated our negotiations to reach a political settlement in Afghanistan. Our troops have fought with unmatched valor and thanks to their bravery, we are now able to pursue a political solution to this long and bloody conflict.
In Afghanistan, my Administration is holding constructive talks with a number of Afghan groups, including the Taliban. As we make progress in these negotiations, we will be able to reduce our troop presence and focus on counter-terrorism. We do not know whether we will achieve an agreement but we do know that after two decades of war, the hour has come to at least try for peace.
Above all, friend and foe alike must never doubt this Nation's power and will to defend our people. Eighteen years ago, terrorists attacked the USS Cole and last month American forces killed one of the leaders of the attack.
We are honored to be joined tonight by Tom Wibberley, whose son, Navy Seaman Craig Wibberley, was one of the 17 sailors we tragically lost. Tom: we vow to always remember the heroes of the USS Cole.
My Administration has acted decisively to confront the world's leading state sponsor of terror: the radical regime in Iran.
To ensure this corrupt dictatorship never acquires nuclear weapons, I withdrew the United States from the disastrous Iran nuclear deal. And last fall, we put in place the toughest sanctions ever imposed on a country.
We will not avert our eyes from a regime that chants death to America and threatens genocide against the Jewish people. We must never ignore the vile poison of anti-Semitism, or those who spread its venomous creed. With one voice, we must confront this hatred anywhere and everywhere it occurs.
Just months ago, 11 Jewish-Americans were viciously murdered in an anti-semitic attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. SWAT Officer Timothy Matson raced into the gunfire and was shot seven times chasing down the killer. Timothy has just had his 12th surgery but he made the trip to be here with us tonight. Officer Matson: we are forever grateful for your courage in the face of evil.
Tonight, we are also joined by Pittsburgh survivor Judah Samet. He arrived at the synagogue as the massacre began. But not only did Judah narrowly escape death last fall more than seven decades ago, he narrowly survived the Nazi concentration camps. Today is Judah's 81st birthday. Judah says he can still remember the exact moment, nearly 75 years ago, after 10 months in a concentration camp, when he and his family were put on a train, and told they were going to another camp. Suddenly the train screeched to a halt. A soldier appeared. Judah's family braced for the worst. Then, his father cried out with joy: "It's the Americans."
A second Holocaust survivor who is here tonight, Joshua Kaufman, was a prisoner at Dachau Concentration Camp. He remembers watching through a hole in the wall of a cattle car as American soldiers rolled in with tanks. "To me," Joshua recalls, "the American soldiers were proof that God exists, and they came down from the sky."
I began this evening by honoring three soldiers who fought on D-Day in the Second World War. One of them was Herman Zeitchik. But there is more to Herman's story. A year after he stormed the beaches of Normandy, Herman was one of those American soldiers who helped liberate Dachau. He was one of the Americans who helped rescue Joshua from that hell on earth. Almost 75 years later, Herman and Joshua are both together in the gallery tonight seated side-by-side, here in the home of American freedom. Herman and Joshua: your presence this evening honors and uplifts our entire Nation.
When American soldiers set out beneath the dark skies over the English Channel in the early hours of D-Day, 1944, they were just young men of 18 and 19, hurtling on fragile landing craft toward the most momentous battle in the history of war.
They did not know if they would survive the hour. They did not know if they would grow old. But they knew that America had to prevail. Their cause was this Nation, and generations yet unborn.
Why did they do it? They did it for America they did it for us.
Everything that has come since our triumph over communism, our giant leaps of science and discovery, our unrivaled progress toward equality and justice all of it is possible thanks to the blood and tears and courage and vision of the Americans who came before.
Think of this Capitol think of this very chamber, where lawmakers before you voted to end slavery, to build the railroads and the highways, to defeat fascism, to secure civil rights, to face down an evil empire.
Here tonight, we have legislators from across this magnificent republic. You have come from the rocky shores of Maine and the volcanic peaks of Hawaii; from the snowy woods of Wisconsin and the red deserts of Arizona; from the green farms of Kentucky and the golden beaches of California. Together, we represent the most extraordinary Nation in all of history.
What will we do with this moment? How will we be remembered?
I ask the men and women of this Congress: Look at the opportunities before us! Our most thrilling achievements are still ahead. Our most exciting journeys still await. Our biggest victories are still to come. We have not yet begun to dream.
We must choose whether we are defined by our differences or whether we dare to transcend them.
We must choose whether we will squander our inheritance or whether we will proudly declare that we are Americans. We do the incredible. We defy the impossible. We conquer the unknown.
This is the time to re-ignite the American imagination. This is the time to search for the tallest summit, and set our sights on the brightest star. This is the time to rekindle the bonds of love and loyalty and memory that link us together as citizens, as neighbors, as patriots.
This is our future our fate and our choice to make. I am asking you to choose greatness.
No matter the trials we face, no matter the challenges to come, we must go forward together.
We must keep America first in our hearts. We must keep freedom alive in our souls. And we must always keep faith in America's destiny that one Nation, under God, must be the hope and the promise and the light and the glory among all the nations of the world!
Thank you. God Bless You, God Bless America, and good night!
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Read President Trump's full State of the Union address
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This article is for investors who would like to improve their understanding of price to earnings ratios (P/E ratios). Well show how you can use Deutsche Post AGs (ETR:DPW) P/E ratio to inform your assessment of the investment opportunity. Deutsche Post has a P/E ratio of 15.26, based on the last twelve months. In other words, at todays prices, investors are paying 15.26 for every 1 in prior year profit.
See our latest analysis for Deutsche Post
How Do I Calculate Deutsche Posts Price To Earnings Ratio?
The formula for P/E is:
Price to Earnings Ratio = Price per Share Earnings per Share (EPS)
Or for Deutsche Post:
P/E of 15.26 = 26.13 1.71 (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2018.)
Is A High Price-to-Earnings Ratio Good?
A higher P/E ratio means that buyers have to pay a higher price for each 1 the company has earned over the last year. All else being equal, its better to pay a low price but as Warren Buffett said, Its far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price.
How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios
Probably the most important factor in determining what P/E a company trades on is the earnings growth. Thats because companies that grow earnings per share quickly will rapidly increase the E in the equation. That means even if the current P/E is high, it will reduce over time if the share price stays flat. So while a stock may look expensive based on past earnings, it could be cheap based on future earnings.
Deutsche Posts earnings per share fell by 24% in the last twelve months. But over the longer term (5 years) earnings per share have increased by 6.6%.
How Does Deutsche Posts P/E Ratio Compare To Its Peers?
The P/E ratio essentially measures market expectations of a company. We can see in the image below that the average P/E (20.6) for companies in the logistics industry is higher than Deutsche Posts P/E.
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XTRA:DPW PE PEG Gauge February 6th 19
This suggests that market participants think Deutsche Post will underperform other companies in its industry. Many investors like to buy stocks when the market is pessimistic about their prospects. You should delve deeper. I like to check if company insiders have been buying or selling.
Dont Forget: The P/E Does Not Account For Debt or Bank Deposits
Dont forget that the P/E ratio considers market capitalization. In other words, it does not consider any debt or cash that the company may have on the balance sheet. Theoretically, a business can improve its earnings (and produce a lower P/E in the future), by taking on debt (or spending its remaining cash).
Such expenditure might be good or bad, in the long term, but the point here is that the balance sheet is not reflected by this ratio.
Is Debt Impacting Deutsche Posts P/E?
Deutsche Post has net debt worth 43% of its market capitalization. This is a reasonably significant level of debt all else being equal youd expect a much lower P/E than if it had net cash.
The Verdict On Deutsche Posts P/E Ratio
Deutsche Post trades on a P/E ratio of 15.3, which is below the DE market average of 18.2. With only modest debt, its likely the lack of EPS growth at least partially explains the pessimism implied by the P/E ratio.
Investors have an opportunity when market expectations about a stock are wrong. As value investor Benjamin Graham famously said, In the short run, the market is a voting machine but in the long run, it is a weighing machine. So this free report on the analyst consensus forecasts could help you make a master move on this stock.
Of course you might be able to find a better stock than Deutsche Post. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have grown earnings strongly.
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.
President Donald Trump used his State of the Union address to appeal for political unity, offering Americans a choice between "greatness and gridlock" while claiming to have shown strength facing down international threats from Iran to North Korea.
But political scientists said the speech masked an essential point: Trump's foreign policy has exacerbated many of the problems he's trying to solve, claimed credit for progress to which it is not entitled and alienated key allies along the way. And those foreign partners and even the foes from Asia to Europe, from Latin America to the Middle East, voted with their rhetoric Wednesday by meeting Trump's speech with silence.
In fact, with the exception of a spokesman for South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who welcomed Trump's announcement of a second summit with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un in Vietnam, Feb. 27 and 28, few said it warranted paying close attention.
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"My review of Trump's second SOTU? Mostly the usual spurious assertions related to foreign policy," said Karin von Hippel, a former senior counterterrorism adviser in the U.S. State Department and now director-general of the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think tank that specializes in defense and military affairs.
Hippel noted Trump's speech did not even really mention his national security strategy and assertions such as that NATO members were spending more on defense because of pressure on the military alliance by his administration failed to acknowledge that non-U.S. spending on NATO has been increasing since 2015, before he took office.
"Trump said the U.S. would be at war with North Korea if it weren't for him, even though it is hard to imagine another leader ratcheting up the rhetoric to such a dangerous level," Hippel said, referring to various incendiary barbs traded between Kim and Trump before they agreed to pursue face-to-face diplomacy over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons ambitions. She added that Trump's claim in the speech of a new approach to fighting the Islamic State group as being responsible for its defeat was also misleading.
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"He has largely followed the Obama playbook," she said. "And by the way, ISIS still poses a significant threat, even if it has lost most of its territory in Syria and Iraq."
Late last year, Trump declared that ISIS had been defeated and announced plans to withdraw troops from Syria.
Martin Bialecki, who edits "Internationale Politik" and "Berlin Policy Journal," two Germany-based publications with a focus on international affairs, said Trump's address was an "America Alone" speech.
"He made a lot of reference to World War II and the great history of the U.S. in that regard. He also made it crystal clear that the U.S. will not be reclaiming political leadership any time soon. Trump preferred to look backward. From a European point of view, this is still deeply troubling," Bialecki said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and President Donald Trump shake hands on Sentosa Island in Singapore on June 12, 2018.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel? British Prime Minister Theresa May? French President Emmanuel Macron? None of the offices of these traditional close U.S. allies released messages of support or dissent in reaction to Trump's remarks.
In other words: How is Trump's speech playing overseas? Well, it's not even playing.
"Trump mentioned his policies of withdrawal from multilateral agreements like NAFTA and the Iran nuclear deal, and the planned force reductions in Syria and in Afghanistan as expressions of the 'America First' paradigm, claiming success across the board," said
Henning Riecke, a foreign affairs expert at the German Council on Foreign Relations think tank. "Yet, he gave little outlook on how he would turn that into political strategies."
Riecke added: "One exception was North Korea and the announcement of the new summit. Trump praised a tyrant and overestimated his own diplomatic skills."
There was pushback from Iran's government, after Trump said the country does "bad, bad things" and then appeared to not only obliquely link Tehran to an attack on a Pittsburgh synagogue last year by an American anti-Semite in which 11 people were killed, but asserted that Iran has threatened "genocide against the Jewish people."
"Iranians including our Jewish compatriots are commemorating 40 yrs of progress despite US pressure, just as @realDonaldTrump again makes accusations against us," Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted Wednesday. This month, Iran is marking 40 years since its Islamic Revolution overthrew Iran's U.S.-backed monarch.
Barbara Slavin, an expert on the country who directs the Future of Iran Initiative at the Washington-based Atlantic Council think tank, called Trump's Iran remarks "relatively brief and entirely predictable."
"He once again defended his decision to unilaterally withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, claiming this would insure that 'this corrupt dictatorship never acquires nuclear weapons,'" she said.
Slavin warned that Trump's 'maximum pressure' and sanctions could lead to Iran no longer complying with the 2015 nuclear agreement because it hasn't received the promised benefits.
Slavin noted that Trump also distorted Irans policies toward Jews.
"While it is true that Iranians are obliged to chant 'Death to Israel' at government-organized rallies and that Iran supports militant groups that have killed Israelis, Iran has never threatened 'genocide against the Jewish people' as Trump asserted. In fact, Iran still has about 10,000 Jews the largest Jewish population in the Middle East outside Israel Jews are free to worship in Iran, unlike Saudi Arabia, and there is an appointed Jewish representative in the Iranian parliament," she said.
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During the speech, Trump expressed his continued support for Juan Guaido, a Venezuelan opposition leader who last month declared himself interim president, a move characterized by disputed President Nicolas Maduro as a "coup."
Gladys McCormick, a history professor at Syracuse University, said Venezuela's specific mention in a speech short on many direct mentions of foreign nations could reflect the "U.S. asserting its supremacy among its neighbors."
She had a warning, too.
"The U.S. has a long track record of leaving places worse off than before, most recently Honduras, Haiti and Nicaragua. President Trumps hawkish exhortations and his order for countries to take sides on the Venezuela crisis is reminiscent of a return to the Cold War and this policy of military interventions," she said.
Maduro has previously warned Trump that he risks turning Venezuela into a new "Vietnam War" and "staining" American "hands with blood" if his administration, and military, intervenes in Venezuela's internal affairs.
Maduro and Guaido offered no reaction to Trump's speech Tuesday night.
In the speech, Trump also made clear that he believed he was on the winning side of aggressive trade negotiations with China.
"We are now making it clear to China that after years of targeting our industries, and stealing our intellectual property, the theft of American jobs and wealth has come to an end," Trump said.
Beijing's retort: the sound of tumbleweed in a windy desert.
"Trump repeated familiar criticisms against China," said Thomas Bernes, an economist at the Center for International Governance Innovation, a Canada-based think tank. "As such, it misses an opportunity," he said.
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More: Trump's State of the Union lasted 82 minutes; get the recap in 2
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How is President Donald Trump's State of the Union playing overseas? It's not even playing
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A powerful U.S. Senate committee on Monday invited seven pharmaceutical companies to testify at a hearing later this month examining rising prescription drug prices. Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Democratic Senator Ron Wyden, ranking member of the committee, invited executives from AbbVie Inc, AstraZeneca PLC, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co Inc, Pfizer Inc and Sanofi SA. The U.S. Congress has been intensifying scrutiny of the pharmaceutical industry as rising prescription drug prices consistently poll as a top voter concern. It is also a priority for the administration of President Donald Trump, who made it a central issue of the 2016 presidential campaign. The Senate Finance Committee held its first hearing on drug prices in January, when Grassley and Wyden noted that several drug companies declined an invitation to testify. Some of the companies were re-invited on Monday, though the senators did not specify which ones. The Senate is controlled by Republicans and the House of Representatives is controlled by Democrats. The invitation follows a slew of actions by lawmakers to heighten scrutiny of the pharmaceutical industry. The House Oversight Committee also held a drug pricing hearing in January, and a handful of House Democrats have sent letters to drug companies asking for information on their pricing practices. (Reporting by Eric Beech and Yasmeen Abutaleb; Editing by David Alexander and Rosalba O'Brien)
By Lesley Wroughton and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he expected a formal announcement as early as next week that the coalition fighting Islamic State militants has reclaimed all of the territory previously held by the extremist group. "Their land is gone. It's a big factor - their land is gone," Trump told foreign ministers and other senior officials from 79 countries that have worked alongside the United States in fighting the militant group in Syria and Iraq. Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria has prompted some criticism at home from Republican and Democratic lawmakers, who fear Islamic State could regain its strength. A top U.S. Army general for the region, Joseph Votel, said in Senate testimony on Tuesday that the group could experience a resurgence after a U.S. pullout. Trump did not back down from his determination to withdraw, saying, "We look forward to giving our brave warriors in Syria a warm welcome home." "The United States military, our coalition partners and the Syrian Democratic Forces have liberated virtually all of the territory previously held by ISIS in Syria and Iraq," Trump told the gathering at the State Department. He said the achievement "should be formally announced, sometime, probably next week, that we will have 100 percent of the caliphate." Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reassured the coalition partners that the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria was not "the end of America's fight" and called on them to help permanently defeat Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. "The U.S. troops withdrawing from Syria is not the end of America's fight. The fight is one we will continue to wage alongside you," Pompeo said. "The drawdown in troops is essentially a tactical change, it is not a change in the mission. It simply represents a new stage in an old fight." Warnings by Pompeo and others that Islamic State remained a dangerous threat fly in the face of Trump's December declaration that the militants had been defeated and the United States would withdraw its roughly 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria. The president's sudden decision shocked coalition partners, including an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias that has been among the most effective against Islamic State, and prompted the abrupt resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. Wednesday's meeting was the first of senior coalition officials since Trump announced U.S. troops would withdraw. Participants included foreign ministers from Turkey, France, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco and Iraq. Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohamed al-Hakim called on countries to help expose Islamic State "sleeper cells" in Iraq and restore stability. Pompeo said despite progress in fighting Islamic State in Iraq, the group retained a strong presence in that country and was trying to mount a clandestine insurgency. "The coalition must continue to support the government of Iraq in its efforts to secure the liberated areas of that country," Pompeo said. "Mr. Foreign Minister, we're with you," he told Hakim. Earlier this week, Trump said it was important to keep a U.S. military presence in Iraq so that Washington could keep a close eye on Iran, according to a CBS interview aired on Sunday. However, Iraqi President Barham Salih said on Monday that Trump did not ask Iraq's permission for U.S. troops stationed there to "watch Iran." The United States and Iran are Iraq's two biggest allies. On Wednesday, Hakim, apparently responding to Trump's comment, called on countries to show full "respect for the territorial integrity of Iraq and for all operations to take place with the knowledge of Iraq, and in consultations with Iraqi security forces." (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton and Jeff Mason; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Jonathan Oatis)
Washington (AFP) - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit Hungary next week, the White House said Wednesday, as the United States seeks to build ties with nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban following rifts.
US national security adviser John Bolton said he met at the White House with Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto and discussed "defense cooperation, energy diversity, confronting Russian malign influence and maintaining our ironclad commitment to NATO."
"A great preview of our 2019 goals and Secretary Pompeo's trip next week," Bolton tweeted.
Orban, who extolls Christian values and has fought European Union leaders on welcoming refugees, is one of the few Western leaders who has enthusiastically praised US President Donald Trump.
Pompeo is visiting as Orban faces a wave of street protests that began with a controversial reform of workers' overtime hours which the opposition has called a "slave law."
The Trump administration has shown a willingness to work with Orban, who received a cold shoulder from previous president Barack Obama, but has been annoyed by some recent actions.
The State Department criticized Hungary in November for sending two suspected Russian arm dealers home rather than to the United States to face prosecution.
And the United States voiced disappointment after Hungary's renowned Central European University said late last year it was obliged to move key study programs to Vienna due to tough requirements imposed by Orban on universities it considers foreign.
The university was founded by US-Hungarian billionaire philanthropist George Soros, who is an outspoken proponent of liberal values.
Pompeo will also head on his trip to Poland for a previously announced February 13-14 conference on the Middle East.
Piedmont Office (PDM) came out with quarterly funds from operations (FFO) of $0.45 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.44 per share. This compares to FFO of $0.42 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.
This quarterly report represents an FFO surprise of 2.27%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this commercial real estate investment trust would post FFO of $0.43 per share when it actually produced FFO of $0.45, delivering a surprise of 4.65%.
Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus FFO estimates two times.
Piedmont Office, which belongs to the Zacks REIT and Equity Trust - Other industry, posted revenues of $137.19 million for the quarter ended December 2018, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 9.42%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $139.44 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three times over the last four quarters.
The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future FFO expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.
Piedmont Office shares have added about 15.4% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 8.7%.
What's Next for Piedmont Office?
While Piedmont Office has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?
There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's FFO outlook. Not only does this include current consensus FFO expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.
Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of estimate revisions.
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Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Piedmont Office was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus FFO estimate is $0.44 on $125.24 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $1.76 on $504.01 million in revenues for the current fiscal year.
Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, REIT and Equity Trust - Other is currently in the bottom 40% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.
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Manila (AFP) - Philippine prosecutors said Wednesday they will file a libel charge carrying up to 12 years in prison against journalist Maria Ressa, who leads a news website that has clashed with President Rodrigo Duterte's administration.
The case -- under a controversial cybercrime law penalising online libel -- adds to legal pressure on Ressa and her site Rappler, which has already been hit with tax evasion charges that could shutter the outlet and put her behind bars.
Ressa, who was named a Time Magazine "Person of the Year" in 2018 for her journalistic work, slammed the fresh case as a new front of "harassment" intended to silence her website.
Rappler has drawn the administration's ire since publishing reports critical of Duterte's signature anti-drug crackdown that has killed thousands of alleged users and pushers since 2016.
However, the new case against Ressa and former Rappler reporter Reynaldo Santos, Jr. stems from a 2012 report written about a businessman's alleged ties to a then-judge on the nation's top court.
While investigators initially dismissed the businessman's 2017 complaint about the article, the case was subsequently forwarded to prosecutors for their consideration.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra told AFP on Wednesday the case would be filed in court "very soon".
Duterte has lashed out at other critical media outfits, including the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper and broadcaster ABS-CBN.
He had threatened to go after their owners over alleged unpaid taxes or block the network's franchise renewal application.
Some of the drug crackdown's highest profile critics have wound up behind bars, including Senator Leila de Lima, who was jailed on drug charges she insists were fabricated to silence her.
Ressa, already on bail for the tax charges, said the new case lacks a sound legal basis.
"It is ridiculous, of course it is harassment," she told AFP. "The story was published seven years ago, four months before the (cybercrime) law was enacted."
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The law that forms the foundation of the case takes aim at various online offences, including computer fraud and hacking.
Nonoy Espina, chairman of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, said the case would set an ominous precedent.
"This is an extremely dangerous proposition since it essentially means anyone can be made liable for anything and everything they posted even way before the Cybercrime Law," he added.
Guevarra denied the government's decision to pursue the case was an effort to put pressure on the website.
"We do not inject politics in our work. No one tells us how to go about doing our job. We give contending parties equal opportunities to present their side," Guevarra told AFP.
Under the tax case, the government accuses Rappler Holdings Corp., Ressa and the site's accountant of failing to pay taxes on 2015 bond sales that it alleges netted gains of 162.5 million pesos ($3 million).
The Philippine justice system is notoriously overburdened and slow, with even minor cases taking years to be judged.
A patient is being tested for the rare and deadly Ebola virus in a hospital in Pennsylvania.
The Philadelphia clinic said it had ordered the test out of an abundance of caution, without providing information about the patient or their prognosis.
Dr PJ Brennan, the chief medical officer of Penn Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, said preliminary testing of the patient had revealed another health condition.
Proper protocols and precautions will remain in place to ensure the safety of all of our patients and staff, Mr Brennan said in a statement.
The Ebola testing comes one month after an American man in Nebraska was monitored for possible exposure to the virus following a trip to the African continent.
The patient was released from the hospital after the required 21-day monitoring period when testing results determined he did not have any of the viruss symptoms.
Ebola is considered to be a rare, but extremely deadly virus that often causes hemorrhagic fevers. The virus is named after a river in the Democratic Republic of Congo after it was discovered there in 1976. There is currently no proven cure.
The World Health Organisation reported this week that, since August, an Ebola outbreak in the DRC has killed at least 430 people.
In 2014, a major Ebola outbreak impacting Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea resulted in the deaths of more than 11,300 people.
Their first meeting was a blockbuster piece of diplomatic theatre criticised as light on substance. But with a second date stretching over two days, Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un must make real progress on denuclearisation, analysts say.
The historic handshakes and warm smiles of the Singapore summit in June last year heralded a sea change for two men who months earlier had been threatening each other with nuclear destruction.
The bonhomie continued in the following weeks, with Trump musing that he and Kim had fallen "in love", and frequently trailing a second date.
Delivering his State of the Union on Tuesday, Trump said the time and place was set: Vietnam on February 27 and 28.
Analysts welcomed the news, but cautioned the meeting needed to achieve something more concrete than the vaguely-worded agreement they produced last time.
"What is critical... is that President Trump's next meeting with Kim Jong Un goes beyond the pomp and circumstance of the first to achieve real steps toward denuclearisation," said Bruce Klingner, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation.
In Singapore, the inaugural summit between the leaders of two countries that never signed a peace deal after their 1950-53 war was brief -- from 9am to 2pm.
A short pronouncement -- little more than a page in which Kim pledged to work towards the "denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula" -- was leapt on by critics as impossibly vague.
Pyongyang wants relief from punishing UN sanctions and rejects demands for what it calls its "unilateral" disarmament.
Washington insists that the measures must stay in place until North Korea gives up its nuclear arsenal.
Cheong Seong-jang, a researcher at the Sejong Institute, said the two days scheduled for the end of February will provide the leaders with "sufficient time" to work out just what the contentious term "denuclearisation" means.
For Trump, staying overnight signals he is willing to spend more time pushing Kim towards giving up his weapons, said Shin Beom-cheol, an analyst at the Seoul-based Asan Institute of Policy Studies.
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"It fits the top-down approach of building trust at the leadership level to expedite nuclear talks," Shin told AFP.
- 'Love affair' -
That top-down approach -- where heads of state do the negotiating that is usually left to bag-carriers in more conventional diplomacy -- was what produced the first summit.
Trump's sudden announcement last March that he would sit down with Kim caught the international community -- and some in his administration -- off guard.
Supporters said the meeting was only possible because Trump was prepared to write his own rules in this way.
But the run-up to Tuesday's announcement has more closely followed a traditional playbook, and comes after a considerable back-and-forth at more junior levels.
As Trump was making his speech, his special envoy on North Korea, Stephen Biegun, arrived in Pyongyang for negotiations.
That trip follows meetings Biegun held with North Korean officials in Sweden last month, and comes after Kim Yong Chol -- the North Korean leader's key aide -- travelled to the White House.
The overall impression, says Cheong, is that there has been a good deal more groundwork laid this time.
"North Korea and the US didn't waste the 260 days since the first summit but formed new negotiating teams and shaped up detailed strategies for progress in their talks," Cheong said.
But others remain sceptical.
They note that North Korea has decades' worth of form in stringing the international community along, appearing to offer concessions that it later backs away from.
While there have been no nuclear tests in 17 months, Pyongyang has not volunteered information on the size of its atomic armoury.
And although there have been no missile tests since the Twitter peace broke out with Trump, international inspectors have not been allowed into North Korea.
Sceptics include Trump's own intelligence chief, Dan Coats, who told the Senate Intelligence Committee that Kim appeared in no mood to give up his weapons.
"We currently assess that North Korea will seek to retain its WMD (weapons of mass destruction) capabilities and is unlikely to completely give up its nuclear weapons and production capability because its leaders ultimately view nuclear weapons as critical to regime survival," he said.
Analyst Shin said the timing of the announcement -- before Biegun's talks in Pyongyang had even begun -- suggested that Trump was not anticipating a huge breakthrough on denuclearisation at the upcoming summit.
For Scott Snyder, a senior fellow for Korea Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, that doesn't bode well.
"A public love affair between Trump and Kim will not change the trajectory of the US-North Korea relationship," he said.
By Joseph Ax
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Beto O'Rourke, the Democratic former Texas congressman whose unsuccessful campaign to unseat Republican U.S. Senator Ted Cruz last year set fundraising records and generated buzz about a 2020 presidential bid, re-enters the political spotlight on Tuesday with a televised interview with Oprah Winfrey.
The appearance at "Oprah's SuperSoul Conversations from Times Square" in New York may intensify speculation about O'Rourke's political plans, whether or not he announces during the taping a decision on seeking his party's presidential nomination. The interview airs on Feb. 16 on Winfrey's cable TV channel OWN.
O'Rourke's strong performance in a losing cause in a Republican-leaning state last year has prompted two separate "Draft Beto" efforts led by Democratic consultants and supporters who tout the charismatic 46-year-old as the face of a new generation of party leaders.
DraftBeto.org co-founder Nate Lerner said he did not expect an announcement on Tuesday.
"What we're hoping for is a bit more of a sign of where he's at," said Lerner, who runs Build the Wave, a Democratic political action committee that uses text messages to mobilize volunteers.
O'Rourke has kept a relatively low profile since his narrow loss in November. That is in sharp contrast to Democrats such as U.S. Senators Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker and Kirsten Gillibrand, who have launched bids to challenge Republican President Donald Trump and already are visiting the states where the first presidential nominating contests take place early next year.
Winfrey, the popular television personality and businesswoman who herself has drawn speculation about a 2020 campaign but thus far has declined to run, provides a major platform for O'Rourke.
Lerner said he understood some O'Rourke supporters are growing impatient for a decision.
"A year from now, nobody is going to care or remember when Beto O'Rourke announced," he said. "The momentum you have in February 2019 is going to matter a lot less than the momentum you have in February 2020. Beto O'Rourke is a momentum machine."
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O'Rourke and his representatives could not be reached for comment on Tuesday ahead of the interview.
Winfrey has become a political force in her own right following her endorsement of former President Barack Obama in 2008. Last year, she campaigned for Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, who narrowly lost in November but is widely seen as a rising Democratic star.
(Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Will Dunham)
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Leaders in the Oklahoma House ramped up security by erecting guard stations in hallways, banning public access to stairwells and hiring an ex-police officer licensed to carry a gun less than one year after thousands of teachers' staged peaceful protests in the Oklahoma Capitol to demand more education funding.
The increase in security was imposed by majority Republicans as a new session of the Legislature opened Monday. House Speaker Charles McCall denied the measures were prompted by the two-week teacher walkout, which was peaceful and didn't result in any arrests.
"These changes aren't meant to be heavy-handed in any way," McCall told The Associated Press. "We're interested in being proactive to ensure people who visit the Capitol have a safe, positive experience."
He said limiting public access to the stairwells would allow members to more easily access the chamber and that the guard stations outside the offices of the top two House leaders were to provide information to visitors.
But the No. 2 House leader, Rep. Harold Wright, acknowledged the teacher walkout which at times packed hallways and member offices with frustrated teachers played a role in the decision.
"I think because of some of the issues that occurred last year, mainly to provide for a little more decorum in the House, that was part of the reason for it," said Wright, who added he's never felt unsafe at the Capitol.
McCall confirmed that one of the newly hired House sergeants is an ex-police officer licensed to carry a firearm inside the Capitol who is "trained and experienced in identifying security vulnerabilities."
Several House members said they were caught off guard by the changes and questioned why they were needed at all.
"This is the people's House, and access should not be restricted," said Democratic Rep. Forrest Bennett. "I understand the need for members-only areas, but these are hallways and member's offices. It's ridiculous."
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The changes follow last spring's teacher walkout during which thousands of teachers and their supporters rallied at the Capitol for two weeks, cheering and chanting in the rotunda. Teachers in West Virginia, Kentucky and Arizona also staged such protests last year, demanding more education money from their state governments.
Oklahoma's protests surprised many legislators, particularly Republicans who were forced to vote on increasing taxes to fund teacher pay raises just days before the walkout. One lawmaker chastised teachers at the time in a video he posted on Facebook for failing to thank lawmakers for their vote.
"I'm not voting for another stinking measure when they're acting the way they're acting," said Rep. Kevin McDugle, who barely won re-election after a teacher challenged him in a GOP primary and lost by just five votes.
Rep. Bobby Cleveland found his office flooded with angry teachers for days after he told a reporter during the protests that he thought they should return to the classroom. Cleveland later lost his seat in the Republican primary to an assistant principal.
A spokesman for the Oklahoma Education Association, the state's largest teacher union that helped orchestrate the walkout, did not immediately respond to a request for comment
The tension between teachers and GOP lawmakers remains. Several bills have been introduced by Republican lawmakers to make it more difficult for teachers to rally at the Capitol, including one to make it illegal for teachers or districts to participate in a walkout and another to require groups of more than 100 at the Capitol to post a $50,000 bond. Both are unlikely to become law.
Even before the Oklahoma teacher protests, the Department of Public Safety had a team of armed Highway Patrol troopers stationed at Capitol metal detectors near entrances. The department's commissioner has increased the number of uniformed troopers at the Capitol in recent years, but he said those changes were unrelated to the teacher walkout.
Unlike the House, Oklahoma Senate officials said they haven't made any security changes related to the walkout and none of their sergeants are armed.
Security measures have been upgraded at state Capitols across the country in recent years, but not typically as a result of an organized protest. North Dakota joined a growing list of states that installed metal detectors at its Capitol in late 2016 amid protests over the Dakota Access Pipeline. Security was also temporarily increased during 2011 union protests in Ohio and Wisconsin.
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United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The Islamic State group has not been defeated in Syria and continues to pose by far the most significant threat of any terror group, UN sanctions monitors said Wednesday, contradicting President Donald Trump's claims that IS is nearly wiped out.
There are between 14,000 and 18,000 IS militants in Syria and in Iraq, including up to 3,000 foreign fighters, according to a report by the sanctions monitoring team presented to the Security Council.
"ISIL has not yet been defeated in the Syrian Arab Republic, but it remains under intense military pressure in its residual territory stronghold in the east of the country," said the report, using the acronym for the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Other acronyms for the group are IS, ISIS and Daesh.
"It has shown a determination to resist and the capability to counter-attack."
Trump stunned Western allies on December 19 by announcing that the United States would pull its 2,000 troops out of Syria, declaring that IS had been defeated.
His assertion has collided with the assessment of his own national intelligence director, Dan Coats, who described the jihadist group as a potent threat in the Middle East and to the West.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told a 79-nation meeting in Washington on Wednesday that the United States remained committed to crushing IS but added that the approach could change in "an era of decentralized jihad."
The sanctions monitors, who reported on the threat from IS, Al-Qaeda and other groups blacklisted as terror groups by the United Nations, said the Islamic jihadists ranked as the most dangerous.
"ISIL continues to be associated with more terrorist activity than any competitor group, so it continues to pose by far the most significant threat," said the report.
- Covert network -
UN sanctions monitors said that with the loss of its caliphate in Iraq and Syria, IS had morphed into a covert network, under the leadership of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
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IS leadership has been reduced to a dispersed group and "is directing some fighters to return to Iraq to join the network there" with the aim "to survive, consolidate and resurge in the core area," said the report.
"If successful, ISIL may be expected to revive its focus on external terrorist operations, but for now the ISIL core lacks the capability to direct international attacks," it added.
The extremist group that once controlled large swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria remains a global organization even if the number of external attacks dropped in 2018 compared to 2017.
The report by the UN analysts draws mostly on information provided by UN member states and covers the period from July to December 2018.
In Syria, only a small pocket of IS fighters battle on near the Iraqi border, around the town of Hajin, where some 3,000 to 4,000 IS fighters remain, most of whom are from Iraq, the monitors said.
About 3,000 IS fighters are active in Iraq, according to one member state, but other governments believe that the number is much larger.
About 1,000 foreign fighters are detained in Iraq and just under 1,000 in northeast Syria although governments are struggling to confirm the nationalities of the detainees, said the report.
By William James and Gabriela Baczynska
LONDON/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May will travel to Brussels on Thursday to tell European Union leaders they must accept legally binding changes to the Irish border arrangements of Britain's divorce deal or face the prospect of a disorderly no-deal Brexit.
The United Kingdom is due to leave the EU in just 52 days, yet London and Brussels are arguing over whether the deal clinched in November can be changed, raising the possibility of a delay to Brexit, a last-minute deal or a no-deal exit.
Since British lawmakers voted down the withdrawal agreement last month, parliament has instructed May to replace its most contentious element - an insurance policy covering the possible future arrangements for the border between EU-member Ireland and the British province of Northern Ireland.
May will meet European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and then European Council President Donald Tusk in Brussels on Thursday.
"From a political point of view, there is still time," German Chancellor Angela Merkel told a conference in Tokyo.
"That should be used, used by all sides. But for this it would be very important to know what exactly the British side envisages in terms of its relationship with the EU," she said.
May, on a visit to Belfast on Tuesday, tried to reassure Northern Ireland that she can deliver an orderly Brexit that will ensure peace in a province riven by three decades of sectarian conflict until a 1998 accord.
The Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which has propped up May's government since she lost her parliamentary majority in a 2017 snap election, said it wanted to get a deal agreed but the border backstop had to be replaced.
"The current backstop, as I have said all along, is toxic to those of us living in Northern Ireland," DUP leader Arlene Foster, who will meet May in Belfast on Wednesday, told BBC radio.
Foster refused to say whether the deal would have to be renegotiated or whether she would accept legally binding assurances.
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"If the backstop is dealt with in the withdrawal agreement then, despite the fact we may have misgivings around other parts of the withdrawal agreement, we will support the prime minister because we do want Brexit to happen in an orderly and sustained fashion," she said.
Britain, Ireland and the EU want to avoid physical checks on the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland that ceased with the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.
IRISH BORDER
Where British soldiers once manned checkpoints in a reminder of Ireland's division, the border is now open with no controls since both the United Kingdom and Ireland are part of the EU.
But when the United Kingdom leaves the EU's Single Market and Customs Union the EU does not want the 310-mile (500-km) border to become a backdoor into the bloc without customs and regulatory checks.
As a way to prevent a hard border, Brussels and London agreed a so-called backstop - basically a promise that unless the sides come up with a better idea then the United Kingdom would remain bound by EU market and customs rules so that goods would not have to be checked.
The backstop is the most contentious part of the rejected deal in Britain. The DUP says it could endanger Northern Ireland's place in the United Kingdom, while Brexit supporters in May's Conservative Party worry it would lock the country into EU rules for the long term.
May told senior British ministers that she aimed to get changes that ensure the United Kingdom could not be trapped indefinitely in the backstop.
The EU will not renegotiate the divorce deal and the Irish backstop but alternatives could be worked on after Britain leaves, chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier said on Monday.
There is little appetite for a no-deal Brexit in the EU. As Brussels waits for Britain to set out its plans, diplomats and officials in the rest of the EU are increasingly expecting a delay to Brexit, due to take place on March 29.
"It could only be a few weeks, until late May or early July. And not that we know that it would get us anywhere. But it would buy us some time," said an EU diplomat dealing with Brexit.
(The refiled story corrects word search in headline.)
(Additional reporting by Amanda Ferguson in Belfast, Kylie MacLellan in London and Andreas Rinke in Tokyo; Writing by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Janet Lawrence and Frances Kerry)
There is a strange serendipity to having the scandal over Virginia governor Ralph Northams past racist behavior break at the start of Black History Month. It serves as a timely reminder of both Americas racial sins and the progress that weve made to overcome them.
We cant escape the fact that our nations treatment of African Americans represents an indelible stain on its soul. Between 1619, when a Dutch ship first brought African slaves ashore at Jamestown, and 1865, when the 13th Amendment officially outlawed slavery, as many as 9 million Africans and their descendants were held in bondage and servitude in the United States. These men and women were routinely murdered, raped, beaten, and deprived of the most basic human rights.
Nor did the oppression of African Americans end with the abolition of slavery. From lynching to the rise and fall and rise of the Klan to legally enforced segregation, slavery was followed by more than a century and a half of second-class citizenship. And even in the decades since the worst aspects of Jim Crow were finally outlawed in the 1960s, the treatment of African Americans has remained unequal.
Far too many conservatives pretend that the mere removal of legal barriers to African-American progress instantly created a level playing field. In reality, even if overt discrimination has greatly diminished today, the consequences of past discrimination are still with us. From abuses in the criminal-justice system to continued discrimination in employment, housing, and education, full equality remains as more aspiration than reality.
But that aspiration is part of the story, too. Though we may not be perfect, we want to be, which counts for something.
The very fact that revelation of Northams behavior sparked near-universal condemnation highlights the progress we have made. We are not the same country we were in 1950 or even 1984. What was once acceptable or even commonplace no longer is. Thats progress. There is much that remains to do, but we are trying to do it.
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The story of America and race is not simply a story of our failures. It is also a story of our attempts to do better. Yes, it is a story that encompasses many sins, but it also is a story of the basic decency of the American people who have helped transform the political and legal landscape for the better African Americans who demanded change and millions of white Americans who stood alongside them.
Indeed, one can look around the world at simmering racial, ethnic, and tribal conflicts and see few countries that have come as far as we have. For all its faults, it is the American system democracy, the rule of law, and free-market capitalism that has made such progress possible.
If too many on the right want to ignore the continued existence of racism, too many on the left want to ignore the progress that we have made. Those might be politically useful stances, but they do both America and Americans a fundamental injustice.
As the writer and philosopher George Santayana warned, Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. Ralph Northam has done us a favor by reminding of us of the bad and the good of our past. Let us use this opportunity to reflect on both.
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Apples European headquarters, in Cork, Ireland. Pic: PA
Ireland is apparently home to the most productive workers in the world, according to a new OECD report.
In 2017, Irish workers contributed $99.50 ($76.52) to the value of the economy for every hour they worked, making them officially far more productive than workers in the US, who contributed $72 (55.37), and the UK, who contributed $61.10 (46.99).
However, all is not what it seems. The UK is very familiar with whats known as the productivity puzzle or what the Office for National Statistics defines as the difference between post-downturn productivity performance and the pre-downturn trend.
In other words, workers in the UK as far less productive than they were before the financial crisis in 2008 and have been much slower to catch up than other developed countries.
On the surface, Ireland does not seem to have this problem. But it does have a productivity problem of its own. Because of the open, immensely service-driven nature of its economy, Ireland is extremely reliant on foreign multinational companies.
Famously, the 2015 tax inversion of US companies based in Ireland boosted the countrys headline GDP growth by around 25 points.
Several giants like Google, Facebook, and Apple use Ireland to book profits from other jurisdictions. This inflates the countrys top-line economic output to such a degree that its not really accurate to suggest that the workers themselves are highly productive.
Meanwhile, domestic firms arent doing so well. In December 2018, a government advisory body warned that these foreign-owned multinationals were concealing how most Irish businesses have stagnant or falling productivity growth.
This is a serious concern when you consider the risks facing Irelands economy, such as Brexit, the rise of protectionism, and the potential for changes to international tax policies, according to the National Competitiveness Council.
READ MORE: The alarming problem hidden in productivity figures for Irelands businesses
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The vulnerabilities in the fabric of the Irish economy, coupled with the challenging global environment, endanger the medium-term sustainability of our economy, said Professor Peter Clinch, the chair of the council.
Productivity gaps like this are common across the world. But domestic firms in Ireland could be as much as four times less productive than their foreign-owned counterparts.
The headline productivity figures like the ones contained in the new OECD report have economists and policymakers convinced that the strength of Irelands economy makes it more than prepared to deal with calamities like a no-deal Brexit.
They arent wrong: Ireland is doing well in lots of other respects, too. But they shouldnt get complacent.
SAN ANGELO, Texas A caravan of almost 2,000 Central American migrants has arrived just outside the Texas-Mexico border with the hopes of crossing into the United States, according to officials.
Authorities say the migrants arrived Monday in Piedras Negras, across the Rio Grande from Eagle Pass in Maverick County, Texas.
There to meet the influx of migrants was a surge in law enforcement that included multiple sheriff's offices, the U.S. Border Patrol and the Texas Department of Public Safety.
"If anyone tries to cross the border illegally, they'll be arrested," Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber said.
Schmerber said about 500 Texas state troopers had arrived in Maverick County by Tuesday along with 50 reserve deputies from across the state.
"We feel very comfortable that police from other counties are ready to respond," Schmerber said.
Including the U.S. Border Patrol and personnel from surrounding county sheriff's offices, Schmerber said two SWAT teams also are on standby to maintain order.
"When I went to Mexico this morning, the mayor of Piedras Negras was there and told me around 1,800 (migrants) about 80 percent from Honduras were there," said Schmerber.
"One group of migrants is hoping to make it into Arizona and another group to Minnesota," Schmerber said.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security vowed Tuesday that the lawless caravan would not be allowed in.
Approximately 2,000 aliens have arrived in northern Mexico as part of a caravan seeking to cross the border into Texas. Illegal entry will not be tolerated and we stand ready to prevent it, DHS Secretary Kirstjen M. Nielsen wrote in a statement, adding DHS will take all steps to ensure the safety and security of law enforcement personnel on the frontlines.
Images from local media show U.S. agents with riot gear and shields standing on a bridge separating Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras. DHS said Border Patrol agents have already apprehended some migrants who crossed the border illegally overnight.
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Coahuila state Gov. Miguel Angel Riquelme said about 1,700 migrants arrived late Sunday aboard 49 buses from the cities of Saltillo and Arteaga. Another smaller group headed toward the neighboring state of Nuevo Leon.
An improvised shelter was set up for the migrants at an unused factory, and local officials said the migrants had been given sleeping mats, blankets, food and wireless access.
State child welfare officials reported there 46 unaccompanied youths aged between 15 and 17 in the caravan.
Contributing: The Associated Press
More: Video shows 3-year-old girl falling from 16-foot border fence in Arizona
This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: Nearly 2,000 migrants arrive at Texas-Mexico border, prompting 500 state troopers to respond
Brussels (AFP) - The leaders of NATO's 29 countries will gather in London in December for a special meeting to mark the alliance's 70th anniversary, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced Wednesday.
Stoltenberg tweeted that the British capital was "the ideal setting to mark 70 years of transatlantic military cooperation, as the home of NATO's first HQ back in 1949".
Britain is due to leave the European Union on March 29 and the December meeting will be seen as a signal of solidarity between NATO and the UK -- which is the continent's leading military power, along with France.
"Brexit will change the United Kingdom's relationship to the European Union but it will not change the United Kingdom's relationship to NATO," Stoltenberg said.
"For me it's perfectly natural that the UK is hosting the leaders' meeting."
NATO chiefs will be hoping to avoid the high drama of last year's summit in Brussels, when US President Donald Trump launched a blistering attack on allies, in particular Germany, for not spending enough on defence.
There had been talk of holding the leaders' meeting in Washington -- where NATO's founding treaty was signed -- but, amid fears of a new transatlantic bust-up, foreign ministers will gather in the US capital in April instead.
Estonia also offered to host the December meeting.
"The meeting in London will be an opportunity for Allied heads of state and government to address the security challenges we face now and in the future, and to ensure that NATO continues to adapt in order to keep its population of almost one billion people safe," Stoltenberg said in a statement.
- Transatlantic tensions -
Though it will gather the alliance's top leaders for talks, the meeting will not have the formal status of a summit.
NATO summits are usually held every two years and conclude with a formal, binding statement of aims and actions agreed by all allies -- such as the 2014 agreement to try to spend two percent of GDP on defence.
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It is yet to be confirmed whether a statement will be issued at December's meeting, but one was not given at the last such gathering in Brussels in 2017.
British Prime Minister Theresa May welcomed the announcement.
"December's meeting is an important opportunity to determine the steps we must now take to modernise the Alliance and ensure its continued success," May said in a statement.
The anniversary comes at a delicate time for NATO. Tensions with Russia are at a high not seen since the Cold War. Concerns linger about Trump's commitment to the alliance and his willingness to honour its mutual self-defence pact.
From the US side, Trump has been unstinting in his criticism of NATO's European members, accusing them of freeloading on the protection offered by the US military while not spending enough on their own armed forces.
Before taking office Trump called NATO "obsolete" and soon after July's tumultuous summit he questioned whether the US would honour the alliance's founding principle of mutual defence for newest member Montenegro.
The doubts over America's commitment to defend Europe come as a landmark Cold War arms treaty crumbles, prompting fears of a new arms race on the continent.
The US last week began the process of exiting the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, saying that Russia has been violating the pact through a new missile system for years.
In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Trump vowed to outspend Russia on new missiles unless a new global arms treaty could be agreed.
The longest government shutdown in United States history took a toll on the country's national parks in more ways than one.
Whether it was physical damage inflicted by unruly guests, park service employees not receiving their paychecks for several weeks, local businesses losing money or impacts to wildlife, recovery will take time.
"The damage done to our parks will be felt for weeks, months or even years," Theresa Pierno, president and CEO for National Parks Conservation Association said after the shutdown ended. "We want to thank and acknowledge the men and women who have devoted their careers to protecting our national parks and will be working hard to fix damage and get programs and projects back up and running."
"We implore lawmakers to use this time to come to a long-term funding agreement and avoid another disaster like this. Federal employees, businesses, communities and national parks deserve better."
The parks stayed open during the shutdown, operating only with a very limited staff. Others were forced to close at times due to snowy weather that caused road conditions to become dangerous as plowing operations were not funded.
The shutdown began Dec. 23 and ended on Jan. 25, but the bill President Trump signed only reopened the government for three weeks.
national parks shut down
Some of the worst damage was reported at Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California. Illegal off-roading activity was reported, which caused damage to sensitive desert soils, according to the Associated Press.
George Land, public information officer for Joshua Tree, told AccuWeather for the most part the park staff has a handle on what occurred in the 800,000-plus acre park during the shutdown. While he said things were "pretty chaotic" initially, things never got to the point where it became the "Wild West" as some media reports made it seem.
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He said over 100 fires were set during this time and the park "dodged a bullet" because Joshua Tree sits in a very windy location and no wildfires developed.
One of the famed trees was also reportedly toppled by an off-road vehicle. Joshua Trees are slow growing and can grow an inch to an inch and a half per year. Some have lifespans over 150 years.
At Point Reyes National Seashore in Northern California, with no park officials around, elephant seals congregated in areas where tourists normally walk, including a ramp near the visitor center as well as the parking lot.
Upon reopening, park officials at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado said there was illegal activity on park grounds during the shutdown, but the impacts weren't as damaging as in other locations.
"Compared to what some other national park sites experienced in resource damage and illegal activity, we were fortunate that the majority of visitors to Rocky Mountain National Park were remarkable stewards during the shutdown, some going above and beyond in their support and care for their beloved national park," officials said.
Staff members at Death Valley National Park have spent over 1,500 hours documenting, cleaning and repairing damage incurred during the shutdown, officials said in a statement.
"Park staff are still assessing the government shutdown's impacts, but preliminary reports of human waste, trash, vandalism, and impacts to wildlife are disturbing," they said.
death valley park damage
The shutdown occurred during the holiday season, which is the busiest period of the year for visitation to Death Valley.
"People tried to do the right thing by leaving trash next to full dumpsters, but wind and animals dispersed it," park superintendent Mike Reynolds said in statement. "The park's resources, visitors and wildlife all paid the price."
"Park rangers have noticed three coyotes and two bobcats approaching humans for food recently. We think their behavior was changed by the food scraps they got from trash," said Reynolds.
While the threat for another shutdown looms on Feb.15, Land said staff members are glad to be back at work. He added that if there were to be another shutdown, there's not a lot employees can do to prepare other than continue to go about their daily tasks.
"We work in a park, there's a lot of gigs that are a lot worse than working in a national park," he said. "Everybody's glad to be back; we're going about the business of protecting the park and all the people that come from, really, all over the world to enjoy the beauty and solitude that Joshua Tree offers."
By Shoon Naing YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar's parliament on Wednesday voted to set up a committee to discuss amending the country's constitution, despite objections by military-aligned lawmakers against a move that is likely to challenge the army's power. Aung San Suu Kyi's ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) submitted an "emergency proposal" last week aimed at amending parts of the military-drafted 2008 constitution that the party deems undemocratic. It was the Nobel laureate's biggest challenge to the military's power in nearly three years, and sparked a protest in the legislature from green-glad army appointees, who stood in silence for several minutes to show their opposition. The move comes as both civilian and military leaders face growing international pressure over an army crackdown on Rohingya Muslims in 2017 that sent about 730,000 people fleeing to neighboring Bangladesh. In a vote among members of both houses of parliament, 414 out of 611 voting lawmakers were in favor of setting up the committee. Suu Kyi's party commands a large majority in the combined Union Parliament. "Representatives from political parties and military lawmakers will be involved proportionally," speaker T Khun Myat told the house, announcing that deputy speaker Tun Tun Hein, an NLD lawmaker, would chair the new committee. The constitution guarantees the army a quarter of seats in parliament, as well as control of key ministries. Change to the charter needs a vote of more than 75 percent of members, giving the military an effective veto. Debating the proposal in parliament on Tuesday, NLD lawmakers said there was public support for amending the charter and that the new committee would allow all parties to have a say. MPs from the military-aligned Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) said the proposal was not in line with the section of the constitution on amendments. "We dont oppose constitutional amendment," said USDP lawmaker Thaung Aye. "Suitable sections of the constitution should be amended in the interests of the people at a suitable time. However, it must be in line with the law." The constitution also blocks Suu Kyi from becoming president, with a prohibition on presidential candidates with foreign spouses or children. Suu Kyi had two sons with her late British academic husband, Michael Aris. The NLD has not said what provisions of the constitution it might seek to reform. In the past, some members of the party have called for change to Article 436, which governs amending the charter. (Editing by Simon Lewis and Nick Macfie)
A grisly shooting on a Queens subway platform that was caught on tape is connected to the MS-13 gang, NYPD officials confirmed.
On Monday, police announced 26-year-old Ramiro Gutierrez was arrested for the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Abel Mosso. Gutierrez has been charged with murder, gang assault and criminal possession of a weapon, an NYPD spokesman confirmed to TIME.
Cell phone footage of the incident went viral, and according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shae, the entire incident, beginning with the confrontation that began on a subway train, was caught on tape.
Shae told reporters Monday that witnesses overheard MS-13 mentioned during the skirmish, which spilled onto a Jackson Heights subway platform. There, police say the altercation turned physical. Footage shows three men wrestling on the ground while a crowd forms around them, with some passengers trying to break up the fight.
Gutierrez is recorded getting up from the ground and pulling out a gun. Six shots can then be heard along with screams as subway passengers run in fear.
According to Shae, Mosso was shot multiple times in the face, succumbing to his injuries. Shae also said Mosso was affiliated with the 18th Street gang, which has a historical beef with MS-13.
Shae said that Gutierrez, a known MS-13 gang member, was arrested less than 24 hours after the shooting and that the investigation is still ongoing. Police are still searching for two other people in connection to the shooting.
President Trump has often referenced MS-13 as a serious threat and called members of the street gang animals.
According to the FBI, the gang is primarily made up of El Salvadorians, but also include Hondurans, Guatemalans, Mexicans, and other Central and South American immigrants. Shae said NYPD has been cracking down on the gang, which has a large presence in Long Island.
In December, five members were arrested for a fatal shooting in Queens.
Lyon (AFP) - A 12-year-old judicial battle pitting a cereal farmer against Monsanto, the biotech giant, goes to a fourth round Wednesday before the French courts.
Farmer Paul Francois won his initial case in 2012, and its appeal by Monsanto in 2015, after suing the US firm for poisoning him through inhalation of its Lasso weedkiller.
Lasso, which contains high levels of highly toxic monochlorobenzene, has since been banned in France. It was taken off the Canadian market in 1985, and pulled from the Belgian and British markets in 1992.
Now, after a technical review by the final court of appeal, the case gets bounced back to appeal level after a ruling by the higher court that the case should be decided not so much on whether Monsanto provided adequate information about its product, but on whether its chemicals were dangerous, according to Francois Lafforgue, one of the farmer's lawyers.
"I am as determined as ever," said Francois on the eve of the trial, adding that the recent death of his wife had only added to his motivation to see the case through.
Francois became ill and suffered neurological damage in April 2004 after inhaling Lasso vapours left in a vat.
The farmer, who has found it financially challenging to fund his battle, accused Monsanto of "denigrating arguments put forward by scientists working on my behalf", without "attempting to scientifically prove that the opposite is true".
Monsanto was bought in 2018 by the German chemical giant Bayer which said in a statement that its subsidiary's products were safe providing they were used in line with instructions.
Francois is demanding "more than a million euros" by way of damages from the US firm.
Monsanto is also being sued in a number of countries in connection with its popular weedkiller Round Up which the World Health Organisation has labelled carcinogenic.
WASHINGTON (AP) There are no plans yet for President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to meet soon in hope of finalizing a trade deal, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Wednesday.
Mnuchin and trade representative Robert Lighthizer are leading a team to Beijing next week to continue the talks, but nothing is yet on the books for a Trump-Xi meeting.
"I can tell you there's nothing planned at this time for it, but the president has talked about potentially meeting with President Xi and we'll see what progress we make next week," Mnuchin said.
The U.S. and China are in the midst of talks aimed at resolving a costly trade war, and Trump has said a comprehensive agreement is unlikely to be inked until he meets with his Chinese counterpart.
Trump and Xi last met in December in Argentina.
The president hiked tariffs on $250 billion of Chinese goods over complaints that it steals or pressures U.S. companies to hand over technology in return for market access. The U.S. has said it will further boost tariffs on $200 billion of those goods unless an agreement is reached by a March 2 deadline.
Trump announced in his State of the Union address on Tuesday that he and North Korea's leader will meet on Feb. 27-28 in Vietnam, which borders China, to discuss nuclear issues. The trip will put Trump in the region just before the March cutoff date.
Mnuchin said officials were focused on next week's talks and meeting the deadline.
Trump is involved in the negotiations "in a very detailed way," Mnuchin said, receiving weekly and sometimes daily updates from the economic team.
"If there are remaining issues that we can't get closed, I think President Trump expects that he's going to sit down with President Xi and address those issues," Mnuchin said.
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Follow Darlene Superville on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dsupervilleap
Nuevo Laredo (Mexico) (AFP) - Around 1,700 migrants traveling by caravan reached the US-Mexican border Tuesday, just as President Donald Trump prepared to give a major speech certain to include calls for his long-sought wall.
The Central American migrants, mostly Hondurans, arrived in the city of Piedras Negras, Coahuila, across the border from Eagle Pass, Texas.
The local mayor, Claudio Bres Garza, said the city would welcome "all those who behave themselves," after Coahuila's Governor Miguel Angel Riquelme vowed not to accept more undocumented migrants in the state.
Their arrival came as Trump was set to deliver his annual State of the Union address, with the issue of border security center stage after a record five-week government shutdown triggered by his spat with Congress over funding for his promised wall.
"Tremendous numbers of people are coming up through Mexico in the hopes of flooding our Southern Border. We have sent additional military. We will build a Human Wall if necessary. If we had a real Wall, this would be a non-event!" Trump tweeted Tuesday morning.
Authorities in Piedras Negras converted several old factory buildings into shelters to house the migrants. Women and children will sleep separately from the men, they said.
The migrants were part of a group of around 2,200 who began their journey on January 15 in Honduras. Around 500 of the caravan's original members decided to accept the Mexican government's offer of humanitarian visas to remain in Mexico and work for up to a year.
Another group of around 3,800 migrants is in southern Mexico, in the state of Chiapas. They planned to regroup Wednesday and then continue their northward trek.
Several thousand Central Americans have trekked across Mexico by caravan since last year, fleeing poverty and violence in their home countries.
They travel en masse in hopes of finding safety in numbers against Mexican gangs that regularly extort, kidnap and kill migrants, sometimes in collusion with local authorities.
SANTA FE, N.M. New Mexico's governor, arguing there is not an "overwhelming national security crisis," withdrew the majority of National Guard troops deployed at the state's southern border Tuesday.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's announcement came shortly before the start of President Donald Trump's State of the Union address.
Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, also announced she would send more help to Hidalgo County one of the state's three border counties to assist with humanitarian needs.
Lujan Grisham's Republican predecessor, Susana Martinez, sent 200 National Guard troops to the border in April 2018 at Trump's request. Of the original 200, 118 troops remain.
In a statement Tuesday, Lujan Grisham said, "New Mexico will not take part in the presidents charade of border fear-mongering by misusing our diligent National Guard troops."
Recently inaugurated New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Democrat, toured federal border facilities in Sunland Park and Santa Teresa on Friday, Jan. 11, 2019, holding a news conference afterward at the New Mexico Border Authority. Lujan Grisham says she doesn't have enough data yet to determine whether to keep in place or end the deployment of about 120 members of the National Guard assigned to the state's southern border to assist federal border agents. Lt. Gov. Howie Morales, left, also participated in the tour.
Some troops are from Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Wisconsin. Lujan Grisham ordered the troops in those states to return immediately.
It's not clear how many troops will remain on the New Mexico border after Lujan Grisham's orders.
I reject the federal contention that there exists an overwhelming national security crisis at the southern border, along which are some of the safest communities in the country," the governor stated in a news release sent hours before the State of the Union. "However, I recognize and appreciate the legitimate concerns of residents and officials in southwestern New Mexico, particularly Hidalgo County, who have asked for our assistance, as migrants and asylum-seekers continue to appear at their doorstep."
Jan. 26: 'Im scared for my life': Residents vexed by surge of migrants in tiny town near border
Jan. 25: Flesh-eating bacteria found among latest group of migrants at New Mexico border
Lujan Grisham also directed state National Guard leadership to assess whether an "augmented presence" in the southwestern part of the state is needed.
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In recent months, multiple groups of 100-plus migrants have been entering the United States at the remote Antelope Wells Port of Entry. The large groups of families, women and children crossing the border have stressed border agents and medical facilities in the area.
The governor also directed the Department of Public Safety to temporarily deploy a group of six New Mexico State Police officers to assist the day-to-day operations of local law enforcement in Hidalgo County. Lujan Grisham said the directive comes at the request of Hidalgo County Manager Tisha Green.
Lt. Gov. Howie Morales meets with Border Patrol agents Friday during a trip to Lordsburg. Morales is gathering information for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who is deciding whether to keep National Guard troops at the border.
Green sent a letter to state and federal lawmakers, dated Dec. 26, 2018, asking for medical, law enforcement and sanitation resources.
"Our citizens who live in Hidalgo County near the border, more specifically in Antelope Wells, are not safe any longer," the letter stated. "They encounter up to 30 or more immigrants daily in their own yards."
Dec. 18: After migrant girl dies, Border Patrol sites in New Mexico called cramped, inadequate
Dec. 14: 7-year-old Guatemalan migrant girl in Border Patrol custody dies from high fever, seizures; feds fault father
Green later said Hidalgo County has only four certified sheriffs deputies, and a limited budget, and said the county was going to request funding to be able to hire more officers.
Lujan Grisham, who was sworn into office Jan. 1, visited Santa Teresa a border community in Dona Ana County and surrounding facilities on Jan. 11. A week later, Lt. Gov. Howie Morales toured border stations in the southwestern parts of the state.
The trips were in part to assess the viability of National Guard troops on the border.
In the news release sent Tuesday, Lujan Grisham reiterated she didn't think there was a crisis at the border.
"We will deploy our men and women in uniform only where there is a need, and where their presence can make a genuine difference in ensuring public safety and an easing of the humanitarian concerns at our southern border.
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This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: New Mexico governor withdraws most National Guard troops from border
Meghan Markle, pictured in January, has been the subject of negative press stories since she started dating Prince Harry. But between her own familys attacks and the running narrative about her supposed feud with Kate Middleton, the pregnant duchesss friends are speaking out in her defense. (Photo: Niklas HALLEN / AFP)
Meghan Markle may not read any press about herself, but her friends do and they are breaking their silence to defend her character.
In what has been described by a royal watcher as unprecedented, five of the duchesss best friends all females, including a former co-star have spoken out to People magazine about the lies and untruths being spread about their pal Meg. One member of the group, which spoke anonymously to protect the private relationships they have with her, expressed worry over what the barrage of negative press including stories from her own family is doing to her and the baby that shes expecting with Prince Harry this spring.
The women spoke out to stand up against the global bullying we are seeing and speak the truth about our friend, according to one identified as Markles longtime friend and former co-star (though it doesnt specify whether it was on Suits, on which Markle appeared from 2011 until 2018). Meg has silently sat back and endured the lies and untruths. She added that, with Markle pregnant, We worry about what this is doing to her and the baby. Its wrong to put anyone under this level of emotional trauma, let alone when theyre pregnant.
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A longtime friend addressed some claims made by Markles family. Her father, Thomas Markle, said in one interview that he cant get in touch with his daughter, which the woman says is hooey. He knows how to get in touch with her. Hes never called; hes never texted. Its super-painful.
As for her half-siblings, Samantha, who regularly attacks the duchess in the press, and Thomas Jr., who was arrested last month for DUI, They have been made to appear as siblings who had this falling out, and thats not the truth at all. They were not a part of her life, added the same friend, who noted Thomas Jr. and Samantha were already teenagers when Thomass second wife, Doria Ragland, had Markle.
In the interview, other friends talked about visits to Kensington Palaces Nottingham Cottage. One stayed for a few days when Prince Harry was away and talked about The Tig blogger having her room all made up with a candle lit by the bed, slippers and a robe. And it wasnt overrun by staffers to whom Markle was shouting demands. We were the only two in the house. It was our time. She made the most lovely meals. She made tea every day. It was raining and muddy outside, so the dogs got all dirty, and shes wiping them off with towels. How much she loves her animals, how much she loves her friends, how much she loves feeding you, taking care of you none of that has changed.
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Markle and hubby Prince Harry continue to stay busy with their charitable work.
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Another confidante described the abode as small but shes made it cozy, but the perception of their lifestyle and the reality are two different things. Meg cooks for herself and Harry every single day. (The royal couple will be moving from Kensington to Frogmore Cottage, Windsor in March.)
And despite her new workload shes still their loyal, dependable pal, they insist. If Im thrown some kind of curveball, I always think, I gotta talk to Meg,' a friend who still speaks to her daily tells the mag. And when they do? The first thing out of her mouth is, How are the kids? How are you? Im not even allowed to ask about her until she finds out about me.
The former co-star added that when you see Markle greeting the public at charity events and she crouches down to talk to the kids and genuinely has real conversations with people, thats Meg. Thats how she crouches down with our kids at home. Thats how she plays with them. Thats how she engages with people and how she always has.
The Today shows royal expert Keir Simmons described her friends speaking out like this as unprecedented, noting, I dont think Ive ever heard friends of a member of the royal family speaking up for her like this. He later added, Good. For. Them.
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However, as the stories blasting her continue including the narrative of frosty relations with sister-in-law Kate Middleton and drama with her staff Markles friends apparently felt like there was no other option.
This big rally of support makes you wonder if Markles 2017 claim that she never reads any press and hadnt while she starred on Suits, calling it all noise is still true. In November, Vanity Fair claimed Markle was starting to feel to a degree the British press is out to get her, however, while shes aware of the news and whats going on, she tries her best not to read all the stories about her.
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Manhattan Associates (MANH) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.46 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.37 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.45 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.
This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of 24.32%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this business software company would post earnings of $0.40 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.49, delivering a surprise of 22.50%.
Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates four times.
Manhattan Associates, which belongs to the Zacks Computer - Software industry, posted revenues of $144.37 million for the quarter ended December 2018, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 3.80%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $144.09 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three times over the last four quarters.
The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.
Manhattan Associates shares have added about 21% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 8.7%.
What's Next for Manhattan Associates?
While Manhattan Associates has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?
There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.
Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.
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Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Manhattan Associates was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.33 on $135.99 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $1.39 on $563.87 million in revenues for the current fiscal year.
Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Computer - Software is currently in the top 24% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.
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Washington (AFP) - The position of the Earth's magnetic North Pole -- used in navigation systems such as smartphones -- is moving far faster than it has, sending scientists scrambling to put out a new model this week.
The magnetic North is the point at which the planet's magnetic field points vertically down.
The World Magnetic Model is critical to sea and military navigation -- as well as our ubiquitous smartphones.
It normally is updated every five years but the schedule has been pushed forward one year "due to unplanned variations in the Arctic region," according to a statement from the US National Centers for Environmental Information.
The discovery of magnetic north in northern Canada dates back to 1831.
The wandering point, which long jiggled above Canada and barely moved, is now moving 55 kilometers (34 miles) a year, scientists said.
The Earth's magnetic field is generated mainly by movement of the liquid iron that makes up most of the Earth's core, 3,000kilometers (2864 miles) below the surface. That movement is what makes the magnetic poles shift, but the cause of the recent acceleration remains a mystery.
So scientists at the American NOAA and Britain's BGS have had to update their model ahead of the late 2019 scheduled deadline.
"It's a very slow movement, but it's very real, and over several decades it can be several degrees," said Arnaud Chulliat, geophysicist at the University of Colorado Boulder and NOAA.
It does not matter much in the most populated areas, but "near the magnetic pole, the change is faster".
The model makes it possible to correct the direction indicated by the compass to find the geographic north, which is fixed.
Magnetic North has, over the centuries, moved more or less unpredictably into the archipelagos of northern Canada. Since the end of the 19th century, it has been heading toward Siberia.
Since the 1990s, the movement has accelerated, across the Arctic Ocean, from about 15 km/year to 50-55 km/year currently.
Brussels (AFP) - Macedonia moved a step closer to NATO membership on Wednesday, signing accession papers after resolving a long-running name row with Greece.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said it was a "historic day" which will lead to Macedonia becoming the 30th alliance member, once the deal has been ratified by all the other capitals.
NATO and the EU welcomed the move as bringing more stability to the Balkans, but the alliance's expansion into the region has been opposed by Moscow, which regards it as part of its own "sphere of influence".
After signing the accord with representatives of current NATO members at alliance headquarters in Brussels, Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov said membership would make his country safer.
"What's important for us is we'll never walk alone again and we stand beside these 29 allies able and ready to assume the obligations arising from our full membership," Dimitrov said.
Stoltenberg said the move would bring "more stability to the Western Balkans", adding that he looked forward "to seeing thirty Allied flags fly outside NATO headquarters".
"I want to congratulate both Skopje and Athens for showing commitment and courage in reaching an agreement on the name issue. We can now look to the future," Stoltenberg said.
The Greek parliament is on Friday expected to formally back Macedonia's NATO accession bid.
- Safety in numbers -
The agreement last month with Greece to change the name of the former Yugoslav republic to the Republic of North Macedonia ended one of the world's longest diplomatic disputes and paved the way for Skopje to join NATO and the European Union.
Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said it was a "great, historic day for all our citizens".
"Today the largest security alliance in the world, NATO, has welcomed us," he wrote on Facebook and Twitter.
"We have provided lasting stability for our country."
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The EU's enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn also tweeted congratulations, saying the move was "a contribution to peace and stability" in the Western Balkans.
But Macedonia's moves to join NATO, following Montenegro's admission in 2017, have ruffled feathers in the Kremlin.
- Name change -
Russian President Vladimir Putin last month accused the West of "destabilising" the Balkans by pushing Macedonia and Montenegro to join NATO.
Washington has accused Moscow of meddling in the region, including in last year's referendum in Macedonia on changing its name.
For many countries once in the Soviet orbit, NATO membership, with its guarantee of mutual defence, provides a welcome insurance policy against possible Russian incursions.
Macedonia will now take part in NATO ministerial meetings as an invitee, Stoltenberg said, starting with a gathering of defence ministers in Brussels next week.
For Skopje to progress to full membership, all 29 current members must ratify the accession protocol. How long this will take depends on national procedures, but when Montenegro joined in 2017 it took about a year.
Dimitrov said Macedonia was determined to meet the NATO spending pledge of devoting at least two percent of GDP to defence by 2024.
The Telegraph
Israel has recommended vaccinating teenagers following several coronavirus outbreaks clustered around schools, with even fully vaccinated people contracting the virus as authorities blame the more infectious delta variant. The country reported 125 new cases in 24 hours on Tuesday, an increase from the 90 positive tests the day before, which itself was the highest one day total since the end of April. The latest outbreaks were identified in several schools following random testing and came after
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Israel has breached Lebanon's waters by licensing a company to "exploit an area" for oil and gas near disputed borders, Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said on Wednesday. The two countries have an unresolved maritime border dispute over a sea zone of about 860 sq km (330 square miles) which extends along the edge of three of Lebanon's energy blocks. U.S. diplomats mediated between them last year after a spike in tensions that also involved a row over a border wall Israel built and over Iran-backed Hezbollah's growing arsenal. "(It is) a dangerous matter. Israel has licensed and exploited an area adjacent to the Lebanese southern maritime borders," MPs from Berri's Amal party quoted him as saying on Wednesday after a meeting. "This is an infringement on Lebanese sovereignty and targets our oil wealth and waters." The Israeli Energy Ministry did not immediately comment. Berri vowed "not to remain silent" and will bring it up with the Italian prime minister visiting Beirut this week, as well as other foreign states, the lawmakers said. Ali Bazzi, an Amal lawmaker, said Israel pressed on with the "violation" even though the companies on the Lebanese side have stayed away from the contentious border. Lebanon sits on the Levant Basin in the eastern Mediterranean - along with Cyprus, Egypt, Israel and Syria - where a number big gas fields have been discovered since 2009. Lebanon has signed its first offshore oil and gas exploration and production agreements for two energy blocks, including one disputed by Israel. A consortium of France's Total, Italy's Eni and Russia's Novatek signed the contracts. Lebanon has said the dispute would not stop it benefiting from potential undersea reserves in Block 9, while consortium operator Total said it would not drill the block's first well near the disputed sliver of water. Instead, the well would be drilled more than 25 km (15 miles) from the maritime border claimed by Israel, Total has said. (Reporting by Ellen Francis, Additional reporting by Dan Williams, Editing by William Maclean)
By Laila Bassam and Tom Perry BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon is committed to launching fast and effective reforms that could be "difficult and painful" to avoid a worsening of economic, financial and social conditions, according to a draft government policy statement seen by Reuters on Wednesday. The statement sets the main policy objectives of Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri's national unity government that was finally formed last week after nine months of wrangling over cabinet portfolios. With one of the world's highest public debt burdens, Lebanon says it will carry out reforms that have been put off for years but are now seen as more pressing than ever to put the public finances on a sustainable path. The draft policy statement commits to bringing down the debt-to-GDP ratio by boosting the size of the economy and reducing the budget deficit. Echoing a pledge made by Hariri at last year's Paris donor conference, it says the government is committed to a "financial correction" equal to at least one percent of GDP a year over five years, starting with the 2019 budget. This would be achieved by boosting revenues and cutting spending, starting with transfers to the state-run power company, which the World Bank has said represent a "staggering burden" on the public finances. The draft statement also said the government would freeze state hiring in 2019 in all its forms. State hiring in the four years to follow would be half the number of retirees and only on condition the deficit reduction targets had been met. Information Minister Jamal al-Jarrah, speaking to journalists, said tax increases were not being considered. He said there were no big points of contention over the statement and it was expected to be approved on Thursday by the government, which includes the Iran-backed group Hezbollah. International donor institutions and foreign governments want to see reforms before releasing some $11 billion in financial assistance pledged at a Paris conference last year. Hariri aims to use the funds, mostly soft loans, for a capital investment programme that would boost low growth. Lebanon's economy has been hit by factors including years of regional turmoil, including the war in Syria. The draft policy statement said the government would continue the policy of exchange rate stability, calling it a priority for "social and economic stability". The pound has been pegged to the dollar at the same level for over two decades. AOUN SAYS FINANCIAL SITUATION IMPROVING The government would award licences for offshore energy blocks in a second round of tenders by the end of 2019, the draft statement said. Exploration in the first block by a consortium of France's Total, Italy's Eni and Russia's Novatek began last year. Lebanon has some of the world's worst debt and balance-of-payments ratios, and its ability to dodge financial disaster has for years confounded critics, whose warnings of debt defaults, balance of payments crises and a collapse of the pound currency, have all failed to materialise. Its financial system has depended for funding on financial transfers from the diaspora, though questions over the sustainability of the model have grown due to a slowdown in remittance and deposit inflows. President Michel Aoun said the financial situation was improving. Aoun also said that interest rates were expected to start falling soon. A presidential source said he was referring to high rates offered on bank deposits. Kevin Daly, Senior Investment Manager in Emerging Market Debt at Aberdeen Standard Investments, said it clearly looked "like an unsustainable story over the medium term". "Having a government in place, that's extremely important, but they need to address some of the key vulnerabilities and the big one is in the electricity sector which is a big drain on the fiscal finance of the country that plus no growth." (Additional reporting by Ellen Francis in Beirut and Karin Strohecker in London; Writing by Tom Perry/Ellen Francis; Editing by Hugh Lawson, William Maclean)
WASHINGTON (AP) The Latest on President Donald Trump's State of the Union address (all times local):
11 p.m.
Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacy Abrams is declaring that the recent partial federal government shutdown was "a stunt engineered by the president of the United States."
Democrats tapped the former Georgia House minority leader deliver their party's response to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address on Tuesday night.
She drew a series of contrasts with Republicans on issues like health care, gun control and immigration.
Abrams said that a few weeks ago she volunteered to distribute meals to federal workers furloughed during the nation's longest government shutdown. She accused Trump of making their "livelihoods a pawn for political games."
The government shut down for more than a month over Trump's demands for $5.7 billion for his promised border wall with Mexico.
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10:50 p.m.
President Donald Trump seemed pleasantly surprised when Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez jumped to her feet with other white-garbed female House members and cheered something he said.
The moment came when Trump said women have benefited most from the strong economy. The record number of female House members jumped to their feet and cheered.
Trump said, "You weren't supposed to do that."
Then he congratulated the women who hold seats in Congress. And the Democrats jumped up and high-fived each other, chanting "U-S-A!"
It was a rare exchange that crossed the partisan divide just a few days after Trump capitulated and agreed to reopen the government without any money for his border wall. Another budget deadline looms Feb. 15.
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10:35 p.m.
President Donald Trump, in concluding his State of the Union address, is urging Americans to "choose greatness."
Trump finished his 82-minute speech on an optimistic note, suggesting that "our biggest victories are still to come" and that "we have not yet begun to dream." And he urged the nation to not be "defined by our differences."
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But despite Trump's call for unity, much of his speech echoed his usual partisan talking points and the reaction to his address varied wildly among Democrats and Republicans.
Moreover, Trump, in the hours before speech, attacked Democratic Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer. And the president's previous public pleas for bipartisanship have usually worn off in a matter of days, often overwhelmed by a flood of his incendiary tweets.
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10:30 p.m.
Lawmakers from both parties sang "Happy Birthday" to Judah Samet, a member of the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh who survived a shooting that killed 11 people in October.
President Donald Trump saluted Samet during the State of the Union address. Samet, who also is a Holocaust survivor, celebrated his 81st birthday on Tuesday.
Trump said Samet can still remember the moment nearly 75 years ago when he was put on a train after 10 months in a concentration camp. Suddenly the train screeched to a halt. A soldier appeared. Samet's family braced for the worst, but then his father cried out with joy, "It's the Americans."
Lawmakers jumped to their feet and applauded as Trump told the story, and they spontaneously sang "Happy Birthday" as Samet smiled and waved. Trump told Samet lawmakers "wouldn't do that for me."
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10:30 p.m.
President Donald Trump says he's accelerated U.S. negotiations with the Taliban to reach "if possible" a political settlement in Afghanistan.
In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Trump said that as progress is made in the negotiations, the U.S. will be able to reduce its troop presence and focus on counterterrorism.
He says U.S. troops have fought with "unmatched valor" and it's because of them that the U.S. is now able to pursue "if possible" a political solution to end the "long and bloody conflict."
Trump says the Taliban also are very happy to be negotiating because they too want to try for peace and end 17 years of war.
Trump says "the hour has come to at least try for peace."
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10:30 p.m.
President Donald Trump is launching a campaign to end the HIV epidemic in the United States by 2030, targeting areas where new infections happen and getting highly effective drugs to people at risk.
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and senior public health officials say the campaign would focus on areas where about half of new HIV cases occur. That includes 48 counties, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and seven states with at-risk rural residents.
Anti-AIDS groups are reacting with both skepticism and cautious optimism.
Trump said in his State of the Union speech Tuesday that funding will be in his budget. He did not specify an amount.
There are about 40,000 new cases of HIV infection a year in the U.S. HIV is the virus that causes AIDS.
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10: 30 p.m.
President Donald Trump says the United States stands with the people of Venezuela in their "noble quest for freedom. He condemned "the brutality" of President Nicolas Maduro.
Trump used his State of the Union address Tuesday night to ratchet up pressure on Maduro, saying he has turned the wealthy nation in to a state of poverty. He also said that the U.S. will never be a socialist country.
Opposition leader Juan Guaido (Gwy-DOH) has deemed himself the country's interim president over Maduro, who banned opponents from running in an election last year that has been condemned internationally as illegitimate.
The U.S. and more than 30 other countries have now recognized Guaido.
Earlier Tuesday, Maduro lashed out at Trump, saying he was obsessed with Venezuela because the U.S. wants steal Venezuelan oil.
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10:25 p.m.
President Donald Trump is calling on lawmakers from both parties to come together "for a great rebuilding of America's crumbling infrastructure" as he highlights a slew of domestic policy proposals during his State of the Union speech.
Trump typically spends most of his time talking about issues like trade and immigration.
But he says Tuesday night that he's eager to work with Congress on an infrastructure package without offering specifics. And he says his "next major priority" will be working to lower the cost of health care and prescription drugs.
Trump also says his coming budget will ask Democrats and Republicans "to make the needed commitment to eliminate the HIV epidemic in the United States within 10 years."
And he's calling on Congress to dedicate $500 million over the next 10 years to fund childhood cancer research.
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10:25 p.m.
President Donald Trump is denouncing embattled Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam in calling for tougher anti-abortion legislation.
In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Trump asked Congress to pass legislation to prevent "late-term abortion of children."
He attacked Northam not by name, but by title claiming he would "execute a baby after birth." Northam in an interview last week defended, in rare occasions, the practice of third-trimester abortions.
Trump received the enthusiastic backing of evangelicals and pro-life advocates during the 2016 elections and aides have said he planned to focus on the issue ahead of his re-election campaign.
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10:20 p.m.
House Democrats are sitting stone faced through much of President Donald Trump's references to overhauling immigration during his State of the Union address.
Republicans jumped to their feet again and again when Trump said the U.S. needs to crack down on people entering the U.S. illegally.
Mostly, Democrats stayed seated. Some booed when Trump described immigrants on the march to the U.S. Some chuckled when he referred to a "tremendous onslaught" of people coming over the border. Most sat in silence when he said that encouraging illegal immigration was "cruel."
But Trump did get some applause when he saluted more women serving in Congress. Many of the Democrats who wore white high-fived each other and chanted, "U-S-A!"
Trump said, "That's great. Very great."
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10:10 p.m.
President Donald Trump is suggesting that a multination arms control agreement could be negotiated to replace the one with Russia he is exiting.
Trump accused Moscow of repeatedly violating the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty with "impunity" by deploying banned missiles. Russia says it's pulling out, too.
U.S. officials also worry that China is gaining a significant military advantage in Asia by deploying large numbers of missiles with ranges beyond the treaty's limit. China is not party to the treaty.
In his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, Trump said that perhaps the U.S. could negotiate a "different agreement, adding China and others" or "perhaps we can't."
If not, Trump vowed that the U.S. would "outspend" and "out-innovate" all other nations in the development of arms to protect America.
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10 p.m.
A special agent who works to combat human trafficking is among President Donald Trump's State of the Union guests.
Elvin Hernandez works in the New York office of Homeland Security Investigations. He and his colleagues began targeting a violent pipeline for prostitution through Tenancingo (ten-ahn-SEEN'-go), Mexico, in 2012. The final defendants were sentenced last month to decades in prison.
Trump has pushed the idea that human trafficking is a major reason why he needs $5.7 billion for a border wall, even though most trafficking victims come through ports of entry, according to data from the International Organization for Migration.
In total, Hernandez said during one investigation he and his colleagues brought down more than 80 defendants; rescued more than 150 victims, including 45 minors; and reunified 19 children with their mothers.
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9:50 p.m.
President Donald Trump is addressing immigration in his State of the Union speech, saying Republicans and Democrats "must join forces" to confront what he's calling "an urgent national crisis."
Trump says Congress "has 10 days left to pass a bill that will fund our government, protect our homeland and secure our very dangerous southern border" ahead of a February 15 deadline. Critics dispute the level of danger at the border.
But he's made no reference to the national emergency he's threatened to declare if Democrats in Congress fail to give in to his demand for billions of dollars to build a wall along the southern border.
Trump says that lawmakers "have a moral duty to create an immigration system that protects the lives and jobs of our citizens."
Democrats oppose Trump's stalled wall as immoral and unnecessary.
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9:30 p.m.
President Donald Trump is declaring that the state of the union is "strong."
The president delivered his annual address to Congress on Tuesday with the now-standard declaration that the nation is prospering.
Trump, whose red tie was oddly askew, declared "our country is vibrant and our economy is thriving like never before."
He added that "the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations" an apparent swipe at the special counsel probe into ties between Russia and the Trump campaign.
He was greeted with cheers from the Republicans in the chamber and chants of "U-S-A, U-S-A" filled half the room.
But many Democrats did not cheer, including dozens of female lawmakers who wore white as a tribute to suffragettes.
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9:25 p.m.
President Donald Trump has invited some previously unannounced guests to his State of the Union speech.
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin the second man to walk on the moon is among those seated in the House chamber for the president's speech.
Trump is also honoring World War II veterans who participated in D-Day and recounting the "fifteen thousand young American men" who "jumped from the sky and sixty thousand more stormed in from the sea, to save our civilization from tyranny."
Three D-Day veterans, Pfc. Joseph Reilly, Staff Sgt. Locker and Sgt. Herman Zeitchik, are also attending.
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9:20 p.m.
President Donald Trump will hold a two-day summit with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un Feb. 27-28 in Vietnam to try to convince him to give up his nuclear weapons program.
The announcement was made in Trump's prepared remarks the White House released for his Tuesday night State of the Union address.
Trump has said that his outreach to Kim and their first meeting last June in Singapore opened a path to peace. But there is not yet a concrete plan for how denuclearization could be implemented.
U.S. intelligence chiefs believe there is little likelihood Kim will voluntarily give up his nuclear weapons or missiles capable of carrying them. Private analysts reviewing commercial satellite imagery have assessed that the North is still developing nuclear and missile technology despite suspending tests.
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9:05 p.m.
President Donald Trump has arrived in the House chamber to deliver his State of the Union speech.
Trump, wearing a red tie, was greeted with a round of applause from Republicans as well as some Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The chamber is filled with his family members, Cabinet, a handful of Supreme Court justices, members of Congress and their invited guests.
Trump is expected to strike a unifying tone in his remarks, which are expected to touch on subjects including immigration, trade negotiations with China and U.S. troop deployments in the Middle East.
The speech is being delivered a week later than originally scheduled after Pelosi said Trump would not be allowed to speak in front of the House Chamber until the partial government shutdown came to an end.
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8:55 p.m.
Energy Secretary Rick Perry is the so-called designated survivor for this year's State of the Union address.
By tradition, one Cabinet secretary is closeted away at a secure, undisclosed location to ensure continuity of government in case disaster strikes while government leaders attend the speech.
The choice of Perry was confirmed by a White House official, who was not authorized to disclose the person's identity, and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue was last year's designated survivor.
Trump's choice this year was limited by the number of "acting" secretaries in the Cabinet. Only Senate-confirmed secretaries (and natural-born citizens) in the line of succession to the presidency can assume control of government in a crisis.
--Contributed by Zeke Miller
LONDON (AP) The Latest on Britain's withdrawal from the European Union (all times local):
4:30 p.m.
Dutch health authorities say that the supply of some 50 medicines used to treat life-threatening illnesses could be jeopardized if Britain leaves the European Union without a deal.
However, the health ministry is not publishing the list, fearing it could lead to hoarding and price rises.
In an update on Brexit preparations published Wednesday, the ministry says that the Dutch authority responsible for assessing medicines looked at about 2,700 medical products linked to the United Kingdom and has whittled down the list to around 50 whose supply could be threatened by a 'no-deal' Brexit.
The ministry says groups including suppliers and pharmacists are discussing alternative arrangements to prevent medicine shortages including making them locally, importing them from another country or providing temporary exemptions to allow imports from Britain to continue.
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4:25 p.m.
Standard & Poor's has warned it could downgrade its credit ratings for Britain and an array of companies if the country crashes out of the European Union next month without a deal.
The agency said in a report that a 'no deal' Brexit could "result in negative revisions of our outlooks on ratings" if the disruption to the economy were "immediate and material."
Ratings matter as they can make it more expensive for governments or companies to borrow money.
Though S&P thinks the risk of a 'no deal' Britain remains high, it does not think it's the most likely scenario "as the political incentive for the U.K. and the EU to negotiate an orderly outcome (even after a potential delay) remains very strong."
Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29 but it's unclear how after U.K. lawmakers last month rejected the Brexit deal Prime Minister Theresa May negotiated with the EU. May is heading to Brussels for talks with top officials Thursday in hopes of re-opening the deal.
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2:55 p.m.
The European Parliament's top Brexit lawmaker says the EU assembly stands by the divorce agreement sealed with Britain and that there can be no renegotiation of a provision guaranteeing that the Irish border remains open.
Guy Verhofstadt, who heads the assembly's Brexit Steering Group, said "the withdrawal agreement is fair and cannot be replaced."
British Prime Minister Theresa May is due in Brussels on Thursday to seek concessions to the Brexit deal.
Verhofstadt says "it is the U.K.'s obligation to now propose a positive and viable proposal on the way forward."
Referring to the backstop a safeguard to keep trade moving freely between the U.K.'s Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland Verhofstadt said "political uncertainty in the U.K. has reinforced to us why this insurance policy is required."
Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29 but there is no idea how it will leave after U.K. lawmakers overwhelmingly voted against the deal, with many doing so because of their opposition to the backstop.
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11:55 a.m.
European Council President Donald Tusk has blasted British politicians who lobbied for the U.K. to leave the European Union without first working out how to do it.
Tusk said: "I have been wondering what a special place in hell looks like for those who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of plan how to carry it safely."
Tusk gave no indication that the other 27 EU countries will be up for reopening the Brexit withdrawal agreement that British Prime Minister Theresa May negotiated but which was overwhelmingly rejected by U.K. lawmakers.
Speaking alongside Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, Tusk said "the EU 27 is not making any new offer" to the British government to help pass their Brexit divorce deal in the U.K. parliament.
They both underlined that preparations are being intensified for a potentially disastrous no-deal scenario under which Britain would leave the EU on March 29 without an agreement.
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9:30 a.m.
British Prime Minister Theresa May is set to meet with Northern Ireland's main political parties as she seeks to break the impasse over her European Union divorce deal.
May is signaling she will seek changes to the deal rather than outright removal of the so-called backstop, designed to preserve the open border between Northern Ireland and EU member state Ireland. The border area was a flashpoint during decades of conflict, and the free flow of people and goods across the frontier underpins the region's peace process.
May, during a speech Tuesday in Belfast, restated her "unshakeable" commitment to avoiding a hard border and said she didn't plan to remove the "insurance policy" entirely.
"What Parliament has said is that they believe there should be changes made to the backstop," she said.
Pristina (AFP) - Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj on Wednesday resumed their public dispute over possible border changes to end one of Europe's most volatile territorial disputes.
Under the auspices of the EU, former foes Belgrade and Pristina have been searching for a binding agreement on their relationship 20 years after the 1998-99 war that claimed 13,000 lives.
"One of the points" of the talks with Belgrade "is demarcation of the border between Kosovo and Serbia," Thaci said Tuesday at a conference in Washington.
"This is an opportunity to correct the border in northern Kosovo and south of Serbia as well," he said, according a statement from his press office.
"If a slight border correction is the price for a final peace agreement, then this will have to be acceptable."
But on Wednesday, Prime Minister Haradinaj repeated to Kosovo journalists that "Kosovo is ready for an accord", but "not an accord that would include issues of territories and frontiers."
He said such modifications would pose a risk of war in the region.
"It is not rational to go in such directions, that is even dangerous," he told AFP last month.
Last summer Thaci and his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic started talking about border changes in a bid to find an accord following the war.
Local media and analysts believe that Serbia could get a part of Kosovo's north around the divided town of Mitrovica, a region mostly populated by the Serb minority where Pristina fails to impose its sovereignty.
Under that scenario, in exchange, Serbia would give a small ethnic Albanian majority area in the region of the southern town of Presevo and recognise the independence of Kosovo.
Belgrade lost the control over its former province after a NATO bombing campaign in spring 1999 that ended the conflict between Serbian armed forces and pro-independence Kosovo ethnic Albanian guerillas.
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In 2008 Kosovo declared independence and was recognised by most western countries, including the US and all but five members of the European Union. However, Serbia fiercely rejected it and thanks to Russian and China's support has blocked its UN membership.
The talks on normalisation have been stalled for months. Serbia said it would not resume the EU-mediated dialogue with Pristina until the Kosovo government lifts a 100 percent customs tax on its products.
Thaci urged for the tax to be lifted, but Haradinaj has opposed the move.
Nairobi (AFP) - Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday offered to train DR Congo civil servants, as he expressed his country's commitment to political stability during a visit by President Felix Tshisekedi.
The new DRC president is on his maiden tour which has already taken in Angola and will end in Congo Brazzaville, since his inauguration last month following a hotly disputed election.
In Nairobi he held separate talks with opposition leader Raila Odinga and Kenyatta, who have grown close and are working to promote peace after a dramatic 2017 election that left at least 92 dead, according to rights groups.
Kenyatta told Tshisekedi that Kenya had learned valuable lessons from past political tensions, which it was willing to share, his office said in a statement.
"We will continue to help you achieve peace and stability because we have had similar experience which we can share," he said.
Kenyatta said that Kenya would offer training opportunities to Congolese public servants.
"We are ready to partner in building infrastructure, sharing skills in extractive industry and in many other areas of mutual benefit," he said.
Kenyatta also called for the deepening of trade ties.
Tshisekedi's inauguration after December polls marked the first-ever peaceful transfer of power since independence from Belgium in 1960.
However runner-up Martin Fayulu dismissed his victory as an "electoral coup" masterminded by long-term outgoing president Joseph Kabila.
(Photo: Business Wire) Multimedia Gallery URL
Tim Hortons is the lone Canadian company to crack the top 10 most influential brands in the country, according to a new survey by the Association of Canadian Advertisers and Ipsos.
The Restaurant Brands International-owned (QSR.TO) coffee and donuts chain climbed six spots in 2018 to claim the number 10 rank on the list dominated by U.S. technology companies. Ipsos questioned 6,700 Canadians in October 2018.
Alphabet Inc.s (GOOG) Google remained in first place for the eighth consecutive year, followed by Amazon Inc. (AMZN), Apple Inc. (AAPL), Facebook Inc. (FB), Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), YouTube, Visa Inc. (V), Netflix Inc. (NFLX), and Walmart Inc. (WMT).
Brands that have experienced challenges, like Tim Hortons, can and do bounce back if they focus on addressing the right issues, Ipsos chief operating officer Steve Levy wrote in a news release.
The Tim Hortons brand, long associated with wholesome Canadiana, has been tarnished in recent years by bitter disputes between franchisees and head office, as well as backlash over the companys handling of a minimum wage hike in Ontario.
The companys iconic Roll Up The Rim contest is the latest source of controversy for the company. A Change.org petition launched by three young Calgarians is calling for Tim Hortons to use the contest as an opportunity to encourage customers to use reusable mugs.
Tim Hortons has introduced online alternatives to rolling up the rim of their paper cups in order to participate. However, prizes on the companys app have been limited to coffee and doughnuts, excluding larger rewards like cars.
The Change.org petition has amassed over 100,000 endorsements. Dalhousie University food policy professor Sylvain Charlebois thinks Tim Hortons should take the hint if it wants to curry favour with younger consumers.
Buying countless paper cups with plastic lids isnt acceptable anymore, especially for younger customers, specifically Generation Z and Millennials, he wrote in a recent blog. They mostly see the internet, or apps, as a viable, easy alternative to any physical aspects of a marketing campaign.
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A recent global survey of nearly 30,000 consumers by the consulting firm Accenture found 55 per cent of respondents prefer purpose-led companies that share their beliefs, and avoid those that dont. Fifty-two per cent said they want companies to take a stand on social issues.
Canadas most influential brands march to their own drums, Levy wrote. Only those that strike the right balance between trustworthiness, engagement, being leading edge, corporate citizenship and presence will truly make an impact with consumers.
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Sagar Taseem (left) and Naqash Hussain (right) were found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving (SWNS)
A judge has condemned three thugs who caused a horror crash that killed a pensioner when they used their cars as weapons during a high speed chase.
Tragic Elizabeth Roberts, 80, died when a BMW speeding the wrong way down a dual
carriageway ploughed head-on into her daughters car in February 2017.
A court heard the fatal hit-and-run smash was caused after three cars became involved in a nine mile chase following an altercation between four men.
During the pursuit, the BMW was followed by a Volkswagen Jetta and the two cars collided in Gaydon, Warks.
Samuel Franklin admitted to causing death by dangerous driving and was jailed for six years (SWNS)
BMW driver Sagar Taseem, 26, who had smoked cannabis and had originally been chasing a Ford Fiesta, then sped off before causing the 60mph crash on the B4451.
Mrs Roberts was pronounced dead at the scene in front of her daughter Sheena Wilson, who had been driving the car but could do nothing to avoid the impact.
Meanwhile, all the occupants of the vehicles involved fled from the scene as they carried on chasing each other to continue their dispute.
MORE: Nancy Pelosi sarcastically clapping Donald Trump becomes instant viral hit
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Taseem and his passenger Naqash Hussain, 29, were found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving following a trial at Warwick Crown Court.
The pair, both from Banbury, Oxon, were each jailed for 12 years at the same court on Tuesday and banned from driving for nine years.
Jetta driver Samuel Franklin, 24, also from Banbury, admitted the same charge and was jailed for six years and disqualified from driving for the same period.
BMW driver Taseem had smoked cannabis and had originally been chasing a Ford Fiesta (SWNS)
Kieran Flint, 21, of Banbury, who was driving the Fiesta, was cleared of dangerous driving but found guilty of careless driving and was fined 500.
Sentencing, Judge Sylvia de Bertodano said: This is aggressive driving over a long period of time when both sides are using their cars as weapons.
It is an ironic aspect of this case that as they went past the Gaydon garage Mrs Wilson saw two cars speeding past, taking a roundabout the wrong way, and her first thought was that there was going to be an accident and she was glad she wouldnt be involved because they were ahead of her.
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But she and her mother never got as far as the motorway because a white BMW driven by Taseem drove up the same road in the face of oncoming traffic and collided head-on with her car.
Hussain was a passenger in the BMW (SWNS)
Mrs Wilson was present as her mother lay dying at the roadside, while the three of you, not hesitating to help, continued your chase.
Judge de Bertodano went on: You were going as fast as you possibly could, with no regard for other road-users and it was inevitable someone would get hit.
It is mere good fortune that only one person was killed. It could have been much, much worse, and it is no thanks to any of you that it was not.
The court heard the events began when Taseem and Hussain began chasing Flint on the outskirts of Banbury.
Flint contacted his friend Franklin for help and together they forced the BMW to come to a stop in the middle of the road.
Kieran Flint was cleared of dangerous driving but found guilty of careless driving (SWNS)
Franklin got out armed with a metal bar and approached the BMW, but Taseem drove into the back of Flints car and forced his way past before speeding off.
Franklin then gave chase and rammed the BMW causing Taseem to speed the wrong way along the dual carriageway.
Prosecutor Simon Davis said there was nothing Mrs Wilson could do to avoid the head-on smash as the BMW hurtled towards her Fiesta in the wrong direction.
Franklin drove to the scene of the crash and, ignoring the tragic consequences, got out of his car and chased after Taseem and Hussain as they fled.
He then returned to his car and drove to the petrol station when he met up with Flint and they went searching for the other two men, leading to a further brief confrontation.
In a statement read in court, Mrs Wilson said: The memory of that night and my mother being in severe pain will remain with me for the rest of my days.
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Nancy Pelosi has invited a multitude of guests to Tuesdays State of the Union - including chef Jose Andres.
The chef confirmed he would be attending on Twitter, where he responded to an inquiry regarding restaurants hosting State of the Union watch parties.
No but I am going, Andres wrote.
A spokesperson for the House speakers office confirmed to The Hill Andres was invited as a guest.
The chef's attendance should come as no surprise, as the SOTU wont be the first time this year the chef, activist and philanthropist has become involved in politics.
Who is Chef Andres?
Andres is a Spanish-born chef, restaurateur, and founder of World Central Kitchen, a non-profit organisation dedicated to providing meals for people in disaster zones.
Through World Central Kitchen, Andres has helped millions of people in the wake of disasters all over the world - including those in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria and survivors of the deadly wildfires in California.
Most recently, Andres dedicated his efforts to the US Capitol, where he opened a kitchen to feed furloughed federal employees free meals during the government shutdown.
At the time, he said: We believe no person should have to go through the pain of not knowing what to feed the children.
For his humanitarian work, Andres has previously been named one of Time magazines 100 Most Influential People.
He also received the awards of Humanitarian of the Year and Outstanding Chef from the James Beard Foundation and has been nominated for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for his disaster relief efforts.
The chef is also an outspoken critic of President Trump.
In addition to backing out of plans to open a restaurant in Trump International Hotel following anti-immigration comments made by the president, Andres has on numerous occasions questioned Trumps policies, including after Hurricane Maria.
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Pelosi helped Andres hand out food to furloughed workers during government shutdown (Getty)
In January of last year, the chef offered lunch to all of the winners of the presidents Fake News awards.
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Andres and Pelosi will be joined at the SOTU by other guests including Chef Tyler Florence, Planned Parenthood president Leana Wen, and Fred Guttenberg, a father of a student killed in the Parkland shooting.
The president will deliver his second State of the Union Tuesday.
The Independent has contacted Nancy Pelosis office for comment.
New Jersey Resources (NJR) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.61 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.69 per share. This compares to earnings of $1.56 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.
This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of -11.59%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this energy services holding company would post a loss of $0.42 per share when it actually produced a loss of $0.33, delivering a surprise of 21.43%.
Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates two times.
New Jersey Resources, which belongs to the Zacks Utility - Gas Distribution industry, posted revenues of $811.77 million for the quarter ended December 2018, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 14.09%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $705.31 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates four times over the last four quarters.
The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.
New Jersey Resources shares have added about 5% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 9.2%.
What's Next for New Jersey Resources?
While New Jersey Resources has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?
There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.
Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.
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Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for New Jersey Resources was favorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to outperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $1.21 on $903.25 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $2.04 on $2.65 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year.
Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Utility - Gas Distribution is currently in the top 43% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.
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Jay Ellis was fortunate to grow up in a family that wasnt afraid to have frank conversations about tough topics, including HIV/AIDS. But he knows that isnt true for many people, and thats part of why hes dedicated to spreading awareness of the virus and ending the stigma that still persists.
Ellis, who plays the fan-favorite Lawrence on HBOs Insecure, had a great-uncle who died of AIDS in the 90s, and another family member who has lived with HIV since the late 90s.
Its always been something thats been around my family and been a conversation, he tells PEOPLE.
Though Ellis, 37, admits that he didnt understand what it was at first.
When I found out about it I was 10 years old and I think it wasnt until I was a little bit older in high school about to graduate when my other family member contracted HIV, and I think that was the first time I actually understood what was going on, he says. I was like, oh, now I understand what my great-uncle died from.
But his family stepped in to fill in the blanks.
There were a lot of questions, and, fortunately, I have a family that talks about things and there are a lot of families that dont, he says. Because of that I was able to learn firsthand what was going on, even though I didnt understand it the first time around.
Now Ellis, with the help of amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, travels to colleges and high schools to teach students about HIV and AIDS, and work on reducing the stigma.
AIDS isnt necessarily on the front page like it was in the 80s and 90s when millions of people were dying, so I think its interesting that in some ways the conversation has waned, and in some ways the conversation has grown, he says. Hearing young people talk about it, though it isnt on the front page anymore, is where I go, Oh, this conversation is working. Theyre spreading the message and having the conversation with their peers.
RELATED VIDEO: Jay Ellis Reveals What Makes Him Feel Insecure
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Ellis, who is on amfARs Board of Trustees, is also passionate about spreading awareness because HIV largely and disproportionately affects African-Americans in this country.
Its definitely everywhere, and the conversation is less prevalent in Black communities, and I think its stigma, he says. Theres this stigma of how you contracted it and what it means to have it and how you can give it to someone else. I think that when we dont allow ourselves to have these conversations, all based on stigma and fear and not having the proper educational resources behind us, we end up crippling the community and youth because we dont give them the information that they need to know about living a safe and healthy life.
Ellis has worked with amfAR for several years now, and hes encouraged by how many young people understand more about the virus and arent afraid to speak openly about it. But he wants to do more in the Black community.
I think one of the things that has not changed, to be honest with you, is the alarmingly high rate that African-Americans contract HIV, he says. We still account, at this point, for about half of all new cases of HIV. Im still out there having that conversation. Its improved, but it hasnt been a big drop. Its still far too high.
But Ellis is confident that amfAR will reach its goal of a scientific basis of a cure by 2020.
We have all the research from doctors and scientists all around the world who are communicating together and working on a cure, he says. I think were going to be the generation that sees a cure for sure.
A veteran freelance journalist said Wednesday the Japanese government has ordered him to surrender his passport as he prepared to leave for Yemen.
The move came amid debate in Japan about whether journalists should be prevented from going to war zones after the capture and release of a Japanese reporter in Syria last year.
Kosuke Tsuneoka, 49, told AFP that immigration officers stopped him at Tokyo's Haneda airport on February 2, citing an order for him to surrender his passport.
"This cannot be tolerated in a democracy," he told AFP.
He planned to cover relief efforts by international organisations and conditions in Yemen, which the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with millions of people facing famine and starvation.
"I planned this mission in Yemen, but now it is interrupted. This is not just harm done to me, but rather to the entire Japanese public" for missing the news, he said.
Foreign Minister Taro Kono said Tuesday the government issued the order to "a male Japanese national" at Haneda airport.
When asked whether the action violated Tsuneoka's right to travel, Kono said the journalist had the right to legal recourse.
"I wish to express my utmost respect to journalists who are reporting in dangerous places," Kono said, while declining to disclose other details.
Yemen's rebels have been mired in a war with government forces backed since 2015 by a Saudi-led coalition.
Tsuneoka attempted to visit the war-torn nation in January, but was stopped in Oman and deported.
The Japanese government used his deportation as a reason for the order.
The rare step came amid mixed views in Japan over people taking risks with their safety after the shock killings and kidnappings of journalists and other Japanese nationals in Middle East.
The latest decision came after the release in October of another freelance journalist, Jumpei Yasuda, who was held in Syria for more than three years.
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In 2015, Tokyo confiscated the passport of photographer Yuichi Sugimoto, who planned to travel to Syria.
That decision followed the killing of two Japanese citizens -- war correspondent Kenji Goto and his acquaintance Haruna Yukawa -- by Islamist extremists in Syria.
Sugimoto later received a new passport, which specifically barred him from travel to Syria and Iraq.
Tsuneoka said he is now asking for a new passport, with officials unable to tell him whether he would get one or whether conditions would be attached.
Baghdad (AFP) - Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte visited Baghdad on Wednesday, meeting his Iraqi counterpart Adel Abdel Mahdi and President Barham Saleh for talks on the fight against the Islamic State group.
"Iraqi efforts to defeat Daesh have been fundamental", Conte told reporters in Iraq's capital, using an Arab acronym for IS.
"But we must be conscious that the Daesh insurgency still constitutes a serious threat that requires vigilant attention and a collective effort."
IS seized swathes of Iraq in a lightning offensive in 2014, prompting a gruelling Iraqi operation backed by an international coalition that includes Italy.
Baghdad finally declared "victory" over the jihadists in December 2017.
However, IS maintains sleeper cells, including along the border with Syria, and has carried out periodic hit-and-run attacks.
Conte was latest in a string of western leaders to visit Iraq in recent weeks, including US President Donald Trump, who sparked outrage by failing to meet a single Iraqi official.
Conte and Iraqi officials also discussed economic reconstruction and the preservation of Iraq's cultural heritage.
The Italian premier said his country was helping to "train the Iraqi police" and was lending its expertise to help UNESCO preserve historical treasures in a country that boasts five world heritage sites.
His visit came days after Claudio Descalzi, the CEO of Italian oil giant Eni, met Iraq's oil minister Thamer Abbas Ghadbane in Baghdad.
Eni says it "operates" 475,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in Iraq.
Tel Aviv (AFP) - The wig and long skirt she wears are not slowing Michal Zernowitski down in her race to become the first ultra-Orthodox woman MP for the Labor party in Israel's April polls.
The 38-year-old mother of four said with a smile that if she had run in an election a decade ago "people would have found it weird".
But nowadays she is asked by members of the ultra-Orthodox community not why she is running, but why she is doing it for the centre-left secular Labour, the former computer programmer told AFP.
"The majority ask me, 'Why in the Labor party, why not the right?'," she said, speaking in English.
"But they don't disapprove," added Zernowitski, dressed in the customary garb of ultra-Orthodox women, who are forbidden to show their hair or display their legs in public.
The ultra-Orthodox community, known in Hebrew as haredi (God fearing), constitutes about 10 percent of Israel's population and strictly adheres to Jewish religious law.
Representing the main haredi streams are two political parties, Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ), which together hold 13 seats in the outgoing parliament.
Neither Shas nor UTJ have ever had a women MP.
"According to their interpretation of Jewish law, women are not allowed (to take part in governance)," said Gilad Malach, director of the ultra-Orthodox research programme at the Israel Democracy Institute think-tank.
Some of the haredi had even called for women to be banned from voting, he said.
"It's not in the laws of Judaism, it's conservatism; social, cultural norms," Zernowitski argued.
"When there is something that I dont know, I will ask (a rabbi) and sometimes ask for a blessing, but I'm not asking if I should go into politics, this is not a religious issue!"
- Rabbi's daughter -
In her cramped apartment near Tel Aviv, Esty Shushan said she had consulted many religious scholars, including her father, a rabbi, and nothing in the religious texts prevents women from engaging in politics.
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Six years ago she launched "Nivcharot", a movement to encourage haredi women to get involved in public life.
Shushan, a 41-year-old mother of four who was married at 19, says it took time for her to realise that "unfortunately, I am a feminist".
She said she opened a Facebook page, calling on women to "stop voting for those parties that ban women from running" and that the first response she received was from Michal Zernowitski.
"I told myself, 'I'm not the only crazy woman'," Shushan said.
Since then she has successfully petitioned the Israeli Supreme Court to overturn a UTJ ban on accepting women as party members and has been training ultra-Orthodox women who wish to enter politics.
But UTJ says it has no intention of allowing women to run for office in the foreseeable future.
"Not placing a woman on the list (of candidates) stems from a historical decision by the most prominent rabbis," the party said in a written response to AFP's request for an interview on the subject.
"Even that handful of women who speak of the lack of representation for women in the party know that is not going to change in the coming decades."
Shas did not respond to AFP's requests for comment.
The majority of haredi women are the wage earners in their families while the men spend their days studying holy texts and praying.
They are often exploited by their employers and neither their own parties or the non-haredi politicians speak up for them, said Zernowitski.
- Slim chances -
Zernowitski was a once a UTJ supporter but realised she had no political future there and in 2010 joined Labor because she found it was closer to her own political views.
She founded a section within the party for the ultra-Orthodox of both sexes which now has "hundreds" of members.
At first some Labor members disapproved of her and questioned her on several issues, including public transport on the Jewish sabbath and homosexuality -- two subjects considered anathema by the haredi.
"I am a religious woman but also a liberal," she reassured them. "I don't want to force people to do what I choose to do."
She said she has the backing of her husband and her community and believes there is a new haredi generation more open to women in politics.
Malach disagreed saying they were only "a tiny minority".
Despite her infectious enthusiasm, Zernowitski's chances of getting elected on April 9 are slim.
Labor has been grappling with internal disputes and its veteran MPs have been fighting to secure their re-election in the 120-seat parliament.
Recent polls indicate the party could secure between five and eight seats compared to 18 in the outgoing Knesset.
The first hurdle will be the party primaries on February 11, when Labor's 60,000 members will pick candidates for the handful of slots likely to get them into the legislature.
Associated Press
The World Health Organization is in talks to create the first-ever technology transfer hub for coronavirus vaccines in South Africa, a move to boost supply to the continent that's desperately in need of COVID-19 shots, the head of the U.N. agency announced. The new consortium will include drug makers Biovac and Afrigen Biologics and Vaccines, a network of universities and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. We are now in discussions with several companies that have indicated interest in providing their mRNA technology, said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus at a virtual press briefing on Monday.
Prime minister Theresa May with her Irish counterpart, Leo Varadkar, in Dublin in 2017. Pic: PA
Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar said on Wednesday that his British counterpart Theresa May would visit Dublin late on Friday for Brexit talks.
The announcement of the Friday dinner meeting comes as European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker reminded May that the Brexit withdrawal agreement was not open for renegotiation.
She knows that the Commission is not prepared to reopen the issue, Juncker said.
Speaking at a press conference with Juncker, Varadkar said he was confident that a solution to the current impasse could be found, but that Ireland was nonetheless prepared for a no-deal Brexit.
But we should bear in mind that the threat of no deal is not a threat that the European Union is making. It is not a threat that Ireland is making, Varadkar said, noting that the UKs upcoming exit from the EU was self-imposed.
This 29 March deadline is a deadline set in Britain by Britain and it is open to the UK to request an extension to Article 50, provided theres a purpose to that, or to revoke Article 50 if thats their wish.
READ MORE: Brexiteers with no plan deserve a special place in hell, says Tusk
The Irish prime minister again insisted that there were no alternative arrangements to the already agreed Northern Ireland backstop.
Varadkar said that last weeks vote in the House of Commons for unspecified alternative arrangements only succeeded because alternative arrangements can mean whatever you want them to mean.
May concluded a two-day visit to Northern Ireland on Wednesday, where most political leaders confirmed their support for the previously agreed withdrawal agreement.
The only Northern Irish party represented in the House of Commons, the Democratic Unionist Party, reiterated its opposition to the backstop, which is designed to prevent a post-Brexit hard border on the island of Ireland.
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IMCD N.V. (AMS:IMCD), which is in the trade distributors business, and is based in Netherlands, received a lot of attention from a substantial price increase on the ENXTAM over the last few months. With many analysts covering the mid-cap stock, we may expect any price-sensitive announcements have already been factored into the stocks share price. However, what if the stock is still a bargain? Today I will analyse the most recent data on IMCDs outlook and valuation to see if the opportunity still exists.
View our latest analysis for IMCD
Is IMCD still cheap?
IMCD appears to be overvalued by 39.93% at the moment, based on my discounted cash flow valuation. The stock is currently priced at 65.40 on the market compared to my intrinsic value of 46.74. Not the best news for investors looking to buy! Another thing to keep in mind is that IMCDs share price is quite stable relative to 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 IMCD look like?
ENXTAM:IMCD Future Profit February 6th 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. Buying a great company with a robust outlook at a cheap price is always a good investment, so lets also take a look at the companys future expectations. IMCDs earnings over the next few years are expected to increase by 72%, indicating a highly optimistic future ahead. This should lead to more robust cash flows, feeding into a higher share value.
What this means for you:
Are you a shareholder? It seems like the market has well and truly priced in IMCDs positive outlook, with shares trading above its fair value. However, this brings up another question is now the right time to sell? If you believe IMCD should trade below its current price, selling high and buying it back up again when its price falls towards its real value can be profitable. But before you make this decision, take a look at whether its fundamentals have changed.
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Are you a potential investor? If youve been keeping an eye on IMCD for a while, now may not be the best time to enter into the stock. The price has surpassed its true value, which means theres no upside from mispricing. However, the optimistic prospect is encouraging for IMCD, which means its worth diving deeper into other factors in order to take advantage of the next price drop.
Price is just the tip of the iceberg. Dig deeper into what truly matters the fundamentals before you make a decision on IMCD. You can find everything you need to know about IMCD in the latest infographic research report. If you are no longer interested in IMCD, 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.
Hundreds of stone structures dating back thousands of years have been discovered in the Western Sahara, a territory in Africa little explored by archaeologists.
The structures seem to come in all sizes and shapes, and archaeologists aren't sure what many of then were used for or when they were created, archaeologists report in the book "The Archaeology of Western Sahara: A Synthesis of Fieldwork, 2002 to 2009" (Oxbow Books, 2018).
About 75 percent of the Western Saharan territory, including most of the coastline, is controlled by Morocco, while 25 percent is controlled by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. Before 1991, the two governments were in a state of war. [See Photos of the Stone Structures in Western Sahara]
Between 2002 and 2009, archaeologists worked in the field surveying the landscape and doing a small amount of excavation in the part of Western Sahara that is controlled by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. They also investigated satellite images on Google Earth, they wrote in the book.
"Due to its history of conflict, detailed archaeological and palaeoenvironmental research in Western Sahara has been extremely limited," wrote Joanne Clarke, a senior lecturer at the University of East Anglia, and Nick Brooks, an independent researcher.
"The archaeological map of Western Sahara remains literally and figuratively almost blank as far as the wider international archaeological research community is concerned, particularly away from the Atlantic coast," wrote Clarke and Brooks, noting that people living in the area know of the stone structures, and some work has been done by Spanish researchers on rock art in Western Sahara.
Mysterious structures
The stone structures are designed in a wide variety of ways. Some are shaped like crescents, others form circles, some are in straight lines, some in rectangular shapes that look like a platform; some structures consist of rocks that have been piled up into a heap. And some of the structures use a combination of these designs. For instance, one structure has a mix of straight lines, stone circles, a platform and rock piles that altogether form a complex about 2,066 feet (630 meters) long, the archaeologists noted in the book.
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Here, a type of stone structure known as a "dolmen." Copyright Nick Brooks and Joanne Clarke
Though the archaeologists are unsure of the purpose of many of the structures, they said some of them may mark the location of graves. Little excavation has been done on the structures, and archaeologists have found few artifacts that can be dated using a radiocarbon method. Among the few excavated sites are two "tumuli" (heaps of rock) that contain human burials dating back around 1,500 years.
Research suggests that Western Sahara was once a wetter place that could sustain more animal life than it does today. Archaeologists documented rock art showing images of cattle, giraffe, oryx and Barbary sheep while environmental researchers found evidence for lakes and other water sources that dried up thousands of years ago.
Security problems
At present, security problems in the region mean that fieldwork has stopped, Clarke and Brooks told Live Science. The terrorist group al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb operates in the desert regions near Western Sahara, and in 2013 they kidnapped two Spanish aid workers at a refugee camp in Tindouf, Algeria, just across the border from Western Sahara.
While the Sahrawi people and Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic strongly oppose the terrorist group, it's extremely difficult for authorities to effectively patrol the vast desert areas where the stone structures are located, Clarke and Brooks said. This means archaeologists can't work there safely right now. This problem is not unique to Western Sahara, as the security risks posed by terrorist and extremist groups in the region mean that archaeologists can't work in much of North Africa right now, they said.
Originally published on Live Science.
WASHINGTON House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday characterized President Trump's description of "ridiculous, partisan investigations" as a threat to Democrats.
"An economic miracle is taking place in the United States, and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics, or ridiculous, partisan investigations," Trump said during his State of the Union Address Tuesday night.
The next morning, Pelosi, who has gone toe to toe with the president since Democrats took over the House last month, pushed back.
That was a threat. Presidents should not bring threats to the floor of the House," the California Democrat told a group of reporters at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.
Despite the president's remarks, House Democrats moved forward with their inquiries, as the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee said his panel will expand its Russia probe into Trump, including whether the Kremlin holds leverage over the president.
On that committee, lawmakers voted Wednesday to send more than 50 interview transcripts to special counsel Robert Mueller, who could potentially use them to pursue charges of perjury.
The committee chairman, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said the panel will deepen its investigations of Russian election interference, seeking possible links to Trump's businesses, his campaign and his administration, in an effort to provide the American public with a comprehensive account of what happened in the 2016 election.
Pelosi said congressional oversight is not the same as investigations, and "if we didn't do it, we would be delinquent in our duty."
It's a point that House majority leader, Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., also made, arguing Congress has a constitutional responsibility to both investigate and legislate .
We can chew gum and walk at the same time, Hoyer said. If it was a threat, it was unfortunate and certainly is not going to have any impact on the responsibility that the Congress has to oversee the operations of government, the honesty of government He seems to threaten everybody though. Its a pattern for him.
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When asked what Trump was specifically threatening, Pelosi said that he wasn't going to cooperate with them "unless we didn't exercise our constitutional responsibility to oversight."
"It was an all out threat. But you know what? It was a speech, it's a presentation, it's a performance," she said.
"What we're interested in is what he said about wanting to lower prescription drug prices. If he's sincere, we can find our common ground," she said.
Pelosi also insisted that a moment that has gone viral was genuine on her part.
"We must reject the politics of revenge, resistance and retribution and embrace the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise and the common good," Trump said.
That led to Pelosi standing up, reaching her arms out toward the president and clapping.
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"It wasn't sarcastic," she said.
She said at that moment she wanted Trump to know what he had said was "very welcome."
Contributing: Bart Jansen and Deborah Barfield Berry
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Exclusive: Nancy Pelosi vows 'different world' for Trump, no more 'rubber stamp' in new Congress
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Roger Stone, former confidant to President Trump, speaks to the media after appearing before the House Intelligence Committee during a closed door hearing, September 26, 2017 in Washington.
WASHINGTON The House Intelligence Committee voted Wednesday to send more than 50 interview transcripts about Russian interference in the 2016 election to special counsel Robert Mueller, who could potentially use them to pursue charges of perjury.
The vote came scarcely half a day after President Donald Trump cajoled lawmakers in his State of the Union address to end what he called "ridiculous partisan investigations." It amounted to an open invitation to Mueller to investigate the people who had testified to the committee, a list that includes the president's son Donald Trump Jr. and son-in-law Jared Kushner.
The action is the first since Democrats took control of the House in January, with Rep. Adam Schiff of California as chairman.
Schiff said in a statement on Wednesday that the panel will deepen its investigations of Russian election interference, seeking possible links to Trump's businesses, his campaign and his administration. And he said lawmakers would probe whether the Kremlin holds "leverage" over Trump.
"It is now known that, from late 2015 through early 2017, individuals close to Donald Trump engaged in a significant number of contacts with an array of individuals connected to, or working on behalf of, the Russian government, and that several of these contacts involved efforts to acquire and disseminate damaging information about Hillary Clinton and her campaign, or related to Russias desired relief from U.S. sanctions," Schiff said.
Republicans on the panel said in a statement on Wednesday that they had voted to send the transcripts to the executive branch, including Mueller, in September, so officials could review them for classified information before the committee made them public. They accused Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats of not acting quickly enough to declassify them.
President Trump has repeatedly called the Mueller investigation a "witch hunt." And on Tuesday, he used his second State of the Union address to warn newly powerful House Democrats against investigating him.
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"If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation," Trump said Tuesday in his speech.
Lying to the committee has already generated charges in the Mueller investigation.
Michael Cohen, President Donald Trumps former personal lawyer, has already pleaded guilty in November to lying to the panel about the extent of negotiations over a proposed Trump Tower in Moscow during the 2016 campaign.
Roger Stone, a longtime associate of Trump, was charged last month with lying to the committee about contacts with senior Trump campaign officials and Wikileaks, which released emails damaging to Trump's rival, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Stone has pleaded innocent, saying he did nothing wrong and that any misstatements were simple mistakes rather than lies.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: House Intelligence Committee votes to send transcripts in Russia probe to special counsel Robert Mueller
Courtesy Joe Moore
Joe Moore has battled heartburn since he was 15 years oldand he's now 66. The retired plumber of Washington Township, NJ, had watched his father battle chronic heartburn, and he knew exactly what his symptoms meant. The part he didn't realize is that his chronic heartburncalled gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERDwas leading to a deadly outcome. "I watched my father treat his symptoms with over the counter antacids and baking sodaso I did the same." As he got older his symptoms remained, often worsening after a late meal. "I would take Tums and it went away." What he didn't realize, he says, is that only the pain went awaythe digestive acid was still doing damage. Late-night eating is just one of the 8 surprising heartburn triggers you need to take seriously. It wasn't until he began experiencing a nightly occurrence of hiccups and an odd twisting sensation in his chest that Moore began wondering if something else was going on. "I knew at that point that something wasn't right," he says. Moore's primary care physician referred him to a gastrointestinal doctor for an endoscopya technician snaked a tube with a camera down his throat to check out the damage in his digestive tract. "After the endoscopy, the doctor came back to me and said, 'Joe you have stage 3 cancer." His doctor gave him a year to live. "When you hear someone say you have cancer and it's badyou think of your kids and family first. I spent the next year getting my affairs in order." Moore sought treatment at Thomas Jefferson University Medical Center in Philadelphia, by Anthony Infantolino, MD, FACP, a professor of medicine at Sidney Kimmel Medical College. "They treated me with chemotherapy for a year and then radiation for 40 days straight afterward. They were very aggressive in their treatment." Remarkably, Moore's treatment was successful, and he was deemed by doctors to be cancer-free, though he was still at high risk for reoccurrence. When his doctors suggested removing the diseased part of his esophagus, he didn't hesitate: "They gave me the option to have an esophagectomy, and I took it." He says he opted for the surgery because the cancer was certain to return. Don't miss these 23 groundbreaking cancer discoveries that could save your life. The surgery removed most of Moore's esophagus, replacing it with a tube constructed from the lining of his stomach. "I no longer have the valve that keeps food in the stomach," he says, and as a result of the drastic surgery, Moore's stomach is a quarter of the size it was. He now has to sleep sitting up, and disturbingly, he can vomit up to twenty times per week. "It's normal to me now. Life is not the samebut I'm still here. If it weren't for those hiccups, I wouldn't be."
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"Heartburn can be easily treated with medication," Dr. Infantalino tells Reader's Digest, "but that alone will not prevent esophageal cancer. A person should not just take medications for long-standing heartburn without getting checked." That goes for both over-the-counter and prescribed acid reducers, he says. "The only way to prevent esophageal cancer is to know whether the lining of the esophagus has been altered from years of acid reflux. The other ways to prevent esophageal cancer is to not smoke, avoid obesity, and drink only occasionally."
Occasional heartburn is commonmore than 15 million Americans experience symptoms daily. However, chronic heartburn can lead to GERD, a digestive disorder in which the stomach's contents wash back into the esophagus, causing damage. Left untreated like Moore's case, GERD can lead to esophageal cancer, the sixth most common cause of cancer deaths. "If a person has had heartburn at least three times a week for at least three to five years, especially if that person is a Caucasian male between 45 and 70, obese, a smoker, and has a family history of Barrett's esophagus or esophageal cancer, you should tell your doctor," Dr. Infantalino advises. Here's how to tell the difference between acid reflux, heartburn, and GERD.
For more information about the link between heartburn and cancer, visit Prevent Heartburn Cancer.
US President Donald Trump, boasting of a new style of diplomacy aimed at ending perpetual conflicts, announced Tuesday that his second summit with North Korea will take place this month in Vietnam and reported headway in talks with Afghanistan's Taliban.
Delivering his annual State of the Union address to Congress after being politically battered by a partial government shutdown, Trump hailed the fruits of his outreach to North Korea and seized on the drama of the nationally broadcast speech to reveal his long-planned second meeting with Chairman Kim Jong Un.
Trump said he would meet the elusive young leader on February 27 and 28 in Vietnam, although he did not specify the venue.
"Our hostages have come home, nuclear testing has stopped and there has not been a missile launch in 15 months," Trump told lawmakers assembled in the House chamber.
"If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea. Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong Un is a good one," he said.
Trump met Kim in June in Singapore -- the first-ever summit between leaders of the two countries that have never formally ended the 1950-53 Korean War -- months after the US leader was threatening to obliterate North Korea over its nuclear and missile tests.
Since the summit, Trump has mused that he and Kim have fallen "in love" and are ready to make history, although critics say that North Korea's promises remain vague.
The two leaders in Vietnam will need to work out the meaning of North Korea's promise in Singapore of "denuclearization," with Kim envisaging an end to all weapons in the peninsula rather than quickly giving up the arsenal built for decades by the totalitarian dynasty.
The US special envoy on North Korea, Stephen Biegun, heads Wednesday for talks in Pyongyang on preparing the summit.
Biegun last week promised that the United States would take first steps to support North Korea's badly needed economic development if it moves forward.
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Senator Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally, told Fox News after the address that Kim had sought nuclear weapons as an "insurance policy" and was responding to Trump because "he's scared."
If Trump offers an alternative of "life without nuclear weapons that is safe and secure, he'll take it," Graham said.
- Stopping 'endless wars' -
Trump, in a speech focused primarily on domestic priorities including his tough line on immigration, cast himself as a realist in the world, saying he is pursuing "a foreign policy that puts America's interests first."
"Great nations do not fight endless wars," Trump said, after his controversial orders to pull all US troops out of Syria and half of the 14,000-strong force in Afghanistan.
Trump voiced guarded hope that intensifying negotiations with Afghanistan's Taliban would end the longest-ever US war.
"My administration is holding constructive talks with a number of Afghan groups, including the Taliban," he said.
"We do not know whether we will achieve an agreement -- but we do know that after two decades of war, the hour has come to at least try for peace," he said.
US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in January held an unusually long six days of negotiations with Taliban representatives in Qatar.
While Khalilzad has stressed that much remains to discuss, the broad goal would be for the United States to pull troops from Afghanistan in return for the Taliban ensuring that foreign extremists are not based on its territory -- the reason for the US invasion after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
But the Taliban have refused to negotiate with the internationally recognized government in Kabul. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani tweeted ahead of Trump's speech that he had spoken to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who agreed on "the centrality of the Afghan government in the peace process."
- Ties Venezuela to US politics -
In contrast to Trump's frequent instincts to stay out of foreign conflicts, he has intervened forcefully in the crisis in Venezuela where he has recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as the interim president.
In his address, Trump linked Venezuela to US politics as he tried to equate liberal opponents at home with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whose leftist regime presides over a crumbling economy that has sent millions fleeing to neighboring countries.
"We are born free, and we will stay free. Tonight, we renew our resolve that America will never be a socialist country," Trump said to boisterous cheers from Republicans.
Left-leaning US lawmakers have rejected such comparisons, saying their calls for greater equality have nothing to do with the corruption and mismanagement of Venezuela.
"I say to Trump: People are not truly free when they can't afford health care, prescription drugs, or a place to live. People are not free when they cannot retire with dignity or feed their families," tweeted Senator Bernie Sanders, a self-described socialist.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is expected to release a resolution outlining the core tenets of a Green New Deal as early as this week. (Photo: Andrew Harnik/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
The Green New Deal resolution that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) are expected to release this week includes language about spurring similar efforts abroad, setting the stage for a debate on how climate change fits into Democrats foreign policy visions.
The resolution calls for the United States to promote the international exchange of technology, expertise, products, funding and services with the aim to reclaim U.S. leadership on climate change to help other countries achieve a Green New Deal, multiple sources who have seen the document confirmed to HuffPost.
The line isnt completely new. During the fight to establish a select committee on the Green New Deal in the U.S. House late last year, proponents of the policy drafted an 11-page document outlining goals that included making the United States the undisputed international leader in bringing about a global Green New Deal.
But its inclusion in the first formal effort to push a Green New Deal through Congress could spark fresh debate over how central climate change should be to a progressive foreign policy program as more Democrats declare their candidacy for president in 2020. It offers Democrats a counter-argument to President Donald Trumps stance that global efforts to deal with climate change disadvantage the United States, and it takes account of how domestic changes as sweeping as whats proposed under a Green New Deal will affect other countries.
If you look at historical precedents like the Marshall Plan, its really exciting to start thinking about how climate can be centered in a more progressive vision of foreign policy, Julian Brave NoiseCat, a policy analyst at 350.org, said by phone. Thinking of a Green New Deal, not just as strictly domestic policy but as a pillar of American foreign policy, becomes a really evocative ... idea.
Corbin Trent, a spokesman for Ocasio-Cortez, declined to comment. A spokeswoman for Markey did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
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A woman carries building materials at a construction site in the morning smog near New Delhi, India. (Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Foreign policy remains one of the big, unanswered questions about how a serious effort to decarbonize the worlds largest economy would look. Despite his historic efforts to forge the Paris Agreement in 2015, President Barack Obama pledged only $3 billion to a United Nations fund to help poor countries, those whose energy development could determine how bad climate change gets, build cleaner energy infrastructure. When Trump announced plans to withdraw from the Paris Agreement in 2017, he canceled payments on the outstanding $2 billion. Some say the unabated push for new coal-fired plants in countries such as Vietnam, for example, reflects the absence of American soft power pushing for cleaner alternatives.
But there are even bigger implications to decarbonization. Oil- and gas-producing nations like Saudi Arabia and Russia command outsize influence on the world stage in large part due to their control over the global supply of fossil fuels. Entire economies, such as that of Equatorial Guinea, are built around oil fields controlled by U.S.-based giants. And just a handful of small countries are on track to meet the already-lackluster emission reduction goals agreed to in the Paris accords.
If you are thinking about a battle of geopolitical dominance between Russia and China and the United States, you need to understand how these energy tools play into our ability to maintain influence, said Greg Carlock, who authored the think tank Data for Progresss blueprint for a Green New Deal back in September.
The progressive wing of the Democratic Party has long struggled to articulate a clear foreign policy vision, much less one that incorporates climate change as an issue. The topics were largely absent from the 2016 presidential primary, during which Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) forced a leftward thrust on a slate of domestic policy issues.
Its not sexy stuff, RL Miller, president of the political action committee Climate Hawks Vote, said of climate-focused foreign policy. It doesnt excite activists. But its very important.
But in recent months, Sanders, who is widely expected to once again declare his candidacy for the White House, has begun quietly remaking the Democrats foreign policy, as Politico reported in October. In November, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who ended last year announcing an exploratory committee for a presidential run, laid out a foreign policy vision tied to her own anti-corruption efforts. Rep. Tulsi Gabbards opposition to U.S. intervention in other countries is expected to take center stage as the Hawaii Democrats presidential campaign, launched officially last week, begins in earnest.
Theres a handful of think tanks emerging that focus specifically on a leftist vision of foreign policy, including the Democracy in Europe 2025 and the Progressive International, a group formed by Sanders allies and Greek economist Yanis Varoufakis. Last month, Ban Ki-moon, the former secretary-general of the United Nations, endorsed Democrats push for a Green New Deal, calling it a very, very good initiative.
But the resolution due out this week could offer progressive and even some mainstream Democrats a North Star as they navigate complicated questions of climate change and foreign policy going into the next election.
That kind of provision would help the United States support partner and allied nations in dealing with climate vulnerabilities, said Francesco Femia, chief executive of the nonprofit Center for Climate and Security. Anything that makes it easier and gives the U.S. more resources to support countries in strategically significant places that are vulnerable to climate change, that helps us.
Related Coverage
Vietnam Is A Test For What Happens When The U.S. Abandons Climate Diplomacy
Green New Deal Gains Key Support At Home As Trump Undercuts UN Climate Talks Abroad
Former UN Leader Ban Ki-moon Just Endorsed Democrats' Fight For A Green New Deal
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Alaska
The impacts of climate warming in Alaska are already occurring, experts have warned. Over the past 50 years, temperatures across Alaska increased by an average of 3.4F. Winter warming was even greater, rising by an average of 6.3F jeopardising its famous glaciers and frozen tundra.
Venice
The most fragile of Italian cities has been sinking for centuries. Long famous for being the city that is partially under water, sea level rise associated with global warming would have an enormous impact on Venice and the surrounding region. The Italian government has begun constructing steel gates at the entrances to the Venetian lagoon, designed to block tidal surges from flooding the city. However, these barriers may not be enough to cope with global warming.
Antarctica
The West Antarctic Peninsula is one of the fastest warming areas on Earth, with only some areas of the Arctic Circle experiencing faster rising temperatures. Over the past 50 years, temperatures in parts of the continent have jumped between 5 and 6 degrees F a rate five times faster than the global average. A 2008 report commissioned by WWF warned that if global temperatures rise 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius) above pre-industrial averages, sea ice in the Southern Ocean could shrink by 10 to 15 percent.
The Great Barrier Reef
The rapid decline of the world's coral reefs appears to be accelerating, threatening to destroy huge swathes of marine life unless dramatic action is swiftly taken, leading ocean scientists have warned. About half of the world's coral reefs have already been destroyed over the past 30 years, as climate change warms the sea and rising carbon emissions make it more acidic.
The Himalayas
The world's highest mountain range contains the planet's largest non-polar ice mass, with over 46,000 glaciers. The mammoth glaciers cross eight countries and are the source of drinking water, irrigation and hydroelectric power for roughly 1.5 billion people. And just like in Antarctica, the ice is melting.
The Maldives
An expected 2C rise in the worlds average temperatures in the next decades will impact island economies such as the Maldives with extreme weather patterns and rising sea levels.
The Alps
Over the last century, global warming has caused all Alpine glaciers to recede. Scientists predict that most of the glaciers in the Alps could be gone by 2050. Global warming will also bring about changes in rain and snowfall patterns and an increase in the frequency of extreme meteorological events, such as floods and avalanches, experts have warned.
The Arctic
The Arctic is ground zero for climate change, warming at a rate of almost twice the global average. The sea ice that is a critical component of Arctic marine ecosystems is projected to disappear in the summer within a generation.
Micronesia and Polynesia
Called the "epicenter of the current global extinction," by Conservation International, this smattering of more than 4,000 South Pacific islands is at risk from both local human activity and global climate change.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Eastern Virginia Medical School apologized Tuesday for its old racist yearbook photos amid the scandal over whether Gov. Ralph Northam is in one of them showing a white man in blackface next to another in Ku Klux Klan attire.
The Democratic Virginia governor, clinging to office despite widespread calls for resignation, now claims he is not in the 1984 picture from his alma mater yearbook, though he admitted wearing blackface during a separate instance that year. The school president, Richard Homan, held a press conference to address the scandal and the history of racism at the institution.
We are acutely hurt by the events which occurred, but it does not compare to the feelings of outrage and pain for our minority and African American community here at EVMS, Virginia and around the nation, Homan said, in video that appeared on CNN. The emotional wounds they endure are enormous.
Homan said he regretted the impact of the schools blind eye to overt racism.
I want to express my sincere apologies, particularly to the African American communities who are most injured from the pictures of the yearbooks and those pictures which have been circulated in the press over the last few days, he said. I am so sorry for the pain that has inflicted upon you.
Northam has defied calls for resignation, but admitted to a time he painted his face with shoe polish while dressing as Michael Jackson for a dance contest.
He has fallen under bipartisan criticism from Democrats and even President Donald Trump.
Related...
'Unforgivable!': Donald Trump Slams Gov. Ralph Northam Over Racist Photo
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam Ignores Calls To Resign Over Blackface Photo
Former Virginia Congressman Bemoans Gov. Northam's 'Public Shaming'
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
GlaxoSmithKline plc GSK announced that it has entered into a global strategic alliance with Germany-based Merck KGaA MKGAF to co-develop and co-commercialize the latters next-generation immunotherapy candidate, M7824 (bintrafusp alfa), which has potential in multiple difficult-to-treat cancers. The move is line with Glaxos strategy to boost its oncology pipeline.
The deal has a potential value of $4.2 billion (3.7 billion), which Glaxo will be eligible to pay to Merck KGaA in upfront and milestone payments. Per the deal terms, Glaxo will make an upfront payment of $341.7 million (300 million) to Merck KGaA and $569.5 million (500 million) in potential milestone payments related to development of the candidate in its lung cancer program. Glaxo will be eligible to pay additional $3.3 billion (2.9 billion) for future approval and commercial milestones. Moreover, the companies will equally share the cost of global development and profits on worldwide sales related to M7824.
In the past six months, Glaxos shares have underperformed the industry, falling 4.8% against a 1.1% increase for the industry.
M7824 is a novel immunotherapy and the first of its kind as it simultaneously targets two immuno-suppressive pathways transforming growth factor- (TGF-) along with the currently favorite, anti-programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1). Targeting these two pathways, which are commonly used by cancerous tumors to spread, is expected to help the candidate in restoring and enhancing anti-tumor responses. This may result in better efficacy compared to individual therapies or combinations of individual therapies. Successful development of this next-generation immunotherapy may help Glaxo to gain lead in the market targeted by checkpoints inhibitors, which already generate several billion dollars in annual sales.
Merck KGaA has eight high priority immuno-oncology clinical development studies on M7824. While some of these are ongoing, the rest will commence this year. The candidate has shown encouraging clinical anti-tumor activity in phase I studies across several difficult-to-treat cancer indications. A phase II study is comparing the candidate against U.S.-based Mercks MRK blockbuster immunotherapy, Keytruda, as first-line treatment for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
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We remind investors that Glaxo sold its oncology assets to Novartis NVS in 2015 in exchange for the latters Vaccine portfolio. In the following years, Glaxo has significantly benefited from strong growth in Vaccine sales. However, it missed the opportunity to tap into the lucrative cancer market, which also witnessed impressive growth over the past couple of years and is the most sought-after segment for pharma companies.
Moreover, Glaxos Consumer Healthcare segment is facing slowdown and pricing pressure as new entrants have increased competition in the segment. The company is also facing generic competition for key respiratory and HIV drugs in its Pharmaceuticals division.
The company is re-prioritizing its strategies to make up for the lost opportunity in the cancer market as well as offset loss in sales due to slowdown and rising competition by focusing on its oncology portfolio.
Apart from the Merck KGaA deal, the company bought TESARO, Inc. adding an interesting cancer drug, Zejula.
The company is also looking to spin off its consumer healthcare business into a separate entity in the next three years. Glaxos joint venture with Pfizer announced in December will be the worlds largest consumer healthcare business. In December 2018, it announced the sale of its Horlicks brand to London-based consumer giant Unilever. These steps were taken to enable the company focus on its pharma segment.
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BERLIN (Reuters) - The German government has reassured the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) it will stick to its plans to continue increasing military spending to reach 1.5 percent of gross domestic product by 2024 despite declining tax revenues, Der Spiegel magazine reported on Tuesday. Those plans had been called into question on Monday after a Finance Ministry document obtained by Reuters showed the government's tax revenues were likely to rise less than expected in coming years due to a slowing economy. The document showed the ministry had earmarked just 7.3 billion euros ($8.34 billion) for further defense and development aid spending through 2022, a sum seen as insufficient to allow Germany to reach the 1.5 percent target, which is already below a larger NATO target of 2 percent of GDP. Germany is under pressure from the United States and other NATO members to boost military spending to 2 percent of GDP, in line with a target agreed in 2014 by members of NATO. Der Spiegel said Germany's envoy to NATO delivered a three-page document to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday with a binding pledge to boost spending to 1.5 percent of GDP by 2024 and continue increasing it thereafter. The document did not, however, include any figures or a timetable for how Berlin will achieve the higher spending outlays, Spiegel said. It noted the German budget would have to expand to over 60 billion euros from 43.2 billion euros now to reach the targeted percentage. Military spending remains a source of great tension within Germany's ruling coalition, with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives pushing for quicker increases in defense budgets while the Social Democratic coalition partners are riding the brakes. The issue is also a major irritant in ties between Germany and the United States. Asked about the ministry document, Richard Grenell, U.S. Ambassador to Germany, on Monday urged Germany to stick to its NATO commitments. "NATO members are expected to reach their 2 percent commitment by 2024. Now is not the time to take NATO for granted or undercut it in any way," he said. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal, editing by G Crosse)
US President Donald Trump (L) faces lawmakers as he arrives to deliver the State of the Union address at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 5, 2019. (Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)
Below is President Trumps 2019 State of the Union address as prepared. The delivered remarks may differ.
~
Madam Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, the First Lady of the United States, and my fellow Americans:We meet tonight at a moment of unlimited potential.
As we begin a new Congress, I stand here ready to work with you to achieve historic breakthroughs for all Americans.
Millions of our fellow citizens are watching us now, gathered in this great chamber, hoping that we will govern not as TWO PARTIES but as ONE NATION.
The agenda I will lay out this evening is not a Republican Agenda or a Democrat Agenda.
It is the agenda of the American People.
Many of us campaigned on the same core promises: to defend American jobs and demand FAIR TRADE for American workers;
to rebuild and revitalize our nations infrastructure;
to reduce the price of healthcare and prescription drugs;
to create an immigration system that is safe, lawful, modern and secure; and to pursue a foreign policy
that puts Americas interests first.
There is a new opportunity in American politics, if only we have the courage to seize it.
Victory is not winning for our party.
Victory is winning for our COUNTRY.
This year, America will recognize two important anniversaries that show us the Majesty of Americas Mission, and the Power of American Pride.
In June, we mark 75 years since the start of what General Dwight D. Eisenhower called the Great Crusade the Allied liberation of Europe in World War II.
On D-Day, June 6th, 1944, fifteen thousand young American men jumped from the sky and sixty thousand more stormed in from the sea, to save our civilization from tyranny.
Here with us tonight are three of those heroes:
Private First Class Joseph Reilly,
Staff Sergeant Irving Locker, and
Sergeant Herman Zeitchik.
Gentlemen, we salute you.
[PAUSE]
In 2019, we also celebrate 50 years since brave young pilots flew a quarter of a million miles through space to plant the American flag on the face of the moon.
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Half a century later, we are joined by one of the Apollo 11 astronauts who planted that flag: Buzz Aldrin.
[PAUSE]
This year American astronauts will go back to space on American rockets.
In the 20th century, America saved freedom, transformed science, and redefined the middle class standard of living for the entire world to see.
Now, we must step boldly and bravely into the next chapter of this Great American Adventure, and we must create a new standard of living for the 21st century.
An amazing quality of life for all of our citizens is within our reach.
We can make our communities safer, our families stronger, our culture richer, our faith deeper, and our Middle Class bigger and more prosperous than ever before.
But we must reject the politics of revenge, resistance and retribution and embrace the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise and the common good.
Together, we can break decades of political stalemate.
We can bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions, forge new solutions, and unlock the extraordinary promise of Americas future.
The decision is ours to make.
We must choose between greatness or gridlock, results or resistance, vision or vengeance, incredible progress or pointless destruction.
Tonight, I ask you to choose GREATNESS.
Over the last two years, my administration has moved with urgency and historic speed to confront problems neglected by leaders of BOTH parties over many decades.
In just over two years since the election, we have launched an unprecedented economic boom a boom that has rarely been seen before.
We have created 5.3 million new jobs
and importantly added 600,000 new manufacturing jobs something which almost everyone said was impossible to do, but the fact is, we are just getting started.
Wages are rising at the fastest pace in decades, and growing for blue collar workers, who I promised to fight for, faster than anyone else.
Nearly 5 million Americans have been lifted off food stamps.
The U.S. economy is growing almost twice as fast today as when I took office, and we are considered far and away the hottest economy anywhere in the world.
Unemployment has reached the lowest rate in half a century.
African-American, Hispanic-American and Asian-American unemployment have all reached their lowest levels ever recorded.
Unemployment for Americans with disabilities has also reached an all-time low.
More people are working now than at any time in our history 157 million.
We passed a massive tax cut for working families and doubled the child tax credit.
We virtually ended the estate, or death, tax on small businesses, ranches, and family farms.
We eliminated the very unpopular Obamacare individual mandate penalty
and to give critically ill patients access to life-saving cures,we passed RIGHT TO TRY.
My Administration has cut more regulationsin a short time than any other administration during its
entire tenure.
Companies are coming back to our country in large numbers thanks to our historic reductions in taxes and regulations.
We have unleashed a revolution in American Energy the United States is now the number one producer of oil and natural gas in the world.
And now, for the first time in 65 years, we are a net exporter of energy.
After 24 months of rapid progress, our economy is the envy of the world, our military is the most powerful on earth, and America is winning each and every day.
Members of Congress: the State of our Union is Strong.
Our country is vibrant and our economy is thriving like never before.
On Friday, it was announced that we added another 304,000 jobs last month alone almost double what was expected.
An economic miracle is taking place in the United States and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations.
If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation.
It just doesnt work that way!
We must be united at home to defeat our adversaries abroad.
This new era of cooperation can start with finally confirming the more than 300 highly qualified nominees who are still stuck in the Senate some after years of waiting.
The Senate has failed to act on these nominations, which is unfair to the nominees and to our country.
Now is the time for bipartisan action.
Believe it or not, we have already proven that it is possible.
In the last Congress, both parties came together to pass unprecedented legislation to confront the opioid crisis, a sweeping new Farm Bill,historic VA reforms, and after four decades of rejection, we passed VA Accountability so we can finallyterminate those who mistreat our wonderful veterans.
And just weeks ago, both parties united for groundbreaking Criminal Justice Reform.
Last year, I heard through friends the story of Alice Johnson.
I was deeply moved.
In 1997, Alice was sentenced to life in prison as a first-time non-violent drug offender.
Over the next two decades, she became a prison minister, inspiring others to choose a better path.
She had a big impact on that prison population and far beyond.
Alices story underscores the disparities and unfairness that can exist in criminal sentencing and the need to remedy this injustice.
She served almost 22 years and had expected to be in prison for the rest of her life.
In June, I commuted Alices sentence when I saw Alices beautiful family greet her at the prison gates, hugging and kissing and crying and laughing, I knew I did the right thing Alice is here with us tonight.
[PAUSE]
Alice, thank you for reminding us that we always have the power to shape our own destiny.
Inspired by stories like Alices, my administration worked closely with members of both parties to sign the First Step Act into law.
This legislation reformed sentencing laws that have wrongly and disproportionately harmed the African-American community.
The First Step Act gives non-violent offenders the chance to re-enter society as productive, law-abiding citizens.
Now, states across the country are following our lead.
America is a nation that believes in redemption.
We are also joined tonight by Matthew Charlesfrom Tennessee.
In 1996, at age 30, Matthew was sentenced to 35 years for selling drugs and related offenses.
Over the next two decades, he completed more than 30 Bible studies, became a law clerk, and mentored fellow inmates.
Now, Matthew is the very first person to be released from prison under the First Step Act.
Matthew, on behalf of All Americans: WELCOME HOME.
[PAUSE]
Now, Republicans and Democrats must join forces again to confront an urgent national crisis.
Congress has 10 days left to pass a bill that will fund our government, protect our homeland, and secure our Southern Border.
Now is the time for Congress to show the world that America is committed to ending illegal immigration and putting the ruthless coyotes, cartels, drug dealers, and human traffickers OUT OF BUSINESS.
As we speak, large, organized caravans are on the march to the United States.
We have just heard that Mexican cities, in order to remove the illegal immigrants from their communities, are getting trucks and buses to bring them up to our country in areas where there is little border protection.
I have ordered another 3,750 troops to our Southern Border to prepare for the tremendous onslaught.
This is a MORAL issue.
The lawless state of our Southern Border is a threat to the safety, security and financial well-being
of all Americans.
We have a moral duty to create an immigration system that protects the lives and jobs of our citizens.
This includes our obligation to the millions of immigrants living here today, who followed the rules and respected our laws.
LEGAL immigrants enrich our nation and strengthen our society in countless ways.
I want people to come into our country, but they have to come in legally.
Tonight, I am asking you to defend our very dangerous southern border out of LOVE and DEVOTION to our fellow citizens and to our country.
No issue better illustrates the divide between Americas WORKING CLASS and Americas POLITICAL CLASS than illegal immigration.
Wealthy politicians and donors push for open borders while living their lives behind walls and gates and guards.
Meanwhile, working class Americans are left to pay the price for mass illegal migration reduced jobs, lower wages, overburdened schools and hospitals, increased crime, and a depleted social safety net.
Tolerance for illegal immigration is not compassionate it is cruel.
1 in 3 women is sexually assaulted on the long journey north.
Smugglers use migrant children as human pawns to exploit our laws and gain access to our country.
Human traffickers and sex traffickers take advantage of the wide open areas between our ports of entry to smuggle thousands of young girls and women into the United States and to sell them into prostitution and modern-day slavery.
Tens of thousands of innocent Americans are killed by lethal drugs that cross our border and flood into our cities including meth, heroin, cocaine and fentanyl.
The savage gang, MS-13, now operates in at least 20 different American states, and they almost all come through our Southern Border.
Just yesterday, an MS-13 gang member was taken into custody for a fatal shooting on a subway platform in New York City.
We are removing these gang members by the thousands, but until we secure our border theyre going to keep streaming back in.
Year after year, countless Americans are murdered by criminal illegal aliens.
Ive gotten to know many wonderful Angel Moms, Dads and families no one should ever have to suffer the horrible heartache they have endured.
Here tonight is Debra Bissell.
Just three weeks ago, Debras parents, Gerald and Sharon, were burglarized and shot to death in their Reno, Nevada home by an illegal alien.
They were in their eighties and are survived by 4 children, 11 grandchildren, and 20 great-grandchildren.
Also here tonight are Gerald and Sharons granddaughter, Heather, and great-granddaughter Madison.
To Debra, Heather, Madison, please stand:few can understand your pain.
But I will never forget, and I will fight for the memory of Gerald and Sharon, that it should never happen again.
Not one more American life should be lost because our nation failed to control its very dangerous border.
In the last two years, our brave ICE officers made 266,000 arrests of criminal aliens, including those charged or convicted of nearly 100,000 assaults, 30,000 sex crimes, and 4,000 killings.
We are joined tonight by one of those law enforcement heroes: ICE Special Agent Elvin Hernandez.
When Elvin was a boy, he and his family legally immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic.
At the age of eight, Elvin told his dad he wanted to become a Special Agent.
Today, he leads investigations into the scourge of international sex trafficking.
Elvin says: If I can make sure these young girls get their justice, Ive done my job.
Thanks to his work and that of his colleagues,more than 300 women and girls have been rescued from horror and more than 1,500 sadistic traffickers have been put behind bars.
Special Agent Hernandez please stand: We will ALWAYS support the brave men and women of Law Enforcement and I pledge to you tonight that we will NEVER Abolish our heroes from ICE.
My administration has sent to Congress a commonsense proposal to end the crisis on our Southern Border.
It includes humanitarian assistance, more law enforcement, drug detection at our ports, closing loopholes that enablechild smuggling, and plans for a new physical barrier, or wall, to secure the vast areas between our ports of entry.
This is a smart, strategic, see-through steel barrier not just a simple concrete wall.
It will be deployed in the areas identified by border agents as having the greatest need,and as these agents will tell you, where walls go up, illegal crossings go way down.
San Diego used to have the most illegal border crossings in the country.
In response, a strong security wall was put in place.
This powerful barrier almost completely ended illegal crossings.
The border city of El Paso, Texas, used to have extremely high rates of violent crime one of the highest in the country,and considered one of our nations most dangerous cities.
Now, with a powerful barrier in place, El Paso is one of our safest cities.
Simply put, WALLS WORK and WALLS SAVE LIVES.
So lets work together, compromise, and reach a deal that will truly make America SAFE.
As we work to defend our peoples safety, we must also ensure our economic resurgence continues at a rapid pace.
No one has benefitted more from our thriving economy than women, who have filled 58 percent of the new jobs created in the last year.
All Americans can be proud that we have more women in the workforce than ever before and exactly one century after Congress passed the Constitutional Amendment giving women the right to vote, we also have more women serving in Congress than ever before.
As part of our commitment to improving opportunity for women everywhere, this Thursday we are launching the first ever government-wide initiative focused on economic empowerment for women in developing countries.
To build on our incredible economic success, one priority is paramount reversing decadesof calamitous trade policies.
We are now making it clear to China that after years of targeting our industries, and stealing our intellectual property, the theft of American jobs and wealth has come to an end.
Therefore, we recently imposed tariffs on $250 billion dollars of Chinese goods and now our Treasury is receiving billions of dollars.
But I dont blame China for taking advantage of us I blame our leaders and representatives for allowing this travesty to happen.
I have great respect for President Xi, and we are now working on a new trade deal with China.
But it must include real, structural change to end unfair trade practices, reduce our chronic trade deficit, and protect American jobs.
Another historic trade blunder was the catastrophe known as NAFTA.
I have met the men and women of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, New Hampshire, and many other states whose dreams were shattered by NAFTA.
For years, politicians promised them they would negotiate for a better deal.
But no one ever TRIED until now.
Our new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement or USMCA will replace NAFTA and deliver for American workers: bringing back our manufacturing jobs, expanding American agriculture, protecting intellectual property, and ensuring that more cars are proudly stamped with the four beautiful words: MADE IN THE USA.
Tonight, I am also asking you to pass the United States Reciprocal Trade Act, so that if another country places an unfair tariff on an American product, we can charge them the exact same tariff on the same product that they sell to us.
Both parties should be able to unite for a great rebuilding of Americas crumbling infrastructure. I know that Congress is eager to pass an infrastructure bill and I am eager to work with you on legislation to deliver new and important infrastructure investment,including investments in the cutting edge industries of the future.
This is not an option.
This is a necessity.
The next major priority for me, and for all of us, should be to lower the cost of healthcare and prescription drugs and to protect patients with pre-existing conditions.
Already, as a result of my administrations efforts, in 2018 drug prices experienced their single largest decline in 46 years.
But we must do more. It is unacceptable that Americans pay vastly more than people in other countries for the exact same drugs, often made in the exact same place.
This is wrong, unfair, and together we can stop it. I am asking Congress to pass legislation that finally takes on the problem of global freeloading and delivers fairness and price transparency for American Patients.
We should also require drug companies, insurance companies,and hospitals to disclose real prices to foster competition and bring costs down.
No force in history has done more to advance the human condition than American Freedom.
In recent years we have made remarkable progress in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
Scientific breakthroughs have brought a once-distant dream within reach.
My budget will ask Democrats and Republicans to make the needed commitment
to eliminate the HIV epidemic in the United States within 10 years.
Together, we will defeat AIDS in America.
Tonight I am also asking you to join me in another fight that all Americans can get behind: the fight against childhood cancer.
Joining Melania in the gallery this evening is a very brave 10 year old girl, Grace Ee-line.
Every birthday since she was 4, Grace asked her friends to donate to St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital.
She did not know that one day she might be a patient herself.
Last year, Grace was diagnosed with brain cancer.
Immediately, she began radiation treatment.
At the same time, she rallied her community and raised more than $40,000 dollars for the fight against cancer.
When Grace completed treatment last fall, her doctors and nurses cheered with tears in their eyes as she hung up a poster that read: Last day of Keemo.
Grace you are an inspiration to us all. [PAUSE]
Many childhood cancers have not seen new therapies in decades.
My budget will ask Congress for $500 million dollars over the next 10 years to fund this critical life-saving research.
To help supportworking parents, the time has come to pass SCHOOL CHOICE for Americas children.
I am also proud to be the first President to include in my budget a plan for nationwide paid family leave so that every new parent has the chance to bond with their newborn child.
There could be no greater contrast to the beautiful image of a mother holding her infant child than the chilling displays our nation saw in recent days.
Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mothers womb moments before birth.
These are living, feeling, beautiful, babies who will never get the chance to share their love and dreams with the world.
And then, we had the case of the Governor of Virginia where he stated
he would execute a baby after birth.
To defend the dignity of every person, I am asking Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the
late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mothers womb.
Let us work together to build a culture that cherishes innocent life.
And let us reaffirm a fundamental truth: all children born and unborn are made in the holy image of God.
The final part of my agenda is to protect Americas National Security.
Over the last two years, we have begun to fully rebuild the United States Military with $700 billion dollars last year and $716 billion dollars this year.
We are also getting other nationsto pay their fair share.
For years, the United States was being treated very unfairly by NATO but now we have secured a $100 billion dollar increase in defense spending from NATO allies.
As part of our military build-up, the United States is developing a state-of-the-art Missile Defense System.
Under my Administration, we will never apologize for advancing Americas interests.
For example, decades ago the United States entered into a treaty with Russia in which we agreed to limit and reduce our missile capabilities.
While we followed the agreement to the letter, Russia repeatedly violated its terms.
That is why I announced that the United States is officially withdrawing from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, or INF Treaty.
Perhaps we can negotiate a different agreement, adding China and others, or perhaps we cant in which case,we will outspend and out-innovate all others by far.
As part of a bold new diplomacy, we continue our historic push for peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Our hostages have come home, nuclear testing has stopped, and there has not been a missile launch in 15 months.
If I had not been elected President of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea.
Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong Un is a good one.
Chairman Kim and I will meet again on February 27and 28 in Vietnam.
Two weeks ago, the United States officially recognized the legitimate government of Venezuela, and its new interim President, Juan Gwydo.
We stand with the Venezuelan people in their noble quest for freedom and we condemn the brutality of the Maduro regime, whose socialist policies have turned that nation from being the wealthiest in South America into a state of abject poverty and despair.
Here, in the United States, we are alarmed by new calls to adopt socialism in our country.
America was founded on liberty and independence not government coercion, domination and control.
We are BORN FREE, and we will STAY FREE.
Tonight, we renew our resolve that America will NEVER be a socialist country.
One of the most complex set of challenges we face is in the Middle East.
Our approach is based on principled realism not discredited theories that have failed for decades to yield progress.
For this reason, my Administration recognized the TRUE capital of Israel and proudly opened the American Embassy in Jerusalem.
Our brave troops have now been fighting in the Middle East for almost 19 years.
In Afghanistan and Iraq, nearly 7,000 American Heroes have given their lives.
More than 52,000 Americans have been badly wounded.
We have spent more than $7 trillion dollars in the Middle East.
As a candidate for President, I pledged a new approach.
Great nations do not fight endless wars.
When I took office, ISIS controlled more than 20,000 square miles in Iraq and Syria.
Today, we have liberated virtually all of that territory from the grip of these bloodthirsty killers.
Now, as we work with our allies to destroy the remnants of ISIS, it is time to give our brave warriors in Syria a warm welcome home.
I have also accelerated our negotiations to reach a political settlement in Afghanistan.
Our troops have fought with unmatched valor and thanks to their bravery, we are now able to pursue a political solution to this long and bloody conflict.
In Afghanistan, my Administration is holding constructive talks with a number of Afghan groups, including the Taliban.
As we make progress in these negotiations, we will be able to reduce our troop presence and focus on counter-terrorism.
We do not know whether we will achieve an agreement but we do know that after two decades of war, the hour has come to at least try for PEACE.
Above all, friend and foe alike must never doubt this nations power and will to defend our people.
18 years ago, terrorists attacked the USS Cole and last month American Forces killed one of the leaders of the attack.
We are honored to be joined tonight by Tom Wibberley, whose son, Navy Seaman Craig Wibberley, was one of the 17 sailors we tragically lost.
Tom: we vow to always remember the heroes of the USS Cole.
[PAUSE]
My administration has acted decisively to confront the worlds leading state sponsor of terror:
the radical regime
in Iran.
To ensure this corrupt dictatorship never acquires nuclear weapons, I withdrew the United States from the disastrous Iran nuclear deal.
And last fall, we put in place the toughest sanctions ever imposed on a country.
We will not avert our eyes from a regime that chants Death to America and threatens genocide against the Jewish People.
We must never ignore the vile poison of Anti-Semitism, or those who spread its venomous creed.
With one voice, we must confront this hatred anywhere and everywhere it occurs.
Just months ago, 11 Jewish-Americans were viciously murdered in an Anti-Semitic attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.
SWAT Officer Timothy Matson raced into the gunfire and was shot seven times chasing down the killer.
Timothy has just had his 12th surgery but he made the trip to be here with us tonight.
Officer Matson: we are forever grateful for your courage in the face of evil.
[PAUSE]
Tonight we are also joined by Pittsburgh survivor Judah Samet.
He arrived at the synagogue as the massacre began.
But not only did Judah narrowly escape death last fall more than 7 decades ago, he narrowly survived the Nazi concentration camps.
Today is Judahs 81st birthday.
Judah says he can still remember the exact moment, nearly 75 years ago, after 10 months in a concentration camp, when he and his family were put on a train, and told they were going to another camp.
Suddenly the train screeched to a halt.
A soldier appeared.
Judahs family braced for the worst.
Then, his father cried out with joy: Its the AMERICANS.
A second Holocaust survivor who is here tonight, Joshua Kaufman, was a prisoner at Dachau [Dah-kow] Concentration Camp.
He remembers watching through a hole in the wall of a cattle car as American soldiers rolled in with tanks.
To me, Joshua recalls, the American soldiers were proof that God exists, and they came down from the sky.
I began this evening by honoring three soldiers who fought on D-Day in the Second World War.
One of them was Herman Zeitchick.
But there is more to Hermans story.
A year after he stormed the Beaches of Normandy, Herman was one of those American Soldiers who helped liberate Dachau [Dah-kow].
He was one of the Americans who helped rescue Joshua from that hell on earth.
Almost 75 years later, Herman and Joshua are both together in the gallery tonight seated side-by-side, here in the home of American Freedom.
Herman and Joshua: your presence this evening honors and uplifts our entire nation.
[PAUSE]
When American soldiers set out beneath the dark skies over the English Channel in the early hours of D-Day, 1944, they were just young men of 18 and 19, hurtling on fragile landing craft toward the most momentous battle in the history of war.
They did not know if they would survive the hour.
They did not know if they would grow old.
But they knew that America had to prevail.
Their cause was this nation, and generations yet unborn.
Why did they do it?
They did it for AMERICA they did it for us.
Everything that has come since our triumph over communism, our giant leaps of science and discovery, our unrivaled progress toward equality and justice ALL of it is possible thanks to the blood and tears and courage and vision of the Americans who came before.
Think of this Capitol think of this very Chamber, where lawmakers before you voted to end slavery, to build the railroads and the highways, to defeat fascism, to secure Civil Rights, to face down an evil empire.
Here tonight we have legislators from across this magnificent Republic.
You have come from the rocky shores of Maine and the volcanic peaks of Hawaii; from the snowy woods of Wisconsin and the red deserts of Arizona; from the green farms of Kentucky and the golden beaches of California.
Together, we represent the most extraordinary nation in all of history.
What will we do with this moment?
How will we be remembered?
I ask the men and women of this Congress: Look at the opportunities before us!
Our most thrilling achievements are still ahead.
Our most exciting journeys still await.
Our biggest victories are still to come.
We have not yet BEGUN TO DREAM.
We must choose whether we are defined by our differences or whether we dare to transcend them.
We must choose whether we squander our inheritance or whether we proudly declare that WE ARE AMERICANS:
We do the incredible.
We defy the impossible.
We conquer the unknown.
This is the time to re-ignite the American Imagination.
This is the time to search for the tallest summit, and set our sights on the brightest star.
This is the time to rekindle the bonds of love and loyalty and memory that link us together as citizens, as neighbors, as patriots.
This is our future our fate and our choice to make.
I am asking you to CHOOSE GREATNESS.
No matter the trials we face, no matter the challenges to come, we must go forward together.
We must keep America FIRST in our hearts.
We must keep Freedom alive in our souls.
And we must always keep FAITH in Americas Destiny that One Nation, Under God, must be the HOPE and the PROMISE and the LIGHT and the GLORY among all the nations of the world!
Thank you. God Bless You, God Bless America, and Goodnight!
**END**
Paris (AFP) - The French foreign ministry on Wednesday denounced as "unacceptable" a meeting between Italy's Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio and France's "yellow vest" anti-government protesters.
"This new provocation is unacceptable between neighbouring countries and partners at the heart of the European Union," a ministry spokesman said in a statement a day after Di Maio met the protesters on French soil.
"Mr Di Maio, who has governmental responsibilities, should ensure that he does not impair with its repeated interferences our bilateral relations, in the interest of both France and Italy," the spokesman said.
Di Maio, head of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S), announced Tuesday he had met near Paris with yellow vest leader Christophe Chalencon and Ingrid Levavasseur, who is heading a yellow vest list for European Parliament elections in May.
He invited them and other yellow vests to a follow-up meeting in Rome, claiming on Twitter that "The wind of change has crossed the Alps."
Tensions have flared between the two countries since the Five Star Movement and far-right League party came to power in a coalition in Italy last June.
Di Maio had already drawn Paris's ire after he accused France of fuelling the migrant influx to Europe by continuing to "colonise" Africa.
That prompted France to summon Italy's ambassador in protest.
And De Maio's fellow deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini, has lambasted President Emmanuel Macron directly by saying he is "close, with all my heart... to the French people, the millions of men and women who live in France under a terrible government and terrible president".
The "yellow vest" protests against fuel taxes began in rural and small-town France in late November, before ballooning into a wider revolt against Macron's policies and governing style.
The French president is hoping to forge an alliance of pro-European centrists ahead of the bloc's parliamentary vote, against a wave of populist movements in several European countries.
Mexico City (AFP) - As US President Donald Trump gives his State of the Union address Tuesday -- sure to include calls to build his long-sought border wall -- here are a few fast facts on the migrant caravans crossing Mexico.
- How many are there? -
There are currently two main groups of Central American migrants crossing Mexico in caravans: one at the US-Mexican border and one in the south.
They comprise around 5,500 migrants in all -- 1,700 at the northern border and 3,800 in the south, according to Mexican authorities and migrant rights activists.
- Where are they? -
Most of the northern caravan arrived Tuesday in the city of Piedras Negras, Coahuila, across the border from Eagle Pass, Texas.
The southern caravan is in the state of Chiapas, which borders Guatemala. Its members still have some 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) to go to reach the US border, depending on what route they take.
- How did they get there? -
Both caravans started in Honduras and picked up groups of migrants from Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua along the way.
They arrived in Mexico on January 15, considerably larger than they are now.
Around 2,500 members of the original groups accepted an offer from the Mexican government of humanitarian visas that allow them to live and work in Mexico for a year.
The remaining migrants have mostly been walking and hitchhiking, though local authorities and charitable groups have provided buses on occasion, enabling them to pick up their pace dramatically.
- The caravan trend -
Several thousand Central Americans have trekked across Mexico by caravan since last year, fleeing poverty and violence in their home countries and traveling together for protection against Mexican gangs that prey on migrants.
The first caravan to catch Trump's attention began in March last year, the "Migrant Way of the Cross," which swelled to around 1,000 people at its height.
Activists have in fact organized such caravans every year around Easter for a decade to draw attention to the plight of migrants.
Story continues
Little did they realize how much attention they would get this time: Trump attacked the group regularly on Twitter and announced he was deploying thousands of troops to the border to stop it.
- 'Remain in Mexico' -
That caravan has been followed by others.
The largest, which started in October, grew to around 7,000 people at its height and traveled to the border city of Tijuana, across from San Diego, California.
Trump likewise called that caravan an "invasion" by "criminals" and "thugs," and deployed thousands of troops to the border.
US Border Patrol agents fought back two attempts to rush the border by hundreds of migrants from that caravan, firing tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse them.
Some have since found work in Mexico, some crossed the border and filed asylum claims, and many returned home. Less than 600 now remain in Tijuana, according to activists.
In a major shift, the Trump administration began returning Central American asylum-seekers to Mexico last week to await their court dates, a policy the president called "Remain in Mexico."
The whole country is counting down to Brexit day on March 29 but the actual deadline will arrive a lot sooner than that.
Speaking to the Business Select Committee, Business Secretary Greg Clark said the real deadline for Brexit is in just over a week on February 15.
Mr Clark explained that firms that export goods to countries such as Japan have just days to decide on future trading arrangements rather than waiting for the official date at the end of March.
The real Brexit deadline comes before the official March 29th date (Getty)
Business Secretary Greg Clark agreed that firms will need to make decisions about whether to send goods to Japan by sea in the next couple of weeks (Getty)
Rachel Reeves, who chairs the Business Select Committee, told the minister that for firms exporting to Japan, the real deadline is February 15 because it takes up to six weeks for goods to arrive.
When pressed on the issue, Mr Clark agreed that firms will need to make decisions about whether to send goods to Japan by sea in the next couple of weeks.
He told MPs: It is one of the reasons why Ive been very outspoken in saying that we should not regard the 29th of March or the 28th of March as the time that we should be prepared to take to conclude a deal.
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People often say these things are done at the last minute the last minute for important exporters is fast approaching over the next few days and weeks.
The Business Secretary said engineering firms exporting to Japan had warned him they would need six weeks notice of any new trading arrangements.
Ms Reeves said February 15 is a crucial day for exporters.
A no-deal Brexit looks more and more likely by the day (Getty)
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Mr Clark said warnings from motor companies about the impact on their UK business of no deal showed the importance of Parliament making a decision to end the uncertainty.
He would be a vigorous proponent of the Governments policy of trying to strike a deal, adding: I think its obvious to everyone that, if it were ever to be the policy of the Government, as a matter of policy, to leave the European Union (without a deal), there would be many people on all sides of the House that would regard that as unacceptable.
Story continues
Alex Chisholm, permanent secretary at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, revealed there were 1,235 staff in the department working on Brexit, including 900 taken on specifically to deal with the UK leaving the EU.
Theresa May is still battling to get her Brexit deal through Westminster (Getty)
The department was originally allocated 185 million to work on Brexit, later adjusted to 139 million.
He told MPs some work had been pushed back because of Brexit, including the role hydrogen could play in the future economy.
Prime Minister Theresa May is attempting to find a solution to the controversial Irish backstop in her EU deal so that it can finally be passed by Westminster.
Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK
Gwendoline Christie, Chloe Sevigny, Poppy Delevingne, Pixie Geldof and Alexa Chung at the Miu Miu February 2019 show during Paris Fashion Week [Photo: Getty]
Fashion Week doesnt just serve up next seasons sartorial trends; it also offers a glimpse of some of the worlds most famous and fabulous celebrities.
Twice a year, every year, the A-list circuit begins Fashion Week in New York City before flying across the pond to London.
Milan Fashion Week is next before the fashion festivities conclude for the month in Paris.
Each season, actors, musicians, models and influencers sit alongside the worlds most lauded fashion editors and buyers, no doubt picking out the outfits they would love to take to the red carpet in.
This season, American label Rodarte hosted a pre-NYFW show in California. Brie Larson, Diane Keaton, Dakota Fanning and Big Little Lies star Shaliene Woodley were among the famous faces in attendance.
Over in London, the likes of Pixie Geldof, Nick Grimshaw and Daisy Lowe cheered on pal Alexa Chung from the FROW. While Victoria Beckhams A-list family were out in full force for the designers second London Fashion Week show.
Then when the fashion elite flocked to Milan, our newfound style muse Lucy Boynton served up 70s vibes at Gucci while Jared Leto proved hes one of the best dressed men in Hollywood.
But it was Chanel that stole the spotlight at Paris Fashion Week with original supers, Naomi Campbell and Claudia Schiffer, sitting front row.
Scroll to see all the celebrities in attendance at Fashion Week this month.
Vanessa Tyson released a statement Wednesday describing for the first time in graphic detail the sexual assault she alleges she suffered at the hands of Virginia lieutenant governor Justin Fairfax.
Tyson, an associate professor of politics at Scripps College in California, claims Fairfax lured her to his hotel room during the Democratic National Convention in Boston in 2004 and, once she was there, forced her to perform oral sex on him against her will a charge Fairfax has vigorously and repeatedly denied:
I stood in the entryway of the room and after he located the documents, he walked over and kissed me. Although surprised by his advance, it was not unwelcome and I kissed him back. He then took my hand and pulled me towards the bed. I was fully clothed in a pantsuit and had no intention of taking my clothes off or engaging in sexual activity. In the back of my mind, I also knew I needed to return to Convention headquarters. What began as consensual kissing quickly turned into a sexual assault. Mr. Fairfax put his hand behind my neck and forcefully pushed my head towards his crotch. Only then did I realize that he had unbuckled his belt, unzipped his pants, and taken out his penis. He then forced his penis into my mouth. Utterly shocked and terrified, I tried to move my head away, but could not because his hand was holding down my neck and he was much stronger than me. As I cried and gagged, Mr. Fairfax forced me to perform oral sex on him. I cannot believe, given my obvious distress, that Mr. Fairfax thought this forced sexual act was consensual. To be very clear, I did not want to engage in oral sex with Mr. Fairfax and I never gave any form of consent. Quite the opposite. I consciously avoided Mr. Fairfax for the remainder of the Convention and I never spoke to him again.
Tysons statement was issued by Katz Marshall & Banks, the same D.C.-based law firm that represented Christine Blasey Ford in her allegations against then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
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Fairfax first denied the allegation early Monday morning, just hours after Tyson described on Facebook being sexually assaulted by a politician who fit his description. In his statement, Fairfax claimed the encounter was consensual and cited the Washington Posts inability to corroborate, and refusal to publish, Tysons account as evidence that he was telling the truth.
Tyson explained in the statement that she was motivated to publicize the allegation after learning over the weekend that Fairfax would likely succeed Ralph Northam as governor of Virginia in the coming days. Northam faced near-unanimous calls to resign from national and state Democrats after a racist photo featured in his 1984 medical-school yearbook emerged last Friday. He has denied appearing in the photo and has thus far refused to step down.
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Bombardier said it was pleased with the European Commisions decision to prohibit the Siemens-Alstom merger. (Canadian Press)
The European Commissions decision to prohibit the blockbuster merger of two European rail giants could end up being positive for Bombardier Inc., according to some analysts.
On Wednesday, the European Commission blocked the proposed merger between Germanys Siemens AG and Frances Alstom SA, saying the two companies were unwilling to address serious competition concerns.
Without sufficient remedies, this merger would have resulted in higher prices for the signalling systems that keep passengers safe and for the next generations of very high-speed trains, Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a statement.
The decision was met with disappointment from Siemens, Alstom and the French and German governments but applauded by Bombardier.
Bombardier released a statement Wednesday that said the company was pleased that the European Commission prohibited the merger.
The Commission has been clear that the proposed merger failed to meet the requirements of European Union competition law, Daniel Desjardins, the companys senior vice president and general council, said in a statement.
It would have severely undermined the health and competitiveness of the whole European rail market, leaving European consumers, both as rail users and taxpayers, to pay the price.
Siemens and Alstom had announced last September that they planned on merging rail operations in an effort to compete with China Rail Construction Corporation (CRCC), a Chinese-government supported rail company that is seen as a threat to the established players in the rail industry. Siemens had initially been eyeing Bombardier as a potential partner, but negotiations seemingly fell apart and it instead opted to go with Alstom.
While Bombardier has repeatedly dismissed any concerns related to the merger, many analysts questioned how it would impact the companys ability to compete on future projects. Siemens and Alstom would have had combined revenues of about $22.5 billion, while Bombardiers transportation division brought in $8.5 billion in revenues in 2017.
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I think a merger would have made things more challenging for Bombardier with winning signalling business, because Siemens and Alstom would have been a pretty dominant player there, said National Bank of Canada analyst Cameron Doerksen.
So I would view it as positive for Bombardier.
Germanys Berenberg Bank said in a note that the failed deal could put a separate deal between Alstom and Bombardier back in play, according to a Reuters report. A tie-up with Bombardiers transportation business could be an interesting alternative that Alstom should explore, the analysts said.
But AltaCorp Capital analyst Chris Murray doesnt see anything imminent on the horizon in terms of rail mergers.
Bombardier is very well positioned to be a participant in any kind of consolidation that happens, but that being said, I dont think there is anything imminent or anything immediate that needs to happen, he said.
Would a different combination, potentially one involving Bombardier, be more palatable to the European Unions competition commissioner? Its hard to say.
Bombardiers stock closed at $2.05 on Wednesday, an increase of 6.22 per cent.
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(Reuters) - Opposition leader Juan Guaido on Wednesday swore himself in as Venezuela's rightful commander-in-chief in direct challenge to President Nicolas Maduro, who faces growing international criticism for undermining democracy. Like many in the opposition and international community, Guaido says the May 2018 vote in which Maduro won a second term was fraudulent and he has called for new elections. Guaido, who a decade ago participated in protests against late socialist leader Hugo Chavez, is promising a transition to a new government through free and fair elections and an amnesty for military officers who disavow Maduro. Below is a summary of the support enjoyed by each leader. MADURO - The top brass of Venezuela's military has shown no sign of leaving Maduro's side. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino reaffirmed support for Maduro in a tweet on Wednesday, saying Venezuela's armed forces disavowed any self-proclaimed president. - The Supreme Court, stacked with Maduro loyalists, has remained solidly behind the socialist leader, ruling earlier this week that all actions taken by the congress - led by Guaido - are null and void. - State oil company PDVSA [PDVSA.UL], which accounts for most of Venezuela's export earnings, stood by Maduro. "We have no other president" besides Maduro, PDVSA President and Oil Minister Manuel Quevedo, a career military officer, said in a Wednesday statement. - A few left-leaning governments in the region, including Cuba and Bolivia, continue to back Maduro. Mexico, where leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador took office last year, has dropped the previous government's opposition to Maduro and said it will follow a policy of non-intervention. GUAIDO - The United States recognized Guaido shortly after he proclaimed himself president on Wednesday, saying it would use its "economic and diplomatic power" to restore democracy in Venezuela. - Numerous right-leaning Latin American governments, including Brazil, Colombia and Argentina, also recognized Guaido. - There are some signs that support for the opposition is expanding beyond its traditional middle- and upper-class areas. Several protests against Maduro have broken out in working-class neighborhoods and slums this week. - Some low-ranking military officers have expressed discontent with the government. The government on Monday said it suppressed a military revolt after a group of officers stole weapons, kidnapped officers, and demanded Maduro's removal. (Reporting by Brian Ellsworth and Luc Cohen, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
(Reuters) - A slew of European nations this week joined the United States and other Western countries in recognizing opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's legitimate head of state, heightening a global showdown over Nicolas Maduro's rule. Guaido says the May 2018 vote in which Maduro won a second term was a sham and on Jan. 23 invoked a constitutional provision to declare himself president, promising free and fair elections. The 35-year-old has since won the support of many western nations although powerful countries such as Russia, China and Turkey continue to back Maduro and denounce what they call foreign meddling in Venezuela's domestic affairs. Below is a summary of the support enjoyed by each leader. MADURO - The top brass of Venezuela's military has shown no sign of leaving Maduro's side. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino has said Venezuela's armed forces disavow any self-proclaimed president. - Russia and China, which are major investors in Venezuela's oil industry and significant creditors to the indebted government, have stood by Maduro and criticized U.S. interference. The two blocked a push for the United Nations Security Council to back Guaido. - Turkey has also backed Maduro in contrast with its NATO allies while Iran has accused the United States of seeking "world hegemony." - The Venezuelan Supreme Court, stacked with Maduro loyalists, has remained solidly behind the socialist leader, ruling last month that all actions taken by the congress - led by Guaido - are null and void. - State oil company PDVSA, which accounts for most of Venezuela's export earnings, stood by Maduro. PDVSA President and Oil Minister Manuel Quevedo, a career military officer, said on Jan. 31 that Guaido was "a puppet" of the United States. - A few left-leaning governments in the region, including Cuba, Bolivia and Nicaragua, continue to back Maduro. Mexico, where leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador took office last year, has dropped the previous government's opposition to Maduro and said it will follow a policy of non-intervention. - Both Mexico and Uruguay have called for dialogue between Venezuela's government and opposition for a resolution to the South American country's political crisis. GUAIDO - The United States recognized Guaido shortly after he proclaimed himself president, saying it would use its "economic and diplomatic power" to restore democracy in Venezuela. - Numerous right-leaning Latin American governments, including Brazil, Colombia and Argentina, also recognized Guaido shortly thereafter. - Britain, Germany, France and Spain and more than a dozen other members of the European Union recognized Guaido in a coordinated action on Feb. 4 following the expiration of an ultimatum they gave for Maduro to call a new presidential election. - Australia, Canada, Israel and Morocco also recognize the young leader. - There are some signs that support for the opposition is expanding beyond its traditional middle- and upper-class areas. Several protests against Maduro broke out in working-class neighborhoods last month, while many former Chavez and Maduro supporters have come out to opposition marches in the last 10 days. - Some low-ranking military officers have expressed discontent with the government. The government on Jan. 21 said it suppressed a military revolt after a group of officers stole weapons, kidnapped officers, and demanded Maduro's removal. - Air Force General Francisco Yanez became the first active general to openly recognize Guaido in a video that circulated on Feb. 2, although skeptics note Maduro had inflated the ranks of generals to as many as 2,000 during his rule. - Yanez's defection came after that of Venezuela's top military envoy to the United States a week earlier. (Reporting by Brian Ellsworth, Luc Cohen and Sarah Marsh; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien and Lisa Shumaker)
By Marianna Parraga
(Reuters) - Venezuela's state-run company oil company, PDVSA, hit by U.S. sanctions on Monday, ordered customers with tankers waiting to load Venezuelan crude bound for the United States to pay for the cargoes before they depart, three sources with knowledge of the decision told Reuters.
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, in a move aimed at limiting embattled President Nicolas Maduro's access to oil revenues, stopped PDVSA from collecting the proceeds of oil exported to U.S. customers, while freezing assets of PDVSA's units, including U.S. refining arm Citgo Petroleum Corp.
Maduro, whose authority is being challenged by the self-proclaimed president and head of the congress, Juan Guaido, said earlier his government would start legal action to protect Citgo. He did not mention if PDVSA planned changes to its exports.
"They are not allowing tankers bound for Valero, Citgo and Chevron to leave Venezuelan ports if not prepaid," a PDVSA source said, referring to a decision by the company's trade and supply division.
Venezuela exports about 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude to the United States. Citgo, Valero Energy Corp and Chevron Corp are the three largest buyers of Venezuelan crude in the United States.
Valero said it planned to "comply with the sanctions" and diversify oil purchases to reduce the impact on its business.
"Valero will continue to support the Administration and will provide officials with relevant information that will help the U.S. refining system to function efficiently," it said in a statement.
Refining firm Phillips 66, another buyer of Venezuelan oil until last year, said it expected to be able to obtain alternative crude grades and "mitigate any disruption in crude supply for our operations."
Traders and shippers with tankers anchored around Venezuelan ports said they saw no clear way for U.S. customers to pay for Venezuelan crude after sanctions, even if payments are intended to be made before loading.
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According to the new sanctions, any proceeds from Venezuelan crude exported to U.S. companies will stay in special bank accounts in the United States.
The trading sources said they feared the European Union may follow with similar measures freezing PDVSA's accounts in Europe.
Several years ago, PDVSA moved its bank accounts that receive money from oil exports mainly to China. It also has accounts in Europe. But U.S. firms willing to transfer money to those foreign accounts still need to find correspondent banks in the United States willing to authorize the transactions, which is difficult because of sanctions.
(Reporting by Marianna Parraga in Mexico City; Editing by David Gaffen and Peter Cooney)
Paris (AFP) - The European Union's veto of an Alstom-Siemens rail merger has revived debate over competition regulations that some say are obsolete in the face of growing rivalry from Chinese giants.
The proposed tie-up, announced in 2017, had been billed as the birth of an all-too-rare European industrial champion -- a "Railbus" to match Airbus, Europe's aviation giant that competes toe-to-toe with US-rival Boeing.
But, after months of investigation and a rejected offer of concessions from the companies, the European Commission on Wednesday blocked the merger between the French and German firms.
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe quickly slammed the EU's "bad decision", saying its take on competition is "wild" and "a very outdated idea of the law".
France's Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire had already warned that an EU veto only "served China's economic interests".
German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier meanwhile said Berlin and Paris would jointly propose changes to EU rules that have riled both countries.
- Paris and Berlin plan changes-
The merger had hoped to create a European rail group able to compete worldwide with the industry leader, the China Railroad Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC).
Altmaier has called for industrial policies that would help European companies compete on an equal footing with international rivals.
"Aren't there areas such as aviation, railways and banks where we should take the global market as a reference rather than the European one?" he asked on Tuesday.
EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager, who announced the veto, does not contest the need for so-called European champions, but says her priority is to respect established regulations.
"To be competitive abroad requires competition at home," Vestager argued in a note to fellow EU commissioners who discussed the issue earlier this week.
Le Maire disagreed, warning that "if we fail to see the world as it is, we risk finding ourselves at a loss in a few years".
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He and Altmaier plan to present propositions in the coming weeks "to revamp competition rules and allow us a much more ambitious industrial policy with respect to our US and Chinese competitors," Le Maire said.
The French rail group needed to shore up its position and Paris would consider other "merger options" because Alstom "must consolidate" its situation, Le Maire said.
Meanwhile, beyond using global markets as a reference, the French minister suggested that European heads of state have a say so that EU rulings "are not just technical decisions".
- Not a world of teddy bears -
Industrialists took a similar stance.
"In this world, which is not one of teddy bears, the balance of power exists," Michelin and Renault boss Jean-Dominique Senard told a finance forum Tuesday.
"It would be healthy if the current dialogue was not purely Chinese-American," he said.
"Europe must develop a political force that will naturally be an economic force" as well, Senard added.
Siemens chief executive Joe Kaeser argued that the EU "urgently needs structural reform."
"Protecting customer interests locally must not mean that Europe cannot be on a level playing field with leading nations like China, the United States and others," he added.
Germany's industrial federation BDE last month called for Europe to stand up to Chinese pressure and adapt competition law.
In November 2018, EU members agreed on a framework to control foreign investment in strategic sectors, much of which is Chinese.
But the competition issue divides Europeans, with some calling for strict application of accepted rules while others would like to adapt them to protect that which is "made in Europe".
The European Commission is inclined to support competition regulations such as those used to justify the Alstom-Siemens veto, with one high-level civil servant noting that "not doing so might come back to haunt Europeans."
EU control over the consequences of US mergers in Europe were a case in point, the civil servant noted.
Since 1989, the EU's executive branch has the power of veto against proposed mergers, but it has rarely used it.
In more than 30 years, more than 6,000 mergers have been approved and less than 30 blocked.
Brussels (AFP) - The EU's powerful anti-trust regulator vetoed the merger of the Siemens-Alstom rail businesses on Wednesday, drawing the bitter fury of France.
The tie-up, announced to great fanfare in 2017, had been hailed as the birth of a much-needed European industrial champion, a "Railbus" on par with Europe's aviation giant Airbus, to face down competition from China.
But, after months of investigation and a rejected offer of concessions from the companies, the European Commission in a rare move blocked the hook-up of Germany's Siemens and France's Alstom.
"The Commission prohibited the merger because the companies were not willing to address our serious competition concerns," EU Competition Commissioner Margarethe Vestager told a news briefing.
"Without sufficient remedies, this merger would have resulted in higher prices for the signalling systems that keep passengers safe and for the next generations of very high-speed trains."
The refusal brought consternation in Paris, where ministers had lobbied hard for the tie-up, seeing it as a necessary defence to compete against China's state-backed CRRC.
- French outrage -
Vestager's take on competition is "wild" and "a very outdated idea of the law", thundered French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe in parliament.
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire termed the refusal "an economic mistake" that "will serve the interests of China," while junior minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher said Brussels had "lost the plot".
Siemens chief executive Joe Kaeser also blasted the EU, saying the veto shows the bloc "urgently" needs reform.
Alstom said the decision was "a clear set-back for industry in Europe" and the quest to merge the companies was now over.
"My conviction is that whatever we proposed, the answer would have been no," said CEO Henri Poupart-Lafarge.
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The red light from Brussels will leave a political scar on Vestager in the eyes of France and Germany after years of her being seen as an EU rising star.
Vestager was hailed as a European hero after taking on US tech giants Google, Facebook and Apple, which she ordered in 2016 to pay 13 billion euros in back taxes.
Vestager defended her decision to veto the merger, saying that smaller EU nations and not only the "very vocal" were being heard.
"Of course the interest has been very high for France and Germany but there are still another 26 other member states which have interest in the market," she said.
- 'Backwards-looking technocrats' -
Brussels believes the alliance would crush smaller groups and hike prices for railways, with the merged firm in a commanding position for selling signalling equipment and high-speed trains.
Competition authorities in Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain have all firmly backed Vestager, afraid of increased costs for their national railways.
But backers of the tie-up wanted Vestager to look beyond Europe to the rise of CRRC, itself born of a merger of Chinese companies, before it is too late.
"Aren't there areas such as aviation, railways, banks where you have to take the global market as a reference rather than the European one?" pleaded German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Altmaier said Paris and Berlin will jointly propose changes to EU competition rules to respond to growing rivalry from global giants.
Caught in a political firestorm, commission head Jean-Claude Juncker has defended the EU's competition policy, pointing a finger on Tuesday at those "who are saying that the commission is composed of blind, stupid, stubborn technocrats."
Juncker appeared to be hitting back at Siemens chief Kaeser, who last week complained that "backwards-looking technocrats" would thwart a strategic merger for Europe.
"We will never play politics or play favourites when it comes to ensuring a level playing field," Juncker said.
The merger proposal was to create a rail behemoth with operations in 60 countries and annual turnover of 15.6 billion euros ($17.8 billion).
CRRC's annual revenues of 26 billion euros alone outweigh the three Western heavyweights Bombardier, Siemens and Alstom, each of which brings in around eight billion a year.
The former club of Emiliano Sala are demanding his transfer fee after the strikers tragic disappearance, according to reports.
Nantes, who play in Frances top division, sold Sala to Premier League strugglers Cardiff in January for a fee reported to be 15million although the fee is reported to be spread out over three years.
But the Bluebirds club-record signing was on the plane which went missing over the English Channel on January 21, alongside pilot Dave Ibbotson.
READ MORE: Father of Emiliano Sala desperate after plane wreckage found
READ MORE: Emotional Cardiff pay tribute to Emiliano Sala as Bluebirds beat Bournemouth
Emiliano Sala (Getty Images)
And BBC Wales are reporting the Ligue 1 club are demanding the payment for the 28-year-old Argentine forward after the first scheduled instalment was withheld.
The outlet reports Nantes will consider legal action if they are not paid within 10 days, although Cardiff are said to be keen to clarify all the facts before honouring the deal.
The striker and pilot were on board the Piper Malibu N264DB aircraft which went missing more than two weeks ago between Nantes and Cardiff.
A recovery crew eventually found the aircraft in the ocean, with a body said to be visible in the wreckage.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., listens during a rally for airport workers affected by the government shutdown at Boston Logan International Airport on Jan. 21, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts.
WASHINGTON Presidential hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren is facing further fallout from her past self-identification as Native American after the Washington Post on Tuesday published a copy of her 1986 State Bar of Texas registration card on which she listed her race as "American Indian."
The Post said it obtained the document, which was filled out by hand and signed, through an open records request, and that the Massachusetts Democrat's office did not question its authenticity. It is dated April 18, 1986.
According to the Post, it is the first record from Warren's past where she made her claim of Native American heritage in her own handwriting, which proves she was directly responsible for the dubious identification. Warren had previously declined to answer if she or an assistant had filled out the forms where she made the claim.
"I cant go back," Warren told the Post. "But I am sorry for furthering confusion on tribal sovereignty and tribal citizenship and harm that resulted."
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Last week, Warren met privately with the chief of the Cherokee Nation to apologize for identifying herself as Native American. She reportedly met primarily to express her regret for her October release of a DNA test she tried to use to establish the legitimacy of her claim.
The Post asked her if her apology was meant to include identifying herself as Native American at the University of Pennsylvania and at Harvard University, as well as marking herself as a minority with the Association of American Law Schools.
"Yes," she said. "I told him I was sorry for furthering confusion about tribal citizenship.
"I am also sorry for not being more mindful about this decades ago," she added.
President Donald Trump has long mocked Warren's claims of Cherokee blood, referring to her as "Pocahontas" in tweets and speeches. That label, and other taunts of Warren rooted in Native American stereotypes, have been criticized as racist.
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Trump has said for months that he hopes Warren wins the Democratic nomination in 2020 because he thinks he could hammer her on the race issue.
"We can finally get down to the fact as to whether or not she has Indian blood," he said at a rally in October. "And she's gotten a lot of advantages by falsely claiming what she's claiming."
Trump and other conservatives have accused Warren of using her claim of minority status to benefit her in her academic and professional life.
But after a review of her personnel files from the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard, and more than 100 interviews, The Boston Globe concluded in September that, "It is clear that Warren was viewed as a white woman by the hiring committees at every institution that employed her."
It was not until after she was hired that Warren changed her ethnicity from white to Native American at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she worked from 1987 to 1995, the Globe reported.
Similarly, she changed her ethnicity in Harvard's human resources system four months after she began working there as a tenured professor in 1995. The Ivy League institution identified Warren as Native American on federal affirmative action forms every year until 2004, according to the Post.
In 1986, Warren also began registering herself as a minority with the Association of American Law Schools. She continued to do so through 1995, the Post reported.
Warren had hoped that the unveiling of her DNA test would put the matter behind her. But instead the test which showed she did have American Indian ancestry but that it dated back at least six generations only drew her more mockery from her critics, while simultaneously outraging representatives of the Cherokee Nation.
The issue could damage Warren's 2020 chances if it is perceived as a liability that could make her a weaker candidate to take on Trump, even among Democrats who like her policies. A recent Monmouth University poll found that 57 percent of registered Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents would rather vote for a candidate they don't agree with, but who can beat Trump, than a candidate they agree with who would have a tough time in the general election.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Elizabeth Warren wrote 'American Indian' for race on 1986 bar registration, report says
By Dan Whitcomb (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic presidential contender Elizabeth Warren identified herself as an "American Indian" in hand-writing on her 1986 registration card for the State Bar of Texas, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday. The disclosure marks the latest twist in a controversy surrounding Warren and her claims to Native American ancestry as she raises money and hires staff ahead of an expected formal launch to her 2020 campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. The yellow registration card, which is dated April 1986, was filled out in blue ink and signed by Warren, the Post reported. A photograph of the card posted online by the newspaper shows that Warren listed the university and law school she attended. On a line listed for race Warren wrote "American Indian." The Post reported that Warren apologized during an interview for identifying herself as a Native American. The paper said her office did not dispute the card's authenticity. Reuters reporters have not inspected the card in person. She could not be reached for comment. Warren angered tribal leaders and some of her fellow Democrats when she announced she had taken a DNA test to put to rest criticism from Republicans, and especially President Donald Trump, of her ancestry claims. The results found Warren had at least one Native American ancestor many generations ago. However, Native American leaders criticized Warren for using a DNA test to lay claim to even a vague connection to a tribal nation, saying culture and sovereignty were just as important as blood and the tests did not confer the rights of tribal citizenship. Democrats feared Warren was playing into the hands of Trump and other Republicans by engaging them on the issue. The Cherokee Nation said last week Warren had apologized for taking the test and reaffirmed she was not a citizen of any tribal nation. Warren has created an exploratory committee to begin raising money and hiring staff for a run at the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020. She is expected to formally launch her campaign on Saturday. (Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Bill Tarrant and Paul Tait)
Senator Elizabeth Warren said on Tuesday she was sorry she identified herself as a Native American for almost two decades, reflecting her ongoing struggle to quiet a controversy that continues to haunt her as she prepares to formally announce a presidential bid.
Her comments more fully explain the regret she expressed last week to the chief of the Cherokee Nation, the first time she has said she was sorry for claiming American Indian heritage.
The private apology was earlier reported as focusing more narrowly on a DNA test she took to demonstrate her purported heritage, a move that prompted a ferocious backlash even from many allies. Ms Warren is on the cusp of formally announcing her presidential bid and will be vying to lead a party that has become far more mindful of non-white voters and their objections to misuse of their culture.
"I can't go back," Ms Warren said in an interview with The Washington Post. "But I am sorry for furthering confusion on tribal sovereignty and tribal citizenship and harm that resulted."
Ms Warren has been trying for the past year to get past the lingering controversy over her past assertion that she is Native American.
In addition to the DNA test, she released employment documents over the summer to show she did not use ethnicity to further her career. And in a speech a year ago, she addressed her decision to call herself a Native American, though she did not offer the apology that some wanted at the time.
But as Ms Warren undergoes increased scrutiny as a presidential candidate, additional documents could surface to keep the issue alive.
Using an open records request during a general inquiry, for example, The Post obtained Ms Warren's registration card for the State Bar of Texas, providing a previously undisclosed example of Ms Warren identifying as an "American Indian."
Ms Warren filled out the card by hand and signed it. Dated April 1986, it is the first document to surface showing Ms Warren making the claim in her own handwriting. Her office did not dispute its authenticity.
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For Ms Warren, putting this chapter behind her is key to calming the nerves of Democrats who want a nominee who can move beyond any problems in his or her past and present a strong challenge to President Trump.
For the Democratic electorate, roiled by Mr Trump's racially insensitive comments, it has become more important for a Democratic standard-bearer to show an understanding of issues related to race and identity.
The nascent 2020 Democratic field is already the most diverse in history, with two black senators, five women, a gay man and an Asian entrepreneur among the announced or potential candidates.
Non-white voters have a significant voice in the Democratic primaries. Black people made up 25 per cent of the electorate in the 2016 Democratic primary, according to exit polls. Hispanic voters made up 7 per cent, but that rose to 19 per cent in Nevada, a critical early primary state.
It was previously reported Ms Warren called Bill John Baker, the principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, and apologised for sharing the results of a DNA test that showed she had a distant relative who was Native American.
Julie Hubbard, a spokesperson for the Cherokee Nation, declined to address the scope of the conversation between Ms Warren and the chief.
Ms Warren, when asked in a brief interview on Tuesday whether she had intended the apology to include labelling herself as Native American when at the University of Pennsylvania and at Harvard University, replied "yes." She gave the same response when asked whether it included labelling herself as a minority in the Association of American Law Schools directory.
"I told him I was sorry for furthering confusion about tribal citizenship," Ms Warren said. "I am also sorry for not being more mindful about this decades ago. We had a good conversation." CNN reported her broader apology on Monday.
Several tribal members applauded her. "This closes the matter," tweeted Keith Harper, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and a former US ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Council. "Onward."
But not all were pleased.
"I want to see it in writing," said David Cornsilk, a historian and genealogist who is also a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. "I want her to go on national TV. I want her to do a video like she did to announce her DNA results. It just seemed very lacking."
In October, Ms Warren released the DNA results showing she had a Native American ancestor six to 10 generations ago. The move backfired, with Cherokee leaders outraged that she used the test to show any connection to the tribe, a process they control. It also dredged up uncomfortable issues about defining race via bloodlines.
The test was an attempt to quell the criticism and occasional mockery she has faced for years. President Donald Trump has frequently called her "Pocahontas." The campaign of former senator Scott Brown, R-Mass, whom Ms Warren ousted in 2012, referred to her as "Fauxcahontas."
Republicans have charged that Ms Warren claimed Indian ancestry to advance her career, though an investigation by the Boston Globe showed Ms Warren was considered a white woman when hired as a law professor by the University of Pennsylvania and then by Harvard University.
The Texas bar registration card is significant, among other reasons, because it removes any doubt that Ms Warren directly claimed the identity. In other instances, Ms Warren has declined to say whether she or an assistant filled out forms.
The card shows her name, her gender and the address for the University of Texas law school in Austin, where she was working at the time.
On the line for "race," Ms Warren neatly printed, "American Indian." She left blank lines for "National Origin" and "Physical handicap" and signed the document.
"She is sorry that she was not more mindful of this earlier in her career," said Kristen Orthman, a Warren campaign spokesperson.
Ms Warren filled out the card after being admitted to the Texas bar. Ms Warren was doing legal work on the side, according to her campaign, but nothing that required bar admission in the state.
The date coincided with her first listing as a "minority" by the Association of American Law Schools. Ms Warren reported herself as minority in the directory every year starting in 1986 when AALS first included a list of minority law professors to 1995, when her name dropped off the list.
Ms Warren also had her ethnicity changed from white to Native American in December 1989 while working at the University of Pennsylvania. The change came two years after she was hired there.
Several months after Ms Warren started working at Harvard law school in 1995, she approved listing her ethnicity as Native American. Harvard listed Ms Warren as Native American in its federal affirmative action forms from 1995 to 2004, records show.
There is no indication Ms Warren had anything to gain by reporting herself as Native American on the Texas bar card. Above the lines for race, national origin and handicap status, the card says, "The following information is for statistical purposes only and will not be disclosed to any person or organisation without the express written consent of the attorney."
Separately, Ms Warren's candidate financial disclosure report was released on Tuesday, showing that she and her husband have a net worth between $5.2 million and $9.1 million, in line with other reports of her wealth.
Ms Warren, who made a career in academia with research on how debt leads to personal bankruptcy, reported no mortgage on homes in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Washington. The couple also reported no credit card debt.
The Washington Post
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Paul Grasso decided to rent a shared electric scooter through a startup called Lime, as he had many times before, and he expected it to be a routine trip.
It was mid-December, and the San Diego resident, near a park called Vacation Isle, wanted to pick up a few things from a store down the road. He saw a parked scooterlike so many around the cityand thought hed have some fun and also speed up his errand.
Grasso launched the Lime app on his smartphone and scanned a code on the handlebars. The battery-powered scooter, which can travel up to 15 mph, was now his to use for a small fee. He didnt have a helmet with him, and the scooters dont come with one provided.
As he set out, Grasso noticed construction ahead and steered from the side of the street up onto the sidewalk. As he maneuvered, the scooter hit a bump, and he crashed head-first into the ground. The whole unit just flipped forward and smashed my face into the cement walkway, he said.
The 50-year-old spent the next four days in a hospital as he recovered from head injuries.
Grassos story is far from isolated. Hes one of an estimated 1,500 people across the country injured in an e-scooter-related crash since late 2017, according to a Consumer Reports spot tally from major hospitals and other public agencies, such as police departments, we contacted in recent weeks.
To better clarify how many scooter riders have been injured, CR contacted 110 hospitals and five agencies in 47 cities where at least one of the two biggest scooter companies, Bird or Lime, operates. CR asked how many patients theyve treated for scooter-related injuries, and if they have the capability to track the injuries.
Several doctors at trauma centers told CR theyve been treating serious injuries related to e-scooters since the ride-share fleets started showing up on some city streets about a year and a half ago. For example, the emergency chief at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta estimated the emergency department has treated 360 people with injuries. Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville has seen 250 people with injuries, according to the Medical Director of the Trauma ICU.
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Weve had multiple concussions, nasal fractures, bilateral forearm fractures, and some people have required surgery, says Beth Rupp, medical director at the Indiana University Health Center, in Bloomington, Ind., where ride-share e-scooters were introduced in September.
Experts told CR theyre concerned about the availability of helmets, especially when considering the nature of the ride-share business model, which allows anyone with a smartphone to rent a scooter from wherever the last rider leaves it, often from the side of the road.
Whos carrying a helmet with them? says Oscar Guillamondegui, M.D., medical director of Vanderbilt University Medical Centers trauma ICU. Guillamondegui estimates treating about 20 patients for scooter injuries. I have only seen one person wearing a helmet. And that was my son, because I demanded it.
California resident William Kairala, who was injured in a serious scooter crash last year, says that in his experience the ride-share business model promotes what he described as a split-second decision for riders.
You can find the scooters, and you can just grab it and go, he says. In the spur of the moment.
Cities Are Surprised
In some instances, companies have set up shop in cities without sufficiently meeting local requirements. And with few or no existing regulations in place for the battery-powered vehicles, communities have been left to figure out how to safely regulate them. Traditional transportation-for-hire-services, such as taxis or limousines, typically are regulated by state and local governments. But the advent of app-based ride-share services (Uber and Lyft paved the way) has challenged that traditional regulatory structure.
Lime and Bird started deploying their fleets in various cities in late 2017. Some cities welcomed them as sorely needed transportation options, and the companies have found a receptive audience in pitching their business as a way to combat climate change by reducing societys reliance on gas-powered cars. In some cases, cities like Portland, Ore., and Baltimore launched e-scooter pilot programs to encourage their use.
But in other cities, the ride-share fleets arrived abruptly, and the rollout of the services was fraught with challenges. In some cases, basic questions were left unanswered, such as where scooters should be allowed to operate, and whether users should be required to wear helmets. Residents and officials in some cities also complained about scooters left on sidewalks, or anywhere out in public, for the next rider to rent.
Soon after the vehicles appeared, so did injuries linked to them: broken bones, fractures, blunt head trauma, even brain injuries.
"I don't think anybody in their wildest dreams just expected we were going to have hundreds of these devices deployed, essentially overnight and all over the place," said Julian Gold, mayor of Beverly Hills, Calif., who is also a medical doctor.
In July, the Beverly Hills City Council approved a temporary e-scooter ban. Bird later sued the city to overturn it, and the case remains pending.
A new California law that went into effect last month eliminated the states helmet requirement for e-scooter riders older than 18. The law was supported by Bird, and signed by then-Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat. Bird did not respond to CRs question about why the company supported the law.
Whatever the benefits of e-scooters, Gold says, they are currently outweighed by the risks. . . . And the risks are both in terms of public safety and in terms of public clutter.
Rider Safety
Lime and Bird, plus a handful of other smaller players, portray scooters as a last-mile solution that helps ease congestion on already-packed roads. Theyre affordable, too. Bird, for example, usually charges $1 per use, plus 15 cents per minute the ride lastsand theyre aimed at being accessible.
The terms of service contract and payment operate through an app on your smartphone. And because the vehicles are dockless, users can leave them anywhere they please for the next rider to use. At night, the companies deploy a fleet of workers to pick up the vehicleswhich they track using GPS technologyand recharge them for the next day.
We contacted Lime and Bird for this article and asked them a series of questions, including the number of injuries and crashes associated with their e-scooters, how they promote helmet use, and details about their public education and deployment strategies. Both Bird and Lime say safety is paramount and that theyre eager to work with cities to safely deploy scooters.
Neither company provided injury or crash figures. But CR did obtain records from the city of Portland, Ore., showing that by July 2018, Bird and Lime had tallied 470 injuries combined across the U.S., before each had expanded into dozens of additional markets across the U.S. and beyond.
In a statement, Lime tells CR the companys deployment strategy is driven in part by a desire to address climate change, which it called the issue of our time.
Moving rapidly to reduce carbon emissions in transportation is one of the reasons we feel the need to move so fast, the company says. The majority of Limes 26 million rides have happened safely, the statement adds, and the company uses numerous tools to educate riders about safety. To date, the company says it has distributed 75,000 free helmets to riders around the world.
Rider safety remains Lime's top priority, which is why we provide riders with free helmets and recommend the use of helmets in our app and on pictures on our actual scooters, the statement says. In order to unlock a Lime scooter for the first time, all riders must first complete in-app tutorials that provide guidelines on helmet safety.
The company also says it researches local regulations in every city before it launches its services to ensure that vehicles are compliant and that city officials are notified ahead of time. But it, like Bird, has faced regulatory challenges from cities, such as Indianapolis, for operating without needed permits.
As this is an emerging and evolving industry, there have been occasional differences in regulatory interpretation, which have been eventually resolved, Lime says in its written statement. We are committed to working with cities to ensure that our operations follow the rules, and are in compliance in every jurisdiction where we operate.
A Bird spokesperson told CR in an email that its committed to partnering with cities to ensure that the community, and its visitors, safely embrace our affordable, environmentally friendly transportation option. We strive to improve and enhance the well-being of our riders and communities through concrete action, including: requiring riders to upload a drivers license and confirm they are 18 or older, providing an in-app tutorial on how to ride a Bird and how to park it, and posting clear safety instructions on each Bird.
The spokesperson says that Bird recommends that users report any damaged scooters or incidents involving its scooters and strongly encourage[s] all riders to wear helmets. The email notes Bird has given away more than 65,000 free helmets.
An Urban Transportation Solution?
The market for scooters grew rapidly in 2018, and today, theyre available in dozens of cities across the U.S. Spurred by Bird and Lime, other startups such as Spin, Skip, Lyft (which also owns scooters), and Uber-owned Jump, are angling for a piece of the market.
Medical professionals and researchers are scrambling to make sense of the transportation trends public health impact, but theyre having to do so on the fly: A study published in late January by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that 249 people were injured in e-scooter-related crashes, but the findings were limited to two hospitals in Southern California. No national data on e-scooter crashes currently exist.
Electric scooters are a promising new transportation option, but safety always must come first, says William Wallace, a senior policy analyst for Consumer Reports.
A total of 60 medical facilities and other entities responded to our inquiries as of Jan. 31. Of those, 23which include one police department, a city transportation department, a city emergency medical services provider, and a smaller medical clinicreported treating 1,545 patients for scooter-involved injuries over the past year. The other 37, or about 62 percent, say they either dont track scooter injuries, lack the capability entirely, or had no reports of injuries on file.
Outside of our tally, at least four fatalities have been confirmed to date, after Austin, Texas, police reported a 21-year-old male riding a Lime scooter died in a collision this past weekend.
For this report, CR also reviewed court records, and spoke with a dozen medical professionals, safety experts, and crash victims, to capture what appears to be the most comprehensive look at e-scooters and safety to date.
CRs analysis is limited, to be sure. Without average trip lengths in each city, for example, its impossible to calculate the rate of incidents. A recent study from Portlands Bureau of Transportation found the citys injury rate to be 2.2 per 10,000 miles traveled and 2.5 per 10,000 e-scooter trips taken. The study noted that figure may not be related to rental e-scooters, so the actual rate is likely lower.
Nationally, recent data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found the injury rate to be .05 per 10,000 vehicle miles traveled for motorcycles and 0.1 per 10,000 miles travelled for cars. And a previous study by the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose University found the average rate of the Washington, D.C., bikeshare program to be .04 per 10,000 trips taken. However, theres still no established way to calculate injury rates for e-scooters, making comparisons with other modes of transportation difficult.
Some hospitals were only able to provide CR a count of how many emergency department medical record entries contained the word scooter, meaning a few incidents involving personally owned seated-scooters or Vespas could be roped in. Several doctors and spokespeople, however, said most of their incidents are attributed to the newer battery-powered e-scooters. Other counts from our tally were simply educated estimates from hospital medical directors of patients treated at their facilities. Several, though, have kept detailed records of e-scooter accidents to better understand the trend.
Many of the medical professionals and officials who spoke to CR for this story say the total number of injuries is unquestionably higher because so many hospitals dont have the medical record capability yet to accurately track specific scooter-related injuries.
Thats the one thing weve been able to show over and over again is that all of our datasets are incomplete, says Christopher Ziebell, M.D., emergency department medical director for the Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas in Austin. Ziebells staff has counted 53 injuries stemming from e-scooter accidents since the rental fleets arrived in Austin last May, including 16 head injuries, or about 30 percent of the total.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working on a study about the health risks associated with e-scooters by examining injuries to riders in Austin. A spokesperson for the CDC tells CR that the analysis is ongoing and a report should be finalized in the spring.
Helmets Rarely Seen
The lack of helmets among riders in the incidents he observed stands out to Austin Badeau, M.D., a doctor at the University of Utah Health, who recently analyzed 50 emergency room visits over a five-month period in 2018 from scooter-related injuries.
Badeau, 32, says he traveled to California shortly after e-scooters launched in cities across the state, and realized quickly they were likely to proliferate. They arrived in Salt Lake City last summer.
I just started noticing a few of these injuries coming in, Badeau says, and it certainly seemed like it would be something timely to study.
The injuries he observed in the 50 patients ran the gamut: cuts and bruises, musculoskeletal injuries, major head injuries. None of the patients reported wearing a helmet at the time of their injury, he says. (The count may have included incidents involving personally owned scooters, but Badeau says the accidents coincided with the arrival of rental e-scooters in town.)
Part of the reason for the low helmet use, some medical experts suggest, is that riding a scooter is a decision made in a flash, whereas riding a bike is more deliberative. A study published last December on Seattles bikeshare program found 90 percent of cyclists wore helmets when riding their personal bikes; only 20 percent of bike share riders did the same.
The American Medical Association recommends that scooter riders wear helmets. The AMA encourages all Americans to adopt preventive measures to stay safe and healthy, the medical organization told CR. For riders of scooters, the AMA recommends the use of full protective gear, including certified helmets, elbow and knee pads and closed-toe shoes. Rider[s] should take appropriate safety measures to prevent scooter injuries.
Kairala, the California resident who was injured, doesnt believe that scooter companies are doing enough to promote helmet use. Last June, the 63-year-old dropped his bicycle off at a shop in Santa Monica, Calif., for repair, and decided to head home on a Bird scooter parked out front. He had no helmet at the time.
He rode a few blocks, and then arrived at an intersection with a number of bicyclists idling, waiting for the red light to change. When it turned green, Kairala says, We all took off, and thats all I remember.
A police officer who responded to the scene reported that he discovered Kairala bleeding from the right side of his head, according to an incident report. He woke up in the emergency room at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, having suffered a skull fracture.
Kairala told police he doesnt know how he wound up injured. But the effects of the crash continue to linger. I have to stop watching TV because the image will start crossing, he says.
Kairala says he regrets not wearing a helmet, but he says the ubiquity of scooters in some cities leaves them in arms reach of helmet-free consumers to rent on a moments notice.
Other riders have alleged defects in the scooters themselves. Lime previously recognized safety concerns in 2018 related to some of its scooters, but Bird hasnt been without complaints either. A potential class-action lawsuit filed Jan. 8 in Los Angeles County Superior Court by rider Emily Duker alleges that Bird scooters "contain defective electronics, brakes, battery charge indicators, wheels and tires, internal power tubes and accelerators, and do not contain adequate instructions and/or warnings regarding these hazards and dangers."
Duker was injured last July, the suit claims, after the throttle of a Bird scooter she was riding "stuck," before the "brakes failed, and the wheels of the scooter gave way," causing Duker's head and body to "violently crash into the scooter and asphalt." (Reached by phone, Duker deferred to her attorney, who declined to comment.)
Duker, the lawsuit says, "sustained serious injuries to her head and body and was taken to a hospital and thereafter her teeth were wired and bonded shut forcing her to eat and drink through a straw."
Bird did not respond specifically to a written question from CR asking for comment about the lawsuit.
Lessons Learned
Scooter companies and cities could take cues from bike-share programs for ways to potentially increase helmet use. Seattle, for example, tried out helmet kiosks, says Elliot Martin, Ph.D., a research and development engineer at the University of California, Berkeleys Transportation Sustainability Research Center.
Maybe its a heavy cost, maybe its not as effective as wed like, he says, but the system is at least trying to provide access to helmets.
Experts also suggested that companies could connect with hotels and cities to voluntarily provide helmets for scooter use.
But, for now, the best advice that experts, including CR, had for riders was to wear a helmet.
Right now, a stunning number of e-scooter users are getting seriously hurt, including with head injuries, Wallace, the CR analyst, says. Consumers, scooter companies, cities, helmet makers, and safety regulators must work together now to improve the safety of these products.
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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.
The Hague (AFP) - Dutch scientists said Wednesday they are baffled after 20,000 dead or dying guillemots washed up on North Sea beaches in a phenomenon not seen for decades.
The fish-eating seabirds have been washing up between the northern Wadden Islands and southwestern Zeeland -- all showing symptoms of severe starvation, a marine biologist said.
"What's killing them though is the million-dollar question," Mardik Leopold, a maritime researcher for Wageningen University, told AFP.
"And we still don't know what the answer is. It's an alarming situation," he added.
"The last time we saw high mortality rates like this was in the 1980s and 1990s."
A number of questions are puzzling scientists, he said.
The bird deaths are confined only to Dutch shores -- nothing has been reported in Belgium or Germany.
High winds and stormy winter seas also could affect the birds' feeding patterns on herring and sprat as they become too fatigued to eat, Leopold said.
"But again, why are the deaths only localised to the Netherlands? Surely we're not the only place experiencing winter weather?" said Leopold.
Dutch media have raised the question of whether the deaths may be linked to a recent container spill, littering the Dutch and German coast lines with debris, including plastic toys, polystyrene, shoes and at least one bag with a dangerous powder identified by authorities as "organic peroxide."
But Leopold said an initial autopsy on a small number of birds showed "no plastic" in their stomachs.
Similarly, if the birds were affected by a chemical, other animals would also have shown symptoms, the marine biologist said.
"The birds were not covered in oil either," he added.
Dutch authorities said Wednesday they had been told by the MSC shipping company that at least 341 containers were lost off the MSC Zoe as it was battling a storm last month.
Scientists are now planning a mass autopsy of hundreds of dead birds next week, hoping to shed more light on the mystery.
However, the species is not threatened with extinction. Some two million guillemots live in the North Sea, the NOS public broadcaster said.
The Hague (AFP) - The Netherlands is scrambling to secure 50 "critical" medicines currently supplied by Britain if London leaves the European Union without a deal next month, a minister said Wednesday.
The Dutch dash is the latest sign of increasing concern in both the EU and Britain over the chances of a so-called no-deal Brexit on March 29.
After scanning around 2,700 medicines "related to Britain", Dutch public institutes identified 50 medicines used to treat life-threatening diseases or vulnerable patients, health minister Bruno Bruins said.
The medicines also "have no or no adequate alternatives on the Dutch market," Bruins said in a letter to parliament.
Bruins declined to name the affected drugs, saying it could trigger hoarding.
"Naming the medicines could lead to stockpiling -- also in other EU countries," he said. "Because this also involves medicines for which few or no alternatives exist, it could lead to speculation" in products.
Measures taken to ensure continuous supplies will include possible temporary permits exempting British supplies, as well as temporary permits to import alternative medicines from other countries.
Critical medicines mentioned on the list however "does not necessarily mean there will be a shortage," the Dutch Health Ministry pointed out in a statement.
Last week, Dutch hospitals warned that patients lives were at risk in case of a no-deal Brexit.
The Netherlands has unveiled a series of protective steps for Brexit in recent weeks, as it is one of the countries most exposed to possible customs barriers with Britain.
Europe's medicines agency (EMA), which is set to quit London after March 29 and move to Amsterdam, took charge of their temporary headquarters in the Dutch capital last month.
Donald Tusk has said that Brexiteers who had no plan for the UKs departure from the EU deserve a special place in hell.
The European Council President told a press briefing: I have been wondering what the special place in hell looks like for those who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan to deliver it safely.
The EU chief was met with immediate criticism from Brexiteers, who accused him of insulting leave voters.
Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom said Mr Tusk should apologise for his spiteful comments.
The prominent Eurosceptic told BBC Radio 4s World at One: I think that what he has said is pretty unacceptable and pretty disgraceful.
Im sure that when he reflects on it he may well wish he hadnt done it.
President of the European Council Donald Tusk has said that Brexiteers who didnt make plans for the UKs departure deserve a special place in hell (Getty Images)
The DUPs Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson called Mr Tusk a devilish Euro maniac in response.
Mr Wilson said: Donald Tusk once again shows his contempt for the 17.4 million people who voted to escape the corruption of the EU and seek the paradise of a free and prosperous kingdom.
Brexiteer Labour MP Kate Hoye said: This sums up in one sentence why we cannot wait to get out of this deeply anti-democratic institution headed up by deeply anti-democratic so-called Presidents.
An EU official told Yahoo News UK: President Tusks statement was very clear and precise.
It is clearly not about the leave voters but about those who promoted Brexit without a plan.
Pro-Remain Conservative MP Anna Soubry defended Mr Tusks comments, saying: Stand by for [Donald Tusk] to be wildly misquoted.
He was speculating about the people who led Leave not the millions of good people they conned with fake promises they cannot deliver on.
Whats next for Brexit?
Mr Tusk also said that the EU is stepping up preparations for the fiasco of a no-deal Brexit.
In the speech he repeated the assertion that the deal agreed by the EU and Theresa May could not be renegotiated.
The PM is heading to Brussels this evening in a last-ditch attempt to secure changed to the Irish backstop, which is contained within the agreement, and which Brexiteers think would trap the UK under the EUs power indefinitely.
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Mr Tusk said: I hope that tomorrow we will hear from Prime Minister May a realistic suggestion on how to end the impasse in which the process of the orderly withdrawal of the UK from the EU has found itself following the latest votes in the House of Commons.
The EU is first and foremost a peace project.
We will not gamble with peace or put a sell-by date on reconciliation. This is why we insist on the backstop.
Brexiteers including David Davis, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Boris Johnson have been vocal in their opposition to the Irish backstop (Getty Images)
MPs voted last week in favour of replacing the Irish backstop, the mechanism to avoid a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, with alternative arrangements.
Is it unclear exactly what the arrangements would be, but Brexiteers insist that there are technological solutions that could be used to remove the need for customs checks at the border.
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Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar today said that he was open to further discussions about the backstop, but the Withdrawal Agreement remained the best deal possible.
He said: While we expect that the backstop will never be used, we agreed again today that it is needed as a legal guarantee to ensure that there is no return to a hard border on the island of Ireland while protecting the integrity of our European single market and customs union.
I think the events in London and the instability in British politics in recent weeks demonstrates exactly why we need a legal guarantee and a solution that is operable, that we know will work and will last.
WASHINGTON A top Treasury official who has been a frequent critic of the World Bank is President Donald Trumps choice to lead the international finance agency.
Trump announced Wednesday he has chosen David Malpass, Treasury undersecretary for international affairs, to lead the World Bank, an international agency that provides loans to countries around the world for infrastructure and other projects.
I am certain there could be no better candidate to lead the World Bank than David," Trump said from the White House Roosevelt Room. "He's going to do very well."
The United States traditionally chooses the banks president, but the agencys board of directors must approve the nomination.
Malpasss nomination could draw objections from other world leaders because of his criticism of the 72-year-old agency he has now been tapped to lead.
Malpass has criticized both the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, arguing that improvements are needed in the banks lending programs and that a process must be in put in place to focus, prune and streamline such multilateral organizations.
President Donald Trump speaks as Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs David Malpass listens during a Roosevelt Room event at the White House Feb. 6, 2019, in Washington, D.C. Trump announced that Malpass will be the U.S. candidate for election as the next president of the World Bank.
But he also supported a $13 billion increase in the World Banks capital last year. The hike was tied to other reforms intended to improve monitoring and evaluation of the agencys lending and boost living standards in poor countries.
At Wednesday's announcement, Malpass predicted the reforms would lead to faster growth and greater prosperity in the developing world. One of his key goals, he said, will be to ensure that women play a role in developing economies.
"I'm very optimistic that we can achieve breakthroughs to create growth abroad that will help us combat extreme poverty and increase economic opportunities in the developing world," he said.
If confirmed, Malpass would succeed Jim Yong Kim, a Korean-American physician who has led the bank for more than six years. Kim announced last month that he would step down before the end of his five-year presidency of the World Bank to take a job in the private sector. His resignation was effective Feb. 1.
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At the White House, the search for Kims successor was led by a team that included Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and Ivanka Trump, the presidents daughter and one of his senior advisers. Ivanka Trumps involvement prompted speculation that she was in line for the post, but the White House said last month she was not under consideration for the job.
In his post at Treasury, Malpass, 62, has served as the principal adviser to Mnuchin on international economic issues. He also has been involved in ongoing trade negotiations between the U.S. and China and will be part of a delegation that will travel to Beijing next week to continue the talks.
Before his was named to his current post, Malpass worked on Wall Street for 15 years as the chief economist for Bear Stearns, a now-defunct investment bank and brokerage firm, until its collapse in 2008. He also was a member of Trumps transition team following the 2016 presidential election and served as deputy assistant secretary in the Treasury and State deparrments during the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.
In 2010, he unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in New York.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump taps World Bank critic David Malpass to lead the international finance agency
Reuters
Curt Mills
Politics, Americas
An ensemble of characters is trying to pull Trump in different directions at this critical juncture of his presidency.
Donald Trumps State of the Union Opportunity
The president of the United States enters the House chamber Tuesday night with manifold constraints on his power and interlocutors galore seeking to shape the remainder of his term. As John Bolton, national security advisor, told Politico this week: So you have a choice. You can serve in the government or you can stand outside. My view is: For the privilege of this job, I am willing to take my losses along with the wins.
For foreign-policy realists, there is a sense that this could be their moment. In his second State of the Unionand third major address to CongressPresident Donald Trump could craft his remarks to center on a U.S. withdrawal from Syria and a pullback from Afghanistan. Taliban officials and the Afghan opposition will be in Moscow as he speaks: this is a prime opportunity for a major shift and to provide clarity on weeks of seemingly contradictory statements from his administration. It could be a bold sequel to his 2017 speech outlining an Afghanistan mini-surge in 2017, a move the president himself in the address admitted he wasnt really for. The speech is often referred to as a hostage tape in policy circles. If Trump goes for broke on Afghanistan, and/or Syria, then hell have covering fire.
In addition to the vociferous Rand Paul, a source familiar with the senators thinking tells me Ted Cruz could offer a supporting speech in the following hours and days; Cruz has flirted with foreign-policy realism before, but also, like much of the anti-establishment right, he has ties to Frank Gaffney and his Center for Security Policy.
Hawks, on the other hand, have a different idea for the address. The administration is on a near war-footing when it comes to Venezuela. All options are on the table, Vice President Mike Pence told a roaring crowd of Venezuelan exiles in Florida last week. A pullback from Syria and Afghanistan could be brokered in exchange for a more aggressive posture in Latin Americaor on Iran. Boltons yellow-pad insinuation of five thousand U.S. troops to Columbia isnt helping matters.
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Neither is President Trumps statement that the United States must stay in Iraq to watch Iran, an offhand comment that has garnered Trump near-universal opprobrium in the Iraqi political establishment. Trump also recently pulled out of the INF missile treaty with Moscow. The U.S. withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty is unfortunate but not the disaster many analysts make it out to be, Benjamin H. Friedman of Defense Priorities said. Since the U.S. and Russia possess more than 90 percent of the worlds nuclear weapons, it is in Americas security interest to improve U.S.-Russia relations and continue arms control efforts, especially by negotiating an extension to New START, an important arms control agreement which is set to expire in 2021.
Whatever he says, its a closely guarded secret. With the presidents schedulechock full of executive timeleaking to the press, Team Trump is sparing no precaution. A source inside the re-elect effort told me he was not briefed in depth, after expecting to be; he says, after being handed an embarrassing defeat by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, to expect the unexpected.
Likely: the address will be a full-throated enunciation of the administrations prerogatives on immigration. Here too, outside forces are trying to make it in. Retired Col. Douglas Macgregor, a favorite of Fox host Tucker Carlson, was on the program Friday floating his plan to aggressively militarize the U.S. Southern border, a solution to the border imbroglio he claims the president clear has the authority to enactall on his own. He doesnt need special permission, he has the constitutional authority to act as the commander in chief. He doesnt need any help from Congress at all, Macgregor, who has been considered for national security advisor by the administration before, told Carlson. A plan to this effect, authored by Macgregor, is making the rounds in administration-friendly, conservative media circles. But a former White House senior official warns of an iron check on how far Trump will go. Javanka have him in group hug, referring to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. But he lays out the case for [a] national emergency.
Curt Mills is a foreign-affairs reporter at the National Interest . Follow him on Twitter: @CurtMills.
Image: Reuters
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WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said Stacey Abrams, the Democrat who offered a rebuttal to his State of the Union address, wouldn't win if she ran for the Senate or president in 2020.
In an interview with regional reporters at the White House on Wednesday, the president pushed back against calls for Abrams to run for office again after her loss for Georgia governor, calling the notion "a mistake."
After Abrams' 10-minute address that followed Trump's remarks, calls intensified for her to try and run again for public office. Her campaign during the November midterms drew national attention due to her successes in getting Democratic voters to the polls in a primarily red state.
Abrams, 45, told USA TODAY in December that she will "certainly run for office again" after her loss to Republican Brian Kemp and many have eyed the Senate seat held by David Perdue, a first-term Republican who is up for reelection in 2020, as one of most likely possibilities.
But while the president noted her successes in her 2018 campaign, he didn't think she had a shot.
"I think its a mistake for her to run against him because I dont think she can win," Trump said.
He continued, adding that any challenger would have a hard time because "the people of Georgia love David Perdue."
More: Read the full transcript of Stacey Abrams' rebuttal to Trump's State of the Union
More: Fact check: Stacey Abrams response to Trump's State of the Union speech
More: Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams, narrowly defeated in race for governor, says she will 'certainly' run again
He noted that top Democrats, including Oprah and former president Barack Obama campaigned for Abrams but Republicans won "fairly easily."
"She had Oprah, she had Michelle Obama and she had President Obama. And that was a big job for them. They were out there a lot for Stacey Abrams, and all Brian Kemp had is Donald Trump," the president noted. "And we won. Fairly easily, ok? We won. You know I was there a couple of times for him. And they were there a lot for her and we took it."
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When it came to calls asking that she join the growing pool of Democrats vying for the White House in 2020, Trump said he liked her as a challenger because he said he believes he'd win.
"Id love for her to run for president. Why? Because so far Im liking the candidates and shed be another one Id like," Trump noted. "To run for president youre supposed to have won, unless youre a non-politician like me."
He added: "Id never ran. Im one for one. And here we are, folks...Hopefully Ill be two for two."
Abrams' rebuttal on Tuesday offered a friendly calm that made her criticisms of the president come across more as constructive criticism than scolding rebuke while still touching on key Democratic positions. And she did it without any gaffes that could spawn mocking memes, which have haunted politicians who have given the Democratic response in past years.
Abrams is one of several Democrats considering their futures after November losses.
Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who failed to unseat Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in deep red Texas, and Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, who lost the Florida governor's race to Rep. Ron DeSantis, are both said to be mulling runs for the White House after energizing voters and catching national attention.
Contributing: Nicquel Terry Ellis, William Cummings
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump says Stacey Abrams would lose in Senate, presidential races
Digital Realty Trust (DLR) came out with quarterly funds from operations (FFO) of $1.68 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.67 per share. This compares to FFO of $1.55 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.
This quarterly report represents an FFO surprise of 0.60%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this real estate investment trust would post FFO of $1.62 per share when it actually produced FFO of $1.63, delivering a surprise of 0.62%.
Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus FFO estimates four times.
Digital Realty Trust, which belongs to the Zacks REIT and Equity Trust - Other industry, posted revenues of $778.27 million for the quarter ended December 2018, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.48%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $731.45 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates just once over the last four quarters.
The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future FFO expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.
Digital Realty Trust shares have added about 2.6% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 8.7%.
What's Next for Digital Realty Trust?
While Digital Realty Trust has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?
There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's FFO outlook. Not only does this include current consensus FFO expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.
Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of estimate revisions.
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Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Digital Realty Trust was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus FFO estimate is $1.66 on $803.91 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $6.64 on $3.27 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year.
Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, REIT and Equity Trust - Other is currently in the bottom 40% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.
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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. To keep the lesson grounded in practicality, well use ROE to better understand Cambria Automobiles plc (LON:CAMB).
Over the last twelve months Cambria Automobiles has recorded a ROE of 13%. One way to conceptualize this, is that for each 1 of shareholders equity it has, the company made 0.13 in profit.
View our latest analysis for Cambria Automobiles
How Do You Calculate Return On Equity?
The formula for ROE is:
Return on Equity = Net Profit Shareholders Equity
Or for Cambria Automobiles:
13% = 7.271 UK57m (Based on the trailing twelve months to August 2018.)
Its easy to understand the net profit part of that equation, but shareholders equity requires further explanation. It is all earnings retained by the company, plus any capital paid in by shareholders. Shareholders equity can be calculated by subtracting the total liabilities of the company from the total assets of the company.
What Does ROE Mean?
ROE looks at the amount a company earns relative to the money it has kept within the business. 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. Clearly, then, one can use ROE to compare different companies.
Does Cambria Automobiles Have A Good Return On Equity?
One simple way to determine if a company has a good return on equity is to compare it to the average for its industry. However, this method is only useful as a rough check, because companies do differ quite a bit within the same industry classification. If you look at the image below, you can see Cambria Automobiles has a similar ROE to the average in the Specialty Retail industry classification (12%).
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AIM:CAMB Last Perf February 6th 19
That isnt amazing, but it is respectable. ROE can give us a view about company quality, but many investors also look to other factors, such as whether there are insiders buying shares. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.
Why You Should Consider Debt When Looking At ROE
Companies usually need to invest money to grow their profits. That cash can come from issuing shares, retained earnings, or debt. In the case of the first and second options, the ROE will reflect this use of cash, for growth. In the latter case, the debt used for growth will improve returns, but wont affect the total equity. In this manner the use of debt will boost ROE, even though the core economics of the business stay the same.
Cambria Automobiless Debt And Its 13% ROE
Cambria Automobiles does use a significant amount of debt to increase returns. It has a debt to equity ratio of 1.11. Its ROE is quite good but, it would have probably been lower without the use of debt. Debt does bring extra risk, so its only really worthwhile when a company generates some decent returns from it.
The Key Takeaway
Return on equity is one way we can compare the business quality of different companies. Companies that can achieve high returns on equity without too much debt are generally of good quality. If two companies have the same ROE, then I would generally prefer the one with less debt.
But when a business is high quality, the market often bids it up to a price that reflects this. It is important to consider other factors, such as future profit growth and how much investment is required going forward. So you might want to check this FREE visualization of analyst forecasts for the company.
But note: Cambria Automobiles may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with 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.
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Disposable income is an often-misunderstood term. It suggests we have "disposable" money that we really don't care about. But the truth is, most of us care about every penny of it, and many of us can't afford to waste any money.
This is why it's always a good idea to understand what disposable income is. Understanding how much disposable income you have can help you improve your budget.
SEE: [50 Ways to Improve Your Finances in 2019.]
What Is Disposable Income?
Disposable income is money left over after taxes are taken out of your paycheck. That means your mortgage or rent, crazy as it may sound, is part of your disposable income.
That said, many people define disposable income as the money you have left over after taxes -- and after you've paid the bills that you have to pay, such as a mortgage, car payment, student loans and the electric bill.
Guy Penn, a fiduciary investment advisor and the owner of St. Louis Private Advisors, agrees. "Disposable is somewhat subjective, so it doesn't lend itself well to a hard formula," Penn says. In general, he says his firm defines disposable income as net income minus fixed recurring expenses, minus short-term emergency savings and long-term investment savings.
Disposable Versus Discretionary Income
You'll also hear people talk about discretionary income, which is a subset of disposable income. It's almost the same thing, and sometimes the terms are used interchangeably. While disposable income represents your income after taxes, discretionary income refers to the money left over after taxes and your necessities, like groceries and rent. You decide how to use this money to invest, save and spend at your discretion.
How to Calculate Your Disposable Income
In theory, it should be easy: Take your paycheck after taxes and subtract your bills from it. Divide that amount by 7 or 14 days or whatever your pay period is. What's left over is the amount you can spend every day.
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That said, some experts suggest compiling a yearly budget and adding up everything you spend during the year on your mortgage, car payments, student loans and so on. Once you've figured out your annual budget for everything you likely have to spend money on, including groceries and gas, whatever is left over is your annual disposable income. From there, to make the number more manageable, you can divide it by 12 (months) or 365 (days).
You may want to try both approaches. If nothing else, the more you understand what you're spending money on, the better.
[SEE: 9 Ways to Live Well and Spend Less in 2019.]
Factors to Consider When Calculating Disposable Income:
-- Disposable income can vary from month to month. For instance, if you look at your expenses for your next pay period and calculate how much is left over each day, "not every pay period would have the same disposable income," says Liz Crystal, owner of the LC Group, a daily money management, personal bookkeeping and consulting services firm in Green Brook, New Jersey. After all, your expenses won't be the same each pay period. During the first pay period, you may pay your mortgage and water bill, and during the second pay period, you may have to cover your car insurance or student loans. Your variable expenses likely change, too. Not everyone spends the same amount on groceries from week to week, for example.
-- Savings should be taken into account. Before calculating your disposable income, Crystal suggests subtracting money for savings, such as your retirement and emergency fund. It's the "pay yourself first" mantra. Otherwise, you may end up spending all of your disposable income and saving nothing.
-- Think long term and be realistic. Be careful not to put too much weight on one number, says Kelan Kline, who runs the finance and lifestyle blog The Savvy Couple, with his wife Brittany. "The biggest thing to consider when calculating your disposable income is being realistic with yourself. Just because your yearly budget says you have an extra $10,000 left at the end of the year does not mean you should start living like a high roller," he says. "You need to think long term and understand things like car repairs, taxes, a death in the family and so on are going to happen at some point."
And, of course, $10,000 in disposable income -- just an example Kline pulled out of thin air -- is not that much once you start looking at it on a daily basis. That's only $27 a day.
[SEE: 15 Little Things That Impact Your Finances]
So for whatever disposable income amount you determine that you have to spend per day or week or throughout the year, Kline suggests that you plan on spending 10 to 15 percent more than you think you will. Or put 10 to 15 percent away to go toward that disposable income if you need it.
"This allows us to have a nice cushion and not have to worry about money throughout the year," he says.
Oryol (Russia) (AFP) - A Russian court on Wednesday sentenced a Jehovah's Witness to six years in prison for "extremism", in the first conviction of its kind since a 2017 law that outlawed the religious group.
Armed FSB officers detained Danish citizen Dennis Christensen in the southern Russian city of Oryol in May 2017, shortly after Moscow banned what it called an extremist organisation.
"We deeply regret the conviction of Dennis Christensen -- an innocent man who did not commit any real crime," said Yaroslav Sivulskiy, a spokesman for the Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia who was in court.
"It is sad that reading the Bible, preaching, and living a moral way of life is again a criminal offence in Russia," he added.
Christensen, who moved to southern Russia as an adult and has a Russian wife, insisted in closing remarks last week that he had "never committed any criminal acts".
"I hope that today is the day that Russia defends freedom of religion," he told journalists as he entered the packed courtroom on Wednesday.
An AFP photographer outside the courtroom saw Christensen, 46, being led past a group of supporters by police officers following the verdict.
"The sentence is ridiculous," supporter Svetlana told AFP, declining to give her last name. "The only thing he was organising was the collection of rubbish and snow-clearing."
The Jehovah's Witnesses, a US-based Christian evangelical movement, will appeal the verdict within 10 days, according to a statement from the organisation's head office.
Rights groups have condemned the trial, with Amnesty International saying it was "emblematic of the grave human rights violations" taking place in Russia.
Danish Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen said he was "deeply concerned" by the sentencing.
"Again call on #Russia to respect freedom of religion. Danish MFA will continue to follow closely and assist Dennis Christensen should he decide to appeal," Samuelsen wrote on Twitter.
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In a statement on Wednesday, the EU said it "expects Mr Christensen to be released immediately and unconditionally."
"Jehovah's Witnesses, as with all other religious groups, must be able to peacefully enjoy freedom of assembly without interference," the statement added.
- Intensifying crackdown -
Authorities in 2017 amended an existing anti-extremism law to mention Jehovah's Witnesses specifically, ordering their dissolution in Russia.
Since then a crackdown on believers has intensified, with around 90 criminal trials now pending across Russia, according to the group.
More than 20 properties belonging to the organisation or its members have been confiscated by law enforcement, its head office said.
The 33-year-old leader of the Jehovah's Witness organisation in Ivanovo, northeast of Moscow, was arrested last week on extremism charges, Russian media reported.
The Jehovah's Witnesses say they number more than 170,000 in Russia, a country of 144 million people where most are Orthodox Christians. Thousands more of their members have fled abroad.
Members of the group -- a movement that began in the United States in the 19th century -- consider modern Churches to have deviated from the Bible's true teachings.
Among their strongest convictions is the rejection of evolutionary theory.
In a report last year, Human Rights Watch accused the Russian authorities of carrying out a "sweeping campaign" of harassment and persecution against the movement.
In 2010, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the dissolution six years earlier of the movement's Moscow branch had violated the right to freedom of religion and association.
The powerful Russian Orthodox Church has spoken out against the group, with one Church official branding it a "destructive sect".
photo-tm/oc/gd
Oryol (Russia) (AFP) - A Russian court on Wednesday sentenced a Jehovah's Witness to six years in prison for "extremism", in the first conviction of its kind since a 2017 law that outlawed the religious group.
Danish citizen Dennis Christensen was in court in the southern Russian city of Oryol for the sentencing, spokesman for the Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia Yaroslav Sivulskiy told AFP.
"We deeply regret the conviction of Dennis Christensen -- an innocent man who did not commit any real crime," Sivulskiy said in a statement.
"It is sad that reading the Bible, preaching, and living a moral way of life is again a criminal offence in Russia."
The Jehovah's Witnesses, a US-based Christian evangelical movement, will appeal the verdict within 10 days, according to a statement from the organisation's head office.
An AFP photographer outside the courtroom saw Christensen, 46, being led past a mass of supporters by police officers following the verdict.
Rights groups have condemned the trial, with Amnesty International saying it was "emblematic of the grave human rights violations" taking place in Russia.
Armed FSB officers detained Christensen in Oryol in May 2017, shortly after Moscow banned Jehovah's Witnesses as an extremist organisation.
photo-tm/ma/bp
A former U.S. Marine from Las Vegas was floored by the kindness his 16-month-old daughter received from a stranger while waiting to board a plane to San Diego.
"Last night, while waiting to board our plane, @_carterjean_ was being her usual inquisitive self wanting to meet and say 'hi' to everyone she could, until she walked up on this man," Kevin Armentrout, a writer, speaker and nutritionist, wrote in a Facebook post Saturday. "He reached out and asked if she wanted to sit with him."
The post has more than 67,000 shares as of Tuesday morning.
Armentrout told USA TODAY the man is a field sales manager for Samsung from Oklahoma (his destination).
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"He pulled out his tablet and showed her how to draw with it, they watched cartoons together, and she offered him snacks," the post continued. "This wasnt a short little exchange, this was 45 minutes. Watching them in that moment, I couldnt help but think, different genders, different races, different generations, and the best of friends. This is the world I want for her."
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The post then took a turn for the political.
"In a country that is... so deeply divided by beliefs, I want her life to be filled with moments like this... not liberal or conservative republican or democrat, socialist or capitalist, just HUMAN," he wrote.
Armentrout reached out to the man at the end of his post.
"Joseph from @samsungus in Oklahoma, if this should happen to find you. Thank you for showing my daughter what kindness and compassion looks like. Continue to shine your light in the world.#HateIsLearned #LiveWithPurpose #BeRelentless."
The two have since spoken on the phone, Armentrout said.
More: Mom to man annoyed with toddler on flight: 'The problem wasn't with us, it was with you'
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dad thanks kind stranger who entertained his daughter in the airport
Estarreja (Portugal) (AFP) - Dihara Ramirez worked as a doctor in Venezuela, but now she makes her living at a Portuguese supermarket after leaving her crippled homeland.
The 27-year-old is one of thousands of Venezuelans with ties to Portugal to have crossed the Atlantic in search of a new life since trouble flared in the beleaguered South American nation in 2016.
In recent weeks Dihara's country has been plunged into further crisis as President Nicolas Maduro's authority was challenged by opposition leader Juan Guaido, who declared himself acting head of state -- a claim now recognised by many governments, including Lisbon.
Describing the impact Venezuela's economic problems had on the medical supplies crucial to her former job, Dihara told AFP: "It was very painful to find myself unable to get hold of medicine to bring relief to people."
Around a third of the 10,000 Venezuelan emigrants to have arrived in Portugal have settled in the northern municipality of Estarreja -- 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of Porto -- including Dihara, whose husband's family hail from the area.
Since leaving her home in Maracaibo, the main city in western Venezuela, Dihara has been living with her parents-in-law in their flat, where she has their "unconditional support".
"The idea was for my husband to come to Estarreja as well but he doesn't want to lose the bakery we have over there," said Dihara, who made the 7,000-kilometre (4,400-mile) voyage with her five-year-old son.
"With the arrival of Guaido he wants to hang on all the more to see how the situation evolves."
- Help at hand -
Since 2015, some 2.3 million Venezuelans have fled their oil-rich homeland, where food and medicine shortages have become the norm.
As many as 400,000 ethnic Portuguese live in the South American country, but the political crisis is increasingly persuading them to return to their roots.
After Madeira island, Estarreja is the second-largest area in Portugal originally home to Venezuela's Lusophone community.
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For those who make the journey to Estarreja, local business association SEMA, which helps new arrivals from an imposing oval table at its headquarters, is the first port of call.
A bakery named Venezuela and a shop named Caracas testify to the close link between the two countries, yet taking in the influx of arrivals has been a considerable test for a town of just 27,000.
"Our main difficulty concerns getting identity papers. That is a stage which takes time but is strictly necessary to integrate these people into our companies," says SEMA chairman Jose Valente.
Nevertheless Valente praised the Portuguese government for setting up in recent days an aid committee to speed up the process of getting the immigrants through border formalities.
Last year, SEMA found work for 513 of the arrivals. January saw another 100 or so join the local payroll in a region which is experiencing labour shortages, notably in industry, as well as restaurants, hotels and retail.
- Long road to recovery -
Crispim Rodrigues, who himself came back to Portugal around 20 years ago, is on hand at SEMA to lend support to the incoming diaspora.
"The people we extend a hand to are in a bad way. They can no longer live (in Venezuela) and have no option other than exile," says Rodrigues, a moustachioed 67-year-old who helps with administrative formalities on how to make a fresh start.
"Currently, the minimum wage in Venezuela (around $50 a month) is no longer sufficient to buy a chicken and a few vegetables for the whole month," he told AFP.
Joachim Tavares, a second generation Portuguese emigre, is one of the few to have managed to bring over his entire family.
"I asked for help in finding work. Not necessarily in my field but a job that can meet my needs," said the 55-year-old engineer.
He says he is pleased to see Guaido's emergence but does not intend to return to Venezuela for the time being as "the scale of the task to get the country back on its feet will be huge".
If you are looking for a stock that has a solid history of beating earnings estimates and is in a good position to maintain the trend in its next quarterly report, you should consider Concho Resources (CXO). This company, which is in the Zacks Oil and Gas - Exploration and Production - United States industry, shows potential for another earnings beat.
This independent oil and gas company has an established record of topping earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. The company boasts an average surprise for the past two quarters of 30.22%.
For the last reported quarter, Concho Resources came out with earnings of $1.42 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.13 per share, representing a surprise of 25.66%. For the previous quarter, the company was expected to post earnings of $0.92 per share and it actually produced earnings of $1.24 per share, delivering a surprise of 34.78%.
Price and EPS Surprise
With this earnings history in mind, recent estimates have been moving higher for Concho Resources. In fact, the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) for the company is positive, which is a great sign of an earnings beat, especially when you combine this metric with its nice Zacks Rank.
Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven.
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 related 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.
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Concho Resources has an Earnings ESP of +2.98% at the moment, suggesting that analysts have grown bullish on its near-term earnings potential. When you combine this positive Earnings ESP with the stock's Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), it shows that another beat is possibly around the corner. The company's next earnings report is expected to be released on February 19, 2019.
When the Earnings ESP comes up negative, investors should note that this will reduce the predictive power of the metric. But, a negative value is not indicative of a stock's earnings miss.
Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, but that may not be the sole basis for their stocks moving higher. On the other hand, some stocks may hold their ground even if they end up missing the consensus estimate.
Because of this, it's really important to check a company's Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.
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GIBRALTAR (Reuters) - With London fuming over whether Gibraltar should still be called a "colony", residents of the British outpost on the southern tip of Spain said they were more worried about life after Brexit than about which word best explained their status. In the latest Brexit quarrel between Britain and the European Union, Her Majesty's Government complained last week that the peninsula of 33,000 residents should not have been described as a "colony" in a draft EU text on visa-free travel. Britain itself called Gibraltar a "crown colony" for 268 years -- from when it won it in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht that ended the War of Spanish Succession, right up until 1981 when it came up with a new name for it: "dependent territory". In 2002, the official term changed again to "British overseas territory". Until at least the 1980s, Gibraltarians carried passports that said "Colony of Gibraltar" right on the front cover. No matter. "Gibraltar is not a colony and it is completely inappropriate to describe it in this way," Britain's ambassador to the EU thundered. "Gibraltar is a full part of the UK family." Gibraltarians, whose economy depends on an open border with Spain, voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU in Britain's 2016 referendum, but are due to leave the bloc anyway on March 29 along with the rest of Britain. Their cultural Britishness was in full evidence on Wednesday, when the city on a rock rang out with a 21-gun salute in honor of the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's accession. Teacher Steven Grant did not seem much fussed about the terminology, provided that the border stays open. "We're still connected to them, maybe as a colony used to be, but we're not governed by them," he said of Britain. "We just want to stay as we are, British. We don't need anything to change. All we hope is that things on the frontier don't change either." But others on the central shopping street shared London's official umbrage at the EU's choice of vocabulary. "This isn't the 1700s ... it's 2019 and we're a city, we're Gibraltar, we're not a colony," said insurance salesman Jack Johnson. (Reporting by Mariano Valladolid and Jose Pablo Garcia; Writing by Isla Binnie; Editing by Peter Graff)
A college student had a bizarre experience over the weekend.
A University of North Carolina at Greensboro student, identified simply as Maddie, came home to her off-campus apartment Saturday to find a man in her closet who was wearing her clothes.
Andrew Clyde Swofford was booked into Guilford County jail in lieu of $26,600 bond. (Photo: Guilford County Jail)
The college junior told the local Greensboro news station Fox 8 that before making the startling discovery she was convinced that her apartment was haunted by a ghost. She said that items of her clothing, like shirts and pants, have been slowly disappearing since she moved in and that she had found handprints left behind on her bathroom wall.
On Saturday, she finally realized the reason behind these strange occurrences when she heard rattling noises coming from her closet that she originally thought sounded like a raccoon.
Maddie told local news channel WFMY News 2 that she walked up to her closed closet door to investigate and asked if there was anyone inside.
Thats when she got an unsettling response. And he answers me, and hes like My names Drew, she told WFMY.
Maddie said she was in shock and continued to talk to the man, asking him:
Before I open the door are you gonna do anything to me? Are you gonna do anything? And hes like, No, no, no.
She said that at that point she attempted to make an emergency call on her Apple watch but it wasnt working.
I could feel him starting to push the door open so I was like I guess I have to open the door, she told WFMY.
When she did finally open the door, she found 30-year-old Andrew Swofford sitting on the floor and wearing her clothes, including socks, shoes and sporting a bookbag filled with even more of her clothing.
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Maddie said she contacted her boyfriend and texted him photos of Swofford to let him know what was happening. As she waited for help, she continued talking to Swofford for about 10 minutes, she said, to distract him.
He tries on my hat. He goes in the bathroom and looks in the mirror and then is like, Youre really pretty, can I give you a hug? she told Fox 8. But he never touched me.
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When Maddies boyfriend arrived, Swofford left. WFMY reports that police arrested him at a nearby gas station. Officers took him to Guilford County under a $26,000 bond on 14 felony charges, per Fox 8, including identity theft, larceny and failing to appear in court in connection with earlier cases. Swofford was not violent or threatening, according to Buzzfeed News who spoke to the Greensboro Police Department
Maddie and her roommates told Fox 8 that they always lock their doors and none of their doors appear to have any damage, adding theyre baffled as to how Swofford broke in.
This is also not the first time a stranger has broken into their apartment.
Her buildings management told Fox 8 they changed the locks at Maddies apartment in December after she and a roommate discovered two men they did not know in their living room.
After her experience with Swofford, Maddie seems to have had enough.
Im leaving tonight, she told WFMY. Yeah, just signed a lease for a new apartment.
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QuadrigaCX, the Canadian cryptocurrency exchange, made headlines world last week when it announced it was filing for creditor protection and owed upwards of $130 million or more to its customers.
The long-suffering exchange has had banking issues for more than a year, and customers complained they could not easily withdraw fiat or crypto over the past several months. Fears that the exchange may be insolvent or running a scam were exacerbated by an announcement that its founder and CEO, Gerald Cotten, died of Crohns disease while in India.
After weeks of poor communication (and several days of the website going offline entirely), the exchange announced it was filing for a stay of proceedings in an attempt to head off any customer lawsuits while it tries to recoup its funds and figure out its next steps.
Judge Moves to Block Potential Lawsuits Against QuadrigaCX Exchange
The situation as a whole carried echoes of the Mt Gox scandal, both in terms of the degree of global interest (many mainstream news outlets and publications have run stories, centered primarily around the stated inability to access customers funds following Cottens death) and the scale of future uncertainty.
As CoinDesk reported on Tuesday, the legal picture surrounding the exchange is beginning to solidify. A Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge granted the exchange its application, giving it a 30-day stay of proceedings to try and recover any cryptocurrencies, as well as find other avenues for reimbursing customers.
Yet many questions swirl around the proceedings, further fed by the theories propagated by QuadrigaCX customers, observers and critics. Below, we explore some of the biggest questions as they currently exist.
What we know
Quadriga owes a lot of money
QuadrigaCX says it owes roughly 115,000 people some C$190 million in both fiat and crypto. These 115,000 customers are part of a larger group of nearly 300,000 individual accounts created, though it appears that the remainder doesnt currently store any funds on the exchange.
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Government Death Certificate Says QuadrigaCX CEO Died in India
In a court filing last week, Robertson claimed that neither she, nor anyone else on the QuadrigaCX team, knew how to access the exchangeas crypto reserves a or indeed, where they might even be located.A The exchange holds roughly 26,500 bitcoin ($92.3 million USD), 11,000 bitcoin cash ($1.3 million), 11,000 bitcoin cash SV ($707,000), 35,000 bitcoin gold ($352,000), nearly 200,000 litecoin ($6.5 million) and about 430,000 ether ($46 million), totaling $147 million, according to the affidavit.
Cotten reportedly conducted all of his business operations out of an encrypted laptop, which Robertson has been unable to gain access to. While a consultant has been hired to try and break into the laptop, this expert has so far been unsuccessful.
While the timing of the move hasnt been confirmed, the laptop will ultimately be given to professional services firm EY, which was appointed monitor by the court.
Compounding the exchangeas problems is the fact that much of its fiat reserves are tied up after a well-documented legal fight with the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. There is no timeline yet for when those funds might be restored.
All told, the exchange estimates that it owes customers about $53 million in fiat and $137 million in crypto (in U.S. dollars).
Not all of Quadrigas funds are in crypto
According to its court filing, about $70 million CAD ($53 million USD) of its funds are held by payment processors in fiat.
Of that, about $30 million CAD ($23 million USD) is held by payment processor Billerfy in the form of bank drafts. Billerfy has explained in the past that it was having difficulty finding banking partners to endorse these drafts, preventing it from releasing the funds back to the exchange.
During the discussion in court Tuesday, Quadriga attorney Maurice Chiasson, a partner with law firm Stewart McKelvey, asked whether EY a the monitor appointed to oversee Quadrigas efforts a might be able to assist in finding a banking partner to endorse the drafts. It is unclear whether this is a possibility, and EY declined to comment when reached.
In an email, Billerfy managing director and owner JosA Reyes told CoinDesk he had not yet heard from EY, and was not sure what the next steps would be now that the company has been appointed as monitor.
He added in a later email that he has not had any luck finding banking partners to endorse the drafts yet.
Lawyers for Quadriga also control a further $5 million held by several New Brunswick, Canada-based companies. However, these funds may be used to organize bankruptcy processes and other administrative tasks, Chiasson explained.
Quadriga has 30 days under the existing order
Tuesdays stay grants Quadriga 30 days to try and recover its missing cryptocurrency reserves, as well as unlock its fiat holdings and look for other assets that can generate revenue. In an early filing, EY indicated that the exchange could sell its trading platform as one such revenue generator.
An initial report will be due on March 1, and another hearing will be held at the end of the 30-day period to determine what progress Quadriga is making.
Its possible that the exchange will file for an extension to the stay during that hearing, though Chiasson said in court Tuesday that it is our hope that as and when significant events develop, [such as if] we find a significant store of coins, we would immediately [begin distribution].
There will be a separate hearing to determine which law firm will be appointed as representative counsel on Feb. 14, though no lawsuit can be filed while the stay is in effect.
A request for clarification to Bennett Jones LLP, one law firm vying to be appointed, was not returned by press time.
What we donat know
Still, numerous questions surround the entire situation, including whether the exchange ever had the funds it claims are currently locked up in cold storage.
If there are really any cold wallets
One of the most concerning claims in Thursdayas affidavit was that the team is currently unable to access cold wallets holding Quadrigaas reserves. However, prominent voices in the crypto community are casting doubt on this assertion.
MyCryptoas founder and CEO Taylor Monahan told CoinDesk that she would be very surprised to learn of a cold storage ether address based on how the exchange managed its holdings with three primary wallets.
Almost all of the largest transactions are either sent to exchanges or amongst three aprimarya addresses a I havenat seen anything indicating a large reserve or cold storage mechanism being used on the Ethereum chain, she explained.
That does not mean the exchange has no cold storage wallets at all a but while it is possible, Monahan explained that she would find it aimprobablea based on the exchangeas past practices.
The differences in what the blockchain data appears to be saying about Quadrigaas holdings and what the exchange claims have led to further questions about the existence of the funds at all, sparking allegations of fraud on the part of the exchange and its operators.
Whatas the deal with the multi-sig wallets
In 2015, Cotten said the exchange used multi-signature wallets as a security precaution. Multi-sig wallets typically see multiple parties maintaining control of a part of a walletas private key.
In such a scenario, two or more of the parties would have to sign a transaction before it can be approved. However, no other Quadriga employees appear to have announced themselves as able to sign off on transactions.
In other words, the question remains whether there was a multi-sig wallet, where Cotten single-handedly managed all of the signatures, or if this security precaution was not actually taken.
What comes next
As stated, Quadriga now has 30 days of breathing room to try and find its missing coins, as well as unfreeze its fiat holdings.
What is less clear is how the exchange might proceed.
An email account set up by EY Canada to accept messages from Quadriga creditors was not functional as of press time. While Quadriga has released a new statement on its website, specifics were not included.
Instead, the websites statement noted that we are in the early stages of a long process, and that the work was ongoing.
What we can tell you is that the CCAA process will allow QuadrigaCX to keep all options open to attempt to maximize the funds available for the companys stakeholders. We will provide further updates to the extent possible, the statement reads.
Rumors and speculation
Whether Cotten is really dead
Despite two separate documents stating that Cotten died on Dec. 9, 2018 in Jaipur, the capital city of the Indian state of Rajasthan, online conspiracy theories continue to claim that he faked his death in order to pull an exit scam.
J.A. Snow Funeral Home, which issued a statement of death on Dec. 12, refused to confirm or deny that it actually issued the document. Calls to the Nova Scotia Department of Vital Statistics, which tracks life events (including deaths) were not returned by press time.
Separately, the Government of Rajasthans Directorate of Economics and Statistics producedA a death certificate for Cotten on Dec. 13, which CoinDesk obtained and published Tuesday. No cause of death was listed and further inquiries were not returned.
Angel House, an organization which builds orphanages in India and has been affiliated with Cotten in the past, did not pick up when called.
Anna Baydakova and Yogita Khatri contributed reporting.
Canadian flag image via Shutterstock
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Qom (Iran) (AFP) - In the religious capital of Iran, the Islamic revolution still holds a powerful sway even as once-unthinkable signs of modernity creep into the city of Qom to challenge the faithful.
Qom, a couple of hours drive south of Tehran, is one of Shiite Islam's holiest sites, home to dozens of seminaries and many of its most prominent clerics, known as "sources of emulation".
It was here that the first tremors of the Islamic revolution were felt, back in 1963, when a rising star of the clerical establishment, Ruhollah Khomeini, made a fiery speech attacking the shah over his US-backed reform programme.
A year later, Ayatollah Khomeini gave another speech from his home against the granting of diplomatic immunity to US military personnel -- which he said reduced "the Iranian people to a level lower than that of an American dog".
Khomeini was sent into exile, but the uprising he set in motion would lead to his triumphant return in February 1979, the toppling of the shah and the establishment of the Islamic republic.
Today, his home and the peaceful courtyard where he delivered that sermon remain untouched.
"There's no doubt he had a strong charisma, but the main thing was that he spoke to everyone the same," said Mohammad Yazdi, a former student of Khomeini who now runs the house.
"He was always polite. If anyone asked him a question on his way to the mosque, he would stop and answer them."
- An evolving city -
While the house remains the same, the city around it has seen immense change, with the appearance of overpasses and high-rise buildings that were once anathema to a religious establishment who said they would violate the privacy of adjacent houses.
Hip new boutiques display life-size female mannequins in flashy evening dresses that would have attracted police attention just a few years ago.
Some of Qom's real-life women can also be seen in tighter and more colourful clothes, even if the religiously-preferred black "chador" cloak remains the most common form of attire.
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For Mehdi Aboutalebi, a cleric and doctor of political science at the influential Imam Khomeini Educational Research Institute in Qom, these societal changes are inevitable.
"There is a wave coming and it will be hard to stop it," he told AFP.
"This is natural... with satellite TV and internet being easily accessible, Western modernity is entering the country more and more, that's why Qom looks different from a few years ago," he said.
But that doesn't mean Islam has lost its appeal, he added, and indeed the holy shrine at the centre of Qom still holds sway over daily life - its call to prayer heard throughout the city.
"Many of these changes you see are only on the surface. The depth of the religious identity of the society is still intact," Aboutalebi said.
The revolution also helped establish Iran on the world map, says a colleague at the research centre, Ebrahim Hosseini, who is also the Friday prayers leader in the city of Saveh.
"The most important effect was that Muslims and Iranians found an identity in the world. So much so that now even the president of the United States feels obliged to congratulate Iranians on Eid-ul-Fitr (the holiday at the end of the fasting month of Ramadan) or Nowrooz (the Iranian new year)," he said.
- Battle over communication -
Lately, however, the biggest social change has been the spread of internet communications, challenging the traditional control of the pulpit and the clerics over information and the interpretation of current events.
Ayatollah Khomeini was able to use the unparallelled network of mosques and religious centres across Iran to spread his message and mobilise the masses.
Today, the authorities are fighting a losing battle against social media - in part because they are divided over whether or not to introduce stringent China-style controls.
The result has been half-hearted measures, with sites like Twitter, YouTube and Telegram officially banned, but easily accessible through free privacy software and used by almost the entire political establishment.
For ardent supporters of the revolution like Aboutalebi, it is better to engage in these new media than try to suppress them.
"A new generation (of revolutionaries) has strongly entered cyberspace. They have gone into universities and are using it as a point of contact with the people. They have set up their own film festivals to honour movies that highlight revolutionary and religious thought," he said.
"The religious segment is not sitting idly by so that other groups can become the main point of reference for the people," Aboutalebi said.
Chubb (CB) came out with quarterly earnings of $2.02 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.93 per share. This compares to earnings of $3.17 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.
This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of 4.66%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this insurer would post earnings of $2.33 per share when it actually produced earnings of $2.41, delivering a surprise of 3.43%.
Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates four times.
Chubb, which belongs to the Zacks Insurance - Property and Casualty industry, posted revenues of $8.44 billion for the quarter ended December 2018, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 9.27%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $8.06 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates four times over the last four quarters.
The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.
Chubb shares have added about 3.7% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 8.7%.
What's Next for Chubb?
While Chubb has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?
There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.
Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.
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Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Chubb was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $2.69 on $7.72 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $11.03 on $32.46 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year.
Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Insurance - Property and Casualty is currently in the top 30% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.
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Two important questions to ask before you buy China Sanjiang Fine Chemicals Company Limited (HKG:2198) is, how it makes money and how it spends its cash. This difference directly flows down to how much the stock is worth. Operating in the industry, 2198 is currently valued at HK$2.2b. Today we will examine 2198s ability to generate cash flows, as well as the level of capital expenditure it is expected to incur over the next couple of years, which will result in how much money goes to you.
See our latest analysis for China Sanjiang Fine Chemicals
What is free cash flow?
China Sanjiang Fine Chemicalss free cash flow (FCF) is the level of cash flow the business generates from its operational activities, after it reinvests in the company as capital expenditure. This type of expense is needed for China Sanjiang Fine Chemicals to continue to grow, or at least, maintain its current operations.
The two ways to assess whether China Sanjiang Fine Chemicalss FCF is sufficient, is to compare the FCF yield to the market index yield, as well as determine whether the top-line operating cash flows will continue to grow.
Free Cash Flow = Operating Cash Flows Net Capital Expenditure
Free Cash Flow Yield = Free Cash Flow / Enterprise Value
where Enterprise Value = Market Capitalisation + Net Debt
After accounting for capital expenses required to run the business, China Sanjiang Fine Chemicals is not able to generate positive FCF, leading to a negative FCF yield not very useful for interpretation!
SEHK:2198 Net Worth February 6th 19
Does China Sanjiang Fine Chemicals have a favourable cash flow trend?
Does China Sanjiang Fine Chemicalss future look brighter in terms of its ability to generate higher operating cash flows? This can be estimated by examining the trend of the companys operating cash flow going forward. Over the next few years, 2198 is expected to deliver a decline in operating cash flow compared to the most recent level of CN1.5b, which is not an encouraging sign. Breaking down operating cash growth into a year-on-year basis, it seems like 2198 will face a continued decline in growth rates, from 46% next year, to -47% in the following year.
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Next Steps:
Keep in mind that cash is only one aspect of investment analysis and there are other important fundamentals to assess. I recommend you continue to research China Sanjiang Fine Chemicals to get a more holistic view of the company by looking at:
Historical Performance: What has 2198s returns been like over the past? Go into more detail in the past track record analysis and take a look at the free visual representations of our analysis for more clarity. Management Team: An experienced management team on the helm increases our confidence in the business take a look at who sits on China Sanjiang Fine Chemicalss board and the CEOs back ground. Other High-Performing Stocks: If you believe you should cushion your portfolio with something less risky, scroll through our free list of these great stocks here.
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.
Good Morning Britain quickly descended into chaos on Wednesday morning as a panel of guests debated Liam Neesons shocking comments about wanting to kill a black b*****d.
Hosts Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid asked the panel if Liam Neeson could ever be redeemed after sparking an international race row, and the situation went from heated to almost inaudible as the panelists shouted over one another.
Talk show host Niall Boylan said that while Neesons comments were racist, the Northern Irish actor is not an actual racist himself.
This was something that happened 40 years ago.a week in his life.
A furious Richard Blackwood, presenter and former EastEnders actor, said: Is that the difference?
A week in his lifewhere he had dark thoughtshe felt ashamedand learned. Boylan began.
If I said in a week of my life began Blackwood.
An exasperated Morgan interrupted the shouting pair with: Wait a minute! Listen! I am a 53-year-old, soon to be 54-year-old white man.
Things escalated extremely quickly on Wednesdays Good Morning Britain. (ITV Pictures)
I have never had a second in my life where I wanted to go out on the streets looking for a random black man to kill.
Blackwood then stood up and shook Morgans hand.
Ive never done that either! declared Boylan.
Sorry but anyone that does that is a murderous intent racist, continued Morgan.
I said recently on my show if anyone would harm my partner or my children I would get a gun and put a bullet through their head! said Boylan.
Blackwood then waved his hand in Boylans face and said: You stop that!
Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, who was very much caught in the middle of the highly animated row, pushed both mens arms aside and said:
I am going to speak right now! Can I just say these are two different things.
Yes there is vengeance when someone close to you is hurt, but there is a difference here. He said he went out looking for any black man, Mos-Shogbamimu said.
Blackwood agreed with her comments and argued that Neeson must be racist as he was generalising that all black men are bad, and deserve to be punished.
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Viewers at home appeared shocked at the incredibly heated debate, with several mocking the lack of control Reid and Morgan appeared to have over the riled up panel.
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Lily Allen dedicates F*** You song to Liam Neeson
John Barnes defends Liam Neeson: He deserves a medal
Piers Morgan compares Liam Neesons comments to KKK
Bangui (Central African Republic) (AFP) - The government of Central African Republic and armed groups in control of most of the country signed a deal in Bangui Wednesday aimed at ending a bloody, years-long conflict.
"The first effect of this agreement is the cessation of all violence against civilians," President Faustin-Archange Touadera said at the signing ceremony, without disclosing the contents of the pact.
"For us, this day is a historic moment which enshrines the culmination of nearly three years of efforts," Touadera said, adding he was "holding out a hand to our brothers and sisters in the armed groups."
The deal had been initialled in Khartoum on Tuesday after lengthy talks brokered by the African Union and supported by the United Nations.
The leaders of the two biggest armed groups -- Ali Darassa of the Unity for Peace in Central African Republic (UPC) and Noureddine Adam of the Popular Front for the Renaissance of the Central African Republic (FPRC) -- initialled the text in Khartoum but were not present for Wednesday's the signing ceremony.
The accord is the eighth attempt in nearly six years to forge peace in the war-ravaged country -- one of the poorest in the world.
The conflict has left thousands dead and forced a quarter of the population of 4.5 million from their homes. The rural exodus, the UN warned last year, could drive the country into famine.
All seven previous peace agreements failed to stick.
The last deal, forged in 2017 with the help of the Catholic Church, lasted less than a day before violence erupted anew, claiming nearly a hundred lives.
"The real challenge will be following up this agreement," the head of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, cautioned on Wednesday.
"It should not be the umpteenth (failed) agreement, as cynics say," he added. "We will be very watchful about the effective application of it."
The CAR plunged into crisis in 2012, when a mainly Muslim rebel movement called the Seleka rose in the north of the country.
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The following year, the insurgents overthrew President Francois Bozize, a Christian, triggering a predominantly Christian militia called the anti-Balaka.
France, the former colonial ruler, intervened militarily under a UN mandate as fears grew of a Rwandan-style genocide.
The Seleka were forced from power and in February 2016, Touadera, a former prime minister, was elected president.
However, militia, often portraying themselves as defenders of a community or religious group, still control some 80 percent of the country.
Fighting often erupts between these forces over control of the country's lavish mineral resources, which range from gold and diamonds to uranium.
Touadera is supported by 13,000 troops and police in the United Nations' MINUSCA mission, one of the UN's biggest peacekeeping operations.
KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Central African Republic signed a peace deal with 14 armed groups on Tuesday following two weeks of talks in the Sudanese capital Khartoum. The peace deal was announced on Saturday by the African Union but the terms were not immediately released. Central African Republic has been rocked by violence since 2013 when mainly Muslim Selaka rebels ousted then-president Francois Bozize, prompting reprisals from mostly Christian militia. Thousands of people have died because of the unrest in the diamond and gold-producing country, and a fifth of the 4.5 million population have fled their homes. A 12,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping mission, deployed since 2014, has struggled to restore order to the countryside where the government has little or no control and attacks on civilians are frequent. Over a dozen peacekeepers were killed by rebels in 2017 alone. The government and rebels expressed optimism over the deal on Saturday. Lasting peace is not guaranteed, however, because similar agreements in 2014, 2015 and 2017 all broke down. (Reporting by Khalid Abdel Aziz; Writing by Edward McAllister, editing by Ed Osmond)
Universal Studios Hollywood is ringing in the Year of the Pig as the park celebrates Lunar New Year with special festivities from February 2nd through 17th. The Lunar New Year traditions will take place in Universal Plaza where park goers can participate in a variety of activities. Guests can enjoy Kung Fu lessons from the Kung Fu Panda himself, grab a bite to eat at Mr. Pings Noodle Shop, learn to draw their favorite characters from actual animators, and take photos with Universal Studios icons dressed up for the holiday. The area will be decorated with customary red Chinese lanterns and Wishing Trees.
The President of the European Council Donald Tusk speaks at a press conference. (Photo by EU Council/Getty Images)
Donald Tusk has said that Brexiteers who campaigned for Leave but had no plan for the UKs departure from the EU deserve a special place in hell.
The European Council president was met with immediate criticism from Eurosceptics, who accused him of insulting British Leave voters.
However, an EU spokesperson insisted that Mr Tusk was referring only to prominent Brexit campaigners and not to members of the public.
Meghan Markle sent a letter to her estranged father asking him to stop victimising her in public, it has been claimed.
The astonishing revelations come amid reports that, far from trying to heal the wounds with his daughter, Mr Markle has made no effort to contact the Duchess of Sussex to try and heal their rift.
In a series of interviews with unnamed close friends published by PEOPLE magazine, it is claimed Mr Markle never called and never texted his daughter.
Donald Trump will return to the UK in December for a Nato summit for his second visit since his election.
The US president, who has repeatedly criticised the military alliance, will meet with heads of state in London, Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg announced.
Mr Trump visited the UK for the first time last July and was met with huge protests across the country.
An Italian man who posed as a British plastic surgeon and performed operations has been seized by police.
Matteo Politi faked his identity as a UK surgeon named Matthew Mode and gave lectures to trainees, despite having no medical background.
Politi, 38, who was reportedly convicted of identity theft in 2011 before moving to Romania, operated at four private hospitals in Bucharest before being caught out.
Denpasar (Indonesia) (AFP) - A British woman was handed a six-month jail term Wednesday for slapping an immigration officer in Bali after she missed her flight because of an expired tourist visa.
A court on the Indonesian holiday island found Auj-e Taqaddas, 43, guilty of assaulting the officer at Ngurah Rai international airport in July last year.
A viral video of the episode showed the woman launch into an expletive-laden rant when she was told she would have to pay a $4,000 fine for overstaying her visa by several months.
She then hit an officer, accusing him of making her miss a flight.
Taqaddas, who vowed to appeal the verdict, was physically taken to the courthouse on Wednesday after missing several earlier court dates, authorities said.
She was not detained before the sentencing.
"We have been monitoring her movements in the past week and this afternoon we forcibly took her to the court," said prosecutor Waher Tulus Jaya Tarihoran.
"She fought back, hitting and kicking our prosecutors."
By Gabriela Baczynska and Alastair Macdonald
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union will make no new offer on Brexit and those who promoted Britain's exit without any understanding of how to deliver it deserve a "special place in hell", European Council President Donald Tusk said on Wednesday.
The United Kingdom is on course to leave the EU on March 29 without a deal unless Prime Minister Theresa May can convince the bloc to reopen the divorce agreement she reached in November and then sell it to sceptical British lawmakers.
But as Tusk's pointedly blunt language showed, frustration runs deep among European leaders over the British parliament's rejection of the divorce deal and May's demands that the EU now give up on key principles or face disruption in just 50 days.
As companies and governments across Europe step up preparations for a disorderly no-deal exit, diplomats and officials said Britain now faces three main options: a no-deal exit, a last-minute deal or a delay to Brexit.
Rebuffing May's bid to renegotiate just a day before she is due in Brussels, Tusk said he had abandoned the hope he has often expressed that Britain's exit might be stopped and said his priority was now to avert a "fiasco" when it leaves.
"I've been wondering what that special place in hell looks like, for those who promoted Brexit, without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely," Tusk said at a joint news conference with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.
The remark by Tusk, who chairs summits of the EU's national leaders, angered Brexit supporters in Britain.
Veteran Brexiteer Nigel Farage retorted: "After Brexit we will be free of unelected, arrogant bullies like you - sounds like heaven to me."
While Tusk was clear the EU would not reopen the divorce deal, he also said he still believed a common Brexit solution was possible.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker rammed home Tusk's message, saying the legal withdrawal agreement would not be reopened, and May knew that.
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Varadkar said Britain's political instability further proved the need for a "backstop" insurance policy - the main obstacle to a deal - to keep the border between EU member Ireland and British-ruled Northern Ireland open after Brexit.
May will visit Dublin on Friday, Varadkar said.
For May, failure to deliver a revised deal would shatter the fragile unity in her Conservative Party, leaving her already-diminished authority in tatters, and ramping up uncertainty in financial markets over the fate of the British economy, the world's fifth largest.
Rating agency Standard and Poor's said a no-deal Brexit could result in negative revisions of their outlooks on Britain's credit ratings, but that there remained a very strong incentive for both sides to reach a deal.
IRISH UNITY?
In another stark indication of the stakes for Britain of a disorderly Brexit, Irish nationalists warned May that if she allowed a no-deal Brexit then there would have to be a referendum on Irish unity.
"In the event of a crash... she must as a democrat return to the Good Friday Agreement and she must begin preparation for a referendum on Irish unity," Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said, referring to the peace accord signed in 1998 that ended three decades of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland.
The United Kingdom's decision to leave the EU has strained ties between its constituent parts: England and Wales voted to leave the EU in the 2016 referendum while Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to stay.
May has said she will seek an alternative arrangement which avoids the need for a hard border on the island of Ireland, or legally binding changes to the backstop to introduce a time limit or create an exit mechanism.
Brexit has snagged on the 310-mile (500-km) frontier because there is disagreement on how to monitor trade without physical checks on the border, which was marked by military checkpoints before the Good Friday peace agreement.
Under the divorce deal agreed in November, the 'backstop' would come into effect if the two sides failed to come up with a better idea to keep the border open.
ALTERNATIVE IDEAS
But the Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) which props up May's government says it could endanger the province's place in the United Kingdom, while Brexit supporters in May's Conservative Party worry it locks the country into EU rules.
At a meeting in Belfast on Thursday, DUP leader Arlene Foster told May the backstop needed to be replaced, but said their discussion had been useful.
The Sun newspaper said British ministers were examining a plan drawn up by Japan's Fujitsu to track trade across the border. The Telegraph said ministers had discussed delaying Brexit by eight weeks.
EU officials are asking May to embrace a proposal by the opposition Labour Party to join a permanent customs union with the bloc.
Such a move could remove the need for the backstop and, some in the EU believe, may win approval in Britain's parliament. But officials have low expectations ahead of the prime minister's visit to Brussels on Thursday.
"Theresa May is not delivering on what she agreed with us," a senior EU diplomat said. "Her inability to build a cross-party agreement is staggering."
(Additional reporting by Amanda Ferguson in Belfast and Alistair Smout, William James and Elizabeth Piper in London; Writing by Guy Faulconbridge and William James; Editing by Janet Lawrence and Gareth Jones)
North Redondo Beach will absorb most of the 2,500 new homes over the next eight year.
A civil servant has revealed a possible reason that the UK is not prepared for a no-deal Brexit (Getty Images)
Britain is unprepared for a no-deal Brexit because the Government thinks spending money on something that might not happen would be more unpopular than the fallout from a chaotic exit, a civil servant has revealed.
The official, who chose to remain anonymous, unveiled a damning picture of the UKs readiness to leave without a deal in The Guardian.
They painted a chaotic picture of Whitehall, saying that civil servants have still not been told whether they will be required to leave their usual jobs to work on Brexit, or what their new roles might be.
The civil servant said that Operation Yellowhammer, the official Government term for no deal preparations, hasnt really got going yet, despite the UK being set to leave the EU in less than 60 days.
The grey eminences in charge have calculated that the risk of being defenestrated for wasting billions on a no-deal Brexit that never happens is slightly higher than the risk of being overwhelmed by a no-deal, wrote the insider.
The Prime Minister is in Northern Ireland for talks to rescue her Brexit deal (PA Images)
Predicted consequences of a no-deal Brexit include shortages of certain foods such as lettuce and soft fruits that are imported from the EU.
A number of supermarkets and cafe chains last week warned that they would not be able to stockpile enough food to prevent shortages of certain items.
Scarcity and blockages to supply chains would likely lead to higher prices, experts predict.
The UKs security relationship with the EU would also be impacted and could cause problems protecting the public, according to security minister Ben Wallace.
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Theresa May has repeatedly said that her Government does not want to leave the EU without a deal, but has refused to take the option off the table.
She has said that the best way to avoid no deal is for Parliament to approve her Brexit deal.
The PM will return to Brussels later today in an attempt to secure concessions that could win over Brexiteers and persuade them to vote for her deal when MPs vote on it again February 14th.
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Attractive stocks have exceptional fundamentals. In the case of Servizi Italia S.p.A. (BIT:SRI), theres is a financially-robust company with a a great track record high-grade dividend payments, trading at a great value. Below, Ive touched on some key aspects you should know on a high level. For those interested in digger a bit deeper into my commentary, read the full report on Servizi Italia here.
Undervalued with adequate balance sheet and pays a dividend
SRIs has produced operating cash levels of 0.66x total debt over the past year, which implies that SRIs management has put its borrowings into good use by generating enough cash to cover a sufficient portion of borrowings. Debt funding requires timely payments on interest to lenders. SRIs earnings sufficiently covered its interest in the prior year, which indicates theres low risk associated with the company not being able to meet these key expenses. SRI is currently trading below its true value, which means the market is undervaluing the companys expected cash flow going forward. Investors have the opportunity to buy into the stock to reap capital gains, if SRIs projected earnings trajectory does follow analyst consensus growth, which determines my intrinsic value of the company. Also, relative to the rest of its peers with similar levels of earnings, SRIs share price is trading below the groups average. This bolsters the proposition that SRIs price is currently discounted.
BIT:SRI Intrinsic Value Export February 6th 19
Income investors would also be happy to know that SRI is one of the highest dividend payers in the market, with current dividend yield standing at 4.7%. SRI has also been regularly increasing its dividend payments to shareholders over the past decade.
BIT:SRI Historical Dividend Yield February 6th 19
Next Steps:
For Servizi Italia, there are three key aspects you should further examine:
Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for SRIs future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for SRIs outlook. Historical Performance: What has SRIs returns been like over the past? Go into more detail in the past track record analysis and take a look at the free visual representations of our analysis for more clarity. Other Attractive Alternatives : Are there other well-rounded stocks you could be holding instead of SRI? Explore our interactive list of stocks with large potential to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing!
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.
Sao Paulo (AFP) - A Brazilian court Wednesday handed a near 13-year sentence to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in a new corruption conviction for the former leftist president already serving a lengthy jail term in a separate case.
Lula, 73, was found guilty by a court in the southern city of Curitiba of accepting renovation work by two construction companies on a farmhouse in exchange for ensuring they won contracts with the state-run oil company Petrobras.
He was given a sentence of 12 years and 11 months by the court located in the southern city of Curitiba.
A legal expert, Thiago Bottino do Amaral of the Getulio Vargas Foundation, told AFP that, under Brazilian law, prison terms can be served one after the other as long as the total time behind bars does not exceed 30 years.
Lula, since April last year, is already serving a 12-year term for corruption in a separate case.
The leftist former leader ruled Brazil between 2003 and 2010.
He has denied all the charges against him, claiming they are politically motivated with the aim of preventing him competing in elections last year that were won by Brazil's new far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
Defending himself in the latest case, he said the farmhouse did not belong to him and its title was in the name of one of his friends, Fernando Bittar.
But the Curitiba judge, Gabriela Hardt, was not persuaded, noting that "the family of ex-president Lula very often frequented the farm as if he was the owner." She also observed that Bittar had said in 2014 that his own family did not visit the property as often and that it was used more by Lula's family.
"The accused received these unjustified benefits because of his position as president of the republic, of whom exemplary behavior is demanded," she said.
Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - Brazil's aircraft maker Embraer said Wednesday it has finalized a contract to sell 12 light attack aircraft to Nigeria's air force, which is fighting an insurgency by Boko Haram jihadists.
Embraer's military aircraft division said in a statement it and a partner firm making electronic systems, Sierra Nevada Corporation of the United States, had sealed the order from Nigeria for the A-29 Super Tucano planes, which are to be made in the US.
The contract had been mooted for some time but was reportedly stalled by lack of US authorization.
A specialist website, defenceWeb, said last year the deal was worth $329 million. It said associated weaponry, including guided bombs and rockets, might be acquired under separate contracts.
The Embraer statement did not put a value on the sale, nor mention munitions.
"The contract for the Nigerian Air Force includes ground training devices, mission planning systems, mission debrief systems, spares, ground support equipment, alternate mission equipment, contiguous US interim contractor support" as well as logistic support, it said.
"The aircraft are expected to be delivered to Nigeria in line with the contract timelines, as part of a larger more comprehensive training and support package," it said.
The turboprop Super Tucano is already used in Brazil, for border patrols, and in a dozen other air forces including in Afghanistan, Colombia and Indonesia.
Nigeria's military is engaged in a decade-long campaign against Boko Haram, which has in recent months been stepping up attacks on military targets.
The conflict has killed more than 27,000 people and displaced almost two million others in Nigeria's northeast. It has spilled into neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, triggering a dire humanitarian crisis in the region.
NEW YORK Beto O'Rourke told Oprah on Tuesday that he will make his decision about whether he will run for president in 2020 "by the end of this month."
During an interview with Winfrey on Tuesday in New York City, the Texas politician, whose grassroots Senate campaign against Ted Cruz in the 2018 midterm election attracted national coverage due to his success in a predominantly red state, said that he has "been thinking about running for president," but remained vague on specifics.
When Winfrey asked "When are you going to know the answer?" O'Rourke answered: "The serious answer is really soon. Before the end of this month."
He said that the decision will come down to "my family and my kids."
ORourke talked about his 2018 campaign, his hopes for the country and his meeting with former president Barack Obama.
On his meeting with Obama, Winfrey asked ORourke whether the former president encouraged him to run for president.
"He didnt," ORourke said. However, Obama "was very generous in sharing what his thought process was... he said look, this is one of the most intense, one of the most brutal things you can go through.'"
ORourke told Winfrey his loss to Cruz in the November midterm race was something that left him in a "sunken place."
O'Rourke came within three points of Cruz in November, the closest a Democrat in Texas has come in decades to unseating a Republican incumbent.
He said he "felt a profound disappointment in myself that I had let so many people down." Winfrey asked him how he got out of that state of mind after losing. "You stop looking at yourself and you start looking at others," ORourke said.
O'Rourke said his decision will come down to his family: his wife Amy and his three children, Ulysses, Molly and Henry.
At the end of his interview, Winfrey remarked: "You seem like you're getting ready to run."
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The former congressman from El Paso sat down with Winfrey at an event called "Oprahs SuperSoul Conversations from Times Square," which also featured interviews with actors Michael B. Jordan and Bradley Cooper, philanthropist Melinda Gates, and Lisa Borders, president and chief executive officer of Time's Up.
The interview will be aired on the Oprah Winfrey Network, or OWN, on Feb. 16 at 7 p.m.
After leaving office in January at the end of his term as a representative in Congress, O'Rourke embarked on a low-key road trip outside of Texas, publishing blog posts from the road about his meetings with people in New Mexico, Kansas and other states.
"I had to be moving, I had to be meeting people," O'Rourke told Winfrey of the motivation for his trip. "It's just how I think, how I find the next step. I just truly emerged out of this by being with people."
Contributing: Christal Hayes, USA TODAY; Reed reported from New York and Mekelburg reported from Texas
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Beto O'Rourke tells Oprah he will make 2020 announcement by 'end of this month'
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Ive been keeping an eye on Bank of Greece A.E. (ATH:TELL) because Im attracted to its fundamentals. Looking at the company as a whole, as a potential stock investment, I believe TELL has a lot to offer. Basically, it is a company that has been able to sustain great financial health, trading at an attractive share price. Below, Ive touched on some key aspects you should know on a high level. If youre interested in understanding beyond my broad commentary, take a look at the report on Bank of Greece A.E here.
Undervalued with excellent balance sheet
TELL is financially robust, with ample cash on hand and short-term investments to meet upcoming liabilities. This suggests prudent control over cash and cost by management, which is an important determinant of the companys health. Investors should not worry about TELLs debt levels because the company has none! This means it is running its business only on equity capital funding, which is typically normal for a small-cap company. Investors risk associated with debt is virtually non-existent and the company has plenty of headroom to grow debt in the future, should the need arise. TELLs shares are now trading at a price below its true value based on its discounted cash flows, indicating a relatively pessimistic market sentiment. Investors have the opportunity to buy into the stock to reap capital gains, if TELLs projected earnings trajectory does follow analyst consensus growth, which determines my intrinsic value of the company. Compared to the rest of the diversified financial industry, TELL is also trading below its peers, relative to earnings generated. This bolsters the proposition that TELLs price is currently discounted.
ATSE:TELL PE PEG Gauge February 6th 19
Next Steps:
For Bank of Greece A.E, there are three pertinent factors you should further research:
Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for TELLs future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for TELLs outlook. Historical Performance: What has TELLs returns been like over the past? Go into more detail in the past track record analysis and take a look at the free visual representations of our analysis for more clarity. Other Attractive Alternatives : Are there other well-rounded stocks you could be holding instead of TELL? Explore our interactive list of stocks with large potential to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing!
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.
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There is a lot to be liked about Bank of China Limited (HKG:3988) as an income stock. It has paid dividends over the past 10 years. The company currently pays out a dividend yield of 5.7% to shareholders, making it a relatively attractive dividend stock. Lets dig deeper into whether Bank of China should have a place in your portfolio.
View our latest analysis for Bank of China
How I analyze a dividend stock
When assessing a stock as a potential addition to my dividend Portfolio, I look at these five areas:
Is its annual yield among the top 25% of dividend-paying companies?
Has it paid dividend every year without dramatically reducing payout in the past?
Has dividend per share amount increased over the past?
Does earnings amply cover its dividend payments?
Based on future earnings growth, will it be able to continue to payout dividend at the current rate?
SEHK:3988 Historical Dividend Yield February 6th 19
How well does Bank of China fit our criteria?
Bank of China has a trailing twelve-month payout ratio of 30%, which means that the dividend is covered by earnings. In the near future, analysts are predicting a higher payout ratio of 34% which, assuming the share price stays the same, leads to a dividend yield of 6.6%. In addition to this, EPS should increase to CN0.63. The higher payout forecasted, along with higher earnings, should lead to greater dividend income for investors moving forward.
When thinking about whether a dividend is sustainable, another factor to consider is the cash flow. A company with strong cash flow, relative to earnings, can sometimes sustain a high pay out ratio.
If theres one type of stock you want to be reliable, its dividend stocks and their stable income-generating ability. 3988 has increased its DPS from CN0.10 to CN0.18 in the past 10 years. It has also been paying out dividend consistently during this time, as youd expect for a company increasing its dividend levels. These are all positive signs of a great, reliable dividend stock.
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Compared to its peers, Bank of China produces a yield of 5.7%, which is high for Banks stocks.
Next Steps:
With this in mind, I definitely rank Bank of China as a strong dividend stock, and makes it worth further research for anyone who likes steady income generation from their portfolio. Given that this is purely a dividend analysis, you should always research extensively before deciding whether or not a stock is an appropriate investment for you. I always recommend analysing the companys fundamentals and underlying business before making an investment decision. There are three important aspects you should further examine:
Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for 3988s future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for 3988s outlook. Valuation: What is 3988 worth today? Even if the stock is a cash cow, its not worth an infinite price. The intrinsic value infographic in our free research report helps visualize whether 3988 is currently mispriced by the market. Other Dividend Rockstars: Are there better dividend payers with stronger fundamentals out there? Check out our free list of these great stocks here.
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.
Cape Town (AFP) - Under warming red light, baby flamingos are fed, weighed and cared for in a bid to save 2,000 chicks rescued after they were abandoned by their parents as dam waters dried up in South Africa.
Nicky Stander, rehabilitation manager at the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds in Cape Town (SANCCOB), said her team swung into action when news of the abandoned birds broke last month.
"We rehabilitate, thats our business, and with the aim of releasing back into the wild. We have very large facilities here that were built last year. And we thought we were the best people to contribute to this project," Stander told AFP on Wednesday.
"As time goes on and they grow, we are going have to adapt the way that we house them and make sure that they have long running space so they can exercise their legs."
The relocation by air of 2,000 chicks from Kamfers Dam in the Northern Cape province to several locations including Cape Town -- a journey of 950 km (590 miles) -- has attracted public attention in South Africa.
But some conservation experts have questioned the decision to intervene.
"These endearing little birds were apparently left stranded and dying by their parents as the waters of the dam dried up," said Mark Anderson, CEO of BirdLife South Africa.
"(But) was the decision to step in and remove the abandoned chicks and eggs the right one? Who made this decision, under what authority and in terms of what expertise?"
At SANCCOB, volunteer Leslie Ernst says they are determined to do their best for the rescued chicks.
"They're super delicate-feeling. Every time I go to bed I still feel them in my hands," she said. "I think we all feel very motherly towards them all."
Sydney (AFP) - A prominent Chinese billionaire political donor has been stripped of his Australian residency and barred from returning to the country after scrutiny of his Communist Party ties, media reported Wednesday.
Huang Xiangmo was reportedly left stranded outside of Australia after Home Affairs cancelled his permanent residency and rejected his application for citizenship.
The prominent property developer has donated millions to Australia's two main political parties and been photographed with key figures including former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and opposition leader Bill Shorten.
But he has come under scrutiny for alleged links to the United Front Work Department -- a Communist Party-linked body accused of neutralising opposition and buying political influence around the world.
Asked about Huang's case, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he would not comment on such "sensitive matters", but added "the government has always acted consistent with the advice that we've received and that's what has happened on this occasion."
Quoting unnamed sources, the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper said Huang had his application for an Australian passport blocked on "character grounds" and concerns over the "reliability" of information he had supplied in interviews.
The Home Office declined AFP's request for comment on the case.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Marise Payne played down suggestions that the decision to strip Xiangmo of his residency could poison relations between Canberra and Beijing.
The countries' economies are deeply intertwined, but conflicting political systems and China's increasingly strong-arm tactics in the Pacific region have made cooperation more difficult.
"I don't expect it to be the subject of a bilateral discussion. These are matters that occur from time to time," she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation when asked about the Huang case.
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- Influence campaign -
Australia's main spy agency has long voiced concerns that China was interfering in Australian institutions and using the opaque political donations system to gain access.
It reportedly warned the country's political elite about taking donations from Huang -- who owns a multi-million-dollar mansion in Sydney -- and a fellow billionaire property developer, Chau Chak Wing.
In 2017, one-time opposition Labor powerbroker Sam Dastyari was forced to quit politics when it emerged his office took cash from Huang to pay legal bills.
The Sydney Morning Herald said Dastyari had repeatedly contacted immigration personally to check on Huang's case.
Canberra last year introduced sweeping reforms to its espionage and foreign interference laws, strengthening existing offences and introducing new ones targeting the foreign influence of domestic politics, including a ban on foreign donations to political parties.
"Foreign adversaries are actively working against Australia's interests through a variety of means, including obtaining classified information or seeking to influence the outcome of Australia's democratic processes," the government said upon passing the laws in June.
Beijing has dismissed the claims of meddling as hysteria and paranoia.
On Wednesday Labor leader Bill Shorten -- who polls tip to become Australia's next prime minister -- dodged questions about whether his party would return donations from Huang.
"Well, we stopped taking money from him a couple of years ago," he told journalists. "In fact, Labor stopped taking donations from that gentleman and another person before the law caught up with our position," he said.
Kiev (AFP) - Last summer, Vitaliy Ustymenko was brutally attacked by two men in broad daylight in an assault he believes was linked to his work as an anti-corruption activist in Ukraine.
The number of such assaults on activists has soared, analysts say, as Ukraine struggles to rein in graft five years after a popular uprising partially motivated by rage over corruption.
Ustymenko, 25, was protesting against officials and businessmen building huge malls and luxury apartments in protected areas of the southern port city of Odessa.
He told AFP a "vicious circle" of corruption involving powerful businessmen, local authorities, public prosecutors and police officers was allowing the illegal activity to continue.
"It is very difficult to carry out effective monitoring or preventative work," said Ustymenko, who continues to organise protests on what he says are illegal construction sites.
Ustymenko knows the risks such monitors run. In June 2018, unknown assailants beat him and stabbed him in the lower back, leading to a hospital stay.
It was only after a wave of protests across the country against police inaction that the attackers were eventually tracked down. The pair remain in pre-trial detention.
But those who ordered the beating will likely never be found, with Odessa police officers under the thumb of a corrupt city hall, the activist said.
Odessa Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov has long been accused of corruption, with investigators raiding his offices in 2017 as part of an embezzlement probe.
The Black Sea city's authorities were accused of pocketing money from contracts assigned for repairing a highway and awarding loans that vanished but were meant to help refurbish the local airport.
Trukhanov denies all charges in the ongoing case.
- Ten murders -
The picture is no brighter for activists in other parts of the ex-Soviet nation.
"Over the past four years, we recorded about 100 attacks, half of which occurred during 2018," Tetyana Pechonchyk, head of the Kiev-based Human Rights Information Centre, told AFP.
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"We've had 10 murders of activists or human rights campaigners that may be related to their public activities. Five of them occurred in 2018," she added.
Anti-graft activists, defenders of the environment and human rights campaigners had all been targeted, Pechonchyk said.
"After all the attacks, we have very few cases when instigators were found and brought to justice," she said.
The Maidan protests in 2014 forced out a pro-Kremlin president and ushered in a new leadership that came to power on a promise to tackle endemic corruption.
The government launched a string of Western-backed anti-graft investigative bodies, but observers say these are toothless unless backed by judicial reform.
Kiev also handed more power to local authorities, which led to greater scrutiny of regional administrations by activists.
But while activists are finding instances of corruption, a culture of impunity and lack of institutional reform mean these cases of graft are not properly addressed, according to analysts.
"Such impunity means (corrupt officials') hands are free," Pechonchyk said.
"They understand that it is easy to organise attacks, even kill activists, and they will not be punished for that."
- Acid attack -
In November last year, another campaigner died from injuries sustained during an acid attack.
Kateryna Gandzyuk worked as an adviser to the mayor of the southern city of Kherson and was an outspoken critic of corruption in law enforcement agencies.
An attacker poured around a litre of acid over the 33-year-old shortly after she left her home in the morning.
But months after Gandzyuk's death, investigators have yet to find who ordered the assault.
Western nations called attacks on activists unacceptable and urged authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Activists and analysts agree that major anti-corruption reform, including in the police and judiciary, must be completed in order to prevent further attacks.
"A strong state acting in accordance with the rule of law is the answer. ... Those who act violently should be punished swiftly and without remorse," Adrian Karatnycky, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank, wrote in a paper.
"The national authorities not only did not react, but indirectly supported these actions, because they felt the threat coming from activists to their power and incomes," Dmytro Bulakh, chairman of the Kharkiv Anti-Corruption Center and also a victim of an attack, told AFP.
NOGALES, Ariz. (AP) Officials in a small Arizona border city passed a resolution Wednesday night condemning the installation of new razor wire that now covers the entirety of a tall border wall through downtown.
The City Council in Nogales, which sits on the border with Nogales, Mexico, wants the federal government to remove all concertina wire installed within the city limits.
Otherwise, Nogales Mayor Arturo Garino said the city will sue.
City officials say Army troops installed more horizontal layers of the wire along the border wall last weekend.
The council's resolution says the razor wire would harm or kill anyone who scales the wall and "is only found in a war, prison or battle setting" and should not be in downtown Nogales.
In a statement, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the wire was added after a request "for additional support in high-risk urban areas commonly exploited by criminal smuggling organizations." It did not say who made the request.
The new wire is being added to sections outside city limits, according to a CBP spokeswoman. In locations where there is high pedestrian activity, the concertina wire is limited to only the upper portion of the wall, she wrote.
"Signage in Spanish and English has been put in place warning individuals of these dangers and prohibiting access," the statement said.
Garino said he was most concerned that children and others could be injured now that it reaches the ground. The downtown area is also residential, and there are homes that stand a few feet from the border fence.
"Aesthetically pleasing it's not. It's very bad. It's not good for business, it's not good for what we're trying to create, a business-friendly community here in Nogales," Garino told the AP.
Photos published by the Nogales International newspaper show six rows of concertina wire stacked along the approximately two-story wall.
The Nogales City Council's action came one day after President Donald Trump made his case to the American people about the need for a border wall and how he has ordered 3,750 troops to prepare for what he called a "tremendous onslaught."
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Nogales, a city of about 20,000 people, is a fraction of the size of its Mexican counterpart, but its economy is largely reliant on Mexican shoppers and cross-border trade. Illegal crossings in that area have dropped steeply in the past several years.
Garino told the newspaper that he asked U.S. Sen. Martha McSally to help the city have the wire removed during a visit to the border last month.
A spokeswoman for McSally said the senator was working on a response to an inquiry from The Associated Press.
In a tweet, U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, a Democrat, called its placement a stunt by the Trump administration, which he said is "trying to create the perception of rampant lawlessness and crime."
Soldiers have installed concertina wire at or near several official crossings at the border. In late November, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the military had sent 36 miles (58 kilometers) of concertina for use in California, Arizona, and Texas.
At the start of November, soldiers in Texas installed lines of wire coils below a major bridge near McAllen.
City leaders were critical of military exercises at the border during the holiday season, saying they believed it scared shoppers.
The city resolution says concertina wire is typically something found in battlefields, and that placing it along the border fence is "not only irresponsible but inhuman."
The Nogales measure would be one of the more direct swipes against one of Trump's signature initiatives. In September 2017, the San Diego City Council adopted a resolution that said Trump's walls would be "damaging symbols of fear and division that will increase tensions with Mexico, one of the United States' largest trading partners and a neighbor with which communities such as San Diego in the border region are inextricably linked culturally, physically, and economically."
It said Trump's proposal "could destroy the vitality of U.S.- Mexico relations and act as a separation to our unique, diverse, and beautiful region."
The San Diego resolution passed 5-3, with Democrats in favor and Republicans opposed. Kevin Faulconer, the city's Republican mayor didn't back the statement but didn't veto it either. The mayor often says the U.S. should focus on building bridges instead of walls.
Other border mayors have also been critical.
"We have a fence here. The fence is fine. It does what it's supposed to do," Dee Margo, the Republican mayor of El Paso, Texas, said last year. "I hear the term wall, I think of the Berlin Wall. I think it's pretty detrimental to the relationships that have lasted more than 400 years."
The number of arrests by the Border Patrol is the lowest since the early 1970s, while the number of agents has more than doubled.
Over 1.6 million arrests were made by just about 9,200 agents nationwide in the 2000. But those figures tapered off as the government dramatically increased staffing and resources like more surveillance technology and tall, steel fencing.
By last fiscal year, about 19,000 Border Patrol agents made 310,000 arrests.
___
Associated Press reporters Elliot Spagat in San Diego, Nomaan Merchant in Houston and Walter Berry in Phoenix contributed to this report.
Cayenne (AFP) - Two communications satellites -- for India and a consortium from Saudi Arabia, Greece and Cyprus -- were successfully put into orbit by the European aerospace firm ArianeGroup, the company announced.
Competition by commercial operators in the lucrative rocket industry has intensified in the past few years, particularly since the launch of Elon Musk's re-usable SpaceX.
An Ariane 5 rocket with a payload of nine tonnes lifted off from the Kourou space centre in French Guiana late Tuesday, the first of five launches scheduled for this year, ArianeGroup said.
One satellite, belonging to a Saudi governmental scientific body and the Greco-Cypriot operator Hellas Sat, is to supply television, internet and telephone communications for the Middle East, South Africa and Europe for the next 15 years.
The other is a communications satellite designed and built by the Indian Space Research Organisation.
"This first launch of 2019 demonstrates once again our capacity to perfectly adapt the Ariane 5 launcher to answer the needs of each client," said ArianeGroup executive president Andre-Hubert Roussel.
Ariane 5 rockets are to be replaced in 2020 by the Ariane 6, which will be an estimated 40 percent cheaper.
Still, the ArianeGroup announced in November it would cut 2,300 jobs by 2022 as the development of the new rocket nears its end and orders for new launches have slipped in the face of competition.
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump who once described himself as very pro-choice burnished his anti-abortion credentials during his State of the Union address Tuesday night with harsh attacks on recent state actions.
Trump charged lawmakers in New York with having "cheered with delight" after recently passing legislation to "allow a baby to be ripped from the mother's womb moments before birth."
He accused Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam of "basically" stating that "he would execute a baby after birth."
"There could be no greater contrast to the beautiful image of a mother holding her infant child than the chilling displays our nation saw in recent days," Trump said. "Let us work together to build a culture that cherishes innocent life. And let us reaffirm a fundamental truth: all children born and unborn are made in the holy image of God."
It was the first time that Trump mentioned abortion in any of his three joint addresses to Congress since becoming president.
Republicans see abortion as an issue that will help fire up Trumps base for his 2020 re-election. That's despite the fact that the new-Democratic majority in the House will prevent any anti-abortion legislation from getting to his desk. (House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's guests for the speech included the president of Planned Parenthood.)
But if little is likely to happen in Congress over the next two years, theres already plenty of action in the states.
The Democratic Party has become so extreme they are now openly supporting the murder of newborn babies, Camille Gallo, spokeswoman for the National Republican Congressional Committee said last week after Democrats in Virginia pushed to loosen restrictions on abortions later in pregnancy.
And the Supreme Court could decide this week whether Louisiana can enforce a law requiring abortion providers to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. The newly reconfigured high court that now includes two conservative justices appointed by Trump will also decide soon whether to review the constitutionality of Indiana's attempt under then-Gov. Mike Pence to ban abortions sought because of race, sex or disability.
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President Trump addresses March of Life participants
50-state campaign
On the other side, the National Abortion Rights Action League last month launched a 50-state campaign to expand access to abortion in states where Democrats made gains last fall and to fight new restrictions in states where the GOP dominates.
The same forces that helped us elect record gains in pro-choice legislators a few short months ago stand ready to fight back with all we have, NARAL president Ilyse Hogue said in January.
States where abortion-rights groups were hoping for early action include New Mexico, Nevada, Massachusetts, New York and California.
The likelihood that women will receive the type of abortion services that best meet their needs already varies considerably depending on where they live, according to a 2018 report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.
The report also said that the abortion rate in the U.S. fell by more than half between 1980 and 2014. While the reasons for the drop are not fully understood, experts cited the increasing use of contraceptives, historic declines in the rate of unintended pregnancy and the growth in state regulations that limit the availability of otherwise legal abortion services.
Hundreds of actions have been taken in states in the past eight years to either restrict abortion services or support abortion rights, according to the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion-rights think tank. Last year was the first time in recent years that steps protecting reproductive rights outnumbered abortion restrictions.
That could continue because of the gains Democrats made in state capitals in November. But the elections also accelerated a trend toward one-party rule in states, which will affect both sides of the policy debate.
Two months after Democrats took control of the New York state Senate, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law three reproductive health bills on the January anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision. The changes, among other things, protect abortion access if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the 1973 decision guaranteeing a nationwide right to abortion. That includes allowing abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy it the fetus isn't viable or the women's health is threatened.
More: Abortion law in New York: What the Reproductive Health Act does and doesn't do
Decline in abortions
Only 1.3 percent of abortions occur after 20 weeks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the issue blew up after New York changed its laws and lawmakers in Virginia began debating loosening restrictions on abortions later in pregnancy.
Video of Democratic Del. Kathy Tran answering questions about her legislation went viral after Republicans circulated a clip in which Tran acknowledged that her bill would allow abortions up until moments before birth. State law already allows abortions up to the point of delivery if the life or health of the woman is at serious risk. Trans legislation which failed to make it out of committee last week would have reduced the number of doctors required to certify late-term abortions from three to one and would have deleted the words substantially and irremediably when describing the risk that must be posed to the womans health.
Northam, the governor, came under fire when asked about the bill in a radio interview. Republicans accused him of supporting infanticide.
Trump jumped on the issue in an interview with the Daily Caller.
"I thought it was terrible," Trump said of Trans remarks. "Do you remember when I said Hillary Clinton was willing to rip the baby out of the womb? That's what it is. That's what they're doing. It's terrible."
Trump was referring to accusations he made during the 2016 campaign about Hillary Clintons opposition to a ban on late-term abortions.
A rallying cry for 2020
Anti-abortion activists credited Trump with being the first modern presidential candidate to boldly describe the brutal reality of late-term abortions. His comments helped cement support for him among Christian conservatives nervous about his commitment to the issue. (Trump called himself very pro-choice in 1999.)
Trumps recent comments on abortion could again help rally conservative voters around his re-election.
"President Trump has not only been the most passionate president in talking about the humanity of the unborn, he has been the most persistent in protecting them," Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said after the speech.
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Republicans also appear to be trying to appeal to moderate voters by painting the abortion-rights bills in New York and Virginia as extreme. Conservative activists said any Democrat running for president in 2020 should be asked whether they support the New York and Virginia legislation.
"(Trump's) electoral winning coalition was razor-thin to being with, and he has done nothing to reach out to new constituencies," said Matthew Wilson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University. "The danger is that many moderate Republicans who were not Trump base voters, but who gave him a chance in 2016, have been alienated and will either stay home or defect in 2020.
For their part, Democrats will continue to argue that its Republicans who are out of the mainstream on abortion. They pounced last month when newly inaugurated Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced he would sign into law a bill vetoed by his Republican predecessor to ban abortions as soon as six weeks after gestation. Calling the bill unconstitutional and a disgrace and a danger to women across Ohio, the DNCs Elizabeth Renda said Democrats will keep fighting against Republicans' ceaseless attacks" against women.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Here's why Donald Trump attacked abortion in his State of the Union address
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump touched on a litany of usual topics immigration, criminal justice, Obamacare during his second State of the Union address Tuesday night.
But there were also some surprises in the 82-minute speech.
Ridiculous partisan investigations
Trump never tires of slamming special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. A witch hunt is how he often describes the Mueller probe and other congressional investigations.
But Trump had been expected to lay off the anti-Mueller rhetoric in the State of the Union address, which is usually a vehicle for sweeping policy proposals.
Alas, the president couldnt help himself.
He never mentioned Mueller by name, but he slammed ridiculous partisan investigations and even went so far as to suggest they threat the countrys economic prosperity.
"An economic miracle is taking place in the United States," he said. "And the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics, or ridiculous partisan investigations."
Democratic women cheer
In one of the bigger surprises of the night, Trump actually got loud cheers and a standing ovation from the Democratic women in Congress. Yes, the Democratic women.
The female lawmakers dressed in white in honor of the suffragist movement jumped to their feet, hugged each other and gave each other high-fives and fist-bumps when the Republican president mentioned the record number of women now serving in Congress.
USA! USA! they chanted.
You werent supposed to do that, Trump said, obviously pleased by the unexpected outburst.
Whither Kavanaugh?
Brett Kavanaugh, the newest member of the Supreme Court, was one of just four justices from the high court who showed up to hear Trumps speech in person.
One thing Kavanaugh did not hear: His own name.
Not once during his speech did Trump mention Kavanaugh, who was confirmed to the bench last year after a bitterly partisan battle in which California professor Christine Blasey Ford accused him of sexually assaulting her when both were teenagers. Kavanaugh denied the allegations and was confirmed to the bench on a near party-line vote.
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During last years State of the Union address, Trump gave a special shout-out to Justice Neil Gorsuch, who was easily confirmed to the bench after Trump nominated him for the post early in his presidency. Kavanaugh, Trumps second appointee, got no such recognition.
Happy Birthday serenade
Its not often that members of Congress break out into an impromptu rendition of Happy Birthday during a State of the Union address.
But thats what happened Tuesday night when Trump introduced Holocaust survivor Judah Samet, who just happened to be celebrating his 81st birthday. Samet, who also survived a mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue last October, beamed from his seat near first lady Melania Trumps in the visitors gallery.
They wouldnt do that for me! Trump joked, going off script.
President Donald Trump, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence applaud during the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives at the U.S. Capitol .
No border wall emergency
Trump used his speech to call again for Democrats to cede to his demand for $5.7 billion to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
One thing he didnt do: Declare a national emergency along the border.
Trump has threatened that, if Democrats refuse to allocate money for the wall, he might declare an emergency, which could free up billions for the structure but would also draw court challenges. The idea also has met resistance from some Republicans, who fear it would open the door for a future Democratic president to declare an emergency on liberal priorities, such as climate change.
Trump may yet declare an emergency on the border. But not in Tuesday's speech.
More: This is not the first time the State of the Union wasn't 'on schedule' or 'on location'
More: Man freed by criminal justice reform bill says Trump, both parties can 'work for the good'
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Happy Birthday' serenade, Kavanaugh, investigations: What were the surprises in Trump's SOTU speech?
Changes in the Advanced Placement world could help more high school students earn college credit via AP exams but teenagers will pay new fees if they change their minds about taking the tests.
The College Board will soon offer AP teachers new practice questions, instructional videos and automated assessments that can give students feedback online. The testing and college-prep giant has invested $80 million into helping more students successfully prepare for the annual May exams, leaders said.
But the changes coming Aug. 1 include a controversial exam registration deadline in November instead of March, and new $40 penalties for each late registrant or canceled exam.
Some skeptics say the new deadline could actually deter skittish students especially those already overwhelmed in the fall by college applications or by the rigor of AP material.
"The students I'm most concerned about are my lower-income and minority students I'm afraid this will scare them away from taking the exams," said Deanna Smith, head guidance counselor at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Lexington, Kentucky.
"While we have several measures in place to help our low-income students cover the cost of the exams, we cannot afford to keep those measures in place if there is an additional $40 fee for late or canceled exams," she said.
Others see the changes as way for the College Board to bolster its revenue from the AP program if not through more exams and new fees, then through the collection of student data at a time of year when it could be most attractive to pass along to college marketers.
More: Bad SAT scores? Low GPA? The College Board has just the scholarship for you
More than 2,700 people have signed an online petition asking the company to drop the earlier exam registration deadline and fees. They also want students to access the new exam-prep materials without having to share their personal data.
"The College Board is trying to mandate that all students taking AP classes take the exams and punishing students in the interest of increasing their profit margins," said Jim Jeffreys, the assessment coordinator at Franklin High School in Seattle.
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Changes aim to help more students
Trevor Packer, a former English major who's led the AP program at the College Board since 2003, said that's not it at all.
Since 1956, he said, the AP program has been more focused on creating tests that predict college placement than with helping students prepare for the exams. That's widened the opportunity gulf between students at rich and poor schools something that AP can address, Packer said.
"The most powerful thing is getting a student who would never have taken an AP class to take one and get a three or better," he added.
A total of 32 AP courses include spring exams. The exams are scored by independent graders on a scale of one to five. A three typically earns a student at least a semester of college credit in the subject; a five can garner up to two semesters of credit.
Researchers generally view students enrolling in AP courses as beneficial because the classes offer exposure to college-level material. But earning college credit through the exams is even better, as students can stave off debt and graduate faster.
Exam registration rates shot up at 800 high schools across the country that have experimented with an exam sign-up deadline in fall rather than spring, according to College Board data released Wednesday. The increase in AP exam registration among low-income and minority students was particularly strong, Packer said.
But Mike Elings, whose company, Total Registration, works with schools to register students for the exams, estimates the College Board stands to earn millions more because of the changes.
Keep in mind: Elings' business could be disrupted by the College Board's move to register students online in the fall.
Elings said the College Board's own numbers from previous years show that as more low-income students took the exams, the share of their exams earning a three or higher decreased each year.
College Board leaders dispute those claims. They say AP exam pass rates have remained fairly steady nationwide and that overall, more low-income students are passing the exams.
Packer said the fees are designed as an incentive for students to commit to taking the exams earlier in the year. Data from schools trying out the early deadline do not suggest many will sign up late and incur fees, he said.
He also stressed that the company would not gain any marketable student data from the 2019 fall AP exam registration or generate any revenue from it.
That would be a change from past practice. The company's website openly states it collects student data from its nationwide pool of test-takers to power a search tool that colleges, universities and nonprofits can pay to access.
What the numbers say
Changes aside, the number of students taking AP courses and exams has risen dramatically in the past decade.
According to data released by the College Board Wednesday, 1.24 million students who graduated in 2018 took at least one AP exam almost 39 percent of the graduated class. A decade ago, only about 750,000 graduates took at least one AP class about 25 percent of the Class of 2008.
Those increases have bolstered the College Board's financials. As of 2016, the nonprofit was sitting on $1.1 billion of assets and paid its top executive, David Coleman, more than $1.4 million in compensation.
Revenue from the AP and Instruction division shot up from $37 million in 2014 to $446 million in 2016, according to tax filings. AP tests are now the College Board's largest stream of revenue more than the SAT college entrance exam.
More: Reports of leaked SAT leave students wondering about integrity of test
But the company has poured money back into exam development and support and grading, Packer said. The exam fee of $94 has remained fairly steady, even though some of the most expensive tests, like for AP German, costs almost $500 to produce and score, he added.
The College Board also offers a $37 subsidy toward each exam fee for low-income students. Additional public subsidies typically make the exams free or low cost for disadvantaged students.
What teachers say
In rural Montana, Alan Hoffmann was thrilled to hear about the new, free AP materials.
He's the lone English teacher at a K-12 school with 100 students. Last summer he drove nine hours to Missoula to train to teach AP. Now he's teaching AP Literature for the first time to five students. To provide quality assignments, he's been stealing ideas from more experienced AP teachers who post online.
"If theyre going to offer up more stuff from College Board, and you know it's going to help your students, then I'm all about it," Hoffmann said.
He was less certain about the earlier exam registration.
"Back in November, my students wouldn't have had much confidence that they could pass the AP exam," Hoffmann said. "But now their confidence is building."
In Edmond, Oklahoma, Meg Shadid teaches AP world history and AP economics. Her school, Edmond Santa Fe High School, is one of 800 that's been experimenting with the fall registration deadline and the new content materials.
Shadid said the new test-prep questions and curated homework assignments have made a huge difference.
"It's been a game changer for me in terms of how I teach," she said. "These are realistic questions (students will) see on AP tests. Students can track their own progress online, and they can get immediate feedback on quizzes I make from old questions."
About half of Shadid's students come from diverse backgrounds, she said. So far, nobody has backed out of the exams after signing up for them in November, she added
Will that translate into more passing scores on the AP exam this year and more college credit? Shadid will have to wait until after May to find out.
Education coverage at USA TODAY is made possible in part by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Gates Foundation does not provide editorial input.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: AP exam changes: Helpful for test prep, or more money for the College Board?
The word compromise is in bad odor at the moment, and anybody who listens to talk radio or cable-news commentary of either the right-wing or left-wing variety knows that to say the word bipartisanship is tantamount to announcing ones intention to become a eunuch or, the times being as unserious and hypertensive as they are to commit treason.
We were supposed to be practicing the art of the deal. We are instead scouring politicians yearbooks for discrediting photographs or cryptic messages suggestive of misconduct. Meanwhile . . . well, you know.
Is it possible to reform that which is in need of reform?
Consider the case of health care. For Republicans, 2009 was a tragedy founded on sins of omission. Barack Obama came triumphant into Washington followed by crowds of celebrities and admirers literally chanting his name as a hymn of praise, and his first order of business was doing something about health care or, more specifically, about health insurance. Republicans responded with something less than splendiferous wit and intelligence: We have the best health-care system in the world! they insisted, over and over, dozens of them, often using precisely the same words. Somehow, a political strategy based on the notion that Americans like health-insurance companies proved ineffective surprise.
The Democrats, for their part, couldnt quite decide what they wanted. They talked about Europe, as though there were a single European model of health care. Some of them talked about the British and Canadian systems, rarely if ever giving serious consideration to the question of why so few of those admired European countries rely on such systems (Germany? No. Sweden? No? Switzerland? No!) or why these national monopolies produce so many complaints among citizenries that generally support them or so many documented failures when it comes to access and timely patient care. They thought they were being clever by taking as their starting point a model associated with Mitt Romney in Massachusetts Call us irresponsible radicals, will they? Well, this is a Republican plan! Take that!
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Massachusetts had looked in part to the Swiss model of health care, which the legislative engineers behind the ACA had attempted to graft clumsily onto existing American practice.
Naturally, it went badly. The Democrats in 2019 accuse Republicans of sabotage vis-a-vis Obamacare, but if there were any saboteurs at all, they were Democrats: Republicans just ran against the program that not one of them voted for. Democrats designed the damned thing, and they designed it badly: They funded it with taxes that they never intended to collect and relied on a series of mandates toothlessly enforced.
And so here we are again. The Democrats are ready to go the full NHS, and the Republicans remain in their preferred posture: opposition without the responsibility of providing an alternative. The difference is, none of them will now insist that We have the best health-care system in the world! They will defend a status quo in which they do not believe out of habit and spite.
Yikes.
***
Heres a thought that might provide the basis for an agreeable compromise on health care: Switzerland was the right place to look. But the architects of the ACA took the wrong lessons.
In Switzerland, health insurance and the delivery of health care are entirely private enterprises. There is no Swiss NHS, no single-payer, no public option none of that. Switzerland has health care that is by European standards 1) excellent and 2) expensive. Insurance coverage, though entirely private, is universal. It is also heavily regulated and sustained through various direct and indirect subsidies, and consumption is restrained not through the god-kings of political management but through substantial out-of-pocket costs. There is a great deal of consumer choice and competition across internal political jurisdictions as a result of which, Switzerland has one health-insurance company for every 100,000 residents. For comparison: In 2019, the United States is expected to have one insurance company on the ACA exchanges for every 1.7 million residents.
Switzerland has an individual mandate that has nearly 100 percent compliance, which is achieved through ruthless enforcement. That enforcement is made easier by Switzerlands extraordinary civic culture, but, still: If you fail to secure health insurance for yourself, youll get a notice from the authorities reminding you of your obligations, and if you continue in noncompliance, theyll just sign you up for a policy and start charging you both forward-going premiums and retroactive premiums and penalties covering the period of your lapse.
There is a legally defined bare-bones insurance policy in Switzerland, rather like the ACAs statutory minimum coverage. Though there is no government-run insurance program in Switzerland, these programs sometimes are described as the countrys social insurance, and the insurance companies are obliged to offer them on a nonprofit basis. Premiums arent fixed by law, though insurers must charge everybody the same rate; because Switzerland has had nearly 100 percent compliance with its mandates since 1996 (it had about 98 percent voluntary coverage before that!), preexisting conditions are not much of an issue. Practice varies from canton to canton, but Switzerland subsidizes its system in two main ways: by providing direct subsidies for the premiums of low-income citizens and by providing financial support to the hospital system in general.
Dr. Thomas Zeltner, Switzerlands former secretary of health, characterized the system this way in a 2010 interview with Tsung-Mei Cheng of Health Affairs:
In Switzerland, rich and poor share the same insurance plans, and physicians and hospitals are paid the same fees for rich and poor alike. But in the U.S., fees paid vary by type of insurance. Fees for the poor in your Medicaid are much lower than fees paid by commercial insurance. I think that is an interesting difference. We dont want the poor to be stigmatized in associating them to a specific plan. So, indirectly, we come to the same result we help the poor but it makes a huge difference when it comes to personal dignity as a patient. In Switzerland, the doctor and hospital do not even know whether youre subsidized or not. They get the same fee, regardless of who you are.
It is, of course, important to keep in mind that health insurance is not the same thing as access to health care, which requires doctors, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, medical-device manufacturers, non-hospital clinics and facilities, a massive financial infrastructure providing the capital and R&D to make all that happen, etc. Switzerland has a lot of that, but so does the United States. Our problem at the moment is not personnel, capital, or expertise.
***
If the ACA was the Swiss model unintelligently adapted to the United States, what might a better version look like?
What do we want? Progressives emphasize universal coverage and benefits for the poor and middle class. (Let us set aside, for the moment, any illiterate insistence that health care or any other scarce good may be considered a right or the notion that pediatric oncologists are wicked and predatory because they make a great deal of money.) Conservatives emphasize consumer choice and markets. Many reasonable people of different political persuasions can concede that the pre- and post-ACA settlements were deeply unsatisfactory in many ways: price opacity, unpredictability, coverage and liability that often proved too complex for consumers to understand or predict, seemingly arbitrary decision-making by insurers, lack of choice for many consumers, a sensation of powerlessness for many patients, high compliance costs and transaction costs, etc. It probably wasnt the best health-care system in the world! It surely was not the best system imaginable.
We could do something along these lines:
1) Adopt two things from the Swiss practice of insurance regulation: First, enable interstate competition. (Id work hard to enable international competition, too, but Im one of those zany libertarians.) Second, specify an intelligent, thoughtful minimum-coverage policy and oblige all insurers to offer it on the Swiss model: on a nonprofit basis with a universal premium irrespective of age, sex, or health status.
2) Also adopt an individual mandate with a Swiss model of enforcement: Coverage is an individual responsibility for adults and a family responsibility where there are minors, meaning those younger than 18 years, not 26-year-old graduate students. (Those I will deal with below.) Write the regulation in such a way as to forbid the termination of coverage until new coverage has been secured. If there should be a lapse in coverage, then the customer will be assigned coverage and charged retroactive premiums, penalties, and interest.
3) Simplify the collections problems implied by No. 2 by instituting a universal premium voucher. The voucher should come to ~100 percent of the premium for the minimum-coverage policy for a median-income household; it should grow to 120 percent of that premium for households near or below the poverty line and decrease to about 50 percent of that premium for households in the top income quintile. We may increase it for elderly patients. Having learned from the experience not only of Switzerland but also that of Singapore and Germany, we will want that minimum policy to include substantial out-of-pocket expenses for poor and affluent alike because direct costs are the most effective and least arbitrary form of rationing care, and all systems ration care. You can have a price, or you can have your death panels. The bigger voucher for the poor will help offset some of these costs without taking away their power and choice as consumers, and the smaller subsidies for the wealthy would help to subsidize this.
4) None of the above would stop anybody from buying or selling insurance policies beyond the statutory minimum plan, nor would it interfere with direct out-of-pocket fee-for-service health care, concierge plans, generous employer-based or union plans, other kinds of community-based joint-interest models, or anything else.
5) Pay for this by repurposing Medicare and Medicaid, and other federal health-care benefits. At a total of about $1.2 trillion per year, this could fund an average premium voucher of about $10,000 per year per U.S. household. In 2018, the average premium for a family of four was about $14,000 a year for non-employer plans. Considering what employers already pay to subsidize their plans $1.2 trillion annually this should put us pretty close to getting coverage that is 1) universal; 2) guaranteed; 3) private; 4) portable; and 5) separated from employment for no more than we already are spending on health-care subsidies.
6) We repeal the preferential tax treatment for employer-based insurance. Many, most, perhaps all employer-based plans would be supplanted by consumer-based plans in the private market. Businesses are relieved of a great deal of expense and hassle. People happy with their employer-based plans will not like it. But they should be able to get comparable policies at comparable expense or, one hopes, better ones. And: Other kinds of group plans would then be possible. Because of their numbers, the 62,000 employees of Coca-Cola were able to get a pretty good group deal for themselves. There are 70 million Catholics in the United States, 38 million members of AARP, 500,000 members of the NAACP, 18,000 members of the National Model Railroad Association, etc.
This is of course an imperfect outline. I am sure that it contains shortcomings other than the ones that are obvious to me. But it seems to me a reasonable starting place to pursue a compromise that speaks to the most important substantive concerns of progressives and conservatives alike. I welcome your thoughts.
More from National Review
By Paresh Dave and Arjun Panchadar
(Reuters) - Alphabet Inc reported sharply higher fourth-quarter spending on video content, employees and facilities, worrying investors who sent the tech company's shares down about 3 percent after hours on Monday.
Google's parent company beat Wall Street's estimates for revenue and profit, but the bigger-than-expected spending prompted investors to question whether cash funnelled into Alphabet's newer businesses will generate the returns that its search engine unit historically has.
"While the core business is still growing impressively, the significant spending shows growth isnt quite as capital-light as had been hoped," said George Salmon, a stock analyst at financial firm Hargreaves Lansdown.
The company reported $31.07 billion in total fourth-quarter costs and expenses, up 26 percent from last year. Capital expenditures rose 64 percent compared to last year, up to $7.08 billion.
Spending was pushed higher by Google boosting staffing on its cloud computing division, promoting its consumer devices and YouTube subscription packages and acquiring office buildings in Silicon Valley and New York City.
Alphabet Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat told analysts that capital expenditures would moderate significantly this year, but the company would continue to invest in long-term bets on artificial intelligence services, consumer hardware and emerging markets.
REVENUE, PROFIT BEATS
Alphabet's fourth-quarter revenue rose 22 percent from a year ago to $39.28 billion, compared with Wall Street's average estimate of $38.93 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. About 83 percent of the revenue came from Google's ad system.
Heavy advertising in the run-up to the holiday shopping season boosted sales. Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai told analysts the number of people shopping on Google.com each day during the holidays doubled over last year.
Profit for the quarter was $8.95 billion, or $12.77 per share, compared with a $3 billion loss a year ago. That beat analysts' average estimates of $7.69 billion, or $10.87 per share.
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Partly because of the higher spending, Alphabet's operating margin was 21 percent, down from 24 percent in the year-ago period.
"For a growth company, investment should be applauded," said Atlantic Equities analyst James Cordwell. "But a lot of the additional expenditure is going into cloud where it is unclear whether there will ever be a return on that investment." Google remains behind rival Amazon.com Inc in the cloud, said Cordwell.
The company has authorized a plan to buy back an additional $12.5 billion worth of its shares, Porat said.
NO NEWS ON WAYMO
Google's mostly free search, video and productivity tools are used by billions of people across the world, despite a backlash in some countries over how the company uses and protects customer information.
Investors concerned that Alphabet's future growth, especially in emerging markets, will not match its previous rates, are looking to the company's other businesses to provide new streams of revenue. But Alphabet gave away little new information on its other ventures on Monday.
It gave no indication when its self-driving car company Waymo will generate noticeable revenue. In October, Alphabet said Waymo had begun revenue-generating rides within a small section of Arizona but did not break out the company's financials.
Pichai said Google's cloud computing unit last year doubled the number of deals it struck worth more than $1 million. The cloud unit's G Suite productivity product now has 5 million customers, he said, up from 4 million in last year's first quarter.
(Reporting by Arjun Panchadar in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Bill Rigby)
Damascus (AFP) - A convoy delivered aid to tens of thousands of displaced Syrians in desperate need of assistance near the Jordanian border on Wednesday, the first such delivery in three months, the Red Crescent and the United Nations said.
It was the largest ever humanitarian convoy to reach the makeshift Rukban camp, the UN and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent added.
The convoy of 133 trucks carried aid including food and children's clothes, a SARC spokeswoman said.
"Three months after a first humanitarian aid convoy entered the Rukban camp, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent in collaboration with the United Nations is continuing to carry out its duty towards more than 40,000 displaced people in Rukban," SARC said in a statement.
The aid also includes healthcare items and medical supplies, it said.
"A vaccination campaign will be launched, under the supervision of a medical team, to immunise children against measles, polio, tuberculosis and hepatitis," SARC added.
The convoy contained vaccines for nearly 10,000 children under the age of five, the UN said in a statement.
Wednesday's delivery is the first to reach the camp on the Jordanian border since a smaller convoy from Damascus on November 3.
Conditions inside the camp are dire, with many surviving on just one simple meal a day, often bread and olive oil or yoghurt, according to one resident.
Last month, the UN children's agency UNICEF said eight children had died at the camp due to winter cold.
"This large-scale delivery of essential humanitarian supplies to the extremely vulnerable in Rukban could not have happened a moment too soon," acting UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Sajjad Malik said.
But he stressed the need for a long-term solution.
"While this delivery of assistance will provide much-needed support to people at Rukban, it is only a temporary measure," he said.
The camp, home to displaced people from across Syria, lies close to the Al-Tanf base used by the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group.
Syria's civil war has killed more than 360,000 people and displaced millions since it started with the brutal repression of anti-government protests in 2011.
An array of health and financial problems converge on African-Americans as they age, posing a potentially devastating impact on them.
Blacks are more likely than whites to suffer medical conditions that lead to more severe health problems and higher health care and insurance costs as they grow older.
Their health problems are exacerbated by financial troubles that include lower savings, homeownership rates and Social Security income than whites.
Its a huge issue, says Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, CEO of Global Policy Solutions, a Washington, D.C., social-change strategy firm. Over our working life we experience pay disparities, have little wealth in our families and often support others."
"By the time we reach an age when chronic diseases catch up with us, we are ... dropping out of the workforce and relying on disability or taking early Social Security retirement, she says.
That means difficult choices for low-income African-American seniors, says Lisa Marsh Ryerson, president of AARP Foundation. If they pay their mortgage, can they buy medicine? If they buy medicine, can they buy food?
Ronica Rooks, associate professor at the University of Colorado at Denver who has studied the health disparities affecting older African-Americans, says research documents their higher rates of chronic diseases, more frequent disabilities and a shorter life expectancy.
Among the findings from a CIGNA Health Disparities report:
Four in 10 African-American men aged 20 or older have high blood pressure, a rate 30 percent higher than that of white men, and their risk of a stroke is twice that for white men. For black women, 45% who are 20 and older have high blood pressure, a rate 60 percent higher than that for white women.
African-American women are 40% more likely to die of breast cancer than white women.
Black men have a 40% higher cancer death rate than white men.
African-Americans are 80 percent more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than non-Hispanic whites, and nearly twice as likely to be hospitalized.
Blacks are more than twice as likely as whites to suffer from Alzheimers and other kinds of dementia.
Dealing with the costs of these illnesses is an additional burden, says Cummings.
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I think the stress of racism, sexism, poverty and the grind of having to figure out how to make ends meet on a daily basis creates a confluence of pressures that are disproportionately borne by disadvantaged communities, especially communities of color, she says.
A new report from Prudential Financial details the income and wealth shortcomings of blacks:
Higher-income whites have saved six times more money than higher-income blacks.
Fifty-seven percent of black households have no retirement savings, compared to 44 percent of the general population. Among those with retirement savings, the average for black households is $23,000, vs. $154,000 for white households.
Only a third of blacks own homes, compared to 58 percent of the general population.
Nick Abrams, a financial planner based in Baltimore, says that not only do African-Americans make less money than their white counterparts, but they don't get help from older generations, who have no wealth accumulation to pass onto them. "Were starting over with each generation. They are not inheriting or transferring funds to help with expenses as family members get older, he says.
An additional financial strain comes from the need by many African-American women to raise their grandchildren or care for other ill family members, a role that may force them to quit their jobs, says Cummings. "That has a devastating impact."
The burden is not just on the person who is sick but also other family members, says Abrams. How do you pay for someone to take care of an adult family member? Do you have money for assisted living or for a nursing home? A nursing home in this area can cost $10,000 to $12,000 a month. It can wipe out a nest egg."
Cummings says the financial pressures exert a physical and emotional toll that lead to shorter life expectancies. There is direct linkage between stress and the behaviors that lead to chronic conditions that undermine longevity and health.
To help improve the finances of older African-Americans, Ryerson says one AARP Foundation program called Work for Yourself@50+ has been successful putting low-income seniors back into the job market. She also cites the Senior Community Service Employment Program funded through the Older Americans Act that helps employ unemployed lower-income adults 55 and over.
Rooks says remaining active into retirement years, whether working or volunteering in the community, is important to keep healthy as well as to help with expenses.
Volunteering and working has some positive impact on health, she says. Remaining active keeps you involved socially, but also improves your physical and mental health.
This article was written with support from the Gerontological Society of America, Journalists Network on Generations and AARP.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Aging African-Americans are hit with a double-whammy: health and financial troubles
Cape Town (AFP) - South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Thursday deliver his last state-of-the-nation address ahead of elections in May with his party smarting from corruption allegations.
In his address to parliament last year, two days after Jacob Zuma resigned from office, Ramaphosa vowed a "new dawn", promising economic revival and to fight endemic corruption, earning him plaudits even from the opposition benches.
But a year later, growth is tepid and unemployment remains stubbornly high at more than 27 percent while embarrassing details have emerged of corruption within the government and among ANC ruling party officials.
An ongoing commission into graft has heard blow-by-blow details of how bribes were paid to several government and party officials, including senior cabinet ministers serving in Ramaphosa's government.
Mineral resources minister Gwede Mantashe and environment minister Nomvula Mokonyane are some of the top party guns whose names have been linked to corruption by witnesses at the graft hearings.
Ramaphosa is under pressure to move against the implicated officials, but he must also strive for party unity through the election.
"The truth that is coming out will set us free and will make us stronger, but we must make sure the wrong things being talked about in the commission must never, ever... happen again in South Africa," Ramaphosa said at an ANC meeting last weekend.
- Battle for votes -
The opposition has jumped onto ANC corruption as a election trump card.
"Corruption is in the very DNA of the ANC," said Mmusi Maimane, leader of the main opposition Democratic Alliance. "We urge the president to act, and act fast".
Radical leftist opposition leader Julius Malema has challenged Ramaphosa to explain his links with Bosasa, a company that corruptly won huge government tenders under Zuma's tenure.
Ramaphosa is alleged to have benefited from Bosasa donations when he campaigned for the ANC presidency in 2017.
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"If Cyril thinks he is going to do what Zuma was doing in that parliament, we will treat him the same way we treated Zuma," warned Malema, whose MPs booed and shouted down Zuma whenever he addressed parliament.
"Ramaphosa's own position is precarious as he attempts to lead a cleanup of government within a divided ruling party," said Judith February, a researcher with the Pretoria-based Institute of Security Studies.
The economy is forecast to have grown less than one percent last year, and huge debts racked up by state-owned companies such as power-monopoly Eskom and South African Airways are major headaches for Ramaphosa.
Ramaphosa is also expected to give an update on the controversial land reform plans to tackle apartheid-era inequality through "expropriation without compensation", a policy proposal that has spooked foreign investors.
Despite dipping in the polls, the ANC is tipped to win the parliamentary election with around 60 percent of the vote.
Paris (AFP) - Agence France-Presse is extending its fact-checking deal with Facebook to counter fake news in Arabic, it said Wednesday.
The new contract means that AFP, one of the world's big three news agencies, will extend its worldwide network of fact-checkers -- which is already up and running across 16 countries in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.
The Arabic fact-checking teams based in Beirut will work with AFP staff covering North Africa and the Middle East, where AFP is the leading international news agency in Arabic.
They will verify and debunk fake news being spread online, with their articles published on AFP's Fact Check blog and then flagged up by Facebook to its users.
AFP's global news director Phil Chetwynd said the ongoing yellow vests protests in France had shown once again how disinformation can be shared to millions through Facebook groups, "some of whom have a greater reach than some traditional media".
"Information verification is at the heart of AFP's mission and its expertise and is something that our clients benefit from daily," he added.
Survey after survey "shows that the confidence in news has never been as low as it is today," Chetwynd said.
- 'Culture of fact-checking' -
"To contend with fake news we have to find new ways of presenting news... We cannot just report what someone important has said but we have to ask, 'Is that correct?'
"We want to create a culture of fact checking" to counter the climate of distrust fostered by fake news, Chetwynd added.
The new deal with Facebook includes verification of images, an area in which AFP has particular expertise.
Chetwynd insisted that the agency is "fully independent" in what posts it chooses to investigate, not just the Facebook posts flagged by the platform.
Facebook has come in for heavy criticism for not doing enough to stop the spread of fake news.
Nashwa Aly, its head of policy for the Middle East and North Africa, said they "recognise the implications of false news on Facebook and we are committed to doing a better job to fight it.
Story continues
"This is a responsibility that we take very seriously," she said, adding that more than 181 million people use the network across the region every month.
AFP -- whose fact checks are used by Facebook in more countries than any other news organisation -- is the first to do so in the Arab world.
Facebook launched its fact-checking programme in December 2016 and it now covers 17 languages.
By Hamid Shalizi KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani said on Tuesday no peace deal between the Taliban and the United States could be finalised without involving his government as "the decision-maker". Ghani's government has so far been shut out of the evolving peace talks between Taliban negotiators and U.S. envoys to end more than 17 years of war, with the hardline Islamist movement branding his government a U.S. puppet. He made his remarks in a television interview as Afghan opposition politicians, including his predecessor Hamid Karzai, met Taliban representatives in Moscow. "At the end of any peace deal, the decision-maker will be the government of Afghanistan," Ghani told TOLO News, the country's largest private television station. "No power in the country can dissolve the government," said Ghani, who added he was ready to "stand and defend our country". "Rest assured that no one can push us aside," he said. With both sides hailing progress in talks in Qatar last month, U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad is due to meet Taliban representatives there again on Feb. 25. Ghani's comments were some of the most extensive since he met Khalilzad in Kabul last week after the latest round of talks. He said on Twitter early on Wednesday he had received assurances by phone from U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about Washington's commitment to an "enduring partnership" with Afghanistan. Their military partnership was "unwavering" and would remain until a lasting and inclusive peace was achieved, he said. U.S. President Donald Trump referred to the peace talks in his annual State of the Union address on Tuesday, describing the talks as "constructive" and that Washington would be able to reduce the number of U.S. troops and focus on counter-terrorism efforts as they made progress. "We do not know whether we will achieve an agreement - but we do know that after two decades of war, the hour has come to at least try for peace," Trump said. CEASEFIRE, WITHDRAWAL U.S. officials say any withdrawal is contingent on a ceasefire - something the Taliban insists on happening first - and that the movement must be prepared to enter talks with the Afghan government to help create a durable peace. After two years of intensified attacks by the Taliban on the Afghan government, military and foreign forces, they now control or contest nearly half of the districts across Afghanistan. A ceasefire and the withdrawal of thousands of U.S.-led NATO troops is on the table after Washington secured earlier assurances from the Taliban that they would not allow groups such as al Qaeda and Islamic State to attack the United States and its allies. Western diplomats and security advisers believe a swift foreign pullout would put the stretched Afghan forces under severe strain. "The Taliban said they are ready to sever ties with al Qaeda and the Islamic State, and this is a good development," Ghani said. A U.S. general told a Senate hearing shortly before Ghani's interview was broadcast that the talks were in their early stages and the Afghan government would have to be part of any negotiated solution. "I would characterize where we are in the process as very, very early in the process," U.S. General Joseph Votel, head of the U.S. military's Central Command, told a Senate hearing. Votel also said the United States would need to continue to support Afghan security forces financially even if U.S. troops withdrew. The United States has about 14,000 troops in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led Resolute Support mission and a separate counter-terrorism effort largely directed at groups such as al Qaeda and Islamic State. Some 8,000 troops from 38 other countries also participate in Resolute Support. (Reporting by Hamid Shalizi; Additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle in WASHINGTON; Writing by Greg Torode; Editing by Angus MacSwan and Paul Tait)
With the marijuana industry poised for rapid growth on increasing legalization, AdvisorShares, one of the largest sponsors of actively managed ETFs, is looking to jump into the space to tap the ongoing boom. This can easily be depicted from the recent filing of the AdvisorShares Pure Cannabis ETF with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The filing follows the Innovation Shares Cannabis ETF (read: Another Cannabis ETF on the Way).
While key information such as expense ratio and holdings breakdown was not available in the initial release, other important points were released in the filing. If approved, the proposed fund would trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker YOLO.
Heres an insight into the filed ETF:
A Glance at the Proposed ETF
The proposed marijuana ETF is actively managed and seeks to invest at least 80% of its net assets in securities of companies that derive at least 50% of their net revenues from the marijuana and hemp industry or that are registered with the DEA specifically for the purpose of handling marijuana for lawful research and development of cannabis or cannabinoid-related products and in derivatives or other instruments that have economic characteristics similar to such securities.
Whats Driving the Move to the Niche Space?
The enthusiasm in the cannabis industry was mainly driven by Canadas legalization of recreational marijuana effective Oct 17 that paved the way for widespread legality. Recreational marijuana is expected to be legal soon for adults over the age of 21 years in New York, while the European nation of Luxembourg in late November announced that marijuana would soon be legalized for recreational use by adult residents.
All these developments have spurred a large number of deal activities, including mergers and acquisitions in the industry and a wave of weed stock IPOs. Additionally, Trump's $867 billion Farm bill, which legalized cannabis products derived from hemp in America, including products containing cannabidiol (CBD) added to the optimism (read: Why Marijuana ETF is on a High in 2019).
Per an analyst at Cowen, the U.S. legal cannabis industry is expected to reach $80 billion in sales by 2030, surpassing the carbonated soft drink market in 2017. An analyst at Haywood Securities foresees exponential growth in cannabis stocks with the U.S. cannabis market expected to be worth between $15.9 million and $21.7 billion by the year 2022.
ETF Competition & Bottom Line
There is a huge appetite for this fund amid a couple of choices available in the space. ETFMG Alternative Harvest ETF (MJ) the first and only pure ETF targeting the cannabis/marijuana industry has accumulated $941.9 million in AUM and charges 75 bps in annual fees (read: 5 Top Performing Stocks of Marijuana ETF).
Another ETF AdvisorShares VICE ETF ACT not only targets the cannabis industry but also offers concentrated exposure to vices including alcohol and tobacco. It might pose some threat to the proposed fund. ACT invests in companies that derive at least 50% of their net revenues from the marijuana and hemp industry or have at least 50% of their company assets dedicated to lawful research and development of cannabis or cannabinoid-related products. The ETF has amassed $12.3 million and charges 75 bps in annual fees.
The proposed fund, if approved, could give investors another pure play on the cannabis industry. It will not be difficult for the proposed ETF to garner sufficient investor interest in the ongoing green rush and generate decent total returns net of expense ratio (read: What Makes Marijuana ETF the Best Performer in January?).
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AdvisorShares Vice ETF (ACT): ETF Research Reports
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Accenture plc ACN yesterday unveiled plans to launch an Applied Intelligence Studio for mining. The studio, located in Johannesburg, is expected to open in February.
The company aims to integrate Accenture Applied Intelligences AI and data science capabilities with expertise from its mining industry group to develop digital solutions.
The company is recruiting data scientists with engineering and mining experience. They will work with Accenture Applied Intelligences global team of more than 3,000 data scientists for development of these solutions.
Shares of Accenture have gained 11.6% on a year-to-date basis compared with the industrys rise of 10.4%.
Exploring a Potential but Challenged Space
Mining, a key driver of economy in South Africa, is currently struggling against high input costs and volatile commodity prices. Thus, achieving cost competitiveness has become a priority for the sector. So, Accentures move to explore the space makes sense as it possesses digital capabilities to help mining companies improve operational efficiencies and workers safety.
The Bigger Picture
The studio is part of Accentures network of mining experts who serve clients in the United States, Australia and Brazil. This move appears to be an effort by the company to strengthen and expand the network globally.
Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider
Currently, Accenture carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A few better-ranked stocks in the broader Business Services sector are General Finance Corporation GFN, Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. HSII and Automatic Data Processing, Inc. ADP, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
The long-term expected earnings per share (three to five years) growth rate for General Finance, Heidrick & Struggles and Automatic Data Processing is 11%, 13.5% and 12.8%, respectively.
Will You Make a Fortune on the Shift to Electric Cars?
Here's another stock idea to consider. Much like petroleum 150 years ago, lithium power may soon shake the world, creating millionaires and reshaping geo-politics. Soon electric vehicles (EVs) may be cheaper than gas guzzlers. Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge.
With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, one company stands out as the #1 stock to buy according to Zacks research.
It's not the one you think.
See This Ticker Free >>
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Accenture PLC (ACN) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. (HSII) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP) : Free Stock Analysis Report
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Photo credit: BMW
From Car and Driver
BMW dealers have about a hundred brand-new M850i coupes in stock, so it may seem a little late for Munich to launch a First Edition. But by golly, theyre doing it---and you could be among the 400 people paying for BMWs most expensive options.
Heres the basic spec: A silvery matte blue exterior (Frozen Barcelona Blue, to be exact) on black 20-inch V-spoke wheels over a white and dark blue leather interior. For now, the paint and two-tone interior are exclusive to the First Edition, but dont expect BMW to keep this combo from its Individual special-order book for too long. Additional features include gloss-black body trim, black exhaust tips, a blue microsuede headliner, and a glass gearshift knob (plus more glass trim on the iDrive controller, start-stop button, and volume knob). Some First Edition type with the cars specific build number is etched on the center stacks elegant covering for the cupholders. The M850is twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8 sends 523 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque through a silky eight-speed automatic and a rear-biased all-wheel drive system. Those wanting more power should be first on the list for an M8.
Photo credit: BMW
BMW hasnt announced a price or on-sale date for the First Edition, but Americans will nab about half of the 400-car run. Expect a price of at least $120,000, and thats without options like the carbon fiber roof and probably without more options like a heated steering wheel that are more easily found on a Nissan Maxima. More than anything, we wish BMW would just put the M850i Night Sky into series production, with its seductive black-and-blue fade, star lights embedded into the armrest, and trim made from meteorites. The First Edition may be the second M850i to arrive, but among the many upcoming variants of this high-powered two-door, it certainly won't be the last.
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The parking lot entrance to 294 N. Winooski Ave. in Burlington on Monday morning of Feb. 4, 2019. A University of Vermont student was found unconscious at this location on Saturday and was declared dead at the scene. Police say sub-zero temperatures may have been a factor in the death.
BURLINGTON, Vt. A college student found dead in the snow last weekend appeared to die from exposure to sub-zero temperatures, which was exacerbated by acute intoxication, according to Burlington police.
These preliminary results came after a Monday autopsy of Connor Gage, 19, of Little Falls, New York. The Chief Medical Examiner's Office is still awaiting toxicology results, which could take several weeks to complete, a news release stated.
Gage was found late Saturday morning lying in the snow in a parking lot, police have said. Police believe he attended two off-campus events at fraternity houses Friday evening into early Saturday morning.
Burlington Police Deputy Chief Jon Murad said Gage left the University of Vermont campus earlier Friday night to go to a fraternity house where he met friends. There was not a party at the first frat. Murad said he is unsure whether the first fraternity is considered an official fraternity by the university.
More: 19-year-old University of Vermont student found dead outdoors after frigid night
More: University of Vermont identifies Connor Gage as student found dead of exposure
Gage then left that gathering with several people to go to the second location, an unregistered fraternity at which there was a party.
Murad said police plan to identify the two fraternities after conducting a few more interviews.
Gage left the fraternity party around 12:45 a.m., and surveillance footage showed him about 20 minutes later entering the parking lot in which he was later found dead, police said.
"That surveillance footage shows Connor to be alone, inadequately dressed, and moving in ways consistent with intoxication and/or hypothermia," the news release stated.
Police are unsure as to why Gage was alone or where he was trying to go when he ended up in the parking lot, Murad said. They suspect he may have been walking back to the first fraternity house to collect some belongings he had left there.
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"To be frank, there are going to be elements of those questions that are never going to be answered," Murad said.
Murad said he does not anticipate any criminal charges to be filed in the case.
"I wouldn't be surprised if the university asks itself some questions about culture and the idea of having people take better care of each other," Murad said.
Police: Friends should look for hypothermia warning signs
Hypothermia occurs when a person's body loses heat faster than the body can produce it. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, warning signs include uncontrollable shivering, shallow breathing, disorientation, slurred speech, drowsiness, clumsiness, and exhaustion.
People experiencing hypothermia often also shed clothing in a phenomenon known as paradoxical undressing," police said.
"Because hypothermia can be characterized by confused thinking, its incumbent on friends to monitor each other and exercise care for one another when the warning signs listed above are observed," police said.
Follow Elizabeth Murray on Twitter: @LizMurrayBFP.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: 19-year-old Vermont student who died in sub-zero weather was intoxicated, police say
Story Highlights 34% of Nigerians are confident in the honesty of elections
Confidence is almost three times the 13% in 2014
45% are confident in the national government, up from 29% in 2014
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Although it's still not terribly high, Nigerians are almost three times as confident in the honesty of their elections ahead of their next presidential one on Feb. 16 than they were in 2014 before their last election. Roughly a third of Nigerians (34%) now say they have confidence in the honesty of the country's elections, compared with 13% in 2014 -- which was the lowest in any of the 32 African countries Gallup surveyed that year.
Confidence in the honesty of the country's elections jumped 29 percentage points following the last presidential election in 2015. In that election, Nigeria's former military leader Muhammadu Buhari -- the incumbent in this election -- won a resounding victory over the previous incumbent Goodluck Jonathan.
The election was an important step in Nigeria's democracy, as it saw Jonathan's People's Democratic Party, which had controlled the country since military rule ceased in 1999, lose and peacefully transition authority to Buhari. Except for a brief bout of optimism in 2011 and 2012, following a legislative election generally seen as free and fair, no more than 22% of the Nigerian public had expressed trust in the honesty of elections before Buhari took office.
Buhari's election has bolstered confidence in elections among Nigerians, with trust in their honesty remaining at substantially higher levels since. Increases in confidence among Nigerians in the honesty of their country's elections are seen across nearly all demographic groups in the country.
Nigerians' Confidence in the Honesty of the Country's Elections, by Key Group In this country, do you have confidence in each of the following, or not? How about honesty of elections? 2014 2018 % yes % yes Overall 13 34 Annual Income Poorest 20% 10 44 Second 20% 18 44 Middle 20% 10 31 Fourth 20% 10 20 Richest 20% 14 20 Urban/Rural Urban 12 32 Rural 13 35 Country Region North 14 37 South 12 30 Gallup World Poll
Nigerians Also More Confident in Their National Government
Nigerians this time around are also more confident in their national government. Nearly half of Nigerians (45%) currently have faith in their leadership, up from 29% in 2014. This increase is not surprising; under Jonathan, the militant group Boko Haram seized large amounts of territory in Northern Nigeria.
Buhari ran on a platform of rolling back the militant group's gains and is largely seen as having done so, though Boko Haram has staged something of a resurgence as the 2019 election approaches.
As with confidence in the honesty of elections, confidence in the Nigerian national government has risen among nearly all groups in the country's society. In particular, there has been a 19-percentage-point increase in confidence in the national government in Northern Nigeria, where the threat of Boko Haram has been the most acute.
This large increase in Northern Nigeria may also be related to Buhari's ties to the north of the country. Since the end of military rule, there has been a general pattern of alternating presidents from the north and south of the country. This pattern had been broken under Jonathan, a southerner, who served nearly two terms as president.
Nigerians' Confidence in the National Government, by Key Group In this country, do you have confidence in each of the following, or not? How about national government? 2014 2018 % yes % yes Overall 29 45 Annual Income Poorest 20% 27 52 Second 20% 31 48 Middle 20% 26 44 Fourth 20% 29 40 Richest 20% 33 41 Urban/Rural Urban 30 47 Rural 29 44 Country Region North 28 47 South 30 44 Gallup World Poll
Government Corruption Not Seen as Having Improved
Increases in confidence in the honesty of elections and the national government, in general, would tend to indicate Buhari's success. However, in one area that was key to Buhari's 2015 campaign, combating corruption, there has been little perceived change. Buhari has pursued a high-profile campaign which has targeted government corruption, with authorities having arrested former high-ranking members of the Nigerian government and investigated Jonathan and his wife.
Despite these efforts, there has been effectively no change in Nigerians' perceptions of widespread government corruption from 2014, when 86% said there was pervasive corruption in government, to 2018, when 84% said the same.
Bottom Line
Nigerians' confidence in important institutions remains low, with a third trusting in the honesty of elections and less than half expressing confidence in their national government. Despite these relatively low levels of confidence, they represent substantial improvement over where Nigeria was prior to the 2015 presidential election. This progress would appear to indicate that Buhari was well-positioned in the field of 78 candidates for the Feb. 16 presidential election.
However, Buhari also faces several weaknesses as the election approaches, including increased attacks by Boko Haram, continued perception of widespread corruption and economic sluggishness following a recession in Nigeria in 2017. Continued economic pain is a particular weakness for Buhari; in December 2017, 59% of Nigerians identified the economy as the most important issue for the government to address, compared with 23% who said corruption and 9% who identified terrorism.
These weaknesses may open an opportunity for Buhari's closest competitor, Atiku Abubakar. Abubakar, the candidate of the People's Democratic Party, is a businessman who has been promoting his economic acumen to persuade Nigerians that he could bring them prosperity as the country's next president.
For complete methodology and specific survey dates, please review Gallup's Country Data Set details.
Learn more about how the Gallup World Poll works.
Starting this week, News.gallup.com will highlight Gallup's latest findings from its surveys conducted in Nigeria ahead of the national election there on Feb. 16. The results offer the latest glimpse into Nigerians' lives as they head to the polls and how much things have changed from the last time they voted.
Now on News.gallup.com, you can read the first article, which delves into Nigerians' confidence in the honesty of their elections and their national government.
Keep reading News.gallup.com in the coming week for more insights from Gallup and Nigeria experts:
Today: Nigerians head to the polls with stronger faith in elections
Tuesday: Nigerians see a mixed economic picture as election approaches
Wednesday: Q&A with Robin Sanders, former U.S. ambassador to Nigeria
Thursday: The deep divide between Muslims and Christians on key issues
Free speech is a bitch. It gives you the right to say whatever you want, but it gives the prick you hate that same right.
I hate pornography personally, but I defend pornographers. Dont expect to catch me in the park, though, wearing only a raincoat.
Still, when my client Al Goldstein, a newspaper publisher, who published Screw Magazine for 19 years in New York City, chose to put a statue of a raised middle finger in his backyard, on his patio, at his home, in Pompano Beach, that he paid for, with his own money, I defended his right to do so.
I think it was Benjamin Franklin who wrote that I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. The founding citizens of our republic stood up to a king that made it a crime to criticize him.
We started a revolution to be at liberty to say and do what we wanted, when we wanted, and how we wanted to. I dont expect you to agree with me all the time, nor do I care if you do or not. That is why the First Amendment, the very first one, says that Congress shall make no laws that abridge the freedom of the press.
The First Amendment is a restrictive covenant. It does not just say what rights we have. It reminds the government what rights they can never take away; ones that were never theirs to give. They were inalienable, indivisible and undeniable.
This means that courts should not issue gag orders on one hand, because their judicial powers are an extension of the government. They should be protecting a free press, not silencing it.
Correspondingly, every citizen has a duty to stand up and protect someones right to publish something you dont want to hear, dont choose to read, and dont like to see. You have the right to turn the dial off any radio station you are listening to. But dont smash the radio. Find another station.
If you dont want to read our paper, dont.
But please, when you pick it up and throw it away, you are putting yourself in the trash, not our words. We will survive you, on the streets, online, and in our communities. The truth always comes out, whether you like it or not, whether you are the president or a pauper. So dont throw away papers because you dont like what they say. When you close the door on reality, it comes in through the window.
Come now then, to SFGN news boxes in a variety of places, from Storks Bakery to Bobs News on Andrews Avenue near Broward General.
In venue after venue, people who oppose our editorial vent are trashing our papers - throwing them out. But they are leaving a Trumpian message.
In each of the locations where a conspiratorial SOB emptied the news boxes, we were left a little pre-printed note reading that The Trumps
Sacrificed Their Wealth for Our Country. The Clintons Sacrificed Their Country for Our Wealth.
I have enclosed a picture next to this special column. Here is the hateful ad from Trump supporters. They are using it as an excuse to deny you access to SFGN.
Ours is a free paper. You dont have to read it or pick it up. But you do not have to be mendacious, and throw it out either. If you do, you flunk First Amendment 101.
It costs thousands of dollars a week to distribute this free newspaper. Nothing about it is free, except our opinions. The delivery vans, the insurance, the rent, the drivers, the printers, and right down to the ink cost us money.
Our news boxes are proprietary. We pay a city-licensing fee to locate them, a manufacturer to build them. Trashing papers lawfully placed is an act of criminal, malicious mischief. But it is more than a misdemeanor. It is a high crime. It is treason. We will prosecute you. Stop it. Read the paper instead.
On our pages, you may learn that our 45th president is a con artist, a crook and a criminal, corruptly catapulting our country and constitution to a catastrophic collapse.
Or maybe you will tell me to go screw myself. I dont care.
Whatever floats your boat. Go put jelly on your belly. Make yourself happy. Just dont try to shut me up. Besides, you can ask my mom. That has never worked.
Give others the chance to read what you seek to censor. What is not right for you might be for them. Let them do their thing; you do yours. I will defend your right to speak out, just as I have Roger Stone, Al Goldstein, Neil Rogers and other people you can't stand. We built the First Amendment for people to stand on a stump and say what they want, no matter what else anyone may damned think.
If passengers on an airplane were randomly asked their opinions, it might be like a Thanksgiving dinner.
Everyone could scream and shout and yell at each other, but we have one thing in common no matter what. We are all rooting for the pilot.
The First Amendment is everyones pilot. To keep the flame burning, papers cant. To make the truth available, the press has to have a right to write. You have to have a right to read. Dont play with matches. The rights you burn down belong to all of us.
NATO members signed an accord with Macedonia on Wednesday allowing the tiny ex-Yugoslav republic to become the 30th member of the U.S.-led alliance after a deal with Greece ended a 27-year-old dispute over its name, Reuters reported.
At a formal signing of the NATO accession protocol, which must now be ratified by allied governments, Macedonias Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov hailed the moment as showing that the country will never walk alone once in the alliance.
We stand beside these 29 allies... able and ready to assume the obligations arising from our full membership in NATO, Dimitrov told a news conference after NATO ambassadors signed the protocol.
The ratification process typically takes about a year, and the United States has said it expects Macedonia - now known officially as North Macedonia under the terms of its name deal with Greece - to formally join the alliance in 2020.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the admittance of a new member highlighted that all European nations who met the entrance criteria could join the regional alliance, a position Moscow rejects.
YEREVAN. Tax policy has to be aimed at increasing the investment attractiveness of the economy and the level of economic activity, creating prerequisites for an increase in the share of exports and long-term economic growth, as well as redistribution of public goods and budget sustainability, the program of the Armenian government says.
It is important to create a fair and predictable environment for investors. A policy to reduce the burden of direct taxes will be pursued to promote economic growth. Thus, profitability will increase, as well as investment incentives in the export sector. The government will reduce and establish a uniform tax rate on profits, gradually reducing it. Dividends of foreign individuals will be taxed at lower rates, as is the case with citizens of Armenia, the program says.
The government pledges to expand the geography of agreements that exclude double taxation and to exclude shadow economy. The tax authority must act in such a way that taxpayers could not and did not seek to hide taxes. The tax authority should not once again interfere in the activities of taxpayers. The taxpayer should realize that it is honorable to pay taxes.
The business community will always be informed about the content of the reforms and the competitive advantages of Armenia. The process of transition to the customs border will be simplified, and the time required for transit will be reduced, the program says.
YEREVAN. The Criminal Court of Appeal of Armenia on Wednesday issued its decision with respect to the custody of Investigative Committee former Deputy Chairman Vahagn Harutyunyan, who is a defendant in the criminal case into what had occurred in capital city Yerevan, in March 2008.
Harutyunyans attorney Mihran Poghosyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am that the court partially granted the motion by the defense, overturned the decision on his clients arrest, and sent the case back to the first-instance court for a retrial.
I believe the court has placed the emphasis on the violations regarding deprivation of the right to defense, about which the defense was voicing, Poghosyan added.
On December 30, 2018 the capital city Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction ruled a second time that Vahagn Harutyunyan be remanded in custody.
On December 12, the Criminal Court of Appeal had overturned the first-instance court decision on November 2, and with respect to remanding Harutyunyan in custody. He is charged with abuse of official power, and falsifying evidence within the framework of the aforesaid March 2008 criminal case.
According to the Special Investigation Service, during investigation along the lines of the above-said criminal case, it was found out that, from 2007 to 2011and as head of the team investigating the events that occurred in Yerevan in March 2008, Harutyunyan had falsified evidence during the investigation of this criminal case.
In July of the year past, Vahagn Harutyunyan was dismissed from the office of Deputy Chairman of the Investigative Committee, and as head of the general department of investigation of especially important cases.
On March 1 and 2, 2008 the then authorities of Armenia used force against the opposition members who were rallying in downtown Yerevan, and against the results of the presidential election on February 19, 2008. Eight demonstrators as well as two servicemen of the internal troops were killed in the clashes. But no one had been brought to account for these deaths, to this day.
Representative of the Armenian Church at the Vatican, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian and Director of the Inter-Church relations Department of the Holy See of Etchmiadzin, Shahe Ananyan, have met Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara, Agos Armenian weekly of Istanbul reported.
According to the Patriarchate statement, Armenian Patriarch elections were discussed during the meeting.
A sincere dialogue took place during the hour-long meeting, the source said.
According to the statement, Cavusoglu said that the state was following the developments of the election closely, but urged patience by the churchs leadership.
Elizabeth Cole, a 43-year-old transgender woman, was shot in the neck by her neighbor in Henderson, Nevada on Januar 28.
Police arrested Kenneth Lamont Martin in the shooting, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Hes being held on $150,000 bail, facing a charge of attempted murder and a hate crime.
Ive been offended so many times thousands of times, Ive been offended as a trans person, she said, according to the Review-Journal. What would I do if I had the justification to shoot everyone who had offended me?
Cole doesnt know when or whether the bullet will be taken out of her neck, and at the time, she thought she was supposed to die.
She said, being who you are is worth dying for.
USA: Paul Haertel Named Special Agent in Charge of the Salt Lake City Field Office
FBI Director Christopher Wray has named Paul Haertel as special agent in charge of the Salt Lake City Field Office. Mr. Haertel has most recently served as deputy assistant director for the FBIs Counterterrorism Division since July 2018.
Mr. Haertel entered on duty in September 1995 and was first assigned as a special agent to the Louisville Field Office, Lexington Resident Agency, where he specialized in rural Appalachia investigations; he also worked drug and violent crime cases and served as a member of the offices SWAT team.
In 2003, Mr. Haertel was transferred to the Counterterrorism Division at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. He became a unit chief in the division in 2005 with responsibility for terrorism investigations in the northeastern United States.
From 2006 through 2010, Mr. Haertel headed the Columbia Field Offices Greenville Resident Agency, where he targeted violent gangs while also serving as the leader of the offices SWAT team.
Mr. Haertel reported to Prague as the assistant legal attache in June 2010 and was named legal attache of that office in July 2013. In this role, he oversaw a variety of investigations, including international public corruption, violent crime, and money laundering cases.
In 2015, Mr. Haertel became assistant special agent in charge for the Salt Lake City Field Office, where he was responsible for the criminal program in Idaho, Montana, and Utah.
Mr. Haertel was promoted to chief of the Counterintelligence Divisions Counterespionage Section at FBI Headquarters in 2017.
Prior to his FBI career, Mr. Haertel received a Bachelor of Arts in English literature from Middlebury College in Vermont and served as a SEAL operator in the U.S. Navy.
Mr. Haertel reported to the Salt Lake City Field Office in February 2019.
This story has been published on: 2019-02-06. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Military and political situation near the member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization is mainly developing in a negative way, Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff, Colonel-General Anatoly Sidorov said during the Yerevan-Moscow-Minsk-Bishkek-Astana space bridge.
As Sidorov noted, various provocations connected with economic and political sanctions lead to a decrease in the use of force.
The danger in this sense is the destruction of the arms control system. The United States, which suspended their participation in Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, is playing a key role here. Washingtons similar moves are a matter of concern even among its allies. In addition, the NATO bloc in Eastern European countries intend to deploy additional forces, moreover, near the CSTO member countries, which is a matter of concern. The situation in Ukraine, whose leadership is making efforts to bring its military formations in line with NATO standards, is one of the hotbeds of destabilization on the border of the CSTO member countries, the Colonel General emphasized.
Anatoly Sidorov added that the difficult situation is maintained in the Caucasus. In particular, the desire of Western countries, including the United States, to strengthen its influence in the region contributes to the presence of a high conflict potential. The situation in Abkhazia and South Ossetia continues to pose a security challenge in the region, he believes.
At the same time, Georgia is blocking the negotiation process, refusing to sign commitments on the non-use of forces against Abkhazia and South Ossetia. In addition, the US leadership actively supports Georgias anti-Russian policy and the desire of Tbilisi to join NATO, he added.
As to the Central Asia, the main danger continues to be the ongoing armed conflict in Afghanistan. There has been an increase in the activities of the Taliban and Islamic State terrorist organizations in the north of Afghanistan, which borders on the CSTO member countries.
YEREVAN. The data for 2015 to 2017 should be studied and seen what part of the tax breaks has been made, what part of the jobs has been opened from the investment expected with this mechanism.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated the aforementioned at Wednesday Cabinet session of the Government of Armenia, and during the discussion of the matter of granting customs duty privileges to a company.
In his words, it is solely after such an analysis that it will be possible to accurately determine the effectiveness of this mechanism.
We need to find [it] out, Pashinyan added. Otherwise, it turns out [that] we are giving a tax break; and if its not used in a targeted manner, nothing is happening in exchange [for it].
YEREVAN. The proposed program of the Government of Armenia was introduced at Wednesdays meeting of the Cabinet.
Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan presented the program and said, in particular, that all the objectives and tasks, key precepts, and value system of the government were reflected in this program.
But Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, in turn, noted that some stylistic and editorial adjustments need to be made in the program.
We have time until the eight of the [current] month [i.e. Friday], Grigoryan responded. Well do the edits and send [it] to the National Assembly [for approval].
Pashinyan suggested assembling together with government members on Thursday evening, and making the final adjustments to the proposed government program.
The PM added that he will not put this matter to the vote on Wednesday.
Katalena Davenport Depree walked into the Lake Worth Playhouse Monday night as one of many drag queens in Palm Beach County. She walked out as the only 2019 Miss Palm Beach Pride.
This years Miss Palm Beach Pride Pageant featured five glamorous contestants battling for the distinguished title and was hosted by two of the countys most well known queens Velvet Lenore and Melissa St. John.
Depree didnt just earn a crown and bouquet she also earned the role as a Compass Community Center ambassador, where she will be involved with several advocacy events.
I want to make sure everyone in the world fears nothing when it comes to us [the LGBT community], Depree said during the competition. What better way to represent Palm Beach than Miss Palm Beach Pride?
The nearly-filled theater got to savor four categories of competition: presentation, evening gown, question and answer, and talent on top of performances from Lenore, St. John, Tayanna Love, Midwest All-American Gent 2018 Antonio Edwards and more. This was the events fourth anniversary.
Depree wasnt the only winner of the night. Lenore and St. John handed out two awards of their own.
They awarded last years Miss Palm Beach Pride, Rianna Petrone, the Betty James Trailblazer Award, which is named after one of the first openly lesbian mayors in Palm Beach County. After, the Lake Worth Playhouse won the Miss Palm Beach Pride Service Award.
"We were thrilled to learn that we were awarded," Lake Worth Playhouse Executive Director Stephanie Smith said. "It is important to nurture good relations within the community - it makes us all stronger."
Nearly all of the contestants admitted that it was a nerve-wracking night during the question and answer portion. But through the jitters, they still managed to spread positive messages to the LGBT community.
I am a young trans woman, one contestant, Adelaide Queen said. Its my place to show the way for other trans women.
Lenore also shared her own insights on what pride means, and paid homage to her own drag community that she said consisted of over 50 people.
Family is not who you were born to, its who you surround yourself with she said. Nobody should ever tell you who you should be.
Perhaps the most electric category of the three-hour competition was the talent portion. Some contestants and entertainers hopped off the stage and marched up and down the theater aisles; others ditched their footing to woo the judges with backflips and high kicks.
On top of their lively performances, their presentation gowns, meant to represent their passions and favorite color, were also powerful odes to pride.
Lupita Hollywood sported a shimmering red gown with an attached massive peacock-like set of feathers.
Hollywood mentioned later that Compass helped me to be the person I am today. Compass will receive a percentage of the events earnings namely for their upcoming events like Palm Beach Pride, Youth Equality Prom and the Stonewall Black and White Ball.
There was no shortage of people handing the queens dollar bills for their performances. Its not about the money, its about the people you make smile, Lenore joked.
Its been a journey, Depree said after her victory. I feel so overwhelmed I finally get to make my mark.
Here are all the category winners from Monday night:
Canada MFA congratulates Armenia on concluding successful parliamentary elections
Russia ambassador to Armenia: OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs format continues to function
International Union of Socialist Youth recognizes Artsakh independence
Menendez: No concessions to Erdogan
Russia envoy to Armenia: Work to return captives will continue
3 terrorist groups neutralized in Iran
Ambassador comments on report on Russia border guards deployment in Armenias Gegharkunik Province
EU Delegation to Armenia spokesperson issues statement on snap parliamentary elections
2nd President Kocharyan: Armenia will face another snap election if authorities continues in same spirit
Philippine President threatens COVID-19 vaccine protests with arrest
Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: I have not yet decided whether to refuse, accept parliamentary mandate
Armenia army General Staff: Committee is set up to investigate course of Artsakh war
Armenia army General Staff chief: Russian peacekeepers will be deployed in Gegharkunik Province
77 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia
Armenia delegation member calls on PACE to freeze Azerbaijan presidents European bank accounts
Hand grenade is thrown under Armenia public, political figures car (PHOTOS)
Newspaper: What is expected after Armenia snap parliamentary elections?
Newspaper: Armenia acting PM to use his "steel mandate" against opponents
Russia resumes full-fledged flights with Turkey
Another rally demanding Artsakh Presidents resignation to be held in Stepanakert
US State Department issues statement on Armenia snap parliamentary elections
Armenia ruling party member warns pseudo-lawyers
'Armenia' bloc issues statement on results of snap parliamentary elections and election observation missions
US will not warn Russia about cyberattacks, Psaki says
Armenia acting PM: Political crisis is resolved and is over
Zakharova: Russia hopes to strengthen ties with Armenia based on results of snap parliamentary elections
Gunshots heard in Yerevan, city's police chief is at scene of incident
Erdogan invites OSCE Minsk Group to Karabakh
Armenia President calls on making transition to presidential system again
Armenia MFA: Specifics of work with UNSC regarding Azerbaijani invasion of Armenian territory not subject to disclosure
Armenia acting minister says he will start using 'steel mandate' tomorrow at 9 am
National-Democratic Axis Party issues statement on results of Armenia snap parliamentary elections
Karabakh emergency situations service: Remains of another 3 servicemen removed from Varanda (Fizuli) region
Ukraine heralds free trade zone with Turkey
Armenia President receives OSCE/ODIHR Director and OSCE PA Secretary General
Child dies from car accident in Armenia's Gegharkunik Province
Armenia Izmirlian Medical Center head is charged
Karabakh President congratulates Armenia's Pashinyan on victory in snap parliamentary elections
Russia MOD congratulates Armenian counterpart on snap parliamentary elections in Armenia
Armenia Investigative Committee charges citizen and head of campaign headquarters for violating ballot secrecy
Iran's President-elect says he has always protected human rights
Georgia PM congratulates Armenia's Pashinyan on winning snap parliamentary elections
PACE and OSCE PA election observers say they are content with elections in Armenia, in spite of violations
India kicks off nationwide free COVID-19 vaccination campaign
Azerbaijan, Pakistan agree to conduct military exercises
Armenia 1st President's spokesperson on snap parliamentary elections
Armenia MP: Azerbaijan is celebrating Nikol Pashinyan's victory, ruling party is holding fireworks display
Charles Michel congratulates Pashinyan on winning snap elections
OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission in Armenia says it heard allegations of administrative resources use
OSCE Secretary General thanks Russia for its work in Minsk Group on Karabakh settlement
Lavrov calls to wait for formation of new Armenia government
Armenia's Pashinyan garners 197,000 less votes compared with elections in 2018
OSCE/ODIHR: Power outages did not considerably affect Armenia snap elections
Garo Paylan congratulates Armenia's Nikol Pashinyan
'Armenia' bloc issues statement on results of snap parliamentary elections
Opposition party leader: 'Armenia' bloc doesn't accept results of vote and will apply to Constitutional Court
Digest: Armenia snap elections is over, Pashinyans bloc leads with almost 54%
OSCE Secretary General: We work within Minsk Group framework to achieve long-term solution to Karabakh conflict
Bayramov: Azerbaijan complains about non-fulfillment of points of trilateral statements on Karabakh
Azerbaijan FM believes that Armenia authorities will draw right conclusion
Pompeo: US should not negotiate with Iran's newly elected President
Azerbaijan blackmails, threatens Armenia under guise of cooperation proposal
Member of Armenia delegation to PACE: Azerbaijan delegation head said 50% of minefield maps given are fake
Armenia freedom fighter is detained, declares hunger strike
9 children killed in accident during storm in US
Swedish parliament passes vote of no confidence in PM's country
Kremlin is following Armenia post-election situation
Artsakh emergency service: Armenian, Azerbaijani sides exchanged bodies from time to time
Azerbaijan Prosecutor General's Office accuses Armenia of deliberate deforestation in Lachin
13 Armenian captives trial starts in Azerbaijan
What will happen if Armenia opposition forces do not accept their parliamentary seats?
Armenia Central Electoral Commission approves preliminary results of snap parliamentary elections
US won't issue threats or ultimatums to China in connection with investigation of pandemic causes
CIS, CSTO observers find no considerable irregularities in Armenia snap parliamentary election voting
Armenia acting PM visits Yerevan military pantheon
Heiko Maas considers new EU sanctions against Belarus inevitable
26 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia
Armenia acting premier: Civil Contract Party will have constitutional majority in new parliament
Reduction of US military assets in Saudi Arabia will not affect its defenses
Armenia new National Assembly to have 107 MPs
Borrell says mistrust is at core of political crisis in Lebanon
Counting of ballots over in Armenia snap parliamentary elections
Counting of ballots coming to an end in Armenia snap parliamentary elections
Armenia Central Electoral Commission counts 86.4% of ballots
Armenia Central Electoral Commission counts 80% of ballots
Armenia Central Electoral Commission counts two thirds of ballots
Armenia Central Electoral Commission counts 40% of ballots
Acting PM thanks people of Armenia
Armenia parliament vice-chair on Erdogan's "platform of six" proposal: We will answer later
33.49% of ballots counted: Pashinyans bloc leads
Almost 27% of ballots counted by Armenia Central Electoral Commission (PHOTO)
"Armenia" bloc: Snap parliamentary election results being published do not inspire confidence
19,95% of ballots counted by Armenia Central Electoral Commission (PHOTO)
Artsakh President comes out of Armenia ruling party headquarters
2.54% of ballots counted by Armenia Central Electoral Commission (PHOTO)
Armenia Central Electoral Commission announces most preliminary results of snap parliamentary elections
Armenia's Citizen's Decision Party member not allowed to enter precinct, apprehended a little while ago
"I Have Honor" bloc: Armenia National Security Service searches mayor's apartment, 2 MP candidates abducted
Results of electronic voting: Civil Contract Party: 163, "Armenia" bloc: 135, Armenian National Congress: 43
Electric Networks of Armenia: Power outages during vote counts were systematic
Now in its 20th year, National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD) is an opportunity to increase HIV education, testing, community involvement, and treatment among black communities. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, African Americans make up 12 percent of the U.S. population, but 44 percent of new HIV diagnoses.
The statistics are about the same in Florida, where blacks make up only 15 percent of the states population, yet comprise more than 42 percent of Floridas HIV cases diagnosed in 2016. One in 47 black adults has HIV compared to one in 181 Hispanics and one in 284 white individuals. While blacks are still disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS, Florida is making strides. Florida has seen an overall 42 percent decrease in HIV case rates among blacks since 2005, moving the cause of death from HIV among blacks ages 25-44 from 1st to 5th statewide in 2016.
But there is still much work to do.
This years NBHAAD theme, Together for Love: Stop HIV Stigma, focuses on the messages of the Act Against AIDS, Lets Stop HIV Together campaign. Lets Stop HIV Together raises awareness that we all have a role to play in stopping HIV stigma.
As an African American, I learned as a child the importance of communityour community, saidLorenzo Lowe, HIV Prevention Director at Compass. The culture and stories of our elders continue to be an unlimited resource interwoven with our souls. We carry each other through everything! We cannot allow HIV/AIDS to be excluded from the list of challenges we face as a community. Unfortunately, at some point, the disease became a secret and those three letters went from being whispered to not being spoken at all. That is why National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is so important for African Americans. This day reminds us to move forward without hesitation in the fight. It encourages us to take charge of who we are and how we want to live, he said.
With early HIV diagnosis, individuals can begin appropriate treatment and care resulting in better health outcomes. Studies show that providing antiretroviral therapy as early as possible after diagnosis improves a patients health and can lead to undetectable viral loads of HIV, which can ultimately reduce transmission.
This week, organizations, clinics, and communities across South Florida will commemorate 20 years of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day promotion and engagement. You can find an event near you by visiting, https://gettested.cdc.gov/search_results.
In Miami, on Thursday, Feb. 7, free HIV testing is available as part of Take the Train, Take the Test! Tests take place from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the following locations:
Government Center Metrorail Station: 111 NW 1st Street, Miami, FL 33128
Culmer Metrorail Station: 701 NW 11 th Street, Miami, FL 33136
Street, Miami, FL 33136 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Metrorail Station: 6205 NW 27thAvenue, Miami, FL 33147
On Wednesday, Feb. 6, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Compass in Lake Worth hosts a Community Education Series. The event includes a discussion aimed at deconstructing the system that keeps black communities disproportionately affected by HIV. It also looks at what can be done to shift the dynamic going forward. Dinner will be served. Registration is required, but the event is free.
Compass is located at 201 North Dixie Highway, Lake Worth 33460.
Compass Community Education Series event for NBHAAD will provide an opportunity speak about where the African American community is regarding our responsibility in this fight, Lowe said. We hope to create an open space to voice what we need from each other and our agencies. Its one of the many reasons we are proud to have Christopher Bates as moderator for this essential event. This event will not just focus on challenges but also the successes within our community. It is the many challenges that we have overcome that make our progression as people historic and this shall be no different.
YEREVAN.- Chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan,a consultative meeting was held in Government to discuss preparations for the agricultural season.
Minister of Territorial Administration and Development Suren Papikyan reported to Prime Minister Pashinyan about the ongoing preparations for the irrigation season and presented the results of working discussions with governors, the State Committee on Water Management and representatives of water user societies in all regions of Armenia. He noted that a large amount of debt has been accumulated in this area, of which 80 million drams were recovered in January this year, but this is not enough to start the spring preparatory activities and state support is needed.
The meeting discussed issues related to improving the efficiency of water management, collecting the long-standing water use arrears, managing the risks of illegal water use from reservoirs, monitoring, etc.
The Prime Minister stressed the importance of making a timely start of the irrigation season for providing the necessary amount of water to the farms, noting that the government will provide the necessary financial assistance for this.
Nikol Pashinyan also instructed the responsible persons to submit proposals on a systematic resolution of the issue: We agreed on the following: we allocate money from the budget, while their spending should be strictly controlled. But we also monitor the collection of taxes to try to understand what is happening in this area. We will also strictly control the amount of water in the reservoirs to ensure that it is regulated. We are reviewing loan programs to find out which reallocations are possible for more efficient spending. And in the water system it is necessary to carry out very serious structural and personnel changes.
The Head of Government stressed that agriculture should be provided with regular water supply as early as in the first decade of March, and gave appropriate instructions. The Premier told Minister of Agriculture Gegham Gevorgyan to provide information about the programs that have been and will be implemented during the preparatory stage of the spring agricultural season.
Chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan,a consultative meeting was held in Government to discuss preparations for the agricultural season.
Minister of Territorial Administration and Development Suren Papikyan reported to Prime Minister Pashinyan about the ongoing preparations for the irrigation season and presented the results of working discussions with governors, the State Committee on Water Management and representatives of water user societies in all regions of Armenia. He noted that a large amount of debt has been accumulated in this area, of which 80 million drams were recovered in January this year, but this is not enough to start the spring preparatory activities and state support is needed.
The meeting discussed issues related to improving the efficiency of water management, collecting the long-standing water use arrears, managing the risks of illegal water use from reservoirs, monitoring, etc.
The Prime Minister stressed the importance of making a timely start of the irrigation season for providing the necessary amount of water to the farms, noting that the government will provide the necessary financial assistance for this.
Nikol Pashinyan also instructed the responsible persons to submit proposals on a systematic resolution of the issue: We agreed on the following: we allocate money from the budget, while their spending should be strictly controlled. But we also monitor the collection of taxes to try to understand what is happening in this area. We will also strictly control the amount of water in the reservoirs to ensure that it is regulated. We are reviewing loan programs to find out which reallocations are possible for more efficient spending. And in the water system it is necessary to carry out very serious structural and personnel changes.
The Head of Government stressed that agriculture should be provided with regular water supply as early as in the first decade of March, and gave appropriate instructions. The Premier told Minister of Agriculture Gegham Gevorgyan to provide information about the programs that have been and will be implemented during the preparatory stage of the spring agricultural season.
The silence of ULFA (I) commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah over the reports of Myanmar Armys operation against the Northeast insurgent groups has raised many questions about the outfits existence in the neighbouring country.
Myanmar became the last bastion of the anti-talk faction of the ULFA after the Bhutan and Bangladesh launched operations against the militant outfits and flushed out them due to pressure exerted by the Indian government in the past.
A report in Myanmar based Irrawady said that the Tatmadaw, the Burmese Army, on January 29 launched an offensive against the northeastern militant outfits at Taga in Myanmars Sagaing division.
One ULFA (I) rebel was killed and another one apprehended by Myanmar Army during the operations launched by them against Northeast insurgent groups on February 2.
The northeastern militant outfits including the ULFA (I), NSCN-K, NDFB-S and KLO have their bases in the Burmese territory.
Although there is no official confirmation about the operations in Myanmar, the Indian Army intensified its vigil across the Indo-Myanmar border.
We are ready to catch the militants who flee towards this side, a senior Indian Army official told Northeast Now on Tuesday.
While the Tatmadaw is silent over the operations in Burmese soil, the ULFA chief, who is covered well in the media in northeastern states, also remained silent over the developments.
The conflict between the NSCN (K) and Tatmadaw assumes significance as the Naga militant outfit had been in an agreement with the Myanmar government since 2012 and there still two months time left for expiry of the agreement.
There had been no conflict between the NSCN (K) and Tatmadaw for last 19 years and the recent conflict between the two has indicated uncertain futures for all the Northeast militant outfits having their camps in Burmese soil.
Sources said that Indian government is mounting a diplomatic pressure on Myanmar government to act against the rebel groups of the Northeast.
However, if the pressure by Indian government is true, the future of the northeastern rebel outfits in Burmese soil will be decided by China, which has substantial influence on the country.
The Burmese army, locally called Tatmadaw, is planning to relocate fighters of the NSCN-K group into designated camps like in Indias Nagaland state.
Top military officials said that the NSCN-Ks main base at Ta Ga and other camps will be dismantled soon and some designated camps will be commissioned to lodge the armed cadre.
The Tatmadaw will reportedly use pre-fabricated housing material for the designated camps.
At the moment, after taking over Ta Ga without a fight, the Tatmadaw is taking stock of the NSCN-Ks strength and weaponry. The rebels will not surrender the weaponry but register its details with the army.
The NSCN-K has a ceasefire going with the Myanmar government since 2012 which it has maintained despite reneging on the ceasefire with India in 2015.
The group leaders have said they did not confront the Tatmadaw when it approached the Ta Ga base last week.
The Tatmadaw later attacked an ULFA camp killing one guerilla and injuring several others near the Ta Ga base.
A military official told local mediapersons that since the other Northeast rebel groups did not belong to Myanmar and were illegally staying in the country, the Tatmadaw was determined to forcibly evict them.
Sources in the Naga self-administered area say the ULFA and other Northeast rebel groups were on the run as the Tatmadaw is continuing counter insurgency operations around Ta Ga.
Winter is the right time for such operations in the remote Ta Ga area.
Tatmadaw commanders have assured the Indian military officers that they will not allow Burmese soil to be used for anti-Indian activity.
Military cooperation between the two countries is growing with India training Burmese officers for UN peacekeeping duties and some other combat and non-combat roles.
In Californias quest to produce affordable housing, much has been said about project streamlining, permitting, zoning and other regulatory reforms.
Comparatively little has been said about workers. And to be clear, thats the elephant in the room.
To increase affordability by boosting supply, Gov. Gavin Newsom has established a goal of 3.5 million new housing units by 2025, production levels California has not seen for 30 years or more.
The most conservative estimates suggest that California will need upwards of 500,000 new residential construction workers to realize such an ambition.
The problem is, we dont have them.
The nation is at full employment, California construction unemployment is at a historic low, and our states existing construction workforce is only getting older.
The labor pools on which Californias residential builders have relied since the 1980s immigrants and young men without college degrees have been shrinking for more than a decade.
Most importantly, the housing industry is not offering market-competitive pay, while asking its employees to perform dangerous jobs that are often the first to disappear during economic downturns.
After slamming his intelligence chiefs as passive and naive and telling them to go back to school, President Donald Trump tried to paper over his Twitter tantrum last Wednesday.
Facing sharp criticism for such a public attack unprecedented for a U.S. president Trump now claims the media distorted the testimony of top U.S. intelligence chiefs before the Senate Intelligence Committee where they sharply diverged from Trump on the ranking and nature of the most urgent security threats.
There are, of course, gaping holes in this self-serving revision. For one, if Trump ever listened to his daily intelligence briefing he would have known in advance what the chiefs would be saying. For another, any differences Trump holds should be discussed in private, not aired on Twitter. Such a public Trump war with his intelligence community is manna for Americas enemies and undermines the agencies that try to keep America safe.
But most glaring, there can be no doubt about what the chiefs said in their annual assessment of threats to U.S. security because the testimony was broadcast live. I listened to it. It does, indeed, differ from the claims of Donald Trump.
So let us count the ways in which they differ.
Trump's plan would mean "the state has to pump less to meet its obligations" to meet state law, said Obegi, the environmentalist attorney. He said it's unclear whether the state could use the Endangered Species Act to force the feds to back down.
The two projects have historically operated in tandem, under the same general rules.
"Now we're in a new situation where, well, this is uncharted territory," said water expert Jeff Mount of the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California.
It's not clear how much the State Water Project stands to lose. The project's largest contractor is the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, with 19 million customers, but it also serves the Kern County Water Agency and some other farming districts.
Roger Patterson, Metropolitan's assistant general manager, said he hadn't reviewed the massive document in its entirety and was reluctant to comment on its ramifications for his agency's supplies.
"We want to have changes that are scientifically supportable, and ... the critical criteria that both projects have to operate are the same," he said. "You can't operate to different criteria."
Based in Santiago, Chile, TN Coopers has used Labrador retrievers for the better part of a decade to hunt down the elusive spots where TCA and TCB begin, from drains to wood and conspicuous spaces in between.
Starting with Ambrosia and Odyse, two retrievers with backgrounds in drug-sniffing, Peters said, the company has since grown its four-legged staff to five (with Moro, Zamba and Mamba) and its reach to wineries throughout Chile and Argentina.
Its incredible theyre trained methodically to work in kind of a certain way, although they have different personalities, Peters said. Theyre able to detect down to very small levels and sniff out the issue.
The dogs begin each day with training for an hour to an hour and a half, Peters said. With their work divided into sections, the Labs can scour through any size facility.
It doesnt matter the size or the scope as long as theyre with a handler and their trainer who works with them every day, Peters said. They work in their own particular way through the area they have to search and theyll find it either way, whether theyre super methodical from our eyes or they just have their own method. They cover all the ground and will find it eventually.
This year, 2019, is going to be another amazing year for the St. Helena Chamber of Commerce. We have several never-done-before events that will be rolling out in St. Helena! Starting in February, were kicking off Sip and Swirl Saturdays that will have wine sipping out of the Welcome Center. This event is designed to promote our members as well as boost extra foot traffic to swirl into downtown as we encourage tourists to shop on Main Street and stop in for a glass of wine. So be ready to Sip and Swirl on Main Street every second and fourth Saturday of the month.
Celebrate St. Helena is right around the corner! The annual event takes place on March 1 and will be held at Merryvale Vineyards, one of Napas finest sites. We have also teamed up with Oak Avenue Catering to enrich this special event with their unique culinary allure to make this event a success! Joel Gotts highly anticipated The Station will debut some delicious desserts. We look forward to your presence for communal support as we honor last years winners:
Business of the YearPennyweight.
Employee of the YearStephanie Iacobacci.
Non-Profit of the YearSt. Helena Preschool For All.
Citizen of the YearNorma Ferriz.
The Napa County Mental Health Board will consider the topic Addressing Barriers to Mental Health Access for Older Adults at its next meeting 4 p.m., Monday, Feb. 11 at the Upper Valley Campus of Napa Valley College in St. Helena.
At the meeting, speakers from the county, Healthy Minds/Healthy Aging and Adventist Health, St. Helena Hospital will speak about mental health concerns and resources for older adults.
Kristine Haataja, chair of the Napa County Mental Health Board, said, Providing mental health services to older adults is challenging due to complex health care needs and changes in the individuals life and family circumstances. The barriers to mental health access include living along, geographical isolation, living in or near poverty, physical disability, being a member of a historically underserved minority or cultural group and being primarily a non-English speaker.
The Upper Valley Campus is at 1088 College Ave.
SACRAMENTO Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, introduced legislation Monday that would establish the California Wildfire Warning Center, a statewide network of automated weather and environmental monitoring stations conducting fire-weather forecasting and threat assessment to aid in wildfire prevention and response.
Extreme weather driven by climate change is responsible for some of the worst disasters ever experienced by this state, said Sen. Dodd. My bill will help identify dangerous wind and weather conditions before wildfires break out, allowing time to de-activate power lines and pre-position resources. Its the kind of statewide, early-warning system California needs to prevent future disasters and save lives.
Senate Bill 209 creates the California Wildfire Warning Center to be overseen by three agencies: The California Public Utilities Commission, the office of Emergency Services and Cal Fire. It builds on existing systems and will be responsible for the ongoing monitoring of fire weather and threat conditions, as well as for ongoing improvement of fire forecasting models. The CWWC will work with investor-owned utilities, which will be required to install weather-monitoring equipment throughout their systems.
The recent wildfires that devastated communities like Napa have cast an urgent need to be better prepared locally and statewide, said Napa County Supervisor Alfredo Pedroza.
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Here are several mystery-related articles I found thought-provoking. Hope you do, too. Be sure to follow the links to read the full stories.
Chinatowns have long been a honeypot for crime writers. Once mysterious and other, nowadays Chinatown crime reads are likely to feature voracious developers trying to force out traditional communities, corrupt Chinese Communist officials on the run, or newly arrived gangsters challenging the locals.
Speaking of Chinese New Year. Check out the list of Chinese New Year Crime Fiction here on MysteryFanfare
Gung Hay Fat Choy! This is the Year of the Pig.
Chinese New Year starts tomorrow, and I've put together my latest Chinese New Year Mystery List. Included as well as specific Chinese New Year Crime Fiction, I've added some titles (scroll down) that take place in China and Taiwan, not necessarily during the New Year
Patricia Highsmith wore many hats over the course of her life and five decade writing career. In many respects, she was a deeply contradictory figure: a master practitioner of the bleak psychological thriller who also penned the first, and for several years only, major lesbian novel with a happy ending; a self-described liberal and social democrat who seemed to have no qualms about making racist and antisemitic statements; someone who hated being around people, yet enjoyed countless affairs and short-lived romances.
Theres a special moment towards the start of every new Tim Dorsey novel when you realize who the villain is going to be, and which cause Dorseys psychopathic anti-hero, Serge A. Storms, is going to take up this time. Its fair to say theres nothing quite like that sensation going in crime fiction today, which maybe explains why Dorsey inspires such fervent admiration and joy in his readers, who have formed a kind of cult following, twenty-two books into the series.
An Archive of 600 Historical Children's Books, All Digitized and Free to Read Online. OpenCulture
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We can learn much about how a historical period viewed the abilities of its children by studying its children's literature. Occupying a space somewhere between the purely didactic and the nonsensical, most childrens books published in the past few hundred years have attempted to find a line between the two poles, seeking a balance between entertainment and instruction. However, that line seems to move closer to one pole or another depending on the prevailing cultural sentiments of the time.
First up is this wild article by Ian Parker about Dan Mallory.Ever wonder about cleaning up a crime scene? in a book you're working on? or in real life? 13 Secrets of Crime Scene Cleaners. Mental Floss It'sand Paul French looks at Chinatowns around the world. CrimeReads
Last years flagship smartphones will soon cede to the new round of devices from Samsung and Huawei, which are set to arrive soon.
As these new devices launch with impressive features, their older flagship specifications move down to mid-range phones.
This means that for those who would rather spend R5,000 on a smartphone than R20,000, the quality of hardware is always improving.
Over the years, biometrics, durability, multi-lens camera systems, high-resolution displays, and much more have made their way to mid-range smartphones in South Africa.
To show you what is on offer, we have listed the best smartphones you can buy in South Africa for under R5,000 using pricing information from Takealot.
Huawei P Smart 2019 R4,999
The latest version of the P Smart boasts an impressive screen-to-body ratio paired with AI features and support for Android 9.0.
Huawei P Smart 2019 Display 6.21-inch 2,340 x 1,080 IPS LCD Chipset HiSilicon Kirin 710 RAM 3GB Storage 64GB, microSD up to 512GB Rear Camera 13MP + 2MP Front Camera 16MP OS Android 9.0 Battery 3,400mAh Price R4,999
Samsung Galaxy A7 2017 R4,999
Samsungs Galaxy A7 2017 boasts a high-quality AMOLED display, a high-capacity battery, and a flagship-grade processor for under R5,000.
Samsung Galaxy A7 2017 Display 5.7-inch 1,920 x 1,080 AMOLED Chipset Samsung Exynos 7880 Octa RAM 3GB Storage 32GB, micro SD up to 256GB Rear Camera 16MP Front Camera 16MP OS Android 8.0 Battery 3,600mAh Price R4,999
Huawei P20 Lite R4,789
Huaweis P20 Lite is an inexpensive flagship, retaining some of the P20 and P20 Pros best features while coming in at an attractive price.
Huawei P20 Lite Display 5.84-inch 2,280 x 1,080 IPS LCD Chipset HiSilicon Kirin 659 RAM 4GB Storage 64GB, microSD up to 256GB Rear Camera 16MP + 2MP Front Camera 16MP + 24MP OS Android 8.0 Battery 3,000mAh Price R4,789
Samsung Galaxy J8 R4,499
Samsungs Galaxy J8 is a great mid-range offering with excellent battery life, a good rear camera, and an attractive price.
Samsung Galaxy J8 Display 6.0-inch 1,480 x 720 AMOLED Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 RAM 3GB Storage 32GB, microSD up to 256GB Rear Camera 16MP + 5MP Front Camera 16MP OS Android 8.0 Battery 3,500mAh Price R4,499
Nokia 8 R4,399
The Nokia 8 remains one of the best smartphones on the market thanks to its great specifications and Snapdragon 835 processor.
Nokia 8 Display 5.3-inch 2,560 x 1,440 IPS LCD Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 RAM 4GB Storage 64GB, microSD up to 512GB Rear Camera 13MP + 13MP Front Camera 13MP OS Android 9.0 Battery 3,090mAh Price R4,399
Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra R3,599
The Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra boasts a great-looking display and a high-resolution rear camera with decent storage and memory specifications.
Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra Display 6.0-inch 1,920 x 1,080 IPS LCD Chipset MediaTek Helio P20 RAM 4GB Storage 32GB, microSD up to 256GB Rear Camera 23MP Front Camera 16MP OS Android 8.0 Battery 2,700mAh Price R3,599
Xiaomi Redmi S2 R2,849
Xiaomis Redmi S2 comes in at just under R3,000, despite its decent battery capacity, Snapdragon 625 chip, and dual-lens rear camera system.
Xiaomi Redmi S2 Display 5.99-inch 1,440 x 720 IPS LCD Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 RAM 3GB Storage 32GB Rear Camera 12MP + 5MP Front Camera 16MP OS Android 8.1 Battery 3,080mAh Price R2,849
Nokia 1 R1,099
The Nokia 1 is the perfect entry-level smartphone, offering LTE capabilities and Android 8.1 Go to provide a usable software suite for the limited hardware of the device.
Nokia 1 Display 4.5-inch 854 x 480 IPS LCD Chipset MediaTek MT6737M RAM 1GB Storage 8GB, microSD Rear Camera 5MP Front Camera 2MP OS Android 8.1 Go Battery 2,150mAh Price R1,099
Now read: Samsung Galaxy S10 is thinner than the S9 and has a bigger battery
With rapid implementation of disruptive technologies, and new competitors entering the market, organisations are facing more challenges than ever before, forcing them to adapt and innovate to stay competitive.
This involves modernising through cloud technologies, which offer capabilities to boost speed, agility, and cost savings.
With the push towards digital transformation, there is also a push towards robust cloud-based services, which is why many software vendors start their own cloud-based solutions to help customers manage their IT infrastructure.
However, this leaves IT managers with multiple vendor solutions managing their infrastructure, applications, network, and security in silos, complicating the process of monitoring and managing service assurance.
Subsequently, it leaves them with a disjointed strategy and affects how they manage the quality that their IT departments, and other business operations that are reliant on them, are getting.
Cloud solutions are also often costly to own, run, and implement both from a software licencing perspective and a skills perspective and evidently, few municipalities have the skills for it.
There are also now new limitations in South Africa on what you can do in the cloud, with data retention requirements from the POPI act coming into play, and new legislation that dictates how you do this.
Micro Focus and EOH collaborative efforts
According to Gary de Menezes, Country General Manager for Micro Focus South Africa, service providers looking to run their business operations in the cloud need a solution that allows them to manage the infrastructure with all the functionality thats needed in an integrated approach.
For this reason, and to address current challenges and limitations, Micro Focus has partnered with EOH to develop a new wave of technologies and solutions that manage your infrastructure applications and operations in the cloud, while keeping the legislative requirements of data storage in mind.
Micro Focus and EOH jointly built IT operations management (ITOM) solutions on a common platform to provide an overarching environment where you can see the entire environment and organisation and manage it through one interface.
This all-encompassing, cloud-based, as-a-service offering uses shared services for service management and robotics process automation, artificial intelligence, configuration management, ticket monitoring and reportingall of which enable greater agility and flexibility.
According to De Menezes, it is the industrys first and only containerised platform designed with the speed, agility, and intelligence required to power modern hybrid IT operations at the speed of DevOps jointly developed by an international global company and a local company.
It allows you to manage services such as Intranets, Wide Area Networks (WAN), and Local Area Networks (LAN) holistically, and allows for end-to-end application monitoring whether cloud-based or on-premise. Monitoring is not only bound and limited to IT but can extend into other workflows within the business and manage all devices.
It also interfaces with solutions customers already have in place and can be tailored to suit every companys specific needs.
This means that if youve already invested in certain technologies, you dont have to disband them, which is a major benefit and a key part of this powerful solution.
By building solutions on a common platform, service providers can enable resource optimisation, standardise deployment and simplify operations through common updates, upgrades, and scalability procedures.
Multichoices implementation of Micro Focuss IT Operations Management (ITOM)
We have migrated our first customer, Multichoice, onto the platform, and well start looking at steadiness operations across the country to the public and private sector, said De Menezes.
EOH migrated OpsBridge into the Cloud and we have seen an ROI within 3-4 months. This is largely due to the reduction in mean time to respond and mean time to repair views we have been able to extract out of our estate, said Martin Moralo from MultiChoice.
We have also been able to get significant value from the operations automation capabilities within OpsBridge. An added benefit is the closed loop incident process between OpsBridge and Micro Focus Service Management Automation that drastically reduced the turnaround time for incidents and allowed the root cause to be identified as well as auto closing of the incidents, said Moralo.
To find out more, download this White Paper.
DES MOINES An Iowa Workforce Development plan to delay paying unemployment benefits which was endorsed by an Iowa House Labor Subcommittee drew fire from union advocates, especially those representing construction trades workers.
The measure, House Study Bill 42, would delay paying the first week of benefits until an employee had used up all 26 weeks a year of unemployment benefits. The out-of-work employee still would get payments, but only starting with what now is the second payment. The first week of payments would come only at the end.
For most, though, that would mean not at all. Only 25 percent of unemployment insurance claimants exhaust their full 26 weeks of benefits, according to Workforce Development. The changes would cause a hardship for unemployed workers who live paycheck to paycheck, said Felicia Hilton of the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters.
Many construction workers typically are unemployed for four or five weeks a year far short of the 26 weeks of unemployment necessary to collect that first weeks worth of benefits. Over their careers, the loss of benefits would amount to thousands of dollars, she told the subcommittee.
Even if they are out of work for 26 weeks in a year, when they get their money matters, Hilton said.
"I think more people will be willing to come back and move into Muscatine," Hayes said because of the pollution controls. "And that will make the community a lot better."
Delores Foster said it was a fair settlement and she's glad the case is wrapping up.
"I hope it does some good for Muscatine and things will start getting better especially down in Southend," she said.
Suzette Foster lived near the plant for nearly 20 years prior to the class action and attended the hearing.
"I think it's fantastic that they went through with it," she said of the settlement, "and I think it will be a bonus for Muscatine. We didn't do it for our personal gain but for the gain of Muscatine as a whole."
Kelcey Brackett, plaintiff, said he looked forward to those possible improvements and was excited by the outcome of the settlement.
"I think, as the judge stated during the hearing, this was probably the most fair turn out of the case. Both sides would've taken a great risk going to trial. And I think what this does is secure a way for GPC and the community to work together."
To experience a miracle all you need do is go to the grocery store. Here in the middle of winter and Montana you can buy fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, bread, fish and almost any kind of food item you can think of. Than you have drugs, beer and wine and way too many other things to list here. The same miracle can be experienced at other stores where you can buy a huge variety of items you want or need.
If thats not enough you can use your computer or phone to buy anything from around the world and have it delivered to your door or travel to any place in the world in hours. These and many other things we all take for granted just like warm housing or gas for our vehicles, heart transplants etc. etc. It is hard to imagine anything you could need or desire that isnt available.
This miracle is created by corporations and the competition of capitalism: things leaders in the Democratic Party want to tax or change. Capitalism doesnt make everyone equal, but it has lifted more people out of poverty and created a society where upward mobility is not only possible but usual. Capitalism continually lowers the cost of goods and services while increasing quality and availability. Check prices on large screen TVs.
Wednesday, Feb. 6
TECH TALKS
MOVIE NIGHT
The Friends of the Hearst Free Library in Anaconda will show the Doris Day-Rock Hudson classic Lover Come Back" at 6 p.m. at 401 Main St., Anaconda. The movie is free, and so are the snacks.
A fatal car crash occurred in the westbound lane on Interstate 90 around 3 p.m. Tuesday.
According to the Montana Highway Patrol traffic incident website, the accident occurred near milemarker 233, just west of Homestake Pass.
MHP was still investigating the incident as of 4:45 p.m. and was unable to release further information.
According to the Montana Department of Transportation website, one westbound lane on Interstate 90 was blocked, though traffic was moving in the passing lane as of 4:45 p.m.
MDT said current conditions are snow and ice.
This story will be updated as soon as more information becomes available.
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Craters of the Moon is made of more than 60 lava flows that erupted between 15,000 and 2,100 years ago. The lava field covers more than 600 square miles. Eight different eruption episodes are known, and each episode lasted hundreds to perhaps thousands of years.
An interesting feature of Craters of the Moon is that about the same volume of lava was erupted during each episode, therefore it is considered to be "volume-predictable." Volcanologists therefore expect the next eruption to produce 1-1.5 square miles of lava.
Volcanic eruptions at Craters of the Moon occur along fissures in the NW-SE trending Great Rift volcanic rift zone, which is aligned parallel to active faults adjacent to the Snake River Plain. Because of their young age, the volcanic rocks at Craters of the Moon preserve many volcanic features, including domes, cinder cones, shields, and lava flows with characteristic structures (like pahoehoe ropes), lava tubes, spatter ramparts and pressure ridges.
The fissure eruptions at Craters of the Moon were probably very similar to modern fissure eruptions at Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii, which exhibit the same features. Studying eruptions at Kilauea may therefore help scientists and emergency managers understand what to expect the next time Craters of the Moon erupts.
The online survey will be open to the public and allow students, staff, parents and community members to share their thoughts.
Jim Hager, a search associate for Ray and Associates, said the survey will contain 33 different qualities of the ideal candidate, which will be narrowed down to the top 10 qualities based on responses.
"With this info, as well as the focus group info, that's material Ray and Associates will use as they whittle down applicants," Hager said.
The time crunch stems from the need to gather community input via the survey, which will be open from Feb. 12 to March 12. Ray and Associates will then use the top qualities identified in the survey to sift through applicants and come up with a group of qualified candidates for the board to consider for interviews.
Representatives from Ray and Associates will visit Missoula again for two days in early April, during which time they will present qualified candidates to the board. Following their presentation of candidates, the board faces a slim turnaround of potentially one week to review resumes and identify the candidates they would like to interview.
"Some of the surfaces have significant deposits of dust," Casas said.
Bob Brownell, environmental chief operating officer for Northern Industrial Hygiene, Inc., said UM is also conducting "activity-based sampling" in the preschool in McGill and the rest of the building. Brownell, who is also working with UM on the contamination, said a worker in protective gear will mimic the activities in the building that would be similar to those in the preschool, and elsewhere, while wearing an air monitor.
He said it's impossible to tell the frequency of releases, but he estimates people in McGill were exposed to a combination of very small amounts over a long period of time with possibly a couple of occurrences of short-term larger releases, such as when damage to a pipe took place.
He said UM will share whatever information it finds with the public.
"The university has been just very clear with me that they want to be as transparent as they can be, so we are presenting what we have and trying to keep people up to date as we do it," Brownell said. "It might not always be as fast as people would like it to be, but we're getting there."
Shane Lutz and his cast have gone through what could lightly be called "team-building exercises" bringing a play to life.
"When everything goes awry, it feels like the world is ending very quickly," said the 24-year-old, who's directing a play as part of the master's program in the School of Theatre & Dance at the University of Montana. Lutz and the cast of UM undergraduates and stage managers got shut out of a building that held their props, ones that they had to come up with themselves. They worked around double-booked rehearsal spaces. Yet the aspiring director said they stayed focused.
"The ensemble group mentality, the energy that they bring, is so profound and wonderful, that when something goes wrong, they drop everything. They take a deep breath, and we join together and discuss how we can fix it," Lutz said.
Earlier this week, as they did their final rehearsals, Lutz felt they had a cohesive version of Woyzeck, a play written in 1820 by Georg Buchner. One of Lutz's professors told him a way to gauge whether things were going according to plan.
"If the show you direct is at least 60 percent of your vision, then it's a success. And after our last run, looking at this, it is almost 90, 95 percent of what I set out to create and I owe that completely to the team and the ensemble," he said.
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Credit: CC0 Public Domain
Scientists at the Center for Cardiology of the Mainz University Medical Center have examined the success of more than 13,575 minimally invasive procedures on the mitral valve in the largest study of its kind to date. Key findings: Although average patient age rose during the period from 2011 to 2015 and the number of procedures increased from year to year, mortality and complication rates remained consistently low.
Mitral valve insufficiency is the most common heart valve disease in Europe and the U.S.. About 10 percent of people over the age of 75 are affected. Patients suffer from a weak closure and thus a leaky mitral valve. Until a few years ago, there was often only the possibility of drug therapy, because most patients were too old for an open operation, had too many comorbidities, or the function of the left ventricle was too bad.
There is now a minimally invasive option to treat leaky heart valves with a Mitraclip implantation. "Several studies with small groups of patients have already been published for the evaluation of the procedure with regard to the frequency of inserting the clip or the safety of the procedure. However, there have been no large data collections so far," explained the first and last authors of the study, Dr. Ralph Stephan von Bardeleben, Dr. Lukas Hobohm, and Dr. Karsten Keller. "That's why it was a good idea to examine the implantation numbers and the complication rates in Germany on a larger scale."
The results show that the annual implantation numbers in Germany increased more than fivefold from 815 in 2011 to 4,432 in 2015. In total, the study included 13,575 patients who had been treated with Mitraclip. Earlier studies referred to a maximum of 1,064 procedures. The patients were usually between 70 and 89 years old, and on average, the ages rose. Another important result is that the complication rate and mortality did not change significantly during the period studied. Important prognostic factors related to hospital death were cardiac insufficiency, blood transfusion due to bleeding complications, stroke, pulmonary embolism, or pericardial effusion.
The authors concluded from their findings that despite the dramatic fivefold increase in the implantation rate of the clip, the procedure has very low early-stage complication rates during hospitalization. "Catheter-assisted valvular heart valve therapy has evolved from a niche treatment of inoperable patients into a relevant and safe treatment option in only 10 years, as our new study emphasizes once again," underlined von Bardeleben.
Explore further Cardiovascular team carries out a new type of procedure on a heart valve
More information: Incidence and in-hospital Safety Outcomes of Patients undergoing Percutaneous Mitral Valve Edge-to-Edge Repair Using MitraClip - 5 year German national patient sample including 13,575 implants, EuroIntervention, DOI: 10.4244/EIJ-D-18-00961 Incidence and in-hospital Safety Outcomes of Patients undergoing Percutaneous Mitral Valve Edge-to-Edge Repair Using MitraClip - 5 year German national patient sample including 13,575 implants,
Photo: Leigh Vogel/UPI
(HealthDay) In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Donald Trump announced his administration's plan to rid the United States of new transmissions of HIV by 2030.
"Together, we will defeat AIDS in America and beyond," the president told the nation.
At a follow-up media briefing Wednesday morning, leading federal health officials outlined just how that mission might be accomplished.
"We're going to diagnose all people as early as possible, we're going to treat the infection rapidly and effectively, we're going to protect those at highest risk, we're going to respond to any outbreaks with overwhelming force, and we're going to create a public health work force throughout this country with the specific goal of reducing new diagnoses by 75 percent within five years and by 90 percent within 10 years," said Admiral Brett Giroir.
He's assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Over 1 million Americans are currently living with HIV.
Federal government scientists have been coordinating for months on the new plan, which combines broader efforts to stem transmission of HIV with better treatment for people who are already infected.
Getting more people tested for the virus is vital, Giroir told reporters Wednesday.
"We have tremendous strategies of how we can detect and bring people into treatment early," he said, "and we know 90 percent of new infections are transmitted by people who are undiagnosed and not in effective care."
But new infections often cluster in certain "high-risk" communities, added Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In 2018, "there were a little over 38,500 new infections in the United States," he said. To help pinpoint where the need for testing and treatment was greatest, "we actually lifted the number of infections in each county, and that allowed us to sort of rank the counties in terms of how they were contributing to the annual infections in America."
Redfield said he was "shocked" to see that just 48 out of 3,000 counties in the United States accounted for half of all new HIV infections.
"It showed we had a very geographically focused outbreak, that if we could augment the capacity of those 48 counties to respond to new infections we could drastically reduce the number of new infections," he said.
HIV researchers and patient advocates have long known that the virus hits certain groups hardest, most notably gay and bisexual men of color. Communities with high levels of this subgroup may benefit the most from targeted interventions, experts say.
Then there's the issue of treatment both to prevent new infections and control existing infections.
One recent advance has been the emergence of drugs like Truvada, which are used for both treating active infection and as "pre-exposure prophylaxis" (PrEP)a preventive strategy for people deemed at high risk for infection.
Dr. Anthony Fauci directs the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and has long been on the forefront of the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Speaking at the Wednesday briefing, he stressed that "if you treat an individual and bring their viral load to below detectable levels, they will not transmit their virus to another individual."
"We know pre-exposure prophylaxis works in more than 97 percent of the cases," Fauci said. So, "if you put those two together, you could theoretically end the epidemic as we know it. That's our goal."
The path to such hope has been an arduous one.
In the 1980s and 1990s, HIV/AIDS became a seemingly unstoppable epidemic. The virus crippled the immune systems of otherwise healthy people, leaving them vulnerable to lethal "opportunistic" infections.
Millions of people worldwide have died from HIV, but the advent of potent antiretroviral drug cocktails in the mid-1990s revolutionized care, keeping viral levels down to undetectable levels and stopping the onset of AIDS.
HIV transmission levels also fell sharply, although thousands of new infections still occur in the United States each year.
Brian Mustanski directs the Institute for Sexual and Minority Health and Wellbeing at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. He agreed that the elimination of new cases of HIV infection by 2030 is possiblegiven certain conditions.
"If we are going to end HIV transmissions in the U.S., we need research to help understand how to effectively deliver the right interventions to the right communities at the right time," he said.
"Every 44 minutes, a 13- to 29-year-old gay or bisexual man in the U.S. gets diagnosed with HIV," Mustanski added. "These diagnoses are disproportionally among young men of colorthe only group in the U.S. to show increases in the rate of annual diagnoses. Any plan to end HIV transmission in the U.S. must center on the needs of young gay and bisexual men of color in order to be successful."
Mustanski believes that any plan aimed at eradicating HIV transmission within a decade must make PrEP available to these underserved communities.
"We have highly effective approaches to preventing HIV transmission today, but they are not effectively reaching the communities who need them most," he said.
More must also be done to raise HIV testing rates, because undiagnosed carriers of HIV are more likely to infect others.
"Only a quarter of sexually active teen gay and bisexual boys have ever had an HIV test," Mustanski noted. "As a result, only about half of young people in the U.S. who are HIV-positive know their status, which is the entry point to lifesaving treatment that can also eliminate transmission."
Community outreach aimed at encouraging safe sex behaviors is another crucial step in getting transmissions down to zero, he said.
Explore further Trump launching campaign to end HIV epidemic in US by 2030
More information: Feb. 6, 2019, news briefing with: Admiral Brett Giroir, HHS Assistant Secretary for Health, Anthony Fauci, M.D., director, U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Robert Redfield, M.D., director, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Feb. 5, 2019, State of the Union address, President Donald Trump; Brian Mustanski, Ph.D., director, Institute for Sexual and Minority Health and Wellbeing, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago; The New York Times Feb. 6, 2019, news briefing with: Admiral Brett Giroir, HHS Assistant Secretary for Health, Anthony Fauci, M.D., director, U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Robert Redfield, M.D., director, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Feb. 5, 2019, State of the Union address, President Donald Trump; Brian Mustanski, Ph.D., director, Institute for Sexual and Minority Health and Wellbeing, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago; There's more on HIV/AIDS at amFAR.
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In this Jan. 14, 2019 photo, Caitlin Powers sits in the living room of her Brooklyn apartment in New York, and has a telemedicine video conference with physician, Dr. Deborah Mulligan. Widespread smartphone use, looser regulations and employer enthusiasm are helping to expand access to telemedicine, where patients interact with doctors and nurses from afar, often through a secure video connection. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
Walmart workers can now see a doctor for only $4. The catch? It has to be a virtual visit.
The retail giant recently rolled back the $40 price on telemedicine, becoming the latest big company to nudge employees toward a high-tech way to get diagnosed and treated remotely.
But patients have been slow to embrace virtual care. Eighty percent of mid-size and large U.S. companies offered telemedicine services to their workers last year, up from 18 percent in 2014, according to the consultant Mercer. Only 8 percent of eligible employees used telemedicine at least once in 2017, most recent figures show.
"There's an awful lot of effort right now focused on educating the consumer that there's a better way," said Jason Gorevic, CEO of telemedicine provider Teladoc Health.
Widespread smartphone use, looser regulations and employer enthusiasm are helping to expand access to telemedicine, where patients interact with doctors and nurses from afar, often through a secure video connection. Supporters say virtual visits make it easier for patients to see a therapist or quickly find help for ailments that aren't emergencies. But many still fall back to going to the doctor's office when they're sick.
Health care experts have long said that changing behavior can be hard. In telemedicine's case, patients might learn about it from their employer and then forget about it by the time they need care a few months later. Plus emotions can complicate health care decisions, said Mercer's Beth Umland.
"My little kid is sick, I want them to have the best of care right away, and for some people that might not register as a telemedicine call," she said.
Some patients, especially older ones, also just prefer an in-person visit.
"Going to the doctor's office is a big event in their life and something they look forward to," said Geoffrey Boyce, CEO of InSight Telepsychiatry, which provides virtual mental health services.
Tom Hill is among that crowd. The 66-year-old from Mooresville, Indiana, said he's never used telemedicine and has no plans to.
"I believe in a handshake and looking a guy in the eye," said Hill during a recent shopping break at a downtown Indianapolis mall. "I don't buy anything online either."
In this Jan. 14, 2019 photo, Caitlin Powers sits in the living room of her Brooklyn apartment in New York, and has a telemedicine video conference with physician, Dr. Deborah Mulligan. Widespread smartphone use, looser regulations and employer enthusiasm are helping to expand access to telemedicine, where patients interact with doctors and nurses from afar, often through a secure video connection. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
But the practice does gain fans once patients try it.
Julie Guerrero-Goetsch has opened her MDLive telemedicine app several times since first using it about a year ago to get help for a sinus infection.
The Fallon, Nevada, resident was skeptical, but she didn't have time to go in person. MDLive connected her to a doctor soon after she opened the app. She said he started asking questions about symptoms "just as if I was sitting in a doctor's office" and prescribed an antibiotic.
Caitlin Powers tried telemedicine recently after hearing about it through a friend. The Columbia University graduate student was feeling stuffed up and worried she might be coming down with the flu. She said her appointment started on time, lasted 10 minutes, and she spoke by video with a doctor in Florida while never leaving her Brooklyn apartment.
"As a student, I don't really have time to spend three hours waiting to see a doctor, and this was so easy," she said.
Doctors have used telemedicine for years to monitor patients or reach those in remote locations. Now more employers are encouraging people covered under their health plans to seek care virtually for several reasons.
Telemedicine can reduce time spent away from the job, and it also can cost half the price of a doctor's visit, which might top $100 for someone with a high-deductible plan. However, those savings can be negated if telemedicine's convenience causes people to overuse it.
Walmart said it cut the cost for virtual visits to give another care option to the more than one million people covered by its health benefits.
Employers aren't the only ones pushing the technology.
The drugstore chains CVS Health and Walgreens are promoting apps that let customers connect to doctors. Some insurers like Oscar Health are offering it for free to customers as a first line of treatment.
Ease of use is one of the reasons researchers and telemedicine providers think the practice will become more widespread in several areas of care. Those include dermatology and follow-up doctor visits after a surgery or medical procedure.
In this Jan. 14, 2019 photo, Caitlin Powers sits in the living room of her Brooklyn apartment in New York, and has a telemedicine video conference with physician, Dr. Deborah Mulligan. Widespread smartphone use, looser regulations and employer enthusiasm are helping to expand access to telemedicine, where patients interact with doctors and nurses from afar, often through a secure video connection. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
Mental health visits are another area ripe for virtual care because patients can feel more comfortable talking to a therapist in their own home, said Boyce of InSight Telepsychiatry, which delivers mental health care in about 30 states.
Boyce said people also like the anonymity of a virtual visit.
Mental health visits were the most common use of telemedicine by patients until primary care overtook that specialty a few years ago, Harvard's Dr. Ateev Mehrotra and other researchers found in a recent study of claims data from a large insurer.
Research firm IHS Markit estimates that telemedicine visits in the U.S. will soar from 23 million in 2017 to 105 million by 2022. But even then, they will probably amount to only about one out of every 10 doctor visits, said senior analyst Roeen Roashan.
MDLive CEO Rich Berner said telemedicine is like the digital video recorder TiVo, which took a while to catch on with viewers.
"People were so used to doing things the other way that it just took a little while to kind of really go mainstream," he said. "But when it did, it went mainstream big-time."
Explore further Growth in use of telemedicine seen from 2005 to 2017
2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Claire Monroy observes a deaf infant in a study at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center testing babies' visual processing skills. They found that deaf infants took longer to encode visual stimuli than hearing infants. Credit: The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
Differences in cognitive development between hearing and deaf children start in infancy, according to new research by The Ohio State University College of Medicine published today in the journal PLOS ONE.
While there is a growing body of research in preschool and school-age children that provides evidence of differences in cognitive abilities between deaf and hearing children, researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center wanted to know when those differences emerge.
To do this, study co-authors Claire Monroy, post-doctoral otolaryngology fellow, and Derek Houston, associate professor of otolaryngology, became the first to compare visual processing skills in hearing and deaf infants. They found it takes longer for deaf infants to habituate or become familiar with new objects, which highlights a difference in how the infants process information, even when the information is not auditory in nature.
"This research lays the foundation for further exploration into the causes of these differences and their implications," said Dr. K. Craig Kent, dean of the College of Medicine.
When a baby successfully encodes a visual object, they lose interest and look away. To test their visual processing skills, researchers showed 23 deaf infants and 23 hearing infants ages 7 to 22 months a colorful object on a screen. Deaf infant looking times were 30 seconds longer than hearing infants and the deaf infant look-away rate was approximately 40% lower than hearing infants.
Credit: The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
"This is somewhat counterintuitive because a lot of people assume that deaf children compensate for their lack of hearing by being better at processing visual things, but the findings of the study show the opposite," Monroy said.
However, researchers say the results don't necessarily mean that deaf children are learning at a slower pace.
"Because they use vision to process the world around them, they may pay closer attention to visual objects," Houston said. "They might actually be processing more about each object."
A new study by researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center found that deaf infants took longer to process new visual objects, suggesting that developmental differences begin very early in life and extend beyond language and hearing. Credit: The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
Future research will examine why these differences in visual learning exist so that each child is taught in a way that works best for them and helps them reach their full potential.
"Understanding the source of these differences can really help us tailor interventions specifically for these children," Monroy said. "And the earlier that happens, the better."
Explore further Study aims to see how children with cochlear implants learn words
The zebrafish is a valuable model for human disease because, aside from having a similar genetic structure to humans, it develops rapidly and, until its second week of life, is almost completely transparent. Credit: University of Miami
University of Miami researchers have discovered a clue in the humble zebrafish's digestive tract that, one day, could help people on the autism spectrum alleviate one of the most common yet least studied symptoms of their disorder: gastrointestinal distress.
By replicating a mutation in zebrafish that causes a rare, autism-related genetic condition known as Phelan-McDermid Syndrome in humans, the researchers found a drastic reduction in the number of cells that produce serotonin in the mutant zebrafish's gut. Perhaps better known as the body's natural mood stabilizer, serotonin also initiates the contractions that move food through the digestive system.
Published last week in the journal Molecular Autism, the study is the first to show that a mutation of a particular autism-associated gene, SHANK3, causes food to move through the digestive tract at an abnormally slow pace. While the finding applies to zebrafish, a common freshwater aquarium species that shares about 70 percent of its genes with humans, it could explain why many people with an autism spectrum disorder, and particularly those with Phelan-McDermid Syndrome (PMS), often suffer severe and disruptive bouts of constipation, diarrhea, reflux, and/or cyclical vomiting.
More importantly, it could open the door to treatments that alleviate such unpleasant gastrointestinal, or GI, symptoms.
Flanked by tanks of zebrafish that enabled their study are, from left, researchers Julia Dallman, David M. James, and Robert A. Kozol. Credit: University of Miami
"The fact that we see reduced motility in the GI tract of fish with shank3 mutations is likely explained by the absence of these serotonin-producing cells, and that suggests that if we could find a way to increase motility we might be able to help with the GI problem," said senior author Julia Dallman, associate professor of biology whose UM lab studies inherited nervous system disorders by modeling them in zebrafish. "One issue in autism right now is that a lot of the drugs given to kids with autism to address their behavioral issues actually make their gut function worse. So by having a model of gut function we can try to find treatments that don't make it worse."
Dallman and two of her graduate students, David M. James and Robert A. Kozol, the first co-authors of the study, began earnestly modeling GI distress in zebrafish after they were invited to the 2016 biennial meeting of the international Phelan-McDermid Syndrome Foundation in Orlando. There they heard firsthand accounts from parents of children born with PMS which, caused by a deletion or mutation of the SHANK3 gene at the end of chromosome 22, is characterized by moderate to severe intellectual disabilities and developmental delays, absent or delayed speech, decreased muscle tone, and epileptic seizures.
Yet, despite all those very daunting challenges, parents often expressed deep frustration over their child's GI issues, which affected their quality of life on a daily basis, often making ordinary routines and milestones, like eating and toilet-training, exceedingly difficult.
"At that time, there hadn't been much published about GI issues in our community, but when you listen to parents they would always talk about how troubling it was," said Geraldine Bliss, past chair of the foundation's research support committee."There was a whole constellation of issuessometimes diarrhea, sometimes constipation, sometimes alternating diarrhea and constipation, refluxall kinds of GI problems, but it hadn't really been characterized or reported in the literature."
Contractions move food through the digestive system of a normal zebrafish, about 4.5mm in length and 7 days old. The image is magnified almost 20 times. Credit: University of Miami
Now, the common zebrafish and James' interest in characterizing GI issues in autism seem destined to help shed light on the confounding problem.
About an inch long at maturity, the zebrafish is a valuable model for human disease because, aside from having a similar genetic structure to humans, it develops rapidly and, until its second week of life, is almost completely transparent. That's when it begins developing the telltale dark stripes for which it is named.
That early transparency, coupled with an apparent zeal for what juveniles consider yummy food, enabled James and Kozol to record what happens when zebrafish lacking the shank3 gene digested chicken egg yolks, which were infused with tiny, florescent-green tracking beads. The films clearly showed that the mutant fish not only had slower and less frequent gut contractions than normal zebrafish, but that the ingested food particles got stuck in the junction between the stomach and the intestine for prolonged periods of time.
The reason came as a surprise. Initially, the researchers hypothesized the shank3 mutation somehow damaged the fish's enteric nervous systemthe "brain" that controls the gutbut that was perfectly normal. Instead, the researchers found the shank3 mutants had drastically fewer serotonin-producing cells than their wild-type counterparts.
"It was definitely an 'Aha!' moment," James said. "It opens up a lot, in terms of studying potential mechanisms for how all this dysmotility is occurring. If we can figure that out, we can start talking about what the proper treatments are, and what's going to fix thisthat's the real question."
The answer may lie in the distant future, but this first crucial step in unraveling a biological reason for autism-related GI distress is heartening to members of the PMS foundation, which began as a family support group in 1998, when 20 of the 23 families then known to be affected by a deletion or mutation of chromosome 22 first met.
Today, nearly 200 affected families from around the world attend the foundation's meetings, the last of which was held in Texas last summer. That's when James presented UM's research on intestinal dysmotility in zebrafish, which not only won the conference's research award but gave parents like Gail Fenton hope for a better future for their children.
"Joanna's tummy troubles have been a major source of family stress for 15 years," Fenton wrote from Australia about her 36-year-old daughter. "She is often hunched over because of tummy pain. She cries, even yells, when her tummy is sore. She'll always have Phelan-McDermid Syndrome but her life, and the lives of fellow sufferers with these complex GI issues, would be so much happier without these negatives and we are so very thankful for the research that can lead to any helpful interventions."
Explore further Researchers generate rat model of autism
More information: David M. James et al, Intestinal dysmotility in a zebrafish (Danio rerio) shank3a;shank3b mutant model of autism, Molecular Autism (2019). Journal information: Molecular Autism David M. James et al, Intestinal dysmotility in a zebrafish (Danio rerio) shank3a;shank3b mutant model of autism,(2019). DOI: 10.1186/s13229-018-0250-4
Nimmi Ramanujam (center), engineering professor and director of the Center for Global Womens Health Technologies, shown in her lab at Duke University. Credit: Jared Lazarus / Duke University
Engineering professor Nimmi Ramanujam describes how she came up with the idea for a device that allows for a speculum-free cervical exam, and what's next for her lab. Ramanujam's invention, the Pocket Colposcope, is a portable alternative to the traditional colposcope, a bulky machine used by doctors to examine the cervix for cancer. With the new technology, she wants to create a cervical exam that does not require a specialty clinic or hospital.
A newer generation of the device has a special accessory, called the Callascope, that is shaped like a tampon and allows for speculum-free views of the cervix. This would further expand health services for women by enabling them to use this technology in a self-exam.
The callascope can also be used as a tool for self-discovery (yes, many women do not know what the cervix is, says Ramanujam) and has inspired a multimedia art exhibit on women's reproductive health that will open at the Rubenstein Arts Center at Duke University on February 1, 2019.
What gave you the idea to develop the pocket colposcope?
I was on a trip to Moshi, Tanzania, where I was touring a cervical cancer clinic with a gynecologist. He said that one of the biggest barriers to cervical cancer screening is the metal speculum, a device that is used to part the vaginal walls to look at the cervix. During that visit, that same colleague challenged me to think of a way that we could visualize the cervix without the need for the speculum.
When I came back to the United States, I was speaking with a colleague who happened to show me this tampon-like camera that he was using for a technology that he was developing. Suddenly, the two conversations connected, and the idea formed in my mind can we create a colposcope to look like a tampon, so that we can insert it into the vaginal canal, rather than having to part the vaginal canal to see the cervix.
How does it work?
The pocket colposcope really just works like a tampon. You insert it, and by placing the tip of the colposcope close to the cervix about an inch away you can essentially focus and magnify the cervix much like a traditional colposcope.
We have two versions of the device: One that can be used with a speculum, very much like is done in a clinical setting, and then another version that has a tampon-like shell called the Callascope through which the pocket colposcope is simply inserted. It can be used either by the woman herself or by a health provider to allow for visualization of the cervix.
The reason that we have different versions of the pocket colposcope is to allow two types of solutions with the same core technology. In the clinical setting, doctors are already accustomed to looking at the cervix with a speculum. If they choose to do that, then this is a solution they can work with that is cheaper, more portable and easier to use than a traditional colposcope. A traditional colposcope is also not available in many clinics around the world.
If the speculum is a deterrent, then the speculum-free version becomes an option. The Callascope can be used by the woman herself or a health provider. What is nice about the speculum-free version is that the provider or woman does not need to know how to use a speculum, and it's very intuitive to insert the device and visualize the cervix.
What sort of medical problems does the device solve?
Really, in a nutshell, the device brings a complex referral service for diagnosing cervical cancer into the screening setting. Normally, women go to a hospital to get this exam, or they get a substandard exam that doesn't use the colposcope, just the naked eye of a relatively unskilled provider in a community health setting.
This essentially can bring high-end capabilities to a low-resource community and allows women to get an exam that we have become accustomed to in a high-income setting.
Where is the pocket colposcope being tested?
It has been tested in eight countries, including India, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Honduras and Peru, as well as the United States. We've been able to use the pocket colposcope on more than one thousand women to-date.
How long do you think it will take until it is available for patients outside of the testing groups? What are some of the barriers before this happens?
Recently, we received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that allows us to manufacture and sell this technology. We anticipate that we will be able to do this in the next six months, which will allow us to disseminate the device more broadly to community settings where women can get screened.
Do you see the device being used in the doctor's office as well?
I absolutely see this device being used in the doctor's office. In many countries in the world for example, India a doctor uses a colposcope as part of the standard of care. But space is at a premium, and colposcopes are expensive.
When I was in India recently, one of the gynecologists told me that she would love to use the device in her clinic. There wasn't enough space for a traditional colposcope. She also said the pocket colposcope would be easier to use than a standard colposcope when she wanted to biopsy a lesion for pathology, because the pocket device would not obstruct her line of sight.
Can you talk about any other projects you and your team are working on?
As we developed the pocket colposcope and tested it in the field, we realized that access to treatment is also a major issue. That inspired us to develop a very low-cost approach for effective ways to treat pre-invasive or invasive cancer once a lesion is identified.
We have created a treatment where ethanol is mixed with a ubiquitous agent routinely used in pharmaceuticals called ethyl cellulose. The mixture is liquid, but creates a gel when injected into an aqueous [water-based] medium like human tissue. Ethanol is known to destroy cells, so by injecting this liquid and converting it to a gel inside the tissue, we can locally target and remove regions of interest, much like a scalpel but without the need for a surgeon. So, we're now working to develop a see-and-treat strategy for cervical pre-cancers using the low-cost therapeutic we have developed.
With the pocket colposcope, it's not just enough to take pictures, but it's also really important to be able to make a decision based on those images. So, the third project, which is sort of an in-between phase of the pocket colposcope and the ethanol gel project, is to be able to automatically decide the diagnosis of a lesion, in order to plan what to do whether to treat, refer or send a patient home. For that, we're exploring the use of artificial intelligence to "task shift" the expertise of a gynecologist to the community health setting. Through task shifting, health workers are able to take on more complex tasks usually delegated to an expert physician.
Explore further New tech promises easier cervical cancer screening
The ladder of participation. By Dr. Anna Ambrosini, adapted from: de Wit MP, Kvien TK, Gossec L. Patient participation as an integral part of patient-reported outcomes development ensures the representation of the patient voice: a case study from the field of rheumatology. RMD Open. 2015;1(1):e000129. Credit: CHEO Research Institute in Ontario (Canada)
The old-fashioned paternalistic relationship between doctors and patients has gradually evolved into a more collaborative one in the era of patient-centered medicine. Shared decision-making (SDM), in which doctors and patients jointly decide on treatment or care, has emerged as a gold standard model of healthcare. Yet considerably less attention has been given to obtaining the patient's perspective on neuromuscular research on such matters as research objectives, study design, or even consent. A position paper in the Journal of Neuromuscular Diseases describes conclusions reached at an international workshop that focused on finding creative solutions to integrate and enhance the patient's point of view in neuromuscular research.
"I need to revise my grant application to include patient perspective in my research project!" commented attendee Valeria Sansone, MD, Director of the NEMO Centre, Milan (Italy). Dr. Sansone was one of 45 clinicians, healthcare professionals, researchers, patients, caregivers, and representatives from regulatory agencies and pharmaceutical companies from 15 countries who attended this international workshop. The gathering was convened by the European Neuromuscular Centre (ENMC) upon its 25th anniversary and was held in Milan, Italy from January 19-20, 2018.
"The ENMC, a group of patient organizations for neuromuscular disorders, convened this workshop to familiarize itself with the concept of SDM, which is new for most patients and researchers in the neuromuscular field," noted Ellen Sterrenburg, Ph.D., Chair of the ENMC Executive Committee.
The Workshop recommendations include higher patient involvement in research activities related to neuromuscular diseases: clinical trials, sample biobanks/patient registries, and regulatory processes. Educational, structural, and cultural changes need to be implemented by all stakeholders: patients and patient organizations, healthcare professionals, and regulatory bodies.
In an introductory talk, Ingeborg Meijer, Ph.D., of the Center for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) of the University of Leiden and Spierziekten Nederland, Baarn (The Netherlands) set the tone of the Workshop by presenting a graphic conceptualizing the levels of patient involvement in decision processes related to health called the "ladder of participation."
"There is a need for a change in culture in many medical research disciplines in order to succeed in the empowerment of patients, their families, and advocates, but this change should be adopted also by researchers, doctors, and all other professionals," explained Dr. Meijer.
During the session on biobanks and registries, Hanns Lochm?ller of the CHEO Research Institute in Ontario (Canada) said, "Rare disease research centers offer an ideal setup to implement and integrate patient involvement at all levels." He pointed to several examples of patient co-creation in research programs such as the UK myotonic dystrophy registry, which is patient driven but professionally supported. In this registry, the patient initiates the registration and names a doctor to enter the patient's clinical data, eliminating possible biases of past registries. Patients have also played a significant role in the TREAT-NMD global registries and developing the International Charter of principles for sharing bio-specimens and data. "Patient commitment is facilitated when registries and researchers commit to reporting research results back to the data providers, the patients, and families. A challenge is educating scientists to be flexible and change their research protocols according to the priorities of the research participants," explained Dr. Lochm?ller, co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Neuromuscular Diseases.
Patient participation in biobanks would also benefit from SDM. To accomplish this, the ENMC Workshop provided specific educational (e.g., "the consent form should be updated to accommodate modern techniques applied to cell lines and biopsies and written together with patient organizations to ensure understanding"), cultural (e.g., "patients who donate data or samples are to be seen as partners in research and should be aware of this role"), and structural recommendations (e.g., "research information should go back to patients in the form of regular newsletters and updates").
In a session on clinical trials, participants agreed that involvement of persons with NMD (or patient organizations) in clinical trials, as experts of their own disease, should happen in a proactive way from the beginning and through discussion of trial design options. As an illustration, Baziel van Engelen, MD, Ph.D., Professor of Neuromuscular Diseases at Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre and former ENMC Research Director, presented his experience with patient participation in the OPTIMISTIC clinical trial for myotonic dystrophy type 1. A unique feature of the trial design was asking each patient which determinant of health status the individual wanted to change. "The concept of promoting health (vs. decreasing the disease) and treating the patient (vs. treating the disease) led in this case to an impressive retention level throughout the study and to very high satisfaction of the patients involved," said Prof. Dr. van Engelen.
Patient input may come from individual patients or patient organizations, such as EURORDIS and those that are condition-specific. Several initiatives are in place to help patients achieve relevant competencies and encourage those who want to take on the responsibilities of being knowledgeable patient representatives. "Having the patient voice in a clinical trial is not only feasible, it should be a logical and natural thing," commented Dr. Lochm?ller.
Explore further Four principles underlie patient and family partnership in care
More information: Hanns Lochmuller et al, The Position of Neuromuscular Patients in Shared Decision Making. Report from the 235th ENMC Workshop: Milan, Italy, January 19-20, 2018, Journal of Neuromuscular Diseases (2019). Hanns Lochmuller et al, The Position of Neuromuscular Patients in Shared Decision Making. Report from the 235th ENMC Workshop: Milan, Italy, January 19-20, 2018,(2019). DOI: 10.3233/JND-180368
Immune fluorescence of inflammatory microglia (depected in red) and blood-derived invading blood monocytes (shown in green). Picture by MJC Jordao. Credit: University of Freiburg - Medical Center
A team of researchers under the direction of the Medical CenterUniversity of Freiburg has observed in an animal model that previously unknown types of immune cells are present in the inflamed brain in the course of multiple sclerosis (MS). The discovery was made through a new, high-resolution method for analyzing single cells. The method allowed the researchers from Freiburg and Munich to create a kind of immune cell atlas for the brain. They also report that these cells promote the development of the autoimmune disease MS. The study was published in the January issue of Science.
"Our findings constitute a breakthrough for the understanding of autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis. We hope that it will now be possible to develop new, more cell-specific therapeutic approaches that are less prone to side effects for treating inflammatory diseases like MS," says project director Prof. Dr. Marco Prinz, medical director of the Institute of Neuropathology at the Medical CenterUniversity of Freiburg. "The main problem with the previous, inadequate therapy was that it inhibited the entire immune system. However, we succeeded in finding new subtypes of cells that are specific for local inflammation and destruction in MS. They might therefore be selectively inactivated," says Prof. Prinz.
Women Suffer More Often from multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is one of the most common inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). The disease develops in women more often than in men and typically first manifests between the ages of 20 and 40. In Germany, around 120,000 people suffer from MS. "It is assumed that MS is an autoimmune disease in which immune cells mistakenly attack structures of the central nervous system and cause the inflammation," explains Prof. Prinz, who is also involved in the Signalling Research Excellence Clusters BIOSS and CIBSS of the Albert-Ludwigs-Universitaet Freiburg. The fact that phagocytes from the blood and the brain play a role in MS has already long been known, but it was unclear until now precisely which subtypes are involved. After years of research work, the scientists have now identified these subtypes in an animal model of multiple sclerosis.
Comprehensive map of the CNS immune cell populations during neuroinflammation. Each immune cell is represented as a dot and cluster together according to their transcriptomic profile, providing crucial information for the understanding of Multiple Sclerosis. Picture by MJC Jordao. Credit: University of Freiburg - Medical Center
A New Immune Cell Atlas
Using the latest high-resolution single-cell methods, the researchers succeeded in mapping the complex composition of cells located at the focus of inflammation, the so-called inflammation infiltrate. This enabled them to create a new immune cell atlas.
The single-cell analyses used by the researchers are new and can be used in medicine for studying individual cells from tissues. The researchers say they have enormous potential. "These methods allow us to paint an entirely new cellular picture of very complex tissues like the brain," says Dr. Dominic Gruen, one of the pioneers of this technique and research group leader at the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg, which participated in the study.
The first author of the study, Marta Joana Costa Jordao, doctoral candidate at the Institute of Neuropathology of the Medical CenterUniversity of Freiburg, says that different phagocytes in the brain remain chronically activated in the course of the disease. It was previously assumed that they were quickly renewed by circulating blood cells. "This permanent activation of the immune cells could explain why the brain of an MS patient is chronically attacked over the course of years," says Costa Jordao.
Explore further B cells among factors leading to brain lesions in multiple sclerosis
More information: Marta Joana Costa Jordao et al, Single-cell profiling identifies myeloid cell subsets with distinct fates during neuroinflammation, Science (2019). Journal information: Science Marta Joana Costa Jordao et al, Single-cell profiling identifies myeloid cell subsets with distinct fates during neuroinflammation,(2019). DOI: 10.1126/science.aat7554
The small town of Montargis is only 100 kilometres south of Paris, but for many of its inhabitants it might as well be on the dark side of the moon when it comes to seeing a doctor or a dentist.
"Having to wait two years to see a heart specialist isn't acceptable. We'll be dead before then," Catherine Adrien-Camus said to wide applause as she and other residents took part in a debate on what ails France, and more specifically their community.
The evening event last week was part of the two months of debates President Emmanuel Macron has called as part of his response to the "yellow vest" protests, sparked by anger over high costs of living.
Local communities have been encouraged to hold town-hall meetings to discuss how things could be improved, and in this 15,000-strong town and many others, one of the hot topics is the lack of doctors.
Despite France's much vaunted national health service, which has ensured nearly free medical services since the end of the Second World War, not all patients get equal treatment.
France counts some 220,000 doctors, twice as many as in 1980, according to official figures. But many prefer to settle in larger cities rather than rural or smaller urban areas.
In Paris, for example, there are about 798 doctors for every 100,000 inhabitants, but in the Montargis area the number drops to 76 general practitioners for 100,000 peoplethe lowest ratio in the nation.
'Medical desertification'
Some 9,000 small towns, accounting for 8 percent of the total population, lack general practitioners in what has been termed a growing "medical desertification".
In Montargis, where the "yellow vest" movement is well supported, none of the GPs are currently taking on new patients, locals say.
The region, which extends south to the renowned castles of the Loire Valley, also has the lowest density of medical specialists in the country, according to the national medical association.
"Big towns have sucked everything away from rural territories," said Jean-Pierre Door, a local member of parliament and himself a heart specialist.
As doctors retire, they have trouble finding younger practitioners to replace them.
This is partly the result of a 40-year government policy which allows for nearly anyone to sign up for medical studies, but then strict grading culls 80 percent of the hopefuls by the end of the first year.
In the early 2000s, around 3,500 doctors graduated every year, but only 8 percent chose general medicine.
20-hour days?
"No one wants to live as doctors used to live, working 20 hours a day, seven days a week," Door added.
Macron recently announced a reform of medical studies to help lift doctor numbers, "but it takes 12 years to train a doctor," Door noted.
In Montargis, there is only one hospital for 150,000 people living in the area that it is supposed to serve, and while 130 doctors work there, emergency services are still overwhelmed.
"Fifteen years ago, they looked after 15,000 patients a year, today it's 60,000, and waiting times average five to six hours," Door said.
Because of the lack of GPs, more than 60 percent of those attending emergency services are there on routine matters such as an ear infection or even to get a prescription renewed, he said.
Francois Camus, a young cancer specialist who set up shop a few months ago, confided his surprise at the lack of medical follow-up.
"I have seen advanced cancers... Because of the lack of GPs, the diagnosis has been to late," he said.
Gynaecological services are also lacking.
"Some women haven't been followed up for over 20 years and arrive with enormous tumours" Camus said.
Desperately seeking dentists
Online forums also abound with similar complaints.
"If you're looking for a dentist, good luck! I've been looking for one for the past five years," wrote a Montargis woman giving her name as Nelly.
"Doctors should be required to spend four to five years where they are needed after they have finished their studies," said Adrien-Camus, the woman speaking in last week's debate.
But for Door, coercion isn't the answer. He thinks instead local authorities should be encouraged to offer rent-free offices to doctors who can form a practice, something that has been tested for the past two years.
And now, following examples from remote Quebec or northern Sweden, France is testing video consultations via the internet, something Montargis is pushing strongly.
"It's like being treated on board a space station, or on a boat taking part in a round-the-world race," Door said.
Explore further Germans turn to 'medibus' as doctors desert villages
2019 AFP
Women self-administer the hormone injections. Credit: vchal/Shutterstock
If it's not you, perhaps it's someone you know. You don't look infertile, you don't feel infertile, but after many months (or years) of trying to start a family, followed by several months of monitoring your cycle in a fertility clinic, it's time to discuss IVF.
This is a big decision. It will impact your time, your finances, your emotions, your relationships and your dreams of being a parent.
Despite the language of "falling pregnant", inferring absolute simplicity, infertility is a reality for one in six Australian couples.
Infertility isn't picky, but it is ageist!
A woman's age is the single best predictor of IVF success. This is because a woman is born with all the eggs she will ever have, somewhere between one and four million. Our eggs are slowly trickling out of the ovary in a steady stream, until at menopause there are no eggs left.
Despite the fact that almost 400 eggs will begin to grow each month from puberty to menopause, only one egg will survive each month, bursting out of the ovary at ovulation ready to be fertilised.
Sperm are an equally critical component of both IVF and natural fertility.
Despite the myth that male fertility is not impacted by age, a growing body of evidence shows men's age and lifestyle factors such as excess weight, smoking and heavy drinking affect fertility.
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) has been developed so fertilisation in the lab can still be successful even if only one good quality sperm is available.
What is the process and how will I feel?
IVF artificially increases the number of mature eggs ready for fertilisation. Your treatment very much depends on what your infertility diagnosis is, but for most couples undergoing IVF, the process will look a bit like this.
Step 1: ovarian stimulation
The hormone which makes eggs grow (FSH or follicle stimulating hormone) is given by very tiny, self-given injections just under the skin, in high but tailored doses. This creates a hormone tsunami, giving many eggs a chance to ride this wave.
Using IVF, we can safely increase the number of eggs the woman produces in a cycle without risking multiple births. We take the eggs out of the body, in a process known as egg harvest or oocyte pickup, or OPU. Leaving the eggs in the body for fertilisation incurs an unacceptable risk of having twins, triplets, or more.
These hormones can have some side effects, which are usually mild, and may include tenderness at the injection site, hot flashes, blurred vision, nausea, headache, irritability and restlessness. Your doctor will outline them, and tell you what to monitor.
Step 2: egg harvest (oocyte pickup)
When the eggs are mature (generally up to 18 mm in size) and your estrogen levels are consistent with the egg numbers and size we need, we plan an egg harvest.
A trigger injection is given to finalise egg growth and development, and approximately 36 hours later, we perform the surgical procedure to collect them, ready to put them together with the sperm for in vitro fertilisation (IVF).
This procedure is more like a blood test than open surgery and in many units this procedure is done with pain relief while the female partner is awake. Other units use a light sedative anaesthetic, while they insert a narrow needle and camera (ultrasound) through the vagina to collect the eggs for IVF.
Credit: The Conversation
Step 3: in vitro fertilisation (IVF)
Over the next few hours, the embryologists will wash all the viable eggs and prepare them for fertilisation. They are then placed in a dish with thousands of sperm, which were collected previously and frozen, or collected on the same day from your partner.
Or, if you're using intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), the embryologists directly inject one sperm into the cytoplasm of each egg.
Step 4: embryo culture
The day after IVF, the embryologist or nurse will phone you to tell you how many eggs were fertilised.
For the next few days, your embryos will live in a dish, in an oven heated to body temperature. Staff will monitor their growth and development and will eventually pick the right one for transfer back into the womb.
The embryo is gently transferred back into the womb on day five or six, in a process similar to that of a pap test. If you have many healthy embryos at this stage, they can be frozen for use later.
Now you wait
About a week-and-a-half to two weeks after your embryo was transferred, we can test to see if it's attached to the womb. A simple blood test, or even home pregnancy test, will detect levels of human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG), a sign that you are finally pregnant.
For some, the test will be negative. If they have frozen embryos, they can try again without needing to take more injections and have a surgical procedure.
Others will receive a diagnosis after learning something about their eggs, sperm and embryos, which can help the IVF team adjust the cycle plan and improve the couple's outcomes in future cycles.
For some, it was the last time they were going to try IVF, or fertilisation didn't occur, or an embryo transfer could not be done. Disappointment, frustration and grief becomes part of the experience and couples may need support and counselling.
For many, a positive pregnancy test is the outcome. But there is still more waiting; after all, you are still 38 weeks away from delivery. A small number of pregnancies miscarry or are lost so support in early pregnancy and good obstetric care is vital.
How much does it cost?
The cost of IVF is hugely variable, and is dependent on your level of private health cover. The out of pocket costs, even with the highest level of cover may reach A$9,000 for the first cycle. And each test and process will change the price.
Sit down with your specialist and ask "can you talk me through all of the costs associated with this round of treatment?" and have them break it down.
How do you find the right clinic?
There is a big difference in the quality of fertility care you can receive across Australia, with some clinics having dramatically higher success rates than others.
But keep in mind some clinics may not show all the data. They may quote the pregnancy rates for "every started IVF cycle" or for "every embryo transfer", meaning the cycles where there is no embryo to transfer are excluded thus making the rates look unrealistically good.
Despite the desire to shop for price, asking the clinic specifically about your chance of taking home a healthy baby in their clinic, and finding a health care provider you feel comfortable with is key.
Your personal success may not be equal across two clinics, and you may save yourself money by finding a clinician and clinic with high success rates, and with a specialist who specialises in your condition, whether it's polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, or something else.
Never be afraid to ask as many questions as you have, and to ask for clarity when you don't understand. Undertaking IVF is a big step.
Explore further Dutch medical centre probes suspected IVF sperm mix-up
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Ex-CEO of Russian vodka producer charged with embezzlement put under house arrest
RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov
18:04 06/02/2019
MOSCOW, February 6 (RAPSI) The Moscow City Court on Wednesday released ex-CEO of Russian company producer of Five Lakes (Pyat Ozer) vodka brand Igor Savelyev, who stands charged with embezzlement, and placed him under house arrest, the courts press service told RAPSI.
Savelyev has allegedly embezzled over 200 million rubles ($3 million). Ex-CEO of Alcohol Siberian Group will remain under house arrest until March 16.
Alcohol Siberian Group is one of the major distilled spirits manufacturers. Annual branded production volume in 2017 was equal to 5.31 mln dal, the companys official website reads.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain
The goal of exercise shouldn't be to simply move. Rather, individuals should ramp up the intensity to improve heart and lung fitness and live longer, says a new Ball State University study.
Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Mortality in Healthy Men and Women, an analysis of 4,137 adults, found that mortality risks decline when cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) levels increase in healthy men and women, said Matt Harber, director of Ball State's Clinical Exercise Physiology Laboratory. This is the first time a study has directly measured CRF in both men and women rather than relying on estimates.
"The overall results suggest that obtaining a moderate fitness level for one's age and sex is associated with lower risk of early death," Harber said. "Our team looked at CRF in relation to all causes of death, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer.
"One of the outcomes of this study tells us that people should exercise with the intention of improving their CRF levels."
Harber and other members of his Ball State team examined fitness levels among several thousand people who visited the University's exercise research facilities over the last few decades. The paper was published in the November issue of the Journal of American College of Cardiology.
"Cardiorespiratory fitness is directly related to the integrated function of numerous physiological systems, including the musculoskeletal systems, and is widely considered the best reflection of whole-body health and function," he said. "As a result, if we improve our fitness, we can have some control over how long and well we'll live."
The study also found:
Women with low fitness levels had a higher risk of dying from any cause, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), including cardiac arrest, coronary artery disease, heart failure, myocardial infarction, or stroke, and cancer than females with moderate and high fitness.
Participants in the low-fit group were more likely to die early from any cause, CVD, and cancer.
Low-fitness men had a three-fold greater risk for CVD mortality compared with high-fitness men.
Harber noted that the American Heart Association recently urged that CRF be considered a vital sign when people undergo medical examinations.
"Exercise is the best way to improve your fitness levels," he said. "However, people often believe that exercise and fitness are interchangeable terms, and physicians don't often communicate that well.
"Medical personnel should be encouraging people to move with a purpose, and the key is intensity. As we age, our CRF levels do decline. So, it's important to build up that 'fitness reserve,' keeping up your fitness over the years so you are in better physical shape to deal with an unexpected illness or accident."
Researchers also noted the large sample size was predominantly from Muncie, commonly known as Middletown, U.S.A., which has been considered the average or typical American small city as a result of studies by sociologists Robert S. and Helen Merrell Lynd. Future work is needed to confirm these findings in populations from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, the researchers concluded.
Explore further Staying fit can cut your risk of heart attack by half
A first set of research guidelines for the field of neurofeedback. Credit: McGill University
The procedure known as neurofeedback records brain activity and presents it back to participants in real-time. With this information, individuals attempt to modulate their brain activity and, in turn, to self-regulate their mental state. There are thousands of active neurofeedback practitioners and hundreds of scientific publications are published on the topic each year. However, in recent years a controversy has erupted surrounding whether neurofeedback can be used to effectively treat patients and whether the relevant benefits stem from biomedical processes or through placebo mechanisms alone. Exacerbating the issue, there exists no commonly agreed upon research standards for the field.
A new paper uploaded to PsyArXiv on January 23 looks to address the latter issue, proposing, for the first time, a set of research guidelines for the field of neurofeedback. The culmination of a collaboration between 80 authors from institutions across Europe, the UK, the US, and Canada, the paper, "Consensus on the reporting and experimental design of clinical and cognitive-behavioural neurofeedback studies (CRED-nf checklist)," provides a feasible set of standards for experimental design and reporting that the authors say both leading neurofeedback advocates and skeptics agree will help provide answers to their debate.
An emerging field in need of guidelines
"When I began researching neurofeedback six years ago, I truly believed that this technique presented a medical breakthrough that would help those suffering from mental conditions," explains Robert Thibault, Ph.D. candidate in the Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory at McGill University's Faculty of Medicine and one of the architects of the guidelines. "After conducting systematic reviews on neurofeedback, attending relevant conferences, and integrating deeply into this research community, I discovered that (1) many neurofeedback studies are inadequately designed compared to clinical research standards, and (2) that most neurofeedback researchers are well aware of this issue."
Thibault then reached out to researchers from across the neurofeedback community in an attempt to bring them together to draft a set of guidelines that could move the field forward. The resulting guidelines are presented in the form of a one-page checklist divided into essential and encouraged items in all facets of experiment design, from pre-experiment to data storage. While some may balk at the bureaucratic implications of a checklist, Thibault notes that the benefits of standardization will outweigh the nominal time commitment required to adhere to the checklist. "The guidelines are meant to help researchers conduct robust studies that are well designed to answer questions in the field and to report their results in such a way that other researchers can build upon them and meta-analyze them."
"I was particularly surprised at how well scientists with opposing views worked together to produce this paper," notes Thibault. "When reading scientific literature, it can appear that some scientists are at opposing ends of a spectrum. However, when we brought them together to craft this checklist, they could largely agree on how to move forward effectively." Considering the intention to evolve the checklist in-tune with the field's evolution, this collaborative spirit certainly bodes well.
Explore further Are EEG neurofeedback benefits due to placebo effects?
More information: Tomas Ros et al. Consensus on the reporting and experimental design of clinical and cognitive-behavioural neurofeedback studies (CRED-nf checklist), (2019). Tomas Ros et al. Consensus on the reporting and experimental design of clinical and cognitive-behavioural neurofeedback studies (CRED-nf checklist),(2019). DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/nyx84
Carrie Clark, assistant professor of educational psychology, is using functional MRI technology to explore childrens brain activity while they learn mathematics. Credit: University of Nebraska-Lincoln
What is 72 multiplied by 12? While fourth-graders will focus on arriving at the correct answer, University of Nebraska-Lincoln researcher Carrie Clark wants to know what happens in the brain as they learn to solve the problem.
Clark, assistant professor of educational psychology, is using functional MRI technology to capture brain activity while children learn mathematics. Housed at the Nebraska Center for Children, Youth, Families and Schools, the project is exploring the relationship between children's mathematics learning and executive function the ability to maintain focus and behave in a goal-oriented way.
It is a new application of fMRI technology in the relatively new field of educational neuroscience.
"We've used fMRI research to understand what areas of the brain are involved in particular mathematics functions, but I'm really interested in using fMRI to capture the dynamic process of learning, and saying, 'This is what happens as a child learns new things,'" said Clark, a CYFS research affiliate. "I'm excited to push the boundaries."
To understand the learning process, Clark developed a mathematics task for children ages eight to 10. She invited children to learn how to count the way computers count, using binary numbers, in the MRI scanner, which highlights changes in oxygenated blood flow to different parts of the brain. The scan identified which parts of the brain may be involved in mathematics learning.
The children who actually learned the binary number concept showed different brain activity, Clark said. Those who understood the concept showed increased activity in the left inferior prefrontal cortex, an important region of the brain for integrating concepts and modulating attention to better focus on something.
Credit: University of Nebraska-Lincoln
"We think what's happening is that kids who are learning more effectively are good at knowing when to deploy those cognitive resources to learn," said Clark, who received funding from the Office of Research and Economic Development.
Researchers also found that the children who learned the binary number concept showed more cross-talk among areas of the brain linked to executive function.
Changes across the learning cycle were also identified. As the children learned, they initially showed more activity in the prefrontal cortex when they watched videos about familiar decimal numbers. But by the end of the task, Clark said, that activity had gone away and was present only for the new binary concept.
"So they were really using those cognitive resources to learn about this new concept," she said.
Clark hopes eventually to have children who are struggling to learn math perform the same tasks in an MRI scanner to better understand their brain activity during the learning process. Such research may help researchers determine how to manipulate tasks to generate the same type of neural activity as children who are learning effectively, which could provide an invaluable tool for educators seeking to tailor teaching strategies.
Children sometimes fall out of the mathematics curriculum, Clark said, partly because mathematics is so hierarchical a firm grasp of one concept is needed to move on and effectively learn the next concept.
"When kids don't learn those next concepts, they're restricted in terms of the opportunities they can pursue," Clark said. "My goal is to understand how children learn effectively so we can develop mathematics curricula to help all children succeed."
Explore further New parts of the brain become active after students learn physics
Physically repositioning residents in aged care facilities does not prevent bedsores and can be causing behavioural problems associated with broken sleep. Credit: Shutterstock
Residents of aged care facilities who have been assessed as being at-risk of developing bedsores should not be repositioned every two hours, a UNSW Sydney study says.
The accepted practice of two-hourly repositioning is not only ineffective at preventing pressure ulcers (bedsores) from developing, but it is suspected of causing behavioural problems by interfering with residents' sleep patterns, the researchers say in a paper published recently in Bioethical Enquiry.
And in an ominous flag for the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety now underway, the study concludes that far from being a preventative safety measure, the ritualised two-hourly repositioning of residents could be a form of unintentional institutional abuse.
The study examined the medical and nursing records of 80 deceased residents from eight Registered Aged Care Facilities (RACFs) in Australia to determine the number of residents who were assessed as being at risk of developing pressure ulcers, how the use of two-hourly repositioning impacted them, and whether the residents had these ulcers in the last week of life.
It found that despite 91% of the residents who were deemed at risk of developing pressure ulcers being physically repositioned in their beds every two hours, throughout the day and night, more than a third of them had one or more of these excruciating skin conditions when they died.
The problem
Pressure ulcers can occur on bony areas of the body such as on the sacrum or heels in people who are bed-ridden or confined to a chair or wheelchair. A 1994 study found that they can develop after only half an hour of unrelieved pressure from immobility.
Study author Professor Mary-Louise McLaws of UNSW's School of Public Health and Community Medicine says that while RACFs are required to practise two-hourly repositioning and do so with the best intentions, the practice is ineffective and ultimately harmful to the elderly residents.
"My first thought was that the practice of two-hourly repositioning would cause sleep deprivation and that it is simply torturous," Professor McLaws says.
"It wasn't a surprise when residents were classified as having 'behaviours of concern' and then chemically or physically restrained."
The solution
Professor McLaws and her co-authors say the best proven method of preventing bedsores is the use of alternating pressure air mattresses (APAMs).
"These mattresses relieve pressure all over the body every few minutes, continuously and gently so as not to wake or disturb the sleeper at a frequency that human repositioning cannot match," says Professor McLaws.
Until now, the issuing of APAMs to at-risk residents has been minimal to non-existent, and the study notes that nurses and care staff lack the authority to order in such equipment, while RACF managers may be of the belief that APAMs are expensive.
However, the study found the actual cost of these devices to be around $1.40 a day per resident and observed that they were available on government contract.
"Alternating pressure air mattresses have limited published evidence for preventing pressure ulcers and are considered to be initially an expensive outlay," Professor McLaws says.
"However, a study carried out decades ago showed that APAMs were more cost-effective than the practice of repositioning. And when you look at the costs of prevention, they are substantially lower than those required to treat severe pressure ulcers."
Professor McLaws and her co-authors made recommendations that the practice of around the clock two-hourly repositioning cease immediately and that each bed in an RACF be allocated an APAM, or at the very least, at-risk residents be supplied with one without delay.
Another recommendation was that the use of chemical and/or physical restraints, which are used to curb 'behaviours of concern', cease since they can lead to pressure ulcers due to forced inactivity. Behaviours of concern themselves could even be the result of disrupted sleep patterns, the authors argue.
"We concur with other international authors who have shown that the ritualistic practice of waking residents every two hours contributes to severe sleep deprivation and behaviours of concern," they say.
Coroners' powers
The authors also called for a change to the legislation surrounding Coroners Court powers. As they pointed out in a related paper published recently, only four known cases have been referred to coroners regarding the possible role pressure ulcers played in the deaths of elderly people.
Coroners make few recommendations with regards to best practice in aged care, and the authors suggest they routinely collect and discuss information about the prevention and management of pressure ulcers.
"Australian coroners could consider formulating recommendations which refer to section 3 of the Australian Quality of Care Principles [2014]. These principles recommend that RACFs provide APAMS to residents at risk of developing bedsores," says co-author Dr. Jennifer Schulz Moore from UNSW's Faculty of Law.
Royal commission submission
Recently, Professor McLaws made a submission to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety that included both recently-published papers on pressure ulcers as evidence.
This followed evidence given to the royal commission by co-author Catherine Sharp which drew on her clinical nursing experience.
"It was a great opportunity to be able to share our knowledge on pressure ulcer management with the Commission," Ms Sharp says.
"We are very optimistic that we will see two-hourly repositioning of residents stopped in favour of using APAMs. This will not only improve the well-being of our elderly aged care residents and elderly in hospitals and the community, but it will reduce costs and levels of unnecessary stress experienced by residents, facility staff and families alike."
Explore further Study aims to change traditional approach to preventing pressure ulcers
More information: Catherine A. Sharp et al. Two-Hourly Repositioning for Prevention of Pressure Ulcers in the Elderly: Patient Safety or Elder Abuse?, Journal of Bioethical Inquiry (2019). Catherine A. Sharp et al. Two-Hourly Repositioning for Prevention of Pressure Ulcers in the Elderly: Patient Safety or Elder Abuse?,(2019). DOI: 10.1007/s11673-018-9892-3
Credit: Shutterstock
Indigenous children are almost twice as likely as non-Indigenous children to suffer unintentional injury and the situation hasn't improved for more than 15 years, a new study shows.
Indigenous children are almost twice as likely to be hospitalised for unintentional injuries such as falls, burns and poisoning than non-Indigenous children, a new study shows.
The analysis also reveals that there has been no overall improvement in injury rates since 2003 and that the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children remains significant.
Researchers from The George Institute for Global Health, UNSW Sydney and the University of Wollongong say the findings highlight the need for Aboriginal-led intervention programs.
The study, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, analysed the records of almost 1 million children born in NSW hospitals between 2003-2007 and 2008-2012, of which around 3 percent identified as Indigenous.
Lead researcher Dr. Holger Moller says: "If you are an Aboriginal child you are much more likely to suffer an unintentional injury such as a burn, and this is despite nationwide safety campaigns and legislation. Children should not be turning up at our hospitals with preventable injuries and we need to recognise this inequality and put in place strategies that will start reducing this startling difference."
Key findings
Researchers found Indigenous children were about 2.5 times more likely to have been treated for transport-related injuries and burns and had a three times greater risk of poisonings than non-Indigenous children. However, rates for these three types of injury did drop for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous children.
The records of 915,525 children born in NSW hospitals 2003-2007 and 2008-2012 were analysed, of which 31,290 were Indigenous.
Indigenous children had 1.7 times higher rates of unintentional injuries.
Falls were the leading cause of injury in Indigenous children making up one third of all injuries.
Rates of burns, poisonings and transport injuries did fall for Indigenous children from 2003 to 2012 by 30 percent, 23 percent and 30 percent respectively.
The rates of Indigenous children being struck (for example by a falling object) rose by 29 percent.
Professor Rebecca Ivers, Head, School of Public Health and Community Medicine at UNSW Sydney, adds: "There were some positives in our findings, but the fact is the gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children remains the same. This demonstrates we need programs which are designed with, and led by, Aboriginal people and supported by governments.
"We need to create a society where all children have a safe environment to thrive in, so we need strategies that will address the wider social determinants of health and ensure Aboriginal families can access services and programs that could really make a difference."
Co-author Professor Kathleen Clapham, Murrawarri, Professor (Indigenous Health), Australian Health Services Research Institute (AHSRI), University of Wollongong, points out that very few culturally acceptable injury prevention programs have been developed or evaluated. "Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations have an important role in helping reduce the risk of Aboriginal child injury because they engage with Aboriginal people within local community contexts and deliver holistic programs that address underlying health and social issues. There also needs to be much stronger leadership and coordination of child injury prevention from government and other agencies."
Explore further Study spotlights Indigenous children and serious burns injuries
Back in 1900 when there was a rush from all areas of Europe to come to the United States, people had to get off a ship and stand in a long line in New York and be documented.
Some would even get down on their hands and knees and kiss the ground. They made a pledge to uphold the laws and support their new country in good and bad times. They made learning English a primary rule in their new American households and some even changed their names to blend in with their new home.
They had waved goodbye to their birth place to give their children a new life and did everything in their power to help their children assimilate into one culture. Nothing was handed to them. All they had were the skills and craftsmanship they had brought with them to trade for a future of prosperity.
When we liberated France, no one in those villages were looking for the French American, the German American or the Irish American. The people of France saw only Americans. These immigrants truly knew what it meant to be an American. They stirred the melting pot into one red, white and blue bowl.
BOISE Registration is open for the 2019 Serve Idaho Conference at Boise State University. Its theme will be Giving Back Unites.
The conference from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. March 27 in the Jordan Ballroom at the BSU Student Union Building is designed for nonprofit and volunteer management professionals and AmeriCorps directors and members. Workshops, speakers and networking sessions are also ideal for anyone who wants to collaborate and build resilient communities through volunteerism and service.
Idahoans Luke Mickelson and Stephanie Taylor-Silva will be keynote speakers.
Mickelson founded Sleep in Heavenly Peace after spending 18 years as a working professional. He left his job, where hed been promoted, to give full-time attention to his organization that builds and delivers bunk beds for children in need.
Taylor-Silva is an AmeriCorps Volunteer in Service to America VISTA for the Idaho Department of Corrections Free2Succeed community mentor program. Its her way of giving back to the organization she credits with saving her life when she served time there. The program matches recently released offenders with community mentors who assist in creating support systems and finding employment to decrease recidivism in Idaho.
The policy is based on guidelines the Idaho School Boards Association gave school districts. Across the Gem State, the vast majority of districts didnt take action shortly after the policy recommendation was released.
Policy revisions are often driven by court cases or law changes, Dickinson said, adding he hasnt heard of any other policy recommendations on the horizon regarding LGBTQ students.
Within the Twin Falls School District, Dickinson said, schools have tried to promote kindness and the importance of students being accepting of one another, regardless of differences. Educators want schools to be inclusive, safe and welcoming for all students, he said.
Kids are kids, so you are going to have times when students say or do things that are maybe not as accepting, he said, but added its the job of educators to address those issues and educate students on the proper way to interact.
If harassment or bullying occurs, its our job as schools to make sure thats not happening, Dickinson said.
FAIRFIELD Camas County School is closed Wednesday and Thursday due to illness, the school said on its website.
The Fairfield school has about 150 students from kindergarten through 12th grades.
On Tuesday, 46 students were absent 26 percent of the student body as well as one-third of school employees, due to flu-like illnesses, Superintendent Jim Cobble said.
A skiing education day at Soldier Mountain is scheduled for Friday and thats still happening as planned, Cobble said, but parents are asked to use their discretion about whether their child is feeling well enough to participate.
Custodial crews are doing deep cleaning and disinfecting in the school building.
The Fairfield campus joins some schools in other parts of the state that have closed as the flu has spread this winter.
Twin Falls Christian Academy closed for at least three days in January due to a large number of students and employees who were sick.
Firth, Shelley and Fremont school districts in eastern Idaho recently have closed their schools because of the high number of absent students sick with flu-like illnesses, the Idaho State Journal reported.
A man and woman from Twin Falls have been sentenced to probation and fines for lying about being caregivers for a person who was actually out of the country.
Hacker gets 13 years in prison for stealing $15 mln from Russian banks
RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov
17:47 06/02/2019
MOSCOW, February 6 (RAPSI) Moscows Meshchansky District Court on Wednesday sentenced Ukrainian citizen Yury Lysenko to 13 years in high security prison for cybertheft of one billion rubles (over $15 million) from Russian banks, RAPSI learnt in the courts press service.
Lysenko was found guilty of organizing a criminal group and cyber fraud.
Investigators claimed that in June through November 2014, Yury Lysenko organized a criminal group specializing in theft of funds from the commercial banks, allegedly managing to embezzle over one billion rubles.
According to case papers, hackers stole 39.5 million rubles from Promsvyazbank, 45 million rubles from Bank Uralsib, 106 million rubles from Trust Bank and 883.5 million rubles from Bank Zenit.
Fourteen defendants were charged with organizing a criminal group, membership in a criminal group, cyber fraud and theft.
The Prosecutors General Office said in 2017 that one of the hacking group members, Anton Testov, had already been convicted in this case.
BUHL A Buhl man has been arrested on a warrant for felony child enticement via the internet, the Blaine County Sheriffs Office said in a statement.
Jacobo Ramirez-Aguilar, 26, was arrested Tuesday on a Blaine County warrant. He was taken into custody in Buhl, without incident, by the Blaine County Sheriffs Office and Idaho State Police. Ramirez-Aguilar was then booked into the Twin Falls County Jail on a $50,000 bail.
According to the sheriffs office, Ramirez-Aguilar was being investigated after the parents of a 14-year-old girl discovered messages between him and their daughter. In the December 2018 messages turned over to police, Ramirez-Aguilar reportedly asked the girl to engage in sexual acts with him.
Blaine County Sheriff Steve Harkins said in a press release that parents should monitor and be involved in their childrens online activity if they have children with social media accounts.
Nationwide we see many cases that evolve just like this one, Harkins said. Remaining vigilant to online predators is essential for the safety of our children.
A hearing for Ramirez-Aguilar will be set after his initial arraignment in Twin Falls, the sheriffs office said.
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The second ice storm to hit Wisconsin in as many days is likely to be much worse than the first, with officials saying travel could be next to impossible.
The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory in effect from 6 p.m. Wednesday to 6 p.m. Thursday, with the advisory staying in effect in far southeastern Wisconsin until 9 p.m. Thursday.
The only saving grace about this treacherous storm is it most likely won't have an impact on the Wednesday evening commute.
Freezing rain, sleet and snow are expected to start falling in Madison and all of southern Wisconsin Wednesday night, continuing into Thursday and Thursday night.
"Power outages and tree damage are possible due to the ice, and travel could be nearly impossible," the weather advisory said.
The highest ice and snow accumulations are expected along and north of a line from Monroe to Madison to Fond du Lac, with some areas getting up to 2 inches of snow and a third of an inch of ice.
The Madison Streets Division is getting ready for the storm just as it did for Tuesday night's storm.
"Once the storm begins, 32 trucks will be deployed to the salt routes," said Streets Superintendent Charlie Romines.
The State Journal's recent profiles of candidates for Madison mayor showed bias.
Madison mayoral candidate Satya Rhodes-Conway cites expertise with cities Satya Rhodes-Conway wants to apply her expertise with cities and collaborative approach to leadership as Madison's next mayor. If elected, would be the first openly gay mayor in city history.
Compare these opening lines:
"Raj Shukla is confident and ready to become Madison's next mayor."
"Satya Rhodes-Conway has worked with mayors from around the country on some of the most pressing issues facing cities."
"Mo Cheeks ... rose to be a technology executive and has been elected three times to the City Council."
Mo Cheeks vows collaboration if he wins Madison mayor's race Drawing upon a youth that he says taught the value of effort and teamwork and his experience representing one of the city's most diverse districts for six years,, the 33-year-old Illinois native is seeking to be Madison's next mayor.
Rhodes-Conway served three terms on the Madison City Council, too, and also seems confident and ready to become mayor. She is the managing director at her job.
Can you see how two of the male candidates' first paragraphs are so different from the one female candidate's? In the first paragraph of Rhodes-Conway's profile, she "worked with mayors."
Raj Shukla promotes green growth in Madison mayoral bid If elected, Shukla would be the first Indian-American mayor in Madison and also the first in any of the nation's 100 largest cities.
These are the sorts of things many women notice and most men don't: unintentional bias toward men and against women.
By the way, I have not met any of the three candidates yet, and am undecided.
Liz Amundson, Madison
President Donald Trump and former Gov. Scott Walker loudly touted the Foxconn deal for bringing manufacturing jobs back to Wisconsin.
Skeptics pointed to promises broken elsewhere, and argued that in light of advances in electronics in the last 25 years, it was foolish to commit $4 billion to a plant that promised to produce todays flat-panel screens for the next 25 years. Now we learn the global market has changed, and the screens can be produced more cheaply in China and Japan.
Foxconn did not meet its quota of promised jobs for 2018. Nonetheless, they still promise to create 13,000 jobs in southeastern Wisconsin. One day it was with mostly jobs in research and development. The next day it was a project to manufacture small screens or a combination of these with research and development. What will it be in coming weeks?
The only surprise is how fast the skeptics were proved correct. Republicans have whiplash from trying to defend Foxconns bait-and-switch tactics.
During his campaign, Gov. Tony Evers promised to monitor the Foxconn deal. The question now becomes whether Republicans have the integrity to actually help Gov. Evers salvage something of this boondoggle for Wisconsin taxpayers.
J. Denny Weaver, Madison, Wisconsin
Congress passed a law in 1962 giving presidents the power to unilaterally impose tariffs for national security reasons. Trump has abused that power, claiming, for example, that Canada is a security threat for selling the United States steel and aluminum at competitive prices.
Gallagher stressed his bill would not stop Trump, under different rules, from imposing sanctions on a country such as China for unfair trading practices. What Gallagher, Kind and others want to do is return to Congress the power to sign off on duties the president claims are needed for U.S. security.
Trump, who calls himself Tariff Man, could veto the bipartisan bill. But sending it to his desk would send a powerful message that Congress is an equal branch of government and wont sit quietly while needless harm to American consumers and businesses continues.
Another scathing report about the $10 billion Foxconn project in southeast Wisconsin suggests a "chaotic" operation unlikely to ever create 13,000 jobs.
The Bloomberg Businessweek report, titled "Inside Wisconsins Disastrous $4.5 Billion Deal With Foxconn," is based on interviews with 49 people familiar with the project, including company executives, state officials and former employees of the Racine County facility.
"The only consistency, many of these people say, lay in how obvious it was that Wisconsin struck a weak deal," the magazine reports.
According to one unnamed company executive: "There was initially a good plan, although lots of us were still questioning it. Then as things changed, a lot of the internal perception became, This is a nightmare. This is going to be horrible for Foxconns brand.
Wisconsins new Department of Veterans Affairs secretary is counting on a bipartisan affinity for military veterans to be her battle buddy as she appeals to the Republican Legislature for budget help.
Mary Kolar, a Madison Democrat chosen for the post by Gov. Tony Evers, said Tuesday she plans to ask for increased tax support to break the longtime practice of depleting the departments veterans homes in order to pay for other agency programs.
The budget has been strained at the states largest veterans home complex at King. The previous administrations efforts to manage the finances amid persistent complaints about poor conditions left the facility with declining revenue due to 150 unoccupied beds, Kolar said.
So far, several Republican state senators she has spoken with have been willing to talk about solutions, Kolar said in an interview Tuesday with the Wisconsin State Journal in the departments offices on Rimrock Road.
I have felt incredible support, Kolar said. I believe we will have the support we need.
She said she and one GOP senator even took a selfie together after a joint speaking engagement arranged by a veterans group in Kansasville one cold January evening not long after she assumed her new job.
"It's clear that our class room teachers understand that their challenges come from a variety of different directions," Mertz said. "There has to be flexibility in the resources available for schools to address the needs of students because it's the schools and the teachers that know the students best."
Roe said he would be a representative for teachers. School principals and teachers should decide how to teach their own children and allow parents to have a choice in what school their child attends, he said.
"It's school choice," Roe said. "That's how you get the decision on what's really working and what isn't."
Mirilli said her experience focusing on racial equity at DPI would help her address the local racial achievement gap. She said equity means bringing everyone to the same level rather than giving every student the same lesson plan. Students face different challenges while learning, and an equitable classroom addresses that, she said.
"It's also naive to think that every program is the right program for each school given that our population is different from school to school and grade level to grade level," Mirilli said.
Cooks Exchange thrives on readers requests and when one recently arrived for a recipe from Frabonis Italian Deli on Owen Road in Monona, I was in my glory. Every time I walk through their front door, my mind and body seems to shiver with excitement, not only because theyve carried my Greenbush cookbooks for many years, but also because of a everything the shop offers. Sometimes I wish I lived right around the corner so I could stop by every day.
So, when a request arrived from Patti Parisi in Los Angeles, who works there in the film/TV industry and is the daughter of the late Vito and Phyllis Parisi, and granddaughter of the late Endemira and Vito Parisi who once resided at 18 N. Park Street in the old Greenbush neighborhood, I was delighted to have an opportunity to connect with her. Id also learn that while visiting Madison last August, she enjoyed a fabulous Frabonis sandwich and wondered if theyd share their recipe.
Alleged member of notorious Basayev gang faces trial on terrorism charges
flickr.com / Keith Allison
17:04 06/02/2019
MOSCOW, February 6 (RAPSI) An alleged member of a gang led by a notorious Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev, who is involved in a case over terror attacks in Russias Vladikavkaz in 2006, will go on trial, the Investigative Committees press service reports Wednesday.
The case against Aslan Yandiyev will be considered by the North Caucasus District Military Court.
The defendant is charged with banditry, illicit arms trafficking, murders and organization of six terror attacks. According to a statement of the Federal Security Service (FSB), he was involved in the organization and committing a series of deadly terror attacks in the Russian city of Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia, in 2006.
Investigators claim that the defendant fled Russia in order to avoid criminal prosecution in 2010. In 2011, he was arrested in Slovakia. On July 18, Yandiyev was extradited to Russia.
Three other identified gang members have been sentenced to long prison terms, another one has been killed during a special-forces raid.
WAUNAKEEMarlaine Therese Cruz, RN, our beloved mother and grandmother, passed away peacefully at her home on Feb. 5, 2019. Marlaine was an amazing mother, awesome and proud grandmother, caring nurse, and tireless Chicago Bears fan who always had her door open for family and friends. She was a caregiver who took care of anyone in need regardless of who they were or where they came from.
Marlaine was born May 8, 1939, in Chicago, Ill., to Joseph and Evelyn Straub. She received her nursing degree from South Chicago Hospital and her Masters in Education from Carthage College. Her career in nursing brought her great joy and fulfillment and included surgical and ER nursing, hospital management, nursing education, and auditing for the State of Wisconsin.
While working at South Chicago Hospital, she met a physician, Nazario Cruz, to whom she was married for 54 wonderful years. They moved from Chicago to Kenosha, where they raised four children and enjoyed many happy years in their house by Lake Michigan. She formed many close friendships while volunteering at her childrens schools, church, and medical auxiliary. She also traveled extensively with her family, enjoying many special trips to the Philippines and Disney World.
Ali Reigstad sobbed as she recalled the moment her dog, Gander, had its first seizure after eating meat laced with rat poison.
She wiped her eyes as she described watching her golden retriever lose control of its bladder and shake in bed, its eyes dilated.
She and Tim Rittmeyer, whom she had dated for nearly 10 years since they were in high school, took the dog they shared to the vet for multiple emergency visits. Gander was euthanized two days later.
He just laid there, she said, recalling Ganders final moments.
Reigstad spoke about the death of her dog nearly four years ago in Arlington during the first day of a jury trial Tuesday for Trent L. Hebel, 30, of Poynette, who is charged with felony stalking and fatally poisoning his ex-girlfriends dog on May 1, 2015.
Reigstad told the jury she broke off her previous relationship with Rittmeyer in January 2015, and they agreed Rittmeyer would keep Gander, but Reigstad could visit. Upon breaking up with Rittmeyer, Reigstad dated Hebel for three months. She said she broke up with him on April 26, 2015.
JUNEAU A plea and sentencing hearing has been scheduled for a man accused of breaking out of the John Burke Center almost a quarter-century ago.
Robert Camacho, 55, is charged with escape and could receive an additional five years in prison and $10,000 fine. He is currently serving time on the original sentence in the Dodge Correctional Institution.
A plea agreement for Camacho is not currently on file with the clerk of courts. His plea and sentencing hearing is scheduled for Feb. 26.
Camacho was nabbed when his fingerprints were processed as part of a security check while attending a military function recently. Dodge County District Attorney Kurt Klomberg said during Camachos initial appearance in court that Camacho only spent five weeks in prison on cocaine charges before he fled with his family to New York.
Camacho assumed his brothers name and enlisted in the Army. He retired from the Army two years ago and when his fingerprints were checked a short time ago, authorities found out he had a warrant for his arrest.
Camacho was in Milwaukee in 1994 when he got into trouble with his brother over cocaine and went to prison, Klomberg said during his initial hearing Dec. 19.
RACINE Former Mount Pleasant Village Board candidate Charles Haakma on Tuesday pleaded no contest to two charges stemming from a 2017 incident in which he was accused of punching a Mount Pleasant Police officer in the face.
Haakma, 68, was found guilty of resisting or obstructing an officer and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors. In exchange for his plea, the state dropped a felony count of battery or threat to a law enforcement officer.
Haakmas sentencing was set for March 12 because Assistant District Attorney Dirk Jensen, who was prosecuting the case, was unavailable. Assistant DA Barry Braatz appeared for the state in Jensens place for the plea hearing.
The charges stem from a road-rage incident on Aug. 15, 2017, when there were three car crashes at the intersection of Highway 31 (Green Bay Road) and Spring Street (Highway C) within a few minutes of each other. Haakma at the time lived just east of the intersection on the 4700 block of Spring Street.
Police said Haakma was stuck in traffic and became agitated because he could not get into his driveway. He allegedly started yelling obscenities at a police officer directing traffic. Officers, with assistance from Racine County Sheriffs deputies, tried to arrest Haakma, but he allegedly struck an officer in the face during the process.
Throughout her life, she had deflected countless comments that, with pale blond hair and blue eyes, she "didn't look Jewish." She recounts one day when she was about 5 and family friends were visiting. One of them (a woman who years later would become the grandmother of Jared Kushner) strokes Shapiro's hair and says to her, "We could have used you in the ghetto, little blondie. You could have gotten us bread from the Nazis."
When Shapiro was in her 20s, a car crash killed her father and left her mother gravely injured. A few years later, Shapiro's infant son nearly died from a rare seizure disorder. She writes about weathering those catastrophes, but describes her loss of self after the DNA test as a whole new order of trauma.
In the light of new knowledge, she begins to recall cryptic conversations with her mother that hinted at her origins. Following the trail, Shapiro learns more than she wants to know about the state of infertility treatment in the early 1960s: "An era in which doctors played God. In which religious leaders of every faith decreed donor insemination an abomination. In which - in legal terms - it was often considered adultery, and the child a bastard."
Last week, Reuters reported that Foxconn was reassessing its plans to manufacture LCD display panel screens in Wisconsin. Then the company signaled that it was still interested in developing an assembly facility. And tech-industry observers warned that the unsettled circumstance was likely to continue.
No one should have been surprised to learn that the company was at least reviewing options for backing out of the commitment to manufacture the LCD display panel screens. As Reuters explained, Foxconn can make more money by manufacturing the panels in East Asia, assembling them in Mexico and then importing to the United States. Beyond that, LCD profit margins are down and technological developments are already threatening to shrink the market.
Nor should anyone be surprised that, after the Reuters report was published at a particularly inconvenient moment for a company that is very interested in ongoing negotiations about tariffs and trade, Foxconn would go into damage-control mode and tell the Trump administration that it would still build something in the 2020 election battleground state of Wisconsin. Foxconn will keep trying to stay on Trumps good side as long as it can.
This big new idea also would create economic security and financial stability for vulnerable workers, relieving the anxiety that comes with watching their employment automated out of existence. And it would free people to be more attentive to family or leave dead-end jobs and take the risk of starting a business, empowering would-be entrepreneurs and stimulating the economy.
The idea is a universal basic income program. With the welfare programs we spend so much money on, there is a perverse incentive not to work. Recipients have to be poor to get help, and they have to stay poor to keep it. There are income eligibility thresholds, and if you work you eventually reach the point where earning one more dollar will cause you to lose far more. So you come out ahead by cutting back on your hours to stay eligible for the public assistance. With universal basic income, the harder you work the better off you are. It creates a stable foundation to build on. You can climb the ladder and keep right on climbing.
Foxconn planned to manufacture large panel screens for TVs in southeast Wisconsin, but Foxconn did not bother to ask Corning, a manufacturer of the necessary gorilla glass, if they would coordinate with them. Corning could not build the needed plant in Wisconsin unless it was subsidized. That alone might hint on the poor economics of the deal. There now is a glut of these screens on the market, so Foxconn plans to build smaller screens, yet they just discovered that labor is more costly in the United States than Asia. Who would have guessed!
So Foxconn will build smaller screens for mobile phones, tablets, wearables, and notebooks. But Walker, Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos never bothered to ask the basic questions that a futurist or business person would ask: Will these products continue their growth? Will technology make them obsolete? How will markets change in five or 10 years?
Few companies adjust well to change. Chips replaced cathode tubes; the cell phone replaced the telephone. Does anyone use a Walkman now? IBM reinvented itself several times from a big computer company, to desk and laptop, to services like the cloud and AI, but it and a very few other companies who similarly reinvented themselves are outliers. My guess is that Foxconns size and top-down management style will make reinvention difficult.
New York Magazine's "Intelligencer," Eric Levitz, suggests that the Democratic Party's most electable candidate in 2020 isn't even running. That would be, according to him, Wisconsin's U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin. She's just the candidate advocating for single-payer health care two decades, pushing to get workers on corporate boards that voters want.
In a column for People's World, Dominique Paul Noth examines the debate between Wisconsin Democrats and Republicans on what's really happening at Foxconn. Many wonder if the state hasn't been suckered by the huge international corporation and now realize that what Donald Trump touted about the company was mostly a lie.
Ultra-conservative columnist for the West Bend Daily News, Owen Robinson, insists that Wisconsin needs to elect Brian Hagedorn to keep the state's conservative "revolution" alive. He has a laundry list of GOP issues Hagedorn would save on the bench, where he has claimed he would be neutral.
In September, ICE detained 20 people in Dane County and a total of 83 in Wisconsin over the span of a few days.
What we saw that weekend was very different, and we began to see people who were being arrested for having no status without any kind of criminal record or for simple misdemeanors, Olivarez said in a video Pocan posted to Twitter.
Olivarez and Erin Barbato, director of the Immigrant Justice Clinic at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, worked for hours on behalf of detainees. They called ICE to see where the detainees had been taken, started intakes to see who could be eligible for relief and worked with other immigration attorneys to find out who could take cases pro-bono or at a low cost, referring families who could afford it to private attorneys.
My goal as an attorney is to let people know they are not alone in this fight for their rights. Im excited to join Congressman Pocan for the State of the Union and to raise awareness of the many challenges that immigrants face under our current legal system and under this Administration, Olivarez said in statement.
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Tuesday may have been marked by gray weather and freezing rain, but in Oregon, there was an explosion of color.
A crowd of hundreds, some arrayed in bright red, green and yellow chupa, traditional Tibetan clothing, slipped off their shoes and entered the ornate gold and deep blue temple at the Deer Park Buddhist Center.
They were there to celebrate Losar, Tibetan New Year.
Kunsang Yangdon has been coming to this celebration for 10 years. Losar is her favorite holiday.
Since we were little, were so used to celebrating Losar, she said. Its a different country, but the same feeling.
The Wisconsin Tibetan Association organizes the event with the Tibetan community. Lobsang Tenzing, president of the WTA, said theyve celebrated Losar at the Deer Park Buddhist Center since the first groups of Tibetan immigrants came to Madison in the 1990s.
The Dalai Lama and thousands of Tibetans fled to India after China crushed a 1959 Tibetan uprising against Chinese occupation. Some made their way to the United States after the 1990 Immigration Act allowed the entrance of 1,000 displaced Tibetans they were not given refugee status so as not to upset the Chinese government to resettlement sites throughout the country, including Madison.
Since the 1990s, the Tibetan population in Madison has blossomed to at least 600, Tenzing said, through family reunification, immigration, children and Tibetans from other states moving to the area.
The community comes together every year for holidays like Losar, which this year falls from Feb. 5 to Feb. 7. Losar is based on the lunar calendar and sometimes, like this year, coincides with Chinese New Year. This is the year of the pig, which is particularly special because its the Dalai Lamas zodiac year, Tenzing said.
The new year is a time to wish prosperity, good health and luck to all, Tenzing said, and its customary to clean up the house, to dispel all the evil spirits before the new year starts.
On Tuesday, Tenzing estimated there were 600 people sitting cross-legged on maroon cushions on the temple floor. Shining golden buddhas drew eyes to the front of the temple.
During the event, a monk led prayers in a lilting chant. Prayer books in Tibetan and English were laid out side by side.
O magical emanation of all three secrets of countless conquerors, appearing in whatever form best serves disciples, one prayer read. Wish-fulfilling gems granting every goodness and virtue in samsara and nirvana.
The prayers went on for more than an hour, but it was not a somber ceremony. There was a constant buzz of background chatter and little kids toddled freely between the rows of people. The prayers asked for the long life of His Holiness Dalai Lama and also (that) all sentient beings be happy and prosperous in this year, Tenzing said.
During the ceremony, there was a bustle of activity as youth pulled aluminum foil off of bowls of sweet rice, releasing the scent into the air, and dished it out to attendees. Others carried huge thermoses around the temple to pour tea.
The purpose of this is for them to know the tradition, Tenzing said. The older generation is going away, but we have to keep our culture and traditions.
A group of girls who assisted in the task are sophomores at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and theyve handed out the Losar rice and tea ever since they were little, they said. They said the rice is made with cashews, pistachios, almonds, raisins, butter, pecans and droma, a special root found in Tibet.
I learned about it this morning, one said with a laugh.
Theyve all been to India to visit family thats also where they picked up the traditional dresses they wore but celebrating Losar is another way to feel connected to their heritage, they said.
I think that no matter where we go in the world, Tibetans know how to celebrate our culture regardless of where we are, Sonam Dolma said.
Thats easier in the U.S. then in Tibet, Tenzing said. Here, they can freely pass on their language and customs. WTA even hosts a Saturday school to teach kids Tibetan language, culture, history, meditation, dance and music. But China continues to "severely restrict religious freedom, speech, movement, and assembly" in Tibet, according to Human Rights Watch.
"We are very lucky and fortunate here, that living in the United States, we have freedom to practice our language, practice our culture and practice our traditions," Tenzing said.
After the rice and tea, ceremonial scarves, or khata, were offered to the effigy of the Dalai Lama, which sits on a high throne at the front of the temple. The crowd stood in a long line to to bring their offering, and on the way back to their seats, they greeted and chatted with familiar faces, sometimes quickly catching up or introducing new babies.
The crowd then headed outside and gathered in a circle for another prayer. White roasted barley flour, tsampa, was passed out to all.
White indicates purity, Tenzing said. We live a pure life as much as we can.
After a prayer, everyone threw their barley into the air at once, which elicited laughter as the wind took it in unexpected directions.
Traditionally, Losar was a 15-day holiday, Tenzing said, but as Tibetans have spread to other countries, the holiday was necessarily shortened because of the difficulty of getting off of work. Those who couldnt make it to the temple on Tuesday may come on their own Wednesday, he said.
(There are) about 100 working in UW hospitals and clinics. If 100 people took off on New Year's day, theres nobody working, Tenzing said.
But the celebrations didnt end Tuesday. On Saturday, Feb. 9, the Wisconsin Tibetan Association will host a 6 p.m. dinner with traditional Tibetan food at Madison Turners, 3001 S. Stoughton Road.
Tenzing was grateful on Tuesday for the chance to see everyone in the good health I saw them in last year.
Im hoping that we can see them next year at Tibetan New Years, he said.
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As a former state official, City Council alder and candidate for Dane County executive, Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce president Zach Brandon knows municipal politics well. But he said what's happening in this year's race for Madison mayor is something new.
This isnt a usual thing where an incumbent who has been elected and re-elected this many times has (such a large) amount of challengers, Brandon said. But also notable is the sophistication of the campaigns.
Four candidates are on the ballot along with incumbent Mayor Paul Soglin, who bowed out of the race over the summer as he ran for governor before changing his mind in October. In three stints, Soglin has served as mayor for 22 of the last 46 years.
Satya Rhodes-Conway, Mo Cheeks, Raj Shukla and Nick Hart are officially challenging Soglin in the election. A sixth candidate, Toriana Pettaway, is running as a write-in candidate.
Madison residents will be asked to narrow the diverse field to two in a primary election on Feb. 19.
The current mayoral campaign stands out from recent races in the amount of money candidates are raising and reflects a continuing trend of sophisticated campaigns, including polished social media outreach and ads, as well as a high level of experience brought to the race by campaign staff.
As evidenced by several packed mayoral forums that drew hundreds, energetic and involved constituents are mobilizing around the candidates, who bring a range of academic, practical and personal experience to the race. More than 600 people attended a Cap Times forum at the Barrymore Theatre on Jan. 8 and over 400 returned a week later for a forum dedicated to arts issues.
These forums were two among several hosted by political and neighborhood groups and one where candidates chatted with local entrepreneur Sabrina Madison who broadcast the event on Facebook Live.
While some involved with the race say the professionalization is a result of Madisons status as a growing city with a booming tech economy in a time of political upheaval, others fear a move away from grassroots campaigns fueled by volunteers.
Madison is a highly engaged electorate in terms of voting, but when you get this kind of money and professionalization in campaigns, the next step is actually shallower than the previous steps, said Michael Jacob, a self-described key volunteer advisor with Rhodes-Conways campaign.
Yard signs dont pay for themselves
Candidates brought in nearly four times as much money during the second half of 2018 than candidates did in the same time frame for the 2015 mayoral election.
With more money in the race, candidates can pay skilled campaign managers and consultants, print and distribute glossy literature and utilize digital communication tools to stay in touch with voters. There are sponsored ads on social media, polling, professional campaign announcement videos and frequent email blasts from candidates.
Shukla released the first television ad of the election season Jan. 29.
That is an expensive thing, Shukla said. To reach as many people as you possibly can in a really short amount of time ... we felt like we needed to be the first candidate to go up on broadcast TV, on cable TV, all the ways that voters are paying attention.
In total, 2019 mayoral candidates raised approximately $333,000 in the first campaign finance reports of this election compared to about $90,000 four years ago when five candidates competed in the primary.
The election 16 years ago in 2003 is similar to this years election. Six candidates were vying for Mayor Sue Baumans seat. Soglin and former mayor Dave Cieslewicz pulled through the primary, defeating the incumbent, with Cieslewicz seeing victory after the general election.
In that race, candidates raised a total of $249,371 during the first round of fundraising.
For the current election, Cheeks leads the pack and reports fundraising $113,118 for the reporting period from July 1 through Dec. 31, 2018. Shukla raised $90,482 followed by Soglin with $76,693 and Rhodes-Conway who raised $52,311. Candidates whose spending does not exceed $2,000 are not required to file campaign finance reports. Hart did not, though Pettaway reported raising $355.
Rhodes-Conway was the only candidate to announce her campaign ahead of the filing window, giving her the most time to fundraise. Cheeks, Shukla, Pettaway, Hart and Soglin joined the race between July and October.
This years candidates are outpacing individual candidates from the 2015 election. During the same six-month reporting period ahead of the 2015 primary, campaign finance reports show Soglin raising $60,585, challengers Scott Resnick and Bridget Maniaci raising $14,494 and $14,503, respectively.
In 2011, Cieslewicz, in the same period, had raised $32,345 to successful challenger Soglins $16,200, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
Brandon questioned whether there is new money in the race or if donors are contributing earlier than in previous elections. Either way, candidates are working with significant funding ahead of the primary.
Part of that is youve got highly qualified and engaged and engaging candidates who have a message, have a reason for running, have a base of support and arent afraid to pick up the phone and ask for money, Brandon said.
This election cycle, out-of-state influence, including donations and endorsements from political action committees, is present in some Madison mayoral campaigns.
Cheeks received funding and an endorsement from The Collective PAC, which works to build black political power, and the People for the American Way Action Fund, a liberal advocacy group. Shukla received funding from the American Indian Impact Fund, which seeks to improve political representation of Indian-Americans, and Rhodes-Conway received an endorsement from the LGBTQ Victory Fund.
And individual contributions play a significant part in fundraising. Shabnam Lotfi, Our Wisconsin Revolution-Dane County co-chair, underscored this at the beginning of a mayoral forum Jan. 15 when she said that campaigns cost money and encouraged audience members to get involved.
Yard signs dont pay for themselves. Mailers dont pay for themselves. Campaign managers deserve a living wage, Lotfi said.
The next round of finance reports for the fundraising window of Jan. 1 to Feb. 4 are due Monday, Feb. 11.
First-time involvement
Coming off of statewide elections, some Madison residents say they feel the political momentum and are getting involved locally.
Krista Doelder, 27, has lived in Madison on and off for more than four years and attended the Jan. 15 mayoral forum with some friends. In the past, she was not tuned in to Madisons local politics.
I got more involved with the gubernatorial election and primaries and with this election coming up, I have friends who were involved, Doelder said.
Mark Bakken, 54, is the managing partner of a digital health care-focused venture capital fund based in Madison called HealthX Ventures. He and his wife each donated $4,664 to Cheeks campaign.
Additionally, Bakken donated $1,000 to Shuklas campaign to support a second candidate with passion and vision.
Bakken said in the past, he has been more involved in statewide elections. He is excited about the future of Wisconsin leadership and now wants to support a fresh vision for Madison.
There are ramifications to elections and sometimes if youre not passionate enough or if youre not willing to put your money where your mouth is, then things happen that might not be good, said Bakken, who has lived in Madison since the 1980s.
Brita Olsen has noticed a sense of urgency among progressives and Democrats to participate since the 2016 election. Olsen is working for Cheeks and comes to the campaign most recently from her role managing Dana Wachs campaign for governor before Wachs dropped out. She also worked for Hillary Clinton in 2016 as a Wisconsin political director.
We have gone through this shift in statewide politics with electing Democrats at a statewide level, re-electing (U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin), Olsen said. We have an opportunity to have just as vibrant of a conversation about our future as a state senate race.
While changes at the state and federal level are motivating residents to get involved locally for the first time, Soglins campaign manager Melissa Mulliken, a well-known political consultant, said Madison typically turns out for elections.
Madison is full of engaged and caring people. There is a solid core of people who vote every spring because they have realized for a long time that local, nonpartisan elections are critically important, Mulliken said in a statement. Mayor Soglin and the city have prioritized making voting convenient and accessible. And the record setting turnout in Madison that we've had is partly a reflection of those efforts.
Mulliken has managed or consulted on more than 50 campaigns over the last 25 years, including JoAnne Kloppenburgs Wisconsin Supreme Court race, Dane County Circuit Court Judge Jill Karofskys campaign and county executive and school board races.
Greg Frank, partner in the Food Fight restaurant group, is one of those Madisonians who has stayed involved in local politics. Hes a longtime supporter of Soglin, though he says they dont always agree. Frank donated $1,000 to Soglins 2019 campaign.
Frank said this election is different, calling out the wide and diverse field of candidates.
Weve been out of power for so long at the state, I think, and now theres a feeling that Madison can lead again, Frank said. Thats another reason why there are really good people running for Madison. They see this as an opportunity for Madison to not just lead locally, but statewide and nationally.
The candidates
Madison mayoral elections have typically drawn multi-candidate primaries. This years field brings diversity in experience, gender, race and age. Whoever is elected would make history.
If re-elected, voters would demonstrate a steadfast confidence in Soglin as he would start a third four-year term. He has been mayor for a total of 22 years, serving in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, in addition to his current term. Prior to being mayor, he served five years on the City Council.
As the incumbent, this is pretty typical in that Im really looking forward to the primary because I dont know who my opponent is and that means right now I have to run a different kind of race, Soglin said. I seem to attract a lot of candidates. Im glad Ive got that experience.
Soglin, 73, said he keeps coming back because of his concern and love for Madison. He often cites reports that document the citys successes but acknowledges there is more work to be done regarding racial disparities in Madison, improving transportation by pursuing Bus Rapid Transit and increasing affordable housing.
Weve made some really good strides. Weve got a long ways to go, Soglin said.
Soglin said his time in office demonstrates his ability to manage, though thats likely not a deciding factor for voters.
I know how to get these things done, how to take a very complicated problem and deal with all those moving parts and get the kind of results that weve seen, Soglin said.
If voters go a different direction, they could elect Cheeks as the first African-American mayor or Shukla as the first Indian-American mayor. Rhodes-Conway would be the second woman to serve as mayor and the first to be openly gay. Pettaway would be the first African-American woman. Hart would be the first comedian to lead the city.
Cheeks, 34, is currently the District 10 alder and executive director of business development at MIOsoft. He said Madison needs a mayor who has a sense of urgency to make the city more inclusive, innovative and safe.
As someone raising two young children with his wife, Cheeks said this election is personal.
The reality is as we talk about a city that is a great place to live and raise a family in, thats not true for everyone and most commonly its not true for folks who look like me, Cheeks said.
Shukla, 42, is the executive director of the River Alliance of Wisconsin, a nonprofit that works across the state with communities to protect clean water.
Shukla would be a newcomer to elected office but has been involved as the chair of the Sustainable Madison Committee, which worked to establish a goal for the city of using 100 percent renewable energy sources.
Its a moment in Madison history where fresh ideas are needed, where a different attitude toward government is needed, Shukla said. We need, I think, leadership that sees this community for its possibilities instead of its limitations and the constraints were operating under.
Rhodes-Conway, 47, works with municipalities on local issues through her work on the Mayors Innovation Project, a national learning network for mayors, at the Center on Wisconsin Strategy.
Previously, Rhodes-Conway served for six years on the City Council and represented the east and north sides of the city.
Between those two things I really have a grounding in how cities work and what mayors need to do, Rhodes-Conway said. Theres a set of issues and problems and challenges that Madison is facing that I dont see us working on enough or fast enough.
To Rhodes-Conway, those issues are housing, climate change, transportation and racial disparities.
Hart, 39, is a professional stand-up comedian.
Hart said he is running to highlight low voter turnout in local elections. He previously ran for mayor in 2011 on the same platform and is essentially daring Madison residents to vote or else someone like him could be elected.
The voter turnout isnt that high in the primaries, so thats the kind of strategy of getting people who would normally not be involved. Most of those people are sitting on bar stools and those are my people, Hart said.
If elected, he said he would do the job. Yet he recently discovered he lives in the town of Madison and would have to obtain city of Madison residency if he pulls through the primary.
Pettaway, 48, is the citys racial equity coordinator. Her background includes working in human resources at Madison College and the state, and work as a project manager at the Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership.
As Madisons next mayor, what I want to bring is grassroots leadership that is transformative, that is innovative, with real solutions that will work for the city, Pettaway said.
Pettaway did not get the 200 signatures needed to secure her name on the ballot. She officially registered as a write-in candidate with the city clerk's office Feb. 5.
Write-in candidates must register before noon on Feb. 15. According to state law, poll workers only tally write-in votes for official write-in candidates.
Unseating an incumbent is challenging, but Dane Countys Democratic Party Chair Michael Basford said unseating an incumbent like Soglin is incredibly difficult. He and former alder and Soglin challenger Resnick know from firsthand experience. Basford ran Resnicks 2015 mayoral campaign.
(Soglin is) a very well-regarded mayor in the city whether or not you feel that a change is needed, Basford said.
Hes Paul Soglin. The mans an icon for a reason, he said.
Contemplating the political climate eight years ago to today, Basford thinks Madison voters wanted a fighter like Soglin to take on then-Gov. Scott Walker.
I think what really helped Paul Soglin in 2011 was we were in the midst of the Wisconsin uprising, and people wanted somebody who was going to really fight Scott Walker and they saw that in Paul Soglin, Basford said.
Four years later, Basford said the Walker administration was still at war with Madison. With a change at the state level now, Madison voters could be looking for someone else.
At this point, people may feel that the time is right to take a step back and say, OK, we have a new state administration, a new state governor, a new day in Wisconsin, maybe this will be the time to say that it can be a new day in Madison, Basford said.
Mulliken, Soglins campaign manager, said the election of Gov. Tony Evers and Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes is serving as the backdrop to the spring election. The next mayor would have the opportunity to work with the newly elected state administration and hopefully, make progress on a number of fronts.
But, the next mayor will also have to contend with a legislative majority that actively disparages and thwarts Madison, Mulliken said in a statement. There is no one better able to do both those things than Paul Soglin.
Arms race
Campaigns are balancing raising funds to effectively disseminate their message while also staying in touch with voters in a grassroots way.
Jacob, the volunteer advisor for Rhodes-Conways campaign, said the first round of campaign finance reports show an arms race to the election. In his view, aggressively fundraising takes away from the personal nature of local elections.
It diminishes the range of things that voters are presented with, Jacob said. Who looks good and sounds good in 20 seconds is a little disheartening way to decide whos going to take us to the next place in the next four years.
Brenda Konkel, a former candidate in this mayoral election and the chair of Progressive Danes election committee, shared the same concerns as Jacob. She fears the professional standard exhibited in this race will be a barrier for future candidates to run for mayor, lead to a loss of volunteer expertise and less of a community connection.
To me, its the wrong direction because of the professionalization of candidates means they have less grassroots connection to the community, Konkel said.
Konkel said the inability to raise as much money as her fellow candidates was a contributing factor to dropping out of the race.
Eric Upchurch, campaign manager for Pettaway, said the amount of fundraising in the race is marginalizing.
The more money that comes into this race, the more likely money is actually the deciding factor, Upchurch said. We don't want money to be the deciding factor. We want values to be the deciding factor. We want peoples actual opinions.
Some candidates said their campaigns still adhere to tenets of grassroots campaigns: Talking to voters.
Amanda Brink, who is managing Shuklas campaign and previously worked with Tim Burns in the 2018 Supreme Court race and with Tony Evers 2017 state superintendent election, said the campaign is leaning into house parties, embracing yard signs, hosting brunches and canvassing on and off the isthmus.
Rhodes-Conway emphasized the importance of knocking on doors, and Cheeks cited nearly 500 individuals who have contributed to his campaign as well as a number of volunteers, who are just getting involved in politics.
I think what youre seeing is that people are interested in putting their time into shaping the future of Madison as well putting their money into it, Cheeks said.
Brandon said one result of more campaigns with greater resources is that voters will have more opportunities to learn about the candidates. Overall, he thinks a competitive field with sophisticated campaigns is positive for Madison.
I personally like what it says about this community: that everybody can be challenged in a race and people will support new ideas and new opportunities and new discussion, he said.
Editor's note: In an earlier version of this story, Mark Bakken was incorrectly characterized as a first-time donor to Madison mayoral campaigns. He donated to Resnick's campaign in 2015.
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.
PFAS study history
The Water Utility tested four wells in 2012 and did not detect PFAS compounds. A 2016 Environmental Protection Agency-directed test for PFAS in all the citys wells also did not reveal any compounds.
However in 2017, the utility tested five city wells near the airport and old landfills Wells 7, 15, 16, 18 and 29 using methods that were more sensitive to lower levels of PFAS compounds. Results showed trace amounts of PFAS compounds at Well 16 on Mineral Point Road in addition to Well 15.
A test in March 2018 of only Well 15 also showed results for a compound called perfluorohexanoic acid, PFHxA, which is often used in firefighting foams.
MWU's water quality manager Joe Grande said the monitoring at Well 15 far exceeds any federal or state monitoring requirements.
No regulatory body that oversees our work has raised concerns about the PFAS levels at Well 15 or has recommended we take corrective action at this time, Grande said. This issue is complex and uncertain, however we remain responsive to the evolving regulatory environment.
Amos Roe focused on the big themes of his campaign, namely school choice. Roe said he would represent good teachers and not engage in identity politics if elected.
Roe also lamented the need for numerous committees and outside evaluations for certain programs and issues the district deals with.
When I go to get my car fixed, if its not fixed well, I dont need a committee to tell me I should go to a different mechanic, Roe said. If I go to a restaurant and dont like the restaurant, I dont need a committee to tell me that I need to go to a different restaurant.
Roe and Seat 4 candidate Blaska were the only candidates to say they supported the Wisconsin Parental Choice program, which allows students to receive a voucher to attend private schools. The two were also the only candidates to say they did not support itemizing voucher school costs on property tax bills.
Caire said he did not support the statewide parental choice program but did support Milwaukees. In addition to the statewide and Milwaukee programs, Racine also has one.
Dr. Samuel Figueroa voluntarily surrendered his Missouri medical license last month but still runs a day spa in Illinois while on probation in that state for alleged drug violations.
Figueroa, 70, owns Dutch Hollow Medical Day Spa in Godfrey, which advertises weight loss treatments, laser hair removal and facial fillers on its website. He did not return a phone call to the business.
Illinois regulators last March placed Figueroa, an anesthesiologist, on indefinite probation and fined him $20,000 for failing to properly prescribe and document his treatments with the drug phentermine. Phentermine is used for weight loss management by suppressing appetite but is classified as a schedule IV drug because of its potential for abuse.
Under the terms of his probation, Figueroa must practice anesthesiology only in a hospital setting and is subject to random reviews of patients charts every quarter.
The spas website touts Figueroas background as an anesthesiologist to make even the most uncomfortable procedures like facial injectables seem virtually painless.
Figueroas Illinois medical license was issued in 1982. His Missouri license was issued in 2013 and rendered inactive at his request in 2016. It is unclear whether Figueroa ever practiced in Missouri.
JEFFERSON CITY The Missouri Supreme Court weighed on Wednesday whether counties can threaten defendants with jail time if defendants fail to pay bills charged for any previous stays in a county jail.
The arguments Wednesday came amid heightened scrutiny surrounding what critics call modern-day debtors prisons, in which inmates too poor to pay off jail debts end up in jail again.
The court heard two cases. The first: George Richey, of Appleton City, Mo., was charged a $3,150 board bill in 2015 after his 90-day stay in the St. Clair County jail.
He was convicted of a misdemeanor for violating a protective order. When he did not pay the board bill, Richey was arrested, and he received an additional $2,275 bill after serving more time in jail.
In the second case, John Wright, of Higginsville, Mo., was charged a $1,360 board bill for his 90-day sentence in the Lafayette County Jail. He was convicted of a misdemeanor for failing to pay a taxi fare. Wright was also ordered to attend monthly show-cause status hearings and has not served time for failure to pay.
If you saw a post online today from a Giordanos Pizza Omaha Facebook page, or maybe shared it on your own timeline, take note: The page isnt actually affiliated with the deep dish pizza chains Chicago headquarters.
It does not have any affiliation to our brand, Giordanos spokesperson Jessica Harris said in an e-mail.
The brand isnt running the page and didnt approve its creation, Harris said. She said she believed the page might be sharing some dispatches from Giordanos official page.
All that said, Harris does have an official update for pizza fans.
We are still actively looking for a site in Omaha, she wrote. Unfortunately, this process has taken longer than we expected, but we are very (committed) to finding a space in the near future.
The unofficial Facebook page posted an update on Feb. 3 that said Giordanos was still looking for an Omaha location, which was widely shared on social media and garnered more than 50 comments.
Last February, Giordanos confirmed it had plans to open in Omaha after the restaurant posted an image of executives in front of the former CenturyLink Center. They wore Giordanos shirts and held up pizza boxes.
Osterby and other supporters of the wall claim it promises to proactively prevent the diseases spread.
Britains Telegraph newspaper reported that Mogens Dall, chairman of the Danish agricultural association Landbo Syd, called the border wall an insurance policy against African swine flu.
You also insure your house against fire, although it will probably never burn, he told Jyllands Posten, a Danish daily newspaper. It would mean ruin and unemployment for up to 33,000 people who are employed in the sector.
But others have voiced disapproval, embroiling the country in its own border-wall controversy.
Danish officials said the fence, as planned, will have gaps roughly every 300 feet to allow smaller animals to pass through. Critics have seized on the detail, calling the plan ineffective and construction merely symbolic. Animal rights activists have voiced concern over the impact of a border fence on wildlife.
Several politicians have also questioned building a $4.6 million fence. Jan Philipp Albrecht, regional environment minister for the nearby German state of Schleswig-Holstein, told the Telegraph that she had significant doubts about the usefulness and necessity of a fence.
Sony hasnt been a major player in the global smartphone market for a while, but the company does still make some interesting phones even if they tend to lag behind the competition when it comes to innovative design features.
But this could be the year Sony does something surprising, by launching a phone that doesnt quite look like anything else on the market.
According to images obtained by WinFuture, it looks like the upcoming Sony Xperia XA3 will have a phone with super-slim side and bottom bezels but a rather sizable top bezel, with plenty of room for a camera, earpiece, and anything else youd want to cram into the top of a phone.
According to WinFuture, the phone will have a 21:9 aspect ratio display.
The images also show what appear to be dual cameras on the back of the phone, a USB Type-C port and speaker grilles on the bottom, a fingerprint sensor and power button on the right side, and a cover on the left which could be where youll find the SIM card slot and/or a microSD card reader.
Sonys XA series smartphones tend to be upper mid-range smartphones, and WinFuture says this model is expected to feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage, although theres a chance some or all of those details could be incorrect. In fact, its possible that this phone isnt the Xperia XA3 at all, and could actually be a different model.
We should find out more when Mobile World Congress takes place later this month. Sony is also expected to unveil its next-gen flagship at the event.
According to leaks and rumors that have been making the rounds since late last year, the upcoming Sony Xperia XZ4 could be a phone with a 6.5 inch display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor.
Like the Xperia XA3, the companys new flagship is expected to have a 21:9 display, although it may have a higher resolution (with some reports suggesting 3360 x 1440 pixels). So its interesting to note that Sony recently applied for a trademark on the term CinemaWide to describe a type of display for smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices.
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Saidi Ringenberg of Lexington, and Abigail Olson of Sargent, represented Nebraska at the National Make It With Wool competition held in conjunction with the American Sheep Industry Association Convention, January 24-26, in New Orleans, Louisiana, according to Andrea Nisley, State Make It With Wool Director. The wool contest has been conducted for 71 years.
Junior Division contestant, Saidi, was first runner-up. She received a Brother International serger/overlock machine, Madam Sew 32 piece presser foot set, wool fabrics from Pendleton and Fields Fabrics, Westcott shears, Wild Ginger pattern making software, Coats & Clark threads, McCalls pattern and sewing notions. For her entry, she constructed and modeled a coat using burgundy jacquard wool fabric. Her coat features a shawl collar, raglan sleeves, and front button closing. To coordinate with the coat she constructed black tapered wool knit pants. Saidi is the daughter of Joel and Stephanie Ringenberg.
COZAD The Cozad Fire and Rescue responded to the call of a fully engulfed barn fire north of Cozad on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019.
Cozad Fire Chief Dan Niles said at 12:53 p.m. Cozad Fire and Rescue was called to a property seven miles northwest of Lexington near roads 428 and 763 for a barn fire in progress.
Niles said the Cozad department brought two pumper trucks, one tender truck and a grass rig, along with 15 firefighters. The Lexington Volunteer Fire Department was also called to provide extra water. Eight LVFD firefighters responded with an extra pumper truck and a grass rig.
We werent sure what we were going to come upon, said Niles, They said it was a fully engulfed barn fire, we called LVFD when we were en route, as fire chief I thought that was the safer course of action.
When the first Cozad truck arrived, Niles said the barn had almost completely burned down to the ground. He said the Cozad firefighters went into protection mode to ensure the other buildings on the property did not burn as well.
Dawson Public Power was called to shut down power to the lines which had connected to the barn. Niles said they were sparking while on the ground, something he pointed out to his younger firefighters to be wary of.
scholarship, news and new ideas in legal history
March 14, 1941 January 31, 2019
Terry Brotherton Terhune, age 77, passed peacefully on January 31, 2019, at OHSU Hospital with her family surrounding her.
She was born on March 14, 1941, in Walla Walla, Washington, to Marion Frank and Geneva Brotherton and married Charles Terhune in 1965.
She was educated in Walla Walla, Northwestern University for BA in political science and history, MAT from Stanford University, and graduate certificate in gerontology from Oregon State University.
Terry lived primarily in Oregon, including Corvallis and Sisters, and took great joy in traveling. She was known for her passion for intellectual engagement and generosity of spirit. She was a born educator, teaching history to young adults in public and private schools.
Being an avid reader resulted in newspaper ink everywhere. Terry was a published author of "Epistles of Friendship" (2015) and was instrumental in revitalizing the City of Fossil Public Library.
Terry converted to Catholicism after many years of visiting Mt. Angel Abbey and established a trust to support Mt. Angel seminarians in their education.
Human Capital Enterprises gave the Lebanon Community Schools board the good and bad news last Thursday during a work session that revealed the results of focus groups and an online survey detailing what the community wants from a new superintendent.
Hank Harris and Erin Prince, both from Human Capital Enterprisesthe firm hired to lead the superintendent searchgave the board a full report compiled from the 236 online and 35 focus group responses they received.
Calling Lebanon a city on the rise, Harris said there was a lot of good news for the community. Stakeholders felt the city has a lot to offer potential superintendents including a growing diverse population aided by the addition of the medical school that opened in 2011.
The report also indicated that the districts commitment to early education and Career Technical Education was a good selling point for individuals considering applying for the position.
Then came the bad news.
The most salient challenges and issues facing Lebanon Community Schools are centered around organizational culture, Harris said, noting that the issue came up in every conversation the pair had with school stakeholders.
People flying into Indias southern city of Cochin may see numerous solar panels around Cochin International Airport. But they may not know that the airport was the first in the world to be fully powered by solar energy.
A sea of shiny solar panels stretches across land running next to the airports main road. Many more panels sit on top of a massive parking structure. All are capturing valuable sunlight that is changed to energy to power all airport operations.
The project began five years ago when airport officials were looking for new ways to reduce ever-increasing electricity bills.
The airports director, V.J. Kurian, says they came up with the solar idea and decided to begin with a small experiment.
We put solar panels on the rooftop of Terminal One. We observed it for a year and we found it is quite good and can be safely scaled up, Kurian told VOA.
This success led to further expansion of solar operations at the airport.
In 2015, Cochin officials declared that the airport had become the worlds first to be fully powered by solar energy.
Today, tens of thousands of solar panels produce more than enough power to keep the airport running 24 hours a day. Airport officials say any leftover energy the airport does not need is stored in the citys general energy grid.
Kurian says, in the beginning, there were concerns about whether the new system made financial sense.
At the time, the cost of producing one megawatt of power was estimated to cost $1 million. But the falling price of solar panels in recent years greatly lowered the costs and helped make the project a reality.
We get back our investment in less than six years time, Kurian said. Which I thought was an excellent investment opportunity - and the next 25 years is meant for all profit.
Last year, the airport won one of the United Nations' top environmental honors: the Champions of the Earth award for Entrepreneurial Vision. The project is one example of recent efforts by officials in India to increase the use of solar power to reduce its carbon emissions.
The solar expansion at Cochin has led additional airports and other kinds of building projects to explore the possible use of solar energy.
To keep its standing as the worlds only fully solar powered airport, the facility has continually expanded its energy operations. Officials say the current production level of about 29 megawatts will soon grow to nearly 40 megawatts. The increase will be necessary to keep up with ever-growing passenger traffic.
Airport officials have estimated the amount of carbon emissions to be reduced over the next 25 years would be equal to planting about 3 million trees. And to make the project even greener, vegetables are being grown under the solar panels and on other available land.
Last year, about 60 tons of vegetables were produced and sold.
Im Bryan Lynn.
Anjana Pasricha reported this story for VOA News. Bryan Lynn adapted it for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.
We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.
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Words in This Story
solar panel n. large, flat piece of equipment that uses light from the sun to create electricity
scale v. increase in size, amount or production
grid n. system of connected wires used to supply electrical power to a large area
opportunity n. an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done
emission n. the act of producing or sending out something (such as energy or gas) from a source
facility n. place where a particular activity happens
Freedom House says that democracy in the United States has weakened a lot in the past few years. It blames U.S. President Donald Trump for ongoing attacks on the rule of law, fact-based journalism, and othernorms of democracy.
The U.S.-based group said it has noted similar changes in other nations where democracy was destroyed and replaced by authoritarianism.
The greatest danger comes from the fact that American democracy is not infinitely durable, said Michael Abramowitz, president of Freedom House. He was reacting to the groups yearly report on democracy, which was released Tuesday.
The report said the freedom rating for the United States shows that the country remains a strong democracy by international norms. Yet it says American democracy has weakened a lot.
It says the current U.S. rating puts American democracy on a level with Greece, Croatia and Mongolia. The U.S. was well below other western democracies, such as Germany, France and Britain.
The Freedom House report said that 68 countries experienced a drop in political rights and civil liberties during 2018, with only 50 having gains. It said this was the 13th consecutive year of declining freedom rates worldwide.
Freedom House noted two countries with sharp drops in democracy in 2018 Hungary and Nicaragua.
Hungary fell from a "Free" to "Partly Free" rating. The report said that Prime Minister Viktor Orban brought the most dramatic decline ever charted by Freedom House within the European Union.
It added that Nicaragua dropped to "Not Free" status as a result of Nicaraguan officials launching a campaign against an anti-government protest movement.
The report also named several other countries with declines. They include China, where over one million ethnic Uyghurs, Kazakhs and Hui were forced into re-education centers. Freedom House also named Cameroon, where Paul Biya has served as president for more than 30 years.
Of the 195 countries named in the report, 86 (44 percent) were rated Free, 59 (30 percent) Partly Free, and 50 (26 percent) Not Free.
The countries with the worst freedom rating were Syria, South Sudan, Eritrea, Turkmenistan and North Korea. Those with the best ratings were Finland, Norway, Sweden, Canada and the Netherlands.
Freedom House said the countries that made notable improvements in their freedom rating in 2018 included Armenia, Ethiopia and Iraq.
Im Susan Shand.
VOANews.com reported this story. Susan Shand adapted the story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.
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Words in This Story
journalism n. the gathering and presentation of news stories through the media
norm n. a model or average
authoritarianism n. expecting or requiring people to obey rules or laws; not permitting personal freedom
infinite adj. to go on forever, without end
durable adj. staying strong and in good condition over a long period of time
decline n. the process of becoming worse in condition or quality
consecutive adj. following one after the other in a series
chart v. to note the changes, progress
Facing a divided Congress for the first time in his presidency, U.S. President Donald Trump called for the nation to govern not as two parties but as one nation.
The call for unity came as the president delivered his yearly State of the Union Tuesday night in front of a joint session of Congress. The nationally televised speech was delayed for one week, after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi withdrew her invitation during the 35-day government shutdown.
The president opened his speech Tuesday by describing what he called an economic miracle, with rising wages, more jobs and tax cuts for working families.
Trump also said that foolish wars, politics, or ridiculous partisan investigations are the only things that can hold the country back.
If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation, he declared. He was talking about the numerous investigations into his administration and his own finances.
The partial government shutdown began on December 21 because of disagreements over money to build a U.S.-Mexico border wall. On January 25, Trump and Congressional leaders agreed to temporarily fund the government for three weeks.
Trump and Congressional leaders now have until February 15 to pass long-term bills to fund the government. With that deadline 10 days away, Trump called on lawmakers to defend our very dangerous southern border from gangs and drugs.
Trump said in his speech that his proposed border wall is now a smart, strategic, see-through steel barrier not just a simple concrete wall.
Pelosi has repeatedly said the House will not provide money to build a wall.
In a rare sign of unity, female Democratic lawmakers stood up to cheer the president after he made comments about women in the workplace. The female lawmakers wore white in honor of the suffrage movement that gave women the right to vote.
The president on Tuesday recognized that more women (are) serving in the Congress than ever before.
On foreign policy, Trump announced that he will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this month in Vietnam to, in his words, continue our historic push for peace on the Korean Peninsula. Trump said his administration also has acted decisively to confront the world's leading state sponsor of terror: the radical regime in Iran.
The president repeated his claim that the Islamic State has been destroyed. He again called for bringing American troops home from Syria and Afghanistan. Trump said, Great nations do not fight endless wars.
Some of the presidents foreign policy comments are not in agreement with experts. In a recent appearance before Congress, the nations intelligence chiefs said that North Korea is unlikely to give up all of its nuclear weapons and that ISIS is still dangerous.
Stacey Abrams of Georgia was chosen to give the Democratic Partys response to Trump. She said in her televised speech, Lets be clear: Voter suppression is real.
Abrams narrowly lost a close election in November. Had she won, she would have become Americas first black female governor.
On Tuesday night, Abrams asked Americans to hold everyone, from the very highest offices to our own families, accountable for racist words and deeds and call racism what it is wrong.
I'm George Grow.
Hai Do wrote this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.
________________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
ridiculous - adj. unreasonable
partisan - n. a person who strongly supports a particular leader, group or cause
suffrage - n. the right to vote
regime - n. a particular government
response - n. something that is said as a reply
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday attacked the Congress over the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) summons to Rahul Gandhi's brother-in-law Robert Vadra in a case related to undisclosed properties and investments abroad. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's husband Robert Vadra, who has been granted anticipatory bail in this case, has to appear before the probe agency today in connection with the money laundering case relating to alleged possession of foreign assets.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra raked up the allegations against Vadra and questioned how a 'road-pati' like him became 'crorepati'.
Here's all you need to know about allegations against Robert Vadra.
United Kingdom assets case
The ED had filed a case of money laundering in the purchase of a property worth 1.9 million pounds (over Rs 17.77 crore) located at 12, Bryanston Square, London, which allegedly belongs to Robert Vadra.
Apart from the Bryanston Square mansion, two more properties worth 4 million pounds (around Rs 37.42 crore) and 5 million pounds (more than Rs 46.77 crore), as well as 6 other flats are also suspected to be owned by Vadra, as per ED sources. The total worth of these properties is 12 million pounds.
Bikaner land deal money laundering case
In September 2015, the ED registered a money laundering case alleging that Robert Vadra-owned Sky Light Hospitality had acquired land in Kolayat, Bikaner, which was meant for rehabilitation of poor villagers. It was alleged that Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Vadra bought 69.55 hectares of land at a cheaper rate and sold to Allegenery Finlease for Rs 5.15 crore through illegal transactions. As per ED investigation, the buying company Allengenery had no real business and shareholders were also found to be fake.
According to Enforcement Directorate, Robert Vadra and his associates received 'Kickbacks' in the petroleum deal signed in 2009 during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime. BJP alleged that Vadra benefited from petroleum and defence deal which took place under UPA government and used the money to buy posh properties worth several crore rupees in London.
Sources from ED also claim that these London-based assets are part of kickbacks Vadra received in a petroleum deal, as per a report by India Today. The money was allegedly transferred to Santech International, FZC, a company based in UAE and controlled. Santech then purchased the 12 Bryanstone Square mansion from Vortex, a private holding, and later Vortex shares were transferred to Skylight Investment, FZE, which is led by NRI businessman C Thampi.
Edited by Chitranjan Kumar
At least one-third of the ice in the Himalayan Mountains will disappear by the end of this century because of rising temperatures, scientists said this week. This will threaten river flows that provide water resources for 1.9 billion people.
Huge glaciers make the Hindu Kush Himalaya area the planet's so-called third pole -- behind Antarctica and the Arctic. The area is home to the worlds highest mountains. It stretches 3,500 kilometers across Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, India and Myanmar.
The Hindu Kush Himalayan Assessment was released on Monday. The Nepal-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, or ICIMOD, carried out the five-year report. It is one of the largest-ever studies on warming in mountain areas. More than 200 experts helped write the report.
This is the climate crisis you havent heard of, said Philippus Wester, who led the report.
Wester said climate change is set to turn cold, ice-covered Himalayan mountains to bare rocks by the year 2100.
Himalayan glaciers feed 10 major rivers, including the Yangtze, Ganges and the Indus. Farmers living in the area use glacial melt water for their crops in the dry season. About 250 million people live in the mountains. Another 1.65 billion people live in river valleys below.
Changes in river flows could also harm hydropower production and cause more landslides in the mountains.
Along with global warming, air pollution is also affecting the area, the study found. The Hindu Kush includes an area called the Indo-Gangetic Plains one of the most polluted places in the world. Air pollutants like black carbon and dust land on the glaciers, which speeds up their melting, too.
The report said that one-third of the ice will melt by 2100 even if governments worldwide meet goals set by the 2015 Paris climate agreement to limit global warming.
But if governments fail to limit greenhouse gas emissions, about two-thirds of ice in the Himalayas could disappear by 2100.
Wester told the Reuters news agency, To me this is the biggest worrying thing.
The study said governments in the region must change their existing agriculture systems, prepare for droughts and put up early flood warning systems.
The reports writers noted that people living in small island states are often considered to be the most vulnerable to climate change because of rising sea levels. But Dasho Rinzin Dorji, who is with ICIMOD, said mountain areas such as the Himalayas are also extremely vulnerable climate hotspots.
Its not just occupants of the worlds islands that are suffering, he said.
David Molden is director of ICIMOD. He added, Mountain people are really getting hit hard.We have to do something now.
Im Ashley Thompson.
The Reuters news agency reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for VOA Learning English with additional materials from VOA News. Ashley Thompson was the editor.
_____________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
glacier - n. a very large area of ice that moves slowly down a slope or valley or over a wide area of land
assessment - n. an idea or opinion about something
bare - adj. not having a covering
hydropower - n. electricity produced from machines that are run by moving water
vulnerable - adj. open to harm or damage
greenhouse - adj. relating to or caused by the warming of the Earth's atmosphere that is caused by air pollution : relating to or caused by the greenhouse effect
emission - n. the act of producing or sending out something (such as energy or gas) from a source
Congressman Anthony Brown: The Presidents Political Deployment To The Southern Border Is Not Grounds For A National Emergency Declaration
WASHINGTON, D.C. Congressman Anthony Brown (MD-04), Vice Chair of the House Armed Services Committee and 30-year combat veteran, released the following statement after the Department of Defense announced it would deploy 3,750 additional active duty soldiers to the southern border.
It is outrageous that President Trump is sending thousands of active-duty personnel back to the border to shovel manure, change tires and lay concertina wire. This has always been a dubious mission that hurts morale and degrades readiness. President Trumps use of the military is clearly for a sole purpose: to create the optics of a crisis in order to circumvent Congress and the will of the American people, in order to justify building an ineffective wall. The President is using servicemembers as his toy soldiers in a fraught political game.
We face critical challenges at home and abroad, and the unprecedented use of active-duty soldiers on the southwest border hurts our ability to respond to real emergencies. We are taking servicemembers away from important missions and training. Its reprehensible, irresponsible, and reveals just how little the current Commander-in-Chief understands our Armed Forces and the national security challenges that we are faced with.
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CBC Chair Karen Bass Delivers State of the Woman
WASHINGTON The Congressional Black Caucus Chair, Congressmember Karen Bass (D-CA), delivered the below remarks at the Democratic Womens Working Groups State of Our Union press conference.
Remarks as delivered:
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I want to thank Congresswoman Lawrence and Congresswoman Frankel, for their leadership and the Democratic Womens Working Group for putting this together.
Im here to talk about the state of the Black woman in this country.
The state of our paychecks is unequal.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Black women in the United States are typically paid 61 cents for every dollar paid to a white man.
But instead of creating job programs or investing in raising wages, what does the Trump administration do about it? Trump signs a tax scam guaranteed to benefit only the richest Americans with a recycled promise of trickledown that weve been waiting on since the 1980s.
The state of our health is not well.
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Black women are three to four times more likely to experience a pregnancy-related death. The percentage of Black women that die in child birth is higher than most developed countries, if not any developed country on the planet. Were more likely to have heart disease or diabetes as well.
But instead of investing in our health, what does the Trump administration do about it? Not only does he push a bill to take away health coverage from millions of Americans, he continues to try to sabotage the Affordable Care Act via death by a million cuts.
The state of our freedom is under attack.
The incarceration rate for Black women has increased 800% over the last 20 years. At every level how women get involved in the criminal justice system, what happens to them while theyre incarcerated, and what happens when they get out our criminal justice system lags behind in modernizing and humanizing the way it treats in all women, but especially Black women given the disproportionate numbers.
The state of our pay, the state of our health and the state of our freedom, unfortunately theres not much good news.
But the state of our voice? The state of our voice is powerful.
The administration saw it in November 2017 when Alabama sent Doug Jones to Washington, DC. The Senator from Alabama was elected because of the support of Black women. The administration saw it in November of 2018 when we took back the House, when we watched history made as the first and second time a woman in the House of Representatives was Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
And you know what? He hasnt figured out how to deal with that situation at all.
But the power of our voice is clear. We will hear the power tonight, the woman who I believe was elected as the Governor of Georgia, when she delivers her inspirational message, Stacey Abrams.
We know the administration will not be able to resist an attack afterwards. He attacks because basically he is afraid of the power he sees in our voice.
But whenever we are faced with attacks, we know, we will rise.
Thank you.
Black Caucus Releases Letter Opposing William Barrs Confirmation As Attorney General
CBC Opposes Barr Due to Problematic Record Perpetuating Impacts of Broken Criminal Justice System And Its Impacts On the African American Community
WASHINGTON Today, the Congressional Black Caucus released a letter in opposition to the confirmation of William Barr as Attorney General, citing his decades long career in support of policies that only perpetuate our broken criminal justice system and its disproportionate impacts on the African American community.
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The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on Barrs confirmation this week.
In their letter, the Black Caucus specifically cites Barrs efforts to expand mass incarceration and the War on Drugs as Attorney General for former President George H.W. Bush and support for mandatory minimums, where he once stated, the people who have been given mandatory minimums generally deserve them richly.
From criminal justice reform to enforcement of civil rights protection, the U.S. Attorney General has primary jurisdiction over several issues that disproportionately impact African Americans, the Black Caucus wrote. In consideration of candidates for this role, U.S. Senators have a clear duty to advise and consent. Likewise, any nominee for U.S. Attorney General should almost certainly be disqualified for asserting that the people who have been given mandatory minimums generally deserve them richly. At a time when we should be dedicating ourselves to strengthening police accountability, expanding voting rights, and restoring justice for non-violent offenders, Mr. Barrs confirmation runs counter to this moral imperative and is antithetical our mission as Members of the CBC.
The caucus letter was sent to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, and Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein.
Read the full letter here.
About Larry Dablemont Outdoors
Larry Dablemont earned his B.S. in Wildlife Management from the University of Missouri. He is not only a Naturalist and avid outdoorsman, but a talented writer and author.
The $34.1 billion state budget plan that Gov. Tom Wolf unveiled Tuesday received a mostly warm reception though with some familiar concerns from lawmakers representing parts of Lancaster County.
State Rep. Bryan Cutler, the Peach Bottom Republican who will play a significant role in budget negotiations this year as House majority leader, said the budget recognizes several realities because it does not raise income or sales taxes while prioritizing education and workforce development.
Gov. Wolf's budget sets forth a series of ideas that I believe that the House Republicans can find agreement on, Cutler said.
Workforce issues
Among Wolf's ideas is the creation of a new Keystone Economic Development and Workforce Command Center as a singular effort to connect workers with businesses and reduce the often-discussed skills gap.
There's also a new $12 million for an Employer Skills Fund, which would go toward competitive grants for businesses to develop innovative solutions to address the skills gaps. Another new proposal would give community college graduates who find jobs in Pennsylvania a one-time $2,500 grant to incentivize them to stay in the state.
The seven Republican House members from Lancaster County said in a statement it was encouraging to hear the discussion on the workforce, to have it include an investment in career and technical education.
They're not all convinced on the specifics, though.
I don't need a command center to tell me what the needs are, not only in Lancaster County but other employers across the state," said state Sen. Scott Martin, R-Martic Township.
Martin said he appreciated the tone of Wolf's speech but the budget itself including its lack of a funding increase for Lancasters Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology didn't match the rhetoric.
Education proposals
Others were similarly disappointed Wolf did not propose a $4 million increase, as Thaddeus Stevens requested this year.
The $4 million is a really reasonable ask in the broad scheme of education funding," said Rep. Steven Mentzer, R-Lititz.
Wolf also did not propose an increase to the college last year, though the final 2017-18 budget included an increase of $428,000, to about $14.7 million total for the school.
With about $325 million other new education funding proposed, Wolf also spoke about a few education policy changes in the budget. They included raising the minimum starting salary for teachers to $45,000 (from the current legal minimum of $18,500), increasing the minimum high school dropout age from 17 to 18, and lowering the maximum age at which children must enroll in school from 8 to 6.
Lawmakers said the base salary change for teachers would affect mostly rural school districts and likely none in Lancaster County.
I appreciate the governor for elevating the conversation but I think we have to take a closer look, said Sen. Ryan Aument, R-Landisville, who will deal with education policy this session as Senate Education Committee chairman.
Minimum wage hike
On Wolf's proposal to raise the minimum wage, the county's delegation has been largely resistant raising concerns that minimum wage workers wouldn't move on to higher-paying jobs and that employers would have to lay off workers.
Aument said the governor's goal of an immediate hike to $12-per-hour likely isn't viable in the Senate but a more modest proposal as part of a larger package could be looked at.
Cutler, when asked about it in a press conference Tuesday, said the focus should be on workforce development.
A longtime proponent of raising the wage, Lancaster Democratic Rep. Mike Sturla, said government costs would decrease as wages increase and workers don't need childcare or health care subsidies.
I heard (a Republican lawmaker) say, We want to make sure people, if they're going to get benefits, go to work,'" Sturla said. How about if they go to work, they don't need to get benefits? How about that one? Wouldn't that be great?"
State police fee
For the third year in a row, Wolf is also calling for a fee for municipalities that exclusively rely on Pennsylvania State Police instead of locally funded police departments.
But instead of the $25-per-person flat fee he proposed in the last two years, the governor is offering a sliding-scale plan based on municipality size. It would start at $8-per-person for municipalities with under 2,000 people and increase by $8 or $9 for every additional 1,000 residents after that.
It would affect about 80,000 Lancaster County residents in 17 mostly southern and eastern municipalities. Thats about 15 percent of the countys total population.
Sturla, who has pushed for the fee for years, said he still prefers the flat rate but is hoping the Legislature finally takes up the issue this session. He and others say municipalities should be required to pay if they only use state police for local coverage.
Martin, whose southern Lancaster County district has many of the local municipalities that rely solely on state police, argues the state police don't actually provide the same kind of services as local departments. The renewed proposal, he said, absolutely does not change his opposition to the idea.
Columbia Borough police
DRUG CHARGES
COLUMBIA: John. P. Perry, 24, no residence given, was charged Jan. 23 with possession of drug paraphernalia, police said.
HARASSMENT
COLUMBIA: Joel Marizan, 34, and Yokasta Yocelin Vargas, 37, both of Columbia, were cited Jan. 29 after repeatedly yelling derogatory names in Spanish at their neighbors, police said.
PFA VIOLATION
COLUMBIA: Lance L. Shannon, no residence given, was charged Nov. 13, 2018, with criminal contempt for violating a protection from abuse order, police said.
East Cocalico Township police
DUI
EAST COCALICO TWP.: Steve R. Carman, 57, of Mechanicsburg, was charged Friday with DUI, receiving stolen property and driving under suspension after an officer discovered Carman was driving a stolen vehicle, police said.
EAST COCALICO TWP.: Andrew M. Hinks, 26, of Blandon, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and careless driving after a Jan. 27 traffic stop for erratic driving, police said.
EAST COCALICO TWP.: David B. Wanner, 32, of Denver, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia following a Jan. 3 incident in which police found a glass pipe with marijuana residue in it in his car, police said.
THEFT
STEVENS: Christopher M. Coutumas, 35, of Reading, was charged after he stopped making rent payments for a tractor/loader and a trailer, combined worth $19,000, police said.
Lancaster city police
ASSAULT
LANCASTER: A male reported he was approached Jan. 27 by four or five unknown subjects who punched and kicked him, causing minor lip and nose injuries, before the group fled in a silver vehicle, police said.
AUTO THEFT
LANCASTER: A male reported that his vehicle, which had just been involved in an accident, was stolen from the 700 block of Almanac Avenue at 2:02 a.m. Sunday, police said.
LANCASTER: A white GMC Sierra was stolen from a rented parking space in the 1000 block of Rank Mill Road between 8 p.m. Jan. 30 and 1:15 p.m. Friday, police said.
LANCASTER: A female reported her silver 2013 Honda Odyssey was stolen from the 600 block of West Walnut Street between 10:30 p.m. Jan. 29 and 8:28 a.m. Jan. 30, police said.
DRUG CHARGES
LANCASTER: Ante Robinson, 19, of Lancaster, was charged Feb. 2 with possession of drug paraphernalia after police searched a vehicle in which he was a passenger and found marijuana flakes and burnt blunts, police said.
LANCASTER: Mallory Ishman, 30, of Manheim, was charged Jan. 27 with possession of drug paraphernalia after a welfare check, police said.
LANCASTER: Andrew L. Kauffmann III, 31, of Lancaster, was charged Jan. 25 with possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana after police found him with two hypodermic syringes, empty baggies and a metal cap and glass jar containing marijuana, police said.
LANCASTER: Samantha Keller, 23, of Lititz, was charged Jan. 26 with retail theft and possession of drug paraphernalia after she attempted to steal a shirt from Rainbow Shops, 39 N. Queen St., police said.
DUI
LANCASTER: Shelby A. Wilson, 28, of Landisville, was charged Feb. 2 after a traffic stop for speeding, police said.
SIMPLE ASSAULT
LANCASTER: Albert W. Ellis, Jr., 48, of Ronks, was charged Feb. 3 with simple assault domestic violence after he struck a female multiple times in the face with a closed fist, police said.
LANCASTER: Luis Ortiz, 37, of Lancaster, was charged Feb. 1 with terroristic threats and simple assault domestic violence after he repeatedly punched a female in her face with an open palm, causing injury, police said.
LANCASTER: Brandon S. Lawson, 27, of Baltimore, Maryland, was charged Jan. 26 with simple assault domestic violence, police said.
THEFT
LANCASTER: A 21-speed blue Trek mountain bike was stolen from the front porch of 527 W. Frederick St. between 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Jan. 26 , police said.
Pequea Township police
AGGRAVATED ASSAULT
PEQUEA TWP.: Christopher L. Wiker, 20, of Pequea Township, was charged with aggravated assault, intimidation of a witness or victim, and recklessly endangering another person after a Jan. 26 incident in which he picked up a 22-year-old male and dropped him on his head several times, police said.
State police
DUI
EAST LAMPETER TWP.: Tom M. Nyakeriga, 44, of Lancaster, was charged following a traffic stop Sunday, police said.
EAST LAMPETER TWP.: Raphael Kunah, of Lancaster, was charged following a traffic stop Saturday, police said.
West Lampeter police
ROBBERY
WILLOW STREET: Amanda L. Hanna Polk, 38, no known address, was charged with robbery, terroristic threats and theft after a Jan. 31 incident in which she threatened an employee at Turkey Hill, 2921 Willow Street Pike, and left with an undisclosed amount of money, police said.
It is consistently described as one of the most successful career and technical colleges in the state, feeding a steady stream of graduates into high-skilled, well-paying jobs that businesses are desperate to fill.
But for the third year in a row, Gov. Tom Wolf is proposing no funding increase for Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, which boasts a job placement rate of 98 percent and must turn away students because it lacks space and resources.
In his budget address Tuesday, Wolf requested a 1 percent increase from $1.36 billion to $1.38 billion for higher education in Pennsylvania.
But the appropriation for Stevens would remain unchanged, at $14.7 million, even though Wolf has consistently highlighted the importance of career training and filling in-demand jobs in Pennsylvania.
Kevin Hensil, a spokesman for Wolf, said in an email Wednesday that the governor values the contributions Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology to prepare students and workers with the skills for good jobs in central Pennsylvania.
The Wolf administration is giving the college $5 million per year over the next four years for capital projects, Hensil said. And Stevens may receive additional support through PAsmart competitive grants, he said.
Despite the recent flat-funding for Stevens operating budget, Wolf had previously pitched increases for the school, and his budget introduction isnt the final word.
In each of the last two years, lawmakers have fought successfully for a small increase for Stevens in the final versions of the state budget.
Colleges reaction
College President William Griscom wasnt available to comment Wednesday but provided a statement to LNP. He said it would be inappropriate to discuss the topic because budget talks have just started.
Thaddeus Stevens College of Technologys mission is closely aligned with the priorities noted by the Governor in his address, Griscom said, and we will continue to work closely with the Governor and the state budget committees and legislature throughout the budgeting process.
Last year, Griscom said he would request an increase of $1.7 million, or 11.7 percent, from the General Assembly. The college ended up getting $428,000 more, for a 3 percent boost.
The college requested a $4 million increase this year.
Lawmakers to fight like heck
Local lawmakers say theyre hopeful they can squeeze out some sort of funding increase for Thaddeus Stevens this year.
Were going to fight like heck to get this accomplished, state Sen. Scott Martin, of Martic Township, said in a phone interview Wednesday.
Martin expressed frustration over Wolfs proposal to fund struggling schools such as Cheyney University over colleges like Thaddeus Stevens that often lead to family-sustaining jobs without requiring students to incur loads of debt.
In addition to Thaddeus Stevens 98 percent placement rate, 97 percent of recent graduates continue to live and work in Pennsylvania, its website states.
Every year I hear more and more talking points or rhetoric pertaining to skilled labor and workforce development then what we end up seeing is the mechanisms for funding dont match up to the rhetoric, Martin said.
State Sen. Ryan Aument, of Landisville, said he agreed there seems to be a real disconnect between the governors rhetoric and policy decisions.
Aument, who chairs the Senate Education Committee, said hed like to see the governor prioritize institutions that are closing the skills gap and ensuring were meeting the need of Pennsylvanias employers.
Its not a hard pitch
Wolf visited Thaddeus Stevens in 2015 to promote that years proposed spending plan.
The future of Pennsylvania is in places like this, Wolf told a classroom of students at the college.
Wolf proposed giving Thaddeus Stevens $13.2 million an increase of $863,000, or about 7 percent that year.
This year, however, is a different story.
State Rep. Mike Sturla, of Lancaster, said it wouldve been great if Wolf included more funding for Thaddeus Stevens in his most recent spending plan, but hes optimistic the college will ultimately end up with an increase.
Its not a hard pitch to make to the governor. We know the kind of great outcomes we can get with an investment in Thaddeus Stevens, he said.
President Donald Trump made an appeal to bipartisan unity Tuesday night in a long State of the Union address that rang the right notes for Lancaster Countys congressperson.
U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker, a Republican from Lampeter, said in a prepared statement that the presidents message of choosing greatness should rally both parties.
In order to make America a better place, we must solve our problems and reach across the aisle, Smucker said. We must act and Im looking forward to working with my fellow congressmembers to find solutions to improve our country.
Smucker echoed Trumps priorities of safeguarding the borders, improving infrastructure and making basic health care and prescription drugs more affordable.
Smucker also credited Trumps leadership for ongoing economic growth and extending the span of job creation to 100 consecutive months.
Though we've made gains, theres still more work to be done, Smucker said.
Democratic Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, however, faulted Trump for failing to pledge to have no more government shutdowns and for not committing to more steps to help the 820,000 federal employees recover from the longest shutdown in history.
He also missed an opportunity to speak to Americas middle class families who are struggling to make ends meet, Casey said in a prepared statement, by offering proposals such as a substantial tax cut and investments in education.
Unfortunately, he used his platform tonight to reinforce the same talking points and to double down on his corporate agenda, the newly reelected senator said.
Toomey responds
Sen. Pat Toomey, Pennsylvanias Republican senator, commended the president for highlighting the tax cuts and deregulation he believes have contributed to low unemployment and wage growth.
Toomey also said Trump made a reasonable case for border security, and said he hopes for a compromise that includes physical barriers where requested by Customs and Border Protection.
The senator also said he supports Trumps call for affordable health care and for ending HIV/AIDS and childhood cancer.
But Toomey said he disagrees with the presidents trade war with China.
Tariffs on products imported into the United States are taxes, paid by American consumers, that harm American families and workers, Toomey said. Congress must reassert its constitutional responsibility on trade, not cede even more to the executive branch."
China does engage in the egregious theft of intellectual property, Toomey added. "The administration's negotiations with China should focus on ending this practice.
Firefighters were called a twice Tuesday night to an Armstrong World Industries warehouse near Marietta.
Both times crews were responding to "hot spots" in the building, according to spokeswoman Jennifer Johnson.
Crews first responded to the one-story warehouse at 1507 River Road in East Donegal Township around 12:13 p.m.
"There was no fire. There was an area on the dryer that was hotter than normal, so the plant called the fire department as a precautionary measure only," Johnson said.
They left in the afternoon and were recalled around 8:30 p.m. for a hot spot in a wall, Johnson said.
Water was used to cool down the areas of concern.
Robert Vadra has denied owning multiple properties in London durig his interrogation with the Enforcement Directorate today. The brother-in-law of Congress president Rahul Gandhi also denied any business ties with arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari and his cousin Sumit Chaddha. Vadra is being grilled by the probe agency in relation to alleged kickbacks from a petroleum and defence deal during the UPA regime.
Vadra did acknowledge that he knows Manoj Arora, who he said is a former employee. He, however, maintained that Arora has never written any mail on his behalf. This is in relation to the e-mail trail between Vadra and Bhandari regarding refurbishing of a London property allegedly owned by the former.
Earlier today, Vadra' arrived at the ED office, on order from Delhi Patiala Court, to answer queries about charges of money laundering levelled against him by the agency. His wife Priyanka Gandhi, sister of Rahul Gandhi, accompanied him, but left shortly after for the Congress headquarters. There she assumed the office of General Secretary of Uttar Pradesh (East) for Congress, a reponsibility she was given recently.
The line of questioning will reportedly be around Vadra's link to his aid Manoj Arora, Sumit Chaddha, C Thampi and Sanjay Bhandari, the accused in the money laundering case. Vadra is also likely to be questioned about the eight properties in London, which the ED states are kickbacks from a petroleum deal during the UPA regime. He will also be asked about kickbacks he allegedly received in the Agusta Westland case.
Vadra was given interim bail till February 16 by Delhi's Patiala Court in the money laundering case filed against him. Allegedly, he routed kickbacks in petroleum and defence deals during the previous UPA government.
"Everybody knows what's happening," Priyanka said while talking to reporters outside the ED offices in a veiled jab at BJP.
"I will stand by my husband," she stated before leaving for Congress headquarters in Delhi.
ALSO READ:BJP finally opens fire! Robert Vadra is the target as Priyanka Gandhi enters politics
ALSO READ:What are the BJP's allegations against Robert Vadra?
The agency had said before the Patiala Court that it has received information about various new properties in London which belongs to Vadra including two houses of five and four million each, six other flats and more properties. The ED had carried out raids in this case in December last year at premises of a firm linked to Vadra in Delhi. It also grilled his associate Manoj Arora in connection with the case. Vadra had alleged he was being "hounded and harassed" to subserve political ends. Arora had also alleged before the court that the case was foisted on him by the NDA government out of "political vendetta".
The agency had told the court that it filed the money laundering case against Arora after his role came up during the probe of another case by the Income Tax Department under the 2015 anti-black money legislation against absconding arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari.
It had alleged that the London-based property was bought by Bhandari for GBP 1.9 million and sold in 2010 for the same amount despite incurring additional expenses of approximately GBP 65,900 on its renovation. Arora, an employee of Vadra's Skylight Hospitality LLP, was a key person in the case and he was aware of the latter's overseas undeclared assets and was instrumental in arranging funds, ED had alleged.
ALSO READ:Robert Vadra leaves ED office after six-hour-long interrogation in money laundering case
A Reading woman charged after giving birth to her son in a toilet at her Warwick Township job waived a preliminary hearing Wednesday.
Emmanuella Osei, 23, will face a second-degree felony count of endangering the welfare of children in court, according to the Lancaster County district attorney's office.
Investigators charged Osei with leaving a newborn partially submerged in a toilet after giving birth to him there Jan. 14. Osei was working at a group home in the 800 block of Parkside Lane as a caretaker, according to officials.
The boy, initially hospitalized in stable but critical condition, is in custody of Lancaster County's Children & Youth Agency, the district attorney's office said.
"The extent of his injuries is still being assessed," the district attorney's office said.
Northern Lancaster County Regional police officers and medics who responded to the home revived the baby boy, who wasn't breathing and was blue and cold, according to according to charging documents.
Osei had denied being pregnant when asked by friends, co-workers and her uncle, who lives in the area, according to the district attorney's office. Osei moved to Reading from Ghana in May 2018. She had been told in Ghana that she was carrying about one month into the pregnancy, according to the district attorney's office.
She also was seen at a facility in Berks County on Jan. 4 and went against advice to be admitted, the district attorney's office said.
At the hearing Wednesday, District Judge Edward Tobin kept Osei in Lancaster County Prison without bail due to the child's condition and her connection to Ghana.
Three Philadelphians were arrested Thursday after detectives seized nearly three pounds of fentanyl and heroin in the 1300 block of Lititz Pike in Manheim Township, authorities said.
As a National Guard helicopter shown a spotlight, county Drug Task Force members boxed in two vehicles to make the arrests.
One of the suspects, 26-year-old Eric Moran, attempted to drive off, nearly striking detectives and other civilians in a parking lot where the deal took place.
Detectives had information that a major movement of heroin would be happening and were ready to pounce when two suspect vehicles pulled into the parking lot.
The seized drugs had an estimated street value of $500,000 and were in bulk form and in bundles ready for street sale. About two pounds tested positive as pure fentanyl. Roughly 9,800 bags were branded with a CATCH UP stamp.
There is no telling how many people could have been killed by the deadly poisons that are now in police custody rather than on the streets, District Attorney Craig Stedman said Tuesday. This could be one of the biggest fentanyl seizures weve had in this county.
The Pennsylvania Counterdrug Joint Task Force deployed the helicopter.
All the proper preparations were made here in what was a collaborative roadblock of drug traffickers, Stedman said.
Additional searches were conducted after the arrests.
In addition to Moran, police charged Luis C. Mercado, 32, and Katherine Joubert, 27. All three were being held at Lancaster County Prison in lieu of $2 million bail.
Each was charged with felony possession with intent to deliver and conspiracy. Moran also was charged with misdemeanor counts of fleeing police and reckless endangerment.
Jessica Beebe has been performing with Philadelphia-based choral group The Crossing for a decade.
So when she found that her Franklin & Marshall College colleague Doris Hall-Gulati would play clarinet on a recording with the group, the soprano was disappointed it would be a rare album she wasnt involved in because of a scheduling conflict.
Beebe was at a rehearsal with The Crossing when she learned that record the one featuring Hall-Gulati on clarinet was nominated for a Grammy.
It was there she also learned of her own Grammy nomination as part of the New York-based Clarion Choir.
Both nominations are for best choral performance. So, being nominated in the same category surely means theres a bit of friendly competition, right?
That would be a huge no, says Hall-Gulati, followed by laughter from her and Beebe.
Anyone who needs further proof can check out The Sixth Annual Faculty Recital at Franklin & Marshall College on Saturday. The 70-minute, intermission-free program will include a performance by Beebe and Hull-Gulati, joined by Beebes husband, pianist Mark Livshitz.
The trio will perform The Shepherd on the Rock by Franz Schubert.
Her voice is perfect for it, and its just really beautiful, Hall-Gulati says.
The recital also will feature performances from other Franklin & Marshall faculty in styles from jazz to classical to tango.
Beebe and Hall-Gulati both believe faculty concerts are a great way for students to experience firsthand the quality of professors available to them.
I think its a good example to set for them, that hey, you can definitely do this, too, Beebe says. We still teach, but we still also perform.
Hall-Gulati is an artist-in-residence, the Sound Horizons concert series coordinator and chamber music coordinator at F&M. She also teaches at Lancaster Bible College. Beebe is an adjunct assistant professor of music and voice at F&M. She also teaches at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Lehigh County.
Beebe won a Grammy last year with the Crossing. This year's awards mark Hall-Gulati's first Grammy nomination.
Hall-Gulati is featured as a clarinet soloist on Lansing McCloskys Zealot Canticles, performed by choral group The Crossing.
She learned of her nomination while lying in bed. She received a message from someone also involved in the recording. Hall-Gulati shed joyful tears and first told the news to her husband.
While Hall-Gulati has known The Crossings director, Donald Nally, for 20 years, Zealot Canticles marked her first collaboration with the vocal group.
Zealot Canticles is based on Nigerian Nobel laureate Wole Soyinkas Twelve Canticles for the Zealot. Like Soyinkas original work, the projects official description notes that Lansings musical response is intended as a plea for peace and tolerance, while also recognizing the difference between devotion and intolerance.
Hall-Gulatis clarinet playing demonstrates this duality.
Sometimes Im really surreal and Im really calming and sublime, and then all of a sudden Im screaming, Im a zealot screaming from the depths, Hall-Gulati says.
She cried after the pieces debut performance, overcome by the compositions emotional intensity. She says she knew she had just been part of something special.
Weather nearly stopped Beebe from making it to the Clarion Choirs recording of Memory Eternal, an Alexander Dmitriyevich Kastalsky composition also nominated for best vocal performance. A foot of snow fell as Beebe drove from Philadelphia to New York in January 2018.
The work was recorded at St. John the Baptist Church in New York Citys Upper East Side.
We recorded every night from 9 until almost 1 in the morning because thats when traffic was not as loud and disruptive, Beebe says. But wed have to stop a lot because of the subways underneath us.
Kastalsky, a Russian composer, created the title track of Memory Eternal in 1917 as an ode to those who died in World War I.
Beebe says she has a reason to celebrate if either the Clarion Choir or The Crossing wins, despite not being part of the latter recording.
If the Crossing wins, thats essentially a win for me too, because thats an ensemble I am a permanent member of, Beebe says. Its my family.
The best choral performance award will be presented during the Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony, which occurs Sunday afternoon before the televised portion in the evening. The premiere ceremony will be streamed online, beginning at 3:30 p.m. Sunday.
Neither Beebe nor Hall-Gulati will attend the ceremony. Hall-Gulati actually wont even be able to stream the ceremony, as shell be performing A Midsummers Night Dream with Opera Philadelphia.
I could know at intermission, but Id probably rather not, Hall-Gulati says.
Beebe knows the conundrum well. She was on stage when last years Grammy awards were announced.
Thats the life of a performer, Beebe says.
Hershey-based Penn State Health has continued a recent buying spree by acquiring a Berks County practice formerly known as All About Children Pediatric Partners.
The practice's roughly 60 staffers, including 12 who are doctors or nurse practitioners, became employees of Penn State Health Medical Group effective Feb. 1, according to a news release, and the 16,000-square-foot facility at 655 Walnut St. in West Reading is now called Penn State Health Medical Group All About Children.
Cost of the deal was not disclosed, but Penn State said the practice started in 1991 by Dr. Eve Kimball has been seeing up to 17,000 patients a year.
"Becoming part of the Penn State Health network allows the practice to offer local residents enhanced access to comprehensive care for their children close to home, in coordination with Penn State Health St. Joseph and Penn State Childrens Hospital in Hershey," the release said, promising Penn State "will collaborate with the practice to continue the holistic family-focused care its patients and families have come to expect."
Penn State Health kicked off a doctor hiring spree in October 2017 with Physicians Alliance Ltd., or PAL, which with about 100 providers had been the largest independent physician practice group in Lancaster County.
Notable additions since then include Berks Cardiologists Ltd. with 112 employees including 14 physicians; Andrews Patel Hematology/Oncology with nearly 90 employees including 10 physicians; and 12 radiologists formerly of Tristan Radiology Specialists.
Lime Spring Outpatient Center, Penn State's first big Lancaster County outpost, opened in January in East Hempfield Township, consolidating five existing offices and adding about a dozen specialty services.
As LNP has previously reported, independent practices are rapidly becoming a rarity.
Penn State Health is a multi-hospital health system that reports serving patients across 29 counties in central Pennsylvania and employing more than 14,000 people , with several hospitals and 119 medical office locations.
Citing changing customer buying habits and rising grocery competition in Lancaster County, Mussers Markets will close its location in Columbia and look to open a discount grocery store at the spot.
Its the latest development in an ongoing shakeup of the countys $4.1 billion grocery industry.
After the stores last day Feb. 15, its inventory will be transferred to the Mussers Market two miles east along Route 462 as plans are considered for revamping what is now a full-service grocery store.
That area would definitely do well with a discount grocer, said Greg Musser, one of six owners of the four-store grocery chain. A mini Wegmans is not going to work in the town of Columbia.
Musser said all of the roughly 45 full- or part-time employees at the Columbia grocery store are being offered jobs at other stores, with most transferring to the store near Mountville.
Opened in 1983
First opened in 1983, the 17,500-square-foot store at 960 Lancaster Ave., Columbia, is the smallest of the four Mussers Markets, which includes a 44,000-square-foot store west of Mountville. Mussers also has a store in Lebanon and one at the Buck in southern Lancaster County, where it has its headquarters.
Mussers owns the Columbia Plaza shopping center where the Columbia store is located, and Musser said the first option for the space there would be for the family to open a discount store of its own. But he said the family would also entertain offers from other discount stores to lease space.
Musser said he could not offer a timeline for when a discount store might open. But he noted that if the Musser family opened its own discount store, it would be under a different name to avoid creating confusion with the existing, full-service Mussers Markets.
Evolving grocery industry
With younger customers going out to eat more often, getting grab-and-go meals or buying meal kits, theres less demand for grocery stores, Musser said especially small ones.
And while heavyweight newcomers Wegmans and Whole Foods have changed the grocery store landscape by opening Lancaster County stores in 2018, the Columbia Mussers has suffered more because many kinds of stores now stock groceries, Musser said. They include Dollar General, which has a Columbia location next to Mussers.
Plus, small stores stock nearly all of their shelves with core grocery staples, not the ancillary items that often carry a higher profit margin, Musser said.
Weve been looking at a format change because we know that with a grocery store at 20,000 square feet, its just tough to survive, he said.
Mayors reaction
When Columbia Mayor Leo Lutz heard Mussers was closing, he commented that it would be rough on Columbia residents, especially those who walk to the store.
But Lutz changed his tune when told Mussers wants to open a discount store at the spot.
If it was a discount store, it would probably benefit some of our older citizens and the ones that count their pennies, Lutz said. And still it would be available for those who walk. Thats great.
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There are plenty of places to eat in downtown Riverside but one restaurant stands out -- and not just for its Michoacan-style chicken soft taco plate.
The front patio of Tio's Tacos, located on Mission Inn Ave., features a pair of towering sculptures, a 30-foot high man and woman, built from countless aluminum cans and old machine parts.
They're two of the more than 100 works of recycled art dotting the restaurant's one-acre property. It's like a vast outdoor museum, although Tio's Tacos owner and artist, Martin Sanchez, has a more humble description.
He refers to it as "Martin and his trash."
Sanchez says his love of art began long before he knew what that word meant. He has been turning reusable items into works of art since he was a kid in Sayuaho, in Michoacan, Mexico.
Two 30-foot tall sculptures at Tio's Tacos in Riverside. (Audrey Ngo/LAist)
When Sanchez was four, his father, the source of his family's income, died, leaving them destitute. Along with his 10 siblings, Sanchez pitched in, doing odd jobs for people around town.
"I cleaned the shoes. I wash the car. It gave me a little money or something," he says.
Since store-bought toys were out of the question, Martin made his own out of rocks, sticks, cardboard and whatever else he could find.
The first thing he made was a toy car, using a sardine can as the cab and caps from soda bottles as wheels. Soon, he had made enough toy cars to share.
"We played together, my friends and my brothers, but I think I have more imagination," Sanchez says.
Sculptures outside Tio's Tacos in Riverside. (Audrey Ngo/LAist)
Imagination eventually took a backseat to necessity.
In 1984, Sanchez came to the United States and settled in East L.A. He started selling oranges by freeway exits. Selling oranges turned into selling hot dogs, which turned into selling tacos.
Only five years after arriving in Southern California, he and his wife, Concepcion, opened Tio's Tacos in Riverside.
From the start, the business was an all-hands-on-deck affair.
"I think getting into the family business was since we were born," says their 23-year-old daughter, Kim. "Since my parents were always working, we were always here." Along with her two sisters, she now helps run the restaurant.
Handprints in the cement at Tio's Tacos, known for its recycled art sculptures, in Riverside. (Audrey Ngo/LAist)
A few years after Tio's opened, Martin's creativity was reignited. Kim had accumulated several old Barbie dolls, 99-Cent Store finds and plastic Happy Meal toys that didn't have much longevity.
"They would break easily and I would think that they didn't work any more, but my dad kinda got this spark of imagination and he did a statue out of all of 'em," Kim says.
That first statue, a woman made from bunches of small toys wired together and wearing rows of Barbies as a dress, still stands on the outskirts of the restaurant's patio.
Sanchez didn't stop there. He and his family had saved piles of recyclables that needed a home.
"When I live in Mexico, I don't have nothing," Sanchez says. "When I come by the United States, I see that people throw away everything. I go to clean in the backyard, and I see that everything's recycle. And I think, 'I can make something with this recycle.'"
Fast forward to today. Steps away from the Barbie statue are two life-sized figures of Star Wars droids R2-D2 and C-3PO, made from boom boxes, old remote controls and aluminum cans.
Two sculptures, of Star Wars characters R2-D2 and C-3PO, at Tio's Tacos in Riverside. (Audrey Ngo/LAist)
Look down, and you'll spot old house keys embedded in the patio walkway. Look up, and you'll notice stuffed animals hang from a tree branch.
All this could look like a big mess but instead, in the great tradition of American outsider artists, it looks like one person's obsession.
One of the most stunning pieces is a walk-in teepee with thousands of beer bottles horizontally embedded in its gray cement walls. Sunlight beams through the bottles, casting green rays inside the teepee, which features a glistening chandelier adorned with aluminum bottle caps.
The patio is clean and colorful. If you pause to look at the ground near the entrance, you can see tiny handprints. They belong to Kim, who was about 7 years old when she placed her palms in that once wet cement.
"Anytime my dad would make cement, he would call us over and put our hands, so you kind of see that throughout the property," she says.
Kim Sanchez and her father, Martin Sanchez, stand outside Tio's Tacos. He opened the restaurant and built the hundreds of recycled art sculptures at the Riverside taqueria. (Audrey Ngo/LAist)
For Sanchez, walking with his daughter through the many works of art he has made, always stirs up memories.
There's the old playhouse that he built for Kim when she was a kid. More of Kim and her sisters' handprints show up here and there, embedded in the patio's cement floor.
Although Sanchez smiles when he talks about his sculptures, if you ask him to name a favorite, he has another answer.
"My daughters and my wife. My family," he says. They are the main ingredient in Tio's Tacos success.
As for the sculptures, you don't have to pay a fee to see them. Martin Sanchez says anyone is welcome to stop in and look around, but don't expect to see them all in one visit.
The exterior of Tio's Tacos, known for its recycled art sculptures, in Riverside. (Audrey Ngo/LAist)
You can listen to Take Two's segment about Tio's Tacos by clicking here. It starts at 30:35.
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A claim that explicit nude photos were passed around the Los Angeles Police Department has brought renewed attention to efforts to stop sexual harassment among city workers. The latest push comes 10 months after Mayor Eric Garcetti called for concrete steps to make city offices discrimination free.
Last week, two city councilmembers formally asked for an update on this effort. When Garcetti issued his order last year, he set a deadline of October 2018 for a plan to implement recommendations. Instead, the full city council is still waiting.
It's already been a long road. The mayor's order from last April notes the goal of a discrimination-free workplace dates back to 1992.
KPCC/LAist has been closely following issues related to sexual harassment in both the county and city workforces. Last October, we published an exclusive investigation detailing more than $36.3 million in L.A. County payouts and legal fees spent to resolve misconduct claims between July 2004 and June 2017. Previously, we reported more than $8 million in sexual harassment claims and judgments at the city level.
Here's a quick history of how we got to where we are today:
ALLEGATIONS AGAINST CITY COUNCILMEMBERS
Councilman Mitch Englander in 2013 (Photo by Mae Ryan/KPCC)
Councilman Jose Huizar in 2014. (Photo by Benjamin Brayfield/KPCC)
In August 2014, the city of Los Angeles agrees to pay $75,000 to resolve sexual harassment allegations made by a former female field deputy against then-Councilman Mitchell Englander.
The woman accused Englander of making sexually inappropriate remarks including questioning whether she wanted to "walk into the fire stations and be naked in front of the male firefighters." Englander, who until recently represented communities including Northridge and Reseda, has said the claims were false.
Then in October of the same year, a former aide to Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar agrees to a settlement ending a sexual harassment case she filed against him. The agreement reportedly did not involve a payout from the city.
The lawsuit alleged Huizar -- who is currently at the center of an FBI probe into corruption at City Hall -- had retaliated after the woman refused to provide him with sexual favors. Huizar has said those allegations are false but that he did have an extramarital affair with the woman, who at the time worked for him. Huizar's district includes downtown L.A. and Boyle Heights.
#METOO BEGINS
Two blockbuster news reports in October 2017, published by the New York Times and the New Yorker, detail decades of allegations of sexual harassment by Harvey Weinstein, an award-winning film producer.
Shortly after, actress Alyssa Milano uses the #MeToo hashtag on Twitter and it is widely reshared. Milano resurfaced the phrase, which was first used by black civil rights activist Tarana Burke when she founded the movement in 2006.
WIDESPREAD PROBLEMS EMERGE
Details of widespread problems in the city of Los Angeles emerge during a city council meeting in November 2017. Among them:
No centralized tracking system for complaints of sexual harassment
Problems with training practices for managers
A one-year limitation on reporting sexual harassment claims
Lack of follow through on worker complaints of sexual harassment
The City Council backs a proposal calling for the city to examine the feasibility of a telephone hotline and website to make the reporting of sexual harassment complaints easier for employees.
In addition, the executive director of L.A. County's unit that covers workplace conduct issues reports an uptick in complaints of sexual harassment among county workers.
In national headlines that same month, Matt Lauer is fired by NBC News after a female colleague accused him of inappropriate sexual behavior.
County Equity Oversight Panel offices in Downtown L.A. in November, 2017 (Susanica Tam for KPCC/LAist)
HARD LOOK AT ACCOUNTABILITY
In December 2017, L.A. City officials put a new data collection system in place and start requiring all city departments to report sexual harassment incidents within 48 hours of learning about them.
At L.A. County, the Board of Supervisors orders a review of current County practices.
WORKING GROUP BEGINS IN L.A.
The city establishes a Harassment and Discrimination Working Group in January 2018 with representatives from across city departments. The group is put in place by the Mayor's Risk Reduction Cabinet.
SCOPE OF PROBLEMS WIDENS
During a city council meeting in February 2018 a top city personnel official reports a dramatic increase in sexual harassment allegations since the new data collection system began. The city's personnel department received 26 reports of misconduct in the two months after the new protocol was introduced in mid-December 2018. That's compared to just 35 reports of misconduct between 2013 and 2017.
KPCC reports that the city has paid out $8 million in sexual harassment claims and judgments since mid-2011. More than three-quarters of those payouts, representing more than $6 million in city money, were connected to the Los Angeles Police Department.
EMPLOYEE SURVEY LAUNCHED
All sworn and civilian city employees receive an email in March 2018 asking them to take an employee survey. The survey includes questions such as whether they've personally experienced sexual harassment in the workplace and whether they heard back after reporting incidents following the investigation.
MAYOR ISSUES EXECUTIVE DIRECTIVE
Garcetti issues an executive directive in April 2018 calling for widespread reform on the handling of sexual harassment and workplace conduct issues. New city website launches in beta version, aimed at easing the process for city workers to file complaints of discrimination, harassment and retaliation.
The city's personnel department begins accepting claims without time limits.
Meanwhile, the results of that city survey are released. It finds 18 percent of city workers report being sexually harassed -- far greater numbers than the city's personnel department had collected through complaint tracking. The city's workforce is made up of about 44,000 employees -- 4,200 employees responded to the survey.
CITY STARTS HIRING
In July 2018, the Personnel Department adds a Harassment and Discrimination Intake Unit. Additional hiring of staff to handle complaints begins.
CITY LAUNCHES FULL WEBSITE
In September 2018, the city's misconduct reporting website moves out of beta form and into full launch. Capabilities now include a new case management system that manages complaints from start to finish in the same interface.
A complaint about Councilman Jose Huizar comes in through the website, though the details remain unclear.
In national headlines, Bill Cosby is sentenced to at least three years in prison after he is convicted on three counts of felony sexual assault.
L.A. COUNTY INVESTIGATION
A KPCC/LAist investigation published in October 2018 reports sexual harassment among county workers is a persistent and expensive problem. Among the findings:
Some employees who filed formal complaints said they never heard back from county authorities. In other cases, the county's response was delayed months and sometimes even years.
County Staffers for then- Supervisor Michael Antonovich talked about the need to "protect" their boss as they allegedly violated county policies in handling a workplace harassment case involving colleagues.
An outsized share of the county's sexual misconduct cases originated within the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
In several cases, the amount the county spent on attorneys' fees rivaled or topped the payout to victims.
THE LATEST CITY DEVELOPMENT
In January 2019, a lawsuit brought by LAPD captain Lillian Carranza alleges that a sexually explicit photo was passed around by officers, detectives, lieutenants and others. Carranza's suit claims that even though she is not in the photo, LAPD employees falsely identified it as her and made derogatory comments about her.
She also claims in court documents that photos said to be of another female employee were circulated, and that department protocols weren't followed once the behavior was reported. Among them: Carranza says LAPD Internal Affairs took no steps to inform her of the misconduct or protect her from ongoing harassment after they were notified of it.
LAPD declined our request for comment on her allegations.
After Carranza's suit is filed, Councilmembers Nury Martinez and Paul Krekorian submit a motion requesting an update on progress in an effort to spur reform. The city's Personnel Department is asked to send the working group report to Council for their review.
The mayor's office reports that between April 30, 2018 and Jan. 29, 2019 the city's website received 80 complaints of workplace misconduct.
Aaron Mendelson contributed to this report.
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By Andrea Gutierrez with Jonathan Shifflett & Steven Cuevas
Daniel Levy's Canadian sitcom Schitt's Creek, which just started its fifth season, is all about second chances. The show's Rose family is looking for their second chances after unfortunate circumstances send them to live in a motel in a small town called Schitt's Creek.
Their new home might feel like a backwater to the Roses, but it's also a special place without some of what viewers have come to expect from a TV small town -- like homophobia.
Schitt's Creek tells the story of the wealthy Rose family -- parents Johnny (Daniel Levy's real-life father Eugene Levy, who co-created the show) and Moira (Catherine O'Hara), along with their adult children David (Daniel Levy) and Alexis (Annie Murphy) -- who lose their fortune and move to Schitt's Creek.
The world Levy builds for his characters strips away some of the common obstacles of the real world, including dropping a few common TV and movie tropes. In the show, David is pansexual -- a fact that's a non-issue for both his family and the town's residents.
By removing homophobia from Schitt's Creek, Levy said it freed him to focus on David's relationship with his boyfriend and his struggles with intimacy.
"You are showing by example just how full a life and how joyous a life and how love filled a life you can have without [homophobia] to fight against," Levy told the Frame.
By thrusting the Roses into a small town, in close living quarters, with no money, Levy said that he's able to bring out a lot of emotions. It's a situation where a family who hasn't always been there for each other gets another shot at righting wrongs that happened during their upbringing.
"It's a rare thing that a lot of families don't get," Levy said.
Levy tries to show by example when writing the show's characters.
"Because exposition is so boring," he said. "The more you can find ways to reveal a character through action and circumstance, the better."
Which is ultimately how he displays the relationships among the Roses themselves. Johnny and Moira weren't exactly hands-on parents, and David and Alexis don't have a clue what it means to support themselves.
How do you show both the dysfunction of their relationship and the deepening of their family bond in a time of crisis? Through games.
In season 1, Johnny admits that he and Moira don't know their kids well -- and the family sits down to play "Two Truths and a Lie." The family learns more than they expected in the process.
"I find competitive situations that obviously don't have very high stakes to be quite rich territory for comedy," Levy said.
In season 5 of Schitt's Creek, the Roses continue working on their second chance, as they keep figuring out a new way of living.
Levy's parents -- including father and Schitt's Creek co-star Eugene Levy -- gave him the best shot at a normal life by raising him in Canada, far from the trappings of Hollywood, according to Levy. His parents kicked him "out of the car at 15 in front of a Gap Kids and said, 'Don't come home until you have a job application.'"
Levy drew inspiration for the Rose siblings in part from his time hosting The Hills: The After Show for MTV Canada earlier in his career.
"It started with having an acute awareness of how these kids lived, with very little understanding of what went into actually earning a living," Levy said.
Listen to this interview on KPCC's The Frame podcast.
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Staff at L.A. County's juvenile halls and camps use pepper spray on kids too often, too quickly, and in situations when it isn't necessary, according to a report issued by the county's inspector general.
And the use of the pepper spray -- sometime referred to OC spray, for the chemical irritant oleoresin capsicum -- has increased dramatically since 2015.
"The need for reform, investigation, and oversight may never have been as vital as it is now," Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas said after the report was presented Tuesday to the board of supervisors.
Using pepper spray is supposed to be the "final and ultimate authorized" way to "subdue youth," according to probation department policy. But the report concluded that probation staff commonly reach for pepper spray first before employing other deescalation measures.
"Some incidents reviewed include uses of OC spray that likely violate Department policies, at times involving youth who appeared only passively noncompliant," it said.
The report also noted several incidents where "the use-of-force reports filed by staff described youth behaviors as aggressive or threatening, even when available video footage showed that youth appeared to pose no threat to staff."
Pepper spray was also found to be used on youth who had respiratory illnesses or were taking psychotropic medications, it said, adding that "several" youth at the juvenile centers said some staff "threaten the use of OC spray or retrieve and shake OC canisters in front of youth as the initial and sole effort to gain compliance without first giving verbal commands."
Read the full report:
There were also issues with "decontamination" -- getting pepper spray off kids.
The report said youth reported delays in getting the spray off them -- sometimes 30 minutes or more - or the use of improper methods like hot water and towels.
In some instances youths were left in a bathroom with no running water, and were attempting to wash off the spray using toilet water, the report said.
Investigators found 36 percent of staff was using pepper spray -- and of that number, 47 percent had less than two years of probation experience, said Chief Deputy Probation Officer Sheila Mitchell.
Employees reported fearing for their safety due to understaffing, and said they weren't given adequate training to respond to crisis situations without using force. Staff also said they were unprepared to deal with youth suffering from severe mental illness or behavioral issues.
During Tuesday's meeting, Assistant Inspector General Cathleen Beltz said that part of the problem stemmed from the lack of mental health staff available, which Ridley-Thomas quickly dismissed, saying it's common knowledge that mental heath is an issue.
"It's high time that we come to grips with this," he said. "No more excuses."
Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas at the Board of Supervisors meeting. He said it was "vital" to reform and investigate the use of pepper spray in the juvenile probation system. (Emily Elena Dugdale/LAist)
Chief Probation Officer Terri McDonald said staff relayed a fear of being written up or investigated for physically harming a youth as a reason why they were using pepper spray more than employing physical restraint.
The department said it was implementing new training on crisis and de-escalation techniques as a result of the findings.
As of Feb. 1, 2019, the department states 56 percent of their full duty personnel have received a "refresher" training on pepper spray.
L.A. County has the largest probation department in the nation, with an average daily population of approximately 7,750 youths in the system. Last year there were about 900 housed in juvenile halls or camps on any given day.
Last year, the department said it had found steep increases in the use of pepper spray from 2015 to 2017. Use of the chemical was up:
More than 300 percent at Central Juvenile Hall
More than 200 percent at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall
Nearly 200 percent at Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall
Investigators interviewed more than 45 incarcerated youth and more than 30 staff and managers for the report presented Tuesday.They also investigated 21 incidents involving the use of pepper spray.
Some watchdog groups have called for a ban on the use of pepper spray in juvenile facilities, a step 35 states have taken. California is one of six states that allow juvenile detention staff to carry pepper spray.
In their discussion of the report Tuesday, the supervisors were noncommittal about the idea of a ban.
The supervisors directed the probation department to hold a "special hearing" on the report and bring any recommendations back to the board.
Westerhout neednt be so defensive about the presidents loafing. The vast majority of Americans who are displeased with whatever it is hes doing should be delighted to learn that he is not doing a lot of it. Given the harm and chaos caused by his actions, inaction is a welcome reprieve.
Among the many things the president is currently not doing is appointing people to work for the federal government. His administration could be the cast of a Broadway musical: an acting chief of staff, acting attorney general, acting defense secretary, acting interior secretary, acting budget director, acting head of the Environmental Protection Agency.
An analysis done by The Washington Post and the Partnership for Public Service finds that Trump has not troubled himself to nominate people for 150 of 705 key Senate-confirmed positions.
Nearly 60 percent of such positions are unfilled at the Justice, Labor and Interior departments.
What Trump is actually doing during Executive Time should be obvious to anybody who looks at the man. He is performing his beauty regimen.
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.
An Evers spokeswoman said last week that claims Evers tried to renegotiate the Foxconn contract are false.
Warning offered
In April, Foxconn got permits from the state Department of Natural Resources for air quality and to withdraw millions of gallons of water daily from Lake Michigan for their proposed plant to manufacture liquid crystal display panels. The permits were issued under Walker, the chief architect of the states $3 billion taxpayer-subsidized package for Foxconn.
Evers said during the campaign that scientists have told him the Foxconn permit-approval process was flawed, though he did not specify what problems occurred with the process. Evers told the Wisconsin State Journal editorial board in October that he would be willing to rescind the permits if additional review found Foxconn not meeting air-quality standards.
Speaking Tuesday, Evers said he doesnt believe state DNR officials have begun reviewing the Foxconn air permits. He said the review was discussed with Foxconn the very first time we talked to them, we talked about the fact that there may be a review of that.
Still, Evers insisted Foxconn officials werent worried. I think Foxconn believes that theyve done what was asked of them, he said.
Foxconn officials issued a statement Tuesday saying the company is fully committed to being a responsible corporate citizen and complying with all relevant federal, state, and local rules and regulations that apply to our operations.
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Laning said in a statement that she is incredibly proud of the party we have built. She focused on improving party fundraising and beefing up its organizing capacity by hiring a slate of local organizers throughout the state.
Given these accomplishments and the bright future ahead for Wisconsin Democrats, I believe this is the perfect time for me to transition to my next challenge, Laning said. The statement didnt say what is next for her.
State party spokeswoman Courtney Beyer said no one has formally entered the race for the next party chairperson.
Weighing a run
Bryce, contacted by the State Journal Wednesday, acknowledged some people have reached out to see if Id be interested in running he said they include labor and veterans groups. Bryce acknowledged hes thinking about it, adding he has no timetable to decide.
Bryce, of Racine, was the Democratic nominee last year in Wisconsins 1st Congressional District. He entered the race initially to challenge former House Speaker Paul Ryan and attracted a national following on social media. When Ryan decided not to run again, Republican Bryan Steil, of Janesville, secured the nomination and beat Bryce in the general election.
The number of students of color graduating from University of Wisconsin System campuses increased 75 percent over the past decade, reaching a record of 4,919 graduates in the 2017-18 academic year, according to UW System figures released Wednesday.
About 2,800 students of color graduated from the UW System in 2008-09, data show.
The overall number of students graduating from the UW System also continues to climb, mirroring a national trend thats been in place since at least the mid-2000s. The 36,825 total graduates last academic year represent an 11 percent increase from 2008-09, when 33,044 students received degrees.
Students and parents recognize that Wisconsins public universities are accessible and affordable, and these graduation numbers indicate that UW System faculty and staff are doing a great job helping students progress toward a degree, UW System President Ray Cross said in an announcement.
Officials say the numbers show campus strategies, such as incorporating undergraduate research and internships into a curriculum and providing more intensive advising, are helping students move toward college completion.
Degrees in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) accounted for 28 percent of all degrees awarded. Degrees in the health field represented 10 percent, according to the System.
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Everybody appears to be OK after a fire broke out in a Winona apartment complex late Tuesday night.
Jason Theusch, assistant chief of the Winona Fire Department, said Wednesday afternoon that two people were taken to the hospital, but their injuries werent serious. He believed one had a laceration and the other a back injury, but did not have updates on their condition. Four other residents managed to escape the building uninjured.
Two of the upstairs tenants jumped off a back balcony, Theusch said.
Winona assistant fire chief Joel Corcoran said the call came in at 11:29 p.m. A neighbor had spotted flames shooting out of a window at an apartment building in the 1200 block of Gilmore Avenue. When the first truck arrived, there were flames visible from both the first and second floors.
Theusch said that one of the tenants on the first floor went around pounding on doors to wake people up.
Corcoran said crews did a room-by-room search through the windows, and nobody else was found.
Hundreds of Minnesota farmers applied for Farm Service Agency loans, and 50,000 to 60,000 applied for Market Facilitation Program payments since the government reopened last month.
As of Friday, Joe Martin, state executive director of the USDAs Farm Service Agency in Minnesota, estimated that the office received about 200 FSA loan applications and that number is growing by the day, he said.
Some [loans] are pretty straightforward and may process in a few days, but others may require additional information consultation and questions about balance sheets and cash flows, said Martin, who said it could take up to several weeks for farmers to receive funds if they submitted their application after the government reopened or during the government shutdown.
However, Martin said hes confident the applications his office received by Friday will be processed and paid out by planting season. FSA direct loans assist farmers when theyre unable to obtain financing through a bank and can help with the cost of farm-related expenses, such as large equipment purchases or repairs or the cost of seed or grain to feed livestock.
BLACK RIVER FALLS Two suspected drug traffickers were apprehended during a traffic stop Feb. 1, police said.
Police discovered methamphetamine, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, illegal prescriptions, more than $8,000 and drug packaging materials after a police dog scented on drugs, according to authorities.
Desiree J. Johnson, 40, of Melrose was charged with possession of methamphetamine and possession of an illegally obtained prescription, police said.
Carl R. Luther, 41, of Black River Falls was charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of THC and possession of drug paraphernalia, police said.
Police said they are continuing to investigate drug trafficking in Black River Falls and want people to report suspicious activity or drug-related information to police.
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Leigh Elizabeth Meska, the Goodview woman who went missing on her way to work last week, has no memory of her disappearance, Goodview Police Chief Kent Russell said Tuesday.
According to Russell, Meska reported that she couldnt remember anything from the time she left for work last week Wednesday to the time she called her parents in Rockford, Ill., where she was found in good health on Thursday night.
He said Meska is now working with a medical professional to determine the cause of her memory loss.
It is still unknown what Meska was doing in Rockford or why she left in the first place.
Meska did not immediately respond to a request for comment over social media. A call to a number listed under her name went straight to voicemail that wasnt set up.
The 31-year-old mother disappeared on her way to work at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester on Wednesday, Jan. 30, during the one of the coldest day of last weeks cold snap.
Her disappearance prompted a massive search effort involving multiple agencies, a Minnesota State Patrol helicopter and several concerned citizens who saw the story on social media and checked every back road between the Mississippi River and Rochester.
Some of Wisconsins finest young musicians are about to meet up for what could be the most rewarding musical experience of their lifetime Wi
Norwegian genealogy will be the subject of the museums first genealogy class of 2019. On Thursday, Feb. 14, guest teacher Anne Farning of Norskedalen will talk to the class about Norskedalens library and its genealogy resources. The class begins at 10 a.m. and is held in the museums first-floor conference room.
Anne serves on the Library Committee at Norskedalen Nature and Heritage Center, located just outside of Coon Valley. She is very familiar with the genealogy material available at that institutions Jennifer Lee Marker Memorial library. Both Norskedalens reference library and our museums reference library contain bygdebker, which is a Norwegian term for rural community books. These books can be very useful when researching Norwegian family history.
Bygde books, as they are commonly called, are local history books, and they often come in a set of several large volumes. Each set of books covers a small rural community in Norway. The books provide a variety of information but are especially noted for their histories of individual farms and families, listing every person who has ever lived at a particular farm, when possible. They can also include vintage photographs of people and places in that community.
Photo: Fox Photos/Getty Images
Whether you rely on your dog for emotional support or cant bear the thought of leaving your cat at home while on vacation, most airlines are willing to accommodate pets onboard. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, more than 2 million pets travel on planes each year. Traveling with an animal can be a headache, though, if you dont have a carrier that meets airline requirements and is both comfortable for your pet and easy to use.
Each airline sets its own size restrictions for in-cabin pet carriers, so its worth checking with your airline first. (On JetBlue, the combined weight of your pet and carrier must be under 20 pounds and the carrier size limit is 17 inches long by 12.5 inches wide by 8.5 inches high. American Airlines has the same 20-pound limit but carrier size limits vary based on the aircraft. Size requirements on Delta also depend on the type of plane, while the maximum dimensions for a soft-sided carrier on United are 18 inches long by 11 inches wide by 11 inches high.) To find the best carriers for taking your pet onboard in most situations, however, we asked four pet pros and owners what they recommend for flying with your furry friend.
Best overall carriers
Sherpa Original Deluxe Pet Carrier $70 now 43% off From $40 Experts love the durable and comfortable carriers Sherpa has specifically designed for air travel. The company partners with several major airlines (including Southwest, United, and Delta) in their Guaranteed on Board program. On the site, you can see which carriers are approved for each airline and even submit a form to your airline with your flight details, pets information, and the type of carrier youll be using. If youre denied boarding because of an issue related to the carrier, Guaranteed on Board will refund the cost of your flight and any associated pet fees. The small and medium sizes of the Sherpa Original Deluxe pet carrier are included in Guaranteed on Board, so you can rest assured that your pet travels will go by without a hitch, says Samantha Schwab, resident pet expert at Chewy. Kristi Littrell, adoption manager at Best Friends Animal Society, is also a fan of Sherpas soft-sided carriers, because they can fit under the seat in front of you, whereas the harder-sided ones cant adjust to various spaces. From $40 at Chewy Buy
Frisco Premium Travel Pet Carrier From $24 The best soft-sided carriers are those with mesh panels, like the Frisco pet carrier, so your pet can see whats going on around them, says Schwab. Plus, the mesh allows for proper ventilation so your pet can breathe easy. Similar in style to the Sherpa bag, the small and medium versions of this carrier should work for traveling on most flights. Itll also attach to the handle of your rolling carry-on bag for easy transport through the airport. From $24 at Chewy Buy
Best carrier for small pets
JetBlue JetPaws Official Pet Carrier $45 now 11% off $40 If you regularly fly on a specific airline, it might be worth buying their official pet carrier so you wont have any doubts about it fitting under the seats. This one from JetBlue is on the smaller side and is best for petite dogs and cats. $40 at Amazon Buy $40 at Amazon Buy
Best-looking carrier
Mr. Peanuts Gold Series Airline-Approved Soft-Sided Dog & Cat Carrier $42 This heathered fabric carrier from Mr. Peanuts is available in a refreshing selection of non-black colors and is another one of Schwabs picks. [Its] lined with a soft fabric so your pet can snuggle up during a long trip, she says. The carrier features locking zippers for added security and outside pockets for storing treats, toys, or a leash. Roll-down fabric covers the mesh openings if your pet gets overstimulated by all the action at the airport. Littrell says these flaps also keep the airline draft out when you are flying. $42 at Chewy Buy
Best expandable carrier
Petsfit Expandable Travel Dog Carrier With Fleece Mat $43 now 12% off $38 Conrad Russo, blogger and owner of Pet Gear Lab recommends this fleece-lined case for skittish pets. I love that its expandable on the side, he says. Dogs traveling and taken on a plane can really [have] anxiety, so giving them a little more space makes all the difference. Zip up the expandable panels before boarding to make sure the case fits your airlines regulations, and then open them up on the plane to let your cat or dog spread out. $38 at Amazon Buy $38 at Amazon Buy
Best backpack carrier
The Fat Cat Cat Backpack $200 now 41% off $119 Alex Rued, owner of a Russian Siberian cat (a larger breed) named Vlad, says he was calm, cool, and collected in this backpack on a three-hour Delta flight. The pop-out bubble window offers cats a wide field of vision and the mesh sides provide ample ventilation. $119 at Your Cat Backpack Buy
More pet travel essentials
Mr. Peanuts Collapsible Dog Bowls With Color Matched Carabiner Clips $10 When Littrell travels with her pets, she says, I always take a soft-sided dish for water for them and a little food in case they are hungry, but not a full meal as you dont want your animal getting sick when traveling. These collapsible silicone bowls become totally flat when not in use, so theyre ideal for travel, and you can easily attach them to your carrying case with the included carabiners. $10 at Amazon Buy $10 at Amazon Buy
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Michael Lee Peters, 46, Tomah, was referred to the district attorney for operating while revoked/drunk driving-related. He was pulled over Jan. 30 after police recognized his vehicle heading westbound on East Veterans Street shortly after 7 a.m.
Nathan Jason Randall, 18, Tomah, was referred to the district attorney for theft and bail jumping. He is accused of stealing a backpack from a woman containing a cell phone and threatening to throw the items in a dumpster.
Richard John Janick, 24, was referred to the district attorney for obstructing an officer and bail jumping after police responded to a 911 hang-up at a Williams Street residence Feb. 1.
When police arrived, a woman at the residence told police that Janick had left a few moments earlier. The report says he tried to elude police by running through a nearby alley but was apprehended a short time later.
Janick has a no-contact order with the woman at the Williams Street residence, which triggered the bail jumping referral.
DO YOU WANT TO QUIT SMOKING On a request by some of my friends, I am re-posting this memoir which so many smokers found useful. It may be...
- The House of Representatives Committee on Health was eyeing to charge government officials behind the Dengvaxia controversies
- Among the officials involved were former President Benigno Aquino III, former Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, and former Health Secretary Janette Garin
- The committee reported that the former President should be held responsible for the purchase of P3.5 billion worth of Dengvaxia vaccine
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The House of Representatives Committee on Health wanted to file charges against former President Benigno Noynoy Aquino III, former Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, and former Health Secretary Janette Garin for the Dengvaxia controversies.
In a report by Philippine Star, the House panel is eyeing to charge Aquino, Abad, and Garin for graft, grave misconduct, and technical malversation. KAMI learned that the panel has pointed out that there was alleged connivance among the government officials over the large purchase of Dengvaxia vaccine by the Aquino administration.
According to the Houses draft report, Aquino must be held liable for the approval of the P3.5 billion budget for the Dengvaxia vaccines back in 2015. On the other hand, Abad must be held responsible for requesting the release of the aforementioned funds.
"These officials provided shortcuts in the process to favor Sanofi Pasteur, the manufacturer of a commercially available dengue vaccine. These officials may, therefore, be held liable for, conspiring and confederating with one another for the purpose of 'giving any private party any unwarranted benefits, advantage or preference,'" the report read as reported by GMA News.
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The program for Dengvaxia was first implemented in April 2016, purportedly to prevent people from having dengue. The government started the program first in some schools, the Department of Health said that the students would be given three doses.
However, in November, the DOH has reported that there were 30 cases involving those who received the vaccine. The cases were considered as serious cases that needed hospitalization, as reported by CNN Philippines.
In a previous report by KAMI, Senator JV Ejercito has pointed out that as per DOH, there was no confirmed death caused directly by Dengvaxia.
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"I want to buy alcohol for my 10-year-old nephew because it's his birthday and he wants to chill," that's what we told alcohol sellers and the results of this experiment are so wrong and so disappointing. on KAMI HumanMeter YouTube channel!
Source: Kami.com.ph
After the federal government experienced the longest partial shutdown in history, Congress recently passed legislation that provided enough funding for the government to open. But another spending bill must be pass within the next two weeks to avoid another shutdown.
The major issues that Democrats and Republicans could not agree on are border security specifically on funding for a border wall between the United States and Mexico.
We have a moral duty to create an immigration system that protects the lives and jobs of our citizens, Trump said. No issue better illustrates the divide between Americas working class and Americas political class than illegal immigration. Wealthy politicians and donors push for open borders while living their lives behind walls and gates and guards.
Trump called on elected officials to pass legislation that offers humanitarian assistance, increases law enforcement along the border, closes loopholes and provide funding for a wall.
I want people to come to our country in the largest numbers ever, but they have to come in legally, Trump said. Tolerance for illegal immigration is not compassionate; it is actually very cruel.
RACINE The local Salvation Army chapter managed to recover from a slow start to last years Red Kettle campaign and received donations consistent with a typical year.
In all, the campaign raised $290,873.12, just short of the goal of $300,000, according to Maj. Ken Nicolai, corps officer with The Salvation Army Corps Racine Community Center. Donations to Red Kettles alone accounted for $92,800.96.
The total is short of 2017s record-high contribution level of $330,000, which Nicolai said was an anomaly because SC Johnson Chairman and CEO Fisk Johnson was honorary chairman of the campaign. In 2016, the campaign raised about $291,000.
Last years campaign struggled to get volunteers, Nicolai said. Of the Salvation Armys 20 bell-ringing sites, only 16 were active with volunteers. As a result, the kettles brought in about $37,000 less than in 2017, Nicolai said.
But the kettles that were manned did not see a drop in contributions year over year. Thats how we know its a shortage of volunteers, Nicolai said.
Kettles dont make money if theres not somebody ringing that bell, he said. People want that personal touch and the sound of the bell to attract them to that kettle.
TOWN OF LYONS A roof collapsed Sunday night on a maintenance building at the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa.
The roof collapse occurred at about 9 p.m. at the resort, which is located at 7036 Grand Geneva Way in the Town of Lyons, just east of the City of Lake Geneva.
Grand Geneva officials said there was nobody inside the building at the time of the collapse.
Officials did not identify a cause for the collapse, although the incident occurred during a weekend when mild temperatures caused large accumulations of snow to melt.
No injuries were reported and resort officials said the collapse was not in a public area of the resort.
The Lyons Fire Department reported that roofs were checked in the surrounding area of the resort, and none were found to be compromised or at risk.
The Fire Department was on the scene for about an hour before turning over the cleanup to Grand Geneva staff.
Resort management issued a statement that the incident would not cause any disruption to guests or operations at the Grand Geneva.
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MOUNT PLEASANT A Racine man, accused of striking an 85-year-old woman with his vehicle after she reported him for shoplifting at an area dollar store in 2017, accepted a plea deal Tuesday.
Perry H. Brooks, 52, of the 2700 block of Chicory Road, faced charges of felony hit-and-run involving injury and second-degree recklessly endangering safety.
As part of a plea agreement, Brooks pleaded no contest to the hit-and-run charge, as well as resisting or obstructing an officer and felony bail jumping charges stemming from a 2018 crash in which Brooks reportedly crashed into a light pole.
In exchange, the second-degree recklessly endangering safety charge from 2017, as well as charges of operating without a license and felony bail jumping associated with the second case, were dismissed, but will be considered for sentencing purposes.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 5 at the Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave., online records show.
Alleged retaliation
According to the criminal complaint, the woman allegedly saw Brooks shoplifting at Dollar Tree, 5201 Washington Ave., and reported him to store staff.
For more than 48 hours, Nebraskans were unaware that a convicted killer never returned to Community Corrections Center-Lincoln after completing his work release shift.
Anthony Gafford remains at large. He could have gone anywhere in that time. But members of the public who may have encountered him and called law enforcement to notify them of his whereabouts were left in the dark.
The Nebraska Department of Correctional Services said it followed its policy in failing to inform media outlets and, in turn, the public. But its directors reversal last week indicates the agency realizes the error in its ways one that must not be allowed to be repeated.
Testifying before the Nebraska Legislature on unrelated prisons bills last week, Corrections Director Scott Frakes told state senators that this situation had made him rethink the departments policy on walkaways. Though he views them more as absconding from parole than escape from a secure facility, he said that Nebraska media would be informed of future incidences.
Corrections appears to have followed its existing policy to the letter. But, as the delay from a Saturday to a Tuesday showed, that policy was insufficient.
Sometimes, it feels like farmers are the ultimate gamblers -- their livelihoods depend on so many factors that must be left to chance.
They cant control the weather: too much rain, too little rain or rain at the wrong time can be devastating. They cant control the commodities market; theyre at the mercy of changing prices for necessities like fuel and fertilizer. And they cant control the marketplace: Whether its corn, cattle or soybeans, prices can crash -- and remain stubbornly low -- as they have now for several years.
The reality is farming is a thin-margin business, and unexpected complications in any number of areas can make the difference between turning a profit for the year or finishing in the red. Thats why anything that offers a stable income source for farming communities is worth its weight in gold.
In Nebraska, that stable income is increasingly coming from wind energy.
Any Nebraskan who earns a living off the land has battled the wind. But its only in recent years that weve begun truly tapping into this world-class resource. Over the past few years, wind farms have started springing up across the state, and these projects are providing a financial lifeline for our farming communities.
Nebraska state health officials say a fourth case of a rare, polio-like illness has been confirmed in the state.
The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services said in a news release Wednesday that the case of acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM, has been confirmed in a child in northeastern Nebraska. No other information about the child has been released.
The state's first case was reported in November.
AFM can cause paralysis in the arms and legs and affects mainly children.
An increase in cases nationwide started in 2014. The department says from August 2014 through October 2018, there have been 527 confirmed cases of AFM in the U.S.
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Governor Ralph Northam and Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax are in trouble for different reasons, and now third-in-command Attorney General Mark Herring is joining them in spotlight. Photo: Alex Edelman/Getty Images; Steve Helber/AP
Until very recently, Virginia Democrats were feeling mighty good about their future. In 2016 the state went Democratic in a third consecutive presidential election, after going Republican in ten straight contests before that. In 2017 Democrats held onto the governorship for a second consecutive term and made big legislative gains as well. They picked up three U.S. House seats in 2018. Going into this year, they held every statewide elected office, and appeared on the brink of regaining a governing trifecta in the fall, when the entire legislature is up for reelection.
Now, with shocking suddenness, Virginia Democrats are facing a crisis that gets more bizarre by the minute. Governor Ralph Northam is hanging onto his job by a thread after revelations emerged of a medical-school yearbook photo of him in blackface (his subsequent denials in a disastrous press conference that the photo was of him coupled with the admission that he appeared in a different blackface image only made things worse). Nearly every identifiable figure in Virginia Democratic politics, and many national party figures as well, have called for Northams immediate resignation. But before he could be dragged out of office, Northams designated successor, Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax who as it happens is African-American was hit with a separate revelation (though from the same conservative news source that dimed out Northam) of allegations he sexually assaulted a woman back in 2004. As Larry Sabatos Crystal Ball noted, the Fairfax story immediately got cloudy:
Fairfax released a statement around 3 a.m. Monday denying the allegations and noting that the Washington Post had explored it following his 2017 election but had decided not to publish it after being presented with facts consistent with the Lt. Governors denial of the allegation, the absence of any evidence corroborating the allegation, and significant red flags and inconsistencies within the allegation. Following Fairfaxs statement, the story spilled into the mainstream press, and the Washington Post did its own story, confirming that it had investigated the allegation but decided not to publish it because, and this is our paraphrase, the accusation essentially amounted to a he said, she said situation that the Post could not otherwise verify. However, the Post did not say that it had found holes in the womans story; rather, the paper just couldnt confirm it and opted not to publish based on that. Fairfax has hinted that the story is coming out for political reasons, but its also quite possible that his national prominence in the last few days simply caused the accuser to try to get her accusation into the public sphere. Nonetheless, Fairfax has made no secret of his belief that other political figures including Northam and Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney (D), a Fairfax rival had fanned the rumors. Northam and Stoney deny that, but questions about Fairfax have undeniably helped slow the rush to show Northam the door.
Not exactly the sort of party unity youd like to see, eh? But it gets much, much worse. First of all, Fairfaxs accuser was revealed as a California college professor named Vanessa Tyson, an African-American woman who has done significant work on the problem of sexual violence against women. She authorized the released of a Facebook post that dispelled any possibility she was just being used by Fairfaxs opponents:
Imagine you were sexually assaulted during the DNC convention in Boston in 2004 by a campaign staffer and you spend the next 13 years trying to forget it ever happened until one day you find out hes the Democratic candidate for statewide office in a state some 3000 miles away, and he wins that election in November 2017. Then by strange, horrible luck, it seems increasingly likely that hell get a very big promotion.
Even more ominously for Fairfax, Tyson has retained the same law firm that represented Christine Blasey Ford after she emerged publicly as someone who accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault many years earlier. You could probably hear the chortling of Republicans over that conjunction of developments from deep space.
Though Fairfax continues to insist his admitted sexual encounter with Tyson was fully consensual, and Virginia Democrats have not quickly handed him an anvil the way they did Northam, its not looking good for the lieutenant governor. That led to speculation that Virginias No. 3 elected official, Democratic attorney general Mark Herring, might step across the supine figures of both Northam and Fairfax to save the day. But then this happened:
NEW: Virginias Democratic attorney general says he wore blackface at a college party in 1980, deepening state scandal. -AP Connor Ryan (@connortryan) February 6, 2019
Herring subsequently released a long statement admitting that as a college undergrad he put on wigs and brown makeup at a party, apparently depicting himself as a rapper. He was even more contrite about it all than Northam (whom he had already called upon to resign), but its unclear how Virginia Democrats can simultaneously condemn one man but not the other.
So now the roving eye of political speculation is focused on the next pol in the line of succession to the governorship: Republican House Speaker Kirk Cox, who enjoys his position because a 2018 coin flip awarded a House seat, for which two candidates tied, to Coxs party. Should it transpire that the apparent epidemic of racist photos of Virginia college students from back in the day infect Cox as well, the full House of Delegates would fill the vacancy, presumably flipping party control of the governorship.
At this point, Virginia Democrats can only pray that the allegations against Fairfax collapse very quickly. Otherwise the way forward for them is both hazy and very perilous. And theres simply no telling how the entire insane episode might affect the day-to-day operations of Virginia government, and the elections that now seem very close at hand.
HAYES CENTER A Nebraska school superintendent is crediting a driver for evacuating seven students from his bus before it erupted in flames.
Hayes Center Superintendent Tony Primavera says the bus was between rural stops Monday afternoon when the driver smelled what he thought was burning wires. He stopped the bus and got the students off, noticing smoke coming from a control panel to the left of the steering wheel.
Primavera says the driver tried to use an extinguisher, but the smoke overwhelmed him and the fire broke out. It left only charred wreckage.
The superintendent says no one was injured. Primavera also said Wednesday the driver preferred that his name not be released.
Hayes Center is a village of about 200 residents in southwest Nebraska's Hayes County.
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Researchers watched some of the cranes fall limply to the ground, some fall while still flapping their wings, and others able to remain in the air.
Could Adorbz replace Be Mine and Miss You?
Ferrara Candy Co. certainly hopes so.
For years, the Oak Brook, Ill.-based candy-maker has produced the Brachs brand of Valentines Day heart candy, known as Conversation Hearts.
And this year, Brachs candy has cornered this piece of the confectionery market. New England Confectionery Co., more widely known as Necco, is out of business and Spangler Candy Co., which bought the competing Sweethearts brand along with Necco wafers, couldnt restart production in time for Valentines Day.
Ferrara is hoping this gap is a sweet win for the Brachs brand, which also produces other seasonal candies such as candy corn and candy canes.
In 2018, Brachs had 55 percent market dollar share among the top four brands in the segment, Hans Becher, general manager of Brachs and seasonal confections at Ferrara, said in a statement. In terms of pounds sold, we outpaced our nearest former competitor nearly three to one.
But will the Sweethearts purists convert?
News outlets reported a run on Sweethearts when its former owner shut down last year.
The Lincoln Independent Business Association PAC has announced its endorsements for the Lincoln City Council in the April primary.
LIBA endorsed Richard Meginnis in District 2 (southeast Lincoln), Colten Zamrzla in District 3 (southwest Lincoln) and James Herrold for District 4 (northwest Lincoln).
The political action committee made no endorsements in the District 1 (northeast Lincoln) race, where there is just one candidate.
Two of the candidates, Zamrzla and Meginnis, are Republicans. Herrold is a Libertarian.
The LIBA PAC is proud to support candidates who are committed to working to ensure the success of Nebraska businesses and families, said Russ Bayer, chairman of the LIBA PAC.
Bayer said these candidates will work on the following issues:
* Growing economic development and creating job opportunities.
* Repairing streets and developing a plan for street improvements.
* Concern about property tax rates.
* Prioritizing high-quality outcomes for the community and safety for children.
If companies cannot regularly find the labor they need as they grow and prosper, there is risk that they will move elsewhere.
Unemployment rates that are very low can be damaging when it comes to attracting new businesses, consultants say in a new downtown market assessment.
Talent attraction and retention have regularly been identified as chief economic challenges for the region, the consultants point out.
City will notify businesses
Businesses that collect sales tax will be warned through a letter or postcard when the city raises or lowers its sales tax.
Not that changes happen very often. But, apparently, a number of retailers didnt know the citys quarter-cent sales tax for the emergency radio system and new fire stations ended Oct. 1, and they continued to collect the tax for several weeks.
Lamm initiated the new requirement, approved unanimously by the council this week.
Every spring the city can get a list from the state of the approximately 17,000 Lincoln businesses collecting sales taxes, along with their street addresses, but not their email addresses.
The Lincoln man accused of fatally shooting a man last October as he tried to get out of a car pleaded not guilty to a second-degree murder charge Wednesday.
Jesse James "JJ" Wilson, 32, appeared via video from the county jail. He hasn't yet been given a trial date.
In court documents, Lincoln Police allege that on Oct. 18, Wilson turned and shot at Stacy Talbot several times after Talbot punched him in the back of the head and tried to get out of the car as it was driving along North 14th Street.
Talbot was shot twice and died at a Lincoln hospital that night.
In court records, police say Talbot had texted a woman within 5 minutes of being shot, asking for help and saying the people he was with wouldn't let him out of the car.
Law enforcement later arrested three people who they say were with Talbot that night. They tracked Wilson and Sherry Lynn Thomas to Clovis, New Mexico, where they were arrested Oct. 27 in the car from which police believe Talbot had been pushed. They arrested James R. Howard in Texas a day earlier.
Reach the writer at 402-473-7237 or lpilger@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSpilger.
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Khalil ultimately was terminated and now works as a Lincoln police officer.
During what is expected to be a two-week trial, Brandon will lay out her case that within LFR existed an atmosphere of retaliation against people, like Hurd, who spoke out, but the city will try to prove that something else was at play.
This case is not about the city of Lincoln retaliating against Troy Hurd, but about Hurd having a vendetta against anyone he thought wronged him, Assistant City Attorney Jocelyn Golden told the jury.
She said they would hear plenty of evidence about how Hurd said multiple times that he wanted to make the city of Lincoln and LFR pay.
Because, the reality of the situation is that Hurd thought he was entitled to be treated differently, to not be disciplined for his errors and to be promoted when he was not the most-qualified candidate, Golden said.
She said in 2011, Hurd and Eddie Mueller, then a firefighter and now a department captain, had a falling out before both were assigned to the training academy. There, they butted heads over how to run it.
When Mueller used foul language when telling a recruit to sit down and listen, Golden said, he was given a written discipline the same day.
The pivot is nigh? Photo: Doug Mills/Getty Images
The American public longs for liberalism by any other name. Since the advent of opinion polling, a majority of voters has consistently espoused left-of-center views on economic policy, readily endorsing proposals for more government intervention in the economy to advance the general welfare and progressively redistribute resources. This was true during the halcyon days of Great Society liberalism, and remained so, even after Ronald Reagan brought morning to America.
And yet, throughout all those decades, a majority of Americans also refused to self-identify as liberals, while a large plurality chose to call themselves conservative.
Which makes sense.
After all, in the United States, small government conservatism is, fundamentally, a philosophy of upward redistribution. Its advocates might frame their case for slashing taxes on the rich and reducing workers bargaining power over their bosses in utilitarian terms. But democratic majorities have never bought the idea that giving wealthy people more money is a better way to raise wages than, say, passing a law that raises the minimum wage. Conservative intellectuals may bristle at the hubris of bureaucrats who believe they know how to distribute resources better than the omniscient price signal. But the median voter has never heard of Friedrich Hayek; and when someone asks her whether the government should directly create jobs for all the unemployed, or guarantee all citizens basic medical care, or force corporations to give workers representation on their boards, she finds collectivism to be common sense.
And yet, if ordinary human beings have no natural affinity for trickle-down economics, many do have a psychological predisposition toward respecting authority, revering tradition, and resenting challenges to the social order especially if their race, gender, or religion affords them a (relatively) privileged status within said order. Taking from the poor to give the rich has never been popular. But punching a hippie to defend the flag, outlawing abortion to honor inherited moral intuitions (and protect the patriarchal family), stigmatizing gay people to reinforce traditional gender roles, and getting tough on illegals or inner-city thugs to sustain white supremacy have, at various times in our history, been quite popular indeed.
Donald Trump is not the political savant many believe him to be. But his comprehensive ignorance of the conservative intellectual tradition has enabled him to grasp, consciously or otherwise, that the Republican base wants its government handouts and (soft-core) white nationalism, too. Throughout the 2016 primary, Trump ran as moderate Democrat on fiscal policy (endorsing, at various times, a $1 trillion investment in public infrastructure, universal health care, higher taxes on hedge-fund managers, and price controls on pharmaceuticals) and a moderate fascist on immigration, law enforcement, and freedom of dissent.
Trumps heretical Herrenvolk liberalism faded after he secured the Republican nomination (and thus, the backing of some Establishment Republican donors). And once in office, Trump outsourced his legislative agenda to the GOPs congressional leadership, who promptly attempted throw millions of people off of Medicaid to maximize fiscal space for slashing taxes on business owners and corporate shareholders.
But just because Trump isnt interested in actually implementing liberal economic policies doesnt mean hes done pretending to support them. In fact, if his State of the Union address is any guide, the president plans to campaign in 2020 as an operational liberal and symbolic reactionary.
On Tuesday night, Trump called for government intervention in the marketplace to lower the cost of health care and prescription drugs and to protect patients with preexisting conditions. He demanded Congress appropriate funds for new and important infrastructure investment, including investments in the cutting-edge industries of the future. He lamented that America had spent more than $7 trillion in the Middle East, and called for the orderly termination of the nations endless wars. He announced his pride in being first president to include in my budget a plan for nationwide paid family leave. And, as always, he discussed trade policy in a manner that affirmed the premise that the government has a responsibility to prioritize full employment and wage growth over maximizing capital mobility or market freedom.
There remain hard limits to Trumps economic blasphemy. The president still sung paeans to tax cuts and deregulation. But crucially, he did not mention the budget deficit, national debt, or necessity of cutting government spending once. In so doing, he signaled that his support for a massive tax cut for working families did not imply an opposition to expanding the welfare state.
At the same time, the president interspersed his endorsement of liberal policy with condemnations of the Democrats radical values. He promised to resist the lefts push to abolish our heroes from ICE, establish open borders, and bring socialism to America an ideology he defined as the worship of government coercion, domination, and control.
In other words, the president promised conservative values and liberal measures.
If Donald Trump were a more competent politician and the GOP a less plutocratic political party this pitch would pose a real threat to the Democratic Party. Especially when combined with the light-touch triangulation on issues of womens empowerment and criminal justice that Trump flirted with Tuesday night.
Fortunately, the president is a senescent narcissist with poor impulse control, who takes most of his political advice from far-right media. Trump has never been able to stick to a message (or avoid gratuitously offending potentially sympathetic constituencies) before, and theres no reason to think hell be able to do so in 2020. Meanwhile, the Koch Network has a hammerlock on the Republican Partys agenda, and Trumps first two years in office appear to have made that more apparent to some marginal voters who expected the anti-Establishment billionaire to defy conservative orthodoxy. The president can pretend to support popular policies in 2020. But that gambit is bound to be less effective than it was before he spent his first term calling for the passage of historically unpopular policies. And as of this writing, multiple polls show a majority of Americans believe they will definitely not vote for Trumps reelection.
In fact, Trumps unpopularity is now so deep and profound, his attacks on socialism, open borders, and the abolition of ICE might do more to push his (heretofore moderate) detractors toward an embrace of left-wing social values than to pull white moderates in his own direction. Last year, the percentage of Americans who self-identified as liberal hit an all-time high, while that of Americans who call themselves conservative dipped to an all-time low.
"And preserving its habitat is sure to benefit many other aquatic species," Cavanaugh said.
Michael O'Hara, lobbyist for the Nebraska Sierra Club, said that in the areas Game and Parks manages, kids are likely to run into an ornate box turtle, which can live for more than three decades.
Kids will go home and talk about the turtles, then every time they see that plate, they will get another positive experience, he said.
"So it's going to have a genuine tourism impact," O'Hara said.
Sen. Dan Hughes of Venango introduced a bill (LB128) that would create three additional license plates known as wildlife conservation plates, featuring sandhill cranes, big horn sheep and cutthroat trout.
The money collected for those specialty plates would follow the same guidelines as the mountain lion conservation plates, from which Game and Parks receives $30 for each message plate and $5 for each alpha-numeric plate, he said. That money goes into the commission's education fund relating to wildlife conservation practices.
The mountain lion plates have generated more than $225,000 for the commission, Hughes said.
Reducing the age of eligibility to serve in the Nebraska Legislature from 21 to 19 would expand the pool of potential state senators and recognize "the recent wave of civic engagement by young people," Sen. Matt Hansen of Lincoln said Wednesday.
Hansen told the Legislature's executive board that his proposal (LR11CA) would engage young Nebraskans who already are "highly active in the political process."
The proposed constitutional amendment, which would be submitted to Nebraska voters for their consideration in the 2020 general election, surprisingly attracted no testimony, either pro or con, at a noon-hour public hearing.
Meanwhile, Sen. Tony Vargas of Omaha urged the board to consider his proposed constitutional amendment (LR12CA) to clear the path for voter consideration of the first increase in state senator salaries since 1989.
Vargas' plan provides that salaries would be increased, and then adjusted every two years, to reflect one-half of Nebraska's median income.
If the proposal was in effect today, the current salary of $12,000 a year would be raised to about $27,000, Vargas said.
Nebraska ranks far behind the average state legislative salary nationwide, he said, which amounts to about $35,000 a year.
"This bill would give the landowner a reason not to hate the deer so much," he said. "They could take their grandson out hunting a week ahead of time."
The bill would provide up to four free permits per landowner.
The surge in deer aggravates farmers such as 70-year-old Robert Forch, who grows corn, milo and wheat in southwest Nebraska's Hitchcock County. Forch said deer destroyed about 20 percent of the crops in one of his fields in 2017 a $9,600 loss and caused substantial damage in others.
They also create road hazards. On a recent drive from his farm to McCook 35 miles away, Forch said he spotted three freshly killed deer on the highway.
Forch said he complained to a state game official and was told he could buy antlerless doe hunting permits, but at that point the damage was already done.
"We've got a horrendous amount of damage and nobody seems to care," Forch said. "This is our bottom line."
Forch said he still hopes to work with Nebraska Game and Parks Commission officials on a solution. He said he asked Hughes to introduce the bill as "a token of appreciation" for farmers whose fields provide a habitat for deer and other wildlife.
He said he had consulted with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and learned that "our farmers are extremely happy."
"It's a nice kind of olive branch," said Peter Meyer, head of grain and oilseed analytics at S&P Global Platts.
Soybeans, which accounted for just $21.5 billion of $2.4 trillion in U.S. exports in 2017, seem to be punching above their weight in U.S. trade policy.
Farming is one of the few areas in which the United States sells more to the rest of the world than it buys, China included. Powerful lobbies represent American agricultural interests in Washington. And farmers tend to be enthusiastic Trump supporters.
The emphasis on soybeans has drawbacks, critics say. In the confrontation with China, for example, it diverts attention from the tough tech issues that divide the world's two biggest economies and may decide whether Beijing or Washington presides over the economy of the future. And it implies that the Chinese might be able to avoid substantive concessions on their economic policies simply by agreeing to buy more American stuff and putting a dent in the massive U.S. trade deficit with China. That amounted to $336 billion in 2017 and was likely higher last year.
CHARLESTON -- Selling methamphetamine and other drug activity led to a prison sentence totaling 32 years for a Mattoon man.
Ricky Curtis received the prison time for 2016 and 2017 drug delivery and possession charges to which he pleaded guilty in September.
Curtis, 40, for whom court list an address on North Logan Street in Mattoon but also in Chicago, faced prison terms longer than the usual maximum for his convictions.
That's because of his criminal record, which also led to a habitual criminal charge against him, also in connection with drug offenses, that was dismissed.
Among the charges in that case, also from 2017, was one of armed habitual criminal accusing Curtis of having a gun at the time of those offenses in October of that year.
It also included allegations of his prior convictions for robbery and other offenses in Cook County and would have required a prison sentence of six to 60 years with a conviction.
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At sentencing, Coles County Circuit Judge Brien O'Brien ordered an 18-year prison sentence for a methamphetamine delivery offense that accused Curtis of selling the drug on Aug. 28, 2017.
The judge also imposed a 14-year prison term for a charge that accused Curtis of drug possession on Sept. 1, 2016. O'Brien ordered to the two sentences added together, instead of running at the same time.
Charges in the dismissed case also included possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver and weapons possession charges.
Charges that could have normally resulted in probation would have required prison time for Curtis, and any sentence he would have received in the dismissed case would also have been added to his other prison terms.
Court records show Curtis also has a Coles County methamphetamine possession conviction from 2015, and 2005 obstructing justice and escape convictions for which he served prison time.
O'Brien agreed to a request to recommend Curtis for a prison system substance abuse treatment program. It will be up to prison officials whether to admit him to the program but the judge's recommendation was necessary for him to be eligible.
O'Brien based the sentence on arguments and recommendations from Assistant State's Attorne Joy Wolf and defense attorney Sean Britton.
Contact Dave Fopay at (217) 238-6858. Follow him on Twitter: @FopayDave
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Introduction
In just 50 years, almost a million Jews, whose communities stretch back up to 3,000 years, have been 'ethnically cleansed' from 10 Arab countries. These refugees outnumber the Palestinian refugees two to one, but their narrative has all but been ignored. Unlike Palestinian refugees, they fled not war, but systematic persecution. Seen in this light, Israel, where some 50 percent of the Jewish population descend from these refugees and are now full citizens, is the legitimate expression of the self-determination of an oppressed indigenous, Middle Eastern people.
This website is dedicated to preserving the memory of the near-extinct Jewish communities, which can never return to what and where they once were - even if they wanted to. It will attempt to pass on the stories of the Jewish refugees and their current struggle for recognition and restitution. Awareness of the injustice done to these Jews can only advance the cause of peace and reconciliation.
(Iran: once an ally of Israel, the Islamic Republic of Iran is now an implacable enemy and numbers of Iranian Jews have fallen drastically from 80,000 to 20,000 since the 1979 Islamic revolution. Their plight - and that of all other communities threatened by Islamism - does therefore fall within the scope of this blog.)
Donald Trump during a meeting on February 1, 2019 in Washington, D.C. Photo: JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images
President Trump will pledge to end HIV/AIDS in his State of the Union address tonight, Politico reported on Tuesday. Though the speech isnt finalized, early details indicate that Trump will announce a ten-year strategy to reduce transmissions by 2030:
Under Trumps HIV strategy, health officials would spend the first five years focusing on communities across roughly 20 states where the most HIV infections occur. The ultimate goal is to stop new infections over a 10-year period, said two officials, with some parallels to how the Trump administration is targeting the opioid epidemic.
According to Politico, the strategy will be overseen in part by Brett Giroir, the Department of Health and Human Services assistant secretary. If that name sounds familiar, it could be because he is also responsible for a different, and once much-vaunted, Trump initiative: overseeing the HHS response to the opioid crisis. And thats a red flag. Its been a year since Trump promised the nation that his administration is committed to fighting the drug epidemic during his last State of the Union address, and little has changed. Experts have described the legislation he has signed to tackle the epidemic as simply tinkering around the edges and insufficient in terms of funds. After Trump declared an emergency over the opioid crisis, a government watchdog agency found the declaration didnt lead to much actual policy change, German Lopez reported for Vox on Tuesday.
Trumps evaporating interest in the opioid crisis may be attributed to his administrations legislative priorities. To Trump, the opioid crisis largely functions as a rhetorical justification for his border wall, rather than a real danger that needs to be addressed concretely. Meanwhile, his administration remains committed to a vision of small government that drastically cuts the social welfare spending that would help ameliorate the damage done by opioids. But public health crises whether theyre due to substance abuse or to HIV/AIDS threaten the welfare of the public. People who are chronically ill need health care they can afford, and that takes public spending, which the Trump administration manifestly abhors.
With Seema Verma at the helm of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the administration has approved and defended Medicaid waivers for states that amount to massive funding cuts for the program. Thats a problem for people living with HIV or AIDS. According to the Rural Health Information Hub, only 17 percent of people with HIV or AIDS were insured prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act. Not only did the ACA prohibit insurance companies from refusing coverage to individuals with preexisting health conditions like HIV or AIDS, it allowed states to expand Medicaid. The Kaiser Family Foundation reported in 2016 that 40 percent of people living with HIV or AIDS are enrolled in Medicaid, making the program the single largest source of coverage for people with HIV in the U.S. And the expanding Medicaid has led to more coverage for those with HIV: KFF found that Medicaid coverage for people with HIV in care rose six percentage points between 2012 and 2014, a trend the think tank attributed to Medicaid expansion.
Advocates for people with HIV or AIDS have opposed Medicaid reforms that would cut people from the program. In January 2018, members of the HIV Health Care Access Working Group submitted a letter to CMS urging the agency to reject Ohios request to add work requirements to Medicaid. Ohios proposal to impose work requirements on vulnerable populations threatens to reverse the progress in providing access to prevention, care, and treatment and reducing health care costs, the letter stated.
CMS has not yet issued a decision on Ohios request. But, if past is truly prologue, CMS will probably approve the waiver, just as its done for other states seeking to reduce Medicaid spending by adding onerous work requirements as a condition for benefits. As long as the Trump administration remains hostile to programs like Medicaid, people living with HIV or AIDS are at risk for losing vital care. Whatever strategy Trump announces tonight, it will be hollow posturing.
This blog generally follows traditional journalistic standards. It's not about opinions, though you may read one here occasionally. It's about facts that we think will be useful to rural journalists, non-rural journalists who do rural stories, and others interested in rural issues. We don't try to be provocative, so we don't generate as many comments as most blogs with the level of traffic we have, but we certainly invite comments -- and contributions, to
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REPUBLICATION
On Monday, at the European Parliament headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, a conference where the growing terrorist activities of the Iranian regime was discussed, as well as the correct policy for the international community, especially Europe, to take regarding the threats posed by the Iranian regime.
Former European Parliament Vice President Dr. Alejo Vidal Quadras moderated the conference. According to Dr. Quadras, terrorist acts coming out of Iran are being coordinated at the highest levels of power within the regime. However, [EU foreign policy chief Federica] Mogherini and her colleagues are trying to hide this truth, Quadras said.
The remarks of Iranian officials and the facts on the ground leave no doubt that we are faced with the rise of Iranian terrorism against Europe. We must protect our countries.
Quadras also asked several pertinent questions. why only a branch of the Intelligence ministry and not all of it has been added to the European terror list. Why hasnt the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) been sanctioned. Why not the Supreme Leader and the President, who are directly responsible for many of these plots, been sanctioned? Why are Europeans seeking business as usual with the Iranian regime.
The European Unions appeasement policy allowing the Iranian regime the to continue its terrorism, according to Quadras, who said, The EU insists the nuclear deal remains in its security interest. Yet these terror plots have happened after the nuclear deal was forged, which casts doubt over the promised security of the nuclear deal.
Former FBI Director Louis Freeh also spoke at the conference. In Europe, we know the historical dangers and consequences of improper appeasement, he said.
Freeh stressed that the terrorist activity by the Iranian regime is controlled by the state. He stressed that, The constitution of the regime dictates to pursue terrorism against activists and opponents. The regime has a pattern of practice of terrorism to achieve its goal.
The U.S. has taken a strong position that you cant trust the Iranian regime. It could never be trusted because the mullahs ruling the country dont have the same respect for the rule of law that we all do. If you cant trust a partner, you cant do commerce with that partner, Freeh said. The regime is trying to murder people in Paris who are peacefully advocating for freedom. There was a plot with Iranian diplomats to blow those people up.
Freeh also asserted that the Iranian regime continued its terrorist activities in Europe, The regime will continue to operate that way as long as European capitals tolerate that. Freeh said of recent EU sanctions against a small subset of the Iranian Intelligence Ministry (MOIS), When you only sanction a small branch, youre giving the green light to your adversary to continue terrorist acts and that youre willing to continue to do business. Freeh also recommended, The entire MOIS must be sanctioned.
The IRGC must be sanctioned, as well as leaders and officials. The only thing this regime understands and respects is applied force and sanctions.
A member of the Iranian opposition National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), Farzin Hashemi, provided details into the regimes terror network active in Europe.
The Iranian regimes MOIS, IRGC and IRGC Quds Force are all involved in the mullahs terrorism apparatus. Our latest information from inside the regime relates to the regimes terror plot against the opposition Iran Freedom rally on June 30th in Paris, he explained.
Reza Amiri Moghadam of the MOIS collaborated with Asdollah Assadi, a Vienna-based diplomat, to carry out the operation targeting the major rally. This is a clear example of the coordination of Irans different agencies and that decisions are made at the highest ranks of the regime.
Regarding Albania, where members of the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) are based, Hashemi described the way the government of this country has adopted strong measures against Tehran. The prime minister of Albania expelled the Iranian ambassador and chief intelligence officer from his country. Albanian officials explained that the Iranian regime were plotting to bomb a ceremony of the PMOI/MEK. Mohammad Nia, one of the expelled diplomats, was also one of the members of the nuclear negotiations team.
Hashemi highlighted the closely knit terrorism-decision making network in Tehran. The MOIS is closely tied to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in terrorist activities. Terrorism is institutionalized at the highest levels of the mullahs regime, at the Supreme Security Council headed by the President, now being Hassan Rouhani. Afterwards, the decisions are sent to the office of Iranian regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei for approval. Terrorism is part of the regimes DNA.
For the future, Hashemi pointed out measures Europe must take to face the Iranian regimes growing threats. I think it is time for Europe to take a firm stance vis-a-vis the mullahs regime. All officials involved in these decisions must be sanctioned.
They do not represent the Iranian people. They are in fact suppressing the Iranian people at home, while being interlocutors of Mrs. Mogherini, Hashemi emphasized. The entirety of the MOIS, the IRGC and all individuals engaged in the acts of terrorism must be blacklisted. The EU should also listen to the Iranian people and put an end to this illusion that there are two different factions in Iran. These terrorism activities are carried out by the entirety of the regime and approved by the Supreme Leader.
Claude Moniquet, a retired French journalist and a former intelligence agent at the French Directorate-General for External Security has said, [Irans regime] uses terrorism to fuel tensions in the Middle East This regime has developed a security apparatus that, on the one hand is designed to extend its rule, and on the other, to expand its terrorist ideology abroad.
The former DST intelligence agent added, There might be personal rivalries between the mullahs, but where foreign policy is concerned and the use of the diplomatic apparatus for terrorism, regime officials are of a like mind and all decisions are made by the Supreme National Security Council. Moniquet explained, There are internal problems in Iran.
he regime needs to eliminate the MEK and NCRI to maintain its hold on power. Because these are the main opposition that can organize protests in Iran.
While the US continues to increase pressure on the Iranian regime in line with President Trumps withdrawal last May from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, the EU remains committed to preserving that agreement, and is reportedly on the verge of implementing a special payment mechanism for evading the secondary sanctions that came back into force in November.
Last week, the Associated Press published a similar report, noting that the US Treasury had imposed even more sanctions, targeting two Iran-backed militias in Syria and a commercial airline that was accused of contributing to smuggling operations associated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. In the meantime, the White House was reportedly putting European partners on notice over prospective sanctions avoidance, insisting that there would be stiff penalties for carrying through with the EUs plan.
The AP indicates that these warnings did not appear to deter European supporters of what has come to be known as the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges, or INSTEX. This special purpose vehicle for Iranian transactions is expected to be registered in France under the direction of a German official, with additional stakeholders from the United Kingdom. However, questions have lately emerged about the practical impact of the mechanisms formal launch.
These questions first became prominent after the UK and France, in their capacity as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, called for a meeting over Irans persistent ballistic missile activities. Later, the EU imposed sanctions on the Iranian intelligence service in response to planned assassinations of Iranian opposition activists on European soil. These developments encouraged doubts about the extent of the EUs commitment to defending Irans interests, and they roughly coincided with downgrades in the description of anticipated INSTEX operations.
The Washington Post repeated these lower expectations in its report on Sunday, noting for instance that European officials who are close to the issue have acknowledged that the effects might be minor at first, and that the payment vehicle would initially deal with transactions that are already permitted under the US sanctions, such as those involving food and medicine.
The AP suggested that American officials may be concerned about INSTEX or a related payment mechanism challenging the current, US-linked international banking transfer system known as SWIFT. But this is a far-off outcome and it depends on tremendous success for INSTEX in the near term, something that is far from being a foregone conclusion according to the Post.
In fact, while the new payment mechanism is intended to save the nuclear deal, or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, from the existential threat associated with American withdrawal, European officials have reportedly expressed skepticism about whether the deal can be saved at all. To a great extent, this is up to the Iranian regime, but its officials have responded to American pressure by raising their expectations for European countermeasures, rather than lowering them.
The Post quoted Ahmad Jannati, the chairman of Irans Assembly of Experts as saying, Some imagined that they could rely on the Europeans when the U.S. withdrew from the JCPOA. The Europeans, however, are dragging their feet and [will] do nothing in our interest. The Europeans are worse than the Americans.
This goes to show that Tehran likely expects much more from the EU than its support for INSTEX. And this in turn supports the Posts observation that that alone will not be a determining factor in whether Iran remains in compliance with the JCPOA over the long term. Many prominent voices in Iranian politics are urging the cancellation of the agreement, which hardliners regard as a betrayal of the regimes longstanding reputation as a bulwark against Western influence in the Middle East.
And whether or not those voices succeed in prompting Iranian withdrawal, they are likely to prevent the Islamic Republic from offering anything of value to encourage greater conciliation from European partners.
On Monday, a report by Reuters made this clear, in that it quoted Sadeq Larijani, the head of the Iranian judiciary, as rejecting supposed preconditions set by the JCPOAs European signatories in advance of the INSTEX launch. Although European diplomats insisted that there was no such precondition only a strong expectation the dismissive reaction is a window into the Iranian regimes mindset for future dealings with the West.
Iran will never accept their strange and humiliating conditions of joining the FATF and negotiations on its missile program, Larijani said via Irans Tasnim News Agency. He was referring, in the first place, to the Financial Action Task Force, which sets standards for the avoidance of money-laundering and other financial crimes among its member states.
To whatever extent the European participants in INSTEX expect Tehran to comply with FATF standards, it is not a new condition. Legislation to that effect has faced roadblocks after passing through the Iranian parliament, because hardliners worry about the effect on Tehrans support for Hezbollah and other militant groups. Yet the passage of that legislation has long been understood as a precondition for Iranian access to SWIFT. Thus, the absence of such a precondition for INSTEX access would represent a significant additional concession to the Islamic Republic.
Meanwhile, Larijanis statement regarding ballistic missiles does not seem to reflect any specific statement made by European diplomats or officials. It does, however, reflect what Reuters describes as worsening relations between Iran and Europe, which has EU member states contemplating new sanctions on the Iranian ballistic missile program.
Although the development and testing of such weapons is not addressed by the JCPOA itself, the corresponding UN Security Council resolution calls upon the Islamic Republic to avoid all work on nuclear capable weapons, but Tehran has since insisted that compliance with that provision is optional and that Iranian ballistic missiles are not expressly intended to carry nuclear warheads.
This, of course, has been little consolation for Western policymakers who are concerned about belligerent Iranian activities at a time when future relations with the regime are very much up in the air. Another Reuters report indicated on Monday that the EU had issued a rare joint statement reiterating its worries about the Iranian ballistic missile program and noting that the regime continues to undertake efforts to increase the range and precision of its missiles, together with increasing the number of tests and operational launches.
These activities deepen mistrust and contribute to regional instability, the statement added, using language that is reminiscent of the Trump administrations calls for greater international confrontation of the Islamic Republic. The Washington Post quoted one expert with the European Council on Foreign Relations as saying that in certain areas, presumably including the area of ballistic missile development, Europe is eager to show the United States that it can be tough on Iran.
Although this desire appears far from overriding the European effort to preserve the JCPOA, it does contribute to a situation in which, according to the Post and other outlets, the EUs pushback is relatively weak in comparison to the American efforts to enforce economic sanctions and compel private entities to avoid doing business with the Islamic Republic. Whats more, as Iran refuses to compromise over issues such as money laundering and ballistic missiles, it may push Europe to either tolerate or actively participate in a larger share of those American efforts.
With Tehran currently celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution, there could be further growth in avenues for the regimes defiance of international will. This was the implication of state media broadcasts on Saturday, which marked the start of those celebrations in part by boasting of the successful testing of a new cruise missile that is reportedly capable of flying at low altitudes over a range of 800 miles before accurately striking a target.
Fox News quoted Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami as calling this Hoveizeh cruise missile the long arm of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the Long War Journal provided expert examination of his claims and the underlying rhetoric. The latter report noted that cruise missiles are now the declared focus of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force and it suggested that official statements may actually be downplaying the range of the weapons in order to support the regimes dubious claims that its ongoing military buildup is purely defensive in nature.
The Long War Journal concludes its reporting by criticizing the complacency that European powers have arguably been demonstrating in the midst of their efforts to preserve the JCPOA and resist American efforts to build an anti-Iran coalition. An overemphasis by the West on seeking to check Tehrans ballistic missile program has led to inattention to Irans cruise missile capabilities and intentions, which is an evolving threat, the article stated before advising that Washington and by extension its European allies should take proactive steps to address that threat and prevent further illicit weapons development by the Islamic Republic.
On January 22, Lord Anthony Clarke wrote that the Iranian Regime is just a dictatorship by any other name and that descriptions of President Hassan Rouhani as a moderate misunderstand the Iranian political landscape. He explained that under Rouhani, Iran has continued to undermine Middle East stability and fund regional terrorist organisations in order to take quasi-control in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Lebanon.
Clarke assessed: In February 1979, the people of Iran threw off the rule of one dictator, only to watch as religious extremists installed another.
All of this is true and, importantly, is what the Peoples Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI/MEK) have been saying since the beginning. This is what the MEK have been warning about for 40 years and the international community must wake up and recognise that the MEK has been right this whole time.
The worlds failure to listen to the MEK in the past four decades has allowed the Iranian Regime to act with impunity, whether thats intervening in the Syrian civil war and prolonging it for years past its natural end date, supplying terrorist groups with ballistic weapons, suppression of the Iranian people, or committing acts of terrorism on European soil.
In 2018 alone, the Iranian Regime launched two terrorist attacks against MEK members in Europe; one in Albania, where roughly 3,000 MEK members live after fleeing persecution, including rocket attacks, from the Regime, and one in France, where the MEK were taking part in the annual Free Iran gathering, which was attended by over 100,000 people.
Both attacks were thankfully foiled by the relevant authorities, with an Iranian diplomat to Vienna being arrested for masterminding the France plot, and no one was hurt, but the point is that the Regime sees the MEK as a threat to the future of its despotic rule.
(This is nothing new. In 1988, the Regime slaughtered 30,000 MEK members in a single summer after sham trials; something that was later covered up by the Regime, but routinely brought to light by political prisoners, human rights organisations, and families of the murdered.)
Now is the time to rectify the situation, by listening to the MEK and following the advice of MEK leader Maryam Rajavi. She advised that all governments adopt a firm policy on the Iran Regime, including blacklisting Irans Intelligence Ministry, the Revolutionary Guards Corps, and their related entities, as well as expelling intelligence agents working in foreign countries.
Indeed, the US has already taken steps towards a tough policy on Iran by pulling out of the nuclear deal and reimposing sanctions. It has also called out Irans role in regional conflicts and shown support to the Iranian people, who Donald Trump rightly said were the longest suffering victims of the dictatorship.
At the Warsaw conference next week, the world has a chance to work towards peace in the Middle East by agreeing to a firm policy on Iran, something the MEK says is long overdue.
The eight members of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation arrested in January and February 2018 Houman Jokar, Sepideh Kashani, Niloufar Bayani, Amirhossein Khaleghi, Sam Rajabi, Taher Ghadirian, Abdoreza Kouhpayeh, and Morad Tahbaz appeared in court on January 30, 2019. There they learnt that at least the first half of their 300-page indictment is based entirely on a confession extracted under torture from Bayani, who immediately told the judge that she had since retracted the confession.
During the second court session on February 2, she said: If you were being threatened with a needle of hallucinogenic drugs [hovering] above your arm, you would also confess to whatever they wanted you to confess.
But that is not all. The defendants were also restricted from choosing their own lawyers and forced to pick from a list pre-approved by the judiciary, while Rajabis lawyer was not even allowed to attend the court session.
Michael Page, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said: The gravity of due process violations against these activists over the past year, and the recent allegation of torture and forced confessions, has reinforced the reality that the judiciary is a tool of repression and a symbol of injustice.
He continued: The highest-ranking authorities should immediately investigate this allegation of torture, immediately call for the release of these activists, and end the grave abuses against them.
All of the defendants bar Kouhpayeh were arrested by the Revolutionary Guards Intelligence Organization on January 24 or 25, 2018, alongside the groups leader, Iranian-Canadian professor Kavous Seyed Emami. Seyed Emami later died under suspicious circumstances in prison. Authorities claimed it was suicide, but refused to conduct an impartial investigation and have banned his wife from leaving the country.
Kouhpayeh was arrested on February 25.
In October, following an admission by the Iranian government that they could not find any evidence of spying, Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi charged four of the environmentalists with sowing corruption on earth, a crime that carries the death penalty, claiming that they sought proximity to military sites under the guise on environmental projects. Its worth noting here that the environmentalists have received permission from the Regime to monitor the endangered Asiatic cheetah in those locations.
Three of the remaining environmentalists are charged with spying and one person is charged with assembly and collusion against national security; a vague charge often used by the Regime when they have no crime to charge a person with.
Last month, labour rights activists Ismael Bakhshi and Sepideh Gholian also reported being tortured while they were detained late last year, which resulted in the Regime airing their forced confessions on TV and arrested them both again.
Page said: If President [Hassan] Rouhani wants anyone to believe he does not agree that detainees are being routinely tortured in Iran, now is the time to act. The president should directly intervene as the head of the national security council, and order a transparent investigation.
Of course, the reality is that there will be no independent investigation, because even if Rouhani was any different to the rest of the mullahs, he simply doesnt pull the strings. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei does.
Performance Artist Ana Teresa Fernandez remembers discovering that thousands of people drown every year while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Africa or the Middle East to Europe. As she often does when she finds a news story difficult to fathom, Fernandez turned to performance art to help her reach a deeper understanding.
When we hear that 300 individuals sunk on a dinghy, it's hard to wrap your brain around what that means, Fernandez said. When I make my work, I try and create something that evokes an experience that people can jump into and submerge themselves in and in a way that is not about statistics and numbers, but its about feelings and emotions.
Fernandez will give a talk at 5pm on Friday, January 11 in room FA015 of the Fine Arts Building, followed by an opening reception for her exhibition titled Of Bodies and Borders. The exhibit features videos, paintings and drawings based on Fernandez performance in which she braved the Mediterranean Sea while wearing high heels, a weight belt and a white bed sheet.
Ana Teresa Fernandez, Drawn Below (still), 2018, HD video, 8:37 minutes, Edition 1 of 5 (Photo courtesy of the artist and Gallery Wendi Norris)
I plunged into the sea and began trying to dance or wrestle with the bedsheet and it was both terrifying and beautiful and freezing and incredibly difficult, Fernandez said.
Lots of people ask her why she chose to include a bedsheet in this performance, Fernandez said. Her answer is that the bed sheet represents something that many of us were wrapped in as infants and also something that we might be wrapped in after we die as a shroud.
It's this metaphor of the possibility of rebirth as someone embarks on this journey or the other outcome, which is really an awful, devastating one, which is the sea taking individuals lives and having them drown, Fernandez said.
Light is another important aspect of the pieces featured in the exhibit, Fernandez said. Depending on the position of the lights, the videos of her body conjure images of both death and new life.
Sometimes the body becomes completely obscured and blocked off and sometimes it gets shown from behind and so it looks almost like an x-ray, Fernandez said. There's other moments where the body gets lit from the front and its almost like it's this glowing cocoon about to rupture from the chrysalis.
Ana Teresa Fernandez (Photo courtesy of the artist)
In order to create the light-filled videos, drawings and paintings for this exhibition, Fernandez traveled from her home in California to Greece with two underwater lights, both of which weighed more than 35 pounds, and two colleagues who had experience with underwater filming. She also cold-called the French underwater artist Hortense Le Calvez to ask for help with this project; Le Calvez agreed and the project began.
There were 2 other men with me, Gerardo Rivero and Jonny Kloberdanz, who were both wearing scuba gear and wetsuits and holding underwater cameras; Hortense was holding the underwater flashlight, Fernandez said. They were swirling around me while I was moving; there were moments where I knew where they were and we would engage more, and other moments where I didn't know where anyone was.
Fernandez said her parents were slightly terrified of her doing this performance piece in the ocean, but Fernandez took comfort in her 12-year experience as a competitive swimmer.
We definitely had a whole plan if I wasn't able to find the edge, Fernandez said. There were a couple moments that were a little bit tense where I swallowed a little bit of water, but my intent was not to drown myself.
Ana Teresa Fernandez, Of Bodies and Borders 3 (Entering the Outcome), 2018, Oil on canvas. (Photo courtesy of the artist and Gallery Wendi Norris)
This performance was not the first of its kind for Fernandez. In her 2011 performance titled Borrando la Frontera , Fernandez painted sections of the U.S.-Mexican border fence in San Diego sky blue in order to erase the border. In 2016 she created a video called Erasure in which she covered herself almost completely in black paint in response to the murder of 43 college students in Mexico.
There was something so gut-wrenching about it that I just had this very visceral reaction of I need to make my body disappear, Fernandez said.
Betsy Stirratt, director of the Grunwald Gallery, joined the Arts and Humanities Council of IU to select an artist who would fit the theme of this years global festival, Mexico: Remixed.
I worked with them to select Ana Teresa Fernandez as our artist because she is Mexican-born and also deals with issues related to border crossings and immigration and I thought it was very timely, Stirratt said.
Fernandez said borders represent an impediment to freedom which is one of the most important currencies we have in this world.
I think that borders come in so many shapes and sizes and sometimes it's not physical, Fernandez said. A border is something that limits us from the completeness of what could be.
(That's just a taste of the music of Joshua Armenta performed by the Great Noise Ensemble led by Blair Skinner with tenor Joshua Diaz.)
I'm George Walker
The Indianapolis Opera showcases the world premiere of Armenta's Ice Shall Cover Nineveh in their Chorus in Concert program Saturday evening at seven-thirty and Sunday afternoon at three, February 9th and 10th in the Koch Hall of the Basile Opera Center.
Joshua Armenta was born in California, lives in Mexico City and still calls the Indiana of his boyhood, home. He's a Latino-American composer who writes music of and about our time. Armenta is also a conductor, published author, software developer and speaker. His Ice Shall Cover Ninevah is part of a healing process from loss and love inspired by a reading of poems by Kenneth Rexroth.
Armenta says, "I was looking for an Indiana author. I love James Whitcomb Riley, but I didn't find anything there. Kurt Vonnegut was an obvious choice, but the opera's been done so recently. Kenneth Rexroth was next and I found him in a worn out library volume in Silicon Valley." Rexroth was born in South Bend, but soon moved to Chicago and later spent much of his life in San Francisco. Thomas Sanchez, a Rexroth student described him as a "longtime iconoclast, onetime radical, Roman Catholic, Communist fellow traveler, jazz scholar, I.W.W. anarchist, translator, philosopher, playwright, librettist, orientalist, critical essayist, radio personality, newspaper columnist, painter, poet and longtime Buddhist." The spirituality and Buddhist aspects of Rexroth's poetry, the flow of the language, the vividness of the pictures and the overall attitude appealed to Armenta.
Armenta has worked with the Indianapolis Opera's General Director David Starkey and this led to the commission of a piece to honor the Opera's Chorus Master John Schmid. "The Ninevah of Rexroth's title isn't the town that Jonah tries to avoid in the Bible," says Armenta." It's part of a story of the three Wise Men on their journey after viewing the Christ Child. They come to Ninevah, a town in the mountains and ask for food and shelter. The town turns them away and it's then, that in retribution the ice covers it." Rexroth is very much a believer that even when tragedy occurs the earth, the trees, the grass regenerate and the animals return as well, time and nature can heal the pain. Along with the Indiana connection that's what attracted Armenta to his works. "
Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon's Chorus in Concert is in Koch Hall at the Indianapolis's Basile Opera Center. The concert repertoire takes a journey though the eras of opera, with choruses from C.W. Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice, Arthur Sullivan's The Mikado, and Giacomo Puccini's Turandot. Indianapolis Opera Resident Artists will perform solos in the newly commissioned piece, Ice Shall Cover Nineveh by Joseph Armenta. This world premiere piece was created in honor of the Opera's long time Chorus Master John Schmid.
I'm George Walker
The accused were convicted by the court of murdering two Jat youths in Kawal village which had led to the Muzaffarnagar riots in 2013.
Lucknow: The Muzaffarnagar district court on Wednesday convicted all the seven accused of murdering two Jat youths in Kawal village which had led to the Muzaffarnagar riots six years ago.
The two youths, Sachin Singh and Gaurav Singh, were murdered allegedly after a brawl that started after their two-wheeler collided with the bike of locals.
Additional district and sessions judge Himashu Bhatnagar convicted Muzammil, Mujassim, Furkan, Nadeem, Janangir, Afzal and Iqbal for killing the duo on August 27, 2013 and rioting, said district prosecution counsel Rajiv Sharma.
The court said the quantum of punishment will be pronounced on Friday.
According to the first information report, the two youths under Jansath police station area were battered to death by five of the men.
The two other accused, Afzal and Iqbal, however, were summoned by the court later under provisions of Section 319 of the Criminal Procedure Code when the evidence of their complicity in the killings emerged during the trial.
The court convicted the seven after examining 10 prosecution witnesses and six in their defence.
Of the seven accused, five were in prison since the last five years, while two were out on bail.
The incident had allegedly taken place on August 27, 2013, after Sachin and Gauravs two-wheeler collided with one Shahnawazs bike. Another local was also present at the spot.
The brawl led to the duos murder. Later on, Shahnawaz was also killed.
Gauravs father, Ravindra Singh, had lodged a complaint with the Jansath police station. Shahnawazs father, Salim, had also filed a case against the deceased youths and their five family members.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) had filed a final report in the case related to Shahnawazs, while a chargesheet on Sachin and Gauravs murder was filed by investigating officer Sampoornand Tiwari.
Post the Kawal incident, communal harmony in the region was disturbed and allegedly led to a major conflagration between the two communities in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli that had claimed more than 65 lives and displaced over 50,000 people.
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As per official figures, given by prosecution counsel Sharma, over 6,000 cases were lodged following the riots and 1,480 accused were arrested for their alleged roles in the riots.
A special investigation team, which probed the cases, had filed chargesheets in 175 cases. Fifty-six of them involving 430 accused resulted in acquittal.
The state government has withdrawn some cases.
(With inputs from PTI)
The Shiv Sena, on 6 February, backed police action against activist and academician Anand Teltumbde, and sought to draw a parallel between those linked to the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune and terror outfit Al-Qaeda.
It said constant attacks on police, administration and law, raising doubts over the state government and demoralising people is the strategy of militant organisation Al-Qaeda.
"People supporting Elgar Parishad also have a similar strategy," the Sena said in hard-hitting comments in an editorial published in the party's mouthpiece 'Saamana'.
Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar dubbed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) a terrorist body but it is a radical nationalist organisation, the Sena said.
Teltumbde, who the police claim has Maoist links, is an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Koregaon Bhima case registered by Pune Police. The case was filed following violent clashes at Koregaon-Bhima village near Pune district in Maharashtra on January 1, 2018.
Also Read: Pune Court Orders Anand Teltumbdes Release, Terms Arrest Illegal
The activist was arrested last week in the case and then released following a sessions court order.
He was booked following the Elgar Parishad event on December 31, 2017, which, the police alleged, triggered violent clashes the next day at Koregaon-Bhima.
According to police, the event was funded and supported by Maoists.
"The Koregaon-Bhima riots where Dalits were attacked has caused a vertical split in society. Sowing the seeds of rebellion, creating and spreading such literature and raising funds for it is the actual work of Maoist intellectuals. Al-Qaeda and intellectuals linked to Elgar have a similar style of functioning," the Sena said.
Sena Stands with Police in Teltumbe Case
It said people facing criminal charges such as murder, corruption and massacre get acquitted at times, which does not necessarily mean they are innocent and Teltumbde's supporters should know this.
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The Sena claimed some serious "anti-national activities" were being planned, and portraying police as criminals was the beginning of such a conspiracy.
"Hence, this is the right time to stand firmly with police," the Uddhav Thackeray-led party said.
The Sena also objected to the term Dalit academic used to refer Teltumbde, saying it was an insult to tag caste with a persons intelligence.
"People having a soft corner towards the Naxal movement cooked up the plan to spew venom of casteism in Maharashtra," the editorial said, adding that "bogus intellectuals" reacted to the action against Teltumbde and other intellectuals like Varavara Rao, Arun Perreira, Vernon Gonsalves and Sudha Bhardwaj as if the "sky was falling".
Also Read: Who Is Anand Teltumbde & Why Are People Tweeting #StandWithAnand
The court offered them, including Teltumbde, some respite, but does it mean police should not do any thing, wondered the Sena, an ally of the BJP in Maharashtra and at the Centre.
"Police have presented proof of their (activists) speeches and venom-spewing literature. All these people were key persons to destabilise the country," - Sena alleged.
Their high academic qualifications have offered them some prestige and they created good contacts in fields of administration, law and judiciary and education sectors, it said.
"These people have used such a network to spread the destructive thoughts of Naxalites and Maoism," the editorial alleged.
In a way, these people are "sponsors or preachers of terrorism", it said, adding that intellectuals also need to abide by law.
These people despise 'Hindutva' and defame the country on international platforms, the editorial said.
"Prakash Ambedkar calls RSS a terrorist organisation. Ambedkar's associates are AIMIM leader Owaisi and they support (former JNU students' union head) Kanhaiya Kumar, Teltumbde and (Dalit activist and Gujarat MLA) Jignesh Mevani. RSS is a radical nationalist organisation," the Sena said.
Also Read: Prashant Kishor Meets Shiv Sena: Is He Creating a 3-Party Axis?
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President Trump. Photo: Aaron P. Bernstein/Bloomberg via Getty Images
President Trumps State of the Union speech was the first since Democrats assumed control of the House of Representatives. Hence it was also the first under a Congress that conducts real oversight over his scandal-ridden administration. Trump insisted he would deal with the Democratic Congress but only if it stopped investigating him.
If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation, he said. It just doesnt work that way!
It is worth lingering over the utterly categorical nature of that statement. Trump did not decry partisan investigations, or excessive or duplicative investigations. He insisted Congress should not investigate his administration at all.
The threat reflects not only Trumps assumption that he is entitled to the legal impunity the Republican Congress had afforded him. It also reflects his bizarre view of negotiations. Trump seems to have held onto his experience in business, in which he is typically dealing with counterparties who have (or think they have) something to gain from a deal. Democrats have no such incentive. The more they cooperate, the better Trump looks, and thus the easier time he has winning reelection.
Trump seems not to grasp this. He has intermittently dangled bipartisan cooperation before Democrats in the apparent belief it can bring them to heel.
Of course, what Trump cares about more than anything else is protecting himself and his family from scrutiny. They have been conducting covert business deals that enable them to profit from Trumps candidacy, and then his office. Trump was dealing secretly with Russia during the campaign; his inauguration spent massive and as-yet-unaccounted sums; and he is plotting legal warfare to prevent his tax returns from becoming visible to Congress. Trumps crooked tie is a synecdoche for his presidency.
Trumps demand that progress on what Trump describes as the peoples vital business be contingent on Congress halting all investigations is a confession of his true priorities. Its fitting that his State of the Union address is a paean to the abuse of power.
The Enforcement Directorate has summoned businessman Robert Vadra again on Thursday, 7 February, after questioning him for five hours in connection with a money laundering case on Wednesday.
Speaking after the questioning on Wednesday, Vadras lawyer Suman Jyoti Khaitan said, He has given an undertaking that he will appear (before the Enforcement Directorate) when summoned. Khaitan added that Vadra had appeared before the ED on his own, without receiving any summons.
Vadra had arrived at the ED office in Delhi in the afternoon, accompanied by his wife Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who didnt get out of the car and left soon afterwards.
Later, arriving at the Congress headquarters, Gandhi who took charge as the Congress general secretary for UP east on Wednesday reportedly said, I stand by my husband. I support my family.
Robert Vadra inside the Enforcement Directorate office, to appear in connection with a money laundering case.
Priyanka Gandhi accompanied Robert Vadra to the Enforcement Directorate office. She left soon afterwards.
Robert Vadra inside the Enforcement Directorate office, to appear in connection with a money laundering case.
The money laundering case is in regards to the purchase of a property in London, 12 Bryanston Square, worth 1.9 million pounds. Vadra was questioned under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
Vadra is said to have been put through questions on transactions, purchase and possession of certain immovable assets in London.
Also Read: Robert Vadra Gets Interim Relief Till 16 February in ED Case
A Delhi court on 2 February had granted interim bail to Vadra till 16 February in the case and asked him to appear before the ED and cooperate in the investigation.
The court, on 6 February, extended the interim protection of Manoj Arora, a close aide of the businessman, till 16 February as well, in connection with the case.
The property is allegedly owned by Vadra, who is the brother-in-law of Congress President Rahul Gandhi.
The ED had already questioned Vadras aide and chartered accountant Arora in this case to find out the source of the fund spent on the purchase of the property in London.
The agency had carried out raids in connection with the case in December last year at Aroras residence and office. Vadra had then alleged that he had been harassed by the agency.
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Arora, an employee of Vadras Skylight Hospitality LLP, is a key suspect in the case as he is aware of the overseas investments and purchases made by his employer.
Also Read: Give It Your Best: Vadra Congratulates Priyanka on Political Debut
Congress, BJP Trade Barbs Over ED Quizzing Vadra
The Congress on Wednesday had slammed the EDs questioning of Vadra. Addressing a press conference, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, Election season is on and we expect that every day when a summon is to be answered, there will be a press conference.
The attempt is to mislead, confuse and to create an ambience before election, but people see through this, PTI quoted Singhvi as saying.
ED, Income Tax Department, CBI and 10 other agencies could not do a thing against him (Vadra) for so many years. It shows that this is nothing but an electoral jumla, he alleged.
Singhvi claimed that the charges against Vadra were "fickle, superficial, non-existent, non-substantive.
The BJP had four-and-a-half years to investigate, but could not find anything, he claimed.
Meanwhile, the BJP attacked the Congress and Robert Vadra, alleging that he got "kickbacks" from petroleum and defence deals during the UPA regime.
BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged that Vadra bought eight to nine properties in London from the money he got as kickbacks in 2008-09 when the UPA was in power.
Patra said he would like to ask Vadra, "What is the formula of becoming crorepati from roadpati?"
Alleging that "corruption" has been the "core agenda" of the Congress party, Patra said:
"Everybody knows every member of the family is out on bail. The 2019 Lok Sabha election is a fight between the gang of corrupt versus transparency of the Narendra Modi government." - Sambit Patra, as quoted by PTI
(With inputs from PTI and ANI.)
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By Johan Ahlander
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - The anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats have reversed their policy of calling for the country to follow Britain out of the EU as the party gears up for a European Parliament election in May that could see right-wing parties make major gains.
Citing uncertainty over Brexit and the growing resistance to federalism in many other European parties, party leader Jimmie Akesson, said on Wednesday the Sweden Democrats, which has long advocated a vote on a so-called "Swexit", now hoped to change the EU from within.
Britain is due to leave the European Union on March 29 but remains locked in complex and increasingly acrimonious negotiations on the terms of its divorce.
"We will not make any demands for leaving the EU or conducting a referendum," Akesson told Reuters in an interview. "There have never been such great opportunities to change the way the EU is functioning from within as today."
Elections to the European Parliament help determine who leads major institutions such as the European Commission and are also important as a bellwether of sentiment among the EU's 500 million people.
A surge in support for right-wing parties across the EU in the wake of the recent migrant crisis has raised fears that, after the elections, nationalists and populists could hijack the agenda and force a retreat on pillars of the EU such as free movement of people and deeper economic integration.
COOPERATION
"We want to be part of the EU internal market. We should cooperate in areas which benefit Sweden, but we need to get away from supra-nationalism," Akesson said.
Akesson poured cold water on attempts by U.S. President Donald Trump's former strategist Steve Bannon to gather eurosceptic forces into one group.
He said concerns over Russia would make it very hard for the Sweden Democrats to cooperate with some other right-wing parties "that are more or less Putin friendly", referring to Russia's President Vladimir Putin.
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"It will not succeed, there will be no such group," he said.
His party, which joined the European Conservatives and Reformists Group last year, cited the uncertain outcome of Brexit as one reason for not pushing to leave.
"It would be rather irresponsible to push for an exit before we know what the consequences will be for the only country that has tried to leave," he said, referring to Britain.
The Sweden Democrats, the country's third biggest party, has been a fierce critic of the EU since the party was founded in the late 1980s. Sweden joined the EU in 1995.
But the party's euroscepticism has hampered attempts to build bridges with the mainstream centre-right and, despite making strong gains in September's parliamentary election, the Sweden Democrats remain shut out of power.
"Our opposition to the EU has been used as a stick to beat the party. I think it's good to show that we are not for protectionism," he said.
Swedes are generally positive about the EU and resistance to the country's membership has decreased in the last year, a survey from the statistics office showed in December.
(Editing by Gareth Jones)
A Hindu temple was vandalised in Pakistan's Sindh province by miscreants who set the holy books and idols on fire, drawing a strong reaction from Prime Minister Imran Khan who ordered swift and decisive action against the perpetrators.
The incident happened last week in Kumb, a town in Khairpur district. The unidentified assailants fled the after vandalism.
On the night of 5 February, Khan took to Twitter to call upon the provincial authorities to take swift action against the culprits.
"The government of Sindh must take swift and decisive action against the perpetrators. This is against the teachings of the Quran." - Imran Khan, Pakistan PM
The community has approached the police to register a case against the unidentified persons.
There was no caretaker at the temple because the community felt that it was safe enough, since it was surrounded by their houses.
Also Read: New Year Will Be Beginning of Pakistans Golden Era: PM Imran Khan
Reaction From the Hindu Community
After the incident, the Hindus in the area held a protest in the city, Samaa TV reported.
Rajesh Kumar Hardasani, the adviser of the Pakistan Hindu Council, has demanded the formation of a special task force for the security of Hindu temples.
"This action has caused unrest among the Hindu community. These types of attacks are done in an attempt to disturb religious harmony across the country," he said.
Police said that they were hunting for the attackers but so far no arrest was made. Nobody or group took responsibility of the attack.
Hindus form almost two per cent of the 220 million population in Muslim-majority Pakistan. Most of the Hindus live in Sindh province.
They often complain of harassment by the extremists.
Also Read: Muslim-Majority Areas Elect 3 Hindu Candidates in Pakistans Sindh
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Video Editor: Purnendu Pritam
Kolkata has become the centre of drama as the CBI vs Kolkata Police row unfolds. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who was on dharna for three days since 2 February decided to put a pause on it, claiming that she shall resume it in the national capital next week.
She further welcomed the Supreme Courts decision which said the CBI cant detain or question Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar, but he must cooperate with the CBI on the matter. The decision is a victory for the people, she added.
BJP too welcomed the decision claiming it as a victory. UP CM Yogi Adityanath, in a rally in WBs Purulia, said that now Mamata cant protect corrupt officials anymore.
Meanwhile, the MHA on Tuesday asked the Bengal government to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Kolkata Police Chief Rajeev Kumar for violating the All India Service rules.
Also Read: What do People in Bengal Think About Mamata Banerjees Dharna?
A Quick Recap
CBI officials reach the door of Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar in an attempt to question him in regard to the Saradha chit fund scam. However, before the CBI officials could reach Kumar, Kolkata police detained the officials.
Didi, protesting the move by the CBI, went on a dharna and further blamed the CBI for acting under the orders given by PM Modi and BJP President Amit Shah.
Opposition leaders from all across the nation came in support of Didi, many even sharing the stage with her in her protest.
The matter was taken to the Supreme Court which ruled that the CBI cant detain the Kolkata Police Commissioner. However, the commissioner must cooperate with the CBI into the probe.
Also Read: Mamata Ends Dharna, Kolkata Top Cop Likely to Meet CBI on 8 Feb
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US President Donald Trump urged unity in his State of the Union speech on Wednesday, 6 February, pitched for to heal the Republican-Democratic unity, adding that all members of the Congress work towards a common aim for better America.
Touching upon immigration in State of the Union speech, Trump said Republicans and Democrats "must join forces" to confront what he's calling "an urgent national crisis."
Trump says Congress "has 10 days left to pass a bill that will fund our government, protect our homeland and secure our very dangerous southern border" ahead of a February 15 deadline. Critics dispute the level of danger at the border.
Also Read: Trump Called Nepal Nipple & Bhutan Button, Said Both in India
I Will Build the Wall, Says Trump
Looming over the president's address was a fast-approaching 15 February deadline to fund the government and avoid another shutdown. Democrats have refused to acquiesce to his demands for a border wall, and Republicans are increasingly unwilling to shut down the government to help him fulfill his signature campaign pledge. Nor does the GOP support the president's plan to declare a national emergency if Congress won't fund the wall.
Wary of publicly highlighting those intraparty divisions, Trump made no mention of an emergency declaration in his remarks.
He did offer a lengthy defense of his call for a border wall, declaring: I will build it. But he delivered no ultimatums about what it would take for him to sign legislation to keep the government open.
"I am asking you to defend our very dangerous southern border out of love and devotion to our fellow citizens and to our country," he said, painting a dark and foreboding picture of the risks posed to Americans by illegal immigration.
Also Read: Second Guatemalan Child Dies in US Immigration Custody
Prohibit Late-term Abortion of Children."
The 72-year-old Trump harkened back to moments of American greatness, celebrating the moon landing as astronaut Buzz Aldrin looked on from the audience and heralding the liberation of Europe from the Nazis. He led the House chamber in singing happy birthday to a Holocaust survivor sitting with first lady Melania Trump.
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Together, we represent the most extraordinary nation in all of history. What will we do with this moment? How will we be remembered? Trump said.
The president ticked through a litany of issues with crossover appeal, including boosting infrastructure, lowering prescription drug costs and combating childhood cancer.
But he also appealed to his political base, both with his harsh rhetoric on immigration and a call for Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children.
Trump Announces Second Summit With Kim Jong Un
Trump devoted much of his speech to foreign policy, another area where Republicans have increasingly distanced themselves from the White House. He announced details of a second meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong-un, outlining a 27-28 February summit in Vietnam.
Trump and Kim's first summit garnered only a vaguely worded commitment by the North to denuclearise. But the president said his outreach to Pyongyang had made the US safer.
If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea, he said.
As he condemned political turmoil in Venezuela, Trump declared that "America will never be a socialist country" a remark that may also have been targeted at high-profile Democrats who identify as socialists.
Trumps Address a Beginning of 2020 Campaign?
The president was surrounded by symbols of his emboldened political opposition. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was praised by Democrats for her hard-line negotiating during the shutdown, sat behind Trump as he spoke. And several senators running for president were also in the audience, including Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey.
Another Democratic star, Stacey Abrams, delivered the party's response to Trump. Abrams narrowly lost her bid in November to become America's first black female governor, and party leaders are aggressively recruiting her to run for US Senate from Georgia.
Speaking from Atlanta, Abrams calls the shutdown a political stunt that defied every tenet of fairness and abandoned not just our people, but our values.
Trump's address amounted to an opening argument for his re-election campaign. Polls show he has work to do, with his approval rating falling to just 34 percent after the shutdown, according to a recent survey conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
One bright spot for the president has been the economy, which has added jobs for 100 straight months.
The only thing that can stop it, he said, are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations an apparent swipe at the special counsel investigation into ties between Russia and Trumps 2016 campaign, as well as the upcoming congressional investigations.
The diverse Democratic caucus, which includes a bevy of women, sat silently for much of Trump's speech. But they leapt to their feet when he noted there are "more women in the workforce than ever before."
. Read more on World by The Quint.RSS & BJPs Nehru-Netaji Cosplay: Irony Dies a Thousand DeathsSeiferts 84 Helps NZ Post Their Highest T20I Total Against India . Read more on World by The Quint.
Sanders at the State of the Union, jotting down notes for his livestream. Photo: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images
After the State of the Union and the official Democratic response delivered by Georgia politician Stacey Abrams, Bernie Sanders hopped on a livestream around 11 p.m. to give 28 more minutes of speechmaking to anyone caffeinated, or masochistic, enough to tune in for almost three net hours of political rhetoric on a Tuesday night.
If the premise of a SOTU response is to build the platform for a future campaign, then it was a successful speech, starting out, unsurprisingly, with a different angle on Trumps claim that Americas economy is the hottest in the world. President Trump didnt mention this in his speech: We have more wealth and income inequality than almost any major country on Earth, Sanders said, sharing several facts that illustrate the nations staggering economic divides that our three wealthiest individuals are richer than the bottom 50 percent of Americans; that the top 25 hedge-fund managers made nearly twice as much income as all 140,000 kindergarten teachers combined, and other such outrages of disparity.
At this point, its the expected tune from Sanders, but one that proves he is viable as a 2020 candidate if, or when, he so chooses. The Democratic Party in 2019 with its proposed wealth tax, 70 percent top marginal income tax, and Sanderss own increase on inheritance taxes for the ultrawealthy looks a lot more friendly to his brand of democratic socialism than it did at any other point in his 29-year career in Congress. And according to polling from the Pew Research Center, the proportion of Democrats who believe the system is unfair has grown from 71 percent in 2014 to 84 percent today the kind of intraparty shift that could make a Sanders run in 2020 a lot more viable than his previous go at the nomination.
The independent senator also dug into Trumps claim that, Year after year, countless Americans are murdered by criminal illegal aliens. Sanders pointed out that undocumented immigrants commit fewer crimes than the general American public, and that the presidents demonization of Latinos is nothing less than racist. When Trump brought out the family of a couple killed by an undocumented person in Reno as an example of crimes committed by immigrants, Sanders brought up the fact that, in the same state, a white American orchestrated the deadliest mass shooting in the nations history less than two years ago.
This sort of tit-for-tat strategy feels a little old two years into the administration going after every Trump obfuscation or obvious lie is a game of whack-a-mole no candidate should play in 2020. But a highlight of Sanderss speech occurred when he rebutted the presidents claim that Americans are alarmed by the new calls to adopt socialism in our country (a statement that may be the best thing to happen to the DSA since the election of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez). Sanders countered with a quote from Martin Luther King Jr. from just before his death, when he was leading the Poor Peoples Campaign for economic justice: This country has socialism for the rich, and rugged individualism for the poor. Its a nice quote to pull out on a billionaire who did not pay federal taxes for years, and whose father propped him up through almost all of his pre-Apprentice career of driving real estate and casino deals into the ground.
But it may all be for naught if, in the morning, Democrats still consider Sanderss speech to be a jab at the party. Upon announcing that he would deliver post-SOTU remarks on his own stream, some Democrats felt that he was stiffing Abrams, the 2018 nominee for governor in Georgia, for whom the official remarks were an opportunity to launch a national platform. For others, it was another manifestation of Sanderss weakness in 2016: that he did not do enough to appeal to black voters in the South.
Pet lovers had the opportunity to put a new animal protection state law into action during last weeks polar vortex, but some do-gooders were frustrated about limited action taken by law enforcement and Sangamon County Animal Control.With temperatures below zero last week, an incident involving two dogs left outside overnight demonstrated the confusion about the laws aim to protect animals in extreme temperatures and when it should be applied.The law, enacted Jan. 1, allows law enforcement to take temporary custody of dogs or cats that have had prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures that could result in death or injury.However, the recently amended Humane Care for Animals Act caused confusion about which agency should take the calls and where to hold animals that have been taken into custody.The problem with the city of Springfield is, where do these dogs go? asked Jill Egizii, a volunteer humane investigator for the Illinois Department of Agriculture and president of WILD Canine Rescue. I was getting calls, and I knew I would, Egizii said about the cold spell. Dogs with paws frozen to the ground, no water or frozen water, chained outside. There were lots of calls, and it was pretty constant.Another humane investigator, Angela Hayes, climbed out of bed Jan. 30 after receiving a call at 2 a.m. that two dogs were outside in the subzero weather. When she met police an hour later, she said the officers told her the dogs were fine.One was a little staffy bull or pit. He was shivering uncontrollably, Hayes told Illinois Times through text. The shepherd-husky mix was constantly lifting his feet due to the majority of his run being ice. Both are signs of hypothermia.Hayes said the animal control officer who responded to the call was eventually given permission to remove the dogs after 7 a.m., but Hayes twice tried to remind the police that they had the authority to move the animals, given the extreme conditions.Police were told that if the animals started showing signs of stress, Animal Control would come out, Hayes said. The new law was created to keep them from going into distress.Egizii said most animal owners she receives calls about are more than willing to work with her and dont intentionally mistreat their animals. She said the biggest issue is that animal owners, especially dog owners, dont understand how extreme temperatures affect certain breeds.I dont know why, but theres a learning curve with how to treat animals outside, whether it be heat or cold, Egizii said.Egizii said the new law will have limited impact until it is better known and understood, especially by law enforcement. If nobody knows whats going on with it, its a little difficult to employ, Egizii said.Lt. Brian Oakes of the Springfield Police Department said SPD doesnt have any place to hold animals, and there hasnt been any formal training given to officers on how to handle emergency calls related to pets.Its well-intentioned, but there are so many logistical issues with the law, Oakes said.Egizii said shes willing to work with law enforcement in the area to help better train them for calls related to animals, but that still doesnt help with the statewide mandate placed on police, nor does it give them a facility to hold animals theyve taken into custody.Oakes said animal control officers are typically the ones who issues citations and fines, which is why the SPD always refers callers when they receive complaints about animals.The only problem with Animal Control, Egizii said, is that they dont work over the weekends or overnight.Theres got to be some plan in place, Egizii said. Its going to happen again.
IceViking strongly condemns physical attacks and harassment directed towards them.
They are also often victims of the Islamic idea. This is true when it comes to the cruel and tragic treatment of Muslim women and children when it is in accord with the Koran, the example of Mohammed and Islamic law, Sharia, which may be applied regardless of where a Muslim male may find himself in the world, whether in a Muslim or non-Muslim country.
However, in no way, shape or form should one judge all Muslim men because of what is in Islamic scripture and what constitutes the Islamic law, Sharia.
"Race", ethnicity or basically anything that you are "merely" born with should never be a basis for bigotry and discrimination.
Apostates from Islam have been executed for 1400 years in accord with the Koran and the words and actions of the Islamic prophet Mohammed and Islamic law, Sharia.
They should be lovingly helped.
Furthermore, approximately as many as 11,000,000 Muslims may have been killed by other Muslims since 1948.
To quote the website The Religion of Peace (TROP), edited by Glen Roberts:
While it may be safe to say that a true Muslim would not intentionally kill another true Muslim ( 4:92-93 ), the Quran places no such value on the life of a Muslim who is not true. Consider verse 9:73 :
Strive hard against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be harsh against them, their abode is Hell.
The Arabic for strive hard uses the same root as Jihad - and the context in this sura is holy war (see v. 86 and 91). Thus, there are two distinct classes of people that a true Muslim is to target with harshness: disbelievers and hypocrites.
A disbeliever obviously refers to a non-Muslim, so a "hypocrite" must be a Muslim of some sort. In fact, hypocrites are those who say they believe, but do not act as they should. In other words, they are "Muslims", but not true Muslims. They will go to hell just as unbelievers do, and so, according to the verse, their lives matter for naught.
The same sura says that a hypocrite can be recognized not just by lack of piety (reluctance to follow Sharia), but by fear of death ( 9:56 ), reluctance to fight ( 9:44-45 ) and even friendliness toward non-believers ( 9:67 ). A true Muslim would thus be a pious person who relishes martyrdom, is eager to fight, and shuns non-believers.
Even the Quranic passage that warns against killing "believers" ( 4:88-94 ) is more complicated than it first appears. It never says that a true Muslim is incapable of killing another Muslim, just that it should not be done. In fact, it makes exceptions for the unintentional killing of "believers" in war and mandates the killing of "hypocrites."
Verse 17:33 says, "Do not kill anyone which Allah has forbidden, except for a just cause" . The greatest cause of all is that Islam be superior ( 9:33 ), which is exactly what Islamic terrorists say is their goal. Thus believing Muslims are allowed to be collateral damage in the war on unbelievers.
There is sadly a phenomena that I`ve noticed in Sweden and elsewhere of people using true facts about Islamic doctrine and history as a cover for all sorts of irrational targeting of Muslims, ranging from xenophobia and racism to verbal abuse and physical attacks.
This is strongly condemned by this website and does not in any way serve serious criticism of orthodox Islam and other important work.
It`s also important that one tries to express oneself in a civilized way. Words matter.
In this bloggers humble opinion the root cause of the problem is the ancient doctrine of orthodox Islam.
In simple terms a non-Muslim is a Kafir.
" The Koran defines the kafir and kafir is not a neutral word. A kafir is not merely someone who does not agree with Islam, but a kafir is evil, disgusting, the lowest form of life."
An exact quote, as stated in the writings of Dr. Bill Warner in the article "Kafir" at http://www.politicalislam.com/kafir .
In the perfect Koran (Allah`s direct and literal word as revealed to Mohammed through the angel Jibril), Muslims are told 89 times to emulate Mohammed in all ways (see Koran 33:21 for instance).
Mohammed`s example, the Sunna, is found in the Hadith (stories of what Mohammed said and did) and the Sira (biographies of Mohammed).
Islamic law, Sharia , is directly derived from these unchanging scriptures. It is based on the Koran`s numerous commands to obey Allah and obey the Messenger, that is Mohammed (see Koran 4:59 for instance).
Islam is Sharia. Sharia is Islam.
It is a capital crime for Muslims to deny Sharia in any way.
A Muslim is someone who submits to Islam and submitting to Islam means obeying the Sharia of Allah.
Sharia law includes pronouncements for both Muslims and non-Muslims (Kafirs).
Islam is a "complete way of life", a "complete code of life", a "complete system of life".
Islam is not just a religion but also a comprehensive ideology.
Islam is a supremacist ideology.
Islam is a totalitarian and imperialistic ideology akin to Communism and Nazism.
Islam is a civilization.
Islamic law, Sharia, is a manual for a civilization.
Islamic law, Sharia, governs every aspect of life.
It has a say about every conceivable human act .
Non-Muslims are morally and legally inferior in Islam. Women are morally and legally inferior in Islam.
The History of Jihad: From Muhammad to ISIS by Robert Spencer is the first one-volume history of jihad in the English language and a great book on the topic.
Allah guarantees Paradise to those who "kill and are killed" for him (Koran 9:111).
A hadith depicts a Muslim asking Muhammad: "Instruct me as to such a deed as equals Jihad (in reward)." Muhammad replied, "I do not find such a deed." (Bukhari 4.52.44)
Muhammad himself said:
I have been commanded to fight against people so long as they do not declare that there is no god but Allah, and he who professed it was guaranteed the protection of his property and life on my behalf except for the right affairs rest with Allah. (Sahih Muslim 30)
Freedom of speech, human rights, democracy, science and human lives are all at stake in the fight against the Islamic Jihad.
Nearly 100 years ago, my great-grandfather traveled by himself on a cattle boat from the Azores Islands of Portugal in search of a better life. Barely an adult, he fought to leave his mark in the world and a legacy for the children he was yet to have. As a young boy, he left his family and friends behind to fulfill a purpose, and that is exactly what he did.
A little while after settling in California, he found a job where he milked cows by hand alongside others at a local dairy farm. As was his nature, he worked hard. Because of his size, he was able to milk two teats with one hand, making him twice as fast as his coworkers.
Realizing he was doing twice the work as the others, he asked the employer if it would be possible to receive a raise in pay. His employers response resulted in my great-grandfathers termination. As a result of the termination, he set a goal to never work for anyone else and to never treat his employees like he was treated.
Soon after that incident, he bought some cows, and a while after that he started his first dairy. He not only started a family, but the farm allowed for him to send for his brothers who were still in the Azores. As everyone started to grow their families, it was apparent that the single dairy would not support them all. He set off to start another, leaving the first dairy to a brother. As his second dairy grew, so did his family.
Long after his passing, it became apparent to my grandfather, Joe, and my father that history was to repeat itself once more. Just like before, they risked it all, leaving the other dairy behind to start their own.
Now I have the opportunity to be a part of our family farm, and I love every minute of it. But I know I would not be where I am if it wasnt for those that were willing to take a risk to leave a legacy.
In todays uncertain times, leaving a dairy legacy has become increasingly difficult, if not downright impossible, to accomplish, but Im not giving up. I choose to fight.
Tyler Ribeiro is a fourth-generation dairy farmer born and raised in California. He is currently partners with his father at Rib-Arrow Dairy in Tulare where they proudly ship their milk to Land OLakes. Tyler is actively involved in the dairy industry, holding leadership roles in various organizations locally and across the United States.
Join us for our next webinar on February 11, 2019:
Geoff Dahl, University of Florida, presents Heat stress affects dry cows and calves on Monday, February 11, at noon (Central time). Sponsored by TechMix.
Heat stress during late gestation has significant negative effects on the productivity of the cow in the next lactation. Emerging evidence suggests that the developing fetus is also negatively impacted, with lower milk yields in the first lactation and beyond. Sign up here.
University of Wisconsins Mark Stephenson forecasts that the 2019 Class III price will be up by 80 cents over last year. The director of dairy policy analysis believes that this year will feel better than 2018, but not as good as 2017.
At the Wisconsin Agricultural Outlook Forum held last week on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, Stephenson shared a few of the elements contributing to his prediction for 2019.
Factors pushing us toward stronger prices include:
Slowing U.S. and world milk production
Declining world stocks of dairy products
A relatively strong U.S. economy
Some trade negotiations that have been settled (trade improvements)
An El Nino settling in the Pacific Ocean, generally bringing drier and warmer weather to this part of the country
Factors that could hold milk prices down include:
New Zealand dairies have started the year out strong, putting a lot of product on the world market
A slowdown of gross domestic product (GDP) growth in countries like China
Prolonged trade negotiations with some countries, including China
The possibility of an economic recession in the U.S. that would curb domestic consumption of dairy products
Unless circumstances change significantly on the export side, I cant be overly optimistic about milk prices in 2019, but its easy to be optimistic, Stephenson said. Milk prices wont feel good until exports, on a 12-month rolling basis, represent 17 to 18 percent of the nations milk production. We are getting there, but we arent there yet, he explained.
He reiterated that 2019 is going to feel better than last year, but it wont reach 2017 levels. We are losing more farms, but we arent losing our capacity to produce milk. Its slowing, but it certainly isnt negative yet, he added.
Stephenson posed the question, Is this the new normal? Are these milk prices we are going to have to learn to live with? Everyone in the dairy industry hopes that milk prices continue to move upward, but how far they can actually go is anybodys guess at this point.
To comment, email your remarks to intel@hoards.com.
(c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2019
February 4, 2019
We're again inching to a partial government shutdown, and as Illinois residents who have been held hostage over political squabbling before, we think we have some some room to talk here. Our message to President Donald Trump and Democrats: This doesn't make any sense.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said there will be no money for the border wall Trump wants. A compromise bill is hung up in conference committee, and with talks just starting last week, there's a good chance we're going to have a repeat in February.
Trump has signaled all along he's not patient.
Game over.
"We really have no choice but to build a powerful wall or steel barrier," Trump said after the government was reopened last month. "If we dont get a fair deal from Congress, the government will either shut down on Feb. 15, again, or I will use the powers afforded to me under the laws and the Constitution of the United States to address this emergency. We will have great security."
Sound familiar?
Illinois endured a painfully long period, from July 2015 to August 2017, with no budget. Only the barest of finances were covered, and our state slipped even further into a fiscal black hole that seemed to have no bottom. It was all so deeply embarrassing.
The stalemate was principally over the Democrat-controlled General Assembly refusing to play ball on then-GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner's calls for reform -- a pledge in the famous "Turnaround Agenda" he campaigned on in 2014.
We still think Rauner was on the right track with calling for fixes to pensions and workers comp, but he balked on compromising. Democrats, led by the powerful and intractable House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, didn't go far enough in seeking structural fixes. They balked, too.
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Only after Republicans crossed over did a budget pass and the senseless quagmire was lifted. When the dust settled, $15 billion in late bills had been amassed. State services were severely cut. The long-term impact of careening off the cliff are still being felt.
Rauner subsequently lost his seat in a Democratic wave.
Game over.
In the case of Trump's campaign promises, we're not here to debate the merits of the wall, and we will point out that Democrats of all stripes have proposed various border security policies over the years. But because the name "Trump" is so closely attached to this issue now, even a faint whisper of border security is a powder keg for the left. Without the possibility of budging, the shutdown option emerges.
Politics aside, that's our bigger concern in all this. We don't think any president or governor -- Republican or Democrat or anything else -- ought to wield the shutdown for a piece of policy, however important it is deemed in the moment. Just the threat causes huge problems. And those in power know that.
Trump and Rauner made their millions outside the political arena, by using all-in negotiation tactics that benefited them. This isn't that arena. Rather than personal wealth taking a hit, it is taxpayer money and public workers potentially caught in the cross-hairs. A total of 800,000 federal workers were furloughed during the last shutdown. Some didn't get paid at all.
We strongly support efforts to drive down government spending and redundancies in the interest of financial responsibility, just as a business would. But not paying bills is fundamentally wrong. It's abhorrent to leave vendors out to dry. It's immoral to have someone work without being compensated. It can't be rationalized to have employees be a bargaining chip in some far-off political discussion. No other business would operate this way.
The "slippery slope" argument is that you may agree with not compromising on this issue, but what about the next chief executive? What will the next president or governor shut down the government for? What will that issue be?
Let the story of the 793-day Illinois budget impasse be a lesson.
We don't have anything to show for it.
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It's unclear whether Monday's statement by the state's six Roman Catholic bishops opposing recreational use of marijuana will make it harder to pass legislation allowing the practice in Illinois, a key lawmaker advocating legalization says.
State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, said it was no shock that the six bishops -- including Thomas John Paprocki of the Springfield Diocese, Daniel Jenky of the Peoria Diocese and David Malloy of the Rockford Diocese -- oppose legalization.
Paprocki, through a spokesman, declined comment on the bishops' statement, which says legalization would be contrary to the "public good" because it would promote marijuana addiction, lead more people to use marijuana and result in more people progressing to "harder" drugs.
"Proponents of legalization say marijuana is not addictive, yet peer-reviewed research concludes that it is," the statement says. "Proponents also say that most people who use marijuana will not move on to harder drugs, yet other studies note that most people who are addicted to other drugs started with alcohol and marijuana."
Cassidy told The State Journal-Register that the bishops' statement was predicable.
"Prohibitionists are going to prohibit," she said. "It just doesn't surprise me that they want to cling to the old ways. I don't know that anybody's going to be surprised by this."
Cassidy said she doesn't know yet when she and state Sen. Heather Steans, D-Chicago, will introduce a formal bill, but the two lawmakers said at a Springfield town-hall meeting last week that they are crafting legalization legislation and hope to have bipartisan support this year in the Democratic-controlled General Assembly.
They said they also expect support from Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat who campaigned on a promise to back recreational use of marijuana for adults.
Cassidy and Steans said their bill, not yet introduced, would allow Illinoisans 21 and older to purchase and possess up to 30 grams, or about 1 ounce, of marijuana. Nonresidents would be able to buy and possess half that amount. Use of the drug in public wouldn't be allowed.
The bishops' statement tries to poke holes in the argument that legalization would, as they say, reduce the "racial disparity of our jail and prison populations."
The bishops say they "recognize the truth" of the premise that marijuana-related infractions "often lead to lives trapped in the criminal-justice system." But they add that a 2016 Illinois law making possession of less than 10 grams of marijuana a civil offense rather than a misdemeanor crime "should soon reverse that trend."
The spiritual leaders of Illinois' 3.5 million Catholics also note that Pope Francis has gone on record opposing recreational drugs. The pope said in 2014 that attempts to legalize such drugs "are not only highly questionable from a legislative standpoint, but they fail to produce the desired effects."
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The bishops say proposed legalization of cannabis in Illinois would allow "commercialization of a drug into an industry the state will profit from. In seeking the common good, the state should protect its citizens."
Cassidy, however, said prohibition of recreational use "hasn't worked" and that legalization would cut into the black market and criminal activity and actually reduce underage access to cannabis.
Cassidy, who was raised Catholic and now is Jewish, said: "There's no such thing as a gateway drug. The reality is the gateway is the dealer. And if we take this product off the street, we reduce the street market. ... In particular, we reduce access by kids or by dealers to kids."
Cassidy sponsored the 2016 legislation decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana. But she said legislation also is needed to legalize recreational marijuana. She said the bill she will introduce also would expunge marijuana-related convictions from the past.
With decriminalization alone, Cassidy said: "All that does is legitimize the street market. All that does is perpetuate the problem and worsen it."
Bob Gilligan, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Illinois, the bishops' public-policy arm, said the clergymen have taken actions similar to bishops in Colorado and the nine other states in which broad laws legalizing recreational use have been enacted.
Illinois' bishops didn't take a formal stance on the state's ongoing medical-marijuana pilot program, Gilligan said.
"We don't argue that there could be, and there probably are, certain chemical properties of marijuana that can be used for positive health outcomes," he said. "That does not mean that we need to legalize so-called recreational marijuana for everyone."
The risks of allowing recreational marijuana -- including impaired judgment, addiction and mental-health problems -- outweigh any potential benefits, he said.
The bishops are particularly concerned about the commercialization that would be allowed under the proposed legislation, Gilligan said.
"There are significant corporate, commercial interests that are going to profit from this, along with the state," he said. "Is that what we want to do -- allocate more of an incentive for people to potentially destroy their lives?"
The bishops disagree with Cassidy's contention that legalization generally won't lead to more people using marijuana.
"Whenever the state sanctions something and gives it the green light," Gilligan said, "there's no disincentive not to try it. ... More people will use, and they will be using more of it."
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SPRINGFIELD Legislation that would raise the minimum age to purchase cigarettes, e-cigarettes, vapes, chewing tobacco and other products in Illinois to 21 made it past its first legislative hurdle Tuesday.
The Senate bill sponsored by Julie Morrison, a Democrat from Deerfield, won the approval of the chambers Public Health Committee along party lines, by a vote of 8 to 4.
But the Republican members did not focus on the main issues the tobacco 21 initiative faced in previous legislative sessions. Instead, they took issue with the removal of language from current state law establishing penalties for minors in possession of tobacco.
This is the fourth time in as many years an effort to curb addiction to nicotine among teenagers was introduced in the General Assembly. Each time, opponents typically argued if 18 was old enough for an Illinoisan to vote, enlist in the military, get married or borrow money from a banking institution, it should be old enough to purchase and smoke a cigarette.
Republican senators, including Steve McClure from Springfield, said eliminating penalties is a big problem, especially when testimony in support of the measure suggested many minors who use tobacco products get them from their peers.
I just dont know what the rationale is for stripping away penalties, because if there is not going to be any consequences if [theyre] caught with this stuff, then what do [they] care, he said. I like the idea behind it I think that as few people smoking as possible is a great thing but to eliminate the penalties, to me, thats a real problem.
Current law states a minor who is caught with a tobacco product could have to take a smokers education or youth diversion program with parents. Each additional violation results in increased fees and hours of community service.
Morrison said her bill removes that language in an effort to refocus the responsibility onto the retailers who sell the tobacco product, as opposed to placing it on the minors who purchase the product.
And Kathy Drea, the American Lung Associations senior director for advocacy, said the law as it is now is ineffective.
If there were kids being ticketed in Illinois, we would know about it, she said. There is no education program available right now, and when there are things like that, they contact us. In all the years since that bill passed to penalize kids, no ones ever contacted us and weve never heard of a child being penalized for possessing tobacco.
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Bill Fleischli does not agree. He is the executive vice president of the Illinois Petroleum Marketers Association and the states Association of Convenience Stores. He testified in opposition to Morrisons legislation.
He said data shows smoking rates for people between the ages of 18 and 20 are down to a point where the effects of this bill would be negligible. He added the current law ensuring penalties for a minor possessing tobacco is working, much like regulations for alcohol.
How can you have a deterrent if theres no penalty for possession? It doesnt work, Fleischli said. If possession of alcohol is against the law, why not make tobacco the same?
Springfield Rep. Tim Butler, a Republican, is a chief co-sponsor of the same measure in the House. He also thinks any version of the tobacco 21 initiative needs to have a little bit of teeth, and this concern is a legitimate one.
If the idea is we want to reduce teenagers, and people under 21, from smoking, then we need to be able to make sure we have the resources there, that if they are caught smoking, there are some consequences, Butler said.
He added he is going to be meeting with the other sponsors and advocates to seek a compromise so those under the age of 21 who would be affected by this legislation know theres some consequences that go along with it, Butler said.
At a press event Tuesday, Senate President John Cullerton, a Democrat from Chicago, said this is not a complicated issue, and blamed former Gov. Bruce Rauner, a Republican, for its failure in the previous session.
It was approved by both chambers, but the General Assembly was unable to overrule Rauners veto.
Cullerton also indicated Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker would sign the initiative into law if both chambers approved it first.
Jordan Abudayyeh, spokeswoman for the governor, said in a written statement Monday that Pritzker looks forward to reviewing the legislation to raise the smoking age.
Morrison, when introducing her bill during the committee hearing, said she would be introducing a technical floor amendment at a later date. The legislation is Senate Bill 21. Its twin measure is House Bill 345, which was assigned to a substantive committee Tuesday.
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DWIGHT The Dwight Planning Commission will consider an annexation agreement later this month that could be the first step in bringing a federal detention center for illegal immigrants to the Livingston County village.
The commission will consider the matter on Feb. 19 and forward a recommendation to the Village Board, Village President Jared Anderson said Wednesday.
This is a piece of property that is currently not in the village of Dwight, and its just one of the things that has to occur in a long process for something like this to happen, said Anderson.
Immigration Centers of America, headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, has contacted village officials about an 88-acre parcel of land near Interstate 55 and Illinois 17 for a federal center to house 1,200 men awaiting immigration hearings.
The facility would be managed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The proposal does not include the vacant Dwight Correctional Center, a state women's prison that was closed in 2013 by the Illinois Department of Corrections in a cost-cutting move.
Calls to the Immigration Centers of America were not immediately returned on Wednesday.
If the detention center is built, Anderson said, the estimated $20 million facility would employ about 280 people.
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The deal, though, is far from final, he added.
They (the company) are scouting several locations around the country, he said. They have certain requirements that they are looking for, such as they want it near railroads and a hospital nearby. It should be near a major city like Chicago and so we have a lot of the things they are looking for.
Amtrak has a depot in Dwight and OSF Saint James-John W. Albrecht Medical Center is in nearby Pontiac. Dwight, with a population of about 4,200, is about 107 miles north of Decatur off I-55. The facility would be located on Dwight's western edge.
Adam Dontz, the CEO for the Greater Livingston County Economic Development Council, said the additional jobs would be great news for the area.
We recognize the potential of a significant economic impact which may result if Immigration Centers of America develops a facility in Dwight, he said. It is anticipated that approximately 280 jobs and approximately $14 million of payroll would be associated with the project. That said, several rounds of review by local and federal officials remain prior to project approval.
Anderson said that he has talked with local residents about the proposed project.
I know there are some things on social media that havent been all that positive, but really, everyone I have talked with has been very positive. We lost the prison several years ago and that really hurt us as far as jobs and something like this, could be a real benefit for that.
ICA was founded in 2008 and operates a detention center in Farmville, Virginia. The company has several pending contracts to build other facilities and would have to be the recipient of a formal bid from the government in order to move forward.
Detainees who are facing criminal charges would be housed in county jails and not in the detention center. The rooms at the detention center would be unlocked, and the detainees would have access to exercise facilities, if the facility is managed similar to the Farmville complex.
The Dwight Village Board could consider the annexation agreement Feb. 25.
Contact Kevin Barlow at (309) 820-3238. Follow him on Twitter: @pg_barlow
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ODESSA, Mo. Forecasters are warning of dangerous freezing drizzle that already has caused at least one deadly wreck in Missouri that killed a pair from Central Illinois.
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The Missouri State Highway Patrol said two people were killed Tuesday night when a driver lost control of a vehicle on an ice-covered stretch of Interstate 70 and skidded into the path of a tractor-trailer in Lafayette County. The patrol identified the victims as Wendy Rios, of Altamont, Illinois, and Kaleb Huddlestun, of Effingham, Illinois.
The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory for a large swath of the Midwest. The University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, Missouri, and State Fair Community College in Sedalia, Missouri, canceled classes, along with dozens of school districts.
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Utahns rally at the state capitol to demand Medicaid expansion be enacted on January 28, 2019. Photo: Rick Bowmer/AP/REX/Shutterstock/Rick Bowmer/AP/REX/Shutterstock
The Idaho Supreme Court has rejected a legal challenge to Medicaid expansion in the state, which voters approved at the ballot box in November. As the Idaho Statesman reported, the right-wing Idaho Freedom Foundation had sued to block expansion on the basis that it gave too much power to the federal government and the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. The ruling is a victory for activists who helped pass Idahos Medicaid expansion, but other obstacles persist. In both Idaho and in Utah, where voters also passed Medicaid expansion by referendum last fall, the implementation plans proposed by Republican legislators would severely restrict the programs reach.
Last Sunday, the Statesman reported that a group of 15 Republican legislators have met to discuss a wide range of restrictive waiver proposals, ranging from work requirements to lifetime coverage limits. They also intend to ask the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to approve the waivers before they proceed with legislation that implements expansion, which could create months-long delays. In Utah, legislators have revived parts of a pre-referendum proposal which CMS has yet to approve that would have partially expanded Medicaid, extending coverage to 70,000 people. As The Atlantic noted, that figure is less than half the size of the pool that would be covered under the full expansion approved by voters in November.
Since November, legislators in Utahs House and Senate have proposed expansion bills with similar language. One, SB 96, would replace a voter-approved expansion plan with a program that would apply only to people in poverty, establish caps on spending, make eligibility and verification more complicated and restrictive for applicants, establish work requirements for beneficiaries, and introduce lockout periods for people who violate the conditions, per The Atlantic. The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-of-center think tank, released a damning analysis of SB 96 on Tuesday. Citing a state fiscal analysis, researchers wrote that the bill would insure 48,000 fewer Utahans and would cost the state $50 million more over the next two years. They continued:
Like the earlier waiver, the new bill depends on federal approval of unprecedented restrictions far from guaranteed to expand coverage to a smaller group of low-income Utahns than the voter-approved initiative would, and it includes provisions that restrict Medicaid eligibility, including an enrollment cap and the termination of coverage for people who dont meet a rigid work requirement. Moreover, if implemented, SB96 will cost the state more than full expansion, at least initially and potentially on a permanent basis.
If SB 96 becomes law, its future is questionable. Expansion advocates could argue that legislators thwarted the will of the people, which sets up a possible legal challenge.
Idaho legislators risk a similar possibility with their approach to implementation. Both circumstances recall the example of former Maine governor Paul LePage, a Republican. LePage repeatedly vetoed expansion bills passed by the state legislature. Maine then became the first state in the nation to pass Medicaid expansion in a public referendum only for to LePage to delay the programs launch, and to request a waiver that would have allowed him to attach work requirements for beneficiaries, which CMS approved in December. When Janet Mills, Maines new Democratic governor, took office in January, the state still hadnt expanded Medicaid. (Mills has since begun implementing expansion, without LePages desired work requirements.)
The tactics of legislators in Idaho and Utah may be savvier than LePages plan. They arent refusing to implement Medicaid expansion; they just hope that a Medicaid-hostile federal government will help them pass plans that drastically restrict the programs reach. But public sentiment is firmly on the side of Medicaid expansion, and Maine provides another example that Republican legislators in Utah and Idaho should heed. Mills ran on a promise to expand Medicaid, and won. Not only did Maine elect a Democrat to replace its outgoing Republican governor, the states traditionally conservative Second Congressional District elected a Democrat who ran on Medicare for All. Voters who approved Medicaid expansion in Idaho and Utah may not react kindly to legislators who get in their way.
DECATUR Crews with the Decatur Fire Department responded to the 900 block of West Eldorado Street late this afternoon.
Acting Battalion Chief Matt Hinds said firefighters arrived to find thick black smoke coming from the back of the building at this location. A small fire inside was extinguished in less than 30 minutes, he said.
Decatur police had both directions of Eldorado blocked as the fire department worked but left shortly after 5 p.m., a reporter at the scene said.
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Firefighters were wrapping up at the scene before 6 p.m. Hinds said the business where the fire started was an auto body repair shop, and there was some smoke damage to the building and a couple of vehicles inside.
Hinds did not have an estimate of damage and said the cause is under investigation. No injuries were reported.
In January, Decatur police and the Macon County Coroner's Office investigated the deaths of a man and woman whose bodies were found in the back room of a car repair shop in the same block of West Eldorado.
Autopsies of Beau W. Ford, 34, and Jacinda M. Jiles, 30, showed "no injury and no trauma detected in either person," according to a press release from Coroner Michael Day. Decatur police detective Sgt. Steve Carroll said no foul play was suspected in their deaths.
Hinds said he could not immediately confirm or deny if the scene of the fire was the same body shop where Ford and Jiles' bodies were found.
Contact Jaylyn Cook at (217) 421-7980. Follow him on Twitter: @jaylyn_HR
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DECATUR The Black History Month celebration at Richland Community College was the culmination of months of planning and a desire to include a wider audience.
Students from the Media Club and the Black Student Association worked hard to create a memorable community event, said Karl Coleman, president of the association.
I'm glad to see as many people out here as we have, Coleman said Tuesday. We've got college students coming through, we have sororities and fraternities, which are an important part of college education. It's good to celebrate our history as a family and a community at large.
The first Negro History Week was celebrated in 1925, and during President Ronald Reagan's administration, in 1986, February was designated Black History Month.
This year, we decided instead of a fair to do an extravaganza, and invite students from the community to come out, said Evyonne Hawkins, professor of African-American studies at Richland. We also have vendors from different organizations and sororities and fraternities.
Students from Phoenix Academy, Eisenhower and MacArthur high schools and Antioch Christian Academy attended and were given seats in the front so they wouldn't miss any performances.
Being black is powerful, and we have to stay true to our roots and come together, said Kyyawna Johnson, a senior at MacArthur who attended the event.
Cordell Ingram, principal of MacArthur, said he wanted to bring students from the dual-credit African-American studies class in particular, so they could see Richland's campus in person.
Whenever we can give them a campus experience, that's something we want to do, he said. We brought as many kids as we could, and we ended up bringing about 50.
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Richland student Lauryn Rowe-Adams put on a Black History Month event at St. Teresa High School when she was a student there, and helping plan the event at Richland as a member of the Black Student Association was a good experience, she said.
I wanted to come here and see the bigger picture, she said. I know that Keyari (Page, president of the Media Club) did an amazing job.
Page said she wanted to represent all aspects of African-American culture, especially the arts, and included music, dance, spoken word performances and visual arts in the event.
We always have a vision to empower everyone, whether it's minorities or anyone, Page said. We wanted to celebrate black history in an extraordinary way.
It was important to her personally, and to the other students who organized the event, to show pride in who they are and their heritage, she said.
We should be proud because we are doing great things, she said. I think that's just amazing. To be proud is to have that energy and to showcase that we are great and have the power within.
This is a special time for celebrating black history, said Jarmese Sherrod, who teaches English and media and helped organize the event with Hawkins and the students. We've fought so much for so many rights and we shouldn't take that for granted.
"We should strive for learning history, teaching history, letting our students know what their foundation is, where it lies, where they're going," Sherrod continued. "We want them to learn and love African-American culture.
PHOTOS: Black Extravaganza celebrates Black History Month at Richland
Contact Valerie Wells at (217) 421-7982. Follow her on Twitter: @modgirlreporter
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SULLIVAN A 32-year-old Mattoon man was arrested Tuesday morning after a late-night shooting in Sullivan, police said.
In a Facebook post, the Sullivan Police Department said officers responded to a home invasion with shots fired call at a residence about 11 p.m.
Police said officers and deputies with the Moultrie County Sheriff's Office found one person with a gunshot wound at the scene. The person was taken by ambulance to a local hospital. The shooting victim's condition was unknown Tuesday afternoon, police said.
Police said Alvan Booths was identified in connection with the shooting and was arrested in Mattoon at 8 a.m. The Moultrie County Detention Center could not immediately be reached to provide information about his charges. A call to the Moultrie County State's Attorney's Office about the case was not answered Tuesday afternoon.
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Illinois State Police Department of Criminal Investigations and State Crime Scene Services were notified of the incident, police said. Sullivan police requested the state police lead the investigation.
Police said the investigation was ongoing as of Tuesday afternoon and an update was unavailable.
2019 mug shots from the Herald & Review
Contact Jaylyn Cook at (217) 421-7980. Follow him on Twitter: @jaylyn_HR
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DECATUR A lawyers bid to probe the phone records of a gunshot victim to look for evidence that might weaken his clients link to an attempted murder case was rejected by a judge Tuesday.
Andrew M. Wessler, defending Decatur man Zachary D. Batson, wanted to see phone records from a woman who was shot and wounded three times during a home invasion the night of Sept. 20, 2017, in Decaturs Park City Mobile Home Community.
Wessler also wanted records from her family members and said he wanted to find out if their lifestyles, rather than the fact the family knew Batson, as the prosecution claims, led to their home being targeted by home invaders looking for drugs and money.
Wessler pointed to police reports outlining that drugs, three pipes used for smoking illegal drugs and paraphernalia found in the home pointed to a lifestyle that might have invited crime from any direction.
But Macon County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Griffith granted a motion by Macon County States Attorney Jay Scott to squash the phone subpoenas.
Scott had argued that he could see no relevance to invade the privacy of the victim, who was aged 52 when she was shot, and her family.
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I think I understand your argument, Griffith told Wessler. ... And I dont really like this phrase, but I think this is a fishing expedition at best
Batson is pleading not guilty to attempted murder, armed home invasion and residential burglary. He is free on $200,000 bond.
Two other defendants in the case, Mikayla M. Melton, 19, and Damon L. Davis, 20, have pleaded guilty and been sentenced: Davis admitted he was the shooter and was sentenced to 30 years in prison in September on charges of attempted first degree murder and home invasion. Melton was sentenced to four years prison in November after pleading guilty to two counts of residential burglary.
Prosecutors say Batson acted as the driver and getaway driver for Davis and Melton, who also invaded another home on the night of the shooting. But Wessler stressed his client is not charged with being present at the actual crimes and his guilt is tied to being associated with the other defendants and allegedly setting up the crime in which the woman was shot.
After the defeat on the phone subpoenas, Wessler told the court he still planned to break Batsons connection to the case by showing Batson had no knowledge of what was going to happen and other causes were involved. I am going to keep searching for that link, Wessler added.
Batsons case was scheduled for a pretrial hearing March 4.
2019 mug shots from the Herald & Review
Contact Tony Reid at (217) 421-7977. Follow him on Twitter: @TonyJReid
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After reading Brent Northups column in the Jan. 31 Your Time, I would like to thank Brent for recognizing that The Myrna Loy presents many of the most acclaimed films each and every year and calls out the Myrna to do more. We are quite fortunate in Helena to have a wonderful theatre complex in the Cinemark theatres as a venue for superheroes and blockbusters. But its The Myrna the brings our community the award-winning and thought-provoking films that would likely not be available to us otherwise. In fact, in Brents Top 10 of 2018, four of the top six were shown at the Myrna. No. 1 on his list, "Roma," is a Netflix release and not in general distribution. Not only that, in Helenas Empty Popcorn Bag of movies that Brent lists as not having been shown in Helena, Spike Lees "BlacKKKlansman" was indeed shown at you got it - The Myrna Loy. "If Beale Street Could Talk" opened Feb. 1 and others are upcoming. So to Benji Cosgrove, film manager at The Myrna, whom Brent urges, Bookem Benji, I say, Thanks for bookingem, Benji!
MSU Extension agents are bringing a program called Mental Health First Aid to rural counties that helps youth and adults alike identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illnesses.
In such a huge, sparsely populated state as Montana, your university has been looking for new ways to get mental health support to some its remotest corners. The center, along with faculty in the Department of Health and Human Development, have developed an online program called THRIVE that speaks the language of rural Montana to help remove the stigma of mental health support. Again, combined with assistance from our MSU Extension agents, THRIVE appears to have great promise, not only for Montana but for all of rural America.
In MSUs College of Nursing we are training psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNPs) who can provide specialized care to individuals, families and communities, including pharmacological treatment for depression, anxiety, bipolar disease, schizophrenia and associated conditions, such as opioid and other addictions.
MSUs College of Nursing graduates roughly 10 PMHNPs annually, significantly increasing the capacity of the health care system to address the mental health needs of Montanans. Additionally, PMHNPs are more likely to choose a career in rural Montana than doctoral-level psychiatrists, filling an important need.
The Montana House on Tuesday passed a set of rules containing a sexual harassment policy that includes protections for victims, although Republicans and Democrats disagree of their strength.
Over the last 18 months, a group of lawmakers created a sexual harassment policy, something a legislator revealed Friday was not only in response to the national #MeToo movement but also to a complaint against a Montana lawmaker from the 2017 session.
Last week a Republican brought changes to the rules that removed a part of the policy listing 18 categories that are protected from harassment. The change instead references the Montana Human Rights Act, with Sen. Fred Thomas, a Republican from Stevensville, saying that gives a more broad definition of who is protected from harassment and discrimination.
Democrats argue that does not provide protections based on sexual orientation, gender identification and gender expression, which are not mentioned in the act.
Rep. Derek Skees, a Republican from the Flathead, said Tuesday by removing a specific list of protected classes, the anti-discrimination and harassment policy was made more broad.
As of Tuesday morning, the county jail held 105 inmates (96 for felonies and nine for misdemeanors). In total, the county has 134 inmates at various detention facilities. Ninety-eight clients are serviced by the 24/7 sobriety program. Of these, 45 are on Personal Breath Test, 34 are on Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor bracelet, 11 are on GPS and eight are on house arrest. Pretrial Services is currently working with 299 clients.
In Our Care
PENDING
McCARTHY, Jane, age 96, of Helena, passed away Monday, Feb. 4, 2019. Cremation has taken place and services will be held at a later date. Please visit www.aswfuneralhome.com to offer a condolence to the family or to share a memory or Jane.
FRIDAY
KNUTSON, Clifford N. "Cliff," age 72, of Helena, passed away Jan. 19, 2019. A graveside service with military honors is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 8, 2019, at the Montana State Veterans Cemetery, Fort Harrison. A reception will follow the burial at Our Redeemers Lutheran Church; 3580 N. Benton Ave. in Helena. The family suggests memorials in Cliffs name go to the Lewis & Clark Humane Society, 2112 Custer Ave., Helena, MT 59602. Please visit www.aswfuneralhome.com to offer a condolence to the family or to share a memory or Cliff.
SATURDAY
HOHN, Inez, R., age 94, of Townsend, passed away Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019. Viewing will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 8, at Anderson Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home, 3750 N. Montana Ave. in Helena. Graveside services will be held at 3 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 8, at the Montana State Veterans Cemetery at Fort Harrison. A memorial service celebrating Inez's life will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 9, at the Townsend United Methodist Church, 200 North Cedar St. in Townsend. A reception will follow the service in the fellowship hall of the church. Memorials in Inezs honor may be sent to Special K Ranch, Hohn House Fund, 34 Special K Lane, Columbus, MT. 59019. Please visit www.aswfuneralhome.com to offer a condolence to the family or to share a memory or Inez.
Sevda Raghib, director of staff education at St. Peter's, said the training was important because so many victims of human trafficking see health-care providers.
"It's an opportunity to build trust and help," Raghib said. "Teaching them to recognize signs and learning what to do and what to look for is important."
Raghib plans to host the course again as part of the hospital's continuing education program, which offers educational hours for doctors and nurses to maintain their licenses in the state of Montana.
Anastasia Burton, a public relations official with the Montana Attorney General's Office, said the continuing education training will also be offered in Billings and Missoula in the following months.
"It's to train folks and for hospitals to develop protocols with patients" who might be involved in human trafficking, Burton said.
Attorney General Tim Fox, who was present at Tuesday's training, has long been driven to combat human trafficking in Montana. He has had that goal since he attended his first National Attorney General's Conference, before he stepped into his role as the head law enforcement official in the state.
Germany is supporting Moroccos sustainable development efforts with a financial assistance of 330.5 million, including loans and grants.
The funds will help the North African country carry out projects in renewable energy, electric power, water supply & storage in rural areas and desalination of seawater.
Two agreements were signed in this regard by Moroccan minister of Economy & Finance Mohamed Benchaaboun and German ambassador in Rabat, Gotz Schmidt-Bremme.
These agreements show the excellent ties existing between Rabat and Berlin, said Benchaaboun, noting that Morocco is a major partner of the German initiative Compact with Africa (CWA), which seeks to promote private investment in Africa and increase attractiveness of private investment through substantial improvements of the macro, business and financing frameworks.
The CWA initiative brings together reformer African countries, international organizations and bilateral partners from G20 and beyond.
The initiative is meant to coordinate country-specific reform agendas, support respective policy measures and advertise investment opportunities to private investors.
For his part, the German ambassador in Rabat said the signing of the two financial agreements enhances Moroccan-German strategic partnership and supports cooperation between the two countries in the fields of renewable energy, water and sustainable economy.
At first glance, 788 vertical feet may not seem like too much to handle.
But when you're breathing compressed air through a mask and wearing a big metal helmet, a Nomex coat, double-walled pants and heavy boots made of rubber and metal, the 800 steps it takes to get there can seem like Mount Everest.
Six Helena Fire Department firefighters are heading to Seattle this March to participate in the 28th Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Firefighter Stairclimb. The fundraising event draws firefighters from all over the world to compete in full gear and see who is the fastest up the Columbia Center tower, which is the tallest building in Seattle.
Brad Patterson, Robbie Bennett, Brian Roberts, Mike Kauzlarich, JD Murphy and Dillon DeLaHunt will be working their way up the tower with hundreds of other firefighters next month. The Helena crew is training at the Capital City Health Club on stair-climbers, making an interesting sight some mornings as they suit up in fire-retardant clothes and start hiking in place.
The firefighters are training at Helena's elevation of 3,875 feet, which will give them an edge in the competition at sea level.
"We started seven years ago," Roberts said.
Intro Why are self-driving cars taking so long? PITTSBURGH In the world of autonomous vehicles, Pittsburgh and Silicon Valley are bustling hubs of development and testing. But ask those involved in self-driving vehicles when we might actually see them carrying passengers in every city, and you'll get an almost universal answer: Not anytime soon. An optimistic assessment is 10 years. Many others say decades as researchers try to conquer a number of obstacles. The vehicles themselves will debut in limited, well-mapped areas within cities and spread outward. The fatal crash in Arizona involving an Uber autonomous vehicle in March slowed progress, largely because it hurt the public's perception of the safety of vehicles. Companies slowed research to be more careful. Google's Waymo, for instance, decided not to launch a fully autonomous ride-hailing service in the Phoenix area and will rely on human backup drivers to ferry passengers, at least for now. Here are the problems that researchers must overcome to start giving rides without humans behind the wheel:
Snow and weather When it's heavy enough to cover the pavement, snow blocks the view of lane lines that vehicle cameras use to find their way. Researchers so far haven't figured out a way around this. That's why much of the testing is done in warm-weather climates such as Arizona and California. Heavy snow, rain, fog and sandstorms can obstruct the view of cameras. Light beams sent out by laser sensors can bounce off snowflakes and think they are obstacles. Radar can see through the weather, but it doesn't show the shape of an object needed for computers to figure out what it is. "It's like losing part of your vision," says Raj Rajkumar, an electrical and computer engineering professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Researchers are working on laser sensors that use a different light beam wavelength to see through snowflakes, said Greg McGuire, director of the MCity autonomous vehicle testing lab at the University of Michigan. Software also is being developed so vehicles can differentiate between real obstacles and snowflakes, rain, fog, and other conditions. But many companies are still trying to master the difficult task of driving on a clear day with steady traction. "Once we are able to have a system reliably perform in those, then we'll start working toward expanding to those more challenging conditions," said Noah Zych, Uber's head of system safety for self-driving cars.
Pavement lines and curbs Across the globe, roadway marking lines are different, or they may not even exist. Lane lines aren't standardized, so vehicles have to learn how to drive differently in each city. Sometimes there aren't any curbs to help vehicles judge lane width. For instance, in Pittsburgh's industrial "Strip District," where many self-driving vehicles are tested, the city draws lines across the narrow lanes to mark where vehicles should stop for stop signs. Sometimes the lines are so far back and buildings are so close to the street that autonomous cars can't see traffic on the cross street if they stop at the line. One workaround is to program vehicles to stop for the line and creep forward. "Is it better to do a double stop?" asked Pete Rander, president of Argo AI, an autonomous vehicle company in which Ford has invested heavily. "Since intersections vary, it's not that easy."
Dealing with human drivers For many years, autonomous vehicles will have to deal with humans who don't always play by the rules. They double-park or walk in front of cars. Recently in Pittsburgh, an Argo backup driver had to take over when his car stopped during a right turn, blocking an intersection when it couldn't immediately decide whether to go around a double-parked delivery truck. "Even if the car might eventually figure something out, it's shared space, and it's socially unacceptable" to block traffic, Rander said. Humans also make eye contact with other drivers to make sure they're looking in the right direction, something still being developed for autonomous vehicles. Add to that the antagonism that some feel toward robots. People have reportedly been harassing Waymo's autonomous test vehicles near Phoenix. The Arizona Republic reported in December that police is suburban Chandler have documented at least 21 cases in the past two years, including a man waiving a gun at a Waymo van and people who slashed tires and threw rocks. One Jeep forced the vans off the road six times.
Left turns Deciding when to turn left in front of oncoming traffic without a green arrow is one of the more difficult tasks for human drivers and one that causes many crashes. Autonomous vehicles have the same trouble. Waymo CEO John Krafcik said in a recent interview that his company's vehicles are still encountering occasional problems at intersections. "I think the things that humans have challenges with, we're challenged with as well," he said. "So sometimes unprotected lefts are super challenging for a human, sometimes they're super challenging for us."
Haifa is on the "front line" in any action in the north but this blog looks at life in the shadow of danger to all of Israel
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Grand Old Partisan honors Williams Evarts, born in Boston this day of 1818. He attended Yale College and Harvard Law School. His legal career began as an Assistant U.S. Attorney. A prestigious Manhattan firm hired him when the Whig administration ended.
Chairing the New York delegation at the 1860 Republican National Convention, Evarts nominated William Seward for president. It was also he who after three ballots moved that delegates nominate Abraham Lincoln unanimously. The first Republican President sent him on diplomatic missions to Britain and France. He was defense counsel for Andrew Johnson's impeachment trial and his Attorney General for eight months.
Evarts helped secure Rutherford Hayes' victory in the disputed 1876 presidential election. President Hayes named him Secretary of State. President James Garfield appointed him to an international monetary conference in Paris. He chaired fundraising efforts for the Statue of Liberty pedestal. The legislature elected him to a Senate term. His foremost congressional achievement was the 1891 Judiciary Act.
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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"
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Yes, the State of the Union speeches are largely theatrical performances designed to spark emotions. They all have many built in pauses for standing applauses. It is the intensity of the applauses that will be noted for later comment by the media as the cameras roll across House chamber attendees capturing the close-ups of facial expressions.
The formal introduction of the President on the podium will of course generate applause, but the intensity of that applause should be measured against the similar introduction of "Madame Speaker". Could her introduction be louder?
Overall though we will have a front seat view of Speaker Pelosi's reaction to the various applause lines as she is seated right behind the President. I would guess that she will remain stern faced and seated most of the time, but will give the President his due on truly bipartisan proposals that Democrats agree with. She will play it safe.
I don't know about many of the young new members of Congress. They may be less restrained.
RADNOR, Pa., Feb. 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP reminds Tenaris S.A. (NYSE: TS) (Tenaris) investors that a securities fraud class action lawsuit has been filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York on behalf of purchasers of Tenaris securities between May 1, 2014 and November 27, 2018, inclusive (the Class Period).
FINAL DEADLINE REMINDER : Tenaris investors may, no later than February 11, 2019 , seek to be appointed as a lead plaintiff representative of the class. For additional information or to learn how to participate in this litigation please visit www.ktmc.com/tenaris-securities-class-action .
According to the complaint, Tenaris produces and sells seamless and welded steel tubular products and related services for the oil and gas industry and other industrial applications. Tenaris has a significant investment in Ternium S.A. and, as of December 31, 2017, held 11.46% of Terniums share capital (including treasury shares). Ternium was created in 2005 by the consolidation of Siderar of Argentina, Sidor of Venezuela, and Hylsa of Mexico. In 2008, Venezuela ordered the transformation of Sidor, a Venezuelan steel company, into a state-owned enterprise. On May 7, 2009, Ternium sold its 59.7% stake in Sidor to Corporacion Venezolana de Guayana, a Venezuelan state-owned entity. Ternium agreed to receive $1.97 billion for the sale of its interest. It took several years, from 2009 to 2012, for Ternium to receive the money.
The Class Period commences on May 1, 2014. On April 30, 2014, after market hours, Tenaris filed a Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013 with the SEC, which provided Tenaris year-end financial results and position. The Form 20-F stated that Tenaris was committed to conducting business in a legal and ethical manner in compliance with local and international statutory requirements and standards.
According to the complaint, on November 27, 2018, Bloomberg reported that Paolo Rocca, who served as Tenaris Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) throughout the Class Period, was indicted for his role in a graft scheme. Specifically, the article stated that an Argentine judge indicted Mr. Rocca after he testified that one of his companys executives paid an undisclosed amount of cash to government officials in monthly installments from 2009 to 2012 to speed up a compensation payment from Venezuelas Hugo Chavez for the nationalization of Sidor.
Following this news, Tenaris stock fell $2.64 per share, or nearly 10%, to close at $24.36 per share on November 27, 2018.
The complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, the defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Tenaris CEO and Chairman, Paolo Rocca, knew that one of his companys executives paid cash to government officials from 2009 to 2012 to speed up compensation payments for the sale of Sidor; (2) this conduct would lead to Mr. Rocca being charged in a graft scheme, and subject Tenaris, its affiliates, and/or executives to heightened governmental scrutiny; and (3) as a result, Tenaris public statements were materially false and/or misleading at all relevant times.
Investors who wish to discuss their legal rights or interests with respect to this securities fraud class action lawsuit are encouraged to contact Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check (James Maro, Jr., Esq. or Adrienne Bell, Esq.) at (888) 299 7706 or (610) 667 7706, or via e-mail at info@ktmc.com .
Tenaris investors may, no later than February 11, 2019 , seek to be appointed as a lead plaintiff representative of the class through Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, or other counsel, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. A lead plaintiff is a representative party who acts on behalf of all class members in directing the litigation. In order to be appointed as a lead plaintiff, the Court must determine that the class members claim is typical of the claims of other class members, and that the class member will adequately represent the class. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision of whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff.
Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check prosecutes class actions in state and federal courts throughout the country involving securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duties and other violations of state and federal law. Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check is a driving force behind corporate governance reform, and has recovered billions of dollars on behalf of institutional and individual investors from the United States and around the world. The firm represents investors, consumers and whistleblowers (private citizens who report fraudulent practices against the government and share in the recovery of government dollars). The complaint in this action was not filed by Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check. For more information about Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, please visit www.ktmc.com .
CONTACT:
WASHINGTON, Feb. 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- City National Bank, Americas Premier Private and Business Bank, announced today that it has hired Ginny Heine to lead its Commercial Banking team in the Greater Washington, D.C. area. Heine will manage the current Commercial Banking team and also initiate City Nationals efforts to serve the local government contracting industry, a focus of hers for many years.
In February 2018, City National opened its first Washington, D.C. Regional Center. It has more than a dozen financial experts who advise entrepreneurs, their businesses and their families on all aspects of growing, protecting and transferring wealth. The team now has five experienced commercial bankers, including new hire Maria Josephs, a senior vice president. This team will deliver City Nationals full complement of credit products, treasury management and investment services to middle-market businesses in the area.
Were proud to attract high-quality talent like Ginny and Maria to our growing team in Washington, D.C., said Zach Mayo, Eastern regional manager of City Nationals Commercial Banking division. Since we opened, the D.C. region has been extremely receptive to City Nationals brand of commercial banking. Every day were talking with more entrepreneurs and business owners about City Nationals exceptional level of service.
In addition to Heine and Josephs, the team includes:
Christopher Ragheb, senior vice president, works directly with businesses and nonprofits to provide City Nationals comprehensive financial solutions.
Phil Ayoub, vice president, has more than 10 years of commercial banking experience and delivers the banks full range of expertise to businesses.
Lorraine Bains, vice president, provides consultative expertise in treasury management process and cash flow analysis to businesses in the region.
City National has a strong commitment to helping business owners grow and prosper, said Heine. I look forward to working with the outstanding team in Washington, D.C. to serve our valued clients.
Heine has more than three decades of financial services experience in the Washington, D.C. area. Prior to joining City National, Heine served as a senior banker and director of business development with Union Bank & Trust in Northern Virginia. Active in the community, Heine serves on the board of TechLaw Holdings, which provides environmental consulting, and previously served on the boards of the National Kidney Foundation and Words&Music, a music ensemble in Northern Virginia. Heine is committed to giving back and has volunteered and served on committees for regional nonprofits, including Volunteer Emergency Families for Children (VEFC), ChildHelp, Easter Seals, United Way, Western Fairfax Christian Ministries (WFCM) and the Salvation Army. Professionally, she has been an active member of organizations such as the Professional Services Council, the National Defense Industrial Association, the Association for Corporate Growth, Women in Technology, Women in Business and Springboard 2000, among other organizations. She earned her bachelors degree from Indiana University.
Josephs has more than 30 years of commercial and government contract lending experience. Prior to joining City National, she served as a senior relationship manager with TD Banks government contracting team. Josephs was a senior relationship manager with Citizens Bank for more than 12 years. She has been an active member of the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, Professional Services Council and various womens executive groups. She earned her bachelors degree from Syracuse University.
To see an image of Heine, go to: https://www.cnb.com/publishingimages/Ginny-Heine.jpg
To see an image of Josephs, go to: https://www.cnb.com/publishingimages/Maria-Josephs.jpg
About City National
With $50.3 billion in assets, City National Bank provides banking, investment and trust services through 71 offices, including 19 full-service regional centers, in Southern California, the San Francisco Bay Area, Nevada, New York City, Nashville, Atlanta, Minneapolis and Washington, D.C. In addition, the company and its investment affiliates manage or administer $67.5 billion in client investment assets.
City National is a subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), one of North Americas leading diversified financial services companies. RBC serves more than 16 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the United States and 34 other countries.
For more information about City National, visit the companys website at cnb.com .
Media Contact:
Debora Vrana, City National Bank, 213.673.7631
Debora.Vrana@cnb.com
VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE Phyto Pharma Inc. ( www.phytopharma.ca ), a Vancouver, British Columbia based phytopharmaceutical and intellectual property holding company with operations in three United States jurisdictions, today announced the initiation of its genetic strain mapping program for the Companys proprietary CBD nutraceutical product lines.
Innovation within the space is taking off with CBD being added into beauty, pet, skin care, drinks, and fitness products. Phyto Pharma expects to be singled out within the wellness sector for its unique, closed loop and innovative wellness model. The Company contracts for the production of specific strains of high CBD biomass through strategic farm tolling operations, incorporates proprietary extraction methods for CBD oil and finally, engages in the formulation, development, and commercialization of cannabinoid-based medications.
Phyto Pharma brands including Phytocine and Rehab Rx are manufactured from proprietary strains of whole plant hemp extracts, containing a full spectrum of phytocannabinoids, including CBD, terpenes, flavonoids, and other valuable hemp compounds.
The level of investment interest in the cannabis industry soared in 2018, said Tom Zuber, managing partner of the law firm, Zuber, Lawler & Del Duca LLP, and he expects that to continue. We see a year of increased M&A and consolidation activity ahead for the U.S. cannabis market, said Zuber. To prepare, sophisticated cannabis companies are pursuing IP protection strategies and making sure accounting records are pristine, he said, to make them more attractive targets for acquisition.
Our initial round of seed funding has allowed us the ability to further invest in research and new product development as we expand our geographical reach of our Phytocine and Rehab RX brands. The passage of the US 2018 Farm Bill signed by President Trump at the end of 2018 will now allow Phyto Pharma to expand our hemp biomass cultivation from raw material extraction to consumer products containing specific genetic strains and IP owned by the Company. Phyto Pharma can now legally grow channels of distribution to multiple jurisdictions allowing delivery of hemp-derived products across state lines for both commercial and consumer use," stated Phillip Johnston, Esq., CEO of Phyto Pharma.
Legalization and acceptance of CBD for its health and wellness benefits is accelerating at a rapid pace globally. CBD is presently most commonly being used for anxiety, insomnia, pain and nausea, but is being investigated as a treatment for other conditions. Earlier this year, the U.S. FDA approved the CBD drug, Epidiolex, for the treatment of childhood epilepsy. The World Health Organization has also recommended descheduling CBD as a controlled substance among its 194-member states. The Brightfield Group of Chicago forecasts the market for CBD from hemp could reach US$22 billion by 2022.
Phyto Pharma is not making specific therapeutic claims. The use of the term pharmaceutical, pharmaceutical grade, pharmaceutical dosage forms, etc. are indicative of the process by which new formulation products will be created with the intent of accurately identifying specific strains, the active ingredients and measured amount to be used in each dosage form using best practices associated with traditional pharmacy formulations. Phyto Pharma is seeking to take existing anecdotal evidence and through its own formulation process further identify which cannabis varieties and strains are best suited to aid in a specific disease. The goal is to provide a reliable clinical effect through the use of well-crafted and well-researched oil analytics and dosage forms including oral and transdermal delivery of IP mapped cannabis extracts and nutraceutical and pharma brands.
About Phyto Pharma Inc.
Phyto Pharma Inc. ( www.Phytopharma.ca ) is a phytopharmaceutical and intellectual property holding company that has been created to develop innovative cannabis products, using accepted pharmaceutical formulation techniques, to reliably produce identifiable and replicable dosage forms for human use. The Company uses current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) that would include pre-formulation, formulation development, small scale commercial manufacturing, analytical method development and validation, routine quality control analysis, and stability studies. It is Phyto Pharmas intent to position itself to have safe, reliable, proven products ready for Phase I formulations when such trials become available and to improve the human condition and better the lives of those who suffer from disease.
Forward Looking Statements. Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of Phyto Pharma Inc., including, but not limited to the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions, volatility of commodity prices, currency fluctuations, dependence upon regulatory approvals, the availability of future financing and exploration risk, the legality of cannabis and hemp. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements.
Elements of the National brigade of the Judicial Police (BNPJ) arrested this Wednesday in Casablanca an Iraqi national suspected of fund-raising for the benefit of jihadists operating in the Syrian-Iraqi zone.
The arrest of the Iraqi national was operated on the basis of tip-offs provided by the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST).
According to the news portal le360, which reported the arrest, the suspect, identified as A. A. M, was a company manager.
He is suspected of illegal fundraising for the benefit of ISIS fighters operating in Syria and Iraq, sources told le360.
The suspect used intermediaries or messengers to smuggle large sums of foreign currency out of the kingdom, the sources said.
ISIS has lost ground in the two countries. In December 2017, Iraq declared victory over the group following three years of fierce fighting. Last month, US President announced the gradual withdrawal of American forces from Syria upon declaring the group defeated.
TORONTO, Feb. 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Angkor Gold Corp. (TSXV: ANK and OTC: ANKOF) (Angkor or the Company) CEO Stephen Burega is pleased to announce that Angkor is actively pursuing oil and gas opportunities in Cambodia in addition to its ongoing mineral exploration projects.
Angkor is currently in discussions with Cambodias oil and gas authorities regarding pursuing oil and gas concessions and available licenses, reported Angkor CEO Stephen Burega. We have been looking at the potential of oil and gas in Cambodia for the last 5 years.
Cambodia has traditionally been viewed primarily as a country with mining and mineral resource opportunities, however, sizeable oil and gas reserves have been developed on three sides of the country in the Gulf of Thailand to the west, the Khorat Plateau of Thailand to the north, and in the Vietnamese Cuu Long Basin of the South China Sea to the south.
The sedimentary basins inland in Cambodia have never been systematically explored, said Angkor Executive Chairman Mike Weeks, partially because of previous historical regional instability and a poor understanding of local geology as it relates to hydrocarbons. We see the potential for petroleum accumulations in Cambodia indicated by onshore natural oil seepages, the presence of sedimentary rocks and geological structures that may trap and hold oil and gas, and the similarity of geology of areas adjacent to Cambodia where oil and gas has been found and is being produced.
To assist in this expansion of Angkors resource focus, Angkor will be working with recognized oil and gas exploration expert Dr. Lorne Rosenthal, who has worked in oil and gas exploration in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin for over 40 years.
Lorne Rosenthal has a PhD in geology from the University of Manitoba. He worked in a number of different staff and consultant positions, including Well Site Geologist, Exploration Geologist, Area Manager, Senior Research Scientist, VP Exploration, and finally President and CEO. He has been either employed or retained under contract by many oil companies in Calgary including Unocal, Sceptre, Murphy, Chevron, PanCanadian, and PetroCanada.
I have been reviewing all available data and the geological setting for several years, said Rosenthal, I would say that parts of Cambodia have similar geology to some of the worlds important oil-bearing basins.
In addition to mineral exploration, Angkor Executive Chairman Mike Weeks has a long and successful career in the oil and gas industry with 25 years experience in project management of petroleum-related industries. He also spent over 14 years negotiating with foreign governments in developing and implementing natural resource concessions.
Angkor continues to explore and develop its five exploration licenses in the Kingdom of Cambodia that cover approximately 983 km2, with the support of the Cambodian government, local communities and earn-in exploration funding partners such as Japans JOGMEC, Australias Emerald Resources NL and Canadas Hommy 5 Resources Inc.
We are very excited about the possibility of adding oil and gas prospects to Angkors portfolio of exploration properties, said Angkor CEO Stephen Burega. Cambodia continues to offer exceptional opportunities as an underexplored region and Angkor is well-placed to lead the way in new discoveries.
ABOUT ANGKOR GOLD CORP.
ANGKOR Gold Corp. is a public company listed on the TSX-Venture Exchange and is a leading mineral explorer in Cambodia with a large land package and a first-mover advantage building strong relationships with all levels of government and stakeholders.
CONTACT:
Stephen Burega, CEO
Telephone: +1 (647) 515-3734
Email: sb@angkorgold.ca
Website: http://www.angkorgold.ca or follow us on Twitter @AngkorGold.
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.
Certain of the statements made and information contained herein may constitute forward-looking information. In particular references to the private placement and future work programs or expectations on the quality or results of such work programs are subject to risks associated with operations on the property, exploration activity generally, equipment limitations and availability, as well as other risks that we may not be currently aware of. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
WALTHAM, Mass., Feb. 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- While much of the mainstream media talks of a slowing economy and market instability, small business owners are overwhelmingly positive about the impact of President Trumps administration on their business, according to an exclusive survey from Business.com . Notably, more than 73% of small business owners are optimistic about their business trajectories over the course of the next two years, due to Trump administration policies. And while the recent government shutdown negatively impacted many, more than 62% of respondents said the shutdown had no impact on their small business. Further details of the survey are outlined in the Business.com story published today, Business.com Survey Reflects Support for Trump Administration Policies . To learn more about Business.com, our active community of small business owners and extensive bench of industry experts, please visit www.business.com .
Quick Links:
Check out our *infographic* revealing survey details HERE
Join our small business community: HERE
Gain expert advice on how to run your business: HERE
Compare prices, features and more on products and services your business needs: HERE
The survey of more than 1,700 small business owners found 64% of respondents strongly agree that they believe the Trump administration has their small businesses interests at heart. Most respondents are optimistic enough about the future of their business under Trump to keep growing. In fact, 52.5% report they plan on expanding their staff in the next year. The survey results also highlight feedback on Trump policy initiatives including tax policy reform, association health plans and trade policy and tariffs. When asked about policy priorities, immigration reform topped the list among respondents, followed closely by healthcare, tax and trade policy.
When asked about the entrepreneurial experience under the Trump administration so far, one respondent said, Reduction of regulations has opened new business and is freeing up resources for my company and clients to utilize my services. Continued smaller government will grow more small businesses."
Doug Llewellyn, CEO, Business.com notes, It is clear not only from our compelling survey results, but among the vibrant conversations within our active small business community, that main street business sentiment is strong. As Trump policies free up capital for small business expansion, we will continue to see optimism from this influential and thriving sector of our economy.
To learn more about the results of this survey, please refer to the Business.com story published today, Business.com Survey Reflects Support for Trump Administration Policies .
About Business.com :
Business.com is a comprehensive resource for small and medium-sized businesses who want to start, run or grow their business. Backed by a community of experts, our platform is designed to connect small business owners, industry experts, and vendors through a wide array of services, tools, and insights. Featuring relevant content and proven strategies, Business.com provides information you can trust. Our company is privately held and headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. To learn more about us or to join our growing community visit www.Business.com .
Media Contact:
Sarah Murray
Attune Communications
781-378-2674
sarah@attunecommunications.com
TOULOUSE, France, Feb. 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Delair, a leading supplier of commercial drone solutions, today unveiled Delair Aerial Intelligence ( delair.ai ), the industrys most comprehensive platform for converting drone-based images into actionable business insights. The new cloud-based solution provides a complete integrated and easy-to-use workflow to manage, analyze and share data, streamlining the process for unlocking the true potential of aerial surveying. Industry-optimized analytics for specific industries and use cases in mining, quarries, construction, power and utilities, and agriculture enable more accuracy and precision to deliver bottom-line benefits to a wide range of businesses.
The hardware-agnostic platform reinforces Delairs position as the pre-eminent supplier of enterprise-class software solutions for the UAV industry. Built on a foundation of six years of internal software development efforts and following its acquisition of Airwares software platform and development team in 2018, Delair now has the largest team of software developers focused on drone data management. The company offers the most scalable platform and the broadest portfolio of analytics to enable enterprises to implement a digital transformation of their assets in order to harness the power of data collected by drones of any type.
It has become clear that data and software are the real end game in effective commercial drone use by enterprises. These businesses demand not just innovative technology but enterprise-ready solutions that offer the scalability, reliability, and security they need, as well as the ability to integrate with other key business processes. With Delair Aerial Intelligence we can offer the combined power of an enterprise-focused workflow and proven industry-specific analytics to help turn aerial data into actionable business insight, said Michael de Lagarde, CEO at Delair.
Early on, we recognized the need to acquire greater amounts of accurate, repeatable data from the air that could be easily accessed and analyzed for improved operational efficiency, said John Blackmore, mapping and survey supervisor at Luck Stone, the largest family owned and operated producer of crushed stone, sand and gravel in the US. We are excited about the additional benefits of the Delair Aerial Intelligence platform, which allow our associates to access the information faster than ever before and analyze the data to make better decisions for the company.
Productivity oriented tools for visualizing and collaboration
The Delair Aerial Intelligence platform provides a powerful set of tools for visualizing, measuring and storing data. Intuitive commands allow the user to visualize a site in 2D or 3D and includes support for orthophotography, slope maps, digital surface models and 3D models. Measurement is made quick and simple with integrated toolsets for calculating length, determining an area size, or calculating stockpile volumes.
Real-time collaboration is enabled in the platform through annotation features, integrated conversation threads and instant notifications from team members. It allows drone data to be overlaid with other geospatial data, supporting popular commercial formats and allowing data to be easily exported to a range of industry-standard software suites and reporting formats.
Industry-optimized analytics for greater efficiency
The Delair Aerial Intelligence platform supports the largest suite of analytics packages for specific applications in different industries. For example, the analytics for mines and quarries allow efficient ways to control and report on inventory, ensure site safety compliance, and optimize and maintain haul roads. For construction projects, analytics tools are available to monitor job progress and earth moving operations, import and compare survey designs to as-built.
Precision ag practices are enabled with the analytics options for agriculture and forestry. Tools are available to perform detailed analysis of fields, runs filed inventory to characterize crops and monitor them. For power and utilities use cases analytics can classify point clouds and vectorize conductors, analyze vegetation growth and prioritize maintenance activities.
For several years Delair has accumulated thousands of flights and produced tens of thousands of analytics. This carefully curated database has been used to train custom deep learning models to automatically classify each pixel of each new flight, and recognize objects or classes such as water, vegetation, construction, vehicle, haul road, stockpile, safety blocks, safety berm, quarry face - eliminating hours of manual analysis on a large site map.
Scalability, security and interoperability for large scale enterprises and projects
The systems cloud-based approach simplifies data storage and access, making it ideal for team collaboration and archiving. The platform is inherently scalable, supporting the use of multiple UAVs and data collection techniques. An unlimited number of projects can be stored and shared, providing access to critical data by anyone who needs it across the enterprise - managers, field adjusters, risk engineers, data scientists, surveyors, and accountants.
Delair Aerial Intelligence is built to support enterprise-strength security and privacy. Built-in features enable data to be encrypted in transit and within the platform and granular role-based controls provide user-specific access and editing privileges. Audit trails provide a detailed record of every action of every user.
Delair.ai exposes standards-based and documented APIs and an SDK for advanced integration of the solution with customers IT infrastructure. Intricate workflows can be easily implemented, and delair.ai analytics can be exported to ERP, CMMS or FSM software.
Completes a robust hardware/software solution
While Delair Aerial Intelligence is compatible with any drone-based data, it offers even more efficiency when paired with the Delair UX11 high performance UAV. Buyers of the Delair UX 11 will receive a complement of credits to be used on delair.ai as part of their package.
Pay as you use model for optimal flexibility
Delair offers its delair.ai capabilities through an innovative and flexible pay-as-you-use model. Pre-paid credits can be used to run various analytics on the platform, with a minimum buying quantity of 10 pre-paid credits. The platform can be used by an unlimited number of users, requires no sign-up fee or commercial engagement, and includes free data storage for the first year.
More information and a video for the Mining & Quarrying industry: here
About Delair
Delair is a leading provider of drone-based solutions that enable enterprises to digitize their physical assets through aerial data collection and artificial intelligence-based analytics that turn the collected data into valuable business insights. The companys offerings combine high performance, long range fixed-wing UAV hardware with sophisticated analytics technology and operational services. Its solutions are used globally by customers in industries such as mining, construction, agriculture, utilities, transportation and oil and gas. Delair has strengthened its position as a global leader through acquisitions of companies such as Gatewing, a former Trimble company, and key assets from the company Airware/Redbird. A strategic partnership with Intel and its Intel Insight initiative is enabling some of the worlds largest organizations to integrate drone data acquisition and analysis in their digital transformation initiatives. In September 2018, Delair received funding from Intel Capital, further extending an existing partnership to accelerate the development and adoption of its data-driven software solutions and the Intel Insight Platform. Founded in 2011 by experts in the aerospace industry, the company today employs 180 people and is headquartered in Toulouse, France and has offices in Paris, Ghent, Los Angeles, Beijing, and Singapore. Its solutions are sold in more than 70 countries by a network of more than 100 resellers. For more information about Delair, go to www.delair.aero and on Twitter @DelairTech .
PRESS CONTACTS
Corporate: press@delair.aero
In the U.S: Mike Sottak: mike@wiredislandpr.com
A video accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/dcaf6440-602b-4bf0-9cf6-1f9925631e24
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/03c5910b-675f-446e-b6ad-af34118d6d7a
http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4f76d40e-8d1a-4b37-9398-df94b1aa763d
http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4a2ee9b1-4d63-4ac0-9051-f6bbd6051ac7
Not for distribution in the U.S. or to U.S. Newswires
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 06, 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. The Company is pleased to announce that its CEO and Founder Damian Kettlewell was interviewed by award-winning broadcaster, Steve Darling, from Proactive Investors Limited.
The interview ( viewable here ) covers some of the most recent news about Blissco, including:
Facility expansion plans
The strategic production and sale of value-added products
New sales agreements
An upcoming AI and machine learning enhanced eCommerce site
A mobile app, BlissConnect, that is near completion
Blissco signed significant partnerships in 2018 with the provinces of British Columbia and Saskatchewan and we have also begun laying the groundwork that will allow us to ship our products to Germany, Brazil, and other international markets, said Damian Kettlewell. On the commercialization front, our eCommerce site is scheduled to launch in the coming months and AI and machine learning will be embedded into it. We will also be launching a telemedicine app called BlissConnect to make it as convenient as possible for our patients to access our products.
The company has been on a five-year journey and is now moving to fulfill both its medical and recreational strategy which will also include sustainable and compostable packaging.
We are dedicated to being not only Canadas wellness cannabis brand that truly cares about our customers but one that cares for our planet as well, added Kettlewell.
About Blissco Cannabis Corp.
Blissco Cannabis Corp. (CSE: BLIS) (OTCQB: HSTRF) (FRA: GQ4B) is a Canadian wellness cannabis brand based in British Columbia and a multi-licensed cultivator, processor, and distributor of premium cannabis.
Blissco owns and operates a state-of-the-art GPP facility located in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia with 18,000 square feet of extraction, cultivation and processing rooms. Blissco is supplying premium cannabis and small-batch Reserve whole flower and pre-rolls to the Canadian and global marketplace with a growing list of provincial cannabis boards and international distribution partners.
With a license to process cannabis oil acquired in August 2018, Blisscos extraction lab is also in operation preparing a line of full spectrum oils for distribution in 2019.
Minneapolis, MN, Feb. 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- UCare today announced the expansion of the Healthy Savings program to all of its more than 380,000 Medicare and Medicaid members in Minnesota and parts of western Wisconsin. The program which is currently available to UCares individual and family plan members makes healthier eating more affordable by providing discounts on healthier foods and beverages.
Providing our members a path for the best health of their lives is our top priority, said Ghita Worcester, UCare Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Chief Marketing Officer. Healthy Savings is a proven program that will improve nutrition of our members and their families while saving them money.
With Healthy Savings, members save up to $200 per month on healthier foods, including fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats, whole grains and more. Offers are redeemed in-store through a scan of the Healthy Savings card or mobile app at grocery store checkout, as member accounts are preloaded with savings, without the clipping or downloading of coupons.
UCare members can shop at any participating grocery retailer, which includes Cub Foods, Coborns, Cash Wise, Festival Foods, Kowalskis, Lunds & Byerlys, Hornbachers and Mackentuns.
Healthy Savings has already saved members nearly $2.5 million on healthier foods and beverages, said Chad Kelly, Chief Marketing Officer of Solutran, the company behind Healthy Savings, and were pleased that UCare is expanding the program so even more members can save money and eat healthier.
Members can register their card and view their account details at healthysavings.com/ucare. The Healthy Savings mobile app is available at no cost on the App Store or Google Play.
The technology behind the Healthy Savings program is powered by the S3 Solutions Suite developed by Solutran, Inc., a Minnesota-based technology company specializing in electronic benefit transfer and payment processing solutions.
About UCareUCare is an independent, nonprofit health plan providing health care and administrative services to more than 400,000 members throughout Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin. UCare partners with health care providers, counties, and community organizations to create and deliver Medicare, Medicaid and Individual & Family health plans.
The health plan addresses health care disparities and care access issues through its Ucare Foundation grants and a broad array of community initiatives. UCare has received Top Workplaces honors from the Star Tribune for nine consecutive years since the rankings began in 2010.
About Healthy SavingsHealthy Savings is a high-engagement, national health & wellness program helping health insurers, employers, government entities and nonprofits make healthier foods more affordable. Partnering with over 14,000 brands and stores, Healthy Savings allows members to save over $50 weekly on healthier foods without having to clip, print or download coupons. Our mission is to improve the way America eats. The platform behind the Healthy Savings program is Solutrans S3 technology. Learn more at TryHealthySavings.com and follow us on LinkedIn.
PARIS and REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Feb. 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Selligent Marketing Cloud , a B2C marketing automation company, today announced the winners of its 2019 Global Partner Awards, marking the companys continued partner program growth. The company also announced Hero Digital , a leading independent customer experience agency, as its latest agency and consultancy partner addition in the United States.
Global Partner Award Winners
Every year, Selligent Marketing Cloud recognizes the top partners that merged creativity with Selligent marketing technology to deliver some of the worlds most inspirational digital campaigns. This years winners were announced at Selligents Global Partner Summit in Paris last week:
North America: Archer Malmo
Archer Malmo and Selligent Marketing Cloud announced its partnership in September 2018 and immediately set off to work on joint clients, including Palm Beach Tan, an indoor tanning market leader in the U.S. Archer Malmos rich roster of clients includes Hyatt Hotels, Delaware North, FedEx, CITGO, and others.
Southern Europe: Leadeal Marketing
Leadeal Marketing, a data and CRM-focused marketing agency based in Paris, works with brands including Evian, Clarins, Nuxe and HomeAway. The agency is known for its successful data-driven marketing approach and enriching brand campaigns that are tailored based on rich insights.
Northern Europe: Alchemetrics
Based in the United Kingdom, Alchemetrics is a marketing agency focused on building, hosting and managing open Customer Data Platforms that connect businesses to customers. With clients including Time Inc Media, they leverage the power of Selligent, and help brand marketers unlock the insights and value promised by modern 1:1 customer engagement, placing a strong focus on compliance and governance.
Advocate of the Year: John Eising of De Heeren van Veertig Plus
As a partner of more than 17 years, De Heeren van Veertig Plus has been solely focused on helping brands make the most of Selligent technology to execute digital campaigns. Eising has worked closely with Selligent for nearly five years and has been instrumental in bridging Selligents platform capabilities with brand marketer needs, delivering rich campaigns and experiences for many omnichannel marketing brands.
Partner Program Growth
The awards point to Selligents continued commitment to its agency partners and signifies an impressive year of strategic, technological and agency alliance growth. Over the last year, Selligent Marketing Cloud added an additional 40-plus organizations to its partner program, including Signal, Response Media, Rosedale Digital, Nimblejack and, now, Hero Digital.
Hero Digitals work spans some of the worlds most notable brands , including Belkin, Western Digital, and Technicolor. It has delivered many award-winning campaigns and most recently joined forces with Clock Four , a leading Customer Experience agency in San Francisco.
Partnering with a martech solution provider that values and prioritizes customer experience as much as we do is paramount, said Tony Rems, Chief Technology Officer of Hero Digital. Selligents focus on marrying data and marketing automation technology to deliver unified, tailored experiences easily and powerfully is a game-changer. Were thrilled to be working together to provide the campaign execution and support that will allow brands to reach the next level of personalized engagement.
Heros focus on bringing data-led, seamless customer experience is as impressive as it gets, said John Hernandez, CEO of Selligent Marketing Cloud. Were proud to welcome them into our growing partner network and look forward to working hand-in-hand to deliver the marketing strategies and campaigns that embody some of the worlds best-known brands.
About Hero Digital
Todays brand opportunity is to compete and grow via a relentless focus on the customer. Hero Digital is the independent customer experience agency that turns vision into realitycrafting iconic experiences, building customer loyalty, and delivering results.
Led by the experts in strategy, data, design, and technology, we offer a rare combination of digital skills. Our lean teams are led by practitioners, so we waste no time in delivering results from strategy through execution.
A trusted advisor to the world's best brands, our customer-centric experiences have defined companies like Sephora, Western Digital, Salesforce, Microsoft and Aramark.
For more information, visit http://www.herodigital.com
About Selligent Marketing Cloud
Selligent Marketing Cloud is a marketing automation platform that enables B2C brands to engage consumers across all critical channels. Built for the relationship marketer, Selligent Marketing Cloud is the only marketing cloud built on a single code base, featuring artificial intelligence and a Customer Data Platform with a universal consumer profile at the core of every action.
More than 700 brands across retail, travel, automotive, publishing, and financial services rely on Selligents proven platform. With 10 offices across the United States and Europe and more than 50 agency partners, Selligent serves over 30 countries with local, personalized service.
Boston, Feb. 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- JLL and Gordon Brothers today announced a strategic alliance to elevate both firms services for retailers and their investors. The alliance will support all retailers, growing or challenged, with the most comprehensive set of real estate, inventory, brand, and customer migration solutions.Together, Gordon Brothers and JLL now offer one of the largest teams of real estate experts to help retailers minimize lease liabilities, maximize the value of their underperforming assets, and retain or migrate customers while protecting and developing their brands. The alliance allows retailers to focus on what is critically important: managing their brand and servicing their customers.
We are excited to bring to our clients the broad array of services offered by Gordon Brothers. Gordon Brothers appraisal, valuation and disposition services are a great complement to JLL. Gordon Brothers is the leading expert in this area, having provided more financial guarantees to retailers than any of their competitors, said Naveen Jaggi, President, JLL Retail Advisory and Capital Markets in the Americas. Through our alliance with Gordon Brothers, we gain the ability to deploy capital to support retailers throughout their lifecycle.
The two firms bring over three centuries of combined experience and nearly 90,000 real estate professionals serving clients in more than 80 countries. Gordon Brothers and JLL generate $18 billion in transactional revenue annually; no team has restructured more leases, disposed of more inventory, facilitated more country exits, or closed more stores within the retail space.
The retail market is evolving rapidly. The conventional lease disposition approach no longer fully serves progressive retailers, said Kenneth Frieze, Chief Executive Officer of Gordon Brothers. By integrating our expertise with JLLs extensive broker networks and technology systems, clients will gain access to expanded services to help them transform their businesses.
The combined services include: portfolio reviews; lease mitigation, termination, and restructurings; property management; fee-owned property sales; valuations; asset dispositions; brand licensing and conversions; customer migration; financing; location scouting; site analytics; retail research; and PinPoint mobile data technology and predictive analytics platforms. For more information on how these services can optimize retailers sales channel strategies and real estate portfolios, please visit http://optichannelrealestate.com.
Gordon Brothers is a leading global advisory, restructuring and liquidation firm serving operating companies and their investors. Gordon Brothers has been providing real estate services since acquiring DJM Real Estate in 1998. In 2016, the firm rebranded its retail real estate business and now provides the same capabilities under the Gordon Brothers parent brand.
About JLL
JLL (NYSE: JLL) is a leading professional services firm that specializes in real estate and investment management. Our vision is to reimagine the world of real estate, creating rewarding opportunities and amazing spaces where people can achieve their ambitions. In doing so, we will build a better tomorrow for our clients, our people and our communities. JLL is a Fortune 500 company with operations in over 80 countries and a global workforce of 88,000 as of September 30, 2018. JLL is the brand name, and a registered trademark, of Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated. For further information, visit jll.com
About Gordon Brothers
Since 1903, Gordon Brothers (www.gordonbrothers.com) has helped lenders, operating executives, advisors, and investors move forward through change. The firm brings a powerful combination of expertise and capital to clients, developing customized solutions on an integrated or standalone basis across four service areas: valuations, dispositions, operations, and investments. Whether to fuel growth or facilitate strategic consolidation, Gordon Brothers partners with companies in the retail, commercial, and industrial sectors to put assets to their highest and best use. Gordon Brothers conducts more than $70 billion worth of dispositions and appraisals annually. Gordon Brothers is headquartered in Boston, with 25 offices across five continents.
TORONTO, Feb. 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ascendant Resources Inc. (TSX: ASND) (OTCQX: ASDRF; ) ("Ascendant" or the "Company) is pleased to announce that it has received a non-binding term sheet from Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), for a project loan of US$35 million to American Pacific Honduras S.A. de C.V., the Companys operating subsidiary in Honduras, to finance the expansion of the El Mochito mine in Honduras as detailed in the Companys Technical Report Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Expansion of the El Mochito Mine, dated December 6, 2018.
Highlights of the terms include:
US$35 million loan facility to finance the expansion of the El Mochito mine in Honduras
Proposed 7-year term
Funds to cover total financing requirements for the expansion program at El Mochito including mine development expansion, a new underground shaft, underground water pumping upgrades and mill upgrades
We are very pleased to have received a non-binding term sheet from OPIC for the financing of the expansion program at El Mochito. OPIC has a history of financing large and important international infrastructure projects that make a significant contribution to the local communities in which they provide funding. We look forward to the opportunity to work together to expand the operations at El Mochito for the benefit of our employees, the local community, our stakeholders and our shareholders, stated Chris Buncic, President and CEO.
He continued, This non-dilutive financing represents a significant step for the Company, as once the expansion program has been completed, it will structurally reduce the all-in cost base for the El Mochito mine that should enable profitability in almost any reasonable commodity price environment. We are also very pleased that the OPIC financing is structured to provide all necessary funds for the expansion project, while not encumbering the Company with a significant financial burden over the short term.
The OPIC project loan has been designed to provide the necessary capital to complete the full expansion of the El Mochito mine as detailed in the Companys Technical Report titled Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Expansion of the El Mochito Mine, dated December 6, 2018, eliminating further project financing needs.
The Term Sheet is non-binding and bares no legal obligation by any of the parties until definitive agreements have been made. The loan is subject to the completion of OPICs due diligence, additional documentation, internal approvals and certain other conditions.
About the Expansion Project at El Mochito
On December 6, the Company filed a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) for the expansion and optimization of operations at its El Mochito mine. The PEA outlines a substantial project Internal Rate of Return of 58% with a payback period of just under two years. The PEA further presents a robust and compelling opportunity for the Company to position El Mochito as a long-term profitable operation as it foresees a reduction in average all-in sustaining costs to $0.97 per payable zinc equivalent pound produced, and a significant increase in average annual contained zinc equivalent production to 120 million pounds. The PEA assumes a mine life of 10 years inclusive of Inferred Mineral Resources and is based upon the Companys current Mineral Resource Estimate, not including any of the 30,000-metre drill program carried out in 2018.
All key highlights of the PEA are summarized below:
Table of Key Project Highlights Project IRR after taxes & royalties 58% Incremental Project NPV (8%) after taxes & royalties $83.0 million Incremental Project undiscounted after-tax cash flow $146.5 million Project construction period 2 years Project Payback period 2 years Life of mine (including current operations) 10 years Metal Prices assumed Zinc $1.21/lb Lead $1.09/lb Silver $15/oz LOM Process recovery Zn 90% Pb 75% Ag 75% Average Annual Metal production (rounded) Zn 41 kt Pb 10 kt Ag 742 koz ZnEq 120 million lbs Total LOM payable ZnEq production (rounded) 1,038 million lbs Project Development Capital Expenditures $32.8 million LOM Sustaining Capital Expenditure (excluding closure) $129.7 million Average annual operating costs after construction $61.85/t processed Average annual operating costs after construction $0.58/lb ZnEq payable Average annual AISC after construction $0.97/lb ZnEq payable
For additional and full details please see the Companys Technical Report which can be found on the Companys website or SEDAR.
About Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC)
The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) is a self-sustaining U.S. Government agency that helps American businesses invest in emerging markets. Established in 1971, OPIC provides businesses with the tools to manage the risks associated with foreign direct investment, fosters economic development in emerging market countries, and advances U.S. foreign policy and national security priorities. OPIC helps American businesses gain footholds in new markets, catalyzes new revenues and contributes to jobs and growth opportunities both at home and abroad. OPIC fulfills its mission by providing businesses with financing, political risk insurance, advocacy and by partnering with private equity fund managers.
OPIC services are available to new and expanding businesses planning to invest in more than 160 countries worldwide. Because OPIC charges market-based fees for its products, it operates on a self-sustaining basis at no net cost to taxpayers. All OPIC projects must adhere to best international practices and cannot cause job loss in the United States.
About Ascendant Resources Inc.
Ascendant is a Toronto-based mining company focused on its 100%-owned producing El Mochito zinc, lead and silver mine in west-central Honduras and its high-grade polymetallic Lagoa Salgada VMS Project located in the prolific Iberian Pyrite Belt in Portugal.
After acquiring the El Mochito mine in December 2016, Ascendant spent 2017 implementing a rigorous and successful optimization program restoring the historic potential of El Mochito, a mine in production since 1948, to deliver record levels of production with profitability restored. The Company now remains focused on cost reduction and further operational improvements to drive robust profitability in 2018 and beyond. With a significant land package of approximately 11,000 hectares in Honduras and an abundance of historical data, there are several near-mine and regional targets providing longer term exploration upside which could lead to further Mineral Resource growth.
Ascendant holds an interest in the high-grade polymetallic Lagoa Salgada VMS Project located in the prolific Iberian Pyrite Belt in Portugal. The Company is engaged in exploration of the Project with the goal of expanding the already-substantial defined Mineral Resources and testing additional known targets. The Companys acquisition of its interest in the Lagoa Salgada Project offers a low-cost entry point to a potentially significant exploration and development opportunity. The Company holds an additional option to increase its interest in the Project upon completion of certain milestones.
Ascendant Resources is engaged in the ongoing evaluation of producing and development stage mineral resource opportunities, on an ongoing basis. The Company's common shares are principally listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "ASND". For more information on Ascendant Resources, please visit our website at www.ascendantresources.com.
Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
For further information please contact:
Katherine Pryde
Director, Communications & Investor Relations
Tel: 888-723-7413
info@ascendantresources.com
Forward Looking Information
This news release contains "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" (collectively, "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All information contained in this news release, other than statements of current and historical fact, is forward-looking information. Often, but not always, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "budget", "guidance", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "strategy", "target", "intends", "objective", "goal", "understands", "anticipates" and "believes" (and variations of these or similar words) and statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "should", "might" "occur" or "be achieved" or "will be taken" (and variations of these or similar expressions). Forward-looking information is also identifiable in statements of currently occurring matters which may continue in the future, such as "providing the Company with", "is currently", "allows/allowing for", "will advance" or "continues to" or other statements that may be stated in the present tense with future implications. All of the forward-looking information in this news release is qualified by this cautionary note.
Forward-looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, statements regarding the closing of the loan facility, the repayment of the loan facility and the ability of the loan facility to provide the necessary capital to complete the full expansion of the El Mochito mine. The material factors or assumptions that Ascendant identified and were applied by Ascendant in drawing conclusions or making forecasts or projections set out in the forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, the ability of the Company to close the loan facility, to repay the loan facility and the ability of the loan facility to provide the necessary capital to complete the full expansion of the El Mochito mine.
The risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information may include, but are not limited to, risks generally associated with the mining industry, such as economic factors (including future commodity prices, currency fluctuations, energy prices and general cost escalation), uncertainties related to the development and operation of Ascendant's projects, dependence on key personnel and employee and union relations, risks related to political or social unrest or change, rights and title claims, operational risks and hazards, including unanticipated environmental, industrial and geological events and developments and the inability to insure against all risks, failure of plant, equipment, processes, transportation and other infrastructure to operate as anticipated, compliance with government and environmental regulations, including permitting requirements and anti-bribery legislation, volatile financial markets that may affect Ascendant's ability to obtain additional financing on acceptable terms, the failure to obtain required approvals or clearances from government authorities on a timely basis, uncertainties related to the geology, continuity, grade and estimates of Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources, and the potential for variations in grade and recovery rates, uncertain costs of reclamation activities, tax refunds, hedging transactions, the inability of the Company to meet its guidance, the inability of the Company close the loan facility, to repay the loan facility, the inability of the loan facility to provide the necessary capital to complete the full expansion of the El Mochito mine, as well as the risks discussed in Ascendant's most recent Annual Information Form on file with the Canadian provincial securities regulatory authorities and available at www.sedar.com.
Should one or more risk, uncertainty, contingency, or other factor materialize, or should any factor or assumption prove incorrect, actual results could vary materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Accordingly, the reader should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Ascendant does not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information after the date of this news release or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and any forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law.
Daylight is the first digital therapeutic to combine cognitive behavioral therapy, animation and human voice to help people improve feelings of worry and anxiety
Now covering more than 12 million people worldwide, Big Health expands its focus in helping millions back to good mental health
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Digital therapeutics company Big Health today announced the launch of Daylight , a scientifically rigorous yet approachable mobile app for reducing feelings of worry and anxiety.
Anxiety is the most common mental health issue in the United States, affecting more than 40 million Americans (18 percent of the adult population) every year. Worry and anxiety can significantly interfere with peoples day-to-day functioning and overall quality of life.
Daylight uses scientifically proven techniques based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to address feelings of worry and anxiety wherever and whenever the need arises. Big Health collaborated with the worlds leading experts from Boston University, University of California, Los Angeles, University of Oxford and University of Texas, Austin to teach individuals how to respond to negative thoughts, use their body to reduce stress and tension and face their fears directly. Users can come back at any time to check-in, learn new techniques and measure their progress.
Developed by leading podcast producers, filmmakers, designers and animators, including veterans of Pixar and NPRs Radiolab, the Daylight app combines animation with the intimacy of the human voice to provide a fully immersive visual and auditory experience that is personalized, lighthearted and upbeat.
With anxiety and other mental health issues causing distress to millions and costing trillions worldwide, widespread access to effective solutions has never been more critical, said Peter Hames, CEO and co-founder of Big Health. By combining the expertise of world-leading scientists, animators and storytellers weve been able to develop digital therapeutics that respond to the human, emotional reality of these problems. We are excited about the potential for Daylight to help many more people back to good mental health.
Daylight is Big Healths second digital CBT-based program following the success of its first product, Sleepio, a digital sleep improvement program accessible to more than 12 million people worldwide through employers and payers including Boston Medical Center, Comcast, the Hartford and the U.K.s National Health Service (NHS).
As an organization, we are committed to providing comprehensive wellness and mental health resources. Weve found Big Healths first program, Sleepio, to be a fun and effective way to help our employees improve their sleep, said Lisa Kelly-Croswell, SVP and chief human resources officer at Boston Medical Center. Were now excited to offer Daylight and further expand options for our employees to access mental health resources in an innovative and accessible format.
Big Healths digital delivery model addresses the overarching problem facing mental health care: growing demand and a lack of resources to help everyone who needs it. Most people who need help with worry and anxiety dont get it Hames said. Daylight is a scalable solution that aims to address that.
According to recent studies, CBT has shown to be effective in nearly 50 percent of individuals across all types of anxiety1. More specifically, studies show digitally delivered CBT can lead to large improvements in anxiety, worry, distress, disability and quality of life2.
About Anxiety
Anxiety is the most common mental health issue in the United States. An estimated 40 million adults in the U.S. (18 percent) experience an anxiety disorder each year. Individuals with an anxiety disorder are significantly more likely to use more healthcare services, require hospitalization or visit the emergency room leading to 93 percent higher healthcare costs on average. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the estimated cost of depression and anxiety to the global economy is $1 trillion per year. There are many types of anxiety disorders, including Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder and various phobias. However, all anxiety disorders have one thing in common: persistent, excessive fear or worry that is disproportionate to the situation.
About Daylight
Designed by leading experts in anxiety and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Daylight helps people make behavioral changes that promote improvements in wellbeing and daily functioning as well as reductions in feelings of worry and anxiety. More specifically, Daylight teaches practical techniques scientifically proven to work. The Daylight app was built by leading podcast producers, filmmakers, designers and animators to provide a fully immersive visual and auditory experience that is lighthearted and upbeat. Using the intimacy of a real human voice to connect with users, Daylight builds a personalized program based on users specific needs and reacts to how they are feeling in the moment to provide the help they are most likely to benefit from. Daylight has embedded scientific expertise from the start, working closely with leading anxiety and CBT experts from Boston University, University of California, Los Angeles, University of Oxford and University of Texas, Austin to adapt the most effective techniques for addressing worry and anxiety for a digital format. Individuals can access Daylight through their employer or health plan, if covered, or gain free access by participating in research trials. Visit www.trydaylight.com to check if youre covered or eligible for research.
About Big Health
Big Healths purpose is to help millions back to good mental health, which it does by creating fully automated and highly personalized behavioral programs for mental health. Designed by leading experts in sleep, anxiety and CBT, Big Healths solutions feature cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques. Big Healths lead products are Sleepio for helping individuals address poor sleep; and Daylight for helping individuals address worry and anxiety. With offices in London and San Francisco, Big Healths products are used by large multinational employers and major health plans to help improve sleep and mental health. To date, more than 12 million people across 60+ countries have access to Sleepio or Daylight. For more information, visit us at www.bighealth.com .
References:
1 Loering et. al. Response rates for CBT for anxiety disorders: Need for standardized criteria . Clinical Psychology Review. 2015
2 Richards et al. The efficacy of internet-delivered treatment for generalized anxiety disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis . Internet Interventions. 2015
Media Contact
Firebrand Communications for Big Health
Maura Lafferty
415.848.9175
bighealth@firebrand.marketing
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/52bf9ebf-59f8-4bf5-9fce-bcfefffd414c
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English Icelandic
Clearer focus on flight operations
Integration of sales, marketing and customer service
Focus on digital development
Changes in the Executive Management
Decision has been made to prepare the sales process of Iceland Travel
Changes have been made to Icelandair Groups organisational structure to further sharpen the focus on the Companys core business, flight operations. The Companys flight operations will be divided into eight divisions which consist of four core business divisions and four supporting functions. The core business divisions are Sales and Customer Experience, Operations, Air Freight and Logistics and Aircraft Leasing and Consulting. The first three divisions focus on maximising the potential and creating value from the Groups international route network. Aircraft Leasing and Consulting uses Icelandair Groups expertise, experience and operating resources to provide charter and consulting services to airline operators around the world. The four supporting functions are Finance, People and Culture, Digital Development and Information Technology, and Fleet and Network. The Managing Directors of the above-mentioned divisions form Icelandair Groups Executive Management, along with Bogi Nils Bogason, President & CEO.
Changes in the Executive Management team
Sales and Marketing and Customer Experience which have been operated as two separate divisions will be merged into one. Birna Osk Einarsdottir, who has served as Chief Customer Experience Officer, will lead the merged division, Sales and Customer Experience, and take over the role of Chief Commercial Officer from Gunnar Mar Sigurfinnsson. Gunnar Mar will remain part of the Executive Management team, as Chief of Air Freight and Logistics.
Tomas Ingason joins the Company as Chief Information Officer to lead a new division, Digital Development and Information Technology, and becomes part of the Executive Management team, as well as Eva Soley Gudbjornsdottir, who joins the Company in mid-February as Chief Financial Officer.
Furthermore, Ivar S. Kristinsson, Managing Director of Fleet and Route Network, and Arni Hermannson, Managing Director of Loftleidir Icelandic, will join the Executive Management team.
Magnea Thorey Hjalmarsdottir, Managing Director of Icelandair Hotels, Icelandair Groups subsidiary which is currently in sales process, will leave the Executive Management team. Jens Bjarnason, Managing Director of Corporate Affairs, will now focus on an international investment project for the Group. He has been leading one such project for Icelandair Group in Cape Verde over the last two years.
Bogi Nils Bogason, CEO of Icelandair Group:
With these changes, we are further sharpening our focus on flight operations, our core business. These changes will also simplify our operations and increase efficiencies, for example in our finance division. This will make us better equipped to adapt to the constantly changing operating environment and take advantage of future opportunities. Increased emphasis on digitization, development of our fleet and route network, as well as air freight and our leasing business, will also strengthen our competitive advantage.
Integration of sales, marketing and customer service
Birna Osk Einarsdottir will lead a new division, Sales and Customer Experience. She has headed the Customer Experience division, which was established last year with the aim to increase the focus on customer relationships within Icelandair by integrating developmental and customer relations functions. Customer Experience has been responsible for Icelandairs loyalty programme, digital development, strategy and business development. This was an important step that resulted in improved customer service and simplified processes and project management. Gunnar Mar Sigurfinnsson has led the Sales and Marketing division since last year and has strengthened the sales and marketing activities significantly during that time. By integrating these two divisions, distribution technology, data and digital development, will be moved to a new division, Digital Development and Information Technology. This change sharpens the focus of the division on opportunities of further integration of sales, marketing and customer service activities. Gunnar Mar will support Birna Osk with the further development and integration of these functions in the following weeks. Great emphasis will be placed on retaining a good relationship with Icelandairs key customers, agents and partnering companies.
Prioritising Digital Development
New division, Digital Development and Information Technology, has been established. It builds on Icelandairs commitment over the past few years to build on the most current technology available to provide customers excellent service, and drive digitization to improve operational efficiencies. Three years ago, Icelandair set an ambitious goal of becoming a leader in digital technology solutions within the airline industry. Significant progress has been made in this area since then. Integrating all the functions within the Company that will shape Icelandairs digital future in one place is the logical next step in this development. Tomas Ingason has been appointed to lead this new division from the beginning of March.
Emphasis on Air Freight and Logistics
Gunnar Mar Sigurfinnsson will lead the further development of Air Freight and Logistics. He has led Icelandair Cargo for the last 10 years and has strengthened this business significantly during that time. The Group intends to capitalize upon the opportunity to use Icelandairs international route network more efficiently when it comes to air freight. In addition, various possibilities to expand the Companys air freight business are being considered.
Aircraft Leasing and Consulting builds on Icelandair Groups operational resources
Aircraft Leasing and Consulting will become one of Icelandair Groups core business divisions and will be led by Arni Hermannsson, Managing Director of Loftleidir Icelandic. Loftleidir Icelandic currently uses Icelandair Groups expertise, experience and operating resources to provide charter and consulting services to airline operators around the world. Furthermore, the Company contributes to reducing seasonal fluctuations within Icelandair Groups operations. The Company has consistently performed well over the years and Icelandair Group intends to strengthen this business further.
Changes within Finance
Icelandair Groups subsidiary, Icelandair Shared Services (Fjarvakur), that has provided the Group with a range of financial services over the years, will be integrated into Icelandair Groups Finance division. Magnus Kr. Ingason, the Managing Director of Icelandair Shared Services, has decided to leave the Company in May 2019 following the completion of the integration. The objectives of these changes are to simplify processes and reduce operating costs.
Fleet and Route Network Management
The fleet and the international route network are at the core of Icelandair Groups operations. Ivar S. Kristinsson, Managing Director of Icelandairs Fleet and Route Network will lead a new division dedicated to this area of the business. He will also become part of the Executive Management team.
Other Changes
As a result of the clearer focus on the Groups flight operations, further integration of Icelandair Groups subsidiaries, Air Iceland Connect and VITA, will also be considered. Furthermore, Icelandair Groups Board of Directors has decided to start preparing the sales process of Iceland Travel.
New members of the Executive Management team
Arni Hermannsson was appointed Managing Director of Loftleidir Icelandic in January 2018 after having served as Chief Financial Officer of the Company since 2002. Prior to that he was Chief Financial Officer of the Icelandic technology companies ANZA and Alit. He holds a Cand. Oecon Degree in Business Administration from the University of Iceland.
Eva Soley Gudbjornsdottir worked as the Managing Director of Finance and Operations at Advania in Iceland from 2015 and then as the Managing Director of Service and Operations of the Company from May 2018. Prior to that she was Vice President in Corporate Finance at Ossur. Eva Soley has also worked as an independent consultant and investor but started her career within the financial services industry and worked at Kaupthing bank for many years. Eva Soley holds a Master of Science Degree in Financial Engineering and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering Management Systems, with a minor in Economics from Columbia University in New York.
Ivar S. Kristinsson has served as Managing Director of Icelandairs Fleet since May 2018 after having been with the Company since 2010 as Director of Resource Mangement. Prior to that, he was a Director in Operations at Promens from 2006 to 2008 and Project Manager at Icelandair from 2000 to 2005. Ivar holds an MSc. Degree in Industrial Engineering from University of Iceland and an MBA in Corporate Finance from University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Tomas Ingason has been appointed Chief Information Officer of a new division, Digital Development and Information Technology. He was Chief Commercial Officer of WOW air in 2018 and Director of Rapid Digitization at Arion Bank between 2016 and 2018. Tomas was Chief Business Development Officer of WOW air in 2014. Prior to that he was Management Consultant at Bain & Company in Copenhagen and served as Director of Revenue Management and Pricing at Icelandair for several years. Tomas holds an MBA Degree from MIT Sloan School of Management in Boston, MSc. Degree of Engineering in Logistics and Supply Chain Management and a BSc. Degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Iceland.
Attachment
Washington and Rabat gave an African dimension to their Strategic Dialogue with the 1st session meeting of their joint working group on Africa convened Tuesday in Washington.
The gathering was co-chaired by Moroccan minister Delegate for African cooperation Mohcine Jazouli and Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Tibor Nagy.
Africa is at the top of Moroccos foreign policy priorities as evidenced by the return of the Kingdom to the African Union in January 2017, said Jazouli in his opening address, noting that more than 100 Moroccan companies are operating in 42 African countries, with a $4 billion investment injected in the continent over a period of 15 years.
The Moroccan investments have been made in real estate, fertilizers, banking, insurance, telecommunications, as well as the agro-industrial and pharmaceutical sectors, he explained.
The African dimension of the Kingdom is strongly rooted in a deep conviction that the socio-economic development of African countries and the creation of jobs will help address the challenges posed by extremism, radicalism, terrorism, illegal immigration and political instability, said the Moroccan official.
Thanks to a multifaceted vision of cooperation with the continent, Morocco has demonstrated the full extent of its leadership in terms of security issues on the basis of relevant and efficient strategies to fight terrorism while consolidating cooperation in this area with the United Nations, the United States and several other allied countries, underlined the minister.
It was a pleasure meeting the Moroccan delegation for the Africa Working Group round of the U.S.-Morocco Strategic Dialogue. We look forward to continued cooperation towards achieving the mutual goal of a stable and prosperous Africa, said the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs in a tweet after the meeting.
The two countries have a long history of working together bilaterally and regionally. They share common concerns and consult closely on security, political, and economic issues and sustainable development.
The United States designated Morocco a Major Non-NATO Ally in 2004, and the U.S. and Moroccan militaries hold joint exercises and training every year.
Morocco is a strong partner in counterterrorism efforts and works closely with US law enforcement to safeguard both countries national security interests. The USA and Morocco coordinate their efforts to promote regional stability and security, including through the Global Counterterrorism Forum and the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.
Morocco, which is attending this Wednesday (Feb.6) a meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in Washington, will share with other participants its expertise in the fight against terrorism.
The North African country, with the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (CBJI), has dismantled over one hundred terror groups and busted more than 276 plots since the agencys inception in 2015.
Summary
Netcompany realised revenue of DKK 2,053.2m in 2018, corresponding to a reported revenue growth of 45% and an organic revenue growth of 25.5%.
Adjusted EBITA grew by 27.9% to DKK 514.2m compared to DKK 402.0m in 2017, corresponding to an adjusted EBITA margin of 25%.
The average number of full-time employees grew by more than 600 from 1,256 during 2017 to 1,861 during 2018, driven by the continued growth in both Denmark and Norway, as well as the full inclusion of Netcompany UK.
At the beginning of 2019, revenue visibility for the full year increased by 33.8% to DKK 1,579.4m compared to DKK 1,180.0m at the beginning of 2018.
Free cash flow remained strong, and increased from DKK 307.3m in 2017 to DKK 391.3m in 2018, yielding a cash conversion ratio of 75.2% - in line with the level of 2017.
For 2019, Netcompany expects revenue in constant currencies in all geographies to grow between 20% and 25% and Group adjusted EBITA margin in constant currencies of around 26%.
"2018 has been a tremendous year for Netcompany where we passed a number of significant milestones. Revenue grew to above DKK 2 billion with operating profits growing to above half a billion DKK1. We also welcomed more than 750 new employees during the year and in June we successfully entered the Copenhagen stock exchange as a true Unicorn in a successful IPO.
Looking back at 2018, I am immensely proud of our achievements made possible by all of our fantastic employees, and I look forward to the journey in 2019 and onwards."
Andre Rogaczewski, Netcompany CEO and Co-founder
1. Adjusted EBITA
Performance highlights for Q4 2018
Revenue increased by 22.5% to DKK 543.3m in reported currencies and by 22.4% in constant currencies.
Organic revenue increased by 16.8% to DKK 517.8m from DKK 443.4m in Q4 2017.
Adjusted EBITA margin was 24.1% in reported and constant currencies compared to 26.0% in reported currencies in Q4 2017. The UK operation impacted adjusted EBITA margin negatively by 4.0 percentage points in Q4 2018.
Profit before tax increased by 50.5% to DKK 91.6m in reported currencies and by 50.2% in constant currencies.
Revenue visibility for 2019 increased by 33.8% to DKK 1,579.4m compared to DKK 1,180.0m at the beginning of 2018.
Free cash flow remained strong and increased from DKK 154.8m in Q4 2017 to DKK 163.6m in Q4 2018, yielding a cash conversion ratio of 116.9% compared to 127.4% in Q4 2017.
Financial overview
For full details on financial performance, see enclosed full company announcement 12 months ended 31 December 2018 and the Annual report for 2018.
Conference call details
In connection with the publication of the results for Q4 2018, Netcompany will host a conference call on 6 February 2019 at 10.00 CEST. The conference call will be held in English and can be followed live via the companys website; www.netcompany.com
Dial-in details for investors and analysts:
DK: +45 32 72 80 42
UK: +44 (0) 2071 928000
Confirmation code: 2679057
Webcast Player URL: https://edge.media-server.com/m6/p/aszgxfjx
Additional information
Andre Rogazcewski, CEO +45 70 13 14 40
Thomas Johansen, CFO + 45 51 19 32 24
Attachments
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rebel Capital Inc. (the Company) (TSXV: RBL.P), a capital pool company pursuant to Policy 2.4 of the TSXV Corporate Finance Manual, announces that, further to the Companys news release dated June 14, 2018, the Company and Spektra Drilling Canada Inc. (Spektra) have agreed to terminate the letter of intent between the Company and Spektra dated June 14, 2018 regarding the Companys previously announced plans to acquire all of the securities of Spektra.
The Company intends to seek other opportunities in respect of a potential qualifying transaction and has made a request to reinstate the Companys common shares for trading.
This press release is not an offer of securities for sale in the United States. The securities described in this press release 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 or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended) absent registration or an exemption from registration. 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 in any jurisdiction where such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful.
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.
Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information
This press release contains forward-looking statements and information that are based on the beliefs of management and reflect the Companys current expectations. When used in this press release, the words estimate, project, belief, anticipate, intend, expect, plan, predict, may or should and the negative of these words or such variations thereon or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. The forward-looking statements and information in this press release includes the intention of the Company to seek other opportunities in respect of a potential qualifying transaction. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the following risks: the need for additional financing, the volatility of the Companys common share price and volume and reliance on key and qualified personnel. Forward-looking statements are made based on managements beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made and the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements.
For further information, please contact:
Mihalis Belantis, CEO
(403) 701-7299
mb@1821capital.com
Please see attached minutes from Shareholders Meeting held at Hilton Reykjavik Nordica at 16.00 on February 5th 2019. On the agenda was one item, the election of members of the Board of Directors. The following candidates declared their candidature:
Liv Bergorsdottir, Chairman of Wow air and Aur app. She has over 20 years of experience in the telecom industry, most recently as the CEO of Nova hf for 12 years.
Magnus Bjarnason, M&A Advisor and Managing Partner of MAR Advisors. He is the former CEO of Icelandic Group.
Jakob Valgeir Flosason, CEO of Jakob Valgeir ehf. He has decades of experience from the seafood industry.
Ingunn Agnes Kro as an alternate member of the board of ISI. Director of Administration and Communication at Skeljungur hf.
According to the Articles of Association of the Company, the Board of Directors shall be comprised of 3 to 5 members and up to one alternate member. Consequently, the above candidates were elected to the Board without ballot at the meeting.
The Board of Directors met post the Shareholders Meeting, where Magnus Bjarnason was elected as a Chairman of the Board
Attachment
TORRANCE, Calif., Feb. 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Transient Plasma Systems Inc. (TPS), which develops and markets nanosecond pulsed power systems that unlock the potential of low-temperature plasma to be used in a variety of applications, today announced that it has completed an $8.5 million Series A funding round from Kairos Ventures.
This financing will enable the company to make immediate investments to expand the TPS infrastructure to pursue emerging opportunities including ignition of advanced high-efficiency combustion engines, emissions reduction, and industrial plasma processing, and position itself for future growth. The build-up includes investment in the core team, manufacturing base and intellectual property. The Series A follows a $1.5 million seed investment from Kairos Ventures, bringing the total investment from Kairos to $10 million. As part of the investment, James Demetriades, CEO of Kairos Ventures, will join the companys board of directors.
"We are very excited to be working with Kairos Ventures. The Series A round builds on the success of the seed investment, which saw key technology development, the establishment of new markets, and growing revenue. With Kairos, TPS is committed to the development of creative, nanosecond pulsed power solutions and low-temperature plasma to solve real-world problems facing society and industries across the world. TPS technology will improve human and environmental health, and open new pathways to innovation, helping to resolve conflict between industrial production and its ecological impact," said Dr. Dan Singleton, CEO and co-founder of TPS.
"TPS continues to successfully execute on its vision to develop commercial nanosecond pulsed power systems that will provide capabilities to a variety of industries," said Demetriades. "I am particularly excited about the impact that TPS technology will make in the automobile industry and the dramatic engine efficiency gains TPS can enable."
About Kairos Ventures
Kairos Ventures invests early, often during the formative stages of a company, and works closely with the worlds leading scientists to commercialize their technologies. Depending on the stage of development and the capital requirements of each venture, they make investments between $150,000 and $20 Million. While KV investors are hands-on they also recognize that it is the entrepreneurs sweat, hard work and perseverance that will drive the growth of their companies. They strive to ensure that the founding team, who make the early sacrifices in pursuit of their venture, retain the majority of the ownership in their companies. In addition to providing early-stage capital, KV leverages their expertise and extensive network of professionals specializing in all disciplines required to build a successful company, including legal, finance, marketing, operations, business development and HR. They provide these services to early stage companies in their portfolio to allow the entrepreneurs to focus their energy on continuing to innovate and pushing the envelope in their respective fields.
About Transient Plasma Systems, Inc. (TPS)
Transient Plasma Systems (TPS) develops pulsed power systems to enable commercial, industrial, and research applications across a broad range of areas including combustion, bio-electrics and agriculture. The foundational technology was developed at the University of Southern California (USC), with over a decade of support from the Department of Defense. The company was spun out of the university with the express purpose of translating the technology into products and systems to respond to the demands of both military and commercial markets. The TPS team has a cumulative 50 years of pulsed power experience in solving the difficult challenges in producing compact nanosecond pulsed power. To learn more, please visit www.transientplasmasystems.com.
Media Contact:
Ashley George
Transient Plasma Systems, Inc.
(310) 212-3030
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/dc875b5b-0cd7-4504-9dd9-cfafe27e15e3
The photo is also available at Newscom, www.newscom.com, and via AP PhotoExpress.
ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Avra Medical Robotics, Inc. (OTCQB: AVMR) issues the following letter to Shareholders from the CEO:
Dear Shareholder,
Over 95% of you have been with the AVRA TEAM and me for more than six years. You have been patient, supportive and well-wishing during these past years. Our most recent investors have been with AVRA for two years now and have supplied important help carrying our Mission to fruition. We have seen AVRA Medical achieve several milestones - creating teams of medical, engineering, software, management personnel; producing a prototype and entering the financial markets as a public company, which we believe will open the companys ownership to many new investors.
Part of our strategic plan at AVRA was to provide a vehicle for individual investors to come into the firm at a low price usually available only to Private Equity, Institutional and High Stakes investors in this high-profile business, complete with a complex mix of Science, Math, Physics, Medicine, Surgery, Engineering all bound together by Hardware and Software talents. Therefore, I am especially proud of our TEAM of Executives, Medical Advisory Board (MAB) Members and our Scientific Advisory Board Members. If you take a close look at the profiles of these people who help guide your company you will find the most accomplished achievers in their specialties in robotic surgery, including the surgeons who did the FIRST and the MOST prostate surgeries and the surgeon who works on the TINIEST Patients (infants under three weeks) with a medical robot. Add to that impressive list our noted Robotic Oncologist, Cardiologist, Plastic Surgeon, Urologist and Imaging experts to round out our expert MAB.
Members of our Scientific Advisory Board similarly have excellent credentials, which match those of their colleagues on the MAB, demonstrating high achievements in scientific fields, including Dermatology, and Software Design. Our team includes a Dermatologist that led the Dermatology Department at Sloan Kettering, a Biochemist known for his developments in Science, Medicine and Insurance, and a Systems Engineer with a Technical and Software background that includes positions at Lockheed Martin, GE Engineering and Boeing. All are important members of the AVRA TEAM. Id encourage you to learn more about our amazing team by accessing our website at: https://www.avramedicalrobotics.com/who-we-are/ .
The company also enjoys the Special Advisory consultation of Mr. Tony Nicholson of the Nicholson Surgical Robotic Training Center in Celebration, Florida, Mr. Thomas Grace, a career Financial Markets executive, and Mr. Jack Pechter, a career Land Developer and Philanthropist with leanings to Medical Care.
We are also pleased to have entered into a four-year agreement with regulatory and compliance consultant Timothy K. Duggins. Tim is an award-winning regulatory expert with 30+ years of international experience in obtaining market access approvals for medical products. Through his assistance, AVRA is now an FDA registered company.
AVRA has expanded its research and development engagement with the University of Central Florida. Andrea Adkins, Assistant Director in UCFs Office of Technology Transfer, began a 9-month sabbatical at AVRA, assisting with intellectual property, licensing and product development.
It is no wonder it took 17 years for Intuitive Surgical Corp. to finally see another Medical Robotic soft tissue competitor enter the Robotics field and take aim at breaking its Monopoly. It is also a special message for our shareholders to know that the Founder of Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) is also of member of the AVRA Shareholder Family through his new privately-held Medical Robotics firm.
We at AVRA are pleased to advise our Shareholder Family that our shares of common stock are listed for trading under the symbol AVMR on the OTCQB tier of the over-the counter market operated by OTC Markets Group, Inc. As we are a development stage company which has just entered the Financial Markets, you may find that when depositing shares into your brokerage account, you may be subject to additional review by your brokerage firm. AVRA will be pleased to assist you in answering any questions you may encounter in this regard and can also direct you to brokerage firms who are more familiar with AVRA and accordingly may facilitate your ability to deposit your shares.
We further remind you that AVRA files quarterly, annual and other periodic reports with the SEC. You may access all such filings through the SECs website at www.sec.gov .
Our Laboratory, Software Design Studio and Machine Tool facilities, as well as our executive offices are located at our Corporate headquarters in the Central Florida Research Park adjacent to the University of Central Florida in Orlando. Shareholders are welcome to visit by appointment.
Medical Robotics is still in its infancy and we believe that AVRA is well positioned to lead in Automation, Advanced Science, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Software Design to bring robotic surgery to various procedures now being done only by hand or by the mechanically manipulated devices, which currently are often referred to as Robots. But know this...you are the owner of shares in a company that uses a REAL ROBOT (automation) and our mission is to bring computerized excellence and economy to surgery to benefit the ultimate subjectTHE PATIENT.
We are proceeding with our first mission to implement our Robotic System in Dermatological Surgery, after which we plan to ROBOTIZE other FDA APPROVED Hand-Held instruments to improve patient outcomes in other areas of surgery and treatment. The AVRA System, which aims to provide practicing surgeons in various surgical fields with specialized software programs with which to simulate the procedure, observe its outcome prior to doing it, make any adjustments, and only then program the AVRA SYSTEM with its Intelligent Guidance System (IGS) to commence the procedure.
This Mission of bringing AVRA to this point has been the most interesting and fulfilling activity of my long business career. It has been a privilege for me to have had your support in this endeavor.
As we embark on our journey opening the doorway of AVRA to new shareholders I just wanted to share this message to our small family and thank all of you, for always just being there for the A TEAM.
Best regards,
/s/ Barry F. Cohen
Chairman & CEO
AVRA Medical Robotics, Inc.
info@avramedical.com
About AVRA Medical Robotics, Inc.
AVRA Medical Robotics, Inc., ("AVRA") is a surgical digital technology company whose primary goal is to provide surgeons with the ability to achieve consistently excellent results for the patient. AVRA is developing an intelligent medical robotic system for skin resurfacing procedures in partnership with the University of Central Florida ("UCF"). AVRA was organized by a senior leadership team with broad and deep experience in medical research, artificial intelligence, innovation and development in the medical robotics field. AVRA is concentrating on the growing demand for practical medical robotic devices by developing a platform-independent precision guidance system, applicable to a variety of minimally invasive and non-invasive procedures, with an initial focus on skin resurfacing. Employing advanced technology, AVRA is combining attributes of imaging with target acquisition and guidance. The skill and experience of its leadership team is enhanced by the active participation in development of UCF, which is recognized particularly for its work in the area of medical robotics research and design. Moreover, AVRA's leadership team is also experienced in marketing, chain management, and the implementation of all other aspects of business operations. These advanced, semi/autonomous systems will have boundless diagnostic and therapeutic applications - Target, Diagnose, Treat.
For more information, please visit www.avramedical.com .
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain statements that are not historical facts and are considered forward-looking within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We use the words anticipate, assume, believe, estimate, expect, will, intend, may, plan, project, should, could, seek, designed, potential, forecast, target, objective, goal, or the negatives of such terms or other similar expressions to identify such forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or AVRAs future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.
MASON CITY | Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) is visiting First Congregational United Church of Christ Friday morning as a part of his 2020 presidential campaign rollout.
Booker, who announced his candidacy on Feb. 1 and is the first declared candidate to visit Mason City in 2019, will stop by the church (located at 100 1st Street NE) at 9:15 am for what's being billed as a meet and greet.
On the so-called "Iowa Rise Tour," Booker, who has served in the U.S. Senate since 2013, is aiming to "introduce Iowans to (his) record of running towards challenges when others had given up, bringing people together to do big things, and building a more fair and just nation for everyone."
The stop in Cerro Gordo County is the first of six in Booker's initial two-day swing through Iowa.
On Tuesday afternoon, Booker, who identifies as Baptist, made headlines when he asked Neomi Rao, President Donald Trump's replacement pick for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, whether or not she believed that gay relationships are "immoral."
"Right now, I think we've lost about two weeks. Hopefully, we can gain those two weeks back through other parts of the project."
Tim Moreau, a local engineer who raised a caution flag during the first round of bidding, continues to take issue with that process as well as this new bit of bid letting.
Moreau laid out that there are three specific ways in which the "Notice to Bidders" must be posted.
The first two focus on posting a bid notice to pertinent contractor and construction services.
Posting such a bid notice to Master Builders of Iowa, which calls itself the "Voice of Iowa's Advanced Construction Industry," would satisfy the first two needs.
Meanwhile, the third calls for a posting to be made to an internet site sponsored by either the governmental entity or a statewide association that represents the government entity.
Moreau, who has 30-plus years of experience, said he was unable to locate a posting for both bid packages that would satisfy the third stipulation.
CLEAR LAKE - Organizers of the Color the Wind Kite Festival in Clear Lake are praying for freezing temperatures until the festival.
Festival Organizer Larry Day and the crew will test the ice before Feb. 10 and a decision will be made as to whether the ice is safe enough to allow the festival to be held.
Safe ice thickness at the downtown seawall area is necessary for the festival to go as planned on Feb. 16, Day said.
Day hopes for a long stretch of below freezing temperatures ahead of the festival Feb. 16 and he might get his wish.
According to the National Weather Service, the polar vortex brought North Iowa temperatures down to as low as minus-29 with wind chills as low as minus-60.
The weekend after the vortex brought temperatures as high as 45 degrees for two days, causing snow melt. By Monday, the melted snow froze over as temperatures dropped down to the teens.
According to the National Weather Service forecast, the temperature will not rise above 20 degrees until Feb. 10. Some snow and ice are expected before the weekend, with temperatures dropping as low as minus-11 Friday into Saturday.
CLEAR LAKE - A Minnesota man was arrested and brought back to Cerro Gordo County Tuesday for allegedly stealing a truck in August.
Christian Kelly Brodt, 25, of Blaine, Minnesota, was charged with felony first degree theft following an incident at Tonys Tire Service, 2406 15th Avenue North in Clear Lake.
Between 2 and 2:30 p.m. Aug. 27, Brodt allegedly stole a 2009 Nissan Titan pickup. The truck was later recovered on I-94 westbound at the Huron Street exit near Minneapolis after the he abandoned the vehicle, according to court documents.
The truck was damaged and deemed a total loss by the insurance company, permanently depriving the owner of the vehicle, Clear Lake Police said in the criminal complaint.
Court documents said Brodt was caught on video footage. The criminal complaint was filed and a nationwide warrant was issued Jan. 28.
Brodt was transferred from Anoka County Jail in Anoka, Minnesota Tuesday. He is held in Cerro Gordo County Jail on a $10,000 bond.
Brodt is scheduled to appear Feb. 15 in Cerro Gordo County District Court.
Contact Courtney at 641-421-0534 or on Twitter @CourtneyFiorini.
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Get out of Town: History and sights from the Arkansas Valley
About 3,000 stakeholders and investors are expected to attend the 21st Africa Energy Forum in Lisbon, Portugal, next June.
The forum, which provides a platform for key energy sector stakeholders, will explore the opportunities and innovations set to shape policy and investment decisions on the African continent.
According to Managing Director Simon Gosling, the Forums shift to Lisbon has been warmly welcomed by the Government of Portugal who continues to put partnerships, knowledge and technology transfer and economic opportunities firmly in the hands of all that welcome them.
The African Energy Forum welcomes decision makers from all corners of the world, with some 46% participants coming from Africa, including from Mozambique, Angola, Cote DIvoire, Morocco, Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa and Ethiopia.
The latest projects and investment opportunities in these countries will be showcased during the meeting.
The African continents population has grown by 30 million people in the past year, and annual increases are expected to exceed 42 million by 2050. So is the energy sector.
Following the proclamation of the Sustainable Development Goals, and the signing of the Paris Agreement, there has been commitment to support power generation in Africa.
Positive developments have taken place with the setting up of partnerships, such as the Africa-European Union Energy Partnership, and the Power Africa Initiative, which is supported by the US and the Africa Renewable Energy Initiative. The Lisbon meeting is expected to boost these partnerships.
The forum has earned the reputation of being not only the greatest Africa energy forum, but the greatest energy forum in the world.
The 20th forum was held in Mauritius Island in June 2018.
Colorado Springs, CO (80903)
Today
Sunshine and a few afternoon clouds. High near 90F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph..
Tonight
Partly cloudy. Low 64F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
President Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union address Tuesday night. Here's what Colorado's political leaders are saying about it.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. A small-town newspaper has called for a resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan, prompting two universities to withdraw the awards i
Why are women wearing white to the 2019 State of the Union?
President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Negotiations are currently underway between Chadian government and Dubai-based energy developer AMEA Power for the construction of a 120 MW solar plant near the capital NDjamena.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the project was signed between AMEA Power and the government of Chad, local media reported.
Chadian authorities have announced that the project that will strengthen the national electricity grid will be implemented in two phases and will provide electricity to state-owned utility Societe Nationale dElectricite (SNE), the media said.
Last year, UAE-based Almaden Emirates Fortune Power signed off on an agreement with the Chadian government to develop a PV project with a generation capacity of 200 to 400MW.
The same year, a consortium including InfraCo Africa and Smart Energies International signed a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Chadian SNE for a 60 MW solar project.
The Central African nation has turned to independent power producers to address a national power deficit and poor electrification rate. The landlocked nation currently has a power output of 125 MW, which allows it to supply only 9.4% of its 14.4 million citizens.
The two projected solar facilities would more than triple Chads generation capacity.
A search warrant has been issued for the Waste Management Midway Landfill south of Colorado Springs. KKTV and other TV stations have connected the warrant to the search for Kelsey Berreth, but The Gazette has been unable to officially confirm that connection.
This Nov. 2014 photo provided buy the National Park Service shows newly released images of the Griffith Park mountain lion known as P-22. The mountain lion living in Los Angeles' Griffith Park appears to have recovered from mange and exposure to rat poison. The National Park Service on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2014, released the photo taken last month by a remotely triggered camera set up at the site of a freshly killed mule deer. More than 1,500 photos were taken as P-22 returned to feed over four nights. (AP Photo/National Park Service)
A bill that would have tightened last years legislation on squatters was killed in a state Senate committee Tuesday.
The proposal by Sen. Dennis Hisey, R-Fountain, was quashed along party lines in the Senate Committee on Local Government after witnesses said laws already prohibit unwelcome guests on vacant land.
Last years Senate Bill 15 established an expedited system for property owners to evict those who have moved into their homes or buildings without permission. It was prompted largely by complaints of drug trafficking and other crimes committed by squatters in El Paso County.
Hisey said his proposed Senate Bill 47 would apply that expedited eviction process to vacant land.
But Aubrey Hasvold, advocacy manager for the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, testified that its unclear what problem the bill would solve.
The states laws against trespassing cover most cases, Hasvold said, and the new law could further criminalize homeless people.
Other witnesses also said property owners rights already are protected, and an expedited eviction process could skirt the due process rights of alleged trespassers.
But Hisey said the existing process is complicated, can take more than six weeks and often is expensive.
Sen. Don Coram, R-Montrose, supported Hiseys bill and questioned whether such other witnesses defense of alleged trespassers rights might also diminish the rights of property owners.
The notion to expand the squatters bill came from two cases in Hiseys sprawling Senate District 2, which covers Peyton, Calhan and Fountain, then takes in Idaho Springs to the north.
In Penrose, east of Canon City, someone parked a camper behind trees and brush on a small, vacant plot, Hisey said.
They started wandering through the trees and asking patrons in the parking lots of local restaurants for cigarettes, he said.
The property owners contacted law enforcement, which asked the camper owners to move, Hisey said.
They did (move), but they didnt have to, he said.
In the second case, landowners came to their Park County vacation property and found a tent pitched on their land, Hisey said.
Again, the unwelcome guests left when asked, Hisey said, but if they hadnt, the property owners could have faced a lengthy legal battle.
And in both cases, sanitation is an issue, litter is an issue and theres the possibility of fire, he said.
Hisey said his bill was intended to protect owners of vacation, investment or farm property, typically in rural areas. It wasnt meant to curb the homeless encampments, he said.
Many Colorado Springs residents recall the recent dawn cleanup of the so-called Quarry, the largest homeless encampment in the city in years.
At one point, an estimated 150 people were living in the sprawling tent city on 10 acres of private land near the Lowell neighborhood. In December, city employees and police drove campers out and removed thousands of pounds of abandoned belongings.
A process already exists to deal with such encampments, and it works well, said Lt. Bill Huffor of the El Paso County Sheriffs Office.
He said he and his fellow deputies get a call about once a week about trespassers. After property owners schedule a visit from a cleaning crew, the deputies alert the trespassers that theyll have to move on.
Then on cleanup day, we show up with the cleanup crew and kick everybody out, Hoffer said. We write tickets if we need to, but generally we get cooperation.
Boulders the size of big SUVs pummeled Interstate 70 through Glenwood Canyon early Tuesday, forcing an hourslong highway closure and a 203-mile detour for travelers, the Colorado State Patrol tweeted.
Tuesday evening, eastbound I-70 reopened again after being closed from about noon to 4 p.m. as Colorado Department of Transportation crews had completed scaling operations.
Westbound lanes were expected to reopen later Tuesday night.
Crews were not very concerned about residual rock fall. Its been pretty stable, CDOT spokeswoman Tracy Trulove said.
Ground loader operators cleared boulders that were behind the road barrier, and then blasted rocks. Crews found two impact craters on the highway, but they did not penetrate deeply enough to damage the structure of the deck, Trulove said.
Drivers had been detoured to Colorado 131 to Colorado 40, then Colorado 13 and told to avoid Cottonwood Pass. The route adds about three hours and 200 miles to the drive.
The scenic and rugged canyon, which flanks the Colorado River, is prone to rock slides. A large slide in February 2016 closed the highway for nearly a week.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
City Editor
Tom Roeder is the Gazette's City Editor. In Colorado Springs since 2003, Tom has covered the military at home and overseas and has cover statehouses in Denver and Olympia, Wash. His main job, though, is being dad to two great kids.
The Mozambican power company, EDM, has recorded an annual loss of $100 million, due to illegal connections to the national power grid.
According to Mozambican newspaper O Pais, which quoted the companys new chairman, Ale Sicola, smart electricity meters will be introduced on the market to minimize the problem.
The company chairman also said that the debts of Mozambican public institutions and state-run Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) to Electricidade de Mocambique are suffocating the company.
Ale Sicola was named chairman of the EDM Board of Directors last month by the Mozambican Council of Ministers, to revamp the power company. Electricidade de Mocambique recorded losses amounting to $50 million last year.
The government of the South-eastern African nation has approved an Integrated Master Plan for electricity infrastructure for the period 2018-2043.
The ambitious plan is aimed at increasing the countrys capacity to generate, consume and export electricity over the next quarter of a century.
The master plan predicts electricity exports to other members of the Southern African Development Community to rise from the current level of 1,500MW to 7,000MW.
Currently, about 28% of the Mozambican population has access to electricity. This is expected to rise to 38% by 2020 and to 100% in 2030.
Put some love in your Valentines Day dessert plans by making a showstopping pavlova a soft-centered meringue the size of a cake, topped with whipped cream, sliced strawberries and kiwi fruit.
This decadent treat boasts a dramatic look and is ideal for a special occasion. You might think it appears too difficult to make, but with only a handful of ingredients, it is surprisingly easy.
The dessert is named after Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, a superstar in her day. She toured Australia and New Zealand in 1926, and both countries have competing stories about the creation of the dessert.
As the New Zealand story goes, the chef of a Wellington hotel created the billowy dessert in her honor, claiming inspiration from her tutu. Australians, on the other hand, believe pavlova was invented at a hotel in Perth and named after the ballerina when a diner declared it to be light as Pavlova.
Matt Campbell is from New Zealand, grew up in both countries and co-owns Mountain Pie Co. with his wife, Tara. Though the Colorado Springs resident claims fair standing on the issue of which country has bragging rights, he offered a no comment as to his ultimate opinion. But he did offer a little perspective.
Pavlova, or more fondly referred to as Pav, is a huge part of New Zealand and Aussie culture, he said. And like all things shared by Kiwis and Aussies, its national belonging is highly coveted and thickly disputed.
He had more to say about the actual treat.
Pav is not to be confused with a hard-shell meringue, which is what Ive seen with most foreign interpretations of this dessert, he said. Its cooked at a low 225 to 250 degrees for a few hours and is cooled in the oven so you get a crispy light shell and a soft, marshmallow-y center.
Heidi Trelstad, owner of Chef Sugars Cakes & Confections, doesnt include pavlova as a regular menu option, but she does a bang-up job on this beauty for special occasions. For the cover photo, she went with the traditional round shape designed to fit on a cake stand. But she suggested that individual heart-shaped meringues could be made easily.
They would just need to be baked a little less time, she said. You can dye the meringue with powder- or water-based colors. Avoid fat-based colors as they will hinder the whites from whipping.
The meringue shell can be made up to two weeks in advance.
It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge, she said. When youre ready to serve, make the whipped cream or mousse and top with berries or other fruits to finish. This is a great dessert choice for home bakers because its easy to make, cost-effective and will still leave your guests wowed!
Contact the writer: 636-0271.
A great horned owl is recovering at a Pueblo raptor rehabilitation facility after it was found drenched at a sewage treatment plant in Colorad
Its the kind of sandwich shop that fictional stoner Jeff Spicoli and real-life pot enthusiasts Willie Nelson and Snoop Dogg might love.
Cheba Hut, a Fort Collins-based chain whose marijuana and counterculture theme includes its name, logo and toasted sandwiches, is entering the Colorado Springs market with a restaurant on the citys northwest side.
The chain, a mix of corporate and franchised locations, will operate a restaurant in a retail center being developed northwest of Interstate 25 and Fillmore Street, near the new Best Western Plus Executive Residency Fillmore Inn. Cheba Hut is targeting a June 1 opening.
The marijuana theme is meant to set the chain apart, said founder Scott Jennings, who launched Cheba Hut during his college days in 1998 in Tempe, Ariz. But the restaurant also offers good food none of which is prepared using marijuana, of course and hires employees who enjoy engaging with customers, he said.
Just to be different, Jennings of the reason for the pot theme. Back in the day, 21 years ago, people were like, Youre nuts. You cant do that. That made me just want to do it more. To be something a little bit different.
The marijuana theme is everywhere at Cheba Hut. Cheeba is a slang term for pot. A company logo shows smoke billowing out of a leafy-topped hut, and walls of some Cheba Hut locations are decorated with murals of celebrity advocates of pot use.
Cheba Huts menu includes toasted (a reference to getting high) sandwiches named after Acapulco Gold, Jamaican Red, Silver Haze and other pot strains. Chips, pretzel nuggets, garlic cheese bread, Rice Krispie bars, chocolate chip cookies and brownies are among the munchies and treats.
Like other locations, Cheba Huts Colorado Springs restaurant will have a full-service bar, which helps attract customer groups and makes it a gathering place, said Marc Torres, chief operating officer. The bar concept was added in 2010.
They come in groups; they come in packs, Torres said. They come four people, six people, 10 people at a time because they want a cool place to hang out. Its not your normal sub shop, by any means. The bar really kind of helps create that destination environment.
Cheba Hut considered opening near Colorado College in downtown Colorado Springs or farther north near the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Torres said.
The location off I-25 and Fillmore is a middle ground where Cheba Hut hopes to attract college students, young professionals and families.
Were about our local community, he said. Its a local neighborhood spot.
With the Colorado Springs store and other soon-to-open restaurants, Cheba Hut will have 27 locations in Colorado, Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon and Wisconsin. The chain favors university towns such as Boulder, Madison, Wis., and Tempe and Tucson, Ariz.
The Springs location will employ 45 full- and part-time people, Jennings and Torres said. Cheba Hut also is eyeing a second site in the InterQuest area on the citys far north side, said Torres, who grew up in the Springs.
Competition is plentiful in the sandwich industry, and the Springs is home to regional and national chains including Subway, Jimmy Johns, Firehouse, Jersey Mikes and Which Wich. Local favorites include Wooglins, Olivers Deli and East Coast Deli.
And even as Colorado voters approved recreational marijuana sales in 2012, Colorado Springs officials have not permitted retail sales in the city.
Still, Torres and Jennings predict Colorado Springs is open to new concepts.
Case in point: Torres said he remembers seeing a long line of cars snaking outside of upstart Dutch Bros. Coffee in Colorado Springs last year, while only a couple of vehicles were going through the nearby drive-through at coffee giant Starbucks.
As soon as I saw that line at Dutch Bros. this past summer, Torres said, that was the light. I was like, People in Colorado Springs are ready for Cheba Hut now.
As Roman Catholic leaders met this week at the Vatican for a worldwide summit on clerical sexual abuse of children, a longtime Colorado Spring
Taliban representatives and an Afghan delegation led by former President Hamid Karzai have held a second and final day of talks in Moscow, with the militants continuing to insist upon the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Afghanistan as a first step in the peace process.
The talks were "very satisfactory" Karzai said at the end of the February 5-6 talks, which have been described by some as part of an "intra-Afghan" peace process -- despite the absence of Kabul government representatives.
The gathering has been criticized by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.
It comes as broader peace talks involving the Taliban's political office in the Qatari capital, Doha, appear to be gaining momentum, despite the Taliban's continued refusal to meet directly with Afghan government representatives.
President Donald Trump during his State of the Union address on February 6 described those talks as "constructive" and voiced cautious hope for a negotiated end to the United States' longest war.
Karzai said the main issue under discussion in Moscow was that Afghanistan should be free of foreign forces, adding that there was a near consensus on this matter.
Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the head of the 10-member Taliban delegation in Moscow, said that the two days of talks with Afghan politicians were "very successful."
"We agreed on many points and I am hopeful that in future, we can succeed further, and finally we can reach a solution, we can find a complete peace in Afghanistan," he told reporters.
He also said that the time of the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan was not fixed yet and that negotiations on the matter were in progress.
"We insist that U.S. troops must go as soon as possible and we are in talks with the U.S.," Stanikzai said.
Earlier in the day, a member of the Taliban delegation, Abdul Salam Hanefi, was quoted as claiming that Washington agreed during a recent round of talks in Doha to withdraw half its ground troops by the end of April -- saying the process had already begun.
But Hanefi later denied that he had made the comment, saying, "Until now we did not agree" on a U.S. withdrawal.
A U.S. State Department spokeswoman said that Washington had "not agreed to any timeline" for a possible drawdown of troops, according to the Reuters news agency.
"If all parties do what is necessary to prevent Afghanistan from being used as a platform for terrorism, as conditions allow we are willing to look at changes in force presence," the spokeswoman added.
U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad has repeatedly said that "nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. 'Everything' must include an intra-Afghan dialogue and comprehensive cease-fire."
General Joseph Votel, the head of U.S. Central Command, also said that the Afghan government must be involved in talks if a push for a peace deal is to be successful.
"Ultimately, we need to get to a Taliban-Afghanistan discussion," Votel told U.S. lawmakers on February 5. "Only they will be able to resolve the key issues involved in the dispute."
Ghani spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo late on February 5. Pompeo "underscored the central importance of ensuring the centrality of the Afghan government in the peace process," Ghani said.
The Moscow meeting is "nothing more than a fantasy. No one can decide without the consent of the Afghan people," Ghani separately told Afghan broadcaster Tolo News.
"Those who have gathered in Moscow have no executive authority. They can say what they want," the Afghan president added.
With reporting by Reuters, AFP, AP, Interfax, and TASS
The global rights watchdog Amnesty International has called on Pakistan to immediately release members of a civil rights movement demanding security and protection for Pakistans ethnic Pashtun minority.
On February 6, Rabia Mehmood, a South Asia researcher at Amnesty International, called on Islamabad to immediately release all activists of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) after they were arrested a day earlier while the movement protested the recent alleged killing of a senior leader by police in the southwestern province of Balochistan.
These protesters must be released immediately and unconditionally. They are prisoners of conscience and have done nothing but exercise their peaceful and lawful right to protest against human rights violations and call for an end to them, Mehmood said.
She added that the Pakistani authorities must follow up on recent encouraging pledges to address the serious human rights violations highlighted by the PTM. They should honor those commitments and allow the PTM activists to exercise their rights freely and without fear, she said.
Shah Baaz Stouryani, a senior PTM leader, told RFE/RLs Gandhara website on February 6 that the police arrested some 20 PTM activists in the capital, Islamabad, as they attempted to protest in front of the Islamabad Press Club on February 5.
He said the police later released some students among the activists but moved 11 PTM members senior figures, including Abdullah Nangyal and Muhammad Idrees, to the Adiala prison in Rawalpindi, a city adjacent to Islamabad in Pakistans eastern Punjab Province.
These arrests show the real intentions of the Pakistani state toward the Pashtuns, he said. We are not being allowed to protest the unlawful and cruel killing of our comrade, Arman Luni.
Stouryani said that two PTM activists were also arrested in Bhakkar, a rural town in Punjab that borders Khyber Pakhtunkhwas southern Dera Ismail Khan district. He said police in Dera Ismail Khan, neighboring Lakki Marwat, and the nearby city of Bannu have registered cases against prominent PTM activists after the February 5 protests.
The recent PTM protests broke out after the February 2 death of Luni, 35, in Loralai, a city in Balochistan. The PTM says he was killed by police. But the regional government reject these claims. We are going to investigate this issue in detail and will punish everyone involved, Balochistan Home and Tribal Affairs Minister Mir Ziaullah Langau told Radio Mashaal this week.
Pakistani authorities could not be immediately reached for comment. But in January, Asif Ghafoor, a spokesman for the military, said authorities wanted to work with the movement.
The PTM is a non-violent movement, which is campaigning for its demands, he told Pakistans private ARY television channel on January 2. We wish that the PTM leaders and other people [supporting them] will join the state in the [rehabilitation] phase, which is aimed at bringing relief and services to them.
But rights campaigners and PTM supporters say they are under constant persecution for pushing their year-old campaign to demand an end to enforced disappearances, a probe into illegal killings, an end to harassment by the security forces, and cleaning of landmines in the Pashtun homeland in western Pakistan along the Afghan border.
Amnestys Mehmood says they are particularly concerned about the fate of Gulalai Ismail.
The celebrated human rights activist was one of the PTM activists arrested on February 5. Her family said they have no idea about her whereabouts until late on February 6. Ismail is already barred from leaving Pakistan and facing court cases over her activism for the PTM.
Her whereabouts must be established immediately," Mehmood said. "She has merely exercised her right to peaceful freedom of assembly and expression. No harm must come of her.
The arrest and police cases against the PTM activities increased after major protest gatherings in the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi and northwestern Waziristan. Scores of activists, including senior PTM figure Alamzaib Khan Mehsud, were arrested in Karachi late last month.
Lunis death prompted the PTM to call for a global protest on February 5. The movements supporters responded to the call by staging small and big protests in many Pakistani cities and some major cities in the West.
When the subject of birds arises in Nebraska the two top names that surface are Sandhill cranes and pheasants with the Western meadowlark a close third and the sparrow seldom if ever even mentioned. One largely forgotten bird topic is the possibility of adding Bird Day to the nationally recognized Arbor Day.
The government of cash-strapped South Sudan has agreed to allocate 10,000 barrels of its crude oil per day to Chinese firms to build roads in the country.
Chinese companies will build two highways in exchange, the government said in a statement after a cabinet meeting in Juba last weekend.
According to deputy information minister, Lily Albino Akol Akol, the government plans to build the road from Nadapal all the way to Torit and to Juba and again from Juba down to Rumbek and to Wau.
The deputy minister did not specify a deadline on when the allocation of 10,000 barrels of crude oil per day to Chinese companies should end.
The government official said the finance and justice ministers had been directed to expedite signing of the deal with Exim bank.
President Salva Kiir and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping made the initial agreement last year on the sidelines of the 2018 Forum on ChinaAfrica Corporation (FOCAC) in Beijing.
South Sudan has the third largest oil reserves in sub-Saharan Africa, but most of its oil facilities have been destroyed in the civil war that started in 2013 two years after it seceded from Sudan.
Now every barrel produced is vital to Africas youngest nation, as oil provides nearly its entire gross domestic product.
Retailers in Northern Ireland could start to remove ATMs from their premises because of the number of attacks causing huge damage to buildings.
This was the warning from Glyn Roberts, chief executive of the Retail NI trade association, following a raid at a filling station just a day after a similar incident at an Asda store.
An ATM was taken from Spar store at the BP-branded filling station on the Glenavy Road, near Moira, shortly after 3:05am on Saturday February 2.
A digger, stolen from a nearby building site, was used to rip the ATM from the wall of the building and was then set alight. The attack on the ATM caused extensive damage to the wall of the building the roof of the garage was badly damaged by the fire.
Commenting on the latest theft Roberts said: This is a disgraceful attack on one of our members. It is has caused extensive damage to a local retailer that provides an invaluable service to the local community.
With three ATM robberies in a matter of days, these attacks are now a major problem for local retailers. Retail NI will be seeking a an urgent meeting with PSNI senior officers to press for a taskforce to be established to tackle these criminal gangs.
With so many bank branch closures in rural towns and villages in recent years, our members ATMs provide an invaluable service to their local communities.
There is a real danger our members could start to remove these ATMs if these attacks continue.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) With Virginia's top three elected officials engulfed in scandal, fellow Democrats were rendered practically speechless, uncertain of how to thread their way through the racial and sexual allegations and their tangled political implications.
Gov. Ralph Northam's career was already hanging by a thread over a racist photo in his 1984 medical school yearbook when a woman publicly accused the lieutenant governor of sexually assaulting her 15 years ago, and then the attorney general admitted that he too wore blackface once, as a teenager.
Everyone in Richmond, it seemed, was waiting Thursday for Virginia's Legislative Black Caucus to respond to the latest developments. "We've got a lot to digest," the group's chairman, Del. Lamont Bagby, said Wednesday.
Attorney General Mark Herring in line to become governor if Northam and Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax resign issued a statement acknowledging he wore brown makeup and a wig in 1980 to look like a rapper during a party when he was a 19-year-old student at the University of Virginia.
Herring who had previously called on Northam to resign and was planning to run for governor himself in 2021 apologized for his "callous" behavior and said that the days ahead "will make it clear whether I can or should continue to serve."
The 57-year-old Herring came forward after rumors about the existence of a blackface photo of him began circulating at the Capitol.
Also Wednesday, Vanessa Tyson, the California woman whose sexual assault allegations against Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax surfaced earlier this week, put out a detailed statement saying Fairfax forced her to perform oral sex on him in a hotel room in 2004 during the Democratic National Convention in Boston.
The Associated Press typically does not identify those who say they were sexually assaulted, but Tyson issued the statement in her name.
Tyson, a 42-year-old political scientist who is on a fellowship at Stanford University and specializes in the political discourse of sexual assault, said, "I have no political motive. I am a proud Democrat."
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"Mr. Fairfax has tried to brand me as a liar to a national audience, in service to his political ambitions, and has threatened litigation," she said. "Given his false assertions, I'm compelled to make clear what happened."
Fairfax who is in line to become governor if Northam resigns has repeatedly denied her allegations, saying that the encounter was consensual and that he is the victim of a strategically timed political smear.
"At no time did she express to me any discomfort or concern about our interactions, neither during that encounter, nor during the months following it, when she stayed in touch with me, nor the past 15 years," he said in a statement.
Tyson said she suffered "deep humiliation and shame" and stayed quiet about the allegations as she pursued her career, but by late 2017, as the #MeToo movement took shape and after she saw an article about Fairfax's campaign, she took her story to The Washington Post, which decided months later not to publish a story.
The National Organization for Women immediately called on Fairfax to resign, saying, "Her story is horrifying, compelling and clear as day and we believe her."
The string of scandals that began when the yearbook picture came to light last Friday could have a domino effect on Virginia state government: If all three top Democrats fall, House Speaker Kirk Cox, a conservative Republican, would command the state.
Cox issued a statement late Wednesday calling the allegations against Fairfax "extremely serious" and said they need a "full airing of facts." Cox also urged Herring to "adhere to the standard he has set for others," a nod to Herring's previous call that Northam resign.
At the Capitol, lawmakers were dumbstruck over the day's fast-breaking developments, with Democratic Sen. Barbara Favola saying, "I have to take a breath and think about this. This is moving way too quickly." GOP House Majority Leader Todd Gilbert said it would be "reckless" to comment. "There's just too much flying around," he said.
The black caucus quickly condemned Northam and called on him to resign after his initial comments about the yearbook photo, but the group has been silent so far on the allegations involving Fairfax and Herring.
Democrats have expressed fear that the uproar over the governor could jeopardize their chances of taking control of the GOP-dominated Virginia legislature this year. The party made big gains in 2017, in part because of a backlash against President Donald Trump, and has moved to within striking distance of a majority in both houses.
At the same time, the Democrats nationally have taken a hard line against misconduct in their ranks because women and minorities are a vital part of their base and they want to be able to criticize Trump's behavior without looking hypocritical.
Trump accused Democrats Thursday of political bias, tweeting that "If the three failing pols were Republicans, far stronger action would be taken."
Northam has come under pressure from nearly the entire Democratic establishment to resign after the discovery of a photo on his profile page in the Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook of someone in blackface standing next to a person in a Ku Klux Klan hood and robe.
The governor initially said he was in the photo without saying which costume he was wearing, then denied it a day later. But he acknowledged he once used shoe polish to blacken his face and look like Michael Jackson at a dance contest in Texas in 1984, when he was in the Army.
Herring came down hard on Northam when the yearbook photo surfaced, condemning it as "indefensible," and "profoundly offensive." He said it was no longer possible for Northam to lead the state.
On Wednesday, though, Herring confessed that he and two friends dressed up to look like rappers, admitting: "It sounds ridiculous even now writing it."
"That conduct clearly shows that, as a young man, I had a callous and inexcusable lack of awareness and insensitivity to the pain my behavior could inflict on others," he said. But he added: "This conduct is in no way reflective of the man I have become in the nearly 40 years since."
Democratic Sen. Louise Lucas said several people were crying, including men, as Herring apologized to black lawmakers Wednesday morning before issuing his public statement.
"He said he was very sorry," Lucas said.
Lucas said the black lawmakers told Herring they needed to discuss their next steps among themselves.
Herring, who was elected to his second four-year term in 2017, made a name for himself nationally by playing a central role in bringing gay marriage to Virginia. His refusal to defend the state's ban on same-sex marriage once in office was cited by a federal judge who overturned the ban, and Virginia began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in 2014, nearly a year before the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage nationwide.
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Associated Press writer Matthew Barakat contributed to this report.
A logo of German energy utility company Uniper SE is pictured in the company's headquarter in Duesseldorf, Germany, March 8, 2018. REUTERS/Thilo Schmuelgen
By Christoph Steitz and Tom Kackenhoff
FRANKFURT/DUESSELDORF (Reuters) - Uniper on Tuesday said it would start fresh talks with its biggest shareholder, Finland's Fortum, about future cooperation, renewing investor hopes that there could be a full takeover of the German energy group.
The companies have been at odds over how to define their relationship following Fortum's acquisition of a 47 percent stake in Uniper from E.ON last year, a deal that Uniper's management opposed.
Uniper said Chief Executive Klaus Schaefer and Chief Financial Officer Christopher Delbrueck, who had been vocal in their opposition to Fortum's approaches, would be stepping aside as of Aug. 31 to facilitate talks.
"I'm in agreement with Fortum Board of Directors Chairman Matti Lievonen and Fortum CEO Pekka Lundmark that the status quo can't continue," Bernhard Reutersberg, chairman of Uniper's Supervisory Board, said. "Too much is at stake - for both companies, for our employees, and also for the energy industry as a whole."
Keith Martin and Eckhardt Ruemmler, Uniper's remaining management board members, will join a working group to start discussions with Fortum, Reutersberg said. He said the aim was to determine how a partnership between the groups could add value.
He said the discussions would take place without a predetermined outcome, raising hopes that they could pave the way for a complete integration of Uniper should Fortum decide to make a full takeover offer.
Schaefer, who has been undergoing cancer treatment since last summer, said he could not devote the required energy to working out a cooperation deal with Fortum due to his illness.
Fortum, which last week said it raised its stake in Uniper to 49.99 percent, currently valued at 4.78 billion euros ($5.45 billion), has repeatedly said it was unhappy with how talks about a potential cooperation with Uniper were going.
Sources told Reuters in December that Fortum held talks with activist fund Elliott, Uniper's second-largest shareholder with a 17.84 percent stake, over how to gain control of the German firm.
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"It is in the interest of everybody that we rapidly advance now to create value for the stakeholders of both companies," Lundmark said.
Majority-owned by the Finnish state, Fortum originally intended to take over all of Uniper, but that move was blocked by Russian authorities, who have capped Fortum's ownership at 50 percent over a water testing license owned by Uniper's Russian unit Unipro.
Should Unipro decide to sell the license, it would theoretically remove the hurdle for Fortum to eventually take over the rest of Uniper.
(Editing by Jane Merriman, Rosalba O'Brien and Leslie Adler)
By Patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON, Feb 6 (Reuters) - A senior U.S. lawmaker said on Wednesday he was troubled by a report that Saudi Arabia transferred weapons to extremist groups in Yemen and questioned whether Congress should consider more restrictions on weapons sales to the Saudi-led coalition.
CNN reported on Monday that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, its main partner in the coalition in the Yemen conflict, have transferred U.S.-made weapons to al Qaeda-linked fighters and other groups and that some of the weapons also made their way into the hands of Iranian-backed rebels, exposing sensitive technology to Iran.
"These reports are very troubling and the Trump administration must investigate further and work to prevent this from happening again," Democratic Representative Eliot Engel, chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee said at a hearing.
"Should Congress pursue greater restrictions on offensive weapons to the Saudi coalition?" asked Engel, who as chairman has the right to review and put "holds" on major foreign weapons sales.
A State Department official said allegations of the misuse of equipment are taken seriously, adding, "We are aware of these reports and seeking additional information."
Critical comments from Engel and other committee members were only the latest recent expressions of frustration with Saudi Arabia from U.S. lawmakers. Members of Congress have been angered by steep civilian casualties in Yemen, human rights abuses and the killing of Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, a U.S. resident, at a Saudi consulate in Turkey in October.
Late last year, lawmakers introduced various pieces of legislation seeking to put tighter controls on U.S. dealings with Riyadh, including clamping down on weapons sales, barring military cooperation with the Saudi-led coalition and calls for human rights sanctions.
President Donald Trump's administration opposed many of the bills, calling the Saudis important regional partners and praising weapons sales as an important source of U.S. jobs.
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None of those bills became law, but Engel said the committee would continue to press for a response to casualties in Yemen, Khashoggi's killing and the imprisonment of women's rights activities. "It can no longer be business as usual. We need to push for a real change in Saudi behavior," he said.
Representative Michael McCaul, the panel's top Republican, called Khashoggi's murder "a major setback" in the U.S.-Saudi relationship and deplored civilian casualties in Yemen.
McCaul, however, said he opposed a proposed war powers resolution seeking to bar U.S. military support for the Saudi-led coalition, saying it "could disrupt U.S. security cooperation with partners around the world." (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle in Washington, additional reporting by Mike Stone; Editing by James Dalgleish)
(Adds South Korean reaction, changes analyst quotes, paragraphs 7-9, 20-23)
By Patricia Zengerle and David Brunnstrom
WASHINGTON, Feb 5 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would hold his second meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Vietnam on Feb. 27-28, while giving himself credit for averting a major war on the Korean peninsula.
Trump said in his annual State of the Union address to Congress much work remained to be done in the push for peace with North Korea, but cited the halt in its nuclear testing and no new missile launches in 15 months as proof of progress.
"If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea," Trump said.
Trump had raised fears of war in 2017 when he threatened to rain "fire and fury like the world has never seen" on North Korea because of the threat its nuclear weapons and missiles posed to the United States.
Trump met Kim in Singapore on June 12 in the first summit between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader. Trump has been eager to hold a second summit in spite of a lack of concrete progress in persuading North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program.
He said his relationship with Kim "is a good one."
The presidential Blue House of South Korea, which plays a facilitating role between the United States and North Korea, welcomed Trump's announcement and expressed hope for progress on improving relations.
"The two leaders already took their first step in Singapore toward shaking off their 70-year history of hostilities. Now we hope that they will take a step forward for concrete, substantive progress," Blue House spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom told a news briefing in Seoul.
Vietnam would be the best host of the event, Kim Eui-kyeom said, citing its checkered history with the United States in which they used to "point a gun and knife at each other."
Communist-ruled Vietnam, which has good relations with both the United States and North Korea, had been widely touted as the most likely venue for the meeting.
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It has also been used as a model of economic and political reform for impoverished and isolated North Korea to follow. That would require major changes to the North's personality cult and "juche" ideology of self sufficiency.
Trump did not say which Vietnamese city would host the two leaders but both the capital, Hanoi, and Danang have been considered as possibilities.
A source at Danang airport said four U.S. military V-22 "Osprey" aircraft flew from Japan's Okinawa island and landed in the coastal city on Tuesday evening. They left after a few hours, the source said.
U.S. logistics officials visited the city last week, a major base for U.S. and South Vietnamese forces during the Vietnam War, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
The U.S. Embassy in Vietnam said it did not have anything to announce regarding the summit.
"CONCRETE DELIVERABLES"
U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun was due to hold talks in Pyongyang this week to map out what he called "a set of concrete deliverables" for the second meeting.
The Singapore summit yielded a vague commitment from Kim to work toward the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, where U.S. troops have been stationed since the 1950-53 Korean War.
In the U.S. view, North Korea has yet to take concrete steps to give up its nuclear weapons. It has complained that the United States has done little to reciprocate its freezing of nuclear and missile testing and dismantling of some nuclear facilities.
North Korea has repeatedly urged a lifting of punishing U.S.-led sanctions, a formal end to the war, and security guarantees.
The three-year Korean War ended with an armistice that left the two Koreas technically still at war.
Seoul officials said the summit would likely center on dismantling the North's main Yongbyon nuclear complex and how this would be reciprocated, although the United States remains reluctant to provide any sanctions relief.
The focus of the two-day summit would be whether Washington was willing to ease some of the sanctions, said Cheong Seong-Chang, a senior fellow at South Korea's Sejong Institute.
"If the United States can be more proactively flexible on that, it may draw other denuclearization steps on top of abolishing the Yongbyon facilities, and expedite talks on setting up a liaison office and replacing the armistice with a peace treaty," Cheong said.
While Trump has hailed "tremendous progress" in his dealings with North Korea, a confidential report by U.N. sanctions monitors seen by Reuters this week cast further doubt on the North's intentions.
It said the country's nuclear and ballistic missile programs remained intact and that North Korea was working to make sure those capabilities could not be destroyed by any military strikes. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle Additional reporting by Makini Brice and David Brunnstrom in WASHINGTON, James Pearson and Kham Nguyen in HANOI, and Hyonhee Shin in SEOUL Editing by Mary Milliken, Peter Cooney and Lincoln Feast)
LINCOLN - The U.S. Department of Agriculture is offering a 50/50 match on Nebraska dollars invested in outreach to get more eligible families enrolled in SNAP, the program formerly known as food stamps.
President Donald Trumps top commander on Middle East operations said the president did not consult him before announcing all American troops would withdraw from Syria on December 19.
I was not aware of the specific announcement, General Joseph Votel, commander of U.S. Central Command, told the House Armed Services Committee Tuesday, according to CNN. In general, he said officials were aware that he had expressed a desire and intent in the past to depart Iraq, depart Syria.
Votel added that he was not consulted on the matter, and warned that the terrorist group known as the Islamic State still remains a threat, echoing recent reports from other top intelligence officials. According to Votel, ISIS still controls about 20 square miles in Syria, with up to 1,500 fighters.
It is important to understand that even though this territory has been reclaimed, the fight against ISIS and violent extremists is not over and our mission has not changed, said Votel, TIME reports.
Still, Votel said the military would execute Trumps orders for withdrawal in a very deliberate manner. While he said hes not expected to have the 2,000 American troops out of Syria by a specific date, TIME reports military officials believe the withdrawal will be completed by spring.
Trump first announced the withdrawal of troops on December 19, tweeting that the U.S. defeated ISIS in Syria. The sudden claim rattled top security advisers, and led former defense secretary Jim Mattis to resign from his post.
National Security Adviser John Bolton has since stated that the U.S. will only withdraw once ISIS is defeated and the safety of allied Kurdish fighters is secured, although Trump said plans remain unchanged.
Votel warned that ISIS could regroup with the removal of U.S. troops, meaning the military will have to keep pressure on this network even after withdrawal.
I wont speculate publicly here about things we might do but there are certainly different ways we can do this, working with partners, working with our own capabilities to continue to keep pressure on this network which I think is absolutely vital, Votel explained.
Investors will be looking for clues in President Trumps State of the Union speech on a number of matters, but crude oil traders will be listening for positive comments about U.S.-China trade talks. Expect a bullish reaction by crude oil traders if Trump sounds optimistic about the progress of a trade deal.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate and international-benchmark Brent crude oil futures tumbled on Tuesday ahead of the release of the American Petroleum Institutes weekly inventories report later in the session. The markets weakened on continued concerns over a slowdown in the U.S. economy after Mondays weaker-than-expected U.S. Factory Orders report. Buyers were also encouraged to shed long positions on renewed concerns over lower demand due to the slowdown in Chinas economy amid uncertainty over U.S.-China trade relations.
At 20:00 GMT, March WTI crude oil futures are trading $53.69, down $0.87 or -1.61% and April Brent crude oil futures are at $62.00, down $0.51 or -0.83%.
Despite hitting a 2-month high last week, crude oil prices have been chopping inside a tight range for several days as investors try to determine the key catalyst in the market at this time. Bullish traders are banking on the Venezuelan oil sanctions and the OPEC-led production cuts to provide support. Bearish traders are expressing concerns over the weakening global economy and signs of a slowdown in factory production.
Markets Underpinned by Sanctions and Production Cuts
Longer-term investors believe the OPEC-led production cuts could eventually trim the global supply glut while stabilizing prices. This notion was supported last week by a Reuters survey which showed that supply from OPEC states had fallen the most in two years. Short-term, speculative buying interest is being driven by the U.S. sanctions on Venezuela. CNBC is reporting that numerous tankers are currently in the water off the Venezuelan coast, unable to move because state-owned PVDSA is demanding payment, which would be a violation of U.S. sanctions.
But Gains Capped by Weakening Global Economy and U.S. Demand Concerns
Two weeks ago China announced that its official economic growth came in at 6.6 percent in 2018, the slowest pace since 1990. Shortly thereafter, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) lowered its outlook for the global economy for a second time in three months. The lender now predicts growth of 3.5 percent this year, the weakest in three years and down from 3.7 percent expected in October. The fund also warned trade tensions could spell further trouble.
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Last week, China said its manufacturing activity contracted for the second-straight month in January, another sign that the worlds second-largest economy is slowing down amid domestic headwinds and the on-going trade dispute with the U.S.
This news may have been offset by robust U.S. jobs data and a stronger-than-expected ISM Manufacturing PMI report on Friday, but traders turned bearish on Monday when the government reported that new orders for U.S.-made goods unexpectedly fell in November amid sharp declines in demand for machinery and electrical equipment, suggesting a slowdown in manufacturing as 2018 ended.
Near-Term Outlook
The recent downswings in the crude oil market have been highly correlated with the release of the bearish economic data. Therefore, I have to conclude that speculation over the positive outcome of U.S.-China trade talks and the unexpected sanctions on Venezuelan oil have been the biggest influences on prices over the short-run.
With China on Lunar New Year holiday until next week, which reduces the chances of a trade deal this week, and the market likely to continue to absorb the lost supply from the sanctions, prices could remain under pressure all week.
Trumps State of the Union Address is the Wildcard
Investors will be looking for clues in President Trumps State of the Union speech on a number of matters, but crude oil traders will be listening for positive comments about U.S.-China trade talks. Expect a bullish reaction by crude oil traders if Trump sounds optimistic about the progress of a trade deal.
This article was originally posted on FX Empire
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TechnipFMC plc FTI recently announced that it has won an engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) contract for the Mero 1 pre-salt field, located offshore Brazil. The contract was awarded by Brazilian state-run energy company Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. or Petrobras PBR, the operator of the Libra Consortium.
Petrobras is holding 40% stake in the Libra Consortium, which is partnered by Royal Dutch Shell plc RDS.A, TOTAL S.A. TOT, CNOOC Limited and CNPC with 20%, 20%, 10% and 10% interests, respectively. Brazilian state-run company Pre-Sal Petroleo is the manager of the production sharing agreement.
The Mero 1 pre-salt field is located in the north-western part of the Libra block, in the prolific Santos Basin, at a water depth of 2,100 meters. Notably, the Mero field has three more vital areas, namely Mero 2, Mero 3 and Mero 4, to be developed separately. Production from Mero 1 is expected to commence in 2021.
Per the contract, TechnipFMC is required to provide engineering, procurement and construction works for all the rigid lines. The company will also support installation and pre-commissioning activities of all the infield riser as well as flowline system for conjugating six production wells and seven water alternate gas wells to the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) unit, which is chartered by Modec group. Notably, the FPSO vessel has a production capacity of 180,000 barrels of oil per day along with 12 million cubic meters of gas per day.
The deal fortifies TechnipFMCs presence in Brazil, where it is operating for more than 60 years. Moreover, the contract with an estimated value of 500 million to $1 billion should strengthen the companys backlog, which came in at $15.2 billion at the end of the third quarter. Finally, the deal will aid TechnipFMCs subsea segment, which was once the largest and fastest growing unit but is currently facing pressure on revenues and margins due to volatile commodity pricing scenario, to recoup some of its lost ground.
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Price Performance & Zacks Rank
London-based TechnipFMC is engaged in designing, producing and servicing technologically sophisticated systems and products for subsea, onshore/offshore, and surface projects. The company has lost 20.4% in the past year compared with 26.6% collective decline of the industry it belongs to. Currently, TechnipFMC has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
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(Bloomberg) -- SoftBank Group Corp. is buying back as much as 600 billion yen ($5.5 billion) of stock, as founder Masayoshi Son steps up efforts to close the disparity between what he thinks the company is worth and its market value.
Proceeds from the 2.4 trillion yen initial public offering of its telecommunications business in December will be used to fund the repurchase, the Tokyo-based company said Wednesday. Its the biggest-ever buyback in SoftBanks history, and the shares rose in late trading.
Son, who is remaking the company into a technology investor from a telecoms operator, has long-argued its share price doesnt reflect its business and investments. He spent much of his presentation explaining that SoftBanks holdings are worth 21 trillion yen net of debt, while the market value is 9 trillion yen. The gap is even laid out on its website, which shows the stock trading at a 59 percent discount to a sum-of-the-parts calculation that includes the telecoms unit, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., U.S. carrier Sprint Corp. and Yahoo Japan Corp.
What is that gap all about? Isnt that weird? Son said at the briefing. I personally think the share price is too low.
SoftBank has had success with buybacks in the past. In 2016, Son announced his company would buy as much as 500 billion yen, which sent shares up by the limit the next day. The stock price doubled over the next year.
Of the total raised from the telecom units IPO, 700 billion yen will go toward debt repayment, 700 billion yen for investments and 600 billion yen for the buyback, Son said, without saying what the rest was for.
The listing of the domestic telco operations and the pending sale of Sprint were part of a plan to focus more on the $100 billion Vision Fund. The companys portfolio includes the worlds biggest ride-hailing company Uber Technologies Inc. and co-working giant WeWork Cos. Thanks to valuation gains, profits from the Vision Fund and SoftBanks own Delta Fund more than tripled to 176 billion yen.
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The share repurchase fits perfectly with the goal of boosting the companys valuation, said Naoki Fujiwara, chief fund manager at Shinkin Asset Management. There will be a positive reaction to the amount of the buyback.
SoftBank Group shares jumped as much as 7.3 percent in after-hours trading on SBI Japannext Co.s platform. Volume was low, with just about 17,000 shares trading hands, worth about 151 million yen. The stock closed at 8,462 yen before the results, compared with SoftBanks calculated shareholder value of 20,446 yen. The American depositary receipts jumped 7.7 percent to $42.50 in New York.
The Vision Fund sold all of its shares in U.S. graphics chipmaker Nvidia Corp. in January, worth 398 billion yen, SoftBank said. News of the share sale first emerged in December, when people with knowledge of the matter said it was likely. For the three quarters preceding the sale, SoftBank booked a net loss of 50 billion yen on the stake.
The share repurchase period will start Thursday and last through the end of January next year, and the stock will be retired. SoftBank Groups operating income rose 60 percent to 438 billion yen in the last three months of 2018. Revenue rose about 5 percent. The company didnt give full-year earnings forecasts.
The results were very good, Fujiwara said. The operating business is doing well, and the Vision Fund adds to that.
Telecom unit SoftBank Corp. yesterday reported a 24 percent increase in profit during the quarter, despite a mobile service outage that hit millions of customers before its initial public offering in December. The company kept its outlook for net income to climb 4.8 percent to 420 billion yen in the fiscal year ending in March.
The company is also readying a new fund focused on Latin America that will be run by Chief Operating Officer Marcelo Claure, people familiar with the matter said last week. The fund, still in a nascent state of development, could reach several billion dollars in size and is separate from the Vision Fund, according to one of the people.
Whether SoftBank embarks on another buyback might depend on how long Son, 61, plans to be in the job. Asked about his plans for retirement, Son said hell remain CEO until 69, and then stay around as chairman for a while longer.
(Updates with U.S. trading.)
--With assistance from Yuji Nakamura and Yuki Furukawa.
To contact the reporter on this story: Pavel Alpeyev in Tokyo at palpeyev@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Robert Fenner at rfenner@bloomberg.net, Reed Stevenson, Peter Elstrom
For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com
2019 Bloomberg L.P.
Michael Peck
Security,
A game-changer?
How Russia and America Plan to Track (And Sink) Each Others Stealth Submarines
Will it work?
Russia is working on a new trick to track American submarines: sonar-equipped robots.
(This first appeared several months ago.)
But turnabout is fair play: the United States has already developed a robotic yacht-sized surface craft designed to stalk diesel subs.
Russia has begun testing unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) equipped with towed sonar arrays, according to the newspaper Izvestia. Attached to long, flexible tethers more than a mile long, towed sonar transmitters and receivers are far enough from the noise of the towing surface ship that they suffer less interference. The downside is that like a car towing a U-Haul trailer, the towing ship moves more slowly and has to maneuver more carefully to avoid snapping the tether.
During maneuvers, the antenna is bent, which means that the signal is lost or distorted, Izvestia explained. Also, the long tails of antennas seriously limit the maneuvers and speed of ships, preventing them from attacking.
So why not attack the sonar and tether to a remote-controlled underwater robot that can operate detached from the mother ship, which can enjoy the advantages of a towed array without being hampered by it?
Externally, the towing robot resembles a small submarine with a keel and several depth rudders, Russian Navy officials told Izvestia. It is located at the end of the antenna and adjusts the depth of its immersion, as well as if necessary, taxiing during the maneuvers of the ship.
Naval expert Alexander Mozgovoy told Izvestia that the Russian Navy has long wanted to make towed sonar arrays less awkward. The advantage of the towed antenna is high sensitivity, especially in the passive mode, because due to the considerable length it is less affected by noise and vibration from the power plant of the carrier ship itself. Previously, there were special ships, a kind of hydroacoustic AWACS [Airborne Warning and Control System], with huge towed antennas. They were intended to search for atomic submarines and to target aviation and anti-submarine forces on them. But because of the large size, towed antennas can be used only in the open sea, and better in the ocean, where there is enough depth and there is room for maneuver. Therefore, anti-submarine ships often work in pairs or groups: one tracks the underwater environment, while others attack detected targets.
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Russian warships equipped with towed arrays can detect a moving submarine at a distance of 9.3 to 12.4 miles, a surface ship at a distance of 30 to 100 kilometers (18.6 to 62.1 miles) and an incoming torpedo at 15 to 30 kilometers (9.3 to 18.6 miles), according to Izvestia.
Meanwhile, towed sensors have also been tested on the U.S. Navys Sea Hunter (formerly DARPAs ACTUV project), a 130-foot-long robot surface ship designed to autonomously patrol the oceans in search of quiet diesel submarines. But for Sea Hunter, it was more like parasailing as a sensor-equipped glider was tethered a thousand feet above the ship.
The U.S. Navy has been interested in robot-towed sonars since at least 2005, and Boeing and Lockheed Martin are developing designs for the Orca Extra Large Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (XLUUV), essentially an unmanned diesel submarine.
For now, submarines are the most stealthy of military craft, lurking deep and silent in the vast depths of the ocean. But on the horizon is a future where the oceans are blanketed by multitudes of sonar-towing underwater robots, which are cheap compared to manned ships and aircraft, and expendable as well.
Michael Peck is a contributing writer for the National Interest. He can be found on Twitter and Facebook.
Read full article
Skadden offices in Washington, D.C. Credit: Diego M. Radzinschi/ NLJ
The special counsels office on Tuesday publicly praised Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom for its cooperation in a U.S. Justice Department foreign-lobbying investigation, drawing a distinction between the New York law firm and an indicted Russian company that claims it is unfairly facing criminal prosecution.
Defense lawyers for the Russian firm Concord Management and Consulting, charged with participating in a plot to interfere in the 2016 election, argue the company is the victim of selective prosecution and should be allowed to probe how Skadden inked a civil settlement with prosecutors and was not charged in any criminal case.
Skadden last month agreed to pay $4.6 million to resolve claims that the law firm failed to properly disclose its past work for Ukraine. Reed Smith partner Eric Dubelier said Skadden was permitted to purchase a declination, while Concord has been forced to fight a raft of criminal charges.
Prosecutors working with the special counsel, Robert Mueller III, said the allegations against Concord are not remotely similar to the accusations that the Justice Departments national security division levied against Skadden. The firm, as part of the settlement, belatedly reported its advocacy under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, the federal law governing U.S. lobbying for foreign governments.
Prosecutors accused the law firm of not reporting its work on a purportedly independent analysis of the prosecution of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Former Skadden partner Greg Craig, an Obama-era White House counsel, was a leading attorney on the advocacy. Craig retired amid the Justice Department's investigation and has not been charged with any crime.
The law firm is not alleged to have condoned the former partners actions, let alone also to have engaged in anything akin to the numerous acts of deception and concealment as alleged against Concord," the special counsels office wrote. "Nor is the former partner, let alone the law firm, alleged to have participated in any systemic effort to engage in U.S. election interference as the indictment describes."
Prosecutors said Skadden "cooperated extensively with the investigation into the matter, and that the law firm has undertaken affirmative steps to enhance its internal procedures and processes.
The special counsels new court filing referred to Skadden only as the law firm and to Craig as a former partner. Skadden said in a statement last month: "We have learned much from this incident and we look forward to putting these events behind us."
William Taylor III of Zuckerman Spaeder, a lawyer for Craig, has maintained he was not required to register his work under the foreign-agents registration law.
In a court filing last month, Dubelier pointed to the Skadden settlement in an attempt to put Concords alleged conduct in a more favorable light. Dubelier said it appeared at a minimum Skadden conspired to defraud the government and made material false statements to the Justice Department.
And the difference is that Skadden agreed to pay over $4.6 million to the United States so as not to be prosecuted (which is no penalty at all because it simply deprives the firm of its allegedly unlawfully earned revenue), and Concord stands accused of a crime having not been offered the purchase declination option, Dubelier wrote.
The disparate treatment by the government of these two matters, he added, raises the question of why the Russian firm was indicted while Skadden was able to resolve the allegations by paying more than $4.6 million, representing the income it received from Ukraine. Dubelier described Skadden as a sophisticated law firm with offices around the globe, including in Moscow.
The defense lawyer argued Skaddens admitted conduct is "far more direct, obvious, and egregious than the allegations against Concordyet Skadden was not prosecuted.
U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich has not ruled yet on whether to allow Concord's lawyers to probe the Skadden settlement.
Read more:
Skadden Registers Ukraine Advocacy After Settling DOJ's Lobbying Case
Muellers Interest in Skadden Presents Unique Crisis Management Challenge
Skadden Settlement Spotlights Greg Craigs Ukraine Work
Ex-Skadden Associate Gets 30-Day Jail Sentence for Lying to Mueller's Team
The new Rudisha campaign by activist Boniface Mwangi to reclaim grabbed footpaths in Nairobi is continuing to yield positive results.
Just a day after the former Starehe Parliamentary aspirant highlighted a grabbed backstreet lane in the CBD, governor Sonko has taken swift action.
The public lane in question is Asmah Lane, which according to Boniface Mwangi was grabbed by CJs Restaurant along Koinange street.
In his complaint on Monday, the firebrand activist alleged that owners of the restaurant bribed officials at City Hall and grabbed the public space.
They even erected a gate and hired uniformed guards to man the backstreet.
CJs restaurant bribed officials at Governor Mike Sonkos city hall and grabbed an entire backstreet lane, Asmah Lane. They even have a uniformed guard stationed there. Will Sonko reclaim the lane or he approves the grabbing? When you dine there, you promote corruption #Rudisha. Wrote Boniface Mwangi.
In response, Governor Sonko Tuesday sent officers who pulled down the gate and reclaimed Asmah Lane.
My administration will not tolerate impunity and corruption in Nairobi City County, stated Sonko.
In a subsequent post on social media, Boniface Mwangi lauded Sonko for taking action.
After yesterdays post about CJs grabbing Asmah Lane, today Governor Sonko sent his people to remove the illegal gate. Its a good start to reclaiming public spaces. If you know of a public space that has been grabbed in your county, tag your governor, hashtag #Rudisha #TeamCourage.
Check out the before & after pics below.
(Bloomberg) -- The lawyer who spearheaded a landmark court case -- which ended with the European Unions top court ruling that the U.K. can unilaterally reverse Brexit -- appeared in court Wednesday for a fresh battle, this time with Uber Technologies Inc.
Jolyon Maugham, who runs a group that raises money for lawsuits that promote a progressive agenda, says Uber should pay Value Added Tax, a 20 percent U.K. sales tax on most goods and services. Uber says it doesnt need to because its only acting as an intermediary between drivers and riders.
Uber would owe 1 billion pounds ($1.3 billion) if Maugham won his case, once backdated payments are counted, Maugham said outside court, citing his own calculations.
His lawyer Vikram Sachdeva said at the court hearing that the case could leave Uber liable for an estimated annual tax bill of 200 million pounds.
The case centers on an Uber journey Maugham took in March 2017, which cost 6 pounds and 34 pence. He wants a court declaration that Uber should give him a VAT invoice for 1 pound and 6 pence for the journey. The invoice would allow him to reclaim the sales tax as the trip was for business purposes.
The sum at issue is obviously trivial, Maugham said in court filings, but the underlying case is of great public importance because of the amount of tax that would ultimately be payable if he wins.
The case will turn on the question of whether Uber should be classed as the supplier of cab rides, or whether its drivers should be. Its a question at the heart of the so-called gig economy, where technology companies have upended traditional employment models.
Anyone who gets in an Uber is affected by this case, Sachdeva said in court on Wednesday.
Black Cabs
Maughams lawsuit is largely crowdfunded by the black cab taxi industry, who have a significant commercial interest in seeking to alter the competitiveness of Ubers services, the ride-hailing firm said in its court filings.Sachdeva said Maugham is motivated by good governance and wants people who ought to pay their VAT to pay it. Maugham is expressly saying hes not doing it for the purpose of the black cab industry, Sachdeva said.
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An Uber spokeswoman didnt immediately comment.
Maugham is one of the most outspoken voices against the U.K.s looming exit from the European Union. In 2016, he ran a crowdfunding campaign for a legal challenge over Prime Minister Theresa Mays plan to start the formal process for Brexit, an Article 50 notice, without first holding a vote in Parliament. That campaign became the Peoples Challenge, one of the groups supporting Gina Miller in a case that went all the way to the Supreme Court -- and won.
Uber says Maughams latest case has no merit and theres no need for this claim to be brought. Uber argues that HM Revenue & Customs, the U.K. tax authority, is the appropriate agency to decide on its tax payments, not Maugham.
At a hearing Wednesday, Maugham applied for an order that, if he ends up losing the case, the most hell have to pay Uber is 20,000 pounds in legal fees. Maughams resources pale in comparison to Uber, and he wont be able to continue with the case if he doesnt get the limit, he said in filings.
Uber says Maugham could continue the lawsuit without the costs order because he could raise more money from black cab drivers and others.
The ride-hailing giant is also embroiled in a separate British court battle over the employment rights of its drivers. Its taking an appeal to the countrys top court over whether drivers are entitled to the minimum wage and holiday pay.
The case is Jolyon Toby Dennis Maugham v Uber London Limited, High Court of Justice, Case No. HC-2017-001496.
(Updates with more details starting in third paragraph.)
To contact the reporter on this story: Kaye Wiggins in London at kwiggins4@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Anthony Aarons at aaarons@bloomberg.net, Christopher Elser
For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com
2019 Bloomberg L.P.
It may be a year before the Iowa Caucusesthe first major contest for 2020 Democratic presidential hopefulsbut candidates are busy jockeying for their partys nomination to run against Republican incumbent President Donald Trump.
Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris raised $1.5 million in campaign donations on Jan. 21 alone, the day she announced her candidacy and attracted more than 20,000 people to a rally in her hometown of Oakland, Calif.
Harris will start her national tour this month in four early-voting states, which will include two days in South Carolina, New Hampshire, Iowa, and Nevada, The Associated Press reports.
Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, who announced his candidacy last week, will go to Iowa on Friday and Saturday, before heading to South Carolina and New Hampshire later this month.
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren made a campaign stop in the state within days of announcing her run. Shes also been to South Carolina, where she drew more than 1,000 people to an event, Politico reports.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York has also made stops in both states.
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said on Tuesday the EU executive was not needlessly blocking corporate mergers, a comment seemingly aimed at complaints in France and Germany over its expected rejection of a merger between Siemens' and Alstom's rail businesses. In a speech to industrialists, Juncker said the Commission had only ever blocked 30 mergers and approved more than 6,000. "This is a message for those who are saying that the Commission is composed (of) stubborn technocrats," he said. "This shows that we believe in competition as long as it is fair for all. We will never play politics or play favorites when it comes to ensuring a level playing field." The German and French governments, the most powerful of the EU's member states, have lobbied hard for their respective companies, Siemens and Alstom, to be allowed to merge their rail businesses in order to better compete in Europe and abroad with big Chinese rivals. But people familiar with the case expect the Commission to reject the plan, possibly as early as Wednesday, on the grounds that it would reduce choice and competition for customers in the European Union. The case has prompted a debate within the Commission, whose mandate ends late this year, on whether the EU should revise its competition rules and policies in ways that some argue would better allow European companies to compete globally. (Reporting by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
FILE PHOTO: The logo of JSW is seen on the company's headquarters in Mumbai, February 11, 2016. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui/File Photo
By Promit Mukherjee and Chandini Monnappa
(Reuters) - India's JSW Steel Ltd on Wednesday posted quarterly net profit below estimates, dented by weakness in steel prices, but said exports are likely to improve in the next quarter.
Exports plunged 70 percent, resulting in total saleable steel sales for the third quarter to drop 10 percent to 3.62 million tonnes, the company said.
However, JSW said local demand for steel remained firm, with domestic sales jumping 15 percent from a year ago.
Escalating trade tensions between Washington and Beijing are a threat to exports, the steelmaker said, adding that the United States, one of India's key markets, imposed additional duties last year on steel from some Asian countries, including India.
Steel producers in India were hit by a double whammy of a rise in cheap imports and low domestic steel prices, which threatened to wipe out healthy profit they had clocked in the past few years.
Steel prices fell by an average of more than 10 percent in India between October and December, according to government data.
Net profit came in at 16.24 billion rupees ($226.8 million), for the three months ended Dec. 31, compared with 17.53 billion rupees a year earlier, the company said.
Analysts on average were expecting the Mumbai-headquartered company to report a profit of 17.40 billion rupees, according to Refinitiv data.
Total revenue for the quarter from all JSW operations jumped 11.2 percent to 203.18 billion rupees from the previous year.
JSW Steel shares closed 2.1 percent firmer, while the Mumbai market NSE Nifty was up 1.17 percent.
($1 = 71.6200 Indian rupees)
(Reporting by Chandini Monnappa in Bengaluru and Promit Mukherjee in Mumbai, Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Gopakumar Warrier)
The stage one, six million-tonne-per-annum (6 Mtpa) operation at Kakula, with estimated development capital of US$1.1 billion, yields an after-tax NPV8% of US$5.4 billion and an IRR of 47% over a 25-year mine life
The Kakula Mine's first stage will average 6.8% copper over the first 5 years, with mine-site cash costs of US$0.43/lb copper
Ivanhoe also announces an updated independent preliminary economic assessment (PEA) for an expanded Kakula-Kamoa production rate of 18 Mtpa, supplied initially by a 6 Mtpa mine at Kakula, followed by two 6 Mtpa mines at Kansoko and Kakula West, and a world-scale direct-to-blister smelter
The PEA envisions the staged mine expansions and smelter will be funded from internal cash flows and yields an after-tax NPV8% of US$10.0 billion and an IRR of 41%
Once the expanded PEA production rate of 18 Mtpa is achieved, Kamoa-Kakula is projected to become the world's second largest copper mine, with peak annual production of more than 700,000 tonnes of copper
Cape Town, South Africa--(Newsfile Corp. - February 6, 2019) - Robert Friedland, Co-Chairman of Ivanhoe Mines (TSX: IVN) (OTCQX: IVPAF), announced today in a keynote address at the 25th annual Mining Indaba that the company and its Chinese partners, Zijin Mining Group and Crystal River Global Limited, welcome the extremely positive findings of an independent pre-feasibility study (PFS) for the development of the Kakula copper mine and an updated, expanded preliminary economic assessment (PEA) for the overall development plan of the Kamoa and Kakula copper discoveries at the Kamoa-Kakula Project on the Central African Copperbelt, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
"It has been a remarkable 25 years since my first keynote presentation at the very first Mining Indaba, in this beautiful city of Cape Town, South Africa. In that inaugural speech in 1994, we shared with delegates how African Minerals, the founding, corporate trailblazer for Ivanhoe Mines, was focused on its quest for major discoveries in and around Southern Africa's legendary mineral fields," said Mr. Friedland.
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"Now, after more than a quarter of a century of exceptional field work by our team of visionary and tenacious exploration geologists, we are about to make the 'Great Leap Forward' from one of the modern world's top mine finders to one of the world's leading producers of copper - as well as palladium, platinum, zinc, nickel, gold, silver and rhodium from the other two major mining projects that Ivanhoe is developing in Southern Africa.
"To all of our African Brothers and Sisters, you now can clearly see the fruits of the incredibly intensive efforts by our people over the past two decades, while overcoming countless challenges, to initially discover, then extensively expand, the Kamoa and Kakula resource base with a massive drilling and engineering effort.
"The Kamoa-Kakula Project now stands as the 'Beacon that Shines Light' on the fundamental importance of stable and transparent legal and fiscal frameworks. Looking back on the last 25 years, we reiterate the obvious fact that mining is a very long-term business that requires stability to attract capital. Future generations of young Congolese people will massively benefit from the establishment of a stable and predictable fiscal environment to attract foreign investment.
"Today, together with our strategic shareholder CITIC Metal, our Co-Chairman Yufeng "Miles" Sun, our Chinese joint-venture partner Zijin Mining, and the newly elected DRC government, led by His Excellency Felix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, we are proud to share with the world these outstanding, independently-prepared, engineering studies conducted over the past two years.
"These studies clearly prove our long-standing conviction that Kamoa-Kakula is firmly on track to become one of the absolute greatest copper mining complexes in the world, helping to restore Katanga's rightful position as the world's largest copper producing region. This would not have happened without the extraordinary efforts of the Ivanhoe discovery team and our investment of more than US$800 million in exploration and development.
"We now look forward to working with the new government of the DRC and the Congolese people to develop Kamoa-Kakula to its full potential, generating widely shared economic benefits that will help to uplift local communities, and provide skills training to help ensure that young Congolese can qualify for the thousands of meaningful direct and indirect jobs that will be created."
Today's PFS and updated PEA build on the outstanding results of the previous PEA announced in November 2017. The PFS has advanced the detailed design and engineering in that earlier study and has confirmed the viability of the project. As well, the re-scoped and expanded PEA shows the potential to develop the project to a larger scale and with a larger production capacity.
The Kamoa-Kakula Project has been independently ranked as the world's largest high-grade copper discovery by international mining consultant Wood Mackenzie of London in the United Kingdom.
The PFS and PEA encompass two development scenarios:
Pre-feasibility study for stage one Kakula mine development. The Kakula 2019 PFS evaluates the development of a stage one, 6 Mtpa underground mine and surface processing complex at the Kakula Deposit - a 2016 discovery that occurred just three years ago. Expanded, subsequent development to three producing mines. The Kamoa-Kakula 2019 PEA also includes an option for an integrated, 18 Mtpa, three-stage development, beginning with initial production from the Kakula Mine, to be followed by a subsequent, separate underground mining operation at the nearby Kansoko and Kakula West mines, along with the construction of a direct-to-blister smelter. A further four separate mines will be developed in the Kamoa North area as resources are mined out, to maintain the production rate at 18 Mtpa.
The Kakula 2019 PFS and Kamoa-Kakula 2019 PEA were independently prepared by Amec Foster Wheeler E&C Services Inc. (a division of Wood PLC) of Reno, USA; DRA Global of Johannesburg, South Africa; KGHM Cuprum R&D Centre Ltd. of Wroclaw, Poland; OreWin Pty Ltd. of Adelaide, Australia; Stantec Consulting International LLC of Arizona, USA, and SRK Consulting Inc. of Johannesburg, South Africa.
The Kamoa-Kakula 2019 PEA is preliminary in nature and includes an economic analysis that is based, in part, on Inferred Mineral Resources. Inferred Mineral Resources are considered too speculative geologically for the application of economic considerations that would allow them to be categorized as Mineral Reserves - and there is no certainty that the results will be realized. Mineral Resources do not have demonstrated economic viability and are not Mineral Reserves.
A National Instrument 43-101 technical report will be filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the Ivanhoe Mines website at www.ivanhoemines.com within 45 days of the issuance of this news release. The technical report also will include an updated Kamoa pre-feasibility study, which evaluates the development of the Kansoko Mine as a stand-alone 6 Mtpa underground mine and surface processing complex that would be supplied with ore from the planned development of the Kansoko Sud and Kansoko Centrale areas of the Kamoa Deposit. The Kamoa 2019 PFS will restate the findings of the Kamoa 2017 PFS with economics based on updated assumptions.
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Map of the Kamoa-Kakula mining licence showing the Kakula and Kansoko mining areas, as well as Kakula West, Kamoa North, and a portion of Ivanhoe's adjacent, 100%-owned Western Foreland exploration-licences area.
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"The new PFS and PEA, independently prepared by six of the world's top engineering firms, reinforces the fact that Kamoa-Kakula is unquestionably the world's best undeveloped copper discovery," said Mr. Friedland. "Kamoa-Kakula is unique as it combines ultra-high copper grades in thick, shallow and flat-lying orebodies allowing for large-scale, highly-productive, mechanized underground mining operations. Kakula is projected to have an average grade of 6.8% copper over the initial five years of operations, and 6.4% copper over the first 10 years grades that are orders of magnitude higher than the majority of the world's other major copper mines.
"This mine is getting built. And, most importantly, it is being built to international best practices that will be a showcase for responsible mine development.
"As good as the economic numbers are in this PFS for Kakula, you simply cannot apply conventional discounted cash flow analysis to Tier One projects like Kamoa-Kakula and expect to get a sensible answer on long-term value. Massive, high-grade deposits like we have found at Kamoa-Kakula which have the potential to produce large quantities of copper for multiple generations are very long-term plays. The real value is generated over time, in the phased expansions.
"Ten years ago at the World Copper Conference in Santiago, Chile, we announced to the world that Ivanhoe Mines had "made a major copper discovery of historic importance" in a previously unrecognized area that was beyond the western end of the Copperbelt in the Congo, and that "Kamoa will become a world-class mining camp of great importance to the Democratic Republic of Congo."
"Today, together with our partners, Zijin Mining and the government of the DRC, and the outstanding work by our exceptionally talented team at Kamoa-Kakula, comprised mainly of bright, young Congolese men and women, we are making these bold predictions come true.
"We invite institutional investors and analysts to visit the DRC, meet the people, and see first-hand how our team is transforming the original Kamoa discovery we announced 10 years ago into a state-of-the-art mining operation with the potential to become one of the world's three largest copper mines, with peak annual production of more than 700,000 tonnes of copper.
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Photo. Robert Friedland greeting Kamoa-Kakula employees during a site visit.
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Mr. Johansson, Chief Executive Officer and President of Ivanhoe Mines, said that discussions for financing the construction of the initial 6 Mtpa mine at Kakula are progressing well with China-based financial institutions. CITIC Metal, Ivanhoe's largest shareholder, is assisting with the discussions.
Mr. Johansson also noted that today's economic assessments do not factor in the recent exploration success at Kamoa North, which is a prospective new mining area. The current study also does not factor in the ongoing drilling programs on new targets at Kamoa-Kakula or the company's 100%-owned Western Foreland exploration area. Additional exploration successes that already have occurred may well have a significant positive influence on the size, value, and timing of the overall development plan; as such, the Kamoa-Kakula development plans will be continuously reassessed and amended as the project moves forward to reflect ongoing exploration success.
"The 18 million-tonne-per-annum development scenario clearly shows the economic potential for a phased development plan for Kamoa-Kakula to become one of the largest copper mines in existence," said Mr. Johansson. "However, as evidenced by our remarkable discovery hole drilled at Kamoa North announced last week the thickest high-grade intersection yet at Kamoa-Kakula returning 13.05% copper over 22.3 metres starting at a depth of only 190 metres below surface we are confident that there are more high-grade copper discoveries to be made in the area and the ultimate scale of operations at Kamoa-Kakula can be much larger. We see no geological limitation to the goal of eventually producing one million tonnes of copper per year.
"While our engineers are focused on expediting the development of the initial Kakula Mine, our geological team remains focused on unlocking the full potential of the Kamoa-Kakula and Western Foreland copper districts. We plan to keep the drills turning as we continue our search for the next Kakula, or perhaps an even better discovery.
Mr. Johansson also said that the implementation of community-support initiatives at Kamoa-Kakula are central to mine-planning considerations. "Ivanhoe and Zijin are proud of our community-support initiatives that include fish and chicken farming, agricultural projects, and the construction of new schools, houses, clinics, roads and power infrastructure.
"We already have made significant improvements in the lives of the Congolese people living in the communities near Kamoa-Kakula that will help promote and define their children's health and education for the foreseeable future."
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Photo. Secondary students in one of the new schools built in a village near the Kamoa-Kakula Project, as part of the project's community relations program.
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HIGHLIGHTS
Initial 6 Mtpa mine at Kakula
The Kakula 2019 PFS analyzes the development of an initial 6 Mtpa Kakula Mine at the Kakula Deposit in the southerly portion of the Kamoa-Kakula Project's discovery area. For this option, the PFS envisages an average annual production rate of 291,000 tonnes of copper at a mine-site cash cost of US$0.46 per pound (lb) copper and total cash cost of US$1.11/lb copper for the first 10 years of operations, and copper annual production of up to 360,000 tonnes by year four.
An initial capital cost of US$1.1 billion for this option would result in an after-tax net present value at an 8% discount rate (NPV8%) of US$5.4 billion. The internal rate of return of 46.9% and project payback period of 2.6 years confirm the compelling economics for the Kamoa-Kakula Project's stage one of production.
Kakula benefits from an ultra-high, average feed grade of 6.8% copper over the first five years of operations, and 5.5% copper on average over a 25-year mine life.
Basic engineering is underway, expected to be completed around mid-year, running in parallel with a definitive feasibility study expected to be completed around year-end.
Development of twin underground declines has been completed at Kakula, with ongoing underground development activities, including access drives and ventilation raises. In addition, a box cut for a ventilation decline on the southern side of the Kakula orebody is nearing completion.
Modular, integrated, expanded development option of Kakula and Kamoa deposits, mining a total of 18 Mtpa, with construction of a direct-to-blister smelter
The Kamoa-Kakula 2019 PEA presents the alternative development option of a three-phase, sequential operation on Kamoa-Kakula's high-grade copper deposits.
Initial production would occur at a rate of 6 Mtpa from the Kakula Mine, before increasing to 12 Mtpa with mill feed from the Kansoko Mine. A third 6 Mtpa mine then will be developed at Kakula West, bringing total production rate to 18 Mtpa. As resources at Kakula and Kansoko are mined, the PEA envisages that production would begin at several mines in the Kamoa North area to maintain 18 Mtpa throughput over a 37-year mine life.
For the three-phase sequential operation, the PEA envisages US$1.1 billion in initial capital costs. Future expansion at the Kansoko Mine, Kakula West Mine and subsequent extensions could be funded by cash flows from the Kakula Mine, resulting in an after-tax net present value at an 8% discount rate (NPV8%) of US$10.0 billion and an internal rate of return of 41%.
Under this approach, the PEA also includes the construction of a direct-to-blister flash copper smelter at the Kakula plant site with a capacity of one million tonnes of copper concentrate per annum to be funded from internal cash flows. This would be completed in year five of operations, achieving significant savings in treatment charges and transportation costs.
The 18 Mtpa scenario delivers average annual production of 382,000 tonnes of copper at a total cash cost of US$0.93/lb copper during the first 10 years of operations and production of 740,000 tonnes by year 12. At this future production rate, Kamoa-Kakula would rank as the world's second largest copper mine.
Figure 1 describes the expanded development scenario for the Kamoa-Kakula 2019 PEA and Figure 2 shows an overview of deposits included within the Kakula 2019 PFS (6 Mtpa case), Kamoa 2019 PFS (6 Mtpa) and Kamoa-Kakula 2019 PEA (18 Mtpa). Additional exploration success at Kakula West, Kamoa North or regional exploration targets may well have a significant, positive influence on the size, value and timing of the overall development plan.
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Figure 1. Kamoa-Kakula 18 Mtpa PEA long-term development plan.
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Figure by OreWin 2019.
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Figure 2. Overview of deposits included within the Kakula 2019 PFS (6 Mtpa outlined in red box), Kamoa 2019 PFS (6 Mtpa outlined in blue box) and Kamoa-Kakula 2019 PEA (outlined in green box).
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Figure by OreWin 2019.
Summary of the PFS's key results for an initial Kakula Mine
Very-high-grade, stage-one production is projected to have a grade of 7.1% copper in the second year of production and an average grade of 6.4% copper over the initial 10 years of operations, resulting in estimated average annual copper production of 291,000 tonnes. Annual copper production is estimated at 360,000 tonnes in year four. Initial capital cost, including contingency, is estimated at US$1.1 billion. Average total cash cost of US$1.11/lb copper during the first 10 years, inclusive of royalties. After-tax NPV, at an 8% discount rate, of US$5.4 billion. After-tax internal rate of return (IRR) of 46.9%, and a payback period of 2.6 years. Kakula is expected to produce a very-high-grade copper concentrate in excess of 55% copper, with extremely low arsenic levels.
Key initial projections from the Kakula 2019 PFS
The study assesses the potential development of the Kakula Deposit as a 6 Mtpa mining and processing complex. The Kakula mill would be constructed in two smaller phases of 3 Mtpa each as the mining operations ramp-up to full production of 6 Mtpa. The life-of-mine production scenario provides for 119.7 million tonnes to be mined at an average grade of 5.48% copper, producing 9.8 million tonnes of high-grade copper concentrate, containing approximately 12.4 billion pounds of copper.
The economic analysis uses a consensus, long-term copper price of US$3.10/lb and returns an after-tax NPV at an 8% discount rate of US$5.4 billion. It has an after-tax IRR of 46.9% and a payback period of 2.6 years.
The estimated initial capital cost, including contingency, is US$1.1 billion. The capital expenditure for off-site power, which is included in the initial capital cost, includes advances to the DRC state-owned electricity company, Societe Nationale d'Electricite (SNEL), to upgrade two hydropower plants (Koni and Mwadingusha) to provide the Kamoa-Kakula Project with access to clean electricity for its planned operations.
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Photo. Kakula's initial two declines intersected the mineralized reef on the northern edge of the Kakula Deposit in late January and underground mine development now is progressing toward the initial, high-grade mining area.
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Key results of the Kakula 2019 PFS for a single 6 Mtpa mine are summarized in Table 1.
Table 1. Kakula Mine results summary for 6 Mtpa production.
Item Unit Total Total Processed
Quantity Milled kt 119,728 Copper Feed Grade % 5.48 Total Concentrate Produced
Copper Concentrate Produced kt (dry) 9,776 Copper Recovery % 85.35 Copper Concentrate Grade % 57.32 Contained Copper in Concentrate Mlb 12,354 Contained Copper in Concentrate kt 5,604 Peak Annual Recovered Copper Production kt 360 10-Year Average
Copper Concentrate Produced kt (dry) 508 Contained Copper in Concentrate kt 291 Mine-Site Cash Cost US$/lb payable 0.46 Total Cash Cost US$/lb payable 1.11 5-Year Average
Copper Concentrate Produced kt (dry) 465 Contained Copper in Concentrate kt 267 Mine-Site Cash Cost US$/lb payable 0.43 Total Cash Cost US$/lb payable 1.08 Key Financial Results
Peak Funding US$M 1,099 Initial Capital Costs US$M 1,078 Expansion Capital Costs US$M 778 LOM Average Mine Site Cash Costs US$/lb payable 0.59 LOM Average Total Cash Costs US$/lb payable 1.24 Site Operating Costs US$/t Milled 59.4 After-Tax NPV8% US$M 5,440 After-Tax IRR % 46.9 Project Payback Period Years 2.6 Project Life Years 25
Table 2 summarizes the financial results and Table 3 summarizes potential mine production and processing statistics.
Table 2. Kakula Mine financial results for 6 Mtpa production.
Net Present Value (US$M) Discount Rate Before Taxation After Taxation
Undiscounted 19,317 13,575
4.0% 12,053 8,411
6.0% 9,693 6,733
8.0% 7,875 5,440
10.0% 6,457 4,432
12.0% 5,336 3,635 Internal Rate of Return - 55.6% 46.9% Project Payback Period (Years) - 2.4 2.6
Table 3. Kakula Mine average estimated production and processing statistics for 6 Mtpa production.
Item Unit YEARS
1-5 YEARS
1-10 LOM
AVERAGE Total Processed
Quantity Milled kt 4,589 5,321 4,789 Copper Feed Grade % 6.79 6.39 5.48 Annual Concentrate Produced
Copper Concentrate Produced kt (dry) 465 508 391 Copper Recovery % 85.6 85.6 85.3 Copper Concentrate Grade % 57.3 57.3 57.3 Contained Copper in Concentrate
Copper Mlb 588 642 494 Copper kt 267 291 224 Payable Copper
Copper Mlb 575 628 483 Copper kt 261 285 219
The Kakula concentrator production is shown in Figure 3 and the concentrate and copper production is shown in Figure 4.
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Figure 3. Kakula Mine estimated tonnes milled and head grade for the life-of-mine.
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Figure by OreWin 2019.
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Figure 4. Kakula Mine estimated concentrate and copper production for the life-of-mine.
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Figure by OreWin 2019.
Table 4 summarizes unit operating costs. Table 5 provides a breakdown of revenue and operating costs. Capital costs for the project are detailed in Table 6.
Table 4. Kakula Mine unit operating costs for 6 Mtpa production.
US$/lb Payable Copper
YEARS 1-5 YEARS 1-10 LOM
AVERAGE Mine Site 0.43 0.46 0.59 Transport 0.31 0.31 0.31 Treatment & Refining Charges 0.15 0.15 0.15 Royalties & Export Tax 0.20 0.20 0.20 Total Cash Costs 1.08 1.11 1.24
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Figure 5. 2019 Mine-site cash cost curve (includes all operational costs at mine site).
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Note: Represents mine-site cash costs that reflect the direct cash costs of producing paid concentrate or cathode incorporating mining, processing and mine-site G&A costs. Kakula is based on the average mine-site cash cost during the first 10 years as detailed in the Kakula 2019 PFS.
Source: Wood Mackenzie (based on public disclosure, the Kakula 2019 PFS has not been reviewed by Wood Mackenzie).
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Figure 6. 2019 C1 pro-rata copper cash cost curve (includes mining, processing, transportation and offsite realization costs).
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Note: Represents C1 pro-rata cash costs that reflect the direct cash costs of producing paid copper incorporating mining, processing, mine-site G&A and offsite realization costs, having made appropriate allowance for the costs associated with the co-product revenue streams. Kakula is based on the average total cash cost during the first 10 years as detailed in the Kakula 2019 PFS.
Source: Wood Mackenzie (based on public disclosure, the Kakula 2019 PFS has not been reviewed by Wood Mackenzie).
Table 5. Kakula Mine estimated revenue and operating costs for 6 Mtpa production.
TOTAL
LOM YEARS
1-5 YEARS
1-10 LOM
AVERAGE
US$M US$/t Milled Revenue
Copper in Concentrate 37,429 388.3 365.6 312.6 Gross Sales Revenue 37,429 388.3 365.6 312.6 Less: Realization Costs
Transport 3,707 38.5 36.2 31.0 Treatment & Refining 1,770 18.4 17.3 14.8 Royalties & Export Tax 2,403 24.9 23.5 20.1 Total Realization Costs 7,880 81.8 77.0 65.8 Net Sales Revenue 29,549 306.6 288.6 246.8 Site Operating Costs
Underground Mining 4,585 34.4 35.2 38.3 Processing 1,574 13.1 12.5 13.1 General & Administration 816 6.4 6.0 6.8 SNEL Discount -212 -2.4 -2.5 -1.7 Customs 347 2.7 2.7 2.9 Total 7,111 54.0 54.0 59.4 Net Operating Margin 22,438 252.5 234.7 187.4 Net Operating Margin 75.9% 82.4% 81.3% 75.9%
Table 6. Kakula Mine estimated capital investment summary for 6 Mtpa production.
Description Initial
Capital Expansion
Capital Sustaining
Capital Total
US$M US$M US$M US$M MINING
Underground Mining 287 339 633 1,259 Capitalized Pre-Production 107 - - 107 Subtotal 394 339 633 1,367 POWER
Power Supply Off Site 64 - - 64 Subtotal 64 - - 64 CONCENTRATOR & TAILINGS
Process Plant 190 125 219 534 Tailings - - 83 83 Subtotal 190 125 303 617 INFRASTRUCTURE
Surface and Plant Infrastructure 132 138 187 458 Subtotal 132 138 187 458 INDIRECTS
EPCM 56 40 4 100 Owners Cost 103 25 - 128 Customs Duties 29 22 38 90 Closure - - 69 69 Subtotal 188 88 111 387 CAPITAL EXPENDITURE BEFORE CONTINGENCY 968 690 1,234 2,893 Contingency 110 88 62 259 CAPITAL EXPENDITURE AFTER CONTINGENCY 1,078 778 1,295 3,152
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Figure 7. Capital intensity for large-scale copper projects.
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Note: Recently approved, probable and possible projects with nominal copper production capacity in excess of 200 kt/a (based on public disclosure and information gathered in the process of routine research). Source: Wood Mackenzie (based on public disclosure, the Kakula 2019 PFS has not been reviewed by Wood Mackenzie).
The after-tax NPV sensitivity to copper price variation is shown in Table 7 for copper prices from US$2.00/lb to US$4.00/lb. The annual and cumulative cash flows are shown in Figure 8.
Table 7. Kakula Mine copper price sensitivity.
After-Tax NPV (US$M) Copper Price - US$/lb Discount Rate 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.10 3.50 4.00 Undiscounted 4,541 8,656 12,757 13,575 16,840 20,920 4.0% 2,694 5,298 7,892 8,411 10,478 13,061 6.0% 2,070 4,194 6,310 6,733 8,418 10,525 8.0% 1,581 3,339 5,090 5,440 6,835 8,577 10.0% 1,195 2,670 4,138 4,432 5,600 7,060 12.0% 887 2,140 3,386 3,635 4,626 5,863 IRR 22.7% 34.7% 45.0% 46.9% 54.1% 62.5%
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Figure 8. Kakula Mine projected annual and cumulative cash flow.
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Figure by OreWin 2019.
Kamoa and Kakula 2019 Mineral Resources
The 2019 Kamoa and Kakula Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource estimate was prepared by George Gilchrist, Ivanhoe Mines' Mineral Resources Manager, under the direction of Dr. Harry Parker and Gordon Seibel, both RM SME, of Amec Foster Wheeler, of Reno, USA, and is reported in accordance with the 2014 CIM Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves. Dr. Parker and Mr. Seibel are the Qualified Persons for the estimate.
The total, combined Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources for the Kamoa-Kakula Project is shown in Table 8. Tables showing the Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources separately for the Kamoa and Kakula deposits, as well as the sensitivity of Mineral Resources to cut-off grade, are shown in the appendices to this release.
Table 8. Total Kamoa and Kakula Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource (at 1% total copper cut-off grade).
Deposit Category Tonnes (millions) Area
(Sq. km) Copper Grade
(%) Vertical Thickness (m) Contained Copper
(kt) Contained Copper (billion lbs) Kamoa Indicated 759 50.7 2.57 5.5 19,500 43.0 Inferred 202 19.4 1.85 3.8 3,740 8.2 Kakula Indicated 628 21.5 2.72 10.5 17,100 37.6 Inferred 114 5.9 1.59 6.9 1,810 4.0 Total Kamoa-Kakula Project Indicated 1,387 72.2 2.64 6.9 36,600 80.6 Inferred 316 25.3 1.76 4.5 5,550 12.2
Notes to accompany the total, combined Kamoa and Kakula 2019 Mineral Resource table
Ivanhoe's Mineral Resources Manager George Gilchrist, a Fellow of the Geology Society of South Africa and Professional Natural Scientist (Pr. Sci. Nat) with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP), estimated the Mineral Resources under the supervision of Dr. Harry Parker and Gordon Seibel, both Registered Members (RM) of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME), employees of Amec Foster Wheeler, who are the Qualified Persons for the Mineral Resource estimate. The effective date of the estimate for Kamoa is November 27, 2017, and the cut-off date for drill data is November 23, 2015. The Kakula Mineral Resource is a combination of separate Kakula and Kakula West models, with the West Scarp fault forming the boundary between the two. The effective date of the estimate for Kakula is April 13, 2018, and the cut-off date for the drill data is January 26, 2018. The effective date of the estimate for Kakula West is November 10, 2018, and the cut-off date for the drill data is November 1, 2018. Mineral Resources are estimated using the CIM 2014 Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves. Mineral Resources are reported inclusive of Mineral Reserves on a 100% basis. Mineral Resources are reported using a total copper (TCu) cut-off grade of 1% TCu and a minimum vertical thickness of 3 metres (m). There are reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction under assumptions of a copper price of US$3.00/lb, employment of underground mechanized room-and-pillar and drift-and-fill mining methods, and that copper concentrates will be produced and sold to a smelter. Mining costs are assumed to be US$27/t. Concentrator, tailings treatment, and general and administrative costs (G&A) are assumed to be US$17/t. Metallurgical recoveries are expected to average 84% (86% for hypogene and 81% for supergene). At a 1% TCu cut-off grade, assumed net smelter returns for 100% of Mineral Resource blocks will cover processing, tailings treatment and G&A costs. Reported Mineral Resources contain no allowances for hangingwall or footwall contact boundary loss and dilution. No mining recovery has been applied. Depth of mineralization below the surface ranges from 10 m to 1,320 m for Indicated Mineral Resources and 20 m to 1,560 m for Inferred Mineral Resources. Approximate drill hole spacings are 800 m for Inferred Mineral Resources and 400 m for Indicated Mineral Resources. Rounding as required by reporting guidelines may result in apparent summation differences between tonnes, grade and contained metal content.
Kakula 2019 PFS Mineral Reserve
The Kakula 2019 PFS Mineral Reserve has been estimated by Qualified Person Jon Treen, Senior Vice President, Stantec Consulting International LLC, using the 2014 CIM Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves to conform to the Canadian National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. The total Mineral Reserve for the Kakula Project is shown in Table 9. The Mineral Reserve is based on the April 2018 Mineral Resource. The Mineral Reserve is entirely a Probable Mineral Reserve that was converted from Indicated Mineral Resources. The effective date of the Mineral Reserve statement is February 1, 2019.
Table 9. Kakula 2019 PFS Mineral Reserve Statement.
Tonnage
(Mt) Copper
(%)
Copper
(Contained Mlb) Copper
(Contained kt) Proven Mineral Reserve - -
- - Probable Mineral Reserve 119.7 5.48
14,475 6,566 Mineral Reserve 119.7 5.48
14,475 6,566
Notes to accompany Kakula 2019 PFS Mineral Reserve table
The copper price used for calculating the financial analysis is long-term copper at US$3.10/lb. The analysis has been calculated with assumptions for smelter refining and treatment charges, deductions and payment terms, concentrate transport, metallurgical recoveries, and royalties. For mine planning, the copper price used to calculate block model Net Smelter Returns (NSRs) was US$3.00/lb. An elevated cut-off of US$100.00/t NSR was used to define the stoping blocks. A marginal cut-off of US$80.00/t NSR was used to define ore and waste. Indicated Mineral Resources were used to report Probable Mineral Reserves. Tonnage and grade estimates include dilution and recovery allowances. The Mineral Reserves reported above are not additive to the Mineral Resources.
The Kakula 2019 PFS Mineral Reserve targeted in the mine plan focused on maximizing the grade profile for a 6 Mtpa full production rate for 15 years, a five-year ramp-up, plus an 85% extraction and recovery allowance. As such, a range of NSR cut-offs were evaluated that identified a targeted resource of approximately 125 million tonnes at the highest NSR.
Tonnes and grades were calculated for the mining blocks, and allowances for unplanned dilution and mining recovery were applied to estimate the Mineral Reserve Statement.
Expanded 18 Mtpa development scenario for the Kakula and Kamoa deposits
The Kamoa-Kakula 2019 PEA also assesses an alternative development option of mining several deposits on the Kamoa-Kakula Project as an integrated, 18 Mtpa mining, processing and smelting complex, built in three stages. This scenario envisages the construction and operation of three separate mines: first, an initial 6 Mtpa mining operation would be established at the Kakula Mine on the Kakula Deposit; this is followed by a subsequent, separate 6 Mtpa mining operation at the Kansoko Mine using the existing twin declines that were completed in 2017; a third 6 Mtpa mine then will be established at the Kakula West Mine.
As the resources at the Kakula, Kansoko and Kakula West mines are mined out, production would begin sequentially at four other mines in the Kamoa North area to maintain throughput of 18 Mtpa to the then existing concentrator and smelter complex, as illustrated in Figure 2.
Each mining operation is expected to be a separate underground mine with a shared processing facility and surface infrastructure located at Kakula. Included in this scenario is the construction of a direct-to-blister flash copper smelter with a capacity of one million tonnes of copper concentrate per annum.
The Kamoa-Kakula 2019 PEA is preliminary in nature and includes an economic analysis that is based, in part, on Inferred Mineral Resources. Inferred Mineral Resources are considered too speculative geologically for the application of economic considerations that would allow them to be categorized as Mineral Reserves - and there is no certainty that the results will be realized. Mineral Resources do not have demonstrated economic viability and are not Mineral Reserves.
Summary of the PEA's key results for the 18 Mtpa development scenario
Very-high-grade initial phase projected to have a grade of 7.1% copper in the second year of production and an average grade of 5.7% copper during the first 10 years of operations, resulting in estimated average annual copper production of 386,000 tonnes.
Recovered copper production is estimated at 740,000 tonnes in year 12, which would rank the Kamoa-Kakula Project as the second largest copper producer in the world.
Initial capital cost, including contingency, is US$1.1 billion, with subsequent expansions at Kansoko, Kakula West, and other mining areas, as well as the smelter, to be funded by cash flows from the Kakula Mine.
Average total cash costs of US$0.93/lb copper during the first 10 years, including sulphuric acid credits.
After-tax NPV, at an 8% discount rate, of US$10.0 billion.
After-tax IRR of 40.9% and a payback period of 2.9 years.
Key results of this potential development scenario are summarized in tables 10, 11 and 12, and figures 9 & 10.
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Photo: On December 4, 2018, we congratulated our Kamoa-Kakula employees and contractors for their outstanding workplace achievement of logging a total of 12 million hours without any lost-time injuries - the equivalent of approximately seven years of project progress. Their success is testament to the safety-focused culture that is a foundation of the conduct of the project's mine development and exploration activities.
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Table 10. 18 Mtpa Kamoa-Kakula 2019 PEA results summary.
Item Unit Total Total Processed
Quantity Milled kt 535,217 Copper Feed Grade % 3.88 Total Concentrate Produced
Copper Concentrate Produced kt (dry) 39,039 Copper Concentrate - External Smelter kt (dry) 8,491 Copper Concentrate - Internal Smelter kt (dry) 30,549 Copper Recovery % 85.12 Copper Concentrate Grade % 45.23 Cont. Copper in Conc. - External Smelter Mlb 9,930 Cont. Copper in Conc. - External Smelter kt 4,504 Cont. Copper in Blister - Internal Smelter Mlb 28,559 Cont. Copper in Blister - Internal Smelter kt 12,954 Peak Annual Recovered Copper Production kt 740 10 Year Average
Copper Feed Grade % 5.66 Copper Concentrate Produced kt (dry) 759 Cont. Copper in Conc. - External Smelter kt 121 Cont. Copper in Blister - Internal Smelter kt 261 Mine Site Cash Cost (Including Smelter) US$/lb payable 0.63 Total Cash Cost (After Credits) US$/lb payable 0.93 Key Financial Results
Peak Funding US$M 1,099 Initial Capital Costs US$M 1,078 Expansion Capital Costs US$M 4,958 LOM Avg. Mine Site Cash Cost (Including Smelter) US$/lb payable 0.86 LOM Avg. Total Cash Costs (After Credits) US$/lb payable 1.10 Site Operating Costs US$/t Milled 61.5 After-Tax NPV8% US$M 10,030 After-Tax IRR % 40.9 Project Payback Years 2.9 Project Life Years 37
Table 11. 18 Mtpa Kamoa-Kakula 2019 PEA unit operating costs.
US$/lb Payable Copper
YEARS 1-5 YEARS 1-10 LOM
AVERAGE Mine Site (ex-Smelter) 0.46 0.53 0.75 Smelter 0.04 0.09 0.11 Transport 0.25 0.17 0.15 Treatment & Refining Charges 0.12 0.08 0.08 Royalties & Export Tax 0.18 0.16 0.16 Total Cash Costs Before Credits 1.05 1.04 1.25 Sulphuric Acid Credits1 0.03 0.11 0.15 Total Cash Costs After Credits 1.02 0.93 1.10
Assumes a sulphuric acid price of US$250 per tonne.
Table 12. 18 Mtpa Kamoa-Kakula 2019 PEA copper price sensitivity.
After-Tax NPV (US$M) Copper Price (US$/lb) Discount Rate 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.10 3.50 4.00 Undiscounted 13,117 25,902 38,668 41,222 51,435 64,154 4.0% 5,684 11,850 18,008 19,240 24,165 30,307 6.0% 3,788 8,311 12,828 13,731 17,341 21,845 8.0% 2,510 5,931 9,347 10,030 12,758 16,164 10.0% 1,627 4,286 6,939 7,469 9,587 12,231 12.0% 1,005 3,120 5,229 5,651 7,332 9,433 IRR 18.0% 28.9% 39.0% 40.9% 48.3% 57.0%
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Figure 9. 18 Mtpa Kamoa-Kakula 2019 PEA scenario mill feed and grade profile.
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Figure by OreWin 2019.
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Figure 10. 18 Mtpa Kamoa-Kakula 2019 PEA scenario concentrate and copper production.
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Figure by OreWin 2019.
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Figure 11. Projected 18 Mtpa Kamoa-Kakula PEA production (year-12 peak copper production shown) compared to the world's projected top 20 producing mines in 2025 by paid copper production.
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Note: Kamoa-Kakula 2019 PEA production based on projected peak copper production (which occurs in year 12) of the 18 Mtpa alternative development option.
Source: Wood Mackenzie (based on public disclosure, the Kakula 2019 PFS has not been reviewed by Wood Mackenzie).
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Figure 12. Nominal production and head grade of the world's top 10 largest new greenfield projects.
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Note: Top 10 largest new greenfield copper projects defined as the 10 largest greenfield copper projects classified by Wood Mackenzie as "base case" or "probable" and ranked by nominal copper production (with the Kamoa-Kakula 2019 PEA and Kakula 2019 PFS's respective first 10 years' average annual production of copper in concentrate considered to be its nominal copper production).
Source: Wood Mackenzie, USGS (based on public disclosure, the Kamoa-Kakula 2019 PEA and Kakula 2019 PFS have not been reviewed by Wood Mackenzie).
Kakula to be mined primarily using drift-and-fill method
The Kakula 2019 PFS mine access is via twin declines on the north side (which have been completed) and a single decline on the south side of the deposit. One of the north declines will serve as the primary mine access, while the other will include the conveyor haulage system. The south decline will serve as a secondary operational ingress/egress and will facilitate critical early mine development.
From the bottom of the north and south declines, a pair of perimeter drifts will be driven to the east and west extremities of the deposit and will serve as the primary accesses to the production areas. These drifts also will be used as the primary intake and exhaust ventilation circuits and will connect with a series of intake and exhaust ventilation shafts.
The primary ore handling system will include perimeter conveyor drifts and load-out points along the north side of the deposit. The perimeter conveyor drifts will terminate at the main conveyor decline. Connection drifts between the north and south perimeter drifts will provide access and ventilation to the planned mining areas. The mining methods for the Kakula Deposit are drift-and-fill using paste backfill, and room-and-pillar. Approximately 99% of the deposit will be mined using drift-and-fill, which was chosen to maximize the extraction of high-grade Kakula ore. Mine access and primary development are shown in Figure 13.
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Figure 13. Kakula 2019 PFS mine development.
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Figure by Stantec 2019.
Kakula 2019 PFS concentrator design similar to the PEA
The Kakula concentrator would be constructed in a phased approach with two 3 Mtpa modules as the mining operations ramp-up to full production of 6 Mtpa.
The Kakula concentrator design incorporates a run-of-mine stockpile, followed by two stages of screening and crushing on surface. The crushed material with a size distribution of 80% passing (or P80) eight millimetres (mm), is fed into a two-stage ball-milling circuit for further size reduction to a target grind size 80% passing 53 micrometres (m).
The milled slurry will be passed through a rougher and scavenger flotation. The high-grade, or fast-floating rougher concentrate, and medium-grade, or slow-floating scavenger concentrate, will be collected separately. The rougher concentrate is upgraded in the low entrainment high-grade cleaner stage to produce a high-grade concentrate.
The medium-grade scavenger concentrate together with the tailings from the rougher cleaning stage and the tailings from the scavenger recleaner stage will be combined and further upgraded in the scavenger cleaner circuit. The concentrate produced from the scavenger cleaner circuit, representing roughly 12% of the mill feed, will be re-ground to a P80 of 10m prior to final cleaning in the low entrainment scavenger recleaner stage.
The scavenger recleaner concentrate then will be combined with the high-grade cleaner concentrate to form the final concentrate. The final concentrate will be thickened before being pumped to the concentrate filter where the filter cake then will be bagged for shipment to market.
The tailings will flow through a series of cyclones at the backfill plant utilizing 55% of the tailings for backfill. The remaining 45% of the tailings will be pumped to the tailings storage facility.
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Photo. Hongbing Li and Lydia Makong, Kamoa-Kakula geologists, and David Edwards, Geology Manager, Kamoa Copper Project (right), reviewing a chart of recent drill holes at the Kamoa North Discovery including hole DD1450 that intersected 22.3 metres of 13.05% copper (at a 2% cut-off grade), beginning at a depth of only 190 metres below surface.
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Photo. Eco-livelihoods staff with pineapples harvested at the Kamoa-Kakula Project garden. Production and sale of pineapples is one of the new, community socio-economic projects supported by the Kamoa Copper Sustainable Livelihoods Program, and helps provide local community members with opportunities to earn additional income.
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Qualified persons
The following companies have undertaken work in preparation of the Kakula 2019 PFS, Kamoa 2019 PFS and Kamoa-Kakula 2019 PEA:
OreWin - Overall report preparation, mining, logistics, power and economic analysis. Amec Foster Wheeler - Mineral Resource estimation. DRA Global - Mine surface infrastructure and metallurgical processing. KGHM Cuprum - Technical advisor on certain mining methods and geotechnical. SRK Consulting - Mine geotechnical recommendations. Stantec - Mining and Mineral Reserves.
The independent Qualified Persons responsible for preparing the Kakula 2019 PFS, Kamoa 2019 PFS and Kamoa-Kakula 2019 PEA, on which the technical report will be based, are Bernard Peters (OreWin); Dr. Harry Parker (Amec Foster Wheeler); Gordon Seibel (Amec Foster Wheeler); Marius Phillips (DRA Global); Greg Ruiter (DRA Global); William Joughin (SRK); and Jon Treen (Stantec). Each Qualified Person has reviewed and approved the information in this news release relevant to the portion of the Kakula 2019 PFS, Kamoa 2019 PFS and Kamoa-Kakula 2019 PEA for which they are responsible.
Other scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Stephen Torr, P.Geo., Ivanhoe Mines' Vice President, Project Geology and Evaluation, a Qualified Person under the terms of National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Torr is not independent of Ivanhoe Mines. Mr. Torr has verified the technical data disclosed in this news release.
Wood Mackenzie provided data based on public disclosure of comparable copper projects for the compilation of certain figures used in this release; however, Wood Mackenzie did not review the Kakula 2019 PFS or Kamoa-Kakula 2019 PEA.
Data verification and quality control and assurance
Amec Foster Wheeler reviewed the sample chain of custody, quality assurance and control procedures, and qualifications of analytical laboratories. Amec Foster Wheeler is of the opinion that the procedures and QA/QC control are acceptable to support Mineral Resource estimation. Amec Foster Wheeler also audited the assay database, core logging and geological interpretations on a number of occasions between 2009 and 2018 and has found no material issues with the data as a result of these audits.
In the opinion of the Amec Foster Wheeler Qualified Persons, the data verification programs undertaken on the data collected from the Kamoa-Kakula Project support the geological interpretations. The analytical and database quality and the data collected can support Mineral Resource estimation.
Ivanhoe Mines maintains a comprehensive chain of custody and QA/QC program on assays from its Kamoa-Kakula Copper Project. Half-sawn core is processed at its on-site preparation laboratory in Kamoa, prepared samples then are shipped by secure courier to Bureau Veritas Minerals (BVM) Laboratories in Australia, an ISO17025 accredited facility. Copper assays are determined at BVM by mixed-acid digestion with ICP finish. Industry-standard certified reference materials and blanks are inserted into the sample stream prior to dispatch to BVM. For detailed information about assay methods and data verification measures used to support the scientific and technical information, please refer to the Kamoa- Kakula 2018 Resource Update, March 2018 technical report available on the SEDAR profile of Ivanhoe Mines at www.sedar.com or under technical reports on the Ivanhoe Mines website at www.ivanhoemines.com.
About Ivanhoe Mines
Ivanhoe Mines is a Canadian mining company focused on advancing its three principal projects in Southern Africa: the development of new mines at the Kamoa-Kakula copper discovery in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Platreef palladium-platinum-nickel-copper-gold discovery in South Africa; and the extensive redevelopment and upgrading of the historic Kipushi zinc-copper-germanium-silver mine, also in the DRC.
Information contacts
Investors
Bill Trenaman +1.604.331.9834
Media
North America: Kimberly Lim +1.778.996.8510
South Africa: Jeremy Michaels +27.82.939.4812
Cautionary statement on forward-looking information
Certain statements in this release constitute "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including without limitation: (i) the results of the Kakula 2019 PFS, the Kamoa-Kakula 2019 PEA and the Kamoa 2019 PFS, including the development of a 6 Mtpa operation at Kakula and an expended 18 Mtpa at Kakula-Kamoa; (ii) statements regarding the construction of the mine at any of the deposits; (iii) the construction of a direct-to-blister flash copper smelter with a capacity of one million tonnes of copper concentrate; (iv) the development of mines at Kamoa North; and (v) mining at Kakula to be primarily using the drift and fill method; and (vi) the design and specifications of the Kakula concentrator.
Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Ivanhoe Mines, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. Such statements can be identified by the use of words such as "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "expect", "believe", "plan", "anticipate", "estimate", "scheduled", "forecast", "predict" and other similar terminology, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. These statements reflect the Ivanhoe Mine's current expectations regarding future events, performance and results and speak only as of the date of this news release.
As well, all of the results of the Kakula 2019 PFS, the Kamoa-Kakula 2019 PEA and the Kamoa 2019 PFS constitute forward-looking information or statements, including estimates of internal rates of return after-tax of 46.9% (Kakula) and 40.9% (Kamoa-Kakula) with payback periods of 2.6 years and 2.9 years respectively; net present value including a Kakula project NPV at an 8% discount rate of US$5.4 billion and a Kamoa-Kakula project NPV at an 8% discount rate of US$10.0 billion; future production forecasts and projects, including average annual production of 291,000 tonnes of copper and up to 360,000 tonnes of copper by year four at Kakula and average annual production of 386,000 tonnes of copper and 740,000 tonnes of copper by year 12 at Kamoa-Kakula; estimates of cash cost including mine site cash cost of US$0.46 per pound at total cash cost of US $1.11 per pound at Kakula, and total cash cost of US$0.93 per pound of copper during the first 10 years of production at Kamoa-Kakula; mine life estimates, including a 25 year mine life at Kakula and a 37 year mine life at Kamoa-Kakula; initial capital costs at Kakula and Kamoa-Kakula of US$1.1 billion; average copper grades over production of 6.4% at Kakula and 5.7% at Kamoa-Kakula during the first 10 years of operations; cash flow forecasts; estimates of copper recoveries of 85.3% at Kakula and 85.1% at Kamoa-Kakula.
Furthermore, with respect to this specific forward-looking information concerning the development scenarios for the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Project, Ivanhoe Mines has based its assumptions and analysis on certain factors that are inherently uncertain. Uncertainties include among others: (i) the adequacy of infrastructure (including the rehabilitation of the Koni and Mwadingusha, and accessibility and viability of rail links); (ii) unforeseen changes in geological characteristics; (iii) changes in the metallurgical characteristics of the mineralization; (iv) the ability to develop adequate processing capacity; (v) the price of copper; (vi) the availability of equipment and facilities necessary to complete development; (vii) the size of future processing plants and future mining rates; (viii) the cost of consumables and mining and processing equipment; (ix) unforeseen technological and engineering problems; (x) accidents or acts of sabotage or terrorism; (xi) currency fluctuations; (xii) changes in laws or regulations; (xiii) the availability and productivity of skilled labour; (xiv) the regulation of the mining industry by various governmental agencies; (xv) political factors, including political stability; (xvi) the availability of financing; and (xvii) the completion of the railway upgrade between Kolwezi and Dilolo.
This release also contains references to estimates of Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves. The estimation of Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves is inherently uncertain and involves subjective judgments about many relevant factors. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. The accuracy of any such estimates is a function of the quantity and quality of available data, and of the assumptions made and judgments used in engineering and geological interpretation (including estimated future production from the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Project, the anticipated tonnages and grades that will be mined and the estimated level of recovery that will be realized), which may prove to be unreliable and depend, to a certain extent, upon the analysis of drilling results and statistical inferences that may ultimately prove to be inaccurate. Mineral Resource or Mineral Reserve estimates may have to be re-estimated based on: (i) fluctuations in copper price; (ii) results of drilling, (iii) the results of metallurgical testing and other studies, including their subsequent refinement and updating; (iv) proposed mining operations, including dilution; (v) the evaluation of mine plans subsequent to the date of any estimates; (vi) changes in mining or other costs, and (vii) the possible failure to receive required permits, approvals and licenses or changes to existing mining licences.
Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indicators of whether or not such results will be achieved. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the factors discussed here, as well as unexpected changes in laws, rules or regulations, or their enforcement by applicable authorities; the failure of parties to contracts with Ivanhoe Mines and its subsidiaries to perform as agreed; social, political or labour unrest; changes in commodity prices (and copper in particular); limitations and availability of capital; and the failure of exploration programs or studies to deliver anticipated results (including the actual results of drilling and exploration activities), or results that would justify and support continued exploration, studies, development or operations.
Although the forward-looking statements contained in this release are based upon what management of Ivanhoe Mines believes are reasonable assumptions, Ivanhoe Mines cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this release and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Subject to applicable securities laws, Ivanhoe Mines does not assume any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this release.
Appendices - 2019 Kamoa and Kakula Mineral Resource tables, and sensitivity of Mineral Resources to cut-off grade tables.
Table 13. Kamoa Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource (at 1% TCu cut-off grade).
Category Tonnage
(Mt) Area
(km2) Copper
(%) Vertical Thickness
(m) Contained Copper
(kt) Contained Copper
(billion lbs) Indicated 759 50.7 2.57 5.5 19,500 43.0 Inferred 202 19.4 1.85 3.8 3,740 8.2
Ivanhoe's Mineral Resources Manager George Gilchrist, a Fellow of the Geology Society of South Africa and Professional Natural Scientist (Pr. Sci. Nat) with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP), estimated the Mineral Resources under the supervision of Dr. Harry Parker and Gordon Seibel, both Registered Members (RM) of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME), employees of Amec Foster Wheeler, who are the Qualified Persons for the Mineral Resource estimate. The effective date of the estimate is 27 November 2017 and the cut-off date for drill data is 23 November 2015. Mineral Resources are estimated using the CIM 2014 Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves. Mineral Resources are reported inclusive of Mineral Reserves on a 100% basis. Mineral Resources are reported using a total copper (TCu) cut-off grade of 1% TCu and a minimum vertical thickness of 3 m. There are reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction under assumptions of a copper price of US$3.00/lb, employment of underground mechanized room-and-pillar and drift-and-fill mining methods, and that copper concentrates will be produced and sold to a smelter. Mining costs are assumed to be US$27/t. Concentrator, tailings treatment, and general and administrative costs (G&A) are assumed to be US$17/t. Metallurgical recoveries are expected to average 84% (86% for hypogene and 81% for supergene). At a 1% TCu cut-off grade, assumed net smelter returns for 100% of Mineral Resource blocks will cover processing, tailings treatment and G&A costs. Reported Mineral Resources contain no allowances for hangingwall or footwall contact boundary loss and dilution. No mining recovery has been applied. Depth of mineralization below the surface ranges from 10 m to 1,320 m for Indicated Mineral Resources and 20 m to 1,560 m for Inferred Mineral Resources. Approximate drill hole spacings are 800 m for Inferred Mineral Resources and 400 m for Indicated Mineral Resources. Rounding as required by reporting guidelines may result in apparent summation differences between tonnes, grade and contained metal content.
Table 14. Kakula Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource (at 1% TCu cut-off grade).
Category Tonnage
(Mt) Area
(km2) Copper
(%) Vertical Thickness
(m) Contained Copper (kt) Contained Copper
(billion lbs) Indicated 628 21.5 2.72 10.5 17,100 37.6 Inferred 114 5.9 1.59 6.9 1,810 4.0
Ivanhoe's Mineral Resources Manager George Gilchrist, a Fellow of the Geology Society of South Africa and Professional Natural Scientist (Pr. Sci. Nat) with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP), estimated the Mineral Resources under the supervision of Dr. Harry Parker and Gordon Seibel, both Registered Members (RM) of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME), employees of Amec Foster Wheeler, who are the Qualified Persons for the Mineral Resources. The Mineral Resource is a combination of Kakula and Kakula West models, with the West Scarp fault forming the boundary between the two. The effective date of the estimate for Kakula is 13 April 2018, and the cut-off date for the drill data is 26 January 2018. The effective date of the estimate for Kakula West is 10 November 2018, and the cut-off date for the drill data is 1 November 2018. Mineral Resources are estimated using the CIM Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Reserves (2014) and reported on a 100% basis. Mineral Resources are reported inclusive of Mineral Reserves on a 100% basis. Mineral Resources are reported using a total copper (TCu) cut-off grade of 1% TCu and an approximate minimum thickness of 3 m. There are reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction under assumptions of a copper price of US$3.00/lb, employment of underground, mechanized, room-and-pillar and drift-and-fill mining methods, and that copper concentrates will be produced and sold to a smelter. Mining costs are assumed to be US$42/t. Concentrator, tailings treatment and general and administrative (G&A) costs are assumed to be US$18/t. Metallurgical recovery is assumed to average 85%. Ivanhoe is studying reducing mining costs using a controlled convergence room-and-pillar method. At a 1% TCu cut-off grade, assumed net smelter returns for 100% of Mineral Resource blocks will cover concentrator, tailings treatment and G&A costs. Reported Mineral Resources contain no allowances for hangingwall or footwall contact boundary loss and dilution. No mining recovery has been applied. Approximate drill hole spacings are 800 m for Inferred Mineral Resources and 400 m for Indicated Mineral Resources. Rounding as required by reporting guidelines may result in apparent differences between tonnes, grade and contained metal content.
Table 15. Kamoa sensitivity of Mineral Resources to cut-off grade.
Indicated Mineral Resource Cut-off
(% Cu) Tonnage
(Mt) Area
(km2) Copper
(%) Vertical Thickness
(m) Contained Copper
(kt) Contained Copper
(billion lbs) 3.00 223 20.9 4.14 3.8 9,230 20.4 2.50 328 29.5 3.70 4.0 12,100 26.7 2.00 450 37.2 3.30 4.4 14,900 32.8 1.75 525 41.2 3.10 4.6 16,300 35.9 1.50 607 44.8 2.90 4.9 17,600 38.8 1.25 683 47.8 2.73 5.2 18,700 41.1 1.00 759 50.7 2.57 5.5 19,500 43.0 0.75 849 52.9 2.39 5.9 20,300 44.7 Inferred Mineral Resource 3.00 19 2.1 3.52 3.2 655 1.4 2.50 40 4.4 3.10 3.3 1,250 2.8 2.00 67 7.1 2.77 3.4 1,840 4.1 1.75 88 9.2 2.55 3.5 2,240 4.9 1.50 114 11.8 2.34 3.5 2,660 5.9 1.25 151 15.3 2.10 3.6 3,170 7.0 1.00 202 19.4 1.85 3.8 3,740 8.2 0.75 253 22.5 1.65 4.1 4,180 9.2
The footnotes to Table 13 also apply to this table.
Table 16. Kakula sensitivity of Mineral Resources to cut-off grade.
Indicated Mineral Resource Cut-off
(% Cu) Tonnage
(Mt) Area
(km2) Copper
(%) Vertical Thickness
(m) Contained Copper
(kt) Contained Copper
(billion lbs) 7.0 39 3.2 8.97 4.1 3,460 7.6 6.0 53 4.4 8.29 4.2 4,390 9.7 5.0 77 6.3 7.41 4.3 5,690 12.6 4.0 107 8.4 6.58 4.5 7,070 15.6 3.0 164 11.7 5.50 4.9 9,010 19.9 2.5 217 14.3 4.82 5.4 10,500 23.1 2.0 319 17.4 3.99 6.5 12,700 28.1 1.5 434 19.4 3.40 8.0 14,700 32.5 1.0 628 21.5 2.72 10.5 17,100 37.6 Inferred Mineral Resource 4.0 1 0.1 4.40 3.4 32 0.1 3.0 5 0.4 3.52 3.9 163 0.4 2.5 11 1.0 3.09 3.7 325 0.7 2.0 23 2.1 2.62 3.9 604 1.3 1.5 47 3.9 2.16 4.3 1,010 2.2 1.0 114 5.9 1.59 6.9 1,810 4.0
The footnotes to Table 14 also apply to this table.
Table 17. Kamoa and Kakula sensitivity of Mineral Resources to cut-off grade.
Indicated Mineral Resource Cut-off
(% Cu) Tonnage
(Mt) Area
(km2) Copper
(%) Vertical Thickness
(m) Contained Copper
(kt) Contained Copper
(billion lbs) 3.0 387 32.7 4.72 4.2 18,200 40.2 2.5 545 43.8 4.14 4.4 22,600 49.8 2.0 770 54.7 3.59 5.0 27,600 60.9 1.5 1,040 64.3 3.11 5.8 32,400 71.3 1.0 1,390 72.2 2.64 6.9 36,600 80.6 Inferred Mineral Resource 3.0 23 2.5 3.52 3.3 818 1.8 2.5 51 5.4 3.09 3.4 1,570 3.5 2.0 90 9.2 2.73 3.5 2,450 5.4 1.5 161 15.8 2.29 3.7 3,680 8.1 1.0 316 25.3 1.76 4.5 5,550 12.2
The footnotes to tables 13 and 14 also apply to this table.
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/42671
A criminal case filed in court by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), then Anti-Corruption Police Unit (ATPU), has been concluded after 17 long years.
The case was against two former employees of National Social Security Fund (NSSF); Kenneth Kipkemboi Settim and Jossy Mwikali Kioko who worked as enforcement inspectors.
The Anti-Corruption Police Unit (ATPU) instituted the criminal case on 26th July 2002 upon completion of investigations.
According to the charge sheet, the suspects were accused of soliciting Sh200,000 from Mr. Moses Keige on July 2, 2002 at Visa Place Restaurant Nairobi.
They were further charged with receiving Sh50,000 on July 24, 2002, at the same restaurant. The bribe was an inducement to stop the NSSF inspectors from following up on arrears amounting to Sh3million owed by the restaurant.
In 2003, the accused moved to the High Court to challenge their prosecution by filing a constitutional review application.
The DPP then (AG) withdrew the criminal court case under section 87(a) of the CPC and filed fresh charges on 4th March 2004.
The accused moved to the High Court again and the application was dismissed on 12th August, 2013.
Justice David Majanja ordered that the criminal case be referred back to the Chief Magistrates Court for determination.
A total of 14 prosecution witnesses testified during the hearing.
The case was finally concluded at the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court on Monday, exactly 6037 days after it begun.
Magistrate Lawrence Mugambi found the suspects guilty of seeking and receiving a bribe.
The accused were ordered the two to pay a fine of Sh1.3 million each or serve three years imprisonment each in default.
Talk about the wheels of justice turning slowly. Not a good look for the already under siege Kenyan Judiciary and Chief Justice David Maraga.
JAKARTA, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Indonesia's 2018 exports of palm oils, including oleochemical and biodiesel shipments, rose 8 percent from a year earlier to 34.6 million tonnes, the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI) said on Wednesday.
Crude palm oil output last year rose 12.5 percent to 43 million tonnes, GAPKI chairman Joko Supriyono told reporters.
Meanwhile, domestic use of palm oil "jumped significantly" to 13.4 million tonnes, Supriyono added, due to implementation of a wider biodiesel mandate, as well as for food demand. (Reporting by Bernadette Christina Munthe; writing by Fransiska Nangoy; editing by Richard Pullin)
Christopher Dunn
Christopher Dunn
The Supreme Court rolled a grenade into constitutional jurisprudence and the world of public safety in 2008 when it held in Heller v. District of Columbia, 554 U.S. 570 (2008), that the Second Amendment entitles individuals to possess handguns in their homes. Eleven years later, that grenade has yet to detonate because since Heller, the court has not decided a single case about whether the Second Amendment right extends further, and the lower courts consistently have rejected attempts to expand the right.
But the Supreme Court may be preparing to pull the pin. Following on the heels of the arrival of pro-gun Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the court late last month accepted a case out of New York that threatens to curtail dramatically the ability of states and localities to regulate firearms. The case also will allow the court to address a jurisprudential issue that poses a profound dilemma for many civil libertarians: the interrelationship between the doctrine governing gun rights and the doctrine governing other provisions of the Bill of Rights, such as the First Amendment right to free speech.
A Brief Background
The Second Amendment provides: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. In 1939 the Supreme Court in United States v. Miller, 307 U.S. 816 (1939), rejected without extensive analysis the argument that this provision conferred on individualsas opposed to militiasthe right to possess firearms in upholding a criminal defendants conviction under federal law.
Miller stood as the controlling Second Amendment precedent until 2008, when the court reversed itself and ruled in Heller that Second Amendment protections extended to individuals subject to federal jurisdiction, namely the District of Columbia. At issue in Heller was a complete ban on the possession of handguns in District of Columbia homes, with the Supreme Court holding the ban would be unconstitutional under any of the standards of scrutiny that we have applied to enumerated constitutional rights.
Two years after deciding Heller, the court vastly expanded the geographical reach of Second Amendment rights. In McDonald v. City of Chicago, 561 U.S. 742 (2010), the court held the Second Amendment extends to states and localities by virtue of the Fourteenth Amendmentin doctrinal parlance, were incorporated to the states. In light of that holding and the fact the Chicago ordinance banned handgun possession in the home just like the District of Columbia ordinance at issue in Heller, the court struck down the Chicago one.
As often is the case with Supreme Court decisions that first recognize constitutional rights, Heller left unanswered key questions about the scope of the individual right to possess firearms and about the doctrinal standards for courts to apply in assessing this right. Nonetheless, the aftermath of Heller has been unusual in that 11 years have lapsed without a single substantive decision from the court, thereby leaving the lower courts to construct an entirely new field of law.
The Second Circuit has been an active and representative participant in filling this void. Its seminal ruling came in 2015 in a case challenging legislation New York and Connecticut enacted following the December 2012 massacre of 20 elementary school children and six adults in Newtown, Conn. That legislation barred possession of semiautomatic assault weapons that contained at least one military-style featuresuch as a grenade launcher or a silencerand of certain types of large-capacity ammunition magazines that could be used with such weapons. In addition, New York barred those who lawfully owned large-capacity magazines from loading them with more than seven rounds of ammunition.
In New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Cuomo, 804 F.3d 242 (2d Cir. 2015), the Second Circuit first outlined the basic Second Amendment doctrine emerging from its own decisions and those from the other Courts of Appeals. As a threshold matter, the Second Circuit observed that the Supreme Court had made clear that the Second Amendment protected possession of only a limited category of weapons:
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In Heller, the Supreme Court, based on an extensive textual and historical analysis, announced that the Second Amendments operative clause codified a pre-existing individual right to possess and carry weapons. Recognizing, however, that the right secured by the Second Amendment is not unlimited, Heller emphasized that the right was not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose. Instead, the Second Amendment protects only those weapons in common use by citizens for lawful purposes like self-defense.
In those instances involving an effort to regulate or ban weapons that are in common use for lawful purposes like self-defense and thus implicating the Second Amendment, the Second Circuit drew on other Supreme Court precedent to conclude that the applicable level of scrutiny would vary depending upon the extent to which the regulation at issue burdened Second Amendment rights:
Though Heller did not specify the precise level of scrutiny applicable to firearms regulations, it rejected mere rational basis review as insufficient for the type of regulation challenged there. At the same time, this Court and our sister Circuits have suggested that heightened scrutiny is not always appropriate. In determining whether heightened scrutiny applies, we consider two factors: (1) how close the law comes to the core of the Second Amendment right and (2) the severity of the laws burden on the right. Laws that neither implicate the core protections of the Second Amendment nor substantially burden their exercise do not receive heightened scrutiny.
Applying these standards, the Second Circuit concluded the legislation implicated the Second Amendment because assault weapons were in common use given the huge numbers manufactured and because the court assumed without deciding that they were used for lawful purposes. The court further decided the ban on military-style assault rifles was subject not to strict scrutiny but to intermediate scrutiny because it left undisturbed the right to own non-military assault rifles. And in applying intermediate scrutiny, the court found the ban easily satisfied the standard because the states plainly had a compelling interest in public safety and crime prevention and because the ban was substantially related to that interest because semiautomatic weapons have been understood to pose unusual risks and are disproportionately used in crime, particularly in criminal mass shootings like the attack in Newtown.
Beyond the significance of upholding major firearms regulation, New York State Rifle & Pistol Assoc. was important for its discussion of the intersection between Second Amendment doctrine and that governing other provisions of the Bill of Rights. Since the day the Supreme Court decided Heller, constitutional advocates have agonized over the extent to which Second Amendment challenges would be used to dilute other constitutional protections or, conversely, the extent to which well-developed protections in other areas would be used to strike down a wide range of gun-control measures. In New York State Rifle & Pistol Assoc., the Second Circuit noted that we have historically expressed hesitance to import First Amendment principles wholesale into Second Amendment jurisprudence and that state regulation of the right to bear arms has always been more robust than analogous regulation of other constitutional rights.
The New Controversy
Just as it steadfastly had rejected every post-Heller request to review Court of Appeals decisions upholding weapons-control measures, the Supreme Court rejected the request to review the Second Circuits ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Assoc. v. Cuomo. But the courts absence from the Second Amendment debate ended last month when it agreed to review a new Second Circuit decision in a challenge brought by the same advocates behind the earlier case.
At issue in New York State Rifle & Pistol Assoc. v. City of New York, 883 F.3d 45 (2d Cir. 2018), is a New York City restriction on the transportation of handguns by those licensed to possess them in their homes or other qualifying premises. Specifically, a City regulation provides that such a licensee may transport her/his handgun(s) directly to and from an authorized small arms range/shooting club, unloaded, in a locked container, the ammunition to be carried separately. Under the rules, the only permissible ranges and shooting clubs are those located in New York City, and advocates and gun owners claim the restriction violates the Second Amendment because they are not allowed to take their handguns to ranges outside New York City and because one plaintiff is not allowed to take his handgun to a second home he owns in upstate New York.
The Second Circuit rejected both contentions. As an initial matter, it assumed without deciding that the transportation regulation implicated the Second Amendment, focusing instead on the proper level of constitutional scrutiny to apply. On that key point, the court forcefully rejected the suggestion the regulation was subject to strict scrutiny:
The restrictions complained of by the Plaintiffs here impose at most trivial limitations on the ability of law-abiding citizens to possess and use firearms for self-defense. New York has licensed the ownership and possession of firearms in their residences, where Second Amendment guarantees are at their zenith and does nothing to limit their lawful use of those weapons in defense of hearth and homethe core protection of the Second Amendment.
In rejecting the claim to strict scrutiny, the court noted the plaintiffs had access to seven gun ranges in New York City and that the plaintiff who wished to transport his handgun to his second home was entitled to obtain a license to have another gun in that home and had made no effort to get that license. Given these facts, the court held the transportation restriction did not substantially burden the plaintiffs core right of self-defense in the home.
Turning to the application of intermediate scrutiny, the Second Circuit, relying on the observation in its earlier case that state regulation of the right to bear arms has always been more robust than analogous regulation of other constitutional rights, imposed a relatively modest burden on the City: So long as the defendants produce evidence that fairly supports their rationale, the laws will pass constitutional muster. And citing evidence the City adduced about safety concerns arising from the transportation of guns and about prior problems regulating possession of guns outside city limits, the court concluded the City has met its burden of showing a substantial fit between the regulation and the Citys interest in promoting public safety.
Looking Forward
The Supreme Courts choice to review New York State Rifle & Pistol Assoc. v. City of New York is alarming on two counts. For those concerned about gun-control measures, that this case involves something as pedestrian as a ban on transporting handguns beyond the borders of New York City suggests the court may be prepared to substantially expand Second Amendment protections beyond the right to possess a handgun in the home. And the prospect the court might justify such an expansion by expressly relying on doctrine from other constitutional rights poses the threat of permanently tethering gun-control jurisprudence to long-cherished rights like the right to free speech in way that either will dilute those other rights or lead to an even greater expansion of gun rights. Given these possibilities, how the court decides New York State Rifle & Pistol Assoc. may be a pivotal moment for public safety and constitutional jurisprudence.
Christopher Dunn is the legal director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. He can be reached at cdunn@nyclu.org.
Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho has made good on a promise to sue Jubilee politicians; Nandi Governor Stephen Sang, Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi and Kimani Ichungwah of Kikuyu for linking him to drug trafficking.
The ODM Party Deputy leader on Sunday gave the three legislators 24 hours to retract the malicious remarks and apologise to him.
Led by Governor Sang, the three leaders had claimed that Joho had misled the country on the handshake and destroyed many youths through the drug business that he runs.
Oscar Sudi further alleged that Johos name was in a list tabled to parliament by the late George Saitoti in 2010, adding that: Please go to court with your lawyers, we also have lawyers and we shall assemble and table both the Akasha and George Saitoti reports.
The list of six names was in a US embassy dossier, which the then US ambassador Michael Ranneberger had forwarded to the then Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission.
In a rejoinder on Monday, Governor Joho claimed that DP Ruto is the mastermind behind the damaging claims and attacks against him.
I cannot engage these people that I do not know because I know they have been sent by their master; William Ruto. So the only thing I can say is let Ruto stop sending his subjects and speak alone, said Mr. Joho.
Johos lawyers have also demanded the International Police Organisation -Interpol to clarify the authenticity of a controversial letter dated November 2018 that claimed he was on Interpols organised crimes and drug trafficking most-wanted list.
Following the suit filed on Tuesday, Mr. Sudi, Mr. Sang and Mr. Ichungwah are required to appear at the Milimani Law Courts within 15 days.
Should you fail to enter an appearance within the time mentioned above, the Plaintiff may proceed with the suit and judgement may be given in your absence, read the court papers.
You may appear in this suit by entering an appearance either personally or by duly appointed advocates.
Fighting charges: Former chief executive of Barclays John Varley (centre) arrives at Southwark Crown Court on January 14, 2019 in London, England. Photo: Jack Taylor/Getty Images.
Barclays bankers panicked about how Qatar would react to the outcome of an emergency fundraising in June and July 2008, a court was told on Monday.
The jury at Southwark Crown Court were presented with transcripts in which senior bankers described the outcome of the 4.5bn ($5.9bn) fundraising announced in June 2008 as a f****** nightmare and said they would have to kiss arse.
Four former Barclays bankers stand accused of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation. The UKs Serious Fraud Office (SFO) alleges that the executives misled investors by hiding the true amount of commission paid to Qatar in exchange for a multibillion pound investment that saved the bank from a state bailout at the height of the financial crisis.
The defendants in the case are: John Varley, who was CEO of Barclays between 2004 and 2011; Roger Jenkins, who formerly ran Barclays Capitals investment management business in the Middle East and North Africa; Thomas Kalaris, the former CEO of Barclays wealth and investment management; and Richard Boath, the former head of European financial institutions group at Barclays Capital.
Varley and Jenkins each face two counts of conspiracy to commit fraud, and Kalaris and Boath each face one. All four defendants have pleaded not guilty. Qatar is not accused of any wrongdoing.
Has he got the cash?
Edward Brown QC, the lead prosecutor for the SFO, said on Monday that the accused acknowledged the higher commission being paid to the Qataris as the deal was closing.
The Qataris asked for a commission of 3.75% in return for its investment, which was more than double the standard rate of commission of 1.5%. The SFO alleges that Barclays eventually agreed to pay Qatar a fee of 3.25% but disguised the extra 1.75% through sham advisory services agreements (ASAs), the court heard.
Brown presented the jury with tapes and transcripts of calls between Barclays bankers around the time the first 2008 fundraising closed in July.
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Defendant: Former Barclays head of investment banking and investment management in the Middle East, Roger Jenkins arrives at Southwark Crown Court on January 14, 2019 in London, England. Photo: Jack Taylor/Getty Images
Qatar had agreed to backstop the deal, saying it would buy all the shares offered to existing investors if they were not taken up. However, the Qataris did not expect to end up with a large shareholding as they thought other investors would want to buy shares, Brown said.
Bankers panicked when it became clear that investors uptake of the other shares was limited, according to the prosecution. It meant the Qataris would receive a smaller return on their investment as the commission fee was calculated on the maximum possible payment for shares, regardless of how much was finally paid.
Richard Boath and Robert Jenkins were dismayed about the low share uptake, Brown said, and panicked about how the Qataris would react to the news and whether they would be able to pay in full.
Were f*****, were f*****, Boath told Jenkins in a call on July 16 that was read to the jury. Its a f****** nightmare. Is he going to settle?
Yeah, hell settle, Jenkins replied.
Has he got the cash? Boath asked.
Were just working that through now, Jenkins said.
Eat humble pie
Jenkins discussed flying to the south of France to meet Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani, the prime minister of Qatar at the time, to personally deliver the news of the low shares uptake. Sheikh Hamad took part in the investment through a family vehicle, Challenger.
He needs to know how hes going to react because hes going to have the world and his wife ringing him and saying youre a w*****, Jenkins said.
In a call later on the same day, Jenkins said he was going to eat humble pie and kiss arse tomorrow.
Hes not gonna get the benefit of his three, three and three-quarters which you wouldnt want to print anyway, he said. The prosecution alleges that this referred to the 3.25% commission fee it claims Barclays agreed to pay Qatar for its investment.
Brown told the jury: The prosecution say, this shows a continuing recognition by Roger Jenkins and Richard Boath that the ASA1 fee was just an additional fee for investing.
The reaction of Mr Jenkins and Mr Boath shows that both knew that the ASA element was part of the fee for investing and couldnt reveal it.
I read it, I sort of start to tremble
In the dock: Former global co-head of Barclays Finance Richard Boath arrives at Southwark Crown Court on January 14, 2019 in London, England. Photo: Jack Taylor/Getty Images
Earlier in the trial the jury was played a recording of a call when Boath expressed concerns about journalists discovering the first ASA and questioning its veracity.
When I put that on my screen and I and I read it I sort of start to tremble, Boath said. So, you know, Id really like to go and do something about it, so I can sleep.
Brown said: The anxiety expressed by Mr Boath clearly demonstrates his true state of mind about the ASA The Crown say he could not have believed that the ASA was a genuine and truthful document if he was in this state about it.
The case continues at Southwark Crown Court and is expected to last up to six months.
It is the first time senior banking executives have faced criminal charges for actions related to the financial crisis. If convicted, the accused could face prison sentences of up to 10 years.
Read more on the trial of the Barclays four:
ZURICH (Reuters) - Berlin and Paris are working to change European competition rules to facilitate large cross-border mergers, after the European Union blocked Siemens and Alstom from merging their rail businesses on Wednesday.
But there is a long history of failed Franco-German mergers, especially those motivated by a political agenda to create European champions rather than by business logic, including previous Siemens-Alstom encounters.
Cultural differences over the role of the state, wrangling over where job cuts should fall and inability to agree who should be in charge have more often than not outweighed any desire to cooperate.
Even the most prominent Franco-German industrial success, EADS-Airbus, has been beset by internal rivalries.
Below the political radar, cross-border deals between German and French companies have increased in number and value over the last decade. The peak was reached in 2016 when a total of 122 deals were completed with a combined value of $19.6 billion (15.1 billion), according to Refinitiv data, up from 64 deals with a total value of $1.8 billion in 2009.
Here are some examples:
1987-1999 FRANCE TELECOM-DEUTSCHE TELEKOM
The then state-owned telecoms operators flirted with merging for years, establishing joint ventures and buying cross-holdings, until their alliance ended abruptly when Deutsche Telekom attempted to buy Telecom Italia in 1999, without consulting its French partner. In 2010, the two companies merged their UK operations and launched the joint venture Everything Everywhere. EE was acquired by Britain's BT in 2016.
1970 AIRBUS
Airbus Industrie was formed in 1970 by the governments of France and Germany, who had begun discussions in 1965 to form a consortium to build a European short-haul jet. It was set up as a so-called Economic Interest Group, with 50 percent of the funding coming from France's Aerospatiale and 50 percent from Germany's Deutsche Airbus. It is now the main global rival to Boeing. Power struggles between the French and German factions have gripped the company for much of its history. In 2012, the company, known at the time as EADS, proposed to merge with Britain's BAE but was turned down by the German government.
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1999 AVENTIS
The French pharmaceutical company was founded through the merger of Germany's Hoechst and France's Rhone-Poulenc, the first transnational merger to combine large rivals from France and Germany. It was acquired in 2004 by France's Sanofi, with French governmental support.
2000-2007 EURONEXT-DEUTSCHE BOERSE
Euronext was created in 2000 out of a merger of the Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris stock exchanges and later acquired the Lisbon and Irish stock exchanges. In 2004-2005, there were negotiations about grouping together with Deutsche Boerse and the London Stock Exchange. In 2006, Deutsche Boerse bid unsuccessfully for Euronext. In 2007, Euronext merged with New York's NYSE. The company was subsequently acquired by IntercontinentalExchange, which spun off Euronext.
2004 ALSTOM-SIEMENS
Nicolas Sarkozy, French finance minister at the time, pushed through a 4.4 billion-euro (3.9 billion) bailout of Alstom, rescuing it from bankruptcy and preventing Siemens from acquiring Alstom's large turbine business.
2014-2015 ALSTOM-SIEMENS
Siemens entered a bidding war with General Electric for Alstom's power-turbines business in 2014, after the French government encouraged a European counterbid. Siemens offered to swap its trains business plus cash for Alstom's global power assets. After forcing GE to raise its bid, Siemens walked away and the business was acquired by GE in 2015.
2017 OPEL-PSA
German car maker Adam Opel AG was sold by General Motors to Peugeot maker PSA in 2017. The deal has so far been a success with PSA CEO Carlos Tavares making the Opel business, including British unit Vauxhall, profitable for the first time in many years.
(Reporting by John Revill and Georgina Prodhan; Editing by Ken Ferris)
Exxon Mobil Corporation XOM announced its final investment decision (FID) for Golden Pass LNG export project in Sabine Pass, TX.
In the development, ExxonMobil will have a 30% working interest, while its partner Qatar Petroleum is expected to hold the remaining 70%. The companies have decided to commence construction of the facility in the March quarter of 2019, while the project is anticipated to initiate operations in 2024.
The largest publicly traded energy player added that it will be allocating at least $50 billion for expanding and constructing its domestic manufacturing facilities in the next five years. ExxonMobil emphasized that the Golden Pass LNG export project is part of its five-year massive investment plan.
The Golden Pass terminal was initially constructed for importing natural gas. Now, ExxonMobil and its partner Qatar Petroleum have made a decision to convert the facility into an export terminal with an investment of roughly $10 billion. Hence, with the commencement of the project, the companies will be able to export natural gas produced from the prolific domestic shale fields.
Every year, the development will be capable of producing roughly 16 million tons of LNG, added the integrated energy majors. Through the projects construction phase of roughly five years, ExxonMobil and Qatar Petroleum have planned to generate approximately 9,000 jobs. Further, the project is anticipated to create at least 200 permanent jobs once it gets operational.
An independent study has estimated that the Golden Pass LNG export development will be able to create direct tax revenues of roughly $4.6 billion in federal, state and local levels. The project will also provide economic gains of $31 billion to the domestic market, per the study.
Investors should know that ExxonMobil and Qatar Petroleum are collaborating to explore and develop resources in Brazil, Mozambique and Argentina. Hence, the latest project will strengthen the relationship between the companies.
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Headquartered in Irving, TX, ExxonMobilcurrently carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell). A few better-ranked stocks in the energy space are Jones Energy, Inc. JONE, Golar LNG Partners LP GMLP and Sunoco LP SUN. Jonescarries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), while Golar LNG and Sunoco sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Jones Energy expects 2019 earnings growth of 19% year over year.
Golar LNG has average positive earnings surprise of 92.8% for the preceding four quarters.
Sunoco LP has average positive earnings surprise of 18.39% for the trailing four quarters.
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Richard Vinson Merritt (Photo: Cobb County Sheriffs Office)
Richard Vinson Merritt (Photo: Cobb County Sheriffs Office)
Disbarred attorney Richard V. Merritt, sought in the weekend slaying of his mother, remains on the run four days after he was supposed to turn himself in at the Cobb County Jail to begin serving a 15-year prison sentence.
A DeKalb County Police Department spokesman said on Tuesday that Merritt, 44, is being pursued by the departments Fugitive Squad.
Merritts mother, 77-year-old Shirley Merritt, was found dead of apparent stab wounds at her Stone Mountain home at about 9:30 a.m. Saturday when police responded to a call from Merritts cousin, who found her at the bottom of a basement staircase.
Merritt was supposed to report to the jail at 5 p.m. on Friday after pleading guilty on Jan. 22 to 34 felony counts including theft, forgery and exploitation of an elderly person.
Cobb Superior Court Judge Robert Flournoy III sentenced Merritt to serve 15 years in prison and another 15 on probation and to pay $454,706 in restitution. He was disbarred last year after admitting to stealing $75,000 in settlement funds meant for a client.
The police report said Merritts cousin, Michael Jefcoat, drove from Alabama to take Merritt to the jail when he learned Merritt had cut off his ankle monitor in Cartersville.
Jefcoat told the officer that he spoke to Shirley Merritt at about 8 a.m. Saturday and that she said, everything was fine and that she was talking with Richard about turning himself in.
When he arrived at Shirley Merritts house Saturday morning, Jefcoat let himself in using a key he got from Merritts ex-wife, who met him at the entrance to the neighborhood.
The report said the investigating officer found two plates on the dinner table and two steak knives missing from a kitchen knife block, matching the broken-off knife handle found near Shirley Merritt's body.
There was no sign of struggle, the report said.
Police issued a lookout for Shirley Merritts brown 2009 Lexus RX 350 with Georgia tag number CBV6004.
Merritt ran his own firm in Smyrna handling personal injury and medical-malpractice cases prior to his indictment. He sued two attorneys in 2017 on behalf of spine surgeon and frequent medical expert James Chappuis. At the time, Merritt said he was vice president and general counsel of Chappuis Orthopaedic & Spine Surgery of Atlanta.
Merritts attorney, David Willingham of Mariettas Willingham Law Firm, declined to comment on the recent developments. But when Merritt pleaded guilty, Willingham provided a statement saying Merritts problems stemmed at least in part from alcohol abuse.
My client did not set out in his legal career with evil intentions or with a plan to become a thief, liar and deceiver, Willingham said at the time.
He developed into that person slowly over time and under the pressure, stress and anxiety associated with practicing lawas well as an addiction to alcohol.
Lawyers who dealt with Merritt said his demeanor did not seem out of the ordinary, and one judge who knew him years ago when he was with the Fulton County solicitors office said she never would have foreseen his career implode so completely.
Fulton State Court Judge Diane Bessen said it is astonishing how a bad story could get so much worse. He was one of my first solicitors back in 2002, and I always thought he was a fine young man and a diligent prosecutor.
Bessen said she had heard rumors that Merritt was not attending to his clients prior to his indictment, but as a judge, I am usually the last to find out.
It just is unfathomable that someone with a law-and-order bent could do such a 180, Bessen said.
* Need for unanimity in decisions, statements
* Hungary, Poland, Italy, Cyprus, Spain often block
* Populist agendas complicate common approach
By Robin Emmott and Gabriela Baczynska
BRUSSELS, Feb 6 (Reuters) - The rise to power of anti-EU populists in some member states is making it harder for the European Union to agree common statements on fast-moving foreign crises, diplomats say, raising a threat to the bloc's prized "soft power" status.
By the end of a foreign ministers meeting on Monday, EU states had failed to agree no less than three foreign policy statements -- on Venezuela, Arab ties and Russian violations of a missile treaty -- despite days of negotiations.
While a statement on Iran did finally win approval, it was repeatedly held up in the preceding weeks over the wording of a single paragraph.
"We do have trouble in the engine room," one EU envoy said.
Reaching a joint position among 28 member countries has never been easy but is considered the backbone of the economically powerful EU's diplomatic successes. These have included cementing pro-democracy revolutions in Ukraine and Tunisia and mediating a landmark Iran nuclear accord.
Despite the energetic public profile of the EU's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, attempts to agree a position on areas ranging from the South China Sea dispute to Israel and the Palestinians have unravelled at the last minute.
Such divisions have also hampered the EU from quickly imposing economic sanctions for rights abuses, as the United States often does, diplomats say.
The approach of European Parliament elections in May could be worsening the situation, as mainstream political parties take more strident positions in Brussels that play well at home, a second diplomat said.
"We work Friday night, throughout the weekend, have endless sessions on these documents and then, on Monday night, someone still comes in and vetoes," added a third diplomat.
MAJORITY-VOTING, OR RED BULL?
With Britain distracted by its planned exit from the European Union next month and populists in power in Italy, the Franco-German alliance that has underpinned EU integration is not always enough.
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Diplomats say fraying unity in the wider European Union means difficulties are becoming more evident and the consequences more public, regardless of the geopolitical issue the bloc wants to help resolve.
Despite European Parliament support for recognising Venezuela's self-declared interim president Juan Guaido, Italy blocked a Swedish compromise to acknowledge him as such, fearful of angering Russia, which backs President Nicholas Maduro.
But when it came to calling out Moscow for violating the Cold War-era INF arms control treaty, as NATO has done, Cyprus blocked, along with Greece. Athens did the same at the United Nations in 2017 when the EU tried to criticise China's human rights record.
Hungary, along with Italy a fierce critic of European immigration policy, has also emerged as an obstacle. Budapest shunned on Monday a joint declaration with the League of Arab States because an initial draft referenced a U.N. migration pact that Hungary has rejected.
"The EU-Arab ministerial was weeks of preparations and Hungary's position just does not make sense. The INF treaty was about NATO versus non-NATO countries. The Italian government is chaos. These examples show how everybody is pulling their own way increasingly," a senior EU diplomat said.
Diplomats say Poland's right-wing ruling party is against anything that might imply criticism of the United States, its de facto protector against Russia through NATO.
Even pro-European Spain has become embroiled in internal disputes when it has felt excluded from diplomatic initiatives, such as one to convince Tehran to help end the war in Yemen.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker last year proposed majority-voting on foreign policy, which would help political unity on human rights and make it easier to impose sanctions and take decisions on overseas crisis missions.
But that would need EU governments to give up their vetoes.
Many diplomats say they will continue trying for consensus.
Gathered in the early morning at the red marble-clad European Council on Monday after a weekend of negotiations on Venezuela, one exhausted envoy's solution was "more Red Bull".
(Writing by Robin Emmott; Editing by Catherine Evans)
disney stock streaming
Disney says its likely to take a massive $150 million hit to its bottom line as it works to beef up its array of streaming services, including the yet-to-launch Disney+. However, concerns remain that the company may be turning a blind eye to the impact of these losses over the long run as it seeks to supplant Netflix as the digital content king.
Disney CEO Bob Iger and CFO Christine McCarthy fielded questions about the massive streaming-related outflows during the companys first quarter 2019 earnings conference call. When the subject came up about Disney foregoing licensing income, the executives offered few details.
Being All About Disney+ Presents Concerns
Speaking about Disney+, Iger said:
Read the full story on CCN.com.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus O.Kravchenko participates in the OSCE Conference in Bratislava
06-02-2019
On February 5-6, 2019 in Bratislava the Belarusian delegation headed by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Oleg Kravchenko, participated in the OSCE Conference on Combating Anti-Semitism in the OSCE region organized by the Slovak Chairmanship-in-Office.
In his statement at the opening session of the conference, O.Kravchenko highlighted diversified efforts undertaken in Belarus in preserving historical memory of the Holocaust tragedy, including the opening in 2018 of the second stage of the Trostenets memorial complex.
The Deputy Minister emphasized the importance of studying the lessons of history of the Second World War and enlightenment, especially of the youth, in order to avoid a repetition of such tragic events in the future.
O.Kravchenko confirmed Belaruss readiness to further contribute to the OSCEs collective efforts to combat anti-Semitism.
The event was also attended by the OSCE Chair-in-Office, Slovak Foreign Minister, Miroslav Lajcak, and the Austrian Foreign Minister, Karin Kneissl, the OSCE Secretary General, Thomas Greminger, representatives of governmental bodies of the OSCE participating States, non-governmental organizations, national and religious communities.
During his visit to Slovakia, O.Kravchenko met with the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia, Lukas Parizek. The parties discussed a wide range of issues on the bilateral agenda, Belarusian-Slovak cooperation within the OSCE, as well as the interaction of Belarus with the European Union.
On the margins of the conference, O.Kravchenko held meetings with Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office on Combating Anti-Semitism, Andrew Baker, and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Albania, Artemis Dralo, whose country will chair the OSCE after Slovakia, as well as with the heads of delegations of several OSCE participating States.
During the meeting with the Director of the Slovak Foreign Policy Association, Alexander Duleba, the situation in the field of regional security and prospects for interaction between the analytical centers of Belarus and Slovakia were discussed.
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Investing.com - Cryptocurrency prices fell on Monday as Bitcoin remained in the $3,400 range amid holiday-thinned trading as investors in Asia celebrate the new year.
Virtual currencies have remained subdued over the weekend as China, South Korea and other Asian countries celebrate the lunar new year.
Bitcoin dipped 0.5% to $3,451.60 as of 9:09 AM ET (14:09 GMT) on the Investing.com Index.
Cryptocurrencies overall were flat with the total coin market capitalization at $113 billion at the time of writing.
Ethereum dipped 0.69% to $107.65 and XRP slipped 1.5% to $0.30104 while Litecoin was at $34.05, up 0.4%.
Meanwhile, CEO and co-founder of Twitter (NYSE:TWTR) Jack Dorsey said he still believes Bitcoin will be internets native currency.
[Bitcoin] was something that was born on the internet, that was developed on the internet, that was tested on the internetIt is of the internet, Dorsey said in an interview with comedian and podcast host Joe Rogan.
Dorsey also said that some of the major banks love blockchain but also added that it is certainly threatening to certain services behind banks and financial institutions, its threatening to some governments as well.
In other news, Ripple, the company that produces the XRP coin, is opening an office in Shanghai despite Chinas crackdown on digital coin exchanges.
The company posted on its LinkedIn (NYSE:LNKD) page that it was looking for a country manager to help with the launch. Ripple already has offices in San Francisco, New York, London, Mumbai, Sao Paulo and Sydney.
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Copa Holdings (CPA) is expected to deliver a year-over-year decline in earnings on lower revenues when it reports results for the quarter ended December 2018. This widely-known consensus outlook gives a good sense of the company's earnings picture, but how the actual results compare to these estimates is a powerful factor that could impact its near-term stock price.
The stock might move higher if these key numbers top expectations in the upcoming earnings report, which is expected to be released on February 13. 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 holding company for Panama's national airline is expected to post quarterly earnings of $1.04 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of -55.9%.
Revenues are expected to be $673.61 million, down 0.3% from the year-ago quarter.
Estimate Revisions Trend
The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 1.5% 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 the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts may not always get reflected in the aggregate change.
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. This insight is at the core of our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction).
The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a more recent version of the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. 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.
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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 Copa Holdings?
For Copa Holdings, 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 +8.41%.
On the other hand, the stock currently carries a Zacks Rank of #2.
So, this combination indicates that Copa Holdings 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 Copa Holdings would post earnings of $1.42 per share when it actually produced earnings of $1.36, delivering a surprise of -4.23%.
Over the last four quarters, the company has beaten consensus EPS estimates two 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.
Copa Holdings 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.
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FBI Director Christopher Wray; CIA Director Gina Haspel and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats arrive with other U.S. intelligence community officials to testify before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on "worldwide threats" on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 29, 2019. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
By Patricia Zengerle and Doina Chiacu
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China and Russia pose the biggest risks to the United States, and are more aligned than they have been in decades as they target the 2020 presidential election and American institutions to expand their global reach, U.S. intelligence officials told senators on Tuesday.
The spy chiefs broke with President Donald Trump in their assessments of the threats posed by North Korea, Iran and Syria. But they outlined a clear and imminent danger from China, whose practices in trade and technology anger the U.S. president.
While China and Russia strengthen their alliance, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said, some American allies are pulling away from Washington in reaction to changing U.S. policies on security and trade.
The directors of the CIA, FBI, National Security Agency and other intelligence agencies flanked Coats at the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing. They described an array of economic, military and intelligence threats, from highly organised efforts by China to scattered disruptions by terrorists, hacktivists and transnational criminals.
"China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea increasingly use cyber operations to threaten both minds and machines in an expanding number of ways - to steal information, to influence our citizens, or to disrupt critical infrastructure," Coats said.
"Moscow's relationship with Beijing is closer than it's been in many decades," he told the panel.
The intelligence officials said they had protected the 2018 U.S. congressional elections from outside interference, but expected renewed and likely more sophisticated attacks on the 2020 presidential contest.
U.S. adversaries will "use online influence operations to try to weaken democratic institutions, undermine alliances and partnerships, and shape policy outcomes," Coats said.
The intelligence chiefs' assessments broke with some past assertions by Trump, including on the threat posed by Russia to U.S. elections and democratic institutions, the threat Islamic State poses in Syria, and North Korea's commitment to denuclearize.
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Coats said North Korea is unlikely to give up its nuclear weapons. Trump has said the country no longer poses a threat.
Coats also said Islamic State would continue to pursue attacks from Syria, as well as Iraq, against regional and Western adversaries, including the United States. Trump, who plans to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, has said the militant group is defeated.
The intelligence officials also said Iran was not developing nuclear weapons in violation of the 2015 nuclear agreement, even though Tehran has threatened to reverse some commitments after Trump pulled out of the deal.
Senators expressed deep concern about current threats.
"Increased cooperation between Russia and China - for a generation that hasn't been the case - that could be a very big deal on the horizon in terms of the United States," said Senator Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats.
CHINA BIGGEST COUNTERINTELLIGENCE THREAT
The officials painted a multifaceted picture of the threat posed by China, as they were questioned repeatedly by senators about the No. 2 world economy's business practices as well as its growing international influence.
"The Chinese counterintelligence threat is more deep, more diverse, more vexing, more challenging, more comprehensive and more concerning than any counterintelligence threat I can think of," FBI Director Christopher Wray said.
He said almost all the economic espionage cases in the FBI's 56 field offices "lead back to China."
Coats said intelligence officials have been travelling around the United States and meeting with corporate executives to discuss espionage threats from China.
He said China has had a meteoric rise in the past decade, adding, "A lot of that was achieved by stealing information from our companies."
Tuesday's testimony came just a day after the United States announced criminal charges against China's Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, escalating a fight with the world's biggest telecommunications equipment maker and coming days before trade talks between Washington and Beijing.
Coats also said Russia's social media efforts will continue to focus on aggravating social and racial tensions, undermining trust in authorities and criticizing politicians perceived to be anti-Russia.
Senator Mark Warner, the panel's top Democrat, said he was particularly concerned about Russia's use of social media "to amplify divisions in our society and to influence our democratic processes" and the threat from China in the technology arena.
The Senate Intelligence Committee is one of several congressional panels, along with Special Counsel Robert Mueller, investigating whether there were any connections between Trump's 2016 and Russian efforts to influence the election.
Russia denies attempting to influence U.S. elections, while Trump has denied his campaign cooperated with Moscow.
Coats declined to respond when Democratic Senator Ron Wyden asked whether Trump's not releasing records of his discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin put U.S. intelligence agencies at a disadvantage.
"To me from an intelligence perspective, it's just Intel 101 that it would help our country to know what Vladimir Putin discussed with Donald Trump," Wyden said.
(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle and Doina Chiacu; editing by Mary Milliken and Jonathan Oatis)
File An employee prunes a marijuana plant, at a Fotmer SA, greenhouse in Nueva Helvecia, Uruguay, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
Short seller attacks, shareholder activism, and consolidation will intensify in Canadas cannabis sector, solidifying dominant players and weeding out weaker rivals, predicts Canaccord Genuity analyst Matt Bottomley.
Speaking at the Canadian Club of Torontos 2019 Cannabis Outlook event, Bottomley said while the industry on the whole has a tremendous amount of legitimacy, Canada has more publicly-listed cannabis companies than it needs.
If you include every single company that has cannabis in its description, there are probably 100 or 200 of them. In Canada, we have three or four telecom companies [and] four, five, six banks, we dont need 100 cannabis companies, he told attendees on Tuesday.
The allegations of cannabis short sellers have wiped out billions in market value, sparked internal investigations, and prompted management overhauls.
A recent attack by prominent short seller Citron Research on Namaste Technologies Inc. (N.V) caused an investigation that led to the ousting of CEO Sean Dollinger on Monday. In December, Aphria Inc. (APHA.TO) shares tumbled after a report by Quintessential Capital Management and Hindenburg Research accusing the company of buying Latin American assets at inflated prices.
I think its going to be an increasing theme, Bottomley said. There is probably some justified criticisms out there in the market, depending on the companies and depending on how the market plays out.
He expects future short seller reports will put a spotlight on overcrowding in the cannabis sector, though he warns investors should carefully weigh the findings against the authors profit interest.
He said negative sentiment stirred up by public short attacks impacts the sector as a whole, scaring off long-term institutional investment that could that could help smooth out notoriously volatile share prices.
You are affected no matter what producer you are, he said. Canopy, for example. Even though they are not named in any of those issues, Im sure they hate this.
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Brian Wagner, chief executive officer and founder of Cannabis Compliance Inc., said corporate governance remains a very overlooked area in the cannabis sector, and expects to see more companies stumble on that front as the industry matures.
He likens the situation to a 14-year-old in Alberta who just got their learners licence theres potential to go fantastic places, but the risk of an accident is high.
We havent got into too many accidents yet, he told 2019 Cannabis Outlook event attendees. I think more accidents will happen.
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Belarus participates in the first regular session of the Executive Board of UNICEF
06-02-2019
Belarus participates in the first regular session of the Executive Board of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) which takes place at the UN Headquarters in New York on February 5-7, this year.
In his statement on the first day of the session the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Belarus to the UN, Valentin Rybakov, welcomed UNICEFs efforts in repositioning the UN development system. In particular, the Head of the Belarusian Mission noted Funds leadership in the issues of private partnership and data on Sustainable Development Goals at the country level.
In the context of preparations for the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, V.Rybakov informed about an international conference on children and SDGs that is planned to be held in Minsk this year.
The Permanent Representative of Belarus commended the work of the Funds country office and the level of interaction with UNICEF in general. V.Rybakov also expressed appreciation for the constructive cooperation with the UNICEF Representative in Belarus, Ambassador of the II European Games Rashed Mustafa Sarvar.
The Head of the Belarusian diplomatic mission in New York stressed that Belarus considered sport as one of the effective ways of social inclusion which allowed to ensure full inclusion of children with disabilities in the society.
V.Rybakov invited sessions participants to visit Minsk and to join the most important sport event of this year.
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FILE PHOTO: The logo of Audi is seen during the first press day of the Paris auto show, in Paris, France, October 2, 2018. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau
BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Workers at German carmaker Audi's 29:
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/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(0x7fbff7f605e0)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fbff7f55130)', '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(0x7fbff7f605e0)') 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(0x7fbff7f55130)') 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(0x7fbff7f5cf40)') 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(0x7fbff7f55130)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fbff7f55130)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fbff6e9ab20)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7fbff7ea92c8)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7fbff7ea92c8)') 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: 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: 28: 29:
... 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(0x7fbff74696a0)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fbff802b680)', '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(0x7fbff74696a0)') 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(0x7fbff802b680)') 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(0x7fbff7fee328)') 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(0x7fbff802b680)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fbff802b680)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fbfdbfb6448)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7fbff72e32d0)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7fbff72e32d0)') 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: 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: 28: 29:
... 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(0x7fbff7748fd0)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fbff77688a8)', '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(0x7fbff7748fd0)') 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(0x7fbff77688a8)') 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(0x7fbff7738aa0)') 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(0x7fbff77688a8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fbff77688a8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7fbff6e9b2b8)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7fbff77c7178)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7fbff77c7178)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0
SEATTLE, Feb. 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CFN Media Group (CFN Media), the leading agency and financial media network dedicated to the North American cannabis industry, announces publication of an article and exclusive CEO interview discussing recent advancements made by Chemesis International Inc. (CSE: CSI) (OTCQB: CADMF). In a cannabis industry that is experiencing explosive growth in multiple and diverse geographical markets, it can be difficult for a business to choose its focus and stay on track. A balance must be achieved between building a presence in a key market and diversifying into new opportunities. With its recent run of deals in California, Colombia, and Puerto Rico, Chemesis appears to be achieving that mix.
In an exclusive interview with CFN Media, Part 1 of 2, CEO Edgar Montero discusses the origins of the company, its operations in California, and the launch of the Jay and Silent Bobs Private Stash brand of cannabis products. If the video does not display properly, please follow the link to view on CannabisFN.com: https://www.cannabisfn.com/cfnvideo/?id=0Hy9eKzR
Click here to receive updates on Chemesis developments.
California is Crucial
The legal rollout in California has been happening in fits and starts as municipalities and the state iron out regulations and process a mountain of applications. Companies working in some of the more forward-thinking locales that were early adopters of the new regulations have a leg up in the legal market. Chemesis falls into this category with its California Sap and Desert Zen operations, located in Cathedral City. The two operations are complementary, with California Sap handling extraction and production of extracts and prerolls, and Desert Zen taking care of packaging and distribution. Both companies handle Chemesis own brands while offering contract services to other brands.
With that infrastructure in place, Chemesis has partnered with Jay and Silent Bob to launch the Private Stash brand, based on the characters from the slacker movie classics directed by Kevin Smith. To supercharge the product launch and to enhance sales of its other brands, Chemesis has engaged Dank City, a specialty cannabis marketing firm boasting the largest network of cannabis social media pages. The goal is to leverage Chemesis early mover advantage into a comprehensive brand presence throughout the state. With California serving as the worlds largest legal cannabis market and considering the states role in setting cultural trends that resonate across the globe, that goal is certainly a worthy one.
Colombia Coming Along Nicely
With the recent acquisition of licensed cultivator La Finca Interactiva-Arachna Med, Chemesis is diving head first into the emerging Latin American market. The company currently grows on 1,060 acres and also operates a 10,000 sqft greenhouse. It also partners with Universidad Nacional of Colombia to research and develop ideal agricultural practices for the cultivation of cannabis. In short, its a very early mover in a country that has a fledgling medical marijuana program.
La Finca is commencing construction of a GMP certified extraction and production facility to fill a need for clean and reliable cannabis-derived medicines in the country. By building the operation to the highest standards and working closely with the government every step of the way, Chemesis is ensuring that it can develop a low-cost, high-quality producer with capacity to serve both Colombia and international markets. In the end, the export side of the equation may end up being the largest.
Click here to receive updates on Chemesis developments.
Growth in Puerto Rico
Chemesis has a pattern of developing or acquiring licensed operations in the earliest stages of a developing cannabis market. Its operations in Puerto Rico are no different with its Natural Ventures subsidiary. CEO Edgar Montero and the company played a major role in developing Puerto Ricos legal medical cannabis regulatory framework, and as a result the company serves about 90% of the islands dispensaries. Already boasting a 100,000 sqft cultivation facility and a 35,000 sqft extraction facility, Natural Ventures has been adding to its capabilities and product lines significantly over the last couple of months.
In January, Natural Ventures announced the launch of a natural beverages division to include cannabis-derived beverages. Utilizing its current capabilities, and bringing in ingredients like local honey and coffee beans, the company plans an initial launch of beverages designed to provide an energy boost, a calming effect, and sleep support. Infused, functional drinks are one of the fastest growing sectors of the beverage industry and are generally recognized as a major driver in the next wave of development for the cannabis industry.
In another move that ties in with the beverage play while also capitalizing on a high growth sector of the industry, Chemesis announced that it has begun cultivating high CBD strains of hemp on the island. All of the appropriate licenses are in place, from strain registration through cultivation, manufacturing and distribution. With the passage of the 2018 US Farm Bill, it is anticipated that hemp CBD manufacturers will be able to ship products across the US and territories. With the infrastructure in place, and considering Puerto Ricos favorable climate, Natural Ventures looks to be in a prime position to take advantage of the newly-opening markets for CBD products.
In line with the Puerto Rico CBD developments, Chemesis has also acquired a full line of existing hemp-derived CBD products called Viverian. With existing e-commerce distribution in Arizona, Florida, and Nevada, Chemesis anticipates expanding sales both online and in-store across the US once the state regulations are worked out as a result of the federal Farm Bill. Adding the cultivation and production capacity of its Puerto Rico operations, its easy to see the framework of a US-wide CBD operation in the not-too-distant future.
Chemesis is Aligned
By zooming out and taking a macro-view of the Chemesis International operation, the unified plan comes into focus. The company is an early mover in the key markets of California and Colombia, positioned not only to do well in those jurisdictions but to spread out from there as regulations allow. With its foothold secured in Puerto Rico, Chemesis not only serves that emerging market (anticipated to grow to 100,000 registered patients by the end of 2019) but should be able to branch out into other US states with its hemp-based offerings. All of its facilities are built with international best practices in mind, and the company has demonstrated its ability to secure all licenses necessary in each jurisdiction. Keep an eye out as Chemesis builds its operation into an international powerhouse.
Click here to receive updates on Chemesis developments.
Please follow the link to read the full article and see the interview: https://www.cannabisfn.com/chemesis-advancing-domestically-and-internationally-plus-exclusive-ceo-interview/
About CFN Media
For Visitors and Viewers
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Our powerful digital media and distribution platform conveys a companys message and value proposition directly to accredited and retail investors and national media active in the North American cannabis markets.
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CannabisFN.com is not an independent financial investment advisor or broker-dealer. You should always consult with your own independent legal, tax, and/or investment professionals before making any investment decisions. The information provided on http://www.cannabisfn.com (the Site) is either original financial news or paid advertisements drafted by our in-house team or provided by an affiliate. CannabisFN.com, a financial news media and marketing firm enters into media buys or service agreements with the companies that are the subject of the articles posted on the Site or other editorials for advertising such companies. We are not an independent news media provider. We make no warranty or representation about the information including its completeness, accuracy, truthfulness or reliability and we disclaim, expressly and implicitly, all warranties of any kind, including whether the Information is complete, accurate, truthful, or reliable. As such, your use of the information is at your own risk. Nor do we undertake any obligation to update the items posted. CannabisFN.com received compensation for producing and presenting high quality and sophisticated content on CannabisFN.com along with financial and corporate news.
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Frank Lane
206-369-7050
flane@cannabisfn.com
CALGARY, Alberta, Feb. 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Voyageur Minerals Ltd. (TSX.V:VM) (the Company or Voyageur) is pleased to announce that it has sent barite ore for testing to SGS Canada Inc. and to Allgaier Process Technology Inc. (Allgaier).
A successful test using Allgaiers density separator would enable Voyageur to gravity separate barite from the ore using air. This would eliminate the use of tailings ponds and no water will be required on site. The barite would be concentrated using air and gravity, and this concentrate would then be shipped to Voyageurs 12,000 tonne per year mini plant for further upgrading.
Testing has commenced to complete the pre-feasibility study. These tests will determine the optimum gravity separation circuit to process the barite ore and to determine the most efficient methods to produce a high purity pharmaceutical grade barium sulfate for Voyageurs joint venture company, ImagingX Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ImagingX)
ImagingX is in the process of completing Health Canada registration applications on several new barium contrast products. ImagingX will begin production of barium contrast products upon Health Canada registration.
ImagingX estimates that sales of barium contrast can commence in Q3 of 2019.
Upon completion of the ongoing feasibility work and sales of barite through Voyageurs joint venture, Voyageur will be poised to mine 10,000 tonnes of mineralization in 2019. if the economics of the project prove up, a feasibility study will be completed and the application for the quarry permit for full production will be submitted.
About ImagingX Pharmaceuticals Inc.
ImagingX is a 50:50 revenue sharing joint venture with Chief Medical Supply Ltd. The company will be manufacturing barium contrast suspension products for the health care industry worldwide. Owning a rare high purity barium sulfate deposit should allow Voyageur, through its joint venture company, ImagingX, to have the lowest cost barium contrast product available for the current market place. The joint ventures target for initial sales is Q3 2019 and it plans on entering the market with a highly competitive product.
Initial sales of the product will focus on the Canadian market. After sales into the Canadian market have commenced, the joint venture will apply for certification and sales into Europe and the rest of the world.
The joint venture plans on targeting markets with government run health care systems and private clinics. The following markets will be pursued in the very near term:
North America, Europe, Brazil, Argentina, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, South Africa, Russia, Israel, Turkey, Jordon, Qatar, Kuwait, UEA, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Japan, Philippines, Brunei, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
About Chief Medical Supplies Ltd. (Chief)
Chief provides high quality, competitively priced pharmaceuticals and hemodialysis products to pharmacies and hospitals across Canada. Operating from both its 33,000 square-foot plant in Calgary, Alberta and its 90,000 square-foot facility in Mississauga, Ontario, Chief has both drug and medical device establishment licenses issued by Health Canada and is currently in the application phase with the FDA to market and sell Chiefs products in the United States.
Chief has the ability to turnkey production of ImagingX barium contrast products in their Health Canada manufacturing facilities.
About Voyageur Minerals Ltd. (Voyageur)
Voyageur is a Calgary based company which owns 100% interest in three barium sulfate ("Barite") deposits including two properties suitable in grade for the industrial barite market place, and interests in a two high grade lithium brine projects in Utah, USA.
Voyageur's business plan is to develop its barite deposit at Frances Creek, BC, Canada, for near term cash flow, while it continues exploration for critical and strategic minerals. The Frances Creek project is moving forward to manufacture pharmaceutical grade barium sulfate and high purity Blanc fixe barium sulfate for the paint and plastic markets.
The Companys qualified person as defined by NI 43-101, Mr. Brad Willis, VP Exploration, has reviewed this news release and approved it.
For further information, please contact:
John Rucci, CEO
Cell (403) 383-8588
jrucci@voyageurminerals.ca Steven R. Livingston, V.P. Finance
Cell (403) 471-1659
steve@voyageurminerals.ca
Neither the 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 news release.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the Qualifying Transaction, including statements regarding the acquisition of future assets, the discovery and commercialization of commercial quantities of industrial minerals, the successful commercialization of the Companys assets, expected operational activities, other statements that are not historical facts. 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, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not occur, which may cause actual performance and results in future periods to differ materially from any estimates or projections of future performance or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These assumptions, risks and uncertainties include, among other things: the risk that the assets do not provide commercial quantities or grades of marketable minerals, that even if they do contain commercial quantities of marketable minerals that the Company will not be able to economically produce such discoveries, the existence of commercial grades of commercial minerals, timing of obtaining required approvals, state of the economy in general and capital markets in particular, investor interest in the business and future prospects of the Company.
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, except as required by applicable securities law. 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.
Alex Wong/Getty Images(RICHMOND, Va.) -- Virginia's Attorney General Mark Herring, who is white and is third in line for the governorship, is now apologizing for attending a 1980 party dressed as rapper Kurtis Blow and wearing brown makeup on his face.
"In 1980, when I was a 19-year-old undergraduate in college, some friends suggested we attend a party dressed like rappers we listened to at the time, like Kurtis Blow, and perform a song," Herring wrote in a statement, "It sounds ridiculous even now writing it. But because of our ignorance and glib attitudes and because we did not have an appreciation for the experiences and perspectives of others we dressed up and put on wigs and brown makeup."
"That I have contributed to the pain Virginians have felt this week is the greatest shame I have ever felt," Herring added, "In the days ahead, honest conversations and discussions will make it clear whether I can or should continue to serve as attorney general, but no matter where we go from here, I will say that from the bottom of my heart, I am deeply, deeply sorry for the pain that I cause with this revelation."
The latest conflict has meant all top three elected officials in the state of Virginia, all Democrats, are mired in controversy as a chaotic situation has cast serious uncertainty over who will lead the state in the coming weeks.
When asked about the Herring controversy by ABC News on Wednesday afternoon, Virginia Sen. Mark Warner said he was "shocked," and "incredibly disappointed."
Virginia's sitting Governor Ralph Northam has not resigned despite widespread calls to step down over a racist photo in his 1984 medical school yearbook surfaced.
Northam, after initially saying he did appear in a photo that showed one man wearing blackface and another in a Ku Klux Klan robe, changed course in a Saturday news conference where he said he does not believe he was either person in the photo.
A spokeswoman for Northam confirmed to ABC News Wednesday afternoon that the governor met with leaders of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), including the organization's chairman, Dr. Bernard LaFayette.
The SCLC is a "nonprofit, non-sectarian, inter-faith, advocacy organization that is committed to nonviolent action to achieve social, economic, and political justice," according to the organization's website.
Both of Virginia's U.S. Senators, all major Democratic presidential candidates, former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, Attorney General Herring and the Democratic caucuses in both the Virginia House of Delegates and State Senate have called for Northam's resignation.
Northam has not made any public comments about the controversy or his political future since his Saturday news conference.
Deepening the chaos is the situation facing Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, the man who would succeed Northam if he steps down, and who is continuing to face questions over after an unconfirmed report surfaced about an alleged sexual misconduct incident from 2004, an allegation he vehemently denies.
Fairfax also released a new statement Wednesday saying that he takes the situation "very seriously."
"Regarding the allegation that has been made against me while this allegation has been both surprising and hurtful, I also recognize that no one makes charges of this kind lightly, and I take it and this situation very seriously," Fairfax wrote, "This has been an emotional couple of days for me and my family. And in my remarks on Monday, I think you could hear how emotional dealing with an allegation that I know is not true has been for me."
ABC News has confirmed that the name of Fairfax's accuser is Dr. Vanessa Tyson. Tyson's legal team confirmed her name to ABC News on Wednesday and she has given permission for her name to be used publicly.
Tyson has hired the legal services of Katz, Marshall and Banks, the same law firm that was retained by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, a California psychology professor who accused Brett Kavanaugh, then-President Trump's nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, of sexual misconduct. Kavanaugh denied the claims and was later confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
If neither Northam, Fairfax or Herring is able to assume the position of governor, the fourth in line for the job would be the Republican Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, Kirk Cox.
Cox, who has served in the House of Delegates since 1990, was elevated to the position of Speaker in 2018 after the GOP barely retained control of the chamber in the state's 2017 state legislative elections.
The party officially gained control when now-GOP Delegate David Yancey drew his own name of a bowl, which made him the victor in his race against Democrat Shelly Simonds.
That result enabled Republicans to maintain control of the House of Delegates and make Cox the speaker.
Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
In an affidavit, the UIDAI told a bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V. Kameswar Rao that the Aadhaar technology does permit biometric authentication done on a 1:1 basis, but for that it is necessary to have the Aadhaar number of the individual.
New Delhi: The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on Tuesday told the Delhi High Court that using only biometric data for purposes of identification of dead bodies may not be technologically feasible.
The UIDAI told the court that it does not collect biometric information, i.e., iris, scan and fingerprints based on technologies, standards or procedures suitable for forensic purposes and therefore using the biometric data for the purpose of identification of dead bodies may not be technologically feasible.
The Authority said that the Aadhaar Act is aimed at providing good governance, efficient, transparent and targeted delivery of subsidies, benefits and services, and other social schemes.
Use of Aadhaar biometrics to identify bodies would be contrary to the Aadhaar Act, it added.
The court was hearing a plea filed by lawyer and social activist Amit Sahni.
Sahni, in his plea, has sought a direction for use of Aadhaar biometrics to identify dead bodies, same as it is used for finding missing children.
The bench had asked the UIDAI to respond on Sahni's submission.
The court listed the matter for further hearing on April 23.
Saint Petersburg, FL, Feb. 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- Apotheca Biosciences (OTC PINK: PCFP), a biopharmaceutical company, which engages in discovering, developing, and commercializing cannabinoid-based medicines for Opioid crisis, Neuropathic pain, Cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson, Sleep disorder and Immune Enhancement, announces today that it has elected Dr. P.C. Sundar as its Chairman & CEO effective February 1, 2019. Dr. Sundar, through his years of experience working for Fortune 100 pharmaceutical companies, will lead the Company in discovering, developing, and commercializing cannabinoid-based medicines for Opioid crisis, Neuropathic pain, Cancer, Alzheimer's and Parkinson.
Dr. Sundar has over 30 years executive leadership experience in the pharmaceutical industries. As the CEO of Apotheca, he brings expertise in growing and scaling businesses, developing winning strategies, operations, marketing, sales and innovation for global businesses and broad brand portfolios. During his 30-year career at Abbott Labs, and Bayer, Sundar held positions of increasing responsibility with strong proven results. Before joining the Apotheca team, Sundar most recently served as a Senior Vice President of a Fortune 50 pharmaceutical company. He has brought several FDA-approved drugs to market. He also built several collaborative ventures for these companies. Sundar's experience in the pharma sector is helping Apotheca to be a lead player in endocannabinoid drug discovery. Sundar earned his PhD degree from Vanderbilt University.
Apotheca is positioning to be a world-class research and development facility in endocannabinoid drug development. Apotheca plans to set-up a state-of-the-art research and development lab to enhance the BPRx platform and rapidly expand its research capabilities. Apotheca's research includes specific programs for Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson's disease and severe, chronic pain. For each of these diseases, there is a dire need for new therapies. Depending on the disease, our therapies will use a BPRx platform to optimize the synergistic combination of photo and endocannabinoids to modulate disease pathology and progression. By significantly decreasing the production of relevant signaling and causative molecules at targeted sites within various tissue systems, the goal is to address the underlying biology of the disease and make a meaningful difference for patients. Our talented team of scientists, scientific advisers, and board directors is working to accelerate breakthrough treatments for patients with significant unmet medical needs.
Apotheca Biosciences is at the forefront of medical technologies with the development of a CBD pain patch for the healthcare and consumer care industry. This acquisition will provide knowledge and expertise to the development of this CBD product, along with our other products. Our pipeline of products includes transdermal, sublingual, and nasal delivery technologies for precise and controlled dosing of cannabinoids.
Apotheca Biosciences is a pioneering biotech company with an emphasis in research and development in addition to the creation of high-grade nutraceuticals and cosmetics. The health of our customers takes precedence and our solid business strategy ensures focus on customer well-being. Our goal is to lay the groundwork and continue research of cannabinoid receptiveness in patients and create nutraceuticals that reflects our strategy and research. For more information on Apotheca Biosciences, please visit www.apothecabio.com
About Apotheca Biosciences Inc.
Apotheca Biosciences, a biopharmaceutical company, through its divisions, engages in 1) the discovery, development, and commercialization of therapies for the treatment of opioid addiction, sleep disorder, PTSD. Alzheimer's and inflammatory diseases worldwide, 2) develops and manufactures medical devices for precise dosing, and 3) direct to business and consumer CBD enhanced supplements, formulations and cosmetics. The pipeline of products includes, transdermal, sublingual, digestive technologies and medical devices for precise and controlled dosing of cannabinoids. Products such as CannaDERME, a transdermal technology using nano-emulsion for fast absorption of cannabinoid compounds for the general pain market.
To request further information about Apotheca, please email info@apothecabio.com, or visit its website at http://www.apothecabio.com/, or visit it on FB @apotheca and Twitter @apotheca
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements covered within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, plans and timing for the introduction or enhancement of our services and products, statements about future market conditions, supply and demand conditions, and other expectations, intentions and plans contained in this press release that are not historical fact and involve risks and uncertainties. Our expectations regarding future revenues depend upon our ability to develop and supply products and services that we may not produce today and that meet defined specifications. When used in this press release, the words "plan," "expect," "believe," and similar expressions generally identify forward-looking statements. These statements reflect our current expectations. They are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, changes in technology and changes in pervasive markets. This release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 27E of the Securities Act of 1934. Statements contained in this release that are not historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain. Actual performance and results may differ materially from that projected or suggested herein due to certain risks and uncertainties including, without limitation, ability to obtain financing and regulatory and shareholder approval for anticipated actions.
Finance Minister Y. Ramakrishnudu, who presented the budget in the Assembly, proposed total expenditure of Rs 2,26,117 crore, comprising Rs 1,80,369 crore revenue expenditure and Rs 29,596 crore capital expenditure including Rs 8,994 crore towards principal repayment of public debt.
Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday presented a Vote on Account budget of Rs 2.26 lakh crore for 2019-20, an increase of 18.38 percent over the previous year.
The estimated revenue deficit is Rs 2,099 crore while the fiscal deficit is estimated at around Rs 32,390 crore. The fiscal deficit will be around 3.03 per cent of the GSDP, whereas the revenue deficit would be around 0.20 per cent of the GSDP.
The total liabilities increased from Rs 1,48,744 crore in 2014-15 to Rs. 2,23,706 crore in 2017-18.
Recalling that when the state was bifurcated in 2014, there was a sense of dejection all around due to loss of capital city, and unfair division of revenues, assets and liabilities, Ramakrishnudu said the state had become the fastest growing economy in the country, recording double digit growth.
Andhra Pradesh registered average growth of 10.66 per cent compared to all-India growth rate of 7.3 per cent in the past four and a half years. The agriculture sector recorded an average growth rate of 11 per cent whereas the all India average growth rate was 2.4 per cent.
The industry sector recorded a growth rate of 9.52 per cent against the all India average growth rate of 7.1 per cent and the services sector recorded an average growth rate of 9.57 per cent against the all India average growth rate of 8.8 per cent.
In 2018-19, the state economy is estimated to grow at 11.5 per cent at constant prices, when the national growth is estimated to be 7.2 per cent. The growth rate could further go up as reforms designed to address the structural weaknesses of the economy start showing their positive impact in the coming years, he said.
The allocation for state development schemes has gone up by 33.36 per cent from Rs 49,103 crore in 2018-19 to Rs 65,468 crore 2019-20.
The Finance Minister announced 'Annadata Sukhibhava', a new scheme to give economic support to farmers and allocated Rs 5,000 crore for the same.
Ramakrishnudu presented his 11th budget and the last of the present government.
Ramakrishnudu, who was also Finance Minister in undivided Andhra Pradesh, said he was proud to present his 11th and third consecutive budget from Amaravati.
He said the government's vision was to develop Amaravati as one of the 5 best global cities. "Our model of land pooling of 34,010 acres from 28,074 farmers has won enormous praise and is turning into case studies in the best global business schools."
The overall cost of construction of Amaravati is Rs 1,09,023 crore. The Phase I is estimated to cost Rs 51,687 crore, out of which construction works of Rs 39,875 crore are under execution.
'End Endo' Bill Hurdles Interpellation; Passage on 2nd Reading In Sight, Says Villanueva
With the closing of the period of interpellation, the Security of Tenure bill (SBN 1826) is one step away from passing on second reading, according to Senator Joel Villanueva.
Villanueva, chair of the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development, defended the measure, more popularly known as the "End Endo" bill, on the floor last night as the session stretched past 9:00 PM on Wednesday.
"Nagagalak po tayo at nakatawid na ang ating panukala sa interpellation. We are optimistic that we will be able to pass this landmark legislation before the 17th Congress ends in June," Villanueva said in a statement. "The bill goes into the period of amendments where we incorporate provisions that will make the measure a better piece of legislation."
"We call on our fellow senators to pass the measure since it has been certified urgent by the President. More importantly, it will give affected workers the peace of mind that employees enjoy when they have a definite security of tenure in their employment contract," he continued.
Once the measure passes second reading, the bill may also be voted on third and final reading subsequently, since it has been certified urgent by Malacanang.
Press Release
February 6, 2019 New player to end duopoly
Senate affirms Mislatel change of ownership The Senate yesterday gave the green light to a consortium put up by Davao-based businessman Dennis Uy to break the duopoly of two telecommunications giants Smart-PLDT Inc. and Globe Telecom. The Senate concurred with House Concurrent Resolution 23, which formalized the sale of the controlling interest of Mindanao Islamic Telephone Company (Mislatel) to Uy's Udenna Corp. and Chelsea Holdings Corp. and the state-run China Telecommunications Corp. Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, Sen. Panfilo Lacson and Sen. Risa Hontiveros voted against the resolution "The NMP (new market player) is committed to providing Filipinos with unprecedented and unparalleled quality of telecommunications services, made possible only by the organizational unity, fiscal cooperation and technology transfer between and among Mislatel and its committed investors," the resolution stated. Udenna Corp. and Chelsea Logistics Holdings Corp. own 35 percent and 25 percent, respectively, while China Telecom holds a 40-percent stake. Mislatel will act as the franchise holder. The government had formally declared Mislatel consortium as the country's provisional third telco carrier after the two other bidders - Philippine Telegraph & Telephone Corp. (PT&T) and the Singson-led SEAR Telecom, composed of LCS Group and TierOne - were disqualified. Sen. Grace Poe, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Services which conducted four hearings on the matter, had said her panel removed any reference to Mislatel as the third telco or the new major player since the validity of its franchise could still be questioned in courts. Poe said even if the Senate gives the green light for Mislatel to continue operating, interested parties are not prevented to avail of legal remedies in the courts. Drilon had said Mislatel's legislative franchise is deemed revoked after it failed to operate one year after it was granted license in 1998. Drilon said Mislatel also failed to inform Congress of a change in its leadership. But Department of Information and Communications Technology Acting Secretary Eliseo Rio said this could be cured through an act of Congress "because Congress gave the franchise in the first place so that's being studied right now." Poe previously said she sponsored the measure because of the public's "desperation" to have a new player that promises better telco services and because she feels it would be "unfair" not to present it on the floor to allow senators to debate on the issue. Poe said Mislatel also risks losing more than P25 billion in performance bond should they mess up with their commitments in the first year of their operation. Poe said the resolution does not in any way prevent Congress from altering, modifying, amending or repealing Mislatel's franchise granted under Republic Act 8627 should it fail to make good its commitments regarding coverage and internet speed. It does not also mean an automatic renewal of its franchise that is set to expire in 2023, she added.
Press Release
February 6, 2019 Senate adopts Sotto resolution on nationwide prayer for peace and reconciliation The Senate on Wednesday adopted a resolution introduced by Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III seeking to declare every first Thursday of February, beginning Feb. 7, 2019 as the Synchronized Interfaith National Prayer for Peace and Reconciliation. "In the spirit of peace and national reconciliation in the entire nation, (it is hereby resolved by the Senate) to express the sense of the Senate to declare every first Thursday of Feb. starting this year and every year thereafter as the "Synchronized Interfaith National Prayers for Peace and Reconciliation" and to encourage and persuade all Filipinos of any religion to actively participate in the said declaration in reciting the prayers," Senate Resolution No. 1002 said. The said prayers are in English, Filipino, Cebuano and Hiligaynon versions. "Most, if not all of the television stations and programs will be praying with us at 12 noon tomorrow," Sotto said during the plenary session when he requested his colleagues to adopt the resolution. Following its approval, Majority Leader Juan Miguel "Migz" F. Zubiri said: "This is initiated by Nanay (Lourdes) Bing Pimentel, the wife of our distinguished former Senate President (Aquilino "Nene" Pimentel Jr.) and the mother of our distinguished former Senate President as well (Sen. Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III), the PasaLord Movement, the first synchronized nationwide interfaith prayer for peace which will be held tomorrow Feb. 7, 2019 at 12 noon," Zubiri said. "So tomorrow, they're requesting us to join them, together with you, Senate President, in a one-minute prayer for peace, Feb. 7, 2019, 12 noon at the 4th Floor of the Senate building. Isang minuto lang po para sa Panginoon," Zubiri added. The said activity was initiated by the PasaLord Prayer Movement - the Prayer for Peace in the Philippines, an interfaith movement launched in 2017, which seeks to unite Filipinos of various creeds and denomination to pray for peace in the Philippines. Mrs. Bing Pimentel is its founder and lead convenor. "It is noteworthy to cite that in the Philippine Senate or in other government bodies, whether in the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary, they start the day's work with a prayer to the Almighty God as it is believed that the Divine Providence will guide government officials to come up with policies and programs through God's mercy and intercession that is beneficial to the people and the entire nation," Sotto said. While it is expressly provided for in the provisions of the Constitution the separation of Church and State, it is believed that encouraging the people to pray as a single nation regardless of religion, cultural race and social stature in life will not violate any law, Sotto added.
Press Release
February 6, 2019 Congress transmits OFW handbook bill to Malacanang Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are carrying on their shoulders enormous responsibility for their loved ones, the country and their employers. Despite this, a number of these "modern-day heroes" ended up maltreated and degraded. Thus a handbook is necessary to enlighten them about their rights, which is the main objective of a measure that has been awaiting President Rodrigo Duterte's signature. Congress, through the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office, transmitted to the Office of the President last January 24 the reconciled version of Senate Bill 192 and House Bill 8110, or the proposed Handbook for OFWs Act, which was adopted and ratified before the Senate and the House of Representatives adjourned last December. It is expected to lapse into law if President Duterte failed to act on it after 30 days, or after February 24. Under the measure, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) is required to publish, disseminate, and update a handbook for Filipino migrant workers. The guidebook shall serve as a reference for OFW rights and shall contain vital information to help them address their problems and concerns abroad. Senator Manny Pacquiao, principal author of the bill, said it was the obligation of government to take care of the millions of OFWs all over the world, "by providing them with standard printed information." "We want to equip our OFWs with the necessary information they can access once they are out there in the global marketplace," Pacquiao said. Under the measure, the book should be issued to all Filipino migrant workers "free of charge." It would also include information on the labor and living conditions in the country of their destination, as well as in the Philippines for their return. The handbook shall be written in languages, including other local languages, that would be easily understood by OFWs. Pacquiao said that while the 23-year old Republic Act 8042 or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995 authorized the POEA to "undertake other programs or resort to other modes of information and dissemination campaign," existing efforts by government agencies to provide OFWs with such handbooks are "limited and inconsistent." Senator Joel Villanueva, sponsor of the bill as chairman of the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development, said the distribution of such handbook would help in preventing abuses of Filipino workers abroad. Villanueva said the guidebook would also empower migrant workers by making them aware of the benefits and drawbacks of working overseas. Also contained in the handbook are the necessary information needed by OFWs for their reintegration once they return to the Philippines. Aside from Pacquiao, the Senate's version of the bill was authored by Sens. Aquilino Pimentel III, Richard Gordon, and Cynthia Villar.
Press Release
February 6, 2019 Sponsorship Speech for the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2019
Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson
February 6, 2019 More at: https://pinglacson.net/2019/02/06/sponsorship-speech-anti-terrorism-act-of-2019/ At the outset, let me state here and now with certainty that a vote for the immediate passage of this measure is a vote for the immediate lifting of Martial Law in Mindanao. Mr. President, fellow members of this august chamber, I have the honor to report on the Senate floor Senate Bill No. 2204 entitled, "An Act Amending Certain Provisions of Republic Act No. 9372, Otherwise Known As "An Act To Secure the State and Protect our People from Terrorism," as embodied in Committee Report No. 638 in substitution of Senate Bill Numbers 1134, 1396, 1715 and 1956. Mr. President, in recent years, terrorism has greatly re-shaped the security landscape in many countries all over the world. There seems to be no immediate end in sight. Instead, the menacing threat of terrorism continues to spread with even more daring and sophisticated means. While other countries have long responded aggressively to protect and safeguard their citizens, our existing laws are neither sufficient nor responsive to the threat. Sadly, we are lacking in our response. While the global trend is starting to stem the tide of deaths and losses due to terrorist attacks, here in the Philippines, it is a different story. Mr. President, the Global Terrorism Index of 2018 ranked the Philippines as the 10th country most negatively affected by terrorism. It pains me to see the Philippines in the top 10 with countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Syria, Pakistan, and Somalia. In fact, our country experienced the highest negative impact from terrorism among states in the Asia-Pacific region. While other states across the globe are starting to see a downtrend in the number of deaths due to terrorism, we are included in the top 10 countries with the largest increase in deaths from terrorism for 2016 - 2017. Mr. President, in the case of Marawi alone, government reported the death of 900 Maute-ISIS affiliated fighters, 168 government forces, and 47 civilians. The total damage and lost opportunities cost is estimated by the Philippines' Task Force Bangon Marawi at P18.23 billion. Said amount does not include the cost of war materiel and other combat service support operations, which was estimated at more than P6 billion. Post-war, the government's conservative estimate for the cost of Marawi's rehabilitation is pegged at P72.58 billion. Furthermore, the fighting in Marawi forced out around 72,000 families or 359,000 individuals, many of whom remain displaced to this day. This is not yet taking into account the lives lost and properties destroyed in the recent twin bombings in Jolo, Sulu. With every terrorist plot being hatched, every terrorist attack being launched, our response is always the same: Bring in the troops. Mr. President, we rely heavily on military-led, kinetic operations as our primary response to the challenge of terrorism. Even when we know that what we need is a more comprehensive response. Even when we are aware that there has to be an appropriate criminal justice response. Why, Mr. President? Why do we resort to this? It is because our country's existing legislative framework to combat terrorism is a dead letter law. More than a decade ago since the passage of Republic Act No. 9372, otherwise known as the Human Security Act of 2007, the law remains severely underutilized. To illustrate, it took the Basilan Court five long years to finally declare the Abu Sayyaf Group a terrorist or outlawed organization in 2015. Meanwhile, thus far, we only have one order of conviction issued by the RTC of Taguig City, finding accused NUR A. SUPIAN guilty of committing acts falling under Section 3 of the Human Security Act. Do we not find it ironic, or rather alarming, that with the increasing number of deaths due to terrorism, we only hear of one conviction? Are we not troubled that when terrorists are captured, they are oftentimes charged with cases for violations of the Revised Penal Code, or illegal possession of firearms, or some other special laws rather than for terrorism? While they could be also held accountable for these crimes, should they not be held accountable for the graver crime of terrorism? One may ask, why is this? We cannot speak of a criminal justice response to terrorism when this is how terrorism-related cases are handled. Our existing anti-terror law cannot even give our law enforcers and prosecutors a firm foothold to pursue terrorism cases. Mr. President, we oftentimes overlook the direct implication in the management and handling of suspects of terrorism-related incidents within our penal facilities. As of October 2018, the BJMP reported 735 high-risk persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) incarcerated in their facilities that are alleged members of terrorist organizations. However, they are not in jail for terrorist acts they have perpetrated. They are in jail for other crimes. Abu Sayyaf members involved in the mass kidnapping of dozens of students, two teachers, and a Catholic priest in Basilan in 2000 provide an illustrative sample. Fifty-two people were kidnapped, mostly young students. The priest was killed and two teachers were even beheaded. The incident could easily be classified as terrorist acts. However, the 86 incarcerated for the crime were charged with kidnapping only. In December 2018, 66 of them were found guilty of kidnapping while 20 were acquitted. Mr. President, reports even say that the suspects of the recent Jolo suicide bombings are set to face multiple murder and frustrated murder charges for the deaths and injuries caused by said bombings when this is clearly a terrorist act. This has to stop, Mr. President. We do not need to wait for another Marawi siege, or another suicide bombing of the Mount Carmel Cathedral in Jolo, Sulu to happen before we act on this. The danger is here, present in our midst. This is why this representation is sponsoring today an Anti-Terrorism bill that seeks to address the evident infirmities of the Human Security Act of 2007. Mr. President, distinguished colleagues, I beg your indulgence as I enumerate the highlights of our proposed amendments: 1. The change of the title from "Human Security Act of 2007" to "Anti-Terrorism Act of 2019" Mr. President, human security is a vast concept with a scope that is beyond the contents of the law we are amending. It covers by way of example environmental, food, economic and health security, to name a few. With that, we changed the short title to have a clear overview of what the law is at first glance: an instrument to prevent or counter terrorism. 2. Modification of Section 4 defining "terrorist act" Before and even long after the enactment of the law, it has been criticized over and over for its apparent vagueness, which runs counter to the principle of the legality of offenses. Mr. President, your Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs has decided to do away with the predicate crimes enumerated in the law and just define a terrorist act as: ANY OF THE FOLLOWING UNLAWFUL ACTS, REGARDLESS OF ITS STAGE OF EXECUTION, WHICH MAY INTIMIDATE, PUT IN FEAR, FORCE OR INDUCE THE GOVERNMENT OR ANY INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION, OR THE PUBLIC TO DO OR TO ABSTAIN FROM DOING ANY ACT, OR SERIOUSLY DESTABILIZE OR DESTROY THE FUNDAMENTAL POLITICAL, ECONOMIC OR SOCIAL STRUCTURES OF THE COUNTRY, OR CREATE A PUBLIC EMERGENCY OR UNDERMINE PUBLIC SAFETY: A. ATTACKS THAT CAUSE DEATH OR SERIOUS BODILY INJURY TO ANY PERSON; B. ATTACKS THAT CAUSE EXTENSIVE DAMAGE OR DESTRUCTION TO A GOVERNMENT OR PUBLIC FACILITY, CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE, PUBLIC PLACE OR PRIVATE PROPERTY LIKELY TO ENDANGER HUMAN LIFE OR RESULT IN MAJOR ECONOMIC LOSS; C. MANUFACTURE, POSSESSION, ACQUISITION, TRANSPORT, SUPPLY OR USE OF WEAPONS, EXPLOSIVES OR OF BIOLOGICAL OR CHEMICAL WEAPONS, AS WELL AS RESEARCH INTO, AND DEVELOPMENT OF, BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS; D. RELEASE OF DANGEROUS SUBSTANCES, OR CAUSING FIRES, FLOODS OR EXPLOSIONS THE EFFECT OF WHICH IS TO ENDANGER HUMAN LIFE; THREAT TO COMMIT ANY OF THE ACTS LISTED IN PARAGRAPHS (A) TO (D) OF THIS SECTION. 3. To deter participation even at the initial stages of plotting, your Committee has introduced new sections providing penalties for the following acts: a. Planning, preparing and facilitating the commission of a terrorist act;
b. Attempt to commit, proposal to commit and inciting to commit terrorist acts;
c. Recruitment to participate, join, commit or support any terrorist act or membership in a terrorist group, association or organization proscribed in accordance with this Act;
d. Terrorism by foreign nationals; and
e. Providing material support to terrorists. Mr. President, to give our law enforcement authorities more teeth in fighting their adversaries in this war against terror, we likewise propose the following: 4. Surveillance With respect to authorization to conduct surveillance previously vested only with the Court of Appeals (CA), Mr. President, the application for Judicial Authorization to conduct surveillance can now be made also with the Regional Trial Court. This amendment is made for the purpose of convenience and expediency granting that time is of the essence when it comes to impending threats of terrorism. On the mode of surveillance, we took into consideration this Committee's proposed amendment to the antiquated Anti-Wiretapping Act for purpose of consistency. Said surveillance-related amendments now cover various means of doing so using the technology available today and those that will hereafter be known to science and the various forms of communications that may be the subject thereof. Mr. President, to further strengthen the surveillance capabilities of our law enforcement authorities and to ensure the cooperation and active participation of the telecommunication companies, in the event of actual or imminent terrorist attack, this proposed legislation authorizes the Anti-Terrorism Council to file an ex-parte application with the RTC for an order to compel telecom and internet service providers to produce all customer information and identification records, as well as call and text data records and other cellular or internet metadata of persons suspected of committing said actual or imminent attack, with notice to the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to ensure compliance. Once again, with the risk of being repetitive, let me emphasize that this provision will only be operative if a terrorist attack is actual or imminent. Finally, Mr. President, we are also proposing for the extension of the effectivity period of the Judicial Authorization to sixty (60) days, which may be extended for another thirty (30) days if the issuing court is satisfied that such extension is in the public interest. 5. Proscription of terrorist organizations, associations, or group of persons Mr. President, as previously discussed, one of the weaknesses of our law is the lack of urgency in proscribing terrorist groups, associations or organizations. Remember that the proscription of the Abu Sayyaf Group was our country's first and only. Not to mention that the petition languished for five years in the court docket. To remedy this, we are now requiring that verified applications filed with the court shall include an urgent prayer for the issuance of a preliminary order of proscription. Said order shall be issued within seventy-two (72) hours if the application is sufficient in form and substance, and the court finds probable cause for declaring the respondent a terrorist or outlawed organization or association. Further, we are proposing to limit the period within which to make the proscription either permanent or to totally set it aside to only six months from the time the application for proscription is filed in court. 6. The extension of the period of detention of a person suspected of committing terrorist acts or members of declared terrorist organizations without judicial warrant of arrest. Mr. President, under the present law, a person arrested for violation of the provisions of the Human Security Law can be detained for three days without charge, with no liability on the part of the arresting officer under Article 125 of the Revised Penal Code. In the proposed measure, we are proposing a 14-working day period of detention without extension. The proposal to extend the period of detention was reached after a lengthy review of our neighboring countries' policies and laws for countering terrorism. To name a few figures currently adopted by other jurisdictions, let me state: Indonesia: 21 days, extendible for up to 200 days Malaysia: 60 days, extendible for up to 2 years Singapore: indefinite period of detention Mr. President, the proposed extended period of detention shall only be allowed when necessity has been established. Further, we also made sure that the judiciary plays a role in the event of detention. Upon taking custody, the judge of the court nearest the place of apprehension or arrest shall be notified in writing of the following facts: 1. The time, date, and manner of arrest;
2. The location of the detained suspect; and
3. The physical and mental condition of the detained suspect. The detaining facility is mandated to ensure that the suspect is informed of his/her rights as a detainee. Counsel's access to the detainee shall also be ensured, as well as that of entities authorized by law to exercise visitorial powers over detention facilities. Lastly, 7. The removal of the unconscionable amount of P500,000 per day of incarceration to be awarded to the suspect for unproven charge of terrorism Mr. President, for law enforcement authorities to utilize the provisions of this Act to its full extent, we are proposing to delete the provision mandating the payment of P500,000 per day of incarceration the moment he/she is acquitted of the charge of terrorism. This is under Section 50 of RA 9372. Mr. President, this has been the Sword of Damocles that hangs over the heads of our law enforcement authorities and one of the reasons why they cannot enforce the law to its full extent. By removing this, we hope that our law enforcement authorities will now have the courage to fully execute the provisions of the law without fear of being slapped with this exorbitant fine. Mr. President, it does not mean however that by deleting this provision, those unlawfully charged with violation of this law will not have any recourse in case he/she will be acquitted. In the event of an acquittal, the person illegally charged can always sue for damages under existing laws. I can anticipate that the human rights advocates will severely criticize this measure in order to provoke the people against the passage of the same. Well and good. We are prepared to justify by presenting facts and the clear and present danger among innocent and clueless bystanders whose only mistake is being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Mr. President, due to the evils of terrorism sought to be avoided, there is an imperative need to impose justifiable limitations on the rights of some people, suspected of plotting and actually committing terrorist acts. This is the tough reality. But let me over-emphasize that there are corresponding safeguards to avoid the threat of abuse. Every intrusion calls for checks from the judiciary. Further, lengthy imprisonment penalties are provided to deter exploitation of the law. Mr. President, I hope we all agree to have a similar perspective on this measure and look at it as containing necessary permissible intrusions with built-in mechanisms to limit the same in regard to human rights. As per consultation with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Department of National Defense during the briefing for the extension of Martial Law for another year, a statement was made that the Martial Law in Mindanao will be lifted once an effective Anti-Terrorism Law is passed by Congress. To those of our colleagues who voted against and continue to oppose Martial Law in Mindanao, let me say this: As I said before, a vote for the immediate passage of this measure means a vote for the immediate lifting of Martial Law in Mindanao. It is undeniable that terrorism places lives and properties in peril. Aside from violating rights enshrined under our Constitution, it also runs counter to the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which declares, "Every human being has the inherent right to life and that everyone has the right to liberty and security." They collectively form part of human rights. Mr. President, terrorism violates human rights. The involvement of human rights triggers the obligation of the state to protect its people from threats or acts of terrorism. Mr. President, we have already tried various approaches such as peace talks, peace agreements, and even the grant of autonomy. Yet just a few days ago, we had bombing incidents and armed conflict in Mindanao. On the part of the legislative, numerous resolutions were filed condemning such acts of terrorism. But resolutions are not enough, Mr. President. The value of the lives lost and the lives that are still at risk is far more than that. Why condemn if we could act? Let us toughen the fight against terrorism. Let us combat terrorism and pass the Anti-Terror Act to ensure freedom not only from acts of terrorism but also from threats of terrorism. Thank you, Mr. President.
Press Release
February 6, 2019 De Lima asks SET to publicize results of Tolentino's poll protest vs her Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has asked the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) to reveal before the public the results of the concluded recount of ballots included in the electoral protest of defeated 2016 senatorial candidate Francis Tolentino against her. In a five-page Urgent Motion to Release the Results of Revision and Appreciation of Ballots in the 25% Pilot Protested Precincts filed last Feb. 4, De Lima said the public has the right to know about the truth behind Tolentino's baseless protest which he has recently withdrawn. "In order to stop the misinformation and to finally stop Tolentino from playing the victim, De Lima invokes the plenary authority of the Honorable Tribunal as the 'sole judge' of electoral contests involving members of Congress, and urges the Honorable Tribunal to not simply grant Tolentino's Motion and dismiss the entire protest but to make public the results of its initial determination of the concluded revision of pilot precincts pursuant to Rule 76 of the SET Rules of Procedure," she wrote. Tolentino, in his motion dated Jan. 3, has told SET that he "voluntarily" withdrew his electoral protest against De Lima to allegedly give his "undivided attention" in campaigning for the Senatorial post in the 2019 midterm elections. It may be recalled that he withdrew his election protest after the SET denied his Motion to Suspend Proceedings and/or Archive the Protest last Nov. 22. Notably, Tolentino claimed alleged fraud and irregularities as the cause of his loss in the said elections despite only garnering 12,811,098 total votes as compared to De Lima's total votes of 14,144,070, or a huge margin of 1,332,972 votes in De Lima's favor. The lady Senator from Bicol said that after the completion of the revision and appreciation of the contested and claimed ballots from the pilot protested precincts, the SET can prove that Tolentino was simply defeated and not cheated on. "As will be confirmed by the Honorable Tribunal, [T]olentino neither had a significant vote recovery nor was there a discovery of any fraud or irregularity that could substantiate his preposterous accusation," she said. "When these official results are out in the open, Tolentino can finally make peace with the fact that he was not cheated. He was defeated, and there should be no shame in that," she added. While De Lima believes that Tolentino has the right to withdraw his baseless protest anytime and save himself from further embarrassment, the former justice secretary said the false narrative peddled by Tolentino's camp about the 2016 national elections should be corrected. "Tolentino has publicly lashed out at De Lima claiming over and over that he was cheated and that De Lima was responsible. He claims that there were allegedly some two million votes that were not counted in his name," she wrote. "For all those times that he maintains this claim, De Lima is shamed, ridiculed, and dishonored, and the integrity of the electoral process is viciously assaulted," she added. In her Dispatch from Crame No. 390, De Lima called Tolentino's accusation of cheating as nothing but a "plot for a cheap paperback novel" which has remained a "fantastic story that only losers in elections are capable of concocting."
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, Feb. 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GTX Corp (OTCQB: GTXO) (GTX or the Company) , a pioneer in the field of wearable GPS, human and asset tracking systems and wandering assistive technology, today announced that it has signed a collaboration agreement (the Agreement) with Flint Rehab, LLC , a leading neuro-rehabilitation device company that specializes in next-generation digital health technologies.
By the Agreement, GTX and Flint Rehab will develop a next generation SmartSoleO noninvasive GPS wearable tracker for those who wander, which will include location-based GPS technology, biometric activity sensors and machine learning.
We are very excited that GTX has been selected to collaborate with Flint Rehab in the new development of the next version SmartSoleO GPS footwear that will include activity tracking to promote senior wellness, commented GTXs CEO, Patrick Bertagna. By having sensors for tracking and biometrics, and utilizing both the left and right soles, we will be providing a unique and proprietary offering to the marketplace.
GTX recently filed a patent for embedding sensors into both right and left insoles with the ability to communicate via Bluetooth. This patent filing is significant to this project as it will be the intellectual property backbone of this new product.
The National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has made funding available for companies to develop technologies like the next generation SmartSoleO as part of their plan to address Alzheimers disease in America. Flint Rehab has successfully obtained NIH funding through Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards to develop commercially successful medical devices, including their MusicGlove and FitMi rehabilitation tools for individuals with stroke, spinal cord injury, or traumatic brain injury. Together, GTX and Flint Rehab may be eligible to secure additional SBIR funds.
From the beginning, our mission has been to empower individuals to live healthier lives through innovative technologies, said Dan Zondervan, Vice President of Flint Rehab. Through this partnership with GTX, we look forward to developing a wearable device and machine learning platform that can help individuals with Alzheimers disease, traumatic brain injury, or cognitive impairment, live a healthier life, remain independent and age in place.
GTXs SmartSolesO made headlines this month in a recent IoT Journal article that published research findings of Janusz Wojtusiak, PhD, Associate Professor and Director of Health Informatics at Masons College of Health and Human Services. Dr. Wojtusiak studied the possibility of using machine learning methods applied to data from GPS trackers to create individualized models that describe patterns of movement. These patterns can be used to predict typical locations of individuals with dementia, and to detect movements that do not follow these patterns and may correspond to wandering. The GPS trackers and data used in the study were GTXs SmartSolesO. The SmartSoles were also mentioned in a Forbes.com article. And Googles sister company Verily has in recent months developed a smart shoe prototype that can track weight and monitor falls, and is hoping to attract partners to build the shoes and take them to market according to CNBC . These headlines support the value proposition of continued IP and development efforts in the Smart Footwear category, and this collaboration project between GTX Corp and Flint Rehab.
About Flint Rehab
Flint Rehab is a forward-thinking digital health company dedicated to reinventing the way stroke survivors recover. Our experienced team of neuroscientists creates next-gen rehabilitation tools using the latest clinical research and gamification. Our most popular products, FitMi and MusicGlove, have empowered thousands of people to increase mobility and regain a positive outlook on life, while our latest product, the MiGo is the first activity tracker designed specifically for rehab. We also provide educational resources and community support to motivate survivors to rebuild a life full of the activities they love! Were the anti-boring solution that helps survivors engage with their therapy, day in and day out. Learn more about us here: https://www.flintrehab.com/ .
About GTX Corp
GTX Corp (GTXO) is a pioneer in smart, mobile and wearable GPS tracking and recovery location-based solutions, supported through a proprietary IoT enterprise monitoring platform and intellectual property portfolio. GTX offers a global end-to-end solution of hardware, software and connectivity and develops two-way GPS tracking technologies, which seamlessly integrate with consumer products and enterprise applications. GTX Corp utilizes the latest in miniaturized, low power consumption GPS, Cellular, RF and BLE technology, enabling subscribers to track in real time the whereabouts of people or high value assets. Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, GTX is known for its game-changing and award-winning patented GPS SmartSole -- think Dr. Scholls meets LoJack, the worlds first invisible wearable technology tracking device created for those at risk of wandering due to Alzheimers, dementia, autism and traumatic brain injury. GTX Corps business model is built around technology innovation and holds over 85 patents, with many issued patents in the area of GPS tracking. The company has international distributors servicing customers in over 35 countries and is a U.S. Military Government contractor. Other customers include public health authorities and municipalities, emergency and law enforcement, NGOs, private companies, public and private senior care homes, and consumers.
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In the UK, GTX Corp operates from its London office. Please contact: Nelson Skip Riddle
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Disclaimer: GTX Corp does not warrant or represent that the unauthorized use of materials drawn from the content of this document will not infringe rights of third parties who are not owned or affiliated by GTX Corp. Further GTX Corp cannot be held responsible or liable for the unauthorized use of this documents content by third parties unknown to the company.
Dr. Elizabeth Burns
Wendy Lewis Jackson
The Liberal Arts building, which will temporarily house Marygrove's high school starting in the fall
Local realtor Lolita Haley
Residents of Northwest Detroit's Livernois-McNichols community are watching new developments at Marygrove College with a keen eye. A long-time neighborhood anchor, the private Catholic learning institution recently embarked on a new direction after years of financial challenges.Embracing a cradle-to-career approach to education, the college plans to build a new early childhood education center, renovate a former high school located on its grounds into a public K-12 school, and establish a special "residency" program for teachers. These plans will get going with a ninth grade pilot program this coming fall."It's a big leap," says Marygrove President Dr. Elizabeth Burns. "The hope is that this is going to become an educational model that can be used in urban areas throughout the country."It is hard to understate the turbulence the school has had to push through to get to this point. For one, Marygrove has experienced some major leadership shakeups, with three different presidents at the helm between 2015 and 2016. And like a lot of private U.S. colleges, it's had to grapple with declining enrollment.Financial woes related to a diminishing student base resulted in the college announcing the complete elimination of its undergraduate program in the summer of 2017. More than 50 employees were laid off and hundreds of undergrad students were left in the lurch after that decision. Marygrove ended that fiscal year with a deficit of nearly $4 million.The college faced bankruptcy and closure, and the surrounding neighborhood risked losing a community institution that had been part of the northwest Detroit landscape since 1927.Thankfully, after a dramatic shift in direction, Marygrove now seems to be sailing a little smoother, albeit on a new course that takes it into uncharted territory.The college's recent reinvention wouldn't have been possible without the assistance of partners like the Kresge Foundation In 2016, shortly after being appointed Marygrove's new president, Dr. Burns reached out to the foundation to speak about the dire crisis her school faced. At the time, the organizations had already been working together through the Live6 Alliance and the Reimagining the Civic Commons initiative, two northwest Detroit neighborhood revitalization efforts in which Kresge had invested heavily."We became aware of the challenges at Marygrove College and got involved mainly as a way to ensure that the incredible neighborhood asset and its campus weren't lost," says Wendy Lewis Jackson, managing director of Kresge's Detroit Program.So Kresge began working with Marygrove on two fronts, responding to the fiscal issues confronting the college and assisting it with its transformation to a new, more sustainable educational model.In February last year, the foundation announced a $16 million investment to help Marygrove cover ongoing operational expenses; support students, faculty and staff adjusting to the ending of the undergraduate program; assist with the changeover to a graduate-only studies program; maintain the college's 53-acre campus; shore up or restructure urgent debts; create a new entity called the Marygrove Conservancy to ensure the integrity of the campus as a community resource; and explore the possibility of a new cradle-to-career educational focus.In September, the foundation announced an additional financial commitment, expected to bring the total to $50 million, for this new cradle-to-career educational approach. And a number of newly allied organizations came forward to join what Marygrove now refers to as its P-20 Partnership.Through this partnership, Starfish Family Services will operate the early childhood learning center that will be built on the site. The Detroit Collaborative Design Center and IFF are now collaborating with a network of area early childhood education providers to create a holistic set of child and family support principles to guide that center's work. Additionally, the Detroit Public Schools Community District will run the K-12 school, which will be located in a rehabbed building that formerly housed Bates Academy and before that Immaculata High School.The childhood center and K-12 school will provide services to more than 1,000 Detroit kids and their families, the majority of which are expected to be coming from the neighborhoods surrounding the college.Marygrove College is also working with the University of Michigan's School of Education as several of the colleges' programs are complementary. U-M will develop a teacher "residency" program where graduates will work at the DPSCD school on Marygrove's campus. Marygrove's faculty in its Early Childhood Education program will work with educational partners on curriculum and graduate student education, as well as professional development.For the Kresge Foundation, Marygrove's new approach is an opportunity to put education at the center of other revitalization efforts in the Livernois-McNichols district.Jackson is excited about the possibilities the P-20 framework opens up. She sees it as a way to "radically re-conceptualize how we think about opportunity in Detroit neighborhoods" by providing a "high-quality education coupled with wraparound support for families from birth up to a true career."So how do the folks who live and work in the neighborhoods around Marygrove feel about the recent developments at the college?Jevona Watson is an attorney who lives in the neighborhood and owns the local Detroit Sip coffeehouse. While she's a little dismayed by the closing of the undergraduate program, because she opened her establishment in part for its proximity to Marygrove and the University of Detroit Mercy, she's also optimistic about a new K-12 school opening up there."I'm excited about the possibility and am even contemplating the possibility of sending my own child," she says."We have to improve the educational system," she adds. "That's what's necessary to bring middle class working families with values back to Detroit."Amas Muhammad, 30, is a bar manager and father to a young son who lives in the nearby Palmer Park neighborhood. He was a sophomore majoring in philosophy when the college cut its undergrad program in 2016.Though frustrated by his experience, he's glad Marygrove is sticking around. "I'd rather it still be a school, even if it's not the university I was attending," Muhammad says. "I feel that neighborhoods benefit from having it around."He also backs the efforts by Marygrove and U-M School of Education to launch a teacher residency program."We need more teachers, he says. "If it's going to help tip the scales in a better educational direction, I'm supportive of that."Lolita Haley is a local realtor and director of the University Commons community development organization. She's more on the fence about what's been happening lately at Marygrove."I was disappointed they waited so long to turn around their situation," she says. "But on the other hand, they're not going away. Some of us feel if they go away, it's going to turn into a gated community with houses that we can't afford."And while Haley likes the idea of a preschool-to-college educational focus, she feels its important to look at the new initiative from a wider context."It's always great to talk about schools, but you've got surrounding schools that are failing. Why aren't they helping those children in those schools, and who are these for? I'm interested to see how it out works out."With all these changes taking place, Marygrove appears to be in a much better place now.The college's graduate program has adopted more of an online presence, which has opened up new out-of-state markets to enrollment. And, through a generous alumni donation, the school is about to launch a new marketing campaign.The new Marygrove Conservancy board is meeting regularly. Application is open for enrollment in the new K-12 school's pilot ninth grade program, which is set to begin this fall. And the early childhood center should open its doors by 2020.Next year, DPSCD will also launch kindergarten and 10th grade classes, and all primary school and high school classes are expected to be operational by 2029, with students from the neighborhood receiving priority enrollment. DPSCD is currently collaborating with U-M to jointly develop K-8 and 9-12 curricula for the new school facility.Ultimately, Dr. Burns hopes all these elements will come together in the next several years to create an innovative school for neighborhood kids that will serve as a model for other urban communities."The whole development is really aimed at staying in the community, staying as a neighborhood anchor, and bringing something to the neighborhood that would be lost had Marygrove closed," she says. "It's not going to be tomorrow, but it's going to be a very exciting campus, and I think it will be a very big support for the neighborhood."
When Lauren Schandevel attended a friends birthday party recently, she was both delighted and surprised that someone she had never met before came up and said they knew her.
"This happens to me sometimes and when it does, its pretty cool," says the 22-year-old University of Michigan (U-M) public policy student. "These strangers usually say that they know me as the creator of 'the guide.'"
"The guide" is a Google Doc Schandevel started last January that spread like wildfire on the U-M campus. Titled "Being Not-Rich at UM," it was Schandevels response to an affordability guide published by the universitys Central Student Government (CSG). In the year since its release it's had wide-ranging impact not only among U-M students and staff, but with universities across the country.
As a first-generation, low-income college student, Schandevel took issue last year with what she felt was tone-deaf advice in CSG's affordability guide. She found the guide pretty comprehensive with a lot of useful information, but she and other students were displeased with a section about saving money.
"With advice like not outsourcing your laundry and not using maid and cooking services, it was just strange to me," Schandevel says. "It felt like there was an assumption that lower-income students were having a hard time affording stuff on campus because they were just not managing their money properly or spending excessively."
It didnt take her long to decide to start her own guide to offer more inclusive advice on topics including housing, food, finding jobs, and even how to destigmatize being not wealthy.
The guide started out as a simple Google Doc with a title, an introduction, and some subtitles, but it quickly went viral as more and more students who were disappointed with the CSG offering began contributing. Within 48 hours it had grown to 30 pages. Today the document is 250 pages long.
Soon after she released the guide, Schandevel received a message from someone in CSG asking to meet at their office. Attending with a few other Google Doc contributors, Schandevel recalls that both groups were apprehensive. But in the end, everyone was able to agree that the CSG affordability guide was not as sensitive as it could have been to the issue of being low-income on a wealthy campus.
"We realized that we could work together to not only make the guide better, but also to come up with real solutions to campus affordability," she says.
Things took another positive turn when CSG elections happened and the new members began to prioritize affordability. CSG also invited Schandevel to chair its Affordability Task Force.
"Its really become a collaborative relationship between myself and the student government to prioritize the issue," she says.
In the last year, Schandevel has also been working with U-M's Office of New Student Programs to develop a more professional version of the guide, with an eye toward incorporating it into the office's orientation programming and using it as a resource for new students.
"Weve combed through the guide, keeping stuff, fact-checking stuff, and deleting stuff, to make it something that the university can present to new students as theyre coming in," she says.
Schandevel notes that meeting with the Office of New Student Programs was an interesting contrast to meeting with CSG.
"The central student government created their guide and the university really had nothing to do with it, but a lot of the universitys policies sort of embodied what that guide was all about," she says.
In an initial meeting, Schandevel was dismayed when one U-M staffer said they dont use the term "low-income student." She realized then that the university had an unspoken policy of not naming economic causes for some students inability to afford things.
But fortunately, in the course of furthering her cause and through personal interactions, Schandevel has also found U-M staffers who are sensitive to the challenges of not-rich students. One area of her guide that continues to grow is a section called Mentors. Students can find a list of teachers, many of whom were first-generation low-income students themselves, who can provide support.
One of these teachers is Dwight Lang, a sociology lecturer and the faculty adviser to the student group First-Generation College Students @ Michigan since 2008. Lang contributed his contact information to Schandevels guide last year.
"The guide has raised awareness regarding social class diversity on campus. This is good for students, both those who are economically distressed and those who receive all the money they need and want from parents," he says.
He also believes the document has been beneficial to U-M staff because, in the past, too many university employees assumed that nearly all students are middle-class.
"The guide has been a building block in the sense that middle- and upper-middle-class faculty, staff, and students are slowly but surely understanding the complexities of social class difference and inequality at U-M, in Michigan, and across the nation," Lang says.
Another big supporter of both the guide and Schandevel is 21-year-old Griffin St. Onge. The graduating senior is one of Schandevels close friends and has contributed significantly to "Being Not-Rich at UM". Along with Schandevel, St. Onge co-chairs a new student organization called Affordable Michigan (originally named the Michigan Affordability and Advocacy Coalition).
The two started the organization shortly after the guide was released. Their goal is to shine a light on advocacy issues that primarily affect low-income students.
St. Onge says she and Schandevel realized that while there are some great existing resources and support systems that the guide discusses, other resources have yet to be implemented or created.
"Our work takes different forms, from being a support network, to connecting people with resources when we can, to raising awareness of issues, and to actively advocating for change," St. Onge says.
For example, she cites their partnership with The Michigan Daily on an issue that published students' testimonies of their experiences and overall difficulties with unpaid internships.
One of Affordable Michigan's current focus areas is how U-M has affected area housing.
"We've been meeting with other community groups and Central Student Government about the potential of reinstating a tenants' union that is inclusive to all tenants impacted by the university's presence," St. Onge says.
Both Schandevel and St. Onge have been touched by the growing sense of kinship that has emerged in the wake of the document, both locally and across the nation. So far, at least nine other schools have devised a similar guide or have one in the works.
"I have students from other schools reaching out through Facebook and email, so we ended up creating a doc called Being Not-Rich DIY as an offshoot how-to," Schandevel says.
A year ago, Schandevel never imagined her guide would generate so much community and conversation, on campus or off.
"At the end of the day, the guide tells an honest story about low-income students that is for, and by, low-income students," she says. "And the message that students and administrations are getting from it is that its important to keep talking about prioritizing affordability."
Jaishree Drepaul-Bruder is a freelance writer and editor currently in based in Ann Arbor. She can be reached at jaishreeedit@gmail.com.
All photos by
Doug Coombe
Liang had entered Yangon via Hong Kong, and was arrested at Rangoon international airport when heading to Thailand.
He is alleged to have avoided and refused to pay tax of over RMB1m, and a court in Ningbo issued an arrest warrant for him. Liang has been handed over to Chinese police.
Liang, born in Zhejiang province, operated family business Evergreen Holding Group with his father in Ningbo, which is engaged in the investment and development of heavy industry sector including shipbuilding, offshore engineering and logistics.
He founded Sinopacific Shipbuilding Group in 2004, which was formerly known as Jiangsu Sinopacific Shipbuilding, based in Shanghai. The company was declared bankruptcy in 2017 due to the lack of capital and unpaid debts.
Currently, Evergreen in Ningbo had suspended operations and laid off many of its staff. Both Liang and his father are facing several lawsuits, many of their properties went under the hammer.
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) granted the underwriting license and the branch will be managed by Tindall Riley (Britannia) Singapore (TR(B)S) and is headed by John OFlaherty as chief executive.
Britannia is beefing up its presence in the Asian market and received an underwriting license in Hong Kong. The Singapore office will look after members in the Asean area as well as India and Australasia.
"The news that Britannias Singapore office has been granted a licence to underwrite business so soon after the Hong Kong office is welcome and, again, demonstrates the Clubs commitment to Britannias Asian Members, who account for nearly 50% of the Clubs business," said Andrew Cutler, ceo of Britannia and the Managers.
NEW YORK, Feb. 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In new independent research reports released early this morning, Market Source Research released its latest key findings for all current investors, traders, and shareholders of Weyerhaeuser Company (NYSE:WY), SM Energy Company (NYSE:SM), Independence Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:IRT), Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS), Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR), and Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS), including updated fundamental summaries, consolidated fiscal reporting, and fully-qualified certified analyst research.
Complimentary Access: Research Reports
Full copies of recently published reports are available to readers at the links below.
WY DOWNLOAD: http://MarketSourceResearch.com/register/?so=WY
SM DOWNLOAD: http://MarketSourceResearch.com/register/?so=SM
IRT DOWNLOAD: http://MarketSourceResearch.com/register/?so=IRT
LVS DOWNLOAD: http://MarketSourceResearch.com/register/?so=LVS
RGR DOWNLOAD: http://MarketSourceResearch.com/register/?so=RGR
BFS DOWNLOAD: http://MarketSourceResearch.com/register/?so=BFS
(You may have to copy and paste the link into your browser and hit the [ENTER] key)
The new research reports from Market Source Research, available for free download at the links above, examine Weyerhaeuser Company (NYSE:WY), SM Energy Company (NYSE:SM), Independence Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:IRT), Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS), Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR), and Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS) on a fundamental level and outlines the overall demand for their products and services in addition to an in-depth review of the business strategy, management discussion, and overall direction going forward. Several excerpts from the recently released reports are available to today's readers below.
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Important Notice: the following excerpts are not designed to be standalone summaries and as such, important information may be missing from these samples. Please download the entire research report, free of charge, to ensure you are reading all relevant material information. All information in this release was accessed February 4th, 2019. Percentage calculations are performed after rounding. All amounts in millions (MM), except per share amounts.
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WEYERHAEUSER COMPANY (WY) REPORT OVERVIEW
Weyerhaeuser's Recent Financial Performance
For the three months ended September 30th, 2018 vs September 30th, 2017, Weyerhaeuser reported revenue of $1,910.00MM vs $1,872.00MM (up 2.03%) and analysts estimated basic earnings per share $0.34 vs $0.17 (up 100.00%). For the twelve months ended December 31st, 2017 vs December 31st, 2016, Weyerhaeuser reported revenue of $7,196.00MM vs $6,365.00MM (up 13.06%) and analysts estimated basic earnings per share $0.77 vs $1.40 (down 45.00%). Analysts expect earnings to be released on April 26th, 2019. The report will be for the fiscal period ending March 31st, 2019. The reported EPS for the same quarter last year was $0.36. The estimated EPS forecast for the next fiscal year is $0.88 and is expected to report on February 7th, 2020.
To read the full Weyerhaeuser Company (WY) report, download it here: http://MarketSourceResearch.com/register/?so=WY
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SM ENERGY COMPANY (SM) REPORT OVERVIEW
SM Energy's Recent Financial Performance
For the three months ended September 30th, 2018 vs September 30th, 2017, SM Energy reported revenue of $459.37MM vs $295.38MM (up 55.52%) and analysts estimated basic earnings per share -$1.21 vs -$0.80. For the twelve months ended December 31st, 2017 vs December 31st, 2016, SM Energy reported revenue of $1,129.38MM vs $1,217.45MM (down 7.23%) and analysts estimated basic earnings per share -$1.44 vs -$9.90. Analysts expect earnings to be released on February 20th, 2019. The report will be for the fiscal period ending December 31st, 2018. Reported EPS for the same quarter last year was -$0.08. The estimated EPS forecast for the next fiscal year is $0.62 and is expected to report on February 20th, 2019.
To read the full SM Energy Company (SM) report, download it here: http://MarketSourceResearch.com/register/?so=SM
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INDEPENDENCE REALTY TRUST, INC. (IRT) REPORT OVERVIEW
Independence Realty Trust's Recent Financial Performance
For the three months ended September 30th, 2018 vs September 30th, 2017, Independence Realty Trust reported revenue of $48.78MM vs $40.07MM (up 21.75%) and analysts estimated basic earnings per share $0.05 vs $0.02 (up 150.00%). For the twelve months ended December 31st, 2017 vs December 31st, 2016, Independence Realty Trust reported revenue of $161.22MM vs $153.39MM (up 5.10%) and analysts estimated basic earnings per share $0.41 vs -$0.19. Analysts expect earnings to be released on February 21st, 2019. The report will be for the fiscal period ending December 31st, 2018. Reported EPS for the same quarter last year was $0.18. The estimated EPS forecast for the next fiscal year is $0.80 and is expected to report on February 19th, 2019.
To read the full Independence Realty Trust, Inc. (IRT) report, download it here: http://MarketSourceResearch.com/register/?so=IRT
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LAS VEGAS SANDS CORP. (LVS) REPORT OVERVIEW
Las Vegas Sands' Recent Financial Performance
For the three months ended September 30th, 2018 vs September 30th, 2017, Las Vegas Sands reported revenue of $3,372.00MM vs $3,161.00MM (up 6.68%) and basic earnings per share $0.73 vs $0.72 (up 1.39%). For the twelve months ended December 31st, 2017 vs December 31st, 2016, Las Vegas Sands reported revenue of $12,882.00MM vs $11,410.00MM (up 12.90%) and analysts estimated basic earnings per share $3.54 vs $2.10 (up 68.57%). Analysts expect earnings to be released on April 24th, 2019. The report will be for the fiscal period ending March 31st, 2019. The reported EPS for the same quarter last year was $1.04. The estimated EPS forecast for the next fiscal year is $3.44 and is expected to report on January 22nd, 2020.
To read the full Las Vegas Sands Corp. (LVS) report, download it here: http://MarketSourceResearch.com/register/?so=LVS
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STURM, RUGER & COMPANY, INC. (RGR) REPORT OVERVIEW
Sturm, Ruger's Recent Financial Performance
For the three months ended September 30th, 2018 vs September 30th, 2017, Sturm, Ruger reported revenue of $114.95MM vs $104.82MM (up 9.66%) and analysts estimated basic earnings per share $0.53 vs $0.53 (unchanged). For the twelve months ended December 31st, 2017 vs December 31st, 2016, Sturm, Ruger reported revenue of $522.26MM vs $664.33MM (down 21.39%) and analysts estimated basic earnings per share $2.94 vs $4.62 (down 36.36%). Analysts expect earnings to be released on February 20th, 2019. The report will be for the fiscal period ending December 31st, 2018. The reported EPS for the same quarter last year was $0.56. The estimated EPS forecast for the next fiscal year is $3.66 and is expected to report on February 20th, 2019.
To read the full Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (RGR) report, download it here: http://MarketSourceResearch.com/register/?so=RGR
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SAUL CENTERS, INC. (BFS) REPORT OVERVIEW
Saul Centers' Recent Financial Performance
For the three months ended September 30th, 2018 vs September 30th, 2017, Saul Centers reported revenue of $57.01MM vs $56.23MM (up 1.39%) and analysts estimated basic earnings per share $0.45 vs $0.38 (up 18.42%). For the twelve months ended December 31st, 2017 vs December 31st, 2016, Saul Centers reported revenue of $227.29MM vs $217.07MM (up 4.71%) and analysts estimated basic earnings per share $1.64 vs $1.53 (up 7.19%). Analysts expect earnings to be released on February 26th, 2019. The report will be for the fiscal period ending December 31st, 2018. The reported EPS for the same quarter last year was $0.76. The estimated EPS forecast for the next fiscal year is $3.36 and is expected to report on February 26th, 2019.
To read the full Saul Centers, Inc. (BFS) report, download it here: http://MarketSourceResearch.com/register/?so=BFS
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Las Vegas, NV, Feb. 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- MJ Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: MJNE) (MJH or the Company), a leader in the Nevada cannabis market, has acquired land in the Amargosa Valley of Nevada to utilize for expansion of its marijuana cultivation capabilities.
The Company, in conjunction with Lets Roll Holdings, LLC has acquired 100% of the membership interests of Farm Road, LLC, the owner of two parcels of fertile farmland and the related water rights. MJH will utilize the land to expand its hybrid-mesh cultivation capabilities, initially planting ten additional acres of marijuana in 2019.
MJH recently completed its first harvest of three acres of marijuana plants at a nearby facility that it manages for another cultivator. Due to the enormous success of our 2018 grow we needed to find additional suitable land to expand our capabilities for 2019, said Terrence Tierney, MJHs Chief Administrative Officer. The Company has executed a Letter of Intent to acquire two existing marijuana cultivation and production licenses in Nye County, Nevada. The Company has begun the process of perfecting these licenses in order to commence operations on the newly acquired land in the spring of 2019.
Paris Balaouras, MJHs CEO, said, Utilizing our hybrid-mesh system we have proven that we can successfully grow marijuana in the Nevada desert with higher yields per plant and considerably lower costs than in a traditional greenhouse or indoor setting. Mr. Balaouras further stated, We are confident that we can considerably increase our 2019 production of marijuana flower and trim on the 13 acres we will be cultivating this year.
About MJ Holdings, Inc.
MJ Holdings Inc. (OTCQB: MJNE) is a diversified publicly traded holding company providing management and consulting services to the regulated cannabis industry. Through our subsidiaries we provide cultivation and production management services and infrastructure development. Our management operations include a three-acre outdoor marijuana cultivation facility in the Amargosa Valley of Nevada, as well as a fully licensed indoor agritourism facility located in the city of Las Vegas known as the Highland Show-Grow. We are also active in identifying and acquiring revenue producing assets and licenses within legalized cannabis markets both nationally and internationally.
Safe Harbor
The information provided in this press release may include forward-looking statements relating to future events or the future financial performance of the Company. Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Words such as "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "intends," "will," "potential," "hope" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations of the Company and involve assumptions that may never materialize or may prove to be incorrect. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of various risks and uncertainties. Detailed information regarding factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by statements in this press release relating to the Company may be found in the Company's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the factors described in the sections entitled "Risk Factors", copies of which may be obtained from the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. The parties do not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in this press release.
Los Angeles, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/06/2019 -- Terrazzo originated in Italy, where marble-workers would take the crumbs of their work home, mix them with cement and create faux-stone floors for their terraces. Since then, terrazzo floors have grown into an art form all their own with a wide range of styles and possibilities. Classic terrazzo is a mixture of marble fragments, called the aggregate, and a cementations binding agent, called the matrix. It is resilient and can be used inside and outside and it can be cast in place or laid in manufactured tiles.
Today terrazzo serves as a green building material used in universities, hospitals, airports, office lobbies and other commercial and residential properties.
Key factors driving growth in educational segment includes custom-made designs coupled with extended product lifespan features offered by terrazzo which is growing its preference for institutions, schools, universities, auditoriums. An increasing number of universities, institutions & schools are anticipated to contribute significantly towards overall industry demand in the application segment.
The global Terrazzo Flooring market is valued at 2820 million US$ in 2018 is expected to reach 4800 million US$ by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of 6.9% during 2019-2025.
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Key manufacturers are Kingspan Group, RPM, H. B. Fuller Construction Products, SHW, UMGG, Doyle Dickerson Terrazzo, HJJC, Guangxi Mishi, Terrazzco, Lijie Technology, Terrazzo USA, Beijing Lu Xingand etc. The product is considered to be inexpensive in nature on account of extremely low maintenance charges. However, the installation cost is higher as compared to other alternatives including coating, tiles, and polished concrete surfaces. Therefore, the presence of low-cost options, including ceramic tiles, is expected to impact overall industry growth negatively in the near future.
At company level, this report focuses on the production capacity, ex-factory price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer covered in this report.
The following manufacturers are covered:
Kingspan Group
RPM
H. B. Fuller Construction Products
SHW
UMGG
Doyle Dickerson Terrazzo
HJJC
Segment by Regions
North America
Europe
China
Japan
Segment by Type
Inorganic Terrazzo
Epoxy Terrazzo
Segment by Application
Educational
Commercial
Healthcare and Pharmaceutical
Others
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About QYResearch
QYResearch always pursuits high product quality with the belief that quality is the soul of business. Through years of effort and supports from huge number of customer supports, QYResearch consulting group has accumulated creative design methods on many high-quality markets investigation and research team with rich experience. Today, QYResearch has become the brand of quality assurance in consulting industry.
Los Angeles, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/05/2019 -- Tequila is a regional specific name for a distilled beverage made from the blue agave plant, primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila, 65 km (40 mi) northwest of Guadalajara, and in the highlands (Los Altos) of the north western Mexican state of Jalisco. Although tequila is a kind of mezcal, modern tequila differs somewhat in the method of its production, in the use of only blue agave plants, as well as in its regional specificity. Tequila varieties are only allowed to use the term if they are manufactured in specific regions of Mexico.
Currently, Mexico is the only origin of tequila. Tequila is the most important type of wine in Mexico. Tequila is the symbol of Mexican national spirit, and Mexico is the second largest consumer countries of tequila.
The United States is the largest consumer of Tequila. In addition, the US demand for tequila is increasing year by year. Spain and Chinese demand for tequila is increasing at a high rate.
Tequila has very strict requirements for raw materials. A mature blue agave requires a minimum of eight years, which limits the total production of tequila.
The global Tequila market is valued at 4660 million US$ in 2018 is expected to reach 6360 million US$ by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of 4.0% during 2019-2025.
This report focuses on Tequila volume and value at global level, regional level and company level. From a global perspective, this report represents overall Tequila market size by analyzing historical data and future prospect. Regionally, this report focuses on several key regions: North America, Europe, China and Japan.
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At company level, this report focuses on the production capacity, ex-factory price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer covered in this report.
The following manufacturers are covered:
Jose Cuervo
Sauza
Patron
Juarez
1800 Tequila
El Jimador Family
Don Julio
Familia Camarena Tequila
Herradura
Zarco
Cazadores
Cabo Tequila
Milagro
Margaritaville
Clase Azul
Avion Tequila
1921 Tequila
4 Copas
Corzo
El Agave Artesanal
Tequila Arette
Don Eduardo
Agave Dos Mil
Aha Toro
Buen Amigo
Campo Azul
Cascahuin Distillery
Compania Tequilera de Arandas
Centinela
Hacienda La Capilla
Dos Lunas Tequila
Segment by Regions
North America
Europe
China
Japan
Segment by Type
100% Tequila
Mixto Tequila
Segment by Application
Corporate Hospitality
Government Reception
Family Dinner
Other
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About QYResearch
QYResearch always pursuits high product quality with the belief that quality is the soul of business. Through years of effort and supports from huge number of customer supports, QYResearch consulting group has accumulated creative design methods on many high-quality markets investigation and research team with rich experience. Today, QYResearch has become the brand of quality assurance in consulting industry.
Raleigh, NC -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/06/2019 -- Dr. Stein and his team were recently honored as one of the top-rated practices within the U.S by RealSelf. The RealSelf Hall of Fame is just another accomplishment for the double board-certified surgeon. However, Dr. Stein notes the award is a significant reminder of the importance of an ongoing commitment to providing above-standard care.
Stein Plastic Surgery will be featured on the Times Square Jumbotron along with numerous other Hall of Famers. The practice will also be placed in front of thousands of RealSelf's Instagram followers. Dr. Stein has shown to be one of the premier facial plastic surgeons in the greater North Carolina area based on both reviews and patient photos throughout the RealSelf platform.
RealSelf is one of the world's most trusted online sources for information about aesthetic procedures. The platform allows patients to learn everything they need to know about a procedure so they can make an informed decision about what's right for them. RealSelf also directly connects patients with doctors for highly-accurate consumer education.
Since 2011, RealSelf has honored board-certified aesthetic practitioners with prestigious RealSelf 100 and RealSelf 500 awards. RealSelf awards are based on specific criteria including a doctor's commitment to providing ethical, patient-centric advice and care. After 8-years, the RealSelf platform has opted to induct the top 1,000 RealSelf 100 & 500 winners into the RealSelf Hall of Fame.
The RealSelf Hall of Fame is a one-time award designed to honor the best of the best. Eligibility was based on a minimum number of highly-rated RealSelf reviews, before and after photos, and providing consistent answers to patient questions. Dr. Stein is an active member of the RealSelf community and easily met the strict requirements for Hall of Fame eligibility.
Dr. Stein is a double board-certified surgeon and facial super-specialist. Committing himself solely to facial procedures has provided Dr. Stein with the expertise necessary to produce optimal results each and every time. Dr. Stein routinely performs cosmetic and reconstructive facial surgeries for both men and women.
Patients who would like to learn more about facial surgeries with RealSelf Hall of Famer Dr. Stein in Raleigh, NC, can do so by calling (919) 263-3104 or visiting the Stein Plastic Surgery website.
Stein Plastic Surgery
4301 Lake Boone Trail, Ste. 309
Raleigh, NC 27607
New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/06/2019 -- This report researches the worldwide Specialty Fertilizers market size (value, capacity, production and consumption) in key regions like North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (China, Japan) and other regions.
This study categorizes the global Specialty Fertilizers breakdown data by manufacturers, region, type and application, 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.
Global Specialty Fertilizers market size will increase to Million US$ by 2025, from Million US$ in 2017, at a CAGR of during the forecast period. In this study, 2017 has been considered as the base year and 2018 to 2025 as the forecast period to estimate the market size for Specialty Fertilizers.
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This report focuses on the top manufacturers' Specialty Fertilizers capacity, production, value, price and market share of Specialty Fertilizers in global market. The following manufacturers are covered in this report:
Yara International ASA
Agrium Inc.
The Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc.
Israel Chemical Limited
Sociedad Quimica Y Minera S.A.
Haifa Chemicals Limited
Coromandel International Limited
Specialty Fertilizers Breakdown Data by Type
Slow Release Fertilizers
Controlled Release Fertilizers
Nutrition and Urease Inhibitors
Micro nutrient Fertilizers
Others
Specialty Fertilizers Breakdown Data by Application
Cereals & Oilseeds
Turf & Ornamentals
Fruits & Vegetables
Others
Specialty Fertilizers Production Breakdown Data by Region
United States
Europe
China
Japan
Other Regions
Specialty Fertilizers Consumption Breakdown Data by Region
North America
United States
Canada
Mexico
Asia-Pacific
China
India
Japan
South Korea
Australia
Indonesia
Malaysia
Philippines
Thailand
Vietnam
Europe
Germany
France
UK
Italy
Russia
Rest of Europe
Central & South America
Brazil
Rest of South America
Middle East & Africa
GCC Countries
Turkey
Egypt
South Africa
Rest of Middle East & Africa
Read report overview at: https://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/global-specialty-fertilizers-market-insights-forecast-to-2025.htm
The study objectives are:
To analyze and research the global Specialty Fertilizers capacity, production, value, consumption, status and forecast;
To focus on the key Specialty Fertilizers manufacturers and study the capacity, production, value, market share and development plans in next few years.
To focuses on the global key manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the market competition landscape, SWOT analysis.
To define, describe and forecast the market by type, application and region.
To analyze the global and key regions market potential and advantage, opportunity and challenge, restraints and risks.
To identify significant trends and factors driving or inhibiting the market growth.
To analyze the opportunities in the market for stakeholders by identifying the high growth segments.
To strategically analyze each submarket with respect to individual growth trend and their contribution to the market.
To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market.
To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.
In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Specialty Fertilizers :
History Year: 2013-2017
Base Year: 2017
Estimated Year: 2018
Forecast Year 2018 to 2025
For the data information by region, company, type and application, 2017 is considered as the base year. Whenever data information was unavailable for the base year, the prior year has been considered.
Maharashtra, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/05/2019 -- Mr Sabyasachi Roy, co-founder of Ants Ceramics presented with Prof Sasadhar Ray Memorial Award by Indian Ceramic Society on 9th January 2019 for his contribution towards the development of Ceramics.
Ants Ceramics is India's first Advanced Materials Company with its origin in Academic Institutions and R&D Laboratories. Incorporated in 2006 the company aims to become a global player in the field of Advanced Materials. They sell their products like Alumina Crucibles, Quartz Labware, Mortar and Pestles to name few, globally via their e-commerce website antsLAB (www.antslab.in).
antsLAB manufacture oxide ceramic components of Alumina ,Zirconia and their composites by Powder Compaction, Injection Molding,Isostatic Pressing,Slip Casting and Gel Casting.
Ants started its journey from IIT Kharagpur and IIT Powai with a clear goal to establish India's first Advanced Materials and Process Systems Company of Global Repute. From its humble beginning in 2006, Ants has travelled some distance. Along the way, Ants is now a group of companies namely Ants Ceramics and Ants Innovations and offer its products and services under two popular brands antsLAB and antsPROSYS.
With a rich background in research and product development Ants has developed one of the world's widest and finest range of ceramic laboratory wares. The alumina labware (Crucibles, Trays, Boats etc.) developed by Ants are among the best in 99.7% alumina category and have become a global product to benchmark with. Apart from catering to Indian demand for laboratory wares and services, the company is exporting its range of products to USA, Sweden, Switzerland, Singapore, South Africa, UK and Japan.
From the very beginning users of ants products and services have been their mentors, patrons and partners, helping them grow, improve and become better and this process has been mutual. This is possible because in Ants way of working, every product, design and service is a step towards future, better than the last and a step ahead of contemporaries and predecessors. This commitment to learning and improvement make Ants a thinking and dynamic company. For Team Ants, the real meaning of success is satisfaction and success of their business partners (users of ants products and services) and patrons. It has always been their endeavour that working with Ants should be a pleasure as we strive to bring the best to business partners.
Ants has a dedicated R&D team of process engineers and scientists who work in close collaboration with various research institutes, BARC, ISRO and Universities. It's their mission to bring research from the confines of Indian R&D system and lead that research into products which will create employment.
Media Contact
Ants Ceramics Pvt Ltd
Jivdani Industrial Estate, Industrial Unit No. 1, Off Western Express Highway, Dhumal Nagar, Vasai (E) Thane- 401208, Maharashtra, India
Call: +91 86000 33151
Email: sales@antsceramics.com
Website: https://www.antslab.in
New Jersey, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/06/2019 -- Advance Market Analytics recently introduced Global Roofing Tiles Market study with in-depth overview, describing about the Product / Industry Scope and elaborates market outlook and status to 2024. 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 Standard Industries Inc. (United States) , Tesla (United States) , Etex (Belgium) , Iko (Canada) , Wienerberger (Austria) , Boral Roofing (United States) , Eagle Roofing (United States) , Crown Roof Tiles (United States) , Trevis Perkins (United Kingdom) and Ludowici (United States).
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Market Drivers
Increasing demand for the clay roofing
Growing government initiatives related to the green buildings
Market Trend
Refurbished activity is taking place in growing nations
Major Market Development Highlights
Standard Industries completed the acquisition of Braas Monie, in an aim to become the largest manufacturer in Europe with a diverse portfolio
Tesla began the production of solar roofing tiles in its Buffalo Factory with first roofs expected to go in a couple of months
This report studies the Roofing Tiles market size, industry status and forecast, competition landscape and growth opportunity. This research report categorizes the Roofing Tiles market by companies, region, type and end-use industry.
Browse 100+ market data Tables and Figures spread through Pages and in-depth TOC on " Roofing Tiles Market by Type (Pantiles , Plain Roof tiles , Roman Roof tiles , New Generation Roof tiles , Concrete Thin Leading Edge (TLE) and Slate appearance Roof tiles), by End-Users/Application (Personal Residential and Commercial Residential), 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.
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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 Standard Industries Inc. (United States) , Tesla (United States) , Etex (Belgium) , Iko (Canada) , Wienerberger (Austria) , Boral Roofing (United States) , Eagle Roofing (United States) , Crown Roof Tiles (United States) , Trevis Perkins (United Kingdom) and Ludowici (United States) 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 Roofing Tiles Market has been divided into type, application, and region.
On The Basis Of Type: Pantiles , Plain Roof tiles , Roman Roof tiles , New Generation Roof tiles , Concrete Thin Leading Edge (TLE) and Slate appearance Roof tiles
On The Basis Of Application: Personal Residential and Commercial Residential
On The Basis Of Region, this report is segmented into following key geographies, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), and market share, growth rate of Roofing Tiles 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}
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Have a look at some extracts from Table of Content
Introduction about Roofing Tiles
Roofing Tiles Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 2017
Roofing Tiles Market by Application/End Users
Roofing Tiles Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Applications
(2013-2023) table defined for each application/end-users like [Personal Residential and Commercial Residential]
Roofing Tiles Sales and Growth Rate (2013-2023)
Roofing Tiles Competition by Players/Suppliers, Region, Type and Application
Roofing Tiles (Volume, Value and Sales Price) table defined for each geographic region defined.
Roofing Tiles Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales Data
Additionally Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors list is being provided for each listed manufacturers
Market Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018) table for each product type which include Pantiles , Plain Roof tiles , Roman Roof tiles , New Generation Roof tiles , Concrete Thin Leading Edge (TLE) and Slate appearance Roof tiles
Roofing Tiles Manufacturing Cost Analysis
Roofing Tiles Key Raw Materials Analysis
Roofing Tiles Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers, Industrial Chain Analysis
Market Forecast (2018-2023)
........and more in complete table of Contents
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Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.
About Advance Market Analytics:
Advance Market Analytics is Global leaders of Market Research Industry provides the quantified B2B research to Fortune 500 companies on high growth emerging opportunities which will impact more than 80% of worldwide companies' revenues.
Our Analyst is tracking high growth study with detailed statistical and in-depth analysis of market trends & dynamics that provide a complete overview of the industry. We follow an extensive research methodology coupled with critical insights related industry factors and market forces to generate the best value for our clients. We Provides reliable primary and secondary data sources, our analysts and consultants derive informative and usable data suited for our clients business needs. The research study enable clients to meet varied market objectives a from global footprint expansion to supply chain optimization and from competitor profiling to M&As.
SAN DIEGO, CA, Feb. 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE Generation Next (OTCQB: VEND) announced today that it has reached an interim agreement with Wisconsin-based Stoelting Foodservice (a division of the Vollrath Company, LLC) in which Stoelting will provide manufacturing and engineering services for the Reis & Irvys premium soft serve robotic vending technology.
The Reis & Irvys automated vending kiosks deliver customers up to six different flavors of frozen yogurt and/or ice cream with a selection of six custom toppings, all at the point of sale and within 60 seconds. The patented technology is currently installed in over 170 US locations with 20 kiosks now in Canada and Australia.
Highlights of the agreement with Stoelting Foodservice include:
All customized soft serve units will be manufactured in the United States.
All customized soft serve units will come with a 5-year parts warranty, as well as 2-year field warranty that includes on-site labor.
All Froyo Robots will feature a 12-gallon hopper unit, allowing for 200+ servings.
All units will be shipped to franchisees stamped by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF), the Underwriters Laboratories (UL), and the National Automated Merchandising Association (NAMA).
Stoelting will also outfit Reis & Irvys operators with Hydra Rinse, which uses proprietary technology to standardize the cleaning and sanitizing process. The Hydra Rinse system decreases water consumption by 50%, is environmentally friendly, and significantly reduces cleaning time.
On execution of a Master Services Agreement, Stoelting will begin the production of robotic soft serve vending kiosks for Generation Next. The Company expects Stoelting production to supplement output from Flex Ltd., its current contract manufacturer, between July and September 2019.
When it comes to soft serve, Stoelting has been the constant industry leader. In 1939, their engineering team manufactured the first ever soft serve dispenser for the Home-Made Ice Cream Company (eventually becoming Dairy Queen) thus pioneering a new market and captivating consumers throughout the U.S., said Nick Yates, Founder and CEO of Generation NEXT Franchise Brands. Stoelting sees that Reis & Irvys has officially become the next captivating evolution in soft serve distribution, and we see a lot of long-term value in this partnership. Stoelting has been an incredible partner for our company during the development phase of our Reis & Irvys robots. I have a growing admiration for their engineering and manufacturing talents and am excited to be integrated further with them.
Stoelting Foodservice, a global manufacturer of frozen dessert equipment, shares in the excitement; This partnership enhances the already developed technology of the Reis & Irvy's Froyo Vending Robot so that full-scale production of the finished design can begin during the third quarter of 2019, said Rich Koehl, Executive Vice President, for Stoelting Foodservice. We recognize that dependable and reliable soft serve equipment is an essential element to this project, and we are excited to now play a larger part of the entire kiosk as engineering and manufacturer partners not just a third-party supplier for soft serve technology.
Stoelting has played a leading role in helping Generation Next correct defects in the first kiosks shipped by Flex. The Company and Flex have initiated a pause in manufacturing to allow time to properly implement these solutions. During the pause, the Company began retrofitting and repairing existing kiosks. These improvements have resulted in consistently better performance of installed kiosks and growing weekly sales of frozen yogurt. Flex has resumed production at its plant in Columbia South Carolina. The addition of Stoelting will increase the Companys production, thereby benefiting overall installations of Reis & Irvys robots through the end of 2019. As the terms of the agreement with Stoelting are defined, the Company will be able to provide more specific estimates of production and installations.
We have been eager to advance the Reis & Irvys technology into consistent mass production. It has been a series of starts and stops with our first release through Flex but with help from key partners like Stoelting, we are ready bring an upgraded version to market based on what we learned from the initial Flex units, said Vice President of Operations, Nik Wright. Yates supported Wrights statement by saying, We are seeing the results of these improvements through the growing daily sales from kiosks we have upgraded in the field or that have been manufactured by Flex with the latest set of improvements. These improvements will benefit our operators, the locations featuring Reis & Irvys, and most importantly the end customer.
For more information, visit the Reis & Irvys website at www.reisandirvys.com or call toll-free (888) 902-7558.
Generation NEXT Website: www.gennextbrands.com
About Generation NEXT Franchise Brands, Inc.
Generation NEXT Franchise Brands, Inc., based in San Diego, California, is a publicly traded company on the OTC Markets trading under the symbol OTCBB: VEND. Generation NEXT Franchise Brands, Inc. is parent company to Reis and Irvys Inc and 19 Degrees Corporate Service LLC
About Reis & Irvys, Inc.
Reis & Irvys, Inc. is a subsidiary franchise concept of Generation NEXT Franchise Brands, Inc. (VEND). Launched in early 2016, the revolutionary Reis & Irvys Vending Robot serves seven different flavors of frozen yogurt, ice cream, sorbets and gelatos, a choice of up to six custom toppings and to customers within 60 seconds or less at the point of sale. The unique franchise opportunity has since established itself as a high-demand product and currently showcases a franchise network both domestically as well as internationally.
About Stoelting
Stoelting Foodservice, a division of The Vollrath Company, LLC, is an industry leader in frozen dessert equipment, offering a broad and premium line of soft serve, frozen custard, batch and frozen beverage dispensing machines that support a wide range of foodservice venues. For more information about Stoelting, its products, facilities in the US, Europe and Mexico, and the foodservice industries it serves, visit stoeltingfoodservice.com.
This information is not intended as an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, a franchise. It is for information purposes only. No Reis & Irvys franchises will be sold to any resident of any state until the offering has been exempted from the requirements of, or duly registered in and declared effective by, such state and the required FDD (if any) has been delivered to the prospective franchisee before the sale in compliance with applicable law. Currently, the following states in the United States regulate the offer and sale of franchises: California, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. If you reside in one of these states, or even if you reside elsewhere, you may have certain rights under applicable franchise laws or regulations.
Cautionary note on forward-looking statements:
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. Forward-looking statements include, among others, statements concerning our future financial performance, including statements regarding: our ability to generate revenue and recognize deferred revenue; our ability to timely launch delivery and installation of our frozen yogurt robots; and our ability to grow our franchising and licensing divisions and launch our corporate-owned and direct sales platforms. The Company bases these forward-looking statements on its current expectations, estimates and projections about future events and the industry in which it operates using information currently available to it. Actual results could differ materially from those discussed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are identified by words such as believe, anticipate, propose, expect, intend, plan, will, may, estimates, variations of such words and other similar expressions. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances are forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from those implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are set forth in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2018, our Quarterly Reports, and our Current Reports on Form 8-K. Be advised that developments subsequent to this press release are likely to cause these statements to become outdated and the Company is under no obligation (and expressly disclaims any such obligation) to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
Houston, TX -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/05/2019 -- Geographically dispersed enterprises are constantly facing scenarios where numerous communication channels converge and external computing devices must be included in the central computing network. The growing number of mobile devices that need to be integrated with the corporate network have led to an increasing trend of policies, mostly self-device imports and their device selection, and the need to adopt enterprise mobility solutions over the past few years due to diverse workstations and staff has increased.
Research n reports have included a statistical surveying report the Worldwide Enterprise Mobility In Retail Market to its source, which covers the different development factors and key limitations affecting the market's trail somewhere in the range of 2019 and 2026. The report is titled "Worldwide Enterprise Mobility In Retail Market 2019 Industry Floats, Exchanges, Supply, Request, Investigation and Estimate to 2026," and is available to be purchased on the organization site.
Get sample copy of this report at: https://www.researchnreports.com/request_sample.php?id=166018
Real Key Players in this report are: Good Technology, MobileIron, Inc., VMware, Blackberry, Citrix Systems, Inc., Microsoft Corporation, Cisco Systems, Inc., Fierlink Communications Corp., McAfee Inc, Symantec Corporation, SAP
Helicopters can be utilized as a part of emergency conditions likewise since they offer epic portability especially in little space and can reach to any affected locale avoiding all the activity and any natural cataclysm, for instance, seismic tremor, and surge. Also, these helicopters are furnished with traveler seats, better stable proofing capacities, and aerating and cooling. Makers are trying to make all the more outwardly engaging, covered inside and polished completed business helicopters. The specialists evaluated the Worldwide Enterprise Mobility In Retail Market to flourish at a CAGR of XX% over the period 2017-2025.
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The different variables supporting the market's development and those posturing threat are contemplated in the report in detail. Moreover, the market ponder fragments the Worldwide Enterprise Mobility In Retail Market in view of end-client, vertical, and size. In these areas, it shields different components inducing the market's direction over the fragments. Moreover, it perceives the most lucrative of all to enable financial specialists to take the very much educated choice.
In any case, strict outflow models and surprising expense related with helicopters can go about as difficulties for the advancement of Enterprise Mobility In Retail Market. Most of the nations' force impose on business helicopters, therefore hampering the improvement to a certain extent.
The business divisions in North America and Europe have a basic bit of the pie. Regardless, attributable to the quick moving toward drenching, these areas are not anticipated to enroll critical improvement in their market measure in the midst of the figure time allotment. Creating markets of Asia Pacific and the Center East are predicted to observe elevated advancement prospects attributable to the giant potential in nations, for instance, China, India, Japan, Australia, UAE, and Qatar. Latin America is another district that is required to show a forceful interest for the helicopters, which can be attributed to the strong monetary development in the nations, for example, Mexico and Brazil.
What our report offers:
- Market share assessments for the regional and country level segments
- Market share analysis of the top industry players
- Strategic recommendations for the new entrants
- Market forecasts for a minimum of 7 years of all the mentioned segments, sub segments and the regional markets
- Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations)
- Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations
- Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends
- Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments
- Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancements
San Diego, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/06/2019 -- The Shareholders Foundation announces that a deadline is coming up on February 12, 2019 in the lawsuit filed for certain investors of XPO Logistics, Inc. (NYSE: XPO) over alleged securities laws violations by XPO Logistics, Inc.
Investors who purchased shares of XPO Logistics, Inc. (NYSE: XPO) have certain options and there are strict and short deadlines running. Deadline: February 12, 2019. NYSE: XPO stockholders should contact the Shareholders Foundation at mail@shareholdersfoundation.com or call +1(858) 779 - 1554.
XPO Logistics, Inc., formerly known as Express-1 Expedited Solutions, Inc, provides transportation and logistics services in the United States, North America, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Europe, Asia, and internationally. On September 2, 2011, Bradley S. Jacobs, through an equity investment led by Jacobs Private Equity, LLC, acquired a 71% ownership interest in Express-1. Jacobs assumed the roles of Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") and renamed the Company "XPO Logistics, Inc." XPO Logistics, Inc has completed seventeen acquisitions since Jacobs took control of the Company, deploying $6.1 billion of capital. Jacobs's tenure at XPO has been characterized by aggressive mergers and acquisitions ("M&A") strategy. After Jacobs took control of the Company, Fortune Magazine noted that XPO "has grown from $177 million in sales in 2011 to $17 billion today, thanks largely to an incredible run of acquisitions." On August 2, 2017, Jacobs announced plans to earmark up to $8 billion for additional acquisitions.
The plaintiff says that prior to acquiring XPO Logistics, Inc., Jacobs had leadership roles in several other companies, having, inter alia, founded United Waste Systems, Inc. ("UWS") in 1989 and co-founded United Rentals, Inc. ("URI") in 1997, which eventually collapsed after an accounting scandal under Jacobs' leadership.
According to the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut the plaintiff alleges on behalf of purchasers of XPO Logistics, Inc. (NYSE: XPO), that the defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that XPO Logistics' highly touted aggressive M&A strategy had yielded only minimal returns to the Company, that XPO Logistics, Inc. was utilizing improper accounting practices to mask its true financial condition, including, inter alia, under-reporting of bad debts and aggressive amortization assumptions, and that XPO Logistics, Inc. as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.
On December 12, 2018, a report was published regarding XPO Logistics, Inc., entitled "Trucking Ridiculous; End of the Road". The report asserted that a "forensic investigation" into XPO Logistics, Inc. had revealed, "financial irregularities that conveniently cover [the Company's] growing financial strain and inability to complete additional acquisitions despite repeated promises." The report alleged that it had uncovered, among other issues, "concrete evidence to suggest dubious tax accounting, under-reporting of bad debts, phantom income through unaccountable M&A earn-out liabilities, and aggressive amortization assumptions: all designed to portray glowing 'Non-GAAP" results." The report further stated that "XPO insiders have aggressively reduced their ownership interest in the Company since coming public, and recently enacted a new compensation structure tied to 'Adjusted Cash Flow Per Share'defined in such a non-standard way that it is practically meaningless." The report also stated that "[i]n our opinion, XPO has used a nearly identical playbook from [URI] leading up to its SEC investigation, executive felony convictions, and share price collapse."
Shares of XPO Logistics, Inc. (NYSE: XPO) declined from $115.25 per share in September 2018 to as low as $41.05 per share on December 13, 2018.
Those who purchased shares of XPO Logistics, Inc. (NYSE: XPO) have certain options and should contact the Shareholders Foundation.
Contact:
Shareholders Foundation, Inc.
Michael Daniels
3111 Camino Del Rio North - Suite 423
92108 San Diego
Phone: +1-(858)-779-1554
Fax: +1-(858)-605-5739
mail@shareholdersfoundation.com
About Shareholders Foundation, Inc.
The Shareholders Foundation, Inc. is a professional portfolio monitoring and settlement claim filing service, , which does research related to shareholder issues and informs investors of securities class actions, settlements, judgments, and other legal related news to the stock/financial market. Shareholders Foundation, Inc. is in contact with a large number of shareholders and offers help, support, and assistance for every shareholder. The Shareholders Foundation, Inc. is not a law firm. Referenced cases, investigation, and/or settlements are not filed/reached and/or related to Shareholders Foundation. The information is provided as a public service. It is not intended as legal advice and should not be relied upon.
Northbrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/06/2019 -- According to a new market research report "Network Security Firewall Market by SMS Firewall (A2P and P2A Messaging), Signalling Firewall (SS7 and Diameter), Service (Professional and Managed), Deployment Type (On-Premises, Cloud, and NFV), and Region - Global Forecast to 2022", published by MarketsandMarkets, the network security firewall market size is expected to grow from USD 2.65 Billion in 2017 to USD 4.80 Billion by 2022, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 12.5%.
The solutions segment is further segmented into signaling firewall and SMS firewall. The signaling firewall solution segment is further segmented into Signaling System 7 (SS7) and diameter firewall. The SMS firewall solution segment is further categorized into Application-to-Person (A2P) and Person-to-application (P2A) messaging solutions.
Browse and in-depth TOC on "Network Security Firewall Market"
61- Tables
42 - Figures
121 - Pages
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The major forces that are said to be driving the growth of the network security firewall market include the growing network security and privacy concerns, the increasing vulnerabilities in Signaling System 7 and diameter protocols, and the encouraging administrative regulations. Moreover, the advancements in digital transformation in the telecommunication industry and the high adoption rate among Mobile Network Operators and Mobile Virtual Network Operators are also some of the factors that are likely to be driving the market growth.
The SMS firewall segment is expected to be the fastest growing solution in the network security firewallmarket during the forecast period
The growth of the mobile subscribers has fueled the growth of the SMS firewall solution. The telecom service providers use it as a means for marketing products/services, promoting their brand, and authenticating the customer's identity. Application-to-Person(A2P), Person-to-Application(P2A), and Person-to-Person (P2P) messaging are the types of text messages use by telecom operators. The SMS firewall addresses most of the concerns of the MNOs, such as grey route messaging, anti-spam, and illicit traffic. The vulnerabilities in the MNO signaling systems are threatening the user's privacy and can lead to user location tracking, fraud, Denial of Service (DoS), or even call interception
The on-premises deployment type is expected to hold the largest market share in the network security firewall market during the forecast period
Deployment refers to the setting up of a computer system with the hardware systems, operating systems, and applications, required to run the software. The on-premises deployment type refers to the on-premises installation of software and solutions. These solutions are delivered on a one-time license fee and an annual service agreement, which includes free upgrading and installation of new functionalities. The deployment of on-premises firewall requires a huge infrastructure and individual data centers. The deployment of on-premises solutions requires dedicated IT staff for the maintenance and support of such high-end IT infrastructure.
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North America is expected to have the largest market share in the network security firewall market during the forecast period.
North America is expected to hold the largest market share and dominate the network security firewall market during the forecast period. The region has the presence of major sustainable and well-established companies, who invest substantially in R&D activities, thereby contributing to the development of new security technologies. The region comprises countries such as the US and Canada, which are witnessing a phenomenal adoption of network security firewall solutions. The primary reason behind this movement is the non-stringent regulations of US telecom regulatory body, Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The regulations made by FCC are less stringent as compared to the old administration, and by rolling back several stringent regulations of the previous regime, FCC benefited most of the telecom operators to choose and implement new services and solution
The major vendors in the network security firewall market include Symsoft (Sweden), Cellusys (Ireland), Adaptive Mobile (Ireland), Evolved Intelligence (UK), Mobileum (US), Tata Communication (India), AMD Telecom (Greece), Openmind Networks (Ireland), Anam Technologies (Ireland), SAP (Germany), and HPE (US)
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Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.
MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledgestore" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets.
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Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/06/2019 -- HTF MI recently introduced Global Jigsaw Puzzle 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 Springbok Puzzles, Robotime, Disney, Schmidt Spiele, CubicFun, Educa Borras, Ravensburger, Artifact Puzzles, Tenyo, Toy Town, Cobble Hill, White Mountain Puzzles, Buffalo Games, Castorland & Hape etc.
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At present, in developed countries, the whole Jigsaw Puzzle industry is generally at a more advanced level. The highest value-added of Jigsaw Puzzle industry is R & D design. This part is captured by US, EU and Japan brand owner. However, foreign companies? manufacturing cost is relatively higher, compared with Chinese companies. The world's largest production area is concentrated in USA. USA is a major Jigsaw Puzzle producer. It is estimated that about 29% of Jigsaw Puzzle worldwide is made in USA. Competition in the global Jigsaw Puzzle market is intensifying. The high-end of the market is dominated by foreign enterprises while local brands are the mainstay in the medium- to low-end segments of the market. Practically all international toy giants have established their own factories on the mainland or collaborated with local manufacturers to engage in production. Most of the major international toy enterprises have also made their inroads into the China mainland market by way of appointing sales agents or setting up their own marketing operations there. The global Jigsaw Puzzle market is valued at 670 million US$ in 2018 is expected to reach 750 million US$ by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of 1.5% during 2019-2025. This report focuses on Jigsaw Puzzle volume and value at global level, regional level and company level. From a global perspective, this report represents overall Jigsaw Puzzle market size by analyzing historical data and future prospect. Regionally, this report focuses on several key regions: North America, Europe, China and Japan. At company level, this report focuses on the production capacity, ex-factory price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer
This report studies the Global Jigsaw Puzzle market size, industry status and forecast, competition landscape and growth opportunity. This research report categorizes the Global Jigsaw Puzzle market by companies, region, type and end-use industry.
Browse 100+ market data Tables and Figures spread through Pages and in-depth TOC on " Jigsaw Puzzle Market by Type (, Wood Materials, Plastic Materials & Paper Materials), by End-Users/Application (Children & Adults), 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.
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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 Springbok Puzzles, Robotime, Disney, Schmidt Spiele, CubicFun, Educa Borras, Ravensburger, Artifact Puzzles, Tenyo, Toy Town, Cobble Hill, White Mountain Puzzles, Buffalo Games, Castorland & Hape 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 Jigsaw Puzzle Market has been divided into type, application, and region.
On The Basis Of Type: , Wood Materials, Plastic Materials & Paper Materials.
On The Basis Of Application: Children & Adults
On The Basis Of Region, this report is segmented into following key geographies, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), and market share, growth rate of Jigsaw Puzzle 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}
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Have a look at some extracts from Table of Content
Introduction about Global Jigsaw Puzzle
Global Jigsaw Puzzle Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 2017
Jigsaw Puzzle Market by Application/End Users
Global Jigsaw Puzzle Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Applications
(2013-2023) table defined for each application/end-users like [Children & Adults]
Global Jigsaw Puzzle Sales and Growth Rate (2013-2023)
Jigsaw Puzzle Competition by Players/Suppliers, Region, Type and Application
Jigsaw Puzzle (Volume, Value and Sales Price) table defined for each geographic region defined.
Global Jigsaw Puzzle Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales Data
Additionally Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors list is being provided for each listed manufacturers
Market Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018) table for each product type which include , Wood Materials, Plastic Materials & Paper Materials
Jigsaw Puzzle Manufacturing Cost Analysis
Jigsaw Puzzle Key Raw Materials Analysis
Jigsaw Puzzle Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers, Industrial Chain Analysis
Market Forecast (2018-2023)
........and more in complete table of Contents
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Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.
Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/06/2019 -- HTF MI recently introduced China International Book Publishers Market study with in-depth overview, describing about the Product / Industry Scope and elaborates market outlook and status to 2024. 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 Pearson, ThomsonReuters, RELX Group, Penguin Random House, Hachette Livre, McGraw-Hill Education, Wiley, OUP, Cambridge University Press , Macmillan, Cengage , Scholastic etc.
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With the slowdown in world economic growth, the International Book Publishers industry has
also suffered a certain impact, but still maintained a relatively optimistic growth, the past four
years, International Book Publishers market size to maintain the average annual growth rate of 2.62% from 1306.49 million $ in 2014 to 1411.70 million $ in 2017, HTF analysts believe
that in the next few years, International Book Publishers market size will be further expanded,
we expect that by 2022, The market size of the International Book Publishers will reach 1588.50
million $.
Browse 100+ market data Tables and Figures spread through Pages and in-depth TOC on "China International Book Publishers Market by Type (Literature Books, Reference Books, Children's Books, Academic & Science Learning, K-12 English Teaching Materials, Others), by End-Users/Application (Libraries & Institutions, Individuals, Others), 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 @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/enquiry-before-buy/1241108-china-international-book-publishers-market
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 Pearson, ThomsonReuters, RELX Group, Penguin Random House, Hachette Livre, McGraw-Hill Education, Wiley, OUP, Cambridge University Press , Macmillan, Cengage , Scholastic 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 China International Book Publishers Market has been divided into type, application, and region.
On The Basis Of Type: Literature Books, Reference Books, Children's Books, Academic & Science
Learning, K-12 English Teaching Materials, Others.
On The Basis Of Application: Libraries & Institutions, Individuals, Others
On The Basis Of Region, this report is segmented into following key geographies, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), and market share, growth rate of International Book Publishers 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}
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Have a look at some extracts from Table of Content
Introduction about China International Book Publishers
Global International Book Publishers Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 2017
International Book Publishers Market by Application/End Users
China International Book Publishers Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Applications
(2013-2023) table defined for each application/end-users
China International Book Publishers Sales and Growth Rate (2013-2023)
International Book Publishers Competition by Players/Suppliers, Region, Type and Application
International Book Publishers (Volume, Value and Sales Price) table defined for each geographic region defined.
China International Book Publishers Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales Data
Additionally Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors list is being provided for each listed manufacturers
Market Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018) table for each product type
International Book Publishers Manufacturing Cost Analysis
International Book Publishers Key Raw Materials Analysis
International Book Publishers Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers, Industrial Chain Analysis
Market Forecast (2018-2023)
........and more in complete table of Contents
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About HTF Market Report
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Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/06/2019 -- An implantable cardiac pacemaker is a small medical device implanted in the abdomen or chest for the treatment of arrhythmia, heart block, abnormal heart rhythms, and atrial fibrillation. Implantable cardiac pacemakers have evolved from battery-powered transistorized wearable pacemakers to the current leadless pacemakers, which are entire pacemakers placed within the cardiac chambers. Cardiac pacemakers are used to treat abnormal electrical signaling in the heart, which causes arrhythmias. Implantable cardiac pacemakers use low-energy electrical signals to speed up a slow heartbeat; help to control an abnormal and fast heart rhythm; and prevent the long QT syndrome, a disorder of the heart's electrical activity that causes sudden, uncontrollable, and dangerous arrhythmias.
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The global implantable cardiac pacemaker market is expected to expand significantly due to an increase in the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases such as atrial fibrillation, arrhythmias, long QT syndrome, tachycardia, and bradycardia coupled with a rise in unhealthy lifestyles. Moreover, increase in the number of health care practitioners and skilled physicians and combined efforts of governments and major domestic players to increase patient access for implantable cardiac pacemaker are further expected to boost the implantable cardiac pacemaker market during the forecast period. In addition, rise in prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and introduction of advanced pacemaker technologies are expected to drive the implantable cardiac pacemaker market. For instance, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) August 2017 data findings, atrial fibrillation (AFib or AF) is the most common type of heart arrhythmia that affected an estimated 2.7 to 6.1 million people in the U.S., and the number is expected to increase in the near future. Furthermore, atrial fibrillation cases rise with age, and the condition is more prominent in men as compared to women. Moreover, rise in the geriatric population across various regions worldwide and high prevalence of heart disease are expected to propel demand for implantable cardiac pacemakers in the near future.
The global implantable cardiac pacemakers market can be segmented based on product, application, end user, and geography. Based on product, the global implantable cardiac pacemakers market can be divided into single chamber pacemaker, dual chamber pacemaker, and biventricular pacemaker. In terms of application, the market can be classified into arrhythmia, heart block, atrial fibrillation, bradycardia, long QT syndrome, tachycardia, and others. Based on end-user, the global implantable cardiac pacemakers market can be categorized into hospitals, emergency care centers, and others.
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In terms of geography, the implantable cardiac pacemakers market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. Each region is sub-segmented into specific countries such as the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Germany, Brazil, China, India, and GCC countries. North America dominated the global implantable cardiac pacemakers market because of a rising geriatric population and increase in demand for innovative medical technology. The market in Asia Pacific is anticipated to be highly attractive during the forecast period due to an increase in awareness about health care and rise in demand for advanced medical technology. According to the data published in the Journal of the Formosan Medical Association, in November 2016, around half of the world's population was living in Asia. The geriatric population is growing at a faster rate in Asia, which is increasing the burden of atrial fibrillation in the region. According to the same source, in 2050, around 72 million people are projected to suffer from atrial fibrillation in Asia, which is expected to be more than double the total numbers of patients in Europe and the U.S.
Key players operating in the implantable cardiac pacemakers market are Medtronic plc, Boston Scientific Corporation, BIOTRONIK, Inc., St. Jude Medical, MEDICO S.p.A., Vitatron Holding B.V., Shree Pacetronix Ltd., Lepu Medical Technology Co Ltd., Qinming Medical, LivaNova PLC, and other prominent players. In order to gain a competitive advantage in the industry, major players are actively adopting various growth strategies. Collaborations, agreements, partnerships, and new product launches are some of the important strategies adopted by market players.
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Los Angeles, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/06/2019 -- The global Welding Robot market report covers scope and product overview to define the key terms and offers detailed information about market dynamics to the readers. This is followed by the regional outlook and segmental analysis. The report also consists of the facts and key values of the global Welding Robot market in terms of sales and volume, revenue and its growth rate.
One of the important factors in global Welding Robot market report is the competitive analysis. The report covers all the key parameters such as product innovation, market strategies of the key players, market share, revenue generation, latest research and development, and market expert views.
In the last five years, welding robot industry has got a rapid development. The production of welding robot is increasing faster every day. During this time, China has been the largest market of welding robot, superseded Japan.
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In another hand, the low robot density in China indicated the huge potential market of welding robot. Now, some companies like KUKA, ABB, Panasonic and Yaskawa have built plants in China to produce welding robots. They are trying to grab the market before the domestic manufacturers getting into an investment.
In China, the biggest manufacturing is Siasun in Shenyang, but their production is relatively little compared with these foreign producers. So welding robots consumers in China have to import products from foreign manufacturers.
The global Welding Robot market is valued at 7080 million US$ in 2018 is expected to reach 13100 million US$ by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of 9.2% during 2019-2025.
This report focuses on Welding Robot volume and value at global level, regional level and company level. From a global perspective, this report represents overall Welding Robot market size by analyzing historical data and future prospect. Regionally, this report focuses on several key regions: North America, Europe, China and Japan.
At company level, this report focuses on the production capacity, ex-factory price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer covered in this report.
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The following manufacturers are covered:
FANUC
ABB
Yaskawa
KUKA
OTC
Kawasaki
Panasonic
NACHI
Comau
Hyundai
ClOOS
REIS
STUAA
IGM
Siasun
GSK CNC
Effort
STEP Electric
PeiTian
Segment by Regions
North America
Europe
China
Japan
Segment by Type
Spot Welding Robot
Arc Welding Robot
Others
Segment by Application
Automotive Industry
Equipment & Machonery Industry
Ship Industry
Others
Buy Full Welding Robot Market Report Now, Report delivery time within 24 hours @ (Pages: 106|Tables: 115): https://www.qyresearch.com/settlement/pre/33fd17ece0d7e087e55cdd93dc1d587c,0,1,Global%20Welding%20Robot%20Market%20Development%20and%20Forecast%20Report%202019
About QYResearch
QYResearch established in 2007, focus on custom research, management consulting, IPO consulting, industry chain research, data base and seminar services. The company owned a large basic data base (such as National Bureau of statistics database, Customs import and export database, Industry Association Database etc), expert's resources (included energy automotive chemical medical ICT consumer goods etc.
Pune, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/05/2019 -- The Thrombopoietin Receptor Market Report provide the complete analysis of Thrombopoietin Receptor of the Market Size Data and development forecast from 2018-2025.
This reports also include complete information of main Manufacturers/Suppliers of Thrombopoietin Receptor all around the world and market share by various regions, with the company and product introduction and their position in the Thrombopoietin Receptor Market status and development trend of Thrombopoietin Receptor by their types and Applications. This report also includes the Cost and Profit status of Thrombopoietin Receptor Market, and marketing status, Market Growth Drivers and challenges in this Market.
Overview of Thrombopoietin Receptor Market
The global Thrombopoietin Receptor market was million US$ in 2018 and is expected to million US$ by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of between 2019 and 2025.
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Global Thrombopoietin Receptor Market: Manufacturers Segment Analysis (Companies and Product introduction, Thrombopoietin Receptor Sales Volume, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin):
- 3SBio Inc,AkaRx Inc,Amgen Inc,Intas Pharmaceuticals Ltd,Novartis AG,Shionogi & Co Ltd,STATegics Inc
Global Thrombopoietin Receptor Market: Regional Segment Analysis (Regional Production Volume, Consumption Volume, Revenue and Growth Rate 2018-2025):
- North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)
- Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia, Spain and Benelux)
- Asia Pacific (China, Japan, India, Southeast Asia and Australia)
- Latin America (Brazil, Argentina and Colombia)
- Middle East and Africa
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Global Thrombopoietin Receptor Market: Type Segment Analysis (Consmption Volume, Average Price, Revenue, Market Share and Trend 2018-2025):
- Eltrombopag Olamine,GSK-2285921,Romiplostim,STST-4,Others
Global Thrombopoietin Receptor Market: Application Segment Analysis (Consumption Volume and Market Share 2018-2025; Downstream Customers and Market Analysis)
- Clinic,Hospital,Others
Price of Report: $ 3350 (Single User License)
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Major Highlights of the Thrombopoietin Receptor report:
Thrombopoietin Receptor Overview, Market shares and strategies of key players, Sales Market Forecast, Manufacturing Analysis of The Thrombopoietin Receptor Market, Market Driving Factor Analysis of The Thrombopoietin Receptor Market, Market Competition Status by Major Manufacturers, Upstream and Downstream Market Analysis The Thrombopoietin Receptor Market, and Cost and Gross Margin Analysis of The Thrombopoietin Receptor Market
Reason to Purchase this Report?
- To gain insightful analyses of the market and have a comprehensive understanding of the global Thrombopoietin Receptor market and its competitive landscape.
- Assess the Thrombopoietin Receptor market production processes, major issues in this market, and solutions to mitigate the development risk.
- To understand the most affecting driving and restraining forces in the Thrombopoietin Receptor market and its impact on the global market.
- Learn about the market tactics that are being adopted by leading respective organizations.
- To understand the outlook and prospects for Thrombopoietin Receptor Market.
Following are the Total 14 chapters covered in Thrombopoietin Receptor Report:
Chapter 1: This chapter of Thrombopoietin Receptor market includes Product Overview, Commercial Types, Downstream Application, Development History, Market Status and Trend.
Chapter 2: This chapter of Thrombopoietin Receptor market includes Market Development by Regions, Sales Market by Regions, Production Market by Regions, Market Forecast by Regions.
Chapter 3: This chapter of Thrombopoietin Receptor market includes Sales Volume by Types, Sales Value by Types, Market Forecast by Types.
Chapter 4: This chapter of Thrombopoietin Receptor market includes Global Sales Volume by Downstream Industry, Global Market Forecast by Downstream Industry.
Chapter 5: This chapter of Thrombopoietin Receptor market includes North America Market Status by Countries, Type, Manufacturers and Downstream Industry. (United States, Canada & Mexico)
Chapter 6: This chapter of Thrombopoietin Receptor market includes Europe Market Status by Countries, Type, Manufacturers and Downstream Industry. (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia, Spain, Benelux)
Chapter 7: This chapter of Thrombopoietin Receptor market includes Asia Pacific Market Status by Countries, Type, Manufacturers and Downstream Industry (China, Japan, India, Southeast Asia, Australia)
Chapter 8: This chapter of Thrombopoietin Receptor market includes Latin America Market Status by Countries, Type, Manufacturers and Downstream Industry (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia)
Chapter 9: This chapter of Thrombopoietin Receptor market includes Middle East and Africa Market Status by Countries, Type, Manufacturers and Downstream Industry
Chapter 10: This chapter of Thrombopoietin Receptor market includes Driving Factor Analysis, Global Economy Situation and Trend Overview & Downstream Industry Situation and Trend Overview.
Chapter 11: This chapter of Thrombopoietin Receptor market tells about Market Competition Status by Major Manufacturers such as Production Volume, Production Value Investment, New Product Development and Launch. Also include basic information like Headquarters Location, Established Time, Employees and Revenue.
Chapter 12: This chapter of Thrombopoietin Receptor market includes 3SBio Inc,AkaRx Inc,Amgen Inc,Intas Pharmaceuticals Ltd,Novartis AG,Shionogi & Co Ltd,STATegics Inc profile, Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin of all companies mentioned above.
Chapter 13: This chapter of Thrombopoietin Receptor market includes Industry Chain, Upstream Market, Downstream Market and Representative Companies Analysis.
Chapter 14: This chapter of Thrombopoietin Receptor market includes Cost Structure Analysis, Raw Materials Cost Analysis, Labour Cost Analysis, and Manufacturing Expenses Analysis.
This report provides detailed insights and analysis on the state of the Thrombopoietin Receptor and provide a valuable source of information and direction for companies and individuals interested in this market.
Further in the report, the Thrombopoietin Receptor Market is examined for Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin. These points are analysed for companies, types, and regions. In continuation with this data, the sale price is for various types, applications and region is also included. The Thrombopoietin Receptor Market consumption for major regions is given. Additionally, type wise and application wise figures are also provided in this report.
Rockville Pike, MD -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/06/2019 -- Genetically modified organisms (GMO) soybeans have gained immense traction in the recent past, owing to their potential to alleviate hunger and poverty worldwide. However, researchers from the Food and Agriculture Program have stated that real impacts of GMO soybean deserve in-depth assessment. Amount of agricultural land utilized for producing GMO food such as GMO soybean has surged over the past few years, with majority of producers being situated in the U.S., Canada, India, Brazil and Argentina.
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GMO soybeans have their genetic materials engineered via biotechnologies for engulfing enhanced and new characteristics such as drought tolerance, enhancement of certain nutrients, insect resistance and herbicide tolerance. Benefits of utilizing biotechnologies for production of GMO soybeans include saving efforts & time and curtailing market risks for farmers, rather than enhancing productivity by improving yield. Currently, demand for GMO soybeans is primarily driven by rapid adoption in animal feed as well as in the form of GMO soybean oil worldwide. Although cultivating herbicide-tolerant soybean has lower risks to environment, the benefits are being restrained by herbicide resistance being developed in weeds. GMO soybeans are one of the most utilized genetically modified plants across the globe, with majority of the applications in livestock feed and oil production. With demand for soybeans increasing globally as a protein source, GMOs hold potential benefits for producers.
According to FactMR, the global GMO soybean market will register a splendid 14.3% CAGR during the period 2017 to 2026. Approximately 600,000,000 metric ton of GMO soybean will be sold around the world by 2026-end.
North America to Remain Dominant in the Market
In terms of volume as well as value, North America will remain dominant in the global GMO soybean market. GMO soybeans already have high popularity among North American consumers. GMO soybeans in North America have improved resistance to insects and weeds, which in turn helps the farmers to boost productivity. Structure of some government insurance programs complement the productivity by providing farmers with more incentives for planting GMO seeds such as those of GMO soybeans.
The European Commission has approved an array of GMO products such as GMO soybeans, although the pace of approvals has been relatively slow. European livestock and feed manufacturing industry has a keen interest in authorization of GMO soybean imports, as soybean is considered to be a source of high-quality and protein-rich feed. Europe will remain the second largest market for GMO soybean, in terms of volume as well as value.
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Food is expected to remain the largest application of GMO soybean, in terms of value. Revenues from sales of GMO soybean for application in food are projected to account for nearly half market share by 2026-end. Biodiesel and feed will also remain lucrative applications of GMO soybean.
In terms of value, direct sales are anticipated to be the fastest expanding sales channel for GMO soybean, closely trailed by modern trade. These two sales channel will spearhead the global market for GMO soybean during the forecast period, in terms of revenues. Based on trait, stacked (HT+IT) and herbicide tolerant GMO soybean will remain sought-after in the market, with revenues collectively estimated to surpass US$ 320,000 Mn by 2026-end.
Competition Tracking
Key market players tracked by the report include AgReliant Genetics LLC, BASF SE, Bayer CropScience, Dow Agroscience, E.I DuPont De Nemours and Company, Canterra Seeds Holdings Ltd., Syngenta AG, Groupe Limagrain Holdings SA, and Monsanto Company.
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About FactMR
FactMR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market insights 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.
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Sellbyville, DE -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/06/2019 -- The swift rise in the commercialization prospects of feed phytogenics market can undoubtedly be attributed to the growing prevalence of diseases in livestock, stringent healthcare regulations on the utilization of antibiotics in animal feed, and escalation in the consumption of meat across the globe. In addition to this, increasing consumer awareness pertaining to the resistance development issues caused by the consumption of antibiotic growth promoters in animals has led to extensive demand for feed additives, thus accelerating the feed phytogenics industry expansion.
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Elaborating further on the benefits of phytogenics feed additives, these products are known to enhance the health and performance of livestock including aquatic, swine, poultry, and cattle, which are essentially used for meat consumption. Moreover, phytogenics feed additives possess a wide range of properties along the likes of anti-microbial, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and digestion-enhancement, which has a positive impact on the health of the livestock.
The increased demand for phytogenics feed additives from nutritionists, veterinarians, growers, consultants, and business owners in the farming sector is slated to favor the growth prospects of feed phytogenics industry. As these products are obtained from natural bioactive compounds found in plant-based species such as fennel, thyme, garlic, oregano, rosemary, black seed, and clove, the demand from commercial agriculture settings is set to increase drastically in the near future.
The Asia Pacific to emerge as a lucrative growth terrain for the global feed phytogenics industry
In the past few years, China has been a prominent player in the global beef and meat sector in terms of production, trade, and consumption. According to trusted estimates, China is the largest beef producer in Asia and the third biggest in the world. In this regard, it would be prudent to mention that the beef sector has been one of the fastest growing industries in the Chinese livestock space and a significant contributor to the economic progress of the country.
Owing to the steady domestic prices and a rapid surge in meat production, China has witnessed massive investment in the cattle farming industry in the recent past a factor that has impelled the growth prospects of China feed phytogenics market. Moreover, the governmental efforts to reform trade policies and resolve the issue of trade barriers would further benefit the feed phytogenics manufacturers. In fact, as per a research study compiled by Global Market Insights, Inc., China feed phytogenics industry size is slated to surpass USD 50 million by 2024.
Speaking in the similar context, India is gradually evolving as one of the major growth avenues for the participants of the feed phytogenics industry. The ever-increasing demand for feed additives by fish producers and the beef industry of the nation is on the rise lately. Especially, the massive uptick in beef exports by India have proved to be quite beneficial for the feed phytogenics industry.
As per the Agricultural Outlook 2017-2026 report published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation (OECD), India is the third-biggest exporter of beef in the world and is estimated to hold on to that spot over the upcoming decade. In addition to this, rising preference for natural growth promoters for the production of different livestock species would further proliferate the India feed phytogenics market size in the years ahead.
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With the well-known feed phytogenics industry participants such as Igusol, Biolandes, Delacon Biotechnik, Doterra, and DuPont Danisco making concerted efforts to develop cost-effective phytogenics, the feed phytogenics market outlook appears highly-promising. Additionally, the escalating uptake of phytogenics feed additives by the livestock sector would further assist in impelling the revenue portfolio of feed phytogenics industry, which is slated to exceed USD 790 million by the end of 2024.
RICHMOND, Va., Feb. 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Oyster Consulting announced today that Nikki Brinkerhoff joins the firm as an Associate Director, expanding Oysters Operations, and Compliance practices. The move increases the firms ability to help industry members optimize operations and compliance functions, as well as design and implement technology solutions to improve operational excellence, improve customer experience, enhance service delivery and address regulator findings.
Nikki Brinkerhoff has 20 years of experience in financial services, with an extensive track record of developing, implementing, testing and managing comprehensive compliance and operations programs and supporting technology. Nikkis compliance expertise includes working with Broker-Dealers, Investment Advisors, National Banks, Anti-Money Laundering (AML) programs, Regulatory Affairs, Trusts, Privacy, Business Continuity Planning, Incentive Compensation, International Compliance, Capital Markets, Private Equity, Cybersecurity and IT change management.
"Nikkis deep compliance experience makes her invaluable to our clients, explains George Jennison, Oyster Consulting President.
Oyster is known for helping financial services firms move to the next level. Their team has a broach range of experience across the industry, but what makes them so valuable is the teams deep tactical and practical knowledge. Oysters practical solutions add real value to their clients. I am both excited and honored to join the Oyster team. I look forward to contributing to support the growth and success of our clients, Brinkerhoff said.
Brinkerhoff joins Oyster Consultings industry experts in the Operations & Technology and Strategic Management practice groups, and is located in the Memphis, Tennessee area.
ABOUT OYSTER CONSULTING
Oyster Consulting provides consulting, outsourcing and software solutions to financial services industry clients. We believe that the best run organizations make well-informed decisions with input from finance, operations, compliance, risk, technology, trading and marketing. Oyster offers our clients services in these areas from our platforms. Our experienced industry practitioners add more value than career consultants and help us approach each client with practical solutions to their challenges.
CONTACT
Nikki Brinkerhoff
Associate Director
(770)330-8717
Nikki.brinkerhoff@oysterllc.com
George Jennison
President
804.521.6019
george.jennison@oysterllc.com
www.oysterllc.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8233b9f9-0e21-4c00-b8f2-8bb2a6988212
Cleveland, OH -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/06/2019 -- In 2018, Factor Finders, LLC, a leading accounts receivable match-maker, paid referral sources $181,000.
A total of 43 factoring companies have funded deals referred by Factor Finders. These referral sources were receiving leads they couldn't place but instead of turning them away, they turned to Factor Finders.
"A factor we work with and their client were mutually ready to part ways because the arrangement wasn't working for both parties so they reached out to us," said Stephanie Chmielecki, Sales Manager at Factor Finders. "Through a seamless transition, we were able to get a new factor for the client. By doing this the current funder helped a client and continued to make money."
Factor Finders has referral relationships with bankers, consultants, accountants and factoring companies.
About Factor Finders
Factor Finders is an Ohio-based B2B funding intermediary that matches business owners with the best funding solution for their unique needs. Industries that benefit from Factor Finders' services include transportation, oil and gas, manufacturing, cable and telecommunications, temporary staffing, and many others. Visit factorfinders.com for more information about Factor Finders' accounts receivable factoring services.
New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/06/2019 -- Increasing consumer spending on aesthetic treatments coupled with growing popularity of non-surgical procedures are key factors driving the global facial rejuvenation market. Macro factors including rising employability and promising economic growth in Asia Pacific to promote nice-to-have services are projected to contribute to the adoption of facial rejuvenation treatments and present potential growth opportunities to providers and other stakeholders in the facial rejuvenation market. As per a report by Persistence Market Research (PMR), the global facial rejuvenation market, expanding at a steady 5.0% CAGR, is likely to reach a valuation of US$ 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.
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Rising Adoption of Minimally Invasive Procedures and Combination Therapies Driving the Adoption of Facial Rejuvenation Treatments
Considering 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.
PMR's 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.
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Product Innovation, Partnerships, and Acquisitions to Remain Key Forward Market Strategies
Key, 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.
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.
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About Persistence Market Research
Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.
To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.
Selbyville, DE -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/06/2019 -- This Global Exhibition 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.
The report titled Global Exhibition Market - By Value, By Rented Space, By Region (Europe, North America, APAC) By Country (United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, United States, Canada, India, China, Japan South Korea), has covered and analysed the potential of Global Exhibition 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 Exhibition market.
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Company Analysis Reed Exhibitions, UBM Plc, Messe Frankfurt, Messe d sseldorf, MCH Group, Informa
A 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 Exhibition Market - By Value, By Rented Space, By Region (Europe, North America, APAC) and By Country (United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, United States, Canada, India, China, Japan South Korea).
Over the recent years, the global Exhibition industry has been driven on the heels of rising demand for large event venues and emerging growth across various Asian nations. Additionally, the growth in Exhibition market is driven by increasing prevalence of digitisation.
According to Azoth Analytics research report Global Exhibition Market By Value, By Rented Space, By Region (Europe, North America, APAC), By Country (United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, United States, Canada, India, China, Japan, South Korea) , global market is projected to display a robust growth represented by a CAGR of 4.97% by value during 2018 2023, chiefly driven by increase in digitisation and rising marketing services spending of leading companies across the globe.
Among the regions, Asia Pacific is expected to grow at the fastest rate, mainly driven by increasing shift in the manufacturing base of leading consumer electronics companies, increasing focus of international companies and increasing initiatives of various governments to boost growth of the domestic industries.
Additionally, the report also highlights market entry strategies for various companies across the globe.
Scope of the Report
Global Market (Actual Period: 2013-2017, Forecast Period: 2018-2023)
Global Exhibition Market, By Value (USD Billion)
Global Exhibition Market, By Value (Million Square Meter)
List of Exhibition Venues, By Size
Regional Markets North America, Europe, APAC (Actual Period: 2013-2017, Forecast Period: 2018-2023)
Exhibition Market, By Value
Exhibition Market, By Rented Space
List of Exhibition Venues, By Size
Country Analysis - US, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Italy, China, India, Japan, South Korea (Actual Period: 2013-2017, Forecast Period: 2018-2023)
Exhibition Market, By Value
Exhibition Market, By Rented Space
List of Exhibition Venues, By Size
Other Report Highlights
Market Dynamics Trends, Drivers, Challenges, Policy and Regulation,
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Customization of the Report
The 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 Contents
1. Research Methodology
2. Executive Summary
3. Strategic Recommendations
4. Exhibition Market Outlook
5. Global Exhibition Market: Growth and Forecast
6. Global Exhibition Market: By Drugs Class
7. Global Exhibition Market: By Sales Channels
8. Global Exhibition Market: Pipeline Analysis
9. Global Exhibition Market: Regional Analysis
10. Market Dynamics
11. Market Trends
14. SWOT Analysis Exhibition Market
15. Company Profiles
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Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/05/2019 -- HTF MI released a new market study on Global Defence Land Vehicle Market with 100+ market data Tables, Pie Chat, Graphs & Figures spread through Pages and easy to understand detailed analysis. At present, the market is developing its presence. The Research report presents a complete assessment of the Market and contains a future trend, current growth factors, attentive opinions, facts, and industry validated market data. The research study provides estimates for Global Defence Land Vehicle Forecast till 2025*.
Some are the key players taken under coverage for this study are BAE Systems, Rhenmetall, General Dynamics & Oshkosh.
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#Summary:
Asia Pacific defense land vehicle market is expected to grow with 2.1% CAGR during 2017-2025.
Global Defence Land Vehicle market size will reach xx million US$ by 2025, from xx million US$ in 2018, at a CAGR of xx% during the forecast period. In this study, 2017 has been considered as the base year and 2019-2025 as the forecast period to estimate the market size for Defence Land Vehicle.
This industry study presents the global Defence Land Vehicle market size, historical breakdown data (2014-2019) and forecast (2019-2025). The Defence Land Vehicle production, revenue and market share by manufacturers, key regions and type;
The consumption of Defence Land Vehicle in volume terms are also provided for major countries (or regions), and for each application and product at the global level. Market share, growth rate, and competitive factors are also evaluated for market leaders BAE Systems, Rhenmetall, etc.
Important Features that are under offering & key highlights of the report :
1) What all companies are currently profiled in the report?
Following are list of players that are currently profiled in the the report "BAE Systems, Rhenmetall, General Dynamics & Oshkosh"
** List of companies mentioned may vary in the final report subject to Name Change / Merger etc.
2) Can we add or profiled new company as per our need?
Yes, we can add or profile new company as per client need in the report. Final confirmation to be provided by research team depending upon the difficulty of survey.
** Data availability will be confirmed by research in case of privately held company. Upto 3 players can be added at no added cost.
3) What all regional segmentation covered? Can specific country of interest be added?
Currently, research report gives special attention and focus on following regions:
United States, Europe, China, Japan, South Korea, India & Other Regions
** One country of specific interest can be included at no added cost. For inclusion of more regional segment quote may vary.
4) Can inclusion of additional Segmentation / Market breakdown is possible?
Yes, inclusion of additional segmentation / Market breakdown is possible subject to data availability and difficulty of survey. However a detailed requirement needs to be shared with our research before giving final confirmation to client.
** Depending upon the requirement the deliverable time and quote will vary.
Enquire for customization in Report @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/enquiry-before-buy/1601109-global-defence-land-vehicle-market-2
To comprehend Global Defence Land Vehicle market dynamics in the world mainly, the worldwide Defence Land Vehicle market is analyzed across major global regions. HTF MI also provides customized specific regional and country-level reports for the following areas.
- North America: United States, Canada, and Mexico.
- South & Central America: Argentina, Chile, and Brazil.
- Middle East & Africa: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Turkey, Egypt and South Africa.
- Europe: UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Russia.
- Asia-Pacific: India, China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, and Australia.
2-Page profiles for 10+ leading manufacturers and 10+ leading retailers is included, along with 3 years financial history to illustrate the recent performance of the market. Revised and updated discussion for 2018 of key macro and micro market influences impacting the sector are provided with a thought-provoking qualitative comment on future opportunities and threats. This report combines the best of both statistically relevant quantitative data from the industry, coupled with relevant and insightful qualitative comment and analysis.
Global Defence Land Vehicle Product Types In-Depth: , Main battle tank, Infantry battle tank, Armored personnel carriers, Armored combat support vehicles & Others
Global Defence Land Vehicle Major Applications/End users: Defence & Military
Geographical Analysis: United States, Europe, China, Japan, South Korea, India & Other Regions
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.
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 BAE Systems, Rhenmetall, General Dynamics & Oshkosh 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.
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In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Global Defence Land Vehicle are as follows:
History Year: 2013-2017
Base Year: 2017
Estimated Year: 2018
Forecast Year 2018 to 2025
Key Stakeholders/Global Reports:
Defence Land Vehicle Manufacturers
Defence Land Vehicle Distributors/Traders/Wholesalers
Defence Land Vehicle Subcomponent Manufacturers
Industry Association
Downstream Vendors
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Actual Numbers & In-Depth Analysis, Business opportunities, Market Size Estimation Available in Full Report.
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New Jersey, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/05/2019 -- Crowd Analytics is a kind of data science method that supports a variety of strategies to effectively monitor, manage, and predict crowd behaviour. It is an optimized business solution that facilitates a perceptive analysis of crowd mobility at large meeting locations such as retail, community centres, metro and airport terminals. Crowd analysis solutions include a variety of modelling and statistical capabilities such as value engineering, microscopy models, behavioural models, collision estimation and complex network analysis. Leverage crowd tracking and customer behaviour analysis to improve business operations. Organizations can gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace through the consumer's real-world perspective. We also support a myriad of business sectors through public demographic response through demographic and delivery services.
Global Crowd Analytics Market to grow at a CAGR of +24% during the period 2019-2024
This intelligence report provides a comprehensive analysis of the Crowd Analytics Market. This includes investigating past progress, on-going market scenarios, and future prospects. Accurate data on the products, strategies and market share of leading companies in this particular market are mentioned. This report presents a 360-degree overview of the global market. The report further predicts the size and valuation of the global market during the forecast period. The report also provides thorough qualitative and quantitative data on the impact of these factors on future growth prospects.
Some of the key players profiled in the study are NEC Corporation (Japan) , Crowd Dynamics (United Kingdom) , Sightcorp (Netherlands) , Crowd ANALYTIX, Inc. (United States) , Nokia (Finland) , Spigit, Inc. (United States) , Wavestore (United Kingdom) and AGT International (Switzerland) are some of the key players profiled in the study. Additionally, the Players which are also part of the research are Walkbase (Finland) , Securion Systems (United States) and Nokia Corporation (Finland).
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It explains a detailed outline of the Crowd Analytics Market depending on the important parameters. End users, Verifiable Projections about Market Size, products, regions, and many other segments are studied and explained. A brief idea about the driving forces which help make the market more flourishing is discussed in order to help the client understand the future market position. Estimated revenue growth in terms of volume with respect to the market for the upcoming years has been mentioned in depth.
Important Features that are under offering & key highlights of the report:
Market Drivers
Emerging requirements of business intelligent solutions
Growing necessity of intelligent video systems for interpreting behavioural data
Market Trend
Emergence of businesses digitization
Strong Acceptability of cloud services
Restraints
High cost
Concerns related to data security
Opportunities
Continuous increasing investments for analytical tools and solutions and increasing necessity of cost effective & time efficient smart solutions
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To comprehend Global Crowd Analytics Market dynamics in the world mainly, the worldwide Crowd Analytics Market is analysed across major global regions. AMA also provides customized specific regional and country-level reports for the following areas.
- North America: United States, Canada, and Mexico.s
- South & Central America: Argentina, Chile, and Brazil.
- Middle East & Africa: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Turkey, Egypt and South Africa.
- Europe: UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Russia.
- Asia-Pacific: India, China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, and Australia.
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Key Target Audience
- Data Centers
- Crowd Analytics Service Providers
- Analytics Software Developers
- Government
- IT Service Providers
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Fundamentals of Table of Content:
1 Report Overview
1.1 Study Scope
1.2 Key Market Segments
1.3 Players Covered
1.4 Market Analysis by Type
1.5 Market by Application
1.6 Study Objectives
1.7 Years Considered
2 Global Growth Trends
2.1 Global Crowd Analytics Market Size
2.2 Crowd Analytics Growth Trends by Regions
2.3 Industry Trends
3 Market Share by Key Players
3.1 Global Crowd Analytics Market Size by Manufacturers
3.2 Global Crowd Analytics Key Players Head office and Area Served
3.3 Key Players Product/Solution/Service
3.4 Enter barriers in Crowd Analytics Market
3.5 Mergers, Acquisitions, Expansion Plans
4 Crowd Analytics Market by Product
4.1 Global Crowd Analytics Sales by Product
4.2 Global Crowd Analytics Revenue by Product
4.3 Global Crowd Analytics Price by Product
5 Crowd Analytics Market by End User
5.1 Overview
5.2 Crowd Analytics by End User
This report on the Global Crowd Analytics Market has been prepared by a group of professional market research analysts, aspiring to serve as a decision-making credible business document for the stockholders of this market. The report provides in-depth assessment of all factors that may define the future prospects, segments it into smaller aspects, and profiles some of the key companies to showcase the competitive landscape.
Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia (China, India, Japan etc) or Oceania [Australia and New Zealand].
Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/06/2019 -- HTF MI recently Announced Global Climate Test Chamber study with 100+ market data Tables and Figures spread through Pages and easy to understand detailed TOC on "Climate Test Chamber. Global Climate Test Chamber research allows you to get different methods for maximizing your profit. The research study provides estimates for Global Climate Test Chamber Forecast till 2025*. Some of the Leading key Company's Covered for this Research are ESPEC, Weiss Technik, Thermotron, CSZ, Angelantoni, Binder, Climats, Memmert, Hitachi, Russells Technical Products, TPS, CME, Kambic, Hastest Solutions, Shanghai Jiayu, China CEPREI & Guangzhou Mingsheng.
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Summary Key Content of Chapters (Including and can be customized) Part 1: Market Overview, Development, and Segment by Type, Application & Region Part 2: Global Market by company, Type, Application & Geography Part 3-4: Asia-Pacific Market by company, Type, Application & Geography Part 5-6: Europe Market by company, Type, Application & Geography Part 7-8: North America Market by company, Type, Application & Geography Part 9-10: South America Market by company, Type, Application & Geography Part 11-12: Middle East & Africa Market by company, Type, Application & Geography Part 13: Company information, Sales, Cost, Margin etc. Part 14: Conclusion
Global Climate Test Chamber Research for a Leading company is an intelligent process of gathering and analyzing the numerical data related to services and products. This Research Give idea to aims at your targeted customer's understanding, needs and wants. Also, reveals how effectively a company can meet their requirements. The market research collects data about the customers, marketing strategy, competitors. The Climate Test Chamber Manufacturing industry is becoming increasingly dynamic and innovative, with more number of private players entering the industry.
Important Features that are under offering & key highlights of the report:
1) Who are the Leading Key Company in Global Climate Test Chamber market space?
Following are list of players that are currently profiled in the report "ESPEC, Weiss Technik, Thermotron, CSZ, Angelantoni, Binder, Climats, Memmert, Hitachi, Russells Technical Products, TPS, CME, Kambic, Hastest Solutions, Shanghai Jiayu, China CEPREI & Guangzhou Mingsheng"
** List of companies mentioned may vary in the final report subject to Name Change / Merger etc.
2) What will the market size be in 2025 and what will the growth rate be?
In 2019, the Global Climate Test Chamber market size was xx million USD and it is expected to reach USD xx million by the end of 2025, with a CAGR of xx% during 2019-2025.
3) What are the Market Applications & Types:
The study is segmented by following Product Type: , Constant Climate Chamber, Dynamic Climate Chamber, Small Benchtop Chambers & Walk-in Chambers
Major applications/end-users industry are: Industry, Electronic, Biological & Pharmaceuticals
**The market is valued based on weighted average selling price (WASP) and includes any applicable taxes on manufacturers. All currency conversions used in the creation of this report have been calculated using constant annual average 2018 currency rates.
To comprehend Global Climate Test Chamber market dynamics in the world mainly, the worldwide Climate Test Chamber market is analyzed across major regions. HTF MI also provides customized specific regional and country-level reports for the following areas.
- North America: United States, Canada, and Mexico.
- South & Central America: Argentina, Chile, and Brazil.
- Middle East & Africa: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Turkey, Egypt and South Africa.
- Europe: UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Russia.
- Asia-Pacific: India, China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, and Australia.
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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 ESPEC, Weiss Technik, Thermotron, CSZ, Angelantoni, Binder, Climats, Memmert, Hitachi, Russells Technical Products, TPS, CME, Kambic, Hastest Solutions, Shanghai Jiayu, China CEPREI & Guangzhou Mingsheng 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.
Research Parameter/ Research Methodology
Primary Research:
The primary sources involves the industry experts from the Global Climate Test Chamber industry including the management organizations, processing organizations, analytics service providers of the industry's value chain. All primary sources were interviewed to gather and authenticate qualitative & quantitative information and determine the future prospects.
In the extensive primary research process undertaken for this study, the primary sources industry experts such as CEOs, vice presidents, marketing director, technology & innovation directors, founders and related key executives from various key companies and organizations in the Global Climate Test Chamber in the industry have been interviewed to obtain and verify both qualitative and quantitative aspects of this research study.
Secondary Research:
In the Secondary research crucial information about the industries value chain, total pool of key players, and application areas. It also assisted in market segmentation according to industry trends to the bottom-most level, geographical markets and key developments from both market and technology oriented perspectives.
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In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Global Climate Test Chamber are as follows:
History Year: 2013-2018
Base Year: 2018
Estimated Year: 2019
Forecast Year 2019 to 2025
Key Stakeholders in Global Climate Test Chamber Market:
Global Climate Test Chamber Manufacturers
Global Climate Test Chamber Distributors/Traders/Wholesalers
Global Climate Test Chamber Subcomponent Manufacturers
Industry Association
Downstream Vendors
**Actual Numbers & In-Depth Analysis, Business opportunities, Market Size Estimation Available in Full Report.
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Sellbyville, DE -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/06/2019 -- Chatbot Market in standalone segment held approximately 50% shares in the market in 2017. They operate on a single computer integrated with the system interface and can control certain functions of the computer such as retrieving documents or playing media. These chatbots offer benefits such as ease of installation and reduced installation prices. The web-based chatbots are growing fast as the chatbot operators are personalizing the content and have control over the personality and behavior of the chatbot, increasing their demand in the market.
Chatbot Market is projected to surpass USD 1.34 billion by 2024. The introduction of chatbot has opened new boundaries into the business world in terms of customer engagement and ease of interaction enabling the countries to connect with their customers globally. Chatbots also allow businesses to interact with their customers in two-way communication. It permits them to examine and measure interactions with consumers, taking their requirements into consideration, and optimizing customer experiences. Chatbots also aid in increasing customer retention rate by sending personalized messages and offering 24/7 availability, accelerating the market demand.
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The technological advancements in the field of AI had benefitted the chatbot market as they have brought about a change from just being simple software with scripted answers to present day intelligent chatbots that are able to engage potential consumers. These chatbots have brought about various positive social impacts such as enhanced customer interaction with businesses, quick access to public data, and online payment of tax and bills. Moreover, the governmental agencies are also relying on chatbots to enhance customer experience. For instance, the Mississippi Department of Information Technology has been using a chatbot named Missi to resolve inquiries of 100 citizens daily relating to taxes and hunting licenses.
The customer service applications show strong interests in chatbots as these intelligent digital assistants are always accessible to solve customer queries in a cheap and efficient manner. They support businesses to save customer service expenses of over 30% by moving up response times and freeing up employees for more challenging work. Furthermore, around 56% of the companies operating in the technology and multimedia sectors are planning to invest in chatbots in the coming three to five years, saving approximately USD 8 billion yearly in customer supporting costs.
The rule-based segment dominates the chatbot market with a revenue of USD 218 million in 2017 anticipated to reach USD 869 million by 2024. However, the development of these chatbots is done following a rule-based approach and hence are unable to answer questions whose patter mismatches with the rules on which the bot is trained. The AI-based chatbots are projected to grow at the fastest rate of CAGR 52.8% over the forecast timeline. The rapid progresses in the field of NLP and machine-learning have also led to the development of AI-based chatbots which can offer personalized responses. For instance, in 2018, the Indian railways decided to use AI-based chatbots for handling passenger queries. These chatbots assist in improving traveler experience in an efficient manner by providing enhanced passenger safety, amenities, and better service delivery.
Most enterprises use on-premise chatbot platforms which allow them to have total control of the chatbot experience and can securely manage and examine all chatbot interactions within the enterprise environment. The cloud model provides built-in services offering easy to configure chatbots. The companies design, develop, and deliver highly intelligent chatbots for use in numerous communication channels, increasing their demand.
Chatbot market in e-commerce segment held about 35% of the market in 2017 because they assist in completing buyer's purchases, offer product recommendations, and provide customer support in enhancing their market growth. They aid in improving shopping experience by reducing waiting time, provide 24/7 support, and retain customers by sending messages. For instance, Starbucks chatbot available on the Starbucks application allows customers to easily place an order by text messaging or voice commands through chatbots, increasing customer buying experience and saving purchase time.
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North America is projected to dominate the chatbot market by 2024 as chatbot solutions have gained prominence in different sectors such as BFSI e-commerce, gaming, and healthcare. Furthermore, the technological advancements in the AI and NLP technologies followed by the increased usage of computers, tablets, laptops, and mobiles are also driving the market growth. Asia Pacific is growing the fastest in the market during the forecast timeline, generating revenues of approximately USD 350 million by 2024 due to the rising advent of messaging applications such as WeChat in China.
Furthermore, the rapid investments by tech giants have also boosted the chatbot growth. For instance, in April 2018, Alibaba invested USD 600 million in SenseTime, China's leading AI company. This funding will assist the company in increasing their technological innovation rate and expanding their new business opportunities.
The companies in the chatbot market are spending in the research and development, aimed at developing new and customized chatbots. The vendors in the market are Astute Solutions, Baidu, Botsify, Bold360, Chatfuel, ChatterOn, ChattyPeople, Facebook, Google Inc., Haptik Inc., Helpshift, IBM Watson, Imperson Ltd., Kiwi Inc., ManyChat, Microsoft Corporation, Nuance Communication Inc., LivePerson, Poncho, ReplyYes, Slack Technologies Inc., and SRI International.
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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.
Rockville, MD -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/28/2019 -- Rapid penetration of battery powered vehicles has led to the development of electric shuttles. Although the electric shuttles were initially used for sight-seeing and short distance transportation across golf courses, airports, wineries, and stadiums, national parks, and theme parks, they are gaining steady application in public communication. With increasing awareness regarding environmental issues and consumption of natural resources, adoption of electric shuttle is likely to rise significantly in the coming years. The electric shuttles bring wide range of advantages, most importantly reduction of air pollution levels. These are some of the factors influencing the development of electric shuttle market.
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Relatively low cost of maintenance and less requirement of services are directly translating into growth of the electric shuttle market. Electric shuttles comprise of fewer moving parts as compared to conventional internal combustion motors that cause less operational and maintenance issues which in turn increases their demand. Rising government initiatives on replacing natural gas transit public vehicles with electric shuttles in order to address climate change and reduce air pollution is expected to fuel the growth of electric shuttle market. Continued focus of manufacturers on battery advancements and heavy investments in innovative technology will possibly open new growth opportunities of electric shuttle market.
Low Emission Levels Regulations to Boost Deployment of Electric Shuttles across Countries
In an effort to lower the emission levels, government across countries are imposing stringent regulations on manufacturers in various industries. According to the European Commission, cars are responsible for nearly 12% of the overall EU emission of greenhouse gas. To comply with the stringent emission regulations, automotive manufacturers are shifting their focus towards development of electric vehicles for public transport such as electric shuttles.
In a recently conducted survey, Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Wurttemberg (ZSW) stated that the number of electric vehicles recorded on the roads increased to 3.2 million in 2018. According to the survey conducted, leading brands in China - BAIC, and BYD will account for the largest number of new registrations. However, the market for electric vehicles is concentrated in a few countries such as the U.S., Norway, China, Canada, Japan, Germany, Britain, Sweden, the Netherlands, and France.
Innovative LMP battery and Supercapacitors: Leading Manufacturers to Shift their Focus towards Offering Uninterrupted Services
To maintain pace with the recent trends in the automotive industry, leading manufacturers are focusing on incorporating innovative software and hardware, radical designs, and lightweight materials. For instance, a French transport company, Bollore Group has developed electronic shuttles that contains a battery backup system, supercapacitors, and LMP battery. The backup power system provides a distance coverage of 30 km LMP and battery enables the customers to cover 2 km on a single charge.
In addition, a subsidiary of Blue Solutions that is owned by Bellore Group, BlueSG Pte Ltd in collaboration with Nanyang Technological University has recently launched the first flash-charging electric shuttle in Singapore. The shuttle undergoes charging at the charging station when passengers alight or board from the vehicle. In addition, the electric shuttle is equipped with quick charging and emission-free features, which enables the vehicle to travel long distances.
Quick and Convenient Global Services: Online Rental Applications to Broaden the Scope of Deployment
For quick and convenient services, individuals prefer booking their seats in the public transports through online rental services while returning back home, traveling to the office, or other events. In order to improve their position in the competitive market, the leading companies are engaging in collaborations with the online rental service provides. This has translated into increasing number of passengers for the electric shuttles.
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In addition, to offer enhanced connectivity in the cities, service providers are offering commutation services to the individuals near the metro stations and bus stations. Convenience in booking the seats in the public transportation such as electric shuttles has led to an increase in the number of passengers. Passengers are logging on to various online portals to book their seats in electric shuttles in advance. Some of these rental service portals include OLA, Feedmanseating.com, and SuperShuttle.
Effective Public Commutation Solutions: Major Companies to Focus on Collaborations for Improved Connectivity
To sustain their lead in the competitive market, major companies are concentrating on entering into collaborations and acquisitions. For instance, Toyota has partnered with various e-commerce portals such as Pizza Hut, Amazon, China's DiDi, and Uber to create a mobility service platform for e-commerce and shared rides, and develop robot-van like pods. Through the collaboration, the companies are focusing on broadening the scope of deployment of these robotic vans for delivering services, ridesharing or rolling office, and various other mobility services.
As electric shuttles are becoming a popular mode of public communication, ruling authorities across countries are focusing on accommodating connectivity through these shuttles. For example, ruling authorities in the U.S. are encouraging leading companies to develop electric shuttles to offer effective solutions for public commutation. The ruling authorities are concentrating on creating autonomous test tracks and investing nearly US$ 2 million for the same. Prototype Prime, a hardware and software startup is also focusing on launching an "advanced vehicle accelerator" and bring more partners for the project through collaborations.
In addition, ruling authorities in Singapore is taking initiatives to encourage deployment of electric shuttles in various educational institutions such as Nanyang Technological University (NTU). The fully automated Group Rapid Transit (GRT) services will be operating autonomous shuttle services that offer connectivity between the main academic centers and halls of residences. Nearly 200 to 300 passengers will benefit from the convenience from the conveyance offered by the GRT services. Initiatives taken by the ruling authorities are encouraging the companies to shift their focus towards development of electric shuttles for public conveyance and enhanced connectivity in various cities. Through strategic collaborations and product innovations, leading companies are focusing on improving their position in the competitive market significantly.
Crucial information pertaining to the recent trends and developments identified in the global market are compiled in the report for the perusal of readers, investors, and stakeholders. Insights provided in the report gives the stakeholders and investors a broader view of the global electric shuttle market.
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This analytical research study imparts an all-inclusive assessment on the market, while propounding historical intelligence, actionable insights, and industry-validated & statistically-upheld market forecast. Verified and suitable set of assumptions and methodology has been leveraged for developing this comprehensive study. Information and analysis on key market segments incorporated in the report has been delivered in weighted chapters. A thorough analysis has been offered by the report on
Market Dynamics
Market Size
Market Segments
Demand & Supply Trends
Current Issues and Challenges
Companies and Competitor Landscape
Value Chain
Technology
Regional Segments Analyzed Include
North America (U.S., Canada)
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, S. Africa, N. Africa)
Compilation of authentic and first-hand intelligence, insights offered in the report are based on quantitative and qualitative assessment by leading industry experts, and inputs from opinion leaders & industry participants around the value chain. Growth determinants, macroeconomic indicators, and parent market trends have been scrutinized and delivered, coupled with the market attractiveness for each market segment encompassed. Qualitative impact of growth influencers on the market segments across regions has also been mapped by the report.
Highlights from the Report
Elaborated scenario of the parent market
Transformations in the market dynamics
Detailed segmentation of the target market
Historical, current and forecast market size based on value and volume
Latest industry developments and trends
Competition landscape
Strategies adopted by the market players and product developments made
Potential and niche segments, along with their regional analysis
Unbiased analysis on performance of the market
Up-to-date and must-have intelligence for the market players to enhance and sustain their competitiveness
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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.
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Penndel, PA -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/06/2019 -- With each start of the new year, businesses across all industries are given a chance to lower costs and increase profit margins. Businesses interested in improving their shipping and logistics can turn to General Partition Company, Inc. As the top choice for chipboard layer pads, businesses of all sizes have turned to the team at General Partition Company, Inc.
Business owners know firsthand how frustrating it is when a package arrives on time to the right destination just for the item or items to be broken or damaged. Because of this, business owners and warehouses should always look at the quality of the product they are using to ship and transport goods and items. The packaging material and shipping products available through General Partition Company, Inc. can help lower the number of broken packages and orders that are shipped to customers, clients and other businesses.
For over 50 years, businesses across an array of industries have turned to General Partition Company, Inc. to increase their shipping and logistics. Aside from delivering a top-of-the-line product, one of the reasons why businesses turn to General Partition Company, Inc. time and time again is their customer experience. Going above and beyond for clients of all sizes is just one of the ways they've been able to separate themselves from the competition.
Anyone interested in more information on any of the products General Partition Company, Inc. has to offer, including polycoated chipboard and SBS partitions, can head over to their website at https://www.generalpartition.com/. They can also be reached over the phone at 1-888-501-4685.
About General Partition Company, Inc.
General Partition Company, Inc. is a Bucks County, Pennsylvania-based organization providing durable and versatile box partitions for a wide variety of implementations. They manufacture partitions comprised of chipboard, corrugated cardboard and Solid Bleach Sulfite (SBS).
General Partition Company, Inc. also has services to assist businesses plan and engineer intelligent shipping solutions using their box partitions. Their delivery services have a reputation for being fast and reliable. They also accommodate special orders like unique labeling. Reach General Partition Company, Inc. by phone nationwide at 888-501-4685.
For more information, please visit: http://www.generalpartition.com/.
Valley Cottage, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/05/2019 -- Global demand for bismuth is expected to grow at a Y-o-Y growth rate of 4.9% by 2016 end. China is a major consumer, producer, and exporter of bismuth and is anticipated to maintain its dominance in the global market in the near future. The country is estimated to account for 27.0% share of overall bismuth sales by the end of 2016. The increasing use of bismuth oxide in growing manufacturing industries is anticipated to drive consumption in the region. The rapid growth of the automobile end-use industry is expected to drive further market growth.
Increasing environmental regulations regarding lead usage in various end-use industries would drive demand for bismuth and bismuth derived compounds. Stringent regulations and initiatives by leading manufacturers in end-use industries to phase out lead production is expected to spur bismuth market growth. Major paints & coatings manufacturers such as BASF SE and PPG Inc. are actively offering bismuth-based products replacing their lead based portfolio, in order to provide environmentally-friendly product offerings.
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The bismuth market in APAC is anticipated to witness higher growth rates due to increasing manufacturing activities in China and India. Demand in Europe is also anticipated to be above average due to stringent lead restricting directives in the region, while demand in North America, Latin America, and MEA is expected to be moderate. Declining lead production due to regulations and declining consumption of lead-acid batteries is anticipated to be a major restricting factor for the global market. The increasing use of bismuth alternatives in pharmaceuticals and alloys is also a major obstacle to market growth.
Hunan Jinwang Bismuth Industry Co. Ltd., Hunan Bismuth Co. Ltd., and Nui Phao Mining Company Limited are some of the top producers of bismuth, with a cumulative annual production capacity of 11,000 metric tons.
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PMR Long-term Outlook on Global Bismuth Market: The global bismuth market is expected to reach US$ 400.0 Mn expanding at a CAGR of 6.7% during the forecast period (20162024). Asia Pacific is anticipated to be the largest market for bismuth, with a market share of 46% in overall sales by the end of 2024.
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Feb. 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- vArmour, the API-driven cloud security company, today announced it has raised $44M in Series E funding, led by AllegisCyber and NightDragon, with participation from existing investors. With the worldwide public cloud services market projected to grow 17.3 percent in 2019 (to total $206.2 billion), the new investments recognize the urgent need for security solutions that protect data and applications that are increasingly being sprawled across public and private cloud environments, especially for organizations in heavily regulated industries.
A core technology that powers its products and services, vArmours Conform addresses anxiety among security teams who are struggling with their organizations rapid expansion to hybrid cloud. Conform bridges security and compliance policy requirements to public and private cloud. Without it, security and IT pros are left to the overwhelming task of reconciling diverse compliance rules to their disparate cloud environments, each with its own unique security controls and nuances. As a result, they are adopting vArmour for its elegant simplicity, reduced cost, and helping to achieve continuous compliance for their organization.
Organizations are deploying multiple clouds for business agility and reduced cost, but the rapid adoption is making it a nightmare for security and IT pros to provide consistent security controls across cloud platforms, said Bob Ackerman, Founder and Managing Director at AllegisCyber. vArmour is already servicing this need with hundreds of customers, and were excited to help vArmour grow to the next stage of development.
Founder of NightDragon, Dave DeWalt, adds, From my experience, this is an important solution for the cloud security space. With security teams now having to manage a multitude of cloud estates and inundated with regulatory mandates, they need a simple solution thats capable of continuous compliance. We havent seen anyone else do this as well as vArmour.
vArmours solutions are based on significant IP built within its approach to application security, a method for identifying, securing and controlling workloads where data and processes are dispersed and traditional firewalls are ineffective. vArmours holistic approach includes auto-discovering hybrid cloud applications, computing infrastructure-independent communication policies, and measuring effective enforcement to reduce attack surface and maintain continuous compliance.
Security and IT pros are having a difficult time maintaining consistent security policy across their private and public cloud environments, so weve designed Conform to help these teams manage the numerous compliance requirements they have to deal with, said Tim Eades, CEO of vArmour. By taming the cloud, vArmour brings peace of mind all the way to the board room, enabling further cloud adoption and aiding with regulatory compliance.
About vArmour
vArmour is an API-driven cloud security company. Hundreds of companies worldwide rely on the vArmour Application Controller to consistently and effectively apply security controls across hybrid clouds, reducing the attack surface and maintaining continuous compliance. Based in Mountain View, CA, the company was founded in 2011 and is backed by top investors including Highland Capital Partners, AllegisCyber, Redline Capital, Citi Ventures, and Telstra. Learn more at www.varmour.com .
About AllegisCyber
AllegisCyber, based in Silicon Valley and Maryland, has pioneered an integrated cybersecurity investment platform spanning seed to early-growth cybersecurity companies. AllegisCyber has been investing in cybersecurity for almost two decades in the U.S and select international markets and was the first venture firm to focus exclusively on cybersecurity and data science. The venture firm's team is replete with venture capital and start-up entrepreneurial veterans and has been described in industry press as the Cybers Money Men for its domain expertise and market leadership position. Current AllegisCyber investments include Area 1, Callsign, CyberGRX, Dragos, SafeGuard Cyber, Shape Security, Source Defense, Synack and vArmour. AllegisCyber is also closely affiliated with DataTribe (co-founded by Allegis founder Bob Ackerman) which grows cyber and data science technology startups, in partnership with subject matter expert engineers coming out of the U.S. intelligence community and U.S. national labs. DataTribe is based in Maryland. For more information on AllegisCyber, please visit www.allegiscyber.com or DataTribe www.datatribe.com/ .
About NightDragon Security
NightDragon Security is an investment firm focused on partnering with cybersecurity companies across the corporate lifecycle, from early stage, to growth, buyouts and special situations. Its flexible model allows it to lead or co-invest alongside leading venture capital and private equity firms in the pursuit of driving growth and maximizing shareholder value. NightDragon is unique in providing deep operational expertise in cybersecurity gained by its founders Dave DeWalt and Ken Gonzalez from years serving as senior executives leading technology companies such as Documentum, EMC, Siebel Systems (Oracle), McAfee, Mandiant, Avast and FireEye.
Valley Cottage, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/05/2019 -- An up to date business intelligence report compiled at Persistence Market Research (PMR) notifies that the shares in the global automotive composites market are moderately consolidated among a handful of players who have the technological expertise to cater to diverse demands. In the automotive industry, the current trend is to develop vehicles that are fuel efficient, and a number of players are transforming their business to meet these changing requirements. For instance, Toray Industries has inaugurated a new production facility in Japan that is expected to starting churning out electrode sheets for nearly 100,000 fuel cell vehicles each year from 2018 onwards. Toray's new carbon fiber composite is expected to be stronger and lighter with complex shapes.
Toho Tenax is another reputed name in the global automotive composites market, providing customized products from lightweight electric hybrids to high-performance racing cars. Some of the popular products from the company are Tenax Filament Yarn, Tenax ThermoPlastics, Tenax Short Fibers, Tenax Dry Reinforcements, Tenax Part via Preform, and Tenax Prepreg. Solvay S.A. is another key holding a strong position in the global automotive composites market, offering its DForm component technology that serves the high and medium volume automobile market, providing high deposition rates and ease of processing with its continuous fiber advanced molding system.
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Global Automotive Composites Market to Attain Valuation of US$7,019.7 million by 2022
As per the projections of the PMR report, the demand in the global automotive composites market will swell at an impressive CAGR of 8.9% over the course of the forecast period of 2017 to 2022. In terms of revenue, the scopes in this market are estimated to be worth US$7,019.7 by the end of 2022, considerably more than the market's evaluated worth of US$4,589.7 million in 2017. The analysts of the report have identified SGL Group from Germany, Mitsubishi Chemical Company from Japan, and Owens Corning and Plasan Carbon Composites from the U.S. as some of the other companies currently ahead of the curve in the global automotive composites market.
Based on composite materials, the PMR report segments the market for automotive composites into polymer matrix, ceramic matrix, and metal matrix. On the basis of manufacturing process, the market has been bifurcated into injection and continuous process, compression process, and manual process. The market has also been categorized on the basis of composite components, into engine and drivetrain components, exterior, and interior. Geographically, Asia Pacific has been picked out as the region with maximum opportunities. By the end of 2022, this region is anticipated to provide for more than half of the total demand in the global automotive composites market.
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Government Regulations to Reduce Carbon Emission Driving Demand
A number of factors have been detected that are expected to drive the automotive composites market in the near future, such as growing demand for lightweight passenger vehicles that offer higher fuel efficiency and government regulations to adopt ways to reduce carbon emission from vehicles. In addition to that, the automotive industry is currently flourishing in the region of Asia Pacific, finding strong demand the emerging economies of China and India. These two countries are vastly populated and increased per capita vehicle ownership is expected to reflect positively on this market. On the other hand, high cost of raw materials is the most prominent restraint over the prosperity of the automotive composites market. The technology needs to be harnessed further for it to be more affordable for larger masses across the world.
Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/05/2019 -- Advance Market Analytics recently introduced Global Auto Rental 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 Enterprise (United States), Hertz (United States), Avis Budget (United States), Sixt (Germany), Europcar (France), Localiza (Brazil), CAR Inc. (China), Movida (Brazil), Unidas (Brazil), Goldcar (Spain), eHi Car Services (China), Toyota (Japan), Times Mobility Networks (Japan), Nissan (Japan).
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The research analyst at AMA estimates Auto Rental market to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 13.2%
This report studies the Global Auto Rental market size, industry status and forecast, competition landscape and growth opportunity. This research report categorizes the Global Auto Rental market by companies, region, type and end-use industry.
This study mainly helps understand which market segments or Region or Country they should focus in coming years to channelize their efforts and investments to maximize growth and profitability. The report presents the market competitive landscape and a consistent in depth analysis of the major vendor/key players in the market.
Furthermore, the years considered for the study are as follows:
Historical year 2013-2017
Base year 2018
Forecast period** 2018 to 2023 [** unless otherwise stated]
**Moreover, it will also include the opportunities available in micro markets for stakeholders to invest, detailed analysis of competitive landscape and product services of key players.
The titled segments and sub-section of the market are illuminated below:
The Study Explore the Product Types of Auto Rental Market: Economy, Compact, Intermediate, Standard, Full Size, Premium, Luxury
Key Applications/end-users of Auto Rental Market: Local Usage, Airport Transport, Outstation, Others
Top Players in the Market are: Enterprise (United States), Hertz (United States), Avis Budget (United States), Sixt (Germany), Europcar (France), Localiza (Brazil), CAR Inc. (China), Movida (Brazil), Unidas (Brazil), Goldcar (Spain), eHi Car Services (China), Toyota (Japan), Times Mobility Networks (Japan), Nissan (Japan)
Region Included are: North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia & India
Market Drivers
- Substantial demand for car rental services stems from the rising global air passenger traffic
- Rising demand for reliable and convenient travel from inbound and domestic travelers
Market Trend
- Companies are offering high technology gadgets for vehicle users, with an aim to consolidate their shares in the market
- Advent of green car rental services open new revenue streams for service providers
- Concept of self-driving instead of hiring a driver
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Important Features that are under offering & key highlights of the report:
Detailed overview of Auto Rental market
Changing market dynamics of the industry
In-depth market segmentation by Type, Application etc
Historical, current and projected market size in terms of volume and value
Recent industry trends and developments
Competitive landscape of Auto Rental market
Strategies of key players and product offerings
Potential and niche segments/regions exhibiting promising growth
A neutral perspective towards Auto Rental market performance
Must-have information for market players to sustain and enhance their market footprint
Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at @ http://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/reports/38889-global-auto-rental-market
Major Highlights of TOC:
- 1. Market Overview
o 1.1. Introduction
o 1.2. Scope/Objective of the Study
? 1.2.1. Research Objective
- 2. Executive Summary
o 2.1. Introduction
- 3. MarketDynamics
o 3.1. Introduction
o 3.2. Market Drivers
? 3.2.1. Substantial demand for car rental services stems from the rising global air passenger traffic
? 3.2.2. Rising demand for reliable and convenient travel from inbound and domestic travelers
o 3.3. Market Challenges
? 3.3.1. Limited variety of car models can hamper the auto rental service
? 3.3.2. Higher cost associated with the auto rental service as compared to other transportation service
o 3.4. Market Trends
? 3.4.1. Companies are offering high technology gadgets for vehicle users, with an aim to consolidate their shares in the market
? 3.4.2. Advent of green car rental services open new revenue streams for service providers
? 3.4.3. Concept of self-driving instead of hiring a driver
- 4. Market Factor Analysis
o 4.1. Porters Five Forces
o 4.2. Supply/Value Chain
o 4.3. PESTEL analysis
o 4.4. Market Entropy
o 4.5. Patent/Trademark Analysis
Chapter Five: Major Companies List
Chapter Six: Conclusion
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Key questions answered
- Who are the Leading key players and what are their Key Business plans in the Auto Rental market?
- What are the key concerns of the five forces analysis of the Auto Rental market?
- What are different prospects and threats faced by the dealers in the Auto Rental market?
- What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?
Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.
About Author:
Advance Market Analytics is Global leaders of Market Research Industry provides the quantified B2B research to Fortune 500 companies on high growth emerging opportunities which will impact more than 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Our Analyst is tracking high growth study with detailed statistical and in-depth analysis of market trends & dynamics that provide a complete overview of the industry. We follow an extensive research methodology coupled with critical insights related industry factors and market forces to generate the best value for our clients. We Provides reliable primary and secondary data sources, our analysts and consultants derive informative and usable data suited for our clients business needs. The research study enable clients to meet varied market objectives a from global footprint expansion to supply chain optimization and from competitor profiling to M&As.
Pune, Maharashtra -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/06/2019 -- The Graphical Research report presents a detailed evaluation of "Asia Pacific Controlled Release Fertilizers Market by Size, Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook, Application Development Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2018 2024".
Controlled release fertilizers are granulated fertilizers which have the capability to release the nutrients into the soil gradually. As these fertilizers are non-soluble in water, their nutrients will release very slowly into the soil, and provide effective nutritional support to the plants.
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APAC Controlled Release Fertilizer Market to reach $2 mn by 2024. Rapid population growth in some countries of Asia Pacific will rise food requirements, which will exponentially raise the arable land requirements, which in turn will drive the Asia Pacific controlled release fertilizer market over the forecast period.
As many countries in this region are based on agriculture, the demand for controlled release fertilizers will be significantly high in nations such as India, Japan, and China etc. Moreover, rising shortages of food-based crops is creating an additional demand for good-quality fertilizers, thereby attributing to the growing demand of controlled release fertilizers in this region.
Polymer sulfur coated urea fertilizers will hold the dominating share of Asia Pacific controlled release fertilizer market, owing to essentiality for crops in this region. Polymer coated urea fertilizers had a share of over 23% in 2017 and will grow significantly in the entire forecast period.
Cereals & grains crop segment will consume major share of Asia Pacific controlled release fertilizer market volume throughout the projected period. Many countries in this region such as India, Japan, China, etc. are majorly dependent on cereals & grains crops. The demand will further have attributed, owing to the rising food requirements in this region.
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Rising arable land requirements, coupled with rising awareness regarding sustainable farming techniques to increase the food production would significantly drive the China controlled release fertilizer market throughout the forecast period. The regional market in Japan had a significant market share in 2017, and this will grow on a notable CAGR over the coming years.
Some of the key companies in Asia Pacific controlled release fertilizer market include AgroBridge, HIF Tech Sdn Bhd, Greenfeed Agro Sdn Bhd, and Nufarm Ltd, among others.
Segments Covered in this Report:
Asia Pacific controlled release fertilizer market, by product
Polymer sulfur coated urea/sulfur coated urea
Polymer coated urea
Polymer coated NPK fertilizer
Others
Asia Pacific controlled release fertilizer market, by crop
Cereals & grains
Oilseeds & pulses
Fruits & vegetables
Others
Browse key industry insights from this 2018 report Asia Pacific Controlled Release Fertilizer Market in detail along with the table of contents @
https://www.graphicalresearch.com/industry-insights/1108/apac-controlled-release-fertilizer-market
The above information is provided on a country basis for the following:
China
India
Japan
Australia
Indonesia
Malaysia
Bangladesh
South Korea
Thailand
Sri Lanka
Related Reports:
1. Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK) Market Size By Application (Paints & Coatings, Adhesives, Printing Inks), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook, Application Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Landscape & Forecast, 2018 2024
https://www.graphicalresearch.com/industry-insights/1115/methyl-ethyl-ketone-market
2. Fluorotelomers Market Size By Product (Fluorotelomer Iodide, Fluorotelomer Acrylate, Fluorotelomer Alcohols), By Application (Textiles, Stain resistant, Food packaging, Firefighting foams), Regional Outlook and Industry Forecast, 2018 2024
https://www.graphicalresearch.com/industry-insights/1114/fluorotelomers-market
About Graphical Research
Graphical Research is a business research firm that provides industry insights, market forecast and strategic inputs through granular research reports and advisory services. We publish targeted research reports with an aim to address varied customer needs, from market penetration and entry strategies to portfolio management and strategic outlook. We understand that business requirements are unique: our syndicate reports are designed to ensure relevance for industry participants across the value chain. We also provide custom reports that are tailored to the exact needs of the customer, with dedicated analyst support across the purchase lifecycle.
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VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Thursday, Feb. 7, the Fraser Institute will release a new study on federal government finances.
What Happens to the Federal Deficit if a Recession Occurs in 2019? spotlights how an economic downturn or recession might impact the federal governments already large budget deficits.
A news release with additional information will be issued via GlobeNewswire on Thursday, Feb. 7 at 5:00 a.m. (Eastern).
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jason Clemens, Executive Vice-President
Fraser Institute
Jake Fuss, Policy Analyst
Fraser Institute
To arrange media interviews or for more information, please contact:
Bryn Weese, Media Relations Specialist, Fraser Institute
(604) 688-0221 ext. 589
bryn.weese@fraserinstitute.org
Follow the Fraser Institute on Twitter | Become a fan on Facebook
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Re California cannabis industrys real threat still being ignored (Jan. 30): Your editorial regarding the lower-than-estimated tax revenue from legal marijuana sales ignored the fact that too many cities, as well as San Diego County, have failed to honor the directive of the people to provide legal marijuana sales.
Too many cities in San Diego immediately outlawed legal dispensaries in their city, forcing the illegal sales to continue.
The most ridiculous barrier is the countys ban on sales. In order to reap the benefits of sales, local governments need to stop pretending that there is some kind of inherent danger with marijuana sales.
Other states that legalized sales have experienced much larger tax benefits. San Diego is losing out because of outdated views.
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Michele McCaffery
Fallbrook
Those of us who opposed pot legalization hate to be proved right over and over again. We predicted the black market would grow and it has. Proposition 64 provided for a tax reduction to as low as zero if the legal pot industry has difficulty competing with the black market. Now we see taxes that the voters were promised may be reduced.
We predicted tax revenues were significantly overpromised to the voters. Right again. The harms continue to grow and no one is seeing any evidence of tax revenue being used to message on the harms of pot use to children, teens or young adults. Why are we not surprised?
We do see criminal activity, including murder for hire within the legal industry. The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board needs to grasp the obvious - this was drug dealing before legalization and it is still drug dealing.
Scott Chipman
Southern California Chair
Citizens Against Legalizing Marijuana
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Now that marijuana is a legal drug, how are the owners of the businesses going to expand their business? answer: getting more people to use the drug. sounds like the tobacco industry all over again.
Frances Carrigan
Coronado
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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.
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For some politicians, spreading holiday cheer can be a costly investment.
Rep. Juan Vargas spent more than $100,000 in campaign funds on holiday cards last year, according to his recent financial disclosure report.
The Democrats year-end filing, which was submitted to the Federal Election Commission in January, shows his campaign spent a total of $124,200 on 20 transactions from Nov. 28 through Dec. 31. The holiday card expenses account for more than 83 percent of that total.
Vargas, who represents southeastern San Diego and Imperial Beach, spent $36,300 on printing the cards, $21,400 on postage, $27,000 on mailing and $350 on shipping, according to federal data.
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Another $1,600 went to Political Data, Inc., a supplier of voter information in Norwalk, California, and the campaign paid a San Diego photographer $800 to take pictures of Vargas and his family for the card.
The final holiday-card expense, $16,000, went to The Primacy Group, a La Jolla-based political consulting firm, which coordinated the cards distribution.
Larry Remer, the political consultant who owns the firm, said Congressman Vargas has been sending Christmas cards every year since he was a member of the San Diego City Council from 1993 to 2000.
The holiday card goes out to all of Vargas constituents in the 51st Congressional District, Remer said.
My fee is for coordinating all of the other expenses, he said. Its political mail with an insert, artwork. We figure out whos going to get it, how its distributed. Its real work.
Tim Walsh, Vargas chief of staff and campaign manager, said the card has become a wonderful tradition.
(Vargas) receives thousand(s) of cards in return, Walsh said in an email.
There are 317,200 registered voters in Vargas district; 46 percent are registered Democrats.
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Data show that Vargas received $4,000 in contributions during the month and a half period.
Excluding holiday card expenses, the congressional campaign spent $20,700 on fuel, member meetings, insurance services and fundraisers, among other things. About $1,500 went for food and beverages for the Capitol Holiday Party in Washington, D.C., and a district holiday party in San Diego.
According to the FEC data, Vargas is the only U.S. Representative in San Diego County who spent campaign funds on holiday cards at the end of 2018.
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But at least 30 other congressional campaigns nationwide took part in the holiday tradition in 2017. Congressman Lou Correa, from Californias 46th District, spent at least $53,200 on holiday-card expenses, while Rep. David Scott, a Democrat from Georgias 13th District, spent about $23,000.
Contact Lauryn Schroeder via Twitter or Email.
Back in 2008, as San Diego was recovering from a pension scandal that pushed the city to the brink of bankruptcy, voters agreed to amend the charter and convert the city auditors job to an independent, 10-year post.
The idea was to free the person responsible for rooting out waste, fraud and abuse at City Hall from partisanship and political favoritism. The charter amendment made it so the city auditor answers to the audit committee of the City Council, not the mayor.
Now, with San Diegos longtime auditor departed for a similar job in Beverly Hills, Mayor Kevin Faulconer is charged with finding his successor. And the committee he assembled to review applications is dominated by his senior aides and other Republicans.
The Mayors Office defended the makeup of the committee, saying he is following a process laid out in the city charter.
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But at least one political expert said it does not match what voters intended more than a decade ago.
The purpose of giving the auditor a 10-year term was to keep any one mayor from controlling them, said Carl Luna, a political science professor at Mesa College. But by allowing any mayor to really cherry-pick whos on the committee, it gives the mayor the ability to influence policy for the next decade, even when theyre out of office.
I dont think that was the spirit of the charter amendment, he added. The committee should be more representative of political and community views.
According to San Diego County voter-registration data, Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly 2 to 1. The 310,662 registered Democrats account for 40.3 percent of registered voters, while the 162,733 registered Republicans comprise 21.1 percent of eligible voters.
Voters who declined to state any political party accounted for one-third of registered voters, or 256,430 of the total 770,245 people registered, the county reported Monday.
The six-member auditor selection panel includes Chief Operating Officer Kris Michell and Deputy Chief of Staff Felipe Monroig. It also includes Councilman Scott Sherman, the Republican chairman of the audit committee, and audit committee member Thomas Hebrank, a Republican.
City Attorney Mara Elliott is the only registered Democrat on the selection committee. Independent Budget Analyst Andrea Tevlin, the sixth committee member, is registered to vote as having no party preference.
Faulconer spokeswoman Christina Chadwick said the mayor is following the proper process for selecting a new city auditor.
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The search has been brought before the Audit Committee twice for discussion and the committee members will continue to provide input throughout this selection process, she wrote in an email. Consistent with the charter, the mayor will appoint and the City Council will confirm the selection.
But the charter is ambiguous about how specifically the audit committee will participate in the hiring process.
It says the auditor shall be appointed by the city manager, in consultation with the audit committee and confirmed by the City Council. The charter does not define how the consultation requirement is to be met.
Since voters also enacted a strong-mayor form of governance, the mayor serves all of the duties that previously were performed by the city manager.
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The audit committee outlined its process last month, saying an executive search consultant will review applications for the nationally advertised position.
A Georgia-based headhunter will trim the pool to 10 or more finalists, who will be interviewed by the selection committee. Those panelists will make a recommendation to Faulconer, who will make an appointment, subject to council approval.
Council President Georgette Gomez did not respond to questions about the selection process.
Newly elected Councilwoman Jennifer Campbell said at the audit committee meeting last week that the committee should have the opportunity to interview the final candidates selected by the executive search form.
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The selection of the city auditor is supposed to be a collaborative process, with the mayor putting forward a candidate for the City Council to approve, she said in a follow-up statement. Right now, the primary traits that every councilmember is looking for in that position is independence and transparency.
If she and other council members are not convinced that the mayors nominee is committed to independence, they will not be approved, Campbell said. The checks and balances written into the city charter regarding this position are key to ensuring the right person gets the job.
Former City Auditor Eduardo Luna resigned in August after he became convinced he would not be reappointed. The city expects to name a successor this spring.
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jeff.mcdonald@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1708 @sdutMcDonald
TORONTO, Feb. 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sulliden Mining Capital Inc. (Sulliden or the Company) (TSX: SMC) reports, in accordance with the policies of the Toronto Stock Exchange, that the nominees listed in the Management Information Circular dated December 24, 2018 for the 2019 Annual and General Meeting of Shareholders of the Company (the Meeting) were elected as directors of the Company. 36% of all of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company were represented at the Meeting.
Detailed results of the vote for the election of directors held at the Meeting on February 5, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario are set out below.
Election of Directors
The shareholders approved the election as directors of the persons listed below, based on the following vote.
% Votes For % Votes Withheld Stan Bharti 96.59% 3.41% Deborah Battiston 73.87% 26.13% Brad Humphrey 99.92% 0.08% Pierre Pettigrew 99.09% 0.91% William Clarke 99.92% 0.08%
Shareholders at the annual meeting also approved the appointment of the Company's auditors.
Sullidens board would like to express its gratitude to its shareholders for their continued support.
Sulliden Mining Capital Inc.
For more information:
Deb Battiston
Chief Financial Officer
+1 (416) 861-2267
Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking information
This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, without limitation, statements regarding the election of directors and the appointment of the Companys auditors. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including risks inherent in the mining industry and risks described in the public disclosure of the Company which is available under the profile of the Company on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the Company's website at www.sulliden.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.
President Trump called on the nation to break decades of political stalemate in his State of the Union address Tuesday night, one delayed by the 35-day partial government shutdown hed provoked, which exacerbated partisan divisions and put Washingtons dysfunction on vivid display.
There is a new opportunity in American politics if only we have the courage together to seize it, Trump said. Victory is not winning for our party. Victory is winning for our country.
Together, we can break decades of political stalemate. We can bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions, forge new solutions, and unlock the extraordinary promise of Americas future. The decision is ours to make.
Tonight, he said, I ask you to choose greatness.
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His calls to compromise, however, were interspersed with partisan jabs. The traditional nationally televised speech came at a perilous juncture for the president: For the first time he shares power with congressional Democrats after last falls big House election losses, even as he faces judgment in a range of investigations into his administration, family business, campaign and even his 2016 inaugural committee.
Trump defiantly alluded to the investigations at one point, saying, An economic miracle is taking place in the United States, and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations.
Sitting just behind him, the presidents newly empowered Democratic opponent, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, rolled her eyes.
The speech was one of the longest on record, at more than 80 minutes. Trump hit on a variety of topics, including criminal justice, drug prices, trade, infrastructure, healthcare, national security, curing childhood cancer and ending AIDS in America. Yet no theme seemed to bind the issues, and most of what he said was familiar, devoid of new policy details.
For all of Trumps focus on unity and compromise, as expected he spoke longest about illegal immigration and his proposed southern border wall his signature campaign promise, and the issue at the center of his recent standoff with Congress.
His record over his first two years as president has left Democrats as well as some Republicans skeptical of his willingness to follow through on his initiatives or to accept compromise.
Even in the days before his speech, the president repeatedly bad-mouthed the efforts of a bipartisan group of lawmakers trying to negotiate compromise border-security measures to avert another impasse with Trump over his demand for $5.7 billion to start building a border wall.
Hed also teased in advance of the address a threat to declare a national emergency on the border, to circumvent Congress altogether and divert existing funds from other purposes to wall construction. The president declined to announce such a declaration, which Republican leaders have warned against.
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Trump tried to make the case that overhauling immigration was a a moral duty, while arguing that no issue better illustrates the divide between Americas working class and Americas political class.
Wealthy politicians and donors push for open borders while living their lives behind walls and gates and guards, he said.
Departing from his prepared remarks on a teleprompter, the president said he would like to admit legal immigrants in the largest numbers ever an aspiration at odds with his proposals to dramatically curb legal immigration.
Over Trumps shoulder in the House chamber, Pelosi looked on beside Vice President Mike Pence, dramatizing the presidents new reality that he no longer enjoys the malleable Republican majorities in both the House and Senate that allowed him to control the agenda for two years. That advantage allowed Trump some successes, including big tax cuts, but proved insufficient to fulfill his promises to repeal the Affordable Care Act, overhaul immigration laws and get billions to build a wall.
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Already Pelosi has gotten the better of him, forcing his retreat in the shutdown in the first month of Democrats House control, proving able to keep her party aligned and mobilize public opinion. She has made clear, along with Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, a New York Democrat, that their party will continue to challenge him on immigration and other issues.
She did not introduce Trump, and he did not greet her by name.
Pelosi and dozens of congresswomen were dressed in white, the symbolic color of womens suffrage, making for a dramatic show on the House floor of the greatly expanded number of women after Novembers Democratic election gains.
Though many of them did not applaud the president, when he boasted at one point that a majority of new jobs have gone to women, the freshmen Democratic congresswomen many elected by anti-Trump voters rose to applaud themselves. In a rare spontaneous show of bipartisan comity, the president then congratulated them, and the audience chanted U.S.A.!
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Stacey Abrams, who narrowly lost her bid to be elected Georgias governor yet emerged as a national figure, delivered the official Democratic Party response to Trump. She lambasted him for a shutdown that left 800,000 federal workers and many contractors unpaid for a month.
Making the livelihoods of federal workers a pawn for political games is a disgrace, Abrams said. The shutdown was a stunt engineered by the president of the United States, one that defied every tenet of fairness and abandoned not just our people, but our values.
Trump had suggested that the State of the Union address was an opportunity for a reset, though few expected him to change his divisive style.
Once again he proposed a national program to rebuild roads, bridges and other infrastructure, yet he did so briefly and to little response from lawmakers. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) conspicuously did not applaud; many Republicans oppose the sort of big spending program that would be popular with Democrats. The House will begin hearings on infrastructure legislation on Thursday.
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Trump noted efforts to lower prescription drug prices as another area of potential bipartisanship, but details remain divisive. He also promoted the revised North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico, which requires Congress approval but faces some opposition in both parties.
The president also noted his administrations efforts toward a trade accord with China, even as both countries negotiators have struggled to reach a deal against the backdrop of a trade war of tit-for-tat tariffs that he initiated.
Trumps top priority building the wall and curbing legal and illegal immigration will perhaps be the hardest to achieve, given the gulf with Democrats and even some Republicans. Though Democrats have agreed in the past to support border fences as part of broad immigration deals, Pelosi now calls a wall immoral. Further hindering the president, many of his hard-line immigration allies do not see a wall as a priority.
Addressing international affairs, Trump confirmed that he would hold a second summit meeting with North Koreas leader, Kim Jong Un, in Vietnam on Feb. 27 and 28, despite that countrys failure to begin the promised process of denuclearization.
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Trump asserted that his decision to engage the once-isolated Kim has averted a nuclear catastrophe. If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea with potentially millions of people killed, he said prompting another eye-roll from Pelosi.
He hailed two of his recent decisions: to abandon the Reagan-era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, known as the INF treaty, because of Russias violations, and to officially recognize Venezuelan opposition figure Juan Guaido as head of that countrys government instead of socialist President Nicolas Maduro.
Polls show Trumps approval at about 41% on average, with more than 55% of voters disapproving of his performance. Presidents typically see their popularity rise after State of the Union addresses. Trump won a modest bump last year, but his low job approval has remained relatively stable throughout a presidency in which he has directed most of his efforts toward pleasing his core supporters.
A Gallup poll released on Monday showed that 60% of Americans oppose significant expansion of a wall along the border.
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Though Trump previously had promised a less partisan tone, ahead of the speech his aides privately encouraged surrogates and allies to hammer Democrats in the media on two issues, taxes and abortion.
In the address, Trump attacked the Democratic governors of New York and Virginia for supporting laws to allow late-term abortions; the laws do so when the fetus is not viable or a mothers life is in danger. He accused Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam of stating he would execute a baby after birth.
To read this article in Spanish, click here.
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Follow the latest news of the Trump administration on Essential Washington
The Russia investigation may be winding down, but President Donald Trumps legal problems are far from over.
A sweeping subpoena served on Trumps inaugural committee Monday is just the latest sign that his presidency will continue to be shadowed by federal prosecutors looking into all things Trump long after special counsel Robert Mueller submits his report on possible coordination between the Kremlin and the Trump campaign.
Heres a look at some of the legal troubles hanging over the president:
Whats under investigation
Several entities connected to the president by several different prosecutors. It generally breaks down like this:
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Mueller is handling Russia. That includes looking into the Trump campaign and any potential coordination with Russias efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. The special counsel is also investigating whether Trump obstructed justice.
The U.S. Attorneys office in the Southern District of New York is looking into potential campaign finance violations related to hush money payments arranged by former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen. It is also scrutinizing the Presidential Inaugural Committee, looking for any illegal foreign donations or favors given in exchange for contributions.
Whats this latest probe of the inaugural committee about?
Foreign money, political favors and how the Presidential Inaugural Committee spent the nearly $107 million it raised.
According to a subpoena served on the committee Monday, prosecutors want all of the committees donation records including any showing donors received benefits after making contributions. The subpoena also shows that prosecutors are looking at whether the committee violated federal law by accepting foreign contributions or in how it paid vendors.
Inaugural committees are barred from accepting foreign donations. They also must report their donors, meaning that if the committee had contributors pay vendors directly without passing the money through the committee, it could violate public disclosure laws.
The committee has not been formally accused of wrongdoing and the subpoena does not name the head of the inaugural committee, Tom Barrack, or any other members of the inaugural committee. Through a spokeswoman, the committee said it plans to cooperate.
Have any crimes related to the inauguration surgaced so far?
Yes.
In a criminal case referred by Muellers office, Washington lobbyist W. Samuel Patten admitted that he participated in a scheme to circumvent the ban on foreign contributions to the inaugural committee.
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As part of a plea deal, Patten said he lined up an unidentified American to serve as a straw donor to conceal that $50,000 paid to the committee for event tickets came from a wealthy Ukrainian businessman.
Whats the campaign finance investigation about?
It all goes back to a porn star, a former Playboy playmate and efforts to keep allegations of Trump extramarital affairs quiet.
Prosecutors in New York have been looking into reimbursements the Trump Organization made to Cohen for $130,000 in hush money he paid to buy the silence of porn actress Stormy Daniels during the election. They have also been scrutinizing an arrangement Cohen made on Trumps behalf with the publisher of the National Enquirer. As part of that deal, the publication helped Trumps presidential bid by paying $150,000 to former Playboy playmate Karen McDougal to buy and bury her story.
Prosecutors have been scrutinizing whether the payments amounted to illegal contributions to the campaign, which didnt report them on public filings.
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Trump initially denied knowing about the payments. But Cohen in pleading guilty to campaign finance violations said Trump personally directed him to make them. The president has since acknowledged the payments but said any legal liability lies with Cohen, not him.
In an agreement announced late year, prosecutors chose not to prosecute the publisher, American Media Inc., in exchange for continued cooperation. The Trump Organization has denied any wrongdoing.
What does this mean for Trump?
Its going to be a rough road for a while.
Its not clear yet whether Trump has any personal legal exposure in the probe of the inaugural committee. But prosecutors are looking at any favors given in exchange for donations, which could lead to scrutiny of his White House or others around him.
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The more direct threat to Trump comes from Cohen, his former lawyer who implicated Trump in campaign finance violations. And theres also the remaining unknown of what Mueller will say in his report.
Still, its unlikely Trump will face any charges while in office because the Justice Department has maintained that a sitting president cannot be indicted.
For his part, the president has denied that he broke any laws and he casts Cohen as a liar.
On Tuesday, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders chalked up the presidents legal problems to anti-Trump hysteria, saying on CNN that its coming from people who look for anything to try to create and tie problems to this president.
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Whats left in Muellers probe?
We dont know for sure, but Mueller is embroiled in two court fights that point to more criminal charges.
Prosecutors still want to talk to Andrew Miller, an aide to longtime Trump friend Roger Stone whom investigators have wanted to question about hacked material released by WikiLeaks and others during the 2016 presidential campaign. Miller, who has denied knowing anything about the topics, is fighting a grand jury subpoena and awaiting an appellate courts ruling.
Separately, an unidentified company owned by an unidentified foreign country is fighting a Mueller grand jury subpoena. The case, which has gone up to the Supreme Court, has been shrouded in mystery but its another indication Mueller isnt quite done with his grand jury.
Prosecutors also have yet to make good on a threat to charge conservative author and conspiracy theorist Jerome Corsi.
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According to draft court documents Corsi released last year, the special counsel wanted him to plead guilty to lying to investigators about his conversations with Stone. But Corsi rejected that deal and no charges have been filed since.
When will it wrap up?
Its unclear but some recent moves suggest it could be sometime soon.
Last week, acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker said he had been fully briefed on Muellers investigation and it is close to being completed. But he didnt provide any additional specifics.
Associated Press writer Jim Mustian in New York contributed to this report.
Concerns about students and teachers traveling on icy roads prompted several school districts to cancel school Wednesday, the San Diego County Office of Education said.
Schools in the Julian Union Elementary School District, Julian Union High School District, Spencer Valley School District, Warner Unified School District will be closed for the day.
Mountain Empire School District schools also plan to start one hour later than usual because of the winter weather conditions.
School officials say the schools closed because travel to and from school on icy, winding roads can be dangerous in inclement weather, especially for high-profile vehicles like school buses.
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The safety of students and school staff is of the utmost importance to San Diego County school districts, the County Office of Education said in a statement.
Twitter: @karenkucher
(619) 293-1350
karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com
A 31-year-old woman was killed late Tuesday night in a single-vehicle rollover crash on a snowy Interstate 8 in the East County mountains, according to the California Highway Patrol.
It was reported a little before 11 p.m. on eastbound I-8 east of the Crestwood Road and Live Oak Springs exit, near the Golden Acorn Casino in the Boulevard area, according to CHP Officer Travis Garrow.
Several vehicles pulled off the road near the crash site, and several of the motorists called 911, but the crash involved only the victims Honda sedan, which was found on its side with the driver underneath it, according to Garrow and a Highway Patrol incident log.
The Honda apparently veered off the north side of the roadway and overturned on the ascending embankment, Garrow said. The driver, who investigators believe was not wearing her seat belt correctly, was partially ejected from the car and pronounced dead at the scene.
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Highway Patrol officers requested personnel from the San Diego County Medical Examiners Office at 11:27 p.m., the incident log showed.
Emergency crews shut down the freeways left lane to accommodate the investigation. CHP officers at the scene reported that it was snowing and requested Caltrans crews to respond to the scene to help deal with the icy road.
It was unclear if the poor weather conditions contributed to the deadly crash.
The victims name was withheld pending family notification, and intoxication was not believed to have been a factor in the crash, Garrow said.
City News Service contributed to this report.
Twitter: @Alex_Riggins
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alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com
UPDATES:
5:05 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details.
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This article was originally published at 12:15 a.m.
The FBI is working with Carlsbad police and law enforcement officials in Oregon to find potential victims of a suspected sexual predator who worked as a professional photographer and allegedly assaulted models who posed for him.
Robert Arnold Koester, 52, was arrested in Carlsbad on Nov. 13 and accused of assaulting a teenage girl during a photo shoot. The San Diego County District Attorneys Office filed 23 felony charges against him, including child sexual abuse and production of child pornography.
Koester also has gone by the names Bert Kay, Rhake Winter, and Qitooly, and is suspected of engaging in criminal acts in various cities since 1994, the FBI said Wednesday.
According to the agency, alleged victims have been identified in multiple cities across the country. When he was arrested last fall, Koester was living in Southern California and working as a photographer primarily on the west coast.
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The FBI has been working with law enforcement in Carlsbad, Yamhill County, Ore. and elsewhere to identify potential victims in this case, resulting in a central electronic system to collect information.
Koester also faces two federal counts of sexual exploitation of a minor in California based on an investigation by the San Diego FBI. He is being held in San Diego Central Jail.
Koester, who was living in Southern California when he was arrested, owns a farm in the rural Carlton area of Yamhill County, and a joint investigation by the FBIs Portland Field Office and the Yamhill County Sheriffs Office is ongoing.
On Jan. 30, a grand jury in Yamhill County charged Koester with 32 felony counts involving four separate victims, including one minor, the FBI said.
The counts included multiple charges for rape, sodomy, unlawful sexual penetration and causing another person to ingest a controlled substance. Koesters bail on the Yamhill County case has been set at $2.5 million.
Anyone with information on the case can fill out a confidential online form that can be found at forms.fbi.gov/seeking-potential-victims-in-robert-arnold-koester-case.
Information also can be emailed to ModelCase@fbi.gov.
Identified victims have rights and may be eligible for certain services undre federal and/or state law. More information is available at fbi.gov/ModelCase.
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Homeless Playlist On Now San Diego hepatitis outbreak continues to grow: 481 cases On Now Homeless entrenched in booming tent city along Santa Ana River On Now San Diego mayor agreed to homeless hub, then delayed, advocates say On Now Homeless outreach in San Diego On Now Video: Street Art: Portraits of San Diego's Homeless #8 On Now In poverty himself, 'Water Man Dave,' is the fearless saint of San Diego's homeless 5:41 On Now Video: Homeless living in cars find safe havens 2:21 On Now Street Art: Portraits of San Diego's Homeless #7 On Now Pitching a tent plan for San Diego's homeless On Now Homeless efforts get $80M boost for various services
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gary.warth@sduniontribune.com
Twitter: @GaryWarthUT
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A golden retriever named Ruby who fell into a Rancho Penasquitos sinkhole was rescued by a San Diego firefighter who climbed down a ladder into the hole and carried the dog out late Tuesday.
The dog and its owner were walking near the sinkhole on Park Village Road near Darkwood Road around 10 p.m. when the dog got too close to the edge.
She was off leash, got curious, ran over there and fell in the hole, San Diego Humane Society Sgt. Laurel Monreal told San Diego News Video.
The dog was pulled out around 11:40 p.m. after being in the hole for more than 90 minutes.
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Monreal said she was prepared to assist the firefighter if the dog acted up, but once the ladder went into the hole, the dog was ready to get out.
Her names Ruby; shes a happy girl, Monreal said after the dog was reunited with its owner. She could have really gotten hurt.
I was convinced she had a fractured pelvis or some injuries, but right now shes walking on all fours, wagging her tail and happy to be on solid ground.
The firefighter went down there and it was really quick, San Diego Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Rick Ballard said. They put the ladder in the hole, the dog was at the bottom of the ladder and ready to get out of the hole.
Monreal said she gave the dogs owner a leash to use as he walked the dog home because he didnt have one with him.
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Twitter: @karenkucher
(619) 293-1350
karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com
A three-alarm blaze demolished a wholesale toy store and threatened other businesses in a Chula Vista strip mall before firefighters from several agencies put out the fire early Wednesday morning.
The fire was reported around 10:40 p.m. Tuesday and the first units on scene reported seeing a huge plume of smoke and flames shooting through the roof of the commercial building on Palomar Street near Industrial Boulevard.
The fire was upgraded to a second alarm and then a third, with around 80 firefighters from Chula Vista, San Diego, National City, Imperial Beach and Coronado departments responding, said Chula Vista Battalion Chief Chris Manroe.
The fire destroyed Santas Toys, a wholesale toy business, while a nearby a billiard supply store in the same complex had smoke and water damage, he said.
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The toy store was located in three units in the building, taking up around 6,000 square feet of space, said Chula Vista Fire Capt. Jeff Ewert. All those units were lost in the toy shop, he said.
A damage estimate wasnt immediately available. No injuries were reported.
The main body of the fire was knocked down by 12:20 a.m., and fire officials began releasing firefighters shortly after 1 a.m., he said.
Firefighters worked to keep the fire from spreading to other businesses in the complex and nearby structures. Crews had to force their way into more than seven businesses roll-up doors to gain access to fight the fire, Manroe said.
We had exposures on all sides, he said.
As of early Wednesday, the cause of the fire was unknown. Manroe said the building was compromised and firefighters likely would have to pull a wall down before they could get inside the building to conduct their investigation.
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Twitter: @karenkucher
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A would-be robber handed a demand note to a bank teller before fleeing empty handed Tuesday evening at a Wells Fargo branch in Escondido, police said.
The attempted robbery happened a little before 5:40 p.m. at the Wells Fargo on West Valley Parkway and West Ninth Avenue just west of Interstate 15 and Auto Park Way, Escondido police Sgt. Janice Kolhof said. The suspect handed a teller a note demanding cash, but fled before he was given any money.
No weapon was seen during the robbery attempt.
#FBI Seeks assistance identifying this man. 2/5/19 attempted robbery, Wells Fargo Bank, 1510 W. Valley Parkway, Escondido
Tips to SD FBI at 858-320-1800, https://t.co/oHQxWopoYD or SD Crime Stoppers at https://t.co/o51BFouMRm or 888-580-8477 pic.twitter.com/tnXOWMvaat FBI San Diego (@FBISanDiego) February 6, 2019
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The suspect was described as a roughly 6-foot white man, possibly with blond hair. He wore a dark beanie, all gray clothing and a surgical mask covering his mouth and nose.
Escondido police were investigating the incident along with the FBI.
Help us identifying the man in these photos who attempted to rob Wells Fargo At 1510 W. Valley Parkway, Escondido Subject Description: White Male, wearing all gray, with surgical mask over face
Submit Tips to SD FBI at 858-320-1800 or https://t.co/khjijbLsoS pic.twitter.com/EqghvLRemq FBI San Diego (@FBISanDiego) February 6, 2019
Anyone with information was asked to call the FBIs San Diego field office at (858) 320-1800 or San Diego County Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477. Tipsters can also submit information online at tips.fbi.gov or sdcrimestoppers.org/anonymous-tip.
Twitter: @Alex_Riggins
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alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com
It has been a year of change at the county, and Chairwoman of the Board of Supervisors Dianne Jacob is committed to ensuring that continues.
On Wednesday, Jacob delivered the annual State of the County address and unveiled a list of ambitious plans for tackling many of the countys most pressing concerns.
From affordable housing and mental health services to wildfire protection and resident relief in the energy market, Jacob wasnt shy about embracing change or her plans for more aggressive county government solutions.
Youre looking at a Board of Supervisors today that is rebooted and refreshed, Jacob said. This opens the window to the new and novel, to bold ideas and fresh opportunities.
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Jacobs State of the County address was the seventh and last one of her 26-year career in county government, and the first delivered in this era of a new-look board.
The most ambitious proposals in Jacobs speech focused on increasing the countys housing stock and better coordinating care around mental health and substance abuse services.
In regard to housing, Jacob laid out a proposal she is working on with fellow Supervisor Greg Cox that would increase the number of affordable homes in the county by doubling the size of the countys housing trust from $25 million to $50 million. The housing trust, created two years ago, has funded projects with a total of 453 homes to this point, said Jacob, adding that with the increase it could lead to 1,000 more homes across the region.
Jacob also said she plans to expand the countys recent effort to promote homeowners creating accessory dwelling units, also known as granny flats. Last month the board waived fees for homeowners in the unincorporated areas who wanted to build these units which are essentially small residential housing units built on the same lot as an existing house and on Wednesday Jacob spoke of wanting to offer more financial incentives to do so, as well as provide free, pre-approved building plans for construction of these units.
We want affordable housing, we need affordable housing, said Jacob. Were wired to do it.
Meanwhile, when it came to mental health services, Jacob spoke of the need to come up with a coordinated system of care and her soon-to-come request for the board to explore the creation of crisis-stabilization centers. These centers would allow law enforcement to drop people off in a centralized place where they could detox and receive care.
Jacob also announced that she, with the support of Sheriff Bill Gore and District Attorney Summer Stephan, will be asking the board to support creating a follow-up component to the countys psychiatric emergency response teams.
Established in 1996, the psychiatric emergency response teams program, or PERT, partners health clinicians in the field with law enforcement officers. There are currently 70 teams, according to Jacob, and she would like to add a component in which medical personnel would stay in touch with patients to reduce the number of repeat incidents.
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We spend $650 million a year on behavioral health services That doesnt mean we are doing enough, or doing it right, Jacob said.
In her address, Jacob also highlighted initiatives that hearken back to some of her trademark issues: Alzheimers care, energy choice and wildfire protection.
Jacob said she wants to see San Diego County become a hub for Alzheimers research and expand support for Alzheimers families. With the support of Supervisor Nathan Fletcher, she also plans to launch a community choice energy program that would allow residents to shop for energy providers beyond just San Diego Gas and Electric.
And when it comes to fire protection, Jacob said she and Supervisor Jim Desmond plan to bring several proposals to the board that would enhance fire protection including offering grants to existing homeowners in high-risk fire areas to improve the fire safety of their homes. She also plans to strengthen the building code for construction in high-fire risk areas, as well as collaborate with local, state and federal agencies to develop a plan for controlled burns to reduce brush.
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The fact is that San Diego County remains one bad Santa Ana wind away from a disaster, Jacob said. New homes and communities must be built to give people and property the greatest chance of survival.
The legalization of marijuana and increased use of illegal drugs by young people is prompting San Diego to add those substances to a 15-year-old law that allows police to cite anyone hosting a party where underage drinking occurs.
The San Diego City Councils public safety committee on Wednesday unanimously approved amending the citys social host ordinance to include marijuana and illegal drugs in addition to alcohol.
If the full council approves the change later this winter, San Diego would join Escondido, San Marcos, Chula Vista and Santee as local cities that have expanded their social host laws.
While San Diego only issues about 15 social host citations in a typical year because enforcement is complaint-driven, police say its still an important tool.
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The requested additions will provide law enforcement and prosecutors with additional avenues to protect minors and hold adults accountable, Lt. Matt Novak told the public safety committee on Wednesday.
City Attorney Mara Elliott, who is responsible for prosecuting the cases, said a wider social host law is necessary partly because marijuana remains the drug of choice for young people in the region.
Among youths at Juvenile Hall, 45 percent test positive for marijuana while only 25 percent test positive for alcohol, she said. Many expect those numbers to rise with recreational marijuana now legal and more readily available in California.
Adding marijuana to the social host ordinance will provide a deterrent to conduct that is putting our children at risk, and which the San Diego Police Department and City Attorneys Office are prepared to address through education, arrest and prosecution, Elliott said.
Robert Hall, a spokesman for the anti-drug group Social Advocates for Youth, said the law helps parents refuse to host parties with underage drinking because they can tell their children they fear getting cited.
Fines range from $100 to $1,000, and jail time is a possibility in rare cases.
Hall said most marijuana advocates say they want the drug regulated similar to alcohol, so he said those advocates should support adding marijuana to social host laws.
Joe Eberstein, senior program manager for the Center for Community Research, said the social host law can be a powerful deterrent.
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Updating this ordinance will send a message that adults who allow underage use of any of these substances, including alcohol, at their residence are accountable for the many unintended consequences that may result, such as emergency room visits, overdoses and drugged driving, he said.
In addition to marijuana plants, the amended ordinance would cover edibles and waxes made from the drug.
The amended ordinance would also include the street drug spice and illegal controlled substance such as cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and methamphetamine. Police and anti-drug groups say use of those substances by young people has been increasing.
Local resident Amie Zamudio said she doesnt necessarily oppose widening the law, but raised concerns about equitable enforcement.
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Is this going to be another way that we are fining poor people, possibly taking their children away from them and possibly sending them to jail because they cant afford a $1,000 fine, she said. I dont think were going to see a bunch of parents in La Jolla stop having parties.
Novak said enforcement hasnt followed that pattern since the social host law was approved in 2003.
Our only goal here is to protect kids at parties -- it knows no boundaries, he said. The vast majority of these are around San Diego State, where we have large parties where minors are being let in.
Other areas with significant numbers of citations include Pacific Beach, Mission Beach and high-income communities along state Route 56.
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It will be equitably and fairly administered across San Diego, Novak said of the amended ordinance.
Zamudio also said she doubts the expanded law would have any impact on drug use or experimentation with drugs by young people.
Eberstein said he understands higher police priorities mean it makes sense for enforcement of the law to be complaint-driven. But he suggested police could explore taking a more proactive approach during targeted periods such as New Years Eve, Fourth of July or graduations.
Councilwoman Vivian Moreno said the city is making the right move by adding marijuana and illegal drugs to the law.
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Obviously this is a prudent update to the social host ordinance, she said.
The public safety committee approved amending the ordinance 4-0.
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david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrick
English French
MONTREAL, Feb. 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Jean-Francois Chalifoux, chief executive officer of SSQ Insurance, was named 2018 Financial Personality of the Year by the Quebec-based newspaper Finance et Investissement. Chalifoux also took the number one spot in the prestigious Top 25 ranking of Quebecs financial sector in 2018.
Jean-Francois Chalifoux personifies a bold new generation, notes the Top 25 jury. He showed it in the reform he led. He did things that others do not do, like including life insurance and general insurance together. He has also been successful in his business growth, which is noteworthy.
SSQ's annual net income increased 69.3% between 2012 and 2017, from $53.4 million to $90.4 million. Insurance business volume increased from $1.81 billion in 2012 to $2.46 billion in 2017, which represents a growth of 4.9% over one year, 17.9% over three years and 35.9% over five years.
The Top 25 is divided into five categories, each with four finalists and a winner. The Financial Personality of the Year is selected from among the winners of each category. The categories are Personal Insurers, National Financial Institutions, Full-service Brokers, Multidisciplinary Firms, and Independent Management Companies.
Here are the winners for each category:
Personal Insurers: Jean-Francois Chalifoux, chief executive officer of SSQ Insurance.
National Financial Institutions: Louis Vachon, president and chief executive officer, National Bank.
Full-service Brokers: Paul Balthazard, vice-president and chief executive, Quebec, at RBC Dominion Securities.
Multidisciplinary Firms: Yan Charbonneau, chief executive officer, AFL Finance Group.
Independent Management Companies: Stephane Corriveau, president and senior director at AlphaFixe Capital.
For the complete list of Top 25 finalists and to learn more about each of them, visit our website at http://www.finance-investissement.com/top25 (French only).
A jury composed of six members of Quebecs financial sector selected the Top 25 finalists:
Richard Fortier, corporate director and chair of the jury;
Genevieve Blouin, president and founder of Altervest, and chair of the Emerging Managers Board;
Vincent Hogue, corporate director;
Richard Gagnon, corporate director and advisor, president and chief executive officer of Humania Assurance from 2003 to 2017;
Richard Joly, president of Leaders & Cie;
Guillaume Poulin-Goyer, content manager, Finance et Investissement.
Three advisors honoured
Conseiller also recognized the outstanding work and dedication of three advisors from Quebecs financial industry.
Martin Bray, MBA, Pl. Fin., portfolio manager at Desjardins Securities, is the winner in the Top Advisor category.
Christiane VanBolhuis, BAA, AVA, Pl. Fin., financial security advisor and mutual fund dealer representative at Sun Life Financial, was designated as the 2018 Top Advisor under 40.
Finally, Gerald Perron, FCSI, CIM, portfolio manager at BMO Nesbitt Burns, received the Most Committed Advisor award, which celebrates the volunteer work of a professional in his community.
A jury of influential members of the financial industry selected the winners of Les conseillers a l'honneur! 2019 competition:
Jocelyne Houle-LeSarge, CEO and secretary of the Institut quebecois de planification financiere (IQPF) and chair of the jury;
Antoine Chaume, founding member of the Regroupement des jeunes courtiers du Quebec, Montreal south shore division, and financial planner at Lafond;
Michele Helie, director, Quebec affairs and politics and markets regulation at the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association;
Daniel Guillemette, founding member of Asteris and president of Diversico;
Mario Gregoire, CEO of the Council of Professionals in Financial Services and president of Question de finance;
Flavio Vani, president of the Association Professionnelle des Conseillers en Services Financiers and president of Assurance et Produits Financiers Vani;
Christine Bouthillier, senior content editor at Conseiller.
The awards were presented at the 2018 Financial Personality of the Year event on February 5, 2019, at the Windsor in Montreal.
About Finance et Investissement
Finance et Investissement and the finance-investissement.com website are a source of information for Quebec investment and financial services professionals. Owned by TC Media, Finance et Investissement is published 12 times a year and is read by over 10,900 industry professionals.
About Conseiller
Conseiller was launched in 2000 to provide practice strategies to Quebec financial advisors. It features local stories on Quebec issues, special reports and business-building tools for professional advisors. Conseiller and Conseiller.ca also focus on key issues pertaining to practice, client and tax management. Published six times a year, the magazine is read by over 9,000 industry professionals.
About TC Media
TC Media, the Media Sector of TC Transcontinental (TSX : TCL.A TCL.B), is a leader in its specialty media segments in Canada, with flagship brands catering to the business, financial and construction sectors, including an event planning component. This sector, which employs over 350 people, is also positioned as Canadas largest publisher of French-language educational resources. For more information, visit TC Transcontinental website at www.tc.tc
For information:
Frederic Roy
Journalist/Research Coordinator
Finance et Investissement
Mobile: 438-399-2029
Christine Bouthillier
Senior Content Editor
Conseiller
514-392-4248
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e96a877a-4d01-4ae5-9570-2913766a8a8c
The San Diego Planning Commission unanimously supported a city proposal to spur housing construction by wiping out parking requirements in many neighborhoods, calling the plan a key step toward reducing local reliance on automobiles.
Commissioners said during a hearing last week that the proposal, while bold and aggressive, is a necessary step toward solving the citys housing crisis, reducing pollution and alleviating traffic congestion.
I think this is a real step in the right direction, said Commissioner Doug Austin.
He said the proposal would encourage construction of more housing projects that are affordable to low-income and middle-income residents, especially young people inclined to use mass transit, bicycles or ride-booking services like Uber and Lyft.
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The Planning Commissions recommendation will be forwarded to the City Council, which is scheduled to vote on the proposal March 4.
The councils Land Use and Housing Committee is slated to discuss it at 2 p.m. Wednesday.
The proposal has some pushback. A group of neighborhood leaders from across San Diego last month called it unrealistic and too aggressive for a city that lacks quality transit and was built for automobiles.
The group of leaders, the Community Planners Commission, recommended the city soften the proposal by making it a short-term pilot project and by exempting all beach communities because of parking scarcity there.
The Planning Commission rejected the pilot project suggestion, contending that the relaxed parking requirements are a long-term response to a long-term trend of decreasing demand for parking as San Diego becomes less reliant on cars.
While its a leap of faith in some ways, I think its a leap thats easy to take, Commission Chairman Stephen Haase said during the three-hour hearing on the proposal.
While the commission approved the proposal 6-0, they requested city officials annually monitor housing production and the percentage of people commuting by means other than automobiles.
In addition, they requested housing projects built under the relaxed parking rules be required to include storage areas for electric cars and large parking areas for bicycles.
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Commissioner Vicki Granowitz also wanted the commission to request that city officials consider exempting low-income neighborhoods that lack supermarkets, banks or pharmacies, because those voids make it difficult to survive without a car.
I think we need to be mindful there are differences in different parts of the city, Granowitz said.
The rest of the commission agreed that was a concern, but decided against making it a formal request.
The proposal would eliminate parking requirements for developers of apartment or condominium projects in neighborhoods near transit hubs.
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Those areas are defined as being located within half a mile of a trolley line, a bus rapid transit station or two high-frequency bus routes. The transit must either be already operating or scheduled to begin operating within five years.
Mayor Kevin Faulconer, who unveiled the proposal during his annual State of the City speech last month, has stressed that it wouldnt mean all new housing projects would lack parking spots, only projects where housing developers are confident they can find tenants or buyers who dont want reserved parking.
Developers wouldnt risk millions of dollars building projects without parking spots unless market studies show there is adequate demand in a particular neighborhood for housing without parking, Faulconers staff said.
Parking spots typically increase the cost of an individual housing unit from $35,000 to $90,000, so relaxing parking requirements would spur more housing construction, Faulconers staff said.
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The proposal wouldnt retroactively wipe out parking requirements for existing housing projects; it would only apply to new construction.
Similar policy changes have been adopted in San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, Santa Monica, Portland, Seattle and Minneapolis.
Commissioner Bill Hofman said he empathized with the many local residents who are against the proposal.
Im a lifelong Southern Californian whos been married to my automobile my entire life, Hofman said.
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But, Hofman said, the proposal would help the children and grandchildren of San Diego residents be able to afford housing and stay in San Diego, instead of being forced to move away.
In the long term, were going to be so much better off, he said.
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david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrick
Aaron Brennan, a longtime San Diego firefighter living in La Jolla, has announced that he will run for the San Diego City Council seat that Barbara Bry is giving up in 2020 to run for mayor.
Brennan, a Democrat, said his priorities would include neighborhood services, fighting homelessness, improving the citys emergency response system and creating comprehensive plans to deal with climate change and wildfires.
Brennan, 49, said a political newcomer like himself would serve San Diego better than the politicians now running the city.
Theyre fighting for themselves and theyre fighting each other, but theyre not fighting for us, he said in a video posted at aaronforsandiego.com. We need new leadership to get City Hall serving the people again.
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San Diegos District 1, which Bry has represented since 2016, includes La Jolla, University City, Carmel Valley, Del Mar Heights, Del Mar Mesa, Torrey Pines, Torrey Hills and Pacific Highlands Ranch.
Other declared candidates for the seat include Democrat Will Moore of Carmel Valley and University City community activist Louis Rodolico.
Additional potential candidates include Democrat Joe LaCava and two Republicans: Port Commissioner Marshall Merrifield and county Board of Education member Mark Powell.
Voter registration in the district leans heavily toward Democrats. In data updated Jan. 2, registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans 34,472 to 22,740, but another 30,707 voters declined to state a party preference.
In addition to serving as a city firefighter for the last 17 years, Brennan is a U.S. Navy reservist and a member of the La Jolla Town Council. As a firefighter, he helped battle the major wildfires that hit San Diego in 2003 and 2007.
Now assigned to Station 21 in Pacific Beach, Brennan said he interacts almost daily with members of the citys homeless population.
He lives in La Jolla with his wife, Kim Goodwin, and their two young children.
In the mayors race, Bry is expected to battle fellow Democrat Assemblyman Todd Gloria, environmental lawyer Cory Briggs and Tasha Williamson, an advocate for victims of police violence, plus several more.
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Possible candidates include Republican San Diego Councilman Mark Kersey and independent Shelley Zimmerman, the citys former police chief.
david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrick
Venezuelan authorities have set up barriers to block the entry of donated food and medicine from neighboring Colombia amid an escalating political dispute over humanitarian aid that other nations have rushed toward the embattled countrys borders.
The self-proclaimed opposition Venezuelan government which controls no territory or border posts has called on Venezuelan troops and police to allow the entry of tens of millions of dollars in aid pledged in recent days by the United States, Canada and various European nations.
Much of the aid, including the first shipment of food and medicine from the U.S., is now en route from Bogota to unspecified staging points in Colombia, the countrys Foreign Ministry confirmed Wednesday. Colombia, a close U.S. ally, shares a long border with Venezuela.
But President Nicolas Maduro whom the opposition, joined by the United States, has denounced as a usurper has rejected the aid, which he contends is a prelude to a U.S.-led invasion of Venezuela.
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Maduro, who has accused Washington of mounting a coup against him, vowed that not one invading soldier would enter Venezuelan territory.
There will be no intervention, no coup, no war in Venezuela, Maduro said this week in Caracas, the capital.
Venezuela is embroiled in a deepening economic and political crisis that has seen severe shortages of food and medicine which the opposition blames on the incompetence of Maduros socialist rule. Maduro blames a U.S.-orchestrated economic war against him for the shortages. Millions have fled the country as conditions have worsened.
The long-running crisis moved to a new stage Jan. 23 when Juan Guaido, an opposition legislator, declared himself the countrys interim leader and demanded that Maduro step down.
The aid dispute has become a major standoff between the dueling governments and an initial test of the self-proclaimed leadership of Guaido, who has been recognized by the United States and other nations. Guaido has repeatedly called on the Venezuelan troops to allow the aid in, a move that would defy Maduros orders.
Russia and China remain allies of Maduro, who succeeded the late Hugo Chavez, a longtime U.S. antagonist.
Venezuelas military top brass has pledged public loyalty to Maduros government, despite opposition offers of a sweeping amnesty if officers switch sides to Guaidos acting administration.
On Wednesday, a Colombian government official confirmed that Venezuelan authorities had closed the bridge at the biggest border crossing connecting the two countries, near the city of Cucuta on the Colombian side and the town of Urena in Venezuela.
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The bridge has been shut to foot traffic as well as to vehicles, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Government officials say the flow of Venezuelan migrants to Colombia, mainly from the crossing near Cucuta, has remained constant for months, averaging roughly 33,000 people a day.
Social media accounts reported increased deployments of troops on both sides of the border, but there was no official confirmation from either government.
The developments come as international aid is expected to arrive in Cucuta within days. The U.S. has pledged $20 million and Canada $40 million in humanitarian aid. Aid is also expected to be rushed to the Brazilian border with Venezuela as well.
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Colombian Defense Minister Guillermo Botero arrived at the White House on Wednesday to meet with President Trumps national security advisor, John Bolton, who has repeatedly called for Maduro to step down in favor of Guaidos self-proclaimed government. In a statement, the ministry said the two men discussed drug trafficking and other issues, but did not specifically mention humanitarian aid logistics.
Special correspondents Mogollon reported from Caracas and Kraul from Bogota. Times staff writer Patrick J. McDonnell contributed to this report.
A 17-year police veteran was shot and killed as he served a warrant on the Milwaukees south side Wednesday, becoming the citys third officer killed in the line of duty in eight months, officials said.
Assistant Milwaukee Police Chief Michael Brunson said at a news conference that the 35-year-old officer, whose name has not been released, was part of a Tactical Enforcement Unit.
This is the third time in eight months that Ive had to stand at a podium and talk about the loss of a life of a police officer, Mayor Tom Barrett told reporters. We need all residents of this community, all residents of this state, to be thankful and appreciative of every single law enforcement official in this state.
A 26-year-old Milwaukee man was in custody, Brunson said. He provided no other details.
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Brunson didnt release details of the warrant being served when the officers made contact with two subjects and shots were fired. One officer was struck and was rushed to Froedtert Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
I am filled with sorrow over this needless loss and at the same time I am filled with anger at the individual who took the life of this police officer, Barrett said. The mayor said the officer was doing his job and working to make our city safe when he was killed.
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said in a statement that he joins all of Wisconsin in mourning the loss of one of our brave law enforcement officers. Those who put on the uniform every day put their safety at risk to protect others and to save lives. Kaul said the state Department of Justice is assisting in the investigation, and the Law Enforcement Death Response Team is supporting the Milwaukee Police Department.
Numerous officers gathered at the hospital and Milwaukee police were planning a procession from the hospital to the medical examiners office downtown.
Six months ago, Officer Michael Michalski was fatally shot while trying to arrest a convicted felon wanted on drug and domestic violence offenses. Last June, 23-year-old Officer Charles Irvine Jr. was killed in a squad car crash during the high-speed pursuit of a suspect. Irvine was the first Milwaukee officer killed in the line of duty since 1996.
Experts say serving warrants are dangerous operations for police, primarily because the officers are entering unknown territory. Last week, narcotics police officers serving a search warrant on a house in Houston came under fire as soon as they entered the home, and five were hurt. The suspects were killed.
A 92-year-old former San Diego deputy city attorney who shot his allegedly abusive son in the head as he slept pleaded guilty Wednesday to voluntary manslaughter and will be placed on probation.
Richard Peck sat in a wheelchair, flanked by two defense lawyers, as he told San Diego Superior Court Judge Kathleen Lewis that he understood what his change of plea meant.
I went to law school, he reminded the judge.
Lewis noted that voluntary manslaughter is defined legally as taking the life of a human in the heat of passion, without malice. She said the maximum punishment for that crime is 11 years in state prison.
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Following terms of the plea agreement, the judge dismissed a murder charge.
She said Peck would be placed on probation for three years, with home detention and a GPS ankle bracelet, when he is sentenced on March 28.
Defense attorney Douglas Gilliland told the judge the case is one of extreme psychological abuse by the son, an alcoholic who tried to frighten his father into a fatal heart attack.
The attorney said Robert Robbie Peck, 51, was in the middle of a divorce and had moved into his fathers Old Town home early last year.
On Nov. 14, the son smashed his fathers phone his only connection to the outside world made a threatening comment and went to bed.
Soon after, the elder Peck shot him with a shotgun. Then he went into the street and yelled for help, saying hed shot his son.
Peck was arrested and jailed on a murder charge. A judge cut his $1 million bail in half and allowed Pecks release from jail over the objection of Deputy District Attorney Daniel Shim, who called the shooting an execution while the victim slept.
On Wednesday, Shim agreed to the plea bargain.
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Its quite an unusual case, Shim said out of court. Definitely tragic. There was probably a better way for Mr. Peck to handle things.
He said his office has prosecuted few homicide cases with a defendant as old or as well-educated as Peck.
Peck worked for a time at the San Diego City Attorneys Office, then as a civil litigator for the law firm then known as Procopio Price. It is now called Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch.
Gilliland, at a previous court hearing, outlined some of the abuse Peck had suffered from his son, who once hurled a vase at him and on other occasions would suddenly scream in his fathers ear, hoping the older man would die of a heart attack.
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Police were called to the Peck home 14 times last summer, and the son was once committed for a mental health evaluation. The younger Peck also tried to get his father to amend his will to leave his son more money than his daughter, Gilliland said.
Pecks daughter and son-in-law flew in from Georgia after his arrest and were trying to arrange for him to move into assisted living, Gilliland said.
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pauline.repard@sduniontribune.com
Twitter: @pdrepard
Lets hear what the experts have to say.
What a thought.
In this crazy, mixed-up world, sometimes its easy to overlook the obvious. But the other day, Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., said the conference committee trying to work out a deal on border security is calling in people who know what theyre talking about.
Its not what I need or what the speaker needs or even the president needs, Shelby said on CNN. Its what we need to secure our borders. And if we get this information from the experts, it could move us off the dime.
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. . .Its a question, how do we get off the politics and to the substance? added Shelby, who is chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and vice chair of the conference committee. If we can do that, we will get the job done. Thats what Im working to do, to go to yes.
Shelby shared this rational thinking amid the ongoing, high-volume jockeying among Democrats, President Donald Trump and other Republicans over the proposed border wall and what that even might be. He spoke just a few days before the president gave his State of the Union address Tuesday night, where Trump again claimed that there is a crisis on the border that requires additional physical barriers and other security measures.
Part of the rub with consulting experts, however, is that they dont necessarily agree. But its a good place to start to try to reel in this dispute, which only seems to keep spinning out of control.
Customs and Border Patrol officials have expressed general support for barriers, along with other resources to control the U.S. border with Mexico. Former U.S. national security experts have raised concern about the emphasis on a wall, saying investing in intelligence is a more effective way to keep the country safe.
While the president and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sound as if their positions are hardening, theyve actually shown signs of movement though clearly not enough at the moment to suggest a deal is close.
Pelosi recently joked that the U.S. could plant flowers along the border, Trump could call it a wall and declare victory. As Trump started shifting away from a big concrete wall he once proposed, she took another jab at the president, suggesting hed settle for a beaded curtain.
Last week, Pelosi flatly said :"Theres not going to be any wall money in the legislation. That got the headlines, but she was open to other types of barriers, as Democrats have been in the past.
Are there places where enhanced fencing, Normandy fencing, will work? she said. Let them have that discussion.
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Lawmakers increasingly are moving talk beyond just a wall and barriers to emphasize the need for personnel, technology such as sensors, drones and other means of surveillance and infrastructure to further secure the border. Barriers in some areas can make a difference. In San Diego, fencing and enhanced security has halted the mass border rushes of decades ago, though it has led many immigrants to try crossing illegally in the desert and mountains to the east, with deadly consequences.
Trump, who has vacillated on the kind of border barrier hell accept, lately has been favoring a steel-slats version akin to whats being used to replace portions of existing border fencing. Administration officials say his revised view came after discussions with border agents and officials, who favor barriers they can see through.
He has stated that hes not calling for a wall along the full 1,900-mile border, noting that there are natural barriers in some places. Currently, there are fencing and barriers on 654 miles of the border, but some of that is old, flimsy and due to be replaced. Trump has called for a total of 1,000 miles of wall in the past.
On Tuesday night, Trump mentioned border barriers in San Diego and El Paso, Texas, and said they have reduced illegal crossings in those areas. He further said he would rely on the expertise of border security agencies regarding where to put new sections of barriers a seemingly less-sweeping notion than his original proposals.
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Whether any of this represents significant movement is unclear. Shelby said some of the kinds of barriers Pelosi was talking about are already authorized under law and wouldnt be viewed as a concession.
Trump recently called the negotiations a waste of time.
Both Trump and Pelosi might have trouble moving very far from their current positions without upsetting their political bases.
Meanwhile, Republican leaders are nervous about the possibility of Trump declaring a national emergency in order to have the military build the wall without congressional authorization, which he has threatened but did not mention in his speech.
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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has told the president that a declaration would risk dividing Republicans, according to The Washington Post. If Trump took that action, Pelosi likely would get the House to pass a resolution opposing the declaration, forcing the Senate to address the matter. Thats something GOP leaders dont want.
A recent CBS poll found that a majority of Americans 66 percent say Trump should not declare a national emergency to build the wall if Congress refuses to fund it but 73 percent of Republicans say they would support such a move.
There is still a big disagreement on the best strategy to keep unauthorized immigrants, potential terrorists and illegal drugs out of the country. But the political gulf may be even wider.
We could come up to a solution, Shelby said. But, as long . . . as the speaker and the president are way at odds, the chances of us reaching an agreement are slim. But it could happen.
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For now, file that under anything is possible.
michael.smolens@sduniontribune.com
Twitter:@michaelsmolens
(619) 293-1256
The owner of Carlton Gallery in La Jolla and an employee who were caught in a sting operation with $1.3 million in illegal ivory sculptures pleaded guilty Tuesday in the states largest ivory trafficking case, the city attorneys office said.
Owner Victor Hyman Cohen admitted to 11 misdemeanor counts and salesman Sheldon Miles Kupersmith admitted to eight counts involving violation of a 2016 law banning the sale of ivory products in California.
San Diego Superior Court Judge Michael Groch sentenced the pair immediately, imposing a fine of $75,000 each for Cohen and the gallery. Kupersmith was fined $60,000.
They also were ordered to complete 200 hours of public service at the San Diego Zoo.
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The men were placed on probation for three years, with the condition that if they violate the terms of probation, they could go to jail for a year and pay an additional $100,000 in fines, the city attorneys office said.
The fines are the largest ever imposed for ivory trafficking in California, according to a statement from prosecutors.
I hope this conviction sends a clear message to anyone considering engaging in the ivory black market, as a buyer or a seller, City Atty. Mara Elliott said in the statement.
If you try to make a buck from the brutal slaughter of endangered species, you will be prosecuted and held accountable for your crimes.
The investigation into Carlton Gallery began in December 2017 when a Department of Fish and Wildlife officer noticed ivory sculptures in the window of the Prospect Avenue shop.
Undercover officers with the wildlife agency set up a sting operation in May 2018 and bought one ivory art piece. Kupersmith was alleged to have offered to sell them three more items.
Going back to the store with a search warrant, authorities eventually recovered 338 art pieces, valued at an estimated $1.3 million, from the gallery and a nearby warehouse. A ledger book revealed 98 pages of ivory sales invoices, according to the warrant affidavit.
Some of the items included a chess set, rings, Japanese ornaments and a sculpture of Romeo and Juliet.
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Most of the items seized were ivory from elephants, but some were hippopotamus teeth.
The state ban on ivory includes mammoth, mastodon, walrus, warthog, whale and narwhal teeth and tusks as well as any form of rhinoceros horn.
Certain antique products with small portions of ivory are exempted from the ban.
Repard writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.
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pauline.repard@sduniontribune.com
BENSALEM, Pa., Feb. 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Law Offices of Howard G. Smith reminds investors of the February 11, 2019 deadline to file a lead plaintiff motion in the class action filed on behalf of investors that purchased Welbilt, Inc. (Welbilt or the Company) (NYSE: WBT ) securities between February 24, 2017 and November 2, 2018, inclusive (the ''Class Period''). Welbilt investors have until February 11, 2019 to file a lead plaintiff motion.
Investors suffering losses on their Welbilt 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 5, 2018, Welbilt disclosed that the Companys financial statements for fiscal years 2016 and 2017 should no longer be relied upon due to errors primarily relate to the computation of income taxes. The Company also disclosed that certain intercompany transactions were not recorded on a timely basis.
On this news, the Companys stock price fell $5.06 to close at $14.26 per share on November 5, 2018, thereby injuring investors.
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) the company lacked effective internal control over financial reporting; (2) the company was incorrectly recording the tax basis of foreign subsidiaries and the amortization of their intangible assets; and (3) consequently, defendants' statements about Welbilt's business, operations, and prospects, were false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.
If you purchased shares of Welbilt during the Class Period you may move the Court no later than February 11, 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.
Glendale police are investigating two early-morning deaths they say are a murder-suicide, including the death of a man they say jumped onto the 134 Freeway from an overpass, a police spokeswoman said Wednesday.
Authorities received a 911 call around 3:30 a.m. about an unknown problem at a residence on Northwoods Lane, police spokeswoman Tahnee Lightfoot said.
When police arrived, they found the door to the residence open and the body of a man in his 50s inside, she said. The cause of death was not immediately known.
About 45 minutes later, Glendale police were notified the California Highway Patrol was investigating a mans body on the 134 Freeway. The man appeared to have jumped off the Harvey Drive overpass, officials said.
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That death is being investigated as a possible suicide, Lightfoot said.
We believe [the deaths] are connected, she said. Based on that 911 conversation, we believe that they knew each other.
javier.panzar@latimes.com
@jpanzar
To appease several brick-and-mortar businesses along La Mesa Boulevard and satisfy a request from the La Mesa City Council, vendors at the La Mesa Certified Farmers Market were supposed to re-position their booths so they faced the sidewalk rather than the street.
But theres been no about-face yet by the sellers of farm-fresh fruits and vegetables, artisan bread, homemade jams and jellies, locally sourced honey and freshly cut flowers.
The change of position was intended to encourage shoppers to walk along the sidewalk in front of the businesses on La Mesa Boulevard, and not away from them in the middle of the road.
But there was a snag in the planned layout change, said Brian Beevers, who runs the event as part of Brians Farmers Markets. Beevers group was hired last year by the La Mesa Village Association, which oversees many of the events in the downtown area.
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When Beevers and the Village Association were measuring the street as part of the planned changes, according to City Manager Yvonne Garrett, the configuration that had been approved booths facing out and one lane in the middle for traffic did not leave enough room for ingress and egress of the loading, unloading and farmers parking.
The space they needed in the middle of the street to accommodate the cars, 24 feet, would push the booths up against the curb, Garrett said. This didnt seem like it would meet expectations of the businesses for more visibility so we requested they reconsider some other ideas.
Garrett said the city is still working with Brians Farmers Markets and the Village Association to find a compromise that will be palatable to all.
The market moved last May from the spot it had occupied since 1993 a small parking lot off Allison Avenue near City Hall to a two-block stretch of La Mesa Boulevard between Fourth Street and Palm Avenue.
It was given six months to prove itself at the new digs. In November, the City Council said it was not completely satisfied with the new spot and agreed to allow an additional six months.
Feedback from businesses and shoppers was mixed and some of the Villages anchor businesses were not entirely supportive.
Downtown Village proprietors, mostly longtime food and beverage establishments, said they were losing money on Fridays, pointing fingers at the new site of the market. A key concern was access for patrons, exacerbated by the loss of the 57 prime parking spots from 1 to 8 p.m on Fridays.
After three hours of discussion at a standing-room-only City Council meeting in December, the council agreed to give the market more time before it took any other action, but it asked for the layout change, with the booths turned toward the sidewalk rather than the street.
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Peter Soutowood, head of the La Mesa Village Association, said his group is happy to work with the city to find a compromise. He said one of the issues that could help with the inversion, which is still on the table, would be to allow more time for vendors to drive in to set up and drive out after clearing out.
John Bedlion, owner of Johnny Bs Burgers, Brew & Spirits on the corner of La Mesa Boulevard and 4th Street, said reversing the position of the booths wont work. Bedlion has been a vocal opponent of the markets new spot since the start.
He said he would like to see the market move elsewhere and said that having it on the boulevard on Fridays, when businesses are typically already busy, frustrates him.
Something needs to be done, Bedlion said. Its killing my day business.
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karen.pearlman@sduniontribune.com
WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump will hold a two-day summit with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un Feb. 27-28 in Vietnam to continue his efforts to persuade Kim to give up his nuclear weapons.
Trump has said his outreach to Kim and their first meeting last June in Singapore opened a path to peace. But there is not yet a concrete plan for how denuclearization could be implemented.
Denuclearizing North Korea is something that has eluded the U.S. for more than two decades, since it was first learned that North Korea was close to acquiring the means for nuclear weapons.
"As part of a bold new diplomacy, we continue our historic push for peace on the Korean Peninsula," Trump said Tuesday in his State of the Union address.
Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told Congress last week that U.S. intelligence officials do not believe Kim will eliminate his nuclear weapons or the capacity to build more because he believes they are key to the survival of the regime. Satellite video taken since the June summit has indicated North Korea is continuing to produce nuclear materials at its weapons factories.
Last year, North Korea released American detainees, suspended nuclear and long-range missile tests and dismantled a nuclear test site and parts of a rocket launch facility without the presence of outside experts.
It has repeatedly demanded that the United States reciprocate with measures such as sanctions relief, but Washington has called for North Korea to take steps such as providing a detailed account of its nuclear and missile facilities that would be inspected and dismantled under a potential deal.
At the second Trump-Kim summit, some experts say North Korea is likely to seek to trade the destruction of its main Yongbyon nuclear complex for a U.S. promise to formally declare the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, open a liaison office in Pyongyang and allow the North to resume some lucrative economic projects with South Korea.
"Our hostages have come home, nuclear testing has stopped, and there has not been a missile launch in more than 15 months," Trump said. "If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea.
"Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong Un is a good one," he said in announcing their second meeting.
Trump also asserted that, "If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea."
"That was real eye-roller," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer told CNN Wednesday. He criticized Trump's foreign policy as engaged in "patting dictators on the back."
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told FOX Business Network the U.S. is "very hopeful" Kim "will fulfill his commitment, the one that he made back in June in Singapore, to denuclearize his country."
Stephen Biegun, Pompeo's special representative for North Korea, acknowledged that many issues make it especially complicated for the two countries to "embark on a diplomatic initiative of this magnitude." Biegun was in Pyongyang on Tuesday.
The Vietnamese city where the two leaders will meet was not announced. The country, however, is keen to project itself on the world stage. It is a single-party communist state that boasts of tight political control and a tough security apparatus similar to Singapore's.
Where Singapore leans West, generally appreciative of U.S. influence in Asia, Vietnam leans East. Even with its edgy relationship with China, it has a long fraternal history with Asia's communist states. This is friendly ground for Kim and closer than Singapore.
On a related issue, the State Department said this week that the U.S. and South Korea have reached a tentative agreement on sharing the costs of keeping 28,500 American troops in South Korea, but no final deal has been signed to replace the existing agreement, which expired at the end of 2018. South Korea pays more than $800 million a year, but Trump has demanded that Seoul pay 50 percent more.
News that a tentative agreement has been reached offers relief to those who worried Trump would use the lack of a deal as a reason to pull U.S. troops out of South Korea as part of negotiations with Kim. North Korea has claimed that the presence of American troops in the South is proof that the U.S. has hostile intentions in the region.
Trump said after his first meeting with Kim in June that while he'd like to bring troops home, "that's not part of the equation right now."
Sixty Prisons and Corrections officers look after more than 300 prisoners in Tafaigata.
But there are not enough, says Minister for Prisoners and Rehabilitation Service, Tialavea Tionisio Hunt.
Tialavea, who is also the Minister for Revenue, was addressing the question on frequent escapes made by inmates at Tafaigata and whether the guards are carrying out their full responsibilities.
If I tell you that they have been doing their job 100 per cent, then I would be lying, he told the Samoa Observer.
Our guards inside the prison is only 60, so its very hard to look after the prisoners. Thats why we are depending on the police to recapture the prisoners.
Since he took over his portfolio in 2016, there were 600 inmates which has now dropped to more than 300, but the number is still too many for us to take care of, he said.
We have to be proactive in looking after the prisoners. We cant do what Australia or the American Government do; they spend more money in looking after the prisoners then the ordinary citizens.
Theres no way in this world that the Samoa prison will be like Australia, and New Zealand, we dont have the funds. Otherwise all our funds will go to prison and we cant take care of our citizens.
Tialavea explained the some of the 60 guards escort prisoners to Court, guard the gates leaving not enough guards in prison.
The new prison (Tanumalala) will solve this problem that does not mean it will solve running away because the new prison is really safe, there are two fences four meters high you have to climb, and inside the prison, its already been locked.
But as I said, because we are going to take them outside to work at the plantation, and we have to so we can sustain our food at the plantation thats why I said they can escape during that time, hopefully that doesnt happen.
Tialavea said the management needs to be proactive, by running the prison like a family unit or village, rather than just allowing inmates to watch television.
There are a lot of programmes that help these prisoners from the church and organisations. The library is OK for prisoners who want to go in and use them. But going to the library is up to the individual, and if you go to the library, you take another police with you to the library.
He hopes that by the next budget in June, there would be funding to increase the number of Prisons and Corrections officers in prison.
Budget is likely to increase for the new prison because of petrol and the place is too far, officers have to sleep over and there needs to be accommodation for them.
Government spends approximately $2-3 million for the maintenance of the prisons and the welfare of the inmates in Savaii and Tafaigata, with food amounting to about $300,000 annually, according to the Minister.
Thats why we need to sustain ourselves because its not enough to feed our prisoners. We have 400 acres in Savaii and the food there is enough to feed Tanumalala and Savaii as well where there are about 40 prisoners.
Samoas ability to respond to natural disasters was given a major boost yesterday with a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the building of a $6.4 million National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC).
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE), Fiame Naomi Mataafa, told guests that the center will be a first for Samoa and boost the Governments response systems.
This state of the art building will enhance our responses to disaster by providing a broad range of coordinated actions through technological advancement."
The NEOC is a component of the Pacific Resilience Program (PREP) funded by the World Bank through a grant, and implemented by the Disaster Management Office of the MNRE."
The PREP is consistent with Samoas strategy for Development of Samoa 2017-2020 which has incorporated climate and disaster risk and resilience to all the sectors and makes them accountable to implement resilient actions, Fiame said.
The center will support the nations efforts to reduce its vulnerability to climate change from natural disasters, added the Deputy Prime Minister, through the provision of early warning systems and finance recovery mechanisms in the wake of disasters.
The NEOC will be a two-storey building, with the latest technology and equipment to assist DMO and MNRE to produce accurate information for the public in times of disaster. It will increase the resilience of Samoa and the Pacific region as a whole to natural hazards such as cyclones, coastal-riverine flooding, volcanoes, tsunamis and earthquakes by improving the quality of forecast and warning services, she added.
The proposed center will compliment the objectives of the National Disaster Management Plan 2017-2020, which Fiame said was launched last year. As a signatory to a number of international conventions including the Sustainable Development Goals, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Paris Agreement, the Deputy Prime Minister said the center will be an acknowledgement of work being done to address climate change through multiple stakeholders. These include responders, logistics, village communities, development partners, non-government organisations and the Australian and New Zealand governments.
Fiame said the construction of the center will be done by Zheng Company Ltd at a total cost of $6.4 million. It was designed by Kramer Ausenco (Samoa) Ltd who will also supervise the construction work. The construction will take 14 months and is expected to be completed April 2020.
Guests at the ground-breaking ceremony yesterday at Tuanaimato included the World Bank Director (Strategy Operations) Xianqing Yu, Cabinet ministers, members of the diplomatic community, and the Police Commissioner, Fuiavailili Egon Keil.
Heavy rain throughout the country triggered a landslide on the east coast of Upolu on Tuesday night.
The landslide between Luatuanuu and Solosolo delayed traffic in the area.
Rocks, logs and mud blocked the road, calling for emergency workers to intervene.
Yesterday, the Land Transport Authority warned members of the public to be aware when they are driving out that way.
As of tonight the road is still passable however we remind the public to be cautious when travelling, the Authority warned.
The landslide is among problems created by heavy downpours throughout the country yesterday.
Last night, the Samoa Met Office attributed the bad weather pattern to a convergence zone.
Tropical Disturbance 06F lies Northwest from Samoa, meanwhile; an active convergence remains within the vicinity of Samoa associated with cloud and rain, the weather forecast reads.
A heavy rain warning has been enforced for Samoa, with low-lying areas warned against flooding.
Samoa Shipping Corporation cancelled services between Upolu and Savaii yesterday as a safety precaution as the country experienced strong winds and rain.
Samoa Meteorology Division Assistant Chief Executive Officer, Tainau Mulipola Titimaea, told Samoa Observer that the current weather being experienced is due to a tropical disturbance near Samoa.
The MET Office will continue to monitor the weather in the next 24 to 48 hours, he said, before making a assessment on whether the tropical disturbance will turn into a depression and become a tropical cyclone.
The development system, which is currently in its moderate stage, has the potential to develop into a tropical cyclone."
But only in the next 24-48 hours can we be quite clear on the development of this tropical disturbance to become a depression or event into obtaining a tropical cyclone, he said, in an interview.
The Samoa Shipping Corporation Ltd advised in a public notice on its Facebook page yesterday that it was cancelling all shipping services between Upolu and Savaii.
Due to bad weather forecast, our normal trips for today have been cancelled and if the weather conditions persist, services will continue to be closed until further notice, the notice reads.
Mr. Titimaea said the severe weather advisory from the MET Office remains in effect, but Samoa is not in immediate danger as the tropical disturbance is about 600 kilometers northwest of Samoa and is more closer to Fiji.
The tropical disturbance is bringing a lot of moisture accompanied by heavy rain and strong winds, which are the first stage elements of a tropical disturbance, according to Mr. Titimaea.
He also used the opportunity to remind the public that the Disaster Management Office is available and will respond to those in need of assistance.
We encourage the public to take heed to the current situation and weather we are facing at the moment, he added.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Body and Mind Inc. (CSE: BAMM, US OTC: BMMJ) (the Company or BaM) announced today that it has closed the previously announced sale of securities with Australis Capital Inc. (CSE: AUSA) (Australis). Australis purchased 1,768,545 Common Shares at a price of CAD $0.585 per Common Share for an aggregate purchase price of USD $777,894.
The financing support from Australis and transaction to acquire 100 % ownership of NMG Ohio LLC will allow BaM to consolidate revenue from our Ohio operations and increase our multi-state influence, stated Robert Hasman, director of the Company. We are on target for opening the Clubhouse dispensary in Elyria, Ohio with our final inspection anticipated on or around February 12, 2019 and an opening date scheduled for on or around February 22, 2019.
The securities issued by the Company 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 unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of any offer to buy any securities of the Company in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.
The securities issued by the Company are restricted securities as defined under Rule 144(a)(3) of the U.S. Securities Act and will contain the appropriate restrictive legends as required under the U.S. Securities Act and National Instrument 45-102.
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.
For further information, please contact:
Michael Mills
778-389-0007
mmills@bamcannabis.com
About BaM
BaM is a publicly traded company investing in high quality medical and recreational cannabis cultivation, production and retail. Our wholly-owned Nevada subsidiary was awarded one of the first medical marijuana cultivation licences and holds cultivation and production licenses. BaM products include dried flower, edibles, topicals, extracts as well as GPEN Gio cartridges. BaM marijuana strains have won numerous awards including the Las Vegas Hempfest Cup 2016, High Times Top Ten, the NorCal Secret Cup and the Emerald Cup. BaM continues to expand operations in Nevada, Ohio and its investment in California and is dedicated to increasing shareholder value by focusing time and resources on improving operational efficiencies, facility expansions, state licensing opportunities as well as mergers and acquisitions.
About Australis
Australis Capital identifies and invests in the cannabis industry predominantly in the United States, a highly-regulated, fragmented, rapidly-expanding and evolving industry. Investments may include and are not limited to equity, debt or other securities of both public and private companies, financings in exchange for royalties or other distribution streams, and control stake acquisitions. Australis Capital adheres to stringent investment criteria and will focus on significant near and mid-term high-quality opportunities with strong return potentials while maintaining a steadfast commitment to governance and community. Australis Capitals Board and management team have material experience with, and knowledge of, the cannabis space in the U.S., extensive backgrounds in highly-regulated industries, adherence to stringent regulatory compliance, public company, and operational expertise. In addition to the Companys expertise and strong execution on strategic M&A, which to date includes Rthm Technologies Inc., Body and Mind Inc., Quality Green Inc., and Folium Biosciences Inc., Australis has developed strategic partnerships with companies such as Wagner Dimas.
Australis Common shares trade on the CSE under the symbol AUSA.
For further information about Australis, please visit the website at ausacap.com or contact the Company by e-mail at ir@ausacap.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
Except for the statements of historical fact contained herein, the information presented in this news release constitutes forward-looking statements as such term is used in applicable United States and Canadian laws. These statements relate to analyses and other information that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management. Any other statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as expects or does not expect, is expected, anticipates or does not anticipate, plans, estimates or intends, or stating that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and should be viewed as forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements 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. Such risks and other factors include, among others, the actual results of activities, variations in the underlying assumptions associated with the estimation of activities, the availability of capital to fund programs and the resulting dilution caused by the raising of capital through the sale of shares, accidents, labor disputes and other risks. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements contained in this news release and in any document referred to in this news release.
Certain matters discussed in this news release and oral statements made from time to time by representatives of the Company may constitute forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved. Forward-looking information is subject to certain risks, trends and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Many of these factors are beyond the Companys ability to control or predict. Important factors that may cause actual results to differ materially and that could impact the Company and the statements contained in this news release can be found in the Companys filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company assumes no obligation to update or supplement any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities.
The CSE has in no way passed upon the merits of the Financing and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. Neither the CSE nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
The leader of the Human Rights Protection Party (H.R.P.P.), Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi, is adamant Laauilalemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao removed himself from the party.
Tuilaepa, who is also the Prime Minister, said the H.R.P.P. need to be firm in its decision against Laauli now otherwise this will be the beginning of the destruction of this party.
He revealed that the Leadership Committee of the H.R.P.P. met last Friday where they endorsed Laaulis vote against the Constitutional amendments by the Government in Parliament as his resignation.
We have an agreement, a written agreement, Tuilaepa told Radio Samoa during an interview in Auckland where he is attending a bilateral meeting with New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern.
Before you become a member, we have an agreement where you pledge your allegiance to the party. That agreement is your commitment that you will not do anything to harm the party. So once you do something to harm the party, you have made a decision on yourself.
Tuilaepa insisted that every member of the H.R.P.P. is aware of this and when the H.R.P.P. Committee met last Friday, the decision was quite simple.
When matters pertaining to the Constitution are raised where amendments are needed, no one is allowed to (vote against the partys position). This is where this agreement comes into play, Tuilaepa explained.
Its quite clear in the agreement that when you enter the party, you will support the party and do what the party wants and that you will not embarrass the political party.
This is why the H.R.P.P. is strong because of its unity. If we dont do this now, this will be the beginning of the destruction of this party because others will say; well nothing has been done to him so I can try too.
When Parliament voted for the Electoral Constituencies Bill 2018, Tuilaepa said members of the H.R.P.P. were aware it was a party vote. They also knew it was an issue involving the Constitution so no one was to oppose it.
This (H.R.P.P.) law applies to when the Constitution is the subject of discussions and amendments.
The Government doesnt just come up with any amendment to the Constitution, we only do it when it is absolutely necessary in the view of the Government. It is why if you decide to vote against, that is you officially informing the party you want to leave and you dont want to be involved anymore. Which is exactly what was done.
So when we met, we said we accept Laaulis vote, he did it knowingly. That was his way of submitting his resignation and we have accepted it. And thats the meaning of the letter given to him.
Tuilaepa added that H.R.P.Ps doesnt always vote as a party in Parliament unless its a Constitutional amendment. But he said the rule is only relaxed when I say its an open vote and everyone can vote according to his or her conscience. There have been times when that opportunity has been exercised.
The Prime Minister also defended the Constitutional amendments, which the Gagaifomauga No. 3 Member of Parliament voted against, saying they are decisions made by a statesman.
There is always the temptation for an M.P. to go alone, especially if its something that would benefit him personally. That is selfish, Tuilaepa said.
When you come into the party, you have to put aside your selfish opinion and support things for the good of the entire country.
Most MPs only want whats best for their constituencies but in the party setting, the scope is a lot wider, you have to look at whats best for the country. So you are not just thinking about your constituency but do whats best for all the constituencies.
It means your vision is wider; you become a statesman more than a politician. With a politician, all he worries about is to win the next election, but a statesman considers things that are useful for the next generation.
Earlier this week, Laauli called a press conference where he said he has not resigned from the H.R.P.P. and he has no intention of resigning.
He said the decision on his future rests with his constituents, the people who voted him in, whom he is planning to meet next Monday.
Photo: L R Fa'amau Asalele Director of American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency, Mr Kosi Latu Director General of SPREP, Vaamua Henry Sesepasara Director of American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources, Aufai Areta Director of the Agriculture, Community and Natural Resources Division of the American Samoan Community College.
A three-day Enhancing Climate Resilience through Community Awareness summit to help build the resilience of people and communities in American Samoa opened yesterday.
Organised in partnership by the American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources (DMWR) and the Environment Protection Agency (EPA), the summit aims to help people to learn more about climate resilience.
Science confirms that we are becoming more and more affected by a changing climate which has already contributed to worsening food security, reduced the predictable availability of fresh water, and exacerbated the spread of disease and other threats to human health.
Of the six lowest nations in the world, we have four of these in the Pacific. Low-lying atolls no more than two metres high, said Leota Kosi Latu, Director General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), the keynote speaker of the event in American Samoa.
When you talk about the most vulnerable, we in the Pacific are definitely within that category.
Being able to prevent, withstand and recover from the negative impacts of a changing climate is important for us. We all want to be able to build back better so that our communities become stronger.
A resilient community is likely to be wealthier and healthier, it is likely to be safer, better educated, uses its traditional knowledge effectively and is able to create more opportunities for its young people. We want American Samoa to be resilient to change.
The summit draws together a wide range of people from school students to local and national government official, opening its doors to the general public.
All of this is for the future generation, presented Vaamua Henry Sesepasara the Director of DMWR at the opening today in American Samoa.
It is you, our young people that will take the helm to help us alleviate these problems. Building our climate resilience will help us when we face the problems that come with change, issues that impact us direction here in American Samoa.
Over the course of three days a wide range of short workshops will be held allowing the 150 participants to spend time in different discussion groups. These will help participants learn more of the different climate resilience activities happening in American Samoa and across the Pacific islands region.
It is hoped these conversations will allow for sharing of ideas and experiences broadening Pacific knowledge.
I think its important that we come together this week, mindful that we are not just one single Pacific island. We are part of many, many islands dotted around the Pacific. When we start to have a bigger sense and appreciation of where we come from, we appreciate that we are part of a wider Pacific, that what we do here will impact our neighbouring countries and vice versa, said Leota.
What communities are experiencing and doing to address their challenges in one part of the Pacific, may be something that others can apply in their part of the Pacific. We are all going through so many changes and the science tell us its not going to get any easier, its important we look at this together collectively, and look at it through a lens of urgency.
SPREP is helping to lay the foundation for an understanding of climate sciences and work undertaken in the Pacific islands region to build climate resilience.
These are followed by a series of workshops which covers food security, disaster preparedness, health, as well as energy and infrastructure.
Day three will include field trips to LEED certified buildings in American Samoa. LEED is a rating system developed by the US Green Building Council for buildings homes and communities that are designed, constructed, maintained and operated for improved environmental and human health performance.
The Enhancing Climate Resilience through Community Awareness Summit is being held at the Malaeimi Church LDS Stake Center from 5 7 February, 2019. It is coordinated in partnership by the American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources (DMWR) and Environment Protection Agency (EPA) with support from the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).
So there you have it. The former Speaker of Parliament and Cabinet Minister, Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivaos decision to break his silence over his future with the ruling Human Rights Protection Party has at least given us a better idea about both sides of this most fascinating story (read story front page of Tuesdays Samoa Observer).
But heres the truth. Wherever this little episode ends up, its sure tough to be in Laaulis shoes and hes unlikely to come out the winner for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, he is isolated. You cannot go at it alone against a force such as the Government as it stands today. Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi and his band of merry men have all the power and the trump cards.
Reason and logic doesnt count here. This is the hunger games of Samoan politics, where the quest for total control, absolute power, influence and more is ugly, unforgiving and merciless.
At the end of the day, its a numbers game.
Secondly recent history doesnt augur well for the veteran Member of Parliament, who appears to have already lived the twilight years, of his illustrious political career. In other words, its unlikely this would have happened if Laauli were still a Cabinet Minister or the Speaker of Parliament.
But as it stands today, poor Laauli is an isolated man with his only other comrade found in that lone ranger called Olo Fiti Vaai.
Funny how things have changed from when Olo, known as Levaopolo Talatonu at the time, would always test and taunt Laaulis patience as the Speaker.
How time has evolved though. Quickly.
Either way, Laaulis courage and conviction to stand up for what he believes in, should be applauded and admired.
In a one-party state, where he who has all the power is expected to hunt down that one lone dissenting voice, the treatment of Laauli is not surprising at all. Its symptomatic of autocratic regimes.
But whats important is that Laauli has made a stand, which we can only applaud. In times like this when there is so much confusion, people need brave men to stand up and be counted. Sure Laauli has his faults just like everyone else but he has at least shown he will not be intimidated and silenced by the threat of being sacked and isolation.
Of course it has come at a huge wcost.
But history doesnt remember coward politicians who toe the party line at the expense of their constituents.
History doesnt care about big lauias, whose brains and conscience are tied to their political party affiliations, while the decisions being made by the party are hurting the very people they should be representing.
Which brings us to other Members of Parliament from Savaii and Upolu to an extent whose constituencies were affected by the very Bill Laauli has risked his political future over.
In the lead up to whats happening to Laauli today, there were at least two other constituencies who lodged petitions against the bill. One was Gagaemauga No. 2, the other Palauli le Falefa.
Which means at least Laauli and Olo could have found support in these two Members of Parliament. They did not.
Where were they? Why did they not stand up for what their constituents had fought for? This was perhaps one of the most disappointing aspects of this debacle. Apart from these two, there were other Members of Parliament, whose constituents will be greatly affected by this law change, and yet they could not speak up. Their lips were sealed, they were silenced.
Someone needs to remind them that Tuilaepa and the HRPP did not vote them into Parliament. Their constituents did.
As it stands today, poor Laauli and Olo! If only there were other MPs from Savaii who could have recognised the enormous injustice that now exists in terms of representations for Upolu and Savaii in Parliament.
Have a great Thursday Samoa, God bless!
There is one reason American Samoa resident Pete Foskitt always looks forward to his business trips to Fiji transiting through Samoa.
The American, who is originally from New Hampshire, works in Pago Pago and often travels to Fiji for business.
I visit (Samoa) twice a year because I go to Fiji for work. I was in New Zealand for vacation and in Fiji for week also but for business, he said.
When he was asked what he looked forward to when in Samoa, he said: Staying at Tanoa.
And while he has tried other hotels like the Taumeasina Island Resort, for some reason he still prefers the Tanoa Tusitala Hotel.
The services here is great, very good, he said.
While in Samoa he has had the chance to tour Upolu, and visit a number of tourist attractions found on the island.
There are a lot of beaches and waterfalls I do not see often in American Samoa. Beautiful coast line but not sandy beaches like here, Pete added.
Visiting the Big Island of Savaii is next thing on his bucket list and he will do that during his second visit to Samoa later this year.
I am very excited to visit Savaii they say that it is very beautiful I have not been to Savaii but my landlord will take me to Savaii. I have tried a couple of times but well make it, he said.
The village of Salailua, Savaii hosted a workshop recently for Nofotane women from four villages to assist them improve the quality of their products to cater for the overseas market.
The women had set up their business through the Samoa Victim Support Groups Nofotane Project, which enabled them to learn new designs that would make their products more attractive to buyers.
According to a Nofotane women, Taufao Loli Matauaina of Vaipua, she said she strives to improve the quality of her products to be competitive on the market. Her business makes hand bags and purses made out of plastic.
A total of 60 per cent of the participants in the workshop are suppliers of siapo or tapa cloth, recycled woven bags, and elei they get orders through the S.V.S.G. from customers in New Zealand, Australia and America.
Local business woman and a Nofotane herself, Tuaoialii Tuato of Salailua, encouraged the new entrepreneurs to persevere despite the difficulties.
There is nothing in life that comes easy you have to go through a lot of challenges in order for you to become stronger, she said.
The workshop is funded by the Canadian government through the Canada Fund for Local Initiative Project, and is implemented locally by the S.V.S.G. The objective of the workshop is to enable sustainable income generation and self-employment of Nofotane women in Samoa.
S.V.S.G. President, Siliniu Lina Chang, praised the women participants on the good work.
Let me remind you all that the project is not trying to change this particular aspect of our culture, but merely aims to ensure sustainability of being empowered.
It is because a strong, proud and successful community does not tolerate any form of violence against women, she added.
A total of 16 workshops in Savaii and Upolu will be held this year.
Today is Waitangi Day, the national day to remember the historic signing of the treaty between New Zealands Maori and the colonial British Crown.
Speaking from Te Whare Runanga, Prime Minister Jacinda Arden told onlookers that the justice system had failed Maori, reports Radio New Zealand, an issue she highlighted this time last year.
I stood before you and said that we wanted the prison numbers to go down, and they have. There are fewer Maori in prison now than when we came into government.
Here I am to be held to account on behalf of the government, she said.
Waitangi Day is a site of commemoration and learning, but historically has also been a space of protest. This year is no exception.
Commemorations at Te Tii Marae in Waitangi yesterday featured the former National leader and known oppose of Maori centric policy being interrupted throughout a speech he eventually had to cut short.
The New Zealand Herald reports as Brash questioned the value of learning te reo maori, he was blocked by a banner with the word racism on it, and finished speaking.
His invitation to speak at Te Tii was widely debated, as Brash as a history of speaking out against Maori. In 2004 he argued for the end of affirmative action programs for Maori.
The controversial self-appointed bishop of Destiny Church Brian Tamaki also made headlines in the lead up to Waitangi day, revealing he will bring 2000 supporters with him to present issues at Waitangi.
Radio New Zealand reports he will speak at Te Tii Marae today, after saying on Twitter Boy have i got something to say!! [sic]
But Waitangi Day is not simply a site of protest. Prime Minister Jacinda Arden revealed Waitangi Day commemoration funds of NZ$288,000 were distributed across 46m events in New Zealand.
A master waka (vaa) builder and carver, and celestial navigator Sir Hekenukumia Busby received a knighthood at Waitangi yesterday, reports Newsroom.
Waitangi Day committee chairman Pita Paraone said for some, the investiture (receiving of knighthood or other honour) would be more important than the official Waitangi Day service.
Stuff.co.nz have been publishing live coverage since yesterday morning on Waitangi Day events at Te Tii Marae.
As for what Waitangi Day will mean for the Labour Governments relationship with Maori, Newsrooms Sam Sachdeva reports that this year will be a test for them.
Maori will be looking to the future too, and whether Arderns government can deliver on its promises: perhaps with an added degree of wariness, but also hope, he writes.
Last Waitangi Day, Ms Ardern made history when she stayed at Waitangi for five days, the longest amount of time any Prime Minister has stayed.
The Treaty of Waitangi was signed on February 6 1840, by Crown representatives and more than 500 Maori chiefs. It effectively resulted in the signing away of sovereignty of land to the crown, and today Maori continue to seek reparations for countless loss both financial and cultural which resulted from the treaty, through the Waitangi Tribunal.
Most of the flooding that affected Magiagi residents allegedly came from damaged water pipes owned by the Electric Power Corporation (EPC).
Speaking during consultations on the Alaoa flood control multi-purpose dam on Monday, Magiagi resident Tia Lelea Fuivaa said most of the flood during Cyclone Evan came from the broken water pipes, which affected residents in the lower ground area.
The river flooding hadnt even reached an hour to overrun but because were victims of the flooding, we believe and we know that the flooding was mostly from the enormous water pipes that got spoiled from the Cyclone, he said.
The EPC, after the flooding, began work to relocate the water pipes underground but did not complete the project due to funding being exhausted.
The EPC Chief Executive Officer, Tologata Tile Tuimalealiifano, told the Magiagi residents that the project was funded by donor partners but it couldnt be completed as funding was then exhausted.
The money is from the government and were just here to do the job and from our knowledge, the budget we use for these projects are from our overseas donors and friends and we could not finish the project because the given budget was not enough to finish the whole project, he said.
Businesswoman Alisa Iiga Mataua of Foailuga Savaii has encouraged Samoan women to become more self-sufficient and use creativity to grow their families.
One of many success stories from the Samoa victim Support Groups Nofotane Project, the 33-year-old mother of three of Foailuga said she produces her own handicraft which is sold to customers.
I love doing what I do in order to improve the standard of living for my family by making jewelry with my very own hands and selling it for money to spend on my kids, village and church obligations, she told Samoa Observer, in a phone interview.
Her handcrafted products include ula lopa and lusiga and earrings which she sells for $50 after getting orders from customers.
In a week I can make up to $500 when people order and thats clean money for me and my family, she added.
The SVSG Nofotane Project strives to improve the economic empowerment of women, and increase womens participation in domestic and community matters.
I thank the SVSG program as I was in for the set of skills and knowledge they taught me, because now I am able to provide for my family.
I love that I can determine what I can get from what I am making a day or even a week, she said.
She hopes her business will expand as she considers new ideas to improve her products.
For the future I am looking into new ideas to expand my business by looking into making jewelry with not only lopa and lusiga but also tamaligi and other things I can use, she said.
Alisa is now a firm believer of self-employment and self-sufficiency through the use of resources from the surrounding environment. She urged women to use the resources to their advantage.
We should be building our own families with our own hands; we can make clean money just by using our god given resources we just need to out in the work and use our skills.
I get to earn up to $500 a week, which is more than most who are working in town and for companies who only get $100 or so a week. We should be taking advantage of this fact because basically its good money, she added.
She said she is looking forward to showcasing her handicrafts at the Nofotane market later this year.
Dear Editor,
The comments on the Capital Gains Tax (CPG) that I made in yesterdays Samoa Observer in the story titled Capital gains taxes worry private sector was made in the context of Samoa being a member of the WTO. Which has limited our policy space for revenue generation.
It was made on the understanding that our economy is an isolated island economy. It desperately needs long-term investment for sustainable growth. We need our private sector to invest in productive growth through long-term investment.
The Capital Gains Tax is removing this incentive. The proposal is to remove the current rate of 10% on gains realized within 12 months and the 27% Capital Gains tax on investments realized within 36 months and no capital gains tax on investments developed beyond 36 months with a flat 10% on all gains.
The policy was actually different if you read the Samoan version because they reversed the taxation in that within 12 months the tax was 27% and within 36 months was 10% and then nil thereafter.
Samoa has a real need to generate investment and long term sustainable investment and preferably through the private sector.
At present Government is pressing ahead with investments to develop the economy and that is laudable. Despite that we have seen increased urbanization, increased crime and with the impact of Yazakis departure reductions in employment opportunities. We need taxation that encourages investment in production.
The CTG reverses this approach. The recent Press Release from the Samoa Bureau of Statistics says it all:
The favorable performance in the period was boasted by strong growth in wholesaling and retailing of food, beverages, stationeries and durable goods. This more than offset the decline in Primary and Goods-producing industries.
Investing in importing, wholesaling and retailing is a successful venture.
Risks are relatively low and as the Government is focused on reducing the cost of living it is working particularly where subsidies on imports are still being applied (albeit Green Box subsidies).
The decline in Primary and Goods producing industries has been in place for the last 15 years and continues today. We need to as part of our taxation policy to look at how to reverse that trend not increase the decline.
The UN goals clearly identify the need to address sustainability and it should form a cornerstone of our tax system as we are an isolated island country and need to develop our opportunities that come through our isolation.
The CGT was only to apply to immovable assets like land and houses but is to be extended to shares. That means investments in businesses shall now be subject to Capital Gains Tax. Gains made on investments off shore are actually exempt. So to grow Samoa you need to invest offshore.
In addition taxation cannot be retrospective so any investments made before the envisaged change that you kept for 3 years was exempt, however the intention now is to tax it and that is retrospective taxation.
Grandfather rights should apply and all these investments changed to reflect the rights that are in place and be exempt from the proposed changes.
Papalii Grant Percival
Concerned
Dear Editor,
I write regarding the story titled P.M. says written responses special treatment
Samoa Observer and the reporter must understand the stark contrast of the independent and personal decision made by the honourable Prime Minister of Samoa.
Sir, perhaps he has decided to baulk the pertinent after years of willing to provide the attractions for his own demise by Samoa Observer parody.
No one denies his right.
Please dont expect the honourable Prime Minister of my country to continue hosting the courtesy for Samoa Observer when all he gets is the negative medium coverage to ensnare the banal masquerade.
Other medium outlets in Samoa are very fair and polite to soften the behest largess, as it is the honourable Prime Minister of Samoa, above all else.
However Samoa Observer, it has decided to load the arsenal to control the onslaught for the perilous.
Hence, one wins the battle but lose the war.
Sir, the Honourable Prime Minister of Samoa now has afforded unto Samoa Observer, being his favourite to send written questions while others are being deprived from such high respect; reserves only for a chosen lucky few.
And then of course, damn if you do damn if not.
It is the reflections in the mirror one has to take a good look perhaps and; change?
But like they say; birds and feathers are locked together.
It is with in the honourable Prime Ministers sole prerogative to express, such as Samoa Observer of course to publish from its perspective angle.
But Sir, I feel for your poor reporter who cops the flak. I would have thought for you to go dance to the music and face the man himself. Maybe then he will have lots of time for a one on one face to face? Perhaps?
As he always only deals with the big fishes of the deep sea, maybe him being a Whale, would expect you the Great White Shark to swim his way?
Just an assumption though.
Otherwise Sir, Samoa Observer needs to grow some thick skin to weather the storm. With my utmost respect.
Tofaeono Misatauveve Iosefo Joseph Hollywood
Palisi
TORONTO, Feb. 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- iSIGN Media Solutions Inc. (iSIGN or Company) (TSX-V: ISD) (OTC: ISDSF), a leading provider of interactive mobile proximity marketing and public security alert solutions, announced that Mr. Dave Rogerson has resigned from the Companys Board of Directors effective January 31, 2019.
In announcing his resignation, Mr. Rogerson cited his increasing work load and travel requirements for his employer, Microsoft, as his reasons for stepping down from iSIGNs Board of Directors.
On behalf of the Board and the Company, I would like to thank Dave for his time and dedication to iSIGN over the past five years, stated Mr. Joe Kozar, iSIGNs Chief Executive Officer. We wish him the very best in his future endeavors.
The Company is currently interviewing and meeting with candidates to fill the opening on iSIGNs Board.
About iSIGN Media
iSIGN, a Canadian company based in Toronto, Ontario is a data-focused, software-as-a-service (SaaS) company that is a pioneering leader in the areas of location-based security alert messaging and proximity marketing utilizing Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity in complete privacy. Creators of the Smart suite of products, a patented interactive proximity marketing technology, iSIGN enables the delivery of messages to mobile devices in proximity, with real-time reporting and analytics on a variety of metrics. Partners include: IBM, Keyser Retail Solutions, Baylor University, Verizon Wireless, TELUS and Mtrex Network Solutions. www.isignmedia.com
2019 iSIGN Media Solutions Inc. All Rights Reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
Company contacts:
Bruce Reilly
iSIGN Media Solutions Inc.
bruce@isignmedia.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 accuracy of this release.
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Feb-06-2019 02:07 TweetFollow @OregonNews Fair Trial: Asia Bibi Not Guilty of Blasphemy The US has conveyed concerns about Christian persecution in Pakistan, while Pakistan simply denies it.
Asia Bibi and her children, many years ago. She was found not guilty of blasphemy in Oct 2018 after over 8 years in prison.
Photo: christianfreedom.org
(ISLAMABAD) - The Supreme Court of Pakistan finally set aside a review petition of a Christian woman, Asia Bibi, accused of blasphemy, after she spent more than 8 years in prison, in solitary confinement. The decision is being warmly welcomed by human rights activists in the local and international community. The judgement is unclear, however, regarding what action will be taken against those who falsely accused her of blasphemy and gave false testimonies to mislead the court and public. Im not a law expert but the law professors said that for every wrong, the law provides a remedy. He who wrongs another is to be punished. There were significant notable remarks by the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) while grilling the petitioners lawyer. CJP Khosa rebuked the witness for lying under oath, and added that they would have been jailed for life if the case wasnt so sensitive. There is a provision in law should Asia Bibis lawyer take up the issue and file a case against those who falsely accused her of blasphemy. Then, the courts would be morally bound to award a punishment to Asias tormentors. But victims of blasphemy in Pakistan usually refrain from challenging the false accusers even after they are acquitted. The UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt welcomed this judgement during his launching speech on Persecution of Christians across the Globe independent review. He said, "I think the news about Asia Bibi this week is extremely encouraging, but the truth is that unless we make a real effort and unless the world knows that we are making a real effort, those bits of good news will become the exception and not the rule. And thats what we dont want to allow to happen." He also showed his concerns about the persecution of Christians in Pakistan and said "we particularly want to look at the issue of Christian persecution." The US has conveyed concerns about Christian persecution in Pakistan, while Pakistan simply denies it. As citizens, we have reciprocal rights and responsibilities. But in Pakistan, we have experienced that government maintains the win-win situation. In late November 2018 the Prime Minister Imran Khan laid the foundation stone for Karatarpur Corridor. The gesture is a breakthrough between two neighboring countries and Pakistan widely claimed the corridor as important to help protect minorities rights. Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson Muhammad Faisal told the media in Islamabad before leaving for Karatarpur that the opening of the Karatarpur border was the historic step for welfare of minorities. "It shows that Pakistan takes care of minorities," Faisal said. Undoubtedly this is a significant move by the Pakistani government, if the dream comes true as there are grievances from both sides. We will soon see if the govt is just playing - if protecting minorities rights are only slogans. A delegation of young Pakistani Catholics was prevented by government officials from flying out of the country to join the Jan. 22-27, 2019 World Youth Day in Pakistan. The Fides news agency reported that 14 young Pakistani Catholics with regular visas who were about to fly out to join the Catholic Churchs World Youth Day (WYD) in Panama were blocked at Lahore airport by Pakistans Department for Immigration Office. World Youth Day is an event for young people organized by the Catholic Church, which was initiated by Pope John Paul 2 in 1985. It is religious gathering and being organised every year by the Catholic Church. The local government issued a threatening letter to Churches, which is a clear violation of the Constitution of the country but also violates international obligations. The Punjab government issued the letter on January 02, 2019 directing concerned department to take security measures and to close/seal the Churches in case they fail to comply with directives. According to the Constitution, the state is responsible to safeguard the rights and worship places of the minorities. Article 20 does not merely confer a private right to profess but confers a right to practice both privately and publicly. The state shall safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of minorities and the ultimate goal of the state should be to eradicate religious intolerance in Pakistan. The sad reality is that such a policy exists on paper only. Religious and ethnic minorities continue to suffer discrimination. This continues despite the constitutional obligation to protect the life, property and worship places of all citizens regardless of their caste, ethnicity, religion or gender. The state plays the role of the bystander when human rights abuses occur at the hands of the powerful majority groups. Minorities have regularly been hoodwinked into believing that their rights shall be guaranteed and protected by the state. Asia Bibi was found not guilty of blasphemy in October 2018, and now she can legally leave Pakistan. Free at last. For others, the problem continues as there are several more Christians in Pakistan jails accused of blasphemy with cases pending. The trial for Asia Bibi was fair. Let us see fairness for all in Pakistan's near future. _________________________________________
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Bob Hamilton, law enforcement liaison for the Kansas Department of Transportation, presented Sheriff Frank Kelly and his department with the 2018 AAA Kansas Community Traffic Safety award during the Miami County Commissions Jan. 30 meeting. Only 10 sheriffs offices in Kansas qualified for the award. Pictured (from left) are Sgt. Justin White, Kelly, Hamilton and Undersheriff Wayne Minckley.
Manheim, PA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 02/06/2019 --Kreider Farms, Pennsylvania's largest egg producer represented the American Egg Industry in a Congressional Humane Bond Caucus briefing on "The Humane Table" in Washington, DC.
The Congressional briefing held on November 16, 2018 brought together America's top farmers and food producers along with American Humane, the largest animal welfare certifier in the world, to discuss advances in humane agriculture. The briefing took place on Capitol Hill just before Thanksgiving, which has become a day when many Americans are thinking about how their food gets to their tables. Kreider Farms was invited by the American Humane Association to testify as a leading American Humane Certified egg producer.
"Like American Humane, Kreider Farms and Americas' family farmers know that animal welfare is truly in everyone's best interest," said Byron Shaffer, Quality Assurance Manager for Kreider Farms. "After the decision to build modern state-of-the-art cage-free layer houses in 2015 and subsequent construction, Kreider Farms has been a top rated American Humane-certified egg producer since 2016."
The Congressional Humane Bond Caucus was co-founded in 2015 by Congressmen Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Henry Cuellar (D-TX) with the stated objective of creating a more humane world for both animals and people.
Connect with Kreider Farms: Facebook | YouTube | TripAdvisor | Instagram
About Kreider Farms
Noah and Mary Kreider started small with 102 acres of land, a dozen dairy cows, and 200 chickens when Kreider Farms was born in 1935. Now under the leadership of third-generation President and CEO Ron Kreider, Kreider Farms is still very much a local, family-owned farm, but it has expanded to over 3,000 acres in Lancaster, Lebanon, and Dauphin Counties. The 450-employee enterprise has more than 1,600 cows and over 7 million layer hens. To learn more, visit https://www.kreiderfarms.com.
Boynton Beach, FL -- (ReleaseWire) -- 02/06/2019 --As part of their continuing mission to educate consumers about safer alternatives to stock market investing, Crash Proof Retirement Show co-hosts Phil Cannella and Joann Small held their first educational event of 2019 on January 9th at Benvenuto Restaurant in Boynton Beach, Florida. Over 100 concerned investors showed up to learn more about Crash Proof Retirement and hear the details of Phil Cannella's unique retirement planning philosophy, one he believes could be the key to preventing retirees from losing everything in the event of a stock market crash.
While Crash Proof Retirement has put on hundreds of educational events in the past, this one held a special significance, not only as the first event of a new year, but as one that comes at a time when Phil Cannella's message seems more relevant than ever before. After a year-end correction erased 2018's stock market gains, many top economists have been predicting another market crash in the next two years that could leave the major indices plunging deep into negative territory. According to Phil Cannella, anyone heavily invested in the stock market should have cause for concern.
"Stock market investors lost out big time when the market crashes of 2001 and 2008 chipped away at their retirement accounts," says Cannella, continuing, "These people could have been protected from losses if they had known about Crash Proof investments that prevent loss of principle during a market downturn."
Phil Cannella agrees with economists who believe the next crash could be right around the corner. Smart investors, he believes, would be well-advised to take their money off the stock market and put it into Crash Proof Investments that will keep them from losing it all.
As a retirement planner in Palm Beach County, FL, Phil Cannella has spent nearly two decades educating consumers about the Crash Proof Retirement philosophy. He first began speaking directly to consumers at educational events held in restaurants around the greater Philadelphia area before expanding to venues all over the tristate area. Cannella eventually widened the scope of his operation to include retirement events in Boca Raton, Florida and other locations all over the country. In 2008, he took to the airwaves, starting The Crash Proof Retirement Show, giving him the opportunity to reach thousands of listeners each weekend on the radio.
Having recently celebrated 10 years on the air, Phil Cannella and Joann Small have no plans to stop any time soon. Their first educational event of 2019 is the first of many planned for the year and the Crash Proof Retirement team is inviting you to attend. Whether you live in the greater Philadelphia area or you're looking for retirement planning in Lake Worth, FL, there's a Crash Proof Retirement Event coming soon to your area.
About Crash Proof Retirement
Crash Proof Retirement is a retirement planning company based in King of Prussia, PA that emphasizes consumer-driven investments for all people, especially those in or near retirement. With over 5,000 retirement accounts already protected from stock market crashes, founder Phil Cannella and CEO Joann Small have made it their mission to educate every American about safe alternatives to stock market investing. For more information, visit crashproofretirement.com or tune in to the Crash Proof Retirement Show which airs in the Philadelphia area Saturdays at 11am and Sundays at 1pm on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT and Sundays at 8am on Legends 100.3 FM.
Rancho Santa Fe 12-year-old Bela Gowda shared the gift of reading with African children through her grassroots book drive for The African Library Project. Over a year-long effort, The Bishops School seventh grader collected 1,000 books and $500 in donations to provide books and build a rural community library for school children in Ghana.
I knew it would be a lot of work when I started, Bela said. I was excited when I actually finished it.
Bela sent 35 boxes of books from the Rancho Santa Fe Post Office on Jan. 19 to the organizations warehouse in New Orleans. The African Library Project will make shipments out to Ghana in February and Belas books will help stock the shelves at the Masi Anfoe School.
According to the African Library Project, most African children grow up without books and many African educators teach reading, writing, math and English without a single book to use as a resource. Africa has the highest percentage of illiteracy in the world and books are the key to increasing literacy and helping people out of poverty.
Since 2005, the African Library Project has donated over 2.6 million books and completed 2,585 libraries in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Cameroon, Lesotho, Nigeria, Botswana, Swaziland, Malawi, Ghana, South Africa, Sierra Leone and Kenya.
Bela Gowda's cookies for a cause. Courtesy
While Bela has done other community service projects, such as volunteering at the San Diego Food Bank and Ronald McDonald House, this is the first big project shes done by herself. Bela said she was inspired to take on the book drive by her mom Shilpi. Shilpi is the author of the award-winning and best-selling novels The Golden Son and Secret Daughter her third novel The Seekers is slated for publication by William Morrow Books this year.
Mom and daughter read a book together nearly every night before bed and often take trips to the local library.
I love reading and I thought it would be really cool for others to experience that too, Bela said.
Bela sought donations for over a year. She sold homemade cookies for a $1 in the Rancho Santa Fe village and at her birthday party in May she asked for donations instead of gifts. She contacted the Library Guild of Rancho Santa Fes Books Cellar, which donated about 400 books to her cause. During the holidays, Bela sent emails out to neighbors asking for contributions of books and those who donated were rewarded with fresh-baked loaves of bread.
Once she had collected the books and funds required, Belas family members helped her with the large task of packing up all of the boxes to mail. As an extra touch, Bela added photos and notes to the boxes of books to personalize them, so the students can see where they came from, Bela said.
In her first big effort Bela collected over 1,000 books but shipped just 1,000 this timeshe is already making plans for her next drive.
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Certainly, one race or sex is not superior to another. To ignore systemic oppression and its impact on the past and present policies, however, is to put ones head into the sand. I was struck by the fact that even recently, most white Americans were unaware of the Tulsa Race Massacre of June 1, 1921 when mobs of white residents attacked black residents and destroyed homes and businesses in the Greenwood district in Tulsa. Thirty-five plus square blocks of the neighborhood at the time the wealthiest black community in the United States, known as Black Wall Street was decimated, with up to 300 people dead. Ten thousand black people were left homeless and property damage of black businesses and homes was an estimated at $1.5 million in 1921 dollars. It is precisely the omission of this kind of event in local, state, and national histories that establishes the need to examine systemic problems.
Arlene Violet on critical race theory. She is a Republican who served as RI Attorney General
After over a year of residents and community members calling for transparency and accountability from the Dearborn Police Department, City Council has failed to implement meaningful policies to minimize police presence and harm in our community. One thing Council can and should do is facilit
Through the Safe Savings (SaVa) Project a number children in the street will be given a new, secure means to collect and bank their hard-earned income
LOME, Togo Ecobank, the pan-African bank, is partnering with leading international children rights NGO Terre des Hommes to offer digital financial services to some of the most vulnerable children in Togo those under the age of 18 who work or live on the streets.
Through the Safe Savings (SaVa) Project a number children in the street will be given a new, secure means to collect and bank their hard-earned income, improving their security situation as well as their own saving habits. The one-year pilot project is being launched during an event held at Ecobanks headquarters, in the Togolese capital of Lome today.
One of the greatest fears of children living and working on the streets is being robbed, particularly at night. Currently, these children use a variety of informal savings mechanisms leaving their earnings with trusted adults, burying their money, or trying to spend it as quickly as possible. Yet none of these mechanisms are safe or reliable.
New mobile technology can provide a pathway to transform these childrens lives as they journey into adulthood. Ecobank through its work with Terre des Hommes is adapting its digital offerings to their needs, setting up a very simple but effective micro-savings system.
As the leader in digital financial services in Africa, we work hard to ensure that all Africans have access to better financial services and that includes the most vulnerable members of our communities, says Ecobanks Group CEO Ade Ayeyemi. Children in the streets are often subject to abuse, neglect, exploitation, and need our protection. By offering them a reliable and secure saving mechanism we hope we can help them protect their livelihoods and build a better future.
The first stage of the pilot project, which involves 30 children, is being rolled out in Lome, where Ecobank is headquartered. Terre des Hommes will create a purse where each child can deposit their daily earnings using a mobile phone provided by the organisation. They only need to set up an Ecobank Xpress account, which can be easily done through the mobile device. Terre des Homme acts as the custodian of the children as minors are not yet eligible to open accounts.
Over the next 12 months the SaVa Project hopes to reach a minimum of 150 children. Ecobank and Terre des Homme staff will train them so they understand how to use the app correctly. The children will also be able to give feedback on how the app can be further adapted to their specific needs.
We work closely with the children to understand the issues they face in their daily environments, says Pierre Philippe, Director of Programmes and Technical Resources of Terre des Hommes. As their own agents of change, we identified potential solutions together. We expect the SaVa Project will evolve over the next months to ensure we can genuinely improve the lives of children in the streets of Lome.
About Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI or The Group)
Incorporated in Lome, Togo, in 1988 Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) the parent company of Ecobank is one of the leading independent pan-African banking groups. It currently has a presence in 36 African countries, namely: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (Democratic Republic), Cote dIvoire, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The Group employs over 15,930 people in 40 different countries in over 1,200 branches and offices. Ecobank is a full-service bank providing wholesale, retail, investment and transaction banking services and products to governments, financial institutions, multinationals, international organizations, medium, small and micro businesses and individuals.
About the Ecobank Foundation
The Ecobank Foundation was created to positively impact the lives of people across Africa. Established by the Ecobank Group, the leading pan-African bank, the Foundation is positioned to contribute towards the continents transformation, particularly in the communities in which the bank operates.
About Terre des Hommes
Terre des Hommes (Land of People or Land of Men) is an international childrens rights charitable humanitarian umbrella organization under the aegis of the International Federation of Terre des Hommes (TDHIF), with independent organizations in Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain and Syria. It was founded in 1960 in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Besides Terre des Hommes Switzerland, there is the Lausanne based Tdh Foundation child relief (Tdh), which is known for its health and child protection operations implemented in more than 30 countries. Today, eleven organizations from Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Canada, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain and Syria belong to this federation. The IFTDH acts as a consultant to the UN Economic and Social Council ECOSOC.
Today, there are in Switzerland the Terre des hommes Foundation (Tdh) based in Lausanne, and Terre des Hommes Schweiz / Switzerland, with its German secretariat in Basel and the Roman secretariat being in Geneva.
Over time, Terre des Hommes (Tdh) has specialized in two areas of expertise: health and child protection.
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Those who predicted post-election politics-as-usual on the water quality front have been largely silent since Gov. Ron DeSantis was sworn into office last month.
The newly elected Republican whose election victory had drawn gasps from the that-means-another-nail-in-the-environmental-coffin-contingent has already gone further quicker than even his supporters thought likely.
First Gov. DeSantis called for the resignation of the entire South Florida Water Management District Board after the state appointees refused to delay a key land-lease vote at his request.
It took him until Wednesday, but he got those resignations from most of the members with the terms of the remaining three expiring next month.
Then, last Tuesday, Gov. DeSantis presented his proposed environmental budget, calling for more than $625 million for Everglades restoration and protection of water resources annually for the next four years.
That could mean $2.5 billion budgeted during his first term, $1 billion more than was allocated for such projects during the last four.
In an unrelated but equally game-changing move Gov. DeSantis said Thursday at a press conference here in Cape Coral that he will sign an executive order to pull Florida from Common Core educational mandates, replacing the federal program with a state plan.
Whew!
Its been a busy three weeks or so since his Jan. 8 inauguration but a strong foundation for change has been laid.
Hes also begun work on the details.
Gov. DeSantis first appointments to the South Florida Water Management District Board which oversees the states largest such district, encompassing the southern half of the state- are indicative of his professed change philosophy.
Saying Its time for a fresh start and new leadership to ensure the protection of our water resources, Gov. DeSantis tapped Sanibel Councilmember Chauncey Goss, now waiting Senate confirmation.
Councilmember Goss, who saw first-hand last summer the devastating impact of state and federal water management priorities gone awry, has more to offer than memories of the massive fish kills that lined literally lined area shorelines for weeks,
Before starting his island-based budget forecasting and geopolitical analysis firm on Sanibel, Goss served as deputy staff director and director of Budget Review for the House Budget Committee under Congressman Paul Ryan.
On the environmental side, he serves now as treasurer for Captains for Clean Water and is a member of the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation.
Practical in approach, knowledgeable on the issues, Councilmember Goss is a good choice. We urge him to serve as a strong voice for Floridas coastal communities which, for too long, have had but a whisper.
We also ask Gov. DeSantis to go a step further.
We urge him to appoint another coastal-community based member. Someone who has a strong understanding of how the decisions made by the board that manages water resources for a massive 16-county area ripple from coast to coast. Someone whose scientific knowledge of the issues runs deep. Someone who is a proven decision-maker who can work with, but remain independent of, staff and the varied and various stakeholders to render decisions that are best for the 8.1 million residents the South district serves.
It is too easy by far for those elected or appointed to become enmeshed in a culture that is resistant to change. We need appointees who can winnow the facts from the chaff and stand against the political tide when the storm kicks up.
As it will.
Former Lee County commissioner Ray Judah comes easily to mind.
Yes, hes a strong and outspoken environmental proponent.
His knowledge on the vast scope of interrelated and interconnected issues districtwide, though, would be hard to match. He also has a long and proven record of public service and his reputation for independence is one few would question, like him or not.
John Cassani, a Caloosa Waterkeeper, who served on the Southwest Florida Watershed Advisory Council, is a similar good choice.
As is Lee County Commissioner Frank Mann, who has served in both the state House and Senate as well as, years ago, on the South Florida Water Management District Board. His varied roles related to environmental issues and management is as long-tenured as his public service career. Hes also as stalwart as an old Florida oak when it comes to fact-based, independent decision-making.
Two appointees from our part of a district that ranges from Orlando to the Florida Keys has historical precedent.
And, given the fact that Southwest Florida was at the epicenter of last summers catastrophic double whammy of nutrient glutted red tide which killed sealife buy the ton and bluegreen algae which slimed our river and our canals, killing fish and manatees alike it reinforces the message sent: Its time for a change.
Please dont misunderstand us.
We are unapologetically pro-business. We are not saying Big Ag has no place at the table.
We are simply saying its acolytes have dined alone for far too long.
We agree with our new governor that its time for a change a sea change, if you will.
We look forward to following Gov. DeSantis efforts to make it happen.
It is common for caregivers to have feelings of loss and grief as their life is changed by Alzheimers or other forms of dementia. It is also normal to feel guilty, abandoned and angry. Youre entitled to these emotions and may start to experience them as soon as you learn of the diagnosis. Share your feelings and seek support as you go through this process.
Some common experiences in the grieving process include:
n Denial: Hoping that the person is not ill. Expecting the person to get better. Convincing yourself the person has not changed. Attempting to normalize problematic behaviors.
n Anger: Being frustrated at the person. Resenting the demands of caregiving. Resenting family members who cannot or will not help provide care. Feeling abandoned.
n Guilt: Having unrealistic expectations, I must do everything for him/her. Feeling bad because you can still enjoy life. Having negative thoughts about the person.
n Sadness: Feeling overwhelmed. Crying frequently. Withdrawing from social activities.
n Acceptance: Learning to live in the moment. Finding personal meaning in caring for someone who is terminally ill. Appreciating the personal growth that comes from surviving loss. Finding your sense of humor. Understanding how the grieving process affects your life.
Next month we will review ways to cope with grief and loss. In the meantime, if you are experiencing any of the above emotions, understand that everyone grieves differently and at their own pace including you! If your grief is so intense that your well-being is at risk, ask for help from your doctor or a professional counselor.
The Alzheimers Association Helpline is available 24 hours at 800-272-3900.
If you are a caregiver for someone with Alzheimers or dementia, consider joining the support group here on Pine Island brought to you by the Beacon of HOPE and the Alzheimers Association. The group meets every third Monday at 10 a.m. at the Beacon, 5090 Doug Taylor Circle, St James City. The next meeting is Feb. 18. Contact the Beacon of Hope at 239-283-5123 or just walk-in.
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Perry County Sheriff's Office deputies were involved in a high-speed chase Friday, June 18, shortly after 4 p.m. A vehicle, which was at times reportedly traveling more than 90 mph at times, was heading north on Highway 51. The vehicle reportedly traveled into Illinois and the Randolph County Sheriff's Office was assisting with the pursuit. More information on this incident will be provided as it becomes available.
This Nov. 11, 2016 file photo shows the Taylor Glacier near McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Greenland and Antarctica may be a long way away. But new research suggests the accelerating disappearance of their ice caps will have a major and underestimated effect on extreme weather in Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mark Ralston/Pool Photo via AP, File
Uganda has announced they will be using beautiful curvy women as a strategy to promote tourism in the country, a statement which has sparked outrage online.
State Minister for Tourism, Kiwanda Godfrey on Tuesday made the announcement while launching an event named "Miss Curvy" where 'sexy curvaceous women' in the country will compete for a prize.
According to him, Uganda is endowed with beautiful women who can promote tourism.
The minister said: "We have naturally endowed nice looking women that are amazing to look at. Why dont we use these people as a strategy to promote our tourism industry?"
"If you see a Munyankole woman with curves, there is a story behind that...It will be a beautiful event where young women will showcase their beautiful curves are intellect...Our beauty is not about slimy girls only."
This comes a year after President Kaguta Museveni accused the tourism ministry of failing to attract more tourist in the country.
"A country like Spain that has nothing to show be visited by 50 million people and Uganda just 2 million people and you are here congratulating yourself?
"Uganda Tourism Board is mediocre and I don't like that type of mediocrity.
"Uganda has great potential in tourism...other countries have nothing to show but they manage to attract more tourists."
Kiwanda is facing criticism online for his controversial strategy to promote tourism in the country
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.
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Audio Attachment: Listen to a report by Peace FM's Gladys Boakye and Hon. Lydia Seyram Alhassan at the hospital
The newly elected Member of Parliament [MP] for the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency, Hon. Lydia Seyram Alhassan has given an amount of Five thousand [5,000] Ghana Cedis to foot the bill of an injured victim at her constituency during the by-election last Thursday.
Peace FMs Gladys Boakye who accompanied the Ayawaso West Wuogon MP to the 37 Military hospital to visit a victim, Yaro, reported that the NPP MP was sad about the unfortunate shootings and condemned the act.
The victim Yaro, who was responding to treatment was very grateful to the newly elected MP for the kind gessture.
Lydia Seyram Alhassan promised to cater for any other additional bill accumulated when he is discharged from the hospital.
Meanwhile, she has expressed disappointment at the minoritys attitude towards her when she was being sworn-in yesterday (Tuesday) at Parliament.
She said she can't understand why women of the minority would join their colleagues to walk out of the House when a woman is being sworn-in.
"Yet they are the same people who are always advocating that more women join the house.
I believe time will fill my wounds and time will definitely tell my story, she sadly said.
The conduct of the Minority NDC in Parliament has received widespread condemnation including its own Chief Whip Muntaka Mubarak.
Let us all not pretend to be hypocrites; when it happening on your side then it is good, when it happening on the other side then you cry foul. Let us standardize what we do. Mr. Speaker let me say that what we did yesterday was within parliamentary procedure. If others had placards it is wrong just as it has always been happening in this chamber and we keep condemning it.
But when people want to narrow it to our dear colleague Honorable Lydia Alhassan, let say that is very unfortunate because she does not control the security agencies, she doesnt influence anything. We need cool heads and take the issues that have happened without trying sideline the main issues with some of people lying in hospitals, he said.
Source: Elizabeth Semiheva Bedi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
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The General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia has accused the Ghana Police Service of trying to allow the masked security personnel who assaulted Member of Parliament (MP) for Ningo-Prampram, Sam George during the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election go scot-free.
According to him, the Police is intentionally delaying the process for their escape that is why they haven't been apprehended despite incessant calls for them to face full rigor of the law.
Speaking on Okay FMs 'Ade Akye Abia' programme, he made reference to similar cases in the past saying, this same Police allowed two NPP ladies to escape outside the country when drug charges were levelled against them.
He asked the Police Service to speed up their hunt for the men in mask who beat up the Ningo-Prampram MP.
Background
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Ningo-Prampram, Sam George, was assaulted by some masked men at the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency during the by-election on Thursday, January 31, 2019 .
According to the MP, the men who beat him up are members of the pro-NPP vigilante group 'Invincible Forces' but were National Security oufit.
The Police have assured the MP and the NDC that they are investigating the issue.
Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/Peacefmonline/[email protected]
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.
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Deputy General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Boamah Otukonor has bemoaned the incident that happened at Ayawaso West Woguon by-election, adding that it cannot be compared to the 'Let My Vote Count Alliance' protest saga back in 2015.
According to him, what happened in the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election is unprecedented, something that has never happened in the history of Ghana.
Speaking on Okay FM's 'Ade Akye Abia' programme, he indicated that on the 6th of February 2019, they will be going on a demonstration to send a clear signal to President Akufo-Addo to sit up especially on security issues in the country.
"Violence and killings have become more of the norm than exception in this country. No week passes without another act of killings, kidnapping, attacking leaders etc. under the NPP regime.
"They are killing us . . . we are calling on the government to up its game in our security system," he stressed.
About eight opposition political parties are joining forces in a massive demonstration on Thursday, February 7, 2019 to register their displeasure in the violence that marred the recently held by-election in the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency.
The opposition parties coming together under the name: Inter-Party Coalition for National Sovereignty include: the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the Convention Peoples Party (CPP), the Ghana Consolidated Peoples Party (GCPP), the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), the Peoples National Convention (PNC), United Front Party (UFP), the EGLE Party and the All Peoples Congress (APC).
The protest is dubbed 'aagbe wo' to wit 'we are being killed or they are killing us'.
In a statement, the Convener of the Coalition, Bernard Mornah said: the opposition parties hope to draw public attention to the looming threat on [Ghanas] democracy, peace and stability."
According to the group as required by the Public Order Act 1994, Act 491, we wrote to notify the police and have subsequently had a fruitful meeting with the Greater Accra Regional Command. We assured them of our commitment to conduct a very peaceful and non-violent demonstration
They are also calling "on all well-meaning Ghanaians to join in this mass action against oppression, injustice, electoral violence, vigilantism, police brutalities, rampant kidnapping and the breakdown of law and order.
Source: Josephine Acheampomaa / [email protected]
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.
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Member of Parliament for Manhyia North, Collins Owusu Amankwah has asked his fellow MPs to read Exodus 22:22-23 (Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless. 23 If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry.).
He says their punishment awaits them for the cruel manner and harsh words used against elected 'widow' Member of Parliament for the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency.
Speaking in an interview with Peace FM News, the Vice Chairman for the Committee of Defence and Interior who sounded biblical, added that his colleague MPs will not go unpunished as they will face the wrath of God for their unsavory act against the Member of Parliament.
"What happened in parliament today is unfortunate and my colleague MPs on the minority side should bow their heads in shame.
"What has the poor woman done to deserve this treatment, but dont forget, God fights for the widow and the motherless," he added.
Lydia Seyram Alhassan, was sworn into Parliament on Tuesday, by taking the Oaths of Allegiance and Member of Parliament administered by the First Deputy Speaker, Hon Joseph Osei Owusu.
Moments before her swearing-in, however, the Minority in Parliament staged a walkout of Parliament in protest against what they (the Minority) described as state-sponsored violence during the by-election at Ayawaso West Wuogon.
Some Minority MPs shouted shame and jeered as the Speaker of Parliament read the summons from the Electoral Commission.
Some also held up placards which read 'bloody widow', in reference to the confusion in the incidents of brutality from National Security personnel during the by-election.
In commiseration to support our comrades and citizens that were unnecessary hurt and brutally assaulted, I am sorry to say we cannot indulge in this. Our side of the house cannot be here to witness this swearing in, the Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak said on the floor of the House.
Madam Lydia Seyram Alhassan replaced her husband as the Member of Parliament for the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency after winning the by-election held on Thursday, 31st January 2019 in Accra.
Madam Alhassan, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidate, was the second wife of the late MP Mr Emmanuel Kyeremateng Agyarko.
She polled 68.80 per cent of the valid votes cast.
Her closest challenger, Mr Kwasi Delali Brempong of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) polled 30.52 per cent while Mr William Kofi Dowokpor of the Progressive Peoples Party (PPP) and Mr Clement Boadi of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG) polled 0.58 and 0.10 per cent respectively.
Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected]
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.
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The Volta Regional chapter of the Volta Region has reacted to former President Jerry Rawlings caution against perpetrators of violence as evidenced by the Thursday, January 31 shooting and thuggery at La Bawaleshie in the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency in Accra, and the stabbing of Edem Tekpli, an associate of a parliamentary aspirant of the NDC who was attacked at Ho at dawn on Thursday by unknown assailants.
Below is the partys response:
The recent wave of contract killings, upsurge in armed robbery and political vigilantism in the country is a major concern not only to the citizens of Ghana but the global community as well. Ghana which is regarded as a beacon of democracy and the standard torch bearer is now being ridiculed in international circles.
The civil society such as the Catholic bishop, the former Methodist moderator, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) as well as many prominent citizens of the land including former president Rawlings have added their voice to condemn the upsurge of vigilantism in the country under the leadership of H.E Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo.
The NDC Volta chapter have observed some factual inaccuracies in respect to the attack on one Mr. Edem Tekpli as narrated by the former president in contributing to the rising wave of violent attacks in the country.
H.E former president made allusion to the fact that the attack on Mr. Edem Tekpli was as a result of "our own internal violent machination against the colleague of an aspiring parliamentarian ".
The NDC Volta chapter holds the view the former president was either not well briefed or was misinformed on the issue relating to the attack on Mr. Tekpli.
Below are the facts relating to the attack on Mr. Edem Tekpli.
Mr. Tekpli stays in Ho and works in Dakpa within the Akatsi North district. According to his own narrative to the people of Amule community in Akatsi North, he was attacked on Thursday dawn by some unknown assailants who tried to snatch his bag from him in Ho. His refusal to give in to their demand resulted to him receiving slaps from the assailants who later stabbed him.
Mr. Tekpli reported the case to the police and was sent for treatment at a hospital in Ho of which he was treated and discharged.
Edem Tekpli later located to Amule community, stayed there for some couple of days and went about his normal activities.
Few days later, Mr. Tekpli travelled to Accra for review upon request of a potential parliamentary aspirant who sent a vehicle to pick him to Accra.
We must put on record that the entire Amule community is surprised the narrative of Mr. Edem Tekpli had changed to a political matter contrary to what he told them and what the former president said when he paid him a visit.
At no point has the police said the attack on him was from within his own party, hence we should not create that impression when there is none.
The NDC Volta chapter use this opportunity to empathise with Mr. Edem Tekpli and wish him a speedy recovery on the alleged attack on him by unknown assailants.
It is our plea to all not to impugn any unfounded reasoning into the attack on Mr. Tekpli as we all wait for the report from the Ghana police service.
Thank you.
Signed
Hon. John Kwadwo Gyapong
Volta Regional NDC Chairman.
Source: Daily Graphic
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.
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Honestly, its been a while since we heard of the latest crazy stunt from the church of Gods favourite angel, Bishop Daniel Obinim.
Self-proclaimed Angel Obinims church is the go-to place for all insane miracles, crazy testimonies and entertaining drama. Watching OBTV is more interesting than watching most of the tv stations in Ghana.
If youve missed the great Bishop hes back to his shenanigans in the latest video weve spotted out of his church. In the video, Obinim has turned some of his church members into horses to ride for his own amusement.
A female church member of Obinim hoists her tundra and points it at Obinim, imperceptibly twerking whilst calling him to jump on her. This lady must have received a very impressive miracle from the man of God for her to turn her botors towards him so enticingly and ask him to jump on top of her.
VIDEO-
Source: ghanacelebrities.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.
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gnagel/iStock(RICHMOND, Va.) -- The state of Virginia was mired in uncertainty Tuesday as its governor remained conflicted over his political future following the revelation that a racist photo appeared in his 1984 medical school yearbook, and his lieutenant governor continued to vehemently deny an unconfirmed report about an allegation of sexual misconduct stemming from a 2004 incident.
Allies of Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam say he will continue to try to wait out the firestorm that has engulfed his office in recent days, which has only been amplified by the near universal calls for him to resign from Democratic presidential candidates, both of Virginia's U.S. senators, and party elders including former Vice President Joe Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
"He's said he's taking it day by day," Rep. Donald McEachin, D-Va., one of two African-American members of the state's congressional delegation, told ABC News Monday evening. "I don't know what's going on in Ralph's mind right now. But I think it's going to become more and more apparent that he can't lead."
McEachin also pointed to a major event happening this year in Virginia: the marking of 400 years since the arrival of the first recorded African slaves being brought to the New World in Jamestown.
"This is the 400th anniversary of Africans coming over to Virginia in chains. We're going to have a commemorative ceremony in Jamestown for that. The juxtaposition of that ceremony with a governor that's misled us about blackface, who's been in blackface, is just not a picture that Virginia wants to put forth to the nation and to the world," McEachin said.
Northam met with his top staff on Monday to consider his future, telling them he needs more time to consider what he will do next.
A complicating factor in Northam's future is the high bar for impeachment under the Virginia State Constitution, which leaders in the state legislature say has not yet been discussed.
"I think there's a rightful hesitation about removal from office, because obviously, you have to consider that to some degree you're overturning an election," the Republican Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates Kirk Cox told reporters on Monday, "I think the constitutional provisions are very specific on the succession of office. It really does call for a matter of physical and mental incapacitation and that's what it was meant to do."
The governor did get a show of support Tuesday from Republican State Sen. Richard Stuart, who said that while he finds the situation "heartbreaking," Northam should have the "opportunity to clear his name."
"We have a tremendous opportunity to teach our children that when you make a mistake, the right thing to do is face up to it and work to make things right, not run away in shame and disgrace," Stuart wrote in a statement provided to ABC News. "Ralph is a man of strong moral character. He will do what is right. The Governor has asked Virginians for the opportunity to earn their trust after this episode. I believe he deserves it."
Northam has not commented on the controversy since an at-times bizarre news conference on Saturday during which he said he did not participate in the racist photo that appeared on his yearbook page, despite releasing a statement on Friday saying that he did.
"When my staff showed me the photo in question yesterday, I was seeing it for the first time. I did not purchase the yearbook and I was unaware of what was on my page," Northam told reporters. "When I was confronted with the images yesterday, I was appalled that they appeared on my page but I believe then and now that I am not either of the people in that photo."
Furthering the chaos is the situation facing the man who would succeed Northam should he step down: Virginia's Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax. A 39-year-old African-American and former federal prosecutor, Fairfax is seen as a rising star and potential gubernatorial candidate in 2021.
This morning Fairfax is facing questions after an unconfirmed report surfaced about an alleged sexual misconduct incident from 2004, an allegation he vehemently denies.
"This was 14 years ago ... this was not only from left field, it was from planet Mars because it didn't happen in the way it was described," Fairfax told reporters at an impromptu news conference in Richmond on Monday afternoon.
"The current situation and so its all completely political, a complete smear," Fairfax said Monday evening as he was leaving the statehouse.
The Virginia Democratic Party released a statement Tuesday afternoon on the allegations against Fairfax that read, "All allegations of sexual assault deserve to be take with profound gravity. We will continue to evaluate the situation regarding Lieutenant Governor Fairfax."
The Democratic caucuses in the Virginia House of Delegates and State Senate released a joint statement Tuesday afternoon that was similarly brief.
"The facts here are still being determined. Every individual deserves the opportunity to be heard, and we respect anyone who comes forward to share their story," the statement read.
Fairfax has remained non-committal on whether or not he thinks Northam should resign over the racist yearbook photo.
When asked Monday whether Northam should resign, Fairfax reiterated his original call for him to "make a decision that's in the best interest of the Commonwealth of Virginia."
"Im in a unique position obviously answering to the governor...someone who would have to assume the office in the event he were to resign. So I have to be very circumspect. I have to think about the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia," Fairfax added.
Fairfax said he spoke to Northam "probably a couple of days ago," and when asked if he spoke to the governor following his Saturday news conference, Fairfax said, "I don't know. I don't think I have. I'd have to double-check my records."
Fairfax's accuser, whom ABC News is not naming, has retained legal services from the firm Katz, Marshall and Banks, according to a source close to her legal team.
This is the same firm that was hired by Christine Blasey Ford, a California psychology professor who brought forward allegations of sexual misconduct against Brett Kavanaugh, then-President Trump's nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court. Kavanaugh was later confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Africas smallholder farmers are the vital link to the realisation of the continents agricultural transformation, with agribusinesses sparking off job creation and economic advancement. Sustaining and scaling progress in the sector require investments beyond money, which include greater political, policy and financing commitments from both the public and private sector.
Thus, Ghanas flagship programme, Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ), seeks to create food security and produce the raw material to feed the agro-processing industries while creating jobs in the process.
There will be such an unprecedented infusion of public resources into agriculture never before experienced in Ghana or anywhere else in Africa, predicts Food and Agriculture Minister Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto.
In the early 1990s, agriculture accounted for 56 per cent of Ghanas total employment figures, compared to 41 per cent in 2017.
The Government of Ghana is committed to growing the employment figures by enabling farmers to prosper. The PFJ focuses on delivering improved seeds, fertilisers and extension services to smallholder farmers across the country at a 50 per cent subsidy absorbed by the government.
Initiatives like PFJ thrive on partnerships involving government, the private sector and development institutions like AGRA. Central to this equation are the smallholder farmers themselves a component of the private sector as suppliers and customers within their value chains.
Raising on-farm productivity and creating off-farm opportunities raise the profile of farming as a viable enterprise that stands to benefit from investments in improved seeds, machinery, technology, knowledge and training. It signals further involvement by both public and private sector to spark an African agricultural transformation.
The vast resources and co-ordinated action marshalled by local, regional and global partnerships such as the Partnership for Inclusive Agricultural Transformation (PIATA), a US$280 million initiative of AGRA, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and USAID embody the principles of the 2014 Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods and the African Union (AU) pledge to end hunger by 2025.
The conditions are ripe for transformation, with many of the technologies, practices and policies necessary for transformation in place, but requiring to be taken to scale. Now in its second year of implementation, the PFJ programme has enrolled 600,000 smallholder farmers with a target to reach 1.5 million farmers by the end of 2020.
The focus is on seven value chains: rice, maize, sorghum, select vegetables, soya bean, groundnut and cassava.
PFJ also promotes Planting for Export and Rural Development, Rearing for Food and Jobs the livestock component that will be rolled out in 2019. Under the Greenhouse Village Project, graduates of agriculture will be trained in greenhouse technologies to build up the vegetable export targets with the support of Israeli experts.
The component, Mechanising for Food and Jobs, will entail an introduction of machinery equipment that can be operated by smallholder farmers. The government has already signed an agreement worth $220 million with India and Brazil to supply the machines.
In 2017, Ghanas food prices remained stable. There was no importation of maize and about 700,000 jobs were created with particular focus on the youth.
The aim of getting the youth involved in this programme is that we want them to know that farming is a business, and while they are not getting jobs to do, they can also go into farming, and with the support that we are giving to them, they should be able to increase the productivity and also get a lot of value, says Dr Osei Akoto, Director of Crop Services at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
AGRA is collaborating with the Food and Agriculture Ministry to improve the extension curricula in Ghana, as well as tackling the challenges posed by the shortage of improved seeds widespread problem across the continent by supporting African seed companies and researchers to scale up and generate planting materials to meet the growing demand. AGRA has also provided technical support to enable Government of Ghana mobilise resources for the PFJ programme.
Source: Daily Graphic
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.
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The Police Administration has set up a committee to investigate the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency by-election shooting incident to cover the professional and criminal conduct of those involved in the incident.
A statement signed by Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Mr David Eklu, Director General of Public Affairs said ACP Mr George Tweneboah, Deputy-Director-General, will head the investigation committee.
Other members are from; Police Professional Standards Bureau, Police Legal and Prosecution Directorate, Police Operations as well as detectives from the Police Crime Scene Unit and Airport Division.
The statement assured that it had taken note of concerns raised by members of the public, Parliamentarians, Statesmen, and reputable organisations among others.
It added that thorough investigations would be conducted in line with the on-going transformation agenda of the Police Service aimed at ensuring the highest professional standards in the Ghana Police Service.
As part of the investigations process, it said statements were taken from 16 victims of the shooting incident.
A statement form, it said was issued to Mr Sam George, Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram to submit for necessary action.
According to the release, Videos/footages connected to the incident were being critically examined to aid investigations.
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.
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The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague has said Ivory Coast's former President Laurent Gbagbo is now in Belgium after his conditional release from prison.
Gbagbo was acquitted by the court of war crimes charges on Friday, on the condition that he went to a country willing to send him back should there be an appeal.
Prosecutors are expected to contest the verdict.
Gbagbo had been charged with crimes against humanity over post-election violence in 2010 and 2011 in which 3,000 people were killed and 500,000 displaced.
He was the first former head of state to go on trial at the ICC.
Source: BBC
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.
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The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) missed its 2018 revenue target of GH39,802.27 billion by GH2171.73 or -5.5 percent.
The authority planned to collect GH23,588.41 billion in domestic taxes, but recorded GH24,438.75, an excess of GH850.35 million or 3.5 percent.
The Customs Division was also given a target GH16,213.86 billion but it realised GH13,191.07 billion, a deviation of GH3,022.07 billion or -18.6 percent.
Commissioner-General of GRA, Emmanuel Kofi Nti, said the domestic tax recorded a positive deviation due to increase in compliance as a result of continuous monitoring of taxpayers.
Mr. Nti explained that efforts were being made retrieve taxes from defaulters.
Even though the withholding on VAT helped to boost performance, Mr Nti disclosed that the expected implementation of the electronic point of sales (ePoS) could not materialize.
He averred that the implementation of the excise tax stamp policy was resisted by the beverage industry to amicably resolve the challenges.
On import duties and levies, he said the increase in goods imported into the economy through the suspense regimes and impact of zero rated goods negatively affected the performance of the tax.
2019 Revenue Target
From the national budget, GRA has been tasked to meet a tax revenue target of GH45,447.26 billion for this year.
Touching the governments Ghana Beyond Aid, vision, the Commissioner-General said there were ongoing discussions to revise the target upward.
Thus, the GRA would marshal all its efforts to considerably improve its collection for the year.
Even for 2018, where we faced considerable challenges, we were able to achieve a 16.4 percent growth over the 2017 collection.
He revealed that GRA would intensify its activities to identify and plug revenue leakages.
Hopefully, the implementation of the electronic Point of Sales (ePoS) device in the course of the year will help address shortfalls in VAT collection, full implementation of the excise tax stamp policy as the big industry players are onboard following the expiration of the deadline given them to install affixing equipment.
He further cited efforts to broaden the tax net, full implementation of the tax identification number (TIN) as a requirement for carrying out transactions by the identified state agencies and regular and consistent visits to business centres by GRA staff.
These, he said, would be complemented by NABCO graduates to help unearth potential taxpayers.
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.
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When registration and distribution of the Ghana card is completed somewhere before 2024, its usage in elections will help drastically reduce the high cost of elections in Ghana, Managing Editor of the Daily Dispatch and pollster Ben Ephson as opined.
I believe the Ghana card when its done well, if not 2020, by 2024 we can use it for voting. The opening of the register, registration of voters and others contribute to the high cost of elections.
His comment follows concerns raised by Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mrs. Jean Mensa, over the high cost of organizing elections in the country.
Speaking at the recent 17th International Electoral Affairs Symposium and International Electoral Awards in Accra, Mrs. Mensa said Ghana spent a minimum of $12 on each voter, higher than Nigeria and Tanzania which spent $9 and $5 respectively.
How can election monitoring bodies streamline their processes to reduce cost? she asked.
Speaking on Kasapa GM, Mr. Ephson said the use of the Ghana Card will help reduce the huge cost that comes with organizing elections in the country as certain activities that takes place prior to the main elections, such as the opening of register and registration of voters will be curtailed.
I believe if by two years, the Ghana card is completed, there will be no need for registration of voters, the moment you are eighteen when your name is mentioned the system will determine if you are eighteen or not. This will help curtail a lot of expenses, so if we do the Ghana Card well, it will really help he said.
He is of the hope that, if not 2020, then by 2024 which is the next elections after 2020, the Ghana card becomes fully operational for the use of elections.
Source: The Daily Dispatch
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The Supreme Court has struck out as defendant the Ministry of Defense in a suit against government over the US military base agreement.
The seven-member panel presided over by Justice Sophia Adinyira directed the Attorney-General represented by Mr Godfrey Dame, the Deputy Attorney General to re-file its defence to reflect that it represented both the Attorney General and Ministry of Defense.
The court gave plaintiffs and defendants 14 days to file their memorandum of issues and adjourned the case sine die.
The plaintiff, Mr Yaw Brogya Genfi, who is the Ashanti Regional Youth Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in March 2018, filed a suit against the government over a defense cooperation agreement with the United States of America.
He is praying the Court to set aside the agreement on the grounds that it is unconstitutional and against national interest.
The Plaintiff is seeking eight reliefs and interpretation of Article 75 of the 1992 Constitution which he described as a term of art which has a true meaning of incorporating international law and treaties into the domestic legal system of the Republic of Ghana and not prior approval or approval.
He also wants the Court to declare that the ratification by Parliament of the supposed agreement between Ghana and US on defense cooperation, the status of US forces and access to and use of agreed facilities and areas in Ghana on March 24, 2018, had not been executed by the President or anyone authorised by the President as provided for by the Constitution, thus same is null and void.
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.
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The suspended Assistant Headmaster of the Kumasi High School, George Amponsah-Duodo, who has been accused of sodomizing some students of the school, has won a judicial revew case against the Director-General of Ghana Education Service [GES].
High Court Judge, Her Ladyship Georgina Mensah-Datsa thrown out the allegation of the Education Service after a judicial review in the nature of certiorari to quash portions of the investigation report of the respondent on grounds of non-compliance with the rules of natural justice.
According to the court, George Amponsah-Duodo was not given a hearing and that It was contended that the action is premature as the applicant would have been given a hearing before the disciplinary committee.
Assistant headmaster of KUHIS suspended over sodomy allegations
George Amponsah-Duodo was suspended, pending investigations into allegations of sodomy against him.
The 54-year-old Assistant Headmaster at Kumasi High School (KUHIS), was accused of engaging in the alleged acts with students of the all-male school.
The Regional Education Directorate referred the matter to the Disciplinary Committee for further investigations.
A letter signed by Regional Director, Mary Owusu Achiaw, to the Ghana Education Service (GES) Council says the action follows accusation by alleged victims.
The Ashanti Regional Education Directorate, asked Mr. Amponsah-Duodu to step aside pending completion of the process.
Regional Education Director, Mary Owusu Achiaw, issued the directive by a letter dated November 4, 2018, and copied the Chairman of GES Council, Director-General of GES and Metropolitan Director of Education as well as Headmaster and Board Chairman of Kumasi High School.
Kumasi SHS Asst. Head Sues GES And Headmaster Over Gay Allegation
George Amponsah-Duodo after his suspension sued the GES after describing the allegations as baseless in a letter from his lawyers; Mr. Amponsah-Duodo said he was not given fair hearing by the schools disciplinary committee.
According to his lawyers, the committee investigating the allegations has been necessitated merely by hearsay or some assertion without any concrete documentary or evidential proof.
Mr. Amponsah-Duodo's lawyers argued that the second respondent, who is the headmaster of the school refused to produce the student who made the allegation against their client for interrogation.
The 2nd respondents committee neither showed me any complaint or a statement written by the student nor the name if the student, the writ read.
Court ruling
However, the court on Thursday, January 31st 2019 has ordered GES to nullify portions of the adverse findings on George Amponsah-Duodo.
The court has also ordered a sum of GHC5, 000.00 to be awarded to Mr Amponsah-Duodu.
Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/ Twitter: @Washman5/ Instagram: Washman007
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The use of boycott as a way of demonstrating descent on an issue is accepted in countries that practice parliamentary governance. The art is often used by opposition or minority parties in parliamentary democracies.
The practice, however, can be overly abused when there is a ploy by the minority to twist the arm of the governing party. In Ghana, the art of boycott dates as far back as the early 50s when the nation started practicing parliamentary governance.
The practice became popular in the 4th republic particularly in the 1996 parliament which was sharply divided between the two most dominant political parties, the new Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
In 1993, the NPP boycotted parliament even though they had secured enough seats from the elections which took place in 1992 to become the minority group. The party subsequently participated in the 1996 parliament despite having similar cause that warranted their decision not to participate in the legislative body in 1993.
Ironically, the NDC is deploying similar tactics of boycott with the latest being its decision not to sit for the swearing in of the newly elected New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Ayawaso West Wuogon, Lydia Alhassan.
Their argument was that the polls were flawed and fraught with a lot of problems. We at GO, however, find this reason laughable knowing everything that happened in the electoral process apart from the isolated incident in Bawaleshie legitimizes same. We caution that the opposition party learn to use the process appropriately.
Source: The Ghanaian Observer
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Prudential Life Insurance Ghana has rewarded 76 of its best performing sales staff comprising of 54 of its top agents, 19 sales staff from its Bancassurance partners (Societe Generale, Fidelity Bank and Zenith Bank) and 3 sales staff from its Brokers with luxury overseas holidays to Singapore, Dubai and SaoTome.
The agents received the prizes after making an outstanding contribution to Prudential Ghanas strong growth over the past year.
The agents were presented with their awards at Prudentials fifth Annual Agency Gala and Awards ceremony at the Kempinski Gold Coast City Hotel in Accra. Prudential has rewarded more agents each year as the business has grown rapidly since 2014.
The various categories of award winners include 24 that made it into the Prudential Africa Diamond Club, which is an exclusive membership of the top performing agents across Africa, where Prudential operates in five countries; Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda and Zambia.
The Emerald Club consists of Prudentials Bancassurance partners who qualified for the international trip and this year they numbered 19. All Diamond and Emerald Club winners enjoyed an all-expense paid trip plus pocket money to Singapore with a stopover trip in Dubai for shopping.
The 30 Platinum Club members were rewarded with an all-expense paid trip to Sao Tome. This is the first out-of-country trip for Platinum Club members, as they have previously enjoyed local trips to various tourist destinations in Ghana.
Prudential launched two new award categories this year on its Gala night. First, is the Prudential Life Club that consists of Diamond Club members who have qualified for at least three out of Prudentials five international trips. There are currently 6 agents in that category. The second award consists of agents who have qualified to attend the million dollar round table (MDRT) conference to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. MDRT is a premier international association of financial professionals and Prudential has 10 qualifying agents for the 2019 edition. This is the first time Prudential agents have qualified for MDRT.
Emmanuel Aryee, the Chief Executive of Prudential Life Insurance Ghana, said: Each successive year is bigger and better and I am proud of this amazing team that keeps on challenging itself and achieving great feats. We are excited for 2019 and Prudential Life insurance Ghana is committed to supporting and rewarding the hard work of its staff and agents
Godwin Brew, Prudentials 5-time Diamond/Life Club member said: Working with Prudential has changed my life. I have worked hard to rise up the ranks and I speak for my colleagues and I when I say, we are grateful for Prudentials support, recognition and rewards every step of the way, to get us where we are. We take our mandate of helping Ghanaians to secure their future seriously and look forward to another exciting year of achieving more
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.
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The Ministry of Energy says it spent an amount of GH232 million between December 2017 and June 2018 to provide tax reliefs on petroleum products to Ghanaians.
Sector Minister John Peter Amewu disclosed this on Tuesday in Accra when he met journalists.
According to the minister, the government removed excise duty on petroleum products and reduced the special petroleum tax rate from 17.5 per cent to 15 percent in March 2017.
He said on February 16, 2018, the government reduced the special petroleum tax rate from 15 per cent to 13 percent, converted the special petroleum tax from Ad valorem to specific tax and reduced the price stabilization and recovery levies (PSRL) on 1st December, 2017.
He explained that the reliefs were part of efforts by the NPP government to use tax interventions to mitigate the impact of the high prices of oil on the international market on the countrys economy.
The revenue loss to government on the removal of the Excise Duty and the reductions of the Price Stabilization and Recovery Levy (PSRL) alone between December 2017 and June 2018 amounts to over GH232 million.
He added that in order to cushion the good people of Ghana from the impacts of increasing world market prices, government has used tax interventions to mitigate the impact of domestic petroleum product price increases.
Realistic prices
Touching on the prices of petroleum products on the domestic market, Mr. Amewu said the government, through the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), made strenuous efforts to ensure that realistic prices were set by Bulk Distribution Companies (BDCs) and Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).
He further said that the NPA reviews the indicative prices submitted by each BDC and OMC for every pricing window to ensure that realistic prices are set by them and to ensure consumers are not taken advantage of in a deregulated environment.
Petroleum hub
According to the minister, the government has rolled out plans to establish a petroleum hub in the Western Region.
The minister said the move to build a hub is to house major infrastructure for refining and processing, discharge, storage, distribution, transportation and trading of petroleum products.
That, he said, would help position Ghana as a hub for refined petroleum products in the West African sub-region and the world at large in the medium to long term.
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.
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The mining industry is a catalyst for Africa's economic transformation and the prosperity of its people, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said.
He stated emphatically that it was not right that Africa, with its humongous mineral fortune that was sought after by the world, should remain inhabited by the poorest people on the globe.
The President stated this when he addressed the 2019 edition of the Investing in African Mining Indaba, the worlds largest mining investment conference, at Cape Town in South Africa on Tuesday.
He noted that though African countries had not leveraged on their best endeavours to negotiate fair deals with multinationals who mined their resources, it was time the continent benefitted adequately from the exploitation of its resources for sustainable growth and socio-economic development.
Africa, today, he stressed, had come of age, and should not have to give unusual tax and royalty incentives, and mining companies should not expect to make extraordinary profits on the continent.
The President told the gathering that the re-opening of the AngloGold Ashanti mine in Obuasi on January 22, 2019, was done under an agreement "that balanced more fairly the interests of the two sides, that is the Government of Ghana and AngloGold Ashanti.
As I said at the ceremony, it is my hope and expectation that, this time round, under the new management of AngloGold Ashanti, the development of Obuasi will reflect the wealth its soil produces, he added.
President Akufo-Addo further explained that minerals were a public resource, and the negotiations between countries and companies should be transparent, accessible and easily understandable by citizens.
Such agreements ought be done in language that does not need to be interpreted by experts.
Communities should be able to examine mining contracts, find out how much revenue has been generated, and how, and on what it is being spent, he said, adding that long and bitter experience means both sides, African governments and mining companies, have to work hard to gain the trust of the people, he said.
The President stressed that mining could accelerate the growth of Africas manufacturing sector, and be the champion of economic growth on the continent, just like Canada, Australia, the Americas and South Africa that have had spectacular examples of considerable wealth created amongst individuals and corporations as a result of significant discoveries in far-away lands.
This, he added, would not happen if Africa remained the place to come and dig minerals that were exported in their raw condition to be processed outside.
We cannot, and should not continue to be merely exporters of raw materials to other countries. The value chain of mineral extraction has great potential for job-creation, and can form an essential basis for the transformation of economies around the continent, he added.
President Akufo-Addo told the conference that in addition to the exploitation of the traditional minerals of gold, diamond and manganese in Ghana, the country had taken the decision to exploit her considerable bauxite and iron ore deposits.
We have established the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation, a public corporation, to take charge of the development, with appropriate investors, of the full value chain of our bauxite resources in order to establish an integrated aluminium industry in Ghana.
We are also determined to build an integrated iron and steel industry, out of our extensive iron ore and manganese deposits, to serve the needs of our country and region, and, to that end, Parliament, in its current session, will consider and, hopefully, approve the establishment of another public corporation, the Ghana Integrated Iron and Steel Development Corporation, which will, with appropriate investors, take charge of this undertaking.
The President also spoke of plans to exploit Ghana's considerable deposits of lithium, stressing that we hope to establish, in all these new ventures, an equitable balance between our needs and the needs of the investor community.
He said it was time for the minerals sector to produce win-win situations for all stakeholders, urging the conference to pay attention to riches on top of the lands also in the form of a young, vibrant and dynamic population who are anxious to work, and who, with the requisite skill, represent an extremely positive factor in the rapid development of the continent.
Africa has made the world rich with our minerals, our gemstones adorn crowns and homes around the world, it is time to make Africa prosperous, and enable her people to attain a dignified standard of living. Join us in this exciting project for sustainable economic growth, President Akufo-Addo said.
The four-day conference is being attended by about 35 mining ministers and the most influential persons in the African Mining sector, as well as investors from across the globe.
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.
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Iranian Lawyers Condemn Tehran's Jailing of Colleague, Demand Release
02/06/19 By Michael Lipin and Shahram Bahraminejad
A group of Iranian lawyers has condemned Iran's government for imprisoning a fellow lawyer convicted of slandering a former official and demanded that their colleague be released. In an open letter to the Iranian people dated Monday and shared with VOA Persian by lawyer Hossein Ahmadiniaz, he and 18 other lawyers said Sunday's jailing of their counterpart, Mostafa Tork Hamedani, at Tehran's Evin Prison violates Iran's international commitments to the principles of a fair trial.
An Iranian appeals court sentenced Hamedani last month to six months in prison with lashes, according to state-controlled news agency ISNA. Hamedani's own lawyer, Peyman Haj Mahmoud Attar, told ISNA that his client had been convicted of slandering Saeed Mortazavi, a former Iranian prosecutor and former head of Iran's Social Security Organization (SSO).
Hamedani is the latest Iranian lawyer to be jailed by Iranian authorities after having taken on politically sensitive cases. He represented several SSO workers in a 2016 trial in which they accused Mortazavi of corruption while he led the state body from 2011 to 2013. Mortazavi was convicted in that trial and sentenced to 135 lashes for wasting public funds.
Reuters reported that Hamedani, in remarks to Iranian state television, criticized Mortazavi's sentence as too light for the charges. Mortazavi later sued Hamedani, accusing him of making public statements that unduly influenced the trial while it was under way.
Mortazavi began serving a two-year prison term in April 2018 for a separate conviction of involvement in the death of a man tortured at Kahrizak Detention Center in 2009, while Mortazavi was working as a senior Iranian prosecutor and rounding up activists involved in anti-government protests that year.
In a Monday interview with VOA Persian, Ahmadiniaz praised Hamedani as a respected lawyer who also represented defendants in political and national security-related cases.
"A lawyer's place is not in jail, it is in a courtroom defending the rights of the people," Ahmadiniaz said. "We ask for Hamedani to be released unconditionally and immediately."
There was no comment on the jailing of Hamedani in Iranian state media.
In a Jan. 19 report, the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran said Iranian authorities imprisoned at least seven lawyers in 2018, including prominent human rights defender Nasrin Sotoudeh. It said those lawyers had defended political prisoners or rejected a state requirement that only lawyers on a judiciary-approved list can represent detainees held on national security charges.
In an Instagram post Sunday, prior to his incarceration, Hamedani said he exhausted all legal channels to avoid prison and accepted his sentence.
Last month, Hamedani posted an Instagram photo with his daughters along with a caption saying he was not upset about the court's verdict. "This is nothing compared to the courageous people who have given their lives for their country," he wrote.
This article originated in VOA's Persian Service.
About the author: Michael Lipin covers international news for VOA on the web, radio and TV, specializing in the Middle East and East Asia Pacific. Follow him on Twitter @Michael_Lipin
Iran Accuses U.S. Of Supporting 'Dictators, Butchers, Extremists' In Middle East
02/06/19
Source: RFE/RL
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has responded to criticism by U.S. President Donald Trump by declaring that the United States supports "dictators, butchers, and extremists" in the Middle East. Zarif issued the statement in a Twitter post on February 6 in response to remarks made by Trump in his State of the Union speech.
Source: Iranian magazine Esfahan Nimrooz
Tensions have been on the rise between Tehran and Washington since Trump in May pulled out of Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and reimposed sanctions on Iran.
"U.S. hostility has led it to support dictators, butchers & extremists, who've only brought ruin to our region," Zarif tweeted.
Iranians-including our Jewish compatriots-are commemorating 40 yrs of progress despite US pressure, just as @realDonaldTrump again makes accusations against us @ #SOTU2019. US hostility has led it to support dictators, butchers & extremists, who've only brought ruin to our region Javad Zarif (@JZarif) February 6, 2019
Trump, in his address before Congress, defended his decision to pull out of the nuclear deal with Tehran, which had lifted crippling sanctions in exchange for Iran curtailing its nuclear ambitions. Trump later announced new sanctions on the country.
Trump called Iran "the world's leading state sponsor of terror" and said his administration had acted decisively to confront it.
"It is a radical regime. They do bad, bad things," Trump said. "We will not avert our eyes from a regime that chants 'death to America' and threatens genocide against the Jewish people."
But Zarif countered by saying that Iran, including its Jewish community, was "commemorating 40 years of progress" as it prepares to celebrate four decades since the 1979 Islamic Revolution on February 11.
Top Iranian officials, including President Hassan Rohani, have said that the Islamic republic is facing its toughest economic situation in 40 years, at least partially due to the resumption of U.S. sanctions.
Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP
PARLAMENTUL REPUBLICII MOLDOVA
2010
The Moldovan Parliaments website design was supported by the Democracy Support Programme in Moldova" an initiative financed by the European Union and implemented by the Council of Europe
It is always a relief to be reminded that the spirit of democracy still lives, especially in such divisive times. The women of the Democratic Party took that notion to heart last night during the State of the Union address, wearing "suffragette white" to President Trump's remarks.
For greater context, white was a power color worn by the suffragettes in the early 20th century, and remains both an homage to those who fought for women's voting rights and a symbol of peaceful protest by many groups. Last week, the Democratic Women's Working Group encouraged women to wear white as a form of solidarity with women across the country. "Wearing suffragette white is a respectful message [...] and a declaration that we will not go back on our hard-earned rights," Representative Lois Frankel of Florida, the chair of the working group, told CNN, going on to note that there are more women in Congress now than ever in American history.
It couldn't be a more apropos statement, as the fights to close the gender pay gap, protect reproductive rights, obtain paid family leave and others wage on. Female lawmakers across generations wore white last night to acknowledge these causes, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, newly appointed, history-making representatives Deb Haaland, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Ilhan Omar, and more than 50 others. Ocasio-Cortez, the instantly powerful rep with a refreshing sense of humor, said after the speech that the president, who acknowledged the women's presence without seeming to know why they were standing together, was essentially trolling himself. (She also, as a statement, wore a pin bearing the image of Jakelin Caal Maquin, the 7-year-old Guatemalan girl who recently died in US custody.)
Think of the powerful message such a sight sends to politicians, and for that matter, the nation across the divide. It's just as 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton once said: that all of us, but especially women, are indeed "stronger together."
Photos via Getty
I regret to inform you that no musical artist can be cancelled enough to not tour Australia. Not even R. Kelly, whose career and legacy were so thoroughly decimated by the Lifetime documentary series Surviving R. Kelly that he was dropped by his label and disavowed by multiple former collaborators, all of whom seemed incredibly embarrassed to have ever worked with him. After being forced to cancel dates in the United States, Kelly is reportedly booking shows down under later this year. He'll also perform his tired 2000s hits for audiences in New Zealand and... Sri Lanka?
This is maybe not surprising Australian crowds tend to welcome recently disgraced celebrities with open arms. Right at the moment his homophobic tweets were getting him fired from Oscars hosting duties, Kevin Hart was performing for sold-out audiences there. Milo Yiannopolis booked several dates on Australian speaking tours in 2017 and 2018. Related | Christina Aguilera Stands By Her 'Do What U Want' Duet With Lady Gaga
It's a great place to retreat to, although artists with criminal convictions, like Chris Brown, have been denied visas in the past. Australian politicians have already cast doubt over whether Kelly will actually be allowed into the country. It stands to reason that New Zealand and Sri Lankan officials would have similar concerns.
The rest of the world might not let Kelly run away to the southern hemisphere either. His official Twitter announcement of the "King of R&B" tour has already been deleted following mass criticism from #MuteRKelly supporters, although no further information has been issued as of yet.
Designer Ryohei Kawanishi launched his menswear label Landlord in 2015. Originally from Japan and now based in Harlem, Kawanishi is an alum of both Parsons and Central Saint Martins. The menswear designer often artfully mixes streetwear with unconventional references (like this season's take on adult academic looks). Along with that, his work has also been exhibited in museums worldwide, including MoMA (2017); Museum of Arts and Design (2017) and Somerset House in London to name just a few. Here's everything else you need to know about Landlord's fall 2019 show.
Academic Fabrics
What would an Ivy League uniform look like if it were reinvented with a streetwear sensibility? That's what Kawanishi was thinking of when designing his fall 2019 collection, along with what it might look like when taking personal style cues from kindergarten to graduate school students into consideration. The collection consisted of pieces rendered in striped school uniform fabric, herringbone bomber jackets and structured sweatshirts, jackets with plenty of utility pockets and wool sweatpants.
An Aesthetic Revamp
For this first time, Landlord collaborated with Mike the Ruler, a teenage Instagram star who often styles himself in outlandish streetwear outfits. He styled the show and did all of the casting, too.
Neon Threads
A neon theme ran throughout the show, seen in knee-high socks, hems and belt bags, but the biggest statement of all were the vibrant neon leather coats in electric green, orange, bright yellow and laser point blue. The designer called it the focal point of the collection.
Bling Rings
The money-inspired jewelry was a standout on the runway. Designed by recent Parsons grad Kota Okuda (who showed a money inspired collection at the school's MFA show last fall), the pieces mixed neon with dollar bills and Lego-like blocks for a playful, childlike appeal.
Collaboration Nation
Landlord collaborated with not one, not two but eight different companies for fall 2019. The most notable, however, was with Alpha Industries; the iconic brand behind classic MA-1 bomber jackets. Designer Kosuke Tsumura, shoemaker Novesta, textile manufacturer Nakaden Keori, design studio Edovance, leather line Kubera 9981, eyewear brand Bonnie Clyde and textile company Miyuki Keori also contributed various product collaborations to Landlord fall 2019, in addition to the aforementioned jewelry project.
UP Paper in Michigan Prepares For the Future with Private and Public Investment In November 2018, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation announced an award of $1.9 million in collateral that will support UP Paper's working capital line. The money could allow the mill to access $4.25 million in a working capital line of credit. Feb. 6, 2019 (Press Release) - When you receive a package in the mail, there's a good chance a UP Paper product protected the contents. The nearly century-old paper mill in Manistique manufactures 100% recycled paper products found in Amazon boxes, but also paper for grocery bags, take-out style bags, and wrapping paper. Thanks to commitments from private investors and the state, the company is thriving as it prepares to enter its second century of operation. The mill opened as Manistique Paper in 1920. Over the decades the company was a significant employer in the area and an essential part of the business community. Unfortunately, a series of financial problems and difficulties forced the company to close its doors in 2015 after 95 years in business. Roughly one year later, the Zellar family and other investors stepped in to purchase it from mBank, which had previously helped keep the business afloat in 2012 with assistance from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). The historic mill reopened as UP Paper in the summer of 2016. UP Paper President and CEO Lars Dannberg recalled, I came in here in 2015, and I was selling used equipment at the time and consulting for financial people. I found some money from local people, and we started up in the spring of 2016. We had a tough time at the beginning, and now we're doing great. In November 2018, the MEDC announced an award of $1.9 million in collateral that will support UP Paper's working capital line. The money could allow the mill to access $4.25 million in a working capital line of credit. The support from MEDC allows UP Paper to purchase a new capital equipment, said Alan Barr, the CEO and Executive Director of Schoolcraft Tourism & Commerce. The new equipment will improve operating efficiencies and allow them to manufacture higher quality paper which can get them into higher markets. UP Paper has boosted the local job market as well. Since reopening, UP Paper has hired 97 employees. Current plans call for four new full-time employees in the next half a year and at least another four in the two years that follow. Barr said the quality jobs the mill offers have a cascading effect on Manistique and the UP as a whole. One of the things people noticed when the mill closed was that truck stops at the end of the state started to lose business, he recounted. There was a decrease in business in the Marinette, Wisconsin, Menominee and St. Ignace truck stops. Barr said UP Paper's stability helps bring a sense of stability to the area, raising the spirit of Manistique. For the better part of a century, when steam has risen up from that mill you knew paper was being made, which means money is being made and jobs sustained, he concluded. It would have really harmed our local economy if that mill had stayed closed. It's so exciting to have it open and to know that they're providing paper to national companies like Amazon. Thanks to UP Paper, the historic mill remains an economic driver in the area, and a key contributor to Manistique's vitality. About InvestUP InvestUP is a private sector-led economic development organization keenly focused on driving economic growth across Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Founded by the region's leading private sector businesses and the region's universities, its mission is to deliver business and job growth across the peninsula www.investupmi.com . About UP Paper LLC UP Paper LLC was formed in 2016 and is located in Manistique, Michigan. The mill manufacturers 100% recycled non bleached kraft paper with basis weights ranging from 25-70#. The company holds Chain of Custody certificates from SFI, FSC and PEFC, along with Fiber Sourcing Label Use certificate from SFI. To learn more, please visit: www.uppaperllc.com . SOURCE: InvestUP Editor's Note: 'UP' is in reference to the 'Upper Peninsula' of Michigan the northern of the two major peninsulas that make up the state of Michigan.
Endless Space 2 Dark Matter-CODEX Strategy | 0 comments Posted in Scene Games Title: Endless Space 2 Dark Matter-CODEX
Genre: Strategy
Developer: AMPLITUDE Studios
Publisher: SEGA
Release Date: 19 May, 2017
Languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Etc
File Size: 11.40 GB / Split 3 parts 4.95 GB Compressed
Mirrors: Google Drive, Mediafire, Pixeldrain, Uptobox, Torrent Free Download Endless Space 2: Dark Matter PC Game Endless Space 2 will put you in the fascinating role of a leader guiding a civilization in making its first steps into the cold depths of interstellar space. Your story unfolds in a galaxy (more)
Endless Legend Monstrous Tales-PLAZA RPG, Scene Games, Strategy | 0 comments Posted in Adventure Title: Endless Legend Monstrous Tales-PLAZA
Genre: Adventure, RPG, Strategy
Developer: AMPLITUDE Studios
Publisher: SEGA
Release Date: 18 Sep, 2014
Languages: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian
File Size: 9.15 GB / Split 2 parts 4.95 GB Compressed
Mirrors: Google Drive, Mediafire, Pixeldrain, Uptobox, Torrent Free Download Endless Legend Monstrous Tales PC Game Another sunrise, another day of toil. Food must be grown, industries built, science and magic advanced, and wealth collected. Urgency drives these simple efforts, however (more)
Sekiro Shadows Die Twice GOTY Edition-CODEX Adventure, Scene Games | 18 comments Posted in Action Title: Sekiro Shadows Die Twice GOTY Edition-CODEX
Genre: Action, Adventure
Developer: FromSoftware
Publisher: Activision
Release Date: 22 Mar, 2019
Languages: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Etc
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Arcana Heart 3 LOVEMAX SIXSTARS XTEND-PLAZA Arcade, Fighting, Scene Games | 0 comments Posted in Action Title: Arcana Heart 3 LOVEMAX SIXSTARS XTEND-PLAZA
Genre: Action, Arcade, Fighting
Developer: EXAMU
Publisher: Arc System Works
Release Date: Dec 13, 2017
Languages: English, Japanese
File Size: 6.3 GB / Split 2 parts 4.95 GB Compressed
Mirrors: Google Drive, Mediafire, Pixeldrain, Uptobox, Torrent Free Download Arcana Heart 3 LOVEMAX SIXSTARS!!!!!! XTEND PC Game Minori Amanohara was one of the few products of that research who was born at the Japan Branch of the Institute. She is a Hybride, a special Valkyrie (more)
Devil Slayer Raksasi-PLAZA Adventure, Scene Games | 0 comments Posted in Action Title: Devil Slayer Raksasi-PLAZA
Genre: Action, Adventure
Developer: GlassesCatGames
Publisher: GlassesCatGames, indienova
Release Date: 22 Apr, 2021
Languages: English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese
File Size: 458.48 MB / Single Link Compressed
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Horizons Gate v1.4.6-PLAZA RPG, Scene Games, Strategy | 2 comments Posted in Adventure Title: Horizons Gate v1.2.0-PLAZA
Genre: Adventure, RPG, Strategy
Developer: Rad Codex
Publisher: Rad Codex
Release Date: 9 Mar, 2020
Languages: English
File Size: 1.46 GB / Single Link Compressed
Mirrors: Google Drive, Mediafire, Pixeldrain, Uptobox, Torrent Free Download Horizons Gate v1.2.0 PC Game Voyage into the wide world of Eral as an explorer, trader, or privateer. Defeat your enemies on land or at sea in deep but straightforward tactical combat. Unravel the secrets behind (more)
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Oswego, NY (13126)
Today
Showers early, then cloudy in the afternoon. Cooler. High 61F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%..
Tonight
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I actually went into the kitchen and I saw them make the beignets, he says. I came back with our pastry chef and we started working on it and I think its exactly the same as what theyre serving at Cafe du Monde, myself.
The bill is getting a lot of attention because its so sweeping, and for its funny exception. Its not actually outlawing cigarettes. Its just proposing to raise the age to buy them to 30 by next year, then 40, 50 and 60 in subsequent years.
Its not just the monetary damages that take place, said Committee Chairman Tom Lee, R-Thonotosassa. We are in a time when there is an unprecedented level of distrust in government and its ability to fill a basic pothole. And these kinds of things just give rise to that frustration and concern. They give a black eye to the department, a black eye to members of the Senate.
Now, technically, I dont know that the lawmakers will be getting all their goodies for free at this weekends fun-fest. I know they have in the past. I also know I asked both the House and Senate offices what portion, if any, legislators would pay themselves and neither office would answer the question.
The voters of his district were aware of this photograph and of the facts behind its creation, Oliva said. Once those facts were known, and both individuals in the photo spoke, it became abundantly clear that Rep. Sabatini bore no racial animus. All of us are not the people we were at 16. We grow, we learn, and we realize the world is much bigger than the walls of our high school. The people of Rep. Sabatinis district have made their choice, with full knowledge of the photograph, and that choice will be respected.
The required documentation includes other routes of marijuana administration used by the patient; assessment of the effectiveness of the other treatment delivery methods; research documenting that smoking is an effective route of administration to treat the patients condition; and documentation supporting the physicians opinion that the benefits of smoking would likely outweigh the potential health risks for the patient.
"I didn't know they were there, so I wish they would've told me they were there, though," Trump told Local 10 News. "It's a great group of people. I could've put it in. I would've put it in. I've been very involved in it. It's an incredible tragedy, and these are things that can be stopped."
It just seems that theres this attitude toward people who are struggling financially like theyre not working hard or theyre not trying to get ahead, said Gelin, who is now studying psychology at the University of Central Florida and trying to find a job. I know so many people good people in this situation. My parents are the hardest working people Ive ever seen, but its really hard for them to be honest about their situation because people judge.
The civic change of identity comes about a month after the Florida Clemency Board, led by new Gov. Ron DeSantis, issued pardons posthumously to four young black men who had been known internationally as the Groveland Four since 1949, when they were accused of raping Norma Lee Padgett, a married white teenager.
The bottom line is the President is the President no matter where he goes, and he doesnt get to control the level of costs and security that may come along with that, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said back in 2017.
When the allegation of sexual assault emerged against Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, D, on a conservative website late Sunday, his accuser's name and face were thrust into the center of the state's unfolding political scandals.
Fairfax vehemently denied the allegation, saying that the woman was lying and that he was the victim of a "smear campaign." The woman remained silent.
Then, on Wednesday, Fairfax's accuser came forward, publicly identifying herself and describing the encounter in July 2004 during which she said Fairfax sexually assaulted her.
"What began as consensual kissing quickly turned into a sexual assault," said Vanessa Tyson, a fellow at Stanford University, an associate professor at Scripps College and a University of Chicago alumnus.
She accused Fairfax of forcing her to perform oral sex during the encounter, which allegedly took place during the Democratic National Convention in Boston.
"I cannot believe, given my obvious distress, that Mr. Fairfax thought this forced sexual act was consensual," Tyson said.
Later Wednesday, in response to Tyson's statement, Fairfax denied the allegation of sexual assault and Tyson's description of what happened.
"Reading Dr. Tyson's account is painful. I have never done anything like what she suggests," Fairfax said in a statement. "Any review of the circumstances would support my account, because it is the truth. I take this situation very seriously and continue to believe Dr. Tyson should be treated with respect. But, I cannot agree to a description of events that simply is not true."
The allegations of sexual assault have further enveloped Richmond in chaos as Gov. Ralph Northam, D, resists calls to resign over a racist photo that appeared on his medical school yearbook page and his acknowledgment that he darkened his face for a dance competition in the 1980s.
Attorney General Mark Herring acknowledged Wednesday that he dressed in blackface while in college, plunging the state Democratic Party into crisis as all three Democratic state-level officeholders are now embroiled in controversies.
Fairfax, who is next in line to be governor if Northam resigns, on Monday described the encounter as consensual, called the allegations false and threatened legal action against Tyson.
In her statement, Tyson said she decided to come forward after those remarks.
"My only motive in speaking now is to refute Mr. Fairfax's falsehoods and aspersions of my character, and to provide what I believe is important information for Virginians to have as they make critical decisions that involve Mr. Fairfax," she said.
Democrats have tread carefully with the allegations against Fairfax, with many declining to comment or saying that they take the allegations seriously and are monitoring the situation.
But after Tyson publicly shared her story Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., the dean of the Virginia congressional caucus, released a statement in her support.
"Allegations of sexual assault need to be taken seriously," Scott said. "I have known Professor Tyson for approximately a decade and she is a friend. She deserves the opportunity to have her story heard."
Rep. Jennifer Wexton, D-Va., also voiced her support of Tyson, tweeting that she believed her.
Tyson said she first met Fairfax on the first day of the 2004 Democratic National Convention, and the pair soon realized they had a mutual friend. On the third day of the event, Tyson said Fairfax suggested she accompany him to his hotel room to pick up some documents.
It was in that hotel room, she alleges, that he began to kiss her. "Although surprised by his advance, it was not unwelcome and I kissed him back," she said. But then, she alleges that he forced her to perform oral sex as she cried.
"Mr. Fairfax put his hand behind my neck and forcefully pushed my head towards his crotch," she said. "...Utterly shocked and terrified, I tried to move my head away, but could not because his hand was holding down my neck and he was much stronger than me."
"To be very clear, I did not want to engage in oral sex with Mr. Fairfax and I never gave any form of consent. Quite the opposite," Tyson said, adding that she never spoke to Fairfax again.
Tyson said she did not talk about the encounter with Fairfax for years and suppressed the memories in order to focus on her academic career. She said she found it "especially degrading" in part because she regularly worked as a volunteer at a local rape crisis center at the time.
"After the assault, I suffered from both deep humiliation and shame," she said.
Then, in October 2017, she learned about Fairfax's campaign for lieutenant governor of Virginia and the news "hit me like a ton of bricks," Tyson said.
At that point, she said she began telling close friends in Virginia about the assault. Since then, "I have never wavered in my account because I am telling the truth," she said.
After Fairfax won his November 2017 election, Tyson had reached out to The Washington Post because she said she felt an obligation to report the incident, particularly amid the #MeToo movement.
The Post did not run a story at the time because it could not corroborate the woman's account or find similar complaints of sexual misconduct.
On Friday, amid the news that Fairfax could be elevated to governor, Tyson said she vented her frustration on Facebook in a private post, which did not identify Fairfax by name.
On Sunday night, while she was still undecided about publicly sharing her story, her private Facebook post was published by Big League Politics, the same conservative website that published a racist photo from Northam's medical school yearbook page.
Tyson pointed out an apparent attempt by Fairfax to discredit her by mentioning a 2007 educational video interview, in which Tyson describes being the victim of incest and molestation as a child. She made no mention in the video of the allegations against Fairfax.
"This, of course, is not proof that he did not assault me. His reliance on this video to say the opposite is despicable and an offense to sexual assault survivors everywhere," Tyson said in her statement.
In her current fellowship at Stanford University, Tyson's research focuses on the politics surrounding sexual violence, according to her biography.
She has been a vocal advocate for sexual violence prevention, as a founding member of the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center Survivor Speakers' Bureau. She has a bachelor's degree in politics from Princeton University and master's and PhD degrees in political science from the University of Chicago.
Tyson is scheduled to speak at a symposium at Stanford University on Tuesday titled "Betrayal and Courage in the Age of #MeToo."
Jennifer Freyd, also a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, is scheduled to speak with her. Freyd said Tyson spoke to her about the 2004 incident last fall but did not identify Fairfax.
"She's a very open person," Freyd said. "She shares things about herself when they're relevant to what we're talking about."
More than two dozen fellows at the Center for Advanced Study of Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University signed a letter Wednesday saying they were proud to call Tyson a colleague.
Tyson has hired the District of Columbia law firm Katz, Marshall & Banks, the same legal team that represented Christine Blasey Ford when she accused then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct.
After some criticism for his aggressive response, Fairfax released a statement late morning Wednesday that struck a softer tone.
"I would like to encourage the media, my supporters and others to treat both the woman who made the allegation and my family with respect for how painful this situation can be for everyone involved," Fairfax said in a statement.
Fairfax's statement also addressed his Monday remarks about the allegations, in which he insinuated that supporters of Northam and Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, a potential political rival, were behind the assault allegations going public.
"This has been an emotional couple of days for me and my family," Fairfax said. "And in my remarks on Monday, I think you could hear how emotional dealing with an allegation that I know is not true has been for me."
Fairfax has legal representation from Wilkinson Walsh + Eskovitz, which also represented Brett Kavanaugh when sexual assault allegations were made against him, according to partner Rakesh Kilaru.
A spokesman for the Suffolk County District Attorney's office, which has jurisdiction over crimes in Boston, declined to say whether the office has received a complaint about Fairfax.
The Washington Post's Jenna Portnoy contributed to this report.
I am filled with sorrow over this needless loss and at the same time I am filled with anger at the individual who took the life of this police officer, Barrett said.
"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.
Flores, who will be forced to leave office after the 2020 elections because of term limits, said the bill is a priority for her this session and said she wants to work with everyone on crafting legislation that will increase patient safety. The 60-day legislative session starts March 5.
The allegations made against one of our affiliated physicians Kenneth Krumins, M.D. are in no way connected to Jewett Orthopaedic Clinic nor are they reflective of our dedication to ensuring high-quality patient care. We believe in a health system rooted in integrity and trust. And we have taken swift and decisive action to reinforce that commitment, Jewett officials said.
With Valentines Day capping off this week on Thursday, a lot of people think this is apparently the time to get sweaty. In downtown Orlando, theres the annual Cupids Undie Run (noon-4 p.m. Saturday, Elixir, 9 W. Washington St., free to watch, $40-$45 to run, cupids.org). Every year, the bold and adventurous drop trou and take to the street in their skivvies to raise money for a cure for neurofibromatosis. Its a great way to do good while taking true advantage of the glory of living in Florida in February. (Personal opinion: This run is less fun in North Dakota.)
And I thought what could be better? Many people are raised in families where there are no financial issues where it's just expected that you go to school, but a lot of families are not like that, and a lot of kids never dreamed that they could handle it academically or financially or whatever. So what a wonderful initiative this is to tell those kids out there that may not realize it, "Hey, you could do this. Your life could be a lot richer." And I don't even mean just financially. But financially, too.
Mr. Antorcha does not carry a lot of cache given he is not coming from a role that was highly visible to investors, said an analyst note published Tuesday from Stifel, a brokerage and investment banking firm that follows SeaWorld. Executives from Carnival Cruise Lines had nothing but exceptional things to say about Mr. Antorcha, which we view as utterly important.
Were going to end up with incredibly popular and in-demand products with these two new lands, Iger went on about Star Wars: Galaxys Edge which debuts this summer in California and late fall in Walt Disney Worlds Hollywood Studios. Theyre large. Theyre beautiful, and theyre extremely innovative. And they obviously leverage the popularity of the Star Wars brand.
Musk tweeted late last month that as many as 31 Raptor engines could power Super Heavy. However, he couched that number, at least in the beginning, by saying it will probably fly with fewer initially in case it blows up. Starship will be powered by seven Raptor engines for its journey to and from the Red Planet, according to SpaceXs website.
Workers Jubilant over a Changing face of Labour
Government has taken the labour organisations into confidence recently, thus legislations lying idle have resurrected and speeded up their pace. Such a basket of pro labour reforms is something unique in the recent history of labour, probably after Dr Ambedkars period, writes the BMS national president
B ringing changes in Labour scenario had always been a tough task with every Government not only in India but in many other countries too. Since the advent of Globalisation, labour reforms, as a part of economic reforms, had become more contentious. The present Government also had to undergo turbulent times in the labour sector since its inception. There was problem in gauging the mindset of workers for want of proper labour advisors. At a later stage when the problem was realised, it became a game changer with the labour having a sigh of relief. Today Government has outperformed in the labour sector, thanks to the constant Sangharsh and Samvad approach of Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) towards the Government. Now there are great expectations from the present Modi Government, since it had excelled the previous Governments in showering benefits to the world of work.
BMS Anganwadi workers Felicitating Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Looking at the hundred years history of labour in the India, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar period can be termed as the golden period. Dr Ambedkar was Indias first Labour Minister in Viceroys council for a short period from 1942 to 1946. He was not only the maker of Indias Constitution, but was also the architect of Indias labour law reforms.
It was Dr Ambedkar who brought in the 8-hour working per day to India, bringing it down from 14 hours. Minimum Wages Act was Dr Ambedkars contribution. Dearness Allowance (DA), Leave Benefit, Revision of Scale of Pay etc. are due to Dr Ambedkar. Dr Ambedkar framed many laws for women workers in India such as Mines Maternity Benefit Act, Women Labour Welfare Fund, Women and Child Labour Protection Act, Maternity leave Benefit for Women Labour and Restoration of Ban on Employment of Women on Underground Work in Coal Mines. He has also contributed to the shaping of Employees State Insurance Act, Employees Provident Fund Act, Industrial disputes Act and Factories act. If workers can go on strike for their rights, it was because of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar.
The new Labour Code on Wages presented in the parliament is historic and revolutionary in the sense, the last worker in the country will get a right to minimum wages. This if properly implemented, will not only change the face of Indian labour, but also will bring Indias sizable deserving population above the poverty line
BMS envisions a situation in which the interests of the nation, industry and workers should be protected equally and all the three should progress together. But the policy atmosphere in the country has never been congenial for such a holistic approach. It has become a religious faith for the successive policy makers that industrial empire can be built only on the graveyard of workers rights. This has prepared a battle ground in which BMS has to lead a constant struggle. Policy makers have no confidence to have consultation with stake holders before decisions are made. This had been a governance issue in India. One example is that we want a business ecosystem where any business can be started within 24 hours in India. But can the environmental, safety, health and labour protection be sacrificed? Hence there needs to have a system where the stake holders sit together and work out a golden mean to make the compliance system fast and user friendly. A beautiful blending of interests of all stakeholders has to be achieved. Sustainable enterprises in industry as well as decent work for workers are the two inseparable pillars of the paradigm which ILO (International Labour Organisation) wants to establish in the world of work. Can India move in such a direction? Our policy makers still need to re-shape their thought process towards such an integral approach, which Pt Deendayal Upadhyay dreamt in social relations.
BMS Asha workers felicitating Prime Minister Narendra Modi for increase of wages
The initial problems of the Government in the labour sector fortunately got corrected to a considerable extent in recent days. Of late, labour has many things to be happy about. Labour in India had benefitted from a change of direction in labour policy. The unilateral anti-labour reform process was stalled when the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi himself assured during Indian Labour Conference that changes in labour laws will be brought about only after consulting with Trade Unions and other stake holders. This has been a great relief for all those who were worried about labour.
The Calculation ceiling as well as eligibility ceiling in Bonus Act has been doubled after a long time. Maternity benefit has been more than doubled from 12 weeks to 26 weeks. Gratuity payment ceiling has been doubled from Rs 10 lakhs to 20 lakhs which is a great relief for retiring employees. Minimum wages have been revised in many Central sectors and the bottom line has been increased from Rs 246 to Rs 333/350 per day. This was done at a time when CPM ruled Tripura State has fixed countrys lowest minimum wages at Rs 75 per day. ESI eligibility ceiling was raised from Rs 15,000 to Rs 21,000. ESI beneficiaries were given benefit of an additional dispensary at their native place also. This is highly beneficial to the family members of the migrant worker who live in a remote village, mostly in another state. Ayushman Bharat is the largest health insurance scheme in the world benefitting the marginalised people.
Under EPF one major issue during UPA regime was regarding pension. Beneficiaries were getting pension as low as Rs 15 per month. Present Government fixed it at a minimum of Rs 1000 and now working on it to make it Rs 3000. The minimum assured insurance also had been raised from Rs 2.5 lakhs to Rs 6 lakhs under EDLI scheme. EPF Organisation has decided to open offices in every district in the country for better disbursal.
Anganwadi workers, mostly women were jubilant to get their central share of honorarium raised from Rs 3500 to Rs 4500. Honorarium of mini Aganwadi has been raised from Rs 2250 to Rs 3500 and that of helper from Rs 1500 to Rs 2200. Similarly for Asha workers, performance based incentive has been doubled from Rs. 1000 to Rs 2000. In addition, all these categories will be getting a total insurance coverage of Rs 3 lakhs. The Mid day Meal workers will also get their cooking charges increased by Rs 2 per day per child. The long pending demand of the neglected Gramin Dak Sevaks in Postal service to implement Kamalesh Chandra Report was met by the Central Government. They will be getting wages increased upto 4 times, together with ex-gratia and gratuity increased from Rs 60,000 to Rs 5 lakhs and group insurance from Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakhs.
One demand of the Trade Unions jointly was that the Labour Departments, both in the central and state sphere, are refusing to register Trade unions. Hence the Central Government has given direction through a notification to all in Central sphere as well as to State Governments that registration of unions shall be deemed to have taken place after 45 days of applying for registration. Government has taken bold steps to ban all child labour below 14 years and all hazardous labour below 18 years with two exceptions. Further it has also ratified concerned ILO Convention No. 182 after a long time. This convention is considered as a Core Convention out of nearly 187 ILO conventions. Indian Government was congratulated openly in ILO conference in Geneva. Governments digital initiatives have benefitted the workers when payment of wages is made compulsory through bank accounts and portability of benefits across the country is implemented.
The Trade Unions and policy makers in the country were worried about the fact that at present only about 7% of the total 50 crore working population is benefitted by the Minimum Wages Act. The new Labour Code on Wages presented in the parliament is historic and revolutionary in the sense, the last worker in the country will get a right to minimum wages. This if properly implemented, will not only change the face of Indian labour, but also will bring Indias sizable deserving population above the poverty line. Similarly the Labour Code on Social Security is also another historic and revolutionary legislation which ensures about 14 benefits to the last worker in the country. Sadly such a legislation is mixed with some controversial provisions. Governments golden chance of creating another milestone was delayed because it needs better equipped policy and legislative machinery that can move faster. Government has taken BMS into confidence recently, thus legislations lying idle have resurrected and speeded up their pace.
Such a basket of pro labour reforms is something unique in the recent history of labour, probably after Dr Ambedkars period. Indian labour has everything to be jubilant over it. This has trapped the Communist unions while declaring a National strike that they were groping in the dark to find out genuine demands.
But the irony is that the aura created by an image of anti labour face in the initial pace is still haunting the Government thanks to the shortfalls in its propaganda machinery. Government needs to strengthen its propaganda machinery so that the recent dynamics of pro-labour reforms can reach the people. BMS considers that the changing face of labour is due to the success of its approach of Sangharsh and Samvad towards the Government.
When the Communist led Kerala Government has legislated anti worker Head load Worker amendment Act, brought through ordinance route without the mandatory consultation with Trade Unions the Shop Act that increased working hours of women, continue to implement Fixed term employment without any beneficial protection, not implementing Central direction for compulsory registration of Unions within 45 days etc., the Communist Trade Unions are helplessly supporting such moves. No other Central trade union in the country had ever played such a creative role as done by BMS benefitting the labour when their friends are in Government. Still this is not the end of history and many things are yet to be achieved. The lifeline of Trade Union movement is constant struggle. Hence the current decade will continue to be a decade of struggle for BMS.
(The writer is national president of Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh)
The Real Drama behind Special Package
Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidus decision to walk out of NDA smacks of his political brinkmanship, immature leadership and his dilemma to BJPs growing influence in his own backyard. Instead of forging ahead resolutely on future partnership, he seems to have stooped too low for narrow political gains
R Rajagopalan
There seems to be no limit to how far Chandrababu Naidu can go, to secure special package to Andhra Pradesh. His political blackmailing of PM Narendra Modi and the Central Government to give in to his demand smacks of political brinkmanship in national politics and centre-state relations.
These were the three real demands of Chandrababu Naidu. But the outside perception was that Naidu made it look like as if it was about the issue of special package to his divided state of AP. As Naidu failed to get any assurance from Modi or the Centre, he began to distance himself from BJP. He even called it a breach of promise. All of a sudden, for TDP, the honey moon came to an bitter end, with Naidu accusing the PM of betrayal. In fact, Chandrababu Naidu wanted the Centre to politically restrain his arch-rival Jagan Reddy. Naidu was demanding a special package for Andhra but while meeting Prime Minister Modi his whole intention was simply a series of diktats to Modi. Give me money, arrest Jagan Reddy, sack the Governor as he seemed to lean too much towards KSR of Telangana.
Special Drama It is worth remembering that Naidu came to power on the promise of a special package to Andhra Pradesh after it was split into two states - Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Special package was a part of the division of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. At the fag end of UPA 2, it was a pet project of Ms Sonia Gandhi to split Andhra Pradesh into two. And she was aggressive in getting it the hack job done.
P Chidambaram and Jairam Ramesh, the two stalwarts of Sonia Gandhi, were entrusted with the job of spliting Andhra Pradesh. As their tenure was nearing an end in 2013, all tall promises were made in the Andhra Bifurcation Bill. If you add up these promises made by Sonia Gandhi-led UPA, it was 10 lakh crores. Where are the funds from New Delhi? Jairam Ramesh was on record saying that there was a Modi wave in 2014 and that no question of UPA3, hence make all announcements that Andhra Pradesh will get 'moon"
Give me money, arrest Jagan Reddy, and sack the Governor. The three diktats of Naidu to PM Modi
politically he became greedy, as he failed showcase his pet theory of Amaravati as the Capital of AP
The argument for splitting AP was that while Telangana had all the wealth and resources along with a well-established Hyderabad as its capital, the residuary Andhra Pradesh has often been devastated by drought and cyclones. Hence Andhra Pradesh needed special attention. Also this would have paved the way for constructing Amaravati the new capital for Andhra Pradesh.
Earlier, Narendra Modi forged electoral alliance with Telugu Desam Party and both swept the polls. Modi and Naidu knew well that promises made by UPA 2 was impossible to implement. Still TDP was ready to swallow the bitter pills. It was Chandrababu Naidu who went all out to start construction of Amaravati. Naidu saw the humongous potential of minting money behind the new capital Amaravati. He saw infact he foresaw the proverbial golden goose that would have laid the many golden eggs on way to the building the capital. And he got five international bidders offering to develop Amaravati. Delegates from Singapore, Japan and South Korea made beeline to the headquarters of Naidu. Most of the matters revolved either around buy or sell fertile agricultural lands.
Allocation of huge funds that Finance Minister Arun Jaitley termed a whole year of Defence budget to just one state would obviously have caused a financial disaster at the Centre. A the time the Bifurcation Act in 2013 was being discussed, Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa opposed it on the grounds that Tamil Nadu too should get special package due to perennial water shortage problems in the Cauvery delta across eight districts in the state.
Earlier, Finance Minsiter Arun Jaitley had categorically turned down Naidus demand for SCS for Andhra Pradesh, saying the category has already been done away with, except in the case of the three hilly states of the North East.
So a very sad but shrewd Naidu throwing up tantrums in the middle of April, 2014, and abruptly announcing his decision to pull out of NDA coalition. While it left the political pundits and observers of national politics confounded, the proverbial storm in the tea cup had already been brewing for some time. But it lay hidden from the public.
On 16th April 2014, he announced his decision to call it quits over Modi-led Governments refusal to accord special catetory status to AP, accusing PM Modi of breach of promise.
In a letter he wrote to Naidu, Amit Shah called Naidus antics a political compulsions rather than Andhra Pradesh developmental agenda. Yes, political compulsions. Thats what it was all about. Naidu
Ground Reality
Chandrababu Naidu known as backstabber, as he did it to his father-in- law N T Rama Rao, was successful in 2004 to advance the Lok Sabha polls as he insisted with Atal Bihari Vajpayee. But in 2018, political blackmailing tactics of Naidu did not work with Narendra Modi. Stubourn stand of Modi not to arrest Jagan Reddy, not to remove ESL Narasimhan and stop further payments of Central funds to the state of Andhra Pradesh, as TDP Government failed to submit utilisation certificates for the money received from Centre. Politically Jagan Reddy is having a ground swell of supporters.
To add fuel to fire, KChandrasekhar Rao TRS has proposed alliance with YSR Congress. This will politically decimate Telugu Desam. Whichever side you look at, my enemys enemy is my friend that means TRS YSR Congress will they join hands post LokSabha poll 2019? These are possibilities. In this entire drama who is the loser? Is it not Chandrababu Naidu?
Naidu Loves Lands
Naidu loves lands. Even building Amaravati as Capital which was hurried up as the special package bill said that capital would be built in ten years. But Naidu advanced it to build capital before he gone for 2019 Assembly polls. But to his disappointment Nara Chandrababu Naidu got always scared of TRS CM Chandrasekhar Rao got nearer to Centre and that Modi was encouraging TRS against TDP.
Latest controversy looming large in Andhra Pradesh is that Governor ESL Narasimhan rejected the 2018 Land Acquisition Ordinance. This has caused friction between Governor and the Chief Minister. The Governor sent back the AP Assigned Lands Prohibition of transfer Ordinance 2018 with a main object to substitute the word lands or house sites assigned and to substitute the word landless poor person with the landless or homeless poor persons.
Naidu wants to bring this ordinance so that before Lok Sabha polls he can regularise. Politically this will benefit the Telugu Desam leaders who will be purchasing the lands in and around Amaravati and also in Vijayawada where the Andhra Pradesh capital Amaravati is coming up.
Governor Narasimhan is of the opinion that certain clauses in the Ordinance will not stand scrutiny of the Judiciary. Fundamentally the clauses are unconstitutional. There is a tug of war between Governor ESL Narasimhan and Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu for the past two years. Repeatedly Chandrababu Naidu requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to withdraw Narasimhan as Governor. Politburo of TDP commented on the Governor alleging that Narasimhan was acting on behalf of Narendra Modi.
Chandrababu Naidu proposed to bring an ordinance Andhra Pradesh assigned Lands prohibition of transfer amendment ordinance 2018, with a main object to substitute the word lands assigned with the word land or house sites, assigned to substitute the world land less poor person with landless or homeless poor persons. Thus the Government wants to extend the provisions of this act to the house sites also.
In the present ordinance proposed by the State Government it is provided that the house sites assigned are not alienable for a period of five years. With this provision there is every danger that by taking advantage of the house sites in urban areas, urban peripherals and important rural areas may be sold away compelled to sell from poor to others and thereby the poor will remain homeless and in eligible persons may get regulrise these valuable lands in the days to come.
Governor's office rejecting certain clauses, and explaining the lacuna putting the approval of the ordinance on hold, the issue has been discussed with senior Andhra Government officials of the concerned department and the state Government has been directed to relook into the time frame of five years which paves the way to alienate the said assigned house sites and response of Chandrababu Naidu is awaited.
Andhra Pradesh enacated an act 10 of 2017 to update resettlement register in respect of dotted lands in May 2017. As per section 3 of this act, resettlement register shall be updated by replacing the dots in column 16 with appropriate entry as per section 4 in respect of dotted lands by updtaing the names of the claimants assignees wherever it is clearly not written as Government Land. Based on this Tehsildar report a District level comittee will order for updation on which appeal lies with the Chief Commissioner of Land Administration whose decision will be final.
When TDP Chief Chandrababu Naidu started in 2014 with clean slate, he became greedy, as he failed to showcase his pet project of Amaravati.To hide his failure, Naidu began threatening to walk out of NDA. But at the end of his tenure, he had a quarrel with Governor for issuing an ordinance to acquire lands in the state. What was the main purpose? Is Naidu serious to get TDP leaders to buy lands?
Stirring the Souls
This year the 55-day long grand Kumbh in Prayagraj witnessed around 3000 special guestspeople of Indian origin and settled foreigners and the other NRIs
Dravya-yajnas tapo-yajna yoga-yajnas tathapare
swadhyaya-jnana-yajnash cha yatayah sanshita-vratah
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 4, Verse 28
(Some perform sacrifice with material possessions; some offer sacrifice in the shape of austerities, others sacrifice through the practice of Yoga; while some striving souls, observing austere vows, perform sacrifice in the shape of wisdom through the study of sacred texts.)
Mauritius PM Pravind Jugnauth along with his wife offering prayers at Bade Hanuman temple, Prayagraj
The spirit of the above quote from Bhagavad Gita prevails very strongly at the Kumbh in Prayagraj. This years grand 55-day long ceremony had around 3000 special guestsall overseas Indianssome of them people of Indian origin and settled foreigners and others NRIs. The visit was organised by the Ministry of External Affairs as part of the 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebrations. The visiting delegates showed much enthusiasm during their four-hour long journey from Varanasi to Prayagraj raising Har Har Gange slogans at various places. Local people stood on both sides of the road between Mirzapur and Prayagraj waving hands to welcome the overseas visitors and also took snaps and recorded the moments on their smart phones. It is like welcoming of Baraati, said an enthusiastic US-based radio programmer H Karishmawho originally hails from Madhya Pradesh.
The NRIs were taken to ancient Akshayvat and Saraswati Koop to offer puja besides the Triveni Sangam for holy dip. "Regularity of this celebration and holy dip at the Sangam is continuing since ancient times and is unique in more ways than one," Amar Kumar Pandey, a local resident, said.
Awareness camps
Shuttling between Akharas generally on foot and at times in buses put up by the organisers, Shantidevi Paudiyal says she speaks to other devotees and common pilgrims about the need to promote environmental awareness and better hygiene and such issues. The Kumbh Mela festival everywhere in Ujjain or in Prayagraj offers a good occasion to share the concerns about the need to protect rivers, other water bodies and the need for improved hygiene and better waste management, Shantidevi (52) told Organiser. Hailing from Dangri sector of mid-western region of Nepal, the Sanyasiniwoman seeris in Prayagraj for the Kumbh Mela. A widow, whose husband died in a road accident along Kakarbhitta-Pani TankiNepal-West Bengal borderwhen she was just 22Shantidevi moves around from Akharas (temporary camps of devotees) and also talks about her agony as her husband actually died due to alcoholism and rash driving.
Over 1.25 crore devotees took holy snan on Makar Sankranti at Prayagraj Kumbh
Many others among the Yog gurus and spiritual leaders have also joined the bandwagon on such awareness campaigns. At the venue, in some Akharassince January 15 when the Kumbh got underway, even social workers from other religions have teamed up with Hindu leaders and Sadhus, government officials and NGO representatives to promote environmental awareness and also about the importance of making toilets.
Many households in India still do not have proper toilets....this despite the aggressive campaign in last four and half hears, says one such social worker Jhantu Sen from Durgapur in West Bengal.
The symposium we organised in coordination with some Akharas from Eastern India were aimed at propagating knowledge about the importance to conserve water and keep water sources clean, he says. Agreeing with him, Margaret Christine, a German social activist and travel writer, says, Local Indians seemed to have shown immense interest on issues related to industrial waste going into rivers especially Ganga and streams.
The matters related to harvest rainwater and alcoholism also figured prominently, another participant said. There is also mass level campaign across the Mela area; and some slogans read: Gali Gali mein shor hai; Shauchaley bananey ka Jor hai and Ek Karya karey bhala, swachh rakhey gali mohalla.
Looking back, I was impressed the manner toilets both in public places and for individual families are coming up across India.
But the realisation of water conservation is less, says Nepali Sanyasini Shantidevi. I was not educated much but my coming to these Kumbh Melas since 2001 in Prayagraj has made me well informed. Actually lot of good thoughts are passed on during the Kumbh.
I have benefitted much and so now I do move around telling people about some problems and how they can face them, she says. To a question, she sounds a seasoned diplomat and says, Nepal and India are friends for ages and so every meeting I go and every holy dip I take, I pray for better and harmonious Indo-Nepal relations. Sometimes the people from Nepal are held in suspicion even at the Kumbh festivals. But these are just few instances. In general, Kumbh is casteless and classless affairs and no one bothers either you are from Nepal or Russia, she says.
Politics and Spirituality
But there are talks about politics too in this years festival. And sometime this goes the realm of contemporary politics. It is true even Sadhus and others discuss about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and issues concerning the Hindutva. Significantly enough, a Varanasi-based Muslim cloth merchant Haider Tariq sums up the paradox of the other school of thoughtthat is secular liberals. A good section of enlightened Muslims including in PM Modis parliamentary constituency has seen the hollowness of the argument of the Congress and other parties. The Muslims want bread and butter issues solved. Then comes education....The so-called secular champions and anti-BJP forces are too eager to flaunt their politics as an exclusive accomplishment to win. But the fact of the matter is the voters will not fall for such eloquent absurdity, says Tariq, 65.
There are many Sadhuswho while interacting with Pravasi Indiansrepeatedly raised pro-Ram Temple slogans. I am not surprised, but I find there is a message. Whenever, I tell some Sadhus to tell something, they scream in unisionJai Shri Ram, says Paris-based technocrat Poritosh Ranjann Vatsya. Among the Kumbh visitors, there are some Indiansespecially from states like West Bengal and also Karnataka who saythe communal polarization narratives come to help of Indian politicians who have less concern about developments. However, this contention is countered. Lalji Patel, President of Mauritius Chapter of Overseas Friends of BJP, says The Indians are fed up with the motivated and one sided debate on threat to secularism. BJPs opponents have been always eloquent with post-Godhra riots of 2002 and beef eating row. But the same seculars have been silent on Gujarat having not witnessed any communal clash in last two decades. During last four years, there has been no major terror act except in Jammu and Kashmir, he points out.
(The writer is a New Delhi-based commentator and travelled to Varanasi and Prayagraj to cover Pravsi Bharatiya Divas and Kumbh Mela)
Readers Forum
Declining Temple Traditions
Apropos (Revitalising the Republic), Organiser, February 3, 2019, I was delighted to read the editorial in the Republic Day special. The title Republic of Temples on off-the-beat cover is what triggered my curiosity to go through the magazine. In fact, I ended up reading the magazine from Cover to Cover. It is good to put the ancient temples on cover and highlighting the decline and sorry state of affairs and the decline of our many temple traditions. It is high time that the governments should also do something to restore glory of the temples.
Natesa Mudaliar, Chennai
The Sabarimala Shrine episode and the foreign funded forces inimical to the essence of Hindus are on mission to erase the ancient traditions of our temples and cultural legacy. They are aided and abetted by a woefully myopic Judiciary with their twisted idea of justice interfering with the age old temple traditions. The problem is who is going to judge the judge legal experts or the people!
Rajesh Ramchandran, Madurai
Courts have no business whatsoever to poke their nose into divinity. Can the honourable judges have guts or wherewithal to dare interfere with church or a madrasa the terror factories that spawn off thousands child jihadis to kill kafirs? Why only pick up the Hindus and their ancient traditions, in the garb of secularism? I leave that to the honourable judiciary to answer.
Rajiv Kumar, Chandigarh
Honouring Congress Leaders The Congress always ignored to honour its top leaders who were considered as challenger to the dynastic rule of Nehru-Gandhi family. Not only Patel and Subhash Bose, disrespect was shown to senior leaders like PV Narsimharao whose dead body was not allowed in Congress headquarters after his death. Now the BJP government at the Centre has given due honour to Sardar Patel and Pranab Mukerjee by conferring them Bharat Ratna. TMC rightly observed that Congress party never made Pranab Da either party-president or Prime Minister, the posts he deserved the most for saving Congress from continuous downfall. The first family of Congress always wanted either member of the family or a dummy person to be posted on top posts. Subhash Chandra Agrawal, Delhi
Preserve all Ancient Places in Ayodhya
Apropos (Revisiting the Complete Ayodhya), Organiser, February 3, 2019, the story on 84 Kosi Parikrama of Ayodhya is very enlightening. All ancient places in Ayodhya whether on the route of 84 Kosi Parikrama or anywhere should be preserved with care and their sanctity should be restored.
Shivnarayan Shukla, Kanpur
Learn from China & Myanmar
Apropos (A Counter Narrative) Organiser, January 27, 2019, the writer forgot to mention the negative role of Gandhi, Nehru and Congress, who gave birth to all problems in J&K. We should learn from China and Myanmar which have solved Muslim problem squarely. Hindu majority district of Tharparkar in Sind was freed by our forces, but Lal Bahadur Shastri returned it to Pakistan. Buddhist Chakma region of Chittagon Hill Tract was freed by our forces, but Indira Gandhi gave it back to Bangladesh. Now these places are permanently with Pakistan and Bangladesh, and these Muslim nations are least bothered about the fate of Hindus and Buddhists. Why we in truncated Bharat are so much worried about Muslims in Kashmir and rest of the country?
Anand Prakash, Panchkula
Follow Nanaji in Practice
Shri Nanaji Deshmukh, who devoted the last part of his life to service of the people in remote areas, surely deserves greatest national honour. He declined the post of Union Minister in Morarji Desai government after Emergency of 1975-77 only on the ground that he advocated the principle to stay away from politics after the age of 60. But now politicians even at the age of eighties or nineties cling to legislative posts with some ones dreaming to be Prime Minister even at such high age.
Madhu Agrawal, Delhi
Evangelegical, jihadi forces biggest threat to Indian social fabric
First Rajju Bhaiya Memorial Lecture on his 97th birth anniversary at Persistent System Auditorium in Nagpur
Nagpur: Christian evangelegists and Islamic jihadi forces, hell bent on furthering their conversion and terror acts to divide the Indian society, pose a bigger threat to Indian social fabric, said former Rajya Sabha MP and former editor of Panchjanya Shri Tarun Vijay, while delivering the first lecture organised on the occasion of 97th birth anniversary of fourth RSS Sarsanghchalak Prof Rajendra Singh who was popularly known as Rajju Bhaiya on January 29 at Persistent System Auditorium. Union Surface Transport Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari, senior writer and former RSS spokesperson Shri MG Vaidya and founder of Anand-hi-Anand Shri Vivekji were also present.
Shri Tarun Vijay delievering the Lecture in Nagpur. Shri MG Vaidya, Shri Nitin Gadkari, Shri Vivek ji and others are also seen
The conversion activities carried out overtly and covertly with the help of foreign funds by Christian evangelical forces and the Islamic jihadi elements are trying to destabilise the internal peace and have posed a serious and bigger challenge to the Indian social fabric. They are using every method to disintegrate the Hindu society by negating all that is Hindu, Shri Tarun Vijay said while speaking on the topic Samajik Parivartan aur Bharat ka Bhavishya.
Launching a frontal attack on the forces of conversion the former Rajya Sabha MP said these forces are tweaking at the cherished values of the Hindu faith to destroy this ancient civilisation. Even the Supreme Court has been asked to decide if Asato Ma Sadgamaya is a religious prayer or not and whether it can be recited in schools, he said.
Expressing serious concern over the current situation in India where the anti-Hindu forces are continuously attacking the faith, tradition and culture, customs and principles of Hindu Dharma, the former editor of Panchjanya said India had played a vital role in protecting knowledge, traditions and life values since the hoary past. The country which boasted of its knowledge-based society and high civilisational values is being attacked by the foreign invaders since last 1000 years. The country once known as Bharatvarsha, has now been shrunk to present India.
Discussing at length the issues faced by the country today, he said that the country has reached in a decisive end for protecting its own dignity and identity. And speeding up the awareness movements by RSS would be the real tribute to Prof Rajendra Singh, he added.
Shri MG Vaidya, who edited Tarun Bharat for a long time and later served as first spokesperson of the RSS, recalled his memories, associated with the late Rajju Bhaiya and his predecessor Shri Balasaheb Devras.
Union Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari shared some anecdotes of his association with Prof Rajendra Singh appealing the audience to draw inspiration from his selfless and dedicated life to build a strong and vibrant Indian nation. Founder of Anand-hi-Anand Vivekji said that developing Indias identity as Bharat would be a real tribute to Prof Rajendra Singh.
Virag Pachpore
The Maverick
Born a Christian, rebel against Church, fiery trade union leader, railway strike, fight against Emergency, alliance with BJP, Pokhran-II, Kargil, etc all explain the life and struggle of George Fernandes
Ratnakar Sadasyula
George Fernandes was an iconic politician, rebel, who had all but been forgotten before his death on January 29. From a fiery trade union leader to a rebel during Emergency to Union Minister, he travelled a long way in life. He has been one of the most iconic political leaders in India. Catholic from Mangalore, who represented Muzaffarpur in Bihar four times, an anti-nuke activist who presided over Pokhran-II, a pacifist who went on to become one of the best Defence Ministers ever.
Born in Mangalore to an insurance executive, George was sent for training as a Roman Catholic priest when he was just 16. Frustrated with what he saw as double standards and hypocrisy in the Church, he left the seminary. "I was disillusioned; because there was a lot of difference between percept and practice where the Church was concerned," he said. He was a rebel right from his teen years, and it was a trait that continued for a long time. At 19 itself he began to organise workers in the road transport, as well as hotels in Mangalore. Moving to Bombay in 1949, he led a hard life, sleeping on pavements, till he got a job with a newspaper as a proofreader. Inspired by Ram Manohar Lohia and veteran union leader Placid D'Mello, Fernandes joined the Socialist trade union movement. During the 50s and 60s, he made a name for himself in Mumbai's trade unions, served prison terms fighting on behalf of workers.
Tribute from RSS In his tribute RSS Sarkaryavah Shri Bhaiyaji Joshi said: George Fernandes, a leader who played an important role in Indian politics for many decades, is no more. He was known for his simplicity and integrity in public life. Whether it was strong opposition to the Emergency, or the Pokharan nuclear tests, or the Kargil war, it was his speciality to take bold decisions and to ensure that they have been decisively implemented. Apart from his commitment to democracy, he was also known for working in tandem with leaders of all ideological hues. As Convenor of the NDA under the leadership of the late Atal Behari Vajpayee, he efficiently brought together parties of different and contradictory ideologies. George Fernandes breathed his last after prolonged illness. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh considers his demise an irreparable loss to the Indian politics. We pray that his atma attains sadgati and that his grieving family may be granted the forbearance to bear the loss.
Foray into Politics
Fernandes shot into limelight during the 1967 general elections when he contested against veteran Congressman SK Patil who was one of the major political leaders at that time, fighting on SSP ticket, he humbled him. His defeat of SK Patil from Bombay South in 1967 earned him the reputation of being a giant killer. In fact Patil never recovered from the shock defeat at the hands of Fernandes and his career went into oblivion. Another act that would make Fernandes more famous was the 1974 Railway strike against the pay and working conditions.
George Fernandes was frank and fearless, forthright & farsighted and represented the best of Indias political leadership. During his long public life, he never deviated from his political ideology. He resisted the Emergency tooth and nail. His simplicity and humility were noteworthy Narendra Modi, Prime Minister A Rebel During Emergency
During the Emergency, Fernandes was one of those who went underground, had an arrest warrant in his name. The Baroda Dynamite case was hatched between Fernandes, Kirit Bhatt, President of Baroda Journalists Union and Vikram Rao, a Times of India staffer. The plan basically was to blow up the dais, at Varanasi where Indira Gandhi was to address a meeting. Fernandes was however arrested on June 10, 1976, at Kolkata and shifted to Tihar Jail, however, was not charge-sheeted. In 1977 elections, he won from Muzzafarpur by a huge margin of 3 lakh votes.
Fernandes was not from Bihar, nor had he been to Muzaffarpur earlier, but he still won by 3 lakh votes from there in 1977 LS elections. He worked as Industries Minister in Janata Party Government, more remembered for his clash with Coke and IBM over FERA violations. As Minister of Railways in VP Singh Government, Fernandes was one of the driving forces behind the Konkan Railway. Konkan Railway Corporation was set up in July 1990, when he was Railway Minister and Sreedharan as its first CMD.
Mr Fernandes was my mentor and guide. It was he who taught me to serve the public and while we all have to go one day; his death has been most painful to me. Not only the nation has lost a noble leader, I have lost my guardian Nitish Kumar, Bihar Chief Minister
When BJP was still an untouchable party, it was George Fernandes who took the lead in allying with it, through his Samata Party. He allied with the BJP in 1996 at a time when barring Akalis and Shiv Sena, no political party was willing to touch it. The irony is that in the Janata Government, Fernandes was the most vocal opponent of RSS, he later became one of BJP's most trusted allies.
As Defence Minister
He served as Defence Minister in NDA Government from 1998-2004. His tenure saw both Pokhran-II and Kargil. As Defence Minister, he made 18 visits to Siachen, also ensured defence would have a higher allocation in the budget. For someone who earlier supported nuclear disarmament, he openly supported Pokhran-II, gave it all the backing needed. As a Defence Minister, he was the one who first called out China as India's main enemy, was then ridiculed for it. But later events proved him true. He is one of the most popular Defence Ministers to date. Many in the Army still regard Fernandes highly, rate him as one of the best Defence Ministers. He was pretty much a hands-on Minister, travelling to units, talking to the jawans. His 18 trips to Siachen itself is a testimony of that. As Defence Minister, he had a running battle with the Babus. There was an incident, when Babus were delaying the purchase of ice scooters for Siachen. He sent 3 of them to Siachen, to understand the conditions first hand.
Fernandes had to also face fake hit jobs by Tehelka, and that put an end to his political career. Apart from his political activities, Fernandes was also an equally good writer, edited Konkani Yuvak, Dockman, Raithavani (Kannada). He was also a polyglot, fluent in 10 languagesKonkani, Tulu, Kannada, English, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Malayalam.
(The article is a compilation of tweets by the writer)
Seems there was a time when the dominant story of punk was the story of British punk. If you knew nothing else, you knew the name Sid Vicious, and that seemed to sum it up. Maybe it was only in the mid-nineties, around the time Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain released Please Kill Me: the Uncensored Oral History of Punk that more people began to popularly understand the lineage of late sixties garage rock, the Velvet Underground, Detroits Iggy and the Stooges, and the early CBGB scene in the mid-seventies crowned by the sound of The Ramones, Patti Smith, Blondie, and Talking Heads.
Now even that story can seem oversimplified, sketched out in brief on the way to discussing the literary triumph of Patti Smith, cultural interventions of David Byrne, career highlights of punk power couple Debbie Harry and Chris Stein, or the many, always fascinating doings of Iggy Pop.
The Ramones roared back into fashion twenty years ago, and the demise of CBGB in 2007 brought on waves of marketing nostalgia of almost Disney-like proportions. Most everyone who pays attention to pop culture now knows that late-seventies punk wasnt a movement that arrived out of nowhere, bent on destroying the past, but a continuity and evolution of earlier forms.
But the Trash Theory video at the top reaches back even earlier than garage bands like the Monks and the Sonicstypically cited as some of the earliest common ancestors of punk and rock and roll. Punk was rock and roll bored down to its bare bones, says the narrator, and begins with a rockabilly artist who called himself The Phantom and tried to outdo Elvis in 1958 with the raucous single Love Me. The Phantom himself may not have embraced the label at all, but like Link Wray, he was still something of a proto-punk. Wrays raunchy, gritty instrumental Rumble, also released in 1958, inspired huge numbers of guitarists and aspiring musicians, including young Iggy Pop, who cities it as a primary reason he joined a band.
From there, were on to elemental tracks like The Kingsmens Louie Louie, The Trashmens Surfin Bird, The Sonics Psycho, The Monks I Hate You, and Loves 7 and 7, all clear progenitors of the sound. And the Mysterians, of garage classic 96 Tears, were the first band to be described as punk by the mainstream press. The Kinks and The Who set templates in Britain while the Velvets perfected sleazy, experimental noise back in New York. The MC5 in Detroit helped bring us The Stooges. The Modern Lovers 1972 Roadrunner launched hundreds of bands.
The video is a convincing short history showing how punk arose naturally from trends in the late 50s and 60s that clearly pointed the way. Like every such history, especially one undertaken in the span of fifteen minutes, it leaves out some pretty heavyweight figures who should have a central place in the narrative. Irritated YouTube commenters have pointed out lapses like The New York Dolls (see them further up in 1973), without whom there would have been no Sex Pistols. (Proto-punk Detroit band Death does get a mention, though their influence is negligible since they went mostly unheard until 2009.)
Also needing inclusion as early punk pioneers are Television (check them out in 78) and Richard Hell and the Voidoids (above in 1980s Blank Generation). And these are just a few missing New York bands. Any devotee of this musical history will come up with a dozen or so more from both sides of the Atlantic who deserve mention in the early history of punk. And thats why, I guess, that popular history keeps getting told and retold. As soon as it starts to get stale, it seems, theres always more to add.
Related Content:
CBGBs Heyday: Watch The Ramones, The Dead Boys, Bad Brains, Talking Heads & Blondie Perform Live (1974-1982)
The History of Punk Rock in 200 Tracks: An 11-Hour Playlist Takes You From 1965 to 2016
Punking Out, a Short 1978 Documentary Records the Beginning of the Punk Scene at CBGBs
Josh Jones is a writer and musician based in Durham, NC. Follow him at @jdmagness
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Watkinsville, GA (30677)
Today
Thunderstorms likely this morning. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. High 82F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..
Tonight
Clear to partly cloudy. Low 62F. Winds light and variable.
While the Trump administration has allowed states to implement work requirements for Medicaid, leading to thousands of vulnerable Americans losing their health coverage, Cuomo has upped protections for at-risk New Yorkers: those living with HIV in New York State can secure a peer certificate that empowers them to pursue voluntary living-wage employment that will not jeopardize the care they need to get and stay well. At Amida Care, we are also working with Cuomo and the Department of Health to potentially allow Special Needs Plans like ours to cover more HIV-negative New Yorkers at a higher risk for contracting HIV, to help dramatically lower new infections across the entire state.
We are heartened that some elected officials have raised their voices in recognition of the dignity of every human being confined at the MDC. But as two people who, collectively, have spent nearly 40 years working on behalf of people confined in prisons and jails in the United States and have represented clients in federal, state and local facilities who have died from lack of medical treatment, whose bones have been broken from assaults by guards, who have been raped in custody and who have spent decades in solitary confinement, we are keenly aware that the conditions documented there are endemic to the everyday experience of people held in this country as pretrial detainees or convicted prisoners.
Harris black girl magic is linked to her most lethal secret weapon: Her deep roots in the black community as a graduate of an HBCU (Historically Black College and University) and as a member of the oldest black Greek-lettered organization for women in the world: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. which, in full disclosure, is also my sorority! Who, by the way, just announced that we will be gifting a total of over $1.6 Million dollars to all of the HBCUs, in an effort to keep such institutions thriving.
There should also be active consideration for New York to become the first state to explicitly grant collective rights for a growing segment of our working population: independent contractors. Unlike employees, individuals classified as independent contractors do not have federally protected rights to engage in collective action to improve their working conditions. Last Friday's NLRB ruling that SuperShuttle airport drivers are not employees with federal protections highlights the need for timely action. To correct the deficiency in the law, New York should consider letting people like Uber and Lyft drivers form and participate in organizations without fear of employer reprisals.
Not only am I a killjoy, Im a hypocrite. Ten years ago I would have been gulping the fragrant clouds, hoping for a freebie buzz. That is, if I made it out of my apartment. I was an old-school stoner: a daily smoker who stayed at home and ordered my high with a side of shame and paranoia. Until I quit for good a decade ago, my studio apartment was a round-the-clock hotbox. Now, every time I scuttle through another weed smog, grimacing and holding my breath, I think, Thats what you get for smoking out all those neighbors! Karmas a harsh toke.
But there are two cautionary notes. Employers should not be gagged. Supervisors should be allowed to speak respectfully without subtle threats about job losses or closures. And a second flag for local authorities is that, while they can and should nudge the parties to negotiate, an ordinance or legal instrument providing for any or all of these features would likely be deemed unconstitutional through the doctrine of preemption, which makes national labor law supreme.
"We can do so much more: Take action on climate change. Defend individual liberties with fair-minded judges. But none of these ambitions are possible without the bedrock guarantee of our right to vote. Lets be clear: voter suppression is real. From making it harder to register and stay on the rolls to moving and closing polling places to rejecting lawful ballots, we can no longer ignore these threats to democracy.
Never mind that he, along with City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, in 2017 signed an effusive letter urging Amazon to set up shop here. Ever since Mayor de Blasio and Gov. Cuomo landed the commitment promising $28 billion in private investment thatll cost taxpayers up to $3 billion, as a small fraction in foregone taxes of the economic benefit generated hes been railing against it at the top of his lungs.
The sculpture is no stranger to vandalism. In 1970, a pipe bomb blew up part of Marxs face. Also, it has been defaced with swastikas and has had emulsion paint tossed on it.
El Chapo has been on trial in federal court in Brooklyn since Nov. 18. He has pleaded not guilty to a 10-count indictment including charges he led the largest drug trafficking organization in the world, trafficked drugs to the U.S. and Canada over a 25-year period, conspired to murder his enemies and other charges.
Here you have someone who could be deported and yet he is not afraid of taking on Donald Trump, she said. This is the kind of people we want in this country. This is the kind of individual who really makes our city and our nation stronger.
As part of a bold new diplomacy, we continue our historic push for peace on the Korean Peninsula. Our hostages have come home, nuclear testing has stopped and there has not been a missile launch in more than 15 months, Trump said during his address.
WLS-TV(CHICAGO) -- A U.S. postal worker was shot and killed while driving on a major highway in Illinois on Monday night, authorities said.
Tamara Clayton, a 55-year-old mail handler at the Chicago International Military Service Center facility, was on her way to work when she was shot on Interstate 57 just after 10 p.m. local time. She lost control of her vehicle and crashed into the center median. She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Illinois State Police.
Clayton, a resident of Country Club Hills, Illinois, had worked for the United States Postal Service since 1993.
"The Postal Service is deeply saddened on hearing of this tragedy and share our thoughts and prayers with the family," a USPS spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News.
Clayton's 24-year-old daughter, Jayla Shelton, said she wants justice for her mother.
"I wanted her to retire, I wanted her to see me get married, I wanted her to see me start a family," Shelton told ABC Chicago station WLS-TV in a recent interview. "She is my absolute best friend, and I lost that because someone just decided to just take it away from me."
Clayton was killed about six hours after another shooting on the same expressway wounded a man and two children. A 38-year-old man was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, while a 15-year-old boy and a 12-year-old boy were hospitalized in stable condition. An 8-year-old girl also inside that vehicle was not shot, according to the Illinois State Police.
Sgt. Jacqueline Cepeda of the Illinois State Police told ABC News the two shootings are currently being investigated as separate incidents.
Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Senators voted 70-26 for the amendment sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. The measure says the Islamic State group and al-Qaida militants still pose a serious threat to the United States, and it warns that "a precipitous withdrawal" of U.S. forces from those countries could "allow terrorists to regroup, destabilize critical regions and create vacuums that could be filled by Iran or Russia."
Kirsten Gillibrand is an outstanding Senator and would be an exceptional President," Maloney said in a statement. "I was simply commenting on the importance of winning back previously blue states and having a strategy for doing so. Senator Gillibrand has consistently won over voters across New York, upstate and downstate, rural and urban, as a bold progressive fighter and no one should underestimate her.
I think he sees himself losing on the issues, he sees himself losing on the wall in the southern border, and he needs to grasp at an ad hominem attack, she said. What we need to realize is happening is this is an issue of authoritarian regime versus democracy. In order for him to try to dissuade or throw people off the scent of the trail, he has to really make and confuse the public.
"They've been very behind in their policies, and they're finally recognizing that all people should be treated equally and have equal rights," Ireland said. "It's taken them a long time to realize that, but they're finally recognizing that regardless of sexuality, gender, race, anything, that people should have the same opportunities, and the same opportunities to achieve the Eagle Scout, which opens up so many doors that previously were not available to people that are gay, and women."
I don't think, in the end, theres a lot public servants who want to be responsible for losing 25,000 to 40,000 jobs, de Blasio said Tuesday. Theres a lot of people who like to go to rallies, there's a lot of people who like to offer critiques, and I think there's some bigger real issues here that should be dealt with going forward. But I don't think there's a lot of people who want to lose 25,000 to 40,000 jobs and then have to answer to their constituents.
In 1980, when I was a 19-year-old undergraduate in college, some friends suggested we attend a party dressed like rappers we listened to at the time, like Kurtis Blow, and perform a song. It sounds ridiculous even now writing it, Herring wrote in a statement posted to Twitter. But because of ignorance and glib attitudes and because we did not have an appreciation for the experiences and perspectives of others we dressed up and put on wigs and brown makeup.
Melania Trump invited Delaware sixth-grader Joshua Trump to watch the State of the Union in person after she learned he was bullied in school for his name. He was seated near the First Lady as well as childhood cancer survivor Grace Eline, who both managed to stay awake throughout the Presidents 80-minute remarks.
But we do not succeed alone. In these United States, when times are tough, we can persevere because our friends and neighbors will come for us. Our first responders will come for us.
Artist Jennifer Rubells exhibit features an Ivanka Trump lookalike and wearing a pale pink bell sleeves and heels from the First Daughters line who spends two hours a day vacuuming a plush pink carpet. In front of the carpet is a white pedestal with a giant pile of crumbs for onlookers to toss on the ground, where Trump has to vacuum them up.
Subjects ranged from their 20s to 80, and across all age spans. The results showed the female brains were metabolically younger than their counterparts, revealed the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The man was hospitalized with serious injuries but is expected to make a full recovery. Officials say he needs time to decide whether he will speak out about the ordeal.
The governors proclamation comes in direct conflict to the Presidents claims of a crisis at the border and insistence that a wall is the only way to keep out immigrants; Trump shut down the government for more than a month before conceding that Democrats would not approve a budget with funding for the wall.
"The principal used the opportunity to remind parents and caregivers of the importance of keeping medicines and other items that may be harmful to children locked up to ensure the safety of all students, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District said in a statement Monday.
Getting your seasonal flu shot is your first line of defense against the flu virus, especially if you have underlying medical conditions, said Interim Director Ganesh Shivaramaiyer. Practicing good hygiene which includes frequent hand washing, covering your coughs/sneezes with a tissue or into your elbow and staying home if you have flulike symptoms.
Last night, while waiting to board our plane, @_carterjean_ was being her usual inquisitive self wanting to meet and say hi to everyone she could, until she walked up on this man, Kevin Armentrout posted to Facebook on Saturday.
"My life has forever changed because of Alice Marie Johnson," Kardashian West said in statement. "Her story is a gift that will now reach so many millions more through her book and film. I hope Alice's case is just the beginning of a movement to help those left behind. I am invested in continuing to support Alice and this cause."
Another commented, Watch the Netflix show before you hate. She reintroduces people to their stuff and helps them identify what brings them joy. Hating her makes you look so bad! And that makes me sad.
I wanted her to retire, I wanted her to see me get married, I wanted her to see me start a family. Like she is my absolute best friend and I lost that because someone decided just to take it away from me, her 24-year-old daughter, Jayla Shelton, told the Chicago Tribune.
I'm not saying they want you to do it, but I honestly feel like they can except it. They know there's nothing they can do, they've tried helping, everyone's tried. But there's a point that comes where there isn't anything anyone can do to save you, not even yourself, and you've hit that point and I think your parents know you've hit that point. You said you're mom saw a suicide thing on your computer and she didn't say anything. I think she knows it's on your mind, and she's prepared for it.
I dont think any of us can really know what shes going through but I think that if she has to be with a group of people that will love and support her for the rest of her life, shes in the perfect family to do that, she said.
A Japanese man suspected of stealing as many as 70 pairs of shoes is on trial in the Tokyo suburb of Saitama. The alleged thief, identified by the Japan Times as Makoto Endo, reportedly told cops he gets his kicks by stealing footwear from people of all walks of life.
According to investigators, Timothy Hauschultz, his court-appointed guardian, had ordered Ethan to carry a wooden log, weighing about two-thirds of his body weight, for between 60 and 90 minutes while Damian, Hauschultzs 15-year-old son, hit, kicked, struck and poked the boy, as well as rolled the log across Ethans chest and stood on his head and body while he was lying face-down in a puddle.
The owner took Gigi to the ASPCA the next day, where a vet found the pooch was suffering from a broken right cheekbone and was blinded in her right eye.
It is our understanding that some workers were exposed to elevated levels of carbon monoxide. All work at the site has been halted and first responders are on the scene attending to those affected, the statement reads. At this time our concern is for those who may be injured, and we have personnel on-site to assist the authorities in any way we can.
Gonzalez says that she, Cordova and Stroman were handcuffed. Brownsville is covered by the 73rd Precinct but they were taken to the 67th Precinct, where Grieco is assigned. It was not clear why he was involved in a raid in a precinct in which he does not work, though investigations often cross precinct lines.
Seven Catholic schools across the state, five of them in New York City, will close down by the end of the school year in June, the Archdiocese announced this week.
Patrick Allen the great-grandson of former New York Post owner Dorothy Schiff was slapped with upgraded charges Wednesday for his alleged role in the Jan. 5, 2017 run-in, in the boroughs Charleston section.
Sherman Harrison is arraigned in State Supreme Court on Feb. 5, 2019 in New York. Harrison was charged with second degree murder for allegedly causing the death of 57-year-old Amy Phillipson in a six-car crash on West St. last December. (Alec Tabak for New York Daily News)
Kamilah (Kam) Brock took the stand in her case against the city for the One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest ordeal in September 2014. Cops determined she was emotionally disturbed while she tried to retrieve her impounded BMW. In the psych ward her truthful statements were misinterpreted as delusions, she testified.
An inmate, Donnell Murray, described the crippling anxiety of being unable to reach his attorney because phones were disabled and visits were cut off during the outage. A correction officer took the temperature in his cell and it read around 30 to 40 degrees, he said.
So just looking in the window, this very narrow window, I can see abundant water damage. Towards the back is a rectangular shaped cell. On the ceiling you can see copious amounts of paint peeling and hanging from the ceiling. The ceiling is painted white, but the water damaged area has a kind of golden tone to it. It almost looks like wet tissues hanging from the ceiling, Torres said.
A spokesperson for Queens DA Richard Brown said Court Watchers...and everyone else are welcome in our courts. We will continue to carry out our oaths to enforce the law fairly and equitably for all who come before our courts.
Every cell in your body is rebelling against the status quo and you can't even imagine doing the same thing in exactly the same way today. From a rational perspective, there are areas of your life that are functioning fine and some that may not be doing as well. You might think you must focus on the unsuccessful parts and bring them up to your high standards. Nevertheless, it could be wiser to just walk away from unfinished business now. To paraphrase Toni Morrison, if you want to fly, you must give up what weighs you down.
I'm kind of mutilated in the most worst way a man can be mutilated and I was self-terminated, and I was looking for something that can end it with looking around, John, 51, recalled of the aftermath of the attack.
The Atlanta-based rapper was arrested Sunday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after it emerged he was actually from the UK and was staying in the country with an expired visa, the department said.
His clientele is impressive, as hes done business with Carroll Dunham the dad of Girls creator Lena Dunham as well as famed artists Richard Prince and Matthew Barney, the latter of whom dated Bjork for over a decade, according to The Cut.
Man who pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity for killing 1, permanently disabling another to stay in state custody
Rome, GA (30161)
Today
Thunderstorms this morning, then cloudy skies this afternoon. High 81F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..
Tonight
Clear skies. Low 57F. Winds light and variable.
Cedartown, GA (30125)
Today
Thunderstorms during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High near 80F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..
Tonight
Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 57F. Winds light and variable.
Many of District 79s heavy hitters showed up at Marinatown on Wednesday to mark the opening of a new office designed to serve that constituency.
State Rep. Spencer Roach welcomed dozens of people to his new office, meeting with them, hearing their concerns and posing for photos while they enjoyed refreshments and even heard briefly from the new representative.
Roach sent out invitations to all the civic organizations in the district so they could meet him and learn about things he could help them with.
This is their office. They pay the salary and the rent and I want them to know we work for them and are happy to serve them, Roach said. It isnt an issue-based function, but more of a get-to-know-you session.
Many of those who were invited attended, including Lee County Tax Collector Larry Hart and Roachs predecessor, Matt Caldwell.
Roach, who will attend his first legislative session next month, said he is hearing more about water quality than anything, as local businesses were forced to close during the blue-green algae crisis.
People have short memories. Now that the algae is gone, we dont want to lose focus on this. We want to keep pressing forward for solutions, Roach said. The speed in which the governor is working is breathtaking.
Roach said criminal justice reform and child welfare issues are also on the top of his docket.
Roach chose Marinatown because of its location within the district. Caldwell had an office in Buckingham near the Mosquito District, which was closer to where Caldwell lived but not as centrally located.
The accessibility of the new ofice location impressed many people.
Among them was Becky Lucas, vice president for community outreach for Habitat for Humanity.
The door is always open and he is always making it accessible. From day one he has opened the door to his constituents to anyone who has an issue, Lucas said. Hes attentive, researches issues, responds and follows up.
As for Caldwell, he was also impressed with Spencer and the office.
I think hes going to do a great job in this district. He dedicated himself to the grass roots. Having an office in North Fort Myers is a fantastic thing for the community, Caldwell said. This makes sense, especially with 2020 coming up and the different configuration.
The office is at 3436 Marinatown Lane, Suite 6. The office can be reached at (239) 656-7790.
Are schools safer now than they were a year ago?
The consensus was yes as North Fort Myers High School administrators, representatives from the School District of Lee County and students met for a media event as we approach the one-year anniversary of the school shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland that left 17 dead.
The Lee District has taken an approach that not only delves into the security elements at the schools, but with the students as well through the creation of behaviorial health and threat assessment teams at each campus.
Debbie Diggs, principal at North, said safety and security has always been a focus in Lee County, but the shooting heightened everyones awareness, especially since it happened so close to home and gave everyone the realization it can happen anywhere.
The establishment of the teams has created a human element that is able to root out potential problems students may have that could develop into bigger issues if not addressed, she said.
Any time there is a threat that may be coming, the teams can work together to identify protocols that need to be put in place, Diggs said. The mental health team is geared toward the students by identifying red flags and how we can support the kids.
Natasha Gorman, school psychologist for the school district and a member of both teams, said the district has implemented a system to help assess students to have a formal plan.
We have weekly meetings, see if we have any threats, work with the kids if there are any. Before Parkland, it was much less formal, we would just meet and talk about it. Now, the team knows what steps to take, the process we have to follow. Its more formalized, Gorman said.
Carmen Rey-Gomez, school social worker, who just came to the school, said red flags include isolation, not attending school, and students talking about what someone is saying on social media. She added that students have been more forthcoming with issues since the shooting.
When students are not engaging or maybe experiencing situations off campus that affects their performance, we want to be able to catch that and talk about them, Rae-Gomez said. Students, since Parkland, have become more aware with who they interact with and more likely to report seeing something and make someone aware.
Lori Brooks, assistant director of school counseling and mental health services, said social media plays a big role in the mental state of the individual and early intervention is the key.
Society is more involved with their technology, so we dont see someone and get eyeball to eyeball. Social media can isolate people from each other, Brooks said. Kids dont get a break on social media. They can be bullied and dont get to check out uncles they pull themselves away. It impacts their mental wellness.
At North, Diggs said the school brought on a second student resource officer from the Lee County Sheriffs Office and an extra security person who checks out the parking lots. They created a single point of entry system, and was the first school to have implemented a new security camera system, which will be able to spot problems in nearly every area of the school. Nearly all county high schools have followed that approach.
We have implemented a number of programs that target hardening of the schools, said Rick Parfitt, director of safety and security for the school district. We were already ahead on the target hardening, but the threat assessment and mental health teams were new. That was where I focused my attention because we dont want kids to slip through the cracks.
The teams also have to draw the fine line between what might be a troubled or at-risk student and someone who is just a non-conformist and what kind of security is best. Metal-detectors and razor wire on the fencing is not the answer.
We arent looking at anything other than behavior. If we have people reporting these things, we can intervene, Parfitt said. With metal detectors, students feel less safe because they believe theyre in a more dangerous place.
At North Fort Myers High School, they are trying to be more engaging. The school will hold a Kindness Week designed to help students who may feel isolated come out of their shell and feel more welcomed.
The event will feature a pep rally and a no student eats alone day, with everything with the goal of supporting Parkland while focusing on the motto Once a Red Knight, always a Red Knight, that were a family. A lot of organizations say that. North does it, John Drake, assistant principal.
As for the students, Bridgette Marrero, a junior, lived a stones throw from Stoneman Douglas High School when she was little. The tragedy there had a little deeper meaning to her.
I was immune to it. It was happening so often it was like another shooting. Then I found out the location and it became less of a statistic and more personal, said Marrero, who lived there until she was 4. I love North. All the teachers and staff are supportive. Theyre always trying to make sure everyone is OK.
And are schools safer than they were a year ago?
I would love to say yes, Rey-Gomez said. I still think we have things we need to consider. If I had said yes, we wouldnt have had a shooting since. Its a collective effort, not just certain environments. The kids are stepping up and understanding their role in safety.
Were always trying to improve. You can never get lax on that. When we implement something, we always ask whats next, Diggs said. Theres no place to stop when it comes to kids safety. Every principal would tell you were here to educate our kids. My main job is to keep my staff and kids safe.
Controversial on-air personality, Daddy Freeze is at it again. This time, he ventured to touch the anointed of God, Pastor Enoch Adebo...
Controversial on-air personality, Daddy Freeze is at it again. This time, he ventured to touch the anointed of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG over the recent survival of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo after his helicopter crash-landed in Kabba, Kogi State recently.
In Osinbajos testimonies after surviving the crash, Adeboye prayed for him the night before the crash, which might be the reason God spared his life.
But unrighteous Daddy Freeze has stirred the hornet nest again by mocking then man of God when he insisted that it was not the prayer of Adeboye that saved Osinbajo from the crash.
In several posts on his Instagram page, Daddy Freeze attacked the man of God by making reference to past prayers he prayed that did not come to pass.
He said if Adeboyes prayer saved Osinbajo from the crash, then Miles Monroe who died in a copter crash must have been praying to the devil then, abi?
He (Adeboye) also prayed for Erastus as well, please where is his bank today? He asked.
Before we give credit to Adeboyes prayers for Osinbajos helicopter crash save, lets remember that Bimbo Odukoya and Miles Monroe, both pastors, died in plane crashes. Adeboye also prayed for Jonathan, remember?
Daddy Freeze then went on to cite examples of people who survived crashes without being prayed for.
In 1972, Vesna Vulovic fell from 33,000 feet, which is the cruising altitude of a Port Harcourt bound Lagos flight. She survived without Adeboyes prayers and went on to live a normal life.
In 1971, Juliane Koepcke, while strapped to her airplane seat fell (10,500 ft) into the Amazon Rain Forest. She survived the fall without Adeboyes prayers & was then able to walk through the jungle for 10 days till she was rescued, he stated.
President Donald Trump urged Americans to come together Tuesday in a State of the Union speech seeking to turn the page on two years of divisive turmoil and transform him into a bipartisan national leader.
But opposition Democrats almost instantly rejected the overture, while Trumps steadfast insistence on building US-Mexico border walls promised new political strife in the near future.
At times joking, at times impassioned, Trump told Congress and a huge television audience that we must reject the politics of revenge, resistance, and retribution and embrace the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise, and the common good.
On foreign policy, Trump reaffirmed his determination to get US troops out of Afghanistan and Syria as quickly as possible. And he announced he would extend his trailblazing personal diplomacy with North Korea by meeting reclusive leader Kim Jong Un on February 27-28 in Vietnam.
Trump touted what he hopes will remain his strongest card with voters the hottest economy anywhere in the world. He also called for a bipartisan push to eradicate the AIDS epidemic in the United States in a decade.
But the key aim in the speech, littered with soaring rhetoric and interrupted continuously by applause from the Republicans, was to announce a new, more inclusive presidential tone ahead of Trumps 2020 reelection bid.
The problem is that in two years of his administration Trump has driven an already polarized country into bitter, even violent debate over almost every aspect of politics.
The divide was stark from the moment Trump entered the House of Representatives chamber, with Republicans scrumming to shake his hands, but most Democrats keeping out of the way.
And the moment Trump swung onto his favourite topic of building a wall on the Mexican border to stop an onslaught of illegal immigrants, Democrats angrily shook their heads. A decision by Democrat women to wear white, in honour of the early 20th-century suffragette movement, was seen as a visual rebuke of Trump.
Troops of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) on Monday repelled an attack on Tse-Tseghem village in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State...
Troops of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) on Monday repelled an attack on Tse-Tseghem village in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.
It was gathered that the village and other surrounding rural communities came under coordinated attacks by gunmen who were repelled by the soldiers.
The Force Commander, OPWS, Major-General Adeyemi Yekini confirmed to newsmen in Makurdi on Tuesday.
Wole Soyinka, Nobel laureate, has accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo of protecting and rewarding killers of Bola Ige, former m...
Wole Soyinka, Nobel laureate, has accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo of protecting and rewarding killers of Bola Ige, former minister of justice and attorney-general of the federation.
In a statement on Tuesday titled Trivialise corruption, Neutralise justice, Soyinka said the Nigerian government had refused the offer of assistance from the United States to bring the killers to justice.
The Noble laureate lamented the high rate of impunity and corruption in the country which have been trivialised to score dismissive political points.
Commenting on the crisis rocking the judiciary in regards to the suspension of Walter Onnoghen, former chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), the foremost playwright said he was concerned with recent happenings, adding that the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) had lost its collective voice in rectifying the situation.
Soyinka further accused President Muhammadu Buhari of lacklustre, hands-off approach in handling the menace of killer herdsmen which has reduced the country to slaughter fields.
It is heartening news that some 20 CONCERNED LAWYERS have come together to undertake the mission of cleaning up the Aegean stables that seem to pass today for the Nigerian Judiciary, Soyinka said.
Some of us do need an institution to which we can look up, of which we should even live in awe. Some find that in religious institutions, others in traditional fixtures, some even in family and so on.
All agree that the Order of Justice is a pre-eminent candidate for collective regard and even self-regulation. No matter, we all know that, without Justice, society unravels at the seams, and its citizens resort to self-help.
Impunity stalks the land, indeed it is virtually lording it all social interstices. Let no one take my word for it simply turn the pages of the media any day. Impunitys ravages churn the mind. Somehow, this nation and here again we turn to our learned friends this nation generally failed to recognize, much less learn from the murder and enabling implications of the unsolved murder of Bola Ige, the nations Attorney-General and Minister of Justice. The Bar Association accepted the casual disposition of its erstwhile captain and has understandably perhaps? moved on. For some of us however, the files are not closed.
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The Enugu State Police Command said it had arrested and commenced investigations on two ladies who allegedly abducted a child in Udenu L...
The Enugu State Police Command said it had arrested and commenced investigations on two ladies who allegedly abducted a child in Udenu Local Government of Area of the state.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the command, SP Ebere Amaraizu, said in a statement on Wednesday in Enugu that the two ladies were arrested on Feb. 4.
Amaraizu said that the ladies were arrested by police operatives in Udenu Division who acted swiftly following intelligence information about the child/baby abducting and selling syndicate.
The PPRO alleged that the suspects were trying to abduct a child coming out from a certain Nursery/Primary School located at Imilike Ani community in Udenu Local Government Area before police operatives arrested them.
Following their arrest, the suspects had revealed how they carried out abduction of a four-year-old school boy identified as Ugwu Levi Chiagozie from another Nursery/Primary School also located at Imilike Ani community on Jan. 18.
They later handed over the four-year-old schoolboy to a nurse in Anambra State for sale.
Recovered from the suspects are little childrens wears, biscuits, chin chin, candies and other items that allegedly can be used to entice little children, he said.
Amaraizu said that the suspects had been helping the police operatives in their ongoing investigations.
The Independent National Electoral Commission in Lagos on Wednesday said that over 5 . 5 million Permanent Voter Cards had been collected ...
The Independent National Electoral Commission in Lagos on Wednesday said that over 5 . 5 million Permanent Voter Cards had been collected by registered voters in the state.INEC Public Relations Officer in Lagos State , Mr . Femi Akinbiyi , disclosed this in an interview with the Newsmen in Lagos.Akinbiyi said the number of registered voters in the state stood at 6 , 566 , 136 and urged those yet to pick up their cards to do so before it would be too late. There are still so many PVCs yet to be collected at the INEC offices in the 20 local government areas of the state. We are also appealing to all registered voters who are yet to pick up their PVCs to do so before it will be too late for the 2019 general elections. Ample opportunities have been given to all eligible voters who registered for PVCs to collect them. I want to urge the people to create time to collect their cards, Akinbiyi said.He said that the commission was set for the elections , saying that INEC had started moving non - sensitive materials to all INEC offices in each council area.According to him , the commission will meet with stakeholders on Feb . 12 on INEC preparations for the polls.It was gathered that the Presidential and National Assembly Elections will hold on Feb . 16 while the governorship and house of assembly elections will hold on March 2.( NAN)
Peter Obi, running mate of Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says the country will collaps...
Peter Obi, running mate of Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says the country will collapse if President Muhammadu Buhari is reelected.
PUNCH quoted Obi as saying this on Tuesday while speaking with journalists on a roadshow in Akwa, Anambra state.
The vice-presidential candidate reportedly said the election is about the future of our children.
He said the government of All Progressives Congress (APC) does not have the capacity to govern the country.
We are on a roadshow trying to send our message to Nigerians. We are telling them that the election is about the future of our children, Obi said.
not only in the south-east because the people have seen the reality of the moment. We are encouraged by our endorsement everywhere,not only in the south-eastbecause the people have seen the reality of the moment.
They have seen that the present government doesnt have the capacity to govern Nigeria.
They have seen that this country will collapse under Buhari if allowed to continue. We have a country that is collapsing. So, everybody should be part of this endorsement.
According to him, Nigeria is the third most insecure country in the world.
We have a situation where we record growing insecurity daily. Weve now moved from number seven to number three insecure country in the world after Afghanistan and Iraq, he said.
Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state, has dismissed criticisms which trailed the threats he issued to foreigners over the forthcom...
Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state, has dismissed criticisms which trailed the threats he issued to foreigners over the forthcoming elections.
When he featured on NTA on Tuesday, the governor said foreigners planning to interfere with the countrys election will leave in body bags. Body bags are used to convey corpses.
The comment had sparked an outrage, with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) calling on the international community to impose travel ban on the governor.
But in a statement which Samuel Aruwan, his spokesman, issued on his behalf on Wednesday, el-Rufai said there was nothing bad about the utterance he made.
When Malam Nasir El-Rufai appeared on NTAs Tuesday Night Live, he made comments every patriot can understand. He stood up for Nigerias dignity in the wake of those who would traduce their country and reduce it to the status of a colony in their vain quest for power, the statement read.
The video of his comments is in circulation. Any fair-minded person with modest familiarity with the English language and unimpaired comprehension can understand it. It does not contain any call for violence. What it is a powerful defence of sovereignty. Are some sections of our political class implying that they will acquiesce in or collaborate with foreign intervention in our country?
El-Rufai said he never called for violence but warned of the consequences of undue interference.
Affirming that a country will defend itself against needless intervention is the kind of statement you expect to hear from a patriot. It is not a call for violence. Warning about the consequences of meddling in another countrys affairs is legitimate, he said.Malam Nasir El-Rufai has issued a powerful call for vigilance and a clear notice that other countries should not mistake the supine posture of the opposition for national weakness.
El-Rufai has stood firmly against those who have been trying to divide Nigerians on ethnic and religious lines. He is resolutely opposed to violence, and firmly committed to peace and harmony.
The first national spokesperson for the Coalition of United Political Parties, Imo Ugochinyere, in a statement said the CUPP had uncove...
The first national spokesperson for the Coalition of United Political Parties, Imo Ugochinyere, in a statement said the CUPP had uncovered a plan by the EFCC to arrest the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen on Wednesday (Today).
The secretariat of the CUPP has uncovered the latest plot by the Presidency to arrest the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen tomorrow (Wednesday) being February 6, 2019, and immediately commence their final descent to infamy by forcing him to resign at gunpoint.
The latest recruit in this plot against the CJN being the Chairman of the EFCC has been given the mandate to execute this plot and has been told there would be no margin for error as the CJN must resign from office or from life one way or the other, Ugochinyere claimed.
But the acting spokesman for EFCC, Tony Orilade, said he was not aware of plans to arrest Onnoghen.
I dont have any information on any plan to arrest him. I am not aware of anything like that, he said.
In a related development, the CUPP on Tuesday alleged that it had uncovered a plan by the Federal Government to force Onnoghen to resign at gunpoint.
It said the decision was taken after Onnoghen turned down all mouth-watering offers made to him.
Ugochinyere disclosed this in a statement in Abuja.
Shehu Sani, lawmaker representing Kaduna central senatorial district, says President Muhammadu Buhari has surrounded himself with culp...
Shehu Sani, lawmaker representing Kaduna central senatorial district, says President Muhammadu Buhari has surrounded himself with culprits.
In a Twitter post on Wednesday, the senator said those who worked for the third term agenda of former President Olusegun Obasanjo are presently in the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He added that those who facilitated the sales of national assets are with the president.
the ex VP,aided and facilitated the auction of our national assets, are in your house. You are in company of the Culprits in the crime you denounce, Sani tweeted. Dear Baba,those who work for that Objs third term are now in your party;those who worked with
The senator was reacting to a statement by Buhari at a presidential rally in Akure, Ondo state capital, that he is only seeking a second term not a third term like Obasanjo.
Chief Magistrate Olufunke Sule-Amzat of the Ikeja Magistrates Court in Lagos, on Monday, sentenced a 38-year-old mother, Vivian Onyekac...
Chief Magistrate Olufunke Sule-Amzat of the Ikeja Magistrates Court in Lagos, on Monday, sentenced a 38-year-old mother, Vivian Onyekachukwu, to two weeks of community service for assaulting her eight-year-old daughter.
Vivian was sentenced after she pleaded guilty to the charge of unlawful assault.
Delivering her judgement, Sule-Amzat held that Vivian should spend two hours daily for two weeks doing community service, adding that it would serve as a deterrent to others, who were fond of abusing children physically and emotionally.
She advised the convict to change her behaviour and desist from committing such crime.
Earlier, the police prosecutor, Inspector Benson Emuerhi, had told the court that the defendant committed the offence on January 30, 2019, around 9.30pm at her residence, No. 12 Sobowale Street, Cole bus stop, Moshalasi, Alagbado area of Lagos.
Emuerhi said neighbours, who heard the cry of the daughter, reported the case to the police at the Alakuko Division and it was later transferred to the gender section.
It was alleged that the convict usually assaulted her children by beating them, leading to bodily injuries.
The defendant beat her eight-year-old daughter with a stick, causing her to sustain grievous bodily harm on the right hand, Emuerhi stated.
Ahead of next weeks general elections, some civil society organizations under the aegis of Coalition Against Electoral Violence and Sav...
Ahead of next weeks general elections, some civil society organizations under the aegis of Coalition Against Electoral Violence and Save Bayelsa Group, Wednesday, called on appropriate authorities in the country to prosecute those involved in electoral violence in the last general elections.
The groups specifically called for the prosecution of politicians accused of perpetrating violence in the 2015/2016 election in Bayelsa State.
They also unveiled a report on Election Violence in the 2015/2016 Bayelsa Governorship Election produced after assessment of the violence which trailed the election, charging appropriate authorities to prosecute those involved.
Addressing a journalist in Lagos on Wednesday, the Convener of the coalition, Comrade Olufemi Lawson and the Secretary, Atani Isaac raised alarm over what he called stockpiling of arms ahead of the elections.
They noted that already there is tension across the country even especially the Niger Delta states, saying only the prosecution of 2015 offenders would stop people from committing similar offences in the 2019 elections.
A member of the coalition, Ologun Ayodeji who read the text of the conference said the 2015 election in Bayelsa witnessed an unimaginable height of the violence, unleashed on the innocent people of the State, leading to the death of many, with unquantifiable properties destroyed.
He said the report presented captured audio and visual recordings and testimonies of the victims of the violence that marred the conduct of the election in Southern Ijaw local government and some other parts of the State during the election.
We witnessed a situation where harmless citizens were molested, attacked and harassed with a lot of complicity on the part of those, who ordinarily are supposed to protect them.
They decried the fact that in spite of the detailed report of 2015/2016 electoral violence submitted to the Bayelsa State, FG and International Agencies, nothing has been done to arrest and prosecute offenders.
He said, As this crucial election gets closer, we have found it extremely imperative to inform Nigerians and the international community, about the likelihood of violence in some parts of the country, if the necessary checks are not undertaken by the Federal government and various authorities across our land.
This clarion call becomes inevitable at this point, as we have come to the realization, that elections should no longer be seen as wars and that whosoever engages in the destruction of properties and lives of our people, during the election period, is made to bear the consequences of his or her actions.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has threatened to pull out of the peace accord it signed for the elections. In December, Presid...
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has threatened to pull out of the peace accord it signed for the elections.
All Progressives Congress (APC) and Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, joined flagbearers of other parties to commit to peace in the elections. In December, President Muhammadu Buhari of theAll Progressives Congress (APC) and Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, joined flagbearers of other parties to commit to peace in the elections.
But in a statement on Wednesday, the opposition party said after due consideration of comments, threats and incendiary actions by the APC and the Buhari Presidency, which are directly inimical to a peaceful, free and fair election, the PDP is left with no option than to consider a review of its signatory in the national peace accord, if no action is immediately taken to curb this trend.
The party criticised Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state, for saying foreign powers who interfere in Nigerias elections will return to their countries in body bags. Body bags are used to convey corpses.
While expressing shock over the comment, the party called on the international community to immediately impose travel ban on el-Rufai.
Nigerians are still in a shock over comments by the Governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, who declared on a national television that members of the global democratic institutions that are working for a peaceful election in Nigeria will return to their countries in body bags. What a threat? the party said in a statement signed by Kola Ologbondiyan, its spokesman.
We call on the international community to immediately impose a travel ban on el-Rufai for this inciting comment against peaceful elections in our country.
PDP also kicked against the decision of the police to redeploy Kayode Egbetokun, a police commissioner, in Kwara state.
Ibrahim Idris, former inspector-general of police, had been directed Egbetokun to take over Lagos police command but Mohammed Adamu, the acting IGP reversed the appointment less than 24 hours after taking control of the force.
The opposition party said as a former chief security office (CSO to Bola Tinubu, a national leader of the APC, Egbetokun will be protecting the interest of the ruling party in Kwara where Senate President Bukola Saraki is from.
Also of particular note is the plot to redeploy, a former Chief Security Officer to APC leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, CP Kayode Egbetokun, as Kwara state Commissioner of Police, where he has been handed the instruction to incite the people, cause pandemonium and pave the way for outright rigging in favour of President Buhari and all other candidates on the platform of APC, the statement read
This is in line with plans by the Buhari Presidency and the APC to effect a mass deployment of top security officers, particularly the police, to intimidate, harass and manhandle Nigerians that will not support the self-succession bid of President Muhammadu Buhari as well as aiding APC thugs to snatch ballot boxes and orchestrate violence in the elections.
Nigerians are aware of how CP Kayode Egbetokun was posted to Lagos state by the disgraced former Inspector General of Police, Idris Ibrahim, to serve the same partisan interest and how that posting was stopped by the new IGP Adamu Mohammed. Now, he is being redeployed to Kwara state for the same ignoble plot.
It is necessary to state that the PDP is a party of peace and we are committed to the peace accord. However, the deployment of the Kayode Egbetokun as Kwara CP directly negates the principle of the Peace Accord and can only hurt the fragile peace that currently exists in Kwara state.
We wish to remind the acting Inspector General, Adamu Mohammed that his acceptability among Nigerians across party line was based on the pedigree, which was presented to Nigerians before his appointment.
Online DNA search leads woman to 15 half-siblings she never knew she had
Japan's Finance Minister Taro Aso has reluctantly apologised for saying childless people are to blame for the country's rising social security costs and its aging and declining population.
"If it made some people feel uncomfortable, I apologise," Aso said on Tuesday after drawing complaints over a comment he made during the weekend at a seminar in Fukuoka, his constituency in southwestern Japan.
The gaffe-prone Aso, a 78-year-old former prime minister, is among conservative politicians in Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government who have at times blamed the elderly or childless for long-term demographic trends.
"There are lots of strange people who say the elderly people are to blame, but that is wrong. The problem is those who don't have children," he told the audience.
The comment was nearly the same as one he made in 2014 that also drew criticism. Others have made similar comments that many found offensive. In 2007, former health minister Hakuo Yamagisawa called women "birth-giving machines". In 2017, another senior ruling party politician, Akiko Santo, said the government should consider awarding women who produced four or more children.
According to the latest government statistics, the number of births in 2018 fell to 921,000, the lowest since Japan began recording such statistics in 1899. Japan's total population fell by 448,000 people, a record decline, to 126 million. It is forecast to fall below 100 million by 2050, barring a huge influx of immigrants.
As of 2017, Japanese women on average gave birth to 1.43 children during their lifetimes. That compares with nearly 1.8 in the US and Britain.
His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa yesterday received Jordanian Crown Prince His Royal Highness Prince Al Hussain bin Abdullah II who conveyed to him the greetings and respect of King Abdullah II and his best wishes of further progress and prosperity to the Bahraini people.
His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Premier, was present. HM, the King welcomed the Jordanian Crown Prince and asked him to convey his greetings to King Abdullah II as well as his best wishes of more progress and prosperity to the Jordanian people. His Majesty stressed deep-rooted historic fraternal ties binding both countries and their perpetual growth at all levels.
The King lauded the efforts of King Abdullah II to boost bilateral relations, praising the honorable stances of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan towards Bahrain. His Majesty also commended Jordans historical role in defending the interests of the Arab nation and supporting pan-Arab work.
HM, the King hailed the role and competence of the Jordanian Arab Army and its substantial contribution since the establishment of Bahrain Defence Force. His Majesty underscored the importance of the Jordanian Crown Princes visit to Bahrain in bolstering bilateral relations and co-operation.
HM, the King conferred the King Hamad Order of the Renaissance, First Class, on HRH Prince Al Hussain bin Abdullah II in tribute for his tremendous efforts and contributions. The Jordanian Crown Prince congratulated HM the King on the 51st anniversary of the establishment of Bahrain Defence Force, expressing heartfelt thanks and gratitude for the medal and the gracious welcome and hospitality.
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Paige Drobny of Ester speaks with media after reaching Dawson City, the half-way point of the 2019 Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race. Drobney rounded out the first five mushers into Dawson, with only a few hours standing between her and the lead musher. Feb. 5, 2019. Robin Wood/News-Miner
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(Newser) Alabama may be violating the religious rights of a Muslim inmate set for execution by refusing to allow an imam at his death, a federal court said Wednesday in blocking the lethal injection. The 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals granted an indefinite stay for Dominique Ray, 42, a day before he was scheduled to die for the slaying of a teenager more than two decades ago, the AP reports. A three-judge panel of judges wrote that it was "exceedingly loath to substitute our judgment on prison procedures." But, they added that it "looks substantially likely to us that Alabama has run afoul of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment." The state said it would appeal. Ray was convicted in the fatal stabbing of a 15-year-old Tiffany Harville, who disappeared from her Selma home in July 1995. Her decomposing body was found in a field a month later.
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The Alabama chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said it supported Ray's bid to have an Islamic leader present. "We welcome this decision and hope Mr. Ray will ultimately be provided equal access to spiritual guidance," Ali Massoud, government affairs coordinator for CAIR-Alabama, said in a statement. Alabama allows inmates to visit with their spiritual adviser before an execution, and they can have the adviser witness the execution from a room adjoining the execution chamber. But the state only allows the Christian prison chaplain and a corrections officer in the room during the lethal injection, the AP explains. Ray objected and asked for a Muslim cleric to be present. The state said it would not allow a non-prison employee in the execution chamber due to security reasons, but that the execution could proceed without the Christian chaplain in the room. The federal appeals court said the case merited review.
(Read more capital punishment stories.)
(Newser) Virginia's political mess continues to get messier: The woman who says Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax sexually assaulted her in 2004 has now revealed graphic details of what she says occurred. Vanessa Tyson, a politics professor at Scripps College in California, released a lengthy statement via the law firm representing herthe same firm that represented Christine Blasey Ford, CNBC reports. She says that after meeting at the Democratic National Convention, where they were both working, and having a few "cordial" interactions, they ended up engaging in "consensual kissing" in Fairfax's hotel room. But things quickly took a dark turn. "As I cried and gagged, Mr. Fairfax forced me to perform oral sex on him," the statement reads.
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"I cannot believe, given my obvious distress, that Mr. Fairfax thought this forced sexual act was consensual," it continues. "To be very clear, I did not want to engage in oral sex with Mr. Fairfax and I never gave any form of consent." She explains that she buried the memories for years, but started telling friends about the incident after she saw an article about Fairfax's campaign for lieutenant governor in 2017. Fairfax has insisted the encounter was consensual, but has not yet responded to the latest statement, though he had issued his own lengthy statement earlier Wednesday denying the accusations, the Washington Post reports. Fairfax is second in line to the governorship, which is of note because Gov. Ralph Northam is currently facing calls to resign over a blackface scandal. (The third in line to the governorship has a blackface scandal of his own.)
(Newser) The "texting suicide" case made it all the way to the highest level of Massachusetts' judicial systembut the state's top court upheld Michelle Carter's conviction Wednesday. Carter, now 22, was convicted of manslaughter after urging her 18-year-old boyfriend, Conrad Roy, to kill himself in 2014, when she was 17. A suicidal Roy, with Carter's goading, climbed back into his carbon-monoxide filled truck after stepping out, and ultimately died. The seven-member Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, in a unanimous verdict, found that Carter did indeed "badger" and "constantly pressure" Roy to go through with the suicide, Reuters reports.
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"The evidence against the defendant proved that, by her wanton or reckless conduct, she caused the victims death by suicide," reads the decision. Carter's team had argued her conviction violated her first amendment right to free speech, but the court found that she was not being punished for just words but for "reckless or wanton words causing death." The court also ruled Carter had a duty to contact authorities or Roy's parents when she knew he was harming himself, the AP reports. Carter had been ordered to serve 15 months of a 2 1/2-year sentence in prison, but she has been free, with the sentence on hold, during the appeal process. Her lawyer says he may now appeal to the US Supreme Court. (Much more on the case here.)
(Newser) Michael B. Jordan received high praise for his role as Black Panther's supervillain, but he wasn't feeling so hot after filming wrapped. "Therapy, just talking to somebody just helped me out a lot," the 31-year-old actor tells Oprah Winfrey in a SuperSoul Conversations interview to air Feb. 16 on OWN. Jordan says he dug into "pain and rage and all those emotions from being black and brown here in America" to prepare for the role of Erik Killmonger, per USA Today. Black Panther is "an extreme, exaggerated version of the African diaspora from the African-American perspective," he adds. "That was something I didn't take lightly."
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"I shut out love" while preparing for the role, believing Killmonger would've lived an isolated childhood, but going from that mindset back to normal life was hard, Jordan says: "I wanted to be in this lonely place as long as I could." Enter therapy: "As a man you get a lot of slack for [going to therapy]" but "everyone needs to unpack and talk." At least he'll be better prepared for round two. On the red carpet of last month's Screen Actors Guild Awards, cast member Angela Bassett hinted the entire Black Panther ensemble would be returning for a rumored sequel. "Just go ahead and say it, yes. Everyone will be there," her husband, Courtney B. Vance, chimed in, per Polygon. "Even Michael B." (The actor was among the first to adopt inclusion riders.)
(Newser) A nurse facing criminal charges in the rape of an incapacitated woman who later gave birth at a long-term care facility in Phoenix pleaded not guilty Tuesday. The only comments by Nathan Dorceus Sutherland came when he identified himself to the court and stated his birthdate, the AP reports. Afterward, Sutherland's attorney vowed a vigorous defense, but declined to answer questions from reporters. Authorities say Sutherland, 36, was working as a licensed practical nurse at Hacienda Healthcare in Phoenix when he raped the 29-year-old victim, who has been in long-term care since age 3 after suffering a near-drowning. She gave birth to a boy at the facility on Dec. 29. Employees said they had no idea she was pregnant.
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Investigators say Sutherland's DNA matched a sample from the woman's newborn boy, who is being cared for by her family. Sutherland, who was shackled and carrying a legal pad during the arraignment hearing, pleaded not guilty to charges of sexual abuse and abuse of a vulnerable adult. Hacienda fired Sutherland after his arrest. He has since given up his nursing license. He remains jailed on a $500,000 bond. Sutherland attorney David Gregan declined to comment on the DNA evidence. Prosecutors asked a judge on Friday to order that Sutherland be tested for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. A judge hasn't yet ruled on the request. (The woman's parents say she has "significant intellectual disabilities," but is not in a coma.)
(Newser) Jennifer Lawrence has confirmed her engagement to boyfriend Cooke Maroney, days after she was seen wearing a "massive" ring while celebrating in a New York City restaurant. "It was a giant rock. They seemed like they were celebrating and people were talking about it," a source tells Page Six. "The ring was very noticeable." A rep for the 28-year-old Hunger Games star confirmed the engagement to People, though no wedding date has been set. The 34-year-old Maroney, an art dealer and director at New York's Gladstone Gallery, has been dating Lawrence since she broke up with director Darren Aronofsky last year, Vulture reports. (Read more Jennifer Lawrence stories.)
(Newser) Investigators of the plane crash that killed five in Southern California on Sunday may have inadvertently run across a 40-year-old theft. Though the deceased pilot of the 1981 twin-engine Cessna 414A was at first described as a retired Chicago police officer, authorities in that city say a metal police star badge Antonio Pastini was carrying wasn't his. NBC News reports it was stolen in 1978, while the AP describes it as lost. On top of that, a police ID in Pastini's name has "never been a design ever issued by the Chicago Police Department" and appears to be "fictitiously created," a police rep tells NBC. Born Jordan Isaacson, 75-year-old Pastini was on a solo trip home to Nevada after visiting his daughter and granddaughter. "We ended up having lunch and ice cream" and "he promised that he would call," Julia Ackley tells KTLA. "He never called."
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The commercial pilot's plane crashed into a home in Yorba Linda shortly after takeoff from Fullerton Municipal Airport. Four peoplea husband, wife, daughter, and son-in-lawdied in a resulting fire, while three others were injured, per CNN. Witnesses said the plane broke apart during a fast descent. CNN reports about 15 to 16 homes were hit with debris across four blocks. Collecting all of that evidence poses a big challenge for National Transportation Safety Board investigators, who are also looking into the plane's maintenance records and Pastini's pilot history. Photos of the wreckage, apparently showing wings detached from the cabin, suggest the loss of horizontal stabilizers or aerodynamic balance, a veteran crash investigator tells the AP, though he cautions against making assumptions at this stage. (More on the crash here.)
(Newser) President Trump stressed bipartisan unity in his State of the Union address Tuesday night, but he also made a big push for his border wall and his immigration policies. Here is the transcript, via the Washington Post. Some highlights:
Investigations: Trump derided "ridiculous partisan investigations," saying only they and "foolish wars" can stop the "economic miracle" in the US. "If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation," he said. "It just doesn't work that way."
Trump derided "ridiculous partisan investigations," saying only they and "foolish wars" can stop the "economic miracle" in the US. "If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation," he said. "It just doesn't work that way." The wall: In the past, most of the people in this room voted for a wall, but the proper wall never got built. I will get it built."
In the past, most of the people in this room voted for a wall, but the proper wall never got built. I will get it built." Immigration: "Tolerance for illegal immigration is not compassionate; it is cruel." He also said that "we have a moral duty to create an immigration system that protects the lives and jobs of our citizens."
"Tolerance for illegal immigration is not compassionate; it is cruel." He also said that "we have a moral duty to create an immigration system that protects the lives and jobs of our citizens." Unity: "Together, we can break decades of political stalemate. We can bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions, forge new solutions, and unlock the extraordinary promise of Americas future." Early in the speech, Trump declared that "victory is not winning for our party. Victory is winning for our country."
"Together, we can break decades of political stalemate. We can bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions, forge new solutions, and unlock the extraordinary promise of Americas future." Early in the speech, Trump declared that "victory is not winning for our party. Victory is winning for our country." War: If I had not been elected President of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea." Trump announced he'd be meeting Kim Jong Un in Vietnam later this month.
If I had not been elected President of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea." Trump announced he'd be meeting Kim Jong Un in Vietnam later this month. Abortion: "And then we had the case of the governor of Virginia, where he stated he would execute a baby after birth." (He was referring to this controversy over a failed late-term abortion bill.) "To defend the dignity of every person, I am asking Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mother's womb."
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A promise: Americans "are born free, and we will stay free. Tonight, we renew our resolve that America will never be a socialist country."
Americans "are born free, and we will stay free. Tonight, we renew our resolve that America will never be a socialist country." Drug prices: "It is unacceptable that Americans pay vastly more than people in other countries for the exact same drugs, often made in the exact same place. This is wrong, unfair, and together we can stop it."
"It is unacceptable that Americans pay vastly more than people in other countries for the exact same drugs, often made in the exact same place. This is wrong, unfair, and together we can stop it." Trade: "To build on our incredible economic success, one priority is paramount: reversing decades of calamitous trade policies."
"To build on our incredible economic success, one priority is paramount: reversing decades of calamitous trade policies." Sentencing: "Last year, I heard through friends the story of Alice Johnson. I was deeply moved. In 1997, Alice was sentenced to life in prison as a first-time non-violent drug offender. Over the next two decades, she became a prison minister, inspiring others to choose a better path Alices story underscores the disparities and unfairness that can exist in criminal sentencing and the need to remedy this injustice."
"Last year, I heard through friends the story of Alice Johnson. I was deeply moved. In 1997, Alice was sentenced to life in prison as a first-time non-violent drug offender. Over the next two decades, she became a prison minister, inspiring others to choose a better path Alices story underscores the disparities and unfairness that can exist in criminal sentencing and the need to remedy this injustice." The troops: "As a candidate for president, I pledged a new approach. Great nations do not fight endless wars."
"As a candidate for president, I pledged a new approach. Great nations do not fight endless wars." Unity, II: This is the time to rekindle the bonds of love and loyalty and memory that link us together as citizens, as neighbors, as patriots. This is our futureour fateand our choice to make. I am asking you to choose greatness. No matter the trials we face, no matter the challenges to come, we must go forward together.
(Read more State of the Union Address stories.)
(Newser) Hours before President Trump was to deliver his State of the Union address Tuesday, the Senate once again made clear it disagrees with him on Syria and Afghanistan. In a 77-23 vote, senators approved a Middle East policy bill that will be sent to the House; it includes a provision warning the president against the "precipitous" withdrawal of troops from the aforementioned countries and asks that the White House first make sure an "enduring defeat" of al-Qaeda and ISIS is imminent, the Hill reports. It also imposes new sanctions on Syria and increases US military alliances with Syria neighbors Israel and Jordan, CNN reports.
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Just one Republican senator, Rand Paul, voted against the bill; the amendment urging Trump not to withdraw troops was actually authored by Mitch McConnell, which CNN calls "a rare rebuke of the president by a GOP leader." The amendment had also been referred to in those terms when it cleared a filibuster last week. But Republican Sen. Jim Risch, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, says it's not accurate to call the move a "rebuke," adding that "nothing could be further from the truth." (Here's what Trump had to say back to the Senate after last week's vote.)
bodnarchuk/iStock(NEW YORK) -- Over $190 million in deposits have disappeared into the ether after the CEO of Canadas largest cryptocurrency exchange took the password to his grave.
As a result, on Tuesday, a Vancouver court may appoint auditors Ernst & Young to act as an independent third party to oversee proceedings for Quadriga CX. The company applied for creditor protection in the Nova Scotia Supreme Court on Jan. 31 after delays and the inability to complete transactions.
For the past weeks, we have worked extensively to address our liquidity issues, a company letter says. Unfortunately, these efforts have not been successful.
Quadriga's problems accelerated when CEO Gerald Cotten died unexpectedly at the age of 30 from Crohn's disease while traveling in India on Dec. 9. His death was announced Jan. 14 on the company's Facebook page by his widow, Jennifer Robertson, who also serves as the executor of his estate.
The problem is that Cotten was the only person who knew the password to access up to $190 million in customer funds. The money is now unavailable and some of it may be lost, according to court filings by Robertson.
"The laptop computer from which Gerry [Cotten] carried out the Companies' business is encrypted, and I do not know the password or recovery key, Robertson said in her filed affidavit. She even hired an expert, who was unable to break through the encryption to access the funds.
The news was first reported by Coindesk on Friday.
Cryptocurrencies are a form of digital currency that use encryption techniques to control their creation and secure transactions independent from a central bank. These encryption techniques make it very difficult to create any kind of counterfeit money or have the accounts hacked.
The Canadian company Cotten co-founded, Quadriga CX, revolves around users depositing funds into their Quadriga account and then trading various cryptocurrencies predominately Bitcoin with other users. Its database has around 363,000 users.
Within Quadriga's database, the currency is divided between a hot wallet (coins in the server) and a cold wallet (an offline storage area to protect the coins from hackers). The business was essentially centered around Cotten. He had no physical office and the work was done through his personal laptop. Transferring the coins between wallets was Cottens task alone.
Quadrigas "cold wallets" contain inaccessible assets belonging to around 115,000 customers, according to Robertson's court filings.
Posts on the company's Facebook page have questioned the veracity of Cotten's death and claim that customers were told their fund transfers were underway even after Cotten died.
Now, Quadriga may have to put itself up for sale in an effort to distribute funds to its clients, according to Robertson's affidavit.
A number of web-based conspiracies have been speculated on forums such as Reddit about the locked up cryptocurrency, and Robertson claims she has received a number of threats since Cottens death.
Quadriga has posted a letter from its board of directors telling customers that the website will be updated after Tuesday's court hearing.
Aaron Matthews, the head of operations, is Robertson's choice to assume the role of interim president and CEO, according to her statement on the company's Facebook page.
Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
(Newser) Tuesday is Savannah Spurlock's 23rd birthday, but the Kentucky mom of four isn't with her family to celebrate. She's been missing for more than a month, and this week the search is focused on corn fields and a bridge near the home where Spurlock was last tracked, Fox News reports. Officials just revealed over the weekend that Spurlock, who was last seen on surveillance video leaving a Lexington bar with three men in the wee hours of Jan. 4, was taken by those men to a home in Garrard County, 40 miles from the bar. The men told police they didn't know Spurlocka mom to 4- and 2-year old boys who had also just given birth to twins in Decemberbefore meeting her at the Other Bar the night of Jan. 3. One of them reportedly told police she left the home in the morning, but police have not been able to confirm she left.
story continues below
Spurlock's car was found in Lexington, with her purse and her coat still inside, and her mother tells the Lexington Herald-Leader the men's story doesn't add up. "I think the guys she was with know more than they are saying," Ellen Spurlock says. "Their story doesnt make sense. She left with no money, no car, no coat, no phone in a different county than where she lives. Its not like her." The men have not been charged, and police are not releasing their identities. A police lieutenant from Richmond, where Savannah Spurlock lives with her mother, says her phone was turned off the morning of her disappearance and has not been found. Ellen Spurlock remembers the last time she saw her oldest daughter as just a normal day. "I thought she needed a little break. She hadnt done anything for months since she just had the twins," she says. Savannah Spurlock went to the bar with a friend, but they separated. In a FaceTime call with her mom around 2:30am, Spurlock said she would be home later that morning. (A nurse will reportedly be charged in another missing mom case.)
He Was Her Stepdad, Then Her
Husband. Now, a Murder Trial
He said that plans are underway to ensure that those who lost property during the land reform programme under will be compensated.
A NKAYI family in Matabeleland North has been forced to exhume a body of a Mosotho man it buried in December after it emerged that they collected a wrong body from a South African funeral parlour.
The family buried the body of Tanki Sotato, from Lesotho, after mistaking it for their late relative, Tendai Nkala (31).
Both were both murdered at two different squatter camps and were taken to the same parlour in the neighbouring country.
Nkala was assaulted to death at Poly and School Squatter Camp, in Johannesburg on November 26, while Sotato was killed on an unknown date during the same month at Madondo Squatter Camp in Johannesburg as well.
Both bodies were taken to the same funeral parlour, resulting in the Nkalas collecting the wrong body on December 3.
They then buried the wrong body in their village in Zenka, Nkayi.
The parlour later realised that an error had been made after relatives of the Mosotho man noticed that his body was missing on December 18 and a follow up was made.
The two families held a meeting in South Africa and the Lesotho family gave the Nkayi family three months to return their relatives body.
Nkayi District Principal Administration Officer, Mr Etwell Mbewe confirmed the incident.
He said the body belonging to the Lesotho national was exhumed on Monday afternoon and Kings and Queens Real Funeral Services was returning the body to South Africa.
Mr Mbewe said government had intervened to ensure the body returns to South Africa.
He said Nkalas body will be brought home in due course.
The community of Nkayi has just witnessed a traumatising experience when a family has been made to exhume a body they buried two months ago.
The body was taken on Monday and will be repatriated to South Africa. Fortunately the coffin was still intact, making the job easier, he said.
Mr Mbewe urged people to check the bodies of their relatives on collection to avoid similar unfortunate incidents.
The Nkayi family spokesperson, Ms Sifelani Nkala (43), said due to shock and trauma of losing their loved one to a gruesome murder, family members in South Africa failed to positively identify the body.
She said during body viewing back home, the whole body was covered in bandages, leaving only the mouth and nose so they did not realise that a wrong body had been repatriated.
Ms Nkala also said body viewing was done at sunset so it was not very clear.
We were no longer at peace, imagining that there is a strangers body in our homestead. Their three months ultimatum to return the body haunted us even more. We are happy we are now clear and hopefully at peace with the foreign family. Whats left is for us to raise money once again and bring home our very own, she said.
Ms Nkala said the deceased did not have a funeral policy and their family contributed R14 500 to repatriate the body and more than $2 000 on funeral expenses.
Happy Chinese New Year! Welcome to the 24th International Chinese New Year Night Parade. As the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, I'm delighted to join you at this night parade to celebrate the most jubilant of our Chinese festivals.
A fantastic, multicultural pageant, the parade annually thrills not only locals but also visitors from around the world. Alongside a fanfare of spectacular floats, this year's parade showcases more than 20 performing groups - from Hong Kong and from all over the world - here to dazzle and delight long into the night.
As fabulous as the parade promises to be, there's more to come in the days and nights ahead, as Hong Kong's Chinese New Year celebration continues through the new year, with a fireworks extravaganza, a well-wishing festival, brilliant lantern displays and much more. I welcome every one of you to celebrate with us. And I wish you all a happy, healthy and rewarding Year of the Pig.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam gave these remarks at the 2019 Cathay Pacific International Chinese New Year Night Parade at the Cultural Centre Piazza on February 5.
Champaign, IL (61820)
Today
Sunshine to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 76F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph..
Tonight
Partly to mostly cloudy. Low around 60F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
By PTI
DHAKA: Bangladesh has sealed off its border with Myanmar amid fresh influx of refugees fleeing troubled Rakhine state following reported military clampdown, this time against the ethnic majority Buddhists and Hindus being the victims, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said on Wednesday.
Over 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have taken refuge in Bangladesh after fleeing from Rakhine state in neighbouring Myanmar to evade atrocities, which the UN called "a textbook example of ethnic cleansing", following the action by the military in August 2017. "We can't take any more of them (Myanmar refugees). The border with Myanmar is almost sealed off," he told reporters before departing for New Delhi.
Momen is visiting India on his maiden overseas tour since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formed the government for the third consecutive terms after winning the December 30 general elections. He said that Bangladesh has opened its border and allowed enough of the influx of refugees opening the border "now it is better if others (other countries) open their frontiers for them (refugees)".
Meanwhile, paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) said they sent a detachment to enforce a vigil in its remote frontiers with Myanmar in bordering Bandndarban's Ruma area. Police said about 150 Myanmar nationals, including 38 Buddhist families, crossed the border. "We have sent a detachment to Ruma frontiers to enforce a stringent vigil against fresh influx. The borders with Myanmar remained sealed off while only legal movement is underway through the Ukhia and Teknaf frontiers," BGB's region commander Brigadier General Ainul Morshed Khan said.
The police chief of the bordering Bandarban district Mohammad Kamruzzaman said 38, mostly Buddhist, families sneaked into Bangladesh overnight in view of the "internal conflict" in Myanmar's Rakhine state. Reports suggest fighting between the Myanmar military and the rebel Arakan Army forced hundreds to flee their home to take refuge in Bangladesh and India.
Acknowledging the report, the foreign minister said, "We have heard that different ethnic and religious groups including Buddhists and Hindus, this time apart from (Rohingya) Muslims, are trying to enter Bangladesh amid fresh violence in Myanmar."
Earlier in the day, Momen met with special UN envoy on Myanmar Christine Schraner Burgener and Hollywood superstar and a special UNHCR envoy Angelina Jolie who spent as a special UNHCR envoy two days in Bangladesh's southeastern Cox's Bazar where over a million Rohingya Muslims have been taking refuge after fleeing a brutal military crackdown at their homeland.
The 43-year-old Hollywood actor arrived here yesterday and visited a refugee camp in Teknaf near the Myanmar border. Momen said he told the UN envoy that Bangladesh was upset seeing that instead of mounting pressures, some big countries still kept "all kinds of bilateral relations including trade with Myanmar".
By PTI
COLOMBO: Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena said on Wednesday that he will implement death penalty for drug dealers within three months, ending a 42-year moratorium on capital punishment in the country.
Sirisena said that the execution of drug convicts is a necessity in view of the fast-spreading drug menace in the island nation. "I will implement the death penalty during the next 2-3 months," he said while addressing the parliament.
Sri Lanka's last hanging took place in June 1976. Since then successive presidents have refused to sign death warrants to hang convicts. Sirisena took the decision despite Sri Lanka becoming a party to a UN moratorium on death penalty in 2016. He said that his decision which was expressed last year could not be carried out due to bureaucratic lethargy and the links between officials and drug mafias.
Minister of Justice Thalatha Atukorale said last week that her ministry had forwarded details of the drug convicts to Sirisena's office last September. "She said there were 48 drug convicts on death row currently while 30 of them had appealed against sentencing and 18 of them could be hanged if the president so wished, she said.
Sirisena urged human rights groups not to stand in the way of his plans to execute drug traffickers. "I can't understand how the human rights organisations could oppose these moves," he said. Sirisena made his first official visit to the Philippines last month and hailed the Philippine leader Duterte's anti-drugs campaign for which he has come under international condemnation.
By Online Desk
The tomb of Karl Marx at London's Highgate Cemetery has been vandalised in a suspected hammer attack.
Marxs original 1883 gravestone, which was incorporated into the monument in 1954, was permanently damaged. The tomb, which is a Grade-I listed monument and attracts tens of thousands of visitors from around the world every year, now stands with a damaged marble plaque carrying the German thinker's name.
Though the cost of the damage is yet to be estimated, the cemetery authorities confirmed over Twitter that they will begin repair efforts soon.
"Karl Marx's memorial has been vandalised! It looks like someone has had a go at it with a hammer. It's a Grade I-listed monument; this is no way to treat our heritage. @MarxLibrary @HeritageCrime We will repair as far as possible," the Tweet read.
Karl Marx's memorial has been vandalised! It looks like someone has had a go at it with a hammer. It's a Grade I-listed monument; this is no way to treat our heritage. @MarxLibrary @HeritageCrime We will repair as far as possible. pic.twitter.com/6nY2TJOjw7 Highgate Cemetery (@HighgateCemeter) February 5, 2019
Police officers told media that CCTV footage at the cemetery had given no leads. The caretakers at the cemetery are not sure when the attack occurred. The damage was discovered on Monday.
However, Ian Dungavel, chief of the Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust, suspects that the attack took place in the evening when there are fewer visitors due to the chilly weather.
Condemning the incident, he told media that the brutal nature of the attack proved that it was a targeted act. He said the gravestone with Marx's name on it was hit again and again.
"If it is someone who is rabidly anti-Marxist they could do a lot better trying to change peoples opinion rather than just smashing up the monument. That is not going to win any sympathy to the anti-Marxist cause, The Guardian reported him as saying.
German philosopher, thinker and economist Karl Marx, who is the co-author of the "Communist Manifesto", was born on May 5, 1818.
He arrived in London in 1849 and spent the rest of his life writing his magnum opus Das Kapital and many other works. He lived a humble life, supported by his friend Friedrich Engels. Marx died in 1883 at the age of 63 and was originally buried beside his wife Jenny.
By PTI
LONDON: A leading Indian-origin trade expert on Wednesday joined hands with a former Brexit minister to launch new draft proposals for a future free trade agreement (FTA) between the UK and European Union (EU).
Shanker Singham, CEO of free market consultancy firm Competere and Director of the International Trade and Competition Unit at the London-based Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) think tank, claims that unlike other trade agreements which could take many years to negotiate, the UK can conclude an FTA with the EU more quickly. "We know the EU wants to do a deal with us because they have repeatedly told us so. We also know that unlike other trade agreements which can take years and years to negotiate, this one should be concluded more quickly," said Singham, citing three main reasons.
First, unlike all other trade agreements, we have the unique starting point of identical regulations and as well as zero tariffs and no quantitative restrictions, he said. "Secondly, the proposed FTA is a sound basis for future agreement as it is based, wherever possible, on existing EU agreements with other nations. Third, the FTA approach also respects the integrity of the European Single Market and Customs Union and builds on the EU's original offer of a comprehensive FTA with the entirety of the United Kingdom."
Singham's proposals have found the backing of pro-Brexit Conservative Party MP David Davis, who had resigned as British Prime Minister Theresa May's Secretary of State for Exiting the EU last year in protest over her Brexit plan.
Davis welcomed the approach as it shows the British public what a "comprehensive, advanced FTA" would look like and reflects what voters expect following the referendum in favour of Brexit in June 2016. "We have lived with the customs union and the single market for so long, but an FTA would be very different," says the ex-minister. "Our proposed FTA would lower barriers to trade and, through mutual recognition, would improve domestic regulation on both sides. And, of course, our draft FTA will enable the UK to seize the Brexit prize of our own independent trade and regulatory policy," he said.
ALSO READ: 'Special place in Hell' for no plan Brexiteers: EU leader
The draft proposals for a future FTA came as the think tank Singham is associated with was given an official warning by the UK's charity regulator for "misconduct and mismanagement" for campaigning for a hard Brexit without proper balance during an event in September 2018.
The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) received the warning by Charity Commission on Wednesday over its 'Plan A+: Creating a prosperous post-Brexit UK' document, authored by Singham. The IEA, which is registered as an educational charity, removed the report from its website after receiving the warning but said it was "disappointed" with the watchdog's move.
Neil Record, chair of the IEA's board of trustees, said the think tank was "considering a range of options, as we believe this warning has extremely widespread and worrying implications for the whole of the think tank and educational charity sector". The latest developments come 50 days before Britain is set to formally exit the 28-member economic bloc on March 29.
European Council President Donald Tusk made a harsh intervention into the ongoing debate over a withdrawal agreement acceptable to all sides during a press conference in Brussels with Ireland's Indian-origin Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. "I've been wondering what that special place in hell looks like, for those who promoted Brexit, without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely," Tusk told reporters on Wednesday.
He was immediately attacked for his "arrogance" by Brexit-backing British MPs, with Varadkar heard over the microphones warning him of "terrible trouble in the British press" for that remark. Downing Street said it was a question for Tusk "whether he considers the use of that kind of language helpful".
Theresa May is due to arrive in Brussels on Thursday to seek legal changes to the withdrawal deal she signed with the EU. She hopes these changes will help her get it through the UK Parliament, which had vehemently voted it down.
ALSO READ: No-deal Brexit more likely on Monday: EU officials
The so-called Irish backstop remains the biggest stumbling block to a deal, which is aimed at avoiding a hard border between the UK and EU member-country Ireland post-Brexit. The EU has reiterated that the remaining 27 member countries have no plans to reopen the withdrawal agreement already struck in December last year. "The EU is first and foremost a peace project. We will not gamble with peace or put a sell-by date on reconciliation. This is why we insist on the backstop," said Tusk.
Varadkar added that while he was "open to further discussions" with the UK government about post-Brexit relations, the legally-binding withdrawal agreement remained "the best deal possible".
By PTI
KATHMANDU: Officials from Nepal and India would meet on Thursday in Pokhara to review the trade treaty between the two neighbours. This will be the second Nepal-India Joint Secretary-level meeting to review the trade treaty that was signed between the two countries in 2009.
During the two-day meeting, Nepal is likely to raise issues relating to reducing its growing trade deficit with India and increasing its export to the southern neighbour through tariff reduction. "As Nepal's trade deficit with India is growing day by day we will discuss in detail on how to address the issues related to reducing the trade deficit and seek wider access to the Indian market for our products," said Ravi Shankar Saiju, Joint Secretary at Nepal's Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Supply.
Nepal is expected to request India for preferential treatment for export of agricultural products and integration of Nepali manufacturing units to its value chain at the meeting, sources said. The two sides will also discuss possible ways to address different non-tariff barriers in bilateral trade. The first meeting was held in New Delhi in August last year.
By ANI
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) said he has accelerated negotiations to reach a political agreement to end the 17-year-long conflict in Afghanistan.
Delivering his annual State of the Union speech in the House of Representatives in the Capitol Building, he said, In Afghanistan, my administration is holding constructive talks with a number of Afghan groups, including the Taliban. As we make progress in these negotiations, we will be able to reduce our troop presence and focus on counter-terrorism. We do not know whether we will achieve an agreement, but we do know that after two decades of war, the hour has come to at least try for peace.
US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad had announced last month that Washington and the Taliban have agreed in principle to chalk out a framework for a deal that could end the conflict in Afghanistan.
Khalilzad had said the Taliban would guarantee that Afghanistan will never be used as a base for terrorism in return for a full American withdrawal from the country and that Taliban concessions must include a ceasefire and agreement to hold talks with the Afghan government.
However, the Taliban does not consider the withdrawal being dependent on the American conditions for a ceasefire or direct talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government, signalling that Washington's demands may be far-fetched.
Justifying his decision to withdraw troops from Syria and Afghanistan, Trump said, "Our brave troops have now been fighting in the Middle East for almost 19 years. In Afghanistan and Iraq, nearly 7000 American heroes have given their lives. More than 52,000 Americans have been badly wounded. We have spent more than $7 trillion in the Middle East."
As a candidate for President, I pledged a new approach. Great nations do not fight endless wars. When I took office, ISIS controlled more than 20,000 square miles in Iraq and Syria. Today, we have liberated virtually all of that territory from the grip of these bloodthirsty killers. Now, as we work with our allies to destroy the remnants of ISIS, it is time to give our brave warriors in Syria a warm welcome home, Trump said.
Addressing the issue of illegal alien immigrants, he said that both Democrats and Republicans have to join forces to confront the urgent national crisis.
While welcoming legal immigrants, who he said enrich the nation and strengthen the society, Trump said, The lawless state of our southern border is a threat to the safety, security, and financial wellbeing of all Americans. We have a moral duty to create an immigration system that protects the lives and jobs of our citizens.
Tonight, I am asking you to defend our very dangerous southern border out of love and devotion to our fellow citizens and to our country. Not one more American life should be lost because our nation failed to control its very dangerous border, he added.
He also gave paramount importance to reversing decades of calamitous trade policies in order to build on an incredible economic success.
Trump said his tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese imports have made it clear that the theft of American jobs and wealth has come to an end.
I blame our leaders and representatives for allowing this travesty to happen. I have great respect for President Xi, and we are now working on a new trade deal with China. But it must include real, structural change to end unfair trade practices, reduce our chronic trade deficit, and protect American jobs, he said.
He hailed the increasing involvement of women in the economic growth of the country, saying, No one has benefited more from our thriving economy than women, who have filled 58 per cent of the new jobs created in the last year.
By PTI
NEW DELHI: Travancore Devaswom Board, which runs Sabarimala temple, and the Kerala government Wednesday opposed in the Supreme Court a batch of pleas seeking review of its historic verdict allowing entry of women of all ages into the shrine, even as several organisations sought re-consideration of the judgement.
The apex court, by a majority of 4:1 on September 28 last year, lifted the ban that prevented women and girls between the age of 10 and 50 from entering the temple in Kerala and had held that this centuries-old Hindu religious practice was illegal and unconstitutional.
A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, which had earlier agreed to hear in open court the pleas seeking review of the verdict, Wednesday reserved its decision after hearing for three-and-half hours the parties, including Nair Service Society, Thantry of temple, temple Board (TDB) and the state government, in favour and against of the plea.
As many as 65 petitions including 56 review petitions and four fresh writ petitions and five transfer pleas were filed in the apex court after its verdict had sparked violent protests in Kerala.
The bench, also comprising justices R F Nariman, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra, was in for a pleasant surprise as the temple board, which also comprises the state government nominees, took a U-turn by supporting the verdict and said the people should gracefully accept it.
The temple board, in earlier round of litigation, had opposed the PIL by Indian Young Lawyers Association seeking to throw open the shrine for all women.
Justice Malhotra interdicted senior lawyer Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for temple board, and said, "You had argued against women's entry".
"The Board has now decided to respect the judgment", Dwivedi replied, adding, "Article 25 (1) equally entitles all persons to practice religion."
"Women cannot be excluded from any walk of life on biological attributes equality is the dominant theme of the Constitution," Dwivedi said.
The Kerala government, which had taken conflicting stands on entry of women into the hill-top shrine, supported the verdict and urged the court to trash review pleas.
Senior advocate Jaideep Gupta, appearing for the state government, said a constitutional court should not worry about the law and order problem and "social disturbances".
Exclusion of women from temples is not essential practice of Hindu religion, he added. At the outset, the bench made clear to lawyers that it would hear only those who are parties to review petitions and asked them to confine arguments on grounds for reconsideration of the judgement.
Senior advocate K Parasaran, appearing for Nair Service Society, assailed the majority verdict, saying Article 15 of the Constitution throws open for public the secular institutions of the country but it doesn't deal with religious institutions.
The article "throws open all public institutions of secular character for all classes of citizens but the article conspicuously omits religious institutions", he said.
Seeking reconsideration of the verdict, he said the Article 17 which deals with abolition of untouchability in society was wrongly used by the apex court in its judgment as exclusion of certain age groups of women was not based on caste.
Parasaran also referred to the celibate or 'Naishtika Brahmachari' character of the deity at Sabarimala and said the exclusionary practise was based on the nature of the deity and the apex court should have considered this aspect.
He said also referred to Article 25 (fundamental right to practice religion) and said unless a religious practice is "abhorrent', a court usually does not interfere with the activities associated with religious institutions.
Senior advocate A M Singhvi, representing Travancore Devaswom Board's ex-chairperson, argued in favour of the review of the judgment.
"There is no exclusion of women. There is no exclusion of men. There is no exclusion of a class of men or women based on religion and caste. There is an exclusion inside a class (women). Hence Article 17 (removal of untouchability) will not apply," Singhvi said.
Dealing with the aspect of constitutional morality, the senior lawyer said that in a pluralistic Hindu society this concept cannot be applied objectively by the court and it has to be subjective keeping in mind different kind of essential religious practices.
Another senior advocate V Giri who represented the thantry of the shrine said the temple allows entry of all persons inside and there is no exclusion of any class of citizen based on caste, gender and religion.
"The fundamental right to worship also includes the character of the deity and every devotee cannot question this character which also formed part of the essential religious practice there," he said.
Senior lawyer Shekhar Naphade, also appearing for a party, said in a matter of faith, the court cannot direct a community to practice the religion in a particular manner.
"This is an internal affair of a religious community which worships a particular deity in a particular manner. This has never been in dispute that this practice is being followed for centuries."
"The court cannot issue a writ of mandamus against a community to practice its religion in a particular manner," Naphade said, adding that this was an essential religious practice which cannot be scrutinised.
He said that any religious practice cannot be stopped unless it constituted a criminal offence.
By PTI
NEW DELHI: Exclusion of women from temples is not essential to the Hindu religion, the Kerala government said Wednesday vehemently opposing in the Supreme Court a batch of petitions seeking review of its verdict allowing the entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala temple.
A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi was told by the counsel for the Kerala government that no ground was made out in any of the petitions seeking review of the apex court's September 28, 2018 verdict.
Senior advocate Jaideep Gupta appearing for the Kerala government told the bench, also comprising justices R F Nariman, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra, that there was a consensus among the four judges who delivered the majority judgment on three aspects -- Article 26, 25 (2) and rule 3 (b) of the Kerala Act.
Gupta said in none of the review petitions questions have been raised regarding these three points and therefore other aspects "raised in the review petition will make no difference".
He also said the exclusion of women from temples is not essential to the Hindu religion and women are allowed in many other Ayyappa temples.
The state government said there is a distinction between the essential practice of a temple and the essential practice of the religion.
If this essential practice test is applied temple wise then the purpose would be defeated.
The review petitions argued that certain submissions were not considered in the judgment or were not advanced is not a ground for re-examining the verdict, he said.
He said many of those who have sought a re-look of the judgment have not come out with valid legal points but have merely analysed the verdict by the way of a review petition and the court should not entertain them.
"It was argued that on account of the judgment, Social peace has been destroyed. This is not something which should concern a constitutional court. Peace will prevail ultimately. But a constitutional breach cannot be allowed till that time," Gupta said.
Another senior advocate Vijay Hansaria, also appearing for the Kerala government, said a case cannot be allowed to be reopened by way of the review petition.
Gupta said nothing has been placed before the court that justifies a review in the matter.
"The overriding thing is that there was a consensus of Your Lordships in the majority judgment on three issues. Firstly, under Article 26, it is not a denominational temple. The devotees of Lord Ayyappa are not a denomination but a general body of Hindus. Anybody can go and visit the Temple."
"Secondly, excluding a person till the age of 50 is an exclusion for a major portion of the life of the person.
Finally, Rule 3(b) [of the Kerala Hindu Places of Worship (Authorisation of Entry) Rules] is violative of section 4 of the 1965 Act itself, besides article 25(2)(b)," he said.
"A challenge on the ground that Articles 15 or 17 were not considered will not have an effect on the judgment so far as these three go. The mandamus will remain. Unless it is proved that a consideration of the same would affect the three points of consensus, there should be no review", Gupta said.
"Non-consideration of the arguments is not a ground of review at all. It is for the court to decide which arguments are essential to be for the disposal of a matter. It can't be a complaint and definitely not an error apparent on the face of the matter," he said.
Referring to a 1997 apex court judgement, the senior lawyer submitted that if a convoluted process of reasoning is required to challenge a finding, then it is not an error of law apparent on the face of it.
"There is a tendency to confuse essential practices of a religion with the essential practices of a temple. Essential Practice of a temple is not the essential practice of religion. The constitutional issue is that whether it is protected under Article 25 and essential practice of the Hindu religion," Gupta said.
"The answer is no because there are any number of temples where the practice is not followed. In fact, We are only aware of one such temple. If Your Lordships are required to go into the essential practices of temples one by one, there is sufficient uniqueness in each of them."
"The doctrine would be demolished. The Jagannath temple is extremely unique, so is the Kashi Vishwanath temple. Nobody can underestimate the importance of the Tirupati temple. But none of these have been held to be denominational. On the hand, the Shirur Mutt, as a group that organises a temple and possesses identifying characteristics, is a denomination", he elaborated.
The Kerala government referred to the submission of senior counsel Shekhar Naphade, who appeared for a party opposing the judgement saying that Sabarimala issue is a private law matter.
However, Gupta differed and said the Sabarimala issue concerns a public temple and there is a Kerala law that deals with it by envisaging that the shrine has to be laid open to all classes of Hindus without exception.
"Non-discrimination and non-exclusion are principles that override everything, " he said and referred to a 1957 judgement of the apex court which dealt with the issue of harmonising Article 26 with Article 25(2)(b).
He said judgement makes its clear that "every practice of the temple will be protected under Article 25 except that which affects the right of entry. Entry has been regarded as higher than anything else."
Anusha Ravi By
Express News Service
BENGALURU: On a day the state legislature meets for the budget session, the Congress-JD(S) coalition has a lot of loose ends to tie up. Four of its MLAs are still hostile, two independents have jumped ship, one legislator is recovering from injuries caused by another, and the latter still remains at large fearing arrest by the police. If the uncertainty over the exact number of ruling party legislators who will be present is not enough, Water Resources Minister D K Shivakumar being summoned by an Enforcement Directorate court in New Delhi on the day of the budget is another headache for the H D Kumaraswamy-led government.
Ganesh Hukkeri, the chief whip of the coalition government, issued a whip on Tuesday asking all ruling party legislators to be present throughout the session. A whip has been issued to all of you to compulsorily be present in the House from February 6 to 15, from the time the Speaker begins proceedings and till the time he concludes, and to vote in favour of the government, the order said.
The whip has been issued at a time when the coalition has lost the support of two independent MLAs, bringing down its number to 118. Of all its MLAs, four Gokak MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi, Athanis Mahesh Kumathalli, Ballari Rurals B Nagendra and Chincholli MLA Umesh Jadhav have not responded positively to Congress wooing tactics.
Vijayanagara MLA Anand Singh, who was discharged from a private hospital on Monday night, is still recuperating while Kampli J N Ganesh, who is accused of assaulting Singh, is absconding fearing arrest. If all six of these legislators skip the session, the coalitions number will drop to 112 as against BJPs strength of 106. Whoever violates the whip will be liable for action. We are confident that all our MLAs will turn up, said KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao.
Instability from within enough for govt to fall: BSY
If he does not get any reprieve from appearing in person before the ED court, D K Shivakumar may also have to miss the crucial budget presentation on February 8.The Congress, through legislature party leader Siddaramaiah and cabinet minister Satish Jarkiholi, is making last-ditch attempts to bring Ramesh Jarkiholi and Mahesh Kumathalli to the House while Chincholi MLA Jadhav is being wooed with a larger role in Kalaburagi. Shivakumar is likely to seek exemption from court appearance on the grounds of the session being on.
Meanwhile, minister Zameer Ahmed met Anand Singh on Tuesday urging him to attend the session to keep the coalitions numbers strong in a bid to prepare itself if the BJP seeks a division of votes on the finance Bill. We have no need to topple the government. The instability from within is more than enough for it to fall, said opposition leader in the Assembly, B S Yeddyurappa.
Congress-JD(S) hopes that a strong message that any legislator who violates the whip will be liable for disqualification will do the trick of bringing its MLAs under one roof, but how much it will materialise will be seen only on Wednesday. All eyes will be on the list of absentees.
By PTI
KOLKATA: The West Bengal BJP Wednesday said it has cancelled the rally of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Murshidabad district as the district administration denied permission to land his chopper.
Chouhan, a BJP national vice-president, was scheduled to attend two rallies Wednesday - one at Baharampur in Murshidabad district and the other at Kharagpur in West Midnapore district.
"We have decided to cancel the rally today as we were not given permission to land the chopper at Baharampur in Murshidabad district.
He will be attending the rally at Kharagpur today," BJP state general secretary Sayantan Basu said.
It has been decided that Chouhan will now attend the rally at Kharagpur and will go there by road from the Kolkata airport, Basu said.
ALSO READ: Centre vs Mamata: West Bengal CM only interested in saving corrupt officer, says Yogi Adityanath
Accusing the state administration of indulging in "vendetta politics", Basu said the TMC cannot stop the "march of the BJP by denying permission to land choppers."
"Earlier also permission for landing of choppers had been denied for the rallies of (Uttar Pradesh CM) Yogi Adityanath, (Union minister) Smriti Irani and other leaders. This is not new to us. We will fight it out in our own way," he said.
The TMC leadership termed the charges against the state government baseless and claimed the district administration may not have allowed the landing of chopper after looking into the security aspect.
By PTI
MUMBAI: A CBI court hearing the Sheena Bora murder case on Wednesday allowed the Income Tax department to record the statement of prime accused Indrani Mukerjea after it was told that authorities have found out about her bank account.
The IT department on Wednesday submitted a letter seeking permission of the special CBI court, which is conducting the murder trial, for recording Mukerjea's statement under section 131 of the IT Act.
Provision 131 empowers the authorities to conduct inquiries, summon persons or witnesses, examine them under oath, compel production of books of account and documents, and issue commissions.
After Mukerjea gave her consent, Special CBI Judge J C Jagdale granted permission to IT officials to record her statement at the Bayculla Jail, where she is currently lodged, on February 7.
Mukerjea is facing trial for allegedly killing Sheena (24), her daughter from an earlier relationship, in April 2012.
Police arrested Mukerjea, her former husband Sanjeev Khanna and her then driver Shyamvar Rai in 2015, after the crime came to light.
Rai later turned approver in the case. Mukerjea's second husband and media baron Peter Mukerjea was also arrested for allegedly being a part of the conspiracy to kill Sheena.
The CBI, which later took over the case, had claimed that a financial dispute was the reason behind the killing.
By PTI
AHMEDNAGAR: Nila Vikhe Patil, a person of Indian descent, has been named political advisor in the Swedish Prime Minister's Office.
Patil, 32, daughter of leading educationist Ashok Vikhe Patil, would be working with Stefan Lofven, the Social Democrat leader who was last month elected as Swedish prime minister, leading a Social Democrat-Green Party coalition.
"Nila has been appointed as the Political Advisor to the Prime Ministers Office in charge of Finance and will handle taxes, budgets, financial markets and housing," her father told PTI.
She has also been elected to the City Council of the Stockholm Municipal Corporation.
Also a Political Advisor in the PMO during the previous government, Nila has been active member of the Green Party and is a member of the Election Committee of the Stockholm Green Party, he said.
Born in Sweden, Nila spent early years in Ahmednagar in Maharashtra and is the granddaughter of former Union Minister Balasaheb Vikhe Patil and niece of Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly.
She holds a Bachelor's degree and MBA from Gothenburg School of Business, with Economics and Law and also studied MBA in University de Complutense in Madrid.
Nila has been a member of the Board of the Green Party, Swedish Young Greens, Green Party Gothenburg, Green students of Sweden, and also a member of the executive committee of the Green Party Stockholm, her father said.
Sweden has been on a charm offensive towards India, supporting PM Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' manufacturing summit with Lofven leading a delegation of the Swedish industry leaders to the launch event in 2016.
India is also an increasingly important market for Sweden, with over 160 Swedish companies now established in the country, said Ashok Vikhe Patil, chairman of the Vikhe Patil Foundation, which runs 102 educational institutes across Maharashtra.
By Express News Service
RANCHI: Final talks on mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) is likely to take place soon as prominent opposition parties of Jharkhand are to hold a meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday. Though, details of the meeting was not disclosed, Opposition leaders revealed that all differences on seat sharing and other issues among the leading Opposition parties will be ironed out.
Talks are in the final stage and soon we will see seat sharing and other details finalised for 2019 Lok Sabha polls, said JMM MLA and party spokesperson Kunal Shadangi.
Party insiders, however, said that the leader of Opposition and JMM Executive President Hemant Soren flew to New Delhi on Tuesday to take part in the talks. Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee (JPCC) president Ajoy Kumar is already in Delhi.
Congress leaders also claimed that the decision will be taken soon. Feedback from all parties is being taken and former Union Minister and State Congress in-charge RPN Singh, during his last visit to Jharkhand, met RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and JVM Chief Babulal Marandi and discussed the issue, said JPCC spokesperson Rajesh Thakur. Barring one or two seats, consensus has already been reached on the rest, he added.
The Opposition parties, during a meeting held at the residence Hement Sorren on January 17, have decided to contest the polls under the leadership of Congress and have chosen Soren as their joint Chief Ministerial candidate. Chiefs of 10 prominent parties of the state attended the meeting to give shape to the grand alliance.
Neha Bhandarkar By
Online Desk
Gerald Cotten, 30, signed his will 12 days before dying, leaving almost all his wealth to his wife. Interestingly, Cotten, president of QuadrigaCX, a Canadian cryptocurrency firm, was the only one who knew the password to Canadian dollar 190 million (USD 145 dollars) in client money.
No wonder, his sudden death has left many around the world angry and suspicious. Even a death certificate failed to douse their doubts. But now, the Jaipur hospital, where Cotten breathed his last, has confirmed his death.
Pragya, an official spokesperson of Fortis Escorts Hospital in Jaipur, while speaking with Express said, "The patient died here in Fortis and was brought in an extremely critical condition," she said.
She further divulged that Cotten was brought to the facility on December 8, 2018 at 9.45 PM. It was found that The patient had a history of Crohn's disease and was on monoclonal antibody therapy ( targeted therapy used to treat colon cancer) every 8th week.
The doctors' team treating him reportedly diagnosed him with a case of septic shock, perforation peritonitis, and intestinal obstruction, because of which his condition deteriorated suddenly on December 9.
"At 2:45 pm, Cotten suffered a cardiac arrest but was revived by CPR. he also suffered two subsequent episodes of ventricular tachycardia (fast heart rhythm) for which cardioversion was conducted," the release from Fortis hospital said.
The press release further adds that the 30-year-old suffered a second cardiac arrest a few hours later, but couldn't be saved, and was declared dead at approximately 7.26 PM on December 9.
The information of his death was communicated to the relevant authorities. The body was taken to Mahatma Gandhi Hospital for embalming after which it was handed over to the attendants, the release stated.
By IANS
HYDERABAD: Actor Ram Charan has taken full responsibility for the failure of his latest Telugu release "Vinaya Vidheya Rama".
He said the film didn't elicit the expected response as it didn't meet the expectations of the audience.
Boyapati Sreenu-directed "Vinaya Vidheya Rama" released last month for the Sankranti festival.
ALSO READ | 'Vinaya Vidheya Rama' review: Unreal heroics that never end make for a tiresome film
Within hours of the film's release, some scenes were heavily trolled for over-the-top action sequences.
Despite the film's failure, Ram Charan has thanked his fans for supporting him through thick and thin.
"I would like to thank each and every technician who strove day and night to execute Vinaya Vidheya Rama. No amount of words is sufficient to describe the support extended by our producer DVV Danayya. I will always be grateful to my distributors and exhibitors who believed in our film and backed it," Charan said in a statement.
.@aamir_khan after #ThugsOfHindostan, now #RamCharan after #VinayaVidheyaRama, it's healthy that stars acknowledge failures. The solution to any problem comes only when we acknowledge the issue. Will it happen in Tamil as well? pic.twitter.com/a7iJZ0QqY1 Ashameera Aiyappan (@aashameera) February 5, 2019
"We worked really hard to deliver a film which would entertain all of you. Unfortunately, the vision could not get translated properly on screen and we could not meet your expectations," he said.
ALSO READ | Thanks to trolls, makers of 'Vinaya Vidheya Rama' decide to remove unrealistic scene
He said the love of his fans will inspire him to work harder and deliver better films which will in turn help him meet their expectations.
Krupa Ge By
Express News Service
'Peranbu' touches upon two important issues, the sexuality of persons with disabilities, and the gendered issues of caregiving. It has great cinematography, great moments for Mammootty the actorlong shots where he performs for the camera and his daughter, potential for awards for Sadhana who plays Pappa, etc.
After 'Onayum Aatukuttiyum' and 'Aruvi', 'Peranbu' too casts a trans woman in an important role. I do hope however that there are roles with bigger character arcs, different career paths and not just the saint or sinner arc written for trans women as we move forward.
Also when persons with disabilities are invisibilised by the film industry, both on screen and off of it, when a plum role at the heart of a film about a person with cerebral palsy does not feature someone with the disability, it is a letdown. Representation is not just about what we see on screen. It also has to do with access to jobs, the monetary benefits and accolades that come with it. These are denied to those with disabilities the most by the film industry. It needs to do better.
At the centre of this film is Pappa, who has cerebral palsy. Her father, Amudhavan, finally has his comeuppance, for abandoning her and her mother and going to Dubai. He doesnt visit either of them, not often enough to be involved in their lives anyway. Then his wife leaves him for another man. She says in a letter, I looked after her all these years. You do it now.
Amudhavan, hereafter, is completely in new territory, because he has finally been asked to take responsibility for his daughter. There are some good moments in the film, where Amudhavan is trying to gain the confidence of his daughter. But there are also some very flawed ones.
ALSO READ | Playing Paapa in 'Peranbu' has made me a better person, says actress Sadhana
In a throwback to the 1990 film Anjali, neighbours land up in Amudhavans house to ask him to leave because his daughter is loud, and his sister-in-law tells him that her normal daughter is acting like Pappa and she is scared that she too will become like her. Amudhavan angered by all this, moves his daughter to the middle of nowhere.
Where it is beautiful, no doubt, but she has no one to talk to besides him. Which is when Vijayalakshmi enters their life. Anjali as Vijayalakshmi has an interesting role in the film and is the only person who points out to Amudhavan (apart from an NGO head played by Samuthirakani) that instead of mainstreaming or allowing her to mingle, he has brought her away to isolation and that that is not good for her.
When things come to a head with this isolated house (real estate mafia want the property), he takes Pappa to Chennai where he locks her in, in a hotel room. She watches TV all the time. She then comes of age and grows more aware of her own sexuality and personhood. She wants privacy. When she tries to put on a pad herself, and is unable to, he is devastated.
Amudhavans fears in this film of his daughter being subjected to sexual assault or other forms of abuse are not misplaced. In his inability to deal with these complex issues that are traditionally dealt with only by women, Amudhavan feels lost. He moves her to a shelter while he works as a driver. But the problems seem relentless.
He finds that the caretakers at the shelter hes left her in hit her because she touches herself. He immediately moves her out of there. The film indeed does deserve credit for talking about sexuality in this context. Amudhavan breaks into tears when he comes face-to-face with Pappas desires. He decides to find his minor daughter with cerebral palsy a gigolo.
His logic is, Why does a father look for a groom for his daughter, for this too right? Nobody will marry my daughter so I want her to experience this. The absence of the concept of consent, the leap from masturbation to sex, and his decision to give her what he thinks she needs, even though shes a minor...I wish he at least acknowledged some of the flaws in his plan for her, while also coming to terms with how this sense of shame associated with sexuality is the problem.
Amudhavan is finally only relaxed, even glowing, when there is a woman in his life. (However, earlier he seems to have shunned his wife because Pappa was with her.) Is he happy when there is a woman around to care for him? Is it unconditional love 'Peranbu'? Or is it because he can finally delegate the job of caring for Pappa to a mother-like figure? If it was Vijayalakshmi who came to work in his house earlier, in the end it is Meera who stops him from killing himself and his daughter.
(The writer is a city-based journalist and editor)
By Online Desk
Radio jockey-turned-actor RJ Balaji's next political satire LKG's trailer dropped recently and has a number of political references in it.
RJ Balaji plays the role of a politician called Lalgudi Karuppaiah Gandhi in the movie. Directed by KR Prabhu, the film's music is composed by Leon James. Priya Anand plays the film's female lead.
The 2.05 minutes trailer pretty much covered the major political events in the country. The trailer ranks number 1 in the YouTube trending videos. Here we take a look at all the political references in the trailer.
The trailer begins with the actor praying to God that he will soon erect a Rs 3000-crore statue, a dig at the ongoing statue politics in the country.
In one of the scenes, actor Priya tests LKG's political knowledge by asking him whether he will save cows or human beings in times of disaster.
Not just that, in an apparent dig at the fitness challenge by PM Narendra Modi, a politician can be seen leaning against a rock and practising yoga in his pyjamas. In the end, he says he challenges actor Kajal Agarwal. It may be noted that when Indian skipper Virat Kohli challenged the PM, he also nominated his wife, actor Anushka Sharma for the challenge.
WATCH LKG TRAILER HERE
The movie also has a lot of references to regional politics.
One of the scenes shows the actor dropping thermocols into the river, a dig at Tamil Nadu MLA Sellur Raju.
The politician was once criticised for his plan to prevent evaporation of river Vaigai by covering it with thermocol, literally.
The trailer doesn't spare even the actor-turned politicians in the state, Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth, who made their entry into politics recently.
In the end of the trailer, the actor discusses the Tamil Nadu fishermen issue with a TV journalist.
Though major parts of the trailer makes us to laugh, this particular scene highlights the plight of fishermen of Tamil Nadu.
The trailer looks promising and the movie is sure to tickle our funny bones.
It will be interesting to see how real-life politicians JK Rithesh and Nanjil Sampath play their parts in the movie.
By Express News Service
NEW DELHI: The customs department on Tuesday seized 600 kilogram of psychotropic substance Dry Chat that was smuggled from Ethiopia, according to an official statement.
Dry Chat is a banned substance under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
Tuesdays seizurewas the biggest in the country, a customs official said.
The haul was seized from the air cargo (import) terminal at Delhi airport and three persons, including two Somali refugees, have been arrested in the case, it said.
Acting on inputs, a team of the Air Cargo Commissionerate (ACC), Import, seized three consignments of the substance which had come from Ethiopia recently and were mis-declared as green tea. They were awaiting clearance from the customs authorities. The value of the haul is about Rs 12 crore.
Simultaneously, concerted efforts were made to apprehend those involved, the statement said. A customs freight forwarder, who appeared to be the main facilitator of the clearance, was apprehended.
However, his questioning further led to the disclosure of the details of two suspected foreign nationals involved from Ethiopia, the departments statement said.
Jayanthi Pawar By
Express News Service
CHENNAI: Sixteen days after the severed limbs of a woman were found in a garbage truck, Chennai city police on Wednesday said they had identified the deceased as Sandhya of Thoothukudi. Police have detained her husband Balakrishnan, an assistant film director, and are interrogating him.
Police said Sandhya had come to Chennai with dreams of becoming an actor. She was living with Balakrishnan in Jafferkhanpet in the city. Their son is a class 12 student and their daughter is in class 5. Balakrishnan is alleged to have murdered her after a fight.
The matter came to light on January 21 at around 6 pm, when the severed limbs of a woman, wrapped in a plastic sack, were spotted by garbage truck workers at the time of dumping the waste at the Perungudi dump yard of the city corporation.
Baffled, the police initially made announcements in Chennai and neighbouring districts and states, seeking information about the woman. Police also informed the state crime records bureau to check missing complaint cases.
A special team was formed, headed by Pallikaranani Inspector Albin Raj, to probe the case. The team interrogated garbage truck drivers and scanned CCTV footage from where the garbage had been collected. As there were two tattoos seen on the limbs, police also interrogated tattoo studios, members of the transgender community, and manpower agencies which employed women.
On Wednesday, police sources said they had ascertained that the woman was one Sandhya, a native of Thoothukudi who had come to the city aspiring to become an actor. "She went missing in the city, however, no missing complaint was filed in that regard, " said a police officer. Police said Sandhya was married to 51-year-old Balakrishnan, who was working as an assistant film director, He had been detained for inquiry. It is learnt that Sandhya had approached an All-Woman Police Station in Thoothukudi in November 2018 with a complaint of domestic violence against her husband. Following counselling by the police, she reportedly submitted a letter stating that she wanted a divorce and that she would leave the children in the custody of Balakrishnan's brother in Thoothukudi. Sandhya was reportedly a native of Nagercoil.
"On January 19, the couple had a fight and, in a fit of rage, Balakrishnan murdered his wife by hitting her on her head with a sharp object, chopped off her limbs and stuffed them in a plastic bag which he disposed off the next day in various dustbins at MGR Nagar," said the officer. From January 21, he continued his work as usual so neighbours would not be suspicious. The garbage truck in which the limbs were found had collected garbage from Kodambakkam and MGR Nagar.
Police said the woman had a son who is studying in plus two and daughter in fifth standard. Based on information given by Balakrishnan the police were retrieving the rest of the body and are conducting further inquires, police said.
By Express News Service
CHENNAI: Despite pleas from teachers who recently went on strike, the School Education department has decided to take disciplinary action against them. In a bid to collect accurate data on the number of teachers who took part in the strike, the department has asked Chief Education Officers (CEOs) to submit a strike report on Educational Management Information System software.
This decision has disheartened government school teachers, who had requested the State not to take disciplinary action and repeal their suspension. Several teachers, who were suspended during the strike in January, have not been allowed to rejoin duty, until the department completes its inquiry against them.
In a circular issued to all CEOs on Monday, Director of the School Education Department Rameswara Murugan instructed them to collect details of staff who participated in the strike between January 22 and 30 through respective District Education Officers and upload the same onto the EMIS portal.
A database of all schools and teachers in every district is available on the portal. Officials would merely have to select the names of teachers and check the box against participated. The officers will then have to choose the dates on which the teachers took part in the strike.
Action will only be taken against those teachers who participated in the strike despite being warned for eight days, said a senior official, estimating that roughly 4,000 teachers across the State could be taken to task. We ended the strike on the CMs request. We did not want students to suffer. Now, we want the government to consider our welfare, said T Elangovan of JACTTO-GEO.
He said that the government should not penalise teachers for making reasonable demands. We would have called off the strike much earlier, if the State had held talks with us, he said. The strike, which started on January 22, kept nearly a third of all government employees away from work during the initial days.
Withdraw action against JACTTO-GEO members
Chennai: Tamil Nadu government should withdraw departmental action against members of JACTTO-GEO, who struck work a few days ago in support of their demands, TMC (M) president GK Vasan, has said. In a statement, he said the protesters are facing problems in discharging their duties as departmental action taken against them, has not been revoked, he said in a statement.
Ashwini M Sripad By
Express News Service
BENGALURU: With over 22,000 accidents in the last four years, Bengaluru has earned the dubious distinction of being one of the top three metro cities in the country to witness the highest number of accidents. Chennai and New Delhi are the other two cities, which are notorious for road accidents.On an average, 15 accidents take place daily in Bengaluru limits, presenting a scary picture. Bad road condition, road designs and motorists attitudes trigger a majority of accidents. The city has more than 93,000 roads
covering around 14,000 kilometres.
Bengaluru Traffic Police have identified as many as 47 accident-prone spots in the city. These blackspots see more than five fatal accidents in a year. Most of them are located on the Outer Ring Road, Hosur Road, Mysuru Road and NICE Road (see list).
Urban expert V Ravichandar told The New Indian Express that poor road design is one of the main reasons behind accident. Be it a curve or a turn, the driver will not have clear visibility points, and that leads to accidents. The civic authority concerned should put enough warning signages to alert motorists, he said.
This apart, motorists do not have respect for pedestrians. On some roads, motorists tend to overspeed and accidents take place when they lose control. A few motorists, however, blame unscientific humps on many of the arterial roads behind the rising accidents in the city.According to a senior traffic police official, there are two kinds of roads in Bengaluru. On broader and free roads, motorists drive at high speeds, which leads to accidents. On roads that are narrow, bumper-to-bumper traffic causes accidents, he said.
Home Minister M B Patil has instructed the city police and the authorities concerned to come up with solutions to reduce accidents in such areas. Every year, Road Safety Week is organised to raise public awareness about traffic rules with an eye on reducing casualties due to road accidents. It is being observed this year, starting February 4.
MAJOR ACCIDENT-PRONE ROADS
Hosur Main Road, Varthur Lake Road, Outer Ring Road (Airport Road, HSR Layout, near Bheema Jewellers, forest office, Croma showroom, B Narayanapura, Ramamurthy Nagar), Koramangala Inner Ring Road, Old Airport Road, Tank Bund Road, GT Road, Mysuru Road, RMC Yard, near Navayuga toll, Chokkasandra Junction, Chamarajpet 3rd Main, Minerva Circle, Kalasipalya Main Road, JP Nagar 6th Phase, Near Puravankara Apartment on Nice Road, Nagegowdanapalya to Sompura Lake, Yogeshwaranagar Cross, MVIT Junction, Bettahalasur Junction, Meenukunte, Kannamangalaplaya Gate, Jakkur Aerodrome, Palanahalli Gate
By Sienna Trica and Kate Bradford | Vol . 27, No. 6 | February 2019
Did You Know?
Nearly one in five people has a mental health condition.
Two out of three primary care physicians cannot access psychiatry referrals for their clients in need.
$89 billion was spent on mental illness treatment in the United States in 2013, the most recent that data is available.
The prevalence of mental health and substance use disorders, coupled with roadblocks to obtaining treatment, constitute what many consider to be a serious behavioral health problem in the United States. Some lawmakers, looking for solutions, are expanding access to treatment through telebehavioral health careusing technology to provide services remotely.
The term behavioral health includes both mental health and substance use disorders. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) estimates that 18.3 percent of the U.S. adult population44.7 million peoplesuffered from a mental illness in the past year. In 2016, 28.6 million people aged 12 or older used an illicit drug in the past 30 days, corresponding to about 1 in 10 Americans overall, and 1 in 4 young adults aged 18 to 25.
While millions of adults experience a behavioral health disorder, many are unable to access treatment. An untreated or severe mental health or substance use disorder can affect a persons ability to work, build relationships and contribute to their communities. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, fewer than 10 percent of adults with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders receive treatment for both disorders, and more than 50 percent do not receive treatment for either disorder.
The prevalence of mental health disorders is exacerbated by challenges to accessing care. The National Council for Behavioral Health predicts coverage gaps to continue increasing as communities across the country face a severe shortage of behavioral health providers and resources.
Telebehavioral health care is one strategy state policymakers are using as they explore ways to reduce gaps and increase access to essential behavioral health services. This option falls under the telehealth umbrellaa tool that capitalizes on technology to provide health services remotely. Like telehealth, telebehavioral health care can increase the reach of existing health care providers to rural and underserved communities, and help reduce travel time and expense for both providers and patients. Current research largely demonstrates comparable effectiveness with in-person services.
Telebehavioral health can take many forms, such as online therapy through video conferencing, online chat functions, online care management, or even mobile applications.
State Action
As telehealth services become more widely accepted, state legislators are increasingly considering telehealth to bridge provider gaps and improve behavioral health. A 2017 report by the American Telemedicine Association found that all states have some form of coverage and reimbursement for mental health services provided via telehealth, although state policies vary widely in scope and specificity.
Mental health. California AB 2315 (2018) enables students to receive remote access to behavioral health services. The bill requires the state Department of Education to develop guidelines for using telehealth technology in public schools, including charter schools, to provide behavioral health services to students on school campuses. Utah enacted HB 308 (2018), which sets aside nearly $600,000 for the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health. The funds will support a two-year program to create a telemedicine platform that schools can access to facilitate remote consults between students and providers.
The Telemedicine Wellness, Intervention, Triage and Referral (TWITR) Program, launched by Texas Tech University in 2012, leverages telemedicine to provide services to junior high and high school students who are at risk for injury or harm to others or themselves in school settings. The Texas Office of Governors Criminal Justice Planning Development funds the TWITR project.
Substance use. As the United States struggles with a substance use disorder crisis, telehealth can play an important role by filling gaps in access to health care workers. Some states leverage telebehavioral health to increase access for medication-assisted treatment (MAT), in combination with behavioral therapies, to treat opioid use disorders, according to SAMHSA. To facilitate MAT, some state policymakers have considered amending in-person evaluation requirements to allow providers to prescribe controlled substances via telehealth.
Connecticut SB 302 (2018), for example, allows providers to prescribe certain controlled substances remotely to treat substance use disorder, including for MAT. In addition, the Florida Board of Medicine upheld an amended rule allowing controlled substances to be prescribed via telemedicine to treat psychiatric disorders.
Telebehavioral health partnerships. Providers and health systems also can team up to fill the gaps in access to services. The South Carolina Department of Mental Health and the South Carolina Hospital Association partnered with Duke University to launch a statewide telepsychiatry network, the first in the United States. The Duke Endowment awarded more than $11.7 million since 2007 to build telepsychiatry networks in North Carolina and South Carolina.
Federal Action
The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 included the Creating High-Quality Results and Outcomes Necessary to Improve Chronic Care Act, which seeks to expand access to telehealth services within several Medicare programs.
The recent SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act directs the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to issue guidance to states on options for providing telehealth services for substance use disorders under Medicaid. It includes options for reimbursement of such services. The act also gives the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) a one-year deadline to register practitioners to practice telemedicine. A DEA statement on the Use of Telemedicine While Providing Medication Assisted Treatment clarifies how practitioners can use telemedicine as a tool to expand the use of the medicine buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder under current DEA regulations.
The Veterans Affairs Department uses telemedicine to provide mental health care for veterans. The VA often employs its Clinical Video Telehealth system to allow veterans to connect to a mental health provider separated by distance or time. The VA is also allowing veterans to connect with behavioral health providers in their homes. The VA Offices of Connected Care and Rural Health distributed tablets to veterans experiencing barriers to access in 2016.
MEDICAL-USE UPDATE: As of May 18, 2021 36 states and 4 territories allow for the medical use of cannabis products.
In November, 2020, voters in Mississippi passed a ballot initiative to allow for medical use, but it was overturned by the state supreme court on May 14, 2021 and is not counted in the state totals on this page. Please see Table 1 for more information.
ADULT-USE UPDATE: As of April 14, 2021, 17 states, two territories and the District of Columbia have enacted legislation to regulate cannabis for adult use.
Voters in Arizona, Montana, New Jersey, and South Dakota approved measures to regulate cannabis for adult use.
On February 8, 2021, South Dakota Circuit Judge Christina Klinger ruled that the measure was unconstitutional. The decision is being appealed as of March 31, 2021.
New Jersey's governor signed enacting legislation on March 1, 2021.
New York's legislature and governor enacted AB 1248/SB 854 on March 31, 2021.
The Virginia legislature passed legislation on February 27 and approved the governor's amendments on April 7, 2021.
New Mexico legislature passed legislation on March 31 and the governor signed legislation on April 12, 2021.
These actions bring the number of states with adult-use regulated cannabis to 17, plus two territories and the District of Columbia.
This total does NOT include South Dakota's court-over-turned measure, which is pending appeal.
Please see Table 1 below for more information.
A total of 36 states, District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands have approved comprehensive, publicly available medical marijuana/cannabis programs.
Please see Table 1 below for more information.
Approved measures in 11 states allow use of "low THC, high cannabidiol (CBD)" products for medical reasons in limited situations or as a legal defense. (See Table 2 below for more information). Low-THC programs are not counted as comprehensive medical marijuana programs. NCSL uses criteria similar to other organizations tracking this issue to determine if a program is "comprehensive":
Protection from criminal penalties for using marijuana for a medical purpose. Access to marijuana through home cultivation, dispensaries or some other system that is likely to be implemented. It allows a variety of strains or products, including those with more than "low THC." It allows either smoking or vaporization of some kind of marijuana products, plant material or extract. Is not a limited trial program. (South Dakota and Nebraska have limited, trial programs that are not open to the public.)
April 14, 2021: South Dakota's overturned adult-use ballot measure is currently under appeal as of March 11, 2021.
* = 2020 measures in Mississippi for medical-use and South Dakota for adult-use were overturned in 2021.
Please see Table 1 below for more information.
Medical Uses of Marijuana
In response to California's Prop 215, the Institute of Medicine issued a report that examined potential therapeutic uses for marijuana. The report found that: "Scientific data indicate the potential therapeutic value of cannabinoid drugs, primarily THC, for pain relief, control of nausea and vomiting, and appetite stimulation; smoked marijuana, however, is a crude THC delivery system that also delivers harmful substances. The psychological effects of cannabinoids, such as anxiety reduction, sedation, and euphoria can influence their potential therapeutic value. Those effects are potentially undesirable for certain patients and situations and beneficial for others. In addition, psychological effects can complicate the interpretation of other aspects of the drug's effect."
Further studies have found that marijuana is effective in relieving some of the symptoms of HIV/AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, and multiple sclerosis.1
In early 2017, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a report based on the review of over 10,000 scientific abstracts from marijuana health research. They also made 100 conclusions related to health and suggest ways to improve cannabis research.
State vs Federal Perspective
At the federal level, marijuana remains classified as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act, where Schedule I substances are considered to have a high potential for dependency and no accepted medical use, making distribution of marijuana a federal offense. In October of 2009, the Obama Administration sent a memo to federal prosecutors encouraging them not to prosecute people who distribute marijuana for medical purposes in accordance with state law.
In late August 2013, the U.S. Department of Justice announced an update to their marijuana enforcement policy. The statement read that while marijuana remains illegal federally, the USDOJ expects states like Colorado and Washington to create "strong, state-based enforcement efforts.... and will defer the right to challenge their legalization laws at this time." The department also reserves the right to challenge the states at any time they feel it's necessary.
More recently, in January 2018, former Attorney General Sessions issued a Marijuana Enforcement Memorandum that rescinded the Cole Memorandum, and allows federal prosecutors to decide how to prioritize enforcement of federal marijuana laws. Specifically, the Sessions memorandum directs U.S. Attorneys to weigh all relevant considerations, including federal law enforcement priorities set by the Attorney General, the seriousness of the crime, the deterrent effect of criminal prosecution, and the cumulative impact of particular crimes on the community. Text of the memo can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-issues-memo-marijuana-enforcement
NCSL's policy on state cannabis laws can be found under Additional Resources below.
Arizona and the District of Columbia voters passed initiatives to allow for medical use, only to have them overturned. In 1998, voters in the District of Columbia passed Initiative 59. However, Congress blocked the initiative from becoming law. In 2009, Congress reversed its previous decision, allowing the initiative to become law. The D.C. Council then put Initiative 59 on hold temporarily and unanimously approved modifications to the law.
Before passing Proposition 203 in 2010, Arizona voters originally passed a ballot initiative in 1996. However, the initiative stated that doctors would be allowed to write a "prescription" for marijuana. Since marijuana is still a Schedule I substance, federal law prohibits its prescription, making the initiative invalid. Medical marijuana "prescriptions" are more often called "recommendations" or "referrals" because of the federal prescription prohibition.
States with medical marijuana laws generally have some form of patient registry, which may provide some protection against arrest for possession up to a certain amount of marijuana for personal medicinal use.
Some of the most common policy questions regarding medical marijuana include how to regulate its recommendation, dispensing, and registration of approved patients. Some states and localities without dispensary regulation are experiencing a boom in new businesses, in hopes of being approved before presumably stricter regulations are made. Medical marijuana growers or dispensaries are often called "caregivers" and may be limited to a certain number of plants or products per patient. This issue may also be regulated on a local level, in addition to any state regulation.
*The links and resources are provided for information purposes only. NCSL does not endorse the views expressed in any of the articles linked from this page.
** While Montana's revised medical marijuana law limits caregivers to three patients, caregivers may serve an unlimited number of patients due to an injunction issued on January 16, 2013.
*The links and resources are provided for information purposes only. NCSL does not endorse the views expressed in any of the articles linked from this page.
Additional Resources
Highlights of proposed budget HARRISBURG (AP) Highlights of Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf's spending plan for the 2019-20 b
HARRISBURG Gov. Tom Wolf proposed a state budget Tuesday that would boost minimum teacher pay, hike the minimum wage for all workers by $4.75 an hour, and create a new Educate and Stay in PA incentive program for community college graduates.
The governors plan comes with a price tag of $34 billion, but would not require any broad-based tax increases. Wolf is also calling for the corporate net income tax to be cut from 9.99 percent to 8.99 percent in the coming year.
"The people of Pennsylvania have made substantial sacrifices in recent years to help our state get up off the mat and despite a budget that asks for no new taxes, we now have a chance to continue making some important new investments on their behalf," Wolf said in his budget address.
Wolfs proposal spurred mostly positive responses from Republican lawmakers, particularly due to the fact that the governor made no mention of trying to raise taxes.
Lawmakers also welcomed Wolfs indication that his administration intends to make improving workforce development a key priority.
Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre County, said that the governors broad priority goals seem to be focused on things that will would enjoy bipartisan support.
Theres a lot we can embrace, at least generically, he said.
Corman said Wolfs speech Tuesday was similar to last years budget, which led to smooth negotiations that were resolved a week before the state governments June 30 budget deadline.
House Speaker Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny County, offered a similar take, saying Wolfs proposal seemed positive and pragmatic.
But Republican lawmakers expressed some reservations at the proposed spending increase in Wolfs plan.
Wolfs budget calls for a $1.4 billion increase in spending over the budget approved by the Legislature last year. But administration officials said that the 2018-19 spending will end up being $33.2 billion because of additional human services costs associated with long-term care.
As a result, Wolfs 2019-2020 budget proposes $927 million in additional spending, a 2.8 percent increase over what the state is expected to actually spend in 2018-19.
Senate Appropriations committee chairman Pat Browne, R-Lehigh County, said that Wolfs proposed spending is more than a 4 percent increase over the amount approved by the Legislature last summer.
Story continues below video
Thats not a sustainable number, Browne told reporters after Wolfs speech.
Wolfs plan would boost basic school spending by $200 million. Wolf is also asking the Legislature to boost the minimum pay for teachers from $18,500 per year to $45,000 a year. The cost of boosting pay in districts which now start teachers at less than $45,000 a year would be about $13.8 million, according to administration officials.
The proposal would give raises to about 3,200 teachers in about 185, mostly rural school districts. There are 500 school districts in the state. The three school districts that stand to gain the biggest subsidies under Wolfs plan are: Conemaugh Valley School District in Cambria County, which would get $693,259 to boost the pay of teachers earning less than $45,000; the North Star School District in Somerset County, which would get $563,740, and the Albert Gallatin School District in Fayette County, which would get $534,011.
The proposal prompted resistance from Republicans.
Corman said that it raised concerns about the state getting in the way of contract negotiations between local school boards and their local teacher unions.
State Sen. John Gordner, R-Columbia County, agreed that the proposal would likely get the state involved in what ought to be local decisions.
Its been up to each school district to determine what makes sense for them, Gordner said. What makes sense for a wealthy suburban school district near Philadelphia may not make sense in Mount Carmel or Shamokin.
Wolfs plan would provide Mount Carmel with a state subsidy of $342,736 to give raises to its lowest-paid teachers and provide Shamokin with $295,127 to boost the pay of the lowest-earning teachers there.
With the increase, the states cost for education would reach $13.7 billion a year.
Wolf is also asking the Legislature to provide $50 million more for special education costs and $50 million more for early childhood education, including Pre-K Counts and Head Start.
The Educate and Stay in PA initiative carries a projected $8 million price tag, according to administration projections. Under this proposal, community college graduates would be eligible to get one-time $2,500 grants after graduation to stay in the state.
The initiative is intended to combat the middle-skills gap, according to Wolf Administration budget documents, by creating an incentive for community college graduates to earn degrees in high-demand fields that dont require four-year degrees and then stay in Pennsylvania to work.
Wolfs spokesman J.J. Abbott said that the program would require graduates to prove that they are working in Pennsylvania to get the grant but theres no minimum amount of time they would have to remain in the state in order to keep the money.
Wolf also pitched a $7 million increase in funding the 14 universities in the State System of Higher Education, but his budget would flat-fund the state-related universities, including Penn State, Pitt and Temple.
Wolf announced last week that he wants to boost the minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $12 an hour. Wolfs estimated that raising the minimum wage would save the state $36 million in reduced costs of safety net programs as low-wage workers will be less likely to need government assistance.
Last week, Wolf also said hed like to tax the natural gas drilling industry and use the proceeds to pay off borrowing to pay for a wide variety of infrastructure needs. While the drilling tax has been a feature of his previous budget proposals, Wolf said he was keeping that proposal separate from the budget. Wolf described the borrowing plan as an effort to tackle infrastructure issues that the state cant otherwise find a way to pay for and said he was segregating that plan from the normal budget negotiations in an attempt to keep it from being politicized.
A visitation and memorial service will be held for Donald Hawk Sr., who passed away on Nov. 16, 2020, and his beloved wife, JoAnne C. Hawk, who passed away on Jan. 17, 2021.
Late last month, Democratic City Councilor Bruce Fontanella proposed a resolution that would have advised Meriden City Manager Tim Coon to submit a zero-increase budget for the 2019-20 fiscal year. The measure would not have been binding, but various objections were raised and only one other councilor, Republican Dan Brunet, supported it, so it was tabled. That way, it could die quietly, without anyone having to vote against a zero-increase budget.
"Basically, this is just us asking you to do your job," Democrat Cathy Battista said to Coon about the resolution. True enough.
But this will be a quirky year for budgeting because of two things that happened in two successive years. First, the General Assembly took an extra and outrageous five months to pass a state budget in 2017, forcing Connecticuts towns and cities to craft their own budgets with no idea how much state aid theyd be getting. The city finished that fiscal year with a $2 million deficit, which was covered by the rainy day fund.
Then, last December, city officials discovered a clerical error that led to an underassessment of Eversource Energy's personal property (equipment), which shortchanged the citys coffers by $3.4 million. The city ended last fiscal year with a small surplus. Eversource has since paid that bill in full, money that has not yet been allocated.
Coon has already said he intends to keep the budget as low as possible while also providing the services Meriden needs. It will be his job to sharpen his pencil and differentiate the wants from the needs.
No doubt there are departments, including the Board of Education, who would love to get some of that $3.4 million. But this is a town whose taxpayers came out in the middle of last summer and voted overwhelmingly to reject the City Councils budget, so there is clearly strong support with or without Fontanellas resolution for keeping the budget low and the tax rate down.
If the councilors dont want to see a repeat of last years taxpayer revolt, they would do well to keep last summers referendum in mind and not use the Eversource money for any new spending.
WALLINGFORD The Town Council ordinance committee on Tuesday night decided to postpone voting on a proposal to raise the minimum legal age to purchase tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, from 18 to 21.
Councilor Craig Fishbein suggested several changes to the draft ordinance, and councilors wanted another meeting to discuss revisions. No Democratic councilors were present at Tuesdays meeting.
Wallingford would be among the first Connecticut municipalities to ban selling tobacco products to anyone under age 21. Hartford became the first in October 2018. Bridgeport passed a similar ordinance on Jan. 21, and South Windsor followed on Monday.
State legislators have introduced several bills this session addressing vaping and e-cigarette use among minors, including raising the minimum purchasing age on tobacco products from 18 to 21.
The town health department would provide retailers with signs that would be posted at points of sale and on tobacco product displays.
The police department would be authorized to enforce the ordinance. Penalties for sale violations would start with a written warning, and then progress to fines.
The idea for raising the minimum age was introduced during the Town Council's regular meeting on in October 2018, when Coalition for a Better Wallingford presented information on youth vaping, focused on the Juul brand of vaporizer, which offers high nicotine capacity and flavored pods and has been accused by health advocates of targeting teens.
Juul spokesman Ted Kwong said in a statement that the companys intent was never to have youth use Juul products.
We strongly support raising the minimum purchase age for cigarettes, tobacco and vaping products to 21, Kwong said.
Martin Pazzani, co-owner of Silver City Vapors, said the ordinance would punish people who want to quit smoking through using e-cigarettes.
Craig Turner, town youth and social services director, said the ordinance is aimed at reducing accessibility and availability of tobacco products, citing the change in law in the early 1980s to raise the drinking age, due to car accidents and deaths involving alcohol use.
"We know that this is an epidemic of use," Turner said.
LTakores@record-journal.com
203-317-2212
Twitter: @LCTakores
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump hammered familiar themes including the need to curb immigration and boost infrastructure and unveiled several new initiatives during his State of the Union address Tuesday night, but Democrats panned the speech even before he uttered the first word.
Trump delivered his second State of the Union speech Tuesday night to a divided Congress and a divided nation.
As he did during last years State of the Union address, Trump made a pitch for bipartisan unity.
Victory is not winning for our party. Victory is winning for our country, Trump said, adding, We must reject the politics of revenge.
Trump spoke of a booming economy and American exceptionalism, saying the nation is winning every day.
But for many Democrats, some of what Trump said rang hollow while other parts of the speech were clearly fighting words, including his repeated demand for border wall funding that has already resulted in a 35-day partial government shutdown.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said I dont know that it matters what the president says in his speech whatever he says he will contradict in the next 24 hours.
Trump spoke to the nation just 10 days before the potential start of another partial government shutdown, the result of a failure of congressional Democrats and the White House to come to an agreement on the budget.
In this context, his calls for unity were not dismissed by Rep. John Larson, D-1st District.
The President struck the right tone in calling for bipartisanship, Larson said.
Over the next week, our number one priority needs to be ensuring we fund the federal government. Our nation cannot be thrown into chaos again while our federal workers and contractors go unpaid.
Trump spent a considerable part of his speech warning of the dangers of illegal immigration and once again pressed for money for his border wall, something Democrats say is a non-starter.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District, immediately tweeted, Our country needs comprehensive immigration reform, not a wall.
Trump said there are new caravans of immigrants from Central America on their way to the United States and that Mexican cities in order to remove the illegal immigrants from their communities, are getting trucks and buses to bring them up to our country in areas where there is little border protection.
Trump also announced a second nuclear summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Vietnam on Feb. 27-28.
DeLauro also said Trumps speech was rife with hypocrisy because the president spoke of his support for protections for those with pre-existing health conditions while he simultaneously supports efforts to eliminate those protections, provided by the Affordable Care Act.
The speech was short on a vision of our country and was divisive under the cover of bipartisanship, she said.
Murphy said Trumps speech could have been a lot worse.
But his platitudes about working together are totally meaningless when the minute he goes off script, he returns to the divisive, reckless, my-way-or-the-highway style that has paralyzed Washington for the past two years, Murphy said. Truthfully, the state of our union is a mess, and its because Trump has taken a wrecking ball to democratic norms, objective truth, and the value of American diversity.
Congressional Republicans, however, were enthusiastic about Trumps speech.
President Trump just hit it out of the park, said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. He offered a vision of America that both parties can support. Now, Democrats have a choice. They can continue to resist or they can choose to work together to keep making America greater than ever.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who sat behind the president as he gave his address, did not say anything. But she managed to send a message anyway by inviting two active-duty transgender Army officers a rebuke of Trumps decision to ban transgender service members and the father of a victim of last Februarys mass shooting at a Florida high school in protest of GOP opposition to stricter gun control.
This story originally
appeared on the website of The Connecticut Mirror,
ctmirror.org.
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South Waverly
Man jailed after assaulting police officer
Sloat
SOUTH WAVERLY A Lockwood man is in the Bradford County Jail after he allegedly assaulted a police officer during an incident that occurred at a Warren Street residence Monday evening.
According to Sayre Borough Police, William S. Sloat, 54, was charged with aggravated assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.
Police explained that officers were dispatched to the aforementioned residence at 7:05 p.m. Monday after receiving a report that Sloat was intoxicated and attempting to strike an individual with his cane.
Upon arriving at the scene, officers observed Sloat on the north side of the residence, kicking and running his shoulder into the door of the home, police said.
Sloat then grabbed a piece of wood from the door and threw it into the yard, police said.
Officers told Sloat to stop and put his hands up, at which time, he did and began walking to the officers, police said.
Sloat was then instructed to turn around and face away from the officers, and as they approached him to detain him for his and others safety, Sloat swung around and faced one of the officers with clenched fists and a 1,000 yard stare, police stated.
One officer drew his taser and pointed it at Sloat while the other officer continued to command Sloat to turn back around, police said.
Officers told Sloat that he needed to be safely detained while they investigated the incident, at which point he told them go ahead and tase me you (expletives deleted), police said.
One officer approached Sloat and tried to grab him by his arm, but Sloat flailed his arms away and attempted to punch the officer in the face with a closed hand, police said.
The other officer deployed his taser into Sloats side and stomach, and Sloat was eventually taken to the ground, police said.
Sloat continued to try and wrestle his hands away from the officers, which resulted in one of the officers activating his taser on Sloat for a second time, police said.
Sloat was eventually taken into custody and was placed in the back of the patrol vehicle while the officers began investigating the incident, police said.
Officers spoke to a pair of witnesses who told them that Sloat had arrived at the residence earlier in the day and was already intoxicated, police said.
Prior to the officers arriving on the scene, Sloat had asked the individuals to take him to the Lehigh Tavern and they refused, police said.
Sloat then became irate towards them and began swinging his cane at them, police said.
Sloats cane was designed at being approximately five to six feet in length with roots on one end and having a human tooth mounted in it, police said.
While swinging the cane at the witnesses, Sloat allegedly said that he would kill them, kill all of the cops when they arrived before going to the McDonalds and killing everyone there, police said.
Sloat was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Todd Carr of Towanda and was committed to the county correctional facility in lieu of bail.
Sloat will appear before Magisterial District Judge Larry Hurley of Athens Township for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 12.
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PHILADELPHIA The numbers keep piling up when it comes to the coronavirus toll in the city.
Lansdale, PA (19446)
Today
Periods of rain. Thunder possible. High 71F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%..
Tonight
Cloudy early with some clearing expected late. Low 48F. Winds light and variable.
NETRF announces $2.5 million in research to advance the treatment of rare cancer
The Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation (NETRF) continues its aggressive funding of neuroendocrine cancer research with eight new grants totaling $2.5 million. With this newest round of funding, NETRF expands its portfolio to include research into lung neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), which affect about one in four NET patients.
NETRF is the leading private funder of neuroendocrine cancer research, funding more than $22 million in NET research since 2005. NETRF looks for innovative and transformational ideas, such as leveraging findings made in other cancer types to accelerate progress in NETs. The eight new projects explore some of the latest advancements in cancer:
CAR T-cell therapy combined with antibody-drug conjugates
Photodynamic therapy
Deciphering the impact of mutations in key genes in NETs
Improving outcomes by combining biomarkers and radiomics
"Smart" chemotherapy
Novel SSTR2 radioligands
Alpha-particle emitting agents for the treatment of lung NETs
Testing new cancer vaccines on NETs
As a less common cancer, NETs lag behind other cancers for research funding. "Neuroendocrine tumor is a neglected tumor type that doesn't get its due funding from the National Cancer Institute and other organizations," said George Fisher, MD, PhD, co-chair, NETRF Board of Scientific Advisors.
NETs occur in hormone-producing cells, most commonly forming in the lung, pancreas, and gastrointestinal tract. Despite appearing in different sites, tumors forming in this cell type are classified as neuroendocrine and require different tests and treatments.
"We are searching out the best science, identifying dedicated investigators, and asking the right questions with the singular goal of trying to identify new treatments, and better ways to manage the disease," said Dan Chung, MD, co-chair, NETRF Board of Scientific Advisors.
Two U.S. cancer centers will receive their first NETRF grant: Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, and Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL. Two international organizations will also receive their first NETRF grant: BC Canada, Vancouver, Canada, and Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands. Other institutions funded in this grant cycle include the University of Pennsylvania, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Stanford University, and the University of California, San Francisco.
"We seek out projects to understand the basic biology of NETs, in addition to research that may be translated from the bench to the clinic to make an impact on patient treatment," said Elyse Gellerman, NETRF chief executive officer.
The NETRF grant process is a competitive and structured peer-review process, which starts with an annual call for letters-of-intent in late spring. All applications are evaluated by NETRF's Board of Scientific Advisors. Final approval is made by the NETRF Board of Directors.
As a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, NETRF is supported by charitable donations from individuals and foundations. A generous, transformational gift from the Margie and Robert E. Petersen Foundation will fund several of the new projects. Additional philanthropic support has been provided by the Goldhirsh-Yellin Foundation of Los Angeles and the Karpus Family Foundation of New York.
###
About NETRF
The Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation (NETRF) is dedicated to funding research to discover cures and more effective treatments for neuroendocrine cancers. Since its inception in 2005, NETRF has awarded over $22 million in large-scale, multi-year grants to leading scientists at renowned research institutions around the world. Grants are made possible by the generous support of individuals, families, and foundations dedicated to advancing NET research. For more information go to netrf.org.
This story has been published on: 2019-02-06. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
When the world shut down just over a year ago, I had no idea what my photo team would work on in the future. I was just over two months into my new job as multimedia editor, and though the future was uncertain, we still had a job to do.
[February 06, 2019] MAHLE Licenses WiTricity Technology for Electric Vehicle Wireless Charging WiTricity, the industry pioneer in wireless power transfer over distance, today announced that MAHLE, a top 20 global Tier 1 supplier to the automotive industry headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, has entered into a technology license for access to WiTricity's patented technology. MAHLE is a well-known international development partner and supplier to the automotive industry as well as a pioneer for the mobility of the future. The group's product portfolio addresses all the crucial issues relating to the powertrain and air conditioning technology-both for drives with combustion engines and for e-mobility. Access to WiTricity wireless energy transfer technology will enable MAHLE to develop additional innovative solutions for e-mobility. Major automotive markets in Europe and Asia pledge to go all-electric over the next few decades, and all global carmakers are at work developing new vehicle platforms for e-mobility. "This addition to the MAHLE portfolio provides us with a crucial element for the long-term acceptance and expansion of e-mobility. We believe this technology offers strong market potential. Our solution will enable fast, reliable and highly efficient charging," says Dr. Jorg Stratmann, Chairman of the Management Board and CEO of MAHLE. "We are excited to enter into a relationship with MAHLE given its rich history of technical leadership in the automotive industry and given its aggressiveinvestment in e-mobility," said Alex Gruzen, WiTricity CEO. "Wireless charging is key to accelerating EV sales, and we are proud to work with MAHLE to bring WiTricity technology to customers around the world." About MAHLE MAHLE is a leading international development partner and supplier to the automotive industry as well as a pioneer for the mobility of the future. The group's product portfolio addresses all the crucial issues relating to the powertrain and air conditioning technology-both for drives with combustion engines and for e-mobility. In 2017, the group generated sales of approximately EUR 12.8 billion with about 78,000 employees and is represented in more than 30 countries with 170 production locations. About WiTricity WiTricity develops solutions to enable wireless power transfer over distance using its patented magnetic resonance technology. WiTricity works with top global carmakers and Tier 1 suppliers to deploy wireless power solutions, helping realize a future of transportation that is electrified, shared and autonomous. See how WiTricity makes EV charging easy. Get to know WiTricity. WiTricity technology licensing agreements have been announced with Toyota, Aptiv (formerly Delphi (News - Alert) ), Mahle, TDK, IHI, Shindengen, Daihen, BRUSA, and Anjie Wireless. WiTricity is also collaborating directly with leading carmakers to drive global standards for wireless charging systems. Standards initiatives include the SAE International, International Electrotechnical Commission ( IEC (News - Alert) ), International Organization for Standardization (ISO), STILLE, China Automotive Technology & Research Center (CATARC), China Electricity Council and the Chinese Electric Power Research Institute (CEPRI). Visit us, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190206005035/en/
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They all joined in to sing Happy Birthday to Judah Samet of Pittsburgh, who was spared from the massacre that claimed 11 lives at the Tree of Life synagogue there in October because he was a few minutes late for services. A bystander warned him not to go inside, and he stayed in his car and witnessed a shootout between the accused gunman and police outside the building, according to the Tribune-Review.
By so doing this he hopes to gain some concessions from the Trump administration and the rest of the United Nations community that will benefit his country whether it be financial aid, trade agreements or some other advantages. Putin is playing a game of chess with the worlds peace and safety being at stake. Trump being very good at playing this game will certainly know what is going on and ensure that Putin will be made to toe the mark and either negotiate a new treaty or make the old one work. Trump said that he will get together other countries including China and renegotiate a new nuclear arms treaty. Using the United Nations as the arbiter we can resolve this situation beneficially for all nations.
But, Kotek added, citizens should listen to Bill Gates, Paul Allen and the Union of Concerned Scientists, who praise nuclear power as a clean, reliable source of electricity worthy of public support and fear its demise will lead to higher emissions caused by natural-gas fired plants. If public officials are willing to spend taxpayer money to lure new jobs into the state, they should be willing to spend taxpayer money to keep those same jobs, Kotek said.
The report faulted the transition of the incoming Democratic governor for hiring Alvarez without looking more into the allegation against him. The transition team became aware of some but not all of the details of Brennan's allegation in December 2017, according to the report and legislative testimony. Instead of conducting an internal probe into the allegations, the report notes, Alvarez's hiring process seemed to go forward unimpeded.
In the Northampton Area School District, Superintendent Joseph Kovalchik said two of the biggest cost increases are pension payments and charter school tuition. While Wolfs proposal calls for a 7 percent increase for Northampton, local taxpayers will still carry the load of funding the majority of the districts budget. More than 60 percent of the districts annual budget comes from local taxes.
There was a big victory lap on the economy, and I think that was entirely appropriate and made sense. The president made his case for funding for border security at some length. The most contentious issue right now that is holding us up is obviously the funding of the government. On that, after making a very forceful case, if you listen closely, what he said at the conclusion was, we need to work together and compromise. That is what I have been saying all along. Theres an obvious solution here. Nobody gets everything they want. Nobody gets nothing they want. This isnt rocket science. The president wants $5.7 billion for border security. Nancy Pelosi wants zero. We settle somewhere in between.
I cant believe were going back and trying to rehash that, Wild said. I felt as though that portion of the speech, we were moving backward and that discouraged me. Other than that, I found the speech to be encouraging if we can really continue in that spirit of working together on some of the vital issues that he talked about.
Even as he appealed for unity, President Donald Trump made it clear in his State of the Union address on Tuesday that his idea of common ground is having Democrats back his policy agenda and stop investigating his administration.
For all of Trump's talk about bridging "old divisions" and pursuing bipartisan initiatives, Trump previewed the well-trod themes that will power his 2020 re-election campaign: a hard line on immigration and border security, a deep suspicion of trade deals, and an "America First" foreign policy.
This time, the dissonance between Trump's words and the political reality was more jarring than ever. For the first time in his presidency, Trump had a Democrat seated behind him in the House chamber, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and spoke to a Congress where Democrats share power with Republicans.
Beyond Capitol Hill, the field of Democrats seeking to challenge Trump for the presidency is growing by the week.
The speech suggested that Trump, while talking up such lofty bipartisan goals such as combating HIV and childhood cancer, was signaling to his most passionate supporters that he was not about to compromise on the issues that matter most to them.
"While there were many unifying moments, the president took time to appeal to his base over issues that split the parties such as investigations, immigration and abortion," said Ron Bonjean, a longtime Republican strategist in Washington.
"Nothing has changed after tonight's delivery by Trump because both sides are simply too dug in to allow any sort of major compromise legislation to occur," Bonjean said.
Fresh off a month-long partial government shutdown that damaged him politically, Trump showed no inclination he would back off his demand for more than $5 billion for a barrier along the U.S border with Mexico and in fact used a large portion of the speech to make his case for the wall to the American people.
In doing so, Trump employed much of same rhetoric he used during last year's congressional elections, warning of an "onslaught" of migrants from Central America, labeling the border "lawless" and declaring that "countless" Americans had been murdered by illegal immigrants.
For a reminder of how his party fared in those midterm elections, Trump only had to look at the sea of white outfits worn by Democratic women in attendance on the House floor. They chanted "USA! USA!" when Trump recognized their achievement.
Regardless, Trump delivered a stark warning to Democrats such as Pelosi who have said they will push to hold his administration accountable: Back off, or I wont work with you.
"If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation," Trump said. "It just doesn't work that way."
And in talking about the vibrant American economy, Trump implied he would be quick to blame Democrats for any slowdown.
Culture Wars
Trump also re-stoked America's culture wars, spending a portion of the speech blasting abortion-rights legislation in New York and Virginia, a move that will endear him to evangelical voters.
"There was very little difference between this speech and what you'd hear at one of his campaign rallies," said Doug Thornell, a longtime Democratic congressional aide.
"To many people this speech will be remembered for his continued obsession with the wall, the demonization of immigrants, and his bizarre attack on congressional investigations. Truly stunning."
But Alex Conant, a former top aide to Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio, said that Trump succeeded in showing that he was open to working with Democrats on issues such as prescription drug prices.
"After a tough couple of weeks, this was the reset that Trump needed," Conant said. "He laid out a popular agenda and framed the big political issues of the day in the most favorable way possible."
There are clear signs that the showdown over the border wall has dinged the president: The most recent Reuters/Ipsos tracking poll had Trump's approval rating at a shade over 39 perrcent, the lowest it has been since early last October.
The number of Americas who disapprove of Trumps job performance stood at more than 56 percent.
With Trump's re-election campaign set to begin in earnest, the president must also await the final determination of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating ties between Trump's campaign team and Russian officials as well as possible obstruction of justice.
A year ago, Trump made a similar plea for bread-breaking with Democrats, only to have the year swallowed up by scorched-earth congressional elections, a divisive fight over Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, and finally the 35-day government shutdown.
All the while, Trump regularly blasted Democrats on his Twitter feed as unhelpful, obstructionist and unpatriotic.
"There is no reason to think he wants unity. He thrives on disunity," said John Geer, an expert on public opinion at Vanderbilt University. "The president may call for working together, but past behavior suggests otherwise."
*By James Oliphant and John Whitesides
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WHAT HAPPENED: The administration renegotiated a revised North America trade pact that scored wins for autoworkers and dairy farmers, but the deal needs approval from Congress. Trump got South Korea to agree to a rewrite of a 2012 trade deal in which Seoul submitted to quotas on its steel and aluminum exports to the United States and modestly opened South Korea's auto market to U.S. automakers. Trump's effort to reset trade with China has resulted in both nations increasing the tariffs that importers pay, which companies must absorb or pass on to consumers through higher prices. Negotiations continue, with the U.S. set to raise tariffs on an additional $200 billion worth of Chinese imports in March if a deal is not reached.
The women of the House wore white. The men wore dark suits. And the contrast laid bare the growing gender gap between Democrats and Republicans.
Wearing the color of the suffragists, the Democratic women of the House put on a stunning display of solidarity during the State of the Union address Tuesday.
They paid tribute to the women who came before them and gave a nod to their own achievement, as more women than ever are now representatives in the House.
There were white pantsuits, of course. But also sheath power dresses. Even a puffy zip snow vest. Hats for some, removed once inside. Shawls and scarves.
In the chamber, there has long been a growing gender divide with Democratic women outnumbering Republicans. The House now has more than 100 women in office. But the vast majority of them, about 90, are Democrats. House Republican women count just over a dozen.
Even when the senators arrive for a joint session like this, the gap comes into view with the sea of dark suits on one side of the aisle, and the diversity of colorful suits and dresses on the other.
On this night, the simplicity of white offered a reminder that fashion is often political. Theirs was a reflection of the voters who sent them to office last November giving Democrats the House majority.
During his speech, President Donald Trump noted the number of women in newly created jobs last year, touching off a remarkable moment.
The women in white leapt to their feet and high-fived, pointing at themselves and each other. They had won some of those very jobs.
Trump, surprised, said, "You weren't supposed to do that."
Then, because he knew the part of his speech that was coming next, told them not to sit quite yet, promising "You're going to like this."
Trump recounted that a century after the Congress passed the Constitutional amendment "giving women the right to vote, we also have more women serving in the Congress than ever before."
More high-fives and the women in white, repurposing a favorite outburst of the men in suits on the other side of the aisle, chanted, "U-S-A!"
Among them was Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who also wore white last month when the 29-year-old was sworn into office, now a prominent member of the freshmen class.
"That's great," Trump said. "Very great."
Speaker Nancy Pelosi watched over the night, the first woman to wield the gavel, when she rose to the position in 2007, and now the only speaker in half a century to reclaim it when she was elected again in January.
Trump and Pelosi shook hands before the speech, pleasant enough. But he began his speech without the formal introduction the speaker traditionally gives the president, and Pelosi sat down.
The two had sparred during the partial federal shutdown over whether he should even give the speech at all. Pelosi said no, not until the government reopened. He said yes, but eventually relented.
Pelosi often says her strength comes from the unity of her diverse Democratic caucus, and that power was on display Tuesday.
A few of the Democrats' male colleagues joined them in white. Rep. Dean Phillips, a newly elected Democrat from Minnesota, wore a white jacket, as did Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill. Many other men wore white ribbons of support.
As soon as the speech was done, the women headed for the doors, their place in history, in white, complete.
For many Democrats, Abrams, a former state legislative leader, provides an appealing snapshot of what the party is offering as it gears up to take on Trump and the Republicans in the next election. She lives in a state that has leaned conservative but is changing demographically and becoming more competitive in statewide races.
On Wednesday at 9 p.m., agents with Customs and Border Protections Anti-Terrorism Contraband Enforcement Team were inspecting packages that had arrived on a DHL flight from the Dominican Republic and spotted a suspicious package that was destined for a home in the 600 block of North Brick Street in Allentown.
Upper Darby police said the 16-month-old was rushed to the hospital after he was found unconscious inside the home a few blocks from the police station at about 5:30 p.m. Monday.
Lynch and others suspect that the smell emanates from four landfills in and around Falls Township across the river in Bucks County. The stench, they believe, starts there and is carried by winds that blow east across the Pennsylvania border and into New Jersey.
Knox, an ex-Pittston relative living in Virginia, and others were charged with assaults on a 9-year-old boy that prosecutors allege were committed in Pennsylvania starting in 2009. Four other defendants were sentenced earlier, one, David R. Parker, Saylorsburg, to a 30-year federal child sex trafficking term.
Twenty-five years ago, participants of the International Conference on Population Development (ICPD) sat in a convention hall here in Cairo and watched a video depicting 10-year-old Nagla undergoing female genital mutilation. The graphic footage sent shockwaves that are still reverberating today, pushing forward the fight against female genital mutilation in Egypt as UNFPA marks the 25th anniversary of the ground-breaking conference.
The public outcry that followed the video prompted then Egyptian Minister of Health to decree that the procedure should be performed only in certain state hospitals. Shortly after, in 2007, another decree was issued to close the loophole, banning the practice altogether in governmental and non-governmental hospitals and clinics.
On my very first visit to a community project in the governorate of Assiut, I engaged in discussions about female genital mutilation with mothers and fathers of the community. I asked what challenges remain to combat it, and the most common answer I received was that the problem lies in the physicians.
The physician is regarded as an authority in some communities, rendering the practice legitimate.
Efforts to end female genital mutilation are faced by an increased demand for medicalization whereby female genital mutilation is practiced by a health care provider which adds to the complexity of this social norm rooted in cultural traditions and beliefs.
Overall, 92.3 percent of ever married women aged 15-49 in Egypt have undergone female genital mutilation, 61 percent of girls aged 15-17 years, according to the latest Demographic and Health Survey (DHS).
Medicalization is most common in Egypt, where 82 percent of cases of female genital mutilation were performed by medical personnel. When comparing mothers and daughters, trends of medicalization appear to be increasing sharply, whereby 37.9 of mothers had the procedure performed by a medical professional, compared 81.9 percent of daughters.
The increased demand for medicalization results from a mistaken belief that when performed by a medical professional, the procedure is safer. While they opt to avoid any risk of health consequences, parents ignore the potential long-term effects on reproductive health the procedure may have, as well as psychological and social damage it causes.
Female genital mutilation is a form of gender-based violence and a violation of human rights, rooted in gender inequality, along with religious misinterpretation and cultural beliefs.
Since it is a multifaceted practice and it is thus important that we tackle female genital mutilation through a holistic approach. UNFPA works on building consensus in communities through enhancing the capabilities of religious leaders, empowering girls, community mobilization, and engaging with young people to raise awareness and advocate against female genital mutilation.
We are also committed to supporting the government of Egypt to end female genital mutilation, specifically the medicalization of the practice.
UNFPA, in collaboration with the National Population Council supported advocacy efforts to integrate female genital mutilation in the national medical curriculum at higher education level in universities. In 2017 the Supreme Council of Universities granted the approval to integrate the issue in the curriculum.
UNFPA also works to raise the capacity of healthcare providers at primary health care units and supports the capacity building for outreach workers.
It is also important to take a step back and highlight the direct link between female genital mutilation and population growth, and why we at UNFPA address them in a comprehensive manner.
A big majority of families who expose their daughters to female genital mutilation are also marrying them off early, which translates into a longer reproductive period and into more children. A recent report by the World Bank estimates that a girl marrying at 13 will have on average 26 percent more children over her lifetime than if she had married at 18 or later. If a girl marries at 17, she would still have on average 17 percent more children versus marrying at 18 or later. Considering the rates of FGM and early marriage and the characteristics of the girls who marry early, ending it would reduce the national rate of total fertility by 11 percent, a rather large effect.
New estimates from UNFPA linking female genital mutilation and global population dynamics also indicate that even if the rates stays constant in Egypt for example, more and more girls will still be affected each year due to the underlying population growth.
This proves that more efforts are needed to curb these directly proportional trends.
In 2018, the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme has launched a third phase, focusing on accelerating the rate of elimination of the practice, thanks to generous contributions of the European Union, the government of Norway, among other donors.
On the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, we reaffirm our commitment to end this harmful practice.
Together with the government, we have a responsibility to galvanizing political will, ensure the enforcement of legislation, and strengthen the monitoring and accountability system.
Eliminating female genital mutilation is a critical step towards realizing other Sustainable Development Goals. Unless we act now, another 68 million girls around the world will have undergone female genital mutilation by 2030.
*Dr. Aleksandar Bodiroza UNFPA Representative in Egypt
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TERRY LEE LUNDGREN, age 59 of Janesville, passed away following a three year battle with cancer at his home on Saturday, June 19, 2021, surrounded by his family. Per Terry's wishes, a private family service and a celebration of life will be held at a later date. Dennis Funeral & Crematio
The Federation of Free Farmers warned that the signing of the rice tariffication bill will render the government powerless to control price spikes and market failure in the future. The group said the original intent of the bill was to free rice importation from volume restrictions and replace them with tariffs in observance of the countrys commitment to the World Trade Organization. We accept the fact that we now have to tariffy the quantitative restrictions on rice. However, the legislators went beyond that by also removing the powers of the National Food Authority to regulate the market. This is dangerous not only to consumers and farmers but for the government as well, said FFF national manager Raul Montemayor. He said the bill would limit NFAs powers to maintain buffer stock which is important during crises, calamities and emergencies. NFA will have to buy buffer stocks solely from local farmers and will not be allowed to import. Under the bill, rice will be brought in by the private sector, requiring no less than a quarantine certificate from the Bureau of Plant Industry.This means that cheap rice will not be available in the market unless there is a declared emergency or calamity. If prices started going up, the government will not be able to intervene unless it declares an emergency. Even then, it will run the risk of very little stocks left if a calamity or typhoon hits the country. And the NFA may not be able to easily replenish its buffer stocks if famers wont sell to them, Montemayor said. Similarly, the farmers cannot depend on the NFA to buy their produce if palay prices are going down. Once the NFA accumulates enough for its buffer stock, it will have to stop buying from farmers. Local traders will now be free to set whatever price they want, he said. The farmers group said the buying price of palay started going down to as low as P15 per kilogram in major rice producing areas of the country. Traders are forced to buy at a lower price because of large volumes of imports. Many of them are playing it safe and buying low because they are afraid that imports will increase once the tariffication bill is signed into law, said FFF president Ruben Presilda. NFA was given P7 billion for palay procurement which is good for about 400,000 metric tons or 2 percent of total palay production.
Thiruvananthapuram : Senior advocate K Prasaran, appearing for Nair Service Society, opened the arguments before a five-judge bench and sought setting aside of the verdict. He added that it is an error to strike down a temple custom under article 15. The advocate also pointed that untouchability will apply only if someone is treated less than a human being
The review petitions are being heard by a Constitution bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi and justices R F Nariman, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra.
There are 64 cases being heard in total, out of which some are review petitions and some transfer petitions. On September 28, a five-judge Constitution bench, headed by the then CJI Dipak Misra, in a 4:1 verdict had paved the way for entry of women of all ages into the shrine, saying the ban amounted to gender discrimination.
New Delhi : Supreme Court on Wednesday began hearing the review petitions challenging its September verdict. A batch of over 60 petitions will be heard by a five-Judge constitution bench led by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi.
The Sabarimala case was earlier scheduled for January 22, but had to be postponed after Justice Indu Malhotra was on medical leave.
Justice Malhotra, the only woman judge on the bench, had dissented with the verdict in September, saying courts must not interfere with issues concerning "deep religious sentiments". However, the verdict had set off many street protest in Kerala leading to mass arrests over the violence.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called off her sit-in protest Tuesday evening after the Supreme Court forbid the CBI from taking coercive action against Kolkata police chief Rajeev Kumar but vowed to wage a relentless battle against the Narendra Modi government till it was ousted from power. Banerjee, who dramatically began the dharna on Sunday evening over the CBI's bid to question Kumar, in a throwback to her street fighter politician past, said she was ending the protest following a "favourable" Supreme Court order after consulting leaders of like-minded political parties.
"I will not give up....Modi hatao, desh bachao (oust Modi, save the country. The dharna is a victory of the people, of the country, of democracy. I will now take the fight to Delhi," she told a gathering of her supporters with TDP supremo and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu by her side. The stormy leader had begun the protest claiming that the spirit of "Constitution and federalism" was being stifled by the Modi government after a CBI team went to quiz the Kolkata police commissioner Sunday evening in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam case, setting the stage for a fresh confrontation with the Centre.
CBI officials were dragged by Kolkata police, bundled into vehicles and detained, in a development Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh dubbed as "constitutional breakdown". Banerjee, one of the prime movers behind the effort to cobble together an anti-BJP alliance ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, drew support from over 20 opposition parties as she claimed the Centre was plotting a "coup" to topple her government. Asserting that opposition parties will take the fight against the Modi government to a "logical conclusion", Naidu said their leaders will meet in the national capital on February 13-14 to chalk out an agitational programme. Democracy is in danger. Everybody is under threat. If anybody raises his voice, you throw them in jail. Is it Emergency? It is worse than Emergency," he said. PTI
To raise funds for research and development, start-ups sometimes have to announce the existence of licensing agreements, supply and distribution agreements etc. (i.e. a contract for a future sale of a product embodying an invention). In places like the US, if such agreements were made public more than one year prior to the effective filing date, even though the details of the invention are kept confidential, a statutory on-sale bar may be triggered, resulting in loss of patent protection for the invention in the US.
However, Korea does not have such a statutory on-sale bar. Instead, if an invention is "publicly known or used" in Korea or other countries, it triggers a bar on patentability. According to precedent, an invention "publicly known or used" means an invention placed in such a condition that a member of the public having no confidentiality obligation, can easily grasp the content of the invention, for example, by sales of the product embodying the invention, regardless of whether the member was actually aware of the invention (e.g. Supreme Court Decisions 2000Hu1238, 2011Hu4011). Therefore, secret sales or offers for sale per se would not be prior art in Korea as the specific details of the invention need to be publicly disclosed.
Generally, the Korean courts have held that when a product embodying a patented invention is publicly sold to a third party, the third party may be able to disassemble the product and recognise the features in that product. Thus the invention is publicly known or used (e.g. Patent Court Decisions 2008Heo1692, 2004Heo4686). However, specific judgments may depend on what constitutes the technical features of the invention.
Recently, the Patent Court found that even a public sale of a pharmaceutical product before the priority date does not count as prior art, if a person skilled in the art was not able to know its composition or components by using analytical methods available before the priority date, without undue efforts (Patent Court Decisions 2017Na1247 and 2016Heo7954, January 11 2018). The Supreme Court upheld the Patent Court's ruling (June 15 2018).
In this case, Korean local pharmaceutical companies (generic companies) challenged the patent KR 857061 (subject patent) directed to Qretin Tab. of Taejoon Pharm (patentee) by filing a negative scope complaint alleging that their generic products do not fall within the scope of the subject patent. In response, the patentee filed patent infringement suits against the companies selling the generic products.
In fact, Qretin Tab. had been sold since February 1 2007, which was before the priority date (March 9 2007), but the patent application was filed without claiming the benefit of the grace period. The subject patent claims a pharmaceutical formulation characterised by specific components and their ratios, as follows:
Claim 1. Vaccinium myrtillus extract-containing tablet, wherein the tablet comprises 100mg to 500mg of Vaccinium myrtillus extract as an active ingredient; at least one excipient selected from microcrystalline cellulose and anhydrous lactose; and 5 mg to 30 mg of a coating layer, a mixing ratio of Vaccinium myrtillus extract and microcrystalline cellulose is 1 : 0.5 to 1 : 3 on a weight basis (Vaccinium myrtillus extract weight : microcrystalline cellulose weight), and a mixing ratio of Vaccinium myrtillus extract and anhydrous lactose is 1 : 0.5 to 1 : 3 on a weight basis (Vaccinium myrtillus extract weight : anhydrous lactose weight).
Qretin Tab was commercially sold with the following labelling information:
active ingredient: Vaccinium myrtillus extract 170mg per tablet
appearance: reddish-brown oval film-coated tablet
indication: diabetic retinopathy, improvement of eye vascular disorder, nyctalopia.
During the litigation, one of the main arguments presented by the generic companies was that the subject patent is not novel for the reason that Qretin Tab. is prior art of the patentee's invention since it was put on the market before the priority date, and a person skilled in the art could have recognised the detailed features of the sold product by using analytical methods known in the art as of the priority date; thus, their products do not fall under the scope of the subject patent because the sale of Qretin Tab. would invalidate the subject patent.
The patentee argued that the patented invention cannot be recognised as publicly known, since it would be difficult to detect and quantitatively analyse the excipients from the tablet of which detailed features were not disclosed.
Both the Intellectual Property Trial and Appeal Board (IPTAB) and the courts rejected the arguments of the generic companies, and found that the alleged products fall within the scope of Claim 1 of the subject patent for the reason that Claim 1 of the subject patent is not invalidated by the sold product.
Notably, the Patent Court presented a standard for determining novelty of a chemical or pharmaceutical invention as follows:
As for a chemical or pharmaceutical invention, even though the product embodying the invention was publicly sold, if a person skilled in the art was not able to know its composition or components by using analytical methods available before the filing date or priority date, without undue efforts, it cannot be considered that the detailed contents of the invention were disclosed to the public.
The burden of establishing invalidity of a patent based on the reasoning that the invention was made known to the public shall rest on the party asserting such invalidity. Such burden of proof does not require the party to show that all components or their composition ratios in the sold product are exactly reproduced, but at least requires that the evidence be enough to find the technical features of the sold product corresponding to those of the patented invention.
The Court found that:
Evidence presented by the challengers merely purported that reverse analysis for pharmaceuticals can be tried by qualitative or quantitative analytical methods, or merely showed that total contents of microcrystalline cellulose and insoluble additives could be identified when the content of microcrystalline cellulose present in Qretin tablet was measured according to the analytical method of the Korean Pharmacopoeia; and
Methods of analysis for anhydrous lactose in the evidence are merely qualitative methods for detecting anhydrous lactose, or are uncertain as to whether they can also apply to the content analysis of anhydrous lactose in solid samples such as tablets, or as to whether they can distinguish anhydrous lactose from lactose hydrate.
Determining whether the sale or distribution of a product before the filing date qualifies as prior art requires a case-by-case analysis which may involve various assessments on whether there is the benefit of the grace period or contractual or customary confidentiality obligations; what constitutes the patentable features of the invention; how the invention is used or worked; what was common general knowledge in the art before the filing date etc. For patentees of chemical or pharmaceutical inventions, the recent decision may serve as some useful guidance for such determinations.
The fact that the patentee prevailed in this litigation seems to be attributed to the fact that the subject patent is directed to a pharmaceutical formulation characterised by the specific components and their ratios, and there was no sufficient evidence that such contents of the invention could have been easily recognised from the sold product by a person skilled in the art. In similar situations, the public sale may be carved out from prior art, even with no benefit of the grace period in Korea.
Therefore, even if the one year grace period after the public sale of a product covering an invention has already passed, it is recommended to fully review whether the situation can count as prior art in view of the above decision. If there is any chance of removing it from prior art, it is too early to give up on patent filing for the invention in Korea.
Min Son
Partner, Hanol IP & Law
HANOL Intellectual Property & Law
6th Floor, Daemyung Tower, 135, Beobwon-ro, Songpa-gu
Seoul, 05836
Republic of Korea
Tel: +82 2 942 1100
Fax: +82 2 942 2600
hanol@hanollawip.com
www.hanollawip.com
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Youth is half the present and all the future. We should invest in youth leaders, not for tomorrow, but today. Let us build the economy together, not walls."
These words came in an address by Malta's Foreign Minister Carmelo Abela at a forum for 20 young leaders from 15 countries in the EuroMed region, held in Malta in January. The week-long gathering the first in a series of such meetings to take place in Malta in the coming year offered the youth participants from the Young Mediterranean Voices (YMV) Programme an opportunity to discuss with decision-makers, policy issues affecting youth in the region.
The YMV Programme was set up by the intercultural Anna Lindh Foundation as a regional youth network connecting civil society and policymakers "to develop the skills and opportunities for youth-led debate" across the region and "support youth to speak up and be heard," according to the Anna Lindh website.
The discussion at the seminar focused on the themes of youth participation, education, migration and mobility, sustainable development and clean energy topics that were selected as priority issues by the youth participants who presented their policy recommendations on the chosen subjects to the 5+5 Ministerial Forum held in Malta.
The 5+5 Ministerial meeting, jointly presided this year by Malta and Algeria, is the oldest forum bringing countries from both sides of the Mediterranean together to foster relations and identify new areas for cooperation. Officially launched in Rome in 1990 as an informal sub-regional forum, the 5+5 Dialogue comprises Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Mauritarnia, France, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain.
For the first time in its near 30-year history, the foreign ministers agenda included an exchange of views with youth representatives. Among the ideas put forward by the young participants were shared responsibility for development and integration to tackle migration, humanitarian visas, compulsory classes on citizenship, debating and politics in schools, and microcredits for students who cannot afford to pay for their education.
"We are presenting the ideas of thousands of young people from the member states with a focus on education, youth participation and engagement, migration and mobility and finally sustainable development. Youths represent about 60 percent of the population of the region, yet their presence in the process of decision making is almost zero.
"We want to be involved in designing, implementing and monitoring policies related to our areas of concern," Manal Benani, a young doctor from Algeria, told the gathered ministers.
A Tunisian female participant, meanwhile, recounted how a young village student in her country met his death while attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe after despairing at the lack of career prospects in his country. Dire economic conditions are driving thousands of young Tunisians to attempt to flee their country, she lamented. In 2017 alone, 1,600 Tunisians, mostly from impoverished and marginalised parts of the country, died at sea. Their deaths, however, did not stop other Tunisians from trying to migrate in pursuit of a brighter future in Europe.
Another Tunisian said he was forced to leave his country after exposing corruption among high-level officials. "My life was in danger so I had no option but to leave," he told the seminar.
Participants from Morocco, Egypt, Libya and the occupied Palestinian territories shared their concerns about stringent immigration policies and tight border controls which they said were limiting their mobility. Their European counterparts meanwhile, said they were surprised to learn they had a lot in common with their southern neighbours. They cited high youth unemployment and a desire to be more engaged in decision-making as some of the challenges they were facing on both sides of the Mediterranean.
Paul Gillespie, a columnist with The Irish Times who attended the Malta seminar, lauded the YMV Programme as "a progressive effort to combat false stereotypes and prejudice, in the belief that lack of knowledge of the other brings hatred."
"Surveys show that people throughout the region value hospitality and public engagement over forced migration or violence. These young ideas deserve a much wider hearing," Gillespie wrote in an Op-ed published in the Irish Times.
Seeking to allay the youths' concerns, Federica Mogherini, high representative of the EU for foreign affairs and security policy and vice president of the EU Commission, told 5+5 Ministerial meeting: "The young people involved in the Young Med Voices are a source of inspiration. We are already transforming their ideas into practice, including by widening access to Erasmus+."
Indeed, in May last year, the EU Commission announced that it was doubling its budget for the Erasmus+ Programme to 30 billion Euros to support education, training, youth and sport for the period 2021-2027. This means that the next phase of the programme will provide learning and mobility opportunities to 12 million people, compared to four million in the current phase.
"We are determined to continue to work together to make the youths' aspirations and their proposals a reality," Mogherini added.
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In her most recent Cairo exhibition, which closed on 4 February, Cairo-based Syrian artist Souad Mardam Bey continued to present a different vision and philosophy through her paintings at Zamalek Art Gallery, a location that embraces most of her creative works in a city where she has built a name for herself on the artistic scene.
Mardam Bey continues to display her signature style as shown in previous exhibitions such as Adam (2018), The Magic Thread (2016), and a 2013 display where she focused on the Arab Spring.
This latest exhibition is titled "Veni, Vidi, Amavi," which translates to "I came, I saw, I loved," a play on Julius Caesar's famous Latin phrase Veni Vidi Vici, which translates to "I came, I saw, I conquered."
However, Mardam Bey's artistic vision is quite different from that of the Roman conqueror, conveying a message of passion rather than glorifying war.
The exhibition's theme is travelling, whether riding a horse, a bull, a train or travelling through the imagination.
Understanding the messages of love as mentioned in the title, and the theme of travel embedded in the paintings, requires a lot of mental effort, after which the viewer may see them in a light other than the artist intended, and come out with a completely different interpretation of the paintings, which makes them more intriguing.
Mardam Bey seems to enjoy taking on large canvases; the centrepiece is a two-square-metre painting of a black train with somber details. The theme is travel, but the painting expresses sadness and danger, expressing the dark side of travelling. The numbers on the front of the train have no specific significance, but they show the artists attention to detail, which indicates that the loose lines found in the other paintings are intentional.
'Travelling feeds the imagination' is the motto the artist chose for her paintings. This imagination is expressed quite well in the image of a young girl crowned like a princess while on a horses back. She seems comfortable and deep in thought while the horse is accommodating in a submissive, neutral position. The sizes are totally un-proportional: the girl is very small and clearly detailed, while the horse is quite large with just enough detail to distinguish the pride in the animals face.
The same can be said about the girl sitting on a bulls horn with flowers in her hands as the bull jumps skyward, yet the small girl seems comfortable and composed. She is travelling on the bulls horn in her dream world. Another girl holding onto the bulls tail and flying into a fun journey is another fourth or fifth dimension of imagination; a situation that can never happen in reality yet appears appropriate for the painting.
The dream world also manifests itself in the image of a regal lady sitting by a window with trees and animals in the background. Mardam Beys paintings almost always show her characters with crowns on their heads, if we want to read into that special detail, the artist sees everyone she paints as royalty and deserving of a crown -- human life is worthy in Souads world.
Most of the characters in the paintings have sad eyes and neutral faces, in other words, not happy or joyful. When we combine this fact with the pale colours the artist used in most of the paintings, we get a sad tone from the exhibition as a whole.
The art conveys how travelling nowadays can be a sad, hectic experience.
Between irregular migration, the tiresome process of embarking on a trip, and financial constraints, travelling in real life can be difficult. These ideas are in the back modern man's mind, the artist included.
The artist says that the voyage, not the voyager, is the protagonist in her exhibition, but viewers may disagree.
Many of the paintings are set in a dream world, which begs the question: whose?
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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Today
Thunderstorms. High 86F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
Tonight
A few clouds. Low 73F. Winds light and variable.
Tomorrow
Scattered thunderstorms in the morning becoming more widespread in the afternoon. High 88F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
The School District of Lee County (SDLC) is proud to be a school choice school district. With 24 charter schools, we are the second largest charter district in Florida. Our students and their families may choose the K-12 educational option that is best for them from among 96 traditional public schools, the charter schools, online schools, private schools and home schooling.
The school choice movement is about ensuring equity and access for all students to high-quality teaching, curricula, and the resources needed for academic success. In addition to rigorous core academic offerings, it is also about providing a variety of educational opportunities to prepare students for institutions of higher learning and those of employers. Transparency in opportunities, resources, and student outcomes at schools from which families may choose is key to successful operation of a school choice district.
Why is The SDLC a school choice school district? In 2004, after extensive community input, The SDLC adopted The Plan for Student Assignment, an enrollment plan designed to maximize access to diverse educational programs, provide greater opportunities for students to attend schools closer to home, decrease ride time for students and reduce transportation costs. Our student enrollment plan promotes stability for students and encourages a healthy competition among schools striving for academic excellence. It also gives us the flexibility to offer a variety of academic and career academy offerings while controlling the costs of providing a rich learning environment.
How does The School District of Lee Countys student enrollment plan work? Our school district spans almost 900 square miles, so schools are organized into zones-East (Lehigh), South (Fort Myers, Bonita and Estero), and West (Cape Coral). When students are ready to enroll in elementary, middle or high school, parents and students enter a lottery based on the zone in which they live. The lottery provides preference for siblings and school proximity and, unless students move, they are allowed to remain in the school to which they are assigned until they finish the highest grade level. We believe stability in student assignment is one way to promote higher levels of student achievement in the District.
What kind of choices are offered to students and families?
Elementary schools differ in extracurricular offerings, including before and after school activities. Some elementary schools have uniform policies, some do not. In an effort to (1) limit the number of elementary offerings available to each family and (2) reduce bus times for elementary students, an amended elementary school proximity plan is in the works-one that will ensure access to the same extracurricular offerings at each elementary school.
For middle school students, there is diversity in non-core academic offerings, offerings intended to enrich curricular opportunities for students: Cambridge, International Baccalaureate, and Arts. At STEAM schools (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math), students may earn professional certifications.
At the high school level, differences in offerings, resources, and opportunities are more pronounced. For students looking for challenging academic programs, there are International Baccalaureate, Cambridge, and Advanced Placement tracks. Each school zone also has an Arts High School, and schools specializing in engineering and technology. Schools also offer Career Academies like construction, aviation, HVAC, veterinary, nursing and teaching, for students who want to enter the workforce upon graduation.
Bottom line, The School District of Lee County offers career programs that correspond with local career opportunities and academic challenges suitable for a broad spectrum of student ability, interests, and achievement levels. That is what the school choice movement, and we, encourage and celebrate.
Cathleen Morgan represents District 7 on the School Board of Lee County
As Egypt embarks on a journey to reach financial inclusion, digital transformation is the key to achieve that goal.
Ahram Online spoke to Jing Zhou, president of Pintec Technology Holdings, who participated last week in the Banking Technology North Africa Summit in Cairo, to learn how digital technologies can help in the move from a cash-based society to a cashless one, in order to reach financial inclusion.
Zhou has approximately 20 years of risk management experience in multinational banking and financial technology (fintech). Pintec, is a technology company based in China and provides financial product solutions to financial institutions, e-commerce companies and offline retailers.
Ahram Online: What do you think about Egypts current financial system?
Jing Zhou: We have come to Egypt as it is a promising market for digital transformation and financial inclusion.
Traditional banks still rely heavily on physical branches and more physical distribution models. Resource management models to reach customers, or for risk management, still have to go through many off-line processes to do their work and make decisions.
In the traditional way, sales representatives go and look for customers, documentation, data entry, verification, credit decisions, and so on. Through technology, we do all that in real-time, and there is no data entry here because the data goes in live through the system. Rsk modeling is done by machine.
All these procedures can be done and processed within minutes instead of weeks. This not only saves the customer's time, but also saves the processing costs inside financial institutions, like handing over work from one team to another to another for processing.
Risks can be managed effectively by financial institutions and at a sustainable and reasonable cost level, if technology is used effectively.
AO: Can technological solutions come a reasonable cost?
JZ: It is cost effective for financial institutions to digitally transform their operations because it saves the operating costs of processes in the middle, like manual data entry, manual verification, manual documentation, which are traditionally done by physical means and visiting the branches of banks. Doing all these digitally is cost and time effective compared to traditional means.
What we do as technology providers is bridge the gap in a way that the parts can work seamlessly together through technology.
Technology helps with the process of moving to financial inclusiveness. It can get to more areas that are traditionally hard to cover by traditional financial institutions that would have to set up more branches in order to provide their services.
The customer gets a faster, mobile and real-time experience, anywhere and anytime, without having to go to physical branches. So, to talk about inclusiveness, we can reach out to populations and geographic areas that have never been reached before, and at a cost that is still acceptable to financial institutions.
In China, for example, we work with telecom companies and banks to reach places that traditionally were not covered before, and more users now are coming from these places that were not bankable before.
AO: How can such technologies benefit ordinary people and SMEs?
JZ: Financial technologies help reach instant credit decisions for customers to pay overtime without going through a long process for that. We also offer small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) lending solutions real-time. SME lending is very different for banks. The segment naturally is more risky, because it is more vulnerable to economic problems. It is a worldwide issue and not only in Egypt because the credit risk is higher.
Pintec has built data infrastructure that can aggregate a lot of data sources real-time, and from those data sources we have risk modeling, deep learning systems to differentiate the risk profiles of clients real-time. And then be able to make a more precise forecast outlook of the customers profile, their payment behaviour, and help the banks make decisions faster.
AO: How can financial institutions benefit from the digital transformation?
JZ: Technology makes it easier for the banks to take quicker decisions, which in turn means more and faster business being done, reaching financial inclusion quicker. Fintech solutions are easily customised to the needs of each market and the needs of regulators. The solutions provided by fintech makes it easier for financial institutions to execute their policies, and makes it easier for consumers to take advantage of the financial system.
The technological solutions of Pintec in China, for example, cover 2-3 million transactions per month. We connect end users with financial institutions. We lower the friction from the integration of both sides, because today in the modern world, people look for good user experiences, faster decision time, and not having to go to physical branches to get loans or other financial products.
Pintec has generated 28 million registered users and five million unique borrowers, $4 billion of loans, and about $1 billion of management products sold through Pintec platforms. So, we are a company that has seen how it works in a large scale and we have seen the journey of evolution. We can bring not only the technology, but the experience as well.
AO: Many people are still afraid of online shopping and online banking. How safe it is nowadays?
JZ: Technology and security have become very strong now, and online thefts happen now very rarely. Financial institutions also have ways to protect their clients if that ever happens.
Of course, there is the fear of theft and hackers who might take money from bank accounts. But digital solutions are so convenient now and open many opportunities, so people get over the small chances of theft happening compared to the benefits they get.
In China, everyone was wary at the beginning of the digital transformation and the wide use of online banking, especially among the elderly, who are used to traditional ways of banking. It started with the younger generation, who are using their phones everywhere and who dont like going to banks and physical locations and waiting in line. Plus, they are willing to take risks more.
Most people in China today are using online payment methods that are linked to their bank accounts. It became the way of life for a large segment of society. Online shopping has become a trend.
The need for this type of services is irreversible, because customers who try the convenience of digital solutions never want to go back to the inconvenience of traditional services.
Additionally, technology allows money to go directly from the customers bank account to the investments online within minutes. For example, investing in the stock market can now take a couple of minutes, as opposed to the traditional ways where it used to take at least a few days and sometimes weeks.
AO: How far is Egypt from being a cashless society?
JZ: You would be surprised how close Egypt could be to achieving digital transformation and becoming a cashless society. In China, no one could have imagined the total transformation to a cashless society that has happened during the last 10 years.
The wide reach of fintech technology is transforming peoples lives. Digital payment has reached every corner of Chinese society, and more countries as well. Ten years ago in China, it was still a cash society and no one really liked using credit cards. But today, nobody carries a wallet anymore. I personally carry a credit card just in case I dont have access to internet sometimes, and I trust that.
Now, digital banking is so widely used in China that even some street beggars uses Quick Response (QR) codes to receive donations from people on the streets through smart phones, because nobody carries cash anymore.
A street performer would have a bucket for people to put change in and a QR code for those who dont carry cash.
AO: How can Egypt achieve such a digital transformation?
JZ: The technology and infrastructure themselves are available. What is needed is the openness to undertake such a transformation and who should drive the trend. Because the need is already there, since consumers are always looking for convenience and cost effectiveness.
It is not an expensive technology. I think it is about willingness and the push from financial institutions and regulators. Because digital transformation needs all sides of society to do it. Once it starts, the transformation will happen quickly.
China was in the same position as Egypt 10 years ago, and Egypt can get there more quickly than you may think. Once digital transformation begins, things go smoothly and quickly.
AO: The willingness is here in Egypt. But how can digital transformation in banking be made faster?
JZ: How to get there is not in the hands of consumers, but financial institutions. They are the ones who can get there, by investing in digital solutions and technologies. And also the regulators need to help them, which is present in Egypt since the government wants to shift to a cashless society.
So, the willingness is there in Egypt, but how to get there requires planning and implementation. And that is why Pintec is here in Egypt, to see how it can bring the know-how experience of fintech, so that Egypt can skip the obstacles of each step and instead reach the goal more quickly.
In India, the transformation to a cashless society recently was very fast. There were no intermediate steps. Egypt, too, has a very good opportunity to start where China and India are today, skipping many steps that can hold the country back regarding fear of financial technology and achieving financial inclusion.
The advantage Egypt has is that when it started the digital transformation in finance, it started after many countries have gone through this. Egypt will not have to go through most of the complicated processes.
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Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday he will sign an executive order to abolish Common Core educational mandates in Florida, replacing them with state standards.
He made his announcement at Ida Baker High School in Cape Coral.
One of the things that we would constantly hear about on the campaign trail is frustration with a lot of parents in particular with this idea of Common Core and some of the testing and some of the things that go into that. Today, we are doing an executive order that is going to instruct (Education) Commissioner (Richard) Corcoran to get to work and come up with good standards for the State of Florida, which includes eliminating Common Core and the vestiges of Common Core.
The executive order will require the commissioner (of education) to provide a road map so that we have authentic, Florida-based standards.
Corcoran will also work to increase the quality of Floridas instructional curriculum, suggest innovative ways to streamline testing to measure success other than just teaching solely to an eventual test and identifying ways to make civics education a priority in Florida.
We have the boldest, No. 1 education governor in the entire United States of America, said Corcoran. Today, I think youll hear one of the boldest executive orders ever.
DeSantis said that he has heard the voices of teaches, parents and administrators along the way to the Governors Office, and that this is a chance for Florida to set itself apart when it comes to educational standards.
I think that this is a chance for us to really lead the way, but its also an opportunity for Floridans to provide input to the commissioner. And we want to hear from you. We want to do this right. This is not going to be something dictated by the federal government. Its going to be something thats going to spring up from the communities here in the state of Florida.
Im here to say, when you complained about Common Core, I hear you. I told you Id do something about it. And today, we are acting to bring those promises into a reality.'
The governor stated that he invasions a nimble education system that works in conjuncture with communities, businesses and responds to what the immediate needs of the ever-changing economy may be at the time so that students can be put in the best position as possible to succeed.
DeSantis believes we are in a time of constant upheaval and recurring change, and noted that the training of teachers in newest, most up to date realms of education is paramount for student success.
The governor also wants to see a focus on students who may have put in time at a college, university or technical school, but for one reason or another came just short of earning a degree.
Folks who get some college, but then dont get that bachelors degree-we want to be able to kind of reverse credential that, so that if they have enough credits for an associates degree, but just cant get through, at least get them the associates degree so they can go out and start to be productive.
We want to also do a new program, for what were calling The Last Mile Completion. We have some people that get pretty close to getting that degree, and then for whatever reason-I mean things happen in life, they dont quite get over the hump, we want to provide financial incentive that if youre over 90 percent of the way there, that we can link you up with the appropriate courses so that you can get that degree and move on to be more productive.
The governor expects the process to put this initiative in place will take the balance of the year, and will bring the order to the legislature next session to get it done.
We could have just tried to dictate something on high, but I think its definitely worth having (Corcoran) get into the communities, listen to people, so that we get something that a lot of people have confidence in, DeSantis said.
When asked if the state will lose any federal funding due to the order, DeSantis replied, I dont think were going to lose any. The president is opposed to Common Core. And I think our standards will be much higher in many respects, but I think it will be standards that are more reflective of what the folks are looking for. I think it will be more geared towards knowledge rather than maybe teaching to a test.
Were not going to lose any funding when you take the standards and make them better, added Corcoran.
The order includes the examination of testing processes as currently instituted. Many parents have expressed their displeasure with the idea of high-stakes testing.
(The executive order) doesnt say to get rid of any testing, but doing it in a way that I think is trying to measure where were at. We dont want to get in a situation where the test is everything, and that youre really teaching to a test. This should something where students just have the knowledge-you could test them tomorrow or two weeks from now, and they wont have to study for it because they know it. That is the type of knowledge I think that really carries with students more.
DeSantis ended by recommending the public to stay tuned for further announcements pertaining to the future of Floridas education system in the coming week.
-Connect with this reporter on Twitter:@haddad_cj
Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District held its annual Awards Ceremony on Jan. 29. The district fire chiefs dressed for the occasion to honor members of the district who merited special recognition for years in service, promotions received, certifications earned, and lives saved.
Award announcements were made by Fire Chief Robert DiLallo, and each recipient received a handshake from Deputy Chief Rodolfo Naranjo, Assistant Chief Ralph Ketron and Assistant Chief Ken Bennett. There was plenty of applause from family members and the public who attended the ceremony.
According to Assistant Chief of Administration Ralph D. Ketron, while some of the nominees were able to attend, a few missed the ceremony due to an over whelming number of dispatch calls that evening.
Unfortunately a lot of award-winning employees were unable to make it to the ceremony. Their individual achievements are a credit to our members and to our district. As further evidence of their dedication, many honorees missed the presentation of their awards and the photo ops due to serving our community by responding to calls, Ketron said.
The awards given included longevity of service, categories from five years to 30 years with the district; Ongoing Commissioner, Promotions, Special Awards, Employee Performance Award, Firefighter of the Year and Phoenix Award.
The Phoenix Award is presented to emergency responders who resuscitate a patient in cardiac arrest. Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians, communication officers and local firefighters, received awards during the ceremony.
Those whose lives were directly touched by the acts of fire district personnel spoke during the Phoenix Awards.
Their stories really captured everyones hearts. Each patient came up and shared their stories. One story being from one of our own, Rick Pride, who went into cardiac arrest while working and was brought back to life, said Ketron.
According to Ketron, another highlight of the evening was a presentation given by Christopher Torres who presented Abner Adorno with a special award for going above and beyond to help out a fellow fire fighter.
Chris Torres gave a speech on how Abnor came in and took care of Prides family while he was in the hospital. A special award committee nominated Abnor for watching over his family during his absence. Pride is now back at work and recently was moved up to the title of fire inspector, said Ketron.
Other nominations included: Employee Performance Award Recipient, Chief Oreste Borrego who started his career with the fire district in 2006 as a firefighter paramedic. He worked his way to assume the position of lieutenant in 2016; and Firefighter of the Year Recipient, Engineer Tony Overbee, who has served 30-plus years in fire service and has held many certifications including Acting Captain, Arson Investigator, Rescue Diver, Level 4 hazmat technician and a Fire School Instructor at the Southwest Florida Fire Academy.
For a list of all the Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue Districts award recipients, visit www.facebook.com/OfficialLehighAcresFireRescue/
The Lehigh Acres Municipal Services Improvement District agreed last Monday to seek a pair of grants to address flooding concerns.
We are asking the state for two grants; one is for $675,000 with a $75,000 max from the district. This grant would go towards the design of the Section 10 Project here in Lehigh Acres. The county has until March 5, 2019 to close on the property and then we would have to enter an agreement on the project, explained District Manager David Lindsay.
The other grant would go towards the districts CREST (Caloosahatchee River and Estuary Storage Treatment) project.
We are asking legislators for $157,000, with a $17,500 max from us. This will fund the storage treatment project that sits on a 105 acres parcel of land purchased in Hendry County. Both of these projects will be listed under Lee Countys Flood Mitigation plan, said Lindsay.
Under the districts action agenda were the approval of Tetra Techs contract and an agreement with Casto Southwest Realty Services.
The board agreed to award Tetra with the engineering contract for its wetland conservation, MWS II.
We are hiring Tera to monitor the wetlands of the Blackstone Preserve. Their job is to make sure that the conservation easement is operating properly and that only indigenous fauna is flourishing in the area, said Lindsay.
The second action item, a Supplemental Developer Agreement with Casto Southeast Realty Services, was also approved. Castro recently submitted a proposed site redevelopment plan for a shopping center behind the Rib City at 1480 Lee Blvd in Lehigh Acres. The proposed plan consists of a newly developed restaurant, retail and commercial space in the center.
District Commissioner Ken Thompson ended the meeting with a FGUA (Florida Governmental Utility Authority) study to look into the possibility of the district assuming the organizations role in the future.
We are in the very early stages and just looking into purchasing FGUA. Its a long way off, but if we did move forward, Lee County would have to sign an agreement and then it would have to go on a referendum before the voters to decide, said Lindsay.
The district board of commissioners also re-confirmed its election of officers and the staff presented its 2017-2018 goal attainment report to the members of the board.
The Lehigh Acres Municipal Services Improvement District will hold its next meeting on Feb. 25 at 6 p.m. at the LA-MSID, at 601 East County Lane.
For information, visit LA-MSID at www.myecwcd.net/
The Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District is hoping the state will look at how such districts can assess properties, particularly undeveloped parcels.
The discussion came last Tuesday
During the district boards regular meeting, its attorney, Richard Pringle, discussed an item which dealt with the possible amendment of Chapter 191, Florida Statutes.
The specific portions, among other things, provide standards, direction, and procedures concerning the operations and governance of independent special fire control districts.
Pringle brought up several points and asked for the go-ahead to place the amended bill in front of legislature.
The support bill has been done and set in legislative format. Currently it is being reviewed at the legislatures staff level. We have multiple fire districts who are also in support of the bill including Alva, Fort Myers Shores and Tice. North Fort Myers is in the process of looking it over now, Pringle said. Ive also spoken to elected officials in North Colliers Fire District who will most likely support the amendment.
There are also ongoing talks with senators in other counties including Santa Rosa County who said they would will sponsor, Pringle added.
Pringle then asked the fire district commissioners to support the legislation and enter into an agreement with a lobbyist.
Recently appointed District 5 Commissioner Lucia Sherman asked Pringle to clarify what the primary focus of amending the chapter would be and how it would create an additional funding method for the fire district.
The new assessment methodology would allow the district to would charge all parcels of land, with improved parcels paying additional fees. Under the new strategy, vacant lots would have to pay more of their equitable share, said Pringle. This alternative assessment process would properly fund the districts services at their current level.
According to Pringle, another important detail of the legislative amendment would be that the fire districts board of commissioners could establish and approve the assessment method without the implementation of a referendum (going through the public notice and hearing process), but they would be required to reduce the current mileage rate down to 1.5.
Currently Chapter 191.011, Procedures for the levy and collection of non-ad valorem assessments, states that prior to a resolutions adoption, there must be notice in the paper and it requires a public hearing process.
Members of the public were in attendance and voiced concerns over the proposed assessment change.
Resident Danielle Schulz spoke before the board and asked whether this legislative amendment would take the vote out of the hands of voters.
Talk of a possible change and increase in fire assessment fees had other members of the community voicing their concerns on Facebook.
According to the districts board commissioners, they are open to hearing the concerns of the people who live in Lehigh and ask that members of the community attend their monthly meeting and share their questions or concerns during public comment.
The district also heard from Deputy Chief Rudolfo Naranjo, who went over agenda items, which pertained to other ways to bring additional revenue streams into the district. Some of those ways included a new cellphone tower lease at stations 103 and 104 and leasing out a bay at fire station 102 to Ten-Eight Fire Equipment. Commissioners approved moving forward to the information gathering step on both agenda items.
The Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District board will hold its next meeting on Feb. 26 at 5 p.m. at Station 104, at 3102 16th St. S.W. For more information, call 239-303-5300 or visit online at www.lehighfd.com.
Sun Splash Family Waterpark attendees who might want to enjoy a brew or two along with the Lazy River will be able to do so, at least for next season.
Cape Coral City Council voted 7-1 to allow the city-owned and operated facility to serve beer, wine and wine smoothies on a trial basis of one year, with the right to end it early or keep it on a permanent basis as the board sees fit.
Over the last three years, Sun Splash has required more than $2 million in subsidies, and officials have been exploring ways to make the 27-year-old park more self-sustaining.
Public comment on the measure was mostly negative.
Resident Lynn Rosco said there was no way to control who is drinking (especially if they are underaged) and that admission prices need to be raised if the park needs more money.
Also at issue was that the controversial issue appeared on the consent agenda, meaning no Council discussion unless a board member pulled the proposal for debate.
Councilmember Rick Williams was inclined to vote against it, since the trial basis component had been proposed at a workshop meeting last week but the ordinance, as presented Monday, did not have that limitation.
The test period was then included, garnering support from all council members except for Jessica Cosden, who, as a mother of two young children, said she couldnt get behind it.
Another issue on the consent agenda, regarding the acquisition of equipment for existing parks, included a new slide for Sun Splash at a cost of $500,000, which made the decision to allow alcohol at the park a little dicier.
I have trouble justifying adding something when we had just talked about subsidies, Williams said. Im having some grief as to how we spend money.
City Manager John Szerlag told the council that parks need to add new attractions every so often to freshen things up. Sun Splash added a Tot Spot last year and has added other things in recent years that cost more than the proposed new slide, which will be installed next year.
The new slide is expected to last at least 20 years, which made Councilmember John Gunter lend support although he also wanted to see a feasibility study.
The slide was part of a $5,757,000 resolution that included items for all the other parks, including $1 million in shade enclosures, questioned by Mayor Joe Coviello, and Wi-fi capability, which Councilmember David Stokes questioned.
Why are we spending $200,000 on wi-fi? Isnt the idea for parks is to get out in nature? Stokes asked to applause from residents there to protest land use changes for the Four Corners intersection.
The measure passed 5-3, with council members Marilyn Stout, John Carioscia, and Jennifer Nelson voting against it.
In other business the city council also voted 7-0 to name Phillips and Jordan Inc. as its secondary Emergency Disaster Assistance and Debris Removal Service and CrowderGulf Joint Venture as its tertiary. Others were named on an as-needed basis.
Szerlag and Coviello also recognized Mike Foscher, senior budget analyst, and Britt Martin, financial projects manager, for obtaining their Certified Finance Officer designations.
If you already subscribe to our eEdition edition, sign up for FREE access to our online edition. Thanks for reading the El Campo Leader News.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras voiced hope that a closed Orthodox Christian seminary he was visiting in Turkey on Wednesday would be reopened as part of efforts to boost ties long strained by disputes over territory, energy and Cyprus.
Crowds welcomed Tsipras as he arrived on Heybeliada, an island south of Istanbul, to visit the Halki theological school which was closed by the Turkish state in 1971 and has remained a source of contention between the long-time rivals.
"I want to believe that the day is approaching when these rooms will be filled again with the laughter of happy students," he said in a speech, saying the seminary's reopening would send a "message of friendship, understanding and brotherhood".
"There are issues between our governments and our countries which only dialogue can resolve," he said, flanked by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual head of Orthodox Christians worldwide and who is based in Istanbul.
Tsipras is the first serving Greek prime minister to visit the Halki seminary.
Turkey, which is overwhelmingly Muslim, has given no public indication that it is planning to reopen the Christian seminary and has resisted years of pressure from the European Union, which it aspires to join, to do so.
Cooperation
On Tuesday, Tsipras met Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, where the Turkish president said he expected more cooperation from Athens in the repatriation of eight soldiers who fled to Greece following an attempted coup in 2016.
Tsipras told their joint news conference that Greece does not welcome putschists, but that the case of the eight soldiers was a matter for the judiciary.
He said both countries had agreed to de-escalate tensions in the Aegean Sea and proceed with confidence-building measures.
Erdogan spokesman Ibrahim Kalin joined Tsipras on Wednesday in Istanbul on a tour of Hagia Sophia, which was the foremost cathedral in Christendom for 900 years and then - after the city fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453 - one of Islam's greatest mosques for another 500 years. It has been a museum since 1935.
In late 2017, Erdogan made the first visit to Greece by a Turkish president in 65 years, but the trip was marred by verbal sparring over various historical grievances.
Erdogan complained about discrimination against Muslims in northern Greece, while Turkey's military presence in ethnically split Cyprus and diverging interpretations of an international treaty defining their borders also fueled tensions.
Cyprus has been divided since a Turkish invasion in 1974 triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup. U.N.-led peace talks between the Greek and Turkish sides collapsed in 2017.
NATO members Greece and Turkey were nearly drawn into a military clash in 1996 over an uninhabited Aegean islet.
On Tuesday, Turkey updated a list of former military officers wanted for their alleged role in the 2016 putsch to include the eight officers granted asylum in Greece, and offered a bounty of 4 million Turkish lira ($770,000) for each of them.
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For the second time in two weeks, the Taliban was the focus of a major diplomatic encounter, this time in Russia, elevating the stature of a militant group blamed for killing thousands.
And just like the last time, in the Persian Gulf state of Qatar, the elected, internationally backed Afghanistan government was left on the sidelines, fuming.
Taliban representatives, after six days of talks with Trump administration officials during which the two sides discussed a possible agreement on the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, this week gathered with leaders of various Afghan political factions in Moscow for a two-day conference on Afghanistans political future.
Participants included former Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who listened as a Taliban negotiator laid out the groups conservative manifesto and a vision of its role in a postwar political system. It called for a new constitution based on Islamic teachings and condemned what it described as the immorality, indecency and circulation of non-Islamic cultures that have accompanied the U.S.-led military intervention for more than 17 years.
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By the time the talks concluded Wednesday, the Taliban appeared strengthened as a political movement. The Afghan government, which the insurgent group regards as a Western puppet and has refused to negotiate with, looked ever weaker.
It has further eroded the authority of the Afghan government and strengthened the legitimacy of the Taliban on the international stage, and it has also deepened the fragmentation of the Afghan political class, said Davood Moradian, director of the Afghanistan Institute for Strategic Studies, a Kabul think tank.
It was the Taliban who won the show, at the expense of the Afghan state and even of a workable peace process.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani dismissed the Moscow meeting, organized by an Afghan diaspora group and billed as an intra-Afghan dialogue, as illegitimate. But the Talibans demands are being taken more seriously than ever following last months meeting in Qatar, with another round of talks scheduled for late February.
U.S. officials have said they were close to a framework agreement under which the U.S. would withdraw forces and the Taliban would promise that Afghanistan doesnt revert to a haven for international terrorists, as it was when the group sheltered Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda in the 1990s.
A formal peace deal remains a long way off. The lead U.S. negotiator, Zalmay Khalilzad, has said that any U.S.-Taliban agreement would include a condition that the militant group negotiate with the Afghan government, and he denied Taliban claims that they had discussed forming a new, interim Afghan government.
But Ghani, who leads a national unity administration that was brokered by the Obama administration following a disputed 2014 election, has not seemed reassured by such comments.
In an interview with Afghanistans Tolo news network this week, he denounced the Moscow meeting, saying: What will they agree upon there, and with whom? What is their implementing power?
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Let hundreds of such meetings be held, but these agreements would only be on paper unless there is an agreement by the Afghan government.
On Wednesday, Ghani said he had spoken to Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, who endorsed the centrality of the Afghan government in the peace process and said the U.S. was committed to supporting Afghan presidential elections scheduled for July, when Ghani is expected to seek a second five-year term.
We both agreed that words, rumors and speculations cannot replace actions and that our partnership and resolve will remain strong in the pursuit of peace, Ghani said.
But with President Trump telegraphing his desire to get out of Afghanistan Great nations dont fight endless wars, he said in his State of the Union message Tuesday the U.S. has abandoned a long-standing policy that any talks on ending the Afghan war must take place among Afghans, and acceded to the Talibans demand that the Kabul government be left out of the peace process for now.
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The U.S. is guilty of creating this situation, and by ignoring the Afghan government they have set a precedent for other players to follow suit, Moradian said.
After years of closed-door meetings with diplomats in foreign capitals from Norway to China, the conference at the President Hotel in Moscow marked a first in the history of abortive Afghan peace efforts: a face-to-face encounter between political leaders and the Taliban that was broadcast live in Afghanistan.
Many Afghans followed Tuesdays opening statements on television and social media, despite interruptions caused by electricity outages that are common in Kabul in the winter.
I think its a step, said Fawzia Koofi, a lawmaker and one of two women who participated in the meeting. Its a very long way to go, but the first step is for us to be able to talk. Instead of using bullets, we use microphones, we use statements and speeches and what we believe in.
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In opening remarks, the Taliban spokesman, Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, said the group was committed to peace and protecting civilian lives and womens rights, and did not seek exclusive rule over the country it controlled from 1996 until the 2001 U.S.-led military invasion.
But Stanikzai also condemned the U.S. military intervention for disseminating Western, non-Afghan and non-Islamic dramas, paving the way for moral crimes and encouraging women to violate Afghan customs. While in power, the Taliban banned girls education and carried out public stonings of convicted adulterers, among other forms of extreme punishment.
Stanikzais remarks suggested the Taliban had not fundamentally changed its views and there was cause to fear the militant groups reentry into government, said Sima Samar, chair of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission.
They should not see Afghanistan as it was 20 years ago they should remove that dream from their mind, Samar said. The people have not forgotten their regime.
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The Taliban has continued to carry out attacks while talking about peace. On the eve of the meeting this week, Taliban militants carried out three attacks against government forces in northern provinces, killing 47 people, including at least one civilian.
The gathering was incongruous for another reason: The Taliban formed to fight the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s. Now it is Russia under President Vladimir Putin that has funneled support to the Taliban while casting itself as a stabilizing force in Central Asia.
But Russias geopolitical competition with the U.S. is the larger factor, said Alexander Gabuev, chair of Russia in the Asia-Pacific Program at the Carnegie Moscow Center, a think tank.
Russia wants to exploit every possibility that is left on the global map as a result of the U.S. withdrawal, Gabuev said. Its involvement in the Afghan peace process adds to Moscows projection of itself as a global power that is happy to challenge the U.S. everywhere it can, he said.
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Special correspondents Ayres and Faizy reported from Moscow and Kabul, Afghanistan, respectively. Times staff writer Bengali reported from Singapore.
Special correspondents Ayres and Faizy reported from Moscow and Kabul, Afghanistan, respectively. Times staff writer Bengali reported from Singapore.
shashank.bengali@latimes.com
Shashank Bengali covers Southeast Asia for The Times. Follow him on Twitter at @SBengali.
An already colorful Honolulu neighborhood is set to get fresh coats of paints as Pow! Wow! Hawaii which has at its core murals and their creators but includes also block parties, talks, breakdancing and a concert by Eminem kicks off 15 days of events beginning Friday.
Pow! Wow! Hawaii, now in its ninth year, has left more than 330 murals on walls throughout Honolulus Kakaako neighborhood, a district sandwiched between downtown and Waikiki.
Hawaii isnt its only festival; it has street art festivals in 17 cities worldwide, including Long Beach. They allow artists to legitimize, on a grand scale, what otherwise might just be considered graffiti.
The artists at the Hawaii event, including Shepard Fairey, Jasper Wong and Nanea Lum, will take to the streets with their brushes, spray guns and buckets of paint Feb. 11-16.
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It is in no way a competition, organizer Kamea Hadar said in email. [We are] just beautifying the community and sharing culture.
Pow! Wow! passports include a map identifying the painting locations that can be found throughout Kakaako.
Participants in a Segway tour through Honolulus Kakaako neighborhood stop in front of one of the hundreds of murals that adorn the citys streets, thanks to the annual Pow! Wow! mural painting festival. Tours are offered twice a day. (Segway of Hawaii)
Segway of Hawaii leads twice-daily, 90-minute tours that introduce participants to the artwork as well as the neighborhoods cafes, coffee shops and boutiques.
The Kakaako Waterfront Park/Pow Wow Mural Tour costs $139 and departs at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. You must be at least 10 years old and must not weigh more than 275 pounds.
Festival goers also will have a chance to interact with the artists when theyre not working. Logan Hicks will discuss his paintings during a public forum Feb. 12, and Fairey will speak Feb. 14. Both talks begin at 7 p.m. at Wade Warehouse, 449 Cooke St.
Also as part of this years festival, Eminem and Bamp will perform in concert 7:30 p.m. Feb. 15 at Aloha Stadium. Tickets start at $39.50.
If you miss the festival, you still can see the artists efforts throughout the year. Look online for a list of most of the more than 330 murals painted in previous years. Their locations also are included.
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travel@latimes.com
@latimestravel
Dignitaries and citizens from two continents converged last week to celebrate the burgeoning sisterhood between La Canada Flintridge and Spains Villanueva de la Canada at the third annual meeting of the La Canada Flintridge Sister Cities Assn.
Held at Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy on Jan. 30, organizers provided a snapshot of the many collaborations and cross-national visits that have taken place since the two cities signed a sister cities agreement in May 2017.
In her welcoming remarks, association president and co-founder Vicki Schwartz recognized board members of the La Canada Flintridge Sister Cities Assn., whose efforts have helped the organization thrive since its establishment in 2016.
What weve accomplished in the past 2 years, which I think is pretty remarkable, would not have been possible without the work of all the people here, she said.
Guests were introduced to student delegates who represented La Canada in an International Youth Summit held in Colorado last August and heard from students who participated in a summer exchange program last summer and hosted Spanish students in their homes.
Art Chmielewski, a program manager at La Canadas Jet Propulsion Laboratory, explained how the two cities paired up for the first time ever to participate in this falls JPL Space Academy an after-school program that lets students form virtual startup companies and launch rockets as they trade and sell one anothers stocks.
In June, 12 students and two instructors from the Space Academy have been invited to visit Villanueva de la Canadas SEK International School and its European Space Astronomy Centre, while nine Spanish students and three teachers will visit La Canada Flintridge in July.
A sister cities agreement between La Canada Flintridge and the Spanish city of Villanueva de la Canada stands on display during the 2019 La Canada Flintridge Sister Cities Assn. annual meeting, held Jan. 30. (Photo by Sara Cardine)
The annual meeting, emceed by Los Angeles Times columnist Chris Erskine, also featured remarks by La Canada Flintridge Mayor Terry Walker and Villanueva de la Canada Councilman Fernando Agudo, who addressed the audience through an interpreter.
Im really so, so grateful for this, he said. I dont know what can happen in the future, but we hope that the relationship can continue in the years to come.
Agudo announced that plans are currently afoot in the Spanish city to name a park after La Canada Flintridge to honor the sisterhood between the two communities.
State Sen. Anthony Portantino officially recognized Agudo along with fellow visiting guests Ana Luisa Delclaux, president of the Asociacion de Hermanamientos de Villanueva de La Canada (the Spanish equivalent of the Sister Cities Assn.) and Randa Dayegh, the organizations vice president.
State Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-La Canada Flintridge) presents certificates of recognition to visiting Spanish dignitaries gathered at the Jan. 30 annual meeting of the La Canada Flintridge Sister Cities Assn. (Photo by Sara Cardine)
Portantino traveled to Spain in 2017 to sign the sister cities agreement and said he was amazed by the hospitality of the people of Villanueva de la Canada. He presented Schwartz with a senatorial proclamation for her contributions to the cause.
Its an honor to recognize you for your dedication to the association and to highlight your personal experience as a student delegate to Germany, which inspired you to provide the same opportunities and experience to young people today, Portanino said. You inspire all of us to do more, be better and to pass on your positive experience to the next generation.
sara.cardine@latimes.com
Twitter: @SaraCardine
Reports of violent crime in Huntington Beach dropped by 6.9% in 2018 compared with the previous year, but rapes and robberies both increased more than 10%, according to data presented to the City Council on Monday.
The Police Department recorded 429 violent crimes in 2018, 32 fewer than the previous year.
Property crimes declined from 4,315 in 2017 to 4,017 in 2018.
Overall crime fell by 6.9%, the department said.
Police Chief Robert Handy told the council hes pleased with the overall figures and wants to see crime go down even further this year.
However, according to data collected by Julie Romano, the Police Departments crime analyst, there were 83 reported cases of rape in 2018 eight, or 10.7%, more than the previous year and 106 robberies, an increase of 11 cases, or 11.6%.
Handy attributed the increase in rape cases to the U.S. Department of Justices updated definition of rape, which encompasses male and female victims and offenders and expands the types of non-consenting acts understood to be rape.
Police recorded 239 aggravated assaults in 2018, 50 fewer than the previous year.
Residential burglaries decreased by 45 cases.
Crimes associated with the growing local homeless population are the Police Departments biggest hurdle, Handy said.
Romano noted a surge in storage facility burglaries because, she said, thieves can target multiple units at once without being seen, and many facilities lack modern security to prevent such incidents.
Police also recorded a 20% increase in misdemeanor, drug and impaired-driving arrests. Felony arrests decreased 1%.
Drug arrests alone increased 120% between 2014 and 2018, Romano said.
Councilwoman Barbara Delgleize told Handy that, based on social media descriptions, there appears to be more petty crime, like thefts from cars that are left unlocked.
Handy agreed and said lower-level crime is higher and that a lot of it isnt reported.
We monitor sites and see activity, but every single night in the city there are people who are stealing unsecured property from garages and vehicles, he said.
Mayor Erik Peterson thanked the department and said, We like hearing reports on this.
Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank has gone through many changes over the past 75 years, but several longtime employees and volunteers say its values and level of service have remained the same.
The hospital celebrated its 75th anniversary this past Friday and, coincidentally, the medical facility at 501 S. Buena Vista St. started the day the same way it did when it first opened in 1944, which was by delivering a healthy baby.
St. Joseph started off as a single-story hospital with a small staff and cared for 7,000 patients during its inaugural year. Today, the hospital has four multistory buildings, with 393 beds, 731 physicians and more than 400 volunteers.
Kathryn Warner, a senior surgery scheduler at the hospital, has been an employee at St. Joes for 53 years. Warner, a Burbank native, recalled when the front area of the medical facility was a parking lot and when open-body surgeries were commonplace.
Now, surgeons often perform laparoscopic surgeries making a small incision and using a camera to aid in the procedure and the length of stay at the hospital has been reduced.
Within the last 20 years, a multitude has changed as far as what were capable of doing, Warner said. Years ago, if you had cataract surgery, you had to lay straight for like 10 days with sandbags at the side of your head so you wouldnt move. Now, you just go to your doctor, have the procedure and leave the same day. Thats just amazing.
Next to Warner was Ollie Vick, a 55-year volunteer for St. Joseph. She, too, remembered the hospital during its early years. She started her volunteer work in the front lobby and now focuses her time on fundraisers and the gift shop.
Vick agreed with Warner, saying community need has become greater than ever. Even though she is 95 years old, Vick continues to put in hours to make sure the hospital and its patients have what they need.
People used to make fun of me because I worked so much here for nothing, Vick said. They had no idea I got more back than I gave.
She added that St. Joseph volunteers have helped raise more than $2 million for the hospital over the years and have recently pledged to raise $1 million for a new emergency department.
Warner and Vick each have been at St. Joes for more than half a century, and agree the reason theyve stayed is because of their relationships with patients, physicians and other employees and volunteers.
We made friends with our staff, and if we needed them, we would call them, Warner said. I still get calls from people who have left here asking me for tips on how to help their patients. We want to make sure that every patient gets the best care possible.
Vick said shes proud of having been a part of the hospitals 75 years of service and hopes to continue helping the facility be the best it can be.
Its just been a joy to be here, Vick said. Weve done well, and were happy to have done it, and well continue to do it.
anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com
Twitter: @acocarpio
California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra warned in a national televised address Tuesday that he is prepared to take President Trump to court if he declares a national emergency to fund a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border while cutting federal funds to fire-damaged communities in this state.
Becerra delivered the remarks as part of the Democrats Spanish-language response to Trumps State of the Union address. Speaking of his own upbringing as the son of Mexican immigrants, he denounced the presidents characterization of immigration, and the partial government shutdown over the construction of the wall.
What we heard tonight was the same tired refrain of building walls, Becerra said in a speech given at Sacramentos C.K. McClatchy High School, the attorney generals alma mater. The idea of declaring a nonexistent state of emergency on the border, in order to justify robbing funds that belong to the victims of fires, floods, hurricanes, and droughts, to pay for the wall is not only immoral, it is illegal.
We are ready to reject this foolish proposal in court the moment it touches the ground, Becerra told an audience of students and parents.
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En vivo: Xavier Becerra, el fiscal general de California, dara una respuesta al Estado de la Union en espanol
The attorney generals statements come after a recent social media post in which the president threatened to cut off federal disaster relief money sought by California for areas hit by deadly wildfires.
In January, Trump tweeted that he ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency not to send more disaster funding to state officials unless they get their act together, which is unlikely.
The border wall is not the only wall that this administration is trying to build, Becerra said in the prepared remarks. They are putting a wall between you and your doctor, dictating what services you can receive.
Becerra, 61, also accused the Trump administration of putting a wall up between voters and the ballot box, and between veterans and healthcare.
Theyre putting a wall between parents and their children, by putting children in cages away from their families, the attorney general said.
Becerras response, which was carried by Spanish-language networks Univision and Telemundo, will further burnish his credentials as a national figure in the Democratic Partys resistance to Trump, said Bob Shrum, director of the Center for the Political Future at USC.
He is one of the leading Latinos in American politics. Hes a natural choice to do this, Shrum said. The national appearance, he added, just adds to the sense that hes an important figure who can speak for the party.
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As attorney general, Becerra has gone to court 45 times with legal challenges to the Trump administration over federal actions on issues including immigration, healthcare, the environment, the U.S. census, education and the internet.
The lawsuits include nine actions over immigration, including a case that has temporarily halted the termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which provides temporary protections to some 800,000 immigrants who were brought to the country illegally as children.
Other pending cases include a lawsuit filed to challenge the construction of the border wall in San Diego and Imperial counties and the separations of migrant families at the southwestern border.
In announcing that Becerra was chosen for the speech, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) praised what he called his moral and vigilant leadership.
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Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco called Becerra a towering champion of equal justice and tireless fighter for every Americans right to quality affordable healthcare.
Becerra rose to prominence during 24 years in Congress representing Los Angeles before then-Gov. Jerry Brown appointed him the first Latino attorney general in California history. Becerra has been seen as a rising star in the party and a potential future candidate for governor or U.S. Senate.
In his speech, Becerra said his parents came to the U.S. from Guadalajara, Mexico, to work hard and give their children a better life, as many other families have done.
I know I am the product of those who fought to open the doors of opportunity, he said. The optimism that characterizes the waves of immigrants who have come here runs through my blood. And if the state of our nation can be characterized as strong, it is because people like my parents citizens or immigrants built this country.
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He touted a historic Latino and Democratic voter turnout that helped flip control of Congress, and praised Democratic policies on gun control, climate change and immigration, including efforts to help Dreamers, young people brought into the country illegally as children.
There is no country like the United States, he said. If America falls, everyone gets hurt. The State of the Union decides destinies.
Becerras address was seen by some as another sign that California is leading the discussion among Democrats at the national level.
His selection is an imprimatur to his ability to leverage the California platform to drive progressive values and a testament to the fact that for national Democrats California is not merely the heart of the resistance but the vanguard of the offensive, said Chris Lehane, a Democratic political strategist who worked in the Clinton White House.
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The Democrats English-language response to the State of the Union address was delivered by Stacey Abrams, who garnered national attention by nearly winning the race for governor of Georgia in November.
McClatchy High School, where Becerra gave his rebuttal, boasts a number of prominent alumni including retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy and California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye.
To read this article in Spanish, click here.
jazmine.ulloa@latimes.com
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It was an awkward match of man and mission: President Trump aspired to be a unifying political leader Tuesday night in his second State of the Union address, but he was also a candidate for reelection in 2020 whose campaign almost surely will set records for division.
In his 1 hour, 22 minute speech to a joint session of Congress one of the longest on record Trump addressed two audiences and tried to accomplish two goals at odds with each other.
Even as he exhorted members of Congress to come together on an agenda of shared legislative interests, he provoked Democrats on immigration, abortion and investigations of his administration.
The pomp and grandeur of the speech gave Trump an opportunity to relish the trappings of traditional power, honoring heroes invited to listen from the House gallery, waxing nostalgic about past examples of American unity in World War II and laying out a long list of proposals, few of which he devoted much time to defending or explaining.
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But at the same time, this is a campaign kickoff speech, said Scott Jennings, a Republican consultant in Kentucky and former political advisor to President George W. Bush.
It was barely 15 minutes into the address when Trump pivoted from unity to confrontation, attacking ridiculous partisan investigations of his administration and saying that the country must choose peace and legislation or war and investigation.
Immigration was the one topic on which he delivered a sustained argument, but he offered no concessions on his hard-line policies or his demand for a wall along the southern border.
I will get it built, he pledged. Walls work, and walls save lives.
Judging by the impact of Trumps past speeches, this address probably did more to inspire his allies than to win converts. Democrats and even some Republicans were skeptical of the call for unity from a polarizing leader who built his political career by provoking adversaries on Twitter and in raucous political rallies.
He has no credibility on this issue, said Democrat Mitch Landrieu, the former mayor of New Orleans who is considering a possible run for president in 2020. He hasnt walked one step in the direction of national unity. Most everything President Trump has done has been purposely divisive.
Even some of Trumps supporters acknowledge that his pugilistic approach can interfere with calls for unity on his part. Andy Surabian, a GOP strategist and former Trump White House official, said that sometimes the presidents personality gets in the way of people seeing potential for cooperation.
Sometimes because of his style, people forget as a matter of policy there are a lot of areas where Trump can find bipartisanship, Surabian said.
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Tuesday morning, for example, even as the White House was billing the speech as a call for conciliation and cooperation, the president was tweeting criticism of Senate Democratic Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York and issuing an urgent bulletin about the need for a wall the signature Trump campaign promise that led last month to the longest partial government shutdown in history.
Tremendous numbers of people are coming up through Mexico in the hopes of flooding our Southern Border. We have sent additional military. We will build a Human Wall if necessary. If we had a real Wall, this would be a non-event! he said in a morning tweet.
While the bulk of the speech was less pointed in its attacks on Democrats than is typical of Trump, his advisors privately encouraged surrogates and allies to attack Democrats afterward on taxes and abortion.
If hes going to go a little high, weve got to go a little low, one said after a pre-speech discussion at the White House for the presidents most prominent supporters.
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The speech came as Trump tries to cope with what may prove to be a pivotal moment in his presidency.
In Novembers midterm elections, Republicans suffered widespread defeats and lost their majority in the House.
At this point, the recognition has occurred in the White House that the Republican base is not large enough to win an election, said GOP pollster David Winston.
Trump was elected with less than a majority of the popular vote in 2016, and has not made a concerted effort to expand his base in the two years since. He is the first president in modern political history to never crack 50% job approval during the first two years of his presidency.
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The 2018 midterm elections sent the GOP a blunt message about the limits of the Trump coalition. According to exit polls, Republicans lost among female voters by 19 points and among independents by 12 in congressional balloting.
As he prepared the speech, Trump was still absorbing the implications of his partys losses. Since then, the Republican position has worsened as Trump absorbs the lions share of the publics dismay over the shutdown.
Trump lost two power struggles with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who insisted the government be reopened before negotiating over border policy, and who denied Trump access to the House chamber for his State of the Union address until the government reopened.
In what may have been an oversight, but could also have been a deliberate slight at the beginning of the speech, Trump did not give Pelosi the traditional opportunity to introduce him to the chamber.
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The high-profile speech, which Trump agreed to postpone in order to deliver it with all the traditional pomp of the House chamber, gave Trump a chance to regain momentum and to address a broad audience about his agenda for perhaps the last time before the campaign to unseat him in 2020 overtakes the political scene.
One year from now, Iowa Democrats will have held the first presidential caucuses, and Californias ballots will be in the mail to Democrats in advance of the states March 3 primary.
The speech was surrounded by Democratic presidential buzz. Sen. Kamala Harris of California gave a response to Trumps speech via Facebook before he delivered it.
Were in store not for a speech that will seek to draw us together as Americans, but one that seeks to score political points by driving us apart, she predicted.
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In the end, the speech contained a little of both, but with different levels of intensity.
Trump advocated at length for the border wall, devoting several pages of his text to what he described as a crisis on the border. By contrast, his olive branches were offered almost in a cursory fashion and on issues of indifference to his hard-core supporters.
Infrastructure, for example, has been on his wish list for years, but did not move an inch in Congress even when it was controlled by Republicans. Despite a pre-speech buildup on the issue, Trump devoted only one paragraph to it, with no new proposals.
But some Republicans are doubtful that Democrats would cooperate with him on any matter, lest it contribute to his chances of being reelected.
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Theyve basically decided that their job in the new majority is to make this presidency irrelevant and make it go away as soon as possible, Jennings said. That doesnt achieve what they think is their highest mission.
The latest from Washington
As it races to revamp Medicaid by allowing work requirements for the first time, the Trump administration is failing to enforce federal rules directing states to assess the impact of the change on low-income patients who rely on the half-century-old safety net program, a Times analysis shows.
None of the eight states that the administration has cleared to implement a Medicaid work requirement has in place a plan to track whether Medicaid enrollees find jobs or improve their health, two goals often touted by administration health officials.
And nine of the 17 states that have sought federal permission to implement Medicaid work mandates have been allowed by the Trump administration to proceed with their applications despite failing to calculate the number of people who could lose coverage, according to a review of state and federal Medicaid records.
Federal regulations issued under the Obama administration direct states seeking permission to experiment with new Medicaid policies to, in most cases, estimate effects on coverage before the initiative starts, and then independently evaluate the impact of the programs after they begin to assure they are achieving their goals.
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Nevertheless, Arkansas, which the Trump administration celebrated in June as the first state to implement a Medicaid work requirement, still has no approved research plan, even though the state has already removed more than 18,000 people from Medicaid coverage for failing to comply with its mandate.
For any new medical treatment, we require rigorous evaluation to assure it is safe and effective, said Dr. Benjamin Sommers, an internist at Harvard who has extensively studied the effect of Medicaid policies nationwide. We should be equally vigilant that these changes in policy are working as intended, as they could have far-reaching effects on patients health.
Critics say the administration and the states appear to be systematically ignoring or weakening the requirement for independent analysis, perhaps because they fear the results.
There is a lot of hiding the ball here, said Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, a research organization that is tracking the administrations efforts to revamp Medicaid rules.
We know that health insurance coverage is very popular, Alker added. So taking it away, as some of these plans do, is not something the administration wants to talk about.
Some states seeking permission to implement Medicaid work requirements have projected that Medicaid enrollment will decline, as has occurred in Arkansas.
Alabama, for example, acknowledges in its application that approximately 16,000 people will likely lose standard Medicaid coverage as a result of its mandate, state filings indicate.
However, state officials seeking permission to implement work mandates in Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Michigan, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wisconsin did not project in any detail how their experiments would affect Medicaid enrollees coverage, according to a review of hundreds of pages of state documents filed with the federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS.
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Several of these states, including Arizona, Oklahoma and Wisconsin, make no mention of the enrollment impact of the work requirement.
In New Hampshire, Medicaid officials claimed that enrollment will not change materially.
South Dakota officials similarly asserted: Coverage losses will be small, though the state did not offer evidence in its waiver application to support this claim.
Tennessees work requirement application which was filed Dec. 28, months after substantial coverage losses in Arkansas were already being reported acknowledged that some people could lose Medicaid as a result of its new mandate.
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Tennessee officials did not make any estimates, however, concluding: It is not possible to reliably project the magnitude of this decrease in enrollment at this time.
The lack-of-coverage projections come despite 2012 federal regulations specifying that requests to implement Medicaid experiments will not be considered complete unless states include an estimate of the expected increase or decrease in annual enrollment.
Nevertheless, the Trump administration deemed all the state Medicaid applications complete, CMS documents show.
The same federal regulations also mandate that states seeking permission to implement Medicaid experiments, also known as demonstrations, develop plans for independent evaluations that involve an empirical investigation of the impact of key programmatic features of the demonstration.
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Meeting the research requirements can be difficult for states, acknowledged Sara Rosenbaum, an authority on Medicaid law at George Washington Universitys Milken Institute School of Public Health.
But the rules are there for a reason, she explained. States are drawing down hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer money. If they want to experiment, we want to know whether what they are doing is working, what we are gaining, what we might be losing and what the effects are on patients.
The Trump administrations senior Medicaid official, Seema Verma who as CMS administrator has cheered Medicaid work requirements declined to be interviewed.
In a written response to questions, however, a CMS spokesperson said the agency does not believe states must do enrollment calculations. Transparency regulations do not require that states provide precise numerical estimates of coverage impacts, which are difficult to predict in many types of demonstrations.
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The spokesperson added that CMS is working to develop evaluation strategies for states that are implementing work requirements, which CMS also calls community engagement, or CE. We will soon be releasing guidance for all CE states to support robust evaluation, the spokesperson said.
In public speeches, Verma has repeatedly said she wants to reduce administrative burdens on states to make it easier for them to experiment with Medicaid.
State leaders are closer to the people and the problems they face every day, Verma said at a recent conference convened by the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC. For too long, states have looked to Washington with a Mother, may I? approach, and Washington has placed unworkable restrictions on states.
CMS late last year also scaled back requirements on states that want to loosen health insurance rules put in place by the 2010 Affordable Care Act, often called Obamacare.
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And last spring, the Trump administration canceled a major study of a Medicaid experiment in Indiana that requires low-income patients there to pay more for their medical care.
The Healthy Indiana Plan, which Verma helped develop as a consultant before joining the Trump administration, has drawn increasing scrutiny amid evidence that enrollees are not making required payments and consequently losing health protections.
The administrations retreat from independent analysis has alarmed researchers as well as many physicians, hospitals and patient advocates, who warn that the Trump administrations rush to reshape safety net programs without adequate review risks harming low-income people who rely on Medicaid.
This kind of analysis has frequently complicated the Trump administrations efforts to reshape healthcare policy, however.
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When White House and congressional Republicans tried to roll back the healthcare law in 2017, for example, studies by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office indicated that tens of millions of Americans would likely lose health coverage. That research helped sink the GOP repeal campaign.
Similarly, when a federal judge last year blocked Kentuckys Medicaid work requirement plan and noted it was inconsistent with the programs purpose of providing health protections to low-income Americans, the judge cited an analysis by the state that as many as 95,000 people could lose coverage.
Arkansas early experience with a Medicaid work requirement suggests such mandates will likely cause a significant number of people to lose Medicaid, in part because they fail to adequately report that they are working or seeking work, as required. That makes independent analysis of these new initiatives so crucial, experts say.
In November, the independent, nonpartisan Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission called for a pause in Arkansas Medicaid work requirement after the state reported nearly 9,000 people were cut from Medicaid in the first month of the mandate amid widespread confusion about how enrollees were supposed to report their work activities. The state website where enrollees are supposed to report, for example, goes offline every day between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.
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We are highly concerned about the disenrollment, commission Chairwoman Penny Thompson wrote in a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, citing the absence of sufficient measures and data to interpret early results and guide adjustments.
Three months later, Azar still has not responded to the commissions letter.
Nor has the Trump administration slowed its approval of Medicaid work experiments.
Since Oct. 31, CMS has approved Medicaid work mandates in Arizona, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, Wisconsin and Kentucky, which CMS approved a second time after the administrations initial approval was deemed inadequate by a federal judge.
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Counting Arkansas and Indiana, whose work requirement experiments won CMS approval earlier in 2018, eight states now have been cleared, although several that elected Democratic governors in November may not implement the new work mandates. Maines new governor has already rejected the work mandate plan developed by former Republican Gov. Paul LePage.
Alabama, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia have applications to implement their own Medicaid work requirements pending before CMS.
Obamacare 101: A primer on key issues in the debate over repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act.
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The annual State of the Union address is a chance for the president to deliver his vision and policy priorities and sometimes exaggerate or outright misstate his accomplishments and the reasons for taking policy actions.
Heres a look at what President Trump got right and what he got wrong Tuesday night.
Economic growth
What Trump said: In just over two years since the election, we have launched an unprecedented economic boom a boom that has rarely been seen before. Theres been nothing like it.
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The facts: Economic growth accelerated last year as the Republican tax cuts took effect, putting the economy on track to top 3% annual growth for the first time since 2005. The partial government shutdown delayed the fourth-quarter data to confirm that.
The best year during the Obama administration was 2.9% in 2015. Experts said the U.S. economy was better in the late 1960s and 1990s.
But the initial stimulus from the tax cuts, which included slashing the corporate rate, began to fade in the second half of 2018. After expanding at a 4.2% annual rate in the second quarter last year, growth slowed to 3.4% in the third quarter and the consensus fourth-quarter forecast is about 2.6%.
The Federal Reserve is projecting 2.3% growth this year and 2% growth in 2020. Some economists are more pessimistic and said a recession could hit in 2020.
Unemployment
What Trump said: Unemployment has reached the lowest rate in half a century. African American, Hispanic American and Asian American unemployment have all reached their lowest levels ever recorded.
The facts: The unemployment rate dropped to 3.7% last fall, the lowest since 1969. It was the extension of a steady trend that began in 2009 after the rate surged to 10%.
The unemployment rate was up to 4% in January, but that was because more people joined the labor force.
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The unemployment rates for blacks and Latinos last year hit all-time lows since the government began tracking the data in the early 1970s. That continued a downward trend that long predated Trump taking office. Both rates have climbed recently along with the broader rate and no longer are record lows.
The unemployment rate for Asian Americans was 3.2% in January. The record since that data began being kept in 2000 was 2% in May 2018.
Energy
What Trump said: We have unleashed a revolution in American energy the United States is now the No. 1 producer of oil and natural gas in the world. And now, for the first time in 65 years, we are a net exporter of energy.
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The facts: The U.S. is the worlds No. 1 producer of oil and natural gas. But the nation actually imports more energy than it exports and has done so since 1953.
This could change soon but hasnt yet. According to a recent Energy Department forecast, the country is expected to be a net exporter of coal, oil and natural gas by 2020.
NATO
What Trump said: We have secured a $100-billion increase in defense spending from NATO allies.
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The facts: Trump is referring to the commitment by NATO members to spend at least 2% of their gross domestic product on defense by 2024. The alliance set the 2% spending target during the Obama administration.
Trump has pressed the alliance to meet that commitment, and if all 28 other countries in NATO do, total defense spending within the alliance would rise by an estimated $114 billion, according to a 2018 Brookings Institution study.
And although Trump claimed the spending increase is secured, not all members are expected to reach the goal by 2024.
1 / 11 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi welcomes President Trump before his address. (Doug Mills / AFP/Getty Images) 2 / 11 President Trump exchanges greetings as he arrives in the House chamber. (Doug Mills / AFP/Getty Images) 3 / 11 President Trump acknowledges applause before his address. (Doug Mills / AFP/Getty Images) 4 / 11 President Trump delivers his second State of the Union address. (Mandel Ngan / AFP/Getty Images) 5 / 11 First Lady Melania Trump with special guest Grace Eline, who fought a brain tumor and raised money for cancer research, as she is acknowledged during the speech. (Saul Loeb / AFP/Getty Images) 6 / 11 President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Nancy Pelosi join in acknowleding the women who are newly elected to the House of Representatives. (Shawn Thew / European Pressphoto Agency) 7 / 11 Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and other female lawmakers celebrate as their election victories are acknowledged during the speech. (Win McNamee / Getty Images) 8 / 11 From left, Supreme Court Chief Justices John G. Roberts Jr. and Associate Justices Elena Kagan, Neil M. Gorsuch and Brett M. Kavanaugh in the House chamber. (Alex Wong / Getty Images) 9 / 11 Alice Johnson, one of President Trumps special guests, reacts as she is acknowledged during the State of the Union address. (Saul Loeb / AFP/Getty Images) 10 / 11 Former NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin salutes as he is recognized by the president. (Saul Loeb / AFP/Getty Images) 11 / 11 From left, Debra Bissell, Madison Armstrong and Heather Armstrong are acknowledged during the speech. (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press)
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The border wall
What Trump said: In the past, most of the people in this room voted for a wall -- but the proper wall never got built. Ill get it built.
The facts: Customs and Border Protection spent about $2.3 billion between fiscal 2007 and 2015 to increase barriers on the border from 119 miles to 654 miles, according to the Government Accountability Office.
Congress has appropriated nearly $1 billion in the last two years for about 50 miles of replacement fencing in California, New Mexico and Texas. Last year, lawmakers gave Trump more than $640 million for 25 miles of new levee fencing and other to be determined barriers.
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Trumps impasse with Congress over his demand for $5.7 billion to build about 230 more miles of walls along the border led him to force a partial shutdown of government that lasted 35 days, the longest in U.S. history.
So far, no new miles of border barrier have been completed under Trump.
Illegal immigration
What Trump said: I want people to come into our country in the largest numbers ever but they have to come in legally.
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The facts: Apprehensions at the border, the most commonly used measure for illegal immigration, are at historic lows.
The administration also has taken unusual steps to limit legal immigration.
It has targeted asylum seekers, refugees, permanent residents and green-card holders, as well as people with temporary protection from deportation who were brought to the U.S. as children or came after disasters or conflict in their home countries.
Crisis on the border
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What Trump said: Tolerance for illegal immigration is not compassionate it is cruel. One in three women is sexually assaulted on the long journey north. Smugglers use migrant children as human pawns.
The facts: A border security system designed for single, adult males has been overwhelmed by rising numbers of mostly Central American families and unaccompanied minors who are seeking asylum in the United States.
But academics and advocates say Trump administration policies may be putting these women, children and families at greater risk.
In December, a federal judge blocked an administration policy that sought to stop victims of gang and domestic violence from claiming asylum in the U.S.
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The administration has begun forcing some asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their cases are considered in the U.S., a dramatic shift in U.S. immigration policy. The implementation started with Tijuana -- though it suffers from high crime and violence.
Gangs and MS-13
What Trump said: The savage gang, MS-13, now operates in at least 20 different American states, and they almost all come through our southern border.
The facts: The Trump administration has said MS-13 poses a more serious threat to the United States than any designated transnational criminal organization even Mexican cartels and terrorist groups.
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Independent studies show the group is relatively small in the United States.
But theres little indication that Central American families and minors fleeing gang violence have increased MS-13s numbers north of the border. Only a fraction of unaccompanied minors apprehended since 2011 have confirmed gang ties.
North Korea
What Trump said: If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea with potentially millions of people killed.
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The facts: In 2017 and early 2018, Trump traded insults and threats with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that sparked fears of an all-out war.
Nimble diplomacy by South Koreas president helped arrange a way out. Trump and Kim met in June in Singapore and agreed to seek full denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, although U.S. officials admit that has not begun.
Islamic State
What Trump said: Today we have liberated virtually all of that territory from the grip of these bloodthirsty killers.
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The facts: Top U.S. intelligence and military officials say Islamic State remains a potent threat even though it has lost most of the territory it once controlled.
Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence, told Congress last week that Islamic State is intent on resurging and still commands thousands of fighters in Iraq and Syria.
Syria
What Trump said: It is time to give our brave warriors in Syria a warm welcome home.
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The facts: Trump said in December that all 2,000 U.S. troops were coming back now from Syria but the withdrawal has yet to begin. Pentagon officials now say it will take place over the next four months.
The number of U.S. troops in Syria may increase as support troops are brought in to help disassemble bases and equipment and move it out of the country.
The Pentagon wants to maintain pressure on Islamic State even after U.S. ground troops leave, and appears to be settling on a strategy that will employ airstrikes and raids by special operations troops in neighboring Iraq.
Troops to the U.S.-Mexico border
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What Trump said: I have ordered another 3,750 troops to our southern border to prepare for the tremendous onslaught.
The facts: Trump first sent active duty troops to the border a week before the Nov. 6 midterm elections, raising concerns in the Pentagon and in Congress that he was using the military for partisan political purposes.
About 2,300 troops are now posted near border crossings, down from about 5,900 in November, to help the Border Patrol.
On Sunday, the Pentagon said it would send another 3,750 troops to help reinforce barriers and monitor crossings. That would bring the total to about 6,000, close to the original deployment.
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Prescription drug prices
What Trump said: Already, as a result of my administrations efforts, in 2018 drug prices experienced their single largest decline in 46 years.
The facts: Federal data show that overall per-capita spending on prescription drugs declined in 2017, though not as much spending went down in several previous years, including 2010 and 2012.
But projections suggest drug spending is once again increasing as prices continue to shoot upward. In January, pharmaceutical companies hiked prices on more than 250 prescription drugs, according to a Reuters analysis.
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To read this article in Spanish, click here.
Staff writers David S. Cloud, Tracy Wilkinson, Anna Phillips and Noam Levey contributed to this report.
President Trump took an early victory lap for his America First diplomacy Tuesday, claiming a series of big wins on his foreign policy priorities.
Some of his claims were true in a few cases, even careful and precise. Others were premature. Some were exaggerated; others incomplete.
But taken together, the foreign policy sections of Trumps State of the Union address sounded more like a campaign speech than a detailed explanation of American diplomacy.
Some presidents have used the State of the Union to build a public case for going to war George W. Bush before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, for example. Others tried to convey nuanced messages for their diplomatic priorities; Barack Obamas professorial speeches come to mind.
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Not Trump. His themes are familiar to anyone who followed the 2016 campaign: a strong America with a strong military, unafraid to throw its weight around but also determined to bring U.S. troops back from endless wars.
The president even noted that he had campaigned on the same core promises, including a foreign policy that puts Americas interests first. Every one of his predecessors would say he too put Americas interests first, but this president suggests and perhaps believes that the principle is his alone.
Even some critics of Trumps foreign policy acknowledge hes scored some accomplishments and launched potentially promising negotiations without stumbling into a major crisis.
But he hasnt persuaded most voters that his impulsive, bull-in-a-china shop style deserves admiration.
A CNN poll this month found that voters give Trump his highest marks on managing the economy, which has been surging: an approval rating of 48%. But on foreign policy, his approval rating was an anemic 40%.
A more detailed survey by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs found that most Americans disagree with some of Trumps core foreign policy views. That survey found that 68% disagreed with Trumps decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement on climate change, and 66% disagreed with his decision to walk away from Obamas nuclear deal with Iran.
Foreign policy is unlikely to be the top issue in the 2020 campaign. Still, its what some political strategists call a threshold issue; voters want a presidential candidate to display at least basic competence in international affairs. And they judge an incumbent president on his achievements and mistakes.
Tuesday night gave Trump a chance to make the case for his success, and to set out what aides described as his vision. Anyone who studied the text for substance found plenty of case-making but little nuance.
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Trump congratulated himself for moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. But he never mentioned his larger goal of forging a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, a project he once pronounced not as difficult as people have thought.
He boasted that after withdrawing from Obamas nuclear deal with Iran, he had ordered the toughest sanctions ever imposed on Iran. But he didnt suggest how or when the sanctions, which have hurt Irans economy, would lead to his ostensible goal, a new round of nuclear negotiations or a collapse of the regime in Tehran.
If there was a centerpiece, it was Trumps declaration of victory in the wars in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, and his reaffirmation that he will bring U.S. troops home as soon as possible despite the qualms of many of his own aides.
He said Americans have been fighting in the Middle East for almost 19 years (actually almost 18) and that the United States has spent more than $7 trillion on those wars (a vastly inflated estimate.)
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His determination to get the troops out quickly raises an unusual political problem: Leaders in both parties disagree with it.
Last week, the Senate passed a resolution warning against a precipitous withdrawal from either Syria or Afghanistan, saying it could put at risk hard-won gains and U.S. national security. The measure passed by a bipartisan vote of 68 to 23. Its author was none other than Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader.
Likewise, Republicans have pushed back whenever Trump suggests softening sanctions on Russia or questions the U.S. commitment to the NATO military alliance. But he has stuck to those positions.
The good political news for the president is that foreign policy divides the Democrats and independents too. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who caucuses with the Democrats, voted against McConnells resolution, saying it sounded like an endorsement of the status quo even if it put Sanders, for a moment, on the same side as the president.
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A sober report card for Trumps foreign policy, unsurprisingly, would yield a list of incompletes.
The troops arent home yet. Negotiations with North Korea havent borne lasting fruit; nor have the sanctions on Iran. The Middle East peace talks have gone nowhere. And trade talks have not yet produced their promised benefits for the American worker.
This is only the two-year mark; Trump has time to do more. But in Tuesdays speech, he achieved one practical goal: He laid out the foreign policy themes of his 2020 campaign.
Qatar on Wednesday took delivery of the first of 36 Rafale multi-purpose jet fighters it has ordered from French manufacturer Dassault.
The hand-over ceremony in Merignac, southwestern France, where the planes are built, was attended by Qatar Defence Minister Khalid bin Mohamed Al-Attiyah and Dassault Aviation chief Eric Trappier.
Qatar ordered 24 of the fighters in 2015, adding 12 more last year. It also has an option to buy 36 more.
The twin-engine fighter has been in service with the French Air Force since 2004.
France has also sold Mirage F1, Alpha Jets and Mirage 2000 fighters to Qatar.
France won a contract from Egypt in 2015 for 24 jets, followed by the sale to Qatar.
In September 2016, India also agreed to buy 36 of the fighters.
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The House Intelligence Committee has delayed a planned interview with President Trumps former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), the panels chairman, announced the delay in a brief statement Wednesday morning, saying that in the interests of the investigation, Michael Cohens testimony has been postponed until February 28th.
This is the second time Cohens planned testimony has been either delayed or canceled outright. Last month, the Committee on Oversight and Reform scheduled Cohen to appear for a public hearing Feb. 7, but Cohen canceled, citing threats Trump had made to his family.
Cohen is expected to report to prison March 6 to begin serving a three-year sentence after pleading guilty to lying to Congress and financial crimes. House oversight committee chairman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) has said he will pull Cohen out of jail for a hearing if lawmakers cant reschedule it before then.
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Cohen is also scheduled to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee for a closed-door interview Feb. 12.
Panel Republicans called the delay unacceptable in a statement Wednesday, in which they also called on Democrats to issue subpoenas for witnesses the panel never interviewed when it was under GOP control. Democrats complained forcefully last year that Republicans had blocked their efforts and denied their request to issue similar subpoenas.
The House Intelligence Committee, now under Democratic control, said Wednesday it intended to expand its work to probe any alleged foreign influence over President Trump, whether it comes from Moscow or anywhere else.
The decision ensures ongoing headaches for the White House even if the panel doesnt find any conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 election, the original focus of the investigation.
It also could allow Democrats to pry into the presidents personal finances and the Trump Organization, the private company that includes his real estate developments, licensing deals and other ventures.
The decision was announced the morning after Trump said in his State of the Union speech that ridiculous partisan investigations were imperiling the countrys prosperity.
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We are not going to be intimidated or threatened by the president, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), the committee chairman, told reporters. He said the panel would investigate any credible allegation that financial interests or other interests are driving decision-making of the president or anyone in the administration.
Trump responded angrily at the White House, saying Schiff has no basis to investigate his personal finances.
Hes just a political hack whos trying to build a name for himself. Its called presidential harassment, Trump told reporters.
Jack Langer, a spokesman for Republicans on the committee, also was sharply critical.
This is a gross abuse of a committee that was created to do oversight of the intelligence community, not to conduct sprawling, endless investigations of one partys political opponents, he said in a statement.
The intelligence committee, which held its first hearing since Democrats won control of the House in the Nov. 6 midterm election, also voted to send transcripts of its closed-door interviews to special counsel Robert S. Mueller III.
Mueller could use the transcripts to pursue charges of lying to Congress if he determined that people interviewed by the committee which include Trumps eldest son, his son-in-law and other allies were not truthful.
President Trump and Donald Trump Jr. at the White House on July 5. (Brendan Smialowski / AFP / Getty Images)
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The special counsel has brought two such prosecutions against the presidents former associates.
Trumps longtime lawyer Michael Cohen pleaded guilty in November to lying about a Moscow skyscraper deal that he pursued on Trumps behalf during the 2016 campaign.
Roger Stone, a Republican operative who helped launch Trumps political career, was indicted last month for alleged witness tampering and lying about his conversations involving WikiLeaks, which posted Democratic Party emails stolen by Russian hackers. Stone has pleaded not guilty.
Mueller already has access to most of the transcripts, which were provided to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in September for a declassification review.
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Since then, Mueller has only requested the transcript of the interview with Stone. The material was extensively cited in the indictment against him.
Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas), a member of the House committee, said the vote to give the transcripts to Mueller looks like theater.
The committee conducted more than 50 interviews in 2017 and 2018 when the panel, then under Republican control, conducted its own investigation of Russian interference in the presidential campaign.
That probe concluded there was no conspiracy between Moscow and Trumps team, an assessment Democrats said was premature.
A day after the State of the Union address, House Democrats responded Wednesday by launching a counter-agenda, including a series of investigations into the Trump administration and legislation they hope will send a compelling message to voters ahead of the 2020 election.
Democrats this week will hold nearly half a dozen investigative hearings into Trump administration officials and programs, and convene even more panels to discuss policy issues such as climate change, universal background checks for gun purchases and campaign finance reform all partisan initiatives.
The rollout of the House Democrats agenda was delayed by the 35-day partial government shutdown over President Trumps demand for money to build a wall along the southern border. That threat hasnt completely subsided. Lawmakers are trying to craft a deal to avert another shutdown by Feb. 15.
But newly empowered Democrats, particularly members of the energetic freshman class, are ready to get moving.
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Hes not ready for it at all, fifth-term Rep. Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) said of Trump, who spent the first two years of his presidency dealing with a Congress controlled by Republicans. He calls it presidential harassment. He doesnt get the basic process [of congressional oversight]. So thats the part thats scary.
The Democratic agenda will include three House floor votes on major bills by the end of March, according to tentative plans shared by Democratic sources. The bills include HR 1, a plan to reform the campaign finance system and enact changes to the elections process; HR 7, a bill that would attempt to ensure equal pay for men and women; and HR 8, a bill to require universal background checks before people can buy guns.
All three have been championed by Democrats, but stand little chance of getting support in the GOP-controlled Senate.
That may not matter to Democrats, who hope to use the legislation to make a case to voters ahead of the 2020 election. The investigations, they say, are part of their constitutionally empowered oversight of the executive branch.
Two Democratic-led panels will investigate how the administration has spent money one will look into financial decisions made during the shutdown and another will review spending on the 2010 healthcare law known as Obamacare. Another panel will investigate the administrations family-separation policy at the border.
Theyll hold a hearing on presidential tax returns, kicking off a lengthy process that some hope could lead to the release of Trumps tax filings.
Acting Atty. Gen. Matt Whitaker is slated to testify Friday, making him the first major administration official to come before the House since Democrats obtained the majority.
Trump on Tuesday evening cast aspersions on such efforts, deriding ridiculous partisan investigations in his State of the Union speech and warning that legislation is unlikely to be enacted while investigations are underway.
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If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation, he told lawmakers in his address.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and other top Democrats have dismissed the idea, arguing that they can do both, and the president should be able to as well.
One of Congress main roles under Article I of the Constitution is checks and balances, said Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), who is leading the investigation into the administrations border policies as chairwoman of the Energy and Commerce investigation subcommittee. Were going to do them in a very responsible and thorough way. I dont think it should impact any bipartisan [legislation].
Still, Democrats, particularly veteran lawmakers who have been in the minority and without subpoena power for eight years, are eager to hold the administration accountable.
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Im going to pursue this investigation until I get answers, DeGette said. If they come in and can answer our questions [at our first hearing] thats great. Otherwise we will continue.
And they say the White House shouldnt be surprised by the wave of Democrats demanding information through letters and, potentially, subpoenas.
All of this is public, said Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Menlo Park), who wants to see the presidents tax returns. Theres a road map for the administration [in our campaign pledges]. There are no secrets about what our agenda is.
Democrats began to make their case Wednesday. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), the new chairman of the powerful House Oversight Committee, recounted in a hearing on HR 1 the deathbed promise he made to his mother to protect voting rights.
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This is not Russia. This is the United States of America, he said of states that are trying to restrict voting rights. I will fight until the death to make sure every citizen, whether theyre the Green Party, the freedom party, whether theyre Democrat, whether theyre Republican, whatever, has that right to vote.
The House is also starting work on two of the potentially bipartisan pieces of legislation this Congress could produce. A committee will hear testimony later this week about an infrastructure bill. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and other public officials are slated to testify. And several panels are planning or have already started hearings on legislation to reduce prescription drug prices. Those efforts are in relatively preliminary stages.
Theyve also floated the idea of voting on a proposal for the House to enter a lawsuit filed by Republican attorneys general against Obamacare. But its unclear whether the House wants to deal with the legal repercussions of getting involved in a lawsuit already being defended by states such as California. Such a vote could embarrass Republicans, who would be torn between voting against Obamacare and voting against the laws popular protections for people with preexisting conditions.
Democrats still need to sort out whether they will force members to vote on issues that divide the party internally, such as Medicare for all, an initiative that is popular with liberal Democrats but less so with more moderate voters. Floor votes on such proposals could oblige members to take a position and cause rifts within the party. And even if such legislation were to pass the House, it would die in the Senate.
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To illustrate the risk, some Democrats say that a 2009 vote on cap-and-trade legislation, though it never became law, nonetheless played a role in major losses for the party in the following years election. But other Democrats argue that bold ideas are what won the majority in 2018 and deserve to get the recognition of a floor vote.
We as a Democratic caucus need to understand there is political diversity, Bass said, adding that Democrats in Los Angeles and California dont always recognize that other parts of the country arent as progressive.
Im concerned that in some of the seats that we won, that some of the activists might not be entirely realistic about where the members have to be, she added.
Democratic leaders are starting the year with initiatives that are widely supported within the party. One of their bills would require anyone seeking to buy a firearm to undergo a background check. Many Democrats made the requirement central to their campaigns.
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Democrats understand how important this is to the American people. Weve heard from the people, the people want this addressed and we are doing just that, said Rep. Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena), a sponsor of the bill.
Thompson was inspired to work on the issue by the Sandy Hook shooting and has been trying to persuade his Republican colleagues to hold hearings in the seven years since. They refused to do it, so finally we are going to get our hearing, he said.
Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) hopes his campaign reform bill, which would tighten finance and ethics rules as well as expand voting rights, becomes the new brand of the Democratic Party.
As with Thompsons bill, Republicans in the Senate are expected to block Sarbanes legislation from becoming law. But that doesnt faze him.
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If we can get that passed in the House, then we can spend the next two years using that as a rallying cry, Sarbanes said.
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A month after tweeting that he might order FEMA to cut federal disaster funding to California fire victims, President Trump declined to renew that threat and indicated that talks with state officials were going well.
Speaking to The Times and several regional newspapers in the Oval Office, Trump said Wednesday that he and Gov. Gavin Newsom spoke by phone about two weeks ago, after his Jan. 9 tweet that he had ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency not to send more disaster funding to state officials unless they get their act together, which is unlikely.
Asked Wednesday if he still thinks the federal government shouldnt give California any more money until the state changes its forest management practices, Trump refrained from directly repeating the threat, but said something has to be done to keep California from burning year after year.
I told my people, I said we cannot continue to spend billions of dollars, billions and billions of dollars, Trump said. Forest fires are totally preventable. They shouldnt happen.
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Trump said he was encouraged by his talk with Newsom.
He was very respectful as to my point of view, Trump said. I think he agrees with me. I respect the fact that he called. The forests are, because of whatever reason, ... extraordinarily flammable, to put it mildly.
Newsoms spokesman Nathan Click said the governor and president had a respectful conversation about the critical federal-state partnership necessary for emergency preparedness and disaster relief.
The governor will continue doing everything in his power to help the survivors of wildfires and make sure the state is prepared for future disasters, Click said.
Environmental experts say the primary cause of increased fires in California is climate change and drought. The Trump administration has blamed poor forest management, though critics say such claims are misleading and in many cases false.
Thousands of Californians are still recovering from two massive fires this past fall that together killed nearly 90 people and burned thousands of structures.
Trumps tweeted threat alarmed state and local officials. For weeks the White House and FEMA have provided no clarity about whether such an order would be implemented, and when. Even the California congressional delegation struggled to get information about what might happen.
For months the president has been critical of Californias forest management process, saying state environmental laws are too stringent and keep downed timber and other detritus such as leaves and fallen limbs from being removed before they can catch fire.
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Its called forest management. You have very poor forest management, Trump said. You need good forest management and you will have either no forest fires or very small forest fires that are easily put out.
Critics accuse the administration of trying to pressure California officials to open the states forests to increased logging.
The bulk of Californias forest land is either federal property or private property, and outside the states authority to manage, but Trump said Californias strict state environmental laws keep the federal government from managing its lands in the state properly.
In many cases because of the state environmental rules, the federal government isnt even allowed to go in and clean them out, Trump said.
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In November, the Camp fire destroyed the town of Paradise in the Sierra Nevada foothills, killing 86 people and destroying more than 13,900 homes in the area; and the Woolsey fire in Los Angeles and Ventura counties left three dead and leveled about 1,500 structures in an unwooded area.
State politicians have implored Trump to remember what he saw when he visited Paradise in November to tour the destroyed area. He spoke at length Wednesday about his shock at the extent of the damage and how quickly the fire moved into and destroyed the town.
That was a lot of bad luck, Trump said. It was dry. You had 80 mile-per-hour winds. It was a very flammable area.
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To the editor: There was something in President Trumps State of the Union address Tuesday night that shook me, but your coverage of the address seems to have largely missed it.
When I was a school kid, we were occasionally instructed to hide under our desk as a safety measure in case of a nuclear attack. The United States was in a nuclear arms race that my generation felt was out of control. It took until the Reagan administration before we signed a treaty with the Soviet Union on intermediate-range nuclear missiles.
On Tuesday, Trump seemed to forecast a new nuclear arms race. He said: I announced that the United States is officially withdrawing from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, or INF Treaty. Perhaps we can negotiate a different agreement, adding China and others, or perhaps we cant in which case, we will outspend and out-innovate all others by far.
Are we going to outspend and out-innovate all others by far once we finalize our withdrawal from the treaty? If so, isnt that a new nuclear arms race?
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Joe Geever, Long Beach
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To the editor: CBS coverage following the State of the Union address noted approval ratings of 76% for the speech. None of the five articles in Wednesdays print edition of the Los Angeles Times referenced this important piece of news about the address.
But, of course, each article in the L.A. Times put a negative spin on the speech.
Dennis McLaughlin, Rancho Palos Verdes
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To the editor: Trump suggested that the success of his economic miracle is being threatened by partisan investigations. His statement, as is often the case with him, is manifestly untrue.
Trump, a Republican, appointed Jeff Sessions, a Republican, as his attorney general; after Sessions recusal due to his involvement in the 2016 campaign, his duties fell to Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein, also a Republican, who then appointed Robert S. Mueller III as special counsel.
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Mueller, a lifelong Republican, had previously served as FBI director, appointed in 2001 by President George W. Bush, also a Republican. Where are the partisan Democrats?
Noel Johnson, Glendale
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To the editor: President Trumps mockery and ridicule of his intelligence chiefs after their joint appearance before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Jan. 29 were not motivated by what he believed was faulty sources and methods. The presidents rebuke was personal in nature and poses a grave danger to our safety and well-being.
Testimony from the heads of CIA, the FBI and other agencies directly contradicts the presidents own conclusions on a number of national security issues. To Trumps way of thinking, the like-minded analysis was an affront because he knows more than anybody about anything.
We can leave it to the professionals to argue whether this is delusional on the part of the president. In the meantime, the rest of us would be well-served if Trump was less concerned about threats to his image and more concerned about threats to our national security.
Jim Paladino, Tampa, Fla.
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To the editor: Former National Intelligence Council Chairman Gregory F. Treverton approvingly quotes Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats as saying, Iran is not currently undertaking the key nuclear weapons-development activities we judge necessary to produce a nuclear device.
Even though Iran may be in compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, not everything of great concern was covered by that agreement.
What is rarely mentioned is that the nuclear deal included a significant exemption on inspections of military complexes. One such complex, the site at Parchin near the capital city of Tehran, was cleared by inspectors in 2005. Then in 2011, the International Atomic Energy Agency got a tip about Parchin but was refused access by the Iranians.
Skillful and talented as the Iranian scientists are, they can certainly manage clandestine nuclear development at Parchin to go with their known ballistic missile development.
Most of the world has been lulled into complacency by the periodic assurances that Iran is still complying with the 2015 deal. How can we be so naive?
Hugh Kilpatrick, Glendale
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To the editor: Trump has a well-known aversion to briefings or admitting there are things he does not know. Yet apparently he has gained command of foreign policy and national intelligence by a method not yet known to the rest of the world.
The president seems to have found a way around the traditional paths to knowledge that we mortals must use (observation, reading, listening to experts, analysis and more). You simply proclaim yourself to be a master of any subject, and eventually people will believe you.
Who knew it could be so easy to acquire insight and comprehension on complicated world issues?
Mary Franklin, Huntington Beach
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To the editor: We tried a ban on alcohol 100 years ago. In 1933, recognizing that Prohibition was a colossal failure and that it enormously enriched criminal enterprises, we amended the Constitution to repeal the ban.
The war on drugs, whether in the U.S. or Mexico, is an even greater failure. Even if you assume that there would be many unfortunate deaths from meth overdoses, the consequences of legalization cant be as bad as the violence in Tijuana.
In contrast to recreational drugs, we have not banned cigarettes, but instead restricted advertising and educated the public. Consequently, less than 15% of the American adults smoke today versus more than 40% in the 1960s.
The solution to the drug problem is similar: Legalize drugs (to be sold by the government with no positive marketing), advertise heavily against their use and provide all the treatment needed for addicts.
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Richard Stithem, Redondo Beach
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To the editor: Did anybody catch the irony of your pro-open border articles, letters and opinion pieces and this horrendous homicide problem in Tijuana?
Do the math. That city averaged almost seven killings a day in 2018.
If there were no border barriers, Tijuanas problem would quickly become Americas problem. The cartels could easily hand their murderous drug trade over the the street gangs of San Diego, Los Angeles and cities north, south and east.
To think otherwise is so naive.
Jim Rahm, Chatsworth
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To the editor: It is disingenuous to suggest that $25 million, the amount Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to allocate to programs that aid asylum seekers at the border, is not a lot of money, no matter the context.
This is a great deal of money that could be well spent to aid current California residents. Homelessness, schools, greater access to healthcare and more housing are only some of the areas where our tax dollars can be put to use effectively.
Wasnt Newsom elected to solve Californias problems first? He should be reminded: Charity begins at home.
Peter R. Pancione, Thousand Oaks
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To the editor: State lawmakers did not have enough money to repair roads, so they said they had to raise the tax on gasoline. Now, all of a sudden the governor has $25 million to spend on people who are not supposed to be in the United States.
Newsom has his priorities upside down. I am about to change my party affiliation.
Arnie Sklar, Beverly Hills
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My wife and I bought our house, a two-bedroom fixer-upper a couple of miles south of UCLA, in 1978. My dad termed the house a dump, and he was shocked at its outrageous price tag of $92,000.
Today our modest bungalow, because of its location, would sell for something approaching $2 million, but we dont have any desire to move. We love the place, and we love the neighborhood.
For the record: An earlier version of this story misspelled state Sen. Scott Wieners name. It is Wiener, not Weiner.
But we also see the problem with leafy neighborhoods of single-family homes like ours.
My wife and I moved to the area when middle-class people could still afford to live here; today, people like we were back then are denied entrance to the neighborhood because of the high prices. Across Los Angeles, this has become true as the population has swelled and new housing has not kept pace with demand, driving prices ever higher.
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YIMBYs have assembled a statewide organization favoring more development, including affordable housing, but only in certain areas along transit corridors.
My neighborhood is exactly the kind of place urban planners think should be part of the solution. With an Expo Line station less than a mile away, its near transit, and there is already a huge residential and commercial complex going up adjacent to the station. The nearby Westside Pavilion mall is becoming Google offices, which will locate more jobs in the neighborhood.
Yet much of the area remains zoned only for single-family homes. At a time when housing is so scarce, having vast swaths of Los Angeles off-limits to multi-family homes is difficult to justify. But its also understandable that residents dont want to sacrifice the qualities that drew them to a neighborhood.
Ive covered housing issues in Los Angeles for decades, and I would like to be part of the solution, but Id also hate to see the quiet streets of my neighborhood suddenly sprouting four- and five-story apartment houses.
There may be middle ground, but it will require compromise by the NIMBYs the not-in-my-backyard homeowners who dont hesitate to exert their influence with City Hall.
One possible way forward is being championed by a new movement of Californians who call themselves YIMBYs (for Yes In My Backyard). They have assembled a statewide organization favoring more development, including affordable housing, but only in certain areas along transit corridors. The California YIMBY movement has liberal roots, with a staff that includes veterans of Barack Obamas presidential campaigns.
Leading the YIMBY effort legislatively is Democratic state Sen. Scott Weiner, who represents San Francisco, a city hard hit by high housing costs. He has introduced a bill, SB50, that would require cities to incentivize construction of four- to five-story apartment houses within half a mile of transit train stations and within a quarter-mile of heavily used bus lines. A more radical version of the bill was defeated last year, but political currents seem to be shifting and passage may be possible now.
But it wont be easy. For many decades, cities have resisted such state interference with their local housing and zoning laws, invoking the slogan of home rule. And politicians have learned the political perils of crossing homeowners. When residential property taxes soared more than a quarter of a century ago, homeowners revolted and passed tax-limiting Proposition 13, which has hobbled spending on infrastructure and schools ever since.
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Still, several California mayors have signed on to supporting SB50, including the influential mayor of Sacramento, Darrell Steinberg, who has said he thinks the states housing supply crisis has been exacerbated by keeping zoning decisions at the hyper-local level. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti tentatively supports the measure as well.
Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute
By supporting housing growth in areas well-served by transit, YIMBY supporters hope to avoid adding to traffic woes in neighborhoods. And denser housing along transit corridors could help provide additional housing in a city without changing the basic character of many neighborhoods. That hasnt seemed to matter, though, to some NIMBYs, who continue to oppose development anywhere near their homes.
For those still on the fence, its worth considering how some of L.A.s nicest neighborhoods became what they are today. Restrictive zoning laws were rooted partly in wanting to preserve the residential feel of neighborhoods, but they also have a more sinister history. Non-whites were long prohibited from buying homes in many L.A. neighborhoods, either because of specific written covenants or because of discriminatory real estate and banking practices.
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Although racial discrimination in housing has been illegal for decades, its after-effects have lingered. Blacks and Latinos banned from some of the citys more expensive neighborhoods were forced to purchase homes in areas that often didnt rise in value as quickly as homes in affluent and restricted neighborhoods. And even when laws changed, neighborhoods were slow to change, because a highly segregated neighborhood might not seem like a welcoming place.
Many of todays neighborhoods zoned strictly for single-family homes are rooted in that past. Its time for homeowners across the city to open them up, adding housing that will make all parts of the city more economically and ethnically diverse and make the city work better for all its residents.
Bill Boyarsky is the former city editor of the Los Angeles Times.
Forty-five years ago, on Feb. 6, 1974, the House of Representatives voted 410 to 4 to pass HR 803, authorizing the House Committee on the Judiciary to investigate whether sufficient grounds existed to impeach President Richard Nixon. The vote came nearly a year after the U.S. Senate created a select committee to investigate the Nixon campaigns activities related to the Watergate scandal during the 1972 presidential election.
While such an overwhelming vote could be considered a bipartisan gesture, it came after months of quarrels between the Democrats and Republicans, whose leaders ultimately concluded that there was no other way to determine the full extent of the Nixon administrations misbehavior.
What they did know was this: On Jan. 30, 1973 10 days after Nixon was inaugurated for his second term G. Gordon Liddy, a former Nixon aide and FBI agent, and James McCord, a one-time Nixon aide and former CIA agent, had been convicted for their role in spearheading the Watergate break-in. In April of 1973, the scandal reached the White House, where counsel John Dean was fired, and senior aides H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, and Atty. Gen. Richard Kleindienst resigned. Former presidential deputy assistant Alexander Butterfield revealed the existence of a secret taping system in the White House in July of 1973 (which became known as the Nixon tapes), but Nixon refused to turn the recordings over to the Senate or special prosecutor Archibald Cox.
Despite the wealth of evidence against the Nixon administration, the House vote was still controversial, including with the Los Angeles Times. The paper had long supported Nixons political rise, first as a U.S. House member and senator representing California, and then as Dwight Eisenhowers vice president. Even after the infamous Saturday Night Massacre in October of 1973, when Nixons attorney general, Elliot Richardson, and deputy attorney general, William Ruckelshaus, resigned on the same day rather than fire Cox, The Times editorial board called the situation an unnecessary crisis.
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(Los Angeles Times)
Nixon had sought to shut down the investigation into Watergate, yet The Times still cautioned against impeachment. Meanwhile, an NBC News poll showed, for the first time, that a thin plurality of citizens supported impeaching Nixon with 44% in favor and 43% against.
At the time of the House vote, The Times editorial board still did not believe that the case for impeachment was ready for trial.
It took The Times until May of 1974, just one day after the House Judiciary Committee began impeachment hearings, to call for Nixons impeachment.
Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute
Forty-five years later, the question of impeachment looms again, this time over Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States. In July of 2017, Reps. Brad Sherman (D-Northridge) and Al Green (D-Texas) introduced an article of impeachment (HR 438) against Trump, which ultimately went nowhere. Followup efforts have been equally unsuccessful even though the Democrats have taken control of the House. Instead, Democratic leaders have tamped down impeachment talk, arguing that it is important to allow special counsel Roberts S. Mueller III to finish his investigation.
Political history does counsel this kind of caution. Along with The Times, many Republicans in Congress supported Nixon until the Supreme Court ordered Nixon to release the smoking gun tapes that proved he had ordered a cover-up of the Watergate crimes. Nixon resigned on Aug. 9, 1974, four days after he released the tapes.
Muellers 18-month investigation of links between the Trump campaign and Russia has already netted 199 criminal charges, 37 people and entities charged, seven guilty pleas, and four prison sentences. But there has been no smoking gun equivalent implicating Trump thus far.
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Jason DAndrea is a public affairs fellow at Coro Southern California. His opinions are his own. Email him at coro.dandrea@gmail.com
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's spokesman gave a cautious welcome on Wednesday to remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's closest election rival suggesting openness to a future removal of settlements from the occupied West Bank.
"It's encouraging, if he succeeds and he sticks to this opinion," Nabil Abu Rdeineh told Reuters after ex-general Benny Gantz, discussing accommodation with the Palestinians, told an Israeli newspaper he opposed dominating another people and suggested Israel might repeat its 2005 removal of Gaza settlers.
Short link:
RTHK: Oscar-winner Lawrence set to marry
Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence, one of Hollywood's most eligible singles, is tying the knot.
The 28-year-old "Hunger Games" star is engaged to art dealer Cooke Maroney, 33, her publicist told the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday.
The couple have been spotted together since last summer after reportedly being introduced through friends.
Rumours of the engagement began circulating recently after the Kentucky-born actress was spotted at a New York restaurant with a "massive ring" on her finger, according to celebrity gossip Page Six.
Lawrence, known for her blunt manner, was previously romantically linked to director Darren Aronofsky, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and "X-Men" costar Nicholas Hoult.
She won an Oscar for best actress for her role in the 2012 comedy-drama "Silver Linings Playbook."
She was also nominated for three other Oscars for her roles in "Joy", "Winter's Bone" and "American Hustle."
She shot to fame after starring in the wildly popular fantasy franchise "The Hunger Games" and became one of the world's highest-paid actresses. (AFP)
This story has been published on: 2019-02-06. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
President Trump came to Capitol Hill on Tuesday evening as a pitchman for bipartisan comity, but he couldnt bring himself to really make the sale.
In his State of the Union address, postponed because of the pointless government shutdown for which he bears the blame, the president appealed for cooperation between Republicans and the Democrats who now comfortably control the House, a new reality symbolized by the presence of Speaker Nancy Pelosi on the rostrum with Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.
Together, we can break decades of political stalemate, Trump said. We can bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions, forge new solutions, and unlock the extraordinary promise of Americas future.
But those lofty sentiments didnt translate into much of a change in Trumps agenda, or even stop him from lobbing verbal shells at Democrats over several hot-button issues. He even warned the new Democratic majority in the House not to engage in ridiculous partisan investigations, saying, If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation.
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In particular, Trump didnt seem serious about compromising with the newly empowered Democrats on immigration. It was his obsessive insistence on funding for a great wall on the Mexican border that led to the 35-day partial shutdown that ended temporarily after Trump agreed to a short-term spending bill without wall funding.
And Trump hasnt let go of his obsession. In his speech he repeated his lurid descriptions of illegal immigration as a source of crime, sex crimes and mayhem and warned that, as we speak, large, organized caravans are on the march to the United States. And while he emphasized that he was proposing not just physical impediments but other measures to increase security at the border, the wall remains paramount for him. Simply put, he told Congress, walls work and walls save lives. He could have been addressing a campaign rally.
Trump undermined any fruitful negotiation with Democrats with a cheap shot against wealthy politicians and donors [who] push for open borders while living their lives behind walls and gates and guards. If the president is to forge new solutions with Democrats on immigration, he will have to change his tone, scale back his ambitions and stop scapegoating immigrants.
If Trump is going to link arms with Democrats, its far more likely to be on three other areas he spoke about Tuesday: wiping out HIV/AIDS, increasing federal spending on cancer research and reining in prescription drug costs. As welcome as those proposals may be, however, they come amid incessant efforts by the administration to undermine Obamacare particularly, the laws efforts to make comprehensive insurance policies available to more low- and moderate-income Americans. If Trump is serious about working with Democrats on healthcare, he will stop trying to destabilize the Affordable Care Act and start using it as a vehicle to cover more people, improve the quality of care and slow the growth of healthcare costs.
Much of the rest of Trumps address consisted of boasts about the accomplishments of his administration, a feature of every State of the Union address. He claimed that the economy is growing almost twice as fast today as when I took office its closer to 40% faster but failed to acknowledge the widespread expectation that growth is slowing, in part because of his own trade policies.
His defense of his foreign policy record accentuated the positive a cessation of North Korea missile launches while neglecting to mention that his own director of national intelligence testified that North Korea was unlikely to completely give up its nuclear weapons and production capabilities. The president reiterated that he doesnt believe that the U.S. should fight endless wars, and said that it is time to give our brave warriors in Syria a warm welcome home. But he didnt mention that his abrupt announcement that he was withdrawing U.S. forces from Syria unsettled allies and cost the president his secretary of Defense.
Presidents are expected to tout their own achievements, and even to exaggerate them. This speech wont be remembered for the praise Trump lavished on his administration but for his call for all of us to set aside our differences, to seek out common ground, and to summon the unity we need to deliver for the people we were elected to serve. The president needs to answer his own summons.
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Its not quite six weeks into 2019, and its already looking like it will be another banner year for measles in the United States. An outbreak in the Pacific Northwest that began in late January continues to spread, with more than 50 cases now being reported. Meanwhile, Texas health officials on Tuesday confirmed five cases of measles in the Houston area four of them in children under 2. And health officials in New York are still dealing with an outbreak of measles from late 2018 among orthodox Jews who apparently brought the virus back from Israel.
The global measles picture is even gloomier. A large and ongoing measles outbreak in the Philippines has killed at least 50 people, and may have spread to Australia. Nearly 12,000 measles cases have been reported in the Ukraine in the first month of 2019. And more than 28,000 cases have been reported in Madagascar since 2018. New cases are popping up all the time. For example, last week authorities in Manchester, England, urged residents to get vaccinated after a local case of measles was confirmed.
All in all, in just the last few years there has been a 30% increase in measles worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.
Parents need to understand that vaccines save lives.
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How has this disease that was once considered all but eliminated in the U.S. and other developed nations, surged back to life? According to international health officials, the same anti-vaccination fear-mongering that has been at work in the U.S is contributing to a decline in vaccination rates, and measles outbreaks around the world.
About 85% of children worldwide have received at least one of the two recommended courses of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccination, which is high but still below the ideal 95% rate that scientists say is necessary to stop outbreaks from spreading. And that percentage has stalled over recent years, and in some places has actually declined. Not surprisingly, some of the declines have been in in poor countries with limited access to health care. Economic hardship and political unrest have certainly contributed to the incidence of infectious disease in some places. The breakdown of Venezuelas health care system, for example, drove a major 2018 outbreak in that country, which has spread to other parts of South America.
But developed countries with strong health care systems have become measles hot spots as well. Last year, France and Italy, had huge measles outbreaks that the World Health Organization says was driven not by lack of access to immunizations, but by a lack in trust in their efficacy. This distrust, called vaccine hesitancy, is such a threat to public health that it is on the World Health Organizations list of top 10 global health concerns for 2019.
This distrust of vaccinations which is all too common in the United States as well is easily spread over social media, where a debate rages about whether the medicines themselves are dangerous. One persistent but entirely groundless fear is that vaccines cause autism. Theres no data to back up that assertion, and there is scientific evidence quite a lot of it showing that vaccinations save lives. But the narrative is durable particularly because the threat of measles which has been virtually absent for a generation is to many people more distant than autism.
Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute
Domestically, measles is breaking out in states Washington, Oregon and Texas that allow parents to opt out of vaccinations for their kids on the basis of their personal beliefs. California used to be one of those states until a serious outbreak at Disneyland in 2014 woke lawmakers to the fact that the personal belief exemption had been allowing childhood immunization rates to decline to dangerous levels. With measles so easily transmittable, populations with low vaccinations rates can be at risk from an outbreak half a world away.
In some places, it is understandable why people are skeptical of what theyre told. The lack of confidence in measles vaccinations plummeted in the Philippines in recent years after the maker of a government-sanctioned vaccination for dengue fever admitted it would not protect some children and perhaps even make them sicker.
Around the world, too many people seem to believe that vaccinations dont really matter any more. Loose vaccination rules contribute to that sense. But those attitudes must change. Parents need to understand that vaccines save lives.
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An Alabama city is set to respond to the states decision not to prosecute a police officer who killed a black man in a shopping mall on Thanksgiving.
Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato and others have scheduled a news conference for Wednesday about the slaying of Emantic EJ Bradford Jr.
Alabama Atty. Gen. Steve Marshalls office announced Tuesday that a police officer would not be prosecuted after fatally shooting Bradford at a mall in Hoover as Black Friday shopping began.
The officer mistakenly shot Bradford after seeing him running with a gun following a shooting. The review showed that Bradford didnt shoot his gun.
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Demonstrators burned U.S. flags outside Hoover City Hall after the states decision against charges. Activists say theyll protest at the attorney generals office in Montgomery on Wednesday.
Another top Virginia Democrat has admitted to wearing blackface decades ago. Atty. Gen. Mark Herring issued a statement Wednesday saying he wore brown makeup and a wig in 1980 to look like a black rapper during a party as an undergraduate at the University of Virginia.
The revelation further roils the top levels of Virginia government. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax are already facing controversies, and Herring would be next in line to be governor after those two men.
Many including Herring have urged Northam to resign after the discovery of a photo of a person in blackface standing next to a person in Ku Klux Klan robes on his 1984 medical school yearbook page. Fairfax, next in line to be governor, has been accused of sexual misconduct, which he denies.
Please see my statement below. pic.twitter.com/FBDcgxHOq9 Mark Herring (@MarkHerringVA) February 6, 2019
President Trump said Tuesday that he will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Feb. 27-28 in Vietnam for their second nuclear summit despite a lack of measurable progress since their first sit-down in Singapore in June.
The White House previously announced the second summit, but Trump disclosed the time and country in his State of the Union address. He did not name the city although Danang reportedly has been under consideration.
If I had not been elected president of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea with potentially millions of people killed, Trump said even though tensions rose dramatically last spring when he and Kim were hurling insults and threats at each other.
Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong Un is a good one, Trump added.
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North Korea has not conducted a nuclear test since the Singapore summit, after testing what it claimed to be a hydrogen bomb during Trumps first year in office. That was the countrys sixth nuclear test since 2006.
Although Trump has boasted that America no longer faces a nuclear threat from Pyongyang, U.S. intelligence and United Nations monitors have warned that they see no sign that Kims government has begun to disable or dismantle its nuclear arsenal or production plants.
Diplomatic talks between Pyongyang and Washington over the last eight months made little apparent headway beyond setting up a second summit.
In Singapore, Trump and Kim agreed to a brief joint declaration calling for full denuclearization of the Korean peninsula but did not set a timeline or lay out any steps to reach that goal.
Trump also suspended long-standing joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises that had provoked Pyongyangs ire. He is said to be considering another North Korean demand moving to formally end the Korean War, which halted in an armistice in 1953 but not with a treaty.
In an interview with CBS News over the weekend, Trump said he had no plans to draw down the 28,000 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea, a move that he previously said was under consideration.
Although Trump last year claimed North Korea is no longer a nuclear threat, the heads of U.S. intelligence agencies last week warned that denuclearization may never take place.
In an annual report to Congress, intelligence agencies concluded that North Korea is unlikely to completely give up its nuclear weapons. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said Pyongyangs leaders ultimately view nuclear weapons as critical to regime survival.
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Leaders summits normally are carefully scripted in advance, with both sides clear before going in on what they will discuss and announce. Trump surprised his advisors with his ad hoc promises to Kim in Singapore, and may do so again when they meet a second time.
Bruce Klingner, a former Korea specialist at the CIA now at the conservative Heritage Foundation, said the timing and venue of the summit were less important than the substance.
What is critical, Klingner said, is that President Trumps next meeting with Kim Jong Un go beyond the pomp and circumstance of the first to achieve real steps toward denuclearization.
tracy.wilkinson@latimes.com
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For more on international affairs, follow @TracyKWilkinson on Twitter
Jurors in the federal trial of Joaquin El Chapo Guzman are not rushing through their deliberations.
The seven women and five men charged with deciding the fate of the notorious drug kingpin spent their second day hashing out the slew of drug, firearm, murder conspiracy and money laundering charges against him.
Prosecutors had presented mountains of evidence in the sweeping 12-week case, much based on the testimony of Guzmans former cartel higher-ups, who exchanged testimony for hopes of reducing their own prison sentences.
At about 1:30 p.m., after eating lunch, the jurors had several requests for the judge: They wanted the full testimony of two key cooperating witnesses, Alex and Jorge Cifuentes, brothers from one of Colombias most powerful narco-trafficking families, who were Guzmans close associates for years.
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The brothers detailed how the cartel smuggled tons of cocaine, meth and marijuana to the U.S. They also testified that widespread corruption of Mexican officials helped their illicit trade.
Their testimonies would have taken several days to be read back to jurors, so U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan decided theyd get the written transcript. That too, however, would take some time; objections and lawyers sidebars with the judge would need to be redacted.
Another granted request was for a portion of testimony from a different cooperating witness and a intercepted phone call with Guzman, both related to the cartels purchases of ephedrine and the trafficking of the drug it is used to make: methamphetamine.
Joaquin Guzman is transported through an airport on Long Island, N.Y., on Jan. 19, 2017, after extradition from Mexico. (Attorney General of the Republic of Mexico / Prensa Internacional)
Yesterday, on their first day of deliberations, jurors asked the judge another meth-related question: They wondered if ephedrine should be considered methamphetamine. The judge told them theyd have to decide that based on the evidence.
The infamous 61-year-old Guzman is charged with 10 criminal counts, covering accusations that he sold and manufactured hundreds of tons of cocaine, meth and heroin; conspired to murder a slew of rivals; and helped run one of the worlds largest international drug networks.
But the charges are complicated; each one includes a variety of violations.
It seems the jury may be debating the meth manufacturing charge, which is part of Count 2.
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Guzman, who faces life in prison, seemed calm in court, waving and smiling at his wife, 29-year-old Emma Coronel, as he regularly did throughout the trial.
Though jurors can stay as late as they wish to deliberate, they once again asked to go home at 4:15 p.m. the time they would usually end on trial days.
Jurors are expected back at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn at 9:30 a.m.
Plagianos is a special correspondent.
It was a few hours before the Super Bowl on Sunday afternoon, and residents in one Yorba Linda neighborhood were preparing for parties.
Shortly before 2 p.m., neighbors heard a horrifying noise. Seconds later, a plane plummeted to the ground, slamming into a home and killing everyone inside.
Three days after the crash, authorities are still searching for the cause of the disaster, in which the plane seemingly broke apart in midair.
In recent days, questions have been raised about the background of the pilot, who also was killed.
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What do we know about the crash?
The Cessna plane took off from Fullerton Airport around 1:35 p.m.
It had flown about 10 miles, reaching as high as 7,800 feet, when witnesses saw it coming through the clouds in one piece, authorities said. Moments later, its tail came off. Then its wings.
The plane plunged into a two-story Yorba Linda home at 1:45 p.m., setting it on fire and killing everyone inside. Debris was strewn across four blocks of the residential neighborhood, among as many as 16 homes.
At one home, a piece of the planes engine knocked down a pillar on the front porch and torpedoed through a first-floor window, flying through two rooms before landing in a bathroom. Fragments of exhaust pipe crashed through a second-floor window and melted into the carpet. A propeller thumped onto the driveway.
A source familiar with the investigation said it appears the plane broke apart in midair, and there is nothing to suggest foul play or that the crash was intentional.
Maja Smith, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, and air safety investigator Ricardo Asensio inspect pieces of a Cessna airplane that crashed into a Yorba Linda home. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Who was killed?
The planes pilot was identified as 75-year-old Antonio Pastini of Nevada.
The two women and two men killed on the ground have not yet been identified. Authorities said the bodies are badly burned, so DNA testing and dental records will be required to identify them.
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What is the focus of the investigation?
Investigators with the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board combed through the wreckage Monday and collected pieces of the aircraft, which were being taken to a Phoenix storage facility.
NTSB officials said the investigation could take 18 months.
Who was the pilot?
According to records, Pastini previously owned a restaurant, Kim Lees Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar, in Gardnerville, Nev., south of Carson City.
Julia Ackley, a Torrance resident and one of Pastinis daughters, told The Times that her father was a veteran pilot who regularly flew to Southern California to visit her family from Oregon or Nevada, where he was a restaurant and business owner.
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Pastini was initially identified by California authorities as a retired Chicago police officer. But a spokeswoman for the Chicago police said Pastini was never employed by the department and was carrying a Chicago police badge missing since 1978.
Carrie Braun, a spokeswoman for the Orange County Sheriffs Department, said the metal police star recovered from Pastinis body appeared to be legitimate.
Its unclear how Pastini got the badge.
Twenty years ago, Martin Quezada was told the end was nigh. The sun was setting on the typewriter. Computers were king.
Twenty years later, Quezadas shop, International Office Machines in San Gabriel, is still in business. The downturn happened. But it did not defeat Quezada, now 61, who kept his doors open.
He had loyal customers small-business owners set in their ways, retirees unwilling or unable to learn to use a computer. He branched out into copiers and printers. He held on.
Then young people took an interest in antique typewriters.
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A group of street poets brought Quezada several to repair. The typewriters were used to write poetry on demand for passersby.
At Santa Monica Pier and Seal Beach, those trendy places, Quezada said.
Martin Quezada repairs typewriters at his International Office Machines shop in San Gabriel. A renewed interest in typewriters, especially among younger people, has slowly brought in a few more machines for repair or refurbishing. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
People ask Quezada to fix old typewriters they purchased on the internet. He sometimes buys them himself at thrift shops and flea markets. He recently found an Underwood from the 1940s at a yard sale.
In his backroom workshop on a recent afternoon, Quezada pulled handfuls of desiccated ribbon from the 70-year-old machine. He removed the rolling pin-like platen and coaxed tiny springs into place with hooked instruments that resemble dental tools.
If a reporter were not present, he said, he would talk to the typewriter, expressing his frustration with the machines finicky innards.
I will say some things to the machine. I think it helps, when I let him know how I feel.
But Quezadas admiration for the machine is clear. The Underwood and its kind are like Mercedes, like Rolls Royces, he said.
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They belong to an era before planned obsolescence, when people did not just replace, but repaired, what they owned.
Unlike the pager, the PDA, the floppy disk and the VCR, the typewriter has escaped the heap of gadgets defunct and disused. The reason, according to Steve Soboroff, president of the Los Angeles Police Commission and typewriter collector: Its slow pace is meditative, not frustrating, an exercise in deliberateness closer to engraving than typing on a computer.
In a world thats too fast and too easy, a typewriter slows you down, he said. If you type a word wrong, its wrong. If you miss a space, you missed it. Thats endearing to people now.
And a typewritten letter is no arrangement of light on a computer screen but a thing, Soboroff explained, a physical expression of thought and care and courtesy. It tells its recipient: You are worth the time it took to type this.
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If Soboroff is soliciting donations for a charitable cause, he will type the overture with one of his typewriters. Maybe the 1932 Royal Model P once owned by Ernest Hemingway, or the 1936 Corona Junior used by Tennessee Williams.
If I send a typewritten letter, I get a 70 percent return rate. If I send it on a computer, its about 3 percent, he said. Its unbelievable. If I want a response, Ill type the letter.
The typewriter, that is to say, is no charmless, soulless device. In Hollywood, it has famously transcended being a thing to become almost a character: In movies from The Shining All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy and All the Presidents Men to Schindlers List. In the adaption of Stephen Kings novel Misery, the typewriter is literally a tool of salvation, used to kill the villain.
Richard Polt, a philosophy professor at Xavier University and self-professed owner of 300 typewriters, said the machines performative use has helped spur a renaissance.
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Street typists, like Quezadas poetic clientele, became popular in New Orleans and have spread throughout the United States, Polt said. Type-ins, or gatherings of typewriter owners at coffee shops and pubs, are a lot of fun, he added, as are letter-writing parties.
Theres this irrational, immediate love of the thing, Polt said of the typewriter, like a musical instrument that invites you to create an infinity of things.
Refurbished, oiled and polished, Quezada estimates the Underwood could sell for $600.
Interest may have been rekindled in the typewriter. But it is not enough to offset what Quezada lost when they tumbled out of use in the late 1990s. Catering to curiosity is no substitute for the contracts with businesses and school districts that sustained his shop for decades.
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Unlike the pager, the PDA, the floppy disk and the VCR, the typewriter has escaped the heap of gadgets defunct and disused. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
When Quezada left his Mexican home state of Chihuahua in 1987 to join his sister in San Gabriel, the shop she owned with her husband an Italian immigrant who repaired typewriters as a boy in Salerno had servicing contracts with school districts in San Gabriel, El Monte, Whittier and Alhambra.
In the summer, when students were gone and the schools wanted classrooms full of typewriters repaired, the shop had so much business it had to hire temporary workers, Quezada said.
Around 1980, every little town had a shop that repaired and sold typewriters. A typewriter was expected to be serviced and repaired, and it was expected to last 20, 30 years.
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Quezada took over the shop in the mid-90s. It wasnt long before computers were supplanting the typewriter. Though hes held on, business gets leaner every year, the new interest notwithstanding.
Theres this irrational, immediate love of the thing, like a musical instrument that invites you to create an infinity of things. Richard Polt, philosophy professor and typewriter aficionado
But what else can he do? Besides, he feels there is an importance to his work, beyond providing him a livelihood. Those who come to his shop, to buy a typewriter or have one fixed, need his help to communicate.
Like the poets, they want to communicate how they feel. Its important, he said. Or older people who cannot write anymore. I have older customers they say they have to write something, and they cannot hold a pen and cannot use a computer.
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He carries the old Underwood outside, satisfied that its innards are clicking. The sun is setting. He sprays the typewriter down with WD-40 and scours it with a toothbrush. Beneath the blackened bristles, in the fading light, it begins to gleam.
A lawsuit filed Tuesday against Boeing and Southern California Edison alleges that the two companies failed to protect the public from the threat that fire posed at the Santa Susana Field Lab, a former rocket testing facility where the devastating Woolsey fire broke out in November.
The suit accuses Boeing and Edison of not properly maintaining power lines and electrical infrastructure, and failing to clear brush on the 2,850-acre site near Simi Valley; in addition, Boeing lacked firefighting personnel at the location, the plaintiffs allege.
For the record: For the record: This article incorrectly described the Woolsey fire as the largest in L.A. history. The fire is the most destructive in L.A. history.
The Woolsey fire ended up becoming the most destructive fire in Los Angeles and Ventura countys modern history.
Robert. F. Kennedy Jr., co-counsel to Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman, one of the five firms representing more than 100 property owners and renters whose buildings and property were damaged or destroyed by the fire, said Edison should have preemptively shut off power to mitigate the fire risk on a dry, windy day.
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It was given permission by the California Public Utilities Commission to shut off the power in dangerous areas like this, he said. It was warned by the state that it was dangerous, and it actually warned its customers that it was going to shut off the power, and then it never did it.
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, appears to be the first involving the Woolsey fire to name Boeing as a defendant. Previous lawsuits filed late last year focused on Edison and alleged that the Woolsey fire started because of the utilitys overhead electrical equipment at the field lab.
Attorneys are seeking compensation for plaintiffs damaged property, lost wages and attorney fees.
Edison declined Tuesday to comment on the lawsuit, with the company saying the fires cause remains under investigation by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. The company said in a statement that it is fully cooperating in their investigation.
Boeing said in a statement that the company has not yet been served with a complaint and that its security and fire personnel acted swiftly when the Woolsey fire started, promptly notifying firefighting authorities of the blaze. Boeing also noted that it is fully cooperating with investigations by Cal Fire and the California Public Utilities Commission.
The Woolsey fire started Nov. 8 at the Santa Susana Field Lab on a day meteorologists warned would bring dangerous fire weather, with both extremely dry conditions and Santa Ana winds predicted that day.
The fire began near Edisons Chatsworth substation after a nearby circuit experienced issues shortly before the Woolsey fire started. The fire burned almost 97,000 acres about 151 square miles and destroyed more than 1,500 structures, killing four people.
The lawsuit, which quotes a Times investigation, alleges that firefighters efforts to extinguish the blaze were hampered by a lack of water at the field lab.
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The lawsuit also calls out Boeing for having failed to have an adequate fire prevention program or have adequately trained fire suppression personnel in place.
There is a fire station at the Santa Susana Field Lab, but Boeing declined to provide any additional information about the number of firefighters who work at the facility or the type of equipment they have when previously contacted by The Times.
Boeing has said that its fire and security personnel responded to the Woolsey fire and worked with local first responders on the scene. Officials with each of the three fire departments that initially responded to Woolsey fire Los Angeles Fire Department, Los Angeles County Fire Department and Ventura County Fire Department have said they had essentially no interactions with any Boeing firefighting personnel.
Boeing acquired the Santa Susana Field Lab in 1996 when it acquired Rockwell Internationals aerospace business. In 2007, Boeing, NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy signed an agreement with the California Department of Toxic Substances Control to clean up the site. Three years later, state and federal authorities proposed a settlement agreement to clean up the site by 2017, a job that has yet to be completed.
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Former firefighters who worked at the facility through the 1980s told The Times that the field lab used to have a robust, well-trained firefighting team and about six firefighting apparatus, including two brush rigs, along with at least one ambulance.
Scott Promen, 61, who worked as a Rockwell firefighter through the 1980s, said the Santa Susana fire crew received extensive training, and that occasionally they would staff a nearby Ventura County fire station when firefighters stationed there responded to fires in the area.
Although only a small number of people still work at the Santa Susana Field Lab site, theres still fire danger, as there are electrical lines and people, the two biggest causes of wildfires in California, Promen said.
Times staff writers Louis Sahagun and Alejandra Reyes-Velarde contributed to this report.
A 92-year-old former San Diego deputy city attorney who shot his allegedly abusive son in the head as he slept pleaded guilty Wednesday to voluntary manslaughter and will be placed on probation.
Richard Peck sat in a wheelchair, flanked by two defense lawyers, as he told San Diego County Superior Court Judge Kathleen Lewis that he understood what his change of plea from not guilty meant.
I went to law school, he reminded the judge.
Lewis noted that voluntary manslaughter is defined as taking the life of a human in the heat of passion, not with malice. She said the maximum punishment for that crime is 11 years in state prison.
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Following terms of the plea agreement, the judge dismissed a murder charge against Peck.
She said Peck would be placed on probation for three years, with home detention and a GPS ankle bracelet, when he is sentenced on March 28.
Defense attorney Douglas Gilliland told the judge the case is one of extreme psychological abuse by the son, who Gilliland said was an alcoholic who tried to frighten his father into a fatal heart attack.
The attorney said Robert Robbie Peck, 51, was in the middle of a divorce and had moved into his fathers Old Town home early last year.
On Nov. 14, the son smashed his fathers phone his only connection to the outside world made a threatening comment and went to bed, according to court records.
Soon after, the elder Peck shot him with a shotgun. Then he went into the street and yelled for help, saying hed shot his son.
Peck was arrested and charged with murder. A judge cut his $1-million bail in half and allowed Pecks release over the objection of Deputy Dist. Atty. Daniel Shim, who called the shooting an execution.
On Wednesday, Shim agreed to the plea bargain.
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Its quite an unusual case, Shim said out of court. Definitely tragic. There was probably a better way for Mr. Peck to handle things.
He said his office has prosecuted few homicide cases with a defendant as old or as well-educated as Peck.
Peck worked for a time in the San Diego city attorneys office, then as a civil litigator for the law firm then known as Procopio Price. It is now called Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch.
Gilliland, at a previous court hearing, outlined some of the abuse Peck had allegedly suffered from his son, who once hurled a vase at him and on other occasions would suddenly scream in his fathers ear, hoping the older man would suffer a fatal heart attack.
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Police were called to the Peck home 14 times last summer, and Robert Peck was once committed for a mental health evaluation. The younger Peck also tried to get his father to amend his will to leave his son more money than his daughter, Gilliland said.
Pecks daughter and son-in-law flew in from Georgia after his arrest and were trying to arrange for him to move into an assisted living facility, Gilliland said.
Repard writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.
pauline.repard@sduniontribune.com
A delegation from the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) under Jonathan Crickx on Wednesday visited the Addiction Treatment & Abuse Fund with the aim of cementing cooperation in combating drug addiction and protecting children from smoking risks.
A press release issued by the fund said the delegation's visit comes to reaffirm the importance of Egypt's pioneering role in drug addiction combat.
Deputy Minister of Social Solidarity and the fund head Amr Othman reviewed the fund's efforts in carrying out programs of various activities including correcting wrong notions on drugs taken by youth and measures to involve the young addicts in society in the process of kicking off bad habits.
For his part, Crickx expressed his organization's readiness to cooperate with the fund in the field of protecting children from smoking risks.
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A man choked unconscious by an off-duty Los Angeles firefighter convicted of assault but never jailed will receive a $7.4-million settlement in connection with the attack, his attorney said.
A group of men held down Samuel Chang in 2015 as he was handing out Halloween candy near his grandmothers home in Chatsworth.
For the record: A previous version of this story erroneously stated that $1.4 million will be paid on behalf of Eugene Elbert. The correct figure is $1 million.
Video footage and court records show Eric Carpenter, a member of the L.A. Fire Department, restraining Chang in a chokehold. For six minutes, the young man gasped desperately for air before going limp.
The assailants performed CPR, but Chang, then 23, remained hospitalized for weeks, suffering kidney failure, severe head trauma and other injuries.
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Carpenter kept his job as a city firefighter after being allowed to plead the felony assault down to a misdemeanor in 2017 with no jail time, despite objections from the lead detective on the case who asked the judge to review the videos before sentencing.
Changs attorney, David Ring, said his client has been left with lifelong injuries from the attack that nearly cost him his life.
Samuel was brutally beaten by these thugs, Ring said. The civil settlement provides him with some justice for what he endured. Yet we remain incredibly disappointed that the district attorneys office failed to hold the defendants accountable for this horrific attack.
A physical therapy student at the time, Chang said he had to delay his graduate studies for almost a year and still suffers from chronic headaches and has trouble reading and processing information as a result of his injuries.
When you think of firefighters, you think of heroes, Chang told The Times in 2017. You dont think of people who violently attack someone.
Chang sued his attackers in 2017 in Los Angeles County Superior Court for assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, false imprisonment and negligence. Five men were named in the lawsuit, although only three of the men were criminally charged.
Ring said the payout does not make up for being victimized twice first on the street and then in the courts, where he accused Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey of giving Carpenter preferential treatment.
Carpenters lawyer, Michael Goldstein, served as Laceys campaign finance director when she was elected in 2012 and donated thousands of dollars to her political accounts over the years, according to campaign finance records. Goldstein and the district attorneys office denied that the lawyers connections to Lacey had anything to do with Carpenters plea deal.
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Carpenter, who faced up to seven years in prison, was allowed to plead no contest to a misdemeanor assault charge and was sentenced to three years probation and 135 days of community service, records show.
Michael Anthony Vitar, another L.A. firefighter who was off-duty at the time of the assault and who gained fame as a child actor in the Disney film The Sandlot, and Thomas Molnar, one of Carpenters neighbors, both pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery charges. The two also received three years probation and 90 days of community service, according to court records. Both Carpenter and Vitar remained on the citys payrolls after serving a six-month unpaid suspension.
Insurers have agreed to pay $2.1 million on behalf of Molnar and $1.5 million each on behalf of Carpenter and Vitar. In addition, $1.3 million will be paid on behalf of Michael Cirlin and $1 million on behalf of Eugene Elbert, who also were named in the lawsuit. Each man has maintained his innocence, and the settlement does not acknowledge any wrongdoing.
During the criminal trial, prosecutors said Chang was outside, handing out Halloween candy to children including at Carpenters home when some mothers asked him to stop, but he refused. Witnesses at Carpenters house also said Changs zipper was down.
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After Carpenter and his friends confronted Chang, he began filming the men. Video from Changs iPhone showed the men, led by Carpenter in a He-Man costume, following Chang and repeatedly accusing him of trying to give drug-laced candy to children.
In another video shot by a bystander and taken as evidence by police, the group takes Chang to the ground, where Carpenter wraps his arm around Changs throat and the others pin him down. Chang eventually goes limp, and the men begin lifesaving measures, according to the video.
richard.winton@latimes.com
Twitter: @lacrimes
Presenting a report on a rash of pepper-spray use at juvenile detention facilities in Los Angeles County, an internal oversight agency on Tuesday advised the Board of Supervisors to consider restricting or banning the practice.
The supervisors, though alarmed by the county Probation Departments practices, appeared unwilling to take either step at least for now.
As this investigation by the Office of Inspector General reveals, the need for reform, investigation and oversight may never have been as vital as it is now, said Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, whose concern about pepper-spray use prompted the report.
To that end, the supervisors asked a newly created probation reform committee to hold a public hearing, and the board members delayed a decision on studying potential policy changes until Feb. 19.
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At issue is the recently reported surge in the use of pepper spray in four of the countys numerous juvenile halls and detention camps part of the nations largest juvenile probation operation.
The report, which involved scrutiny of more than 20 cases and interviews with probation staff and detainees, found a pattern of inappropriate and avoidable uses of oleoresin capsicum, or OC, commonly known as pepper spray, to subdue youths.
On occasion, the practice violated rules mandating it be used only as a last resort when physical intervention is required to break up fights or to protect staff members.
In some cases, staff appeared to be engaged in an over-reliance on OC and, at times, have deployed OC where there does not appear to be actual or potential threat of harm by youth, said Cathleen Beltz, an assistant inspector general who helped write the report.
The report also raised concerns about whether those hit with the spray had been given the opportunity to clear their eyes and skin.
Youth can be seen on video attempting to self decontaminate with water from a toilet, she told the supervisors.
The review listed potentially restricting or banning the use of pepper spray at juvenile detention facilities, as San Francisco and dozens of states have done. But the authors also acknowledged that doing so quickly and without other intervention options or increases to staff or training might undermine detention officers who are trying to maintain order.
Youth can be seen on video attempting to self decontaminate with water from a toilet. Cathleen Beltz, Los Angeles County assistant inspector general
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Still, juvenile-justice advocates and the countys chief legal advocate for indigent criminal defendants, Public Defender Ricardo Garcia, used the report to urge a ban, calling the practice a danger to young offenders both physically and mentally.
Those who have experienced it say the spray causes intense pain and swelling around the eyes and irritation to the skin effects that linger if decontamination doesnt happen quickly, experts say.
(Matt Stiles/Los Angeles Times)
It was just burning all over, Kent Mendoza, 25, a former gang member who was sprayed in 2009 at a county juvenile detention camp, said Tuesday. He has become an outspoken critic of the practice. I just remember screaming and going crazy, running from a fan to water because I didnt know how to stop this.
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The department has been dogged by controversy about its use of pepper spray for more than a decade. Its current leadership, which wasnt in place during past controversies, told supervisors that the Probation Department is working to reduce its use.
But they, too, cautioned against rushing to ban its use, which allows detention officers who are sometimes outnumbered by large, aggressive detainees to safely quell violence.
We are committed to giving the staff the tools they need to work with our youth, but also working with our staff to explore avenues to curtail and eventually eliminate the need for use of [pepper spray] in juvenile detention, according to a statement released after the meeting by the departments Chief Probation Officer, Terri McDonald.
But a change of this magnitude will require thoughtful analysis, planning, training and potentially increased resources to ensure institutional safety.
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The departments three unions, which represent rank-and-file detention officers and their managers, testified that they are united in wanting to improve conditions for the juvenile offenders.
The OIG report really confirms what weve been saying for decades concerning inadequate training, chronic understaffing and a lack of consistent policies and reporting standards, said Hans Liang, president of the AFSCME Local 685 union, which represents detention service officers.
Liangs comments were echoed by the reports authors, who said they found numerous examples of detention officers who maintained positive relationships with youths under their supervision. Yet, the report outlines what the authors describe as a culture of punishment, in which detention officers issued blanket warnings about pepper spray use at the beginning of their shifts.
As the supervisors consider their next move, the countys Probation Department pledged to study the recommendations in the report and continue efforts to change the culture inside juvenile detention facilities, including releasing a new use-of-force manual.
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We owe it to our youth, our staff and the community to do better, McDonald said.
Three months after Democrats won control of the House in the midterm election, theyre about to exercise their power by grilling the nations top law enforcement officer in a hearing likely to give insight into how the new majority intends to approach government oversight in the Trump era.
Acting Atty. Gen. Matthew Whitaker is slated to face off Friday against Democratic lawmakers eager to press him about his controversial appointment and his supervision of special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs investigation into Russias election meddling.
Whitaker, who will appear before the House Judiciary Committee, will be the first top Trump administration official to testify before a congressional panel controlled by Democrats.
Republicans already have called the hearing a waste of time so Democrats are taking no chances that Whitaker might find an excuse to stay away.
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Although he has agreed to voluntarily appear on Friday, the committee chairman, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), is holding a vote Thursday to approve a subpoena that would force Whitaker to show up.
To be clear, I hope never to use this subpoena, Nadler said in a statement Wednesday. Weeks ago, we gave Mr. Whitaker a list of questions we hope to ask him about his communications with the White House and his refusal to recuse himself from oversight of the Special Counsels investigation. If he appears on time and ready to answer those questions, the subpoena will be entirely unnecessary.
Democrats said they will aggressively question Whitaker about his appointment, his relationship with President Trump and his refusal to recuse himself from the special counsel inquiry despite the recommendation of a career Justice Department ethics lawyer that he do so.
They also plan to ask about his ties to an invention promotion company shut down by federal regulators who said it scammed consumers.
Almost everything about this appointment and tenure has been fishy, said Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin). Its fishy in the way he got appointed. Its fishy the way he sought and refused counsel on recusal. And his first statement about the Mueller investigation was fishy.
Whitaker is a short-timer, however. Trump has nominated William Barr, a former U.S. attorney general and a stalwart of the Republican legal establishment, to be the permanent attorney general.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to approve Barrs nomination on Thursday, and the full Senate is expected to confirm him as soon as next week. It is not clear if Whitaker will remain at the Justice Department or return to private law practice.
Republicans dismissed Fridays hearing as a sideshow in light of Barrs pending confirmation.
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The Judiciary Committees resources are best invested in talking with Mr. Barr, Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia, the committees top Republican, said in a statement. If were sincerely interested in conducting oversight of the [Justice Department], we should start with the person whos about to be there for the long haul.
Trump named Whitaker acting attorney general on Nov. 7, a day after the midterm election, when he pushed Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions to resign.
A former U.S. attorney in Iowa, Whitaker, 49, had been Sessions chief of staff since October 2017 and had built a rapport with Trump in White House meetings, according to Justice Department officials.
Trump has generally been pleased with Whitakers performance and has publicly praised him, a sharp change from the insults and taunts he sometimes aimed at Sessions.
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Sessions had drawn the presidents ire because he recused himself from overseeing the federal investigation into whether there were ties between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin. Supervision then fell to Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein, who in May 2017 appointed Mueller.
Justice Department officials say Whitaker now oversees the Mueller inquiry, though Rosenstein supervises its day-to-day operations, as would be the case in any high-profile investigation.
Democrats have raised questions about how Whitaker can ethically manage Mueller in light of public comments he made before he joined the Justice Department that were critical of the investigation.
Whitaker decided not to step aside from Muellers investigation despite the recommendation of a career ethics lawyer who was concerned that Whitakers comments created the appearance of a conflict of interest, Justice Department officials have said.
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Whitaker confirmed to reporters last week that he had been fully briefed on the Mueller investigation. He also said it was close to being completed, the first time a Justice Department official has said so.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who sits on the Judiciary Committee, said Democrats will focus on protecting the Russia investigation from interference and will ask about the basis for Whitakers assessment that Mueller is almost finished.
What does he know? Is this accurate? Raskin said. Undoubtedly hes opened the door for questions about that issue.
Democrats are keen to haul Trump administration officials before Congress, but it hasnt been easy to line up their appearances.
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Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin rebuffed a request to appear before the House Ways and Means Committee. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar also gave the cold shoulder to the Energy and Commerce Committee.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen has agreed to testify on March 6 after the Homeland Security Committee threatened her with a subpoena.
Antonio Pastini, the pilot killed on Sunday when his small plane plunged into a Yorba Linda home, was first identified by California authorities as a retired Chicago police officer. But a spokeswoman for the Chicago police said Pastini, 75, was never employed by the department and was carrying a Chicago police badge missing since 1978.
Carrie Braun, a spokeswoman for the Orange County Sheriffs Department, said the metal police star recovered from Pastinis body appeared to be legitimate, and initially led authorities to describe Pastini as a retired Chicago police officer.
But Chicago police told the sheriffs department Monday that they had no record of Pastini being employed by the department. Michelle Tannehill, a spokeswoman for the Chicago police, said the badge found on Pastini was reported lost in 1978.
The missing badge adds another question to an investigation already rife with them. The four people killed in the home struck by Pastinis plane remain unidentified, and the cause of the crash is still unknown. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board could take as long as 18 months to learn why Pastinis plane broke apart and plunged, flaming, into an Orange County suburb.
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About 10 minutes after taking off from Fullerton Municipal Airport on Sunday afternoon, Pastinis twin engine Cessna came apart in the sky and crashed into the 19000 block of Crestknoll Drive, in a residential neighborhood of Yorba Linda, authorities said. Pastini was killed, along with four people inside the home. Wreckage of the plane was strewn across the suburban neighborhood.
Investigators have yet to identify the victims because their bodies were badly burned. Braun, the sheriffs spokeswoman, said they had obtained dental records for some of the victims and hoped to identify them on Tuesday. Two others suffered moderate burns.
Julia Ackley, a Torrance resident and one of Pastinis daughters, told The Times that her father often flew to Southern California to visit her family from Oregon or Nevada, where he was a restaurant and business owner.
Pastini had no record with the Federal Aviation Administration of accidents, incidents or discipline, said Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the FAA.
Two weeks before their prefab home is scheduled to debut at Modernism Week, Joel and Meelena Turkel stand outside and watch as workers plaster their pool and level the newly poured concrete driveway.
Inside the 2,100-square-foot custom home, additional workers put finishing touches on the interiors while the couple offer a tour in preparation for the annual design festival in Palm Springs, a popular celebration of Midcentury Modern design.
Natives of Canada, the designers met in architecture school at MIT and recently relocated to the desert from Cambridge, Mass.
The couple chose an extra-wide sink in the kitchen of their Palm Springs home to allow ample room for cooking with their daughters. (Chase Daniel)
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In addition to designing a series of high-end prefabricated residential homes for clients, the couple have built their first home, the Axiom Desert House, as an experiment in living and design.
We wanted to create a living lab and show our clients what they can do, says Joel, 49. Palm Springs is a town that appreciates good architecture. We wanted to address high-quality contemporary living in a way that was not off-putting.
Indeed, the house is more than an academic endeavor. Nor is it a weekend getaway. As more young families flock to the desert for its affordability, the couple plan to live here year-round with their two daughters, 3 and 6.
The home may be a creative pipe dream, but in a place like Southern California, where a custom home feels out of reach to so many, the idea of building a prefab home that is both beautiful and environmentally friendly is inspiring. The Turkels lab house is trying to find the balance between personal and professional as it serves the designers in their practice, their extended family and anyone interested in prefab design, net-zero energy, efficiency of space and progressive materials.
Built on a corner lot in the Racquet Club West neighborhood, the clean-lined midcentury-inspired home is divided into zones live, work, sleep, play and includes three modest bedrooms, three bathrooms, an office, a guest room/den and an open and airy great room that spills outdoors to a pool and shaded courtyard.
With several lots available in the neighborhood, the couple purchased the land for $95,000 and broke ground in fall 2017. (Turkel Design homes start at $850,000). After the foundation was ready, the house was trucked in as panels and erected in just 32 working days.
The new home is designed with indoor-outdoor living in mind. (Chase Daniel)
During a walk-through, the Turkels highlight the homes many sustainable features: photovoltaic panels that provide electricity, concrete blocks to absorb heat, double-pane windows for energy efficiency, dramatic roof overhangs that will alleviate the hot desert sun, durable engineered wood, and concrete flooring to keep the house cool. And in one of their most satisfying achievements, the house is completely fossil-fuel-free.
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Outside, the exterior of the house is clad in a combination of stucco, concrete block and thermally modified wood to address the climate. The pool is relatively large by todays standards because outdoor living was a priority for Meelena, 38, after living in Massachusetts.
I want my kids to be active, she says as she walks by a ping-pong table and bocce ball court. You can get it all here: hiking trails, access to the mountains. Thats part of why we moved here.
To accommodate growing concerns about aging in place, the designers installed zero-threshold doors and showers, pocket doors, lift and slide windows, single-level concrete flooring and a raised spa for easy access.
Sliding windows and cushions turn a window seat into an indoor-outdoor lounge. (Chase Daniel)
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Noting that they cant experiment with clients homes, the couple had fun playing with Corian surfaces in the kitchen and bath as well as a thermally modified ash wall in the courtyard. (Corian, Dacor, Cerno, Marvin Windows and Resource Furniture are among the many brands that have partnered with the Axiom House).
Ultimately, their mission in Palm Springs is to spend more time living, says Joel: Weve been doing a lot of thinking about what a home should be. Where we can use less and live more in a space that invites interaction, and we can come together naturally, living in and outdoors. And were doing it against this incredibly soothing, beautiful backdrop.
Modernism Week: Axiom Desert House tours
When: 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Feb. 22-24
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Tickets: $30 (12 years of age and older). Cocktail party 6-8 p.m. Feb. 22. ($100)
Info: turkeldesign.com/axiom-desert-house or modernismweek.com
The home features breathtaking views of the San Jacinto mountains. (Chase Daniel)
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Lunar New Year is being observed by millions of people around the world on Tuesday, and major fashion brands are increasingly taking notice. As you might already know, 2019s Zodiac cycle is a showcase of the often-maligned pig, which is celebrated for abundance and good luck in Chinese culture. With that in mind, here, youll find products with adorable porcine looks for the Year of the Pig.
Gucci
(Gucci)
Ophidia GG tote in beige and ebony celebrates the Chinese calendars Year of the Pig with a blue-toned patch of Disneys playful characters from Three Little Pigs. $1,980. Available at gucci.com.
Jan Leslie
(Jan Leslie)
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Designer Jan Leslies signature whimsical flying pig cuff links are crafted in sterling silver and hand-painted pink enamel. Also in lime green. $450. Available at janleslie.com.
Tory Burch
(Tory Burch)
Tory Burchs Peggy the Pig mini bag shines in mirror-finish gold leather and has an adjustable, removable cross-body strap. $328. Available at toryburch.com.
Louis Vuitton
(Louis Vuitton)
Louis Vuittons monogram canvas luxe Superstition Pig pink bag charm and key holder nods to the Chinese New Year. $330. Available at louisvuitton.com.
Retrouvai
(Retrouvai)
Los Angeles-based jewelry designer Kirsty Stones imaginative flying pig tiered 14-karat gold polished signet ring is stamped inside with Anything is possible. $1,100. (Also comes as a drop necklace.) Available at retrouvai.com.
Roberto Coin
(Neiman Marcus)
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Designer Roberto Coins bright-pink sapphire pave pig ring comes in 18-karat white gold and has a pair of round blue sapphires for eyes. $18,500. Available at neimanmarcus.com.
Paul Smith
(Paul Smith)
Brit label Paul Smiths playful red, square Chinese New Year silk scarf is peppered with pigs all over and has rolled hand-stitched edges in pink and orange. $195. Available at paulsmith.com.
Chloe
(Chloe)
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A whimsical duo of flying pastel pigs dance on Chloes Year of the Pig white cotton, rolled short-sleeve T-shirt. $540. Available at chloe.com.
Judith Leiber Couture
(Neiman Marcus)
Judith Leiber Coutures delightful pig-shaped Hank cowboy clutch bag with a red bandanna is beaded with Austrian crystals and has a removable gold-colored chain shoulder strap. $4,695. Available at neimanmarcus.com.
Shinola
(Shinola)
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Detroit brand Shinolas clever-styled leather pig-shaped piggy bank has a silver coin slot and lock on its tail. Comes in a variety of colors. $190. Available at shinola.com.
Denim Tears
(Dover Street Market Los Angeles)
Denim Tears Year of the Pig white cotton T-shirt sports a sweet gray-toned piggy portrait. $100. Available at shop.doverstreetmarket.com.
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Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence is getting married.
The actress is engaged to art dealer Cooke Maroney, her rep confirmed to The Times on Wednesday, declining to add any further statement.
The Hunger Games star, 28, and Maroney, 34, a director at New Yorks acclaimed Gladstone 64 gallery, have been dating since April 2018, The Times has confirmed.
According to Page Six TV, which was first to report the engagement Tuesday night, the X-Men star was recently spotted wearing a massive ring while out for dinner with Maroney at Raouls in New York.
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The couple has traveled to Paris and Rome together and been spotted out and about in the Big Apple in recent weeks, People said. After the release of her 2018 spy thriller, Red Sparrow, Lawrence said she would take some time off between acting projects to focus on political activism.
The candid entertainer has generally shied away from publicly discussing her relationships, but that hasnt stopped them from becoming tabloid fodder, particularly since her exes have been celebrities, too. The Dark Phoenix actress has previously been linked to her X-Men costar Nicholas Hoult, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and her Mother! director Darren Aronofsky.
In February 2018 she told WTF With Marc Maron that she remains friends with all her exes because of her forthright nature and doesnt think that you can have any sort of bad relationship with anybody if youre just blunt.
Follow me: @NardineSaad
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse has been sweeping the awards circuit (collecting the Annie, PGA, Golden Globe and Critics Choice prizes, among others) and is now the first Marvel property to be Oscar nominated for animated feature. Producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller, and co-directors Peter Ramsey, Bob Perischetti and Rodney Rothman, joined The Times Jeffrey Fleishman at the Montalban in Hollywood last week for an Envelope Live screening and Q&A.
Sony asked the team of Miller and Lord, known for their absurd, meta, pop-culture-infused movies, to take the reins of the multi-billion-dollar Spider-Man franchise and shepherd the first Sony/Marvel animated film.
We said wed do it if it could be about Miles Morales, said Lord of the alternate-universe version of the ultra-popular hero. Afro-Latino Miles is younger than the traditional Spider-Man, Peter Parker Morales is a middle schooler in the film and debuted in comics in 2011. Lord said, We wanted to make a movie that made people feel powerful and important and necessary.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse producer Phil Lord talks about why the only reason hed make a Spider-Man movie is if it focused on the character of Miles.
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What the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse post-credits scene means
INFLUENCES
Producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller reveal the films that influenced them the most and had an impact on how they produced this movie.
In moving the Spider-Man franchise forward with Miles story, a wide-open plot introducing the Marvel multiverse and a free-for-all animation style, Lord said they were influenced by a wide range of movies, including 1978s Superman and Robert Altmans Popeye from 1980: Popeye actually turns into a circle; they made a Robin Williams that was a circle and they pushed him down a hill and these heartbreaking songs, and the most naturalistic performances you could have. This Robert Altman shooting style in a super-heightened reality.
I was going to say Coen brothers stuff Chris Miller interjected.
Thats a much better answer, Lord said, which brought about laughter.
Their stuff is always really unexpected but always based in something real, relationships, real observations, just cranked to a crazy degree, Miller explained.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller reveal the films that influenced them the most and had an impact on how they produced this movie.
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Director Peter Ramsey discusses how making an animated movie allowed them the freedom to create a style that closely resembled the comic books.
For us, using the medium of animation its a drawn medium it doesnt have to be photo realistic, it doesnt have to be literal cinematography; theres all these things that bring it really close to comic books, he said. Rather than it being a gimmick or a stylistic thing, how can we take what comic books give us to make this story land that much harder and more personally with audiences?
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse director Peter Ramsey discusses how making an animated movie allowed them the freedom to create a style that closely resembled the comic books.
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Spidey sense: Experimental innovation is a superpower for Sony hit Into the Spider-Verse
ABOUT MILES
Co-director Peter Ramsey said one of the films challenges was to make a Spider-Man movie unlike what audiences had seen before.
In the film, Miles meets Spider-people from different parts of the Marvel multiverse. There are versions of Peter Parker, including a depressed, doughy, 40-something Peter B. Parker; a couple of extremely different teen girls who were bitten by radioactive spiders; a black-and-white noir version; and even a cartoon pig. Co-director Bob Perischetti said these Spider-mentors had different life experiences and represented a wide swath of culture and race and sex
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And species, added Ramsey, to much laughter.
Perischetti continued, But really, it was just about trying to show that, through that diversity, all these people had something in common and they could all put an imprint on Miles and help him figure out who his best version of him was.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse director Bob Persichetti and producer Phil Lord talk about the importance of the eclectic supporting characters around Miles and how audiences respond to him finding his tribe.
POWERFUL SILENCES
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Director Bob Persichetti and producer Phil Lord talk about the importance of the supporting characters around Miles and how audiences respond to him finding his tribe.
The film features an innovative mix of animation styles, humor, action and memorable character design. Co-director Rothman (also a co-writer, with Lord) said the film was shaped by the realism of the vocal performances including the silences therein.
We were working with these performers, a bunch of whom had never done animation/voice performances before, and were really doing, almost like, Method style, very internal performances, he said, citing Mahershala Ali as Miles beloved uncle. In the takes they selected as strongest, often things were being left unsaid, or we were including silences and stuff. And then we started to see what the animators were sending back, and what they were doing with the things that werent being said, or what they were doing in the moments when people were saying nothing It changed how we were writing the movie.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse director Rodney Rothman talks about how the quiet moments in the film are just as strong as the action.
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RELATE TO CHARACTERS
When asked with which of the Spider-people they identified, several of the filmmakers mentioned their young outsider protagonist, Miles. Not all did.
I mean, obviously, Peter B. Parker, as a 40-something, out-of-shape guy, said Miller, citing the Spider-schlub voiced by Jake Johnson. We can be heroes too, you guys. He paused as the audience laughed, then added, But really, in the darkness of my bedroom, its Peter Porker.
Rothman said, I feel like everyone on this stage thinks that theyre Miles, but really, theyre Peter B. Parker.
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Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller and directors Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman reveal the characters in the movie they identify with the most.
For more information on future Envelope Live screenings and events, click here.
FULL COVERAGE: Get the latest on awards season from The Envelope
1 / 99 Vice was the subject of an L.A. Times Envelope Live screening and Q&A at the Montalban in Hollywood. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 2 / 99 An exhibit hangs in the mezzanine gallery at the the Montalban in Hollywood, where Vice was screened at an L.A. Times Envelope Live event. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 3 / 99 Christian Bale as Dick Cheney shows onscreen as Vice is shown at the L.A. Times Envelope Live screening in Hollywood. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 4 / 99 L.A. Times awards columnist Glenn Whipp takes the stage to introduce the director and editor of Vice at the movies L.A. Times Envelope Live screening. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 5 / 99 Vice director Adam McKay makes a point in the Q&A session following the screening of the movie at an L.A. Times Envelope Live event at the Montalban in Hollywood. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 6 / 99 Vice editor Hank Corwin talks with his hands during the Q&A session following the screening of the movie. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 7 / 99 L.A. Times columnist Glenn Whipp, left, moderates a discussion about Vice after it screens, chatting with director Adam McKay and editor Hank Corwin in Hollywood. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 8 / 99 A downpour didnt stop Charlie Bennett from attending the L.A. Times Envelope Live screening of BlacKkKlansman at the Montalban in Hollywood. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 9 / 99 Director Spike Lee, right, arrives to the L.A. Times Envelope Live screening of BlacKkKlansman in Hollywood. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 10 / 99 Attendees check in at the L.A. Times Envelope Live screening of BlacKkKlansman in Hollywood. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 11 / 99 Spike Lee and editor Barry Alexander Brown catch up in the green room before the Q&A for BlacKkKlansman. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 12 / 99 Popcorn was served up at the BlacKkKlansman screening in Hollywood. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 13 / 99 BlacKkKlansman screens at the L.A. Times Envelope Live event at the Montalban in Hollywood. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 14 / 99 Director Spike Lee and editor Barry Alexander Brown talk about BlacKkKlansman at a Q&A at the L.A. Times Envelope Live screening at the Montalban in Hollywood. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 15 / 99 Director Spike Lee and editor Barry Alexander Brown talk about BlacKkKlansman at a Q&A at the LA Times Envelope Live screening. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 16 / 99 Phil Lord, writer and producer of Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, meets a fan at the Montalban in Hollywood. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 17 / 99 A line formed for Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse at the L.A. Times Envelope Live screening at the Montalban in Hollywood. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 18 / 99 The audience watches Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse at its L.A. Times Envelope Live screening at the Montalban. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 19 / 99 Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse attracted a full house at its L.A. Times Envelope Live screening at the Montalban. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 20 / 99 Bob Persichetti listens at the Q&A for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse at the L.A. Times Envelope Live screening. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 21 / 99 Chris Miller was part of the creation of Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. The movie screened as part of L.A. Times Envelope Live at the Montalban in Hollywood. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 22 / 99 Rodney Rothman talks about the creation of Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse at the L.A. Times Envelope Live screening at the Montalban in Hollywood. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 23 / 99 Peter Ramsey, center, one of the directors of Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, speaks at the movies L.A. Times Envelope Live screening in Hollywood. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 24 / 99 The marquee outside of the L.A. Times Envelope Live screening of Wont You Be My Neighbor?, with a Q&A moderated by Los Angeles Times writer Lorraine Ali to follow with director Morgan Neville. (Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Times) 25 / 99 Fans take photos at the L.A. Times Envelope Live screening of Wont You Be My Neighbor? (Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Times) 26 / 99 At the L.A. Times Envelope Live screening of the documentary Wont You Be My Neighbor?, director Morgan Neville sits down for a moderated chat with L.A. Times writer Lorraine Ali. (Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Times) 27 / 99 Moderator Lorraine Ali of the Los Angeles Times questions Wont You Be My Neighbor? director Morgan Neville at the L.A. Times Envelope Live screeening of the movie. (Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Times) 28 / 99 Wont You Be My Neighbor? director Morgan Neville smiles at a Q&A moderated by Los Angeles Times writer Lorraine Ali. (Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Times) 29 / 99 Director Morgan Neville chats with onlookers at the L.A. Times Envelope Live screening of the documentary Wont You Be My Neighbor? (Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Times) 30 / 99 Los Angeles Times writer Mark Olsen, left, discusses The Hate U Give with actors Regina Hall, Amandla Stenberg and director George Tillman Jr. at an Envelope Live screening at the Montalban. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 31 / 99 Actor Amandla Stenberg discusses The Hate U Give at an Envelope Live screening. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 32 / 99 Director George Tillman Jr. discusses The Hate U Give. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 33 / 99 Actors Regina Hall, left, Amandla Stenberg and director George Tillman Jr. at The Envelope Lives presentation of The Hate U Give. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 34 / 99 Actor Amandla Stenberg, center, takes a picture with a fan at the Los Angeles Times Envelope Live screening of The Hate U Give at the Montalban. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 35 / 99 Actor Regina Hall, center, talks with attendees at the Los Angeles Times Envelope Live screening of The Hate U Give. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 36 / 99 The marquee for the Los Angeles Times Envelope Lives Rise of the Documentary panel at The Montalban. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 37 / 99 Los Angeles Times writer Amy Kaufman moderates a Rise of the Documentary discussion with documentary directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi (Free Solo), left, Tim Wardle (Three Identical Strangers), Betsy West (RBG), Morgan Neville (Wont You Be My Neighbor) and Sandi Tan (Shirkers) during a Los Angeles Times Envelope Live event at The Montalban. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 38 / 99 Wont You Be My Neighbor director Morgan Neville discusses his, and other, documentaries during a Los Angeles Times Envelope Live event at The Montalban. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 39 / 99 Director Sandi Tan (Shirkers) discusses the Rise of the Documentary during a Los Angeles Times Envelope Live event at The Montalban. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 40 / 99 Director Tim Wardle of Three Identical Strangers discusses with other documentarians the Rise of the Documentary during a Los Angeles Times Envelope Live event. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 41 / 99 Free Solo director Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi talks during the Rise of the Documentary panel during a Los Angeles Times Envelope Live event. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 42 / 99 The director of RBG, Betsy West, takes part in a panel -- Rise of the Documentary -- during a Los Angeles Times Envelope Live event at The Montalban. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 43 / 99 Free Solo director Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, center, talks with attendees at a reception following Rise of the Documentary at a Los Angeles Times Envelope Live event. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 44 / 99 Three Identical Strangers director Tim Wardle, center, talks with attendees at a reception following the Rise of the Documentary panel. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 45 / 99 At the Los Angeles Times Envelope Live screening of Science Fair, following the Rise of the Documentaries panel at The Montalban. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 46 / 99 Directors Darren Foster, left, Cristina Constantini, actor Robbie Barrat, Ava DuVernay and actor Serena McCalla at the Los Angeles Times Envelope Live screening of Science Fair at The Montalban. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 47 / 99 A fan of the film, director Ava DuVernay introduces Science Fair at Los Angeles Times Envelope Live screening at The Montalban. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 48 / 99 Closer on Ava DuVernay, who is introducing a screening of Science Fair at Los Angeles Times Envelope Live. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 49 / 99 Directors Cristina Constantin and Darren Fosteri stand on stage at the Los Angeles Times Envelope Live screening of Science Fair at The Montalban. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 50 / 99 Los Angeles Times writer Chris Barton, left, directors Darren Foster, Cristina Constantini, actors Serena McCalla and Robbie Barrat discuss Science Fair. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 51 / 99 Director Darren Foster looks out at the crowd during the q&a session at the Los Angeles Times Envelope Live screening of Science Fair at The Montalban. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 52 / 99 Actor Robbie Barrat makes a point at the Los Angeles Times Envelope Live screening of Science Fair. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 53 / 99 Director Cristina Constantini listens while onstage at the Los Angeles Times Envelope Live screening of Science Fair. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 54 / 99 Teacher/actor Serena McCalla smiles during he q&a seession at the Los Angeles Times Envelope Live screening of Science Fair. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 55 / 99 Los Angeles Times writer Chris Barton, left, poses a question to the assembled panel including directors Darren Foster and Cristina Constantini, and actors Serena McCalla and Robbie Barrat while discussing Science Fair during a Los Angeles Times Envelope Live screening. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 56 / 99 Los Angeles Times writer Chris Barton, left, directors Darren Foster and Cristina Constantini discuss Science Fair. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 57 / 99 Los Angeles Times writer Chris Barton, left, directors Darren Foster, Cristina Constantini, actors Serena McCalla and Robbie Barrat pose onstage at the Los Angeles Times Envelope Live screening of Science Fair at The Montalban. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 58 / 99 L.A. Times Envelope Live screening of Dirty John at The Montalban. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 59 / 99 Free Dirty John books for attendees at L.A. Times Envelope Live screening of Dirty John at The Montalban. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 60 / 99 Free Dirty John books are given to attendees at the L.A. Times Envelope Live screening of Dirty John at The Montalban. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 61 / 99 Actor Connie Britton at the Envelope Live screening of Dirty John at The Montalban. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 62 / 99 Actors Connie Britton, left, and Julia Garner at the L.A. Times Envelope Live screening of Dirty John at The Montalban. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 63 / 99 Director Jeffery Reiner, right, at the Envelope Live screening of Dirty John at The Montalban. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 64 / 99 Los Angeles Times writer Christopher Goffard, from left, moderates a discussion with actors Connie Britton, Julia Garner, showrunner Alexandra Cunningham, executive producer Richard Suckle and director Jeffery Reiner at the L.A. Times Envelope Live screening of Dirty John at The Montalban. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 65 / 99 Los Angeles Times writer Christopher Goffard, from left, moderates a discussion with actors Connie Britton, Julia Garner, showrunner Alexandra Cunningham, executive producer Richard Suckle and director Jeffery Reiner at the Envelope Live screening of Dirty John at The Montalban. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 66 / 99 Attendees arrive for the Envelope Live screening of The Kindergarten Teacher at the Montalban in Los Angeles. (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times) 67 / 99 Reporter Glenn Whipp speaks during the Envelope Live screening of The Kindergarten Teacher. (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times) 68 / 99 Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal speaks with reporter Glenn Whipp during the Envelope Live screening of The Kindergarten Teacher at the Montalban in Los Angeles. (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times) 69 / 99 Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal speaks during the Envelope Live screening of The Kindergarten Teacher. (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times) 70 / 99 Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal speaks with reporter Glenn Whipp during the Envelope Live screening of The Kindergarten Teacher at the Montalban in Los Angeles. (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times) 71 / 99 Director Markus Imhoof attends the LA Times Envelope Live screening of his movie El Dorado at the Montalban. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 72 / 99 Los Angeles Times critic Lorraine Ali, left, director Markus Imhoof and Muna Sharif of Amnesty International at the LA Times Envelope Live screening for El Dorado. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 73 / 99 Director Markus Imhoof attended the LA Times Envelope Live screening of his movie El Dorado. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 74 / 99 Director Markus Imhoof, center, in a Q&A for his movie El Dorado with Los Angles Times critic Lorraine Ali, left, and Muna Sharif at the LA Times Envelope Live screening. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 75 / 99 Muna Sharif, a field organizer with Amnesty International, in a Q&A for El Dorado. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 76 / 99 Actor Zain Al Refeea, right, poses for photos at the Capernaum screening. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 77 / 99 Actor Zain Al Rafeea at the Envelope Live screening of Capernaum. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 78 / 99 Times reporter Mark Olsen, left, discusses Capernaum with director Nadine Labaki, actor Zain Al Rafeea and producer Khaled Mouzanar at an Envelope Live screening of the movie. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 79 / 99 Director Nadine Labaki discusses Capernaum at the movies Envelope Live screening. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 80 / 99 Producer Khaled Mouzanar discusses Capernaum at the L.A. Times Envelope Live screening of the movie at The Montalban. (Ana Venegas / For The Times) 81 / 99 Los Angeles Times film critic Justin Chang, left, moderates a discussion with writer-director-producer Tamara Jenkins and actress Kathryn Hahn at The Times Envelope Live screening of Private Life. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 82 / 99 Writer-director-producer Tamara Jenkins at the Envelope Live screening of Private Life. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 83 / 99 Actress Kathryn Hahn, right, writer-director-producer Tamara Jenkins and Times film critic Justin Chang discuss Private Life at the L.A. Times Envelope Live screening of the film. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 84 / 99 Times film critic Justin Chang, left, writer-director-producer Tamara Jenkins and actress Kathryn Hahn have a hearty laugh during their discusion of Private Life. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 85 / 99 Writer-director-producer Tamara Jenkins, center, gets into the conversation with Times film critic Justin Chang and actress Kathryn Hahn at The Times Envelope Live screening of Private Life at the Montalban. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 86 / 99 Times film critic Justin Chang, left, moderates a discussion with writer-director-producer Tamara Jenkins and actress Kathryn Hahn at The Times Envelope Live screening of Private Life. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 87 / 99 Actress Kathryn Hahn, left, greets fans at the L.A. Times Envelope Live screening of Private Life. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 88 / 99 Writer-director-producer Tamara Jenkins pauses for a photo with a fan at the L.A. Times Envelope Live screening of Private Life. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 89 / 99 The L.A. Times Envelope Live screened Better Call Saul at the Montalban in Hollywood. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 90 / 99 Bob Odenkirk takes the stage at the L.A. Times Envelope Live screening of Better Call Saul. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 91 / 99 Audience members take a selfie at the L.A. Times Envelope Live screening of Better Call Saul at the Montalban. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 92 / 99 Better Call Saul actor Bob Odenkirk with co-creator/executive producer Peter Gould at the L.A. Times Envelope Live screening. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 93 / 99 Los Angeles Times reporter Yvonne Villarreal moderates a discussion at the L.A. Times Envelope Live screening of Better Call Saul with actor Bob Odenkirk, co-creator/executive producer Peter Gould and writer/executive producer Thomas Schnauz. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 94 / 99 The lobby at the L.A. Times Envelope Live screening of Better Call Saul at the Montalban. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 95 / 99 Better Call Saul writer/executive producer Thomas Schnauz takes part in a discussion following the L.A. Times Envelope Live screening of the Season 4 finale. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 96 / 99 A woman takes a photo outside the L.A. Times Envelope Live screening of Better Call Saul at the Montalban. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 97 / 99 Los Angeles Times reporter Yvonne Villarreal moderates a discussion for Better Call Saul with actor Bob Odenkirk, co-creator/executive producer Peter Gould and writer/executive producer Thomas Schnauz as part of The Envelope Live. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 98 / 99 Audience members react to the panel at the L.A. Times Envelope Live screening of Better Call Saul at the Montalban. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) 99 / 99 Los Angeles Times reporter Yvonne Villarreal moderates a discussion about Better Call Saul with actor Bob Odenkirk, co-creator/executive producer Peter Gould and writer/executive producer Thomas Schnauz for The Envelope Live. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times)
If Billy Elliot had a sequel, it might look like the life of Liam Mower.
At age 12, Mower won the title role of the original West End production of Billy Elliot: The Musical in London. Now 26, the dancer travels the world with Matthew Bournes company New Adventures, performing roles that most male dancers only dream of: the Lilac Fairy from Sleeping Beauty and the fairy godmother from Cinderella roles that come with a particularly Bourneian twist.
In Sleeping Beauty, Mower plays not a mauve-clad queen of the fairies but a blood-sucking Count Lilac. In Bournes Cinderella, which had its U.S. premiere at the Ahmanson Theatre in 1999 and is back in L.A. through March 10, hes a fairy godfather-like figure known as the Angel.
Hes more of a symbol of hope, I guess, and of positivity, and of Cinderellas fate, Mower said of the spirit whose presence hovers about Bournes World War II-era re-imagining of the classic fairy tale, set during the Blitz of London. He maneuvers quite a lot of the story. Sometimes thats not good, because there are times in the story where things are not going so right for her. But hes always in charge of what happens.
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FROM THE ARCHIVE: Matthew Bourne and the U.S. premiere of The Red Shoes
Liam Mower, dancing with Ashley Shaw, in Matthew Bournes Cinderella. (Johan Persson)
Mowers life has imitated art in unexpected ways. Hold up his resume against that of Billy Elliot, the fictional working-class boy who dreams of dancing ballet in the Stephen Daldry-directed film and musical that followed, and its impossible not to notice similarities.
Both grew up in northern England in working-class families Elliots dad a mine worker; Mowers, a pipe fitter. Both were bullied for being boys who took ballet, both went on to study at the Royal Ballet School, and both ended up dancing in Bournes company.
Its totally weird, and obviously, its something that I never planned, Mower said last month via Skype from a New Adventures tour stop in Washington, D.C. But actually, now looking back, its just so uncanny how my life was panning out and the similarities I had with the role.
FROM THE ARCHIVE: Bournes Early Adventures at the Wallis
Mower was cast as one of three Billys in the original 2005 production after a nationwide search. Though he shared the role, his opening night performance quickly thrust him into the spotlight. He became one of the youngest winners of an Olivier Award, sharing the honor with his fellow Billys, and during his 18-month run in the role, he performed at the Met Gala at the invitation of Anna Wintour.
I remember at the time being like, Youve got to soak this experience up because youll probably never go to the Met ball ever again, he said. Youve got your few hours at the ball, and then, you must leave.
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But Mowers real-life Cinderella story took a turn when he struggled balancing his ballet studies with playing Billy.
I was a boarder at the Royal Ballet School, and I would do my school during the morning, and I would get picked up in the afternoon, after my ballet classes, by a chaperone, and they would take me to the show in town, Mower said. Then, Id perform the show, and then, theyd bring me back in a taxi. I did that for about eight months. It got to be too much, I think, and I needed to make a decision.
Ultimately, Mower gave up his scholarship and place at the Royal Ballet School. He took his final bow as Billy Elliot at age 14 and chose to return home to complete his secondary education.
I had this amazing experience in London, but a lot of the time, I was homesick, said Mower, a self-described home bird from Kingston upon Hull. To go home and not have a schedule, apart from going to school, was really lovely.
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Mower ultimately did return to Billy Elliot, dancing the role of Older Billy in a live broadcast of the musical in 2014.
It was almost like coming home, he said.
I remember at the time being like, Youve got to soak this experience up because youll probably never go to the Met ball ever again. Dancer Liam Mower, recalling the celebrity that came with playing Billy Elliot as a child
After graduating from the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance, plum roles with Bournes company soon followed, including another life-imitating-art moment: playing the Prince in Bournes Swan Lake. This ballet, with an epic ensemble of male dancers as swans, is the final scene in the film Billy Elliot and had inspired Mower from an early age.
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Seeing Adam Cooper as grown-up Billy, dancing in this ballet, in the swan makeup and the pants it was so relevant to what I was doing at the time, said Mower, who recalled thinking, Oh my God, I can jump like that!
Swans, fairies and delicate creatures of the night are not roles men typically play in classical ballets. For that reason, Mower has found his gender-bending roles with the company to be among the most meaningful.
Especially in classical ballet, Mower said, women play fairies and the princesses. And then, men are like princes and the knight in shining armor. I just think its always amazing that we, we as men, get to portray these roles, because where else would you get to do them?
And in a line that could apply to his own fairy tale life, he added, I think its just a nice modern twist to the story.
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Matthew Bournes Cinderella
When: 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays, through March 10 (check for exceptions)
Where: Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles
Tickets: $30-$175 (subject to change)
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Info: (213) 628-2772, centertheatregroup.org
Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes (with two intermissions)
Support our coverage the local arts scene by becoming a digital subscriber.
See all of our latest arts news and reviews at latimes.com/arts.
Apple Inc. said Angela Ahrendts, the head of retail operations, is leaving the company in April after serving in the role since 2014.
Ahrendts had been floated by some Apple watchers as a potential successor to Chief Executive Tim Cook.
The iPhone maker said Tuesday afternoon that Ahrendts is taking on new personal and professional pursuits. Human resources chief Deirdre OBrien will run the retail unit. Ahrendts joined Apple after serving as the chief executive of fashion giant Burberry Group for almost eight years.
At Apple, she overhauled the companys retail operations, redesigning stores into meeting places with more open floor plans and a focus on pushing customer service geniuses out from behind formal counters.
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Retail is a cornerstone of Apples success, said Michael Gartenberg, a former senior marketing executive at Apple. Ahrendts was able to successfully carry the torch on Steve Jobs vision for Apple in retail. This is not going to be someone easily replaced.
On her watch, Apple expanded stores into areas including Mexico, South Korea, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. She also more closely coordinated Apples brick-and-mortar stores with its online effort and renovated dozens of older retail outlets. Apple has more than 500 stores in about 25 countries.
Apples retail stores are among the most profitable in the world, and under Ahrendts their performance improved. Average sales per square foot rose from $4,640 in 2013 to more than $5,600, according to EMarketer.
Ahrendts is at least the sixth member of Apples executive team in a senior vice president position to leave since Cook became CEO in 2011. Others who have departed include chief engineer Bob Mansfield, former retail boss John Browett, general counsel Bruce Sewell, Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer and software leader Scott Forstall.
OBrien will become Apples fourth retail chief since Ron Johnson launched the division in the early 2000s. After Johnson left in 2011, the role was taken by Browett, a European retail executive. He departed after less than a year as part of a larger management reorganization by Cook.
Ahrendts has received at least $170 million in compensation during her time at Apple, counting salary, bonuses and the value of vested stock awards, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Romania stressed on Wednesday keenness on coordinating with Egypt regarding the European policies on the African continent as the country takes over the chair of the African Union (AU) in 2019.
This came during a meeting held between Deputy Foreign Minister for the African Affairs Hamdi Sanad Loza and Romania's Secretary of State for Global Affairs Monica Gheorghita.
The meeting discussed relations between the two countries as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest.
In light of Romania's presidency to the European Union (EU) during first half of 2019, Gheorghita said her country seeks to coordinate with Egypt regarding the European policies on Africa in order to enhance economic cooperation and focus on issues of mutual concern to both continents.
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All-Star pitcher Stephen Strasburg is ready to deal his hometown digs. The San Diego native has listed a Spanish-style home in Santaluz for $1.349 million, records show.
Through a trust, he paid $1.24 million for the property in 2010 soon after signing a four-year rookie contract with the Washington Nationals worth $15.1 million. At the time, it was the most guaranteed money ever given to a draft pick.
Built in 2003, the two-story house is clad in tan stucco and red clay tile. The interior offers four bedrooms and five bathrooms across 3,570 square feet.
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Hardwood covers the main floor, which holds a formal dining room, center-island kitchen, breakfast nook and living room with a fireplace.
Three bedrooms and a loft fill out the second story. In the master suite, arched doorways open to a front-facing Juliet balcony.
Outside, a privacy gate and garage combine to create a courtyard with a fountain. A flagstone patio with a fireplace lounge complete the scene out back.
Brandon Ruddy and Jeff Gray of Keller Williams Realty hold the listing.
Strasburg, 30, pitched at San Diego State University before the Nationals drafted him with the first overall pick of the 2009 MLB Draft. Since then, hes struck out 1,444 batters to go along with three All-Star appearances and a Silver Slugger Award in 2012.
jack.flemming@latimes.com | Twitter: @jflem94
The life of the nation, right now, is varied and complex. Movies are coming out; Americans are falling in love and buying cars getting married and watching parents die, and all the other things that make up the human experience. But in book publishing, theres one thing that matters, perhaps more than anything else: the presidential election of November 2020.
Though were a few months past a national midterm election and almost two years from the presidential, much of book publishing is consumed with excitement, anxiety and uncertainty about what 2020 will deliver. Were all looking at that season very warily, says Denise Oswald, executive editor at HarperCollins Ecco Press. I wouldnt put a debut author, especially a novelist, on that list.
We live in a reality-TV world, led by our president, says literary agent Lynn Nesbit, co-founder of Janklow & Nesbit Associates. The result, she says, is a nation riveted by political events and speculation, and huge sales for a few books that engage explicitly or implicitly political themes. For months now, she says, agents have been discussing 2020s looming iceberg with the authors they represent and the editors who shepherd their books. Theyve been talking about that already: We dont want it to fall into 2020.
The centrifugal force of November 2020 so strong, its exerting itself on books that have almost nothing to do with politics at all. Is anyone safe?
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The political cycle
To be sure, theres always an ebb and flow of books about politics, especially electoral politics.
But the usual cycle politics books arriving around the presidential election, like Theodore Whites classic series, with a bump in the middle for the midterms has been disrupted. Its all blurring its not an every-four-years thing, says Robert Weil, who heads Nortons Liveright Books. You dont have to wait for Teddy White to do a book every four years; the cycle has never stopped. He compares the surge of political books to the unrelenting 24-hour rush of cable news.
And while most publishers only recently started discussing the impact of the 2020 race in earnest, the distorting effect began a year or two ago. The postmortem books on the 2016 election started the trend, Ben Adams, executive editor of PublicAffairs, says of titles that followed Hillary Rodham Clintons surprise loss. Since then, the runaway bestsellers have been politics books, whether liberal or conservative, Adams says.
Its all blurring its not an every-four-years thing Robert Weil, Nortons Liveright Books
Since 2016, says Eccos Oswald, politics has become permanent a topic that obsesses readers, writers and the media that connect them. Fall lists the docket of books released from September until December or later typically have significant pressure on them, largely because publishers release their heavyweight titles before the Christmas gift-giving season. In a parallel to the way Oscar-worthy films generally come out in the autumn for awards consideration, more vulnerable titles or lesser known authors are often moved elsewhere. But, says Oswald, Theres nothing typical about the condition weve been in for the last two years.
This meant that 2018 was a good year for book publishing, but one mostly supported by a few politics titles. (Vulture recently called the Trump Bump 2018s answer to 2012s bestselling 50 Shades of Grey queen E.L. James.) Alongside Bob Woodwards Fear, Michael Wolffs Fire and Fury, and Tucker Carlsons Ship of Fools, the nonfiction bestseller last year was Michelle Obamas Becoming. Even the fiction bestseller, Bill Clinton and James Pattersons The President Is Missing, offered no relief from politics.
Chasing the zeitgeist
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Publishers, in a sense, try to do the same thing that newspaper and magazine editors aim for to anticipate their readerships interest and the likely context around it. But instead of days or weeks, book publishers work with at least a year in lead time. If an author turns in a manuscript this week, it would likely land on a spring 2020 list; a book arriving in April or later would typically publish in Fall 2020.
Its a moving target, and book publishing is at a terrible disadvantage trying to hit it, says Chris Calhoun, an agent whose author roster includes a wide variety of writers, from jazz pianist Fred Hersch to political commentator Michael Tomasky. He says he finds it impossible to try to guess whats coming. Things are moving too fast for the book business. He says he wants a balanced list of authors and subjects, not only zeitgeist chasers.
Its a moving target, and book publishing is at a terrible disadvantage trying to hit it Chris Calhoun
More typical, though, are agents and editors trying to move books away from fall 2020, or out of the year altogether. Generally, publishing types wont name a title theyve moved off a list so as not to suggest a vote of no-confidence. But agent Nesbit describes the situation many share when they confront 2020: For most books, she says, that will be a very difficult climate in which to break through the noise.
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That difficult climate includes fiction, especially literary fiction by noncelebrity writers or what one publicist calls a delicate first novel. It also includes memoirs not written by the legion of Democratic presidential hopefuls or by writers who claim to explain recent political developments, the way J.D. Vances Hillbilly Elegy was pitched as an X-ray of rural conservatism. Its a danger zone for nonfiction books that dont confront some version of how-we-got-here, why-they-do-what-they-do, where-are-we-going, or similar themes.
Its become much harder to book media in advance, says Oswald. Publishers can labor for weeks to line up an author on NPR, only to have it canceled by an errant tweet.
Even books about actual political issues can have trouble, says Katy ODonnell, senior editor at Bold Type Books, formerly Nation Books. Her goal, she says, is to explain current affairs with nuance, not foment rage. But a book that takes a sober look at immigration policy, or emerges from years of investigative reporting, could be drowned out by election-season shouting. You cant re-break the news, she says.
As with film distributors who counter-program by releasing character-driven indies during superhero-heavy summers, publishers may find a way to offer alternatives to politics. Adams imagines reality-weary readers walking into a bookstore, craving a novel, a book about food.
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Eventually the pendulum will swing, says Oswald, whos looking forward to it.
But it hasnt happened yet.
A lot of books that came out in 2017 got lost, says ODonnell. It was hard to read the mood, and it changed so quickly from rage to despair again. Maybe thats become the new normal.
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A disabled man was provided with repairs to his wheelchair-accessible van. With limited income and high utility bills, this repair would not have been completed until spring, making it impossible for him to get to his medical care or therapies until then. We did not want his family to suffer like this, and the danger of missing medical care when you have a chronic condition is a problem we encounter too much already. Thanks to your donations, we were able to provide these desperately needed handicap van repairs.
Several families living in motels were given assistance with food, diapers, toiletries and winter clothing. We received several letters and phone calls about families who did not have diapers or proper winter clothing for their children. In one of these families, we found the father was looking for a full-time job, and after some discussions he has been given some tips on gaining employment. The other family had some health problems that prevented the father from working at this time, but the mother had just gotten a job. When they have retained full-time employment, they will receive further assistance with security deposits and first months rent. Until then, at least they will not be living in the freezing cold in their cars with children.
A recently widowed mother to a two-year-old and who is also pregnant was given help getting back on her feet. Her husband had died unexpectedly two months ago, leaving her in shock and grief-stricken. The stress caused her to have many complications in her pregnancy, which eventually put her in the hospital on bed rest. Her two-year-old daughter is living with her sister while she waits out the last month in bed. The widowed mother had to let her apartment go, and her sister put her belongings in storage for her. Now that she will soon be released from the hospital, she needs to find an apartment and a job to begin after her recovery. Her sister has kindly offered for her to stay with her while she recovers, but with only a one-bedroom apartment, it will be too crowded to stay for long. They have decided the best plan will be for them to get an apartment together so the sister can help with the children and the rent. After many lengthy phone conversations with this widowed mother, sharing the painful loss of her husband and other struggles, she proved to me that she was ready for this plan. The woman will also be starting a new job in three more weeks, so the combination of the two sisters income will be enough for them to get by in the future.
During the years prior to the Civil War, quite a few slaves who had escaped from their owners in the South managed to make it all the way to Wisconsin. Some were able to board ships in Milwaukee and Southport (today Kenosha), which took them to freedom in Canada. Others remained in Wisconsin. A small community of former slaves was established in southwestern Wisconsin. Other former slaves settled in Beloit, Racine, Milwaukee, and Madison. A few former slaves managed to make it all the way to the land of the Menominee Indians, where they assimilated among the Menominee. By the time of the Civil War, many African-Americans were working as longshoremen in La Crosse, loading and unloading boats on the Mississippi River docks there. By the beginning of the 20th century, a few African-Americans were working as longshoremen on the docks at Superior, Wisconsin.
In an official statement Wednesday, Egypt's Conservatives Party said it has decided to reject the constitutional amendments proposed by 155 MPs, or a fifth of parliament's deputies.
The party, led by oil tycoon and MP Akmal Qortam, said the proposed amendments reflect the wish of a handful of MPs, not popular will or a mass demand.
"The proposed amendments lack any credible philosophy, not to mention that they lead to undermining some of the main principles preserved by Egypt's 2014 Constitution, such as maintaining the independence of the judiciary, striking a balance among powers, and establishing a mixed parliamentary-presidential system," the statement said.
The statement added that the current constitution, which was approved in a public referendum by the majority of the Egyptian people in January 2014, "prohibits the majority in parliament from changing some of its articles in order to protect the rights of the minority."
For the above reasons, the statement said, the Conservatives Party has decided to reject in principle the proposed constitutional amendments. "The party's legislative and constitutional affairs committee will move later to explain in detail the party's reasons for rejecting the proposed amendments," the statement said.
The Conservatives Party has six MPs (one per cent of seats) in parliament. It refused to join the majority "Support Egypt" parliamentary alliance.
Four political parties with representatives in parliament have so far decided to reject the proposed constitutional amendments. These parties are the Conservatives Party (6 MPs), the Egyptian Socialist Democratic Party (4 MPs), the leftist Tagammu Party (2 MPs), and the Nasserist Party (one MP).
The leftist 25-30 parliamentary group has also rejected the amendments. In a press conference Monday, the 16-member bloc said the amendments represent an assault on the principle of rotation of power.
Abdel-Hadi Al-Qasabi, leader of the Support Egypt majority alliance, said "The amendments go in line with the last paragraph of Article 226 of the constitution which states that texts related to re-electing the president or the principles of freedom and equality can be amended only upon the offering of greater guarantees."
The amendments were approved by parliament's general committee in a meeting Tuesday morning. A report on the amendments is to be prepared by a subcommittee and is expected to be discussed in a plenary session 17 February.
Parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Aal said the amendments have seven main aims: to boost parliamentary representation of women, Copts, expatriates, the youth and the physically challenged; to create an upper house to help widen participation in political and parliamentary life; to increase the length of the presidential term from four to six years; to bring back the post of vice president; to reform the judicial authorities; and to change the way the minister of defence is appointed.
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In March we will be returning to Fontana, again with a political and historical theme, when Nathan Fuller of the Rock County Historical Society joins us March 5 for Alternative Facts and American History. The program will be held again at 6:30 in the Village Hall Meeting Room.
Fake News: the Nutrition Edition presented by Joan Davis, RN, MS, is designed to provide a simple, practical approach to evaluating nutritional claims. The program has been rescheduled for March 14 at 6:30 pm in the Fontana Village Hall meeting room.
Finally, on April 13, our own Sally Lee, Fontana Public Library staff member, will lead Get Crafty: Adult Project. This promises to be a more hands-on program where participants will make a craft project and take it home with them. This time the program will be held in the library, again at 6:30 pm.
For more information about any of these programs, stop by our website at fontana.lib.wi.us or visit our Facebook page. While youre there, be sure to sign up for our newsletter. It provides more details about programs, events, and other news. You may also see a recommendation or two.
Cindy Greatrex sentenced, repays stolen money
La Jolla resident and former community volunteer Cindy Greatrex was sentenced in San Diego Superior Court on Jan. 29 to 180 days of home detention for the theft of $68,272 from the La Jolla Recreation Center.
Greatrex repaid the full amount stolen as part of her sentencing.
She will be confined to her house and a select few other locations such as work and grocery stores by way of a GPS-enabled electronic ankle bracelet, and at the conclusion of her 180 days, she will serve four years probation.
Representing The People, in the People vs. Cindy Greatrex, San Diego County District Attorney Gina Darvas said Greatrex made a brief statement apologizing for the hardship this had brought to her family.
(However,) Judge Tim Walsh pointed out the defense statements were all about how hard this was on her, and the only thing defense talked about was how this was inconveniencing her, and there was not a mention of remorse or apology, Darvas said.
The judge said this was a serious offense and victimized the charity and caused problems for the community.
Police review new information in missing Polish tourist
Following the discovery of new information, police are still looking for the male Polish tourist who went missing in mid-January, and whose last known location was Calumet Park in Bird Rock.
A friend of his reached out to La Jolla Light to report Michal Marcin Krowczynski was in San Diego on Jan. 17 and never made his return flight home.
Following the report of his disappearance, San Diego Police reported two items believed to be Krowczynskis a can of deodorant with Polish writing and a single shoe were found on a beach near Calumet Park.
Further, the friend reported she had contracted a drone to record aerial footage to see if any other items washed ashore, and that there might be home-surveillance camera footage that includes the sidewalk of Calumet Park.
Krowczynski is described as white, about 5 feet 9 inches tall and 180 pounds with short brown hair and green eyes. He has a short beard and braces.
Those with information are asked to contact San Diego Police at (619) 531-2277 or e-mail: jlamar40@gmail.com
Better Business Bureau issues tax-time advice
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) receives thousands of complaints against tax preparers every year. Common complaints state the tax preparer made errors in their return, which resulted in fines and fees. Other complaints allege customer service, billing and contract issues.
BBB reminds consumers to be selective when hiring someone to prepare their returns. It is important to avoid mistakes which could result in additional fees or tax identity theft.
When searching for and selecting a tax preparer, the BBB has this advice:
Ask around. Get referrals from friends and family on who they use and check BBB profiles on local tax preparers and tax preparation services. Make sure to search for a tax preparer who is an expert in the type of service needed.
Dont fall for the promise of big refunds. Be wary of any tax preparation service that promises larger refunds than the competition and steer clear of tax preparers who base their fee on a percentage of the refund. Request an estimate and discuss the price before making an agreement. The cost of the service should be determined by the complexity of the return.
Verify credentials. Ideally, the selected tax preparer should either be a certified public accountant, a tax attorney, an enrolled agent or a certified E-file provider.
Make sure they have a Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN).
Read tax preparation service contracts closely to ensure complete understanding of any issues, such as how much its going to cost, how the cost will be affected if preparation is more time consuming than expected and whether the preparer will represent their client, in case of an audit.
A completed copy of the return should be provided as well.
Be wary of tax scams. Identity thieves continue to create new ways of stealing personal information and using it for their gain.
To report fraudulent activity, call the BBB Hotline at (903) 581-8373, or report it via BBB ScamTracker. For more tips, visit irs.gov and bbb.org
Police Blotter
Jan. 17
Vehicle break-in/theft, 700 block Prospect St., 3:30 p.m.
Jan. 23
Malicious mischief/misdemeanor vandalism, 7400 block Girard Ave., 2 p.m.
Vehicle theft, 900 block Loring, 4 p.m.
Jan. 25
Vandalism ($400 or more), 5400 block La Jolla Blvd., 4:39 a.m.
Vehicle break-in/theft, 1200 block Coast Blvd., 8:30 a.m.
Vehicle break-in/theft, 8300 block Via Sonoma, 6:30 p.m.
Jan. 26
Vehicle break-in/theft, 3300 block Caminito Eastbluff, 1 a.m.
Vehicle theft, La Jolla Parkway at Torrey Pines Road, 8:30 a.m.
Vehicle break-in/theft, 8300 block Camino del Oro, 9:35 a.m.
Fraud, 8600 block Villa La Jolla Drive, 1:35 p.m.
Vehicle break-in/theft, 8300 block Camino del Oro, 3 p.m.
Vehicle break-in/theft, 8300 block Via Mallorca, 8:40 p.m.
Jan. 27
Commercial burglary, 500 block Coast Blvd., 5:45 a.m.
Vandalism ($400 or more), 8500 block Villa La Jolla Drive, 5:30 p.m.
Vehicle break-in/theft, 8800 block Villa La Jolla Drive, 7:20 p.m.
Grand theft, over $950, 5700 block La Jolla Blvd., 8:30 p.m.
Jan. 28
Misdemeanor vandalism, 7400 block Olivetas Ave., 1:30 a.m.
Residential burglary, 1300 block Cottontail Lane, 11:15 a.m.
Shoplifting, 8600 block Villa La Jolla Drive, 1:27 p.m.
Jan. 29
Residential burglary, 5300 block La Jolla Blvd., 5:30 a.m.
Grand theft, 7300 block Olivetas Ave., 8 a.m.
Vehicle break-in/theft, 8300 block Camino del Oro, 11:30 a.m.
Grand theft, 900 block Turquoise, 8 p.m.
Jan. 31
Residential burglary, 2300 block Calle de la Garza, 10:30 a.m.
Residential burglary, 5400 block Candlelight Drive, 3 p.m.
Residential burglary, 8200 block Paseo del Ocaso, 3 p.m.
Feb. 1
Vandalism ($400 or more), 7400 block La Jolla Blvd., 10:42 a.m.
Petty theft, 600 block Tourmaline St., 4:04 p.m.
Petty theft, 5500 block Linda Rosa Ave., 5:15 p.m.
Feb. 2
Vehicle break-in/theft, 600 block Via del Norte, 5:30 a.m.
Feb. 3
Petty theft, 5400 block La Jolla Blvd., 4:45 p.m.
Compiled by Ashley Mackin-Solomon
Both UC San Diego and Scripps Health are compiling their own studies of motorized scooter (e-scooter) emergency-room visits similar to a UCLA study that grabbed headlines last month.
In the first study to analyze the public-health impact of the exploding new transportation mode, UCLA researchers found that one in three people involved in e-scooter accidents required an ER visit. Analyzing data from two UCLA hospitals, the study blamed e-scooters for 249 ER visits between September 2017 and August 2018. Over the same 12-month period, 195 visits were caused by bicycle injuries and 181 by pedestrian injuries. (The study was published Jan. 25 in the medical journal JAMA Network Open.)
Preliminary data from the two upcoming San Diego studies, released exclusively to the Light, looks similar to UCLAs.
UCSD Health reported 215 e-scooter-related visits to La Jollas Jacobs Medical Center and UCSD Medical Center in Hillcrest from Jan. 1 to Nov. 30, 2018.
This is becoming an issue, said Edward Castillo, UCSD School of Medicine adjunct professor of emergency medicine, who will either serve as lead or senior author of the study. I dont think theres an awareness of what the rules are (for e-scooters) or how serious the accidents can be if you fall and hit your head without a helmet on.
Scripps Memorial La Jolla reported 26 visits for e-scooter injuries in 2018. If that seems low, in 2017 before e-scooters were brought by the hundreds to La Jolla by Bird and Lime users and freelance contractors the number was six. And an even more alarming Scripps stat comes from the last quarter of 2018: e-scooter injuries represented 4 percent of all admitted trauma patients, up from a 0.1 percent in the same quarter of 2017.
Thats a remarkable increase, said Walter Biffl, Scripps Memorials trauma medical director, who estimates that e-scooters now comprise 10 percent of all transportation injuries his hospital sees including from car, motorcycle, bicycle and pedestrian accidents.(Neither study had numbers available for total injuries, for injuries caused by other transportation modes, or for what percents of e-scooter accidents resulted in ER visits, since both were still being compiled at press time.)
UCSD Health reported 215 e-scooter-related visits to La Jollas Jacobs Medical Center and UCSD Medical Center in Hillcrest from Jan. 1 to Nov. 30, 2018. (COREY LEVITAN)
Obviously, no e-scooter injuries would occur without e-scooters. However, both Castillo and Biffl perceive the greater issue as their lack of associated helmet use. According to UCSDs data, only 5 percent of the injured e-scooter riders it saw wore helmets (similar to the UCLA studys 4 percent finding). According to Scripps, none of its 26 injured e-scooter riders wore them.
If there were stricter helmet laws, a lot of these injuries wouldnt have happened at all, Biffl said. (Indeed, studies show that helmets, of all types, provide substantial protection against head injuries. And a 2006 study found that helmet leglislation increases helmet use, particularly among younger age groups.)
To rent a scooter, both Lime and Bird make users promise to wear a helmet and adhere to other policies including being over 18, riding only in bike lanes and not blocking public right-of-ways. However, these policies have no enforcement mechanism not even, always, the law. (Although riding on sidewalks in the City of San Diego is still illegal, punishable by citations of up to $250, a bill signed by Gov. Jerry Brown last Sept. 20 requires helmets only of e-scooterers under age 18.)
I think it would be hard to say that wearing a helmet isnt a good idea when youre riding a bike, so why not an e-scooter? Castillo asked.
Bird scooters lined up along Draper Avenue await riders on Feb. 4. (COREY LEVITAN)
Biffl recalled the case of one 50-year-old male La Jollan, who presented, intoxicated, with a severe traumatic brain injury requiring two weeks of hospitalization, the effects of which may linger for the rest of his life. (Of the 22 e-scooter riders suspected of intoxication by Scripps Memorial, 17 tested positive for alcohol.)
Im not surprised by the severity of the injuries, Biffl said, but I think the victims are. Its easy to think its harmless to ride a scooter. But we know that just standing in your kitchen and falling down, you can get a bad brain injury from that. So going 15-to-20 mph and tangling with traffic without a helmet, you can get all kinds of bad injuries.
Other questions that need answering are whether these scooter rides replaced other modes of transportation, each of which is associated with some risk, and what those relative risks are. More than 40,000 Americans a year are killed by automobiles, for example, another 5,000 by motorcycles, and 840 by bicycles. (While hardly a consolation to the family of Esteban Galindo the 26-year-old Chula Vista man killed when his Bird scooter was struck by a car at 4 a.m. last Dec. 22 only three e-scooter deaths have been reported in the U.S. since the current craze began.)
And while the upcoming UCSD and Scripps Health studies will certainly be of some use, what is also needed even Biffl and Castillo agree is a more comprehensive study addressing the percentage of ER visits as a factor of total hours spent using e-scooters compared to other forms of transportation. (This information is not currently tracked by anyone in this form.)
Neither Bird nor Lime would provide any data for this article. Both companies responded to the Lights inquiries by stating that they were unable to provide even city-specific user information, much less any injury or accident data, e-mailing only generalized statements about how committed they are to safety.
Brennan tosses firehat in Council race
Firefighter Aaron Brennan announced his 2020 candidacy for the San Diego City Council seat being vacated by Barbara Bry so she can run for San Diego Mayor. Brennan who lives in La Jolla and is a 17-year veteran of the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department is the fourth candidate to enter the District 1 race, joining Will Moore, Joe La Cava and Louis Rodolico.
As a firefighter, I see people on their worst days and I have to be at my best, Brennan wrote on his campaign website. I know what service really means. It would be my honor to fight for our families and serve our neighborhoods on the City Council.
According to his LinkedIn page, Brennan is also a defense council member at the Truman National Security Project, a nationwide group stressing strong and principled foreign policy that takes its name and inspiration from President Harry S. Truman.
La Jolla ivory traffickers convicted
San Diego City Attorney Mara Elliott announced Tuesday that the Carlton Gallery in La Jolla, its owner, and an employee will pay combined fines of $210,000 after pleading guilty to trafficking ivory in defiance of California law.
Carlton Gallerys owner, Victor Hyman Cohen, was convicted on 11 counts, and a salesperson, Sheldon Miles Kupersmith, was convicted on 8 counts. The Gallery and Cohen were each fined $75,000, and Kupersmith was fined $60,000. Cohen and Kupersmith were also placed on three years of probation, violation of which will result in an automatic 364 days in custody and an additional $100,000 fine per defendant. The defendants will also be required to complete 200 hours of court-ordered work service at the San Diego Zoo within the year.
The fines are the largest ever imposed for ivory trafficking in California.
Love, assessor style
The San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/County Clerks office still has openings to issue marriage licenses and perform weddings and vow-renewals on Valentines Day, Thursday, Feb. 14.
Ceremonies can be conducted at its waterfront park, alongside the County Administration Center or inside one of its ceremony rooms overlooking San Diego Bay. Marriage licenses fees start at $70, with ceremonies an additional $88.
We are excited to offer walk-in services at our historic downtown office on the waterfront for Valentines Day and dont want couples to miss their chance at a Valentines Day wedding, said Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk Ernie Dronenburg.
The downtown office, 1600 Pacific Highway, Suite 273, will be open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Valentines Day. License and ceremony appointments are encouraged, but not required, and can be made at sdarcc.com or by calling (619) 237-0502.
Open House open to more volunteers
OH! (Open House) San Diego needs event volunteers to help San Diegans learn and interact with La Jollas architectural marvels. Shifts are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday March 23 and 24.
First-time volunteers receive a year-long San Diego Architectural Foundation membership, and signing up by Feb. 28 gets everyone a free volunteer T-shirt: signupgenius.com/go/4090b4dafaf29a1fe3-ohsan7
Volunteer orientation is mandatory. For La Jolla, it takes place 4:45-6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 12 at the La Jolla Historical Society, 780 Prospect St.
La Jolla Inn out
The La Jolla Inn, 1110 Prospect St., will emerge from its construction cocoon this spring as the Cormorant Boutique Hotel.
The rebranded property will boast 26 rooms with ocean views, balconies and smart thermostats. A self-serving bar with lounge seating, called The Perch, will be located on the roof with direct street access.
The Prospect Market will remain on the ground floor.
More road closures to avoid
The La Jolla Village Drive and Genessee Avenue intersection has begun daily partial closures so workers can install the sixth of seven Mid-Coast Trolley support beams there.
From 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. weekdays, through lanes at La Jolla Village are closed, as are southbound Genessee lanes.
From 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays, two north- and soundbound Genessee lanes are open while through lanes at La Jolla Village remain closed.
From 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. this weekend, one lane will be open on northbound Genessee.
These closures remain in effect through Friday, Feb. 15. Detour signs will be posted, but drivers are encouraged to steer clear of the area.
Blowing minds at D.G. Wills
UC Berkeley neuroscientist David Presti will discuss his new book, Mind Beyond Brain: Buddhism, Science and the Paranormal, 7 p.m. Saturday Feb. 23 at D.G. Wills Books, 7461 Girard Ave.
Prestis book explores how evidence for paranormal phenomena including telepathy, near-death experiences, apparent memories of past lives, apparitions, and precognition can influence the Buddhism-science conversation.
But the story of how this booking came about is just as mind-blowing. The title of Prestis book caught the attention of bookstore owner Dennis Wills, who ordered a copy from Columbia University Press and placed it in his window.
V.S. Ramachandran, director of UC San Diegos Center for Brain and Cognition, happened to stop by and see the book.
He said, I know Presti, you ought to have him speak here, Wills recalled. I told him that book talks normally take a long time to set up, and sometimes, the authors arent even interested. So Ramachandran called Presti in the bookstore and booked him right on the spot.
The event is free and open to the public.
Art & Wine Fest accepting early applications
The La Jolla Art and Wine Festival, scheduled for Oct. 12-13 along Girard Avenue, is now open for applications from oil painters, photographers, watercolorists, sculptors, jewelers and artists in mixed-media, ceramics and glass to display.
Applicants must have a free profile account on Zapp (zapplication.org), then pay a non-refundable application fee of $35. For more info, visit ljawf.com or email artists@lajollaartandwinefestival.com
A student expelled from UK cannot be readmitted.
So why was an exception made for a man who had an exceptionally long history of threatening behavior?
Daniel Earle was expelled from UK in 2014 for a rash of threatening behaviorand a reluctance to change his behavior. The UK Student Code of Conduct states that an expulsion is a permanent separation from the university.
Yet Earle was readmitted in 2017 after he and UK administrators reached a deal which dictated that he be closely watched by campus administrators. In October 2017, Earle was arrested and expelled after he allegedly threatened to kill members of his Spanish class.
Why was he let back into UK? Heres what we know from a year-long dig through letters, emails, court documents, police reports and university disciplinary files that detail Earles tenuous college career.
Earle, an Iraq War veteran and non-traditional student in his mid-thirties, spent more than five years bouncing between Kentucky universities. His college years, plagued by disciplinary hearings brought on by his own intimidating behavior, would end in his arrest and eventual suicide. Earles struggles and threats are documented in more detail here.
In 2014, Earle was expelled from UK for the first time after an incident where he yelled at a teaching assistant about a movie which he disagreed with and found somewhat offensive to his veteran status.
He appealed his expulsion, and even had a local law office help him. UK denied the appeal, citing Earles history of threatening behavior.
Nick Kehrwald, then associate dean of student affairs, wrote in an email obtained by the Kernel that Earle had exhausted his second chances and refused to go to recommended therapy including the Veterans Resource Center.
In 2015, UK administrators were sent multiple emails from Earle and from lawyers that Earle hired to help in his appeal. Earle's lawyers accused the university of accosting a veteran by expelling him in a hearing which contained procedural errors.
At first some of the letters from Earle were bitter. He wrote that he was wrongfully expelled, but later emails became more apologetic in tone and Earle begged to be let back into the university.
Later that same year, police records show that Earle was arrested by UK Police after he allegedly threatened a man who refused to sell him an AR and a pistol. That case was dropped after Earle reached an agreement before trial.
In 2016, a UK lawyer reviewed Earles previous expulsion and decided that that punishment was too great. The lawyer, T. Lynn Williamson, wrote Earle an email that said Earle could re-enroll at UK as early as fall 2016. The email dictated that Earle meet with Office of Student Conduct officials prior to and during his time at UK. But by that time, Earle was already attending Eastern Kentucky University.
In 2017, Earle re-enrolled at UK, but not after being hit with multiple disciplinary sanctions from EKU a result of a continuation of his often threatening behavior. He was later banned from EKUs campus.
Its possible that UK knew of at least some of EKUs punishments of Earle as Williamson, the lawyer who had reviewed Earles previous UK expulsion, was included on an email chain that detailed some of Earles alleged threatening activity at EKU.
The University and Mr. Earle reached a mutually agreeable resolution to avoid litigation over the propriety of his expulsion, wrote UK spokesperson Jay Blanton in a statement to the Kernel. Mr. Earle's penalty was reduced to a one-year suspension with the opportunity to reapply provided certain conditions were met. Mr. Earle met those conditions. Therefore, the University made the determination that he was eligible for readmission to UK.
In October 2017, Earle was expelled again. According to UK police reports and incident reports, Earle reportedly stood up before his fall 2017 Spanish class and told two students that he would kill them because theyd cheated off him and disrespected him. Earle then told the class that they would also die if they went to police.
Earle was arrested almost two weeks after his expulsion and charged with second degree terroristic threatening. He plead not guilty and denied ever saying the word kill in the classroom.
In late March 2018 Earle was found dead in his Louisville apartment. He had a gunshot wound in his head and the Jefferson County Coroner ruled his death a suicide.
'It's OK to use the suicide word': UK psychologist urges students to be open when concerned about mental health
Ellen Hyde thought shed be OK if she just kept looking forward.
He's going to pull a gun, he's going to pull a gun, Hyde said she thought at the time. I was panicking, and I was trying to look forward, just look forward so I didn't aggravate him by turning or getting involved in any way. I was shaking, I was so scared.
It was mid-October 2017, the door was closed, and behind Hyde stood Daniel Earle. He paced the back row of their Spanish class in the Chemistry/Physics Building on UKs campus. Earlean almost six-foot-tall, 35-year-old, non-traditional studenthad paralyzed the class with death threats. According to Hyde, near the end of class, Earle shot out of his seat and told two students in the class that they would die because theyd disrespected them, and he told the rest of the class that hed kill them too, if they went to police.
Unbeknownst to his classmates, Earle had been banned from the Eastern Kentucky University campus two months prior, was about to be expelled from UK for the second time and was about five months away from his own death.
Shaking and sweating, Hyde said she feared for her life, but kept looking forward. The class professor tried to defuse the situation and had tried to get between Earle and the other students. Hyde felt a weight on her back; Earle had shoved their professor on her. She was terrified.
I will kill you. I dont care, Hyde said Earle told the class before grabbing his backpack and leaving the room. Her professor was OK, Hyde said, but the class was stunned.
Earle was a combat veteran, a good student and a troubled man who was bent on defending his pride at all costs by retaliating against those he felt had disrespected him. In an age that is hyperaware of school security and mental health initiatives, many would say that Earles life was littered with red flags.
Earle died of suicide in March 2018.
For over a year, the Kernel has obtained letters, emails, court documents, police reports and university disciplinary files that detail Earles tenuous college career. Several of the incidents mentioned in the police reports are not included in this article. Details about Earles early life and military career were difficult to obtain, and those included are details that he mentioned himself.
Earle, born in Brooklyn, New York, joined the Army in 2007 at age 25. According to data from Veterans Affairs, court documents and statements sent to UK officials, Earle was deployed in Iraq in April 2007 and served as a military police officer in Operation Iraqi Freedom until July 2009. He spent much of his stateside career at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He was honorably discharged from the military in 2011 and enrolled at UK in 2012.
Throughout his college career, Earle wrote several times in emails and statements to the universities that he attended of a desire to become a teacher or a professor. He studied chemistry, mathematics and Spanish.
In his first year at UK, Earle won the General Chemistry Excellence award, had a 4.0 GPA, appeared on the Deans list and, according to UK police records, threatened to break another students jaw. The charges were dropped. As an undergraduate, Earle began doing research in the chemistry department and he taught chemistry as a teaching assistant. Beth Guiton, the professor who ran the lab where Earle worked, told the Kernel he was a very promising student.
I DONT NEED THERAPY
In 2013, Earles supervisors became concerned with his behavior. He was put on academic probation after he screamed at another TA in front of her class of chemistry students.
Danny did a great job as a TA last fall and had been well liked by students, a chemistry supervisor wrote of Earle in an incident report. This fall (he) seems to be a totally different person.
In 2014, as he began take communications classes as electives, his behavior worried many of the staff in the College of Communications. In one class presentation, he spoke in detail about guns and gun control. He made remarks of how he enjoyed having his weapon on him because he felt powerful and, you never know if you have to blow a mother f****rs head off, read one incident report, which was filed by the class professor.
Internal emails from the communications college faculty at the time show that some in the college became quite nervous about Earle coming to visit TAs and professors in their offices. Incidents were piling up and UK student conduct officials told Earle that hed be expelled or suspended if he had another angry outburst.
Why the f**k are you showing us this s**t? Earle reportedly said loudly to his female communications TA near the close of a Friday class. The class had been watching Reel Bad Arabs, a documentary that argues Arab people have largely been portrayed as faceless villains in Western film and pop culture. Earle took offense to the film and wanted to let his TA know. Still angry, Earle went to his TAs office after class. He told her the film was foolish and that she was indoctrinating the class. She told him he was allowed to disagree, but hed been disrespectful in expressing his opinion. An incident report written by the TA stated that Daniel left very angry and I came away pretty shaken.
Earle would continue to email the TA and eventually apologize. The TAs name has been redacted from the incident reports that were obtained by the Kernel. She appeared to forgive Earle. I'm sure, given your background in the military you have a very different view of the content of the movie than l do, it appears to have triggered a more deep reaction than I anticipated, having shown the film before, she wrote to him in an email. She recommended he utilize the campuss veterans resources office.
Following the outburst over the movie, Denise Simpson, the director of student conduct at the time, had a meeting with Earle during which she told him to expect a disciplinary hearing, and she offered him a year-long suspension, disciplinary documents obtained by the Kernel show.
Earle never showed up to his disciplinary hearing, and in his absence, the panel made a decision. He was expelled.
I was expelled at 1704hrs yesterday by email, Earle wrote in an email where he began an appeal of his expulsion. In the email he mentions his time in Iraq where he drove around in an armored MRAP vehicle. I drove around in an MRAP playing russian roulette waiting to get blown up.
He mentioned that the TA believed he had PTSD.
I dont need therapy, he continued in the email, which can be confusing. I need more patience for a foolish system that advocates that an Engineering major doubling in Spanish and veteran of the MP corp US army who was basically waiting to get blown up anyone of those days i was on patrol in a beautifully up armored MRAP needs take cis (CIS course) and watch REEL BAD ARABS.
Earle appealed the expulsion and even hired a law office in Lexington to help him. UK administrators began receiving letters from Earles lawyers stating that the disciplinary system had accosted a veteran and had expelled him in a disciplinary hearing filled with procedural errors. UK officials reviewed the hearing but didnt change their mind. In a letter from then-Dean of Students Victor Hazard, the university affirmed that he was expelled in January 2015.
Earle sent another email to UK administrators in July 2015, but this time in a very different tone. The email addressed eight different people by name and all faculty, staff, and students that have been offended by my actions. The subject line reads, Apology: Daniel Earle.
In the opening paragraph, he apologized first and foremost to the female teaching assistant for his words and behavior.
Especially as a brother to younger sisters, I can see my words are painful, the email read. I dont hate you and hold no resentment towards you.
I have destroyed an academic year and academic summer. I am destroying my goal of being a professor.
A LARGER LEAP
According to disciplinary documents obtained by the Kernel, Earle was referred to UKs Veterans Resource Center and other campus resources several times, but never made use of them.
Tony Dotson is the director of UKs veterans resource center, a UK resource devoted to helping veterans transition from the military to the college campus. He said many veterans struggle to succeed in academia, in large part because the barracks and the classroom are such different places, and because many of them dont seek help in making the change.
He said he did not know Earle and would not comment on his death, but said he would talk about the problems veterans encounter when they go from the military to a college campus. The problem, Dotson said, is that so few veterans seek help making the leap. He estimated that only 20 percent of UKs current 400 veterans seek help at the center. Dotson said that those who dont come in are often the ones who need help.
Transitioning from the military to civilian life is a culture shock all of its own, but to go from the military culture to the culture of higher education thats a larger leap, he said.
Dotson added that in higher education in general, veterans are an afterthought, which he said is made clear by the gap in student-veteran success rates. Overall student-veteran success rates lag behind their non-veteran counterparts by as much as 20 percent. He said he blames a few different factors for their struggles.
You cant really tell the difference necessarily by looking at them, he said of most veterans in college, most of whom are in their mid-twenties. But their life experience is vastly different. So they may have a hard time relating to their fellow classmates. They may have a hard time feeling like they belong or connect here. Some struggle more than others.
The Veterans Resource Center pre-registers incoming veterans for a transition class during their freshman year, but many veterans end up not taking it.
Dotson said the course is loosely based on other welcome-to-UK-type courses but, most importantly, it has veteran-specific material like a two-day discussion on veteran suicide which Dotson, who teaches the class, said usually happens just before midterms.
In the past he said he usually waited until the end of the semester. While in the armed forces, military personnel are often inundated with suicide awareness training.
I just put it off, you know Im like, they dont want to be hit with that as soon as they come to school, Dotson said. And I did that until I had my first suicide.
The magic of the class, Dotson said, is not the curriculum, but that through the class, veterans can be plugged into the university and making them feel like they belong giving them friends and connections.
That belonging is one of things they miss out of the military because they were part of something, part of a unit, part of a team, Dotson said. When they get out, they realize that civilians dont operate that way. A lot of them miss that connection and that class serves as that connection.
But many veterans dont take his class, dont seek help at the center and dont make those necessary connections. He blames this partially on the fact that those who need help need to declare themselves as veterans to receive help.
Many student-veterans dont do this and Dotson argues that this alienates them from the center or any other group that offers services to veterans. He said that if the university made an effort to take care of all of our non-traditionals for example, by definition, wed take care of all of our veterans.
I KNOW YOU ARE BETTER THAN THAT
I dont want to speak ill of the dead, said an Eastern Kentucky University student as she declined an interview. She worked in the EKU math tutoring center where Earle had worked after he left UK and enrolled at EKU. She said that everyone knew Earle and suggested that he had a bit of a reputation.
In fall 2016 and spring 2017, Earle was the subject of multiple calls to EKU police. All were people continuing to report his allegedly threatening and intimidating behavior. Earle twice received academic sanctions from the university.
In the fall, police were called to Earles dorm after his roommate told police that Earle had threatened to harm him. His roommate was moved to another dorm.
Earle wrote in an email addressed to his roommate and EKUs administration that he was being framed after he told dorm supervisors of his roommates alleged habit smoking in their room. Earle wrote that he wanted his former roommate to know that he wouldnt back down from a fight.
I eat to fight and live to fight. Also escalation is a deeply held virtue of mine, the email read. Im not LIVING for a Mathematics degree or future pension. I will die for my pride.
In one notable and lengthy report, EKU police interviewed, received reports and screenshotted text messages involving an incident in which Earle allegedly threatened several students in the Latino Student Association at EKU, an organization that Earle also appeared to have been involved with.
Earle allegedly confronted students in person and made actions that traumatized some students. He sent long, threatening and profanity-laced text messages which addressed many members of LSA.
If you mad come see me, if they mad tell their boyfriends brothers husbands come see me, Earle texted, according to screenshots of the messages that were included in EKU police reports. Let me know if yall want to talk about fighting or some other violent s**t.
Earle sent the message to many of the members of LSA.
As a friend, I know you are better than that Daniel, one LSA member responded to Earle. That was not necessary man. I just dont want you to get in trouble.
The next day, EKU police received another report from a faculty member stating Earle is escalating his threatening and violent behavior, through messages that he was sending LSA members.
EKU asked Earle to attend a disciplinary hearing in front of an on-campus panel. Similar to what Earle experienced at UK, the panel would decide whether he broke university policy in sending the threatening texts.
The disciplinary panel, which Earle did appear for, found him guilty and gave him university probation. Earle withdrew from the university.
In August 2017, Earle was retroactively banned from EKUs campus after he again allegedly threatened some of his former classmates, EKU police and disciplinary documents show.
Your behavior indicates that you are a potential threat to the safety and welfare of the entire campus community and you have no reason to be on any EKU campus, a letter written by Kenna Middleton, EKUs dean of students, read.
The letter was sent on Aug. 24, 2017. The day before, Earle began classes at UK. The university had rescinded his expulsion after a lawyer in UKs legal office reviewed his previous expulsion and decided that the punishment was not appropriate for his previous actions, a UK disciplinary document showed.
WILLING TO DIE FOR MY PRIDE
In August 2017, Ellen Hyde had three Spanish classes, and Earle was in all of them. She said he loved to participate in class and give his opinion. He spoke with a heavy New York accent. She saw him as an older man whod gone back to get his degree and was clearly interested in the material.
He was always involved in class in a positive way. He would interrupt a lot and he would say his opinion and I didn't mind but I could see others getting annoyed, Hyde said, adding that many students would give dirty looks to Earle.
In mid-October, Earle reportedly snapped, in the incident detailed at the beginning of this article. It would be Earles last threatening episode in a college classroom.
A UKPD police report filed after the incident alleged that Earle pointed at two students in the classroom. He accused one of the students of cheating off his test, and told them both that he would kill them and he also mentioned that if police were to get involved, they would suffer the same.
Earle threatened to kill you motherf*****s and said that he was willing to die for my pride, a student report from the incident stated.
In statements defending himself later, Earle said that he never threated to kill anyone in class. He said he was just wanting to defend himself against the blatant disrespect. He wrote in the statement that he was in school to secure a career and defend his livelihood.
Yes, Im very much willing to die for my pride, Earle wrote. I will hold firm to that till the end.
RESPECT
Still reeling from the episode in class, Ellen Hyde didnt know what to do. So she called her mom, Maureen.
Immediately when I heard her voice I said 'What's wrong? What happened? Maureen said of the phone call she got just after the incident. I heard her voice, and your heart just starts pounding so hard when you hear that, when your kid talks like that.
Maureen told her to call campus police. Ellen did. Then Ellen contacted the Office of Student Conduct, a decision that the Hyde family said they regretted. Ellen and her father, Chuck, first brought the story of Earle to the Kernel in late 2017. In that story, Ellen and her family contend that she was put in immediate danger by the universitys handling of the situation. The fear of revenge from Earle, changed Ellen drastically she told the Kernel in June 2018.
Despite Earle constantly denying his threatening the other students, a three-person UK hearing panel recommended that Earle be expelled. Based on Earles previous history, multiple witness statements from students in the class and the professor, Earle was found guilty.
He embraces a philosophy of being that allows him to be the arbiter of acceptable and unacceptable classroom decorum for others and empowers him to use confrontation and threat of violence as a tool to demand his definition of respect, the hearing panel members wrote of Earle. This outlook is antithetical to functioning in a civil society.
Earle was arrested on Halloween and was charged with second degree terroristic threatening a felony. He was kept in jail for about two months while he waited to receive a mental status evaluation. Court records show that a particularly explosive outburst in the courtroom had judges worried that he was a threat to society.
Earle was released on bail in January 2018 and was due back in court in March. Just after his release, a Kernel article, which recounted the alleged threats in Spanish class and prominently featured Ellen, was published and widely circulated locally.
Ellen began to be inundated by messages from people who said that theyd also been threatened by Earle. But with Earle released, her fear heightened.
I was extremely overwhelmed with how many people reached out to me about stuff he had done," Ellen said. "...That just kind of added to my fear towards him."
They always ask could something have been done? What were the warning signs? How could we have avoided this? Ellen said. With this something could have been done, it's just that nobody cares enough.
DAY(S)
Earle missed his March court date in Fayette County, court records show. A new warrant was issued for his arrest. A letter containing a court summons that was sent to Earles apartment in Louisville went unopened. It came back to the court with Return to Sender stamped across it.
The exact time and moment of Earles death is not known. He was found dead in his apartment with a gunshot wound in his head on March 29, 2018. The death certificate states that he had been dead for day(s). The Jefferson County Coroner ruled it a suicide.
Multiple trips to the apartment complex by Kernel reporters yielded little information. The apartment complex managers said they knew nothing of a suicide, and a couple who lived near Earle said they never saw him.
Court records show that Earle was cremated in Kentucky and his remains were shipped back to his family members in New York. Multiple comment requests sent to Earles family though their lawyer and by mail have gone unanswered.
Patti Costello, a professor in the EKU math department who had worked closely with Earle, said the whole department signed a card and sent it to an address they thought belonged to Earles family.
In early April 2018 at the UK Day of Remembrance ceremony, Dotson, the director of UKs Veterans Resource Center wrote Earles name on a sticky note and stuck it on a board that held the names of others in the UK community who had died in the past year.
Dotson, who is an annual attendee at the ceremony, describes it as a solemn occasion with less attendance than it deserves. He received a small blue heart pin to commemorate the occasion.
This is not the first time Dotson has received such a pin. In fact, his desk drawer at the Veterans Resource Center is full of them. Many of them he has received on behalf of veterans he knew who have died from suicide.
Really theres no reason for these young men and women to reach a point of hopelessness, their future their whole future is ahead of them, Dotson said.
Every day, 22 veterans die from suicide. Dotson said that like in so many other veteran suicides, he never knew Earle.
I never saw Dannot once, Dotson said. Thats the issue. Thats the problem.
Trade Minister Kim Hyun-chong, right, speaks with U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, left, in Washington, D.C., in this photo provided by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Wednesday. Kim asked the secretary to exempt Korean cars from possible tariffs. / Courtesy of Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy
By Baek Byung-yeul
South Korea has asked the United States not to impose a 25 percent tariff on cars that are imported from Korea, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Wednesday.
Models show Samsung Electronics' 292-inch The Wall 8K display at the Integrated Systems Europe trade show in Amsterdam. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
By Baek Byung-yeul
Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics have introduced new displays for the digital signage market in a bid to take the lead in the rapidly growing sector.
The two Korean firms released the displays at the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) the world's largest trade show for the digital signs industry which is being held in Amsterdam from Tuesday to Friday.
While the global TV market has shown flat growth, digital signs, a centrally controlled content distribution platform used to show messages, videos and images, has emerged as a cash cow for Samsung and LG.
Samsung has taken the lead in the market, as of the third quarter of 2018, with a 25.7 percent share, according to data from market researcher IHS Markit. LG is second with 12.9 percent.
The entire digital signs market in 2018 was estimated at 3.5 million units and is forecast to grow to 4.4 million by 2020, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC).
During the four-day show, Samsung is showcasing an 82-inch 8K QLED display that can show high-quality images. It has artificial intelligence (AI) upscaling technology that Samsung said would allow store owners and advertisers to produce 8K quality content at a lower cost.
"By introducing 8K in display signs, businesses can deliver impeccable picture quality to their audiences in a way that was previously not possible," said Kim Seog-gi, executive vice president of the firm's visual display business. "The 82-inch QLED 8K Signs is just one of the many industry-leading products we are excited to showcase at the ISE 2019."
The firm is also displaying the 292-inch The Wall 8K display. It has a slim and bezel-less design that Samsung said allows The Wall to blend well with its surroundings.
Samsung also showed off its Multi-Link LED HDR technology, which can turn any content into high-dynamic range quality to produce a wider, more vivid range of colors.
A model introduces LG Electronics' transparent OLED display at the Integrated Systems Europe in Amsterdam. / Courtesy of LG Electronics
By David Tizzard
My original article for this week was a defense of boy band BTS, which has recently been charged by the writers of the Korea Expose and online feminists with promoting misogyny. After realizing I didn't want to start my new year likely angering both of these groups, I deleted all of the topical content and left just the moral pontificating that surrounded it. Nevertheless, I await your further criticisms of what follows.
Education provides an antidote to self-importance, self-pity and selfies. It enables us to break free from the notion that our world, the zeitgeist, is the culmination of everything. It reminds us that the next Trump tweet, the next inter-Korean summit, the next yearbook photo or iPhone release will not necessarily result in either unprecedented prosperity or unparalleled catastrophe.
We do not stand on the precipice of a yawning chasm waiting to either swallow humanity whole or embrace us in a heavenly swathe.
It is important for us to escape such narrow and provincial self-aggrandizing ways of thinking. And the cure, as always, is perspective, combined, of course, with a good dose of history and reading.
It is, indeed, a great liberation of the mind and spirit to acquire perspective. It is reassuring to realize that every age and every generation is confronted with problems of the most subjective urgency. Yet, beyond this, an objective classification of the disasters or fortunes that await us remains impossible.
Through history and education we learn that moral predicaments, opportunities and threats have been lived through and experienced by people before. And, moreover, they will be lived through by people after us.
Yet for some today, democracy has seemingly passed and the rule of the majority has been replaced with emotions. Feelings now supplant reason. Emojis are our constitution and we face trial by Kakao. In the Kingdom of the Blind, retweets are assent.
Values are shouted as slogans. Political commitment now means liking a page on Facebook. Moreover, when opinions are asserted they are at the same time seen as being beyond examination or refute. This is dangerous.
Feminist Ayaan Hirsi Ali recently therefore described our age as an "emocracy." A rather cromulent moniker all things considered.
Emotions are not inherently bad, however. A moral society is an important one. Human beings are not random encounters. We are living, walking, thinking and feeling manifestations of culture. These are important for us to nurture because they promote exchanges of ideas and knowledge, the very things that produce progress rather than stagnation and suppression.
Diversity is also crucial for both individuals and nations. With an ever-globalizing world, many of the world's most pressing issues will only be addressed successfully if they are done in chorus. Democracy is a transnational conversation representative of international society and inclusive of many people.
And all of this will require a diversity of the most important kind: ethical diversity.
Ethical diversity may be a difficult concept for some because, at its extremes, it seems to promote the acceptance of barbaric behavior. But that is neither the essence nor the idea behind it.
Recognition of the "other" is a fundamental part of the decent life. However remote our kinship, however large our cultural differences, however varied our thoughts on what constitutes an ideal partner or emotive song lyrics, there is an underlying responsibility for us to recognize each other as human beings.
Human nature is in fact human natures plural. We demonstrate a remarkable ability to live differently according to time and place, making concepts such as sovereignty and self-determination vitally important.
We should therefore be less offended by the words and images others use. Indeed, true diversity presupposes the acceptance of ideas and thoughts that are contrary to our own, otherwise it is not diversity but something far, far different.
With a South Korean society that is demonstrably improving in terms of political, cultural, religious, and sexual freedoms and expressions for both majorities and minorities, the possibilities for its role in Northeast Asia and the broader world are vast.
So let us encourage the people of the country to find unity in diversity rather than unity in conformity. For such a thing to take place, it is incumbent on us to seek communication with those whom we disagree and diffuse anger wherever possible. And I encourage you to start today so that there might be a better tomorrow for those who are yet to arrive.
Embrace your inner earth pig, dudes and dudettes. Happy New Year.
David Tizzard (datizzard@swu.ac.kr) is an assistant professor at Seoul Women's University.
The Egyptian foreign ministry issued a statement on Wednesday welcoming the signing of an official peace and reconciliation agreement between the government of the Central Africa Republic and 14 armed groups at the end of negotiations hosted in the Sudanese capital Khartoum.
The statement expressed Egypt's full support for the implementation of the agreement in the "brotherly country of the Central Africa Republic" in accordance with the African Union (AU) Commission's initiative 'silence the guns by 2020.'
The statement said that Egypt will follow up on the implementation of the agreement during the country's chairmanship of the African Union in 2019, praising the efforts exerted by the brotherly country of Sudan to reach the agreement and alleviate the suffering of the Central Africa Republic's people.
The deal was reached following unprecedented talks aimed at ending more than five years of conflict, during which thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced.
Trump, Kim should achieve big deal for peace
U.S. President Donald Trump declared Wednesday that he will hold a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Vietnam, Feb. 27 and 28.
The highly anticipated announcement came during the State of the Union address where Trump lauded his "historic push for peace on the Korean Peninsula," claiming there would have been a major war with North Korea if he had not been elected. While saying he has a good relationship with Kim, Trump admitted much work remains to be done.
Cheong Wa Dae showed high hopes for the second U.S.-North Korea summit amid the long deadlock in denuclearization talks. Presidential spokesman Kim Eui-gyeom said Wednesday that there could not be a better setting than Vietnam for the U.S. and North Korea to continue to make history as he mentioned the history of U.S.-Vietnam relations. "Vietnam used to be a foe, but now the two countries are friends," he said.
During his New Year speech, Kim expressed eagerness to meet with Trump again. Trump has also shown enthusiasm for another meeting with the North Korea leader despite rising criticism that their first meeting in Singapore in June 2018 lacked details on how to achieve North Korea's denuclearization.
Circumstances surrounding the summit are not entirely optimistic as the two countries have been unable to close their differences on nuclear disarmament.
Kim has focused on corresponding measures from the U.S. for the steps his country has made, such as the suspension of nuclear and missile tests and dismantling of some of its weapons sites. But the U.S. has emphasized more concrete steps. "We must have a complete understanding of the full extent of the North Korean weapons of mass destruction and missile programs through a comprehensive declaration," Stephen Biegun, the U.S. special representative for North Korea, said during a speech at Stanford University last week.
It should be noted that Biegun also mentioned that possibility of a contingency plan if the diplomatic process fails with North Korea. He also said Washington will not lift sanctions until denuclearization is complete.
At the same time, Biegun underlined Trump's resolve to "end this war."It remains to be seen whether there will be some kind of progress in the end-of-war declaration during the upcoming Trump-Kim meeting. Trump is also expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month. It is urgent for Seoul to prepare for such a declaration.
Biegun arrived in Pyongyang Wednesday to settle details with North Korean negotiators for the second U.S.-North Korea summit. The two sides will hopefully be able to make a sufficient compromise for a big deal for peace on the Korean Peninsula. Kim should commit to an agreement that will assure the international community that he will give up his country's nuclear and missile programs.
The success of the Vietnam summit is crucial for the peace process that is being pushed by President Moon Jae-in. A deal for progress in denuclearization and improvement in bilateral relations will be pivotal in setting the right conditions for Kim's visit to Seoul.
Overturning a lower court's acquittal of a potential presidential contender accused of having sexually abused his former secretary, the Seoul High Court sentenced An Hee-jung, former governor of South Chungcheong Province, to three-and-a-half years in jail and immediately placed him in detention last week.
The appeals court found An guilty of using his authority and position to rape and sexually assault his secretary while in office. If An appeals to the Supreme Court, the highest court will deliver a final judgment.
Civic groups which were critical of the earlier judgment welcomed the verdict while some sectors of society said it was a shameful ruling currying favor with the latest social trend following the #MeToo campaign.
However, the court's judgment must be respected. It is absurd behavior to disregard due legal procedure to attack judges on the grounds that their rulings are against expectations or wishes.
Nonetheless, the extremely conflicting judgments of the first and second trials reflect serious problems in understanding sex crimes and the flaws in relevant laws.
While the #MeToo campaign was spreading like wildfire last year, women's and legal circles advocated for the revision of the outdated criminal law sections related to sexual violence.
Strong public opinion was that a man who had sex with a woman against her will must be criminally punished, even if he did not hit or threaten her. In particular, legal experts and woman activists demanded a clearer definition of rape by a person with higher authority as in the case of An.
It is better late than never for the government and National Assembly to embark on substantial work to produce a social agreement and make legal revisions on the occasion of the appeals court's judgment on the former governor.
New Zealand tourist Paul Sisson poses on top of the North Korean side of Mount Paektu with his guide Sept. 27, 2018. / Courtesy of Paul Sisson.
By Paul Sisson
During the Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in summit in Pyongyang last year, another private summit meeting was occurring. Almost 700 kilometers away I was having my own unexpected meeting at the summit of Mount Paektu.
While in the North researching their culture and society, I was privileged to travel to Mount Paektu, a spiritual home for the peoples of both the Koreas and China. There I found I was mostly rubbing shoulders with Chinese tourists who wanted to top Mount Paektu from the Korean side after summiting from the Chinese side.
The craggy mountain top, with its glassy crater lake, is not only mystical but also staggeringly beautiful. As a New Zealander who has traveled widely in my own country, as well as the greater Asia-Pacific region, I rarely give such acclaim to scenic locations. This is a worthy contender without doubt though. I can see why visitors make the tiring one-hour trek over the rocky path from the carpark to the summit.
Yet there was no way I was going to do that climb myself. I'm not lazy, not secular, not indifferent, not penny-pinching. I am partially disabled. I alternate using crutches or a wheelchair to get about, so the summit was eluding me. My charming guide, however, was determined to help me enjoy my trip as fully as possible.
She was negotiating with the gate attendants to allow me through in a vehicle. They advised that none of the vehicles were nimble enough to successfully traverse the track. As she was dejectedly returning to tell me, a four-wheel-drive jeep came zooming past. Sprinting over to the jeep she successfully pleaded my case for a lift to the top.
Ushered into the front passenger seat, I swiveled to see my guide, squashed in the back with two soldiers and a middle-aged man wearing semi-military garb. The previously impossible barrier now became a bouncy 10-minute drive to the peak.
Following a gondola ride down to see the crater lake, I climbed back into the jeep and got a better look at the backseat passengers. The man who had given up his front seat for me appeared distinguished.
Then I noticed one of the soldiers held a senior rank. It hit me then. I had casually displaced a VIP from his comfortable seat and view up front squeezing him into the rear with his attendants. Back at the carpark I thanked them profusely. My guide whispered that the "distinguished man" was actually the deputy leader for that region.
Even though the people of my native New Zealand are friendly and informal, I was pondering how likely a VIP at home would pick me up like that. It is certainly less likely to happen in the other countries I have toured.
But I shouldn't have been astonished.
New Zealand tourist Paul Sisson poses at Mount Paektu with a North Korean official, left, identified as the deputy leader of the region. / Courtesy of Paul Sisson
By Kim Ji-soo
A race, or a fight will always draw a crowd, as the conservative opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) will surely feel as it prepares for its upcoming convention. Beleaguered from the March 2017 impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye for corruption, the party will hold a convention on Feb. 27 to pick a new leader.
Because the Moon Jae-in administration is heading into its second half, the race for the LKP leadership is a barometer to gauge the contenders' feasibility for the 2022 presidential election. In the competition, former Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn is emerging strong.
At 61, the former prosecutor/justice minister/prime minister has a solid record as a bureaucrat. As a prosecutor he built a steady portfolio in public security cases. Calm, poised, soft-spoken and a devout Christian, Hwang's demeanor suggests he may well be the gentlemanly elder that the conservative camp urgently needs.
This is despite the fact that Hwang served as Park's last prime minister, and eventually as acting president for several months before Park's ouster from the presidential office. Last Tuesday, Hwang formally announced his bid for the party leadership, pledging to push for a "2020 project" to transform the economy. But he also vowed to scrap the Moon Jae-in administration's policies such as income-led growth and reducing reliance on nuclear energy. Hwang dissenters are debating just how qualified the new party entrant is to join the LKP. But recent polls put him atop the contenders for 2022.
The Korean political sphere and voters have long looked toward former prime ministers when days near to pick the next president. Moon Jae-in has more than two years left in his presidency, but Koreans have always ruminated about future leaders when the incumbent administration enters its third year.
In that vein, several former prime ministers have dallied with the notion of running for president, although with varying degrees of success. Former Prime Minister Goh Kun was a strong possibility. He served twice as prime minister, first in 1997 under President Kim Young-sam, and then under President Roh Moo-hyun. But several months after deciding on his bid for the presidency, he opted out saying he would retire in 2007.
Former Prime Minister Lee Soo-sung, also under former President Kim, was much talked about.
And in the ruling camp, the leading contender for the next presidential race is sitting Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon. There is no way for us to predict where all these former and current prime ministers will be in the next three years. But it's easier to see that despite previous attempts, former prime ministers have not yet succeeded in transitioning to the presidential office.
Prime ministers usually tend to be from the top elite. The common tenet of bureaucracy and politics is to serve. However, as we well know, in reality bureaucrats tend be executors while politicians must hustle so to speak within and out the party and toward voters.
Hwang has yet to show that he can hustle his political content. He has issued some strong words of rebuttal toward the Moon administration, but it is always easier to oppose than to propose anew. It remains to be seen how he will build up his political platform but the hope is that he bears in mind that he caters to a constituency facing an uncertain economy, future and geopolitics.
Hwang has already strongly criticized the Moon administration, indirectly referring to how "the philosophy of the student movement, which belongs in the graveyards, is dominant in Korean governance," and the headlong push for peace on the Korean Peninsula when dictatorship and human rights issues hover over North Korea. Stridency is not something Korea should aim for amid all the current chaos and promise.
By Richard Ruffin
We had an earthquake a couple of days ago. I call it an earthquake, but the seismologists here in Chile call it a tremor. Temblor is the term that they use. But it was a great tremor. Indeed, if it had been any larger 0.1 on the Richter scale it would have registered as an earthquake, but for now it is merely a tremor of 6.7 degrees.
There were more than 60 aftershocks. Make that 80 now.
It is quite something to be living in such a dynamic place.
Speaking of living in such a dynamic place, there was an eclipse of the moon on the night of Jan. 20-21. As the ball of the moon was completely obscured by the Earths shadow, someone started playing the Dark Side of The Moon by Pink Floyd. And the crowd in the town square here in Vicuna went a little bit crazy.
The reason for the blood moon is the Suns rays bending around the Earth and this changes the color to red.
That earthquake, tremor, whatever you wish to call it was otherworldly. I ran outside. I could feel the Earth move under my feet. Richard, the owner of the place at which I was staying asked me if I was scared. I answered affirmatively. "I am a little bit scared," I told him. But we were not hit that hard here in Vicuna. The major damage occurred west of here in the city of Coquimbo, which sat just north of the epicenter, about 50 kilometers deep down in the Earths crust, under the village of Tongoy.
Anyhow, the Earth keeps turning. And it will keep turning for a long, long time. We have yet to summon the energy and technology to speed it up or slow it down. We have had a full eclipse of the moon, a blood moon, a wolf moon, a baying at the moon kind of moon. And it is good.
I asked a local astronomer if Australia was not a good place to watch the stars, as it is arid and the desert is great for watching the heavens. I think of Ayers Rock as an ideal place to watch the stars. Or so I thought. He told me that because of the sandstorms, the desert is not ideal for observing the heavens. The edge of the desert is. That is why, here in Chile, we have the most observatories and that number is steadily increasing. The largest telescopes are here, as well.
When you Google earthquake a lot of images come up, but two of the countries that are prominent are Japan and Chile, both seismically active and both on The Ring of Fire. Japan is just across the East Sea from Korea. If fact, I remember the earthquake (Chileans would call it a tremor) that struck Gangneung when I lived in Donghae. I think it was a 4.8 that was felt as far as the capital, Seoul, on Jan. 26, of 2007. We had just been watching a BBC special, when it hit. My wife and I were just about to run outside when it ended.
I just did an internet search and I find that the Korean Peninsula may be entering a phase wherein earthquakes become more common, largely due to the workings of man. Fracking is one thing that causes more earthquakes, such as the Pohang earthquake of 2017.
Indeed the Earth is a very dynamic place. But we do not need to relive the Gyeongju earthquake of 779. That was a veritable doozy.
The writer (
) writes from Chile.
Sohn Sung-won. Korea Times file
Rep. Cho Jeong-sik of the Democratic Party of Korea, second from right, announces the government and the ruling party's agreement to strengthen safety at coal-fired power plants, at the National Assembly, Tuesday. / Yonhap
By Jung Hae-myoung
The government and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) have agreed on providing 2,200 subcontracted workers at state-run power plants with permanent positions, in an effort to improve their poor working conditions and prevent industrial accidents.
They announced the measure as a follow up to a revision bill passed in December to strengthen industrial safety. The bill followed the death of Kim Yong-gyun, a 24-year-old subcontract worker who was killed in a conveyer belt accident at a coal-fired power plant in Taean, South Chungcheong Province, Dec. 11.
According to the government, 2,266 people employed by subcontractors are working at power plants run by the five public power companies. The government and the DPK are considering setting up a public organization supervising the five companies and having it hire the workers directly and provide them with regular job status.
"A consultative body, consisting of representatives of the workers and the management of the five power companies as well as experts in the field, will be formed to discuss the issue, including salary levels and working conditions," said Rep. Cho Jeong-sik, a chief policymaker of the DPK, at a briefing at the National Assembly, Tuesday.
Considering Kim died while working a night shift alone contrary to regulations the government and the party said they would ensure safety regulations are followed thoroughly at the plants, alongside the installation of more safety facilities, with old equipment being replaced.
A safety management committee will be established at each of the plants, in which workers and civic group members will monitor the working environment and recommend improvements in safety.
The government and the ruling party also agreed to form a fact-finding commission to look into Kim's death.
"The commission will be formed immediately in order to investigate the structural problems behind the accident and come up with a fundamental solution to the problem in order to prevent another tragedy," Cho said.
The Korea Western Power, which operates the power plant where Kim died, should fully cooperate with the investigation conducted by the commission, allowing on-site examinations and filming of the facilities, submitting related materials to the commission, and following summons as required.
Kim Mi-sook, the mother of deceased worker Kim Yong-gyun, gives a speech at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, after the government and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea agreed to institute follow-up measures to improve the working environment for irregular workers, Tuesday./ Yonhap
Biegun leaves for Pyongyang to fine-tune agendas for Trump-Kim meeting
By Lee Min-hyung
U.S. President Donald Trump said he will hold a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for two days from Feb. 27 in Vietnam to inject fresh momentum into their countries' stalled nuclear negotiations.
"Chairman Kim and I will meet again on February 27 and 28 in Vietnam," Trump said during his State of the Union address Tuesday (local time).
"Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong-un is a good one."
Trump, however, did not mention which city will host the summit. The likely venues for the meeting include Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and the coastal city of Danang.
The two leaders held their first historic meeting last June in Singapore, reaching a broad agreement outlining bilateral pledges for sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula.
But as the agreement was mostly symbolic without specific clauses regarding complete denuclearization of the North, calls had grown for Trump and Kim to hold a second summit as soon as possible to discuss detailed and practical measures to speed up the North's nuclear disarmament.
While the Singapore summit built a mood for rapprochement between the two, subsequent negotiations fell short of expectations, with neither side showing signs of making concessions on a timeline and method for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Pyongyang urged Washington to take reciprocal measures in exchange for the regime's steps toward nuclear disarmament. The North has in recent months complained that the U.S. is not taking any trust-building steps despite the former's repeated pledges and practical steps for denuclearization, including the dismantlement of the Punggye-ri test facility.
Pre-summit agenda under discussion
On Wednesday, Steve Biegun, the U.S. nuclear envoy for North Korea, departed for Pyongyang to hold pre-summit working-level talks with his North Korean counterpart Kim Hyok-chol.
Biegun left Seoul at around 6:50 a.m. for Osan Air Base in Gyeonggi Province before taking a flight to Pyongyang via the West Sea.
Neither the two Koreas nor the U.S. unveiled a specific schedule for his Pyongyang visit. But Biegun and Kim Hyok-chol, a former North Korean ambassador to Spain, are expected to fine-tune the agenda for the upcoming summit.
Expectations are that Biegun will stay there for at least two days, as the second Washington-Pyongyang summit is imminent and time is ripe for them to finalize details for the planned meeting between Trump and Kim.
Biegun stayed in Seoul for three days from and discussed the North's complete denuclearization with National Security Adviser Chung Eui-yong and Lee Do-hoon, the special representative for peace and security affairs on the Korean Peninsula.
It remains unknown whether the U.S. nuclear envoy will meet with Kim.
Last week, Biegun quoted Kim as saying he was committed to complete dismantlement of plutonium and uranium facilities in a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Pyongyang last October.
As the North has reiterated the need for the U.S. to take corresponding steps to speed up denuclearization of the regime, attention is growing over what Washington will use as a bargaining chip during the second summit.
During the latest inter-Korean summit in September, Kim pledged to dismantle the Yongbyon nuclear facility with verification by outside experts if the U.S. took reciprocal measures.
The U.S. Forces Korea's Camp Humphreys headquarters in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province / Korea Times
By Kim Bo-eun
South Korea and the United States appear to have nearly concluded a new deal on defense costs the former will pay for U.S. troops here.
The U.S. State Department was cited by Yonhap News Agency as saying in an email that a deal has been reached "in principle," and the two sides are focusing on working out the details as quickly as possible.
CNN also reported Washington and Seoul had reached a "preliminary agreement" under which South Korea would pay close to $1 billion (1.13 trillion won) for stationing around 30,000 U.S. troops here.
South Korea's foreign ministry has not yet confirmed these reports.
The CNN report said this would be a one-year agreement with a possible one-year extension. It appears the U.S. accepted South Korea's call to cap its contributions to below 1 trillion won, while the U.S. insisted that the deal expire after only one year. This would allow Washington to call for additional increases in the amount South Korea would pay for the following year.
The previous SMA agreement stipulated the amount of burden South Korea would shoulder from 2014 to 2018.
The CNN report, however, stated it was unclear if Trump signed off on the potential deal, and that the National Security Council did not respond on the matter.
Bilateral talks for the 10th Special Measures Agreement (SMA) began in March last year with the aim of reaching a deal by the end of the year, but the two sides failed to produce an agreement, due to differences over the amount Seoul would pay.
The first SMA was signed in 1991, and it has been renewed eight times, every two to five years. Under the deal in 1991, South Korea shouldered $150 million (167.8 billion won). This grew to 960 billion won in 2018, according to data from the foreign ministry.
Meanwhile, U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun said last week the withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Korea was not being discussed with North Korea. This came in response to concerns that the U.S. president could make that offer at his summit with the North Korean leader later this month. Trump has consistently stated the U.S. is paying too much to keep its troops stationed abroad.
In an interview on CBS aired Sunday, local time, Trump said there were no plans to pull out troops.
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address in Washington, Tuesday, local time. AFP-Yonhap
By Kim Bo-eun
U.S. President Donald Trump positively evaluated the current process to denuclearize North Korea and achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula, in his State of the Union address Tuesday (local time).
"As part of a bold new diplomacy, we continue our historic push for peace on the Korean Peninsula," Trump said.
"Our hostages have come home, nuclear testing has stopped, and there has not been a missile launch in more than 15 months."
The U.S. leader said the country would have been in a "major war" with North Korea if he had not become president.
Rains and lower temperatures are expected to continue in Egypt on Wednesday after the unseasonably warm weather on Tuesday, according to Egypt's Meteorological Authority (EMA).
The EMA said that rainfall is expected in most parts of the country, causing floods in Sinai and the Red Sea mountain range.
Cairo's local authorities have raised the alert level as rain has continued in the governorate since Wednesday morning.
The EMA added that sand storms may disrupt navigation on Mediterranean.
Temperature forecasts across Egypt on Wednesday are as follows:
Cairo: 20 14
Alexandria: 19 - 12
Nile Delta: 18 - 14
North Sinai: 21 - 16
South Sinai: 29 - 19
Upper Egypt: 24 - 12
By Lee Min-hyung
Japan has canceled a plan to send its Self-Defense Force helicopter carrier JS Izumo to an upcoming international maritime joint exercise off Busan amid diplomatic friction.
The lead ship of the Izumo-class was scheduled to anchor in the port city in April for the exercise, on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defense Ministers' Meeting.
But Tokyo decided not to send the vessel reflecting the country's worsening relations with South Korea.
According to Japan's Defense Ministry, Japan will participate in the exercise, but some vessels, such as the Izumo, will not join the event.
It is "most appropriate" for the country not to have the vessels arrive in the South, Kyodo News quoted the ministry's press secretary, Hajime Aoyagi, as saying during a press conference, Tuesday.
The months-long conflict started in mid-December when a Japanese P-1 maritime patrol plane carried out what the South viewed as a "highly intimidating" low-level flight near the Gwanggaeto the Great destroyer, which was on a humanitarian mission to rescue a North Korean fishing boat in the East Sea.
Japan claimed the destroyer locked a fire-control radar on the aircraft, posing a serious security threat to the surveillance aircraft. The Ministry of National Defense, however, said the claim was far from the truth.
Diplomatic relations between Seoul and Tokyo have since rapidly deteriorated, with both sides intensifying a war of words without any signs of coming to a settlement over the dispute.
Despite the escalating tension, a Japanese patrol aircraft continued to buzz South Korean warships last month, with the latest incident taking place Jan. 23.
Later in the month, Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo visited the Navy's Fleet Command in Busan, ordering officials there to "sternly" deal with any further low-altitude flights by Japanese patrol aircraft.
Nicholas Bonner with his book on North Korean graphic design published in 2017 / Courtesy of Nicholas Bonner
By Park Ji-won
Nicholas Bonner, a British man who is co-founder of one of largest tour companies traveling to North Korea, has publicly released his decades-old collection of North Korean graphic art in Seoul.
As co-founder of Koryo Tours, he has visited North Korea countless times and gathered stamps, posters, tickets, sweet wrappers and comic books. The exhibition "Made in North Korea: Graphics from Everyday Life in the DPRK" offers a glimpse of some 200 graphics collected by Bonner since the 1990s. All North Korean designs must get government permission for publication as they are used to promote state propaganda according to media reports.
In an email interview with The Korea Times on Jan. 29, he explained the North's designs not only cover propaganda but also show unique and bright color combinations that we wouldn't expect from a totalitarian state.
"Prior to the digital age the North Korean designers drew inspiration in particular from traditional art, calligraphy, symbols and designs including the Korean palette bright fun colors, reds and pinks, which contrast sharply with the muted tones we usually associate with socialism. I think we tend to think the graphics would be covered in propaganda imagery but this just is not the case," Bonner said.
The poster of "Made in North Korea: Graphics from Everyday Life in the DPRK" / Courtesy of Culture & I Leaders
The following is a chronology of major developments leading to Tuesday's announcement of a second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Feb. 25, 2018 -- Kim Yong-chol, a close aide to the North Korean leader, expresses an openness to talks with the United States in a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, while visiting the South for the closing ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games.
March 8, 2018 -- Chung Eui-yong, South Korea's presidential national security adviser, announces after a meeting with Trump at the White House that the U.S. president has agreed to meet Kim in May.
March 25-28, 2018 -- Kim makes his first visit to China since assuming power and meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
March 31-April 1, 2018 -- U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo visits Pyongyang and meets with Kim to lay the groundwork for the first Trump-Kim summit.
April 27, 2018 -- Moon holds his first summit with Kim at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom.
May 9-10, 2018 -- Pompeo, now the U.S. secretary of state, makes his second trip to North Korea to discuss denuclearization and bring home three Korean-American detainees released by Pyongyang.
May 10, 2018 -- Trump announces on Twitter that the first-ever U.S.-North Korea summit will be held in Singapore June 12.
May 22, 2018 -- Moon and Trump hold talks in Washington.
May 24, 2018 -- North Korea demolishes its nuclear testing site in Punggye-ri in front of a group of international reporters.
North Korea expressed "strong opposition" to Japan's entry to permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council last week, according to Pyongyang's foreign ministry on Tuesday.
In a statement published on the ministry's website, North Korea clarified its official position on Japanese candidacy on Jan. 29, at a meeting held at the U.N. headquarters in New York.
North Korea's Ambassador to the U.N. Kim Song said at the meeting Japan's history and lack of atonement for past war crimes are reasons why Tokyo should not be admitted to the Security Council, according to Pyongyang.
"In past decades, Japan invaded countless nations in Asia by force, and committed crimes against humanity that cannot be washed away," the North Korean diplomat reportedly said. "Seventy years after the end of war, they have not acknowledged" the past.
The North Korean ambassador also said the principles of respect for equality and non-interference are being ignored at the Security Council, a possible reference to sanctions against his country. He also said sovereign nations' rights are being violated.
"The reform of the U.N. Security Council should be carried out in accordance with the principle of ensuring international justice, fairness and democracy while guaranteeing the representation rights of non-aligned and developing countries," Kim reportedly said.
Japan is under consideration for two of the new permanent seats at the Security Council, along with India.
North Korea has previously called for sanctions relief that takes place before complete denuclearization.
On Tuesday, Pyongyang propaganda service DPRK Today said the United States must make a move following North Korea declarations.
North Korea has stopped nuclear tests and is working with the international community, the statement read.
"Our principle of no longer making or using nuclear weapons, nor proliferating them anymore is a faithful fulfillment of the June 12 joint statement" between the United States and North Korea.
U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to meet with Kim Jong Un before the end of February. (UPI)
U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he will hold a two-day summit with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un Feb. 27-28 in Vietnam to continue his efforts to persuade Kim to give up his nuclear weapons.
Trump has said his outreach to Kim and their first meeting last June in Singapore opened a path to peace. But there is not yet a concrete plan for how denuclearization could be implemented.
Denuclearizing North Korea is something that has eluded the U.S. for more than two decades, since it was first learned that North Korea was close to acquiring the means for nuclear weapons.
''As part of a bold new diplomacy, we continue our historic push for peace on the Korean Peninsula,'' Trump said in his State of the Union address.
Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told Congress last week that U.S. intelligence officials do not believe Kim will eliminate his nuclear weapons or the capacity to build more because he believes they are key to the survival of the regime. Satellite video taken since the June summit has indicated North Korea is continuing to produce nuclear materials at its weapons factories.
Last year, North Korea released American detainees, suspended nuclear and long-range missile tests and dismantled a nuclear test site and parts of a rocket launch facility without the presence of outside experts.
It has repeatedly demanded that the United States reciprocate with measures such as sanctions relief, but Washington has called for North Korea to take steps such as providing a detailed account of its nuclear and missile facilities that would be inspected and dismantled under a potential deal.
By Jung Da-min
INCHEON Food is usually an easy entry to a different culture.
When it comes to North Korean food, however, there have been few that represent local recipes, a defector says.
Hong Eun-hye, 41, a defector who has been selling various North Korean food from sweets and snacks to abai-sundae North Korean-style blood sausage through her online shopping mall since 2016, said she wanted to break the prejudice people had toward North Korean defectors by introducing North Korean food in the South.
"I wanted to serve the food from my hometown not just for North Korean defectors here but especially for South Koreans, so they could better understand North Korean culture," Hong said. "I wanted to tell South Koreans that North Korean defectors were also the same people and could also be family members to them."
Born in Hamhung, South Hamgyong Province in 1977 to a family making out of living by baking candies and cookies, she learnt the recipes from her grandmother and mother. They used to make traditional snacks and sweets served at traditional wedding ceremonies.
But as the so-called Arduous March, or great famine swept North Korea, her family's livelihood came to the verge of breakdown and she went to China in 2003, looking for help from relatives there.
Not finding a breakthrough, however, she decided to come to the South and arrived in Incheon, Gyeonggi Province, in 2006.
"I always feel grateful to South Koreans because I could settle down here with their help," Hong said. "I was living in China as well, but I could not have a nationality there."
She said she wanted to give back what she received in the South and making food she learnt from her family in the North came to mind.
North Korean-style snacks made from defector Hong Eun-hye's recipes are also being sold at an exhibition titled "Made in Chosun" near Hyehwa Station in the northern part of Seoul. The exhibition will run until April 7. Korea Times photo by Jung Da-min
By Park Si-soo
The era of fossil fuels is ending. What will replace them and reshape the world's energy-scape?
Solar, hydro, nuclear, bio and hydrogen are just a few fuels mentioned. Against this backdrop, a book betting on hydrogen has just hit the shelves.
"Hydrogen Society," co-written by five journalists at Money Today, a business daily here, explains why humans will end up relying on hydrogen more than other energy sources.
First, hydrogen is the most abundant chemical substance in the universe, constituting roughly 75 percent of all baryonic mass. This will allow virtually "everlasting" use of hydrogen as a key energy source and eliminate the grounds for diplomatic/military conflict over energy supply, said the book.
Second is its eco-friendliness. The only "waste" from hydrogen-fueled power generation is water.
Third is safety. The book explains why hydrogen container explosions are all but impossible.
Low efficiency in hydrogen collection, compression and hydrogen-to-electricity conversion are among issues that need to be tackled. But the book said it is just a matter of time before hydrogen takes up the present position of fossil fuels because technologies evolve and, above all, major economies are recognizing the value and potential of hydrogen.
The 184-page book is based on the reporters' extensive interviews with leading experts, industry insiders and policymakers at home and abroad. It also offers up-to-date information about what's happening in South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Europe.
Money Today published the book. It is priced at 15,000 won.
Korea falls behind Germany, China in tech revolution
By Park Hyong-ki
The country does not have a single innovative manufacturer on the global list by McKinsey Global Institute and the World Economic Forum (WEF).
The WEF and McKinsey's research group recently issued a report, listing 16 global manufacturers' factories that meet the criteria of being "innovative and game changers."
They have seen growth through the use of emerging technologies related to the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The 16 companies are: Bayer, BMW, Bosch, Danfoss, Fast Radius, Foxconn, Haier, Johnson & Johnson, Phoenix Contact, Procter & Gamble, Rold, Sandvik Coromant, Saudi Aramco, Schneider Electric, Siemens and Tata Steel.
Their plants in the U.S., Europe and China are referred to as "lighthouse factories" as they serve as "beacons for the world, exemplifying the type of production approach that can drive the next engine of global growth," McKinsey and the WEF said.
They have not only integrated technologies such as big data, artificial intelligence, cloud computing and the internet of things into their production, but also actively executed open innovation strategies for collaboration with small- and medium-sized enterprises, they added.
McKinsey in Seoul said they could not spot any innovative Korean manufacturers in the selection process. McKinsey and the WEF scanned more than 1,000 manufacturers around the world, and contacted 150 companies for lighthouse consideration.
Analysts say the country has clearly been falling behind in implementing policies encouraging the private sector to prepare for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
It is highly aware that a "perfect storm" is coming, but has lacked policy preparedness compared to Germany's "Industry 4.0" and China's so-called "Made in China 2025."
"The common concept of those policies is that they are letting the private sector lead the technological revolution," said Yun Chang-hyun, an economist at the University of Seoul.
The economist pointed to the dynamism of innovation in Silicon Valley in the United States, and Germany's industrial policy to spur manufacturing competitiveness through the adoption of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies.
"China has also been very aggressive with its vision to become an advanced manufacturing economy by 2025," Yun said.
China's Made in China 2025 plan was formed in 2015, aimed at boosting research and development in emerging tech sectors such as robotics, clean energy and biotechnology. It also seeks to rely less on foreign technologies such as semiconductors.
Lee Jang-gyoon, a senior researcher at Hyundai Research Institute, agreed the country needs to further devise a policy that can bolster the private sector to create the "next big thing."
The country has been trying to prepare for the revolution, but the lack of domestic lighthouses is because Korean manufacturers are not, by nature, trendsetters, he added.
"Most of the manufacturers here rely on exports for growth. This would push them to set up plants or bases overseas where they can sell their products but also where they can follow and seek innovation of others," Lee said.
He pointed to Hyundai Motor establishing innovation centers abroad.
Manufacturers that seek to change and boost their capacity should "augment, instead of replace, human capital" through lifelong learning to help people to gain skills and adapt to new situations, the institute suggested.
It also said companies should seek to collaborate with other firms and startups via open innovation platforms, which can help manage their data and output.
By Jung Da-min
Actor Ji Sung and his actress wife Lee Bo-young have welcomed their second child after Lee gave birth to a boy on Tuesday.
"Boa was finally born," Ji Sung wrote on his Instagram account on Lunar New Year's Day, referring to the baby's pre-birth nickname. A photo of the baby's feet accompanied the post.
"Welcome Boa, please be healthy and I love you," he wrote.
The star couple's agency said mother and baby were healthy.
Ji Sung and Lee married in September 2013 after dating for six years. Their first child, a girl, was born in June 2015.
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A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 89F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph..
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Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.
Calendar0206 2019 - Statesboro Herald
Today a BABYTIME will be held Wednesday at Statesboro Regional Library beginning at 10 a.m. For ages 02. a TODDLER TIME will be held Wednesday at Statesboro Regional Library beginning at
10:30a.m. For ages 25.
a EAGLE TIME,Georgia Southern University students offering after-school activities andhomework help, will be held Wednesday, 3:305:30p.m., at Statesboro Regional Library. For grades K6.
Thursday
a THE ARCHIBALD Bulloch Chapter,NSDAR Chapter meeting will be held Thursday at the Honey Bowen Building.Refreshments will be served at 2 p.m. followed by business meeting at 2:30 p.m.Program, Yellowstone National Park, will be presented by Julia and GaryYoungblood.
a HOMESCHOOL BOOK to Movie Club will meet Thursday at 2 p.m. at Statesboro Regional Library. For ages 8 and up.
a HOMESCHOOL HANGOUT: Spread the Love, a Valentines DayCelebration, will be held Thursday at StatesboroRegional Library beginning at 2 p.m. For all ages.
a TEEN DIY/Makerspace will be held Thursday in the TeenActivity Room of Statesboro Regional Library beginning at 4 p.m. For ages 1218.
a TUTORING will beoffered Thursday, 5:307 p.m., atStatesboro Regional Library. For grades K12.
Friday
a RESERVATION DEADLINE for Archibald Bulloch Chapter NSDARsAnnual Georgia Day Luncheon is Friday. Luncheon will be held Feb. 14 at 11 a.m.at Uncle Shugs on Main. Cost is $20 and should be mailed to LindaPowell-Jones, 810 Julie Ann Way, Statesboro, GA 30458-9234.
Saturday
a PUBLIC SAFETY Day will be held Saturday, 9 a.m.1 p.m., at the Randy Newman Community Center,Railroad Street, Brooklet. Food available. Sponsored by Brooklet Kiwanis Club.
a BLACK WOMEN of Professions 3rd Annual Jeans andJewels Gala will be held Saturday at The Hall on Vine, East Vine Street,beginning at 8 p.m. Dinner will be served. Tickets are $25 and available bycontacting BWOP members. Proceeds will benefit the annual scholarship fund. Formore information call (912) 978-1903 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Upcoming Events
a NAMI STATESBORO will meet Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. at Statesboro RegionalLibrary, South Main Street, with Bo Fordham, director of the Susan FordRecovery Community Organization, as speaker. For more information call (912) 401-1122.
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* Philippine Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Ano said on February 5 that Indonesia has expressed willingness to help Philippine authorities identify the Indonesian "suicide bombers" that carried out the twin blasts on Jan. 27 which left 23 people dead and more than 100 others wounded.
* US State Department said in Washington on February 4 that the country's special envoy on issues related to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will travel to Pyongyang to prepare for the second summit of the two nations' top leaders.
* Russia will give an adequate response to the US withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty but will not shelve proposals aimed at stopping the arms race, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday (February 4).
* Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel held talks in Tokyo on February 4 and advocated free trade as a free trade pact between Japan and the European Union (EU) went into effect on Friday.
* The newly-appointed head of the United Nations mission to monitor a truce agreement arrived on February 5 in Yemen's rebel-held capital Sanaa.
* An explosive device went off near a prison in Syria's northern city of Manbij Tuesday, the latest in a string of bombings in that Kurdish-controlled city, activists said.
* The death toll of a pre-dawn fire in an apartment building in Paris rose to eight on February 5 morning, said Paris Prosecutor Remy Heitz who called it a "criminal" act.
* Venezuela's foreign ministry rejected on February 4 several European countries' decision to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president.
* Russia supports a settlement plan for Venezuela, proposed by Uruguay and Mexico, but does not accept proposals by the European Union and condemns US threats to invade the Latin American country, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday.
* Brazil's government on February 4 announced it will submit an anti-crime bill to congress that stiffens penalties for serious crimes.
* Russia's economy expanded a higher-than-expected 2.3 percent in 2018, preliminary data published by the Russia's Federal Statistics Service (Rosstat) showed on February 4. The volume of Russia's growth domestic product (GDP) for 2018 amounted to RUB103.63 trillion (about US$1.58 trillion), rising by 2.3 percent year on year compared to 2017.
* A total of 89 candidates had submitted documents to register as candidates in Ukraine's forthcoming presidential election before the deadline on Feb. 3, local media reported on February 4.
* President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Peter Maurer said on February 4 that Iraq still faces massive humanitarian challenges as 1.8 million people remain displaced within Iraq more than a year after major combat operations against Islamic States (IS) ended.
* Saudi-led coalition involved in a war in Yemen announced on February 4 the targeting of Houthis' drones and warehouses near Sanaa, Al Arabiya TV reported.
* Iraq and Russia have expressed their keenness to develop relations and widen cooperation in all fields on February 4, a statement from the office of Iraq's Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said.
* US President Donald Trump sat down with Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell for an informal dinner in the White House to discuss the economy, the central bank said Monday evening.
* Rescuers were ready to rescue villagers near Mount Karangetan volcano in Indonesia's North Sulawesi province through sea if the volcano spewed more hot lava, a senior official said on February 5.
* The situation in Yemen, despite talks aboard a ship in the Port of Hodeidah, was described by the chief UN spokesman on February 4 as fragile.
* The death toll in a fire in a luxury apartment building in the central Moscow has risen to eight, Russian media reported on February 4.
The ban on baiting and feeding deer in Kensoha County lifted last year is now back in place.
The ban was reinstated Feb. 1 as a result of wild, whitetail deer testing positive for chronic wasting disease near the Illinois border in 2018.
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources staff received notification that the deer was found within 10 miles of the border.
State law requires that the DNR enact a ban on feeding and baiting of deer within a county or adjacent county within a 10-mile radius of a captive or free-roaming domestic or wild deer that tests positive for CWD or tuberculosis.
Kenosha County Deer Council chairman Steve Kenesie said he had not yet been informed about the ban as of Tuesday.
He said the state had been under a ban until last year because of a deer found here several years ago, but it was lifted last year after no additional positive results were found.
Kenesie said there is a meeting of the local Deer Council in March at Richard Bong State Recreation Area. He said he plans to talk to wildlife biologists prior to that meeting.
Dave Lois, chairman of the Kenosha County Conservation Congress, also had not been informed of the ban as of Wednesday.
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Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism Pablo Rodriguez responds to a question during Question Period in the House of Commons Friday November 23, 2018 in Ottawa. A national Inuit organization says it is disappointed in the Indigenous languages legislation the federal Liberals are introducing today. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Columnist Nicole D'Souza highlights the issues plaguing access to quality and affordable healthcare among rural populations, and argues that KU Medical School programs are essential to offset some of these concerns.
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The Party and State leader was accompanied by General To Lam, Politburo member and Minister of Public Security; Hoang Trung Hai, Politburo member and Secretary of Hanoi municipal Party Committee; Ngo Thi Thanh Hang, Party Central Committee (PCC) member and Permanent Deputy Secretary of Hanoi municipal Party Committee; and Nguyen Duc Chung, PCC member and Chairman of Hanoi municipal Peoples Committee.
Party chief and President Nguyen Phu Trong extended his best greetings to officers and policemen of the 113 Task Force and Hanoi policemen in general on the occasion of lunar New Year 2019, praising their high sense of responsibility during Tet - the biggest national festival.
He asked the force to closely coordinate with other functional forces to ensure social order, traffic safety, fire and explosion prevention before, during and after Tet.
He expressed his belief that the public security sector will gain more excellent achievements in 2019, completely fulfilling its tasks assigned by the Party, State and people.
Visiting the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN), Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong applauded the EVNs outstanding working performance and compressive development over the past years, calling on the group to make further contributions to the national industrialisation, modernisation and electrification process.
He wished EVN staff and officers and workers of the power sector nationwide a New Year full of health and happiness.
The top Party and State leader then offered incense at Tran Quoc pagoda and Quan Thanh temple to pray for peace, happiness and prosperity for the nation and its people.
Later, he walked across Thanh Nien street to share New Year joys with residents in the capital city. He offered lucky money and extended New Year greetings to workers of the Hanoi Environment Company who were on duty at the street.
Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong visits and extends New Year greetings to the Electricity of Vietnam
Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong welcomes lunar New Year with Hanoians
Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong offers lucky money and extends New Year greetings to workers of the Hanoi Environment Company who are on duty at Thanh Nien street, Hanoi
JENN McKINLAY: Three years ago at Left Coast Crime in Phoenix, I was sitting outside the Sheraton with my pal, Kate Carlisle, when we were joined by two other authors whose books I'd read and loved. The four of us ended up talking for hours and much hilarity ensued, because of course it did - look who I was with! Those writers were Leslie Karst and Ellen Byron. So, when the Lefty noms came out and I saw they were both nominated, I had to ask...so how's that feel going up against a bestie? And here they are to talk about it. Welcome, Leslie and Ellen.
Troublemakers and how: Ellen and Leslie
Ellen and Leslie: When the Left Coast Crime award nominations were announced a few weeks ago, it wasnt surprising that our first impulse was to call each other. After all, not only had we been pals ever since meeting at the California Crime Writers conference back in 2015, but we also share the same publisher (Crooked Lane Books), andwere both members of the fabulous When the Left Coast Crime award nominations were announced a few weeks ago, it wasnt surprising that our first impulse was to call each other. After all, not only had we been pals ever since meeting at the California Crime Writers conference back in 2015, but we also share the same publisher (Crooked Lane Books),were both members of the fabulous Chicks on the Case blog. Which makes us almost like sisters, right?
And now wed been nominated for the exact same awardthe coveted Lefty, for Best Humorous Mysteryfor our recent books, Mardi Gras Murder (Ellen) and Death al Fresco (Leslie). Would the competition strain our friendship? Read on, for a word-for-word transcription of our phone conversation the very morning we received the news:
LESLIE KARST: Ohmygod, Ellen! I had to read that email like six times to make sure it said what it did. Can you believe it? Both of us nominated? In the same category? And Cynthia and Kellye, too! Dang. Its a veritable Chicks-fest!
ELLEN BYRON: I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!! I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can I share a room with you at LCC? Because Im excited, but also cheap.
Leslie: [Laughs.] Absolutely, lets be roomies! Itll be super fun! We can have big parties in our room every night after the bar closes! Oh, heyand that way, Ill be assured that you wont even consider knocking me off to lessen the competition, since then youd be stuck with the entire bill.
Ellen : Damn, there goes Plan A.
You know, it should feel weird that were competing in the same category but it doesnt. I love you too much. Same with the other Chicks, Kellye and Cynthia. So that leaves Catriona and Tim. I am taking them DOWN!
But back to our relationship. Honestly, I would be totally thrilled if you won, Leslie. Ill never forget when you came running up at CCWC and threw your arms around me in the biggest hug ever. You know how you instantly feel someone is a friend soulmate? Thats how I felt the instant we met.
Leslie: Same for you, girl. Remember how your first book, Plantation Shudders, was coming out in like two months, and Id only just turned in my manuscript for Dying for a Taste to Crooked Lane? I knew diddly-squat about publishing and peppered you with all these newbie author questions, but you patiently explained to me all the crazy stuff Id have to navigate over the next year. I swear, you immediately became like my big sister that day.
Oh, and speaking of books, Mardi Gras Murder SO deserves that nomination! I love how you include all that fascinating Louisiana history about the Orphan Train in the story, but its still laugh-out-loud funny at the same time. Must be all that TV writing you have under your belt. Hey, ya wanna maybe give me some lessons, some day?
Ellen: Hah! Like you need lessons. Ive been a fan of your series ever since I cracked open Dying for a Taste. I love how you weave different arts into all your books, like Sally joining a chorus in A Measure of Murder and taking up painting in Death al Fresco. The series is so smart and funny. And your recipes are to die for! I swear, recipes are the hardest part for me. In my next book, Fatal Cajun Festival, I finally gave up on one. Instead I wrote R.I.P. Sweet Potato Pralines, and explained that no matter how hard I tried, I could not come up with a decent recipe. I had to do something, because I make such a big deal about sweet potato pralines in the book.
Leslie: Dang, that sounds good. I love pralines! Maybe I should make a batch to bring up to Vancouver for LCC. We can keep them in our hotel room as snacks for our after-the-bar-closes parties. [A pause.] Come to think of it, maybe I should bring up allof my own food and keep it locked up away from you in our hotel room safe. Wouldnt want you to get any ideas about poisoning my poutine...
Ellen: [Sighs.] Oh well, there goes Plan B.
JENN: And the nominees are (which I highly recommend):
To celebrate their exciting news, Ellen and Leslie will each give away a copy of their Lefty-nominated book to one lucky person who comments on this post below!
Thanks so much for joining us, Leslie and Ellen. So, Reds and Readers, have you ever been up against a pal for an award? How did you handle it?
Ellen Byronsbestselling Cajun Country Mysteries have won Best Humorous Mystery Lefty awards and been nominated for multiple Agathas. Mardi Gras Murder,the newest addition to the series, Wings, Just Shoot Me, and Fairly OddParents. Fun fact: she worked as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart. the newest addition to the series, garnered Ellen her fourth Lefty nomination. Writing as Maria DiRico, shell debut a second series, The Catering Hall Mysteries, in 2020. Her TV credits include, and
Leslie Karstlearned early, during family dinner conversations, the value of both careful analysis and the artsideal ingredients for a mystery story. Putting this early education to good use, she now writes the Sally Solari Mysteries (Dying for a Taste, A Measure of Murder, Death al Fresco),a culinary series set in Santa Cruz, California. An ex-lawyer like her sleuth, Leslie also has degrees in English literature and the culinary arts. The next in the series, Murder from Scratch, releases April 9th. The daughter of a law professor and a potter,learned early, during family dinner conversations, the value of both careful analysis and the artsideal ingredients for a mystery story. Putting this early education to good use, she now writes the Sally Solari Mysteries (a culinary series set in Santa Cruz, California. An ex-lawyer like her sleuth, Leslie also has degrees in English literature and the culinary arts. The next in the series,, releases April 9
Question: Today, when life is getting busier and people are getting more hurried, do you think the people still look forward to Tet?
Researcher Nguyen Hung Vy: I believe that not only me but every Vietnamese person looks forward to Tet. Tet is a special festival for everyone, I think. Its unique feature is its popularity. While a specific religion, belief or ritual is practiced in a specific area by a specific community, Tet is celebrated by everyone. From elders to children, from ordinary people to Overseas Vietnamese abroad, they all expect Tet.
Tet is also a symbol of national solidarity when people are brought together through a bunch of arts and cultural activities and practices. People take part in various genres of folk singing, and go to pagodas and temples. The special festive atmosphere during Tet cannot be observed in any other festival.
Tet reminds people of their roots, providing them an occasion to think about the present and plan for the future. Many customs and taboos are observed during Tet in order to pray for blessings and a better life after a hard-working year.
For all these reasons, Tet is a particularly important legacy.
Despite not being a major trend, many youngsters have raised their opinion that Vietnam should celebrate only one New Year festival instead of two, and they have suggested merging the solar and lunar New Years. What do you think about this?
I think it is difficult to make it come true because it is rooted from the communitys consciousness. We celebrate the first and the fifteenth days of every lunar month, our ancestors death anniversaries as well as many other major occasions according to lunar calendar.
In fact, opinions on applying solar calendar instead of lunar ones have been raises since the early 20th century. Japan, for example, has merged two New Year festivals into one in late 18th century, but the adjustment has left so much pity on people in modern life that many of them have called to restore the lunar New Year celebration.
It is important to question whether economic growth makes countries happier. Singapore and China still celebrate Tet while keeping their development in track.
For those who argue that the merge of solar and lunar New Years will mitigate arising problems, such as heavy traffic, and the mass migration when people return home for Tet, they might be true.
However, the issues can be gradually fixed regarding the improvement and enhancement of the traffic system.
It is said that Tet is a costly occasion, but I think that it depends on peoples decision on how to celebrate Tet.
From elders to children, from ordinary people to Overseas Vietnamese abroad, they all expect Tet.
An obvious change has been seen in the way Vietnamese people celebrate Tet. Do you think it is true?
Looking back to the past, Tet was all about feasts, food and drink. But in todays life when peoples livelihood is significantly improved, people tend to celebrate Tet in a more relaxing and entertaining way.
However, it also brings about a consequence that solidarity in the community seems to have been stronger than it is at present, when people can celebrate Tet everywhere rather than only at their homes with families.
I think that it is not a problem if you are not at home during Tet or travel during the holiday. However, on the lunar New Years Eve, please burn an incense to commemorate your ancestors or go online to talk with your family members. It is a good way to turn your heart to your roots and your ancestors.
Thank you so much for your sharing!
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The childrens book The Cat Who Lived With Anne Frank tells the story of the doomed Dutch girl through the eyes of her cat, Mouschi. The illustrations in the book were done by Elizabeth Baddeley.
A Vietnamese booth at the festival (Source: http://quehuongonline.vn)
The Vietnamese Embassy in Bangladesh brought to the event handcrafts bearing the characteristics of Vietnamese culture such as brocade bags, silk scarves, hand-embroidered pictures, Non la (conical hats), and long dresses for men and women.
Especially, the show of Ao dai has surprised and delighted the audience because of the similarity between the traditional costumes of Vietnam and Bangladesh.
Md. Manzur Qader, advisor of the Bangladesh Heritage Foundation and member of the festivals organising board said the performance of Vietnams traditional costume at the event is very impressive and has a special appeal to Bangladeshi visitors.
He hoped that there would be more opportunities for people of both countries to be decked out in each other's traditional costumes.
Addressing the festival, Vietnamese Ambassador Tran Van Khoa highlighted similarities in culture between the two nations, saying that the culture exchange event like this will contribute to reinforcing and strengthening the friendship and mutual understanding between the countries people.
The 3rd international craft festival also attracted exhibitors from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Bhutan, and Brazil. It served as a bridge promoting connection and friendship among countries./.
RTHK: 'Fake' Van Gogh proves to be the real thing
Art experts have confirmed that a small still-life at a US museum once dismissed as a fake is in fact by Vincent van Gogh, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam said Wednesday.
The painting, "Still Life with Fruit and Chestnuts", was donated by a couple to the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco in 1960 and suspected to be by the Dutch master.
Several experts had previously said that the painting dated to 1886 was not a real Van Gogh, and it was not included in previous official catalogues of works by the painter, who committed suicide in 1890.
"It is true that at the end of last year, experts from the Van Gogh Museum attributed a painting from the collection of the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco as a Vincent van Gogh painting," said press officer Milou Bollen.
"There was always a question whether the painting was or was not made by Van Gogh."
In a further discovery, the experts found that there was a portrait of a woman hidden underneath the still life, the Van Gogh museum said.
Van Gogh often reused his canvases as he found himself working in poverty, managing to sell only a few of his paintings during his troubled life. (AFP)
This story has been published on: 2019-02-06. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
RTHK: Trump takes aim at China in State of Union address
President Trump on Tuesday told Congress that Washington's aggressive trade negotiations with Beijing would mean an end to China's alleged "theft" of US jobs and wealth.
In his annual State of the Union address, Trump also called on China to make the kind of far-reaching "structural" changes to industrial policy that analysts say Beijing is likely to resist.
The world's two largest economies have 24 days left in a three-month truce in their trade war before US duty rates are due to rise sharply -- an escalation that economists say could be a powerful negative shock to the global economy.
"We are now making it clear to China that after years of targeting our industries, and stealing our intellectual property, the theft of American jobs and wealth has come to an end," Trump said in his annual State of the Union address.
Any agreement with Beijing "must include real, structural change to end unfair trade practices," Trump said.
Last week, top US and Chinese officials proclaimed progress and comity after two days of talks in Washington, but they disclosed few details.
Washington and Beijing have slapped punishing tariffs on more than US$360 billion in two-way trade, which has weighed on the two countries' manufacturing sectors and sent jitters through global markets.
The US trade deficit has swelled more than 18 percent since Trump took office, rising far faster than economic growth, and has hit record heights with China in particular.
The president also renewed his often-repeated claim that China was paying the US import duties on its exports.
"Our Treasury is receiving billions of dollars a month from a country that never gave us a dime," Trump said.
In fact, such duties are paid by US importers, with costs in many cases passed on to consumers.
Trump also lauded signs of US economic strength, including robust job creation and falling unemployment.
"We are considered far and away the hottest economy anywhere in the world," Trump said.
"Unemployment has reached the lowest rate in over half a century."
The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office predicts the US economy will slow this year and the year after that as the effects of 2017's sweeping tax overhaul fade. (AFP)
Last updated: 2019-02-06 HKT 11:33
This story has been published on: 2019-02-06. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.